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<p>By Mark Berman / The Washington Post</p>
<p>Investigators photograph the scene where a police officer shot and killed 32-year-old Philando Castile near Falcon Heights, Minn., on July 6, 2016. ( <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Philando_Castile#/media/File:Philando_Castile_-_Falcon_Heights_Police_Shooting_(27537803563).jpg" type="external">Wikimedia Commons</a>)</p>
<p>The Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop was acquitted on all charges by a jury Friday, a decision that came nearly a year after the encounter was partially streamed online before a rapt nation in the midst of a painful reckoning over shootings by law enforcement.</p>
<p />
<p>Officer Jeronimo Yanez pulled over Castile in Falcon Heights, a suburb near Minneapolis and St. Paul, and the officer later said he thought Castile matched the description of a suspect in a recent robbery. The stop quickly escalated. Yanez fired into the car, saying later he thought Castile was going for his gun, something disputed by Castile’s girlfriend, who began filming the aftermath with her phone.</p>
<p>The jurors in the case had been deliberating since Monday, and the verdict was announced on Friday afternoon after about 27 total hours of deliberation, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.</p>
<p>Prosecutors charged Yanez with second-degree manslaughter in November, a felony, saying that “no reasonable officer” would have used deadly force in the same situation. He was also charged with two felony counts for intentionally discharging the gun.</p>
<p>During the trial, jurors heard testimony from dozens of witnesses, including Yanez, a police officer with St. Anthony, who cried on the stand while saying he did not want to shoot Castile.</p>
<p>During his testimony, Yanez reiterated what he told investigators who probed the shooting, saying he thought his life was in danger at the time. Attorneys for Yanez have argued that Castile caused his own death because of his actions during the traffic stop.</p>
<p>Castile was one of 963 people who police officers fatally shot last year, according to a Washington Post database tracking such shootings. The fatal encounter in Minnesota was among the most high-profile last year because Diamond Reynolds, Castile’s girlfriend, broadcast the moments after Castile’s shooting on Facebook Live, graphic footage that quickly spread online and drew international attention to the Twin Cities suburbs.</p>
<p>The shooting on July 6, 2016, became part of an ongoing debate over how law enforcement officers use deadly force, particularly toward black men and boys, and it came during a particularly frenzied period that also saw a controversial shooting in Baton Rouge and an ambush that killed five police officers in Dallas.</p>
<p>In Minnesota, Reynolds calmly documented what happened after Yanez shot Castile, 32, a popular cafeteria worker at a local school. She explained into her phone that Castile was licensed to carry a firearm, and that he had told the officer that before reaching for his wallet.</p>
<p>According to a complaint filed in Minnesota state court, police car audio and video recordings show that the gunfire erupted just a minute after Castile stopped his car.</p>
<p>Yanez approached the car window and asked Castile for his license and proof of insurance, which the driver handed over, the complaint states. Castile also told Yanez he had a firearm on him, and seconds later, the officer told the driver not to pull out the gun. Castile said he was not taking out the gun, which Reynolds echoed. Yanez screamed, “Don’t pull it out” and pulled his own gun out, firing seven shots at Castile, the complaint states.</p>
<p>The complaint then shifts to quoting from Reynolds’s Facebook video, saying that the footage “begins immediately after the shooting and while Yanez had his gun drawn and pointed toward the mortally wounded Castile.” Reynolds says in the footage that Castile was trying to get his ID out before the officer opened fire.</p>
<p>“Stay with me,” she said. She added: “They just killed my boyfriend.”</p>
<p>When Yanez spoke to state investigators a day after the shooting, he told them he was “in fear for my life and my partner’s life.” Yanez told them that he thought Castile was reaching for the gun.</p>
<p>“I thought I was gonna die,” he told investigators, according to the complaint.</p>
<p>Yanez and his partner, Officer Joseph Kauser, worked for the St. Anthony Police Department, another city in the area. They were both considered model students before receiving their degrees in law enforcement in 2010. Both officers were put on leave after the shooting. Authorities did not charge Kauser, saying that he did not touch or remove his gun during the shooting.</p>
<p>During the trial, Kauser defended Yanez, his former partner.</p>
<p>“I think he followed protocol,” testified Kauser, who has since switched departments, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “I trust him as a partner, and he did what he’s supposed to do in that situation.”</p>
<p>Prosecutors also charged Yanez with endangering the lives of Reynolds and her 4-year-old daughter, who was also riding in the car that night.</p>
<p>“No reasonable officer knowing, seeing and hearing what Officer Yanez did at the time would have used deadly force under these circumstances,” Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said when announcing the charges last year. “I have given Officer Yanez every benefit of the doubt on his use of deadly force, but I cannot allow the death of a motorist who was lawfully carrying a firearm under these facts and circumstances to go unaccounted for.”</p>
<p>According to the complaint, one of Yanez’s bullets went through the driver’s seat and hit the backseat. Reynolds’s daughter was sitting in a car seat on the other side of the car. Another bullet hit the armrest between Castile and Reynolds, the complaint stated.</p>
<p>Yanoz pulled over Castile after seeing him driving and saying he looked like a suspect in a convenience store robbery that had occurred days earlier. Authorities later said Castile was not a suspect in that robbery.</p>
<p>Castile was killed during an intense three-day eruption of violence last summer. A day earlier, an officer in Baton Rouge shot and killed Alton Sterling, another encounter captured on a video that quickly went viral. Castile’s death, like Sterling’s, set off protests across the country.</p>
<p>At one of these protests taking place a day after Castile was shot, a lone attacker in Dallas opened fire on police officers, killing five and wounding several others in the deadliest single day for law enforcement since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The attacker in Dallas told police he was angered by the shootings of Castile and Sterling, authorities said.</p>
<p>Officers are rarely charged for fatal on-duty shootings. Yanez is the first officer in Minnesota charged for an on-duty shooting since at least 2005, according to Philip M. Stinson, a criminologist at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, who studies arrests of officers and has kept data since that year.</p>
<p>Earlier this week, the trial began for a former Milwaukee police officer charged with homicide for a fatal shooting last year that set off violent unrest there.</p>
<p>Convictions in such cases are even rarer than prosecutions. In Baltimore, six police officers were charged in the 2015 death of Freddie Gray, but after three officers were found not guilty in separate trials, prosecutors last summer dropped charges against the remaining officers still facing trial.</p>
<p>Mistrials were declared last year in two other trials centered on high-profile police shootings that, like Castile’s death, followed traffic stops and included recordings that were widely shared.</p>
<p>In South Carolina, jurors deadlocked in the case of Michael Slager, a former police officer who fatally shot Walter Scott, a fleeing driver in North Charleston. State prosecutors had vowed to try him again, but Slager pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights charge this year, resolving both cases.</p>
<p>Jurors in Ohio also deadlocked during the first prosecution of Raymond Tensing, a former University of Cincinnati officer who shot Samuel DuBose during an off-campus stop. Prosecutors sought another trial, which began earlier this month.</p>
<p>Truthdig editor’s note: After Friday’s verdict was handed down, St. Anthony, Minn., <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/minnesota-officer-found-guilty-fatal-shooting-philando-castile/story?id=48003144" type="external">fired Jeronimo Yanez</a>, saying the “public will be best served if Officer Yanez is no longer a police officer in our city.” Authorities said the city will offer him a “voluntary separation agreement,” the terms of which were not disclosed.</p> | Police Officer Who Fatally Shot Philando Castile During Traffic Stop Is Acquitted | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/police-officer-who-fatally-shot-philando-castile-during-traffic-stop-is-acquitted/ | 2017-06-17 | 4 |
<p>Pekic/Getty</p>
<p>When Donald Trump accepted the Republican nomination for president, it was&#160;just&#160;weeks after the Pulse nightclub shooting, in which <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/14/latino-hispanic-orlando-shooting-victims" type="external">49 people</a> were killed in a terrorist attack during&#160;the Orlando&#160;gay club’s Latin night.&#160;He decried “Islamic terrorism” and told the convention crowd,&#160;“I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology.”</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, after the shooting, many people presented viewpoints in <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/orlando-shooting-pulse-nightclub-muslims-condemn-attack/" type="external">direct contradiction</a> with Trump’s speech. Now&#160;there’s&#160;new data to&#160;back them up. A recent Pew <a href="http://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/findings-from-pew-research-centers-2017-survey-of-us-muslims/" type="external">study</a>&#160;looking at <a href="http://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/findings-from-pew-research-centers-2017-survey-of-us-muslims/" type="external">life for</a>&#160;Muslim&#160;Americans in&#160;the early days of the Trump presidency finds that&#160;the group is&#160;nearly 20 percent more likely than the general population to say targeting and killing civilians in order to further a cause is never justifiable.&#160;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/findings-from-pew-research-centers-2017-survey-of-us-muslims/pf_2017-06-26_muslimamericans-00_new-04/" type="external" /></p>
<p>But what’s perhaps more noteworthy, particularly for Trump’s opponents, is Pew’s finding about Muslim Americans’ attitudes toward the LGBT community. Statistically, they’ve&#160;become much more&#160;accepting of LGBT people:&#160;52 percent&#160;of Muslim Americans&#160;now agree&#160;that&#160;homosexuality should be accepted by society—up from just 27 percent in 2007. And while they are not&#160;the most accepting group polled, their views have shifted&#160;toward being gay-friendly by a greater margin&#160;than any other group&#160;in the survey. White evangelical Christians&#160;remain the least accepting; the group’s views were comparable to those of Muslim Americans in 2007, with 23 percent of white evangelical Christians&#160;saying homosexuality should be accepted by society. Today only 34 percent&#160;say the same. It’s also&#160;worth highlighting that&#160;about <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/politics/pew-analysis-white-evangelicals-trump/index.html" type="external">80 percent</a> of white evangelicals who voted backed Trump, according to exit polls.&#160;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/political-and-social-views/pf_2017-06-26_muslimamericans-04new-06/" type="external" /></p>
<p>The Pew study&#160;also found that American Muslims are feeling more anxious about their place in the U.S. Half of respondents say&#160;it’s gotten harder to be a Muslim in the United States in recent years&#160;and about the same number report&#160;experiencing religious discrimination in the past year.&#160; <a href="http://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/findings-from-pew-research-centers-2017-survey-of-us-muslims/pf_2017-06-26_muslimamericans-00-13/" type="external" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.pewforum.org/2017/07/26/findings-from-pew-research-centers-2017-survey-of-us-muslims/pf_2017-06-26_muslimamericans-00-10/" type="external" /></p> | A New Poll Shows American Muslims Are Less Homophobic Than White Evangelical Christians | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2017/08/a-new-poll-shows-american-muslims-are-less-homophobic-than-white-evangelical-christians/ | 2017-08-08 | 4 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>How the House would change health care</p>
<p>On Monday, House leaders released legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act. If it passes, here’s what would change</p>
<p>—-</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>WHO WOULD BE COVERED</p>
<p>Under two plans drafted by separate House committees, the government would no longer penalize Americans for failing to have health insurance.</p>
<p>OUT: Enforcement of the individual mandate requiring coverage</p>
<p>IN: 30 percent surcharge on premiums that insurers would be able to impose on consumers who purchase a new plan after letting their previous coverage lapse – a strategy to encourage people to remain insured</p>
<p>OUT: Employer mandate on larger companies to offer affordable coverage</p>
<p>HOW THEY WOULD PAY FOR COVERAGE</p>
<p>The plans would replace federal insurance subsidies with a new form of annual individual tax credits.</p>
<p>OUT: Income-based premium subsidies to lower- and moderate-income consumers would end as of 2020.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>IN: Age- and income-based refundable tax credits</p>
<p>How the new tax credits would work</p>
<p>The new legislation would break people into five age groups, each receiving a different amount in tax credits to purchase health insurance:</p>
<p>Age Tax credit</p>
<p>20-29 $2,000</p>
<p>30 – 39 $2,500</p>
<p>40 – 49 $3,000</p>
<p>50 – 59 $3,500</p>
<p>60 and older $4,000</p>
<p>These credits begin to phase out for individuals making more than $75,000 and joint filers making over $150,000. Other restrictions include:</p>
<p>– For each $1,000 in additional income above the limits, a person would be entitled to $100 less in credit.</p>
<p>– Credits would be limited to a maximum $14,000 per family.</p>
<p>– Credits could be used for any health plan allowed in a state, including ones providing only catastrophic coverage.</p>
<p>Credits could not be used to buy health plans that cover abortion.</p>
<p>OUT: Insurers can charge older customers up to three times what they charge younger customers.</p>
<p>IN: Insurers would be able to charge older customers up to five times what they charge younger customers.</p>
<p>OUT: Individuals can contribute up to $3,400 and families up to $6,750 to pre-tax health savings accounts.</p>
<p>IN: Starting in 2018, individuals could contribute up to $6,550 and families could contribute up to $13,100 to pre-tax health savings accounts.</p>
<p>OUT: Cost-sharing subsidies, which were provided to insurers to help their ACA customers cover deductibles and co-payments (ending in 2020)</p>
<p>IN: States would receive $100 billion over 10 years through a new Patient and State Stability Fund for safety-net needs and possible “high-risk pools” for consumers with expensive medical conditions.</p>
<p>PROPOSED CHANGES TO MEDICAID</p>
<p>Here’s how the legislation would address Medicaid.</p>
<p>OUT: Medicaid as an entitlement program with open-ended, matching federal funds for anyone who qualifies</p>
<p>IN: Medicaid would be funded by giving states a per-capita amount based on how much each state was spending for the fiscal year that ended in September.</p>
<p>How Medicaid expansion would be affected</p>
<p>Under Obamacare, 31 states broadened their Medicaid programs to cover people making up to 138 percent of poverty-level income.</p>
<p>Under the GOP plans, the states would continue getting enhanced federal funding until 2020. After that, the government would keep paying 90 percent for beneficiaries already on the rolls as long as they remain eligible.</p>
<p>After 2020, new beneficiaries would be funded at a lower level.</p>
<p>OTHER KEY ELEMENTS OF THE PLANS</p>
<p>The legislation would preserve some of the most popular features of the 2010 health-care law, while targeting Planned Parenthood.</p>
<p>IN: Insurers would still be banned from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions.</p>
<p>IN: Dependents would still be able to stay on parents’ insurance plans until age 26.</p>
<p>IN: Caps on annual or lifetime coverage would still be banned.</p>
<p>IN: Insurers would still have to cover certain categories of specified benefits first covered by the ACA.</p>
<p>OUT: Planned Parenthood is eligible for Medicaid reimbursements or federal family-planning grants (but federal money cannot fund abortions)</p>
<p>IN: Planned Parenthood would face a one-year funding freeze</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>Source: The American Health Care Act, House Republican briefing.</p> | How the House Republicans’ proposed Obamacare replacement compares | false | https://abqjournal.com/964761/how-the-house-republicans-proposed-obamacare-replacement-compares.html | 2017-03-08 | 2 |
<p>You've heard about the <a href="" type="internal">$55,000 backpack</a>. Now, there's a $91,500 t-shirt. The good folks at Herm's have created a black men's crocodile top that retails for more than several years of college at a elite institution or -- as one writer put it -- "more than three or four actually quite decent cars." <a href="http://www.theawl.com/2013/03/the-most-expensive-t-shirt-in-new-york-city-costs-91500-00" type="external">The Awl's Choire Sicha</a> found the shirt at the company's Madison Avenue store, where he stealth-snapped a picture of its pricetag. "Seems like you might feel a little clammy in it?" <a href="http://www.theawl.com/2013/03/the-most-expensive-t-shirt-in-new-york-city-costs-91500-00" type="external">he wrote</a>. "Also kind of awkward to just have everyone stare at your shirt. (?Is that strange rich man wearing a crocodile?"?)?</p> | There's an Herm's T-Shirt That Costs $91,500 | true | https://thedailybeast.com/theres-an-hermes-t-shirt-that-costs-dollar91500 | 2018-10-06 | 4 |
<p>Two new ads from Senate Majority PAC wrongly claim North Carolina Senate candidate Thom Tillis “raised taxes on 80 percent of North Carolinians.” The claim is based on the Democratic super PAC’s misreading of an analysis of a 2013 Tillis-backed tax plan.</p>
<p>The ad hangs on an analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) for the left-leaning Budget and Tax Center that found the 2013 tax changes backed by House Speaker Tillis would result in the bottom 80 percent of taxpayers, on average, getting a tax increase. The report does not say all of those people would see a tax increase, and the director of the Budget and Tax Center says the ad’s blanket 80 percent claim is “not accurate.”</p>
<p>While it cannot pinpoint the percentage precisely, ITEP projects that when all elements of the 2013 changes are fully phased in, a little more than half of North Carolina’s taxpayers will see a net tax increase, albeit a small one for most. And while there are winners and losers in every income category, ITEP found, lower and moderate income groups will see an average tax increase, while those in the top 20 percent of incomes will see an average net tax decrease.</p>
<p>Pushing back against the ad, the Tillis campaign cites a seemingly conflicting analysis by Suffolk University’s Beacon Hill Institute for the conservative John Locke Foundation that, the Tillis campaign notes, concluded the reforms resulted in “tens of millions of dollars in tax cuts for every income category.”</p>
<p>We’ll get into some of the details about the two reports, and how and why they differ, but suffice to say neither report supports the ads’ claim about the 2013 tax cuts resulting in a tax hike for 80 percent of North Carolinians.</p>
<p>Fresh off his tightly contested victory in the Republican primary, Tillis will now seek to unseat Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan in the November general election. Recent <a href="http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2014/05/hagan-tillis-continue-to-be-locked-in-toss-up.html" type="external">polls</a> show the two locked in a tight contest, with Libertarian candidate Sean Haugh also getting double-digit support.</p>
<p>The 80 Percent Fallacy</p>
<p>The first ad from&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Senate Majority PAC</a>, a Democratic super PAC, features a woman reporting “undercover” as Tillis delivers his primary victory speech.</p>
<p>&lt;iframe style="width: 500px; height:300px;" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen src="https://video.factcheck.org/play/eea46632537"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</p>
<p>“He’s up there right now making big promises,” the woman whispers from the back of the room. “But take a closer look.”</p>
<p>Then a narrator cuts in, saying, “Speaker Tillis gave tax cuts to the wealthy and big corporations; even kept breaks for private jets and yachts. He raised taxes on 80 percent of North Carolinians.”</p>
<p>The ad concludes with the woman, again whispering as Tillis delivers a speech in the background, “Thom Tillis says he’s up there for you, but he’ll cost North Carolina families big time.”</p>
<p>Another ad from Senate Majority PAC features a more straightforward attack on Tillis for the same tax plan.</p>
<p>&lt;iframe style="width: 500px; height:300px;" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen src="https://video.factcheck.org/play/39d054a00bc"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</p>
<p>According to the narrator, “As Speaker of the House, Thom Tillis … rewarded corporations and the wealthy, including keeping tax breaks for private jets and yachts. But then Tillis passed a whopping tax increase that hit 80 percent of North Carolinians, including taxing seniors’ pensions and families saving for college.”</p>
<p>At issue in the ads is a sweeping 2013 tax plan that was pushed by the North Carolina House speaker, Tillis, and other state Republican leaders. The plan included a lower, flat income tax rate of 5.75 percent by 2015 (down from the current three-bracket rates of 6, 7 and 7.75 depending on income). With regard to income taxes, the plan also — among other things — eliminated personal exemptions and increased standard deductions. In addition, the plan lowered the corporate income tax rate and expanded the state’s sales tax to include such things as manufactured homes and tickets for sporting events and movies. The Legislature also allowed the earned income tax credit for the working poor to expire. In other words, depending on one’s situation and spending habits, there are some things in the plan that could help a taxpayer’s bottom line, and others that could hurt it. (For more details, see the Associated Press’ summary of the changes <a href="http://www.wnct.com/story/24332326/lower-nc-flat-tax-takes-effect-wednesday-but-many-will-pay-more" type="external">here</a>).</p>
<p>The ads cite the Budget and Tax Center, a project of the left-leaning <a href="http://www.ncjustice.org/?q=budget-and-tax" type="external">North Carolina Justice Center</a>, as the source of the claim that the tax package resulted in tax increases for 80 percent of North Carolinians. But that’s not what the Budget and Tax Center <a href="http://www.ncjustice.org/sites/default/files/BTC%20Reports%20-%20%20Final%20Tax%20Plan2013.pdf" type="external">report</a> says.</p>
<p>What the report states is this: “Accounting for the expiration of the state EITC [earned income tax credit], the bottom 80 percent of taxpayers, on average, will see their taxes increase under the tax plan compared to current tax law.”</p>
<p>The key phrase in there is “on average.” Not all.</p>
<p>The report from the Budget and Tax Center was based on an analysis by the <a href="http://www.itep.org/" type="external">Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy</a>, whose simulation models use anonymous tax return data provided by the IRS. It’s a model similar to the ones used by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and the oft-cited (by FactCheck.org) Tax Policy Center. Based only on the income tax portion of the changes, including the elimination of the earned income tax credit, about 35 percent of North Carolinians would see a tax increase, <a href="http://www.itep.org/about/staff.php" type="external">Meg Wiehe</a>, state tax policy director for ITEP told us in a phone interview. Another 16 percent would see no change, up or down. And roughly 49 percent would get a tax cut.</p>
<p>That’s the picture before the expansion of the sales tax. For technical reasons, it is not possible to match the income tax return database with sales tax consumption patterns. Whether you pay the additional sales tax depends on whether you purchase things that were added to the tax list. But given that before the sales tax is factored in, 35 percent of taxpayers would see a tax increase and another 16 percent would see no change, Wiehe says, when sales taxes are added, “it’s safe to say a majority of taxpayers will pay more under this plan.”</p>
<p>But not 80 percent.</p>
<p>“Clearly that number was taken out of context from the Budget and Tax Center report,” Wiehe said.</p>
<p>Although there are winners and losers in every income category, Wiehe said, the ITEP analysis zeroed in on the average changes in each income quintile. Just looking at income tax ramifications, <a href="http://www.ncjustice.org/sites/default/files/Joint%20Tax%20Plan%20Results_with%20EITC%20in%20baseline_REVISED_0.pdf" type="external">the report</a> found that those in the lowest income quintile — people making less than $19,000 — will see an average tax increase of $2 per year. Breaking that down, among those in the bottom quintile, 29 percent will see a tax increase (and among them the average increase is $121), but 32 percent will see a tax decrease (an average of $103). That shows a bit of the swing involved here.</p>
<p>The average tax increase gradually rises from $2 per year for those in the bottom quintile to $14 per year for those in the fourth income quintile, people making between $52,000 and $84,000. In other words, the average income tax increase isn’t very much. But it’s an increase nonetheless, the analysis found. By contrast, those in the top quintile — people making more than $84,000 — will, on average, see a tax cut. For those with the very highest incomes — people with an average annual salary of $940,000 — the average tax cut will be $10,211.</p>
<p>Again, those are the findings before the expansion of the sales tax is considered. When all of the tax ramifications of the plan are considered, including the sales tax, ITEP concluded that the average tax increases will range from $23 per year for those in the bottom quintile to $74 in the fourth quintile. The next 15 percent of taxpayers — those making between $84,000 and $169,000 — will see an average tax cut of $98 per year.</p>
<p>“I think the bottom line is that the tax plan does raise taxes on everyday middle class and low income North Carolinians,” said Alexandra Forter Sirota, director of the Budget and Tax Center. “And it does give a huge tax break to the wealthy. But the use of 80 percent is not accurate.”</p>
<p>A Competing Analysis</p>
<p>The Tillis campaign, meanwhile, cites a <a href="http://www.johnlocke.org/acrobat/spotlights/Spotlight449TaxDistribution.pdf" type="external">different analysis</a> of the tax plan, one performed by Suffolk University’s Beacon Hill Institute for the conservative John Locke Foundation. It concluded that “the average North Carolina household in every income category received a tax cut from the 2013 tax reform.” Just as we cautioned with the ITEP report, that doesn’t mean everyone.</p>
<p>In addition to showing the effects of the 2013 changes, the Beacon Hill analysis also considered the effect of a 2011 decrease in the state sales tax rate that was pushed by Tillis. Sirota, of the Budget and Tax Center, argues that’s inappropriate, because the sales tax — which then state Sen. Kay Hagan helped to implement to cover a budget deficit — was temporary. So Republicans simply allowed the sales tax increase to expire as intended. Nonetheless, Democrats in 2011 opposed the expiration of the higher sales tax rate, so Tillis’ campaign argues it should be included, by extension, as part of Tillis’ tax record. We take no position on that, but suffice to say, if included it shows Tillis’ tax-cutting record in a more favorable light.</p>
<p>“As Speaker, Thom Tillis cut Kay Hagan’s sales tax to provide relief for lower and middle-income North Carolinians, then led the passage of historic tax reform which cuts tax rates for all North Carolinian families and small businesses,” Tillis campaign manager Jordan Shaw told us via email.</p>
<p>The key qualifier in Shaw’s response is that the Tillis plan cut the tax rate for all. Due to other provisions in the tax plan, that doesn’t mean everyone got a net tax cut.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.beaconhill.org/staff.html" type="external">Paul Bachman</a>, director of research at the Beacon Hill Institute, said that while it’s true that the gains in Tillis’ tax plan tilt in favor of those with higher incomes, people in each of six income categories will pay less as a group. For example, the Beacon Hill analysis found that in 2015 households earning less than $25,000 will, in aggregate, realize $79 million in tax savings from the 2013 tax reform (and a combined $157 million in savings from the 2011 and 2013 tax changes).</p>
<p>Here’s a graphic summary of the findings from the Beacon Hill report:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>The Beacon Hill analysis was based on aggregate income data provided by the IRS. So the Beacon Hill report provides the total dollar impact within the various income categories it chose. In comparison, the ITEP report looked at the effect on individual taxpayers. In other words, while the reports’ conclusions may seem to be diametrically opposed, they aren’t actually talking about the same things.</p>
<p>“What they’re trying to measure and what we’re trying to measure are going past each other,” Bachman said.</p>
<p>To review, the ads claim that Tillis gave tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy. The 2013 tax plan reduced the corporate tax rate of 6.9 percent to 5 percent by 2015, and by any measure, the lion’s share of the benefits from the income tax changes went to those in the highest income brackets. The ads also claim Tillis kept tax breaks for jets and yachts, and it’s accurate that sales tax caps on the purchase of planes and boats were left alone.</p>
<p>But the ads’ central claim — that Tillis “passed a whopping tax increase that hit 80 percent of North Carolinians” — is wrong.</p>
<p>— Robert Farley</p> | Twisting Tillis’ Tax Record | false | https://factcheck.org/2014/05/twisting-tillis-tax-record/ | 2014-05-15 | 2 |
<p>Caitlyn Jenner went from the Olympics to reality television to … politics?</p>
<p>That’s a strong possibility, according to the 1976 gold medal-winning decathlete, who told conservative talk radio host John Catsimatidis on Sunday that she’s looking into running for Senate.</p>
<p>“The political side of it has always been very intriguing to me,” Jenner said. “Over the next six months or so, I’ve got to find out where I can do a better job. Can I do a better job from the outside, kind of working the perimeter of the political side, being open to talk to anybody? Or are you better off from the inside? We are in the process of determining that. Yeah, but I would look for a senatorial run.”</p>
<p>Jenner, a lifelong Republican, did not offer any details regarding a possible timeline, but she could make a run for Democrat Dianne Feinstein’s seat, which will be up for grabs next year. Feinstein, 84, has not said whether she plans to run for reelection.</p>
<p>Jenner has become increasingly vocal about her political positions since coming out as transgender in 2015. She’s openly embraced becoming a spokeswoman for the transgender community, which has led her to challenge some of the Republican Party’s more socially conservative positions. Last year, for example, Jenner came out against a controversial measure in North Carolina that would require transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to the sex listed on their birth certificates.</p>
<p>“These anti-LGBT bills … actually make us less safe, not more safe,” she wrote for People magazine in April 2016. “They open the door to abuse, aggressive and confrontational behavior in bathrooms, and encourage strangers to demand that women and girls prove that they are actually female in order to use the restroom. No one wants that.”</p>
<p>The law, known as HB2, was eventually repealed.</p>
<p>Jenner, however, still sees problems with the Republican Party, which on Sunday, she blamed on “perception.”</p>
<p>“[I]n the United States, the perception of the Democrats is that they’re pro-equality, pro-LGBT and this and that. And the perception of the Republican Party is they’re all about rich white guys trying to make money,” she told Catsimatidis. “I would hope in the next generation – because it’ll take a generation for this to change – that we can change the perception of the Republican Party and make it the party of equality.”</p>
<p>Jenner insinuated that what’s kept her in the Republican Party over the years is her strong belief in fiscal conservatism.</p>
<p>“I believe in little things like the Constitution; I believe in limited government,” Jenner said. “I believe in the people of this country. Give the people of this country the freedom to go out into the workforce without tons and tons and tons of regulation and all the things that go on.”</p>
<p>Jenner added: “If you could do the socially aware [stuff]… but be conservative economically, I mean, that’s the way to go.”</p> | Caitlyn Jenner considering run for Senate seat | false | https://reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/caitlyn-jenner-considering-run-for-senate-seat/ | 2017-07-19 | 1 |
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<p>Firefighters douse a fire that blackened around 100 feet of the footbridge over Tramway NE at Menaul shortly after 7 p.m. on June 29. (Greg Sorber/Journal)</p>
<p>TRAMWAY BRIDGE REPAIRS ARE ON THE WAY: Cliff Goodson called to ask what’s up with the Tramway pedestrian bridge repair.</p>
<p>The last time we checked in with the New Mexico Department of Transportation, work was to be finished in early December. Cliff also says he went out and took a closer look at the fire damage, and though the girders did not appear to be compromised, they were removed, raising the question: Why incur the added work and cost?</p>
<p>NMDOT spokesman Phil Gallegos says the rebuild “was submitted to ‘production’ in November 2013 and has a mandatory completion of (an) April/May timeframe.</p>
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<p>“The beams/girders were sampled/tested,” he adds, “and it was determined that they were severely damaged well beyond any acceptable safety margins and/or salvageable value. The cost of the project will be a part of the bidding process and is not exact at this time.”</p>
<p>HANDICAPPED SPACES ARE FOR THE TRULY HANDICAPPED: Linda Ingram, who advocates for handicapped parkers, emails a clarification to a recent column item.</p>
<p>“It seems that if the disabled person is going to also be retrieved at the door, the driver should go ahead and use regular parking because the placard is for the person who has a difficulty walking. If the placard holder isn’t going to be getting in the vehicle in the parking space, then the placard is being used for the able-bodied driver only. This blocks another person from using that space who is alone and doesn’t have a driver to assist them.</p>
<p>“According to the governor’s Commission on Disabilities, there is a sizable increase in the number of people getting handicap placards, but there is NO increase in the number of handicap parking spaces being made available. So misuse by placard holders is just as damaging as abuse by the able-bodied, mean spirited.”</p>
<p>With that in mind, consider the email from John Daniel, who points out “people should know that some military veterans with a high percentage of disability can obtain a handicapped parking placard, and their impairment may not be obvious.”</p>
<p>As far as enforcement, John Fishel says, “I have been told by security (at stores) that they have been told not to enforce the illegal parking of people without placards. What can we who are handicapped and need these spots do to ensure that people who abuse the use of the spots be ticketed? No one seems to really give a care.”</p>
<p>Motor Vehicle Division spokesman S.U. Mahesh says businesses can call police, who have to witness the violation before issuing a citation. But he acknowledges “this approach may not be practical given thousands of private parking lots in Albuquerque.</p>
<p>“However, private property owners have a second option that is easily enforceable,” he says. “They could install a separate sign below the handicap sign that states, ‘Violators May Be Towed’ in compliance with their respective local towing rules. This step could stop the abuse of handicap parking spots by able-body individuals.”</p>
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<p>WHAT’S FILLED UP DOWN AT I-25 AND GIBSON? Joanna Bartlett asks in a recent email about the “east side of Interstate 25 between (the) Sunport exit and Gibson exit. I know I read somewhere what is being developed at this site, but I’ve forgotten. But the BIG question is, why did they have to dig that mountain of dirt out of two very deep holes and then fill the holes up again?”</p>
<p>An educated guess would be that they had to put something in those holes. According to Albuquerque’s Planning Department, the project is Capstone Collegiate Communities – Cottages of N.M.</p>
<p>TWENTY-SIX DEATHS IN NOVEMBER: That’s according to the University of New Mexico and the NMDOT.</p>
<p>Nineteen of the deaths on New Mexico roads last month were in vehicles; four were on motorcycles; three were on foot. Alcohol was a factor in six of the deaths.</p>
<p>Through November, 62 of the 196 people killed in vehicles in 2013 were wearing a seat belt, and four of the 43 people killed on motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles were wearing helmets.</p>
<p>DOES ANYBODY PUMP GAS ANYMORE? That question comes from Jeanette Tiffany, who called to ask if anyone in town still offers full-service gas pumps.</p>
<p>Jeanette says she uses a walker, and while she can get out of her vehicle, standing to pump a tank full presents a physical challenge. The last time she needed gas she was lucky enough to have a neighbor available to run the car down and fill it up. “But they aren’t always going to be around” when the tank’s low.</p>
<p>Readers, please send in what stations you know offer gas pumping for elderly or disabled patrons that, as Jeanette says, “put the service back in service stations.”</p>
<p>Assistant editorial page editor D’Val Westphal tackles commuter issues for the Metro area on Mondays and West Siders and Rio Ranchoans on Saturdays. Reach her at 823-3858; <a href="" type="internal">[email protected]</a>; P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, NM 87103; or go to ABQjournal.com/traffic to read previous columns and join in the conversation.</p>
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<p /> | Tramway bridge girders were damaged beyond repair by fire | false | https://abqjournal.com/328331/tramway-bridge-girders-were-damaged-beyond-repair-by-fire.html | 2013-12-30 | 2 |
<p>Restaurant chain Friendly's is planning to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and seek a possible buyer, The <a href="" type="internal">Wall Street Journal</a> reported Thursday, citing people close to the matter.</p>
<p>The chain, which has about 10,000 employees and 500 restaurants, could file as early as next week, according to The Journal. Friendly's, which was acquired by Sun Capital Partners Inc. in 2007, is in talks for $70 million in debtor-in-possession financing with <a href="" type="internal">Wells Fargo</a> &amp; Co., The Journal reported.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/Story/Story/?guid=%7B00F5BD7E-1D24-4970-B464-945C5D0F3F94%7D" type="external">Read more… Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>Advertisement</p> | Friendly's Restaurants to File for Bankruptcy | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2011/09/29/friendlys-restaurants-to-file-for-bankruptcy.html | 2016-01-29 | 0 |
<p>Aug. 31 (UPI) — Starting Friday, all new car models in the European Union need to pass emissions tests in real driving conditions before they hit the road, commissioners said.</p>
<p>The European Commission invited member states to examine emission issues after Volkswagen in 2015 was found to have used software to get around some pollution standards. In response, the commission introduced stricter and more accurate tests for nitrogen oxides and particulate emissions, many of which are responsible for smog and acid rain.</p>
<p>The new tests, which include real-driving conditions, are mandatory starting Friday for all new car models.</p>
<p>“The [Volkswagen] emissions scandal has shown that we need more independence in car testing, stronger market surveillance and the possibility for the commission to intervene in case of wrongdoing,” Jyrki Katainen, the European vice president for jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness, said in <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-2822_en.htm?locale=en" type="external">a statement</a>. “The new emissions tests are a milestone in our ongoing work for cleaner and more sustainable cars over the coming years.”</p>
<p>Swedish automotive company Scania and the HAVI transportation group <a href="http://www.volkswagenag.com/en/news/2017/08/scania_sustainable_solutions.html" type="external">said this week</a> they were coordinating with the McDonald’s restaurant chain in several European countries to reduce their carbon footprint. HAVI through the partnership said it would switch about 70 percent of its fleet to run on alternative fuels like gas-electric hybrids. For deliveries to McDonald’s, HAVI added it would monitor its emissions of carbon dioxide continuously and in real time.</p>
<p>The transportation sector accounts for more than half of the energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas. In addition to new testing, the European Commission said it was focusing on encouraging the deployment of <a href="https://www.upi.com/Global-momentum-underway-for-electric-vehicles/9441501754790/" type="external">low-emission vehicles</a> and the electrification of rail transport.</p>
<p>“A quick shift to zero emissions vehicles is in all our interest given the public health and environmental risks at stake,” Elżbieta Bieńkowska, a commissioner in charge for market entrepreneurship, said in a statement. “And it’s crucial for the car industry if it wants to remain internationally competitive.”</p> | New emissions test necessary for new vehicles in the EU | false | https://newsline.com/new-emissions-test-necessary-for-new-vehicles-in-the-eu/ | 2017-08-31 | 1 |
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<p>Wall Street ended near flat on Friday after disappointing quarterly reports from Microsoft and Alphabet slammed tech stocks and offset a surge in oil prices that lifted energy shares.</p>
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<p>The Dow Jones industrial average rose 21.43 points, or 0.12 percent, to 18,003.95, the S&amp;P 500 gained 0.15 points, or 0.01 percent, to 2,091.63 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 39.66 points, or 0.8 percent, to 4,906.23.</p>
<p>The story below is an earlier-reported version from Reuters.</p>
<p>Disappointing earnings reports from Microsoft and other major companies pushed Wall Street lower on Friday, overshadowing a surge in oil prices which lifted energy shares.</p>
<p>Microsoft was the biggest drag on all three major indexes.</p>
<p>Crude rose about 1.5 percent on signs of strong U.S. gasoline consumption, declining production around the world and oilfield outages.</p>
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<p>With oil hovering near five-month highs and recent economic data indicating a sluggish pace of economic growth globally, earnings have become a major swing factor for&#160;stocks.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 has staged a recovery from a steep selloff earlier this year and is inching toward its all-time high, helped also by a cautious Federal Reserve and companies beating tempered estimates. The index is up half a percent for the week.</p>
<p>"Investors are looking for clarity on two major catalysts - earnings season and the Fed," said Adam Sarhan, chief executive of Sarhan Capital in New York.</p>
<p>The Fed, which has said it will depend on data to decide on the number and magnitude of interest rate hikes this year, is scheduled to meet on April 26-27.</p>
<p>"It's normal for the market to pause before a major level of resistance like 2,134, move sideways for a few days, even a few weeks and then blast off again," Sarhan said.</p>
<p>At 12:49 p.m. ET, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 48.9 points, or 0.27 percent, at 17,933.62, the S&amp;P 500 was down 9.09 points, or 0.43 percent, at 2,082.39 and the Nasdaq Composite was down 68.94 points, or 1.39 percent, at 4,876.95.</p>
<p>Five of the 10 major S&amp;P sectors were lower. The technology sector was down 2.47 percent while energy was up 1 percent.</p>
<p>Alphabet and Microsoft were down 6 and 7 percent, respectively, after both missed profit and revenue estimates.</p>
<p>S&amp;P 500 companies are seen posting a 7.1 percent fall in first-quarter profit, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S, and shares of companies failing to beat the already lowered expectations are getting hammered.</p>
<p>General Electric was off 1.8 percent at $30.43 after it reported lower organic revenue.</p>
<p>Starbucks slipped 5.7 percent after missing sales expectations, while Visa was down 3.2 percent after it cut full-year revenue forecast.</p>
<p>Advancing issues outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by 1,927 to 977. On the Nasdaq, 1,610 issues rose and 1,075 fell.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 index showed 9 new 52-week highs and two new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 34 new highs and 17 new lows.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Abhiram Nandakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Don Sebastian)</p> | Wall Street Ends Flat as Tech Shares Weigh | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/04/22/wall-street-ends-flat-as-tech-shares-weigh.html | 2016-04-22 | 0 |
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<p>Recently, President Obama imposed new sanctions on Iran which according to reports have been very effective, causing a sudden major devaluation of Iran’s currency. The Iranians correctly understand that they are under attack, and have threatened to respond by closing the strait of Hormuz, through which a large percentage of oil from the Mideast flows to the global economy.</p>
<p>If the crisis deepens and Iran makes good on its threat to close Hormuz, there is little doubt that the US will intervene to reopen the strait. This will lead to a shooting war for which Iran will be blamed, even though the recent US sanctions were tantamount to overt aggression.</p>
<p>I believe the US will exploit the situation to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. But, even more importantly, the US will target Iran’s conventional missiles. Indeed, I believe this is the real reason for US sanctions in the first place, and for the buildup of tensions in recent days. Despite&#160;public perceptions,&#160;and all the rhetoric about nukes, the present crisis has nothing to do with Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program. In my opinion, that is just a cover story.</p>
<p>The real issue is the fact that Iran has upgraded its medium range conventionally-armed missiles with GPS technology, making its missiles much more accurate. This means Iran can now target Israel’s own nuclear, bio and chemical weapons stockpiles, located inside Israel, as well as the Dimona nuclear reactor.</p>
<p>In short, Iran&#160;has achieved a conventional deterrent to Israel. Therefore, statements by Iranian officials that Iran has no nuclear weapons program are in my view probably correct. Presently, Iran does not need nukes to deter Israel. It can do so with its GPS-guided medium range missiles. The Israelis are no doubt gnashing their teeth over this, because they now find themselves threatened by their own WMD stockpiles, and by their own nuclear reactors, especially Dimona, all of which have become targets.</p>
<p>A few direct hits by Iran could cause a toxic plume, killing thousands of Israelis.&#160;A worst case might signal the end of the Jewish state.</p>
<p>It is important to realize that Iran would never launch a pre-emptive strike on Israel because the Iranians know that the US/Israeli response would be devastating. However, if Iran comes under attack first, all bets are off. Iran will defend itself. A counter attack on Israel cannot be ruled out because Iranian leaders understand clearly (even if the American people do not) that the crisis has been manufactured, on Israel’s behalf.</p>
<p>From the Israeli standpoint, the present Iranian deterrent (though conventional) is simply unacceptable. Israel’s military strategists have always insisted on total freedom of movement. This is why Israel refused a US offer many years ago to sign a defense pact with the US. Such a treaty would have limited Israel’s freedom of movement, and this was unacceptable. Israel’s leaders preferred to remain independent. Israel has always insisted on the “freedom” to intimidate its neighbors, whenever and howsoever it chooses. Iran’s conventional missiles now curtail that “freedom.” Israeli officials probably worry, for example, that Iran’s conventional missiles would limit its freedom to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon, in a future conflict. Hezbollah is closely allied with Tehran.</p>
<p>I believe the present crisis has been manufactured to create the pretext for a US air campaign to take out Iran’s conventional missile sites. The US will also target Iran’s nuclear facilities, but the primary target will be Iran’s conventional missiles. The US will be doing Israel’s bidding. The Zionist tail will be wagging the servile US dog.</p>
<p>Obviously, you can’t generate public support for such a bombing campaign, on Israel’s behalf. Hence the cover story about nukes and the alleged Iranian threat to wipe Israel off the map, all of which is untrue but very effective propaganda nonetheless.</p>
<p>The problem for the US is that depriving Iran of its conventional deterrent will not be easy to accomplish. Indeed, it will be even more difficult than taking out all of Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iran’s conventional missiles are probably dispersed widely. If they come under attack, the purpose of the air campaign will be transparently obvious to the Iranian leadership. Faced with the prospect of losing their deterrent, the Mullahs may well decide to fire their conventional missiles. If they do and manage some direct hits on Israel’s nuclear-bio-and chemical weapons stockpiles, the ensuing disaster will prompt an Israeli response. Israel may even resort to the Samson Option, and attack Iran with nukes. Words cannot describe the horrific scale of such an outcome. Unfortunately, it is all too possible.</p>
<p>Early in the war, US naval &#160;forces in the Gulf will also come under attack. No mistake, Iran has enough anti-ship cruise missiles to pose a grave threat to the US naval presence in the Gulf. Thousands of US sailors are now in harm’s way, and at risk.</p>
<p>We must rally to prevent such a war. Peace activists must now marshal every asset for peace that we possess. The American people need to know the truth. This is a phony crisis. Yet the danger is very real.&#160;Now is the time to speak out with all of our strength.&#160;Tomorrow could come too late.</p> | Behind the Deepening Crisis with Iran: the Real Story Versus the Cover Story | false | http://foreignpolicyjournal.com/2012/01/07/behind-the-deepening-crisis-with-iran-the-real-story-versus-the-cover-story/ | 2012-01-07 | 1 |
<p>PHOENIX (AP) — A former city bus driver charged in a string of deadly nighttime shootings in Phoenix is scheduled Thursday for a court hearing.</p>
<p>Aaron Juan Saucedo has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and drive-by shooting in attacks that killed nine people and wounded two others during a nearly one-year period that ended in July 2016.</p>
<p>Prosecutors have said they intend to seek the death penalty on eight of the nine deaths.</p>
<p>Most of the killings were in a mostly Latino neighborhood where residents became afraid to go outside their homes at night.</p>
