Friday - July 31, 2015 - Today in History:

1792 - The cornerstone of the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, PA, was laid. It was the first building to be used only as a U.S. government building.
1919 - Germany's Weimar Constitution was adopted.
1928 - MGM’s Leo the lion roared for the first time. He introduced MGM’s first talking picture, "White Shadows on the South Seas."
1945 - Pierre Laval of France surrendered to Americans in Austria.
1948 - U.S. President Truman helped dedicate New York International Airport (later John F. Kennedy International Airport) at Idlewild Field.
1955 - Marilyn Bell of Toronto, Canada, at age 17, became the youngest person to swim the English Channel.
1964 - The American space probe Ranger 7 transmitted pictures of the moon's surface.
1971 - Men rode in a vehicle on the moon for the first time in a lunar rover vehicle (LRV).
1981 - The seven-week baseball players’ strike came to an end when the players and owners agreed on the issue of free agent compensation.
1989 - A pro-Iranian group in Lebanon released a videotape reportedly showing the hanged body of American hostage William R. Higgins.
1989 - The Game Boy handheld video game device was released in the U.S.
1991 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
1999 - The spacecraft Lunar Prospect crashed into the moon. It was a mission to detect frozen water on the moon's surface. The craft had been launched on January 6, 1998.
2008 - Scientists reported the Phoenix spacecraft had confirmed the presence of frozen water in Martian soil.
2011 - President Barack Obama and congressional leaders announced a historic agreement on emergency legislation to avert the nation's first-ever financial default.

Tokyo Electric executives to be charged over Fukushima nuclear disaster
Reuters - A Japanese civilian judiciary panel on Friday forced prosecutors to indict three former Tokyo Electric Power (9501.T) (Tepco) executives for failing to take measures to prevent the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. The decision is unlikely to lead to a conviction of the former executives, after prosecutors twice said they would not bring charges, but means they will be summoned to appear in court to give evidence.

Syrian Rebel Leader Kidnapped by Al-Qaeda, Along with 7 of His 54 Troops
Breitbart - A matter of days after 54 American-trained moderate Syrian Rebel Army fighters reported for duty, the New York Times reports that the commander of the unit plus seven of his fighters—including his second-in-command—have been kidnapped by the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda franchise, while they were returning from a meeting in Turkey.

China Blames U.S. Military Actions for Tensions in the South China Sea
New York Times - A top Chinese official said Thursday that American military drills and surveillance flights in the South China Sea were threatening regional stability, a harsh assessment that seemed likely to heighten tensions between the two countries before several crucial meetings.
The official, Col. Yang Yujun, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said it was the United States, not China, that was to blame for rising tensions in the resource-rich South China Sea, where China and several other countries are engaged in territorial disputes.

US spied on Japan government, companies says WikiLeaks
MSN.com - The US spied on Japanese politicians, its top central banker and major firms including conglomerate Mitsubishi, according to documents released by WikiLeaks on Friday, in the latest revelation about Washington's snooping on allies. The intercepts exposing US National Security Agency espionage follow other documents that showed spying on allies including Germany and France, straining relations with them. Japan is one of Washington's key allies in the Asia-Pacific region and they regularly consult on defence, economic and trade issues.

A rare blue moon will brighten the sky TODAY Friday, July 31, 2015
Business Insider - If you're not doing anything Friday, you should head outside or get yourself to a window so you can catch the rare event for yourself.

Stunning Conspiracy Report: “Hackers Claim John McCain Knew ISIS Execution Videos Were Staged”
Zero Hedge - In a rather stunning note, CyberBerkut, a Ukrainian group of hackers, claims to have hacked John McCain’s laptop while he was in the Ukraine, and as Techworm reports, what they have released from his June visit appears to be a fully staged production of an ISIS execution video...

The Energy Layoffs Resume: Shell Fires 6,500, Whiting Cuts 2015 Budget 2 Weeks After Raising It
Zero Hedge - Yesterday it was US and Italian energy giants Chevron and Saipem which announced a total of over 10,000 new job cuts in the aftermath of oil sliding back under $50 and resuming its downward trend. Today, we got more confirmation of this when Royal Dutch Shell, still basking in the glow of its proposed $70 billion mega-acquisition of BG Group, announced it would axe 6,500 jobs this year and step up spending cuts, responding to an extended period of lower oil prices which contributed to a 37 percent drop in the oil and gas group's second-quarter profits.

High-speed police chases have killed thousands of innocent bystanders
MSN.com - Police across the USA chase tens of thousands of people each year -- usually for traffic violations or misdemeanors -- often causing drivers to speed away recklessly. Recent cases show the danger of the longstanding police practice of chasing minor offenders.

Kerry: Americans Can’t Know Secret Side of Iran Nuke Deal
The Weekly Standard - Secretary of State John Kerry testified on Capitol Hill today the U.S. government will not be revealing the contents of secret side deals with Iran to the American people. Senator Tom Cotton wanted to know why it can’t be made public. "I'd like to stick with you, Secretary Kerry," Cotton said. "Why can't we confirm or deny the content of these agreements in public? Why is this classified? It's not a sensitive U.S. government document." "Because we respect the process of the IAEA and we don't have their authorization to reveal what is a confidential agreement between them and another country," said Kerry. Cotton said, "So the ayatollahs will know what they agreed to but not the American people?" Kerry said that members of Congress would be able to learn about it in a classified briefing.

The U.S. Government Operates a Secretive Airline Out of a Commercial Airport — In Plain Sight
The Blaze - The fleet may fly to some of the most secretive sites on Earth, but it’s operated in plain sight at a commercial airport in the U.S. Dubbed Janet Airlines (the prefix pilots use to identify over air traffic radio), the fleet of aircrafts is owned by the U.S. Air Force and flies out of a private terminal at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, Business Insider reported in a new video published Monday. The six Boeing 737-600s are known for their bold red horizontal stripe and are operated by a defense contractor. Flight attendants who work on the aircrafts must have a top-secret clearance, according to the video.

GE may be shipping $10 billion worth of work overseas
Business Insider- General Electric is taking steps to shift some U.S. manufacturing work overseas now that the U.S. Export-Import Bank will be shuttered at least until September, the industrial giant's global operations boss told Reuters on Thursday.

Gulf War vet humiliated by judge’s remarks gets apology as inquiry continues
Stripes.com - It's been more than a year since his hearing for Social Security disability benefits, but Gulf War veteran Shawn McMurray still can't get the judge's words out of his mind. According to a recording of the April 2014 hearing, administrative law judge Gary Suttles, who hears Social Security disability appeals in the Houston area, questioned how McMurray, who has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, could have been affected by his wartime experience. comments have sparked calls for his temporary removal and led to a hasty apology from the Social Security Administration. After being informed of Suttles' exchange with McMurray, the agency said it plans to launch an investigation into the judge and "take action, as appropriate."

Top 10 foods for improving blood pressure
Natural News - Blood pressure medications have been shown to help reduce HBP; however, these medications also have unpleasant side effects. Fortunately, you don't have to resort to prescription drugs to treat HBP. All of the followings foods have been shown to help lower blood pressure.

A Mets player broke down crying on the field after he was mistakenly told he got traded in the middle of a game
Business Insider - A bizarre scene unfolded during game against the Padres when Mets shortstop Wilmer Flores started crying while on the field after a premature report broke that he had been traded. The chaos began around the seventh inning when multiple reports broke stating that the Mets had agreed to a trade for Brewers All-Star center fielder Carlos Gomez.
 

Thursday - July 30, 2015 - Today in History:

1619 - The first representative assembly in America convened in Jamestown, VA. (House of Burgesses)
1729 - The city of Baltimore was founded in Maryland.
1937 - The American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) was organized as a part of the American Federation of Labor.
1942 - The WAVES were created by legislation signed by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The members of the Women's Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service were a part of the U.S. Navy.
1945 - The USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. The ship had just delivered key components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian. Only 316 out of 1,196 men aboard survived the attack.
1956 - The phrase "In God We Trust" was adopted as the U.S. national motto.
1965 - U.S. President Johnson signed into law Social Security Act that established Medicare and Medicaid. It went into effect the following year.
1974 - The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted to impeach President Nixon for blocking the Watergate investigation and for abuse of power.
1998 - A group of Ohio machine-shop workers (who call themselves the Lucky 13) won the $295.7 million Powerball jackpot. It was the largest-ever American lottery.
2001 - Lance Armstrong became the first American to win three consecutive Tours de France.
2003 - In Mexico, the last 'old style' Volkswagon Beetle rolled off an assembly line.

How Monsanto Wrote and Broke Laws to Enter India
GreenMedInfo- Decades before there was a "debate" over GMOs and Monsanto's PR and law firms became the busiest of bees, India was introduced to this corrupting, corporate giant that had no respect for the laws of the land. When this massive company did speak of laws, these laws had been framed, essentially, by their own lawyers.

Indian Ocean Debris Examined for Links to Malaysia Jetliner
Debris Is Thought to Come From Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. New York Times - American investigators have concluded that a large object that washed up Wednesday on the shore of Réunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, came from a Boeing 777, making it likely that it was debris from Flight 370, the Malaysia Airlines jetliner that disappeared in March 2014.

Venezuelans Being Thrown in Jail for Tweets that Criticize Government
InfoWars - At least eight people have been jailed in Venezuela in the last 11 months for tweeting messages that the government of Nicolas Maduro found “offensive” or considered a threat for the country’s political instability. The opposition calls it a modern-age witch hunt. The charges range from conspiracy and instigating hatred to espionage and “causing anxiety” – all of them qualify for probation, defense lawyers say, but somehow their cases have stalled and five of the eight detainees are still behind bars.

Democratic congressman charged in political corruption case
Reuters - Democratic U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah of Pennsylvania and four associates were charged on Wednesday in a political corruption case with bribery and misusing hundreds of thousands of dollars of federal, charitable and campaign funds. Fattah, 58, who has represented Philadelphia in the U.S. House of Representatives for two decades and the others were indicted by a federal grand jury on 29 counts in an alleged racketeering conspiracy, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Court bars anti-abortion group from releasing new videos
Washington Times - A temporary restraining order has been issued preventing an anti-abortion group from releasing any video of leaders of a California company that provides fetal tissue to researchers. The group is the same one that previously shot viral covert video of a Planned Parenthood leader discussing the sale of aborted fetuses for research. The Los Angeles Superior Court order issued Tuesday prohibits the Center for Medical Progress from releasing any video of three high-ranking StemExpress officials taken at a restaurant in May. It appears to be the first legal action prohibiting the release of a video from the organization.

Ohio cop indicted on murder charge in traffic stop shooting
Yahoo News - A University of Cincinnati officer who shot a motorist during a traffic stop over a missing front license plate was indicted Wednesday on a murder charge, with a prosecutor saying the officer "purposely killed him" and "should never have been a police officer."

FBI Fabricates ISIS Terror Case From Scratch
InfoWars - The case of Harlem Suarez, 23, of Key West reveals the purported threat of ISIS and its supposed cadre of lone wolves inspired by social media is not only drastically overblown, but largely created by the government.

Cotton: 51 Days to Decide on Deal With Regime That ‘Killed Our Troops, Held Our Citizens Hostage and Sought Our Nation’s Destruction’
CNSNews – Congress will decide within 51 days whether the U.S. will accept a nuclear agreement with Iran, a country that its “mortal and unrepentant enemy” and is responsible for the deaths of Americans, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said on Tuesday.

Klobuchar says U.S. is world's No. 1 oil producer
Considering the United States’ strength in energy production, the debate over building the Keystone XL pipeline has become a symbolic one, said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. "We're now the no. 1 producer of oil in the world," she said. "We've surpassed Saudi Arabia."
We decided to check out the data and see if in fact the United States is the world’s top oil producer. As it turns out, the United States passed over Saudi Arabia about two years ago.

Former Va. Gov. Jim Gilmore Files Paperwork for Presidential Run
NBC News - Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run for president of the United States. His entry into the 2016 race makes him the 17th major Republican candidate for president.

Trump leads Republican presidential race with 25 percent: Reuters/Ipsos poll
Reuters - Billionaire Donald Trump has taken a commanding lead in the race for the 2016 U.S. Republican presidential nomination with the support of 25 percent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, giving him a double-digit advantage over nearest rival Jeb Bush.

‘Totally Inappropriate’ Facebook Comment Aimed at Gun Owner Could Land VA Psychiatrist in Big Trouble
The Blaze - A Veterans Affairs psychiatrist walked back a comment he made on Facebook Tuesday in which he told a gun rights supporter to “off yourself. ”Gregg Gorton’s Facebook page says he is both a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and a staff psychiatrist at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where he has worked for 11 years, WCAU-TV reported. Gorton was responding to another online user who posted a comment in favor of more people owning guns. The original Facebook status was also posted by an apparent gun rights supporter, the Military Times reported.

The Koch Brothers are About to Destroy Veterans' Health Care and No One Knows About It
Dailykos - The war on workers' rights has shifted to a new and unlikely battleground this week: the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. And for the more than 350,000 employees and the veterans they serve, the stakes could not be higher. Let me explain. In the wake of last year's "secret waitlist" scandal - where VA managers rigged the scheduling system to make it appear that more veterans were being seen than actually were - Congress passed a law giving VA Secretary McDonald the authority to fire bad managers and the resources to hire enough staff to care for the massive influx of new vets into the VA system. Were it not for the brave VA employee whistleblowers who put their careers on the line to speak out and expose the list-rigging, we never would have known the problem existed.

Windows 10: it launched so quietly you may have missed it
The Guardian - Early on Wednesday the release of Windows 10 happened silently, with millions of computers around the world updated over the internet. Windows 10’s biggest new feature? It’s free if you download it within the next year, and will install on machines running Windows 7 or Windows 8.

Legionnaires' disease kills two, sickens 31 in New York City
MSNBC - A deadly outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that killed two people and sickened 31 is under investigation in the South Bronx section of New York City, health officials said on Wednesday. The new wave of Legionnaires', a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria, has been recorded since July 10, the city's health department said in a statement.

Lines Out the Door for Nation’s First Organic Drive-Thru Restaurant
Natural Blaze - The country’s first all-organic drive-thru has finally opened in California, with lines out the door as customers flock for a chance to support what could be the biggest step forward for industry ever. The new Amy’s Organic Drive-Thru restaurant opened in Rohnert Park, California, featuring an all-vegetarian menu packed with items like veggie burgers, salads, and even mac n’ cheese in both regular and vegan flavors.

Health care spending to accelerate, US report says
CNSNews.com - Spending on health care will outpace the nation's overall economic growth over the next decade, the government forecast on Tuesday, underscoring a coming challenge for the next president, not to mention taxpayers, businesses and individual Americans.
A combination of expanded insurance coverage under President Barack Obama's law, an aging population, and rising demand, will be squeezing society's ability to pay.

Lyme Disease on the Rise As Tick Epidemic Spreads Across the US
Since national surveillance began in 1982, the number of annual Lyme cases reported has increased nearly 25-fold. The disease is also spreading out geographically. “Lyme disease is not only becoming more rampant in its normal hotspot of the northeast United States, it’s spreading across the country,’ a new report5 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns.‘Over time, the number of counties identified as having high incidence of Lyme disease in the northeastern states increased more than 320 percent,’ researchers write…

Edible Vaccines: What’s in your Banana?
Natural Blaze - One day children may get immunized by munching on foods instead of enduring shots. See what they have to say about bananas and tomatoes. They've done everything else with genetic modification of food, so why not throw in some vaccines? - See more at:

How To Build An All-Natural Heal-Anything First-Aid Kit
OffTheGridNews - If you have no first-aid kit, this list will be an excellent resource to get you started. This list is by no means definite but does cover all the bases of basic, natural first aid. If you already have a first-aid kit, don’t feel like you have to throw everything away and start over. It would be a better idea simply to phase in new products as your old ones are used up or reach their expiration date.
 

Wednesday - July 29, 2015 - Today in History:

1773 - The first schoolhouse to be located west of the Allegheny Mountains was built in Schoenbrunn, OH.
1786 - "The Pittsburgh Gazette" became the first newspaper west of the Alleghenies to be published. Name later changed to "The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette."
1890 - Artist Vincent van Gogh died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Auvers, France, at age 37.
1914 - Transcontinental telephone service began with the first phone conversation between New York and San Francisco.
1948 - Britain's King George VI opened the Olympic Games in London.
1957 - Jack Paar debuted as host of NBC's "Tonight" show.
1958 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
1967 - Fire swept the USS Forrestal in the Gulf of Tonkin, killing 134 servicemen.
1981 - Britain's Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
1999 - A day trader opened fire in two Atlanta brokerage offices, killing nine people and wounding 13 before shooting himself to death; he had earlier killed his wife and two children.
2005 - Astronomers announced that they had discovered a new planet (Xena) larger than Pluto in orbit around the sun.
2008 - Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, was indicted on seven felony counts of concealing more than a quarter of a million dollars in house renovations and gifts he had received from a powerful oil contractor. (A judge later dismissed the case, saying prosecutors had withheld evidence.)
2008 - Army scientist Bruce Ivins committed suicide as prosecutors prepared to indict him in the 2001 anthrax attacks.

Warplanes attack air base near Yemen's Aden
Reuters - Warplanes attacked Houthi militia in control of Yemen's largest air base north of Aden on Tuesday, seeking to expand territorial gains made by Saudi-led coalition forces since they captured the southern port city last week. Witnesses said big explosions were heard at the al-Anad base, 50 km (30 miles) from Aden, which has been held by the Iranian-allied Houthi movement for much of a fourth-month-old civil war and commands the approaches to Aden.  A Saudi-led Arab coalition allied with southern secessionist fighters retook much of Aden last week in the first significant ground victory in their campaign to end Houthi control over much of Yemen and restore exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

NATO Backs Turkey as Country Expands Fight Against ISIS and Kurds
Military.com - NATO on Tuesday gave its strong backing to Turkey's fight against "terrorism" at an emergency meeting called to discuss Ankara's strikes against Islamic State fighters and Kurdish rebels. The talks in Brussels came as President Tayyip Erdogan insisted that Turkey would press on with the dual offensive against two mutually hostile groups despite questions about his country's motives. Opening the meeting of ambassadors from all 28 NATO states, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the US-led military alliance was "following developments very closely and we stand in strong solidarity with our ally Turkey".

Taliban leader Mullah Omar declared dead, again
FirstPost.com - The leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, has reportedly died, according to Afghan officials, reports the BBC. The militant group has not commented on the claim.
An Afghan government official said on Wednesday that a press conference had been called on the subject of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, amid rumours of his death.

Jonathan Pollard, Spy for Israel, to Be Released on Parole
NY Times - In July 2014, after Jonathan J. Pollard had served 29 years of a life sentence for spying on behalf of Israel, his hopes for freedom were thwarted when a federal panel denied his request for parole. On Tuesday the United States Parole Commission announced that Mr. Pollard, 60, met the legal standards and would be released just before Thanksgiving. Mr. Pollard, one of the country’s most notorious spies, will walk out of federal prison in Butner, N.C., on Nov. 20. Eliot Lauer, one of the two lawyers who have been working pro bono for the past 15 years to free Mr. Pollard, called his client on Tuesday with the news.

Turkey drawn into vortex of violence
Al-Monitor.com - A sudden escalation of attacks against police and the military after the Suruc suicide bombing prompts fears that the cease-fire with the Kurds has ended

At least 192 labs accidentally received live anthrax say the Pentagon
Russia Today - The Pentagon has admitted that a US Army lab accidentally shipped live anthrax to at least 192 laboratories over the past decade. The figure is more than double the number the agency reported in June. The agency said on Monday that the list now includes labs in all 50 states, as well as Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Washington, DC. The labs received live anthrax because of ineffective sterilization methods for killing the deadly bacteria. Seven foreign countries also received the shipments, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and the UK, according to the Department of Defense’s Laboratory Review site.

U.S. military sees more use of laser, microwave weapons
Reuters - The U.S. military has made strides in developing lasers, microwaves and other directed energy weapons, and could soon use them more widely, top armed forces officials and U.S. lawmakers told an industry conference on Tuesday. The officials described weapons that are in various stages of development and testing by the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army, but said more work was needed to scale up the technology for larger weapons, develop tactics for their use, and ensure sufficient funding.

Nursing Student Expelled for Questioning Directives To Lie About Vaccines
The Liberty Beacon - Nichole Rolfe (formerly Bruff) was expelled from the nursing program at Baker College in 2013 for “harassment of staff.” Rolfe readily admits that she had respectfully questioned two of her teachers during classroom discussions when each of them instructed the students to use diversion, misinformation, threats, and blatant lies to coerce their patients (not theoretical patients- current hospital patients) to comply with vaccination demands. Within two weeks of these incidences, Rolfe was expelled from the program with no warning, no recourse, and no right to appeal.

Amazon wants air space for delivery drones
MSN.com - Online retail colossus Amazon wants to carve out a special zone of the sky to shuttle commercial drones that would deliver goods to its customers.

Dissenting doctors put on big pharma ‘hit list’
NaturalHealth365 -  It’s another dark chapter in the sordid history of big pharma: doctors who did not praise a new anti-inflammatory medication manufactured by Merck were put on a type of ‘hit list’ in an effort to discredit or otherwise harass them. The list was revealed only when a series of emails among Merck executives were utilized during testimony in a 2009 Australian class action suit involving one of the company’s anti-inflammatory medications.
But, was this an isolated incident? Not hardly. In fact, the emails were part of a broader campaign to falsely promote the effectiveness and safety of the drug Vioxx, which was launched in 1999 and voluntarily removed from the market in 2004 amidst concerns it increased the risk of a heart attack. Unfortunately, the potential for similar activities today among drug companies is still very real.

Kerry Warns U.S. Congress Scrapping Iran Deal Would Mean Path to Nuclear Weapon
New York Times - Secretary of State John Kerry intensified efforts on Tuesday to beat back criticism of the Iran nuclear deal and convince U.S. lawmakers that rejecting it would give Tehran a fast track to a weapon and access to billions of dollars from collapsed sanctions. Days after tough questioning by lawmakers at an emotional Senate hearing, Kerry sharpened his response to criticism that the deal's provisions were temporary and would not prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon in the long run.

Majority of Americans oppose compensating Israel over Iran accord
PressTV - A great majority of Americans oppose the provision of any special compensation to Israel for its concern over the nuclear agreement with Iran, a new poll shows. Only 7.9 percent of respondents said they support increasing annual US aid to Israel from $3.5 billion to $5 billion. Furthermore, the survey found that just 4.1 percent of Americans agree with giving Israel deep penetrating “bunker buster” bombs, 4 percent support providing Israel with B-52 bombers, and 3.4 percent support releasing Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.

Trump Explains His Appeal: 'People Are Tired...Of These Incompetent Politicians'
CNSNews.com) - Why are you doing so well in the polls? Fox News's Sean Hannity asked Donald Trump on Monday night. "I think people are tired, really tired, of these incompetent politicians where it's all talk, no action," Trump said. He added that he didn't really want to run for president because he enjoys being a successful businessman, but given the direction of the country, he felt he had no choice.

Chevron to lay off 1,500 workers amidst oil price slump
MSN.com - Chevron Corp, the second-largest U.S. oil company, said on Tuesday it would lay off 1,500 employees, about 2 percent of its global work force, as it trims costs to offset declining crude prices. Nearly all of the layoffs will be in Texas, where the company has expanded in recent years to develop land in the Permian shale formation, and California, where Chevron is headquartered. Fifty international employees will be laid off and roughly 600 contractor positions will be canceled, the company said in a statement.

An Expert That Correctly Called The Last Two Stock Market Crashes Is Now Predicting Another One
InfoWars - A well-respected financial expert that correctly predicted the last two stock market crashes is now warning that we are right on the verge of the next one. John Hussman is a former professor of economics and international finance at the University of Michigan, and the information in his latest weekly market comment is staggering. Since 1970, there have only been a handful of times when a combination of market signals that Hussman uses have indicated that a major market peak has been reached. In 1972, 2000 and 2007 each of those peaks was followed by a dramatic stock market crash. Now, for the first time since the last financial crisis, all four of those signals appeared once again during the week of July 17th. If Hussman’s analysis is correct, this could very well mean that the next great stock market crash in the United States is imminent.

The Top 24 Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Prevent Disease - Researchers at the University of South Carolina, including James Hebert, ScD, and Philip Cavicchia, PhD, scored foods and food components thought to positively or negatively affect levels of inflammation, based on a review of peer-reviewed studies relating to diet and inflammation that were published between 1950 and 2007. Since then, new research is bringing the index closer to "prime time"--ready to be used in epidemiological and clinical studies.

While Mandatory Vaccination Laws Are Enacted, Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Is Failing
Health Impact News - It is illogical for the state to pass laws unfairly punishing healthy unvaccinated children by preventing them from getting a school education, and punishing unvaccinated adults by preventing them from being employed as health or child care workers while millions of children and adults infected with hepatitis B and C, HIV, syphilis and gonorrhea and other transmittable infectious diseases are allowed to go to school and be employed without facing similar discrimination and segregation from society.

Top 10 toxic ingredients used by McDonald's
Natural News - The global addiction to McDonald's is frightening, and assuming that McDonald's isn't going away anytime soon, then perhaps it is time you know some of the toxic ingredients that can be found in a typical McDonald's menu.

McDonald's begins closing restaurants across U.S. as clean food movement sweeps America
Natural News - Finally our efforts to avoid processed foods and Frankenfoods are paying off. For the first time in decades McDonald's is struggling and has to close more restaurants than it opens after worldwide drops in sales. According to an Associated Press review of McDonald's regulatory filings, this hasn't happened since 1970.

Tuesday - July 28, 2015 - Today in History:

1914 - World War I began.
1919 - American-born Lady Astor was elected the first female member of the British Parliament.
1925 - The Grand Ole Opry made its radio debut on station WSM.
1943 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin met in Tehran to map out strategy concerning World War II.
1953 - New York City began 11 days without newspapers due to a strike of photoengravers.
1963 - U.S. President Johnson announced that Cape Canaveral would be renamed Cape Kennedy in honor of his assassinated predecessor. The name was changed back to Cape Canaveral in 1973 by a vote of residents.
1964 - The U.S. launched the space probe Mariner IV from Cape Kennedy on a course set for Mars.
1978 - The Iranian government banned religious marches.
1983 - The space shuttle Columbia took off with the STS-9 Spacelab in its cargo bay.
1992 - In Bosnia-Herzegovina, 137 tons of food and supplies were to be delivered to the isolated town of Srebrenica.
1994 - Jeffrey Dahmer, a convicted serial killer, was clubbed to death in a Wisconsin prison by a fellow inmate.
1994 - Norwegian voters rejected European Union membership.
1995 - U.S. President Clinton signed a $6 billion road bill that ended the federal 55 mph speed limit.
2009 - The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Sonia Sotomayor to be the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court.
2010 - WikiLeaks released to the public more than 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables. About 100,000 were marked "secret" or "confidential."

Kerry heads for Egypt and the Gulf to discuss Iran deal, ISIS
Yahoo News - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Egypt and the Gulf next week for talks on the recent nuclear deal between major powers and Iran and the fight against Islamic State militants, then he will head to Southeast Asia, where countries share U.S. concerns about China's pursuit of territorial claims.

North Korea to U.S.: We Will Beat You
InfoWars - North Korean officials warned the United States that another war on the Korean Peninsula would leave no Americans alive to sign a surrender document as the country marked Monday’s anniversary of the armistice that ended fighting in the Korean War more than six decades ago.

US Behind Migration Crisis in Europe says Putin
sputnikNews - The United States stands at the origin of many problems that the European Union faces at the moment, including the problem of migration, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Swiss RTS television channel on Monday.

Colonel Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam is sentenced to death for war crimes in Libya
DailyMail - The son of Libya's former dictator Colonel Gaddafi has been sentenced to death in absentia after he was found guilty of committing war crimes in the Libyan Civil War. Saif al-Islam is currently being held by a former rebel group in the Libyan town of Zintan after he attempted to cross the desert into neighbouring Niger. Saif spoke to the court via a video link after his captors refused to allow him to leave Zintan and attend the trial in Tripoli.  al-Islam and eight other associates were sentenced to death by firing squad after being found guilty of ordering the brutal suppression of demonstrations during the bloody uprising.

Hacker Reveals Details Behind Planned Parenthood Breach
InfoWars - A hacking group known as 3301 breached the website of abortion-provider Planned Parenthood Sunday evening, obtaining everything from employee names to email addresses.

Update: Preliminary Report Blames Death of Child Found Inside Hot Springs Car on Heat
Arkansas Matters - HOT SPRINGS, AR - Police have released the unofficial cause of death of the little boy found dead inside his father's car on Friday. In a news release issued Monday, the Hot Springs Police Department (HSPD) said the State Crime Lab's preliminary report found that the child's death was caused by excessive heat. An official cause of death will not come for another few weeks when toxicology reports are completed.

US to Send More Troops and Aircraft to Turkey to Combat ISIS
Military.com - The U.S. will be sending more Air Force personnel and aircraft to Turkey to combat ISIS but plans for a no-fly zone over the Syria-Turkey border remain on hold, Pentagon officials said Monday.

University of California Students Now Have Six Different Genders They Can Choose From
The Blaze - Students filling out applications for the University of California system can now choose between six different genders to identify themselves. Asked the question, “How do you describe yourself?” prospective students can choose from the following: “male, female, trans male/trans man, trans female/trans woman, gender queer/gender non-conforming and different identity.”

Seattle raises minimum wage to $15, workers demand FEWER HOURS to keep their WELFARE BENEFITS!
Wounded American Warrior - This is amazing. When Seattle raised their minimum wage to $15 I predicted, along with many other conservatives, that there would be lost jobs and raised prices on goods and services. But I don’t think any of us would predict that workers would ask for fewer hours of employment just to keep their welfare benefits!!

Treasure Hunters Find Over $1 Million Worth of Shipwrecked Spanish Gold off the Florida Coast
A Florida family of professional treasure hunters has struck gold after discovering over $1 million worth of coins and jewelry in a huge Spanish shipwreck from the 18th century, Florida Today reports.

Ailing Vets Sue, Say Toxic Burn Pits Cost Them Their Health
Military.com - Hundreds of soldiers who've come home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan now are battling the very companies that helped operate their base camps, claiming constant exposure to toxins from open-air burn pits has wrecked their health. The companies being sued say their work was critical to America's war effort, not a detriment to American soldiers. One company summed up its position in an email last week: "KBR provided a critical service to the Army under dangerous conditions, and to the exacting standards of the Army's guidelines and contract for waste disposal. KBR personnel performed admirably under extreme conditions to safely and effectively dispose of tons of waste material. We will vigorously defend any allegations to the contrary."

China stock exodus: When will it end?
MSNBC - The stampede out of Chinese equities resumed on Tuesday morning, with analysts cautioning that there is no clear end in sight to the dramatic market rout.  On Tuesday morning, the central bank used reverse-repurchase agreements to pump 50 billion yuan into the banking system – the largest amount of funds through open market operations since July 7 – and said it would use various monetary tools to maintain appropriate levels of liquidity, according to Reuters.

Greek Capital Controls To Remain For Months As Germany Pushes For Bail-In Of Large Greek Depositors
InfoWars - Two weeks ago we explained why Greek banks, which Greece no longer has any direct control over having handed over the keys to their operations to the ECB as part of Bailout #3’s terms, are a “strong sell” at any price: due to the collapse of the local economy as a result of the velocity of money plunging to zero thanks to capital controls which just had their 1 month anniversary, bank Non-Performing Loans, already at €100 billion (out of a total of €210 billion in loans), are rising at a pace as high as €1 billion per day (this was confirmed when the IMF boosted Greece’s liquidity needs by €25 billion in just two weeks), are rising at a pace unseen at any time in modern history.

Nasa’s biggest ever rocket gets closer to reality: Agency completes review of Space Launch System to send humans to Mars
Daily Mail- In 2018, Nasa will launch the Orion spacecraft using the largest, most powerful rocket booster ever built; the Space Launch System (SLS). Now, Nasa has completed a major design review of for the first of three configurations planned for SLS, referred to as SLS Block 1.

New Pharma Vaccine Bill Quietly Passes House
The Edgy Truth - Right on the heels of California passing mandatory vaccine laws, here comes the 2015 Cures Act, a Big Pharma bill that has the support of the FDA. It made it through the House on July 10th.
The bill gives Big Pharma 9 billion dollars and the FDA 5 million dollars to develop even less safe vaccines. It completely lowers standards for safety.

8 Ways to Incorporate Salad Sprouts into Healthy Meals
Health Iimpact News - We all know that salad sprouts are good for us, especially when we take the time to grow them at home. What’s more is that in the process we’re literally growing food in our own kitchen. It’s a simple, doable process that anyone can follow with a little time and some good seeds. Using all of those sprouts is another story. Staring down a big bowl of fresh sprouts can make you wonder how you will find nutritious and tasty ways to use them all. In the traditional foods kitchen, there are myriad ways in which to incorporate them – mostly raw, some cooked, but all unique and delicious.

South Korea declares end to MERS outbreak
Yahoo News - South Korea on Tuesday declared an end to a deadly outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) that killed 36 people, triggered widespread panic and stymied growth in Asia's fourth-largest economy. Addressing a meeting of government officials in Seoul, Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn said the danger posed by what was the biggest outbreak of the virus outside Saudi Arabia was over. "After weighing various circumstances, the medical personnel and the government judge that the people can now be free from worry," Hwang said.

‘Look at me son, I’m talking to you': Cop’s unique ‘Crime Stoppers’ video goes viral
Fox13 - A police officer in Louisiana is on his way to viral fame after his unusual but also heartwarming “Crime Stoppers” video about a man who burglarized a restaurant popular with local police was posted online, and Lieutenant Higgins says the folks at Stelly’s exemplify Southern hospitality.
 

Monday - July 27, 2015 - Today in History:

1775 - Benjamin Rush began his service as the first Surgeon General of the Continental Army.
1777 - The marquis of Lafayette arrived in New England to help the rebellious American colonists fight the British.
1789 - The Department of Foreign Affairs was established by the U.S. Congress. The agency was later known as the Department of State.
1804 - The 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. With the amendment Electors were directed to vote for a President and for a Vice-President rather than for two choices for President.
1921 - Canadian biochemist Frederick Banting and associates announced the discovery of the hormone insulin.
1944 - U.S. troops completed the liberation of Guam.
1947 - The World Water Ski Organization was founded in Geneva, Switzerland.
1953 - The armistice agreement that ended the Korean War was signed at Panmunjon, Korea.
1955 - The Allied occupation of Austria ended.
1964 - U.S. President Lyndon Johnson sent an additional 5,000 advisers to South Vietnam.
1965 - In the U.S., the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act was signed into law. The law required health warnings on all cigarette packages.
1967 - U.S. President Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to assess the causes of the violence in the wake of urban rioting.
1974 - The U.S. Congress asked for impeachment procedures against President Richard Nixon.
1995 - The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, DC, by U.S. President Clinton and South Korean President Kim Young-sam.
1999 - The U.S. space shuttle Discovery completed a five-day mission commanded by Air Force Col. Eileen Collins. It was the first shuttle mission to be commanded by a woman.
2003 - It was reported by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corp.) that there was no monster in Loch Ness. The investigation used 600 separate sonar beams and satellite navigation technology to trawl the loch. Reports of sightings of the "Loch Ness Monster" began in the 6th century.
2006 - Intel Corp introduced its Core 2 Duo microprocessors.

Turkey airstrikes against ISIS: New effort to create Syrian ‘safe zones’ (+video)
Christian Science Monitor - Turkey and the US have agreed to launch a military action plan to clear the Turkish-Syrian border of militant groups and create what will become ‘safe zones’ or ‘Islamic State (ISIS) free zones.’ Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu made the announcement Saturday as Turkish fighter jets continue to attack ISIS targets in northern Syria, Reuters reports. "When areas in northern Syria are cleared of the [ISIS] threat, the safe zones will be formed naturally," Mr. Cavusoglu told a news conference. "We have always defended safe zones and no-fly zones in Syria. People who have been displaced can be placed in those safe zones."
* Related: U.S.-Turkey deal aims to create ‘safe zone’ in northwest Syria

Turkey: Kurdish forces not targeted in Syria offensive
Aljazeera News - Turkey has said its military is not targeting Syrian Kurds, after Kurdish forces and a monitoring group said tanks shelled Kurdish-held villages in northern Syria. Ankara on Monday said it was investigating the reports of shelling. If confirmed, it would be the most serious incident yet of Turkey targeting Kurdish-controlled areas in the Syrian conflict.

