From the Trenches World Report

Global Research – by Mark Karlin

In the October 30 edition of the New Yorker, reporter Patrick Radden Keefe writes a thorough examination of the role of one pharmaceutical company, Purdue Pharma, in abetting the high number of deaths due to opioid overdoses in the United States. The connection is through the firm’s patent on one highly addictive pain killer, OxyContin. Although there are many factors that fuel the opioid crisis in the United States — including social injustice and economic inequality issues — Keefe’s thoroughly researched article is a telling reminder that the biggest drug pushers in the United States are legal ones: our pharmaceutical companies.  Continue reading “Pharmaceutical Firm Makes Billions by Fueling Opioid Crisis”

AM New York – by Matthew Chayes

More cops, more bomb-sniffing dogs and more police snipers than ever are being deployed by the NYPD for New Year’s Eve to protect the 2 million spectators expected to cram Times Square to usher in 2018, department leaders said Thursday.

NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said counterterrorism planners are heeding lessons from recent terrorist attacks, including three in Manhattan since September 2016.

“People will be safe,” O’Neill said, “and they should feel safe, too.”   Continue reading “New Year’s Eve in Times Square to have unprecedented security, NYPD says”

The Oregonian – by Gordon R Freidman

The Oregon Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld a decision by Oregon’s labor commissioner that forced two Gresham bakers to pay $135,000 to a lesbian couple for whom the bakers refused to make a wedding cake.

Melissa and Aaron Klein made national headlines in 2013 when they refused to bake a cake for Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer, citing their Christian beliefs. The Bowman-Cryers complained to the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, saying they had been refused service because of their sexual orientation.   Continue reading “Appeals court upholds fine against Christian bakers who refused to make same-sex wedding cake”

The Jerusalem Post – by Amy Spiro

An extension pack in the popular party game Cards Against Humanity has drawn the ire of customers, and Target said it was pulling it from its shelves on Thursday.

The original game, which has been around since 2011, is designed specifically to be offensive. Players match cards to different categories and questions, to create shocking and humorous combinations. A variety of specialty-themed extension packs are available on all sorts of topics, including science, food and weed. But the extension designed for Jewish audiences made waves on Twitter on Thursday for some questionable content.   Continue reading “Target apologizes for offensive Jewish-themed game”

Page Six – by Emily Smith

NBC has issued strict new anti-sexual harassment rules to employees — including that staffers must snitch on any misbehaving colleagues — in the wake of the firing of disgraced “Today” show host Matt Lauer.

A source tells Page Six that NBC employees have been ordered to report any inappropriate relationships in the workplace — and if they fail to do so, they could be fired for covering up for colleagues.   Continue reading “NBC orders staff to rat out misbehaving colleagues or be fired”

Express – by Mark Chandler

West Midlands MEP Bill Etheridge said the suggestion of a team comprising EU members was the subject of “serious” debate behind closed doors in Brussels and Strasbourg.

The UKIP MEP said Brussels chiefs would like like an EU team enter the 2036 Games, the 100th anniversary of the Berlin tournament, which was opened by Adolf Hitler.

Mr Etheridge said the move was out the latest attempt by EU leaders to “destroy national identity”.   Continue reading “United States of EUROPE: Shock claim EU plans own OLYMPIC TEAM to ‘destroy national ID’”

WESA 90.5

A pilot program to provide skill-building career services to immigrants is launching at seven Pittsburgh organizations. These include resettlement agencies, the Allegheny County Library Association and the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council.

The program, which is free to participants, was designed by Upwardly Global, a national organization that helps skilled immigrants rebuild their professional careers in the U.S. The local groups participating already have immigrant support programs in place, and the online resource will be supplemental.   Continue reading “Pilot Program Will Help Pittsburgh’s Immigrant Population Rebuild Careers In U.S.”

WESA 90.5

Most drivers who hit roadkill leave the carcass on the ground, but several thousand Pennsylvanians in 2017 wanted to make the dead animal their next meal.

As of mid-December, the Pennsylvania Game Commission had received more than 3,300 inquiries from drivers seeking a permit to eat roadkill, spokesperson Travis Lau said.

“Those are valuable food sources,” he said. “And it is a valuable use of our wildlife resource to allow that animal that’s been killed to now get to somebody who might be in need or who otherwise wants it for food.”   Continue reading “More Than 3K Pennsylvanians Requested Permits To Eat Roadkill This Year”

American Free Press – by Dave Gahary

TAVARES, Fla.—As the five-year anniversary of one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history approached, this small city in central Florida—located 1,144 miles from Newtown, Conn.—recently played host to the ongoing drama around whether or not the Dec. 14, 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took place as the government says it did.

Wolfgang W. Halbig, who is convinced no children were killed at Sandy Hook, prevailed in a lawsuit brought against him by the father—Leonard Pozner—of one of the children murdered by 20-year-old Adam Lanza. Halbig achieved mass notoriety when an interview that this reporter had conducted with him revealed that Halbig had been visited by two homicide detectives from his local sheriff’s office, who asked him to stop asking questions about the shooting.   Continue reading “Tenacious Sandy Hook Researcher Wins One in Court”

Activist Post – by Derrick Broze

The Trump admin is now facing legal challenges demanding the release of details related to the secret kill list and rules which allow for the assassination of American citizens. 

On December 22 the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in an attempt to force the release of newly established rules related to the U.S. military’s secret program of killing. The program was established during the Obama Administration and now expanded under Donald Trump. Recent reports from the New York Times(1, 2) allude to the fact that the Trump administration is loosening the already flimsy protections established by the Obama admin. These protections were reportedly put in place to minimize injury and deaths of civilians.   Continue reading “Lawsuit Seeks to Force Disclosure of Trump Administration’s Secret Kill List”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

One month after we reported that Israel would take the unprecedented step of sharing intelligence with Saudi Arabia as the two countries ramped up efforts to curb what they perceive as “Iranian expansion” in the region, on Thursday Israel’s Channel 10 reported that Israel has also pivoted to the US and reached a similar plan to counter Iranian activity in the Middle East. As Axios adds, U.S. and Israeli officials said the joint understandings were reached in “a secret meeting” between senior Israeli and U.S. delegations at the White House on December 12th.  Continue reading “US And Israel Reach “Secret Plan” To Counter Iran”