APRIL 2016 

Friday - April 29, 2016  -  Today in History:

1852 - The first edition of Peter Roget's Thesaurus was published.
1861 - The Maryland House of Delegates voted against seceding from Union.
1862 - New Orleans fell to Union forces during the Civil War.
1918 - Germany's Western Front offensive ended in World War I.
1924 - An open revolt broke out in Santa Clara, Cuba.
1927 - Construction of the Spirit of St. Louis was completed for Lindbergh.
1945 - The German Army in Italy surrendered unconditionally to the Allies.
1945 - The Nazi death camp, Dachau, was liberated.
1946 - Twenty-eight former Japanese leaders were indicted in Tokyo as war criminals.
1974 - U.S. President Nixon announced he was releasing edited transcripts of secretly made White House tape recordings related to the Watergate scandal.
1975 - The U.S. embassy in Vietnam was evacuated as North Vietnamese forces fought their way into Saigon.
1990 - The destruction of the Berlin Wall began.
1992 - Exxon executive Sidney Reso was kidnapped outside his Morris Township, NJ, home by Arthur Seale. Seale was a former Exxon security official. Reso died while in captivity.
1992 - Rioting began after a jury decision to acquit four Los Angeles policemen in the Rodney King beating trial. 54 people were killed in 3 days.
1996 - Former CIA Director William Colby was missing and presumed drowned after an apparent boating accident in Maryland. Colby's body was later recovered.
1997 - Staff Sgt. Delmar Simpson, a drill instructor at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, was convicted of raping six female trainees. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison and was dishonorably discharged.
1997 - Astronaut Jerry Linenger and cosmonaut Vasily Tsibliyev went on the first U.S.-Russian space walk.
1998 - The U.S., Canada and Mexico end tariffs on $1 billion in NAFTA trade.
2009 - NATO expelled two Russian diplomats from NATO headquarters in Brussels over a spy scandal in Estonia. Russia's Foreign Ministry criticized the expulsions.

Air strikes on Aleppo hospital kill doctors and children
Reuters - Air strikes destroyed a hospital and killed dozens of people in rebel-held areas of Aleppo, including children and doctors, in an attack that a U.S. official said appeared to be solely the work of the Syrian government. The city of Aleppo is at the center of a military escalation that has undermined peace talks in Geneva aimed at ending the five-year-old war. U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura appealed to the presidents of the United States and Russia to intervene to salvage a ceasefire that was "barely alive". The truce is intended to allow an opportunity for peace talks and delivery of humanitarian relief. Six days of air strikes and rebel shelling in Aleppo, which is split between government and rebel forces, have killed 200 people, two-thirds of them on the opposition side, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.... The U.S. State Department said Syria's air strike on the hospital in Aleppo was "reprehensible," and it called on Russia to use its influence to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government to stop the attacks.

U.S. military punishes 16 over 2015 Afghan hospital bombing
Reuters - The U.S. military will announce on Friday that has it taken disciplinary action against 16 service members over a deadly Oct. 3 air strike in Afghanistan that destroyed a hospital run by the international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, U.S. officials told Reuters. The disclosure of the nonjudicial punishments will come during the release of the findings of a U.S. military investigation into the incident, which will broadly conclude that the strike was a tragic mistake, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

At least one country should say ‘enough’ – French MP Thierry Mariani on anti-Russia sanctions
RT - Member of the Republicans Party in France Thierry Mariani, who initiated the parliamentary debate on calling the EU to end restrictive policies against Moscow, told RT that it was time to show some ‘guts’ and confront Brussels. "We are demanding to lift the sanctions because they are totally ineffective and they are dangerous for our economy," the member of the center-right party said during the French National Assembly meeting on Thursday. Fifty-five members in the lower house of the French Parliament apparently agreed and supported the resolution calling on the government to protest the EU extending sanctions imposed on Russia.

Japan's central bank shocks markets by keeping stimulus on hold
RT - Tokyo stocks tumbled after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) decided against any fresh market stimulus, leaving negative interest rates unchanged despite stagnation in the world’s third largest economy. The unexpected move sent the Japanese currency up and stocks down. The yen rose nearly two percent against the US dollar on Thursday, with one dollar worth 109.33 yen. The Nikkei 225 index fell 3.6 percent to close trading at 16,666.05 points. Contagion spread to other Asian markets with China’s Shanghai Composite slipping 0.5 percent and South Korea’s Kospi index closing 0.7 percent lower. "This shows that too much expectation of further easing had been priced in and the BOJ has surprised the market by taking no action," market analyst of CMC Markets Margaret Yang told the BBC. "It is probable that the central bank is temporarily running out of tools to stimulate the economy, or they need more time to observe and assess the impact of negative interest rates," she added.

Govt Spends Millions Telling Citizens To Eat Insects To End Global Warming
Breitbart - The Swedish government is showing their commitment to green principles and fighting climate change by spending tax payer money on developing ‘meat’ made out of crickets and mealworms. Vinnova, the Swedish government agency that distributes money for research and development, spending some 2.7 billion kronor (£230 million) a year has announced its latest tranche of funding for creating a greener, more sustainable future — by weaning Europe off meat. It is hoped people will want to eat a so-called “climate smart” diet instead, reports FriaTider. Green activists and the United Nations are behind such political initiatives as ‘Meat Free Mondays’ — a gateway to full vegetarianism — which are based on the premise that meat consumption is driving man-made climate change. Another method to reduce that so-called burden on the earth is replacing meat protein with that harvested from insects instead.

'Hope is not a strategy': Pentagon chief struggles to sell ISIS plan in Senate
RT - Top US defense officials faced Senators in an attempt to justify their strategy against Islamic State that relies on arming local forces, help from Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and some US troops on the ground. Many lawmakers didn't find it very convincing. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, answered a gauntlet of questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday about the status of the US-led military effort against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Iraq and Syria. Carter testified that the terror group was on the defensive, losing ground to US-backed militias and key leaders in US airstrikes. The coalition was going after IS in “every domain, including cyber and space.” Central to US strategy was the program of arming and training local forces for ground combat, Carter explained, urging the committee to release $349 million for the program, called Section 1209. The funds were blocked following last year’s revelations about the program’s failures.

US Stalling TTIP Deal, Not Ready to Negotiate ‘Geographical Indications’
Sputnik News - The United States is not willing to negotiate geographical indications (GI) as part of the ongoing talks surrounding the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a European Union source told Sputnik on Thursday. "The United States is not ready to negotiate at all. We will have a discussion with the US on GIs but I wouldn’t call it a negotiation. … If we’re going to conclude TTIP, we need to get serious on GIs," the EU source said on the sidelines of the current round of TTIP negotiations in New York City. The discussions concern the EU dairy sector, which insists on keeping the system of GIs that protects local producers while the United States is opposed to it. The TTIP negotiations are allegedly aimed at reducing barriers to trade in goods and services between Europe and North America, but have drawn severe criticism for the lack of transparency. Moreover, the TTIP has also been slammed for bypassing the framework of the World Trade Organization and excluding the BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] countries, while leaked details of the deal show that it might undermine environmental, health, safety and labor standards.

Sessions WarNs: New ‘Sentencing Reform’ Billto Release Even More Illegal Alien Drug Traffickers
Breitbart - A new version of a bipartisan sentencing reform bill is worse than the original version and will release many dangerous criminals back into American streets, says Sen. Jeff Sessions. “The revised bill still shortens mandatory minimums for repeat drug traffickers, including those who carried a gun, and would allow for early release of those currently in federal prison,” Sessions said in a statement that denounces the bill. “Moreover, this proposal would provide for leniency for illegal alien drug traffickers. The criminal aliens who were responsible for the 2015 killing of Kate Steinle and the 2014 murders of California Detective Michael Davis, Jr. and Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver had been earlier convicted for the same class of federal drug crimes that some in Congress now seek to roll back through this legislation,” he added.

The Future Of America? – More Than Half Of All Adults Under-30 Now Reject Capitalism
Economic Collapse - A shocking new survey has found that support for capitalism is dying in America. In fact, more than half of all adults in the United States under the age of 30 say that they do not support capitalism at this point. You might be tempted to dismiss them as “foolish young people”, but the truth is that they are the future of America. As older generations die off, they will eventually become the leaders of this country. And of course our nation has not resembled anything close to a capitalist society for quite some time now. In a recent article, I listed 97 different taxes that Americans pay each year, and some Americans actually end up returning more than half of what they earn to the government by the time it is all said and done. So at best it could be said that we are running some sort of hybrid system that isn’t as far down the road toward full-blown socialism as most European nations are. But without a doubt we are moving in that direction, and our young people are going to be cheering every step of the way.

ABC News Bumps Trump Delegate Count…241 Away From Nomination…Owns Over Half of All Delegates
Breitbart - ABC News has updated its estimate of the current delegate totals in the Republican presidential primary, putting Donald Trump closer to the nomination than first thought after Tuesday night’s sweep of five states. Reporter Ryan Struyk said on Twitter that the new numbers came from calls placed to every unbound delegate to gauge their support for Trump plus rivals Sen. Ted Cruz and John Kasich.... This leaves only 241 more delegates from Trump to win in the primary’s remaining contests: Indiana (where 57 are up for grabs), Nebraska (36), West Virginia (34), Oregon (28), Washington (44), California (172), Montana (27), New Jersey (51), New Mexico (24), and South Dakota (29). Figures from Tuesday night — counting only the delegates automatically pledged thanks to Mr. Trump’s election victories — put him around 288 delegates away from 1,237.

GOP elites are now resigned to Trump as their nominee
Washington Post - An aura of inevitability is now forming around the controversial mogul. Trump smothered his opponents in six straight primaries in the Northeast and vacuumed up more delegates than even the most generous predictions foresaw. He is gaining high-profile ­endorsements by the day — a legendary Indiana basketball coach Wednesday, two House committee chairmen Thursday. And his ­rivals, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, are making the kind of rushed tactical moves that signal desperation. The party is at a turning point. Republican stalwarts opposed to Trump remain fearful of the damage the unconventional and unruly billionaire might inflict on the party’s down-ballot candidates in November. But many also now see him as the all-but-certain nominee and are exhausted by the prospect of a contested July convention, according to interviews this week with more than a dozen party figures from coast to coast.

"It's Hard To Believe" - Establishment Stunned As Trump Gains 'Wealthy, Well-Educated' Voter
Zero Hedge - Not only is Donald Trump likely to gather the most votes of any GOP Presidential nominee ever, having swept the East Coast and crushed the anti-Trump alliance between Kasich and Cruz even before it made the news cycle; but now, as Reuters reports, the GOP establishment faces an ever bigger problem. Wealthy, well-educated voters helped carry the Republican front-runner to victory this week - a demographic the famously blunt-spoken billionaire had struggled to attract in the past. As we noted previously, with a number of states remaining including California, Trump is set to surpass current record holder George W. Bush, who received 10.8 million votes in 2000. And, as Reuters reports, it's not just "angry blue collar white men"... Trump's sweep of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island on Tuesday included wins in some of the richest and best-educated counties in the country - like Fairfield County, Connecticut, and Newport County, Rhode Island - and added to victories in his more traditional strongholds of white working-class neighborhoods.

New Evidence Linking Bladder Cancer to Agent Orange Gives Vietnam Vets Hope in Fight for VA Benefits
AllGov - The VA began its review last month, following the release of findings by the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. A panel of VA scientists and health experts is studying the report to recommend whether the government should begin providing disability benefits to thousands more veterans exposed to Agent Orange who suffer from bladder cancer, under-active thyroid, Parkinson’s-like symptoms or high blood pressure. Those ailments aren’t currently on the VA’s Agent Orange presumptive list, but the Institute of Medicine found evidence of a link for each of them. A final decision could come by late summer, VA officials said. “My doctors have been telling me Agent Orange probably caused the cancer dating back almost 20 years now,” said Eller, who was first diagnosed in 1996. “It’s been a fight at every turn with the VA, and now, after all these years, they say maybe there’s something there. I guess better late than never.”

House Panel Approves Measure to Require Women to Register for Draft
Military.com - The House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday approved by a narrow margin an amendment to a defense bill to require women to register for the draft. Rep. Duncan Hunter, a Republican from California, proposed the amendment to lift the restriction on women registering for the selective service at a committee-wide mark-up session of the proposed fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act.

The U.S. Economy Officially Joins The Global Economic Slowdown – 1st Quarter GDP Comes In At 0.5%
Economic Collapse - Even the government is admitting that the U.S. economy is slowing down. On Thursday, we learned that U.S. GDP grew at just a 0.5 percent annual rate during the first quarter of 2016. This was lower than analysts were anticipating, and it marks the third time in a row that the GDP number has declined compared to the previous quarter. In other words, GDP growth has been declining for close to a year now, and this lines up perfectly with what I have been saying about how the second half of last year was a turning point that plunged us into the early chapters of a brand new economic crisis. And as you will see below, the official GDP number is highly manipulated, and the way that it is calculated has been changed numerous times over the years. So the bad number that is being reported by the government is actually the best case scenario.

WTI Crude Soars To $46 - Highest In 5 Months
Zero Hedge - The panic-buying continues in the crude complex. Oil prices are up for the 3rd day in a row, trading up to $46 for the first time since December 4th 2015. Despite continued growth in inventories and worse than expected economic growth, it appears speculative traders in black gold just can't get enough... Of course, as we just detailed, this merely accelerates the self-defeating re-birth of shale production as cash-flow desperation trumps rationality. June crude is back at its highest sicne Dec 4th 2015... and above its 200dma... The last time June crude was here, the rest of the curve was over $4 higher... think about what that says about the real confidence in this bounce...
* Related: As Oil Rises, US Shale Companies Have Begun Increasing Oil Production

Gold & Silver Soar - Lead The Way Post-Japan "Policy Error"
Zero Hedge - It seems - just as we have seen since The Fed's December rate-hike decision - that The Bank of Japan's "shock" decision not to pour more punch into the global equity bull's bowl overnight has sparked another leg higher in the market's indicator of monetary policy incompetence. Gold and Silver are surging back near cycle highs...

Forget Yellowstone… Snake River Plain’s volcano is a MUCH BIGGER threat to America
UK Express - Eruptions at Snake River Plain in Idaho were “significantly larger” than geologists had previously thought. Scientists from the University of Leicester discovered there were a staggering 12 massive eruptions over the course of four million years, beginning 12 million years ago. The massive eruptions helped to form the 100 kilometre-wide Snake River Basin, with one of the most powerful eruptions occurring 8.1 million years ago. The eruption’s volume exceeded 1,900 km3 and created a 1.3km thick caldera. Furthermore, the Snake River Plain is situated on the Yellowstone Hotspot track, a region which spans from Nevada, through Oregon and Idaho and then to Wyoming where Yellowstone Volcano is located.

Video: A Man, A Rescue Dog & A Hummingbird Become Unlikely Trio of Best Friends
Dogington Post - Last year, California man Ed Gernon adopted a ferel Shepherd-mix named Rex. Rex couldn’t be around other dogs, cats and other small animals were prey. “He was dangerous,” Gernon told CBS Los Angeles. “He was an animal that had learned to live on the streets and to survive on his own hunting ability, I guess.” Gernon was shocked, then, when about a month after adopting Rex, the once-ferel, dangerous dog saved the life of a tiny, helpless hummingbird he found barely clinging to life. “And he suddenly stopped and he would not move,” he recalls. “I mean it’s tiny and it’s dead as far as I’m concerned. It’s covered in ants. It’s got no feathers.” Upon closer inspection, Gernon learned the tiny bird was, in fact, still alive. Had it not been for Rex’s persistence, the sick bird would never have survived. Gernon nursed the hummingbird back to health and still cares for the tiny bird today, more than a year after Rex found her. “I rescue this dog. He rescues the bird. The bird rescues all of us in a weird sense and it’s just a miracle,” Gernon said.

WATCH: Trailer for ‘Clinton Cash’ Movie Premiering During Cannes Film Festival
Breitbart - A new documentary film based on Peter Schweizer’s bestselling book “Clinton Cash” is premiering next month during the Cannes Film Festival. Watch the trailer above. The following is the press release about the film.

Thursday - April 28, 2016  -  Today in History:

1788 - Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the U.S. constitution.
1789 - A mutiny on the British ship Bounty took place when a rebel crew took the ship and set sail to Pitcairn Island. The mutineers left Captain W. Bligh and 18 sailors adrift.
1818 - U.S. President James Monroe proclaimed naval disarmament on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.
1919 - The League of Nations was founded.
1932 - The yellow fever vaccine for humans was announced.
1952 - The U.S. occupation of Japan officially ended when a treaty with the U.S. and 47 other countries went into effect.
1953 - French troops evacuated northern Laos.
1965 - The U.S. Army and Marines invaded the Dominican Republic to evacuate Americans.
1992 - The U.S. Agriculture Department unveiled a pyramid-shaped recommended-diet chart.
1994 - Former CIA official Aldrich Ames, who had given U.S. secrets to the Soviet Union and then Russia, pled guilty to espionage and tax evasion. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
1996 - U.S. President Clinton gave a 4 1/2 hour videotaped testimony as a defense witness in the criminal trial of his former Whitewater business partners.
1997 - A worldwide treaty to ban chemical weapons took effect. Russia and other countries such as Iraq and North Korea did not sign.
1999 - The U.S. House of Representatives rejected (on a tie vote of 213-213) a measure expressing support for NATO's five-week-old air campaign in Yugoslavia. The House also voted to limit the president's authority to use ground forces in Yugoslavia.
2001 - A Russian rocket launched from Central Asia with the first space tourist aboard. The crew consisted of California businessman Dennis Tito and two cosmonauts. The destination was the international space station.
2008 - India set a world record when it sent 10 satellites into orbit from a single launch.

‘Terrorist International’: ISIS has 33,000 combatants, strives for global reach – top GRU official
RT - ISIS has considerable manpower, heavy armor and air defenses in the Middle East and is striving to extend its reach into Europe, Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, hoping to become a “Terrorist International,” a senior Russian military officer warned. The overall strength of Islamic State’s (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) groupings reaches around 33,000 militants, including 19,000 in Iraq and 14,000 in Syria,” deputy director of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) Sergey Afanasiev said during the Moscow International Conference on Security on Wednesday. IS militants are well-armed with “tanks, armored personnel carriers (APCs), anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles including man-portable air-defense systems,” he emphasized.

Civilian casualties from explosive weapons in Turkey jumped 7,682% last year says study
RT - Civilian casualties from explosive weapons in Turkey rose by a staggering 7,682% last year, according to a new report. The research found that worldwide deaths and injuries from such weapons have risen for the fourth year running. Turkey's dramatic spike in civilian deaths comes as Ankara continues its operation against militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the country's southeast. The operation has led to widespread criticism from European leaders and human rights organizations, and the US has advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Turkey's southeast.... Meanwhile, the report – released by the organization Action On Armed Violence (AOAV) on Tuesday – also includes global statistics on explosive weapons casualties, as well as breakdowns for other countries. It found that 43,786 people were killed or injured by explosive weapons in 2,170 incidents last year. Of those, 33,307 – 76 percent – were civilians.

Taking Page from Israel War Tactics, US Military Employs Controversial 'Roof Knocking'
Common Dreams - An Israeli tactic deemed "ineffective" at preventing civilian causalities by a United Nations commission has now been adopted by the United States in its fight against ISIS, according to a U.S. military official. Air Force Maj. Peter Gersten, the deputy commander for operations and intelligence for the U.S.-led coalition, explained at a press briefing Tuesday that the tactic dubbed "knocking on the roof" was, in fact, used during a strike in Mosul, Iraq against a "major distributor of funds to Daesh fighters." A woman the military had seen come and go with her children from the building died in the strike—"an unfortunality," as Gersten called it.... As CNN reported in 2014, "The Israeli Air Force developed the technique in 2009 as a way to warn civilians in Gaza to leave buildings it has identified as locations where Hamas keeps ammunition, a rocket stash or command post. But it is a controversial policy that has been criticized by human rights groups."

Report Says EU Migrant Stats ¼ Million Out, Government Official Admits ‘We Don’t Know’ Numbers
Breitbart - The report comes as Neil McIvor, a statistician with the Department of Work and Pensions, admitted, “we don’t know” how many people are in Britain to the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee If the report by the think tank Migration Watch is correct, the net influx from EU member states may have 50,000 a year higher over the past five years, increasing the annual net figure to 375,000. Official Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures are broadly based on educated estimates, as they do not count every person entering and leaving the UK.... The analysis was prompted by the large and continuing discrepancy between the number of National Insurance Numbers (NINOs) issued to Eastern Europeans and the official immigration figures... Migrants are only counted in ONS figures if they stay for a year or more. NINOs are obtained by anyone seeking work or benefits in the UK.

‘We cannot shoulder whole world's burden’: Austria adopts tough refugee laws
RT - The Austrian parliament has adopted one of Europe’s most restrictive refugee laws, allowing the government to declare a state of emergency if the number of migrants threatens “national security.” It may also directly reject refugees at the border. The toughest-ever bill, passed by 98 to 67 on Wednesday, allows the Austrian government to declare a state of emergency if the number of migrants unexpectedly goes up, thereby posing “a threat to national security.” Depending on the situation, the state of emergency could be extended for three more six-month-long terms, according to Deutsche Welle. Under the new law, border control officers would also be given the right to refuse entry to nearly all migrants, with only a few exceptions for those facing safety threats in a neighboring transit country or those who already have relatives in Austria.

German Nuclear Plant in Bavaria Infected With Malware, Logins Compromised
RT - Several computer viruses have been detected in a German nuclear power plant in Bavaria, the station operator said. The malware can steal login credentials and allow a remote attacker to access the cracked computer. The incident took place at Gundremmingen plant about 100km from Munich. In Gundremmingen nuclear power plant so-called office-malware has been found during testing work in Unit B, a statement released by the power plant said. Germany's Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) was immediately informed. The statement initially didn’t mention what kind of malware was involved, only saying this software has been “known for a few years” and is designed to make “an unwanted connection to the internet.”

Denmark ethics council calls for tax on red meat to fight 'ethical problem' of climate change
The Independent - Denmark is considering proposals to introduce a tax on red meat, after a government think tank came to the conclusion that “climate change is an ethical problem”. The Danish Council of Ethics recommended an initial tax on beef, with a view to extending the regulation to all red meats in future. It said that in the long term, the tax should apply to all foods at varying levels depending on climate impact. The council voted in favour of the measures by an overwhelming majority, and the proposal will now be put forward for consideration by the government.

‘Poison pill’: Senator’s anti-Iran deal amendment prevents passage of bill keeping government funded
RT - The first of 12 appropriations bills the US Senate must pass to keep the government funded past September 30 suffered a legislative roadblock, thanks to Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), infamous for his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal. Usually bipartisanship is a precursor to approving legislation, not sinking it. But on Wednesday, four Senate Republicans joined with their Democratic colleagues to prevent the passage of an energy and water appropriations bill. With the fiscal year 2016 ending on September 30, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made it his goal to implement a neat and clean process for passing 12 funding bills for the fiscal year 2017, but so far events have not been going according to plan.

9/11 Families and Survivors Livid Over Obama Groveling to Saudi Arabia
InfoWars - Wayne Madsen Reports has spoken to family members of the victims of the 9/11 attacks, as well as survivors of the attack on the World Trade Center in New York who are livid over President Obama’s kow-towing to Saudi Arabia. Obama, prior to boarding Air Force One on a direct flight to Riyadh, said he would veto a bill in Congress that would lift Saudi Arabia sovereign immunity to allow the 9/11 victims’ families and survivors of the attack to sue the Saudi government.

Report: Sandy Hook denier launches First Amendment lawsuit
CBS News - A Florida college professor fired after he allegedly harassed one of the victims of the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Conn., is suing the school for wrongful termination and violation of his right to free speech, according to the Palm Beach Post. James Tracy was fired by Florida Atlantic University in January. The college did not say in its press release announcing his termination from the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies why it was firing him. The parents of one student killed at Sandy Hook recently claimed in a Florida newspaper opinion piece that Tracy was taunting them. The parents of 6-year-old victim Noah Pozner say Tracy harassed them, demanding proof their son existed, according to CBS Miami. Tracy was reprimanded in 2013 for writing in his blog that the Sandy Hook killing was staged, and he has questioned accounts of other mass slayings.

Video: City Council Bans Travel To Anti-Transgender Bathroom States
Jon Bowne - On Monday, April 25 The City of Austin’s Human Rights Commission voted on a recommendation to ban all official travel and business with the states of Mississippi and North Carolina.

