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The Power Hour Past News

 

MARCH 2017 

Friday - March 31, 2017

On This Day In History:


1776 - Abigail Adams wrote to her husband John that women were "determined to foment a rebellion" if the new Declaration of Independence failed to guarantee their rights.
1779 - Russia and Turkey signed a treaty concerning military action in Crimea.
1831 - Quebec and Montreal were incorporated as cities.
1854 - The U.S. government signed the Treaty of Kanagawa with Japan. The act opened the ports of Shimoda and Hakotade to American trade.
1862 - Skirmishing between Rebels and Union forces took place at Island 10 on the Mississippi River.
1870 - In Perth Amboy, NJ, Thomas Munday Peterson became the first black to vote in the U.S.
1889 - In Paris, the Eiffel Tower officially opened.
1917 - The U.S. purchased and took possession of the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million.
1918 - For the first time in the U.S., Daylight Saving Time went into effect.
1932 - The Ford Motor Co. debuted its V-8 engine.
1940 - La Guardia airport in New York officially opened to the public.
1949 - Winston Churchill declared that the A-bomb was the only thing that kept the U.S.S.R. from taking over Europe.
1958 - The U.S. Navy formed the atomic submarine division.
1966 - An estimated 200,000 anti-war demonstrators march in New York City. (New York)
1970 - The U.S. forces in Vietnam down a MIG-21, it was the first since September 1968.
1976 - New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that Karen Quinlan could be disconnected from a respirator. Quinlan remained comatose until 1985 when she died.
1980 - U.S. President Carter deregulated the banking industry.
1998 - For the first time in U.S. history the federal government's detailed financial statement was released. This occurred under the Clinton administration.
1999 - Three U.S. soldiers were captured by Yugoslav soldiers three miles from the Yugoslav border in Macedonia.
2004 - Air America Radio launched five stations around the U.S.
2004 - Google Inc. announced that it would be introducing a free e-mail service called Gmail.
2004 - 4 American contractors were killed in Fallujah, Iraq; frenzied crowds dragged their burned, mutilated bodies and strung 2 of them from a bridge.
2005 - Terri Schiavo died at a hospice in Pinellas Park, Fla., 13 days after her feeding tube was removed in a wrenching right-to-die dispute.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Adam Schiff: Nunes Docs Came from Inside White House, New York Times Names Sources
The GatewayPundit - Numerous sources confirm intelligence reports given to Nunes came from two White House officials. House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Adam Schiff (D-CA) held an unscheduled press conference Thursday, March 30, 2017 stating “profound concern” regarding the way intelligence reports were potentially shared with chairman Rep. Devin Nunes. The New York Times reportedly released the names of the White House sources. It has been revealed that two White House officials, Ezra Cohen-Watnick, the senior director for intelligence at the National Security Council, and Michael Ellis, a lawyer working on national security issues, gave the documents to Nunes. A Reuters report states: “Representative Adam Schiff noted, “that White House staff has no reason to pass information to a congressional committee chairman rather than just delivering it to President Donald Trump directly.” Schiff went on to say that his investigation will not be distracted due to this information and will continue on with its investigation regarding the Russia probe despite clearly being distracted by this information. He stated numerous times that he does not care about “incidental information” on the topic of the wiretapping of President Trump. Democrats, once again, are concerned less about the material discovered and more about the ways in which the documents were discovered. Schiff asked, “Why all the cloak and dagger stuff.” When pressed on whether the report was wrong, Schiff said that he was, “not going to get into it,” which raises the question: are Democrats attempting to distract the public from what is inside the documents?

Senate kills family-planning rule; Pence breaks tie
Reuters - Vice President Mike Pence took the rare step of breaking a tie in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, casting the deciding vote to roll back protections for reproductive health funds. Using the Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to repeal recently minted regulations, senators killed a rule intended to keep federal grants flowing to clinics that provide contraception and other services in states that want to block the funding. The rule was enacted in the final weeks of former President Barack Obama's administration, giving lawmakers the opening to nullify it under the review law. In recent years states such as Texas have kept some healthcare providers from receiving the grants as part of the country's longstanding fight over abortion…. It was the second time on Thursday that Pence used his role as the chamber's president to end a deadlock. He was called to the capitol earlier to carry the resolution through a procedural vote. Saying the rule usurps states' rights, Republicans argued local lawmakers should decide how healthcare money is distributed.

Report: Obama Admin Blocked FBI Director’s Offer To Reveal Russian Meddling
Daily Caller - FBI Director James Comey planned to write an op-ed early last summer making the case that Russia was meddling in the U.S. election, but other top Obama administration officials vetoed the idea. That’s according to a report from Newsweek magazine. “The White House shut it down,” one source told the magazine of Comey’s op-ed offer. “They did their usual — nothing.” The revelation, if accurate, would appear to suggest that the Obama administration did not take Russia’s meddling in the presidential campaign as seriously as many Democrats would have liked…. According to Newsweek’s source, Comey’s op-ed would have laid out some of the evidence showing that the Kremlin was attempting to influence the presidential election. The Obama administration would not make a similar public accusation until Oct. 7, when the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security alleged that Russia was involved in cyber attacks against Democrats….

Federal judge in Hawaii extends court order blocking Trump travel ban
Reuters - A federal judge in Hawaii indefinitely extended on Wednesday an order blocking enforcement of President Donald Trump’s revised ban on travel to the United States from six predominantly Muslim countries. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson turned an earlier temporary restraining order into a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by the state of Hawaii challenging Trump’s travel directive as unconstitutional religious discrimination…. In its challenge to the travel ban, Hawaii claims its state universities would be harmed by the order because they would have trouble recruiting students and faculty. It also says the island state's economy would be hit by a decline in tourism. The court papers cite reports that travel to the United States "took a nosedive" after Trump's actions. The state was joined by a new plaintiff named Ismail Elshikh, an American citizen from Egypt who is an imam at the Muslim Association of Hawaii and whose mother-in-law lives in Syria, according to the lawsuit.

Seattle Files Lawsuit Over ‘Sanctuary Cities’ Funding Threat
NBC - The city of Seattle on Wednesday announced a federal lawsuit over the Trump administration’s threat to withhold federal grants to so-called “sanctuary cities,” citing the 10th Amendment that deals with states’ rights. “Apparently the Trump administration, their war on facts, has now become a war on cities,” Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said. He said the goal of the suit is to have a judge declare the order unconstitutional. “Let me be clear about the facts: We are not breaking any laws and we are prioritizing safety,” Murray said. President Donald Trump on Jan. 25 signed an executive order directing the federal government to ensure that jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with immigration officials are not eligible to receive some federal grants.

Hispanic-Owned Companies Bidding for ‘Trump Wall’ Contract Receive Death Threats
Breitbart - Owners of several construction companies in western states such as California and Arizona have reported a campaign of harassment after their names turned up in federal databases. There have been phone and email complaints, rocks thrown at buildings, death threats, and one company even said a company tractor was stolen, The Washington Post reported. According to a review of federal records, only 32 Hispanic-owned companies have thus far bid for any of the contracts currently offered by the federal government for Trump’s border wall.

New Huma Abedin Emails Reveal Additional Instances of Clinton Sending Classified Information through Unsecured Emails, Special Favors for Clinton Donors
[Judicial Watch] released 1,184 pages of State Department records, including previously unreleased Hillary Clinton email exchanges, revealing additional instances of Abedin and Hillary Clinton sending classified information through unsecured email accounts and contributors being given special access to the former secretary of state. The emails, were obtained in response to a court order from a May 5, 2015, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed against the State Department after it failed to respond to a March 18 FOIA request… The records contain 29 previously undisclosed Clinton emails – of a total of which is now at least 288 emails that were not part of the 55,000 pages of emails that Clinton turned over to the State Department…. In a February 2010 email exchange Jake Sullivan, then-Deputy Chief of Staff to Clinton, sent to Clinton’s and Abedin’s unsecure email accounts information that the State Department has classified as the material includes information “to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy; foreign relations or foreign activities of the US, including confidential sources.” The redacted information concerns “former GTMO [Guantanamo] detainee Binyam Mohamed” and Mohamed’s request for “various classified intelligence documents” that contained U.S. intelligence information related to his detention before he was taken to Guantanamo. In April 2010, Sid Blumenthal sent two email memos to Clinton containing information now classified. Clinton forwarded this material to Abedin’s unsecure email account. The classified information, which Clinton asks Abedin to print off for her, concerns the change of government in the Kyrgyz Republic….

Video: CNN ‘Investigated’ Russian Salad Dressing After White House Press Secretary’s Joke
Steve Watson - CNN bolstered its reputation as the most fake news network in the world this week when it carried out another of its hard hitting ‘investigations’ – this time into the truth behind Russian salad dressing. When White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer quipped earlier in the week if the President put Russian salad dressing on his dinner the media would use it as evidence of collusion, most just acknowledged the joke and moved on. Not CNN. As Mark Dice explains in the video below, CNN actually carried out an investigation into Russian salad dressing. The network actually paid a reporter to research Russian salad dressing and report back the findings. And weren’t they devastating insights. Russian salad dressing actually comes from Nashua, New Hampshire and, according to CNN, it is actually more of a sandwich spread rather than a salad dressing. Wow. hard hitting investigative journalism at its best. The network also brought on the reporter at whom Spicer was directing the comments, April Ryan of American Urban Radio Networks, to analyse the exchange. And yes, the conclusion this panel of experts reached was that Spicer is a SEXIST… Over on another fake news channel, MSNBC, the panel came up with another conclusion about Spicer stemming from the exchange with Ryan. The White House Press Secretary is also a RACIST… Yep, Spicer is racist and sexist. And that’s your evening news.

Never Before Seen Photographs of The 9/11 Attacks Released By The FBI
REALfarmacy - These photos (Below) seem to corroborate the theory that there was in fact no plane, but rather a cruise missile, which begs the question, “why were these released?” Surely no one at the FBI, or anywhere, thinks that these dispel any notion of conspiracy. If anything these photos give credence to the conspiracy, not the official narrative. I won’t be convinced until we have evidence of the 757 engine present at the pentagon crash site. hese engines have titanium components that could not have been destroyed in the heat of the wreckage so if a plane really did hit the pentagon, we would have undoubtedly found those components.

Kindergartner suspended over playing with pretend ‘stick gun’
EAG News - North Carolina school officials found 5-year-old Caitlin Miller guilty of violating school policy 4331, and sentenced the imaginative youngster to a one day suspension. Her crime: Playing “King and Queen” with her friends at recess, and using a stick as a make-believe gun to defend the royal couple against pretend invaders, WTVD reports. Miller’s mother, Brandy, told the news site she received a call from the officials at McLauchlin Elementary School on Friday to inform her about the punishment, which Miller served on Monday. “The assistant principal told me Caitlin had a stick and she was using it to shoot and kill other students,” Brandy Miller told Fox News’ Todd Starnes. “One minute she’s playing with her friends and the next her teachers are dragging her to the principal’s office,” Miller told WTVD. “She’s confused, nobody explained anything to her.” District officials issued a statement defending the suspension. “Hoke County Schools will not tolerate assaults, threats or harassment from any student,” district officials wrote in a prepared statement. “Any student engaging in such behavior will be removed from the classroom or school environment for as long as is necessary to provide a safe and orderly environment for learning.”

Santa Claus to appear as gay black man in new children's book ...
Washington Times - Harper Design said the picture book, “Santa’s Husband,” will go on sale Oct. 10 just in time for Christmas, Time reported Tuesday. The book will tell “the true story of a Black Santa and his White husband (who often fills in for him at malls),” according to a preview shared on Twitter this week by its author, Daniel Kibblesmith. Mr. Kibbelsmith, a staff writer for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” originally touched on book’s concept in a Dec. 6 tweet in which he joked his future children “will only know about Black Santa.” “If they see a white one we’ll say ‘That’s his husband,’” he tweeted at the time…. “Santa’s Husband” was initially pitched as a humorous parody children’s book, but the final product will be meant for all ages, Time reported.

World News

Trump Administration Signals It Won't Seek Assad’s Ouster
Sputnik News - On Thursday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Washington no longer will pursue an agenda of removing Syrian President Bashar Assad from power, marking a tectonic shift in US foreign policy. "Our priority," Haley said, "is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out," Haley said on Thursday. "Our priority is to really look at how do we get things done, who do we need to work with to really make a difference for the people in Syria." The question of whether Assad will retain power has had leaders scratching their heads all over the globe. Since January, a shaky ceasefire has been in effect, brokered by Moscow, Tehran and Ankara. Moscow and Ankara specifically have emerged as guarantors of the ceasefire, but essentially every other country, including the US under the Obama administration, wanted to see Assad removed from power. The question leaders have had to grapple with – whether Assad could, should or would stay in power – now seems to have gained some clarity.

Five Million Fled: UN Calls for Action as Syrian Refugee Crisis Hits Gruesome Milestone
Sputnik News - The UN Refugee Agency has announced that the number of those fleeing war-torn Syria has reached the 5 million mark, after six years of fighting. The UN body has called for the international community to do more to help the displaced. According to UN data, most of the refugees have fled to Turkey, which now hosts about 3 million Syrians. Following Turkey is Jordan, which has given asylum to between 657,000 and 1.3 million Syrians, according to various counts. About 1 million Syrians are in Lebanon, whose government has refused to create official refugee camps for them, leaving refugees to seek shelter in informal camps with poor living conditions. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have also fled to Europe, though not all of them have been granted refugee status, according to the UN report. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have also fled to Europe, though not all of them have been granted refugee status, according to the UN report.

Video Shows Saudi Man Literally Herding Veiled Muslim Women With a Stick
Paul Joseph Watson - Is this the brand of Islam feminists want to import to the west? A disturbing video out of Saudi Arabia shows a man with a stick literally herding veiled young Muslim women with a stick as they wait for their male guardians before being allowed to leave. The clip shows a man allowing some students to leave before he orders the others to return indoors by banging a stick against a mental hand rail. At the end of the clip he appears to strike one of the women on the head with the stick. According to a Saudi feminist who posted the video on Twitter, it shows a high school guard fulfilling his duties, which include making sure the students are always fully covered and ensuring “women are caged until their guardians or drivers come”.

Economy & Business

Taxing (and Antiquing) Them Off the Road
Eric Peters Autos - For planned obsolescence to work, you’ve got to keep the conveyor belt rolling. And most of all, prevent anyone from getting off. It is a problem if people “cling” to their old cars instead of regularly trading them in – ideally, to be crushed – for new ones – hopefully, heavily financed. But how to get rid of the old cars when people decline to get rid of them voluntarily? Democratic politicians in Oregon have just the thing. It is House Bill 2877 and – if it becomes law – it will impose heavy taxes on cars 20 years old or more to the tune of $1,000 payable every five years, in perpetuity – unless the owner obtains Antique Vehicle registration and tags for the vehicle. The Antique tags, of course, cost extra – and once registered as an Antique, the vehicle may no longer be legally driven regularly but only occasionally, to “parades” and “shows” and so on. It’s one step away from drilling holes in the engine block and turning the car into a static display. The legislation would make older cars either functionally useless – or usuriously expensive to drive . . . if you insist on clinging.

Energy & Environment

Al Gore: Climate Change is “PRINCIPAL” Cause of Syrian WarWar, Brexit (Video)
Breitbart - Thursday in London at Advertising Week Europe 2017 during an interview with Empire Editor-in-Chief Terri White, former Vice-President Al Gore said climate change was a “principal” cause of the Syrian Civil War and Brexit…. [Gore said, ] “The scientists have published these peer review studies for several years now showing exactly why it’s related to the climate crisis. From 2006 to 2010, 60 percent of the farms in Syria were destroyed and had to be abandoned and 80 per cent of the livestock were killed. The drought in the eastern Mediterranean is the worst ever on record – the records only go back 900 years, but it’s historic. And 1.5 million climate refugees were driven into the cities in Syria, where they collided with refugees from the Iraq War….”
* Related: Fewer Than 1 Percent Of Papers in Scientific Journals Follow Scientific Method

Science & Technology

Facial Recognition Tech Could Ensnare Millions of Innocent Americans for Crimes They Didn’t Commit
Daniel Lang - During a recent Congressional Oversight Committee hearing, members of both political parties sounded the alarm on the FBI’s use of the technology, and read the written testimony of Electronic Frontier Foundation senior staff attorney Jennifer Lynch: Lynch detailed the stunning scope of the FBI’s photo collection. In addition to collecting criminal and civil mug shots, the agency currently has “memorandums of understanding” with 16 states that mean every driver’s license photo from those states is accessible to the agency—without the drivers’ consent. The FBI also has access to photos from the U.S. State Department’s passport and visa records. Lynch argued that “Americans should not be forced to submit to criminal face recognition searches merely because they want to drive a car. They shouldn’t have to worry their data will be misused by unethical government officials with unchecked access to face recognition databases. And they shouldn’t have to fear that their every move will be tracked if face recognition is linked to the networks of surveillance cameras that blanket many cities.” “But without meaningful legal protections, this is where we may be headed,” Lynch stated. “Without laws in place, it could be relatively easy for the government and private companies to amass databases of images of all Americans and use those databases to identify and track people in real time as they move from place to place throughout their daily lives.”

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Monsanto Plans to Expand on Deadly Pesticide Production
REALfarmacy - Locals are unhappy with Monsanto’s new $975 million expansion in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. The Luling plant in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana will manufacture dicamba, a controversial herbicide used in the company’s new XtendiMax weedkiller for GMO soybeans and cotton. People are unhappy about Monsanto moving in, and they do not care about the 120 potential jobs that could come with the expansion. California could become the first state to require Monsanto to label its glyphosate-based herbicide, Roundup, as a possible carcinogen following a judge’s tentative ruling on Jan 27. Yet Monsanto still opposes the ruling, saying its top-selling product is safe. Yet Monsanto’s $975 million investment on dicamba represents a major shift from its bread-and-butter glyphosate herbicide business. Gyphosate is the world’s most widely used herbicide and it has faced backlash since the World Health Organization linked it to cancer in March 2015. Another huge issue with glyphosate are the “superweeds” that have become resistant to the herbicide. Monsanto’s new XtendiMax weedkiller, a combination of dicamba and glyphosate, is designed to address the problem…. The new facility in Luling is expected to be completed in 2019.

The 5 Best Medicinal Plants You Can Grow In Your Backyard
Off the Grid News - 1. Feverfew - Once it blooms during spring, it continues to grow throughout the season. Feverfew has been used for centuries to — you guessed it — reduce fevers. It also has properties that help to reduce headaches and stomach illnesses…. 2. Echinacea - One of the most popular medicinal herbs is Echinacea, which produces a beautiful purple flower. Echinacea grows up to 36 inches tall and has a long growing season. You will notice an abundance of bees and butterflies attracted to your garden, as well, helping to pollinate. chinacea can be used to boost the immune system if you have the flu or cold. Historically, people used it to fight infections, relieve pain, treat snake bites, reduce coughs and heal sore throats…. 3. Lemon balm - Everyone needs at least one type of mint plant in their garden. Lemon balm happens to be one of my favorites! You can add it to teas to create a delicious tea, but it does more than that. Those suffering from insomnia, anxiety, an upset stomach, or a viral infection can find lemon balm useful. Our family uses it as a natural mosquito repellant and treatment for colicky infants…. 4. Yarrow - It can reduce fevers, shorten flu and colds, help kids to relax and lessen cramps. You also can use yarrow topically to help with skin itching and rashes. Some people have success relieving allergy symptoms by drinking yarrow tea!… 5. Calendula - While I grow a variety of herbs and flowers, calendula is, by far, one of the most useful flowers. The beautiful, orange flowers pop in the summertime against the green grass. Calendula petals are edible; try adding them to your salads. For centuries, people found ways to use calendula to disinfect minor wounds, treat infections, heal skin irritation and reduce pain. One of my favorite ways to use it is by creating a homemade diaper cream for rashes. Making a healing salve from calendula is simple and makes a fantastic addition to your first-aid kit. All you need to do is spread it over irritations and small cuts.

Health

Potent gut healing probiotic turmeric kefir tea
STEPin2 - Kefir is one of the newest health crazes that is sweeping the nation. This potent gut healing probiotic turmeric kefir tea will refresh the all-important intestinal tract. Why is your gut so important? Besides digesting food and making it useable for the body, the gut is also key to keeping you healthy. Science has shown that the majority of the immune system actually lives in the gut, and that the beneficial bacteria in the gut are key to fighting many diseases…. Directions: Pour 3 1/2 cups of water kefir into an airtight BPA-free container • Add 1 tbsp of lemon juice • Add a 1-inch piece of fresh turmeric root, peeled and chopped • Close the container and let ferment for 1-3 days • The longer it ferments, the more carbonation will occur • Refrigerate and serve cold.

Remove Scars Naturally With These 9 Remedies
Natural Blaze - [A] Scar typically is the result of an injury, such as a burn, cut, laceration, acne, incision due to surgery or stretch marks from pregnancy and significant weight changes. Here are some secrets how to remove scars naturally…. 1. Onion Extract/Gel - Onion extract contains several unique bioflavonoids, such as cepalin, quercetin, and kaempferol. This makes it an excellent natural option for scar removal…. 2. Coconut Oil and Shea Butter - You can use raw coconut oil or shea butter to keep the wound moist. This also helps prevent a scar or keeps a scar from getting too deep, large, or itchy. The antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids in both coconut oil and shea butter have been shown to repair skin and inhibit keloid scar tissue…. 3. Aloe Vera - The best option is to use the fresh gel-like substance directly from the aloe vera leaf. You just need to peel the outer green cover and then directly apply the gel onto the affected area. Leave it for about 30 minutes or longer if possible. Because it dries quickly, you can even sleep with it. Repeat this procedure two or three times daily. It will give a nice glow to your skin, reduce wrinkles and what is best will make your acne scars diminish. Note: Don’t apply aloe vera gel on open wounds….
 


Thursday - March 30, 2017

On This Day In History:

1822 - Florida became a U.S. territory.
1842 - Dr. Crawford W. Long performed the first operation while his patient was anesthetized by ether.
1867 - The U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars.
1870 - The 15th amendment, guaranteeing the right to vote regardless of race, was passed by the U.S. Congress.
1870 - Texas was readmitted to the Union.
1903 - Revolutionary activity in the Dominican Republic brought U.S. troops to Santo Domingo to protect American interests.
1905 - U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was chosen to mediate in the Russo-Japanese peace talks.
1909 - In Oklahoma, Seminole Indians revolted against meager pay for government jobs.
1916 - Pancho Villa killed 172 at the Guerrero garrison in Mexico.
1944 - The U.S. fleet attacked Palau, near the Philippines.
1945 - The U.S.S.R. invaded Austria during World War II.
1946 - The Allies seized 1,000 Nazis attempting to revive the Nazi party in Frankfurt.
1972 - The Eastertide Offensive began when North Vietnamese troops crossed into the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in the northern portion of South Vietnam.
1975 - As the North Vietnamese forces moved toward Saigon South Vietnamese soldiers mob rescue jets in desperation.
1981 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded in Washington, DC, by John W. Hinckley Jr. Two police officers and Press Secretary James Brady were also wounded.
1984 - The U.S. ended its participation in the multinational peace force in Lebanon.
2002 - Suspected Islamic militants set off several grenades at a temple in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Four civilians, four policemen and two attackers were killed and 20 people were injured.
2006 - American reporter Jill Carroll, a freelancer for The Christian Science Monitor, was released after 82 days as a hostage in Iraq.
2009 - The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that the new World Trade Center building would be officially known by its legal name of "One World Trade Center."

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Did Obama’s Defense Deputy Just Admit Spying on Trump? (Video)
Paul Joseph Watson - Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Evelyn Farkas has caused controversy after she appeared to admit during an appearance on MSNBC that the Obama administration spied on Donald Trump’s transition team in order to gather “intelligence” for political use. Farkas explained to Mika Brzezinski how in its final days, the Obama administration scrambled to gather information about the Trump team’s alleged ties to Russia… . I was urging my former colleagues, and, and frankly speaking the people on the Hill [Democrat politicians], it was more actually aimed at telling the Hill people, get as much information as you can – get as much intelligence as you can – before President Obama leaves the administration. Because I had a fear that somehow that information would disappear with the senior [Obama] people who left; so it would be hidden away in the bureaucracy, um, that the Trump folks – if they found out HOW we knew what we knew about their, the Trump staff, dealing with Russians – that they would try to compromise those sources and methods; meaning we no longer have access to that intelligence…. Farkas’ admission suggests she was a source for the New York Times, which revealed earlier this month that, “More than a half-dozen current and former officials” had attempted to “preserve and distribute the intelligence,” including “classified information” before Trump took office.

Obamacare 'Explosion' Could Come On May 22nd, Here's Why
Zero Hedge - After a stunning healthcare defeat last week, delivered at the hands of his own party no less, Trump took to twitter to predict the imminent 'explosion' of Obamacare. As it turns out, that 'explosion' could come faster than anyone really expects as legislators and health insurers have to make several critical decisions about the 2018 plan year over the next 2 months which could seal Obamacare's fate. As the Atlanta Journal Constitution points out today, the Trump administration has until May 22nd to decide whether they will continue to pursue the Obama administration's appeal to provide subsidies to insurers who participate in the federal exchanges. Of course, any decision to remove those subsidies would likely result in yet another massive round of premium hikes and further withdrawals from the already crippled exchanges where an astounding number of counties across the country have already been cut to just 1 health insurance provider. And, as we've pointed out before, higher rates = lower participation = deterioration of risk pool = higher rates....and the cycle just repeats until it eventually collapses…. While all this uncertainty swirls, health insurers must decide — soon — whether to make rate filings to sell insurance in 2018. The deadline varies by state, but for those that have marketplaces run by the federal government, it is June 21.

Ivanka Trump, Shifting Plans, Will Become a Federal Employee
NY Times - Ms. Trump’s title will be assistant to the president. Her husband, Jared Kushner, has the title of senior adviser. “We are pleased that Ivanka Trump has chosen to take this step in her unprecedented role as first daughter and in support of the president,” a spokeswoman for the president said in an email. “Ivanka’s service as an unpaid employee furthers our commitment to ethics, transparency, and compliance and affords her increased opportunities to lead initiatives driving real policy benefits for the American public that would not have been available to her previously.”

Fox News Brings Back Judge Napolitano, Who Still Stands By Obama Wiretapping Claim [VIDEO]
The Daily Caller - Judge Andrew Napolitano made his first appearance on Fox News Wednesday since making the claim that President Obama surveilled Trump Tower during the 2016 election nearly two weeks ago. At his beginning of his latest appearance, host Bill Hemmer brought up the suspension, yet Napolitano said he still stands by claim.

Vetoed: Virginia Governor Rejects Bill to Prohibit “Sanctuary City” Policies
Tenth Amendment Center - Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed a bill that would have prohibited so-called “sanctuary cities” that refuse to cooperate with enforcement of some federal immigration laws. A coalition of 10 Republican delegates sponsored House Bill 2000 (HB2000). The legislation would have prohibited any local government from implementing sanctuary city policies. “No locality shall adopt any ordinance, procedure, or policy that restricts the enforcement of federal immigration laws to less than the full extent permitted by federal law.”

Disgusting! Leftists Attack V.P. Mike Pence For Being Loyal to His Wife!
The GatewayPundit - Liberals never cease to amaze me with their gutter attacks on everything moral and good in society. The Washington Post and other vile leftists are now attacking Vice President, Mike Pence for being too loyal to his wife. Vice President, Pence has a rule that he doesn’t dine with another woman alone if his wife isn’t present. Instead of praising this man for honoring God, his marriage, and his children, the left is attacking him…. Look at this lovely WaPo blogger…
Related: Washington Post: Karen Pence is the vice president’s ‘prayer warrior,’ gut check and shield

Video: Center for Medical Progress Video Investigation — Planned Parenthood Abortionist: ‘Pay Attention to Who’s in the Room’ When Verifying Signs of Life
Breitbart - A new video released by Center for Medical Progress (CMP) reveals a former Planned Parenthood abortionist allegedly discussing how she performs elective abortions on healthy unborn babies up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, and the situation she encounters if a baby is aborted showing some signs of life…. “In Arizona, if the fetus comes out with any signs of life, we’re supposed to transport it. To the hospital.” When asked if there is “any standard procedure for verifying signs of life?” Taylor responds by saying, “The key is, you need to pay attention to who’s in the room, right?”…

15 felony charges for 2 who secretly filmed Planned Parenthood
Washington Examiner - California prosecutors on Tuesday charged two anti-abortion activists who made undercover videos of themselves trying to buy fetal tissue from Planned Parenthood with 15 felonies, saying they invaded the privacy of medical providers by filming without consent. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a former Democratic member of Congress, announced the charges against David Daleiden of Davis, California, and Sandra Merritt of San Jose. The two operate the Irvine-based Center for Medical Progress. The allegations say the pair filmed 14 people without permission between October 2013 and July 2015 in Los Angeles, San Francisco and El Dorado counties. One felony count was filed for each person. The 15th was for criminal conspiracy to invade privacy…. Daleiden, in an email to the Associated Press, said the "bogus" charges are coming from "Planned Parenthood's political cronies."

California Could Force Colleges To Dispense Abortifacient Pills To Students
The Daily Caller - California could soon pass legislation that would force all 146 taxpayer-funded colleges and universities in the state to dispense abortifacient pills — first designated as RU-486 — to students. A bill is now making it way though the state legislature is aiming to do just that, reports The College Fix. Democratic state Sen. Connie Leyva has introduced the College Student Right to Access Act this month and claims if the bill is successfully passed it “will help to improve the academic success of students.” She makes no attempt to correlate academic success and having an abortion. The program would require student health insurance plans to provide “medical abortions” at the state’s 10 University of California schools, 23 Cal State campuses and 113 community colleges…. The abortifacient pill is actually a combination of drugs that induces a miscarriage and terminates a pregnancy. Common complications that women experience from use of the “medicine” includes heavy bleeding, nausea and strong abdominal pain associated with forcing the fetus out of the body over several days. The pill may be administered throughout the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.

World News

New Zealand’s Whanganui River Granted Legal Personhood in Landmark Environmental Ruling
Wake Up World - …a unique method to protect the environment is emerging in several other countries around the world that should give Americans pause for thought: placing mother earth on equal legal footing as humans, with the same “rights and interests.” The third-longest river in New Zealand — known as Te Awa Tupua to the indigenous Maori people — the Whanganui flows approximately 321 km from the Hawkes Bay area in the northern region of the country, down to the Tasman Sea. It’s also the first river in the world to be granted the legal status of personhood. Following a dispute dating back to the 1870s involving the New Zealand government and the iwi — the local Maori tribe, who rely on the Whanganui river — a settlement has been reached that will “give the river the power to represent its own interests and advocate on its own behalf.” The river will be represented by two spokespersons — one appointed by the iwi, and another by the government…. As part of the settlement, $28 million will be allocated for the rejuvenation of the river and $75 million in financial redress to the iwi involving historical claims.

Stunning footage shows a giant Russian volcano violently erupting for the first time in 250 YEARS
Daily Mail - This dramatic footage show a Russian volcano awakening for the first time in 250 years. The snow-covered colossus last erupted in the reign of Catherine the Great but in recent days has spewed out a 60-mile (100km) long ash plume that was visible from space. Scientists on the Kamchatka peninsula in the far east of Russia had not predicted 7,103ft Kambalny volcano suddenly emerging from hibernation.

Economy & Business

Budget Woes: US Marines Could Be Forced to Ground Half of Aerial Fleet
Sputnik News - US military officials say that if Washington does not pass a clean, full-year budget resolution soon, the Marines will be compelled to shut down half of their aerial fleet. Specifically, the US Marine Corps would close down operations for six F/A-18 squadrons, which feature between 12 and 24 jets each, along with four Harrier squadrons, according to Lt. Gen. Jon Davis. "So, half our fleet," Davis said. The US Navy echoed the readiness concerns expressed by the Marines. While not specifying how many jets would halt operations, US naval forces "are going to have to shut down squadrons as well," Rear Adm. Chip Miller told the House Armed Service Committee on March 28. The current continuing resolution, or CR, caps military spending lower than what the military would prefer. US President Donald Trump has submitted to the House a new budget that would boost military spending by almost 10 percent, to more than $639 billion. The $54 billion in new spending for the military comprises 80 percent of Russia’s annual defense expenditures, The Intercept reported.

St. Louis Just Hiked Minimum Wage By 43%; Guess What Happens Next
Zero Hedge - "A new analysis by Dr. David Macpherson of Trinity University and Dr. William Even of Miami University finds that an $11 minimum wage in St. Louis would cost the city roughly 1,000 jobs, with the job loss mostly occurring among the city’s most vulnerable populations."

Energy & Environment

Video: First Trailer for Al Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power’
Breitbart - Al Gore is back again to warn about the dangers of climate change in the first trailer for An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power.… The trailer also features several brief excerpts of President Donald Trump’s comments on global warming, and shows Gore delivering lectures and traveling around the world to survey climate-related damage up close…. The trailer’s release came the same day President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will roll back several key energy industry regulations signed into law by former President Barack Obama.

Science & Technology

J Scott Armstrong: Fewer Than 1 Percent Of Papers in Scientific Journals Follow Scientific Method
Breitbart - Professor Armstrong, who co-founded the peer-reviewed Journal of Forecasting in 1982 and the International Journal of Forecasting in 1985, made the claim in a presentation about what he considers to be “alarmism” from forecasters over man-made climate change. “We also go through journals and rate how well they conform to the scientific method. I used to think that maybe 10 percent of papers in my field … were maybe useful. Now it looks like maybe, one tenth of one percent follow the scientific method” said Armstrong in his presentation, which can be watched in full below. “People just don’t do it.”… Digging deeper into their motivations, Armstrong pointed to the wealth of incentives for publishing papers with politically convenient rather than scientific conclusions…. “They cheat. If you don’t get statistically significant results, then you throw out variables, add variables, [and] eventually you get what you want.”

Health

Common drug for bladder problems linked to dementia
What Doctors Don't Tell You - Doctors are routinely prescribing a drug to treat overactive bladder that can trigger dementia. The drug, Ditropan (oxybutynin), is given to around a quarter of elderly patients with the problem in the US, even though safer options are available. Oxybutynin has been "consistently linked" with dementia and cognitive impairment, say researchers from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, but doctors rarely monitor patients and only around 9 per cent of patients have a neurological examination before they start taking it. Despite its side effects, oxybutynin is still the drug of choice in the US, where it's prescribed to 27 per cent of elderly people with overactive bladder. Its usage around Europe varies, from as little as 7 per cent of patients in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and up to 70 per cent in Italy. Oxybutynin is an antimuscarinic, a family of drugs derived from mushrooms that are designed to control overactive bladder, a common problem that affects around 9 per cent of the over-65s. Oxybutynin is the cheapest option in the antimuscarinic family, which probably is the reason it is so frequently prescribed.

85% of Tampons, Pads and Other Feminine Care Products Contaminated with Monsanto’s Cancer-Causing, Endocrine-Disrupting Glyphosate
Wake Up World - …researchers from the University of La Plata found that a vast majority of these products contain glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s wildly popular Roundup herbicide and the same chemical that’s considered a “probable carcinogen” by the World Health Organization…. Not only did the research team find 85 percent of the cotton products tested positive for glyphosate, but also discovered that 62 percent of the samples contained AMPA (or aminomethylphosphonic acid) — an environmental metabolite of glyphosate, which is potentially 1,000 times more toxic once inside the body. However, the numbers were higher for some of the products. Says lead researcher Dr. Damian Marino: “Eighty-five percent of all samples tested positive for glyphosate and 62 percent for AMPA, which is the environmental metabolite, but in the case of cotton and sterile cotton gauze the figure was 100 percent.” All the samples — gauze, swabs, wipes and feminine care products — were purchased in the La Plata area from local pharmacies and supermarkets…. Dr. Medardo Avila Vazquez, president of the congress, draws attention to the fact that most cotton production is now genetically modified, where Roundup “is sprayed when the bud is open and the glyphosate is condensed and goes straight into the product.”

You Have a Morphine-Like Painkiller Growing In Your Backyard
Natural Blaze - Lactuca Virosa – aka “opium lettuce” or bitter lettuce – must be one of the modern world’s best kept secrets. And it’s probably getting mowed down in your backyard! Look for it in North America and England. Hopefully the pictures will help but apparently it’s tall, leafy and can have small, yellow buds. It contains a milky, white substance with the opium-like qualities – however, it’s important to know that the plant contains no opiates and is perfectly legal. Ask a Prepper says this milky substance is called lactucarium “acts directly on the central nervous system (CNS) to lessen the feeling of pain, just like morphine.” This is extremely good news for those with Epstein-Barr Virus, Fibromyalgia, nerve injury, surgical pain and inflammation. They report that wild lettuce wasn’t a secret in the 1800s, but was also sought as an alternative to opium, which was basically a scourge on the earth at the time. Apparently, it made a comeback in the 1970s when natural health food stores began cropping up more and more. The bitterness of the herb has made teas, tinctures, resins, or even smoking/vaping a more popular way to take than historical reduction cooking methods.

How to Make Your Own Charcoal Face Mask to Deep Clean and Detoxify the Skin
Living Traditionally - Activated charcoal is beneficial for skin problems such as acne because it possesses adsorption properties. When applied onto the skin, activated charcoal performs an incredible job at reacting with the elements and absorbing acne-causing bacteria. It deep cleanses and purifies your skin…. How This Face Mask Works: 1 cup of Organic Coconut Oil, 1 teaspoon of bentonite clay, 5 drops of tea tree oil… Mix these ingredients together until you have an even consistency…. Allow the mask to work on your skin for at least 10 – 15 minutes.

Pet News

Video: Forget Cat Cafés – Now There’s a Cat Massage Parlor!
The Catington Post - Cat cafés started in Japan and are now springing up all over the world. Here’s another trend that’s started in Japan we’re really hoping makes it’s way across the pond – cat massage parlors! At a spa in Japan, cat lovers can opt for a feline add-on to their massages. Kitties are on staff, and on the table, to take over during massages.

Video: Vet Comforts Puppy After Surgery
The Dodo - This puppy was so scared when she woke up after surgery — but a really sweet vet was there to make her feel safe…. To help these rescuers take care of more pets like Maddie, you can support the BARCS Animal Shelter.
 


Wednesday - March 29, 2017

On This Day In History:


1847 - U.S. troops under General Winfield Scott took possession of the Mexican stronghold at Vera Cruz.
1848 - Niagara Falls stopped flowing for one day due to an ice jam.
1867 - The British Parliament passed the North America Act to create the Dominion of Canada.
1882 - The Knights of Columbus organization was granted a charter by the State of Connecticut.
1903 - A regular news service began between New York and London on Marconi's wireless.
1906 - In the U.S., 500,000 coal miners walked off the job seeking higher wages.
1941 - The British sank five Italian warships off the Peloponnesus coast in the Mediterranean.
1943 - In the U.S. rationing of meat, butter and cheese began during World War II.
1951 - The Chinese reject MacArthur's offer for a truce in Korea.
1961 - The 23rd amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The amendment allowed residents of Washington, DC, to vote for president.
1962 - Cuba opened the trial of the Bay of Pigs invaders.
1971 - Lt. William Calley Jr., of the U.S. Army, was found guilty of the premeditated murder of at least 22 Vietnamese civilians. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. The trial was the result of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam on March 16, 1968.
1971 - A jury in L.A. recommended the death penalty for Charles Manson and 3 females for the 1969 Tate-La Bianca murders. The death sentences were later commuted to live in prison.
1973 - The last U.S. troops left South Vietnam.
1974 - Eight Ohio National Guardsmen were indicted on charges stemming from the shooting deaths of four students at Kent State University on May 4, 1970. All the guardsmen were later acquitted.
1979 - The Committee on Assassinations Report issued by U.S. House of Representatives stated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy was the result of a conspiracy.
1992 - Democratic presidential front-runner Bill Clinton said "I didn't inhale and I didn't try it again" in reference to when he had experimented with marijuana.
1993 - The South Korean government agreed to pay financial support to women who had been forced to have sex with Japanese troops during World War II.
1995 - The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a constitutional amendment that would have limited terms to 12 years in the U.S. House and Senate.
2004 - Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia became members of NATO.
2010 - In Japan, the Tokyo Skytree tower became the tallest structure in Japan when it reached 1,109 feet.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Trump Asks Why Intelligence Committee Isn’t Probing The Clintons
Zero Hedge - Following a day of drama involving the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes, who has been under constant onslaught by Democrats ever since his disclosure last week that Trump had indeed been the object of surveillance, and whose Democrat peer at the Intel panel, Adam Schiff, on Monday night called for Nunes to recuse himself, moments ago Trump waded into the news cycle when he asked on Twitter why the House Intelligence Committee is not investigating the Clintons for various ties of their own to Russia. He then slammed the ongoing anti-Russian witch hunt, saying “the Russia story is a hoax.” “Why isn’t the House Intelligence Committee looking into the Bill & Hillary deal that allowed big Uranium to go to Russia, Russian speech, money to Bill, the Hillary Russian ‘reset,’ praise of Russia by Hillary, or Podesta Russian Company. Trump Russia story is a hoax. #MAGA!” Trump wrote in two tweets Monday night.

Congress races toward April deadline to avert government shutdown
USA Today - House and Senate negotiators of both parties are racing to reach agreement on a spending package to prevent a government shutdown on April 28. Members of the House and Senate Appropriations committees intend to have a bill ready the week of April 24, just days before the current stopgap funding for federal agencies is set to expire, House Appropriations Committee spokeswoman Jennifer Hing said Monday. The timeline is especially tight because lawmakers are scheduled to be in session only about a dozen days between now and the midnight April 28 deadline.

Trump signs order dismantling Obama-era climate policies
Reuters - President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an order to undo Obama-era climate change regulations, keeping a campaign promise to support the coal industry and calling into question U.S. support for an international deal to fight global warming. Flanked by coal miners and coal company executives, Trump proclaimed his "Energy Independence" executive order at the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency. The move drew swift backlash from a coalition of 23 states and local governments, as well as environmental groups, which called the decree a threat to public health and vowed to fight it in court. The order's main target is former President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan, which required states to slash carbon emissions from power plants - a key factor in the United States' ability to meet its commitments under a climate change accord reached by nearly 200 countries in Paris in 2015.

Alabama Republican Rep. Mo Brooks Introduces One Line Bill to Repeal Obamacare
Breitbart - On the same day that the House of Representatives canceled its vote on Ryancare, Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks filed a simple one-line bill to repeal Obama’s signature health care law. The Huntsville Republican titled the bill ‘Obamacare Repeal Act.” It is short and to the point, AI.com reported. “Effective as of Dec. 31, 2017, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is repealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by such Act are restored or revived as if such Act had not been enacted,” the bill reads. Brooks, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, told constituents last week that he was a “no” vote on the Obamacare repeal/replace bill offered by Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

Proposed California Bill Would Ban ‘Fake News’
Breitbart - A proposed Californian bill aims to ban “fake news,” making it unlawful for a website to post a “deceptive statement designed to influence the vote” on proposed issues or candidates for public office. The proposed law states: 18320.5. It is unlawful for a person to knowingly and willingly make, publish or circulate on an Internet Web site, or cause to be made, published, or circulated in any writing posted on an Internet Web site, a false or deceptive statement designed to influence the vote on either of the following: (a) Any issue submitted to voters at an election. (b) Any candidate for election to public office. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a nonprofit organisation that defends civil liberties in the digital world, stated that the bill was “so obviously unconstitutional, we had to double check that it was real.”

Nebraska Dems include voter registration form in ‘refugee welcome baskets’
American Mirror - Conservative Review published a selfie video of Nebraska Democratic Party chairwoman Jane Kleeb giving an insider’s glimpse into what the party is doing to woo refugees into supporting them. Kleeb told viewers Nebraska “welcomes” the most refugees and immigrants per capita of any state in the country. During a recent party meeting, activists donated items that would be given to newly placed refugees in the state. Kleeb said they donated “basic stuff that you need when you are starting a new home, whether it’s diapers, toilet paper, towels,” as well as dishes and blankets. After assembling the baskets, Kleeb said the party is including a note written on party stationery, a letter signed by Kleeb, a bumper sticker for their car. “It also includes a voter registration form and just has our contact information in case they want to reach out and have any questions,” Kleeb said. According to the Nebraska Secretary of State’s office, voters are required to be United States citizens to be eligible to cast ballots in the state. It’s not clear why the Democratic Party would encourage refugees to break the law.

Massachusetts Sheriff: Arrest Leaders Of Sanctuary Cities
(CBS) – A Massachusetts law enforcement official testifying before Congress on Tuesday called for leaders of sanctuary cities to be arrested. Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson told the House Subcommittee on Illegal Immigration that sanctuary cities “have become magnets for illegal aliens, some of which have violent criminal records.” “If these sanctuary cities are going to harbor and conceal criminal illegal aliens from ICE, which is in direct violation of Title 8 of the U.S. Code, federal arrest warrants should be issued for their elected officials,” Hodgson said. “Our citizens would be safer if we never stopped enforcing immigration law and if we never formed or turned a blind eye toward sanctuary cities.”

Florida: Muslim prof teaches Islam as fact, Christian student disagrees, gets suspended, police report filed
Robert Spencer - Professor Areej Zufari taught “that the crucifixion of Jesus was a hoax and that his disciples did not believe he was God.” This is not historical fact. It is pure Islamic dogma. Unless Marshall Polston had signed up for a class on Islamic dogma, Zufari had no business teaching these views as fact rather than faith. But as ever, it is Polston who has to take the fall, as Zufari deftly stepped into victimhood mode, with the willing complicity of the easy Leftist marks in the Rollins College administration. The school’s academic double standard and complacency with dangerous hate speech is on full display. Not even a year after Radical Islamic terrorist Omar Mateen killed 49 people at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, Rollins College officials are punishing a Christian Conservative student who challenged a liberal Muslim professor and radicalized Muslim student during a conversation on the application of Sharia Law. Marshall Polston confirmed to the Central Florida Post that Professor Areeje [actually Areej] Zufari, who teaches a “Muslim Humanities” course at Rollins, has made outlandish claims against him and even filed a false police report.

World News

US ABM shield in Europe may lead to sudden nuclear attack on Russia, Moscow says
RT - The US’ ABM sites in Europe and on warships patrolling Russia’s borders are creating the potential for America to launch an overwhelming surprise nuclear strike on Russia, the Russian general staff said. The presence of American ABM sites in Europe and ABM-capable ships in the seas and oceans close to Russia’s territory creates a powerful clandestine potential for delivering a surprise nuclear missile strike against Russia,” Viktor Poznikhir, deputy head of operations of the Russian general staff, told a disarmament conference in Geneva. The Conference on Disarmament being held in Switzerland over five days this week is an international forum focusing on global security and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction with the participation of 65 member states. The US’ global antiballistic missile system is provoking a new arms race, Russia’s top brass has warned, adding that the US system, which includes sites in Alaska, Romania, and Poland, compromises Russia’s nuclear deterrence capabilities. Russia estimates that by 2020 the US will have as many as 1,000 interceptor missiles at its disposal, which would be a threat to Russia’s missile capacity.

Hungary Refuses to Take 5000 Migrants from Sweden
Breitbart - The Hungarian government has long held a position against the redistribution of migrants from other European countries going as far as holding a referendum on the subject last October. But Sweden is insisting that under European Union (EU) Dublin agreement rules, the migrants should be returned to the Central European country where they first registered, Svenska Dagbladet reports. Swedish Immigration and Justice Minister Morgan Johansson met with EU migration and asylum Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos in Brussels Monday to discuss the issue. After the meeting, Mr. Johansson said: “It is the Commission’s responsibility to ensure that contracts are kept, and this is our opinion that Hungary did not follow the Dublin rules.” “We have almost 5,000 cases where people are registered as asylum seekers in Hungary, but Hungary does not receive them when we send them back,” he added, claiming the EU Commission had a “duty” to open a case against Hungary for infringement of the Dublin agreement.

Internet Security Analysts: North Korea Is Planning a Global Bank Heist
Breitbart - The New York Times published a report from Internet security firm Symantec that revealed startling ambitions on the part of hackers affiliated with North Korea. According to the report, they have plans to rob over a hundred banks around the world, including “institutions like the World Bank, the European Central Bank and big American companies including Bank of America.” An attack on over 20 Polish banks near the end of 2016 was evidently thwarted without any money being lost. When security analysts pulled apart the virus software sent to these banks, they discovered a huge list of Internet addresses for other financial institutions, making up the target list described by Symantec…. Thus far, the biggest score for the North Korean operation appears to be a hack of Bangladesh’s central bank, revealed by Bangladeshi authorities in May 2016. The $81 million stolen from the bank ended up in the Philippines, but investigators were certain from early in the investigation that the thieves were not from either Bangladesh or the Philippines.

Japan ponders recycling Fukushima soil for public parks & green areas
RT - Soil from the Fukushima prefecture may be used as landfill for the creation of “green areas” in Japan, a government panel has proposed, facing potential public backlash over fears of exposure to residual radiation from the decontaminated earth. The advisory panel of the Environment Ministry on Monday proposed reusing soil that was contaminated during the Fukushima nuclear meltdown of 2011 as part of future landfills designated for public use, Kyodo news reported. In its proposal, the environmental panel avoided openly using the word “park” and instead said “green space,” apparently to avoid a premature public outcry, Mainichi Shimbun reported…. In addition to decontaminating and recycling the tainted earth for new parks, the ministry also stressed the need to create a new organization that will be tasked with gaining public trust about the prospects of such modes of recycling. To calm immediate public concerns, the panel said the decontaminated soil will be used away from residential areas and will be covered with a separate level of vegetation to meet government guidelines approved last year.

EU Governments Reject GM Crops in New Critical Vote
Sustainable Pulse - EU national government representatives failed on Monday to support the approval of three genetically modified (GM) maize crops for cultivation in Europe : two new ones and the only GM crop currently grown in the EU. While no qualified majority was reached, the number of rejections shows that GMO opposition clearly outweighs support.

Australia Training 4,000 Teachers to Root Out Sexism in Preschoolers
Heat Street - Four thousand teachers in Australia are to be put through a training program specially designed to help them root out sexism in pre-schoolers. The regional government in Victoria is developing a course to help educators spot children who “enact sexist values, beliefs and attitudes” from the age of four. According to The Australian, the new project will cost taxpayers $3.4million AUS ($2.6million US). A tender document released by state officials cites research showing that kids are already operating within “gendered norms” at pre-school and need “anti-bias” strategies to help educate them out of it.

Economy & Business

Ford to invest $1.2 billion in Michigan plants
Detroit Free Press - Ford said Tuesday it will invest $1.2 billion in Michigan at three locations, including $850 million at its Michigan Assembly plant in Wayne to make the new Ford Ranger and Ford Bronco, as the U.S. market continues to shift from a car market to a truck and SUV market. The automaker's decision prompted President Donald Trump to tweet about the investment plans, saying "car companies are coming back to the U.S." — even though Ford executives said the plant investments were planned long before Trump took office. The Dearborn automaker's $1.2 billion investment also includes plans to add 130 new jobs at its engine plant in Romeo, where it will spend $150 million to expand capacity so it can make engine components for the Ranger and Bronco. In addition, Ford said it will spend $200 million to build a new advanced data center adjacent to its assembly plant in Flat Rock.

Energy & Environment

Global Data Firm: “We Help Utilities Surveil and Profile Their Customers, and Monetize Home Surveillance Data”
Take Back Your Power - In one fell swoop, every utility’s claim of “smart meters do not spy on you” is now dissolved. Their myth is now shattered. In a cutesy marketing video, shown below, global data analytics company Onzo admits to helping utilities surveil and profile their customers — and sell direct surveillance access to their customers’ homes. “We use this characterized profile to give the utility… the ability to monetize their customer data by providing a direct link to appropriate third-party organizations based on the customer’s identified character.” So, what does this mean? Onzo’s blatant admission comes after years of industry speculation about using ‘smart’ meters for mass surveillance — the main home-access point in a plan of unprecedented scope and profit potential…. Those perpetrating (or benefiting from ) mass-surveillance and the colonization of the individual are facilitating the downfall of all rights and freedoms in the Western world.

Science & Technology

Professor: Google Home Device Could Allow Government to Listen in on Private Conversations
Paul Joseph Watson - A professor at the University of Texas thinks that “mission creep” could one day lead to the government listening in on private conversations in people’s homes via the new Google Home device. Google Home is a newly launched wi-fi connected “smart speaker” that responds to voice commands with relevant information via a virtual speaking assistant. The device is a rival to Amazon Echo, which performs many of the same functions. According to Dr. Philip Doty, associate dean of the School of Information at the University of Texas, privacy advocates are right to be concerned, especially in light of revelations that the CIA allegedly hacked Samsung Smart TVs to record private conversations. “We now have a third party presence which not only can listen to us but can record us and share that information with retail giants, with third party information brokers and potentially with government,” Professor Doty told KXAN. Doty added that there was “some rationale” for describing the devices as “surveillance robots”. Patrick Moorhead of Austin-based Moor Insights and Strategy said he “believes” Google when the company says it promises to only listen for key words and “delete all of the other conversations they happen to overhear.”

Electrifying Images Of Wi-Fi Signals Show Invisible World Of EMF Bombardment
Natural Blaze - Every day, approximately 3.2 billion people utilize the internet to connect with others around the globe, gain knowledge about a particular topic and inject their ideas into the masses. The majority rely on WiFi, a technology that uses radio waves to provide network connectivity to people within a certain parameter. The waves are invisible, so few people think twice about them. However, designer Luis Hernan was able to document what Wi-Fi can look like using long-exposure photography and an Android app. Entitled “Digital Ethereal,” the project offers a fascinating visualization of the movement of Wi-Fi signals. Laughing Squid relays that Hernan was able to ‘translate’ what the information pouring out of internet routers might look like by using the app called Kirlian Device. The strength of the Wi-Fi’s movement is depicted in a series of colors.

Health

12-year-old paralyzed in just days after being given controversial HPV vaccine
Daily Mail - From aspiring pop star to paralyzed in just days: Shocking picture of 12-year-old left bed-ridden in hospital after being given controversial HPV vaccine – but doctors claim that her problem is completely psychological. Straight A student now bedridden. Mia was given the routine jab – which protects against the human papilloma virus, at her school in September. The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, is routinely offered to 12-13 year-old girls as part of the NHS’ cervical cancer program. The next day her legs felt heavy, she had a burning sensation in her spine and her feet were shaky. Becoming worried, her mother immediately rushed her to A&E at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. The straight A student went on to lose all sensation in her legs, core body and arms. Unable to do anything except blink and talk, she is now being home-schooled and having singing lessons from her bed. She’s bed-bound apart from when she is carried or placed in a fully-supported wheelchair and is currently undergoing physio. In addition to the paralysis she is incontinent, cannot keep food down and suffers involuntary spasms. Mia’s mother, Gini, 37, of Reading, said that she is desperate for someone to tell her daughter that ‘it’s not all in her head’.

10 Herbs That Lower Blood Sugar Naturally
Natural News Blogs - Regulating blood sugar levels can help curb cravings and lower risk of diabetes. Plus, it will boost energy levels and eliminate fatigue. But before I show you the best herbs for lowering blood sugar, you have to avoid sugary and junk food to prevent blood sugar spikes. Here are herbs you can use to lower blood sugar. 1. Cinnamon: Research shows that cinnamon can regulate blood sugar levels. It has antihyperglycaemic properties which allow it to reduce blood sugar levels. It also promotes insulin sensitivity therefore allowing cells to use glucose properly. 2. Bitter lemon: This herb is native to southern China. And it can lower glucose levels because it improves digestion of carbohydrates. If used regularly bitter lemon can also fix insulin resistance. 3. Chili powder: One study found that chili can increase insulin secretion by up to 24 percent. And this will make it easier to regulate blood sugar. 4. Rosemary: A study found that rosemary was as effective at artificial drugs that fight diabetes. This herb is even more effective when it’s fresh. 5. Ginseng: For one, this herb keeps cells that produce insulin healthy. It also limits the tri-carboxylic acid cycle, and as a result promoting insulin release. All these effects help lower blood sugar….
 


Tuesday - March 28, 2017

On This Day In History:


1774 - Britain passed the Coercive Act against Massachusetts.
1834 - The U.S. Senate voted to censure President Jackson for the removal of federal deposits from the Bank of the United States.
1854 - The Crimean War began with Britain and France declaring war on Russia.
1885 - The Salvation Army was officially organized in the U.S.
1898 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a child born in the U.S. to Chinese immigrants was a U.S. citizen. This meant that they could not be deported under the Chinese Exclusion Act.
1917 - During World War I the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was founded.
1921 - U.S. President Warren Harding named William Howard Taft as chief justice of the United States Supreme Court.
1933 - In Germany, the Nazis ordered a ban on all Jews in businesses, professions and schools.
1938 - In Italy, psychiatrists demonstrated the use of electric-shock therapy for treatment of certain mental illnesses.
1939 - The Spanish Civil War ended as Madrid fell to Francisco Franco.
1941 - The Italian fleet was defeated by the British at the Battle of Matapan.
1962 - The U.S. Air Force announced research into the use of lasers to intercept missiles and satellites.
1968 - The U.S. lost its 1st F-111 aircraft in Vietnam when it vanished while on a combat mission. North Vietnam said they had shot it down.
1979 - A major accident occurred at Pennsylvania's 3 Mile Island nuclear power plant. A nuclear power reactor overheated and suffered a partial meltdown.
1986 - More than 6,000 radio stations of all format varieties played "We are the World" simultaneously at 10:15 a.m. EST.
2010 - China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. signed a deal to buy Ford Motor Co.'s Volvo car unit.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Trump names son-in-law to head White House ‘SWAT team’
RT - President Donald Trump is appointing his son-in-law Jared Kushner to head a White House office focused on making government run more efficiently. The news comes as Kushner agreed to testify before the Senate on alleged Trump “ties with Russia.” Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, will head the new White House Office of American Innovation…. Kushner’s new office is viewed internally as “a SWAT team of strategic consultants,” the Post said. They intend to modernize the technology and data infrastructure of every federal agency and department, revamp the struggling Veterans Affairs, and develop “transformative projects” under Trump’s ambitious infrastructure program, such as providing broadband internet to every American.

