From the Trenches World Report

RT

Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government to approve legislation making the ruble the main currency of exchange at all Russian seaports by next year, according to the Kremlin website.

To protect the interests of stevedoring companies with foreign currency obligations, the government was instructed to set a transition period before switching to ruble settlements.  Continue reading “Putin orders to end trade in US dollars at Russian seaports”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans expressed growing hope Monday for a final push to scuttle President Barack Obama’s health care law, an effort that still faces an uphill climb and just a two-week window to pass. Adding more risk, senators would be in the dark about the bill’s impact on Americans, since the Congressional Budget Office says crucial estimates won’t be ready in time for a vote.

Democrats backed by doctors, hospitals, and patients’ groups mustered an all-out effort to finally smother the GOP drive, warning of millions losing coverage and others facing skimpier policies. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer went further, saying the partisan measure threatened the spirit of cooperation between President Donald Trump and Democratic leaders embodied in a recent budget deal and progress on immigration.  Continue reading “Senate GOP musters final push to erase Obama health care law”

Mail.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most of the states that first endorsed the Common Core academic standards are still using them in some form, despite continued debate over whether they are improving student performance in reading and math.

Of the states that opted in after the standards were introduced in 2010 — 45 plus the District of Columbia — only eight have moved to repeal the standards, largely due to political pressure from those who saw Common Core as infringing on local control, according to Abt, a research and consulting firm. In Oklahoma, Gov. Mary Fallin signed a bill to repeal the standards in 2014 less than six months after defending them in a speech. She said Common Core had become too divisive.   Continue reading “Common Core used widely, despite continuing debate”

Mail.com

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the U.S. House, said she understands the fears of young immigrants after they shouted her down Monday at an event where she planned to drum up support for legislation that would grant legal status to immigrants like them.

“We’re in this fight to win for the dreamers, when it’s easier and when it’s harder,” she told reporters later after a similar — but quieter — event in Sacramento. “Dreamers” is a nickname used for young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children or by parents who overstayed visas.   Continue reading “Young immigrants shout down Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi”

The College Fix – by Drew Van Voorhis

Students in a sociology class at San Diego State University can earn extra credit if they take a quiz to determine their level of “white privilege.”

Professor Dae Elliott offered the option to her sociology class students, a “White Privilege Checklist” that includes 20 questions that aim to illustrate that “racial privilege is one form of privilege.”   Continue reading “Students offered extra credit to determine their level of ‘white privilege’”

MassPrivateI

It used to be the DOJ, COPS, NHTSA and the USDOT were responsible for paying police to ticket motorists.

In the past few years, things have taken a turn for the worse. It now appears that DHS has become the largest cash provider for police departments.

What does that mean for motorists?   Continue reading “DHS pays police millions to ticket and prosecute motorists”

Liberty Blitzkrieg – by Michael Krieger

When it comes to the U.S. economy, the “con” part offers the best description of the current relationship between business, government and the preyed upon consumer. The way things work in early 21st century America is large businesses bribe politicians in a variety of ways at both the local and federal level, and the end result is laws that are designed to increase corporate profits at the expense of the wellbeing and freedom of the American public. Politicians end up with financial war chests to run their next campaign, while bureaucrats see a lucrative opportunity to swing through the ever spinning revolving door should they play ball with lobbyists and their patrons. Yes, there’s always some degree of corruption within any society of humans, but there are peaks and valleys in such cycles. I’d argue we are somewhere in the peak corruption phase.   Continue reading “In Florida, You Can’t Use Your Own Solar Panels in a Crisis”

Fox News

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was wiretapped by U.S. government investigators both before and after the 2016 presidential election, according to a report out Monday night.

The wiretapping was authorized by a secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court after the FBI started to investigate Manafort, 68, in 2014, CNN reported. He’s been under scrutiny over his financial dealings and lobbying efforts with pro-Russia and Ukrainian officials but has denied colluding with Russia to influence the election.   Continue reading “Former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort wiretapped by US investigators, report says”

Yahoo News

ATLANTA (AP) — Three people were arrested during a protest that followed a vigil for a Georgia Tech student who was fatally shot by campus police, a university spokesman said.

Police shot and killed Scout Schultz late Saturday night after the 21-year-old student called 911 to report an armed and possibly intoxicated suspicious person, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has said.

Georgia Tech issued alerts urging students to shelter indoors Monday night because of violent protests. Video posted on social media showed a police vehicle burning in the street and officers pinning people to the ground as onlookers shouted at them.   Continue reading “Post-vigil protest for slain Georgia Tech student; 3 arrests”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

So what do you do when you fail to elect your chosen candidate and your former political allies and mainstream media turn against you by painting you not as the ‘progressive’, open-minded, friendly tech company that you used to be but as an evil, racist, Russian-colluding corporate villain intent upon destroying all that is sacred in the world?  Well, you just buy the media, of course.

As Poynter notes today, after a series of public relations debacles in recent weeks, from the firing of James Damore to news last week that Google’s algos served up some fairly disturbing keywords to potential advertising buyers (e.g. “Why Do Black People Ruin Neighborhoods“), Google is ramping up its media presence with the announcement that the Google News Lab will be working with Report For America (RFA) to hire 1,000 journalists all around the country.   Continue reading “Why Is Google Hiring 1,000 Journalists To Flood Newsrooms Around America?”

Haaretz – by Amos Harel

The first permanent U.S. military base in Israel was dedicated on Monday.
A few dozen American soldiers will live and work on the base, situated inside the school of the Aerial Defense Division of the Israel Air Force, in the Negev. High-ranking U.S. officers attended the dedication ceremony.

Brig. Gen. Zvi Haimovich, the commander of the division, said the new base reflects the close military cooperation between Israel and the United States. He declined to elaborate on the exact activities of the American soldiers, but said, “The base is here to stay. It involved a significant allocation of resources, in the understanding that this was right and necessary and part of the United States’ assets in Israel.”   Continue reading “With Ballistic Missile Radar, U.S. Opens First Permanent Military Base in Israel”

BeeBom

YouTube is the biggest video sharing website in the world, no doubt about that, but It isn’t the only place to upload and watch videos online, there are other good options too which often gets ignored because YouTube takes a huge chunk of share when it comes to online publishing and broadcasting of videos.

Looking at the options, here are some of the best video sites like YouTube, where you can either upload or watch videos, check them out.   Continue reading “7 Best Video Sites, YouTube Alternatives”