From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
Matt Lauer, the anchor of “Today” for two decades, was fired by NBC News after a detailed complaint about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.
“Today” co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb announced Lauer’s firing Wednesday, telling viewers at the top of the show that they were processing his departure but didn’t yet know all of the details. Continue reading “NBC News fires ‘Today’ anchor Matt Lauer after sexual misconduct review”
A federal jury found Ahmed Abu Khattala guilty Tuesday on just four of 18 charges related to the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, precluding him from facing the death penalty.
Khattala, 46, was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, one count of maliciously destroying U.S. property and placing lives in danger, and one count of using and carrying a semiautomatic weapon during the attack. He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison for the firearms offense and could still receive a life sentence. Continue reading “Benghazi suspect convicted on four lesser counts, does not face death penalty”
Tuesday’s activities at the third Bunkerville Standoff trial in Las Vegas started with US District Judge Gloria Navarro and the prosecution and defense lawyers in the courtroom.
The hearing they were holding was to discuss motions related to the trial.
A juror’s summons to another court delayed the jury from being present for the trial itself to continue. Continue reading “Bunkerville Standoff: Lawyers Argue Before Judge, Jury Delayed By Juror’s Court Summons, BLM Agent Cross Examined”
Yahoo News – by Kate Sheridan, Newsweek
Commercial bone treats can be hazardous to a dog’s health, the Food and Drug Administration has warned—and sometimes they can even be lethal. The agency updated their website this month to include new reports of illnesses and deaths associated with these processed bone treats.
Nearly 70 dogs have gotten sick from processed and packaged bones and 15 have died, according to the FDA’s website. That figure is nearly double the last reported death toll linked with the treats; a 2015 version of the page indicated that eight dogs had died. Dogs have vomited, choked and had stomach issues after chewing on them, according to the agency. Some bones have also looked moldy or have splintered when a dog began to chew. Continue reading “These Dog Bones Are Deadly, FDA Warns”
RENO, Nevada (AP) — A gunman with a hostage opened fire from the eighth floor of a luxury high-rise condominium in Nevada onto the streets below, authorities said. No injuries were reported.
The man died Tuesday after a SWAT team descended on him while he was barricaded at the Montage, Reno police Deputy Chief Tom Robinson told reporters. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he was killed by police gunfire or his own. No one else, including the hostage, was hurt. Continue reading “Nevada high-rise suspected gunman dead, hostage safe”
The Trump administration announced Tuesday that the United States and Canada will co-host a meeting focused on finding a non-military solution to the situation in North Korea after Pyongyang fired its latest ballistic missile.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced the international meeting in a statement after the ballistic missile launch, saying that diplomatic options with North Korea “remain viable and open, for now.” Continue reading “US, Canada to hold global meeting after North Korean missile launch”
A Swiss maker of hamburger buns for McDonald’s Corp. said it’s struggling to run a Chicago bakery after it lost a third of its workers in a clampdown on 800 immigrants without sufficient documentation.
About 35 percent of the workers at Cloverhill Bakery had to be replaced, according to Zurich-based Aryzta AG. The company, which makes baked goods for fast-food chains and supermarkets, said the employees were supplied by a job-placement agency that faced federal audits earlier this year. Continue reading “Chicago Immigration Raid Leaves Swiss Baker Scrambling to Restaff”
Michigan Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat and the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives, settled a wrongful dismissal complaint in 2015 with a former employee who alleged she was fired because she would not “succumb to [his] sexual advances.”
Documents from the complaint obtained by BuzzFeed News include four signed affidavits, three of which are notarized, from former staff members who allege that Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the powerful House Judiciary Committee, repeatedly made sexual advances to female staff that included requests for sex acts, contacting and transporting other women with whom they believed Conyers was having affairs, caressing their hands sexually, and rubbing their legs and backs in public. Four people involved with the case verified the documents are authentic.
Continue reading “She Said A Powerful Congressman Harassed Her. Here’s Why You Didn’t Hear Her Story.”
Sent to us by Bill Villers.
PHOENIX (KSAZ) – Police say the suspect in a deadly shooting has been hospitalized after engaging in gunfire with authorities along Interstate 10 west of Phoenix.
Phoenix police say 36-year-old Sladjan Petkovic has been hospitalized after he was shot by authorities early Tuesday morning along I-10 west of Phoenix.