Watch: Donald Trump Gives Foreign Policy Speech in Washington, D.C.
Breitbart - On Wednesday, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump gave a speech outlining his foreign policy at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. Transcript as follows...
* Related: Donald Trump Slams Hillary Clinton and Obama on Disastrous Foreign Policy and Lies (Video)

Naming Fiorina as VP Will Not Save Doomed Cruz Campaign
Kurt Nimmo - Speculation is rife Cruz will announce a running mate following a slew of defeats on Super Tuesday. The only vice presidential pick the Cruz team is known to have been vetting is the former Hewlett-Packard chief executive and failed candidate Carly Fiorina. “The most important attribute for any running mate is that he or she should be prepared to step in and fulfill the role of president, be commander in chief, keep this country safe, and champion jobs, freedom and security. My No. 1 priority as president is jobs, freedom and security,” Cruz responded when asked about a possible running mate.... Despite parceled out delegates in Colorado, Wyoming and North Dakota, Cruz has little chance of becoming the Republican presidential nominee.... Donald Trump now has 954 delegates and Cruz 562. Cruz needs 677 delegates to reach 1,237 delegates and there are only 622 available.
* Related: IT’S OFFICIAL: Ted Cruz Is Mathematically ELIMINATED from GOP Race – With Chart

50% of US voters say presidential candidate system 'rigged' – poll
We heard Donald Trump saying the US voting system is rigged, we heard Bernie Sanders criticizing closed elections. Now a new poll shows that more than half of US voters believe the system to pick their president is “rigged.” The poll, conducted by Reuters and Ipsos, found that some 51 percent of voters believe the primary system is rigged against certain candidates. Some 71 percent said they would prefer to pick their party's presidential nominee with a direct vote, cutting out the use of delegates as intermediaries. The survey also found that 27 percent of likely voters do not understand how the primary process works, and 44 percent do not understand why delegates are involved at all.

Black Lives Matter Mob Leader DeRay McKesson Gets Thumped in Baltimore Mayoral Race
The Gateway Pundit - DeRay McKesson, who lived in Minneapolis before he became a full-time paid protester in Ferguson, Missouri when it was torched, is now running for mayor of Baltimore where he led protests before it was torched. For the record – DeRay McKesson and the other Ferguson and Baltimore protest leaders were trained in Soros-funded agitation. The Ferguson protests and riots were never a grassroots movement.

Deadly, Scandal-Ridden VA Hospital Addresses Crisis With ... Interior Designer
The Daily Caller - After years of sedating patients with dangerous combinations of drugs, a former chief of staff whose medical license is in jeopardy, and supposed budget woes, the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital known as “Candy Land” has a plan to fix its problems: Hire a full-time interior designer. The Tomah, Wisconsin, hospital posted a job opening for the $77,000 decorating position Tuesday. The person hired will be in charge of “accoutrements” like “window treatments.” The VA wants someone who is either a current federal employee or has a “Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree” in interior design. The hiring move follows Tomah’s “100-day plan” for reform, drafted in response to withering criticism from the media, Congress and the department’s inspector general after multiple investigations found opiate prescription practices wildly out of step with medical norms. That plan had almost nothing to do with veterans, violations of medical protocol, or silencing of critics, and instead called for more racial minorities to be hired, to give VA employees “praise” and to create an “Employee Wellness Center.”

Economy In Decline: Apple Reports Massive Revenue Decline As iPhone Sales Plummet Dramatically
Economic Collapse - Corporate revenues in the United States have been falling for quite some time, but now some of the biggest companies in the entire nation are reporting extremely disappointing results. On Tuesday, Apple shocked the financial world by reporting that revenue for the first quarter had fallen 7.4 billion dollars compared to the same quarter last year. That is an astounding plunge, and it represents the very first year-over-year quarterly sales decline that Apple has experienced since 2003. Analysts were anticipating some sort of drop, but nothing like this. And of course last week we learned that Google and Microsoft also missed revenue and earnings projections for the first quarter of 2016. The economic crisis that began during the second half of 2015 is really starting to take hold, and even our largest tech companies are now feeling the pain.

Michigan Official Tried to Manipulate Lead Tests—Eight Years Ago
Common Dreams - A newly resurfaced email demonstrates that in 2008 an official from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) tried to game lead tests by suggesting that technicians collect extra water samples to make the average lead count for a community appear artificially low. The email was sent in response to a test result that showed one home's lead levels were ten times the federal action level of 15 parts per billion, and urged the lead test technician to take an additional set of water samples to "bump out" the high result so that the MDEQ wouldn't be required to notify the community of the high levels of lead in its water. "Otherwise we're back to water quality parameters and lead public notice," complained Adam Rosenthal of the MDEQ's Drinking Water office in the email.

Video: Dramatic Rescue Of Horses Struggling To Survive In Rising Floodwaters Near Houston
ViralNova - Recently, torrential rains swept through Houston, Texas, and the surrounding area, causing a deadly flood that has been catastrophic for humans and animals alike. Around 70 horses needed to be rescued as they struggled to keep their heads above the fast-rising waters. Several of the dramatic rescues were caught on video...you'll be amazed and inspired by the lengths some of these heroic men and women went to rescue their majestic animals. Some of these trapped horses only had a few minutes left before they would have drowned, so it's incredible that they were able to be rescued just in time like that.



 

Wednesday - April 27, 2016  -  Today in History:

1805 - A force led by U.S. Marines captured the city of Derna, on the shores of Tripoli.
1813 - Americans under Gen. Pike capture York (present day Toronto) the seat of government in Ontario.
1861 - U.S. President Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus.
1861 - West Virginia seceded from Virginia after Virginia seceded from the Union during the American Civil War.
1863 - The Army of the Potomac began marching on Chancellorsville.
1865 - In the U.S. the Sultana exploded while carrying 2,300 Union POWs. Between 1,400 - 2,000 were killed.
1946 - The SS African Star was placed in service. It was the first commercial ship to be equipped with radar.
1953 - The U.S. offered $50,000 and political asylum to any Communist pilot that delivered a MIG jet.
1975 - Saigon was encircled by North Vietnamese troops.
1978 - Pro-Soviet Marxists seized control of Afghanistan.
1982 - The trial of John Hinckley Jr. began in Washington. He was later acquitted by reason of insanity for the shooting of President Reagan and 3 others.
1989 - Student protestors took over Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
1987 - The U.S. Justice Department barred Austrian President Kurt Waldheim from entering the U.S. He claimed that he had aided in the deportation and execution of thousands of Jews and others as a German Army officer during World War II.
2005 - Russian President Vladimir Putin became the first Kremlin leader to visit Israel.
2006 - In New York, NY, construction began on the 1,776-foot One World Trade Center on the site of former World Trade Center.

US to deploy high-mobility rocket system to Turkey-Syria border – Ankara
RT - The US plans to deploy its High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to Turkey to help fight Islamic State in Syria, Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu has told local media. The deployment is part of an agreement to seal off the bordering Manbji region. The border region has been increasingly targeted by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in rocket attacks, according to Ankara.... This will enable Turkey to help the Syrian opposition on the ground too. "To wipe out Islamic State from this region, we need to support the moderate opposition both from the air and ground,” he noted. Cavusoglu blames the West for being late to the table on creating a safe zone. “To eradicate Daesh [Arabic pejorative for IS] from this area, the opposition must be empowered. In fact, if the armed conflict in Syria stops, it could be possible to assign more forces to fight against Daesh. We have to support the moderate opposition,” he said.

Europe'Not Here to Provoke Anybody': F-22 Pilots Claim Romania Deployment Not Aimed at Russia
Sputnik News - While both US and Romanian officials have confirmed that F-22 Raptors stationed this week at Mihail Kogalniceanu air base are meant to deter Russian "aggression," the pilots insist that they come in peace. On Monday, the Pentagon deployed a pair of F-22 fighter jets to southeast Romania in an effort to deter hypothetical Russian aircraft. [The F-22s seek to improve] the defense of Europe, the defense of the North-Atlantic Alliance, to improve the security in South Eastern-Europe…as a result of the aggression by Russia that has brought so much instability to this part of the world over the past two or three years," said US Ambassador Hans G. Klemm. But, according to the pilots who landed at the Black Sea air base this week, their job is to merely support their NATO allies, not to goad Moscow.

Obama Reveals Plans To Build A "Missile Defense Shield" Around North Korea
Zero Hedge - North Korea's launches of ballistic missiles have succeeded in provoking anger among the international community, which has so far been unable (or unwilling) to provide an adequate response to Kim Jong Il's periodic "shows of strength", mostly for domestic consumption. However, Obama now appears ready to respond. In an interview with CBS' Charlie Rose, Obama described the regime as "a massive challenge." "Our first priority is to protect the American people and our allies, the Republic of Korea, Japan, that are vulnerable to the provocative actions that North Korea is engaging in,".... "One of the things that we have been doing is spending a lot more time positioning our missile defense systems, so that even as we try to resolve the underlying problem of nuclear development inside of North Korea, we're also setting up a shield that can at least block the relatively low-level threats that they're posing right now," Obama said.

UN rejects Israel's claim over Syria's Golan Heights
Al Jazeera - The UN Security Council has rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that the annexed Golan Heights in Syria would "forever" remain under Israeli control. The 15-member council agreed on Tuesday that the status of the Golan, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967, "remains unchanged," Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi, who holds this month's council presidency said. Liu recalled a 1981 resolution which states that Israel's "decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights was nul and void and without any international legal effect." Liu said that the Council members "expressed deep concern" over Netanyahu's remarks from earlier this month that "the Golan Heights will remain in the hands of Israel forever."

‘Hegemonic logic’: China fumes after Pentagon calls it top target of US 'freedom of navigation' ops
RT - Beijing has urged Washington to respect international maritime order and stop interfering with other countries’ affairs. It comes in response to a fresh report by the Pentagon, mentioning China as the top target of US 'freedom of navigation' operations. "We regard the so-called 'freedom of navigation' operations as the violent means by which the US promotes its unilateral claims,” Hua Chunying, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said as cited by CCTV. According to Beijing, the actions of the American military reveal “the hegemonic logic of the US towards international maritime order.” “We hope the US can respect the sovereignty and security of other countries and contribute more to safeguard international maritime order and regional peace and stability," Hua Chunying said.

Former US Diplomat: “Suicidal” Migration Policies Will Cause Europeans to Flee Their Countries
Paul Joseph Watson -Former U.S. diplomat Adam Topolansky warns that Europeans will inevitably flee their own countries as a result of “suicidal” migration policies that have seen millions of Muslim asylum seekers pour into the continent over the last year. In an article for Hungary Today, Topolansky, who worked for the U.S. State Department between 1984 and 1988, says that European countries like Hungary and Czech Republic that have refused to bow to the migrant influx will become a refuge for European citizens who will become migrants in their own land as a result of mass Muslim immigration. “Tens, possibly hundreds of thousands of German, Dutch, French, Belgian, and other western European citizens may opt to move to Hungary in the next 20–30 years and settle there in the wake of the migration crisis,” writes Topolansky, adding that “reversed migration” is a “predictable trend,” because European citizens “will want to escape their leaders’ suicidal migration policies and will seek a safer place to retire.”

US to give Israel 'largest military aid package in history'
Arutz Sheva - White House responds to pressure by Senate, pledges to offer Israel unprecedented level of military aid. The White House is reportedly planning to accept Israeli demands for increased military aid, following pressure by the US Senate to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding laying out US support to Israel for the next decade. With the current Memorandum of Understanding set to expire in 2018, Israel has been pressuring the White House to enlarge the annual aid package from $3.1 billion to between $4-4.5 billion. Israel has stated that it must increase its military spending to cope with growing threats from ISIS and the Iranian regime following last year’s nuclear deal.

DHS agents accompany Brookfield, CT, detectives to travel to Maine to arrest Adam Lanza's former psychiatrist
Hartford Courant - A former psychiatrist who treated Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza when he was a teenager was arrested this week and charged with sexual assault after police say he carried on a sexual relationship with a former patient. Brookfield detectives traveled to Paul Fox's residence in Peaks Island, Maine, to take him into custody Wednesday with the assistance of Homeland Security Agents, police said. Police said the relationship occurred between October 2010 and October 2011...Fox told detectives in a Dec. 17, 2012, telephone interview that he had destroyed any records he had of his treatment of Lanza but recalled last seeing him when Lanza was about 15.

Arlington gun store’s owner sues critics, says opponents issued death threats
Washington Post - The owner of the Arlington gun store that opened last month despite vociferous objections from local residents has sued 64 people, including elected officials, claiming that they conspired to destroy the business, harassed the owner and landlord and mailed death threats to the 16-year-old “owner-in-training.” The suit, filed last week in Richmond Circuit Court, named seven state legislators who appealed to the landlord, on official General Assembly stationery, to refuse to rent 2300 N. Pershing Dr. to Nova Armory. The lawsuit also named Arlington County Board member Christian Dorsey, School Board member Barbara Kanninen and multiple residents who have spoken out against the gun store.... “People generally don’t like it if you try to destroy their business. That’s malicious behavior,” [attorney] Hawes said.

Trump Completes 5-State Sweep; Clinton Wins In MD, DEL, PA

Poll: Trump Reaches 50 Percent Support Nationally for the First Time
Donald Trump has reached 50 percent support from Republicans and Republican-leaners nationally for the first time since the beginning of the NBC News|SurveyMonkey Weekly Election Tracking Poll in late December. This milestone is significant as the 2016 primary heads into its final few weeks of contests, as there has been intense speculation that Trump's support has a ceiling.... These results are according to the latest NBC News|SurveyMonkey Weekly Election Tracking poll conducted online from April 18 to April 24 of 10,707 adults aged 18 and over, including 9,405 registered voters.

The Top 10 Reasons to Support Trump-We’ve Waited 53 Years for This Kind of Honesty
Dave Hodges – There is no doubt in my mind that no President has told the people the truth like JFK, until now. When you read this list of “Trumpisms” you will be inspired, feel powerful and exude confidence which will make us believe that we can defeat the shadowy forces who threatening our country and robbing your children of their future. In reality, I wish it were only that simple. But for now, there is only one candidate worth backing and worthy of voting for. Some of the following statements, uttered by Donald Trump, I have not heard, verbatim, until I went looking. The content and meaning of these words have obfuscated or twisted all together by the media. If anyone needed proof that Americans are lied to every single day, on every single issue, this is your moment of awakening.

Report: Cruz, Kasich Campaign Apps Spying on Users, Tracking Data
Kit Daniels - The official Ted Cruz and John Kasich smartphone apps are tracking their users, according to Symantec. The Kasich 2016 app may expose the user’s location and every app installed on the device, Symantec warned, while the Cruz Crew app may expose the user’s smartphone details and identification. “Remember, before you download that presidential primary app, apps may gather a lot of information and may expose your data,” Cynthia Chen with Symantec said. “Even official apps may expose sensitive data, so using protection will allow you to both be involved with the election process and keep sensitive data safe.” Symantec even rated the Kasich app as a medium security risk.

Texas Democrats File FEC Complaint Against Ted Cruz Campaign
The Gateway Pundit - Texas Democrats have filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission claiming the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz violated federal election law. Announced Monday, the complaint asks the FEC to investigate an incident in which a Cruz fundraiser reportedly suggested at a campaign-hosted event that supporters give unlimited donations to a super PAC. Under federal election law, campaigns and their agents cannot solicit contributions above the federal limit of $5,000.

Did Goldman Sachs’ Latest Move Into Main Street Banking Just Give Us A Warning About The Coming Financial Crisis?
Mac Slavo - According to a new report from the Financial Times via The Daily Star, mega-banking giant Goldman Sachs is now getting into the retail banking business and looking for more depositors to help fund their operations. The bank has reportedly “been under pressure to develop new streams of funding” after posting lower than usual equity returns in the first quarter of 2016. In response, Goldman recently acquired a portfolio of 145,000 retail depositors from GE Capital totaling some $16 billion in deposits. Goldman now intends to aggressively pursue retail depositors whose accounts they will then tap to help fund their investing and trading operations... For as little as $1 you can now start your own savings account with Goldman at a whopping annual interest rate of 1.05%. What could possibly go wrong when you deposit your money with one of the firms directly responsible for the fraud that led to Crash of 2008?

Report: DPS kept millions intended for pensions
Detroit Free Press - Michigan is investigating why the Detroit Public Schools district received up to $30 million in U.S. Department of Education reimbursements for some employee pensions but didn’t send the money to a state pension fund. As first reported by the Free Press last week, a report from retired federal judge Steven Rhodes noted the federal government says the district didn’t properly forward between $25 million and $30 million in federal funds to the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System (MPSERS).

Ford will invest $1.6 billion in two U.S. factories
Reuters - Ford Motor Co will invest $1.6 billion in two U.S. factories to start making a new automatic transmission and expand output of certain commercial trucks, the company said on Tuesday. Ford said the moves would support a total of 650 jobs but would not say how many new ones would be created. The announcement comes three weeks after Ford said it would spend $1.6 billion to build a new vehicle assembly plant in Mexico, drawing fire from Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump. Ford has countered that it intends to invest $9 billion in U.S. factories, as outlined in the company’s 2015 contract with the United Auto Workers union.... The future of auto manufacturing jobs has become a politically charged issue because of the federal bailouts of GM and the former Chrysler Group, and because UAW positions are under pressure from the growing number of car plants in Mexico. The Mexican factories pay workers hourly wages of roughly $8.25, compared with about $60, including benefits, for Ford UAW members, according to the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Xerox Undertakes Massive Layoffs, 4,800 Jobs In The First Quarter
Stamford Advocate - Xerox cut 4,800 jobs in the first quarter as its moved ahead with its plan to carve out its outsourced business processing operations as a separate company by the end of the year. Norwalk-based Xerox spent $124 million in severance in the first quarter, with the company expecting to pay $300 million in restructuring costs this year as part of an effort to cut $2.4 billion in costs over three years.

America’s Department Stores May Have To Close Hundreds Of Locations
Fortune - To get back to their pre-recession productivity peak, the nation’s top department stores would have to close hundreds of locations, according to a leading real estate analysis firm. Chains such as Sears SHLD -2.70% , J.C. Penney JCP -0.63% and Macy’s M -1.54% have been hit by a double whammy: the loss of market share to Amazon AMZN 0.92% and specialty stores, coupled with chronic drops in shopper traffic to malls. Collectively, they would need to close some 800 stores for sales per square foot to go back to 2006 levels, Green Street Advisors wrote in a recent research note. That translates to 25% of all department stores nationwide, whose list also includes Dillard’s DDS -1.08% , Bon-Ton BONT 1.28% and Nordstrom JWN 0.81% .

"Nestlé Is Trying to Break Us": A Pennsylvania Town Fights Predatory Water Extraction
Blacklisted News - In the permit application that Nestlé Waters filed with the Township, it states the company is proposing to drill two large wells, pump 200,000 gallons of water per day from the aquifer, put it in trucks and transfer it to an existing bottling facility near Allentown, about 20 miles away. It expects 60 truck trips through the town per day. And Nestlé isn't going away anytime soon: It plans to pump for 10 years with an option to continue pumping for an additional 15 years, leading to the removal of 73 million gallons of water from the aquifer over the life of the wells. Concerned residents dove into their local township files and found out that in May 2014, an ordinance was surreptitiously changed in the Eldred Township zoning rules to allow bulk water extraction to occur in a commercial zone. That small, but important rule change opened the gate for Nestlé to submit a permit application for bulk water extraction, which, before May 2014, was explicitly illegal in places zoned for commercial use.

Chronically Ill for Years – Aspartame Poisoning – Do You Have The Symptoms
Natural Blaze - How much aspartame are you consuming in your daily life? Are you getting symptoms of aspartame poisoning? Aspartame is marketed as a diet product, but it is not a diet product at all. In fact, it will cause you to GAIN weight because it makes you crave carbohydrates. The woman in this story, who remains anonymous, is the sister of a writer who was featured on Rhonda Gessner’s blog. We hope her story will serve as a warning to anyone who consumes diet drinks with the ingredient aspartame.... There are 92 documented symptoms of Aspartame Poisoning leading to coma and death. The majority of these symptoms are neurological, because the Aspartame attacks and destroys the nervous system.... People who have aspartame poisoning often suffer from symptoms like breathlessness, elevated blood pressure, diarrhea – that’s always fun, right? – stomach pain, intense itching, and hives.

Low vitamin D levels reveal risk of a heart attack and stroke
(NaturalHealth365) NaturalHealth365) A recent study is now showing strong evidence of a link between lack of vitamin D and poor cardiovascular health. The study results show that low vitamin D levels have been linked with a higher risk of having a heart attack, stroke or heart failure, among other health issues. The results come from an innovative study conducted by the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute of Salt Lake City. The study findings were presented at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in Chicago.

The Most Effective Anti-Depression Natural Remedies
Natural News Blogs - Depression, no matters the cause, level of severity, of the length of time a person has suffered should be taken seriously. Feeling down and blue is something everyone experiences at some point in life but when this feeling becomes overwhelming and long-lasting, more than likely depression has set in. Although there are times when conventional medicine is needed to treat this mental condition there are many times when Anti-Depression natural remedies are the best treatment.

3 Amazing Reasons Why You Should Put Essential Oils on the Bottom of Your Feet!
David Wolfe - Essential oils have many uses and are beneficial for our bodies in many different ways. However, knowing how to use essential oils safely can sometimes be confusing. From topical to ingested, what is the best use for them when it comes to your body? Since consuming essential oils has both negative and positive thoughts, finding another method of incorporating essential oils into your body is a must. One area of the body that is perfect for applying essential oils to is the feet. Odd as it may seem, the feet are one of the best areas to apply essential oils and we will tell you why!

Tuesday - April 26, 2016  -  Today in History:

1607 - The British established an American colony at Cape Henry, Virginia. It was the first permanent English establishment in the Western Hemisphere.
1865 - Joseph E. Johnston surrendered the Army of Tennessee to Sherman during the American Civil War.
1865 - John Wilkes Booth was killed by the U.S. Federal Cavalry.
1906 - In Hawaii, motion pictures were shown for the first time.
1921 - Weather broadcasts were heard for the first time on radio in St. Louis, MO.
1929 - First non-stop flight from England to India was completed.
1937 - German planes attacked Guernica, Spain, during the Spanish Civil War for the Spanish nationalist government. This raid is considered one of the first to be attacks on a civilian population by a modern air force.
1968 - Students seized the administration building at Ohio State University.
1982 - The British announced that Argentina had surrendered on South Georgia.
1983 - Dow Jones Industrial Average broke 1,200 for first time.
1986 - The world’s worst nuclear disaster to date occurred at Chernobyl, in Kiev. Thirty-one people died in the incident and thousands more were exposed to radioactive material.
2002 - In Erfurt, Germany, an expelled student killed 17 people at his former school. The student then killed himself.

For The First Time US Deploys Two F-22 Raptors Close To Russia To "Deter Aggression"
Zero Hedge - … earlier today the U.S. Air Force flew in two F-22 Raptor fighter jets to Romania as a show of strength to deter Russian intervention in Ukraine…. This is not the first time the US has sent its most modern stealth fighters to Europe: in August, the Air Force deployed four F-22s to Europe for the first time ever as part of the ERI [European Reassurance Initiative] … This was, however, the largest and closest to Russia deployment yet of the multirole fighter to the continent, officials said, a move meant to "bolster the security of NATO allies and partners in Europe" while showcasing its flexibility to fly throughout the region as well as to deter from further "Russian aggression." What it is really meant to do is send a signal to Russia following last week's "flybys" to not do it again.

Turkey bars entry to foreign journalists, gives no explanation
RT - Turkey is refusing entry to foreign journalists without providing any explanation for its actions. In the past few days a Greek photojournalist on assignment from the German tabloid Bild and an American journalist have been sent home from Istanbul…. Turkey’s crackdown on the media is a hot topic in Germany after Merkel failed to oppose the prosecution of a comedian who recited a crude poem criticizing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ankara had complained that the poem was insulting. Some 2,000 libel cases have been filed in Turkey against people accused of insulting the president.

Captors kill Canadian hostage in the Philippines
AJE News - The severed head of a Canadian hostage has been found on the streets of Samal Island in the Philippines. Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, has confirmed the news that a plastic bag containing a decapitated head and dumped in a street on Monday night by two men on a motorcycle in Jolo, a town in Sulu province of the Philippines, was that of John Ridsdel of Calgary. Ridsdel, 68, was abducted along with three other tourists - fellow Canadian Robert Hall, a Norwegian man and a Filipino woman - last September by the Abu Sayyaf armed group from a marina on Samal Island, also known as Islam Garden…. Abu Sayyaf, which is considered a terrorist organisation by Canada and other Western countries, emerged in the early 1990s as an offshoot of a separatist rebellion by minority Moro Muslims in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation's south.