Video: President Trump Signs 4 New Bills Eliminating Obama-era Regulations
The GatewayPundit - These were not executive orders, they were bills signed into law. Fox News: “President Trump signed 4 bills into law today, These are not executive orders, folks. These are bills. In the Oval Office, the President signed laws, among them eliminating Obama-era regulations relating to federal contractors, land management, and teachers.”

Deep State Mulls “Continuity of Government” Plan to Overthrow Trump
Kit Daniels - The shadow government is considering using its “continuity of government” (COG) mechanism already in place to overthrow the entire Trump administration. The COG procedures, which were first drafted during the Cold War to ensure the government’s survival during a nuclear war, mesh well with the establishment narrative that the 2016 presidential election was “stolen” by “Russian hackers.”…. Ornstein, whose op/ed appeared in the top elitist publication The Atlantic, wants Congress to establish procedures for a “special election” for president and vice president to ensure the “continuity of government” amid “cyberwarfare,” a threat in this case over-exaggerated by the globalists to program millions of Americans into accepting the overthrow of a duty-elected, populist president.

Latest Establishment Talking Point: Trump May Be Guilty of ‘Treason’
Breitbart - Over the past week, numerous Democratic Party operatives and establishment pundits have used the word “treason” in a seeming attempt to smear President Donald Trump over unproven claims of collusion with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign. On Monday, Hillary Clinton’s former campaign manager, Robby Mook, demanded Trump’s campaign aides be “prosecuted for treason” if evidence emerges of coordination with Moscow during the recent presidential campaign. One day later, on Tuesday, Michael Winship, senior writer for BillMoyers.com, wrote an opinion piece titled, “‘There’s a Smell of Treason in the Air’” Winship is a former senior writing fellow at the progressive advocacy group Demos, which is financed by billionaire George Soros.

Uh oh! John Podesta May Have Violated Federal Law by Failing to Disclose 75,000 Stock Shares
The GatewayPundit - Hillary Clinton’s former campaign chairman, John Podesta may have violated federal law when he failed to disclose 75,000 stock shares from a Russian-backed company in 2014. Looks like Hillary Clinton isn’t the only one who got financially mixed up with the Russians. The left are using Alinsky-type tactics by projecting the Russian connections onto the GOP. The Daily Caller reports: “Joule Unlimited Technologies — financed in part by a Russian firm — originally awarded Podesta 100,000 shares of stock options when in 2010 he joined that board along with its Dutch-based entities: Joule Global Holdings, BV and the Stichting Joule Global Foundation. When Podesta announced his departure from the Joule board in January 2014 to become President Obama’s special counsellor, the company officially issued him 75,000 common shares of stock. The Schedule B section of the federal government’s form 278 which — requires financial disclosures for government officials — required Podesta to “report any purchase, sale or exchange by you, your spouse, or dependent children…of any property, stocks, bonds, commodity futures and other securities when the amount of the transaction exceeded $1,000.” Podesta’s form 278 Schedule B is blank regarding his receipt of any stock from any company…. Hillary Clinton sold 20% of our Uranium to Russia in exchange for $150 million to the Clinton Foundation and now John Podesta failed to disclose 75,000 stock shares from a Kremlin-financed company. There needs to be a Russian investigation into these criminals.

Sessions to Strip Billions from Sanctuary Cities
Breitbart - The Department of Justice will hand out $4 billion in federal law enforcement grants over the balance of this fiscal year which ends in September. Sessions told reporters at the White House he will be working to prevent any of it from going to sanctuary jurisdictions, The Washington Times reported. “Countless Americans would be alive today … if these policies of sanctuary cities were ended,” General Sessions told reporters. The AG stated he is using a tactic that began under AG Loretta Lynch. Not only can the Attorney General withhold grants from this year’s funding requests, the DOJ can actually claw back grants made in prior years to jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with immigration officials, U.S. Representative John Culberson (R-TX) told Breitbart Texas…. The DOJ Office of Inspector General previously certified 10 jurisdictions as not being in compliance with that law and eligible for cuts in funding: The State of Connecticut, The State of California, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, New York City, Philadelphia, Cook County, Illinois, Miami-Dade County, Florida, Milwaukee, Wisconsin [and] Clark County, Nevada. These 10 jurisdictions received 65 percent of the law enforcement grants allocated in FY2015 as of March 2016.

Diary Reveals JFK Thought Hitler Might Have Survived World War II
Sputnik News - As the centennial of President John F. Kennedy’s birth approaches, his 61-page personal diary from 1945 is about to hit the auction block. A shocking entry reveals that Kennedy believed that Adolf Hitler may have still been alive after World War II ended. The diary was written at a time when Kennedy was working as a war correspondent for Hearst magazines. He later gifted the book to Deidre Henderson, who was one of his research assistants. It is believed to be the only diary from the beloved former president still in existence. On April 26, what would have been Kennedy’s 100th birthday, the diary will be going to the highest bidder. Boston’s RR Auction, which is handling the sale, expects to bring in over $200,000 for the artifact. “[Hitler] had boundless ambition for his country which rendered him a menace to the peace of the world, but he had a mystery about him in the way he lived and in the manner of his death that will live and grow after him,” Kennedy wrote after visiting Hitler’s bunkers in Berlin, and his “Eagle’s Nest” mountaintop retreat, in summer 1945, the Independent reported. After visiting the bunker where Hitler is widely said to have committed suicide, Kennedy was skeptical. “The room where Hitler is supposed to have met his death showed scorched walls and traces of fire,” he wrote. “There is no complete evidence, however, that the body that was found was Hitler's body."

School Budget Cuts Due To High White Student Percentage Sparks Outrage...
(KABC) - Outrage has grown at Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, as the school faces layoffs and increased class sizes due to a law limiting funds for schools with a higher white student body. The Los Angeles Unified School District provides more funding for schools where the white population is below 30 percent. In a letter to parents, the district noted the highly regarded middle school had been above the percentage for the past couple years. The racial formula was a condition imposed by court decisions dealing with desegregation in the 1970s. Parents, however, remain frustrated with what the cuts might mean for their children.

World News

World's nuclear powers boycott UN talks on weapons ban
Deutsche Welle - The United States is one of almost 40 nations skipping UN talks to create a treaty banning nuclear weapons. Washington and a number of allies say provocations from countries like North Korea make a treaty unrealistic. More than 100 countries on Monday launched the United Nations' first round of talks on an outright nuclear weapons ban. It would be considered a diplomatic milestone and among the greatest strides towards disarmament, if there weren't some notable absentees - namely the world's nuclear powers. Last October, Britain, France, Israel, Russia and the US all voted against the UN's proposal to create a legally binding treaty banning nuclear weapons. The remaining nuclear powers - China, India and Pakistan - all abstained and also intend to boycott the talks. More than 30 other countries have announced plans to skip the negotiations, including Japan, the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack, in 1945. Meanwhile, the countries leading the call for a prospective ban include Austria, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa and Sweden. Hundreds of NGOs have also backed efforts towards a ban.

Uncovered iPad bomb plot blamed for electronics ban on some flights
Ars Technica - The US-UK ban on electronic devices larger than a mobile phone for some flights from Africa and the Middle East stems, in part, from the discovery of a terror plot to use an iPad to blow up an airliner. The Guardian, citing an anonymous "security source," said Monday that the uncovered plot involved explosives hidden in a fake iPad "that appeared to be as good as the real thing." The Guardian's source did not provide other details, like when and where the threat was discovered and who was behind it…. Security concerns over weaponized electronics on airlines have some merit. For starters, electronics are ubiquitous. And last year, for example, a bomb in a laptop punctured a hole in the passenger area on a Somalia-bound flight.

Thousands Flock to Le Pen Campaign Rally One Month Before France Votes
Front National leader Marine Le Pen blasted globalism and Islamism in a major campaign rally Sunday, remarking that the European Union was destined to collapse because ordinary people were no longer interested in keeping it alive. peaking to a crowd of thousands in Lille Le Pen said of the European project, which celebrated its 60th birthday this week and has lurched from crisis to crisis in recent years: “The European Union will die because the people do not want it anymore… We will change for another Europe, the European idea harmed by the federalists will re-energize itself, re-invigorate itself in the Europe of the people and of … the nations”. On her nation’s continued membership of the EU and the Euro currency union, Le Pen remarked “the French will have the last word”. Calling for France to “reconnect with the greatness of our country”, Le Pen said the Republic would “regain her independence, the rule of law, the sweetness of freedom”…. The thousands in the lively crowd contrasted sharply with a similar rally held by main rival for the presidency Emmanuel Macron on La Reunion on Saturday. Although the polls presently show the left-wing former banker slightly ahead of Le Pen’s Front National, Macron failed to fill the stadium for his appearance and the audience was seen to dwindle over the course of his speech, reported Le Figaro.

He Said, She Said: White House Denies it Handed Merkel a Bill for NATO Defense
Sputnik News - Various news outlets have cited unnamed sources to claim that President Donald Trump handed German Chancellor Angela Merkel a NATO defense invoice for approximately $377 million -- but the White House is calling the claims fake news. British newspaper The Times, which first reported the incident, cited an unnamed German minister. The report claimed that Angela Merkel was handed a bill by the US president during her recent visit to DC, for failure to meet NATO's defense spending target of 2 percent of GDP…. The report claimed that Trump had asked White House aides to calculate the difference between Berlin's defense spending and the 2014 agreement by member nations to pay NATO two percent of their GDP — plus interest.

Science & Technology

Twitter Goes For The Jugular: “The World Famous Drudge Report Has Been Marked As Sensitive Material”
Tyler Durden - Drudge Report has been marked as “sensitive material” by Twitter, with some users now having to OPT IN in order to see tweets. Hardly any tweets from Drudge were visible today when we first logged in. … seemingly the only way to be able to view the content is to log in to the ‘privacy and safety’ section of the Twitter website, where buried at the bottom is the option to opt in to ‘sensitive content’:

Microsoft sued for millions over Windows 10 upgrades
Ars Technica - Unhappy Windows 10 users in Illinois are taking Microsoft to court, claiming that problems caused by the Windows 10 upgrade show that it was negligently designed, that Microsoft fraudulently failed to disclose its defects, and that the upgrade is unfit for purpose. In a break from tradition, Microsoft offered Windows 10 as a free upgrade to Windows 7 and 8.1 for the first year of its release. This unusual offer was matched with a set of increasingly aggressive promotions within Windows itself. In the early days of the upgrade offer, there were even some users reporting that it installed automatically. Three plaintiffs claim specific harm was caused by the operating system. Stephanie Watson claims that Windows 10 installed without her choosing to accept it. The upgrade destroyed some data, caused such harm that Geek Squad was unable to fully repair the machine, and forced the purchase of a new system. he suit claims that "many" consumers have had their hard drives fail because of the Windows 10 installation, and that the operating system does not check "whether or not the hard drive can withstand the stress of the Windows 10 installation.”… The lawsuit says that Microsoft owes more than $5 million in damages, both actual and punitive.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Cargill Strengthens its Non-GMO Supply Chain
Sustainable Pulse - In what Monsanto and its supporters clearly see as an extremely worrying development, the GMO-supporting agribusiness giant Cargill has responded to the ever-growing demand for non-GMO products by announcing a new identity preservation programme for non-GMO crops and some new Non-GMO Project verified ingredients. And Cargill has done this very publicly, even tweeting, “We work closely with the #NonGMO Project & hope to have even more Cargill ingredients verified in the near future.” Predictably, Monsanto and its supporters have responded by trying to whip up hostility to the move, expressing particular outrage at Cargill linking up with the Non-GMO Project. Leading the charge on social media have been Monsanto’s Director of Millennial Engagement, Vance Crowe and the agrochemical industry propagandist Julie Kelly, whose husband is a lobbyist for Cargill’s main competitor, the agribusiness titan ADM. Monsanto’s Crowe has accused Cargill of seeking to profit from the “hate & fear” spread by the Non-GMO Project, while Kelly’s Twitter feed is filled with similarly emotive attacks on the alignment of Cargill with the Non-GMO Project.

Health

Revolution for Truth, Washington, DC The National Call-in-Day In Support Of Vaccine Safety And Reform On March 30-31, 2017
Natural Blaze - It is now 2017; what’s the current rate, since the vaccination schedule has increased to the point of insanity with total disregard for factual science-based medicine, which indicates vaccines are not safe. Even the U.S. Supreme Court stated in 2011 vaccines were unavoidably unsafe! Here’s everyone’s chance for push-back: On March 30th, please do the following: 1. Contact President Trump and say “Vaccine injuries are real and devastating. One in 68 children now has autism. Autism should be declared a national emergency and a higher priority. I support an independent vaccine safety commission.” 2. Contact your Senators and member of Congress (see below for contact information) and say “I want Congress to subpoena CDC whistleblower Dr. William Thompson and I support a vaccine safety commission.” 3. Lastly, sign the petition to President Trump asking him to implement comprehensive reforms of vaccine safety policies. (Please note that after you sign you will receive an email asking you to confirm your signature. Please confirm your signature or your signature will not be added.) March 31st is the last day to sign this petition and we must reach 100,000 signatures for the petition to reach President Trump. [Go to article for instructions on how to contact]
* Related: Sign this petition...Take Action to End the Autism Epidemic and Implement Comprehensive Reforms of Vaccine Safety Policies

Eating Junk Food Literally Shrinks Your Brain Says Study
Natural Blaze - Nearly everyone is guilty of indulging in junk food now and again, but research has found that those who frequently snack sugary drinks, high-sodium snacks, and processed meat are likely to shrink a portion of their brains in the long-term. The study, published in BMC Medicine, compared MRI scans of approximately 250 people who were in their early 60’s during the year of 2001. Two dietary questionnaires informed the researchers whether or not participants in the group ate a “Western” diet (high in processed foods, fats, salt, and sugar) or a “prudent” diet (largely composed of fruits, vegetables, and fish), reports Vice. […] those who subscribed to the healthier “prudent” diet had larger hippocampi – the portion of the brain responsible for memory, learning and mental health – than those who indulge in Western diets.

Terminally Ill Father Finds Cure in Cannabis Oil but Now on Death Bed After Complying with CPS to Get Children Back
Health Impact News - For nearly three years, Michael Brooks of Northwestern Tennessee has been fighting for his children and for his life. Faced with terminal Hepatitis C, he finally found a treatment that saved his life and brought him into remission. However, Child Protective Services of Tennessee is using the very thing that brought him from the brink of death - cannabis oil - as grounds to take his children and place them into foster care. He has been forced to choose between staying in Tennessee and accelerate towards his death or leaving to continue treatment in Colorado and risk being accused of abandoning his children…. [Read more]

Pet News

Why losing a dog can be harder than losing a relative or friend
Natural Blaze - Many times, I’ve had friends guiltily confide to me that they grieved more over the loss of a dog than over the loss of friends or relatives. Research has confirmed that for most people, the loss of a dog is, in almost every way, comparable to the loss of a human loved one. Unfortunately, there’s little in our cultural playbook – no grief rituals, no obituary in the local newspaper, no religious service – to help us get through the loss of a pet, which can make us feel more than a bit embarrassed to show too much public grief over our dead dogs…. Psychologist Julie Axelrod has pointed out that the loss of a dog is so painful because owners aren’t just losing the pet. It could mean the loss of a source of unconditional love, a primary companion who provides security and comfort, and maybe even a protégé that’s been mentored like a child. The loss of a dog can also seriously disrupt an owner’s daily routine more profoundly than the loss of most friends and relatives. For owners, their daily schedules – even their vacation plans – can revolve around the needs of their pets.
 


Monday - March 27, 2017

On This Day In History:


1794 - The U.S. Congress authorized the creation of the U.S. Navy.
1802 - The Treaty of Amiens was signed ending the French Revolutionary War.
1836 - In Goliad, TX, about 350 Texan prisoners, including their commander James Fannin, were executed under orders from Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna. An estimated 30 Texans escaped execution.
1836 - The first Mormon temple was dedicated in Kirtland, OH.
1866 - U.S. President Andrew Johnson vetoed the civil rights bill, which later became the 14th amendment.
1884 - The first long-distance telephone call was made from Boston to New York.
1901 - Filipino rebel leader Emilio Aguinaldo was captured by the U.S.
1912 - The first cherry blossom trees were planted in Washington, DC. The trees were a gift from Japan.
1933 - About 55,000 people staged a protest against Hitler in New York City.
1933 - In the U.S., the Farm Credit Administration was authorized.
1941 - Tokeo Yoshikawa arrived in Oahu, HI, and began spying for Japan on the U.S. Fleet at Pearl Harbor.
1946 - Four-month long strikes at both General Electric and General Motors ended with a wage increase.
1952 - The U.S. Eighth Army reached the 38th parallel in Korea, the original dividing line between the two Koreas.
1976 - Washington, DC, opened its subway system.
1998 - In the U.S., the FDA approved the prescription drug Viagra. It was the first pill for male impotence.
2009 - President Barack Obama launched a fresh effort to defeat al-Qaida terrorists in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, ordering in 4,000 more troops.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Trump: After Obamacare Explodes, We’ll Put Together a ‘Great Healthcare Plan for the People’
Breitbart - President Trump addressed the failure of the Obamacare replacement bill for the first time on Twitter after Congress pulled the bill from the House floor. “ObamaCare will explode and we will all get together and piece together a great healthcare plan for THE PEOPLE. Do not worry!” Trump wrote on Twitter. The House pulled the American Health Care Act from the House floor Friday after it became clear that the House was not able to secure enough votes for the bill’s passage. Trump told the media Friday afternoon that the bill’s failure would help Congress put together a better healthcare plan, but he also blamed the Democrats for opposing the bill…. Trump specifically singled out House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as the reason for the bill’s failure. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said Friday that the failure of the Obamacare replacement bill will make tax reform harder but not “impossible” after the White House sent a message that President Trump’s tax reform and infrastructure agenda will not be affected by the failed healthcare bill.

Video: Judge Jeanine: ‘Paul Ryan Needs to Step Down’
Breitbart - During her opening statement on Fox News Channel’s “Justice,” host Jeanine Pirro ripped House Speaker Paul Ryan, calling for him to step down after his healthcare bill to replace Obamacare failed miserably. “Paul Ryan needs to step down as speaker of the house,” Pirro began. “The reason? He failed to deliver the votes on his healthcare bill, the one trumpeted to repeal and replace Obamacare, the one that he had seven years to work on, the one he had under lock and key in the basement of Congress, the one that had to be pulled to prevent the embarrassment of not having enough votes to pass.” Later, Pirro said, “I want to be clear, this is not on President Trump. No one expected a business man to completely understand the nuances, the complicated ins and outs of Washington and its legislative process. How would he know which individuals upon which he would be able to rely?” Saturday morning, President Trump tweeted out a teaser for “Justice,” telling everyone to watch.

Video: Can Trump prove Obama wiretapped his staff?
Fox News - Freedom Watch founder Larry Klayman on President Trump’s claims that former President Obama wiretapped his staff.

Did you know that before 1973 it was illegal in the US to profit off of health care. The Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973 passed by Nixon changed everything
InvestmentWatch - In 1973, Nixon did a personal favor for his friend and campaign financier, Edgar Kaiser, then president and chairman of Kaiser-Permanente. Nixon signed into law, the Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973, in which medical insurance agencies, hospitals, clinics and even doctors, could begin functioning as for-profit business entities instead of the service organizations they were intended to be. And which insurance company got the first taste of federal subsidies to implement HMOA73 …it was Kaiser-Permanente…. So [now] it’s an arms race between insurers, who deploy software and manpower trying to find claims they can reject, and doctors and hospitals, who deploy their own forces in an effort to outsmart or challenge the insurers. And the cost of this arms race ends up being borne by the public, in the form of higher health care prices and higher insurance premiums. Of course, rejecting claims is a clumsy way to deny coverage. The best way for an insurer to avoid paying medical bills is to avoid selling insurance to people who really need it. An insurance company can accomplish this in two ways, through marketing that targets the healthy, and through underwriting: Rejecting the sick or charging them higher premiums.

Doctor Extracts RFID Chip from Sex Trafficking Victim Everyone Thought Was Crazy
Natural Blaze - “I have a tracker in me,” read the cryptic note, found in triage by a greenhorn doctor — scribbled by a woman in the emergency room. She claimed to have been implanted with a GPS tracking device of some kind — an assertion not unheard of, but never the less unusual. Dr. A, anonymous for safety concerns, rolled his eyes — ordinarily, such a note would be a sure indicator of mental illness, for which a psychiatrist would need to be summoned. But this woman appeared lucid. Sane. Not at all paranoid or delusional. And she had an incision. So an x-ray was performed, and medical personnel gathered to view the results. But they stood breathless in disbelief — indeed, while they didn’t find a GPS tracker. “It was a small glass capsule with a little almost like a circuit board inside of it,” the 28-year-old doctor. Shock turned fast to concern when the doctors grasped what the presence of the object signaled about the 20-something woman’s life — and why she’d handed over the bizarre note. “It’s an RFID chip. It’s used to tag cats and dogs, And someone had tagged her like an animal, like she was somebody’s pet that they owned.” In fact, the unnamed woman had been treated as a pet — a possession — by her boyfriend, who sold her for sex and pocketed the money she brought back. She was one of an innumerable amount of victims of human trafficking — a colossal problem in every corner of the globe, including the United States — where Dr. A has residency at a hospital in a ‘major American city,’ Marketplace discreetly noted.

One Dead, 14 Injured After Ohio Nightclub Shooting; Shooter At Large
Zero Hedge - One person was killed and 14 injured after gunfire erupted inside a packed nightclub in Cincinnati, Ohio, just after 1 am on Sunday morning, with the shooter said to still be at large. The motive was unclear, but Cincinnati Assistant Police Chief Paul Neudigate said on Twitter that "there are no indications this incident is terrorism related." The shooting took place around 1 a.m. when hundreds of people were inside the Cameo Nightlife club, which the Cincinnati Police Department said has had "multiple problems" in the past. The University of Cincinnati Medical Center admitted eight people injured in the shooting, one of them in critical condition, a spokeswoman told NBC News. A representative of the hospital could not be reached immediately for comment…. The shooting comes less than a year after a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people. It was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. Police initially said they believed at least two shooters were involved in Cincinnati, but later Neudigate said in a Twitter message that there was only one reported gunman, though police were still trying to determine if there were others. Hours after the shooting, the suspect was still at large, and police did not have a good description, in part because witnesses were reluctant to cooperate, Williams told WCPO.

Powerful Video: Woman Raped by Illegal Testifies Against ‘Sanctuary State’ Bill
Adan Salazar - A woman in California delivered powerful testimony last week arguing against SB-54, a measure which restricts local and state law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration officers. Lupe Moreno of Redding, Cali., addressed the bill before the Senate Appropriations Committee claiming its passage would endanger children throughout the entire state.

Texas Woman Bound, Kidnapped After Helping Illegal Immigrant
Breitbart - An illegal alien tied up a woman and attempted to kidnap her and steal her car after she gave him food and water for three days. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Carrizo Springs Station in South Texas received a call for assistance from the Dimmit County Sheriff’s Office about a woman seen walking along a highway. The woman reportedly had her hands bound with rope. Agents quickly responded, along with sheriff’s deputies, to assist the victim. Agents learned the woman helped an illegal alien she found in her backyard.… She said that after helping the man survive for three days, he unexpectedly jumped her, tied up her hands and feet, and forced her to get in her car. As the illegal alien attempted to start her car, the woman managed to escape and flee on foot.
* Related: Video: Trump Reads Poem 'The Snake' to Make Point About Refugees

Rockville School Superintendent Says Parents’ Response to Alleged Rape Is ‘Racist’
Breitbart - The public outrage toward the illegal alien suspects accused of raping a 14-year-old freshman at Rockville High School has been “racist” and “xenophobic,” according to Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jack Smith…. Reaction to the alleged horror has been fierce. Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan slammed immigration enforcement and Montgomery County Public Schools in an interview with WTTG-TV. “Why is an 18-year-old man in a class with 13- or 14-year-old girls?” Hogan asked. “Why was his status not known to those folks? Why was he allowed to enter the country after he was picked up for illegally crossing the border — both of them?” Montgomery County residents’ reaction was also harsh–and, according to Smith, racially motivated.

They Go Low: Anti-Trump Protesters Turn Violent at Rally for President
Breitbart - A peaceful march to support President Donald Trump, as well as veterans, law enforcement, and first responders, was briefly interrupted by a dozen or so anti-Trump protesters Saturday in Huntington Beach, California. Police arrested four people after they allegedly used pepper spray on the marchers during the peaceful procession attended by about 3,000 on the beach in Orange County.… According to the organizers of the Make America Great Again march, the event was designed to show “we love our country and we want to show gratitude to the men and women who put their own lives on the line every day.” Organizers were collecting donations during the event to benefit homeless veterans. Capt. Kevin Pearsall of California State Parks told the L.A. Times that six people were originally detained but only four were arrested. He said three men were arrested on suspicion of illegal use of a Taser, and one woman was arrested on suspicion of assault and battery. None of their names were immediately released.
* Related: Media Refuse to Blame Anti-Trump Protesters for Violence at Rallies

World News

‘We can’t walk away’: US commander wants more intl troops in Afghanistan
RT - A US commander in Kabul has called for more troops from the US and other NATO countries to be sent to Afghanistan, telling The Sunday Times that the Western military “cannot afford to walk away” from the war-torn country. General John Nicholson is set to make the request at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in May. US Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, both war veterans, back the move, the newspaper reports…. The local government is now in control of only “about 62 percent of the population and about 57 percent of the territory,” Nicholson added. It is not the first time this year that the military top brass have called for sending more troops. Earlier in March, Army Gen. Joseph Votel, head of US Central Command, said to a congressional committee that he believes it is necessary to send “additional forces to make the advise-and-assist mission more effective.” Nicholson, who is his subordinate, told Congress in February that the situation on the ground requires “a few thousand more” troops…. There are now 8,400 US soldiers and 5,000 troops from other NATO countries deployed in Afghanistan. Recently, top US military officials also announced plans to stay for a longer period of time in another war-town state – Iraq. The officials, including Mattis, said that US troops will remain in the country even after the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly, ISIS/ISIL) is over.

‘Against US security interests’: Moscow bewildered over new sanctions on 8 defense & aviation firms
RT - While the restrictions will cause “no serious problems” for Russia, they undermine the fight against global terrorism, which Washington has been claiming is its priority, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said…. The Russian companies have been sanctioned by Washington over their alleged engagement in nuclear proliferation activity with Iran, North Korea and Syria, a source in the State Department told RIA Novosti on Saturday. The sanctions have been introduced as a result of regular assessments, as required by US law, the source said, adding that the measure is not connected to wider economic restrictions put in force since 2014 over the situation in Ukraine and Crimea. Companies such as Rosoboronexport and Aviaexport, as well as several aviation training centers and academies, have been included on the new US sanctions list, RIA reported. On Friday, the Trump administration announced sanctions on 30 foreign companies and people from 10 countries accused of engaging in nuclear proliferation activity…. Apart from Russia, entities from China, North Korea and the United Arab Emirates have been sanctioned, with the restrictions to stay in effect for two years.

Iran Sanctions 15 U.S. Companies for Supporting Israel
Breitbart - Iran will impose sanctions on 15 US companies for their support for Israel and its “terrorist actions,” state news agency IRNA said Sunday. The decision, which is largely symbolic because the firms do not do business with Iran, comes two days after the US announced new sanctions on a number of foreign firms accused of collaborating with Iran’s weapons program. Iran’s sanctions target US firms that provide arms and equipment to Israel “for use against the Palestinians,” IRNA said. “All transactions with these firms are forbidden, their assets will be seized and their officials will not be able to obtain a visa,” it added. The firms include United Technologies, ITT Corporation, Magnum Research INC, Military Armament Corporation and Bushmaster Firearms International. The list also included Re/Max Real Estate, which Tehran accuses of “buying and selling homes in settlements located in the occupied territories.”

N. Korea threatens ‘strike without warning’ against S. Korea & US troops conducting joint drill
RT - Pyongyang said it may attack US and South Korean troops participating in an annual joint military exercise, which North Korea believes could be a cover for military aggression against it. They should be mindful that the [North Korean Army] will deal deadly blows without prior warning any time as long as the... troops of the US and South Korean puppet forces involved in the ‘special operation’ and ‘preemptive attack’ targeting the DPRK remain deployed in and around South Korea,” North Korean news agency KCNA said on Sunday, citing a statement from the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA). “The KPA will not remain a passive onlooker to hordes of robbers trying to hurt our people with daggers,” it added. The statement claimed that the presence of American commando troops, which can be used to target North Korean leadership and key infrastructure, would justify such an attack.

Police warned of Berlin attacker as ‘terrorist threat’ 9 months before assault
RT - German criminal police tipped off the interior ministry of a potential “terrorist threat in form of a suicide-attack” by Anis Amri nine month before he ploughed a truck into a crowded Berlin Christmas market, Bild am Sonntag reports. The State Criminal Police Office (LKA) in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) apparently shared intelligence (indicating that Amri was plotting a terrorist attack in Germany) with the local federal interior ministry office in Dusseldorf in March 2016 – over half a year before the December attack.

Economy & Business

Your pension could be at the center of America's next financial crisis
The Hill - The looming pension crisis is not limited by geography or economic focus. These including former public employees, such as members of South Carolina’s government pension plan, which covers roughly 550,000 people — one out of nine state residents — and is a staggering $24.1 billion in the red. These include former blue collar workers such as roughly 100,000 coal miners who face serious cuts in pension payments and health coverage thanks to a nearly $6 billion shortfall in the plan for the United Mine Workers of America. And when the bill comes due, we will all be in very big trouble…. According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report from 2015, the average household income of someone older than age 75 is $34,097 and their average expenses exceed that slightly, at $34,382. It is not an exaggeration, then, to say that even a modest reduction in retirement income makes the typical budget of a 75-year-old unsustainable… So who will step up to support these former pensioners? Perhaps the government, via Social Security, except that program itself is in crisis and will see its trust fund go to zero just 17 years from now, in 2034, based on the current structure of the program.

Energy & Environment

235-Foot-High Dam Above Silicon Valley Could Liquefy in Earthquake
Breitbart - About 150 members of the public on March 22 attended the first after-flood board meeting of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, according to the San Jose Mercury News. District engineers told the crowd that due to a well-known 2009 study of the risks of a large earthquake causing a dam break and flooding the community with two feet of standing water, the district voluntarily capped water storage at 68 percent of capacity by limiting the maximum lake height to 45 feet below the top of the dam. But in a surprise to many in the crowd, the water district stated that a 2011 seismic stability evaluation had found Anderson Dam and Reservoir’s “downstream and upstream embankments could become unstable during a very large magnitude earthquake and the rupture of faults underlying the dam.” Water district managers also stated that they initiated the “Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project” in 2012 to create a permanent fix to the risks identified by the seismic study. Despite serious safety risks, water district managers have said that the estimated $400 million project is still in “design phase.” They emphasized that environmental documents would still have to be prepared to comply with federal and state regulations.

Science & Technology

Uber Self-Driving Vehicle Involved in Arizona Crash
Bloomberg - Uber Technologies Inc. is suspending its self-driving car program after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a high-impact crash in Tempe, Arizona, the latest incident for a company reeling from multiple crises. In a photo posted on Twitter, one of Uber’s Volvo self-driving SUVs is pictured on its side next to another car with dents and smashed windows…. The photo, showing the Uber SUV on its side, suggests a relatively high-impact crash. That would be a contrast to the incidents involving self-driving cars tested by Waymo. In more than 2 million miles of testing on public roads, Waymo’s vehicles were mostly minor incidents, often when other cars drove into the back of their vehicles in busy areas.

Health

H.R. 1313 Bill Would Require Medical Procedures Like Vaccines as Requirement for Employment
Health Impact News - Please immediately contact your Congressional Representative and 2 U.S. Senators to OPPOSE H.R 1313 Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act. This bill is sponsored by Rep. Foxx, Virginia [R-NC-5]. It is attempting to coerce employees into employer disease prevention wellness programs…. The concern is this bill if passed into law would be applied to penalize employees who do not get regular vaccines imposed by an employee wellness plan. HR 1313 is indeed a threat to anyone employed by a company or large organization that offers a “wellness” program and partners with government and Pharma to “give carrots and apply sticks” to employees who do or do not go along with government endorsed “standard of care,” which includes receipt of federally recommended vaccines, whether the language in this bill says the word “vaccine” or not.

7 Best Natural Anti-fungal Remedies – Safe And Effective For Any Kind Of Fungal Infection
Natural Blaze - According to many studies, natural anti-fungal remedies can be more effective in the treatment of fungal infections, than the prescription or over the counter anti-fungal medications…. 1. Oregano essential oil - Oregano oil is a super powerful natural antibiotic. It contains whopping 71% of antiseptic compounds known as phenols, including carvacrol and thymol. But make sure to use caution and don’t apply it on sensitive areas because it can cause a burning sensation…. 2. Garlic - Numerous studies reveal that garlic has anti-fungal properties. It is very effective against athlete’s foot…. 3. Probiotics - Antibiotics or hormones usually cause the yeast grow out of control. Probiotics such as kombucha is already a common natural remedy for vaginal yeast infections and its goal is restoring the vagina’s population of friendly bacteria. 4. Tea tree oil - Numerous studies have shown that tea tree oil is effective against various Candida. Tea tree oil is highly successful in accelerating the elimination of Candida…. 5. Dill oiL - Dill oil has powerful antibacterial properties and it is an excellent anti-fungal drug. 6. Apple Cider Vinegar - Apple cider vinegar is commonly used as a treatment for any kind of fungal infection. It helps kill the fungus that causes infection because of its antimicrobial properties. Also, it promotes quick recovery and helps prevent the infection from spreading. 7. Coconut oil - Coconut oil is highly beneficial in the case of fungus due to its immune-enhancing and health-supporting properties…. Coconut oil fungus-killing action is due to its content of medium-chain fatty acids. They have potent antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal properties. Both topical application and oral consumption can benefit.

Breakthrough! Read This Before Ever Swallowing Another Ibuprofen Again
REALfarmacy - Turmeric has proven itself to be more than just effective in cooking, but as a natural pain reliever as well! In fact, turmeric has recently been proven in a study to beat ibuprofen for arthritis of the knee. An exciting new clinical trial published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine has revealed that an effective natural alternative to the popular painkiller ibuprofen exists for the treatment of knee Osteoarthritis, and it comes in the form of a kitchen spice. The spice has proven itself to be far more superior in safety and the number of side effects. It is a non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug. The polyphenol in turmeric known as curcumin has been found to have over 600 health benefits. In a Lancet review last year, typical ibuprofen was found to be as toxic to the heart as the banned anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx which has contributed to tens and thousands of deaths from cardiovascular disease each year. This is an important factor to why evidence-based natural alternatives are extremely important, especially when they involve culinary spices that are already known to be safe, affordable, accessible, and time-tested.

Enjoy your new eBook — Quick Start Guide: Turmeric
Green Med Info - Why add turmeric into your diet? Research has shown that turmeric and curcumin have a variety of proven medicinal benefits.

Pet News

She Was Heartbroken When She Thought Her Dog Died -- Then This Hero Stepped In
ViralNova - On March 21, 35-year-old Crystal Lamirande came home to see that her Santa Monica apartment was engulfed in flames. She was terrified because her 10-year-old dog named Nalu was still trapped inside but she couldn't get past the smoke to rescue him. That's when Andrew Klein, a firefighter for the Santa Monica Fire Department, found the unconscious pup that wasn't breathing and didn't have a pulse…. Klein didn't waste any time performing CPR on Nalu, including mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. fter spending 20 minutes working on him while Lamirande watched, Klein brought Nalu back to life. What's even better is that nobody else was hurt and the other firefighters were able to put out in the flames in 10 minutes…. "Our goal is to save people, and sometimes we're not able to do that despite our best efforts. But to have a success story just like this, even with Nalu being a dog, I mean again he's a life and he's a life that matters. That was just a great morale booster for all of the guys here in our department," Klein said.
 


Friday - March 24, 2017

On This Day In History:


1720 - In Paris, banking houses closed due to financial crisis.
1765 - Britain passed the Quartering Act that required the American colonies to house 10,000 British troops in public and private buildings.
1792 - Benjamin West became the first American artist to be selected president of the Royal Academy of London.
1868 - Metropolitan Life Insurance Company was formed.
1883 - The first telephone call between New York and Chicago took place.
1900 - Mayor Van Wyck of New York broke the ground for the New York subway tunnel that would link Manhattan and Brooklyn.
1920 - The first U.S. coast guard air station was established at Morehead City, NC.
1938 - The U.S. asked that all countries help refugees fleeing from the Nazis.
1947 - The U.S. Congress proposed the limitation of the presidency to two terms.
1955 - The first oil drill seagoing rig was put into service.
1988 - Former national security aides Oliver L. North and John M. Poindexter and businessmen Richard V. Secord and Albert Hakim pled innocent to Iran-Contra charges.
1989 - The Exxon Valdez spilled 240,000 barrels (11 million gallons) of oil in Alaska's Prince William Sound after it ran aground.
1989 - The U.S. decided to send humanitarian aid to the Contras.
1995 - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a welfare reform package that made the most changes in social programs since the New Deal.
1998 - In Jonesboro, AR, two young boys open fire at students from woods near a school. Four students and a teacher were killed and 10 others were injured. The two boys were 11 and 13 years old cousins.
1998 - A former FBI agent said papers found in James Earl Ray's car supports a conspiracy theory in the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
2014 - It was announced that the U.S. and its allies would exclude Russia from the G8 meeting and boycott a planned summit in Sochi in response to Russia's takeover of Crimea.
2005 - The Supreme Court denied an appeal from the parents of Terri Schiavo to have a feeding tube reinserted into the severely brain-damaged woman.
2012 - Former Vice President Dick Cheney underwent a heart transplant at a Virginia hospital.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

FBI have uncovered ‘evidence of treason’ among alt-right websites, says George W Bush’s ethics lawyer
The Independent - The man who served as former president George W Bush’s most senior ethics lawyer has suggested that the FBI is “uncovering evidence of treason” by far right US news websites over their links with Russia. Richard Painter tweeted a link to an article suggesting that the Bureau was looking into news outlets like Breitbart News, InfoWars and the Kremlin-backed RT News and Sputnik News, to see whether they worked with Russian-backed operatives to disseminate stories favouring Donald Trump during the presidential election. at times when his campaign appeared to be struggling. Sources told US publisher, McClatchy that online “bots” had created millions of social media posts linking to articles on the sites, some of which were completely false, while other contained a mixture of fact and fiction. Investigators are now trying to establish whether the websites were complicit with the people managing the “bots” or the operatives were controlling them without their knowledge – which is entirely possible.

US probes banking of ex-Trump campaign chief
AP - U.S. Treasury Department agents have recently obtained information about offshore financial transactions involving President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, as part of a federal anti-corruption probe into his work in Eastern Europe, The Associated Press has learned. Information about Manafort’s transactions was turned over earlier this year to U.S. agents working in the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network by investigators in Cyprus at the U.S. agency’s request, a person familiar with the case said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to publicly discuss a criminal investigation. The Cyprus attorney general, one of the country’s top law enforcement officers, was made aware of the American request. A spokesman for Manafort did not immediately respond to questions from the AP. Manafort, who was Trump’s unpaid campaign chairman from March until August last year, has been a leading focus of the U.S. government’s investigation into whether Trump associates coordinated with Moscow to meddle in the 2016 campaign. This week, the AP revealed his secret work for a Russian billionaire to advance the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin a decade ago.

FBI Grilled On Extent Of Its Facial Recognition Program
Vocativ - The FBI took fire from privacy advocates and members of Congress Wednesday over how it characterizes its face recognition program, which has allowed agents to access and algorithmically match the photos of tens of millions of Americans — including innocent people who have never been charged with a crime. At a hearing convened by the House of Representatives’ government oversight committee, experts and lawmakers pressed an FBI representative on the agency’s misrepresentation of the program’s scope, as well as its refusal to audit the accuracy of systems responsible for matching vast databases of photos with criminal suspects. FBI spokesperson Kimberly Del Greco responded to several questions with statements that contradict what is currently known about the scope and capabilities of the agency’s face recognition programs…. According to a comprehensive report released last year by researchers at Georgetown Law, roughly half of all Americans have their photos accessible by a law enforcement face recognition system. The report found that 16 states grant the FBI free access to driver’s license photos for its Next Generation Identification and Facial Analysis, Comparison, and Evaluation (FACE) photo-searching systems.

Chaos Inside GOP House Conference Forces Speaker Ryan to Cancel Thursday’s RyanCare Vote
Breitbart - Progress bringing the bill to the floor was stalled out when a compromise reached in principle between President Donald Trump and the chamber’s conservative bloc, the House Freedom Caucus, late Wednesday was not included in to the bill as a manager’s amendment. Manager’s amendments are privilege’s of relevant committee chairmen, who can change the language in a bill without going back to the full committee. The HFC members accept that the RyanCare bill is not the repeal-and-replace of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that created Obamacare, but they insist that the speaker’s Obamacare rescue bill eliminate the Essential Health Benefits provision that requires a minimum of services in insurance policies, and they want to eliminate the Individual Mandate that RyanCare preserves as a program managed by the insurance companies, not the IRS. As conservatives gain concessions in the RyanCare negotiations, more liberal Republicans have been dropping out, especially over cuts to Medicaid and a new promise by the president to keep illegal aliens from participating in RyanCare health plans.

Schumer: Democrats Will Filibuster Gorsuch
Breitbart - Senate Democrats will attempt to filibuster the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced on Thursday during a speech on the Senate floor…. While it only takes a simple majority of 51 votes in the 100-member Senate to confirm a nominee, Schumer then went on to say that Gorsuch “will have to earn 60 votes for confirmation.” This means a filibuster. Under Senate Rule 22, for any question involving debate, if senators wish to continue speaking, it takes a three-fifths vote of the full Senate (60 out of 100) to invoke a motion for cloture, which limits debate to no more than 30 additional hours, after which a final vote must be held. When senators insist on continuing debate until cloture shuts them down, it’s called a filibuster.,,, The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote Gorsuch out of committee on April 3, sending the nomination to the Senate floor for this filibuster showdown.

NRA to Campaign Against Red State Democrats who Oppose Gorsuch
Breitbart - There are number of Senate Democrats from Red States who are up for re-election in 2018. Gateway Pundit published a list of names that included Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Clair McCaskill (D-MO), Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Jon Tester (D-MT), among others. Democrats in this list who vote against a Gorsuch confirmation will not only find themselves campaigning against a Republican challenger but against the NRA as well. The Washington Examiner quoted a letter from NRA-ILA executive director Chris Cox, in which he wrote, “The NRA has every confidence that Judge Gorsuch will protect the Second Amendment rights of law abiding gun owners and will faithfully apply the Constitution in the cases that come before him. He has our strongest support for confirmation.”

NTSB convincing states to lower drunk driving minimum to one or two drinks
MassPrivate I - Earlier this month, Utah lawmakers passed HB155 which would make it illegal to have a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05%. A 0.05% BAC translates into only one or two alcoholic drinks! "The proposal would mean that a 150-pound man could get a DUI after two beers, while a 120-pound woman could get one after a single drink..." "For several years, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has encouraged states to drop their blood-alcohol content levels to 0.05 or even lower."

Dr. Phil Exposes Elite Government Pedophile Ring On Mainstream TV(Video)
YourNewsWire - Dr. Phil exposed the crimes of an elite government pedophile ring to millions of viewers across the United States on Tuesday, after interviewing a former child sex slave called ‘Kendall’. Kendall, who was repeatedly sexually abused as a young child, detailed her life growing up as a sex slave to an elite pedophile ring to a stunned audience. As more and more Americans are beginning to wake up to the fact that high-level government officials routinely sexually abuse children, Dr. Phil helped bring the issue to the attention of an even bigger audience. Kendall explains that she was born to be a sex slave, as her parents intentionally had her for the trafficker she calls her “owner.” Kendall says that her parents sold her at birth to an elite pedophile ring that serviced some of the world’s power elite, describing her first memories as being passed around groups of rich and prominent men and women for them to “take turns” with her for sadistic sexual pleasure.

Election News

Michigan Committee Passes Ballot Measure to Help Protect Electronic Data from Warrantless Spying
Tenth Amendment Center - Michigan House committee passed a resolution that would put before voters a state constitutional amendment to protect electronic communications and data from the prying eyes of state and local law enforcement. The amendment would also effectively block a small but intrusive practical effect of federal spying within the state. House Joint Resolution C (HJRC) was introduced by Rep. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake) along with 11 bipartisan co-sponsors…. If HJRC is ultimately approved by a majority of two-thirds in the House and the Senate, the amendment would be considered by the voters in the Nov. 2018 general election.

World News

France shudders after London attack, Le Pen demands border controls
Reuters - Far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Thursday said the lone-wolf attack outside parliament in London underscored the need for tighter border controls, as France shuddered at an incident that reopened wounds inflicted by similar assaults at home. Security is a major campaign issue ahead of next month's close-fought presidential election, in which Le Pen is seen reaching the second round on a nationalist, anti-immigration platform. Wednesday's attack has dominated French news coverage and served as a poignant reminder of militant attacks on French soil that have killed more 230 people since the start of 2015. "The problem we have nowadays is this form of low-cost terrorism," the National Front leader told BFM TV and RMC radio, adding "we must control our borders". Three French schoolchildren were among those hurt by the London attacker who ploughed into pedestrians as he sped along Westminster bridge toward the British parliament…. [Le Pen] advocated closing down mosques with links to extremism and revoking the French nationality of those with more than one passport who were guilty of committing attacks.

Proof: Muslims Celebrated Terror Attack in London
Paul Joseph Watson - A screenshot from France 24 Arabic’s live video feed shows Muslim viewers reacting to the rampage with smiley faces and thumbs up. In addition, comments below the live video feed including individuals remarking, “God curse the infidels,” and, “That’s how the lone wolves of Allah operate.” Viewers of Al Jazeera English’s live video feed of the attack also reacted with mostly smiley faced emoticons and thumbs up. In the screenshot below, just two out of 26 respondents react with a sad or angry face. Aldo Sterone, who was watching the live feed at the same time, commented, “I am watching Al Jazeera live. You wouldn’t believe the number of likes, “well done” and “allahu akbar”…. This doesn’t mean that all Muslims celebrated the terror attack and undoubtedly most of them would condemn it. However, the idea of ordinary, so-called “moderate Muslims” celebrating terrorist attacks drives fear into the heart of the leftist establishment because it demolishes the notion that Islam is a “religion of peace” and that only a tiny minority of Muslims support terrorism.

London parliament attacker named as 52-year-old Khalid Masood
RT - The London terrorist attacker has been named by police as Khalid Masood. Masood, 52, was born in Kent and detectives believe he was most recently living in the West Midlands. Masood was also known by a number of aliases, Scotland Yard says. Masood was not the subject of any current investigations and there was no prior intelligence about his intent to mount a terrorist attack. He was known to police, however, and had a range of previous convictions for assaults, including GBH, possession of offensive weapons and public order offenses…. According to Sky News, Masood was an English teacher and religious convert. He was a married father of three, who was into bodybuilding.
* Related: ISIS have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the killer was a 'soldier of the Islamic State'

Former Russian Parliamentarian and Putin Critic Shot Dead in Kiev
Blacklisted News - A former Russian parliamentarian who fled to Ukraine and harshly criticized the Russian authorities has been shot dead in Kiev. Denis Voronenkov, formerly a Communist Party lawmaker in the State Duma, was one of two men killed outside Kiev's Premier Palace hotel March 23, according to the Vesti Ukraine news website. Kiev Police Chief Andrei Krishchenko said the murder was likely a contract killing, according to the Meduza news site.

Energy & Environment

Trump EPA Grants Michigan $100 Million to Fix Flint Water System
Breitbart - The Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act of 2016 provided the funding for this grant that would help Flint replace its lead water pipes that have fallen into disrepair, the EPA said in a statement. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said this grant is part of the Trump administration’s goal to improve the country’s water infrastructure.

Science & Technology

Senate votes to let ISPs sell your Web browsing history to advertisers
ISP now stands for "invading subscriber privacy," Democratic senator says. The US Senate today voted to eliminate broadband privacy rules that would have required ISPs to get consumers' explicit consent before selling or sharing Web browsing data and other private information with advertisers and other companies…. The House, also controlled by Republicans, would need to vote on the measure before the privacy rules are officially eliminated. President Trump could also preserve the privacy rules by issuing a veto. If the House and Trump agree with the Senate's action, ISPs won't have to seek customer approval before sharing their browsing histories and other private information with advertisers. The Senate vote was 50-48, with lawmakers voting entirely along party lines…. The Senate action "would allow Comcast, Verizon, Charter, AT&T, and other broadband providers to take control away from consumers and relentlessly collect and sell their sensitive information without the consent of that family," Markey said. That sensitive information includes health and financial information, and information about children, he said. ISPs want to "draw a map" of where families shop and go to school, and sell it to data brokers "or anyone else who wants to make a profit off you," [Sen. Ed Markey] said.

New WikiLeaks dump: The CIA built Thunderbolt exploit, implants to target Macs
Ars Technica - The latest batch of files, dramatically named "DarkMatter" (after one of the tools described in the dump), consists of user manuals and other documentation for exploits targeting Apple MacBooks—including malware that leveraged a vulnerability in Apple's Thunderbolt interface uncovered by a researcher two years ago. Named "Sonic Screwdriver" after the ever-useful tool carried by the fictional Doctor of Dr. Who, the malware was stored on an ordinary Thunderbolt Ethernet adapter. It exploited the Thunderbolt interface to allow anyone with physical access to a MacBook to bypass password protection on firmware and install one of a series of Apple-specific CIA "implants."

Security Alert: Windows 10 Has Been Quietly Logging EVERY KEYSTROKE You Type And Sending It To Microsoft (This Is How To Stop It)
Mac Slavo - Yesterday we reported that an international group of hackers claim they have breached Apple’s iCloud user database and stolen 300 million usernames and passwords. The group has threatened to initiate a widespread factory reset on April 7th, 2017, potentially wiping out data on tens of millions of iPhones and iCloud accounts should Apple fail to pay a ransom. But that breach by nefarious hackers, while serious, is nothing compared to what your trusted operating system provider may be doing on your personal computer. According to a recent report, if you are a Windows 10 user then every single keystroke you have ever typed on your computer may have been logged and sent to Microsoft. You know those nagging questions during the installation process that ask you whether or not you want to “help” improve Windows by sending data to Microsoft? If you happened to answer “yes” to one of these questions, or if you went with the Microsoft default installation, there is a real possibility that everything you have done on your computer from the get-go, including sending “secure” messages (because the keyboard logger captures your keystrokes before they appear in your secure messaging app), is now a part of a massive user database somewhere. […] if you are concerned about your personal privacy, there are two ways to avoid having your computer spied on using this keylogger method….

Wells Fargo activates cardless withdrawals for all its ATMs
engadget - Wells Fargo's pilot trial for cardless withdrawals must have gone well, because the bank is rolling out the feature to all of its 13,000 ATMs across the country. The company debuted the feature in select ATMs earlier this year. Starting on March 27th, though, you can withdraw cash from any of the bank's machines using only your smartphone. You'll have to request an eight-digit code from the Wells Fargo app to punch into the machine along with your PIN code every time you want to withdraw money. Take note, however, that the code can only be used once and won't be enough to open some branches' secure doors during non-business hours -- you'll still need your card for that…. The company said it plans to roll out an update later this year that will make the process even easier. When that feature arrives, you won't even have to request a code: you'll only have to hold up your phone to a reader on the machine to get your money.

Health

Fibrocysts And The Iodine Connection
Natural Blaze - Today, thyroid disease is epidemic. Eighty-percent of thyroid disease is experienced by women with at least fifty percent of cases going undiagnosed. Eight-four percent of women with thyroid disease have fibrocystic breasts. Is there a connection between low thyroid function and fibrocysts? Thyroid disease is really iodine deficiency disease. Iodine is a trace mineral from food and is needed by every cell in the body. The body requires 12.5 g/day of iodine for full sufficiency. Of that, the thyroid takes 6 mg/day, the breasts take 5 mg, and the other glands, including the ovaries, grab about 2 mg. In studies, when thyroid patients are supplemented with iodine… two things happen: Not only does thyroid function return – and the need for thyroid hormone is reduced or eliminated – but patients see their fibrocysts melt away. That’s because fibrocysts are partially developed follicles that have not ovulated. Follicles, including hair follicles, are direct targets of thyroid hormones; T3 and T4. This connection may explain why people with hypothyroidism often have the symptom of thinning hair and eyebrows. Bottom line: Iodine deficiency can lead to cysts in breasts and ovaries. When iodine is supplemented, fibroids and cysts reverse.

A Nasty Little Secret Hidden in Your Crock Pot
REALfarmacy - A concerned mom from Weber County, who frequently used her crock pot, took her Rival slow cooker to the county fair, where she could do a free lead testing on dishes. What she discovered was her crock pot contained lead. She notified Gephardt about her findings and he started his own investigation. He discovered that when ceramic ware was heated to just 80 degrees, it released nearly 10 times the amount of lead as a plate at room temperature. The FDA limits the amount of lead that is allowed to leach from cookware. But there isn’t a “safe” amount of lead to have in your body…. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has drastically lowered the official level for what it considers to be “safe” exposure to lead. However, recently the agency admitted that there is no safe level of exposure to lead, and that the only way to protect our health is to avoid it completely…. If you are worried about lead in crock pots, buy these lead test swabs here, and find out whether your slow cookers are leaching lead.
 


Thursday - March 23, 2017

On This Day In History:


1775 - American revolutionary Patrick Henry declared, "give me liberty, or give me death!"
1806 - Explorers Lewis and Clark, reached the Pacific coast, and began their return journey to the east.
1840 - The first successful photo of the Moon was taken.
1857 - Elisha Otis installed the first modern passenger elevator in a public building at the corner of Broome Street and Broadway in NYC
1889 - U.S. President Harrison opened Oklahoma for white colonization.
1903 - U.S. troops were sent to Honduras to protect the American consulate during revolutionary activity.
1920 - Britain denounced the U.S. because of their delay in joining the League of Nations.
1922 - The first airplane landed at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.
1934 - The U.S. Congress accepted the independence of the Philippines in 1945.
1942 - During World War II, the U.S. government began evacuating Japanese-Americans from West Coast homes to detention centers.
1951 - U.S. paratroopers descended from flying boxcars in a surprise attack in Korea.
1957 - The U.S. Army sold the last of its homing pigeons.
1967 - Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. called the Vietnam War the biggest obstacle to the civil rights movement.
1972 - The U.S. called a halt to the peace talks on Vietnam being held in Paris.
1983 - U.S. President Reagan first proposed development of technology to intercept enemy missiles. The proposal became known as the Strategic Defense Initiative and "Star Wars."
1983 - Dr. Barney Clark died after 112 days with a permanent artificial heart.
1990 - Former Exxon Valdez Captain Joseph Hazelwood was ordered to help clean up Prince William Sound and pay $50,000 in restitution for the 1989 oil spill.
1998 - The movie "Titanic" won 11 Oscars at the Academy Awards.
2003 - A U.S. Army maintenance convoy was ambushed in Iraq; 11 soldiers were killed and seven were captured, including Pfc. Jessica Lynch.
2008 - A roadside bomb killed four U.S. soldiers in Baghdad, pushing the overall American death toll in the five-year war to at least 4,000.
2010 - President Barack Obama signed a $938 billion health care overhaul.
2012 - The U.S. Army formally charged Staff Sgt. Robert Bales with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the deaths of 17 villagers, more than half of them children, during a shooting rampage in southern Afghanistan.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Letter to Devin Nunes on CIA Surveillance of Trump
Freedom Watch - This letter was written to Chairman Devin Nunes Exposing the CIA Surveillance of Trump. Written by former Federal Prosecutor Larry Klayman who is demanding that Comey be questioned again by the House Intelligence Committee May 28. Klayman intends to be present! The Secret Surveillance Program was known as "The Hammer" and was just discovered in the recent Wikileak's vault7 CIA release! This letter is the reason Chairman Nunes admitted that Trump was under CIA Surveillance!!

Globalists Meet to Oppose Trump’s Executive Orders on Immigration
Clifford Cunningham - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), a “human rights watchdog” founded in 1959 under the charter of the globalist Organization of American States, conducted two hearings relating to President Trump’s immigration-related executive orders at the behest of advocacy groups. Despite finding a sympathetic audience at the IACHR, the commissioners were unable to determine a proper course of action to oppose the orders…. The first hearing was held to address the “impact of executive orders ‘Border Security and Immigration Enforcements Improvements;’ ‘Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist entry into the United States;’ and ‘Expediting Environmental Reviews and Approval for High Priority Infrastructure Projects on Human Rights in the United States.'” The second hearing was held to discuss “policies that prevent access to asylum in the United States.” Advocacy groups including the American Civil Liberties Union, American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee, Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Not1more Deportation, and the Immigration Clinic at the University of Texas Law School requested the two hearings.

