WunderBlog – by Eric Chaney

Two climatological features that have loomed large over the Pacific Ocean for the past year have both been declared dead, but new research shows that one of them is still lurking in the ocean depths and still affecting marine ecosystems.

Clifford Mass, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington, wrote off The Blob, a persistent patch of unusually warm water in the northern Pacific, back in December 2015.    Continue reading “The Pacific ‘Blob’ Is Back From the Dead; In Fact, It Never Left”

Fox News

An Idaho man who told police he identifies as a woman was arrested Tuesday after allegedly taking photos of a woman in a Target fitting room, officials said.

Sean Patrick Smith, 43, was allegedly dressed in women’s clothing when he entered the fitting room in the women’s section of the store in Ammon on Monday, East Idaho News reported. Smith, also known as Shauna Patricia Smith, then began taking pictures of a woman in the changing stall next to him, police said.   Continue reading “Transgender woman arrested in voyeurism incident at Idaho Target”

Sent to us by the author.

Tax Revolution – by Alejandro Vidal

Washington, DC — The Tax Revolution Institute (TRI) — a Washington-based nonprofit group that promotes “justice and integrity in the tax system” — is taking a whole new approach to shedding light on the Internal Revenue Service: Today, it is announcing the launch of the first-ever independent audit of the IRS.   Continue reading “National Tax Watchdog Launches AuditIRS.com: The First Independent Audit of the Internal Revenue Service”

ArsTechnica – by Cyrus Farivar

On Thursday, a US federal judge in New York delivered a crucial rebuke to the government’s warrantless use of stingrays.

In a 14-page opinion, the judge ruled that the government could not use its stingray to locate a drug suspect, asleep in his apartment. As a result of the ruling, the judge suppressed the evidence found in the man’s bedroom—a kilogram of cocaine—likely effectively ending the case.   Continue reading “For the first time, federal judge tosses evidence obtained via stingray”

Town Hall – by Katie Pavlich

Testifying in front of the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday, Attorney General Loretta Lynch refused to answer questions surrounding the FBI’s recommendation not to prosecute presumptive Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for using multiple private email servers to host and transmit top secret, classified information during her time as Secretary of State.

“As you are aware, last week I met with [FBI] Director Comey and career prosecutors and agents who conducted that investigation. I received and accepted their unanimous recommendation that the thorough, year long investigation be closed and no charges be brought against any individuals within the scope of the investigation,” Lynch said in her opening statement.    Continue reading “Lynch Refuses to Answer Questions About FBI’s Failure to Bring Charges Against Hillary Clinton”

The Hill – by Christina Marcos

The House failed to pass legislation on Monday to enhance a provision of the Patriot Act that encourages banks to tip off federal authorities to suspected cases of terrorist financing.

Many libertarians warned of potential privacy violations if the measure went into effect, which helped prevent it from reaching the necessary two-thirds majority to pass through the fast-track process under which it was considered.   Continue reading “House uprising thwarts change to Patriot Act”

CBS News

Law enforcement officials at the White House criticized President Obama in a private meeting in response to the Dallas shooting on Monday, saying he isn’t expressing enough support for police.

The president countered, saying the lawmen were forgetting his past statements. The meeting was also attended by Vice President Joe Biden, who spoke with CBS News about the armor-piercing bullets that were used by the sniper to penetrate the officer’s vests.   Continue reading “Biden sets sights on restricting sale of armor-piercing bullets”

Fox News

DEVELOPING: Police arrested five people for allegedly shooting at officers in Washington, D.C., early Tuesday, officials said. No injuries were reported.

The group allegedly fired at police to avoid arrest, not as part of a targeted attack on cops, a police official told The Washington Post.   Continue reading “Police arrest 5 people suspected of firing shots at Washington D.C. officers”

Fox News

An inmate snatched a deputy’s gun inside a southwestern Michigan courthouse and killed two bailiffs while he was handcuffed, investigators said Tuesday giving new details into the shooting.

Officers killed the inmate, 45-year-old Larry Gordon, soon afterwards, Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey told reporters. He said Gordon got into a fight with the deputy while being escorted from a cell for a courtroom appearance at the Berrien County Courthouse in St. Joseph.   Continue reading “Michigan gunman who killed 2 bailiffs faced multiple felony charges”

Fox 17

WASHINGTON, DC (CNN) — A majority of Americans say they disagree with the FBI’s decision not to recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, according to a new poll.

A Washington Post/ABC News poll, released Monday, found that 56% of American adults disapprove of the FBI’s decision, while 35% said they approved. But a majority — 58% — also said the issue would not affect their vote in the 2016 presidential election.   Continue reading “Poll: Majority disagree with not charging Hillary Clinton”

Washington Examiner – by Paul Bedard

Illegal immigrant households tapping into the federal food stamp program are receiving $1.4 billion to $2.1 billion a year despite their ineligibility, according to a new analysis of the Agriculture Department program.

And rules guiding who can get food stamps favor households with illegal immigrants over all-U.S. citizen homes, according to the detailed report from the Center for Immigration Studies released Monday morning.   Continue reading “Poor illegal immigrants get food stamps denied to poor U.S. citizens”

Sent to us by a reader.

Business Insider

ATLANTA (AP) — Police agencies across the U.S. are on edge and on guard after receiving threats and calls for violence against them on social media in the aftermath of the killings of two black men and the sniper attack that left five officers dead in Dallas. Some departments ordered officers to pair up or more generally said they were heightening security.   Continue reading “Police agencies on edge, on guard amid heightened threats”

Fox 17

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has approved legislation that for the first time would require food packages nationwide to carry labels listing genetically modified ingredients.

Thursday’s vote was 63-30 for the bipartisan measure. The measure’s fate is uncertain in the House, which has voted to make the labeling voluntary.   Continue reading “Senate backs bill to label genetically modified food”

ABC 13

HOUSTON (KTRK) — Houston police say two officers shot and killed a man they say was armed on Houston’s south side early this morning.

Police says the officers involved were wearing body cameras and they each fired multiple shots.   Continue reading “HPD Says Officers Shot, Killed Gunman On Houston’s South Side”

ABC News

The U.S. Capitol building is on lockdown, with police barring people from entering.

The Senate seargant at arms issued a lockdown alert for the building and visitor center, saying police activity has been reported. Capitol office buildings are open.

Capitol police say they are searching for an individual but offered no details.   Continue reading “US Capitol on Lockdown, Police Searching for Individual”