Activists Expose Illegal ’Sharia Law’ Court
Kit Daniels - Muslim migrants create their own state within a state. A shocking video shows activists exposing a Sharia Law court operating inside London – and outside British law. The court, publicly known as the “Islamic Sharia Council,” is one of an estimated 100 Sharia law courts carrying out legal matters in the UK in accordance to Islamic law. “These Sharia courts are popping up all over Britain and they are usurping our own legal system we have in this country,” activist and mayoral candidate Paul Golding said in the video. “All of these Sharia courts need to be closed down immediately.” The activists pointed out a divorce proceedings flowchart posted on the wall of the court, and later a miniature courtroom is shown complete with Islamic law books and a desk for the Muslim judge, known as a qadi, to sit and preside over cases. “They’re building a state within a state – their own legal system, laws, regulations and everything,” Golding added. “A lot of people have fought and died [for our country], yet these people come into our country and set up their own legal system.”

Malaria menace: when insecticide-resistant mosquitoes bite back
The Guardian - Since 2000, the numbers of people dying of malaria have dropped by 60% and cases of the disease have fallen by 37%, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Insecticide-treated bednets, indoor and outdoor spraying, and other measures have averted millions of deaths, the WHO’s 2015 malaria report found. Research published in Nature and included in the report showed that bednets had been “by far the most important intervention” across Africa, accounting for an estimated 68% of cases prevented since 2000. But the report highlighted concern about mosquito resistance to insecticides used in bednets or indoor spraying. The evidence of resistance to pyrethroids – the only insecticide class approved by the WHO for use in long-lasting bednets – has been building…. Vestergaard, a Swiss firm that makes bednets, argues that it is time to change strategy…. Vestergaard’s new net contains piperonyl butoxide (PBO), with a pyrethroid insecticide in the roof section.

Obama Announces More Special Forces Troops To Syria, Escalates Existing Policy
Activist Post - U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Monday that an additional 250 American military personnel will be deployed to Syria under the guise of defeating ISIS…. Obama also restated the U.S. position that “Assad must go” when he said, “Just as we remain relentless on the military front we’re not going to give up on diplomacy to end the civil war in Syria because the suffering of the people in Syria has to end and that requires an effective political transition.”…. What these statements mean, of course, is that the United States is deploying troops to better assist, train, and organize the terrorists on the ground who are fighting Assad and the Syrian military. After all, these “fighters that the U.S. supports” are nothing more than ISIS, al-Qaeda, FSA, Nusra, and other numerous groups and groupiscules that are ideologically identical to one another and whose only real tangible difference is the names they themselves.

U.N. Pressing for 'Alternative' Ways to Admit More Syrian Refugees to U.S.
Breitbart - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is considering “alternative” ways to admit more Syrian refugees to the United States, beyond the current refugee resettlement program, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. “The legitimacy and transparency of these new ‘alternative pathways,’ aimed at admitting increasing numbers of Syrian refugees into the United States without calling them ‘refugees,’ remain to be seen,” CIS senior researcher Nayla Rush wrote in a report Monday. “They might even amount to convenient admissions detours at a time when the U.S. refugee resettlement program is under tight scrutiny.” According to Rush, facing a target to resettle 480,000 Syrian refugees over the next three years, U.N. representatives have already been laying the rhetorical groundwork for pursuing such alternatives to resettlement.

Uncensored Documents on Homeland Security's Controversial Fusion Centers Sought by N.Y. Times
AllGov - The New York Times wants a federal judge to have the Department of Homeland Security release documents related to counterterrorism "fusion centers" that have been roundly criticized in recent years….. In December, the Times submitted a request to Homeland Security, which manages the centers, for its assessments of the fusion centers from 2009 to 2014. It says the agency heavily redacted the assessments, however, and has not yet acted on the newspaper's appeal. The Times brought a suit in New York on April 19 under the Freedom of Information Act, sayings its requested documents were withheld without any legal basis…. The Cato Institute has alleged fusion center employees have conducted surveillance of Tea Party groups and Second Amendment rallies. In 2009 the Missouri Information Analysis Center allegedly targeted supporters of Ron Paul, a Texas congressman at the time who was then running for U.S. president.

Clapper: Secret 28 Pages from 9/11 Report Could Be Out By June
NewsMax - Twenty-eight classified pages from a 2002 joint congressional inquiry into the 9/11 attacks may be released by June, ending speculation that the pages could show the involvement of officials from Saudi Arabia in the attacks, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Monday. "We are in the position of trying to coordinate interagency position on the declassification of the 28 pages," Clapper, the nation's top intelligence officials, said during a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, reports The Hill. "I think that is certainly a realistic goal from where we stand with that." …. Meanwhile, the White House and the Saudi kingdom have been fighting pending legislation sought by victims of the 9/11 attacks that would allow them to sue the Saudis or other foreign entities if it is determined they are involved in terrorism attacks that occur on U.S. soil. The Obama administration says it is concerned that if the legislation is passed, it could lead to lawsuits against U.S. interests from other countries, while Saudi Arabia has threatened to sell $750 billion in U.S. assets it holds.
* Related: Here Are Some Huge Lessons Truth Seekers Can Learn About The “28 Pages” Obvious Psyop

Cleveland agrees to pay Tamir Rice family $6m over police shooting
The Guardian - The city of Cleveland, Ohio, has agreed to pay $6m to the family of Tamir Rice to settle a lawsuit over the 12-year-old's fatal shooting by a police officer. The payment will avert a federal civil rights case brought against city authorities by Tamir’s relatives over the death of "a young boy with his entire life ahead of him, full of potential and promise", their attorneys said on Monday. The details of the settlement were contained in a filing by judge Solomon Oliver to federal court in Cleveland on Monday morning.

Bathroom Backlash: Over Half a Million Sign Petition to Boycott Target
Adan Salazar - A petition calling for a boycott on Target over the store’s new bathroom policy promoting “gender inclusivity” has reached over half a million signatures. Featured at the American Family Association website, the petition contends Target’s new policy “means a man can simply say he ‘feels like a woman today’ and enter the women’s restroom…even if young girls or women are already in there.” Furthermore, the petition asserts, “Target’s policy is exactly how sexual predators get access to their victims.” The new bathroom policy also disproportionately endangers female bathroom users, according to the petition.

Colorado Supreme Court declines to hear gay wedding cake case
Washington Times - The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday refused to review Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Craig, a case featuring a religious wedding cake baker who was punished for declining to service a same-sex wedding celebration. Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Jeremy Tedesco, who represents Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips, said the firm is “evaluating all legal options” in the case. “We asked the Colorado Supreme Court to take this case to ensure that government understands that its duty is to protect people’s freedom to follow their beliefs personally and professionally, not force them to violate those beliefs as the price of earning a living,” Mr. Tedesco said in a press release…. “It’s not just the cakes for the same-sex weddings — I haven’t singled out that one issue as something that I won’t do,” he said in a video distributed by ADF. “I also don’t make cakes for bachelor parties. I don’t make Halloween cakes or anything involving witchcraft or demons. Sometimes it seems like I’ve turn down more cakes in a day than I’ve taken orders for.” Mr. Phillips has stopped making wedding cakes entirely while the case is being litigated.

Ted Cruz-John Kasich Alliance Against Donald Trump Quickly Weakens
New York Times - The agreement, in which the two candidates agreed to cede forthcoming states to one another — Mr. Kasich would, most crucially, stand down in Indiana’s primary on May 3 to give Mr. Cruz a better chance to defeat Mr. Trump there, while Mr. Cruz would leave Oregon and New Mexico to Mr. Kasich — carried the stench of desperation, but initially it seemed like a breakthrough…. But at his own campaign stop in Philadelphia on Monday, Mr. Kasich tamped down Mr. Cruz’s triumphalism. Voters in Indiana, Mr. Kasich said, “ought to vote for me,” even if he would not be campaigning publicly there. He added, “I don’t see this as any big deal.”…. Mr. Cruz’s campaign privately advised supporters on Sunday not to endorse tactical voting, whereby his supporters might switch their allegiance to Mr. Kasich in states where the Ohio governor is running stronger against Mr. Trump. “We never tell voters who to vote for,” read the suggested Cruz talking point. “We’re simply letting folks know where we will be focusing our time and resources.”

Anti-Trump Super PAC #NeverTrump Books HUNDREDS of Rooms In Cleveland to Bribe-Poach RNC Delegates
The Gateway Pundit - There are at least 8 Super PACs backed by Republican elites who are spending millions to defeat Donald Trump. The Super PACs are reportedly are calling, texting, emailing, lobbying, and all-out wining and dining the 2,472 delegates who will vote at the 2016 RNC. The anti-Trump #NeverTrump Super PAC led by former Majority Leader Eric Cantor has reportedly booked hundreds of rooms in Cleveland in order to compromise delegates to the Republican Convention in July.

Latest Polling Numbers Shows TRUMP with HUGE LEADS in Northeast — 59% CT, 51% PA, 61% RI
New Public Policy Polling surveys in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island conducted on behalf of VoteVets.Org Action Fund find the Democratic race for President in those states competitive, while on the Republican side Donald Trump is headed for blowout victories across the board… Things aren’t nearly so competitive on the Republican side, with Donald Trump getting a majority of voters in each state. He’s strongest in Rhode Island where he gets 61% to 23% for John Kasich, and 13% for Ted Cruz. The numbers are very similar in Connecticut with Trump getting 59% to 25% for Kasich, and 13% for Cruz. Things are a little bit different in Pennsylvania where Trump’s share of the vote isn’t as high (51%) and Cruz edges out Kasich 25/22 for second place. None of these states are particularly amenable to the ‘Never Trump’ movement.

Hillary Clinton's Million Dollar Professional Internet Troll Army
The Anti Media - The campaign will essentially be employing an unknown number of paid, pro-Hillary trolls to spread positive news about the candidate and counter anyone posting negative information about her. And these aren’t just ragtag trolls living in their mothers’ basements — they are industry and campaign professionals. As Correct the Record acknowledges: “The task force staff’s backgrounds are as diverse as the community they will be engaging with and include former reporters, bloggers, public affairs specialists, designers, Ready for Hillary alumni, and Hillary super fans who have led groups similar to those with which the task force will organize.”…. The Hillary campaign was also recently called out by The Intercept for deploying “astroturfers” into the media — people with ties to Clinton who act as experts and political commentators to promote her campaign without disclosing their ties to the candidate.

Doug Casey Warns: “It’s The Next Stage Of The Greater Depression… The Economy Is Going To Be Very, Very Bad”
Mac Slavo - While President Obama took credit this weekend for saving the world economy from a global depression and stock markets are hovering around all-time highs, not everyone is convinced that central bank policy and government involvement in financial markets has stabilized the system. Doug Casey, one of the most well respected institutional investors in the world and someone who thrives in environments plagued with volatility and risk, joins Future Money Trends to explain exactly why the world has not avoided a Greater Depression and how things are about to get “very, very bad.” And by very bad he means that centrally manufactured super-bubbles and bubbles are set to wipe out trillions.

New Homes Sales Suffer 3rd Monthly Drop - Worst Streak Since July 2011
Zero Hedge - With Starts and Permits already rolling over, New Home Sales printed a disappointing 511k (vs 520k expectations), dropping 1.5% MoM. This is the 3rd monthly decline in a row - the longest such streak since July 2011. While positive for affordability, the decline MoM and YoY in median home prices (-$9,400 and -$5,400 respectively) will do nothing for The Fed's wealth-creation mandate. The West saw New Home Sales plunge 23.6% MoM while The Midwest surged 18.5%.

Video: The United Nations Exposes Chemtrails: 100% PROOF We Are Being Poisoned
Humans Are Free - By now everyone has witnessed streaks of white trailing across the sky, stretching from horizon to horizon, ultimately turning the skies into a murky haze…. We’ll now we have 100% undeniable evidence that chemtrails exist. The video below is of Rosalind Peterson, the president of Agriculture Defence Coalition. In it she address the United Nations on chemtrails, geoengineering, and weather modification (HAARP). If you were a skeptic before, I can assure you, that you will not be after hearing what she (video link in article, 17 minutes) has to say to the people in power.
* Related: Chuck Norris Takes on Chemtrails

Monday - April 25, 2016  -  Today in History:

1792 - The guillotine was first used to execute highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier.
1846 - The Mexican-American War ignited as a result of disputes over claims to Texas boundaries. The outcome of the war fixed Texas' southern boundary at the Rio Grande River.
1859 - Work began on the Suez Canal in Egypt.
1862 - Union Admiral Farragut occupied New Orleans, LA.
1864 - After facing defeat in the Red River Campaign, Union General Nathaniel Bank returned to Alexandria, LA.
1898 - The U.S. declared war on Spain. Spain had declared war on the U.S. the day before.
1901 - New York became the first state to require license plates for cars. The fee was $1.
1928 - A seeing eye dog was used for the first time.
1945 - Delegates from about 50 countries met in San Francisco to organize the United Nations.
1959 - St. Lawrence Seaway opened to shipping. The water way connects the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.
1962 - The U.S. spacecraft, Ranger, crashed on the Moon.
1980 - In Iran, a commando mission to rescue hostages was aborted after mechanical problems disabled three of the eight helicopters involved. During the evacuation, a helicopter and a transport plan collided and exploded. Eight U.S. servicemen were killed. The mission was aimed at freeing American hostages that had been taken at the U.S. embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979. The event took place April 24th Washington, DC, time.
1987 - In Washington, DC, 100,000 people protested the U.S. policy in Central America.
1990 - The U.S. Hubble Space Telescope was placed into Earth's orbit. It was released by the space shuttle Discovery.
1992 - Islamic forces in Afghanistan took control of most of the capital of Kabul following the collapse of the Communist government.
1998 - U.S. first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton on was questioned by Whitewater prosecutors on videotape about her work as a private lawyer for the failed savings and loan at the center of the investigation.
2003 - Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader and ex-wife of former President Nelson Mandela, was sentenced to four years in prison for her conviction on fraud and theft charges. She was convicted of 43 counts of fraud and 25 of theft of money from a women's political league.

Washington Launches Its Attack Against BRICS
Paul Craig Roberts - Having removed the reformist President of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Washington is now disposing of the reformist President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff. Washington used a federal judge to order Argentina to sacrifice its debt restructuring program in order to pay US vulture funds the full value of defaulted Argentine bonds that the vulture funds had bought for a few pennies on the dollar…. President Kirchner resisted and, thus, she had to go…. In Brazil, Washington has used corruption insinuations to get President Rousseff impeached by the lower house. Evidence is not necessary, just allegations…. In short, this is Washington’s move against the BRICS. Washington is moving to put into political power a rightwing party that Washington controls in order to terminate Brazil’s growing relationships with China and Russia…. Kirchner and Rousseff’s “crimes” are their efforts to have the governments of Argentina and Brazil represent the Argentine and Brazilian peoples rather than the elites and Wall Street.

Halliburton Fires One Third Of Global Staff: "What We Are Experiencing Today Is Unsustainable"
Zero Hedge - In a brutally frank and painfully honest first quarter operational update, Halliburton president Jeff Miller poured freezing cold water all over the "oil is stabilizing, and everything is going to be awesome" narrative. After explaining that the firm has laid off one-third of its global employees, and pointing to the collapse in sequential revenues across every business unit, Miller exclaimed….”What we are experiencing today is far beyond headwinds; it is unsustainable. My definition of an unsustainable market is one where all service companies are losing money in North America, which is where we are now.”

Yours for $1: 58,429 deadweight tonne bulk carrier, one previous owner
The Guardian - Goldenport, one of the last shipping companies left on the London Stock Exchange, has delisted from the market and sold off six of its remaining eight vessels for $1 (69p) each. The giveaway reflects the most dismal shipping conditions in decades, caused by economic slowdown in China combined with an oversupply of vessels due to a building spree during a previous boom…. John Dragnis, the chief executive of Goldenport, said the company’s lenders and shareholders had agreed to the fleet sell-off at a time when the company had debts of more than £100m to RBS and other banks. “The value of the vessels is less than the value of the loans due to extreme market conditions.”…. Richard Fulford-Smith, the founder of the Affinity shipbroking firm and a leading figure in the London maritime scene, said the bulk shipping markets were in “a sad state” and there could be more bankruptcies and exits before any bounce back. Fulford-Smith, 60, added: “I will probably be retired by the time there is any real recovery.”

Kuwait to DNA Test Everyone, Including Tourists. No exceptions
Sputnik News - The legislation that will make DNA tagging mandatory will come in effect later this year. After that each and every person entering the country will undergo a mandatory DNA sampling. This will be done by taking samples of saliva or blood (by person's choice). Refusing to undergo such procedure will cause "consequences" that have yet to be specified. According to Kuwaiti officials, this measure will help in crime investigations and keeping track of people but, they claimed, the practice won't affect people's freedom or privacy. Kuwait will become the first country in the world to implement total DNA tagging and to create a national security DNA database. In order to do that, a sampling station will be deployed in the Kuwait National Airport. Mobile DNA testing centers will move through the state, performing DNA testing on people in a way, similar to ID check by a policeman. The DNA tagging will only be used for "criminal security purposes" according to Kuwaiti officials

GM to Halt Four US, Canada Plants Production After Japan Earthquakes
Sputnik News - General Motors Co. said that it would halt production at four plants in the United States and Canada for two weeks since Monday due to supply-chain problems caused by the recent earthquakes in Japan. "This temporary adjustment is not expected to have any material impact on GM’s full-year production plans in North America. In addition, the company does not expect a material impact to its second quarter or full-year financial results for GM North America," the automotive manufacturer said in a statement on Friday. The manufacturing operations at the following GM North America assembly facilities are expected to be shut down: Spring Hill, Tennessee, Oshawa Flex Assembly, Canada, Lordstown, Ohio, and Fairfax, Kansas…. In the wake of the major quakes, Japanese manufacturers Toyota and Nissan were also forced to suspend production at their plants at home due to parts supply problems.

‘People should be terrified fracking is spreading’ – Australian MP who set river on fire to RT (Video)
RT - Fracking should be banned as a “global threat” as it causes methane leaks contaminating water in the communities near gas wells, says an Australian MP who literally set a river ablaze to draw attention to the adverse effects of the practice. The companies that extract coal seam gas via fracking are duping people into believing that their technology is safe, while in reality it has contributed greatly to the pollution of sites like Condamine river located in the Australian state of Queensland just near the fracking site, Greens MP Jeremy Buckingham said in an interview to RT. “This gas is leaking out of the ground because of the fracking. They have thousands of gas wells around this river, around this site. They drill, they frack, but the gas isn’t just flowing up their gas wells, it’s coming through the ground,” he said, stressing that Origin Energy company, that operate the wells, “should be condemned for polluting one of our most important rivers.”

White House poised to release secret pages from 9/11 inquiry
AP - The Obama administration will likely soon release at least part of a 28-page secret chapter from a congressional inquiry into 9/11 that may shed light on possible Saudi connections to the attackers. The documents, kept in a secure room in the basement of the Capitol, contain information from the joint congressional inquiry into "specific sources of foreign support for some of the Sept. 11 hijackers while they were in the United States."

Clinton-Appointed Judge Supports Gag Orders on FBI National Security Letter Recipients
AllGov - In a decision unsealed this week, a federal judge ruled that so-called national security letters issued by the government to gain subscriber information from banks, telecommunication companies, Internet service providers and others are not unconstitutional…. While the case was on appeal, Congress amended the NSL statute through the passage of the USA Freedom Act of 2015…. Among the changes, the government is now required to provide the NSL recipient with notice of the right to judicial review as a condition of prohibiting the receipt of the letter. The amended statute also permits the government to modify or rescind a nondisclosure requirement after an NSL is issued…. Additionally, in the event of a judicial review the government's application for a nondisclosure order must be accompanied by certification from a specified government official stating why the absence of a prohibition of disclosure would result in a danger to national security, interfere with a criminal investigation or put someone's life in danger.... The amendment to the law "cures the deficiencies previously identified by this court," Illston said.

Senator Investigating Clinton Emails Says FBI Could Possibly Leak Info
Daily Caller - Leaks would spring from the FBI if officials believed that the bureau took it easy on Hillary Clinton for political reasons, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley said Friday. Speaking at a breakfast meeting in Des Moines, the Iowa Republican said that while he would not want the FBI to leak information about its investigation into Clinton’s private email server, information would likely seep out if it was perceived that the bureau decided not to issue indictments because of politics.

Memo: CDC Officials Warned of Safety Risks, Diseases Amid Immigrant Influx
Adan Salazar - In a memo obtained by government watchdog Judicial Watch following a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security over a Freedom of Information Act request, a high-level government official urged employees to assume a large number of detained Unaccompanied Children (UACs) at the southwest border had tuberculosis. “We might as well plan on many of the kids having TB,” reads a redacted June 26, 2014 email from Centers for Disease Control (CDC) environmental health scientist Alaric C. Denton to Indian Health Service Industrial Hygiene and Safety Manager Brian Hroch. Denton’s email also spoke to the “overwhelming” scope of the health efforts, as well as warned employees to be wary of “personal safety” as many UACs were not children, but “young adults.” “Victoria brought up a good point about the screening process for this event, but I can’t imagine not being overwhelmed pretty quickly and the screening requirements being hard to keep up with,” Denton’s email says, adding, “Some of these kids are not really kids they are young adults, and we should be wary of personal safety.” Another email showed other diseases, such as scabies and lice, were also a concern.

Top Twenty-Five Stories Proving Target’s Pro-Transgender Bathroom Policy Is Dangerous to Women and Children
Breitbart - As the boycott of Target stores over its pro-transgender bathroom policy grows, the question of just who such a policy puts in danger is a natural one to ask. As these policies proliferate across the country, the number of stories of predators threatening women and children in public restrooms is also growing by the day. The Target department store chain drew the ire of millions of Americans after it announced it was opening its bathrooms to transgender shoppers and employees and allowing them to choose whatever bathroom they feel like using at any given time. Days later a #BoycottTarget petition effort launched that drew over 200,000 signatures in a day and over 300,000 by the weekend.

Colorado: Entire Police Force Quits; Town Does Not Descend Into Chaos
The Free Thought Project - Green Mountain Falls, CO — Without giving any reason whatsoever, the entire Green Mountain Police department in Colorado has quit. The chief of police announced his resignation on Tuesday and he was quickly followed by all the other officers. It has now been 4 days and, remarkably, the town of Green Mountain Falls does not look like a scene out of Mad Max. “In an election year there’s always some people who choose to stay and some people who choose to go, and I think that happens at every level of government,” Green Mountain Falls Mayor Jane Newberry said. Despite giving no reason, it is likely that the department disagreed with the local politics and reacted by abandoning their duty as public servants — thereby illustrating the irrelevance of their job in the first place.

Prince's former drug dealer tells how the legend spent $40,000 at a time on six-month supplies of Dilaudid pills and Fentanyl patches
Daily Mail - Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail Online, the performer's long-time dealer - who asked to be named only as Doctor D - revealed the singer would spend up to $40,000 a time on six-month supplies of Dilaudid pills and Fentanyl patches - both highly addictive opioid pain killers.... Doctor D said the musician, who he described as 'majorly addicted', regularly bought drugs from him between 1984 and 2008. The dealer, often to the stars, said Prince suffered crippling stage fright and could not get on stage and perform without the drugs - but had a phobia of doctors so could not obtain a prescription legally.... Tragically, Doctor D suggests it could have been a physician that unknowingly contributed to Prince's death - by prescribing strong pain killers to the singer for his hip condition without knowing the extent of his secret opiate addiction.

RNC Rules Committee Member: “If Trump Gets 1,237 Delegates, That Doesn’t Mean He’ll be Nominee”
The Gateway Pundit - In March Republican convention rules member Curly Haugland told CNBC that the delegates choose the GOP nominee, not the people. On Friday Curly told CNBC that even if Donald Trump wins 1,237 delegates that does not mean he will be the Republican nominee. Curly added: “The votes during the primary process are only estimates.” CNBC reported: Curly Haugland, a longstanding RNC official and an unbound delegate from North Dakota who will be on the convention rules committee in July, told CNBC that attaining 1,237 during the primaries does not secure the nomination. “Even if Trump reaches the magic number of 1,237 the media and RNC are touting, that does not mean Trump is automatically the nominee,” Haugland said. “The votes earned during the primary process are only estimates and are not legal convention votes. The only official votes to nominate a candidate are those that are cast from the convention floor.”

Pro-Cruz Super PAC Spend Millions to Sway-Bribe-Poach Trump Delegates
The Gateway Pundit - There are at least 8 Super PACs backed by Republican elites who are spending millions to defeat Donald Trump.... The super PACs are calling, texting, emailing, lobbying, and all-out wining & dining the 2,472 delegates who will vote at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Elite super PACs directly interfere and influence delegates’ decisions which is an encroachment and perversion of the electoral process. These deep-pocketed super PACs are funded by a small cadre of shadow billionaires. They appear to work in tandem with TeamCruz, yet just outside the confines of his official campaign to avoid scrutiny and violations from the FEC. After months of campaigning, the race boils down to a delegate battle funded by the shadowy money of a few elites, rather than the reflection of the caucus and primary votes.

