From the Trenches World Report

RT News

One day after Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his apartment, police are looking into whether his apparent heroin overdose is linked to a lethal batch of the drug that recently arrived on the East Coast.

As noted by Raw Story, law enforcement agencies have spent the last month pursuing batches of heroin laced with fentanyl – a powerful painkiller – that have been deemed responsible for dozens of deaths in multiple states. The deadly drug cocktail has made its way east from Pennsylvania, and has been detected in states such as Maryland, New York and Rhode Island.   Continue reading “Lethal heroin batches hit East Coast same week as actor Seymour Hoffman died”

Mail.com

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — A tiny minnow that lives only in Oregon backwaters is the first fish ever taken off U.S. Endangered Species Act protection because it is no longer threatened with extinction.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was to announce Tuesday that the Oregon chub was recovered, 21 years after it went on the endangered species list. The agency will monitor the fish for nine years to make sure populations continue to grow.   Continue reading “Tiny minnow is 1st fish taken off endangered list”

Mail.com

IONIA, Mich. (AP) — A convicted killer captured after a one-day escape from a Michigan prison has been charged with kidnapping, carjacking and escape.

The Ionia County District Court says charges were filed Monday while authorities were still hunting for Michael David Elliot. He was captured Monday night in a stolen car in LaPorte County, Ind., more than 150 miles from the Ionia prison.   Continue reading “Charges filed against escaped Michigan prisoner”

WND – by Aaron Klein

With Democrats and Republicans working together to craft legislation on immigration reform, it is becoming increasingly clear the Senate’s immigration bill from last year will serve as the foundation for a future framework.

WND has reviewed the entire 1,190-page bill and found numerous largely unreported sections that are of import to the American public. Here are the top five:   Continue reading “Top 5 Shockers Inside Immigration Bill”

MassPrivateI

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who is the vice-chairman of the National Governors Association, addressed the issue during the annual “State of the States” speech earlier this month in Washington, D.C. 

“As the nation develops resiliency to cyberattacks, the Guard should be mobilized to support federal and state efforts to protect networks and respond to incidents,” said Hickenlooper, a Democrat. “While the federal government seeks to clarify how it will work with the private sector and states to better secure cyberspace, states are already moving forward to develop and implement new cyberpolicies to protect their economies and ensure public safety.”   Continue reading “National Guard cyberspies employed at Google, Boeing, Cisco, Verizon, and Microsoft”

Canada Free Press – by Sarge

I don’t watch Obama when he speaks. I read the transcripts after the fact. I do this because there’s always the possibility a person such as Obama has the charisma to twist words in a mercurial and slick manner so it seems ingenious as opposed to disingenuous. The guy has the ability to advertise dog crap as smelling good in comparison to the reality. This is a characteristic of many great politicians: Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin, Mao, Nixon and others.   Continue reading “Camouflage is his favorite color”

Fox News

The IRS’ announcement Monday that it will pay cancelled 2013 bonuses has infuriated Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, who wants to know why an agency with employees who “inappropriately” targeted conservative political groups would reinstate the rewards.

“The IRS is accused of targeting conservative groups, with many of its employees having conducted themselves in a manner inappropriate for government officials, and the agency decides to reinstate employee bonuses?” asked Hatch, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. “This is outrageous.”   Continue reading “Senator rebukes IRS over decision to reinstate 2013 employee bonuses”

AlterNet – by Steven Rosenfeld

Washington Post – by VALERIE STRAUSS

The Board of Directors of the New York State United Teachers, a union with more than 600,000 members, has approved a resolution that withdraws its earlier support for the Common Core State Standards ”as implemented and interpreted” by the New York Education Department. It also declares ”no confidence” in the policies of State Education Commissioner John King and calls for a three-year moratorium on high-stakes consequences from standardized testing.

The action is a blow to supporters of the Common Core, which was approved several years ago in 45 states and the District of Columbia but which has become increasingly controversial around the country, with a number of states pulling back from the initiative or changing the standards. Some states, such as Florida, are actually changing the name so as not to be seen as being identified with the Core.   Continue reading “NY teachers union pulls its support from Common Core, urges removal of state ed chief”

Militia News – by Chad Cooper

The Second Amendment (Amendment II) of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights says, “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Apparently, the Connecticut legislature does not include body armor as a type of “arms” or if they do, they just don’t care about the Constitution. You see, Public Act 98-127 criminalizes the transaction of body armor unless done face to face. In other words, if you live in Connecticut, you can’t buy body armor online or via a catalog (Military members, Law Enforcement, Judges excepted). New York is following suit and has legislation drafted to prohibit armor as well. New Jersey? Virginia? California? Texas? Who’s next?   Continue reading “Is Body Armor Legal In Your State?”

Economic Collapse – by Michael Snyder

Would you like to buy a house for one dollar?  If someone came up to you on the street and asked you that question, you would probably respond by saying that it sounds too good to be true.  But this is actually happening in economically-depressed cities all over America.  Of course there are a number of reasons why you might want to think twice before buying any of these homes, and I will get into those reasons in just a little bit.  First, however, it is worth noting that many of the cities where these “free houses” are available were once some of the most prosperous cities in the entire country.  In fact, the city of Detroit once had the highest per capita income in the entire nation.  But as millions of good jobs have been shipped overseas, these once prosperous communities have degenerated into rotting, decaying hellholes.  Now homes that once housed thriving middle class families cannot even be given away.  This is happening all over America, and what we are witnessing right now is only just the beginning.   Continue reading “You Can Buy A House For One Dollar Or Less In Economically Depressed Cities All Over America”

Activist Post – by Catherine J. Frompovich

As a concerned citizen, who feels that freedom of speech and expression are inherent rights, especially when they concern problems associated with human rights and control issues, I decided to share information forwarded to me recently in an email and to give it voice with some editing from me.

Even though the vote took place in 2013, U.S. citizens are very concerned about it and want those who voted for the UN Small Arms Treaty to have to reap the ‘rewards’ of their actions.    Continue reading “Vote to End U.S. Sovereignty Way Too Close For Comfort”

NBC News – by Michael O’Brien

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Monday acknowledged that his office had been subpoenaed by the U.S. Attorney in New Jersey in relation to the bridge scandal that has rocked his administration.

Christie said his office would comply with the federal subpoena.

The Republican governor’s acknowledgement comes after a former aide, Bridget Anne Kelly, who allegedly conspired to close lanes on the George Washington Bridge as political retribution against a local mayor invoked her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination in the state legislature’s investigation.   Continue reading “Christie acknowledges federal subpoena”

Fox News

The decision to rescind the Academy Awards original song nomination for “Alone Yet Not Alone” from the small faith-based film of the same title is due to integrity, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a statement Saturday.

The academy revoked the song’s Oscar nod Wednesday after it discovered composer Bruce Broughton, a music branch executive committee member, emailed 70 members of the group to alert them of his submission.   Continue reading “Academy cites integrity for pulling Oscar nomination for original song ‘Alone Yet Not Alone’”

Natural News- by Julie Wilson

Organic food is seemingly no longer just a trend, but a necessity. A recent report by MyFox New York states that all-natural grocers can hardly keep up with the demands for organic food. Bloggers have been capturing signs that read, “Organic eggs are currently in short supply due to increased consumer demand and limited availability. This is an industry-wide shortage and is not specific to ShopRite stores or our operation.” Similar signs are being seen in grocery stores across the nation.   Continue reading “Organic food shortage hits U.S. stores”