<p>Saucedo has chosen not to attend five previous court hearings.</p>
<p>His trial is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2019.</p>
<p>PHOENIX (AP) — A former city bus driver charged in a string of deadly nighttime shootings in Phoenix is scheduled Thursday for a court hearing.</p>
<p>Aaron Juan Saucedo has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and drive-by shooting in attacks that killed nine people and wounded two others during a nearly one-year period that ended in July 2016.</p>
<p>Prosecutors have said they intend to seek the death penalty on eight of the nine deaths.</p>
<p>Most of the killings were in a mostly Latino neighborhood where residents became afraid to go outside their homes at night.</p>
<p>Saucedo has chosen not to attend five previous court hearings.</p>
<p>His trial is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2019.</p> | Hearing set for Phoenix man charged in serial killings | false | https://apnews.com/amp/5cf178f3177847c1a5ecb08ad929c7c7 | 2018-01-18 | 2 |
<p>They started popping up around University of Connecticut the month after Donald Trump won the White House.</p>
<p>And from December 2016 to March of this year, someone was vandalizing campus buildings, more than 100 times in all, with grafitti.</p>
<p>"F*ck Trump," some said. Others had a crude drawing of Trump with the word "pest."</p>
<p>Police at the the university identified the vandal through surveillance cameras and tracking a swipe card used on the campus. They even installed extra cameras to track him down, the <a href="http://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-uconn-trump-vandalism-0519-20170518-story.html" type="external">Hartford Courant</a> reported. Cruz-Lopez was seen in the areas hit by grafitti around the times vandalism was reported to occur, police said.</p>
<p>Then police arrested Eric Cruz-Lopez, 21, and charged him with 103 counts of criminal mischief.</p>
<p>"I did the graffiti," he wrote in his police statement, the Courant reported. "I am open to entering into a conversation about restitution."</p>
<p>"He said he was unwilling to limit his anti-Trump slurs to paper and said 'pest' is his graffiti signature, according to the warrant, the paper reported.</p>
<p>Cruz-Lopez, who reportedly is a former student at UConn, is a community organizer for CT Students for a Dream, an organization that advocates on behalf of undocumented immigrants, the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4524020/Illegal-immigrant-arrested-anti-Trump-vandalism.html" type="external">Daily Mail</a> reports. "And has described himself as one too," the paper says.</p>
<p>The university spent $4,255 to remove the graffiti and restore each site to its original state, UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said. Cruz-Lopez has not yet entered a plea and is due back in Superior Court in Rockville on June 14.</p> | Illegal Alien Arrested For 103 Counts of Anti-Trump Vandalism | true | https://dailywire.com/news/16718/illegal-alien-arrested-103-counts-anti-trump-joseph-curl | 2017-05-22 | 0 |
<p>Nine states will share $500 million in grant money designed to improve and expand pre-Kindergarten education, the White House announced today. The winners of the latest competition for "Race to the Top" funding are California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington, <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-16/nine-states-get-grants-in-500-million-u-s-preschool-program.html" type="external">Bloomberg Businessweek reported</a>.</p>
<p>Thirty-five states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico competed for about $50 million to $100 million each to help build statewide systems that improve child care, Head Start centers and preschools, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/16/states-win-early-learning-grant-competition/" type="external">The Associated Press reported</a>.</p>
<p>According to the AP:</p>
<p>To win, states were asked to demonstrate a commitment to making such programs more accessible, coordinated and more effective. Providing professional development for teachers and creating ways to assess the education level of kids entering kindergarten were among the areas states were asked to focus on in their application.</p>
<p>Education Secretary Arne Duncan told Bloomberg Businessweek that the "best early learning programs boost student achievement and increase both high school and college graduation rates."</p>
<p>Last year, Race to the Top awarded $4 billion in similar grants to states for initiatives in K-12 education, the AP reported.</p>
<p>Winning states cheered the announcement. "Today's announcement demonstrates our place as a national leader in education reform and achievement," Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said, according to the <a href="http://bostonglobe.com/metro/2011/12/16/mass-receive-from-race-top-grant/uFG1NXCmjYB2RLV96yxW5H/story.html" type="external">Boston Globe</a>. "These resources will help us reach kids at an early age, before achievement gaps form, to ensure they are prepared for lifelong success in school and beyond."</p>
<p>Losing states did not necessarily receive the news gracefully. Florida Gov. Rick Scott alleged that his state was rejected because it would not commit to continuing programs after the federal grant money ran out, the <a href="http://www.postonpolitics.com/2011/12/scott-rips-feds-for-not-giving-fla-race-to-the-top-dollars/" type="external">Palm Beach Post reported</a>.</p>
<p>"When Florida's application was submitted for the grant in October, we made it clear that we would not accept grant money with strings attached, additional state spending obligations or requirements that created new burdensome regulations on private providers," Scott said. "We stuck to our principles, and unfortunately our insistence against irresponsibly using one-time dollars for recurring government programs did not win the favor of the administration in Washington." &#160;</p> | 9 states win Race to the Top money for pre-K | false | https://pri.org/stories/2011-12-16/9-states-win-race-top-money-pre-k | 2011-12-16 | 3 |
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<p><a href="" type="internal">Google</a> ( <a href="" type="internal">NASDAQ</a>:GOOG) has set aside $500 million to ready itself for a potential settlement with the U.S. <a href="" type="internal">Justice Department</a>’s investigation into its <a href="" type="internal">online advertising</a> practices.</p>
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<p>The charge reduces its first-quarter net income to $1.8 billion, or $5.51 a share, from its reported income of $2.3 billion, or $7.04 a share in April, according to filings with the <a href="" type="internal">Securities and Exchange Commission</a>. The tech giant did not provide any other details about the investigation.</p>
<p>While the ad network serves as Google’s primary money maker, selling $8.3 billion in advertising in the first three months of this year alone, Google said it doesn't believe the potential settlement will have a material adverse effect on its business.</p>
<p>The latest disclosure adds to a slew of regulatory and antitrust challenges facing the Mountain View, Calif.-based company.</p>
<p>European regulators continue to probe Google over its popular search system, questioning whether the Internet behemoth unfairly manipulates search results to drive advertising sales and favor its own services.</p>
<p>The Justice Department, meanwhile, has previously raised concerns about Google’s market power. The department also came close to challenging a search settlement between Google and <a href="" type="internal">Yahoo</a> (NASDAQ:YHOO) in 2008.</p> | Google Taking $500M Charge for DOJ Probe | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2011/05/11/google-braces-500m-doj-charge.html | 2016-03-04 | 0 |
<p>OMAHA, Neb. (NDSU Athletics) -- The Omaha Mavericks outscored the North Dakota State University women's basketball team, 25-11, in the second quarter to help them claim an 80-67 victory over the Bison Wednesday, Jan. 24, at Baxter Arena.</p>
<p>NDSU (8-12, 1-5 Summit League) was led by sophomore Reilly Jacobson, who scored 18 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Fellow sophomore Rylee Nudell added 13 points, respectively.</p>
<p>The Bison shot 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range, but were outrebounded by the Mavs, 38-26, including a 23-6 margin in offensive rebounds. NDSU also reached the free-throw line just three times in the game.</p>
<p>North Dakota State jumped out to 24-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.</p>
<p>Omaha (9-10, 1-6 Summit League) responded though, and used an 11-0 run at the end of the second quarter to gain a 41-35 advantage going into halftime. The Bison would get no closer than eight the remainder of the game.</p>
<p>Amber Vidal led four Mavericks in double figures with 21 points, while Alicia Mountain and Courtney Vaccher each snagged eight boards.</p>
<p>Omaha shot 47 percent from the floor and 37 percent from beyond the arc, and converted 13 of 18 foul shots for 72 percent.</p>
<p>North Dakota State is scheduled to conclude the first half of Summit League play with a contest at Western Illinois Saturday, Jan. 27, at 4:30 p.m.</p> | Big Second Quarter Helps Omaha Defeat North Dakota State, 80-67 | false | http://valleynewslive.com/content/sports/Big-Second-Quarter-Helps-Omaha-Defeat-North-Dakota-State-80-67-471021163.html | 2018-10-10 | 1 |
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<p>FILE - In this Jan. 31, 2016 file photo, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton gets off the plane at the Mineta San Jose International Airport in San Jose, Calif. The Panthers play the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2015, in Super Bowl 50. Newton was snapped Sunday in the zebra stripe, gold swirl rocker pants immediately setting social media and TV talking heads into a frenzy. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)</p>
<p>NEW YORK - Lots of athletes have style, but could they rock the Cam pants?</p>
<p>Super Bowl 50 is just days away and already has a breakout star: the $849 Versace skinny pants of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.</p>
<p>Newton was snapped Sunday in the zebra stripe, gold swirl rocker pants as he boarded a plane to California, immediately setting off a frenzy on social media and among TV talking heads.</p>
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<p>We know Newton likes his flashy shoes. We know he can pull off a bushy foxtail hanging down one hip, but those tight, hair metal pants came straight out of left field. Would other pros dare to try?</p>
<p>New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey, fond of old school rock, great tuxedos and a little cool, fun experimentation in clothes, said there will be no rocking of Cam pants for him.</p>
<p>"I don't know if many people can, but I know he enjoyed wearing them," Harvey smiled Tuesday night at a fashion presentation by designer John Varvatos during a round of men's shows in New York.</p>
<p>He was joined at Varvatos by Eric Decker, a wide receiver for the New York Jets - and another underachiever when it comes to football's most famous pants.</p>
<p>"Oh, I don't know if I could rock those pants but Cam definitely put a statement on Super Bowl week for sure," Decker said.</p>
<p>How about Patriots quarterback Tom Brady?</p>
<p>"I don't know if Tom would. I'm sure he could. He could rock anything," Decker said. "I haven't seen him in skintight pants like that yet so that would be a new style for him."</p>
<p>Brady's fellow Patriot, Julian Edelman, took in the rock-themed Varvatos show as well. The Patriots missed out on Super Bowl 50, but he considers himself a Cam pants contender.</p>
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<p>"The Cam pants? - If you go out with a confidence I think I could. I think I could," Edelman smiled.</p>
<p>As for Brady, he added: "Tom could rock anything. He's Tom Brady."</p>
<p>Newton kept the look classy up top, pairing his fancy pants with a V-neck sweater, a tie and some gold-tip shoes. His black leather motorcycle jacket added extra oomph.</p>
<p>So what's the word within the fashion industry? We asked football fan Tommy Hilfiger to weigh in.</p>
<p>"I think he's very cool," the designer said ahead of his own fashion presentation, "and I think he's not only an iconic athlete but he's a fashion icon as well. People look up to him."</p>
<p>The Panthers meet the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Could Newton's nemesis, Bronco quarterback Peyton Manning, succeed in similar pants?</p>
<p>"Uh, I think Peyton might be a little old for them," Hilfiger said, "but Peyton has rocked quite a few great things over the years."</p>
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<p>Follow Leanne Italie on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/litalie" type="external">http://twitter.com/litalie</a></p> | Cam Newton took fancy pants where other pros dare not go | false | https://abqjournal.com/717792/cam-newton-took-fancy-pants-where-other-pros-dare-not-go.html | 2 |
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<p>PUTIN: U.S. should have given us $500 million</p>
<p>MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin defended his military's air and cruise-missile strikes on terrorist targets in Syria, saying the campaign was already more effective than discontinued U.S. efforts to support some militant groups.</p>
<p>President Barack Obama's administration last week abandoned its attempt to build and train a rebel force in Syria to take on the Islamic State group.</p>
<p>The U.S. will instead focus on equipping selected leaders and providing air support to their units, including Arab and Kurdish groups in Syria.</p>
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<p>"It would have been better to give us $500 million," Putin said of the aborted U.S. program to fund the Free Syrian Army. "At least we would have used it more effectively from the point of view of fighting international terrorism."</p>
<p>In a television interview broadcast Sunday, Putin said Russia's involvement was legal and reasonable because it followed a Syrian request for assistance.</p>
<p>He questioned whether the U.S. had lived up to either of those standards.</p>
<p>"The simplest solution for them would be to join us and, in that way, legalize their actions on Syrian territory," Putin said of the U.S.</p>
<p>Putin's bombing campaign to support his Syrian ally President Bashar Assad took the U.S. and NATO by surprise and overshadowed a flurry of diplomacy over what to do about the conflict.</p>
<p>As Russia builds up its military presence in Assad's stronghold on the eastern Mediterranean, Obama dismissed the notion that his leadership on the world stage was being challenged.</p>
<p>Putin reiterated that Russia will not send ground troops to Syria and said he does not seek to stoke religious tensions in the Middle East.</p>
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<p /> | Putin defends Russian missile strikes in Syria | false | https://abqjournal.com/658422/putin-defends-russian-missile-strikes-in-syria.html | 2 |
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<p>&lt;a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-157185308/stock-photo-inside-of-alcatraz-san-francisco-california-usa.html"&gt;Filipe Matos Frazao&lt;/a&gt;/Shutterstock</p>
<p>This <a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/guards-may-be-responsible-for-half-of-prison-sexual-assaults" type="external">story</a> first appeared on the <a href="http://www.propublica.org/" type="external">ProPublica website</a>.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&amp;iid=4881" type="external">new Justice Department study</a> shows that allegations of sex abuse in the nation’s prisons and jails are increasing–with correctional officers responsible for half of it–but prosecution is still extremely rare.</p>
<p>The report, released today by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, takes data collected by correctional administrators representing all of the nation’s federal and state prisons as well as many county jails. It shows that administrators logged more than 8,000 reports of abuse to their overseers each year between 2009 and 2011, up 11 percent from the department’s <a href="http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&amp;iid=2204" type="external">previous report</a>, which covered 2007 and 2008.</p>
<p>It’s not clear whether the increase is the result of better reporting or represents an actual rise in the number of incidents.</p>
<p>Allen Beck, the Justice Department statistician who authored the reports, told ProPublica that abuse allegations might be increasing because of growing awareness of the 2003 Prison Rape Elimination Act.</p>
<p>“It’s a matter of speculation, but certainly there’s been a considerable effort to inform staff about the dangers of sexual misconduct, so we could be seeing the impact of that,” said Beck.</p>
<p>The survey also shows a growing proportion of the allegations have been dismissed by prison officials as “unfounded” or “unsubstantiated.” Only about 10 percent are substantiated by an investigation.</p>
<p>But even in the rare cases where there is enough evidence to prove that sexual abuse occurred, and that a correctional officer is responsible for it, the perpetrator rarely faces prosecution. While most prison staff shown to be involved in sexual misconduct lost their jobs, fewer than half were referred for prosecution, and only 1 percent ultimately got convicted.&#160;</p>
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<p>Roughly one-third of staff caught abusing prisoners are allowed to resign before the investigation comes to a close, the report concludes, meaning there’s no public record of what exactly transpired and nothing preventing them from getting a similar job at another facility.</p>
<p>“These findings point to a level of impunity in our prisons and jails that is simply unacceptable,” said Lovisa Stannow, Executive Director of Just Detention International, a prisoner advocacy group in California. “When corrections agencies don’t punish or choose to ignore sexual abuse committed by staff members–people who are paid by our tax dollars to keep inmates safe–they support criminal behavior.”</p>
<p>The lack of punishment may deter inmates from reporting. When the Justice Department has surveyed inmates directly, as opposed to the administrators that oversee them, the reports of abuse have been far greater. A <a href="http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/svpjri1112.pdf" type="external">2013 survey</a> estimated that more than 80,000 prisoners had been sexually victimized by fellow inmates or staff over a two-year period, roughly five times the rate reported by administrators. &#160;&#160;</p>
<p>“Inmates don’t report because of the way the institution handles these complaints: they’re afraid if they do report, then the staff will retaliate,” said Kim Shayo Buchanan, a law professor at the University of Southern California who studies the issue. “Even if you report and they believe you, which they probably won’t, the most likely thing to happen is that the person will be suspended or maybe fired.”</p>
<p>Calls for comment to the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Association of State Correctional Administrators weren’t immediately returned.</p> | Report: Guards May Be Responsible for Half of All Prison Sexual Assaults | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2014/02/guards-may-be-responsible-half-prison-sexual-assaults/ | 2014-02-03 | 4 |
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<p>A third of all small business owners in a recent survey say their family life and their relationships have improved as a result of owning their own business.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Small business owners also are more likely to be married than other workers are, researchers found. Sixty percent of the 1,100 small business owners in the poll say they are <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/3960-couples-should-talk-about-money.html" type="external">married Opens a New Window.</a>, which is 10 percentage points higher than the national average.</p>
<p>Small business owners also place a high emphasis on their personal relationships.&#160; Eighty-seven percent say they value their personal relationships at least as much as their business. And 80 percent say they rank their friends and family higher than their business in terms of importance.</p>
<p>While most small business owners highly value their <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2745-employee-personal-business.html" type="external">personal relationships Opens a New Window.</a>, a small percentage say they mix their personal and &#160;professional life. Twenty-five percent say they work with their significant others, and 60 percent of those people say they would recommend it to others.</p>
<p>"For small business owners, relationships mean everything – it's personal for them, and that extends into the way they do business and who they bring into their business," said Pamela Springer, CEO of business research company Manta, which conducted the survey.</p>
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<p>However, when it comes to love in the workplace, business owners must take some precautions.&#160; Beth Melito, senior counsel for the NFIB Small Business Legal Center, &#160;offers advice for keeping <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/3953-office-romance-marriage.html" type="external">office romances Opens a New Window.</a>&#160;from turning into lawsuits. It includes:</p>
<p>Follow <a href="http://mailto:[email protected]" type="external">David Mielach Opens a New Window.</a>&#160;on Twitter @ <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/D_M89" type="external">D_M89 Opens a New Window.</a>&#160;or BusinessNewsDaily @ <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/BNDarticles" type="external">bndarticles</a>. We're also on&#160; <a href="http://www.facebook.com/LifesLittleMysteries" type="external">Facebook Opens a New Window.</a>&#160;&amp;&#160; <a href="https://plus.google.com/113390396142026041164" type="external">Google+ Opens a New Window.</a>. &#160;</p> | Entrepreneurs Say Business Is Good for Personal Lives | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2013/02/14/entrepreneurs-say-business-is-good-for-personal-lives.html | 2016-03-23 | 0 |
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<p>This photo provided by the Bexar County, Texas, Sheriff's Office shows Mercedes Salazar. Authorities said Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015 that Salazar and three others kidnapped a woman and held her captive for three days in a San Antonio-area home while forcing her to ingest drugs and at one point conducting a "blood ritual." Police arrested Salazar on Sunday, Oct. 25 - the other three were arrested within days of the unidentified woman's escape last month. (Bexar County Sheriff's Office/San Antonio Express-News via AP)</p>
<p>DALLAS - Four people kidnapped a woman and held her captive for three days in a San Antonio-area home, forcing her to ingest drugs and at one point conducting a "blood ritual," a sheriff's spokesman said Wednesday.</p>
<p>Authorities believe Mercedes Salazar, 32, was the ringleader who orchestrated the woman's captivity, according to James Keith, spokesman for the Bexar County Sheriff's Office. Salazar is being held on charges that include aggravated kidnapping, he said.</p>
<p>Keith said Salazar believed the 25-year-old woman played a role in the August killing of her brother. Authorities say there's no indication the victim played any role in the death.</p>
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<p>The woman was abducted last month and spent most of her time in captivity tied to a chair. She told investigators she was forced to take drugs, including what she believed was heroin. Her captors also held a ceremony that Keith described as a blood ritual.</p>
<p>"It was a form of witchcraft where they cut her hair and drew blood from her," he said.</p>
<p>It's not clear what the four were trying to achieve with the ritual, Keith said, who added, "We're solely operating on what the victim told us."</p>
<p>Authorities have not released the woman's name.</p>
<p>Sheriff's deputies found the woman because she was eventually able to call her mother, who notified authorities.</p>
<p>The woman had been left with one of her captors who untied her from the chair so she could use the bathroom and get a drink. The suspect fell asleep, allowing the victim to make the phone call.</p>
<p>When the woman saw deputies arriving at the home, she screamed for help, awakening her captor, who threatened her with a knife and scissors, authorities allege. Deputies forced their way into the home and disarmed the suspect.</p>
<p>Three of the suspects were arrested within days and charged with a variety of crimes that include aggravated kidnapping. Authorities didn't find Salazar until last weekend, taking her into custody early Sunday. Online jail records did not list an attorney who could address the allegations against her.</p>
<p>Salazar has a long criminal record that includes being booked into the Bexar County jail on 11 separate occasions on dozens of charges since she was 17, Keith said.</p>
<p>The victim at one time dated Salazar's brother, Angel Salazar, who was killed Aug. 18 in San Antonio. Romana Lopez, spokeswoman for San Antonio police, said Wednesday that five men have been arrested in that killing.</p> | Texas woman used in 'blood ritual' while being held captive | false | https://abqjournal.com/667099/texas-woman-used-in-blood-ritual-while-being-held-captive.html | 2 |
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<p />
<p>Bank lobbyists who opened the Trump era with great expectations for sweeping regulatory reform are privately striking an increasingly dismal tone as hopes for a quick and thorough rewrite of Dodd-Frank legislation dim.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Lobbyists say they are facing the reality that bank deregulation legislation will have to wait in line behind other bigger priorities such as healthcare reform and taxes.</p>
<p>"It's so disheartening," said one financial industry representative. ���I was excited for this year, and I���m not anymore.���</p>
<p>Even if Congress does look to rewrite the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, it is unlikely to muster enough votes in the Senate for the strong across-the-board overhaul industry leaders had hoped for, roughly a half dozen lobbyists told Reuters in recent interviews.</p>
<p>Banks say that Dodd-Frank, which was conceived in response to the financial crisis, hobbles their growth.</p>
<p>Among Dodd-Frank measures that banks want to see changed are the law's ban on proprietary trading, heightened oversight for some of the nation's largest institutions, and stricter capital requirements.</p>
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<p>But they see short-term hopes for less stringent oversight by agencies like the Federal Reserve or the Securities and Exchange Commission stymied by the slow pace of Trump appointments for those agencies.</p>
<p>The private dejection is in contrast to the upbeat message being delivered to some 1,500 bankers gathered in Washington this week for visits to Congress and speeches from policymakers at an American Bankers Association (ABA) conference.���This year poses the biggest opportunity that we have seen in a long time to see some action on much-needed regulatory relief," Rob Nichols, the ABA's president and chief executive officer, said at the conference.</p>
<p>Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, the Idaho Republican who will play a key role in any regulatory rewrite, has downplayed immediate expectations. He has emphasized that work in the Senate is slow going.</p>
<p>Crapo announced Monday he wanted public input on proposals, underlining the deliberate pace of the panel's work.</p>
<p>And the Republican chairman of the House of Representative Financial Services Committee, Jeb Hensarling, has yet to move on his prepared Dodd-Frank overhaul.</p>
<p>Industry advocates say they have hoped sympathetic regulators could take major steps absent Congressional action. But the Trump administration has lagged in naming people for key roles, such as Federal Reserve's vice chair for supervision.</p>
<p>For instance, a sympathetic Federal Reserve could relax the "living wills" process applied to large banks to determine how they could be dissolved if necessary. And a friendlier SEC could act to roll back rules on industry-opposed measures like requiring companies to disclose the pay ratio between their CEO and the average employee.</p>
<p>To be sure, there likely will be some action this year to help banks, though it is likely to be much more limited than the Trump transition team led bankers to expect when it said one day after the November election that it would "dismantle" Dodd-Frank.</p>
<p>There appears to be bipartisan appetite for easing capital formation rules or reducing the regulations that smaller banks and credit unions must comply with.</p>
<p>Republicans in Congress could attack specific parts of Dodd-Frank, such as gaining control over funding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - which was created to help guard individuals from fraud in mortgages, student loans and other financial products - through a budget process that would eliminate the need for Democratic support.</p>
<p>Bankers preparing on Tuesday to head to Capitol Hill to make their case heard James Ballentine, a lobbyist for the ABA, emphasize the need to stay on message with stories about the impact of regulation on their banks. He noted they would be competing with wiretapping allegations, Federal Bureau of Investigation probes, Supreme Court confirmation hearings, and a massive healthcare push all at once.</p>
<p>"None of those things should be topics of your conversation when you go to meet with your members of Congress," he cautioned the conference crowd.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Pete Schroeder; Editing by Linda Stern and Leslie Adler)</p> | Behind the scenes, bank lobbyists temper expectations for Dodd-Frank overhaul | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/03/22/behind-scenes-bank-lobbyists-temper-expectations-for-dodd-frank-overhaul.html | 2017-03-22 | 0 |
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<p>NETANYAHU: Allies are no longer committed</p>
<p>accusing world powers of rolling over to allow Tehran to develop nuclear weapons. Secretary of State John Kerry openly questioned Netanyahu’s judgment on the issue.</p>
<p>The comments injected new tension into an already strained relationship between the close allies ahead of Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Tuesday. More Democratic lawmakers announced they would boycott the speech, which was orchestrated by GOP leaders without the Obama administration’s knowledge.</p>
<p>Netanyahu hopes his speech will strengthen opposition to a potential nuclear deal with Iran, President Barack Obama’s signature foreign policy objective. U.S. and Iranian officials reported progress in negotiations this week on a deal that would clamp down on Tehran’s nuclear activities for at least 10 years, but then slowly ease restrictions.</p>
<p>Netanyahu lashed out at the U.S. and other usual staunch allies of Israel.</p>
<p>“It appears that they have given up on that commitment and are accepting that Iran will gradually, within a few years, develop capabilities to produce material for many nuclear weapons,” he said in Israel.</p>
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<p>“They might accept this, but I am not willing to accept this,” he said in remarks delivered in Hebrew and translated. “I respect the White House, I respect the president of the United States, but in such a fateful matter that can determine if we exist or not, it is my duty to do everything to prevent this great danger to the state of Israel.”</p>
<p>Kerry, testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, dismissed Netanyahu’s worries. He argued that a 2013 interim agreement with Iran that the prime minister also opposed had in fact made Israel safer by freezing key aspects of the Islamic republic’s nuclear program.</p>
<p>“He may have a judgment that just may not be correct here,” Kerry said.</p>
<p>His comments, as well as statements from other top U.S. officials, made clear the Obama administration had no plans to mask its frustrations during Netanyahu’s visit.</p>
<p /> | U.S., Israel tensions escalate | false | https://abqjournal.com/546636/us-israel-tensions-escalate.html | 2 |
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<p>WASHINGTON (RNS) — Mark DeMoss, to borrow a line from the U2 song, still hasn’t found what he’s looking for.</p>
<p>The veteran Christian public relations executive couldn’t find it last year when he advised Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. It was missing again in the controversial battles over Proposition 8, the California measure that put an end to same-sex marriages last Novem-ber. And he’s having a hard time finding it in the heat of the debates over health care reform.</p>
<p>“Civility isn’t ruling the day,” said DeMoss, who represents leading evangelicals like evangelist Franklin Graham and Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson.</p>
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<p>That’s why, just before Inauguration Day, DeMoss joined forces with Democratic consultant Lanny Davis to launch The Civility Project, an online forum that aims to help people who disagree be less disagreeable.</p>
<p>As people shout over each other at town hall meetings — and even in the halls of Congress during a presidential address — with some resorting to namecalling and even defacing a Democratic congressman’s sign with a Nazi swastika, DeMoss and others say religious leaders can play a role in cooling down the ranting and rhetoric.</p>
<p>“Many Christians like to call ourselves followers of Christ,” said DeMoss, a Southern Baptist whose office is based in Atlanta. “I can’t be a follower of Christ if I’m shouting at you or interrupting your meeting, and I certainly don’t look like one when I do that.”</p>
<p>The principles — be civil in public discourse, respect those with whom you disagree, and stand against incivility — can be applied by people of faith in situations ranging from political discourse to personal relationships, he said.</p>
<p>The project mirrors a similar effort by Johns Hopkins University professor P.M. Forni that dates back a decade. DeMoss lists Forni’s books as useful resources on the project’s website.</p>
<p>Brad Hirschfield, president of the New York-based National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, said faith leaders can use the wisdom of their particular traditions to nurture compassion and human dignity in the midst of the continuing debate.</p>
<p>“The first question when things start to spin out of control in the town hall meeting is not to get in the person’s face and preach about what’s right with a capital R,” said Hirschfield, whose most recent book is You Don’t Have to Be Wrong for Me to Be Right.</p>
<p>“But asking the person who’s bent out of shape, ‘What is it you’re really terrified about?’ … Find out what the fear is about instead of trying to fix the person and make them agree with you.”</p>
<p>The National Association of Evangelicals recently joined the call for civility in the health care reform debate.</p>
<p>“We call on evangelicals, and all Americans, to engage in respectful and serious dialogue with our leaders and with each other, which focuses on issues rather than personalities,” the NAE said.</p>
<p>Advocates on either side of the health care debate may have legitimate points of view, but sometimes the debate is “neither humble or civil,” said Galen Carey, the NAE’s director of government affairs.</p>
<p>“The way in which they go about it, and with sometimes distortions, we think, are not honoring to the church or the nation,” he said.</p>
<p>Os Guinness, author of The Case for Civility: And Why our Future Depends on It, emphasized it’s important for religious leaders not to get mired in a culture war.</p>
<p>“I would call everyone who is a follower of Jesus to practice his way and be different and to stand especially against the extremists who use the name of Jesus to justify the vitriol of their hatred,” said Guinness, a British social critic.</p>
<p>DeMoss said he was motivated by his faith to launch the civility push when he witnessed ugly anti-Mormonism directed at Romney’s campaign. “I’m ashamed to say some of the worst, most uncivil treatment of Mormons came from fellow evangelicals,” he said.</p>
<p>His website notes examples of civility — such as how the Obamas and Bushes treated each other during the White House transition — and incivility, including anger from gay groups after losing the fight over Proposition 8.</p>
<p>“For me,” De-Moss said, “I’d rather write an op-ed somewhere or start a blog or speak somewhere and be heard and understood than to get my 15 seconds on TV shouting down some senator.”</p> | Love your enemies, civility advocates say as they initiate project | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/loveyourenemiescivilityadvocatessayastheyinitiateproject/ | 3 |
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<p>A national prosecutor group is pressing federal regulators to find a solution to the dangers they say are posed by inmates' access to illegal cellphones inside prisons.</p>
<p>In a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, National District Attorneys Association president Michael Freeman writes his members have seen effects of inmates' use of cellphones, such as witness intimidation and harassment.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The letter dated October 27 was obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.</p>
<p>Pai has signaled willingness to work on the issue. Last month, he said he would arrange a meeting with corrections officials, telecom companies and the FBI and report its progress to Congress.</p>
<p>South Carolina Corrections Director Bryan Stirling has long pressed for a solution to the problem he says is the top security threat within his prisons.</p> | National prosecutor group pressing FCC on prison cellphones | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/11/02/national-prosecutor-group-pressing-fcc-on-prison-cellphones.html | 2017-11-02 | 0 |
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<p>“I’m going to help you bring this place into the 20th century,” says Franco, the eager new assistant played by co-star Jermaine Fowler.</p>
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<p>“You mean the 21st,” replies Arthur, his leery new boss.</p>
<p>“No,” says Franco flatly. “I don’t.”</p>
<p>Arthur’s doughnuts can’t be beat. His specialty, maple creams, look scrumptious. But certain market forces must be addressed in the modern world. Like the public’s demand for the muffins, cronuts and free WiFi that Arthur doesn’t offer. And the bustling Starbucks right across the street in this gentrifying neighborhood.</p>
<p>“Superior Donuts” shakes out as a sitcom dialectic pitting experience, wisdom and mulishness against unbridled energy, initiative and being too impulsive.</p>
<p>All the while, Arthur’s shop relies on a sprinkling of regulars played by David Koechner, Maz Jobrani, Anna Baryshnikov, Darien Sills-Evans and Rell Battle as well as Katey Sagal as a Chicago cop who’s been coming to Superior Donuts since childhood.</p>
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<p>CBS serves up a sample Thursday at 8:30 p.m. EST before delivering the series to Mondays at 9 p.m.</p>
<p>But now, to get one issue out of the way: “I don’t eat doughnuts,” Hirsch confides. “I can’t eat sweets. I do. But I can’t.”</p>
<p>He clearly doesn’t need the sugar rush. In March, he turns 82. Yet, over a recent salad in Manhattan, he radiates the vigor and volubility of a youngster. Appearance, too: Apart from grayer hair and the paunch he proudly sports, he looks little different than he did decades ago as cabbie Alex Reiger on the sitcom classic “Taxi.”</p>
<p>“‘Taxi’ was good because it came down to loving everybody,” Hirsch recalls fondly. “It always resolved itself that way: finding a solution to a problem — doing the best you can. Not the best IMAGINABLE. The best you CAN. Big difference. If you put that goodwill inside all the jokes, the audience will feel it. THAT’S the magic of situation comedy.</p>
<p>“That’s the only thing I know,” he declares.</p>
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<p>Not quite. Since landing his first professional role — The Telephone Man in the 1960s Broadway smash “Barefoot in the Park” — this Bronx, New York, native with an engineering degree has gathered know-how and acclaim in theater (two Tonys), film (including an Oscar-nominated performance in the Mary Tyler Moore drama “Ordinary People”) and on a string of TV series, picking up a pair of Emmys for “Taxi.”</p>
<p>But the everyman quality he has brought to his sitcoms, especially “Taxi” and now “Superior Donuts, is what he’s best known for. And he knows plenty about such comic ventures.</p>
<p>“There are two things that make comedy great,” he says, launching into a punchy exposition.</p>
<p>“One is the surprise element: You never thought it would happen, but it does. Or you wouldn’t think that anybody would do that, but they do. Or you wouldn’t think it could be solved, but it will be. You know what I mean?”</p>
<p>But then the second thing, whatever it might be, is lost in a flurry of other observations: The excess sugar in children’s diets … “those schmucks in Washington” who deny climate change … people who knock actors as ill-suited to speak out on the issues: “We had a PRESIDENT who was an actor!”</p>
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<p>Not that Hirsch dwells on this negative stuff, he insists.</p>
<p>“I ain’t got long to live. Nobody does! And I know if I go out worrying about anything, I’ve been wasting my time here. No! I want to go out laughing.”</p>
<p>Which calls forth another sitcom keep-’em-laughing list.</p>
<p>“Three things have to happen in a successful sitcom,” Hirsch states.</p>
<p>“The writers have to write for every single member of the ensemble.</p>
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<p>“You’ve got to have a situation that rings a bell: The viewer has to wonder, what’s gonna happen here? What’s gonna happen next?</p>
<p>“And the third thing is, all the characters have to try to come out of it together. Nothing hateful is left over, no matter how much they may disagree along the way.”</p>
<p>Of course, fans of the funny-but-acerbic “Louie,” “Arrested Development” or “Seinfeld” might dispute that point. On the other hand, with its “no learning, no hugs” policy, “Seinfeld” flourished precisely by playing against Hirsch’s sitcom creed.</p>
<p>“You succeed when you stick to story,” he then adds to the list. “You fail when you just go for jokes.”</p>
<p>A bonus rule from a comedy master? Call it icing on the, um, doughnut.</p>
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<p>_____</p>
<p>EDITOR’S NOTE — Frazier Moore is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. He can be reached at fmoore//www.twitter.com/tvfrazier. Past stories are available at <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/content/frazier-moore" type="external">http://bigstory.ap.org/content/frazier-moore</a></p>
<p>_____</p>
<p>Online:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/superior-donuts" type="external">http://www.cbs.com/shows/superior-donuts</a></p> | ‘Superior Donuts’ stars Judd Hirsch as owner of kneady shop | false | https://abqjournal.com/939445/superior-donuts-stars-judd-hirsch-as-owner-of-kneady-shop.html | 2017-01-31 | 2 |
<p>Comedian Kevin Hart claimed on Saturday that an unidentified person was trying to extort him over a “sexually suggestive” video.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2017/09/17/kevin-hart-extortion-demand-multi-million-dollars-sex-tape-video/?adid=hero1" type="external">TMZ</a>, there is a video that shows Kevin and another woman at a nightclub and later in bed together. The person allegedly threatened to release the video if he didn't pay her money. The comedian took to Instagram Saturday night to apologize to his wife, Eniko Parrish, and his two children.</p>
<p>"Sending so many apologies to my wife &amp; kids. I gotta do better and I will. I'm not perfect and have never claimed to be ...I love you all," he wrote on Instagram.</p>
<p>In the video, Hart said "I made a bad error in judgment and I put myself in an environment where only bad things can happen and they did."</p>
<p>Hart,38, married his second wife Eniko in August 2016, and the couple is currently expecting their first child together.</p>
<p>Hart denied allegations that he was cheating on his wife in July when pictures of him in a car with another woman began to circulate on the internet.</p> | Despite his extortion scandal, Kevin Hart and his wife are planning a $118K baby shower | false | https://circa.com/story/2017/09/17/nation/ckevin-hart-reveals-alleged-extortion-attempt-in-apology-to-wife-kids | 2017-09-18 | 1 |
<p>By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service</p>
<p>Distributed by The Sports Xchange</p>
<p>RICHMOND, Va. — In need of a playoff spot next week and a place to drive next year, <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Matt_Kenseth/" type="external">Matt Kenseth</a> stormed to the pole position for Saturday night’s Federated Auto parts 400 at Richmond Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN).</p>
<p>Kenseth covered the .75-mile distance in 22.055 seconds (122.421 mph) in the final round of Friday’s knockout qualifying session to edge <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Joe_Gibbs/" type="external">Joe Gibbs</a> Racing teammate <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Denny_Hamlin/" type="external">Denny Hamlin</a> (122.277 mph) for the top starting spot by .026 seconds.</p>
<p>The Coors Light Pole Award was Kenseth’s second of the season — both coming at Richmond — his third at the “D”-shaped short track and 20th of his career.</p>
<p>Winless in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series so far this season, Kenseth is one of three drivers who can secure a berth in the postseason on points.</p>
<p>Kenseth will exit his ride at JGR at the end of the season and thus far has not announced plans for next year. But Friday’s pole run was an emphatic statement that the 45-year-old is still quick.</p>
<p>“The third round, it didn’t feel as good, but luckily it was fast enough,” said Kenseth, who is driving the No. 20 Hurricane Harvey Relief Toyota in the final regular-season race. “We missed the balance a little bit there, but it was fast enough to get the pole.</p>
<p>“I’m hoping for the best. I thought we were at our best this morning (in practice) when the track was the coolest and the cleanest. As it got hotter, we ran worse. So I guess that gives me hope that we’ll have speed tomorrow night.”</p>
<p>Hamlin’s final lap produced a better result than the driver expected when he ran it.</p>
<p>“I thought it would be a little worse than it ended up,” said Hamlin, last week’s winner at Darlington raceway. “I didn’t drive the laps as good as I probably could have and probably gotten the pole. Either way, a good run. We improved every round.</p>
<p>“And, obviously, we’re hoping for long green-flag runs. That’s typically where I excel at this race track. All in all, a pretty good day.”</p>
<p><a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Kurt_Busch/" type="external">Kurt Busch</a> qualified third, followed by <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Kyle-Larson/" type="external">Kyle Larson</a>, <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Martin_Truex/" type="external">Martin Truex</a> Jr., <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Kevin_Harvick/" type="external">Kevin Harvick</a> and <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Kyle_Busch/" type="external">Kyle Busch</a>. All three drivers, including Kenseth, who can make the playoff on points advanced to the final round on Friday. <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Chase-Elliott/" type="external">Chase Elliott</a> will start ninth and <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Jamie_McMurray/" type="external">Jamie McMurray</a> 11th.</p>
<p>Two drivers who must win on Saturday to claim a playoff spot also cracked the top 12. Despite missing the first hour of Friday’s final practice because of pre-qualifying and pre-race inspection failures last week at Darlington, <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Erik-Jones/" type="external">Erik Jones</a> qualified 10th.</p>
<p>Joey Logano, whose April 30 win at Richmond was encumbered by penalty, grabbed the 12th spot on the grid.</p>
<p>“We just had too much fall-off,” said Logano, who was third-fastest in the first round. “The first run was almost the fastest car, within a couple hundredths (of a second), and then the next run we were a tenth-and-a-half off, and then next run three-tenths off.</p>
<p>“Too much fall off from run to run. I don’t know that I completely understand why, but that’s where we will start, so it doesn’t much matter now.”</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Logano isn’t discounting his chances to barge into the playoff with a victory.</p>
<p>“I’m cautiously optimistic,” he said. “I think we’re OK. Our long-run speed looked to be OK. I don’t think we are lights-out fast, but I think we’re close enough that we can certainly make it interesting on everyone.”</p>
<p><a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Dale_Earnhardt/" type="external">Dale Earnhardt</a> Jr. qualified 21st for his final start at Richmond in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.</p>
<p>Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – Federated Auto Parts 400</p>
<p>Richmond Raceway</p>
<p>Richmond, Virginia</p>
<p>Friday, September 8, 2017</p>
<p>1. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 122.421 mph.</p>
<p>2. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 122.277 mph.</p>
<p>3. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford, 122.266 mph.</p>
<p>4. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 122.006 mph.</p>
<p>5. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 121.984 mph.</p>
<p>6. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 121.737 mph.</p>
<p>7. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 121.529 mph.</p>
<p>8. (17) <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Ricky_Stenhouse/" type="external">Ricky Stenhouse</a> Jr., Ford, 121.507 mph.</p>
<p>9. (24) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 121.474 mph.</p>
<p>10. (77) Erik Jones, Toyota, 121.343 mph.</p>
<p>11. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 121.125 mph.</p>
<p>12. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 120.941 mph.</p>
<p>13. (14) <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Clint_Bowyer/" type="external">Clint Bowyer</a>, Ford, 121.874 mph.</p>
<p>14. (21) <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Ryan-Blaney/" type="external">Ryan Blaney</a>, Ford, 121.775 mph.</p>
<p>15. (2) <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Brad_Keselowski/" type="external">Brad Keselowski</a>, Ford, 121.726 mph.</p>
<p>16. (19) <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Daniel-Suarez/" type="external">Daniel Suarez</a>, Toyota, 121.726 mph.</p>
<p>17. (5) <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Kasey_Kahne/" type="external">Kasey Kahne</a>, Chevrolet, 121.572 mph.</p>
<p>18. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 121.556 mph.</p>
<p>19. (10) <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Danica_Patrick/" type="external">Danica Patrick</a>, Ford, 121.201 mph.</p>
<p>20. (48) <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Jimmie_Johnson/" type="external">Jimmie Johnson</a>, Chevrolet, 121.147 mph.</p>
<p>21. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 121.065 mph.</p>
<p>22. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 120.795 mph.</p>
<p>23. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 120.407 mph.</p>
<p>24. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 120.187 mph.</p>
<p>25. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 121.655 mph.</p>
<p>26. (27) <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Paul_Menard/" type="external">Paul Menard</a>, Chevrolet, 121.616 mph.</p>
<p>27. (31) <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Ryan_Newman/" type="external">Ryan Newman</a>, Chevrolet, 121.600 mph.</p>
<p>28. (95) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 121.392 mph.</p>
<p>29. (38) <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/David_Ragan/" type="external">David Ragan</a>, Ford, 121.392 mph.</p>
<p>30. (34) Landon Cassill, Ford, 121.359 mph.</p>
<p>31. (3) <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Austin-Dillon/" type="external">Austin Dillon</a>, Chevrolet, 121.261 mph.</p>
<p>32. (13) <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Ty-Dillon/" type="external">Ty Dillon</a>, Chevrolet, 121.109 mph.</p>
<p>33. (83) Corey LaJoie, Toyota, 120.735 mph.</p>
<p>34. (23) Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 120.182 mph.</p>
<p>35. (72) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 120.171 mph.</p>