WARNING: CRUZ LACKEYS Are Posting Fake Trump PA Delegate Lists on Twitter
The Gateway Pundit - Donald Trump posted an OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN LIST of Trump Pennsylvania delegates on Twitter on Saturday. Voters in Pennsylvania MUST VOTE ON THESE CONFIRMED TRUMP DELEGATES In their district. BUT BE WARNED: There are Cruz vampire lists popping up on Twitter.

Latest Polls Show Trump Rising in CA with Average 15 Point Lead Over Cruz, Kasich
Breitbart - California is key for Donald Trump in his quest to cinch the GOP’s nomination and avoid a contested convention this July; a task he may very well be able to achieve according to the latest polls. RealClearPolitics points to an average of four polls from the past month in California showing Trump up by 15 percentage points over Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. A new Fox News poll of likely California primary voters released late Friday shows Trump leading the Republican field with 49%, leading both Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who is at a distant second with 22%, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich at 20%. A poll by CBS/YouGov has Trump as the same.

Voting Rights Restored to 200,000 Convicted Felons in Virginia
AllGov - Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia used his executive power Friday to restore voting rights to more than 200,000 convicted felons, circumventing the Republican-run legislature…. The sweeping order, in a swing state that could play a role in deciding the November presidential election, will enable all felons who have served their prison time and finished parole or probation to register to vote. Most are African-Americans, a core constituency of Democrats, McAuliffe’s political party…. In Kentucky, Gov. Matt Bevin, a newly elected Republican, recently overturned an order enacted by his Democratic predecessor that was similar to the one McAuliffe signed Friday. In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, vetoed a measure to restore voting rights to convicted felons, but Democrats in the state legislature overrode him in February and an estimated 44,000 former prisoners who are on probation can now register to vote…. Previous governors in Florida and Iowa took executive action to ease their lifetime bans, but in each case, a subsequent governor restored the tough rules.

Clinton storms Connecticut with gun-control message
The Hill - The former secretary of State met last week in Hartford, Conn., with the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and has launched ads in the state featuring victims of gun violence. Mailers supporting Clinton that have been sent to registered Democrats in Connecticut feature Gabby Giffords, a former Arizona congresswoman and shooting victim who has become one of the biggest national advocates for changing gun laws.

Chelsea Clinton: Gun Control Is Possible Because Scalia Died
Daily Caller - Chelsea Clinton claimed that since late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is no longer on the bench, it is now possible to enact more gun control, if her mother Hillary is elected to nominate a liberal justice. During a campaign event, Chelsea Clinton said, “It matters to me that my mom also recognizes the role the Supreme Court has when it comes to gun control. With Justice Scalia on the bench, one of the few areas where the court actually had an inconsistent record relates to gun control.”

Connecticut man made threat on Twitter to bomb Trump rally: police
Reuters - A 20-year-old Connecticut man was arrested after being accused of sending threats on Twitter to bomb a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, authorities said on Sunday. Sean Morkys of Waterbury, Connecticut, was charged with threatening, inciting injury and breach of peace. The U.S. Secret Service, which is responsible for the safety of presidential candidates, alerted the Connecticut State Police's counterterrorism office on Saturday afternoon that a Twitter user had posted, "Is someone going to bomb the trump rally or am I going to have to?" A second post warned a friend to tell relatives to leave the rally in Waterbury to avoid being harmed, state police said.

In 1 Out Of Every 5 American Families, Nobody Has A Job
Economic Collapse - The following comes directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics… In 2015, the share of families with an employed member was 80.3 percent, up by 0.2 percentage point from 2014. The likelihood of having an employed family member rose in 2015 for Black families (from 76.4 percent to 77.7 percent) and for Hispanic families (from 85.9 percent to 86.4 percent). The likelihood for White and Asian families showed little or no change (80.1 percent and 88.6 percent, respectively)…. Digging into the numbers, we find that there were a total of 81,410,000 families in America during the 2015 calendar year. Of that total, 16,060,000 families did not have a single member employed. So that means that in 19.7 percent of all families in the United States, nobody has a job…. So based on these numbers, it would appear to me that the true rate of unemployment in this country is vastly higher than 5 percent, and John Williams of shadowstats.com agrees with me. According to his calculations, the broadest measure of unemployment in the U.S. would actually be sitting at 22.9 percent if honest numbers were being used.

Don't Let Your Dog Have His Treat If He Does This
Dr. Becker - If you share your life with one or more canine companions, you know that giving your dog a treat can be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, treats are rewards for desired behavior and dogs love them, which is a good thing. But if your dog tends to rip treats from your hands so enthusiastically that you cry out in fear or pain, it can really put a damper on the treat-giving experience, leaving both you and your furry friend feeling a little confused and upset. If your dog is a treat-grabbing-finger-nipper, take heart. There are things you can do to successfully curb the behavior.

Friday - April 22, 2016  -  Today in History:

1792 - U.S. President George Washington proclaimed American neutrality in the war in Europe.
1861 - Robert E. Lee was named commander of Virginia forces.
1864 - The U.S. Congress passed legislation that allowed the inscription "In God We Trust" to be included on one-cent and two-cent coins.
1889 - At noon, the Oklahoma land rush officially started as thousands of Americans raced for new, unclaimed land.
1898 - The first shot of the Spanish-American war occurred when the USS Nashville captured a Spanish merchant ship.
1915 - At the Second Battle Ypres the Germans became the first country to use poison gas.
1930 - The U.S., Britain and Japan signed the London Naval Treaty, which regulated submarine warfare and limited shipbuilding.
1931 - Egypt signed the treaty of friendship with Iraq.
1944 - During World War II, the Allies launched a major attack against the Japanese in Hollandia, New Guinea.
1952 - An atomic test conducted in Nevada was the first nuclear explosion shown on live network television.
1970 - The first "Earth Day" was observed by millions of Americans.
1993 - The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was dedicated in Washington, DC.
1997 - In Lima, Peru government commandos storm and capture the residence of the Japanese ambassador ending a 126-day hostage crisis. In the rescue 71 hostages were saved. Those killed: one hostage (of a heart attack), two soldiers, and all 14 rebels.
2000 - Elian Gonzalez was reunited with his father. He had to be taken from his Miami relatives by U.S. agents in a predawn raid.
2010 - The Boeing X-37 began its first orbital mission. It successfully returned to Earth on December 3, 2010.

Security fail: Cologne Airport’s terrorism emergency evacuation plan accidently put on internet
RT - The emergency plan was mistakenly published on the airport’s website in November, despite the fact that it should have been only available to a handful of people, according to the ZDF’s Heute.de website. The document, which totals 230 pages, gives a comprehensive plan for how to react in case of a whole range of emergencies from natural disasters to kidnappings or terrorist attacks. The phone numbers and contact details of key security personnel were also published online. However, unbeknownst to the authorities, all their best laid plans were available for any potential terrorists to see on the internet. The documents would also provide them with invaluable information such as potential escape routes. This breach will come as further embracement to Cologne Bonn Airport after a recent report by the German television station WDR revealed that its security system failed to detect dangerous items in carry-on luggage.

China tests ICBM capable of striking US within half an hour
RT - Beijing has successfully tested a new long-range ballistic missile capable of engaging any potential target worldwide. The rocket takes just 30 minutes to cover its maximum 12,000km range and can deliver multiple strikes on any nuclear-capable state. The launch of China’s Dongfeng-41 (East Wind, DF-41) missile was registered by the US satellite tracking system in real time, the Washington Free Beacon reports, although the location of the launch was not immediately revealed. The launch was made from a new road-mobile platform, and is reportedly the seventh test-firing of the DF-41. American experts estimate the DF-41 to be an 80-ton, three-stage solid-fuel missile capable of carrying between six and 10 nuclear warheads.

'Legalize all drugs,' business and world leaders tell UN
The Guardian - A British billionaire, three former presidents and a renowned Aids researcher have called for all drugs to be decriminalized at a press conference that was sharply critical of the United Nations’ latest drug policy agreement, adopted this week. Leaders of the Global Commission on Drug Policy said the UN’s first special session on drugs in 18 years had failed to improve international narcotics policy, instead choosing to tweak its prohibition-oriented approach to drug regulation.... This week’s United Nations general assembly special session, UNgass, clearly displayed the deep divisions between member states over narcotics: while a growing number of countries, including several states in the US, have moved towards decriminalizing or legalizing drugs, others continue to execute people convicted of drug crimes. Three UN conventions prohibit drug use that is not medical or scientific.

Half-century old B-52s warplanes now delivering ‘precision strikes’ against Islamic State
RT - B-52 bombers old enough to order from a 24-hour diner’s senior discount menu are now conducting “precision strikes” over Iraq and Syria against Islamic State – and the upgraded warplanes still have a long life ahead of them, US military officials say. An Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) weapons storage facility in Qayyarah, Iraq was targeted by a B-52 firing guided bombs on Monday, Colonel Steve Warren, spokesman of Operation Inherent Resolve, the US mission against IS, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday.... While the B-52 is replacing the younger B-1 warplanes that have been flying bombing missions against IS over the past year, it remains unclear when the B-52 will be replaced. Some B-52s, depending on their mission, will soon be upgraded to carry more GPS-guided bombs and superior radar. Northrop Grumman is working on a new generation of such bombers which are to be called Long Range Strike Bombers, but that program was only announced in October and is expected to take at least a decade to be realized at a cost that could exceed $100 billion.

US Supreme Court rules Iran must pay almost $2bn to victims of 1983 terror attacks
The US Supreme Court has ruled that Iran must pay nearly US$2 billion in compensation to relatives of the 241 Marines who died in a 1983 terrorist attack in Beirut, as well as victims of other attacks that courts have linked to Tehran. On Wednesday, the court ruled that Congress had acted within its powers when it passed a law in 2012 that granted victims involved in the case the right to be paid for their losses out of frozen funds tied to Iran’s central bank. The legislation stated that the bank’s assets within the US were to be turned over to the families of the victims. Iran's central bank tried to stave off court orders at the time, complaining that US Congress was intruding into the business of federal courts when it passed the legislation, according to AP. Over 1,300 people are among the relatives of the victims of the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, and other attacks.

Homeland Security Trains Texas Cops to Deal With Riots
Paul Joseph Watson - The Department of Homeland Security oversaw a first of its kind three day training exercise in Texas this week during which police officers from fifteen different departments took part in drills on how to deal with riots and conduct mass arrests. Dozens of McLennan Community College students posed as unruly demonstrators during the drill, which took place at the McLennan Community College Emergency Services Education Center.... The exercises involved protesters provoking cops but classroom briefings on “large-crowd management, critical thinking, intuitive decision-making skills and the public’s right to peaceably assemble” were also held. FEMA instructors were on hand to advise cops on the protesters’ “constitutional rights” as well as how to “handle situations with multiple arrests and mobile field-force team methods.” The training is expected to be put into practice in “realistic situations,” and more drills are being planned for the future.

Baltimore cops sued over brutality, unlawful arrests during Freddie Gray protests
RT - Baltimore police abused and violated the constitutional rights of six people who they arrested during the unrest provoked by Freddie Gray’s death in police custody, according to a new lawsuit filed by the men who were detained. Filed on Tuesday, the lawsuit targets the State of Maryland, the Baltimore Police Department, former Police Chief Anthony Batts, and 22 other officers, the Associated Press reported. The six plaintiffs claim they were beaten and abused by law enforcement during the protests following Gray’s death in police custody and that officers “tore apart” their constitutional right to protest with their behavior, according to the Baltimore Sun. The men are each seeking more than $75,000 in damages on each of 10 counts: excessive force, illegal arrest, false imprisonment, deprivation of liberty and property, false arrest, battery, a pattern or practice of constitutional violations, civil conspiracy, negligence and gross negligence.

Did the Chemtrail Flu Kill Prince and Merle Haggard? (Videos)
Kit Daniels - The artist known as Prince has died suddenly of a mysterious illness, just like Merle Haggard, and both men previously spoke out against chemtrails many have suggested are responsible for a surge in respiratory illnesses. “The singer — full name Prince Rogers Nelson — had a medical emergency on April 15th that forced his private jet to make an emergency landing in Illinois, but he appeared at a concert the next day to assure his fans he was okay,” TMZ reported April 21. “His people told TMZ he was battling the flu.” A mysterious illness has been spreading across the U.S., coinciding with massive chemtrail spraying – and it’s possible the two are linked. Prince even spoke out against chemtrails during an interview with late night host Tavis Smiley... And so did Haggard, who passed away April 6 from a lung infection: “What I hate is looking up and seeing chemtrails in a clear blue sky today,” Haggard sang. But are chemtrails real?...
* Related: CHEMTRAIL SYNDROME: A Global Pandemic Of Epic Proportions

Prince Suffered Drug Overdose Six Days Before Death, Report
Sputnik News - As details emerge about the circumstances surrounding the death of pop icon Prince, sources tell TMZ that the 57-year-old was treated for a drug overdose 6 days prior. The pop star was found dead on Thursday morning, but authorities have not yet revealed the cause of death. While doctors reportedly urged Prince to remain hospitalized for 24 hours, he left after just 3, because the facility could not provide a private room. Sources say Prince "was not doing well" when he left. Prince’s representatives originally claimed that the emergency landing was because the musician was suffering from the flu.

Video: GOP Chair Priebus: If Trump Wins 1236 Delegates It’s Not Enough
The Gateway Pundit - Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus told Greta Van Susteren tonight that if Donald Trump goes to the Cleveland convention with 1,236 delegates and not 1,237 it’s not enough for him to win the nomination. Reince Priebus: If you win a plurality that means everyone else has a majority… You have to get a majority. So if people don’t understand that a majority in our party is what it takes to be the nominee then I don’t know how to explain it any differently. Priebus also would not comment on Ted Cruz going into states Donald Trump won and stealing delegates. The party likes to pretend this isn’t happening.

The 200 Unbound - Why Trump's Real Magic Number Is Less Than 1,237
Zero Hedge - Even before Donald Trump’s big win in New York Tuesday night, the conversations among party officials and high-level operatives about a contested Republican convention were already shifting dramatically. The magic number of delegates for Trump to clinch the nomination on the first ballot, likely to be his best and perhaps only chance to do so, remains 1,237. But there are now whispers that the real number of delegates Trump must win by June 7, when the final contests take place, may be lower. “The closer he gets to 1,237, even if he doesn’t get all the way there by the final primaries, the more likely he cobbles it together,” said one RNC member attending the quarterly party meetings in Florida, where sideline conversations are focused on this subject. “There are plenty of delegates that are unbound on first ballot, you’ve just got to go find them.” When the convention opens in Cleveland in mid-July, roughly 200 delegates will arrive as free agents, unbound by the results of primaries or caucuses in their states. Trump’s campaign is confident they can win as many of them as they must in order to get to 1,237 on the first ballot.

Latest Plot to Take Down Trump — GOP Elites Scheming to Blacklist Trump Staffers
The Gateway Pundit - In March the unhinged #NeverTrump crowd started up a list of conservative supporters of Donald Trump — so that they can blackball these Trump supporters in the future.... Even liberal Salon is speaking out against these disgusting tactics.... "The Republican establishment is running out of options.... Clearly, they can’t do it at the voting booth, and every milquetoast candidate they’ve put before Trump has crumbled.... The latest half-baked attempt to slow Trump’s momentum is to blacklist potential staffers. Politico reported this week that advisers are being warned about the consequences of going “Trumptard,” as one GOP operative put it.... Politico reports, “some of those who go to work for Trump face an implicit, and occasionally overt threat: Help Trump, and you’ll never work in this town again.”

AMAZING! THOUSANDS Line Highway to Get a Glimpse of Donald Trump in Maryland (Video)
The Gateway Pundit - Thousands lined up Wednesday to see GOP front-runner Donald Trump in Maryland. Trump spoke in Maryland after his massive rally in Indiana.

“This Is Going To Be A National Crisis” – One Of The Largest U.S. Pension Funds Set To Cut Retiree Benefits
Government Slaves - As the Washington Post reports, the Central States Pension Fund, which handles retirement benefits for current and former Teamster union truck drivers across various states including Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, New York, and Minnesota, and is one of the largest pension funds in the nation, has filed an application to cut participant benefits, which would be effective July 1 2016, as it “projects” it will become officially insolvent by 2025.... Over a quarter of a million people depend on their pension being handled by the CSPF; for most it is their only source of fixed income.... The Central States Pension Fund is currently paying out $3.46 in pension benefits for every $1 it receives from employers, which has resulted in the fund paying out $2 billion more in benefits than it receives in employer contributions each year. As a result, Thomas Nyhan, executive director of the Central States Pension Fund said that the fund could become insolvent by 2025 if nothing is done.

Gold & Silver SMASHED – ‘Someone’ Dumps $2 Billion Of Gold Into Futures Markets
Silver Doctors - Someone just decided this was the perfect time to dump over $2 billion worth of notional paper gold onto the markets… Over 16,000 gold contracts (and 7,500 silver) were dumped in that 5/10 minutes segment. It appears Draghi did not like the impression of his impotence that precious metals were suggesting. It appears the Gold/Silver ratio at 72x was a big buying opportunity?

47 Percent Of Americans Cannot Even Come Up With $400 To Cover An Emergency Room Visit
Economic Collapse - If you had to make a sudden visit to the emergency room, would you have enough money to pay for it without selling something or borrowing the funds from somewhere? Most Americans may not realize this, but this is something that the Federal Reserve has actually been tracking for several years now. And according to the Fed, an astounding 47 percent of all Americans could not come up with $400 to pay for an emergency room visit without borrowing it or selling something. Various surveys that I have talked about in the past have found that more than 60 percent of all Americans are living to paycheck to paycheck, but I didn’t realize that things were quite this bad for about half the country. If you can’t even come up with $400 for an unexpected emergency room visit, then you are just surviving from month to month by the skin of your teeth.

US Government "Agrees In Principle" With Volkswagen's $10 Billion-plus 'Sorry-We-Cheated' Compensation Plan
Zero Hedge - Judge Charles Breyer has confirmed that Volkswagen's $10 billion-plus plan to resolve claims by the U.S. government and lawsuits by American car owners over its pollution-cheating debacle has been 'agreed in principle' by the Justice Department and various other US agencies. The plan covers at least 480,000 cars in the US and over 600 lawsuits offering consumers flexibility including buybacks and "substantial compensation," but does not address fines or penalties.

Sumptuous but Poisonous: Don't Let Your Pet Find Her Way Into Trouble This Spring
Dr. Becker - Dogs are indiscriminate eaters, and can easily find their way into these edible toxins during the outdoor season. These top 10 offenders can cause adverse events from liver failure to coma and even death - some with as little as 2 or 3 petals or leaves. Are they in your yard or garden?...

10 Habits That May Break Your Kitty’s Spirit
Dr. Becker - Cats are adored for their strong will and independent spirit. It’s what makes cats cats. But despite their seemingly aloof nature, cats are not unbreakable physically or even emotionally speaking. If you value your cats’ spirit, you’ll want to avoid the following habits. As Pet360 shared, these are surefire ways to zap your kitty’s true feline nature....

Thursday - April 21, 2016  -  Today in History:

1789 - John Adams was sworn in as the first U.S. Vice President.
1836 - General Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. This battle decided the independence of Texas.
1856 - The Mississippi River was crossed by a rail train for the first time (between Davenport, IA, and Rock Island, IL).
1862 - The U.S. Congress established the U.S. Mint in Denver, CO.
1865 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's funeral train left Washington.
1892 - The first Buffalo was born in Golden Gate Park.
1898 - The Spanish-American War began.
1914 - U.S. Marines occupied Vera Cruz, Mexico. The troops stayed for six months.
1918 - German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, "The Red Baron," was shot down and killed during World War I.
1943 - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt announced that several Doolittle pilots had been executed by the Japanese.
1967 - Svetlana Alliluyeva (Svetlana Stalina) defected in New York City. She was the daughter of Joseph Stalin.
1972 - Apollo 16 astronauts John Young and Charles Duke explored the surface of the moon.
1975 - South Vietnam president, Nguyen Van Thieu, resigned, condemning the United States.
1984 - In France, it was announced that doctors had found virus believed to cause AIDS.
1986 - Geraldo Rivera opened a vault that belonged to Al Capone at the Lexington Hotel in Chicago. Nothing of interest was found inside.
1994 - Jackie Parker became the first woman to qualify to fly an F-16 combat plane.
1998 - Astronomers announced in Washington that they had discovered possible signs of a new family of planets orbiting a star 220 light-years away.
2003 - North and South Korea agreed to hold Cabinet-level talks the following week.
2009 - UNESCO launched The World Digital Library. The World Digital Library (WDL) is an international digital library operated by UNESCO and the United States Library of Congress.

Saudi Arabia Admits To John Kerry That It Created ISIS... But There Is A Twist
Zero Hedge - "After the Iraqi city of Mosul fell to a lightning Isis offensive in 2014, even the late Prince Saud al-Faisal, the respected Saudi foreign minister, remonstrated with John Kerry, US secretary of state, that “Daesh [Isis] is our [Sunni] response to your support for the Da’wa” — the Tehran-aligned Shia Islamist ruling party of Iraq."

Russia warns U.S. over naval incident as NATO tensions laid bare
Reuters - Russia accused the United States on Wednesday of intimidation by sailing a U.S. naval destroyer close to Russia's border in the Baltics and warned that the Russian military would respond with "all necessary measures" to any future incidents. Speaking after a meeting between NATO envoys and Russia, their first in almost two years, Moscow's ambassador to NATO said the April 11 maritime incident showed there could be no improvement in ties until the U.S.-led alliance withdrew from Russia's borders. "This is about attempts to exercise military pressure on Russia," the envoy, Alexander Grushko, said. "We will take all necessary measures, precautions, to compensate for these attempts to use military force," he told reporters.

"China Yuan Gold Fix Is Part Of A Planned Shift From Dollar": China's Bocom
Zero Hedge - China's shift to an official local-currency-based gold fixing is "the culmination of a two-year plan to move away from a US-centric monetary system," according to Bocom strategist Hao Hong. In an insightfully honest Bloomberg TV interview, Hong admits that "by trading physical gold in renminbi, China is slowly chipping away at the dominance of US dollars." Gold, silver, and petroleum "are the three USD-based commodities that China wants most control of" according to Hong but "gold in particular is one of the commodities that China is hoarding very hard."

The Shaking Continues: The Most Dangerous Volcano In Mexico Has Erupted In Spectacular Fashion
Zero Hedge - Is The Big One imminent? Most Americans know about the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit San Francisco on April 18th of that year, but most people don’t understand that it came in the context of these other major quakes. In 1906 there were major earthquakes in Ecuador and Japan that preceded the historic San Francisco earthquake.

9/11 Cover-Up Imploding As Mainstream Media Forced to Report Saudi Link
Kit Daniels - New evidence reveals a link between Saudi Arabia and 9/11, according to an international newspaper. Ghassan Al-Sharbi, a Saudi bombmaker, is said to have taken flying lessons with the 9/11 hijackers and U.S. investigators found his flight certificate in an envelope from the Saudi embassy in Washington, D.C., the Australian reported, citing a recently declassified U.S. memo. “The envelope points to the fundamental question hanging over us today: to what extent was the 9/11 plot facilitated by individuals at the highest levels of the Saudi government?” Asked Brian McGlinchey, the activist who uncovered the 2003 memo known as Document 17.

Report: Authorities Buying More Riot Control Gear Over Fear of Civil Unrest Sweeping America
Paul Joseph Watson -The report, published by Sandler Research, says that demand for surveillance drones is driving growth, with new systems that deploy water canons to “handle large crowds and demonstration(s)” also proving popular. Riot control systems are expected to “generate revenues of over USD 3.5 billion by the end of 2020,” with North America being one of the primary growth areas for upgraded weapons due to “militarization of the police department and other law enforcement agencies” in the aftermath of the 2014 riots in Ferguson, Missouri. Purchases of long-range acoustic devices, whips, batons and armored vehicles that will be used to “disperse, control, and arrest people involved in riots and protests” are also on the increase.

Protest lodged over secrecy in Clinton email case
Politico - Lawyers for a reporter demanding access to email messages and files the FBI has reportedly retrieved from Hillary Clinton's private server are objecting to a secret filing the Justice Department submitted to a federal court last month as part of a bid to keep those messages under wraps. In a motion filed Tuesday, attorneys for Vice News reporter Jason Leopold formally protested the classified declaration the FBI filed offering U.S. District Court Judge Randy Moss additional details about the ongoing FBI investigation into how classified information wound up on Clinton's private server, which hosted the personal email account she used in lieu of a government one during her four years as secretary of state.

