Friday - October 30, 2015 - Today in History:

1735 - John Adams, the second President of the United States, was born in Braintree, MA. His son became the sixth President of the U.S.
1831 - Escaped slave Nat Turner was apprehended in Southampton County, VA, several weeks after leading the bloodiest slave uprising in American history.
1875 - The constitution of Missouri was ratified by popular vote.
1893 - The U.S. Senate gave final approval to repeal the Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890.
1938 - Orson Welles' "The War of the Worlds" aired on CBS radio. The belief that the realistic radio dramatization was a live news event about a Martian invasion caused panic among listeners.
1943 - In Moscow, a declaration was signed by the Governments of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and China called for an early establishment of an international organization to maintain peace and security. The goal was supported on December 1, 1943, at a meeting in Teheran.
1945 - The U.S. government announced the end of shoe rationing.
1961 - The Soviet Union tested a hydrogen bomb with a force of approximately 58 megatons.
1961 - The Soviet Party Congress unanimously approved an order to remove Joseph Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb.
1972 - U.S. President Richard Nixon approved legislation to increase Social Security spending by $5.3 billion.
1982 - Portugal's constitution was revised for the first time since it was ratified on April 25, 1976.
1989 - Mitsubishi Estate Company announced it would buy 51 percent of Rockefeller Group Inc. of New York.
1993 - The United Nations deadline concerning ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide passed with country's military still in control.
1995 - Federalist prevailed over separatists in Quebec in a referendum concerning secession from the federation of Canada.
1998 - The terrorist who hijacked a Turkish Airlines plane and the 39 people on board was killed when anti-terrorist squads raided the plane.
2001 - In NYC, U.S. President George W. Bush threw out the first pitch at Game 3 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

World News

China warns US it could spark war with 'provocative acts' in South China Sea
The Guardian - China has warned the US that its “dangerous and provocative acts” in the South China Sea could lead to “a minor incident that sparks war”. China’s naval commander, Admiral Wu Shengli, issued the warning to his American counterpart Admiral John Richardson during video conference talks on Thursday aimed at defusing tension in the region, according to a Chinese naval statement. “If the United States continues with these kinds of dangerous, provocative acts, there could well be a seriously pressing situation between frontline forces from both sides on the sea and in the air, or even a minor incident that sparks war,” the statement paraphrased Wu as saying. “I hope the US side cherishes the good situation between the Chinese and US navies that has not come easily and avoids these kinds of incidents from happening again,” Wu said.

US cites ‘press reports’ & secret ‘operational data’ as proof of Russia striking Syrian hospitals
RT - The US maintains that Russian airstrikes hit hospitals and caused collateral damage in Syria. However, when asked to provide supporting evidence, Washington said that it bases its allegations on “press reporting” and unconfirmed accounts from “civil society groups.” “We have seen some press reporting to that end. We have seen some Syrian civil society groups says that,” US State Department spokesperson John Kirby said. He did not name any specific organization or news outlet. Instead, Kirby stressed that the US also has some “intelligence and operational information” but he firmly refused to share it.

Warning: GMO-containing foods would be labeled like tobacco under new Russian bill
RT - Two Russian lawmakers propose to amend the Law on Consumers’ Rights. It would demand food producers attach large and readable warnings on all GMO-containing products as well as detailed explanations of artificial additives in foodstuffs. According to the draft, information about genetically-modified organisms in food products must be printed in a large black font on a white background and the warning must cover at least 15 percent of the overall surface of the retail packaging. It must also be similar to the one used on tobacco products in Russia and in many other countries. The draft’s authors also want producers to put detailed descriptions of all artificial additives on food packaging. Currently, preserving agents, colorings and other additives are only mentioned using abbreviated names.

No firsthand info on alleged Russian 'airstrike' on hospital in Syria – Red Cross top executive
RT - Red Cross personnel on the ground in Syria have not reported any 'airstrikes' allegedly delivered by Russian jets on civilian targets including hospitals, the medical charity’s top executive told RT. Since Moscow started its air campaign in Syria on September 30, Western media have been publishing reports that Russian jets are targeting civilians. Last week, Russia was accused of bombing a number of hospitals in Syria, an allegation flatly denied by the Russian Defense Ministry. Dominik Stillhart, director of operations at the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has people on the ground in Syria, told RT he is unaware of any such incidents.

Muslim Migrants Invited to Take Over German Church; Altar, Cross, Pulpit Removed
Paul Joseph Watson - A Protestant church in Oberhausen, Germany is set to remove Christian crosses, altars and pulpits in order to accommodate 50 Muslim migrants who were invited to stay in the building. “The parish had offered that to the city,” Oberhausen city spokesperson Rainer Suhr told media outlets... Sanitary facilities with washing machines will be installed next to the church, while free lunches will also be delivered to the migrants..... Migrants are also being provided with accommodation at luxury ski resorts and hotels while Europeans living in social housing are being given eviction notices to make way for the “refugees”.

Venezuela Sells Billions In Gold To Repay Its Debt
Zero Hedge - Venezuela has two immediate bond payments due this and next week amounting to $3.5 billion. Where did the near-insolvent country obtain the funds needed to make these debt payments? The answer: it has been dumping its gold, which its former ruler Chavez worked hard in 2011 to repatriate from London, and which its current president Maduro, just four short years later, is busy sending back to its creditors.

First They Jailed the Bankers, Now Every Icelander to Get Paid in Bank Sale
(Anti Media) - If Finance Minister Bjarni Benediktsson has his way — and he likely will — Icelanders will be paid kr 30,000 after the government takes over ownership of the bank. Íslandsbanki would be second of the three largest banks under State proprietorship. “I am saying that the government take some decided portion, 5%, and simply hand it over to the people of this country,” he stated. Because Icelanders took control of their government, they effectively own the banks. Benediktsson believes this will bring foreign capital into the country and ultimately fuel the economy — which, incidentally, remains the only European nation to recover fully from the 2008 crisis. Iceland even managed to pay its outstanding debt to the IMF in full — in advance of the due date.

Edward Snowden: EU parliament votes to 'drop any criminal charges' against whistle-blower
The Independent - The European parliament voted to lift criminal charges against American whistle-blower Edward Snowden on Thursday. In an incredibly close vote, EU MEPs said he should be granted protection as a “human rights defender” in a move that was celebrated as a “chance to move forward” by Mr Snowden from Russia.... A EU parliamentary statement recorded the vote was carried by just four politicians, with 285 voting to drop criminal charges against Mr Snowden and 281 voting against. Although significant, the decision will not have any immediate effect on Mr Snowden’s inability to leave Russia, where he currently lives in an undisclosed location.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Lawsuits Against Hospitals Begin for Loss of Employment due to Mandatory Flu Shots
Health Impact News - A Michigan nurse has filed a $100 million class action lawsuit against the hospital that fired her for refusing a flu vaccine as a requirement for employment. After some research it was found out that there are lawsuits around the country currently in litigation from healthcare workers who have lost their jobs as a result of refusing the seasonal flu vaccine. Here are some that are being reported

US On Road To Third World
Paul Craig Roberts - On January 6, 2004, Senator Charles Schumer and I challenged the erroneous idea that jobs offshoring was free trade in a New York Times op-ed. Our article so astounded economists that within a few days Schumer and I were summoned to a Brookings Institution conference in Washington, DC, to explain our heresy. In the nationally televised conference, I declared that the consequence of jobs offshoring would be that the US would be a Third World country in 20 years. That was 11 years ago, and the US is on course to descend to Third World status before the remaining nine years of my prediction have expired.

Senate backs budget and debt deal, sends measure to Obama days before default deadline
(AP) - Congress early Friday sent President Barack Obama an ambitious budget and debt measure that averts a catastrophic national default and sets spending priorities for the next two years. The Senate voted 64-35 to approve the bill just after 3 a.m. EDT, with Democrats and Republican defense hawks uniting to overcome opposition from GOP presidential candidates Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas, both members of the body.

Pentagon confirms massive Army surveillance blimp was actually shot down
The Hill - The massive Army blimp that broke free from its mooring and drifted from Maryland to Pennsylvania is "actually still deflating," a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday. Another Pentagon spokesman confirmed reports that the 240-foot blimp was shot down, but did not know how close to the ground the blimp was when it happened. It is not clear who shot down the blimp. The blimp, formally known as an aerostat, was part of a three-year research project for the JLENS program, which stands for Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System.

Student Accused of Promoting Gang Culture for Wearing American Flag Shirt
Mikael Thalen - A 12-year-old student in California was forced to turn his American flag t-shirt inside-out last week after administrators claimed it was “gang related.” Dustin Cole, an honors student at Yuba Gardens Intermediate school, says he was approached by school staff who argued that the t-shirt, which features items from both the American and California flag, violated the district’s dress code. According to Marysville Joint Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Ramiro Carreon, the shirt was flagged for containing colors and designs known to the local gang task force.

Twin Peaks Biker Shootout Video: Waco PD Denies Releasing Video and Crime Scene Photos
Breitbart - Video footage and crime scene photos of the Twin Peaks biker shootout in May that killed nine men and injured 20 others was released on Thursday. The Waco Police Department issued a strong statement that the department did not release the video, and suggested that defense lawyers may have done so. CNN reported [video link] they have been obtained two thousand documents and crime scene photos, as well as surveillance video. A sample of the videos CNN obtained is included in their video news report.

Election News

Documentary: The Clinton Chronicles
Oath Keepers - This video was published in the early 1990s. It has been circulating ever since, yet the Clintons remain undaunted as the world ignores their criminality. Two Bushes, one Clinton, and one Obama have just about put the final nail in America’s coffin, and now Hillary Clinton is actually being allowed by one of the two major political parties to run for the White House, proving overtly and on the public record that crime pays….

Rand Paul Begins Filibuster to Stop Debt Deal
Kit Daniels - Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has started a filibuster against a debt extension to the White House. The junior senator from Kentucky took the Senate floor at around 2:45pm EST to blast the new budget deal. Paul said he’ll try to delay the debt extension as long as he can to expose its flaws. “This is the No. 1 threat to us: we’re accumulating debt at $1 million every minute,” he said. “Someone’s got to stand up and do something about it.” “I will continue this filibuster as long as there are enough votes here to allow it to continue.”... His fellow presidential candidates Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) also oppose the debt deal.

The 'Bernwashing' Of America
Zero Hedge - Bernie Sanders supporters seem to be everywhere. 49% of Democrats now have a favorable view towards socialism. This is scary. And sad. No matter how it is wrapped, socialism is still the belief that we can raise people out of poverty by taking money out of the hands of those who have learned how to produce. And it has never worked. Socialism always fails because at some point people realize they don’t have to work as hard to get the same amount of stuff. It takes all the incentive away to really succeed.

CNBC’s Republican Debate Notches 14 Million Viewers
Variety - CNBC said its Wednesday-night telecast of a debate among Republican candidates for U.S. President lured an average of 14 million viewers, making it the most-watched broadcast on the NBCUniversal-owned cable outlet in its history. CNBC’s audience for the telecast was significantly lower than the crowds lured by Fox News Channel and CNN for similar events. A Republican debate broadcast in August by Fox News attracted an average of 24 million viewers, while a Republican debate broadcast in September by CNN won an average of 23.1 million viewers. For CNBC, however, the numbers were meaningful.

Television News Network Lobbyists Are Fundraising for Hillary Clinton
The Intercept - Over the last two presidential debates, both Democratic and Republican candidates have asserted that the television news media is biased and has done a poor job informing voters of the most pressing issues in the election. And while their focus is on things like the type of questions asked by debate moderators, they are overlooking much clearer signs of potential conflicts of interest. Fundraising disclosures released this month and in July reveal that lobbyists for media companies are raising big money for establishment presidential candidates, particularly Hillary Clinton. The giant media companies that shape much of the coverage of the presidential campaign have a vested stake in the outcome. From campaign finance laws that govern how money is spent on advertising to the regulators who oversee consolidation rules, the media industry has a distinct policy agenda, and with it, a political team to influence the result.

Veteran News

A final tribute': Teens serve as pallbearers for homeless military veterans
Terri Peters - A group of high school students are volunteering to serve as pallbearers for fallen military members who otherwise would have been buried alone. "This was an opportunity to give something to somebody who finished their life on the fringe of society," said Tom Lennon, 17, a senior at the University of Detroit Jesuit School. "These veterans were men I have never met, but they helped make the country I live in safer and stronger. No matter who they were or what they did on earth, every person deserves a proper burial." The funerals earlier this month were the first in a new initiative of the school's student service team, led by faculty member Todd Wilson. Wilson said more than 50 students participated in the first training, and additional students have signed up for the next training in November.

Economy & Business

Top 100 CEO Retirement Savings Equals 41% of U.S. Families
Bloomberg - The retirement savings accumulated by just 100 chief executives are equal to the entire retirement accounts of 41 percent of U.S. families -- or more than 116 million people, a new study finds. In a report scheduled for release today, the Center for Effective Government and Institute for Policy Studies found that the 100 largest chief executive retirement funds are worth an average of about $49.3 million per executive, or a combined $4.9 billion. David C. Novak, the recently departed chief executive officer of Yum! Brands Inc., is at the top of the list, with total retirement savings of $234.2 million.

“Boehnerland” Lobbyists Win Right to Bombard Student Borrowers With Robocalls
The Intercept - Deep inside the 114-page budget deal that passed the House Wednesday, legislative leaders tucked in a provision that will free debt collectors to bombard student loan borrowers with unlimited robocall and automated text messages where it hurts most — on their mobile devices — even when they are asked to stop. The change is a major victory for the debt collections industry, which has retained a small army of lawyers and lobbyists for years to weaken the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the law that protects people from unwanted robocalls and pre-recorded messages.

These stores are refusing to open up on Thanksgiving Day
Fortune - A victory for family time. To compete with other retailers, many stores have been making themselves available to Black Friday junkies earlier and earlier, spilling over into Thanksgiving Day celebrations. The holiday has become less about giving thanks, and more about shoving people out of your way to snag a television set for 75% off. While many encourage it by participating in the events, it has outraged others and even sparked some to pass around petitions pleading retail stores to stay closed on the holiday. REI has recently become a hero to those petitioners. Not only is the brand closing its doors on Thanksgiving, but it will not open on Black Friday either (though workers will still get paid.)

A Ban On Heating Your Home With Wood? It’s Happening
Off the Grid News - Starting next fall it will be illegal to install wood-burning heaters and stoves in new homes in at least one major American city: San Francisco. Even wood stoves certified as low emission by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be banned... Wood-burning heaters will still be allowed in existing homes, the Contra Costa Times reported, although sellers must give buyers a form explaining the “health risks” of burning smoke. A ban on traditional fireplaces already was in place in the region. The board also voted to end all automatic exemptions to its existing wood-burning ban, including one that exempts people who live in areas with no natural gas lines.

NOAA Refuses to Hand Over Climate Change Documents to Congress
Activist Post - ...Congressman Lamar Smith has asked NOAA for the data and internal communications that were related to the study, but they have refused to hand them over. On October 13th, Smith filed a subpoena for the documents. The Congressman has long been skeptical of climate change, and has accused NOAA of fabricating temperature data. Smith told The Examiner that Congress cannot do its job when agencies openly defy Congress and refuse to turn over information…When an agency decides to alter the way it has analyzed historical temperature data for the past few decades, it’s crucial to understand on what basis those decisions were made. This action has broad national and policy implications.

Video: The Real Nuclear Family Revealed
Lee Ann McAdoo - Nuclear leak coinciding with disease pandemic and other illnesses in St. Louis. Infowars reporter Lee Ann McAdoo talks to a victim of the radiation in St. Louis who has lost family members from the nuclear waste stored throughout the city.

Don't Let This Family's Heartbreak Happen to You - Know What to Do About Rabies
Dr. Becker - The story of the unnecessary killing of a 10-year-old family dog prompted veterinary researchers to study the current practice of long-term quarantine or euthanasia for certain pets exposed to rabid animals. The researchers concluded that dogs and cats with lapsed rabies vaccinations who are exposed to the virus can safely receive an immediate rabies booster followed by 45 days of observation at home. The study results also point to the long-term immunity achieved in most animals who receive an initial rabies vaccination

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Thursday - October 29, 2015 - Today in History:

1863 - The International Committee of the Red Cross was founded.
1901 - Leon Czolgosz, the assassin of U.S. President McKinley, was electrocuted.
1923 - Turkey formally became a republic after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. The first president was Mustafa Kemal, later known as Kemal Ataturk.
1929 - America's Great Depression began with the crash of the Wall Street stock market.
1940 - The first peacetime military draft began in the U.S.
1956 - Israel invaded Egypt's Sinai Peninsula during the Suez Canal Crisis.
1956 - "The Huntley-Brinkley Report" premiered on NBC. The show replaced "The Camel News Caravan."
1966 - The National Organization for Women was founded.
1969 - The U.S. Supreme Court ordered an immediate end to all school segregation.
1974 - U.S. President Gerald Ford signed a new law forbidding discrimination in credit applications on the basis of sex or marital status
1985 - It was announced that Maj. Gen. Samuel K. Doe had won the first multiparty election in Liberia.
1990 - The U.N. Security Council voted to hold Saddam Hussein's regime liable for human rights abuses and war damages during its occupation of Kuwait.
1991 - Trade sanctions were imposed on Haiti by the U.S. to pressure the new leaders to restore the ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power.
1992 - Depo Provera, a contraceptive, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
1998 - South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission condemned both apartheid and violence committed by the African National Congress.
1998 - The space shuttle Discovery blasted off with John Glenn on board. Glenn was 77 years old. In 1962 he became the first American to orbit the Earth.
2001 - KTLA broadcasted the first coast to coast HDTV network telecast.

World News

Iraq ‘didn’t ask’ for US ground operations against ISIS
RT - The Iraqi government never asked for and does not need any US involvement in ground operations against Islamic State terrorists. The eye-opening statement came only a day after the Pentagon promised its partner more ground support if it was required. “This is an Iraqi affair and the government did not ask the US Department of Defense to be involved in direct operations,” spokesman Sa'ad al-Hadithi told NBC News. “We have enough soldiers on the ground.” Hadithi made it clear that any involvement of US forces that stretches beyond their “train and advise” mission must be cleared with Baghdad – as mandated under international law. Thus far Iraq has only cleared a US air campaign over its territory against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). For now, Hadithi stressed, Iraq only needs US support in “arming and training [Iraqi] forces.” Around 3,300 US troops are involved in the mission in Iraq.

Turkey threatens ‘whatever necessary’ to combat Kurdish autonomy ‘mindset’ in Syria
RT - Threatening continued assaults on the Kurdish militia in Syria, the Turkish president has warned he will not request anyone’s permission to do whatever is necessary to prevent the spread of support for Kurdish autonomy, even if it requires bombing US-allied rebels. In a clear message to dissuade Kurds from supporting the self-declared autonomous town of Tel Abyad near the Turkish border, President Tayyip Erdogan said that he will “do what is necessary,” including using force, to eradicate the potential source of separatism along its borders.... The Turkish President also accused Washington of double standards and claimed that the PYD allegedly carried out ethnic cleansing of Arabs and Turkmen in Northern Syria, equating US support for the Kurdish militias to aiding terrorism.

As Death Toll Rises in Yemen, White House Questions Its Support for Saudis
Sputnik News - US-backed Saudi Arabia’s airstrikes in Yemen, which have reportedly cost the lives of at least 1,500 civilians so far, have divided the Obama administration, as many fear being blamed for abetting war crimes that could empower Islamic militants. Sources in the White House admit they are having a rough time supporting the role of close ally Saudi Arabia in Yemen, as a Saudi-Iran proxy war rages in the Arab nation.

IMF May Continue Funding Ukraine if It Refuses Russia Repayment
Sputnik News - The IMF may change its internal lending rules for the first time since the Greek bailout to continue its program to lend money to Ukraine if the country refuses to repay its debt to Russia in December, according to some sources. The IMF may continue to lend Ukraine money despite its likely default on the debt it owes Russia if new lending laws are passed, the Wall Street Journal reported. Ukraine owes Russia $3 billion. The debt, which is due in late December, will stall the IMF's deal with the country to lend it money if it refuses to pay.

Japanese police drag away elderly protesters as work starts on controversial US airbase (VIDEO)
RT - Protests have erupted in Okinawa after the Japanese government resumed work on a controversial US airbase, even though construction had been blocked by the local governor. Police dragged away elderly demonstrators while they shouted “What are you doing?” Around 300 mostly elderly protesters gathered on Thursday to block the main gate at Camp Schwab in the city of Nago. However, local police ruthlessly dealt with the demonstrators, the Asahi Shimbun reports. One elderly woman with a cane yelled "Put me down!" as she was hauled off, as cited by Reuters. "What are you doing?" another white-haired woman shouted at police. "Aren't you supposed to be protecting citizens?"

“Boots on the Ground” Inside Syria? The Pentagon Comes to the Rescue of the “Islamic State” (ISIS)
Global Research - On October 27, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced that the Pentagon is contemplating “direct action on the ground” in both Iraq and Syria, “in an effort to combat the self-proclaimed Islamic State terrorist group.” (Sputnik, October 27, 2015). The not so hidden agenda, however, is not “to combat” but rather “to protect and come to the rescue” of the Islamic State terrorist group. What’s new? Are we witnessing a process of military escalation? The US and its allies already have boots on ground inside Syria. It’s not official, it’s a so-called “covert operation” which everybody knows about.

Russia’s “No-Fly Zone” Prevents US, Israel, UK From Bombing Syria
Brandon Turbeville - It appears that, after a few weeks of Russian bombing in Syria, a new kind of “no-fly zone” seems to have been established. However, this “no-fly zone” is not focused on preventing Syrian planes and military forces from operating inside the country. Instead, it functions as a barrier to Israeli and American air forces seeking to enter Syria through the Mediterranean Sea in order to support terrorists and jihadists against the secular government of Bashar al-Assad. This is because of Russia’s Naval presence in the port of Tartus and its new presence just off the coast of Latakia, particularly with ships like the guided missile cruiser Moscow. The ship left Crimea on September 24 and is part of what Russian media is referring to as training exercises.

Saudi Arabia Bombs Second Doctors Without Borders Hospital
Activist Post - For the second time in a month, a health center run by Doctors Without Borders was bombed as part of the military effort led by Saudi Arabia. The hospital was operating in the northern province of Saada, an area which has been heavily bombed since the Saudi-led military effort against Houthi rebels began in April. Doctors Without Borders said the center was bombed twice, forcing the evacuation of staff members and critically wounded patients and resulting in the collapse of the building. Hassan Boucenine, a Doctors Without Borders spokesman in Yemen, told the NY Times the organization had given the health center’s coordinates to the military coalition six months ago and reconfirmed the coordinates on a monthly basis.

Now Austria Plans To Build A Fence To Thwart Europe’s March Of Muslim Migrants
Breitbart - Austria will build a fence along its border with European Union (EU) neighbour Slovenia to help stem the migrant invasion now flooding Europe, Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said today. Both countries are part of the passport-free Schengen zone and remain key transit countries for hundreds of thousands of mostly young, Muslim men trying to reach northern Europe via the Balkans. Slovenia, the main entry point into Austria, also said it was ready to build a fence, meaning the two countries will follow Hungary in trying to seal their frontiers, thus threatening to block the land route used by migrants from the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa now invading Europe.

'We are deeply disturbed': 343 British academics vow to boycott Israeli universities
RT - Over 300 scholars from UK institutions have signed a letter vowing to boycott Israeli universities, citing Tel Aviv's “illegal occupation” of Palestinian land and “human rights violations.” The move has drawn criticism from Jewish organizations and diplomats. The letter, signed by 343 academics, appeared as a full-page ad in Tuesday's Guardian newspaper. “As scholars associated with British universities, we are deeply disturbed by Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land, the intolerable human rights violations that it inflicts on all sections of the Palestinian people, and its apparent determination to resist any feasible settlement," it reads.

Italian mayor offers 'gun bonus' to citizens
The Local - A mayor in northern Italy has announced plans to set up a fund to help his town's citizens buy guns. Gianluca Buonanno, the Northern League mayor of Borgosesia in Piedmont, has promised to pay citizens who wish to buy a firearm €250 towards their purchase – a sum which is around 30 percent of the price of a small pistol in Italy, La Repubblica reported. Buonanno announced his decision on Facebook, writing that the measure was aimed at allowing citizens “to defend themselves from delinquents, who the government is privileging with its jail-emptying laws instead of protecting honest Italians.”

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Former US military personnel urge drone pilots to walk away from controls
The Guardian - Forty-five former US military personnel, including a retired army colonel, have issued a joint appeal to the pilots of aerial drones operating in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and elsewhere, calling on them to refuse to carry out the deadly missions.

‘Mentally Unstable’ Obama Looking To Start A War With China?
Economic Collapse - This week, Barack Obama sent a guided missile destroyer into disputed waters in the South China Sea to see if the Chinese would start shooting at it. Yes, this is what he actually did. Fortunately for us, the Chinese backed down and did not follow through on their threats to take military action. Instead, the Chinese have chosen to respond with very angry words. The Chinese ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, says that what Obama did was “a very serious provocation, politically and militarily.” And as you will see below, a state-run newspaper stated that China “is not frightened to fight a war with the US in the region”. So why in the world would Obama provoke the Chinese like this? Yes, the Chinese claims in the South China Sea are questionable. But there are other ways to resolve things like this.

Seventh Grade Assignment Asks Students to Deny God Exists, Or Fail
Adan Salazar - Teacher said bible was written by people “trying to get attention.” Parents of students at a middle school in Texas are upset after a classroom assignment forced children to deny the existence of God or take a failing grade. Jordan Wooley, a 7th grade student at West Memorial Junior High School near Houston, bravely spoke before the Katy Independent School District (ISD) school board Tuesday about the assignment handed out by her reading teacher which she says made her question her faith. The exercise asked students to note whether a series of statements were either factual claims, commonplace assertions, or opinions.

18 Reasons Why I Don’t Celebrate Halloween
Michael Snyder - This year, 64 percent of all Americans will celebrate Halloween, but I will not be one of them. For me, it is a wretched, horrible holiday that celebrates the darkest side of humanity, and it is deeply rooted in ancient pagan traditions that would get people thrown in prison if they attempted to duplicate them today. With each passing year, the sexually suggestive costumes being marketed to our young girls become even skankier, the horror movies become darker and even more demonic, and the number of Americans that participate in occult ceremonies just continues to grow. In fact, it has been estimated that the number of self-identified witches in the United States is doubling every 30 months. Those that are deeply into the occult take this holiday very seriously, and the dark forces that they are dealing with are very real. So no, I don’t want anything to do with this festival of death. In no particular order, the following are 18 reasons why I don’t celebrate Halloween…

GOP Nominates Ryan for Speaker–with < 218 Votes Needed for Tomorrow
Breitbart - Rep. Paul Ryan won the first round of votes for the job of House Speaker, but 45 Republican legislators voted against him. Those 45 members are enough to block him from getting the Speakership during the partisan floor vote on Thursday — if the 45 GOP legislators maintain their opposition, and if Ryan is not aided by a last-minute bloc of Democratic votes. During the closed-door conference, Ryan won just 200 votes for the nomination.... The failure on Ryan’s part to win 218 votes—the threshold for anyone to win the Speakership on the House floor assuming every member of the House is present and voting for a person—is a major embarrassment on his part. The question now becomes whether Ryan will be able to get at 18 of the 45 Republican votes he lost to get behind him on the floor on Thursday. If he can’t succeed by the first ballot, the election could go to a second ballot on the floor—which would likely lead to Ryan’s demise.

F-16 Fighter Jets Scrambled to Track Military Blimp Drifting Over Pennsylvania
NBC News - An unmanned Army surveillance blimp that tore loose from its ground tether in Maryland and drifted north Wednesday is on the ground in Pennsylvania, authorities said.... Two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from Atlantic City, New Jersey, and tracked the blimp's course. The blimp was holding at around 16,000 feet over Wilmington, Pennsylvania, NORAD said in a statement at around 2 p.m.... The dragging tether caused power outages as it drifted over Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf's office said in a statement. Power company PPL Electric reported that 30,000 people lost power due to the drifting balloon, and by Wednesday afternoon 15,000 remained without electricity.
* Related: 1.4 Billion Dollar Surveillance Blimp to Launch over Maryland

SPLC Calls Parents Against Common Core “Conspiracy Theorists”
Kit Daniels - The Southern Poverty Law Center blasted the thousands of parents with legitimate concerns over Common Core as “conspiracy theorists,” even though most criticism against Common Core is directed at its poor teaching methodologies. The controversial group claimed criticism of the federal public school program is based on “outlandish conspiracy theories” and “wildly untrue claims,” but parents are generally upset with Common Core because it penalizes students for correctly answering questions. “The latest and most virulent example of [Common Core criticism] is the rapidly spreading idea that the Common Core State Standards, an ambitious effort to lift student achievement across the country, is actually a dangerous conspiracy to indoctrinate young people into ‘the homosexual lifestyle,’ communism and globalist ideology, all the while collecting detailed and highly personal information about millions of citizens,” the SPLC asserted.

Election News

VIDEO: Cruz BLASTS Media, Crowd Goes Wild
Truth Revolt - At CNBC's "Your Money, Your Vote: The Republican Presidential Debate" tonight, Ted Cruz took and early and commanding lead with the total destruction of the moderators and the media in general. Newsbusters tweeted the above clip, which immediately went viral and continues to rack up more retweets by the second. Bashing the media always gets applause from conservatives. Effectively bashing them, with devastating accuracy, gets more than applause. It becomes the stuff of legend. Cruz's answer will quickly become one of those videos that everyone watches over and over. .

Kurtz: Debate ‘Absolute Trainwreck for CNBC,’ ‘Disaster For All Of Us In the News Business’
Breitbart - Kurtz said, “Megyn, this was an absolute trainwreck for CNBC. Many of the moderators’ questions seemed to me to be snide, hostile, condescending, borderline insulting. And, let me just make clear, I’m totally in favor of tough and provocative questions. … But a lot of these questions were not drilling down on facts, or record, or policy. When John Harwood says Trump, comic book campaign, or does he have the moral authority to be president? When Carl Quintanilla asked Sen. Marco Rubio, who had a good night by the way, are you a young man in a hurry? shouldn’t you have waited a few years to run for president? It just validated what a lot of people think about the mainstream media, and this channel’s that’s affiliated of course with NBC News that they cannot be fair to Republicans. It was a disaster for all of us in the news business.”
* Related: GOP Debate: Main Event (Full Debate) | CNBC

**DRUDGE POLL** Who Won The 3rd Republican Debate '16?

CNBC: Who won the GOP debate?

Trump leads by 34 points in Massachusetts poll
The Hill - The poll, released on Wednesday, found that 47.8 percent support Trump becoming the Republican presidential nominee next year. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson ranks second with 13.9 percent, while Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) earns 11.8 percent. No other GOP White House hopeful receives double-digit voter support in Massachusetts. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush places fourth with 6.5 percent. He is trailed by former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina at 6.5 percent and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) at 5.1 percent.... Wednesday’s poll also found that 43.1 percent of GOP voters surveyed plan on voting in their state’s presidential primary in March.
* Related: Poll: Trump leads Carson by 14 points nationwide

Ben Carson Wants To Police Speech On College Campuses
Huffington Post - Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said Wednesday he would use the U.S. Department of Education to police speech on college campuses. During an interview, Glenn Beck asked Carson if he would shut down the Education Department as president. "I actually have something I would use the Department of Education to do," Carson responded. "It would be to monitor our institutions of higher education for extreme political bias and deny federal funding if it exists."... It's interesting to hear Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, suggest the federal government should monitor what sort of political views are shared on campuses, considering how many times he has railed against "political correctness" that censors Americans' viewpoints.

Economy & Business

White House: House Budget Plan ‘Meets the President’s Vision’
Breitbart - President Obama has endorsed the budget plan proposed by Speaker Rep. John Boehner... “We believe this a budget framework that meets the president’s vision,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz told reporters aboard Air Force One yesterday when asked about the House budget proposal. The plan is Boehner’s final surrender to Obama’s budget demands, because it sets top-level spending limits for the government until March 2017, after the president leaves office. It increases planned spending by $50 billion in 2016, and $30 billion in 2017. The details of the deal angered conservative critics of Boehner, particularly after he rammed through legislation reauthorizing the Export-Import bank using secretive tactics and capitulated to Obama’s spending demands.... Boehner’s budget-plan allocated funding for defense, education, job training while avoiding a government shutdown and removing sequester spending caps, which Obama demanded early on in the discussions.

Budget Deal Robs $1.5 Billion from Crime Victims
Breitbart - The two-year budget deal announced late Monday includes small-print language that yanks $1.5 billion away from crime victims. The funding is used to compensate victims of crime. A statement from the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators opposes the cuts and describes how the money is collected and used: “Some 3.5 million crime victims every year depend on the thousands of domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, child abuse treatment programs, child advocacy centers, prosecutor- and law-enforcement victim service programs, support groups for survivors of homicide victims, drunken driving crashes and all the other programs that receive VOCA funding. These funds come from the Crime Victims Fund which comes not from U.S. taxpayers but from fines and monetary penalties paid by criminals convicted of federal crimes.”

10 Taxpayer Handouts to the Super Rich That Will Make Your Blood Boil
Tom Cahill - The next time you hear someone complain about how the poor get “all this free stuff,” show them this.

Video: Radioactive Landfill Leak Caught on Camera
Infowars - 10,000 gallon leak fuels concerns of unstable hot spot. Infowars reporter Lee Ann McAdoo returns to the site of the potentially dangerous spill at a nuclear waste site in St. Louis. According to sources on the ground, the radioactive West Lake landfill is currently experiencing a 10 to 11 thousand gallon leachate leak after a break in a force main. Leachate is very toxic,” says Dawn Chapman, a local environmental activist. Residents that live near and around the area say benzene is also emitting from the site, a known carcinogen.

Residents in St Louis dying in record numbers from World War II radioactive waste
Matt Young - IN 2011, residents across an American community in St Louis began to notice a chain of inexplicably high incidents of cancer and disease across its population. For decades, both former and current residents from approximately 90 municipalities in the Missouri city were diagnosed with a long list of life-threatening illnesses, including leukaemia, lupus, brain tumours, appendix cancer, multiple sclerosis, birth defects and many more. People died. Babies died. And they’re still dying to this day, dubbed “the poison children of Coldwater Creek.” But no one ever connected the dots as to what was really making these innocent people sick.
* Related: Confused about Bridgeton, West Lake landfills? Here's what you should know.

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Wednesday - October 28, 2015 - Today in History:

1776 - The Battle of White Plains took place during the American Revolutionary War.
1793 - Eli Whitney applied for a patent for his cotton gin.
1886 - The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor by U.S. President Cleveland. The statue weighs 225 tons and is 152 feet tall. It was originally known as "Liberty Enlightening the World."
1919 - The U.S. Congress enacted the Volstead Act, also known as the National Prohibition Act. Prohibition was repealed in 1933 with the passing of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
1922 - Benito Mussolini took control of the Italian government and introduced fascism to Italy.
1936 - The Statue of Liberty was rededicated by U.S. President Roosevelt on its 50th anniversary.
1940 - During World War II, Italy invaded Greece.
1962 - Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev informed the U.S. that he had ordered the dismantling of Soviet missile bases in Cuba.
1965 - The Gateway Arch along the waterfront in St. Louis, MO, was completed.
1976 - John D. Erlichman, a former aide to U.S. President Richard Nixon, entered a federal prison camp in Safford, AZ, to begin serving his sentence for Watergate-related convictions.
1982 - Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev condemned the U.S. for arms buildup.
1983 - The U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution "deeply deploring" the ongoing U.S.-led invasion of Grenada.
1985 - John A. Walker Jr. and his son, Michael Lance Walker, pled guilty to charges of spying for the Soviet Union.
1986 - The centennial of the Statue of Liberty was celebrated in New York.
1990 - Iraq announced that it was halting gasoline rationing.
1994 - U.S. President Clinton visited Kuwait and implied that all the troops there would be home by Christmas.
1996 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained a record 337.17 points (or 5%). The day before the Dow had dropped 554.26 points (or 7%).

World News

US ground ops in Syria ‘illegal’, may lead to ‘unpredictable’ consequences
RT - The consequences of potential US ground operations in Syria would be unpredictable, the head of Russia’s parliamentary committee on foreign affairs told RT. He added that claims Russian airstrikes have targeted civilians are part of ongoing information war.... Commenting on the potential involvement of US ground troops against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, Kosachev once again highlighted that, when it comes to Syria, the US-led anti-ISIS campaign is already violating international law. Potential troops on the ground, Kosachev believes, will further violate international regulations.

US Will Revise Its Iraq Presence if Russia Helps Baghdad to Fight ISIL
Sputnik News - If Russia launches airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIL) targets in Iraq, the US military will rethink its presence in the country, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I tried to explain to [Iraqi leaders] that our continued support really would be problematic were they to invite the Russians in to conduct strikes," Dunford was quoted as saying by Defense One. "I was assured that they had not extended that invitation and that they did not intend to extend an invitation to do that." Dunford said he discussed the issue with Iraqi prime minister and defense minister during his visit to Baghdad last week.

Putin wants to ax dollar from Russian trade
RT - Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted the government for turning a blind eye on US dollar payments in the domestic oil trade. "I would like to mention one crucial issue in the development of the energy industry, and the economy as a whole. It is a question of finally stopping the use of foreign currency in internal trade,” said Putin at the fuel and energy presidential commission on Tuesday.

Austrian Women Buying Up Guns As Migrant Rapists Invade Country
Kit Daniels - Private gun sales are exploding in Austria as women prepare to defend themselves against migrant rapists. “All long guns are currently completely sold out,” a Czech TV station reported. “Those arming themselves are primarily women.” “The huge demand has its roots in fears generated by social changes.” The news outlet also said “more potential customers are entering the market than ever before” and that prior to the current migrant crisis, most gun purchasers were “sport shooters or rangers.” “But the most common customers now are people who are worried about their personal safety, yet who had never had any involvement with weapons prior to this,” the TV station added.

South China Sea tensions: US declares right to fly, sail anywhere intl law allows
RT - The US has shrugged off China’s criticism over its warship patrol in the South China Sea saying that the operation had been conducted within the limits of international law and had not required any special permission. “The US has conducted naval operations in the South China Sea in recent days and will conduct similar operations in the future,” Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said. "Our freedom of navigation operations do not assert any specific US rights," White House Eric Schultz said when asked about the details of a US Navy destroyer sailing past China’s artificial islands, adding that the United States will fly and sail anywhere international law allows. He did not comment further.

Moscow Invites Tehran to Join International Talks on Syria for First Time Ever
Sputnik News - Iran was invited to take part for the first time ever in international talks aimed at ending the civil war in Syria, US officials said Tuesday. ran has yet to respond to the invitation, which was extended by Russia. The next round of talks will take place Thursday in Vienna.

Hundreds of Refugees Vanish Without a Trace in Germany
Sputnik News - Roughly seven hundred of 4,000 asylum-seekers who had been initially accommodated in the German state of Lower Saxony have mysteriously disappeared, and because of administrative breakdowns, local authorities are clueless about who and where they are. The staggering figures were revealed by local officials in the northwest German state by a survey conducted by the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (NOZ) newspaper. Because many of the refugees hadn’t been registered yet, nothing is known about who they are or where they might have gone.

Global bishops call for 'complete decarbonisation' by 2050
AFP - Bishops launched a global appeal Monday for a break-through at upcoming Paris climate talks, including a "complete decarbonisation" of the world's economy and more help for poor countries battling the effects of climate change. The bishops said any agreement "should limit global temperature increases to avoid catastrophic climatic impacts, especially on the most vulnerable communities". From across five continents they called "not only for 'drastic reduction in the emission of carbon dioxide and other toxic gasses', but also for ending the fossil fuel era".... The November 30-December 11 conference in Paris will be the culmination of six years of work since the ill-fated 2009 Copenhagen climate summit, which failed to lock down significant agreements.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

House Republicans begin impeachment against IRS chief John Koskinen
Washington Examiner - House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and 18 other Republicans on the committee introduced a resolution on Tuesday to start impeachment proceedings against IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. Chaffetz said the impeachment effort is a response to Koskinen's failure to comply with a subpoena demanding records relating to Lois Lerner's role in the IRS targeting scandal. Republicans say the IRS erased 422 backup tapes that included thousands of Lerner's missing emails. He also said Koskinen offered false testimony to Congress, when he said Lerner's emails were unrecoverable, and failed to tell Congress that some evidence was missing.

Families of Victims Murdered By Illegal Aliens To House Republicans: ‘No Paul Ryan’
Breitbart - American moms and dads whose children were murdered—even tortured—by illegal aliens have a last-ditch message for House Republicans: “No Rep. Paul Ryan as Speaker.” Following his endorsement by Rep. Mick Mulvaney, founder of the House Freedom Caucus, Ryan is effectively ensured the Speakership. That will put him in an even more powerful position than the Vice Presidency, potentially able to complete his widely-documented two-decade push for amnesty and unlimited migration.

5+5+5=15 is Wrong, According to Common Core
Mikael Thalen - A Common Core math assignment posted online last week is causing outrage among parents who say their child was penalized for correctly answering a question. A photo of the math quiz, uploaded to Imgur, shows how an unknown third-grade student received negative marks after allegedly failing to properly articulate how he correctly solved the question 5×3. “The first question asks the student to use repeated addition to solve the question 5×3. The student answers 5+5+5=15, but is marked incorrect,” notes the Daily Mail. “Instead, the teacher writes that the correct answer should have been 3+3+3+3+3=15.” The assignment’s second question, which similarly asks the student to use “repeated addition” to solve 4×6, is also marked wrong despite being correct.

