The Mercury News

SANTA CRUZ >> The U.S. Department of Homeland Security led a pre-dawn operation across Santa Cruz County and Daly City on Monday, arresting 11 members of the Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, gang.

The effort, in partnership with local law enforcement, was part of a five-year investigation into the notorious street gang operating in the area, according to Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Dan Flippo. The suspected criminals, members of MS-13, are men between the ages of 20 and 40, he said. A 12th man had been arrested prior to Monday’s operation, Flippo said.   Continue reading “Homeland Security raids arrest MS-13 gang members across Santa Cruz County”

Reuters

President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned late on Monday after revelations that he had discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office and misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.

Flynn’s resignation came hours after it was reported that the Justice Department had warned the White House weeks ago that Flynn could be vulnerable to blackmail for contacts with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak before Trump took power on Jan. 20.  Continue reading “Trump national security aide Flynn resigns over Russian contacts”

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History Channel

On the evening of February 13, 1945, a series of Allied firebombing raids begins against the German city of Dresden, reducing the “Florence of the Elbe” to rubble and flames, and killing as many as 135,000 people. It was the single most destructive bombing of the war—including Hiroshima and Nagasaki—and all the more horrendous because little, if anything, was accomplished strategically, since the Germans were already on the verge of surrender.   Continue reading “Firebombing of Dresden”

McClatchy – by Catherine Lucey

WASHINGTON- President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will participate in a roundtable discussion about women in the workforce Monday, showing the rising policy influence of the first daughter who has stressed her commitment to issues like child care.

A White House official said the two countries would launch a new task force called the United States Canada Council for the Advancement of Women Business Leaders-Female Entrepreneurs. The official said Trudeau’s office reached out to discuss working on a joint effort, noting that this was seen as an area of shared interest between both leaders.   Continue reading “Trump, Trudeau to discuss women in workforce”

The Hill – by Timothy Cama

A House Republican is sponsoring legislation to do away with large portions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including environmental justice and greenhouse gas programs.

Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas)  introduced the Wasteful EPA Programs Elimination Act on Thursday, saying it would save $7.5 billion annually. That would leave the agency with a budget of less than $1 billion.  Continue reading “GOP bill would gut EPA”

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Judge Anna von Reitz

Today the world is a-flutter with news and disgruntlement about Donald Trump’s Executive Orders re-enlivening the oil pipeline projects that Obama and the Army Corps of Engineers shut down.

He’s the Chief Executive of a worldwide conglomerate whose lifeblood depends upon oil. What do you expect him to do?   Continue reading “It’s the Oil, Or, Stop Being Stupid Part 23”

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New York Post

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — A Canadian man who was found not criminally responsible for beheading and cannibalizing a fellow passenger on a Greyhound bus has been granted his freedom.

Manitoba’s Criminal Code Review Board announced Friday it has given Will Baker, formerly known as Vince Li, an absolute discharge, meaning he is longer subject to monitoring.   Continue reading “Man who beheaded bus passenger granted total freedom”

Washington Post – by Lisa Rein, Abigail Hauslohner and Sandhya Somashekhar

U.S. immigration authorities arrested hundreds of undocumented immigrants in at least a half-dozen states this week in a series of raids that marked the first large-scale enforcement of President Trump’s Jan. 26 order to crack down on the estimated 11 million immigrants living here illegally.

The raids, which officials said targeted known criminals, also netted some immigrants who did not have criminal records, an apparent departure from similar enforcement waves during the Obama administration that aimed to just corral and deport those who had committed crimes.   Continue reading “Federal agents conduct immigration enforcement raids in at least six states”

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Lew Rockwell – by Jack Perry

Well, the court has ruled the travel ban is a dead fish. Why can’t Trump let this travel ban go? Is it ego? Somewhat, but something more.  This is a great distraction to avoid working on the real issues many people voted him in for. Already, there is a rising “town hall” movement to shout down Republicans and demand Obamacare be kept. Including the individual mandate. Now, we’ve seen this movie before. This is carbon-copy of the Tea Party town hall protests against Obamacare. From that, Obama and the Democrats were able to wiggle free of what they were elected to do, which was provide universal health care. That’s what they promised—a European type of national health care. But what got delivered was that they “had to work within the existing system”. And they also garnered the ability to blame the Republicans and the Tea Party roadblocking an actual universal health care system, even though they had the power to push it through.   Continue reading “Obamacare Probably Here To Stay”

CNN – by Laura Jarrett

President Donald Trump signed three new executive orders Thursday that he said are “designed to restore safety in America.”