Federal Judge Dismisses Flint Residents' $150 Million Class-Action Lawsuit
ABC News - A federal judge in Detroit has dismissed a $150 million class-action lawsuit filed by Flint residents and one Flint business, suggesting the plaintiffs refile in a Michigan state court due to lack of jurisdiction. In a decision issued today, Judge John Corbett O'Meara said because the plaintiffs didn't file a claim under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, the case should be tried in state court. The case sought $150 million in damages for all Flint residents who paid water bills between April 2014 and November 2015. It also sought compensation to replace all waterlines damaged in every Flint home, according to a complaint filed on Jan. 31.

Three Michigan officials charged in Flint toxic water crisis
Reuters - Three Michigan state and local officials were criminally charged on Wednesday in an investigation into dangerous lead levels in the city of Flint’s drinking water, and the state attorney general said there would be more to come.... The three people charged could not immediately be reached for comment. Glasgow faces up to five years in prison and $6,000 in fines, while the two MDEQ officials each face up to 20 years in prison and $45,000 in fines, according to court documents.

California Considers Ban On All Gun Dealers
Breitbart - On April 19, a bill that could literally ban all Federal Firearm License holders (FFLs) from doing business in the state of California goes before the State Assembly Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection. The bill–Assembly Bill 2459–is sponsored by Assembly Member Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento). If passed, it would shackle FFLs with four new requirements, the totality of which could simply force gun stores to close their doors. The NRA-ILA reported the four proposed requirements...

Drive A Car — Waive Your Constitutional Rights
CNS News - On Wednesday, April 20, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the case of Birchfield v. North Dakota, an important Fourth Amendment case that should be of interest to everyone who drives a car. In recent years, the legislatures of some states have criminalized a driver’s choice to assert his constitutional right not to be subject to an unlawful search and seizure. These legislatures have enacted laws which make it a crime for a driver to refuse to consent to searches and seizures via breathalyzer and blood chemical tests after being placed under arrest after a routine traffic stop.

Andrew Jackson, Who Fought Central Bank, Removed from $20 As “Public Concern for Liberty” Erased
Mac Slavo - The latest battle is for the face of the currency itself, and the central bankers, who control the front anyway, have imposed a symbolic defeat against the leaders in America’s past who have fought against the stranglehold of the money makers. Naturally, there are liberal politics at play, fighting for every inch of ground in the war for ideological re-engineering. History is being whitewashed, various figures of antiquity rolling in their graves….

Rand Paul: ‘You Realize’ the Convention Rules ‘Haven’t Been Written Yet’
Breitbart - Wednesday on CNN’s “The Lead,” former presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) pointed out that the rules of the Republican convention this July “haven’t been written yet.” Paul said, “It kinda reminds me of when I play golf. I usually like to say we’ll decide what the bet is after we decide what the scores are. When you say we’re going to adhere to the rules, you realize the rules haven’t been written yet. So what is extraordinary, and it is extraordinary, that people by the millions will have voted in a primary and then 110 people will decide how we’re going to make the rules. You can’t say we’re going to obey the rules. The rules have yet to be written. The convention will abide by rules that are written in the first day or two by 110 people. So you could write that a plurality wins or you could write that a majority wins.”

Ted Cruz Calls Trump a “Niche Candidate” After Placing Third in New York (Video)
The Gateway Pundit - Ted Cruz called Donald Trump a “niche candidate” today who cannot win over 30% of the vote. Cruz won 14.5% of the vote and zero delegates in New York on Tuesday. Ted needs some new material. Trump won New York with 60.5% of the vote. Trump leads all candidates in Connecticut, California, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and California at around 50%.

Ted Cruz Is Handing Out ‘Cheat Sheets’ to Steal Delegates in Pennsylvania (VIDEO)
The Gateway Pundit - The Ted Cruz campaign is handing out pro-Cruz delegate ‘cheat sheets’ at Pennsylvania campaign stops. Cruz is currently in third place in the state but is hoping to steal a majority of the delegates.

Why Is the Media Not Reporting the Truth about Ted Cruz’s Miniscule Crowds?
The Gateway Pundit - Donald Trump held another record-breaking rally in Buffalo, New York on Monday. The Trump campaign distributed over 28,000 tickets to his rally at the First Niagara Center. An estimated 20,000 supporters filled the rally to see the GOP front-runner. Donald Trump continues to draw thousands of supporters in rally after rally. Meanwhile, Ted Cruz held a rally Tuesday night with Carly Fiorina in Pennsylvania. Only around 150 people turned out to see the Texas senator.
* Related: Full Speech: Donald Trump Holds MASSIVE Rally in Buffalo, NY

Clinton Violates State Law By Electioneering Near Polling Station AGAIN
Paul Joseph Watson - A Reuters video [...] shows Hillary and Bill Clinton greeting voters outside their polling precinct and posing for photos inside the building. The law clearly states that candidates cannot engage in electioneering or display any political signs in the vicinity of a polling station. NY Election Law on electioneering: While the polls are open no person shall do any electioneering within the polling place, or in any public street, within a one hundred foot radial measured from the entrances designated by the inspectors of election, to such polling place or within such distance in any place in a public manner; and no political banner, button, poster or placard shall be allowed in or upon the polling place or within such one hundred foot radial. (N.Y. Election Law § 8-104(1))

Silver Explodes: Precious Metal Price Reaches 11 Month High
Activist Post - In recent months a lot of attention has been given to gold. After a decade-long rally that saw its price rise above $1,800 per ounce, gold has disappointing investors after floundering for the past 3 years. But now the precious metal is rallying again. The price of gold has increased by 17% this year, making the 1st quarter of 2016 the most impressive in 30 years.

Greater Troubles Ahead: “The Crash In Oil ALREADY Happened and Stocks Will Likely Follow”
Brandon Smith - Oil has been undermined, and stocks will likely follow before the year is out, signaling a shift towards the controlled demolition of our economy.

Former NBC boss asserts his grandson damaged by vaccines
Natural Blaze - The roof is beginning to cave in on the vaccine empire. Now, in the wake of the unsuccessful attempt to censor the film Vaxxed (trailer), we have Bob Wright, the former CEO of media giant, NBC Universal, authoring a new book, “The Wright Stuff: From NBC to Autism Speaks.” In its review of the book, Accuracy in Media provides a devastating quote from Wright about his autistic grandson: “Right after he got the standard one-year vaccinations, he developed a very high fever and screamed for hours. Katie [Wright’s daughter] was so frightened she called her husband to come home from work and they put the baby in an ice bath to bring down the fever. When they called the doctor they were told the reaction was completely normal.” Yes, completely normal in the eyes of a lunatic licensed to practice medicine. Normal, if brain damage is something parents should be expected to shrug off. Normal, if destroying the life of a child, through officially sanctioned means, is simply written off as the cost of doing pharmaceutical business.

Exercise shown to shrink tumors and reduce cancer spread
(NaturalHealth365) A recent study out of Denmark published in the journal Cell Metabolism describes how mice undergoing intense exercise experienced a 50 percent reduction in growth, size and incidence of cancer tumors. The findings shed light on how exercise can boost cancer-fighting immune cells, giving hope that the same results can be duplicated in humans.

7 Foods and Nutrients Proven To Cut Macular Degeneration Risk
Green Med Info - Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss among people 50 and older. It affects more than 1.75 million people in the U.S. and is expected to strike as many as 3 million in the next five years.

Wednesday - April 20, 2016  -  Today in History:

1775 - American troops began the siege of British-held Boston.
1792 - France declared war on Austria, Prussia, and Sardinia. It was the start of the French Revolutionary wars.
1832 - Hot Springs National Park was established by an act of the U.S. Congress. It was the first national park in the U.S.
1836 - The U.S. territory of Wisconsin was created by the U.S. Congress.
1841 - In Philadelphia, PA, Edgar Allen Poe's first detective story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," was published in Graham's Magazine.
1861 - Robert E. Lee resigned from U.S. Army.
1902 - Scientists Marie and Pierre Curie isolated the radioactive element radium.
1912 - Fenway Park opened as the home of the Boston Red Sox.
1916 - Chicago's Wrigley Field held its 1st Cubs game with the 1st National League. The Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 in 11 innings.
1940 - The First electron microscope was demonstrated by RCA.
1945 - Soviet troops began their attack on Berlin.
1945 - During World War II, Allied forces took control of the German cities of Nuremberg and Stuttgart.
1953 - Operation Little Switch began in Korea. It was the exchange of sick and wounded prisoners of war. Thirty Americans were freed.
1961 - FM stereo broadcasting was approved by the FCC.
1962 - The New Orleans Citizens' Council offered a free one-way ride for blacks to move to northern states.
1967 - U.S. planes bombed Haiphong for first time during the Vietnam War.
1971 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the use of busing to achieve racial desegregation in schools.
1988 - The U.S. Air Forces' Stealth (B-2 bomber) was officially unveiled.
1991 - Mikhail Gorbachev became the first Soviet head of state to visit South Korea.
1992 - The worlds largest fair, Expo '92, opened in Seville, Spain.
2010 - An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, leased by BP, killed 11 workers and began spewing an estimated 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months.

At least 28 dead, 327 injured in Taliban attack on Kabul
Fox News - Armed militants in Afghanistan stormed a key government security agency in the capital Tuesday morning as part of a coordinated assault, killing at least 28 people and wounding more than 320. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which included a suicide car bombing. It appeared to have targeted an agency similar to the U.S. Secret Service, providing personal protection for high-ranking government officials.

10,000 ISIS fighters in Afghanistan ‘trained to expand to Central Asia, Russia’
RT - The terrorist group Islamic State has dramatically increased its presence in Afghanistan and is preparing to expand into other Central Asian countries and Russia, a senior Russian diplomat warned. The presence of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in Afghanistan, is a significant security threat, said Zamir Kabulov, the head of the Asia and Middle East department of the Russian foreign ministry, who also serves as special envoy of the Russian president to Afghanistan. There are now 10,000 IS fighters in Afghanistan. A year ago there was a hundred. This growth over a year is spectacular,” he said. “The Afghan branch of IS is definitely specialized against Central Asia. Russian is even one of their working languages,” Kabulov added. “They are being trained against Central Asia and Russia.”

Civilians at Risk: Death Toll to Climb as Pentagon Eases Bombing Guidelines in Fight Against Daesh
Sputnik News - Throughout its air campaign in Syria, the US has shown a consistent disregard for civilian casualties. Thanks to new rules recently approved by the Pentagon, the death toll looks to climb even higher.... While Washington could be working to decrease the number of innocent deaths, Defense Department officials have told USA Today that the Pentagon streamlined the process for approving targets last fall, a move that is expected to dramatically increase collateral damage. The new rules allow Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland to approve targets, even if there is a known risk of civilian deaths. Previously, such decisions had to be made after careful consideration by US Central Command, with some even requiring authorization from the White House. In an effort to increase warfare efficiency, MacFarland can now give the go-ahead in a variety of scenarios, as long as collateral deaths are justified by the high value of the target.

German, Italian Intelligence: Terror Attacks Planned This Summer at European Resorts
New American - German and Italian intelligence agencies have uncovered evidence indicating that terrorists are planning attacks this summer at resorts in France, Italy, and Spain. The information was first received by Italian intelligence, who passed it along to their German counterpart, the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), notes a report in the April 19 issue of Bild, Germany’s largest circulation newspaper. The report noted that it is claimed that the intelligence comes from a “credible source” in Africa, which reports that the terrorists have made “concrete plans” to launch the attacks. Bild reported that intelligence officials named the beach areas that are definitely targeted by terrorists and they include resorts in southern France, the Costa del Sol in Spain, and both coasts in Italy. The newspaper quoted an unidentified high-ranking German official as stating: “It could be a whole new dimension of terror. Holiday beaches cannot be protected.”

Video: Migrants Set Up Checkpoint in Greece, Demand to See ID’s of Citizens
Paul Joseph Watson - Leftist volunteers aid illegal actions of "refugees" Alarming video out of Idomeni, Greece shows migrants setting up a roadblock checkpoint and then demanding to see the IDs of Greek citizens before refusing to let them pass. The clip begins with a news reporter describing how “refugees” occupied the road in order to protest against not being allowed to pass through the border. “Every time a truck goes through the border, they stop it,” states the reporter, followed by footage of a delivery truck turning back.... The most shocking aspect of the video is that Greeks willingly agreed to present their papers to illegal migrants who aren’t even citizens of the country.

Russia & China seeking to dominate gold trade
RT - The Bank of Russia and the People's Bank of China want to create a joint platform that would unite gold trading by the world's two biggest gold buying countries. “BRICS countries are large economies with large reserves of gold and an impressive volume of production and consumption of this precious metal. In China, the gold trade is conducted in Shanghai, in Russia it is in Moscow. Our idea is to create a link between the two cities in order to increase trade between the two markets," First Deputy Governor of the Russian Central Bank Sergey Shvetsov told TASS. China is the world's largest gold producer. Last year it produced 490 tons. Russia is third after Australia with about 295 tons produced last year. Overall, the countries make up 25 percent of the world gold production.

European Nations Move to Corporate Transparency While U.S. Clings to Veil of Secrecy
AllGov - The biggest European economies announced a plan to share information about owners of shell companies. But there is one major player that is coming up short, and that is the U.S., which in 2015 ranked third in a financial secrecy index. U.S. failure to respond to the worldwide clamor for financial accountability looks hypocritical from afar, considering the U.S.’s aggressive extraterritorial pursuit of foreign companies that breaks its laws and its demands that foreign banks provide information.

Johnson & Johnson to pay $72M in talcum powder-related cancer case(Video)
USA Today - Health giant Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $72 million in damages to the family of an Alabama woman who died from ovarian cancer allegedly caused by using the company’s Baby Powder and other products that contained talc for feminine hygiene.
A St. Louis jury reached the verdict Monday night, awarding the family of Jackie Fox, $10 million in actual damages and $62 million in punitive damages, AP reported.

Obama Succumbs To Saudi Pressure, Will Veto Sept 11 Lawsuit Bill
Zero Hedge - Following Saudi threats to destabilize the financial system if the US were to enact a Bill that would allow an investigation into Saudi Arabia's support of September 11 terrorist attacks, many were watching closely how Obama would react. The president made it clear last night when as CNN reports, the White House threatened to veto the bipartisan bill to let families victimized by the 9/11 terrorist attacks sue Saudi Arabia while a GOP senator privately sought to block the measure. The White House and State Department are bluntly warning lawmakers not to proceed with the legislation due to "fears" it could have dramatic ramifications for the United States and citizens living abroad to retaliatory lawsuits. The President lands in Riyadh Wednesday for talks with Saudi Arabia over ISIS and Iran at a time of strained relations between the countries, making the bill's timing that much more sensitive. The move comes as presidential candidates from both parties are seizing on the legislation to score points with New York voters ahead of Tuesday's critical primary there.

‘Getting money out of politics worth arrest’ – Ben & Jerry’s co-founders on their Capitol detention
RT - Standing up against the corruption of US politics by corporate money is worth being arrested for, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, told RT after being detained at the Capitol with a group of 300 protesters. Monday’s mass arrest of hundreds of people in the US capital was “a culmination of a week of protests that began with a march from Philadelphia to Washington DC,” Ben Cohen, the ice cream brand’s co-founder, said. The Democracy Awakening movement, which Ben Cohen and his business partner Jerry Greenfield support, is not affiliated with any party or presidential candidate, but rather “working to get money out of politics and make voting accessible to minorities and low income people.” The duo confirmed that they were well aware that they could be busted for joining the unauthorized rally.... The Vermont-based ice cream makers stressed that they are alarmed by the new US political reality in which “money has corrupted our democracy.”

Illegal’s Bail Set Lower Than Funeral Cost of His Victim
Kit Daniels - The illegal is unlikely to show up for trial, however. The funeral for a 21-year-old woman killed by a drunk illegal cost more than the illegal’s bail, the victim’s mother revealed. Michelle Root, mother of Sarah Root, revealed the events surrounding her daughter’s death on her graduation day by an illegal alien police say was drag racing while intoxicated in Omaha, Neb., earlier this year. But a local judge set his bail at “less than the amount it cost to bury my baby,” she told Congress on Tuesday.... It’s unlikely the illegal, 19-year-old Eswin Mejia, will ever face trial, Root revealed, because immigration officials refused to pick him up and it’s likely he has since fled back to his native country of Honduras.

Police are allowed to stop motorists who avoid checkpoints
MassPrivateI - The Illinois Supreme court overruled an Appeals court that said making a U-turn to avoid a police checkpoint (roadblock) is not suspicious. "A divided panel of the appellate court agreed and found that, absent any other suspicious activity, the U-turn itself did not provide specific, articulable facts that a criminal offense had been or was about to be committed." "The majority concluded that defendant’s motion to suppress evidence should have been granted and reversed his conviction and remanded the cause to the circuit court for further proceedings." The State, meaning the police; appealed the ruling to the Supreme court and claimed that the totality of the circumstances supports a finding of reasonable suspicion... What police are really saying is: Anyone attempting to avoid a roadblock is suspicious. Turning around close to roadblock is suspicious. Avoiding a roadblock at night is suspicious. And finally, avoiding a roadblock that isn't busy is suspicious.

Police State Madness: Couple Facing 3 Months In Jail For Overdue Library Books
Activist Post - Like a dystopic nightmare, a couple from Michigan faces not only large fines, but jail time over failing to return two library books — one of which is a classic by Dr. Seuss — despite their attempts to resolve the matter. Catherine Duren allowed her son to use her library card to check out the Hatful of Seuss collection for his daughter in 2014. Catherine’s husband, Melvin, also faces charges after keeping the thriller, The Rome Prophecy, for eight months — though he returned it in January after receiving a letter about the missing book. Now, the couple faces up to 93 days in jail and a $500 fine for late library books.

**Horse Race Live Wire** Trump Projected to Win New York Primary
Breitbart - Breitbart News’ live updates of the 2016 horse race. Today voters head to the ballot box for the first time in two weeks for New York’s Republican and Democratic primaries.

New York City Comptroller To Audit Board Of Election Due To Hundreds Of Thousands Of Polling Problems
CBS News - The New York City Comptroller said hundreds of thousands may be dealing with polling problems on New York’s primary day. CBS2’s Steve Langford reported Scott Stringer is going to audit the Board of Election due to the numerous polling problems across the city. “Why is it alleged that 125,000 people have been removed from the voter rolls? Why did 60,000 people receive notices to vote that didn’t have the primary date? Why were people told they were in the wrong polling place time and time again?” Stringer said. “The next president of the United States could very easily be decided tonight and yet the incompetence of the Board of Election puts a cloud over these results.”

It’s NYC’s first relevant primary in decades, and the polls are a mess
New York Post - New York voters battled closed polling stations and broken machines Tuesday morning during the city’s first relevant primary in decades. At PS 73 in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, residents waiting for the polls to open at 6 a.m. were furious that workers couldn’t access keys to the facility. “You can’t vote nor cast any type of ballot. They (the keys to the building) are in a locked box and no one has the key,” Torsha Childs wrote on Facebook. “You can’t even get inside the building, you are being turned away at the door way. WOW !!!”... One woman claimed she waited more than three hours to vote at a Brownsville polling station at PS 332.

54,000 Brooklyn voters ‘vanish’ ahead of primary day
New York Post - In a pre-primary bombshell, the city’s Board of Elections was pummeled with questions Monday about how 54,000 Democratic voters vanished from the rolls in Brooklyn. The voter rolls on April 1 showed the borough had 853,687 registered Democrats who are considered “active” because they voted at least once in the last four years.

Trump: Secret 9/11 Pages Contain ‘Very Profound’ Revelations
Steve Watson - "It’s sort of nice to know who your friends are and perhaps who your enemies are." GOP frontrunner Donald Trump leapt back into the issue of the redacted 28 pages of a report into the events of 9/11 Tuesday, maintaining that the information needs to be made public. “I think I know what it’s going to say,” Trump declared on Fox News’s “Fox & Friends.” “It’s going to be very profound, having to do with Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia’s role on the World Trade Center and the attack.” Trump added. “That’s very serious stuff. It’s sort of nice to know who your friends are and perhaps who your enemies are. You’re going to see some very revealing things released in those papers.” the billionaire candidate urged. “I think they should have been released a long time,” Trump continued.... Senator Rand Paul has been supporting an ongoing effort to release the government documents, having introduced legislation earlier this year called the “Transparency for the Families of 9/11 Act,” that would force the Obama administration to disclose the pages.

Corporations Are Defaulting On Their Debts Like It’s 2008 All Over Again
Economic Collapse - The Dow closed above 18,000 on Monday for the first time since July. Isn’t that great news? I truly wish that it was. If the Dow actually reflected economic reality, I could stop writing about “economic collapse” and start blogging about cats or football. Unfortunately, the stock market and the economy are moving in two completely different directions right now. Even as stock prices soar, big corporations are defaulting on their debts at a level that we have not seen since the last financial crisis. In fact, this wave of debt defaults have become so dramatic that even USA Today is reporting on it… So far this year, 46 companies have defaulted on their debt, the highest level since 2009, according to S&P Ratings Services. Five companies defaulted this week, based on the latest data available from S&P Ratings Services. That includes New Jersey-based specialty chemical company Vertellus Specialties and Ohio-based iron ore producer Cliffs Natural. Of the world’s defaults this year, 37 are of companies based in the U.S.

"Unequivocally" Great News America - Gas Prices Are Soaring
Zero Hedge - Judging by the exuberant equity market, it is not 'low' gas prices, but high gas prices that are "unequivocally good" for America - after all the market is ultimate arbiter of how the average joe feels, right? However, if you drive a car - or gas-hungry truck - you may have noticed something in the last month or so - gas prices at the pump are up almost 25% from the mid-Feb lows, the biggest surge since July 2009. While stocks love higher gas prices, as the chart suggests, however, US Macro 'fundamentals' do not and the last time gas prices soared this far this fast marked the cyclical top in US macro data, tumbling almost non-stop for 2 years before QE2 was unleashed.

UnitedHealth Exits Most ObamaCare Exchanges, Citing Over $1B In Losses
Breitbart - CEO Stephen Hemsley says his company “cannot continue to broadly serve the market created by the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansion due partly to the higher risk that comes with its customers,” as reported by the Associated Press. The announcement came after UnitedHealth revised its projection for 2016 to $650 million in losses, up from a previous estimate of $525 million, after ending 2015 some $475 million in the red.

How To Check Your Pet’s Vital Signs
The Catington Post - The time to learn how to take your cat’s vital signs is now — before you’re faced with an emergency! It’s very helpful as a pet parent to be familiar with your cat’s heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature in case of an emergency. Learning how and periodically checking your fur friend’s vital signs is useful, not only for the practice, but you’ll also have a baseline of what is “normal” for your cat. Here are the common vital signs for both dogs and cats and how to check them...
 

Tuesday - April 19, 2016  -  Today in History:

1764 - The English Parliament banned the American colonies from printing paper money.
1775 - The American Revolution began as fighting broke out at Lexington, MA.
1802 - The Spanish reopened the New Orleans port to American merchants.
1861 - Thaddeus S. C. Lowe sailed 900 miles in nine hours in a hot air balloon from Cincinnati, OH, to Unionville, SC.
1861 - The Baltimore riots resulted in four Union soldiers and nine civilians killed.
1861 - U.S. President Lincoln ordered a blockade of Confederate ports.
1933 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation that removed the U.S. from the gold standard.
1938 - General Francisco Franco declared victory in the Spanish Civil War.
1939 - Connecticut approved the Bill of Rights for the U.S. Constitution after 148 years.
1943 - The Warsaw Ghetto uprising against Nazi rule began. The Jews were able to fight off the Germans for 28 days.
1951 - General Douglas MacArthur gave his "Old Soldiers" speech before the U.S. Congress after being relieved by U.S. President Truman. In the address General MacArthur said that "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away."
1982 - NASA named Sally Ride to be first woman astronaut.
1982 - The U.S. announced a ban on U.S. tourist and business travel to Cuba. The U.S. charged the Cuban government with subversion in Central America.
1989 - A gun turret exploded aboard the USS Iowa. 47 sailors were killed.
1993 - The Branch-Davidian’s compound in Waco, TX, burned to the ground. It was the end of a 51-day standoff between the cult and U.S. federal agents. 86 people were killed including 17 children. Nine of the Branch Davidians escaped the fire.
1994 - A Los Angeles jury awarded $3.8 million to Rodney King for violation of his civil rights.
1995 - The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, OK, was destroyed by a bomb. It was the worst bombing on U.S. territory. 168 people were killed including 19 children, and 500 were injured. Timothy McVeigh was found guilty of the bombing on June 2, 1997.
2000 - The Oklahoma City National Memorial was dedicated on the fifth anniversary of the bombing in Oklahoma that killed 168 people.
2002 - The USS Cole was relaunched. In Yemen, 17 sailors were killed when the ship was attacked by terrorists on October 12, 2000. The attack was blamed on Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network.
2005 - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was elected pope and took the name Benedict XVI.
2011 - Cuba's Communist Party picked 79-year-old Raul Castro to replace his ailing brother Fidel as first secretary during a key Party Congress.

