Reuters – by Brian Grow

Part 8: Former workers describe troubling practices at this mortuary-body broker, including allegations of deceptive marketing and an account of how gold dental work was removed from corpses and sold. Authorities are now investigating.

MONTROSE, Colorado – The Federal Bureau of Investigation is interviewing former employees of a funeral home whose owner runs a side business on the same premises selling human body parts.   Continue reading “FBI scrutinizes funeral home running a side business: selling human body parts”

Middle East Eye

American comedian Jerry Seinfeld visited an Israeli “counter-terror” security training academy in the occupied West Bank with his family last week, and Palestinian and human rights activists didn’t find it funny.

The star of the celebrated sitcom Seinfeld drew condemnation for posing with Israeli trainers at the Caliber 3 academy near the illegal settlement of Efrat, south of Bethlehem.    Continue reading “‘Not funny’: Jerry Seinfeld slammed for visit to Israeli-run ‘anti-terror’ camp”

Fox News

Internationally renowned musician Seal trashed Oprah Winfrey on social media just days after her widely praised speech at the Golden Globe Awards on sexual misconduct in Hollywood, calling her a “part of the problem for decades.”

In a fiery Instagram post Wednesday, Seal republished a pair of photos of Winfrey with disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, including one in which she appears to be kissing the producer’s cheek. Overlayed on the photos, in all-caps, is the text: “When you have been part of the problem for decades, but suddenly they all think you are the solution.”   Continue reading “Seal calls out Oprah Winfrey for hypocrisy, calls her ‘part of the problem’”

Potomac Local

RICHMOND – A month after the fury over what many drivers considered excessive tolls on Interstate 66, Secretary of Transportation Aubrey Layne defended the tolls, saying they are necessary for increasing the flow of traffic on the highway in Northern Virginia.

The tolls, which vary based on demand and amount of traffic, have reached as high as $44 for a 10-mile drive since they were implemented on Dec. 4.  Continue reading “It was a choice to pay those high tolls on I-66, says state transportation chief”

The Organic Prepper – by J.G. Martinez D

Today we welcome back our friend Jose, who wrote the awesome article about Christmas in Venezuela. It was so well-received that I invited him back to do a recurring series. In this piece, he begins telling us the story about how his country started the slide into a slow-motion collapse. Jose is a heck of a storyteller and he leaves us hanging at the end, but don’t worry, Part 2 is coming soon! ~ Daisy   Continue reading “How the Collapse of Venezuela Really Happened: Part 1”

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The Hill – by Rebecca Savransky

White House aide Kellyanne Conway said late Wednesday President Trump“discovered” there doesn’t need to be a “physical wall” along the country’s entire southern border.

“What’s true is that after conferring with the experts who are involved in this process…the president discovered that part of it will be, he knows, part of it will be the physical wall, part of it is better technology, part of it is also fencing,” Conway said during an interview on CNN.   Continue reading “Conway: Trump ‘discovered’ there doesn’t need to be ‘physical wall’ along entire border”

Salon – by Phillip Smith, AlterNet

A Tennessee judge has taken the questionable logic of drug courts to a ridiculous and punitive extreme by jailing drug court participants for having smoked cigarettes.

That’s right, Hamilton County Drug Court Judge Tom Greenholtz has taken it upon himself to punish people under his supervision for using a legal substance because he thinks doing so will give them a “better chance at life.”

Continue reading “Tennessee Judge is Arresting People For Smoking Cigarettes”

Think Progress – by Luke Barnes

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) spent millions of dollars over the past financial year to contract private debt collectors that targeted some of Americas poorest citizens for unpaid taxes and only recovered a small fraction of the funds they were supposed to return to the agency, a new report released on Wednesday found.

The report, by the independent Taxpayer Advocate Service, found that the debt collectors had cost the IRS $20 million but had only brought in $6.7 million — less than one percent of the total amount targeted for collection. In some cases, the private agencies received commissions for work they hadn’t actually carried out.   Continue reading “IRS paid private debt collectors $20 million to recoup $6.7 million from low-income Americans”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

The largest search engine in the world is now relying on hyper-partisan “fact checking” organizations such as Snopes and Politifact to provide disclaimers on articles primarily from conservative websites.

The Daily Caller’s Eric Lieberman notes:    Continue reading “Google’s Fact-Check Feature Targets Conservative Sites”

Bloomberg – by Romy Varghese

California Governor Jerry Brown said legal rulings may clear the way for making cuts to public pension benefits, which would go against long-standing assumptions and potentially provide financial relief to the state and its local governments.