Nunes Confirms There Was "Incidental Surveillance" Of Trump During Obama Administration, "Seems To Be Inappropriate"
Zero Hedge - Two days after FBI director Comey shot down Trump's allegation that Trump was being wiretapped by president Obama before the election, it appears that president Trump may have been on to something because moments ago, the House Intelligence Chairman, Devin Nunes, told reporters that the U.S. intelligence community incidentally collected information on members of President Trump's transition team, possibly including Trump himself, and the information was "widely disseminated" in intelligence reports. As AP adds, Nunes said that President Donald Trump's communications may have been "monitored" during the transition period as part of an "incidental collection." Nunes told a news conference Wednesday that the communications appear to be picked up through "incidental collection" and do not appear to be related to the ongoing FBI investigation into Trump associates' contacts with Russia. He says he believes the intelligence collections were done legally, although in light of the dramatic change in the plotline it may be prudent to reserve judgment on how "incidental" it was…. Nunes also said that "additional names" of Trump transition officials had been unmasked in the intelligence reports. He indicated that Trump's communications may have been swept up.

Video: Trump: 'By Putting Our Trust in God, We Will Rise to This Occasion'
CNS News - With trust in God and faith in their fellow man, Americans can create a future where they will “love waking up in the morning,” President Donald Trump said Tuesday at the National Republican Congressional Committee March Dinner. Trump envisioned a future where Americans will love their lives, “millions are lifted from welfare to work,” and children born into poverty will grow up to fulfill their “big, beautiful dreams.” All of this is possible, he said, if Americans embrace faith and trust: “If we stand for these things -- safety, prosperity and peace -- then there is no limit to what we can achieve: A future where millions are lifted from welfare to work.

Judge Orders Mom To Stop Homeschooling After Smart Girl Falsely Labeled Illiterate
Off the Grid News - A judge ordered a homeschooler placed in school and even scheduled a trial after an official falsely reported that the girl was illiterate. To make matters worse, the judge refused to examine the girl’s test scores, which indicated she was reading and writing at the level of her grade… The controversy started when the mom, named Vanessa, moved to a different county in Kentucky and enrolled her daughter in a private school. But she soon realized that homeschooling was a better option, so she pulled the girl, who until that short time had been homeschooled her entire life. That’s when things went wrong. “The private school … contacted the local director of pupil personnel (DPP), who called Vanessa at night and told her that she needed to file her notice of intent [to homeschool] immediately,” HSLDA’s Darren Jones wrote. “But the very next day, the DPP filed charges in court, accusing her of neglecting her daughter’s education. He claimed that the daughter had only attended school 20 days in her entire life and that she could not say or write the alphabet.”… The judge ordered Vanessa to enroll her daughter in a school, and he scheduled a trial for six weeks later. HSLDA then hired an independent consultant, who evaluated the girl and found she was working above her capacity. The consultant reported he had “no idea why someone at the school would have said that the girl didn’t know the alphabet. She’s a good reader (with very good phonetic skills).” The consultant even added in an email, “The mom does a great job!” Once that report was made public, the prosecutor dropped the case and the judge agreed that the mom could go back to homeschooling.

Idaho Family Outraged After USDA-Planted Cyanide Bomb Injures Kid, Kills Dog
Natural Blaze - Idaho family is outraged after their 14-year-old son was injured and his pet Labrador retriever was killed by a government-planted cyanide bomb placed in the woods behind their home. Last Thursday, Canyon Mansfield was walking with his three-year-old Lab, Casey, when he noticed a device that looked like a sprinkler head sticking six inches out of the ground. Out of curiosity, he attempted to pick it up. The Idaho State Journal reported: “[It] erupted with a loud popping noise that knocked Canyon off his feet. A hissing sound ensued and Canyon noticed his clothing and face were covered with an orange, powdery substance.” After using snow on the ground to wash the substance off his clothing and face, Canyon called for his dog, who didn’t respond. “He just stayed on the ground mumbling,” Canyon said…. Casey was dead within minutes. According to the Idaho State Journal, on Thursday the young dog “joined thousands of other non-targeted animals — both wild and domestic — that have been mistakenly killed by one of the most lethal tools at the disposal of the U.S. Department of Agriculture — spring-loaded metal cylinders that are baited with scent that shoot sodium cyanide powder into the mouth or face of whatever or whoever touches them.”
* Related: Help Us Ban M-44 "Cyanide Bombs"

Veteran News

These sick Vietnam vets blame exposure to Agent Orange, but VA won't pay(Video)
McClatchy - Sam Genco, at age 19, narrowly survived one of the United States’ worst military aircraft carrier fires. Today, 50 years later, it’s that ship’s drinking water he says could be killing him. Genco was diagnosed last year at a North Carolina veterans’ clinic with ischemic heart disease – a common condition the federal government says is linked to Agent Orange exposure. He suffers from severely blocked arteries, cutting off the normal flow of oxygen and blood to the heart. “It’s fatigue. Your muscles just don’t want to work. Like an engine full of sludge,” Genco said. “The engine keeps working harder but going slower.” But the 69-year-old can’t get disability benefits tied to exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange…. Genco, who lives in Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina, is one of an estimated 90,000 affected “blue water Navy Vietnam veterans,” named for the open seas and harbors where they served. Federally funded research by the Institute of Medicine – now the National Academy of Medicine – concludes the sailors were possibly exposed to Agent Orange via their ships’ drinking water or from winds blowing the chemical out to sea…. The Department of Veterans Affairs wants more evidence before it will award the sailors benefits – even if their health problems mirror conditions known to have been caused by Agent Orange…. VA Secretary David Shulkin told McClatchy in a statement the department will continue its review of the blue-water sailors topic and “will be guided by the relevant science in determining any recommendations concerning this important issue.”

World News

Criminal Misurata Militias -THIEVES In Tripoli
Libyan War The Truth - Today the criminals who call themselves "Misurata Militias" began to go door to door in Tripoli. They forced their way into people's homes and took what ever they wanted. The Misurata Militias are the groups that were supported and armed by Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Obama and others. They are made up of some of the 4% of Libyans that are radicals and other mercenaries. They are now being supported (illegally) by Qatar and Turkey. This is the only way that they can survive as they are now the most hated group of criminals in Libya today. They have become quite desperate because they realize the Libyan people will never support them, so they have turned to doing as much damage as they possibly can to the innocent Libyan people…. No NATO to the rescue, no UN, no ICC crimes against humanity charges - nothing. People in Libya have been imprisoned, tortured, stolen from, homes and families destroyed, starved, had schools and hospitals destroyed - the list goes on and on.

At least two dead and several ‘catastrophically injured’ in attack on UK Parliament
Daily Mail - At least two people are dead after a terror attacker brought carnage to central London today, mowing down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before attacking police with a knife in the grounds of the Houses of Parliament. At least 10 people were been hit by a vehicle on the bridge after a 4×4 drove into pedestrians and cyclists before crashing into the gates of Parliament. An intruder, described by a witness as ‘middle-aged and Asian’, then managed to break into the grounds of the Parliament and stabbed a police officer before he was shot and injured. The policeman is feared to have since died. An hour after the attack, paramedics removed a man, thought to be the attacker, from the scene after extensive CPR. Another body appeared to have been left on the ground covered by a red blanket. A doctor at St Thomas’ Hospital has said one woman has died and a number of others have been hurt – including some with ‘catastrophic’ injuries. Prime Minister Theresa May is said to have been bundled into a car by a plain-clothes police officer and driven quickly from the scene. She will chair a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee tonight. Scotland Yard said the attack, which comes a year to the day after the terrorist atrocities in Brussels, is being treated ‘as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise’.
* Related: CNN Downplays ISIS-Style Parliament Attack as “Firearms Incident”

‘Defeating ISIS No.1 US goal’: Tillerson at coalition summit
RT - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is hosting a meeting of the 68-member US-led coalition against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). The Washington, DC summit is the first meeting of the full coalition since December 2014…. The top US diplomat said the coalition had made significant progress against the terrorist group, with the flow of foreign fighters into the region down by 90 percent and IS online content down by 75 percent. Turkey has pushed IS back from the border in Operation Euphrates Shield, while in Iraq, government forces and Kurdish Peshmerga are working together to liberate Mosul…. The US is currently providing 75 percent of coalition military resources in support of local forces in Iraq and Syria, the secretary of state said, adding that for humanitarian efforts, the proportion is reversed. While the US will do its part, “circumstances on the ground require more from all of you,” Tillerson said. Coalition forces will remain on territories claimed by “fraudulent caliphate” to ensure stability, Tillerson said. While he gave no further details, any coalition military presence inside Syria is seen as unacceptable by the government in Damascus, which – unlike Baghdad – did not invite the US-led forces into the country. Tillerson also touched on the proposal to create “safe areas” in Syria, describing them as “interim zones of stability” that would be created through ceasefires to improve the safety of resident and displaced civilians.

U.S. Prepping Case Linking North Korea To $81MM New York Fed Bank Heist
Zero Hedge - As tensions between the U.S and North Korea continue to escalate, with the most recent provacation coming from Kim Jong Un just last night, the Wall Street Journal has just reported that Federal prosecutors are building potential cases that would accuse North Korea of directing the theft of $81 million from Bangladesh’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York last year.

Economy & Business

Global Stocks Tumble; Gold, Safe Havens Jump On Doubts Trump Tax Cuts Will Pass
Zero Hedge - Global stocks tumbled amid growing doubts President Trump will be able to deliver on a promise of tax cuts that has powered stocks markets to record highs pushed shares lower on Wednesday and drove investors to seek safety in government debt, gold and the yen. As DB put it: "Warning! US equities can occasionally go down as well as up a lot."

Retail Nightmare Just Won't End: Sears Crashes On "Going Concern" Warning, Payless To File Bankruptcy In Days
Zero Hedge - …in its latest 10-K, warning overnight, warning “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating, raising fresh concerns about a company that has lost more than $10 billion in recent years…. Sears’s stock fell as low as $7.30 in premarket trading before rebounding modestly . It had been down 2 percent this year through Tuesday’s close…. As part of its comeback plan, Sears had closed stores, sold real estate and offloaded businesses. Earlier this month, the department-store chain completed the sale of its Craftsman tool brand to Stanley Black & Decker Inc. for about $900 million…. In a separate report, Payless Inc., yet another struggling discount shoe chain, was preparing to file for bankruptcy as soon as next week… the company is initially planning to close 400 to 500 stores as it reorganizes operations…. As a result of the hundreds of upcoming storefronts between just these two companies, mall operators are bracing for another collapse in rental revenue

Science & Technology

17,000 AT&T technicians and call center workers go on strike
Ars Technica - About 17,000 AT&T wireline technicians and call center employees went on strike in California and Nevada today while filing an unfair labor charge to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) alleging that AT&T violated federal law…. The [Communications Workers of America] CWA said that AT&T "is asking its workers to do more for less—keeping them from their families with unpredictable overtime, undercutting pay and advancement, offshoring good jobs, and pushing more health care costs onto employees."

Health

New Clay Testimonials - Diabetic Infected Heel Ulcer and Lump on Back of Head the Size of a Tangerine

10 Amazing Benefits of Sandalwood Essential Oil for Health and Beauty
Natural News Blogs - Sandalwood essential oil is steam-distilled from the heartwood and roots of the tree. The older the tree is, the stronger and purer its oil will be. When it comes to benefits of sandalwood essential oil, they are mainly due to its antiseptic, anti-phlogistic, anti-inflammatory, astringent, carminative, disinfectant, expectorant properties. Sandalwood essential oil along with the paste of sandalwood is often used in medicines, skin treatment and a lot of industrial products such as edibles, mouth fresheners, incense sticks, deodorants, soaps, perfumes, creams and lotions, and room fresheners. This article will reveal to you top surprising benefits of sandalwood essential oil for health and beauty.… 1. Easing Anxiety - It is said that burning sandalwood can relieve restlessness and depression, thereby promoting spirituality as well as inner peace…. 2. Relaxing Muscles And Nerves - Sandalwood can work as an antispasmodic agent which could help relax muscles, nerves as well as blood vessels naturally. The oil of this herb can be used to avoid spasms and contractions. 3. Improving Sleep - Sandalwood oil has been famous as a potent sleep aid for ages. Besides, it is also used as a home remedy for insomnia. It is due to the compounds alpha-santalol and beta-santalol which can positively impact the nervous system. 4. Boosting Mental Clarity - According to a study in 2006, inhaling sandalwood oil helped people feel more mental aware and remain calm during the time that required mental focus….

Never Eat Ginger If You Have Any Of These 4 Health Conditions
David Wolfe - Ginger adds a spicy and bold flavor to many dishes. It’s been used for centuries to alleviate symptoms caused by many medical conditions, including motion sickness, digestive issues and even arthritis. Ginger’s natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects make it a natural healer. While ginger does indeed boast many health benefits, there are some health conditions it can actually have a negative effect on. You should never eat ginger if you have any of these four health conditions: 1. You’re Pregnant - Ginger contains many stimulates that support muscle health and aid in digestion. If you’re pregnant, these stimulates might end up leading to premature contractions and preterm labors. Its use is especially discouraged during the last trimester of pregnancy. A small amount of ginger can help alleviate morning sickness early on in your pregnancy, but consult with a health care professional beforehand. 2. You Have A Blood Disorder - Ginger stimulates circulation to increase blood flow. For those struggling with obesity or diabetes, this is a positive benefit. But for people who suffer from hemophilia, it can be a negative side effect. 3. You’re Taking Certain Types Of Medications - If you’re taking medication for high blood pressure or diabetes, ginger can have a negative effect on your condition. Ginger stimulates blood thinning and reduces blood pressure, which are great benefits for the body, unless you’re taking these types of medications. When ginger combines with anticoagulants, beta-blockers or insulin drugs, it can cause harm to the body by lowering the effects of these medications….

Pet News

RECALL ALERT: Three Brands of Pig Ears Dog Chews Recalled
Dogington Post - According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, EuroCan Manufacturing is voluntarily recalling Lot Number 84 consisting of it’s individually shrink-wrapped, 6-pack, 12-pack and 25-pack bags of Barnsdale Farms®, HoundsTooth® and Mac’s Choice® Pig Ears because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is a risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.
 


Wednesday - March 22, 2017

On This Day In History:


1765 - The Stamp Act was passed. It was the first direct British tax on the American colonists. It was repealed on March 17, 1766.
1775 - Edmund Burke presented his 13 articles to the English parliament.
1790 - Thomas Jefferson became the first U.S. Secretary of State.
1794 - The U.S. Congress banned U.S. vessels from supplying slaves to other countries.
1871 - William Holden of North Carolina became the first governor to be removed by impeachment.
1903 - Niagara Falls ran out of water due to a drought.
1907 - Russians troops completed the evacuation of Manchuria in the face of advancing Japanese forces.
1933 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill legalizing the sale and possession of beer and wine containing up to 3.2% alcohol.
1935 - In New York, blood tests were authorized as evidence in court cases.
1935 - Persia was renamed Iran.
1946 - The first U.S. built rocket to leave the earth's atmosphere reached a height of 50-miles.
1965 - U.S. confirmed that its troops used chemical warfare against the Vietcong.
1972 - The U.S. Senate passed the Equal Rights Amendment. It was not ratified by the states.
1974 - The Viet Cong proposed a new truce with the U.S. and South Vietnam. The truce included general elections.
1980 - People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was founded by Ingrid Newkirk and Alex Pacheco.
1981 - A group of twelve Green Berets arrived in El Salvador. This brought the total number of advisors to fifty-four.
1987 - A barge loaded with 32,000 tons of refuse left Islip, NY, to find a place to unload. After being refused by several states and three countries space was found back in Islip.
1989 - Oliver North began two days of testimony at his Iran-Contra trial in Washington, DC.
1990 - A jury in Anchorage, Alaska, found Captain Hazelwood not guilty in the Valdez oil spill.
1997 - Tara Lipinski, at 14 years and 10 months, became the youngest women's world figure skating champion.
2002 - A collection of letters and cards sent by Princess Diana of Wales sold for $33,000. The letters and cards were written to a former housekeeper at Diana's teenage home.
2010 - Google announced it would stop censoring search results on its site in China by shifting it from the mainland to Hong Kong.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Trump to GOP: Pass health care bill or seal your fate
(AP) - Time for talk running out, President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned wavering House Republicans that their jobs were on the line in next year's elections if they failed to back a GOP bill that would overhaul Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. The countdown quickened toward an expected vote Thursday on legislation undoing much of the law that provided health coverage to some 20 million Americans…. "If we fail to get it done, fail to (meet) the promises made by all of us, including the president, then it could have a very detrimental effect to Republicans in '18 who are running for re-election," said Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas. "If it fails, then there will be a lot of people looking for work in 2018."
* Related: Rand Paul: ‘Easily 35 No Votes’ Against Paul Ryan’s Obamacare 2.0, ‘I Would Predict They Pull Bill, Start Over’

Immigration provision cut from Obamacare rollback, angering conservatives
Reuters - Some conservatives in Washington were fuming on Tuesday after an Obamacare rollback bill was tweaked by Republican leaders to delete a provision meant to crack down on illegal immigrants getting federal healthcare insurance coverage. The development posed another problem for Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives and President Donald Trump, who are trying to win congressional approval of the wider bill… The provision would have allowed the Treasury Department to access data at the Department of Homeland Security to verify that healthcare tax credits went only to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents, not to illegal immigrants.

Spicer: “It was Hillary Clinton who gave a Russian company one-fifth the U.S.’ uranium supply” (Video)
Steve Watson - White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer chastised Trump administration critics Monday who continue to suggest that there is some form of collusion between the President and the Russian government, despite no evidence having come to light. In particular, Spicer noted that there has been no ‘parity’ when it comes to Democrat involvement in the situation. “From everything that has been publicly available, on several occasions, the DNC was asked by the FBI to alleviate all their concerns about leaking, yet that question still hasn’t come out,” Spicer noted. “Why would the DNC on multiple occasions rebuff the FBI? … If they were so concerned with leaks and hacking, why did they not allow the FBI to come look?” he added. There is a serious question here,” Spicer said, doubling down. “They’re very clear about all the concerns they have along with the leadership of the Democratic party, and yet when it came to hacks and leaks out of the DNC they’re quick to jump to the conclusion about who did it, yet they wouldn’t allow the FBI to investigate.” The press secretary then noted that Hillary Clinton herself has a history of involvement with the Russian government. “When you look at the Obama administration and the Clintons’ involvement with Russia, in terms of donations they received from Russian entities… yet where was the concern for that?” Spicer stated, exclaiming “What are we doing to look into that?”

Secret Service removes agent who didn’t want to take ‘a bullet’ for Trump
Washington Examiner - The Secret Service will permanently remove a top special agent from her position after an investigation into her Facebook comments that she would rather not defend President Trump or take “a bullet” for him, but some agents are concerned she will simply be transferred to another government job. About two weeks ago, the Secret Service placed the agent’s prior post — the special agent in charge of the Denver District, the top job in that office — on a list of agency openings, according to two Secret Service sources. Kerry O’Grady, the agent in question, is on administrative leave amid an internal Secret Service investigation into her Facebook comments about Trump. Current and former Secret Service agents and officers are worried that top officials at the agency are working to shield O’Grady from being fired. They are worried that she will be transferred to another division of the Homeland Security Department and allowed to serve out her time until she can retire with a pension as the agency has done with other officials in the public crosshairs.

SOROS GROUP Is Paying Far Left Activist Groups Up to $15,000 a Month to Destroy Trump
The GatewayPundit - The Washington Examiner reported: A group known for its successes fighting digital wars, notably net neutrality, is offering $15,000 to activists who quit their jobs and form “A-Teams” to jump into a war on President Trump’s agenda. Fight for the Future, started in 2011 as a digital activist group, on Monday issued the offer with this eye-catching opening: “Terrified about Trump? Quit your job, start an A-Team. We’ll fund it.” “We’re currently taking applications for an initial launch of the project, and will be providing a few select teams with funding, guidance, and support,” said Evan Greer, campaign director for Fight for the Future. “Our goal is to spawn a movement of small, dedicated, groups of people using the tactics that we’ve used effectively to defend Internet freedom to win major victories in other issue areas affecting our basic rights and freedoms, such as immigration, freedom of press, police brutality, drug reform, and government corruption,” she added.

Fox News pulls Napolitano after his Trump wiretap claims
The Hill - Fox News has reportedly pulled Andrew Napolitano from the air indefinitely after he made claims that a British intelligence agency had wiretapped Trump Tower. Napolitano, a Fox News analyst, is not scheduled to appear on the network in the near future, the Los Angeles Times reported, according to people familiar with the situation. Last week, Napolitano made the claims about the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) spying on Trump at former President Barack Obama‘s behest. White House press secretary Sean Spicer then quoted Napolitano’s remarks while defending the president’s claims earlier this month that the former president had wiretapped Trump Tower before the election. “Judge Andrew Napolitano made the following statement, quote, ‘Three intelligence sources have informed Fox News that President Obama went outside the chain of command,’” Spicer said during a daily press briefing last week. “‘He didn’t use the [National Security Agency], he didn’t use the CIA … he used GCHQ.’” GCHQ rejected Napolitano's claim that it helped surveil Trump for Obama in 2016. “Recent allegations made by media commentator Judge Andrew Napolitano about GCHQ being asked to conduct ‘wire tapping’ against the then President Elect are nonsense,” said a spokesman for the agency, which rarely comments publicly on its operations.

New California, Law Requires Pensions To Sell Companies Building Trump's "Wall Of Shame"
Zero Hedge - A new piece of legislation recently introduced in California, Assembly Bill (AB) 946 or the "Resist the Wall Act," would require the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) – the nation’s first and second largest pension funds - to liquidate within 12 months any investments in companies involved in the construction of President Trump's "Wall of Shame". The bill also requires the two pension funds to report to the Legislature and the Governor by January 1, 2019 with a list of companies from which they have liquidated investments or plan to do so.

Border Patrol agents given police powers to arrest tourists
MassPrivate I - Imagine driving down the road and being stopped by a Border Patrol agent for speeding. Imagine Border Patrol agents responding to domestic abuse calls at people's homes. Imagine the Border Patrol responding to trespassing calls and detaining motorists with K-9's. You can stop imagining, because it's happening in New York, Vermont, Maine and now New Hampshire. House Bill 1298 gives DHS's Border Patrol agents police powers in NH. Americans can forget about DHS's 100 mile border zone inside the U.S., because now the Border Police Patrol has arrest powers throughout entire states! Chief Leonard Stell of the Swanton Police Department in Vermont, calls DHS's role 'scene stabilization' which is really just a euphemism for a national police program! Col. Kevin Jordan, the head of NH's Fish and Game said, Conservation officers will also have arrest powers. According to Wikipedia, Border Patrol agents have full arrest powers even while their off-duty.

Colin Kaepernick Can't Get a Job After NFL Executives Say They 'Genuinely Hate Him'
Tribunist - When Colin Kaepernick became a free agent this NFL off-season, he probably thought that no one would remember or care that he sat during the national anthem all last season. Well, it seems teams do remember. Not one team has called him in for a workout or an interview. An unnamed general manager says he thinks that there are three things holding him back. “First, some teams genuinely believe that he can’t play. They think he’s shot. I’d put that number at 20 percent.” Secondly, some teams “fear the backlash from fans after getting him.” After the disrespect he showed the country and the flag, many teams are concerned that there will be protests and drama that’ll get in the way of the season. “I’d say that number is around 10 percent,” the anonymous source admitted. The final reason is probably the predominant reason no one wants him on their team. The source said, “Third, the rest genuinely hate him and can’t stand what he did [kneeling for the national anthem]. They want nothing to do with him. They won’t move on. They think showing no interest is a form of punishment. I think some teams also want to use Kaepernick as a cautionary tale to stop other players in the future from doing what he did.”

World News

North Korea to ‘Accelerate’ Nuclear Arms Development, Unphased by US Sanctions
Sputnik News - A North Korean envoy told Reuters on Tuesday that the country is immune to the US sanctions designed to disconnect Pyongyang from global financial institutions and that an “acceleration” of missile programs and nuclear development was forthcoming. Choe Myong Nam, North Korea’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, said this spike in activity will include a working inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) and the development of "pre-emptive first-strike capability." Reuters reported on Monday that the White House might try to curb DPRK (Democratic Republic of Korea) weapons development activity by enacting sweeping sanctions, citing a senior Washington official.

North Korea Blows Up US Aircraft Carrier, Bomber In New Propaganda Video
Zero Hedge - North Korea's disgruntled dictator - whose fate is looking more precarious by the day - Kim Jong-un has released a propaganda video in which a US aircraft carrier is blown up while a US strategic bomber shot down in flames. The clip also includes footage from the communist state’s recent ballistic missile launches are shown alongside a simple message: “a knife will be stabbed into the throat of the carrier.” The video declares: “The bomber will fall from the sky after getting hit by a hail of fire.” Footage also shows the USS Carl Vinson nuclear-powered aircraft carrier up in flames. The 2 minute clip has emerged just days after Kim threatened to reduce the US “to ashes” as tensions with North Korea continue to increase, which in turn followed a warning by Tillerson that the US is preparing for a "first strike" against the irrational dictator, while US special forces conduct drills in South Korea to "eliminate" the country's ruler…. Meanwhile, as Reuters reported, fearing a possible attack, Japan started staging mass evacuation drills. In the first exercise of its kind saw civilians young and old scrambling for cover as air-raid sirens wailed.

French Presidential Race: Marine LePen Far Ahead Of Rivals In Secret Polling
Zero Hedge - An editor at French daily, Le Figaro, has alluded to secret polling data which show the Front National’s Marine Le Pen polling close to 34% among those with intentions to vote in the first round of the French presidential election. Surveys in the public domain consistently have populist LePen ahead of her rivals in the first round, at 26-28% of intentions to vote but losing to whichever rival she faces in the second. A score of above 30% in the first round, however, would significantly boost her chances of continuing to victory on May 7th…. The politically correct ‘Maginot line’ of France’s elites can no longer hold out against the popular anger of the French public, Rioufol writes, arguing that the threats by leftist intellectuals and celebrities to quit the country in the event of a LePen victory are actually boosting her campaign. Likewise for scare-mongering media warnings on a ‘return to the 1930s’. The French media and political establishment are now openly contemplating a LePen victory, with frequent reference to the Front National ‘at the gates of power’, an eventuality until recently considered impossible.

Not Just The US: UK Bans Use Of Laptops On Flights From 6 Mostly Muslim Countries
Zero Hedge - One day after the Trump administration imposed a ban for carry-on electronic devices on planes coming to the US from 10 airports in mostly Muslim countries following unspecified terrorism threats, moments ago the UK issued a similar ban, restricting the use of carry on laptops and tablets for inbound flights for flights originating in the following nations: Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, and surprisingly, Saudi Arabia. According to Downing Street, no phones, tablets, or laptops bigger than 16cm length, 9.3cm wide and 1.5cm deep would be allowed in the main cabin of the plane. The devices will need to be placed into hold luggage and checked-in instead. “The safety and security of the travelling public is our highest priority,” said a government spokesperson. “In the last few weeks we have had a number of meetings on aviation security. This morning at a meeting we agreed that these new measures were required.”

Energy & Environment

Dakota Access pipeline vandalized in two states – officials
RT - Vandals are alleged to have attacked sections of the Dakota Access pipeline in two separate incidents. A hole was burned in an empty section of the pipeline in South Dakota, and others took a blowtorch to a safety valve in Iowa, according to authorities. Calling it “felony vandalism,” the South Dakota Attorney General’s office spokeswoman Sara Raber confirmed the incident on the Dakota Access Pipeline on Tuesday, according to AP. The attack happened at an above-ground site that had no fencing or other security, southeast of Sioux Falls last Friday. "When deputies arrived, they observed what appeared to be a hole in the pipe, and it looked like there was burn around the hole," Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy Chad Brown told AP, adding it was possible the vandalism was carried out with a blowtorch. Local and state officials are investigating the incident and have notified the FBI. Pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners said in court documents Monday that there have been “coordinated physical attacks” along the $3.8 billion pipeline that will carry oil from North Dakota to Illinois, but did not provide any further details.

Seventeen Ohio Cities File Lawsuit To Stop 5G Cell Towers Everywhere
Natural Blaze - Hats off and plaudits to the mayors and managers of the following Ohio cities: Bexley, Canal Winchester, Columbus, Dublin, Delaware, Gahanna, Grandview Heights, Grove City, Hilliard, New Albany, Pickerington, Powell, Reynoldsburg, Upper Arlington, Westerville, Whitehall and Worthington for the legal actions they took to stop “wireless companies to place facilities, including towers up to 50 feet high and equipment of 28 cubic feet (the size of a small refrigerator), in the local public right-of-way.” Those towers and equipment would roll out and implement 5G Wi-Fi, which allegedly was unlawfully signed into Ohio law December 19, 2016 – as alleged in the lawsuit – to become effective March 21, 2017!… It should be noted that 5G Wi-Fi has not been tested for human safety exposures 24/7/365!

Houston Officials In Talks to Release GE Mosquitoes
Natural Blaze - Harris County, Texas, officials are in negotiations with Oxitec about releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in Houston under the banner of pre-emptively fighting Zika virus, said to be carried by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Oxitec has created a breed of mosquitoes that will mate with native mosquitoes to produce offspring that die. Similar to the Key Haven suburb, there have been no cases of Zika transmission in Houston. There was a reported case of the disease on the U.S./Mexican border. In Key Haven, there were no cases of the other diseases – like dengue – that Oxitec used as an urgent example for the need to go ahead and release the GE insects. The Food and Drug Administration, however, gave approval to the proposed field trial in Key Haven last August, but it was shot down by residents’ votes.

Science & Technology

A Simple Command Allows the CIA to Commandeer 318 Models of Cisco Switches
Ars Technica - Cisco Systems said that more than 300 models of switches it sells contain a critical vulnerability that allows the CIA to use a simple command to remotely execute malicious code that takes full control of the devices. There currently is no fix. Cisco researchers said they discovered the vulnerability as they analyzed a cache of documents that are believed to have been stolen from the CIA and published by WikiLeaks two weeks ago. The flaw, found in at least 318 switches, allows remote attackers to execute code that runs with elevated privileges, Cisco warned in an advisory published Friday. The bug resides in the Cisco Cluster Management Protocol (CMP), which uses the telnet protocol to deliver signals and commands on internal networks. It stems from a failure to restrict telnet options to local communications and the incorrect processing of malformed CMP-only telnet options. “An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending malformed CMP-specific telnet options while establishing a telnet session with an affected Cisco device configured to accept telnet connections,” the advisory stated. “An exploit could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code and obtain full control of the device or cause a reload of the affected device.”

How police unmasked suspect accused of sending seizure-inducing tweet
Ars Technica - Defendant's iCloud account contained "the exact" GIF used in the crime, cops say. The man accused of sending a Newsweek writer a seizure-inducing tweet left behind a digital trail that the Dallas Police Department traced—beginning with the @jew_goldstein Twitter handle, leading to a burner mobile phone SIM card, and ending with an Apple iCloud account, according to federal court documents unsealed in the case. John Rayne Rivello was arrested Friday at his Maryland residence and is believed to be the nation's first defendant accused of federal cyberstalking charges for allegedly victimizing an epileptic with a strobing, epileptogenic online image—in this instance a GIF sent via Twitter.

Health

The Chemical that Causes More Cancer and Death than Any Other Chemical
Living Traditionally - The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) recently released a document called Evidence on the Carcinogenicity of Fluoride and Its Salts that highlights the many health hazards caused by the consumption of fluoride. The OEHHA report already states that “multiple lines of evidence (show) that fluoride is incorporated into bones where it can stimulate cell division of osteoblasts [bone-forming cells],” an admission that already recognizes fluoride as a cause of bone cancer. The report goes on to state that fluoride induces “genetic changes other cellular changes leading to malignant transformation, and cellular immune response thereby increasing the risk of development of osteosarcomas.” Multiple studies by Dr. Dean Burk, the former head of the Cytochemistry Section at the National Cancer Institute, have also drawn connections between fluoride exposure and cancer. Dr. Burk’s research dating back to 1977 revealed that fluoride ingestion led to the growth of thyroid follicular cell tumors in mice.

Simple dietary supplement may help block postpartum blues
Ars Technica - For psychiatrists, postpartum blues are considered the “prodrome” for postpartum depression. That means that increased postpartum blues signal the likely onset of postpartum depression…. For the study in PNAS [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences] , the researchers gave women a dietary supplement containing L-tryptophan, L-tyrosine, blueberry juice, and blueberry extract. This supplement was selected because L-tryptophan and L-tyrosine are thought to help initiate sleep, help balance post-pregnancy MAO-A activity, and reduce oxidative stress. The blueberry additions were included to increase the palatability of the supplement and because investigations of blueberry extract have shown that it can help chemicals cross the blood-brain-barrier. A group of 20 women received this supplement, and their mood was compared to 21 control women who did not receive it. The mood in the control group was significantly down compared to the group that received the supplement. This held true for the Visual Analog Scale, a commonly used measure of pain. Controls’ scores were almost a thousand times higher than the scores of women who received the supplements. On the Profile of Mood States, another commonly used depression assessment, the control group experienced a significant increase in depressive symptoms, whereas the women who received the dietary supplement showed a decrease in depressive symptoms.

Pet News

Flight attendant adopts stray dog that always waited for her return
Mother Nature Network - German flight attendant Olivia Sievers often makes trips to Argentina on business. On one layover in Buenos Aires earlier this year, she made friends with a stray dog. She played with the sweet pup and gave him some food, so he stuck by her side. While she was in town, Sievers spent as much time as possible with the dog, which she named Rubio. She gave him an airplane blanket to keep him warm at night, and he camped out at the entrance to her hotel and waited for her, often for hours. But eventually Sievers had to return to Germany. She sadly bid Rubio goodbye, but the dog was definitely not forgotten. When she returned two months later, the dog was outside her hotel, as if he had been waiting for her. She worked hard to make arrangements to get her new pal adopted, but he had other plans. He escaped from his new owner and sat patiently waiting at Sievers' hotel instead. Obviously, she had no choice. Sievers had to bring Rubio home to Germany.
 


Tuesday - March 21, 2017

On This Day In History:


1788 - Almost the entire city of New Orleans, LA, was destroyed by fire. 856 buildings were destroyed.
1790 - Thomas Jefferson reported to U.S. President George Washington as the new secretary of state.
1851 - Yosemite Valley was discovered in California.
1906 - Ohio passed a law that prohibited hazing by fraternities after two fatalities.
1907 - The U.S. Marines landed in Honduras to protect American interests in the war with Nicaragua.
1910 - The U.S. Senate granted ex-President Teddy Roosevelt a yearly pension of $10,000.
1918 - During World War I, the Germans launched the Somme Offensive.
1928 - U.S. President Calvin Coolidge gave the Congressional Medal of Honor to Charles Lindbergh for his first trans-Atlantic flight.
1945 - During World War II, Allied bombers began four days of raids over Germany.
1946 - The United Nations set up a temporary headquarters at Hunter College in New York City.
1963 - Alcatraz Island, the federal penitentiary in San Francisco Bay, CA, closed.
1965 - More than 3,000 civil rights demonstrators led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. began a march from Selma to Montgomery, AL.
1966 - In New York, demolition work began to clear thirteen square blocks for the construction of the original World Trade Center.
1971 - Two U.S. platoons in Vietnam refused their orders to advance.
1980 - President Jimmy Carter announced to the U.S. Olympic Team that they would not participate in the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow as a boycott against Soviet intervention in Afghanistan.
1980 - On the TV show "Dallas", J.R. Ewing was shot.
1991 - 27 people were lost at sea when two U.S. Navy anti-submarine planes collided.
1991 - The U.N. Security Council lifted the food embargo against Iraq.
1994 - Bill Gates of Microsoft and Craig McCaw of McCaw Cellular Communications announced a $9 billion plan that would send 840 satellites into orbit to relay information around the globe.
2003 - It was reported that the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 235.27 (2.8%) at 8,521.97. It was the strongest weekly gain in more than 20 years.
2016 - It was reported that the Kepler space telescope had captured the visible light of a "shock breakout" when the star KSN 2011a exploded. It was the first time an exploding star's brilliant flash shockwave had been captured.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Donald Trump Sends Executive Order Lawsuit to Higher Court
Breitbart - The Department of Justice is formally objecting to the March 15 claim by a District Court judge in Maryland that President Donald Trump’s violated the religious freedom clauses of the constitution with his March 6 Executive Order on immigration reform. The objection goes to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, whose 15-judge panel includes ten judges nominated by Democratic presidents and only five nominated by GOP presidents. It will likely be sent to the Supreme Court later this year.

Trump Publishes 1st List of 'Sanctuary Cities' Protecting Illegal Aliens
Breitbart - In an attempt to increase pressure on sanctuary cities, the Department of Homeland Security has published its first weekly list of all 118 localities refusing to cooperate with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Each week, the list will publish every detention request rejected by local jails — detailing the relevant agency, the status of the immigrant, and the charges they are facing. The first report was published this Monday, listing 206 cases in which illegal aliens were arrested and consequently released from jail without charge, despite recommendations from the Immigration and Crime Enforcement agency (ICE) to detain them for at least 48 hours. The cases listed took place between January 28th to February 3rd, Donald Trump’s second week in office.

Trump campaign is officially under investigation by U.S. counter intelligence
McClatchy - The United States is actively investigating any possible links between the Russian government and the election campaign of President Donald Trump, the director of the FBI said during a congressional hearing Monday. It was the first official confirmation that security agencies are probing what is now called “Russia’s active measures” in the 2016 presidential campaign, including a look at possible ties to the Trump campaign. FBI Director James Comey said he was authorized to make the announcement because “of the exceptional circumstances” surrounding the campaign. He framed it as an active counterintelligence investigation “that includes investigating the nature of any links between any individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts.”

FBI-led investigative team examines role of conservative news sites in Russia campaign
McClatchy - Federal investigators are examining whether far-right news sites played any role last year in a Russian cyber operation that dramatically widened the reach of news stories - some fictional - that favored Donald Trump’s presidential bid, two people familiar with the inquiry say. Operatives for Russia appear to have strategically timed the computer commands, known as “bots,” to blitz social media with links to the pro-Trump stories at times when the billionaire businessman was on the defensive in his race against Democrat Hillary Clinton, these sources said. The bots’ end products were largely millions of Twitter and Facebook posts carrying links to stories on conservative internet sites such as Breitbart News and InfoWars, as well as on the Kremlin-backed RT News and Sputnik News, the sources said…. Investigators examining the bot attacks are exploring whether the far-right news operations took any actions to assist Russia’s operatives. Their participation, however, wasn’t necessary for the bots to amplify their news through Twitter and Facebook.

Comey: No Evidence Obama Wiretapped Trump
The Daily Caller - James Comey said he has no evidence to support Donald Trump’s claim that Barack Obama ordered a wiretap against Trump Tower before the presidential election. The FBI director said he has no information that would back up the president’s tweets as he testified alongside National Security Agency head Michael Rogers before the House Intelligence Committee Monday. “With respect to the president’s tweets, I have no information that supports those tweets and we have looked carefully inside the FBI,” Comey said. “The Department [of Justice] has no information that supports those tweets either.”

Video: Thousands Line Up to See President Trump at Louisville, KY Rally
The GatewayPundit - President Donald J. Trump will hold a rally at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Freedom Hall Monday starting at 7:30 PM…. Right Side Broadcasting Network will bring live coverage of the rally…

Video: Judge Gorsuch’s Full Opening Statement
NBC News - I am honored and I am humbled to be here. Since coming to Washington, I have met with over 70 senators. You have offered a warm welcome and wise advice. Thank you. I also want to thank the President and Vice President. They and their teams have been very gracious to me and I thank them for this honor. I want to thank Senators Bennet and Gardner and General Katyal for their introductions. Reminding us that — long before we are Republicans or Democrats — we are Americans. Sitting here I am acutely aware of my own imperfections. But I pledge to each of you and to the American people that, if confirmed, I will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the Constitution and laws of our great nation.* I could not even attempt this without Louise, my wife of more than 20 years. The sacrifices she has made and her giving heart leave me in awe. I love you so much….
* Related: Follow Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court Confirmation Hearing LIVE

9/11 Families Sue Saudi Arabia, Accuse U.S. Ally of Complicity in Terrorist Attacks
PIX11 - In a stunning lawsuit seeking to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for 9/11, the families of 800 victims have filed a lawsuit accusing the Saudis of complicity in the worst terror attacks on American soil. The legal action, filed in federal court in Manhattan, details a scenario of involvement by Saudi officials who are said to have aided some of the hijackers before the attacks. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals and three of them had previously worked for the kingdom. The document details how officials from Saudi embassies supported hijackers Salem al-Hazmi and Khalid Al-Mihdhar 18 months before 9/11. The officials allegedly helped them find apartments, learn English and obtain credit cards and cash. The documents state that the officials helped them learn how to blend into the American landscape. The suit also produces evidence that officials in the Saudi embassy in Germany supported lead hijacker Mohamed Atta. It claims that a Saudi official was in the same hotel in Virginia with several hijackers the night before the attacks. Many of the revelations in the lawsuit are culled from findings of an FBI investigation into the terrorist attacks. The suit filed by aviation law firm Kreindler & Kreindler claims some of the hijackers had special markers in their passports, identifying them as al-Qaida sympathizers….

Bombshell: Obama’s NSA Illegally Spied on Sheriff Arpaio’s Prosecution
Jerome Corsi - Editor’s Note: The below story draws clear, significant parallels to the electronic surveillance of Donald Trump during the Obama administration. hile the Department of Justice was prosecuting Sheriff Arpaio from 2008 to 2010, the NSA conducted electronic surveillance of the various Arizona judges on the case, on Sheriff Arpaio, and on the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, while the DOJ attorneys for Eric Holder maintained an on-going telephone back-channel discussion with the federal judge assigned to handle the case…. The timeline released in federal court details NSA electronic surveillance and DOJ judge-tampering in the civil rights case brought against Arpaio in 2008, involving the 2007 arrest of Manuel de Jesús Ortega Melendres, with the DOJ charging Arpaio with discriminating against Hispanics by implementing car-stop procedures DOJ considered to involve racial-profiling.

CBO: Partially Defunding Abortion-Providing Planned Parenthood Will Cause 'Additional Births'
CNS News - The Congressional Budget Office says that language included in the House Republican bill to replace Obamacare that would partially withhold federal funding for one year from a “family planning” organization that “provides abortions” will cause “additional births.”

Would YOU let a homeless person live in your backyard? Portland offers residents free tiny homes if they rent it to families who are on the street
Daily Mail - Faced with an intractable homeless problem, officials in Portland are thinking inside the box. A handful of homeless families will soon move into tiny, government-constructed modular units in the backyards of willing homeowners. Portland officials are looking for four backyards to place its Accessory Dwelling Units, what some people may call a granny flat, or a tiny home minus wheels. Under the pilot program taking effect this summer, the homeowners will take over the heated, fully plumbed tiny houses in five years and can use them for rental income. The project, called A Place for You, is believed to be the first in the nation to recruit stable residents to address a homeless crisis that's gotten so bad the city last year declared a state of emergency and made it legal to sleep on the street. Portland has an affordable rental shortage of 24,000 units and nearly 4,000 people sleep on the street, in a shelter or in transitional housing each night. Residents just passed a $260 million housing bond, but it will be two years before those units are ready, said Mary Li, director of Multnomah County's new Idea Lab, which developed the concept.

World News

Global War Approaches: North Korea Warns: “If A Single Bullet Is Fired We WILL Nuke The United States”
Mac Slavo - With tensions heating up on the Korean Peninsula after North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un fired several test missiles into Japanese-controlled territory, and following President Trump’s deployment of Navy Seals whose sole purpose will be to decapitate the leadership of the communist state, Un issued a shocking warning on Sunday. If even a single bullet is fired, says Un, his country will immediately initiate a nuclear attack on the United States…. In an earlier statement U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pointedly told North Korea that the policies of previous U.S. administrations, which allowed the North Koreans to achieve the nuclear bomb, have ended and that the United States will be pursuing a new strategy to disarm its long time adversary.

Theresa May Will Trigger Article 50 On March 29, Starting Brexit Process
Zero Hedge - Britain’s ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow told the office of European Council President Donald Tusk that Britain will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, Mrs. May’s spokesman said. He said he expects talks to begin promptly, but that the U.K. understands the 27 EU countries will want time to deliver their response. Slack said that “after we trigger, the 27 will agree their guidelines for negotiations and the Commission’s negotiating mandate” and added that “president Tusk has said he expects an initial response within 48 hours. We want negotiations to start promptly”…. As the FT [Financial Times] adds, the pre-announcement of the timing of the Article 50 letter is partly aimed at preparing financial markets for the formal start of the Brexit process which will last at least two years.

U.S. Suddenly Bans Laptops and Tablets on Some Middle Eastern Flights to America
Yahoo News - The United States is banning many common electronic devices from the cabin on inbound and outbound flights on more than a dozen Middle Eastern and African airlines…. On Monday, Royal Jordanian Airlines abruptly announced on Twitter that it received “instructions from the concerned U.S. departments” that passengers can’t carry any electronic devices bigger than a cell phone onto its flights into or from the United States. The tweet was deleted several hours later. Devices including laptops, tablets, cameras, and DVDs can only be put in checked bags. Medical devices and cellphones were exempted. The ban comes into effect starting March 21 and airlines are expected to comply within 96 hours. A public relations executive for Saudia Airlines, the Saudi Arabian national carrier, tweeted that U.S. authorities ordered the directive for passengers from 13 countries, but he didn’t specify which ones…. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security didn’t deny there is a directive, but declined to comment.

Almost half of Canadians want illegal immigrants deported back to US
RT - Some 48 percent of Canadians support “increasing the deportation of people living in Canada illegally,” according to a new poll released on Monday. The same number of respondents suggested that the migrants should be sent back to the US, while 36 percent said Canada should “accept these migrants” and allow them to apply for asylum. Canadians’ view of illegal immigration mirrors that of their neighbors in the US, where a similar Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted earlier this week showed 50 percent support for deportations…. The Canadian population is also unhappy with the PM, as 46 percent say they are dissatisfied with how Trudeau has handled the migrant flow. A similar Ipsos poll from January showed that 59 percent of Canadians supported the prime minister’s approach to the issue. Trudeau’s office declined to comment on Monday’s survey when contacted by Reuters.

Globalist David Rockefeller Dead at 101
Infowars - David Rockefeller, a globalist central banker who advocated a “New World Order” and mass population control while wielding vast influence over world leaders, died Monday at the age of 101. Rockefeller was well-known for openly bragging about the transnational elite’s plans to centralize control over the world’s populations, wealth and resources. “Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States characterizing my family and me as ‘internationalists’ and conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure – one world, if you will. If that’s the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it,” he wrote in his book Memoirs.

Robot Successfully Reports Killer Radiation Levels Inside Fukushima Reactor
Sputnik News - Finally, on Saturday the PMORPH [no description for acronym available] robot inserted into unit 1 in the first of a series of four missions into the PCV basement area managed to provide the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) with the radiation and temperature measurements within it. Devices on the camera-equipped robot measured radiation levels of 7.8 sieverts per hour on a metal stage for workers and 1.5 sieverts per hour in water pooled at the bottom. The figures are significantly lower than the 210 sieverts per hour measured at one spot in the PVC of the No. 2 reactor last month, but are still extremely high…. The primary mission of the robot is to investigate the bottom of the containment vessel to see whether it can capture images of the melted fuel. Finding the exact location and condition of the melted fuel is considered critically important to dismantling the reactors…. The process of decommissioning the nuclear plant is expected to take at least 40 years, and cannot begin before a full assessment of the damage is complete.

Economy & Business

CEO Pay Soars In 2016 As Employee Wages Continue To Stagnate
Zero Hedge - CEO pay increases took a brief pause in 2015 dropping to a paltry median of just $10.8 million with most getting a pay cut or a raise of less than 1.5%. But, as the Wall Street Journal points out this morning, the CEO's of America can once again rest assured that their families will not starve to death as 2016 pay soared nearly 7% setting a post-recession record. “Median pay for the chief executives of 104 of the biggest American companies rose 6.8% for fiscal 2016 to $11.5 million, on track to set a post-recession record, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. Twice as many companies increased their chiefs’ pay as reduced it, though a few high-profile bosses took substantial pay cuts, including Apple Inc.’s Tim Cook and General Electric Co.’s Jeff Immelt.” As usual, operating results had limited impact on CEO earnings potential and some of the largest payouts went to CEO's who were fired in 2016…. While cash bonuses have fallen about 1.4% among the companies that have filed pay disclosures, stock awards have risen 7.4% and option awards have risen 3%, noted John Roe, head of analytics at ISS. Of course, that's hardly any consolation for the average American worker who just saw his real earnings collapse over the past two years and actually turn negative in 2017.

Energy & Environment

Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Study Subjects Needed By University Research Team
Natural Blaze - Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) or idiopathy environmental intolerance (IEI) results from exposure to electromagnetic waves (EMF/RF/ELF) due to the overwhelming explosion of ‘smart’ technology appliances and gadgets which use either microwaves or some other wave on the electromagnetic spectrum…. James Madison University Environmental Sensitivities Research Team is conducting research surveys in chemical and/or electrical sensitivities. Below is the request for participants to reply and participate, which will be extremely helpful in establishing data to document what’s called non-thermal radiation adverse health effects from EMF/RF/ELF. The James Madison University Environmental Sensitivities Research Team is inviting adults aged 21 and over who have experienced environmental sensitivities (chemical and/or electrical) to participate in on online study of how their needs are being met as they grow older with sensitivities. If you are interested in participating, please click on the link below to see the consent form and learn more about the study….

Science & Technology

4CHAN Message Board Is Using Border Webcams To Help Report Illegals
The GatewayPundit - The largely pro-Trump 4Chan internet message board has recently taken it upon themselves to help ICE agents catch and report illegals entering the United States…. As reported by /pol/’s News Network Twitter account, they just recently discovered that live streams of the US-Mexico border are available via http://blueservo.com - The website has become so popular that it has currently exceeded its bandwidth at the time of writing this.

Video: Real-life Robocops will soon replace human police
The Telegraph - The first robot police officer will be on patrol in the wealthy United Arab Emirates city by May this year, Dubai Police have confirmed. Members of the public will be able to report crimes to the multilingual police robot using a touchscreen on its chest. The friendly robot, which can salute and shake hands, can also be used by members of the public to pay traffic fines and submit paperwork. Dubai Police, who unveiled the prototype at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition last year, want 25 per cent of its force to be robots by 2030.

Health

With a 10-day supply of opioids, 1 in 5 become long-term users
Ars Technica - When patients get an initial opioid prescription that’s just a one-day supply, they have about a six-percent chance of being on opioids for a year or longer. But if that first prescription is for a three-day supply, the probability of long-term use starts inching up. With an initial five-day supply, the chance jumps to about 10 percent. With a six-day supply, the chance hits 12 percent. With 10-day’s worth, the odds of still being on opioids a year later hits roughly 20 percent…. That’s according to the new study’s lead author Bradley Martin, a professor of pharmaceutical evaluation and policy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science…. For patients who get a 30-day stash of opioid all at once for their initial prescription, the chance of being on opioids for a year rose to 45 percent. But, Martin says, getting that much in one go is uncommon…. Other factors that kicked up the chances of long-term use were long-acting opioids, getting a cumulative dose equivalent to more than 700 milligrams of morphine, and getting multiple prescriptions. One in seven who got a second opioid or a refill were on the addictive drugs for at least a year.

Diabetes reversed in four months by changing the diet
What Doctors Don't Tell You - Type 2 diabetes doesn't have to be a life sentence—it can be reversed in just four months by cutting back on the food we eat, researchers have discovered. Eating less, exercising and keeping glucose under control by eating 'slow-burn' or low-glycaemic carbs combine to reverse a disease that has been considered chronic and controlled by drugs. Around 40 per cent of cases who went on the diet are now symptom-free, and are no longer taking any drugs to control the condition. Researchers from McMaster University in Canada tested the dietary approach on 83 people who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and had the condition for an average of three years. Although the study was designed to last a year, researchers were seeing big changes inside four months—and once the patients stopped taking their anti-diabetes drugs, which lower glucose in the body. The major change was seen after their daily calorie-intake was reduced by between 500 and 750 calories, and by avoiding processed carbs that are high in sugars. The diet had a bigger effect than the drugs. After eight weeks, around half of the patients had glucose under control from taking medication, but this shot up to 70 per cent when they started the four-month diet.

21 Health Foods You Should Never Eat (No Matter What!)
Dr. Axe - 1. Fruit Juice - … In June 2014, a study published in the journal Nutrition found that the average fruit juice’s fructose concentration is 45.5 grams per liter. For soda, it’s 50 grams. Our bodies aren’t designed to deal with that type of fructose overload. While glucose serves as a fuel for our body, fructose is processed almost exclusively in the liver, where it’s converted to fat. 2. Soy Protein - Contrary to popular belief, soy products are not healthy for you; at least, that is, unfermented soy…. Most soy grown in the U.S. is genetically modified to withstand applications of glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup. A recent Norwegian study found “extreme” levels of glyphosate in U.S. soy, meaning we’re eating weedkiller when we eat nonorganic soy…. 3. Sugar Alcohols - Sugar alcohols are commonly found in sugar-free gum and sugar-free baked goods and sugar replacements. Xylitol is one of the most popular forms. Others include: erythritol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol. While often marketed as natural, these sweeteners undergo intense processing and are often derived from GMO ingredients like corn. Some of these products are also linked to allergic reactions, headaches, SIBO symptoms, rashes, gas and bloated…. 4. ‘Atlantic’ Salmon + Other Farmed Fish Like Tilapia - Another health food you should never eat: Farmed fish. I’ve written extensively on farmed fish. And in fact, eating tilapia is worse than eating bacon in some ways. Be sure to avoid farmed salmon, too. It’s often called ‘Atlantic’ salmon or just salmon…. 5. Microwave Popcorn - … The microwavable bags are coated with nonstick perfluorochemicals like perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), chemical that is liked to cancer. Another major concern is diacetyl. This fake butter flavoring compound actually causes serious lung disease when inhaled in large quantities….

Pet News

Marijuana poisoning a serious risk for Colorado dogs
The Coloradoan - Veterinarians at Fort Collins Veterinary Emergency and Rehabilitation Hospital said they see between 5 and 10 cases each week, and they’ve noticed an uptick since recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado. Research backs them up: A 2012 study involving Colorado State University researchers found that marijuana toxicity cases in dogs increased as the number of medical marijuana licenses increased in Colorado. Marijuana is toxic for dogs and can be fatal in large doses. Some pet owners use marijuana to treat their dogs for pain or other ailments, and researchers continue to study the use of medical marijuana for pets. But “there’s never really a good dose range to treat a dog with pot,” said Dr. Robin Van Metre, an emergency veterinarian at the Fort Collins Veterinary Emergency and Rehabilitation Hospital. Dogs metabolize marijuana differently from humans, and the impacts of consumption play out differently on their smaller frames. The lethargy and fogginess that might make a pot brownie fun for a human can render a dog incapable of basic functions. In rare cases, which Van Metre has seen two or three times in about 15 years, a dog can undergo gradual paralysis and die.
 


Monday - March 20, 2017

On This Day In History:


1760 - The great fire of Boston destroyed 349 buildings.
1816 - The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed its right to review state court decisions.
1833 - The U.S. and Siam signed a commercial treaty.
1852 - Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book "Uncle Tom’s Cabin," subtitled "Life Among the Lowly," was first published.
1854 - The Republican Party was organized in Ripon, WI. About 50 slavery opponents began the new political group.
1865 - A plan by John Wilkes Booth to abduct U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was ruined when Lincoln changed his plans and did not appear at the Soldier’s Home near Washington, DC.
1868 - Jesse James Gang robbed a bank in Russelville, KY, of $14,000.
1896 - U.S. Marines landed in Nicaragua to protect U.S. citizens in the wake of a revolution.
1922 - U.S. President Warren G. Harding ordered U.S. troops back from the Rhineland.
1922 - The USS Langley was commissioned. It was the first aircraft carrier for the U.S. Navy.
1933 - The first German concentration camp was completed at Dachau.
1965 - U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered 4,000 troops to protect the Selma-Montgomery civil rights marchers.
1969 - U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy called on the U.S. to close all bases in Taiwan.
1976 - Patricia Hearst was convicted of armed robbery for her role in the hold up of a San Francisco Bank.
1980 - The U.S. made an appeal to the International Court concerning the American Hostages in Iran.
1991 - The U.S. forgave $2 billion in loans to Poland.
1995 - In Tokyo, 12 people were killed and more than 5,500 others were sickened when packages containing the nerve gas Sarin was released on five separate subway trains. The terrorists belonged to a doomsday cult in Japan.
1996 - In Los Angeles, Erik and Lyle Menendez were found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of their parents.
1996 - The U.K. announced that humans could catch CJD (Mad Cow Disease).
1998 - India's new Hindu nationalist-led government pledges to "exercise the option to induct nuclear weapons."
1999 - Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones became the first men to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon. The non-stop trip began on March 3 and covered 26,500 miles.
2002 - Arthur Andersen pled innocent to charges that it had shredded documents and deleted computer files related to the energy company Enron.
2003 - U.S. and British forces invaded Iraq from Kuwait.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Germany Slams Trump’s Claim That It Owes “Vast Sums” To NATO And The U.S.
Zero Hedge - One day after Trump returned to his favorite medium to slam Germany for abusing NATO’s funding scheme, and US defense spending generosity, accusing Germany of owing “vast sums” of money to both NATO and the US, Germany has struck back. As a reminder, this is what Trump tweeted on Saturday morning: Despite what you have heard from the FAKE NEWS, I had a GREAT meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany! That in turn, was followed on Sunday morning by a statement by German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen in which she responded to Trump, rejecting the US president’s claim: “There is no debit account at NATO,” von der Leyen said in a statement, adding that it was wrong to link the alliance’s target for members to spend 2 percent of their economic output on defense by 2024 solely to NATO…. Trump wasn’t the first U.S. leader to complain that most NATO nations, including Germany, weren’t meeting the alliance’s goal that members spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense. Germany spends about 1.2% currently.