U.S. to send more troops to Iraq to tackle Islamic State
Reuters - U.S. defense officials said Washington will deploy about 200 additional troops, mostly as advisers for Iraqi troops as they advance towards Mosul, the largest Iraqi city still under Islamic State control. The United States has also authorized the use of Apache attack helicopters to help the Iraqis as they can provide quicker air support and precision fire. The advisers will accompany Iraqi units of about 2,500 troops moving closer to the frontlines of battle. Until now, the advisers were limited to larger divisions of about 10,000 troops located further back from the battlefield. The change will allow them to offer quicker advice to Iraqi troops as they try to retake Mosul, likely facing stiff resistance from an entrenched enemy. But it could also leave the U.S. advisers more vulnerable to enemy mortars and artillery.

Pentagon to Deploy Fleet of Underwater Robots in South China Sea
Sputnik News - In the latest sign that the US has no intention to back down in the South China Sea, the Pentagon has announced plans to launch underwater drones near the Spratly archipelago…. The Pentagon plans to spend as much as $8 billion over the next year on submarines, both manned and unmanned, but the priority will be on arming autonomous submersibles. "The idea is that if we were ever to get into a bust-up in the South China Sea, the Chinese would not know for sure what sort of capabilities the US might have," Shawn Brimley of the Center for a New American Security, a think tank, told Financial Times…. A highly contested region through which nearly $5 trillion international trade passes annually, the South China Sea is claimed by China, though there are overlapping claims by Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, And Brunei.
* Related: Beijing Officially Lands Military Plane on South China Sea Reef

Dilma Rousseff: Brazilian congress votes to impeach president
The Guardian - Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff suffered a crushing defeat on Sunday as a hostile and corruption-tainted congress voted to impeach her…. arguably the lowest point was when Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right deputy from Rio de Janeiro, dedicated his yes vote to Carlos Brilhante Ustra, the colonel who headed the Doi-Codi torture unit during the dictatorship era. Rousseff, a former guerrilla, was among those tortured…. Once the senate agrees to consider the motion, which is likely within weeks, Rousseff will have to step aside for 180 days and the Workers party government, which has ruled Brazil since 2002, will be at least temporarily replaced by a centre-right administration led by vice-president Michel Temer…. Once one of the most popular leaders in the world, with approval ratings of 92%, Rousseff has since seen her support plunge as a result of economic recession, political turmoil and the Lava Jato investigation into corruption at Petrobras, which has implicated almost all of the major parties.

Motorcade of Samantha Power, U.N. ambassador, hits, kills boy in Cameroon
Washington Times - Power said she learned of the death with “great sorrow.” She said she met with the boy’s family to “offer our profound condolences and our grief and heartbreak.”…. The motorcade was moving at a fast clip, at times exceeding 60 mph, while villagers lined up along the sides of the road. But when the boy darted onto the two-lane highway, there was no time for the sixth car in Power’s convoy to react. The driver was Cameroonian…. The vehicle that hit the boy initially stopped, but was ordered by American security forces to continue traveling through the unsecured area. An ambulance in the U.S. caravan immediately attended to him…. The motorcade moved at a significantly slower pace for the rest of the day.

Sgt. Elor Azaria, Israeli soldier, charged for killing wounded Palestinian
Washington Times - An Israeli military court charged a soldier on Monday with manslaughter for last month’s fatal shooting of a wounded Palestinian attacker in the West Bank, an incident caught on tape that has deeply divided the nation. The soldier, a medic, Sgt. Elor Azaria, has also been charged with inappropriate military conduct…. Initially, the military had said two Palestinians stabbed and wounded a soldier before troops killed the pair. A video released later by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem showed one of the attackers, still alive and lying on the ground, before a soldier calmly raised his rifle, cocked his weapon and fired at the assailant’s head…. The country’s defense minister, its military chief and other top officials called it contrary to the army’s values since the Palestinian attacker had been subdued and no longer posed a threat. That outcry in turn kicked up a torrent of support for the soldier who claims he feared the attacker was carrying an explosive belt.

Yellow Water, Dirty Air, Power Outages: Venezuela Hits A New Low
Bloomberg - It has been an exceptionally painful year for Venezuelans, suffering from violent crime, chronic shortages, plummeting oil prices on which they depend, declining health and fractured government. Yet this past week it seemed to reach a new low. A kind of resigned misery spread across a city that had once been the envy of Latin America. A sudden combination of natural disasters joined man-made failures. The smog, called calima, is a meteorological phenomenon that involves ash and dust clouds fairly common for this time of year. Meanwhile a prolonged drought blamed on El Nino and related forest fires has arrived. Levels at the Guri dam in the south, which produces 40 percent of the country’s electricity, fell to a record low of 242.33 meters on Monday.

Dozens Of Large Earthquakes Strike As Speculation Mounts That Japan’s Southern Island May Split
Economic Collapse - The dozens of earthquakes that have hit Japan’s southern island over the past week appear to form something of a straight line that divides the island in two. Many are now speculating that geological forces are beginning to tear Kyushu in half, and if that is true, the earthquake activity that we have seen in Japan so far is probably just the tip of the iceberg. We could potentially be talking about an event that could ultimately have far more of an impact on Japan than the tsunami of 2011. By the time it is all said and done, entire cities could be wiped off the map and millions upon millions of Japanese citizens could be displaced…. Our planet resembles something of a giant cracked egg, and the enormous tectonic plates that we are all living on are constantly in motion. So if Japan’s southern island is in the process of slowly splitting in half, that shouldn’t exactly be a surprise…. And it isn’t just Japan that we need to be concerned about. All along the “Ring of Fire”, seismic activity is increasing, and this has many of the experts completely puzzled.
* Related: The Big Ones: Scientist Warns Up To 4 Quakes Over 8.0 Possible Under ‘Current Conditions’

Constitutional Sheriffs: The Cops Who Think the Government Is Our 'Greatest Threat'
NBC News - Sheriff Nick Finch let a pistol-packing man out of the Liberty County, Florida, jail, a decision that led state authorities to charge Finch with a crime — but also made him a hero to a radical and growing movement among sheriffs across the country….Gov. Rick Scott ordered Finch's suspension. But then a former Arizona sheriff named Richard Mack called, and a group that Mack heads — the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association — became engaged…. During Finch's boisterous trial in October 2013, he was joined in the Liberty County courtroom by Mack, several other Florida sheriffs, and dozens of new supporters. The judge had to admonish the crowd not to laugh as the state presented its case against Finch, and in the end, the jury acquitted him of misconduct and falsification of records. He was reinstated as sheriff, and later granted back pay as well as attorney's fees of more than $160,000. Finch, 53, remains the sheriff of Liberty County.

Obama Administration Backs Lockheed Sale of F-35 Fighter Jets in Violation of Contract with Partner Nations
AllGov - The Pentagon has reported US foreign military sales (FMS) agreements with three countries which are not F-35 partners. Israel, Japan and Korea have agreed to purchase F-35 pre-production aircraft at a total value of over $15 billion…. The Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) does not include any provisions for participation in the program by non-Partner countries. It certainly never envisions greater benefits going to non-Participants than to Participants, which is currently happening. While Participants compete for sub-contracts on a cost basis, FMS beneficiaries selected by the US receive generous sales offset guarantees with manufacturing opportunities both for the F-35 components and in other areas. It's no wonder that JSF Partners have cold feet on F-35 procurement. The US Partners who trusted the US should be especially upset considering that they have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to F-35 development only to now see the best deals going to buyers who arrived fifteen years after the Partners thought they had an agreement, and while the US profits from FMS other Partner countries don't.

Over 7,800 Prosecutions Questioned After NJ Lab Tech Caught Faking Drug Test Results
Techdirt - Kamalkant Shah worked as a laboratory technician for the State Police laboratory in Little Falls and was found to have "dry labbed" suspected marijuana, according to a Feb. 29 memo to Public Defender Joseph Krakora from Deputy Public Defender Judy Fallon. Shah's essentially accused of making up data. "Basically, he was observed writing 'test results' for suspected marijuana that was never tested," Fallon said in the memo…. Now comes the hard part of setting things right -- which is actually an impossibility, as the public defender's memo points out…. Closed cases with no surviving evidence are still questionable, but there's no way to get answers. No one's going to start reversing convictions en masse just because the results might have been faked. The hundreds or thousands of cases where the tested samples may still be available aren't suddenly going to become a priority for the State Police either. It's more than just a question of will. It's also a question of resources. And when resources are scarce, possibly falsely imprisoned citizens will remain imprisoned.

U.S. top court appears unlikely to revive Obama immigration plan
Reuters - Obama's bid to save his plan to spare millions of immigrants in the country illegally from deportation and give them work permits ran into trouble on Monday at the U.S. Supreme Court in a case testing the limits of presidential power. The court, with four conservative justices and four liberals, seemed divided along ideological lines during 90 minutes of arguments in the case brought by 26 states led by Texas that sued to block Obama's unilateral 2014 executive action that bypassed Congress. A 4-4 decision would be a grim defeat for Obama because it would uphold lower court rulings that threw out his action last year and doom his quest to revamp a U.S. immigration for corporations policy he calls broken

Private Security Firm to Replace Inefficient TSA at Florida Airport
Sputnik News - So far, private security agents monitor at least 22 airports in major cities like San Francisco and Kansas City. The latest airport to replace the TSA is the Punta Gorda Airport in Florida. The move is getting mixed reactions…. Pam Seay of the Charlotte County Airport Authority says the move will save the airport money, while making security more efficient and perhaps friendlier. Recently, the TSA has been taking heat for long lines at security checkpoints…. The issue may be attributed to a shrinking staff. According to CBS, the number of TSA screeners has dropped by 15 percent since 2011, and the agency is dealing with budget caps that dictate how many agents they can hire and train. On the other hand, private companies can hire more agents than the government can.

Trump NY Co-Chair Carl Paladino: Republicans Should Stay Home if GOP Elites Steal Nomination (Video)
The Gateway Pundit - Trump New York Co-Chair Carl Paladino told Neil Cavuto if GOP elites try to take the nomination from an outsider candidate he will encourage Republican voters to stay home.... If it’s not the people’s choice then these Republican leaders should be driven from the party. And the only way to do this is to stay home and put the Republican party to bed once and for all. They don’t own it. It’s not there’s. It belongs to the people. They have no choice. If they fool around with Rule 40.B, it’s wrong. We all know that. The people know that. And their reaction.

TRUMP SUPPORTERS Make Citizen’s Arrest After Anti-Trump Goon Spits on Child (Video)
The Gateway Pundit - Several Trump supporters made a citizen’s arrest after an anti-Trump goon spit on a child and tossed ice on a Trump gathering. The man was chased down the street and held by Trump supporters until police arrived. For the record, the black and Hispanic-looking men were Trump supporters. It’s not clear where the event took place but it could have been the Trump march and rally at Portland State University on Saturday.

Get Ready for Hillary’s Gun Tax
Kurt Nimmo - $1,000 handgun tax may serve as a model for Clinton if elected. Defenders of the Second Amendment should take note of a recent development in the far-flung Northern Mariana Islands, a Pacific archipelago that has the same “commonwealth” status as Puerto Rico. Earlier this month, the governor of the US territory imposed a $1,000 handgun tax. Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said the law should serve as a “role model” for the states. The gun tax idea was first proposed in 1993 by then First Lady Hillary Clinton in testimony before the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee. Asked by Democrat Sen. Bill Bradley if “purveyors of violence’’—in other words, according to Bradley, anybody who practices the Second Amendment—should pay a 25% tax on firearm purchases, Clinton answered that she was “personally… all for that.”

Clinton Cough Won’t Go Away!
Breitbart - Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had another coughing episode this morning during a radio interview with New York city radio show The Breakfast Club. “Excuse me,” she said coughing, after speaking for about 20 minutes on the air. “Allergy season,” she said, as she continued coughing, reaching for her drink.... “My voice is failing here,” she said as she continued speaking in a faltering tone. The interview went on for about three additional minutes before staffers ended it.... Clinton has had multiple coughing episodes during her campaign for president, awkwardly interrupting speeches or interviews as she struggles to regain her voice. She also had a coughing episode during her testimony during the Congressional Benghazi hearings.

Department of Homeland Security Caught Monitoring Veterans’ “VA is Lying” Facebook Group
Activist Post - People say the federal government is particularly afraid of veterans and, therefore, eager to monitor them because of their experience witnessing the criminal behavior of the military industrial complex. This understanding among thinking people was confirmed again recently, as Disabled Veterans reports that the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) was caught monitoring a Facebook group called “VA is Lying,” in conjunction with VA police. According to Disabled Veterans...

What Did Fed Chairman Yellen Tell Obama?
Ron Paul Institute - This week, President Obama and Vice President Biden held a hastily arranged secret meeting with Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen…. Yellen’s secret meeting at the White House followed an emergency secret Federal Reserve Board meeting. The Fed then held another secret meeting to discuss bank reform. These secret meetings come on the heels of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s estimate that first quarter GDP growth was .01 percent, dangerously close to the official definition of recession. Thus the real reason for all these secret meetings could be a panic that the Fed’s eight year explosion of money creation has not just failed to revive the economy, but is about to cause another major market meltdown…. The no-win situation the Fed finds itself in is a sign that we are reaching the inevitable collapse of the fiat currency system. Unless immediate steps are taken to manage the transition, this collapse could usher in an economic catastrophe dwarfing the Great Depression.

Paying Taxes? Guess What: Obama Paid Just 18% Tax And Got $22k Refund
Daily Sheeple - US President Barack Obama and his spouse Michelle had an adjusted gross income of $436,065, nearly 9 percent less than the year before, which could mean they are no longer part of “The One Percent”. The bar in 2013 was $428,713, according to the US census, but the 2015 level won’t be known for a number of months. The White House published the first couple’s tax return as an inspiration to those who prefer to wait until the 11th hour, or pay the penalty for being late. Their “Form 1040” shows they paid $81,472 in federal taxes for the year, entitling them to a refund of $22,859 and an effective tax rate of just 18.8 percent. This is down from 19.6 percent in 2014. While the Obama administration has pushed for a higher tax rate on the super rich, it’s still less than half the 94 percent rate during 1944-45.

Obamacare Exodus Accelerates: After Georgia And Arkansas, Biggest Health Insurer Exits Michigan And Oklahoma
Zero Hedge - Two weeks ago … after its November warning that it may exit certain Obamacare markets as a result of substantial losses, the largest U.S. health insurer UnitedHealth, did just that…. Then over the weekend, UnitedHealth also added Michigan to the list of states whose Obamacare market it would no longer service…. And then, moments ago in the latest hit to Obamacare, United added Oklahoma as the 4th state to the growing list of Obamacare markets it refuses to service…. Michigan should be able to endure the loss of United because the insurer only participates in seven of the state’s 83 counties….United also wasn’t offering cheap plans in Arkansas. In Georgia, however, the loss of UnitedHealth will cut the number of insurers to just one or two in about half of the state’s counties, though those counties account for just 11 percent of the state’s population…. Worse, on the current trend, UnitedHealth will likely announce the exit of more states in the coming days.

Catastrophic Event At Hanford Site Prompts Emergency Response
king5 - After leak detector alarms sounded early Sunday morning, crews at Hanford lowered a camera into the two-foot-wide space between the tank’s inner and outer walls. They discovered 8.4 inches of radioactive and chemically toxic waste sitting in a spot it was never intended to be. “This is catastrophic. This is probably the biggest event to ever happen in tank farm history. The double shell tanks were supposed to be the saviors of all saviors (to hold waste safely from people and the environment),” said former Hanford worker Mike Geffre. Geffre is the worker who first discovered that the tank, known as AY-102, was failing in 2011. In a 2013 series, “Hanford’s Dirty Secrets,” the KING 5 Investigators exposed that the government contractor in charge of the tanks, Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS), ignored Geffre’s findings for nearly a year. The company finally admitted the problem in 2012.

Texas Flooding Kills at Least 5; Governor Declares State of Emergency
The Weather Channel - The governor of Texas has declared a state of emergency in nine counties after widespread, deadly flooding hit Monday morning. Rainfall came down at rates as high as four inches an hour, flooding waterways at rapid rates and leaving residents trapped in their own homes and vehicles. At least five people have been confirmed dead. According to the Houston Chronicle, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett confirmed four dead in the county. Waller County officials say one person was killed there. The Houston Police Department is also investigating possible deaths, but has not released details on how many.... Rainfall totals of 10 to 20 inches have been measured in southeast Texas to the northwest of Houston as of 6:30 a.m. CDT, according to the Harris County Flood Control District.

Two Proteins to Avoid for Your Pet
Dr. Becker - According to many presumed experts in pet food, such as pet food manufacturers and pet food-related journals like PetfoodIndustry.com: "The protein in pet foods can be supplied by animal sources, plant sources or a combination of the two. Common animal-based protein sources used in pet food include chicken, lamb, fish meal, and beef; while common plant-based protein sources include corn-gluten meal and soybean meal." Sadly, many veterinary nutritionists have also been trained to look only at amino acid profiles on paper. While it's true that many commercial pet food formulas contain (species-inappropriate) plant-based protein sources, the above statement is misleading in that it suggests animal protein and plant protein are equivalent forms of nutrition for dogs and cats. This is absolutely not true, and I'll add that of all the plant-based protein sources available, corn gluten meal and soybean meal are two that I would never recommend feeding to any pet.. Gluten is highly allergenic and causes gastrointestinal fermentation and other GI upsets. Corn in all forms is a high glycemic, poor quality, incomplete, biologically inappropriate protein source for pets. It's a cheap filler ingredient that is highly allergenic.
 

Monday - April 18, 2016  -  Today in History:

1775 - American revolutionaries Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott rode though the towns of Massachusetts giving the warning that the Regulars were coming out. Later, the phrase "the British are coming" was attributed to Revere even though it is unlikely he used that wording.
1818 - A regiment of Indians and blacks were defeated at the Battle of Suwann, in Florida, ending the first Seminole War.
1838 - The Wilkes' expedition to the South Pole set sail.
1847 - U.S. troops defeated almost 17,000 Mexican soldiers commanded by Santa Anna at Cerro Gordo. (Mexican-American War)
1861 - Colonel Robert E. Lee turned down an offer to command the Union armies during the U.S. Civil War.
1938 - Superman made his debut when he appeared in the first issue of Action Comics. (Cover date June 1938)
1942 - James H. Doolittle and his squadron, from the USS Hornet, raided Tokyo and other Japanese cities.
1943 - Traveling in a bomber, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, was shot down by American P-38 fighters.
1945 - American war correspondent Ernie Pyle (44) was killed by Japanese gunfire on the Pacific island of Ie Shima, off Okinawa.
1946 - The League of Nations was dissolved.
1949 - The Republic of Ireland was established.
1978 - The U.S. Senate approved the transfer of the Panama Canal to Panama on December 31, 1999.
1983 - The U.S. Embassy in Beirut was blown up by a suicide car-bomber. 63 people were killed including 17 Americans.
1985 - Ted Turner filed for a hostile takeover of CBS.
1985 - Tulane University abolished its 72-year-old basketball program because charges of fixed games, drug abuse, and payments to players.
2002 - The city legislature of Berlin decided to make Marlene Dietrich an honorary citizen. Dietrich had gone to the United States in 1930. She refused to return to Germany after Adolf Hitler came to power.
2007 - The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, upheld a federal ban on a medical procedure that opponents calls partial-birth abortion.
2011 - Standard & Poor's lowered its long-term outlook for the U.S. government's fiscal health from "stable" to "negative.

Safe Zone in Syria Not in US National Security Interest - White House
Sputnik News - Securing a safe zone in Syria would be complicated to implement and would not be in line with Washington’s national security interests, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said during a press briefing on Friday. "The president's long standing opposition to this so-called safe zone in Syria is predicated on the idea that while it sounds good, it's much more complicated in practice to implement it, it raises all sorts of questions," Earnest explained. "Trying to secure and patrol and in some cases be in the position of repelling attacks over such a large territorial area would not be consistent with our national security interests."… In February, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the administration was considering establishing a safe zone in Syria in the border area with Turkey, but also noted that such a feat would require additional troops and was ‘complicated.’

EU parliament drivers had ISIS propaganda, also criminal records
RT - CDs containing Islamic State propaganda have been found in the possession of two drivers. They allegedly worked for the European Parliament, Der Spiegel magazine reported on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the situation. One driver is said to have worked in Strasbourg, the main venue for the EP plenary sessions, while the other held a job in Brussels where parliamentary committee meetings usually take place… Intelligence officials have previously noted IS’ capabilities to infiltrate Europe and carry out terror attacks on critical infrastructure and at public events across the continent… Last week, the EP spokesman said that one of the suspects involved in the Brussels attacks worked as a janitor at the parliamentary building and had access to MEPs’ offices. The suspect – later identified by EU officials as Najim Laachraoui, 25, who blew himself during the attack on the airport in Brussels – held the job from 2009 to 2010.

New Arms Race Focuses on Smaller Nuclear Weapons More Likely to Be Used
AllGov - The United States, Russia and China are aggressively pursuing a new generation of smaller, less destructive nuclear weapons. The buildups threaten to revive a Cold War-era arms race and unsettle the balance of destructive force among nations that has kept the nuclear peace for more than a half-century. It is, in large measure, an old dynamic playing out in new form as an economically declining Russia, a rising China and an uncertain United States resume their one-upmanship…. One fear about the new weapons is that they could undercut the grim logic of “mutual assured destruction,” the Cold War doctrine that any attack would result in massive retaliation and ultimately the annihilation of all combatants. While much debated and often mocked … MAD, as it was known, worked. Now, the concern is that the precision and less-destructive nature of these new weapons raises the temptation to use them…. “The world has failed to put the nuclear genie back in the bottle,” Mark Gubrud [a nuclear weapons expert at the University of North Carolina] said. “And new genies are now getting loose.”

Russian Jet Threatened U.S. Recon Aircraft
Free Beacon - A Russian fighter jet flew dangerously close to a U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft on Thursday in the latest military provocation by Moscow over the Baltic Sea, the U.S. European Command said Saturday. “On April 14, a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft flying a routine route in international airspace over the Baltic Sea was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 in an unsafe and unprofessional manner,” said Navy Capt. Danny Hernandez. “This intercept comes shortly after the unsafe Russian encounters with USS Donald Cook,” he added. “There have been repeated incidents over the last year where Russian military aircraft have come close enough to other air and sea traffic to raise serious safety concerns, and we are very concerned with any such behavior.” Hernandez said the U.S. aircraft, a militarized Boeing 707 jet, was operating in international airspace “and at no time crossed into Russian territory.”

Over 150,000 Britons Call for Cameron's Resignation in Anti-Austerity Rally
Sputnik News - At least 150,000 UK nationals are estimated to have gathered in London on Saturday to protest the government’s austerity measures and to demand Prime Minister David Cameron’s resignation for his connection to the recent offshore scandal, local media reported. The anti-austerity march was organized by the People's Assembly activist group to rally against cuts to health and social housing benefits, as well as measures destroying the UK education system and attacking workers’ rights, The Independent newspaper said. The protesters also called on Cameron to resign after it was revealed in the Panama Papers leak that the prime minister had profited from selling his share of his late father’s alleged offshore investment fund run from the Bahamas. An alleged leak of some 11.5 million documents from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca in early April implicated Cameron’s father in using the company’s services to hide taxes. The firm has denied any wrong-doing.

EU 'trade secret law' may criminalize whistleblowers & journalists, petition warns
RT - The bill approved by the European Parliament on Thursday is aimed at helping European firms “win legal redress against theft or misuse of their trade secrets,” according to a press release available on the European Parliament official website. At the same time, MEPs say the new EU rules safeguard “freedom of expression and information” and “will not restrict the work of journalists.”… According to the Corporate Europe Observatory, a non-profit research and campaign group based in Brussels, the law has turned into “something resembling a blanket right to corporate secrecy.” The bill “threatens anyone in society who sometimes needs access to companies' internal information without their consent: consumers, employees, journalists, and scientists,” it said. According to the group, the whistleblowers and journalists will now “need to demonstrate to the judge that they acted with 'the purpose of protecting the public general interest', the burden of the proof is on them. “Large companies can afford long and expensive legal procedures, individuals usually cannot,” it added.