'We won’t hold back' from ground raids against ISIS - Carter
RT - The US is prepared to use “direct action on the ground” against Islamic State targets, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told lawmakers. He also promised ramped-up airstrikes and support for Iraqi forces besieging Ramadi. "We won't hold back from supporting capable partners in opportunistic attacks against ISIL, or conducting such missions directly whether by strikes from the air or direct action on the ground," Carter told the Senate Armed Services committee. Carter’s announcement comes following the news that Sergeant Joshua Wheeler of the Delta Force was killed during a hostage rescue raid in northern Iraq last week. A number of Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL) militants were killed in the operation, which recovered 69 captives the Pentagon says were in danger of imminent execution.

The U.S. Government Is Spending 400,000 Dollars On A Single Helmet
Economic Collapse - Would you pay $400,000 for a single helmet? Of course you wouldn’t – but that is precisely what the U.S. government is doing. Just the helmet for the pilot of the new F-35 Lightning II is going to cost taxpayers nearly half a million dollars. And since we are going to need 2,400 of those helmets, the total bill is going to end up approaching a billion dollars.

Americans Renouncing US Citizenship Soars To Yet Another Record High
Zero Hedge - 1,426. That’s the number of Americans who renounced their US citizenship last quarter according to the US government’s report just released this morning. That’s a record high for a single quarter, easily beating the last record high set earlier this year, which beat the previous record high set in 2013. This is clearly a trend on the rise, and it certainly raises the question: why? What is it about the United States that drives so many citizens to leave? Two main reasons...

Planned Parenthood TX Doc: Harvesting Intact Fetal Heads “Will Give Me Something to Strive For” (Video)
CMP - The eleventh video release from The Center for Medical Progress in the ongoing Planned Parenthood baby parts scandal shows the abortion doctor for Planned Parenthood in Austin, TX, Dr. Amna Dermish, describing a partial-birth abortion procedure to terminate living, late-term fetuses which she hopes will yield intact fetal heads for brain harvesting. Dr. Dermish admits she was trained by the Senior Director of Medical Services at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Dr. Deborah Nucatola. Nucatola described a partial-birth abortion technique to harvest fetal organs in the first Planned Parenthood video released July 14 by CMP.

Restaurant Offers Discount to Concealed Carry Patrons Following Robbery
Adan Salazar - “MY BUSINESS. I can give discounts to whomever I please,” restaurant owner tells critics. A restaurant owner in Indiana is offering a discount to customers who bring concealed firearms into his establishment after a robbery that occurred Saturday. Papa Roux owner Art Bouvier announced on Facebook Saturday night that an armed robber had walked in, threatened his employees and stolen money. “I have a gun; I’m gonna need all the money out of your registers,” the robber said, according to Bouvier. After the thief had made off with the money, Bouvier took to Facebook to announce that “until further notice, your concealed carry license earns you 25% off your meal when you dine in.”

Students In California School District Now Guaranteed ‘C’ Grades For DOING NOTHING
Daily Caller - Officials in a public school district about 50 miles north of San Francisco have found a new and exciting way to coddle kids. Under a new policy, students will be able to earn passing grades with scores of just 20 percent — and a solid C for doing absolutely nothing at all.... The Cotati-Rohnert Park grade scale deviates from the traditional, well-established A-through-F scale by distributing grades in 20-percent increments from 0 to 100 percent, and by only giving grades of F for students with scores below 20 percent. Thus, students who receive a score of 80 will be awarded an A-. In fact, any grade from 80 to 100 will be either an A or A-. By way of comparison, most students in America who score between 80 and 85 in a given class are sent home with either a B- or a B.

Teenage Girl BRUTALLY Slammed to the Ground by Violent Cop While Sitting In Her Desk
Counter Current News - The following video was just sent to us by students at Spring Valley High School in South Carolina. Those students witnessed a Richland County sheriff’s deputy violently attacking a young female student. School officials have told us that the incident happened on Monday. But that was about all they would relay. Sheriff Leon Lott, has seen the video and defended the school resource officer, saying he “was acting in response to a student who was refusing to leave class.” Apparently that means using unbridled violence against an unarmed, unaggressive, non-violent student is perfectly acceptable.
* Related: Cop Who Attacked Schoolgirl Also Emptied Entire Can of Pepper Spray on US Veteran

Election News

Debate: RNC Gives Donald Trump Presidential Suite, Rand Paul Gets Bathroom
Breitbart - The RNC divided up workspaces for each of the GOP presidential campaign staffs during Wednesday night’s GOP primary debate hosted by CNBC in Colorado—but the workspace for each campaign wasn’t quite equal, according to one Republican political consultant. Chris LaCivita, a senior aide for Sen. Rand Paul, took to Twitter to expose the varied spaces for different campaigns with “#thanksRNC” at the end of his posts. He posted a photo of the workspace for Donald Trump’s campaign versus the area assigned to Paul’s staff. It appears Paul has a restroom with a small dressing room, but Trump has a presidential suite. LaCivita also posted on Twitter Carly Fiorina’s workspace, which allegedly has a jacuzzi.

Rand Paul on Socialism: ‘If You Don’t Listen … They Exterminate You’(Video)
CNS News - “The problem though is Bernie complains about crony capitalism. He kind of gets it right, but he equates it with all of capitalism, and he actually promotes something called democratic socialism, and I’ve been trying to point out, because I’m on a lot of college campuses – we have a big following in college campuses – that there’s nothing sexy, and there’s nothing cool about socialism,” said Paul. “What there is, is the implied force that goes along with taking away your choice. They tell you, you cannot make reindeer. You cannot make cars. You cannot sell water. Only the state tells you what you can do. It’s the most anti-choice economic system,” he said. “If you don’t listen, they fine you. If you don’t pay the fine, they imprison you. If you will not listen, ultimately what has happened in history – and people get mad when I say this – but they exterminate you, and that’s what happened under Stalin,” Paul added.

Chemical Industry Self-Policing Called into Question, Government Oversight Lax
AllGov - “Every two days, there is a reportable leak or explosion at a U.S. chemical plant,” said McFate. “But the chemical industry keeps telling us companies can regulate themselves and no new oversight is needed.” The investigation found that only 42% of active facilities manufacturing chemicals were inspected in the last three to five years, of which 25% had serious violations. Also, the EPA required testing of only 250 of the 84,000 chemicals registered for commercial use in the U.S. today.

Daylight Savings Ends Nov. 1: Fall Back (And Give Your Dog Some Extra Love)
Dogington Post - If you’re anything like me, this one hour time change takes weeks to adjust to. I’m hungry when I shouldn’t be, I can’t seem to wake up in the mornings, too wired to sleep at night… This got me wondering – Does daylight savings time affect our dogs? In fact, it does! Dogs have circadian rhythms (our body’s biological system of timekeeping, so to speak), just like humans, that regulate sleep, hunger, and activity levels throughout each 24-hour period. In nature, these rhythms are triggered by natural sunlight. But, in our artificial environments, where morning starts with the blaring of an alarm clock and the flip of a lightswitch, our circadian rhythms (and our dogs’) are largely self-driven.
 

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Tuesday - October 27, 2015 - Today in History:

1787 - The first of the Federalist Papers were published in the New York Independent. The series of 85 essays, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay, were published under the pen name "Publius."
1795 - The United States and Spain signed the Treaty of San Lorenzo. The treaty is also known as "Pinckney's Treaty."
1858 - Roland Macy opened Macy's Department Store in New York City. It was Macy's eighth business adventure, the other seven failed.
1878 - The Manhattan Savings Bank in New York City was robbed of over $3,000,000. The robbery was credited to George "Western" Leslie even though there was not enough evidence to convict him, only two of his associates were convicted.
1904 - The New York subway system officially opened. It was the first rapid-transit subway system in America.
1962 - The Soviet Union adds to the Cuban Missile Crisis by calling for the dismantling of U.S. missile basis in Turkey. U.S. President Kennedy agreed to the new aspect of the agreement.
1994 - The U.S. Justice Department announced that the U.S. prison population had exceeded one million for the first time in American history.
1997 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 554.26 points. The stock market was shut down for the first time since the 1981 assassination attempt on U.S. President Reagan.
2002 - Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was elected president of Brazil in a runoff. He was the country's first elected leftist leader.
2003 - Bank of America Corp. announced it had agreed to buy FleetBoston Financial Corp. The deal created the second largest banking company in the U.S.

World News

China furious after US Navy destroyer passes disputed islands in S. China Sea
RT - China has slammed the US for ignoring repeated warnings and allowing one of its destroyers to sail close to artificial islands created by Beijing in the South China Sea. It said the USS Lassen’s actions “damage peace and stability in the region.” "These actions of the US warship are a threat to the sovereignty and security of China, and safety of people living on the islands; they damage peace and stability in the region. In this regard, the Chinese side expresses extreme dissatisfaction and strongly protests," the statement posted on China's Foreign Ministry website says, according to Interfax.

It's On: Obama Sends Destroyer To Chinese Islands, China Vows Military Response
Zero Hedge - For weeks, the US was rumored to have been planning a freedom of navigation exercise in the Spratlys which, as we’ve pointed out several times this month, amounts to sailing by the islands just to see if China will shoot. Now, according to CNN, Obama has given the green light and the ships may sail within 24 hours… It's also worth noting that should the US manage to get away with this without sparking a shooting war with the Chinese, it now looks as though Washington is leaning toward making this a regular patrol.

US, China Relations Reach Point of No Return?
Sputnik News - “For China, because of its history, territorial sovereignty issues implicate regime survival in a way that transcends all other quarrels and disagreements. The United States, on the other hand, views China’s territorial claims and actions to bolster those claims as Chinese expansionism, aggression against American allies and strategic partners,” The National Interest wrote. [Ryan] Pikrella further said that this may be a game of muscle, but even in this case, the clash of interests between Beijing and Washington in the South China Sea is like a “zero-sum game that increases the likelihood of conflict. For China the potential sphere of influence is at stake, whereas for the United States it is a liberal order and American hegemony,” the analyst said.

Iran to join BRICS New Development Bank – report
RT - Tehran intends to participate in the BRICS New Development Bank, the Iranian Tasnim news agency reported on Monday, citing an Iranian official.... BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - comprise about 30 percent of world's GDP in PPP terms and are projected to increase to as much as 45 percent by 2030. The bloc already accounts for 17 percent of world trade. Last week, Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak visited Iran where he negotiated a Russia-Iran bank to boost joint projects. The report of Iran joining BRICS bank appears to be linked to Novak’s visit.

Migrant Hordes Overwhelm Slovenia, As Prime Minister Warns Crisis Will Be The End Of The EU
Breitbart - The tiny nation of Slovenia has received 60,000 Middle Eastern and North African migrants in the past week. Thousands remain stranded near the Austrian border, as the prime minister warned the crisis could be “the end of the [European Union] EU.”... The migrants have been diverted through Slovenia since Hungary closed its border at the beginning of September. Viktor Orbán’s government built a razor wire fence and made illegal crossings a criminal offence.

TTIP Food Rules Secretly Enforced in EU; Agenda 21-Style Sustainability in New Draft
The New American - It seems that Agenda 21 is lurking in the latest version of the agreement. On October 17, The Guardian reported: EU negotiators will resume controversial trade talks with the US on Monday amid claims that multinational companies have jumped the gun in advance of any agreement to import goods that are currently banned — including genetically modified crops and chemically washed beef — into European markets. A campaign group says that a report in a US journal concerning the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks show that Europe is already capitulating to huge pressure from the US to allow imports of previously banned goods before an agreement is reached.

Ebola news

Mystery deaths in Sierra Leone spread fear of Ebola relapses
(Reuters) - ADoctors and health officials in Sierra Leone told Reuters that a handful of mystery deaths among discharged patients may also be types of Ebola relapses, stirring fear that the deadly virus may last far longer than previously thought in the body, causing other potentially lethal complications. Diagnoses have not been made, partly because of a lack of relevant medical training and insufficient equipment for detecting a virus that can hide in inaccessible corners of the body - such as the spinal fluid or eyeball. In Cafferkey's case, the virus in her brain caused meningitis.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

US Dismisses General Responsible for Unsuccessful Syria Rebel Training
Sputnik News - After the US’ Syrian rebel training program failed and produced only a few dozen fighters instead of the original 15,000 planned, the US is now dismissing US Maj. Gen. Michael K. Nagata who was responsible for the implementation of the program, media reported… After the failure of the plan, Nagata is expected to be appointed to a senior position in a counterterrorism unit.

Wikileaks' 3d strike: New batch of documents from CIA's chief e-mails
RT - Two more documents from CIA Director John Brennan’s private email account have been released by Wikileaks. Among the documents in Monday’s release is a list of 22 people that belong to what Wikileaks referred to as “a current unidentified group.” The list includes contact phone numbers, email addresses, places of employment, security clearance information and social security numbers. One of the prominent names on the list is the current Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.

IRS possessed Stingray cellphone surveillance gear, documents reveal
The Guardian - The Internal Revenue Service is the latest in a growing list of US federal agencies known to have possessed the sophisticated cellphone dragnet equipment known as Stingray, according to documents obtained by the Guardian. Invoices obtained following a request under the Freedom of Information Act show purchases made in 2009 and 2012 by the federal tax agency with Harris Corporation, one of a number of companies that manufacture the devices. Privacy advocates said the revelation “shows the wide proliferation of this very invasive surveillance technology”… It remains unclear how the IRS used the Stingray devices. A spokesman for the agency did not respond to a request for comment.

Gun homicides steady after decline in '90s; suicide rate edges up
Pew Research Center - Although most Americans think the number of gun crimes has risen, the U.S. gun homicide rate has actually stabilized somewhat in recent years, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of death certificate data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 1993 and 2000, the gun homicide rate dropped by nearly half, from 7.0 homicides to 3.8 homicides per 100,000 people. Since then, the gun homicide rate has remained relatively flat. From 2010 to 2013, the most recent year data are available, the number of gun homicides has hovered between 11,000 and 12,000 per year. By contrast, a significantly higher – and growing – number of gun deaths were by suicide than by homicide, and this has been true throughout the past two decades.

Election News

CNBC Limits Livestream of the Third GOP Debate to Cable Subscribers; CNN Didn’t
Observer - CNBC is showing the third Republican Presidential debate on Wednesday night at 8PM EST, for two hours, from the University of Colorado at Boulder. A 6 PM EST debate will match up the the Republican candidates polling between one and three percent.... Without a cable subscription, however, voters will be blocked from tuning in online... CNBC will show the debate on cable and stream it on its site only to users who can authenticate as cable or CNBC Pro subscribers... CNBC Pro costs $29.99 per month, but it comes with a seven-day free trial. That appears to be the only online option without a cable subscription. Just be sure to set a reminder to unsubscribe before the week is up (and don’t be surprised if it isn’t easy).

Trump Vows To Veto Gun Regulations
Steve Watson - In a town hall meeting in New Hampshire this morning GOP frontrunner Donald Trump accused his rivals of being “weak on the Second Amendment,” and said that there are already enough gun restrictions. We have tremendous regulations already, a lot of people don’t even realize,” the Republican presidential candidate told the crowd at the event hosted by NBC’s Today show. When asked how he would solve the problem of gun violence in America, Trump said “You’ve got to enforce what [restrictions] we’ve got right now, and there’re plenty right now.” “People aren’t abiding by them, government does a terrible job of enforcing them, but we already have tremendous regulations.” Trump added.... Trump repeated a previous assertion that mass shootings in the US are the result of untreated mental illness, rather than lax gun control laws.
* Related: Donald Trump Town Hall New Hampshire (Full interview)

Economy & Business

What Recovery? Record Number Of Americans Become Blood Plasma "Sellers" To Make Ends Meet
Zero Hedge - With 9.4 million more Americans below the poverty line than before the crisis, as The LA Times reports, it's disturbing to see so many people so destitute - even if they're working - that they've resorted to selling body fluids to make ends meet. The going rate for plasma donation, which can take a couple of hours, is about $25 or $30. But Octapharma is offering $50 for the first five visits, "when you get that $50, you feel good," one plasma 'seller' said, "I paid my gas bill."

Government Implements Illegal “Gag Order” On National Weather Service And NOAA Employees
Geoengineering Watch - The power structure is beginning to panic as the public wakes up to the criminal climate engineering insanity. The growing police state is completely out of control and becoming unimaginably blatant with their actions. In recent weeks Washington has placed "gag orders" on the following agency employees, "The National Weather Service", the "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration", and the "US Department of Commerce". This is a massive red flag that should trigger alarm bells everywhere.

Why Is This Happening? Unprecedented Flooding Has Hit The U.S. Within The Last 30 Days
Economic Collapse - Over the past 30 days, major floods have hit the east coast, the west coast and now the middle part of the country. So why is this happening? Why is the U.S. being hit by so many catastrophic weather events all of a sudden? During the past month flooding has caused billions of dollars in damage, and in many areas the clean up is going to take well into next year. Some pundits are blaming El Nino, but others are pointing to other potential reasons for why this may be happening.

Mysterious artificial space object heading towards Earth
RT - A mysterious chunk of space debris will hit Earth off the coast of Sri Lanka on November 13. Scientists have no clear idea what it is, other than that it is likely artificial in origin, and have dubbed the object WT1190F. “It’s a lost piece of space history that’s come back to haunt us,” Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told Nature. Detected by the Catalina Sky Survey, an observation lab at the University of Tucson, the alleged piece of space debris initially puzzled observers. But astronomers then went back through the lab’s past images from telescopes, and noticed that it had been present at least since 2012.

The Apollo Archives Hit Flickr, Total Awesomeness Ensues
WIRED - Kipp Teague of the Project Apollo Archive uploaded more than 8,400 high-res photos of NASA’s lunar missions to Flickr, and they are of course totally awesome. No less awesome is what people are doing with all those photos. The images, made by Apollo astronauts using mostly Hasselblads, are wonderfully imperfect—they aren’t always in focus, and the exposure and framing often is off—but as with family snapshots, it’s the content that matters. They remind us that anything is possible. All these years later, they still inspire. Link to NASA Project Apollo Archive

The Hidden Cause of Dog Poisoning Hardly Anyone Knows About
Dr. Becker - A veterinarian in Oregon is leading the charge to bring awareness about the potentially fatal threat of xylitol poisoning in dogs. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol-derived sweetener that is being added to a rapidly expanding list of consumer products... Dr. Jason Nicholas of Portland has compiled a list of products containing xylitol, and has posted links to two online petitions, one to the manufacturers of products containing xylitol, and one to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).... When it comes to medications and dietary supplements, US regulations do not require manufacturers to list xylitol by name on package labels. This is because the sweetener is often categorized as an "inactive" or "other" ingredient... Dr. Nicholas offers a list of common marketing buzzwords that signal there could be xylitol in a product. These include...
* Related: Warning: C.E.T. AquaDent Pet Oral Health Product Contains Deadly Xylitol

Is Your Favorite Animal Breaking Any of These Hilarious Laws?
Dr. Becker - There are a lot of nutty laws on the books, but some of the most bizarre city ordinances and state statutes ever written concern animal behavior or human behavior toward animals.
 

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Monday - October 26, 2015 - Today in History:

1774 - The First Continental Congress of the U.S. adjourned in Philadelphia.
1825 - The Erie Canal opened in upstate New York. The 363-mile canal connected Lake Erie and the Hudson River at a cost of $7,602,000.
1881 - The "Gunfight at the OK Corral" took place in Tombstone, AZ between Wyatt Earp, his two brothers and Doc Holiday and the Ike Clanton Gang.
1942 - The U.S. ship Hornet was sunk in the Battle of Santa Cruz during World War II.
1944 - During World War II, the Battle of Leyte Gulf ended. It was won by American forces and brought the end of the Pacific phase of WW II into sight.
1949 - U.S. President Harry Truman raised the minimum wage from 40 to 75 cents an hour.
1958 - Pan American Airways flew its first Boeing 707 jetliner from New York City to Paris.
1962 - The Soviet Union made an offer to end the Cuban Missile Crisis by taking their missile bases out of Cuba if the U.S. agreed to not invade Cuba and would remove Jupiter missiles in Turkey.
1972 - U.S. National security adviser Henry Kissinger declared, "Peace is at hand" in Vietnam.
1975 - Anwar Sadat became the first Egyptian president to officially visit to the United States.
1984 - "Baby Fae" was given the heart of baboon after being born with a severe heart defect. She lived for 21 days with the animal heart.
1985 - Approximately 110,000 people marched past the U.S. and Soviet embassies in London to pressure the two countries to end their arms race.
1990 - The U.S. State Department issued a warning that terrorists could be planning an attack on a passenger ship or aircraft.
1996 - Federal prosecutors cleared Richard Jewell as a suspect in the Olympic park bombing.
1998 - A French lab found a nerve agent on an Iraqi missile warhead.
2001 - It was announced that Fort Worth's Lockheed Martin won a defense contract for $200 billion over 40 years. The contract, for the "joint strike fighter," was the largest defense contract in history.
2002 - Russian authorities pumped a gas into a theater where separatist rebels held over 800 hostages. The gas killed 116 hostages and all 50 hostage-takers were killed by the gas or gunshot wounds.

World News

HRW accusations against Russia ‘bogus’ – Kremlin spokesman
RT - The claims of civilian deaths from Russian airstrikes in Syria, which the Human Rights Watch said amounted to violation of international law, are bogus, said the spokesman for the Russian President. We know about the large number of reports, hoaxes and deliberate lies about the consequences or the bombing operation that the Russian troops are conducting. We heard plenty of them in the past few weeks. This, I believe, is one of them,” Dmitry Peskov told journalists when asked to comment on the HRW accusations. He added that Russia has the goal of not harming civilians as one of its priorities in Syria.
* Related: Russian Airstrikes Hit NINE Hospitals In Syria

At least 12 killed, dozens injured as 7.5 quake hits Afghanistan, Pakistan, India
RT - More than a dozen people have been killed after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck northern Pakistan, Afghanistan and northern India, local media reported, citing local officials. Massive tremors have been reported in New Delhi, Islamabad and several other major cities.

Baghdad Allows Russia to Bomb ISIL Terrorists Running From Syria Into Iraq
Sputnik News - ISIL militants aren't going to find a safe haven from Russian airstrikes in Iraq after the country's parliament gave Russia the green light to conduct airstrikes against ISIL targets in Iraq… The approval comes amid security coordination between the governments of Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria — all of which seek to destroy ISIL. The four nations launched the Baghdad Information Center to coordinate their military actions against the terrorists both in Syria and Iraq… Immediately following Russia's airstrike campaign in Syria, Russian and Iraqi officials left open the possibility of expanding Russia's anti-terrorist airstrikes from Syria into Iraq. Earlier this month, Iraq Prime Minister Haider Abadi said he would welcome Russian airstrikes against ISIL positions in his country if the Russian military succeeded in Syria.

U.S., Saudi Arabia to bolster support for moderate Syrian opposition
Reuters - The United States and Saudi Arabia agreed to increase support to Syria's moderate opposition while seeking a political resolution of the four-year conflict, the U.S. State Department said after Secretary of State John Kerry met King Salman on Saturday... "They pledged to continue and intensify support to the moderate Syrian opposition while the political track is being pursued," the State Department statement said after Kerry's meetings in Saudi Arabia. It did not spell out what kind of support would be offered. Rebels have appealed for more military support from foreign backers, including Saudi Arabia, to confront major Syrian army offensives. Those offensives are backed by Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian fighters and Russian air strikes.

Lockheed Martin, Boeing Rally Around Saudi Arabia, Wave Off Humanitarian Concerns
The Intercept - Representatives from two major defense contractors whose advanced weaponry is being used in the Saudi Arabia-led bombing campaign that has killed scores of civilians in Yemen were quick to defend the human rights record of the Persian Gulf kingdom in a panel discussion held last week in Washington, D.C… The increased attention to the human rights record of Saudi Arabia is due to several factors. The absolute monarchy has dramatically ramped up executions as well as repressive police actions against minority groups, including Shiite Saudis. Many of the executions are in connection with trivial offenses, such as adultery and acts considered as “sorcery.”.. For both defense contracting giants, the Middle East is still a growing market. The Congressional Research Service notes that between October 2010 and October 2014, the U.S. signed off on more than $90 billion in weapons deals to the Saudi government.

Blair acknowledges ISIS stemmed from Iraq invasion, refuses to apologize for toppling Saddam
Rt - The former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has acknowledged there are “elements of truth” in statements saying the rise of Islamic State was a direct consequence of the US-led invasion of Iraq, but refused to apologize for attacking the country. "I find it hard to apologize for removing Saddam. I think, even from today in 2015, it is better that he's not there than that he is there," Blair told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria. The full interview is to be aired later on Sunday. Saddam Hussein was a dictatorial ruler of Iraq, who had dragged the country into wars with neighboring Iran and Kuwait and used chemical weapons to quash down the rebellious Kurdish minority.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

DEA agents caught in Colombian prostitution scandal punished with. bonuses
Hot Air - Federal drug enforcement agents got bonuses worth thousands of dollars while they were investigated and disciplined for allegedly attending sex parties with prostitutes in Columbia, according to a new probe into the scandal. In a report issued Thursday, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz found that the bonus issued by the Drug Enforcement Administration violated an agency policy prohibiting employees from receiving promotions, awards or other favorable personnel actions for three years after discipline for significant misconduct, or while misconduct is investigated. The awards ranged from $1,500 to $32,000, with the high end going to senior executives disciplined for their role in the scandal.

New Study: Cops With College Degrees Are Less Likely to Use Force Against Citizens
The Free Thought Project - A new study out of Michigan State University proposes an eye-opening correlation between college educated police officers and their actions as cops. The study suggests that college-educated police experience higher rates of job dissatisfaction. The study also suggests that police officers with college degrees are more likely to have adverse views of their supervisors and don’t necessarily favor community policing.

Justice Dept Ends IRS Investigations, Won't Charge Lerner
Townhall - After a two-year investigation into whether the IRS knowingly targeted conservative groups, the Justice Department will not bring charges against IRS official Lois Lerner and the larger agency. Although officials found rampant 'mismanagement' within the IRS, that does mean it is guilty of criminal activity, the DOJ concluded. "We found no evidence that any IRS official acted based on political, discriminatory, corrupt, or other inappropriate motives that would support a criminal prosecution," Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik said in the letter. "We also found no evidence that any official involved in the handling of tax-exempt applications or IRS leadership attempted to obstruct justice. Based on the evidence developed in this investigation and the recommendation of experienced career prosecutors and supervising attorneys at the department, we are closing our investigation and will not seek any criminal charges."

Sitting on a Million Disability Claims, SSA Says 450-Day Wait Might Be Cut to 270 Days.by 2020
AllGov - The Social Security Administration is still trying to reduce its worst-ever backlog of claims, which went from approaching a million one year ago to actually hitting 1 million cases in 2015. The agency is struggling to process the claims fast enough, causing the wait time to balloon to 450 days for a decision. But a senior SSA official has developed a plan for reducing the wait time to “only” 270 days by 2020, which Office of Disability Adjudication and Review chief Terrie Gruber says would eliminate the backlog… The backlog is the product of several factors, according to the Post: The number of requests for hearings has increased, the federal judges who hear appeals have become less productive, there are fewer attorneys on staff who could decide cases without going through the lengthy hearing process and fewer judges overall.

Majority Of U.S. College Students Now Support "Regulating" Free Speech
Zero Hedge - … The William F. Buckley Jr. Program at Yale recently commissioned a survey from McLaughlin & Associates about attitudes towards free speech on campus. Some 800 students at a variety of colleges across the country were surveyed. The results, though not surprising, are nevertheless alarming. By a margin of 51 percent to 36 percent, students favor their school having speech codes to regulate speech for students and faculty. Sixty-three percent favor requiring professors to employ “trigger warnings” to alert students to material that might be discomfiting. One-third of the students polled could not identify the First Amendment as the part of the Constitution that dealt with free speech. Thirty-five percent said that the First Amendment does not protect “hate speech,” while 30 percent of self-identified liberal students say the First Amendment is outdated.

California Sheriffs Sue To Stop ‘High Capacity’ Magazine Ban
Breitbart - Thirty sheriffs across the state of California are joining with the California Rifle and Pistol Association in a suit claiming Los Angeles’s recently instituted “high capacity” magazine ban “violates state regulations.” Gun owners in Los Angeles have until November 18 to surrender all “high capacity” magazines to police or otherwise dispose of them.... According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko is involved in the suit and is worried about the legality of police driving through the city with “high capacity” magazines on their belts and in their guns. He suggests the law creates confusion because “other parts of the state allow high-capacity magazines,” thus sheriff’s will have to figure out whether to lessen the number of rounds they are willing to carry or avoid being in the city when possible.

Election News

Hillary Clinton: GOP Wants Veterans Affairs Department to Fail
Breitbart - On Friday, Hillary Clinton, denying reality once again, claimed that the Veterans Affairs scandals plaguing the Department of Veterans Affairs have been blown out of proportion by Republicans who want the department to fail. Clinton, appearing on the Rachel Maddow Show, admitted that the problem has “not been as widespread as it has been made out to be,” adding, “Now nobody would believe that from the coverage you see, and the constant berating of the VA that comes from the Republicans, in – in part in pursuit of this ideological agenda that they have. They try to create a downward spiral, don’t fund it to the extent that it needs to be funded, because they want it to fail, so then we can argue for privatization.”

'Pathetic,' Not 'Coming Clean': Presidential Candidates React to Hillary's Hearing Performance
Townhall - The Republican presidential candidates have clashed over policy and personality, but one thing they all seem to agree on is that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered few real answers into the failed security measures in Benghazi, Libya in 2012 that resulted in four American diplomat deaths. Her appearance at Thursday’s hearing on Capitol Hill was her first time facing the Select Benghazi Committee. She claimed, among other news-to-us items, that she did not perform the bulk of her work on emails, hence why there are so few correspondences relating to Benghazi, and that she did not say the Benghazi attacks were ever related to a YouTube video. A quick fact check proves the latter claim is blatantly false.

CBS Poll: Ben Carson Ties Donald Trump in Iowa; Billionaire Soars over Field in NH, SC
Breitbart - GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson moved up in Iowa to tie GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, but Trump remains the top pick among GOP voters in New Hampshire and South Carolina, according to a new CBS News poll.... In Iowa, Trump and Carson tied with 27 percent. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) came in third in Iowa with 12 percent, while Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) came in fourth with 9 percent. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush took the last stop in the top five in Iowa with 6 percent.... Trump held a slight lead over Carson in Iowa last month, but CBS News reports that Carson has gained ground with more support from white evangelicals. Carson also does better with female voters in Iowa, but Trump has more support among male voters.

Poll: Republicans view Donald Trump as strongest presidential candidate
PBS - Republican voters view Donald Trump as their strongest general election candidate, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll that highlights the sharp contrast between the party’s voters and its top professionals regarding the billionaire businessman’s ultimate political strength. Seven in 10 Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters say Trump could win in November 2016 if he is nominated, and that’s the most who say so of any candidate. By comparison, 6 in 10 say the same for retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who, like Trump, has tapped into the powerful wave of antiestablishment anger defining the early phases of the 2016 contest.

Ben Carson: Intensify the Drug War
Kurt Nimmo - Presidential candidate Ben Carson told Glenn Beck that if elected he will intensify the war on drugs. He also said he opposes the legalization of marijuana. “Absolutely,” the retired neurosurgeon said when asked by Beck if he intends to continue the war on drugs. “I intend to fight.”... Alaska, Colorado, Washington and Oregon and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational use while twenty-three states have legalized the use of medical marijuana. Despite public support for marijuana legalization, as president Carson would work to keep drugs illegal. He would spend more federal money and dedicate more law enforcement resources to enforcing drug laws and imprisoning offenders. “I don’t think this is something we really want for our society,” Carson told Greta Van Susteren of Fox News in 2014 after Colorado legalized recreational marijuana.

Economy & Business

Analyst John Kaiser Warns Of Turbulence: ‘Geopolitical Dislocations Could Result In Key Resource Supplies Disappearing’
Mac Slavo - In a candid interview with Future Money Trends Kaiser explains just how political dislocations could result in supply lines to critical commodities like food, copper, zinc and gold being cut – even without a major war – should the United States, Russia and China continue to bump heads.... As we know, much of our critical supply chain is dependent on China. Likewise, Russia supplies necessary industrial metals. One misstep here, whether in the South China Sea, Ukraine or the middle east and we could very well see massive price spikes for commodity resources across the board. This instability, as John Kaiser notes, could lead to a collective rush of risk capital into safe haven assets, including gold:

24 States Sue Federal Government to Halt EPA ‘Illegal’ Power Plan
Breitbart - Texas, West Virginia, and 22 other states have filed a lawsuit to challenge an Obama Administration rule that opponents say radically restructures the way electricity is produced and consumed in the United States.The Plaintiff states say that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule will result in higher electricity bills and less reliable service. The EPA is seeking to reduce carbon emissions from electric-generating plants by 32 percent by 2030. The reduction is based on levels that existed in 2005. Besides Texas and West Virgina, other states that have joined as plaintiffs in the lawsuit include: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

$1 Billion ‘Toilet to Tap’ Wastewater Recycling Plants Proposed in Southern CA
Natural Society - The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is discussing the plan with county sanitation districts in the hopes that it could free up more resources to a state with a rapidly-expanding population suffering from a punishing drought. The agency is looking to build what would be the world’s largest plants to recycle sewage into drinking water closer to home. For more than 80 years, it has imported water from hundreds of miles away.

EPA Shuts Off Faulty Sensors Used to Detect Radiation Nationwide: WSJ
Newsmax -The agency said that 99 of 135 beta-radiation sensors in its RadNet system are not able to check for levels in real time and have been turned off, The Wall Street Journal reports.... EPA officials attributed the problem to electromagnetic interference from cellular telephone towers — and efforts to resolve the problem have failed, the Journal reports. They discovered the beta-detection difficulty in 2006 after installing the real-time monitors. "If real-time beta measurements were unnecessary, why did the government spend money installing the capability in the first place?" Daniel Hirsch, who lectures on nuclear policy at the University of California, Santa Cruz, asked the Journal.

First Gene-Edited Dogs Reported in China
MIT News - An extra-muscular beagle has been created through genome engineering. Are we on our way to customizing the DNA of our pets? Scientists in China say they are the first to use gene editing to produce customized dogs. They created a beagle with double the amount of muscle mass by deleting a gene called myostatin.... Lai and 28 colleagues reported their results last week in the Journal of Molecular Cell Biology, saying they intend to create dogs with other DNA mutations, including ones that mimic human diseases such as Parkinson’s and muscular dystrophy. “The goal of the research is to explore an approach to the generation of new disease dog models for biomedical research,” says Lai. “Dogs are very close to humans in terms of metabolic, physiological, and anatomical characteristics.”... Genome editing refers to newly developed techniques that let scientists easily disable genes or rearrange their DNA letters. The method used to change the beagles, known as CRISPR-Cas9, is particularly inexpensive and precise.

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Friday - October 23, 2015 - Today in History:

1864 - During the U.S. Civil War, Union forces led by Gen. Samuel R. Curtis defeated the Confederate forces in Missouri that were under Gen. Stirling Price.
1915 - Approximately 25,000 women demanded the right to vote with a march in New York City, NY.
1929 - In the U.S., the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged starting the stock-market crash that began the Great Depression.
1942 - During World War II, the British began a major offensive against Axis forces at El Alamein, Egypt.
1944 - During World War II, the Battle of Leyte Gulf began.
1946 - The United Nations General Assembly convened in New York for the first time.
1962 - During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S. naval "quarantine" of Cuba was approved by the Council of the Organization of American States (OAS).
1962 - The U.S. Navy reconnaissance squadron VFP-62 began overflights of Cuba under the code name "Blue Moon."
1971 - The U.N. General Assembly voted to expel Taiwan and seat Communist China.
1973 - U.S. President Richard M. Nixon agreed to turn over the subpoenaed tapes concerning the Watergate affair.
1978 - China and Japan formally ended four decades of hostility when they exchanged treaty ratifications.
1985 - U.S. President Reagan arrived in New York to address the U.N. General Assembly.
1989 - Hungary became an independent republic, after 33 years of Soviet rule.
1992 - Japanese Emperor Akihito became the first Japanese emperor to stand on Chinese soil.
1995 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin and U.S. President Bill Clinton agree to a joint peacekeeping effort in the war-torn Bosnia.
1998 - Japan nationalized its first bank since World War II.
2001 - NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft began orbiting Mars. In 2010, it became the longest-operating spacecraft ever sent to Mars.

World News

Iceland jails 26 bankers for a combined 74 years in prison
Hang The Bankers - In a move that would make many capitalists’ head explode if it ever happened here, Iceland just sentenced their 26th banker to prison for their part in the 2008 financial collapse. In two separate Icelandic Supreme Court and Reykjavik District Court rulings, five top bankers from Landsbankinn and Kaupping — the two largest banks in the country — were found guilty of market manipulation, embezzlement, and breach of fiduciary duties. Most of those convicted have been sentenced to prison for two to five years. The maximum penalty for financial crimes in Iceland is six years, although their Supreme Court is currently hearing arguments to consider expanding sentences beyond the six year maximum.

Putin: No need to distinguish between ‘moderate’ & other terrorists
RT - There can be no "moderate" terrorists, President Putin said, speaking about the situation in the Middle East at the Valdai discussion forum. "Why play with words dividing terrorists into moderate and not moderate. What's the difference?" Putin told the forum. A whole "snarl" of terrorist groups act in the region, who fight also against each other for "sources of income" and not for ideology, Putin said, adding that the weapons provided to "moderate" opposition in the region had ended up in the hands of terrorists. Some countries are playing a double game, the Russian president said, adding that while they fight against terrorism they also "place figures on the board" in their own interests.

Qatar Threatens Military Intervention in Syria, Damascus Warns of “Harsh Response”
Kurt Nimmo - Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah said on Wednesday his nation is considering direct military intervention in Syria to help jihadi mercenaries overthrow the government of Bashar al-Assad. “If a military intervention will protect the Syrian people from the brutality of the regime, we will do it,” Attiyah said. “If Qatar carries out its threat to militarily intervene in Syria, then we will consider this a direct aggression … Our response will be very harsh,” Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad said in response to Attiyah’s remark. Qatar has played a major role in arming and supporting the Wahhabist mercenaries.

GM Cow Trials in New Zealand Show Disastrous Results
Sustainable Pulse - GE Free NZ ‘s report on “GE Animals in New Zealand: the first fifteen years, 2000 – 2015”, documents the world’s first field trials of genetically modified cows, bred to express one of six transgenic protein traits in milk for use as bio-pharmaceutical products.... Using AgResearch’s own records, the report catalogues a sad and profoundly disturbing story that has characterized the genetic engineering (GE) trials. The surrogate and transgenic cows suffer from chronic illness, reproductive losses, sudden unexplained deaths, and severe deformities.

GM Crops Now Banned in 36 Countries Worldwide
Sustainable Pulse - Thirty six (36) countries worldwide have officially banned the cultivation of GM crops and only 28 actually grow GM crops. The picture painted by the Biotech industry and the U.S. government that GM crops have been accepted by the majority of countries worldwide is therefore quite obviously wrong. In fact many countries have recently started to put in place regulations to protect their population and environment from the environmental and health damage caused by GM crops.... Official GM crop cultivation bans...

Ebola news

Idaho Quietly Seeks ‘Ebola Coordinator’
Adan Salazar - The State of Idaho is seeking a person with healthcare system experience to head up their Ebola division, following reports that a nurse suffered a relapse of the deadly virus in London. A job post appearing on the state’s site 7 days ago, according to Google, details the “Ebola Coordinator” job opening, a position whose candidate would be responsible for organizing with federal authorities.... One of the “responsibilities” the candidate should be prepared for is assisting “in development of statewide transport and referral plans for an Idaho Ebola patient to be transported to the Region 10 treatment center.” It’s curious exactly why the CDC has chosen Idaho for the position, especially since it is not one of the states that has experienced an outbreak, according to their own information.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Obama vetoes defense bill, sends it back to Congress
Reuters - President Barack Obama vetoed a sweeping $612 billion defense policy bill on Thursday, returning the measure to the Republican-controlled Congress because of the way it uses money meant for war spending to avoid automatic budget cuts to military programs. "I'm going to be sending it back to Congress and my message to them is very simple: 'Let's do this right,'" Obama told reporters. "We're in the midst of budget discussions. Let's have a budget that properly funds our national security as well as economic security," he said. Obama also said he disagreed with provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would have limited his ability to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center before he leaves office in January 2017.

Hillary Clinton’s 5 Biggest Lies in Her Benghazi Testimony
Breitbart - Vice President Joe Biden’s announcement on Wednesday that he would not run for president of the United States made it a foregone conclusion that the media would worship at the shrine of Hillary Clinton during her Benghazi testimony on Thursday.... Already the narrative has been set: Hillary Clinton was a victim of a political Benghazi committee dedicated to her destruction. Every Congressional committee in history has entailed some political motivation—would anyone argue that the Watergate investigations were completely apolitical?—but the media myopically focused on the idiotic comments of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) before Hillary’s testimony, crafting the story of her victimization before it had even taken place.
* Related: Full text: Clinton testifies before House committee on Benghazi

Paul Ryan Officially Running for Speaker of the House
Breitbart - House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Rep. Paul Ryan officially entered the race for Speaker of the House Thursday evening. Politico reported, “Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan said he is ‘eager’ to be the Speaker of the House, and he believes the House Republican Conference is ‘ready to move forward as one, united team.'”