UK Government Admits 250,000 Porn Websites Visited On Parliament PCs
Zero Hedge - Thanks to a Freedom of Information request by the Daily Express, RT reports, over 247,000 attempts were made to visit X-rated websites from the UK Parliament’s computer network last year, with the numbers spiking during parliamentary recess in April...

13 Nations Arrive in Moscow to Battle in Tank Biathlon
Sputnik News - Moscow is gearing up to host its annual tank biathlon, which will take place in the village of Alabino, close to Moscow, with participants from 13 countries on four continents taking part in the competition.

India Tightens Pakistan Border Control After Punjab Attack
Sputnik News - Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that authorities have tightened control on the border with Pakistan after a terrorist attack.

Obama holds talks on security, human rights in Ethiopia
AP - President Barack Obama huddled with Ethiopia's leaders Monday for talks on counterterrorism, human rights and regional security issues, including the crisis in neighboring South Sudan.

Britain's Secret Deadly Experiments On Public Exposed In New Book
Your News Wire - A new book by author Ulf Schmidt reveals that the UK government conducted simulated biological attacks on unsuspecting members of the public, involving poisons such as anthrax and hydrogen cyanide.

U.S. Marshals raid Sheriff Joe's office
World Net Daily - A judge on Friday ordered the seizure of identification documents and computer hard drives from Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s office, and chastised his attorneys for failing to turn over the evidence, requested months ago in a racial-profiling case against the Arizona lawman.

Census Bureau Database Hacked-You Have NO Privacy
Washington Times - Hackers have breached a computer network used by the U.S. Census Bureau and have made off with “non-confidential” information from a government database that has since been published online, the agency admits.

Woman who killed alleged serial killer recounts final fight
CBS News - Police in West Virginia seem to have quite the case on their hands: a man killed by a woman he attacked in her home may have been a serial killer himself. But why is this not being covered in the main stream news?

Psychiatric Drugs To Blame For Lafayette Shooting?
YourNewsWire.com - The Lafayette shooter, John Russell Houser, who killed two people and injured nine others at an LA movie theater had been prescribed antidepressant medication, his estranged wife has revealed.

Another Florida Doctor Murdered, Bringing Total to 8 Dead & 5 Missing in Just the Last Month
The Free Thought Project - While all of these deaths could be nothing more than strange coincidences, we’d be remiss in not noting the fact that all of the doctors mentioned, sans Dr. Gonzales, practiced in the Southeastern United States, specifically in the Florida/Georgia region. Do you think these deaths are simply a strange coincidence or that perhaps something more sinister is transpiring?
* Related: 7 dead Doctors all linked to extensive research on autism

Group To Unveil Satan Statue In Detroit During ‘Largest Public Satanic Ceremony In History’
CBS Detroit News  - A Satanic organization unveiled a controversial bronze Baphomet sculpture in Detroit just before midnight on Saturday, after trying in vain to have it installed near a 10 Commandments monument in Oklahoma.

Police pepper spray crowd after 'Black Lives Matter' conference
USA Today - Several streets were closed late Sunday afternoon near Cleveland State University after a crowd of people were pepper sprayed by local law enforcement. Activists from around the country met in Cleveland for a "Black Lives Matter" conference this weekend. Also in the conference were local activists and even members of the Cleveland 8: the 8 people who instead on waiting for a grand jury in the Tamir Rice case, went straight to a judge.

Devastated Parents of Children Medically Kidnapped in Virginia Fight Back
MedicalKidnap.com - A nightmare story that has become all too familiar to those of us at Health Impact News, parents in Virginia reached out to us to expose a corrupt system that has ravaged families all across America, and is completely out of control. Trying to find solutions to medical problems for their family, these parents did what families all across the United States do every day: they took their children to see medical doctors. Not finding solutions to their family illness, these parents pressed on to find answers. The result was that they were allegedly accused of having a mental disorder, Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, and even denied medical care. Worse, their children were terrorized and kidnapped out of the hospital by force.

EXCLUSIVE: Video shows Hillary Clinton boarding private jet just hours after launching global-warming push – and she's using a FRENCH aircraft that burns 347 gallons of fuel every hour!
Daily Mail - Just hours after Hillary Clinton unveiled her presidential campaign's push to solve global warming through an aggressive carbon-cutting plan, she sauntered up the steps of a 19-seat private jet in Des Moines, Iowa.
The aircraft, a Dassault model Falcon 900B, burns 347 gallons of fuel per hour. And like all Dassault business jets, Hillary's ride was made in France.
The Trump-esque transportation costs $5,850 per hour to rent, according to the website of Executive Fliteways, the company that owns it.
And she has used the same plane before, including on at least one trip for speeches that brought her $500,000 in fees.

Remains of 36 unidentified Marines from WWII battle return
Breitbart- The military and a private organization are bringing home the remains of 36 Marines killed in one of World War II’s bloodiest battles.

US stocks eye China slide, earnings
Yahoo News - U.S. stock markets are expected to open lower on Monday, hurt by a sharp selloff in Chinese stocks with earnings reports, data and this week's meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve also in focus.

Fiat Chrysler hit with record fine by US regulators
BBC News - US regulators have imposed a record fine of $105m (£67.6m) on Fiat Chrysler over recall failures. Under the agreement with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the automaker will also offer to buy back as many as 1.5 million vehicles.

Oncologist sentenced to 45 years in prison for wrongly diagnosing and administering chemo to patients
Blacklisted news - This unfortunate account shows how far some doctors will go just to receive some financial kickbacks. The ‘sick care’ industry is a big money maker for pharmaceutical companies. While some health care practitioners have begun to recognize the importance of diet and lifestyle and now recommend preventive care as a main form of ‘medicine’, others have wrongly benefited from vulnerable patients and traded their integrity as physicians for profit.

Fact or Myth: Is There a Link Between Nutrition and Mental Health?
Underground Health Reporter - While there’s a wealth of evidence that proves how important a balanced diet is to your physical health, scientists have only recently begun exploring the link between nutrition and mental health. A new scientific review published June 2015 in The Lancet Psychiatry calls attention to the importance of nutrition in supporting mental health

Blowing the Whistle on Personal-Care Products
The problem is that most body-care products contain materials that would require hazmat training and personal protective equipment in an industrial setting. Yet we freely apply these substances to our skin and put them in our mouths.

How to Make Homemade Lacto-Fermented Crunchy Dill Pickles
Health Impact News - Besides the health benefits, one of the many wonders of using lactic acid fermentation as a means of preserving food is its versatility. While this recipe has that perfect dill and garlic cucumber pickle flavor, the recipe can be applied to any similar organic vegetable coming from the garden or market such as zucchini, yellow summer squash, Swiss chard stems, and even organic watermelon rinds. One of the more important facets of learning the art of vegetable fermentation is to be able to identify when a vegetable has fully fermented.

15 Top Wild Edibles That Can Save You in the Wild
Natural Blaze - What are the best wild edibles that you can find and identify easily in an emergency that may be growing nearby and all around you? Some of these wild edibles can be found in several regions, are easy to prepare (we include instructions) and have a higher calorie count.

31 Long-Forgotten Native American Medical Cures
Off The Grid News - A list of indigenous plants, trees, fruits and flowers unique to North America that have surprising benefits as defined by Native American tribes. If and when times are tough, it might be good to keep some of these ancient cures in mind. They also are good for everyday needs when you consider how effective some of them can be.
 

Friday - July 24, 2015 - Today in History:

1847 - Mormon leader Brigham Young and his followers arrived in the valley of the Great Salt Lake in present-day Utah.
1847 - Richard M. Hoe patented the rotary-type printing press.
1866 - Tennessee became the first state to be readmitted to the Union after the U.S. Civil War.
1929 - U.S. President Hoover proclaimed the Kellogg-Briand Pact, which renounced war as an instrument of foreign policy.
1933 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his fourth "Fireside Chat."
1948 - Soviet occupation forces in Germany blockaded West Berlin. The U.S.-British airlift began the following day.
1969 - The Apollo 11 astronauts splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean.
1974 - The Supreme Court ruled that President Nixon had to turn over subpoenaed White House tape recordings to the Watergate special prosecutor.
1987 - Hulda Crooks, at 91 years of age, climbed Mt. Fuji. Hulda became the oldest person to climb Japan’s highest peak.
2002 - The U.S. House expelled Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio, who had been convicted of bribery, racketeering and tax evasion.

Recent Turkey-Syria Border Clashes A Bad Omen Of Invasion?
Brandon Turbeville - On Thursday (July 23, 2015), Turkey scrambled fighter jets and launched a small amount of ground forces into Syrian territory after clashes with ISIS fighters on the Turkey-Syria border. Some are now wondering if the incident is an omen of a coming attack on Syria’s northern region. The Turkish military claims that a Turkish border unit was attacked by 5 ISIS fighters armed with a rocket launcher and Kalishnikovs. The Turkish army unit reported that it had seized the weapons, killed one of the fighters, and destroyed three vehicles. “The Daesh [Isis] terrorist who opened fire on our staff was killed and his ammunition was seized. […] Three vehicles belonging to the Daesh terrorists have been severely damaged in a fire attack,” the Turkish army statement said.

VIDEO: European drug makers give positive review of malaria vaccine for 'Africa only' with efficacy rates as low as 15%
Time - The World's first malaria vaccine got a major push forward on Friday morning. Drug maker GlaxoSmithKline announced that a European Medicines Agency (EMA) committee has given a positive recommendation for the company’s vaccine for malaria called Mosquirix (scientifically known as RTS,S). The drug is intended for children ages six weeks to 17 months living in Sub-Saharan Africa. After 18 months, GSK reported that the vaccine had about 46% efficacy against clinical malaria and 36% efficacy against severe malaria in kids ages five to 17 months. In babies ages six to 12 weeks, the drug had a 27% efficacy against clinical malaria and 15% against severe malaria.

US to use Turkish airbases in war against ISIS says reports
RT - Turkey has agreed to allow US drones and bombers to launch airstrikes against Islamic State targets from two airbases near the Syrian border, according to multiple reports. US officials called the decision a “game changer” in the conflict with ISIS. Several US news outlets, including Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times reported on the agreement Thursday. While the White House and the Pentagon refused to comment, citing operational security concerns, government officials speaking on condition of anonymity told the New York Times that Turkey has agreed to allow the US to launch air strikes from the bases at Incirlik and Pirinclik.

No grounds to keep Russia sanctions in place – French MPs visiting Crimea
RT - There are no grounds to keep Russia sanctions in place, said member of the French National Assembly Thierry Mariani, who heads the parliamentary delegation currently on a two-day visit to Crimea. As the US is lifting Cuba blockades, I see no reasons for Europe to keep Russia sanctions in place,” Mariani told reporters after speaking at the Crimean Parliament in Simferopol on Thursday. He added that he felt the effect of sanctions as the delegation’s mobile phones stopped operating because European companies refuse to provide service in the area.

Iran preparing to enter WTO, set up preferential trade with EU
RT - Iran wants to join the World Trade Organization after putting the final signatures on a nuclear deal with the six world powers. Tehran is also interested in a preferential trade deal with the EU, says Industry Minister Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh. "Iran is preparing to join the WTO, and one political obstacle has already been overcome. Tehran is also interested in the negotiations with the EU and Central Asian countries in establishing preferential treatment in trade," said Nematzadeh Thursday, speaking at a conference on investment and trade between Iran and the EU in Vienna.

Copper, China And World Trade Are All Screaming That The Next Economic Crisis Is Here
Economic Collapse - Copper is referred to as “Dr. Copper” because it does such an excellent job of indicating where economic conditions are heading next. We saw this in 2008, when the price of copper started crashing big time in the months leading up to the stock market implosion.

Shock Report: China Dumps Half a Trillion Dollars: “Something Is Very, Very Wrong”
Mac Slavo - [...] a shocking report from Zero Hedge suggests otherwise. According to one of the world’s leading financial web sites, major banking institutions like JP Morgan Chase and Goldman Sachs have been left speechless after the release of new data coming out of China. The news isn’t necessarily that China just reported a massive increase in its gold holdings of some 600 tons, but rather, that they have actively dumped hundreds of billions of dollars worth of U.S. Treasuries over the last 15 months, with some $224 billion having been offloaded in just the last 90 days.

'Mutant' daisies near Fukushima spark new radiation worries
RT - Deformed daisies spotted near Japan's Fukushima province where a disastrous nuclear power plant meltdown took place in 2011, have sparked new worries of radiation-induced mutations. But not all experts think contamination has affected the flowers. he city of Nasushiobara is well over 100 kilometers from Fukushima and reported levels of radiation in the area remain normal and suitable for living. However, here is a photo taken by a Japanese Twitter user @san_kaido of several flowers with obvious abnormalities.

Gunman Kills Four, Injures Seven at Louisiana Theater
Reason - KTLATwenty minutes into last night's 7 p.m. showing of the Amy Schumer comedy Trainwreck at the Grand 16 multiplex in Lafayette, Louisiana, a man stood up and began firing a handgun at the audience of about 100 people, killing three and injuring seven before killing himself. The theater complex was evacuated, and so was a nearby apartment building as police detonated a suspicious package in the shooter's car that they worried might be a bomb.... Police have identified the shooter, a 58-year-old white man, but have not released his name yet. Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft said the man had a criminal record, "but it looks like it's pretty old." Per The New York Times, Craft "said it was too soon to know his motive.
* Related: CNN Wastes Little Time, Rushes to Invoke Gun Control in Lafayette Shooting Coverage

TTIP: A Corporate Lobbying Paradise – Which Businesses Are Pushing Most for EU-US Trade Deal?
Global Research - Which businesses are pushing most for the proposed EU-US trade deal TTIP? Who’s influencing EU negotiators? Corporate Europe Observatory’s eight new info-graphics reveal the corporate lobby behind the TTIP talks. When preparing the mandate for the negotiations on TTIP, and in the first important months of the talks themselves (January 2012 to February 2014), the European Commission’s trade department (DG Trade) had 597 behind-closed-door meetings with lobbyists to discuss the negotiations, according to internal Commission files obtained via access to information requests. 528 of those meetings (88%) were with business lobbyists while only 53 (9%) were with public interest groups. So, for every meeting with a trade union or consumer group, there were 10 with companies and industry federations. The rest of the meetings were with other actors such as public institutions and academics. In total, DG Trade met 288 lobby groups in the early phase of the TTIP talks – 250 of them from the private sector.

Chattanooga Hoax? Victim Reported Dead Years Before Shooting
Activist Post - The Chattanooga shooting inspired an influential former general to call for internment camps for thought radicals. Pretty outrageous, I know. Imagine how sinister that agenda would be if the Chattanooga shooting is proven to be a scripted hoax? YouTube researchers MattyD 4 Truth and PROVE ME WRONG have uncovered records that appear to show at least one of the Chattanooga victims died years before the latest "mass shooter" media event. The establishment media is running dramatic stories of Lance Corporal Skip Wells' last words to his girlfriend, but perhaps those last words were spoken in 2004. A strikingly similar looking Marine Lance Corporal Larry L. Wells was reported to have been killed in Iraq in 2004, according to Washington Post's Faces of the Fallen. Screenshot saved below in case they remove the page.

Report: 87 Percent Of Illegal Immigrants To Remain In U.S.
Breitbart - An estimated 87 percent of illegal immigrants in the United States will not face a threat of deportation from the U.S. and have “a degree of protection” due to President Obama’s executive actions on immigration enforcement, the Migration Policy Institute concludes in a new report. The MPI report, issued Thursday, highlights the impact of the new policy guidance on immigration enforcement on the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. — namely the Obama administration’s move to replace the Secure Communities program with the Priority Enforcement Program (PEP).

Houston: Another Person Found Hung In Texas Jail on Thursday
Cop Block - In what seems to be becoming an epidemic, yet another person has been found dead in a Texas jail, supposedly another suicide by hanging.... The most recent incident happened in the Houston 61 Riesner jail. A 38 year old Asian male was ‘found’ dead, allegedly hung by his own pants. He had been booked in the jail 12 hours earlier for possession of a substance and passed a mental health examination meant to screen for potentially suicidal individuals.... The recent rash of jail cell suicide by hangings has come into national focus recently after the death of Sandra Bland. Bland was also found dead of an apparent hanging suicide in the Waller County Jail after a Texas State Trooper pulled her over and escalated a stop for ‘failure to signal a turn’.

Shocking Video Shows LAPD Cops Shoot Man in Wheelchair with 3 Bean Bag Rounds and a Taser
Free Thought Project - The LAPD is facing criticism after a video surfaced that shows them firing beanbag rounds at a man in a wheelchair and then hitting him with a taser. According to LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith, the man in the wheelchair, Christopher Adam Zareck, 43, swung a pole at police when they tried to take him into custody. mPolice were called to the scene around 7:00 pm last Friday after a man reported that he’d been in an altercation with Zareck. Ironically enough, the man claiming he’d been in an altercation with Zareck said he successfully defended himself against the wheelchair-bound man. However, nearly a dozen officers were deployed to stop this one man.

Armed Marine vet standing guard outside recruiting center told to leave or he’ll be arrested
Bizpac Review - A Marine veteran standing guard outside an Armed Forces Recruiting Center has been told he is no longer welcome and ordered off the property. Matthew Benack took up a sentry post outside the Center in Jacksonville, Fla., in response to the deadly attack on five members of the U.S. military last week in Chattanooga, Tenn., WNCT reported. Police said the vet was within his constitutional rights to have a loaded weapon outside the center as long as the unidentified property owner gave permission. Benack said the owner, represented by Coldwell Banker Commercial Sun Coast Partners, initially allowed him to be there, but changed her mind. He was asked to leave Tuesday by the property management firm.

House passes anti-GMO labeling law
Reuters - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a hotly debated measure that blocks any mandatory labeling of foods made with genetically engineered crops, including pre-empting a state law set to take effect next year in Vermont. Dubbed the Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act by supporters, but the "Deny Americans the Right to Know" or DARK Act, by opponents, the measure was approved 275-150 with 45 Democrats voting for the bill. House passage marks a victory for food and agricultural companies that have lobbied for the bill, and a blow to opponents, which include consumer, health and environmental groups and organic food industry players. Representatives that voted for H.R. 1599: Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015

Male Feminist: Men Who Enjoy BBQs Are Oppressing Women
Paul Joseph Watson - BBQs reinforce gender roles and “the stain of unintentional masculine cliché.” Slate writer and male feminist Jacob Brogan thinks that men should feel guilty for enjoying the inherently misogynistic past time of grilling food on a BBQ. Again I have to remind you – this is not an article out of the Onion, this is not a parody. This is yet another illustration of the ‘everything is sexist/racist’ mental illness that has infected public discourse thanks to social justice warriors. In an article subtitled, “I’m a feminist. I’m a dude. And I hate that I love to grill,” Brogan writes how he’s, “Uncomfortable with the pleasure I take in something so conventionally masculine. “At such moments, I get the sense that I’ve fallen into a societal trap, one that reaffirms gender roles I’ve spent years trying to undo. The whole business feels retrograde, a relic of some earlier, less inclusive era.”

VIDEO: GOP Elites Plot to Bar Frontrunner Trump From Debate
Breitbart - As if we need more proof of how tone deaf and self-destructive GOP elites can be towards their most reliable voters, the New York Times reports that at a weekend meeting of the Republican Governors Association there was an attempt by some “donors and operatives” to come up with a plan to bar current Republican frontrunner Donald Trump from the presidential debates.
* Related: Trump threatens independent run, on sidelines of border visit

Trump: Border Patrol Agents That Canceled Tour Are 'Being Silenced'
"Despite the great danger, Mr. Trump is traveling to Laredo, TX to proceed with the visit to the border. It is unfortunate the local union of Border Patrol Agents received pressure at the national level not to participate and ultimately pulled out of today’s event. They are being silenced, and are very unhappy about it, as told directly to Mr. Trump," he said in his Thursday statement. "It can only be assumed that there are things the politicians in Washington to not want Americans to see or discuss. It shows that we are not even safe in our own country. It's time to face these hard truths and Make America Great Again!"

Caught on Camera: Illegals Smuggle Drugs Into Laredo Before Trump Visit
Paul Joseph Watson - As Donald Trump prepared to arrive in Laredo for a tour of the US border, Infowars captured astounding footage which shows illegals sneaking across the Rio Grande river before they frantically throw huge bags of drugs into a vehicle and swim back to Mexico. Infowars reporters Joe Biggs and Josh Owens traveled to Laredo to cover Trump’s highly publicized visit. While recording footage of the Rio Grande river, which forms part of the Mexico–US border, Owens spotted illegals crossing the water in the distance on rafts and began to film. The clip then shows an individual holding open the trunk of a red Ford Explorer before four illegals frantically run up carrying huge packs of what are almost certainly drugs before quickly throwing them into the vehicle and fleeing back towards Mexico. The vehicle then drives into America as one of the smugglers glances back towards Biggs and Owens.

Desperate to Stay Relevant, Hillary Jumps on “Black Lives Matter” Bandwagon
Kurt Nimmo - Following the charade during the Netroots Nation 2015 Presidential Town Hall held at the Phoenix Convention Center where candidates Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders were shouted down by Black Lives Matter activists, top Democrat Hillary Clinton has vowed to take up the mantle of race and social justice.

VA struggling with promise to end long benefits waits this year
Reveal News - And despite making inroads over the last two years in streamlining the system for compensating conditions such as service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder and cancer, the VA is back to square one in some ways. At the time of Obama’s 2009 inauguration, more than 400,000 veterans were waiting to learn whether they qualified for benefits. Four years later, their ranks had more than doubled. At the end of June, about 360,000 veterans were waiting.... Through it all, the VA exhibited an extreme lack of consistency, with veterans facing radically different waits for benefits depending on where they lived. A map created by CIR has tracked that phenomenon for the last three years. Click here to view the map

Delusional MSM Reports Americans Enjoying Unprecedented Level Of Job Security, Unemployment Checks Plummet To 42-Year Low
GovtSlaves - Six years after a brutal recession that wiped out more than 8.5 million jobs, Americans are now enjoying a nearly unprecedented level of job security. The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment aid plunged last week to the lowest in nearly 42 years. Applications for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, so the low level indicates that employers are keeping their staffs and likely hiring at a steady pace. Weekly applications for unemployment benefits fell 26,000 to 255,000, the fewest since November 1973, the Labor Department said Thursday. If the data were adjusted for the growth of the U.S. population since then, last week’s figure would likely be an all-time low.

Missouri nuclear plant shut down 2nd time in 8 months
KCCI 8 News - The Ameren Corp. nuclear power plant in central Missouri is shut down for the second time in eight months after a "non-emergency" leak in the reaction control system. The shutdown occurred at 1:15 a.m. Thursday at the plant near Fulton. Jeff Trammel of St. Louis-based Ameren called it a "minor steam leak." He said no one was hurt and there was no risk to the public. Ameren officials are investigating the cause of the leak. Trammel says it is unclear when the plant will restart.

What Will Happen When Smart Meters Catch Fire on Natural Gas Line Meters?
Activist Post - Perhaps, no one has taken into consideration that there’s a section of the PA Public Utility Commission Act that expressly states utilities cannot cause harm to customers... Sending RFs/EMFs and “dirty electricity” through a home’s electrical wiring, plus fire-prone AMI SMs on the home’s outside wall, certainly do not constitute safe! People are telling us they can’t sleep at night worrying if their house will catch on fire from the Smart Meter. No one should have to live under such duress, I think.... Now, here’s PASMA’s Press Release: PASMA receives numerous inquiries from gas utility customers who are being pressured into permitting utilities to retrofit AMI Smart Meters (SMs) on to both gas and water meters. Customers’ concerns are especially warranted about gas meters, specifically in view of the history of SMs arcing, catching fire and/or exploding. What happens when an SM does that on a natural gas line meter?

Always Ask Your Vet This Question, No Matter How Minor the Surgery
Dr. Becker - The next time your canine companion needs a surgical procedure, you might want to ask your veterinarian if he or she administers IV fluids during every surgery, no matter how minor. A recent study performed at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine points to the importance of administering IV fluids during even minor surgery on pets. This is currently the recommended standard of care, but isn’t practiced routinely in many veterinary hospitals.... Anesthesia can inhibit the body’s ability to regulate blood pressure, and the combination of fluid loss and anesthetic drugs can result in a decrease in blood flow to and from the cells of your pet’s body.

FDA regulatory Double Standards: Guidance Document to Raw Pet Food Manufacturers
Susan Thixton - This is one of the worst examples of FDA regulatory double standards I’ve ever seen. The agency is trying to hold one style of pet food to a completely different standard than all other styles of pet food. A FDA “guidance document” is written for industry and/or for FDA representatives in the field. They are not law or regulation, they are what the name implies – guidance for the intended reader. ... In the FDA guidance document for raw meat pet food manufacturers, the agency suggests that all raw meat pet food should be human grade.... For canned pet food the FDA states “Pet food consisting of material from diseased animals or animals which have died otherwise than by slaughter, which is in violation of 402(a)(5)… will … be considered fit for animal consumption.”

Thursday - July 23, 2015 - Today in History:

1715 - The first lighthouse in America was authorized for construction at Little Brewster Island, Massachusetts.
1877 - The first municipal railroad passenger service began in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1904 - The ice cream cone was invented by Charles E. Menches during the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, MO.
1914 - Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia following the killing of Archduke Francis Ferdinand by a Serb assassin. The dispute led to World War I.
1938 - The first federal game preserve was approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The area was 2,000 acres in Utah.
1945 - The first passenger train observation car was placed in service by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.
1954 - A law was passed that stated "The Secretary of the Navy is authorized to repair, equip, and restore the United States Ship Constitution, as far as may be practicable, to her original appearance, but not for active service, and thereafter to maintain the United States Ship Constitution at Boston, Massachusetts."
1958 - The submarine Nautilus departed from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, under orders to conduct "Operation Sunshine." The mission was to be the first vessel to cross the north pole by ship. The Nautils achieved the goal on August 3, 1958.
1962 - The "Telstar" communications satellite sent the first live TV broadcast to Europe.
1972 - The U.S. launched Landsat 1 (ERTS-1). It was the first Earth-resources satellite.
1984 - Miss America, Vanessa Williams, turned in her crown after it had been discovered that nude photos of her had appeared in "Penthouse" magazine. She was the first to resign the title.
1986 - Britain's Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in London. They divorced in 1996.
1998 - U.S. scientists at the University of Hawaii turned out more than 50 "carbon-copy" mice, with a cloning technique.
2003 - Massachusetts' attorney general issued a report saying clergy members and others in the Boston Archdiocese probably sexually abused more than 1,000 people over six decades.

Holistic cancer treatment pioneer Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez dies suddenly; patients mourn the loss of a compassionate, innovative doctor who helped thousands heal from cancer
NaturalNews.com - Holistic cancer treatment pioneer Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez died earlier this morning, apparently from a heart attack, according to reports Natural News has received from close friends. Dr. Gonzalez is best known as a pioneering holistic cancer treatment doctor who helped many thousands of people overcome cancer through the use of complementary and holistic treatment protocols.

Pentagon Wants to Deploy Powerful Radars to Kiev
Sputnik News - The US defense agency still needs the White House approval to make the delivery. Unlike the US hawks, the Obama administration has been firmly against arming Kiev. The US leadership seems to have sided with Russia and many European leaders, most notably German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who insisted that sending weapons to Kiev would only make things worse and lead to more bloodshed in a conflict that has already claimed more than 6,400 lives.

Greece clears final reform hurdle before new bailout talks
Al Jazeera - Greek lawmakers have OKd more reforms demanded by the country's international creditors in return for a third bailout. The vote followed a whirlwind debate that ended at 4 a.m. Thursday.

US to place AMD components in Poland despite Iranian deal – Kerry’s deputy
RT - US anti-missile systems will be placed in Poland despite world powers reaching an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, John A. Heffern, US Deputy Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, said. “The deal with Tehran doesn’t include missiles, therefore the threat remains,” Heffern told Polish Rzeczpospolita newspaper Tuesday, adding that he was speaking about Iranian rockets without nuclear warheads. According to the US diplomat, the construction of AMD components in the village of Redzikowo near the northern Polish town of Slupsk starts next year – as scheduled – and will be completed in 2018. Washington’s plans to install anti-missile systems in Eastern Europe have been one of the biggest stumbling blocks in US-Russia relations.

Anti-austerity protest in Athens as MPs vote for second bailout reform package (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
RT - Several thousand anti-austerity protesters staged a rally in Syntagma Square in central Athens as the MPs in the nearby parliament building were voting on a second package of reforms required to secure a third international bailout from EU-IMF creditors. Police presence was heavy in the area after last week’s much larger, 12,000-strong protest concluded with clashes, with police using tear gas against Molotov cocktail-throwing youths.... Later on Wednesday, the Greek parliament is expected to vote on a second package of reforms required to secure a third bailout deal, which will make reforms to the financial sector and the judicial system of Greece....The Greek government hopes to complete all negotiations on the new bailout, in which Greece will receive 86 billion over a three-year period, by August 20.

Alleged Greek $10bn plea to Putin for printing drachma not true – Kremlin
RT - The Kremlin has denied Greek newspaper reports that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had asked President Putin for $10 billion to print drachma. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia has never been asked for aid. The Greekreporter website cites a report in To Vima newspaper that claims Tsipras vainly sent similar requests to Tehran and Beijing, while Russia vaguely mentioned a $5 billion advance for the Turkish Stream pipeline project through Greece, according to the source. Russia was quick to react, with Peskov saying Wednesday that Greece hasn’t approached Russia for money and that has been confirmed at different levels.

“Global Warming” Expedition Foiled by Record Ice
Kit Daniels - A scientific expedition to study “global warming” was delayed by record ice in the Arctic. The icebreaker ship used for the 115-day expedition had to be rerouted Tuesday to break ice for commercial ships in the Hudson Bay because the ice conditions are the worst they’ve been in 20 years, according to the Canadian Coast Guard. “Obviously it has a large impact on us,” said Martin Fortier, the executive director of the “global warming” research institute ArcticNet, which was spearheading the expedition. The ice is so thick that ships are having to skirt around it.... The volume of Arctic sea ice has increased by 33% since 2013, although scientists who are funded to promote the government-driven “global warming” agenda are claiming the record ice is a freak occurrence. Their claim, however, runs contrary to satellite data showing there’s been no global warming for over 18 years.

DARK Act on the Fast Track to Approval—We Need to Act Now!
Alliance for Natural Health - The industry-sponsored voluntary GMO labeling bill is heading for a floor vote in the. House, and could be voted on any day now. URGENT Action Alert!... The next stop for the bill was supposed to be the Energy and Commerce Committee. But hours after the Ag Committee approved it, the announcement came that the bill would go right to the House floor just days later, bypassing Energy and Commerce altogether.... If the DARK Act passes the House, its next stop would be the Senate. We reported in May that Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) is preparing his own—again, completely voluntary—GMO labeling bill. Whether the Senate will consider the House-approved DARK Act, or Hoeven’s bill when it’s ready, or neither, remains to be seen.

Why Wasn't Dylann Roof Charged With Terrorism?
The Intercept - The Department of Justice charged Dylann Roof, the white 21-year-old man who allegedly gunned down nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, with murder, attempted murder and use of a firearm, all in the commission of a hate crime. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced the charges on Wednesday afternoon.... Some media outlets, lawyers, public figures and activists have called for Roof to be charged not just with a hate crime, an illegal act “motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias,” but with the separate label of domestic terrorism. Critics contend that the label of terrorism is too often only applied to Islamic extremists, and not white supremacists or anti-government anarchists. Many were outraged after FBI Director James Comey balked at the term during a June 20 press conference, telling reporters he didn’t see the murders “as a political act,” a requirement he designated as necessary for terrorism.

Obama Admin Plans More Executive Action on Immigration
Washington Free Beacon - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a proposed rule on Tuesday that would make changes to a waiver program created by President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration in 2013. The action created a waiver that primarily allowed illegal immigrants with a U.S. citizen spouse or parent to stay in the country instead of having to leave the United States and be barred from returning for three or 10 years, if they proved their absence would create an “extreme hardship” for their spouse. The new rule expands eligibility to a host of other categories of illegal immigrants beyond those with citizen spouses and parents.... The waivers allow illegal immigrants to stay in the country while they await visas, and avoid a penalty under U.S. law that bars persons who entered the country illegally from returning for at least three years.

Kansas and Missouri call for investigation of Planned Parenthood amid questions about aborted fetuses
Kansas City Star - Gov. Sam Brownback on Tuesday called for an investigation into whether any Kansas facility is selling remains of aborted fetuses. Some Missouri officials also called for investigations. In a news release, Brownback called on the Kansas Board of Healing Arts to determine whether facilities that perform abortions were “engaged in the inhumane practice of selling tissue and organs from unborn children who are aborted.”... At least eight states, congressional leaders and numerous Republican presidential hopefuls have now called for investigations into whether Planned Parenthood clinics have violated laws that prohibit the sale of aborted fetal tissue and organs.

Flashback: Planned Parenthood Annual Report: All About Abortions and Profits
Breitbart - On the last day of 2014, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) released its 2013-2014 annual report, revealing an uptick in abortions performed and a drop in both contraceptive and cancer prevention services.... According to its annual report, Planned Parenthood performed 327,653 abortions in 2013, up from its 327,166 performed in 2012. SBA-List states that, over the past three years, the abortion giant has performed nearly one million abortions.... Despite these declines in provided services, Planned Parenthood reports more than $127 million in excess revenue, and over $1.4 billion in net assets.
* Related: Meet the 39 Companies That Donate Directly to Planned Parenthood

Nanny State of the Week: Lawsuit challenges Seattle trash snooping
The Government Watchdog - If the cops in Seattle want to dig through a city resident’s garbage to look for evidence of a crime, they have to go get a warrant first. But garbage collectors in Seattle are not only allowed to dig through the trash without a judge’s consent, they’re actually required to do so.... The city government is serious about this — so serious that they have deputized the trashmen as a sort of secret police who are being ordered to rat on residents’ trash habits to the nannies at Seattle Public Utilities.... The Pacific Legal Foundation, a nonprofit law firm that loves challenging ridiculous government regulations like this one, filed a lawsuit Thursday asking a state judge to shut down the Seattle trash-snooping program. The ban on food waste [...] requires garbage collectors to search through the contents of garbage cans and to report violations to Seattle Public Utilities, the bureaucratic entity that imposed the ban and will soon begin issuing fines for violations.

Video shows how traffic stop escalated into confrontation
Fox 59 - The video posted online Tuesday by the Texas Department of Public Safety shows the trooper stopping Bland for failure to signal a lane change. After he hands her a ticket, the trooper remarks that Bland seemed irritated. Bland says she was irritated because she was ticketed after changing lanes to get out of the path of the trooper’s car. Bland refuses, and the trooper tells her she is under arrest. Further refusals brought the trooper’s threat to “drag” her from the car. He then pulls what appears to be a weapon and says, “I will light you up.”... The 28-year-old Bland was found hanging in her jail cell three days after the incident.... Judge Trey Duhon says District Attorney Elton Mathis told Bland’s mother and sister that while evidence indicates Bland killed herself, the prosecutor intends to treat the death “no differently than a murder investigation” where “no stone is left unturned.”

MSNBC Stunned by Clinton’s Upside Down Poll Numbers
Kurt Nimmo - A Morning Joe panel on MSNBC found it difficult to accept that Hillary Clinton is unpopular and her poll numbers are upside down in crucial swing states. Joe Scarborough and cohost Mika Brzezinski, the daughter of arch globalist Zbigniew Brzezinski, reacted with incredulity. Scarborough said he figured Jeb Bush’s numbers are similar and expressed exasperation that “somebody like Donald Trump attacking politicians is actually getting support.”

