Year: 2017

UPI

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 (UPI) — House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said a deportation force to remove millions of undocumented immigrants under President-elect Donald Trump‘s administration is “not happening.”

Ryan made the comment during a CNN town hall event on Thursday after he was confronted by Angelica Villalobos, an undocumented woman from Oklahoma who is protected from deportation under President Barack Obama‘s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.   Continue reading “Paul Ryan: Trump mass deportations “not happening””

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

“It doesn’t make sense to can the general in the middle of an active deployment,” rages D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) after Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz, who heads the D.C. National Guard and is an integral part of overseeing the inauguration, has been ordered removed from command effective Jan. 20, 12:01 p.m., just as Donald Trump is sworn in as president.   Continue reading “D.C. National Guard Chief Fired Days Before Trump Inauguration: “The Timing Is Extremely Unusual””

Press TV

Two US senators have introduced legislation to withdraw funding for the United Nations over last month’s resolution condemning Israeli settlement construction on the occupied Palestinian territories.

The bill, called the Safeguard Israel Act, was presented Thursday by Republican senators Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz, and would cut off funding for the UN until the US president confirms the repeal of the Security Council Resolution 2334 that called Israel’s settlements a violation of international law.   Continue reading “Senate bill proposes to defund UN over Israel settlement vote”

The Daily Sheeple – by Melissa Dykes

While most people are aware of Obama’s response to Russia and the “punishment” he doled out over the still-yet-unproven election hacking allegations, this part of it come as a bit of a surprise.

In order to do so, Obama used Executive Order (EO) 13964 titled “Blocking the Property of Certain Persons Engaging in Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities” for the first time. He issued the original EO back in April 2015, which laid out 16 sectors that will now officially be considered “critical infrastructure”.   Continue reading “Obama Used His New Executive Order For The First Time, Officially Classified US Election System As “Critical Infrastructure””

The Anti-Media – by Josey Wales

Washington, D.C. – The Obama administration just handed even more power to the incoming Trump administration to invade the privacy of American citizens. The recent approval of new procedures for an existing executive order will allow the NSA to share the private data it collects with all 16 agencies of the United States intelligence community. The 23-page outline of the new procedures lifts previous limits placed on the way information was filtered before being disseminated to individual agencies.

“As he hands the White House to Trump, Obama just unchained NSA from basic limits on passing raw intercepts to others,” NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden tweeted Thursday.   Continue reading “Going Away Gift: Obama Just Expanded Surveillance Powers For Donald Trump”

Reuters

Chicago’s police routinely used excessive force, tolerated racially discriminatory conduct and often maintained a “code of silence” among officers to thwart investigations into misconduct, federal officials said in a blistering report released on Friday.

The U.S. Department of Justice civil rights probe began in December 2015 following the release of video footage showing Laquan McDonald, a black teenager, being fatally shot by white police officer Jason Van Dyke. The video’s release sparked several days of protests and led to the ouster of Chicago’s police chief and calls for Mayor Rahm Emanuel to resign.   Continue reading “U.S. Justice Department blasts Chicago police over excessive force”

NPR

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated the rusty patched bumblebee an endangered species — the first such designation for a bumblebee and for a bee species in the continental U.S.

The protected status, which goes into effect on Feb. 10, includes requirements for federal protections and the development of a recovery plan. It also means that states with habitats for this species are eligible for federal funds.   Continue reading “U.S. Puts Bumblebee On The Endangered Species List For 1st Time”

Reuters

International investigators have said for the first time that they suspect President Bashar al-Assad and his brother are responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, according to a document seen by Reuters.

A joint inquiry for the United Nations and global watchdog the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had previously identified only military units and did not name any commanders or officials.   Continue reading “Assad linked to Syrian chemical attacks for first time”

Free Thought Project – by Claire Bernish

Evincing the West’s alarming push toward authoritarian nationalism, a Mississippi lawmaker has now sponsored a bill to fine any school $1,500 for failing to make students recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag within the first hour of classes every day.

State Representative William Shirley apparently deigns the matter so critical to children’s schooling, as the Sun Herald reports, he’s seeking to amend the 1972 Mississippi code dictating treatment of the U.S. flag on school grounds and guidelines regarding the Pledge of Allegiance to include a $1,500 penalty for errant schools.   Continue reading “State Law Will Fine Schools $1,500 if They Fail to Force 100% of Students to Say Pledge”

Sent to me by Fastwalker.

Patheos – by Mark Meckler, June 23, 2016

So many people cave in and bend over backwards to accommodate the most ridiculous requests of federal and state governments, but this story is a reminder of how we all should respond when bureaucrats come knocking at our doors.   Continue reading “Oregon rancher receives government request to survey his property – read his brilliant response”

Activist Post – by John Vibes

The unlucky Friday the 13th is one of the most well-recognized superstitions in the Western world. This tradition is over 700 years old and has a very interesting origin. During the 12th century, there was a massive religious war that consumed most of Europe and Asia. Europeans referred to these times as “the crusades.” This war lasted centuries and allowed an elite class of knights to accumulate so much power and wealth that their influence rivaled both the monarchy and the church. The Knights of the Temple of Solomon, or more commonly known as “The Knights Templar” were the most influential political force of their time. They were the world’s first international bankers and were the corporate giant of the Middle Ages.   Continue reading “The Hidden History Of Corruption Behind Friday The 13th”

BBC News

Syria has accused Israel of bombarding an area west of Damascus, with reports of a military airport being hit.

State television quoted the army as saying several rockets landed in the airport compound in Mezzeh, Reuters news agency reports.

It remains unclear if the alleged bombardment, which caused fires, has caused any casualties.   Continue reading “Syria accuses Israel of bombardment”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

Just hours after NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden urged President Obama to “save [Chelsea Manning’s] life by granting her clemency,” Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange says he will agree to be extradited to the United States if the president grants clemency to the former US soldier Chelsea Manning, who is currently serving a 35-year sentence for leaking documents.   Continue reading “Assange Agrees To Extradition If Obama Grants Chelsea Manning Clemency”

ArsTecnica – by Joe Mullen

President-elect Donald Trump is just a week away from taking office. From the start of his campaign, he has promised big changes to the US immigration system. For both Trump’s advisers and members of Congress, the H-1B visa program, which allows many foreign workers to fill technology jobs, is a particular focus.

One major change to that system is already under discussion: making it harder for companies to use H-1B workers to replace Americans by simply giving the foreign workers a raise. The “Protect and Grow American Jobs Act,” introduced last week by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. and Scott Peters, D-Calif., would significantly raise the wages of workers who get H-1B visas. If the bill becomes law, the minimum wage paid to H-1B workers would rise to at least $100,000 annually, and be adjusted it for inflation. Right now, the minimum is $60,000.   Continue reading “Congress will consider proposal to raise H-1B minimum wage to $100,000”

SF Gate – by Michael Bodley

A white powder that fell from an air vent in the galley of an Alaska Airlines plane from Seattle that went on to land at San Jose International Airport Thursday night triggered a hazardous material response team to sweep through the plane when it landed, a spokeswoman said.

Two flight attendants on Flight 322, which departed Seattle just before 5 p.m., reported feeling ill after the powder intermittently sprinkled down from an air vent in the galley at the front of the plane, said the spokeswoman, Ann Zaninovich.   Continue reading “Powder falling inside SJ-bound plane triggers haz-mat response”