Key Democratic Officials Now Warning Base Not to Expect Evidence of Trump/Russia Collusion
The Incercept - From MSNBC politics shows to town hall meetings across the country, the overarching issue for the Democratic Party’s base since Trump’s victory has been Russia, often suffocating attention for other issues…. The principal problem for Democrats is that so many media figures and online charlatans are personally benefiting from feeding the base increasingly unhinged, fact-free conspiracies — just as right-wing media polemicists did after both Bill Clinton and Obama were elected — that there are now millions of partisan soldiers absolutely convinced of a Trump/Russia conspiracy for which, at least as of now, there is no evidence…. Key Democratic officials are clearly worried about the expectations that have been purposely stoked and are now trying to tamp them down. Many of them have tried to signal that the beliefs the base has been led to adopt have no basis in reason or evidence…. The latest official to throw cold water on the MSNBC-led circus is President Obama’s former acting CIA chief Michael Morell…. Morell’s comments echo the categorical remarks by Obama’s top national security official, James Clapper…. What makes all of this most significant is that officials like Clapper and Morell are trained disinformation agents; Clapper in particular has proven he will lie to advance his interests. Yet even with all the incentive to do so, they are refusing to claim there is evidence of such collusion; in fact, they are expressly urging people to stop thinking it exists.

U.S. Homeland Security seeks proposals for wall with Mexico
Reuters - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued requests for proposals for prototypes for a wall along the Mexican border, saying ideally it should be 30 feet (9 meters) high and the wall facing the U.S. side should be "aesthetically pleasing in color."…. According to one document posted online by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Friday night, the wall should be 30 feet high, built using concrete, and "physically imposing." However, it says designs over 18 feet (5.5 meters) high could be acceptable. "Designs with heights of less than 18 feet are not acceptable," the document said. It said the wall should have features that do not allow people to climb over it and should prevent digging below the wall. "The wall shall prevent/deter for a minimum of 1 hour the creation of a physical breach of the wall (e.g., punching through the wall) larger than 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter or square using sledgehammer, car jack, pickaxe, chisel, battery-operated impact tools, battery-operated cutting tools, oxy/acetylene torch or other similar hand-held tools," it said. The other document requesting proposals has many of the same requirements but it does not specify that it be solid concrete.

Paul Ryan Reveals Latest Changes To Republican Healthcare Bill
Zero Hedge - … in order to overcome vocal objections to Obamacare repeal by conservative republicans, the White House won the support of the Republican Study Committee members by agreeing to give states the option to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients and the option to block grant Medicaid instead of the cap system in the bill. Today, during the Sunday morning TV circuit, Paul Ryan elaborated further that House Republicans are working on additional changes to the Obamcare repeal bill which seek to provide more generous tax credits for older Americans, while confirming the addition of the work requirement for the Medicaid program for the poor…. Even as Ryan said he felt "very good" about the health bill's prospects in the House, a leading conservative lawmaker told the C-Span "Newsmakers" program that there were currently 40 Republican "no" votes in the House…. Representative Mark Meadows, the chairman of the hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus, said the bill would "absolutely not" pass the way it is now.

Video: Trump Trashes ‘Fake Media’ For Falsely Reporting On American Health Care Act
Daily Caller - Donald Trump took a shot at the “fake media” Friday morning while speaking to reporters after a policy meeting with Republican congressmen at the White House. “I want everyone to know I’m 100 percent behind this,” POTUS told the room. “I want everyone to know that the press has not been speaking properly about how great this is going to be. They have not been giving it a fair press…. ” Trump emphatically stated that “Obamacare is dead. It’s a dead health care plan.”

In First 2 Months in Office: Trump Reduced Debt by $100 Billion - Obama Increased Debt by $400 Billion
The Gateway Pundit - On January 20th, the day of President Trump’s Inauguration, the US Debt stood at $19,947 billion. As of March 16th, the most recent date for US debt reporting, the US Debt [link to chart at treasurydirect.gov] stands at $19,846 billion. President Trump has cut the US Debt burden by over $100 billion and 0.5% in the first two months since his inauguration! By comparison, under President Obama, the US Debt burden increased by more than $400 billion after his inauguration through March 19th 2009, his first two months in office. Obama increased the US Debt by 3.9% during this time period and signed the trillion dollar ‘Stimulus’ bill which is widely considered a colossal failure and waste of US tax dollars as well. The failed ‘Stimulus’ was the major piece of legislation in Obama’s first year leading to Obama’s first year deficit of $1.4 trillion. Overall Obama doubled the US Debt during his Presidency and set records for highest deficits and the largest debt increase by any President ever.

This U.S. City May Issue $1,000 Fines For ‘Bad Smells’
Off the Grid News - Property owners in one major American city soon might face a $1,000 fine for foul odors. The city is even planning to equip code inspectors with a smell measuring device called the Nasal Ranger to enforce the measure. Officials in Las Vegas would use the device to test the air in neighborhoods, The Las Vegas Review Journal reported. If bad smells were detected, property owners would have the choice of clearing the air or paying a fine. No smell ordinance is on the books, but the city council is scheduled to discuss one. The main targets of the ordinance will be recreational marijuana growers. “It comes up with a scientific reading, so if we had to go to court, we’re not standing there and going, ‘Yeah, it’s stinky,’” code enforcement supervisor Vicki Ozuna said of the Nasal Ranger. The $2,000 device looks like a hair dryer. Officers would put the device up to their noise and take a reading. If the reading was high, property owners might face a fine. The officers also would get special training in detecting smells. The city decided to crack down on odors because of a cat hoarder’s home that was so smelly the walls had to be ripped out to end the stink. City officials found they were powerless to do anything about the cathouse, even though residents could smell it from across the street.

World News

Trump Wins: G-20 Drops 'Anti-Protectionist, Free-Trade, & Climate-Change Funding' Pledge
Zero Hedge - After delays and hours of discussions amid tensions over 'trade' comments between the United States and the rest of The G-20, it appears President Trump has 'won'. While China was "adamantly against" protectionism, the finance ministers end talks without renewing their long-standing commitment to free trade and rejection of protectionism after US opposition. The world's financial leaders are unlikely to endorse free trade and reject protectionism in their communique on Saturday because they have been unable to find a wording that would suit a more protectionist United States, G20 officials said. This would break with a decade-old tradition among the finance ministers and central bankers of the world's 20 top economies (G20), who over the years have repeatedly rejected protectionism and endorsed free trade…. Reuters also points out another potential win for Trump as the communique will also drop a reference, used by the G20 last year, on the readiness to finance climate change as agreed in Paris in 2015 because of opposition from the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Russian Parliament Launches Investigation Of "CNN And Other American Media"
Zero Hedge - A few days ago Jeanne Shaheen, a Democratic Senator from New Hampshire, introduced a piece of legislation that would give the Department of Justice "new authority" to investigate potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act by the 'Russian Times'. Among other things, Shaheen said the legislation was necessary to determine whether "RT News is coordinating with the Russian government to spread misinformation and undermine our democratic process."…. Well, as it turns out, Russian officials have the power to launch meaningless witch hunts in their country as well and have decided to demonstrate that power with the announcement today that they'll launch a similar investigation into all U.S. media currently operating in Russia…. Meanwhile, all of this comes even as top Democrats admitted on Friday that their investigation into Trump's campaign was unlikely to yield any evidence of collusion with Russia.

Le Pen Stretches Lead in 1st Round of French Election, Expecting to Gain 28%
Sputnik - The voting intention figures for far-right National Front party leader Marine Le Pen in the first round of French presidential election have increased by 1 percent in a day, reaching 28 percent, an OpinionWay poll showed Friday. According to the survey, Le Pen positions have changed for the first time since Monday. Chances of independent candidate Emmanuel Macron remain stable, with 25 percent of voters intending to cast their ballots for him, according to the poll. Statistics of The Republicans’ candidate Francois Fillon has also improved, with his chances to win in the first round growing by 1 percent to 20 percent. Meanwhile, the level of support of the Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon dropped by 1 percent to 12 percent. The first round of the French presidential election will take place on April 23, while the run-off is set for May 7.

Sweden to train migrants as PRISON GUARDS despite radicalization fears
UK Express - The controversial new scheme aims to see some 450 new arrivals placed in various internships within prisons. Jobs could include prison guards, cooks and other jobs within correctional facilities across the country. And the scheme is already partway through a trial run, which has seen Justice Minister Morgan Johansson visit the Mariefred prison where two Iraqi asylum seekers are training as guards according to the Probation service website…. Helena Lönnkvist, project manager for the program, said: “Trainees become role models, both in our own operations and for the relatives and friends outside the Prison and Probation Service…. But the scheme has sparked concerns over the potential for Islamic radicalisation in prisons. In France, a report last year claimed that French prisons, in which 60 percent of inmates are Muslim, had become a breeding ground for radical Islamic indoctrination. While in Britain, reports claim entire cell blocks of some prisons are run under a variation of Islamic sharia law.

Societal Collapse: They’re Now Jailing Bakers In This South American Country
Off the Grid News - Operating a privately owned bakery at a profit is now a crime in one South American country. The nation’s government is seizing bakeries and jailing bakers who make anything but loaves of bread. ,At least two bakeries in Venezuela have been seized and four people jailed as part of the “bread war” declared by President Nicolas Maduro, The Miami Herald reported. It is part of Maduro’s effort to end bread lines and shortages of baked goods in the country. ,Maduro sent soldiers to more than 700 bakeries to enforce a rule that 90 percent of their production must be bread, not pastries or cakes, Reuters reported. A least one bakery will be run by the government for three months. Bakeries in Venezuela can only produce French bread or white bread, with government supplied flour, under Maduro’s orders. They then must sell the bread at prices set by the government. It is also illegal to make items like brownies, sweet rolls and croissants…. The problem is that the government is not supplying the bakeries with any flour because it cannot pay for flour or wheat, said Juan Crespo of the Industrial Flour Union, a group that represents Venezuela’s bakers…. Many of the bakeries will have to close if they are unable to sell pastries and other high priced products, Crespo said.
* Related: Venezuela has a bread shortage. The government has decided bakers are the problem

Government and Tepco found liable for Fukushima disaster
The Japan Times - A court in Japan has ruled for the first time that the government and the operator of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant were responsible for failing to take preventive measures against the March 11, 2011, quake-triggered tsunami that killed scores and forced tens of thousands from their homes. Friday’s stunning ruling by the Maebashi District Court was the first to recognize negligence by the state and Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings Inc…. The district court ordered the two to pay damages totaling ¥38.55 million [Yen] to 62 of 137 plaintiffs from 45 households located near the plant, which suffered a triple meltdown caused by the tsunami, awarding ¥70,000 to ¥3.5 million in compensation to each plaintiff…. Citing a government estimate released in July 2002, the court said in the ruling that “Tepco was capable of foreseeing several months after (the estimate) that a large tsunami posed a risk to the facility and could possibly flood its premises and damage safety equipment, such as the backup power generators.” It pointed out that the state should have ordered Tepco to take bolstered preventive measures, and criticized the utility for prioritizing costs over safety.

Economy & Business

Hundreds of Thousands of Service Workers Planning Anti-Trump Labor Strike
Breitbart - Nearly 350,000 workers plan to strike President Trump’s agenda on International Workers’ Day on May 1. More than 300,000 food chain workers and 40,000 unionized service workers will walk off the job that day, according to a coalition of groups leading the strike. Multiple thousands of employees from the Service Employees International Union and United Service Workers West, led by David Huerta, will strike. “We understand that there’s risk involved in that,” Huerta told BuzzFeed News, “but we’re willing to take that risk in order to be able to move forward in this moment, while the most marginalized are in the crosshairs of this administration.” A statement announcing the strike says that participants will be rejecting Trump’s policies on immigration and what they say is his “agenda of hate and greed.” “We need to show this Administration, Congress and large corporate interests that our human and economic worth is more powerful than their agenda of hate and greed,” the statement reads. “Opposing Trump is not enough. We must stop him.”

Trump Administration Rolls Back Obama Protections On Student Loans
Zero Hedge - Just days after reports emerged that student loan defaults are soaring, which is undoubtedly due to some combination of, among other things, poor job prospects for the millions of snowflakes who graduate each year with their $200,000 educations in anthropology and the moral hazard created by liberal politicians constantly calling for student debts to be 'forgiven' (a.k.a. forcefully jammed down the throats of taxpayers), the Trump administration has revoked rules put in place by Obama that barred student debt collectors from charging penalty fees on past-due loans. Originating from the Department of Justice, the "Dear Colleague" letter… says that Obama's unilateral rules implemented in 2015 could have "benefited from public input".... Of course, these new rules came just days after new data published by the U.S. Department of Education revealed that $137 billion of federal student loans were in default as of December 2016, a 14% year-over-year increase. Key findings from the Consumer Federation of America: Average amount owed is $30,650 per federal student loan borrower…. $137 billion in default…. 1 million Direct Loan defaults in 2016.

Second State In Less Than A Month Challenges Fed, Passes Bill To Treat Gold And Silver As Money
Activist Post - The Idaho House voted by a margin of 56-13 on March 14 to pass House Bill 206, following the Arizona House’s approval of a similar bill. According to the Tenth Amendment Center:… The legislation would amend Idaho revenue statutes, providing “that capital gains and losses on precious metals bullion and monetized bullion sales be added to or subtracted from Idaho taxable income.… Idaho H206 is a revenue neutral proposal over the long run. That’s because both precious metals gains (income) and losses are backed out of the calculation of taxable income for Idahoans. While H206’s passage will have little fiscal impact on Idaho tax revenues, it will have a larger impact on Idahoans’ freedoms…. Arizona and Idaho seek to join two other states, Utah and Oklahoma, in freeing gold and silver from taxation in the interest of pursuing currency competition and sound money.

Americans are quitting jobs at the fastest pace in 16 years
Yahoo News - Employed Americans are quitting their jobs like crazy in another sign that under President Donald Trump, confidence across the U.S. economy is rising. In January, the number of Americans quitting their jobs rose to a seasonally-adjusted total of 3.22 million, the highest number since February 2001. The quits rate rose in January to 2.2%. People quitting their jobs in droves is seen as a sign of confidence among workers, as folks are unlikely to quit a job unless they are confident they can get another one…. In February, the employment-to-population ratio rose to 60%, the highest since February 2009 and an indication that one of the most discouraging labor market trends of the last decade is starting to turn…. The quits rate was released in the latest job openings and labor turnover survey — known as the JOLTS report — which showed that in January there were 5.63 million jobs available in the U.S.

Energy & Environment

WH on Global Climate Change: ‘We’re Not Spending Money on That Anymore
CNS News - In line with campaign pledges that riled environmental activists and the Obama administration, President Trump is seeking to eliminate funding for global climate programs including the Green Climate Fund, which the White House on Thursday described as “a waste of your money.”… Days before the election, Trump vowed if successful to “cancel billions in global warming payments to the United Nations,” saying he would devote funds instead to “environmental infrastructure” at home. His proposed FY 2018 budget eliminates funding for the Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI) and for U.N. climate programs, cutting all funding for the GCF and two precursor climate investment funds. Last year the Obama administration requested $1.3 billion for the GCCI for FY 2017. The breakdown was $352.2 million for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), $631.7 million for the State Department and $350.4 million for the Treasury Department.

Trump Thinks Your Car's Gas Mileage is . . .Your Business
EPautos - He appears to be entertaining the horrible idea that the people who buy cars ought to be free to decide for themselves how much fuel economy matters to them – since they will be the ones paying for both the car and the gas. And… that this is really none of the business of the “concerned” scientists and other professional busybodies who regard their opinions and preferences as holy writ enforceable at gunpoint. “We’re going to work on the CAFE standards so you can make cars in America again,” said Trump. He should have added the qualifier – affordable cars in America again…. The current CAFE fatwa is 35.5 MPG and to achieve this without going hybrid across the board has required some very elaborate – some very expensive - technology…. It doesn’t matter that there are already cars available that were designed to deliver much higher than average mileage –- the Prius, for instance - which people are free to pay for if that is their priority. What the various “concerned” and the mullahs within the EPA and federal apparat are really concerned about is that people can choose not to buy such. That they are free to buy something else.

Science & Technology

Google vows to fight warrant over search for Edina resident's name
StarTribune - Internet giant Google is vowing to fight a search warrant demanding that Edina [Minnesota] police be able to collect information on any resident who used certain search terms as authorities try to locate a thief who swindled a resident out of $28,500…. Issued by Hennepin County District Judge Gary Larson in early February, the warrant pertains to anyone who searched variations of the resident’s name on Google from Dec. 1 through Jan. 7. In addition to basic contact information for people targeted by the warrant, Google is being asked to provide Edina police with their Social Security numbers, account and payment information, and IP (internet protocol) and MAC (media access control) addresses…. [Law Professor at the University of Minnesota, William] McGeveran said it’s unusual for a judge to sign off on a warrant that bases probable cause on so few facts. “It’s much more usual for a search warrant to be used to gather evidence for a suspect that’s already identified, instead of using evidence to find a suspect,” he said…. Rob Kahn, a privacy law professor at the University of St. Thomas, was even more critical, saying the warrant could be used to collect information on people who searched the name for other reasons…. The privacy law experts all questioned whether the evidence obtained by Edina police would hold up in court.

Health

“National Call-In Day” announced for vaccine safety and reform: March 30th Sunday, March 19, 2017
(Natural News) A national call-in day for vaccine safety and reform has been announced by Revolution For Truth, in partnership with the World Mercury Project and other organizations seeking to protect the lives of children. Natural News is encouraging everyone to join the call-in efforts on March 30th (see call-in numbers below) or join the live march in Washington D.C. (click here for the rally schedule). Speakers at the event include Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Del Bigtree, Dr. Bain Hooker, Minister Tony Muhammad, Barbara Loe Fisher, Dr. Judy Mikovits, Zen Honeycutt and many more. Natural News will be covering the event editorially, posting photos and video footage as the event unfolds. (I will not be present at the event but will be covering it from my news desk.) March 30th is the day we all bypass the lying mainstream media and demand action to reform vaccines! It’s time to outlaw toxic ingredients like mercury and aluminum while holding vaccine manufacturers accountable for the damage caused by their defective products. Here’s the full announcement with call-in instructions, courtesy of Catherine J. Frompovich via Activist Post.

Scandal: MRI Brain Imaging Completely Unreliable
Natural Blaze - From Science Alert (7/6/16): “There could be a very serious problem with the past 15 years of research into human brain activity, with a new study suggesting that a bug in fMRI software could invalidate the results of some 40,000 papers.” “That’s massive, because functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is one of the best tools we have to measure brain activity, and if it’s flawed, it means all those conclusions about what our brains look like during things like exercise, gaming, love, and drug addiction are wrong.”… “To test how good this software actually is, Eklund and his team gathered resting-state fMRI data from 499 healthy people sourced from databases around the world, split them up into groups of 20, and measured them against each other to get 3 million random comparisons.” “They tested the three most popular fMRI software packages for fMRI analysis… and while they shouldn’t have found much difference across the groups, the software resulted in false-positive rates of up to 70 percent.” ,“And that’s a problem, because as Kate Lunau at Motherboard points out, not only did the team expect to see an average false positive rate of just 5 percent, it also suggests that some results were so inaccurate, they could be indicating brain activity where there was none.”… In case you think invalidating 40,000 research papers isn’t a gigantic scandal, consider how many times these worthless papers have been cited as evidence in other studies. The ripple effect creates a tsunami of lies.

Gluten Free Diet and Dangers of Too Much Arsenic
Natural News Blogs - Many gluten free products contain brown rice and or white rice. It is not so bad if you consume brown/white rice from time to time but if you eat gluten free products daily, chances are, you are consuming a lot rice. Some of these products contain 90 times more arsenic than what is allowed in drinking water. Even low levels of arsenic can contribute to headaches, fatigue, brain fog, digestive issues respiratory illness and more. Arsenic is found in brown rice at higher concentrations than what is found in white rice. Organic rice will contain arsenic too. Rice is grown in flooded fields and it absorbs more arsenic from the environment than any other crop. Arsenic is a chemical element found naturally in our environment. It is present in our soil, water and air. Organic arsenic is used in pesticides and fertilizers. When used this way, the arsenic can stay in the soil for years after crops are harvested…. On average, there is 10-20 milligrams of arsenic in the average human body. Exceeding these levels can contribute to health problems.

Pet News

Video: Hummingbird Refuses to Leave the Dog Who Saved Her Life
White Wolf Pack - Abandoned as a puppy and growing up on the streets, this mixed German shepherd was vicious —until he was rescued, shown some love, and then he, himself, rescued a dying baby hummingbird. The grateful bird refuses to leave the dog’s side, and so apparently Rex has a gentle friend for life. The birdlet had fallen from a nest and was covered with ants when Rex found her under a tree. Ed Gernon who rescued the dog thought it was dead, but Rex — adopted just a month earlier — refused to leave the bird behind. The Whittier, California man finally realized the hummingbird was still breathing, took her in, and nursed it back to health with a sugar syrup mixture — he named it Hummer and even taught it to fly using a hairdryer. It’s been more than a year but Hummer refuses to leave, insisting on staying close to the dog who steadfastly refused to abandon the chick. Birds, even penguins, can build strong bonds with those who rescue them. The bird lives in the house and Gernon, who created a YouTube page devoted to the bird’s exploits with Rex.

Video: Saving Frosty: An Outer Banks Hummingbird Rescue
This is the story of a hummingbird rescue. Frosty was caught out in some unusually cold weather for the area and turned in to the Kill Devil Hills Police Animal Control officer. We wound up taking Frosty in and very quickly learned a lot about hummingbird care!…
 


Friday - March 17, 2017  -  "Happy ST. Patrick's Day"

On This Date In History:

1756 - St. Patrick's Day was celebrated in New York City for the first time. The event took place at the Crown and Thistle Tavern.
1766 - Britain repealed the Stamp Act that had caused resentment in the North American colonies.
1776 - British forces evacuated Boston to Nova Scotia during the Revolutionary War.
1909 - In France, the communications industry was paralyzed by strikes.
1910 - The Camp Fire Girls organization was founded by Luther and Charlotte Gulick. It was formally presented to the public exactly 2 years later.
1930 - Al Capone was released from jail.
1930 - In New York, construction began on the Empire State Building. Excavation at the site began on January 22.
1942 - Douglas MacArthur became the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in the Southwestern Pacific.
1944 - During World War II, the U.S. bombed Vienna.
1958 - The Vanguard 1 satellite was launched by the U.S.
1961 - The U.S. increased military aid and technicians to Laos.
1962 - Moscow asked the U.S. to pull out of South Vietnam.
1970 - The U.S. Army charged 14 officers with suppression of facts in the My Lai massacre case.
1972 - U.S. President Nixon asked Congress to halt busing in order to achieve desegregation.
1973 - The first American prisoners of war (POWs) were released from the "Hanoi Hilton" in Hanoi, North Vietnam.
1999 - A panel of medical experts concluded that marijuana had medical benefits for people suffering from cancer and AIDS.
2003 - Edging to the brink of war, President George W. Bush gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave his country. Iraq rejected the ultimatum.
2009 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer published its final print edition.
2011 - The U.N. Security Council voted to authorize military action to protect civilians and impose a no-fly zone over Libya.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

OMB Director: Trump Budget Will Increase Spending on Defense, Reduce Spending on Wasteful Programs
Free Beacon - Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said that President Trump’s budget will increase spending on defense while reducing the size of government by cutting wasteful spending. “This is the ‘America First’ budget,” Mulvaney said. “In fact, we wrote it using the president’s own words—we went through his speeches, articles that have been written about his policies, we talked to him, and we wanted to know what his policies were, and we turned those policies into numbers.” The budget will increase defense spending by $54 billion dollars. Spending on border security and enforcement also will be increased. The Department of Defense is estimated to receive a 10 percent budget increase, while the Department of Homeland Security is expected to receive a 6 percent budget increase…. Mulvaney said the budget would allocate $1.5 billion this year and $2.6 billion in 2018 to build a southern border wall, and would fund tests to determine the cost efficiency, safety, and effectiveness of different types of barriers. Mulvaney noted that the full budget released in May would include cost projections over a 10-year window…. The budget will reduce spending on the Environmental Protection Agency and State Department…. Mulvaney estimated that the State Department would see a 28 percent reduction in funding, stressing that the money would come from the agency's foreign aid programs.
* Related: WH Document: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again

Coincidence? Obama Makes Surprise Visit to Hawaii 48 Hours Before Judge Blocks Trump Travel Ban (Video)
Paul Joseph Watson - A ruling by a federal judge in Hawaii that blocked President Donald Trump’s travel ban was announced less than 48 hours after Barack Obama made a surprise visit to Honolulu, leading some to speculate that the former president may have schemed with the judge he originally appointed. Hours before Trump’s travel ban on individuals from six Muslim countries was set to go into effect yesterday, US District Court Judge Derrick Watson, who presides in Honolulu, slapped down the policy, citing Trump’s comments on Muslims during the presidential campaign as part of his reason for blocking the ban. Watson was nominated by Obama to the position in November 2012, having graduated from Harvard law school in the same year as Obama. As the Honolulu Star reported, Obama “made an unannounced return to Hawaii Monday,” just three months after his last official holiday visit as president, arriving with a small entourage that included a Secret Service detail. Eagle-eyed Reddit users noted that Obama had dinner at the Noi Thai restaurant, which is just minutes away from the courthouse and that Obama was, “likely within 5 minutes of the judge’s house at one point on the drive over.” PopSugar reports that Obama played golf but was “still making time to take care of business” as he met with tech leaders and that “his return to politics might be sooner than we think.”
* Related: Hawaii Obama Judge Rules Muslim Imam Has Special Constitutional Rights…

Senators Demand State Department Probe Into Soros Organizations
Zero Hedge - "Over the past few years, the U.S. Mission there has actively intervened in the party politics of Macedonia, as well as in the shaping of its media environment and civil society, often favoring left-leaning political group over others. We find these reports discouraging and, if true, highly problematic. Much of the concerning activity in Macedonia has been perpetuated through USAID funds awarded to implementing entities such as George Soros' Open Society Foundations."

Michael Savage Following Alleged Assault: ‘It Is Clearly Open Season on Prominent Trump Supporters’
Breitbart - Michael Savage, the 74-year-old host of the nationally syndicated talk radio show Savage Nation, was dining solo at Servino Ristorante in Tiburon, with his toy poodle, Teddy, keeping him company, when another patron allegedly began taunting him by saying, ‘weener, weener.’ The heckler was apparently referring to Savage’s legal name, Michael Alan Weiner. As Savage was heading out the door, the verbal abuse allegedly turned physical when the jeerer knocked the septuagenarian to the ground, according to the talk show host’s attorney, Daniel Horowitz…. According to Horowitz, the incident started after Savage had finished dinner and was leaving the restaurant. The lawyer said the alleged assailant, who stood at about six feet five inches, approached the talk radio host “yelling insults.” After Savage told the man to “go away,” he started to turn. Horowitz said it appears that the man knocked Savage to the ground while also pushing his dog out of the way. At that point, another customer from the restaurant intervened, and Savage’s alleged assailant punched him in the face, Horowitz said.

Reporter Who Gave Rachel Maddow Trump’s Taxes Is Now Accusing Melania Trump Of Doing “Sleazy Porn”
The GatewayPundit - The American Mirror reported: As the trio looked over and analysed the pair of pages, O’Donnell said, the president had “wages and salary income, which is unusual for someone in his case.” “It could be hers,” Johnston speculated. “His wife was a model.” “Right,” O’Donnell said. “She’s on here, but she was never in that league of that business. “She did do very sleazy porn pictures,” Johnston responded, which prompted Maddow to say, “hey, hey, hey, hey,”. At least Maddow understood how completely inappropriate and out of order it is to effective call the first lady and Pornstar…. Sounds like this guy just opened himself up to a lawsuit. Not to mention the legal ramifications of published income tax return information.

ICE Arrests 61 Criminal Aliens in Nevada Roundup
Breitbart - Immigration officials arrested 61 criminal aliens during a targeted operation in Nevada last week… Ninety percent of the arrested aliens had records of criminal convictions, officials stated. These records include convictions for various sex crimes, drug offenses, domestic violence, armed robbery, drunk driving, and identity theft. One of those arrested, an Iranian national living in Carson City, Nevada, has a record for illegal drug trafficking. A Salvadoran man living in Reno’s record includes assault, battery, drug possession, and spousal battery, officials stated…. The arrestees from last week’s operation include aliens from six different countries. Those include: Mexico (45); Guatemala (6); El Salvador (3); Samoa (2); Armenia (1); Cuba (1); Honduras (1); Iran (1); and Italy (1).

New York Assemblyman Unveils Bill To Suppress Non-Government-Approved Free Speech
Zero Hedge - In a bill aimed at securing a "right to be forgotten," introduced by Assemblyman David I. Weprin and (as Senate Bill 4561 by state Sen. Tony Avella), liberal New York politicians would require people to remove ‘inaccurate,’ ‘irrelevant,’ ‘inadequate’ or ‘excessive’ statements about others... Failure to comply would make the search engines or speakers liable for, at least, statutory damages of $250/day plus attorney fees. As The Washington Post's Eugene Volokh rages, under this bill, newspapers, scholarly works, copies of books on Google Books and Amazon, online encyclopedias (Wikipedia and others) — all would have to be censored whenever a judge and jury found (or the author expected them to find) that the speech was “no longer material to current public debate or discourse” (except when it was “related to convicted felonies” or “legal matters relating to violence” in which the subject played a “central and substantial” role). And of course the bill contains no exception even for material of genuine historical interest; after all, such speech would have to be removed if it was “no longer material to current public debate.” Nor is there an exception for autobiographic material, whether in a book, on a blog or anywhere else. Nor is there an exception for political figures, prominent businesspeople and others. But the deeper problem with the bill is simply that it aims to censor what people say, under a broad, vague test based on what the government thinks the public should or shouldn’t be discussing.

California Republican Wants Warning Labels on Guns
Breitbart - California State Assemblywoman Catherine Baker (R-Dublin) is pushing legislation to require that warning labels accompany all firearms sold in the state. Baker’s bill, AB 1525, would also raise the passing grade “for the issuance of a firearm safety certificate” from 75% to 85%.

Too Poor to Pay Fines: Town Forced to “Pay $680K For Running Debtor’s Prison”
The Free Thought Project - The Southern Poverty Law Center has reached a $680,000 settlement in its lawsuit against the Alabama city of Alexander and its police chief Willie Robinson. The settlement was for depriving 190 of its residents their rights to due process (6th Amendment) and the unlawful seizure of their property (4th Amendment). Sheriff Robinson has even been asked to resign by lawyers representing their client. Each one of the 190 individuals will receive $500 cash from the city for jailing them for being too poor to pay the fines imposed on them by the town. As reported by AL.com, “Hundreds of impoverished residents have faced unconstitutional and unjust treatment in Alexander City simply because they were too poor to pay fines and fees,” said Sam Brooke, in a press release. Brooke is the SPLC’s deputy legal director. He added, “The shuttering of this modern-day debtors’ prison, along with the monetary award, brings justice to many of the people who were unfairly targeted for being poor.”

California Bill SB18 Wants Authority to Enter Homes to Ensure Parents Comply with State Mandates for Child Care
Health Impact News - As we have continued to see increased cases of medical kidnapping and aggressive overreach of the medical system and the marriage of scientific opinion to laws in the United States, parents in California may be seeing a trend first hand that is going to be played out in the rest of the nation. Especially since 134 vaccine mandates have been introduced in this legislative session, indicating the trend for political mandates of your child’s standard of care is nowhere near slowing down. Many have speculated that SB18 is a part of Agenda 21 and Healthy People 2020 -- U.N. and U.S.-based initiatives, respectively, that are designed to corral populations into the inner cities and enforce a standard of care across the board that will implement controls that enable governments to manage portions of the population based on their standards and not the choices of the individual.

Veteran News

Mutiny? VA Hospital in Florida Takes Down Portrait of President Trump (Video)
Paul Joseph Watson - A Veterans Affairs hospital in Florida sensationally removed portrait photos of President Trump and Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin after Republican congressman and Army veteran Brian Mast demanded they be installed. Accompanied by a group of local veterans, Mast brought portraits of Trump and Shulkin to the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center only for them to be removed hours later by management staff at the hospital. The photos were removed because management, “could not authenticate the photos and they have to follow protocol,” according to Fox News. A VA spokeswoman later said that the Congressman’s actions were “inappropriate” and that the portraits needed to come from the VA’s central office. No explanation was given for why the portraits hadn’t been installed anyway almost two months after President Trump’s inauguration. Mast, who lost his legs in an IED blast while serving in Afghanistan, appeared on Fox and Friends this morning to denounce the move….

‘Keep going!’: Trump Honors Oldest Living Pearl Harbor Vet on 105th Birthday
Infowars - President Donald Trump honored Thursday the oldest living Pearl Harbor veteran, 105-year-old Ray Chavez, in a happy birthday letter that has since gone viral. “It is an honor to join your friends and family in wishing you a happy 105th birthday,” Trump wrote in an official White House letter. “I also join your many admirers in thanking you for your service to the United States of America.” “As the oldest living survivor of Pearl Harbor, your remarkable story is treasured by our Nation, and the sacrifices you have made in service to our country should fill you with tremendous pride,” it continued. Trump heralded the veteran’s “unwavering commitment to freedom” and expressed gratitude on behalf of himself and the American public. “From your humble beginning in San Bernardino, California to the front lines at Pearl Harbor, your undaunted courage, love of country and unwavering commitment to freedom earned you the eternal respect and gratitude of the American people.” Praising both Chavez and “the Greatest Generation,” Trump also thanked the veteran for helping to preserve the values that America holds dear.

World News

US, intl military in Iraq will need ‘to reduce numbers’ after ISIS is crushed – PM
RT - The international military presence in Iraq should be reduced once Islamic State terrorists are defeated, the country’s Prime Minister has said. The comment comes as the Pentagon top brass considers a longer stay in the war-torn nation. In an interview with the Middle East Eye, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said he wanted fewer US troops and other international forces in his country, as the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) is being pushed further and further from its strongholds. “As we are crushing Daesh [Arabic pejorative term for IS], it is clear that there is a need to reduce the number of our allies who are helping us,” he told the media outlet. The official said that Baghdad has been keen “to internationalize” the fight against terrorism, referring to the US-led international alliance. While stating that the number of forces had “reached a peak” in the battle for Mosul and the Nineveh province, Abadi pointed out that "after this operation, the number is going to be reduced."

Soros Fueling Unrest in Macedonia
Clifford Cunningham - In response to growing ethnic tensions in Macedonia, globalist billionaire George Soros has spent millions creating agitator organizations to further his agenda, risking a slide towards civil war and conflict with Russia. Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov, a member of the nationalist VMRO-DPMNE party, suffered a stinging electoral defeat last year; in the aftermath of the election, a coalition of opposition parties representing Macedonia’s predominately Muslim Albanian minority formed a coalition and petitioned to be allowed to govern. Ivanov refused to accept the proposed coalition government, claiming they would serve as puppets for the government in neighboring Albania…. “The current government in Macedonia, elected freely just a year ago, has been under pressure by NGOs financed by the US and European governments as well as George Soros. The problem? Lack of enthusiasm about western sanctions on Russia and an initial agreement to participate in the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project with Russia,” wrote staff from The Ron Paul Institute at the time…. Soros has spent millions of dollars in an effort to organize left-leaning agitator organizations, including the Platform for Citizens Oriented Politics, Journalists for Human Rights, and an LGBT Support Center, to promote his agenda by stoking civil unrest…. While Soros’ involvement risks plunging Macedonia into civil war, it also risks creating a proxy war between Russia and the United States.

Economy & Business

Philadelphia Soda Tax Forces Local University To Hike Student Costs By $400,000
Zero Hedge - Students at Temple University in Philadelphia, or perhaps their parents, are getting a great lesson today on the real life economic consequences of liberal political policies run amok. Courtesy of Philly's new 1.5 cent per ounce 'soda tax', Temple has been forced to hike it's 2017-2018 boarding costs by $400,000, or roughly 4.8%. Per Philly.com, Temple's CFO said they will roll back the planned $400,000 meal plan hike if the soda tax is repealed…. Of course, Philadelphia's Mayor, who has come under fairly constant attack for the controversial tax, said that Temple is simply using his legislation as a scapegoat to "pay for their ever-growing administrative salaries and new, expensive buildings and amenities."

Here Are The 365 Stores RadioShack Wants To Close Next
The Consumerist - RadioShack recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in just over two years, and the electronics chain has announced plans to close somewhere between 530 and all of its stores, making final decisions in the coming weeks. What we do know is that the company has begun another round of store closings, and a likely list of stores slated to close was filed in the Shack’s bankruptcy case.

Science & Technology

Google: Technological singularity will turn us into super humans in the next 12 years
Daily Mail - This might sound like science fiction, but Google's Director of Engineering, Ray Kurzweil, has made 147 predictions since the 1990s and has a success rate of 86 per cent. Kurzweil says when we live in a cybernetic society we will have computers in our brains and machines will be smarter than human beings. He claims this is already happening with technology - especially with our addiction to our phones - and says the next step is to wire this technology into our brains. Kurzweil, an author who describes himself as a futurist and works on Google's machine learning project, predicted that technological singularity would happen by 2029 at the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Pharma Cos. Try to Block Maryland Bill to Stem Unnecessary Antibiotics on Farms
Natural Blaze - Good news: The Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee has passed the Keep Antibiotics Effective Act on a vote of 7-4…. Later today [on Thursday], the full Senate is expected to begin debate on the legislation. Unfortunately, pharmaceutical companies with a global reach are in Annapolis trying to stop this bill dead in its tracks. The bill: • Bans the routine use of medically important antibiotics in food-producing animals that are not sick • Allows the use of antibiotics to treat sick animals, for medical procedures, and to control disease outbreaks • Requires the collection of data to track the administration of antibiotics in farm animals. Maryland would become the second state in the nation to prohibit routine antibiotic use in livestock. California passed similar legislation restricting use on farm animals in 2015.

Glyphosate was patented as an antibiotic … is this contributing to antibiotic resistance?
(NaturalHealth365) The very concept of resistant bacteria – in which mutating microorganisms become immune to the effects of antibiotics – is the stuff of nightmares, with resistant bacterial infections exacting a very real toll. According to the CDC, MRSA – or methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus – claims over 11,000 lives a year. Now, add glyphosate to the list of substances that can fuel antibiotic resistance in bacteria. In a study conducted at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, researchers found that exposure to common herbicides – such as glyphosate and dicamba – caused bacteria to change their response to antibiotics, allowing them to display increased resistance. The results were so surprising that the researchers feared some sort of error or contamination had affected their results. They enlisted a colleague at a different university to conduct the same experiments – and the findings were reproduced.

Health

Ibuprofen Can Stop Your Heart (31% Increase In Cardiac Arrest Risk)
Green Med Info - According to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is a leading cause of death among adults over 40 in the United States and other countries, with about 326,200 people experiencing an out-of-hospital SCA each year in the US alone; nine of 10 victims of SCA will die. Surprisingly, however, the causes of SCA are still widely considered unknown. Instead, the medical profession opts for pointing the finger at vague risk factors, such as family history, previous heart problems, or elevated LDL cholesterol (a long debunked surrogate marker for heart disease]…. In a concerning press release issued by the European Society of Cardiology entitled, “‘HARMLESS’ PAINKILLERS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK OF CARDIAC ARREST,” researchers warn that painkillers considered harmless by the general public are associated with a significantly increased risk of cardiac arrest…. The study results revealed that NSAID use was associated with a 31% increased risk of cardiac arrest. Ibuprofen and diclofenac increased the risk by 31% and 50%, respectively.

Kidney Beans Nutrition Helps Fight Diabetes, Heart Disease & Even Some Cancers
Dr. Axe - Low in fat and rich in complex carbohydrates, minerals, proteins and vitamins, kidney beans nutrition has been linked to reduced risk of various of cancers, heart disease and diabetes…. 1. Lowers Cholesterol and Reduces Heart Disease Risk… 2. Controls Blood Sugar… 3. Combats Diabetes… 4. Helps Treat and Prevent Certain Cancers… 5. Aids in Weight loss…. Kidney beans are considered to be a “whole food” due to their high content of starch, dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and phenolic acids, such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, flavonol glycosides, tannins and phenolic acids. These components have been correlated with the prevention and/or diminish of several types of diseases… The integrity of the gut barrier and the beneficial gut microbiota profile and activity improve greatly when non-resistant fiber from kidney beans are consumed. These bioactive compounds in kidney beans nutrition maybe beneficial in various of chronic inflammatory mucosal pathologies by exerting anti-inflammatory effects and support commensal bacterial growth in the gastrointestinal tract.

Pet News

10 Years Later, Remember Them
Truth about Pet Food - On March 16, 2007 the most deadly food recall in history began. 10 years later, the FDA and Washington DC has forgotten about the pets that died and suffered in 2007…. On March 15, 2007 Menu Foods notified FDA that pets were dying. One day later, March 16, 2007, the first recall was announced. Less than 3 weeks later – April 5, 2007 – the FDA had “12,000 consumer complaints” – pets were dying and suffering permanent kidney damage in shocking numbers (in the first 3 weeks of the 2007 pet food recall the FDA received double the number of consumer complaints than was typical of an entire year). Over the next several weeks recall after recall after recall was announced until more than 150 different pet foods – 5,500 specific products (considering product sizes and manufacturing dates) were recalled…. Just after the recall, the 2007 Congress […] wrote the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act (FDAAA) which was signed into law… [requiring the] FDA to… 1. Establish an early warning surveillance system. 2. Regulation for (1) Ingredient Standards and Definitions; (2) Processing Standards; and (3) Labeling Standards Including nutritional and ingredient information. 3. Ensuring efficient and effective communication during a recall. Create searchable public database for recalled human and pet foods. All three of these FDAAA requirements were to be completed within 2 years […] by September 2009. But only 1 has been completed. FDA has established an early warning surveillance system for pet food… The FDA has NOT completed regulations for ingredient standards and definitions, has NOT completed pet food processing standards, has NOT completed pet food labeling standards, and has NOT completed a searchable public database for recalled pet foods.
 


Thursday - March 16, 2017

On This Date In History:


1802 - The U.S. Congress established the West Point Military Academy in New York.
1836 - The Republic of Texas approved a constitution.
1882 - The U.S. Senate approved a treaty allowing the United States to join the Red Cross.
1915 - The Federal Trade Commission began operation.
1928 - The U.S. planned to send 1,000 more Marines to Nicaragua.
1935 - Adolf Hitler ordered a German rearmament and violated the Versailles Treaty.
1939 - Germany occupied the rest of Czechoslovakia.
1945 - Iwo Jima was declared secure by the Allies. However, small pockets of Japanese resistance still existed.
1964 - U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson submitted a $1 billion war on poverty program to Congress.
1968 - U.S. troops in Vietnam destroyed a village consisting mostly of women and children. The event is known as the My-Lai massacre.
1984 - William Buckley, the CIA station chief in Beirut, was kidnapped by gunmen. He died while in captivity.
1985 - Terry Anderson, an Associated Press newsman, was taken hostage in Beirut. He was released in December 4, 1991.
1988 - Indictments were issued for Lt. Colonel Oliver North, Vice Admiral John Poindexter of the National Security Council, and two others for their involvement in the Iran-Contra affair.
1994 - Tonya Harding pled guilty in Portland, OR, to conspiracy to hinder prosecution for covering up the attack on her skating rival Nancy Kerrigan. She was fined $100,000. She was also banned from amateur figure skating.
2003 - Vice President Dick Cheney predicted on NBC's "Meet the Press" that American troops would be "greeted as liberators" by the Iraqi people.
2003 - Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old American, was killed when she was run over by a bulldozer while trying to block Israeli troops from demolishing a Palestinian home in Gaza.
2005 - A judge in Redwood City, Calif., sent Scott Peterson to death row for the slaying of his pregnant wife, Laci.
2008 - Protests spread from Tibet into three neighboring provinces; the Dalai Lama decried what he called the "cultural genocide" taking place in his homeland.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Video: President Donald Trump Holds Rally In Nashville, TN 3/9/17
Right Side Broadcasting - Wednesday, March 15, 2017: President Donald J. Trump will hold a rally at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. RSBN will be there with a full crew and offer pre and post rally coverage.

Trump Nominates Another Goldman Banker For Key Treasury Position
Zero Hedge - In the latest creeping takeover by Goldman Sachs of the White House, overnight the White House announced that Donald Trump will nominate another Goldman Sachs banker, James Donovan, for a key financial post as deputy Treasury secretary, the White House said on Tuesday, adding another alumnus of the Wall Street investment bank to his administration. Donovan joins his former peers, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and chief Economic advisor, Gary Cohn, who are also former Goldman executives who occupy senior economic posts within the administration. Donovan's work at the bank as a managing director has included work on corporate strategy, investment banking and investment management, the White House said in a statement. He is expected to work on the Trump administration's domestic policy agenda at Treasury…. Additionally, Trump also nominated David Malpass - who served as a former economist at Bear Stearns prior to its 2008 collapse and most recently served as an economic adviser to Trump's campaign - as its nominee for Treasury undersecretary for international affairs, a key economic diplomacy post. Malpass is also a former official in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations.

Trump Advisor Claims Hit & Run “Could Be” Russian Hacking Scandal Retaliation
CBS News - Roger Stone, the longtime advisor to President Donald Trump, said he was the victim of a hit-and-run driver Wednesday morning in Pompano Beach. “They just came at us full force,” Stone told CBS4 News. “The driver then threw it in reverse and took off.” Stone, who has previously admitted to having “back-channel” communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and who more recently acknowledged trading messages with the famed Russian hacker Guccifer 2.0, remains a central figure in the Congressional investigation into Russia’s attempts to influence the presidential election. Stone was on his way to Orlando to promote his latest book on Trump when the accident occurred. Stone said he was a passenger in the car when a grey, four-door sedan with tinted windows T-boned his vehicle. He said the airbags deployed on his side and prevented him from being more seriously injured…. Stone claimed it was the second attempt on his life in the past six months. Stone previously claimed he was poisoned with polonium and became ill but recovered.

Epic Fail: Rachel Maddow Mocked After Dragging Out Trump Tax ‘Scoop’
Breitbart - MSNBC host Rachel Maddow was widely mocked on social media Tuesday night after drawing out the revelations in what she announced was an “exclusive story” regarding Donald Trump’s tax returns. Instead of getting right to her big scoop about a 2005 Trump tax return she obtained, Maddow opened her show with a rambling 20-minute rant outlining her often tangential theories regarding Trump’s connections to Russia. Maddow did not unveil the relevant tax documents until 23 minutes into the show, revealing that Donald Trump had made more than $150 million in income in 2005 and paid $38 million in income taxes that year.
* Related: The Internet TOTALLY DESTROYS RACHEL MADDOW After Trump Tax Fail: “I’ve Seen Bigger Scoops At Baskin Robbins”

Trump’s 2005 Tax Rate Much Higher Than Normal…Even for the Very, Very Wealthy
Breitbart - The tax forms made public Tuesday night showed that Donald Trump paid $38 million in federal income taxes on reported income of $150 million in 2005. That would give him an effective tax rate of around 25 percent–far above the rates most very wealthy people paid in the same year.

Hillary Ally Offers $5 Million Reward For Trump’s “Complete, Legally Obtained Tax Returns”
Zero Hedge - Following last night’s embarrassing and widely mocked ‘leak’ of Trump’s 2005 tax return by “Fake News” MSNBC, which seemingly only served to prove that Trump made a lot of money and paid a lot of taxes, long-time Hillary ally David Brock has offered a $5 million reward for anyone who can deliver his “complete, legally obtained tax returns.”… Which, among other things, begs the obvious question of exactly how someone goes about “legally obtaining” stolen, private documents. For those you not familiar with Brock, he’s a long-time Clinton operative and founder of the liberal media “watchdog” group Media Matters for America.

Utah House Rejects Fully Informed Jury Bill
Tenth Amendment Center - A Utah bill that would have required state courts to fully inform jurors of their right to use discretion in rendering verdicts died in the state House earlier this month. Rep. Mark Roberts (R-67) introduced House Bill 332 (HB332) on Feb. 9. The legislation would have required that a jury be fully informed of the potential sentence for a guilty verdict and its power to find a defendant not guilty when a guilty verdict would be manifestly unjust. The legislation was supported by the Libertas Institute, a Utah think-tank advancing the cause of liberty. Founder and director Connor Boyack said the bill would have ensured jurors understand that they have discretion in their decision making. “Discretion is available for police and prosecutors, we argue it should be for juries as well.” Boyack said. “Jurors have rights of which they are not made aware—and this is detrimental to the cause of justice. Specifically, jurors can determine a person not guilty of a crime they may have actually committed, if the particular circumstances of the case create a manifest injustice.” Passage of HB332 would have enabled attorneys or judges to ensure that jurors understand their importance and power, all in an effort to ensure justice is served.

New York State to End Literacy Test for Aspiring Educators, Claiming it Hurts Diversity
The New American - Associated Press reports that the [New York State] Board of Regents plans to scrap a literacy test for potential teachers today because too many non-whites are failing the test. Critics claim the test is making it difficult to achieve diversity within the teaching profession. The test in question is the Academic Literacy Skills Test (ALST), which “measures whether a prospective teacher can understand and analyze reading material and also write competently,” according to the New York Post…. In 2015, individuals who had failed the ALST challenged the test in court with claims that it is discriminatory, but a federal judge determined that the test was not racially discriminatory. Judge Kimba M. Wood, a failed Bill Clinton nominee for U.S. attorney general, ruled that just because racial minorities scored lower on the test did not mean it was discriminatory…. Despite this ruling, however, members on the Board of Regents assert that the test is hurting its agenda of achieving a diverse workforce of school teachers.[ Professor of Education at Pace University, Leslie] Soodak and other critics claim that basic literacy tests only measure a person’s ability to write and speak, which may not be as important as other aspects.

EMS teams compete against each other in national shooting contests
MassPrivate I - A recent article in the Greeley Tribune reveals, how the mass media wants the public to believe that paramedics training with SWAT teams is about public safety. In Colorado, a tactical emergency medical team clad in Kevlar vests closely followed a police SWAT team during training exercises in an urban setting…. Riggs Ambulance Company a family owned business of 60+ years has begun training tactical medics to work with SWAT teams, police departments and Sheriff departments. According to Riggs, their Medics meet all marksmanship requirements. What's wrong with this picture? America is not in a civil war, the public isn't the enemy and it's not about public safety. So why are we turning paramedics into cops?

California School Bans Tag, Says Game ‘Too Rough’
Breitbart - Gold Ridge Elementary School in Folsom, California has banned the game of tag. Principle David Frankel sent a note home to parents saying, “Students were instructed that physical contact including tag games, touch football, etc. were not allowed on the yard.” Why would this time-honored tradition of playground fun get the axe? According to school district spokesman Daniel Thigpen, things had gotten just a bit too physical…. Students will face disciplinary action should they not comply. The punishments will begin with a referral, and then a parent-teacher conference, according to school officials.

World News

Expert: Many Christians, Kurds in Iraq ‘Openly pro-Trump’ as Protest Against Radical Islam
Breitbart - A national security expert and professor at Liberty University tells Breitbart News that, during his recent visit to war-ravaged Iraq, he found many Christians and Muslim Kurds who “openly” expressed their support for U.S. President Donald Trump as a form of protest against radical Islam and the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL). “They see Trump as someone who is unconventional and therefore, won’t be bound by conventional limitations in fighting ISIS and the Iranian regime,” Ryan Mauro, a national security analyst at the Clarion Project and professor of counterterrorism at Liberty University, told Breitbart News. “The Kurds, the Kakai Kurdish minority, and the Christians directly and passionately asked me to relay a request to President Trump: for him to personally come visit with them and for the U.S. to provide political and military support. A safe zone for the persecuted minorities should immediately become an official objective of U.S. policy.” “I was surprised by how openly pro-Trump many Christians and Muslim Kurds I met with were, and they expressed their support without me even asking the question. For them, the issue is standing up against radical Islam, of which ISIS is the deadliest manifestation right now,” he added.

New Chinese Military Base in Africa Presents Security Concerns for US
Sputnik News - The 90-acre naval base is located a mere four miles from the headquarters of US African Command, Camp Lemonnier, in Djibouti, where some 3,000 to 4,000 US personnel are stationed at any given time. Under Waldhauser’s watch, the US hopes to keep tabs on what China does and does not do at the new base. Waldhauser recently requested an audience with Djibouti President Ismail Omar, to whom he "expressed [US] concerns about some of the things that are important to us about what the Chinese should not do at that location." The US uses Camp Lemonnier base as a hub for highly secretive operations, Defense Tech reported. For instance, the camp was involved in the January 29 raid in Yemen that killed Navy Seal Team 6 member William “Ryan” Owens, as well as 14 Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants and at least 25 civilians.

China Is Again Selling US Treasuries As Foreign Central Banks Liquidate $45BN
After December's brief dead cat bounce, in which foreign central banks bought $18.6 billion in US Treasuries, breaking a streak of 12 consecutive months of selling, in January they resumed their liquidation. According to the just released TIC data, foreign official institutions, which includes mostly central banks, but also sovereign wealth funds and various other official entities, sold another $44.9 billion in Treasuries, in line with the aggressive selling seen for most of 2016. Curiously, the sales by foreign central banks were largely offset by purchases by private holders, mostly corporate institutions and foreign retail investors, who bought $37.9 billion in the month, the most since last March when they acquired $41 billion. Combining the two, foreigners sold a total of $7 billion in TSYs in January. …in a surprising twist, while Saudi Arabia one year ago threatened to liquidate its US Treasury holdings, it has been doing just the opposite, and as shown in the chart below, in January it bought another $10 billion, taking its total to $112.3 billion, the highest total since April 2016. It appears that, if only for the time being, Petrodollar recycling is back on line.

European Chemicals Agency Protects Monsanto with Outrageous Glyphosate Report
Sustainable Pulse - ECHA [European Chemicals Agency] rejected glaring scientific evidence of cancers in laboratory animals, ignored warnings by more than 90 independent scientists, and relied on unpublished studies commissioned by glyphosate producers, warned Greenpeace…. The data vastly exceeds what’s legally necessary for the EU to ban glyphosate… Health and environmental organizations have also raised concerns about conflicts of interest in the ECHA committee responsible for assessing glyphosate, and criticized ECHA’s reliance on unpublished industry studies.

Economy & Business

The US Is About To Hit $20 Trillion In Debt: Here's How It Affects You
Zero Hedge - Just before the government was slated to shut down in 2015 (as it did in 2013), Congress was able to pass a delay on the debt ceiling decision until March 15th of this year — Wednesday of this week…. If the government does shut down again, the Treasury Department reportedly has as little as $66 billion in reserves and just enough income from taxes to meet its essential obligations. Entitlements like social security and Medicare will likely be unaffected, but if lawmakers can’t collaborate to pass some kind of resolution, the power to allocate additional federal spending will largely be turned over to President Trump. The initial hiring freeze on federal employees that was implemented shortly after his inauguration could be just a taste of what’s to come. The president’s promised tax cuts, Obamacare “reform,” and increased military spending will only intensify the political rift in this country. Democratic leaders have already accused the Trump administration of colluding with Russia, so it’s likely they’ll refuse to compromise on the budget in an effort to further undermine the Republican agenda.

How the Fed rate hike will impact millions of Americans
MarketWatch - Bad news for those with credit card debt: The Federal Reserve hiked its key rate on Wednesday by a quarter percentage point and, as a result, your own interest rates could rise almost immediately. The Fed raised the rate for federal funds by a quarter percentage point, to 0.75% to 1% at the end of its two-day meeting on Wednesday, and signaled two further rates rises in 2017. In other words, the Fed announced an increase in how much banks will be charged to borrow money from Federal Reserve banks. (The Fed raises and lowers interest rates in an attempt to control inflation.) That increase will most likely eventually be passed on to consumers, said Sean McQuay, a credit card expert at the personal finance website NerdWallet. Many households with credit card debt — the average household carrying credit card debt has more than $16,000 — will likely take a hit.

