Washington Post – by Aaron Davis and Sarah Halzack

Walmart abruptly announced Friday that it was abandoning a promise to build stores in Washington’s poorest neighborhoods, an agreement that had been key to the deal allowing the retailer to begin operating in the nation’s capital.

The giant retailer cited increasing costs for the new projects and disappointing performance at the three D.C. stores it opened over the past several years. But news that Walmart would pull out of two supercenters planned for east of the Anacostia River, where its wares and jobs are wanted most, shocked D.C. leaders. In one case, the city had already committed $90 million to make a development surrounding one of the stores viable.   Continue reading “District leaders furious Walmart breaking promise to build stores in poor neighborhoods”

Reuters

U.S. President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Michigan on Saturday and ordered federal aid for state and local response efforts in the county where the city of Flint has been contending with lead-contaminated drinking water.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder had asked the president to declare both an emergency and an expedited major disaster in Genesee County to protect the safety of Flint residents.   Continue reading “Obama declares emergency in Michigan over bad water: White House”

SHTF Plan – by Mac Slavo

Forget for a moment that U.S. stock markets have seen their worst start to a new year since the Great Depression or that some $2.5 trillion in wealth has been evaporated in less than two weeks.

CNN says it’s hardly the time to panic:

Time to panic? Hardly.
Continue reading “CNN Reassures Investors: “Don’t Panic… America’s Economy Is Still In Good Shape””

Huffington Post – by Chloe Fox

HONOLULU — Hawaii and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials confirmed Friday that a mother and newborn baby on the island of Oahutested positive for a past Zika virus infection.

The baby was born with microcephaly, a serious birth defect in which a baby is born with an abnormally small head and possible developmental problems.   Continue reading “Hawaii Baby Contracts The First Case Of Zika Virus In The U.S.”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

Earlier this week, before first JPM and then Wells Fargo revealed that not all is well when it comes to bank energy loan exposure, a small Tulsa-based lender, BOK Financial, said that its fourth-quarter earnings would miss analysts’ expectations because its loan-loss provisions would be higher than expected as a result of a single unidentified energy-industry borrower. This is what the bank said:   Continue reading “Dallas Fed Quietly Suspends Energy Mark-To-Market On Default Contagion Fears”

Washington Post – by Carol Morello and Karen DeYoung

VIENNA — Iran reentered the global economy Saturday as years of crippling international sanctions ended in exchange for the verified disabling of much of its nuclear infrastructure.

For Iran, implementation of the landmark deal it finalized with six world powers last summer means immediate access to more than $50 billion in long-frozen assets and freedom to sell its oil and purchase goods in the international marketplace. Tehran has hailed the deal as vindication of its power and influence in the world.   Continue reading “International sanctions against Iran lifted”

Freedom Outpost – by Suzanne Hamner

Hold the phone, stop the presses, and slap Geraldo Rivera! Seriously, if any action by any congressional representative would cause those three to happen, many people would certainly be ecstatic. The inaction of Congress in dealing with an out of control executive causes frustration among the citizens of this nation. When Congress is out of control as well, citizens feel more than frustration — a mixture of feelings ranging from frustration to anger to disbelief.   Continue reading “Representative Files Resolution of “Condemnation and Censure” against Obama – Where’s the Articles of Impeachment?”

KHOU 11

PASADENA, Texas — One person is dead and three others are injured after a chemical leak and explosion in Pasadena on Saturday afternoon.

Pasadena officials responded to a call about a chemical leak explosion at the PeroxyChem plant at 12000 Bay Area Boulevard around 12:45 p.m. Saturday.   Continue reading “1 dead, 3 injured in chemical leak, explosion at Pasadena, Texas plant”

LA Times

U.S. officials confirmed Saturday that Iran has released four U.S.-Iranian prisoners, including Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post Tehran correspondent who had been held since July 2014 on espionage and other charges.

