From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
Tehran has announced that purchase orders by merchants that are based on US currency would no longer be allowed to go through import procedures.
According to local media, the policy is in line with an official request by the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and is specifically meant to address fluctuations in market rates of the US dollar. Continue reading “Iran bans use of US dollar in trade”
New research has cast doubt on the claim US diplomats in Havana were the victims of a sonic weapon attacks. Some 21 embassy staff in Cuba were affected by a mystery illness in August last year.
Diplomatic staff were reportedly the victims of targeted attacks on their homes and hotel rooms in the Cuban capital. Those taken ill reportedly heard a loud, grinding noise before they were struck down with damage to their hearing, vision, balance and memory. Investigators were said to have suspected a “sonic attack.” Now, in a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers from the University of Pennsylvania say that despite individuals suffering injuries to “widespread brain networks,” the cause remains unknown. Continue reading “Mystery illness struck ‘widespread brain networks’ of US embassy staff in Cuba – study”
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A public school strike in West Virginia entered its second week as teachers balked at returning to the classroom in all 55 counties. Instead, they went back to the state Capitol on Thursday to monitor the Legislature’s progress on a 5 percent pay raise for them.
The state Senate was expected to consider Gov. Jim Justice’s proposed raise that passed the House of Delegates 98-1 Wednesday. Senate President Mitch Carmichael expressed skepticism about the governor’s suddenly higher projected tax revenues that would pay for the pay boosts but said that chamber would review it. Continue reading “West Virginia teachers continue strike, await Senate action”
NEW YORK (AP) — A defense lawyer says it was an act of madness. Prosecutors will begin trying to prove Thursday that it was murder. Five years ago, Yoselyn Ortega, a trusted nanny to a well-to-do family, took two young children in her care into a bathroom at their Manhattan apartment, slaughtered them with a knife and then slit her own throat.
The killings of Leo Krim, 2, and Lucia Krim, 6, shocked New Yorkers, especially the thousands of parents who depend on loving nannies to take care of their children. At a trial that begins Thursday, the central mystery isn’t whether Ortega killed the children, but why she did it — and whether she was too mentally ill to be held responsible. Continue reading “Madness or murder? Trial begins for nanny who killed 2 kids”
David de Rothschild, the 75-year-old head of the legendary banking empire, will step down and hand over the reins to his son, Alexandre, 37, as early as this summer, reports FT.
Alexandre de Rothschild will become the seventh generation of the dynasty to take charge of the Franco-British investment bank, which was founded in 1838. The young Rothschild currently serves as executive deputy chairman at the bank. Continue reading “Rothschild scion takes banking dynasty crown”
WASHINGTON (AP) — White House communications director Hope Hicks acknowledged to a House intelligence panel that she has occasionally told “white lies” for President Donald Trump but has not lied about anything relevant to the Russia investigation, according to those present for Hicks’ closed-door testimony.
Hicks was interviewed for nine hours Tuesday by the panel investigating Russia interference in the 2016 election and contact between Trump’s campaign and Russia. One of Trump’s closest aides, Hicks was his spokeswoman during the 2016 presidential campaign and is now White House communications director. Continue reading “Hicks acknowledges ‘white lies’ for Trump, but not on Russia”
The father of a Florida shooting survivor acknowledged Tuesday he omitted words in an email he sent media outlets accusing CNN of using scripted remarks at a town hall on guns and school safety. Dozens of conservative websites called the network’s Feb. 21 town hall forum scripted after Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School junior Colton Haab skipped the event and said the network had told him what question to ask. The websites call it proof the forum was slanted against gun rights. President Donald Trump tweeted about it on Friday, saying “Just like so much of CNN, Fake News!”
CNN countered with a release of email exchanges between producer Carrie Stevenson, Colton Haab and his father Glenn and accused Glenn Haab of deliberately altering email sent to Fox News and the Huffington Post. Continue reading “Shooting survivor’s father admits email changes in CNN spat”
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Federal immigration agents arrested more than 150 people in California in the days after Oakland’s mayor gave early warning of the raids, it was announced Tuesday. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials announced that agents made the arrests in a three-day sweep starting Sunday that covered cities from Sacramento in the north to Stockton in the Central Valley. About half of those arrested for being in the country illegally had criminal convictions, the agency said.
On Saturday, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf warned residents that “credible sources” had told her a sweep was imminent, calling it her “duty and moral obligation” to warn families. The warning “was meant to give all residents time to learn their rights and know their legal options,” she said in a statement Tuesday night reported in the San Francisco Chronicle. Continue reading “More than 150 arrested in California immigration raids”
Are we headed towards another world war or is a ‘long peace’ in our future? A new study has examined decades of conflicts to evaluate the likelihood of another global war.
It has been over 70 years since last major world war. Despite the multiple conflicts ongoing across the globe, there hasn’t been a large, global conflict in decades. Analysts are divided about whether this means we’ve surpassed such levels of conflict, or whether our era’s relative lull means disaster is looming. Continue reading “‘Long Peace’ or imminent war? Study examines when World War 3 might break out”
Taxpayers could be liable for $6 billion in cleanup costs of toxic hazards left by oil and gas drilling. Outdated laws allow companies to pay only a small share of expenses as the number of abandoned wells rises.
