Year: 2018

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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

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”

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”

Yahoo News

(Reuters) – U.S. immigration agents fanned out to nearly 100 7-Eleven convenience stores nationwide on Wednesday, arresting 21 people suspected of being in the country illegally and giving owners a tight deadline to prove other employees are authorized to work.

The operation was the largest worksite enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, since Republican President Donald Trump took office last January, agency spokeswoman Danielle Bennett said in an email.   Continue reading “U.S. immigration operation targets 7-Eleven stores in 17 states”

The Intercept – by Jake Johnston

AT 5 O’CLOCK on the morning of November 13, more than 200 Haitian police officers raided the Grand Ravine area of Port-au-Prince. There was a series of loud explosions, followed by gunfire. For the next six hours, the commotion didn’t stop. The neighborhood was under siege.

What had started as an anti-gang operation in a poor and largely forgotten neighborhood — in a poor and largely forgotten country — ended in the summary execution of innocent civilians on a school campus.   Continue reading “A U.N.-Backed Police Force Carried Out A Massacre In Haiti. The Killings Have Been Almost Entirely Ignored.”

CNN

The wide-ranging conversation between the three men touched on subjects ranging from recent government business to prostitutes.   Continue reading “Netanyahu’s son discusses gas deal, prostitutes in strip club recording”