From the Trenches World Report

Free Thought Project – by Rachel Blevins

Michigan has become the first state to ban the National Security Agency’s intrusive data collection practices by passing a law that prohibits law enforcement and state agencies from turning over personal data to the federal government without due process.

The Fourth Amendment Rights Protection Act, or HB4430, will go into effect next month after it passed the Michigan state legislature with overwhelming support and only one “no” vote.   Continue reading “State Sets Massive Precedent, Passes Law To Effectively Ban The NSA”

Reuters

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday was set to hold a series of meetings on how to combat school violence, three days after a 17-year-old killed 10 people in the fourth-deadliest mass shooting at a public school in modern U.S. history.

The attack at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, came a little more than three months after a 19-year-old shot dead 17 students and educators at a Florida high school. That incident intensified a long-running national debate about gun rights and sparked a student-led movement under the slogan #NeverAgain.   Continue reading “Texas Governor to hold talks on school violence after massacre”

CNN

In a victory for employers and the Trump administration, the Supreme Court on Monday said that employers could block employees from banding together as a class to fight legal disputes in employment arbitration agreements.

Justice Neil Gorsuch delivered the opinion for the 5-4 majority, his first major opinion since joining the court last spring and a demonstration of how the Senate Republicans’ move to keep liberal nominee Merrick Garland from being confirmed in 2016 has helped cement a conservative court.   Continue reading “Supreme Court sides with employers in class action arbitration cases”

Mercury News

BESSEMER CITY, N.C. (AP) — A man intentionally rammed a vehicle into a steak and seafood restaurant in North Carolina on Sunday, killing his daughter and daughter-in-law who had been seated at a table inside with other family members, police said.

The vehicle’s driver, Roger Self, was immediately arrested and the preliminary evidence indicates he purposely drove all the way into the Surf and Turf Lodge about noon, authorities said. Jail records show he’s been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his daughter, Katelyn Self, a deputy with the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office, and his daughter-in-law, Amanda Self, a nurse.  Continue reading “Police: Man rams SUV into restaurant, kills daughter, daughter-in-law”

RT

The blame for mass school shootings in America has fallen on some unlikely shoulders amid the ongoing gun control impasse. From Ritalin to Marilyn Manson, here are some of the most memorable factors blamed for school attacks.

Eight students and two teachers were shot dead at Santa Fe High School in Galveston, Texas on Friday; 17-year-old student Dimitrios Pagourtzis has been arrested over the mass shooting. Speaking about the attack, the National Rifle Association’s incoming president Oliver North condemned what he called America’s “culture of violence” and blamed Ritalin, the drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), for making children violent.   Continue reading “From Ritalin to Marilyn: Forget gun laws, what else is being blamed for mass shootings?”

Mail.com

SANTA FE, Texas (AP) — The graduating seniors of a Houston-area high school where 10 people were gunned down last week have had a terrifying insight into the world that awaits them, a district attorney prosecuting the capital murder case said at a ceremony in a packed church sanctuary.

Eight students and two substitute teachers were fatally shot Friday at Santa Fe High School. Jack Roady, the Galveston County district attorney, said the case presented the most deaths in one crime that he has ever faced. A 17-year-old suspect has been jailed on capital murder charges.   Continue reading “Texas school shooting survivors face a ‘spiritual war zone’”

Mail.com

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis’ reported comments to a gay man that “God made you like this” have been embraced by the LGBT community as another sign of Francis’ desire to make gay people feel welcomed and loved in the Catholic Church.

Juan Carlos Cruz, the main whistleblower in Chile’s clerical sex abuse and cover-up scandal, said Monday he spoke to Francis about his homosexuality during their recent meetings at the Vatican. The pope invited Cruz and other victims of a Chilean predator priest to discuss their cases last month.   Continue reading “LGBT community cheers pope’s ‘God made you like this’ remark”

Breitbart – by Trent Baker

Speaking Sunday on New York AM 970 radio’s “The Cats Roundtable,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) called for “more scrutiny” in regards to immigration.

Paul said employment-based immigration is a “good thing, but pointed out some immigrants need to be left on the “other side.”   Continue reading “GOP Sen Paul Calls for ‘More Scrutiny’ on Immigration”

The Organic Prepper

You know all those reports about how lots of Americans can’t afford a $1000 surprise expense like a medical bill or a car repair? Well, forget additional expenses. It turns out that nearly half of the families in America are struggling to pay for food and rent. And that means that the economic collapse isn’t just “coming.” It’s HERE.

United Way has done a study on a group of Americans they call ALICE: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. The study found that this group does not make the money needed “to survive in the modern economy.”   Continue reading “When 43% of Americans Can’t Pay for Food and Rent, We Can Safely Say the Economic Collapse Is HERE”

Cape Cod Today – by Cyndy Lane

Facial recognition tech during driver’s license photos? Are there any states that this will be implemented soon? What are the outcomes from this technology?

To thwart identity theft, facial recognition is used when obtaining driver’s licenses. Read on to find what this technology is and how your state is using it.   Continue reading “Facial Recognition Is Now A Part Of The Driver’s License Renewal Process. Here’s What That Means”

Beyond the Badge – by Joshua Scott Hotchkin

The public perception that criminals and cops are necessarily opposed is an inaccurate portrayal of the complex social dynamics between individuals and the police state.

“If you are against the police you must be a criminal.”   Continue reading “Being Against Policing Is Not Necessarily A Criminal Stance”

Free Thought Project – by Jack Burns

Yet another sex crime involving police officers has rocked the Los Angeles Police Department, and this time an officer was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a fellow officer’s 13-year-old daughter.

The assault took place on April 4 following a night out of drinking, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times. Kenneth Louis Collard, 51, was encouraged by his co-worker and fellow police officer to stay the night at said officer’s home rather than drive home drunk. Collard obliged, but some time during the night made his way into the daughter’s bedroom and reportedly assaulted the young child.   Continue reading “Cop Rapes Fellow Cop’s 13-Year-Old Daughter—Not Fired, Still Getting Paid”