From the Trenches World Report

Russia Insider – by Patrick Lang

If Presidents Trump and Putin do meet sometime in July in Europe (a July 15 meeting in Austria is under negotiation), one certain topic for discussion and negotiation will be Syria and the ongoing threat of a war between Israel and Iran.

While I am told that there is no agreement at present between the US and Russia, the elements of a deal are clearly being pursued.  Consider the following developments over the past several days: Over the weekend of 23-24 June, Russian planes began providing air support to Syrian Arab Army forces moving to take back territory south of Damascus. Russia has been pressing Iran and Hezbollah to stay out of southern Syria, to avert continuing Israeli air strikes there.
Continue reading “Trump Is Working on an Israel-Palestine ‘Deal of the Century’ and Needs Putin’s Cooperation”

Gunpowder Magazine – by Ted Patterson

“Extreme Risk Prevention Orders” (ERPOs) are popping up across the nation right now. Some states, like Florida and Maryland, have already passed these back-door gun control laws, while many other states are considering them.

ERPOs, also known as “red flag” gun confiscation laws, are pitched as a way to get guns out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves or others. In the aftermath of several school shootings this year, policy makers are considering how to keep guns out of the hands of individuals considered to be “high risk.”   Continue reading “Four Scary Facts Gun Owners Need to Know about Red Flag Gun Confiscation Bills”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

It’s not just Trump who is concerned about the level of the S&P as a result of escalating trade war with China: it appears that China is growing worried as well, and for good reason – as we noted earlier, the Shanghai Composite already tumbled to a bear market from its highs 6 months ago, a drop which comes at a very precarious time for China whose economy is slowing amid an aggressive deleveraging campaign, corporate defaults are rising, and the all important credit impulse is waning.   Continue reading “Leaked Note By Chinese Think Tank Warns Of Potential “Financial Panic””

PAN

Continue reading “Tell USDA we need real GE labeling”

The Organic Prepper

You can still prep even if you don’t have a lot of money to spare. Here’s a list we brainstormed over in Prep Club, our Facebook group, of items that can be purchased for a dollar or less.

Some of these things can be found at stores like WalMart while others will be at your local dollar store. Remember that often the quality of one dollar items will not be as high as the more expensive ones, while other times it won’t matter at all. When I get dry foods from the dollar store, I always pop it in the freezer for a few days to kill off any larvae that could be lurking.   Continue reading “100+ Preps You Can Get for $1”

WTAE

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy is retiring.

That will give President Donald Trump the chance to cement conservative control of the high court.   Continue reading “Supreme Court Justice Kennedy announces retirement”

Fox News

A sprawling, compromise GOP immigration bill that would have provided a path to citizenship for young illegal immigrants while directing $25 billion for the construction of President Trump’s border wall failed in the House on Wednesday, despite encouragement from the president for Republicans to support it.

The bill was overwhelmingly rejected 301-121, in part because some Republicans are reluctant to vote for any bill they worry could be portrayed as “amnesty.”  Continue reading “GOP compromise immigration bill defeated on House floor”

Adirondack Daily Enterprise

WHALLONSBURG — Some refugees have come from as far away as California.

At the north end of Roxham Road, where those seeking new lives cross into Canada on foot, Janet McFetridge met a doctor and his family from El Salvador.

In another case, the Champlain woman told the audience at a recent event at the Whallonsburg Grange, the children were dressed in party clothes but had no coats to protect them from the 15-degree temperatures.  Continue reading “Volunteer group aids migrants fleeing to Canada”

ABC News

President Donald Trump shifted away from a proposal to impose limits on Chinese investment in American technology companies and high-tech exports to China on Wednesday, choosing instead to call upon Congress to strengthen an existing review process.

The announcement followed intense internal battles over the issue and reports of impending bans on Chinese investment that had sent financial markets into a nose dive at the beginning of the week.   Continue reading “Trump backs off imposing China investment limits”

RT

OPEC leader Saudi Arabia is set to increase oil production to a record 10.8 million barrels per day (bpd) in July, Bloomberg reports.

This is a significant rise from 10.03 million bpd in May. That would surpass the previous high of 10.72 million in November 2016, according to Bloomberg.  Continue reading “Saudi Arabia to boost oil production to record high – report”

RT

The Trump administration is going to extreme lengths to disrupt as much oil from Iran as possible, and the implications for the oil market could be severe.

When the Obama administration sought to isolate Iran, it built an international coalition, put in place tight sanctions, and tried to curtail Iran’s oil exports. It worked, knocking around 1 million barrels per day offline. Still, the Obama administration granted leeway to an array of countries that depended on Iranian oil, including India, Japan and much of the EU, by granting them exemptions from sanctions as long as they did their best to reduce purchases.   Continue reading “Oil jumps as Trump asks allies to cut off Iranian oil”

Mail.com

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling upholding President Donald Trump’s travel ban may have a silver lining for people fighting other administration immigration policies after the 5-4 majority ruled that the president’s prior comments about Muslims were not off limits when evaluating the ban, legal experts said.

Trump — a prolific Twitter user— has had his words turned against him in lawsuits over his administration’s decisions to separate families at the border, end legal protections for young immigrants and revoke temporary status for people from particular countries.  Continue reading “Experts: Travel ruling could boost other immigration suits”

Mail.com

EAST PITTSBURGH, Pa. (AP) — A white police officer was charged Wednesday with homicide in the shooting of an unarmed black teenager who fled a traffic stop last week, and investigators said the officer gave inconsistent statements about whether he saw a gun in the teen’s hand.

East Pittsburgh officer Michael Rosfeld first told investigators that the teen turned his hand toward him when he ran from the car and he “saw something dark he perceived as a gun,” according to the criminal complaint.   Continue reading “Officer charged with homicide in shooting of black teen”

JTA – by Rob Gloster

SAN FRANCISCO (J. The Jewish News of Northern California via JTA) — Breaking religious barriers is nothing new for Rabbi Daniel Lehmann.

Ordained at New York’s Yeshiva University, the flagship of Modern Orthodoxy, he most recently was president of Hebrew College near Boston, which is devoted to pluralistic Jewish education. During his tenure, Hebrew College became the first non-Christian member of the Boston Theological Institute, a consortium of nine graduate schools of theology.   Continue reading “Orthodox-trained rabbi makes history as head of a mostly Christian theology center”

News Observer

North Carolina will start offering an unusual escape clause for the thousands of North Carolina residents who complain that Duke Energy’s two-way communication utility meters give them headaches, ear-ringing and a case of the “brain fog.”

Residents who say they suffer from acute sensitivity to radio-frequency waves can say no to Duke’s smart meters — as long as they have a notarized doctor’s note to attest to their rare condition.   Continue reading “You can say no to Duke Energy’s wireless meter. But you’ll need a doctor’s note.”