From the Trenches World Report

Free Thought Project – by Claire Bernish

If you’re a resident of Huntingdon County unfortunate enough to have your property in the path of Sunoco’s Mariner East 2 pipeline, you can forget protesting — unless arrest and jail time aren’t an issue for you.

Common Pleas Court Judge George Zanic signed a rare and factious “writ of possession” order last week in favor of Sunoco, which had sought an “emergency measure” to thwart landowners protesting pipeline construction by occupying trees — on their own property.   Continue reading “Big Oil Now Has Authority to Arrest You for Protesting a Pipeline on Your OWN Property”

Anti-Media

Austria — Highlighting the difficulty both public and private establishments can have when it comes to adapting methods in the digital age, it was reported Monday that one government is now trying to tax search giant Google and social media companies.

From a report by Bloomberg:

“Austria is seeking ways to make digital services like Alphabet Inc.’s Google or Facebook Inc. pay taxes for transactions with the nation’s internet users, trying to plug gaps in a tax system still designed for brick-and-mortar business.”   Continue reading “Austria Found a Way to Tax Google Searches and Social Media Posts”

Breitbart – by Frances Martel

In anticipation of May Day, the international communist holiday, the New York Timespublished an opinion piece celebrating the American communists of the twentieth century, arguing that communism – an ideology that has killed 100 million people – gave Americans a “sense of one’s own humanity.”

The column, titled, “When Communism Inspired Americans,” lionizes communism as a religion with a “founding myth” that helped the “educated middle class” feel relevant in national politics. The author, Vivian Gornick, quotes her mother expressing gratitude for communists and crediting them with America’s thriving republic.   Continue reading “NYT Op-Ed: Communism Gave Americans ‘Sense of One’s Own Humanity’”

Sac Bee – by Ryan Lillis, Anita Chabria

Sacramento leaders are poised to spend up to $300,000 to boost the city’s status as a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, even as the federal government threatens to crack down on jurisdictions providing such immigrant protections.

The City Council will vote Thursday on a proposal to invest in an education and legal defense network for undocumented immigrants, with the money coming out of a general fund that supports most core city services. The plan under consideration would also strengthen Sacramento’s status as a sanctuary city by turning into law privacy policies that prohibit city employees – including police – from making inquiries into immigration status.   Continue reading “Sacramento may start paying for legal defense of undocumented immigrants”

New York Post – by Susan Edelman, Melkorka Licea

School is no place for books, one Manhattan principal apparently believes.

In a scene out of “Fahrenheit 451,” administrators at Life Sciences Secondary School have ordered all textbooks rounded up and removed — calling them “antiquated,” sources say.

Principal Kim Swanson and Assistant Principal Derek Premo, who launched the ban, “really frown upon the use of books,” an insider told The Post.   Continue reading “This school is trashing all its textbooks”

Yahoo News – by Michael Walsh

President Trump called for a government shutdown later this year to further the goals of the Republican Party.

On Tuesday morning, Trump said a shutdown is necessary for Republicans to negotiate with Democrats on a spending bill next September after the current spending bill runs its course.   Continue reading “Trump: Our country ‘needs’ government shutdown to pass GOP agenda”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

In a statement that has sent shockwaves across the diplomatic establishment, Donald Trump’s decision to launch 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles against Syria last month was just “after-dinner entertainment,” which “did not cost the president anything,” US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross said, shortly after President Trump called the attack a “tough decision.” Ross delivered the controversial comment while speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference on Monday, according to Variety.

This is how Ross recalled Trump’s April 6 meeting with Xi at the President’s Mar-A-Lago luxury resort in Palm Beach:   Continue reading “Wilbur Ross: Trump’s Syria Strike Was “After Dinner Entertainment””

CNN

America’s largest oil refinery is now fully owned by Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Aramco, the kingdom’s state-owned oil behemoth, took 100% control of the sprawling Port Arthur refinery in Texas on Monday, completing a deal that was first announced last year.

Port Arthur is considered the crown jewel of the US refinery system. The Gulf Coast facility can process 600,000 barrels of oil per day, making it the largest refinery in North America.   Continue reading “Saudis take 100% control of America’s largest oil refinery”

ALIPAC

After months of activism efforts to encourage President Trump to honor his campaign promises, Americans for Legal Immigration PAC is regretfully announcing the revocation of the organization’s endorsement of Donald Trump originally issued February 29, 2016.

ALIPAC’s supporters have endorsed, contributed to, volunteered for, and attended events and rallies to help Trump in response to his promises to enforce all existing immigration and border laws while ending Obama’s DACA Amnesty and building a wall on our southern border.   Continue reading “ALIPAC Revokes Trump Endorsement Due To Betrayal on Immigration Promises”

CBC News – by Bryan Labby

If Canada’s new impaired driving laws are passed police could show up on your doorstep — up to two hours after you arrive home — to demand a breath or saliva sample.