Trump Leads Nevada Poll with Overwhelming Hispanic Support
OAN - One America News Network, "OAN", a credible source for 24/7 national and international news, released today [July 16, 2015] its most recent 2016 Republican and Democratic Presidential Polling Results for Nevada conducted by Gravis Marketing. The results show that GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump has a commanding lead of 27.7%, with recently announced Presidential Candidate Scott Walker in second with 15%. In third is Ben Carson with 7.8% with Jeb Bush a point behind at 6.8%. Marco Rubio rounds out the top five with 5.4%. Undecided voters remain high at just over 20%. With polled Hispanics, Presidential Candidate Trump received 31.4%, higher than his overall performance of 27.7%. The only other Presidential Candidate to receive double digit support by Hispanics is Scott Walker with 11.4%.... According to Robert Herring, Sr., CEO of One America News Network, "The strong showing by Donald Trump can't be ignored. Trump is clearly resonating with voters and, at least in Nevada, his 20 percent lead over Jeb Bush is commanding.

Detroit VA Hospital ‘Like A Third World Country’ Claim Protesting Workers
CBS Detroit - Outraged over what they say are unfair and poor working conditions, employees at Detroit’s John Dingell VA Medical Center are rallying for change.... Also among the grievances: Some probationary workers claim unwarranted firings happen out of the blue.... One of those fired employees, LPN Darlene Nolan, believes management retaliated against her as a whistle-blower. “During my time here I was reporting patient abuse and neglect with other nurses and nursing assistants,” she told WWJ City Beat Reporter Vickie Thomas. “The type of neglect would be they weren’t changing the briefs, leaving them in dirty, soiled briefs, causing bed sores…not helping patients into their bed when needed because they’re amputees, their legs,” Nolan said. “They can’t get into bed so we have to help them to get into bed.”

Obama's Minimum Wage Utopia Just Hit A Brick Wall
Zero Hedge - It appears President Obama is about to discover this first hand as his populist 'raise the minimum wage' strategy is showing yet another major unintended consequence. On the same day as New York acts to mandate a $15 minimum wage for fast food workers, Seattle's $15 minimum wage law - which is supposed to lift workers out of poverty and off public assistance - has hit a snag. As Fox News reports, evidence is surfacing that some workers are asking their bosses for fewer hours as their wages rise – in a bid to keep overall income down so they don’t lose public subsidies for things like food, child care and rent. So not only is work 'punished' it is now 'disinentivized by mandate' as part-time America toils amid ever-rising costs of living.

Commodities Collapsed Just Before The Last Stock Market Crash – So Guess What Is Happening Right Now?
Economic Collapse - If we were going to see a stock market crash in the United States in the fall of 2015 (to use a hypothetical example), we would expect to see commodity prices begin to crash a few months ahead of time. This is precisely what happened just before the great financial crisis of 2008, and we are watching the exact same thing happen again right now. On Wednesday, commodities got absolutely pummeled, and at this point the Bloomberg Commodity Index is down a whopping 26 percent over the past twelve months. When global economic activity slows down, demand for raw materials sinks and prices drop. So important global commodities such as copper, iron ore, aluminum, zinc, nickel, lead, tin and lumber are all considered to be key “leading indicators” that can tell us a lot about where things are heading next.

Houston’s debt now surpasses Detroit’s
The Government Watchdog - The city’s financial reputation took a hit earlier this month when Moody’s Investors Service revised its outlook on Houston to “negative.”... The pension funds themselves report debts of $3.2 billion, but the real market value of Houston’s unfunded pension liability is $13.7 billion, according to a study published this year by Joshua Rauh, a finance professor and Hoover fellow at Stanford University. Houston’s debts include $11.2 billion in outstanding bonds. If you subtract the city’s capital assets, such as buildings and roads, which aren’t likely to be sold off, and then compare the remaining liquid assets against non-pension debts, Houston is in the hole by $12.3 billion. Add in the real pension debt, and you’re looking at a $26 billion debt for one city.

Forget Recession: According To Caterpillar There Is A Full-Blown Global Depression
Zero Hedge - There has now been an unprecedented 31 consecutive months of CAT retail sales declines. This compares to "only" 19 during the near systemic collapse in 2008. In other words, if global demand for heavy industrial machinery, as opposed to unemployed millennials' demands for $0.99 Apple apps, is any indication of the true underlying economy, forget recession: the world is now in a second great depression which is getting worse by the month.

Americans Are Fleeing These US Cities In Droves
Zero Hedge - What do El Paso, New York, and Chicago have in common? They are among the top 20 cities from which Americans are fleeing in droves... The map below shows the 20 metropolitan areas that lost the greatest share of local people to other parts of the country between July 2013 and July 2014, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. The New York City area ranked 2nd, losing about a net 163,000 U.S. residents, closely followed by a couple surrounding suburbs in Connecticut. Honolulu ranked fourth and Los Angeles ranked 14th. The Bloomberg calculations looked at the 100 most populous U.S. metropolitan areas. As Bloomberg notes, Michael Stoll, a professor of public policy and urban planning at the University of California Los Angeles, has an idea. Soaring home prices are pushing local residents out and scaring away potential new ones from other parts of the country, he said. (Everyone knows how unaffordable the Manhattan area has become.)

It’s Happening: Debt Is Tearing up the Fracking Revolution
Wolf Street - The shares of Chesapeake Energy, second largest natural-gas driller in the US, crashed nearly 10% today, to $9.29, the lowest price since August 2003, down nearly 70% since oil began to plunge a year ago. The company’s $1.1 billion of 5.75% notes fell to an all-time low of 84.88 cents on the dollar. And its 4.875% notes dropped to 81.25 cents on the dollar, from 86 last week, according to S&P Capital IQ LCD. All this in the wake of its announcement that it would suspend its dividend for the first time in 14 years. It’s trying to conserve cash, and that dividend costs $240 million a year. It’s dumping assets as fast as it can, including some Oklahoma fields that will save it another $75 million a year in preferred dividends. It’s cutting operating costs and capital expenditures. It’s trying to stay alive. It has been cash-flow negative in 22 of the past 24 years, according to Bloomberg.

Wednesday - July 22, 2015 - Today in History:

1796 - Cleveland was founded by General Moses Cleaveland.
1798 - The USS Constitution was underway and out to sea for the first time since being launched on October 21, 1797.
1812 - English troops under the Duke of Wellington defeated the French at the Battle of Salamanca in Spain.
1926 - Babe Ruth caught a baseball at Mitchell Field in New York. The ball had been dropped from an airplane flying at 250 feet.
1933 - Wiley Post ended his around-the-world flight. He had traveled 15,596 miles in 7 days, 18 hours and 45 minutes.
1937 - The U.S. Senate rejected President Roosevelt's proposal to add more justices to the Supreme Court.
1943 - American forces led by General George S. Patton captured Palermo, Sicily.
1941 - Plans for the Pentagon were presented to the House Subcommittee on Appropriations.
1955 - U.S. Vice-President Richard M. Nixon chaired a cabinet meeting in Washington, DC. It was the first time that a Vice-President had carried out the task.
1975 - Confederate General Robert E. Lee had his U.S. citizenship restored by the U.S. Congress.
1987 - The U.S. began its policy of escorting re-flagged Kuwaiti tankers up and down the Persian Gulf to protect them from possible attack by Iran.
1998 - Iran tested medium-range missile, capable of reaching Israel or Saudi Arabia.
2000 - Astronomers at the University of Arizona announced that they had found a 17th moon orbiting Jupiter.
2003 - In northern Iraq, Saddam Hussein's sons Odai and Qusai died after a gunfight with U.S. forces.
2004 - The September 11 commission's final report was released. The 575-page report concluded that hijackers exploited "deep institutional failings within our government." The report was released to White House officials the day before.
2009 - The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century, lasting up to 6 minutes and 38.8 seconds, occurred over parts of Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
2011 - Space Shuttle Atlantis landed successfully at Kennedy Space Center after completing STS-135. It was the final flight of NASA's space shuttle program.

EU Set to Ban Imports of Textiles Produced With Toxic Chemical
Sputnik News - Clothing and textile companies around the world are up in arms over EU member states’ agreement to restrict a common chemical in imports to the EU because of its adverse impact on the environment. They say complying with the ban is nearly impossible due to prevalence of the substance in the textile industry. European countries voted unanimously to extend the existing ban on nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) to imports because it poses “unacceptable risk” to aquatic wildlife. NPE is used as a cleaning, dyeing and rinsing agent in the processing of fabrics.
* Related: How Big Companies are Making You Unwitting Accomplices in the Toxic Water Cycle

Thousands of Ukraine ultranationalists gather on Maidan, announce ‘new revolution’
RT - Up to 6,000 supporters of Ukraine’s ultranationalist Right Sector movement gathered in central Kiev on Tuesday, calling on authorities to resign. The rally marks a “new stage of Ukrainian revolution,” the extremists' leader Dmitry Yarosh announced. The radicals marched through the center of the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday evening, gathering on Maidan (Independence Square). The rally largely consisted of people wearing camouflage clothes, waving the red and black flags of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). They were chanting “death to enemies,” TASS reported.

Greek Prime Minister Asked Putin For $10 Billion To "Print Drachmas", Greek Media Reports
Zero Hedge - In what may be the biggest story of the year, if confirmed, Greek newspaper To Vima reports that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin for 10 billion dollars in order to print drachmas. In his first visit to Moscow, Tsipras condemned the European Union policy in Ukraine and supported the referendum of east Ukraine seeking secession. It was then that Germany realized Greece was prepared to shift alliances, something that would threaten the Eurozone cohesion. But the shocker: on the night of the referendum, word came from Russia that Putin did not want to support Greece’s return to the drachma. After that, Tsipras had no choice left but to “surrender” to German Chancellor.

Define Irony: Greek Banks Refuse To Buy ESM Bonds To Fund Greek Bailout
Zero Hedge - Assuming there are no complete breakdowns or abrupt U-turns among Greek and/or German lawmakers, it appears as though formal discussions on the new Greek bailout package will commence and, in all likelihood, the country will enter a new €86 billion program. A large portion of the funding will come from the ESM - Europe’s rescue fund. On Tuesday, the ESM sold €2 billion worth of bonds via its dealer group. Nothing too notable about that. What is notable however, is that one of the 39 dealer banks refused to participate. That bank was none other than National Bank of Greece.

Greeks Laugh As Bankers Beg Depositors To Return Money
Zero Hedge - President of Greek Banks Association Louka Katseli appealed at the citizens to return their money to the banks. “Banks are absolutely trustworthy,” Katseli told Mega TV, “Let’s all help our economy... If you take your money out of your chests and houses – which are not safe in any case – and deposit at banks, this will enhance liquidity.” Katseli’s appeal triggered laughter among Greeks with one exclaiming “Ah sure! Banks will never see my money again, I prefer to buy tonnes of peanuts with it.”

Gomberg Map -New World Order
Pennsylvania Crier - The Gomberg Map - printed before Pearl Harbor' is fulfilling the International goal - of a 'One World Government.' At a meeting - at the 'Royal Albert Hall in London on May 13, 1947 - Winston Churchill stated: "Without a United Europe there is no prospect of World Government. It is the urgent and indispensable step toward the realization of that goal." A second step toward the World Government program was accomplished when President Bush, President Fox, and Prime Minister Martin issued a joint statement for a "Security Partnership of North America." the (North American Union). The third pillar of this World Government plan has now been accomplished with AFRICA. An article written by a DAILY NEWS Reporter in Arusha. October 30, 2014, Titled: 'Africa set for Free Trade Area Launch December. "The long awaited journey to unite the whole continent into a single African state is expected to be flagged off in December, with the establishment of one large borderless Free Trading Area (FTA).I've printed the individual Countries - as covered in the Gomberg Map, 73 years ago. When will this be covered in the media?

Exclusive: Military Recruiting Centers Nationwide Receive Threats (Video)
Paul Joseph Watson - Armed forces recruiting centers across America are receiving violent threats in the wake of last week’s Chattanooga shooting, according to staff who talked to Infowars reporter Joe Biggs. Biggs traveled to the U.S. Army Recruiting Station in Southpark Meadows, Austin Texas yesterday to provide armed protection as part of a nationwide movement to protest the fact that the law prohibits active duty members who work at such facilities from having weapons. During conversations with staffers, Biggs was told directly that military recruiting centers in Las Vegas, Florida and San Marcos, TX had all received violent threats since the attack on an armed forces center in Chattanooga Tennessee last week which left four Marines dead.

Chief Of Police Thanks SC Oath Keepers For Guarding Recruiting Centers
Oath Keepers - Across the nation, Oath Keepers and others, are stepping up to “Protect the Protectors”, as the government, in its great wisdom, refuses to allow our valued servicemen and women to protect themselves, though they are highly trained to do just that. Go figure. We are proud to honor our military personnel by protecting them. In South Carolina, a Police Chief thanked Oath Keepers for standing watch at a recruitment center. His letter is below, along with pictures of some of the participants. Well done, Oath Keepers! “We are not going to wait for the U.S. President to issue a directive for our U.S. Military recruiting stations to be able to arm themselves as self-defense. We have our local military recruiting office on extra patrol and a group of law abiding citizens, who just so happen to be former U.S. Military and pro-constitution advocates, that have vowed to stand guard to protect these offices. As long as the office is open for business these men are on watch duty!
* Related Video: “Every Marine” Stands Guard At Yukon Recruitment Office

Finally Obama orders flags at half staff for Chattanooga shooting victims
McClatchy - Obama’s order came after some critics questioned why he had not done it sooner, noting that he had ordered the lowering of flags after the elementary school shooting in Connecticut, the Boston Marathon bombing and a shooting at Fort Hood. President Barack Obama today ordered that U.S. flags be flown at half-staff at the White House and all public buildings until sunset on Saturday in memory of five service members gunned down last week in attacks in Chattanooga.
* Related: White House Lit Up in Rainbow Colors For Gay Marriage Within Hours, But Took 5 Days to Lower Flag For Dead Marines

Second Planned Parenthood Senior Executive Haggles Over Baby Parts Prices, Changes Abortion Methods
Center for Medical Progress - A second undercover video shows Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s Medical Directors’ Council President, Dr. Mary Gatter, haggling over payments for intact fetal specimens and offering to use a “less crunchy technique” to get more intact body parts. It is similar to last week’s viral video showing PPFA Senior Director of Medical Services Dr. Deborah Nucatola admitting to using partial-birth abortions to get intact parts and suggesting a price range of $30 to $100 per specimen. Gatter is a senior official within Planned Parenthood and is President of the Medical Directors’ Council, the central committee of all Planned Parenthood affiliate medical directors.

Obama’s ICE Director: No Immigration Enforcement Until Amnesty Is Passed
Breitbart - President Obama’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director tells lawmakers that no consequences are planned for sanctuary cities until Congress first passes “comprehensive immigration reform.” Sarah Saldaña testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on criminal alien violence.... Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) repeatedly pressed Saldaña on why the Administration was taking no action against sanctuary jurisdictions that refuse to turn over dangerous criminal aliens from their prisons and jails to federal law officers. Saldaña replied that Congress would first have to pass “comprehensive immigration reform.”

Rand Paul Takes Chainsaw to U.S. Tax Code (Video)
Mikael Thalen - Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul took a chainsaw to the U.S. tax code this week in a new campaign ad aimed at highlighting his flat tax plan. The video, entitled “How Would You Kill the Tax Code?” shows the Kentucky senator burning the 70,000 page law before throwing it in a woodchipper and splitting it in half with a chainsaw.“Hey, I’m Rand Paul and I’m trying to kill the tax code, all 70,000 pages of it,” Paul says. According to Paul’s website, the tax code, which has become “corrupt, complicated, intrusive and antigrowth,” needs to be completely dismantled and replaced with a “Fair and Flat Tax.” “I am announcing an over $2 trillion tax cut that would repeal the entire IRS tax code—more than 70,000 pages—and replace it with a low, broad-based tax of 14.5% on individuals and businesses,” Paul writes. “I would eliminate nearly every special-interest loophole. The plan also eliminates the payroll tax on workers and several federal taxes outright, including gift and estate taxes, telephone taxes, and all duties and tariffs.”

Rand Paul readying Hill push for guns on military bases and in recruiting stations
Washington Post - Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is working on legislation to allow soldiers to carry guns on military bases, and could introduce it as soon as this week.... “After Major [Nidal] Hasan did the shooting at Fort Hood, we did legislation on arming military on bases,” said Paul, in a roundtable with reporters at his Washington, D.C campaign office. “This was a recruiting station, right? Well, I would include recruiting stations. One of the weird things is that we have 15-20 states where you can open carry. So everybody can carry, except for the military? I think that’s crazy. The rules that apply to everybody should at least apply to the military.”

Establishment Moves to Derail Trump Presidential Campaign
Kurt Nimmo - Republicans defend McCain, ignore Trump remarks on Vietnam War. According to the largest newspaper in the caucus state of Iowa Donald Trump should back out of the presidential race and allow more “qualified candidates” to take the lead.... Unlike contenders Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton, Trump has not taken campaign money from Goldman Sachs and Wall Street. Bush and Clinton are “viewed across Wall Street as centrists who could cool some of the scorching anti-banker rhetoric and policies emanating from the Elizabeth Warren wing on the left and the tea party movement on the right” and, more recently, from Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders. Establishment politicians vying for the candidacy are now stepping out of Trump’s shadow to level criticism. A number of them have tweeted their disapproval...

12 Ways The Economy Is Already In Worse Shape Than It Was During The Depths Of The Last Recession
Economic Collapse - Did you know that the percentage of children in the United States that are living in poverty is actually significantly higher than it was back in 2008? When I write about an “economic collapse”, most people think of a collapse of the financial markets. And without a doubt, one is coming very shortly, but let us not neglect the long-term economic collapse that is already happening all around us.

USGS Scientist: Major Quake On Hayward Fault Expected ‘Any Day Now’
(CBS SF) - The fault that produced a 4.0-magnitude earthquake in Fremont early Tuesday morning is expected to produce a major earthquake “any day now” and Bay Area residents should be prepared, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist said. The 2:41 a.m. earthquake on the border of Fremont and Union City occurred on the Hayward Fault at a depth of 5 miles. The epicenter was at a spot just north of the intersection of Niles Canyon Road and Mission Boulevard.... While damage from the quake was minimal, scientists warn that a much larger one is expected on the Hayward Fault, which extends from San Pablo Bay in the north to Fremont in the south and passes through heavily populated areas including Berkeley, Oakland, Hayward and Fremont. The last big earthquake on the fault, estimated to have a 6.8-magnitude, occurred in 1868, according to the USGS.

Appliance industry warns federal dishwasher regs would lead to dirty dishes
Fox News - The recent proposal from the Department of Energy is meant to boost dishwasher efficiency by setting stricter limits on the amount of water each dishwasher can use, among other changes. Under the plan, washers could use only 3.1 gallons of water for a single load.... [Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers] AHAM said in its statement: "The testing revealed a build-up of film, fats and grease on dishes at the end of the cycle. As a result of the proposed standards, it is highly likely that consumers will pre-wash dishes or choose to repeat dishwasher cycles, thereby erasing any energy or water savings."

Tuesday - July 21, 2015 - Today in History:

1620 - The Mayflower reached Provincetown, MA. The ship discharged the Pilgrims at Plymouth, MA, on December 26, 1620.
1783 - The first successful flight was made in a hot air balloon. The pilots, Francois Pilatre de Rosier and Francois Laurent, Marquis d'Arlandes, flew for 25 minutes and 5½ miles over Paris.
1789 - North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1922 - Rebecca L. Felton of Georgia was sworn in as the first woman to serve as a member of the U.S. Senate.
1942 - The Alaska Highway across Canada was formally opened.
1962 - U.S. President Kennedy terminated the quarantine measures against Cuba.
1963 - U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, arrived in San Antonio, TX. They were beginning an ill-fated, two-day tour of Texas that would end in Dallas.
1973 - U.S. President Richard M. Nixon's attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt, announced the presence of an 18½-minute gap in one of the White House tape recordings related to the Watergate case.
1979 - The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, was attacked by a mob that set the building afire and killed two Americans.
1980 - 87 people died in a fire at the MGM Grand Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
1985 - Former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Jay Pollard was arrested after being accused of spying for Israel. Later sentenced to life in prison.
1986 - U.S. Attorney General Meese was asked to conduct an inquiry of the Iran arms sales.
1987 - An eight-day siege began at a detention center in Oakdale, LA, as Cuban detainees seized the facility and took hostages.
1993 - The U.S. House of Representatives voted against making the District of Columbia the 51st state.
1995 - France detonated its fourth underground nuclear blast at a test site in the South Pacific.
1999 - China announced that it had test-launched an unmanned space capsule that was designed for manned spaceflight.
2000 - The Florida Supreme Court granted Al Gore's request to keep the presidential recounts going.
2010 - President Barack Obama signed into law the most sweeping overhaul of U.S. lending and high finance rules since the 1930s.
2011 - The space shuttle program came to an end after 30 years as Atlantis landed at Cape Canaveral, Fla..
2013 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 16,000 for the first time.

1,800 troops from 18 states: NATO launches biggest ever drill in Ukraine
RT - NATO has brought together 1,800 troops from 18 countries in block’s biggest ever exercise on Ukrainian soil. Moscow has warned that the wargames may undermine peace process in eastern Ukraine. The US-led exercises, which see annual Saber Guardian and Rapid Trident drills combined, were launched on Monday near the city of Lvov in western Ukraine and are scheduled to continue until the end of July. Multinational exercises have been conducted in Ukraine since 1995, however it is safe to say that this is the largest multinational exercise held in Ukraine to date,” Don Wrenn public affairs public affairs specialist for US Army Europe is cited by Newsweek.

BRICS bank opens for operations in Shanghai
BRICS Post - BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) has opened for operations in Shanghai, and will seek to deploy its $50 billion initial capital to fund infrastructure and sustainable development projects.... The NDB will help with the recovery and development of emerging economies, said China’s Finance Minister Lou. “NDB is a new member and partner to the global development system. NDB’s support for infrastructure construction will effectively ease the bottleneck that has constrained emerging and developing nations for long and will offer support for their economies’ upgrade and growth,” said Lou.

Iran nuclear deal gets UN endorsement, paving way for sanctions relief
RT - The nuclear deal reached in Vienna between Iran and six world powers was unanimously endorsed by UN Security Council on Monday… Sanctions will be partly eased on Iran after an IAEA report proving that Tehran stays true to its nuclear commitments is received by the UN council, the resolution says, according to TASS…Monday’s resolution was labeled as unacceptable for Tehran by one senior Iranian official, Reuters reported. "Some parts of the draft have clearly crossed the Islamic Republic's red lines, especially in Iran's military capabilities. We will never accept it," … Further approval is still ahead for the Iran nuclear deal, with the agreement still needing to be cleared by the US Congress in a September vote. Many of the House’s members, especially the Republican majority, have expressed their opposition to the internationally-reached accord.

Germany Replacing Bank Cards Eliminating Cash Withdrawals
Armstrong Economics - We have been informed with reliable sources that in Germany where Maestro was a multi-national debit card service owned by MasterCard that was founded in 1992 is seriously under attack. Maestro cards are obtained from associate banks and can be linked to the card holder’s current account, or they can be prepaid cards. Already we find such cards are being cancelled and new debit cards are being issued. Why? The new cards cannot be used at an ATM outside of Germany to obtain cash. Any attempt to get cash can only be as an advance on a credit card.

Pay Attention Greece: Puerto Rico Refuses To Pay Creditors Before It Fully Funds Its Citizens' Needs
Zero Hedge - While Greece may be "contained" for the time being, the only reason why its creditors were eager to collaborate on an expedited basis with the humiliated Syriza government is because as we noted earlier, of the €7.1 billion bridge loan released to Greece €6.8 billion would promptly be used to repay Greece's creditors including the ECB for whom an event of default would be unthinkable unlike the IMF.

Gold touches 5yr low, as China suspected of heavy selling
RT - Gold fell 3.8 percent, or $43, to $1,087 an ounce in Asia on Monday in a few seconds. This happened due to a huge dump of five tonnes onto the Chinese markets, that’s about a fifth of a normal day’s trade, Business Insider reports. “In Shanghai, close to five tonnes of gold was sold on the Shanghai Gold Exchange in a two-minute window just prior to 9:30am, in a market where the normal volume traded is 25 tonnes in an entire day,”… The slump in the gold price Monday followed the People’s Bank of China revealing on Friday its gold holdings for the first time in six years. Gold holdings have grown 60 percent since 2009 to 1,658 tons, which makes Beijing the fifth largest holder of gold in the world, after the US, Germany, the International Monetary Fund, Italy and France.

'Follow the Money': Fukushima Cleanup Financially Motivated, Expert Says
Sputnik News - Noting the extent of nuclear damage created by the disaster, the Japanese government and TEPCO’s inability to contain it, and the overwhelming cost and logistics of managing nuclear waste, he arrives to the following conclusion: "It is impossible to dismantle and cleanup the Fukushima Daiichi site in 30 years. It will take longer than 100 years to do that cleanup.".. So why is the Japanese government in such a rush to decommission the site? "Quite honestly, the answer has nothing to do with science, and everything to do with politics and money," Gundersen said. "To understand Fukushima Daiichi, the press needs to follow the money."… While all operating nuclear power reactors in the country are shut down, Gundersen explained that the industry still pays a staff of 700 engineers and operators. They have been able to do this because Japan’s Energy Corporations have borrowed "tens of billions of dollars" from the country’s banks, money that can only be paid back once the nuclear power plants are restarted.

VIDEO: Legislators and corporate lobbyists meet in secret at Georgia resort
11Alive - The Georgia Legislature has a message for voters: don't ask us about our meetings with corporate lobbyists behind closed doors. The 11Alive Investigators tracked lawmakers to a resort hotel in Savannah last week, where we observed state legislators and lobbyists mingling in the hotel bar the night before they gathered in private rooms to decide what new laws would best serve the corporations. The meetings were part of the Spring Task Force Summit of the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC. What is ALEC? "It's really a corporate bill mill," said Sen. Nan Orrock, an Atlanta Democrat who has served in both houses of the Georgia General Assembly for years. "They're cranking out legislation, putting it into the hands of legislators who go back and file it."
* Related: ALEC responds to 11Alive Investigators report

Black Rebel Flag Supporter Dies After Being Ran Off Road, Witness Says
Kit Daniels - An African-American who was a long-time Confederate flag supporter died after reportedly being chased by a car and ran off the road following a flag rally. The victim, 49-year-old Anthony Hervey, was found dead in a flipped-over 2005 Ford Explorer near Oxford, Miss., on Sunday and a passenger in the vehicle, Arlene Barnham, said that after leaving the pro-Confederate Flag “Monumental Dixie” rally, they were chased by a silver car which then swerved into their Explorer, causing it to crash.... This lunacy is possible because many Americans are completely ignorant of multifaceted history of the so-called Civil War, which was a war waged by the federal government against Southern states threatening to use the Tenth Amendment to secede. Unfortunately, the ignorant routinely victimize well-educated individuals like Hervey who know history.

Chattanooga Shooting: FBI Recovers Gunman's Disturbing Diary
ABC News - With more than 30 FBI agents due to arrive today in Chattanooga, a diary belonging to the gunman and FBI interviews with his parents paint a picture of a disturbed, suicidal young man using drugs, preparing for bankruptcy and facing an appearance in criminal court, according to a representative of the shooter’ s family. Four days after the shooting, the FBI has not found any connection to overseas terrorist groups, but Mohammod Abdulazeez's diary says that as far back as 2013, he wrote about having suicidal thoughts and "becoming a martyr" after losing his job due to his drug use, both prescription and non-prescription drugs, the family representative said. In a downward spiral, Abdulazeez would abuse sleeping pills, opioids, painkillers and marijuana, along with alcohol, the representative said.

Obama Ordered Flags to Half Mast for Newtown, But Not 5 Military Personnel Murdered in Tenn.
CNS News - As of Monday morning, July 20, the U.S. flag continued to fly at the top of the pole above the White House and at the U.S. Capitol building, five days after a gunman launched attacks in which he murdered five U.S. military personnel at facilities in Chattanooga, Tenn. President Barack Obama has yet to order the flags to half-staff following this tragedy. By contrast, in 2012, President Obama did order the flags flown at half-staff on the same day as the shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

At least six U.S. states move to arm National Guard offices
Reuters - The governors of Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Indiana on Saturday ordered National Guard members at offices and other facilities to be armed in the wake of attacks that left five servicemen dead in Tennessee. "It is painful enough when we lose members of our armed forces when they are sent in harm's way, but it is unfathomable that they should be vulnerable for attack in our own communities," Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said in a statement.

Single Mom Arrested for 'Abandoning' Her Kids in the Food Court While on a Job Interview 30 ft Away
The Free Thought Project - Laura Browder is a single mother of two who was hopeful about her new start in Houston, Texas. Last week, Browder optimistically went to the Memorial City Mall for a job interview. Because the job interview happened on such short notice, Browder did not have the time nor the money to line up a sitter for her 6-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son; so she brought them along. Browder’s potential new boss had agreed to meet her in the food court, so she sat her children down at a table near the McDonalds and walked over to the interview. According to Browder, her children never left her sight, and they weren’t more than 30 feet away. The good news is that Browder got the job. However, upon returning to her children, who were completely okay, Browder was met by a Houston Police Officer. She was immediately arrested for Child Abandonment.

Commodity Rout Halted On Dollar Weakness, Equities Broadly Unchanged
Zero Hedge - If yesterday's market action was boring, today has been a virtual carbon copy which started with the usual early Chinese selloff levitating into a mildly positive close, with the SHCOMP closing just above the psychological 4,000 level: the next big hurdle will be 4058, the 38.2% Fib correction of the recent fall. In the US equity futures are currently unchanged ahead of a day in which there is no macro economic data but lots of corporate earnings led by Microsoft, Verizon, UTX and of course Apple. Most importantly, some modest USD weakness overnight (DXY -0.1%) has helped the commodity complex, with gold rebounding from overnight lows, while crude has at least stopped the recent carnage which sent WTI below $50.

4 Things That Are Happening Today That Indicate That A Deflationary Financial Collapse Is Imminent
Economic Collapse - These four signs are very strong evidence that a deflationary financial collapse is right around the corner. Instead of the hyperinflationary crisis that so many have warned about, what we are about to experience is a collapse in asset prices, a massive credit crunch and a brief period of absolutely crippling deflation. The response by national governments and global central banks to this horrific financial crisis will cause tremendous inflation down the road, but that comes later. What comes first is a crisis that will initially look a lot like 2008, but will ultimately prove to be much worse. The following are 4 things that are happening right now that indicate that a deflationary financial collapse is imminent…

High levels of radiation found in a Pennsylvania stream near water supply (Video)
WTAE - Action News Investigates has learned high levels of radiation -- up to 60 times higher than the maximum allowed in drinking water -- have been found in a stream that feeds into a water treatment plant. The high levels of radiation were found in a Greene County stream that flows into the Monongahela River. Ultimately, that water ends up in Pittsburgh.... Ten Mile Creek feeds into the Mon River near Fredericktown. Less than a mile down river is a water treatment plant, and that is a major concern for regulators and area residents.... The DEP is especially interested in finding the source of the radiation. Stolz says the test results offer a clue. “It's highly suggestive that it may be due to drilling operations, or at least the wastewater,” Stolz said.

Monday - July 20, 2015 - Today in History:

1801 - A 1,235 pound cheese ball was pressed at the farm of Elisha Brown, Jr. The ball of cheese was later loaded on a horse-driven wagon and presented to U.S. President Thomas Jefferson at the White House.
1861 - The Congress of the Confederate States began holding sessions in Richmond, VA.
1868 - Legislation that ordered U.S. tax stamps to be placed on all cigarette packs was passed.
1871 - British Columbia joined Confederation as a Canadian province.
1881 - Sioux Indian leader Sitting Bull, a fugitive since the Battle of the Little Big Horn, surrendered to federal troops. (Montana)
1917 - The draft lottery in World War I went into operation.
1942 - The first detachment of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, (WACS) began basic training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa.
1944 - An attempt by a group of German officials to assassinate Hitler failed. The bomb exploded at Hitler's Rastenburg headquarters. Hitler was only wounded.
1944 - U.S. President Roosevelt was nominated for an unprecedented fourth term of office at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
1969 - Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. became the first men to walk on the moon.
1976 - America's Viking I robot spacecraft made a successful landing on Mars.
1982 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan pulled the U.S. out of comprehensive test ban negotiations indefinitely.
1985 - Treasure hunters began raising $400 million in coins and silver from the Spanish galleon "Nuestra Senora de Atocha." The ship sank in 1622 40 miles of the coast of Key West, FL.
1998 - Russia won a $11.2 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to help avert the devaluation of its currency.
2003 - In India, elephants used for commercial work began wearing reflectors to avoid being hit by cars during night work.
2007 - The Senate Judiciary Committee voted almost totally along party lines, 13-6, to approve Elena Kagan to be the Supreme Court's fourth female justice.

Deadly Blast Hits Turkish City Of Suruc On Border With Syria
Sputnik News - An explosion hit the Turkish city of Suruc on the border with Syria on Monday, leaving more than 25 people dead and scores injured. The blast occurred at a cultural center while a political group was giving a statement to the press on the reconstruction of the Syrian city of Kobani, the scene of fierce battles between Kurdish groups and the Islamic State. The cause of the blast in the town was not immediately clear, but officials say it might have been a suicide bomb. Suruc is the largest Turkish camp for refugees from the war-torn Syria.

Pentagon chief to Israel: Iran deal is good, military option still on the table
RT - US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter wants to convince Israel that the Iran nuclear deal does not limit American options when it comes to the ally’s security. Carter has set out to meet Israeli officials, who have been staunchly opposed to the deal. “One of the reasons this deal is a good one is that it does nothing to prevent the military option — the US military option, which I’m responsible for,” Carter told reporters aboard his plane while traveling to Tel Aviv. Carter arrived in Israel on Sunday evening and is scheduled to meet with Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and Tuesday respectively. The Pentagon head stressed that his trip does not involve convincing Israel to like the deal, stating he’s “not going to change anybody’s mind in Israel. We can agree to disagree.”

With Friends Like These: US 'Friendly Fire' Kills Afghan Soldiers Again
Sputnik News - A US air strike on an army checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan has reportedly killed at least eight Afghan servicemen, in the latest example of "friendly fire" involving foreign coalition troops. At least eight Afghan soldiers have been killed and five more wounded after two US helicopters attacked a checkpoint in Logar province south of the capital Kabul, media reports said; the AFP news agency put the death toll at ten people.

Betting on BRICS: Bloomberg Declares 'Buy Russia' as Stocks Undervalued
Sputnik News - As the BRICS countries continue their steady rise, now bolstered by their own institutions, investors are putting their thinking caps on and deciding where to bring their money first; meanwhile Bloomberg has offered a surprising answer: it is Russia, no matter what is said aloud. “Our models are telling us to buy Russia,” the agency quotes Tim Love, a London-based investment manager at GAM UK Ltd, which oversees $130 billion in assets, as saying. “There is a very strong turnaround potential. It’s an increasingly difficult call to get right because of politics. I’d be happy to pull the trigger in the next two to three months.”

Anticipating Hard Times Ahead: Barclays to Cut 30,000 Jobs
Sputnik News - More than 30,000 employees of Barclays, the seventh-largest bank in the world in terms of managed assets, will be laid off within the next two years, in a development that comes amid the bank's efforts to speed up a radical redundancy program after firing its CEO Antony Jenkins earlier this month, according to the British daily newspaper The Times. The media outlet quoted senior sources as saying that this cost-cutting program could reduce the bank's global workforce to less than 100,000 by the end of 2017. The program's goal is to solve the under-performance problems of the centuries-old London-based banking giant and double its share price, the sources said.

Russian President Putin Signs GMO Labeling Liability Law
Sustainable Pulse - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed the Russian Federation Code of Administrative Offences into law, including a new article establishing liability for the violation of mandatory requirements for the labeling of food products that contain GMOs. Putin signed the new bill on the last day of 2014 TASS news agency reported. The bill which was submitted by the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Protection and Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) imposes fines for vague or unclear labeling on food products containing genetically modified ingredients. According to the bill, individual entrepreneurs could be fined up to 50,000 rubles ($890), and the products will be confiscated. Business entities face a fine of up to 150,000 rubles (over $5,300).