'Confidential' Planned Parenthood video leaked
Politico - Complete raw footage from the Planned Parenthood videos surfaced Thursday on the conservative website Got News?, whose editor said he had gotten it from a House staffer despite lawmakers’ pledge to keep it confidential. Editor Charles Johnson released the full footage Thursday even after the National Abortion Federation got a temporary restraining order a day earlier prohibiting any dissemination. Johnson vowed to "contest any unconstitutional prior restraint of speech." The abortion providers group had gone to court after Johnson’s website put part of the video online earlier this week.
* Related: Got News?: Here Are All The Unreleased Planned Parenthood Tapes

Texas Inspector General Officials Raid Planned Parenthood Clinics
Breitbart - Agents from the Texas Office of the Inspector General arrived Thursday morning unannounced at Planned Parenthood clinics in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, seeking documents related to allegations of Medicaid fraud.... Planned Parenthood said the raid was “politically motivated,” says the report, and that the Texas agents demanded that thousands of pages of documents stored in their clinics throughout the state be delivered within 24 hours.

Former Ron Paul Aide Acquitted in Federal Trial
Kit Daniels - Jesse Benton, a longtime advisor to both former congressman Ron Paul and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), was acquitted Thursday in a federal trial of which Ron Paul said was intended to undermine his son Rand Paul’s current presidential campaign.... The court had previously dismissed four of the five counts against Benton on Oct. 9, stating that the prosecution had blatantly violated agreements between Benton and the government, but Benton remained under indictment for a single count of lying to the FBI until his acquittal on Thursday.

Clinton Testimony: Ranking Republican Claims Dems Deliberately Hindered Benghazi Investigation
Steve Watson - After months of calling the Benghazi investigation a partisan attempt to bring down her presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton today arrived on Capitol Hill, and was immediately subjected to a dressing down from the leading Republican on the investigative committee, Rep. Trey Gowdy. Gowdy ripped into Clinton, after an opening speech in which she again took the high ground and stated “We need leadership at home to match our leadership abroad… leadership that puts national security ahead of ideology.”
* Related: Hillary Testifies Before Benghazi Committee

WikiLeaks publishes second batch of docs from CIA chief's personal email
RT - The whistleblower organization WikiLeaks has published a second set of documents obtained from CIA Director John Brennan’s personal email account. The first set of documents published on Wednesday contained reports on Afghanistan and torture, and ideas for US policy towards Iran. The new release contains Brennan's address book and a full version of 'Executive summary of key findings and recommendations on Afghanistan and Pakistan’, some pages of which were published on Wednesday by Anonymous.

PC Police Label Thomas Jefferson Statue Racist, Sexist
Kit Daniels - Leftist activists are calling for the removal of a Thomas Jefferson statue because they claim it’s “racist” and “sexist.” Feminists and #BlackLivesMatter protestors had previously defaced the statue at the University of Missouri using post-it notes with the phrases “Racist,” “Rapist,” and “Slave Owner.” Now they’re lashing out at students who hosted a “Stand With Jefferson” rally in support of the statue.

Police ticket citizens for good behavior while businesses profit (Video)
MassPrivateI - Chapel Hill, North Carolina police were set to ticket citizens under the "GOOD TICKET" initiative which allegedly rewarded citizens who obey the law(s).... Pedestrians using crosswalk signals and bicyclists following roadway signs would qualify for "GOOD TICKETS". The tickets would include a coupon and brief information on safety laws. The initiative will create business opportunities for local stores and restaurants... According to the DailyTarHeel article, Noodles and Company and Franklin Street Yoga have both agreed to give out coupons for the initiative. Businesses are openly collaborating with police to make a PROFIT! This is not the first police department to collaborate with businesses.. Sept, 2015, Michigan police stopped teenage motorists who obey the law and gave them McDonalds, Taco Bell or Subway coupons.

Election News

Report: Adviser Told Biden – Clinton War Machine Will “Destroy You”
Paul Joseph Watson - Joe Biden’s decision to stay out of the 2016 presidential race was reportedly made after a conversation with a high ranking adviser who told him the Clinton war machine was prepared to destroy the Vice President’s reputation if he dared challenge Hillary. The reason cited behind Biden’s announcement yesterday that he would not run for the Democratic nomination was the fact that his family is still in mourning after the loss of Biden’s son Beau to brain cancer. However, according to DC Whispers another factor could have swayed the decision – a warning that the Clintons were “fully prepared and willing” to utterly destroy Joe Biden’s “past, present, and future.”

Veteran News

John McCain Leads the Charge to Cut Soldier Benefits; Money for Terrorists But Not For Troops
Brandon Turbeville - ...Congressional Defense leaders on Tuesday announced that they are looking to enact more “entitlement and personnel reforms” in 2016. The bill being submitted and debated by Congress would provide a much lower than anticipated pay raise for U.S. troops beginning in January 2016. It includes cuts in the growth of military housing stipends, an introduction of new co-pays for some military drug prescriptions and a scale-down of the commissary benefit. The bill also includes changes to the traditional military retirement system and an overhaul of military healthcare offerings like Tricare.

Economy & Business

Texas, Kansas, and Louisiana Sue Federal Government Obamacare Tax
Breitbart - The states of Texas, Kansas, and Louisiana filed a lawsuit today against the federal government over the unconstitutional tax that funds Obamacare. The Plaintiffs complain of the federal government’s actions in implementing the portions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act known as the Health Insurance Providers Fee. The Plaintiff States ask for declartory and injunctive relief. The Plaintiff States also seek monetary relief against the United States in the form of a return of the Health Insurance Providers Fees previously made.

Sec. State Kerry: Disqualify Climate Change Skeptics from High Public Office
Kurt Nimmo - During the Climate and Clean Energy Investment Forum held in Washington on Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry said those who question climate change should be disqualified from seeking public office.

Fluoridation Company Fined $2 Billion
Dr. Mercola - Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC is one of the world's largest phosphate mining and fertilizer companies. In October 2015, the company agreed to a $2 billion settlement with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection over a 10-year battle over hazardous waste disposal. The EPA accused Mosaic of improper storage and disposal of waste from the production of phosphoric and sulfuric acids, key components of fertilizers, at the company's facilities in Louisiana and Florida. It is ironic that the EPA acknowledges the threat posed to groundwater by Mosaic's hazardous waste disposal because one of the chemicals classified as hazardous waste is fluorosilicic acid, another waste product of their fertilizer production. Mosaic is one of the largest sellers of fluorosilicic acid, which is widely used by public drinking water systems across the US to fluoridate water supplies. More than 200 million Americans drink these wastes every day, according to the Fluoride Action Network (FAN).

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Thursday - October 22, 2015 - Today in History:

1746 - The College of New Jersey was officially chartered. It later became known as Princeton University.
1836 - Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first constitutionally elected president of the Republic of Texas.
1844 - This day is recognized as "The Great Disappointment" among those who practiced Millerism. The world was expected to come to an end according to the followers of William Miller.
1907 - The Panic of 1907 began when depositors began withdrawing money from many New York banks.
1939 - The first televised pro football game was telecast from New York. Brooklyn defeated Philadelphia 23-14.
1954 - The Federal Republic of Germany was invited to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
1962 - U.S. President Kennedy went on radio and television to inform the U.S. about his order to send U.S. forces to blockade Cuba. The blockade was in response to the discovery of Soviet missile bases on the island.
1968 - Apollo 7 splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean. The spacecraft had orbited the Earth 163 times.
1975 - Air Force Technical Sergeant Leonard Matlovich was discharged after publicly declaring his homosexuality. His tombstone reads "A gay Vietnam Veteran. When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one."
1979 - The ousted Shah of Iran, Mohammad Riza Pahlavi was allowed into the U.S. for medical treatment.
1981 - The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization was decertified by the federal government for its strike the previous August.
1986 - U.S. President Reagan signed the Tax Reform Act of 1986 into law.
1995 - The 50th anniversary of the United Nations was marked by a record number of world leaders gathering.
1998 - The United Nations announced that over 2 million children had been killed in war as innocent victims since 1987.
1998 - Pakistan's carpet weaving industry announced that they would begin to phase out child labor.
1999 - China ended its first-ever human rights conference in which it defied Western definitions of civil liberties.
1999 - The U.N. Security Council voted to send 6,000 troops to Sierra Leone to oversee a peace plan that had been signed in July.
2010 - The International Space Station set the record (3641 days) for the longest continuous human occupation of space. It had been continuously inhabited since November 2, 2000.

World News

US, Turkey angered by Assad’s ‘red carpet’ visit to Moscow
RT - The US and Turkey, two of the Syrian President Bashar Assad’s key opponents, have not cheered his visit to Moscow, with the White House slamming it as a “red carpet welcome.” Russian and Syrian leaders were meeting for crisis consultations and planning. The White House criticized the way the Syrian leader was received, saying it resembled a “red carpet welcome.” In that same statement, the US also accused Assad of using chemical weapons against his own people and questioned Russia’s interests in a political transition of power in Syria. “We view the red carpet welcome for Assad, who has used chemical weapons against his own people, at odds with the stated goal by the Russians for a political transition in Syria,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said. Assad has stressed on multiple occasions in the past that Western claims that his government had used chemical weapons against the Syrian population are “an insult to common sense” and “nonsense.”

‘London refuses to share ISIS target information with Moscow’ – Russia’s envoy to UK
RT - The UK has refused to assist Russia with data on ISIS targets in Syria, Russia’s ambassador to Britain has said. London follows Washington in its decision not to share intelligence data with Russia, despite the US’s signing of an agreement on airstrikes.

US Army intelligence system said down during hospital attack
Phys.org - The U.S. Army's $5 billion intelligence network, which is designed to give commanders battlefield awareness but has been criticized for years as a boondoggle, was not working in Afghanistan during the recent American air attack on a hospital, according to a member of Congress who has been in touch with military whistleblowers. Significant elements of the Distributed Common Ground System, a network of computers and sensors designed to knit together disparate strands of intelligence, were off line in Afghanistan when U.S. commanders approved an air strike Oct. 3 that killed 22 staff, patients and others at a Doctors without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Rep. Duncan Hunter wrote Tuesday to Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

Germany to Bibi: No, We Were Responsible for the Holocaust, Not Palestinians
Sputnik News - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempt to blame the Holocaust on a Palestinian religious leader has drawn condemnation from Palestinians, politicians, and historians. To that list of critics, now add Germany. On Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Netanyahu made comments during a Zionist Congress meeting which raised a few eyebrows. "Hitler didn’t want to exterminate the Jews at the time, he wanted to expel the Jews," he said. "And Haj Amin al-Husseini went to Hitler and said, 'If you expel them, they’ll all come here.' 'So what should I do with them?' he asked. He said, 'Burn them.'"

Russia and Iran consider bank to finance joint projects
RT - Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak is in Iran to discuss energy cooperation. Among the proposals is setting up of a bank to boost joint projects. "One of the most important issues that have a negative impact on the development of our trade relations [with Iran] is the financial issue. Today, we paid attention to this, and also discussed a number of proposals to ensure that our joint projects will be financed properly," said Novak, adding the bank was among the proposals. "Iran is an important and large trading partner, we are now at a new stage, a new level of development of our relations,” he added.

Migrants Stay at 4 Star Hotel While Poor Germans Lose Their Homes
Paul Joseph Watson - The sheer number of asylum seekers making their way to the Saxony-Anhalt region has resulted in an accommodation crisis, with the Maritim Hotel in Halle now being used to house at least 80 migrants who began arriving last week. The 4 star hotel boasts an indoor swimming pool, sauna and fitness room and is located just a 10 minute walk from Halle’s historic old town. According to one report, the relief agency behind the relocation of the migrants is concerned that some of the refugees are simply leaving the hotel and not returning, while others are complaining about the lack of activities, with games evenings and film screenings not being sufficient to keep them entertained.

Finnish Police Banned From Identifying Migrants as Criminal Suspects
Paul Joseph Watson - Finnish cops have been ordered by the country’s national police board not to publicly identify migrants as criminal suspects over concerns that doing so would encourage a ‘racist’ backlash against the wave of asylum seekers entering Scandinavia. The new guidance, reported on by Finnish news outlet Iltalehti.fl, is designed to prevent “negative” attitudes being attached to asylum seekers, as well as maintaining “law and order and a sense of security” by not radicalizing local populations who are opposed to migrants entering the country. By keeping the migrant status of the suspect confidential, the police board hopes that crimes committed by asylum seekers will not “stir up anger.”

GCHQ handed new smartphone-hacking legal powers
RT - Spy agencies in Britain will be given the explicit right to hack into smartphones and computers as part of a new law being introduced by the Conservative government. Security services MI5, MI6 and GCHQ can already access electronic devices by exploiting software security vulnerabilities, but the legal foundation for the practice is under scrutiny. New powers laid out in the Investigatory Powers Bill, due to be introduced in Parliament next month, will give spies a solid legal basis for hacking into computer systems, according to the Times. The revelation has sparked criticism from human rights group Liberty, which accuses the government of giving spy agencies “unlimited potential” to act against citizens.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Obama Unveils Roadmap To 'Bailout' Puerto Rico: "New" Bankruptcy Rules & Federal Fiscal Oversight
Zero Hedge - Obama is pressing for Congress to give Puerto Rico (PR) sweeping powers to reduce its $73 billion debt burden through a form of bankruptcy protection not now available to American territories and will also ask lawmakers to establish an independent body to monitor the island’s fiscal affairs (a la Troika). While the proposals likely face an uphill battle in Congress, as NYTimes reports, both Democrats and Republicans are under pressure to respond because Puerto Ricans are flooding the US, particularly in central Florida, and are becoming an increasingly important voting block in the 2016 presidential race.

Leaked documents from CIA director’s email reveal thoughts on torture, Iran, Afghanistan
RT - WikiLeaks has come into possession of the contents of CIA chief John Brennan's email account. Among the documents, from the period when Brennan worked in the private sector, are reports on Afghanistan and torture, and ideas for US policy towards Iran.... The leaked papers include alleged drafts containing discussions about “challenges for the US Intelligence Community in a post cold-war and post-9/11 world,” as well as proposals regarding “torture methods.” Among the documents harvested from Brennan’s personal emails is a May 2008 letter from Christopher Bond, vice-chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, proposing a way to ban torture while continuing to interrogate “high-value detainees.”

At Least 75 Percent Opposed: Freedom Caucus Likely To Nix Paul Ryan’s Speakership Bid
Breitbart - The House Freedom Caucus is almost certainly going to organize against a nascent potential House Speakership bid from House Ways and Means Committee chairman Rep. Paul Ryan after he began “running his mouth” on Tuesday evening, several senior House GOP aides close to the process told Breitbart News.... “He had a shot before he started running his mouth,” one senior GOP aide to a senior House Freedom Caucus member said when reached by phone early Wednesday. The aide said he expects that “at least 75 percent of the members are going to oppose Ryan” after what Ryan demanded from Republicans in Tuesday evening remarks and in written demands for a potential Speakership bid.

Air Force Confiscates Private Property Near Area 51
Activist Post - Last month, a family living near Area 51 reached out to the media, and revealed that not only has the US government harassed them for decades, but they’ve tried to confiscate the land which has been in their family since the 19th century. Now the Sheahan family’s struggle is coming to an end, as the government finalizes the transfer of their property to the US Air Force.

Election News

Biden won't run in 2016, boosting Clinton's White House hopes
Reuters - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he would not run for president in 2016, ending months of indecision and removing one of Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton's biggest potential obstacles to the party's nomination.... Biden had been wrestling with doubts about whether he and his family were ready for a grueling campaign while still mourning his son Beau, who died of brain cancer in May. His son had urged him to run.
* Related: Trump: Biden Made ‘Correct Decision,’ Bring On Hillary’s ‘Bad Record’

Economy & Business

Expert That Correctly Predicted Market Moves In July, August And September Says Stocks Will Crash In November
Economic Collapse - Over the past few days, I have seen a number of references to the remarkable forecasts of Bo Polny of Gold 2020 Forecast. In recent months he has correctly predicted that U.S. stocks would begin to drop in July, that there would be a huge plunge in August and that that the month of September would be rather uneventful. Now he is saying that he expects “November to be a complete meltdown on the U.S. and world markets”. Just because he has been right in the past does not guarantee that he will be correct this time around, but lots of people (like me) are starting to pay attention.

Goodbye Middle Class: 51 Percent of All American Workers Make Less than 30,000 Dollars a Year
Daily Sheeple - According to brand new numbers that were just released by the Social Security Administration, 51 percent of all workers in the United States make less than $30,000 a year. Let that number sink in for a moment. You can’t support a middle class family in America today on just $2,500 a month – especially after taxes are taken out. And yet more than half of all workers in this country make less than that each month. In order to have a thriving middle class, you have got to have an economy that produces lots of middle class jobs, and that simply is not happening in America today.... The following are some of the numbers that really stood out for me…

Sunscreen Lotion Kills Off Coral Reefs Around the World
Sputnik News - There have long been concerns about the safety of sunscreen. In particular, the 3,500 brands which contain a UV-filtering chemical compound called oxybenzone. But while the Environmental Working Group previously claimed that the chemical could potentially penetrate the skin and cause hormonal and cellular changes, the American Academy of Dermatology insists there no evidence that it causes harm to humans.... A study released on Tuesday by the Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology shows that oxybenzone is toxic to coral and can be fatal in high concentrations. According to the report, the compound modifies coral's DNA, makes it less resistant to bleaching, and acts as an endocrine disruptor, forcing baby coral to enshrine itself in its own skeleton and die. Researchers say that even low concentrations of oxybenzone can do harm. The equivalent of a single drop of water in six and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools can significantly damage coral.

NASA Gives 99-Percent Probability Of 5.0 Earthquake In LA
CBSLA - If scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena are correct, a moderately-sized earthquake is expected within the next two-and-a-half years. JPL experts predict a possible 5.0 magnitude quake in Los Angeles, but say it very well could be stronger. JPL geophysicist Dr. Andrea Donnellan, along with seven other scientists, has been using radar and GPS to measure Southern California’s chances for a sizable earthquake, and has made a sobering hypothesis about another big one.

Do Not Allow Your Dog Even Casual Exposure to This Deadly Toxin
Dr. Becker - It seems every summer we learn of at least one much-loved family dog that has tragically died after exposure to toxic blue-green algae. According to a 2013 study, between 2007 and 2011, 13 states (Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia, Wisconsin, California, Kansas, Montana, and Texas) reported 67 suspected or confirmed cases of dogs being poisoned through exposure to harmful algae blooms.... Not all blue-green algae are toxic, but since there’s no way to know whether a plant is poisonous without testing, experts advise that all blooms floating on natural bodies of water should be considered potentially toxic. Even minor exposure – like a dog drinking a few mouthfuls of contaminated water – can be lethal.... Symptoms of blue-green algae toxicity include...

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Wednesday - October 21, 2015 - Today in History:

1797 - "Old Ironsides," the U.S. Navy frigate Constitution, was launched in Boston's harbor.
1805 - The Battle of Trafalgar occurred off the coast of Spain. The British defeated the French and Spanish fleet.
1879 - Thomas Edison invented the electric incandescent lamp. It would last 13 1/2 hours before it would burn out.
1917 - The first U.S. soldiers entered combat during World War I near Nancy, France.
1925 - The U.S. Treasury Department announced that it had fined 29,620 people for prohibition (of alcohol) violations.
1927 - In New York City, construction began on the George Washington Bridge.
1944 - During World War II, the German city of Aachen was captured by U.S. troops.
1945 - Women in France were allowed to vote for the first time.
1967 - Thousands of demonstrators marched in Washington, DC, in opposition to the Vietnam War.
1983 - The Pentagon reported that 2,000 Marines were headed to Grenada to protect and evacuate Americans living there.
1986 - The U.S. ordered 55 Soviet diplomats to leave. The action was in reaction to the Soviet Union expelling five American diplomats.
1991 - Jesse Turner, an American hostage in Lebanon, was released after nearly five years of being imprisoned.
1994 - North Korea and the U.S. signed an agreement requiring North Korea to halt its nuclear program and agree to inspections.
1998 - Cancer specialist Dr. Jane Henney became the FDA's first female commissioner.
2003 - The U.S. Senate voted to ban what was known as partial birth abortions.
2003 - North Korea rejected U.S. President George W. Bush's offer of a written pledge not to attack in exchange for the communist nation agreeing to end its nuclear weapons program.

World News

Assad to Putin at Moscow talks: Terrorists would seize larger areas if Russia did not act
RT - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar Assad held talks in Moscow on Tuesday. The Syrian leader said Russia’s actions have prevented the terrorists from seizing larger areas in his country.... The two leaders conducted lengthy negotiations, which then continued in the presence of Russia’s top policymakers. Vladimir Putin said that the Syrian people have been confronting terrorists “practically single-handedly” for years, withstanding considerable casualties. Lately, they have achieved serious and positive results in this fight, he added.

Russia looks to corner global platinum market
RT - The world's second biggest platinum producer Russia is actively developing platinum deposits in Zimbabwe, OilPrice.com reports. Moscow's stake in the third biggest player could lead to Russian dominance of the global platinum market. According to the US Geological Survey, Russia produced 25,000 kilograms of platinum in 2014. Zimbabwe produced 11,000 kilos last year, outpacing the combined production of the US and Canada. The global leader is South Africa with 110,000 kg. Russia controls about 30 percent of global platinum and palladium output, according to OilPrice. Platinum is not Russia’s only interest in Zimbabwe, according to the report; Moscow is also interested in gold and diamonds and Gazprom is considering the development of coal-seam natural gas in the country. Platinum is a precious metal used in the auto industry, energy sector and jewelry. The most common use of platinum is in automobile catalytic converters.

Russia, US sign cooperation deal on Syria airstrikes
RT - Russia and the US have signed an agreement regulating the operations of the two countries' air forces in Syria. The deal is aimed at preventing incidents and providing for the smooth operation of the two nations' aircraft, and for mutual aid in critical situations. The agreement, whose full name is "The Memorandum of Mutual Understanding between the Defense Ministries of Russia and the United States on preventing incidents and providing for aviation flights during operations in Syria" is hailed as a 'positive step', the Russian Defense Ministry said in a press release. The document "has important practical value. It regulates the actions of manned and unmanned aircraft in the airspace above Syria. The Memorandum contains a set of rules and limitations aimed at preventing incidents between the air forces of Russia and the US," the Defense Ministry says.

Canada to end airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, new prime minister Trudeau says
The Guardian - Canadian Liberal prime minister designate Justin Trudeau has confirmed that Canada will withdraw its fighter jets from the US-led mission against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. In his first news conference following the sweeping majority Liberal victory in Canada’s federal election, the visibly fatigued leader said he had spoken with US president Barack Obama in a phone call during which he discussed his intention to pull Canada’s fighter jets out of the anti-Isis campaign.... He did not set out a timeline for the withdrawal. Canada currently has six CF-18 fighter jets taking part in the US-led bombing campaign. They were due to remain in the region until March 2016.

Tear gas used as Palestinians, IDF clash in West Bank amid spiking violence (VIDEO)
RT - The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has deployed tear gas against Palestinian demonstrators who had been throwing stones in the West Bank city of Ramallah. This month has seen about 10 Israelis and over 40 Palestinians killed in amid escalating tensions. RT correspondent Paula Slier and her crew filmed a group of Palestinian stone-throwers who were forced to retreat by IDF soldiers in Ramallah. Slier had to don a gas mask as the Israeli troops used tear gas against the Palestinians.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

5 Team Clinton on offense ahead of Benghazi committee hearing
Fox News - Hillary Clinton and her supporters are blistering the Benghazi committee ahead of her much-anticipated testimony Thursday, repeatedly questioning the GOP-led investigative panel’s “credibility” as the former secretary of state gears up for a potentially confrontational appearance. On Wednesday, a super PAC supporting Clinton’s Democratic presidential campaign, Priorities USA, will begin running TV ads aimed at bolstering her image ahead of her appearance before the House Select Committee on Benghazi.

Paul Ryan Will Run for Speaker–if Conservative Colleagues Stop Being a ‘Problem’
Breitbart - After meeting with House Republicans this evening, Rep. Paul Ryan admitted during a press conference that he was willing to run for Speaker of the House–but only if they met a list of demands of what it would take to get him to run. “We as a conference should unify now and not after a divisive Speaker election,” Ryan said, calling for Republicans to gather as a team and “move from an opposition party to being a proposition party.” Ryan’s list of demands appeared to highlight party unity but also party loyalty, as he criticized the chaos in the Republican caucus, leading to Boehner’s resignation.
* Related: Paul Ryan: Job of U.S. Lawmaker Is to Put Yourself in Shoes of Foreign Citizens

Chicago is going to pay gun owners $100 each to turn in their guns
Business Insider - Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced a new $250,000 effort to take guns off the city's streets. Under the new program, churches and neighborhood community organizations can apply to hold their own buyback events (with police help), as opposed to previous buybacks which were single, city-run events. "We're going to try everything we can to bring a level of security and safety throughout the city of Chicago so that our families and our children have the opportunity to grow up free from violence," Emanuel said, according to CBS Chicago.

ACLU Files New Appeal in Drone Lawsuit
The Intercept - The Central Intelligence Agency is under renewed legal pressure to release “thousands” of records pertaining to its international drone war, following an appeal filed Monday by the American Civil Liberties in Washington, D.C. The motion comes just days after The Intercept published an eight-part series based on cache of secret documents detailing the U.S. military’s parallel reliance on unmanned airstrikes in the war on terror. While The Intercept’s series, The Drone Papers, offered new insights into the Pentagon’s drone missions in Yemen, Somalia, and Afghanistan, the CIA’s covert drone war has largely remained an official black hole.

Executive Order: DHS to Incentivize Hiring Foreigners
Breitbart - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is proposing an expansion to a program that allows foreign students with science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) degrees to work in the U.S. The changes were first announced in conjunction with President Obama’s executive actions on immigration reform in November and aims to increase the amount of time under the Optional Practical Training program that foreign students may work in the U.S. The OPT program allows foreign students in certain fields to extend their stay in the U.S. by working to attain “practical training.” The rule up for consideration, would allow hundreds of thousands of foreigners in the STEM fields to work in the U.S. via the OPT program for three years, expanding the program from the current 29 months to 36 months.

Senate Dems block anti-sanctuary city bill (Video)
Fox News - Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a Republican-backed bill that would crack down on so-called sanctuary cities by threatening to withhold funds to local governments that don't cooperate with federal immigration officials. The bill failed on a 54-45 vote. It needed 60 to advance. The Stop Sanctuary Cities Act became a lightning rod issue ahead of the vote, as GOP sponsors tried to peel off just a few Democrats to support it while Democratic leaders blasted the legislation as counterproductive. The White House issued a formal veto threat Tuesday morning, while the chamber's top Democrat tried to discredit the measure by calling it "The Donald Trump Act.”

Wapo Op-Ed Cheers: Mass Immigration Will Destroy NRA, Second Amendment
Breitbart - Mass immigration from the Third World would destroy the NRA and ultimately the Second Amendment, a Washington Post op-ed declares, as foreigners with no cultural connection to America continue to pour into the nation at an unprecedented rate. “Support for, and opposition to, gun control is closely associated with several demographic characteristics, including race, level of education and whether one lives in a city. Nearly all are trending forcefully against the NRA,” author and UCLA professor Adam Winkler writes. “The core of the NRA’s support comes from white, rural and relatively less educated voters. This demographic is currently influential in politics but clearly on the wane. While the decline of white, rural, less educated Americans is generally well known, less often recognized is what this means for gun legislation.”

Black Pastors Rising in Support of Guns in Church
Breitbart - On October 20 The Daily Beast (TDB) reported that the idea of guns behind the pulpit has been gaining momentum in black churches for years and that momentum increased exponentially following the June attack on Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston in June. The TDB report comes just two days after a black Detroit pastor used a handgun to kill an alleged attacker during a church service. Local 4 reported that the shooting occurred after “the [suspect] stormed into the church during a service wielding a brick.” The pastor fatally wounded the alleged attacker by firing “four or five shots” from the Glock he carries to defend himself and his congregation. As it turns out, the pastor at City of God is not alone in his determination to be armed for such circumstances.

Election News

Trump Doubles Down on Bush 9/11 Remarks: ‘They Did Know It Was Coming’
Breitbart - On Tuesday’s “New Day” on CNN, Republican presidential front-runner defended his response aimed at his GOP opponent former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL), who had claimed in a debate earlier this month that the country was kept safe under former President George W. Bush. rump in an interview with Bloomberg Television last week pointed out that the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks happened under the George W. Bush presidency, which he said refutes his younger brother’s claim the country was kept safe under George W. Bush’s watch. Trump doubled down on that claim on CNN and claimed they knew the 9/11 attacks were coming and “didn’t really work on it.”

DC Media Fail: Carson Beats Hillary, Leaps 7 Points Into 2nd Place In GOP Field
Breitbart - Two weeks ago the DC media launched a coordinated 10 day racist hate campaign against Dr. Ben Carson. A new CNN poll shows that this campaign backfired spectacularly. A new polls shows that Carson’s support leapt +7 points to 22%. He is now in second place behind Donald Trump, who is up +3 at 27%. In the general election, Carson also beats Hillary 48% – 47%.

5 Corporations Sucking California Dry During The Drought
Zero Hedge - As most people in the country know by now, California is currently suffering from a severe, record-breaking drought. In fact, it’s the worst drought in 1,200 years. While Governor Jerry Brown recently issued a mandate for people to start conserving water, large corporations use up and waste vastly more water than individuals and small businesses, often in ways that are detrimental to the environment. Let’s take a look at five of the most massive corporations in California that are the worst culprits when it comes to wasting water...

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Tuesday - October 20, 2015 - Today in History:

1774 - The new Continental Congress, the governing body of America’s colonies, passed an order proclaiming that all citizens of the colonies "discountenance and discourage all horse racing and all kinds of gaming, cock fighting, exhibitions of shows, plays and other expensive diversions and entertainment."
1803 - The U.S. Senate approved the Louisiana Purchase.
1818 - The U.S. and Great Britain established the boundary between the U.S. and Canada to be the 49th parallel.
1892 - The city of Chicago dedicated the World's Columbian Exposition.
1903 - A joint commission ruled in favor of the U.S. concerning a dispute over the boundary between Canada and the District of Alaska.
1910 - A baseball with a cork center was used in a World Series game for the first time.
1944 - Allied forces invaded the Philippines.
1952 - The Mau Mau uprising against white settlers began in Kenya.
1968 - Jackie Lee Bouvier Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis.
1979 - The John F. Kennedy Library in Boston was dedicated.
1984 - The U.S. State Department reduced the number of Americans assigned to the U.S. embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.
1994 - The website WhiteHouse.gov was launched.
1995 - Britain, France and the U.S. announced a treaty that banned atomic blasts in the South Pacific.
2003 - A 40-year-old man went over Niagara Falls without safety devices and survived. He was charged with illegally performing a stunt.
2009 - European astronomers discover 32 exoplanets.

World News

Russian airstrikes in Syria 'redrawing battlefield lines', sending ISIS fleeing
RT - Russian bombers and assault planes have attacked 49 terrorist targets, making a total of 33 sorties over the last 24 hours. All the planes have successfully returned to the Khmeimim air base in Latakia, Russia’s Defense Ministry reports. The airstrikes hit targets in the provinces of Aleppo, Damascus, Hama, Idlib and Latakia. Russian aircraft bombed two command headquarters, three arms depots, two underground bunkers, 32 firing positions in mountainous areas, nine fortified battlefield positions and a workshop producing missile launchers and rockets for Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).

US Borrows Hardware From Allies in Europe to 'Deter Russia'
Sputnik News - It has now been almost three years since the last American tanks were brought back to home soil, but now they US Army is planning on either bringing back these deadly machines to the region temporarily or borrowing hardware from allies in Europe in order to carry out planned exercises, The New York Times wrote. According to the Army's commanding general in Europe Ben Hodges, there are not enough troops and equipment in the region, which poses a problem for NATO. The paper stated that despite the cuts US commanders still face the task of responding to some mysterious "Russian threat" alongside the rising havoc in the Middle East.

US cuts millions in Mexico cartel-fighting aid amid human rights concerns
The Guardian - The State Department confirmed the decrease in funding on Monday – a 15% reduction that experts said is a symbolic slap on the wrist given the US’s previous unwillingness to criticize its partner despite widespread evidence that the country’s police and army have been involved in abuses. The Washington Post first reported on the reduction in assistance to the Merida Initiative, an agreement under which the US has allocated $2.3bn to Mexico as part of a broader effort to fight organized crime and threats pertaining to drug trafficking.

Russians Threaten to Shoot Down Israeli Aircraft
Kurt Nimmo - An Arab language news network in Iran reports Russian fighter jets intercepted Israeli aircraft on an espionage mission near the Syrian border on Sunday. Alalam quotes the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth daily as saying the Russians forced the Israeli aircraft to change course after they were detected with radar. The Russians blocked the Israeli aircraft while flying over the Akkar region of northern Lebanon and sent a warning they would open fire if they violated Syrian airspace. According to the Iranian HispanTV website the Israeli mission was to spy in Russian ships docked at Tartus where Russia maintains a naval facility.

NATO nations to keep presence in Afghanistan, officials say
Reuters - Germany, Turkey and Italy are set to keep their deployments in Afghanistan at current levels, senior NATO officials said on Monday after the U.S. government decided to prolong its 14-year-old military presence there. The Taliban's brief takeover of a provincial capital has raised concern about the strength of Afghan state forces and both the United States and its NATO allies now say events, rather than timetables, must dictate gradual troop reductions. Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's top commander in Europe, said he had assurances that NATO countries will continue alongside the nearly 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. While discussions of exact numbers are still continuing, the biggest national deployments are not in doubt, he said.

Swiss Voters Reject Mass Migration of Muslims
Kurt Nimmo - Swiss voters on Sunday sent a message to the European Union that it will not tolerate the mass migration of Muslims from the Middle East. The central issue during the election was the massive influx or largely illegal immigrants. “The vote was clear,” said SVP leader Toni Brunner. “The people are worried about mass migration to Europe.” The SVP election victory comes nearly two years after the Swiss people voted in favor of a referendum limiting the number of foreigners living in the country. Socialists lamented the victory and their losses during the election. The Christian Democrats and the Green Liberals also lost seats in the Parliament. Meanwhile, in the German city of Dresden, a rally Monday is expected to draw 10,000 people. The event marks the first anniversary of the founding of PEGIDA, or Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the Occident.
* Related: Germany Needs A Whopping 40,000 Government Workers To Deal With Migrant Influx

Global Trade Is Collapsing As The Worldwide Economic Recession Deepens
Economic Collapse - When the global economy is doing well, the amount of stuff that is imported and exported around the world goes up, and when the global economy is in recession, the amount of stuff that is imported and exported around the world goes down. It is just basic economics. Governments around the world have become very adept at manipulating other measures of economic activity such as GDP, but the trade numbers are more difficult to fudge. Today, China accounts for more global trade than anyone else on the entire planet, and we have just learned that Chinese exports and Chinese imports are both collapsing right now.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

NYPD using military-grade x-ray vans, bombarding unknown targets with radiation to spy on them
The Atlantic - In New York City, the police now maintain an unknown number of military-grade vans outfitted with X-ray radiation, enabling cops to look through the walls of buildings or the sides of trucks. The technology was used in Afghanistan before being loosed on U.S. streets. Each X-ray van costs an estimated $729,000 to $825,000. The NYPD will not reveal when, where, or how often they are used. “I will not talk about anything at all about this,” New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told a journalist for the New York Post who pressed for details on the vans. “It falls into the range of security and counter-terrorism activity that we engage in.” He added that “they’re not used to scan people for weapons.” Here are some specific questions that New York City refuses to answer...

White House Turns to Threats as ObamaCare Enrollments Stall
Breitbart - Now that ObamaCare is failing in the exact way its critics predicted more than 5 years ago, the White House is preparing to use threats to increase ObamaCare enrollment numbers next year. The threat, of course, is the ObamaCare tax. Next year the annual fine for not buying President Obama’s overpriced health insurance will jump to $695 or 2.5% of your income, whichever is greater. The White House intends to use the hefty fines as leverage in the upcoming 2016 enrollment period, which starts in November... So far only 9.1 million people have enrolled in ObamaCare. The Department of Health and Human services is predicting that only 1 million more will enroll up next year. That is well below — more than 50% below — the Congressional Budget Office predictions that claimed there would be upwards of 21 million enrollees by the end of 2016.

Death of a Patriot - Irwin A. Schiff
Peter Schiff - My father Irwin A. Schiff was born Feb. 23rd 1928, the 8th child and only son of Jewish immigrants, who had crossed the Atlantic twenty years earlier in search of freedom. As a result of their hope and courage my father was fortunate to have been born into the freest nation in the history of the world. But when he passed away on Oct. 16th, 2015 at the age of 87, a political prisoner of that same nation, legally blind and shackled to a hospital bed in a guarded room in intensive care, the free nation he was born into had itself died years earlier.

Most Victims of U.S. Drone Targeted Killing Program Aren’t the Targets
AllGov - The Intercept’s investigation, “The Drone Papers,” reported that over the course of one 13-month period, U.S. drone strikes in northeastern Afghanistan killed more than 200 people—but only 35 of them were the intended targets. It also was revealed that during a five-month period, nearly 90% of the people killed were not the intended targets. “These eye-opening disclosures make a mockery of U.S. government claims that its lethal force operations are based on reliable intelligence and limited to lawful targets,” Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project, said in a statement, according to Politico. “In fact, the government often claims successes that are really tragic losses. The Obama administration’s lethal program desperately needs transparency and accountability because it is undermining the right to life and national security.”

US government to create national registry of drones
RT - The Obama administration is planning to create a national registry of civilian-owned unmanned aerial vehicles in the name of airline safety. Small toy drones are not considered threats to safety, so they are likely to be exempt, according to AP.... Despite the FAA having rules already in place that restrict the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) near airports, pilots sighted more than 600 drones in just the first seven months of 2015, WWMT reported. This number is quadruple the average number seen in previous years, according to FAA figures.... The FAA hopes to get registration rules in place before Christmas, but some think that this is an unrealistic goal. The Consumer Electronics Association forecasts that 700,000 drones will be sold this holiday season, AP reported.

Planned Parent's next battleground: Texas
Reuters - Texas barred Planned Parenthood from receiving state Medicaid money, the latest setback for the women's healthcare provider since it became embroiled in controversy over undercover videos about its handling of fetal tissue. Hours earlier in neighboring Louisiana, a federal judge blocked that state's efforts to cut the group's funding. In a letter to Planned Parenthood clinics statewide, Texas health officials said all funding from Medicaid, the government healthcare program for the poor, was being cut because of what it characterized as program violations captured on the videos.

VIDEO: Hawaii declares state of emergency for homeless
Washington Examiner - Hawaii has declared a state of emergency for its homelessness problem. On Friday, Gov. David Ige, D-Hawaii, signed an emergency proclamation to address homelessness statewide. he proclamation unlocks funds to construct temporary shelters for the homeless, helps to extend contracts for homeless shelters and boosts funding for housing programs. The governor cited more than $1.3 million in government funds to be reserved for homeless services.... According to the 2015 State of Homelessness in America, conducted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there were 6,918 homeless in Hawaii in 2014, a 9.2 percent bump from the previous year. An Associated Press report put the latest count at 7,260 homeless people, the highest rate of homelessness per-capita of any state in the nation.

Sacramento's homeless invited to attend $35K treat after fiancé calls off wedding
RT - The bride's mother, Kari Duane, said she couldn't believe her ears when her 27-year-old daughter Quinn called her to say that the wedding just wasn’t going to happen because her fiancé had called it off. But the deposits for the reception were already paid, and instead of calling it off, the local homeless were invited for a weekend meal at one of the city's finest venues, the Citizen Hotel. An elderly woman who lives in a shelter, unable to afford rent, was the first to arrive, half an hour early. “I was thinking at that moment, if she’s the only person that comes tonight, this was worth it,” the bride's mother told KCRA-TV. But then more homeless people started to turn in – individuals, as well as families with grandparents and even newborns.

Election News

Ed Klein: Obama Urging Biden to Make White House Run, Rejecting Meetings with Clinton
Breitbart - President Barack Obama is refusing to meet with Hillary Clinton while he and his allies are urging Vice President Joe Biden to challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination, according to author Ed Klein. On Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot channel 125, Klein told guest-host and Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow that Obama and his allies—Michelle Obama and Valerie Jarrett—have “been searching for months for an alternative to Hillary.” According to Klein, they first approached Sen. Elizabeth Warren to challenge Clinton. When she declined, they approached former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and realized that “he didn’t have the stuff.”

Veteran News

School Bans 21 Gun Salute Honoring Veterans Claiming it “Promotes Gun Violence”
Adan Salazar - A school in Iowa is banning a time-honored tradition memorializing veterans who served the country with their lives. Administrators at Belle Plaine High School in Belle Plaine say the facility will no longer hold their annual Veteran’s Day assembly on school grounds, claiming the event’s traditional 21 gun salute “promotes gun violence,” according to NBC affiliate KWWL. Veterans and residents of the small town were understandably upset following the announcement, “as veterans firing blank rifles at the school assembly has been a fun and safe tradition for as long as some students can remember,” reports Hillary Maglin. A member of the American Legion, a veterans organization, offered up their property near the school so the assembly could continue, but they are disappointed over the school’s decision and fear it could reverberate to other parts of the state.

