From the Trenches World Report

Bloomberg – by Joshua Brustein

Banks have been consistently uninterested in providing financial services to poorer Americans, but others are increasingly jumping at the chance to do so. The latest is the United States Postal Service (pdf), whose inspector general published a paper last week detailing how serving the so-called unbanked with savings accounts and small-scale loans could provide a valuable public service while shoring up the finances of the vulnerable agency.   Continue reading “Would the U.S. Postal Service Make a Better Banker for the Poor?”

The Blaze – by Jason Howerton

A former Republican lawmaker has contacted the FBI over allegations that Cover Oregon project managers misled the federal government about the progress of the state health insurance exchange in order to get millions of dollars in funding.

More specifically, KATU-TV reports that project managers allegedly “initiated the design of dummy web pages to convince the federal government the project was further along than it actually was.”   Continue reading “‘If It’s True, Someone’s Going to Prison’: Serious Allegations Hit Oregon’s State Health Insurance Exchange”

Small Thoughts for a Complex World – by C. Jeffery Small

Tick … Tick … Tick … Tick …   Continue reading “A Life of One’s Own? — Fugget About It!”

Breitbart – by WARNER TODD HUSTON

On February 3, news emerged that the city of Chicago, now run by former Obama right-hand man Rahm Emanuel, is issuing $900 million in bonds, $100 million of which is going directly to pay off plaintiffs of lawsuits against the city.

The city is attempting to issue the $900 million in bonds to lower some of its borrowing costs and to double its short-term credit line to $1 billion. But fully $100 million of that debt burden is going to pay off lawsuits, much of it to plaintiffs who won judgments against the city in police brutality cases.   Continue reading “Chicago Issues $100 Million in Bonds to Settle Police Brutality Cases”

MassPrivateI

FOIA request by Muclrock: DEA policies on “parallel construction”

Drug Enforcement Administration training documents released to MuckRock user C.J. Ciaramella show how the agency constructs two chains of evidence to hide surveillance programs from defense teams, prosecutors, and a public wary of domestic intelligence practices.   Continue reading “DEA manuals show how they train police to construct false chains of evidence”

CBS Denver – by Brian Maass

DENVER (CBS4) – The Denver District Attorney’s Office has declined to file criminal charges against a female Transportation Security Administration agent at Denver International Airport after a passenger complained the pat-down she received amounted to sexual assault.

“I felt sick to my stomach,” said Jamelyn Steenhoek, 39, when she learned Wednesday that Denver prosecutors were no longer pursuing her complaint and would not be filing criminal charges.   Continue reading “No Criminal Charges Against TSA Agent Over Pat-Down At DIA”

World Events and the Bible

(ZeroHedge) – While we are sure it is a very sad coincidence, on the day when Argentina decrees limits on the FX positions banks can hold and the Argentine Central Bank’s reserves accounting is questioned publically, a massive fire – killing 9 people – has destroyed a warehouse archiving banking system documents. As The Washington Post reports, the fire at the Iron Mountain warehouse (which purportedly had multiple protections against fire, including advanced systems that can detect and quench flames without damaging important documents) took hours to control and the sprawling building appeared to be ruined. The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately clear – though we suggest smelling Fernandez’ hands…   Continue reading “Argentine Banking System Archives Destroyed By Deadly Fire”

World Events and the Bible

(Anti-War) – Speaking to law students at the University of Hawaii today, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia discussed the Korematsu v. United States ruling of 1944, which affirmed the right of the US government to force people into internment camps regardless of citizenship.

Scalia said it was wrong for the court to make that ruling, and said the case has since been repudiated. At the same time, he cautioned that people are “kidding themselves” if they think the same thing couldn’t happen again.   Continue reading “Scalia: Internment Camps Could Happen Again”

Lake County News Sun – by Judy Masterson

The city of North Chicago has settled a lawsuit brought by a woman who said her 11-year-old son was threatened and physically abused by an on-duty police officer.