Putin Orders Formation Of New Military Reserve Force
Zero Hedge - Able to call on three quarters of a million frontline troops, The Telegraph reports, with more tanks than any other country on the planet, and the world’s third largest air force, Russia retains much of the brute force associated with a former superpower. But it has also rapidly modernised, spending millions on rearmament and retraining programmes aimed at professionalising the lumbering, conscript-reliant force it inherited from the Soviet Union. The latest effort, as Reuters reports, Putin has ordered the creation of a new reserve armed force as part of steps to improve training and military readiness at a time of international tensions with the West over Ukraine.

ISIS leader al-Baghdadi 'bans' slaughter videos, yet jihadists demonstrate beheading by kid
RT - The leader of the Islamic State terror group has reportedly banned graphic videos of executions just after it released a video showing a Syrian Army officer beheaded by a teenage boy, the first of its kind… IS has produced dozens of videos showing its fighters execute captives, men, women and children. Teenagers were previously used as executioners in those acts of brutality, although the Friday video released just ahead of the Muslim holy day of Eid al-Fitr was the first in which a boy beheaded his victim… Meanwhile Syrian news agency ARA News claimed that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ordered that production of execution videos be stopped. In a missive addressed to media officers, the militant leader reportedly said that such videos disturb Muslims and may be disgusting and scary to children.

The President Of France Wants Eurozone Members To Transfer Their Sovereignty To A United States Of Europe
Economic Collapse - The President of France has come up with a very creative way of solving the European debt crisis. On Sunday, a piece authored by French President Francois Hollande suggested that the ultimate solution to the problems currently plaguing Europe would be for every member of the eurozone to transfer all of their sovereignty to a newly created federal government. In other words, it would essentially be a “United States of Europe”. This federal government would have a prime minister, a parliament, a federal budget and a federal treasury. Presumably, the current national governments in Europe would continue to function much like state governments in the U.S. do.

Greek banks to reopen for first time in three weeks
The Guardian - Greek banks will reopen on Monday morning for the first time in three weeks, with queues expected to form outside branches as customers rush to empty deposit boxes they have been unable to access. Withdrawals will still be restricted, but in a slight relaxation of capital controls, Greeks will be able to withdraw a weekly allowance of €420 (£290) in one transaction, rather than being limited to €60 a day. Restrictions on sending money abroad and other controls remain in place.

Argentina Prints To Pay The Bills, Inflates Money Supply To New Record
PanAm Post - The Central Bank of Argentina released record-setting figures this month: the monetary base is now at AR$510.5 billion, swelling 10 percent since the start of the year. The central government has used this substantial expansion — comprised of banknotes in circulation, cash in financial entities, and demand deposits in checking accounts — to finance its large fiscal deficit. President Cristina Kirchner’s administration has monetized the debts with new currency channeled through the National Treasury, on top of raiding the social-security system (Anses). Naturally, this has generated inflationary pressure, with the latest reported year-on-year price-level rise at 28.76 percent, as measured by the National Congress and private consultants for May 2015.

Italian island turns away migrant boat with hundreds on board - because it has run out of room
The Independent - Italian authorities have prevented a rescue boat with 700 migrants on board from landing on the island of Sicily because there is not enough room for them. Just seven people who needed urgent medical attention were let off the boat run by medical charity Medecins Sans Frontiers when it docked on Friday. The charity said that despite negotiations, the authorities turned it away due to a "lack of capacity in the Italian (migrant) reception system", according to the Local Italy. Italy has struggled to cope with the influx of more than 80,000 migrants have fled to Europe after fleeing war and persecution in the Middle East and Africa.

Update: U.K. Criminalizes Knife Possession; Result? Knife Violence Increases
The New American - It's against the law to carry a knife in England. As you would expect, knife crime is going up. “Police recorded 26,370 offences in 2014/15, up from 25,974 the previous year,” the BBC reported on July 16. Specifically, the BBC reports that “possession of knife offences rose by 10%, sexual assaults with knives went up 28%, and knife assaults increased by 13% from 11,911 to 13,488 offences.” Quick to respond to the uptick, officials on July 17 instituted new harsher punishments for owning a knife… History isn’t on the side of those who think banning a weapon will lead to a decrease in violent crime committed with that weapon.

VIDEO: Wesley Clark Calls for Interning “Disloyal” Americans
Kurt Nimmo - Retired US Army General and the former Supreme Allied Commander of Europe for NATO Wesley Clark advocates rounding up “radicalized” and “disloyal” Americans and putting them in internment camps for the “duration” of the war on terror. “In World War II if someone supported Nazi Germany at the expense of the United States, we didn’t say that was freedom of speech, we put him in a camp, they were prisoners of war,” Clark told MSNBC. The difference is that World War II was a war declared under Article I, Section 8, Clause II of the Constitution whereas the war on terror is undeclared and thus illegal. Clark is in essence advocating a life sentence for people who have not committed a crime but merely engaged in speech — often reprehensible, yet constitutionally protected — the government considers radical and in opposition to its foreign policy.

Shooter's Family Says He Suffered From Depression
ABC News - The family of the gunman who killed four Marines and a sailor in Chattanooga says he had suffered from depression for many years and "was not the son we knew and loved." "It grieves us beyond belief to know that his pain found its expression in this heinous act of violence," the family of Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez said in a statement issued Saturday through a lawyer. Law enforcement officials did not return calls seeking comment on the family's assertion that Abdulazeez was suffering from depression. Counterterrorism investigators, meanwhile, continued to interview Abdulazeez's acquaintances and delve into his months-long visit to Jordan last year, looking for clues to who or what might have influenced him and set off the bloodshed Thursday.

Obama collecting personal data for a secret race database
New York Post - Unbeknown to most Americans, Obama’s racial bean counters are furiously mining data on their health, home loans, credit cards, places of work, neighborhoods, even how their kids are disciplined in school — all to document “inequalities” between minorities and whites. This Orwellian-style stockpile of statistics includes a vast and permanent network of discrimination databases, which Obama already is using to make “disparate impact” cases against: banks that don’t make enough prime loans to minorities; schools that suspend too many blacks; cities that don’t offer enough Section 8 and other low-income housing for minorities; and employers who turn down African-Americans for jobs due to criminal backgrounds.

Obama pushes to extend gun background checks to Social Security
LA Times - Seeking tighter controls over firearm purchases, the Obama administration is pushing to ban Social Security beneficiaries from owning guns if they lack the mental capacity to manage their own affairs, a move that could affect millions whose monthly disability payments are handled by others.... There is no simple way to identify that group, but a strategy used by the Department of Veterans Affairs since the creation of the background check system is reporting anyone who has been declared incompetent to manage pension or disability payments and assigned a fiduciary.

Former US Congressman sentenced to prison over tax fraud
RT - Michael Grimm, a former New York Congressman, was sentenced to eight months in prison for tax evasion after pleading guilty to under reporting $1 million in wages and receipts to evade paying payroll taxes. Grimm was facing up to three years in prison. Grimm, 45, was sentenced on Friday and will surrender himself to federal prison on September 10. He will be on probation for one year after serving the eight months. The former Staten Island Congressman, who is also a former FBI agent and Marine, pleaded guilty late last year to aiding in filing a false tax return in a case stemming from an investigation of his campaign financing. US District Judge Pamela Chen said his crime included exploiting immigrant laborers, some who were paid as little as $4.60 an hour.

Angry clashes in South Carolina as Ku Klux Klan and New Black Panther Party come face-to-face in battle over Confederate flag
Daily Mail - Angry clashes have erupted between members of the Ku Klux Klan and the New Black Panther Party as both groups rally at the South Carolina statehouse. Confederate flags were stolen and ripped up to cheers and applause from the New Black Panther demonstrators - while KKK members stood on the steps of the capitol performing Nazi salutes. The white supremacists came out in force on Saturday afternoon to condemn the governor's decision to remove the Confederate Flag due to its associations with racial hatred. Countering their demonstration, around 400 people with links to the New Black Panther Party marched in the name of racial equality - calling on politicians to do more than simply bring down a flag.
* Related: So tell me again why the Confederate flag is the symbol of black oppression in America!

Donald Trump: No apology to McCain, vows to stay the course
Politico - Trump, who has stood by past statements questioning President Barack Obama’s birthplace and asserting many Mexican undocumented immigrants were “rapists,” is doing the same with his comments disparaging Ariz. Sen. John McCain’s military service because McCain was shot down and captured during the Vietnam War. “No, not at all,” Trump said during a phone interview Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” when asked if he owed the Arizona Republican an apology.... “I’m very disappointed in John McCain because the vets are horribly treated in this country,” Trump said. “I’m going to fight for the vets. I’ve done a lot for the vets. And the vets — I’ve been going around to the campaign trail. They’re treated like third-class citizens. He’s done nothing to help the vets. And I will tell you, they are living in hell.”
* Related Video: Donald Trump: McCain’s a War Hero Because He Was Captured...

Gold, Precious Metals Flash Crash Following $2.7 Billion Notional Dump
Zero Hedge - The last time gold plummeted by just over $30 per ounce (dragging down silver and bitcoin with it) and resulted in a crash so furious it led to a "Velocity Logic" market halt for 10 seconds, was on January 6, 2014. Many said this was just perfectly normal selling, although we explicitly said (and showed) that it was a clear case of an HFT algo gone wild (following an order to do just that and slam all sell stops) when someone manipulated the market and repriced gold substantially lower.

White House distances itself from Glass-Steagall push
The Hill - The White House wants to keep its distance from a liberal push to re-implement legislation that would break up big banks. Progressives like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are calling for a reimplementation of Glass-Steagall, which would require big banks to divide commercial and investment banking. "At this point, we believe that the kind of implementation of Wall Street reform is the most effective way to protect our economy and middle-class taxpayers," White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at a press briefing Friday when asked whether President Obama supports it. Earlier this month, Warren brought back legislation that would re-implement the law.

Shell Warns, Oil Price Recovery To Take 5 Years
Zero Hedge - Andy Brown, a top Shell official, said the Anglo-Dutch oil giant forecasts no quick rebound in the average global price of oil, but only a gradual recovery lasting five years. He attributed this sluggishness to a slowdown in China’s economy, leading a drop in demand for fuel, and the continuing oversupply of oil. The price of oil has fallen from more than $100 per barrel in June 2014 to under $60 today, and Brown said the company has believed for months that it will take until 2020 for the price to rise to a mere $90 per barrel.

McDonald’s New Lobster Value Meal Will Cost You $14
GovtSlaves - McDonald’s is selling a lobster roll in several regions, including New England and Canada. The McLobster costs about $8.99. The meal deal, which includes fries and a fountain drink, costs $13.99, notes Candice Choi at the Associated Press. The menu item shows that McDonald’s is trying to offer more premium options to better compete with fast-casual options like Chick-fil-A, Shake Shack and Chipotle. Reviews of the McLobster have been largely negative. “The limp bun holds a bizarrely large amount of lettuce, both shredded and whole-leaf, neither of which is anything more than filler. There’s plenty of mayo, liberally mashed in with globs of shredded lobster meat in some awful sort of seafood salad,” writes Adam Callagan at Eater. Callagan also says that the sandwich doesn’t taste like lobster.

Satellites: Earth Is Nearly In Its 21st Year Without Global Warming
Daily Caller - For years, climate scientists have been debating the “hiatus” in global warming, pushing dozens of explanations for why global temperatures had not risen significantly in the last decade or so in the surface record and for the last two decades in the satellite record. but the debate was cut short in June when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published a study claiming the “hiatus” never existed. “Newly corrected and updated global surface temperature data from NOAA’s [National Centers for Environmental Information] do not support the notion of a global warming ‘hiatus,’” wrote NOAA scientists in their study.

California Water Wars Escalate: State Changes Law, Orders Farmers To Stop Pumping
Zero Hedge - "In the water world, the pre-1914 rights were considered to be gold," exclaimed one water attorney, but as AP reports, it appears that 'gold' is being tested as California water regulators flexed their muscles by ordering a group of farmers to stop pumping from a branch of the San Joaquin River amid an escalating battle over how much power the state has to protect waterways that are drying up in the drought. As usual, governments do what they want with one almond farmer raging "I've made investments as a farmer based on the rule of law...Now, somebody's changing the law that we depend on." This is not about to get any better as NBCNews reports, this drought is of historic proportions - the worst in over 100 years.

This Preventable Pest Can Make Your Cat Sick to the Point of Death (Not Mosquitoes)
Dr. Becker - Tick-borne diseases that occur in cats include cytauxzoonosis, tularemia, haemobartonellosis, babesiosis, and ehrlichiosis. Since tick-borne infections can be life threatening, prevention is key.... I’m not in favor of applying topical flea and tick chemical preventives or collars containing potentially toxic chemicals to any pet, but especially not cats due to their extreme sensitivity to many of these chemicals. And under no circumstances should you ever use a flea and tick product designed for dogs on your cat, as it can prove to be fatal. If your cat ventures outside regularly, I recommend using a safe tick repellent such as geranium oil products designed to deter ticks on cats. You can also consider sprinkling your kitty with diatomaceous earth, avoiding the face and head. You can also use all-natural tick collars that are specifically made for cats.
 

Friday - July 17, 2015 - Today in History:

1815 - Napoleon Bonaparte surrendered to the British at Rochefort, France.
1821 - Spain ceded Florida to the U.S.
1862 - National cemeteries were authorized by the U.S. government.
1866 - Authorization was given to build a tunnel beneath the Chicago River. The three-year project cost $512,709.
1867 - Harvard School of Dental Medicine was established in Boston, MA. It was the first dental school in the U.S.
1898 - U.S. troops under General William R. Shafter took Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish-American War.
1941 - Brigadier General Soervell directed Architect G. Edwin Bergstrom to have basic plans and architectural perspectives for an office building that could house 40,000 War Department employees on his desk by the following Monday morning. The building became known as the Pentagon.
1945 - U.S. President Truman, Soviet leader Josef Stalin and British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill began meeting at Potsdam in the final Allied summit of World War II. During the meeting Stalin made the comment that "Hitler had escaped."
1955 - Disneyland opened in Anaheim, CA.
1960 - Francis Gary Powers pled guilty to spying charges in a Moscow court after his U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union.
1966 - Ho Chi Minh ordered a partial mobilization of North Vietnam forces to defend against American air strikes.
1975 - An Apollo spaceship docked with a Soyuz spacecraft in orbit. It was the first link up between the U.S. and Soviet Union.
1987 - Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North and rear Admiral John Poindexter begin testifying to Congress at the "Iran-Contra" hearings.
1997 - After 117 years, the Woolworth Corp. closed its last 400 stores.
1998 - Biologists reported that they had deciphered the genome (genetic map) of the syphilis bacterium.
2008 - In China, construction of the Shanghai World Financial Center was completed.

Greece Is Just The Beginning: The 21st Century 'Enclosures' Have Begun
Zero Hedge - Greece is only the beginning. Greeks driven out of their country by the collapsed economy, demise of the social welfare system, and extraordinary rate of unemployment will take their poverty to other EU countries. Members of the EU are not bound by national boundaries and can freely emigrate. Closing down the support system in Greece will drive Greeks into the support systems of other EU countries, which will be closed down in turn by the One Percent’s privatizations. The 21st century Enclosures have begun.

Germany Wastes No Time, Puts Greece "For Sale" On Craigslist
Zero Hedge - For sale are some recently acquired Greek assets for sale...

Canada: Man Faces 6 Months in Jail For Disagreeing With Feminists on Twitter
Paul Joseph Watson - A Canadian man faces 6 months in jail for disagreeing with feminists on Twitter, a case that one journalist warns “could have enormous fallout for free speech.” 54-year-old Greg Elliott could be charged with criminal harassment simply for expressing his opposition to a campaign by activists Steph Guthrie and Heather Reilly to publicly shame a young man in Northern Ontario.... Under Canada’s draconian anti-harassment laws, the victim merely has to claim that the offending conduct made them “fear for their safety.” In other words, if Elliott is convicted, feminists in Canada could claim that anyone who disagrees with or offends them is engaging in “criminal harassment” and demand they be sent to prison.

Syrian rebels decry Iran's nuclear deal with the west
The Guardian - Syrian opposition fighters have criticised the Iranian nuclear agreement as enabling the ongoing disintegration of their country and empowering Tehran despite its support for President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Opposition fighters said the agreement, which will provide billions of dollars of sanctions relief to the Iranian government, strengthens a widely held belief that the US does not wish to see Assad’s departure.

Greece debt crisis: new ECB cash lifeline could reopen Greek banks
The Guardian - Banks in Greece could open their doors on Monday for the first time in three weeks, after the European Central Bank boosted emergency funding for the country’s financial sector by €900m (£630m) and threw its weight behind calls for debt relief for Athens. The ECB president, Mario Draghi, announced the extension of aid to the country’s banks while backing the idea – championed by the International Monetary Fund but rejected by Germany – that some of Greece’s debts will have to be written off.

The Bankruptcy Of The Planet Accelerates – 24 Nations Are Currently Facing A Debt Crisis
Economic Collapse - There has been so much attention on Greece in recent weeks, but the truth is that Greece represents only a very tiny fraction of an unprecedented global debt bomb which threatens to explode at any moment. As you are about to see, there are 24 nations that are currently facing a full-blown debt crisis, and there are 14 more that are rapidly heading toward one. Right now, the debt to GDP ratio for the entire planet is up to an all-time record high of 286 percent, and globally there is approximately 200 TRILLION dollars of debt on the books. That breaks down to about $28,000 of debt for every man, woman and child on the entire planet.

MH17 couldn’t be shot from rebel areas, West pressuring investigators – Russian Air Agency
RT - Malaysian flight MH17 couldn’t have been shot by a ground-to-air missile from the areas controlled by eastern Ukrainian rebels, said Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, adding that West is putting pressure upon investigators to get conclusions it wants. If the missile, as Western authorities claim, were sent from Snezhnoe area [controlled by the rebels], then according to all experts and specialists, it would have been detected by radar station in Rostov-on –Don [region in Russia which borders on Donetsk Region],” Deputy chief of Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency Oleg Storchevoy said during a briefing on MH17 investigation Thursday.

Israeli-made air-to-air missile may have downed MH17 says report
RT - A report on Malaysian Airlines MH17 air disaster in Ukraine last year by a group of old-hand aviation security experts maintains that the Boeing might have been downed by an Israeli Python air-to-air missile. The authors of the investigative report have calculated the possible detonation initiation point of the missile that hit the passenger aircraft and approximate number and weight of strike elements, which in turn designated the type and presumed manufacturer of the weapon.

Jade Helm goes live in Tennessee: 4 Dead Marines. 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
OSNet Daily - Those false flags are becoming as predictable as clockwork. To make a long story short – The Muslim patsy “Was a Naturalized U.S. Citizen Originally From Kuwait” (Need we say more?) An “ISIS-Affiliated Account” Tweeted #Chattanooga Just Before the Shooting Occurred Along With a “Warning to Americans” (How convenient). His Motive Is “Not Yet Known” (MK Ultra, anyone?). Police “Do Not Believe There Is a Second Shooter” (which means there was at least one more shooter. Was there a drill simulating a “lone wolf attack” in the vicinity of the crime scene?).

White House Celebrates Muslim Holiday on Day Muhammad Murders Four Marines
Breitbart - President Barack Obama sent a celebratory message to Muslims around the world on the White House Twitter account nearly two hours before his first tweet on the subject of four dead Marines killed by an Islamic gunman.

Disgraced Planned Parenthood Official Works For White House Staff…Her ‘Right-Wing’ Hatred EXPOSED
Daily Caller - Disgraced Planned Parenthood official Deborah Nucatola’s shocking personal work history is coming to light. Records reveal that Nucatola was employed by a former White House staffer at the time that she was selling aborted baby fetus parts. A staunch political advocate, Nucatola railed against the “right-wing” Bush administration. What’s more, she so enjoyed her work in the abortion industry that she touted a T-shirt celebrating a drug used in the practice.

Aurora shooting verdict: James Holmes found guilty in theater massacre
The Guardian - James Holmes was today found guilty of the first-degree murder of 12 people during a midnight screening of the Batman film The Dark Knight Rises in 2012. The guilty ruling means that the trial now enters the sentencing phase, where jurors will decide Holmes's fate. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty, which has only been carried out once in Colorado in the past 38 years. The verdict came down nearly three years to the day after the massacre in the movie theater took place. The trial lasted 11 weeks and featured 256 witnesses as well as thousands of pieces of evidence.

White House reportedly offers to boost military aid to Israel after Iran deal (Video)
Fox News - According to the New York Times, Obama broached the subject in a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. White House officials said that Obama told Netanyahu that he was prepared to hold "intensive discussions" on bolstering Israel's defense capabilities. The paper reported that Netanyahu denied to discuss the subject with the president, leading U.S. officials to believe he wants to wait and see what Congress has to say about the deal, which was agreed to after long talks involving the U.S., Iran, and five other world powers. Lawmakers have up to 60 days to review the agreement.... In remarks to Israel's parliament, Netanyahu said he was not bound by the terms of the deal and could still take military action against Iran.

Obama pledged to reduce nuclear arsenal, then came this weapon
Reveal News - Standing next to a 12-foot nuclear bomb that looks more like a trim missile than a weapon of mass destruction, engineer Phil Hoover exudes pride. “I feel a real sense of accomplishment,” he said.... Later, when nuclear explosives are added at the federal Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, the bomb will have a maximum explosive force equivalent to 50,000 tons of TNT – more than three times more powerful than the U.S. atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, 70 years ago this August that killed more than 130,000 people. The U.S. government doesn’t consider the B61-12 to be new – simply an upgrade of an existing weapon. But some contend that it is far more than that.

4 Marines killed in attacks on Chattanooga military facilities
CBS News - A gunman unleashed a barrage of gunfire at two military facilities Thursday in Tennessee, killing at least four Marines and wounding a soldier and a police officer, officials told CBS News. The shooter also was killed. Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the shooting suspect was identified as 24-year-old Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez. According to a U.S. law enforcement source, Abdulazeez was born in Kuwait and came to the United States in 1996. It's unclear if and when he became an American citizen. A U.S. official told CBS News that Abdulazeez was not on law enforcement radar concerning possible terror links or aspirations. The FBI was not aware of him as being any kind of threat.

Suspected ISIS Twitter Account Claims Responsibility for Chattanooga Shooting
Mikael Thalen - A Twitter account claiming to be associated with ISIS terrorists appeared to take responsibility for the Chattanooga shooting Thursday, which took the lives of four Marines outside of a Tennessee Navy and Marine Reserve Center. According to CBS News, “U.S. Attorney Bill Killian said officials were treating the attacks as an ‘act of domestic terrorism,’ though FBI Special Agent in Charge Ed Reinhold said authorities were still investigating a motive.” ISIS similarly claimed responsibility for the attack in Garland, Texas, last May after two “soldiers of the caliphate” were killed while attempting to stop a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest.

5th holistic doctor (age 33) died in Florida making 5 dead and 5 more missing
Erin Elizabeth - I read about Dr. Baron Holt DC not long after he died less than a month ago near me here on the East Coast of Florida. Father’s day June 21st. Dr. Holt was coincidentally found the very same day that Dr. Bruce Hedendal (also a DC found here on the E Coast of Florida) was found slumped over in his car. Like Holt, Dr. Hedendal was also extremely fit. Dr Hedendal been doing an athletic event earlier in the day before he was found in his car. My heart goes out to their families and all families.
* Related: Totalitarian medicine: Medical boards threaten to destroy careers of doctors who question Big Pharma propaganda

Congress Could Soon Ban GMO Labeling Under New Bill
Natural Society - Want some more proof that Monsanto and other biotech giants are deathly afraid of GMO labeling initiatives passing within the United States? A new bill introduced by Monsanto’s star representative, Mike Pompeo, could soon ban all mandatory GMO labeling in the US. The worst part? It was just approved by the House Agriculture Committee, which means it’s one step closer to becoming a full-fledged law. The bill is formally known as H.R. 1599, or the ‘Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015.’
* Related: Tell Congress to Protect Your Right to Know: Oppose the DARK Act

Highway Trust Fund Broke, Gov’t To Uses TSA Fees To Fund Roads
GovtSlaves - The patch would keep the fund afloat through December by transferring $8.1 billion from the Treasury into the Highway Trust Fund.... The measure is the latest installment—the 34th since 2008, in fact—in a series of short-term measures used to address the Highway Trust Fund’s chronic overspending. The trust fund, fueled primarily by taxes on gas and diesel, shells out about $50 billion annually for federal highway and transit projects. This year, the trust fund will spend $13 billion more than it receives in revenues. That deficit is expected to grow to $22 billion in 10 years, resulting in a $168 billion cumulative shortfall by 2025. The House’s current plan—using an $8 billion patch to open up the door for a repatriation proposal—is fiscally irresponsible and bad transportation policy.

U.S. fracking linked to higher hospitalization rates: researchers
Sputnik News - The new study, published this week in the journal PLOS ONE, casts another stone at the drilling technique, which scientists have linked to both an increase in seismic activity and water pollution. The authors of the study explored the largest drilling state in the country — Pennsylvania — with its 6,000 wells that have been drilled into the Marcellus Shale since 2008. Their results are not comforting, predicting that residents of 18 Pennsylvania ZIP codes with well density more than 0.79 wells per square kilometer to have a 27 percent increase in hospitalizations for heart conditions, compared to areas where no fracking takes place.

House GOP Passes CA Drought-Relief Bill, Despite Obama Veto Threat
Breitbart - On Thursday, the House passed Republican-backed legislation that would ensure California farmers adequate water supply to combat the state’s record four-year drought, despite a veto threat from the White House. The House passed the Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015 (HR 2898) by a vote of 245-176. Just five Democrats joined Republicans in voting for the bill. The legislation would set a minimum amount of water that the state must allow to flow through the Central Valley Project (CVP), one of several key water infrastructure systems that provides water to most of California’s farmers. Federal officials would be required to prove that a fish species would go extinct to reduce the amount of water pumped through the CVP. The bill would also speed up the environmental review process for the construction of new water storage projects, like dams and reservoirs.

Never Use These Dangerous Carcinogens Around Your Pet
Dr. Becker - This is an important heads-up for all of you who put chemical pest repellent collars on your pets and/or use pesticide sprays in and around your home.... The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has concluded that five organophosphate herbicides and pesticides are carcinogenic to humans and animals. Four of the five chemicals are currently in use in products such as flea and tick collars for pets, and pesticide sprays for residential use

Homeless Cat Cuddles With Abandoned Baby, Saves It From Freezing To Death
Health Nut News - Human beings can be the cruelest, most selfish animals on the planet. Nothing is evidence of that more than the story of baby who was left in a box in a stairway of an apartment building on a freezing day Obninsk, Russia. Fortunately, the baby had a hero with him – a stray cat that the apartment tenants let hang around.

VIDEO: BEST "Commercial" OF THE YEAR. . .pertaining to organ donors
No wonder this moving video is taking the world by storm. It's a tear jerker with an amazing message.
 

Thursday - July 16, 2015 - Today in History:

1776 - British troops captured Fort Washington during the American Revolution.
1907 - Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th state.
1915 - Coca-Cola had its prototype for a countoured bottle patented. The bottle made its commercial debut the next year.
1933 - The United States and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations for the first time.
1969 - The U.S. Army announced that several had been charged with massacre and cover-up in the My Lai massacre in Vietnam on March 16, 1968.
1973 - Skylab 3 carrying a crew of three astronauts, was launched from Cape Canaveral, FL, on an 84-day mission.
1973 - U.S. President Nixon signed the Alaska Pipeline measure into law.
1981 - A vaccine for hepatitis B was approved. The vaccine had been developed at Merck Institute for Therapeutic Research.
1985 - Colonel Oliver North was put in charge of the shipment of HAWK anti-aircraft missiles to Iran.
1998 - In Burlington, Wisconsin, 5 high school students were arrested in an alleged plot to kill a carefully selected group of teachers and students.
1998 - It was announced that Monica Lewinsky had signed a deal for the North American rights to a book about her affair with U.S. President Clinton.
1998 - The U.S. Supreme Court said that union members could file discrimination lawsuits against employers even when labor contracts require arbitration.
1999 - John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, Carolyn, and her sister died when the single-engine plane Kennedy was piloting plunged into the Atlantic Ocean near Martha's Vineyard, Mass.
2000 - Bill Clinton became the first serving U.S. president to visit Communist Vietnam.
2001 - The movie "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" opened in the U.S. and U.K.
2004 - A NASA unmanned "scramjet" (X-43A) reached a speed of nearly 10 times the speed of sound above the Pacific Ocean.
2004 - Martha Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison and five months of home confinement by a federal judge for lying about a stock sale.

Japanese law could send soldiers to fight abroad for first time in 70 years
The Guardian - Japan’s lower house of parliament has approved legislation that could see troops sent to fight abroad for the first time since the second world war, despite thousands of protesters overnight chanting and holding up placards reading “No War, No Killing”. A lower house panel approval on Wednesday of the unpopular bills, which would drop a ban on collective self-defence or fighting to defend a friendly country like the United States, sparked a huge demonstration and more are planned.... Opponents say the revisions could entangle Japan in US-led conflicts around the globe and violate pacifist article 9 of the US-drafted, post-war constitution.

US Plans to Expand Its Involvement in Ukraine - German Media
Sputnik News - The US is considering the possibility of participating more actively in Ukrainian affairs, including enhanced military training of Ukrainian armed forces, Der Spiegel wrote. According to the head of US Army forces in Europe, Ben Hodges, US military instructors are likely to start implementation of an expanded training program in November. The program is designed to help the Ukrainian Army to fight against Donbass militias in the eastern regions of the country. The final decision on the program is still pending: the US proposal has to be assessed by its European partners.

Israeli Special Forces Assassinated Senior Syrian Official
The Intercept - On Aug. 1, 2008, a small team of Israeli commandos entered the waters near Tartus, Syria, and shot and killed a Syrian general as he was holding a dinner party at his seaside weekend home. Muhammad Suleiman, a top aide to the Syrian president, was shot in the head and neck, and the Israeli military team escaped by sea. While Israel has never spoken about its involvement, secret U.S. intelligence files confirm that Israeli special operations forces assassinated the general while he vacationed at his luxury villa on the Syrian coast. The internal National Security Agency document, provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, is the first official confirmation that the assassination of Suleiman was an Israeli military operation, and ends speculation that an internal dispute within the Syrian government led to his death.

The Other Group Looking Forward to the Era of the Iran Deal
Defense One - Weapons companies - especially those from Russia and China - are standing by to upgrade Tehran's aging military equipment. A nuclear deal would lift a debilitating weight on Iran’s economy and—if Tehran so chose—improve relations with the rest of the world. It would have a dramatic impact in the US, too, allowing Americans—if they so chose—to begin the process of moving on from a 36-year-old confrontation with Tehran. But even actors with only a glancing connection to the talks stand to gain. For starters, big, global oil companies—which may get contracts to drill for oil in Iran—are strong advocates for any deal. And then there are the arms dealers. State-owned arms businesses from Russia and China have been waiting in the wings for any opportunity to give Iran’s military a much-needed makeover.

Greek MPs pass austerity bill as Athens police clash with protesters
The Guardian - Five years into the worst crisis to hit their country in decades, Greek MPs voted by a large majority in the early hours of Thursday morning to accept draconian austerity as the price of further bailout funds but at great personal cost to prime minister Alexis Tsipras. In a vote that saw tensions soar in and outside parliament, the embattled leader’s radical leftist Syriza party suffered huge losses as 40 MPs revolted against the measures. A total of 229 lawmakers voted in favour of the internationally mandated measures, 64 against and six abstained.
* Related: Tear gas v petrol bombs: Clashes mar massive Greek protest against bailout deal

Greek deputy finance minister resigns over debt deal
RT - Greek Deputy Finance Minister Nadia Valavani has resigned ahead of the key vote in the Greek parliament on a third bailout agreed between Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and the country’s creditors. She described the deal as Greek agony.... She called the debt deal reached Monday a “capitulation” by the government, that’ll hit the Greek people. This ‘capitulation’ is so overwhelming that it will not allow a regrouping of forces. With your signature there will be a deterioration in the status of an already suffering population, and this will be a tombstone around their necks for many years with little potential of redemption,” she wrote.

Tsipras Stunner: Creditors Said "There Is No Point In Holding Elections" In Bailed Out Countries
Zero Hedge - As if the long-suffering Greek people need more tragedy in their lives, here comes an admission from their chosen "leader" that Greece, as a sovereign nation, no longer exists: Greek PM Tsipras says lenders give a message that in countries under a bailout there is no point in holding elections.... So the Troika makes it clear that countries under a bailout, such as a Greece was and is about to be indefinitely again, democracy is finished and the country becomes a sovereign ward of a few unelected bureaucrats, and the Greek "prime minister" who also just admitted he is now nothing but a puppet of Greece's new unelected leaders, is Ok with this.

Final Report on MH17 to Blame Donbass Militia, Malaysia Airlines for Crash
Sputnik News - The final investigative report on the deadly crash of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in southeastern Ukraine will lay the blame for the tragedy on Donbass independence supporters, and, partly, the carrier itself, CNN reported Wednesday, citing two sources familiar with the investigation. he final report into the crash by the Dutch Safety Board is scheduled to be published in October 2015. A draft version of the document has been sent to the countries participating in the investigation. The states were given 60 days to comment on the draft.

WHO Cancer Expert: Glyphosate is Definitely Genotoxic
Sustainable Pulse - Professor Christopher Portier, one of the co-authors of the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) recent report which determined Glyphosate’s status as a probable carcinogen, reiterated the IARC’s conclusions, and said: “Glyphosate is definitely genotoxic. There is no doubt in my mind.” Professor Portier was speaking in London at a scientific briefing on glyphosate in Westminster, London organized by the Soil Association. The Soil Association is calling for a UK ban on the use of Glyphosate sprayed on UK wheat as a pre-harvest weedkiller and its use to kill the crop to ripen it faster.

Ron Paul Takes on Neocon: 'We've Got a Schizophrenic Foreign Policy'
The Ron Paul Institute - We're with the Iranians because we are both fighting ISIS but we're against the Iranians because they are on the side of Assad. That is why RPI Chairman Ron Paul described our foreign policy as "schizophrenic" in a Newsmax debate on the Iran deal. On the Iran talks, Dr. Paul reminded the viewers that Reagan believed it was important to talk to the Soviets, a regime that had killed far more people than has the Iranians, and to look for ways to reduce weapons proliferation. So why not talk to Iran?... Watch as a few sparks fly in this very interesting interview available here.

US Equipment for War on Terror in Yemen Left in Storage for 8 Years
Sputnik News - “Since 2007, 200 parcels of equipment Yemen purchased using US government-funded Foreign Military Financing grants remain unshipped in a private warehouse in Virginia rather than [being used]… to counter threats such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP),” the report stated on Wednesday. The US State Department, the report explained, committed $48 million of $108 million in Foreign Military Financing to counter AQAP in Yemen from 2007 to 2014. The military equipment languished in the warehouse for years, according to the report, because the Yemeni government failed to pay freight forwarders that it had contracted to ship the goods.

Protesters Greet Obama in Oklahoma Waving Confederate Flags — and Demonstration Organizer Is Black
The Blaze - The protest was organized by Andrew Duncomb, who calls himself “the Black Rebel,” KFOR-TV reported. “We don’t believe it’s a symbol of racism,” he told the news station. “They’re blaming the racist problems on the flag and not on the real problems of America. Through the race lies the people who carry and harbor the hate inside,” Duncomb added. Several other black individuals participated in the demonstration. Obama was in Oklahoma to discuss economic development and the criminal justice system.

Latest Outrageous ISIS Propaganda: Terrorists Will Behead the Statue of Liberty
Kurt Nimmo - Thus far the atrocities committed by the U.S.-trained terror army ISIS or Danesh have not resulted in widespread condemnation by the American public and a demand the Pentagon rush into the Middle East and exterminate the jihadist vermin. The media, however, keeps cranking up the noise with reports of the Islamic Army blowing up a baby, crucifying children for eating during Ramadan and other assorted horrific atrocities by way of fire, drowning and mass execution. Now there is a report that may finally outrage at least a few red-blooded Americans — the terror group has announced it will behead the Statue of Liberty.