<p>36. (55) <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Reed_Sorenson/" type="external">Reed Sorenson</a>, Chevrolet, 120.123 mph.</p>
<p>37. (33) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 119.713 mph.</p>
<p>38. (15) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 118.162 mph.</p>
<p>39. (51) BJ McLeod(i), Chevrolet, 116.934 mph.</p> | NASCAR: Matt Kenseth takes step toward playoff with Richmond pole run | false | https://newsline.com/nascar-matt-kenseth-takes-step-toward-playoff-with-richmond-pole-run/ | 2017-09-08 | 1 |
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<p />
<p>11:50 p.m.</p>
<p>Cody Allen has closed out the Cleveland Indians’ 6-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1.</p>
<p>Game 2 is Wednesday night. With rain in the forecast, the start time was moved up an hour to 7:08 p.m.</p>
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<p>Trevor Bauer, trying to come back from a sliced pinkie, is scheduled to start for the Indians against Jake Arrieta.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>11:35 p.m.</p>
<p>Roberto Perez has hit his second homer in Game 1, a three-run shot in the eighth inning off Cubs reliever Hector Rondon that gave the Cleveland Indians a 6-0 lead.</p>
<p>Perez became the first No. 9 batter and first Indians player to have a multihomer game in the World Series. He has three home runs this postseason, matching his total in 61 games during the regular season.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>11:15 p.m.</p>
<p>Andrew Miller has struck out Kyle Schwarber with runners at the corners to end the top of the eighth inning and preserve Cleveland’s 3-0 lead over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1.</p>
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<p>The lefty reliever worked two innings and threw 46 pitches, his most in a game since 2011, when he was a starter.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>10:45 p.m.</p>
<p>Andrew Miller has pitched out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the seventh inning to protect Cleveland’s 3-0 lead over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1.</p>
<p>Indians ace Corey Kluber was lifted after Ben Zobrist’s leadoff single. Miller, the AL Championship Series MVP, walked Kyle Schwarber on a full count and gave up a single to Javier Baez on an 0-2 pitch.</p>
<p>That loaded the bases, but pinch-hitter Willson Contreras flied out to shallow center field and Addison Russell struck out on three pitches. David Ross also struck out, and Miller pumped his fist as he bounced off the mound.</p>
<p>Kluber yielded four hits and walked none in six-plus innings. The 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner fanned nine — eight in the first three innings.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>10:15 p.m.</p>
<p>With rain in the Cleveland forecast Wednesday night, Major League Baseball has moved up the start time for Game 2 by an hour.</p>
<p>The first pitch at Progressive Field is now scheduled for 7:08 p.m.</p>
<p>Trevor Bauer is slated to pitch for the Indians against Chicago Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>10:15 p.m.</p>
<p>The lights at Progressive Field flickered during the bottom of the sixth inning in Game 1.</p>
<p>Cubs reliever Pedro Strop was about to throw a pitch to Roberto Perez when plate umpire Larry Vanover raised his arms and called timeout. A moment later, the stadium was fully bright again and play resumed.</p>
<p>Perez struck out looking to end the inning.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>9:45 p.m.</p>
<p>Roberto Perez’s second home run this postseason has given the Indians a 3-0 lead over the Cubs in Game 1.</p>
<p>The Cleveland catcher hit a solo shot that struck the railing above the wall in left field with one out in the fourth.</p>
<p>The drive came after Cleveland ace Corey Kluber worked out of mild trouble in the top of the inning.</p>
<p>Perez, who batted .183 with three homers in 61 games during the regular season, has been starting in place of regular catcher Yan Gomes, who just returned from injury.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>9:40 p.m.</p>
<p>Chicago designated hitter Kyle Schwarber has his first major league hit of 2016.</p>
<p>Schwarber doubled off Corey Kluber with two outs in the fourth. The young slugger hadn’t played since tearing two ligaments in his left knee on April 7. He was ruled out for the year, but after a rapid recovery from surgery, the Cubs put Schwarber on their World Series roster Tuesday.</p>
<p>He struck out in his first at-bat but smacked a double off the wall in right field his next time up and strolled into second base.</p>
<p>Schwarber was stranded when Javier Baez flied out on the next pitch.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>9:10 p.m.</p>
<p>Indians ace Corey Kluber has set a World Series record with eight strikeouts through the first three innings. Cleveland leads the Chicago Cubs 2-0 in Game 1.</p>
<p>The eight strikeouts also represent the most by an Indians hurler in a World Series game.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>8:50 p.m.</p>
<p>The Cubs had a chance to score in the second inning but couldn’t do anything after Ben Zobrist’s leadoff double. Kyle Schwarber, added to the World Series roster Tuesday, struck out swinging. Schwarber tore two knee ligaments in early April and hadn’t played in the majors since.</p>
<p>Indians ace Corey Kluber has five strikeouts through the first two innings.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>8:45 p.m.</p>
<p>The Cleveland Indians have jumped on top 2-0 in Game 1 with a two-out rally in the first inning against a scuffling Jon Lester.</p>
<p>Francisco Lindor singled and stole second before Lester issued consecutive walks to Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana. Jose Ramirez drove in the first run with an infield single, a swinging bunt that produced a dribbler toward third base and left the Cubs with no play.</p>
<p>Brandon Guyer, in the starting lineup because of his strong numbers against left-handers, was hit by a pitch to force in another run. Nothing new for Guyer — he racked up 31 HBPs this season, most in the majors and twice as many as anyone else in the American League.</p>
<p>Lonnie Chisenhall fouled out to end the inning, with 39-year-old Cubs catcher David Ross making a nice play and getting a face full of padding on the net between home plate and the dugout.</p>
<p>The two quick runs off Lester were one more than he allowed in his previous 21 World Series innings. The lefty entered 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA in three Series starts for Boston.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>8:15 p.m.</p>
<p>Dexter Fowler took a called third strike from Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber leading off the game, becoming the first Chicago Cubs player to bat in the World Series in 25,948 days.</p>
<p>Chicago had not played a Series game since Oct. 10, 1945, when Don Johnson hit into a game-ending forceout against Detroit’s Hal Newhouser in Game 7.</p>
<p>Cleveland is appearing in its first World Series since an 11-inning Game 7 loss at the Florida Marlins in 1997.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>7:37 p.m.</p>
<p>As the Indians and Cubs got ready for first pitch, Cleveland celebrated its first championship in 52 years next door.</p>
<p>The Cavaliers, who made a historic comeback to win the NBA Finals in June, received their diamond rings and a banner was raised at Quicken Loans Arena. Cavs superstar LeBron James addressed the sellout crowd, telling the fans “this is for you.” He also wished the Indians good luck as they try to win the World Series for the first time since 1948.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>7:22 p.m.</p>
<p>LeBron James was busy raising a championship banner at Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday night, but the Cleveland Cavaliers star made sure to take care of the hometown guys across the street at Progressive Field.</p>
<p>James sent each member of the Indians wireless headphones ahead of Game 1 of the World Series against the Chicago Cubs. The Indians repaid James by having shortstop Francisco Lindor sign a jersey and send it back to the Cavaliers.</p>
<p>The Indians are trying to put an end to Cleveland’s championship drought, which is at a daunting 128 days since James and the Cavs beat Golden State in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>6:20 p.m.</p>
<p>An auction house says memorabilia of Yankees great Yogi Berra sold for $493,855 during an online auction, including $159,720 for his 1953 World Series championship ring.</p>
<p>Steiner Sports said Tuesday that Berra’s 1972 Hall of Fame induction ring sold for $90,000, a game-worn 1961 World Series jersey for $71,874 and his Hall induction plaque for $36,300. In all, 81 Berra lots were sold.</p>
<p>The catcher died in September 2015.</p>
<p>The auction ran from Sept. 13 through Monday. Prices include commission.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>5:05 p.m.</p>
<p>Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis’ sprained left ankle won’t keep him out of Game 1 against the Cubs.</p>
<p>Kipnis, who injured his ankle in the postgame celebration following Game 5 of the AL Championship Series in Toronto, ran the bases better than expected on Monday, and the Indians aren’t concerned his injury will be an issue.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>5 p.m.</p>
<p>Indians manager Terry Francona says he’s considering playing Carlos Santana in left field at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, where Cleveland will not have the designated hitter for Games 3-5 against the Cubs.</p>
<p>Santana took fly balls in left the past few days, and Francona said the first baseman/DH is willing to play the outfield. Francona said the biggest hesitation in making the move is that Santana has played only one career game in left.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>4:55 p.m.</p>
<p>The weather is clear for Tuesday night’s World Series opener and a game-time temperature of about 50 degrees is forecast, but there is a chance of rain during Game 2 on Wednesday night.</p>
<p>The Weather Channel predicted a 25 percent chance of rain for the start of Game 2, with the percentage increasing to 55 percent by 10 p.m. and 80 percent by 11 p.m.</p>
<p>The Weather Channel also predicted the wind will be blowing out at Chicago’s Wrigley Field at 10-20 mph for Game 3 on Friday night. The network said the daytime highs in Chicago are expected to be at least in the mid-60s on Friday and close to 70 on Saturday.</p>
<p>When the Series last was at Wrigley in 1945, TWC said the high temperature ranged from 74 degrees on Oct. 7 to 51 the following day.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>4:10 p.m.</p>
<p>Chicago Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber is starting the World Series opener against the Cleveland Indians at designated hitter.</p>
<p>Schwarber is batting fifth in Game 1 against Cleveland starter Corey Kluber.</p>
<p>Here’s the Cubs’ lineup: Dexter Fowler CF, Kris Bryant 3B, Anthony Rizzo 1B, Ben Zobrist LF, Schwarber DH, Javier Baez 2B, Chris Coghlan RF, Addison Russell SS and David Ross C.</p>
<p>Here’s the Indians’ lineup: Rajai Davis CF, Jason Kipnis 2B, Francisco Lindor SS, Mike Napoli 1B, Carlos Santana DH, Jose Ramirez 3B, Brandon Guyer LF, Lonnie Chisenhall RF and Roberto Perez C.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>4 p.m.</p>
<p>One start made Ryan Merritt a postseason hero, but he’s hardly a household name.</p>
<p>The Indians rookie pitcher walked to work virtually unrecognized Tuesday before Game 5 of the World Series against the Cubs. Wearing a backpack, the left-hander, who pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings against Toronto in the ALCS, blended into the crowd as he made his way to Progressive Field.</p>
<p>Indians outfielder Coco Crisp attracted more attention. He was happy to pose for selfies and sign autographs as he headed to the ballpark.</p>
<p>Crisp is in his second stint with the Indians, who acquired him from Oakland in an August trade. The 36-year-old switch-hitter is savoring his second World Series, this time with the team he started with.</p>
<p>Crisp says: “It’s like a dream come true.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>10:35 a.m.</p>
<p>Danny Salazar has made the Cleveland Indians’ World Series roster.</p>
<p>The right-hander hasn’t pitched in a game since Sept. 9 because of forearm tightness, but after some rehab and rest, the Indians think he’s ready to help them against the Chicago Cubs.</p>
<p>It’s possible that Salazar, who was picked for his first All-Star team this season, will start Game 4. He might also pitch in relief if rookie Ryan Merritt starts at Wrigley Field. Merritt emerged as an unlikely postseason hero when he pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series against Toronto.</p>
<p>Salazar pitched a three-inning simulated game on Sunday night, the final hurdle for him to be cleared.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>10:20 a.m.</p>
<p>Kyle Schwarber has been added to the Chicago Cubs’ World Series roster and could start Tuesday night’s opener against the Cleveland Indians at designated hitter.</p>
<p>The 23-year-old, sidelined after tearing two knee ligaments on April 7, was included Tuesday on the Cubs’ 25-man roster. Left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny was dropped.</p>
<p>Schwarber was expected to miss the rest of 2016 following knee surgery but was cleared medically to resume playing on Oct. 17. He played a pair of games in the Arizona Fall League and flew to Cleveland on Monday.</p>
<p>As a rookie, Schwarber hit .246 with 16 homers and 43 RBIs in 69 games.</p>
<p>Cleveland also made one change, including Danny Salazar in place of Cody Anderson in a swap of right-handed pitchers.</p> | Indians beat Cubs 6-0 in Game 1 | false | https://abqjournal.com/874904/the-latest-cubs-starting-schwarber-at-dh-in-series-opener.html | 2016-10-25 | 2 |
<p>SOCHI, Russia — If you just arrived in Sochi, you’d be forgiven for thinking there is little else here besides the Winter Olympics.</p>
<p>Sure, this sleepy, Soviet-era resort is no London, Beijing or Vancouver. Calling it a “world-class city” — despite insistence to the contrary by some local officials — is a stretch, to put it mildly.</p>
<p>But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to see around town,&#160;whether exciting, peculiar, or just plain funny.</p>
<p>GlobalPost ventured beyond the games to bring you a list of “medal winners” that probably won’t make the official Olympic podium. Forget hockey, speed skating and the biathalon — here’s a look at some local treasures that are winners to us.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>1. Top 'Russian' moments</p>
<p>Gold: The Ministry for Economic Development's strip club next door</p>
<p />
<p>Subtlety isn’t exactly a widespread commodity in Russia. And with this photo, need we say more? In central Adler, not far away from the Olympic Park, GlobalPost spots an advertisement for the “Wild West” strip club outside a local branch of Russia’s Ministry for Economic Development. Whoops.</p>
<p>Silver: No smoking. So what?</p>
<p />
<p>Russians love their smoking. So much so, in fact, that the country is the world’s second biggest tobacco market after China. Despite efforts to cut down on the habit — Sochi was declared a “smoke-free” city ahead of the games — many locals appear to be slow to catch on. But in Russia, sometimes rules are made to be broken.</p>
<p>Bronze: The church kiosk</p>
<p />
<p>Many Russians are religious — if not genuinely, then at least out of tradition. While the country is home to a diverse array of nationalities and faiths, the Russian Orthodox Church still reigns as the majority faith and dominates many areas of social and political life. Even less-than-devout Russians acknowledge that the church — and religion in general — has played an important historical role in the Russian experience. That’s why in Adler, on the way to the Olympic Park, visitors can stop by this kiosk to pick up all their church accessories, from prayers to icons to rosary beads.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>2. Best destinations off the beaten track</p>
<p>Gold: Khosta</p>
<p />
<p>Ask any Sochi local, and they’ll tell you: Khosta — a leafy suburb halfway between Sochi and Adler — is the pearl of the entire region. And they’re right. This quaint “village” sits nestled in a valley far away from the Olympic bustle (that’s part of the reason local officials plopped a designated “ <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/russia/140211/sochi-2014-winter-olympics-protest-zone-Putin" type="external">protest park</a>” there). Visitors can stroll its quiet streets and shop for fresh local fruits and spices in its market. In some ways, it’s a throwback to pre-Olympic Sochi: quiet, low-key and endearingly rustic.</p>
<p>Silver: The beach</p>
<p />
<p>A roasting sun and the deep blue sea aren’t the first things that come to mind when one thinks of “Winter Olympics.” But they’re readily available here in Sochi, just in case fans have gotten their fill of all the excitement on snow and ice. Holding the games in a subtropical region was among the many criticisms Russia faced ahead of the Olympics, and standing under the sun and against the sea — in 62-degree weather — one can see why it was a curious choice. The balmy weather has posed some issues for the games, but locals nevertheless pride themselves on living in a region they say is unique in Russia.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>3. Best place to take in the view</p>
<p>Gold: Adler train station</p>
<p />
<p>The view from the outdoor patio at the mammoth, glass-encased Olympics transport hub in Adler provides a telling glimpse of the area. Brand new roads and a freshly manicured park and coastal walkway hint at how much of a facelift this once neglected resort town received for the games. Visitors can also take in both the Black Sea and a coastline studded with the picturesque hilltops that give way to the western Caucasus Mountains.</p>
<p>Silver: Krasnaya Polyana</p>
<p />
<p>Russian officials say it’s the future for Russian tourism. Critics say parts of it reveal a Potemkin village that’s too big and expensive to sustain. Either way, Krasnaya Polyana — the site of the mountain cluster where the snow-based games are held — presents one of the most beautiful views in this year’s Winter Olympics of the formidable Caucasus. Here, the Rosa Khutor resort is tucked into a valley split by the icy Mzymta River — only a 40-minute ride from sun-drenched, seaside Adler, where the ice-based games take place.</p>
<p>Bronze: A coastal drive</p>
<p />
<p>It doesn’t take a trip to the mountains to take in some quality scenery. Sometimes, a quick ride on a minibus, or “marshrutka,” will do the trick — especially if you can fight your way to the front, where the broad windshield offers a vista on the coastal highway that connects central Sochi with Adler. The road snakes its way through quaint, hillside resort areas before nudging closer to the Black Sea coast. If you squint hard enough, parts of the newly renovated road are almost reminiscent of California’s famous and scenic State Route 1.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>4. Best modes of transportation</p>
<p>Gold: The train</p>
<p />
<p>A sprawling network of new infrastructure was one of the most important — and expensive — parts of Olympic preparations, which in total reportedly cost around $50 billion. One of the crown jewels is the state-of-the-art, German-built train, which shuttles visitors silently and smoothly to and from central Sochi and the Olympic Park, with a few extra stops, and between the two main sporting sites known as the Coastal and Mountain Clusters.</p>
<p>Silver: The marshrutka</p>
<p />
<p>Then there’s the ubiquitous and begrudgingly beloved “marshrutka” — a creaky, gas-guzzling minibus that ferries around Russians in cities all across the former Soviet Union. It’s small, cramped, and almost always tinged with an indiscernible human stench. But if you can handle all that, it’s a cheap, quick way to get around town. Just make sure you yell loudly enough at the driver when your stop’s coming up.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>5. Most entertaining face-palm moments</p>
<p>Gold: Sorry, this bathroom does not recognize men</p>
<p />
<p>Surely, there are better ways to inform passengers at the Adler train station, Sochi’s busiest transport hub, that the men’s bathroom is out of order. Even so, this one made us smile.</p>
<p>Silver: “Time work ... without break and days off”</p>
<p />
<p>While more common in Moscow and St. Petersburg, English isn’t exactly widespread in Russia — even in Olympic Sochi. Thousands of volunteers and service workers have no doubt brushed up on their language skills, but there’s still a fair amount of amusing mistranslation to be found.</p>
<p>Bronze: “Opening soon”</p>
<p />
<p>Ahead of the games, critics voiced complaints that the massive construction and renovation efforts in Sochi wouldn’t be done on time. Sure, the venues are completed, the buses and trains running, and most (ahem, many) hotels fit for use. But around town, some — like this retail storefront in a newly renovated plaza in Adler, not far from the Olympic park — appear to have failed to make it across the finish line. I guess we’ll wait.</p>
<p>All images by Dan Peleschuk <a href="http://statigr.am/danypel" type="external">via Instagram</a>.</p> | The Sochi medal winners you won't hear about anywhere else | false | https://pri.org/stories/2014-02-19/sochi-medal-winners-you-wont-hear-about-anywhere-else | 2014-02-19 | 3 |
<p>FBN’s Charlie Gasparino on reports that White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci is being removed from his post.</p>
<p>Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci resigned from the Board of Advisors at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy on Tuesday after getting into a spat with the school’s newspaper.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>In a statement to FOX Business, Adm. James Stavridis, dean of the school, said, “This morning, Anthony Scaramucci informed The Fletcher School that he is resigning his position on the school’s Board of Advisors, effective immediately. We thank Mr. Scaramucci for his past service to Tufts and wish him well.”</p>
<p>Scaramucci’s resignation comes after the former Trump aide threatened to sue a student at the university for penning two critical editorials on why he shouldn’t be on the board. The editorial pieces later turned into a weeks-long squabble with multiple students on campus who wanted him ousted, arguing that he didn’t belong on the board after making vulgar comments about another White House official.</p>
<p>Scaramucci, who served just 10 days in his White House role, held the Tufts board position since June 2016.</p> | Scaramucci resigns from Tufts University amid student spat | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/11/28/scaramucci-resigns-from-tufts-university-amid-student-spat.html | 2017-11-28 | 0 |
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/02/03/soldier-opens-fire-attacked-near-louvre-paris/" type="external">Paris almost had another taste</a> of Jihad again… this time at the Louvre. A machete wielding man, with two backpacks, rushed to enter the museum. Several soldiers opened fire on him, wounding him. Five shots were directed at the Jihadist and he was wounded in the stomach. That must have been painful… good. They then evacuated approximately 250 people from the Louvre for security reasons. The terrorist who wanted to get his violence on for Allah, was shouting, you guessed it, “Allahu Akbar!” You guys really need new material.</p>
<p>Some are saying this guy was actually charging the soldiers, others are claiming he was rushing the museum itself. It hardly matters. They really should of just taken the guy out. No explosives were found in the backpacks. One soldier received minor injuries during the confrontation. Prominent Front National politician Marion Le Pen, niece to the party leader who is leading the polls for the coming Presidential elections, congratulated the quick-thinking soldiers. Taking to Twitter, she said: “Kudos to the military that has neutralized the Islamist assailant in the #Louvre.” She is part of the populist movement in France that is anti-refugee in nature.</p>
<p>AP Photo/Thibault Camus</p>
<p>From Breitbart:</p>
<p>The Louvre museum in Paris has been evacuated after what the French Ministry of the Interior has called a “serious public security event” in which a number of soldier opened fire on a man with a machete who cried “Allahu Akbar”.</p>
<p>Soldiers fired five shots to disable a man at the entrance to the Louvre in Paris, France Friday morning after the machete-wielding attacker shouted threats and the well-known Islamist phrase “Allahu Akhbar”, rushed the troops while carrying two backpacks, <a href="http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2017/02/03/97001-20170203FILWWW00083-agresse-un-militaire-ouvre-le-feu-au-louvre.php" type="external">reports</a> Le Figaro.</p>
<p>The man was shot in the stomach and bomb-disposal teams have been deployed to assess the contents of the man’s bags. Police have said no explosives have been found.</p>
<p>The soldiers, who are among the 100,000 deployed to the streets of France to protect schools, places of worship, railway stations, and sites of interest as part of operation Sentinel were patrolling in a group of three men when the attack took place. One soldier sustained light injuries during the attack.</p>
<p>The world-famous Louvre museum which houses noted artworks including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and the Aphrodite of Milos was evacuated around 10am local time, and surrounded by heavily armed police.</p>
<p>John Hawkins's book 101 Things All Young Adults Should Know is filled with lessons that newly minted adults need in order to get the most out of life. Gleaned from a lifetime of trial, error, and writing it down, Hawkins provides advice everyone can benefit from in short, digestible chapters.</p>
<p>The Louvre’s metro station was closed down by the Parisian transit authority. They announced on social media that trains on line 7 would pass without stopping. This attack comes as France is now on their highest level of alert after horrendous attacks in 2015 and 2016 by radical Islamists who killed 216. Over 100,000 military personnel are deployed throughout Paris, at the ready to stop Jihadists from killing more innocent people. The national state of emergency has now been extended until December.</p>
<p>Further information indicates that the suspect was shot five times while in the stairway that connects the Carrousel du Louvre shopping center with the Tuileries Gardens above, but he did not reach the typically crowded mall itself, nor the main entrance of the museum. One soldier has a minor scalp injury. President Trump, via Twitter, said: “A new radical Islamic terrorist has just attacked in Louvre Museum in Paris. Tourists were locked down. France on edge again. GET SMART U.S.” A second person has been taken into custody, said Pierre-Henry Brandet, an Interior Ministry spokesman, but that person’s connection to the events at the Louvre is unclear.</p>
<p>No word if this was ISIS or not. It’s a good bet it was. The Louvre is set to reopen shortly and the French will carry on until the next attack. President Trump is right… we need to smarten up over all this before we have more of these attacks on our soil, with the blood of the innocent in our streets. I suggest shoot to kill. Better yet, don’t let them in without extreme vetting in the first place.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>Soldiers and police secure the Louvre perimeter Friday morning after a knife attack / Getty</p>
<p>Police and Pompiers deployed to the Louvre / AP Images</p>
<p>A soldier stands guard on Friday morning outside the evacuated Louvre museum / Getty</p>
<p>AP Images</p>
<p>Getty Images</p>
<p>Getty Images</p>
<p>Bravo au militaire qui a neutralisé l'assaillant islamiste au <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Louvre?src=hash" type="external">#Louvre</a>. Ne baissons pas la garde face au terrorisme !</p>
<p>— Marion Le Pen (@Marion_M_Le_Pen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Marion_M_Le_Pen/status/827458673689653248" type="external">February 3, 2017</a></p>
<p />
<p>Evénement grave de <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/s%C3%A9curit%C3%A9?src=hash" type="external">#sécurité</a> publique en cours à <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Paris?src=hash" type="external">#Paris</a> quartier du <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Louvre?src=hash" type="external">#Louvre</a>, priorité à l'intervention des forces de sécurité et de secours <a href="https://t.co/PxTLacJk7a" type="external">pic.twitter.com/PxTLacJk7a</a></p>
<p>— Ministère Intérieur (@Place_Beauvau) <a href="https://twitter.com/Place_Beauvau/status/827446437596241920" type="external">February 3, 2017</a></p>
<p />
<p>Terresa Monroe-Hamilton is an editor and writer for Right Wing News. She owns and blogs at <a href="http://www.noisyroom.net/blog/" type="external">NoisyRoom.net</a>. She is a Constitutional Conservative and NoisyRoom focuses on political and national issues of interest to the American public. Terresa is the editor at Trevor Loudon's site, New Zeal - <a href="http://www.trevorloudon.com/" type="external">trevorloudon.com</a>. She also does research at <a href="http://www.keywiki.org" type="external">KeyWiki.org</a>. You can <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">email Terresa here</a>. NoisyRoom can be found on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/noisyroom.net" type="external">Facebook</a> and on <a href="https://twitter.com/terresamonroe" type="external">Twitter</a>.</p> | French Soldiers shoot down “Allahu Akbar” Islamic Terrorist outside of Louvre Museum | true | http://rightwingnews.com/france/french-soldiers-shoot-allahu-akbar-islamic-terrorist-outside-louvre-museum/ | 2018-02-20 | 0 |
<p>NEW DELHI (AP) — India's Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed an Italian marine involved in the shooting deaths of two Indian fishermen in 2012 to stay in Italy until April 30.</p>
<p>Marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone were assigned to anti-piracy duty aboard an Italian oil tanker off India's coast at the time of the shootings.</p>
<p>The men were detained and had to stay in India without formal charges, but were allowed to return temporarily to Italy to vote in 2013 elections. Latorre was allowed to travel home for medical treatment in September after suffering a stroke, while Girone is still in India.</p>
<p>Latorre was supposed to return to India by Jan. 15.</p>
<p>The Italian Foreign Ministry, however, said in a statement Wednesday that Latorre will remain in Italy until the outcome of international arbitration in the case, citing an order by the International Tribunal for the Sea stating that India and Italy should suspend all internal judicial actions while the arbitration is pending.</p>
<p>"On the bases of that order, the government retains that any decision by the Indian Supreme Court relative to rifleman Latorre is precluded, and that he therefore can remain in Italy for the entire arbitration procedure," the ministry said.</p>
<p>In New Delhi, the Supreme Court asked the Indian government to explain when the arbitration panel would rule on the dispute, and also asked Italy to explain how long Latorre's medical treatment would take.</p>
<p>Italy argues the shooting occurred in international waters, that the fishermen were mistaken for pirates, and that the case should be heard in an Italian court. New Delhi insists it has jurisdiction and wants to charge both marines with murder.</p>
<p>Italy took the case to international arbitration last June.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Colleen Barry in Milan, Italy, contributed to this report.</p>
<p>NEW DELHI (AP) — India's Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed an Italian marine involved in the shooting deaths of two Indian fishermen in 2012 to stay in Italy until April 30.</p>
<p>Marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone were assigned to anti-piracy duty aboard an Italian oil tanker off India's coast at the time of the shootings.</p>
<p>The men were detained and had to stay in India without formal charges, but were allowed to return temporarily to Italy to vote in 2013 elections. Latorre was allowed to travel home for medical treatment in September after suffering a stroke, while Girone is still in India.</p>
<p>Latorre was supposed to return to India by Jan. 15.</p>
<p>The Italian Foreign Ministry, however, said in a statement Wednesday that Latorre will remain in Italy until the outcome of international arbitration in the case, citing an order by the International Tribunal for the Sea stating that India and Italy should suspend all internal judicial actions while the arbitration is pending.</p>
<p>"On the bases of that order, the government retains that any decision by the Indian Supreme Court relative to rifleman Latorre is precluded, and that he therefore can remain in Italy for the entire arbitration procedure," the ministry said.</p>
<p>In New Delhi, the Supreme Court asked the Indian government to explain when the arbitration panel would rule on the dispute, and also asked Italy to explain how long Latorre's medical treatment would take.</p>
<p>Italy argues the shooting occurred in international waters, that the fishermen were mistaken for pirates, and that the case should be heard in an Italian court. New Delhi insists it has jurisdiction and wants to charge both marines with murder.</p>
<p>Italy took the case to international arbitration last June.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Colleen Barry in Milan, Italy, contributed to this report.</p> | Indian Supreme Court extends Italian marine's stay in Italy | false | https://apnews.com/amp/80083d3d14eb49a0a12bc94b9ef0a616 | 2016-01-13 | 2 |
<p>On Thursday, October 15, hundreds of thousands of workers in Puerto Rico led a National Strike day of 24 hours with a massive mobilization in the capital, San Juan, against an austerity law promoted by the Governor of the island, Luis Fortuno, who ordered the layoff of 17,000 state employees by the beginning of November, in addition to another 5,000 layoffs that had already been announced in preceding months.</p>
<p>This law, popularly known as "Law 7," suspends the rights of public employees to collective bargaining and orders a 20% budget cut through the massive layoff of state employees that could affect 30,000 workers. Fortuno's government is planning to eliminate 40 public offices through closure, privatizations or mergers.</p>
<p>As part of the National Strike day, ten marches met in the city center and gathered in the Plaza Las Americas, which is the symbol of economic power and where the biggest commercial center of the island is located. More than 150,000 workers and students participated in that mobilization and tens of thousands carried out actions at other points of the capital and the interior, in response to the strike call by the Coalicion Sindical and the Todo Puerto Rico Por Puerto Rico organization, that was supported by the Coordinadora Sindical and the Frente Amplio de Solidaridad y Lucha, which had already called for a National Strike against "Law 7" on May Day of this year, International Workers Day.</p>
<p>With the cry, "Contracts for the rich, abuses for the people," a crowd repudiated Fortuno's neo-liberal policies. The economic and financial center of the capital was brought to a standstill. The banks announced that they would not be opening their doors, the docks were blocked by truck drivers, and there were no classes in the public schools and universities of the island, as well as in a number of private schools. This big action was carried out in spite of threats from the government, that announced days before the strike that it would charge the workers who interfered with free circulation of merchandise and passengers in the ports and airports of the island, with terrorism. The very day of the strike, the government deployed 15,000 police officers in San Juan, while a police helicopter was patrolling the demonstration and filming the demonstrators. For their part, students had to endure the cops' closing the gates and occupying the 11 campuses of the University of Puerto Rico, to stop the planned students' assemblies to join the strike, from taking place. However, the students went out massively to the streets during the day of October 15.</p>
<p>Governor Fortuno is launching this attack against the workers in the context of growing unemployment as a result of the effects of the economic crisis. During the last 12 months, 89,000 workers lost their jobs in the private sector, while the current austerity plan is battering the public sector, that employs 25% of the workers of the island. The September unemployment rate was 15.8%, and it is anticipated that massive layoffs will push the unemployment rate beyond 17%. While Obama's administration is spending billions of dollars on bailout plans for the financial sector, Governor Fortuno cynically explains that the island has to reduce its $3.2 billion fiscal deficit to avoid having Wall Street agencies, the same group that caused the crisis, lower the rating of the bonds issued by the government. Behind this argument, he is trying to move forward with the attack on state workers, while guaranteeing lucrative deals through new privatizations for US and Puerto Rican businessmen.</p>
<p>Let us recall that Puerto Rico has the status of "Free Associated State" of the United States, behind which is concealed just a colonial possession of US imperialism, and nothing more, whose population is treated as second-class citizens, who are not even allowed to vote for President. In their territory, the US Marines keep the Vieques base and historically, those who fought for the island's independence were persecuted, tortured and murdered, and even today the FBI is active in the territory of Puerto Rico without any kind of consultation and with absolute brutality, as was shown in 2005, when they assassinated the Puerto Rican independence movement leader Filiberto Ojeda Rios in his house, which gave rise to widespread repudiation in the interior of the island.</p>
<p>Both on the island and in the US, Obama's administration and that of Governor Fortuno are trying to make workers pay for the crisis, as shown by growing unemployment in both places. Last week's national strike, that was the biggest in recent years and attracted the sympathy of broad groups of the people, shows how to begin confronting austerity plans and neo-liberal policies. As several teachers' union leaders declared, it is necessary to move forward now towards a General Strike of indefinite duration, until "Law 7" is done away with. The US working class must play a key role as an ally of the Puerto Rican workers, in their struggle to put an end to layoffs and Fortuno's austerity plans, which at the same time will leave US workers in a better condition to confront the attacks they are already experiencing.</p> | National Strike in Puerto Rico | true | https://leftvoice.org/National-Strike-in-Puerto-Rico | 2009-11-04 | 4 |
<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening’s drawing of the Tennessee Lottery’s “Cash 4 Evening” game were:</p>
<p>6-9-2-6, Lucky Sum: 23</p>
<p>(six, nine, two, six; Lucky Sum: twenty-three)</p>
<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening’s drawing of the Tennessee Lottery’s “Cash 4 Evening” game were:</p>
<p>6-9-2-6, Lucky Sum: 23</p>
<p>(six, nine, two, six; Lucky Sum: twenty-three)</p> | Winning numbers drawn in ‘Cash 4 Evening’ game | false | https://apnews.com/3992692442704bd0b394553261697765 | 2018-01-12 | 2 |
<p>The Chief Justice of Alabama, Roy Moore, sent a directive to the probate judges in Alabama <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/02/09/alabama-chief-justice-tells-probate-judges-not-to-issue-gay-marriage-licenses/" type="external">ordering them not to issue same-sex marriage licenses</a> when the courts open on Monday morning. "Moore wrote that the judges weren't bound by a federal judge's ruling Jan. 23 that the marriage ban was unconstitutional."</p>
<p>"Effective immediately, no probate judge of the state of Alabama nor any agent or employee of any Alabama probate judge shall issue or recognize a marriage license that is inconsistent with (the Alabama Constitution)," Moore wrote.</p>
<p>The ACLU called the move "grandstanding."</p>
<p>"We will see marriage equality in Alabama tomorrow. I don't think the probate judges in Alabama are going to defy a federal court judge's order," Watson said late Sunday.</p>
<p>A U.S. District Judge, Callie Granade ruled the state marriage ban was unconstitutional and in a clarifying order stated that probate judges have a legal duty under the constitution to issue the licenses.</p>
<p>One couple has already showed up outside the Montgomery court house and more are expected.</p>
<p>More than 100 people attended a "Sanctity of Marriage" rally at the Alabama Capitol on Saturday. With the sign "One Man One Woman" behind them, speakers said they stood with the biblical definition of marriage and the 80 percent of voters who approved Alabama's gay marriage ban in 2006.</p>
<p>A group of marriage rights supporters gathered across the street waving signs reading, "Y'all means all" and singing a version of "Going to the Chapel," but changing the word chapel to courthouse.</p> | Alabama Chief Justice to Probate Judges: Don't Issue Same-Sex Marriage Licenses | true | http://truthrevolt.org/news/alabama-chief-justice-probate-judges-dont-issue-same-sex-marriage-licenses | 2018-10-03 | 0 |
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<p />
<p>A federal jury convicted Roof on all 33 counts Thursday. Those same jurors will decide in another phase of the trial starting Jan. 3 whether he faces the death penalty or life in prison.</p>
<p>When testimony starts, Roof will be his own attorney, having again fired defense lawyers who fear Roof is taking over because he doesn’t want them to present embarrassing evidence in their efforts to spare his life.</p>
<p>The stunning crime on June 17, 2015, became more revolting during six days of testimony. Roof fired 77 shots in the fellowship hall. More than 50 hit someone. Each of the nine people killed were struck at least five times. The medical examiner said the angles of some of the bullets seemed to show someone was holding a gun over victims who were lying still with their arms pulled against them. A prosecutor said they were executed like animals.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Roof didn’t hesitate to explain his racist beliefs during his confession to FBI agents and left a handwritten journal full of his views, such as blacks being inferior to whites. He also left behind carefully chosen pictures of himself holding the .45-caliber Glock he used in the killings, posing at historic Civil War and African-American sites and holding the Confederate flag.</p>
<p>As the verdict was read, Roof just stared ahead, much as he did the entire trial. Family members of victims held hands and squeezed one another’s arms. One woman nodded her head every time the clerk said “guilty.”</p>
<p>Roof’s lawyers presented no witnesses and tried in vain to introduce evidence that problems with Roof’s mental health led to the killings. But U.S. Judge Richard Gergel said that kind of evidence is only permissible in the upcoming penalty phase, when Roof will represent himself.</p>
<p>In his closing argument, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Williams mocked Roof for calling himself brave, saying the real bravery came from the victims who tried to stop him.</p>
<p>“This defendant chose to take their lives. He chose to break their bodies. But he does not get to choose who they were,” Williams said.</p>
<p>Williams’ 50-minute closing argument filled the court with tension. At times, the prosecutor raised his voice, saying Roof was a cold, calculated killer. Some family members of victims dabbed their eyes with tissues, and jurors appeared emotional when Williams, after apologizing to them, showed crime scene photos of each person killed alongside a small picture of them while alive.</p>
<p>Those pictures included the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, 41, Emanuel AME’s pastor and a state senator; Myra Thompson, 59, who taught Bible study that night; Cynthia Hurd, 54, a librarian; and Depayne Middleton-Doctor, 49, who friends said sang like an angel.</p>
<p>Also slain were Daniel “Dapper Dan” Simmons, 74, nicknamed for his shiny shoes and fine hats; Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, 45, a high school track coach; Ethel Lance, 70, the church sexton who kept the building immaculately clean; Susie Jackson, 87, who sang in the choir; and Tywanza Sanders, 26, Jackson’s nephew and an aspiring poet.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Defense lawyer David Bruck conceded Roof committed the slayings, but he asked jurors to look into his head and see what caused him to become so full of hatred, calling him a suicidal loner who never grasped the gravity of what he did.</p>
<p>Survivor Felicia Sanders has her own theory. She thinks Roof is a coward, too, because he refused to look at her as she testified. She refused to say after the verdicts were read whether she wants Roof to die for his crimes.</p>
<p>She noted how Roof told the FBI he had no friends.</p>
<p>“He had nine friends sitting in the church that night,” said Sanders, who testified Pinckney warmly welcomed Roof, who sat with the Bible study for 45 minutes before opening fire during the closing prayer. “If only he had waited right after we said the prayer, we would’ve all gathered around him and found out what his needs were what his wants and invited him to come back.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Jeffrey Collins on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP" type="external">http://twitter.com/JSCollinsAP</a> . His work can be found at <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/content/jeffrey-collins" type="external">http://bigstory.ap.org/content/jeffrey-collins</a> .</p>
<p>Follow Meg Kinnard on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP" type="external">http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP</a> . Read more of her work at <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/content/meg-kinnard/" type="external">http://bigstory.ap.org/content/meg-kinnard/</a> .</p> | Jury assures Dylann Roof will never walk free again | false | https://abqjournal.com/910579/jury-assures-dylann-roof-will-never-walk-free-again.html | 2016-12-16 | 2 |
<p />
<p>Berkshire Hathaway's current CEO, Warren Buffett. Image source: The Motley Fool</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Ajit Jain is the head of Berkshire Hathaway's largest insurance business, Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group. He is also widely considered to be a leading candidate to one day replace Warren Buffett as chief executive of the entire Berkshire conglomerate. While Jain's estimated $2 billion net worth pales in comparison to Buffett's, the executive does manage an insurance business with over $44 billion in float, considered by many to be the crown jewel of the Berkshire empire.</p>
<p>Will Jain one day take the reins from Buffett? Let's weigh the odds.</p>
<p>Over the years, both Buffett and his number two, vice chairman Charlie Munger, have each gone out of their way to applaud Jain as a highly effective leader, cunning strategist, and major driver of Berkshire profits. In 1999, for example, Buffett said,</p>
<p>Jain came up again in the 2010 letter to shareholders. Buffett said that "If [Munger], I, and Ajit are ever in a sinking boat and you can only save one of us, swim to Ajit." That's a strong testament to Jain's significance at the company.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>In the 2015 letter it was Munger's turn, telling investors that Jain and the head of Berkshire's energy division, Greg Abel, are "proven performers who would probably be under-described as 'world-class.'"</p>
<p>Jain's good work has been rewarded over time, most recently with a promotion to head both Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group and now Gen Re as well. The promotion came earlier this year when Tad Montross, the current CEO of Gen Re, announced his retirement. Montross had previously reported directly to Buffett; however, his replacement -- who has yet to be announced -- will report to Jain going forward. Gen Re had a float of $18 billion as of December 31, increasing the total float under Jain's management 41%.</p>
<p>As qualified as Ajit Jain is to take the helm of Berkshire, it's far from clear if he will actually become CEO one day.</p>
<p>First, Jain is 64, which would put him above the average age of CEOs of companies on the S&amp;P 500. Buffett, who will turn 86 in August, is himself among the oldest CEOs on the list. However, Buffett was a spry 26 when he founded the first partnership that would ultimately become today's Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett has said in the past that the company hopes to promote someone who can lead the company for ten years or more. At 64, that's a plausible expectation for Jain, albeit not ideal.</p>
<p>Second, Jain is not the only qualified candidate in the mix for the job. His biggest competitor is likely the previously mentioned Greg Abel, who runs Berkshire's expansive energy business. Some speculate that Jain is simply too valuable to the company at the top of the insurance business and that Abel would be the better fit as a "capital allocator in chief," responsible for managing the company's sprawling balance sheet, mitigating risk, and delegating responsibility to the company'sother world-class managers. And don't count out Todd Combs or Todd Weschler -- the duo gradually taking over investment decisions from Buffett and Munger -- as possible candidates as well.</p>
<p>Lastly, on multiple occasions Jain himself has publicly stated that he doesn't want the CEO job. Of course, it's one thing to say that publicly and with no job offer in hand, and a whole other thing to turn down an actual offer to be the chief executive of the number four company on the Fortune 500.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/06/12/why-ajit-jain-is-a-leading-candidate-to-be-the-nex.aspx" type="external">Why Ajit Jain Is a Leading Candidate to Be the Next Berkshire Hathaway CEO Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/jayhjenkins/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Jay Jenkins Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Berkshire Hathaway (B Shares). Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://wiki.fool.com/Motley?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/help/index.htm?display=about02" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Why Ajit Jain Is a Leading Candidate to Be the Next Berkshire Hathaway CEO | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/06/12/why-ajit-jain-is-leading-candidate-to-be-next-berkshire-hathaway-ceo.html | 2016-06-12 | 0 |
<p>The unthinkable is happening. A <a href="" type="internal">self-proclaimed socialist</a> is not only forging ahead in the Democratic primaries, but could actually win.</p>
<p>Yet even as his popularity rises, even as he raises issues no candidate has brought into the public arena in decades, Bernie Sanders faces attacks from all quarters of the Left. He’s accused of not having radical enough economic proposals, of&#160;being oblivious to race, of&#160;diminishing the chances&#160;of electing a woman president, of&#160;not being electable and potentially paving the way for Republican victory, and of&#160;threatening social movements by herding progressives into the Democratic Party.</p>
<p>There is no doubt that aspects of this criticism are deserved. Sanders doesn’t offer anything close to a comprehensive solution for the myriad problems facing the poor and oppressed, and some parts of his political agenda are genuinely backward. But when we place his candidacy in the context of the challenges the Left faces, the orientation of his political rivals, and the incredible enthusiasm he has generated in a climate of general defeat, the attacks on him from the Left become harder to justify.</p>
<p>Some of the critiques are unexceptional. Bernie is just a social democrat. He is not advocating socializing the means of production, nor is he seeking to dismantle the American empire; he has at times fallen short of demonstrating an experiential empathy towards racial minorities; and of course, it would have been nice if Sanders was a woman.</p>
<p>But politics is always contextual, and this is the United States, not Europe or Latin America. It is a country with a deep history of anticommunism, of little memory of an organized left politics, of a sustained, unremitting, three-decade-long attack on the working class. And the fact is that today, after decades of retreat by the Left, Sanders’s&#160;campaign <a href="" type="internal">has resonated</a> with working people all over the country — not in spite of his embrace of the word “socialism,” but because of it. Ponder that for a minute.</p>
