From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
Sent to us by RKE.
Drought-stricken California on Friday ordered the largest cuts on record to farmers holding some of the state’s strongest water rights.
State water officials told more than a hundred senior rights holders in California’s Sacramento, San Joaquin and delta watersheds to stop pumping from those waterways. Continue reading “California orders large water cuts for farmers”
The Daily Caller – by Chuck Ross
A Department of Homeland Security agent testified Thursday that she nearly lost custody of her 1-year-old adopted daughter and was told that she could not own a personal firearm after she voiced concerns about a little known federal program that grants green cards to foreign investors.
Taylor Johnson, a senior special agent with a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), testified at a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs hearing alongside several other whistleblowers who claim they’ve faced retaliation for reporting wrongdoing in their agencies. Continue reading “DHS Agent Says She Was Stripped Of Gun, Nearly Lost Daughter After Blowing Whistle On Immigration Visa Program”
A Cleveland judge on Thursday found probable cause that a police officer who shot to death a 12-year-old boy last year should face a murder charge in an opinion that puts pressure on prosecutors.
Municipal Court Judge Ronald Adrine said Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann, who shot Tamir Rice, should face charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, negligent homicide and dereliction of duty. Loehmann’s partner, Frank Garmback, should face negligent homicide and dereliction of duty charges, he found. Continue reading “Ohio judge recommends police officers face charges in Tamir Rice case”
Sent to us by the author, Dan F. Sullivan
When they hear the words “survival weapons”, a lot of people think machetes, swords and other crazy things. The fact of the matter is, you don’t need to look like a Game of Thrones character in order to defend yourself without a firearm. In what follows I’m going to give you a quick list of items (some of them probably sitting in your room right now) that can double as survival weapons. Continue reading “10 Everyday Items That Double as Survival Weapons”
Non-Hispanic whites with American Indian ancestry make up a full half of the current population of mixed-race Americans but are among the least likely to say that they are multiracial, according to a study released Thursday.
This population is also the more likely to be Republican-leaning and conservative than the rest of the multiracial population, finds the study by the Pew Research Center. But they may someday be eclipsed by other multiracial Americans, with the majority of mixed-race babies born in 2013 being either biracial white and black or biracial white and Asian. Continue reading “Pew: White-Native American adults largest multiracial group”
WASHINGTON – Under threat of trade retaliation from Canada and Mexico, the House has voted to to repeal a law requiring country-of-origin labels on packages of beef, pork and poultry.
The World Trade Organization rejected a U.S. appeal last month, ruling the labels that say where animals were born, raised and slaughtered are discriminatory against the two U.S. border countries. Both have said they plan to ask the WTO for permission to impose billions of dollars in tariffs on American goods. Continue reading “House votes to repeal country of origin label requirement for meat”
Washington (CNN) House leaders have scheduled a final vote Friday on the trade bill, which has pitted many Democrats against their own president.
House Republicans told CNN that GOP leaders announced the vote in a closed door meeting Wednesday. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and House Speaker John Boehner spent the week hashing out final details about how to pay to retrain workers who lose their jobs in the process. Continue reading “House leaders say trade fight end in sight, schedule Friday vote”
My San Antonio – by MICHAEL HILL AND MICHAEL VIRTANEN
WILLSBORO, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say they’re resuming searches of northern New York homes located near the maximum-security prison where two killers escaped using power tools.
State Police say the fifth day of searching will include going from house to house in Dannemora, where David Sweat and Richard Matt cut their way out of Clinton Correctional Facility. Continue reading “House searches resume near prison where 2 killers escaped”
Wall Street Journal – by ADAM ENTOUS and DANNY YADRON
When a leading cybersecurity firm discovered it had been hacked last year by a virus widely believed to be used by Israeli spies, it wanted to know who else was on the hit list. It checked millions of computers world-wide and three luxury European hotels popped up. The other hotels the firm tested—thousands in all—were clean.
Researchers at the firm, Kaspersky Lab ZAO, weren’t sure what to make of the results. Then they realized what the three hotels had in common. Each was targeted before hosting high-stakes negotiations between Iran and world powers over curtailing Tehran’s nuclear program. Continue reading “Spy Virus Linked to Israel Targeted Hotels Used for Iran Nuclear Talks”
US President Barack Obama is reportedly preparing to approve the deployment of more US troops to Iraq to train up local forces fighting Islamic State.
He is considering up to 500 additional troops as well as a new training base in Iraq’s Anbar province, unnamed US officials were quoted as saying.
President Obama said earlier this week the US lacked a “complete strategy” for helping Iraq regain territory from IS. Continue reading “Obama ‘to send 500 more troops to Iraq’”
A Houston police officer was reportedly in stable condition Tuesday night after he was shot in the back during a traffic stop.
The Houston Chronicle reports Houston Police Department motorcycle officer Terry Smith, 47, was shot in the back at 6 p.m. in the Midtown area of the city. He is expected to remain in the hospital for a few more days to recover, the newspaper reports. Continue reading “Houston police officer in stable condition after being shot in back, report says”
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The Times Herald – by Nicole Hayden and Beth LeBlanc
Port Huron, Michigan. A parapet wall at the top of the Sperry’s building is mostly gone. Part of a green tiled awning on the east face of the building is collapsed. And a few of the historic building’s storefront windows are shattered.
But Larry Jones doesn’t regret lending the site to the U.S. Army for training. Continue reading “Cleanup, repairs after helicopter damages Sperry’s in military exersice”
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cuyahoga County prosecutors had little to say Monday about a plan by a group of community leaders to sidestep their office and file affidavits seeking charges against two Cleveland police officers involved in the November killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice.
Rather than wait for the county prosecutor’s office to present evidence of the shooting to a grand jury — a process that could take weeks — the group plans to use an obscure state law that allows anyone with knowledge of the facts of a case to formally ask a judge to issue an arrest warrant, according to the New York Times. Continue reading “Community group seeks charges against Cleveland police in Tamir Rice killing”
The West Wing at the White House has been evacuated shortly after the Capitol community had its own scare when a bomb threat was phoned into a Senate office building.
It is unclear whether the two events are related and no reason has been given for the West Wing evacuation. It’s also unclear whether staff was also evacuated. Continue reading “West Wing Evacuated Shortly After Capitol Bomb Threat, Authorities Say”
MSNBC – by Miguel Almaguer and Cassandra Vinograd
DANNEMORA, New York — As the massive manhunt for two escaped murderers entered a fourth day, investigators were simultaneously searching for answers on how the duo brazenly broke out of maximum-security prison.
There has been no sign of Richard Matt and David Sweat since they were reported missing on Saturday. Investigators say they used power tools to cut through brick and metal walls and pipes before breaking through a manhole to freedom. Hundreds of law-enforcement officers have fanned out across the area as part of a multi-agency manhunt, and New York State has offered a $100,000 reward leading to the convicts’ capture. Continue reading “Massive manhunt for 2 escaped inmates enters 4th day”
BETHESDA, Md. – Health authorities are working to identify anyone who may have been exposed to a patient with a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis.
In April, the woman traveled from India to the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say she traveled through Chicago and also spent time in Missouri and Tennessee. Continue reading “CDC seeking people who had contact with tuberculosis patient in Chicago, Missouri, and Tennessee”