Energy & Environment

Bloomberg: EPA Official Accused of Helping Monsanto `Kill’ Cancer Study
Sustainable Pulse - The Environmental Protection Agency official who was in charge of evaluating the cancer risk of Monsanto Co.’s Roundup allegedly bragged to a company executive that he deserved a medal if he could kill another agency’s investigation into the herbicide’s key chemical. The boast was made during an April 2015 phone conversation, according to farmers and others who say they’ve been sickened by the weed killer. After leaving his job as a manager in the EPA’s pesticide division last year, Jess Rowland has become a central figure in more than 20 lawsuits in the U.S. accusing the company of failing to warn consumers and regulators of the risk that its glyphosate-based herbicide can cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma…. A federal judge overseeing the glyphosate litigation in San Francisco said last month he’s inclined to order Rowland to submit to questioning by lawyers for the plaintiffs, who contend he had a “highly suspicious” relationship with Monsanto. Rowland oversaw a committee that found insufficient evidence to conclude glyphosate causes cancer and quit last year shortly after his report was leaked to the press.

Maryland Beekeepers Ended 2016 with Another Year of Heavy Losses
Natural Blaze - The year 2016 will be known to Maryland beekeepers as another year of extremely heavy losses. According to Bee Informed Partnership (BIP), losses exceeded 56 percent in 2016. Over a three-year average, Maryland beekeepers have lost 54 percent of their total colonies. Maryland has approximately 14,000 (plus) registered honeybee colonies, according to Maryland State Agriculture statistics. The average replacement cost per colony is $150 with colonies ranging from a $100 package to $200 per nucleus colony. This means that beekeepers in Maryland spend over $1.13 million each year to replace the approximately 7,600 lost registered honeybee colonies. These figures do not include lost revenue, lost labor, or losses in potential business growth that would otherwise be possible by splitting healthy colonies. […] many beekeepers have seen an increase in pesticide use in the form of lawn and yard spraying, compounded by municipal and private broad spectrum pesticide spraying in response to threats like Zika virus.

Science & Technology

‘Clean Meat’ from Self-Reproducing Cells Used to Make Lab-Grown Chicken Strips
Breitbart - Bay Area food tech startup Memphis Meats offered samples of their “clean meat” to adventurous taste-testers in San Francisco this Tuesday. The chicken strips are grown directly from self-reproducing chicken cells in a laboratory vat, but those who tried it said that it was nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. That’s good news for the meat industry, as the cost of meeting our country’s ever-increasing demand continues to rise. Companies like Tyson and Hormel have taken note, with the former having formed a venture capital fund in December for investment into this new frontier of meat mass production.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

40 Edible Plants That Will Grow in Partial Shade
REALfarmacy - We all know that most garden crops want as much sun as possible. Tomatoes, melons and peppers will positively pout if they don’t get oodles of light. What you may not realize is that many other garden crops will do quite well with limited sunlight…. A general rule is that plants grown for their stems, leaves or buds generally tolerate light shade fairly well. Those grown for roots or fruits tend to need more sun. That said, even many of these crops will also tolerate light shade, simply providing smaller yields. These are noted on the list with an asterisk (*). The following crops will grow with as little as three to six hours of sun per day, or constant dappled shade…. Lettuce, Arugula, Spinach, Broccoli *, Green onions, Cabbage *, Parsley, Sorrel, Garlic, Mint, Collards, Endive, Cress, Cauliflower *…

Health

This Simple Ingredient Increases Vision By Up To 97%
Flex Mag - In the beginning stages of macular degeneration, the field of vision isn’t affected. Instead, it slowly alters to a blurry/wavy vision to a hole in the whole center of your field of vision. This ocular disease affects many people than both glaucoma and cataracts…. Saffron is commonly used in Indian food and helps avoid vision issues and at the same time, curing existing vision issues. Researchers have tested people that were given 20mg of saffron a day for 3 months. They were evaluated in the exact same way. People with macular degeneration had signs of healing with their retina, after 3 months of consuming 20mg of saffron a day. Saffron is beneficial in curing and preventing ocular impairment, and some disorders in the nervous system. It is an anti-oxidant, and well responsible in increasing our levels of oxygen through our body in the same way as it prevents cell deaths. Containing safranal, it is vital in the reduction of the process in degeneration of cells that take in light, and aids in the optimal function of our blood vessels to the eyes and retina…. It is suggested that you take 1 cup of saffron tea per day in order to delay blindness as it contains essential fatty acids that protect you from vision impairment. If taken daily, it will ensure you more tolerance to bright light…. Saffron is frequently adulterated with marigold, safflower or turmeric, so buy the whole stigmas, rather than the powder, so as to be sure of paying for the real thing. Avoid large doses during pregnancy.

Honey and Black Seed Combo Cures 57% of H. Pylori Patients
Natural Blaze - The study entitled, “Combination of Nigella sativa and Honey in Eradication of Gastric Helicobacter pylori Infection,” provided background on the increasing problem of antibiotic-resistant cases of H. pylori in the studied Iranian population: “Owing to the alarming rate of anti-H. pylori drug resistance (14% – 45% for clarithromycin, 40% – 65% for metronidazole, and 2-37% for amoxicillin in Iran), eradication of H. pylori remains a global challenge. Due to the state of conventional treatment, the authors sought to test “new safe, feasible and affordable alternatives.”… The researchers also pointed out that even though their combination of honey and black seed may not eradicate H. pylori in all cases, it has a palliative effect in gastrointestinal symptoms in non-ulcer dyspepsia. This is likely not true for conventional antibiotics which may have a wide range of adverse effects related to the depopulation of beneficial gut bacteria. In fact, we recently reported on the use of a special form of honey to treat one of the most common and deadly forms of antibiotic-related infections, namely , C. difficile.
* Related: Study: Manuka honey kills more bacteria than all available antibiotics

Potent depression fighting turmeric honey elixir
STEPin2 - According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, major depressive disorder affects about 14.7 million American adults, which is about 6.7 percent of the population. That number is steadily increasing as well. It is well known that diet can affect our physical health, but recent research is starting to show associations between healthy foods and mental health too. Let’s take a closer look at the ingredients in this potent depression fighting turmeric honey elixir. CINNAMON: It can help treat anxiety and depression because of it’s blood sugar regulating benefits. HONEY: Honey is a great natural mood lifter and a potent super food. Plus, it’s hard to be sad when you’re eating honey! TURMERIC: A new review of studies showed that turmeric is a powerful medication against depression, and may rival drugs like Prozac. DIRECTIONS: . Bring 1 cup of filtered water to a boil . Take water off of the heat and let it cool for 30 seconds to a minute . Add 1 tsp of turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tbsp of honey, and 1 tbsp of lemon juice . Stir to combine ingredients. Make sure ingredients are organic.

Pet News

Experts Warn! Check For THESE Tiny Eggs Before You Prune This Spring (Photos)
David Wolfe - …the USFWA shared some springtime tips on their Facebook page, to warn everyone about what to do and what not to do, should they stumble upon a hummingbird nest…. Hummingbirds can be found all over the country… They love making their homes in gardens because they make for comfortable habitats. If you happen to have bright flowers rich in nectar or hummingbird feeders near your home, these tiny birds might find their way to your yard. Female hummingbirds build small, delicate nests using spider webs, moss and leaves. Their nests and eggs are so tiny, they can easily be missed. A hummingbird nest may be about the size of a quarter! So when you go to trim your greenery this spring, make sure you take a close look at your garden, shrubs and trees before you begin pruning or weed-whacking the area. You might have to let a branch or two slide, but you could be saving dozens of little lives if you just take a moment to look a little closer.
 


Wednesday - March 15, 2017

On This Date In History:


1781 - During the American Revolution, the Battle of Guilford Courthouse took place in North Carolina. British General Cornwallis' 1,900 soldiers defeated an American force of 4,400.
1820 - Maine was admitted as the 23rd state of the Union.
1864 - Red River Campaign began as the Union forces reach Alexandria, LA.
1892 - New York State unveiled the new automatic ballot voting machine.
1901 - German Chancellor von Bulow declared that an agreement between Russia and China over Manchuria would violate the Anglo-German accord of October 1900.
1904 - Three hundred Russians were killed as the Japanese shelled Port Arthur in Korea.
1913 - U.S. President Woodrow Wilson held the first open presidential news conference.
1916 - U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sent 12,000 troops, under General Pershing, over the border of Mexico to pursue bandit Pancho Villa. The mission failed.
1937 - In Chicago, IL, the first blood bank to preserve blood for transfusion by refrigeration was established at the Cook County Hospital.
1951 - General de Lattre demanded that Paris send him more troops for the fight in Vietnam.
1955 - The U.S. Air Force unveiled a self-guided missile.
1968 - The U.S. mint halted the practice of buying and selling gold.
1985 - In Brazil, two decades of military rule came to an end with the installation of a civilian government.
1989 - The U.S. FDA decided to impound all fruit imported from Chili after two cyanide-tainted grapes were found in Philadelphia, PA.
1989 - The U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs became the 14th Department in the President's Cabinet.
1991 - Four Los Angeles police officers were indicted in the beating of Rodney King on March 3, 1991. (California)
2002 - In the U.S., Burger King began selling a veggie burger. It was billed as the 1st veggie burger to be sold nationally by a fast food chain.
2002 - In Texas, Andrea Yates received a life sentence for drowning her five children on June 20, 2001.
2002 - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told the Associated Press that the U.S. would stand by a 24-year pledge not to use nuclear arms against states that don't have them.
2003 - The World Health Organization issued a worldwide health alert for the respiratory illness SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Trump signs order 'reorganizing' executive branch of federal government
WREG - President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that would mandate an evaluation of every executive department and agency to determine where money could be saved. Flanked by the confirmed members of his cabinet, Trump signed the “Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch,” the stated aims of which are to make the federal government more efficient, and improve agency and department services. “Today we’re beginning the process of a long-overdue reorganizing of our federal departments and agencies,” Trump said. “We’ve assembled one of the greatest cabinets in history and — I believe that so strongly — and we want to empower them to make their agencies as lean and effective as possible, and they know how to do it.”…. Monday’s executive order sets the stage for a historic downsizing of federal agencies and the federal workforce in Thursday’s budget proposal. The Washington Post, which obtained leaked preliminary budget documents, reports that the proposal could “shake the federal government to its core if enacted.” This, The Post reports, would be the first time since World War II that the federal government has administered cuts this drastic.

Tillerson Threatens U.S. Exit Of UN Human Rights Council Unless Changes Made
Western Journalism - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has told the United Nations’ Human Rights Council that it needs to make changes if it wants continued American support. His demand comes after a high-ranking Israeli official urged the U.S. to withdraw from the organization…. In a letter to several groups that have been urging the United States to remain active in the council, Tillerson told the U.N. advocates and human rights groups that the U.S. “continues to evaluate the effectiveness” of the council. Foreign Policy reported that the U.S. expressed skepticism about a group with nation members such as China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, all with poor human rights records. “We may not share a common view on this, given the makeup of the membership,” Tillerson wrote…. The administration of former President George W. Bush cited the council’s anti-Israel bias as its reason for not joining in 2006 when the council was formed. The Obama administration changed course in 2009 and joined the council.

CBO: Full Repeal of Obamacare Insures More Americans than Ryancare
Breitbart - The CBO’s analysis on the Republican leadership’s plan to repeal Obamacare predicts it would drop insurance for 14 million people in 2018, while 24 million would lose insurance by 2026. Compared to these figures, the CBO’s research on the 2015 full repeal bill indicated it would insure more Americans than the Ryan plan. Phillip Klein, managing editor of the Washington Examiner, stated that despite the Ryan plan doling out billions of dollars in tax credits, the plan also retains the Obamacare regulations, which might stall any more progress. Klein said: The reason is that the Republican replacement preserves many of Obamacare’s regulations that drive up the cost of insurance. So, in essence, the GOP alternative would be asking people to purchase expensive Obamacare plans, with less financial assistance. In contrast, while full repeal would offer no assistance, because it would get rid of Obamacare’s regulations, it would make insurance cheaper.

Exclusive — Audio Emerges of When Paul Ryan Abandoned Donald Trump: ‘I Am Not Going to Defend Donald Trump—Not Now, Not in the Future’
Breitbart - On a never-before-released private October conference call with House Republican members, House Speaker Paul Ryan told his members in the U.S. House of Representatives he was abandoning then-GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump forever and would never defend him ever again. In the Oct. 10, 2016 call, from right after the Access Hollywood tape of Trump was leaked in the weeks leading up to the election, Ryan does not specify that he will never defend Trump on just the Access Hollywood tape—he says clearly he is done with Trump altogether. “I am not going to defend Donald Trump—not now, not in the future,” Ryan says in the audio, obtained by Breitbart News and published here for the first time ever. Now, Ryan—still the Speaker—has pushed now President Donald Trump to believe his healthcare legislation the American Health Care Act would repeal and replace Obamacare when it does not repeal Obamacare. Ryan has also, according to Trump ally Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), misled President Trump into believing that Ryan’s bill can pass Congress….

ASSANGE: Hillary, Intel Officials Plotting Pence Takeover
The Daily Caller - WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange tweeted Tuesday morning that both Hillary Clinton and intelligence community officials are secretly plotting a Mike “Pence takeover” in the Oval Office. “Clinton stated privately this month that she is quietly pushing for a Pence takeover,” Assange wrote. “She stated that Pence is predictable hence defeatable.” Assange added that “two IC [Intelligence Community] officials close to Pence stated privately this month that they are planning on a Pence takeover.” He explained that the officials “did not state if Pence agrees” to the alleged plan. Assange’s claims appear to come in response to reports that President Trump authorized the CIA to perform drone strikes on terrorists Monday evening.

Judge Napolitano Says British Intelligence Provided Obama Admin With Surveillance Data on Trump Tower Phone Conversations
American Thinker - The reason is that British intelligence had access to NSA surveillance data – which captures every phone call in the United States – and were able to provide such intelligence to President Obama without a FISA court warrant or any other paper trail that would expose an American intelligence agency that used the same NSA data…. Note that just as the New York Times does when offering leaks from intelligence sources, no names are attached to the leaks…. Nevertheless, such a scheme makes great sense. It is widely rumored that such arrangements are common among intelligence services to work around limitations their own governments impose on them…. If the judge is correct, there will no paper trail at all, so Trump's charges will be dismissed as a fantasy. It is a nice con game for deep staters. It is still not provable, and absent a defector from the British or American intelligence services, the public will never know.

In Obama's last year US spent $36m in records lawsuits
Daily Mail - The Obama administration spent a record $36.2 million on legal costs in its last year in office in an attempt to keep government records secret. For a second consecutive year, the administration set a record for the number of times federal employees said they couldn't find a single page of files that were requested under the Freedom of Information Act. And it set records for the outright denial of access to files, refusing to quickly consider requests described as especially newsworthy, and forcing people to pay for records…. In courtrooms, the number of lawsuits filed by news organizations under the Freedom of Information Act also surged during the past four years under Obama…. The White House under Obama routinely defended its efforts under the information law in recent years and said federal employees worked diligently on such requests for records. Overall, in the final year of Obama's administration, people who asked for records last year under the law received censored files or nothing in 77 per cent of requests, about the same as the previous year. In the first full year after Obama's election, that figure was only 65 per cent of cases.

Number of sanctuary cities nears 500: Report
Washington Times - The Ohio Jobs & Justice Political Action Committee has added more than three dozen new cities and counties to its list in 2017 alone, as jurisdictions rush to try to shield illegal immigrants from what they expect to be a new push for deportations under Mr. Trump…. Asked about the growing list of sanctuaries, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday that Mr. Trump stands by his promise to deny taxpayer money to those cities and counties. But he said it’s probably going to be up to local voters to force changes on their city and county politicians. “At the end of the day, this is a question for mayors and council members at the local level who have to answer to the people that elected them with clearly a position that is not in keeping with what most Americans believe,” Mr. Spicer said. The OJJ list is longer than several others than also track sanctuaries, and a number of counties and cities on the list dispute being included. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that handled deportations, says 279 municipalities refused to cooperate on at least one case in fiscal 2016. All told, those sanctuaries released more than 2,000 illegal immigrants back onto the streets that ICE agents had been trying to deport.

DOJ announces $8.5 million grant for Pulse nightclub victims
Washington Times - The Justice Department is providing nearly $8.5 million to aid victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting and to reimburse costs associated with the operation of a center that provided assistance to families in the immediate aftermath of the attack…. Acting Office for Victims of Crime Director Marilyn McCoy Roberts said the money would reimburse victim services costs for the operation of the Family Assistance Center as well as continue to provide funding for counseling services and financial help for victims, first responders and witnesses of the attack. Orlando’s Family Assistance Center, set up in the immediate aftermath of the June 12 attack, served as a central location where victims and families of victims could seek assistance from a variety of agencies after the mass shooting — ranging from help arranging overseas funerals for some of the victims to help filing compensation claims. Similar grants have been issued in the wake of the terror attack in San Bernardino, California, the Boston Marathon bombing, and after a white gunman killed nine black parishioners inside a Charleston, South Carolina church.

Election News

Advocates call for paper ballots in Georgia amid FBI review
Washington Times - A group of technology experts wants Georgia’s elections officials to stop using electronic voting machines as the FBI reviews a suspected data breach. Secretary of State Brian Kemp and Kennesaw State University this month confirmed that a federal investigation is focused on the school’s Center for Election Systems. The center has certified Georgia’s voting machines and other elections equipment since 2002. The center is not part of Kemp’s office or connected to its networks. In a letter to Kemp on Tuesday, 20 professors affiliated with the national Verified Voting organization said paper ballots will preserve voters’ confidence in an upcoming special election to fill Georgia’s 6th District congressional seat. Kemp’s spokeswoman declined comment. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Atlanta said he had no new information.

World News

North Korea Puts Army Into "Combat Mode"
Zero Hedge - It's been at least 24 hours since any further sabers were rattled between China, US, South Korea, and North Korea (oh and Japan), but it according to [South Korean website] DailyNK.com, Kim Jong Un has ordered the entire North Korean army into "combat mode" to tighten security and consolidate sentiment in response to military drills conducted by South Korea and the US, which began in early March. A source in South Pyongan Province told Daily NK that following the order from Kim Jong Un, every last soldier-- even if away on business, on leave, off-base for training, or even those with a recent death in the family--were ordered back to their units. The authorities have ordered the military police in each region to summon all soldiers back to their bases…. For now, it seems North Korea, the chaotic South Korea, and Washington are unwilling to follow China's advice to ratchet down the rhetoric.

US deploying attack drones to South Korea
TheHill - The United States has begun deploying attack drones to South Korea as tensions with North Korea remain high over Pyongyang’s persistence in its missile and nuclear program. U.S. Forces Korea said Monday that the company of Gray Eagle Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) will be permanently stationed at Kunsan Air Base, about 150 miles south of Seoul…. An unnamed South Korea military official told South Korea’s Yonhap news agency the drones will enhance the alliance’s ability to strike targets on the ground should war break out. “In case of a war on the Korean Peninsula, the unmanned aircraft could infiltrate into the skies of North Korea and make a precision strike on the war command and other major military facilities," the official said.

Turkish Rally in Antwerp Suburb Banned Over Security Concerns
Sputnik News - The mayor [of] Belgium's Antwerp banned on Tuesday a Turkish rally in one of the city's suburbs due to its threat to public security, making Belgium the next European country to prohibit the Turkish community demonstrations. The rally was scheduled to take place on Friday, March 17 in the suburban town of Berchem in the anticipation of the Turkey's April referendum. Antwerp’s authorities reportedly fear clashes between rally participants and members of the Flemish nationalist Vlaams Belang Party. The party members had planned to carry out a demonstration against the meeting of the Turkish community representatives on the same date, but the rally was shut down by the authorities…. The rallies and speeches were aimed at gaining support among Turks eligible to vote in the April 16 referendum on constitutional amendments which would enhance the judiciary and legislative powers of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
* Related: German state bans political rallies for foreign officials amid escalating spat with Turkey

Somali pirates hijack oil tanker for first time since 2012
Daily Mail - Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker off the coast of Somalia, Somali officials and piracy experts said Tuesday, in the first hijacking of a large commercial vessel on the crucial global trade route since 2012…. The ship had been carrying fuel from Djibouti to Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, he said. Eight Sri Lankan crew members were reported aboard. An official in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland said more than two dozen men boarded the ship off Somalia's northern coast, an area known to be used by weapons smugglers and members of the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab.

German Official Wants $50 Million Fines For ‘Fake News’ Social Media Posts
AP - Germany’s justice minister is proposing fines of up to 50 million euros ($53 million) for social networking sites that fail to swiftly remove illegal content, such as hate speech or defamatory “fake news.”… The proposal would require companies to provide a round-the-clock service for users to flag illegal content, which would have to be removed by the site within seven days. All copies of the content would also have to be deleted and social media companies would need to publish a quarterly report detailing how they have dealt with such material.

Economy & Business

2 Million Americans Are About To Get An Artificial Boost To Their FICO Scores
Zero Hedge - … in the latest push to artificially boost FICO scores, the WSJ reports that "many tax liens and civil judgments soon will be removed from people’s credit reports, the latest in a series of moves to omit negative information from these financial scorecards. The development could help boost credit scores for millions of consumers, but could pose risks for lenders" as FICO scores remain the only widely accepted method of quantifying any individual American's credit risk, and determine how much consumers can borrow for a new house or car as well as determine their credit-card spending limit. The transformation is already in process as the three major credit-reporting firms, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, recently decided to remove tax-lien and civil-judgment data starting around July 1, according to the Consumer Data Industry Association, a trade group that represents them. The firms will remove the adverse data if they don’t include a complete list of a person’s name, address, as well as a social security number or date of birth, and since most liens and judgments don’t include all three or four, the effect will be like wiping the slate clean for millions of Americans…. For lenders and credit card companies it means one thing: chaos, and the potential of substantial future charge offs: “It’s going to make someone who has poor credit look better than they should,” said John Ulzheimer, a credit specialist and former manager at Experian and credit-score creator FICO.

Crashing "Post-Obama Era" Gun Sales Lead To Remington Mass Layoffs
Patriot Rising - …while the constant threat of new regulations under Obama resulted in a massive full forward of gun demand and pushed gun stocks to all-time highs, the election of Trump, and thus the removal of those threats for at least the next 4-8 years, is having exactly the opposite effect. If fact, Remington Outdoor just announced layoffs of 120 people at their upstate New York manufacturing facility due to sinking gun demand in the Trump era…. Meanwhile, other firearms makers, including American Outdoor Brands, formerly known as Smith & Wesson, say demand for weapons, particularly handguns, has been ebbing since Trump’s election. Earlier this month the company posted disappointing sales and higher inventories and admitted to investors on their quarterly earnings call that business had slowed…all of which sent the stock into a downward spiral.

Health

Revolution for Truth Rally in Washington D.C. March 31
Health Impact News - On Friday, March 31, 2017, concerned individuals from across America will join with health care professionals in Washington D.C. to defend parental rights and civil liberties, including freedom of thought, speech and conscience. We are uniting to call out the corporatized mainstream media for manufacturing “fake news” that distorts the truth about environmental toxins, unsafe food and vaccine risks, which endangers our right to know and freedom to choose how we protect our health.

Up to 90% of urinary tract infections caused by E.coli strains that might be coming from chicken meat
(Natural News) Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are caused by an array of factors such as sexual activity and age. However, food choice also appears to be a key culprit in the onset of UTIs. A study, published by the CDC in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, found that the source of the bacteria Escherichia coli (E.coli) found in female UTI sufferers was both fresh and processed meat and poultry products. Researchers also found that chicken meat accounted for 61% of E.coli occurrences in said group. Another, more recent study, published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology showed that more than half of examined chicken products were culture positive for E.coli, while a third were resistant to multiple antibiotics. Research data also showed that 70% to 90% of UTIs are caused by E.coli. The results suggest a strong correlation between meat products and clinically relevant strains of the infection, researchers said. The source where live chickens were purchased is considered the key factor…. Experts recommend opting for free-range poultry to help prevent potential bacterial infection.

If You’re Taking an Oral Vitamin D Supplement Without this Essential Nutrient You’re Seriously Jeopardizing Your Health
REALfarmacy - Shockingly 80% of Americans are Vitamin K2 Deficient! Anyone with a vitamin K2 deficiency is extremely vulnerable to serious and even life threatening health problems… If you take an oral vitamin D supplement, it’s essential that you also consume foods that contain sufficient amounts of vitamin K2. Or less preferably, you can take a vitamin K2 supplement…. The reason you need vitamin K2 is because when you take a vitamin D supplement, your body automatically creates more vitamin K2-dependent proteins—the proteins that help move the calcium around in your body. You need vitamin K2 to activate those proteins. If they’re not activated, the calcium in your body will not be properly distributed to where it’s needed and wind up where it will do harm, leading to weaker bones and hardened arteries. Also, vitamin D and K2 work together as partners to strengthen your bones and improve your heart health.

Pet News

EMTs Suspended After Providing Medical Care to Dog Injured in Auto Accident
Dogington Post - EMTs Nick Farmer and Tyler Wessel were first on the scene of a crash in which a pickup truck driver made a left turn into the path of a semi-truck traveling east on Ohio 32 near Beaver, Ohio, about 100 miles east of Cincinnati, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol. Pickup driver James Smith, 68, of Beaver was killed on impact. After treating the semi-truck driver and seeing him into a medical helicopter, Farmer and Wessel discovered a small dog trapped beneath the pedals in the pickup truck. Farmer, a dog owner himself, said the dog was seriously injured and struggling to breathe. He was able to free her from the vehicle and moved her into the ambulance where the pair fashioned a makeshift oxygen mask for her and put homemade splints on her broken legs… Although they got permission from the Pike County Emergency Medical Service chief to take the dog to Portsmouth, they received a call several minutes later from a secretary saying there was no protocol in place. But, they were not given instructions to stop the transport. When Farmer and Wessel returned to the station, they were suspended by EMS Director, Kevin Jenkins…. Although Farmer and Wessel feared they might lose their jobs, both say they would do it again.
 


Tuesday - March 14, 2017

On This Date In History:


1743 - First American town meeting was held at Boston's Faneuil Hall.
1757 - British Admiral John Byng was executed by a firing squad on board HMS Monarch for neglect of duty.
1864 - Samuel Baker discovered another source of the Nile in East Africa. He named it Lake Albert Nyanza.
1891 - The submarine Monarch laid telephone cable along the bottom of the English Channel to prepare for the first telephone links across the Channel.
1900 - U.S. currency went on the gold standard with the ratification of the Gold Standard Act.
1903 - The U.S. Senate ratified the Hay-Herran Treaty that guaranteed the U.S. the right to build a canal at Panama. The Columbian Senate rejected the treaty. A deal was signed on November 6, 1903 with the newly independent Panama.
1915 - The British Navy sank the German battleship Dresden off the Chilean coast.
1918 - An all-Russian Congress of Soviets ratified a peace treaty with the Central Powers.
1923 - President Harding became the first U.S. President to file an income tax report.
1943 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to fly in an airplane while in office.
1945 - In Germany, a 22,000 pound "Grand Slam" bomb was dropped by the Royal Air Force Dumbuster Squad on the Beilefeld railway viaduct. It was the heaviest bomb used during World War II.
1947 - The U.S. signed a 99-year lease on naval bases in the Philippines.
1947 - Moscow announced that 890,532 German POWs were held in the U.S.S.R.
1951 - U.N. forces recaptured Seoul for the second time during the Korean War.
1958 - The U.S. government suspended arms shipments to the Batista government of Cuba.
1964 - A Dallas jury found Jack Ruby guilty of the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald.
1967 - John F. Kennedy's body was moved from a temporary grave to a permanent one.
1983 - OPEC agreed to cut its oil prices by 15% for the first time in its 23-year history.
1989 - Imported assault guns were banned in the U.S. under President George H.W. Bush.
1991 - The "Birmingham Six," imprisoned for 16 years for their alleged part in an IRA pub bombing, were set free after a court agreed that the police fabricated evidence.
1995 - American astronaut Norman Thagard became the first American to enter space aboard a Russian rocket.
1996 - U.S. President Bill Clinton committed $100 million for an anti-terrorism pact with Israel to track down and root out Islamic militants.
2005 - A judge in San Francisco ruled that California's ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional.
2005 - About 1 million people rallied in Beirut, Lebanon, demanding Syrian withdrawal and the arrest of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's killers.
2008 - Protests led by Buddhist monks in Tibet turned violent, leading to an extensive crackdown by China's military.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

US military leak exposes 'holy grail' of security clearance files
ZDNet - A unsecured backup drive has exposed thousands of US Air Force documents, including highly sensitive personnel files on senior and high-ranking officers. Security researchers found that the gigabytes of files were accessible to anyone because the internet-connected backup drive was not password protected. The files, reviewed by ZDNet, contained a range of personal information, such as names and addresses, ranks, and Social Security numbers of more than 4,000 officers. Another file lists the security clearance levels of hundreds of other officers, some of whom possess "top secret" clearance, and access to sensitive compartmented information and codeword-level clearance. Phone numbers and contact information of staff and their spouses, as well as other sensitive and private personal information, were found in several other spreadsheets. The drive is understood to belong to a lieutenant colonel, whose name we are not publishing. ZDNet reached out to the officer by email but did not hear back. The data was secured last week after a notification by MacKeeper security researcher Bob Diachenko.

Rand Paul Is Right: NSA Routinely Monitors Americans' Communications Without Warrants
The Intercept - The Kentucky senator expressed skepticism about the mechanics of Trump’s specific charge, saying: “I doubt that Trump was a target directly of any kind of eavesdropping.” But he then made a broader and more crucial point about how the U.S. government spies on Americans’ communications.… Paul explained how the NSA routinely and deliberately spies on Americans’ communications - listens to their calls and reads their emails - without a judicial warrant of any kind: “The way it works is, the FISA court, through Section 702, wiretaps foreigners and then [NSA] listens to Americans. It is a backdoor search of Americans. And because they have so much data, they can tap - type Donald Trump into their vast resources of people they are tapping overseas, and they get all of his phone calls. And so they did this to President Obama. They 1,227 times eavesdrops on President Obama’s phone calls. Then they mask him. But here is the problem. And General Hayden said this the other day. He said even low-level employees can unmask the caller. That is probably what happened to Flynn. They are not targeting Americans. They are targeting foreigners. But they are doing it purposefully to get to Americans.” Paul’s explanation is absolutely correct. That the NSA is empowered to spy on Americans’ communications without a warrant…is the dirty little secret of the U.S. Surveillance State.

California joins lawsuit against Trump's travel ban
RT - California’s attorney general has announced he will join the lawsuit, calling the measure unconstitutional. California will be joining Washington, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, New York, and Massachusetts in challenging the travel ban before a federal judge, Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Monday…. Though the new ban includes numerous exemptions, including for lawful permanent residents and visa holders, Becerra said this was not good enough…. The Justice Department has argued that the new order “falls outside the scope” of the original injunction. Attorney General Jeff Sessions called the travel ban a lawful and proper exercise of presidential authority and vowed to enforce and defend it, adding that US attorneys who disagreed were welcome to leave. On Friday, Sessions asked for the resignations of 46 Obama administration holdovers. In addition to the pending challenge from seven states, Hawaii filed a separate lawsuit last week. That case is due for a hearing on Wednesday.

Tennessee sues federal government over refugees
The Tennessean - The lawsuit, filed on behalf of several state lawmakers Monday morning in the western district of Tennessee, contends that the federal government has violated the Tenth Amendment, which says the federal government possesses only the powers delegated to it by the U.S. Constitution and that all other powers are reserved for the states. The charge that the federal government is not complying with the Refugee Act of 1980, based on the Tenth Amendment, makes Tennessee's lawsuit the first of its kind. Other states have sued the federal government over refugee resettlement but on different legal grounds…. The lawsuit argues that the federal government has unduly forced states to pay for the refugee resettlement program…. The lawsuit asks the court to force the federal government to stop resettling refugees in Tennessee until all costs associated with the settlement are incurred by the federal government…. The defendants named in the lawsuit include the U.S. Department of State, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

President Trump is doing what Obama didn't do, reach out and listen
McClatchy DC - Elements of Donald Trump’s presidential style are already emerging and they must be discouraging to his critics. It’s easy to miss things that do not happen. But perhaps you too have noticed a decline of trivial Trump tweets, starting spats and news cycles many mornings…. It… allows, or perhaps forces, media to focus on the crucial launch of the House of Representatives’ Obamacare replacement policies, which Trump has endorsed. And on the president’s ongoing stream of executive orders starting the fulfillment of numerous campaign promises. And on his impressive debut address to Congress. How did the boastful Trump respond to all that overnight praise? He simply tweeted, “THANK YOU.”…. Trump has been meeting all along with congressional leaders. Now he’s had, of all people, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina over for lunch. Then Mr. and Mrs. Marco Rubio and Mr. and Mrs. Ted Cruz came for separate social dinners…. The other evening the Trump White House had key committee members in for drinks and social bowling…. Trump prefers that personal touch, as he did in his real estate dealing days, the opposite of aloof. He and Vice President Mike Pence are holding a series of “listening sessions” with leaders from education, small business, big business, community banks and so forth…. Obama wasn’t big on listening sessions; he preferred talking ones. He didn’t meet with the GOP’s Senate leadership, for instance, until his 542nd day in office…. In reaction, the ensuing 2010 midterm elections marked the start of Democrats’ dramatic decline under Obama, costing them both houses of Congress and devastating damage at state levels…. Even as a political rookie, Trump is aiming to avoid such carnage over the volatile health care issue.

Students Denounced As Racist For Wearing US Flag Colors
Daily Caller - Students from one Iowan high school recently apologized to the principal of another Iowan high school when people found their choice of red, white and blue attire offensive. Supporters of the Des Moines North High School basketball team, many of whose players are from refugee families, were offended when fans of Valley High School’s basketball team wore red, white and blue last week, The College Fix reports. “This is an example of BLATANT racism,” said Ty Leggett, a Valley High School alum, on the Valley High School – WDMCS Facebook page. “ALL participating should have been pulled and banned from ALL VHS extracurricular events for the remainder of the year! As a parent, I’d be mortified that my son or daughter thought this way, acted in this fashion and refrained from taking a stand against this 21st century inexcusable behavior!” Erin Ness Carter, a mother living in the Iowan district, remarked that “for the supporters of one team from a primarily white part of town to paint themselves as the ‘team of the USA’ it strongly implies that the other team, the less white team, is less American.” Some individuals defended the Valley High students. “Now we can’t wear USA stuff without making someone upset?” asked Melissa Fraas-Bader, another Valley High alum. “Oh please….”

Jury convicts 2 of conspiracy in Oregon ranching standoff
KUTV - A jury on Friday convicted two men of conspiracy to impede federal officers during last year's high-profile armed occupation of a wildlife refuge in Oregon in a protest over control of Western lands. They face possible sentences of years in federal prison. The verdict handed prosecutors some measure of redemption after they failed to convict occupation leaders Ammon and Ryan Bundy and five other occupiers in a trial last fall involving the takeover of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, a federally owned remote bird sanctuary about 290 miles southeast of Portland.

World News

US Delta Force, SEAL Team 6 Prepare To Take Out Kim Jong-Un, Practice Tactical North Korea "Infiltration"
Zero Hedge - On March 1, the WSJ [Wall Street Journal] reported that the options contemplated by the White House in response to recent North Korean acts, include "the possibility of both military force and regime change to counter the country’s nuclear-weapons threat."…. And, according to a report in [South Korean news agency] Yonhap, said "regime change" may come far sooner than expected: the South Korean website writes that U.S. special operations forces, including the unit that killed Osama Bin Laden, will take part in joint military drills in South Korea "to practice incapacitating North Korean leadership in the case of conflict", a military official said Monday…. The U.S. Navy’s Special Warfare Development Group, better known as the SEAL Team 6, will arrive in South Korea for joint military drills and take part in an exercise simulating a precision North Korean incurion and "the removal of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un", according to the Ministry of National Defense Monday…. As Korea JoongAng Daily adds, also set to touch down in South Korea is Delta Force, a special mission unit of the U.S. Army whose main tasks include hostage rescue and counterterrorism, said the Defense Ministry. Together with SEAL Team 6, they will practice removing Kim Jong-un and destruction of North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction…. F-35 stealth fighters will also fly from U.S. Navy bases in Japan this month and carry out strike simulations on key North Korean facilities…. Washington and Seoul stress that the annual military drills are purely defensive, although Pyongyang sees them as a rehearsal for an invasion.

Japan plans to send largest warship to South China Sea, sources say
Reuters - Japan plans to dispatch its largest warship on a three-month tour through the South China Sea beginning in May, three sources said, in its biggest show of naval force in the region since World War Two. China claims almost all the disputed waters and its growing military presence has fueled concern in Japan and the West, with the United States holding regular air and naval patrols to ensure freedom of navigation…. Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei also claim parts of the sea which has rich fishing grounds, oil and gas deposits and through which around $5 trillion of global sea-borne trade passes each year. Japan does not have any claim to the waters, but has a separate maritime dispute with China in the East China Sea…. Japan's flag-flying operation comes as the United States under President Donald Trump appears to be taking a tougher line with China. Washington has criticized China's construction of man-made islands and a build-up of military facilities that it worries could be used to restrict free movement. Beijing in January said it had "irrefutable" sovereignty over the disputed islands after the White House vowed to defend "international territories".

Dutch-Turkish Tensions Mount as Erdogan Brands Netherlands 'Banana Republic'
Sputnik News - The bitter war of words between the Netherlands and Turkey has escalated after Turkish ministers were banned from addressing rallies of Turkish citizens in Holland ahead of a controversial referendum in Turkey, which will give Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan massive new powers…. The amendments to the constitution include the introduction of an executive presidency that would replace the existing parliamentary system of government and the abolition of the office of the Prime Minister…. There are significant Turkish populations in both Germany and the Netherlands which are eligible to vote in the referendum leading to diplomatic tensions between all three countries, as Erdogan's minister attempt to address rallies in the Netherlands and Germany…. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, March 10, banned the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu from entering his country, sparking a diplomatic row…. The row has also affected relations between Turkey and Germany, where there is a significant Turkish population. A string of rallies over the referendum in Germany have been canceled — ostensibly for security reasons — bringing accusations from Turkey that Germany is attempting to interfere with Turkish democracy.

Turkey Says "Migrant Deal Has Ended", May Unleash Millions Of Refugees
Zero Hedge - …the tit-for-tat aggression resumed its escalation between Turkey and the Netherlands…. Turkey said it would impose various travel sanctions on Dutch diplomats such as halting all high-level political discussions with the Netherlands in the wake of the Dutch government's decision to bar two cabinet ministers from campaigning in the country. Kurtulmus said during a news conference following a weekly cabinet meeting that Ankara also is closing its air space to Dutch diplomats until the Netherlands meets Turkish requests, according to the AP.… However the most troubling development, and one which has the potential to sway the outcome of the Dutch election which will be held in less than two days, is that in the final power play aimed towards Merkel, Kurtulmus exclaimed that since "Europe has not kept its promises on the migrant deal, for us that agreement has ended." Which means that one year after it collected $3 billion for the migrant deal, Turkey has just voided the agreement, and the next step would be that Turkey is about to flood Europe with refugees currently held inside Turkish borders. And since by some estimates Turkey currently harbors over 2 million potential migrants, Europe's refugee situation is about to get far worse, and as a corollary, support for anti-immigrant political organizations across the continent is about to take another step function higher.

Islamic State frees Mosul prisoners as grip on last major city slips
Reuters - Islamic State has released dozens of prisoners held in jails in the districts of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul that remain under its control, residents said on Saturday. The release of the prisoners on Friday is another sign that the militants are being overwhelmed by the U.S.-backed Iraqi offensive that started on Oct. 17 to dislodge them from Mosul, their last major city stronghold in Iraq… Among those released were people who had been caught selling cigarettes, violating a smoking ban, or in possession of a mobile phone and therefore suspected of communicating with the outside world, the residents said.

Iceland to end capital controls more than 8 years after banking crash
RT - The Finance Ministry of Iceland said it would lift the remaining capital controls that have been in place since the financial crisis in 2008…. Iceland was the country worst affected by the financial crash, forcing the government to take drastic measures. Reykjavik broke off negotiations on EU membership, nationalized three major banks and defaulted on $85 billion in loans. The government banned the movement of capital abroad and devalued the national currency. As a result, the stock market plummeted 90 percent, unemployment jumped to 10 percent, and inflation ballooned to 18 percent…. Since then the economy has seen a robust recovery, helped by a tourism boom. Almost two million people visited Iceland last year, up 40 percent from 2015. Most of them came from the US, followed by the UK. The tourism boom, strong investment by business and in the housing market, helped Iceland’s economy grow 7.2 percent in 2016…. The finance ministry said it had adjusted regulations and introduced special reserve requirements for new foreign currency inflow to prevent a repeat of 'hot money' destabilizing the financial system.

'First in Canada' supermarket donation plan aids food banks and tackles waste
The Guardian - Supermarkets in Quebec will now be able to donate their unsold produce, meat and baked goods to local food banks in a program – described as the first of its kind in Canada – that also aims to keep millions of kilograms of fresh food out of landfills. The Supermarket Recovery Program launched in 2013 as a two-year pilot project. Developed by the Montreal-based food bank Moisson Montréal, the goal was to tackle the twin issues of rising food bank usage in the province and the staggering amount of edible food being regularly sent to landfills. Provincial officials said the pilot – which last year saw 177 supermarkets donate more than 2.5m kg of food that would have otherwise been discarded – would now begin expanding across the province…. Recent years have seen food bank usage surge across Canada, with children making up just over a third of the 900,000 people who rely on the country’s food banks each month. In Quebec, the number of users has soared by nearly 35% since 2008, to about 172,000 people per month…. The program’s main challenge was in developing a system that would allow products such as meat and frozen foods to be easily collected from grocers and quickly redistributed, said [Sam] Watts [of Montreal’s Welcome Hall Mission].

Election News

Kremlin Spokesman: Russian Ambassador Also Met with Clinton Campaign
Breitbart - Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said in an interview that Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, who met with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, also met with advisers to the Hillary Clinton campaign. “Well, if you look at some people connected with Hillary Clinton during her campaign, you would probably see that he had lots of meetings of that kind,” Dmitry Peskov told CNN’s GPS host Fareed Zakaria on Sunday. “There are lots of specialists in politology, people working in think tanks advising Hillary or advising people working for Hillary.” Peskov said it is the Russian ambassador’s job to talk “bilateral relations” with officials on both sides. He added that the meetings were in no way an attempt to interfere in the 2016 election.

Veteran News

These Tiny Houses Weren't Built To Be Trendy -- Their Real Purpose Is So Important
ViralNova - Though a lot of progress has been made over the years to end veteran homelessness, many still don't have a place to call home. One group, however, is making a big and quite admirable impact to help homeless veterans. The Veterans Community Project, made up of “veterans helping veterans," is on a mission to provide transitional housing to help our war heroes readjust to everyday life. With the help of donations from community members, they've built 50 tiny homes in what they call the Veterans Village in Kansas City, Missouri. The best part? Veterans can live there for free! In addition to being provided with food and necessities, occupants will also have a sense of community. A nearby community center is even under construction right now, where they can take classes and receive counseling to cope with trauma. Each house is about the size of a studio apartment and costs around $10,000 to build. They also have full kitchens and bathrooms.

Energy & Environment

Water Wars Coming To California? Is The Drought Really Over?
Zero Hedge - The primary cause of the so-called drought, as defined by a shortfall in total water resources, is that the demands for water use by people, agriculture, industry and the environment, exceed the total combined water resources on average. As it stands today, allowing this primary culprit for the ‘drought’ to continue in full force and effect will accelerate the rate of ground water depletion with a continuing net loss of stored water in California’s major aquifers… According to another policy paper authored by some folks at Stanford University titled, 'Water in the West', the drought is not over due to demands exceeding rate of recharge…. One interpretation of the foregoing summary of the report is that, the State failed to monitor and manage the central and southern California water use and the rates of aquifer decline until 2014, and have now labeled usage as ‘unconstrained’. And now we may have some of the same people looking to the northern reach of the State and the water resources there as a bandage for their self-inflicted injury…. So now that the south and central parts of California have gotten themselves into a real pickle, their solution seems to be ginning-up some policies and regulations designed to confiscate water from the counties up in the farthest northern reaches of California.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

GM Golden Rice Flops in New Trial, Mutant Plants Reduces Crop Yield
Natural Blaze - As evidenced by a new study, Golden Rice, which was engineered to produce the precursor of vitamin A (carotenoids) has shown extensive abnormalities in growth as well as reduced grain yield…. For years, Golden Rice has been hyped by the GMO lobby, Big Ag corporations and the “charitable” NGO community as the miracle that would save the third world from vitamin A deficiency, blindness and starvation. But so far, as is the case with most GMO crops, golden rice has produced nothing. Instead, it seems that years of repeating the term Golden Rice in relation to saving the world and painting anti-GMO activists as stubbornly forcing the third world to starve is mainly more effective as a PR campaign than anything else.

Health

Chicken pox vaccine is made with "human embryonic lung cell cultures" and human diploid cell cultures from aborted fetal tissue
(Natural News) - It is an irrefutable science fact that varicella (chicken pox) vaccines are made with not just aborted human fetal tissue cell lines, but also cells take from guinea pigs and cows. In effect, a chicken pox vaccine is a multi-species blood and tissue cocktail of DNA and chemicals being mainlined into your tissue and blood. This is all openly admitted by the CDC itself which lists the excipient ingredients used in common vaccines such as chicken pox, MMR and TDaP. Here’s what the CDC says is used in Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine, current as of January 6, 2017. You can see this list for yourself at this CDC.gov link. If the CDC removes their document, we’ve saved a copy at this Natural News link: human embryonic lung cell cultures, guinea pig cell cultures, human diploid cell cultures (WI-38), human diploid cell cultures (MRC-5), sucrose, hydrolyzed gelatin, sodium chloride, monosodium L-glutamate, sodium phosphate dibasic, potassium phosphate monobasic, potassium chloride, EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), neomycin, fetal bovine serum.

IUD contraceptives and hair dyes raise breast cancer risk
What Doctors Don't Tell You - IUD (intrauterine device) hormonal contraceptives increase the risk of breast cancer by 52 per cent in post-menopausal women—and hair dye raises the risk 23 per cent, a new research study has discovered. The risk seems to be almost exclusively associated with the hormonal IUDs—copper ones are far safer, says researcher Sanna Heikkinen from the University of Helsinki. Although age and lifestyle are still the biggest risk factors, Heikkinen has discovered that IUDs, the contraceptive pill, hair dyes and unnecessary mammograms are responsible for many cases as well. The biggest risk seems to be with hormonal IUDs, especially among post-menopausal women, but younger women who use other hormonal contraceptives, such as the pill, run a 32 per cent higher risk as well. Women who dye their hair are also 23 per cent more likely to develop the cancer, she discovered. There also seems to be some link to mammograms, routinely given to women to check for signs of breast cancer. She analysed data from 8,000 women with breast cancer—and compared the results with 20,000 other women who were healthy—and discovered that 60 per cent of the breast cancer group had had at least one mammogram before they were 50, which is the recommended age when routine screening should begin.

Swapping Lettuce for Sprouts and Microgreens Can Help You Meet Several Daily Vitamin Requirements
Dr. Mercola - When you grow your own vegetables and notice the tender, young plants emerging from the earth, you may be surprised to learn that not only is it OK to harvest them while they're still only a week or two old, but these sprouts and microgreens actually offer superior nutrition. Many of the benefits of sprouts and microgreens relate to the fact that, in their initial and early phase of growth, the plants contain more concentrated amounts of nutrients. As a result, you need to eat far less, in terms of amount, compared to a mature plant. Once the sprout starts to grow — but well before it reaches maturity — it's considered a microgreen. Sprouts may be harvested within just a few days or a week of growth, while microgreens are typically harvested after two to three weeks, when they've reached a height of about 2 inches. "Baby greens" are microgreens allowed to grow to a height of about 4 inches before harvesting. All of these — sprouts, microgreens and baby greens — are packed with higher densities of nutrients than full-grown vegetables…. Sprouts can also contain up to 100 times more enzymes than their full-grown counterparts, which allow your body to extract higher levels of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from other foods, and help protect against chemical carcinogens to boot. …even a few grams of microgreens per day can "entirely satisfy" the recommended daily intake of vitamins C, E and K, based on recommendations by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Study Shows Roundup Weedkiller Causes Liver Disease at Extremely Low Concentrations
Natural Blaze - The study involved a test on rats that showed that even at extremely low levels of exposure, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was produced. This peer-reviewed study showed that Roundup caused NAFLD at a concentration far below that which is found in the bodies of most Americans. Indeed, the research showed that exposing the rats to Roundup in concentrations a thousand times lower than allowable limits in food and drinking water or even lower than concentrations found in the urine of most Americans caused changes in the liver which contained the molecular signature of NAFLD.
* Related: Monsanto attempt to block glyphosate from California cancer list tossed by judge


Monday - March 13, 2017

On This Date In History:


1777 - The U.S. Congress ordered its European envoys to appeal to high-ranking foreign officers to send troops to reinforce the American army.
1781 - Sir William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus.
1852 - The New York "Lantern" newspaper published the first "Uncle Sam cartoon". It was drawn by Frank Henry Bellew.
1865 - Jefferson Davis signed a bill authorizing slaves to be used as soldiers for the Confederacy.
1868 - The U.S. Senate began the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson.
1884 - Standard time was adopted throughout the U.S.
1911 - The U.S. Supreme Court approved corporate tax law.
1930 - It was announced that the planet Pluto had been discovered by scientist Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory.
1933 - U.S. banks began to re-open after a "holiday" that had been declared by President Roosevelt.
1942 - U.S. Army launches K-9 Corps
1943 - Japanese forces ended their attack on the American troops on Hill 700 in Bougainville.
1946 - Reports from Iran indicated that Soviet tanks units were stationed 20 miles from Tehran.
1951 - The comic strip "Dennis the Menace" appeared for the first time in newspapers across the country.
1957 - Jimmy Hoffa was arrested by the FBI on bribery charges.
1970 - Cambodia ordered Hanoi and Viet Cong troops to leave.
1974 - The U.S. Senate voted 54-33 to restore the death penalty.
1990 - The U.S. lifted economic sanctions against Nicaragua.
1991 - Exxon paid $1 billion in fines and for the clean-up of the Alaskan oil spill.
2006 - In New York, the official start of construction of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum began.
2012 - After 244 years of publication, Encyclopedia Britannica announced it would discontinue its print edition.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

House intelligence committee demands Donald Trump hand over proof that Barack Obama ordered his wiretapping by MONDAY
Daily Mail - Donald Trump must provide proof that Barack Obama ordered a wiretap on him during his presidential campaign by Monday, a bipartisan group from the House intelligence committee, has said. Last week Trump tweeted: ‘Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my “wires tapped” in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!’ He continued the allegation against former President Barack Obama in other tweets but offered no evidence. Now he is being taken to task in a letter sent by the committee chairman Rep Devin Nunes (R-Calif) and the panel’s ranking Democrat, Rep Adam Schiff (D-Calif), a source said. The claim comes from a senior congressional aide who wasn’t authorized to discuss the request by name and has requested anonymity. Obama’s director of national intelligence, James Clapper, has said that nothing matching Trump’s claims had taken place. But that has’t quelled speculation that Trump’s communications were monitored by the Obama administration. Trump has asked Congress to investigate, and early this week Schiff said the committee would answer the president’s call to investigate the claim. He also said that he would ask FBI Director James Comey directly when he appears later this month before the full committee, which is investigating Russian activities during the election.

Jeff Sessions Asks All Remaining Obama-Appointed U.S. Attorneys To Resign
Zero Hedge - In a move that will likely provoke further media, and pundit, fury despite it being a routine act that is concurrent with every change in administration, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has asked all remaining Obama-appointed U.S. Attorneys for their resignation. Sarah Isgur Flores, Director of Public Affairs at the Department of Justice, released the following statement: "As was the case in prior transitions, many of the United States Attorneys nominated by the previous administration already have left the Department of Justice. The Attorney General has now asked the remaining 46 presidentially appointed U.S. Attorneys to tender their resignations in order to ensure a uniform transition. Until the new U.S. Attorneys are confirmed, the dedicated career prosecutors in our U.S. Attorney's Offices will continue the great work of the Department in investigating, prosecuting, and deterring the most violent offenders."…. As a reminder, it is standard practice for a new president to appoint his own U.S. attorneys, who are political appointees.

Former Secret Service Agent Warns Trump ‘Not Secure’ in the White House
Breitbart - A former Secret Service agent who served in the security details of both Presidents Bush and Obama warned on Saturday that President Donald Trump “is not secure in the White House right now as it stands.” Dan Bongino, who was also an instructor at the training academy of the Secret Service, was commenting on Friday night’s reported breach of the White House complex, at least the seventh such incident in recent years. Bongino stated: “If one guy with a backpack and Omar Gonzales with a bad knee could get near the residence of the White House, can you tell me with a straight face that a forty-man tactical assault team with heavy weapons wouldn’t take that place down?” Bongino was referring to a 2014 incident in which Gonzales penetrated the north portico doors of the White House, reportedly brandishing a three-and-a-half-inch folding knife in a back pocket. “This is inexcusable,” Bongino said of the latest incident. “How many of these are we, as the citizenry, going to tolerate, whether under Barack Obama or now President Trump, before there is enough citizen outrage that the Secret Service actually does something?”

Dennis Kucinich: I'm no fan of Trump's but he's got a point about wiretapping
Fox News - President Trump’s assertion that his phones at Trump Tower were tapped last year has been treated as hilarious—and in some circles as beyond contempt. But I can vouch for the fact that extracurricular surveillance does occur, regardless of whether it is officially approved. I was wiretapped in 2011 after taking a phone call in my congressional office from a foreign leader…. That a secret recording had been made of this call was revealed to me by the Washington Times in 2015, a full two years after I left office…. The call had been from Saif el-Islam Qaddafi, a high-ranking official in Libya’s government and a son of the country’s ruler, Moammar Qaddafi…. The reporters did not say, nor did I ask, who had made the tape. But the paper’s stories referenced “secret audio recordings recovered from Tripoli.” I have only my suspicions about their true provenance. The quality of the recordings was excellent on both ends of the call. If sources had indeed discovered the tapes in Tripoli, there is no plausible explanation for how they would have chosen the Washington Times to carry the story. And which foreign intelligence service conceivably could have been interested in my phone call, had the technology to intercept it, and then wanted to leak it to the newspaper? There’s a simpler explanation: I believe the tape was made by an American intelligence agency and then leaked to the Times for political reasons. If so, this episode represented a gross violation of the separation of powers.

Federal Court Blocks Trump Admin's Immigration Executive Order
Breitbart - A second federal judge—this one in Wisconsin—on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s new executive order (EO) on immigration travel, while the federal judge who blocked the first EO is reserving judgment on the revised EO…. Robart released an order Friday stating that none of the parties have properly filed new motions in that litigation — and that he will reserve judgment until there is a relevant motion and the legal issues have been fully briefed before his court. However, on that same day, Judge William Connelly of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin did issue a new TRO [Temporary Restraining Order] against the new EO, holding that the plaintiff in that new lawsuit had a substantial likelihood of success on the merits, and would suffer irreparable harm unless the court provided immediate relief.

Trump Deploys Dozens Of Judges To Battle Massive Backlog Of Deportation Cases
Zero Hedge - In response to the 'paralysis' facing immigration courts, dealing with over 500,000 pending cases, President Trump is deploying 50 judges to immigration detention facilities across the United States, according to two sources and a letter seen by Reuters. …as Reuters reports the Department of Justice is also considering asking judges to sit from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., split between two rotating shifts, to adjudicate more cases, the sources said. A notice about shift times was not included in the letter. Two sources familiar with the Justice Department's plan said the department would ask more judges to volunteer for one or two month deployments at detention centers. If the department cannot find enough volunteers, the department would assign judges to detention centers, the sources said…. Judges are employed by the Justice Department to oversee cases that determine if immigrants are given protections, such as asylum, or ordered deported. A handful of judges work from detention centers but most work from courts around the country.

Chaffetz subpoenas ATF agents who skipped hearing on death of ICE officer
Fox News - “I'm tired of hearing from just [Justice Department] management, I want to hear from the people that actually are on the front lines doing this,” Chaffetz, R-Utah, said. The committee will now seek to compel testimony from William Temple, special agent in charge of the Dallas Field Division, and Ronald Turk, associate deputy director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, later this month. The hearing Thursday was meant to examine alleged lapses in the ATF's investigation into the trafficking of guns later used in the February attack that killed Zapata and wounded his ICE colleague, Special Agent Victor Avila…. Questions about the firearms used to kill Zapata surfaced during the separate congressional probe of Operation Fast and Furious and the death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. The IG issued its Operation Fast and Furious report in 2012, but did not issue its report on the Zapata case until March 1 [2017]…. Last week, Chaffetz and [Sen. Charles] Grassley sent a letter demanding Justice explain the reason the investigation has dragged on.

House Committee Passes Bill Eliminating Adult Websites From Federal Employees Desktops!
Wayne Dupree - A House committee chose to pass a bill that would clean up government computers and stop federal employees from accessing porn on their computers. You would think this was already in place…. [via] GovExec.com - Also in the markup, the committee approved the Eliminating Pornography From Agencies Act. The panel also signed off on the bill from Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., in the last Congress, though it never received a vote on the House floor. The bill would require the Office of Management and Budget to issue governmentwide guidance prohibiting access to pornographic websites on federal computers. Currently, Meadows said, agencies maintain a patchwork of disparate rules on the subject.