<p>Sure, he isn’t calling for wholesale expropriation. But <a href="" type="internal">when was the last time</a> a candidate was winning on a plank that called for breaking up large banks, raising taxes on the wealthy and on corporations, shifting revenues toward huge increases in the social safety net, establishing universal health care and child care, providing tuition-free higher education, spending a trillion dollars on public works, and raising the minimum wage nationwide to $15 an hour?</p>
<p>It’s really not much of an insight to point out that this is still short of the kind of revolutionary transformations that we desire. Those are not on the table. What is remarkable, however, is that until recently neither was Sanders’s&#160;vision or proposal — and now he has a vast section of the country eating off that table.</p> | Bernie and His Critics | true | https://jacobinmag.com/2016/02/bernie-sanders-socialist-democratic-primary-working-class/ | 2018-10-04 | 4 |
<p>By Marv Knox</p>
<p>The Baylor Alumni Association plans to “resolutely — not defiantly” defend itself against a lawsuit filed by Baylor University June 6.</p>
<p>The university filed the lawsuit about five months after its lead attorney called on the Baylor Alumni Association to “cease and desist” from using the school’s licensed trademarks.</p>
<p>That action followed 12 years of contention between the university and the independent alumni association. In September 2013, the alumni association voted 830 to 669 to disband, turn over alumni activities to the university and create the Baylor Line Corporation as a separate entity. The proposal failed, lacking a necessary super majority two-thirds vote.</p>
<p>The university then terminated its licensing agreement, which allowed the alumni association to use the Baylor name and its registered trademarks. But the alumni association published an issue of the Baylor Line in May.</p>
<p>In a letter emailed to Baylor Alumni Association members, BAA President Keith Starr of Tyler reported the association’s executive committee met June 12 and resolved to take on the lawsuit.</p>
<p>“Needless to say, we are disappointed in this action by the university and its leadership, and we are extremely reluctant to be dragged into this litigation,” wrote Starr, who is not related to the university’s president, Ken Starr.</p>
<p>The alumni association has tried to reach an agreement that would preserve its name, the title of the Baylor Line and “our commitment to thousands of Baylor alumni,” Keith Starr contended.</p>
<p>“Despite our reluctance, we are forced to resolutely — not defiantly — defend our rights and oppose the university’s effort to silence the BAA, which has served as an independent yet supportive voice of Baylor alumni for more than 150 years.”</p>
<p>The BAA executive committee does not believe the university has the right to “unilaterally terminate its many agreements with the BAA,” he added.</p>
<p>The letter to the alumni association’s members listed four rights the executive committee believes the association still holds:</p>
<p>• “The BAA has the exclusive right to be called the Baylor Alumni Association and to call our magazine the Baylor Line.”</p>
<p>• “The BAA has the right to provide a forum for alumni to ask questions and express views free of editorial control.”</p>
<p>• “The BAA has the right to continue to act as an independent voice for our member alumni with respect to issues affecting our beloved university.”</p>
<p>• “The BAA has the right to maintain its offices on the Baylor University campus.”</p>
<p>The letter announced two attorneys will represent the alumni association in the lawsuit — Shannon Ratliff, founder of the Ratliff Law Firm in Austin, Texas, and J.D. Pauerstein, a partner in the law firm Rosenthal Pauerstein Sandoloski Agather in San Antonio, Texas.</p>
<p>The alumni association has received financial pledges to help cover legal fees and intends “that none of the association’s endowment will be used to pay the costs incurred in the lawsuit,” Starr wrote.</p>
<p>At the time the lawsuit was filed, Baylor spokesperson Lori Fogelman said, “The university is moving to protect the interests of Baylor, its students and its alumni by seeking appropriate legal relief rather than simply waiting further for some indication of actual progress from the association.”</p>
<p>— Ken Camp, managing editor of the Baptist Standard, contributed to this article.</p> | Baylor’s alumni association plans defense in lawsuit filed by university | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/baylor-s-alumni-association-plans-defense-in-lawsuit-filed-by-university/ | 3 |
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<p>By Robert Dilday</p>
<p>Nearly 200 interfaith religious leaders — including at least a dozen Baptists — took out a full-page ad in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Feb. 26 to oppose a bill in the Georgia legislature which would lift restrictions on guns in houses of worship and bars.</p>
<p>The ad appears about three weeks after a public affairs representative for the Georgia Baptist Convention <a href="ministry/organizations/item/28341-georgia-baptists-support-guns-in-church#.Uw5DN_ldV8E" type="external">testified</a> in the state’s General Assembly on behalf of House Bill 875, which also would make it no longer a crime for licensed gun owners to carry firearms on college campuses. The House passed the bill 119-56 on Feb. 18, but it is under review in the Senate.</p>
<p>“We can no longer be silent about gun violence in our state,” 185 religious leaders said in the newspaper ad. “We will oppose political decisions driven by fear that promote the notion that the answer to gun violence is more guns. As citizens of Georgia and as leaders of faith communities we oppose House Bill 875 and any legislation that would allow more guns in more places in our state.”</p>
<p>Greg Smith, pastor of Scott Boulevard Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga., and a signatory, said “at least a dozen” Baptist leaders signed the statement. Most of them are in the Atlanta area, though some live in other parts of Georgia, he added.</p>
<p>“This was a grassroots movement among pastors,” Smith said.</p>
<p>Other signatories are Dock Hollingsworth, pastor of Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta; Greg DeLoach, pastor of First Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga.; James Lamkin, pastor of Northside Drive Baptist Church in Atlanta; Julie Pennington-Russell, pastor of First Baptist Church in Decatur; and Raphael Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.</p>
<p>“Through our faith, we have a vision for human community that is built on solidarity and trust, not fear and terror,” the ad says. “We hope and work for the day when neighborhoods and communities all across our state will be places where human life is valued and celebrated, not tragically ended by gun violence. In this hope, we are encouraging all people of faith to become informed and active in preventing gun violence in Georgia. We pray for moral clarity and courage as we seek to build peace and good will among the human family. We commit ourselves to praying and working for public policies that promote the flourishing of our communities and our congregations in safety and peace.”</p> | Religious leaders oppose Ga. gun law in full-page newspaper ad | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/religious-leaders-oppose-ga-gun-law-in-full-page-newspaper-ad/ | 3 |
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<p>Image from Roy Moore fundraising email.</p>
<p>What does a political candidate do when a national newspaper publishes a story alleging that he initiated a sexual encounter with a 14-year old girl? In the case of Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, the answer is: quickly send out a fundraising email touting endorsements from prominent Senate GOPers—even if one of those senators is now saying Moore may have to exit the race.</p>
<p>Less than two hours after the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/woman-says-roy-moore-initiated-sexual-encounter-when-she-was-14-he-was-32/2017/11/09/1f495878-c293-11e7-afe9-4f60b5a6c4a0_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_moore-art-1pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory" type="external">Washington Post&#160;published</a>&#160;a major investigation reporting that Moore had pursued teenagers and sexually molested one under-age girl, his campaign zapped out a fundraising email that showcased endorsements from three senators whom conservatives tend to adore: Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Mike Lee of Utah.</p>
<p>“As you know, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee all endorsed my campaign for U.S. Senate,” Moore wrote. “If I’m elected to Washington, I’ll join them on the frontlines of the fight to Drain the Swamp.” The email featured a graphic of all three hovering behind a grinning Moore.&#160;</p>
<p>But on Thursday afternoon, Lee was one of a growing number of Senate Republicans calling for Moore to step aside, if the allegations were true.</p>
<p />
<p>Cruz&#160; <a href="http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2017/10/ted_cruz_says_roy_moore_will_p.html" type="external">endorsed Moore last month</a> and declared that the former judge, a champion of the religious right, would “proudly defend Alabama values.” After the Post story hit, Cruz&#160;did not respond to a reporter asking about the allegations.</p>
<p />
<p>Perhaps the email was already scheduled to go out this afternoon. But the timing raised the possibility that Moore was trying to make the best of these endorsements while he still could—that is, before these endorsers jump his scandal-struck ship.</p> | Roy Moore Responds to Bombshell Story by…Sending Out a Fundraising Email | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2017/11/roy-moore-responds-to-bombshell-story-by-sending-out-a-fundraising-email/ | 2017-11-09 | 4 |
<p>Photo by Nathaniel St. Clair</p>
<p>Why did Russia favor Trump over Hillary in 2016?</p>
<p>By the broadest definitions of “military bases” and “abroad,” Russia has 15 foreign military bases:</p>
<p>11 are located in “near distant” territory that was part of the U.S.S.R. until 1991, when the U.S.S.R. was dissolved;</p>
<p>4 are in distant foreign lands (2 active in Syria, 1 active in Vietnam, 1 inactive in Cuba);</p>
<p>the above total to 15; and also:</p>
<p>7 are active on now rented “near distant” foreign lands;</p>
<p>3 are now inactive on “near distant” foreign lands;</p>
<p>1 is active on formerly “near distant” foreign land now reincorporated into Russia (Crimea);</p>
<p>3 are active in distant foreign lands (2 in Syria, 1 in Vietnam);</p>
<p>1 is inactive in a distant foreign land (Cuba);</p>
<p>the last five types total to 15.</p>
<p>Notice that the 3 active distant foreign bases are:</p>
<p>– the large naval facility on the Syrian (Mediterranean) coast, at Tartus, and the nearby Khmeimim air base;</p>
<p>– the signals intelligence ‘spy’ post near the Golan Heights (for monitoring communications by Syrian rebel groups and the Israeli Defense Forces), which was overrun by the Free Syrian Army rebels in October 2014 (at least two other Russian intelligence centers are now assumed to be located inside Syria);</p>
<p>– the large naval and air force base at Cam Ranh Bay, in Vietnam.</p>
<p>Clearly, Russia’s only distant (not in former USSR territory) foreign military base near the Atlantic Ocean is its naval and air force facilities on the coast of Syria. It’s only other distant foreign military base is on the coast of Vietnam, and thus by the South China Sea (and Pacific Ocean).</p>
<p>The United States has about 800 foreign military bases in about 70 countries; and many encircling Russian in the countries now liberated from the former U.S.S.R.</p>
<p>So, it is easy to see that a major priority (perhaps the top priority) of Russian foreign policy would be to ensure the maintenance and security of its three distant foreign military bases, in particular its two large naval and air force bases, in Syria and Vietnam; and most particularly its coastal Syrian base complex. The Russian naval base in Syria is at a focal point between the Levant, Southern Europe and North Africa.</p>
<p>While Russia has a major military presence in Southeast Asia, with its base at Cam Ranh Bay, it also has a second point from which to project military power into the Pacific region (and globally by submarines): its military facilities in Vladivostok (Eastern Siberia, by the Northwest Pacific, Russia’s eastern flank). But its sole ‘distant’ foreign base on its western flank is its base (naval base and associated air force base) in Syria.</p>
<p>Given the above (my estimation of Russian foreign policy and military priorities) what can we deduce about Russian government preferences regarding possible American (US) regimes? In 2016 the US election was narrowed to three potential candidates: Donald Trump (for the Republicans), and either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders (for the Democrats).</p>
<p>From the Russian perspective, Hillary Clinton as US president was most likely to start covert and overt military actions against Russian interests, a.k.a. war with Syria. That same Russian estimation of potential American foreign policies under either a President Donald Trump or President Bernie Sanders would rate the likelihood of anti-Russian (and anti-Syrian) warlike activity by the U.S. as significantly lower. So, naturally they would prefer Trump or Bernie as the US president after 2016.</p>
<p>Since it was obvious that the Democratic machine and entrenched bipartisan neoliberal capitalist cabal would thwart the Sanders campaign and strongly favor Hillary Clinton, Russian political analysts saw Trump as their American candidate of choice. Thus Russian propaganda and agit-prop aimed at the U.S.A. during 2016 was designed to damage the public image of Hillary Clinton (not hard to do), boost the public image of Donald Trump (not easy to do, but a fascinating challenge to clever and patriotic Russian political gamers), and to launch anti-Hillary barbs couched as rabidly pro-Sanders social media messages, which were disguised to appear as authentic expressions by Sanders’ supporters.</p>
<p>Trump’s vanity bristles at the idea that Russian CIA-like covert election tampering could have had any positive effect in gaining him the presidency (by disaffecting potential Hillary voters), so he angrily dismisses the idea of “Russian interference.”</p>
<p>Hillary’s vanity is publicly outraged by the idea that her coronation as the “first female US president” could have been derailed by “Russian interference,“ and she is no doubt ‘privately’ grateful to the Russians for providing her with another excuse to cover for her cupidity, corruption and incompetence, which put off many possible Hillary voters, and which reality was the second most important cause of her Electoral College failing grade and Trump’s success there. The most important cause of Trump’s Electoral College success, of course, was his genuine appeal to white supremacy, anti-female sexism, crony capitalism and latent fascism. These last four factors also have some appeal with the Putin Regime in Russia.</p>
<p>We leave it to Robert Mueller (Special Counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections) to ascertain the facts, but it seems fairly clear why Donald Trump and the Republican Party dislike and try to hobble the Mueller probe, and why the machine Democrats have been so strident in wanting it to continue and expand into a coup d’état by administrative procedures.</p>
<p>A second and more likely to be successful alternative for the Democrats to replace Trump (and many of his enabling Republicans) is by winning elections; but that would require allowing Bernie Sanders to lead the party and set its agenda. So, that’s forbidden: party over country.</p> | Why Did Russia Vote For Trump? | true | https://counterpunch.org/2018/02/23/why-did-russia-vote-for-trump/ | 2018-02-23 | 4 |
<p>In the US, the political system has now disgorged two candidates the citizenry cannot be less enthusiastic about.&#160; Driven by ambition more than a love of the people or a sincere desire to serve, one can be forgiven for wondering if they are just as trapped by their motivations as the public in its two-party myopia.&#160; No authentic leader among the two …</p>
<p>These thoughts lead to the rage of my youth, existentialism, and to Jean-Paul Sartre, who died 36 years ago last April.&#160; More than 50,000 mourners lined the streets and packed Montparnasse cemetery at his funeral, many quite young —&#160; improbable they would exhibit a similar interest in the successor philosophies, notably the current preoccupation with deconstruction, a focus on whether the written or spoken word is successful (or not) in clarity of&#160; meaning.</p>
<p>Difficult as existentialism may be to pin down, there are a few necessary elements:&#160; the individual, free will as crucial to human existence, the subsequent responsibility for action that accompanies it, leading to an unavoidable anxiety as a consequence. The authentic life then is one chosen freely rather than imposed by society.&#160; No wonder it appealed to the young.</p>
<p>What triggered this meandering into Sartre and his philosophy was Hillary Clinton’s two-minute summing up at the end of the last debate.&#160; She attested to her lifelong concern (her latest claim) for improving the lives of children — a phrase bringing to mind a balancing scale.&#160; One one side the improved lives of children in Arkansas and the benefits of subsidies to children in general, and on the other the deaths of hundreds of thousands in Iraq, Syria, Libya and elsewhere — the most vulnerable that is the old, the sick and the children bearing the brunt.&#160; Politicians are a breed apart, unconcerned with ‘responsibility’ and undisturbed by Sartre’s ‘anxiety’.</p>
<p>Not so long ago there was another US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, who, when asked about the 576,000 children who had died (according to a UN report) as a result of the Iraq embargo, simply dismissed the question as a price to be paid to be rid of Saddam Hussein.&#160; The embargo failed in that regard, and when Saddam was removed by the successor US government’s military intervention, it resulted in chaos and the birth of ISIS.</p>
<p>The Republican candidate, Donald Trump, is unique, in that responsibility washes over him and into the shower drain like a layer of dirt; he is devoid of it even in personal interaction.&#160; The only rational explanation of his behavior is the term ‘prolonged adolescence’ used by professionals.</p>
<p>His basic issue over several decades has been bad deals — bad deals in defending allies who he feels do not pay enough for their defense and bad trade deals.&#160; Trying to peel off some voters, Hillary Clinton in the last debate pointed out that he took out an ad in The New York Times opposing the right’s iconic Ronald Reagan over it.&#160; Like any business owner or high level executive, he intends to issue orders expecting them to be carried out.&#160; Good luck!&#160; It might explain the absence of concrete policy.</p>
<p>The American public has been short changed into picking either the lesser of two evils, casting a protest vote with the minor left or right party, or just sitting this election out.</p>
<p>Sartre offered personal bliss in the few post-war years of hope and promise before America’s fear of ideologies and overweening sense of power plunged us into successive wars punctuated with interludes of peace.&#160; The wars continue, bleeding the country of an estimated $5 trillion in the present cycle … the death and destruction the worst since the Second World War.</p> | Hillary, Trump and Sartre: How Existentialism Disrobes the Major Presidential Candidates | true | https://counterpunch.org/2016/10/28/hillary-trump-and-sartre-how-existentialism-disrobes-the-major-presidential-candidates/ | 2016-10-28 | 4 |
<p>ANKARA (Reuters) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged Muslims on Tuesday to disrupt what he called a plot by unnamed countries in the region to build ties with Israel.</p>
<p>He gave no more details on the states. But an Israeli cabinet minister said last month that his government had covert contacts with Saudi Arabia linked to their common concerns over Tehran.</p>
<p>“Some regional Islamic countries have shamelessly revealed their closeness to the Zionist regime (Israel),” Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live by state TV.</p>
<p>“I am sure that the Muslims around the world will not let this sinister plot bear fruit.”</p>
<p>Both Saudi Arabia and Israel view Iran as the main threat to the Middle East. Increased tension between Tehran and Riyadh has fueled speculation that shared interests may push Saudi Arabia and Israel to work together.</p>
<p>The Saudis have not publicly responded to the reports and Riyadh maintains that any relations with Israel hinge on Israeli withdrawal from Arab lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war – territory Palestinians seek for a future state.</p>
<p>Regional rivalry between Sunni Muslim monarchy Saudi Arabia and Shi’ite Iran has overflowed into conflicts in Syria and Iraq.</p>
<p>A Saudi-led military coalition has also been fighting in the Arabian peninsula’s poorest country, Yemen, on behalf of a government based in the south against the Houthis, a Shi’ite movement backed by Iran.</p>
<p />
<p>Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.</p> | Iran asks Muslims to disrupt Israeli ties in region: TV | false | https://newsline.com/iran-asks-muslims-to-disrupt-israeli-ties-in-region-tv/ | 2017-12-05 | 1 |
<p>NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It seems so long ago but no less surreal.</p>
<p>Turns out, a shocking loss was just what Clemson needed to make a run at its second straight national championship.</p>
<p>The top-ranked Tigers (12-1) undoubtedly have the worst defeat among the four teams in the College Football Playoff, really one of the worst for any team in the Top 25.</p>
<p>When <a href="https://collegefootball.ap.org/article/dungey-has-3-td-passes-syracuse-stuns-no-2-clemson-27-24" type="external">Syracuse stunned Clemson 27-24 on a Friday night in mid-October</a> , it was the last win of the season for the Orange. They finished with a five-game skid and a 4-8 record.</p>
<p>Clemson, of course, didn't lose again. The Tigers had only one close call the rest of the way, <a href="https://collegefootball.ap.org/article/bryant-no-1-clemson-pound-no-7-miami-38-3-acc-crown" type="external">romping to the Atlantic Coast Conference title</a> and setting up a New Year's night rematch against No. 4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl semifinal game.</p>
<p>"That told us if we don't bring it for one game, it doesn't matter who we're playing," Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said Thursday. "We can definitely get beat. That was really a time for us to grow up."</p>
<p>Spurred on by a raucous home crowd, Syracuse shook off a fumble that was returned for a 63-yard touchdown to play an almost perfect game in every other aspect. Eric Dungey threw three touchdown passes as the Orange piled up 28 first downs, a 440-317 advantage in total yards and a nearly 10-minute edge in time of possession. The Tigers were largely doomed when quarterback Kelly Bryant, already slowed by an injured ankle, was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the final minute of the first half, forcing redshirt freshman Zerrick Cooper to go the rest of the way.</p>
<p>"We had a lot of young guys in terms of experience," Wilkins said. "Not a lot of guys who had played, who had that specific situation happen to them, having to come from behind on the road in a pretty hostile environment."</p>
<p>In the playoff era, it's certainly not unusual for the eventual national champion to overcome a surprising defeat. A year ago, <a href="https://collegefootball.ap.org/article/playoff-shakeup-pitts-upset-leaves-questions-clemson" type="external">Clemson had to bounce back from a home loss to Pittsburgh</a> . In 2015, Alabama finished No. 1 after losing at home to Ole Miss. In 2014, Ohio State took the first playoff title despite a home loss to a Virginia Tech team that finished 7-6.</p>
<p>With the regular season now at 12 games, not to mention conference championship games and a playoff system that requires two more wins, a slip-up along the way is almost impossible to avoid.</p>
<p>When coach Dabo Swinney entered the locker room that night in Syracuse, he assured his team that all their goals — an ACC title, a national championship — were still within reach.</p>
<p>Team leaders such as Wilkins reiterated that message in the days and weeks to come.</p>
<p>"We'll be fine," he told his teammates. "We had a loss last year and were still able to accomplish great things. Don't lose confidence in us. We're still a really good team. We just had one bad night."</p>
<p>But make no mistake, it was a really bad night.</p>
<p>So bad, in fact, that Clemson is trying to pull off an accomplishment that hasn't been done in 40 years — win a national title after losing to a sub-.500 team during the regular season.</p>
<p>In 1977, Notre Dame bounced back from a 20-13 loss at Ole Miss (which would go on to finish 5-6) by winning its final 10 games, culminating with a 38-10 blowout of then-No. 1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl.</p>
<p>Timing is everything, of course.</p>
<p>The huge blemish on Clemson's resume was largely overlooked by the time the selection committee made its choices for the College Football Playoff, anointing the Tigers with the No. 1 seed.</p>
<p>Contrast that with Alabama, which took its only loss in the regular-season finale to Auburn. That defeat — on the road against a much tougher opponent — kept the Crimson Tide out of the Southeastern Conference championship game and left it on the brink of being excluded from the playoff after being ranked No. 1 by The Associated Press all season.</p>
<p>In the end, Alabama claimed the final spot ahead of a two-loss Ohio State team that won the Big Ten title, making the Tide the most debated choice among the playoff contenders.</p>
<p>"If we had lost early in the season, it probably wouldn't have been a big deal," Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts said.</p>
<p>Clemson's loss came at just the right time, providing a jarring but necessary lesson to a group of players still riding the coattails of a national championship season.</p>
<p>"When you become a really good program in college football, it's not just about having great players," defensive end Clelin Ferrell said. "You're going to get everybody's best. Every team is going to be dialed in on every aspect. A lot of teams put their whole season into beating us."</p>
<p>The Tigers emerged from Syracuse a different team, a team truly capable of winning another championship.</p>
<p>Now, it's almost like that night never really happened.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963" type="external">www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963</a> . His work can be found at <a href="" type="internal">https://apnews.com/search/paul%20newberry</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP college football: <a href="https://collegefootball.ap.org" type="external">https://collegefootball.ap.org</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Top25" type="external">https://twitter.com/AP_Top25</a></p>
<p>NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It seems so long ago but no less surreal.</p>
<p>Turns out, a shocking loss was just what Clemson needed to make a run at its second straight national championship.</p>
<p>The top-ranked Tigers (12-1) undoubtedly have the worst defeat among the four teams in the College Football Playoff, really one of the worst for any team in the Top 25.</p>
<p>When <a href="https://collegefootball.ap.org/article/dungey-has-3-td-passes-syracuse-stuns-no-2-clemson-27-24" type="external">Syracuse stunned Clemson 27-24 on a Friday night in mid-October</a> , it was the last win of the season for the Orange. They finished with a five-game skid and a 4-8 record.</p>
<p>Clemson, of course, didn't lose again. The Tigers had only one close call the rest of the way, <a href="https://collegefootball.ap.org/article/bryant-no-1-clemson-pound-no-7-miami-38-3-acc-crown" type="external">romping to the Atlantic Coast Conference title</a> and setting up a New Year's night rematch against No. 4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl semifinal game.</p>
<p>"That told us if we don't bring it for one game, it doesn't matter who we're playing," Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said Thursday. "We can definitely get beat. That was really a time for us to grow up."</p>
<p>Spurred on by a raucous home crowd, Syracuse shook off a fumble that was returned for a 63-yard touchdown to play an almost perfect game in every other aspect. Eric Dungey threw three touchdown passes as the Orange piled up 28 first downs, a 440-317 advantage in total yards and a nearly 10-minute edge in time of possession. The Tigers were largely doomed when quarterback Kelly Bryant, already slowed by an injured ankle, was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the final minute of the first half, forcing redshirt freshman Zerrick Cooper to go the rest of the way.</p>
<p>"We had a lot of young guys in terms of experience," Wilkins said. "Not a lot of guys who had played, who had that specific situation happen to them, having to come from behind on the road in a pretty hostile environment."</p>
<p>In the playoff era, it's certainly not unusual for the eventual national champion to overcome a surprising defeat. A year ago, <a href="https://collegefootball.ap.org/article/playoff-shakeup-pitts-upset-leaves-questions-clemson" type="external">Clemson had to bounce back from a home loss to Pittsburgh</a> . In 2015, Alabama finished No. 1 after losing at home to Ole Miss. In 2014, Ohio State took the first playoff title despite a home loss to a Virginia Tech team that finished 7-6.</p>
<p>With the regular season now at 12 games, not to mention conference championship games and a playoff system that requires two more wins, a slip-up along the way is almost impossible to avoid.</p>
<p>When coach Dabo Swinney entered the locker room that night in Syracuse, he assured his team that all their goals — an ACC title, a national championship — were still within reach.</p>
<p>Team leaders such as Wilkins reiterated that message in the days and weeks to come.</p>
<p>"We'll be fine," he told his teammates. "We had a loss last year and were still able to accomplish great things. Don't lose confidence in us. We're still a really good team. We just had one bad night."</p>
<p>But make no mistake, it was a really bad night.</p>
<p>So bad, in fact, that Clemson is trying to pull off an accomplishment that hasn't been done in 40 years — win a national title after losing to a sub-.500 team during the regular season.</p>
<p>In 1977, Notre Dame bounced back from a 20-13 loss at Ole Miss (which would go on to finish 5-6) by winning its final 10 games, culminating with a 38-10 blowout of then-No. 1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl.</p>
<p>Timing is everything, of course.</p>
<p>The huge blemish on Clemson's resume was largely overlooked by the time the selection committee made its choices for the College Football Playoff, anointing the Tigers with the No. 1 seed.</p>
<p>Contrast that with Alabama, which took its only loss in the regular-season finale to Auburn. That defeat — on the road against a much tougher opponent — kept the Crimson Tide out of the Southeastern Conference championship game and left it on the brink of being excluded from the playoff after being ranked No. 1 by The Associated Press all season.</p>
<p>In the end, Alabama claimed the final spot ahead of a two-loss Ohio State team that won the Big Ten title, making the Tide the most debated choice among the playoff contenders.</p>
<p>"If we had lost early in the season, it probably wouldn't have been a big deal," Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts said.</p>
<p>Clemson's loss came at just the right time, providing a jarring but necessary lesson to a group of players still riding the coattails of a national championship season.</p>
<p>"When you become a really good program in college football, it's not just about having great players," defensive end Clelin Ferrell said. "You're going to get everybody's best. Every team is going to be dialed in on every aspect. A lot of teams put their whole season into beating us."</p>
<p>The Tigers emerged from Syracuse a different team, a team truly capable of winning another championship.</p>
<p>Now, it's almost like that night never really happened.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963" type="external">www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963</a> . His work can be found at <a href="" type="internal">https://apnews.com/search/paul%20newberry</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP college football: <a href="https://collegefootball.ap.org" type="external">https://collegefootball.ap.org</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Top25" type="external">https://twitter.com/AP_Top25</a></p> | Clemson's shocking loss came at just the right time | false | https://apnews.com/amp/1a9b5bea2ab54d788a68b9b081401d8d | 2017-12-29 | 2 |
<p />
<p><a href="http://redstatements.co/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/21_1n009_BinLaden2_c_ta-300x300.jpg" type="external" /></p>
<p>Barry and Hillary were on the roof of their company, when Hillary noticed that 5 million dollars worth of munitions, bought and paid for, didn’t show up in the inventory, suggesting embezzlement.&#160; Armed with this information, they made an appointment with the CEO, Osama bin Laden.</p>
<p>During the meeting, Osama seemed to be a little tense.&#160; He listened as the two laid out their case and he quickly tried to dissuade them.&#160; When it was apparent they were sticking to their guns, he switched tactics and congratulated them on their find.&#160; He then invited them to his weekend vacation retreat in &#160;Abbottabad, Pakistan.&#160; They readily agreed and Osama gave them directions on how to get to his compound.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Osama makes a desperate call to an Hungarian mafia chieftain, known only as George.&#160; He arranged a meeting at a local restaurant. As they dined on lobster and caviar, Osama explained that two of his people had discovered the embezzlement and asked George to have them killed.&#160; George smiled and assured him the matter would be taken care of.</p>
<p>As soon as Osama left, George turned to his companion and told him to forget Barry and Hillary and to bump off Osama because he had stolen George’s cache of porn and had taken it to his compound.&#160; The companion smiled and said, “I’m a bit rusty, but I’m sure it will come back to me.”</p>
<p>As soon as the two left Osama’s office, they began congratulating themselves and Barry checked his mail to see if he had been awarded another Nobel Prize.&#160; He and Hillary went to their respective homes and began packing.&#160; Barry picked up Hillary and they made their way to the Oasis, where they could catch the next caravan to &#160;Abbottabad.</p>
<p>When they got there, they panicked because the caravan was pulling out.&#160; They ran across the burning sands and with one desperate last burst of energy hurled themselves onto one of the camel’s backs.&#160; It was then that they realized the caravan was just coming into the Oasis station.&#160; Camels are often called the “Ships of the Desert”, probably because they are filled with Arab semen.</p>
<p>Before the two got to Osama’s compound the Hungarian’s hit man showed up at the compound .&#160; He asked Osama for a drink and when he bent over the assassin gave him an ejection in his butt…then he killed him with a lethal injection of ham and ricin.&#160; He put on a yarmulke as a disguise and quickly left the compound.&#160; More quickly than he planned after the guards recognized him as a Jew.</p>
<p>The caravan finally arrived at the compound and Barry and Hillary located Osama’s and made their way up the hill to it.&#160; As they walked through the garden, Barry spotted a patch of White Widow marijuana.&#160; He yanked off a large bud and shoved it in his pocket.&#160; This would come in handy in case he felt the need for total absorption.</p>
<p><a href="http://redstatements.co/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/imagesCA5A3E30.jpg" type="external" /></p>
<p>As they entered the house, they began yelling out to Osama but did not receive an answer.&#160; While Barry busies himself breaking up the bud, Hillary walks through the house and to her surprise found it empty.&#160; No Osama, no wives, no children.&#160; Then she enters his office and finds him sitting back in his chair with sunglasses hiding his eyes.&#160; She went over and tried to wake him up, just to discover, he was dead.</p>
<p>She calls out to Barry, who saunters in taking a deep hit on his doobie.&#160; Hillary explains that Osama is dead and Barry gets a concerned look on his face and said, “I’m sure I told Team Six to stand down.&#160; Or maybe I didn’t.&#160; My bad.”</p>
<p>Hillary exploded, “You moron!&#160; I finally get a chance to get in good with the boss and you blew him away.”</p>
<p>“I said I was sorry. Now, what do we do.”</p>
<p>“We have to call the police.&#160; A man is dead.”</p>
<p>They moved Osama to the living room and sat him on the couch.&#160; Suddenly, a large group of people came in and Barry spotted , Mohamed Morsi, whom Barry had been trying to court.&#160; Barry turns to Hillary and tells her they should wait to call the police, at least for the time being.&#160; The two began noticing that people were saying hello to Osama and no one seemed to notice that he was dead.&#160; They were shocked.&#160; Barry sidles over to Morsi and asks him if he would like to take a walk.</p>
<p>They walked along the beach hand in hand and Barry told Morsi that he would do anything for him.&#160; “1.5 billion dollars?&#160; You got it.&#160; And I’ll even throw in 28 F-16s and 140,000 tear gas canisters.”&#160; Morsi lays his head on Barry’s shoulder and they enter an old guard tower.&#160; In the tower was a mortar and barry decided to fire it in the general direction of Israel.&#160; The kickback sent him back to the trap door and he fell down it and rolled down the steps all the way to the bottom.</p>
<p>Morsi rushes to his side and comforts him.&#160; They walk along the Oasis and sat down in the soft sand.&#160; Unbeknownst to Barry, Hillary had gotten nervous and dumped Osama over the railing and into the Oasis, thinking it was the ocean.&#160; As Barry and Morsi sat at the waters edge and began to get closer, Osama’s body floats up onto the sand beside them.&#160; So before they could consummate their relationship, Barry had to lead Morsi away, so that he wouldn’t discover the body.</p>
<p>Morsi was visibly upset and Barry, needing to sooth his feathers offered to let Morsi capture an ambassador, which he could redeem anytime for one blind sheik.&#160; They made their way back to the party just as it was beginning to break up.&#160; Barry and Hillary recovered Osama and left him on the deck to dry out overnight.</p>
<p>The next morning,&#160;Hillary went out on the deck to see Barry.&#160; He was wearing Osama’s brand new Rolodex watch, complete with all the names and numbers of his terrorist operatives. &#160; Hillary admonished Barry for taking the watch.&#160; Barry explained that the watch rightfully should go to him because Osama no longer needed it and besides most of those people now worked for him.&#160; They agreed that they needed to get rid of the body, so Hillary called, Cheryl Mills, and explained the problem.&#160; Mills agreed to take care of the situation right after she finished burying Benghazi and the sex and drug scandal in Hillary’s department.</p>
<p>That would be too late, so Barry and Hillary decided to do it themselves, despite the fact neither one had ever accomplished anything in their lives.&#160; They tied Osama to the back seat of their dune buggy and went out to find someplace to dump the body.&#160; On the way, they were pursued by Osama’s crazy neighbor, who had been trying to buy Osama’s bulletproof Hummer.&#160; They managed to get away, but in the process lost all chance of dumping the body.</p>
<p>The Hungarian mobster’s hit man saw Obama riding in the back of the dune buggy and assumed that he hadn’t killed Osama after all.&#160; He followed them back to the house and when Hillary and Barry left Osama on the deck, he saw his chance and began choking Osama violently.&#160; After a few minutes had passed, he checked Osama’s pulse and found none.&#160; Satisfied, he left quickly to avoid being spotted.</p>
<p>Barry and Hillary decided to try one last time to dispose of Osama’s body and once again they tied him to the dune buggy.&#160; They mase their way around the oasis.&#160; The assassin spotted them and began giving chase.&#160; Barry and Hillary began throwing excuses at the assassin, who was easily able to dodge them since they were so lame.&#160; They could see their only chance was to get back to the house and pray for help.</p>
<p>They parked the dune buggy next to the front door and ran inside, barring the door behind them, only to realize the windows contained no glass.&#160; The assassin jumped through the window and in an act of desperation, Barry managed to open the closet where he kept a secret weapon.</p>
<p>Lois Lerner came storming out and began shouting questions at the assassin, asking him who his donors were, what he prayed for, and how many bowel movements he had on the average day.&#160; Seeing the assassin was becoming punch drunk, Lerner unleashed a haymaker and ordered his taxes audited for the past 23 years. Down he went.&#160; Hillary called the Ft Marcy police to come and sort things out.</p>
<p>When all was said and done, Hillary asked the police for a ride back and Barry and Morsi were last seen walking hand in hand down the beach to a secluded area and into the sunset.</p> | Weekend at Osama’s | true | http://conservativefiringline.com/weekend-at-osamas/?fb_source%3Dpubv1 | 2013-06-20 | 0 |
<p>It shouldn't come as a shock that Ai Weiwei is an artistic genius.</p>
<p>After all, that's essentially why he was thrown in prison by Chinese authorities last year.</p>
<p>But his latest project is a truly shining example of his prowess.</p>
<p>Turning the concept of surveillance on its head, the acclaimed Chinese dissident has set up four live webcams in his home. (You can see them here at <a href="http://weiweicam.com" type="external">weiweicam.com</a>.)</p>
<p>The Chinese authorities may watch his every move, but that is an act that loses its potency once his every move is broadcast to the whole wide world. Brilliant.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/china-and-its-neighbors/090623/meet-the-man-who-wants-shut-down-the-internet-china" type="external">Meet Ai Weiwei, the most interesting person in China</a></p>
<p>It was one year ago today that Ai Weiwei disappeared into police custody amid a crackdown on dissidents throughout China. He was released in June 2011, but was put under 24-hour police surveillance and told he can't leave Beijing for a year.</p>
<p>One of the cameras is positioned over the artist's bed and, since it's the currently the middle of the night over in Beijing, I can tell you that Ai Weiwei is sleeping very soundly despite his trials and tribulations. His sheets are white, and he keeps slippers by the bed. The 54-year-old also seems to prefer, or at least not be averse to, sleeping on his back.</p>
<p>Ai Weiwei explained his reasoning behind the project to <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jLfw_i27vVoxdFZZUra3srx6k3tw?docId=CNG.d33392c87708cd1e02226d7870c3a573.461" type="external">AFP</a>, which originally reported the story"</p>
<p>In my life, there is so much surveillance and monitoring - my phone, my computer ... Our office has been searched, I have been searched, every day I am being followed, there are surveillance cameras in front of my house. So I was wondering, why don't I put some [cameras] in there so people can see all my activities. I can do that and I hope the other party [authorities] can also show some transparency</p>
<p>Back in April 2011, it was initially unclear what the charges against Ai Weiwei were when he was detained, though he was charged with tax evasion upon his release.</p>
<p>Last week, Chinese authorities upheld the ruling that Ai Weiwei's company, Fake Cultural Development Ltd, owes the government more than $2 million.</p>
<p>His year-long probation is set to end on June 22. If it does, and his cameras remain, we'll be able to see for ourselves how Ai Weiwei reacts to the news.</p>
<p>Update: It is now 3:44 in the am, and Ai Weiwei is no longer in his bed. It is unclear if nature has called.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/photo-galleries/5649112/the-provocative-art-ai-weiwei" type="external">Photos of Ai Weiwei's provocative art</a></p> | Ai Weiwei sleeps like a log | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-04-03/ai-weiwei-sleeps-log | 2012-04-03 | 3 |
<p>GENEVA (Reuters) – The United Nations agreed on Friday to establish a group of eminent experts to examine all human rights violations committed in Yemen’s war and to identify those responsible.</p>
<p>In a last-minute compromise hammered out between Western powers and Arab countries, the U.N. Human Rights Council adopted by consensus with a vote a resolution which the Yemen delegation said it accepted.</p>
<p>“A credible international investigation is necessary in order to comprehensively, transparently, independently and impartially establish facts and circumstances surrounding violations with a view to put an end to the cycle of impunity in Yemen,” the Dutch delegate told the forum on behalf of a core group of Western states.</p>
<p />
<p>Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.</p> | U.N. agrees international experts to probe Yemen war crimes | false | https://newsline.com/u-n-agrees-international-experts-to-probe-yemen-war-crimes/ | 2017-09-29 | 1 |
<p>Germany envisions a second base for its elite counter-terrorism police force, the GSG 9, in Berlin and also plans to bolster its ranks by a third amid growing security threats, according to the unit’s chief.</p>
<p>The second hub for the unit is essential to ensure a “quicker response” to security threats, including in Germany’s capital, Berlin, which already saw a major terrorist attack in 2016, GSG 9 commander Jerome Fuchs said. The GSG 9 is currently stationed near the city of Bonn, which used to be the capital of West Germany.</p>
<p>“If you look at comparable terrorist situations across Europe, often then the capitals were affected,” Fuchs <a href="https://www.rbb24.de/politik/beitrag/2018/01/spezialeinheit-gsg9-bekommt-standort-in-berlin.html" type="external">told</a> RBB broadcaster on Monday. “It is essential that we are better prepared in the capital.”</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/412657-germany-islamists-all-time-high/" type="external" /></p>
<p>Capitals across Europe have been among the primary targets for terrorists over the past few years. The November 2015 Paris attacks were the deadliest, with 130 killed and over 350 injured.</p>
<p>Apart from receiving a second base, the unit will see its ranks significantly bolstered.</p>
<p>“We’re talking about around a third of the current strength of the unit,” the commander said. While the exact number of GSG 9 operatives is not public, it is estimated to be around 400.</p>
<p>Finding the necessary number of new and capable members is expected be a “big challenge,” according Fuchs, as recruits must have the proper “fitness, strength of character, and teamwork” abilities to join the elite unit.</p>
<p>The GSG 9 was created in the aftermath of the kidnapping and murder of Israeli athletes during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, as the police largely failed to handle the crisis, which resulted in multiple casualties. The special unit gained international renown following the successful storming of a hijacked Lufthansa jet in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1977 without any casualties among the hostages or operatives.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/407474-germany-prosecutors-900-terrorism-cases/" type="external">READ MORE: Prosecution of terrorism cases in Germany jumped fourfold this year – report</a></p>
<p>Germany has experienced a <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/409447-hamburg-attacker-christians-prosecutors" type="external">surge</a> in terrorist <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/353123-germany-terror-attacks-inventory/" type="external">attacks</a> over the past few years, committed by Islamist sympathizers. The Berlin Christmas Market truck attack of December 19, 2016 was the most high-profile incident of its kind, leaving 12 people dead and more than 50 injured.</p>
<p>The perpetrator, failed Tunisian asylum-seeker Anis Amri, committed the attack on behalf of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). He managed to evade German police and flee the country after the incident, but was shot dead three days later by police in Italy.</p> | German GSG 9 elite police unit to grow ‘by a third’ amid terrorism fears – chief | false | https://newsline.com/german-gsg-9-elite-police-unit-to-grow-by-a-third-amid-terrorism-fears-chief/ | 2018-01-15 | 1 |
<p>In&#160;the canyons of northern Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental&#160;reside some of the&#160;fastest runners in the world: the&#160;indigenous Tarahumara&#160;population, who call themselves the&#160;Raramuri.</p>
<p>"Raramuri"&#160;means "foot-runner" or "those who run&#160;fast" in their native language.</p>
<p>This indigenous group excels in running competitions worldwide.&#160;But to the authorities,&#160;they're becoming known for something else:&#160;Narco-traffickers&#160;have been&#160;exploiting&#160;them to smuggle&#160;drugs to&#160;the US. Between 2010 and 2015, the number of Raramuri arrested at the US-Mexico border doubled from&#160; <a href="http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/articulo/english/2016/04/17/number-raramuris-us-prisons-doubles" type="external">50 to 100 detainees</a>.</p>
<p>Though this is a problem the Raramuri community has been dealing with for more than two decades, it has gone largely unreported in international media.</p>
<p>Randall Gingrich is director of Tierra Nativa,&#160;a Raramuri social and environmental advocacy organization.&#160;For 25 years, he&#160;has&#160;advised and supported Raramuri communities, and for 16 years&#160;lived with them in Guadalupe y Calvo municipality, which&#160;he&#160;says is one of the&#160;most violent drug-producing regions in the&#160;Sierra Madre.</p>
<p>A number of&#160;factors&#160;make&#160;the&#160;Raramuri&#160;vulnerable&#160;to local drug cartels.</p>
<p>"There's no jobs in the Sierra, [the Tarahumara] have been pushed out of the best lands for the most part, and it’s a semi-arid environment anyway," Gingrich says.&#160;"And&#160;climate change has resulted in these devastating droughts that last months and sometimes even years. So these Tarahumara have no choice to survive&#160;but either to migrate out of the region or&#160;to stay and grow drugs."</p>
<p>Dale Taylor is a Tarahumara dialect translator, who lived among the indigenous&#160;group in the village of Caborachi&#160;in northern Mexico's&#160;Chihuahua state for 15 years.</p>
<p />
<p>A Tarahumara man, front left,&#160;and other runners get&#160;ready to&#160;compete&#160;in a 21-kilometer race&#160;in San Pedro Garza García, on the outskirts of Monterrey, Mexico on Feb.&#160;16, 2014. According to local media, the half marathon was a fund-raiser&#160;for&#160;Tarahumara&#160;community development programs.</p>
<p>Daniel Becerril/Reuters</p>
<p>He describes the Raramuri as a simple, spiritual, family-oriented, agricultural people, who aim to live in peace and harmony with nature.</p>
<p>“Their whole life revolves around the earth and the environment,” Taylor says.</p>
<p>But with the introduction of tree logging into&#160;the Sierra and now drug cultivation, trade and violence, the&#160;Raramuri's&#160;lifestyle&#160;has been significantly affected.</p>
<p>"What [I] found 25 years ago were communities that were terrorized by basically local drug traffickers who were trying to control the logging,&#160;and take over their lands, in some cases forcing them to grow drugs," Gingrich says. "But mostly the relationship between the drug traffickers and the Tarahumara is consensual. ...&#160;Because even a really well-meaning traditional family might only be able to produce 20 percent of the food it needs through traditional agriculture. So it's a very complicated problem."</p>
<p>Today Gingrich estimates 15 to&#160;20 percent of the entire Raramuri&#160;population is involved in the drug trade.</p>
<p>"In some communities it'll be 90 percent and in other communities, it'll be 2 or 3&#160;percent," he says.&#160;"So&#160;it's very variable."</p>
<p>Impressionable&#160;young Raramuri&#160;men are the typical targets of recruitment. Gingrich says they are lured in by local dealers who socialize with them, developing friendships. Then the dealers invite them&#160;to spend more time with them by&#160;doing tasks&#160;near the borderlands that can make them money, downplaying the dangers of the job.</p>
