Month: February 2016

Haaretz – by Ron Kampeas

JTA  – With the sudden passing this weekend of Justice Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court is now split four-four between liberals and conservatives, throwing into doubt how the court will rule on a raft of cases — including several watched by Jewish organizations.

Scalia, who was 79, is being mourned by Orthodox Jewish groups, who embraced his robust originalist doctrine, as well as by Jewish church-state separation advocates, who reeled at some of his decisions but admired his sharp wit and dedication to upholding the Constitution.   Continue reading “What Justice Scalia’s Death Means for 6 Cases That Matter to American Jews”

RT

Being behind on student loan payments in Texas could cost you more than your credit score. The US Marshals Service in Houston is arresting people who aren’t paying their federal student debt.

Paul Aker said that seven deputy US Marshals showed up at his Houston home in combat gear.   Continue reading “US Marshals make arrests over non-payment of student loans”

The Hill – by Timothy Cama

The Obama administration will officially sign onto last year’s international climate change pact, despite its top policy being put on ice by the Supreme Court.

Todd Stern, the State Department’s top climate diplomat and negotiator for last year’s Paris agreement, said Tuesday that the Supreme Court’s judicial stay last week of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan doesn’t change the administration’s plans.   Continue reading “Obama to sign Paris climate pact despite SCOTUS stay”

Breitbart – by John Hayward

Hawaii’s governor David Ige declared a state of emergency for mosquito-borne illnesses on Sunday, including Zika and dengue fever. The latter has been an especially urgent concern, with over 250 confirmed cases of dengue reported during the current outbreak.

The Associated Press reports there have been no reported cases of local Zika transmission in Hawaii. However, the first case of infant brain damage reported in the United States came from Hawaii, where a child with microcephaly was born to a woman who lived in Brazil early in her pregnancy.   Continue reading “Hawaii Declares State of Emergency over Zika, Dengue”

RT

The world’s two biggest crude producers say they won’t increase oil output. Along with Russia and Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Venezuela have agreed to freeze production at January levels, according to Russia’s Energy Ministry.

“A deal will be reached if other producers join the initiative,” said Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak after the meeting with his Saudi counterpart.   Continue reading “Russia and Saudi Arabia agree to freeze oil production output”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Eight years after the financial crisis, the world is coming to grips with an unpleasant realization: serious weaknesses still plague the global economy, and emergency help may not be on the way.

Sinking stock prices, flat inflation, and the bizarre phenomenon of negative interest rates have coupled with a downturn in emerging markets to raise worries that the economy is being stalked by threats that central banks — the saviors during the crisis — may struggle to cope with.   Continue reading “Danger signs flashing for global economy, years after crisis”

Mail.com

NEW YORK (AP) — Police are investigating a woman’s report that she was assaulted by former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer in a room at The Plaza Hotel, an allegation his attorney said Monday was false, created by someone with “emotional difficulties.”

Attorney Adam Kaufmann said the allegations concerned a woman Spitzer has known “for a period of time.” He said she phoned him from California where she had been living to say she was returning to her native Russia via New York. The two agreed to meet at The Plaza Hotel mid-afternoon Saturday.   Continue reading “Lawyer for ex-Gov. Spitzer says no assault took place”

Mail.com

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president warned Tuesday that rival North Korea faces collapse if it doesn’t abandon its nuclear bomb program, an unusually strong broadside that will likely infuriate Pyongyang.

President Park Geun-hye, in a nationally televised parliamentary address defending her decision to shut down a jointly run factory park in North Korea, said South Korea will take unspecified “stronger and more effective” measures to make North Korea realize its nuclear ambitions will result only in speeding up of its “regime collapse.”   Continue reading “South Korea’s leader warns of North Korea collapse”

Anti-Media – by Claire Bernish

In the spirit of the transparency — of which the Obama administration claims to be a champion — there will be no details regarding the allocation of non-military intelligence spending in the president’s final budget request to Congress.

According to a press release from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), fiscal year 2017’s budget totals $53.5 billion, but don’t ask which agencies or programs will receive the funds — “because such disclosures could harm national security.”   Continue reading “If This Is “Transparency,” I Would Hate to Know What Secrecy Looks Like”

Free Thought Project – by Claire Bernish

Rock Springs, WY- Jacob Rollen Anglesey has now been indicted by a grand jury for first-degree murder in the 2009 death of a two-year-old child — and new information revealed he’s a cop.

On March 9, 2009, emergency services were summoned to help with the boy, Konnor Allen, whom Anglesey claimed had become unresponsive after suffering a fall.   Continue reading “Police Officer Indicted on First Degree Murder Charge for Killing a Couple’s 2-year-old Son”

The Daily Sheeple – by Joshua Krause

When a nation deploys its military for a massive training exercise, oftentimes it has little to do with actual training. These maneuvers can also be conducted to flex military might, gauge the response of rival nations, or to simply provide a show of force for domestic propaganda purposes. Sometimes a training exercise can even be used as a cover to launch an invasion.   Continue reading “Height of Insanity: Saudis Prod Russia with Massive Military Exercise”

Reuters

A vote to block the Obama administration’s ambitious climate regulation was one of Antonin Scalia’s last acts as a Supreme Court justice. His sudden death may have opened a new path to the rule’s survival.

Scalia died Saturday. Four days earlier, he voted with the other conservative members of the high court to put a hold on the administration’s plans to implement the Clean Power Plan while it is litigated.   Continue reading “Scalia’s death boosts legal chances for Obama’s climate plan”