Mondoweiss – by Philip Weiss

The battle against picking Elliott Abrams for the number two position in the State Department is on. Republican Senator Rand Paul played a crucial role in blocking the naming of John Bolton to that position in December– along with Bolton’s mustache, that is–and Paul issued a statement last night titled, “Do not let Elliott Abrams anywhere near the State Department.” It savaged Abrams as a neoconservative who along with his buddies is dedicated to perpetual war.   Continue reading “Rand Paul warns neocons will ‘scurry in’ with Abrams, and Kristol says that’s anti-Semitic”

Anti-War – by Jason Ditz

Notorious Neocon’s Decades of Scandal Presented as Experience

The Iran-Contra Affair happened some 35 years ago. A major black eye for the Reagan Administration, it was also the first in a long line of blotches on the record of then-Assistant Secretary of State Elliott Abrams, who was convicted of two counts of withholding information from Congress regarding the affair, pardoned in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush. As a Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, he was a supporter of the US invasion of Iraq, and played a major role in the failed military coup in Venezuela.   Continue reading “Elliott Abrams Under Consideration for Deputy Secretary of State”

OPB – AP, February 4, 2017

A federal jury in Nevada is about to be picked to decide whether a tense standoff pitting armed ranchers and rangers against federal agents over a herd of cattle in a dry river bed amounted to a peaceful expression of free speech and weapon rights, or an insurrection against the U.S. government.

Trial begins Monday in Las Vegas for six men — the first of a trio of proceedings for 17 defendants that will later include Nevada cattleman Cliven Bundy, four of his adult sons and seven other men. Each is facing the equivalent of the rest of his life in prison for the confrontation nearly three years ago.   Continue reading “6 Bundy Ranch ‘Gunmen And Followers’ To Begin Trial”

Gateway Pundit – by Kristinn Taylor

At least two manager level Secret Service officials were fired and escorted from the White House complex, according to a report by reporter Steve Clemons.

The Secret Service was accused of slow-walking an investigation of an agent based in Denver who publicly stated she would not ‘take a bullet’ for President Donald Trump.  Continue reading “Secret Service Managers Fired, Escorted from White House Grounds”

Express

The French capital was rocked by two explosions in the suburbs.

Several people are feared dead and it is unclear how many people have been injured in the blast.

It is thought one person has been seriously injured in the explosion in Seine-Saint-Denis while four others have been wounded.    Continue reading “Massive ‘gas explosion’ in Paris leaves at least four injured”

RT

Record high radiation levels that’s lethal even after brief exposure have been detected at a damaged reactor at the Fukushima power plant in Japan. Specialists also found a hole, likely caused by melted nuclear fuel.

Radiation levels of up to 530 Sieverts per hour were detected inside an inactive Reactor 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex damaged during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami catastrophe, Japanese media reported on Thursday citing the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).   Continue reading “Record high fatal radiation levels, hole in reactor detected at crippled Fukushima nuclear facility”

Activist Post – by Derrick Broze

Cannonball, North Dakota – On Wednesday afternoon police with the Morton County Sheriff’s office and surrounding counties entered the north entrance of the Oceti Sakowin camp, north of the Cannonball River. The Oceti camp, along with the Sacred Stone Camp, have been one of several sites of resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline since last summer.

Early Wednesday afternoon, the Sacred Stone Camp posted the following status and video:  Continue reading “Police Are Raiding Standing Rock Camps”

Las Vegas Review Journal – by Jenny Wilson

Ryan Bundy, accused of leading the 2014 standoff near his father’s ranch in Bunkerville, testified Tuesday that the charges detailed in the 16-count indictment against him describe the actions of federal agents who tried to impound his father’s cattle.

“The wrong people are in jail,” Bundy testified during an unusual, six-hour detention hearing at which the rancher’s son, who has been incarcerated for a year, argued for his release pending trial on extortion, conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, and other charges resulting from the April 2014 confrontation.
Continue reading “Ryan Bundy goes on the attack during hearing in Las Vegas”

Office of the Historian

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 upheld the national origins quota system established by the Immigration Act of 1924, reinforcing this controversial system of immigrant selection.

It also ended Asian exclusion from immigrating to the United States and introduced a system of preferences based on skill sets and family reunification. Situated in the early years of the Cold War, the debate over the revision of U.S. immigration law demonstrated a division between those interested in the relationship between immigration and foreign policy, and those linking immigration to concerns over national security. Continue reading “The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (The McCarran-Walter Act)”

Gateway Pundit – by Ryan Saavedra

According to an article in the Daily Mail, long time friend of Bill Clinton, Jeffrey Epstein, is being accused of luring a young woman into his elaborate sex trafficking enterprise by making false promises.   Continue reading “Convicted Pedophile Jeffrey Epstein Is Accused Of ANOTHER Sex Trafficking Case Involving Girls As Young As 13”

Economic Policy Institute – by Jeff Faux, Dec. 2013

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NATFA) was the door through which American workers were shoved into the neoliberal global labor market.

By establishing the principle that U.S. corporations could relocate production elsewhere and sell back into the United States, NAFTA undercut the bargaining power of American workers, which had driven the expansion of the middle class since the end of World War II. The result has been 20 years of stagnant wages and the upward redistribution of income, wealth and political power.   Continue reading “NAFTA’s Impact on U.S. Workers”

The New American – by Bob Adelmann

In re-introducing the ATF Elimination Act on Thursday, January 12, Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) explained one of the primary reasons why: “The ATF is a scandal-ridden, largely duplicative agency that has been branded by failure and lacks a clear mission. It is plagued by backlogs, funding gaps, hiring challenges, and a lack of leadership.”

Not once did he explain the real reason the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF for short) should be eliminated: There is no provision anywhere in the Constitution that grants the federal government the powers the ATF exercises.  Continue reading “ATF Elimination Act Re-introduced in the House”

RT

The Fifth Amendment protects individuals from incriminating themselves, but a Minnesota court has ruled it does not apply when a suspect is ordered to provide a fingerprint to unlock a cell phone.

Giving a fingerprint is akin to standing in a lineup, not revealing a password, the Minnesota Court of Appeals found on Tuesday.   Continue reading “Man loses 5th Amendment appeal after forced to unlock phone with fingerprint”