<p>While the Raramuri&#160;are used to the mountainous canyon land of the Sierra Madre, Gingrich says they are not used to desert terrain&#160;toward&#160;the borderlands.</p>
<p />
<p>A Tarahumara indigenous family sits together in Guachochi, in northern Mexico's Chihuahua state.</p>
<p>Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters</p>
<p>"They're not all ultra-marathon runners," says Gingrich.&#160;"They're exceptionally strong and in great physical condition, but that doesn't mean they're physically ready to put on a hundred-pound pack and&#160;hike across extreme deserts that they've never seen before in their life, facing unknown dangers.</p>
<p>"They may be able to survive the physical endurance, but they're deeply scarred from the experience."</p>
<p>While there are&#160;other Latin American communities affected by drug trafficking, Gingrich says the&#160;Raramuri's&#160;situation is different&#160;because in the past, they had little contact with the modern world.</p>
<p>"They have&#160;a low population&#160;density in the Sierra," he says.&#160;"If you get into Central America, you're talking about very high population densities&#160;and regions that were affected by US-style gang activity that was actually learned by migrants who migrated into Los Angeles, and other parts of the United States, back in the '80s and '90s.&#160;So you have a very different culture. You have cultures that were militarized previously, that were involved in revolutions, you know, very high levels of military and police repression. And during those years the Tarahumara were largely free."</p>
<p>Gingrich says the Raramuri&#160;who are given jail time for their crimes are getting what he thinks are&#160;heavy prison sentences for people of their circumstances.</p>
<p>"When I&#160;looked into this, I mean, some of the Tarahumara are receiving relatively&#160;long sentences," Gingrich says.&#160;"You know, six or seven years for transporting drugs."</p>
<p>But Taylor, who has served as a translator on nearly&#160;a dozen cases, says from what he’s observed, the Raramuri are generally given light sentences, serving minimal jail time — just a few months, sometimes weeks, before being deported.</p>
<p>“Their main concern is to get out and home as soon as possible,” Taylor says. “They are told that if they plead quickly, they will get a reduction of time and so they usually do.</p>
<p>“I’ve seen a lessening of their sentences because [the courts] don’t know what to do with them. They just want to get [the Raramuri] in and out, realizing that in some cases&#160;they&#160;are ignorant to what they are doing. ...&#160;The circumstances of the case will determine, you know, obviously, whether the penalty is harsher or not.”</p>
<p>In any case, the Raramuri&#160;are&#160;handicapped when it comes to defending themselves because many are not fluent in Spanish and only speak one of their various native dialects. Taylor is one of&#160;few Tarahumara translators available in the US.</p>
<p>It is only recently that US prosecutors have begun reaching out to the Mexican government to retain translators from Chihuahua. But these services are only reaching a handful of those jailed, says Gingrich.</p>
<p />
<p /> | Mexico's indigenous Raramuri have been suffering at the hands of narcos for decades | false | https://pri.org/stories/2016-06-30/mexicos-indigenous-raramuri-have-been-suffering-hands-narcos-decades | 2016-06-30 | 3 |
<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The confusing rollout of marijuana regulations in California has been underscored in Mendocino County, where local authorities licensed a company to deliver pot only to have state police arrest two employees who were trying to do just that with nearly a ton of weed.</p>
<p>The workers for Old Kai Distribution were transporting the marijuana from a farm when they were pulled over Friday afternoon by a California Highway Patrol officer on Highway 101 near Ukiah, according to Joe Rogoway, an attorney for the company. They were driving an unmarked van and were stopped for a traffic violation.</p>
<p>The workers showed the officer the company's county license and a manifest for the marijuana, but the officer insisted it was illegal, called for backup and arrested the men.</p>
<p>The company argues it can transport marijuana within the county with its local license, and county spokeswoman Sarah Dukett backed that interpretation. She said Old Kai was issued a distribution license last week that allows it to legally transport marijuana under two local ordinances passed earlier this year.</p>
<p>The workers were cited for unlawful transportation of marijuana and unlawful possession for sale. Investigators also seized all of the marijuana and the company's van.</p>
<p>"It is incomprehensible that this has occurred," said Rogoway, who sent a letter to CHP demanding that the charges be dropped and the marijuana returned to Old Kai.</p>
<p>Acting California Highway Patrol Commissioner Warren Stanley said the arrest was appropriate because a state license also is required for legal transport and those permits don't take effect until Monday, when broad legalization arrives in California.</p>
<p>"They are following the laws that are in place now," Stanley said Wednesday, referring to his officers. "And when Jan. 1, 2018, comes they'll start following the laws that come into effect on that date."</p>
<p>The officer who made the Ukiah stop was not targeting the business, said Stanley, who is not aware of any other arrests of a locally licensed marijuana operation. CHP primarily is concerned with drivers who could be high behind the wheel and the agency has trained 97 percent of its officers and sergeants in advanced drugged driving recognition skills, he said.</p>
<p>Stanley commented after a ceremony for CHP Officer Andrew Camilleri, who was killed on Christmas Eve by a driver believed to be drunk and high.</p>
<p>California has had legal medical marijuana for two decades. In 2016, voters approved broad legalization and the state and communities that want such "adult use" marijuana businesses spent the last year writing complex regulations.</p>
<p>Some didn't get their regulations finalized in time to start issuing local licenses by Jan. 1 while others decided to outlaw recreational pot altogether. Meantime, all forms of pot remain illegal under federal law.</p>
<p>The marijuana that was seized in Mendocino County, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) north of San Francisco, had been collected from a family-owned farm and was being brought to a distribution center to be sorted and tested.</p>
<p>"This was basically their entire harvest," Rogoway said. "Their entire year was in the back of this vehicle. If that cannabis is destroyed, it really puts at risk the safety and well-being of their family."</p>
<p>He worried the arrest could have a chilling effect as the state and local governments encourage marijuana businesses to come out of the shadows and adhere to regulations to ensure a level playing field for all.</p>
<p>"This incident highlights the fear that many people have," he said. "It takes a lot to be a compliant operator. Even if they follow through with the whole process, something bad can happen. This is a perfect example."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Balsamo reported from Los Angeles.</p>
<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The confusing rollout of marijuana regulations in California has been underscored in Mendocino County, where local authorities licensed a company to deliver pot only to have state police arrest two employees who were trying to do just that with nearly a ton of weed.</p>
<p>The workers for Old Kai Distribution were transporting the marijuana from a farm when they were pulled over Friday afternoon by a California Highway Patrol officer on Highway 101 near Ukiah, according to Joe Rogoway, an attorney for the company. They were driving an unmarked van and were stopped for a traffic violation.</p>
<p>The workers showed the officer the company's county license and a manifest for the marijuana, but the officer insisted it was illegal, called for backup and arrested the men.</p>
<p>The company argues it can transport marijuana within the county with its local license, and county spokeswoman Sarah Dukett backed that interpretation. She said Old Kai was issued a distribution license last week that allows it to legally transport marijuana under two local ordinances passed earlier this year.</p>
<p>The workers were cited for unlawful transportation of marijuana and unlawful possession for sale. Investigators also seized all of the marijuana and the company's van.</p>
<p>"It is incomprehensible that this has occurred," said Rogoway, who sent a letter to CHP demanding that the charges be dropped and the marijuana returned to Old Kai.</p>
<p>Acting California Highway Patrol Commissioner Warren Stanley said the arrest was appropriate because a state license also is required for legal transport and those permits don't take effect until Monday, when broad legalization arrives in California.</p>
<p>"They are following the laws that are in place now," Stanley said Wednesday, referring to his officers. "And when Jan. 1, 2018, comes they'll start following the laws that come into effect on that date."</p>
<p>The officer who made the Ukiah stop was not targeting the business, said Stanley, who is not aware of any other arrests of a locally licensed marijuana operation. CHP primarily is concerned with drivers who could be high behind the wheel and the agency has trained 97 percent of its officers and sergeants in advanced drugged driving recognition skills, he said.</p>
<p>Stanley commented after a ceremony for CHP Officer Andrew Camilleri, who was killed on Christmas Eve by a driver believed to be drunk and high.</p>
<p>California has had legal medical marijuana for two decades. In 2016, voters approved broad legalization and the state and communities that want such "adult use" marijuana businesses spent the last year writing complex regulations.</p>
<p>Some didn't get their regulations finalized in time to start issuing local licenses by Jan. 1 while others decided to outlaw recreational pot altogether. Meantime, all forms of pot remain illegal under federal law.</p>
<p>The marijuana that was seized in Mendocino County, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) north of San Francisco, had been collected from a family-owned farm and was being brought to a distribution center to be sorted and tested.</p>
<p>"This was basically their entire harvest," Rogoway said. "Their entire year was in the back of this vehicle. If that cannabis is destroyed, it really puts at risk the safety and well-being of their family."</p>
<p>He worried the arrest could have a chilling effect as the state and local governments encourage marijuana businesses to come out of the shadows and adhere to regulations to ensure a level playing field for all.</p>
<p>"This incident highlights the fear that many people have," he said. "It takes a lot to be a compliant operator. Even if they follow through with the whole process, something bad can happen. This is a perfect example."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Balsamo reported from Los Angeles.</p> | California company has pot license, workers still arrested | false | https://apnews.com/amp/fc4f158144784d62807bf0ea09b0e86b | 2017-12-28 | 2 |
<p>After inheriting a dismal state economy from then-Republican Governor Charlie Crist, Florida Governor Rick Scott’s 7-year-long&#160; “Let’s Get to Work” campaign has not only worked to create a jobs boom in the sunshine state, it has catapulted him to the very top of political universe.</p>
<p>The worst kept secret in Florida has been that Scott would challenge incumbent US Senator Bill Nelson in 2018, this we all know.</p>
<p>Scott looks to make the run, but only after the 2018 legislative session, for obvious political reasons.</p>
<p>But if Scott had any doubt about actually making the run for the US Senate, even as President Trump has publicly endorsed his potential candidacy, the latest Florida Atlantic University poll could be the nudge he needed.</p>
<p>According to the FAU poll, Senator Nelson barely leads Scott by a narrow 42-40percent margin.</p>
<p>That’s a tie in anyone’s book.</p>
<p>The question:</p>
<p>If the election for U.S. Senate was held today and the candidates were Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Rick Scott who would you vote for?</p>
<p>The answer:</p>
<p>42.4%-Senator Nelson</p>
<p>40.1%-Governor Scott</p>
<p>17.6%-Undecided</p>
<p>If Democrats hope to take back the Senate,&#160; they will need to spend big, big money in order to retain this seat, but it wont be easy with Scott ready to infuse the kind of money he loaned his past gubernatorial campaigns.</p> | Scott vs. Nelson U.S. Senate Race Likely, Poll Shows Virtual Tie | true | http://shark-tank.com/2017/08/29/scott-vs-nelson-u-s-senate-race-likely-poll-shows-virtual-tie/ | 0 |
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<p>&#160;</p>
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<p>After a momentary surge wherein she cast herself as a corporate leader who could wrest America back from the “political class,” former California Senate candidate and HP CEO Carly Fiorina ended her bid for the White House.</p>
<p>The news came as a blow to supporters beguiled by Fiorina’s unusual mix of mainstream&#160;credibility and insurgent fervor, which she&#160;underscored in several prominent debate performances with ringing attacks on the country’s abortion laws and its established party leaders.</p>
<p>“We must fix our festering problems by holding our bloated, inept government bureaucracy accountable,” she said in a statement on Facebook suspending&#160;her campaign. “Republicans must stand for conservative principles that lift people up and recognize all Americans have the right to fulfill their God-given potential.”</p>
<p>But she also took a parting shot at Hillary Clinton, who has&#160;sought to make up a surprising deficit against Bernie Sanders among young women voters. “To young girls and women across the country, I say: do not let others define you. Do not listen to anyone who says you have to vote a certain way or for a certain candidate because you’re a woman,” Fiorina wrote. “That is not feminism. Feminism doesn’t shut down conversations or threaten women. It is not about ideology. It is not a weapon to wield against your political opponent. A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses and uses all her God-given gifts. And always remember that a leader is not born, but made. Choose leadership.”</p>
<p>Although Fiorina attracted her fair share of political foes on the campaign trail, as the only woman in this year’s Republican field, she has now also attracted curiosity over her next moves. She has already returned, for instance, to the lecture circuit, freshly available for booking through her speaker’s bureau. “Fiorina’s pitch&#160;to clients appears designed to feature both her business and political backgrounds,” as Michael Hiltzik <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-carly-fiorina-is-now-available-for-speaking-20160210-column.html" type="external">noted</a> at the Los Angeles Times. “She could do well occupying the niche of an articulate conservative&#160;with extensive experience in business. Beyond that, the lessons of Fiorina’s&#160;rapid return to the ranks of paid speakers are murky,” he added. “But they do point to a reality of modern presidential campaigning: It can be a path to a lucrative post-political business career.”</p>
<p>It&#160;has also proven to be a good way to recover from the costs of a campaign while maintaining a relatively public profile. Hillary and Bill Clinton were famously able to turn around their financial fortunes with the help of big paydays on a packed speakers’ schedule, although it seemed unlikely that Fiorina would follow Clinton in delivering six-figure speeches before Wall Street banks.</p>
<p>One lingering question facing California Republicans was whether Fiorina might eventually turn her sights back on the state. Some Golden State conservatives could welcome her as an anti-establishment woman offering an alternative to Donald Trump’s brand of insurgency, currently popular among a significant slice of the GOP electorate in California.&#160;Fiorina&#160;distinguished herself as one of the few candidates to deal Trump an early and significant blow, openly criticizing his treatment of women on the debate state in Simi Valley. “‘I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said,’ she pronounced, humbling Trump as no other candidate had to date,” as Bloomberg Politics <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-02-10/how-carly-fiorina-conquered-trump-then-faded" type="external">recalled</a>.</p>
<p>But that window may close depending on Ted Cruz’s performance this cycle. The Texas Senator has secured the endorsement of Rep. Tom McClintock and lined up former state party chair Ron Nehring as his California campaign chairman. Cruz also recently held a fundraiser in Beverly Hills hosted by former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, as Variety reported. Still, “Jerry Perenchio, one of the most prolific of all GOP donors, has invested heavily in a SuperPAC backing the candidacy of Carly Fiorina,” Variety noted, tallying Perenchio’s support at over $3.5 million.</p> | Carly Fiorina suspends presidential campaign | false | https://calwatchdog.com/2016/02/12/carly-fiorina-suspends-presidential-campaign/ | 2018-02-20 | 3 |
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<p />
<p>TEENLove Yes Carpark Records</p>
<p />
<p>Led by Teeny Lieberson, the New York-based combo TEEN (which also includes Lieberson’s two sisters) has undergone a dramatic sonic makeover in the course of just three albums without sacrificing its off-kilter sensibility. The quartet began as the garage-rock version of a synth band, playing electronica with abundant rough edges. Today, they’re the epitome of polish, with supersleek melodies and gleaming vocal harmonies that echo the slickest modern R&amp;B. But the songs are restless, probing studies of troubled sexuality and corrosive isolation, pondering “a suffered heart from years without touch” in “Push” and confronting ambivalence over a longterm commitment on “Another Man’s Woman.” Love Yes functions equally well as consummate easy listening and as a subtle antidote to complacency.</p>
<p /> | TEEN’s “Love Yes” Is a Sleek Affair | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2016/02/music-review-love-yes-teen/ | 2016-02-22 | 4 |
<p>On the happily few occasions when callers to my radio show make a particularly foolish comment, I ask them what graduate school they attended.</p>
<p>When they ask why I assume they attended graduate school, I respond, “Only someone who went to graduate school would say something that foolish.”</p>
<p>Because it is never my intention to humiliate a caller, I always hasten to explain that my comment is not directed at the caller; it is directed at our universities. Moreover, I mean it literally. In order to say certain things that are so obviously foolish, one has to be taught them.</p>
<p />
<p>A prime example is a CNN article published to coincide with the release of the latest Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, “Why no Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue of men?”</p>
<p>Without looking at the author’s name or bio, I immediately assumed that a professor had written it.</p>
<p>The assumption was correct.</p>
<p>The article, a compendium of learned nonsense, was written by a woman identified as “an assistant professor of psychology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and a former gender scholar at Stanford University.” (I am not mentioning her name because, as with my callers, she is not the issue; the contemporary university is.)</p>
<p>In order to be labeled a “gender scholar” — especially at a prestigious university — one must have internalized every falsehood our universities teach about men and women. And you cannot get more false, indeed absurd, than to seriously inquire why there is no Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue featuring men in swimsuits.</p>
<p>Yet a Cornell University professor of psychology and Stanford “gender scholar” actually asks: “Why has no one created a counterpart magazine featuring a scantily dressed man? Why are men so rarely offered up as objects to behold?”</p>
<p>Now, even putting aside the fact that the readership of Sports Illustrated is overwhelmingly male, the question is unrelated to reality — the reality that our grandmothers and grandfathers, who never went to college, perfectly understood: In the human species, the visual excites males much more than it excites females.</p>
<p>There is no swimsuit issue featuring men in skimpy swimsuits because the audience for such a magazine would overwhelmingly consist of gay men.</p>
<p>And therein lies one proof of why the Cornell professor’s question is so foolish.</p>
<p>Men are visually stimulated. And not because of “socialization,” as our universities teach, but because it is built in to male nature. Gay men prove the point. Gay men are as interested in viewing unclothed fit young male bodies as heterosexual men are in viewing unclothed fit young female bodies. On the other hand, unless a woman knows who the man is, and is interested in him in some way, women are not nearly as interested in looking at scantily clad — let alone naked — male bodies. Women aren’t aroused solely by viewing a male leg, thigh, chest or backside of some male model or some anonymous male. Yes, a favorite actor taking his shirt off can be a turn-on for women. But an anonymous male great body does nothing for most women.</p>
<p>That’s why in real life — as opposed to Cornell or Stanford — men who expose themselves to women are arrested, while women who expose themselves to men are either thanked or paid.</p>
<p>The only question that remains is: Why do the best educated believe nonsense about men and women?</p>
<p>The answer is: because they want to believe it.</p>
<p>Religious people are regularly accused of wishful thinking — of wanting to believe in God, in divinely inspired scripture, in an afterlife, etc. But the secular intelligentsia never apply this critique to themselves despite the fact that it is at least as true for most secular intellectuals as it is for Jewish and Christian believers.</p>
<p>Regarding men and women, they want to believe that men and women are not only equals (something religious Jews and Christians also believe), but, aside from obvious physical characteristics, the same. Feminists and others on the intellectual left are frightened by many of life’s truths, one of which is that the sexes are profoundly different.</p>
<p>That is why there will always be a swimsuit issue depicting women as, yes, sexual objects for men to look at, and there will never be a popular issue of great men’s bodies in barely there swimsuits for women to look at.</p>
<p>That this even needs to be said — and that it will be mocked and dismissed as “sexist” — is one more sign of the intellectual decay at Cornell, Stanford, the New York Times and just about every other secular institution in America.</p>
<p>Dennis Prager’s latest book, “Still the Best Hope: Why the World Needs American Values to Triumph,” was published by HarperCollins.&#160;</p>
<p /> | Why no swimsuit issue of men? | true | http://humanevents.com/2015/02/17/why-no-swimsuit-issue-of-men/?utm_source%3Dhefbp%26utm_medium%3Dfbpage%26utm_campaign%3Dheupdate | 2015-02-17 | 0 |
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<p>WASHINGTON — Former FBI Director Robert Mueller was given sweeping power Wednesday to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, with a broad mandate that could encompass any questionable actions of President Donald Trump’s associates and possibly even the circumstances of last week’s abrupt firing of James Comey.</p>
<p>The Justice Department’s appointment of Mueller as a special counsel is an acknowledgment of growing public demands to place the politically charged inquiry into the hands of an outside investigator with bipartisan respect. It follows weeks of questions about the Justice Department’s independence from the White House and comes two months after Attorney General Jeff Sessions had to recuse himself because of his own undisclosed Russian contacts during the campaign.</p>
<p>“I accept this responsibility and will discharge it to the best of my ability,” Mueller said in a statement.</p>
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<p>In a statement released by the White House, Trump said: “As I have stated many times, a thorough investigation will confirm what we already know — there was no collusion between my campaign and any foreign entity. I look forward to this matter concluding quickly.”</p>
<p>As special counsel, Mueller will direct an FBI counterintelligence investigation examining whether Russia coordinated with Trump campaign associates to influence the election in his behalf. He is entitled to a budget, can request new or additional staff and will have the same authority as high-ranking Justice Department lawyers, including the ability to prosecute any crimes he uncovers.</p>
<p>His mandate extends beyond any specific Trump-Russia connection to cover “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation.” That language suggests Mueller could also explore whether the firing of Comey — who publicly revealed investigation’s existence to Congress in March — and a conversation Comey has said he had with the president weeks earlier represented efforts to obstruct or derail the FBI’s work.</p>
<p>In appointing Mueller, the Justice Department selected a seasoned law enforcement veteran who guided the FBI through the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks and led its terror-fighting efforts over the next decade. A former federal prosecutor who served under presidential administrations of both parties and became director days before the attacks, Mueller was so valued that President Barack Obama asked him to stay on two years longer than his 10-year term.</p>
<p>Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Judiciary Committee Democrat, said there was “no better person who could be asked to perform this function.” And Sen. Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, called the appointment a “good decision.”</p>
<p>“By having somebody like Bob Mueller head whatever investigation assures the American people that there’s no undue influence, be it here, be it at the other end of Independence Avenue or within the Justice Department or FBI,” said Burr, whose committee is conducting its own investigation.</p>
<p>The White House counsel was notified after the special counsel order was signed and soon before it was publicly announced. A senior administration official described Trump’s reaction to Mueller’s appointment as “measured.” The official said there was widespread agreement among staff that the appointment of Mueller provides Trump and his aides with the opportunity to “commit ourselves to doubling down on the agenda.”</p>
<p>The appointment seemed meant to quell mounting questions about the Justice Department’s ability to independently oversee the investigation.</p>
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<p>Last week, a memo drafted by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was held up by the White House as justification for the firing of Comey, who had been leading the investigation. Then came Tuesday’s revelation that Comey had written in a memo that Trump, in a February meeting, had asked him to end an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The White House denied that account.</p>
<p>Rosenstein, who at his confirmation hearing would not commit to a special counsel appointment and who inherited the probe following Sessions’ recusal, seemed to acknowledge the public outcry by calling Mueller’s selection “necessary in order for the American people to have full confidence in the outcome.”</p>
<p>The public interest, he said, “requires me to place this investigation into the authority of a person who exercises a degree of independence from the normal chain of command.”</p>
<p>The Justice Department said Mueller has resigned from his job at a private law firm, WilmerHale, to take the job. That firm is also home to Jamie Gorelick, who has represented Trump’s daughter, Ivanka.</p>
<p>Another partner, Reginald Brown, is representing Paul Manafort. Manafort is Trump’s former campaign chairman, and has been an important focus of the U.S. investigation of Trump’s associates and Russia.</p>
<p>Special counsels are appointed to avoid potential conflicts of interest in Justice Department investigations.</p>
<p>In the job, Mueller will have all the same powers as a U.S. attorney, though he will still ultimately report to Rosenstein. Still, he is not subject to the day-to-day supervision of the Justice Department. He can maintain the same investigators in place, or request new or additional staff including from outside the department. He will request a budget that includes personnel.</p>
<p>Rosenstein appointed Mueller under a statute used in 1999, when John C. Danforth was appointed to investigate allegations of government wrongdoing in the siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas.</p>
<p>That investigation included hundreds of interviews and a restaging of the final hours of the 51-day standoff with federal agents. He ultimately produced a 150-page report clearing then-Attorney General Janet Reno and other top government officials of any responsibility.</p>
<p>A similar appointment came in 2003 when the Bush Justice Department turned to Patrick Fitzgerald, then the top federal prosecutor in Chicago, to investigate who leaked the identity of Valerie Plame, a covert CIA officer. That appointment was made by Comey, then the deputy attorney general. Comey gave Fitzgerald complete discretion to conduct the investigation, bolstering the special counsel’s independence.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Darlene Superville, Eileen Sullivan and Ted Bridis contributed to this report.</p> | Former FBI Director Mueller to lead Trump-Russia probe | false | https://abqjournal.com/1004909/former-fbi-director-mueller-to-lead-trump-russia-probe.html | 2017-05-17 | 2 |
<p>WageWorks (NYSE: WAGE) reported second-quarter results on Aug. 1. The benefit administrator delivered a sharp increase in sales and profits, driven by robust demand across its product lines.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>WageWorks' revenue surged 37% year over year to $119.9 million, fueled by a 46% rise in healthcare revenue, to $70 million, and a 55% jump in COBRA revenue, to $27.7 million.</p>
<p>"Our selling season continues on another record-setting pace; the pipeline is strong, as is demand across all of our products," said chairman and CEO Joseph Jackson during a conference call with analysts.</p>
<p>Jackson also highlighted WageWorks' recent deal with Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ: ADP) as an exciting new growth driver:</p>
<p>Moreover, <a href="https://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/ebitda.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b0a28868-77c9-11e7-9b65-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">EBITDA Opens a New Window.</a> -- adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation, acquisition-related expenses, and certain other items -- leapt 33% to $36.6 million. Adjusted (non- <a href="https://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/your-guide-to-gaap.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b0a28868-77c9-11e7-9b65-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">GAAP Opens a New Window.</a>) operating income jumped 38% to $30.8 million.</p>
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<p>All told, adjusted net income increased 33% to $17.7 million, or $0.46 per share.</p>
<p>For the third quarter, WageWorks expects revenue of between $115 million and $117.5 million, with adjusted EBITDA of $34 million to $36 million and non-GAAP EPS of $0.38 to $0.41.</p>
<p>Additionally, WageWorks raised its 2017 full-year revenue and EBITDA guidance slightly, including:</p>
<p>However, WageWorks reduced its guidance for full-year adjusted EPS to $1.70 to $1.75 -- down from $1.75 to $1.80 -- mostly due to a higher expected share count resulting from WageWork's recent <a href="http://ir.wageworks.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=246160&amp;p=irol-newsArticle&amp;ID=2281763" type="external">secondary offering Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>"I expect our momentum to continue in the back half of the year and finish 2017 well above our targeted annual growth rate of 15% to 25%, with 9% to 14% of that coming from organic means," added Jackson. "We believe that the demand for consumer-directed benefits continues to build, and obviously, shows no signs of slowing down."</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than WageWorksWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-static%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=0d1f75e9-9bff-4b2e-bbff-6c2f3c1fd4ca&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b0a28868-77c9-11e7-9b65-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks Opens a New Window.</a> for investors to buy right now... and WageWorks wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
<p><a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-static%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=0d1f75e9-9bff-4b2e-bbff-6c2f3c1fd4ca&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b0a28868-77c9-11e7-9b65-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here Opens a New Window.</a> to learn about these picks!</p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of August 1, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGuardian/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b0a28868-77c9-11e7-9b65-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Joe Tenebruso Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Automatic Data Processing and WageWorks. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b0a28868-77c9-11e7-9b65-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | WageWorks Inc. Delivers 37% Revenue Growth | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/08/03/wageworks-inc-delivers-37-revenue-growth.html | 2017-08-03 | 0 |
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<p>Martin Bashir provides the best summation of the George Zimmerman trial. It is great to see a mainstream personality provide context as opposed to a false balance in a narrative.</p>
<p>Bashir is rightfully taken aback that every childhood misdeed by Trayvon Martin is being fed to the media with the intent at character assassination. His childhood misdeeds are no different than those of millions of teenagers that will never have to be concerned about being stereotyped, hunted, and murdered.</p>
<p>A closer look however must be laid on the mainstream media. The mainstream media allowed the character assassination of Trayvon Martin to be aired. The actual <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/george-zimmerman-trayvon-martin-killer-had-brushes-prior-153033731.html" type="external">brushes with the law</a> that Zimmerman had were actually germane to his behavior as erratic yet not covered as much.</p>
<p>Many watching the case used this character assassination to give cover to their most carnal prejudice to justify a morbid support for George Zimmerman’s lack of basic humanity in killing a child. It allowed many to abandon the reality that Trayvon was a 17 year old child, a child that could be their own absent his hue, it allowed them to accept the ‘not guilty’ verdict as just.</p>
<p>Many of the so called legal experts continued to imply that the prosecution had little to work with, that they had not proven their case. Unfortunately, had they done their&#160; research, they would have seen that clearly in Florida, similar cases were probative. Not only were they probative, but they clearly show results were frequently biased.</p>
<p>Marissa Alexander of Jacksonville, a Black woman, received a <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57433184/fla-mom-gets-20-years-for-firing-warning-shots/" type="external">20 year sentence for shooting</a> in the air to ward off her known to be abusive husband. No one died or was hurt by the bullet. Yet there is no outcry from those who staunchly believe the Zimmerman verdict was just.</p>
<p>A Florida man, Ralph Wald, a 70 year old White Vietnam veteran, killed a man his wife was having an affair with claiming she was being raped. All evidence pointed to it being a murder. He <a href="http://www.alternet.org/florida-man-shoots-wifes-lover-dead-jury-acquits-citing-stand-your-ground" type="external">was acquitted</a>.</p>
<p>The pattern is clear. Many will attempt to deny the facts on racially based outcomes. They will use anecdotal data to attempt to prove otherwise. The classic one is that O. J. Simpson got away with murder. O. J. probably did but in the aggregate the biasness of the justice system are undeniable and is documented in “ <a href="http://amzn.to/1dzUQie" type="external">The New Jim Crow</a>”.</p>
<p>Martin Bashir says:</p>
<p>While you may be tempted to divert your attention away from what really happened. Here are the only three fact that really matter.</p>
<p>And when you focus on the facts it’s not the color of his teeth that keep coming back to haunt you. It’s the color of his skin.</p>
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<p>In a gun crazy country, being a man or boy walking in black or brown skin is now a hazard to your health. It is amazing how easy 5 mothers were able to accept the demonization of a kid to provide cover and comfort for either their fear or prejudice to free his killer.</p>
<p>The fact that a killer of an innocent black teen that was hunted down like an animal or escaped convict is justified by some shows that a lot of work is left to be done on the American definition of fairness, equity, and humanity. What however should make every American extremely hopeful is the multicultural, multiethnic, and multiracial nature of the protests against this insidious verdict both online and in the flesh.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> LIKE My <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EgbertoWilliescom/181893712536" type="external">Facebook Page</a> – Visit My Blog: <a href="http://www.EgbertoWillies.com" type="external">EgbertoWillies.com</a></p> | These Three Facts Should Have Convicted Trayvon Martin’s Killer (VIDEO) | true | http://egbertowillies.com/2013/07/15/the-best-summation-of-trayvon-martin-george-zimmerman-travesty-video/?fb_source%3Dpubv1 | 2013-07-15 | 4 |
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<p>Yes, as <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/26/hillary-clinton-failure-was-due-to-the-democrats/" type="external">Tammy points out in her Washington Times column, the Democrats really are "The Gong Show."</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-say-they-now-know-exactly-why-clinton-lost/ar-BBAyW55?li=BBmkt5R&amp;ocid=spartandhp" type="external">Via MSN.</a></p>
<p>A group of top Democratic Party strategists have used new data about last year's presidential election to reach a startling conclusion about why Hillary Clinton lost. Now they just need to persuade the rest of the party they're right. Many Democrats have a shorthand explanation for Clinton's defeat: Her base didn't turn out, Donald Trump's did and the difference was too much to overcome.</p>
<p>But new information shows that Clinton had a much bigger problem with voters who had supported President Barack Obama in 2012 but backed Trump four years later.</p>
<p>Those Obama-Trump voters effectively accounted for more than two-thirds of the reason Clinton lost, according to Matt Canter, a senior vice president of the Democratic political firm Global Strategy Group. In his group's analysis, about 70 percent of Clinton's failure to reach Obama's vote total in 2012 was because she lost these voters?.</p>
<p>"We have to make sure we learn the right lesson from 2016, that we don't just draw the lesson that makes us feel good at night, make us sleep well at night," Canter said?.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tim-graham/2017/04/28/gushy-nyc-public-radio-interview-barbra-streisand-blames-misogyny" type="external">In Gushy NYC Public Radio Interview, Barbra Streisand Blames Misogyny for Hillary's "Heartbreaking" Loss</a></p>
<p /> | true | http://tammybruce.com/2017/05/dems-new-excuse-er-reason-for-hillary-loss-low-voter-turnout.html | 0 |
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<p>National Football League (NFL) star Marquise Goodwin says that his baby son recently died following his wife’s pregnancy complications.</p>
<p>“I just wanna thank those who’ve genuinely prayed for @morganakamomo &amp; myself through out this pregnancy,” he said Sunday on Instagram, referencing his wife Morgan Goodwin-Snow.</p>
<p>“Unfortunately we lost our baby boy due to some complications, and had to prematurely deliver him early this morning around 4am,” Marquise Goodwin continued.</p>
<p>“Although we are hurt, I am grateful for the experience and grateful that God blessed me with a wife as courageous and resilient as Morgan.”</p>
<p>Marquise Goodwin – who is a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers – additionally called on fans to pray for him and his wife.</p>
<p>“The pain (physically, mentally &amp; emotionally) that she has endured is unbelievable,” he said. “Please Pray for the Goodwin family.”</p>
<p>Goodwin played in the 49ers game against the New York Giants on Sunday. He ultimately delivered his team’s biggest play of the year so far en route to San Francisco’s 31-21 victory.</p>
<p>The wide receiver caught an 83-yard touchdown pass from quarterback C.J. Beathard in the first quarter, completing the longest play from scrimmage by a 49er this season.</p>
<p>Marquise Goodwin evaded Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins during the play, blowing a kiss to the sky upon scoring the touchdown.</p>
<p>The football player’s teammates then surrounded him in the end zone while he knelt in prayer after the feat.</p>
<p>Sunday’s win was the 49ers’ first this season, but Marquise Goodwin quickly exited the locker room after Sunday’s game to return to his family rather than celebrate the moment.</p>
<p>The 49ers have a bye this week and will not return to practice until Nov. 20, after which they will try building on their 1-9 record.</p> | 49ers receiver Marquise Goodwin had an 83-yard touchdown catch after losing his baby son | false | https://circa.com/story/2017/11/13/action-sports/marquise-goodwin-49ers-receiver-scores-touchdown-after-losing-baby-son | 2017-11-13 | 1 |
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<p>In the wake of Thursday’s <a href="" type="internal">mass shooting</a> at a community college in Oregon, many Republicans were quick to dismiss renewed calls for increased gun safety measures, in favor of discussing the need for a stronger mental health care system.&#160;</p>
<p>On Sunday, John Oliver agreed that mental health is a topic Americans need to properly address. But as he explained on the latest <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGY6DqB1HX8" type="external">Last Week Tonight</a>, broaching mental health issues in the aftermath of a mass shooting is more often than not a political strategy used to simply reroute the conversation away from gun control.</p>
<p>“It seems like there is nothing like a mass shooting to suddenly spark political interest in mental health,” Oliver said, while featuring the talking points of Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and Mike Huckabee—all of whom steered away from discussing increased gun control legislation after the shooting in Oregon, to tout the need for better mental health programs.</p>
<p>In reality, this is dangerously problematic because, as Oliver explains, “the vast majority of mentally ill people are nonviolent, and the vast majority of gun violence is committed by non-mentally-ill people.”</p>
<p>But if Republicans are only willing to talk about treating mentally ill people following mass shootings, so be it: Then at the “very least we owe them a fucking plan,” Oliver said.</p>
<p /> | John Oliver Slams Republicans Who Only Discuss Mental Health to Actively Avoid Gun Control | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2015/10/john-oliver-mental-health-guns/ | 2015-10-05 | 4 |
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<p>PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — It took about 34 years, but a sailor finally got a response to a message he stuffed into a plastic bottle and tossed into the Atlantic Ocean.</p>
<p>Then 19-year-old Ron Herbst was a petty officer in the Navy aboard the USS Coral Sea. His message included the ship's coordinates, his name, the date and his address. Less than a year later, a couple found the bottle while vacationing in the Florida Keys.</p>
<p>But Gordon and Cindy Brevik didn't try to contact Herbst. Instead, they hung on to the bottle.</p>
<p>Late last year, they noticed the bottle while moving and contacted Herbst in Pensacola through Facebook. He was stunned and tells The Pensacola News Journal ( <a href="http://on.pnj.com/2jGQ8N4" type="external">http://on.pnj.com/2jGQ8N4</a> ) that he now plans to donate the bottle to Pensacola's Naval Aviation Museum.</p>
<p>Information from: Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, <a href="" type="internal">http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com</a></p>
<p><a href="#d46741fd-d90a-42b4-a9cc-198d01d210c1" type="external">© 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</a> Learn more about our <a href="http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/privacy" type="external">Privacy Policy</a> and <a href="http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/terms" type="external">Terms of Use</a>.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Florida man's message in bottle turns up 34 years later | false | https://abqjournal.com/932388/florida-mans-message-in-bottle-turns-up-34-years-later-2.html | 2017-01-20 | 2 |
<p>Despite what you may have heard, there's no big secret to getting a higher credit score. The <a href="https://www.fool.com/credit-cards/2017/04/05/what-is-considered-a-good-credit-score.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3867c120-8e66-11e7-9607-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">categories of information Opens a New Window.</a> that make up your FICO credit score are well-known, and while the exact scoring formula is a secret, the general path to good credit isn't.</p>
<p>With that in mind, here are the top three ways to take your credit score from good to great.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>This one may sound quite obvious (and it is), but it's by far the most effective way to boost your credit score, especially if your score isn't great right now due to a history of missed payments or even collection accounts and charge-offs.</p>
<p>Your payment history is the most important category of information that makes up your FICO score, contributing 35% of the total. This is why a simple action like a late payment can have such a dramatic impact on your score.</p>
<p>If you have a history of late payments, these will stay on your credit report, and will be a factor in your credit score for up to seven years. However, it's important to mention that although we don't know the precise FICO formula, we do know that more emphasis is placed on newer information.</p>
<p>In other words, a late payment will matter less as time goes on, especially if you establish a track record of on-time payments from here on out. Similarly, a collection account or charge off from, say, six years ago, should hurt your score less than a similar item from just a few months ago.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>As a personal example, until recently, my credit report had one negative item on it -- a late student loan payment from early 2010 that recently came off my credit report since it is now over seven years old. By the time it was removed, it was such a minor contributor to my credit that my score barely budged when it finally dropped off.</p>
<p>The second most important category of information that makes up your FICO credit score is "amounts owed." And this doesn't necessarily mean the dollar amounts of your debt (although that is a factor).</p>
<p>Instead, the key factor is your debts relative to your credit lines and original loan balances.</p>
<p>Your <a href="https://www.fool.com/credit-cards/2017/06/17/what-is-credit-utilization.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3867c120-8e66-11e7-9607-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">credit utilization Opens a New Window.</a> is the percentage of your available credit you use, and is considered on a per-account and overall basis. For example, if you have a credit card with a limit of $5,000 and balance of $2,000, your utilization for that particular card is 40%. If the total of all of your credit limits is $15,000 and your total balances add up to $3,000, your overall utilization is 20%.</p>
<p>Experts generally advise that consumers should aim to keep their credit utilization under 30%, and lower is better. For reference, the average consumer with a <a href="https://www.fool.com/credit-cards/2017/03/19/5-habits-of-americans-with-great-credit-scores.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3867c120-8e66-11e7-9607-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">FICO score above 800 Opens a New Window.</a> uses just 4% of their overall revolving credit limit, and no more than 10% of any single account.</p>
<p>In addition to simply paying your balances down, here are two less obvious ways to boost this part of your credit score:</p>
<p>Here's a secret: The FICO credit formula is somewhat biased toward older consumers. The reason that I say this is that the third-largest contributing category of data is the length of your credit history. This includes factors like the age of your oldest credit account, average age of all of your accounts, and the ages of your individual account.</p>
<p>In fact, the average member of the 800+ FICO score group opened their first account more than 25 years ago, and their average account was opened almost 12 years ago. Obviously, if you're relatively young, this can be impossible.</p>
<p>To be clear, by simply paying your bills on time and keeping your credit utilization low, you can indeed achieve a great credit score. However, to truly maximize your credit score, you need to let your credit accounts age.</p>
<p>On this same point, it's a good idea to only open new credit accounts if you really need them. New accounts not only drag down the average ages of your accounts, but there's another category called "new credit" that contributes 10% of your score.</p>
<p>If you find someone who has an elite-level credit score and ask them how their score got so high, they're likely to tell you that it happened through some variation of the three steps mentioned here.</p>
<p>For example, my colleague Sean Williams has a perfect 850 FICO score, and his <a href="https://www.fool.com/credit-cards/2017/04/21/10-credit-tips-from-someone-with-a-perfect-credit.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3867c120-8e66-11e7-9607-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">credit tips Opens a New Window.</a> involve things like paying bills on time and automatically, avoiding credit card debt, and only opening new accounts occasionally. These are indeed excellent pieces of advice, but nothing that should come as too much of a surprise.</p>
<p>The point is that the path to excellent credit consists of a combination of two simple things -- good personal finance habits and time.</p>
<p>5 Simple Tips to Skyrocket Your Credit Score Over 800!Increasing your credit score above 800 will put you in rare company. So rare that only 1 in 9 Americans can claim they're members of this elite club. But contrary to popular belief, racking up a high credit score is a lot easier than you may have imagined following 5 simple, disciplined strategies. You'll find a full rundown of each inside our <a href="http://www.fool.com/ecap/the_motley_fool/mortgage-creditscore/?ftm_cam=the-motley-fool&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;source=ic3editxt0000001&amp;aid=8985&amp;ftm_pit=6983&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3867c120-8e66-11e7-9607-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">FREE credit score guide Opens a New Window.</a>. It's time to put your financial future first and secure a lifetime of savings by increasing your credit score. Simply <a href="http://www.fool.com/ecap/the_motley_fool/mortgage-creditscore/?ftm_cam=the-motley-fool&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;source=ic3editxt0000001&amp;aid=8985&amp;ftm_pit=6983&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3867c120-8e66-11e7-9607-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">click here Opens a New Window.</a>&#160;to claim a copy 5 Simple Tips to Skyrocket Your Credit Score over 800.</p>
<p>The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3867c120-8e66-11e7-9607-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Boost Your Credit Score in 3 Easy Steps | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/09/03/boost-your-credit-score-in-3-easy-steps.html | 2017-09-03 | 0 |