Economy & Business

Lawsuits could force VW to buy back diesels
CNBC News - Volkswagen almost inevitably will have to compensate owners of diesel cars equipped with emissions-rigging software. Some legal experts say the automaker could be forced to buy back the cars altogether. Many of the more than 200 lawsuits filed in the past few weeks allege that for seven years VW marketed four-cylinder diesel Golfs, Jettas, Beetles and Passats as clean alternatives to gas engines, knowing all along that the cars were spewing pollution that far exceeded legal limits.

VIDEO: Ron Paul's Texas Straight Talk 10/19/15: Debt Ceiling Debate: Don’t Mention Warfare/Welfare State!
Ron Paul - The US Treasury’s recent announcement that the government will reach the debt ceiling on November 3 means Congress will soon be debating raising the government’s borrowing limit again. Any delay in, or opposition to, raising the debt ceiling will inevitably be met with hand-wringing over Congress’ alleged irresponsibility. But the real irresponsible act would be for Congress to raise the debt ceiling. Cutting up its credit card is the only way to make Congress reduce spending. Anyone who doubts this should listen to the bipartisan whining over how sequestration has so drastically reduced spending that there is literally nothing left to cut. But, according to the Heritage Foundation, sequestration has only reduced spending from $3.6 trillion to $3.5 trillion. Only in DC would a less than one percent spending reduction be considered a draconian cut....

Morgan Stanley’s profit plunges 42%
Hang The Bankers - Wall Street bank Morgan Stanley’s profit slumped for the second straight quarter as investors fled the bond, currency and commodity markets amid uncertainty about the timing of a U.S. interest rate hike and concerns about China’s cooling economy. Morgan Stanley, the last of the big U.S. banks to release third-quarter earnings, said on Monday its trading revenue fell 17.2 percent to $2.03 billion in the period, contributing to a 42.4 percent drop in profit attributable to shareholders. The bank’s shares were down 5.8 percent in premarket trade. Morgan Stanley joins arch rival Goldman Sachs Group Inc as well as Citigroup Inc, Bank of America Corp and JPMorgan Chase & Co in reporting grim results from trading, a business many of them are trying to back away from.

Scientists: Jerry Brown Wrong to Link Fires, Climate Change
Breitbart - Brown blamed climate change for the Rocky fire in August, and specifically challenged Republican presidential candidates to tackle climate change in the context of “Longer fire seasons, extreme weather and severe droughts.” He told the media: “This is a wake-up call. We have to start coming to our senses. This is not a game of politics. We need to limit our carbon pollution. These are real lives and real people. This problem cannot be solved year by year….This is not the way these fires usually behave. If it continues year after year, California can literally burn up.” But scientists who study climate change and fire behavior say their work does not show a link between this year’s wildfires and global warming, or support Brown’s assertion that fires are now unpredictable and unprecedented. There is not enough evidence, they say.

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Monday - October 19, 2015 - Today in History:

1765 - In the U.S., The Stamp Act Congress met and drew up a declaration of rights and liberties.
1781 - British General Charles Lord Cornwallis surrendered to U.S. General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia. It was to be the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War.
1812 - Napoleon Bonaparte's French forces began their retreat out of Russia after a month of chasing the retreating Russian army.
1814 - In Baltimore, MD, the first documented performance of "The Defence of Fort McHenry" with music took place at the Holliday Street Theatre. The work was later published under the title "The Star-Spangled Banner."
1914 - In the U.S., government owned vehicles were first used to pick up mail in Washington, DC.
1915 - The U.S. recognized General Venustiano Carranza as the president of Mexico. The U.S. imposed embargo to all parts of Mexico except where Carranza was in control.
1943 - The Moscow Conference of Foreign Ministers began in Russia during World War II. Delegates from the U.S.S.R., Great Britain, the U.S., and China met to discuss war aims and cooperation between the nations.
1951 - U.S. President Truman singed an act officially ending the state of war with Germany.
1960 - The United States imposed an embargo on exports to Cuba covering all commodities except medical supplies and certain food products.
1969 - U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew referred to anti-Vietnam War protesters "an effete corps of impudent snobs."
1983 - The U.S. Senate approved a bill establishing a national holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
1984 - Four U.S. employees of the CIA were killed in El Salvador when their plane crashed.
1987 - The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 508 points. It was the worst one-day percentage decline, 22.6%, in history.
1989 - The U.S. Senate rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that barred the desecration of the American flag.
1998 - In Washington, DC, Microsoft went on trial to defend against an antitrust case.
2003 - In London, magician David Blaine emerged from a clear plastic box that had been suspended by a crane over the banks of the Thames River. He survived only on water for 44 days. Blaine had entered the box on September 5.
2006 - The Dow Jones industrial average ended the day at 12,011.73. It was the first close above 12,000.

World News

‘US strike on Afghan hospital no mistake’ – Doctors Without Borders
RT - The head of an international medical charity, whose hospital in northern Afghanistan was razed to the ground by a United States airstrike earlier this month, has claimed it may have been deliberate rather than accidental. "The hospital was repeatedly hit both at the front and the rear and extensively destroyed and damaged, even though we have provided all the coordinates and all the right information to all the parties in the conflict," Christopher Stokes, general director of Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, MSF) told AP. "The extensive, quite precise destruction of this hospital ... doesn't indicate a mistake. The hospital was repeatedly hit," he pointed out. The attack, in which the American Lockheed AC-130 gunship repeatedly bombed the hospital, lasted for over an hour despite calls to Afghan, US and NATO to stop it, MSF earlier said.

Germany’s police chief calls for border fence to cope with refugee crisis – report
RT - Germany should build a fence along its border with Austria to stem the influx of asylum seekers, the German police union chief said, according to Welt am Sonntag. He added that other EU countries will follow Berlin’s example.... It is highly unlikely that the police union chief's proposal will materialize as the Merkel government has strongly criticized the erection of a similar 3.5 meter fence in Hungary, along its 175 kilometer border with Serbia . Hungarian officials meanwhile announced that no migrants have breached the second fence erected along the Croatian border, since the border was closed on Saturday.

Syrian civilians helping Russian airstrikes target ISIS - Defense Ministry
RT - Russian warplanes have bombed a training camp in Syria where foreign instructors trained potential suicide bombers, the Russian defense ministry said. It was one of 49 terrorist targets hit by the Russian Air Forces over the day. [Maj. Gen. Igor] Konashenkov said the civilian population in the areas under terrorist group’s control are aiding the Russian airstrikes by providing intelligence about IS to the Syrian government.

Syrian jihadists feud & bomb each other over funds as Russian jets destroy supply lines
RT - Russian attack jets have hit 51 Islamic State targets in Syria in the past 24 hours, including four command posts, six arms depots, a mortar battery, two underground bunkers, 32 field camps and six outposts. The strikes took place in the Latakia, Aleppo, Hama and Damascus provinces.

Smoking gun emails reveal 'deal in blood' George Bush and Tony Blair made as they secretly plotted the Iraq War behind closed doors a YEAR before the invasion had even started
Daily Mail - The damning memo, from secretary of state Colin Powell to president George Bush, was written on March 28, 2002, a week before Bush’s famous summit with Blair at his Crawford ranch in Texas… In it, Powell tells Bush that Blair ‘will be with us’ on military action. Powell assures the president: ‘The UK will follow our lead’. The classified document also discloses that Blair agreed to act as a glorified spin doctor for the president by presenting ‘public affairs lines’ to convince a skeptical public that Saddam had Weapons of Mass Destruction - when none existed. In return, the president would flatter Blair’s ego and give the impression that Britain was not America’s poodle but an equal partner in the ‘special relationship’… The documents, obtained by The Mail on Sunday, are part of a batch of secret emails held on the private server of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton which U.S. courts have forced her to reveal.

With US Warships En Route To Islands, China Asks: "What On Earth Makes Them Think We Will Tolerate This?"
Zero Hedge - "The United States' provocative attempts to infringe on China's South China Sea sovereignty are sabotaging regional peace and stability and militarizing the waters.What on earth makes the United States think China should and will tolerate it when U.S. surface ships trespass on Chinese territory in the South China Sea?"... Via Xinhua: The United States' provocative attempts to infringe on China's South China Sea sovereignty are sabotaging regional peace and stability and militarizing the waters. The U.S. Navy is reportedly preparing to conduct "freedom of navigation" operations, sending warships within 12 nautical miles of Chinese islands in the South China Sea. The U.S. operations may take place within days, according to reports.

After 6 Years Of Austerity, 36% Of Greeks In Poverty
Zero Hedge - Thousands of austerity measures, dramatic cuts in incomes, incredible hikes in taxes. Five and a half years in deep recession. Three bailout agreements. And where do Greeks stand now? On top of the Eurozone when it comes to poverty. More than one out of three Greeks, that is “36% of the Greek population is at risk of poverty and social exclusion,” the EUROSTAT found out - the highest rate within the Euro Zone.

Blackmail? Germany Considers Bailout “Concessions” If Greece Keeps More Refugees
Zero Hedge - The European Commission will release €2 billion to Greece in the coming days to help the country manage the current migration crisis, a top Commission source told MNI Friday, but as German daily Wirtschaftswoche reports, the German Government is considering ‘helping’ Greece more financially – but only if Athens is more involved in the refugee crisis. The European Commission will release €2 billion to Greece in the coming days to help the country manage the current migration crisis and the upgrade its public administration system, a top Commission source told MNI Friday. The €2 billion will be the first disbursement of the so-called Juncker package worth €35 billion which aims to help Greece recover from 8 years of recession, boost investment opportunities and combat unemployment which is amongst the highest in Europe.

Ebola news

The lingering symptoms of Ebola survivors
Tech Insider - As doctors are poignantly learning, saying a patient is "cured" of the virus doesn't necessarily mean it is completely eradicated from the body. Ebola survivors like Cafferkey are experiencing lingering symptoms such as vision and hearing loss, seizures, insomnia, and body aches that have persisted for months following infection… "There is an emerging problem in Ebola survivors," Crozier said in the video interview with CNN. "It will be a varied spectrum — some will be mild, but there will be patients who develop severe complications and who are going blind.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Man who interrogates Clinton on Benghazi is veteran prosecutor
McClatchy -The South Carolina prosecutor looked straight at the camera, relishing his role on an episode of the show “Forensic Files” as he discussed fingerprints, DNA testing and other evidence pointing to a murder suspect. “You just don’t burn cars because they won’t start,” he said. “Unless you have something you want to hide.”... This Thursday, he will lead the high-stakes interrogation of Hillary Clinton over her role in the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. And Clinton won’t be the only one on the hot seat. Gowdy, the 51-year-old chairman of the House committee investigating the attacks, finds himself defending the panel against charges that it’s only a partisan Republican effort to derail Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Illegal Aliens Lose Battle in Birth Certificate Lawsuit AGAINST TEXAS
Breitbart - A federal judge signed an order on Friday that denied a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by citizens of Mexico and several Central American nations claiming entitlement to birth certificates for their children born in the United States. They sued the Vital Statistics Unit of the Texas Department of State Health Services saying the agency denied them the certificates because they did not possess the required identification.... The illegal immigrants filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Austin in June stating that the birth certificates were being denied because of their immigration status. The plaintiff illegal immigrants argued that, “Such refusal is de facto based upon the immigrant status of the Plaintiff parents.”

Obama’s New Appointee to Head the FDA Is a Big Pharma Mega-Lobbyist
Natural Blaze - President Obama’s recent nominee to chair the Food and Drug Administration has drawn harsh criticism for his ties to the pharmaceutical industry. The disapproval grew more justified this week as it was revealed that until this year, nominee Dr. Robert Califf was a board member and consultant for a company whose sole purpose is to help pharmaceutical companies evade and manipulate FDA regulations. He currently serves as the FDA’s deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco and awaits Senate confirmation to become Deputy Commissioner of the agency.

Sign of Things to Come? Maine Now Allows Concealed Carry Without Permit
Activist Post - Beginning this week, you will become the 8th state or territory to allow some form of unrestricted concealed carry in public places. All residents aged 21 or over will no longer need a permit to carry a pistol or revolver on their person, when traveling on foot or in their vehicles. There are a few exceptions such as courthouses, schools, federal buildings, state parks, etc. But for the most part, so long as you’re legally allowed to own a firearm, you’re good to go in the State of Maine.... So why should gun owners across the nation be ecstatic about this development? Because Maine is a somewhat liberal state, and the only liberal state to allow constitutional carry other than Vermont. When you start to see developments like these show up in left-leaning states, it means that pro-gun activists are winning the debate across the board.

Virginia Governor Tightens Gun Control Rules With Executive Order
Opposing Views - On Oct. 15, Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia signed executive orders that tightened gun control measures, including the creation of a gun crimes task force.... In addition to the task force, the executive order also establishes a tip line for illegal gun activity, and it authorizes the Attorney General to "coordinate and bring criminal cases against firearms law offenders." The order also calls for state police to request a trace of every gun involved in a crime and prohibits the open carry of guns in some state-owned buildings. In signing the order, the governor cited both the 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting and the recent on-air killings of two Roanoke TV news employees.

Election News

Hillary Clinton: Nationwide Gun Ban, Repeal of Second Amendment “Worth Considering”
Kit Daniels - The presidential candidate attacked the Second Amendment during an Oct. 16 town hall meeting in which she was asked if it were feasible for the U.S. to confiscate millions of firearms in a year. Hillary said: You know, Australia’s a good example, Canada’s a good example, the UK’s a good example. Why? Because each of them had mass killings, Australia had a huge mass killing about 20 or 25 years ago. Canada did as well, so did the UK. In reaction, they passed much stricter gun laws.... Clinton also mentioned that several U.S. cities have done gun buyback programs and it would be “worth considering on a national level.” But she failed to mention that she supported shipping guns to Syrian rebels, the majority of whom are either ISIS militants or affiliated with the Islamic State.

Secret Service to Protect Trump, Carson as Threats Grow
Newsmax - The Secret Service will give agent protection to Donald Trump and Ben Carson while heavily upgrading Hillary Clinton's existing detail, a Washington source close to the agency's plans confirmed to Newsmax. The deployment of agents around Republican candidates Trump and Carson is set to begin as early as next week. Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, has had Secret Service protection since leaving the White House as first lady in 2001, but her detail will be heavily upgraded by the agency's move. The agency's decision was primarily triggered by a significant number of threats to Carson, including death threats and terrorist chatter, the source said.

Donald Trump received nearly $4 million in unsolicited campaign donations
Washington Post - Although Donald Trump boasts he is self-financing his presidential campaign, he hasn't turned away donations from supporters -- and those contributions added up to nearly $4 million in three months. Between July 1 and Sept. 30, Trump's campaign says it received 73,942 unsolicited donations, pumping $3.8 million into his campaign coffers. The average contribution was about $50, and 71 percent of the money came from donors giving less than $200.

Sanders Would Raise Payroll Taxes on Everyone to Fund Paid Family Leave
Breitbart - Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders said his tax increases would “hit everybody” because he would raise the payroll tax to pay for paid family and medical leave. Sanders said, “I think if you are looking about guaranteeing paid family and medical leave, which every other major country has so that when a mom gives birth she doesn’t have to go back to work in two weeks. Dad or mom can stay home with the kids. That will require a small increase in the payroll tax.” Stephanopoulos said, “That’s going to hit everybody.”

Veteran News

Prominent Veterans Group Just Called On US Public To Say No To War
Anti Media - A group of former U.S. service members called the Veterans For Peace issued a letter to the American public and President Obama today. In it, they outline reasons for the United States to immediately end the war in Afghanistan, among others, and call on the public to step in to ensure it happens.... “President Obama’s decision to prolong the U.S. led war in Afghanistan only ensures U.S. responsibility for more death and destruction. Veterans For Peace condemns the decision and calls on the U.S. public to say no to more war.

Economy & Business

War on Cash: Megabanks Refusing Corporate Deposits
The Wall Street Journal - U.S. banks are going to new lengths to ward off a surprising threat to their financial health: big cash deposits. State Street Corp., the Boston bank that manages assets for institutional investors, for the first time has begun charging some customers for large dollar deposits, people familiar with the matter said. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., the nation’s largest bank by assets, has cut unwanted deposits by more than $150 billion this year, in part by charging fees. The developments underscore a deepening conflict over cash. Many businesses have large sums on hand and opportunities to profitably invest it appear scarce. But banks don’t want certain kinds of cash either, judging it costly to keep, and some are imposing fees after jawboning customers to move it.

These 16 Companies Control Almost Everything You Buy
WorldTruth.Tv - Powerful companies create brands and products that we might not know are theirs. Companies’ signature brands add to their annual revenues and provide an edge to competition. To determine how powerful each company is, we factored together fiscal 2014 revenue, the number of employees, and press mentions on Google News over the past year. Here is a list of retail companies that own brands and products that we use every day.

Largest health insurer on Colorado exchange collapses
Reporter Herald - Colorado's biggest nonprofit health insurer announced its closure Friday, forcing nearly 83,000 Coloradans to find a new insurer for 2016. Colorado HealthOP announced Friday that the state Division of Insurance has said it can't keep selling health insurance. That's because the cooperative relied on federal support, and federal authorities announced last month they wouldn't be able to pay most of what they owed to a program designed to help health insurance co-ops get established. The Colorado announcement makes the co-op the seventh in the nation to collapse. Similar nonprofit insurers have already failed in Kentucky, Louisiana, Iowa/Nebraska, Nevada, New York and Tennessee.... "Taxpayers are on the hook for millions of dollars in loans given out to the CO-OP, money that will likely never be repaid," U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner said in a statement after the announcement.

McDonald’s Franchise Owners Confirm: Fast Food Giant “Facing Its Final Days”
Anti Media - Embattled fast food giant McDonald’s is making headlines yet again. The company has just launched its much advertised all-day breakfast program, but as that campaign rolls out, franchise owners are voicing their concerns over what may be the company’s dying days.... “We are in the throes of a deep depression, and nothing is changing,” a franchise owner wrote in response to a financial survey by Nomura Group. “Probably 30% of operators are insolvent.” One owner went as far as to speculate that McDonald’s is literally “facing its final days.” Franchisees have also been complaining about the erratic nature of McDonald’s corporate decision-making process.

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Friday - October 16, 2015 - Today in History:

1701 - The Collegiate School was founded in Killingworth, CT. The school moved to New Haven in 1745 and changed its name to Yale College.
1793 - During the French Revolution, Queen Marie Antoinette was beheaded after being convicted of treason.
1829 - In Boston, MA, the first modern hotel in America opened. The Tremont Hotel had 170 rooms that rented for $2 a day and included four meals.
1859 - Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on Harper's Ferry, VA (now located in West Virginia).
1869 - A hotel in Boston became the first in the U.S. to install indoor plumbing.
1941 - The Nazis advanced to within 60 miles of Moscow. Romanians entered Odessa, USSR, and began exterminating 150,000 Jews.
1943 - Chicago's new subway system was officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
1962 - U.S. President Kennedy was informed that there were missile bases in Cuba, beginning the Cuban missile crisis.
1964 - China detonated its first atomic bomb becoming the world's fifth nuclear power.
1967 - NATO headquarters opened in Brussels.
1982 - China announced that it had successfully fired a ballistic missile from a submarine.
1987 - Rescuers freed Jessica McClure from the abandoned well that she had fallen into in Midland, TX. The was trapped for 58 hours.
1989 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush signed the Gramm-Rudman budget reduction law that ordered federal programs be cut by $16.1 billion.
1993 - The U.N. Security Council approved the deployment of U.S. warships to enforce a blockade on Haiti to increase pressure on the controlling military leaders.
1995 - The "Million Man March" took place in Washington, DC.
1997 - Mr. & Mrs. Charles M. Schulz announced that they would give $1 million toward the construction of a D-Day memorial to be placed in Virginia.
2000 - It was announced Chevron Corp. would be buying Texaco Inc. for $35 billion. Combined company was called Chevron Texaco Corp. and became the 4th largest oil company in the world.
2002 - It was reported that North Korea had told the U.S. that it had a secret nuclear weapons program in violation of an 1994 agreement with the U.S.
2002 - The Arthur Andersen accounting firm was sentenced to five years probation and fined $500,000 for obstructing a federeal investigation of the energy company Enron.

World News

Putin: 7,000 people from ex-Soviet republics estimated to fight alongside ISIS
RT - There are 7,000 foreign terrorists in Syria who went there from Russia and several other former Soviet nations to join Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), Russian President Vladimir Putin told the heads of those states in Kazakhstan. “There are an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters from Russia and other CIS member states fighting for ISIL,” Putin said referring to IS by its former name. “We certainly cannot allow them to use the experience they are getting in Syria on home soil.” Putin was speaking to leaders of the CIS, a regional union of a dozen former Soviet republics. He reported details of the Russian bombing campaign in Syria targeting the jihadists and assured that there was significant progress in defeating IS.

US tank enters ruined Afghan hospital putting 'war crime' evidence at risk
The Guardian - A US tank has forced its way into the shell of the Afghanistan hospital destroyed in an airstrike 11 days ago, prompting warnings that the US military may have destroyed evidence in a potential war crimes investigation.... In a statement on Thursday, the medical charity, also known as Doctors Without Borders, said they were informed after Thursday’s “intrusion” that the tank was carrying investigators from a US-Nato-Afghan team which is investigating the attack. “Their unannounced and forced entry damaged property, destroyed potential evidence and caused stress and fear,” MSF said.

U.S. Boots on the Ground in Africa
Kurt Nimmo - 300 soldiers will be sent to the West African nation to conduct airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations in the region, according to the BBC. Obama said the troops will deploy to Cameroon to help fight Boko Haram, the Islamic group aligned with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, and will stay until “no longer needed.” The effort will expand the mission of Africom, the Pentagon’s African Command, and would be “part of a broader regional effort to stop the spread of Boko Haram and other violent extremist organizations in West Africa,” according to White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

‘TTIP is death:’ Over 100 arrested in Brussels at US-EU trade deal protest (VIDEO)
RT - At least 100 people have been arrested in Brussels, where hundreds more protested against TTIP, an impending free trade deal between the US and the EU, as the next round of TTIP talks approaches. Roads were paralyzed in the Belgian capital as a force of more than 600 activists descended on EU headquarters, blocking traffic and the venue of the EU leaders summit in protest against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). People carried signs and chanted slogans such as “Stop TTIP, stop austerity” and "Sorry for the inconvenience. We're trying to save the world," at the march in Brussels on Thursday. "TTIP is death" another sign read. One group of protesters displayed a balloon ‘Trojan Horse’ as an allegory for the deal.

Ship laden with nuclear waste heading to Australia despite safety concerns
The Guardian - A ship laden with nuclear waste is heading to Australia from France, despite concerns raised over its safety record. The BBC Shanghai, flagged to Antigua and Barbuda, is on its way to Port Kembla in New South Wales from the French port of Cherbourg with a cargo of reprocessed nuclear waste. The 25 tonnes of waste was originally generated by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and sent to France in 2001 for reprocessing. Environmental groups have raised concerns over the safety of the BBC Shanghai, pointing out it has been blacklisted by the US due to its record... But following an inspection, the vessel was sent on its way and is set to arrive in Australia on 27 November.

ISIS retreating in Syria, missile system destroyed, 33 targets hit - Russian military
RT - Russian warplanes have destroyed a surface-to-air missile launcher that the Islamic State terrorist group previously captured from the Syrian Army, the Russian Defense Ministry reports. The bombing campaign in Syria is forcing the jihadists to flee.

US forces in Afghanistan knew Kunduz site was hospital - report
RT - New information suggests the US deliberately targeted the Kunduz hospital, killing 22 patients and staff, despite knowing it was a protected medical site. US special operations analysts investigated the hospital for days prior to the deadly October 3 attack, describing the hospital as a base of operations for a Pakistani agent coordinating Taliban activities, AP has learned from a former intelligence official familiar with the documents.

Ukraine's $1 trillion demand from Russia shrinks to $46 billion
RT - Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk's demand that Moscow pay one trillion compensation for the loss of Crimea and alleged Russian activities in Donbass caused confusion on Thursday. Yatsenyuk’s ambiguity led the media to conclude he was talking in dollars.

Ebola News

Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey's rapid decline after being 'cured' leaves experts staggered
The Independent - A British nurse who was apparently cured of Ebola earlier this year is now in a critical condition, doctors have said, with experts expressing astonishment at the deterioration of her condition. Pauline Cafferkey was admitted to the specialist treatment isolation unit at Royal Free Hospital in London on 9 October. She had been treated for Ebola at the same hospital earlier this year, and was discharged in good health in January. Doctors have said she is suffering an “unusual late complication” of her previous infection…. However, medical understanding of the disease’s after-effect is limited due to the relatively low number of historic cases.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Oath Keepers to Form College Chapters and Train Students to Fight Back
Oath Keepers - In the wake of Umpqua Community College shooting, Oath Keepers to form college student groups on college campuses across the U.S. (starting here in Oregon) to teach the students to fight back. As part of its new S.T.O.P (Students Taking Over Protection) program, Oath Keepers military, police, and first-responder instructors will teach the students to fight back with empty hands, improvised weapons, knives, and firearms, and will teach them effective combat mindset and awareness techniques and strategies so the students can be their own “first-responders” and take out an active shooter. Just as post 9-11, where people no longer submit and cooperate in their own murders on planes, the obvious answer to school shootings on college and high school campuses is that the students must stop submitting and cooperating in their own murders.

Leaked: 'New Snowden' releases Obama's drone program papers
RT - A cache of classified documents has revealed the inner workings of US drone operations in Somalia, Yemen and Afghanistan, including the mechanism of targeting suspects slated for assassination. The documents, slides, visuals and analysis have been posted by The Intercept on Thursday as "The Drone Papers" [See this link to read the documents]. The cache contains two sets of slides detailing the US military's drone operations in Somalia and Yemen between 2011 and 2013, by the secret Task Force 48-4. The documents were provided to The Intercept by a source within the US intelligence community who wished to remain anonymous because of the government's aggressive prosecution of whistleblowers. He says the American public has the right to know about the process by which people are placed on kill lists and assassinated on orders from US government officials.

DOJ Creates “Domestic Terrorism” Division, Previously Labeled Libertarians, Conservatives “Domestic Extremists”
Kit Daniels - The Justice Department has created a “domestic terrorism” division after previously labeling libertarians and conservatives as “domestic extremists.” The DOJ announced it will appoint a “domestic terrorism counsel” to focus on who the Obama administration and the controversial Southern Poverty Law Center considers “extremists.” “Looking back over the past few years, it is clear that domestic terrorists and homegrown violent extremists remain a real and present danger to the United States,” the DOJ’s John Carlin said on Wednesday.

Newson Wants Background Checks for Ammo Purchases
Breitbart - According to The Sacramento Bee, the ballot proposition would also make it illegal for anyone other than a Federal Firearm License (FFL) holder to sell ammunition, thus guaranteeing that ammunition background checks would be done on every sale and enable the state government to know where every round was going. The initiative is also designed to put in place a system for confiscating guns from those “prohibited from owning them” and would force citizens to report lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement.

Election News

In Court, Ron Paul Accuses Feds Of Targeting Rand’s Campaign
Truth in Media - On Wednesday, retired Congressman and presidential contender Ron Paul came to a Des Moines’ federal courthouse to testify for the prosecution against two of his former top campaign staffers, Jesse Benton, who is married to Paul’s granddaughter, and Dimitri Kesari. With force, Paul told jurors that the timing of the indictments against Benton and Kesari were carefully planned in order to pose a threat against his son, United States Senator Rand Paul... In an opening statement Tuesday, U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor Richard Pilger portrayed Paul as a victim of Benton and Kesari’s plot to keep him in the dark about hidden campaign payments. However, Paul didn’t seem happy about being called on behalf of the prosecution against the two staffers.

Rand: ‘I Don’t Think We Need to Be In Afghanistan,’ Would Pull Out Immediately
Breitbart - Republican presidential candidate Kentucky Senator Rand Paul argued the US should get out of Afghanistan immediately on Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Wolf.” Rand said of President Obama’s decision to delay the scheduled withdrawal from Afghanistan, “I think it’s a mistake. It’s also not what our founding fathers intended. our founding fathers intended that when we were to go to war, that congress would debate this, and this would be approved or disapproved by Congress. i don’t know what our mission is. i would have voted for the original mission, to go Bin Laden and those who attacked us on 9/11. We have bin laden. we have the people who attacked us on 9/11. What is our mission? To build a nation? Well, frankly, we’re not very good at building nations, and I’m not for having our military stay indefinitely in Afghanistan to build a nation.”

Donald Trump, Ben Carson Warn Boycott if CNBC Debate Lasts More than Two Hours
Breitbart - The two frontrunners of the Republican presidential race are threatening to boycott the upcoming CNBC presidential debate if the network doesn’t limit the time for the candidates to be on stage. In a joint letter to CNBC, Donald Trump and Ben Carson indicated that they would only agree to a 120 minute debate (including commercials) with time for opening and closing statements. “To be clear, neither of our campaigns agreed to either the length you propose or your ban on opening and closing statements,” the letter read. “In fact, neither of our campaigns were even consulted.” “Neither of those conditions are acceptable. Neither Mr. Trump or Dr. Carson will participate in your debate if it is longer than 120 minutes including commercials and does not include opening and closing statements,” the signed letter, published by NBC, read.

Jeb Bush Campaign Cuts Back on Spending
Breitbart - Ahead of its required disclosure of third quarter fundraising, the Jeb Bush campaign says it is cutting back and being more frugal in its campaign spending.... It is the latest sign that things haven’t gone according to script for the Bush campaign. Once a frontrunner for the GOP nomination, Bush has fallen to the back of the pack in recent surveys. Even in New Hampshire, a state seen as critical to his nomination fight and where his campaign has spent almost $5 million in paid advertising, Bush is mired in sixth place.

Veteran News

3 Out of 4 U.S. Military Deaths in Afghanistan Occurred Under Obama…
Breitbart - An estimated 75 percent of the all U.S. military deaths and about 90 percent of the injuries linked to the ongoing war in Afghanistan have occurred under President Obama’s watch... President Obama, citing a “fragile” security situation at risk of deteriorating, announced today that he will be extending the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan for an undetermined amount of time, handing over the conflict to his successor. In making the announcement, the President appeared clueless as to how many Americans were killed in Afghanistan in 2014 and this year.

Economy & Business

Lew to Congress: Debt limit now exhausted Tuesday, November 3
CNBC News - Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said Thursday the U.S. debt limit will be exhausted Nov. 3, two days before previously estimated. "At that point, we expect Treasury would be left with less than $30 billion to meet all of the nation's commitments — an amount far short of net expenditures on certain days, which can be as high as $60 billion," Lew said in a letter. "Operating the United States government with no borrowing authority, and with only the cash on hand on a given day, would be profoundly irresponsible. As I wrote previously, we anticipate that a remaining cash balance of less than $30 billion would be depleted quickly," he said.

Parasitic Fly Turns Honeybees into Flying “Zombies”
Natural Society - Researchers have announced that zombie bees have been spotted in Western and Eastern states, said to be caused by a parasitic fly.... When the parasitic Apocephalus borealis fly encounters certain types of bees, it aggressively stalks them and lays its eggs inside of them. As the larvae grow, they consume much of the muscle and nervous system of the host bee, destroying the bees’ brains.... The flying zombies were first spotted on the West Coast, but volunteers helping to track the bees’ movements have spotted them now on the East Coast. Just last week, a report came in about a zombified bee in New York for the first time.

8 Year Old Dead After Taking Polio Vaccine
Vaxxter - An 8 year old boy in Laos is now dead after taking a polio oral vaccine. The child immediately suffered paralysis after the vaccination and ended up dying 5 days following. The WHO has stated that the virus was derived from the vaccination. According to The Washington Post. WHO officials said that genetic sequence showed that the virus was derived from an oral vaccine and that it may have been circulating in Laos’ Bolikhamxay Province for more than two years. The oral polio vaccine contains a weakened virus, and when a child is immunized the virus replicates in the intestine and is excreted by the individual. In places where there are sanitation issues, this virus can infect others in the community before dying out.

Vaccine Injuries to Spike During Aggressive Flu Season Push
Health Impact News - October is deemed the start of the flu season. This year, the rhetoric and methods to push flu vaccines are beginning to take on an authoritarian flavor. Medical consent and medical choice appear to have taken a backseat to government mandates and strong arm tactics by local pharmacies, medical practitioners, and employers. Government oversight bodies and medical professionals are omitting the risks and informed consent when it comes to the flu shot. To understand this year’s flu vaccination push, here are some points to put things into focus.

5 Sure-Fire Ways to Beat the Flu
Green Med Info - With flu season rapidly approaching, many are looking to vaccination as a "preventive" approach. Those who abstain are often accused of being uneducated or even socially irresponsible, but nothing could be further from the truth. Vaccination cannot replace natural immunity. Vaccines derail your natural immunological processes, along with exposing you to wide-ranging adverse effects.

Cancer Detection and Treatment Leads To The Spread of The Disease Itself
Natural Blaze - Cancer is a deadly disease, but it is also a wonderful revenue generation tool for multi-national conglomerates. Not only pharmaceutical companies, but hospitals, oncologists, cancer specialists, diagnostic facilities, and many other distinct entities that comprise a 125 billion dollar cancer industry. Cancer awareness propaganda and detection revolves around funneling patients through various levels of diagnoses and treatment to maximize profits at the expense of human health... The question of whether or not cancer treatment really extends life can probably no longer be answered effectively by even the cancer industry itself. In clinical studies the manufacturers always compare their new drugs with older cellular poisons. There are no control groups that are given no treatment at all. Today, the most effective method of being cancer-free is to prevent it by using dietary strategies, high-nutrient foods, lifestyle and behavior modification.... 5 Ways You Can Decrease Yours Odds of Getting Cancer...

The Many Reasons Why You Need Sleep
Dr. Mercola - Robert Stickgold, director of the Center for Sleep and Cognition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, discusses some of the lesser known reasons for why we need to sleep. Sleep is actually essential not just for cementing events into long-term memory, but also for making sense of your life. According to Stickgold, during sleep your brain "extracts the gist of what happened" to you during the day, and fosters insight into the workings of your life. Essentially, during sleep, your brain pulls together and extracts meaning, while discarding unimportant details. In fact, sleep increases your ability to gain insights that would otherwise remain elusive by about 250 percent!

Pet News

Need Help With Vet Bills or Pet Food? There ARE Resources...
Dogington Post - Because our pets are a life-long commitment, it’s not unheard of for a dog or cat mom or dad to face financial hardship at some point in the life of their fur-children. We can all agree that before bringing an animal into your heart and home, it’s important to be prepared for the financial responsibilities – veterinary care, quality food and treats, preventative measures, etc. – that come along with pet parenthood. However, over the course of that 15-20+ year commitment, things happen. Jobs are lost, injuries or accidents make it impossible to work, economies take a hit. Fortunately, there IS help available! Below is a list of national and state-specific organizations that assist pet parents in need of financial assistance. These organizations understand that the very best place for a pet is with the family that loves them.

Dangerous Mycotoxins Confirmed in 2015 Grains
Susan Thixton - Neogen – a company that sells testing equipment to animal feed/pet food manufacturers to detect levels of mycotoxins, released a report on October 5, 2015 stating many states have confirmed high levels of dangerous mycotoxins.... These confirmed reports of mycotoxins in 2015 grains is a concern for pet food. FDA allows the animal feed industry to mix highly contaminated grains with clean grains in an effort to lower the total mycotoxin exposure – allowing farmers a means to sell highly contaminated grains.... Pets consuming a food or treat containing those mycotoxin contaminated grains will get sick. The severity can range from (low levels over time) “liver and kidney fibrosis, infections resulting from immonosuppression and cancer” to death if large amounts of mycotoxins are consumed.... If your pet’s food or treat contains corn, wheat or barley – contact the manufacturer and ask what their mycotoxin testing procedure is.
 

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Thursday - October 15, 2015 - Today in History:

1815 - Napoleon Bonaparte began his exile on the remote island of St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean.
1860 - Grace Bedell, 11 years old, wrote a letter to presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln. It stated that Lincoln would look better if he would grow a beard.
1883 - The U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of the Civil Rights Act of 1875. It allowed for individuals and corporations to discriminate based on race.
1892 - The U.S. government announced that the land in the western Montana was open to settlers. The 1.8 million acres were bought from the Crow Indians for 50 cents per acre.
1939 - New York Municipal Airport was dedicated. The name was later changed to La Guardia Airport.
1945 - Pierre Laval, the former premier of Vichy France, was executed for treason.
1966 - U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a bill creating the Department of Transportation.
1966 - In Illinois, Cahokia Mounds was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
1966 - The First Bank of the United States was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1983 - U.S. Marines killed five snipers who had pinned them down in Beirut International Airport.
1984 - The Freedom of Information Act was passed.
1989 - South African officials released eight prominent political prisoners.
1993 - U.S. President Clinton sent warships to enforce trade sanctions that had been imposed on Haitian military rulers.
1997 - British Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green broke the land-speed record by driving a jet-powered car faster than the speed of sound.
1998 - The U.N. condemned the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba for the seventh year in a row.
2001 - NASA's Galileo spacecraft passed within 112 miles of Jupiter's moon Io.
2011 - Legoland Florida opened in Winter Haven, Florida.

World News

Ukraine demands $1 trillion from Russia over Crimea & Donbass - Yatsenyuk
Kiev will demand $1 trillion from Moscow as compensation for the loss of Crimea and its alleged activities in Donbass, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk. Ukraine has also offered Russia until October 29 to accept a debt-restructuring deal over its $3 billion debt or go to the courts. We are ready for judicial proceedings," said Yatsenyuk. The Kremlin was surprised by Ukraine's intention to demand $1 trillion from Russia.
"Crimea is the territory of the Russian Federation. Donbass is the territory of Ukraine. How did they get that $1 trillion? It is not clear," Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told TASS. He added that if Ukraine doesn't repay the debt in full, Moscow will declare it in default

China Is Willing to Start WW III Over the Trans Pacific Partnership
Dave Hodges - After publishing yesterday’s article, I felt I had provided the readers with a lot of information to consider with regard to the growing South China Sea controversy. It is a controversy that will soon see American warships entering into the region. A few hours after publishing the previous article, I had an epiphany. I was mentally replaying the geographic area of contention in my mind and in my “Ah ha” moment, I began to wonder if the aggressiveness on display by the Chinese might have something to do with unhinging the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). While appearing as a guest on the Hagmann and Hagmann Report last night, at the end of the interview, I speculated as to whether China’s building of militarized, artificial Islands could possibly have anything to do with disrupting the TPP in favor of the newer BRICS hegemony? In the paragraphs below lies the analysis of this hypothesis.

Combat report: Russian jets make 41 sorties against ISIS in Syria, cut off its arms supplies
RT - Islamic State terrorists in Aleppo province have been cut off from their arms supply sources, the Russian Defense Ministry has stated. Over the past 24 hours, Russian jets made 41 sorties and carried out 40 attacks against the terrorist group in five Syrian provinces. Russian warplanes attacked dozens of Islamic State (IS, former ISIS/ISIL) strongholds in Aleppo, Hama, Idlib, Latakia and Deir ez-Zor provinces.

Russia rejects Dutch report on MH17, but agrees Ukraine should have closed airspace – regulator
RT - Russia disagrees with the Dutch Safety Board’s report on MH17 crash findings, the Federal Air Transport Agency said. The Dutch party’s answers to Russian comments on the crash are “unsubstantiated and biased,” the regulator said. The authors of the Dutch report slanted the documents towards their version of events beforehand, and the quality of the probe has been unsatisfactory, Rosavitsya’s head Oleg Storchevoy said in the official statement Wednesday.

BUK manufacturer says Russian-made air defenses ‘absolutely’ not involved in MH17 crash
RT - The damage caused by shrapnel to the aircraft involved in flight MH17 could not have been caused by a modern Russian BUK missile, the manufacturers of the weapon Almaz-Antey have stated. The manufacturer staged two real-life tests involving decommissioned aircrafts and BUK anti-aircraft missiles to see whether missile complexes currently deployed by Russian troops could have been involved in the downing of the Malaysian Airlines aircraft on July 17, 2014.

The MH-17 ‘Report’
Paul Craig Roberts - When I read that the report on the downing of the Malaysian airliner over Ukraine was being put in the hands of the Dutch, I knew that there would be no investigation and no attention to the facts. And there wasn’t. I did not intend to write about the report, because Washington’s propaganda has already succeeded, at least in the Western world, in its purpose of laying the blame on Russia. However, the misrepresentation of the Dutch report by Western media, such as NPR, is so outrageous as to make the media the story and not the report.

Putin teases IMF to repay Ukraine’s $3bn Russian debt
The International Monetary Fund should give Kiev $3 billion to pay off its debt to Russia, suggested Russian President Vladimir Putin. Allowing Ukraine to skip the repayment due in December and default will undermine the IMF, according to Putin. Moscow continues to insist that the debt Kiev owes is not private, but a state and official one. The current policy of the IMF only allows member states to miss payments to private investors. Ukraine’s failure to fulfill its debt obligations to Russia means that there is a risk it won’t get a $17.5 billion loan from the IMF.