Brown said he has a “hunch” the courts would “modify” the so-called California rule, which holds that benefits promised to public employees can’t be rolled back. The state’s Supreme Court is set to hear a case in which lower courts ruled that reductions to pensions are permissible if the payments remain “reasonable” for workers.   Continue reading “California’s Brown Raises Prospect of Pension Cuts in Downturn”

The Hill – by Max Greenwood

The White House on Wednesday called for the Iranian government to end its crackdown on widespread demonstrations and release thousands of protesters who have reportedly been jailed in recent weeks.

In a statement, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that the Trump administration is “deeply concerned” by reports that thousands of peaceful protesters have been arrested amid massive anti-government protests, and called other reports that some prisoners had been tortured or killed “even more disturbing.”   Continue reading “White House calls for Iran to release ‘political prisoners’ amid protest crackdown”

ABC News

In a major policy shift that could affect millions of low-income people, the Trump administration said Thursday it is offering a path for states that want to seek work requirements on Medicaid recipients.

Seema Verma, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said work and community involvement can make a positive difference in people’s lives and in their health. Still, the plan probably will face strong political opposition and even legal challenges over concerns people would lose coverage.   Continue reading “Major shift as Trump opens way for Medicaid work requirement”

AlterNet – by Kali Halloway

Justice in this country has always been for the privileged. The nation’s criminal courts are particularly punitive toward those who are too poor to afford bail, represented by overworked public defenders or simply not rich enough to mount an “affluenza” defense. From arrest to conviction, wealth and whiteness are precious assets for any defendant in a system that favors both. Numerous jurisdictions profit off fines and fees that nickel and dime the poor into debtors’ prisons. And then there are Southern California’s “pay-to-stay” jails, which offer more monied inmates nicer accommodations in exchange for cash.   Continue reading “In America, Prisoners with Money Can Pay Their Way to a Nicer Stay”

AlterNet – by Brad Reed

Paula White, a prosperity gospel minister who has often served as a spiritual adviser for President Donald Trump, has regularly drawn criticism from conservative Evangelicals for preaching what they consider to be “heretical” teachings that warp the divine message of the Gospel.

Now White is raising eyebrows with a new scheme that involves asking her followers to send her up to a full month’s salary — or else face “consequences.”   Continue reading “Scamming Trump Pastor Demands One Month’s Salary From Followers”

RT

Donald Trump has not only continued his predecessor’s crackdown on whistleblowers, but ramped up the effort, John Kiriakou told RT. He said Julian Assange should sit tight unless he wants to end up in a US jail.

Hopes that WikiLeaks co-founder Assange will be able to walk free from the Ecuadorian embassy after five years of effective imprisonment have reemerged amid reports he has been granted an ID card, and potentially citizenship, by the Latin American country on Wednesday.   Continue reading “‘Trump intensified war on whistleblowers, wants Assange’s head on a platter’ – ex-CIA officer to RT”

RT

In order to quell rumors spread on social media, the North Little Rock Police Department has released disturbing dashcam footage that shows 17-year-old Charles Smith firing a gun at officers before being shot dead.

During a Wednesday press conference, North Little Rock Police Chief Mike Davis said it was necessary to release footage of the shooting in order to clear up a “great deal of misinformation” that was being spread on social media.   Continue reading “Graphic video shows suspect firing on Arkansas police before fatal shooting”

IB Times – by David Sirota, Josh Keefe

The Trump administration has waived part of the punishment for five megabanks whose affiliates were convicted and fined for manipulating global interest rates. One of the Trump administration waivers was granted to Deutsche Bank — which is owed at least $130 million by President Donald Trump and his business empire, and has also been fined for its role in a Russian money laundering scheme.   Continue reading “Trump Waives Punishment For Convicted Banks, Including Deutsche – Which Trump Owes Millions”

KTLA 5 News

The San Antonio, Texas, police chief’s decision to release a dozen undocumented immigrants discovered in a tractor trailer has spurred demands by the local police association that the chief be put on leave while his actions are investigated.

At least one expert, however, says that though there are unusual aspects to the case, it doesn’t appear Chief Bill McManus did anything inappropriate by releasing the immigrants to the local Catholic Charities last month.   Continue reading “San Antonio Police Chief Under Fire After Releasing a Dozen Undocumented Immigrants to Charity”

The Daily Sheeple – by Alex Thomas

In a shocking admission of a fact that many on the right have openly worried about for years, the liberal Center For American Progress Action Fund had admitted that illegal immigrants brought here at a young age are a “critical component” for future Democratic Party electoral success.

You read that right. The Democratic Party is now admitting that their support for so-called Dreamers is in large part because of their belief that the vast majority would vote almost exclusively liberal.   Continue reading “Shock Memo: Democrats Admit That They Need Illegal Immigrants To Win Elections, Plan To Use Foreigners To Influence American Election Outcomes”