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<p>The new, four-week boot camp aims to train and mentor not-yet-ready-for-prime-time entrepreneurs on how to move beyond the pre-revenue, idea stage, said Creative Startups program manager Julia Youngs.</p>
<p>Creative Startups, which began in 2014, already provides intensive, eight-week training courses for new businesses. But Young says the boot camps are critical to help fledgling entrepreneurs still at the baby-step level make more progress to better prepare them for entering a formal accelerator program.</p>
<p>“Over the last three years, we’ve seen many locals interested in creative ventures who apply to our accelerator but are not quite ready for our full program,” Youngs said. “There is no local program to address their needs, so we’re launching the new boot camps to work with them.”</p>
<p>The accelerator is actually launching two sets of boot camps. The first is a general boot camp open to people who have a great idea or business interest in the creative realm, which includes everything from design, games, software and film to music, publishing and performance and visual arts.</p>
<p>It costs $200 and will run from March 31-April 22, with sign-up open through Feb. 28. Those interested can learn more through free information sessions Wednesday at the city’s Downtown Epicenter,&#160; 119 Gold SW.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The second boot camp will launch in the fall for college students at any New Mexico university. Creative Startups is partnering with the University of New Mexico’s Innovation Academy to offer the boot camps as semester-long, for-credit courses to be held at the Innovate Albuquerque Lobo Rainforest building, which is expected to open this summer at Central and Broadway.</p>
<p>Creative Startups received $125,000 in grants through the city’s Mayor’s Prize, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the McCune and Albuquerque Community foundations to develop and launch its boot camps, said Creative Startups co-founder Alice Loy.</p>
<p>“About 60 percent of New Mexico applicants to our accelerator are declined because they’re not ready for the program,” Loy said. “We’re talking about hundreds of applicants who we can help to guide forward by creating new bridges from idea to accelerator.”</p>
<p>Creative Startups is also launching a new speaker series that will bring celebrity-like business representatives to Albuquerque for free presentations, and occasional fee-based workshops. The first features Rand Fishkin of Moz SEO, a search engine optimization company. He will speak on Feb. 21 at the Epicenter Downtown.</p>
<p>For more information, go <a href="http://creativestartups.org" type="external">here</a>.</p> | Creative Startups launches early-stage boot camps | false | https://abqjournal.com/949923/creative-startups-launches-early-stage-boot-camps.html | 2 |
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<p>By Anna Mehler Paperny</p>
<p>TORONTO (Reuters) – Canada has deported hundreds of people to countries designated too dangerous for civilians, with more than half of those people being sent back to Iraq, according to government data obtained by Reuters.</p>
<p>The spike in deportations comes as Canada faces a record number of migrants and is on track to have the most refugee claims in more than a decade. That has left the country scrambling to cope with the influx of asylum seekers, many crossing the U.S. border illegally.</p>
<p>Between January 2014 and Sept. 6, 2017, Canada sent 249 people to 11 countries for which the government had suspended or deferred deportations because of dangers to civilians.</p>
<p>That includes 134 people to Iraq, 62 to the Democratic Republic of Congo and 43 to Afghanistan, the data shows.</p>
<p>The number of Iraq deportations increased from 22 in 2014 to 51 in 2016 and stands at 35 so far this year.</p>
<p>“The decision to remove someone from Canada is not taken lightly,” Canada Border Services Agency spokeswoman Patrizia Giolti wrote in an email.</p>
<p>“Everyone ordered removed from Canada is entitled to due process before the law, and all removal orders are subject to various levels of appeal.”</p>
<p>The Canada Council for Refugees has said existing avenues of appeal are too limited, leaving little recourse for people facing deportation to dangerous countries.</p>
<p>Canada can deport anyone who is not a citizen, for reasons including criminality, exhausting attempts to obtain permanent residency and non-compliance with immigration laws.</p>
<p>The federal government has suspension or deferral designations for countries or regions deemed dangerous but may still deport people to them because of criminality, security risks or human rights violations.</p>
<p>The United Nations’ High Commission on Refugees recommends states refrain from deporting people to Iraq because of the human rights situation and the conflict there, said Jean-Nicholas Beuze, the organization’s Canadian representative. But some regions, such as Kurdistan, are safer, he added.</p>
<p>“The responsibility is on the state sending people back to those countries to make sure&#160;…&#160;that those people will not become internally displaced within their own country and dependent on humanitarian aid,” Beuze said.</p>
<p>In July, a U.S. judge temporarily blocked the deportation of more than 1,400 Iraqis, many with criminal charges or convictions. They had claimed they would face death or persecution if they return to their home country because they belonged to minority groups, including Chaldean Catholics, Sunni Muslims or Iraqi Kurds.</p>
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<p>Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.</p> | Canada deported hundreds to war-torn countries: government data | false | https://newsline.com/canada-deported-hundreds-to-war-torn-countries-government-data/ | 2017-09-10 | 1 |
<p>Defense Secretary James Mattis on Saturday told troops to “hold the line”&#160;until the United States&#160;is less divided, according to a video released on a Facebook page titled, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/usawtfm/" type="external">“U.S. Army W.T.F! Moments</a>.”</p>
<p>“Just hold the line until our country gets back to understanding and respecting each other,” Mattis says in the video, filmed in Jordan.</p>
<p>“You’re a great example for our country right now and it’s got problems,” he continued. “You know it and I know it. It’s got problems we don’t have in the military. And you just hold the line, my fine soldiers, and sailors and airmen and Marines.”</p>
<p>President Donald Trump’s policies have brought “dramatic gains” against ISIS in the last six months, according to top State Department official Brett McGurk. <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-mattis-idUSKCN1AY1MI" type="external">Mattis was in Turkey, Ukraine and Jordan last week</a> to visit with top foreign officials and “to collaborate efforts to advance regional stability, and look for ways to help Turkey address its legitimate security concerns,” the Pentagon said in a statement.</p>
<p>Mattis’&#160;speech was an impromptu motivational speech.</p>
<p>“Believe me, I know you’re far from home, every one of you. I know you all should be going to college, you young people or you could be back on the block. I’m grateful. And the only way this great big experiment you and I call America is gonna survive is we got tough hombres like you, he says.</p> | Mattis to Troops in Jordan: 'Hold the Line' Until US Less Divided | false | https://newsline.com/mattis-to-troops-in-jordan-hold-the-line-until-us-less-divided/ | 2017-08-26 | 1 |
<p>SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s securities regulator has published draft rules designed to give stock exchanges more power in regulating the market, Chinese media reported on Saturday.</p>
<p>The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) released for public comment a revision to an existing policy on the management of stock exchanges, the Shanghai Securities News and Securities Times reported.</p>
<p>The draft rule includes provisions to encourage better supervision by the exchanges of activity and trading in the markets.</p>
<p>CSRC spokeswoman Gao Li was quoted saying that the draft rule reflected lessons learned from stock markets overseas and the volatility in Chinese stock markets in 2015.</p>
<p>The proposed revision would help ensure orderly markets, reduce risk and guard against market manipulation and insider trading, Gao said.</p>
<p />
<p>Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.</p> | China regulator releases draft rules on stock exchanges: media | false | https://newsline.com/china-regulator-releases-draft-rules-on-stock-exchanges-media/ | 2017-09-02 | 1 |
<p>Absent sweeping labor and regulatory reforms, more than 4,000 workers could die in Qatar in the eight remaining years before the small Persian gulf country hosts the 2022 World Cup, a report released in March by an international labor group asserts. The findings are based off the death tolls for migrant workers in recent years — more than 500 Indian workers have died in the country since 2012 — and are blamed on the country’s oppressive migrant worker system that leaves workers “enslaved” and in conditions of squalor both in its preparations for the World Cup, for which it plans to spend more than $200 billion on construction projects, <a href="http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/the_case_against_qatar_en_web170314.pdf" type="external">the report from the International Trade Union Confederation found</a>:</p>
<p>The ITUC estimates at least 4,000 more workers will die before the start of the World Cup in 2022. The estimatation of deaths in Qatar is conservative and based on the tragic statistics collected by two embassies only — Nepal and India — which account for around 5% of the total migrant workforce.</p>
<p>The figure of 4,000 possible deaths is based on mortality trend data from the Indian and Nepalese embassies over the three most recent years, taking into account some 500,000 extra workers (cited by official sources in Qatar) in the years leading up to the World Cup.</p>
<p>Whether the cause of death is labelled a work accident, heart attack (brought on by the life threatening effects of heat stress) or diseases from squalid living conditions, the root cause is the same — working conditions.</p>
<p>Qatar remains an attractive prospective workplace for poor migrant because of the rash of construction projects it has planned ahead of the World Cup — it plans to spend billions on new airports, railways, roads, and other infrastructure projects — but the conditions workers face upon arrival are akin to enslavement, ITUC’s report states. Qatar’s kafala system gives migrant workers, which make up nearly 90 percent of its population, virtually no rights. Under kafala, migrant workers must have a domestic sponsor to enter the country, and that sponsor then controls their pay, living conditions, their freedom to change jobs, and even their ability to leave the country.</p>
<p>The perils of the kafala system were <a href="http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/6/55/88509/Sports/World/Footballers-Qatar-woes-put-spotlight-on-kafala-sys.aspx" type="external">highlighted earlier this year</a> when French footballer Zahir Belounis, who was playing club soccer for the Qatari club Al-Jaish, tried to leave the country amid a pay dispute with the club. Al-Jaish refused to grant Belounis permission to exit Qatar, and he was only able to leave thanks to international intervention. Most other Qatari workers, however, never get that chance — the report details the litany of abuses that face migrant workers, from fraudulent contracts to inhumane working conditions to confiscated passports and unreceived pay. Qatar also gives workers virtually no rights to file grievances against their employers and has a legal system that workers say discriminates against them when they seek pay they are owed. Workers have few bargaining rights with their employers, and collective bargaining doesn’t exist at all.</p>
<p>Qatar’s heat has also caused problems around its World Cup, as officials at FIFA and in Qatar fear that its oppressive summer conditions will make the tournament dangerous for players and fans. But that heat is a regular part of life for Qatar’s migrant labor force — and a major contributor to its labor dangers, the report says. ITUC says that 20 Indian migrant workers died per month on average in 2013, with the number peaking in August, the hottest month of the year. The heat only exacerbates labor conditions that are already inhumane, as the country lacks even basic safety, health, or living standards for its workers, according to the ITUC report.</p>
<p>To put the number of fatalities in context, the deadliest major sporting event in recent history was the 2014 Sochi Olympics in Russia, where 60 workers died in Olympics-related projects, according to ITUC, and that event was considered <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/02/sochi-olympics-russia-migrant-workers-deportation" type="external">a major problem for workers</a> given the deaths, lack of workers’ rights, and payment disputes for the domestic and migrant workers who worked on Olympic projects. And yet, at current rates, Qatar’s construction projects will kill that many workers between now and the completion of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where seven workers have died since preparations began.</p>
<p>ITUC makes a series of recommendations for reforming the migrant work system that calls for an end to the kafala system, a minimum living wage, collective bargaining rights, and oversight and grievance procedures that give workers the ability to challenge their employers without fear of retribution. It also calls on FIFA, the international soccer organization whose former officials are already facing <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/10714893/Qatar-World-Cup-2022-Fifa-investigates-corruption-allegations.html" type="external">accusations of corruption</a> in awarding the Cup to Qatar, to pressure the country into action before the World Cup begins.</p>
<p>FIFA’s involvement is necessary both because the organization should have a responsibility to live up to its espoused ideals of basic human rights in its host countries, but also because the organization is in the position to force change where it hasn’t existed before. Qatar adopted two separate rights charters that the government says will protect workers, but ITUC says both are “hollow” attempts to fool the world into believing the country is taking the problem seriously. If ITUC’s numbers are to be believed, it is right: the rate of worker fatalities has only increased in the year since the charters were adopted.</p>
<p>But while FIFA will meet with leaders from the ITUC today, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/world-cup-2014-fifa-to-help-improve-workers-rights-in-qatar-9208402.html" type="external">according to a report in The Telegraph</a>, the organization has shown little willingness to act in situations like this. Massive crowds have protested issues around the World Cup there, where <a href="" type="internal">labor abuses</a> are on the <a href="" type="internal">list</a> of complaints Brazilians have leveled against FIFA and the government’s handling of tournament preparations. But even as the complaints in Brazil pale, in many ways, compared to Qatar, FIFA still views widespread human rights abuses as a problem for someone else.</p>
<p>“This feudal system existed [in Qatar] before the World Cup,” Theo Zwanzinger, a German FIFA executive, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/13/fifa-labour-conditions-qatar-world-cup" type="external">said in February</a>. “What do you expect of a football organisation? FIFA is not the lawmaker in Qatar.”</p> | 4,000 Migrant Workers Will Die So Qatar Can Host A World Cup | true | http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2014/03/24/3418102/4000-migrant-workers-will-die-so-qatar-can-host-a-world-cup/ | 2014-03-24 | 4 |
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) _ The winning numbers in Tuesday afternoon's drawing of the Dist. of Columbia Lottery's "DC 4 Midday" game were:</p>
<p>2-6-1-2</p>
<p>(two, six, one, two)</p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) _ The winning numbers in Tuesday afternoon's drawing of the Dist. of Columbia Lottery's "DC 4 Midday" game were:</p>
<p>2-6-1-2</p>
<p>(two, six, one, two)</p> | Winning numbers drawn in 'DC 4 Midday' game | false | https://apnews.com/amp/cd4b591946ff4c8f9f2bdad27ef124bc | 2018-01-23 | 2 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The Houston Chronicle ( <a href="http://bit.ly/1HM7sW7" type="external">http://bit.ly/1HM7sW7</a> ) reports that Michael T. Martin was found not guilty Monday. He had faced a maximum of a year in jail if convicted of the class A misdemeanor of official oppression.</p>
<p>Martin admitted shooting the man after pulling him over for a DWI stop in 2011. The former officer told jurors he could not see the man's left arm and thought he was reaching for a weapon when he heard a clanking through the driver's door.</p>
<p>Video shown to the jury captured the man being pulled over and seconds later fleeing the scene as gunshots ring out, apparently after he was shot.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: Houston Chronicle, <a href="http://www.houstonchronicle.com" type="external">http://www.houstonchronicle.com</a></p> | Former Pasadena police officer not guilty for shooting man | false | https://abqjournal.com/572339/former-pasadena-police-officer-not-guilty-for-shooting-man.html | 2 |
|
<p>&lt;img class="size-full wp-image-433456 alignright" src="http://www.bizpacreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/DCNF-2-1-1.jpg" alt="DCNF" width="200" height="60" /&gt; Amber Randall, <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/11/flashback-when-trump-endorsed-eminem-for-president/" type="external">DCNF</a></p>
<p>President Donald Trump and Eminem were once on friendly terms, with Trump “endorsing” him for president during a 2004 MTV skit.</p>
<p>The 2004 skit featured Trump giving a&#160; <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/761216404406153216" type="external">mock endorsement speech</a>&#160;as part of an event to celebrate the introduction of the rapper’s radio satellite channel.</p>
<p>WATCH:</p>
<p />
<p>“I know a winner when I see one. And Donald Trump is telling you, right now, Slim Shady is a winner. He’s got brains, he’s got guts and he’s got Donald Trump’s vote,” Trump said to a round of applause. “Ladies and gentleman, our great candidate: Slim Shady!”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/11/politics/eminem-donald-trump-bet-hip-hop-awards/index.html" type="external">The rapper released a video for the BET Awards</a>&#160;Tuesday night in which he blasted Trump for racism and his recent handling of the National Football League protests. In the four-minute verse, Eminem called Trump “orange” and voiced support for football player Colin Kaepernick.</p>
<p>“And any fan of mine who’s a supporter of his, I’m drawing in the sand a line, you’re either for or against, and if you can’t decide who you like more and you’re split on who you should stand beside, I’ll do it for it for you with this. F— you,” Eminem rapped.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/ARAND1990" type="external">Follow Amber on Twitter</a></p>
<p>Send tips to&#160; <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact&#160; <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p>* Warning strong language</p>
<p /> | Flashback: When Trump endorsed Eminem for ‘president’ | true | http://bizpacreview.com/2017/10/11/flashback-trump-endorsed-eminem-president-547513 | 2017-10-11 | 0 |
<p>ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Tampa_Bay_Rays/" type="external">Tampa Bay Rays</a>‘ dreadful homestand is over, with one more tough loss Sunday as Cleveland’s <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Austin_Jackson/" type="external">Austin Jackson</a> hit a solo home run in the eighth inning to give the Indians a 4-3 win at Tropicana Field.</p>
<p>“Good riddance to the Indians and their pitchers,” Rays manager <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Kevin_Cash/" type="external">Kevin Cash</a> said after dropping three of four to Cleveland, including two shutouts. “We are sick of seeing them.”</p>
<p>The Indians (63-52) saw a 3-1 lead disappear on <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Steven-Souza/" type="external">Steven Souza</a>‘s two-run home run in the sixth, but Jackson’s fourth home run of the season, off reliever <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Tommy_Hunter/" type="external">Tommy Hunter</a> (2-3), put Cleveland back ahead.</p>
<p>Tampa Bay (59-60) found some offense after five shutouts in the previous eight games, but its bullpen couldn’t keep the score tied late.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Corey-Kluber/" type="external">Corey Kluber</a> (11-3) got the win, striking out nine batters in seven innings of four-hit baseball, continuing a dominant three-game run for Indians pitchers. <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Cody-Allen/" type="external">Cody Allen</a> pitched the ninth for his 21st save of the season. The Rays got the tying run to second base with two outs, but Adeiny Hechavarria struck out to end the game.</p>
<p>“It’s nice to pick (Kluber) up — not that he pitched bad, he gave up three,” Indians manager <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Terry_Francona/" type="external">Terry Francona</a> said. “When they got that two-run homer, it was nice to see our offense, for two games in a row now, come back and score when he was out of the game. If anybody deserves it, it’s him.”</p>
<p>Neither team had a hit until the third inning, when the Rays had three, with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Evan_Longoria/" type="external">Evan Longoria</a>‘s RBI single scoring <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Jesus/" type="external">Jesus</a> Sucre for a 1-0 lead.</p>
<p>Cleveland jumped ahead in the fourth on RBI doubles by <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Jay_Bruce/" type="external">Jay Bruce</a> and <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Carlos_Santana/" type="external">Carlos Santana</a> for a 2-1 lead, then added a solo home run by <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Edwin_Encarnacion/" type="external">Edwin Encarnacion</a> — his 24th — to make it 3-1 in the sixth.</p>
<p>“It’s great having Bruce behind me,” Encarnacion said. “We played for almost a year together (with the <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Cincinnati-Reds/" type="external">Cincinnati Reds</a>), and of course to have a player with the makeup and the quality that he has has been tremendous.”</p>
<p>Souza tied the game in the sixth with his 25th home run, off Kluber. The Indians nearly went ahead in the bottom of the seventh, but a perfect throw from Souza in right field off a <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Francisco-Lindor/" type="external">Francisco Lindor</a> single got home in time to tag Santana out at the plate.</p>
<p>The Rays had come in fresh off the worst eight-game stretch in franchise history, scoring only eight total runs, with five shutout losses within the current homestand.</p>
<p>“We played probably our worst baseball down the stretch and we were in almost every game we played,” Souza said. “It’s going to turn the corner, we believe it’s going to turn the corner. There’s still a lot of time left. We’re going to be all right.”</p>
<p>The Rays now go to Toronto for a four-game series, while the Indians go to Boston on Monday for a single game that was postponed by rain Aug. 2, then to Minnesota for a three-game series to continue an 11-game road trip.</p>
<p>NOTES: The Rays made a roster move after Sunday’s game, sending LHP Jose Alvarado from the bullpen to Triple-A Durham, with a corresponding move to be announced later. Alvarado has a 4.76 ERA in 26 relief appearances, holding opponents to a .214 average. … Rays 3B Evan Longoria, who left Friday’s game with a left thumb contusion and sat out Saturday’s game, was back in the lineup at third Sunday. He drove in the game’s first run in the third inning and scored after a walk in the sixth. … OF Kevin Kiermaier went 0-for-4 with a run scored on Saturday in his first rehab game with Class A Charlotte. He has missed two months with a hip injury. … The Indians now have 11 shutouts this season, most in the American League and one behind the Dodgers for the most in the majors.</p> | Late Austin Jackson homer pushes Cleveland Indians over Tampa Bay Rays | false | https://newsline.com/late-austin-jackson-homer-pushes-cleveland-indians-over-tampa-bay-rays/ | 2017-08-13 | 1 |
<p>Jeff Siner TNS/via Zuma Wire</p>
<p />
<p>A newly formed political action committee is using Donald Trump’s name and trademarked slogan—”Make America Great Again”—in an unusual fundraising ploy. The group, the Great America PAC, has no connection to the Trump campaign, but it has been blasting out emails soliciting donations that it claims will be channeled directly to Team Trump. In a recent email, the PAC implored donors to help “build a grassroots wall of support around Donald Trump by chipping in at least $5 to have your name placed on his official FEC report by signing the ‘I Support Donald Trump’ petition.” On the PAC’s <a href="https://transaxt.com/Donate/7UFALM/GreatAmericaPAC/" type="external">website</a>, donors are asked to donate between $5 and $1,000.</p>
<p>The website notes that the first $5 of each donation will be sent to the Trump campaign. And Dan Backer, the group’s treasurer, tells Mother Jones that this money is indeed “earmarked” for Trump. What happens to the rest of the money, for any donations greater than $5, is not clear. The email does promise to use money the group raises to build a vaguely described grassroots operation that will help support Trump. But there’s no telling how much of the money gathered by this Trumpy PAC will directly fund pro-Trump activities.</p>
<p>The fundraising email is signed by Amy Kremer, a former chairman of the Tea Party Express. Kremer did not respond to a request for comment.</p>
<p>A recipient of the email might be forgiven for assuming it comes from an official Trump-approved outfit. The website prominently features the official Trump slogan: “Make America Great Again.” And there may be a problem with that. Trump trademarked that phrase for the purposes of “political campaign services, namely, promoting public awareness of Donald J. Trump as a candidate for public office; providing online information regarding political issues and the 2016 presidential election;” and for “fundraising in the field of politics.” The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.</p>
<p>Asked about the PAC’s use of the trademarked phrase, Backer, a Virginia-based attorney who has helped set up <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/super-pac-scams-114581" type="external">a number of conservative-oriented PACs</a> that capitalize on current events, said the phrase is a quote from Ronald Reagan.</p>
<p>The Great America PAC was first registered with the Federal Election Commission on February 1. But it paid to run pro-Trump radio ads in Iowa in January—which is legal. The ads, which cost <a href="http://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00608489/1049078/se" type="external">a total of $25,000</a>, were produced and placed on air by a mysterious ad-buying firm called GRP Buying LLC, using a rented mailbox at a shipping center in Columbus, Ohio. The PAC has also spent $10,000 on television ads and $15,000 on email blasts.</p>
<p>Initially, this PAC tried to associate itself even more closely with Trump by using the name TrumPAC. But a PAC may not use a candidate’s name if it doesn’t have the candidate’s permission. (For example, last year a super-PAC backing Carly Fiorina was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/06/17/carly-for-america-has-to-change-its-name-to-carly-for-america-because-the-fec-is-lol/" type="external">forced to create an elaborate acronym</a> to keep its name: CARLY for America.) When the FEC contacted the PAC in February and inquired about its use of the TrumPAC name, Backer, an FEC critic who was the lawyer in a key Supreme Court case two years ago that removed caps on how much money donors can contribute to political campaigns and committees, had a sharp response. In a letter to the FEC, he stated he didn’t know anyone running for office named “TRUMPAC.” He informed the FEC that another party, whom he did not identify, had requested it change its name and that it would do so, but not because the FEC asked.</p>
<p>So how much has the Great America PAC raised with its Trumpish solicitations? It doesn’t have to file any disclosure reports until late March.</p>
<p /> | This Group Is Raising Money for Donald Trump. But Where Is It Going? | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2016/03/great-america-pac-donald-trump/ | 2016-03-08 | 4 |
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>This videogame’s cover was missing one of the game’s two main characters.</p>
<p>It’s no secret that the video game community has trouble with women, whether it’s the meticulously documented cases of sexual harassment during play (IGN.com <a href="http://www.ign.com/blogs/meghan-ign/2012/12/13/fat-ugly-or-slutty-sexism-and-the-regression-of-female-gamers-in-2012" type="external">12/13/12</a>) or the overt attempts to silence their opinions on the matter (Raw Story, <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/18/anita-sarkeesian-explains-fight-against-cyber-mob-of-misogynistic-trolls/" type="external">4/18/13</a>). But if you think it stops at 14-year-olds in their parents’ basement, you’re wrong: The gaming companies have chosen a target demographic (adolescent boys) and they’ll do whatever they have to to make them happy—even if that means pretending real women don’t exist.</p>
<p>This year saw the release of at least two games with prominent, well-received female characters: Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us and 2K’s Bioshock: Infinite. Both games’ plots revolve around overtly masculine figures with tragic pasts (Booker in Bioshock, Joel in Last) protecting their surrogate daughters (Elizabeth and Ellie, respectively) from danger against a backdrop of bloody revolution.</p>
<p>But the similarities don’t stop at the subject matter: Despite the fact that the most dynamic character in each game is female, both characters were largely absent from promotional material: Elizabeth is absent from Bioshock’s cover, and Ellie was actually photoshopped out of at least one prominent magazine’s promotions for Last.</p>
<p>In Naughty Dog’s case, the incident was completely beyond their control: the images they submitted to the European magazine GameReactor featured Ellie, but the publication opted to use some of their time and manpower to digitally remove her (Destructoid, <a href="http://www.destructoid.com/game-magazine-scrubs-ellie-from-the-last-of-us-artwork-256594.phtml?" type="external">6/19/13</a>). 2K has no such excuse, since their decision to leave a main character off their game’s cover was theirs alone.</p>
<p>Both these games are far more dependent on storytelling than your average A-list title, and since the characterization of both women was so heavily lauded, this seems like comically terrible marketing. If your game’s about shooting, you can be sure the ads will show lots of guns, but with a game that’s all about character development, hiding 50 percent of its story’s main characters seems like advertising a car while concealing the fact it has wheels.</p>
<p>As is so often the case with high-profile media, the culprit can be traced to market analysis: The suits who promote games have decided that video games with female protagonists just don’t sell—and can point to a recent study to support that view. Trouble is, female-lead games receive on average less than 40 percent of the marketing budget as male-lead games, making their lower average sales a fait accompli (Eurogamer, <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-19-why-publishers-refuse-games-such-as-remember-me-because-of-their-female-protagonists" type="external">3/19/13</a>).</p>
<p>In fact, the idea that female leads poison profits isn’t backed up by industry realities: 45 percent of gamers are women, according to the <a href="http://www.theesa.com/facts/" type="external">Entertainment Software Association</a>, and there are more female gamers over 18 than there are male gamers under 18. On top of that, the Tomb Raider series, starring archaeologist/adventurer Lara Croft, is one of the <a href="http://www.hd.square-enix.com/eng/group/index.html#game3" type="external">best-selling franchises</a> of all time.</p>
<p>But ignoring women is better than the apparent alternative, which, traditionally, has been actively promoting rape. Video-game marketers have in the past employed such sociopathic tactics as using sexual assault to advertise a car-racing game (Cracked.com, <a href="http://www.cracked.com/article_20339_the-5-most-offensive-attempts-at-video-game-marketing.html" type="external">3/25/13</a>).</p>
<p>Recent attempts are no better. Take, for example, Kara: a female character at the center of developer Quantic Dream’s attempts to showcase the Playstation 3’s graphical capabilities by creating an incredibly human-like robot that, over the course of the five-minute video, gains sentience and begs for her life.</p>
<p>Naturally, Kara is a sexually attractive white woman (BoingBoing, <a href="http://boingboing.net/2012/03/08/disturbing-and-poignant-video.html" type="external">3/8/12</a>), and the voice that chooses whether she lives or dies is a man. Spoiler: He lets her live once she surrenders all dignity.</p>
<p>So maybe it’s not accurate to say that women never appear in video game advertising—it’s just that when they do appear, they are sex robots that exist only at a man’s whim and mercy.</p>
<p>But the worst recent example—and sadly, one of the most indicative—wasn’t for any one game. It was something that happened at Microsoft’s XBox One demonstration at the E3 video conference. During the scripted demonstration of a fighting game, a male player used the game to beat up a female player, telling her to “just let it happen” because it would “be over soon” (Atlantic Wire, <a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2013/06/microsoft-e3-rape-joke/66092/" type="external">6/10/13</a>)—employing the same kind of rape-like language that some insist is the norm in videogame discourse.</p>
<p>Of course, it is not the norm: the video game community is clearly divided between those that like to “jokingly” threaten to rape people, and those that want to act like human beings. Despite Microsoft’s claims of innocence (or, more specifically, ignorance), until they make better amends, they have made a choice as to which side they’re on. We just wish they’d made a different one.</p>
<p>J.F. Sargent ( <a href="https://twitter.com/JFSargent" type="external">@JFSargent</a> on Twitter) is a frequent contributor to the website Cracked.</p> | Where the Girls Aren’t | true | http://fair.org/extra-online-articles/where-the-girls-arent/ | 2013-10-01 | 4 |
<p>LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) — A southwestern Washington state man convicted of killing a 7-year-old girl in 1994 will spend at least 23 more years in prison.</p>
<p>The Daily News <a href="http://tdn.com/news/local/haag-gets-another-years-in-prison-for-child-murder/article_6d091330-58e6-54ab-973a-08747cfb780e.html" type="external">reports</a> 40-year-old Timothy Haag had served 23 years of his life sentence when a judge on Friday issued a new sentence of 46 years to life.</p>
<p>Authorities say the Longview man was 17 when he choked and drowned Rachel Dillard in a bathtub.</p>
<p>Haag was resentenced due to U.S. Supreme Court rulings that juvenile offenders cannot be given life sentences.</p>
<p>Prosecutors had requested a minimum sentence of 60 years to life, and Haag’s public defender asked for a minimum sentence of 25 years.</p>
<p>Judge Michael Evans told the courtroom that “Mr. Haag and his adolescent brain clearly had the ability to tell right from wrong.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Daily News, <a href="http://www.tdn.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.tdn.com" type="external">http://www.tdn.com</a></p>
<p>LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) — A southwestern Washington state man convicted of killing a 7-year-old girl in 1994 will spend at least 23 more years in prison.</p>
<p>The Daily News <a href="http://tdn.com/news/local/haag-gets-another-years-in-prison-for-child-murder/article_6d091330-58e6-54ab-973a-08747cfb780e.html" type="external">reports</a> 40-year-old Timothy Haag had served 23 years of his life sentence when a judge on Friday issued a new sentence of 46 years to life.</p>
<p>Authorities say the Longview man was 17 when he choked and drowned Rachel Dillard in a bathtub.</p>
<p>Haag was resentenced due to U.S. Supreme Court rulings that juvenile offenders cannot be given life sentences.</p>
<p>Prosecutors had requested a minimum sentence of 60 years to life, and Haag’s public defender asked for a minimum sentence of 25 years.</p>
<p>Judge Michael Evans told the courtroom that “Mr. Haag and his adolescent brain clearly had the ability to tell right from wrong.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Daily News, <a href="http://www.tdn.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.tdn.com" type="external">http://www.tdn.com</a></p> | Man convicted of killing 7-year-old girl gets new sentence | false | https://apnews.com/199fc77c71654b3dbb28ec19a5b08ae3 | 2018-01-20 | 2 |
<p>RUSH: I do want to tell you a couple things about my vacation. I had a couple of fascinating trips. I don’t expect anybody to understand this. I really don’t. I debated whether or not to even mention or make a big deal out of it. But we went places, Kathryn and I did, hoping that nobody would have ever heard of me. That, to us, was peace — nobody caring who we were, where we were going, what we were saying, what we were doing — and it happened. Nobody cared.</p>
<p>I can’t tell you… You know how I always talk about these people or these young kids on all this social media. They’re vomiting all their privacy, giving it all away and so forth. I tell them they’re gonna regret it, this pursuit of fame. I can’t tell you how liberating it was. I don’t expect people to understand it, but I’m telling you: That alone made the trip. It wasn’t until Sunday night (and even this was just for a brief moment) I was recognized by a reporter for Sky News in London.</p>
<p>He approached me, said, “You’re a genius,” shook my hand, gave me his card, and walked off. That was it. Outside of that, I mean, zip, zero, nada. It was absolutely worth it. But we went to France. We have the sixty-ninth anniversary of D-Day tomorrow, and we went to Omaha Beach. We went to the American Cemetery at Normandy, and we went to Pointe du Hoc. And I, by the way, I have been mistakenly mispronouncing that because of an error in which I had seen it published.</p>
<p />
<p>I’ve been calling it “Pw’on du Ho.” It’s “P’want,” P-o-i-n-t-e, “Dew,” d-u, “Hock,” H-o-c. And I had heard a number of people pronounce it “Pw’on Du Ho.” It’s actually “P’want dew Hock.” Pointe du ‘oc. (The H is silent, just to be precise about it.) But it is about six miles due west of the center of where Omaha Beach was, and it is a “p’want.” It’s a point that juts out, and German guns were there, and they had to take those guns out as part of D-Day.</p>
<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT</p>
<p>RUSH: So we stopped in three places, touring D-Day locations, and we just barely scratched the surface. The primary location, Omaha Beach, is where they do the annual anniversary celebrations, but Omaha Beach is huge. Then there was Juno Beach further down, and then Utah Beach. D-Day was a giant, giant act of great deception on the part of Eisenhower. The Germans were entirely faked out — and it’s a good thing, because even being faked out, D-Day was a deadly event.</p>
<p>I couldn’t help while walking the beach at Omaha Beach… We went down to Pointe du Hoc, and gosh, the American Cemetery… I’d seen pictures. You have no idea. It’s like most other things: You have no appreciation for it ’til you’re really there. It’s sobering, folks, and then it’s 69 years ago. And the whole time we’re walking the beach in these locations, I kept having a thought running around in my mind:</p>
<p>“How many Americans even know anymore outside of Saving Private Ryan? How many would even be impressed, if you could take them there and show them the serene place that it is today and say, ‘Guess what happened here 69 years ago. Try to envision 200,000 Americans in oceangoing craft storming this beach, climbing these hills with German gun encampments all over the place mowing ’em down.'”</p>
<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT</p>
<p>RUSH: I can’t tell you why, but the whole D-Day invasion, particularly Omaha Beach and Pointe du Hoc, have mesmerized me. I’ve been immersed in them, and I’ve learned so much just in the last number of years as celebrations have taken place, things I didn’t know when I thought I knew it all. A grand act of deception. The Germans weren’t sure where in Normandy, all along the northern coast of France, the Allied invasion was going to take place. They weren’t sure when. It was a tremendous — without getting into great detail in this, Eisenhower and his command had done a terrific job in deception building fake installations along the beach to indicate they were coming there, or training in fake locations.</p>
<p>The Germans even suspected that the invasion might hit Norway and not France. The deception was so good that the German commander Rommel wasn’t even on site on D-Day. He was taking a couple days off. I think it was his anniversary. He was with his wife in Paris or back in Germany or something, and he had a phone call early in the morning, “Guess what, General? We’re under assault here.” And even with that act of deception, the number of Americans who were killed, Allied forces killed, is stunning. Two hundred thousand, part of the invasion all along the north coast of France, and its importance, that and the Battle of the Bulge, I mean, crucial to stopping what was happening in Europe and preserving Europe and the rest of the world for freedom.</p>
<p>But these Americans along Omaha, all the way down, Juno Beach, Utah Beach, Pointe du Hoc, they were sitting ducks. German installations were high up on the hills. There were bombing runs. In the case of Pointe du Hoc, I think the 9th Army Air Force was launching bombing runs and the number of seagoing efforts to assist in the ground assault which was conducted by the Rangers 2nd Battalion.</p>
<p>Now, this was my first time at Pointe du Hoc. I’d been to this place in my mind but I’d never seen it other than in pictures. It’s a hundred plus feet straight up. The Rangers land on the beach, ships launch ladders and other things on the sides of the cliff to assist the Rangers in climbing up. The Germans are shooting down on them, and the Rangers just kept going. Big guns, 155 millimeter guns were up there. They just kept climbing even as the Germans were mowing them down.</p>
<p>Now, one thing, the Germans, because of deception, thought that Utah Beach was gonna be the focus and they had moved many of the gun installations at Pointe du Hoc a mile west of Pointe du Hoc. They still had some guns but the big guns had been moved on the orders of Rommel. Interestingly, the Ranger rank-and-file landing on the beach and climbing the cliff, they were not told. The Ranger leadership knew that the guns had been moved, but the Ranger rank-and-file had not been told. It was part of motivation. They had to climb. They had to get that hill. They had to get those installations, whether the Germans were in them or not. They had to shut all that down, all the way up and down the beach. They had to secure that area. And they did. And in a couple of months they’re into Paris and then the Germans are beaten back.</p>
<p />
<p>But to see it, folks, so pristine and peaceful now, and to see what these Americans did, climbing straight up those cliffs with ropes, makeshift ladders, with the Germans firing down on them, even though the bulk of the guns had been moved, there was still German small arms fire that was raining down on them, enough to kill them, and a lot were killed. That location I think was one of Ronald Reagan’s greatest ever speeches as president, The Boys of Pointe du Hoc. He gave that speech on the fortieth anniversary of D-Day.</p>
<p>And then we went to the cemetery, the American cemetery at Normandy. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen and it’s one of the quietest, one of the most sobering places. Every tombstone, every cross is geometrically perfect, no matter what angle, no matter what line you view these crosses, they are in perfect alignment, no matter what angle. And they go on and on, there are 10,000 more. This week is the sixty-ninth anniversary. They’ll do something big next year for the seventieth. But it’s just another reminder for us about the greatness of the US military and the people. They’re all volunteers back then, too. Not all, but quite a few. And the Rangers, equivalent of the Special Forces in their own way. You can’t go there and have any knowledge at all of what happened to not be in awe of what happened, and you can’t go there and not just be thankful.</p>
<p>And I’m telling you as you get older, at least for me, getting older, I become more and more in awe and in appreciation. The appreciation just increases and increases for what people did. And then you see the names on the crosses in the cemetery, and you see 18 to 28-year-olds, 10,000 of them. They used to be alive, ’til that day or the day of their death, it runs the gamut in that cemetery, but it’s still quite a sobering thought. So I just wanted to share with you the really momentous time that it was. Omaha Beach is huge. And the entire beaches, Normandy, are huge, I mean, from the water line to the cliffs and so forth. So that was a large part. It was the whole day one day, and then the rest of the time we were in places where nobody knew who we were. It was awesome. Okay, thank you for indulging me in that. I love sharing these trips and these instances. You know me. I love sharing my passions.</p>
<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT</p>
<p>RUSH: One other thing I should mention. Dawn pointed out, “You keep contradicting yourself. Is it Pointe du Hoc or Pointe du Hoc?” And turns out it’s both. The elite French spelling point d-u-H-e-o. The Nordic pronunciation, the people that discovered the place, is Pointe du Hoc. So I was alternating pronunciations because both are correct; both are accepted. Now, that Ranger force that arrived at Pointe du Hoc/Pointe du Hoc. Sixty percent of those people were killed.</p>
<p>Sixty percent of the 2nd Ranger Battalion was killed. Even though the guns had been moved, they had to take that hill. Even though the big guns had been moved a mile west down toward Utah Beach, they had to take those hills. Because anybody sympathetic to the Germans could have occupied those installations and fired down on the beach. So 60% of the arriving force died. Sixty percent of the attack force of the Rangers was killed.</p>
<p>That speech that Reagan gave there on the fortieth anniversary where he met some survivors who were still alive back in the eighties, he kept talking about, “These are the Boys of Pointe du Hoc,” or Pointe du Hoc. I forget how he pronounced it that day. But it was one of his best speeches. They had to take those hills. It was a crucial operation.</p>
<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT</p>
<p>RUSH: Andrew in Olney, Maryland, great to have you on the program. Hi, sir.</p>
<p>CALLER: Good afternoon. Thanks for taking my call.</p>
<p>RUSH: You bet.</p>
<p>CALLER: I was rather taken by your trip to Normandy. One thing I want to share with you is the fact that my wife had been stationed over there in ’85 through ’87, and we went up to Normandy in June of ’86, and was really taken by the number of visitors, French, of all ages, who were visiting the cemetery at Omaha Beach. And in September of that year, in the middle of the week we were going through the First World War battlefield area near Verdun and came across the second largest American cemetery in France for the First World War veterans.</p>
<p>RUSH: You know, it’s an interesting point that you make. I’m sorry to interrupt you, but I’ve got my, as usual, dwindling clock. But there weren’t a lot of people — it was crowded, but not like it’s gonna be this weekend as the actual anniversary date approaches. But there were a lot of French people, and it was something I was wondering about, how much appreciation remains, how much active appreciation or even thanks, and there were a lot of French people at the American cemetery. And others, too. It was very heartwarming, sobering at the same time visit. I appreciate the call.</p> | My D-Day Vacation | true | http://rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2013/06/05/my_d_day_vacation | 2013-06-05 | 0 |
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<p />
<p>The International Energy Agency said Tuesday that production from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries hit a record high in September of 33.64 million barrels a day.</p>
<p>Last month, OPEC agreed to reduce daily output to between 32.5 million and 33 million barrels. The price of crude has gained about 15 percent since that proclamation.</p>
<p>“Now the real work starts,” IEA said in its monthly report. OPEC has not decided how it will achieve production cuts — including which countries will agree to sacrifice output. They aim to draw up a plan before a meeting Nov. 30 in Vienna.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>IEA said OPEC output increased as production from Iraq hit an all-time high and Libya reopened ports to export more crude. Production in non-OPEC member Russia hit a post-Soviet record.</p>
<p>As a result, the global supply of oil grew by 600,000 barrels a day in September, according to IEA.</p>
<p>While supply is running high, the IEA said demand is slowing along with the global economy — a combination that could pressure oil prices. The IEA forecast that the market will remain oversupplied through mid-2017 if OPEC doesn’t enact the cuts it pledged last month in Algeria.</p>
<p>“OPEC has abandoned its free-market policy set in train nearly two years ago. Global oil inventories are far too high — in the view of some producers – and they aren’t being worked off nearly fast enough,” the IEA said. “The current price of oil has caused discomfort for all producers.”</p>
<p>The task of carrying out the production-cut pledge will be complicated if, as reported, Iran, Libya and Nigeria are exempted from the cuts for various reasons. The IEA said further increases from those three nations means bigger cuts would have to be made by others, such as Saudi Arabia, to hit the reduction target.</p>
<p>It’s also unclear how much non-OPEC members, notably Russia, will play along. Russian President Vladimir Putin intimated at a meeting in Istanbul on Monday that Russia was ready to support OPEC, which further buoyed oil prices.</p>
<p>Oil prices hit their highest level in a year on Monday but fell Tuesday. In afternoon trading, benchmark U.S. crude was down 64 cents to $50.71 a barrel in New York. Brent, the international standard, fell 81 cents to $52.33 a barrel in London.</p>
<p>Goldman Sachs analysts said oil prices could fall back to $43 if OPEC fails to finalize an output-cutting deal in Vienna. Even if there is an agreement, they said, it is unlikely that it would balance supply and demand next year because of the chance that some OPEC countries won’t abide by targets and that non-OPEC nations will boost production.</p>
<p>In the summer of 2014, oil was trading above $100 a barrel, but increased output from non-OPEC countries, particularly the United States, created an oversupply. Instead of cutting production, OPEC opted to pump at high volumes to maintain market share and perhaps drive out U.S. shale oil and gas producers, who have higher operating costs.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Business Writer David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.</p> | OPEC output rises, complicating cartel’s price-boosting plan | false | https://abqjournal.com/864713/opec-must-enact-cuts-for-sustained-oil-price-rise-iea-says.html | 2016-10-11 | 2 |
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<p>Same-sex couples want to marry for the same reasons as other couples: to formalize commitment, to raise a family, to reap the legal benefits of marriage and more.</p>
<p>And to treat same-sex couples differently from other couples by refusing to permit their marriage is a violation of their constitutional rights to due process and equal protection of the law.</p>
<p>Those are the basics of the legal case against New Mexico and other states that refuse to permit same-sex marriage, and that case picked up steam last week with the U.S. Supreme Court rulings on the issue.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>After the rulings last week, Gov. Susana Martinez, an opponent of same-sex marriage, said she would like to see voters decide the issue through a constitutional amendment.</p>
