From the Trenches World Report

Daily Mail

Google’s screening tool that enables people to check online whether they are clinically depressed could do more harm than good, one expert has warned.

Last month, the tech giant released a self-assessment quiz, called the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), which pops up as a result for the search query ‘Am I depressed?’ on a computer or cell phone.

Google developed its test in partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) but one professor claims that the quiz could just lead to over-treatment of depression amid the US’s opioid epidemic.   Continue reading “Google’s depression tool funded by Pfizer”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

A new bombshell joint report issued by two international weapons monitoring groups Tuesday confirms that the Pentagon continues to ship record breaking amounts of weaponry into Syria and that the Department of Defense is scrubbing its own paper trail. On Tuesday the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) produced conclusive evidence that not only is the Pentagon currently involved in shipping up to $2.2 billion worth of weapons from a shady network of private dealers to allied partners in Syria – mostly old Soviet weaponry – but is actually manipulating paperwork such as end-user certificates, presumably in order to hide US involvement.   Continue reading “Bombshell Report Catches Pentagon Falsifying Paperwork For Weapons Transfers To Syrian Rebels”

The Daily Caller – by Jonah Bennett

The U.S. Army has stated that a person was killed in a Black Hawk training exercise at Fort Hood on Tuesday evening.

Army officials say the 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley in Kansas was making use of the HH-60M Black Hawk medical helicopter as part of the exercise when the helicopter crashed and killed one person south of the Robert Gray Army Airfield, the Austin American-Statesman reports.  Continue reading “Yet Another Training Accident: Fort Hood Black Hawk Crash Kills One”

KTLA 5 News

Fifteen Marines were injured, including six critically, Wednesday when an amphibious landing vehicle caught fire during a training exercise Camp Pendleton, Marine Corps. officials said.

The injured, from the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment and 3rd Amphibian Battalion, were participating in a training operation about 9:30 a.m. when the accident occurred, the Marine Corps said.   Continue reading “15 Marines Injured During Fiery Training Accident at Camp Pendleton; 6 in Critical Condition”

Fox News

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday blocked a Chinese government-financed firm’s acquisition of an Oregon semiconductor maker on national security grounds.

A federal panel that reviews foreign investment in the United States for possible security threats ruled against the proposed $1.3 billion purchase of Lattice Semiconductor last week. The deal has been under scrutiny since it became clear the buyer, Canyon Bridge Capital Partners, is funded by the Chinese government.   Continue reading “Trump blocks Chinese purchase of US semiconductor maker”

Fox News

One of the United States’ most advanced nuclear submarines returned to port in Washington state this week flying a Jolly Roger, a move steeped in maritime lore and mystery.

The images of the USS Jimmy Carter, a Seawolf-class nuclear-powered submarine passing through the Hood Canal, were posted to a Pentagon media site and Twitter page. They show the skull and bones flying beside the American flag, the Washington Post reported.  Continue reading “US nuclear sub returns flying pirate flag, sparking speculation”

The Newspaper

Local police agencies caused a stir three years ago by setting up roadblocks around the country designed to “voluntarily” swab motorists for drug use. The heavy handed tactics used at these locations sparked a lawsuit and the ire of at least one US senator, forcing the agencies to retreat — for a time. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced last week that it is bringing back the controversial program.

“This study will estimate the prevalence of drugs in drivers arrested for impaired driving,” NHTSA associate administrator Jeff Michael wrote. “The goal is to better understand the frequency of alcohol, prescription, over-the-counter, and illicit drugs, in impaired driving arrests.”   Continue reading “Federal Agency Proposes Return Of Drug Testing Roadblocks”

Miami Herald – by Anita Lee

A police officer from Pass Christian, Mississippi, shocked a woman on the stomach with a stun gun after the woman begged the officer not to, saying she was pregnant, the woman and two witnesses say.

Aviana White, 27, was a passenger in her brother’s car when the officer pulled him over Monday morning for speeding, Pass Christian Police said. He had no license.

Police Chief Tim Hendricks said the officer was trying to be helpful by asking for White’s name and license so that she could drive her brother’s car home.   Continue reading “‘Don’t Tase me, I’m pregnant!’: She says a police officer ignored her pleas”

The Daily Caller – by Peter Hasson

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray resigned on Wednesday after a fifth man publicly accused the Democrat of molesting him as a child.

But Murray isn’t alone. At least 11 then-current and former mayors have been accused of child sex abuse-related crimes since 2016. The allegations range from child porn to physical abuse. The alleged victims were as young as four years old.   Continue reading “At Least 11 Mayors Accused Of Child Sex-Related Crimes Since 2016”

New York Post – by Kirstan Conley

Local cops in towns and counties around New York state are robbing taxpayers blind with astronomical yearly salaries — including one officer who pulled down $442,000, a new report shows.

Tom Donnelly, who retired as a Ramapo school safety officer in August, earned the investment-banker-sized paycheck over a 12-month period ending in March — making him the highest paid local cop anywhere outside New York City, according to a report from the Empire Center.   Continue reading “Cops’ massive salaries are robbing taxpayers blind”

Baltimore Sun – by Colin Campbell and Sean Welsh

Mayor Catherine Pugh says she has no plans to remove the Francis Scott Key monument in Bolton Hill that was vandalized before dawn Wednesday and has directed art preservation experts to determine the cost of cleaning it.

Exactly 203 years after the Maryland attorney wrote the poem that would later become the national anthem, the city awoke to find the words “Racist Anthem” spray-painted on the Eutaw Place monument and red paint splashed on it.
Continue reading “Baltimore to keep, clean defaced Francis Scott Key statue”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

Three years after we first identified the former head of UBS’s gold desk in Zurich as someone directly implicated in the rigging of precious metals prices, Bloomberg reports that Andre Flotron, a Swiss resident, was arrested while visiting the U.S., according to people familiar with the matter.

Having been “on leave” since 2014, it appears Andre’s hope that he was gone but “keen to return in due time” are now up in smoke.   Continue reading “Former UBS Trader Arrested, Charged With Rigging Gold Prices”

Yahoo News

The number of electronic devices seized and searched at customs sharply increased in 2016 and has continued to rise this year. A number of groups and politicians have spoken out against the growing practice and now the ACLU and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security on behalf of 11 individuals who had their devices searched without a warrant.

The plaintiffs include ten US citizens and a lawful permanent resident whose smartphones and laptops were searched while they were reentering the country. The group includes students, filmmakers, a professor, journalists, business owners, a NASA engineer and a former Air Force captain. Some of them had their devices confiscated for months and the phone taken from the NASA engineer actually belonged to NASA, which could mean that sensitive agency information was accessible through it. One plaintiff was even allegedly choked and held down by officers when he declined to hand over his phone.  Continue reading “DHS faces lawsuit over phone and laptop border searches”