VIDEO: New Immigration Wave Coming: Census Bureau Predicts 1.24 Million More Immigrants To Enter USA in 2015
Breitbart - The Census Bureau published the new data in its International Data Base, which contains population estimates and projections up to the year 2050. The figure from the Census Bureau is a calculation of net migration—meaning the total number of immigrants who will arrive in the United States in 2015 would actually be larger than 1.24 million, but this net figure accounts for and subtracts the number of immigrants who leave the country.

Family Threatened at Gunpoint for Waving Confederate Flag
Paul Joseph Watson - The incident occurred on Monday night in Moseley, Virginia while the family was expressing their First Amendment right by waving the flag in their own driveway next to a busy highway. A man driving an SUV pulled into the driveway, took out his gun, chambered a round, pointed it at the family and started yelling.... "He slammed on the brakes and when he got right beside me, he pulled out a gun, chambered a round and told me my cause wasn’t worth anything now,” Mark Wilson told CBS 6.... 46-year-old James Baker was later arrested by police for brandishing a weapon. Baker dubiously claimed that the family had threatened his life.... “The police went and investigated it and they let him go, he admitted everything and they just let him go,” added Wilson.

Church Now Sending Collection Notices To Members who Don’t Tithe Enough
GovtSlaves - A Florida church sent a delinquency notice to a new member reminding her that worshipers were expected to pay $1,000 in required fees or face possible removal. Candace Petterson said she started attending the Greater Mount Moriah Primitive Baptist Church about six months ago after moving to a new home in the Tampa area, but she received a troubling letter last week from the church, reported WFTS-TV. The single mother said she received what amounted to a delinquency notice from her new church asking her to contribute $50 a month, along with other assorted fees, to remain a member in good standing and vote on church matters. The predominantly black church, which has operated for more than a century, asked her to pay a yearly $250 anniversary fee and another $150 for Mount Moriah Day – amounting to $1,000, some of which would be set aside to pay off church debt.

GOP candidates call for action after undercover Planned Parenthood video
Politico - Republican presidential candidates are furious about an undercover video they say shows a Planned Parenthood executive discussing the sale of fetal organs.... Ted Cruz released a statement calling the video “sickening” and urged Congress to begin an investigation into the Center for Medical Progress’ allegations.... “The callous disrespect for human life revealed today sickens me,” Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul tweeted. “It’s time for pro-lifers to take a stand. It’s time to defund Planned Parenthood.”... Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker called the video “absolutely horrifying and disgusting” and said that “Planned Parenthood and the Democrats who vote to fund this organization owe the American people an explanation for these heinous, and possibly illegal, actions.”

GMO Labeling Group Head Hosts Fundraiser for Pro-Monsanto Hillary Clinton?
Natural Society - We all know that biotech lobbyists spend millions of dollars influencing the political agenda, but the former CEO of Stonyfield Farms and a public supporter of GMO labeling just hosted a $2700-per-person fundraiser for Hillary Clinton in his own home. What were the intentions?... According to the Boston Globe, Hirshberg said that the fundraiser didn’t mean he was supporting Hillary for president. Organic Consumers Association reached out to Hirshberg through Scott Faber, the current executive director of Just Label It, and they have yet to receive a response.

Number of US Disabled Military Veterans Rose to 330,000 in 4 Years
Sputnik News - The number of badly disabled US veterans on disability relief rose to 330,000, a 22 percent increase over four years, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.... The 2009-2013 period covered by the study was marked by continuing US military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, though on a smaller scale than in previous years, as well as by other US military missions around the world.

Santa Cruz County Votes To Cease Doing Business With 5 Too Big To Fail Mega Banks
Zero Hedge - It appears that Ryan Coonerty, the Supervisor of the Third District of Santa Cruz County, wrote a letter back in June to the rest of the Board of Supervisors, in which he bravely pleaded the county cease business operations with five of the TBTF Wall Street Mega Banks. Why you ask? Well, because they are criminal felons. Considering Eric Holder refused to punish them, someone has to take a stand...“There seems to be no limit to the greed in some our nation’s largest banks. I believe it is critical that the County only work with the most trustworthy institutions as we invest and protect the public’s tax dollars. Santa Cruz County should not be involved with those who rigged the world’s biggest financial markets."

4 Alarming Reasons America Could Be The Next Greece
Off the Grid News - The financial crisis in Greece should be a wakeup call for Americans, as there are some disturbing parallels between that European country and the US. If you haven’t heard, banks in Greece – closed off and on for several weeks now – are closed again until Thursday. And ATMs are still out of cash. Debt and other economic problems could destroy American independence just as they undermined Greece’s status as a nation. Those who don’t believe America could share Greece’s fate need to take a look at some disturbing trends in the US economy. America, sadly, is repeating some of the same mistakes that destroyed Greece’s.

Obama Administration Finds New Way to Let Criminal Banks Avoid Consequences
The Intercept - Three top Democrats are accusing the Department of Housing and Urban Development of quietly removing a key clause in its requirements for taxpayer-guaranteed mortgage insurance in order to spare two banks recently convicted of federal crimes from being frozen out of the lucrative market. HUD’s action is the latest in a series of steps by federal agencies to eliminate real-world consequences for serial financial felons, even as the Obama administration has touted its efforts to hold banks accountable.

California To Get Relief from Drought: El Niño to the Rescue
Washington's Blog - California is finally set to get some drought relief … Specifically, forecasters say a strong El Niño is heading our way.... The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said there is now a 90% chance that El Niño will last through the winter and an 80% chance it will last into spring 2016.... However, even a very wet winter probably won’t be enough to erase California’s drought. ... The state would need about 150 percent of its normal rainfall to replenish its reservoirs (the groundwater situation is a little bit trickier).

Wednesday - July 15, 2015 - Today in History:

1806 - Lieutenant Zebulon Pike began his western expedition from Fort Belle Fountaine, near St. Louis, MO.
1834 - Lord Napier of England arrived in Macao, China as the first chief superintendent of trade.
1870 - Georgia became the last of the Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union.
1885 - In New York, the Niagara Reservation State Park opened.
1888 - "Printers’ Ink" was first sold.
1901 - Over 74,000 Pittsburgh steel workers went on strike.
1904 - The first Buddhist temple in the U.S. was established in Los Angeles, CA.
1916 - In Seattle, WA, Pacific Aero Products was incorporated by William Boeing. The company was later renamed Boeing Co.
1918 - The Second Battle of the Marne began during World War I.
1922 - The duck-billed platypus arrived in America, direct from Australia. It was exhibited at the Bronx Zoo in New York City.
1958 - Five thousand U.S. Marines landed in Beirut, Lebanon, to protect the pro-Western government. The troops withdrew October 25, 1958.
1965 - The spacecraft Mariner IV sent back the first close-up pictures of the planet Mars.
1968 - Commercial air travel began between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. - a Soviet Aeroflot jet, landed at Kennedy International Airport in New York.
1971 - U.S. President Nixon announced he would visit the People's Republic of China to seek a "normalization of relations."
1987 - Taiwan ended thirty-seven years of martial law.
2002 - John Walker Lindh, an American who had fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty to 2 felonies in a deal sparing him life in prison.
2006 - The social networking service Twitter was launched.
2007 - The Roman Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles announced it was settling clergy sex-abuse cases for $660 million.
2010 - BP stopped the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico after 85 days using a 75-ton cap lowered onto the well earlier in the week.

Lavrov: Russia expects US to abandon Europe AMD plans after Iran deal
RT - Moscow hopes the US will fulfill its promise not to develop a system of missile defense in Europe after a deal with Iran has been reached, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Vienna on Tuesday. “We all probably remember that in April 2009 in Prague [US] President [Barack] Obama said that if the Iran nuclear program issue is sorted out, then the task of creating the European segment of the missile defense system will disappear,” Lavrov said at press conference in Vienna. He said that Tehran and the P5+1 powers (the United States, the UK, France, Germany, Russia and China) have agreed on “joint all-inclusive plan of actions, which consists of the main document and five very detailed technical appendices.”

The ‘Greek Debt Deal’ Is Already Starting To Fall Apart
Economic Collapse - The “deal that was designed to fail” has already begun to unravel. The IMF, which was expected to provide a big chunk of the financing, has indicated that it may walk away from the deal unless Greece is granted extensive debt relief. This is something that the Germans and their allies have resolutely refused to do. Meanwhile, outrage is pouring in from all over Europe regarding what the Greek government is being forced to do to their own people. Most of this anger is being directed at the Germans, but the truth is that without German money the Greek banking system and the Greek economy will completely and utterly collapse. So even though Greek Prime Minister Alex Tsipras admits that this is a deal that he does not believe in, he is attempting to get it pushed through the Greek parliament, and we should know on Wednesday whether he was successful or not.
* Related: IMF Demands Greek Debt Relief "Far Beyond What Europe Has Been Willing To Consider"

China May Tip World Into Recession: Morgan Stanley
Bloomberg - Forget about all the shoes, toys and other exports. China may soon have another thing to offer the world: a recession. That is the prediction from Ruchir Sharma, head of emerging markets at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, who says a continuation of China’s slowdown in the next years may drag global economic growth below 2 percent, a threshold he views as equivalent to a world recession. It would be the first global slump over the past 50 years without the U.S. contracting.

BOOM! Expert On Fox News Admits ISIS Video Is Fake, Using Green Screen and Teleprompter
Underground News - This Is For EVERYONE Who refused to Listen To Us Out Here On Youtube. For every Truth video removed saying exactly what they are saying Now on Main Stream. For those of you whom will only believe the wicked mainstream , .. Here You Go! We Told You So!

Another “Terror” Arrest; Another Mentally Ill Man, Armed by the FBI
The Intercept - U.S. law enforcement officials announced another terror arrest on Monday, after arming a mentally ill man and then charging him with having guns. ABC News quoted a “senior federal official briefed on the arrest” as saying: “This is a very bad person arrested before he could do very bad things.” But in a sting reminiscent of so many others conducted by the FBI since 9/11, Alexander Ciccolo, 23, “aka Ali Al Amriki,” was apparently a mentally ill man who was doing nothing more than ranting about violent jihad and talking (admittedly in frightening ways) about launching attacks—until he met an FBI informant. At that point, he started making shopping lists for weapons. The big twist in this story: Local media in Massachusetts are saying Ciccolo was turned in by his father, a Boston Police captain.

Undercover Footage Captures Stunning Claim About Planned Parenthood
The Blaze - A video, titled, “Planned Parenthood Uses Partial-Birth Abortions to Sell Baby Parts,” from the Center for Medical Progress, a group concerned with medical ethics, features comments from Dr. Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s senior director of medical services, allegedly showing her describing how some doctors carefully conduct abortions that leave fetal body parts in tact. Nucatola reportedly made these comments on July 25, 2014, to actors whom she believed were actual representatives and buyers from a human biologics company. The comments appear to recount a process through which some abortion doctors purportedly carefully conduct procedures in an effort to keep specific fetal body parts in tact.
* VIDEO: Full Footage: Planned Parenthood Uses Partial-Birth Abortions to Sell Baby Parts

John McCain Responds to Staged ISIS Beheading Video
Paul Joseph Watson - McCain responded on his official Twitter account, remarking, “Another nutty conspiracy theory from the #Russian Internet trolls – I’m very proud to be target of America’s enemies.” He followed up with a subsequent tweet in which he stated, “1st they doctored pics to say I met w/ #ISIS. Now #Russian Internet trolls say I staged ISIS executions. Proud to be their #1 adversary!”... What’s ironic is that McCain was pictured meeting with an individual who is now the leader of ISIS forces in Libya – Abdelhakim Belhadj – who worked directly with U.S. and NATO forces during the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi. Belhadj also previously fronted the LIFG terrorist organization which killed U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was later credited with imposing Sharia law in Libya.

Scientist who studied health effects of 9/11 dust dies suddenly of unknown causes
RT - Paul James Lioy, an environmental scientist known for his work on the health effects of dust produced by the World Trade Center disaster on September 11, 2001, died this week after collapsing at Newark Liberty International Airport. He was 68 years old. Lioy was an internationally renowned authority on exposure science...He also authored the book 'Dust: The Inside Story of its Role in the September 11th Aftermath.' He was also a professor of environmental and occupational health and vice chair of the Department of Environmental Medicine at the Rutgers University School of Public Health in New Jersey, according to the university's website...The cause of his death has not yet been determined, his wife Jean Lioy told the New York Times.

NAACP Wants Stone Mountain Confederate Generals Sand-Blasted Off, Mount Rushmore Next?
Paul Joseph Watson - The Atlanta chapter of the NAACP has called for the iconic and intricate Stone Mountain carvings which feature confederate generals to be sand-blasted off and wiped from the pages of history. In the name of political correctness, NAACP’s Richard Rose told WSB-TV that symbols of the Confederacy should be removed from all state-owned buildings, parks and lands in the area, including a carving which depicts Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis.
* Related: Flag Purge Continues: NAACP Wants Stars & Bars Removed From Alabama Troopers’ Vehicles

More Parents to be Labeled Child Abusers in Tennessee? DCS to Publicly Publish Suspected Child Abusers Even if not Charged
Medical Kidnap -We have been documenting on our MedicalKidnap website for many months now many stories of families who were accused of "abuse" simply because they disagreed with a doctor. The tragedy in these stories is that the parents are almost never afforded due process of the law, but have their children medically kidnapped and then struggle to get them back. To add insult to injury, they often have their names entered into a child abuse registry. So now in the State of Tennessee, these parents who have never even been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one, will allegedly soon have their names in a public registry which will further violate their Constitutional rights to privacy by slandering their name, and in many cases, prevent them from keeping or obtaining employment.

VIDEO: The U.S. Is Facing A $1 Trillion Pension Shortfall
CNNMoney - States are short $968 billion for their pension systems, an increase of $54 billion over the year before. When debts from local programs are taken into account, the total shortfall tops $1 trillion, according to the report. Three states -- Illinois, Kentucky and Connecticut -- have less than half of their pension programs funded. Illinois is in the hole by more than $100 billion. There are two big reasons states have fallen behind. First, a lot of the funds are held in stocks, and returns on those investments fell during the Great Recession. And second, some states have failed to make the required contribution to their pension programs.

Report: Wind Turbines Trigger Danger Response In The Brain
Breitbart - A new report shows living near a wind turbine may harm emotional wellbeing after scientists discovered that low frequency sounds generated by rotor blades trigger a part of the brain which senses danger. According to the Daily Telegraph, brain scans show that even infrasound as low as 8hz – a whole octave below the traditional cut off point for human hearing – is still being picked up by the primary auditory cortex. This is the part of the brain which translates sounds into meaning.

1000’s of smart meter fires: New whistleblower & court evidence (video)
Take Back Your Power - The whistleblowers (wishing to remain anonymous) who contacted us have serviced and repaired over 200,000 meters in the field. They have been warning their supervisors about ‘smart’ meter problems for nearly a decade now. They have had enough of the lies and want you to know what they know. On top of the explosive new details, the meters have at least four major sources of arcing. That’s right — FOUR. Arcing in ‘smart’ meters causes extreme heat, which causes fires. As we now see, it is beyond any shadow of a doubt that meter manufacturers know, utilities know, and regulators know. They have known the whole time, but they didn’t want to tell you. In this investigation the focus on two of the worst offenders, BC Hydro and PG&E. However, as this is a systemic problem regardless of meter type, we feature fire incidents from Texas, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Pennsylvania, Illinois and more.

Tuesday - July 14, 2015 - Today in History:

1798 - The U.S. Congress passed the Sedition Act. The act made it a federal crime to write, publish, or utter false or malicious statements about the U.S. government.
1891 - The primacy of Thomas Edison's lamp patents was upheld in the court decision Electric Light Company vs. U.S. Electric Lighting Company.
1911 - Harry N. Atwood landed an airplane on the lawn of the White House to accept an award from U.S. President William Taft.
1933 - All German political parties except the Nazi Party were outlawed.
1940 - A force of German Ju-88 bombers attacked Suez, Egypt, from bases in Crete.
1945 - American battleships and cruisers bombarded the Japanese home islands for the first time.
1946 - Dr. Benjamin Spock’s "The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care" was first published.
1951 - The first sports event to be shown in color, on CBS-TV, was the Molly Pitcher Handicap at Oceanport, NJ.
1951 - The George Washington Carver National Monument in Joplin, MO, became the first national park to honor an African American.
1958 - The army of Iraq overthrew the monarchy.
1965 - The American space probe Mariner 4 flew by Mars, and sent back photographs of the planet.
1981 - The All-Star Game was postponed because of a 33-day-old baseball players strike. The game was held on August 9.
1998 - Los Angeles sued 15 tobacco companies for $2.5 billion over the dangers of secondhand smoke.
2001 - Beijing was awarded the 2008 Olympics. It was the first time that the China had been awarded the games.
2003 - Journalist Robert Novak identified Valerie Plame as a CIA operative in his newspaper column, citing two Bush administration officials.
2008 - In Japan, construction began on the Tokyo Skytree tower.
2009 - The iTunes Music Store reached 1.5 billion applications downloaded.

Iran, World Powers Have Reached Nuclear Agreement
Bloomberg - Iran and six world powers sealed a historic accord to curb the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program in return for ending sanctions, capping two years of tough diplomacy with the biggest breakthrough in relations in decades.... The deal, if approved by the U.S. Congress, promises to end a 12-year standoff that has crippled Iran’s economy and drawn threats of military action from the U.S. and Israel.... It would enable the oil-rich nation to ramp up energy exports, access international funding and open its doors to global investors.... Congress has 60 days to review the document in Washington, where it will meet resistance from lawmakers who oppose making any nuclear compromises with Iran. Israel said it will use “every means” possible to convince Congress to reject it.
* Related: Iran Nuclear Deal: Agreement in Details

Oil, ruble drop as Iran nuclear deal reached
RT - Oil prices continued to slide Tuesday with the Russian ruble as Iran and six world powers reached a conclusive deal on Iran’s nuclear program. The deal comes into force in 90 days after UN Security Council ratification. Brent futures for August fell 2.18 percent, trading at $56.63 a barrel at 12:23 MSK. US light crude West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was down 2.11 percent, at $51.06 a barrel.

Greece Just Lost Control Of Its Banks, And Why Deposit Haircuts Are Imminent
Zero Hedge - One of the preconditions imposed on Greece for a deal is that it signs into law European rules that would put euro zone authorities at the ECB and in Brussels, rather than Athens, in charge of identifying and closing or breaking up sick banks. This in turn could lead to a shake-up of the sector that could see some banks close, with losses pushed onto bondholders and possibly even large depositors. In such circumstances, there would be little that Athens could do to prevent this.
* Related: What Assets Did Greece Just Hand Over To Europe: "Airports, Airplanes, Infrastructure And Most Certainly Banks"

Greek crisis endgame: EU agrees to allocate €80bn+ over 3 years
RT - After 17 hours of marathon talks, the eurozone leaders have reached an agreement over a third three-year bailout for debt-ridden Greece worth around €82-86 billion, which averts the risk of the country leaving the eurozone… The program will affect the overall pension reform, reform of the product markets, privatization and changes in labor exchanges, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel after the eurozone summit Monday... A write-off of Greece’s debt is not on the agenda, she added… The agreement is complex, but Greece avoided the transfer of its state property abroad, as well as financial strangulation and destruction of the financial system, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras commented.

3 Big Reasons Why The ‘Greek Debt Deal’ Is Really A German Trap
Economic Collapse - Greece is saved? All over the planet, news headlines are boldly proclaiming that a “deal” has been reached which will give Greece the money that it needs and keep it in the eurozone. But as you will see below, this is not true at all. Yesterday, when I wrote that “there never was going to be any deal“, I was not exaggerating. This “deal” was not drafted with the intention of “saving Greece”. As I explained in my previous article, these negotiations were all about setting up Greece for eviction from the euro. You see, the truth is that Greece desperately wants to stay in the euro, but Germany (and allies such as Finland) want Greece out. Since Germany can’t simply order Greece to leave the euro, they need some sort of legal framework which will make it possible, and that is what this new “deal” provides.

Oh Canada! US May Move Forward With TPP Without Northern Neighbor
Sputnik News - As the twelve nations prepare to come to negotiating table at the end of the month, Ottawa has proven to be more resistant to the TPP. Now, to solve Washington’s negotiating woes, several US senators have urged US Trade Representative Michael Froman to "move forward on TPP without Canada unless a serious offer on dairy, poultry, and agriculture market access" was made... Much that hesitation stems from the fact that Canada’s dairy and poultry industries are worth tens of billions of dollars. Canadian lawmakers are concerned that stipulations within the trade agreement could endanger the supply management system.

US Automakers Worst Nightmare: Chinese Auto Inventories Explode In May
Zero Hedge - A week ago we exposed the massive number of cars piling up in GM's parking lots in China. A few days later, we note that Chinese auto sales have collapsed at the fastest rate in 3 years and an increasing number of new orders are being cancelled as the stock market crashes. But the triple whammy for US auto manufacturers - who have incessantly pitched China as their growth engine - is news from Huaxia Times that China's import car dealers saw inventory days reach a mind-blowing 143 days in May. For context, the normal average has been 24-36 days.

Pentagon Moves to Allow Transgender People to Serve Openly in the Military
NY Times - The Pentagon is moving to allow transgender people to serve openly in the military by early next year and end an “outdated” regulation that harms the armed forces, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said on Monday. Pentagon officials are to spend the coming months working out the administrative and legal changes needed to remove one of the final barriers to all Americans serving in the military.

US Knew of Mexican Drug Kingpin El Chapo’s Plan to Break Out of Prison
Sputnik News - Drug Enforcement Administration internal documents obtained by the Associated Press reveal that the US knew about plans for Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán’s escape since a month after he was captured. In March 2014, following Guzmán’s high-profile arrest in Mexico in February, agents in Los Angeles reported a plot funded by another drug organization to threaten and/or bribe prison officials. By July, an investigation revealed that Guzmán’s son had hired a team of military counterintelligence operatives to design a plan for his father’s freedom. The following December, Houston DEA agents reported "that a deal was in place to release both Guzman-Loera and imprisoned Los Zetas Cartel leader Miguel Angel 'Z-40' Tevino-Morales. "None of the documents provided information relevant to Saturday’s escape, but given this information it is surprising that more measures were not in place to prevent the prison break, despite promising that Guzmán was secure.
* Related: Donald Trump Calls FBI After El Chapo, Escaped Drug Lord, Threatens Him On Twitter

HAARP: Alaska Military Site Will Be Transferred to Civilian Operators
The Intercept - It’s been a suspected death beam, a secret tool to control the weather and even a weapon to manipulate the human mind. Now, the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, better known by its acronym, HAARP, has reached the final stage of its strange journey that began with Cold War concerns about nuclear war: Next month, the Alaska-based research station will be transferred to civilian control. HAARP will be handed over in August to the University of Alaska, confirmed Othana Zuch, an Air Force spokesperson. A ceremony for the handover is also scheduled for that month.... HAARP will then operate, like other ionosphere research sites, as a scientific facility supported by those conducting experiments there.

How the U.S. Government Squandered $1 Billion in Taxpayer Funds on “Ghost Schools” and Warlords in Afghanistan
Liberty Blitzkrieg - BuzzFeed News obtained internal Ministry of Education data for 2011 that has never before been made public. For Afghanistan overall, the data showed 1,174 schools — almost 1 in every 12 — was a ghost school, an educational facility that the Afghan government publicly claimed was open but that was, in fact, not operating. In the provinces that are the most dangerous to monitor — and into which the U.S. poured the most aid money — that proportion soared. In Kandahar province, where DeNenno served, a full third of the 423 schools the Ministry of Education publicly reported as open in 2011 were not functioning, and in Helmand, it was more than half. But teacher salaries continued to go to these ghost schools — and still do, according to numerous Afghan and U.S. sources.

Obama Grants Clemency to 46 Drug Offenders, But Thousands Turned Away
Common Dreams - President Barack Obama announced Monday that he is commuting the sentences of 46 people incarcerated for federal drug convictions, prompting a lukewarm response from rights campaigners, who say the small act of clemency is vital for the people impacted—but a far cry from the deep change needed.... Obama said in a video statement: "These men and women were not hardened criminals, but the overwhelming majority had been sentenced to at least 20 years. Fourteen of them had been sentenced to life for nonviolent drug offenses so their punishments didn't fit the crime."

New Hacker Video Claims To Show Staged Beheading Footage
Activist Post - John McCain’s sordid history with ISIS, terrorism, and color revolutions has been demonstrated time and time again. However, if a new video released by Ukrainian hacker group Cyber Berkut turns out to be real, McCain’s ties to terrorism and domestic pro-war propaganda have become even more demonstrative. Only days ago, Cyber Berkut released a video purporting to show the studio creation of one of the famous ISIS beheadings of Western journalists. The video shows a “movie studio” complete with camera and directing crew as well as a small stage set with background and dirt for setting.

Are Private Companies Color Coding Your House For Law Enforcement?
Activist Post - It goes like this: federal grants allow for local law enforcement to contract with private companies offering product lines to fight crime and watch for "pre-crime." The companies encourage departments to get grants or get private funds to get the goods. These companies often offer 24-hour real time help remotely from a distance… Along with the real time information, these centers have taken the liberty of predetermining the "threat level" of your home to forewarn police in the event they decide to come over or speak with you. The color codes are based on information collection including relatives, friends or other associations and their pasts too!

Twitter Campaign Encouraging People To Rip Down Confederate Flags
Steve Watson - Social media users have warned that the latest hashtag accompanied craze will end up with someone seriously hurt, and provide the media with another angle to go at the seemingly endless “debate” regarding the Confederate flag. In a campaign dubbed #NoFlaggingChallenge, people are filming themselves trespassing onto private property and tearing down the iconic flags.

238,000 US veterans died waiting for health care – leaked document
RT - A leaked document shows nearly one-third of the 847,000 veterans in the Department of Veteran Affairs’ backlog died while waiting for treatment, amounting to more than 238,000 patients, according to documents obtained by the Huffington Post. The VA maintains that the number is so large because it has no mechanism to purge the list of dead applicants, and that some of the veterans may have died years ago. VA spokeswoman Walinda West told the Huffington Post that some people on the list may never have completed an application, or could be using other insurance.

Nestle CEO Says He Would Profit More from CA’s Drought if He Could
Natural Society - According to Credo, Nestle CEO Tim Brown was asked in a radio interview recently if the company would consider halting their water extraction from a national forest in drought-stricken California. The answer may not be what you’d expect. Did Brown apologize for the corporation’s contribution to California’s water crisis? Nope. He doubled down and said, “Absolutely not. In fact, if I could increase it, I would.”... Nestle’s former CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe also has a long history of disregarding public health and abusing the environment to take part in the profit of an astounding $35 billion in annual profit from water bottle sales alone. It is clear that this corporation doesn’t think clean drinking water is a human right.

Monday - July 13, 2015 - Today in History:

1754 - At the beginning of the French and Indian War, George Washington surrendered the small, circular Fort Necessity in southwestern Pennsylvania to the French.
1787 - The U.S. Congress, under the Articles of Confederation, enacted the Northwest Ordinance, which established the rules for governing the Northwest Territory, for admitting new states to the Union and limiting the expansion of slavery.
1832 - Henry Schoolcraft discovered the source of the Mississippi River in Minnesota.
1835 - John Ruggles received patent #1 from the U.S. Patent Office for a traction wheel used in locomotive steam engines. All 9,957 previous patents were not numbered.
1863 - Opponents of the Civil War draft began three days of rioting in New York City, which resulted in more than 1,000 casualties.
1878 - The Congress of Berlin divided the Balkans among European powers.
1931 - A major German financial institution, Danabank, failed. This led to the closing of all banks in Germany until August 5.
1941 - Britain and the Soviet Union signed a mutual aid pact, that provided the means for Britain to send war material to the Soviet Union.
1954 - In Geneva, the United States, Great Britain and France reached an accord on Indochina which divided Vietnam into two countries, North and South, along the 17th parallel.
1978 - Lee Iacocca was fired as president of Ford Motor Co. by chairman Henry Ford II.
1984 - In Arkansas, Terry Wallis was injured in a car accident and was left comatose. He came out of the coma in June of 2003.
1998 - RealNetworks Inc. rolled out a test version of RealSystem G2. G2 is a streaming video and audio delivery system.
2000 - The United States and Vietnam singed a major trade agreement. The pact still needed to be approved by the U.S. Congress.

Greece debt crisis: Eurozone summit strikes deal
BBC News - Eurozone leaders have reached agreement over a third Greek bailout after marathon talks in Brussels.... Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that after a "tough battle", Greece had secured a "growth package" and debt restructuring. Greece will now have to pass reforms demanded by the eurozone by Wednesday. An EU statement spoke of up to €86bn (£61bn) of financing for Greece over three years. "There will not be a 'Grexit'," said European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, referring to the widespread fear that if there had been no deal, Greece could have crashed out of the euro.
* Related: After "Deal", Here's What's Next For Greece

U.S. Conspiring With Russian Oligarchs to Overthrow Putin, Says Duma Member
Paul Joseph Watson - Russian Parliament member Yevgeny Fedorov claims that Russian oligarchs are in negotiations with top American corporations and the White House to foment an astroturf revolution that will lead to the ouster of President Vladimir Putin and the collapse of the Russian Federation within two years. During a 34 minute interview with a Russian media outlet, Fedorov made a number of bombshell claims in asserting that a Ukraine-style coup was being organized. “They are conducting a negotiation process with the Russian elites for the extradition of Putin,” said Fedorov, noting that the same process was undertaken before the coup in Kiev which ousted Viktor Yanukovyc. He identified John F. Tefft, the United States Ambassador to Russia, as being the figurehead behind this conspiracy.

Kuwait announces mandatory DNA database for its citizens
DNAForce - The recent suicide bombing that slain 26 innocent people during Friday prayers on the 26th of June has finally reached its ultimatum as the Kuwaiti legislature has now implemented a law that calls for a mandatory DNA testing on every single Kuwaiti citizen including its foreign residents. The law states that security agencies must help the government to create a database on all 1.3 million Kuwaiti citizens and 2.9 million foreign residents in order to make faster arrests when it comes to criminal cases. It is also stated that for those who refuse to give out their sample will be sent to jail for a year. It will also come with a fine of $33,000 or 29, 700 euros.

UK: Up to 170,000 chickens set to be slaughtered after suspected bird flu outbreak
Express - Tens of thousands of chickens are being slaughtered on a poultry farm after a suspected bird flu outbreak. A control zone has also been set up 10km around a Lancashire farm to prevent any risk of the disease spreading but up to 170,000 laying hens are expected to be humanely culled [?] as a precautionary measure. Scientists have yet to discover what strain of flu is involved. Some strains of avian influenza, particularly the H5N1 form, are known to have jumped the species barrier and resulted in more than 300 human deaths worldwide.

Saudi airstrikes violate 'unconditional humanitarian pause' in Yemen
RT - The second UN-brokered humanitarian pause in Yemen has been violated by Saudi-led air strikes less than an hour after the truce came into effect. According to reports at least three cities witnessed bombardment… At least three airstrikes hit Houthi fighters positions in Taiz. In Sana’a, a number of strikes were targeting the presidential residence in the city center, while in Aden a number of Houthi positions came under attack, a security source in the Aden Governorate told Sputnik early on Saturday… The UN-declared truce began after midnight Friday and was meant to offer a humanitarian window of assistance for the conflict-torn country.

Eurogroup Fails To Reach Deal, Gives Greece 24 Hours To Accept Draconian Terms
Zero Hedge - When earlier today we revealed the terms of the "leaked" Eurogroup statement, which as we also reported would fail to reach a deal for a Greek Bailout #3, we said "Germany and 5 other "northern" states want Greece out, but they generously offer Greece the opportunity to push the "Grexit" button itself (especially since it is only "temporary"). Unless, of course, Greece is willing to cede all of its sovereignty to Germany in which case it can generously stay."... More details from Bloomberg: "The decisive point is that Greece must decide as of tomorrow whether it accepts this statement,” Austrian Finance Minister Hans Joerg Schelling says. "When all these conditions are fulfilled, a further program will be negotiated. Not before."
* Related: Eurogroup Officially Threatens Greece With 5 Year Grexit "Time Out"

Goldman Sachs may face trial for role in Greek debt crisis
Hang The Bankers - Goldman Sachs faces the prospect of potential legal action from Greece over the complex financial deals in 2001 that many blame for its subsequent debt crisis.... The Independent has learnt that a former Goldman banker, who has advised indebted governments on recovering losses made from complex transactions with banks, has written to the Greek government to advise that it has a chance of clawing back some of the hundreds of millions of dollars it paid Goldman to secure its position in the single currency.

FBI Background Check System Failed to Stop Ineligible Dylann Roof from Buying Gun he Used to Kill 9 Black Churchgoers
AllGov - Roof was arrested in March in Columbia, South Carolina, on a narcotics charge. That normally would have prevented Roof from buying the gun the following month. However, Columbia is split between two counties and the county initially contacted by the FBI investigator through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System had no record of Roof’s arrest. The law says that retailers may release a gun if there is no response on the investigation within three days.

VIDEO: Texans organize 'Operation Counter Jade Helm' to keep an eye on the federal troops
Chron - When the troops land in Texas for Operation Jade Helm next week, someone will be waiting for them. Hundreds of people have organized a "Counter Jade Helm" surveillance operation across the Southwestern states and in an effort to keep an eye on the contentious military drill that's sparked many suspicious of Uncle Sam's intentions. Eric Johnston, a 51-year-old retired firefighter and sheriff's deputy who lives in Kerrville, is a surveillance team leader in Texas. He'll coordinate three groups of volunteers, about 20 folks in total, who hope to monitor the SEALs, Green Berets and Air Force Special Ops in Bastrop, Big Spring and Junction when Jade Helm kicks off on July 15. With media prohibited at the drills, the volunteers could be a main source of information for the highly-anticipate seven-state exercise.

VIDEO: Seattle Considers $25 Gun Violence Tax On All Firearm Sales
(AP) - TheThe Seattle City Council is considering a new tax on gun sellers to collect money for gun violence prevention and research on how to reduce the impact of gun violence on the city and its residents. Under the proposal, gun and ammunition sellers would be charged $25 for every firearm sold in Seattle and 5 cents for every round of ammunition sold. City officials estimate the new tax would collect between $300,000 and $500,000 a year. City Council President Tim Burgess has also proposed a new law that would require mandatory reporting of lost or stolen firearms to the Seattle Police Department. Both proposals were scheduled to be discussed by the council's Education and Governance Committee on July 15.

Long Prison Term Given to Man Who Shot DEA Agent He Thought Was Home Intruder
Brandon Turbeville - On a brisk fall night in Orangeburg, SC, Joel Robinson awoke in the hours just before dawn to the sound of intruders. These intruders had burst into Robinson’s house unwelcome and unannounced, storming inside with guns drawn. Fearing for his life, Robinson did what any self-respecting and threatened individual would do – he picked up his gun and fired on the assailants, hitting one in the arm. Unfortunately for Robinson, these assailants were DEA agents, a special kind of home intruder who believe they have the right to invade a person’s home in the middle of the night, draw guns on them, and face no repercussions.

Pastor Kent Hovind Is Free At Last
NewsWithViews - On July 8th at 9:00 AM Pastor Kent Hovind walked out of Yazoo City Correctional Facility in Yazoo City, Mississippi, a free man!! After more than 8.5 years of incarceration, Pastor Kent finally returned home Wednesday evening. It was his first taste of freedom since before Obama became President.

Man Paralyzed After Raid by Police Suspecting He Was Selling Marijuana
Sputnik News - Prosecutors say Betton, who was armed, fired first- a claim Betton denies. Nonetheless, a prosecutor who reviewed the case said the shootings were justified. Betton, who has a cocaine trafficking conviction in Ohio, was charged on June 29 with three counts of possession with intent to sell marijuana. Police said they went to Betton’s apartment because they had twice recorded him selling marijuana to a confidential informant. According to court records, the informant bought 7 grams of pot from Betton on March 24 and 8 grams on April 7.