A civil suit filed in federal court in 2012 claims that a uniformed Casimir “Casey” Rincon walked into South Elementary School, 1812 Morrow Ave., and summoned an 11-year-old student into a hallway, then handcuffed the boy, slammed him into a locker and threatened him for allegedly bullying his son.   Continue reading “Settlement in 2012 case of North Chicago cop threat against student”

Yahoo News – by JAKE PEARSON and TOM HAYS

NEW YORK (AP) — Four people were taken into custody on drug charges after police investigating Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death executed search warrants, two people with knowledge of the investigation said Wednesday, and the medical examiner’s office said more tests are needed to determine what killed him.

There was no timetable for Hoffman’s autopsy to be finished, said medical examiner’s office spokeswoman Julie Bolcer, who declined to discuss the pending tests. Toxicology and tissue tests are typically done in such cases.   Continue reading “Hoffman autopsy inconclusive, further tests needed”

Mail.com

More than a million homes and businesses were left in darkness and cold Wednesday after snow, sleet and freezing rain moved into the Northeast. The region’s second winter storm of the week canceled classes, closed government and business offices and sent cars and trucks sliding on slippery roads and highways. Around a foot of snow fell in some states. Moving in overnight from the Midwest, where it wreaked similar havoc, the storm tested the region already battered by a series of heavy snows and below-freezing temperatures this winter.   Continue reading “Lights out for 1M as winter storm slams Northeast”

Mail.com

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A woman convicted of torturing and killing a mentally impaired man she lured to Texas with the promise of marriage was put to death Wednesday evening in a rare execution of a female prisoner.

The lethal injection of Suzanne Basso, 59, made the New York native only the 14th woman executed in the U.S. since the Supreme Court in 1976 allowed capital punishment to resume. Almost 1,400 men have been put to death during that time.   Continue reading “Woman executed in Texas for 1998 torture killing”

The Daily Caller – by Eric Owens

Administrators at a school in the South Suburbs of Chicago are up in arms over a state law (House Bill 0183) that requires schools to post small signs announcing that guns cannot be carried in schools.

The new law relates to a new concealed-carry license law, reports the SouthtownStar, a suburban newspaper. Schools in Illinois did not allow guns previously. Now, though, schools — and churches, government agencies, liquor stores and certain other organizations — must post 4-by-6-inch stickers as visible reminders that guns are forbidden on premises.   Continue reading “School officials deeply troubled over guns appearing ON SIGNS BANNING GUNS”

The Daily Caller – by Caroline May

The Obama administration has issued new exemptions to a law that bars certain asylum-seekers and refugees who provided “limited material support” to terrorists who are believed to pose no threat from the U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department published the new exemptions Wednesday in the Federal Register to narrow a ban in the Immigration and Nationality Act excluding refugees and asylum seekers who had provided limited material support, no matter how minor, to terrorists.   Continue reading “Obama admin unilaterally changes law to allow immigrants with ‘limited’ terror contact into US”

Last Resistance – by Michael Minkoff

Last night, Bill Nye the Science Guy and Ken Ham the Creation Man debated the question, “Is creationism a viable model of origins in today’s modern scientific era?” I was happy the “great creationism debate” happened, but I have mixed feelings about how it turned out.1

First, it wasn’t really much of a debate. Both sides had important points to emphasize and ideas to present, but there was little dialogue between the two worldviews. Questions asked by one side to the other were left unanswered, and all in all the debate afforded ample fodder for confirmation bias—and little else.   Continue reading “Thoughts on the Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham Creationism Debate”

Last Resistance – by Dave Jolly

Dr. Kristin Held of San Antonio, Texas discovered that at least one insurance company she had contracted with was following President Obama’s example and changing the terms of her contract without notifying her or obtaining her consent.

Held is an ophthalmologist who has taught at the University of Texas Health Science Center and served as the director of the Ophthalmology Clinic at the Brady Green Community Health Center.  Currently she works in private practice at the Stone Oak Ophthalmology Center in San Antonio.   Continue reading “Texas Doctor Rebels against Obamacare – Calls it Socialism”

Personal Liberty Digest – by Sam Rolley

During a press conference on Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the unilateral creation of new “climate action hubs” that will be placed in seven locations around the country.

“On the heels of passage of the farm bill, the administration will take executive action to help farmers, ranchers and rural communities combat climate change and adapt to extreme weather and other damage it causes,” a White House official said in an email ahead of Wednesday’s announcement.   Continue reading “Agriculture Secretary: Government Will Not Wait For Congress, Laws In Implementing Obama Climate Plan”