<p>That seems unlikely; the Legislature for years has been unable to agree on a marriage amendment to put on the ballot.</p>
<p>And even if voters adopted a constitutional amendment against gay marriage, that amendment could be tossed out by a court as unconstitutional. That’s what has happened with bans on same-sex marriage in at least four other states.</p>
<p>On the flip side, courts have upheld prohibitions on same-sex marriage in at least eight states. About three dozen states have statutory and/or constitutional provisions that limit marriage to a relationship between a man and a woman.</p>
<p>In its rulings last week, the Supreme Court struck down part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and, on procedural grounds and without ruling on its merits, let stand a U.S. District Court decision that invalidated California’s Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriages.</p>
<p>The court, in the case of the Defense of Marriage Act, found that the definition and regulation of marriage are the province of the states and not the federal government.</p>
<p>The court said the federal government, through the act, couldn’t refuse to recognize same-sex marriages that have been made lawful by states, thereby treating same-sex married couples differently from other couples.</p>
<p>“By doing so it violates basic due process and equal protection principles applicable to the Federal Government,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the court, which was divided 5-4 on the case.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Left undecided by the court is whether a state, like New Mexico, can treat same-sex couples differently by prohibiting them from marrying while allowing other couples to do so.</p>
<p>In the case of California’s Proposition 8, a federal judge ruled the answer was “no,” citing the due process and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution.</p>
<p>“Proposition 8 both unconstitutionally burdens the exercise of the fundamental right to marry and creates an irrational classification on the basis of sexual orientation,” the judge wrote.</p>
<p>Kennedy cautioned that the Supreme Court’s opinion that the Defense of Marriage Act violated due process and equal protection rights is “confined to those lawful (same-sex) marriages.”</p>
<p>But in dissenting from the opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote:</p>
<p>“It takes real cheek for today’s majority to assure us, as it is going out the door, that a constitutional requirement to give formal recognition to same-sex marriage is not at issue here.”</p>
<p>He added:</p>
<p>“The view that this Court will take of state prohibition of same-sex marriage is indicated beyond mistaking by today’s opinion. … How easy it is, indeed how inevitable, to reach the same conclusion with regard to state laws denying same-sex couples marital status.”</p>
<p>As for same-sex marriage in New Mexico, it is possible the state Supreme Court will settle the issue before the U.S. Supreme Court has a chance to rule on state prohibitions.</p>
<p>At least two lawsuits challenging marriage license denials for same-sex couples have been filed in state district courts, and plaintiffs in one of the cases are seeking to take the matter directly to the state Supreme Court.</p>
<p>The lawsuits argue the state is denying equal protection of the law by prohibiting same-sex couples from marrying while allowing other couples to do so.</p>
<p>Neither the New Mexico Constitution nor its statutes explicitly prohibit or permit same-sex marriage.</p>
<p>In an analysis released last month, the office of state Attorney General Gary King found that same-sex marriage isn’t authorized under New Mexico statutes.</p>
<p>But, the analysis concluded, “There appears to be little possibility that New Mexico’s laws precluding same-sex marriage would withstand an equal protection challenge” under the state and U.S. constitutions.</p>
<p>The constitutions contain similar language that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law and that no person shall be denied equal protection of the laws.</p>
<p>The New Mexico Constitution also says this: “Equality of rights under law shall not be denied on account of the sex of any person.”</p>
<p>UpFront is a daily front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Thom Cole at <a href="" type="internal">[email protected]</a> or 505-992-6280 in Santa Fe. Go to <a href="" type="internal">www.abqjournal.com/letters/new</a> to submit a letter to the editor.</p>
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<p /> | Rulings aid case for gay marriage | false | https://abqjournal.com/217078/rulings-aid-case-for-gay-marriage-2.html | 2013-07-03 | 2 |
<p>Adult films may reign supreme, but sometimes written tales of IRL sexual situations can sometimes turn you on so much that you gotta grab that vibe right now.</p>
<p>Did you did enjoy the infamous 50 Shades of Grey books? Yeah, me neither. There weren’t many steamy scenes and they only lasted a few pages. Couldn’t we just have skipped over the coming-of-age crap and get to the hardcore banging?</p>
<p>That’s what makes these following short stories so great — all sensuality, no filler. Plus you can insert in your own before and after scenarios! There’s nothing like using your imagination sometimes, especially in bed.</p>
<p>You know what else is great about reading these people’s bedroom adventures? The fact that they are real. It makes me so happy that something so damn hot has happened to someone else. (Yes, there is a lot of jealousy, too.)</p>
<p>So dim the lights. Maybe some cheesy candles? Make a pillow fort. Put your fancy panties on. Then take them off and read on! These little reads from Reddit and sarcasmlol will have you making a mess in your bed.</p>
<p />
<p>Credit: Jacob Lund/Shutterstock</p> | The Naughtiest Tales To Get You Hot and Heavy | true | http://thefrisky.com/g/these-naughty-tales-got-me-so-worked-up/?utm_source%3Dfrisky%26utm_medium%3DNIBND-4968%26utm_content%3Dnib%26utm_campaign%3Dsocial-o%26ipp%3D3 | 2018-10-04 | 4 |
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<p>But all signs point toward Brandon Mason, a former New Mexico State Aggies guard and University of New Mexico video coordinator who spent last season on staff at UNLV, returning to Albuquerque to fill the vacant assistant coaching position on Paul Weir’s staff in the coming weeks.</p>
<p>It would be the first Division I assistant coaching job for Mason. He’s a Chicago native who has held several support staff roles at the D-I level and was an assistant coach at Division II New Mexico Highlands three years ago.</p>
<p>While neither Weir nor Mason would comment to the Journal about the job, Mason is in Albuquerque this week and several former Lobo players took to social media to congratulate him on getting the job. They also congratulated Weir on picking Mason.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The opening on the Lobos staff came just last week when Marc Hsu left after three months to take a similar job at Western Kentucky.</p>
<p>Mason spearheaded, along with former Lobo Cameron Bairstow, the highly successful Lobo alumni all-star game in the summer of 2015 and the Lobo/Aggie alumni all-star rivalry game in the summer of 2016.</p>
<p>Mason has proven to be very well connected with former players from both programs and still has deep ties in the Chicago area.</p>
<p>Locally, there are few, if any, who can claim the sort of New Mexico basketball connections Mason has.</p>
<p>He played for Lou Henson and the Aggies from 1999-2003.</p>
<p>“When he played for me, I was hoping he would (become a coach) because he understands the game so well,” Henson <a href="" type="internal">told the Journal</a> in 2012. “He’s got everything it takes to be a head coach. He’s got the personality, he’s got the dedication and he’s got the keen knowledge of the game. And when he was with us, he was a real leader for our team.”</p>
<p>After NMSU, Mason’s New Mexico connections spread. He played professionally overseas and for Michael Cooper and the Albuquerque Thunderbirds; he helped run basketball camps around the state with several former UNM and NMSU players; he coached the Danny Granger DI Ambassadors AAU basketball team. Mason also was Lobos video coordinator under both former coaches Steve Alford and Craig Neal and worked with former UNM assistant Craig Snow at NMHU. Mason worked at NMSU in 2015-16 and followed former Aggies head coach Marvin Menzies to UNLV for the 2016-17 season.</p>
<p>Mason is currently the director of player personnel for the Rebels.</p>
<p>Despite not holding an official assistant coaching title, he’s already making his name known as a recruiter. Mason was credited by name in a March interview with Rivals.com by McDonald’s All-American center Brandon McCoy, a top 15 national recruit who has signed to play for the Rebels this season.</p>
<p>“My relationship with the (UNLV) coaching staff is really great there,” said McCoy, who wasn’t signed with the Rebels at the time. “Shout out to coach Mason and the rest of the staff, they’re doing a great job recruiting me.”</p>
<p>The NCAA allows all coaches and support staff to interact with recruits on visits but only a head coach and the three holding the “assistant coach” title can hit the road for recruiting.</p> | Lobos expected to add Brandon Mason to coaching staff | false | https://abqjournal.com/1036163/lobos-expected-to-add-brandon-mason-to-coaching-staff.html | 2 |
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<p>ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Serena Williams lost in her return to tennis after giving birth in September, beaten by French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in an exhibition Saturday and still unsure if she will defend her Australian Open title.</p>
<p>Williams called it a "wonderful" match despite the defeat - she took the second set in a score of 6-2, 3-6 and 10-5 in a super tiebreaker.</p>
<p>The Australian Open, the year's first Grand Slam tournament, begins Jan. 15.</p>
<p>"I don't know if I am totally ready to come back on the tour yet. I know that when I come back I definitely want to be competing for championships. I am definitely looking forward to getting back out there," Williams said.</p>
<p>"I am taking it one day at a time. I am going to assess everything with my team before deciding."</p>
<p>The 36-year-old Williams took time off after winning the Australian Open last January while pregnant. She gave birth to her first child, a girl named Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., on Sept. 1. She married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in November.</p>
<p>Williams struggled with her serve in the 67-minute match at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. But, after nearly a year away from the game, she did win a set against the world's No. 7 player</p>
<p>"I don't think I am going to rate my performance," Williams said. "I have plenty of comebacks, from injuries, from surgeries, but I've never had a comeback after actually giving birth to a human being. So, in my eyes, I feel it was a wonderful, wonderful match for me."</p>
<p>Williams insisted she has a lot more tennis to play.</p>
<p>"Knowing that I have won 23 Grand Slam titles and several other titles, I don't think I have anything more left to prove," she said. "But I am not done yet."</p>
<p>Williams won her opening game, breaking Ostapenko. But she was nowhere near her best in the first set before fighting back and winning the second.</p>
<p>After the initial break, Ostapenko latched onto Williams' weak serves and capitalized on several unforced errors to go up 4-1 with two breaks.</p>
<p>Williams again struggled with her serve in the second set. But she went ahead 3-0 with a couple of early breaks and hit with more confidence, including several crowd-pleasing double-handed passing shots. Another break in the ninth game gave her the set.</p>
<p>"In the beginning, it felt a little tough. But as the match moved on, I was less afraid. I knew I was not going to fall over and break," she said. "The more I played, the more confident I felt that I would be able to go for shots that I was afraid to go for in the first set."</p>
<p>In the super tiebreaker, Ostapenko raced to an 8-2 lead before halting a brief recovery by Williams.</p>
<p>"For me, it is all about physical, how I am feeling physically. ... I am just proud being out here and playing in Abu Dhabi and to be able to just compete," Williams said. "I have had a tough few months and I am just excited to be able to play again."</p>
<p>It was the first time a women's match had been played in the traditionally men's only exhibition.</p>
<p>U.S. Open runner-up Kevin Anderson defeated Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 7-6 (0) in the men's final. The 14th-ranked Anderson immediately broke Bautista Agut and was never in danger of losing serve in the first set.</p>
<p>In the second set, Bautista Agut broke in the second game, but the South African broke back immediately. An aggressive Anderson swept the tiebreaker.</p>
<p>ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Serena Williams lost in her return to tennis after giving birth in September, beaten by French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in an exhibition Saturday and still unsure if she will defend her Australian Open title.</p>
<p>Williams called it a "wonderful" match despite the defeat - she took the second set in a score of 6-2, 3-6 and 10-5 in a super tiebreaker.</p>
<p>The Australian Open, the year's first Grand Slam tournament, begins Jan. 15.</p>
<p>"I don't know if I am totally ready to come back on the tour yet. I know that when I come back I definitely want to be competing for championships. I am definitely looking forward to getting back out there," Williams said.</p>
<p>"I am taking it one day at a time. I am going to assess everything with my team before deciding."</p>
<p>The 36-year-old Williams took time off after winning the Australian Open last January while pregnant. She gave birth to her first child, a girl named Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., on Sept. 1. She married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in November.</p>
<p>Williams struggled with her serve in the 67-minute match at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. But, after nearly a year away from the game, she did win a set against the world's No. 7 player</p>
<p>"I don't think I am going to rate my performance," Williams said. "I have plenty of comebacks, from injuries, from surgeries, but I've never had a comeback after actually giving birth to a human being. So, in my eyes, I feel it was a wonderful, wonderful match for me."</p>
<p>Williams insisted she has a lot more tennis to play.</p>
<p>"Knowing that I have won 23 Grand Slam titles and several other titles, I don't think I have anything more left to prove," she said. "But I am not done yet."</p>
<p>Williams won her opening game, breaking Ostapenko. But she was nowhere near her best in the first set before fighting back and winning the second.</p>
<p>After the initial break, Ostapenko latched onto Williams' weak serves and capitalized on several unforced errors to go up 4-1 with two breaks.</p>
<p>Williams again struggled with her serve in the second set. But she went ahead 3-0 with a couple of early breaks and hit with more confidence, including several crowd-pleasing double-handed passing shots. Another break in the ninth game gave her the set.</p>
<p>"In the beginning, it felt a little tough. But as the match moved on, I was less afraid. I knew I was not going to fall over and break," she said. "The more I played, the more confident I felt that I would be able to go for shots that I was afraid to go for in the first set."</p>
<p>In the super tiebreaker, Ostapenko raced to an 8-2 lead before halting a brief recovery by Williams.</p>
<p>"For me, it is all about physical, how I am feeling physically. ... I am just proud being out here and playing in Abu Dhabi and to be able to just compete," Williams said. "I have had a tough few months and I am just excited to be able to play again."</p>
<p>It was the first time a women's match had been played in the traditionally men's only exhibition.</p>
<p>U.S. Open runner-up Kevin Anderson defeated Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 7-6 (0) in the men's final. The 14th-ranked Anderson immediately broke Bautista Agut and was never in danger of losing serve in the first set.</p>
<p>In the second set, Bautista Agut broke in the second game, but the South African broke back immediately. An aggressive Anderson swept the tiebreaker.</p> | Serena loses in exhibition comeback after giving birth | false | https://apnews.com/6f6a1414b0f7458dafedab2067ab4c2a | 2017-12-30 | 2 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>Americans are in need of good progressive messengers. They are in need of folks who can describe the need for Liberal values and policies.</p>
<p>Many times one feels that the country’s puritanical attitude towards ones private life holds back the country. The fall of Anthony Weiner is a case in point. It is true that his online peccadilloes were strange to many. Many have even <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/13/nyregion/weiners-record-in-house-intensity-publicity-and-limited-results.html?_r=3&amp;pagewanted=all&amp;" type="external">accused</a> him of not having many friends, a thin legislative record, and camera focused. Of course that could apply to a vast majority of the 435 representatives.</p>
<p>What’s different however is that Anthony Weiner has command of the Liberal message. Pundits on the Right parrot talking points.&#160; Pundits on the Left, refuse to get into the fight as they are bullied with inferior values and messages. Weiner was able to personalize the message. He could make the factuality of the message a cause célèbre. He displayed that in these three specific instances on Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday’s show (below, <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/09/1254305/-Anthony-Weiner-Slams-GOPAC-s-Avella-On-Bill-Maher-About-Obamacare-VIDEO" type="external">here</a>, &amp; <a href="" type="internal">here</a>).</p>
<p>One hopes that more progressive messengers like Anthony Weiner will emerge. In the meantime, it is time for Weiner to come out of purgatory and re-engage. It is time to cut him some slack. He is doing a much better job than most of our spineless, soft, weak-minded Liberals by defending the message with facts and personalization. More of that is needed.</p>
<p>The following exchange is the type we need more of.</p>
<p>Bill Maher: I have heard you say when you were in Congress; you were always going for Medicare for All. That was the statement that kind of. I wonder if we had Medicare for All we wouldn’t be going through all these problems.</p>
<p>Anthony Weiner: To some degree the Left and the Right agree that the sentence everyone should keep what they had was a smart thing to say because frankly no. I don’t know what the insurance companies are doing in this transaction to begin with, what any insurance companies are. Look, we take our money. We give it to doctors. We give it to nurses and hospitals. And somewhere along the way insurance companies come in and take 25 or 30 percent of it. And now we are like so outraged that they are going to get a little bit less. Or that we are not going to be able to keep that same insurance policy. You shouldn’t keep it if it’s a crummy policy. Frankly we don’t need these insurance companies to do much of anything. And so, here’s what’s going to eventually happen. My Republican friends are going to say, “This is outrageous that you can’t keep it.” We are going to try to find a way to construct something that people are going to like. And what they are going to realize is that you ask people who are 59 in this country or 60 in this country whether they are eagerly looking forward to getting Medicare. And they are going to say yes. And the mistake we might have made here and I still think it was a mistake. Everyone knows what Medicare is. One year we make it for people who are 63. Then we move it down to 53 and then 43.&#160; And before you know the entire country is covered by Medicare. We save a bunch of money. We take the money we were going to give to insurance companies. Instead we put it into healthcare. And we lower rates. Boom, you got your problem solved right there.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> LIKE My <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EgbertoWilliescom/181893712536" type="external">Facebook Page</a> – Visit My Blog: <a href="http://www.EgbertoWillies.com" type="external">EgbertoWillies.com</a></p> | Anthony Weiner May Be One Of The Best Progressive Messengers (VIDEO) | true | http://egbertowillies.com/2013/11/10/progressive-messenger/ | 2013-11-10 | 4 |
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<p>em020215h/a1/metro/Allen Sanchez, executive director of the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops, speaks in support of HB-20 and HB-138, both bills would raise the state\’s minimum wage. This was during the Regulatory and Public Affairs Committee in Santa Fe, Monday Febuary 2, 2015. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque journal)</p>
<p>A Republican-controlled House committee on Monday rejected Democrat-backed legislation to raise New Mexico’s minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.</p>
<p>The vote in the Regulatory and Public Affairs Committee was 4-3 to table each of two bills. Legislation sponsored by Rep. Luciano “Lucky”&#160;Varela, D-Santa Fe, would have raised the minimum wage from the current $7.50 an hour to $10.10. Another bill, sponsored by Rep. Miguel Garcia, D-Albuquerque,&#160;would have raised the minimum wage in increments, with the full&#160;$10.10 kicking in in 2018.</p>
<p>The legislation had the support of church groups and unions and advocates for poor families. It was opposed by&#160;business organizations, including the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, along with&#160;restaurant owners and some small business owners.</p>
<p>Lawmakers passed a minimum wage increase to $8,50 an hour&#160;two years ago — when both the Senate and House were controlled by Democrats — but it was vetoed by&#160;Republican Gov. Susana Martinez.</p>
<p>She has said she would accept a minimum wage&#160;increase lower than that.</p>
<p>There is another bill, pending in the Senate, that would raise the rate to $8.30.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | House committee rejects minimum wage increase | false | https://abqjournal.com/535485/house-committee-rejects-minimum-wage-increase.html | 2015-02-02 | 2 |
<p>AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday afternoon's drawing of the Texas Lottery's "Daily 4 Evening" game were:</p>
<p>3-4-0-8, Sum It Up: 15</p>
<p>(three, four, zero, eight; Sum It Up: fifteen)</p>
<p>AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday afternoon's drawing of the Texas Lottery's "Daily 4 Evening" game were:</p>
<p>3-4-0-8, Sum It Up: 15</p>
<p>(three, four, zero, eight; Sum It Up: fifteen)</p> | Winning numbers drawn in 'Daily 4 Evening' game | false | https://apnews.com/21fce4a7dde9491aaf0df23edd4c4ea4 | 2018-01-05 | 2 |
<p>On Friday, the grandfather of one of the three teenagers shot to death with an AR-15 when they broke into an Oklahoma home ripped the young man defending his home, saying, “Brass knuckles against an AR-15, come on, who was afraid for their life.”</p>
<p>Leroy Schumacher, the grandfather of Jacob Redfearn, 17, who broke into the home on March 27 along with Maxwell Cook, 19, and Jake Woodruff, 16, told <a href="http://ktul.com/news/local/family-member-of-teen-burglary-suspect-killed-in-wagoner-county-break-in-speaks-out" type="external">KTUL</a>,“What these three boys did was stupid. They knew they could be punished for it but they did not deserve to die.” He continued, “There’s got to be a limit to that law, I mean he shot all three of them; there was no need for that. These boys’ families are going to suffer with this for the rest of their lives. We have to live with this for the rest of our lives.”</p>
<p><a href="http://ktul.com/news/local/woman-arraigned-for-involvement-in-wagoner-county-home-invasion-triple-homicide" type="external">According</a> to the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office, the intruders were wearing masks and dressed in black; two of the three were armed, one with a knife and the other with brass knuckles. They were shot by Zach Peters, 23, a criminal justice student and airline employee. The Tulsa World reported that Peters confronted the burglars in a hallway after they briefly exchanged words.</p>
<p>Peters made a <a href="http://heavy.com/news/2017/03/zach-peters-broken-arrow-burglary-home-invasion-shooting-911-calls-audio-listen/" type="external">911 call</a> after he shot the intruders in which he said, “I’ve just been broken into. Three men, two I’ve shot in my house,” adding that the men were bleeding. He continued, “I believe one’s down, one’s still talking. You need to get here now.” He stayed on the phone for roughly seven minutes, and also stated, “I shot two of them and now I’m barricaded in my bedroom. They broke in the back door. I can hear one of them talking.”</p>
<p>The robbery was allegedly planned by Elizabeth Marie Rodriguez, 21, who was arrested on a probable cause affidavit for three counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree burglary and one count of second-degree burglary. She reportedly knew Peters.</p>
<p>Rodriguez admitted she had dropped the suspects off at the house and fled when she heard gunshots.</p>
<p>Wagoner County Deputy Nick Mahoney <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/hear-oklahoma-man-calls-911-killing-teen-intruders-article-1.3012670" type="external">said</a>, “It looks like self-defense from the preliminary investigation, but that’s all speculative. There’s some speculation as to whether or not that (Stand Your Ground) law applies in this case, the simple answer is I don’t know.”</p>
<p>Schumacher concluded, “You can’t change history, but you can damn sure learn from it, and maybe some kids will learn from this,"</p> | This Guy’s Grandson Tried To Invade Somebody’s Home, Got Shot With An AR-15. Now Grandpa’s Angry About It. | true | https://dailywire.com/news/15032/guys-grandson-tried-invade-somebodys-home-got-shot-hank-berrien | 2017-04-03 | 0 |
<p>Just when you thought things couldn't get worse for the Obama Administration.... they do.&#160;</p>
<p>Today's must-read economics story comes from our friends at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/" type="external">Business Insider</a>, who have <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-white-house-problems-confidence-men-economic-team-geithner-2011-9" type="external">pulled together this gem</a> about Ron Suskind's new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Confidence-Men-Washington-Education-President/dp/0061429252/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1316618634&amp;sr=1-1" type="external">Confidence Men</a>.</p>
<p>Here's <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-white-house-problems-confidence-men-economic-team-geithner-2011-9" type="external">how BI sums it up</a>:</p>
<p>Confidence Men, released Tuesday, is an expos' on the bitter rivalries that divided and, at times, paralyzed Obama's economic team. It paints an unflattering portrait of an inexperienced president who lacks the leadership skills to get his staff in line.</p>
<p>The Obama team has been fighting back hard against the Pulitzer Prize-winning author this week, attacking some of the books inconsistencies and, yes, spelling errors.</p>
<p>It's easy to see why they're worried: the U.S. economy is hurting, President Obama's poll numbers are tanking, and the Republican presidential field is charging hard.</p>
<p>And, oh yeah, the book is brutal.&#160;</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-white-house-problems-confidence-men-economic-team-geithner-2011-9#obama-is-a-terrible-manager-1" type="external">Business Insider post and slideshow</a>, here are 10 of the juiciest revelations:</p>
<p>1) Obama is a terrible manager</p>
<p>2) Obama's entire economic team believed his stimulus plan would fail</p>
<p>3) Paul Krugman lives inside Obama's head</p>
<p>4) The White House let Larry Summers hijack economic policy</p>
<p>5) Summers then threw a fit when Obama reappointed Ben Bernanke&#160;</p>
<p>6) Tim Geithner was most concerned about saving Wall Street banks</p>
<p>7) The White House has a "serious" woman problem</p>
<p>8) It took Obama seven months to realize he "needed to fire" Rahm Emanuel</p>
<p>9) In case you missed point one, Obama is a "really terrible" manager</p>
<p>10) Obama hasn't had a message since 2008</p>
<p>Ouch.</p> | 10 things the White House doesn't want you to know | false | https://pri.org/stories/2011-09-21/10-things-white-house-doesnt-want-you-know | 2011-09-21 | 3 |
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<p />
<p>The former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice was a frequent visitor at Gadsden Mall and had been placed on a ban list after rumors he was targeting teen girls surfaced around the town, The New Yorker reported.</p>
<p>Greg Legat, a mall employee from 1981 to 1985, told the magazine the mall was “the place to be.”</p>
<p>“There were no empty stores. And lots of kids came around. Lots of teenagers. You went there to see and be seen,” Legat said.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>A police officer named J.D. Thomas told mall employees to be on the lookout for Moore because he was “banned from the mall,” Legat said.</p>
<p>“If you see Moore here, tell me. I’ll take care of him,” the cop reportedly told Legat.</p>
<p>Police officers who spoke with The New Yorker said Moore’s presence at the mall was a problem.</p>
<p>“The general knowledge at the time when I moved here was that this guy is a lawyer cruising the mall for high school dates,” one of the officers said.</p>
<p>“I was told by a girl who worked at the mall that he’d been run off from there, from a number of stores,” another cop recalled. “Maybe not legally banned, but run off.”</p>
<p>That cop also said he “heard from one girl who had to tell the manager of a store at the mall to get Moore to leave her alone.”</p>
<p>The report comes hours after a fifth accuser, Beverly Young Nelson, alleged that Moore sexually assaulted her when she was 16 in the 1970s.</p>
<p>A week before, he had signed her high school yearbook with “Love, Roy Moore D.A.,” Nelson said at a press conference in New York City on Monday.</p>
<p>Four women told The Washington Post that Moore targeted them for dates when they were mere teens and he was in his 30s. Moore has denied those allegations.</p>
<p>Several women who worked at Gadsden Mall also told the Post that Moore, who was “well-dressed in slacks and a button-down shirt,” would often be spotted around the mall alone.</p>
<p>Democrats and Republicans have called for Moore to step down from the Senate race. It’s unclear if Moore remains on the mall’s ban list.</p> | Roy Moore reportedly banned from Alabama mall after harassing teen girls in the 1980s | false | https://abqjournal.com/1092274/roy-moore-reportedly-banned-from-alabama-mall-after-harassing-teen-girls-in-the-1980s.html | 2017-11-13 | 2 |
<p>After a four-game suspension was handed down to Tom Brady following the "Deflate-Gate" investigation, the football world erupted into a frenzy of glee and outrage Monday evening.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, Brady's teammate, running back LeGarrette Blount, came to his defense:</p>
<p>But even opponents and rivals — including Giants punter Steve Weatherford — a member of the team that last defeated Brady in a Super Bowl were outraged:</p>
<p>Brady will not be able to return to action until the sixth week of the season — New England has an early bye week. The Patriots play — who else? — the Indianapolis Colts, who in January lost the AFC Championship to the New England and were the ones who notified the league about the deflated balls. Their long snapper observed:</p>
<p>Although the Colts' D'Qwell Jackson, whose interception of a Brady pass led to Deflate-Gate, texted a reporter on the NFL's website: "We've moved on. We're not thinking about it anymore."</p>
<p>And a relieved Dallas Cowboys team gloated over the fact that Brady will not play against them, but sympathized on their website that Brady may have lost his only chance to play in their stadium.</p>
<p>Brady's agent said Brady will not take this sack lying down.</p>
<p>"The discipline is ridiculous and has no legitimate basis," Don Yee said in a statement In my opinion, this outcome was pre-determined; there was no fairness in the Wells investigation whatsoever.</p>
<p>"We will appeal, and if the hearing officer is completely independent and neutral, I am very confident the Wells Report will be exposed as an incredibly frail exercise in fact-finding and logic."</p>
<p>Prominent New York lawyer Joe Tacopina, who has represented Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and rapper Jay-Z, concurred with Brady's decision to fight.</p>
<p>"This [suspension] defies even the flimsiest version of due process -- and I hate the Patriots," Tacopina said. "These investigative bodies are an arm of the league — 'more probable than not,' that's the best you can do in a one-sided investigation?"</p>
<p>But Jonathan Israel, a partner at to Foley &amp; Lardner, a high-end sports law firm, was sanguine about the punishment although he called it a "pretty big deal."</p>
<p>"It's somewhat consistent with past precedents," he said, adding "How much can you possibly reduce it?"</p>
<p>Israel noted that the harsh penalty against the Patriots organization -- a $1 million fine and loss of a first round and a fourth round draft pick -- showed the league was serious about the issue despite NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's cordial relationship with Pat's owner Robert Kraft.</p>
<p>"It [Deflate-Gate] clearly impacts the league," he said.</p>
<p>The Patriots' reaction was initially subdued: a five paragraph story on the side column of their website entitled: " <a href="http://www.patriots.com/news/2015/05/11/nfl-delivers-severe-punishment-patriots" type="external">NFL delivers severe punishment to Patriots</a>."</p>
<p>But later, Kraft released a statement saying the team did not believe the balls were deflated and the punishment "far exceeded any reasonable expectation."</p>
<p>He called the investigation one-sided and stood by his quarterback.</p>
<p>"Tom Brady has our unconditional support," Kraft said in his statement. "Our belief in him has not wavered."</p>
<p>Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who out-dueled Brady in two Super Bowls, <a href="http://nypost.com/2015/05/11/eli-manning-on-brady-you-do-the-crime-you-gotta-do-the-time/" type="external">told the New York Post</a> that he wasn't surprised at Brady's suspension given the integrity of the game was at stake.</p>
<p>But,"Tom has been a friend of mine. I don’t like to see anyone get suspended. I don’t like to see anybody get in trouble," Manning told the newspaper. "I don’t like to see anything happen to the NFL or to a player or to another quarterback. In no way am I glad to see this happen."</p>
<p>Manning told the Post that after Deflate-Gate broke, he experimented with under-inflated footballs out of curiosity.</p>
<p>"Whether it’s an advantage or not, I guess that’s all dependent on what a quarterback likes or what it’s like in cold weather, when it’s wet," he told the paper.</p> | Tom Brady’s ‘Deflate-Gate’ Suspension Prompts Outrage and Glee | false | http://nbcnews.com/news/us-news/absolutely-ridiculous-outrage-glee-brady-supension-n357366 | 2015-05-12 | 3 |
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — A bleak description of "American carnage." A forceful rollback of his predecessor's achievements. A blatant falsehood from the White House podium.</p>
<p>And that was just the first 24 hours.</p>
<p>In his first year in office, Donald Trump proved to be a singular figure, casting aside norms and traditions, fighting with Republicans and Democrats alike and changing how the nation and the presidency are viewed at home and abroad.</p>
<p>Seemingly each day spawned several can-you-believe-it headlines that would have defined a previous president's term. But in the hyper-accelerated Trump news cycle, many were forgotten by the next morning.</p>
<p>Appropriate for a former reality TV star, Trump's first year was can't-miss drama, full of unforgettable characters, surprise casting changes and innumerable plot twists. It came against the backdrop of a deeply polarized nation, a looming nuclear threat, whispers about the president's fitness for office and, for good measure, the shadow of the Russia investigation.</p>
<p>The reviews weren't kind. Trump's first-year approval rating stood at 39 percent, the lowest of any president. But viewers couldn't look away.</p>
<p>"He is a compulsively watchable political character," said Jon Meacham, presidential historian and biographer. "The country elected the most unconventional president in our history and he has proven to be just that. To me, the story of the first year is the atmospheric chaos that the president has created, sustained and perpetuated."</p>
<p>Trump was the first president to be elected without any government or military experience. And from the first moments of Trump's inauguration, it was clear that Washington had never seen anything like this before.</p>
<p>His inaugural speech was a dark pitch to the nation's forgotten, suggesting a retreat from the world under the slogan of "America First." It soon led to an uproar over the White House press secretary's wild claims about the inauguration crowd size.</p>
<p>Soon, other crowds were the story.</p>
<p>Millions of people flooded streets around the globe for the "Women's March" to protest Trump's presidency. That set the template for the so-called #Resistance, which swarmed airports just days later when the White House suddenly announced its travel ban on visitors from several Muslim-majority countries.</p>
<p>There would be little attempt from Trump to bring those protesters into the fold. Despite losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes, the president forged forward as if elected with a sweeping mandate, aiming his policies directly at his base — with moves such as the rollback of environment regulations and civil rights protections — and blaming Democrats for any Washington failure.</p>
<p>Always eager to have a foe, Trump governed as he campaigned, and not just by incessantly reliving his 2016 election over Hillary Clinton. Trump frequently instigated fights and rarely let a slight go unanswered via his favorite weapon, his Twitter account.</p>
<p>Any pre-inauguration talk of restraining his Twitter usage was soon forgotten. He used the 140-character — and later, up to 280 — bursts to target foes, traffic in conspiracy theories, salute the programming on Fox News, rattle Congress and unnerve world capitals. In March, he even made the unsubstantiated claim that his predecessor had wiretapped Trump Tower, and he labeled President Barack Obama a "bad (or sick) guy."</p>
<p>The trail of tweets has roiled the capital for 12 months. Across Washington, phones would buzz with alerts anytime Trump tweeted. Republicans found themselves to be targets of Trump's tweet just like Democrats, particularly when their efforts to repeal Obama's health care law — a plan seven years in the making — failed not once, but twice.</p>
<p>Some tweets drew puzzlement; none more than the president's late-night posting of the nonsensical word "covfefe."</p>
<p>Some tweets challenged American institutions, full of criticisms of the media and the FBI. Others provoked outrage, as when he suggested that MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski had a face-lift or claimed that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., "would do anything" for a donation, an unsavory insinuation made at the height of the #MeToo movement.</p>
<p>The discussion about sexual harassment toppled many powerful men but, while Trump's own accusers resurfaced, the White House never changed its story: The women were lying.</p>
<p>That was just one of many moments in which Trump appeared almost eager to foment divisions, including racial ones.</p>
<p>His political career was launched on the lie that Obama was not born in the United States, and this month, Trump was denounced for dismissing African nations as "shithole countries" when he urged a limit on immigration from that continent.</p>
<p>He dismissed Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as "Pocahontas," mocking her claims about being part Native American, while addressing a group of American Indians. More divisively, he blamed "both sides" for the violence between neo-Nazis and anti-hate group protesters that left one woman dead in Charlottesville, Virginia.</p>
<p>While Trump was rewriting the rules of behavior within the Oval Office, his agenda was largely lifted from the Republican playbook and his first year victories thrilled the GOP orthodoxy. He appointed conservative judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, rolled back business regulations, presided over a massive tax cut and, the White House argued, fostered an environment that freed the stock market to boom.</p>
<p>"2017 was a year of tremendous achievement (and) the achievements for our country, our people, and for our standing in the world have been very monumental," Trump said at a Cabinet meeting last week, before offering a glimpse into how he views the presidency — as catnip for cable.</p>
<p>"I'm sure their ratings were fantastic. They always are," he said.</p>
<p>Like any president, Trump faced crises during his first year.</p>
<p>Most ominously, North Korea escalated its nuclear weapons development program while Trump responded with unprecedentedly bellicose rhetoric. He warned of "fire and fury" that could wipe out Pyongyang. At the United Nations, he insulted North Korean leader Kim Jung Un as "Little Rocket Man." Trump took to Twitter to suggest that his nuclear button was bigger than Kim's.</p>
<p>The anniversary of his inauguration coincided with a government shutdown, and he scoffed that Democrats "wanted to give me a nice present."</p>
<p>He traveled overseas four times, upbraiding traditional American allies at NATO for not paying enough, basking in the flattery of Chinese President Xi Jinping and touching a mysterious, glowing orb with Saudi King Salman.</p>
<p>His responses to domestic tragedies were uneven.</p>
<p>He paid tribute to the 58 victims of a shooting at a country music concert in Las Vegas, but made no effort to toughen gun control laws. When Hurricane Maria crushed Puerto Rico, leaving half the island without power for months, Trump feuded with a local mayor and, during a visit, distributed paper towels to survivors by shooting them like they were basketballs.</p>
<p>Befitting a man whose reality show ended with a firing each week, in Trump's first year his administration's upper-level officials have had a turnover rate of 34 percent, much higher than any other in the past 40 years. Gone were chief of staff Reince Priebus, chief strategist Steve Bannon, press secretary Sean Spicer and, after just 11 eventful days, communications director Anthony Scaramucci.</p>
<p>But the circumstances of two exits above all may define not just Trump's first year in office, but those to follow.</p>
<p>National security adviser Mike Flynn was fired less than a month into the term for lying to Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with foreign officials. In May, Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, who had been leading the investigation into possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Russian officials during the 2016 election.</p>
<p>That dismissal led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, whose probe into possible collusion and obstruction of justice has hovered over the White House. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents and is now cooperating with Mueller. Trump himself may at some point be interviewed.</p>
<p>"We've never had a president who had such a chaotic first year. Every day is topsy-turvy and disorganized, the country has not been so divided since the Civil War and Trump thrives at being the bull that carries his own china shop around with him," said Douglas Brinkley, presidential historian at Rice University. "He's not like anything we've seen before and this is the question: What are the consequences going to be?"</p> | Trump's first year in office has been a can't-miss drama | false | https://circa.com/story/2018/01/20/politics/trumps-first-year-in-office-has-been-a-cant-miss-drama | 2018-01-20 | 1 |
<p />
<p>One of the key selling points for Tesla Motors' (NASDAQ: TSLA) vehicles is the rapidly expanding Supercharger network that comes with them. Tesla CEO Elon Musk summarized why these fast-charging stations, which can charge up to 170 miles of range in as little as 30 minutes, are critical when he <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/11/i-took-a-ride-in-tesla-motors-incs-model-3-3-takea.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">announced Model 3 Opens a New Window.</a> earlier this year:</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>But as Tesla prepares its lower-cost, higher-volume Model 3 for the first deliveries late next year, the network's continued expansion is critical.</p>
<p>Tesla Supercharger location. Image source: The Motley Fool.</p>
<p>Will Tesla have its Supercharger network ready to support a much larger fleet?</p>
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<p>Unsurprisingly, Tesla's Model 3 announcement was followed with a commitment to double down on its expansion efforts for its Supercharger network."By the end of next year, we will double the number of Superchargers and quadruple the number of Destination Chargers," Musk said at the Model 3 unveiling event on March 31. "You will be able to go virtually anywhere.</p>
<p>Doubling its 3,608 Supercharger stations (each individual charging stall -- not to be confused with Supercharger locations), and quadrupling its 3,689 <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/01/22/meet-tesla-motors-incs-destination-charging.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Destination Chargers Opens a New Window.</a> (slower Tesla charging units installed by businesses at locations where travelers might stay for longer periods of time, such as restaurants and hotels), as of the end of March would bring them to 7,200 and 15,000, respectively. Musk said Tesla will do this by 2017.</p>
<p>Tesla's ambitious Supercharger expansion target ahead of Model 3 is necessary. The company anticipates the lower-cost vehicle will help it increase total vehicle production from an estimated 80,000 units this year to 500,000 vehicles in 2018 -- the first full year of Model 3 deliveries. And management seems to indicate it anticipates Model 3 will account for around 400,000 of these units. If sales really do grow this fast, Tesla is going to need a much bigger Supercharger network.</p>
<p>Model 3 prototype outside of Tesla's Gigafactory. Image source: The Motley Fool.</p>
<p>So how's Tesla holding up on this expansion, so far? Today, Tesla has 4,311 Superchargers, located at 698 locations. While this isn't a bad start, it could be argued that the company is running behind. The most striking evidence that this is the case is that Tesla said in its 2015 10-Kthat it planned to "energize about 300 new Supercharger locations" in 2016. Tesla ended 2015 with 584 Supercharger locations; this would mean Tesla intended to end 2016 with nearly 884 locations.</p>
<p>But it's nearly the middle of September, and Tesla's Supercharger location count is at 698. With just over 100 locations energized year to date, and less than 200 to go to hit its 2016 target, the company would need to expand its network at an unprecedented rate to achieve this goal.</p>
<p>Still, Tesla is moving fast enough for its 2017 target for 7,200 stations to appear achievable. In just four-and-a-half months, Tesla has added over 700 Supercharger stations, increasing its total count by 19%. And the company has about 15 months to hit its Supercharger-station target.</p>
<p>Given that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said the company will require Model 3 customers to <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/06/01/tesla-model-3-supercharging-will-have-both-pay-per.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">pay for access to its Supercharger network Opens a New Window.</a>-- a departure from the way Supercharging comes free with every Tesla vehicle purchase today -- it's important that Tesla delivers a robust and convenient network for customers. While a monetized network could open up a new revenue stream for the company, it also means customer expectations will probably be higher.</p>
<p>A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, <a href="http://www.fool.com/mms/mark/ecap-foolcom-apple-wearable?aid=6965&amp;source=irbeditxt0000017&amp;ftm_cam=rb-wearable-d&amp;ftm_pit=2691&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">just click here Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFDanielSparks/info.aspx" type="external">Daniel Sparks Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Tesla Motors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=isiedilnk018048&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/motley.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Tesla's Supercharger Network Is Expanding Rapidly -- but Is It Fast Enough? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/09/09/tesla-supercharger-network-is-expanding-rapidly-but-is-it-fast-enough.html | 2016-09-09 | 0 |
<p>According to a Pew poll, about 10 percent of Americans think Barack Obama is Muslim. The candidate has tried repeatedly to counter that “smear,” (the word used on Obama’s Web site) but a growing number of Muslim Americans are frustrated with the implication that there’s something wrong with them.</p>
<p>The first Muslim elected to Congress, Keith Ellison, perhaps said it best: “A lot of us are waiting for him to say that there’s nothing wrong with being a Muslim, by the way.”</p>
<p>New York Times:</p>
<p>While the senator has visited churches and synagogues, he has yet to appear at a single mosque. Muslim and Arab-American organizations have tried repeatedly to arrange meetings with Mr. Obama, but officials with those groups say their invitations — unlike those of their Jewish and Christian counterparts — have been ignored. Last week, two Muslim women wearing head scarves were barred by campaign volunteers from appearing behind Mr. Obama at a rally in Detroit.</p>
<p />
<p>In interviews, Muslim political and civic leaders said they understood that their support for Mr. Obama could be a problem for him at a time when some Americans are deeply suspicious of Muslims. Yet those leaders nonetheless expressed disappointment and even anger at the distance that Mr. Obama has kept from them.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/us/politics/24muslim.html?_r=1&amp;hp&amp;oref=slogin" type="external">Read more</a></p> | Muslim Americans Losing Patience With Obama | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/muslim-americans-losing-patience-with-obama/ | 2008-06-24 | 4 |
<p>By Conor Humphries</p>
<p>DUBLIN (Reuters) – As the public face of the Irish Republican Army during its bombing campaigns, then peacemaker and mainstream politician, Gerry Adams has been a defining figure of Northern Ireland’s 50-year journey from sectarian torment to relative stability.</p>
<p>Adams announced his intention to step down as leader of the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party on Saturday with his ultimate goal of a united Ireland still elusive.</p>
<p>But the party he leaves is not only the dominant Irish nationalist force in the British-ruled province, but also strong enough across the border in the Irish Republic to have a chance of entering government there, too.</p>
<p>During the 1970s and 80s, at the height of an IRA bombing campaign to end British rule over Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein operated as the IRA’s political wing. As its leader from 1983 onwards, Adams thus became, for many in Britain and Northern Ireland, the face of the IRA.</p>
<p>As a result, he was loathed by pro-British unionists and the British government, but lionized in equal measure by Irish nationalists.</p>
<p>Yet when the prospect of political progress arose, he showed himself ready to compromise, working with late former IRA commander Martin McGuinness to swing the IRA and the province’s Roman Catholic minority behind a 1998 deal with the pro-British Protestant majority.</p>
<p>The Good Friday agreement gave the province’s Catholics a share of power and largely ended a conflict in which some 3,600 people had been killed, many at the hands of Irish republican groups such as the IRA, and others by pro-British unionist paramilitaries and British security forces.</p>
<p>Since then, Adams has helped to build Sinn Fein into the dominant Irish nationalist party in Northern Ireland, overseeing its agreement in 2007 to share power with its bitter rival, the Democratic Unionist Party and, in recent months, its efforts to restore power-sharing after it collapsed in January.</p>
<p>Adams also announced on Saturday that he would not stand for re-election to the Dublin parliament, where he has sat since 2011, moving Sinn Fein from the fringes to become the Irish Republic’s third party and its main left-wing force.</p>