New Airline to Fly ‘Migrants’ Directly Into Sweden
Paul Joseph Watson - A commercial airliner that normally caters for tourists will fly ‘migrants’ directly from the Middle East to Sweden in the latest example of how the European welfare haven is rolling out the red carpet for refugees, the vast majority of whom aren’t even from Syria.... A commercial airliner that normally caters for tourists will fly ‘migrants’ directly from the Middle East to Sweden in the latest example of how the European welfare haven is rolling out the red carpet for refugees, the vast majority of whom aren’t even from Syria. A commercial airliner that normally caters for tourists will fly ‘migrants’ directly from the Middle East to Sweden in the latest example of how the European welfare haven is rolling out the red carpet for refugees, the vast majority of whom aren’t even from Syria.
* Related: Migrants Ferried Hundreds Of Miles In £50,000 Luxury Hummer Limo To Their New Homes In The North Of England

EU Diplomat: My Government ‘Believes Obama Is Quite Mentally Unwell’
Steve Watson - A former NSA intelligence analyst has claimed that a senior European diplomat told him that the entire government of a European country considers president Obama to be literally mentally unwell. John Schindler, a security expert and whistleblower who now writes for The Daily Beast, has claimed that a senior EU official from an undisclosed country also inquired about impeachment proceedings, saying that the nation believes Obama is not fit for office.

EU Committee Opposes Draft Law Enabling EU Countries to Ban GMO Food and Feed
Sustainable Pulse - A draft EU law that would enable any member state to restrict or prohibit the sale and use of EU-approved GMO food or feed on its territory was opposed by Environment Committee MEPs on Tuesday. The European Parliament news service reported that Members are concerned that the proposal might prove unworkable and lead to the reintroduction of border controls between pro and anti-GMO countries. The recommendation will be put to a vote by Parliament as a whole at the 26-29 October plenary session in Strasbourg.

Plague of Insects Ravages Monsanto GMO Cotton – 15 More Farmer Suicides in India
Natural Blaze - According to this article from The Times of India, a massive swarm of whiteflies recently destroyed large amounts of cotton crops in Punjab, a state in northwest India. In total about 2/3 of the state’s entire cotton crop was destroyed, and 15 farmers committed suicide in the wake of the infestation. Naresh Kuma Lehri, a seed and pesticide dealer, described the scene to the Times. “It was just like the Japanese air strike in the film, Pearl Harbor,” he said. “They appeared out of nowhere and left a trail of destruction.” According to the article, the chemical-free, non-GMO cotton was not harmed as much as the genetically modified varieties by the pests.
* Related: GM eggplants send Bangladesh farmers into poverty as they fail for second year in a row

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Iranians, Cubans and CIA-backed rebels: US media jumps on muddled Syria reports
RT - Citing activists and anonymous government sources, US media outlets claim that Russian airstrikes are deliberately targeting the US-backed rebels, as Iranian and even Cuban troops are streaming into Syria. The Associated Press reported that Iranian Revolutionary Guards began arriving to Syria two weeks ago, after Russia launched an air campaign against the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL). Citing a “regional official” with “deep knowledge of operational details in Syria,” AP estimated the number of Iranian troops at 1,500....

Obama Pushes Back Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal, Official Says
(Bloomberg) - The U.S. will keep about 5,500 troops in Afghanistan into 2017, slowing the administration’s withdrawal timetable and ensuring that America’s longest war will endure beyond President Barack Obama’s term in office. The White House will announce Thursday that the current 9,800 troops in the country will remain through most of 2016, and that the number would be reduced by the following year, according to an administration official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity. It marks the second time Obama has had to alter his schedule to wind down U.S. military operations following persistent Taliban attacks and setbacks in building up Afghan government forces.

FBI Director: Islamic State Recruiting ’24 Hours a Day’ in All 50 States
Breitbart - FBI Director James Comey said Wednesday the recruitment of potential homegrown terrorists by the Islamic State group is widespread and goes on “24 hours a day” across the United States. Hundreds of people are “consuming” social media efforts to either draw them overseas to join the extremists “or if you can’t come, kill where you are,” Comey said. “And that is a two-pronged siren song that goes out through social media.”

Huma Abedin to appear before Benghazi Committee Friday
CNN - Top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin will be interviewed Friday by the House Benghazi Committee in a closed session in the Capitol, according to a GOP source familiar with the committee's activities. The appearance comes six days before her boss, the former secretary of state and current Democratic presidential candidate, delivers much-anticipated public testimony before the committee.

America #1? 36 Facts That Prove That The United States Is An ‘Exceptional’ Nation
Michael Snyder - Is the United States an “exceptional” nation? Well, the facts show that we are, but not for the reasons that you may think. Now that it is election season, we have all sorts of politicians running around proclaiming that America is the greatest nation on the entire planet. And just this week, Warren Buffett stated that “America’s great now — it’s never been greater“. But is it actually true? Is the United States still a great nation? I would submit that the numbers suggest otherwise. I love America, and in my opinion there is not much hope for us until we are willing to admit to ourselves just how far we have fallen. The following are 36 facts that prove that the United States is an “exceptional” nation…

Indiana Sheriff to Obama: I Will Disregard Executive Order Calling for Gun Confiscation (Video)
Adan Salazar - An Indiana sheriff says he would ignore orders issued by President Obama calling for gun confiscation. Elkhart County Sheriff Brad Rogers made his stance on the Second Amendment clear during an interview on a local PBS broadcast, in which he supported the right of Americans to possess firearms free of additional infringements. “We’ve always had this conversation that we need more reasonable gun control put in place,” Rogers said during a panel discussion on WNIT’s Politically Speaking. “Well we have what is reasonable, in my opinion, and in fact it’s probably overdone.” The sheriff went on to discuss how he advises his county’s residents not to register their firearms, and hinted at how registration can lead to confiscation.

Planned Parenthood Won’t Accept Money for Fetal Tissue
NY Times - Trying to quell the controversy over its use of fetal tissue, Planned Parenthood announced Tuesday that it would no longer accept reimbursement for the costs of providing the tissue for medical research.... But there was little sign that the decision would do much to cool the intense heat on the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its president... “Significant questions still remain about Planned Parenthood’s finances,” Representative Jason Chaffetz, the Utah Republican who is chairman of the House committee that questioned Ms. Richards, said in a statement.... The Center for Medical Progress also questioned the decision. “If the money Planned Parenthood has been receiving for baby body parts were truly legitimate ‘reimbursement,’ why cancel it?” the group said in a statement. “This proves what C.M.P. has been saying all along — Planned Parenthood incurs no actual costs, and the payments for harvested fetal parts have always been an extra profit margin.

Election News

Ratings: CNN Dem Debate Down -42% Over GOP Debate
Breitbart - During what will almost certainly be a change election year, the ratings from CNN’s Tuesday night debate show that the 2016 energy, passion and interest resides primarily on the Republican side. A total of just 15.3 million viewers tuned into last night’s Democrat debate compared to the 24 million who tuned into the first Republican debate that aired on Fox News in August. That’s a -42% drop.

Democrat Calls Out Politicians with Armed Guards, Defends Second Amendment at Debate
Mikael Thalen - Presidential candidate Jim Webb defended the Second Amendment rights of Americans during the Democratic Debate Tuesday evening, noting that many government officials are afforded round-the-clock armed protection. After being confronted by CNN moderator Anderson Cooper on his previous “A” rating from the National Rifle Association, Webb, a former Virginia senator, began by noting that the majority of shootings in the country involve criminal street gangs and the mentally incapacitated.... In his closing comments on the topic, Webb stunned his fellow candidates by alluding to the hypocrisy of government officials who demand strict gun control while being defended by armed body guards. “There are people at high levels in this government who have body guards 24 hour a day, 7 days a week,” Webb added. “The average American does not have that and deserves the right to be able to protect their family.”

Economy & Business

The Numbers Say That A Major Global Recession Has Already Begun
Economic Collapse - The biggest bank in the western world has just come out and declared that the global economy is “already in a recession”. According to British banking giant HSBC, global trade is down 8.4 percent so far this year, and global GDP expressed in U.S. dollars is down 3.4 percent. So those that are waiting for the next worldwide economic recession to begin can stop waiting. It is officially here. As you will see below, money is fleeing emerging markets at a blistering pace, major global banks are stuck with huge loans that will never be repaid, and it looks like a very significant worldwide credit crunch has begun. Just a few days ago, I explained that the IMF, the UN, the BIS And Citibank were all warning that a major economic crisis could be imminent.

WalMart Carnage: Stock Plummets Most In 17 Years After Slashing Earnings Guidance, Blames Wage Hikes
Zero Hedge - ...the company just slashed its 2017 earnings forecast by up to a whopping 12%: the reason - the recent increase in wages. So did the American worker win for once? Alas, no... Not even the company announcing a just as surprising $20 billion stock buyback is helping it. Oh and speaking of "happy workers", now that WMT has just become an activist target, and eliminate any growth CapEx for the next 4 years, expect the company to proceed with the logical next step after it hikes wages: massive layoffs. Congratulations American workers: you lose again!

Illinois To Delay Pension Payments Amid Budget Woes: "For All Intents And Purposes, We Are Out Of Money Now"
Zero Hedge - Back in May, after the State Supreme Court struck down a pension reform bid, Moody's move to downgrade the city of Chicago thrust the state's financial woes into the national spotlight. Since then, the situation hasn't gotten any better and despite hiring an "all star" budget guru (for $30,000 a month no less), Bruce Rauner was unable to pass a budget in a timely fashion leading directly to all types of absurdities including everything from the possibility of shortened school years to lottery winners being paid in IOUs. Now, as Bloomberg reports, pension payments are set to be delayed. Bond payments, apparently, will still be made.

How Dogs Forge a Bond with Rio’s Homeless That Is Life-Saving for Both
The Intercept - Homelessness in Rio is, in many ways, virtually identical to how it manifests in other large cities: it entails unimaginable material and emotional deprivation, hopelessness, societal invisibility, and utter isolation. But one aspect of Rio’s homeless population stands out: a huge number of them have dogs that were previously living as desperate, unwanted strays on the street. Many have lived on the street with their dogs for years. They care for them as well as, and in many cases better than, the average middle-class family with a pet. The profound bond that forms between them is like nothing else one will find, and is thus deeply revealing.
 

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Wednesday - October 14, 2015 - Today in History:

1879 - Thomas Edison signed an agreement with Jose D. Husbands for the sale of Edison telephones in Chile.
1887 - Thomas Edison and George E. Gouraud reached an agreement for the international marketing rights for the phonograph.
1912 - Theodore Roosevelt was shot while campaigning in Milwaukee, WI. Roosevelt's wound in the chest was not serious and he continued with his planned speech. William Schrenk was captured at the scene of the shooting.
1928 - The first televised wedding took place in Des Plains, IL. James Fowlkes and Cora Dennison were married in a radio studio.
1933 - Nazi Germany announced that it was withdrawing from the League of Nations.
1934 - "Lux Radio Theater" began airing on the NBC Blue radio network.
1936 - The first Social Security Board office opened in Austin, TX. From this point, the Board's local office took over the assigning of Social Security Numbers.
1943 - The Radio Corporation of America finalized the sale of the NBC Blue radio network. Edward J. Noble paid $8 million for the network that was renamed American Broadcasting Company.
1960 - U.S. presidential candidate John F. Kennedy first suggested the idea of a Peace Corps.
1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis began. It was on this day that U.S. intelligence personnel analyzing data discovered Soviet medium-range missile sites in Cuba. On October 22 U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced that he had ordered the naval "quarantine" of Cuba.
1964 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent resistance to racial prejudice in America. He was the youngest person to receive the award.
1968 - The first live telecast to come from a manned U.S. spacecraft was transmitted from Apollo 7.
1970 - Anwar el-Sadat became president of Egypt following the death of President Nasser.
1986 - Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev charged that the U.S. wanted to "bleed the Soviet Union economically" with the arms race in space.
1987 - Jessica McClure, 18 months old, fell down an abandoned well in Midland, TX. The rescue took 58 hours.
2002 - Britain stripped power from the Catholic and Protestant politicians of Northern Ireland. Britain resumed sole responsibility for running Northern Ireland.

World News

US refuses to receive PM Medvedev’s delegation to coordinate anti-terrorist actions in Syria
RT - Washington has refused to receive a Russian military delegation, headed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, to discuss coordinated action on the fight against terrorism in Syria, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. “We have proposed to Americans what President Vladimir Putin informed the public about yesterday, namely, to send a delegation of military experts to Moscow to agree on a whole number of joint steps, afterwards we would be ready to send a high delegation led by Prime Minister Medvedev to Washington,” Lavrov told the Russian Parliament on Thursday. "Today we were told that they will not be able to send a delegation to Moscow. At the same time, they are unable to receive our delegation in Washington," he added.

German parents outraged after schoolchildren asked to make beds, cook for refugees
RT - A school in Lübeck, Germany, included “practical work experience” at a local asylum center into a week activities. The plan angered parents opposed the idea of their children changing linen on refugees’ beds, helping to cook food and sorting clothes. An extract from a letter was posted in Facebook by a mother who obtained it from a friend whose son received it at school. Initially, the text sparked a mixture of bewilderment and disbelief in social media, but after a local newspaper got in touch with Schleswig-Holstein authorities, they confirmed the document was real. "I am definitely not a hater, I am super tolerant, but this is taking the matter a bit too far. Is there a new discipline at school which is called servitude?" the angry post reads.

1000s of Iranian Troops Enter Syria for Offensive Backed by Russian Strikes
Sputnik News - With Russian airstrikes dealing heavy losses to the self-proclaimed Islamic State terrorist group, reports have surfaced that Iranian troops will soon launch a ground offensive alongside the Syrian army to retake Aleppo. Last week, IS fighters managed to seize a large swathe of Aleppo, in Syria’s north. While Syrian forces have already reclaimed part of that territory, a ground offensive will be launched in the coming days to purge the terrorist group from the area. According to two senior regional officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, the offensive will include a coalition including Syrian and Iranian troops, protected by Russian air support.

As Russia Bombs ISIS, US Bombs Syrian Civilian Power Stations
Brandon Turbeville - In yet another telling episode, the United States has again demonstrated its true position in regards to ISIS and the Russian bombing of the terrorist organization. As Russian forces drop bombs and missiles on top of ISIS fighters all across Syria, lobbing cruise missiles from the Caspian, regular sortie missions, and combat helicopter attacks against ISIS and other “relatively moderate” cannibals and terrorists, the United States launched a bombing mission of its own against two power plants in Aleppo [on October 10th]. The power plants were located in al-Rudwaniya east of Aleppo and resulted in power outages affecting the Syrian people, adding to the American tradition of bombing civilian infrastructure instead of ISIS and other terrorist targets in Syria.... It should also be noted that the US bombing campaign is a violation of international law, unlike the Russian campaign where Russian forces were invited in to the country by the legitimate government.

MH17 shot with BUK missile, Ukraine failed to close airspace
RT - The Dutch Safety Board says a BUK missile with a 3N314M warhead was responsible for downing MH17. It also noted that Ukrainian aviation regulators admitted that arms were being in the east of Ukraine which were capable of striking passenger aircraft. In the months before the crash, at least 16 military airplanes and helicopters were shot down in the eastern part of Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities were aware of this. They stated that, occasionally, weapon systems were used that could reach the cruising altitude of civil airliners. Yet, despite of all this, Ukraine did not close its airspace," said Tjibbe Joustra, the Dutch Safety Board chairman. The announcement at an airbase in Gilze Rijen in the Netherlands mentioned that civil aviation aircraft should not have been allowed to fly over the east of Ukraine, due to the risk of a plane being struck.
* Related: 8 things we learned through Dutch report, BUK arms maker on MH17 crash in Ukraine

Okinawa governor withdraws permission to relocate US military base
RT - Okinawa governor Takeshi Onaga has revoked permission granted for the construction of a new US military base designed to shelter the US Marine Corps after relocation. The Japanese government opposes the decision, insisting on resuming construction works. “I have sent notice that I am revoking permission,” Takeshi Onaga said at a news conference on Tuesday in the Okinawan capital of Naha, as cited by The New York Times. His statement was met with applause from about 200 protesters opposing the construction of the base. “I will continue to do everything in my power to fulfill my campaign pledge of not allowing the construction of a new base at Henoko,” he added, the Asahi Shimbun reports.

Khairuddin and Matthias not charged under SOSMA' - AG
Astro Awani - Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali confirmed that the charges made against former UMNO Batu Kawan division deputy chief Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan and his lawyer Mathias Chang was not under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA). Both were instead charged under Section 124L of the Penal Code.... "This is to clarify all questions raised by the media yesterday which alleged misuse of power by the government of using SOSMA to detain Khairuddin and Matthias," he told reporters here today.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Women Will Likely Have to Register for the Draft, Army Secretary Says
Military.com - Women will eventually have to register for the draft if "true and pure equality" is to be realized in the U.S. military, Army Secretary John McHugh said Monday. "If your objective is true and pure equality then you have to look at all aspects" of the roles of women in the military, McHugh said, and registration for the draft "will be one of those things. That will have to be considered."

In Chattanooga’s Wake, DHS Wants to Revive Terrorism Alert System
Defense One - The U.S. has never used the National Terrorism Alert System, a two-level system that replaced the oft-derided color-coded terrorism alerts installed after 9/11 to spread the word about potential attacks from abroad. But after a “homegrown violent extremist” killed five service members in Chattanooga, Tenn. — and amid the expectation of more terrorist-inspired attacks — the Department of Homeland Security wants to revise and jumpstart the system.

Confederate flag supporters indicted under Georgia terrorism law
Fox News - A Georgia grand jury formally charged 15 members of a group supporting the Confederate flag on terror charges following a July confrontation with a black family who was celebrating a child’s birthday, according to an indictment released Monday. Douglas County District Attorney Brian Fortner said members of the “Respect the Flag” group violated the state’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act and made terroristic threats when their caravan of vehicles bearing the rebel flag drove past a neighborhood party. “We do want to say that we respect the rights of all citizens to exercise their First Amendment right, but we’re going to require them when they’re doing that to respect the right of all of the citizens to feel safe,” Fortner said at a news conference attended by FOX5.

Texas Rancher Fights Back Against BLM Land Grab
Adan Salazar - A Northern Texas rancher says property that’s been in his family for over half a century is now suddenly being targeted for confiscation by the Bureau of Land Management. Ken Aderholt runs cattle on his roughly 1,250 acres in Harrold, Texas, along the Red River, which forms the border between the Lone Star State and Oklahoma. Aderholt’s family has had a deed to the land since 1941, and he had hoped to pass the property and the family business on to his sons.... But according to the Bureau of Land Management, the same federal government agency that confronted Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy in 2014, some of that land belongs to the feds, and they want the Aderholts off it. Furthermore, the BLM claims the deed that proves Aderholt’s ownership of the land, given to his parents by the State of Texas, is worthless.

VIDEO: BUSTED.. Oregon “reporting” Caught Using Sandy Hook Footage
Anthony Antonello - Why is video from the Sandy Hook incident showing up in a “news” report for the Oregon incident? [Footage begins at the 1:31 minute mark]

‘Thank God for Abortion Providers;’ Episcopal and Methodist Clergy Bless Abortion Clinic
Breitbart - Some ordained ministers are throwing their support behind abortion providers. Last week, for example, clergy for Episcopal and Methodist churches were among religious leaders who gathered in Cleveland to bless an abortion clinic. ’m here today standing alongside my fellow clergymen and clergywomen to say: thank God for abortion providers,” said Rev. Harry Knox, president and CEO of Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) which supports abortion rights and what it refers to as “abortion care.” Knox, who is in a same-sex marriage, was the founding director of the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion and Faith Program, the first program director at Freedom to Marry, and executive director of Georgia Equality.

Campbell’s Soup Comes Out of the Closet: Ad Features Gay Dads Feeding Child
Adan Salazar - Activist groups are irate over what they perceive as the latest attack on the family emanating from a recent ad for Campbell’s Soup of all places. In a TV ad campaign showcasing their Star Wars themed line of soups, the company featured two real life gay dads feeding their real life son. The ad shows a man feeding a toddler while quoting the famous line from Star Wars, “I am your father.” “No, no, no, I am your father,” another man stepping into frame says. According to a press release, the ad is meant as a reflection of “the modern American family.” “This campaign holds a mirror up to the modern American family, because we know that people respond to brands that understand them and show life how it is, in all its glorious and joyous imperfections,” Campbell’s Marketing Activation Vice President Yin Woon Rani said.

Election News

Drudge Poll: Who Won The First Democrat Debate 2016?

And the Winner Is… Not on Stage! Time: Trump ‘Won Twitter’… The Donald Blasts Dems for Promising Free Goodies to Illegals, Nothing for Veterans
Breitbart - While Tuesday night’s CNN political debate was intended as an opportunity for one of the Democrat Party presidential hopefuls to separate him or herself from the rest of the pack, the best line of the night came from a man who was not even in the room with the debaters nor in the same party.... To be fair, some of the presidential hopefuls talked about giving away free stuff more than others–those would be Sanders, Clinton, and O’Malley. And former Senator Jim Webb (and, as Mediaite points out, Sanders) did talk about what he had done in the past with the post-9/11 G.I. Bill–but what would be done in the future is a completely different subject. So Trump tweeted: “Notice that illegal immigrants will be given ObamaCare and free college tuition but nothing has been mentioned about our VETERANS #DemDebate” It was the best line of the night by far. Time declared that Trump “won Twitter” during the debate, based on data saying he picked up 60,000 new followers–about 4 times as many as Clinton.

Hillary: I Would Open Obamacare Exchanges to Immigrants, Open to Giving Subsidies To Illegal Immigrants
Breitbart - Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated, “I want to open up the opportunity for immigrants to be able to buy in to the exchanges under the Affordable Care Act” and that she would be open to illegal immigrants getting the same subsidies during Tuesday’s Democratic presidential debate.

Sanders would 'absolutely' end NSA spying
The Hill - Sen. Bernie Sanders would “absolutely” end sweeping surveillance powers at the National Security Agency, he said during the first Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday. Without going into detail about his intentions for the agency, the Vermont Independent, who identifies as a democratic socialist, trumpeted his status as one of the few congressional opponents of the Patriot Act in the wake of the 9/11. “I'd shut down what exists right now — is that virtually every telephone call in this country ends up in a file at the NSA,” Sanders said. “That is unacceptable to me.”

Sanders backs Clinton over email scandal, says time to move
Reuters - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won unexpected support from chief rival Bernie Sanders on Tuesday for her use of a private email server as U.S. secretary of state, helping to defuse an issue that has overshadowed her campaign. Echoing comments she has made before, Clinton said her decision to not use a government email address was a mistake, but she emphasized that she wanted to focus her energy on policy issues that were more important to voters. Sanders unexpectedly came to her aid. "Let me say something that may not be great politics, but I think the secretary is right," he said. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails."

BUSTED: Jeb Bush Staffer Planted In Audience to Frame Donald Trump
Infowars - During an appearance at a Jon Huntsman “No Labels” event, a female audience member named Lauren Batchelder played the role of a female antagonist toward candidate Donald Trump. However, Ms. Batchelder is not just an average audience member. She’s a paid political operative of the GOP and a paid staff member of Team Jeb Bush: Within minutes of her scripted performance at the event, the producers of CNN were quickly editing soundbites and framing a narrative. That story was pushed into the media stream within hours. CNN’s Jeanne Moos was the delivery vehicle for the a hit piece. Here’s the CNN narrative as presented yesterday...

Economy & Business

The Fed Just “Discovered” Another $2.7 TRILLION In Debt: “Quietly Boosted Total Credit”
Mac Slavo - The people of the United States, misled by its politicians, and plundered by its financial institutions, are swimming in so much debt that no one will probably ever grasp the truly staggering amount — if indeed it can ever be fully calculated.... Officially, the U.S. was already $59 trillion in debt in 2015, but now the number is significantly higher. When the Fed changed its method of tracking and reporting debt numbers, and replaced a single Credit Market Instruments chart with two separate charts for “debt securities” and “loans,” it suddenly reported an additional $2.7 trillion.

Reaction to Quest/Equest wormer
Lynn Cowgill Cochran - Quest has gotten more than just "bad press" in my opinion, and that opinion is based on searching the FDA's adverse event reporting database.m There's no question it's the riskiest dewormer out there in terms of adverse reactions. Most years, the number of adverse reaction reports for Quest exceeds all other equine drugs combined. In it's first year of use it was only on the market for a few months m(1997) and there were 176 adverse reaction reports. There continue to be 300 to almost 500 reports filed every year, and remember that very few vets actually file adverse drug reaction reports. This compares to *one* adverse reaction report for fenbendazole for all of 1997, and a grand total of 12 reports for 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 combined. The two most frequently reported adverse reactions to moxidectin are neurological and abdominal, but laminitis appears on the list too.
 

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Tuesday - October 13, 2015 - Today in History:

1775 - The U.S. Continental Congress ordered the construction of a naval fleet.
1792 - The cornerstone of the Executive Mansion was laid in Washington, DC. The building became known as the White House in 1818.
1812 - American forces were defeated at the Battle of Queenstown Heights. The British victory effectively ended an further U.S. invasion of Canada.
1854 - The state of Texas ratified a state constitution.
1943 - During World War II, Italy signed an armistice with the Allies and declared war on Germany.
1944 - American troops entered Aachen, Germany, during World War II.
1944 - During World War II, British and Greek advance units landed at Piraeus.
1957 - Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra introduced the Ford Edsel on an hour long special.
1981 - Egyptian voters elected Vice President Hosni Mubarak as the new president one week after Anwar Sadat was assassinated.
1989 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush called for an overthrow of the Panamanian ruler Manuel Antonio Noriega.
1992 - A commercial flight record was set by an Air France supersonic jetliner for circling the Earth in 33 hours and one minute.
1999 - The U.S. Senate rejected the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
2010 - Near Copiapó, Chile, 33 miners were trapped underground in San José Mine. The miners were rescued after 69 days underground.

World News

Russia's Lavrov Says Attack on Embassy in Damascus Was Terrorist Act
Sputnik News - An eye-witness at the scene told the news agency that several shells hit close to the site of a peace rally in support of Russia’s air campaign in Syria. "The rounds struck the location where a peace demonstration was underway in support of Russian action in Syria. One shell landed outside a sports club in al-Barada, the other in the al-Adawi [districts]. Several people were injured. The site of the blasts has been cordoned off," the witness said.

Afghanistan Unable to Handle Security Situation With ISIL Without Outside Help
Sputnik News - Afghanistan’s security forces are incapable of handling the situation inside the country without outside help since 4,000 Islamic State (ISIL) militants have entered the country, Russia’s permanent envoy to NATO said Tuesday. He said that thousands of Islamic State militants have slipped into Afghanistan. “We see not only a strengthening in the Taliban movement, but what is particularly alarming is that ISIL is slipping into Afghanistan. According to preliminary figures, approximately 4,000 ISIL militants are already in Afghanistan and their ranks are growing,” Grushko added.

VIDEO: BUK producer detonates missiles next to pilot’s cockpit in full-scale MH17 experiment
RT - Almaz-Antey carried out two experiments simulating explosions near MH17. They determined the missile was an older BUK model 9M38 fired from an area under Ukrainian forces’ control, contesting the preliminary findings of the Dutch-led investigation.
* Related: Live updates: MH17 report from maker of BUK missile system

Tepco Expects to Begin Freezing Fukushima Ice Wall by Year End
Bloomberg - Tokyo Electric Power Co. expects to begin freezing a soil barrier by the end of the year to stop a torrent of water entering the wrecked Fukushima nuclear facility, moving a step closer to fulfilling a promise the Japanese government made to the international community more than two years ago.... Solving the water management problems would be a major milestone, but Tokyo Electric is still faced with a number of challenges at the site. The company must still remove highly radioactive debris from inside three wrecked reactors, a task for which no applicable technology exists. The entire facility must eventually be dismantled.

US Paradrops 50 Tons Of Ammo To Syrian Rebels
Zero Hedge - Because the "train and euip" program was such a public embarrassment, the Pentagon had to come up with a new idea to assist Syria’s “freedom fighters” now that they are fleeing under bombardment by the Russian air force only to be cut down by Hezbollah. The newest plan: helicopter ammo. No, really. The US has now resorted to dropping "tons" of ammo into the middle of nowhere and hoping the “right” people find it.

Combat report: Russian jets strike 53 ISIS targets in last 24 hours (VIDEOS)
RT - The Russian Air Force has carried out 55 sorties in the last 24 hours, hitting 53 Islamic State targets in four Syrian provinces and destroying command posts, terrorist training camps and a transfer point, among others.... The airstrikes destroyed seven command points, six training camps, six arms depots and a stronghold near the village of Salma in Latakia province. Russian aircraft have also attacked 24 of the terrorists’ fortified strongpoints, along with weapons and vehicles stored there. “Over the last day, Russian warplanes have also eliminated a convoy of terrorist vehicles, a mobile mortar gunnery team and three underground bunker systems," Konashenkov reported.

Turkish officials claim 'concrete evidence' of Isis link to bombings
The Guardian - Turkish officials said they had firm evidence linking Islamic State to the twin suicide bombings that killed scores of people at a peace rally in the country’s deadliest ever terrorist attack. Officials also hit back at accusations that the state was responsible for the massacre, saying 2,000 security personnel had been deployed to protect the peace rally, and rejected accusations that the ruling party sought to exploit the violence to bolster its chances at snap elections due next month. Turkish government sources told the Guardian there was “concrete evidence” linking Isis to the bombing, and that they had established links to a July bombing in the southern border city of Suruç that had also been blamed on the militant group.
* Related: Protests Erupt In Turkey As Government Accused Of False Flag In Weekend Suicide Blast

Khairuddin, Matthias Chang charged with sabotaging Malaysian banking, financial services
Astro Awani - The Magistrate's Court today charged former UMNO Batu Kawan deputy chief Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan and his lawyer, Matthias Chang with sabotaging the country's banking and financial services. They were charged under Section 124(L) for actions deemed detrimental to the country's banking and financial services. No plea was recorded. The court also granted two weeks for the prosecution to gather evidence to sanction the case of the duo who are currently being held under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, or SOSMA.
*Related Video: High Court declines Khairuddin and Chang's plea

Plane wreckage 'containing many skeletons and painted with the Malaysian flag is found on remote Philippine island'... but could it REALLY be Flight MH370?
Daily Mail - Police confirmed they had received reports of the discovery in thick jungle on the remote island of Sugbai in Tawi-Tawi province. An audio technician, Jamil Omar, contacted police in Malaysia to say his aunt, Siti Kayam, had stumbled upon the wreckage while she and others were hunting for birds. Police commissioner Jalaludin Abdul Rahman, based in neighbouring Borneo, said the woman claimed she climbed into the smashed fuselage and saw skeletons.... According to a local media reportL 'There was a skeleton still in the pilot's seat. The pilot had his safety belt on and the communication gear attached to his head and ears.'

U.S. News, Politics & Government

A Decisive Shift In The Power Balance Has Occurred
Paul Craig Roberts - The world is beginning to realize that a seachange in world affairs occurred on September 28 when President Putin of Russia stated in his UN speech that Russia can no longer tolerate Washington’s vicious, stupid, and failed policies that have unleashed chaos, which is engulfing the Middle East and now Europe. Two days later, Russia took over the military situation in Syria and began the destruction of the Islamic State forces. Perhaps among Obama’s advisors there are a few who are not drowning in hubris and can understand this seachange. Sputnik news reports that some high-level security advisors to Obama have advised him to withdraw US military forces from Syria and give up his plan to overthrow Assad. They advised Obama to cooperate with Russia in order to stop the refugee flow that is overwhelming Washington’s vassals in Europe. The influx of unwanted peoples is making Europeans aware of the high cost of enabling US foreign policy. Advisors have told Obama that the idiocy of the neoconservatives’ policies threaten Washington’s empire in Europe.

Local Cops Want Ability to Draw Citizens’ Blood Year-round
Adan Salazar - The Austin Texas Police Department is in the process of seeking funding for the unconstitutional scheme, an initiative Chief Art Acevedo claims will reduce traffic fatalities and collisions. During a “no refusal” traffic stop, police can forcibly extract blood or breath samples against a person’s will after that person refuses sobriety tests. APD officers overcome constitutional objections by obtaining warrants, attempting to give the invasive procedures an air of legitimacy. Attorney Jamie Balagia, who specializes in DWI cases, says he’s never seen a judge deny a “no refusal” warrant, and that “no refusal” essentially amounts to police telling the public, “We’re going to take your blood no matter what you do.”

In Controversial Effort to Stop Violence, Ohio Tries School Barricades
Al Jazeera - Across the country, some students have returned to school to find their classroom doors and, in some cases, windows look a little more intimidating. In the face of alarm over the threat of mass school shootings, the barricades have gone up, literally. Some of the more popular products stop school door movement at the bottom by using an anchor pin drilled into the floor. Others employ a bar that barricades the door in the center, while still more use a sleeve on the door’s closer arm at the top of most classroom doors. They all work by reinforcing the door, making it virtually impossible for an intruder to break through. But the trend toward classroom barricades has many building code experts and school security specialists concerned and has spurred accusations of putting politics over safety. The issue has boiled over in Ohio, where an obscure state agency is butting up against the powerful legislature in a debate over the safety of such devices.

The Mystery of ISIS' Toyota Army Solved
Tony Cartalucci - The US Treasury has recently opened an inquiry about the so-called “Islamic State’s” (ISIS/ISIL) use of large numbers of brand-new Toyota trucks. The issue has arisen in the wake of Russia’s air operations over Syria and growing global suspicion that the US itself has played a key role in arming, funding, and intentionally perpetuating the terrorist army across Syria and Iraq.

Millions Spent on Military Equipment for the EPA
Conservative Firing Line - Open the Books, a government watchdog organization, has put out a ,report that says the EPA spends millions on buying military equipment, including guns, body armor, camouflage equipment, unmanned aircraft, amphibious assault ships, radar and night-vision gear.... Adam Andrzejewski, founder of Open the Books, commented: “Protecting the environment just got real. With millions of dollars spent on military style weaponry, the EPA is now literally ensconced with all institutional force.” “Our report discovered that when the EPA comes knocking they are armed with a thousand lawyers, arrest/criminal data, credit, business and property histories, plus a ‘Special Agent’ with the latest in weaponry and technology.”

Kamala Harris: Autopsy Photos of Sandy Hook Victims Should’ve Been Used to Secure Gun Control
Breitbart - According to the Los Angeles Times, Harris was asked how familiar she is with guns–whether “she has shot a gun before or if she hunts.” Harris reportedly struggled to answer the question before finally saying she has shot a pistol and is “a good marksman.” She refused to answer further questions regarding her familiarity with firearms. In lamenting Washington DC’s failure to pass gun control in April 2013, Harris suggested the autopsy photos of Sandy Hook schoolchildren should have been used to shame lawmakers into supporting gun control. She said, “They should have closed the chambers of Congress, on the House and the Senate side, and said all you members go in there, only you, and spread out the autopsy photos of those babies and require them to look at those photographs. And then vote your conscience.”

Gov. Jerry Brown Bans Concealed Carry on CA Campuses
Truth Revolt - In the wake of the shooting of nine people at an Oregon community college a week ago, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Saturday a bill that will ban the carrying of concealed guns on school and university campuses in California, reports the Los Angeles Times. Sen. Lois Wolk (D-Davis) introduced SB 707 several months ago to close a loophole that allows people with a concealed carry license to carry firearms onto school grounds. This bill will prohibit that except in instances in which school officials grant permission or the carrier is retired from law enforcement. “California’s college campuses and K-12 schools should be sanctuaries for learning, free from the fear of gun violence,” said Peggy McCrum, president of the California Chapters of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. This new law, she claims, “will make schools safer and decrease students’ risk of being injured or killed.”

Must Watch: “Maybe It’s Not the Guns… Maybe It’s the People Holding the Guns”
Mac Slavo - If the only gun violence statistics you see are disseminated by the mainstream media or left-wing anti-Second Amendment groups, then in all likelihood you are horrified by America’s murder culture. But what if what we’re being sold as truth is merely a means to achieve an agenda focused on seeing the American people totally disarmed? In the following must-see video report from Truth Revolt, host Bill Whittle shows the reality of America’s per capita murder rates.

School Suspends Student Over Pro-Veteran Shirt
Kit Daniels - An Oregon middle school suspended an eighth-grader for wearing a pro-veteran shirt with the phrase “standing for those who stood for us.” School officials at Dexter McCarty Middle School in Gresham, Ore., demanded Alan Holmes change his shirt which also featured a battlefield cross consisting of a soldier’s rifle stuck into a pair of boots with a helmet on top to show respect for soldiers killed in action. “They won’t let me wear a shirt that supports the people that keep us free, I’m not going to support them,” Holmes told Fox 12. “I was nervous and kind of heartbroken because I feel like I should be able to support the troops that have died for us.” The 13-year-old also said he wore the shirt to show support for his older brother who served in Iraq with the Marines.

Election News

The Dismal Democrat Debate
Kurt Nimmo - CNN claims Tuesday’s Democrat debate in Las Vegas will draw few viewers because of playoff games between the Los Angeles Dodgers, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. However, according to Andrew Tyndall, television analyst and author of the Tyndall Report, the primary reason has more to do with the “Trump Effect” than “minor complications of the start of the fall TV season and the baseball playoffs.” The Republican debate drew an estimated 23 million viewers and “had elements of a reality TV elimination contest,” Tyndall writes. The Democrat debate, on the other hand, “holds little interest for reality TV viewers, since it promises little ad hominem drama and few prospects of outrageous behavior. Therefore both elements of the Trump Effect will be absent.” In addition to showmanship, the so-called “Trump Effect” can be attributed to widespread mistrust and disapproval of establishment politics as usual.

CNN won't pit Dems against each other in Tuesday's debate
Washington Examiner - CNN's Anderson Cooper will moderate the first Democratic presidential debate this week, and unlike the previous Republican debate hosted by CNN, Cooper said he won't be encouraging confrontations between the candidates. "I'm always uncomfortable with that notion of setting people up in order to kind of promote some sort of a face off," Cooper said Sunday on CNN's "Reliable Sources." "Look, these are all serious people. This is a serious debate. They want to talk about the issues and I want to give them an opportunity to do that." Cooper's suggested style is a departure from the GOP debate hosted by CNN and moderated by Jake Tapper in September.

Jerry Brown Signs Bill That Could Let Illegal Aliens Vote
Breitbart - On Saturday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 1461, the New Motor Voter Act, which will automatically register people to vote through the DMV, and could result in illegal aliens voting. Any person who renewed or secured a driver’s license through the DMV may now register to vote, or choose to opt out of doing so. Because illegal immigrants are now eligible for obtaining driver’s licenses, they could be allowed to vote in elections if the Secretary of State’s office fails to verify their eligibility properly. Brown and the California Democratic party know exactly what they are doing; as a Public Policy Institute survey showed, among unregistered adults, 49% lean toward the Democratic Party and 22% toward the Republican Party. Any bill permitting illegal immigrants to vote would cement the Democratic Party’s hold on California.

Bernie Sanders: Gun Manufacturers May Need to be Held Liable for Gun Crime
Breitbart - During the October 11 airing of Meet the Press, host Chuck Todd asked Democrat presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders where he stands on allowing shooting victims to sue gun manufacturers. Sanders made it clear that he is opposed to holding gun store owners liable, but he believes there is room to hold manufacturers liable to some degree.

Donald Trump: "I feel much better being armed" (Video)
CBS News - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is one of the more than 12 million Americans who has a concealed weapons permit, of which he said: "I feel much better being armed." He told "Face the Nation" host John Dickerson he got the permit "years ago" because "I like to have myself protected." He said only "sometimes" carries a gun. Trump called himself "a big Second Amendment person" and argued that if someone had been carrying a gun during the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon earlier this month, " the result would've been better."

Economy & Business

Lower Gas Prices Means No Social Security Increase Next Year
NBC News - For just the third time in 40 years, millions of Social Security recipients, disabled veterans and federal retirees can expect no increase in benefits next year, unwelcome news for more than one-fifth of the nation's population. They can blame low gas prices. By law, the annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, is based on a government measure of inflation, which is being dragged down by lower prices at the pump. The government is scheduled to announce the COLA — or lack of one — on Thursday, when it releases the Consumer Price Index for September. Inflation has been so low this year that economists say there is little chance the September numbers will produce a benefit increase for next year.

They Did It Again: EPA Causes 2nd Toxic Spill in Colorado
Truth Revolt - [Last] Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency caused its second toxic spill from a mine in Colorado in just over two months. This time in Crested Butte, though on a much smaller scale than the one in Silverton in August that turned multiple river systems into a bright orange sludge pool. As an EPA crew worked at the Standard Mine attempting to open a collapsed portal, at least 2,000 gallons of wastewater spilled into a creek that just so happens to lead to a nearby town's water supply... The EPA is assuring that this "minor" spill will have "minimal" effects on the environment they are sworn to protect. Of course, time will tell of the full impact of this disaster.... As an added bonus, the EPA did not disclose the accident for two whole days.

Potential “Nuclear Fallout” Imminent As Radioactive Waste Sets to Burn in Missouri
Activist Post - According to an emergency plan recently distributed by St. Louis County officials, a fire at the Bridgeton Landfill is now within 1,000 feet of a nuclear waste dump. The landfill fire has actually been burning for over 5 years, and they have been unable to contain it thus far.... Although the fire has been burning for over 5 years and the city began making evacuation plans last year, they didn’t tell the public until this past week, when they leaked the emergency plans to local news station KMOX. According to the emergency plan, if the fire reaches the nuclear waste site, “there is a potential for radioactive fallout to be released in the smoke plume and spread throughout the region. This event will most likely occur with little or no warning,” the plan notes, listing the municipalities directly affected as Bridgeton, Hazelwood, Maryland Heights, the Village of Champ and the City of St. Charles.”

