From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
Washington Post – by Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis
President Obama declared five new national monuments Thursday ranging from a Birmingham, Ala. church bombed by segregationists to the coniferous forests of Oregon. He has now used his executive authority more than any other president in history to protect iconic historic, cultural and ecological sites across the country. Continue reading “Obama names five new national monuments, including Southern civil rights sites”
President Obama announced Thursday an end to the 20-year-old “wet foot, dry foot” policy that allowed most Cuban migrants who reach U.S. soil to stay and become legal permanent residents after one year.
President Obama issued a statement Thursday evening saying the U.S. is working to normalize relations with its one-time foe, and ending this policy was the next logical step. Continue reading “Obama ends ‘wet foot, dry foot’ policy for Cubans”
President Barack Obama is awarding Vice President Joe Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
A teary-eyed Biden accepted the medal, the highest civilian honor, at a ceremony at the White House Thursday. Continue reading “Obama Awards Biden Presidential Medal of Freedom”
American soldiers rolled into Poland on Thursday, fulfilling a dream some Poles have had since the fall of communism in 1989 to have U.S. troops on their soil as a deterrent against Russia.
Some people waved and held up American flags as U.S. troops in tanks and other vehicles crossed into southwestern Poland from Germany and headed toward the town of Zagan, where they will be based. Poland’s prime minister and defense minister will welcome them in an official ceremony Saturday. Continue reading “US Troops Enter Poland, 1st Deployment at Russia’s Doorstep”
Reuters – by Annie Knox and Kim Palmer
Jan 11 (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump aims to open up federal lands to more energy development, tapping into a long-running and contentious debate over how best to manage America’s remaining wilderness.
The U.S. government holds title to about 500 million acres of land across the country, including national parks and forests, wildlife refuges and tribal territories stretching from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico. They overlay billions of barrels of oil and vast quantities of natural gas, coal, and uranium.
Continue reading “Trump calls for more drilling in national parks”
President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday refused to take a question from a CNN reporter during his press conference, berating the network for “fake news.”
“Your organization is terrible,” Trump told CNN’s Jim Acosta when he tried to ask a question.
Continue reading “Trump berates CNN reporter: ‘You are fake news’”
Sent to us by a reader.
Continue reading “Documentary – The Internet’s Own Boy The Story of Aaron Swartz”
Sent to us by the author.
Educate Yourself – by Ken Adachi
Editor’s Note: This teleprompter-free, 6 minute, 45 second speech by Trey Gowdy is one of the more powerful and profound orations that you will likely hear in modern times. It’s on par with a Gettysburg address when you consider the precision, relevance, and quality of the thoughts being expressed in such a short window of time. This is the speech that elementary and high school teachers ought to be using to impress upon their students the real meaning of a constitutional republic and to understand that without the rule of law, we can have neither liberty nor justice; only disharmony, resentment, and tyranny. Continue reading “The Law Is the Reason We Exist ~ Rep. Trey Gowdy in the House of Representatives on March 17, 2016 (Jan. 9, 2017)”
Sent to us by the author.
Be Your Own Leader – by Dana Gabriel
As Donald Trump prepares to become U.S. president on Jan. 20, the future of NAFTA is in doubt. He has promised to either renegotiate or withdraw from the trade agreement. Despite the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, there are still many different existing North American integration mechanisms that remain in place. Over the last year, the globalists have quietly laid the foundation to ensure their continental agenda continues. They are positioning themselves so they can try to better influence the new Trump administration in advancing deeper economic, political and security integration in North America. Continue reading “Globalist Leaders Ensure North American Integration Mechanisms Remain in Place”
DEVELOPING – An armed suspect reportedly took hostages at a credit union on the campus of the University of Alabama Tuesday, sparking a tense standoff with armed police and a SWAT team.
The Alabama Credit Union’s president, Steve Swofford, told Fox 6 his employees were safe, but it was unclear whether other hostages were inside the building in Tuscaloosa, not far from the university’s law school. Continue reading “Hostage situation at credit union on Univ. of Alabama campus”
Sent to us by a reader.
New Jersey Watchdog – by Kevin Glass
Restrictive rules being proposed for five lakes in New Jersey, including the largest body of freshwater in the state, could have a huge impact on tourism and summer fun.
Some of the proposals come at the request of lakefront residents who claim their properties are being subjected to too many unwelcome visitors. Continue reading “Nanny State of the Week: Too much summer fun on New Jersey lakes”
HOUSTON Jan 9 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Energy on Monday issued a Notice of Sale for crude from its Strategic Petroleum Reserves, with bids for 8 million barrels of light, sweet oil due by Jan. 17.
The sale is part of a resolution to sell up to $375.4 million of crude in the fiscal year 2017 to fund operational improvements to the infrastructure that holds the emergency reserves. Continue reading “US announces sale of 8M barrels from oil reserves”
Sent to us by Tax Revolution Institute.
Tax Revolution Institute – by Chloe Anagnos
Each year, thousands of taxpayers are tricked into giving their financial information to scammers.
According to a report from the US Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), victims have paid more than $50 million to scammers since October 2013. The average each victim loses individually? Close to $5,200. Continue reading “New Year, New Tax Season, More IRS Phone Scams”
MEXICO CITY – Mexican prosecutors said Sunday that they have detained a U.S. citizen as the main suspect in the shooting of an official at the U.S. consulate in the western city of Guadalajara.
The federal Attorney General’s Office said that “a U.S. citizen was identified and detained for his presumed involvement in the case. This person will be deported to the United States, to determine his legal situation.” Continue reading “US citizen arrested in shooting of consular official in Mexico”
The FBI late Sunday night released additional documents related to the investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, posting the information on its website and doing so without sending out a release or announcing the move.
WikiLeaks reported the news first. Continue reading “FBI Releases More Hillary Emails, Says ‘Hostile Foreign Actors’ Accessed”
A US Navy ship fired three warning shots at four vessels of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard after they closed in at high speed in the Strait of Hormuz, according to US defense officials cited by Reuters.
The ‘USS Mahan’ destroyer apparently tried to establish contact with the approaching Iranian vessels and asked them to reduce their speed, but they did not respond, according to unnamed officials quoted by the news outlet. Continue reading “US Navy ship fired warning shots at Iranian vessels in Strait of Hormuz – report”
Sun Sentinel – by Wayne K. Roustan, Sally Kestin and Larry Barszewski
People with mental illness should not have access to guns, Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said Sunday, two days after an alleged gunman with known psychological issues killed five people at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
“Something has got to change,” Israel said in an interview with the Sun Sentinel.
Esteban Santiago, 26, the suspected shooter, is under suicide watch at Broward County Jail, Israel said, and is scheduled to appear before a federal judge on Monday. Besides the dead, six other people were shot. No names have officially been released. Continue reading “Sheriff suggests no-gun list for mentally ill”
The Latest on winter storms in California and Nevada (all times local):
3:30 p.m.
More than 1,000 homes have been evacuated in Reno as much of the Sierra’s eastern front braces for the worst flooding in a decade. Continue reading “More than 1,000 homes evacuated in Nevada”
The United States will send some 300 Marines to Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces, who have been struggling to drive Taliban insurgents out of the opium-rich region.
U.S. Navy Capt. Bill Salvin, a spokesman for the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, said the Marines will begin deploying this year and will remain in the province for nine months, where they will work with the Afghan army and militarized national police. Continue reading “US to Send 300 Marines to Afghanistan’s Helmand Province”