New bill would let companies force workers to get genetic tests, share results
Ars Technica - Most people would likely want to keep the results of genetic tests highly guarded—if they want their genetic code deciphered at all. But, as STAT reports, a new bill that is quietly moving through the House would allow companies to strong-arm their employees into taking genetic tests and then sharing that data with unregulated third parties as well as the employer. Employees that resist could face penalties of thousands of dollars. In the past, such personal information has been protected by a law called GINA, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which shields people from DNA-based discrimination. But the new bill, HR 1313, gets around this by allowing genetic testing to be part of company wellness programs…. companies use financial incentives to get employees to participate in these wellness programs. Under the ACA, these incentives can include all sorts of rewards and compensations. For instance, people who don’t want to participate can pay up to 60 percent more on employer-sponsored insurance premiums. That can easily amount to thousands of dollars each year. Despite the heavy financial pressure, employee participation is still considered voluntary. Under HR 1313, GINA wouldn’t apply to anything voluntarily collected through wellness programs, and companies would have access to genetic data. That information would be stripped of identifiers, but in small companies, it could be fairly easy to match certain genetic profiles to specific employees. Moreover, employers tend to hire third parties to collect and manage health data. These companies are not heavily regulated and can review genetic and other health data with identifiers. Some of the companies even sell health information to advertisers, STAT notes.

This Elementary School Abolished Homework, and the Results Were Astonishing
Natural Blaze - Late last summer, Texas teacher Brandy Young made internet waves when she sent a note about homework to the parents of her students. Instead of the normal spend-30-minutes-a-day-on-homework command that parents normally hear, Mrs. Young’s note informed them that she would not be giving homework at all. Instead, she asked families to spend more time reading, eating dinner, and playing outside, all factors which research has found to contribute to greater student success. But Mrs. Young was not the only educator to get on the no homework bandwagon. An entire elementary school in Vermont did the same…. One has to wonder: if these no-homework policies are having such positive effects on the mental and emotional well-being of children, then why haven’t we tried them before? The answer, according to one former teacher, may have to do with the goal of the education system. According to John Taylor Gatto, the current, one-size-fits-all school system has long been trying to turn creative, inventive, and bright students into obedient, subdued, and dependent individuals. This is done largely through orchestrating every minute of their time at school, and then extending that orchestration into children’s free time at home.

World News

Assad: No one invited US to Manbij, all foreign troops in Syria without permission are 'invaders'
RT - Any foreign forces, including those from the US, that enter Syria without invitation are invaders, Syrian President Bashar Assad told Chinese media in an interview, noting that no one had given the US troops currently in Manbij permission to be there…. When a journalist asked the Syrian president if Damascus had “opened doors” for American troops in Aleppo province’s city of Manbij, Assad said “No, we didn’t.”…. The Pentagon confirmed earlier in March that US troops had been sent to Manbij to prevent conflict between US-backed Kurdish forces and rebels backed by Turkey…. On Thursday, the US-led coalition confirmed that around 400 American marines and army rangers had arrived in Syria to establish an outpost to support an operation to take the city of Raqqa. The new contingent adds to the 500 US troops already in Syria. US Air Force Colonel John Dorrian, the coalition’s spokesman, says the new soldiers have been deployed to expedite the defeat of the terrorists in Raqqa.

North Korea May Be Close to Targeting US With Nuclear Missile
Sputnik News - North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile programs have some analysts worried that the reclusive state may pose a real threat to the rest of the world very soon…. Based on recently released satellite images of substantial tunnel excavation at the North's nuclear test site in North Hamgyong Province, analyst Frank Pabian of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and David Coblentz, an environmental science expert at LANL, have concluded that the regime may be preparing an explosion 14 times more powerful than the one it conducted in September. The September 9 detonation by North Korea is estimated to have been a 15,000-20,000 ton yield. The news comes just a day after Bruce Klingner, a former CIA deputy division chief for Korea, made an alarming statement about Pyongyang being close to developing a ballistic missile that could strike the US…. During his annual address earlier this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the country was in the final stages of test-launching an intercontinental ballistic rocket, but most experts believe the announcement was meant to intimidate, and that Pyongyang doesn't actually have that ability. But the North has been making statements like these for years, and for years they seem to have been incrementally improving their capabilities.

US Almost Out of Special Visas for Afghans Who Assisted in War Effort
Sputnik News - The State Department issued a statement on Thursday claiming that it would run out of visas by June 1, and "No further interviews for Afghan principal applicants… will be scheduled after March 1, 2017." The visas are part of the Special Immigrant Visa program, meant to reward Iraqis and Afghans who assisted the US during military action, as well as spouses and children of these individuals. Last year, [Democrat Senator Jeanne] Shaheen and Republican Senator John McCain unsuccessfully tried to pass legislation that would extend a special immigrant visa program for Afghans who assisted US forces…. The legislation was sponsored by the Obama White House, but was defeated in the Senate when it was revealed that the program's price tag was $446 million. Chief among its opponents were Republicans Jeff Sessions (now the Attorney General) and Charles Grassley.… The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, signed into law in late December 2016, added 1,500 visas to the program but also narrowed eligibility in the program to those whose jobs took them off the confines of coalition military bases or embassies.

Venezuelans passports in short supply as millions try to flee troubled nation
Fox News - While estimates of how many passport requests the socialist government received last year vary from between 1.8 million to 3 million, only 300,000 of the elusive documents were doled out…. Saime [the Venezuelan passport agency] has stated that the backup in processing passport applications is because the agency lacks enough “materials,” but did not specify what that means. Observers say… the government may not be able to afford the paper to make the passport…. But skeptics think the Maduro government may also be trying to keep people from leaving the beleaguered nation. “People with the means to get out want to, but the problem is you need a passport and you can’t get it,” Cynthia Arnson, the director of the Latin American Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center told Fox News. “It’s kind of an excuse by the Venezuelan government that they don’t have materials, because they know the real reason people want a passport is to leave the country.”

Tony Blair sparks furious backlash by attending Iraq and Afghanistan memorial service
Mirror Online - Furious loved ones of troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan hit out at ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair’s presence a memorial for fallen servicemen and women today…. Many felt Blair - who sent British troops into Iraq and Afghanistan - should not have been at the event and blame him for the death of 179 troops in Iraq and 456 in Afghanistan…. Louis Michael, who commentates on TV programmes on the Channel 4 TV show Gogglebox, took to Twitter, to say Blair’s attendance was “like Hitler turning up at a Holocaust memorial. Tony Blair should be hiding his head in shame, instead he adds insult to injury.”…. Sarah Adams, whose son Private James Prosser, 21, was killed in Afghanistan in 2009 in a Taliban bombing said angrily: “It seems Tony Blair has moved on from the war and the decisions he made but for us who have lost loved ones that is not possible.”

Economy & Business

Nonprofits Helping Illegal Immigrants Took $291 Million From Taxpayers
Daily Caller - Taxpayers funded eight nonprofits that serve, protect or advocate for illegal immigrants with more than $291 million between 2012 to 2016, according to an analysis of federal spending data and tax documents by the Daily Caller News Foundation Investigative Group. The eight groups — including at least one that endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016 — provide a variety of support to illegal aliens, ranging from legal and social services to political advocacy. Ninety-four percent of the public funds — or, nearly $274 million — came from the federal government, according to data obtained from USAspending.gov and 990 tax forms. The $291 million total in public funding, however, is almost certainly an underestimate, since the respective 990s of each implicated nonprofit for all five years were not always available. Additionally, those groups only represent a small sample of publicly-funded pro-illegal immigrant nonprofits.

26 retailers that still sell Ivanka Trump's fashion brand
Business Insider - [This was published Feb. 9, 2017. Information may have changed since then. Please check with the store.] Here are the retailers that continue to sell Ivanka Trump's brand…. 6pm, Amazon, Belk - The Southeastern department store chain sells Ivanka Trump's lines of shoes and handbags, but announced on Wednesday it would no longer sell the brand online. “We continually review our assortment and the performance of the brands we carry," the company posted on Facebook. "We make adjustments as part of our normal course of business operations. In this regard, we are no longer carrying Ivanka Trump branded merchandise on our website, but are continuing to offer the brand at our flagship stores." Bon-Ton, Carson's, and Elder-Beerman, Bed Bath and Beyond, Burlington Coat Factory, BuyBuy Baby, Century 21, Dillard’s, DSW, Filene's Basement, Heels.com, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, Marshalls, Winners, and TJ Maxx… Last week, the company sent a memo to stores instructing customers to throw away signs advertising the brand. Workers were also asked to mix Ivanka Trump items in with other apparel in stores, as opposed displaying the brand separately. Overstock.com, Perfumania - While Perfumania cut ties with the Trump in July 2015, the company recently restocked its Donald Trump fragrances, like Empire by Trump and Success by Trump. It also carries Ivanka Trump's perfume line. Saks Off Fifth, Sears, Stein Mart, Walmart, Zappos.
* Related: Neiman Marcus Reverses Position: Selling Ivanka Trump's Brand Again

Energy & Environment

Small Town In Alberta, Canada Wakes Up To Florescent Pink Tap Water
David Wolfe - A water treatment plant in Onoway, Alberta accidentally turned the water supply pink on Monday, March 6th. The culprit? Potassium permanganate, a chemical commonly used in water treatment plants to remove iron and hydrogen sulphide from water. Residents were shocked the the color and complained to the town office about why they were not warned about the strange color and what caused it. However, the water treatment plant found the cause of the problem and fixed it as fast as possible. However, what most people do not know is that potassium permanganate can cause mild to severe skin irritation on contact. It can also cause severe gastrointestinal distress, burning, and throat swelling if swallowed. The town believes the potassium permanganate was diluted enough to not cause any harm, but residents stayed away from it anyway.

Science & Technology

World Wide Web inventor issues warning on anniversary
Daily Mail - Tim Berners-Lee wrote the blueprint for what would become the World Wide Web, and said he is alarmed at what has happened to it in the last year.… First, he is concerned with the amount of personal information being distributed on the web. Many sites allow for free content in exchange for personal information on site users, which we usually allow in the fine print of the terms & conditions pages we blindly agree to. Another concern is the rampant distribution of false information, or 'fake news'. Given the fact that most people obtain their news from a small number of sites and often fall victim to 'clickbait,' it's incredibly easy for misinformation to become widespread. His third area of warning lies in the political advertisement on the internet, which is often veiled and littered with inaccuracies. He also expressed his concern about governments monitoring citizens internet usage, and alluded to WikiLeaks' disclosure of CIA surveillance documents, saying that he thinks 'watching everyone, all the time is simply going too far'.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

California Judge Enables Cancer Warning on Monsanto’s Roundup
Sustainable Pulse - California has been enabled to become the first U.S. state to require Monsanto to label its blockbuster weed killer, Roundup, as a possible carcinogen, after a ruling issued Friday by a California judge…. Judge Kapetan formalized her ruling against Monsanto on Friday, which will allow California to proceed with the process of listing glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, as a chemical “known to the state to cause cancer” in accordance with the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, better known as Proposition 65…. This decision gives Californians the right to protect themselves and their families from chemical trespass.”

5 Questions You Better Ask Before Buying Garden Seeds
Off the Grid News - Those of us who raise our own vegetables know it involves more than simply sowing spring seeds and reaping the delicious rewards at harvesttime. One of the many gardening tasks which requires thoughtful research and attention is purchasing seeds. If you are contemplating your garden for this season, following are six questions worth consideration. 1. How long do seeds last? The reason this question should be asked first is because you need to know if last year’s leftover seeds will suffice. The answer varies greatly, depending upon the particular vegetable. Overall, seed longevity is improved by storage in a cool dry place, out of direct light…. 2. How early should they be started indoors? The type of seeds, your climate, and your growing conditions all play huge roles in figuring out how early to start them. The absolute best advice here is to follow the directions on the seed packet, in the seed catalog from which you purchased the seeds, or from the greenhouse or retailer who marketed them…. 3. Start them at home or buy seedlings? the cost of buying flats of seedlings adds up quickly, and paying someone else to start an entire garden full of vegetables can be an expensive proposition. Another thing to consider is whether you will be able to find the cultivar you want already started. You may not be able to find specialty items at a commercial greenhouse. It makes sense to start some of the seeds you’ll use the most of and the specialty varieties you want, and plan to purchase a few flats of additional seedlings when planting time comes….

Three Genetically Modified Potatoes Approved By U.S.
REALfarmacy - According to federal officials, these three types of genetically engineered potatoes are able to resist the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine. Officials say that they are safe for the environment and safe to eat, yet there has not been enough testing for this claim to be proven. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration gave Idaho-based J.R. Simplot Co. permission to plant the potatoes this spring and sell them in the fall. The company claims that the potatoes contain only potato genes and that the resistance to late blight, the disease that caused the Irish potato famine, comes from an Argentine variety of potato that naturally produced a defense. Changing the genetic code of foods presents ethical and health issues for many people, farmers, and companies alike.

Health

13 Healthy Reasons to Eat More Walnuts
Green Med Info - 1. Nuts Reduce Risk of Death - The PREDIMED human study, which assessed the Mediterranean diet, found that eating walnuts reduced cancer mortality. And a study of 118,000 people by the Harvard School of Public Health found people who ate a handful of nuts every day were 20% less likely to die from any cause over a 30-year period. 2. One Ounce of Walnuts Decreases Cardiovascular Risk - In a University of Wisconsin study 36 people ate 30 grams of English walnuts per day for 30 days. Their blood lipid profiles and endothelial function improved and they didn't gain weight.[ii] Black walnuts didn't have the same effect…. Other studies show that adding walnuts can significantly decrease total and LDL cholesterol…. 3. Walnuts Help Control Weight… 4. Walnuts Improve Endocrine Parameters in PCOS… 5. Walnuts Help Control Insulin in Diabetics - Australian researchers studied 50 overweight adult diabetics in a one year program where participants received low-fat dietary advice. But half the subjects also ate 30 grams of walnuts per day. In the first three months the walnut group significantly lowered their fasting insulin levels….

‘Dirty Dozen’ List Released
Dr. Axe - Environmental Working Group released it’s 2017 Dirty Dozen list… This year, the annual report found that almost 70 percent of 48 non-organic samples tested positive for at least one pesticide. (In many cases, the numbers were much higher.) And get this: A single strawberry sample harbored 20 different pesticide residues. And while spinach nutrition is loaded with calcium and vitamins, there’s one reason to always try to choose organic. Researchers found DDT, a neurotoxic insecticide banned in the U.S., in an alarming number of samples. A “Clean 15” list is also included in the report, identifying the non-organic produce least likely to be contaminated with pesticide levels. I advise choosing and growing organic as often as possible, but if you’re on a budget or your selection is limited, these lists help you focus your attention on avoiding the most contaminated fruits and veggies.

Pet News

Video: Lilica: the junkyard mutt
A beautiful story of a poor and brave junkyard mutt.
 


Friday - March 10, 2017

On This Date In History:


1656 - In the American colony of Virginia, suffrage was extended to all free men regardless of their religion.
1785 - Thomas Jefferson was appointed minister to France. He succeeded Benjamin Franklin.
1804 - The formal ceremonies transferring the Louisiana Purchase from France to the U.S. took place in St. Louis.
1848 - The U.S. Senate ratified the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war with Mexico.
1864 - Ulysses S. Grant became commander of the Union armies in the U.S. Civil War.
1876 - Alexander Graham Bell made the first successful call with the telephone. He spoke the words "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you."
1880 - The Salvation Army arrived in the U.S. from England.
1945 - American B-29 bombers attacked Tokyo, Japan, 100,000 were killed.
1953 - North Korean gunners at Wonsan fired upon the USS Missouri. The ship responded by firing 998 rounds at the enemy position.
1966 - The North Vietnamese captured a Green Beret camp at Ashau Valley.
1969 - James Earl Ray pled guilty in Memphis, TN, to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Ray later repudiated the guilty plea and maintained his innocence until his death in April of 1998.
1971 - The U.S. Senate approved an amendment to lower the voting age to 18.
1991 - "Phase Echo" began. It was the operation to withdraw 540,000 U.S. troops from the Persian Gulf region.
1994 - White House officials began testifying before a federal grand jury about the Whitewater controversy.
1995 - U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher told Yasser Arafat that he must do more to curb Palestinian terrorists.
1998 - U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf began receiving the first vaccinations against anthrax.
2002 - The Associated Press reported that the Pentagon informed the U.S. Congress in January that it was making contingency plans for the possible use of nuclear weapons against countries that threaten the U.S. with weapons of mass destruction, including Iraq and North Korea.
2003 - North Korea test-fired a short-range missile. The event was one of several in a patter of unusual military maneuvers.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Drones threatened nuclear facilities
Washington Times - Drone aircraft recently carried out unauthorized intrusions over Air Force and Navy nuclear facilities, and the incidents pose a growing threat, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command disclosed to Congress Wednesday. Gen. John E. Hyten revealed the drone threats in written testimony before the House Armed Services Committee for a hearing on nuclear deterrence. Currently, the Navy and Air Force are planning to deploy counter-unmanned aerial system defenses that Gen. Hyten said will “effectively detect, track and, if necessary, engage small UAS vehicles.” The commander said protecting U.S. nuclear forces and facilities is a top priority…. The Air Force Global Strike Command, which handles security at nuclear sites, is purchasing electronic equipment capable of disrupting the signals that control drones.

U.S. Military Prepping For Migrant Crisis In Month-Long Drill
Off the Grid News - The U.S. military is preparing for a massive wave of migrants from the Caribbean as part of a multi-million dollar training drill at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The exercise this month, called Operation Integrated Advance, is scheduled to last all of March, cost around $2.5 million and involve 400 troops as well as personnel from the State Department and Department of Homeland Security, The Miami Herald reported. The military is keeping the operation secret and denying the media access to it. The idea is to prep for a migrant crisis in which hundreds or thousands of Cubans or people from other nations cross the ocean to the United States. “This year’s exercise scenario focuses on a potential mass migration in the Caribbean,” a statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reads. “The primary objective is to protect the safety of life at sea and to deter mass migration using organic DHS forces reinforced by other federal, state, and local assets and capabilities.” During the operation, troops will practice rescuing, capturing, processing, housing and taking care of migrants.

TRUMP White House Pushes Back Against Mitch McConnell on Tax Cuts
The GatewayPundit - Just as many Trump supporters feared, it looks like the Ryan-McConnell Republican Congress will not be able to push the Trump agenda through the House and Senate. They are just unwilling to do the will of the people…. Townhall reported: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday morning tax reform isn’t going to be done by the August recess as President Trump and Treasury Secretary Munchin have suggested. “I think finishing on tax reform will take longer,” McConnell said during a POLITICO Playbook breakfast. “We do have to finish the healthcare debate, up or down, win or lose, before we go to taxes.” But the White House is strongly pushing back on McConnell’s increased timeline, with Press Secretary Sean Spicer saying the August deadline for a comprehensive tax overhaul still stands. “I think we feel confident that we’re going to get a lot done,” Spicer said.

President Trump Makes Congress Look Bad – 34 Executive Actions to 4 Signed Pieces of Legislation from Congress to Date
The GatewayPundit - When the President released his plan for the first 100 days, he wasn’t kidding and Congress is nowhere near able to keep pace with the President. President Trump has signed 34 executive actions that include banning immigration to the US from certain terrorist nations; protecting law enforcement; enforcing regulatory reform; helping the coal industry; beating ISIS; nominating a new US Supreme Court Justice; building a border wall; completing the Keystone pipeline from Canada; and, killing the Trans-Pacific Partnership…. As Americans struggle with financial challenges due to Obamacare and a burdensome Federal tax regime, Congress continues to work with no sense of urgency.
* Related: Video: Tucker Asked Paul Ryan Why Congress Is Only Working 8 Days Next Month. His Response Is Worth Watching

Washington, New York And Oregon Sue To Block Trump's New Travel Plan
Zero Hedge - Just a three days after Trump signed a new and revised travel ban executive order on Monday, his old nemesis, Washington state announced it will file a restraining order against the revamped travel ban, a move which, in a replica of the first immigration order fiasco, foreshadows a new legal showdown between the administration and a wave of challenges to the controversial executive order. Washington is not alone: Oregon and New York will join with other states are expected join the lawsuit in the upcoming days, Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Thursday during a press conference. Washington state's announcement comes just one day after Hawaii became the first state to sue Trump over the revised travel ban. A hearing on the suit is set for March 15, the day before Trump's revised travel ban is scheduled to go into effect. According to NBC, Washington state will ask that a temporary injunction issued last month by a federal judge on Trump's initial executive order apply to the newly revised travel ban. If again upheld, this would block federal employees nationwide from enforcing the travel ban.

Assaults on Border Patrol Agents Up 103 Percent
Breitbart - Illegal aliens assaulted nearly 250 agents since the fiscal year began on October 1, a report from U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealed. The report details assaults of 242 agents through the end of January – up from 119 assaults during the same period in FY 2016. The report indicates an increase of 103 percent, officials stated…. Punishment of criminal aliens assaulting Border Patrol agents is rare, according to National Border Patrol Council officials. When prosecutions happen, the penalties handed down are often low compared to the punishment for assaults on other law enforcement officers. An exception to this occurred last week, when a U.S. citizen in Laredo, Texas, received a sentence of 235 months (19 years and seven months) for assaulting an agent while smuggling drugs, Breitbart Texas reported.

Five-Time Deportee Faces Fatal Crash Charges in ‘Sanctuary’ California
Breitbart - Estuardo Alvarado, 45-years-old of Mexico, was allegedly drunk when he slammed into the back of Sandra Duran’s car in southern California, leaving Duran dead at the scene of accident from blunt force trauma, according to the LA Daily News. Federal authorities said Alvarado was speeding away from another car crash when he hit Duran’s vehicle and is now being charged with five felony counts, which include murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. The illegal immigrant pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. Authorities also revealed Alvarado’s history of criminal activity and re-entering the U.S. despite being deported multiple times. Alvarado was first deported in 1998. Prior to his first removal, Alvarado was charged with more than 20 felonies and misdemeanors, including possession of a weapon, drug dealing, and trafficking. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the LA Daily News that Alvarado will deported when he is let go from prison. For the Duran family, cracking down on illegal immigration is already too late.

Illinois Bill Would Authorize Gun Confiscation Without Owner’s Input
Breitbart - Illinois Senator Julie A. Morrison (D-29) is pushing a bill that allows judges to confiscate guns without input from the firearm owner. This is part of the continuing effort to fight gun crime that gun control has failed to stop in Chicago and the rest of the state. SB 1291 would create a “Lethal Order of Protection” whereby the firearms of Illinois residents could be confiscated if a family member or “law officer” files a petition stating the gun owner “poses an immediate and present danger of causing personal injury to himself, herself, or another by having … [a firearm] in his or her custody or control.”… Once an order is issued, the firearm owner must “(1) refrain from having in his or her custody or control, owning, purchasing, possessing, or receiving additional firearms for the duration of the order; and (2) turn over to the local law enforcement agency any firearm, Firearm Owner’s Identification Card, or concealed carry license in his or her possession.”

World News

Defiant Iran Conducts More Ballistic Missile Tests; This Time From Naval Vessel
Zero Hedge - As tensions between the U.S. and Iran continue to mount, the semi-official news agency Tasnim is reporting that Iran's Revolutionary Guard has successfully conducted yet another ballistic missile test, this time from a navy vessel. Called the Hormuz 2, these latest missiles are designed to destroy moving targets at sea at ranges up to 300 km (180 miles). Reports on the latest test quotes Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Force, who confirmed that "the naval ballistic missile called Hormuz 2 successfully destroyed a target which was 250 km away." The missile test is the latest event in a long-running rivalry between Iran and the United States in and around the Strait of Hormuz, which guards the entrance to the Gulf. About 20% of the world's oil passes through the waterway, which is less than 40 km wide at its narrowest point.

China urges US to stop hacking other countries following #Vault7 release
RT - Beijing has called on the US to stop its hacking practices against China and other countries, following a WikiLeaks release which reportedly exposes the CIA’s extensive hacking capabilities and lists Chinese routers as targets. ‘We urge the US side to stop listening in, monitoring, stealing secrets and internet hacking against China and other countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said during a Thursday news conference, as cited by Reuters…. Beijing has long been on the receiving end of hacking allegations from the US and other countries.

Malware expert says ‘fingerprint’ switch shows past attacks blamed on Russia, China are work of CIA
RT - Following revelations that the CIA can reportedly attribute its hacking activity to others, an anti-virus expert has said that attacks previously blamed on others are now attributable to the CIA, according to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. News that the CIA could make its malware look as if it derived from Russia, China or other actors emerged as part of WikiLeaks’ ‘Year Zero’ data release on Tuesday. According to the leaked information, the CIA’s malware allows the intelligence agency to not only steal hacking techniques, but also to leave false “fingerprints” to make it appear as if others were responsible for the attack…. The WikiLeaks founder also warned that because the technology hides its origin its completely open to being abused without consequences. “There’s absolutely nothing to stop a random CIA officer, or contractor, or liaison agent working for the British, using that technology against whoever they like for whatever reasons they like,” he warned.

Election News

Billionaire George Soros fuels Democrats’ push to lower voting age to 17
Washington Times - Stung by recent election defeats, Democrats are leading the charge to lower the voting age to 17, with a little help from liberal billionaire George Soros. In California, Democratic legislators introduced this week a landmark bill, ACA 10, that would give the Golden State the nation’s youngest statewide voting age by lowering the threshold from 18 to 17 in the name of reversing the slide in voter turnout…. “The political motivation for the ‘Vote 16’ movement appears to arise from the belief that 16 and 17 years old voters might be more willing to support free-spending candidates and issues than older and more business-oriented citizens,” said the ballot pamphlet argument against Proposition F.

Economy & Business

It Took $4 In New Debt To Create $1 In GDP
Zero Hedge - The US closed 2016 with 18.86 trillion in GDP, an increase of $632 billion from 2015; the question is how much credit had to be created to generate this growth. The answer: $2.511 trillion. This means that in 2016, it "cost" $4 in new debt to generate just $1 in new economic growth.

31% Of College Students Spend Their Loans On Spring Break
Zero Hedge - As Washington D.C. liberals continue their fight for 'free' college education for all (which, of course, is just a nicer way of saying largely useless community college education crammed down the throats of taxpayers) and student loan forgiveness programs, a new study from LendEDU reveals some of the shocking realities behind where college students are really spending their $1.3 trillion worth of student debt. Per a survey of 500 college co-eds, LendEDU found that 31% of students, or roughly 2.4 million kids, admitted to using student loan money to fund their binge drinking trips to Cancun and Daytona Beach for spring break…. Adding insult to injury, 24% of students admitted to using their student loan money for alcohol and 7% use those federally-subsidized checks for drugs…. Meanwhile, as we pointed out before (see "Obama Student Loan Forgiveness Plan To Cost Taxpayers $137 Billion, GAO Finds"), the GAO currently estimates that taxpayers will ultimately have to cover $137 billion of student loan debt outstanding...an obligation we're certain will only grow over time.

Burger-flipping robot replaces humans on first day at work
The Telegraph - A burger-flipping robot has just completed its first day on the job at a restaurant in California, replacing humans at the grill. Flippy has mastered the art of cooking the perfect burger and has just started work at CaliBurger, a fast-food chain. The robotic kitchen assistant, which its makers say can be installed in just five minutes, is the brainchild of Miso Robotics…. Cameras and sensors help Flippy to determine when the burger is fully cooked, before the robot places them on a bun. A human worker then takes over and adds condiments. More Flippy robots will be introduced at CaliBurgers next year, with the aim of installing them in 50 of their restaurants worldwide by the end of 2019.

Science & Technology

WikiLeaks Holds Press Conference On CIA Hacking, Will Share Hacking Tools With Tech Firms (Video)
Zero Hedge - On Tuesday morning, at the same time that Wikileaks was releasing the contents of "Vault 7" CIA-document dump, it was supposed to hold a press conference, which however was said to have suffered terminal technical difficulties. As a result, Wikileaks delayed it until now, at 9:45am Eastern on Thursday. One of the notable disclosures is that Assange will share details on the CIA's hacking tools with the tech industry before releasing them to the general public. The WikiLeaks founder said he has much more detailed information about CIA hacking techniques and will allow tech companies access so they can "develop fixes" before the information is more widely published. Wikileaks has claimed claims the CIA Center for Cyber Intelligence "lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal," more than several hundred million lines of code that provide "the entire hacking capacity of the CIA." It has alleged that the archive appears to have been circulated among former government hackers and contractors, one of whom provided WikiLeaks with portions of it. The website says the CIA hacking division involved "more than 5,000 registered users and had produced more than a thousand hacking systems, trojans, viruses, and other 'weaponized' malware."

Health

CDC confirms Natural News 100% CORRECT on report of African Green Monkey kidney cells used in vaccines
(Natural News) After Natural News revealed the complete list of vaccine excipient ingredients published by the CDC earlier this week, the vaccine-pushing mainstream media exploded with accusations that falsely claimed Natural News was writing "fake news." Some of the arguments backing this assertion included wildly uninformed opinions such as, “there’s no way the CDC would approve monkey kidney cells being injected into humans.”…. As Natural News correctly reported, one of the many animal-derived ingredients used in vaccines and openly admitted by the CDC is African Green Monkey kidney cells. Apparently, this realization was just too much for the scientifically illiterate media (and wholly dishonest vaccine pushers) who insisted it couldn’t possibly be true. Now, CDC has confirmed the Natural News story to be 100% accurate and true through several documents posted on the CDC website which openly admit that African Green Monkey kidney cells are used in vaccines approved by the CDC for immunizations across America.

Reversing cancer – An overlooked solution
(NaturalHealth365) By eliminating oral infections and toxic materials in his mouth, Dr. Kleinwaks cured his cancer without chemotherapy, a ‘special’ diet or supplement routine. A pivotal step in this process was the safe removal of his mercury-based, ‘silver’ fillings. Mercury is a neurotoxin that releases harmful vapors whenever we eat or drink. This mercury vapor can destroy the protective myelin sheath that covers the nerves, damage our neurological system, immune function, the reproductive system and cardiovascular pathways of the body. In addition, mercury binds to the minerals like, selenium and sulfur – two of the body’s premier natural cancer-fighters – as well as binding to proteins. This affects the immune system’s ability to identify cancerous cells, and causes it to attack normal, healthy cells – setting the stage for autoimmune disorders and, yes, the rapid growth of cancer cells…. “Dead” teeth – resulting from root canals – can also cause serious health problems, including raising the risk of cancer. When the pulp is removed from the tooth, there is no longer a blood or oxygen supply – and the tooth becomes a perfect medium for infection. Bacteria can then mutate to an anaerobic form – meaning they can thrive in the absence of oxygen.

This Popular Snack Is Sending Kids To The Hospital
David Wolfe - Parents, you have a new food to be concerned about when it comes to the health of your children. While some children shy away from spicy foods, others can’t get enough of them. But it turns out the spicy foods in your pantry could be dangerous to your child. Emergency room doctors have been treating children who have developed gastritis – a painful inflammation or erosion of the stomach lining. The root cause? Flamin’ Hot Crunchy Cheetos. Dr. Martha Rivera from White Memorial Medical Center said on any given day, she sees five or more cases of kids with gastritis, due to eating spicy chips and candies. “… Gastritis is described as an inflammation, erosion or irritation of the lining of the stomach. It can come on suddenly or very gradually. In some cases, gastritis can lead to ulcers and an increased risk of stomach cancer…. Doctors and pediatricians worldwide are claiming that hot Cheetos and other spicy snacks are causing preventable emergency room visits. Dr. Rivera explained that the artificially flavored spicy chips can increase acidity in the delicate lining of the stomach. “It burns when it goes down, it burns when it comes out,” she said. Flamin’ Hot Crunchy Cheetos are spicy enough to change the pH balance of a child’s stomach, which leads to developing gastritis.

Pet News

PETA Accused of Turning Shelter into Slaughterhouse
Sputnik News - Animal shelter reform advocate Nathan Winograd accused PETA of profiteering from euthanasia, writing in a January 2015 Facebook post, "How much money did PETA take in last year from unsuspecting donors who helped pay for this mass carnage? $51,933,001: $50,449,023 in contributions, $627,336 in merchandise sales, and $856,642 in interest and dividends. They finished the year with $4,551,786 more in the bank than they started, after expenses. They did not see fit to use some of that to comprehensively promote animals for adoption or to provide veterinary care for the animals who needed it.”… CCF’s research director Will Coggin told Fox News that he wants to expose what he claims is PETA’s duplicitous and fraudulent public image as animal rights activists. Coggin said, "PETA’s disregard for the lives of animals is disgraceful," and that, "It would be better if PETA never even touched the animals, that way [the animals] might actually have a chance at life," he said. "PETA holds itself out as a savior, but it is really just a Grim Reaper." CCF claims that PETA killed 1,411 cats and dogs last year, and that overall the organization kills nearly 72 percent of the animals in their care. In 2015 Virginia State Sen. William M. Stanley Jr., called PETA "a way station of death, and it’s a shame."
 



Thursday - March 9, 2017

On This Date In History:

1745 - The first carillon was shipped from England to Boston, MA.
1820 - The U.S. Congress passed the Land Act that paved the way for westward expansion of North America.
1832 - Abraham Lincoln announced that he would run for a political office for the first time. He was unsuccessful in his run for a seat in the Illinois state legislature.
1862 - During the U.S. Civil War, the ironclads Monitor and Virginia fought to a draw in a five-hour battle at Hampton Roads, Virginia.
1863 - General Ulysses Grant was appointed commander-in-chief of the Union forces.
1905 - In Manchuria, Japanese troops surrounded 200,000 Russian troops that were retreating from Mudken.
1916 - Mexican raiders led by Pancho Villa attacked Columbus, New Mexico. 17 people were killed by the 1,500 horsemen.
1936 - The German press warned that all Jews who vote in the upcoming elections would be arrested.
1959 - Mattel introduced Barbie at the annual Toy Fair in New York.
1964 - Production began on the first Ford Mustang.
1965 - The first U.S. combat troops arrived in South Vietnam.
1967 - Svetlana Alliluyeva, Josef Stalin's daughter defected to the United States.
1975 - Work began on the Alaskan oil pipeline.
1977 - About a dozen armed Hanafi Muslims invaded three buildings in Washington, DC. They killed one person and took more than 130 hostages. The siege ended two days later.
1986 - U.S. Navy divers found the crew compartment of the space shuttle Challenger along with the remains of the astronauts.
1989 - The U.S. Senate rejected John Tower as a choice for a cabinet member. It was the first rejection in 30 years.
1989 - In the U.S., a strike forced Eastern Airlines into bankruptcy.
1989 - In the U.S., President George H.W. Bush urged for a mandatory death penalty in drug-related killings.
1993 - Rodney King testified at the federal trial of four Los Angeles police officers accused of violating his civil rights. (California)
2000 - In Norway, the coalition government of Kjell Magne Bondevik resigned as a result of an environmental dispute.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Hunt For Snowden 2 Begins: Feds Launch Criminal Probe Into Wikileaks’ CIA Source
Zero Hedge - A federal criminal investigation is being opened into WikiLeaks' publication of documents detailing alleged CIA hacking operations: both the FBI and CIA are coordinating their hunt for the mysterious whistleblower inside the CIA, who has already been dubbed Snowden 2.0. The criminal probe will look into how the documents came into WikiLeaks' possession and whether they might have been leaked by an employee or contractor. The CIA is also trying to determine if there are other unpublished documents WikiLeaks may have. Incidentally, the answer to that is yes as the whistleblowing organization revealed earlier in the day on its twitter feed. The documents published so far are genuine, officials confirmed to CNN, which adds that one of the biggest concerns for the federal government is if WikiLeaks publishes critical computer code on how operations are conducted, as other hackers could take that code and cause havoc overseas. Of course, if the CIA had not left its code open and accessibly by outside interlopers, making hacking simple - as Edward Snowden explained - that would not be a concern.

Woman Saves Policeman From Attacker on the Side of the Road
GoodNewsNetwork - Vickie Williams-Tillman is being hailed as a hero after she saved a police officer from being attacked by a man on the side of the road. Read More...

Senators Ask DOJ, FBI For Information On Trump Wiretapping
Zero Hedge - From the news release: U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island), the chair and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, today sent a letter to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Acting Deputy Attorney General requesting information on possible wiretapping of President Trump, the Trump campaign, or Trump Tower.

Next WikiLeaks worry: the release of the code (Video)
USA Today - On Tuesday, the website WikiLeaks published more than 8,000 of what it said were official documents detailing CIA tools for hacking… But the crusading site didn't release the code, saying it was postponing release “until a consensus emerges on the technical and political nature of the C.I.A.’s program" and how the cyberweapons could be disarmed. Simply the existence of such tools, while not surprising to many in the security field, was enough to raise privacy hackles…. The release of the codes, warn some security experts, would be the cyber equivalent of releasing a neutron bomb in the middle of Times Square. Suddenly, sophisticated cyber weapons created by one of the world's most powerful intelligence agencies would be available to anyone, from small countries without their own state computer security apparatus to teen hackers in their bedrooms.
* Related: WikiLeaks says just 1% of #Vault7 covert documents released so far

Kim Dotcom: “Trump is in Danger”
Paul Joseph Watson - The man who predicted that Wikileaks release of John Podesta’s emails would bring down Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign is now warning that President Donald Trump is in danger. Kim Dotcom (born Kim Schmitz), was the founder of the infamous and now-defunct file hosting service Megaupload and is known to have close connections to Wikileaks and Julian Assange. During a September 2016 interview with Bloomberg, Kim said, “Julian Assange is going to be Hillary Clinton’s worst nightmare.” Just a month later, he was proven correct when Wikileaks began publishing thousands of emails from John Podesta’s email account, revelations which continued right up until the election and played a huge part in Hillary’s defeat. Following Wikileaks ‘Vault 7’ release of CIA files and the intensification of Donald Trump’s battle with the deep state, Kim warned in a tweet today that “Trump is in danger”. “The White House leaks are coming from a rogue group within the CIA. They want to stop the Trump presidency. This is NOT speculation,” he also tweeted, adding, “Rogue group of Obama loyalists at CIA used powerful cyber warfare tools illegally to spy on Trump & fabricated Russia narrative. BIG DANGER!” Kim later responded to a question about what Donald Trump should do to protect himself by answering, “Appoint new FBI leadership – Get FBI agents from outside DC to investigate CIA & NSA for all unlawful activities. One domino falls, game over.”

Washington Post's Response to Vault 7 Leak? The Russians Are Behind It!
Sputnik News - After WikiLeaks shocked the world with their “Vault 7” disclosures about CIA tactics and methods, the Washington Post’s only response was to blame Russia and attempt to smear and discredit the country. Despite the Washington Post happily, and arguably favorably, covering WikiLeaks during the Chelsea Manning State Department disclosures, the paper has now become the go-to source of conspiracy theories for all things Russia.

U.S. judge allows Hawaii to challenge Trump's new travel ban
Reuters - The state of Hawaii can sue over President Donald Trump's new executive order temporarily banning the entry of refugees and travelers from six Muslim-majority countries, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday. U.S. District Court Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii said the state could revise its initial lawsuit, which had challenged Trump's original ban signed in January. The state is claiming the revised ban signed by the president on Monday violates the U.S. Constitution. It is the first legal challenge to the revised order. The state of Hawaii [asked] the court on Wednesday to put an emergency halt to Trump's new order, according to a court schedule signed by the judge. A hearing is set for March 15, a day before the new ban is to go into effect.

'Day Without a Woman' strike puts some parents in a bind amid school closures
(CNN) - Organizers say it was intended in the same spirit of "love and liberation" that inspired women's marches worldwide. But many are complaining that "A Day Without a Woman" will leave many women in a bind. The national strike movement on Wednesday coincides with International Women's Day. It aims to draw attention to inequities working women face compared to men, from wage disparity to harassment to job insecurity. Several school districts across the country are closing to allow staff and teachers the chance to participate. While some people in those communities applauded district leadership for the show of solidarity, others criticized them for leaving working families scrambling to find childcare. Parents in Prince George's County Public Schools in Maryland were especially irate after the district announced school closures at the last minute on Tuesday night…. “This is absolutely infuriating and uncalled for. Who gets punished here? The students. Especially those students who rely on the schools for food during the day. And never mind the fact that you've inconvenienced parents who now have to scramble for daycare at the last possible minute," one person said on the district's Facebook's page.

First lady Melania Trump touts equality at International Women's Day luncheon
(CNN) - First lady Melania Trump spoke about equality, freedom and the responsibility women have to help each other achieve success at an invitation-only luncheon honoring International Women's Day Wednesday at the White House. "As an immigrant myself, having grown up in a communist society, I know all too well the value and importance of freedom and equal opportunity -- ideals which this great nation was founded and has continued to strive towards throughout its history," Trump said according to her prepared remarks obtained by CNN from Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, senior adviser and chief strategist to the first lady…. "There remains far more brutal and terrifying incarnations of actual gender persecution which we must face together, such as forced enslavement, sexual abuse and absolute repression of far too many women and girls around the globe. We must remember these women in our daily prayers and use our combined resources to help free them from such unthinkable and inhumane circumstances," she said.

World News

Marines have arrived in Syria to fire artillery in the fight for Raqqa
Washington Post - The deployment marks a new escalation in the U.S. war in Syria, and puts more conventional U.S. troops in the battle. Several hundred Special Operations troops have advised local forces there for months, but the Pentagon has mostly shied away from using conventional forces in Syria. The new mission comes as the Trump administration weighs a plan to take back Raqqa, the so-called capital of the Islamic State, that also includes more Special Operations troops and attack helicopters…. The official defense official said] that the Marines movement into Syria was not the byproduct of President Donald Trump’s request of a new plan to take on the Islamic State and that it had “been in the works for sometime.”

Marine Le Pen: "I Will Introduce The New Franc At A Rate Of One-To-One To The Euro"
Reuters - Providing some much needed details on her plans to redenominate the French currency, should she win the French presidential election in under two months, on Wednesday Marine le Pen told RTL radio should would introduce a new franc at a rate of one-to-one to the euro and then allow it to fluctuate, despite previously saying that any new national currency would continue to be pegged to a basket of currencies. She said the new French franc would likely fall "against whatever currency Germany uses", making French car exports more competitive, but said it might rise against the currency in Italy, a country she said would also be better off without the euro. Incidentally, many agree with Le Pen, and according to Paddy Power, Italy now has even odds of leaving the EU before 2025, far higher than even perpetually depressed Greece.

Mexico cancels sugar export permits to U.S. in trade dispute
Reuters - Mexico has canceled existing sugar export permits to the United States in a dispute over the pace of shipments, according to a letter seen by Reuters, in a flare-up industry sources said could temporarily disrupt supplies. The letter sent by Mexico's sugar chamber to mills on Monday partly blamed the situation on unfilled positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce, which it said has led to a "legalistic" interpretation of rules with no U.S. counterparts in place in Washington for Mexican officials to negotiate with. The cancellations are the latest dispute of a years-long trade row between Mexico - the United States' top foreign supplier of sugar - and its neighbor at a time when cane refiners are struggling with prices and tight supplies, U.S. industry sources said.

Economy & Business

290,000 Jobs Created in Trump’s First Month, Shattering Expectations
Paul Joseph Watson - President Donald Trump has received a huge boost for his economic agenda with the news that the U.S. created 298,000 new jobs after his first full month in office, shattering expectations by a margin of over 100,000. The total blasted through market expectations that around 190,000 new jobs would be created. “The report encompassed the first full month under President Donald Trump, who has pledged to rebuild the nation’s aging infrastructure system,” reports CNBC. The numbers bode well for President Trump’s agenda of economic nationalism and his vow to reverse the ravages of globalism by bringing jobs back home.

America Now Ranks Behind These 16 Countries In Economic Freedom, New Study Says
Off the Grid News - The United States has less economic freedom than New Zealand, Australia, Estonia, Ireland, Chile, the United Kingdom and Lithuania. That’s the conclusion of the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom for 2017, which saw the United States rank 17th. The total score of 75.1 for the U.S. was its lowest total ever. The index ranks countries using a scoring system of one to 100. The freest place on the planet was Hong Kong, which had a score of 89.8. The least free was the Communist country of North Korea with a score of 4.9, which put it last at 180. “The substantial expansion in the size and scope of the U.S. government, increased regulatory and tax burdens in many sectors, and the loss of trust and confidence that has accompanied a growing perception of cronyism have severely undermined America’s global competitiveness,” the report said.

Ivanka Trump's Fashion Line Reports Record Sales After Retailer Boycotts
Zero Hedge - The Ivanka Trump boycott appears to have backfired…. The news of a sales surge comes after the Grab Your Wallet campaign, highly critical of the Trump administration, asked shoppers to boycott retailers with any Ivanka or Donald Trump-branded products. As a result, Nordstrom announced in early February that it would no longer carry Ivanka Trump's clothing line citing poor product sales. Neiman Marcus also joined, and stopped carrying the first daughter's jewelry line on its website, while employees of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls stores were instructed to throw away any signage advertising her wares. According to the Independent, the reason for the increase could be linked to Trump supporters explicitly deciding to purchase the products to counter the boycott.

Energy & Environment

47 Bee Species Dangerously Close to Extinction
BlackListed News - Of 4,337 native bee species in North American and Hawaii just researched, 347 are precariously close to full-stop extinction. No bees, no food, people. No morning coffee. No roses. No arugula for your salad. Bees pollinate 30 to 80 percent of our food crops, and 90 percent of wild plants and flowers. If you haven’t been concerned about the bees’ fight against herbicides, pesticides, and other toxic chemicals used in the industrial agricultural model it’s definitely time to take notice. n a report just released by the Center for Biological Diversity, scientists found that nearly one in four bee species is imperiled and at increasing risk of extinction. 347 bees species are close to extinction, but 700 species are in trouble.

Science & Technology

Manual: How to Tell if The CIA Spies On Your Smart-TV
Sputnik News - Within WikiLeaks’ explosive new revelations about CIA spying, there are documents discussing how the agency is using smart televisions to spy on users, even when it appears that the TVs are off, through a program called “Weeping Angel.” Fortunately, there is a way you can tell if your television set is actually off, or just in the “Fake Off Mode,” which is a feature in models by Samsung from 2012 through 2013. When the “Fake Off” mode is activated, part of the television will appear to be off, but power continues to run so that the bad actors within the agency can capture audio, and potentially video, from the device. “Fake Off” mode, according to disclosures, leaves a blue LED on the back of the set illuminated, even if the pixels on the screen have been darkened to appear that the set is not on. “In Fake Off mode, the screen appears off and the LEDs on the front of the set change color and dim, as you’d expect if you’d turned off your TV. Yet the TV remains powered and capable of recording conversations. Want to know if Big Brother is listening in? Look at the back of your set,” Wired explains. “The blue LED back there should be off. It remains illuminated in Fake Off mode, according to the documents WikiLeaks released.”

GOP senators’ new bill would let ISPs sell your Web browsing data
Ars Technica - Republican senators yesterday introduced legislation that would overturn new privacy rules for Internet service providers. If the Federal Communications Commission rules are eliminated, ISPs would not have to get consumers' explicit consent before selling or sharing Web browsing data and other private information with advertisers and other third parties. Flake's announcement said he's trying to "protect consumers from overreaching Internet regulation." Flake also said that the resolution "empowers consumers to make informed choices on if and how their data can be shared," but he did not explain how it will achieve that.

Health

Federal Quarantine Powers Quietly Expanded without Congressional Approval
Alliance for Natural Health - Your right to be left unthreatened in your own home could be at risk. Here’s what you need to know. Action Alert! In January of this year, on the last day President Obama was in office, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a final rule that expands its authority to apprehend, isolate, and quarantine individuals suspected of having any of nine diseases on the US quarantine list: cholera, plague, diphtheria, smallpox, yellow fever, infectious tuberculosis, viral hemorrhagic fevers (like Ebola), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and varieties of influenza that may cause pandemic. This is the first time the quarantine rules have been updated since the 1940s. Under the old system, the CDC’s authority to quarantine was limited primarily to those entering the country or crossing state lines. And even then, in practice, the feds typically deferred to state and local health officials to contain the spread of infectious diseases. Under the new rules, the CDC can detain people anywhere in the country without getting approval from local health officials. The definition of “ill persons” has also been broadened, which means that the agency can detain a broader group of people it thinks are exhibiting the symptoms of infectious disease—symptoms as common and as wide-ranging as headaches, cramps, and fevers. Airline and ship crews are required under the new rules to report overt signs and symptoms of sick travelers to the CDC.

Study: Reducing Herbicide Glyphosate in Diet Reduces Autism Symptoms
Health Impact News - A few years ago, Dr. Stephanie Senneff of MIT made a prediction that by 2025, half of American children will be born with autism, or at least different individual aspects of the autism disorder spectrum. Yes, she mentioned the toxins in vaccines that are forced into infants, but also included another toxin, glyphosate. Dr. Seneff and her partner Dr. Anthony Samsel claim there is a harmful synergism of glyphosate from foods with the toxic ingredients of vaccines that are accelerating the rise of autism spectrum disorders, whether diagnosed as learning or language deficits, hyperactivity, seizures, or the classic complete withdrawal from all social stimulus. In a recently published study, three triplets, two boys considered autistic and a third female with seizure issues and learning disorders, were tested for glyphosate initially and again after a period of organic food only as their diets. The results were interestingly expected. As their glyphosate levels dropped their autistic conditions diminished accordingly.

Gaslighting: Know It and Identify It to Protect Yourself
Psychology Today - Gaslighting is a tactic in which a person or entity, in order to gain more power, makes a victim question their reality. It works much better than you may think. Anyone is susceptible to gaslighting, and it is a common technique of abusers, dictators, narcissists, and cult leaders. It is done slowly, so the victim doesn't realize how much they've been brainwashed. For example, in the movie Gaslight (1944), a man manipulates his wife to the point where she thinks she is losing her mind. People who gaslight typically use the following techniques… 1. They tell blatant lies. You know it's an outright lie. Yet they are telling you this lie with a straight face…. 2. They deny they ever said something, even though you have proof. You know they said they would do something; you know you heard it. But they out and out deny it. … 3. They use what is near and dear to you as ammunition. They know how important your kids are to you, and they know how important your identity is to you. So those may be one of the first things they attack…. 4. They wear you down over time. This is one of the insidious things about gaslighting—it is done gradually, over time. A lie here, a lie there, a snide comment every so often...and then it starts ramping up…. 5. Their actions do not match their words. When dealing with a person or entity that gaslights, look at what they are doing rather than what they are saying…. 6. They throw in positive reinforcement to confuse you…. This person or entity that is cutting you down, telling you that you don't have value, is now praising you for something you did. This adds an additional sense of uneasiness. You think, "Well maybe they aren't so bad." Yes, they are. This is a calculated attempt to keep you off-kilter—and again, to question your reality….

Pet News

4157 Dogs Reported Dead From Rimadyl
Dr. Andrew Jones, DVM - Modern medicine and modern medication can do some pretty amazing things – it can instantly deal with parasites, or give immediate comfort to a dog or cat in pain. There is a but here…These conventional medications can have a host of side effects that can seriously harm your dog or cat. There are also the unquantifiable effects of chronic medication use on your pet’s immune system or organ function, and how that may make them more likely to develop serious disease such as cancer. Consider the FDA reports on this common anti-inflammatory drug, Rimadyl…. This NSAID ( non steroidal anti-inflammatory), has numerous reported and under-reported side effects, from permanent organ damage, to even death. It is in your pet’s best interest to avoid this medication, and similar medications if possible.

Pet Food Ingredient Giant Wilbur-Ellis facing Criminal Charges
Truth about Pet Food - Rare in pet food, one ingredient supplier is facing criminal charges for selling misbranded and adulterated ingredients to pet food manufacturers. We can thank Purina Pet Food for opening this can of worms and the Missouri legal system for holding one supplier accountable. Back in 2014, Purina Pet Food filed a lawsuit against competitor Blue Buffalo claiming Blue’s ‘no by-product’ advertising was false – that Blue Buffalo pet foods actually contained “substantial amounts of poultry by-product meal“. One of the things discovered through this lawsuit was that pet food ingredient giant Wilbur-Ellis had sold Blue Buffalo a lesser quality by-product meal that was labeled as a higher quality chicken or turkey meal…. Wilbur-Ellis is now facing four counts of criminal charges for their sale of mislabeled/misbranded pet food ingredients, an employee of Wilbur-Ellis is facing an additional four counts of criminal charges.
 



Wedne
sday - March 8, 2017

On This Date In History:

1782 - The Gnadenhutten massacre took place. About 90 Indians were killed by militiamen in Ohio in retaliation for raids carried out by other Indians.
1853 - The first bronze statue of Andrew Jackson is unveiled in Washington, DC.
1862 - The Confederate ironclad "Merrimack" was launched.
1880 - U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes declared that the U.S. would have jurisdiction over any canal built across the isthmus of Panama.
1933 - Self-liquidating scrip money was issued for the first time at Franklin, IN.
1942 - During World War II, Japanese forces captured Rangoon, Burma.
1943 - Japanese forces attacked American troops on Hill 700 in Bougainville. The battle lasted five days.
1945 - Phyllis Daley received a commission in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps. She later became the first African-American nurse to serve duty in World War II.
1946 - The French naval fleet arrived at Haiphong, Vietnam.
1948 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that religious instruction in public schools was unconstitutional.
1954 - France and Vietnam opened talks in Paris on a treaty to form the state of Indochina.
1965 - The U.S. landed about 3,500 Marines in South Vietnam. They were the first U.S. combat troops to land in Vietnam.
1966 - Australia announced that it would triple the number of troops in Vietnam.
1973 - Two bombs exploded near Trafalgar Square in Great Britain. 234 people were injured.
1982 - The U.S. accused the Soviets of killing 3,000 Afghans with poison gas.
1985 - The IRS reported that 407,700 Americans were millionaires. That was more than double the total from just five years before.
1999 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Timothy McVeigh for the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995.
1999 - The White House, under President Bill Clinton, directed the firing of nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee from his job at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The firing was a result of alleged security violations.
2001 - The U.S. House of Representatives voted for an across-the-board tax cut of nearly $1 trillion over the next decade.
2008 - President George W. Bush vetoed a bill that would have banned the CIA from using simulated drowning and other coercive interrogation methods on suspected terrorists.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

NSA Whistleblower Backs Trump Up on Wiretap Claims
US News - President Donald Trump is "absolutely right" to claim he was wiretapped and monitored, a former NSA official claimed Monday, adding that the administration risks falling victim to further leaks if it continues to run afoul of the intelligence community. "I think the president is absolutely right. His phone calls, everything he did electronically, was being monitored," Bill Binney, a 36-year veteran of the National Security Agency who resigned in protest from the organization in 2001, told Fox Business on Monday. Everyone's conversations are being monitored and stored, Binney said. Binney resigned from NSA shortly after the U.S. approach to intelligence changed following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He "became a whistleblower after discovering that elements of a data-monitoring program he had helped develop -- nicknamed ThinThread -- were being used to spy on Americans," PBS reported.

Wiki Downloads On Cia 'More Significant' Than Snowden Docs’
WikiLeaks - Tuesday 7 March 2017, WikiLeaks begins its new series of leaks on the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Code-named "Vault 7" by WikiLeaks, it is the largest ever publication of confidential documents on the agency. The first full part of the series, "Year Zero", comprises 8,761 documents and files from an isolated, high-security network situated inside the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence in Langley, Virgina. It follows an introductory disclosure last month of CIA targeting French political parties and candidates in the lead up to the 2012 presidential election…. "Year Zero" introduces the scope and direction of the CIA's global covert hacking program, its malware arsenal and dozens of "zero day" weaponized exploits against a wide range of U.S. and European company products, include Apple's iPhone, Google's Android and Microsoft's Windows and even Samsung TVs, which are turned into covert microphones…. [Read More]
* Related: Hacker Kim Dotcom on Wikileaks CIA Documents: Donald Trump Was Spied on 24-7 with His Phone

Attorney General Lynch Signed Off on ALL FISA Applications to WireTap Trump
The GatewayPundit - According to ABC, all applications to the FISA Court were signed off on by the Attorney General and therefore if any applications were processed in the past year, they were signed off on by Loretta Lynch. This means that Lynch signed off on any requests for wire tapping President Donald Trump during the Presidential race…. This also means that she chose not to investigate the Clinton Foundation for illegal activities but rather signed an application to wire tap President Trump. Finally, another very disturbing fact about the wire tapping request of President Trump is that the FISA Court turned down President Obama’s Administration’s first request to wire tap President Trump that was evidently signed off on by Attorney General Lynch. With only two applications denied out of 10,700 from 2009 through 2015, the fact that the Obama Administration’s application was denied by the FISA Court is very disturbing. The odds of this happening were 0.02%. The Obama Presidency is now arguably the most corrupt in US history.

CIA Turned Samsung Smart TVs into Listening Devices, WikiLeaks Dump Reveals
Mikael Thalen - Hackers within the Central Intelligence Agency have developed malware which can turn Samsung Smart TVs into listening devices, leaked documents published by WikiLeaks Tuesday reveal. The malware, coined “Weeping Angel” – released as part of WikiLeaks’ “Vault 7” data dump – appears to have been created during a 2014 joint workshop with Britain’s equivalent spy agency MI5. The attack, which seems to require physical access to the TV and an infected USB drive, enables a “Fake-Off mode” that allows the microphone to be accessed remotely even after the TV has been seemingly turned off. The malware also suppresses the TV’s LED lights, removing any suspicion that the device is still active. Weeping Angel can also reportedly extract usernames, passwords and Wi-Fi keys – allowing the target’s network and other connected devices to be compromised.

Comey To Testify In Russia "Election Hacking" Hearing On March 20
Zero Hedge - The Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said he planned to hold a series of public hearings as part of its probe on Russian interference in the US election, beginning with a session on March 20.