Exciting News About a Vaccine to Treat Cancer in Pets (Video)
Dr. Becker - Dr. Lawman is the CEO of Morphogenesis, Inc., which is a cell and gene therapy company located in Tampa, Florida. The company was founded by a brilliant group of scientists from around the world who have a vision of what cell and gene therapy can do for the face of medicine.... Morphogenesis, Inc. is a research and development company that has grown into a clinical stage company about to launch its first human trial. Dr. Lawman and her team have developed a protein-tagged cancer vaccine for companion animals as well as humans called ImmuneFx.... A very encouraging benefit of ImmuneFx is its apparent lack of side effects. Veterinarians have delivered over 1,200 doses to various breeds of cats, dogs, and horses, and have seen no adverse side effects.

10 Human Behaviors That Stress Dogs Out
Dr. Becker - You may do this as a loving gesture, but it can be confusing to your pet. And when you tell your pooch these two calming words, his stress level likely shoots through the roof. Most people think nothing about doing this to a snoozing pet... do you?

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Monday - October 12, 2015 - Today in History:

1492 - Christopher Columbus, an Italian explorer, sighted Watling Island in the Bahamas. He believed that he had found Asia while attempting to find a Western ocean route to India. The same day he claimed the land for Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain.
1792 - The first monument honoring Christopher Columbus was dedicated in Baltimore, MD.
1892 - In celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Columbus landing the original version of the Pledge of Allegiance was first recited in public schools.
1915 - Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt criticized U.S. citizens who identified themselves by dual nationalities.
1920 - Construction of the Holland Tunnel began. It opened on November 13, 1927. The tunnel links Jersey City, NJ and New York City, NY.
1933 - The U.S. Department of Justice acquired Alcatraz Island from the U.S. Army.
1942 - During World War II, Attorney General Francis Biddle announced that Italian nationals in the U.S. would no longer be considered enemy aliens.
1945 - Private First Class Desmond T. Doss was presented with the Congressional Medal of Honor for outstanding bravery as a medical corpsman. He was the first conscientious objector in American history to win the award.
1960 - Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev pounded a shoe on his desk during a dispute at a U.N. General Assembly.
1961 - The first video memoirs by a U.S. president were made. Walter Cronkite interviewed Dwight D. Eisenhower.
1964 - The Soviet Union launched Voskhod 1 into orbit around the Earth. It was the first space flight to have a multi-person crew and the first flight to be performed without space suits.
1972 - During the Vietnam War, a racial brawl broke out aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. Nearly 50 sailors were injured.
1989 - The U.S. House of Representatives approved a statutory federal ban on the destruction of the American flag.
1997 - The St. Francis Basilica and 15th-century bell tower above Foligno city hall in Italy were damaged by 3 earthquakes.
1998 - The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Online Copyright Bill.
2001 - A special episode of America's Most Wanted was aired that focused on 22 wanted terrorists. The show was specifically requested by U.S. President George W. Bush.

World News

Putin: Russia has no intention of mounting Syria ground operation, wants to see political compromise
RT - Using ground troops in Syria is out of the question, the Russian president said in an interview with Rossiya 1 TV. Russia’s air operation has been thoroughly prepared and is aimed merely at aiding the Syrian Army’s offensive, he said. “Whatever happens, we’re not going to do this [ground operation] and our Syrian friends are well aware of it,” President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Russian TV anchor Vladimir Solovyov. The primary task of the Russian operation in Syria is “stabilizing the legitimate authority in this country and creating conditions to look for political compromise,” President Putin said.

Caught On Video: Bomb Attacks At Turkey Peace Rally Leave 86 Dead, 186 Injured
Zero Hedge - Turkey’s capital Ankara, was rocked by two blasts which according to NBC killed over 52 demonstrators, who had gathered for a peace march, as the country grapples with mounting security threats just three weeks before snap elections. The explosions also wounded more than 120 people, the Turkish Interior Ministry said. The cause of the blasts was unclear, the ministry said, adding that it had launched an investigation.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's convoy 'hit in military air strikes' - but Isis denies leader's death
The Independent - The Iraqi air force claims to have successfully targeted the convoy of the Isis leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In a statement, the military said it had hit the convoy in an air raid, adding that his fate remains unknown… A Twitter site which publishes statements from Islamic State said "rumours" that an air strike had targeted Baghdadi were false. Hospital officials and local residents later told the Reuters news agency that at least eight senior figures from Isis were killed in the air strikes on the meeting, which struck two houses in the Anbar province of Iraq.

"The Biggest Protest This Country Has Seen In Years" - Quarter Million Germans Protest Obama "Free Trade" Deal
Zero Hedge - 250,000 Germans marched in Berlin today in protest against the planned "free trade" deal between Europe and the United States which they say is anti-democratic and will lower food safety, labor and environmental standards. "This is the biggest protest that this country has seen for many, many years," Christoph Bautz, director of citizens' movement Campact told protesters in a speech.

US to make ‘condolence payments’ to compensate Kunduz hospital bombing victims’ families – Pentagon
RT - The US Department of Defense will work on compensating the families of the victims killed in a deadly American airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, MSF) hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. The strike “mistakenly” killed 22 people. On Saturday, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement that it is “important to address the consequences of the tragic incident at the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan.” “US Forces-Afghanistan has the authority to make condolence payments and payments toward repair of the hospital. USFOR-A will work with those affected to determine appropriate payments. If necessary and appropriate, the administration will seek additional authority from the Congress,” Cook said.

Radioactive wreckage: inside Fukushima's nuclear exclusion zone - in pictures
The Guardian - Supermarket aisles strewn with packets. A school blackboard covered with notes for an unfinished lesson. Cars tangled with weeds in an unending traffic jam. These are eerie pictures from inside the 20km exclusion zone around Fukushima nuclear plant, which went into meltdown after a tsunami and earthquake struck Japan in March 2011. Photographer Arkadiusz Podniesinski donned protective gear to visit the "terrifying" ghost towns of Futaba, Namie and Tomioka last month and this is what he found.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

TPP to Kill Thousands by Expanding Monopoly Power of Drug Companies
Kit Daniels - The Trans-Pacific Partnership will increase healthcare costs by pressuring countries to grant monopolies to drug companies if existing drugs are found to be effective against other diseases. The near-finalized version of the TPP Chapter on Intellectual Property Rights gives signatory countries the ability to grant pharmaceuticals three years of “market exclusivity” for new uses of old medicines, preventing cheaper, genetic drugs from competing. For example, the drug Zidovudine was first discovered as an effective cancer treatment in 1964 and years later, in 1987, it was also found to be effective against HIV, and under the TPP it would be illegal for generic drug makers to compete with the decades-old Zidovudine in the HIV market for at least three years.... And this will lead to the deaths of thousands of patients who can’t afford the monopoly price.

WikiLeaks release of TPP deal text stokes 'freedom of expression' fears
The Guardian - Intellectual property rights chapter appears to give Trans-Pacific Partnership countries' countries greater power to stop information from going public. WikiLeaks has released what it claims is the full intellectual property chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the controversial agreement between 12 countries that was signed off on Monday. TPP was negotiated in secret and details have yet to be published. One chapter appears to give the signatory countries (referred to as "parties") greater power to stop embarrassing information going public. The treaty would give signatories the ability to curtail legal proceedings if the theft of information is "detrimental to a party's economic interests, international relations, or national defense or national security" – in other words, presumably, if a trial would cause the information to spread...Obama has pledged to make the TPP public but only after the legislation has passed.

Clinton Exposed Name of Top CIA Source Via Unprotected Email
Breitbart - The title given to Michael Isikoff’s piece is “Benghazi Committee, Under Fire, Releases More Clinton Emails,” but the big news is right up front, in the first few paragraphs: Hillary Clinton carelessly exposed a top CIA human intelligence asset in Libya, in an email sent through her unsecure private mail server.... “She is exposing the name of a guy who has a clandestine relationship with the CIA on her private, unprotected server,” explained former CIA officer John Maguire, who said a “crimes report” should have been sent from the CIA to the Justice Department over this security breach.

Over 1,000 Protesters Showed up to Confront Obama in Oregon
Activist Post - There’s a very good reason why Obama didn’t make any public appearances in Roseburg, Oregon yesterday. This rural community was not interested in hearing him politicize the tragic Umpqua Community College shooting. In the run up to his planned visit with the families of the shooting victims, they made it very clear that he wasn’t welcome in their town, and they made good on their promise to protest his visit.

Election News

NBC News Fail: Pro-Hillary Campaign Results In -10 Point Poll Drop
Breitbart - All of NBC’s shills and all of NBC’s lies couldn’t makes Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers rise. In fact, in the week after NBC turned its entire news and entertainment divisions over to the Hillary Clinton campaign, a new Reuters poll shows that her “support tumble[d] from 51 percent of Democratic support to just 41 percent.”

Rand Paul Wins Republican Liberty Caucus Straw Poll
Breitbart - Paul was the favored choice of more than 700 voters at the libertarian-leaning RLC’s national convention in Nashua, New Hampshire, slightly edging out Republican opponent Sen. Ted Cruz. “The Republican Liberty Caucus is pleased to announce Rand Paul as the winner of our straw poll with 57.1% of the vote. Ted Cruz came in second with 51.2% of the vote. 777 Liberty activists voted at our convention where Rand Paul and Ted Cruz were featured speakers,” the RLC wrote on Facebook Saturday evening. Paul’s win in the straw poll is a solid feather in his cap as he looks to rebound from sluggish poll numbers and relatively unimpressive debate performances early in the campaign.

Riding High in Polls, above 30 Percent, Donald Trump Storms the American South to Overflow Crowds in Georgia
Breitbart - GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, who recently hit more than 30 percent support in a New Hampshire poll, headed South to a packed campaign rally in Norcross, Georgia at the North Atlanta Trade Center on Saturday with between five to 10,000 supporters.... Herman Cain introduced the billionaire to the crowd, and it’s reported that Trump will meet privately with Cain and African American pastors. Trump set a record for attendance at a GOP presidential candidate event in August with roughly 30,000 people in Mobile, Alabama.
*Related: C-SPAN: Trump and a supporter from Colombia at the Las Vegas campaign rally [Funny]

How Much Longer Can Our Unaffordable Housing Prices Last? (Spolier Alert: Not Much)
Zero Hedge - This globalization of regional housing markets is pricing the middle class out of housing in areas that also happen to be strong job markets. Many commentators are concerned that a nation of homeowners is being transformed into a nation of renters, as housing is snapped up by hedge funds and wealthy elites fleeing China and the emerging markets. But will current conditions continue unchanged going forward?

This "Unlivable $350,000 Shack" Is The Cheapest Home In San Francisco
Zero Hedge - According to the broker, it's the cheapest home on the market in San Francisco, and it's an unlivable shack. As Fortune reports, it is a worn-down, decomposing wooden shack that was built in 1906, and the interior is unlivable in its current condition. The San Francisco house is also selling for $350,000. According to Zillow, $350,000 would comfortably fetch a 1,500-square-foot, three-bedroom home in many smaller cities in the U.S., including Cincinnati, Ohio. Realtor Alexander Han, would definitely advise against moving in too soon....

This Life-Changing Action Will Make You a Hero to These Animals
Dr. Becker - October is the American Humane Association’s Adopt-A-Dog Month, to raise awareness about the millions of animals waiting in shelters to find their forever homes. This annual event was established in 1981 to encourage pet lovers to consider adopting a dog from a shelter or rescue group.... If you have your heart set on a specific breed and can’t find one in a local shelter, contact a breed-specific rescue group near you.... 10 Reasons to Add a Shelter Dog to Your Life...

If This Feline Risk Is in Your Home, Put It Under Lock and Key
Dr. Becker - Cats have a very unique physiology that makes them exceptionally sensitive to a number of substances that don’t cause problems for other animals. This is because there is a significant difference in the liver metabolism of felines as compared to other animals. It is this difference that causes foreign chemical substances that are (relatively) safe in other species to be deadly in cats, and typically at much lower doses.
 

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Friday - October 9, 2015 - Today in History:

1776 - A group of Spanish missionaries settled in what is now San Francisco, CA.
1781 - The last major battle of the American Revolutionary War took place in Yorktown, VA. The American forces, led by George Washington, defeated the British troops under Lord Cornwallis.
1812 - During the War of 1812 American forces captured two British brigs, the Detroit and the Caledonia.
1858 - Mail service via stagecoach between San Francisco, CA, and St. Louis, MO, began.
1872 - Aaron Montgomery started his mail order business with the delivery of the first mail order catalog. The firm later became Montgomery Wards.
1876 - Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Watson made their longest telephone call to date. It was a distance of two miles.
1888 - The public was admitted to the Washington Monument for the first time.
1914 - During World War I, German forces captured Antwerp, Belgium.
1930 - Aviator Laura Ingalls landed in Glendale, CA, to complete the first solo transcontinental flight across the U.S. by a woman.
1936 - The first generator at Boulder Dam began transmitting electricity to Los Angeles, CA. The name of the dam was later changed to Hoover Dam.
1940 - St. Paul's Cathedral in London was bombed by the Nazis. The dome was unharmed in the bombing.
1946 - The first electric blanket went on sale in Petersburg, VA.
1986 - U.S. District Judge Harry E. Claiborne became the fifth federal official to be removed from office through impeachment. The U.S. Senate convicted Claiborne of "high crimes and misdemeanors."
1994 - The U.S. sent troops and warships to the Persian Gulf in response to Saddam Hussein sending thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks toward the Kuwaiti border.
1995 - Saboteurs tinkered with a stretch of railroad track in Arizona. An Amtrak train derailed killing one and injuring a hundred.
2009 - NASA launched the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS). On November 13, it was announced that water had been discovered in the planned impact plume on the moon.

World News

NATO Threatens To Send In Troops After Russia Stations Ground "Battalion" In Syria
Zero Hedge - "The force that they have deployed down there is actually quite impressive for a rapid deployment of a week or so. It is all arms, combined arms, attack aircraft, it is the attack helicopters and artillery, rocket artillery. NATO is ready and able to defend all allies, including Turkey against any threats."

U.S. Spent Nearly $100 Billion On Foreigners To Fight Terrorists
Zero Hedge - To combat Islamic militants the White House says threaten national interests, the U.S. has spent nearly $100 billion to arm and train foreign militaries across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, an analysis by Vocativ shows. And nearly all of them are reeling from setbacks that threaten to undermine what’s become a core component of American foreign policy in these regions. As a former military commander and United States ambassador in Afghanistan recently noted, "our track record at building security forces over the past 15 years is miserable."

Wikileaks Offers $50K Bounty for Footage of Kunduz Hospital Bombing
Mikael Thalen - “According to military procedure, this footage should have been retained along with the cockpit audio.” A crowdfunding campaign initiated by Wikileaks Thursday is attempting to raise $50,000 for anyone with footage of last week’s U.S. airstrike on a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan.... As noted by Wikileaks, the AC-310 aircraft responsible for the strike use high-resolution cameras to both record and store video footage of military engagements. “The AC-130 records its attacks with high resolution gun cameras,” Wikileaks stated. “According to military procedure, this footage should have been retained along with the cockpit audio.”

Will China join forces against TPP?
RT - The newly-signed controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership sounds like a big win for the US and its allies, but leaving out China. This snub may leave Beijing with no other option but to form its own bloc with other countries left out. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is headed by the US and includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. It's unlikely that China was not invited to join TPP by mistake. “When more than 95 percent of our potential customers live outside our borders, we can’t let countries like China write the rules of the global economy,” said US President Barack Obama in a statement.

Day After Deutsche Bank Admits Not All Is Well, Swiss Giant Credit Suisse Also Admits It Needs More Cash
Zero Hedge - The official narrative is well-known: the bank does not need the funds, it is simply a precaution ahead of new, more stringent capital requirements: The capital is likely to be used to absorb losses triggered by a faster restructuring of the Swiss group, the people said. But Credit Suisse will also need higher capital ratios to comply with toughening demands from regulators. The real reason, of course, has nothing to do with this, and everything to do with the collapse of manipulation cartels involving Liebor, FX, commodities, bonds, equities, gold, and so on, because when banks can no longer collude with each other to push markets in any given direction, that's when they start losing money. That and, of course, the fact that central bank intervention in capital markets has made it virtually impossible to trade any more. Or as they call it, "miss capital ratios." Expect many more such announcements in the coming weeks.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Pentagon funding bill on Obama’s desk: $600 mln to Syrian rebels, $300 mln to Kiev
RT - The defense funding bill for 2016 includes some lavish support to rebels in Syria and lethal aid to the current Ukrainian government. Although President Barack Obama is at loggerheads with lawmakers over some of the provisions, they are likely to remain. Obama has threatened to veto the $612 billion National Defense Authorization Act – also known as House Resolution 1735, or the NDAA – because it contains provisions blocking the plans to shut down the detention camp at the US base in Guantanamo Bay, and because it avoids a cap on defense spending by padding a special account reserved for bankrolling wars. The Senate passed the NDAA on Wednesday with a veto-proof majority. While the White House and the lawmakers are in dispute over the details, they appear to be in agreement on continuing to send military aid to the regime in Ukraine and the elusive “moderate rebels” in Syria.

Spencer Stone: France train terror hero stabbed in US
CBS News - Stone, 23, was stabbed repeatedly in the upper body while out with a group of friends and was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, authorities said. In a statement, the hospital said he was in serious condition. Sources told CBS News that Stone was stabbed four times. Sacramento Police Deputy Chief Ken Bernard told reporters that Stone was stabbed more than once and suffered "significant injuries." Police said the two assailants, who Bernard described as male Asian adults, fled in a car. No immediate arrests were made.
* Related: Videos show moment French train hero Spencer Stone stabbed during melee

Alek Skarlatos: France train hero was supposed to be at Oregon college
USA Today - One of three Americans who tackled a terror suspect on a train from Amsterdam to Paris in August was planning to attend an Oregon community college this fall and would have been on campus Thursday during a shooting that left 10 dead. Instead, he was in Los Angeles on Dancing with the Stars, he said during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Skarlatos said he was supposed to be in the building where Thursday's shooting took place. "I had classes in Snyder Hall," said Skarlatos...."

Number of sanctuary cities grows to 340; thousands of illegals released to commit new crimes
Washington Times - The list of sanctuary cities has grown to more than 340, and they shielded an average of 1,000 immigrants a month from deportation last year — and more than 2,000 of those released have already been arrested for yet more crimes, according to a report being released Thursday by the Center for Immigration Studies. Among those released are illegal immigrants accused of murders and brutal assaults, said Jessica Vaughan, the author of the report, which comes just as the Senate is poised to begin debating legislation to try to crack down on sanctuary jurisdictions. Santa Clara County Jail in California alone released some 1,349 immigrants that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had asked be held for pickup, the new report says. Los Angeles released 572.

Cubans Have FLOCKED To The US Since Obama Renewed Relations
Daily Caller - The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 makes Cuban citizens subject to more relaxed immigration laws compared to other nationalities. As long as they pass a background check at the point of entry, Cubans are free to stay in the U.S. and may pursue legal permanent residence after just one year.... Pew reports that the number of Cubans caught at sea and returned to Cuba have surged as well. This way of entering the country is still illegal and the U.S. Coast Guard has apprehended almost 3,000 Cubans thus far in 2015.

Election News

Breaking: John Boehner has agreed to stay on as Speaker
Fox News - Having Talked to several senior aides on Capitol Hill (along with Chris Stirewalt and his sources on the Hill tied to the leadership) here is the picture that is beginning to form. Speaker John Boehner has agreed to stay on as Speaker--not just until the Caucus nominates someone --but, until that person can confirm 218 votes on the House floor (needed to take the Speaker’s gavel). Short of that – Boehner will stay on for the rest of this Congress and steer legislation that is pending. What does this mean? Moderates and leadership types are cheering and saying Boehner is the only one they will support. Conservatives will go ballistic since they know this signals that Boehner will make ALL kinds of deals to get big ticket legislation through the House even if it means using Democrats votes to do it.

McCarthy withdraws from speaker race, vote postponed
Fox News - House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the front-runner to replace John Boehner, stunned his Republican colleagues on Thursday by withdrawing from the race -- a decision that will postpone the vote for speaker. Fox News is told McCarthy simply said it was not his time. McCarthy faced opposition from some conservative members and groups, but was thought to have more than enough support to win the party's nomination in the vote initially set for Thursday. It's unclear what specifically made McCarthy change his mind and drop out.

Rand Paul: Let Armed Schools Flaunt Their Second Amendment Rights
Steve Watson - Senator Rand Paul weighed in on the Oregon shooting Wednesday, saying that schools should be armed and should place signs warning potential attackers that they will be shot on sight. Speaking with Iowa radio host Jan Mickelson, Paul said that it’s “sad” how President Obama has attempted to politicize the Oregon shooting. The president “doesn’t understand,” Paul said, that “the problem is mental illness and not necessarily gun registration or gun ownership.” Paul added that “people are going to places where guns are prohibited.” “When you have a gun-free zone at a school, it’s like an invitation, if you are crazy and want to shoot people, that’s where you go.” Paul stated. “I would do the opposite,” the Senator urged. “I would have and encourage every school in America to put stickers on every window going into the school saying, ‘We are armed. Come in at your own peril. We have concealed carry for teachers who have it and we also have armed security and you will be shot.’”

Economy & Business

Why Are The IMF, The UN, The BIS And Citibank All Warning That An Economic Crisis Could Be Imminent?
Economic Collapse - The warnings are getting louder. Is anybody listening? For months, I have been documenting on my website how the global financial system is absolutely primed for a crisis, and now some of the most important financial institutions in the entire world are warning about the exact same thing. For example, this week I was stunned to see that the Telegraph had published an article with the following ominous headline: “$3 trillion corporate credit crunch looms as debtors face day of reckoning, says IMF“. And actually what we are heading for would more accurately be described as a “credit freeze” or a “credit panic”, but a “credit crunch” will definitely work for now. The IMF is warning that the “dangerous over-leveraging” that we have been witnessing “threatens to unleash a wave of defaults” all across the globe…

Your Older Pet's Special Needs and How to Meet Them
Dr. Becker - As a proactive wellness practitioner, I'm all about preventing disease whenever possible, and helping people help their beloved furry family members live long, active, and healthy lives. Ideally, I like to see my healthy patients twice a year, and those with chronic conditions more often. Other patients I want to see 2 or even 3 times a year are senior and geriatric pets. After the age of 8 (younger for some large and all giant breed dogs), your dog's or cat's wellness and nutritional needs can require fine-tuning every 4 to 6 months. In older pets especially, it's important to review weight, muscle tone, joint range of motion, diet, supplement protocol, and exercise habits at least semi-annually.

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Thursday - October 8, 2015 - Today in History:

1869 - Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States, died in Concord, N.H., at age 64.
1915 - During World War I, the Battle of Loos concluded.
1918 - U.S. Corporal Alvin C. York almost single-handedly killed 25 German soldiers and captured 132 in the Argonne Forest in France. York had originally tried to avoid being drafted as a conscientious objector. After this event his was promoted to sergeant and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
1938 - The cover of "The Saturday Evening Post" portrayed Norman Rockwell.
1945 - U.S. President Truman announced that only Britain and Canada would be given the secret to the atomic bomb.
1950 - U.N. forces crossed into North Korea from South Korea.
1952 - "The Complete Book of Etiquette" was published for the first time.
1966 - The U.S. Government declared that LSD was dangerous and an illegal substance.
1991 - A slave burial site was found by construction workers in lower Manhattan. The "Negro Burial Ground" had been closed in 1790. Over a dozen skeletons were found.
1993 - The U.S. government issued a report absolving the FBI of any wrongdoing in its final assault in Waco, TX, on the Branch Davidian compound. The fire that ended the siege killed as many as 85 people.
1998 - Taliban forces attacked Iranian border posts. Iran said that three border posts were destroyed before the Taliban forces were forced to retreat. The Taliban of Afghanistan denied the event occurred.
2001 - Tom Ridge, former Governor of Pennsylvania, was sworn in as director of the new U.S. department of Homeland Security.
2001 - Rush Limbaugh announced to his listeners that he was totally deaf in his left ear and had only partial hearing in his right ear.
2001 - Two Russian cosmonauts made the first spacewalk to be conducted outside of the international space station without a shuttle present.
2003 - Vietnam and the United States reached a tentative agreement that would allow the first commercial flights between the two countries since the end of the Vietnam War.
2004 - The first-ever direct presidential elections were held in Afghanistan.
2004 - Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart reported to prison to begin serving a sentence for lying about a stock sale.

World News

Russian gangs trying to sell radioactive material to Isil terrorists in Moldova
The Telegraph - Moldovan police working with the FBI have disrupted a string of attempts by gangs in the former Soviet Republic to sell radioactive materials to Islamic extremists, including a putative deal to supply Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) terrorists with enough caesium to contaminate several city blocks. No less than four such attempts by groups with suspected Russian connections have been interrupted in the past few years, the sellers repeatedly seeking out buyers who would use the radioactive products to target the United States. The alarming findings, made in an Associated Press (AP) investigation based on documents provided by Moldovan police, raises fresh concerns about unaccounted for materials taken from vast stockpiles of radioactive substances when the Soviet Union collapsed 24 years ago.

Syria Launches a Large-Scale Operation Against the Islamic State
Sputnik News - Syrian Armed Forces launched a large-scale operation agains the Islamic State (ISIL) to retake occupied areas from the terrorists, Syrian General Staff Lt.-Gen. Ali Abdullah Ayyoub said Thursday. “Today, the Syrian Armed Forces began a large-scale defensive with the goal of destroying terrorist groups and freeing regions and populated areas that have suffered from terror and crimes,” Ayyoub told journalists in the Mediterranean coast city of Jableh.

ISIL Instructors Training Russia-Born Militants in Afghanistan
Sputnik News - The Islamic State is training Russia-born militants in Afghanistan, some of its instructors possessing US and UK passports, a top Russian diplomat said Thursday at a security conference in Moscow. He went on to say that the instructors include Arabs, Pakistanis, as well as UK and US nationals. According to the Russian General Staff, the number of ISIL militants in Afghanistan has been growing and is now around two or three thousand. Over the past nine months, terrorists have killed more than 3,500 people, which is 25% more than during the same period a year ago.

Taliban Islamic Movement Controls Up to 70% of Afghanistan
Sputnik News - The Taliban Islamic movement currently controls most of Afghanistan, the head of the Russian Defense Ministry’s General Staff’s intelligence department said Thursday.... He stressed that there are “more than 10,000 militants and other extremist and criminal groups” in Afghanistan. The Islamic State is gradually increasing its numbers in Afghanistan, especially in the country’s east and north, Col.-Gen. Igor Sergun added.

4 Russian warships launch 26 missiles against ISIS from Caspian Sea
RT - Four Russian Navy warships have fired a total of 26 missiles at the position of the terrorist group Islamic State in Syria, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced. The missiles were fired from the Caspian Sea. “Four missile ships launched 26 cruise missiles at 11 targets. According to objective control data, all the targets were destroyed. No civilian objects sustained damage,” Shoigu said. The missile attacks came from Russia’s fleet in the Caspian Sea, which borders Russia, Iran and three other littoral countries. The precision weapons hit all intended targets. The attacks required cooperation from Iran and Iraq, as the missiles had to travel through their airspace to reach Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry said it had worked with its partners to plan the flight path so that the missiles traveled only over desolate areas and didn’t pose any danger to civilians.

Russian jets 'intercept' US predator drones over Syria, officials say
Fox News - Russian fighter jets shadowed U.S. predator drones on at least three separate occasions high above Syria since the start of Russia’s air campaign last week, according to two U.S. officials briefed on this latest intelligence from the region. Meanwhile, U.S. Navy Captain Jeff Davis told reporters a U.S. aircraft flying over Syria had to be rerouted to avoid a Russian fighter jet at least once. “We have taken action to maintain safe separation,” Davis said, adding that the U.S. aircraft "changed path a little bit." He did not disclose which type of U.S. aircraft was involved. U.S. officials tell Fox News the drone encounters took place over ISIS-controlled Syria, including its de facto headquarters in Raqqa, as well as along the Turkish-Syrian border near Korbani. Another occurred in the northwest, near the highly contested city of Aleppo.

France’s Hollande: Muslim Rift Threatens “Total War”
Kurt Nimmo - French president Francois Hollande, appearing before the European Parliament in Strasbourg with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday, said Europe faces “total war.” “If we let the recent religious confrontations between Shiites and Sunnites get worse then don’t think that we won’t be affected. It will be a total war, a war that will also affect our territories and we must act,” he warned. Hollande also said the political solution for Syria and Europe’s illegal immigration crisis is the overthrow of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. “What’s happening in Syria concerns Europe because what is going on there will determine the balances of power in the region for a long time,” he said. Middle East experts agree the situation has the potential to develop into a full-scale war.

The First Crack: Deutsche Bank Preannounces Massive Loss, May Cut Dividend
Zero Hedge - Deutsche Bank warned it expects to record a third-quarter loss of $7 billion, tied to a huge write-down in its corporate-banking-and-securities segment. The bank said the charges are driven by the impact of expected higher regulatory capital requirements and its disposal of Postbank. It also said it will consider reducing or eliminating its common dividend for fiscal 2015.

As A Shocking $100 Billion In Glencore Debt Emerges, The Next Lehman Has Arrived
Zero Hedge - And now the real shocker: there is over US$100bn in gross financial exposure to Glencore. From BofA: "We estimate the financial system's exposure to Glencore at over US$100bn, and believe a significant majority is unsecured. The group's strong reputation meant that the buildup of these exposures went largely without comment. However, the recent widening in GLEN debt spreads indicates the exposure is now coming into investor focus."

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Republicans Defeat Efforts by Democrats to Dismantle Benghazi Committee
New American - On Wednesday, the Republican-controlled House blocked a Democratic effort to abolish the Select Committee on Benghazi, which has been conducting an investigation into the 2012 attack on an American compound in Benghazi, Libya, during Hillary Clinton’s reign as Secretary of State. While the Democrats fully expected the resolution to fail, it served as a procedural effort to force House Republicans to publicly support maintaining the Benghazi Committee.... Representative Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) moved forward on Wednesday with a “privileged resolution” to disband the Benghazi panel just one day after another effort to dismantle the panel failed in the House Rules Committee. Slaughter’s resolution specifically referenced comments made by Representative Kevin McCarthy regarding the committee’s effect on Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers. Last week, Representative McCarthy committed a major blunder during an appearance on Fox News by implying that the Benghazi committee was politically motivated.

Emails show Qaddafi son offered talks – but Clinton ordered top general to 'not take the call,' source says
Fox News - New emails obtained by Fox News show that in March 2011, at the height of the Arab Spring revolution inside Libya, dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s son Saif was willing to talk peace from the ground in Libya – but a source told Fox News the offer was rejected by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton... One key email describing the offer of talks was dated March 18, 2011 and sent at 7:27 a.m. EST to three members of The Joint Staff. It states, "Our contact will arrange a face-to-face meeting with Saif [Qaddafi], or a Skype/video-telecon [teleconference] to open communications if time does not permit ... A peaceful resolution is still possible that keeps Saif on our side without bloodshed in Benghazi."

“Not Welcome”: Large Turnout Set to Protest Obama’s Roseburg Visit on Friday
Paul Joseph Watson - Over four and a half thousand people have indicated they will attend the protest, although the majority of those are likely just expressing support for the cause rather than their intention to physically be there. Still, with media coverage of the demonstration accelerating, the sight of potentially hundreds if not thousands of Americans – many of them Oregonians – vocally opposing Obama’s gun control agenda threatens to present a PR nightmare for the White House. The fact that some of those protesters will be exercising their open carry rights is also likely to cause a security headache for the Secret Service. Some protesters have vowed to turn their backs on the President.

September Sees Record Gun Sales
Free Beacon - Some see Democrats’ calls for executive action to restrict guns as cause. The Federal Bureau of Investigation processed a record number of background checks in the month of September, indicating that gun sales were at an all time high for the month. The FBI’s National Instant Background Check System processed 1,795,102 applications to buy a firearm in September. That represents a new record: 335,739 more checks than the previous September high set in 2012, or a 23 percent increase.

FBI Examining Online ‘Cloud’ Backups of Hillary Clinton’s Email
Breitbart - Hillary Clinton’s lawyers have agreed to hand over online backups of her emails made through an Internet “cloud” storage system to the FBI, and the Senate Homeland Security committee has also asked to see these files.

Matt Drudge Blisters Corporate Media, Hillary Clinton, and ‘Sick’ Americans in Rare Interview
Breitbart - Matt Drudge, the pioneering editor of the Drudge Report, warned Tuesday that the American public is “sick” and easily exploited by homogeneous corporate media–which could allow Hillary Clinton to win the White House, no matter her age or health. In a rare and wide-ranging interview with Alex Jones of InfoWars, Drudge kept away from Jones’ cameras but got behind a live microphone to share his thoughts on the state of the Internet, the political world, and the culture at large. The following is a partial transcript of Drudge’s appearance....

Election News

Biden supports trade deal despite opposition from unions
CBS News - Labor groups have a warning for Vice President Joe Biden as he lobbies for a major trade pact with Asia: We won't forget this if you run for president. A longtime darling of unions, Biden has been skeptical of previous sweeping free trade deals, warning of risks to U.S. jobs. Yet he's firmly supporting the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), putting him at odds with most Democratic presidential candidates and jeopardizing his support from unions if he enters the race.... The vice president "supports the TPP agreement and will help pass it on the Hill," his office said. Biden also serves as the Senate's president, and could be called upon to cast a tie-breaking vote. Biden, who is considering running for president, would be the only major Democratic candidate backing TPP.

Hillary Clinton Flip-Flops, Will Oppose Obamatrade
Breitbart - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is flip-flopping on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Deal. Clinton came out Wednesday against the “Obamatrade” agreement, despite previously supporting the measure 45 times. Clinton’s campaign has had a rough few months with labor unions, who are strongly opposing the deal on protectionist grounds. Outsourcing of jobs became a significant issue in the Midwest during the Republican-dominated 2014 midterm elections. AFL-CIO boss Richard Trumka threatened to sit out the election if Clinton did not end up opposing Obama’s trade deal. Vice President Joe Biden – who is courting Big Labor support in his potential run – would now have to publicly repudiate his own White House if he decides to oppose the deal.

Trump, Bernie And Big Labor All HATE Obama’s Pacific Trade Deal
Daily Caller - Republican president hopeful Donald Trump found common policy ground Monday with Democratic rival Bernie Sanders and labor unions – opposition to President Barack Obama’s trade deal.... His opposition to the trade deal is not new for Trump. Back in May he argued the trade deal would be used by other countries to take advantage of the U.S. Unions and Sanders have noted concern that the deal will end up benefiting corporations as the expense of workers and the environment.... Besides Trump, the only other major Republican candidate to oppose the trade deal is Mike Huckabee. Republicans Rick Santorum, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, have expressed support for it. Rand Paul and Carly Fiorina have said they are open to supporting TPP but would like to see the fine print. John Kasich has not opposed or supported the bill arguing he is open to trade but it must include protections for Americans. Ted Cruz and Bobby Jindal have opposed fast-track but not explicitly the trade deal.

Veteran News

Researchers: We Can ID Which US Soldiers Are Likely to Commit Violent Crime
Sputnik News - Researchers pulled from the military records of nearly one million US soldiers to develop an algorithm they hope can help prevent violent crimes by identifying those most likely to commit the offenses. The ones most likely to perpetrate the crime would be given counseling or other interventions aimed at heading off violence, the LA Times reports. Of the 975,057 soldiers who served between 2004 and 2009, 5,771 soldiers committed murder, manslaughter, kidnapping, robbery or other violent felonies. (Domestic violence and sex crimes were excluded because they follow risk patterns distinct from other offenses.)... For men – who accounted for the vast majority of both soldiers and offenders – those most at risk were young, poor minorities with low ranks, disciplinary trouble, a suicide attempt and a recent demotion, according to a report published Tuesday in the journal Psychological Medicine.

Economy & Business

Monsanto Slashes Jobs as Confidence in Future of Company is Shaken
Sustainable Pulse - Monsanto, the world’s largest producer of genetically-modified (GM) crops and their associated pesticides, including the probable carcinogen Roundup, has announced that it will shed 2600 jobs worldwide in an attempt to save the collapsing company. In a full portfolio report on Wednesday Monsanto released figures that shook its share price, leading to a 4% fall in morning trading.... Monsanto said its loss widened to $1.06 a share for the fourth quarter ended on August 31 from a loss of 31 cents a year earlier. Sales of corn seeds and traits, Monsanto’s key products, fell to $598 million from $630 million. And sales at the company’s agricultural productivity unit, which includes Roundup herbicide, dropped to $1.1 billion from $1.25 billion in the quarter.

Toys ‘R’ Us Forces U.S. College Grads To Train Their H-1B Foreign Replacements
Breitbart - Toys “R” Us is the latest in a string of U.S. companies that has been caught forcing their American employees to train foreign college-grads to take the Americans’ jobs, via a process known as “knowledge transfer.” An expose by the New York Times revealed in detail how the renowned children’s toy-chain brought in eight workers from the global outsourcing company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The Indians shadowed employees, mainly in accounting, and produced intricate manuals for TCS workers in India to take over these jobs. By late June, the jobs had been transferred overseas and 67 employees had been laid off from Toys “R” Us, many of whom had reportedly been at the company for over a decade.

Best Buy Introduces Robot Sales Force
Tech Swarm - A new report from Fox5NY recounts how a recent trip to Best Buy on West 23rd St. and Avenue of the Americas resulted in a full service experience by Chloe the robot, from search to sale of a desired CD.... This is the first location to test Chloe's skills and judge customers' reactions according to a company spokesperson. In addition to providing accurate service, Chloe - unlike your typical human employee - is available 24 hour per day, presumably never sick, and probably not prone to distraction. It is just the type of scenario that has some experts concerned that humans could eventually be completely outsourced to robots.

DuPont Found Guilty in Teflon Chemical Cancer Trial
Newsmax - A U.S. jury on Wednesday awarded a cancer patient $1.6 million after finding DuPont was liable for leaking a toxic chemical used to make Teflon into drinking water near one of its plants. Following a three-week trial, jurors in Columbus, Ohio, found in favor of plaintiff Carla Marie Bartlett, who is the first to go to trial among approximately 3,500 plaintiffs who say they contracted one of six diseases linked to perfluorooctanoic acid, known as PFOA or C-8. Jurors declined to award punitive damages, finding DuPont had not acted maliciously.... The lawsuits center on DuPont's Washington Works plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia, where the company used C-8 as a processing aid to make products including Teflon nonstick cookware. Plaintiffs said DuPont used C-8 at the plant since the 1950s and continued even after learning it was potentially toxic and had been found in nearby drinking water.

Most of $20.8 Billion BP Penalty Is Tax Deductible as a Cost of Doing Business
AllGov - The Obama administration made a big deal Monday about the settlement with BP for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that calls for the company to pay $20.8 billion in penalties and mitigation. But what officials at the Department of Justice didn’t draw attention to is how much of the settlement BP can write off come tax time. Of the $20.8 billion, about $15 billion is tax deductible. Of the total, $5.5 billion can’t be deducted because it is categorized as a civil penalty. That portion of the deal was said to be the largest such penalty in the history of environmental law. But the remainder includes $7.1 billion in payments of natural resources damages claims under the Oil Pollution Act, and $5.9 billion on economic damages claims payable to the five Gulf of Mexico states and to local governments. Advocacy group US PIRG said not only can BP deduct more than $15 billion from its income, it can expect a tax windfall of $5.35 billion from it.

Fracking Pollutes Air Hundreds of Miles Away from Drilling Sites
Natural News Blogs - A 2014 study in Pennsylvania found that methane water pollution in residential wells located one mile from fracking sites was six times higher than in wells located further away from fracking sites. Groundwater contamination from fracking has been found in several states, and at least one study has linked proximity to fracking wells with a number of health complaints, including upper respiratory problems, skin rashes, and birth defects. Fracking wells in Pennsylvania are releasing huge amounts of methane and ethane, greenhouse gases that contaminate both the air and water around fracking sites. But air pollution from fracking doesn’t just affect those who live near fracking wells. New evidence suggests that pollution travels hundreds of miles on the wind, to wreak havoc on the health of city dwellers going about their business in other states.

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Wednesday - October 7, 2015 - Today in History:

1765 - Nine American colonies sent a total of 28 delegates to New York City for the Stamp Act Congress. The delegates adopted the "Declaration of Rights and Grievances."
1777 - During the American Revolution the second Battle of Saratoga began.
1949 - The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was formed.
1950 - The U.S.-led U.N. forces crossed the 38th parallel and entered North Korea. China in November proved their threat to enter the war by sending several hundred thousand troops over the border into North Korea.
1956 - A U.S. House subcommittee began investigations of allegedly rigged TV quiz shows.
1963 - U.S. President Kennedy signed a nuclear test ban treaty with Britain and the Soviet Union.
1993 - U.S. President Clinton sent more troops, heavy armor, and naval firepower to Somalia.
1994 - U.S. President Clinton dispatched an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf when Iraqi troops were spotted moving toward Kuwait. The U.S. Army was also put on alert.
1998 - The U.S. government filed an antitrust suit that alleged Visa and MasterCard inhibit competition by preventing banks from offering other cards.
1999 - American Home Products Corp. paid up to $4.83 billion to settle claims that the fen-phen diet drug caused dangerous problems with heart valves.
2001 - The U.S. and Great Britain began air strikes in Afghanistan in response to that state's support of terrorism and Osama bin Laden. The act was the first military action taken in response to the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on September 11, 2001.
2003 - In California, Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected governor in the recall election of Governor Gray Davis.
2006 - Anna Politkovskaya, a journalist who had chronicled Russian military abuses against civilians in Chechnya, was found shot to death in Moscow.
2008 - The Federal Reserve announced a radical plan to buy massive amounts of short-term debt, known as commercial paper, to get credit markets moving again.

