Author: Admin

USA Today

Travelers on international flights to the United States may face longer check-in and boarding queues this week as new U.S. security requirements kick in.

A set of new security measures for U.S.-bound flights takes effect Thursday, part of an effort by the Department of Homeland Security to scrutinize electronics brought onboard commercial airliners.

Ahead of that deadline, at least four large global carriers said they have started new “security interviews” for all passengers on U.S.-bound flights. Those airlines said that has come at the request of the U.S. Other global airlines that fly to the U.S. will likely do the same.    Continue reading “New ‘security interviews’ to begin for fliers on U.S.-bound flights”

Mercury News

This morning’s headline at one Indian news website said it all: “Trouble for Indian Techies”

The “trouble” is coming from a move by the Trump administration that will raise the bar for H-1B visa holders in the United States seeking to renew their permits to work here. Also impacted by the directive announced this week is the L1 visa, which is popular among foreign IT professionals. The Trump team wants visa holders to carry the burden of proof not only when applying for an H-1B the first time, but every time an extension is sought.  Continue reading “Trump tightens H-1B visa rules”

AZ Central – by Robert Anglen

A legal saga that included two hung juries, two trials and months of testimony in Las Vegas ended Monday for two defendants in the Bundy Ranch standoff case with a plea deal.

Eric Parker and O. Scott Drexler pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a court order and will not serve additional time in prison, getting credit for time served.

Parker and Drexler initially were charged with conspiracy, extortion, carrying weapons during crimes of violence, assaulting and threatening federal officers, and interference with interstate commerce for their roles in taking up arms against the federal government.  Continue reading “Two defendants in Bundy Ranch standoff plead guilty to misdemeanor in deal”

CNN

The National Park Service proposes more than doubling the entrance fees at 17 popular national parks, including Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone, to help pay for infrastructure improvements.

Under the agency’s proposal, the entrance fee for a private vehicle would jump to $70 during peak season, from its current rate of $25 to $30.

The cost for a motorcycle entering the park could increase to $50, from the current fee of $15 to $25. The cost for people entering the park on foot or on bike could go to $30, up from the current rate of $10 to $15.   Continue reading “National Park Service proposes $70 entrance fee for 17 popular parks”

Yahoo News

WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of Congress from both parties on Tuesday called for an investigation into a $300 million contract awarded to a small company based in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s hometown of Whitefish, Montana.

The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority awarded the contract to Whitefish Energy Holdings to help crews restore transmission and distribution lines damaged or destroyed during Hurricane Maria. The two-year-old company had just two full-time employees when the storm hit last month, but says it is contracting with hundreds of workers for the Puerto Rico project.   Continue reading “Lawmakers seek probe of power contract to Zinke neighbor”

Yahoo News

Two people were killed and three were injured in a shooting spree in Lake County, California, Monday, officials said.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Alan Ashmore, 61, in connection with the shootings. He faces two counts of homicide as well as multiple other counts of assault with a firearm, the sheriff’s office said in a press release.   Continue reading “Suspect captured in California shooting spree that killed 2, injured 3”

Fox News

A jury has been selected in the highly-publicized trial of an illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing Kate Steinle on a popular San Francisco pier in 2015.

Opening arguments in the case were slated to begin Monday.

Six men and six women were selected Wednesday for the trial of Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, 54, who was charged with murder in the death of Steinle, 32, on July 1, 2015.

Steinle was walking with her father on the pier crowded with pedestrians when she was shot. She collapsed into her father’s arm, whimpering “help me, Dad.” The bullet struck her heart and she died in her father’s arms.   Continue reading “Jury chosen for Kate Steinle murder trial, opening statements to begin Monday”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

There were many unanswered questions following last night’s story from Defense One, according to which the US Air Force would put nuclear bombers on high, 24-hour alert for the first time since the end of the cold war in 1991. There may be even more questions on Monday, when the Air Force denied the report and said it was not preparing to put its B-52 nuclear bombers on 24-hour alert, adding that a “misunderstanding” might have led to a report claiming those preparations are underway.

According to Ann Stefanek, the chief of Air Force media operations at the Pentagon, updates to facilities, exercises, and training related to the B-52 Stratofortress aircraft at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana are done routinely to ensure the service is prepared.  Continue reading “Air Force Denies That US Nuclear Bombers Are Being Put Back On 24-Hour Alert”

The Hill

As Hillary Clinton was beginning her job as President Obama’s chief diplomat, federal agents observed as multiple arms of Vladimir Putin’s machine unleashed an influence campaign designed to win access to the new secretary of State, her husband Bill Clinton and members of their inner circle, according to interviews and once-sealed FBI records.