Obamacare 2.0 Guts Enforcement, Gives Illegal Aliens Health Care Through Identity Fraud
Breitbart - A draft of the bill, released by the House Committee on Ways and Means, cannot even include bare-bones provisions requiring officials to check an enrollee’s immigration status, the Conservative Review’s Daniel Horowitz warns, calling it a “gift to illegal aliens.” Obamacare included provisions from an earlier bill allowing illegal aliens with fraudulent documents to apply while the government and Obamacare managers looked the other way. Eager for welfare state clients and looking to grease the skids for a massive amnesty down the road, Obamacare navigators signed up thousands of illegal aliens for benefits…. It’s an insult to injury for Americans victimized by mass immigration policies and punishing healthcare regulations. Yet some Republicans seem eager to inflict more pain on the very voters who put them in power.

NYT Columnist Solicits IRS Employees to Commit Felony, Leak Trump’s Taxes
Breitbart - “If you’re in IRS and have a certain president’s tax return that you’d like to leak, my address is: NYT, 620 Eighth Ave, NY NY 10018,” Nicholas Kristof wrote on Twitter on Sunday… Kristof, who writes about global affairs for the Times, responded to a Twitter post from Vox.com executive editor Matthew Yglesias, who said that “it’s impressive that the IRS never leaks”… According to the IRS Internal Revenue Manual, the “unauthorized release” of a tax return is a felony punishable by a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison. Leakers would also face professional sanctions, including termination of employment. Trump has not released his tax returns, claiming they are under audit.

Oklahoma bill would allow property owners to destroy drones
RT - A bill introduced in Oklahoma would let property owners destroy drones by removing a civil liability. Property owners are increasingly taking matters into their own hands when drones get too close and personal. Oklahoma lawmaker Ralph Shortey’s bill would exempt property owners from civil action if they destroy drones not regulated by the Federal Aviation Authority. The measure falls short of describing how a property owner could take down a drone but recent events show they are usually shot at. Oklahoma has a law against discharging a weapon within a residential area except when it’s in self-defense. “It doesn’t matter how you damage the thing,” Shortey, a Republican, told The Tulsa World. “As a private citizen, you have reasonable expectation of privacy above your property where the public does not have access and that is under 400 feet.” The bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with a unanimous vote on February 21. Shortey introduced the bill after a drone was shot down during a pigeon shoot fundraiser in 2015. The drone was operated by the animal rights group, Showing Animals Respect and Kindness. There is opposition to the bill as drones are classified as aircraft and it is against federal law to shoot down an aircraft.

West Virginia Bills Would Legalize Medical Marijuana; Foundation to Nullify Federal Prohibition
Tenth Amendment Center – Two bills introduced in the West Virginia legislature would legalize medical marijuana in the state. If signed into law, the legislation would take another step toward nullifying the unconstitutional federal prohibition on cannabis in practice and effect…. HB2677 would give access to medical marijuana for patients suffering from the following qualifying conditions: (A) Cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, agitation of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, addiction to opiates or amphetamines or the treatment of these conditions; (B) A chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition or its treatment that produces one or more of the following: Cachexia or wasting syndrome; severe or chronic pain; severe nausea; seizures; or severe and persistent muscle spasms, including, but not limited to, those characteristic of multiple sclerosis; or (C) Any other medical condition or its treatment added by the department, as provided in section six of this article. Medical marijuana patients would be allowed to designate a caregiver under HB2677, which would permit another individual the legal authority to grow the plant on behalf of the qualifying patient, provided they were aged 21-or-older. Dispensaries, called “registered cannabis distribution center” in HB2677, would be permitted to operate as well provided that they comply with the tax and regulatory structure established under the legislation.

World News

Russian and US military chiefs meet in Turkey to discuss the fight against ISIS
The Duran - Just three weeks after the top soldiers of the US and Russian militaries – General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff – met in Azerbaijan, they have followed up with a second meeting in Antalya Turkey, for a summit hosted by Turkey’s top soldier, General Hulusi Akar, who is the Chief of the Turkish General Staff. Unlike the summit meeting in Azerbaijan, which discussed the full range of US-Russian military relations, the meeting in Turkey is specifically focused on this situations in Iraq and Syria. The background to this meeting is that President Trump has directed the US military to provide him with plans to intensify the fight in Iraq and Syria against ISIS and the other Jihadi terrorist groups, which President Trump has pledged “to wipe from the surface of the earth”. Apparently a draft plan has already been prepared by the Pentagon, though it has not yet been presented to the President. At the meeting in Azerbaijan Dunford is reported to have reassured Gerasimov that talk of large scale US army deployments to Syria was untrue. However a sharp increase in the number of US military personnel deployed to Syria is definitely on the cards. With the Russians in a dominant military position in Syria, Dunford clearly wants to brief Gerasimov personally about the plan, so as to ensure at least a measure of Russian (and Syrian) cooperation.

Frankfurt, Germany used as remote hacking base for the CIA: WikiLeaks
Deutsche Welle - The leaks purportedly revealed that a top secret CIA unit used the German city of Frankfurt am Main as the starting point for numerous hacking attacks on Europe, China and the Middle East. WikiLeaks reported that the group developed trojans and other malicious software in the American Consulate General Office, the largest US consulate in the world. The programs focused on targets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa…. The Frankfurt hackers, part of the Center for Cyber Intelligence Europe, were said to be given diplomatic passports and a State Department identity. It instructed employees how to safely enter Germany. A WikiLeaks tweet published an section of the Frankfurt information…. The consulate was the focus of a German investigation into US intelligence capabilities following the 2013 revelation that NSA agents had tapped Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone. German daily "Süddeutsche Zeitung" reported the building was known to be home to a vast network of intelligence personnel including CIA agents, NSA spies, military secret service personnel, Department of Homeland Security employees and Secret Service employees. It reported the Americans had also established a dense network of outposts and shell companies in Frankfurt.

Vacant Homes Are A Global Epidemic (And Paris Is Fighting It With A 60% Tax)
Zero Hedge - Runaway real estate speculation has been filling global capitals with vacant homes, creating artificial shortages in the world’s most sought after cities. The city of Paris has decided it’s had enough, and implemented a tax in 2015. They didn’t quite get the results they wanted, so they’re now tripling the tax to 60%.

Economy & Business

"Unequivocally Good?" - California Gas Prices Top $3, Highest In 2 Years
Zero Hedge - If the plunge in gas prices was "unequivocally good" for Americans' pocketbooks, then we wonder what the PhDs will make of the fact that California gas prices just broke above $3 for the first time since 2015 - soaring at 28% YoY (the fastest since Q1 2011, which sparked a plunge in economic growth).

America's Desperate Mall Owners Turn To Grocers, Doctors & High Schools To Fill Empty Space
Zero Hedge - In a desperate bid to fill empty space, mall owners are being increasingly forced to turn to non-conventional tenants to fill empy space. Which is great news for the American consumer who can now purchase cold cuts, have that mole removed and pick up a Louis Vuitton bag all in one convenient location.

Energy & Environment

Tornadoes hit Kansas City, hundreds of homes damaged (Photos)
RT - At least two tornadoes touched down in Missouri, accompanied by severe storms and areas of large hail that moved east from the Kansas City metro region. No fatalities were reported, and thousands were left without power. Hundreds of homes and commercial buildings were damaged by tornadoes that pushed through the Kansas City area Monday night, leaving extensive damage and dozens of injuries in eastern Kansas and western Missouri, but no fatalities, according to reports. Unconfirmed tornado reports were also made to the National Weather Service in Iowa and Illinois. Missouri towns hit the hardest by severe weather were Oak Grove and Smithville, east and north of Kansas City, respectively. The Kansas suburbs of Leawood and Olathe also received significant damage, AP reported, including at the Johnson County Executive Airport.

‘No getting out of this’: Major earthquake ‘certain’ to hit Southern California, study says
RT - The study – the most extensive of its kind – examined a section of the San Andreas fault that runs along Interstate 5, near Frazier Mountain in northeast Kern County. One of the reasons why this location is of importance is because in Southern California, the Big Bend, Carrizo, and Mojave sections of the San Andreas Fault accommodate 50-70% of plate motion. This means that the seismic hazard is high,” according to Temblor. To understand the size and likelihood of future earthquakes striking the area, the researchers looked into the past, by digging more than 30 trenches to trace ancient temblors… Scharer and her team found 10 major earthquakes over a 1,000-year period. They were able to date the temblors by examining charcoal and plant remains found at each horizon.... The average interval between quakes was found to be approximately 100 years, meaning the gap separating today from the 1857 earthquake is already 60 years more than the average.

Mysterious Fungal Disease Strikes US Snakes
Dr. Becker - Fungal diseases seem to be an emerging threat to animals worldwide, as we’ve seen with the millions of bats killed due to white-nose syndrome (WNS). A similar fungal disease is now striking wild snakes, and researchers are scrambling to figure out why so many animals are becoming infected — and stop it before it’s too late. In 2015, scientists identified a soil fungus called Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola (O. ophiodiicola) as the culprit behind snake fungal disease. Why the fungus, which is widespread in the U.S., is suddenly killing snakes, remains a mystery…. While bleach and other common disinfectants are effective at killing O. ophiodiicola, at least one agricultural fungicide is not, leading researchers to questioned whether widespread fungicide use in the environment could be triggering snake fungal disease…. [Snakes] represent an important part of the ecosystem, feeding on rodents, insects and other potentially disease-carrying “pests.” Snakes are also an important food source for many mammals, birds, fish and other reptiles, while their venom is being used for its medicinal properties.

Science & Technology

Facebook Begins Flagging ‘Fake News’ as ‘Disputed’
Breitbart - In December of last year, Facebook promised to take a hardline stance against “fake news,” partnering with partisan fact-checkers such as Politifact, Snopes and ABC News to police content on the platform. Recode reports that Facebook recently began implementing their new “fake news” measures by marking stories that may be false as “disputed” while linking to articles by Politifact and Snopes. Currently, in order to flag a story as fake, a user must report it or Facebook’s algorithm must detect it. The story will then be sent on to Politifact and Snopes who will investigate and determine whether the story is incorrect. Only when the two fact-checkers agree will the story be marked as disputed.

Vizio Fails To Dodge Class Action Over Its Spying 'Smart' Televisions
Techdirt - Last month Vizio joined this not-so-distinguished club when it was discovered that the company's TVs had been spying on users for the last several years. Vizio's $2.2 million settlement with the FTC indicates that the company at no time thought it might be a good idea to inform customers this was happening…. And while Vizio may have settled the FTC investigation into its snooping televisions, the company now faces an additional class action after a California federal judge late last week denied the company's motion to dismiss. The court ruled that Vizio customers' claimed injuries were "sufficiently concrete" to bring suit under the Video Privacy Protection and Wiretap Acts…. U.S. District Court judge Josephine Staton also supported the lawsuit's claim of "highly offensive" conduct by Vizio by reiterating that the "Smart Interactivity" feature that did the spying was difficult to disable (impossible, initially), and was often reset after every Vizio firmware update…. So many of these companies wouldn't be facing settlements and lawsuits if they'd simply been transparent about what they were collecting in the first place.

Health

Study: Flu vaccine linked to increased risk of respiratory infections
(NaturalHealth365) Makers of the flu vaccine claim receiving it decreases the risk of getting sick due to the triggering of antibody development in the body. However, a Chinese study reveals quite the opposite. Researchers in Hong Kong have found that in addition to actually increasing the risk of flu, receiving the flu vaccine also raises the risk of getting a respiratory infection by 5.5 times. The study was published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Yoga and breathing better than drugs for lifting depression
What Doctors Don't Tell You - Yoga and deep breathing exercises twice a week can lift major depression. With antidepressant drugs failing in half of all cases, it's an effective alternative that really does work, say researchers. The exercises "significantly" reduce symptoms of chronic depression, researchers from Boston University Medical Centre discovered when they tested the approach on a group of people diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Some had never taken antidepressants, but others were still taking the drugs, even though they weren't helping. The patients were taught Iyengar yoga, which requires precise movements and breath control. Some had two sessions a week, and others had three, but both were also asked to continue doing yoga and breath control at home on the other days. Both groups reported a major lifting of their symptoms, although those who attended three lessons fared slightly better. Even so, two sessions had a big effect, and may be more realistic for people with busy lives, say the researchers. Yoga is a new way to treat depression, the researchers say, as it focuses on different neural pathways.

Pet News

Study That Found Endocrine Disruptors In Cats Raises Questions About Humans
Natural Blaze - A study from Stockholm University has now established what was previously suspected – that the high levels of brominated flame retardants measured in cats are from the dust in our homes. The study – published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology – shows that cats are exposed to chemicals found in electronics and furniture, chemicals that become dust and can adversely affect health. It is the first time that this connection has been verified. In a previous study, the researchers demonstrated that brominated flame retardants were found in higher concentrations in the blood of cats that had developed Feline hyperthyroidism (hyperthyroidism in cats) compared to healthy cats. Now, new measurements of healthy cats establish their dust exposure. Paired samples were taken from the same household, i.e. they took both dust samples and blood samples at the same time…. The researchers found not only those that are currently in use, but also chemicals that have been banned for decades.
 


Tuesday - March 7, 2017

On This Date In History:


1774 - The British closed the port of Boston to all commerce.
1850 - U.S. Senator Daniel Webster endorsed the Compromise of 1850 as a method of preserving the Union.
1854 - Charles Miller received a patent for the sewing machine.
1876 - Alexander Graham Bell received a patent (U.S. Patent No. 174,465) for his telephone.
1901 - It was announced that blacks had been found enslaved in parts of South Carolina.
1911 - In the wake of the Mexican Revolution, the U.S. sent 20,000 troops to the border of Mexico.
1927 - A Texas law that banned Negroes from voting was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.
1933 - The board game Monopoly was invented.
1936 - Hitler sent German troops into the Rhineland in violation of the Locarno Pact and the Treaty of Versailles.
1945 - During World War II, U.S. forces crossed the Rhine River at Remagen, Germany.
1965 - State troopers and a sheriff's posse broke up a march by civil rights demonstrators in Selma, AL.
1968 - The Battle of Saigon came to an end.
1971 - A thousand U.S. planes bombed Cambodia and Laos.
1975 - The U.S. Senate revised the filibuster rule. The new rule allowed 60 senators to limit debate instead of the previous two-thirds.
1985 - The first AIDS antibody test, an ELISA-type test, was released.
2002 - A federal judge awarded Anna Nicole Smith more than $88 million in damages. The ruling was the latest in a legal battle over the estate of Smith's late husband, J. Howard Marshall II.
2011 - Reversing course, President Barack Obama approved the resumption of military trials at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, ending a two-year ban.

World News

North Korea fires 4 'ballistic missiles' amid Seoul's joint drills with US
RT - Earlier, the Yonhap news agency reported that North Korea had fired a single “unidentified projectile” off the country’s east coast. After reviewing data, the South Korean military revised the count to four projectiles, Reuters reported. The military is trying to determine the type of rocket that was tested, but the South Korean agency has already cited an unnamed military official as saying it “could” have been an intercontinental ballistic missile “capable of reaching the US mainland.”…. Meanwhile, an anonymous US military official who spoke to Reuters, emphasized that there are no indications so far that North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile…. North Korea repeatedly has claimed its close to developing an intercontinental ballistic missile able to carry a nuclear warhead as far as the West Coast of the US. Despite frequent launch failures and absence of evidence, Pyongyang’s missiles were getting close to such a capability, with Washington following developments with concern.

US military bases in Japan ‘targeted in missile launch drill’ – N Korean state media
RT - yongyang says the missiles it fired toward Japan were part of an exercise targeting US military bases there. It comes as the White House said the deployment of the advanced THAAD anti-missile defense system to South Korea will guard it against the North. The test launches of four missiles, fired by North Korea into the Sea of Japan on Monday morning, were a drill carried out by an army unit commissioned with attacking US military bases in Japan, the country’s official news agency KCNA said Tuesday…. The launch was preceded by threats of retaliation to the US-South Korea military drills. Pyongyang views the exercises as a preparation of an attack on North Korea.

US armored personnel carriers deployed to Syria
Daily Mail - The United States has deployed a column of armored personnel carriers to the northern Syrian city of Manbij to support Kurdish troops in the area. The vehicles form part of a deployment of 500 US troops in Syria - many of whom are special forces - aimed at defeating ISIS. The US troops are supporting Kurdish PKK rebels who are heavily involve in the struggle to retake Raqqa, the ISIS capital…. However, the PKK are deemed a terrorist organisation by Turkey, who have also got troops deployed in the region. Besides the autonomous Kurdish-led forces, Turkish, Syrian government and Syrian opposition fighters have all been jostling for territory formerly held by ISIS group near the Turkish-Syrian frontier. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, led by the Syrian Kurdish PKK party, are the current front runners in the race to Raqqa, the ISIS capital. They are now stationed five miles north of the Euphrates River city and supported by coalition airstrikes and a deployment of some 500 US special forces operators. The Pentagon has said they are working in an advisory capacity.

U.S. Navy ship changes course after Iran vessels come close: U.S. official
Reuters - Multiple fast-attack vessels from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps came close to a U.S. Navy ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, forcing it to change direction, a U.S. official told Reuters on Monday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the boats came within 600 yards (meters) of the USNS Invincible, a tracking ship, and stopped. The Invincible and three ships from the British Royal Navy accompanying it had to change course. The official said attempts were made to communicate over radio, but there was no response and the interaction was "unsafe and unprofessional."

U.S. News, Politics & Government

President Trump Signs Revised Executive Order On Immigration
Western Journalism - The revised travel ban, which takes effect March 16, comes with a few notable changes designed to withstand potential legal challenges. Most notably, travelers from Iraq have been exempted from the 90-day ban. Only travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan and Yemen will be affected by the new order. Iraq was taken off the list “because we have received firm commitments from the government of Iraq about increased cooperation in terms of info sharing and other related activities,” a senior U.S. official told reporters before the executive order was signed…. Like the first order, Trump’s action temporarily suspends the U.S. refugee program for 120 days to give the government adequate time to put in place “extreme vetting” measures to prevent terrorists from entering the country. However, unlike the first order, Syrians refugees will no longer be indefinitely banned from entering the country. The new order also makes clear that green card holders and those with previously issued travel visas not be subject to the travel restrictions…. Another notable change in the revised order is the removal of immigration preferences to “religious minorities,” such as Christians who claim to be the target of persecution in Muslim-majority countries. The Trump administration has spent weeks coordinating with the State, Justice and Homeland Security departments in the aftermath of the original travel ban…. The revised order will take effect in 10 days, in an effort to give the federal government adequate time to prepare for the changes.
* Related: WATCH: President Trump Signs New Travel Ban Executive Order - Press Conference (Begins at the 6:00 minute mark)
* Related: Full text: Trump's revised ban on travel from Muslim-majority countries

Judge Rules Another Trump Immigration Order Unconstitutional
Breitbart - On Jan. 25, Trump issued EO 13768, concerning several other immigration issues, such as prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens. Regarding “sanctuary cities”—cities and counties that refuse to cooperate with federal authorities on deportations—Section 2(c) of the earlier EO requires federal agencies that such cities “that fail to comply with applicable Federal law do not receive Federal funds, except as mandated by law.”…. James Lacroix is an immigrant from Haiti who is in the United States under a special relief program after his country’s devastating 2010 earthquake. Since arriving, he has repeatedly driven without a license, which became a felony once he was labeled a habitual offender. So now he has been ordered deported after finishing his county jail time…. Judge Milton Hirsch ordered Lacroix granted the writ of habeas corpus and ordered Lacroix released, holding that EO 13768 unconstitutionally coerces Miami-Dade County in violation of the Tenth Amendment. Hirsch construed the Supreme Court’s 2011 case Bond v. United States as empowering Lacroix to raise the claim that EO 13768 exceeds congressional authority under the Constitution’s Spending Clause, and therefore violates the Tenth Amendment. The Supreme Court has previously only allowed states to make a coercion challenge against Congress…. While this claim could possibly be raised by a county or city as part of the state, nothing in Supreme Court precedent suggests that individual persons can raise the claim.

Judicial Watch Sues CIA, DOJ For Intel Leak Records: "President Trump Is On To Something"
Zero Hedge - Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the United States Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury regarding records related to the investigation of retired United States Army Lieutenant General Michel Flynn’s communications with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak…. Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit after the agencies failed to respond to a January 25, 2017, FOIA request…. In its complaint Judicial Watch asks the court to order the agencies to search for all records responsive to its FOIA requests and demonstrate that they employed reasonable search methods; order the agencies to produce by a specific date all non-exempt records and a Vaughn index of all withheld records; and instruct the agencies to cease withholding all non-exempt records…. “President Trump is on to something. The Obama-connected wiretapping and illegal leaks of classified material concerning President Trump and General Flynn are a scandal,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Judicial Watch aims to get to the truth about these crimes and we hope the Trump administration stands with us in the fight for transparency.”

Establishment Media Were Silent When Obama Adopted Defense Proposals From Pro-Soviet Think Tank
Breitbart - Amid the flurry of reports about the Trump administration and Russia – largely innuendo that has yielded no documented connections between the two sides – it may be instrumental to review the largely unknown history of how President Obama’s administration adopted defense budget recommendations co-authored by the Institute for Policy Studies, a radical organization known for its close associations with the Soviets during the Cold War. In fact, throughout the Cold War, the Institute for Policy Studies, or IPS, was repeatedly accused of holding pro-Soviet positions that undermined U.S. national security and serving as a de facto Soviet propaganda institution. Yet that same group co-authored and contributed to an annual report titled “Unified Security Budget for the United States,” an extensive yearly list of U.S. military defense spending recommendations compiled by progressive think tanks. The report seeks to re-balance the Defense Department to “strengthen our capacity to prevent and resolve conflict by non-military means,” according to one IPS description of the report.

Russian Hackers Are Blackmailing Liberal Groups
InvestmentWatch - The FBI and private security firms are in the process of investigating the hacking of Progressive Liberal Groups. At least a dozen groups have faced extortion attempts since the U.S. presidential election, said the people, who provided broad outlines of the campaign. The ransom demands are accompanied by samples of sensitive data in the hackers’ possession…. In one case, a non-profit group and a prominent liberal donor discussed how to use grant money to cover some costs for anti-Trump protesters…. It appears those who are being hacked are paying the ransom demands. In several different cases, the demands have ranged from about $30,000 to $150,000, payable in untraceable bitcoins…. Russian hacking group COZY BEAR, who was believed to have hacked the DNC is now under investigation, but the investigators say it is hard to pin down hacking groups. This group is still under investigation from the DNC hack, but it appears they have not been pinned down yet. The hackers are targeting liberals groups connected to the Clintons and Obamas.

Interior Secretary Repeals Another Obama-era Second Amendment Infringement
The New American - On his first day in office as secretary of the interior, newly minted Secretary Ryan Zinke issued Secretarial Order 3345 which “revokes Director’s Order 219,” effective immediately…. Director’s Order 219 was a parting shot issued by then-President Obama at the very end of his presidency that required the phasing out of the use of lead ammunition for hunting on Federal land…. This would ultimately have led to the banning altogether of traditional lead ammunition for dove and upland bird hunting. In the grand scheme of things this ban, and its repeal, scarcely rates a footnote. But its political importance is great, especially since it is the second such repeal the Trump administration has accomplished in just the last week. On February 28, the president repealed the so-called Social Security “gun ban” whereby certain beneficiaries would have had their Second Amendment rights arbitrarily revoked without the operation of due process. This move by Zinke confirms Trump’s determination to support the Second Amendment and nominate people who agree with him.

Video: Judge Napolitano: For First Time in Modern Era We Have President Who Is Adversary of Deep State
The GatewayPundit - Judge Napolitano explained that the last thing the Deep State wants is for a Congressional investigation of their powers. Judge Napolitano then added this: “The Deep State has a very wise and shrewd adversary, the man in the Oval Office. For the first time in the modern era the man in the Oval Office is an adversary of the Deep State and not a tool of it.

President Trump Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize; US Media Ignores
The GatewayPundit - President Donald Trump has been nominated for the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for his ‘peace through strength ideology’, according to a report by AFP. Trump’s nomination, which was reported last Thursday by foreign media, has been ignored by the American media. Excerpt from the Agence France-Presse article published last week. OSLO. – A near ­record 318 people and organisations are in the running for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, the Nobel Institute said on Thursday, the motley crew believed to include Syria’s White Helmets, Donald Trump and Pope Francis. The names of the nominees are kept secret for 50 years, but those entitled to nominate candidates – including lawmakers and government ministers, former laureates and some university professors – are free to reveal the name of the person or group they have nominated… The same goes for US President Donald Trump, nominated by an unidentified American who wants the US leader recognised for “his peace through strength ideology”… Nobel secretary regrets Obama peace prize… Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to US President Barack Obama in 2009 failed to achieve what the committee hoped it would, its ex-secretary has said. Geir Lundestad told the AP news agency that the committee hoped the award would strengthen Mr Obama. Instead, the decision was met with criticism in the US. Many argued he had not had any impact worthy of the award.

Democrat on FISA Last Week: 'More and More Americans Are Getting Swept Up in the Searches'
CNS News - “More and more Americans are getting swept up in these (FISA) searches,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) told Congress last week. “We are trying to legitimately go after foreign targets that are a threat to us. But as telecommunications systems become globally integrated, we’re getting more and more law-abiding citizens swept up.” Wyden was speaking at the confirmation hearing for former Sen. Dan Coates, nominated to serve as President Trump’s director of national security. At the same hearing, both Coates and Republican Sen. John Cornyn gave a spirited defense of the law that President Donald Trump now claims was used against him…. Cornyn said he doesn't want the debate over reauthorization of Section 702 [of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] to get “caught up in that same sort of hysteria where some people were worried that their own government was spying on them when that decidedly was untrue. But that’s history,” he added. (A week later, it is no longer history.)

CNN Airs 'Spy Cam' Footage Of Trump Oval Office Meeting As If It's Perfectly Acceptable
Zero Hedge - Over the weekend, CNN released 'spy cam' footage of a "fiery" meeting in the oval office and used it to report that an angry President Trump lashed out at his senior staff in an "expletive-laced" tirade over their "fumbling" of the Sessions recusal which he thought was premature and overshadowed his speech to Congress. Of course, while the mainstream media was all too eager to spread the word of more dysfunction in the Trump White House, no one seemed to care to ask the obvious question of why it is suddenly ok for CNN to be filming private, and potentially classified, meetings in the Oval Office. Moreover, if it is somehow permissible to film potentially classified meetings, which we can't imagine it is, we do wonder where all of CNN's footage is of Obama's oval office meetings? We're sure they "do not recall." Meanwhile, it's painfully obvious that CNN completely fabricated the narrative around the meeting as their own 'news' anchor even admits that their "anonymous" sources were not aware of what the meeting was even about. Moreover, since the meeting was 'closed door', it's difficult to understand how CNN's source could have possibly known Trump's demeanor and/or whether he used "a lot of expletives", as the story states, unless that source was actually in the meeting.

Economy & Business

"The Reality Is, Half Of Americans Can't Afford To Write A $500 Check"
Zero Hedge - The CEO of Assurant appeared on Bloomberg TV to explain why demand for his services is likely to increase: the chief executive of the mobile phone insurer said he expects a surge in demand as carriers charge customers more to replace their devices. He then proceeded to give Bloomberg his traditional sales pitch…. It is what he said next that caught our attention: “The reality is, half of Americans can’t afford to write a $500 check,” [Assurant CEO Alan] Colberg said. He spun that stunning statistic by saying that when US customers sign up for a cellular plan, they’re willing to buy protection in case “they lose that phone or something happens to it.”…. we decided to look into the CEO's claim about the woeful state of US finances. What we found is that according to a recent Bankrate survey of 1,000 adults, 57% of Americans don’t have enough cash to cover a mere $500 unexpected expense. Turns out the CEO was right…. The bottom line: About four out of 10 Americans said they had enough in savings to cover a surprise $500 expense. Another 21% said they would rely on a credit card, while 20% said they’d cut back on other expenses. Another 11% said they’d turn to family or friends for the money.

Arizona Challenges the Fed's Money Monopoly
The Ron Paul Institute - … this Wednesday the Arizona Senate Finance and Rules Committees will consider legislation (HB 2014) officially defining gold, silver, and other precious metals as legal tender. The bill also exempts transactions in precious metals from state capital gains taxes, thus ensuring that people are not punished by the taxman for rejecting Federal Reserve notes in favor of gold or silver. Since inflation increases the value of precious metals, these taxes give the government one more way to profit from the Federal Reserve’s currency debasement. HB 2014 is a very important and timely piece of legislation. The Federal Reserve’s failure to reignite the economy with record-low interest rates since the last crash is a sign that we may soon see the dollar’s collapse. It is therefore imperative that the law protect people’s right to use alternatives to what may soon be virtually worthless Federal Reserve notes. Passage of HB 2014 would also send a message to Congress and the Trump administration that the anti-Fed movement is growing in influence.

Pepsi Lays Off 20% Of Its Philadelphia Workers, Blames Soda Tax
Zero Hedge - …when Philadelphia became the first US city to pass a soda tax last summer, city officials were eagerly looking forward to the surplus-tax funded windfall to plug gaping budget deficits…. after the tax went into effect on January 1st we showed the tax applied in practice: a receipt for a 10 pack of flavored water carried a 51% beverage tax. And since PA has a sales tax of 6% and Philly already charges another 2%, the total sales tax was 8%. In other words, a purchase which until last year came to $6.47 had overnight become $9.75…. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, with sales slumping as much as 40% because of the new Philadelphia sweetened beverage tax, Pepsi said last week that it will lay off 80 to 100 workers at three distribution plants that serve the city. And since Pepsi employs 423 people in the city, it means that as much as 20% of its employees will be out of job due to a disastrous ordnance that was meant to provide additional municipal funding and instead will now lead to an increase in unemployment, coupled with a general decline in consumption, not to mention tax revenues for the city of Philadelphia.

Science & Technology

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) will begin using drones to allegedly respond to emergencies (Video)
MassPrivate I - According to an article in High Point Enterprise, DOT officials claim drones will be used to provide information during emergencies and could be used to reach dangerous locations. Does anyone really believe drones will only be used to keep DOT officials safe? Once one state DOT uses drones all the others will follow…. Approximately 30 seconds into the above video, the DOT admits drones will be used routinely. This is what's known as government doublespeak….

Energy & Environment

Electronic energy ‘Smart’ meters’ false readings almost six times higher than actual energy consumption
Science Bulletin - Some electronic energy meters can give false readings that are up to 582% higher than actual energy consumption. This emerged from a study carried out by the University of Twente (UT), in collaboration with the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS). Professor Frank Leferink of the UT estimates that potentially inaccurate meters have been installed in the meter cabinets of at least 750,000 Dutch households…. The greatest inaccuracies were seen when dimmers combined with energy saving light bulbs and LED bulbs were connected to the system. According to Mr Keyer (lecturer Electrical Engineering at the AUAS and PhD student at the UT) “OK, these were laboratory tests, but we deliberately avoided using exceptional conditions. For example, a dimmer and 50 bulbs, while an average household has 47 bulbs.”

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Amish Farmer Found Guilty of Mislabeling Products Not Approved by FDA – Faces Up to 48 Years in Prison
Health Impact News - A jury found Kentucky Amish farmer Sam Girod guilty last week of breaking FDA laws in mislabeling his home-made herbal salve product. His sentencing hearing will be on June 16 at 10am, and he reportedly faces up to 48 years in prison…. The officers of the court appeared nervous when the 32 court watchers filed into the court to hear the verdict, with a small overflow crowd in the hallway outside the small courtroom. We were repeatedly warned to maintain order, no matter what they verdict may be. They are apparently not too accustomed to having the public take any interest in these federal court cases, and they seemed to be anticipating a guilty verdict and an angry mob, even though most of the court watchers were Amish and none of the court watchers had demonstrated the slightest evidence of prior misconduct. The jury returned guilty verdicts on all 13 charges. Not only that, but they found Sam guilty of each separate part of each count, even when only one part would be needed to make Sam guilty of that count against him. The jury was polled and asked if the verdict as read represents their verdict in this case, and each answered, “Yes.”

Bird flu detected in chicken breeding facility in Tennessee
(AP) - A commercial chicken breeding facility in south-central Tennessee has been hit by a strain of bird flu, agriculture officials said Sunday. The state Agriculture Department said in a news release that tests confirmed the presence of the H7 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, at a facility in Lincoln County. The facility alerted the state veterinarian's office on Friday about an increase in chicken deaths. The statement did not name the facility. The facility and about 30 other poultry farms within about a six-mile radius of the site are under quarantine…. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said 73,500 chickens are in the facility's flock.
* Related: Britain detects bird flu on premises in eastern England

Health

97% of Terminal Cancer Patients Previously Had This Dental Procedure
REALfarmacy - There is a common dental procedure that nearly every dentist will tell you is completely safe, despite the fact that scientists have been warning of its dangers for more than 100 years. Every day in the United States alone, 41,000 of these dental procedures are performed on patients who believe they are safely and permanently fixing their problem. What is this dental procedure? The root canal. More than 25 million root canals are performed every year in this country. Root-canaled teeth are essentially “dead” teeth that can become silent incubators for highly toxic anaerobic bacteria that can, under certain conditions, make their way into your bloodstream to cause a number of serious medical conditions—many not appearing until decades later. Most of these toxic teeth feel and look fine for many years, which make their role in systemic disease even harder to trace back. Sadly, the vast majority of dentists are oblivious to the serious potential health risks they are exposing their patients to, risks that persist for the rest of their patients’ lives. The American Dental Association claims root canals have been proven safe, but they have NO published data or actual research to substantiate this claim.

Warning: Magnesium deficiency promotes age-related diseases
(NaturalHealth365) The majority of Americans have magnesium levels far below optimal – to the point that many natural health experts are classifying magnesium deficiency in the United States as an “epidemic.” And, while shortages of this essential mineral can damage health, the reverse – having ample levels of magnesium – pays major life-extending dividends. For example, higher levels of magnesium intake are associated with dramatically reduced rates of high blood pressure and heart disease – as well as fewer strokes, lower rates of kidney disease, better blood sugar control, healthier bones and teeth, and less risk of cognitive decline – all factors that can prevent degenerative diseases and prolong the quality of your life.


Monday - March 6, 2017

On This Date In History:

1820 - The Missouri Compromise was enacted by the U.S. Congress and signed by U.S. President James Monroe. The act admitted Missouri into the Union as a slave state, but prohibited slavery in the rest of the northern Louisiana Purchase territory.
1836 - The 13-day siege of the Alamo by Santa Anna and his army ended. The Mexican army of three thousand men defeated the 189 Texas volunteers.
1854 - At the Washington Monument, several men stole the Pope's Stone from the lapidarium.
1857 - The U.S. Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision ruled that blacks could not sue in federal court to be citizens.
1886 - "The Nightingale" was first published. It was the first magazine for nurses.
1899 - Bayer Aspirin was patented by German researchers Felix Hoffman and Hermann Dreser.
1907 - British creditors of the Dominican Republic claimed that the U.S. had failed to collect debts.
1944 - During World War II, U.S. heavy bombers began the first American raid on Berlin. Allied planes dropped 2000 tons of bombs.
1946 - Ho Chi Minh, the President of Vietnam, struck an agreement with France that recognized his country as an autonomous state within the Indochinese Federation and the French Union.
1960 - The United States announced that it would send 3,500 troops to Vietnam.
1967 - U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced his plan to establish a draft lottery.
1980 - Islamic militants in Tehran said that they would turn over American hostages to the Revolutionary Council.
1991 - In Paris, five men were jailed for plotting to smuggle Libyan arms to the Irish Republican Army.
1997 - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II launched the first official royal Web site.
1998 - A Connecticut state lottery accountant gunned down three supervisors and the lottery chief before killing himself.
2007 - Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was convicted of lying and obstructing an investigation into the 2003 leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity.

World News

Pentagon plan to seize Raqqa calls for significant increase in U.S. participation
Washington Post - A Pentagon plan for the coming assault on Raqqa, the Islamic State capital in Syria, calls for significant U.S. military participation, including increased Special Operations forces, attack helicopters and artillery, and arms supplies to the main Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighting force on the ground, according to U.S. officials. The military’s favored option among several variations currently under White House review, the proposal would ease a number of restrictions on U.S. activities imposed during the Obama administration. Officials involved in the planning have proposed lifting a cap on the size of the U.S. military contingent in Syria, currently numbering about 500 Special Operations trainers and advisers to the combined Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF. While the Americans would not be directly involved in ground combat, the proposal would allow them to work closer to the front line and would delegate more decision-making authority down the military line from Washington…. Approval of the Raqqa plan would effectively shut the door on Turkey’s demands that Syrian Kurds, considered terrorists by Ankara, be denied U.S. equipment and kept out of the upcoming offensive.

An Unprecedented Number of U.S. Drone and Air Strikes Are Hitting Yemen
The AntiMedia - In an unprecedented intensification of America’s counter-terrorism operations in Yemen, the US has confirmed it carried out 20 strikes across three central provinces. The strikes, which were carried out in the early morning, targeted fighters from the regional arm of al Qaeda, known as AQAP… according to a press release from the US Department of Defense…. The latest strikes are a considerable increase in military activity in Yemen. The bombardment is a break from the steady pace of strikes in recent years, with the US carrying out an average of three strikes per month last year and never going above two strikes in a single day. The US was routinely conducting multiple strikes a day in 2012 during its efforts to expel AQAP from its stronghold in Abyan province…. But even then, the highest number of confirmed strikes on a single day at any point of the Abyan offensive was four.

EU lawmakers vote to scrap visa-free travel for Americans to Europe
RT - The resolution, passed by a show of hands, demands equal treatment and reciprocity for all EU citizens from Washington as the US continues to refuse visa-free access to people from Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Romania, along with Cyprus. Other 23 EU member states can enter the US using the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP)…. The violation of VWP was first reported in April 2014, when the European Commission was notified that five countries, including the US, were not meeting their obligations to allow all EU nationals visa-free entry. American nationals, however, are still allowed to enter the EU without obtaining a visa. Brussels notified Washington of the violation on April 12, 2014, and gave the US a choice to amend the practice within 24 months. As of now, the restrictions by the Americans are still in place…. Prior to Thursday’s vote, the European Travel Commission (ETC) warned that placing visa restrictions on America will have a negative impact on the EU’s economy.

Canadian Border Patrol Union Says Border Like 'Swiss Cheese'
The Daily Caller - Just a day after Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale gave a thumbs-up to border security “enforcing the law,” the president of the union representing border officers said the border is like “Swiss cheese” and that the federal government is misrepresenting the numbers of illegals getting through. Jean-Pierre Fortin, president of the Canadian Customs and Immigration Union, said his members are passing on figures that are inconsistent with the ones the immigration officials are releasing — “they’re higher.”…. He is advocating the creation of a 300-person team that would be designated to patrol the areas between official border crossings — where most of the illegals are getting in. Fortin also wants the federal government to bring back 1,053 jobs that have been phased out over the last five years because he says the border guards are understaffed. Fortune said that border security officers are prohibited from stopping anyone who crosses the border illegally. They have to first call in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who may decide to arrest the fugitives. “We’re not even allowed to chase them,” Fortin said.”

We can't see inside Fukushima Daiichi because all our robots keep dying
ExtremeTech - … Tepco has admitted that repeated robot failure is hampering its plan to search the bottom of the reactor, and find the estimated 600 tons of fuel and debris that may have poured out of the reactor and into the concrete lining below it. Initial attempts to see into Reactor #2 via robotic probe have all failed. We’ve only been able to estimate contamination levels by checking the amount of interference in the video feed the robot relays. The new hardened robot built by Toshiba and meant to give Tepco a much-improved ability to survey the damage reactor died 5x faster than expected and stalled 10 feet from the grate it needed to inspect…. Tepco continues to insist it can meet a 2021 goal of beginning actual site clean-up. This will require enormous investments in the field of robotics and may require the company to create entirely new designs to ensure their hardware doesn’t die in a matter of minutes. If the company’s survey robots keep dying, how are they going to field robots that can cut and gather the nuclear fuel that melted into concrete?

Slow-Motion Disaster Movie Unfolding Before Our Eyes
All News Pipeline - According to Professor Emeritus Charles Perrow (from Yale University of all places) and a Stanford U visiting professor, there is no way that what we're now witnessing in the Pacific Ocean is going to be stopped - in fact, the invisible, tasteless, poison that has been gushing into the Pacific Ocean for nearly 6 years now is only getting worse we've learned in recent weeks. From Professor Perrow: Could I just make an observation that’s been missing from this interesting discussion? Fukushima accident is not over – not by any means… The cancer rate in Japan is going to rise steadily. It’s going to be denied by the government because there’s no transparency on this issue in Japan. There’s a particular example of the problem that intrigues me is when they put the plant in, they not only dug it out so it’d be closer to the water source – the sea – but they put it where there was a river flowing underneath that area. They went up the hill and they diverted the river so that it flowed down on the sides of the large area there and that was no problem. They never anticipated an earthquake could wreck their diversion. So now we have a strong underground river flowing directly under the plant where three huge globs of molten fuel are sitting on the bottom, giving off radiation, and sending that radiation into the water through the river that’s underneath the plant. And it’s going out into the ocean and we’re seeing damage in the marine life in the West Coast of the U.S. and British Columbia. There’s no way that’s going to be stopped, until they get the molten cores out of there, and they have no way — that they know of — of doing that. Nobody has any idea what to do about the continuing Fukushima contamination.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Senators warn: FBI, other agencies work in buildings owned by China
Washington Examiner - Federal officials are putting sensitive materials in foreign-owned buildings, making them vulnerable to cyberattack and espionage, senators warned Friday. Their alarm bells were set off by a report that said the General Services Administration has been placing FBI agents and other "high-security" government officials in buildings owned by foreign entities in China and other countries. The GSA didn't tell the tenants, according to the government report, so the officials aren't taking addition security precautions…. The foreign-owned buildings have national security and privacy implications, as they house agencies ranging from FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency field offices to a Social Security Administration office in Seattle, Wash. Even the U.S. Secret Service rents space from companies based in Germany and China, according to the Government Accountability Office, which is the research arm of Congress.

Congress to probe Donald Trump's explosive claims Barack Obama wiretapped him
The Telegraph - The call for a congressional investigation was the latest high stakes salvo from Mr. Trump, who has alleged that he was the victim of a dirty tricks campaign akin to Watergate. His move came a day after the president claimed his predecessor ordered a wiretap of the phones at Trump Tower in New York, Mr. Trump’s campaign headquarters. Mr. Obama has said the allegations were "simply false". His former intelligence chief also "absolutely denied" the claims. But Mr. Trump told a friend: "This will be investigated, it will all come out. I will be proven right."…. Mr Trump offered no evidence and is believed to have based the claims, made in a series of tweets on Sunday, on press reports. Those reports suggested the FBI had a warrant from a secret court to carry out electronic surveillance at Trump Tower. Press reports stretching back to November suggested the FBI obtained a warrant under the Foreign Surveillance Act (FISA) to conduct electronic surveillance at Trump Tower towards the end of the election. The agency was looking into possible communications between a Trump Organization computer server and Alfa Bank, a Russian bank. The FBI did investigate but concluded the communications were innocuous.
* Related: Watch: Mark Levin Breaks Down Obama’s Wiretapping of President Trump

NYTimes Flashback: Obama May Have Spied on Trump; Reports Sent to White House of Wiretaps on Trump Associates
The GatewayPundit - Less than two months ago, the day before the inauguration of Donald Trump as president, the New York Times reported the possibility that the Obama administration was spying on Trump. The Times report also said that three Trump associates were being spied on by the Obama administration and that reports on the wiretaps were delivered to the Obama White House.
* Related: Hillary Was Tipped Off On Trump Wiretap – Tweeted About it One Week Prior to Election
* Related: Lewandowski: Obama Bugged Senator Sessions While He Was STILL SENATOR Last Year (Video)

Wikileaks Destroys Obama – Reveals His History Of Wiretapping Friends and Rivals
The GatewayPundit - Obamagate is gaining traction. Wikileaks revealed documents proving that Obama has a history of wiretapping and hacking friends and foes. In one particular Wikileaks document, Obama bugged a meeting between UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. Obama also intercepted a call between then French president, Sarkozy and Merkel…. This is why Obama wanted Hillary to win the election. It’s not because he likes Hillary. He knew all of his crimes would come to light. Read the Wikileaks report in full here.

10 Arrested in Berkeley, Elderly Man Assaulted Following Violent Anti-Trump Protest
Breitbart - “A total of 10 people were arrested, including five for battery, four for assault with a deadly weapon and one for resisting arrest,” reported The Marin Independent Journal on Saturday. “Police reported items confiscated among the combatants were: ‘metal pipes, bats, 2x4s and pieces of wood. A group with bricks was detained, and their bricks confiscated.'” “Some anti-Trump protesters threw things at Trump supporters. Berkeley police made occasional forays into the crowd, but mostly held back,” they continued. “Protesters spilled out into Martin Luther King Junior Way and were fighting in the middle of the street, and there were people punching each other on the sidewalks. Some people had bloody faces. One pro-Trump supporter was apparently sprayed in the face with Mace.” Several attendees complained about the lack of intervention by police officers, a complaint that was also common during the anti-Milo Berkeley riot last month.

Trump demands an ‘investigation’ of Pelosi for ‘lying’ after photo reveals she met the Russian ambassador too – after saying she hadn’t hours before
Daily Mail - It wasn’t immediately clear if the president was serious in his call for an investigation of his rivals. At the moment, it is his administration’s own contacts with Russia, and Russia’s alleged election hacking, that is the subject of investigations by the FBI and the House and Senate intelligence committees. ‘I hereby demand a second investigation, after Schumer, of Pelosi for her close ties to Russia, and lying about it,’ Trump tweeted Friday afternoon. Earlier, Trump went after Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer after a photo surfaced of Schumer and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2003. The two pols were enjoying donuts during an event for the opening of a Russian-owned gas station in Manhattan.

Illegals Cut 9,287 Holes in Obama-Era Border Fence
CNS News - Only 654 miles of the 1,954-mile-long U.S.-Mexico border currently have any type of fencing, according to GAO. The other 1,300 miles of border have no fencing. Of the 654 miles of fencing, 354 miles consists of what the Department of Homeland Security calls “pedestrian” fencing. The other 300 miles is “vehicle” fencing…. “Between fiscal years 2010 and 2015, CBP recorded a total of 9,287 breaches in pedestrian fencing,” says the report. “According to our analysis of these data, illegal entrants breached legacy pedestrian fencing at an average rate of 82 breaches per fence mile, compared to an average of 14 breaches per fence mile of modern pedestrian fencing.” The report refers to any fencing constructed from surplus Vietnam War-era landing mats or fencing designs used before Congress enacted the Secure Fence Act in 2006 as “legacy” fencing. It refers to fencing designs developed after the Secure Fence Act as “modern” fencing…. The 9,287 holes that were cut in the border fencing from fiscal 2010 to fiscal 2015 equals an average of about 4.2 holes per day.

Schumer's plan to stop the wall
AXIOS - Chuck Schumer has concluded that denying President Trump his wall is perhaps the surest major defeat Democrats can hand the President in his first year. Trump needs 60 Senate votes to fund construction of his "great wall" along the Southern border. Unlike healthcare or tax reform, Republicans can't use the budget process to ram the wall funding through Congress using only Republican votes. Schumer's thinking: There's nothing the Republicans would be willing to offer that could get Trump the eight Democratic Senators he needs to fund the wall. Mitch McConnell's only other option would be to invoke the nuclear option and bypass the filibuster. But Democratic appropriators are betting the Republican leader won't be willing to undermine such a fundamental Senate tradition just to pay for Trump's wall. The evolving plan, being discussed by Schumer's office and Senate appropriators: If Republicans put money for the wall into a bill, Democrats block it. It doesn't matter what else is in the bill — Schumer will make it about the wall.

TSA Launches "Invasive" Pat-Downs With "More Intimate Contact Than Before"
Zero Hedge - As a result of a study, which found that weapons routinely make it past airport security, the TSA is introducing “more rigorous” and “comprehensive” physical inspections at airports around the country, according to Bloomberg. The security agency, which until now had the option of using five different types of physical pat-downs in the screening line, is eliminating the "options" and replacing them with a single, universal method which would involve heavier groping…. The shift from the previous, risk-based assessment on which pat-down procedure an officer should apply was phased in over the past two weeks after tests at smaller airports…. The new policy will also apply to pilots and flight attendants, classified as “known crewmembers” who generally receive less scrutiny at checkpoints…. Anyone who declines use of the TSA's existing conventional scanner screen will be subject to the new pat-down…. The agency doesn’t track how many passengers are subject to pat-down searches after they pass through an imaging scanner…. The TSA has been criticized in recent years for its overall screening techniques after an internal investigation by Homeland Security in 2015 found that the TSA failed an unbelievable 95 percent of airport security tests, allowing undercover agents to successfully and repeatedly smuggle mock explosives and banned weapons through checkpoints in the country’s busiest airports.

Rancher Ordered To Pay $500,000 For Grazing On Federal Land
The Daily Caller - A U.S. federal court ordered a rancher to pay $587,000 in grazing fees accrued more than ten years ago, and has banned the rancher from using the federal land. Wayne Hage, who inherited the fight with the federal government from his father who died in 2006, said he will appeal the fine and the order that prevents him from grazing livestock on U.S. Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management property, the Associated Press reported Thursday. The government contends that Hage’s grazing activities amounted to trespassing on federal land and grazing without a permit, but Hage says his family has priority stock watering rights on the land that should be honored…. Hage’s father was entangled with the government when federal authorities impounded his cattle after he allegedly violated grazing agreements in 1991, a decade after the infamous Sagebrush Rebellion movement that advocated restoring federal property to private owners. During the past quarter-century, the Hage family has taken the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service to court many times over federal agencies taking his property and his water rights. His father even had a criminal charge overturned by a court levied against him by the Forest Service for “cleaning out brush from a ditch with hand tools.”

Economy & Business

Federal Insurance Agency Backing Union Pensions Facing Crisis Itself
The New American - In 2015, the agency [Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation / PBGC] paid out $5.6 billion in benefits to participants of failed single-employer pension plans and another $103 million to failed multi-employer pension plans. But that latter number is likely going to be much larger very soon. At the moment the PBGC has $88 billion in assets to cover $164 billion in obligations, and that was calculated before Teamsters 707 went bust. As the New York Daily News put it: “The clock is ticking for [another] 71 penniless union pension plans.” If the PBGC goes broke, then its backup promises would be, for all practical purposes, worthless: The average check it is sending out to retirees of failed pension plans is currently $570 a month. If the PBGC runs out of money, it will be forced to rely solely on the fees it charges to those pension plans it insures, forcing them to reduce those monthly checks further to an estimated $114 a month. PBGC is looking to Congress for assistance. It cannot raise its fees without permission. But the shortfall is so vast that it’s very likely that raising the fees from a steadily dwindling number of pension plans that are still viable will not even come close to covering its obligations.

Energy & Environment

San Francisco and Oklahoma top the Earthquake risk map
Daily Mail Online - In its annual national earthquake outlook , the U.S. Geological Survey reported Wednesday that a large portion of Oklahoma and parts of central California have the highest risk for a damaging quakes this year: between 5 and 12 percent…. Seismologists say Oklahoma's problem is triggered by underground injections of huge volumes of wastewater from oil and gas drilling…. USGS seismic hazard chief Mark Petersen says Oklahoma's recent regulation wastewater injection is starting to work, so scientists slightly reduced Oklahoma's risk this year…. From 1980 to 2000, Oklahoma averaged only two earthquakes a year of magnitude 2.7 or higher. That number jumped to about 2,500 in 2014 then to 4,000 in 2015 as the use of an oil and gas production technique that uses millions of gallons of water boomed. It dropped to 2,500 last year, after Oklahoma restricted volume of wastewater injections, according to the study. Petersen said he expects shaking to be perhaps slightly less than last year's 2,500, with the highest risk area shifting a bit north and east in the state.

Science & Technology

Data Collected From Utility Smart Meters Should Be Protected By The Fourth Amendment
Techdirt - … last fall, a federal district court in Illinois declared that Americans can't reasonably expect any privacy in the data collected by these devices, and utility collection of it is completely beyond the protection of the Fourth Amendment. That case is currently on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. And the EFF {Electronic Frontier Foundation] and Privacy International have asked the Seventh Circuit if they can weigh in on the case. In a blog post, the EFF points out that the court's decision was based on a misunderstanding of how the technology actually works. Basically, the court assumed that these new meters work in exactly the same way as their older counterparts, ignoring the significantly-expanded data collected: "The court was convinced that data collected from smart meters is no different from data collected from analog meters, in terms of what it reveals about what’s going on inside the home…. Smart meters not only produce far more data than analog meters - those set at collecting data in 15-minute intervals produce 2,880 meter readings per month compared to just one monthly reading for analog meters - but the data is also far more intimate….”…. As we've seen with cellular location data, once companies collect this information, it's often sold to any number of third parties who may be using this data in ways that aren't always in your best interests.

Cellphone Radiation Exposure Fact Sheet Draft Released By California Health Officials
(CBS SF) - The previously unpublished document was released this week after a judge indicated she would order the documents be disclosed in the case Moskowitz v. CDPH…. Among the information in the document, which is titled simply, Cell Phones and Health, are summaries of scientific studies that suggest long-term cellphone use may increase the risk of brain cancer, among other health problems…. In the draft fact sheet, state health officials list their recommendations for members of the public who wish to reduce their exposure to the radiation emitted from cellphones, but state that as more studies are done the recommendations on the fact sheet may change. Health officials’ overall recommendation is to “increase the distance between you and your phone” by using a headset, the speaker phone function and text messaging. Health officials recommend not sleeping near your phone and not carry it in your pocket or directly on your body, unless it is off. The fact sheet also states that “EMFs can pass deeper into a child’s brain than and adult’s” so suggests parents limit their child’s cellphone use to texting, important call and emergencies.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Indian state will pay farmers to go 100% organic and GMO-free
(Natural News) Just over two years ago, in September 2014, the Indian Government launched their revolutionary Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (National Agriculture Development Program) as a way to encourage organic farming, and decrease dependence on chemical agents. In January 2015, the state of Sikkim was declared as the country’s first 100 percent organic state. Sikkim produces 800,000 tons of organic produce that’s free of harmful pesticides, chemical fertilizers and toxic GMOs — accounting for roughly 65 percent of India’s total organic produce yields…. Under this new plan, farmers can receive significant assistance from the government when it comes to obtaining organic agricultural inputs, such as organic fertilizers and bio-pesticides. Up to 50 percent of the tab will picked up by the state government, but there will be some limitations. AnonHQ explains that these benefits will be limited to 10,000 Indian Rupees (INR) per hectare with a maximum of up to two hectares , or INR 20,000 per beneficiary for all categories of farmers on the use of organic inputs. Farmers with plots as small as 0.1 hectare will be considered eligible for the program — which will also help to keep the tradition of small-scale indigenous farming alive and well.

Health

The 7 most dangerous vaccines injected into humans and exactly why they cause more harm than good
(Natural News) #1. Gardasil HPV – First we have sodium borate at 35mcg. Also known as “borax,” this is the main poisonous ingredient in boric acid that’s used to kill cockroaches…. Did you know that anything imported into the European Union that contains borax must carry a warning label stating, “May damage fertility” and “May damage the unborn child.” This is what America “recommends” for preteen and teenage girls who are just reaching the age of fertility. Unbelievable! Then, Gardasil HPV contains aluminum at 225mcg, which causes nerve cell death and helps the vaccine chemicals enter the brain. Let’s not forget that Gardasil HPV contains polysorbate 80 at 50mcg. Polysorbate 80 is used as an emulsifier in foods, but when injected into animals (such as humans), causes rapid, unnatural growth of reproductive organs, causing sterility…. #2. Anthrax vaccine (biothrax) – The dreaded anthrax jab contains aluminum hydroxide, formaldehyde (yes, embalming fluid for the dead), and benzethonium chloride. In 2009, a study published in the Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry stated that aluminum hydroxide could be the primary cause of Gulf War Syndrome….

PA Senate Bill SB 217 Takes Away Parents’ Right To Object To Child Vaccinations
Natural Blaze - Pennsylvanians are facing a horrendous loss of freedom of healthcare choices together with interference in their constitutional rights relative to valid informed consent and the right to self-determination regarding vaccines/vaccinations, plus the deliberate and mandatory imposition of fraudulent vaccine information regarding pseudoscience in vaccinology from the unfortunate introduction of SB 217 in the current legislative session [2017-18] by four Pennsylvania Senators. Pennsylvania State Senators Daylin Leach (D-17), Lawrence D Farnese (D-1), Sharif Street (D-3) and Bob Mensch (R-24) introduced into the Harrisburg bill hopper, a draconian bill similar to California’s SB 277, which would deny an individual child and parents their rights to refuse neurotoxic vaccines/vaccinations. SB 217 amends P.L.30, No.14 known as the Public School Code of 1949 as follows: Section 1303. Immunization Required; Penalty. (e) Notwithstanding any rule or regulation to the contrary, a strong moral or ethical conviction similar to a religious belief may not qualify as an exemption from the immunization requirements of this section. [CJF emphasis added] Once passed, the law would go into effect in 60 days!