Petkovic was a suspect in the deadly shooting of 45-year-old Steven Arvallo on November 27 near 99th Avenue and Broadway Road. Continue reading “Phoenix police: Suspect in deadly shooting shot by officers along I-10”
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — There is a statewide Amber Alert search to find a little girl who’s missing.
Mariah Woods’ mother made an emotional plea for her daughter’s return Monday night.
“She is very sweet loving girl,” said Kristy Woods, the mother of the missing girl. Continue reading “Search for missing NC toddler in Amber Alert continues”
Russia scrambled a Su-30 fighter jet after detecting an American ?8? Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea, according to a Defense Ministry statement. The US spy plane was approaching at high speed to the Russian border, the ministry said. The Russian fighter jet buzzed the US Navy reconnaissance plane at around 1pm local time (10:00 GMT) as it was flying over the neutral waters of the Black Sea, the ministry said.
“After moving closer, the Russian [Su-30] fighter jet flew over the object and visually identified it as an American reconnaissance aircraft ?8? Poseidon,” the statement reads. After the spy plane was intercepted by the Russian Air Force, the US aircraft changed course and flew away. Continue reading “Russian Fighter Jet Flies Within 50 Feet Of US Spy Plane Causing “Violent Turbulence””
“You don’t make laws, you make regulations”
Ryan Bundy speaks with BLM agent Robert Shilaikis on March 17, 2014
Bureau of Land Management official Robert Shilaikis testified for the prosecution today in the Bunkerville Standoff case. Continue reading “Bunkerville Standoff: Prosecution Continues Case, Defense Alleges Federal Bribery Attempt”
An $85 million loan for a hotel complex in Kabul, a billion dollars in missing equipment for Iraqi forces and a $30,000 grant to stage “Doggie Hamlet” are just a few examples of the “Federal Fumbles” a Republican senator has flagged in a new report on wasteful government spending.
The 86-page report from Sen. James Lankford identified $437.6 billion in “wasteful and inefficient” federal spending. Continue reading “‘Doggie Hamlet,’ billion in missing military equipment top report on government waste”
The Federalist – by Margot Cleveland
Today the Supreme Court let stand the Fourth Circuit’s holding in Kolbe v. Hogan that semi-automatic rifles are not constitutionally protected “arms,” and in doing so declared the Second Amendment guarantees only a second-class right.
Continue reading “Supreme Court Guts Second Amendment By Refusing To Hear Semi-Auto Ban Case”
The enactment of bipartisan, common-sense laws to reduce the number of needless deaths caused by gun violence in our country is no longer a far-fetched idea.
A bipartisan group of senators – five Democrats and four Republicans – recently introduced a bill to improve background checks and increase accountability on gun sales. Continue reading “New gun laws may win approval in Congress”
A Texas Department of Public Safety police officer was killed in the line of duty on Thanksgiving while conducting a routine traffic stop in Freestone County, authorities said. Freestone County is about 90 miles southeast of Dallas.
According to Texas DPS officials, trooper Damon Allen was returning to his patrol vehicle at about 4 p.m. following the stop when he was shot by a rifle. Allen was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Continue reading “Texas trooper shot and killed during routine traffic stop”
The FBI has removed thousands of people who are wanted by authorities from a criminal background check database that stops them purchasing weapons.
The law enforcement agency moved in February to narrow its definition of a “fugitive from justice.” That definition now only applies to wanted people who have crossed states lines,The Washington Post reported. Continue reading “FBI Removed Thousands of Wanted Fugitives From Background Checks for Gun Purchases”
Task and Purpose – by Jared Keller
The .45 ACP M1911A1 pistol has served the U.S. armed forces for more than a century in every war zone and hotspot on the planet — and thanks to this year’s federal defense budget, it will serve civilians for the foreseeable future.
The $700 billion 2018 National Defense Authorization Act that Congress sent to President Donald Trump’s desk on Nov. 16 included an amendmentthat required the Secretary of the Army to transfer a cache of small arms and ammo “no longer actively issued for military service” to the government-sponsored Civilian Marksmanship Program, including the M1911 and M1911A1 pistols, the M–1 Garand, and .22 rimfire rifles. Continue reading “The Army Plans On Selling Off Its Remaining Arsenal Of M1911 Pistols”