From the Trenches World Report

The Baltimore Sun – by Collin Campbell

The Hammond High Bears got a visit from their mascot Wednesday.

A black bear sighting near the school in Columbia prompted officials to place the school on a modified lockdown — continuing classes as normal but keeping students, faculty and staff inside the building — just before noon, Howard County Public School System spokesman Brian Bassett said.   Continue reading “Black bear sighting prompts modified lockdown at Columbia high school (whose mascot just happens to be a bear)”

AMN

BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:40 P.M.) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday afternoon that he will take over the role as Defense Minister.

Netanyahu’s decision to take over as Defense Minister comes just two hours after Avigdor Lieberman announced his resignation from this role.   Continue reading “Netanyahu announces he will take over as Israeli Defense Minister”

Judicial Watch

(Washington, DC) –Judicial Watch announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ruled that within 30 days Hillary Clinton must answer under oath two additional questions about her controversial email system.

In 2016, Clinton was required to submit under oath written answers to Judicial Watch’s questions. Clinton objected to and refused to answer questions about the creation of her email system; her decision to use the system despite warnings from State Department cybersecurity officials; and the basis for her claim that the State Department had “90-95%” of her emails.   Continue reading “Federal Court Ordered Hillary Clinton to Answer Additional Email Questions Under Oath”

Fox News

A New Jersey couple and a homeless Philadelphia man who were once the symbol of generosity in hard times allegedly conspired with each other to come up with a false story to earn GoFundMe donations and will now face charges, according to a complaint obtained by NBC 10 Philadelphia.

The original story was this: Johnny Bobbitt, who was homeless, gave his last $20 to Kate McClure, a stranded motorist in Philadelphia in November last year, to help her get gas. To thank him, McClure, 28, and her boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, 39, created a GoFundMe account to raise funds for Bobbitt. Around 14,000 people donated to the campaign, which brought in more than $400,000 overall.   Continue reading “Homeless man, couple allegedly conspired to deceive GoFundMe funds: report”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

The co-author of a widely-cited global warming study has owned up to a major math error uncovered six days after its Oct. 31 publication by an independent scientist.

The study used a new method of measuring the ocean’s absorption of heat, and concluded – through incorrect math – that 60% more heat had been absorbed than previously thought.    Continue reading “Climate Scientists Admit To Major Math Error After Global Warming Study Debunked”

MassPrivateI

A recent article in Smart Cities Dive revealed that the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (DOT) will be partnering with Remix, Lime and Spin to create a mobility data standard for ride shares.

A ‘mobility data standard’ is just a fancy way of saying a real-time scooter and bicycle tracking standard.   Continue reading “National bike share data program allows DOT’s to identify scooter and bike share users in real-time”

The Atlantic – by Alexis C. Madrigal

As multiple devastating wildfires raged across California, a private firefighting crew reportedly helped save Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s home in Calabasas, TMZ reported this week. The successful defense of the $50 million mansion is the most prominent example of a trend that’s begun to receive national attention: for-hire firefighters protecting homes, usually on the payroll of an insurance company with a lot at risk.

Continue reading “Kim Kardashian’s Private Firefighters Expose America’s Fault Lines”

Gizmodo – by Rhett Jones

Customers of the Infowars store are getting scammed every day but this time it’s different. A security researcher discovered a form of malware embedded in the conspiracy site’s checkout process that records credit card details and transmits them to a remote server.

ZDNet interviewed Dutch security researcher Willem de Groot about his discovery of a strain of malware known as Magecart on the Infowars store. De Groot uses a custom-built malware scanner to monitor various websites for infections and he told ZDNet that he’s kept tabs on Infowars for three and a half years with no signs of foul play. Continue reading “Infowars Infected With Credit Card-Stealing Malware, Alex Jones Claims It’s a Conspiracy”

The Organic Prepper – by Meadow Clark

A self-driving car program, now known as Waymo, is about to quietly launch a fleet of paid rides in the world’s very first commercial driverless car service.