'Offended' flea market shopper calls 911 over Confederate merchandise
The American Mirror - A shopper perusing the merchandise at the Redwood Country Flea Market was so offended by a vendor selling Confederate and Nazi historical memorabilia, the person actually called 911. Wallingford, Connecticut police were dispatched to the flea market to investigate. The police chief William Wright tells News 8 “the reason no one was arrested was because the items were being sold on private property” — not to mention no laws were broken.

VIDEO: Full Speech: Donald Trump Brings Down The House In Phoenix, AZ (7-11-15)
"We'll take our country back": 15,000 PLUS gathered in Phoenix, AZ to hear GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump speak today.

Paul raises $7 million for White House run
The Hill - Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has raised $7 million since launching his White House bid in April, mostly through small-dollar donations. Paul, a Tea Party favorite who inherited a national grassroots fundraising network from his father, former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), received money from 108,205 donors, according to his campaign. Eighty-five percent of his total came as contributions of $50 or less, and 96 percent came in increments of $100 or less. His average donation was $65.

Cop Decapitates Army Vet With Cruiser on the Way to a Call, Doesn’t Render Aid, Speeds Off
Free Thought Project - On the night of June 28, McIntire was on his way home when a Florida detective was on his way to a call of about a robbery. On the way to the call, the officer struck McIntire, decapitating him, and then sped off. He never stopped to help nor did he report striking anything with his cruiser.... In what appeared to be an attempt to cover the hit and run up, the Tampa PD initially declined to comment on the investigation, saying only that they were “no longer looking for the vehicle involved.” However, after the Tampa Bay Times published an interview with Bradley McIntire, they acknowledged that the officer involved was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

OPM hack hit potentially millions of troops, vets
Military Times - Social Security numbers, family information, health records and even fingerprints of 21.5 million federal employees — including potentially millions of military personnel — were included a massive data theft last month from the Office of Personnel Management... President Obama's top cyber security assistant, Michael Daniel, who sits on the National Security Council, told reporters that the cyber threat continues to grow.... [OPM Director Katherine] Archuleta said the hackers obtained a staggering amount of personal identification. Social Security numbers, residency and education information, employment history, health information, criminal histories and financial histories were all breached in the hack, she said. Also stolen were notes and data obtained by investigators in interviews, as well as personal information of immediate family members, she added.

It Will Take 29 Years For College Grads To Save 20% Down On SF Home, Study Shows
SFGATE - According to a new Trulia study, it will take the average Bay Area college grad approximately 29 years to save 20% down for a typically priced home. For those prospective buyers with no degree, forget it. By this study’s calculations, that 20% down savings is impossible for millennials who didn’t earn a college degree. The gallery above gives a picture of what the San Francisco market looks like now. In the future, it’s going to be even worse, from the buyer’s perspective.

Panel approves underground nuclear waste facility near Lake Huron
Macomb Daily - Shortly before midnight, Wednesday, Canada’s Minister of Environment informed many on both sides of the international border what many did not want to hear: A Joint Review Panel has endorsed Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) plan to bury radioactive nuclear waste on the shores of Lake Huron. “With today’s decision, the world’s largest supply of fresh water is in peril,” said Michigan State Senator Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township, whose district includes the northeastern part of Macomb County located along the Lake St. Clair shoreline, in a press release issued after the announcement. “In the 1980s, Canadian officials were rightly concerned about (a similar plan) 25 miles from their border. They were right to oppose that project then, and they are tragically wrong to let this waste dump project go forward now.”

Friday - July 10, 2015 - Today in History:

1776 - The statue of King George III was pulled down in New York City.
1778 - In support of the American Revolution, Louis XVI declared war on England.
1821 - U.S. troops took possession of Florida. The territory was sold by Spain.
1832 - U.S. President Andrew Jackson vetoed legislation to re-charter the Second Bank of the United States.
1890 - Wyoming became the 44th state to join the United States.
1919 - The Treaty of Versailles was hand delivered to the U.S. Senate by President Wilson.
1929 - The U.S. government began issuing paper money in the small size.
1940 - The 114-day Battle of Britain began during World War II.
1949 - The first practical rectangular television was presented. The picture tube measured 12 by 16 and sold for $12.
1951 - Armistice talks aimed at ending the Korean conflict began at Kaesong.
1953 - American forces withdraw from Pork Chop Hill in Korea after heavy fighting.
1973 - Britain granted the Bahamas their independence after three centuries of British colonial rule.
1985 - Coca-Cola resumed selling the old formula of Coke, it was renamed "Coca-Cola Classic." It also announced they would continue to sell "New" Coke.
1991 - Boris Yeltsin took the oath of office as the first elected president of the Russian republic.
1991 - U.S. President Bush lifted economic sanctions against South Africa, citing its "profound transformation" toward racial equality.
1998 - The World Bank approved a $700 million loan to Thailand.
1998 - The U.S. military delivered the remains of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie to his family in St. Louis. He had been placed in Arlington Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknown in 1984. His identity had been confirmed with DNA tests.
2006 - Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev was killed when a dynamite-laden truck in his convoy exploded.
2011 - Britain's best-selling Sunday tabloid the News of the World, brought down by a phone-hacking scandal, published it last issue.

US to Develop Arctic Military Strategy - Chiefs of Staff Chairman Nominee
Sputnik News - Congress has mandated the US military develop a plan for the Arctic, but the Defense Department has not developed a detailed strategy and plan, including military forces that would support US objectives.... Defense officials have admitted that Russia, which regularly carries out military operations in the Arctic, is ahead of the United States in developing a military capability in the region.

European Leaders Promise The Greek Debt Crisis Will Be Resolved One Way Or Another On Sunday
Economic Collapse - The wait will soon be over. Greece submitted a final compromise plan to its eurozone creditors on Thursday, European finance ministers will meet on Saturday to discuss the proposal, and an emergency summit of all 28 EU nations on Sunday will make a final decision on what to do. The summit on Sunday is being billed as a “final deadline” and a “last chance” by EU officials. In essence, Greece is being given one more opportunity to embrace the austerity measures that are being demanded of them by their creditors. So has Greece gone far enough with this new proposal? We shall find out on Sunday.

China Just Nationalized $6 Trillion of Stock Losses
Breitbart - China’s stock market had what traders call a “Dead Kitty” bounce on Thursday as the communist authorities dispatched police and security personnel to “encourage” insider-buying and to arrest short sellers. With the Chinese market still highly inflated even after falling $3 trillion in value, China took action last night to “nationalize” about $6 trillion in losses.

Spain Government Goes Full Police State; Enacts Law Forbidding Dissent, ‘Unauthorized’ Photography Of Law Enforcement
TechDirt - Well, Spain’s officially a police state now. On July 1st, its much-protested “gag” law went into effect, instantly making criminals of those protesting the new law. Among the many new repressive stipulations is a €30,000-€600,000 fine for “unauthorized protests,” which can be combined for maximum effect with a €600-€300,000 fine for “disrupting public events.” This horrible set of statutes has arisen from Spain’s position as a flashpoint for anti-austerity protests, the European precursor to the Occupy Wall Street movement. Fines, fines and more fines await anyone who refuses to treat authority with the respect it’s forcibly requiring citizens to show it.

Pentagon Reconsidering Total F-35 Buy
Defense One - Gen. Joseph Dunford, the nominee for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he’s willing to rethink the acquisition plan for the most expensive weapons program ever. ...Pentagon officials maintained they would need exactly 2,443 combat F-35s, plus 14 development aircraft, to deter and fight potential adversaries such as China.... The entire program, both developing and buying the actual jets, is projected to cost $400 billion, while operating and maintaining those planes is projected to cost between $859 billion and $1 trillion. In addition to the 2,457 U.S. aircraft, allies are projected to purchase hundreds of F-35s.

Nobel Prize-Winning Economist Demands US Taxpayers "Show Humanity & Save Greece"
Zero Hedge - When the going gets tough, the taxed get going and that is what Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz thinks should happen. In a Time op-ed, Stiglitz warns (likely correctly) that if Greece continues with austerity, it would be depression without end; and so his solution is simple... "The U.S. was generous with Germany as we defeated it. Now, it is time for the U.S. to be generous with our friends in Greece in their time of need, as they have been crushed for the second time in a century by Germany, this time with the support of the troika." Strawman much?

VIDEO: Medical Gestapo Asking About Guns, Transgender and More
Joe Biggs - Doctors secretly ask children sexual questions without parental knowledge. Joe Biggs interviews Jessica Bianchi, a mother who is outraged about how her pediatrician dealt with her child.

VIDEO: Oregon allowing 15-year-olds to get state-subsidized sex-change operations
Fox News - The list of things 15-year-olds are not legally allowed to do in Oregon is long: Drive, smoke, donate blood, get a tattoo -- even go to a tanning bed. But, under a first-in-the-nation policy quietly enacted in January that many parents are only now finding out about, 15-year-olds are now allowed to get a sex-change operation. Many residents are stunned to learn they can do it without parental notification -- and the state will even pay for it through its Medicaid program, the Oregon Health Plan.

VIDEO: "Gender inclusiveness" being pushed in public schools
Jakari Jackson - The public education system is promoting “metrosexuality” and “transgender” equality to young Americans, keeping them from identifying as boys and girls, and in some cases asking them to refer to each other as purple penguins.

Another Gov’t Agency Is Buying Massive Amounts of Ammo
The Blaze - The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation says it plans to purchase 54,000 rounds of ammunition in a move that’s now raising eyebrows after at least one other federal government entity was recently accused of mysteriously stockpiling massive amounts of ammunition. The Las Vegas Sun reported that the bureau, tasked with managing and developing the country’s water resources, is planning to buy the ammunition for law enforcement use at Hoover Dam and Lake Mead in Nevada. Agency spokeswoman Rose Davis is staying tight-lipped about the reason for the purchase.

Gun Sales Reached Record Highs Last Month
Daily Sheeple - This past June, the FBI reported more background checks then they ever had for that month, since they started keeping track in 1998. All told, June of 2015 experienced an 11% increase in background checks over the previous year, amounting to 1.53 million cases. Theories abound as to why this is happening. Some have suggested that there may be more first time gun owners entering the market, as well as an influx of female buyers. However, there is a more obvious culprit. Gun sales always go up after a mass shooting and the calls for stricter gun laws that always follow. The Charleston shooting may be responsible for this recent trend.

Seattle Councilman Proposes Ridiculous Firearm and Ammo Tax
Daily Sheeple - Seattle sure is turning into a real progressive utopia isn’t it? Between enacting a $15 minimum wage and letting little girls receive birth control without their parent’s consent, they seem to be selling themselves to the progressive agenda, lock, stock and barrel. Of course, it won’t end with those measures. It never does. Recently, Seattle City Council President Tim Burgess proposed a piece of legislation that would tax gun and ammunition sales, and force gun owners to report any firearm that is lost or stolen. As egregious as this measure sounds, ordinarily it wouldn’t be out of place. After all, governments routinely tax all manner of products and services, and force their onerous regulations on just about everyone. What sets this measure apart from most bills though, is the reason why they’re doing it.

Memphis City Council Approves Plan to Dig Up Confederate General
Kit Daniels - A resolution to remove Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest’s remains from a public park was passed by the Memphis, Tenn., city council. The council unanimously approved the plan Tuesday night to dig up Forrest’s grave from under his statue at the Health Sciences Park on Union Avenue. “I think it’s disgusting that people use the shooting in Charleston [S.C.] and use those victims to forward their own agenda and join this anti-Confederate hysteria that’s going on,” the Sons of the Confederate Veterans spokesperson, Lee Millar, told WREG, adding that the decision was a knee-jerk reaction. “To attack something like that now I feel is just really misguided.”

VIDEO: Sweet Cakes Bakery gets the Last Laugh in Gay Wedding Cake Punishment
NextNewsNetwork - Remember that bakery in Oregon? The one forced out of business and ordered to pay a Lesbian couple $135,000 in damages? Well after go fund me pulled an effort to raise money for the Kleins another effort kicked off and raised 137% of the funds demanded. So it looks Melissa Klein and Sweet Cakes bakeshop will have the last laugh in this case. But let's get to the root of the problem. Should a Christian be forced to provide service to a homosexual? Should a homosexual force their lifestyle on a Christian?...

New MTV Show Publicly Shames White People For “What They’ve Done In America”
Paul Joseph Watson - MTV will air a show later this month entitled White People which shows young white Americans crying on camera over their “white privilege” and publicly shaming them for “what they’ve done in America”. No, this is not a joke. The documentary is hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, an illegal immigrant and amnesty activist who has worked for the Washington Post and the Huffington Post. The trailer for the show, which has been widely criticized by YouTube respondents, features white people expressing angst about how they are desperate not to appear “racist” or “offend people.” According to Kimberly Ricci, the documentary forces the participants “to internalize what they’ve done in America” – in other words, this a huge exercise in white guilt tripping for public consumption.

Breaking: All 10 Children Returned To Off-Grid Naugler Family
Off The Grid News - All 10 children who were removed from the home of an off-grid Kentucky family in May have been returned to the parents... Joe and Nicole Naugler, whose story captured nationwide attention this year, received physical custody of their children last Thursday. Final legal custody has not been granted, but they are hopeful that will happen by the end of the family court proceedings. The next court date is expected to be July 27.

Lindsey Graham Wants 20,000 U.S. Troops In Iraq And Syria
Brandon Turbeville - Graham recently attempted to clinch the win by giving his “first major foreign policy speech” at the Atlantic Council “think tank” offices in Washington, D.C. Graham’s speech was designed to stand as a preview as to what he would do if elected President, a speech that shortly turned into a list of countries he would bomb, countries he would invade, and countries he would both bomb and invade. Graham then went on to pronounce that he believed the U.S. should commit 20,000 troops to the Syria and Iraq regions in order to “fight ISIS,” the same terrorist organization that his friend John McCain helped organize, train, fund, and direct. Graham wants to increase the number of U.S. “military advisers” on the ground in Iraq from 3,500 to 10,000 and to include “special forces.” He wants a similar number contributed on the ground in Syria.

To Help US Veterans Charity, George W. Bush Charged $100,000
ABC News - Former President George W. Bush charged $100,000 to speak at a charity fundraiser for U.S. military veterans severely wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, and former First Lady Laura Bush collected $50,000 to appear a year earlier, officials of the Texas-based Helping a Hero charity confirmed to ABC News. The former President was also provided with a private jet to travel to Houston at a cost of $20,000, the officials said.... One of the wounded vets who served on the charity’s board told ABC News he was outraged that his former commander in chief would charge any fee to speak on behalf of men and women he ordered into harm's way. “For him to be paid to raise money for veterans that were wounded in combat under his orders, I don’t think that’s right,” said former Marine Eddie Wright, who lost both hands in a rocket attack in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004.

Are Big Banks Using Derivatives To Suppress Bullion Prices?
Paul Craig Roberts and Dave Kranzler - We have explained on a number of occasions how the Federal Reserve’s agents, the bullion banks (principally JPMorganChase, HSBC, and Scotia) sell uncovered shorts (“naked shorts”) on the Comex (gold futures market) in order to drive down an otherwise rising price of gold. By dumping so many uncovered short contracts into the futures market, an artificial increase in “paper gold” is created, and this increase in supply drives down the price. This manipulation works because the hedge funds, the main purchasers of the short contracts, do not intend to take delivery of the gold represented by the contracts, settling instead in cash. This means that the banks who sold the uncovered contracts are never at risk from their inability to cover contracts in gold.

Seattle: City Needs To Move Away From The Idea That Families Can Live In Their Own Home On A Piece Of Land
(Kipp Robertson) If adopted, ideas being considered by a Seattle housing committee would be devastating to the city's appeal, according to KIRO Radio's Dori Monson. According to a draft letter, the city needs to move away from the idea that all families can live in their own home on a piece of land, the Times reports.... The draft letter says that single-family zoning has “roots in racial and class exclusion. The zoning remains “among the largest obstacles to realizing the city’s goals for equity and affordability,”... “So owning your own home, on your own lot, is a blow against equity, according to this draft report,”... With a 19-3 vote, the committee recommends replacing single-family zoning with zoning that would allow for more multi-unit buildings... That means developers are going to buy up homes and turn them into duplexes and apartments, if the draft is approved.

EPA Clueless On 90,000 Tons Of Toxic Waste Imported To US Annually
Daily Caller - An estimated 90,000 tons of hazardous waste enters the U.S. each year from foreign countries, but the Environmental Protection Agency often can’t say what or where the dangerous stuff is. Wherever it goes, hazardous waste presents a huge public health risk to Americans, according to a new EPA Office of Inspector General Report.... EPA employees are supposed to track every shipment that enters the U.S. under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), but federal investigators found that EPA fails to generate half of the consent forms required to accompany each shipment. Some toxic waste shipments analyzed never reached their intended destination, but the EPA couldn’t confirm whether those shipments were lost, let alone locate them, the IG said. The EPA officials also weren’t sure about the exact volume of hazardous waste entering the U.S. In some cases, they incorrectly identified where the waste shipment originated.

Thursday - July 9, 2015 - Today in History:

1776 - The American Declaration of Independence was read aloud to Gen. George Washington's troops in New York.
1790 - The Swedish navy captured one third of the Russian fleet at the naval battle of Svensksund in the Baltic Sea.
1816 - Argentina declared independence from Spain.
1847 - A 10-hour work day was established for workers in the state of New Hampshire.
1868 - The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The amendment was designed to grant citizenship to and protect the civil liberties of recently freed slaves. It did this by prohibiting states from denying or abridging the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States, depriving any person of his life, liberty, or property without due process of law, or denying to any person within their jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
1877 - Alexander Graham Bell, Gardiner Greene Hubbard, Thomas Sanders and Thomas Watson formed the Bell Telephone Company.
1878 - The corncob pipe was patented by Henry Tibbe.
1943 - American and British forces made an amphibious landing on Sicily.
1951 - U.S. President Truman asked Congress to formally end the state of war between the United States and Germany.
1971 - The United States turned over complete responsibility of the Demilitarized Zone to South Vietnamese units.
1997 - Mike Tyson was banned from the boxing ring and fined $3 million for biting the ear of opponent Evander Holyfield.
2005 - Danny Way, a daredevil skateboarder, rolled down a large ramp and jumped across the Great Wall of China. He was the first person to clear the wall without motorized aid.

EU Parliament backs TTIP resolution
RT - Despite vocal criticism, the EU Parliament has approved a non-binding resolution on the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, bridging a gap in protracted negotiations on the secretive trade pact between the EU and the US. The resolution was approved by the majority of the parliament with 436 'Yes' votes coming up against 241 'No' votes in Strasbourg on Wednesday in hopes of influencing the TTIP negotiations between European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom and the USA. Washington insists that for negotiations to be successful a dispute body must be incorporated into the final agreement.

VIDEO: Nigel Farage tells Greece: Have the courage to quit the euro ...
The Telegraph - Nigel Farage has urged Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister, to have the “courage” to quit the euro. The UK Independence Party leader said it was time for Greece to “get back control of your country” and exit the single currency. He was addressing Mr Tsipras in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.... "The European project is actually beginning to die,” he said. "The plan has failed. This isn't just Greece we are talking about today. The whole of the Mediterranean now finds itself in the wrong currency, and yet virtually nobody in the political arena has the courage to stand up and say that....".

NSA spied on German Chancellors for 10 yrs, tapped 125 govt phone numbers – WikiLeaks
RT - America’s National Security Agency has spied on German chancellors and their offices for more than 10 years, a new WikiLeaks report says. The three leaked NSA intercepts indicate that the US targeted 125 phone numbers of top German officials. he National Security Agency’s (NSA) intercepts published on Wednesday show that Washington has been tapping the phones of the political offices of the last three German chancellors – Angela Merkel, Gerhard Schröder (in office 1998–2002) and Helmut Kohl (chancellor from 1982 to 1998), the whistleblowing site said in a report Wednesday.

Greece Caves, Formally Requests ESM Bailout: Full Headline And Next Steps Summary
Zero Hedge - Greece formally requested a three-year bailout from the eurozone’s rescue fund Wednesday and pledged to start implementing some of the overhauls demanded by creditors by early next week. Crucially for Greece’s creditors, the letter says the government would start implementing some measures, including on taxation and pensions, by the beginning of next week, though it doesn’t go into details. The letter is a first step toward fulfilling a demand by international creditors, who have given Athens until Sunday to come up with tougher measures they would impose in return for desperately needed financing that could keep the country from bankruptcy and even worse economic turmoil.

Merkel Tired and Overwhelmed, Unable to Prevent EU Collapse – German Media
Sputnik News - The EU is facing a split. Greece is the catalyst for a new dynamic of European financial systems. Angela Merkel is tired and exhausted and she can only watch how the European Union is falling apart, DWN wrote. The summit in Brussels has shown that the EU is not functioning in a proper way. Greece is no longer the problem: the shortcomings are systemic and can’t be resolved by compromises, DWN reported. According to the newspaper, the EU consists of numerous imperfect institutions which have proved unable to function in times of the crisis. It has become a hostage to the Troika: the ECB, the IMF and the EU Commission which have totally failed. These institutions committed themselves to a pure austerity policy: increasing taxes and reducing social benefits. Such policy may look well on paper. But in practice it is hard to implement, the newspaper wrote.

New interactive MAP details Israeli strikes a year after Gaza war
RT - Human rights groups have launched a new interactive platform mapping Israeli attacks during the 2014 Gaza war. It includes satellite images, testimonies and footage tho “build an accurate picture of what actually happened” over the 50 days of war. The online tool mapping Israeli attacks during the conflict in July and August 2014 is called ‘The Gaza Platform’. It was launched by Amnesty International and Forensic Architecture on Wednesday. The “innovative tool for human rights research” presents a massive database containing satellite imagery, thousands of photographs, hundreds of personal testimonies and hours of footage from the scene including broadcast videos.

Are We at the Beginning of a New Cyber War, Sparked by Greece?
Breitbart - Today’s “computer glitches” in China, New York, and for United Airlines is sparking concern that the Western world is about to become embroiled in a cyber war the type not yet seen since the advent of network computing. Analysts have already noted the influx of Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks emanating from China, aimed at St. Louis, Missouri. The relevance of the choice of city is debatable, but there are, apparently, many corporate serves based in the area, as well as being an HQ for cyber security firm NORSE, which is rumored to host “dummy targets” in the area, attracting attention from foreign hackers. But the attacks, rudimentary as they are, could easily bring down U.S. corporates and government infrastructure which have struggled to keep up with the millions of computers attached to Chinese botnets (networks of ‘zombie’ computers) which are linked to the attacks.

Jade Helm 15, heavily scrutinized military exercise, to open without media access
Washington Post - Jade Helm 15, the controversial Special Operations exercise that spawned a wave of conspiracy theories about a government takeover, will open next week without any media allowed to observe it, a military spokesman said. Embedded reporters won’t be permitted at any point during the exercise, in which military officials say that secretive Special Operations troops will maneuver through private and publicly owned land in several southern states. Lt. Col. Mark Lastoria, a spokesman for Army Special Operations Command, said his organization is considering allowing a small number of journalists to view selected portions of the exercise later this summer, but nothing is finalized.

Obama Orders Cities And Towns To Racially Integrate
Daily Caller - The Obama administration unveiled new rules Wednesday to rid the country of racially segregated neighborhoods by directing cities and towns to set goals for reducing segregation, and then regularly report their progress to the feds. Communities nationwide will be given a series of questions designed to help them figure out whether racial bias is causing segregated neighborhoods, racial or ethnically concentrated areas of poverty, unequal access to opportunity or disproportionate housing needs in their jurisdiction. They will be required to set goals related to that data and publicly report on their progress every three to five years.

VIDEO: Baltimore Mayor Rawlings-Blake fires Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts
Baltimore Sun - Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake fired Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts Wednesday, saying his presence had become a distraction in a city that needs to focus on ending a dramatic spike in homicides. "Too many continue to die on our streets, including three just last night and one lost earlier today," Rawlings-Blake said. "Families are tired of feeling this pain, and so am I. ... We need a change." The mayor's decision to replace Batts on an interim basis with Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Davis — effective immediately — came as the City Council was preparing to send her a letter calling for Batts' resignation. And the city's police union was poised to hold a no-confidence vote next week.

Monsanto Off the Hook for Cancers From PCBs It Produced
Common Dreams - A St. Louis County jury has found Monsanto not liable for health effects from PCB exposure. Monsanto emerged victorious on Tuesday at the end of a nearly month-long trial in which plaintiffs had alleged the former manufacturer of PCBs showed "a reckless disregard for human life.".... Plaintiffs in the case developed lymphohematopoietic cancer after being exposed to PCBs.

Federal Judge Orders Top Obama Officials to Court for Possible Contempt Action
Breitbart - A federal judge in Brownsville has ordered top Obama administration officials to personally appear in his court to answer why he should not sanction them for violating his orders in the president’s executive amnesty litigation. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, and all other federal defendants, have been ordered to attend a hearing on August 19th at 10 a.m. to show why the judge should not hold them in contempt of court.

Hillary Clinton caught in lie: Benghazi committee contradicts claim of no subpoena
Washington Times - In an interview Tuesday with CNN, Mrs. Clinton insisted that she had not been subpoenaed for the email when she deleted more than 30,000 email she deemed personal and then wiped clean the server to prevent the email from being restored. Mrs. Clinton turned over to the State Department about 55,000 pages of emails that she hand-picked to be reviewed and potentially released by agency. “I’ve never had a subpoena,” Mrs. Clinton said in the interview, which was her first national TV interview since entering the presidential race three months ago.

Illegal Aliens Committed 500 Child Sexual Assaults in North Carolina During January
12160 - During the month of December 2014, there were 94 illegal aliens charged with 518 various counts of sexual assault against North Carolina’s children, according to the citizens advocacy group known as NCFIRE.... While the numbers will prove rather shocking to most, anyone who has been paying attention to the epidemic of child rapes occurring in that state at the hands of illegal aliens, will not be surprised, as there have been well over 5,000 such charges filed in North Carolina over the last 14 months.

Florida County Reinstates Confederate Flag to Government Offices
Breitbart - Just last week, interim county administrator Bill Kauffman removed the Confederate flag that had been flying outside the county’s government complex for twenty years and replaced it with a flag bearing the county’s seal. But less than a week later, the county commissioners voted unanimously to return the flag to its spot among the city’s flag display. The five banners on display include the Spanish, French, British, Confederate, and American flags, all of which celebrate the county’s rich history. Each of the flags have flown over the area at one time or another since the Spanish first landed over 500 years ago. County officials reversed their decision to eliminate the Confederate banner after the overwhelmingly angry feedback from residents was heard during Tuesday’s meeting.

Trump vows to press Ford to cancel $2.5 billion Mexican plant that will 'take away thousands' of U.S. jobs
The Detroit News - Republican presidential candidate and billionaire Donald Trump threatened Ford Motor Co. with punitive taxes if the Dearborn automaker proceeds with a new $2.5 billion Mexican plant that will “take away thousands” of U.S. jobs. Trump, who announced his plans to run at an appearance in New York on Tuesday, vowed to impose 35 percent taxes on imported Ford vehicles and parts coming from the new Mexican plant. Trump said he would call Ford CEO Mark Fields — whom he identified only as “the head of Ford” — to explain the “bad news.”

VIDEO: VA Not Accepting New Patients
Jon Bowne -Veteran’s struggle to treat PTSD emblematic of wider issues at VA clinics across the country. A marine corps veteran’s struggle to treat post-traumatic stress disorder is emblematic of wider problems at Veterans Affairs clinics across the country, where being overwhelmed with patients and turning away PTSD sufferers is business as usual.

What In The World Just Happened To The New York Stock Exchange?
Economic Collapse -Do you believe that the New York Stock Exchange shut down because of a “technical glitch” on Wednesday? At 11:32 AM on Wednesday morning, trading on the New York Stock Exchange was halted due to “internal technical issues”, and it did not resume until 3:10 PM. Officials insist that there is no evidence that a cyberattack caused the technical problems even though hactivists had hinted that something may happen the night before. Adding to the suspicion is the fact that United Airlines and the Wall Street Journal also experienced very serious “technical glitches” on Wednesday. Others found it very curious that trading on the NYSE was halted just after Chinese stocks had absolutely plummeted the night before. In fact, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index experienced the largest one day decline that we have witnessed since November 2008. So is there more going on here than meets the eye?

Hackers Hinted at Stock Market Turmoil Hours Before Wall Street Shutdown
Mikael Thalen - New York Stock Exchange claims issue is “not the result of a cyber breach.” The hacktivist group Anonymous hinted at possible issues on Wall Street Tuesday evening nearly 12 hours before an alleged glitch halted trading on the New York Stock Exchange. After trading unexpectedly stopped at around 11:30 a.m. this morning, officials with the New York Stock Exchange were quick to blame an “internal technical issue” for the outage, denying any possibility of an attack by hackers. Related: CEO: NYSE Shutdown “Probably” a Cyberattack

Thousands of birds leave ‘dead zone’ after abandoning Florida Gulf Coast
RT - A 150-acre portion of the Florida Gulf Coast is being described as a “dead zone” by scientists after thousands of birds mysteriously abandoned their typical nesting grounds on the federally protected landscape. The most surprising is that there isn’t just one species of bird that has disappeared – it is virtually all of them, including blue herons, roseate spoonbills, snowy egrets, pelicans and more, according to a report by the Associated Press. And while some bird families have taken up residence on another island close by, the vast majority is nowhere to be found.

Wednesday - July 8, 2015 - Today in History:

1693 - Uniforms for police in New York City were authorized.
1709 - Peter the Great defeated Charles XII at Poltava, in the Ukraine, The Swedish empire was effectively ended.
1755 - Britain broke off diplomatic relations with France as their disputes in the New World intensified.
1776 - Col. John Nixon gave the first public reading of the U.S. Declaration of Independence to a crowd at Independence Square in Philadelphia.
1794 - French troops captured Brussels, Belgium.
1795 - Kent County Free School changed its name to Washington College. It was the first college to be named after U.S. President George Washington. The school was established by an act of the Maryland Assembly in 1723.
1815 - Louis XVIII returned to Paris after the defeat of Napoleon.
1865 - C.E. Barnes patented the machine gun.
1879 - The first ship to use electric lights departed from San Francisco, CA.
1889 - The Wall Street Journal was first published.
1919 - U.S. President Wilson returned from the Versailles Peace Conference in France.
1947 - Demolition work began in New York City for the new permanent headquarters of the United Nations.
1950 - General Douglas MacArthur was named commander-in-chief of United Nations forces in Korea.
1960 - The Soviet Union charged Gary Powers with espionage. He was shot down in a U-2 spy plane.
1963 - All Cuban-owned assets in the United States were frozen.
1981 - The Solar Challenger became the frist solar-powered airplane to cross the English Channel.
1997 - The Mayo Clinic and the U.S. government warned that the diet-drug combination known as "fen-phen" could cause serious heart and lung damage.
1997 - NATO invited Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to join the alliance in 1999.
2010 - The Solar Impulse completed the first 24-hour flight by a solar powered plane.

BRICS Economic Agenda: Participants to Discuss Greek Debt Crisis
Sputnik News - The Greek debt crisis, the expected lifting of sanctions on Iran and oil and stock market volatility will dominate the agenda of the BRICS summit which is opening today in Russia. During their two-day meeting in Ufa, the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will discuss closer industrial, technological and financial integration of their countries within the five-nation bloc. The participants will also discuss measures to set in motion the new Development BRICS Bank and a $200 billion pool of currency reserves to finance joint projects, including those proposed by Russia’s Rosneft Company. The summit comes against the backdrop of the deepening debt crisis in Greece, the stock market crash in China and the expected lifting of international sanctions on Iran which has sent oil prices tumbling down.

Russia’s Int’l Reserves Up $5 Billion – Central Bank
Sputnik News - Russia’s gold and currency reserves grew by $4.8 billion in June and now stand at $361.6 billion, the Central Bank reported Wednesday.... A country’s international reserves are those external assets that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing).

Saudi Arabia to invest record $10bn in Russia
RT - The Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia in partnership with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has agreed to invest $10 billion into Russian projects. It is the largest foreign investment in Russia. "We have reached final agreements and are announcing the creation of a partnership with the sovereign fund of Saudi Arabia, under which PIF will invest $10 billion into projects on Russian territory. These funds are expected to be implemented within 4-5 years,” said the head of RDIF Kirill Dmitriev, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday. He said the first four or five investment deals are expected to be signed in the next 2-3 months and could also attract partners from China, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.

AIIB and BRICS bank not rivals but complimentary – economy minister
RT - The China-led Asian infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB) and BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) can coexist, Russian Minister of Economic Development Aleksey Ulyukayev told RT ahead of the key BRICS/SCO summits in Russia. I think there is enough room for everybody. Our economy is so underinvested…So, the Asian bank, BRICS and other banks will have a field for investment,” said Ulyukayev after the NDB governors meeting that took place for the first time in Moscow on Tuesday. The meeting is ahead of the 7th BRICS summit on July 8 -10 in Ufa, Russia. The bloc intends to launch a $100 billion NDB bank and a currency pool worth the same. The bank is intended to complement the World Bank and fund infrastructure projects within the group, while the pool would protect BRICS from currency volatility.

Explosives stolen from French army base - terrorism not ruled out
RT - Explosives have been stolen from a munitions base in the south of France. Around 200 detonators and explosives were taken from the facility in the town of Miramas. The theft comes despite an increase in security after two major terrorist attacks in 2015. Explosives, along with 180 detonators and 40 grenades were snatched from the complex, which is around 60 kilometers northeast of Marseille. Investigators are still trying to find out the full extent of the raid and haven’t ruled out that more explosives could be missing. The theft was first spotted at the 200-acre base, used as a logistics center for France’s foreign operations, on Monday.

Greece Must Meet Sunday Deadline to Reform or Face Euro Exit
Bloomberg - European leaders set a Sunday deadline to rescue Greece, saying otherwise they’ll take the unprecedented step of propelling the country out of the euro. At a summit in Brussels Greece’s anti-austerity government was given five days to make new economic reform proposals that could earn another aid package and save it from financial ruin.... Sunday now looms as the climax of a five-year battle to contain Greece’s debts, potentially splintering a currency that was meant to be irreversible and throwing more than a half-century of economic and political integration into reverse. “We have a Grexit scenario prepared in detail,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, using the shorthand for expulsion from the now 19-nation currency area.
* Related: Merkel Mocks Greece And The Referendum: There Is Money, But The Deal Is Much Harsher Now (And No Debt Haircut)

The next Greek crisis: gas shortages
Politico - The Greek government’s hunger for cash has stripped the state-run gas company of most of its reserves, raising doubts about how long the country can pay for imports. The DEPA gas company, along with all other public companies and pension funds, was ordered to place its cash reserves with the country’s central bank in April. Whether the government decides to replenish DEPA’s reserves remains unclear, but the government has already defaulted on a repayment to the International Monetary Fund and is, by all accounts, almost out of money.

European Stocks, Chinese Stocks And Commodities Are All Crashing – Are U.S. Stocks Next?
Economic Collapse - A global stock market crash has begun. European stocks are crashing, Chinese stocks are crashing, and commodities are crashing. And guess what? All of those things happened before U.S. stocks crashed in the fall of 2008 too. In so many ways, it seems like we are watching a replay of the financial crisis of 2008, but this time around the world is in far worse shape financially.

New Documents Show Extensive Collaboration Between IRS, DOJ to Criminally Prosecute Conservative Groups
Town Hall - [...] new documents obtained by government watchdog Judicial Watch through two different Freedom of Information Act lawsuits show extensive collaboration between the IRS and DOJ (and subsequently the FBI) to go after conservative groups with criminal charges. The IRS likely violated federal law by illegally sharing 1.25 million pages of taxpayer information with DOJ, which were contained on nearly two dozen FBI backup tapes. Further, information shows DOJ wanted IRS officials who were scheduled to testify in front of Congress about the targeting scandal to turn over planned remarks to them first before delivering on Capitol Hill. From JW...

Oregon Will Become Second State To Offer Free Community College
GovtSlaves - More than 10,000 students are expected to benefit from a last-minute bill passed by legislators this week that makes Oregon only the second state (after Tennessee) to offer free community college. The idea, according to state Sen. Mark Hass(D-Beaverton), is that a lot of needy students who might like to attend community college are currently failing to apply for federal grants that could pay for much of their education.