Japan's Economy Grinds To A Halt After Earthquake Paralyzes Critical Supply Chains
Zero Hedge - Earlier today Toyota was one of many Japanese companies to announce that it will suspend most car production across Japan as a result of critical supply chain disruptions caused by the recent destructive earthquake and numerous aftershocks.... The earthquakes on Thursday and Saturday, which killed at least 41 people, reflected the vulnerability of Japanese companies to supply chain disruptions caused by natural disasters, and also highlighted the "just in time" philosophy pioneered by Toyota and followed by many others.

Ecuador earthquake: at least 246 killed with many still trapped
The Guardian - Ecuador’s most devastating earthquake in 40 years has killed at least 246 people, with bridges buckling and buildings collapsing in Pacific coastal cities and fishing villages. The official death toll as dawn broke after the 7.8-magnitude quake was 235, but authorities warned that the numbers were likely to rise, with many people still trapped and rescue efforts in the remote region at the epicentre of the quake hampered by landslides. More than 10,000 troops have been deployed to keep order and help with rescue operations. Venezuela and Mexico’s governments pledged specialist aid to help search teams… Landslides have closed at least 12 roads around the region most devastated by the quake, but the national airline, TAME, arranged several humanitarian airlifts with members of the Red Cross and thousands of police reinforcements. Televicentro, a local TV station, showed images of local people shifting rubble with their bare hands, another group using a small tractor in desperate attempts to clear the debris.

Obama paid just 18% tax and got $22k refund as IRS deadline looms
RT - The dreaded day is nearly upon millions of Americans to file their taxes. On the eve of the April 18 deadline, the taxpayer-in-chief’s return is under scrutiny after it was released Friday. US President Barack Obama and his spouse Michelle had an adjusted gross income of $436,065, nearly 9 percent less than the year before, which could mean they are no longer part of "The One Percent". The bar in 2013 was $428,713, according to the US census, but the 2015 level won’t be known for a number of months.

Obama Sides with Saudis, Opposes Bill to Release 9/11 Findings
Sputnik News - The Obama Administration has been lobbying Congress to block a bill that would allow Saudi Arabia’s government to be held accountable in American courts for any role it played in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In addition to Obama's efforts to keep information about 9/11 confidential, Saudi Arabia has threatened to sell hundreds of billions of dollars worth of its American assets if Congress passes the bill. In recent weeks, administration officials have been warning lawmakers of the bill’s potential economic fallout. The Obama Administration’s strict opposition to the 9/11 bill has left many family members of the terror attacks’ victims outraged. Mindy Kleinberg, whose husband died in the attacks on the World Trade Center, expressed her discontent in an interview with the New York Times. “It’s stunning to think that our government would back the Saudis over its own citizens,” Kleinberg said.

Phone Transcript Proves Hillary LIED About Benghazi Attack
A transcript of a telephone conversation released by The State Department proves once and for all that Hillary Clinton knowingly lied about the Benghazi attack on the American diplomatic compound there in 2012. The transcript, obtained under a FOIA request by Judicial Watch, details a call immediately after the attack between the then-secretary of state and then-Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil. “We know the attack in Libya had nothing to do with the film,” Clinton told Kandil. “It was a planned attack – not a protest.” Kandil responded “You’re not kidding. Based on the information we saw today we believe that group that claimed responsibility for this is affiliated with al-Qaida.”

IRS Corruption Fuels Billions in Fraudulent Payments to Illegal Aliens
Breitbart - Imagine my surprise when I found a pile of IRS 1040 tax returns among the tons of trash at a “lay-up site” used by illegal border jumpers near the Mexican border west of Douglas, Arizona. There are dozens of such places where the thousands of border invaders change clothes, discard trash and wait to be taken by their “coyote” to their pick-up location for moving on to Phoenix or El Paso or Houston.... I collected the 1040 forms and we noticed all had claimed Earned Income Tax Credits and all also had claimed around nine deductions for children. The average refund was around $4,000. It occurred to me only much later that the American taxpayer may be funding the coyote’s $1,500 fees for smuggling poor Mexicans, Salvadorans — and Iraqis and Vietnamese — across our southwest border.... Over the past decade, there have been regular news stories exposing tax fraud by illegal aliens– and IRS indifference to the scandal.... The IRS knows illegal aliens are using stolen Social Security numbers and is glad they are doing it. But that is only the tip of the iceberg called illegal alien tax fraud....

Signed by the Governor: New Pennsylvania Law Legalizes Medical Marijuana; Foundation to Nullify Federal Prohibition
Tenth Amendment Center (April 17, 2016) - Today, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill legalizing medical marijuana, making it the 24th state to reject the unconstitutional federal prohibition on cannabis in practice. The bill took a long, tough road to final passage. Sen. Michael Folmer (R-Lebanon) introduced Senate Bill 3 (SB3) in Jan. 2015. The new law legalizes marijuana for medical use and sets up a regulatory structure for the production and distribution of medicinal cannabis to qualifying patients in the state.... The new law empowers regulators to license up to 25 marijuana cultivators and processors, and up to 150 dispensaries in the state. Qualified patients will need to obtain a recommendation from select physicians. Patients with any of the 17 qualifying medical conditions such as cancer, epilepsy, PTSD, assorted neurological and gastrointestinal disorders, autism, among others would qualify to use medical marijuana.

Trump poised for New York landslide
POLITICO - Donald Trump is poised to win New York in a landslide on Tuesday but he could leave as many as two-dozen critical delegates on the table by failing to win an outright majority in every corner of the state, according to new congressional district-level polling provided to POLITICO. The survey from Republican firm Optimus Consulting shows Trump doubling his next closest competitor, John Kasich, 49 percent to 24 percent, with Ted Cruz far behind with 14 percent. But even as the survey has him leading in all 27 congressional districts, Trump’s margins will prove crucial in the hunt for New York’s 95 delegates, from Buffalo to Ithaca to Bethpage. Under the state’s complex rules, all three delegates in each of the state’s 27 congressional districts are awarded to the winner if he or she gets to 50 percent there — meaning that even a dominant Trump performance short of that mark could leak some delegates to his rivals. If Trump wins a congressional district by only a plurality, he’ll receive two delegates, and the runner-up will receive one.

TRUMP Likely to Win West Virginia Vote But Lose the Delegates to Cruz
The Gateway Pundit - It’s the latest state where Cruz will lose but garner more delegates than Donald Trump. Cruz supporters call this a “good ground game.” The Politico reported: Donald Trump has a new enemy in the fight for national convention delegates: the alphabet. Trump is well-positioned for a resounding victory in West Virginia’s May 10 primary, but his win will be accompanied by a delegate selection process stacked in favor of people with last names at the beginning of the alphabet — rather than his most committed supporters. It’s a quirk of West Virginia’s mind-bogglingly complex delegate election process that has the Trump campaign on red alert and seems likely to leave the mogul with weaker support at the national convention than he’s expected to earn in the state’s primary. It’s yet another convoluted primary system likely to add fuel to Trump’s complaints that the rules of the Republican nomination process are rigged.

Trump Wants Drones To Patrol Borders
Daily Caller - Leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told an upstate New York newspaper that he wants unmanned and unarmed drones to help patrol U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico night and day. “They would work in conjunction with the Border Patrol, who are fantastic people who want to do their job,” Trump told Syracuse.com over the phone before his visit to Syracuse on Saturday. “I want surveillance for our borders, and the drone has great capabilities for surveillance.” But, in January of 2015, an Inspector General audit claimed that drones were inefficient, barely did anything to stop illegal border crossers, and were too costly.

Ted Cruz Celebrates Wyoming Win Calling Voter-Less Contest a “Grassroots Uprising”
The Gateway Pundit - The Republican establishment has joined with Ted Cruz to wrangle all of the GOP delegates away from Donald Trump. It’s the establishment’s last chance to stop Trump. The #CruzCrew and anti-Trump Super PACs are even working in states Donald Trump has won to steal delegates from the GOP frontrunner. In Colorado Ted Cruz nabbed all 34 of the delegates from a voter-less contest. Saturday in Wyoming Ted Cruz again snatched up all of the 14 delegates in another voter-less contest. Cruz called his victory in Wyoming a “grassroots victory”. Unreal.

RNC Chair Defends Rigged Voter-Less Elections
The Gateway Pundit - Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus defended the rigged voter-less contests that awarded Ted Cruz all of the delegates in Colorado and Wyoming today on CNN.... The Hill reported: Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus said Sunday the GOP likely won’t change a rule that requires candidates to have 1,237 delegates to clinch the GOP presidential nomination… Priebus maintained Sunday that state parties, not the RNC, decide their individual delegate processes, which have been finalized since last October. “The process has been going on for a month in each of the state’s where there’s been a convention,” Priebus said. “It’s not a matter of party insiders. It’s a matter of 2,400 grassroots activists, and whatever they want to do, they can do.”

Cruz: ‘You Would Be a Fool’ Not to Look at Rubio as VP Seriously
Breitbart - Wednesday at a town hall hosted by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz was asked about the potential of his former opponent Sen. Marco Rubio being a potential running mate, given that if Rubio made a deal that gave Cruz his delegates, it could push him over the top to the GOP nomination. Cruz downplayed any prior bad blood between he and Rubio and said he would be “terrific person” to consider as a vice presidential nominee.

U.S. Economy 2016: 3 Classic Recession Signals Are Flashing Red
Economic Collapse - Those that were hoping for an “economic renaissance” in the United States got some more bad news this week. It turns out that the U.S. economy is in significantly worse shape than the experts were projecting. Retail sales unexpectedly declined in March, total business sales have fallen again, and the inventory to sales ratio has hit the highest level since the last financial crisis. When you add these three classic recession signals to the 19 troubling numbers about the U.S. economy that I wrote about last week, it paints a very disturbing picture. Virtually all of the signs that we would expect to pop up during the early chapters of a major economic crisis have now appeared, and yet most Americans still appear to be clueless about what is happening.

US scolds others about offshores, but looks other way at home
McClatchy DC - The U.S. government has publicly and privately pressured countries that act as offshore havens for hiding money, while this barren, sparsely populated state offers the same secrecy… Wyoming had 128,000 active business entities at the end of 2015. That’s roughly one entity per every 4.5 residents in a state of about 586,000. U.S. law allows foreigners to create shell companies that have no revenue or actual business activity in the United States. It’s akin to what foreign offshore tax havens offer Americans, some of whom use them as a tax dodge, or worse… Nevada shell company Murray Holdings LLC is a good example. It existed without notice until it became a centerpiece in Brazil’s political crisis, which threatens to overshadow this summer’s Olympic Games. Prosecutors there allege the Nevada firm had no assets or business in the United States, yet was used to hide embezzled funds from Brazil’s state oil company, which was then funneled into luxury real estate.

Apple Stock Slides On News It Cuts iPhone Production By 30% Due To Sluggish Sales
Zero Hedge - Apple will continue its reduced production of iPhones in the April-June period in light of sluggish sales, according to parts suppliers notified of the plan. The website reports that slow sales of the flagship iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, which debuted last autumn, have forced Apple to adjust inventories. It lowered production for the January-March quarter by about 30% from the year-earlier period. With sales still sluggish, the U.S. company has told parts suppliers in Japan and elsewhere that it will maintain the reduced output level in the current quarter… A prolonged production cut would hurt Japanese parts suppliers such as liquid crystal display panel manufacturers Japan Display and Sharp, memory chip supplier Toshiba and Sony, which provides image sensors for cameras. With their plants already operating at reduced rates, they may be forced to downgrade their earnings forecasts for the April-June quarter. The current production cut could last longer than the one Apple implemented in 2013.

Seattle, Olympia to be Sprayed With Bacteria Used For GMO Genetics (Bt): to Treat Moths
Activist Post - April 16 is the beginning of a pesticide-bacteria spraying program in western Washington, authorized by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The stated purpose is to kill Asian and European gypsy moths. Approved by authorities and opposed by many people, they decided to spray a bacteria with pesticide properties called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), the bacteria from which a gene comes that is used in GM crops to kill insects. An area in Vancouver will also be sprayed Saturday, then the states moves onto Kent, Lacey, Gig Harbor, Nisqually and Seattle’s Capitol Hill. This year the WSDA will use a red and white fixed wing plane to drop the pesticide 250 feet above ground level.

Vaccine Reactions: Underreported and Unrecognized, Not Unimportant (Video)
Truth4Pets - Dr. James R. Shannon, former Director of the US National Institute of Health, has been widely quoted as saying: “The only safe vaccine is one that is never used.” But are adverse vaccine reactions really a big deal? Aren’t they just the “fever and fatigue” we’re warned about after yearly shots? Or is there more to learn?... Reactions are considered rare, in part, because reporting is rare. Unlike reporting for human vaccine reactions, required by the National Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, reporting is voluntary for reactions experienced by animals. Furthermore, there is no federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) for animals as there is for humans, nor is there a National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). That does not mean that adverse events aren’t a serious a problem for animals. In fact, because animals are given numerous vaccines repeatedly (and unnecessarily) throughout their lives, rather than just in childhood, the problem is likely worse.... Here is a partial list of reactions compiled by world-renowned vaccination researcher, Ron Schultz, Ph.D.

The Largest Beneficiaries of FDA Generosity
Susan Thixton - Which companies benefit the most from FDA’s and State Department of Agriculture lack of enforcement of law? Here’s a list of the top beneficiaries. The FDA and each State Department of Agriculture are – without doubt – assisting some companies in pet food to make billions in profits selling recycled illegal waste. With FDA and State ‘assistance’, some in pet food are allowed to manufacture and sell products that federal and state law deems illegal – adulterated. The law that’s being ignored is The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. “Section 342. Adulterated food. A food shall be deemed to be adulterated (a) Poisonous, insanitary, etc., ingredients (5) if it is, in whole or in part, the product of a diseased animal or of an animal that has died otherwise than by slaughter;”

Friday - April 15, 2016  -  Today in History:

1813 - U.S. troops under James Wilkinson attacked the Spanish-held city of Mobile that would be in the future state of Alabama.
1817 - The first American school for the deaf was opened in Hartford, CT.
1850 - The city of San Francisco was incorporated.
1861 - U.S. President Lincoln mobilized the Federal army.
1865 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln died from injuries inflicted by John Wilkes Booth.
1871 - "Wild Bill" Hickok became the marshal of Abilene, Kansas.
1880 - William Gladstone became Prime Minister of England.
1892 - The General Electric Company was organized.
1912 - The ocean liner Titanic sank in the North Atlantic after hitting an iceberg the evening before. 1,517 people died and more than 700 people survived.
1917 - The British defeated the Germans at the battle of Arras.
1923 - Insulin became generally available for people suffering with diabetes.
1945 - During World War II, British and Canadian troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen.
1952 - U.S. President Harry Truman signed the official Japanese peace treaty.
1952 - The first B-52 prototype was tested in the air.
1956 - The worlds’ first, all-color TV station was dedicated. It was WNBQ-TV in Chicago and is now WMAQ-TV.
1959 - Cuban leader Fidel Castro began a U.S. goodwill tour.
1986 - U.S. F-111 warplanes attacked Libya in response to the bombing of a discotheque in Berlin on April 5, 1986.
1989 - Students in Beijing launched a series of pro democracy protests upon the death of former Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang. The protests led to the Tienanmen Square massacre.
1994 - The World Trade Organization was established.
1998 - Pol Pot died at the age of 73. The leader of the Khmer Rouge regime thereby evaded prosecution for the deaths of 2 million Cambodians.
2000 - 600 anti-IMF (International Monetary Fund) protesters were arrested in Washington, DC, for demonstrating without a permit.
2010 - In Prospect Harbor, ME, the Stinson Seafood plant stopped sardine processing after 135 years in operation.

US, Saudi, Turkey, Discuss Delivering Anti Aircraft Weapons To "Rebels" For Use Against Assad, Russia
Activist Post - The CIA is reportedly discussing a plan to augment the fighting capability of the terrorist forces they have been supporting in Syria since the beginning of the crisis in 2011 if the “ceasefire agreement” currently underway in Geneva falls apart… The discussion is centered around the possibility of sending a variety of anti-aircraft technologies ranging from MANPADs (man-portable air defense systems) to less portable systems, including Soviet-era BM-21 Grad missiles… Of course, the provision of MANPADs to al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorists poses a number of threats to civilized peoples. First, if terrorists are in possession of the means by which to down aircraft from the ground, civilian passenger aircraft the world over will find itself in danger of being taken out of the sky as the result of terror attacks aimed at sensitive targets… Second, if terrorist “rebels” are in possession of a sizeable armory of MANPADs, a new and greater threat to Syrian and Russian air forces will be present. According to the Wall Street Journal, US officials have already addressed this issue with their Russian counterparts and have done so in a manner that resembles a threat much more than a genuine discussion.

Red Sea Deal: Are Israel & Saudi Arabia Forming a Joint Military
The AntiMedia - The 2014 memorandum claims Israel hosted a number of Saudi officers in military training courses carried out at the Port of Haifa base in Israel. In the Muslim Press report, Israel and Saudi Arabia are implicated in the “formation of a joint operation” in Tiran Island, one of the islands handed over to Saudi Arabia after Israel’s approval of the agreement between the Saudis and Egyptians. While the Jerusalem Post does not mention any military training carried out by either nations in the past couple of years, journalist and security expert Yossi Melman admits Israel’s involvement in the deal between the Saudis and Egypt “is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the secret processes taking place behind the scene.”... According to the report, Iran is seen as the number one threat to both the Saudis and Israelis. As a result of their common fear, the Saudis have given Jerusalem “approval for Air Force jets to pass through their airspace” in the past, just in case the Jewish state decides to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities. Other friendly encounters between the Saudis and Israelis, such as the meetings between Mossad chiefs and Saudi intelligence officials, have also been covered by the media.

ISIS Sex Slaves Reveal The True Horror Of What Is Going On Over In The Middle East
Economic Collapse - Could you imagine being kidnapped, being auctioned off like a piece of meat, and being endlessly gang-raped every day by some of the most evil men on the entire planet for months on end? This is what ISIS is doing to thousands upon thousands of women in Iraq and Syria, and some of their victims are as young as nine. The things that I am about to share with you are almost too nightmarish for words, but it is imperative that we understand what is going on. When ISIS conquers an area that is not Muslim, they believe that they can do whatever they want to the women because they are “infidels”. So innocent young women are being treated in some of the most horrible ways imaginable, and most of the rest of the world looks on with indifference. But of course what ISIS is doing is just the tip of a very big global iceberg. As you will see below, there are tens of millions of slaves in our world today, and sexual exploitation is involved in approximately 80 percent of those cases.

Migrants completely devastate Denmark's holiday resort
Speisa - A completely devastated holiday resort near Varde in Brøns, Denmark. That is, according landlord Alice Lauridsen, the result of her renting out her holiday cabins to about 100 asylum seekers through the Immigration Service. "The mattresses have been jumped on and urinated on. Bonfires have been made on my carpets, so there are large burn marks and there's pee in the corners. My big dining table is broken into pieces as firewood. Everything is torn completely apart, and only the lamps have survived," she says to the Danish newspaper BT.... The landlord has rented out the house for about five months, and she has figured out that the damages will cost her DKK 1.3 million to repair, while the Immigration Service estimates that it is about half a million.

ISIS Camp a Few Miles from Texas, Mexican Authorities Confirm
Judicial Watch - ISIS is operating a camp just a few miles from El Paso, Texas, according to Judicial Watch sources that include a Mexican Army field grade officer and a Mexican Federal Police Inspector. The exact location where the terrorist group has established its base is around eight miles from the U.S. border in an area known as “Anapra” situated just west of Ciudad Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Another ISIS cell to the west of Ciudad Juárez, in Puerto Palomas, targets the New Mexico towns of Columbus and Deming for easy access to the United States… According to these same sources, “coyotes” engaged in human smuggling – and working for Juárez Cartel – help move ISIS terrorists through the desert and across the border between Santa Teresa and Sunland Park, New Mexico. To the east of El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, cartel-backed “coyotes” are also smuggling ISIS terrorists through the porous border between Acala and Fort Hancock, Texas. These specific areas were targeted for exploitation by ISIS because of their understaffed municipal and county police forces, and the relative safe-havens the areas provide for the unchecked large-scale drug smuggling that was already ongoing.

Deutsche Bank Admits It Rigged Gold Prices, Agrees To Expose Other Manipulators
Zero Hedge - This was confirmed moments ago when Reuters reported that Deutsche Bank has also reached a settlement in US litigation alleging the bank conspired to fix gold prices. In other words, hours after admitting it was rigging the silver market, it did the same for gold… Most importantly, as the actual settlement reveals, Deutsche has agreed that in addition to once again providing "valuable monetary consideration" which will be paid into a settlement fund, that like in the silver settlement it will provide "cooperation in pursuing claims against the remaining Defendants."

Major Earthquake Hits Japan, Strongest Since 2011
Zero Hedge - Just over 5 years since the massively destructive 2011 Japanese earthquake which unleashed a tsunami and led to the Fukushima disaster, moments ago NHK reported that Japan's Kumamoto region had been hit with another quake which had a Shindo shaking intensity of 7 and registered a magnitude of approximately 6.4. According to the Japanese media this is the strongest quake to hit Japan since the 2011 earthquake. The good news is that so far there has been no tsunami alert. Bloomberg adds that JR trains, incl. bullet trains, have been halted in Kyushu; Kyushu Electric checking impact of quake on the operating Sendai nuclear reactors. As AP reports, there are no immediate reports of casualties.

The Government Breaks Through On Deficit Reduction, Will Lower Social Security Payments
Zero Hedge - Thanks to all of those long nights scrubbing the budget line by line, a way to save costs has finally been found. As MarketWatch reports, “A popular tool families use to help boost retirement income known as "file and suspend" will be taken away after April 29th of this year, courtesy of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. File and suspend is essentially a way for one person who is eligible to file for his/her retirement benefits to file, but delay getting them until age 70 (in return for an 8% per annum credit). Once the benefits are filed for, however, that person's spouse can file for spousal benefits and begin to receive those right away, thus increasing income to the couple.”… The point of cutting out this "loophole" as the government so proudly calls it, is to save money.

You won't believe this, but. nothing useful found on Farook iPhone
The Register - CBS News reports it has been told by a "law enforcement source" that the phone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook does not contain any information of practical assistance in the investigation, although it is still analyzing its contents. The news will not come as much of a surprise to anyone who has followed the case: the phone in question was one of three used by Farook... His two personal phones were found by investigators, crushed and dumped in a trash can at his house. Since Farook had clearly gone to some trouble to destroy any digital evidence (he also smashed up hard drives and other digital media), the fact that the iPhone in question was recovered intact made it highly unlikely that it held anything of real value. Regardless, the FBI used the existence of the phone and the shocking nature of the crime to wage a public war with Apple over encryption and access to electronic goods. Having mistakenly caused the phone's cloud storage to be reset (some doubt it was a mistake), the FBI applied through the courts to force Apple to develop a way for it to pull all the information of the phone.

Judge Allows Case Against Sandy Hook Gun Manufacturer To Move Forward
Young Conservatives - Liberals have completely lost their minds when it comes to gun rights following the recent mass shootings that we have seen in this country and regardless of the overwhelming evidence that gun laws wouldn’t have stopped these killers they still insist on chipping away at the 2nd Amendment wherever they can. One of the strangest efforts they have embarked on is this idea that gun manufacturers should be criminally liable if a gun they make kills someone. f this case is ruled against the gun companies that would set a ridiculous precedent which could put many gun companies out of business. This would mean that every time someone is killed with a gun the gun company could be found liable. That doesn’t exist anywhere else in society. Can you sue Ford if someone crashes into you? Of course not. Can you sue a knife company if someone is stabbed by one of their knives? Of course not.

Anti-Trump Protesters Plan for 'Medics' and 'Jail Support' as They Aim to 'Shut Down' Manhattan Thursday Night
Breitbart - A meeting agenda of the “Shut Down Trump Coalition” obtained by Breitbart News gives unique insight into how the left is aiming to disrupt the New York Republican Gala at the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan. The document, titled “Shut Down Trump Coalition Agenda 4/12,” walks through several bullet points including asking the organizers to “Report Back From Monday Fight For 15 Meeting” and to “Clarify Permit Situation.” Apparently, according to the document, a different group–International Action Center–“has permit.”… According to sources inside the meeting, groups represented included Black Lives Matter, People’s Power Assembly, Fight for 15, International Action Center, Labor, and several other smaller groups. Separate flyers in English and Spanish promoting the protests obtained by Breitbart News purport to be donated by “labor.”