Trump signed the executive orders in the Oval Office after swearing in Attorney General Jeff Sessions.   Continue reading “Trump signs three new executive orders on crime reduction”

Here’s a question: do you really need to learn 15 or 20 skills to be able to survive in the wild? Do you really need to know all the possible ways to start a fire?

Becoming good at even one thing takes YEARS of practice, and that just not something most people are willing to do, particularly when there’re so many other things related to survival that need to be done.   Continue reading “Do You Really Need to Be a Bushcraft Expert to Survive?”

The Hill – by Melanie Zanona

A San Francisco-based appeals court on Thursday rejected the Trump administration’s request to resume his executive action on immigration and refugees, setting up a potential showdown in the Supreme Court.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled unanimously that a nationwide restraining order against President Trump’s temporary travel ban may continue while a federal judge considers a lawsuit over the policy.   Continue reading “Appeals court unanimously rejects Trump on travel ban”

TownHall – by Katie Pavlich

According to documents obtained by Judicial Watch, former Attorney General Eric Holder is being paid a boat load of taxpayer money to fight and oppose President Donald Trump’s agenda in California.

“We will render our statements to you monthly. For the initial three-month phase of our engagement, we have agreed to charge the Legislature a fixed fee of $25,000 per month,” the agreement between Covington & Burling Law Firm, where Holder now works, and the California Legislature states. “This fee will include a maximum of 40 attorney or advisor hours per month.”    Continue reading “Eric Holder Is Getting Paid a Boat Load of Money By California Taxpayers to Oppose President Trump”

RT

Russian airstrikes have accidentally killed three Turkish soldiers and injured 11 others in northern Syria, Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed.

A Russian warplane hit a building housing Turkish soldiers in Al-Bab at 8:40 am local time, the Hurriyet Daily reports citing Ankara’s statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed condolences over the accidental loss of life in the airstrike, in a phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti.   Continue reading “3 Turkish soldiers accidentally killed in Russian airstrike in Syria, Moscow confirms”

Bloomberg – by Jennifer A Dlouhy and Margaret Talev

A group of prominent Republicans and business leaders pitched a tax on carbon dioxide to top White House aides Wednesday, selling the plan as an economic win that could drive job growth and yield environmental dividends too.

Former Secretary of State James Baker and other members of the new “Climate Leadership Council” pressed the case in a 45-minute meeting in the Roosevelt Room that included President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser Gary Cohn, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and senior aide Kellyanne Conway.   Continue reading “Prominent Republicans Pitch Carbon-Tax Plan to Top Trump Aides”

New York Daily News – by David Boroff

A murderous couple remains on the loose after killing three women and critically wounding another in two states over the last week, authorities say.

A multistate search enters its second week for William “Billy” Boyette, 44, and 37-year-old Mary Rice, who cops say most recently shot a young mother during a home invasion in Florida on Monday. Kayla Crocker, 28, of Pensacola was hospitalized in critical condition, according to the Pensacola News Journal.   Continue reading “Authorities in frantic search as couple kills three women, critically wounds another in Florida and Alabama”

The Hill – by Devin Henry

After a week of aggressively working to strip Obama administration rules off the books, House Republicans are lining up even more votes on regulations in the days ahead.

The House on Monday will begin the process of ending a Bureau of Land Management planning rule instituted in the closing days of Obama’s presidency.    Continue reading “Congress to vote on repealing BLM’s planning rule”