Space.com – by Tariq Malik

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and its commercial satellite payload were destroyed by an explosion at their launch pad in Florida early Thursday (Sept. 1) during typically routine test.

The explosion occurred shortly after 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT), as SpaceX was preparing to launch the Amos 6 communications satellite for the Israeli company Spacecom on Saturday, Sept. 3. At the time, SpaceX was conducting a static fire engine test on the Falcon 9. Such tests, which typically precede each SpaceX launch, involve firing the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage engines while the booster remains secured to the launch pad.   Continue reading “Launch Pad Explosion Destroys SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket, Satellite in Florida”

Bloomberg – by Laurel Brubaker Calkins

Lawyers for the federal government have been squirming for more than a year under the threat of punishment from a Texas judge who’s convinced they lied to him about President Obama’s immigration program. They may be uncomfortable a while longer.

When U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen in Brownsville blocked administration plans to shield more than 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation and give them work permits, he extracted a promise from Justice Department attorneys — in person and in writing — that “nothing would happen” before his order took effect.   Continue reading “Angry Texas Judge Confronts U.S. on Immigration Plan ‘Lies’”

Politico – by Kenneth P Vogel

Bill Clinton’s staff used a decades-old federal government program, originally created to keep former presidents out of the poorhouse, to subsidize his family’s foundation and an associated business, and to support his wife’s private email server, a POLITICO investigation has found.

Taxpayer cash was used to buy IT equipment — including servers — housed at the Clinton Foundation, and also to supplement the pay and benefits of several aides now at the center of the email and cash-for-access scandals dogging Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.   Continue reading “Bill Clinton used tax dollars to subsidize foundation, private email server”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

After years of relentless decline in the Baltic Dry index…   Continue reading “Global Supply Chains Paralyzed After World’s 7th Largest Container Shipper Files Bankruptcy, Assets Frozen”

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Tri Valley Central – by Katie Campbell

FLORENCE — A known drug trafficker has been named as the prime suspect in the “brutal” murders of two men whose dismembered remains were found in the Casa Grande area, including body parts discovered in a septic tank two years ago.

During a press conference Monday morning, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said 43-year-old Fausto Negrete-Olivas is believed to have lured Baltazar Lopez, also believed to have been involved in illicit cartel activity, to Casa Grande with the promise of about $10,000. Instead of turning over the money, however, the suspect is believed to have murdered Lopez, and another man identified as Azaren Cordova, and dismembered their bodies with a sharp object such as an axe or machete before disposing of them.   Continue reading “Drug trafficker linked to bodies”

The Guardian

President Peña Nieto:

“We may not agree on certain topics,” Peña Nieto said, according to a live CNN translation of his remarks, but on the issue of trade, “I shared with Mr. Trump my conviction that the free trade of North America has done a lot of good to both the United States andMexico.”

“With the next administration, we must accelerate these efforts so that the Mexico-US border is more efficient and safe,” Peña Nieto said, pointing out that “undocumented immigration from Mexico to the US had its highest point ten years ago and it has slowed down consistently even to the point of being a net negative at this point.”   Continue reading “Press conference with Peña Nieto and Donald Trump in Mexico”

Washington Post – by Joe Davidson

Obama administration officials are preparing to implement a controversial two-year-old executive order that will give agencies greater ability to deny federal contracts to companies with labor-law violations.

Once the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order is fully implemented, potential contractors must report violations covering 14 workplace protections from the previous three years.   Continue reading “Obama order on contractor workplace violations takes effect soon, despite objections”

Politico – by Louis Nelson

The State Department must hand over before Election Day any “non-exempt” documents related to a freedom of information act lawsuit concerning longtime Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin’s employment at the State Department, a federal judge ruled Monday.

U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled that the State Department has until Sept. 30 to complete its own review of documents that the department received from the FBI. The State Department then has another two weeks, until Oct. 14, to hand over all “non-exempt” documents to the conservative group Judicial Watch, which filed the freedom of information suit.   Continue reading “Judge orders State to review, turn over Abedin-related documents”

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Jim Stone Freelance

I want to be perfectly clear with something: The people have the right to enforce the law when the state fails to. The state would like to have a monopoly on enforcement, because it allows those in power to commit crimes without consequence. It also allows “friends of the state” to commit crimes without consequence. And when this goes to an extreme, we end up with what we have now.   Continue reading “It is time for the people to think seriously about law enforcement”

The Free Thought Project – by Matt Agorist

Grants, NM — As the Free Thought Project pointed out many times before, police departments in America can legally discriminate against hiring individuals if their IQ is too high. Couple this with the fact that thieves aren’t always the sharpest tools in the toolbox, and you get the makings of a scenario like the one that unfolded in New Mexico last week. A Grants cop was caught on his own body cam stealing weed.