Imagine a world where you hail a cab and step into an empty vehicle. This empty car takes you to your destination while you sit in the back, read and swipe the app for payment.   Continue reading “Google’s Self-Driving Cars: The Big-Tech Takeover Continues”

9 News

Lloyd Bates worked in construction almost all his life.

That’s why it came as a surprise to his wife, Carol, when the day came that he couldn’t remember the basics of carpentry. Being that he’s blind in one eye and partially losing his hearing, she wrote most of Lloyd’s missteps off as aging.

“He couldn’t figure out how to put plugs in drywall. He couldn’t see to put them in,” Carol said. “I attributed a lot of what was happening to his inability to see.”   Continue reading “Should a family remove their guns after a dementia diagnosis? Here’s why this one did”

Daily Mail

Instead of opening their arms to welcome Amazon, some Queens residents are fearing a ‘Scamazon’.

After the Seattle-based retail giant announced plans to build part of its second headquarters in Long Island City, Queens, locals took to the street on Wednesday to decry to massive tax incentives New York offered to lure Amazon.   Continue reading “Fury at Amazon deal in which New York taxpayers PAY the company $61,200 per job”

Daily Mail

As a pediatrician-scientist who develops new vaccines for neglected diseases, I spent most of my career in the Boston-Washington, DC corridor.

While working in the Northeast, I had heard a few things about the anti-vaccine movement.

As both a vaccine scientist and a father-of-four, including a daughter diagnosed with autism and intellectual disabilities, I followed the emergence of doubt over vaccine safety in the general public.    Continue reading “The anti-vaxxer maps of America: Where states allow parents to opt-out for ‘personal belief’ reasons – and where the trend is taking hold”

American Mirror – by Victor Skinner

The first migrant caravan arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border this week to find a fortified Tijuana port of entry, and they’re now resting up at Airbnbs in upscale neighborhoods in Playas de Tijuana provided by their American attorneys.

Locals haven’t exactly greeted the group with open arms, according to Mexican journalist Jorge Nieto.   Continue reading “Tijuana Airbnbs ‘completely booked’ for caravaners — paid for by American attorneys”

FAIR – by Matthew O’Brien and Spencer Raley

At the end of 2016, the United Nations estimates that a record-setting 65.3 million people had been forcibly displaced from their homes due to conflict or persecution. Many of those people will seek refuge in the developed countries of the West, including the United States. Reflecting America’s long tradition of providing refuge to the oppressed, we have admitted over 3.5 million people since 1980 and 96,900 refugees just in the last year in 2016. Continue reading “The Fiscal Cost of Resettling Refugees in the United States”

WCAX 3 – by Neliana Ferraro

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) Migrant Justice is suing the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The group claims the two government agencies colluded to target Migrant Justice leaders, who are in the country illegally, because of their activism.

Our Neliana Ferraro has been sorting through the evidence submitted in federal court. Migrant Justice provided anecdotal evidence Wednesday and says it obtained public records to prove its members have been targeted. But ICE says it does not target people based on their free speech.   Continue reading “Migrant Justice sues Vt. DMV, ICE over detainment of member leaders”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

On Wednesday Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen visited soldiers at the border in Texas, sent by Trump to bolster US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents ahead of waves of migrants expected to come as part of the much hyped caravan, in numbers totaling nearly 6,000 active duty troops, according to the Washington Post.

During televised comments Mattis avoided identifying either the short or long term mission of the border deployment, but said “we’ll let you know” when one soldier asked whether the Army would be removing the miles of concertina wire troops have been erecting on border choke points considered weak or previously easy to breach. Another soldier bluntly asked Mattis precisely about official goals of the non-conventional mission, to which which he responded:   Continue reading “Mattis Tells Army Troops On Border: Ignore Media Hype Over The Mission, “You’ll Go Nuts””