Pet News

Video: Why Are These Turkeys Doing This?
Gizmodo - If you’re interested in attending a Thanksgiving seance, one Twitter user has filmed the creepiest bird video you’ll see today: a gang of turkeys circling clockwise around a seemingly dead cat. It’s definitely not the first time someone’s filmed a turkey circling something: Someone caught this turkey circling a headstone in Cape Cod, Massachusetts back in 2013. But this situation certainly looks sinister…. “I can’t say I’ve heard of something like this before,” Debra Kriensky, a conservation biologist at NYC Audubon, told Gizmodo. “They’re omnivores but pretty much eat nuts and seeds and fruits, so certainly they wouldn’t be interested in eating [the cat].” She thought they were just checking out the weird new thing. Another biologist agreed. “They’re just making sure that it’s no longer a threat,” Mark Hatfield, wildlife biologist at the National Wild Turkey Federation told Gizmodo. “It’s more of a curiosity type of thing. Turkeys are very basic.”
 



Friday - March 3, 2017

On This Date In History:

1791 - The U.S. Congress passed a resolution that created the U.S. Mint.
1803 - The first impeachment trial of a U.S. Judge, John Pickering, began.
1812 - The U.S. Congress passed the first foreign aid bill.
1845 - Florida became the 27th U.S. state.
1845 - The U.S. Congress passed legislation overriding a U.S. President’s veto. It was the first time the Congress had achieved this.
1845 - An Act of Congress established uniform postal rates throughout the nation. The act went into effect on July 1, 1845.
1849 - The Gold Coinage Act was passed by the U.S. Congress. It allowed the minting of gold coins.
1849 - The U.S. Congress created the territory of Minnesota.
1851 - The U.S. Congress authorized the 3-cent piece. It was the smallest U.S. silver coin.
1885 - The American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) was incorporated in New York as a subsidiary of the American Bell Telephone Company.
1885 - The U.S. Post Office began offering special delivery for first-class mail..
1910 - In New York, Robert Forest founded the National Housing Association to fight deteriorating urban living conditions.
1923 - The first issue of Time magazine was published.
1931 - The "Star Spangled Banner," written by Francis Scott Key, was adopted as the American national anthem. The song was originally a poem known as "Defense of Fort McHenry."
1969 - Sirhan Sirhan testified in a Los Angeles court that he killed Robert Kennedy.
1973 - Japan disclosed its first defense plan since World War II.
1991 - Rodney King was severely beaten by Los Angeles police officers. The scene was captured on amateur video. (California)
1995 - A U.N. peacekeeping mission in Somalia ended. Several gunmen were killed by U.S. Marines in Mogadishu while overseeing the pull out of peacekeepers.
2002 - Voters in Switzerland approved joining the United Nations, abandoning almost 200 years of formal neutrality.

World News

Syrian Army recaptures Palmyra, aided by Russian Air Force – Kremlin
RT - The Syrian military, backed by the Russian Air Force, has completed its operation to liberate the key city of Palmyra from militants, Kremlin has announced. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has reported to the commander-in-chief, President Vladimir Putin, that the historic city in Syria’s Homs province has been liberated, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.,,, The head of Russia’s upper house Committee for International Relations, Konstantin Kosachev, has called Palmyra the symbol of the Syrian people’s tragedy and their liberation from the terrorists. “The retaking of Palmyra is a powerful symbol of liberation of Syria from the terrorist disease, the return of the country to normal life,” Kosachev is cited as saying by TASS.

‘Fake News’: BBC, AFP, Google, Facebook Collude to Tell Voters ‘Who to Trust’ in French Election
Breitbart - Google and Facebook will be working with the mainstream media to tell voters “what and who to trust”, including “memes, comment threads and news sites”, in the lead up to the French elections. The two Tech giants, who have been accused of a “liberal bias”, will set up the “coalition news verification project” with 37 French and international media outlets including the BBC, AFP (Agence France-Presse), and BuzzFeed News. On an official blog post, Google claimed “CrowdTangle” had been set up “with a goal of helping the French electorate make sense of what and who to trust in their social media feeds, web searches and general online news consumption in the coming months…” The first round of the French presidential election is due to be held in April, and polls suggest right wing populist Marine Le Pen could come out on top.

Ambassador: Mexico Will Take Mexican Deportees, But Not Others
PJ Media - In an exclusive interview, Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Carlos M. Sada said the Mexican government would take back Mexicans who are deported from the United States but emphasized that the Mexican government would refuse to reimburse the U.S. for the construction of a border wall.

Video: Blowout (British Airways Flight 5390)
British Airways Flight 5390 was a scheduled passenger flight operated by British Airways between Birmingham Airport in England and Málaga Airport in Spain. On 10 June 1990 an improperly installed panel of the windscreen failed, blowing the plane's captain, Tim Lancaster, halfway out of the aircraft. With Lancaster's

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Donald Trump Vows Renewed Expansion of Navy, Calls for Twelve Carrier Fleet
Breitbart - President Donald Trump visited the soon-to-be commissioned U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier in Newport News, Virginia, promising to restore the greatness of the American Navy. “I just spoke with Navy and industry leaders and discussed my plans to undertake a major expansion of our entire Navy fleet, including having the 12-carrier Navy we need,” he said during remarks on the ship.

Sessions Removes Himself From Russia Probes Over Envoy
Bloomberg - Attorney General Jeff Sessions removed himself from investigations into Russian interference in American politics and contacts with associates of President Donald Trump, after the Justice Department acknowledged he had contacts with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 campaign. “I have decided to recuse myself from any existing or future investigations of any matters related in any way to the campaigns for president of the United States,” Sessions said Thursday in a written statement as he opened a press conference in Washington. The move comes after the Justice Department confirmed Wednesday that Sessions spoke twice last year with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak while serving as a prominent supporter and adviser to Trump’s presidential campaign. Sessions testified during his Senate confirmation hearing Jan. 10 that “I did not have communications with the Russians.” In removing himself, Sessions put acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente in charge of leading any election-related investigation.

7 Reasons the Jeff Sessions Witch Hunt Is Ridiculous
Breitbart - The Democrats and their media are making a big push to portray Attorney General Jeff Sessions as a Russian agent, or at least catch him in a perjury trap, because they had to talk about something other than President Trump’s address to Congress until the weekend news cycle kicks in. Here are some reasons the Sessions witch hunt is ridiculous…

Exclusive–Manchin: Calls for AG Jeff Sessions to Resign ‘Premature’
Breitbart - The only Democrat to vote to confirm Attorney General Jeff Sessions told Breitbart News Thursday calls by Senate Minority Leaders Sen. Charles Schumer (D.-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi D.-Calif.) for Sessions to resign are premature. “From my end, until I see the facts, anything and everything is premature until you see the facts–and that is what I am looking for,” said Sen.Joe Manchin (D.-W.V.), who said he had not spoken to Schumer about this issue…. Manchin said as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, like Sessions at the time of his meetings, he met with Kislyak, but never by himself. “I met with the Russian ambassador with other senators with the Armed Services Committee,” he said. “As I recall, a lot of that was about NSAS and space and improving the working environment, because we are using Russian rock bets, so there are a lot of conversations with a lot of ambassadors–we all do.”
* Related: Russian Embassy in DC Says It Has ‘Daily’ Contacts with Local Politicians

Right On Cue, Soros-Financed MoveOn.Org Holds DC Protest Demanding Sessions’ Resignation
Breitbart - Right on cue, the George Soros-financed MoveOn.org progressive activist group on Thursday organized a protest outside the U.S. Department of Justice building calling for the resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The protest was organized fairly quickly. It was held mere hours after reports surfaced that Sessions held two conversations with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. while he was Alabama’s senator and served on the Armed Services Committee. Sessions maintains that the conversations did not concern the 2016 presidential campaign.

Valerie Jarrett Moves In With Obamas In DC "To Lead The Fight & Strategy To Topple Trump"
Zero Hedge - It appears Barack Obama is building his team, as The Daily Mail reports, he is turning his new home in the posh Kalorama section of the nation's capital - just two miles away from the White House - into the nerve center of the mounting insurgency against his successor, President Donald J. Trump. Obama's goal, according to a close family friend, is to oust Trump from the presidency either by forcing his resignation or through his impeachment. And Obama is being aided in his political crusade by his longtime consigliere, Valerie Jarrett, who has moved into the 8,200-square-foot, $5.3-million Kaloroma mansion with the former president and Michelle Obama, long time best friends. Jarrett played a vital - if at times low-key - role in the Obama presidency. She lived in the White House, dined with the Obamas, and help shape his domestic and foreign policies.

GOP wants to eliminate shadowy DOJ slush fund bankrolling leftist groups
Fox News - The Obama administration funneled billions of dollars to activist organizations through a Department of Justice slush fund scheme, according to congressional investigators. “It’s clear partisan politics played a role in the illicit actions that were made,” Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, told Fox News. “The DOJ is the last place this should have occurred.” Findings spearheaded by the House Judiciary Committee point to a process shrouded in secrecy whereby monies were distributed to a labyrinth of nonprofit organizations involved with grass-roots activism. “Advocates for big government and progressive power are using the Justice Department to extort money from corporations,” Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton told Fox News. “It’s a shakedown. It’s corrupt, pure and simple.” There is a recent effort by Republicans to eliminate the practice, which many believe was widely abused during the Obama administration.

CBS Poll: Trump Speech Scores 76% Approval Rating
The GatewayPundit - President Trump did not just deliver a good speech on Tuesday night. Americans thought it was outstanding! 76% of viewers liked President Trump’s speech. 48 million Americans watched President Trump’s speech.

Bill O’Reilly: I’ve Never Seen an Ideology Collapse Like Democrat Party Today (Video)
The GatewayPundit - Bill O’Reilly: My theory is that critical mass has been reached by the far left in this country. And that they are doing damage to their own legacy and to the Democrat Party at a rate I’ve never seen in my lifetime. I’ve never seen an ideology collapse the way it’s collapsed.

Some Texas Schools Ban ‘Suspension’ for Youngest Students
Breitbart - Monday night, the board of trustees for the Austin Independent School District voted unanimously to revise their disciplinary practices so that “no elementary student prior to third grade shall be home suspended, placed into a disciplinary alternative education program (DAEP), or expelled.”… This new policy goes into effect next year and applies to all pre-K through second grade students, except when otherwise required by law.

Election News

IT BEGINS: ‘Hillary for Mayor’ signs appearing around NYC
American Mirror - No, Hillary Clinton is not going away. Someone is making “Hillary for Mayor” signs and plastering them around New York City, several photos posted on Twitter show…. It’s not clear who’s posting the signs to create a pro-Hillary buzz. But a January poll found Clinton would trounce Mayor Bill de Blasio in a hypothetical match up.

Science & Technology

Oldest-ever fossils show life existed on Earth at its infancy - study
RT - Ancient fossils discovered in Canada are “direct evidence” that life existed on Earth 4 billion years ago, scientists wrote in a newly-released study, believing the emergence of life could be simple enough to begin on other planets. Researchers believe the microfossils – discovered in Canada's Nuvvuagittuq Supracrustal Belt, which hosts some of the oldest sedimentary rocks known on Earth – are between 3.77 billion and 4.29 billion years old. The discovery has led scientists to believe that life was present during the infancy of the planet, which is thought to be around 4.57 billion years old. If the dating is accurate, it would represent an “almost instantaneous emergence of life” after ocean formation, lead author Matthew Dodd said, as quoted by Reuters.

Energy & Environment

DELINGPOLE: Bread Causes Global Warming Shock!
Breitbart - Bread is killing the planet, a shock study from an environmental research group at a leading university has found…. What does a staple food such as bread have to do with global warming? For a start, to make loaves on an industrial scale, you’ll need powerful milling and kneading machines and a huge oven, heated to 230? or more. This uses a lot of energy. The flour, yeast and salt must also be shipped in and, finally, the finished loaves are delivered to stores – all in trucks powered by petrol. But it isn’t milling or baking or transport that accounts for most of the environmental impact of bread. In a new a study published in the journal Nature Plants, colleagues and I looked at the entire supply chain of a regular loaf – from seed to sandwich, via mill and bakery. We found that more than half its environmental impact arises not from food processing but from the production of the raw material, the wheat grain. Food causes about a third of total greenhouse gas emissions. Yet the supply chains can be so complex that it is difficult to determine what part of the process is responsible – and without this information neither the industry nor consumers will know what to do about it…. The horror!

Flint Residents Now Have to Pay for Water They Still Can’t Drink
Natural Blaze - The state of Michigan has declared that Flint’s drinking water “meets all federal water quality standards,” ending a program Wednesday that reimbursed residents for most of their water costs in the wake of the lead crisis. Yet Flint residents still can’t drink the water, and the announcement was met with outrage. “They want to make it look like they’ve resolved this thing, that it’s fixed,” Tim Monahan, a carpenter who survived Legionnaires’ disease caused by the poisoned water supply, told the Washington Post. “It’s been three years, and we still can’t drink the water.” Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has appeared eager to declare the water safe. Yet the New York Times reported weeks ago that while the water supply now meets federal standards, because the aged lead-tainted pipes have yet to be replaced it is still not safe to drink.

 Gardening, Farming & Homesteading

Farmers Applaud Trump for Repealing EPA’s WOTUS Rule
Breitbart - Introduced under President Barack Obama, the WOTUS expanded the EPA’s interpretation of the Clean Water Act to include, as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said, “almost any piece of land that gets wet and puddles.” The Clean Water Act was intended to apply to “navigable” waters, but WOTUS interpreted that extremely broadly, so that it included waters with a “significant nexus” with navigable waters — in other words, taking in water that might eventually flow into navigable waterways. The result was that the EPA could theoretically regulate everyday farming operations…. Newly-confirmed EPA director Scott Pruitt said in a statement: “The President’s action preserves a federal role in protecting water, but it also restores the states’ important role in the regulation of water.” The State of California has been increasing its role in regulating water on private land, expanding its authority to include groundwater — a response prompted by fears of overuse during the recent extreme drought and the ongoing restriction of federal water allocations due to efforts to preserve the endangered Delta smelt.

Washington House Votes 98-0 to Decriminalize Industrial Hemp
Tenth Amendment Center - Yesterday, the Washington state House unanimously passed bill that would remove industrial hemp from the state’s “controlled substances” list. Passage into law would set the stage for people there to nullify federal prohibition on the plant in practice…. Passage of HB2064 would ensure hemp is not regulated as a controlled substance. This would open the door for a full-scale commercial hemp market in the state by treating it as any other crop for farming. HB2064 would not require any license to grow hemp, and it would create no state regulatory structure. In short, the state would treat industrial hemp like other plants, such as tomatoes. By ending state prohibition, residents in Washington would have an open door to start industrial hemp farming, should they be willing to risk violating ongoing federal prohibition.

Health

CDC’s new vaccine schedule adds toxic, ovary destroying HPV vaccines to recommendations
(Natural News) The Human Papillomavirus, or HPV, is a sexually transmitted infection, so pervasive that the CDC’s website refers to it as the most common STD in the U.S. Interestingly the website goes on to say, “HPV is so common that nearly all sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives.” [Emphasis added] So, really not such a big deal then. The CDC goes on to explain that in most cases, the virus disappears on its own without causing any health issues. The problem, from the medical community’s point of view, is that HPV can on rare occasions cause cervical and other cancers. Their solution to the problem? A vaccine of course! Enter the HPV vaccine, or vaccines, since there are two: Gardasil and Cervarix. The CDC and its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) have just released the latest amended immunization schedules for both children and adults.

The Fight for Kombucha Continues
Alliance for Natural Health - Three bipartisan lawmakers from Colorado recently introduced a bill in both chambers of Congress that would eliminate federal alcohol taxes on kombucha and update the regulations that govern the drink. In 2015, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) sent letters to several kombucha producers, warning them that since their beverages supposedly exceeded the allowable alcohol limit, they must be labeled as alcoholic beverages and be subject to alcohol regulation—or face hefty fines and legal action. Because the federal government treats kombucha as an alcoholic beverage, producers are hit with higher taxes than other soft drinks. This means higher prices for consumers. The bill, called the Keeping Our Manufacturers from Being Unfairly Taxed While Championing Health Act (KOMBUCHA), would raise the ABV limit (the allowable alcohol by volume) in kombucha from 0.5% to 1.25% and thus shield kombucha from being treated as an alcoholic beverage. Kombucha is a tea drink fermented with yeast and bacteria. The drink contains trace amounts of alcohol, but it typically falls below the federal limit of 0.5% ABV.

The fat-burning sweet potato muffins you can eat for breakfast (100% gluten-free!)
Healthy-Holistic-Living - You can never have enough healthy, not to mention delicious, muffin recipes under your belt (pun not intended). This recipe is one of our favorites, and for good reason. Not only is it tasty, it’s packed full of health benefits from the different ingredients in it – none more than sweet potato.

Pet News

Video: The Raw Feeding Easy Button: Make Your Dog’s Meals Less Complicated
Dogs Naturally - Maybe you want to start raw feeding but you're worried you won't be giving your dog complete nutrition. Or you've been feeding raw for awhile but you've read books or web posts telling you you're doing it all wrong. If so, then this video is for you! In this video from Raw Roundup 2016, Julie Anne Lee shows you how to take the complicated out of the raw diet. She'll show you how to feed on a budget, feed when time is short, and she'll share the most important foods and supplements to round out the diet without breaking the bank.
 


Thursday - March 2, 2017

On This Date In History:


1807 - The U.S. Congress passed an act to "prohibit the importation of slaves into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the United States... from any foreign kingdom, place, or country."
1836 - Texas declared its independence from Mexico and an ad interim government was formed.
1861 - The U.S. Congress created the Territory of Nevada.
1877 - In the U.S., Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the winner of the 1876 presidential election by the U.S. Congress. Samuel J. Tilden, however, had won the popular vote on November 7, 1876.
1897 - U.S. President Cleveland vetoed legislation that would have required a literacy test for immigrants entering the country.
1899 - U.S. President McKinley signed a measure that created the rank of Admiral for the U.S. Navy. The first admiral was George Dewey.
1900 - The U.S. Congress voted to give $2 million in aid to Puerto Rico.
1901 - The U.S. Congress passed the Platt amendment, which limited Cuban autonomy as a condition for withdrawal of U.S. troops.
1903 - The Martha Washington Hotel opened for business in New York City. The hotel had 416 rooms and was the first hotel exclusively for women.
1925 - State and federal highway officials developed a nationwide route-numbering system and adopted the familiar U.S. shield-shaped, numbered marker.
1929 - The U.S. Court of Customs & Patent Appeals was created by the U.S. Congress.
1939 - Massachusetts legislature voted to ratify the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution. These first 10 amendments had gone into effect 147 years before.
1949 - The B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II landed in Fort Worth, TX. The American plane had completed the first non-stop around-the-world flight.
1983 - The U.S.S.R. performed an underground nuclear test.
1984 - The first McDonald's franchise was closed. A new location was opened across the street from the old location in Des Plaines, IL.
1985 - The U.S. government approved a screening test for AIDS that detected antibodies to the virus that allowed possibly contaminated blood to be kept out of the blood supply.
1987 - The U.S. government reported that the median price for a new home had gone over $100,000 for the first time.
2003 - Over the Sea of Japan, there was a confrontation between four armed North Korean fighter jets and a U.S. RC-135S Cobra Ball. No shots were fired in the encounter in international airspace about 150 miles off North Korea's coast. The U.S. Air Force announced that it would resume reconnaissance flights on March 12.
2004 - NASA announced that the Mars rover Opportunity had discovered evidence that water had existed on Mars in the past.

World News

Beijing Outmaneuvering US Navy in South China Sea
Sputnik News - The US Navy’s ability to address the concerns of allies and to keep at bay potential enemies in the South China Sea is an “open question,” military analysts suggest, pointing to a large-scale build up of missiles and warships by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), that could tip the scales of naval dominance in the region. China has thousands of ballistic missiles aimed squarely at neighboring Taiwan. US President Donald Trump has proposed a $54-billion military spending increase, while China has increased defense expenditures with double-digit percent rises “almost every year for the last two decades,” according to Pete Apps in a Wednesday column for Reuters. The South China Sea has been hot with development by Chinese organizations in recent months. Satellite imagery taken of the Spratly islands revealed significant construction of military outposts, structures which American intelligence officials later said could be used to house surface-to-air missiles. On Tuesday, Sputnik reported that Chinese researchers have conducted deep-sea drilling missions as part of an initiative to develop the world’s first underwater observatory platform.

Socialist Venezuela Is Down to Its Last $10 Billion in Cash
The GatewayPundit - CNN Money reported: “Venezuela only has $10.5 billion in foreign reserves left, according to its most recent central bank data. For rest of the year, Venezuela owes roughly $7.2 billion in outstanding debt payments. In 2011, Venezuela had roughly $30 billion in reserves. In 2015, it had $20 billion. The trend can’t persist much longer, but it’s hard to know exactly when Venezuela will run completely out of cash. “The question is: Where is the floor?” says Siobhan Morden, head of Latin America fixed income strategy at Nomura Holdings. “If oil prices stagnate and foreign reserves reach zero, then the clock is going to start on a default.” According to the country’s recently released 2016 financial report, about $7.7 billion of its remaining $10.5 billion of reserves is in gold. To make debt payments in the past year, Venezuela shipped gold to Switzerland.

China to Flood US With Illegals Amid Trump Trade Deals?
Kit Daniels - China is currently struggling to keep workers employed in legacy industries such as steel and coal which have grown overbloated as the country artificially “boosted” its GDP over the past several years, leaving analysts to believe China faces a severe economic bubble. For now, the Chinese government is shifting workers to “new jobs in new sectors,” according to Zero Hedge, but given that a large percentage of unemployed illegals entering the US are already from China, it’s plausible that more are coming – and China may even let it happen to undermine Trump. “This year we will continue to cut capacity in coal and steel,” said the head of China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Yin Weimin. “We will need to reallocate jobs to 500,000 workers.” Otherwise mass unemployment will exacerbate China’s downfall, but how can China sustain these mass shifts in labor given its untenable economy, especially with skilled jobs that won’t simply transfer over to another industry?

South India boycotts Pepsi & Coca-Cola to help local farmers
RT - Sales of Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been banned in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Two of the biggest trade associations in the region called for the boycott in favor of Indian products starting March 1. The American soft drinks giants have been accused of taking too much water from rivers with local farmers left battling for proper irrigation of the land at the time of a severe drought. The associations also called on supermarkets, restaurants, and hotels, urging them to join the boycott and help local businesses and farmers prosper.

White House Prepares For Trade War, Warns US "Will Not Be Bound By WTO Decisions"
Zero Hedge - According to a document obtained by Bloomberg News and titled “2017 Trade Policy Agenda”, the US plans to defend its “national sovereignty over trade policy,” the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in an annual document laying out the president’s trade agenda. The reason for the loophole: under the terms of its entry into the WTO, the U.S. didn’t abandon its trade rights. “Given this history, it is important to recall also that Congress had made clear that Americans are not directly subject to WTO decisions,” according to the trade office, which takes the lead in negotiating trade deals. As Bloomberg adds the Trump administration’s skepticism toward the WTO, the Geneva-based body that referees trade disputes, signals a new willingness by the world’s biggest economy to pursue its interests - even if it means undermining the global order the U.S. has led since World War II. The Bloomberg report confirms what we reported several weeks ago when according to the FT, the EU and other US trading partners have begun preparing for a legal challenge to a US border tax proposal in a move that "could trigger the biggest case in World Trade Organization history." The reason is that "the EU and other US trading partners are worried about the impact on their exports and have been deploying lawyers with a view to eventually challenging it before the global trade watchdog."

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Holder Foretells The Return Of Obama: "He's Coming, And He's Ready To Roll"
Zero Hedge - Barack Obama, after making the very difficult decision to proceed with Penguin Random House to publish his and Michelle's White House memoirs in a deal rumored to net him about $60 million, is, at least according to old pal Eric Holder, ready to take his place at the helm of the democrats' Trump opposition efforts. Of course, this breaks with the tradition upheld by most former Presidents who have chosen to not publicly criticize their successors...but the rules don't really apply to Obama now do they? According to Holder, Obama's triumphant return to politics will be focused on, among other things, fundraising (his specialty) and assisting the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) in its efforts to redraw congressional districts to give Democrats a leg up in the House of Representatives.

The Intelligence Project identified 623 extreme antigovernment groups that were active in 2016
SPLC - Of these groups, 165 were militias, marked with an asterisk, and the remainder included “common-law” courts, publishers, ministries, and citizens’ groups. Generally, such groups define themselves as opposed to the “New World Order,” engage in groundless conspiracy theorizing, or advocate or adhere to extreme antigovernment doctrines. Listing here does not imply that the groups themselves advocate or engage in violence or other criminal activities, or are racist. The list was compiled from field reports, group publications, the Internet, law enforcement sources and news reports. This list does not document activism that takes place only online by individuals or groups, whether on Facebook, VK, or similar online forums, which is a growing activity by all extremists. Groups are identified by the city, county or region where they are located….

New Trump travel order expected in coming days, Pence says
Reuters - President Donald Trump plans to finalize a new order limiting travel to the United States in the coming days, his vice president said on Wednesday, after federal courts blocked the administration's earlier travel ban…. The administration has said it is likely the new directive will exclude legal permanent residents, making it harder for opponents to challenge the ban. Pence did not elaborate on the revised directive. The Associated Press, citing unidentified U.S. officials, reported late on Tuesday that the new order will remove Iraq from the list of countries whose citizens face a temporary travel ban.

Trump administration has found only $20 million in existing funds for wall - document
Reuters - The rapid start of construction, promised throughout Trump's campaign and in an executive order issued in January on border security, was to be financed, according to the White House, with "existing funds and resources" of the Department of Homeland Security. But so far, the DHS has identified only $20 million that can be re-directed to the multi-billion-dollar project, according to a document prepared by the agency and distributed to congressional budget staff last week. The document said the funds would be enough to cover a handful of contracts for wall prototypes, but not enough to begin construction of an actual barrier. This means that for the wall to move forward, the White House will need to convince Congress to appropriate funds.

Ex-Hillary Volunteer Calls Military Widow Honored During Trump Speech An “Idiot”
Paul Joseph Watson - Former Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaign volunteer Dan Grilo would have done well to remember that maxim before he insulted the weeping widow who was honored during President Trump’s speech… Former Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaign volunteer Dan Grilo would have done well to remember that maxim before he insulted the weeping widow who was honored during President Trump’s speech… “Sorry, Owens’ wife, you’re not helping yourself or your husband’s memory by standing there and clapping like an idiot. Trump just used you,” he tweeted. After receiving a deluge of heat for the vulgar remark, Grilo not only deleted the tweet, he deleted his entire Twitter account. Grilo’s crass comment is not in isolation. As the Daily Caller documents, innumerable other leftists couldn’t help but exploit Owens’ grief as yet another excuse to bash Trump.
* Related: Update: Grilo worked as a principal for Chicago-based Liberty Advisor Group was fired Wednesday

Democrats Boo Trump Proposal to Give a Voice to Victims of Immigrant Crime
Information Liberation - During President Trump’s address to congress on Tuesday, the Democrats booed his proposal to give a voice to victims of immigrant crime. “We must support the victims of crime,” Trump said. “I have ordered the Department of Homeland Security to create an office to serve American Victims.” “The office is called VOICE,” he said. “Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement. We are providing a voice to those who have been ignored by our media, and silenced by special interests.” The Democrats were heard booing loudly in response.

Just one Senate Democrat applauded Trump’s call to “make America great”
Vox - Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (WV), Joe Donnelly (IN), and Heidi Heitkamp (ND) stood and applauded multiple times during President Trump’s speech to Congress Tuesday night, breaking with the bulk of the Democratic Party. The majority of congressional Democrats were visibly critical of Trump’s address. Two House Democrats even sat during a two-minute standing ovation for the widow of a slain soldier. Others laughed, groaned, or even skipped the speech altogether. But Manchin, Donnelly, and Heitkamp are all moderate swing-state Democrats facing reelection campaigns in 2018…. The mostly unified response was planned in advance. A House Democratic aide noted in an interview with Vox that the majority of the caucus was taking cues from the party’s leadership — particularly Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer — on how they should react throughout the night. Of course, that didn’t mean every Democrat would follow along.

Economy & Business

Investors Love Trump, Pushing Dow Over 21,000 Points for First Time
Breitbart - Investors reacted positively from President Donald Trump’s Tuesday night address to Congress, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average above 21,000 points Wednesday for the first time in its history. Banks, financial institutions, companies in the energy and materials sector saw huge gains as Trump reaffirmed during his speech his plans to cut taxes and push for other business-friendly policies. The Dow jumped 242 points, or 1.2 percent, to 21,055 as of 10:07 a.m. Eastern Time. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index gained 24 points, or 1 percent, to 2,387. The Nasdaq composite index added 59 points, or 1 percent, to 5,885. Small-company stocks continued to outpace the rest of the market, a bullish signal on the economy. The Russell 2000 index rose 24 points, or 1.7 percent, to 1,410.

Target Stocks Down $15 Billion Since Promoting Transgender Agenda
Breitbart - Target’s stock value is now down by 30 percent since it sparked a consumer boycott by embracing the transgender political agenda. That 30 percent drop has slashed investors’ wealth by roughly $15 billion. On Tuesday, the stock fell to $58.78, down from its April 19 high of $83.98. In contrast, WalMart is up 3 percent since April, and Kohl’s is down less than one percent.

Energy & Environment

Dramatic Aerial Footage Shows What The Oroville Dam Looks Like Now
Zero Hedge - When the crisis was at its peak, you may have heard about what specifically went wrong with the dam. The main spillway was damaged when the dam operators attempted to release some water to control the depth of Lake Oroville. Essentially, a crater unexpectedly emerged in the middle of the spillway, and when the water flowed through that hole, it eroded the soil beneath. So the dam operators decided to let the water flow over an emergency spillway instead. But as the emergency spillway began to erode as well, an evacuation order was issued. But hearing that doesn’t really do it any justice. To really appreciate the magnitude of what occurred that day, you have to see it with your own eyes. And now you can. On Monday the California Department of Water Resources stopped the flow of water down the spillway so that they could assess the damage. Here’s what they found:… I have a feeling that this isn’t going to be fixed for a long time.

Science & Technology

Facebook testing AI to spot potentially suicidal members
RT - Facebook has started using artificial intelligence to identify and help users that display suicidal thoughts. The social network has developed an algorithm to spot warning signs in posts, comments, and live videos following three separate suicides broadcast on Facebook Live in as many months. On Wednesday, the company’s Global Security team said they are adding prevention tools to their Live feature that will give concerned viewers the option to reach out to the person directly, and report the video to Facebook staff. The person filming the video will then see a list of resources and tips on screen that encourages them to reach out to a friend or contact a helpline. The tool is only available to US users at the moment…. Meanwhile, Twitter announced on Wednesday it would work to identify accounts “engaging in abusive behavior” without having to rely on users to report it. The company says it will take action against abusive users by hiding their posts from non-followers for a set amount of time and will now allow users to block certain keywords or phrases from their timeline. “We aim to only act on accounts when we're confident, based on our algorithms, that their behavior is abusive,” wrote Twitter’s engineering chief Ed Ho.

Google reinstates Natural News... read statement from Health Ranger
(Natural News) All of us at Natural News — as well as our many millions of fans — are grateful for Google’s decision to restore the NaturalNews.com website, but we are also deeply troubled by the unjustified blacklisting of Natural News and what it means for free speech across the ‘net. For the record, there was never any allegation or evidence that Natural News had intentionally violated Google’s webmaster guidelines. While Google said we were being flagged for a so-called “sneaky mobile redirect” on a very small number of pages in a subdomain (blogs.naturalnews.com) which were created by outside bloggers, Google went to the extraordinary step of banning the entire NaturalNews.com root domain and all its subdomains — a step that would never have been applied to CNN, Huffington Post or other popular news websites. Furthermore, while Google did make an effort to provide us with one URL that they said flagged this mobile redirect, to date there hasn’t been a single SEO expert or engineer who could reproduce the supposed redirect issue. Even more disturbingly, when we went to the Google product webmaster forum to ask for help identifying this issue, we were insulted, mocked and accused of lying by Google’s supporters who behaved like a pack of jackals rather than search engine professionals.

Yahoo says about 32 million accounts accessed using 'forged cookies'
Reuters - Yahoo Inc , which disclosed two massive data breaches last year, said on Wednesday that about 32 million user accounts were accessed by intruders in the last two years using forged cookies. The company said some of the latest intrusions can be connected to the "same state-sponsored actor believed to be responsible for the 2014 breach", in which at least 500 million accounts were affected. These cookies have been invalidated so they cannot be used to access user accounts, the company said. Forged cookies allow an intruder to access a user's account without a password.

Health

Standard osteoporosis drug is making bones weaker
What Doctors Don't Tell You - Bisphosphonates are routinely given to the elderly and to cancer patients to help protect bones—but new research has discovered they are increasing the risks of a fracture. The bones in people taking the drugs were showing microscopic cracks, researchers at Imperial College London discovered when they examined patients who had suffered a hip fracture. Bisphosphonates are designed to slow the body's processes of removing ageing or damaged bone—but doctors have been concerned that patients were still suffering fractures even after taking the drugs a long time. The researchers took samples from 16 hip-fracture patients who had been taking the drugs and compared them to samples from people of a similar age but who weren't prescribed bisphosphonates. The bone samples from those taking the drugs were showing cracks that made the bones more fragile and liable to fracture. The drugs are routinely given to treat osteoporosis and bone loss from chemotherapy in cancer patients.

Vaccine Damage Awareness “Empty Stroller Walk” March 5, 2017
Natural Blaze - The most horrible experience any parent, and even a grandparent, can experience is the death of a beloved child, especially an infant and toddler. The death is even more overwhelming when one realizes the child had succumbed following a vaccine or series of vaccinations given at ‘well baby’ visits, a time when pediatricians push vaccines. Too many infants, toddlers and children of all ages experience extremely serious adverse reactions to vaccines, which the medical profession says are “coincidental” and “hushed up.”… Sunday, March 5, 2017, will be observed as a Day of Remembrance to remember those children lost to vaccines by parents and grandparents participating in the “Empty Stroller Walk” down Main Street USA, wherever you live. This Walk is the idea of grieving Grandmother Sherry Frady, who lost her granddaughter Bella to vaccination…. More information about the “Empty Stroller Walk” can be found HERE

Texas School Triples Recess Time, Solving Attention Deficit Disorder
Natural Blaze - Public education is more stressful than ever for our children, as standardized testing requirements increase and programs like art, music and physical education are being phased out. The result of this type of environment is predictable, and the medical establishment and big pharma are making a killing by drugging active children with ADHD medications and other psychotropic drugs in order to ensure conformity…. The most common sense, natural solution to inattentive behavior in school children, however, may be the basic idea of giving children more time to free play and to engage their bodies in physical activity. It’s such a simple notion in such unusual times that it actually sounds revolutionary, and several schools in Texas are being hailed for trying a new program which solves behavioral problems by doing nothing more than allowing children to play outside more often during the school day.

DNA tests say Subway’s Oven-Roasted Chicken is actually 50% soy product
(Natural News) A food science story is rapidly going viral, claiming that Subway’s Oven-Roasted Chicken is only 50% chicken, with the rest being soy (that’s almost certainly GMO soy). Covered in CBC News out of Canada, the story cites researcher Matt Harnden at Trent University’s Wildlife Forensic DNA Laboratory…. Subway vehemently disagrees with the test results and says its supplier is using only 100% real chicken. But to my knowledge, Subway hasn’t produced any in-house DNA test logs on their own chicken meat to contradict the news. Clearly, somebody is lying. But who?

Pet News

Washington Lawmakers Hope to Enact New Dog Tethering Laws
Dogington Post - Dog owners could soon face new charges and penalties for tethering their dogs in a way that lawmakers deem inhumane if Washington’s Senate Bill 5356 (SB5356), which just passed the Senate, is also approved by State Representatives. The bill would, among other mandates, require any restrained dog to have adequate access to food, water, shelter and freedom of movement. And, certain types of collars, including choke chains and prong collars, would be forbidden while a dog is tethered. “There’s a major difference between keeping a dog restrained outside for their own safety for a reasonable amount of time and reckless abandonment and neglect,” said Senator Joe Fain (R-47th), who sponsored the bill…. If passed, Washington would become the 21st state to enact animal tethering laws.

 


Wednesday - March 1, 2017

On This Date In History:

1692 - In Salem Village, in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Salem witch trials began. Four women were the first to be charged.
1781 - In America, the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation.
1790 - The U.S. Congress authorized the first U.S. census.
1803 - Ohio became the 17th U.S. state.
1845 - U.S. President Tyler signed the congressional resolution to annex the Republic of Texas.
1867 - Nebraska became the 37th U.S. state.
1869 - Postage stamps with scenes were issued for the first time.
1872 - The U.S. Congress authorized the creation of Yellowstone National Park. It was the world's first national park.
1932 - The 22-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh was kidnapped. The child was found dead in May.
1937 - U.S. Steel raised workers’ wages to $5 a day.
1937 - In Connecticut, the first permanent automobile license plates were issued.
1941 - FM Radio began in Nashville, TN, when station W47NV began operations.
1947 - The International Monetary Fund began operations.
1954 - The United States announced that it had conducted a hydrogen bomb test on the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
1961 - The Peace Corps was established by U.S. President Kennedy.
1987 - S&H Green Stamps became S&H Green Seals. The stamps were introduced 90 years earlier.
1992 - King Fahd of Saudi Arabia announced major political reforms that ceded some powers after 10 years of disciplined rule.
2003 - In the U.S., approximately 180,000 personnel from 22 different organizations around the government became part of the Department of Homeland Security. This completed the largest government reorganization since the beginning of the Cold War.

World News

Russia vetoes UN sanctions on Syria over chemical weapons
Deutsche Welle - Russia says there is not enough proof Syrian government forces dropped banned chlorine gas on its enemies. It is the seventh vote on Syrian sanctions that Russia has vetoed. Russia and China vetoed on Tuesday a United Nations resolution that sought to impose sanctions on Syria over chemical weapons use. The draft resolution would have banned the sale or supply of helicopters to the Syrian government, and would have placed targeted travel bans and asset freezes on Syrian military and government officers. It came after an investigation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The UN found Syrian government forces had used helicopters to drop barrel bombs containing chlorine gas. Nine countries voted in favor of the Security Council resolution drafted by Britain, France and the United States, while three countries opposed it - China, Russia and Bolivia. Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and Egypt abstained. A UN resolution requires nine positive votes and no vetoes by the United States, France, Russia, Britain or China in order for it to be adopted.

Russia-US relations are at their worst since Cold War – Moscow
RT - Relations between Russia and the United States are at their worst since the Cold War, a Russian Foreign Ministry official has said, placing the blame on the Obama administration. “The current state of relations between Russia and the United States, as we all know, to put it mildly, leaves much to be desired. It is no exaggeration to say that our relations today are, in fact, at their worst for the whole period after the Cold War,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Tuesday in the State Duma… He added that opponents of US President Donald Trump continue to fuel Russophobia in an attempt to discredit the new head of state, who has on a number of occasions expressed a friendlier attitude towards Russia…. This strategy, he said, may lead to a further worsening of relations, but Moscow will wait for Trump to settle in before making any definitive conclusions.

Marine Le Pen risks loss of immunity over tweets
Deutsche Welle - The far-right member of the European Parliament is facing charges in France for posting graphic images on Twitter. Losing parliamentary immunity means she faces potential fines of 75,000 euros. The European Union Parliament voted on Tuesday to lift the EU parliamentary immunity of its member and French Presidential candidate Marine Le Pen for posting photos from the so-called "Islamic State" (IS) on Twitter. MEPs in the legal affairs committee of the European legislature "overwhelmingly voted to lift Le Pen's immunity," Laura Ferrara, who is in charge of the dossier, told news agency Reuters. The committee's vote still needs to be confirmed by the whole legislature. Ferrara said no date had been decided yet for the vote in the plenary. Le Pen is under investigation in France for posting three graphic images of IS executions in 2015, including one of the beheading of the United States journalist James Foley.

Islam Set To Overtake Christianity As Most Popular Religion
IBTimes - With 1.6 billion, Muslims made up 23 percent of the world’s population, according to a 2010 Pew estimate. That figure was still some way short of the 2.2 billion Christians which comprised 31 percent of the population. However, by 2050 there could be near parity between the numbers of adherents of the two religions for the first time in history. The reasons for this rapid growth are thought to be the greater number of children Muslims have compared to other religious groups and the comparatively young age of Muslims. However, by 2050 there could be near parity between the numbers of adherents of the two religions for the first time in history. The reasons for this rapid growth are thought to be the greater number of children Muslims have compared to other religious groups and the comparatively young age of Muslims. The largest percentage of Muslims are currently in the Asia-Pacific region, rather than the Middle East and North Africa. Indonesia currently has the largest number of Muslims of any country, but that title could be taken by India by 2050. By that point, it is also projected that Muslims will also make up 10 percent of Europe’s population.

TransCanada suspends $15b NAFTA lawsuit over Keystone XL pipeline
RT - With a friendlier president in office, TransCanada has temporarily suspended its lawsuit that challenged the Obama administration's rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline under the provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement. On Monday, the company formally suspended its legal challenge that sought $15 billion in damages and costs it incurred from the Obama administration's November 2015 decision to block a section of the Keystone XL pipeline. The suspension is in effect until at least March 27.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Full Transcript, Video: President Trump Addresses Joint Session of Congress
Infowars - Check out the full transcript of President Donald Trump’s February 28 address to a joint session of Congress, as curated via The Hill. (Speech starts around 30:40 in above video.)

Wife of Navy SEAL Ryan Owens applauded for more than 2 minutes during Trump speech (Video)
Washington Examiner - In the most emotional moment during his speech to Congress on Tuesday, President Trump recognized the widow of Navy SEAL William "Ryan" Owens, provoking a standing ovation that lasted longer than two minutes. "Ryan's legacy is etched into eternity," Trump said as the chamber stood up and applauded Carryn Owens, whose husband was the first American combat death during the Trump administration. Carryn Owens, who was sitting next to Ivanka Trump and other guests on the balcony of the House chamber, fought back back tears, exhaled, looked above and mouthed "I love you, baby." Tears streaming down her face as the applause continued, Carryn Owens eventually stood up, clasped her hands in apparent prayer, raised her head again and mouthed "I love you." Owens was killed in Yemen on Jan. 29 in a raid Trump has said was "highly successful.”…

Trump Acknowledges American Veterans, Says Its Time To Deliver For Them (Video)
The GatewayPundit - I am sending the Congress a budget that rebuilds the military, eliminates the Defense sequester, and calls for one of the largest increases in national defense spending in American history. My budget will also increase funding for our veterans. Our veterans have delivered for this Nation — and now we must deliver for them. The challenges we face as a Nation are great. But our people are even greater. And none are greater or braver than those who fight for America in uniform.

Nancy Pelosi Shows True Colors At Speech (Video)
The GatewayPundit -During President Trump’s speech on Tuesday night he touted the positive economic growth that has taken place since coming into office which received standing ovation from everyone in attendance. Everyone except bitter congresswoman Nancy Pelsoi. Transcript: “Since my election, Ford, Fiat Chrysler, General Motors, Spring, Sofbank, Lockheed, Intel, Walmart and many others have announced that they will invest billions and billions of dollars in the United States and create tens of thousands of new American jobs,”
* Related: Awful. Pouty Democrats Sit When President Trump Enters Chamber to Address Congress (Video)

Why Democratic Women Are Wearing White to Donald Trump’s Congressional Speech
Fortune - The heads of the Democratic Women’s Working Group, including Chair Lois Frankel, (D-Fla.), penned a letter to members Monday—asking them to wear white in honor of the suffragette movement. However, their motive goes beyond this: Those participating will also "stand in solidarity with the women of our nation," according to the letter.… This "white out," so to speak, comes after some critics say Trump's presidency has unleashed a war on women's rights. Shortly after his inauguration, Trump signed an anti-abortion executive order that reinstated the Global Gag Rule. This policy, which President Ronald Reagan first instated in 1984, bans federal funding for international non-government organizations that offer abortions, including the International Planned Parenthood Federation. Just the next day, the House passed the Hyde Amendment—legislation that bans the use of federal funds to pay for abortions. It also restricts abortion coverage via private insurance. However, the Senate has yet to approve the bill.

Trump signals willingness to let some undocumented immigrants stay in US
The Guardian - Donald Trump signaled Tuesday he is open to legislation that would allow some undocumented immigrants to stay in the US without fear of deportation. If adopted, such a proposal would be a major shift in position from Trump’s pledges of mass deportation. Details emerged late Tuesday before Trump’s first presidential address to Congress, at a meeting with television news anchors. The proposal would allow people who have not been convicted of a serious or violent crime to stay in the US legally, gain employment and pay taxes. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, deputy press secretary, did not deny the reports. She told reporters she could not comment specifically “but I do know the president’s been very clear in his process that the immigration system is broken, it needs massive reform and he’s made clear he’s open to having conversations about that in moving forward”.

California May Break with Trump, Create State-Level Single-Payer Health Care
Breitbart - As President Trump talks of revealing a replacement for Obamacare in March, the state of California is talking about going its on way and instituting a single-payer health care system for state residents. Such a system would allow the state to designate an agency to serve as an insurer; all residents would pay into that agency which would, in turn, pay doctors and hospitals when residents needed medical care. According to the Los Angeles Times, single-payer health care has long been a goal of progressives in California. Bills to establish it were passed in 2006 and 2008 but were vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now, however, advocates say the combination of a pending Obamacare repeal and the Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) push for such a single-payer system during the presidential election may have set the stage for securing the one-size-fits-all system.

REPORT: Digital Expert Claims Obamacare’s Online Defenders ‘Paid to Post’
Breitbart - Matthew Brown’s report sampled over 200,000 Facebook posts defending Obamacare and found that 60 percent came from as few as 100 profiles. “Sixty percent of all the posts were made from 100 profiles, posting between the hours of 9 and 5 Pacific Time,” said Brown. “They were paid to post.” Brown discussed the existence of botted or “zombie” Facebook accounts, used to generate artificial support for an idea or opinion. “A zombie post is a fake, purchased, or rented Facebook profile that’s expressing the views of an organization as if it was his or her own,” said Brown. “But, when in reality, the comment being expressed is done on software and written by generally one or two people. So, the zombie posts will go out on a schedule and then they are supported by zombie likes.”

High School Punishes Student For Supporting Donald Trump
Paul Joseph Watson - An 11th grade student at a high school in Georgia says he was punished for expressing support for Donald Trump. Patrick Ragozzine received an administrative warning after he defended Trump over claims made by other students that the president was racist…. “I overheard some students bashing Donald Trump, making false claims that he’s a racist, sexist, xenophobic person,” writes Ragozzine, adding that his teacher did not intervene until Ragozzine began defending the president. “The teacher defended the other students and began lecturing me on Trump’s “hateful” rhetoric and how the other students have the right to hold those feelings,” he added. School officials later summoned Ragozzine to a meeting and told him that he couldn’t discuss politics in the classroom. Ragozzine says he was told that the area has a large Latino population and that “it’s wrong to be discussing a wall”…. Ragozzine was originally told he would receive an ISS (in school suspension), but this was changed to an “administrative warning” after he posted about it on Snapchat and friends and parents complained to the school.

Leftists Triggered Over Kellyanne Conway Putting Her Feet on a Couch
Paul Joseph Watson - Fresh off their collective hissy fit over Donald Trump putting ketchup on his steak, anti-Trump leftists have now been triggered by pictures that show Kellyanne Conway putting her feet on a couch in the Oval Office…. Journalists chose to make the entire story about where Conway put her feet rather than talk about Trump’s meeting with leaders of black universities and colleges. This is yet another example of Trump derangement syndrome, where every single tiny behavior or action by Trump or any of his administration gets inflated into a giant talking point. The outrage over Conway’s couch faux pas follows a collective leftist hissy fit over Donald Trump’s hate crime of ordering his steak well done and putting ketchup on it.

Veteran News

Elderly Veteran Lays on Floor in Pain While Waiting at VA Hospital
Free Beacon - An elderly veteran lay on the floor in pain and resorted to using his bag of medication as a pillow while waiting at a Veterans Affairs medical center in Durham, North Carolina on Friday. Stephen McMenamin, a former U.S. Marine who was seeking care, and his wife posted photos of the scene on Facebook and said a nurse at the VA center yelled at the veteran for laying on the floor, Atlanta's WSB-TV reported Monday night. "My wife found it upsetting, so she took a couple pictures," McMenamin told the news station, describing how he witnessed another veteran on the ground using his bag of medication for a pillow after being denied a reclining chair. The elderly patient told the nurse that he could not get off the floor, according to McMenamin. "The nurse started yelling at him, telling him he can't do that. He's like, ‘I can't get up and I won't get up. I will be here until you can see me. Can I please have a blanket?'" he said. McMenamin's wife Hannah described in her Facebook post that multiple other veterans in wheelchairs had to wait hours to get care. The VA hospital's chief executive nurse said the incident is being investigated, WSB reported. Rep. Robert Pittenger (R., N.C.) suggested this type of activity from the VA was not surprising.

Economy & Business

It Begins: Wendy’s Installs Robots In 1,000 Stores To Counter Minimum Wage
Activist Post - To offset the costs of being forced to pay employees $15 an hour, Bob Wright, Wendy’s chief operating officer told investors last week Wendy’s has found a solution. In the past two years, Wright noted, Wendy’s has figured out how to eliminate 31 hours of labor per week from its restaurants and is now working to use technology, such as kiosks, to increase efficiency. The automated kiosks serve two purposes: they give younger customers an ordering experience that they prefer, and they reduce labor costs…. A typical store would get three kiosks for about $15,000. Trimm estimated the payback on those machines would be less than two years, thanks to labor savings and increased sales. Customers still could order at the counter.

Energy & Environment

Michigan Bill Would Allow People to Opt Out of Smart Meters, Undermine Federal Program
Tenth Amendment Center - A bill introduced in the Michigan House would allow customers to opt out of installing “smart meter” technology on their homes and businesses. Passage of this bill would allow Michigan residents to protect their own privacy, and it would take a step toward blocking a federal program in effect. Rep. Gary Glenn (R-Midland) introduced House Bill 4220 (HB4220) along with 17 bipartisan co-sponsors on Feb. 15. The legislation would allow Michigan residents to opt out of any utility company smart meter program with no penalty. Smart meters monitor home energy usage in minute detail in real time. The devices transmit data to the utility company were it gets stored in databases. Anybody with access to the data can download it for analysts. Without specific criteria limiting access to the data, these devices create significant privacy issues. Smart meters can also be used to remotely limit power usage during peak hours…. The legislation would also require utility companies to give customers 45 days notice before installing smart meter technology with a right to decline installation. If a smart meter were installed before the legislation was enacted, the utility company would have to remove it free of charge.

Taxpayers Foot $1M Bill to Clean Up Dakota Pipeline Protest Area
Breitbart - The U.S. Army Corps will spend more than $1 million to clean up the mess left behind by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and others opposed to the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. The protesters — who succeeded in temporarily shutting down pipeline construction under orders from President Barack Obama — were evicted after President Donald Trump put the pipeline project back online. “The corps’ contract with a Florida-based company to provide trash removal and environmental cleanup includes the main Oceti Sakowin camp on the north side of the Cannonball River and the smaller Rosebud camp on the south side,” the Bismarck Tribune reported on Friday. “Both are on corps’-owned property.”
* Related: VIDEO: FLASHPOINT: North Dakota Pipeline vs ‘Climate Justice Warriors’

Science & Technology

Washington State Committee Passes Bill to Restrict ALPR Use; Help Block National License Plate Tracking Program
Tenth Amendment Center - A Washington state bill that would limit the use of automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), and restrict the retention and sharing of collected data, passed an important House committee last week. If given final approval, the bill would not only protect privacy in Washington state, but would also hinder some aspects of the federal surveillance state. A bipartisan coalition of nine representatives sponsor House Bill 1909 (HB1909). The legislation limits law enforcement use of ALPRs to locating vehicles on a watch list. It specifically limits the use and retention of data collected by the systems…. HB1909 allows for other uses of ALPRs, including toll collection, parking enforcement, providing real-time traffic information or in traffic studies, and controlling access into secure areas. In all of these situation, the law would bar the retention of data and using it to identify specific individuals.

Internet of Things teddy bear leaks more than 2 million voice recordings, 800,000 emails and passwords
Motherboard - A company that sells internet-connected teddy bears that allow kids and their far-away parents to exchange heartfelt messages left more than 800,000 customer credentials, as well as two million message recordings, totally exposed online for anyone to see and listen. Since Christmas day of last year and at least until the first week of January, Spiral Toys left customer data of its CloudPets brand on a database that wasn't behind a firewall or password-protected…. The exposed data included more than 800,000 emails and passwords, which are secured with the strong, and thus supposedly harder to crack, hashing function bcrypt. Unfortunately, however, a large number of these passwords were so weak that it's possible to crack them, according to Troy Hunt, a security researcher who maintains Have I Been Pwned and has analyzed the CloudPets data…. UPDATE, Feb. 28, 12:25 p.m. ET: After this story was published, a security researcher revealed that the stuffed animals themselves could easily be hacked and turned into spy devices.

5 new brain disorders that were born out of the digital age
The Week - 1. Nomophobia -In 2012, the world learned of "No-Mobile Phobia" or "nomophobia" — the feeling of panic one has upon being separated from one's phone or tablet. In one U.K. survey, 73 percent of respondents felt panic when they misplaced their phone. And for another 14 percent, that panic spiraled into pure desperation…. 2. Technoference - Our digital obsession might be doing more than just making us feel a bit panicky. It could also be dragging down our relationships. In one 2014 study, more than half of the 143 participants said that tech devices interrupt their leisure time, conversations, and meals with their significant other. The researchers gave these interruptions a name: "technoference.”… 3. The phantom ring - Fauxcellarm, phantom ringing, and ringxiety are new to our lexicon, thanks to the universal presence of our buzzing, pinging smartphones. These terms refer to the perception that one's mobile device is ringing (or, more precisely, vibrating) when, in fact, it is not. David Laramie, a clinical psychologist in Los Angeles, studied this phenomenon for his dissertation. Among the 320 adult mobile phone users he polled, two-thirds of them reported experiencing phantom ringing…. 4. Cyberchondria - Hypochondria is not a new disorder, but the internet has taken it to the next level. In the broadest definition, cyberchondria refers to people who research and diagnose their own illnesses online. Sure, we've probably all done that — in fact, one in three American adults say they have used the internet to self-diagnose. But for some people who might already be prone to hypochondria, this can be detrimental….

Survival/Preparedness

This Portable Shelter Can Be Set Up In Hours, “Withstand Hurricane Winds, Stronger Than City Hall” (Video)
Mac Slavo - How quickly could you set up shelter if you were forced out of your home, and had to find a new place to stay right away? If normal alternatives don’t fit the situation, you could construct a quick-assembly dome shelter that is designed be as rigid as any conventional building up to code. “What we have is a building that goes up as fast as a tent, and once it’s up, it’s stronger than city hall.” The man pitching this interesting shelter design foresees its use for emergency medical sites, Red Cross relief, military housing, homeless shelters and refugee camps during a crisis… ironically, it is from a quite dated commercial. In principle, it includes pre-fabricated leaves of the dome than can be rapidly pieced together, giving anyone in a SHTF situation, or a rural retreat the ability to create a cabin on demand – with prefab options for doors, windows, solar panels and flooring. If you want them for a longer term, they can stand permanently, and be finished out inside to increase comfort. They are even strong enough to bury and blend in with earthen structure to camouflage, conceal or simply keep your dome hut cool with earth contact…. Consider it another tool in your preps, when survival matters above all else, and every resource must maximize the balance between cost and utility. Where simplicity and elegance of design count, it may be a good option.

Health

Top 5 superfoods that can heal your entire body
STEPin2 - … Chlorella: What makes chlorella so spectacular is that it is such a simple life form, but packs so much nutrition. It is full of vitamins including vitamin A, B6, B12, C, and E. Organic chlorella is also rich in minerals and amino acids. A study published in a journal called Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy showed that chlorella extract had the ability to inhibit the growth of tumors. Kale: One cup of kale contains 33 calories and 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206% of vitamin A, 134% of vitamin C, and a staggering 684% of vitamin K. It is also a great source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. Organic kale is a true super food and a nutritional powerhouse. Spirulina: Organic spirulina is an excellent source of Gamma-linolenic acid, which according to a study published in The Journal of Rheumatology is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. It also promotes eye health, liver health, brain health, digestive health, and more. Wheatgrass: 30mls of freshly squeezed wheatgrass juice is equivalent in nutritional value of almost 2lbs of leafy green vegetables. One teaspoon of wheatgrass powder, (about 3.5 grams) is equal to an entire spinach salad (50 grams). Wheatgrass contains over 90 minerals, including high concentrations of minerals: potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium….

Video: She is in Her 70s but Looks and Feels Half Her Age. This is Her Secret…
REALfarmacy - Her mother and grandmother both died of breast cancer at 47, and 36 years old, respectively. Her grandmother’s sisters died of cancer at early ages. Diabetes runs in her family. Annette Larkins is in perfect health and doesn’t take aspirin. In fact, she doesn’t take any medication at all, at least by the conventional modern definition. She is a fanatic of REAL medicine and lives by the quote, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” ― Hippocrates. Mrs. Larkins grows a plethora of fruit, vegetables, and herbs around and inside of her house. She collects rainwater and makes gallons of juice from what she grows. Wheatgrass is one of her specialties. She grows her own and drinks the juice regularly. Yet another anecdotal case of raw food and juicing providing overall health and endless youth.


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