Baltimore Restaurant Shuts Down For 5 Days To Feed The Homeless Free Food
GovtSlaves - Each year, Baltimore restaurants look forward to “restaurant week”, a time where the city’s food is showcased and businesses are able to get a ton of free advertisement and new customers. Instead of cashing in like everyone else, Michael Tabrizi, owner of “Tabrizi’s” will be closing his business to the general public in order to feed the city’s homeless at no cost. “I decided that, after all of the chaos earlier this year, it would be better to do something for the city to unite the people. It isn’t about revenue and money right now, we’ve done restaurant week before and we know the numbers, but right now it’s more important to promote the welfare of the city and its residents rather than to promote the business,” Tabrizi told Baltimore Magazine.

‘We’re Training ISIL': White House Website Corrects Obama’s Speech Blooper
Paul Joseph Watson - The White House.gov website has corrected an embarrassing mistake made by Barack Obama during his press briefing yesterday about the Islamic State when the President said that U.S. forces were “training ISIL.” The White House.gov transcript left in the original quote, but placed the word ‘Iraqi’ in brackets after the word ISIL, correcting Obama’s mistake.

Three Supreme Court Justices have been Ruling on Cases Involving Companies Whose Stock they Own
AllGov - Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Stephen Breyer and Samuel Alito have created potential conflicts of interest by participating in decisions that potentially affected their stock portfolio. The study focused on 19 cases in which the three justices owned stock in companies that filed “friend of the court” briefs. The report says that 68% of the time they sided with the companies in which they owned stock. Not once did any of them recuse himself from a case due to such conflicts.

Con-Con vs. Nullification (Video)
The New American - Today, most Americans realize that the federal government is out of control and many are looking for ways to rein it in. There are two proposals being offered to accomplish this worthwhile goal. First, some are promoting the calling of an Article V convention, also known as a “convention of the states” or a “con-con.” Advocates of the Article V convention look to repair the Constitution… Nullification does not call for changing the Constitution, however, but for enforcing it.

School Administrators in Iowa to Monitor Students with Body Cameras
Mikael Thalen - School administrators in Iowa will soon be outfitted with body cameras in a new program aimed at monitoring interactions with students. According to the Des Moines Register, the 13 cameras, worth roughly $1,100, will be provided to principals and other administrators throughout the Burlington Community School District.... Aldo Leopold Middle School Principal Mark Yeoman, who was exonerated by a school surveillance camera last year after being accused of kicking a student, stated that the body cameras would allow administrators to monitor “student movement in hallways and in the lunchroom, as well as during conversations with students and parents.”

Gay Marriage: State Agency Orders Christians to Stop Talking About Their Faith
Kit Daniels - After a Christian couple said they refused to bake a gay wedding cake because they have “faith in the Lord,” an Oregon state agency ordered them to “cease and desist” talking about their faith. The couple, Aaron and Melissa Klein, were also ordered to pay $135,000 to the lesbian couple they refused to serve as compensation for “emotional damages.” Claiming the Kleins violated Oregon’s anti-discriminatory laws, Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) Commissioner Brad Avakian ordered them to “cease and desist” discussing their Christian beliefs because they made the following statements on the Christian Broadcasting Network...

Stewart Rhodes calls for emergency summits by state, in preparation for economic collapse
Christian Patriots - Founder and Director of Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes urges all Oath Keeper chapters across the country to hold an Emergency Summit by state, in order to prepare for an economic collapse. ‘Assume the worst’ and formulate support teams. Food storage the most crucial.

US Mint Runs Out Of Silver On Same Day Price Of Silver Plunges To 2015 Lows
Zero Hedge - [...] while the US mint halting sales of silver (or gold) during times of peak demand is nothing new, what is surprising is that as the chart below of monthly silver American Eagle sales, demand in recent months has hardly been off the charts. Which makes one wonder: just what is the inventory buffer at the mint if a modest 1.6 million ounces of silver sold in one week can deplete the Mint's planned holdings for one entire month. And another question: in just what supply/demand universe does such an explicit confirmation of a surge in demand for silver result in a plunge in the price of spot silver to its lowest level of the year!?

Tuesday - July 7, 2015 - Today in History:

1754 - Kings College opened in New York City. It was renamed Columbia College 30 years later.
1846 - U.S. annexation of California was proclaimed at Monterey after the surrender of a Mexican garrison.
1862 - The first railroad post office was tested on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad in Missouri.
1885 - G. Moore Peters patented the cartridge-loading machine.
1920 - A device known as the radio compass was used for the first time on a U.S. Navy airplane near Norfolk, VA.
1930 - Construction began on Boulder Dam, later Hoover Dam, on the Colorado River.
1937 - Japanese forces invaded China.
1946 - Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini was canonized as the first American saint.
1950 - The U.N. Security Council authorized military aid for South Korea.
1969 - Canada's House of Commons gave final approval to a measure that made the French language equal to English throughout the national government.
1981 - President Reagan announced he was nominating Arizona Judge Sandra Day O'Connor to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
1987 - Public testimony at the Iran-Contra hearing began.
1994 - Amazon.com, Inc. was founded in Seattle, Washington under the name "Cadabra."
2003 - In Liberia, a team of U.S. military experts arrived at the U.S. embassy compound to assess whether to deploy troops as part of a peacekeeping force in the country.

Talisman Sabre 15 Happening Now
Activist Post - Where are ABC, CBS, NBC, AP, Reuters, etc.? And, why aren’t U.S. citizens being made aware of what really is going on? According to Mr. Franchi’s voice over in the news clip, Jade Helm 15 officially goes live in a few weeks. It will span 10 US states. Nearly simultaneously, from July 4th through the 19th, several thousand miles away, more than 33,000 United States and Australian military personnel will be engaged in Operation Talisman Sabre. Talisman Sabre will deploy 21 ships, including the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington, more than 200 aircraft, and three submarines. Furthermore, multiple “military locations” in the USA and Australia will be involved!

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is expected to present new proposals to an emergency euro zone summit on Tuesday
Reuters - With Greek lenders down to their last few days of cash and the European Central Bank tightening the noose on their funding, Tsipras must persuade the bloc's other 18 leaders, many of whom are exasperated with five years of crisis, to open negotiations fast on a new loan to rescue Greece. The leaders of Germany and France, the currency area's two main powers, said after conferring on Monday that the door was still open to a deal to save Greece from plunging into economic turmoil and ditching the euro. But Chancellor Angela Merkel, under pressure in Germany to cut Greece loose, made clear it was up to Tsipras to come up with convincing proposals after Athens spurned the tax rises, spending cuts and pension and labor reforms that were on the table before its 240 billion euro bailout expired last week.

The German Siege Of Greece Begins (No, This Is Not A Repeat From 1941)
Economic Collapse - Did you notice that Greece’s creditors are not rushing to offer the Greeks a new deal in the wake of the stunning referendum result on Sunday? In fact, it is being reported that the initial reaction to the “no” vote from top European politicians was “a thunderous silence“. Needless to say, the European elite were not pleased by how the Greek people voted, but they still have all of the leverage. In particular, it is the Germans that are holding all of the cards.

Japan to raise maximum annual radiation exposure ahead of restart of nuclear reactors
The Mainichi - The government will raise the maximum permissible radiation dose for people including local government officials and bus drivers who will give evacuation guidance to local residents or transport materials in the event of a nuclear accident from the current 1 millisievert per year.... The government plans to set up a working group within the Cabinet Office as early as next month to start discussing a new standard. The new maximum permissible radiation dose will be applied mainly to local public servants other than police and fire department officials and local bus and truck drivers.

US Preparing Coup to Prevent Greece from Falling Under Russian Influence
Kurt Nimmo - The United States and Germany are prepared to engineer a coup in Greece to keep the country operating as a strategic asset on NATO’s vulnerable southeast European flank. “A putsch in Athens to save allied Greece from enemy Russia is in preparation by the US and Germany, with backing from the non-taxpayers of Greece – the Greek oligarchs, Anglo-Greek ship owners, and the Greek Church,” writes John Helmer, the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia not connected to the corporate media. The primary tip-off something is brewing can be detected by the presence of Victoria Nuland, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, in Athens in March.

Oil price plunges after ‘No’ vote in Greece, impending Iran deal
RT - Oil prices fell 7 percent on Monday in the worst single-day decline in three months after Greece’s Sunday bailout referendum. Meanwhile, fears of oversupply have taken hold as Iran and world powers approach a nuclear deal… The fall in oil prices is explained by a combination of factors, such as uncertainty in the eurozone after the vote in Greece, expectations of rising US oil production, the looming closure of the Iran nuclear deal and decreasing demand for exported oil in China.

US to pay salaries of Governor Saakashvili's team in Odessa, Ukraine
RT - The US government will pay the salaries to the staff of Georgia's former President Mikhail Saakashvili, who is now serving as a new governor of Odessa Region, Ukraine, Saakashvili said, adding that California police will also train Odessa’s officers… He added that American police officers from California “will train new Odessa police.” … In spring 2014, Georgia's new ruling coalition accused Saakashvili of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state budget… Apart from embezzlement, Saakashvili has several other cases ongoing against him.

What's Motivating China's Military Push in Africa?
Huffington Post - The number of troops deployed in Africa is extremely small, even insignificant, in the broader context of the massive Chinese military. However, a discernible trend is becoming increasingly apparent as Beijing expands the range of operations that its forces are engaged in Africa to include post-conflict stabilization (Mali), medical humanitarian missions (Liberia), ongoing conflict stabilization (South Sudan) and anti-piracy operations (Somalia) among others. In all, Chinese military personnel are now involved in 7 out of 9 UN peacekeeping operations on the continent, the most of any permanent Security Council member.

Eric Holder Returns as Hero to Law Firm That Lobbies for Big Banks
The Intercept - After failing to criminally prosecute any of the financial firms responsible for the market collapse in 2008, former Attorney General Eric Holder is returning to Covington & Burling, a corporate law firm known for serving Wall Street clients. The move completes one of the more troubling trips through the revolving door for a cabinet secretary. Holder worked at Covington from 2001 right up to being sworn in as attorney general in Feburary 2009. And Covington literally kept an office empty for him, awaiting his return.

SHOCK: Arizona Paper Decries Border Fence as Too High for Mexicans to Safely Jump
Breitbart - A mainstream Arizona newspaper is decrying the small section of the Arizona-Mexico border that has a 14-foot-high primary fence because it is too high for illegal immigrants to safely cross. The article, “Border Fence Jumpers Breaking Bones,” includes the claim that sections of the border with a 14-foot-high fence are “as tall as a two or three-story house” and tells the stories of several women who broke bones and were treated extensively to healthcare and surgeries at the expense of U.S. taxpayers.

Food fight! Congress, consumers battle over GMOs
McClatchy - At the center of the conflict is a bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas that would block state and local laws from requiring food labels to disclose genetically engineered ingredients. Republican Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas has sponsored a bill that would block states from requiring food labels to disclose genetically modified ingredients in favor of a voluntary labeling system overseen by the federal government. So far, three states – Vermont, Connecticut and Maine – have passed mandatory labeling laws for genetically modified food. At least fifteen other states are considering similar regulations. Pompeo’s “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act” would nix those laws and instead set up a voluntary nationwide labeling system overseen by the federal government.

Chris Christie: Blame Rand Paul For Next Terror Attack
Truth in Media - New Jersey Governor and Republican Presidential Candidate Chris Christie appeared on Morning Joe on Monday and said that Americans should blame Senator Rand Paul (R- Ky.) if there is another terrorist attack. People are really worried about ISIS, they’re worried about the threat of terrorism, and that’s why what Rand Paul has done to make this country weaker and more vulnerable is a terrible thing,” Christie said. “And for him to raise money off of it? It’s disgraceful,” Christie continued.... Sen. Paul has criticized GOP ‘war hawks’ like Christie in the past regarding their strategy of arming and training “moderate” rebels who have ultimately become ISIS fighters.

Good Luck Finding a Place to Hide as Global Markets Crumble
Bloomberg - Investors tend to respond to impending doom by selling risky stuff and hiding out in safer assets -- namely, bonds in places such as Germany and the U.S. There’s a problem with that formula this time around: Traders aren’t so sure they can find anything that’s truly safe right now. So, instead of piling into sovereign debt of developed nations, traders are pulling their money out of those places as the Greek economy teeters on the brink of collapse, Puerto Rico talks about delaying some debt payments and China’s stock market suffers its biggest selloff since 1992. Investors yanked $2.9 billion from European government bond funds last week, more than ever before, and pulled $699 million from short-term investment-grade U.S. bond funds, Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. data show.

Americans With Retirement Accounts Beware: If Our Government Does What China Just Did You’ll Be Wiped Out
Mac Slavo - We’ve previously warned that elements within the U.S. government have been feverishly working to take control of all retirement assets in America. The reasoning, of course, is that the government can manage your personal finances better than you can. They’ve already begun plans to have workers invest their earnings directly into government-managed funds, but at some point, should we get into trouble, they may look to seize those assets outright and put them under central control.

WATER WARS: 13 States File Lawsuit Against EPA’s Water Takeover
Agri-Pulse - Attorneys general from thirteen states filed a lawsuit Monday challenging EPA’s new rule defining the waters of the U.S. (WOTUS), asserting that the rule expands the scope of clean water regulations to lands that are dry much of the year and increases the federal government’s authority over land use. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota. South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, who joined in the lawsuit, noted that 35 states have filed comments in opposition to the rule and several other attorneys general are considering filing challenges.

California's rural poor hit hardest as massive drought makes remaining water toxic
Washington Post - There is arsenic in the groundwater feeding their community well at St. Anthony Trailer Park, 40 miles south of Palm Springs. In ordinary times, the concentration of naturally occurring arsenic is low, and the water safe to drink. But during California’s unrelenting drought, as municipalities join farmers in sucking larger quantities of water from the ground, the concentration of arsenic is becoming more potent. A recent laboratory test found that water in St. Anthony’s shallow well has twice the concentration of arsenic considered safe.

Director of Pesticide Action Network Explains How Neonicotinoids Work (Video)
Natural Society - Dr. Keith Tyrell explains how this new class of pesticides, neonicotinoids, which are considered “new” in that they have only been on the market for about 20 years, are taken up by plants as they grow. These ‘neonics’ are not like old pesticides because they become part of the plant itself, making it toxic. (Neonics are taken up by the roots or leaves and taken to all other parts of the plant.)... The European Union has imposed a two-year moratorium on all neonics, but the US still allows them to be sprayed everywhere.... In fact, the EPA has decided to allow more of these bee- and butterfly-killing chemicals to enter the environment despite clear dangers.... What’s worse – one study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey found that neonics are widespread contaminants of groundwater which many people use to drink or bathe in.

Monday - July 6, 2015 - Today in History:

1699 - Captain William Kidd, the pirate, was captured in Boston, MA, and deported back to England.
1777 - British forces captured Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolution.
1854 - In Jackson, MI, the Republican Party held its first convention.
1885 - Louis Pasteur successfully tested his anti-rabies vaccine. The child used in the test later became the director of the Pasteur Institute.
1905 - Fingerprints were exchanged for the first time between officials in Europe and the U.S. The person in question was John Walker.
1919 - A British dirigible landed in New York at Roosevelt Field. It completed the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airship.
1942 - Diarist Anne Frank and her family took refuge from the Nazis in Amsterdam.
1945 - U.S. President Truman signed an order creating the Medal of Freedom.
1945 - Nicaragua became the first nation to formally accept the United Nations Charter.
1948 - Frieda Hennok became the first woman to serve as the commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission.
1981 - The Dupont Company announced an agreement to purchase Conoco, Inc. (Continental Oil Co.) for $7 billion. At the time it was the largest merger in corporate history.
1983 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that retirement plans could not pay women smaller monthly payments solely because of their gender.
1985 - The submarine Nautilus arrived in Groton, Connecticut. The vessel had been towed from Mare Island Naval Shipyard.
1988 - Several popular beaches were closed in New York City due to medical waste and other debris began washing up on the seashores.
1989 - The U.S. Army destroyed its last Pershing 1-A missiles at an ammunition plant in Karnack, TX. The dismantling was under the terms of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
1997 - The Mars Pathfinder released Sojourner, a robot rover on the surface of Mars. The spacecraft landed on the red planet on July 4th.
2005 - New York Times reporter Judith Miller was jailed after refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating the leak of an undercover CIA operative's name.
2010 - Queen Elizabeth II addressed the United Nations for the first time since 1957 during her first New York visit in more than 30 years.

Greek finance minister quits
Reuters - outspoken finance minister resigned on Monday, removing a major obstacle to any deal to keep Athens in the euro zone after Greeks voted resoundingly to back the government in rejecting the austerity terms of a bailout. Yanis Varoufakis, a self-proclaimed "erratic Marxist" economist who infuriated euro zone partners with his unconventional style and hectoring lectures, had campaigned for Sunday's sweeping 'No' vote, accusing Greece' creditors of "terrorism".
* Related: Tumbling Futures Rebound After Varoufakis Resignation; Most China Stocks Drop Despite Massive Intervention

30 civilians dead in Saudi-led airstrikes on Yemeni market says report
RT - As many as 30 civilians were killed in Saudi-led airstrikes that hit a market in northern Yemen on Sunday, the Houthi-run news agency Saba has reported.... In response, Houthi forces launched several rocket attacks against Saudi army positions, including a military airfield in Najran, the al-Sharafa army camp, as well as tanks stationed north of the al-Khoba region in the Saudi province of Jizan. “The Saudi enemy targeted citizens while they were doing their shopping at Aahem market,” Saba quoted a security source as saying.

Hundreds in new Tel Aviv protest over US-Israeli natural gas deal
RT - Hundreds have rallied in Tel Aviv to protest over a proposed gas deal with the United States pushed by the government, which critics say may create a monopoly that will control two of Israel’s largest natural gas reserves.... The event follows another last week, when thousands took to the streets of Tel Aviv in a mildly violent show of protest against an impending natural gas deal between the Netanyahu government and a US-Israeli conglomerate entrusted with tapping into the country’s reserves. ... Critics of the deal argue that, once approved, the deal could establish a monopoly over natural gas without any sufficient oversight and would result in increased prices for Israeli consumers.

Greece Votes NO – Let The Chaos Begin…
Economic Collapse - The result of the referendum in Greece is a great victory for freedom, but it is also threatens to unleash unprecedented economic chaos all across Europe. With almost all of the votes counted, it is being reported that approximately 61 percent of Greeks have voted “no” and only about 39 percent of Greeks have voted “yes”. This is a much larger margin of victory for the “no” side than almost everyone was anticipating, and it represents a stunning rejection of European austerity. Massive celebrations have erupted on the streets of Athens and other major Greek cities, but the euphoria may not last long. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is promising that Greece will be able to stay in the euro, but that gives EU bureaucrats and the IMF a tremendous amount of power, because at this point the Greek government is flat broke. Without more money from the EU and the IMF, the Greek government will not be able to pay its bills and virtually all Greek banks will inevitably collapse.

Greek banks prepare plan to raid deposits to avert collapse
Financial Times - Greek banks are preparing contingency plans for a possible “bail-in” of depositors amid fears the country is heading for financial collapse, bankers and businesspeople with knowledge of the measures said on Friday. The plans, which call for a “haircut” of at least 30 per cent on deposits above €8,000, sketch out an increasingly likely scenario for at least one bank, the sources said. A Greek bail-in could resemble the rescue plan agreed by Cyprus in 2013, when customers’ funds were seized to shore up the banks, with a haircut imposed on uninsured deposits over €100,000.

Panic: China Central Bank Steps In To Bailout Stocks As Underwater Traders Pray For A Rebound
Zero Hedge - China’s equity miracle… is in deep trouble. A dramatic unwind in unofficial margin lending channels such as umbrella trusts and structured funds which have together served to pump some CNY1 trillion into a market that was already red-hot, sparked and perpetuated a 30% decline in the space of just three weeks, pushing Beijing into panic mode and prompting simultaneous policy rate cuts along with a variety of other measures designed to stop the bleeding… China’s central bank is now underwriting brokerages’ margin lending businesses… Despite being one step removed from onboarding equities directly onto its balance sheet, the PBoC is effectively buying stocks, which amounts (of course) to QE.
* Related: Chinese stock market has lost £1.5 trillion in the last three weeks

US Petition on BRICS Warns Against NATO Confrontation With Russia, China
Sputnik News - The goal of a petition on cooperation with BRICS nations circulated in the United States is to highlight the danger of confrontation with Russia and China, Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp LaRouche said Monday. The petition titled "Resolution Calling for the US and Europe to Reject Geopolitics and Collaborate with the BRICS" was initiated by the US-based Schiller Institute and urges Washington and the European Union to collaborate with BRICS nations for the sake of global economic development. It has been signed by more than 2,000 people in the United States and internationally.

July 4 crowds ignore call to boycott Georgia park over Confederate flag
Reuters - Fourth of July holidaymakers ignored a call to boycott Georgia’s Stone Mountain Park, known as the “Confederate Rushmore,” over its display of the contentious Confederate flag. Hundreds of people had staked out spots at the 3,200-acre (1,295-hectare) privately run park by noon on Saturday for nighttime laser and fireworks shows. They shrugged off heavy rain on the park’s busiest day of the year as well as the boycott call. Democratic state Representative LaDawn Blackett Jones this week urged people to stay away from the park 10 miles (16 km) east of Atlanta because it flies three flags of the pro-slavery Confederacy alongside the U.S. and Georgia state flags.

11-yo Girls Can Now Get Birth Control Devices Implanted in them at School, Without Parents Knowing
Free Thought Project - Washington State is ranked 13 in the country for teen pregnancies with 20.5 births per 1,000 girls ages 15-19. That is a much better rate than Arkansas, which is more than double at 43.5 births per 1,000 girls. Even with this nationwide decline, public schools in Washington are going the extra mile. School-based health clinics in at least 13 Seattle-area public high schools and middle schools now offer long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), including IUDs and hormonal implants. These services are available to students in sixth-grade and above at no cost (to the student), according to Washington State officials. The costs are covered by the taxpayers.

Texas Wounded Veteran Honored with Gift of Free Home
Breitbart - The military service of retired U.S. Army veteran, Sergeant David Flores, was celebrated on Saturday in Houston. The soldier received his own personal Independence Day when he was awarded the gift of a mortgage-free home. The combat veteran was seriously injured in a roadside bomb explosion in Iraq in 2005, according to a KHOU report. “It was definitely a rough journey but I got through it and happy to be here today,” Flores told KHOU reporter Alice Barr.

Homeless former Marine ‘piano man’ crowdfund raises thousands in just 1 day (VIDEO)
RT - A GoFundMe crowd funding campaign has kicked off gathering thousands of dollars after a video of a homeless man in Sarasota, Florida, playing the piano on the street went wildly viral, hitting over 4 million views in just a few days. Donald Gould, 51, a former Marine who’s been homeless for nearly seven years, has charmed passers-by in downtown Sarasota with his piano renditions of popular songs. A recently-posted video of Donald playing ‘Come Sail Away’ by Styx has made him a bona fide internet star, gathering over 4 million hits on Facebook and over 2 million views on YouTube in just a few days. He tragically lost his wife and is now in search of his 18-year-old son. He says he hopes that his son sees the viral video and finds him.... Blown away by Donald’s street performance, locals volunteered to help him by launching a GoFundMe campaign, which has already gathered over $ 12,000 raised by 536 people in one day.

BRUTAL FOOTAGE of Unsuspecting Navy Veteran Knocked Out by Thug in “Knockout Attack” (VIDEO)
Gateway Pundit - Police are circulating this footage after an unsuspecting 52 year-old Navy veteran was knocked to the ground by a street thug and then beaten unconscious. The Navy veteran NEVER saw it coming. The suspect is described as a black teenager with braided hair, wearing blue jeans, a white sweat shirt, red tennis shoes and a black baseball cap.... Don’t expect this to make many headlines. It doesn’t fit the liberal media narrative.

Health Insurance Companies Seek Big Rate Increases for 2016
NY Times - Health insurance companies around the country are seeking rate increases of 20 percent to 40 percent or more, saying their new customers under the Affordable Care Act turned out to be sicker than expected. Federal officials say they are determined to see that the requests are scaled back. Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans — market leaders in many states — are seeking rate increases that average 23 percent in Illinois, 25 percent in North Carolina, 31 percent in Oklahoma, 36 percent in Tennessee and 54 percent in Minnesota, according to documents posted online by the federal government and state insurance commissioners and interviews with insurance executives.

VIDEO: Oath Keepers urge preparation for economic collapse: America running out of time. support teams urged
Oath Keepers - While speaking at the New York Oath Keepers Awards Banquet, Founder and Director of Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes urges all Oath Keeper chapters across the country to hold an Emergency Summit by state, in order to prepare for an economic collapse. ‘Assume the worst’ and formulate support teams. Food storage the most crucial.

Feds ‘Lose’ Audits for Fort Knox Gold
Activist Post - The blog, goldseek.com, recently published a report on a Freedom of Information Act request they recently filed with the US government. They were seeking seven reports from federal audits of the gold at Fort Knox. The government's response? They can't find those reports - even though they reference those reports as evidence of the gold stored at Fort Knox in a number of ways. The Resident discusses.

It’s Here: Oregon First State to Launch “Pay-by-the-Mile” Driving Track and Tax Scheme
Freedom Outpost - The freedom of driving is about to get a lot less free in more ways than one. "Rare American" David Hastings, Oregon hybrid car owner, told Fox News, "I'm a statist who is happy to blindly contribute to the total tyranny that has almost completely surrounding us all and I see no potential downsides to a technological control grid where the government tracks my every move—" No wait, sorry, it was, "I've been free-loading on the highways for 20 years driving electric cars or hybrid cars, getting at least 40 miles to the gallon. So I haven't been paying my share."

Drought: CA City Forced to Dump 500,000 Gallons of Drinking Water
Breitbart - California cities are working overtime to conserve water during the state’s record four-year drought–but one city became a victim of its own savings success when it was forced to dump more than half a million gallons of drinkable water down the drain.... But the unused water simply sat in the city’s Blue Crystal Reservoir under the burning California sun, and, due to the heat, the water’s chloramine levels became too high for safe human consumption.

This dome in the Pacific houses tons of radioactive waste — and it’s leaking
The Guardian - Below the 18-inch concrete cap rests the United States’ cold war legacy to this remote corner of the Pacific Ocean: 111,000 cubic yards of radioactive debris left behind after 12 years of nuclear tests. Brackish water pools around the edge of the dome, where sections of concrete have started to crack away. Underground, radioactive waste has already started to leach out of the crater: according to a 2013 report by the US Department of Energy, soil around the dome is already more contaminated than its contents.... According to the World Health Organization, the $218m plan was designed as temporary fix: a way to store contaminated material until a permanent decontamination plan was devised.

Monarch Butterfly Population Down 80%, Monsanto Largely to Blame
Natural Blaze - A recent report confirms that over 80% of North American monarch butterflies have died. The Xerces Society, a non-profit organization that aims to preserve wildlife through conservation of invertebrates and their habitats, notes that “in the 1990s, estimates of up to one billion monarchs made the epic flight each fall from the northern plains of the U.S. and Canada to sites in the oyamel fir forests north of Mexico City.” Now, however, “researchers and citizen scientists estimate that only about 56.5 million monarchs remain, representing a decline of more than 80% from the 21-year average across North America.”

Maryland Dept of Agriculture issues Stop Sale on Stella and Chewy’s Pet Food
Susan Thixton - The Maryland Department of Agriculture has issued a stop sale order on Stella and Chewy’s freeze dried chicken patties dog food, which has tested positive of Listeria monocytogenes. The lot number is: 111-15. The bags will have a use by date of April 23, 2016. Listeria is not only dangerous to dogs, it can also be deadly to small children, the elderly and those with auto immune disorders. Consumers who have unopened bags of this dog food are urged to keep it sealed, away from people and to throw it away. Those who have opened bags of this dog food are urged to use disposable gloves, place them in double plastic bags, seal it and throw it away.
* Related: Stella & Chewy’s issued a "voluntary" recall notice
 

Friday - July 3, 2015 - Today in History:

1775 - U.S. Gen. George Washington took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, MA.
1844 - Ambassador Caleb Cushing successfully negotiated a commercial treaty with China that opened five Chinese ports to U.S. merchants and protected the rights of American citizens in China.
1863 - The U.S. Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, PA, ended after three days. It was a major victory for the North as Confederate troops retreated.
1890 - Idaho became the 43rd state to join the United States of America.
1898 - During the Spanish American War, a fleet of Spanish ships in Cuba's Santiago Harbor attempted to run a blockade of U.S. naval forces. Nearly all of the Spanish ships were destroyed in the battle that followed.
1903 - The first cable across the Pacific Ocean was spliced between Honolulu, Midway, Guam and Manila.
1930 - The U.S. Congress created the U.S. Veterans Administration.
1934 - U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) made its first payment to Lydia Losiger.
1944 - The U.S. First Army opened a general offensive to break out of the hedgerow area of Normandy, France.
1944 - During World War II, Soviet forces recaptured Minsk.
1945 - U.S. troops landed at Balikpapan and take Sepinggan airfield on Borneo in the Pacific.
1945 - The first civilian passenger car built since February 1942 was driven off the assembly line at the Ford Motor Company plant in Detroit, MI. Production had been diverted due to World War II.
1950 - U.S. carrier-based planes attacked airfields in the Pyongyang-Chinnampo area of North Korea in the first air-strike of the Korean War.
1954 - Food rationing ended in Great Britain almost nine years after the end of World War II.
1974 - The Threshold Test Ban Treaty was signed, prohibiting underground nuclear weapons tests with yields greater than 150 kilotons.
1981 - The Associated Press ran its first story about two rare illnesses afflicting homosexual men. One of the diseases was later named AIDS.
1986 - U.S. President Reagan presided over a ceremony in New York Harbor that saw the relighting of the renovated Statue of Liberty.
1986 - Mikhail Baryshnikov became a U.S. citizen at Ellis Island, New York Harbor.
1991 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush formally inaugurated the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota.
2014 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 17,000 for the first time.

Enough austerity? Greece after 5 years of belt tightening
RT - Greek debt negotiations have been fruitless for five months. Creditors wanted economic reforms in return for bailout money, but Syriza refused to budge on key election promises. RT shows you what has happened to the Greek economy during the era of austerity....

Greek Banks To Run Out Of Physical Cash "In A Matter Of Days"
Zero Hedge - Greek banks will run out of cash "in a matter of days," WSJ reports. Meanwhile, businesses are closing their doors as suppliers refuse to extend credit prompting the Athens Chamber of Commerce to predict that "in one week, two weeks, three weeks, it will be finished."

World Bank Hastily Deletes Call for Chinese Financial Reforms From Report
Sputnik News - The World Bank edited on Friday its China Economic Update issued earlier this week, deleting a section that warned of the "poor performance" of the country’s financial system and called for urgent reforms. "Section 3 on the financial sector that was previously included in this report was removed because it had not gone through the World Bank’s usual internal review and clearance procedures," the updated version of the report published on the World Bank’s website reads. According to the Financial Times, the deleted section of the report highlighted "risks stemming from wasteful investment, overindebtedness and a weakly regulated shadow-banking system" in China.
* Related: Chinese Government "Losing Control": Stocks Are Collapsing, Hitting New Bear Market Lows

US accusations that Russia is not respecting its neighbours' sovereignty are 'confrontational', says Moscow
The Independent - Russia has accused the US of adopting “confrontational” tactics, after the Pentagon updated its military strategy on Moscow amid the on-going crisis in Ukraine. Tensions between Russia and western powers have reached their lowest point since the end of the Cold War, partly because of the pro-Russian rebellion in eastern Ukraine. Moscow has said Washington risks setting back efforts to improve already deteriorating relations after the Pentagon updated the US National Military Strategy on Russia to consider its role in the bloody conflict which has killed over 6,400 people, according to the UN.
* Related: US nuclear missile commander says Vladimir Putin's actions echo those of Nazi Germany in the 1930s

US Operates Top Secret Drone Bases Inside Somalia
Sputnik News - Already receiving fierce criticism for operating drone bases on foreign soil – sometimes without the host country’s knowledge – the US has begun expanding its operations in Africa. But according to reports, the Pentagon has been running a base in Somalia, completely in secret, to conduct drone missions and train elite Somali forces. "They have a base over there," Abdighani Abdi Jama, state minister for the presidency in the interim regional administration in the Somali city of Kismayo, told Foreign Policy as part of an exclusive report. He pointed toward a large compound near the city’s airport. "They have high tech; they have drones; they have so many things." Jama’s allegations have been confirmed by others. Regional government officials and forces from the African Union can also testify to the base’s existence. The only organization which seems to be in the dark is the US military, itself.

260,000 Austrians sign EU exit petition, forcing referendum debate in parliament
RT - Over 260,000 Austrians have signed a petition calling for the EU exit for the country, and now the Austrian parliament must discuss a referendum on the issue. Overall, the 261,159 people who signed the petition represent 4.12 percent of the electorate. The petition was most popular in the regions of Lower Austria (where 5.18 percent of potential voters signed it) and in Carinthia (4.85 percent). The threshold for calling a debate on a potential referendum is 100,000 people. The petition was launched by 66-year-old retired translator Inge Rauscher, who composed a similar petition in 2000. On that occasion, it was signed by 3.35 percent of the electorate. Rauscher told The Local that there was probably more support for a referendum now because of the economic crisis and the Greek crisis.

US Air Bases in UK Cancel 4th of July Celebration Over Security Concerns
Sputnik News - "It is with heavy hearts that we announce the 2015 4th of July Celebration, set to be held at RAF Feltwell, is cancelled. The decision was made due to the most current, local threat assessments," RAF said in a statement published on its Facebook page. The RAF stressed that all the events, including the preview party on July 3 are cancelled. The announcement comes after last week’s attack on a popular Tunisian resort that left nearly 40 people dead. The number of Britons confirmed to have been killed in the shooting stands at 30.

Ebola Makes Mysterious Return in Liberia With 3 New Confirmed Cases
Sputnik News - The death toll from Ebola in Liberia is on the rise once again, after the World Health Organization declared the West African country free of the virus on May 9. Liberia is seeing an unexpected rebound of the deadly Ebola virus, after locals in the village of Nedowein said neighbors had eaten contaminated dog meat, commonly consumed in the country. Three men known to have dug up a dead dog and shared the meal tested positive for the virus. The country's Ebola task force team confirmed that investigations into the possibility that animals could be carrying the disease have resumed, following a significant number of cattle deaths in remote Lofa County.

Charlie Daniels Celebrates Our Nation's Birthday: My Beautiful America
CNS News - I have just completed a leg of our 2015 tour that has taken me across the entire heartland of America, Pacific to Atlantic, and once again I'm deeply touched by what this country means to me. As the 239th Birthday of the greatest nation the world has never known approaches, I can think of no better way to use the Soapbox space this week than by celebrating the greatness of the blessed United States of America, by sharing a piece I wrote years ago that describes my feelings for my homeland.

Civil Forfeiture Now Requires A Criminal Conviction In Montana And New Mexico
Forbes - Just in time for the Fourth of July, states are declaring their independence from civil forfeiture. Starting July 1, two major reforms from Montana and New Mexico will go into effect.... Earlier this year, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock signed a law that requires the government to first obtain a criminal conviction before taking and keeping someone’s property through civil forfeiture. This legislation also shifts the burden of proof onto the government—where it belongs—when spouses, neighbors and other innocent owners try to get back property used by a suspect without their knowledge. Montana’s civil forfeiture reforms are vital to restore due process and protect the property rights of the innocent. New Mexico went even further and abolished civil forfeiture outright.

Pentagon: US facing growing possibility of "war with major power"
Press TV - The Pentagon has warned that the United States faces a low but growing possibility of engaging in a war with a major power. It says if the threat ever turns into reality, the consequences will be immense. America’s 2015 National Military Strategy has singled out Russia and China in the report as aggressive and threatening to US security interests. It has also expressed concern about states developing advanced technological capabilities that are causing the US military to lose its edge.