It’s one of the things that most concerns Calgary defence lawyer Dale Fedorchuk. who says the proposed law “begs” for a constitutional challenge.    Continue reading “Changes to Canada’s drunk driving laws will give police sweeping powers, warn legal experts”

Bloomberg – by Meenal Vamburkar

A directive requiring U.S. pipeline companies to use American steel and iron in their projects is testing President Donald Trump’s ability to keep his promises to two industries on opposing sides of the issue.

In comments to the U.S. Department of Commerce, which is crafting the so-called “Buy American” plan, pipeline companies and their trade groups argued the change would increase costs and disrupt operations. Steel companies, meanwhile, embraced the policy as an opportunity to take advantage of the country’s surging oil and gas production. And Trump has vowed to support both.  Continue reading “Pipeline Companies Push Back Against Trump’s ‘Buy American’ Rule”

Courthouse News – by Derek Fleming

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) – Gun enthusiasts on Friday filed a federal challenge to one of California’s recently signed “gunpocalypse” bills, with four civil rights groups and seven individuals claiming the ban on the possession of high-capacity magazines violates their Second Amendment rights.

The measure, Senate Bill 1446, is one of several gun-related bills passed by the California Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last year. While lawmakers in 1999 prohibited the sale, manufacture or importation of high-capacity ammunition magazines – but let those who owned them before that point keep them – SB 1446 will force gunowners who possess “grandfathered” magazines to turn them in for destruction or face legal consequences when it takes effect July 1.   Continue reading “Calif. Gunowners Call Magazine Ban Unconstitutional”

PJ Media – by Bridget Johnson

WASHINGTON — After the U.S. Embassy in Kabul in March froze the interview process for Afghans who had supported U.S. forces due to a lack of visas, a bipartisan effort secured 2,500 more visas in the compromise spending bill up for consideration this week.

The special immigrant visa (SIV) program was established in 2008 to allow Afghans who had helped the coalition as interpreters to find safe haven in the U.S. The visa criteria were later expanded to Afghans who provided “at least one year of faithful and valuable service” in support of U.S. government operations.

Continue reading “Compromise Spending Bill Includes 2,500 More Visas for Afghans in Program”

Post and Courier – by Maya T. Prabhu

COLUMBIA — Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen wants to stop the General Assembly from enacting a law that would allow gun owners to carry their guns concealed or openly without having to get a permit, and he’s enlisted area residents to help him get the job done.

The department on Monday shared its official opposition for open carry of guns on social media and asked residents to call state senators and urge them to vote against it. An open-carry bill was approved by the S.C. House earlier this month.    Continue reading “Charleston police ask South Carolina Legislature to oppose bill that would allow open carry of guns”

Mail.com

A jury is recommending charges against seven Milwaukee County Jail staffers in connection with the death of an inmate whose water was shut off and never turned back on. Sheriff David Clarke, a possible Trump administration add-on, is not part of the group.

On Monday, following a six-day inquest that heard from jail officials and included the county prosecutor’s evidence related to the dehydration death of Terrill Thomas, a Milwaukee County jury determined there to be probable cause for “abuse of a resident of a penal facility,”according to the Associated Press.   Continue reading “Milwaukee jury urges criminal charges against county jail officials over inmate dehydration death”

RT

Since the start of OPEC’s production cuts, oil market analysts and experts have been focusing on how US shale would respond to the relatively higher and stable oil prices, possibly eating up some of the cartel’s global market share while the cuts last.

The market share war is also going on a micro level within OPEC itself – a diverse group of producers, with each pushing and pursuing their own agenda in every meeting and collective decision. This time around it is no different.   Continue reading “OPEC deal backfires: Saudis lose market share to Iran, Iraq”

Mail.com

SEATTLE (AP) — Tens of thousands across the country peacefully chanted, picketed and protested Monday against President Donald Trump’s immigration and labor policies on May Day, despite a small pocket of violent unrest in the Pacific Northwest.

Peaceful protesters flocked to the streets in Chicago. At the White House gates, they demanded “Donald Trump has got to go!” But police shut down a protest in Portland, Oregon, that they said had become a riot, after marchers began throwing smoke bombs and other items at officers. Police said they made more than two dozen arrests as a group of anarchists wearing black bandanas and ski masks grew unruly, reportedly breaking windows at businesses, setting fires on downtown streets and damaging a police car.  Continue reading “Arrests made as thousands rally in US for and against Trump”