From the Trenches World Report

The Daily Caller – by Thomas Phippen

Nearly 8.1 million Americans paid $1.7 billion in penalties in 2014 for not having health insurance — more than the IRS initially predicted.

The individual mandate, or what the IRS calls “individual shared responsibility payments,” requires everyone either have insurance or pay a fine, and was one of the last pieces of Obamacare to go into effect. IRS set the fine at $96, or 1 percent of the reported adjusted gross income, whichever is greater, in 2014.   Continue reading “8 Million Americans Paid $1.7 Billion For Not Having Obamacare”

WYFF 4 News

CHARLOTTE (WBTV) —Sources confirmed to WBTV a suspicious package that was found in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) headquarters’ mailroom in uptown Charlotte, leading to an evacuation, had several electronic devices inside it.

Police said a bomb-sniffing K-9 named Boomer did alert on the package.   Continue reading “Sources: Suspicious package at CMPD headquarters had cellphone, bulb”

Yahoo News

EL CAJON, Calif. (AP) — A black man reportedly acting erratically at a strip mall in suburban San Diego was shot and killed by police after pulling an object from his pocket, pointing it at officers and assuming a “shooting stance,” authorities said.

One of the officers tried and failed to subdue the unidentified man with a stun gun before the other officer fired several times, El Cajon Police Chief Jeff Davis said at a late night news conference. Davis would not say what the object was, but acknowledged it was not a weapon.   Continue reading “Police shoot, kill man in San Diego area; protesters gather”

Patch – by Colin Miner

For nearly thirty minutes, two FBI agents showed off guns that had been seized from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge after the 41-day armed occupation was over. When the FBI agents were done with the 44 weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition, the prosecution rested.

The case against Ammon Bundy, his brother Ryan and five others on charges stemming from the takeover of the refuge goes to the defense on Wednesday   Continue reading “Oregon Standoff Trial Day 10: The Prosecution Rests”

Kamala Devi Harris (/ˈkɑːmələ/;^[1] born October 20, 1964) is an American attorney, politician and member of the Democratic Party, who has been the 32nd and current Attorney General of California since 2011.

Preferred Method: 

Rajm (رجم) is an Arabic word that means “stoning“.^[2][3] It is commonly used to refer to the Hudud punishment wherein an organized group throws stones at a convicted individual until that person dies.

My Statesman – by Tony Plohetski

The issue focuses on whether Charles Kleinert, who retired from the Austin Police Department after the July 2013 shooting, should continue receiving federal immunity in the death of Larry Jackson Jr. under a rarely cited constitutional provision — a potentially precedent-setting decision critics contend weakens the ability of local authorities to hold police accountable.   Continue reading “Ruling in former Austin officer’s case could have national impact”

Yahoo News

In the four-dimensional chessboard on which the politics of gun control plays out, anything can happen — and for a brief moment in Monday night’s presidential debate, it did, as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton found themselves in agreement on at least one small aspect of it.

At issue was a ban on gun sales to people on the government’s terror watch lists, a move which has taken on huge symbolic importance since Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., began pushing for it earlier this year in the wake of the deadly attack on an Orlando nightclub. Murphy made the hyperbolic but politically effective charge that Republicans who oppose the measure “want to sell weapons to ISIS.”   Continue reading “The surprising agreement between Trump and Clinton on gun control”

Liberty Blitzkrieg – by Michael Krieger

Today’s highlighted article was published last month, but I didn’t read it at the time and I’m guessing you didn’t either.

What’s so uniquely tragic about the the intrusion of the police state into America’s schools, is it appears the parents themselves are the ones demanding it. This is in contrast to an overbearing surveillance state implemented by government in secret, as well as by private corporations via lengthy terms of service agreements nobody actually reads.   Continue reading “Introducing the Military-Industrial-Elementary School Complex”

Free Beacon – by Stephen Gutowski

An employee at a Florida Walmart store defended himself by shooting an armed robber on Wednesday.

Ervin Jones was sitting in his car waiting for his shift to begin at the Sunrise, Florida store around 3:30 a.m. when a man approached him. The man, identified by police as 28-year-old Terrence G. Pearson, then showed Jones a gun and demanded money. Jones responded by opening fire on the armed robber, killing him.   Continue reading “Concealed-Carrying Walmart Employee Turns Tables on Armed Robber”

Sputnik

As Congress attempts to override a presidential veto of legislation that would allow US citizens to sue foreign governments over terror attacks, an organization representing Iraqis killed or wounded by the US military is threatening to sue the American government for war crimes.

The Iraqi National Project has stated that the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which would allow 9/11 victims and families to sue Saudi Arabia over the nation’s role in the attacks, has opened a pathway for lawsuits against foreign governments.   Continue reading “Obama’s Nightmare: Iraqis Set to Sue US Government for War Crimes”

Mail.com

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Wednesday mourned the death of Shimon Peres, a former president and prime minister whose life story mirrored that of the Jewish state, as the government began preparations for a funeral that is expected to bring together an array of world leaders and international dignitaries.

Peres, celebrated around the world as a Nobel Prize-winning visionary who pushed his country toward peace during a remarkable seven-decade career, died early Wednesday from complications from a stroke. He was 93.   Continue reading “Israel mourns as preparations begin for Peres’ funeral”

Mail.com

DENVER (AP) — Police officers across the country misuse confidential law enforcement databases to get information on romantic partners, business associates, neighbors, journalists and others for reasons that have nothing to do with daily police work, an Associated Press investigation has found.

Criminal-history and driver databases give officers critical information about people they encounter on the job. But the AP’s review shows how those systems also can be exploited by officers who, motivated by romantic quarrels, personal conflicts or voyeuristic curiosity, sidestep policies and sometimes the law by snooping. In the most egregious cases, officers have used information to stalk or harass, or have tampered with or sold records they obtained.   Continue reading “Across US, police officers abuse confidential databases”

Activist Post – by Derrick Broze

The release of thousands of pages of documents has revealed that California law enforcement have secretly acquired social media monitoring tools that focus on activists. 

The American Civil Liberties Union of California has obtained thousands of pages of documents pertaining to California law enforcement agencies secretly purchasing social media surveillance software. The ACLU of California filed open records requests with 63 police departments, sheriffs, and district attorneys across California and found that at least 20 agencies across California are in possession of social media monitoring tools.   Continue reading “Documents Reveal Widespread Abuse Of Social Media Spying Tools By California Cops”