From the Trenches World Report
Enforce our Bill of Rights
At least 56 civilians, including 11 children, have been killed in US-led air strikes against areas in Syria held by the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS), a monitoring group said.
“We believe that the raids which were carried out Tuesday were by US [or] allied planes, but it was by mistake,” Observatory director Rami Abdel-Rahman told DPA news agency. Continue reading “US-led air strikes kill 56 civilians in Syrian town”
When the U.S. Congress returns in September from a summer recess, it is expected to consider legislation called the Blue Lives Matter Act that would make killing a police officer a hate crime, a step first taken by Louisiana earlier this year.
Debate in Louisiana over the law enacted in May pitted police unions, which supported tougher hate-crime sentences for police assailants, against civil rights groups, which felt police did not face the historic discrimination hate-crime laws were intended to address. Continue reading “U.S. police deaths build momentum for law to treat attacks as hate crimes”
In a last-ditch effort to revive a White House plan to protect up to 4 million immigrants from deportation, the Obama administration on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rehear a case on which the eight-member court was split 4-4 last month.
The June 23 high court decision left in place a lower court ruling that blocked the plan, which has never been in effect. The court is currently one justice short following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February. Continue reading “Obama administration asks Supreme Court to rehear immigration case”
Turkey’s state-run news agency says courts have ordered 85 generals and admirals jailed pending trial over their roles in a botched coup attempt. Dozens of others are still being questioned, the AP reports. Anadolu Agency said Tuesday that those formally arrested include former air force commander Gen. Akin Ozturk, alleged to be the ringleader of the July 15 uprising, and Gen. Adem Huduti, commander of Turkey’s Second Army, which is in charge of countering possible threats to Turkey from Syria, Iran, and Iraq. Authorities have rounded up thousands alleged to have been involved in the coup, in which at least 208 government supporters and 24 coup plotters were killed. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has refused to rule out bringing back the death penalty. Continue reading “Turkey Jails 85 Generals, Admirals Over Failed Coup”
Police discovered a hand-painted Islamic State flag in the room of the Afghan teen who attacked passengers on a train in Germany. The group claimed responsibility, but the Bavarian interior minister said evidence indicates the teen could be self-radicalized.
Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has said the attacker was one of its fighters, according to IS-affiliated Amaq news agency. Continue reading “Hand-painted ISIS flag found in room of Bavaria train attacker, terror group claims responsibility”
The U.S. government has issued a report on fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for U.S. cars and trucks that were first established in 2012. The report Monday kicked off a two-year review process leading to a government decision on whether to leave the standards in place through 2025 or change them.
A look at the standards: Continue reading “Questions and answers about US fuel economy standards”
DENVER (AP) — Police departments across the country are ordering officers to pair up after ambush attacks left eight officers dead in Texas and Louisiana, a precaution that could slow response times to low-level crimes and drive up overtime for already exhausted police.
Some agencies that normally let officers patrol alone began forcing them to double up throughout their shifts, even during meals or other breaks during their shifts. Los Angeles police assigned members of specialized crime-fighting units to back up officers responding to routine calls. Baltimore police began sending two squad cars to every call received. Dispatchers in Denver urged officers to travel in pairs indefinitely and “keep their head on a swivel” to protect themselves against the new threat. Police in Fort Worth extended the order beyond their uniformed officers to plainclothes detectives and high-ranking supervisors. Continue reading “Police across US patrolling in pairs after ambush attacks”
WASHINGTON (AP) — Experts say the development of self-driving cars over the coming decade depends on an unreliable assumption by many automakers: that the humans in them will be ready to step in and take control if the car’s systems fail.
Instead, experience with automation in other modes of transportation like aviation and rail suggests that the strategy will lead to more deaths like that of a Florida Tesla driver in May. Decades of research shows that people have a difficult time keeping their minds on boring tasks like monitoring systems that rarely fail and hardly ever require them to take action. The human brain continually seeks stimulation. If the mind isn’t engaged, it will wander until it finds something more interesting to think about. The more reliable the system, the more likely it is that attention will wane. Continue reading “Plans for self-driving cars have pitfall: the human brain”
Melania Trump’s highly anticipated speech at the Republican National Convention Monday night appears to have nearly copied a paragraph from Michelle Obama’s speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump’s wife was describing how her parents imparted on her values about working hard and treating people with respect. Continue reading “Melania Trump speech appears to plagiarize Michelle Obama”
British Prime Minister Theresa May says she would be ready to allow a nuclear strike that can result in the deaths of 100,000 people.
May made the inflammatory remarks on Monday during a debate on whether to renew the country’s Trident nuclear program. Continue reading “May says ready to allow nuclear strike causing mass loss of life”
Katherine “Kate” Brown (born June 21, 1960) is an American politician who is the 38th and current Governor of the U.S. state ofOregon. Brown, a Democrat and an attorney, previously served as Oregon Secretary of State and as majority leader of the Oregon State Senate, where she represented portions of Milwaukie and of Northeast and Southeast Portland.
