From the Trenches World Report

RT

A three-month operation has resulted in the arrest of more than 2,300 suspected child sex offenders, including a Secret Service employee, the Justice Department has announced. The investigation also identified 383 abused children.

The nationwide operation, dubbed “Broken Heart,” ended in May. Conducted by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) taskforces working in all 50 states, the operation was carried out by more than 4,500 law enforcement agencies at federal, state, local and tribal levels.   Continue reading “US Secret Service employee among 2,300 suspected child sex offenders nabbed in nationwide operation”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department’s internal watchdog is expected to criticize the FBI’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, stepping into a political minefield while examining how a determinedly nonpartisan law enforcement agency came to be entangled in the 2016 presidential race.

The inspector general’s report, set for release Thursday afternoon, is expected to be painstakingly detailed and represents the culmination of an 18-month review into one of the most consequential FBI investigations in recent history.  Continue reading “Report on FBI actions in Clinton email case set for release”

Mail.com

DENVER (AP) — A fast-moving brush fire destroyed eight homes in the Utah tourist town of Moab, while more than 3,000 people in Colorado and Wyoming fled multiple wildfires scorching the drought-stricken U.S. West on Wednesday.

The blaze in Moab, known for its dramatic red rocks, started in a wooded area Tuesday night and quickly spread to homes over less than a square mile (kilometer), Police Chief Jim Winder said. Crews were extinguishing embers Wednesday.  Continue reading “‘Like dominoes’: Utah homes burn as wildfires menace US West”

Mail.com

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Californians will face a choice this November of whether to divide the nation’s most populous state into three, an effort that would radically shake up not only the West Coast, but the entire nation.

The “Cal 3” initiative is driven by venture capitalist Tim Draper, who has tried and failed in the past to place an effort to break up California on the ballot, including a bid in 2016 to create six separate states. Backers of the measure argue California has become “ungovernable” because of its economic and geographic diversity as well as its population approaching 40 million people.   Continue reading “Big hurdles for bold push to split California into 3 states”

Pew Pew Tactical

At this moment I have a safe full of nice and expensive rifles and handguns.  But…it is a shotgun that sits by the bed.

Why?

Because, per trigger pull, it delivers the most terminally devastating payload possible from a controllable, shoulder-fired firearm.   Continue reading “5 Best Home-Defense Tactical Shotguns”

Free Thought Project – by Jack Burns

Saskatoon, CA — A Saskatoon police K9, a three-year-old Belgian Malinois, reportedly wouldn’t let go of a 6-year-old after the dog attacked the little girl. Predictably, the Saskatoon police department is defending not only its dog but its handler. But if the script was flipped and the family’s dog had attacked the officer, one can bet the policeman would have killed the family dog right in front of its owners.   Continue reading “Police K9 Attacks, Seriously Injures 6-Year-old Girl as Witnesses Contradict Cop’s Story”

Common Dreams – by Jake Johnson

American defense contractors were practically drooling over the prospect of all-out war with North Korea as President Donald Trump was recklessly flinging “fire and fury” last year, but Tuesday’s summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to have dampened war profiteers’ dreams of yet another catastrophic U.S.-led military conflict—at least for now.

Demonstrating that even the slightest whiff of peace is enough to scare investors in America’s most profitable military contractors, USA Today reported on Tuesday that shares of Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and General Dynamics all “took a dive” as Trump and Kim signed a vague, non-binding agreement that is merely the first step toward a lasting diplomatic solution.   Continue reading “‘Peace Is Bad for Business’: War Profiteer Stocks Plummet After Diplomatic Progress With North Korea”

RT

An anonymous Reddit user claims to have cooked up part of his amputated leg and served it to a group of friends in a taco feast. The shocking revelation has been backed up with a series of stomach churning photos.

Reddit user IncrediblyShinyShart made the unimaginable admission in a thread entitled; ‘Hi all, I am a man who ate a portion of his own amputated leg. Ask me anything.’   Continue reading “‘I taste like buffalo’: Man cooks amputated leg into taco feast for friends”

Times of Israel

A lawmaker from the ruling Likud party said Wednesday that the “Jewish race” is the smartest in the world and possessing of the “highest human capital,” which is why, he said, the Israeli public did not buy into the allegations of wrongdoing by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

MK Miki Zohar made the comments during a radio debate with veteran political journalist Dan Margalit about the corruption investigations in which Netanyahu is either a suspect or has given testimony.   Continue reading “Israeli lawmaker proclaims supremacy of ‘Jewish race’”

The Hill

House Republicans unveiled a draft proposal this week that would place fines on states that block offshore gas and oil drilling.

The Republican draft proposal, first reported by The Washington Post, will be discussed at the Natural Resources Committee on Thursday.    Continue reading “Republicans propose penalties for states that oppose offshore drilling”

Daily Mail

Bitcoins incredible rise in value in the last 12 months has been down to massive market manipulation, a new study has revealed.

During the 2017 peak, which topped out at almost $20,000 (£15,000) per coin, traders were using a separate cryptocurrency called Tether to manipulate its value.

These actions, rather than real demand from investors, propped up the prices of Bitcoin when it was faltering and resulted in the currency’s meteoric rise.  Continue reading “Is Bitcoin a SCAM? Cryptocurrency’s huge price spike last year was caused by massive ‘market manipulation’, claims study”

NPR

If you take Prilosec or Zantac for acid reflux, a beta blocker for high blood pressure, or Xanax for anxiety, you may be increasing your risk of depression.

More than 200 common medications sold in the U.S. include depression as a potential side effect. Sometimes, the risk stems from taking several drugs at the same time. Now, a new study finds people who take these medicines are, in fact, more likely to be depressed.  Continue reading “1 In 3 Adults In The U.S. Takes Medications Linked To Depression”

Reason – by J.D. Tuccille

What’s a politician to do when it’s clear that people will vigorously resist attempts to restrict their lives? Well, you could empower government officials to arbitrarily punish anybody who might help them exercise their freedom. That’s the approach favored by three Democratic members of Congress, who appear to see the path to limiting private firearms ownership in harassing gun dealers and subjecting them to the whims of government officials.

Not that they’re the only legislators to wield regulations as bludgeons, but it’s always a lousy idea.   Continue reading “Unable to Ban Guns, Lawmakers Want to Weaponize the ATF Against Gun Dealers”

KIRO 7 News

DENVER (AP) – The U.S. Army resumed destroying obsolete chemical weapons at a Colorado depot after a nine-month shutdown for repairs, officials said Wednesday.

The highly automated, $4.5 billion plant at the Pueblo Chemical Depot began a gradual restart this week. It could take 60 days to return to full operation, site manager Greg Mohrman said.   Continue reading “US resumes destroying obsolete chemical weapons in Colorado”