Tehran has also agreed to continue to try to find a fifth American, Robert Levinson, who was working in an unauthorized CIA operation when he disappeared in Iran in 2007, a U.S. official said.     Continue reading “Iran releases 4 U.S. prisoners in swap with U.S.; 5th American reportedly freed separately”

Oregon Live – by Les Zaitz

BURNS – Oregon State Police on Friday arrested one of the protesters occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge after he drove into town, accusing him of having a stolen vehicle.

The man was identified as Kenneth Medenbach, 62, of Crescent. He was arrested on suspicion of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison. He was to be booked into the Deschutes County Jail in Bend with bail set at $10,000, officials said.   Continue reading “Protester arrested in Burns, accused of driving stolen refuge vehicle”

Fox News

It’s Florida Sheriff Grady Judd’s duty to protect the citizens of Polk County — but he figures it’s their job, too.

One of a growing number of rural and big-city law enforcement officials who openly encourages responsible gun ownership, Judd believes guns allow citizens to defend themselves when police cannot.   Continue reading “Growing number of police chiefs, sheriffs join call to arms”

Mint Press News

Following a November 2015 report by the independent, in which it quoted NGO rights organization the Palestinian Prisoners Club (PPC) that at least 600 Palestinian children have been arrested in Jerusalem alone in the first half of 2015 and that roughly 40% were sexually abused, a new January 2016 report was also issued by the Independent, this time saying that the Israeli government is torturing children and keeping them in outdoor cages during winter time.   Continue reading “Israel Tortures Palestinian Children; Keeps Them In Outdoor Cages In Winter: Rights Group”

RT

The US House of Representatives voted 253-166 this week to overturn a controversial rule to protect America’s clean water in spite of a growing scandal in Flint, Michigan over poisonous levels of lead.

Representatives approved a resolution back by the Senate in November that blocks the Environmental Protection Agency’s “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) rule.   Continue reading “US House votes to block clean water rule as Flint scandal grows”

Telegraph – by Hugh Morris

A man who implanted a microchip containing his airline booking details into his hand was able to use it to pass effortlessly through security to his flight.

Andreas Sjöström, vice president of digital for technology consulting company Sogeti, had the near-field communication chip (NFC) about the size of a grain of rice injected into his hand with a syringe, before using it at Stockholm Arlanda Airport to pass through security and board his plane.

Continue reading “Man uses microchip implanted in hand to pass through airport security”

Free Thought Project – by Justin Gardner

While Nevadans were celebrating the holidays under solar-powered lights, the Nevada Public Utilities Commission (PUC) voted unanimously to increase a monthly fee on solar customers by 40% while reducing the amount they get paid for excess power sold to the grid. Adding insult to injury, they made the rate changes retroactive, sabotaging consumer investments in solar energy.

This single move by government regulators will effectively kill the solar industry in Nevada and put an end to the surge of people seeking to detach from the grid by harnessing their own energy from the sun. Just as importantly, it serves to protect the profits of Nevada’s public utility company, NV Energy.   Continue reading “Sunny Nevada Just Killed The Solar Industry With 40% Tax Hike, Derailing The Off-Grid Movement”

CNN

Haier is best known as a manufacturer of household goods including washing machines, refrigerators and microwaves. In recent years, it has sought to expand into new international markets, including the U.S.

The sale, which is the third largest acquisition of a U.S. company by Chinese investors, has been approved by the boards of both firms,GE (GE) said.   Continue reading “China’s Haier buys GE’s appliance unit for $5.4 billion”

The Organic Prepper

The economy is collapsing around us, and if you aren’t already prepared, it’s time to get with it ASAP, because Wal-Mart is closing 269 stores. If that doesn’t ring loud, clanging warning bells for you, then nothing will convince you of the need to prepare for economic collapse.

If you listened to the State of the Union address (listen for free) last week, you heard President Obama accuse those who criticized the financial situation in the United States of  “peddling fiction.” However, with oil prices plummeting, stock markets around the globe tanking, and businesses shutting their doors left and right, it seems that the only peddler of false tales is our fearless leader himself. When the biggest retailer in America is struggling to stay afloat, I call BS (Baloney Sandwiches) on the notion that “our economy is recovering.”   Continue reading “Still Think the Economy is “Recovering”? Walmart Is Closing 269 Stores, Including These”