From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
NY Daily News – Associated Press
A landmark expansion of background checks on firearm purchases was approved Friday by lawmakers in Colorado, a politically moderate state that was the site of last year’s mass shooting at a suburban Denver movie theater.
The bill previously passed the state Senate and now heads to Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper, who is expected to sign it into law within two weeks. Continue reading “Colorado legislature approves expanded background checks for gun purchases”
The Daily Caller – by Caroline May
During the Senate Budget Committee’s Thursday markup of the Senate budget resolution, Democrats prevented an effort to block funds for the Agriculture Department’s “partnership” with the Mexican government, which is aimed at promoting nutrition assistance programs among Mexican Americans, Mexican nationals and migrant communities in America.
In a party-line 12 to 10 vote, the Democrats on the committee rejected a proposal to prevent funding for such endeavors from ranking member Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions, who has spoken out against the program in recent months. Continue reading “Senate Democrats block effort to end USDA/Mexico food stamp promotion partnership”
What does it say about our economy that at the same time the Dow Jones hits a peak, we have the highest percentage of Americans on food stamps?
It is a dichotomy that speaks to the current state of our economy. Food stamp usage has peaked at the very same time that the Dow Jones Industrial Average is setting new highs. Of course, the Dow is setting new nominal highs but still has a way to go to catch up to the eroding effects of inflation. Continue reading “An economy of peak food stamp usage, peak Dow, and peak Debt”
Mashable – by Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
For the first time, NSA chief and head of the U.S. Cyber Command Gen. Keith Alexander admitted America is ready to attack in cyberspace. Never before has a U.S. official acknowledged that the U.S. government is working on or is in possession of malware capable of attacking a foreign nation in a cyber conflict, despite the fact that at least one attack — the famous Stuxnext worm — has been attributed to the U.S. Continue reading “NSA Chief Says America Is Ready to Cyberattack”
A scandal in a Massachusetts crime lab continues to reverberate throughout the state’s legal system. Several months ago, Annie Dookhan, a former chemist in a state crime lab, told police that she messed up big time. Dookhan now stands accused of falsifying test results in as many as 34,000 cases.
As a result, lawyers, prosecutors and judges used to operating in a world of “beyond a reasonable doubt” now have nothing but doubt. Continue reading “Crime Lab Scandal Leaves Mass. Legal System In Turmoil”
Deal Book NY Times – by JESSICA SILVER-GREENBERG AND BEN PROTESS
JPMorgan Chase, the nation’s biggest bank, ignored internal controls and manipulated documents as it racked up trading losses last year, while its influential chief executive, Jamie Dimon, briefly withheld some information from regulators, a new Senate report says.
The findings by the Congressional investigators shed new light on the multibillion-dollar trading blunder, which has claimed the jobs of several top executives and prompted an inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Continue reading “JPMorgan Faulted on Controls and Disclosure in Trading Loss”
Federal Times – by SEAN REILLY
Some 60,000 Customs and Border Protection agents and other employees will be furloughed for up to 14 days, according to notices dated Thursday. The furloughs could begin April 21 and last through the end to the fiscal year in September, according to the notice, which attributes the move to across-the-board budget cuts that began taking effect March 1. Continue reading “60,000 Customs, Border Patrol agents face furloughs”
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The head of a U.N. team investigating casualties from U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan declared after a secret research trip to the country that the attacks violate Pakistan’s sovereignty.
Ben Emmerson, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, said the Pakistani government made clear to him that it does not consent to the strikes — a position that has been disputed by U.S. officials. Continue reading “UN Says US Drones Violate Pakistan’s Sovereignty”
PHOENIX – The video made national headlines — a Phoenix Police officer caught on camera tackling a teenage girl.
The chief of police wants to suspend that officer, but the officer says it’s too harsh, and he’s appealing the decision.
That officer is fighting a 5-day suspension. He believes he acted within policy, but a disciplinary review board and the chief don’t think so. Continue reading “Officer who tackled teenage girl appeals suspension”
Reuters – by Emily Flitter and Stella Dawson and Mark Hosenball
(Reuters) – The Obama administration is drawing up plans to give all U.S. spy agencies full access to a massive database that contains financial data on American citizens and others who bank in the country, according to a Treasury Department document seen by Reuters. Continue reading “U.S. to let spy agencies scour Americans’ finances”
New York Daily News -by CHELSIA ROSE MARCIUS AND SHANE DIXON KAVANAUGH
Protesters enraged over the fatal shooting of a teenager by police poured into Brooklyn streets for a third straight night Wednesday, pitching bricks, bottles and garbage in furious clashes with cops.
At least 18 demonstrators were arrested along Church Ave. in East Flatbush. Police struggled to control a hostile crowd that broke away from a planned peaceful vigil for Kimani (Kiki) Gray, 16, killed by police on Saturday night. Continue reading “Enraged protesters battle cops in Brooklyn streets during third night of rioting after it’s revealed that 16-year-old Kimani Gray was shot in the back”
The Daily Caller – by Nicholas Ballasy
WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told The Daily Caller that his department is “making reductions everywhere” to deal with the sequester, including furloughing Federal Aviation Administration workers.
But less than seven months ago, LaHood said he was “very proud” of putting 65,000 people to work with $48 billion in federal stimulus funds — a figure that amounted to $738,461 per job. Continue reading “After proudly bingeing on stimulus dollars, Ray LaHood now says his Transportation Dept. is cutting ‘everywhere’ for sequester”
With Office of Management and Budget fact sheets in hand, President Obama warned of dire cutbacks and consequences should sequestration go into effect March 1.
The cuts happened, White House tours have been halted, and the administration swears it’s not overreacting to the bare-bones budget directive. Continue reading “Government advertises for nearly 2,600 new jobs since sequestration”
Researchers at Brown University have succeeded in creating the first wireless, implantable, rechargeable, long-term brain-computer interface. The wireless BCIs have been implanted in pigs and monkeys for over 13 months without issue, and human subjects are next. Continue reading “Brown University creates first wireless, implanted brain-computer interface”
Monterey Park, CA – On a cold and drizzly morning at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau, a 25-year-old social media dispatcher is sitting at a computer station in a dimly lit room skimming social media feeds on three large screens.
The tech-savvy civilian dispatcher is part of the bureau’s new, 24-hour Electronic Communications Triage or eComm Unit that monitors social media and Internet content, shares information with the public and trains sheriff’s officials to use such platforms.
“They’re watching social media and Internet comments that pertain to this geographic area, watching what would pertain to our agencies so we can prevent crime, help the public,” LASD Capt. Mike Parker said. “And now they’re going to be ramping up more and more with more sharing and interacting, especially during crises, whether it’s local or regional.”
Since launching last September, the eight-member eComm unit has identified a suicidal teen on Instagram, intercepted bomb threats made on Twitter and discovered plans for hundreds of illegal drug parties via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Continue reading “Police are spying on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, PInterest & other social media platforms.”
Trillions In Subsidies to the Giant Banks Are Continuing to This Day
Preface: Bloomberg’s recent estimate that the big banks are subsidized to the tune of $83 billion dollars per year created tremendous controversy. But – as shown below – the real number is many times larger. Continue reading “Top Banking Analyst: Subsidies to Giant Banks Exceed $780 Billion Dollars Per YEAR”
The U.S. needs to keep a close watch on the growing threat of home-grown extremist groups.
There are, in increasingly frightening numbers, cells of angry men in the United States preparing for combat with the U.S. government. They are usually heavily armed, blinded by an intractable hatred, often motivated by religious zeal. Continue reading “Peril from ‘patriots’”
NPR – by Tovia Smith
Extreme Tech
Mass Private I