From the Trenches World Report

East Bay Times – by Damin Esper

ALBANY –– A United States District Court judge in San Francisco issued a divided ruling this week on a portion of a case involving an Instagram account created by a former Albany High student that had several racist memes posted on it.

The lawsuits were filed on behalf of 10 students disciplined after the discovery of the account in March. The Albany Unified School District and several employees as well as district officials and an AUSD board member were the defendants.   Continue reading “Judge issues ruling on Albany High online posting lawsuits”

Free Thought Project – by Rachel Blevins

Courts in both Florida and Michigan have admitted that the dangerous early-morning raids conducted by SWAT teams searching for cannabis were completely unwarranted, and the overeager actions of the officers involved made their searches illegal.

In one case in Florida, Collier County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived at the home of Juan Falcon before 7 a.m. and within 20 seconds of knocking on the front door and announcing themselves, they broke down the door with a battering ram and threw two flash bang grenades inside the house. As a report from Reason noted, the purpose of the raid was to gain access to two dozen cannabis plants that were reportedly growing in Falcon’s backyard.   Continue reading “Paradigm Shift: State Courts Rule Police Raids Over Weed Were Illegal and Uncalled For”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

Update: The Senate tax plan roll vall vote which was widely expected to take place on Thursday evening, has been pushed back to 11am on Friday following the collapse of the “Trigger” compromise (discussed below) to win a majority for a Senate tax overhaul left Republicans scrambling to salvage the legislation, Bloomberg reports. While debate over the bill may continue into the evening, McConnell said. It’s unclear when the unlimited amendment vote series known as “vote-a-rama” would begin.   Continue reading ““A Potential Nightmare Scenario For The GOP”: Tax Vote Delayed To Friday; May Include $350BN In New Tax Hikes”

Reuters – by Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When conservative Christian baker Jack Phillips in 2012 politely but firmly told Colorado gay couple David Mullins and Charlie Craig he would not make them a cake to celebrate their wedding, it triggered a chain of events that will climax on Tuesday in highly anticipated U.S. Supreme Court arguments.

Phillips contends the U.S. Constitution’s free speech guarantees protect him from making a cake that would violate his religious beliefs against gay marriage. To Mullins and Craig, the baker’s refusal represented a simple case of unlawful discrimination based on sexual orientation.   Continue reading “Supreme Court’s cake case pits gay rights versus Christian faith”

USA Today – by Jessica Estepa

The Secret Service spent nearly $7,500 on golf cart rentals while President Trump was in at his private golf club Mar-a-Lago for Thanksgiving.

According to federal purchase orders flagged by progressive PAC American Bridge and reviewed by USA TODAY, the agency charged with protecting the president spent $7,470 on the rentals for Trump’s Florida golf outings.   Continue reading “Secret Service spent $7,500 on golf carts during Trump’s Thanksgiving Mar-a-Lago trip”

TASS

MOSCOW, November 29. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message of congratulations to his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the Kremlin reported on its website on Wednesday.

“Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the Middle East Quartet of international mediators, takes a principled stand in support of the realization of the Palestinians’ legitimate right to self-determination. We are in favor of a comprehensive and fair settlement in the Middle East on a solid international legal basis, including the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. It should result in the end of the Israeli occupation of the Arab lands that began in 1967 and the creation of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem,” the Russian head of state noted in his message of greetings.   Continue reading “Putin favors Palestinian state with capital in East Jerusalem”

The Sun – by Lauren Windle

AN IRANIAN woman has gone viral after claiming she’s had 50 surgeries in a bid to look like her idol Angelina Jolie.

Sahar Tabar claims to be one of the Tomb Raider actress’ biggest fans and has said she “would do anything” to emulate her.

The 19-year-old from Tehran underwent 50 surgeries in the space of just a few months, according to Belgian website Sud Info.   Continue reading “Teen ‘undergoes 50 surgeries’ in a bid to look like her idol Angelina Jolie”

My NBC 5 – by Liz Strzepa

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — There’s a new place to test your problem solving skills in Plattsburgh.

The Escape Room 60 is officially open at the Champlain Centre Mall.

The way it works? Teams of four to eight people are put in a themed room.  Continue reading “Escape Room opens in Plattsburgh”

Mercury News

SAN FRANCISCO — After nearly a week of deliberations, a jury of six men and six women found an undocumented immigrant accused of fatally shooting 32-year-old Kate Steinle two years ago at San Francisco’s Pier 14 not guilty of homicide.   Continue reading “Kate Steinle shooting: Jury acquits Jose Ines Garcia Zarate”

Fox News – by Gary Gastelu

We’re not sure if this car went over a river, but it looks like it took the woods with it.

Police in Sudbury, Mass., posted an image to Facebook of a car they stopped on the day after Thanksgiving with an enormous Christmas tree on its roof that appears to be poorly secured.

The unwrapped evergreen dwarfs the Mazda5 minivan it’s strapped to, hanging over the sides and the rear, blocking the windows and obscuring the license plate.   Continue reading “Massachusetts police stop car with massive Christmas tree on top”

Washington Examiner – by Anna Giaritelli

Current “chain migration” policies would allow an estimated 2 million immigrants to move to the United States in addition to the 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients if Congress legalizes the expiring program.

“If Congress were to pass an amnesty for people with DACA, it would ultimately result in 2 million new immigrants over time,” Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, told reporters in a Thursday panel discussion in Washington, D.C.   Continue reading “Legalizing DACA with current ‘chain migration’ policies would give green cards to additional 2 million foreigners”

The Daily Caller – by Eric Lieberman

Australian authorities upheld the firing of a man who allegedly used empty snack bags to block GPS tracking mandated by his employer.

The labor grievance commission in Australia ruled that Tom Colella, a 60-year-old electrician from Perth, rather resourcefully used the flexible food containers so he could leave work and play golf without anyone noticing, according to an official report. It’s believed he played a round of golf more than 140 times while he reported that he was working offsite for necessary repairs. NPR first reported the confirmation of his termination.   Continue reading “Man Blocked GPS Tracker With Chip Bags So His Bosses Wouldn’t Know He Was Out Golfing, Says Report”

The Weather Channel

A rare 4.1 magnitude earthquake struck Delaware Thursday, causing rumblings that were felt in other cities along the East Coast.

USGS geophysicist John Bellini told the Associated Press that any damages would be minimal.    Continue reading “Rare 4.1 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles East Coast”