Month: February 2017

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”

New York Daily News – by David Boroff

A murderous couple remains on the loose after killing three women and critically wounding another in two states over the last week, authorities say.

A multistate search enters its second week for William “Billy” Boyette, 44, and 37-year-old Mary Rice, who cops say most recently shot a young mother during a home invasion in Florida on Monday. Kayla Crocker, 28, of Pensacola was hospitalized in critical condition, according to the Pensacola News Journal.   Continue reading “Authorities in frantic search as couple kills three women, critically wounds another in Florida and Alabama”

The Hill – by Devin Henry

After a week of aggressively working to strip Obama administration rules off the books, House Republicans are lining up even more votes on regulations in the days ahead.

The House on Monday will begin the process of ending a Bureau of Land Management planning rule instituted in the closing days of Obama’s presidency.    Continue reading “Congress to vote on repealing BLM’s planning rule”

EAG News – by Victor Skinner

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – A Missouri middle school suspended a student who was pummeled on his school bus for wearing a Make America Great Again hat.

A video of the incident published by KMOV shows several students confronting 12-year-old Parkway School District student Gavin Cortina on a bus last Wednesday over of his red Make America Great Again hat.   Continue reading “Middle schooler beaten over wearing Trump hat — then suspended!”

Federal Trade Commission

VIZIO, Inc., one of the world’s largest manufacturers and sellers of internet-connected “smart” televisions, has agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission and the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General that it installed software on its TVs to collect viewing data on 11 million consumer TVs without consumers’ knowledge or consent.   Continue reading “VIZIO to Pay $2.2 Million to FTC, State of New Jersey to Settle Charges It Collected Viewing Histories on 11 Million Smart Televisions without Users’ Consent”

RT

US President Donald Trump’s pick for Labor Department head, Andrew Puzder, has admitted to employing an undocumented immigrant for years, an admission that has caused Cabinet nominees to withdraw in the past.

On Monday, Puzder, the CEO of CKE Restaurants (the company that owns the fast food restaurants Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr.), admitted to employing an undocumented worker as a housekeeper, according to a disclosure he made to the White House, the Huffington Post reported.   Continue reading “Trump’s Labor nominee admits to hiring undocumented worker”

Mail.com

JERUSALEM (AP) — A Palestinian Cabinet minister on Tuesday called on the international community to punish Israel for a contentious new law, just hours after the Israeli parliament adopted the bill to retroactively legalize thousands of West Bank settlement homes built unlawfully on private Palestinian land.

The explosive law, approved by lawmakers late on Monday, is the latest in a series of pro-settler steps taken by Israel’s hard-line government since the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president. It is expected to trigger international outrage and a flurry of lawsuits against the measure.   Continue reading “Palestinians ask world to punish Israel for settlement law”

Mail.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) — At $250 million, a new mega mansion in the exclusive Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles is the most expensive home listed in the United States. The passion project of developer and handbag tycoon Bruce Makowsky, the four-level, 38,000-square-foot mansion built on spec includes 12 bedroom suites, 21 bathrooms, five bars, three gourmet kitchens, a spa and an 85-foot infinity swimming pool with stunning views of Los Angeles. There’s also a 40-seat movie theater, a bowling alley, and a fleet of exotic and vintage cars worth $30 million.   Continue reading “At $250M, Los Angeles home most expensive listed in US”

Mail.com

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — An ex-convict who posted anti-Islamic rants online pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Monday for setting fire to a mosque that the Orlando nightclub shooter attended occasionally.

Joseph Schreiber, dressed in a burnt orange jumpsuit, his wrists and ankles shackled, pleaded no contest during Monday’s hearing before Circuit Judge Steven Levin. A no contest plea is treated the same as a guilty plea. Schreiber answered Levin’s questions in a clear, unwavering voice before sentencing. He was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution although damages exceeded $100,000. Because he was declared a habitual offender, he could have received a life sentence.   Continue reading “Suspect gets 30 years in Florida mosque fire”

Jon Rappoport

A highly respected, medal-winning climate scientist just wound up and threw a giant monkey wrench into global warming science.

His name? John Bates. His target? A recent fraudulent study that claimed the uncomfortable “pause” in warming was really no pause at all. That study, pretending warming had never stopped, was timed to help negotiating nations at the Climate Summit in Paris. It was timed to help them enact draconian economic measures to reduce warming.   Continue reading “Brand new elite whistleblower smashes global warming science”

Reuters

Israel passed a law on Monday retroactively legalizing about 4,000 settler homes built on privately owned Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, a measure that has drawn international concern.

The legislation has been condemned by Palestinians as a blow to their hopes of statehood. But its passage may only be largely symbolic as it contravenes Israeli Supreme Court rulings on property rights.   Continue reading “Israel legalizes settler homes on private Palestinian land”

Reuters

The U.S. Army secretary could make a decision on the final permit needed to complete the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline as soon as Friday, the government’s lawyer told a Washington, D.C., court on Monday.

The Army Corp of Engineers told the court it has submitted its recommendation to Robert Speer, the acting secretary of the Army, on whether it needs to complete a full environmental review before it can grant the final permit allowing work to start on a contested tunnel under a lake. The review was requested in December by former President Barack Obama.   Continue reading “U.S. could grant final permit for Dakota pipeline as soon as Friday: government lawyer”