Grants Police Department Sgt. Roshern C. McKinney, 33, was arrested last week after an investigation found that he’d stolen both money and marijuana from the police department. McKinney has since been charged with marijuana distribution, conspiracy, and felony embezzlement.   Continue reading “You Can’t Make This Up! — Cop Caught on His Own Body Cam Stealing Pot from Police Dept”

ArsTechnica – by CYRUS FARIVAR

With a single shotgun blast, a 65-year-old woman in rural northern Virginia recently shot down a drone flying over her property.

The woman, Jennifer Youngman, has lived in The Plains, Virginia, since 1990. The Fauquier Times first reported the June 2016 incident late last week. It marks the third such shooting that Ars has reported on in the last 15 months—last year, similar drone shootings took place in Kentucky and California.   Continue reading “Woman shoots drone: “It hovered for a second and I blasted it to smithereens.””

Yahoo News

Gene Wilder, the star of such comedy classics as “Young Frankenstein” and “Blazing Saddles,” has died. He was 83.

Wilder’s nephew said Monday that the actor and writer died late Sunday in Stamford, Connecticut from complications from Alzheimer’s disease.   Continue reading “Gene Wilder, star of Mel Brooks movies, dies at 83”

Yahoo News – by Michael Isikoff

The FBI has uncovered evidence that foreign hackers penetrated two state election databases in recent weeks, prompting the bureau to warn election officials across the country to take new steps to enhance the security of their computer systems, according to federal and state law enforcement officials.

The FBI warning, contained in a “flash” alert from the FBI’s Cyber Division, a copy of which was obtained by Yahoo News, comes amid heightened concerns among U.S. intelligence officials about the possibility of cyberintrusions, potentially by Russian state-sponsored hackers, aimed at disrupting the November elections.   Continue reading “FBI says foreign hackers penetrated state election systems”

Steve Lendman Blog – by Stephen Lendman

Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria, aided by Pentagon warplanes, terrorist fighters, and US forces on the ground, may have been prelude to longstanding US plans for toppling Assad forcefully – on the phony pretext of combating terrorism along with blaming him for Obama’s aggression, orchestrated by Hillary.

If anointed president in November, she’ll order a “full review” of America’s Syria policy, wanting unfinished business completed.   Continue reading “Heading for All-Out War on Syria”

Miami Herald – by Cynthia Sewell

A co-worker of one of two sheriff’s deputies who killed Idaho rancher Jack Yantis last November told state investigators in January that he thought the deputy’s behavior and mental state two months after the shooting threatened his and others’ safety.

Adams County Sheriff’s Lt. Steve Phillips told Idaho State Police detectives that he was frightened by Deputy Brian Wood’s comments, actions and expert marksmanship, and that he feared for his life and his family’s. Phillips, a seasoned law enforcement officer, said he ultimately left both his job and Adams County to distance himself from Wood.   Continue reading “Co-worker said he felt threatened by deputy’s behavior after rancher was killed”

Softpedia – by Catalin Cimpanu

The native American Indian population is disavowing any ties and pushing away any help the Anonymous hacker collective is trying to provide as part of protests against the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline.

Several American Indian communities, led by members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, have gathered outside Cannon Ball, a town in North Dakota, near a construction site where preparatory work is being carried out for Dakota Access, a 1,170-mile oil pipeline that links North Dakota oil fields with other Illinois pipelines.   Continue reading “Anonymous Not Welcome in Dakota Access Pipeline Protests”

Newsmax – by Todd Beamon

Twitter has suspended the account of DCLeaks after the site released documents on the liberal billionaire George Soros, including those showing that he worked to block immigration reform and documenting illegals.

“This account has been suspended,” Twitter says when accessing DCLeaks page with the Soros documents via a posting by WikiLeaks, which is not affiliated with the group:   Continue reading “Report: Twitter Suspends DCLeaks Account After Huge George Soros Leak”

UPI – by Sarah Mulé

ESCONDIDO, Calif., Aug. 27 (UPI) — U.S. Border Patrol arrested two men near San Diego after discovering more than $3 million in two separate vehicles, representing the largest cash seizure ever in the area, the agency said.

About 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, Border Patrol agents stopped a speeding Kia Forte in Escondido in San Diego’s North County. After a police dog alerted agents to search the car, eight vacuum-sealed bundles of cash were discovered in the center console, containing a total of $33,880.   Continue reading “U.S. Border Patrol seize more than $3M cash en route to Mexico”

UPI – by Eric DuVall

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (UPI) — A federal judge has ordered the State Department to review 15,000 emails Hillary Clinton did not turn over previously and release them to a conservative watchdog group by Sept. 13.

Judicial Watch has filed several lawsuits against Clinton, her top aides during her time as secretary of state and the State Department itself under the Freedom of Information Act to gain access to the unclassified communications Clinton had while using a private email server for government business.   Continue reading “Judge orders State Dept. to produce 15,000 Hillary Clinton emails by Sept. 13”