World News

Iraq may soon request Russian airstrikes against ISIS on its soil – defense committee chairman
RT - Baghdad, Russia’s ally in its fight against ISIS, wants Russia to have a bigger role in the anti-terrorism campaign in Iraq itself and may soon officially request Russian airstrikes on its soil, the chairman of Iraq’s parliamentary defense committee said. "We might be forced to ask Russia to launch airstrikes in Iraq soon. I think in the upcoming few days or weeks Iraq will be forced to ask Russia to launch airstrikes and that depends on their success in Syria," said Hakim al-Zamili, Reuters reported. "We are seeking to see Russia having a bigger role in Iraq... Yes, definitely a bigger role than the Americans," Zamili said.

Russia Deploys Mi-24 Helicopter Gunships Near Afghan Border
Sputnik News - Russia's Defense Ministry will strengthen its grouping in Tajikistan with attack and military transport helicopters, the official representative of Russia's Central Military District Yaroslav Roschupkin told journalists on Wednesday. The unit now includes Mi-24P attack and Mi-8MTV transport and combat helicopters. The helicopters will be stationed at the 201st military base, in the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan. Violence on the Afghan side of the border escalated in recent weeks after Taliban militants seized the city of Kunduz, prompting a response from US and Afghan forces.

US Media Laments Turkey's Feathers Not Ruffled by Russia
Sputnik News - In an attempt to analyze who could lend the US a helping hand in its efforts to topple the legitimate president of Syria, The New York Times had to admit that one more of Damascus's neighbors had to be struck from the list: Turkey, it says, will “do its utmost to avoid any type of confrontation with the Russians.”

Israel Discovers Enormous Oil Deposit in Occupied Golan Heights
Sputnik News - Israeli oil prospectors discovered a large oil deposit which could make the country self-sufficient in energy, Israeli business daily Globes reported. The oil deposit lies in the Golan Heights, which is internationally recognized as Syrian territory but has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 war between Israel and Arab states. Israel is unable to import oil from nearby Arab oil-exporting countries, which do not recognize Israel and have no diplomatic relations with the country. "We are talking about a strata which is 350 meters thick and what is important is the thickness and the porosity. On average in the world strata are 20-30 meters thick, so this is ten times as large as that, so we are talking about significant quantities," geologist Yuval Bartov of Afek Oil and Gas told Israeli television.
* Related: Flashback: Israel Granted First Golan Heights Oil Drilling License To Dick Cheney-Linked Company

Chinese Yuan Overtakes Japanese Yen as Number 4 World Payment Currency
Sputnik News - Chinese currency yuan has entered the top four of most-used world payment currencies for cross-border payments in August 2015, overtaking the Japanese Yen by value, a report by SWIFT, a network for financial information exchange, revealed. Overall, global yuan payments increased in value by 9.13 percent in August 2015, accounting for 2.79 percent of global payments in terms of value, while the growth for payments across all currencies decreased in value by 8.3 percent, according to the report published Tuesday. The top three countries using yuan in August 2015 were China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

New Saudi Rules Could Mean Execution for Internet 'Rumor-Mongers'
Sputnik News - In a shocking decision, Saudi Arabia has reportedly warned social media users that spreading rumors about the government could face an Internet ban – or execution. Already heavily criticized for its human rights record, Saudi Arabia is now taking things even further. With a law aimed at “rumor-mongers” who “cause confusion in societies,” the Kingdom could begin punishing people for comments made on Facebook and Twitter.

Russian jets hit 12 ISIS targets in Syria, cause panic among extremists – Defense Ministry
RT - Russian jets hit 12 Islamic State targets in the course of nearly 20 combat flights carried out in Syria on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said. Command centers and training camps were destroyed in the attacks which threw the extremists into panic.... The Russian jets destroyed an Islamic State army munitions plant outside Damascus as well as two command centers in Deir ez-Zor, according to the ministry’s statement. In the Idlib Governorate, a training camp for IS militants was eliminated, while several IS strongholds came under attack where ammunition depots were blown up.

ISIS in Syria using mosques as shelters, civilians as shields – Russian Defense Ministry
RT - Islamic State militants are hiding in mosques and using locals as human shields because they know that Russian jets would never target civilian areas, the Russian Defense Ministry revealed at two briefings on Tuesday. Islamic State (formerly ISIS/ISIL) forces are sheltering in mosques and trying to hide their vehicles around them, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told reporters Tuesday, citing video evidence. “Knowing our careful, respectful attitude to mosques they understand that we would never - under any circumstances – carry out airstrikes against civilian facilities,” he said, following a meeting with Defense press attachés from several countries, with a US representative among them. Later in the day, Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, also warned that terrorists may be preparing provocations such as bombing mosques to accuse the Russian Air Force of committing war crimes.
* Related: Russian drone films ISIS militants hiding weapons, munitions near Syrian mosques

Doctors Without Borders airstrike: US alters story for fourth time in four days
The Guardian - Shifting the US account of the Saturday morning airstrike for the fourth time in as many days, [General John Campbell] reiterated that Afghan forces had requested US air cover after being engaged in a “tenacious fight” to retake the northern city of Kunduz from the Taliban. But, modifying the account he gave at a press conference on Monday, Campbell said those Afghan forces had not directly communicated with the US pilots of an AC-130 gunship overhead.... On Tuesday, MSF denounced Campbell’s press conference as an attempt to shift blame to the Afghans.

Top U.S. commander in Afghanistan suggests fight will take longer
Military Times - Lingering problems with local security forces and the resurgence of Taliban fighters may force U.S. troops to stay longer in Afghanistan than previously planned, the top American military commander in the region suggested on Tuesday. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Army Gen. John Campbell -- head of U.S. Forces Afghanistan -- said that local security forces "cannot handle the fight alone" without assistance from foreign allies and gaining that capability will take "well beyond this year." As a result, Campbell said he has already offered adjustments to public plans to remove all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by 2017, with the exception of an embassy security contingent.

Hamburg to seize commercial property to house migrants
BBC - Hamburg has become the first German city to pass a law allowing the seizure of empty commercial properties in order to house migrants.... Hamburg's new law is described as a temporary, emergency measure. Owners of empty commercial properties will be compensated. The law does not include residential properties. But the conservative opposition in the city, in the north of Germany, condemned the move. The authorities in Bremen, a city just west of Hamburg, are considering passing a similar law. Germany expects to host at least 800,000 asylum seekers this year - about four times the number it had last year.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Permanently Locking In The Obama Agenda For 40% Of The Global Economy
Zero Hedge - We have just witnessed one of the most significant steps toward a one world economic system that we have ever seen. Negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership have been completed, and if approved it will create the largest trading bloc on the planet. In this treaty, Barack Obama has thrown in all sorts of things that he never would have been able to get through Congress otherwise. And once this treaty is approved, it will be exceedingly difficult to ever make changes to it. So essentially what is happening is that the Obama agenda is being permanently locked in for 40 percent of the global economy. The United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam all intend to sign on to this insidious plan. Collectively, these nations have a total population of about 800 million people and a combined GDP of approximately 28 trillion dollars. Of course Barack Obama is assuring all of us that this treaty is going to be wonderful for everyone…

U.S. News, Politics & Government

McCain Claims to Be in Touch With Syrian Rebels
Sputnik News - US Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain told Sputnik that he stays in contact with members of Syria opposition allegedly targeted by Russian airstrikes. "I am personally in communication with them [the Syrian moderates], and they are being attacked," McCain stated on Tuesday. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, all the airstrikes against the Islamic State terrorist group were launched with advance air surveillance and careful verification of data provided by the Syrian military. McCain asserted, however, that "the majority of the Russian attacks are against the Free Syrian Army, the moderates." Asked what sources he bases his conclusions on, McCain stated, "There is open source information, of course. It has been reported widely in every major newspaper in America."

F-35 deathtrap: Pentagon jet’s ejection seat could snap pilot’s neck
RT - Tests on the Pentagon’s troubled F-35 fighter jet have exposed a potentially life-threatening blunder as its ejection seat could snap a slender pilot’s neck when attempting to save his life, Defense News reports, citing a source close to the program. Ejection tests performed in slow flying speed mode in August revealed that the pilot’s US16E seat constructed by contractor Martin-Baker has an excessive forward rotating momentum, which – combined with the force of the ejected seat shot out of the aircraft – snapped a lightweight dummy’s neck. The US Air Force has already barred pilots weighing less than 61 kilograms from flying 5G aircraft until the problem is fixed, Defense News reports.

“Lithium Love”: Was Oregon Gunman on Psychiatric Meds Linked to Violence?
Paul Joseph Watson - As the Oregonian reports, “There are a number of indications that Harper-Mercer had mental health or behavioral issues. His screen name on some social media sites was “lithium love.” Lithium is used as a psychiatric medication.” Lithium is used to enhance the effect of SSRI drugs, a number of which, “have also been linked to increase risk for violent, even homicidal behavior,” reports Time. On one of his Facebook posts, Mercer also made reference to a number of different prescription drugs he was taking. “I have a pill bottle with like five types of pills mixed in. I don’t know which ones are the sleep aids, so I just took four of each,” wrote Mercer. The gunman was also struggling with his inability to find a girlfriend, which was one of the factors that contributed to Mercer’s mental health issues, according to his mother. Ms. Harper also, “Expressed having expertise in autism, saying that both she and her son — whom she never identified by name — had Asperger’s syndrome,” reports the New York Times. She also revealed how Mercer was placed in a psychiatric hospital when he refused to take his medication.

Obama Arms ISIS-Linked Militants, Pushes Gun Control On Very Same Day
Kit Daniels - Obama authorizes resupplying “Syrian opposition” on same day he demanded gun control. Even more shocking, Obama did the very same thing after the 2013 D.C. Navy Yard shooting. The president approved the re-arming of the Syrian opposition, which predominantly consists of ISIS and its affiliates, on Oct. 1, the same day Obama suggested the U.S. should start banning guns after the Umpqua Community College shooting. “The approval came at a National Security Council meeting on Thursday,” CNN reported. “…The President also emphasized to his team that the U.S. would continue to support the Syrian opposition as Russia enters the war-torn country.”

This Has Become Routine — Paul Craig Roberts
Paul Craig Roberts - In his comment on the mass shootings at the Oregon community college, President Obama said: “This has become routine.” So have police shootings of unarmed and unresisting Americans. So have numerous other undesirable and deplorable happenings, such as the foreclosure on the homes of millions of Americans, while the “banks too big to fail” are bailed out with trillions of dollars, and such as foreign policy lies that have destroyed seven countries, bringing the US and Europe millions of refugees. Also routine is Washington’s obliteration of weddings, funerals, and medical centers with bombs and drones.... For Washington, these mass murders are only “collateral damage,” nothing warranting a presidential statement displaying despair, anger, and frustration.

Obama Paints Border Patrol with Rainbow Colors
Breitbart - Border Patrol agents and others operating under the umbrella of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) must now consider not only the sex of the criminal they are detaining, but the “gender identity” of the individual and how they feel and identify. The terms “illegal alien” or even “illegal immigrant” do not appear at all in a new 31-page instruction document. The new rules were published by CBP and according to the agency, “includes language on gender identity, which was not previously included in the individual component policies.

U.S. to Release 6,000 Inmates Under New Sentencing Guidelines
NY Times - The Justice Department is preparing to release roughly 6,000 inmates from federal prison as part of an effort to ease overcrowding and roll back the harsh penalties given to nonviolent drug dealers in the 1980s and ’90s, according to federal law enforcement officials. The release is scheduled to occur from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, and will be one of the largest one-time discharges of inmates from federal prisons in American history, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be identified discussing matters that had not been publicly announced by the Justice Department. The Bureau of Prisons is arranging for many of the inmates to initially move into halfway houses, one official said.

Election News

Hillary Clinton Pledges Gun Control By Executive Action
Breitbart - Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is making it clear she won’t wait for Congress to consider gun control measures. Instead, she’s pledging to pursue gun control by executive action if she’s elected president. Her proposals include extending the instant background checks indefinitely by changing the amount of time the FBI has on extended checks. She also wants to place new regulations on sales at gun shows and for guns sold online, and she wants to expand the definition of domestic violence to include dating relationships, then use that expanded definition to ban individuals from owning guns. Breitbart News previously reported that Clinton also wants to change our nation’s laws to allow shooting victims and their families to sue gun manufacturers after a criminal steals and misuses a gun–harming people in the process–or after a criminal brings a gun into a gun free zone in order to attack innocent victims who can’t fight back, the way Chris Harper Mercer did at Umpqua Community College.

Marco Rubio Wants US to Risk War with Russia Over Syria
Gateway Pundit - Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida gave an interview with CNBC’s John Harwood on Monday in which Rubio called for the United States to risk war with Russia to enforce a proposed no-fly zone over Syria. Rubio said going to war with Russia would be better than the current state of affairs in Syria, citing the migration crisis, the growth of terrorist groups including ISIS and ‘Jabhat al Nusra’ and having Russian President Vladimir Putin as the “most influential geopolitical broker in the region.”

Economy & Business

Silver Coin Premiums Soar Above 50%
Zero Hedge - Courtesy of Sharelynx' Nick Laird who tracks precious metal premium by vendor, we continue our recent series showing the discrepancy between paper and physical metals, in this case silver. As Nick notes, APMEX price premiums are a lot higher than the Monex. And as can be seen in the charts below, premiums rose above 50% for 1-19 coins & above 40% for 500 plus coins.

Science & Technology

TPP Will Restrict Internet, Punish Whistleblowers
Kurt Nimmo - In addition to consolidating corporate power over 40% of the world’s economy, the recently agreed upon Trans-Pacific Partnership deal will target internet-based investigative journalism and make it a crime to expose corporate crime. The Independent reported on Monday: One particularly controversial part of the provisions make it a crime to reveal corporate wrongdoing “through a computer system”. Experts have pointed out that the wording is very vague, and could lead to whistleblowers being penalized for sharing important information, and lead to journalists stopping reporting on them.... Leaked drafts revealed it would police, censor and make the internet more expensive. In addition to intimidating journalists and limited access, the agreement contains provisions that require social media and online content providers such as Facebook and YouTube to remove content after one complaint.... The agreement also allows countries to seize computers of individuals allegedly involved in copyright infringement, which is broadly expanded under the deal.

DNA ‘vaccine’ Sterilizes Mice, Could Lead to One-shot Birth Control
Science Mag - “This looks incredibly promising,” says William Swanson, director of animal research at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Ohio. “We’re all very excited about this approach; that it’s going to be the one that really works.” For decades, the go-to methods for controlling animal reproduction have been spay or neuter surgeries. But the surgeries, which require animals to be anesthetized, can be expensive—one reason so many dogs and cats remain unfixed and feral animal populations continue to grow. Nearly 2.7 million dogs and cats were euthanized in U.S. shelters last year. A cheaper, faster method of sterilization is considered a holy grail for animal population control.

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Tuesday - October 6, 2015 - Today in History:

1847 - "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte was first published in London.
1848 - The steamboat SS California left New York Harbor for San Francisco via Cape Horn. The steamboat service arrived on February 28, 1849. The trip took 4 months and 21 days.
1866 - The Reno Brothers pulled the first train robbery in America near Seymour, IN. The got away with $10,000.
1884 - The Naval War College was established in Newport, RI.
1890 - Polygamy was outlawed by the Mormon Church.
1928 - War-torn China was reunited under the Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-Shek.
1949 - President Harry Truman signed the Mutual Defense Assistance Act. The act provided $1.3 billion in the form of military aid to NATO countries.
1961 - President John F. Kennedy advised American families to build or buy bomb shelters to protect them in the event of a nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union.
1973 - Egypt and Syria attacked Israel in an attempt to win back territory that had been lost in the third Arab-Israel war. Support for Israel led to a devastating oil embargo against many nations including the U.S. and Great Britain on October 17, 1973. The war lasted 2 weeks.
1979 - Pope John Paul II became the first pontiff to visit the White House.
1992 - Ross Perot appeared in his first paid broadcast on CBS-TV after entering the U.S. presidential race.
2004 - The top U.S. arms inspector in Iraq, Charles Duelfer, reported finding no evidence Saddam Hussein's regime had produced weapons of mass destruction after 1991.
2008 - The Dow Jones industrial average closed below 10,000 for the first time since 2004.

World News

Accidental Turkish airspace incursion 'used to involve NATO in info war against Russia over Syria'
RT - The incident with the Russian jet, which accidentally violated Turkey's airspace, has been used to include NATO in the media war against Moscow's anti-terror op in Syria, said Aleksandr Grushko, Russia’s envoy to the Western military alliance.... According to Grushko, NATO has ignored clarifications from Russia about the plane incident. All attempts to explain the reasons behind the incident fell on deaf ears, however, with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg describing the situation as "unacceptable violations of Turkish airspace."... On Monday, Russia admitted making a mistake after its warplane violated Turkey’s airspace. The Russian Defense Ministry has explained that bad weather caused the incident. Ankara has accepted the explanation, saying there is no ill feeling between the two countries. NATO has slammed Moscow for what it deemed “irresponsible behavior,” however.

3,000 terrorists leave Syria following Russian airstrikes – military source
RT - An estimated 3,000 Islamic State fighters as well as militants from other extremist groups have fled Syria for Jordan fearing a renewed offensive by the Syrian army in addition to Russian airstrikes, a military official has told RIA news agency. At least 3,000 militants from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), al-Nusra and Jaish al-Yarmouk have fled to Jordan. They are afraid of the Syrian army having stepped up activities on all fronts and of Russian airstrikes,” the RIA source said.

Russia Escalates Syria Proxy War: Threatens Full Naval Blockade Of Syria
Zero Hedge - Russia's Black Sea Fleet may be used in Syria to blockade the Syrian coastline and deliver armaments, as well as possibly deliver artillery strikes, the head of Russian State Duma's defense committee and former Black Sea Fleet commander Vladimir Komoyedov said. "Regarding the large-scale use of the Black Sea Fleet in this operation, I don't think it will happen, but in terms of a coastal blockade, I think that it's quite [possible]… Komoyedov added that the size of the naval grouping used in the operation will depend on the intensity of the fighting. He noted that currently, the navy's Mediterranean flotilla is currently sufficient for actions in the given area. Komoyedov also said that auxiliary vessels will certainly be used in the operation against ISIL to deliver armaments as well as military and technical equipment.

Syria Ground War Imminent? U.S. Accuses Russia Of Launching Syrian Land Campaign
Zero Hedge - …according to the latest U.S. assessment of Moscow's activity in western Syria, "Russia has moved several ground combat weapons and troops into the area to potentially back up Syrian forces in the field planning to attack anti-regime forces, according to two U.S. defense officials." The U.S. views the move as Russia "stepping up its ground activity" in Syria to attack those forces, rather than ISIS elements, according to one of the officials. It's believed the Russians are positioning the weapons to be able to support a Syrian ground offensive, the officials said… The U.S. originally had thought that might be for defense of the port, but the latest move is an indication of potential ground attacks in the coming days, the official said.

US Government Accused Of "War Crime" By Doctors Without Borders In Bombing That Killed 22
Zero Hedge - … DwB [Doctors Without Borders] once again lashes out at the US government with the following statement: "Today the US government has admitted that it was their airstrike that hit our hospital in Kunduz and killed 22 patients and MSF staff. Their description of the attack keeps changing—from collateral damage, to a tragic incident, to now attempting to pass responsibility to the Afghanistan government. The reality is the US dropped those bombs. The US hit a huge hospital full of wounded patients and MSF staff. The US military remains responsible for the targets it hits, even though it is part of a coalition. There can be no justification for this horrible attack. With such constant discrepancies in the US and Afghan accounts of what happened, the need for a full transparent independent investigation is ever more critical."

Trans-Pacific Partnership Deal Struck As "Corporate Secrecy" Wins Again
Zero Hedge - As WSJ reports, the U.S., Japan and 10 countries around the Pacific reached a historic accord Monday to lower trade barriers to goods and services and set commercial rules of the road for two-fifths of the global economy, officials said… The deal announced on Monday by trade ministers from the 12 countries still must be signed formally by the countries’ leaders and ratified by their parliaments. In the US Mr Obama is likely to face a tough fight to get the deal through Congress next year, especially as presidential candidates like Republican frontrunner Donald Trump have argued against the TPP. Only a handful of Democrats support Mr. Obama’s trade policy, and Republican support is unpredictable in the 2016 election year, depending on the stance of presidential candidates and new leadership in the House. As it is, the deal can’t go to a vote before Congress until early next year.

Lesbian Swedish Bishop Wants Christian Crosses Removed From Church to Please Muslims
Paul Joseph Watson - With hundreds of thousands more migrants set to pour into Sweden, a Bishop in Stockholm has proposed removing crosses from a Christian church and replacing them with Islamic symbols in order to cater for Muslims.... It’s also ironic to consider that while Brunne is insistent on being so welcoming to Muslims, she would be executed for being a lesbian in some Islamic countries.... If you think this story sounds too bizarre to be true, then you haven’t acquainted yourself with the progressive “utopia” that is Sweden. This is a country in which some politicians have called for giving free housing, jobs and welfare to returning ISIS jihadists – all at taxpayer expense.... has politicians telling its citizens that they may need to give up their garages in order to house third world immigrants. Sweden is also a country that hires ISIS-sympathizers to run its immigration boards. The country’s taxpayer-funded “expert” on Islamophobia, Michael Nikolai Skråmo, also went on to join ISIS.

PC Police Want to Ban Ham Sandwiches Because Muslims Find Them ‘Offensive’
Kit Daniels - The guidelines published by CoExist House, a US and UK-based interfaith group, recommend an outright ban of pork products from office kitchens to avoid “offending” employees of the Muslim and Jewish faiths. “It would be good etiquette to avoid heating up foods that might be prohibited for people of other faiths,” said Andy Dinham, a University of London professor who wrote the guidelines for CoExist House. “We also say, ‘Don’t put kosher or halal and other… special foods next to another [food] or, God forbid, on the same plate.” The guidelines come as both the U.S. and the U.K. open their borders to a record number of Muslim migrants.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Liberal Media Attacks Pro-Second Amendment Sheriff, All But Blames Him for College Shooting
Adan Salazar - Numerous leftist media outlets and gun control groups are demonizing and not-so-indirectly blaming an Oregon sheriff for last week’s college shooting, all because of his refusal to push authoritarian anti-gun legislation and his alleged personal beliefs on Sandy Hook. Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin is overseeing the investigation into the Umpqua Community College shooting, in which a mentally disturbed lone gunman killed 10 people on a gun-free campus for religious reasons. But surprisingly the sheriff’s investigation isn’t the focus of progressive liberal news reports’ ire; his support of the Second Amendment and possible belief in so-called “conspiracy theories” are. Now the sheriff is also inexplicably being targeted by the Brady Campaign and gun control freaks for something even more trivial, a post he’s accused of making on Facebook.

New York Daily News: State Dept Must Designate the NRA a Terrorist Organization
Breitbart - On October 3–two days after a gunman killed 10 at the gun free facilities on the Umpqua Community College campus–the New York Daily News called for the U.S. State Department to designate the National Rifle Association (NRA) a “terrorist organization.” They based this request on their belief that national security faces a greater threat from armed citizens than from “foreign terrorists,” and they singled out the NRA as the bulwark preserving citizens’ right to keep and bear arms. They suggested, “The NRA should take its rightful place on the State Department list of terrorist organizations, because its influence is more of an immediate threat to the lives of our citizens than foreign terrorists.”

Of 170 held after Waco biker shooting, all are now out of jail, with none charged in killings
Dallas Morning News - Only a few of the people arrested in the May biker shooting outside a Waco restaurant remain under ankle monitoring, and none are still in jail. Of the 135 people originally ordered to wear GPS ankle monitors, all but 22 have been allowed to remove them, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported Sunday. Their lawyers have reached agreements with prosecutors to modify the conditions of their pre-trial release. After initially locking up more than 170 people in connection with the May 17 incident outside Twin Peaks restaurant, McLennan County prosecutors have not charged anyone with the shooting deaths of nine people. At least 20 others were hurt.

School Bans ‘Offensive’ America Day Celebration
Mikael Thalen - School administrators in Wyoming announced the cancellation of a 2015 “America Day” celebration last week after the event was deemed “offensive” and unsafe. According to the Jackson Hole News & Guide, the homecoming tradition was banned after Jackson Hole High School Activities Director Mike Hansen alleged that multiple students “could have” felt targeted and singled out. “Many different students could have felt singled out,” Hansen said. “Maybe they moved here last week. Maybe they moved here last month.” Local news speculated that the decision may have been linked to the school’s large Latino population, although no specifics were given by administrators.

Election News

Carly Fiorina's first political campaign had a surprising problem: Money
Washington Post - Famed California pollster Joe Shumate was found dead in his home one month before Election Day 2010, surrounded by sheets of polling data he labored over for the flailing Senate bid of Carly Fiorina. Upon his death, Fiorina praised Shumate as "the heart and soul" of her team. She issued a news release praising him as a person who believed in "investing in those he worked with" and offering her "sincerest condolences" to his widow. But records show there was something that Fiorina did not offer his widow: Shumate's last paycheck, for at least $30,000. It was one of more than 30 invoices, totaling about $500,000, that the multimillionaire didn't settle -- even as Fiorina reimbursed herself nearly $1.3 million she lent the campaign. She finally cleared most of the balance in January, a few months before announcing her run for president.

Donald Trump: Middle East Would Be Better Off If Saddam, Gaddafi Were Still in Power
CNS News - GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that if the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and former Libyan dictator Muammar Gadaffi were still in power, the Middle East would be better off than it is today. “Of course it would be. You wouldn't have had your Benghazi situation, which is one thing which was just a terrible situation, but of course, it would. Libya is-- is not even-- nobody even knows what's goin' on over there. It's not even a country anymore,” Trump said...
* Related: Donald trump Meet The Press FULL Interview 10/4/2015

Economy & Business

Big U.S. firms hold $2.1 trillion overseas to avoid taxes: study
Reuters - The 500 largest American companies hold more than $2.1 trillion in accumulated profits offshore to avoid U.S. taxes and would collectively owe an estimated $620 billion in U.S. taxes if they repatriated the funds, according to a study released on Tuesday. The study, by two left-leaning non-profit groups, found that nearly three-quarters of the firms on the Fortune 500 list of biggest American companies by gross revenue operate tax haven subsidiaries in countries like Bermuda, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.... Technology firm Apple was holding $181.1 billion offshore, more than any other U.S. company, and would owe an estimated $59.2 billion in U.S. taxes if it tried to bring the money back to the United States from its three overseas tax havens... The conglomerate General Electric has booked $119 billion offshore in 18 tax havens, software firm Microsoft is holding $108.3 billion in five tax haven subsidiaries and drug company Pfizer is holding $74 billion in 151 subsidiaries, the study said.

Stock Market Crash October 2015? 9 Of The 16 Largest Crashes In History Have Come This Month
Economic Collapse - The worst stock market crashes in U.S. history have come during the month of October. There is just something about this time of the year that seems to be conducive to financial panic. For example, on October 28th, 1929 the biggest stock market crash in U.S. history up until that time helped usher in the Great Depression of the 1930s. And the largest percentage crash in the history of the Dow Jones Industrial Average by a very wide margin happened on October 19th, 1987. Overall, 9 of the 16 largest single day percentage crashes that we have ever seen happened during the month of October. Of course that does not mean that something will happen this October, but after what we just witnessed in September we should all be on alert.

Punishing Cash: US ATM Withdrawal Fees Soar To All Time High
Economic Policy Journal - With the world's central planners (and their status quo hugging cronies) calling for cash bans, the soaring costs of getting one's own money appears to be a quiet form of capital control creeping up on the distracted American public, notes Tyler Durden. WSJ reports: The average cost for using an automated teller machine that isn’t tied to a customer’s bank rose to a record $4.52 per transaction over the past year, according to a survey from data provider Bankrate Inc. that will be released Monday. In Atlanta and New York, the average “out-of-network” cost tops $5 and can rise to as much as $8 in some places under certain circumstances, Bankrate said. The new average rate reflects an increase of 21% over the past five years.

CPSC: 129,000 Dishwashers Recalled Over Power Cords That May Burst Into Flames
The Consumerist - Because washing dishes shouldn’t result in a fiery inferno, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling 129,000 dishwashers in the U.S., after reports that power cords used for multiple brands can overheat and burst into flame. The dishwashers were sold under the labels Bosch, Gaggenau, Kenmore Elite and Thermador according to the CPSC, at a variety of appliance and specialty retailers, department stores, authorized builder distributors, home improvement stores nationwide and online between January 2009 and May 2014 for between $850 and $2600. An additional 45,000 washers sold in Canada are also included in the recall. So far, 10 reports of fires have been linked to the dishwashers, causing property damage in five of those blazes — but no injuries have been reported.

Canadian City To Dump 8 Billion Liters Of Sewage Into River Shared With US
Natural Blaze - The city of Montreal plans to dump 8 billion liters of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River on October 18 so they can begin a construction project on the sewer that is currently holding the waste.... Environmental experts in the area have suggested that there must be another solution, like perhaps pumping the sewage into another container or pipeline while the construction project is being completed.... “US lawmakers in New York have raised concerns that the dumping project could actually contaminate US waterways. New York senator Patty Ritchie recently published a letter on her website, calling for an investigation of the planned waste dump.

Hundreds of angry customers pull ‘smart’ meters (video)
Take Back Your Power - We commend Dominicans for such unified, inspiring action, and we commend their military and police for doing the right thing and supporting the people. Video Translation: “Hundreds of meters were removed and put in front of the electricity company offices of the north (in the city of Peidro Blanca, Provinice of Monseñor Nouel).” “The reason was high rates combined with frequent electrical outages in the region. The outages became prolonged and the electricity bills arrived at nearly double that of the month before.

VIDEO: This Amazing Dog Detected Cancer When Doctors & Imaging Could Not
Dogington Post - Max, a Collie-mix, began acting strangely toward his owner. Concerned that her dog, almost 10-years old at the time, was nearing the end of his life, Maureen Burns began preparing herself to say goodbye to her beloved best friend. “He just wasn’t happy. Wouldn’t come with me, wouldn’t sit by me, wouldn’t sit on my lap. He would come up and touch my breast with his nose and back off, so desperately unhappy.” Although Maureen had a lump in her breast, mammograms had come back clear, indicating that the lump was nothing to worry about. But, because of Max’s odd behavior, Maureen insisted doctor’s perform a biopsy to evaluate the lump after additional scans and testing revealed nothing. Because of Max, and Maureen’s trust in his instincts, doctor’s were finally able to discover and remove the cancer growing within Maureen’s breast. The change in Max’s behavior after the lump was removed was instant.
 

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Monday - October 5, 2015 - Today in History:

1813 - Chief Tecumseh of the Shawnee Indians was killed at the Battle of Thames when American forced defeated the British and the allied Indian warriors.
1877 - Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Indians surrendered to the U.S. Army after a 1,000-mile retreat towards the Canadian border.
1930 - Laura Ingalls became the first woman to make a transcontinental airplane flight.
1937 - U.S. President Roosevelt called for a "quarantine" of aggressor nations.
1947 - President Harry Truman held the first televised presidential address from the White House. The subject was the current international food crisis.
1969 - A Cuban defector landed a Soviet-made MiG-17 at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. The plane entered U.S. air space and landed without being detected.
1970 - Anwar Sadat took office as President of Egypt replacing Gamal Abdel Nassar. Sadat was assassinated in 1981.
1988 - In a debate between candidates for vice president of the U.S., Democratic Lloyd Bentsen told Republican Dan Quayle, "You're no Jack Kennedy."
1991 - Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev announced that his country would cut its nuclear arsenal in response to the arms reduction that was initiated by U.S. President George Bush.
1993 - China set off an underground nuclear explosion.
1995 - A 60-day cease-fire was agreed upon by Bonsian combatants. The civil war had lasted 3 1/2.
1998 - The U.S. paid $60 million for Russia's research time on the international space station to keep the cash-strapped Russian space agency afloat.
2006 - Walmart rolled out its $4 generic drug program to the entire state of Florida after a successful test in the Tampa area.

World News

Pentagon Weighs Military Options to Protect US-Trained Rebels in Syria
Military.com - Russia's launch of airstrikes in Syria is prompting discussions within the Pentagon about whether the U.S. should use military force to protect U.S.-trained and equipped Syrian rebels if they come under fire by the Russians. U.S. officials said Thursday that senior military leaders and defense officials are working through the thorny legal and foreign policy issues and are weighing the risks of using force in response to a Russian attack. Defense Secretary Ash Carter declined to discuss the problem when asked about it this week. But U.S. officials acknowledged that this is one of the questions being asked as they debate the broader dilemma of how the administration should respond to what White House press secretary Josh Earnest described as Russia's "indiscriminate military operations against the Syrian opposition."

Israeli jets strike Gaza after rocket fire pinned on Hamas
RT - Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes on targets in Gaza overnight in retaliation to rocket fire directed at Israeli territory earlier in the day. Although an ISIS-affiliated group claimed responsibility for the attack, Israel holds Hamas responsible. Witnesses reported at least four airstrikes in the Gaza strip early Monday, conducted by Israeli F-16 jets while drones were seen circling the airspace.

Germany fears up to 1.5mn refugees to arrive in 2015, calls for limits on influx to EU
RT - The number of refugees and migrants expected to arrive in Germany by the end of 2015 has soared to 1.5mn, according to Bild newspaper, citing a government report. Meanwhile German politicians say that the EU must take immediate measures to limit numbers. Germany’s abilities to accept and handle refugees and migrants are not infinite and the country’s capacity is now strained to the limit, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said in interview with ZDF on Sunday.

Japanese worried about privacy as My Number ID program becomes law
RT - A controversial new Japanese personal identification system came into effect on Monday. My Number IDs will unite personal tax information, social security and disaster relief benefits, but critics worry about possible leaks and invasions of privacy. The new legislation will see every Japanese citizen and foreign residents given a 12 digit number, which is expected to reach an estimated 55 million households. The aim is to make administration more efficient for services such as taxation and social welfare benefits, while also helping to cut down on tax evasion and benefit fraud. However, the government eventually intends to extend the system to bank accounts in order to keep track of the assets people have for taxation purposes. This will at first be voluntary from 2018, although the government could make it mandatory by 2021.

Russian Air Force hit 10 ISIS targets in Syria in last 24 hours – Defense Ministry (VIDEOS)
RT - Russian fighter jets have attacked 10 Islamic State targets in Syria in their latest airstrikes, destroying arms depots, training centers and infrastructure, Defense Ministry says. In the last 24 hours, Russian military aircraft have performed 20 sorties.... According to the estimates of Russia’s General Staff of Armed Forces, the airstrikes inflicted on Islamic State installations in Syria have disrupted the command system, inventory and logistics of the terrorist organization. The infrastructure used to stage terror attacks in Syria and Iraq has also been severely damaged.
* Related: Nobody can clearly define what 'moderate opposition' in Syria is - Kremlin spokesman

One Day After Warning Russia of Civilian Casualties, the U.S. Bombs a Hospital in Afghanistan
The Intercept - Yesterday afternoon, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power marched to Twitter to proclaim: “we call on Russia to immediately cease attacks on Syrian oppo[sition and] civilians.” Along with that decree, she posted a statement from the U.S. and several of its closest authoritarian allies – including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UK – warning Russia that civilian casualties “will only fuel more extremism and radicalization.” Early this morning, in the Afghan city of Kunduz, the U.S. dropped bombs on a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)). The airstrike killed at least 9 of the hospital’s medical staff, and seriously injured dozens of patients. “Among the dead was the Afghan head of the hospital, Abdul Sattar,” reported The New York Times… He [Jason Cone, MSF’s Executive Director] added that “all parties [to the] conflict, including in Kabul & Washington, were clearly informed of precise GPS Coordinates of MSF facilities in Kunduz,” and that the “precise location of MSF Kunduz hospital [was] communicated to all parties on multiple occasions over past months, including on 9/29.”

Death toll rises in suspected US airstrike on Afghan hospital (Video)
The Guardian - A US airstrike appears to have hit a hospital run by Médecins Sans Frontières in the Afghan city of Kunduz, killing nine staff members and injuring up to 37 people. The charity claimed it had circulated the coordinates of the site to all sides engaged in fighting in the country, adding that the bombing continued for 30 minutes after it had raised the alarm with Afghan and US authorities. At the time of the bombing, 105 patients and its carers, and more than 80 MSF international and national staff were in the hospital, the charity said. Some members of staff were still unaccounted for on Saturday, and there are fears the death toll will rise considerably. Up to 10 international aid workers who were based in the hospital are believed to have survived the attack.
* Related: ‘Patients were burning in their beds’: Witnesses recall horrific Kunduz hospital airstrike

MSF demands independent probe into hospital airstrike in Afghanistan
RT - Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has demanded an independent international body investigate the suspected US airstrike that killed 22 people at a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. The charity’s official said MSF cannot trust the US military probe. Under the clear presumption that a war crime has been committed, MSF demands that a full and transparent investigation into the event be conducted by an independent international body," MSF General Director Christopher Stokes said in a statement on Sunday. Relying only on an internal investigation by a party to the conflict would be wholly insufficient," he added. The US military launched a probe into the incident on Saturday.

World's Largest Shipowners To Abandon Greece Ahead Of Major Tax Hike
Zero Hedge - With Greece controlling 20% of the world's shipping fleet, the 'quadriga' of Greek creditors' demands to raise taxes (because debt restructuring is out of the question) on such an 'easy target' as the world's largest shipping industry appears likely to backfire as an entire industry's revenues move out of reach of government taxers… Many in the Greek shipping world say any increase in taxes on shipping operations would prompt a mass exodus of the country’s shipowners. Relatively low-tax global shipping centers such as Cyprus, London, Singapore and Vancouver, Canada, are positioning themselves to benefit.

Fukushima police send nuclear contamination case against TEPCO execs to prosecutors
RT - Fukushima police have finally reacted to a criminal complaint filed against TEPCO and 32 of its top officials two years ago over the contamination caused by the 2011 nuclear disaster. They have referred the case to prosecutors. The Fukushima District Prosecutors’ Office will now determine whether to pursue criminal charges against the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and its top management over the leaks of highly radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. The criminal complaint alleges that the company and its executives failed to manage storage tanks of contaminated water or build underground walls to block the flow of radioactive material into the sea at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Notable people on the list include TEPCO’s President Naomi Hirose, former Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata and former President Masataka Shimizu.

Bulgaria Slams GM Crops Again with Strong Total Ban
Sustainable Pulse - The Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture and Food has confirmed that Bulgaria will keep its clean and green image through extending its ban on GM crops under new EU regulations, the press office of the Ministry reported on Thursday. Bulgaria is one of the strongest opponents of GM crops and this is shown with the latest GM crops ban, which includes more GM varieties than any other country in the EU: eight GM maize varieties, one GM soy variety, and one GM carnation variety.... Recent Bulgarian opinion polls show that the Bulgarian population is strongly against GMOs in food and the cultivation of GM crops with 97% of the population stating that they are opposed to the harmful nature of GMOs.
* Related: Nineteen EU countries seek GMO opt-out

U.S. News, Politics & Government

4 Students Arrested in Northern California, Suspected of Plotting Killings in High School
NY Times - California high school students have been arrested in connection with what law enforcement officials called a highly detailed plan to shoot and kill fellow students and teachers, just days after a mass shooting on a community college campus in rural Oregon. The four, all students at Summerville High School in Tuolumne, Calif., "were going to come on campus and shoot and kill as many people as possible at the campus," Sheriff James W. Mele of Tuolumne County said at a news conference on Saturday. Investigators have found no clear motive for the planned attack, Sheriff Mele said, but he said that "the suspects' plans were very detailed in nature and included names of would-be victims, locations and methods in which the plan was to be carried out."

Oregon Shooting: 13 Troubling Signs Of Potentially Yet Another False Flag
Activist Post - When you practice something all the time you eventually get very good at it. The one thing many awakened and vigilant Americans have become good at over the past few years is sniffing out government false flags because they have so much practice at it. You may find that the events surrounding the recent Umpqua Community College shooting in southern Oregon may ring a few familiar false flag bells after you consider what the mainstream media is saying about the shooting. It is at least extremely reasonable to suspect that this is yet another gun control shooting false flag event since it has many of the characteristics of it.

Oregon Shooter’s Father Absolves Son: Guns, Not His Parenting to Blame
Breitbart - The father of the Oregon shooter who ruthlessly murdered 9 people at a community college in Umpqua, Oregon, insists that his son isn’t to blame for shooting innocent victims, but rather, ‘guns’ are to blame. The man absolving his son of responsibility is Ian Mercer and he made the statements during a CNN interview. A report in the Daily Beast claims that Mr. Mercer abandoned his son at birth–a factor that the father did not mention during his anti-gun rant on television.

CNN Alters Photo of Umpqua Killer Chris Harper-Mercer to Make Him Look White
Gateway Pundit - CNN photoshops the photo of Oregon killer Chris Harper-Mercer to make him look white. Chris was the son of Ian Mercer from Great Britain and Laurel Margaret Harper. Chris lived with his mother Laurel. He posted this selfie online. But, according to Conservative Treehouse, CNN altered the image to make Harper-Mercer look white. Via Conservative Treehouse: On the left is the selfie Christopher Mercer uploaded to his social media. On the right is how CNN presented the same selfie in broadcast stories about him. Why did CNN need to change the complexion (color) of their broadcast? Why is no-one showing pictures of mom, Laurel Margaret Harper. His online profiles have been erased since the shooting.