Brown lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband Dan Little. She has two stepchildren, Dylan and Jessie. She identifies as bisexual and is the country’s first openly bisexual statewide officeholder and first openly bisexual governor. Continue reading “Carpet Munching Communist”
New York Daily News – by Ryan Sit
A retired NYPD lieutenant was fatally shot by a SWAT team in New Jersey, the state attorney general and the man’s wife said on Monday.
Patrick Fennell, 57, was shot by the Ocean County Regional SWAT team after his wife Linda called police when she found him acting “strange” and drunkenly loading a revolver in the basement of their Sycamore Drive home in Little Egg Harbor Township around 6:20 p.m., according to a statement from Acting Attorney General Christopher Porrino’s office and Linda Fennell. Continue reading “New Jersey SWAT team fatally shoots retired NYPD cop after call from wife; details of his last moments in woods unknown”
The floor of the Republican National Convention erupted into chaos Monday amid an attempt by the Never Trump forces to change the rules of the event, but the efforts were defeated, thwarting the movement to stop the real estate mogul’s path to the nomination.
Delegates engaged in dueling chants of “roll call vote” and “USA” on the floor after the chair forced a voice vote, and judged that those who favored the existing rules prevailed. Colorado’s delegation even walked off of the floor in protest amid the chaos. Continue reading “Republican Convention Floor Erupts in Chaos as Never Trump Forces Thwarted”
CHARLOTTE, NC (Deon Roberts/The Charlotte Observer) –
Bank of America continues trimming its workforce, with recent cuts focusing on highly paid managerial positions, the Charlotte-based company disclosed Monday.
The bank eliminated 2,667 positions in the second quarter, the latest reductions as CEO Brian Moynihan remains focused on slashing expenses. Following the cuts, the bank has 210,516 employees, down by more than 6,100 from a year ago, the company announced in its second-quarter earnings report. Continue reading “Bank of America cuts more than 2,600 jobs”
Free Thought Project – by Claire Bernish
Two years have now elapsed since New York City Police Officer Daniel Pantaleo choked Eric Garner to death for the apparently egregious crime of selling loose cigarettes — but the only one facing any punishment for what many believe to be a cold-blooded murder is the man who filmed it.
“I can’t breathe,” Garner pleaded eleven times — caught on film by Ramsey Orta — though Pantaleo refused to release his grip on the man’s neck. Continue reading “2 Years Since Cops Killed Eric Garner — Only Person Punished So Far is the Man Who Filmed It”
End of American Dream – by Michael Snyder
What just happened in Turkey? I have been thinking about this for a number of hours now, and I have narrowed it down to two options. Either this was the worst military coup in my entire lifetime, or it was staged. I will explain how I came to this conclusion below, but in any event the end result of this “coup” is that President Erdogan is even more popular and has consolidated power to an extent that is absolutely breathtaking. He already was essentially a dictator, but now this “coup” has sealed Turkey’s fate and has pushed them even farther down the path toward becoming a radical Islamic state. Continue reading “The Worst (Fake?) Coup Ever Has Enthroned Erdogan As A Dictator And Has Sealed Turkey’s Fate”
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The Last Great Stand – by Voice of Reason
As the article below points out, with Hillary Clinton seeming more and more likely to be elected this November, one thing people should not be permitted to forget, so it’s incumbent upon those of us who know, to keep telling people about how time and time again, those who could have potentially threatened the success of the Clinton family, have died in unusual fashion. Continue reading “How Many Associates Suffered Mysterious Deaths Working For the Clintons?”
Activist Post – by Nicholas West
Google has received vast criticism for its Google Earth, Google Maps and Google Streetview systems that have essentially removed the inherent right to privacy and transferred it to the whim of corporate terms and conditions. However, this would seem to pale in comparison to what is being announced from the largest U.S. defense contractor, Lockheed Martin, working in tandem with commercial space imagery vendor, DigitalGlobe. Continue reading “U.S. Defense Contractor To Blanket Earth With New Surveillance Technology”
A federal judge on Monday rejected a plea agreement between U.S. prosecutors and former Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, who had pleaded guilty to lying to investigators in a federal corruption and civil rights probe.
U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson at a hearing in Los Angeles said the plea deal “understates the seriousness of the offense.” Continue reading “U.S. judge rejects plea deal for ex-L.A. sheriff who lied in probe”
Despite scorn from many in the financial industry, speculators buy gold as a store of value as central banks reduce interest rates below zero, effectively making money free for financial purposes.
The world’s central bankers may have started a revolution more radical than anything ever dreamed of by Karl Marx, and it’s far from clear where it will all end. Continue reading “The money revolution being perpetrated by the world’s central bankers”