<p>REPUBLICAN HERITAGE</p>
<p>Adams was born into a Belfast family steeped in revolutionary politics, several of his relatives having been involved in armed republicanism.</p>
<p>At 20, he left his job as a barman to help defend fellow Catholics from what they saw as a hostile British state, and to fight for Northern Ireland to split from the United Kingdom and unite with the Irish Republic.</p>
<p>Like his father, Adams was interned – held without trial – on suspicion of being a senior IRA commander.</p>
<p>He has always denied membership of the IRA, although accusations from former IRA fighters that he was involved in its campaign of killings have dogged him throughout his career.</p>
<p>Between 1988 and 1994, Adams was banned from speaking on British airwaves. While his oversized glasses and red-tinged beard were instantly recognizable, his voice was unknown as broadcasters had actors dub his words.</p>
<p>Former British conservative prime minister John Major, one of the architects of peace in Northern Ireland, once said the thought of sitting down to talk with Adams had “turned my stomach”.</p>
<p>But Adams was at the time walking a political tightrope – between IRA “hawks” who argued that only a continuation of violence would chase Britain from the island, and “doves” who said that negotiations were the route to a united Ireland.</p>
<p>He emerged from the political cold in October 1997 when he shook hands with the new Labour prime minister, Tony Blair, at their first meeting. Sinn Fein had polled 17 percent in Northern Ireland’s elections and returned Adams to the British parliament, although he refused to take his seat.</p>
<p>Within a year, Adams and McGuinness had helped to broker a peace deal that largely ended the violence in the province.</p>
<p>Since that deal, his role as statesman has grown, and he has made several visits to the White House.</p>
<p>He was arrested in 2014 as part of an investigation into one of the province’s most controversial murders, but no charges were brought.</p>
<p>Latterly he has used social media to create a grandfatherly image in the Irish Republic, with posts about his dog and his taste in cartoons.</p> | Gerry Adams: Face of IRA who helped cement Northern Ireland peace | false | https://newsline.com/gerry-adams-face-of-ira-who-helped-cement-northern-ireland-peace/ | 2017-11-18 | 1 |
<p><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9456402/Bootleg-chicken-sold-for-record-prices-in-Iran.html" type="external">Britain's The Telegraph today reported</a> that Iranian police have found 60,000 kilograms -- over 132,000 pounds -- of chicken stashed in different parts of the country over the last two weeks.&#160;</p>
<p>The cost of chicken has risen dramatically (along with pretty much everything else on the grocery shelves) as Iran reels from fresh international sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic over its disputed nuclear program, which Western countries fear is being used to make a bomb. Iran denies this.&#160;</p>
<p>A large-scale chicken smuggling ring was allegedly uncovered in the country's northwest with the discovery of&#160;more than 6,000 pounds worth of live chickens, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9456402/Bootleg-chicken-sold-for-record-prices-in-Iran.html" type="external">reported The Telegraph's Robert Tait</a>.</p>
<p>All the way on the other side of the country, in southwestern Ilam, authorities reportedly found the equivalent of over 50,000 pounds worth of live chickens kept in vehicles and believed bound for the black market, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9456402/Bootleg-chicken-sold-for-record-prices-in-Iran.html" type="external">according to Tait</a>. On top of those two, the country's semi-official news agency Mehr agency has reported smaller chicken hordes found located around the nation recently, <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9456402/Bootleg-chicken-sold-for-record-prices-in-Iran.html" type="external">said the Telegraph</a>.&#160;</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/iran/120725/iranians-divided-over-rising-inflationand-chicken-vide" type="external">Iranians divided over rising inflation....and chicken? (VIDEO)</a></p>
<p>The chicken crackdown is not limited to criminal activity, however, goes a sarcastic joke reportedly spreading in Iran.&#160;"If the police come round to your house don't worry," <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18999395" type="external">reported BBC Persian</a>. "It's not your satellite dish they're after. They just want to know if you have any chicken in your fridge."</p>
<p>Chicken, it should be said, is crucial to Iranian cuisine. The meat is used in many of the country's special (mostly homemade) stews, known as&#160;khoresh, as well as for kebabs.</p>
<p>So discovering an underground chicken market operating wide-scale in Iran is, in a way, not that surprising. The country is in rather dire economic straits, the average Iranian household bringing in about $377 a month, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/22/iran-economy-chicken-idUSL6E8IJFYV20120722" type="external">according to Reuters</a>.</p>
<p>When a couple pounds of chicken costs as much as five dollars, the money to be made by way of more illicit venues makes itself evident.&#160;</p>
<p>But not everyone is resorting to underground means. Two weeks ago,&#160;a couple thousand Iranians took to the streets the northeastern city of Neishabour to protest rising inflation -- emphasis on the chicken issue, <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443295404577545373520451172.html?mod=googlenews_wsj#articleTabs%3Darticle" type="external">reported The Wall Street Journal</a>.&#160;</p> | Iran: police find over 130,000 pounds of chickens believed bound for black market | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-08-06/iran-police-find-over-130000-pounds-chickens-believed-bound-black-market | 2012-08-06 | 3 |
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Global business travel is expected to thrive in 2018, according to a report by a travel management group, as an improving world economy buoys confidence in the private sector and investment community.</p> Travelers enter the airport hotel at Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado, U.S. November 3, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking
<p>American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) is forecasting growth across the travel sector, including air and ground transportation and hotel stays, with higher fares and increased bookings supporting the industry’s growth.</p>
<p>“The travel outlook looks bright as economic conditions continue to strengthen and growing business and consumer confidence translates into increased demand for travel,” GBT said in its report.</p>
<p>The travel company projected Asia will experience the most robust growth largely on the strength of economic progress in China and India.</p>
<p>Despite the generally optimistic outlook, increasingly protectionist policies across the globe and looming geopolitical instability continue to drag on the industry and stir uncertainty among stakeholders, according to the report.</p>
<p>GBT cited U.S. foreign policy and trade deal renegotiations as a potential hindrance for international travel, in addition to some route overcapacity and rapid expansion by low-cost carriers into the market.</p>
<p>The U.S. industry, however, has been preparing for a business travel boom in the wake of a U.S. tax overhaul that sharply reduced corporate income taxes.</p>
<p>Other policies supported by the Trump administration, including a pledge to reduce U.S. trade deficits and support initiatives that will put American corporations ahead of foreign competitors, have heartened businesses and investors and raised expectations for the near-term future of business travel.</p>
<p>Reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by Paul Simao</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - To Wall Street money managers who make bets for a living, U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive stance against China on trade looks like a high-stakes poker hand - but they believe they can play it for all it’s worth.</p> FILE PHOTO: A labourer works on coils of steel wire at a steel wholesale market in Beijing, China, January 17, 2012. REUTERS/Soo Hoo Zheyang/File Photo
<p>Fears that Trump could set off a trade conflict have roiled Wall Street since March 1, when the president announced plans to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, risking retaliation from major trade partners like China, Europe and neighboring Canada.</p>
<p>It’s been a roller coaster ride, with markets slumping after Trump last Friday moved to impose up to $60 billion in tariffs on some Chinese imports and China declared plans to retaliate with duties of up to $3 billion of U.S. imports even as it urged the United States to “pull back from the brink.”</p>
<p>China’s willingness to negotiate spurred a rebound on Monday, though jitters in the tech sector drove markets back down on Tuesday.</p> FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
<p>Investors remain concerned about a trade war between the world’s two largest economies, but some big players are sanguine about their prospects to make money even as they try and dissect Trump’s strategy on trade.</p>
<p>The former celebrity businessman on March 2 tweeted, “trade wars are good, and easy to win,” shocking economists who cite evidence that trade wars in the past have been destructive to economies involved.</p>
<p>“Other administrations have gone to trading partners like China and asked for a fairer deal, only to get a cigar put out on their forehead,” said Steve Chiavarone, a portfolio manager at Federated Investors. “I suspect Trump’s bucking of norms is absolutely part of his negotiating tactics.”</p>
<p>Chiavarone and others said they remain confident the S&amp;P 500 will rise significantly this year.</p>
<p>“So far you are talking about small amounts of tariffs in niche sectors,” said Phil Blancato, head of Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management in New York. “For anyone who is looking for an opportunity to enter the market here at better valuations, this is it.”</p> FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump, surrounded by business leaders and administration officials, prepares to sign a memorandum on intellectual property tariffs on high-tech goods from China, at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 22, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst THE ART OF THE DEAL
<p>“He has shown himself to act aggressively, quickly and unilaterally, and that’s brought China to the negotiating table,” said Ben Phillips, chief investment officer of EventShares exchange traded funds. “I truly think they are worried about him taking unilateral action and harming China’s economy.”</p>
<p>Fears of a trade war, which could hurt U.S. multinationals and dull the benefits of deep corporate tax cuts enacted this year, have helped push the S&amp;P 500 down nearly 4 percent since the end of February.</p>
<p>The Trump administration has demanded that China immediately cut its $375 billion trade surplus with the United States by $100 billion, a position seen by some as an opening tactic in a long negotiation.</p>
<p>China could respond to U.S. measures with a range of tariffs aimed at U.S. multinationals, or even farmers in rural regions who helped Trump win the 2016 presidential election.</p>
<p>Trump’s bellicose stance with U.S. trade partners reflects a negotiating style outlined in his 1987 book, “Trump: The Art of the Deal,” said Oliver Pursche, chief market strategist at Bruderman Asset Management in New York.</p>
<p>“You propose something horrific, and then when you pull back what you want is not as painful as feared,” Pursche said. “The problem is the other side isn’t dumb. Eventually, they’re going to figure that out.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Noel Randewich, additional reporting by April Joyner and Trevor Hunnicutt in New York; Editing by Alden Bentley</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tesla Inc shares fell sharply again on Wednesday, reeling from a credit downgrade of the electric car maker by Moody’s Investors Service, federal probes of a fatal crash and concerns about Model 3 production.</p>
<p>Shares tumbled 9 percent before ending down 7.7 percent at $257.78. On Tuesday, Tesla tumbled 8.2 percent to its lowest close in almost a year after the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) opened a field investigation into a fatal crash and vehicle fire in California on March 23.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, a second federal regulator, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), said it was sending a team to California to investigate the crash.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-tesla-stock-options/extreme-bearish-options-on-tesla-making-money-as-stock-dives-idUSKBN1H434B" type="external">Extreme bearish options on Tesla making money as stock dives</a>
<a href="/article/us-tesla-crash/u-s-auto-safety-agency-to-probe-fatal-tesla-california-crash-idUSKBN1H42X1" type="external">U.S. auto safety agency to probe fatal Tesla California crash</a>
<p>Late on Tuesday, Moody’s Investors Service downgraded Tesla’s credit rating to B3 from B2, citing “the significant shortfall in the production rate of the company’s Model 3 electric vehicle.” It also noted “liquidity pressures due to its large negative free cash flow and the pending maturities of convertible bonds.”</p>
<p>Tesla has $230 million in convertible bonds maturing in November 2018 and $920 million in March 2019.</p>
<p>Moody’s said its negative outlook “reflects the likelihood that Tesla will have to undertake a large, near-term capital raise in order to refund maturing obligations and avoid a liquidity shortfall.”</p>
<p>It said Tesla’s weekly production target is now 2,500 Model 3 vehicles by the end of March, down sharply from its year-earlier target of 5,000 per week by the end of 2017. Tesla’s weekly target for the end of June is 5,000.</p>
<p>Tesla declined to comment on the downgrade. The company plans to provide an update on Model 3 production next week.</p>
<p>Tesla shares have experienced big swings in the past, as worries about losses have vied with enthusiasm for Chief Executive Elon Musk’s ambitious plans.</p>
<p>The sell-off has left Tesla’s stock market value at $44 billion, below General Motors Co’s $49 billion. Palo Alto, California-based Tesla has at times had a larger market value than GM, the largest U.S. automaker by vehicle sales.</p> A Tesla dealership is seen in West Drayton, just outside London, Britain, February 7, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
<p>Since the end of February, the median analyst price target for Tesla has dipped by $10 to $356, about 37 percent higher than Wednesday’s price, according to Thomson Reuters data. Nomura Securities analyst Romit Shah has the highest Tesla price target, $500, or nearly double the current price. All the targets were set before the March 23 crash.</p>
<p>In last week’s accident in which the Tesla struck a highway median, it was unclear if the vehicle’s automated control system called Autopilot was driving, the NTSB and police said.</p>
<p>The 38-year-old driver of the Tesla died at a nearby hospital shortly after the crash.</p>
<p>Late Tuesday, Tesla said in a blog post it does “not yet know what happened in the moments leading up to the crash,” but added that data shows Tesla owners have driven the same stretch of highway with Autopilot engaged “roughly 85,000 times ... and there has never been an accident that we know of.” The statement did not say if the crashed vehicle was in Autopilot mode.</p>
<p>Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington and Alexandria Sage and Noel Randewich in San Francisco; Editing by Dan Grebler and David Gregorio</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Volkswagen has taken parking lots to a whole new level in the United States - and will not be emptying them soon.</p>
<p>Volkswagen AG ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=VOWG_p.DE" type="external">VOWG_p.DE</a>) has paid more than $7.4 billion to buy back about 350,000 U.S. diesel vehicles through mid-February, a recent court filing shows. The German automaker has been storing hundreds of thousands of vehicles around the United States for months.</p>
<p>Volkswagen has 37 secure storage facilities around the United States housing nearly 300,000 vehicles, the filing from the program’s independent administrator said. The lots include a shuttered suburban Detroit football stadium, a former Minnesota paper mill and a sun-bleached desert graveyard near Victorville, California.</p>
<p>VW spokeswoman Jeannine Ginivan said in a statement on Wednesday that the storage facility in Victorville, California, is one of many “to ensure the responsible storage of vehicles that are bought back under the terms of the Volkswagen” diesel settlements.</p>
<p>“These vehicles are being stored on an interim basis and routinely maintained in a manner to ensure their long-term operability and quality, so that they may be returned to commerce or exported once U.S. regulators approve appropriate emissions modifications,” she said.</p>
<p>In total, VW has agreed to spend more than $25 billion in the United States for claims from owners, environmental regulators, states and dealers and offered to buy back about 500,000 polluting U.S. vehicles. The buy backs will continue through the end of 2019.</p>
<p>The court fling said through Dec. 31 Volkswagen had reacquired 335,000 diesel vehicles, resold 13,000 and destroyed about 28,000 vehicles. As of the end of last year, VW was storing 294,000 vehicles around the country.</p> Slideshow (9 Images)
<p>VW must buy back or fix 85 percent of the vehicles involved by June 2019 or face higher payments for emissions.</p>
<p>The company said in February it has repaired or fixed nearly 83 percent of covered vehicles and expects to soon hit the requirement.</p>
<p>Through mid-February VW has issued 437,273 letters offering nearly $8 billion in compensation and buybacks.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=VOWG_p.DE" type="external">Volkswagen AG</a> 161.14 VOWG_p.DE Xetra +6.14 (+3.96%) VOWG_p.DE
<p>In April 2017 Volkswagen was sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to three felony counts and paid $4.3 billion in federal penalties. The automaker in September 2015 admitted to circumventing the emissions control system in U.S. diesel vehicles for vehicles sold since 2009, prompting the resignation of the company’s chief executive.</p>
<p>Reporting by David Shepardson in New York; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AMZN.O" type="external">AMZN.O</a>) shares fell almost 5 percent on Wednesday, wiping more than $30 billion off its market value, after news website Axios reported that U.S. President Donald Trump is obsessed with the world’s largest online retailer and wants to rein in its growing power.</p> The logo of Amazon is seen at the company logistics center in Lauwin-Planque, northern France, February 20, 2017. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol
<p>Trump has talked about using antitrust law to “go after” the company because he is worried about mom-and-pop retailers being put out of business by Amazon, Axios reported, citing five sources it said had discussed the issue with him.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-amazon-com-trump/no-u-s-policy-changes-on-amazon-at-the-moment-white-house-official-idUSKBN1H42IY" type="external">No U.S. policy changes on Amazon at the moment: White House official</a>
<p>Trump also wants to change Amazon’s tax treatment, the Axios report said, an issue the president raised publicly last year when he called for an internet tax for online retailers, even though Amazon already collects sales tax on items it sells direct to customers.</p>
<p>“The president has said many times before he’s always looking to create a level playing field for all businesses and this is no different,” said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, when asked about the Axios report. “He’s always going to look at different ways, but there aren’t any specific policies on the table at this time.”</p>
<p>Trump has been complaining about Amazon in private, believing the company has become too powerful, another administration official confirmed to Reuters.</p>
<p>The official said Trump links this to Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos’ private ownership of the Washington Post, which he has called “fake news” for its critical coverage of his administration. Trump regards the newspaper as a mouthpiece for Bezos’ business interests, calling it #AmazonWashingtonPost on Twitter.</p> The logo of the web service Amazon is pictured in this June 8, 2017 illustration photo. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso/Illustration
<p>Amazon did not reply to a request for comment on the Axios report.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AMZN.O" type="external">Amazon.com Inc</a> 1431.42 AMZN.O Nasdaq +0.00 (+0.00%) AMZN.O FB.O FAVORITE TARGET
<p>Trump has criticized Amazon over taxes and jobs in the past, without offering evidence. The president urging the use of antitrust law to selectively thwart a company would be unprecedented, according to Jeffrey Jacobovitz of the law firm Arnall Golden Gregory LLP.</p>
<p>Amazon’s stock, which fell as low as $1,386.17 on Wednesday, was last down 4.6 percent at $1,427.83. The shares have nearly quadrupled over the last three years.</p>
<p>Tech stocks have been under pressure after Facebook Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">FB.O</a>) acknowledged this month that user data had been improperly harvested by a consultancy.</p>
<p>“With Facebook and regulatory worries, the last thing nervous tech investors wanted to see was news that Trump is targeting Bezos and Amazon over the coming months as this remains a lingering cloud over the stock and heightens the risk profile in the eyes of the Street,” GBH Insights analyst Daniel Ives said.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Sonam Rai in Bengaluru; Diane Bartz and Amanda Becker in Washington; Sinead Carew in New York; writing by Chris Sanders; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and James Dalgleish</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | Global business travel expected to grow in 2018: report On China trade clash, Wall Street embraces Trump's poker face Tesla shares dive again, stung by fatal crash, credit downgrade VW storing around 300,000 diesels at 37 facilities around U.S. Amazon shares fall after report Trump wants to curb its power | false | https://reuters.com/article/us-travel-outlook/global-business-travel-expected-to-grow-in-2018-report-idUSKBN1FB2TL | 2018-01-22 | 2 |
<p>There are three kinds of studies we hear about. (1) Something incredibly obvious turns out to be true. (2) Something you like is good for you. (3) Something you like is bad for you. Obviously we prefer No. 2s, like <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/bumc-mde081710.php" type="external">this</a> study out of Norway that says drinking wine - especially if you're a woman - might make you smarter.</p>
<p>Boston University Medical Center via <a href="http://jezebel.com/5615678/drinking-wine-will-make-you-smarter" type="external">Jezebel</a>:</p>
<p>A large prospective study of 5033 men and women in the Troms? Study in northern Norway has reported that moderate wine consumption is independently associated with better performance on cognitive tests. The subjects (average age 58 and free of stroke) were followed over 7 years during which they were tested with a range of cognitive function tests. Among women, there was a lower risk of a poor testing score for those who consumed wine at least 4 or more times over two weeks in comparison with those who drink [less than] 1 time during this period. The expected associations between other risk factors for poor cognitive functioning were seen, i.e. lower testing scores among people who were older, less educated, smokers, and those with depression, diabetes, or hypertension.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/bumc-mde081710.php" type="external">Read more</a></p>
<p /> | Drink Up, Ladies | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/drink-up-ladies/ | 2010-08-19 | 4 |
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<p>PHOENIX - Five people are in custody after state authorities raided three massage parlors in the Phoenix metropolitan area.</p>
<p>The Arizona Attorney General's Office says a task force served search warrants Wednesday morning at two Phoenix homes, a Glendale home and two massage parlors in Glendale and one in Scottsdale.</p>
<p>Authorities say the three massage parlors were believed to be moving an estimated $600,000 per year.</p>
<p>They say the suspected money laundering and human sex trafficking link back to China.</p>
<p>The names of the five people arrested weren't immediately released.</p>
<p>Authorities say at least two other people are being sought in the case.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 5 arrested after 3 Phoenix-area massage parlors are raided | false | https://abqjournal.com/663370/5-arrested-after-3-phoenix-area-massage-parlors-are-raided.html | 2 |
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<p />
<p>While we were looking at humpbacked whales a few months ago, my companion asked me if I ever thought about how Moby Dick’s narrator, Ishmael, survived — by floating away from the destroyed ship Pequod in his friend Queequeg’s coffin. Whales themselves survived into the twenty-first century in part because of petroleum, the black stuff seeping out of the Pennsylvania earth that made the Rockefellers rich and whale oil unnecessary for lighting lamps (and because of the first international whaling treaty in 1949). Of course, petroleum went on to create the climate change that threatens habitat for whales and trashes their world in other ways. Typically, there isn’t an easy moral to this, any more than there is to Ishmael floating away safely because his friend had terrible premonitions of death. And that’s part of the richness of Herman Melville’s telling.</p>
<p>The world is full of tales in which morals are hard to extract from facts. There is the delightful fact that Viagra has been good for endangered species like elk whose antlers now are less at risk of being ground up for Chinese aphrodisiacs, surely the greatest inadvertent contribution of big pharmaceuticals in our time. Casinos have provided many Native American tribes with revenue and clout, though gambling is another kind of social problem and outside groups are the principal profiteers from some of the casinos. McDonald’s has (under intense pressure from animal rights activists) led the way in reforming how meat animals are raised and slaughtered. Many military sites have become de facto wildlife refuges, saving huge swathes of land from civilian development (even if bombing endangered species is part of the drill).</p>
<p>Then there are those interesting moments when otherwise appalling politicians do something decent for whatever reason or when the principled and the sinister are weirdly mixed — like anti-abortion, pro-death-penalty Arizona Senator John McCain’s passion for addressing climate change or the recently deceased Pope John Paul II’s condemnation of neoliberalism. To say nothing of our one great environmental president, Richard Nixon (and, yes, it wasn’t out of purity of heart that Nixon got us the Environmental Protection Agency, the Endangered Species Act, and the Clean Air and Water Acts, but purity of water and air matter more).</p>
<p>Sometimes, though, I think my compatriots are looking for the real world to provide stories as simple as Sunday school and sports, not as complex as Moby Dick. I would like those victories too. I would have liked it a lot if, after returning from the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, earlier this month, George W. Bush had — in a live global telecast like the Oscars — fallen to his knees, apologized profusely to everyone for everything, condemned capitalism, violence and himself, promised to dismantle the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, stop the war in Iraq immediately, and dedicate some of the billions thus saved to African poverty. And that’s just for starters. But let’s look instead at what we got.</p>
<p>The Baby or the Baby-killer?</p>
<p>Bush, as ever, refused to deal with climate change and was dragged along only grudgingly on aid and debt-relief measures for Africa. Even so, in the lead-up to the summit, 18 of the world’s poorest nations, including Bolivia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nicaragua, Rwanda, and Uganda, received 100% debt cancellation — a $40 billion write-off from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the African Development Bank. Nine more countries will receive debt cancellation in the next 18 months. Of course there were strings attached — preexisting policies obliging those nations to play by some of the rules that made them destitute to begin with. A lot of radicals excoriated the whole business of the G8 taking up debt relief and African poverty. John Pilger wrote in the New Statesman:</p>
<p />
<p>“It is a fraud — actually a setback to reducing poverty in Africa. Entirely conditional on vicious, discredited economic programmes imposed by the World Bank and the IMF, the ‘package’ will ensure that the ‘chosen’ countries slip deeper into poverty. Is it any surprise that this is backed by Blair and his treasurer, Gordon Brown, and George Bush; even the White House calls it a ‘milestone.'”</p>
<p>Others disagreed. <a href="http://www.democracyuprising.com/articles/2005/debt_jubilee.php" type="external">Foreign Policy in Focus analyst Mark Engler</a> wrote:</p>
<p />
<p>“Those progressives who have attacked the debt deal emphasize that, even in announcing the cancellation, G8 finance ministers explicitly reaffirm a neoliberal economic paradigm. Under the new G8 agreement, 18 countries do receive full debt cancellation from the IMF and World Bank, and nine other countries may be granted similar relief at a later date.”</p>
<p>He went on to discuss the “conditionalities,” or terms, that the countries granted debt cancellation under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries program, or HIPC, are required to accept, including various measures increasing privatization and corporate access to their resources. Engler concluded:</p>
<p />
<p>“Obviously, this is a problem. That said, it is clearly better for poor countries that have already suffered HIPC conditions to receive full cancellation, rather than inadequate, partial relief. Full, 100 percent cancellation has been one of the foundational demands of the debt relief movement. It is something that has been resisted by wealthy nations through years of mass protests and persistent lobbying. By affirming the legitimacy of this long-denied demand, the G8 agreement sets a landmark precedent. This breakthrough represents a significant victory…. In one example, some 2.2 million people in Uganda gained access to water as a result of a post-1997 debt cancellation.”</p>
<p>The debate seems to be over whether this is capitulation or incremental victory. The majority of victories we win are likely to be muddled, compromised, incomplete, and uncredited. It is no surprise that Blair and Bush failed to excoriate themselves or the system that creates poverty. Of course, they avoided systemic analysis while claiming to have always been on the side of the angels.</p>
<p>Radicals often want a victory that is sudden, dramatic, and full of moral illumination, that belongs clearly to them and to them alone, the kind where the other side loudly repents and credits you with dramatically reversing their course, or better yet simply surrenders and leaves the arena. This is not even victory, but vindication, since the focus shifts from alleviating suffering to acknowledging its cause and your virtue.</p>
<p>I remember when some portion of California’s Headwaters Forest was saved after a long struggle on the part of Earth First! and other environmental radicals. That there was outrage over the inadequate protection offered was one thing; that so many were focused on the fact that junk-bond king Charles Hurwitz, owner of Pacific Lumber, had profited handsomely from selling the land represented a real slip in focus from saving trees to thwarting opponents. It would have been nice to see Hurwitz penniless and in jail, and there were good reasons why he should have been both — but the forest was more important and saving it had been the point all along.</p>
<p>Was the issue in Scotland then debt relief, or destruction of the system that created that debt and dire poverty, or acknowledgment of the evils of neoliberalism, or the capitulation of Bush and Blair? It is easier, and in some ways more likely, to achieve something colossal like debt cancellation that will affect millions of the planet’s poorest than to get those in power to admit that they or their system are wrong.</p>
<p>Activists often have a real distaste for hailing anything that comes from those regarded as the enemy, and the distaste is understandable; but the refusal, or inability, to recognize the messy ways in which change for the better comes is another thing altogether. There aren’t a lot of saints in politics, and you can wait forever for change to come only from them. You can always argue that what we need is systemic change and nothing less, but humanitarianism often means accepting lesser steps along the way, and sometimes those steps lead toward something more revolutionary. A friend pointed out to me that when your client is facing the death penalty, you might like to abolish capital punishment and reform the system, but your courtroom victory will consist, first of all, of keeping him off death row.</p>
<p>The alternative position is caught well by a story I heard fifteen years ago from an activist just out of jail. She had been convicted for destroying nuclear missile guidance systems. She related a parable about a group of washerwomen on a riverbank who see a baby floating by, rescue it, and then find themselves plunging into the river regularly to grab babies. Finally one washerwoman walks away. Her comrades ask her if she doesn’t care about babies. She replies, “I’m going to go upstream to find the guy who’s throwing them in.” She is the revolutionary ideologue who will take on the system, but in the meantime there’s something to be said for pulling out the babies who will drown before — in the case of debt relief — the end of neoliberalism. Both positions are needed and they can be symbiotic rather than competitive. There are a lot of babies at stake. And a lot of slimy politicians kissing babies and then throwing them in the river.</p>
<p>Full-fledged debt cancellation, rather than, say, debt restructuring, may be an ideological change that acknowledges the profound suffering indebtedness creates and the failure of the system that created it. (After all, those loans were officially supposed to fund prosperity.) It seems to open the door for further transformations — and the stubborn Jubilee activists who have been working on the issue for a decade have not gone home and not been satisfied. In June, the organization declared:</p>
<p />
<p>“The announcement that a deal to cancel the debts of some of the world’s poorest countries had been reached at Saturday’s G7 Finance Ministers’ meeting must be welcomed as the first step on the road towards writing off the debt burdens that are preventing developing countries from attaining their Millennium Development Goals. Nonetheless it remains a wholly inadequate response to the demands made by NGOs and civil society debt campaigners for a total cancellation of unsustainable debt at the G8 Summit in July. It has been clear for 20 years that many indebted countries were effectively insolvent and required their debts to be written off, and that the debt problem itself was part of a systemic failure of the present economic system. Until a fundamental reform of international finance and trade is undertaken, debt cancellation — though necessary in the short term — can only address the symptoms and not the cause of chronic poverty in the developing world. In the absence of such comprehensive changes, the high hopes of debt campaigners will ultimately be disappointed.”</p>
<p>The question then is whether the measures taken this summer are steps along the way to more substantive change.</p>
<p>In honor of Tony Blair, I have revised Gandhi’s famous dictum to read: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then they co-opt your issue and pretend it was always theirs, and then if you don’t get all muddled, you still might win.” But here’s the catch: it won’t look like victory. It won’t satisfy the way victory is supposed to satisfy. It will come in dribbles rather than in a glorious burst; it will arrive in the hands of those you loathe; it will appear in some unanticipated form hard to recognize. Changes come sneakily, like the thieves they are, stealing the familiar world. By the time you win, your victory no longer belongs to you; it belongs first to the annoying former adversaries who have taken it up and now espouse it as though it had always been their own, and then it belongs to history.</p>
<p>Maybe we have team sports so that every once in a blue moon something will look like victory. And every once in a while the real world has its watersheds — Mandela’s inauguration, say — rather than just its trickles. (In Mexico, the seventy-year dictatorship of the PRI ended not with a Mandela, but with that ex-Coca-Cola executive Vicente Fox assuming the presidency — though this may yet open the way for left-wing Mexico City Mayor Lopez Obrador to become that country’s president next year in what would be, twenty years on from the first loosening of the PRI’s stranglehold, a real watershed victory after muddled, incremental changes that may have made it possible.)</p>
<p>The real debate is over perception: Radicals fear that the acceptance of limited changes undermines the profound change they seek, and the less radical are indeed often willing to accept palliative measures instead. But limited change undermines that larger goal only if it is perceived as final and adequate; perhaps what is needed from all of us is an ability to hail achievements without regarding them as occasions to quit and to recognize that change will shuffle more often than leap. Of course when it comes to who demands what and who decides what comes next, it’s more complicated; and limited changes can be how politicians disarm popular outcry rather than truly address what’s at stake.</p>
<p>Blunting the Swords Small Bodies Are Impaled On</p>
<p>I was in England and Scotland in late May and early June, and it was like entering a parallel universe. The proliferation of fear mongering and fast-food outlets was as familiar as the ubiquitous preoccupation with climate change and African poverty was not. (Of course, the latter issue was dominated by wizened rock stars with Lady Bountiful politics and a nauseating enthusiasm for giving absolution to heads of state.) Tony Blair had taken up these two causes in what appeared to be a blatant bait-and-switch on the war in Iraq he had gotten his country into, and it had worked — that war was a minor news story by comparison and a relatively minor issue in the G8 protests. (This was, of course, before the London bombings brought the question of Iraq back onto the front pages.)</p>
<p>A searching national conversation on the real causes of African poverty was going on — with various conclusions. To explain that disaster spread over most of a continent, some pointed to a half-millennium of European colonization and genocide and its political and psychological aftermath; some to widespread support for corrupt and undemocratic regimes that milk their countries dry; others to the role pillaging multinational corporations play in draining Africa of its natural wealth. All are causes, of course, as are the policies of the IMF and the World Bank. But the question that fascinated me was: What had caused African poverty to move to the center of British national consciousness and G8 negotiations?</p>
<p>Seven years earlier, I had been at the demonstrations against the 1998 G8 Summit in Birmingham, England. This was 17 months before the epochal shutdown of the World Trade Organization in Seattle fittingly exiled the unloved leaders of the more or less free world to meeting in self-created super-militarized zones. (Security for this summit in rural Scotland cost hundreds of millions of pounds. One Scottish local commented that they should have met on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean — in the cheaper and more honest armed isolation that would best represent their relationship to the public. Certainly, the extraordinary sums spent on security could have done a lot for Africa’s destitute.)</p>
<p>In ’98, I had gone to Birmingham to hang out with Reclaim the Streets (RTS), the raucous, wildly creative British movement that shifted the tone and tactics of direct action in many parts of the world and demonstrated early the power of the Internet for creating simultaneous demonstrations in many countries. At the same moment, Jubilee 2000 (now Jubilee Research) formed a vast human chain around the G8 and much of central Birmingham. RTS condemned the G8’s very existence; Jubilee 2000 asked it for something specific. At the time, I have to admit, the jubilee group made little impression on me, and their “Cancel the Debt” message seemed hopeful but remote.</p>
<p>Remote then, it has arrived now, as both a transnational awareness of the causes and costs of the loans forced on poor nations and as the recent debt cancellations. It is impressive to measure the migration of the idea of debt cancellation (and so, of the rich world’s role in creating poverty) as it traveled from outside the walls of Birmingham into Gleneagles to become the unavoidable topic. No less impressive is the way the early champions of debt relief took up such a complex, unglamorous idea and stuck with it for so long — long enough to matter, long enough to change the world. For debt relief exemplifies the often murky issues of much contemporary activism. Everyone agrees that children shouldn’t be murdered, but it’s hard to show people how arcane and intricate international financial rules can become the swords upon which small bodies are impaled. Zambia has already announced that cancellation of its debt will immediately translate into anti-retrovirals for some of its 100,000 AIDS sufferers (which exemplifies, as well, how debt translates into death; think of all those people who have not been getting medication).</p>
<p>Win or lose, the question of what was achieved begs a larger question: Is it useful to hail less-than-perfect, less-than-complete achievements? There is a real danger of complacency if the assessment is simplified into “we won,” since winning in this culture is usually followed by going home, as if life on earth was a game that ended when your team had the higher score. But there is also danger in never acknowledging our role in the murky victories that do occur on this strange planet. For then you leave bystanders, newcomers, sometimes even old-timers with the impression that we never win, that nothing we do works, that we have no effect.</p>
<p>Toughness, critique, dissatisfaction always have an important place in reminding people that the game isn’t up and suffering continues; so does recognizing that real change is possible and that activists have real power. It’s not black or white, not cause for resting on laurels or for despair, just for continuing on with the endless project of a better world. Moby Dick was white; the humpback whales I saw spouting and leaping in the Pacific were nearly black; but truth and history are larger, and grayer.</p>
<p>Rebecca Solnit lives in San Francisco, where she writes Tomdispatches and books. Her newest book is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0670034215/nationbooks08" type="external">A Field Guide to Getting Lost</a>.</p>
<p>Copyright 2005 Rebecca Solnit</p>
<p>This piece first appeared, with an introduction by Tom Engelhardt, at <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com" type="external">Tomdispatch.com</a>.</p>
<p /> | The Great Gray Whale: Or, This Story Has No Moral | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2005/07/great-gray-whale-or-story-has-no-moral/ | 2005-07-25 | 4 |
<p>The Wyoming Transportation Commission has awarded contracts totaling $29.5 million for eight projects around the state, including two highway projects to be funded through a 10-cent increase in the state fuel tax.</p>
<p>The projects include repaving nearly 7 miles of Interstate 25 near Buffalo and 5 miles of U.S. Highway 287 about 15 miles southeast of Lander.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Riverside Contracting of Missoula, Montana, submitted the low bid of $16.3 million for the I-25 project. LeGrand Johnson Construction of Logan, Utah, was the low bidder at $4.9 million for the work on U.S. 287, a project to be funded by state fuel tax revenue.</p>
<p>The Legislature raised Wyoming's fuel tax to 24 cents per gallon in 2013.</p>
<p>The other project to be funded in part by the fuel tax will be chip-sealing work on highways in Campbell, Crook, Johnson, Sheridan and Weston counties. Bituminous Paving Inc. of Ortonville, Minnesota, won a $3.4 million contract for that work at Thursday's commission meeting.</p>
<p>Other upcoming work will include repairing damaged concrete at an Interstate 80 overpass in Rawlins. Simon Contractors and Subsidiaries of Cheyenne received that $1.8 million contract.</p>
<p>Pavement improvement is planned along U.S. 30 in Albany County, U.S. 85 in Laramie County and several state routes in Laramie County under a $2.1 million contract that went to Knife River in Casper.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Approved projects not involving road work include improvements to several runways around the state and an irrigation canal near Lingle.</p> | Wyoming Transportation Commission approves 8 contracts for projects totaling almost $30M | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2015/02/23/wyoming-transportation-commission-approves-8-contracts-for-projects-totaling.html | 2016-03-09 | 0 |
<p>Photo Credit: Chameleon's Eye/Shutterstock.com</p>
<p>BOSTON (CN) - A rape victim sued Massachusetts to stop it from subjecting her to "a court-ordered 16-year unwanted relationship with her attacker" by giving him paternity rights over the child born from the rape.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;H.T., of Norwood, Mass., sued the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in Federal Court.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;"The plaintiff, a rape victim in a state criminal matter, became pregnant in 2009 at age 14 as a result of the crime and gave birth to her attacker's child," the lawsuit states.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;"The defendant in the state criminal proceeding, age 20 at the time of the impregnation, was convicted of rape in 2011 and was sentenced to 16 years probation. Conditions of probation include an order that he initiate proceedings in family court and comply with that court's orders until the child reaches adulthood. The plaintiff here seeks to enjoin enforcement of so much of the state court's order as violates her federal rights by binding her to an unwanted 16-year legal relationship with her rapist."&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;H.T., who recently graduated from high school, says the order forces her to participate in unwanted court proceedings for 16 years with the man who raped her, and to spend money on legal fees.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;"The plaintiff will suffer irreparable harm without relief from this court because she cannot choose not to participate in said family court proceedings without risking serious consequences, including the loss of custody of her child," the complaint states.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;"Even if the family court ruled in the plaintiff's favor on issues currently in dispute, such as whether the criminal defendant should be granted visitation rights to the plaintiff's child, the plaintiff will suffer harm from the constant threat of new issues arising in family court until her child reaches adulthood, including, for example, efforts by the criminal defendant to seek to modify child support orders and enforce his parental rights at the trial court level and on appeal."&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;H.T. was 14 when 20-year-old Jamie Melendez raped her in the fall of 2009, making her pregnant, according to the complaint.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;H.T. says she lived with her mother, who had to quit her job to care for the baby.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;"The plaintiff and her mother repeatedly informed state officials that they wanted no contact with Melendez for any purpose and that they did not want the child born of the crime to have a relationship with Melendez," the complaint states.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;"Melendez pleaded guilty to rape in September, 2011 (Norfolk Criminal Docket No . CR200900499) and was sentenced to probation for 16 years. As a condition of probation, Melendez was ordered to initiate proceedings in family court, declare paternity as to the child born of his crime, (paternity had already been determined in the criminal case, via DNA testing), and comply with the family court's orders throughout the probationary period. The plaintiff and her mother were adamantly opposed to participation in family court proceedings and repeatedly expressed this sentiment to state officials." (Parentheses in complaint).&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;In June 2012, H.T. found out that Melendez was seeking visitation rights with the child.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;After a family court judge ordered Melendez to pay $110 a week in child support, he Melendez asked for visitation rights, and offered to withdraw his request in exchange for not having to pay child support, according to the lawsuit.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;"Melendez had no prior contact with the child and had expressed no interest in the child, but no Massachusetts law forbids the enforcement of visitation rights by a biological father who causes a child's birth through the crime of rape," the complaint states.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The sentencing judge in the state criminal court denied H.T.'s request to order Melendez to pay criminal restitution instead of child support, and release her from any legal proceedings involving him.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;H.T. asked the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to review the decision, but the single justice of the court found that she lacked standing to challenge the order. The justice agreed with the state court that H.T. could appeal any adverse rulings in family court.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;H.T. appealed the ruling, but the full court affirmed the single justice's decision in June, according to the complaint.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;H.T. says she never asserted an interest in the prosecution of Melendez. On the contrary, she seeks to be released from having any authority over his probationary conditions, according to the complaint.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;"Through this action, the plaintiff requests that she be liberated from a state court order that not only imposes unlawfully on her liberty for 16 years, but also obligates her with the unwanted and inappropriate responsibility for ensuring Melendez's compliance with the conditions of his probation; an obligation that should rest exclusively with state officials," the complaint states.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;H.T. claims the order subjects her to an unwanted legal relationship with her attacker, and violates due process and other constitutional rights.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;"An estimated 35,000 babies are born from rape every year," the complaint states. "No state court has ever issued an order such as the one at issue here. Granting the plaintiff's requested relief will inhibit state court judges in Massachusetts and elsewhere from similarly depriving rape victims of their liberty, personal autonomy and due process."&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;H.T. seeks an injunction and annulment of the order.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;She is represented by Wendy Murphy, co-director of New England Law School's Women's and Children's Advocacy Project.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A spokeswoman for Attorney General Martha Coakley declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying the state had not yet reviewed the filing. &#160;</p> | Raped and Impregnated at 14, Girl Must Now Share Parental Rights with Her Attacker | true | http://alternet.org/news-amp-politics/raped-and-impregnated-14-girl-must-now-share-parental-rights-her-attacker | 2013-08-21 | 4 |
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