Obama Not Welcome In Roseburg, Says Local Newspaper Publisher
Breitbart - David Jaques, the publisher of the conservative newspaper the Roseburg Beacon, says he believes that President Obama would not be welcome to the town after making remarks politicizing the shooting that left nine dead and nine injured at Umpqua Community College on October 1. Jaques told Breitbart News that he believes officials of Douglas County would also not welcome the President using the tragedy to score political points for a gun control agenda. Any visit by President would be “a campaign stop for agenda to take away American citizen’s right to own firearms” said Jaques in an exclusive interview. Jaques said the region is proud of Sheriff John Hanlin, who he said “put the administration on notice that if you pass any laws, edicts or executive actions that are either unconstitutional or extra-constitutional, they will not be enforced in Douglas County.” Hanlin been savaged by the liberal national press after his letter to Vice President Joe Biden opposing gun control came to light.

Army vet lunged at UCC shooter, survived 5 shots on son's 6th birthday
RT - Umpqua Community College student and Army veteran Chris Mintz is receiving praise a day after lunging at a gunman on the school's campus amid a rampage that left nine dead. Mintz was shot several times, but is listed in stable condition. On his fourth day of classes this semester at Umpqua Community College (UCC) in Roseburg, Oregon, Mintz reportedly attempted to halt the shooting rampage. The shooting took place on Mintz's son's sixth birthday. Mintz, 30, was shot five times, according to a Facebook post by his cousin and fellow Army vet Derek Bourgeois. Mintz received bullet wounds to his upper back, left hand, abdomen, and both legs, his family told the Winston-Salem Journal. None of his vital organs were hit, though both legs were broken. He is expected to survive, but will have to relearn to walk, his family said.
* Related: GoFundMe Page For Oregon Hero Chris Mintz Tops 1/2 Million Dollars In 24 Hours

Congress fails to renew 9/11 responders’ medical care
RT - The healthcare program for 9/11 first responders expired at midnight on Wednesday after Congress failed to act. More than 72,000 people were registered under the program for yearly check-ups on 9/11-related illnesses and 33,000 were receiving treatment. With the expiration, the program will cover first responders until the end of the year but they will start facing challenges by February 2016. If it is not renewed, the program will have to start shutting down by next summer. First responders and advocates want to make the law permanent before it runs out of money early next year.

Pouring Drain Cleaner in Your Eyes: The Next Trendy Social Justice Movement?
Paul Joseph Watson - When Jewel Shuping had a psychologist pour drain cleaner in her eyes to blind her, the reason she gave was precisely the same justification given by transgender people who have their genitals surgically removed. “I really feel this is the way I was supposed to be born, that I should have been blind from birth,” the 30-year-old says. Shuping, a sufferer of Body Integrity Disorder, remembers that she fantasized about being blind from the age of 6, acquired a white cane in her teens and had learned Braile by the time she was 20. In 2006, Shuping finally found someone to help her realize her dream, which is when the psychologist poured drain cleaner in her eyes.

Election News

Hillary Clinton to Propose Tighter Gun Regulations on Monday
Sputnik News - US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is set to announce on Monday her plans to enact tighter regulations on sales at gun shows if she is elected the US president, local media reported. According to The Wall Street Journal, Clinton is expected to vow to reduce the number of arms dealers at gun shows. Clinton has announced her willingness to launch a "national movement" against the US National Rifle Association (NRA), which protects the right of citizens to keep and carry firearms, after a shootout at a college in the state of Oregon last week, which left at least 9 people dead and several other injured.

Donald Trump Storms Tennessee to Push Second Amendment Protection Plan After Oregon Shooting
Breitbart - GOP frontrunner Donald Trump offered a ringing defense of gun rights and the Second Amendment to an enthusiastic standing-room-only crowd of 3,000 Tennesseans on Saturday. An overflowing audience of an additional 1,000 stood outside The Factory in Franklin, Tennessee in the drizzling rain as they listened to the rally on speakers. It was a huge turnout for Trump, whose campaign team announced the event less than 72 hours earlier.... “Protecting our Second Amendment rights will make America great again,” Trump began, reading the title of his policy paper to the receptive crowd. “The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear.” Then, in true Trump style, he ad-libbed. “Now this is in light of what happened in Oregon. Now every time something happens like this… They don’t blame mental illness, that our mental health care is out of whack, and all the other problems,” he said. “And by the way,” he continued, “it was a gun-free zone.”...
* Related: Donald Trump Fires Up The Crowd at Franklin, TN Rally (FULL Speech) 10-3-15

Hillary Clinton Has Dropped 30 Points in Iowa Since Spring
Breitbart - In just 8 months, Hillary Clinton has given up more than 30 points of support to Sanders and Biden. This collapse has come while she was the prohibitive favorite for the nomination and amassed a large campaign war chest and an enormous campaign organization.

Economy & Business

Yes, This Is A Financial Crisis – 11 TRILLION Dollars In Stock Market Wealth Was Wiped Out In The 3rd Quarter
Economic Collapse - Over the past three months, the stock markets of all major global economies have been crashing simultaneously, and 11 trillion dollars of “paper wealth” has now completely vanished. The following comes from Fortune… Global equity markets suffered a bruising third quarter, shedding $11 trillion worth of global shares over three months, according to Bloomberg. It was the market’s worst quarter since 2011. The prolonged slump was due to low prices for commodities such as oil, instability in China’s markets, and the anticipation that the U.S. Federal Reserve will soon raise interest rates.

Right Now There Are 102.6 Million Working Age Americans That Do Not Have Jobs
Economic Collapse - The federal government uses very carefully manipulated numbers to cover up the crushing economic depression that is going on in this nation. For the month of September, the federal government told us that 142,000 jobs were added to the economy. If that was actually true, that would barely be enough to keep up with population growth. Sadly, the truth is that the real numbers were actually far worse than that. The unadjusted numbers show that the U.S. economy actually lost 248,000 jobs in September and the government added more than a million Americans to the “not in the labor force” category.

Nebraskans 'feeling betrayed' by ConAgra, to which it fed millions in subsidies
Nebraska Watchdog - The company responsible for spurring Nebraska into giving out business incentives, ConAgra Foods, is now moving its headquarters to Chicago, where it will also receive tax freebies. ConAgra announced Thursday plans to move to Chicago to increase profits and consolidate operations, resulting in some 1,000 lost jobs in Omaha. State tax incentives in Illinois helped convince the company to uproot part of its Omaha operation and head east… In 1986, ConAgra CEO Charles “Mike” Harper played hardball, threatening to move to Tennessee if Nebraska didn’t give the company tax breaks. State lawmakers, backs to the wall, agreed to enact sweeping incentives in 1987, and since then, about $2.5 billion in subsidies have been doled out to all kinds of companies. According to the nonprofit research center Good Jobs First, Nebraska has given ConAgra $160 million in incentives and tax concessions since then.

There are laws making it illegal to collect data on open land
Ars Technica - The two-part legislative package, signed by Gov. Matt Mead earlier this year, is the subject of a constitutional legal challenge from environmentalists, animal rights advocates, and the media. The legislation is so onerous that it disallows regulators from even acting upon evidence of wrongdoing if the data was gathered without a landowners' permission, even if the data was gathered on public land…They impose up to a year in prison, a $1,000 fine, and civil trespassing liability for people who enter open lands without permission (PDF) to collect "resource data." The suit (PDF) describes "resource data" as "pictures of noxious weeds, samples of polluted water, videos of injured animals, or even notes on the landscape—and then communicate that data to a federal or state government agency."

'We were paying to poison our kids': lead in Michigan city's water hits children
The Guardian - A spate of kids are experiencing elevated blood-lead levels in Flint, and some drinking water lead levels are so high they are defined as hazardous waste, according to several local studies… After months of resisting complaints about the water, and even a press conference by local doctors warning of potential effects, officials relented this week, declaring a public health emergency… Conducted by a pediatrician with Hurley Medical Center, the newest study examined the lead levels of hundreds of children, comparing blood tests taken before and after April 2014, when Flint stopped using Detroit water and started drawing water from the Flint River as a temporary cost-saving measure. Ever since the switch, according to the Hurley study, the number of children in the city with elevated blood levels increased from 2.1% to 4%. In some areas, the number increased as high as 6.3%.

New Evidence that Antidepressants Are Causing an Epidemic of Violence
Alliance for Natural Health - An article in the current British Medical Journal explains why the link is stronger than previously thought.... Many antidepressants carry a black box warning of an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior. Dr. Robert Whitaker notes that there is also a shocking risk of increased violence to others, which is not highlighted in the black box. Important research has shown major drugs like Paxil and Prozac to be linked with violence at a substantially higher rate than other drugs—users of Paxil are 10.3 times more likely to do violence to themselves or others, while users of Prozac are 10.9 times more likely to commit acts of violence. Other evidence shows that people who have exhibited no propensity for violence or aggression can develop violent behavior soon after beginning antidepressants. ... About 10% of Americans—30 million people—are on antidepressants, which includes 25% of women in their 40s and 50s. Antidepressant use has increased an astounding 400% in recent years.

CDC Spends $1 Million to Increase Adult Flu Vaccination Rates – Flu Shot to be Mandatory?
Health Impact News - The American College of Physicians (ACP) has recently been awarded with a $1,002,884 Cooperative Agreement by the CDC to focus on increasing vaccination rates in adults. According to the press release: The [ACP’s] initiate will aim to reach the federal government’s 2020 immunization goals, which includes reaching an 80% to 90% rate of seasonal influenza vaccination among adults (the current rate is 42%).... According to Wayne J. Riley, ACP president: ACP supports eliminating existing exemptions, except for medical reasons, from immunization laws. This funding comes a year after the ACP publicly announced in 2014 they were collaborating with Pfizer and CECity to again, increase adult immunization rates. Pfizer and ACP’s stated agenda at that time was to: call on all health care providers to assess vaccine status at each visit, strongly recommend vaccinations to patients, administer or refer for immunization, and document vaccination. CECity was brought on board to implement the cloud-based Adult Immunization Registry called for in the federal government’s 2020 immunization goals.

Study: Red Wines in U.S. Found to Contain ‘High Levels of Arsenic’
Natural Society - Arsenic has been found in a lot of the foods we eat. Apple juice, rice, seafood, and cereal bars all contain high levels of the poison. Now, researchers are warning that many red wines also contain arsenic, and that aficionados should limit their intake. Researchers tested 65 U.S. wines made in California, Washington, New York, and Oregon. They found that the alcoholic beverage contained 24 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic, with some containing as much as 76 ppb. Wines containing the lowest levels of arsenic were produced in Oregon, with 13 ppb. In all, 98% of the wines investigators tested contained high levels of arsenic. Wine from Washington contained the most arsenic – 28 ppb. All samples contained inorganic arsenic. The Environmental Protection Agency permits tap water to contain no more arsenic than 10 ppb. But having a few glasses of wine won’t kill you; you need only be concerned if you drink a lot of wine, and a lot of other arsenic-containing foods.

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Friday - October 2, 2015 - Today in History:

1780 - British army major John Andre was hanged as a spy. He was carrying information about the actions of Benedict Arnold.
1835 - The first battle of the Texas Revolution took place near the Guadalupe River when American settlers defeated a Mexican cavalry unit.
1836 - Charles Darwin returned to England after 5 years of acquiring knowledge around the world about fauna, flora, wildlife and geology. He used the information to develop his "theory of evolution" which he unveiled in his 1859 book entitled The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
1876 - The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas opened. It was the state's first venture into public higher education. The school was formally dedicated 2 days later by Texas Gov. Richard Coke.
1889 - The first international Conference of American States began in Washington, DC.
1924 - The Geneva Protocol adopted the League of Nations.
1941 - Operation Typhoon was launched by Nazi Germany. The plan was an all-out offensive against Moscow.
1944 - The Nazis crushed the Warsaw Uprising.
1962 - U.S. ports were closed to nations that allowed their ships to carry arms to Cuba, ships that had docked in a socialist country were prohibited from docking in the United States during that voyage, and the transport of U.S. goods was banned on ships owned by companies that traded with Cuba.
1993 - Opponents of Russian President Boris Yeltsin fought police and set up burning barricades.
1998 - Hawaii sued petroleum companies, claiming state drivers were overcharged by about $73 million a year in price-fixing.
1998 - About 10,000 Turkish soldiers crossed into northern Iraq and attacked Kurdish rebels.
2001 - The U.S. Postmaster unveiled the "Tribute to America" stamp. The stamp was planned for release the next month.
2001 - NATO, for the first time, invoked a treaty clause that stated that an attack on one member is an attack on all members. The act was in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.

World News

Russia carries out new round of air strikes in Syria, hitting 12 targets
(Reuters) - Russia said on Friday it had carried out new rounds of air strikes in Syria, hitting 12 Islamic State targets. Sukhoi-34, Sukhoi-24M and Sukhoi-25 warplanes had flown 18 sorties, hitting a command post and a communications center in the province of Aleppo as well as a militant field camp in Idlib, a Defence Ministry statement said. A command post in the province of Hama was also completely destroyed, it said. A command post in the province of Hama was also completely destroyed, it said.

Russian Air Force Destroys ISIL Command Center, Training Camp in Syria
Sputnik News - The Russian Air Force’s Su-34 Fullback strike fighters have destroyed an Islamic State command center and training camp, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Gen.-Maj. Igor Konashenkov said Friday. “On October 1, Su-34s conducted strikes on an Islamic State training camp near the populated region of Mahdan-Jadid as well as against a covert command center near Qasert-Faraj to the southwest of Raqqa,” Konashenkov told journalists.

From Syria To Asia To Russia – Terror Network Organized By NATO and Turkey
Brandon Turbeville - Uyghur Terror Networks Span Continents, Have Root In Turkey and NATO. With the possible entrance of China into the Syrian crisis, a spate of recent articles has appeared in various media outlets discussing the importance of Uyghur terrorism in China and the effect those acts may have on its decision whether or not to truly commit troops or other means of assistance to the Syrian government. These discussions, however, have typically been superfluous and tangential, rarely attributing the importance of the connections between the Syrian crisis and the Xinjang Uyghur separatist movement. While many might suspect at first glance that the two crises are unrelated, the fact is that the same powers that control the savages raping and beheading their way across Syria also control the Uyghur “separatists” wreaking havoc in Xinjang China.

Putin: Claims Russian jets killed civilians in Syria emerged before airstrikes started
RT - Reports of alleged casualties among civilians caused by Russian airstrikes in Syria emerged even before Russian warplanes were launched for their first combat mission, President Vladimir Putin said, branding such reports 'information attacks.' “Other nations have been bombing Syrian territory for over a year,” Putin told the Russian human rights council on Thursday, stressing that the US-led coalition invades the Syrian airspace with no UN mandate or invitation from Damascus. “We have such an invitation and we intend to fight against terrorist organizations and them only,” Putin added.

Russian air strikes in Syria: Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson admits groups other than Isis being targeted
Independent - A second day of bombing on Thursday has reportedly hit areas held by other Islamist groups. Vladimir Putin’s official spokesperson said that “well known” militant groups were in its sights but did not name individual organisations. “These organisations (on the target list) are well-known and the targets are chosen in coordination with the armed forces of Syria,” Dmitry Peskov said.

ALL OUT WAR: Iranian Troops To Conduct Ground Attacks In Syria
Steve Watson - Iran has dispatched hundreds of ground troops to syria to fight alongside the forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. A full scale war is unfolding in Syria, with a ground offensive being planned to coincide with Russian air strikes, according to Lebanese sources. “The (Russian) air strikes will in the near future be accompanied by ground advances by the Syrian army and its allies,” one of the sources told Reuters. “It is possible that the coming land operations will be focused in the Idlib and Hama countryside,” the source added. Lebanese Hezbollah troops will also join the Iranian forces, the sources note, as well as Iraqis.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

Reports: UCC Shooter Asked Victims Their Religion, Then Killed The Christians
Truth Revolt - Douglas County’s News Review newspaper reports that the gunman in todays mass shooting in Oregon was asking people their religion before shooting them. According to at least one unconfirmed account, the shooter then targeted those who had answered Christian by shooting them in the head, shooting those who answered otherwise in the legs. From the News Review report: Kortney Moore, 18, from Rogue River, was in her Writing 115 class in Snyder Hall when one shot came through a window. She saw her teacher get shot in the head. The shooter was inside at that point, and he told people to get on the ground. The shooter was asking people to stand up and state their religion and then started firing away, Moore said. Moore was lying there with people who had been shot. From Twitter, one person claims her grandmother was on scene and witnessed the same, adding the detail about the targeting of Christians.

ATF Officer Snaps at Son’s Football Game, Assaults Man Pulls Gun On Bystanders
The Free Thought Project - ATF Agent Marc Delpit is now facing an aggravated assault charge after he beat up a man at his son’s football game and pulled a gun on a crowd of bystanders during the struggle. Delpit claimed that the man and the crowd had threatened him and that he was defending himself, but obviously the crowd of parents saw things differently. According to Houston Police spokesman Kese Smith, a number of witnesses who saw the incident say that it was Delpit who started the fight, punching the other man and knocking him to the ground before the scuffle began. Both of the men are reportedly fathers of football players at St. Thomas High School and witnesses say they became belligerent with each other around halftime.

McCain: Arm Syrian Rebels to Shoot Down Russian Planes
Paul Joseph Watson - Senator John McCain reacted to Russia’s announcement that it had begun launching air strikes targeting ISIS militants in Syria by calling on the White House to arm Syrian rebels with weapons to shoot down Russian planes.McCain initially responded to Fox News host Neil Cavuto’s question about whether he would shoot down Russian planes by saying no, but then went on to assert that he would arm Syrian rebels to carry out that very same task.
“I might do what we did in Afghanistan many years ago, to give those guys the ability to shoot down those planes, that equipment is available,” said McCain, adding that the Free Syrian Army would shoot down the planes, “just like the Afghans shot down Russian planes after Russia invaded Afghanistan.”

Media Caught Distorting President Putin’s Speech (Video)
Infowars - Russia has proceeded to launch air strikes on ISIS in Syria. But at the U.N. General Assembly on Monday, the country’s leader, Vladimir Putin, highlighted how the US and western allies have knowingly perpetuated the existence of Islamic radicals, all while purporting to fight global terrorism. Infowars analyzes the translation of Putin’s speech as it aired live on networks to see if crucial information was left out which might have affected the narrative. Last year, on October 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin also flatly expressed before an assembly at the Valdai International Discussion Club, in Sochi, Russia, that the Obama administration was responsible for arming the Syrians fighting against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces and responsible for creating the political climate that facilitated the region’s destabilization...

13 Killed in Shooting at Oregon's Umpqua Community College
NBC News - Thirteen people were dead and more than about 20 others were injured after a gunman opened fire Thursday morning on the campus of Umpqua Community College in southwest Oregon, authorities told NBC News. It wasn't immediately known whether the gunman was among the dead after the shooting near Roseburg, which was called in at 10:38 a.m. (1:38 p.m. ET), officials said. State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum told NBC News simply that he had been "neutralized." Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg said it was treating nine patients, with three more expected. Sacred Heart General Hospital in Eugene, a major trauma center, told NBC News it was expecting three patients by helicopter. Students and faculty were being bused to the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
* Related: Ten federal agents and a therapy dog are already en route to Oregon mass-shooting site; Sandy Hook invoked

As Many As 80 Conservatives To Meet With, Vet Candidates For Speaker Of The House
Breitbart - From 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. next Tuesday evening, the Conservative Opportunity Society, House Freedom Caucus, House Tea Party Caucus, and House Liberty Caucus will join forces to hold a members-only meeting after votes to vet the two different candidates for Speaker of the House. The two candidates for Speaker are current House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) , a reformer who served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and ran, nearly successfully, against outgoing House Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) at the beginning of this Congress.

Valerie Jarrett Throws Hillary Under the Bus on Email Scandal
Breitbart - Obama White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett threw Hillary Clinton under the bus Wednesday at the Washington Ideas Forum, where she told interviewer Andrea Mitchell that the White House gave Clinton guidance forbidding her from using private email. “Yes, there were. Yeah, absolutely,” Jarrett said when asked if the White House sent guidance to Cabinet secretaries about not using private email. “Obviously we want to make sure that we preserve all government records, and so there was guidance given that government business should be done on government emails and that if you did use a private email that it should be turned over.”

House Votes To Defund Planned Parenthood
Steve Watson - The House of Representatives has voted to defund abortion giant Planned Parenthood for the second time in a month. Representatives voted 241 to 185 for legislation that would see the organization defunded, while the investigation into the purported sale of aborted tissue and organs continues. All in all, 238 Republicans and 3 Democrats voted for the bill, which states that Planned Parenthood will be defunded should it continue to carry out abortions.... The legislation also outlines that funds will be diverted to other women’s health clinics that do not carry out abortions.

Pelosi Stumped When Asked Whether Babies are Humans
Adan Salazar - Minority House leader Nancy Pelosi’s latest shill for Planned Parenthood’s abortion industry, in the face of illegal baby organ harvesting and trafficking allegations, came suddenly when asked by a reporter if she regards a baby with a liver and a heart as a “human being.” “In reference to funding for Planned Parenthood: Is an unborn baby with a human heart and a human liver a human being?” a reporter for CNS News asked Pelosi at a press conference today. After squirming, the Democrat leader, who was apparently unfamiliar with the reporter, answers she would not be taking “ideological questions,” and states the fact that she has five children meant she somehow “know[s] more about this subject than you.” From CNS News...

Election News

Fiorina: US Should Secure No-Fly Zone Around US Backed Anti-Assad Rebels, ‘Be Prepared’ To Use Force (Video)
Breitbart - Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina argued the US should “secure a no-fly zone around anti-Assad rebel forces that we’re supporting” and “be prepared” to use force against Russia if need be on Wednesday’s “Hannity” on the Fox News Channel.... "...Here’s what we need to do immediately, I believe. First, not only can we not withdraw our air support, but I believe we must tell the Russians that we will conduct — we will secure a no-fly zone around anti-Assad rebel forces that we’re supporting. This is a tricky maneuver, it’s a dangerous maneuver, but it’s a maneuver that we must undertake, because we must make it crystal clear to Russia that they do not get to move into the Middle East, and become the dominant outside power, which is clearly their intention.” When asked if these means the US might use force against Russian aircraft, Fiorina answered, “Well, hopefully not. hopefully, if we are signaling clearly to the Russians our intention, it will not come to that. But if it does come to that, I think we must be prepared.

Marco Rubio Fails To Support Single GOP Immigration Enforcement Bill
Breitbart - The United States is being deluged with illegal immigrants, spurred on by the hope of amnesty. In response, conservative lawmakers have introduced a wide array of legislative proposals to clamp down on illegal immigration. ...despite Sen. Marco Rubio’s campaign rhetoric, the presidential hopeful hasn’t cosponsored a single one of these immigration enforcement proposals, nor introduced any of his own in the two years since he was the very public face of the Gang of Eight in the Senate.... Instead, while the Senator has left his conservative colleagues’ enforcement proposals out to dry — helping give space to Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell Rubio has introduced and sponsored measures designed to expand immigration into the United States.

Poll: Donald Trump Still Leads Presidential Field, Rubio Rises to Second
A new YouGov/Economist poll of Republican voters shows that Donald Trump is leading the presidential field, but that Sen. Marco Rubio has jumped up into second place, followed closely by Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson.... Here is how each candidate fared in the recent poll...

CNN Alters Democratic Debate Criteria to Expand Stage, Allow Last-Minute Biden...
Truth in Media - CNN has finalized the criteria for its October 13 Democratic presidential debate, allowing all three announced low-polling candidates to face off against Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. The rules have also been adjusted in such a way that potential candidate Joe Biden would qualify for the debate even if he waited until the day of the event to announce his candidacy.

Economy & Business

"There Are Five Times More Claims On Dollars As Dollars In Existence" - Why This Matters
Zero Hedge - According to the Fed, there is about $60 trillion of US Dollar credit or claims for US dollars. Also according to the Fed, there are about $12 trillion US dollars. So, the data show plainly there are five times as many claims for US dollars as US dollars in existence.... Not only is there not enough money to repay outstanding debt; the widening gap between credit and money is making it more difficult to service the debt and more difficult for nominal US GDP to grow through further credit extension and debt assumption... Principal and interest payments cannot be made with widgets or labor, only dollars. This means that future demand and output growth generated through more credit issuance and debt assumption is self-defeating. In fact, it adds to the problem.

If You Work Here, Quit Before You Are Fired: The 20 Largest US Layoff Announcements Of 2015
Zero Hedge - For those eager to push aside the endless government propaganda and concerned about the rapidly deteriorating economy, here is a list of the Top 20 biggest private-sector job cut announcements of 2015. Our advice: for anyone who is still employed at any of the following corporations, if you can find a job elsewhere (because the "recovery" and all), do it before you too become a seasonally-adjusted pink-slip.

No fracking way: Judge blocks Obama admin’s new energy regulations
RT - The preliminary injunction was issued by Judge Scott Skavdahl of the US District Court of Wyoming, who ruled that the department responsible for the new fracking regulations, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), does not actually have the authority to implement them. Congress has not authorized or delegated to the BLM authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing and, under our constitutional structure, it is only through congressional action that the BLM can acquire this authority,” the judge wrote in a 54-page decision. The BLM rules were intended to govern fracking operations on federal land in order to ensure that the oil and gas exploration process does not contaminate water sources. They also required energy companies to inform the public about what kind of chemicals they used during their fracking operations.

Veteran News

Vets outraged: Hillary says it DISHONORS military to hold her accountable for Benghazi
BizPac Review - Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton took offense to remarks by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy that the ongoing House select committee investigation into the Benghazi attacks is hurting her campaign, and used members of the U.S. military as political pawns in disparaging the probe. Clinton appeared Wednesday on MSNBC’s “PoliticsNation” and told host Al Sharpton that McCarthy’s comment “demonstrates unequivocally that this was always meant to be a partisan political exercise.” She then claimed the pursuit for answers to why four Americans died in the attack is somehow an affront not only to those who lost their lives, but to all members of the military. “I feel like it does a grave disservice and dishonors not just the memory of the four that we lost, but of everybody who has served our country,” Clinton said. But veterans weren’t buying the political spin that it’s disrespectful to expect Clinton to answer for her role in Benghazi.

Chia Chunks Pet Treat Recipe : Craveable Superfood for Your Cat and Dog
Dr. Becker - Chia seeds are high in protein and contain an impressive amount of plant-based omega-3 fats, or alpha-linolenic acid (ALA; chia seeds are up to 40 percent oil, with 60 percent comprised of omega-3).... Chia seeds are also rich in valuable amino acids, antioxidants, fiber, and flavonoids, along with nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and niacin. Further, they're a rich source of the phytochemicals myricetin, quercetin, and kaempferol, which are known for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties.... So even the sprinkling of seeds found in these Chia Chunks treats will add meaningful nutrition to your pet's diet. One caveat to be aware of… chia seeds take on a gelatinous texture when they're mixed with water. This isn't an issue for this particular recipe, since the seeds are kept dry and baked. However, if you mix chia seeds with water or a wet pet food, be mindful when feeding it to your pet (an overabundance of the seeds could potentially lead to choking).

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Thursday - October 1, 2015 - Today in History:

1800 - Spain ceded the territory of Louisiana back to France. Later the property would be purchased by the U.S. effectively doubling its size.
1885 - Special delivery mail service began in the United States. The first routes were in West Virginia.
1890 - The U.S. Congress passed the McKinley Tariff Act. The act raised tariffs to a record level.
1896 - Rural Free Delivery was established by the U.S. Post Office.
1908 - The Model T automobile was introduced by Henry Ford. The purchase price of the car was $850.
1940 - The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened as the first toll superhighway in the United States.
1943 - Naples was captured by the Allied forces during World War II.
1946 - The International War Crimes Tribunal in Nuremberg sentenced 12 Nazi officials to death. 7 others were sentenced to prison terms and 3 were acquitted.
1964 - The Free Speech Movement was started at the University of California at Berkeley.
1972 - The Chinese government approved friendly relations with the United States.
1979 - The United States handed control of the Canal Zone over to Panama.
1988 - Mikhail Gorbachev assumed the Soviet presidency.
1989 - 7,000 East Germans were welcomed into West Germany after they were allowed to leave by the communist government.
1990 - U.S. President George H.W. Bush addressed the U.N. General Assembly and once again condemned Iraq's takeover of Kuwait.
1991 - U.S. President Bush condemned the military coup in Haiti that removed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from power. U.S. economic and military aid was suspended.
1992 - The Strategic Arm Reduction Treaty was approved by the U.S. Senate.
1995 - Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman and nine other defendants were convicted in New York of conspiring to attack the U.S. through bombings, kidnappings and assassinations.
1998 - The U.S. government posted a $2.2 million reward for the capture of Augustin Vasquez Mendoza. He is accused of killing an undercover U.S. agent during a drug purchase in 1994.
2001 - San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to ban Internet filters designed to keep pornography away from children at city libraries. The board left the decision up to the Library Commission to decide whether to install filtering software in children's areas. A federal law in the U.S. mandated the use of the filters.
2009 - In the United Arab Emirates, the exterior construction of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper was completed.

World News

Putin Says Russian Engagement in Syria ‘Temporary’
Sputnik News - Speaking at a meeting with cabinet members the Russian president said the only way to fight international terrorism in Syria was acting pre-emptively, destroying terrorists in the areas they have already occupied. Russia’s engagement in the Syrian military conflict is “temporary”, president Vladimir Putin said Wednesday during a meeting with cabinet members. “Russia is not planning to go headfirst into the Syrian conflict”, he said. The only way to battle terrorism is through pre-emption and by targeting occupied territories, he is quoted as saying.”The only true way to combat international terrorism — and those fighting in Syria and its neighboring countries are just that, international terrorists — is through pre-emption, and fighting and destroying insurgents in territories that are already occupied, instead of waiting for them to come to our house,” Putin said at a meeting with government officials. The president noted that Russia believes the fight against terrorism must be carried out in line with an international plan.

8 ISIS targets hit during 20 combat flights in Syria – Russian military
RT - Russia has struck eight Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) targets in Syria, the country’s Defense Ministry said, adding that "civilian infrastructure" was avoided during the operations. “Today, Russian aerospace force jets delivered pinpoint strikes on eight ISIS terror group targets in Syria. In total, 20 flights were made,” spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Konashenkov, said. “As a result, arms and fuel depots and military equipment were hit. ISIS coordination centers in the mountains were totally destroyed,” he added. Konashenkov said that all the flights took place after air surveillance and careful verification of the data provided by the Syrian military. He stressed that Russian jets did not target any civilian infrastructure and avoided these territories. “Russian jets did not use weapons on civilian infrastructure or in its vicinity,” he said.
* Related: Combat cam footage shows Russian planes hitting ISIS targets

Russian anti-terror op in Syria Live updates
RT - The Russian military has launched airstrikes against Islamic State militant targets in Syria. The move was approved after a request from President Bashar Assad to Vladimir Putin, who has also expressed concern about the number of Russian extremists in the country.

Propaganda War Begins: Russia's Syria Strikes Targeted US-Backed "Moderate" Rebels, West Says
Zero Hedge - With the US having officially lost control of the narrative in Syria now that The Kremlin has called Washington’s bluff on the battle to eradicate ISIS and eliminate the Sunni extremist elements that threaten to wrest control of Syria from President Bashar al-Assad, the only remaining question after Russian lawmakers officially cleared the way for airstrikes was how long it would be before the Western media began shouting about Russian warplanes bombing targets that aren’t affiliated with ISIS. As we reported earlier today, Moscow wasted no time in launching its first round of air raids. In turn, the West wasted no time in contending that Russia is targeting areas that aren’t known to be strategically significant for ISIS. Here’s a look at two headlines which do a nice job of summarizing all of the rhetoric which you’re about to hear emanating ceaselessly from every corner of the Western world in the coming days and weeks...

U.S. Bombs Somehow Keep Falling in the Places Where Obama "Ended Two Wars"
The Intercept - Whatever else one wants to say about Iraq and Afghanistan, one cannot honestly say that Obama ended the wars in those countries. The U.S. continues to drop bombs on both, deploys soldiers in both, kills civilians in both, and engages in a wide range of overt and covert force, all without a shred of Congressional approval.

‘Day of hope’: Abbas calls for full UN membership as Palestine flag flies at HQ for 1st time (VIDEO)
RT - The flag of Palestine has been raised at the UN headquarters, joining those of member states and marking a “proud day” for all Palestinian people, according to President Mahmoud Abbas, who addressed the General Assembly with a request for a full membership. The Palestinian flag was raised at the United Nations headquarters in New York in a symbolic gesture, which the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called an “important” one.... Hundreds of the world’s top politicians, diplomats and journalists attended the ceremony, agreed upon by the UN General Assembly earlier in September. However, the move was not welcomed by Israel and the US, who voted against the resolution.

China Bought Gold With Proceeds From Record Sale Of US Treasurys
Zero Hedge - Overnight we got a second confirmation of China's golden appetite, when the PBOC announced that China's official gold holdings had risen again in August, increasing by 520,000 troy ounces, or 16.2 tons (which is more than 3 times the entire registered gold inventory in the Comex vault system), and bringing the new total to 54.5 million ounces, or 1,694 tons of gold. In dollar terms, Chinese gold holdings rose from $59.2 billion at the end of July to $61.8 billion. The punchline: in a month in which China sold a record $107 billion notional in Treasurys, it had no qualms about rotating the sale proceeds into gold. ... even as China is "buying" gold, it is still doing so at half the pace of neighbor Russia, which as reported several days ago added 1,000,000 ounces or about 31 tons in the same month, bringing its total to 42.4 million ounces, or 78% of China's holdings.

Slovenia and Serbia Give Green Light to GM Crop Bans
Sustainable Pulse - The Slovenian Government Committee for Economic Affairs has allowed the country to send an official request to the European Commission for the banning of GM crops. The Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food will now send an official request to ban the cultivation of eight GM varieties to the European Commission before the deadline of 3 October 2015. Slovenian Agriculture Minister Dejan Zidan stated; “…the government adopted the decision for a request for the exclusion of the entire geographical territory of Slovenia for GM maize to the EU, including the already registered variety MON 810 and seven other varieties which are in the process of registration with the European Commission. This allows me to formally to send the request as the Ministry of Agriculture in accordance with the law for the exclusion of Slovenia with the regards to the cultivation of GM maize.”

U.S. News, Politics & Government

US Military Faces $38Bln Shortfall Covering Operational Costs
Sputnik News - The continuing financing of all US military operations by continuing resolution and not through a proper budget is generating a $38 billion deficit, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in a press briefing on Wednesday. President Barack Obama has made clear he is prepared to veto the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, a course of action Carter said he supported, and that he had a recommended to the president. "Making these kinds of cuts is dangerous for our strategy and frankly its embarrassing in the eyes of the world. The world has not stood still. Russia and China have enhanced their capabilities." The US Department of Defense has had to function under seven years off financing by continuing resolutions, "eventually resulting in a $38 billion deficit," he warned.

Invincible Saudi Prince: Kidnapped, Beat, Raped 3 Women in Beverly Hills Compound, US Lets Him Go. Won't even release his picture
BlackListed News - On the 23rd of September, a servant employed at a Beverly Hills mansion compound saw a woman screaming for help while desperately trying to climb the tall wall surrounding the $37 million estate. She was bleeding and had just been raped by 28 year old Saudi prince; Majed Abdulaziz al-Saud, the Times reported. She was only the latest of his several victims, who have now come forward. The servant who came to the brutalized woman’s rescue lived and worked within the compound. The police were called and the prince, who had been renting the mansion, was arrested. The accused prince, a lower-ranking member of the House of Saud, does not have diplomatic immunity and can thus be legally tried for his crimes. He was set to appear in court on October 19th. Yet, despite his status as a non-national and being the very definition of a high flight risk, he was quickly released by the Beverly Hills, California police on a $300,000 bail; a paltry sum for a prince. He has apparently now fled and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

Pentagon's Top Russian Military Official Resigns
Sputnik News - Evelyn Farkas, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, is leaving her post after five years with the Defense Department, a senior defense official confirmed to Politico. "She has advised three secretaries of defense on Russia policy, providing steady counsel on how the US should respond to Russia's aggressive actions and has been deeply involved in securing $244 million in support for Ukraine," the senior official said.... Farkas' resignation comes at a time when President Barack Obama's national security team is divided over how to respond to Ukraine's requests for lethal aid in response to what Washington believes is Russian aggression.

Kerry to Explain Syria Strategy to US Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Sputnik News - The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will conduct a series of hearings over the next several weeks on the US role and strategy in the Middle East, the statement noted. "The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has requested Secretary of State John Kerry testify next week to explain the administration’s Syria strategy to Congress and the American people," Corker, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, stated on Wednesday. Corker claimed the failure to respond effectively to the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II caused by the conflict in Syria was blight on the United States and the European Union member states.

Obama authorizes $20mn in 'non-lethal' military aid and training for Ukraine regime
RT - One day after Ukraine announced that US instructors would start training the country's special forces, President Obama has authorized the provision of up to $20 million to Ukraine via the State Department to fund training and other similar activities. The announcement of additional funds allocated for the training of Ukrainian troops follows a statement by President [sic] Petro Poroshenko, who said that American instructors will start training Ukrainian special-operations troops [war criminals] this November. "We have agreed that the best US instructors will finally start training the Ukrainian special forces, our special-operations troops, starting from November," Poroshenko said in New York after meeting representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora living in the US.

New Patch for U.S. Troops Fighting ISIS… Looks Like ISIS Logo
Mac Slavo - Believe it or not, American soldiers fighting against ISIS in Syria and Iraq will actually be wearing the emblem of ISIS – the infamous crossed-swords logo. Well, almost. Controversy has stirred because many think the patch looks too much like our boys are fighting for the enemy… just another sign of confusion about the counterproductive Obama-led war against the notorious and shamefully exploitative jihadist army. The Military Times noted that: “A combat patch worn by U.S. soldiers who served in Iraq on the mission against Islamic State is drawing flak from service members and veterans who say the patch — with its palm wreath, stars and crossed scimitars — looks like something the enemy would wear."

House Benghazi Committee Sets Record as Longest-Lasting Special Congressional Investigation
AllGov - “The [Benghazi] committee has squandered the last 16 months and more than 4.5 million taxpayer dollars dredging up political attacks to impact the 2016 presidential election—a severe misuse of taxpayer funds..." said the committee's top Democrat, Rep, Elijah Cummings. "The committee has turned into a political punchline. Sadly, that comes at the expense of being taken seriously and being able to take effective, bipartisan actions to improve the security of our diplomats abroad.”

Planned Parenthood Pres: ‘We Do Not Have Mammogram Machines At Our Health Centers’
Breitbart - Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards stated “we do not have mammogram machines at our health centers” and “if you need a mammogram, you’re referred to a radiological clinic, and that’s what we do at Planned Parenthood” during testimony before Congress on Tuesday.

Economy & Business

VIDEO: Congress Passes Spending Plan Hours Before Shutdown Deadline
Bloomberg - Congress passed a stopgap U.S. government spending bill hours before a shutdown deadline Wednesday, a temporary win that provides no road map for how deeply divided lawmakers will handle their next must-do priorities. The 277-151 House vote, after Senate passage earlier in the day, sends the measure to President Barack Obama before current funding was due to expire at midnight. Democrats helped House Republicans quash an effort by conservative Republicans to remove funding for Planned Parenthood from the bill... The spending measure provides only a temporary solution by funding the government through Dec. 11, when conservatives will another opportunity to try to defund Planned Parenthood, the women’s reproductive health-care service. Before then, Congress also must replenish federal highway funding and raise the debt limit.

80% Of All New Home Buyers In Irvine Are Chinese
Zero Hedge - "We are seeing more globalization as Southern California has become a destination for international buyers," said Mark Hughes, chief operating officer with First Team Real Estate, covering the Southern California market. "Eighty percent of new construction in Irvine last year was sold to Chinese buyers. International buyers are driving home prices up and sometimes out of reach for many local residents."

Obama’s EPA Warns Sunlight Dangerous to Plants
Mikael Thalen - The US Environmental Protection Agency warned against the danger posed to plant life by “sunny days” Tuesday in a highly criticized post on Twitter. As the Obama administration prepares to finalize strict new rules regarding ground-level ozone this week, the EPA has taken to social media to point out the scourge of sunlight on foliage and trees.
“Think sunny days are good for plants? Not always,” the agency tweeted. “Sunlight causes ozone to form, which harms foliage, weakens trees.” A link sent out with the tweet, likely aimed at explaining the harmful effects of sunlight on plant life, redirects users to a dead page on the EPA website. Twitter users, noticing the absurdity in the EPA highlighting the alleged danger of sunlight as the world faces numerous legitimate environmental issues, mercilessly mocked the agency in response.

Fairbanks, Alaska Sees Record September Daily Snow; Thousands Without Power, Trees Downed
Weather.com - For the second time in less than a week, Fairbanks, Alaska, was blanketed with heavy snow. This time, it was a record-breaker. Officially, 11.2 inches of snow blanketed Fairbanks International Airport Tuesday, setting an all-time September daily snow record, previously 7.8 inches on Sep. 13, 1992. This also topped the previous record for any 24-hour September snowfall of 9 inches in 1992, according to Rick Thoman from the National Weather Service in Fairbanks. Records in Fairbanks date to 1904. Golden Valley Electric Agency reported an estimated 7,000-9,000 customers without power as of early Wednesday morning in Fairbanks and in nearby areas. This was down from a peak of about 13,000 customers Tuesday evening, or roughly 30 percent of their total customers.... NWS-Fairbanks reported up to 17 inches of snow had accumulated in the Fairbanks area as of early Wednesday morning, with numerous reports of fallen trees.

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