The cost of cleaning up the tens of thousands of oil and gas wells on US public land could come to over $6.1 billion, and taxpayers will likely need to contribute, according to new report released Monday by the Colorado-based Center for Western Priorities. Continue reading “While Big Energy profits, US taxpayers pay for toxic clean up”
The overwhelming majority of Americans, irrespective of party allegiance, holds a dismal opinion of Congress, a fresh poll shows. It found 89 percent of Democrats and 82 percent of Republicans disapprove of the legislature’s work.
The new poll, published by the Associated Press-NORC Center on Monday, revealed that a total of 85 percent of Americans believe the Congress’s job is below par. The attitude to the Republican-controlled legislature does not change much across party lines. The number of Democrats that held an unfavorable view of Congress, 89 percent, is only seven percentage points higher than that of Republicans, at 82 percent. Continue reading “85% of Americans unhappy with Congress, most think it serves lobbyists, not the people”
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Thousands of striking schoolteachers who have shut down West Virginia classrooms for days are demanding a face-to-face meeting with the governor and legislative leaders on their pay grievances, a union official said Monday.
Teachers rallied Monday outside the state Capitol amid pledges to continue the walkout that began Thursday, unless their complaints are heard. The state’s average teacher pay ranks among the lowest in the nation and teachers are balking at approved increases they say are too stingy. Continue reading “West Virginia teachers to continue strike Tuesday”
A gang of all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikers caused chaos on the streets of Boston Saturday. The group was eventually stopped by state troopers who shot one of the men in the foot.
The group of up to 30 riders on ATVs and off-road bikes were riding in a “reckless manner,” Massachusetts State Police said in a statement. Officers struggled to rein in the group as they sped through the streets, performing wheelies and swerving between cars. Continue reading “Bikers v cops: Chaotic chase through Boston ends in roadblock shooting”
Condoleezza Rice doesn’t “understand why civilians need to have access to military weapons.” The former Secretary of State’s comments are seemingly at odds with her support for the 2nd Amendment.
Rice, George W Bush’s secretary of state, was speaking to radio host Hugh Hewitt on Friday when she questioned the need for military weapons. “I think it is time to have a conversation about what the right to bear arms means in the modern world,” she said. Continue reading “‘I don’t understand why civilians need military weapons’ – Condi Rice”
Saudi Arabia is undergoing a truly seismic shift in its economy, politics, and society, all thanks to the oil price crash of 2014.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, commonly referred to as MBS, would likely not have had the opportunity to initiate the sweeping changes envisaged in Vision 2030 had it not been for the price collapse. Now, Riyadh needs oil prices to rise as high as possible for the plan to succeed — and is even ready to tip the market into a deficit to that end. Continue reading “Saudis ready to swing oil market into deficit”
SAN DIEGO (AP) — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein failed to win the official endorsement of the California Democratic Party as she seeks her fifth term, another sign that the party is divided over how best to battle Republicans in Washington.
Democratic activists were more eager to back her primary challenger, state Senate leader Kevin de Leon, who is touting himself as a fresh face with stronger progressive credentials, particularly on immigration. Continue reading “California Democratic Party won’t endorse Dianne Feinstein”
Humanity may be seeing the last of the big drinkers as new research claims evolution is making people physically unable to consume large amounts of alcohol.
Examining trends across human populations, scientists from the University of Pennsylvania found that human genes are developing variants of an enzyme that breaks down alcohol in the body. Because these new variants are less effective at tackling the alcohol, some drinkers are left so sick that they’re unlikely to develop a taste for it. Continue reading “Alcohol apocalypse? Evolution making us too sick to drink, study finds”
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A request by Republican leaders in the Pennsylvania Legislature to stop a new congressional map from being implemented is now in the hands of the nation’s highest court. The filing made late Wednesday asked Justice Samuel Alito to intervene, saying the state Supreme Court overstepped its authority in imposing a new map.
More litigation may follow, as Republicans are considering a separate legal challenge in federal court in Harrisburg this week. The state Supreme Court last month threw out a Republican-crafted map that was considered among the nation’s most gerrymandered, saying the 2011 plan violated the state constitution’s guarantee of free and equal elections. Continue reading “Pennsylvania congressional map battle lands in Supreme Court”
In a wave of demonstrations reaching from Arizona to Maine, students at dozens of U.S. high schools walked out of class Wednesday to protest gun violence and honor the victims of last week’s deadly shooting in Florida.
The protests spread from school to school as students shared plans for their demonstrations over social media. Many lasted 17 minutes in honor of the 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Continue reading “Students across US walk out of class to protest gun violence”
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A Republican congresswoman from upstate New York said Wednesday that “many” people who commit mass murder turn out to be Democrats. U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney made the remarks on Talk 1300 Radio during a discussion about calls for stricter gun control since last week’s deadly Florida high school shooting.
“Yeah, well, obviously there is a lot of politics in it, and it’s interesting that so many of these people that commit the mass murders end up being Democrats, but the media doesn’t talk about that either,” Tenney told talk show host Fred Dicker. Continue reading “Republican congresswoman: Many mass murderers are Democrats”