WikiLeaks: TISA to Block Other Deals Aiming to Boost Developing Economies
Sputnik News - The proposed 53-nation Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) bypasses the World Trade Organization (WTO) and allows no room for favourable trade deals to help developing countries advance, documents released by WikiLeaks reveal. “The parties shall ensure that contracts are awarded to the supplier… that has submitted the most advantageous tender or the tender with the lowest price, based solely on the evaluation criteria specified in the notice or the tender documentation,” the TISA Annex to the Agreement on Government Procurement said.... The terms of the treaty document would allow powerful multinational corporations in major industrial nations to “bypass other governments in the World Trade Organization (WTO), and rewrite its services agreement in the interests of their corporations,” Kelsey warned.

TERROR PANIC: Rep. Says NYC Officials Expecting DIRTY BOMB Attack on July 4th
Steve Watson - New York Congressman Peter King was spreading more of his brand of fear on Fox News last night, telling viewers that officials in New York are worried that there is going to be a dirty bomb attack this weekend. peaking to Megyn Kelly regarding the heightened chatter of a possible terrorist attack during 4th of July celebrations, King took things to a whole new level. Saying he’s never seen this level of concern, King stated “You wouldn’t see the… nuclear explosion detection devices being used the way they are… if this were just a routine warning.”

VIDEO: FAIL - Americans Don't Know Why We Celebrate 4th of July! -- A conversation with the general public
Media analyst Mark Dice asks beach goers in San Diego, California some basic questions about America's 4th of July Independence Day celebration and their answers are quite disturbing.

Declaration of Dependence
By Bryan Justice - When in the Course of sitting on our couches watching the fables of the Ministry of Propaganda on TV, it becomes necessary for us, the dumb masses, to embrace the political bands which have connected us with our government, and to accept the government as the ultimate powers of the earth, deny the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitles us, we realize that we prefer to remain oblivious, uninformed, and controlled. Just send us our checks, our food stamp cards, and our TV Guides.

University of Wisconsin: Complimenting People of Color is Racist
Paul Joseph Watson - Do you have several black friends, compliment people of color, and think that America is a melting pot? That’s according to the University of Wisconsin (Stevens Point) “Examples of Racial Microaggressions,” a list of discouraged phrases and behaviors that are being given to new faculty and staff. I’m not making this up. This isn’t a spoof or a hoax. You can visit the official University of Wisconsin website and see this for yourself. Here’s an actual list of things that according to the University of Wisconsin are racist...

Federal Judge of 17 Years Repents – Compares Damage Done by “War on Drugs” to Destruction of World War II
Liberty Blitzkrieg - Former Federal Judge Nancy Gertner was appointed to the federal bench by Bill Clinton in 1994. She presided over trials for 17 years. And Sunday, she stood before a crowd at The Aspen Ideas Festival to denounce most punishments that she imposed. Among 500 sanctions that she handed down, “80 percent I believe were unfair and disproportionate,” she said.... “We were not leveling cities as we did in WWII with bombs, but with prosecution, prison, and punishment,” she said, explaining that her life’s work is now focused on trying to reconstruct the lives that she undermined––as a general matter, by advocating for reform, and as a specific project: she is trying to go through the list of all the people she sentenced to see who deserves executive clemency.

Record 93,626,000 Americans Not in Labor Force; Participation Rate Declines to 62.6%
CNS News - A record 93,626,000 Americans 16 or older did not participate in the nation’s labor force in June, as the labor force participation rate dropped to 62.6 percent, a 38-year low, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In June, according to BLS, the nation’s civilian noninstitutional population, consisting of all people 16 or older who were not in the military or an institution, hit 250,663,000. Of those, 157,037,000 participated in the labor force by either holding a job or actively seeking one. The 157,037,000 who participated in the labor force equaled only 62.6 percent of the 250,663,000 civilian noninstitutional population, the lowest labor force participation rate seen in 38 years. It hasn’t been this low since October 1977 when the participation rate was 62.4 percent.

Debt-Ridden Illinois Heading Toward State Government Shutdown
CNS News - Illinois is heading toward a state government shutdown after the legislature adjourned Tuesday without closing a $6.2 billion gap and passing a budget by the July 1 deadline. Illinois currently has the largest deficit and lowest credit rating of any of the 50 states. According to the University of Illinois, its current annual deficit is $9 billion, which is projected to grow to $14 billion by FY 2026.

BP to pay record $18.7bn over 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill
RT - Under the agreement reached by BP and five US states along the Gulf of Mexico, the British oil major will pay out $18.7 billion over 18 years. The deal resolves the firm of remaining liabilities from the biggest oil spill in US history. A record $5.5 billion will cover federal penalties under the Clean Water Act. Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Texas will receive payouts for harm done in the oil spill.

Apocalypse Not Now: Yellowstone supervolcano eruption predictable up to 10 yrs in advance
RT - US scientists have found a way to estimate the time of the next eruption of the dormant volcano in Yellowstone National Park from 10 months to 10 years beforehand. They promise it won’t be cataclysmic, yet its lava and ash could cause a volcanic winter. A new Arizona State University research focused on past eruptions at Yellowstone volcano, with the most recent happening nearly 70,000 years ago, in order to learn more about the time when its sleep is over.

The Barbaric Procedure Your Dog Should Never Have to Endure
Dr. Becker - In March of this year, the New York State Assembly approved a bill (A1679) that would ban devocalization procedures on dogs and cats performed for reasons of convenience rather than medical necessity. The legislation would also require veterinarians to document all such procedures and provide the number performed to the Commissioner of Education. Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski of New City in Rockland County, NY, who sponsored the bill, made his feelings about devocalization known: “This is a cruel and inhumane procedure that is being utilized to silence an animal’s voice and we must put an end to it. Most devocalization surgeries provide no medical benefit and are done solely for the convenience of the owner.” He went on to say that devocalization can lead to long-term respiratory and throat disorders. It also silences communication between pet and owner, and the pet and other animals.

'I Have To Rehome Her': Man Posts Craigslist Ad After Girlfriend Demands He Get Rid Of His Dog (Photo)
Opposing Views - When a man in Virginia was told by his girlfriend — with whom he’d just moved in — that she didn’t want his beloved dog to join them in their new home, he took to Craigslist to make things right.
 

Thursday - July 2, 2015 - Today in History:

1776 - Richard Lee’s resolution that the American colonies "are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States" was adopted by the Continental Congress.
1850 - Benjamin Lane patented a gas mask with a breathing apparatus. (Patent US7476 A)
1857 - New York City’s first elevated railroad officially opened for business.
1881 - Charles J. Guiteau fatally wounded U.S. President James A. Garfield in Washington, DC.
1890 - The U.S. Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act.
1926 - The U.S. Congress established the Army Air Corps.
1937 - American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart disappeared in the Central Pacific during an attempt to fly around the world at the equator.
1939 - At Mount Rushmore, Theodore Roosevelt's face was dedicated.
1944 - American bombers, as part of Operation Gardening, dropped land mines, leaflets and bombs on German-occupied Budapest.
1947 - An object crashed near Roswell, NM. The U.S. Army Air Force insisted it was a weather balloon, but eyewitness accounts led to speculation that it might have been an alien spacecraft.
1962 - Wal-Mart Discount City opened in Rogers, Arkansas. It was the first Walmart store.
1964 - President Johnson signed the "Civil Rights Act of 1964" into law. The act made it illegal in the U.S. to discriminate against others because of their race.
1967 - The U.S. Marine Corps launched Operation Buffalo in response to the North Vietnamese Army's efforts to seize the Marine base at Con Thien.
1976 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the death penalty was not inherently cruel or unusual.
1976 - North Vietnam and South Vietnam were reunited.
1979 - The U.S. Mint officially released the Susan B. Anthony coin in Rochester, NY.
1980 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter reinstated draft registration for males 18 years of age.
1981 - Soyuz T-6 returned to Earth.
1982 - Larry Walters ("Lawnchair Larry") took flight in his homeade airship that consisted of a lawnchair with 45 helium-filled weather balloons attached to it. He stayed in flight for about an hour.
1985 - General Motors announced that it was installing electronic road maps as an option in some of its higher-priced cars.
1995 - "Forbes" magazine reported that Microsoft's chairman, Bill Gates, was the worth $12.9 billion, making him the world's richest man. In 1999, he was worth about $77 billion.
1998 - Cable News Network (CNN) retracted a story that alleged that U.S. commandos had used nerve gas to kill American defectors during the Vietnam War.
2000 - In Mexico, Vicente Fox Quesada of the National Action Party (PAN) defeated Francisco Labastida Ochoa of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) in the presidential election. The PRI had controlled the presidency in Mexico since the party was founded in 1929.

US blocks attempts by Arab allies to fly heavy weapons directly to Kurds to fight Islamic State
The Telegraph - The United States has blocked attempts by its Middle East allies to fly heavy weapons directly to the Kurds fighting Islamic State jihadists in Iraq, The Telegraph has learnt. Some of America’s closest allies say President Barack Obama and other Western leaders, including David Cameron, are failing to show strategic leadership over the world’s gravest security crisis for decades.

Palestine Appreciates Russia Aid in Israeli-Arab Conflict – Palestinian FM
Sputnik News - Palestine is grateful for Russia’s cooperation in many spheres, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict peace negotiations, Palestine’s Foreign Minister Riyad Maliki said Wednesday. "We thank Russia for all the efforts to help us in many areas," Palestine’s top diplomat told journalists. Maliki added that the Middle East is currently experiencing a "big political deadlock." Earlier today, a two-day international meeting to promote the peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict began in Russia’s capital Moscow.

Russia Ready to Help Greece Out Economically - Russian Envoy to EU
Sputnik News - Russia is prepared to help Greece out economically, including economic cooperation in privatizing the country’s infrastructure, Russian Envoy to the EU Vladimir Chizhov said. “Russia is ready to cooperate with Greece. As far as I know, Greece has not turned to Russia for direct financial aid. We have the ability of increasing our economic cooperation, in particular Greece has the ability of privatizing, including railroads and the port [in Thessaloniki],” he told RIA Novosti in an interview.

Radiation spikes after wildfire in Chernobyl exclusion zone
RT - Ukrainian nuclear inspectors have measured a significant increase in radiation in the Chernobyl exclusion zone caused by heavy wildfires raging in close proximity to the crippled nuclear power station.... The agency, however, has not released any information regarding possible health hazards for people living near the zone or firemen battling blazes nearby. It asserts that all other indicators in the area are normal. SNRI proposes an online map with the results of its monitoring of the situation.

Bank Of England Warns Greece "Threatens To Trigger Market Selloff That Could Ripple Through The Global Economy"
Zero Hedge - When it comes to Europe, Greece lost the blame game, and just like the Ukraine civil war last year, became an unwitting catalyst greenlighting Germany's concession to ECB QE, this time it may be Greece that launches the next step in the ECB's master plan: not just QE but more QE. This is precisely what Goldman's Franceso Garzarelli, co-head of macro and markets research, admitted earlier today in an interview on Bloomberg TV, when he said that the ECB "will have to go big" if the situation in Greece worsens and leads to wider peripheral bond yield spreads.

“Heartbreaking” Scene Unfolds At Greek Banks As Pensioners Clamor For Cash
Zero Hedge - 1,000 Greek bank branches chanced a stampede in order to open their doors to the country’s retirees on Wednesday. The scene was somewhat chaotic as pensioners formed long lines and the country’s elderly attempted to squeeze through the doors in order to access pension payments. As Bloomberg reports, payouts were rationed and disbursals were limited according to last name.... They were to receive a maximum of 120 euros ($133), compared with the average monthly payment of about 600 euros. Many left with nothing after the manager said only those with last names starting with the letters A through K would get paid.
* Related: In Athens, scavenging from bins has become a way to survive

Report: IMF Orders US Tour Operators to Withhold Payments to Greek Hotels
Paul Joseph Watson - The consequences of Greece’s default on its $1.7 billion IMF loan payment may already be damaging the country’s fragile economy with reports that the International Monetary Fund has ordered US tour operators to withhold payments to Greek hotels. According to Greek blogger Alex Andreou, US tour operators have been told to, “Withhold payments to Greek hotels for services used, by order of the IMF.” “To crush us is their aim,” tweets Andreou. He links to a Skai TV report, one of Greece’s mainstream news channels, which suggests that the payments are instead being redirected directly to the IMF to pay off the country’s debt.

Gazprom halts gas deliveries to Kiev – CEO Miller
RT - Russia’s gas monopoly will not supply gas to Kiev without prepayment, no matter what price, said company CEO Aleksey Miller on Wednesday. After trilateral Russia-EU-Ukraine gas talks in Vienna failed on Tuesday, Ukraine’s Naftogaz reported it would cease purchases of Russian gas starting from Wednesday as it didn’t agree on the price.... Russia offered Ukraine a discount of $40 per thousand cubic meters on Monday. The price of Russian gas with the discount was $247.18 per 1,000 cubic meters. The same price Ukraine bought gas in the second quarter. However, Naftogaz refused to sign the deal, saying Kiev was dissatisfied with the price and the discount. Ukraine's wish to get more than a 40 percent discount is "groundless", Russia's Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak told Rossiya 24 TV channel on Wednesday.

Pentagon’s new military strategy calls for preserving US dominion of the world
RT - The US military needs to remain engaged around the world against both rival states and non-state actors, while nurturing regional allies and promoting American values, declares the Pentagon’s new National Military Strategy 2015. That the United States is “the world’s strongest nation, enjoying unique advantages in technology, energy, alliances and partnerships, and demographics,” is the underlying assumption in the document. “However, these advantages are being challenged.” The main challengers are the state actors of Russia, Iran and North Korea, and non-state groups – particularly the “violent extremist organizations” (VEO) such as Islamic State and the Taliban. The strategy attempts to create a unified approach to dealing with both, seeking to “deter, deny, and defeat” the states and “disrupt and degrade” the non-state groups.

Tim Donnelly starts effort to repeal California's vaccination bill
KPCC - A day after Governor Jerry Brown signed a tough vaccination bill into law, former assemblyman and gubernatorial candidate Tim Donnelly started an effort to repeal it. Donnelly submitted his proposed referendum in a July 1 letter. The secretary of state will deliver a title and summary of the referendum by July 13; backers will then have 90 days to collect more than 365,000 valid referendum signatures, according to the Sacramento Bee. If they succeed in collecting enough signatures, the referendum will be placed on the Nov. 1, 2016 ballot.

US Lobbying for Pharma Giants at TPP Trade Deal Talks May Hike Drug Prices
Sputnik News - US negotiators are lobbying for broader patent rights for big drug firms in secret talks with Pacific Rim countries to drive up drug prices, Politico reported Wednesday, citing an edition of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal. A draft chapter on intellectual property rights, obtained by the magazine, shows that healthcare costs for governments and taxpayers will rise by trillions of dollars if the TPP deal is adopted in its current edition, the outlet said. Labor unions and NGOs familiar with the leaked text expressed anger that Washington had seemingly prioritized the agenda of "big pharma," abandoning the balance between affordable healthcare and more profits for drug companies to invest in R&D. "We consider this the worst-ever agreement in terms of access to medicine," Doctors Without Borders senior executive Rohit Malpani was quoted as saying by the news outlet.

TISA Exposed: 'Holy Grail' of Leaks Reveals Detailed Plot for Corporate Takeover
Common Dreams - Days ahead of another round of secret international negotiations, WikiLeaks on Wednesday released what it described as "a modern journalistic holy grail: the secret Core Text for the largest 'trade deal' in history."... "Together, the three treaties form not only a new legal order shaped for transnational corporations, but a new economic 'grand enclosure,' which excludes China and all other BRICS countries," declared WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange in a press statement.

State Department asserts privilege against Benghazi committee
Washington Examiner - The State Department has informed the House Select Committee on Benghazi that it is withholding "a small number" of documents from investigators on the basis of "important executive branch institutional interests." The statement, made in a letter from Assistant Secretary of State Julia Frifield to committee chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy, amounts to a de facto claim of some form of executive branch privilege.

Affirming 'Dignity of All People,' Mainstream Church Votes to Divest from Occupation-Profiting Companies
Common Dreams - The United Church of Christ, a one million-member, mainstream Protestant church in the U.S., has overwhelmingly passed a resolution to divest from companies it says profit from Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank. The church described the Tuesday vote, which took place at the General Synod in Cleveland, where it is based, as furthering its years-long efforts towards peace in the region. The resolution also calls for a boycott of products made by Israeli settlement-based companies.... The Episcopal Church and Mennonite Church USA area also weighing divestment resolutions this week.

Report: FBI Agents Telling Friends & Family to ‘Avoid July 4 Celebrations’
Paul Joseph Watson - Following warnings by the federal government that terrorists may be planning to attack Independence Day events, FBI agents are reportedly telling friends and family members to avoid major July 4 celebrations. Gateway Pundit’s Jim Hoft cites an “inside source” who told him that, “FBI agents are telling their friends and family members to avoid “official celebrations.” Hoft also claims that the FBI has canceled vacation for all its agents for the duration of the weekend.... Fox News also reported that the FBI is setting up command centers in all of its 56 field offices across the country to monitor potential terror threats. ISIS supporters have recently intensified their social media propaganda campaign, with almost 100,000 tweets a day urging mass murder.
* Related: ISIS Publishes Map of July 4th FBI Command Centers

Murdered: 3rd “Alternative” Prominent Doctor From Florida Found Dead in 2 Weeks
Natural Blaze - This has been a tragic few weeks and our hearts go out to family and friends of the doctors. First we had controversial Autism researcher Dr. Jeff Bradstreet MD who was found in a river with a gunshot wound to his chest and died in or around June 19th.... Then we have Dr. Bruce Hedendal DC PhD who died suddenly on Father’s Day. Sources tell me that he was found in his car and had died but the car was not running. There was no car accident they say. He was just in his car. Deceased. He had exercised earlier in the day they tell me and was in top shape. Now we have the beautiful intelligent Teresa Ann Sievers MD here in Florida. Her bio on her website talks about her many accomplishments and degrees as a medical doctor who believed in a holistic alternative approach. She lived in an “upscale” nice neighborhood where neighbors said they rarely, if ever had problems.

TSA Seizes $75,000 in Cash from Traveler, Tweets Picture of It, But Probably Won’t Give It Back
Daily Sheeple - When a passenger simply tried to take a bag filled with $75,000 in cash onto a flight at Richmond International Airport, the TSA searched his “bulky” bag and found the money. They quickly confiscated it. The man was allowed to board his flight, albeit $75,000 lighter. The guy was not under suspicion for any real crime other than having that much cash on himself at an airport. Apparently just having large sums of cash these days automatically equals a crime that allows the government to steal from you?

While Puerto Rico sinks in debt, residents flee in record numbers to the U.S.
Fox News Latino - Puerto Rico is losing its people. Whole families are leaving. “Se Vende” or “For Sale” signs are everywhere. Jet Blue and American Airlines are breaking records in one-way departure flights to Miami and New York. According to a recent Pew Report, Puerto Ricans are abandoning the besieged island for the United States in numbers that rival those seen during the Great Migration after World War II, when Puerto Rico exported almost half of its population to the mainland.

Why The Puerto Rico Debt Crisis Is Such A Huge Threat To The U.S. Financial System
Economic Collapse - The debt crisis in Puerto Rico could potentially cost financial institutions in the United States tens of billions of dollars in losses. This week, Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla publicly announced that Puerto Rico’s 73 billion dollar debt is “not payable,” and a special adviser that was recently appointed to help straighten out the island’s finances said that it is “insolvent” and will totally run out of cash very shortly. At this point, Puerto Rico’s debt is approximately 15 times larger than the per capita median debt of the 50 U.S. states. Yes, the Greek debt crisis is larger, as Greece currently owes about $350 billion to the rest of the planet. But only about $14 billion of that total is owed to U.S. financial institutions. But with Puerto Rico, things are very different. Just about the entire 73 billion dollar debt is owed to U.S. financial institutions, and this could potentially cause massive problems for some extremely leveraged Wall Street firms.

CPS To Cut 1400 Jobs After Making $634M Pension Payment
GovtSlaves - As many as 1,400 Chicago Public Schools jobs will be affected starting as soon as Wednesday. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and interim CPS CEO Jesse Ruiz will lay out a plan Wednesday to fully fund the school district’s teacher pensions. The announcement came after Tuesday’s 11th hour $634 million pension payment... “I can tell you it’s dismaying news. It will have an extremely harmful effect on students who are disproportionately poor, students of color that are in Chicago Public Schools,” CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey said.

In Oklahoma, Fracking Companies Can Now Be Sued Over Earthquakes
ThinkProgress - If you live in Oklahoma, and you’ve been injured by an earthquake that was possibly triggered by oil and gas operations, you can now sue the oil company for damages. That’s the effect of a ruling by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which on Tuesday rejected efforts by the oil industry to prevent earthquake injury lawsuits from being heard in court. Instead of being decided by juries and judges, the industry was arguing that cases should be resolved by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, a state regulatory agency. The state’s high court rejected that argument.... Right now, the state averages about 10 small earthquakes per day — on June 26, there were 25 quakes. The Oklahoma Geological Survey recognizes this is unprecedented, saying “[n]o documented cases of induced seismicity have ever come close to the current earthquake rates or the area over which the earthquakes are occurring.”

Lawsuit Begins Over Monsanto Polluting World With PCBs
Natural Society - Monsanto spun off its chemical business to a company called Solutia, but that may not provide protection in a recent lawsuit. Monsanto, along with Pfizer and Pharmacia, will have to defend themselves in court for allegations made by plaintiffs that the corporations’ manufacture of PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, caused lymphohematopoietic cancer. The lawsuit was filed in a St. Louis County Circuit Court, and Monsanto is a lead defendant. One of the most hated companies in the world for good reason, Monsanto manufactured PCBs from the 1920’s until 1977, when they were finally limited by government agencies and Congress. Today, PCBs have been in almost everything Americans are exposed to, from food packaging to paint.

The Poisonous Threat to Your Dog You Probably Aren't Aware Of
Dr. Becker - You might be surprised to know that toad poisoning in dogs is not uncommon. Over a 4-year period, Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) processed almost 300 claims from pet guardians whose dog (or much less often, cat) had an encounter with a deadly toad. In fact, it was one of the top 10 types of poisonings during that 4-year period.... If your dog comes in contact with a toxic toad, he’ll exhibit one or more of the following symptoms almost immediately... Toad poisoning is a life-threatening medical emergency. If you know or suspect your pet has been exposed to a deadly species of toad, rinse his mouth out immediately (preferably with a constant stream of water from a faucet or hose) and call your veterinarian, the closest emergency animal hospital, and/or the Pet Poison Helpline at 855-764-7661.
 

Wednesday - July 1, 2015 - Today in History:

1847 - The U.S. Post Office issued its first adhesive stamps.
1862 - The U.S. Congress established the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
1863 - During the U.S. Civil War, the first day's fighting at Gettysburg began.
1867 - Canada became an independent dominion.
1898 - During the Spanish-American War, Theodore Roosevelt and his "Rough Riders" waged a victorious assault on San Juan Hill in Cuba.
1905 - The USDA Forest Service was created within the Department of Agriculture. The agency was given the mission to sustain healthy, diverse, and productive forests and grasslands for present and future generations.
1916 - The massive Allied offensive known as the Battle of the Somme began in France. The battle was the first to use tanks.
1943 - The U.S. Government began automatically withholding federal income tax from paychecks.
1945 - New York established the New York State Commission Against Discrimination to prevent discrimination in employment because of race, creed or natural origin. It was the first such agency in the U.S.
1946 - U.S. President Harry Truman signed Public Law 476 that incorporated the Civil Air Patrol as a benevolent, nonprofit organization. The Civil Air Patrol was created on December 1, 1941.
1946 - The U.S. exploded a 20-kiloton atomic bomb near Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
1950 - American ground troops arrived in South Korea to stem the tide of the advancing North Korean army.
1961 - The first community air-raid shelter was built. The shelter in Boise, ID had a capacity of 1,000 people and family memberships sold for $100.
1963 - The U.S. postmaster introduced the five-digit ZIP (Zoning Improvement Plan) code.
1966 - The Medicare federal insurance program went into effect.
1968 - The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty was signed by 60 countries. It limited the spreading of nuclear material for military purposes. On May 11, 1995, the treaty was extended indefinitely.
1979 - Susan B. Anthony was commemorated on a U.S. coin, the Susan B. Anthony dollar.
1979 - Sony introduced the Walkman.
1980 - "O Canada" was proclaimed the national anthem of Canada.
1980 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter signed legislation that provided for 2 acres of land near the Lincoln Memorial for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
1981 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that candidates for federal office had an "affirmative right" to go on national television.
1991 - The Warsaw Pact dissolved.
2003 - In Hong Kong, thousands of protesters marched to show their opposition to anti-subversion legislation.

Turkey Plans To Invade Syria
Brandon Turbeville - Turkey’s plan, arranged by [President Recep] Erdogan through a series of rule changes to Turkish law, is being justified on the basis of the Syrian refugee crisis. Erdogan suggests that by creating a “buffer zone” in Syria, Syrian refugees will have a larger area in which to find shelter, particularly a larger area that is not Turkey. Yet Erdogan is not using the plan only for the benefit of Turkey’s humanitarian relief assistance programs or the Syrian refugees. While Erdogan’s public presentation of the plan also involves combating ISIS in Syria, the truth is that the military operation will be a battle against the secular government of Bashar al-Assad and the Kurdish forces carving out their own independent country in the areas bordering and possibly encompassing Turkey.

Islamic State threatens to topple Hamas in Gaza Strip in video statement
The Guardian - Islamic State insurgents have threatened to turn the Gaza Strip into another of their Middle East fiefdoms, accusing Hamas, the organization that rules the Palestinian territory, of being insufficiently stringent about religious enforcement. The video statement, issued from an Islamic State stronghold in Syria, was a rare public challenge to Hamas, which has been cracking down on jihadis in Gaza who oppose its truces with Israel and reconciliation with the US-backed rival Palestinian faction Fatah.

Equities Soar As Tsipras Said Ready To Accept Most Of Expired Bailout Offer, European Response Muted
Zero Hedge - Just hours after Greece became the first developed country to default to the IMF, as a result being expelled from its existing bailout program, a little before 5am CET news hit that Greek PM Tsipras was willing to concede to virtually all creditor demands, with a few exceptions. As the FT first reported, "Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras will accept most of the bailout creditors’ conditions offered last weekend, but is still insisting on a handful of changes that could thwart a deal according to a letter he sent late on Tuesday night."
* Related: Austerity not enough to save Greece - leaked IMF documents

ISIS Burns CIA Opium Fields in Afghanistan
Kurt Nimmo - The Islamic State is destroying opium fields in Afghanistan as it routs the Taliban, according to witnesses. The reports may ultimately result in the US sending troops back into the country to protect these valuable and highly lucrative assets.

Greece becomes first developed nation to default on international obligations
RT - The International Monetary Fund has confirmed that it didn't receive the €1.5 billion payment from Athens that was due by the end of June 30, Brussels time, as Greece becomes the first developed country to default on its international obligations. IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said in a statement that Greece had asked for a repayment extension earlier on Tuesday and that the Fund’s board will consider it “in due course.”

Australia and China sign free trade agreement
Bulletin Panama - The agreement will allow 85% of Australian exports to enter the Chinese market free of duties, a figure that will increase to 95% once it has been fully implemented. So far, Australian products pay import rates of up to 40%. Australia, meanwhile, removed the 5% duty on Chinese electronics and appliances. Food products, manufacturing and tourism are sectors that Australians will benefit from this treaty, according to the Australia China Business Council.

With court approval, NSA resumes bulk collection of phone data
Washington Post - The National Security Agency on Tuesday restarted its bulk collection of Americans’ phone records for a temporary period, following a federal court ruling this week that gave it the green light, U.S. officials said. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Monday ruled that the NSA could resume gathering millions of Americans’ phone metadata — call times, dates and durations — to scan for links to foreign terrorists. But the resumption is good for only 180 days — or until Nov. 29, in compliance with the USA Freedom Act. That law, which President Obama signed June 2 after a contentious congressional debate, will end the government’s bulk collection of metadata.

Another black church on fire in South Carolina
RT - The Mt. Zion AME Church in Williamsburg County, South Carolina is on fire and the roof has collapsed, according to local reports. Emergency crews are at the scene fighting the blaze. It’s currently unknown how the fire began, but local WCSC reported that officials received a call about it around 9 pm. The church is located on Mackey Road in Greeleyville.
* Related: #WhoIsBurningBlackChurches? No Evidence Fires Any Relation To Race, Some Not Arson

Obama Removes TPP’s Anti-Slavery Clause, Then Attacks Confederate Flag as “Symbol of Slavery”
Kit Daniels - Right before he publicly attacked the Confederate flag as a “symbol of slavery,” President Obama quietly removed an “anti-slavery” provision from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement. “The provision, which bars countries that engage in slavery from being part of major trade deals with the U.S., was written by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.),” The Huffington Post reported in May. “At the insistence of the White House, Menendez agreed to modify his language to say that as long as a country is taking ‘concrete’ steps toward reducing human trafficking and forced labor, it can be part of a trade deal.” “Under the original language, the country that would be excluded from the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership pact is Malaysia.”

Pope in US to meet with homeless, prisoners and immigrants
(AP) - Pope Francis will meet with homeless people, immigrants and prisoners during his upcoming trip to Cuba and the United States and become the first pope to address the U.S. Congress. He'll also preside over a meeting about religious liberty - a major issue for U.S. bishops in the wake of the Supreme Court's gay marriage decision.... Francis arrives in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 22 and the next day will be welcomed at the White House by President Barack Obama, the Vatican said. Francis will address Congress on Sept. 24, and will meet with homeless people later in the day at a local parish, St. Patrick's. On Sept. 25, Francis will speak on sustainable development at the United Nations, where he'll have another opportunity to voice his concerns about the environment.

Time Magazine: After Gay Marriage Victory, Kill ‘Tax Exemptions for Religious Institutions’
Breitbart - In a provocative piece in Time magazine, columnist Mark Oppenheimer has proposed following up Friday’s landmark Supreme Court decision imposing same-sex marriage on the nation with the abolition of tax exempt status for religious institutions. He laments, for instance, the difficulty the government has in determining which institutions qualify as churches or religious institutes, leading to an unfortunate entanglement of church and state. “Since the world’s great religion scholars can’t agree on what a religion is, it’s absurd to ask a bunch of accountants,” he writes.

Black Civil Rights Icon: The Problem is Blacks Killing Other Blacks, Not the Confederate Flag
Paul Joseph Watson - Black civil rights icon and former Mayor of Atlanta Andrew Young says that debate over the Confederate flag is a divisive non-issue which completely distracts from the real problem – the fact that 93% of blacks are killed by other blacks.... In an interview with Fox 5 Atlanta, Young skewers the politically correct outrage mob that has targeted the Confederate flag in the aftermath of the Charleston shooting, asserting that the elimination of southern heritage will do nothing to address the problems faced by black people today.

VIDEO: Brawl Breaks Out In Front Of South Carolina Statehouse Over Confederate Flag
(CBS Atlanta/AP) — One man has been arrested after a fight over the Confederate flag in front of the South Carolina Statehouse. The brawl started about 7:15 p.m. Monday when about a dozen vehicles with Confederate flag supporters pulled up in front of the Statehouse and stopped in the middle of the street, Public Safety Department spokeswoman Sherri Iacobelli said in a statement. About 10 of the flag supporters clashed with about 30 people who were on the Statehouse grounds protesting the flag, the statement said.... About 50 officers responded and contained the clash, including officers from the Bureau of Protective Services assigned to the Statehouse, as well as Columbia police, University of South Carolina officers and the South Carolina Highway Patrol.

Activists Plan to Burn American Flags in New York City Ahead of Fourth of July
The Blaze - A group calling for the immediate disarmament of the New York Police Department plans to burn American flags in a Brooklyn park on Wednesday, just days before the Fourth of July holiday. “Disarm NYPD” announced the “Burn the American Flags” event on Facebook, inviting individuals to join the organization at Fort Greene Park to “set fire to this symbol of oppression.” Organizers said accused Charleston shooter Dylann Roof wasn’t an “isolated actor,” but a “product of a consistent pattern of state-sponsored terrorism and radicalized dehumanization in America.” The event originally was aimed at burning the Confederate flag, but later changed to focus on the stars and stripes. “There will be no peace until we tear down this system of oppression,” the group wrote on Facebook. “It isn’t enough to take the flag down; we must put an end to white supremacy once and for all.”

The New Knockout Game: Nearly 50 Black Teens Raid Wal-Mart, Attack Shopper, Destroy Merchandise
Kit Daniels - In what’s perhaps the latest version of the “Knockout Game,” a mob of nearly 50 teenagers rushed into a Macon, Ga., Wal-Mart and attacked at least one shopper while destroying merchandise. The shopper was thrown from his motorized shopping cart and dragged to the floor during the Sunday attack, which caused an estimated $2,000 in damage, according to Bibb County sheriff’s officials. “The length of the store from front to rear was lined with items which had been shattered, destroyed, turned over and thrown about,” a sheriff’s deputy’s report of the incident stated.

War Veteran with PTSD Faces Life in Prison for Pot, His Wife Calls for Help
Truth in Media - Under Oklahoma's harsh marijuana prohibition laws, 100% disabled US Marine Corps veteran Kristoffer Lewandowski, who served three tours of duty overseas including stints in Iraq and Afghanistan, is reportedly facing up to life in prison for growing under an ounce of marijuana in his home in an effort to treat his PTSD and wean himself off of pharmaceutical drugs.

Barack Obama Promises That Events In Greece And Puerto Rico Will Not Cause A Global Financial Crisis
Michael Snyder - Barack Obama says that we shouldn’t be alarmed by what is happening over in Greece. On Tuesday, he told reporters that this “is an issue primarily of concern to Europe” and that “I think the markets have properly factored in the risks involved“. And apparently Obama is not too concerned about the debt crisis in Puerto Rico either. In fact, the Obama administration has already completely ruled out any sort of federal bailout for the island. Barack Obama is assuring us that everything is going to be just fine and that we are not headed for another global financial crisis. So is he correct?

The 75 Trillion Dollar Shadow Banking System Is In Danger Of Collapsing
Economic Collapse - Keep an eye on the shadow banking system – it is about to be shaken to the core. According to the Financial Stability Board, the size of the global shadow banking system has reached an astounding 75 trillion dollars. It has approximately tripled in size since 2002. In the U.S. alone, the size of the shadow banking system is approximately 24 trillion dollars. At this point, shadow banking assets in the United States are even greater than those of conventional banks. These shadow banks are largely unregulated, but governments around the world have been extremely hesitant to crack down on them because these nonbank lenders have helped fuel economic growth.

Puerto Rico, Chicago, Detroit: Is the US Set to Be the Next Greece?
Sputnik News - State and local pension plans throughout the United States are underfunded, which has some financial experts wondering whether the type of economic crisis that befell Greece could hit America sometime soon. A survey by the Center for Retirement Research found that 150 state and local pension plans had an average ratio of assets to liabilities of 74%. In other words, for every dollar those funds owe their pensioners, they only have 74 cents in assets. According to MarketWatch: Chicago's six pension plans are 40% funded; New Jersey's are at 51.5%; and Puerto Rico, which is facing its own crisis moment, is grossly underfunded at 3%. Many fear that elevated pension costs might push these public entities into insolvency. Detroit, as well as Vallejo, Stockton and San Bernardino in California, have already declared bankruptcy due to overwhelming pension costs.

Could LA's Big One be even bigger than we thought? Now explosive helium is leaking from massive earthquake fault under Los Angeles
Daily Mail - A huge fault in the Earth’s crust near Los Angeles is leaking helium, researchers have found. They say the unexpected find sheds new light on the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone in the Los Angeles Basin. It reveals the fault is far deeper than previously thought, and a quake would be far more devastating. It follows a report from the U.S. Geological Survey has warned the risk of ‘the big one’ hitting California has increased dramatically. UC Santa Barbara geologist Jim Boles found evidence of helium leakage from the Earth’s mantle along a 30-mile stretch of the Newport-Inglewood Fault Zone in the Los Angeles Basin. He claims the results show that the Newport-Inglewood fault is deeper than scientists previously thought.

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