Some of the activities FBI agents gathered evidence about in 2009 and 2010 were covert and illegal.   Continue reading “FBI watched, then acted as Russian spy moved closer to Hillary Clinton”

Reuters

HOUSTON (Reuters) – Alaska is pursuing foreign investors for its oil and gas industry, hoping to advance recent discoveries while struggling to compete with lower-cost shale projects and reverse a decades-long output decline.

Sovereign wealth funds, banks and state-owned energy companies have met with Alaskan officials, John Hendrix, chief energy adviser to Alaska Governor Bill Walker said in an interview. China Investment Corp (CIC) and state-owned Chinese energy company Sinopec held talks with state officials last month, he said.   Continue reading “Cash-poor Alaska eyes foreign capital to jump-start energy projects”

New York Daily News – by Christopher Brennan

The Special Counsel’s probe into Russian election meddling now includes the Democratic-learning Podesta Group, according to a report.

Robert Mueller is looking into the group headed by Tony Podesta, the brother of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, over its dealings with a Ukrainian government-linked firm, NBC reported Monday.   Continue reading “Mueller probe now targeting Podesta Group”

Breitbart – by Bob Price

The government of Mexico stepped into the fight against the State of Texas’ new anti-sanctuary city law. Mexico filed an amicus brief in support of the several Texas cities and organizations bringing suit against the state seeking to overturn the SB4 legislation on constitutional grounds.

In a statement on Mexico’s official government website, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs misstates provisions of the Texas law signed by Governor Greg Abbott earlier this year. Secretary of Foreign Relations Luis Videgaray Caso wrote that the law “requires” police officers and other state officers to ask about the immigration status of anyone they stop. That statement is not correct.   Continue reading “Mexico Butts into Fight Against Texas’ Sanctuary City Ban”

Breitbart – by Dylan Gwinn

It’s not necessarily news, that no one watches the Cleveland Browns. After all, Cleveland has lost 22 of their last 23 games and seems determined to set new marks for organizational futility. So the fact that the Browns can’t draw flies, shouldn’t necessarily cause alarm bells to go off.

However, because emptying stadiums seems to be the one thing the Browns do well, let’s give them their due by showing the “crowd” that assembled in Cleveland for the Browns-Titans game this Sunday:   Continue reading “NFL Teams Play Before Empty Stadiums As Fan Backlash Spreads”

Anti-War – by Jason Ditz

A new report from the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction warns that the US efforts to bring Afghan troops to America for training have been greatly undermined by the “unacceptably high” number of Afghan troops who run away as soon as they arrive.

Some 13% of Afghan trainees go missing, with the majority of them junior officers. 152 Afghan trainees have gone AWOL in the course of this operation, and more than half, 83 of them, have never been found.   Continue reading “Many Afghan Troops Run Away While in US to Train”

Yahoo News

It’s hard to believe that four decades have passed since one of rock’s best-known tragedies occurred. On Oct. 20, 1977, a chartered Convair CV-240 plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd — in the midst of a headlining tour and having released their fifth album, Street Survivors, three days prior — crashed in a Gillsburg, Miss., swamp after running out of fuel.

The toll was dire. Three band members (Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines, Steve’s older sister) perished; the others were all severely injured. Drummer Artimus Pyle, one of the few survivors able to walk, staggered out for help and was allegedly shot at by an alarmed farmer. Record label MCA scrambled to replace Skynyrd’s Street Survivors album cover, which eerily forecast the accident by depicting the band members engulfed in flames.   Continue reading “The legacy of Lynyrd Skynyrd, 40 years after plane crash tragedy”

Human Domain Solutions

Human Domain Solutions (HDS), LLC is now hiring ​Casualty Role Players (CRP)​ to participate in an Oklahoma Vigilant Guard training event October 30, 2017 thru November 2, 2017 at Warr Acres Fire Training Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ​This exercises will be an Oklahoma emergency response to a simulated incident involving contamination elements. CRPs will be moulaged (injury makeup and fake blood) to portray various physical and emotional injuries and conditions, and will go through medical triage, decontamination, and medical treatment several times during each day of the exercises. Arrival times will be early morning, and the exercises will run between 6-8 hours each day. CRPs will wear cut-away prop clothing and will be washed in decontamination lines to simulate the cleaning off of contamination substances.    Continue reading “Oklahoma – Vigilant Guard Disaster Response Training Exercise”

Houston Chronicle – by Jordan Blum

The Texas Gulf Coast is leading the way as the nation ships record levels of crude oil and petroleum products to foreign markets, including China, which is buying more American oil as its economy expands and middle class grows

The United States is routinely exporting more than 1 million barrels of oil and 6 million barrels of petroleum products a day, the U.S. Energy Department said in report released Wednesday. More than two-thirds of those petroleum exports are leaving Gulf Coast ports.  Continue reading “U.S. crude and petroleum exports, led by Texas, hit record levels”