GOP Insider: There’ll be Riots in Cleveland If Trump Wins OR if He Doesn’t
Paul Joseph Watson - A GOP insider in Ohio told journalist Amy Walter that there will be riots in Cleveland if Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination or if he doesn’t win the nomination. With the prospect of a brokered convention threatening to lead to chaos, top Republicans are scared that a floor fight in Cleveland “will leave deep, deep scars” and that the GOP “brand” could be destroyed if Trump comes out on top. However, one GOP insider went further, telling Walter, “There’ll be a riot in Cleveland if Trump wins the nomination and a riot if he doesn’t.” In the event of Cruz or Kasich being selected to become the nominee despite losing to Trump in the primaries, Republican voters who feel that they have been disenfranchised may resort to civil disobedience to make their point.

Public employee union spends $28 million on progressive politics
watchdog.org - The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees reported $27.2 million in “Political Activities and Lobbying” expenditures in its 2015 filing with the U.S. Department of Labor. An additional $1 million in AFSCME “Contributions, Gifts and Grants” went to political nonprofits… Democrat-aligned political action committees and super PACs got more than $1 million from AFSCME last year, including contributions of $500,000 to America Works USA, $250,000 to Senate Majority PAC, and $150,000 each to House Majority PAC and American Bridge 21st Century. AFSCME sent union coalition AFL-CIO $599,591 and AFL-CIO organizing arm from Working America $1,130,600, flagged as a political expenses. Neither of those expenditures matched the $1,475,000 AFSCME sent to AFSCME Illinois Council 31 for state and local campaigns… Compared with 2014 — a midterm election year in which AFSCME dumped $65 million into politics — last year was a slow year for AFSCME political spending.

Navy Vet Makes the Ultimate Sacrifice — Sets Himself on Fire to Protest the VA’s Lack of Healthcare
The Free Thought Project - Doused in gasoline, a former chief petty officer stood outside a Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient clinic when he lit himself on fire and eventually died nine hours later. His wife recently confirmed that her husband was upset with the inadequate care that he had been receiving at the VA facility shortly before his suicide. A seven-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, Charles Ingram III walked nine miles from his home, past an American Legion park and a military veteran memorial, before arriving at the parking lot of the VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic around 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 19. While standing on a grass lawn near the clinic, the 51-year-old poured several gallons of gasoline on himself before committing self-immolation. A seven-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, Charles Ingram III walked nine miles from his home, past an American Legion park and a military veteran memorial, before arriving at the parking lot of the VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic around 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 19. While standing on a grass lawn near the clinic, the 51-year-old poured several gallons of gasoline on himself before committing self-immolation.

Chicago Veterans Are Keeping These Students Safe In Dangerous Neighborhoods Everyday
True Activist - Veterans in Chicago are keeping students safe in one of the most dangerous regions of Chicago by being present as the students walk to school. The Safe Passage Program, founded in 2011 by a non-profit organization called Leave No Veteran Behind (LNVB), has two purposes: to reduce the violence in these areas and to pay off the student debt of veterans. Leave No Veteran Behind employs these local veterans by paying off their debt and helping them look for jobs. Their job is to look out for the 8,000 students commuting to school everyday… On any given day, 130 veterans are employed through the program and are dispatched to an area surrounding the corner of 35th street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Chicago, an intersection for five high schools that have gang affiliations. The veterans also service other dangerous areas, and their presence aids in providing positive interactions free from violence. The program doubled the number of Safe Passage workers in 2013, after dozens of schools were closed and the commute for many students increased.

US corporations have $1.4tn hidden in tax havens, claims Oxfam report
The Guardian - US corporate giants such as Apple, Walmart and General Electric have stashed $1.4tn (£980bn) in tax havens, despite receiving trillions of dollars in taxpayer support, according to a report by anti-poverty charity Oxfam. The sum, larger than the economic output of Russia, South Korea and Spain, is held in an “opaque and secretive network” of 1,608 subsidiaries based offshore, said Oxfam… Technology giant Apple, the world’s second biggest company, topped Oxfam’s league table, with some $181bn held offshore in three subsidiaries. Boston-based conglomerate General Electric, which Oxfam said has received $28bn in taxpayer backing, was second with $119bn stored in 118 tax haven subsidiaries. Computing firm Microsoft was third with $108bn, in a top 10 that also included pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer, Google’s parent company Alphabet and Exxon Mobil, the largest oil company not owned by an oil-producing state.

Bankrupt D.C. Metrorail System Needs $25 BILLION Over Next Ten Years To Survive
CNS News - The Metrorail system that serves the capital of the free world has dangerous, frayed electrical cables, an unmotivated workforce, reduced ridership, and a new manager who is determined to make changes after years of neglect. On Wednesday, the chairman of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) told Congress that Metro needs around $25 billion over the next 10 years to run the system, address critical safety issues, and catch up on a ten-year backlog of neglected maintenance. Chairman Jack Evans said the system also faces a $2.5-billion unfunded pension liability that it has no plan or ability to address. And if Congress doesn’t pony up, “next time something happens, I’m blaming it on you guys,” Evans said in a heated moment at the hearing of a House Oversight subcommittee.

How Safe is Pet Food?
Susan Thixton - For people who work in a pet food manufacturing plant, the company is required to provide ‘Material Safety Data Sheets‘ on each ingredient, supplement, flavoring, dye – that comes into the plant. These Material Safety Data Sheets – known as MSDS’s – are used to provide workers information – such as toxicity data – to the ‘materials’ they are being exposed to in the workplace. As a general rule, MSDS are not intended for use by consumers – the documents are geared towards providing information for employees working with the materials.... Below you will find MSDS information on several common pet food ingredients..... My biggest question…if these ingredients are known risk of ingestion to humans, based on scientific research performed on animals, and “prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage”, has anyone at FDA or AAFCO ever considered the health risks to pets ingesting these ingredients every meal, everyday of their life? No…no they have not.

Thousands of Dogs Have Died After Eating THIS Brand of Dry Dog Food!
David Wolfe - Dog owners who have fed their canines Beneful have reported some disturbing effects. They range from incontinence to internal bleeding and even seizures. Two ingredients have been proposed to cause the most damage. One is propylene glycol, which is a chemical used in antifreeze that – for some reason – was approved by the FDA for use in dog food. Propylene glycol has been severely restricted for use in Europe. The other ingredient proposed to be the cause is the grains in dog food. More specifically, improperly stored grains that contain mycotoxins. Mycotoxins, as reported by Science Direct, can cause a range of effects in companion animals like dogs and cats that can be severe and even fatal. These include hepatitis, pacing, vomiting, anorexia and polydipsia. These symptoms are similar to those reported by dog owners who fed their pets Purina Beneful.

Another Furball? It Might Be Feline Asthma
FelineNutrition - Has your cat been coughing? Watch the video below and you may recognize that sound. Many people assume that the cat is trying to cough up a hairball and don't realize that their cat could have asthma. Untreated, asthma can progress and even be fatal. But, like human asthmatics, cats can be treated and the disease can be managed. It is estimated that about 1% of cats suffer from asthma.¹ Siamese, Burmese and other Oriental breeds show a greater incidence, but any breed can have asthma.² It usually first occurs in young to middle-aged cats between the ages of two and eight.³ It is widely recognized that asthma attacks can be triggered by allergens in the environment such as pollens, dust, smoke, fumes, mold, fragrances and aerosols. Heat, cold, stress and exertion can also trigger attacks.

Thursday - April 14, 2016  -  Today in History:

1775 - The first abolitionist society in U.S. was organized in Philadelphia with Ben Franklin as president.
1828 - The first edition of Noah Webster's dictionary was published under the name "American Dictionary of the English Language."
1860 - The first Pony Express rider arrived in San Francisco with mail originating in St. Joseph, MO.
1865 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth. He actually died early the next morning.
1889 - The first international Conference of American States began in Washington, DC.
1912 - The Atlantic passenger liner Titanic, on its maiden voyage hit an iceberg and began to sink. 1,517 people lost their lives and more than 700 survived.
1918 - The U.S. First Aero Squadron engaged in America's first aerial dogfight with enemy aircraft over Toul, France.
1946 - The civil war between Communists and nationalist resumed in China.
1953 - Viet Minh invaded Laos with 40,00 troops.
1959 - The Taft Memorial Bell Tower was dedicated in Washington, DC.
1969 - For the first time, a major league baseball game was played in Montreal, Canada.
1981 - America's first space shuttle, Columbia, returned to Earth after a three-day test flight. The shuttle orbited the Earth 36 times during the mission.
1986 - U.S. President Reagan announced the U.S. air raid on military and terrorist related targets in Libya.
1988 - Representatives from the U.S.S.R., Pakistan, Afghanistan and the U.S. signed an agreement that called for the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan starting on May 15. The last Soviet troop left Afghanistan on February 15, 1989.
1994 - Two American F-15 warplanes inadvertently shot down two U.S. helicopters over northern Iraq. 26 people were killed including 15 Americans.
1998 - The state of Virginia ignored the requests from the World Court and executed a Paraguayan for the murder of a U.S. woman.
1999 - Pakistan test-fired a ballistic missile that was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and reaching its rival neighbor India.
2000 - After five years of deadlock, Russia approved the START II treaty that calls for the scrapping of U.S. and Russian nuclear warheads. The Russian government warned it would abandon all arms-control pacts if Washington continued with an anti-missile system.
2002 - U.S. President George W. Bush sent a letter of congratulations to JCPenny's associates for being in business for 100 years. James Cash (J.C.) Penney had opened his first retail store on April 14, 1902.
2002 - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returned to office two days after being arrested by his country's military.
2008 - Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines announced they were combining.

Russia rejects criticism of fly-by near US Navy destroyer
AP - Russia's defense ministry has rejected complaints by U.S. officials who claimed Russian attack planes buzzed dangerously close to a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Baltic Sea earlier this week. The U.S. European command has said the Russian planes buzzed multiple times on Monday and Tuesday in what the U.S. officials described as an unsafe and unprofessional manner. Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian defense ministry, said on Thursday that the pilots of Russian Su-24 jets saw the ship and turned back "while using all measures of precaution."

US fires missiles in Philippines war games near South China Sea
AFP - Glowing projectiles lit up the Philippine sky from an advanced US long-range missile system on Thursday, in war games aimed at boosting their military alliance in the face of an increasingly assertive China. The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) was the star of a simulated assault exercise by 5,500 US and Philippine soldiers, unleashing six missiles at distant targets from a dry riverbed three hours' drive from Manila. US Marine Cobra attack helicopters and Philippine S211 jets also buzzed over the Crow Valley training range as Filipino and US troops acted out the capture of imaginary enemy-held territory.

Macedonian police fire tear gas at migrants on Greek border
Reuters - Macedonian police fired tear gas on Wednesday to disperse around 50 migrants stranded in Greece who tried to pull down part of the razor wire fence separating the two countries, a Reuters witness said. Scuffles briefly broke out and Greek riot police later intervened to break up the crowd.
Tensions have boiled over at the makeshift migrant camp near the town of Idomeni, where more than 10,000 migrants and refugees have been stranded since February, when Balkan countries shut their borders to anyone wanting to head north. Hundreds of migrants were injured on Sunday in clashes with Macedonian police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets after a group tried to storm the border.

Authorities Raid Law Firm at Center of Panama Papers Leak
NYTimes- The Panamanian authorities have raided the offices of Mossack Fonseca, the law firm at the center of the vast leak of documents this month that exposed the global use of offshore tax shelters, and spent at least 16 hours combing through the company’s files looking for evidence of possible “illegal activities,” officials said on Wednesday. The search at the company’s headquarters in Panama City, which was led by an organized crime unit from the attorney general’s office, began Tuesday afternoon and lasted until Wednesday morning. Other groups of investigators also searched subsidiaries of the firm in Panama and a Panamanian telephone company’s data support center, officials said. The disclosure of about 11.5 million documents from the firm, which specializes in setting up offshore accounts, laid bare the elaborate system of shell companies that the world’s wealthy and powerful use to stash their money, often in an effort to minimize or avoid tax payments.

Confirmation that Zika causes microcephaly shifts debate to prevention
Reuters - After several weeks of study and debate, U.S. health officials concluded that infection with the Zika virus during pregnancy causes the birth defect microcephaly, a finding that experts hope will refocus attention on efforts to stop infections and prompt U.S. lawmakers to fund emergency prevention efforts.
"There isn't any doubt that Zika causes microcephaly," Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told reporters in a conference on Wednesday.

US Navy Ship Encounters Aggressive Russian Aircraft in Baltic Sea
Navy.mil - A United States Navy destroyer operating in international waters in the Baltic Sea experienced several close interactions by Russian aircraft April 11 and 12. USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) encountered multiple, aggressive flight maneuvers by Russian aircraft that were performed within close proximity of the ship.

In Flint, Fears of Showering Bring Desperate Measures
NYTimes - Near the top of the daily challenges that Flint residents face in a city without safe drinking water is how and where to shower.
Families are going to extraordinary lengths to find places where they can bathe without fear, taking measures that many say add to the upheaval that has been part of their lives since state officials confirmed last fall that their water was contaminated with dangerous levels of lead. Some have found cheap memberships at gyms just outside the city and use them to bathe more than exercise. Others waited in a long line last month to receive contraptions called Pump-N-Sprays: nozzles and foot pumps that can be attached to five-gallon bottles of water as makeshift showers.

VIDEO: Walmart Fires Cashier Frank Swanson Who Hugs Customers
KSPR.com - Frank Swanson is out of a job. Many in the West Plains community are rallying behind him. Swanson worked as a cashier at Walmart in West Plains for nearly 20 years, until last week. "20 days short of 20 years," Swanson said. Now the "Hugs for Frank" Campaign is underway, as Walmart is defending its decision to let him go.

Democracy Spring: Thousands Descend on US Capitol, Over 400 Arrested
RSN - housands of Americans have descended on Washington to launch one week of civil disobedience under the banner Democracy Spring. Over 400 people were arrested today, and over 3,000 have pledged to risk arrest over the next week. Their main demand is to get money out of politics. Before the marchers made their way to the Capitol, Cenk Uygur of the Young Turks thanked the 200 people who walked 140 miles over 10 days from Philadelphia. Uygur pointed out that the mainstream media has ignored Democracy Spring and explained that the reason is that they are part of the establishment. Uygur said that the media don’t want money out of politics, they depend on that money when it is used to buy campaign ads. Uygur declared that while this is just the beginning, they are no longer coming for us, but we are coming for them.

Charges Against Trump Staffer Corey Lewandowski to Be Dropped says Report
NBC News - Florida prosecutors will announce Thursday whether they plan to prosecute Donald Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, on a battery charge in connection with former Breitbart News Network reporter Michelle Fields, Fields said Wednesday.
Politico, citing multiple sources whom it didn't identify, reported Wednesday that Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg will announce Thursday that he won't pursue the charge. Lewandowski, 42, turned himself in to Jupiter police on a charge of simple battery after he was accused of having grabbed and bruised Fields' arm when she tried to question Trump at a campaign event on March 8.

Megyn Kelly meets privately with Trump
The Hill - Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump and Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly met Wednesday morning at Trump Tower in New York after months of feuding. "Kelly requested a meeting with Mr. Trump, which took place at Trump Tower this morning," the spokesperson said in a statement shared with The Hill, adding that the "results of that meeting" would be shared on "The Kelly File" Wednesday night. "Kelly has acknowledged in recent interviews that Trump is a fascinating person to cover and has electrified the Republican base," the spokesperson added. NBC reporter and MSNBC anchor Ayman Mohyeldin had reported that Kelly was seen entering Trump Tower shortly before noon Wednesday, according to two tweets from network employees.
***Related: Megyn Kelly Explains Why She Met Privately With Donald Trump At His Lair Today [VIDEO]

Donald Trump is right: The Republican nominating process is a scam
Business Insider - If Donald Trump arrives at the Republican National Convention with less than a majority of delegates bound to him, his message will be simple: I got way more votes than anyone else, and party insiders are conspiring against me to give the nomination to somebody else.
This complaint will be true, it will be valid, and anti-Trump Republicans will dismiss it at their peril.

Can Donald Trump Win Every Delegate in New York?
NYTimes - Unless every poll is wildly wrong, Donald Trump is going to win in New York on Tuesday, and he’s going to win big. But exactly how he wins really matters. A few votes here or there could make the difference between a solid or shaky road to the Republican nomination.
New York’s 95 delegates would keep Mr. Trump on a narrow path to avoid a contested convention. But New York awards its delegates in a fairly unusual way: proportionally but with a 50 percent winner-take-all trigger for each district and for the pool of statewide delegates. So Mr. Trump would need 50 percent of the vote statewide and in each congressional district to win all of the delegates.
To win 50 percent of the vote statewide, he needs to run up the score in the relatively Republican areas where he’s expected to do well: Staten Island, Long Island and upstate New York.

US banks not prepared for another financial crisis, say federal regulators
The Guardian - Five out of eight of the biggest US banks do not have credible plans for winding down operations during a crisis without the help of public money, federal regulators said on Wednesday.

Atlantic City area tops U.S. metro foreclosures in first quarter says report
Reuters - Atlantic County, home to New Jersey's fiscally distressed gambling hub Atlantic City, had the highest foreclosure rate of any major U.S. metropolitan area in the first quarter of 2016, according to RealtyTrac data released on Thursday. One in every 106 housing units in Atlantic County had a foreclosure filing in the first quarter, compared to a nationwide rate of one filing per 459 homes.
The area has been hit hard by the closure of four Atlantic City casinos in 2014, which remain shuttered. It also had the highest metro foreclosure rate for all of 2015.

Wednesday  -  April 13, 2016  -  Today in History:

1775 - Lord North extended the New England Restraining Act to South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. It prohibited trade with any country other than Britain and Ireland.
1782 - Washington, NC, was incorporated as the first town to be named for George Washington.
1796 - The first known elephant to arrive in the United States from Bengal, India.
1829 - The English Parliament granted freedom of religion to Catholics.
1860 - The first mail was delivered via Pony Express when a westbound rider arrived in Sacremento, CA from St. Joseph, MO.
1861 - After 34 hours of bombardment, the Union-held Fort Sumter surrenders to Confederates.
1916 - The first hybrid, seed corn was purchased for 15-cents a bushel by Samuel Ramsay.
1943 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Jefferson Memorial.
1949 - Philip S. Hench and associates announced that cortizone was an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
1960 - The first navigational satellite was launched into Earth's orbit.
1976 - The U.S. Federal Reserve introduced $2 bicentennial notes.
1984 - U.S. President Reagan sent emergency military aid to El Salvador without congressional approval.
1984 - Christopher Walker was killed in a fight with police in New Hampshire. Walker was wanted as a suspect in the kidnappings of 11 young women in several states.
1998 - Dolly, the world's first cloned sheep, gave natural birth to a healthy baby lamb.
1999 - Jack Kervorkian was sentenced in Pontiac, MI, to 10 to 25 years for the 2nd-degree murder of Thomas Youk. Youk's assisted suicide was videotaped and shown on "60 Minutes" in 1998.
2002 - Venezuela's interim president, Pedro Carmona, resigned a day after taking office. Thousands of protesters had supported over the ousting of president Hugo Chavez.
2007 - Google announced that it had acquired the advertising service company DoubleClick for $3.1 billion.

Zika linked to second autoimmune disorder similar to multiple sclerosis-2011.html
USAToday - The CDC announced that the Zika virus may be 'scarier than we initially thought,' saying the mosquito-borne virus could be linked to more birth defects than previously believed. The Zika virus has been linked to a second type of autoimmune disorder, according to a small study released today.
Doctors have known that Zika is associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, causing paralysis, since the Zika outbreak in French Polynesia in 2013-2014.

Swiss banker whistleblower: CIA behind Panama Papers (Video)
CNBC - Birkenfeld, an American citizen and whistleblower, was a banker working at UBS in Switzerland when he approached the U.S. government with information on massive amounts of tax evasion by Americans with secret accounts in Switzerland. By the end of his whistleblowing career, Birkenfeld had served more than two years in a U.S. federal prison, been awarded $104 million by the IRS for his information and shattered the foundations of more than a century of Swiss banking secrecy.

Peabody, world's top private coal miner, files for bankruptcy
MSN.com - Peabody Energy Corp (BTU.N), the world's largest privately owned coal producer, filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection on Wednesday in the wake of a sharp fall in coal prices that left it unable to service a recent debt-fueled expansion into Australia.

Japan prepares for release of radioactive material from Fukushima nuclear plant
Daily Mail - Japan is considering releasing thousands of tonnes of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from the beleaguered Fukushima plant.
Japan is considering releasing thousands of tonnes of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from the beleaguered Fukushima plant.
 

Tuesday  -  April 12, 2016  -  Today in History:

1782 - The British navy won its only naval engagement against the colonists in the American Revolution at the Battle of Saints, off Dominica.
1811 - The first colonists arrived at Cape Disappointment, Washington.
1861 - Fort Sumter was shelled by Confederacy, starting America's Civil War.
1864 - Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest captured Fort Pillow, in Tennessee and slaughters the black Union troops there.
1892 - Voters in Lockport, New York, became the first in the U.S. to use voting machines.
1916 - American cavalrymen and Mexican bandit troops clashed at Parrel, Mexico.
1938 - The first U.S. law requiring a medical test for a marriage license was enacted in New York.
1944 - The U.S. Twentieth Air Force was activated to begin the strategic bombing of Japan.
1945 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt died in Warm Spring, GA. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 63. Harry S Truman became president.
1955 - The University of Michigan Polio Vaccine Evaluation Center announced that the polio vaccine of Dr. Jonas Salk was "safe, effective and potent."
1963 - Police used dogs and cattle prods on peaceful civil rights demonstrators in Birmingham, AL.
1981 - The space shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral, FL, on its first test flight.
1982 - The British Navy began enforcing a blockade around the Falkland Islands.
1983 - Harold Washington was elected the first black mayor of Chicago.
1984 - Astronauts aboard the space shuttle Challenger made the first satellite repair in orbit by returning the Solar Max satellite to space.
1987 - Texaco filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy after it failed to settle a legal dispute with Pennzoil Co.
1989 - In the U.S.S.R, ration cards were issued for the first time since World War II. The ration was prompted by a sugar shortage.
1993 - NATO began enforcing a no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2002 - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez resigned under pressure from the country's divided military. (He was returned to office two days later.)
2009 - American cargo ship captain Richard Phillips was rescued from Somali pirates by U.S. Navy snipers who shot and killed three of the hostage-takers.

10,000 Al-Nusra militants surrounding Aleppo, plan to blockade the city – Russian military
RT - Islamist group Jabhat al-Nusra has gathered nearly 10 thousand troops around the city of Aleppo, according to Russian military officials. However, they denied an earlier claim by the Syrian government that they had planned to take part in an assault on the city. “Despite progress achieved in securing a ceasefire, Turkey continues to funnel men and arms to Jabhat al-Nusra,” said Lt. Gen. Sergey Rudskoy, head of operations at the Russian General Staff, at a scheduled press briefing in Moscow. Alongside Islamic State, al-Nusra is not party to the shaky six-week old ceasefire being monitored by Russia and the US, and remains a legitimate target.

Cameron ‘oblivious’ to tax avoidance fury, as over 100,000 petition for snap election
RT - Prime Minister David Cameron doesn’t recognize the intensity of public anger over his tax affairs, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told MPs. His remarks come as more than 100,000 signatories petitioned for a snap general election. Cameron was on the defensive in Parliament on Monday over his past offshore investments and his government’s failure to crack down on tax avoidance. Corbyn attacked the PM for failing to grasp the widespread rage felt across the UK at revelations of industrial-scale tax avoidance in the wake of six years of harsh austerity.

Former IMF Chief Economist Admits Japan's "Endgame" Scenario Is Now In Play
Zero Hedge - Japan is heading for a full-blown solvency crisis as the country runs out of local investors and may ultimately be forced to inflate away its debt in a desperate end-game, one of the world’s most influential economists has warned. "One day the BoJ may well get a call from the finance ministry saying please think about us – it is a life or death question - and keep rates at zero for a bit longer."

US Dropping Bombs Quicker Than It Can Make Them
MSN News - Ongoing air wars in Middle East have caused an unexpected dip in the Pentagon’s stockpile of air-to-ground munitions — and Washington has been slow to address the supply problem. The Pentagon has had months to deal with it. “We’re expending munitions faster than we can replenish them,” USA Today quoted Air Force chief of staff Gen. Mark Welsh as saying in December. Since then Secretary of Defense Ash Carter has asked Congress to include funding for 45,000 smart bombs in the Defense Department’s 2017 budget. But it could take a while to rebuild the stockpile.

Gunman in Texas Air Force Base Shooting Identified as Former FBI Agent
Activist Post - A statement from the Air Force identified the deceased as Tech. Sgt. Steven D. Bellino and Lt. Col. William A. Schroeder. They did not name Bellino as the shooter. However, a federal official close to the investigation, speaking anonymously, told the Associated Press that Bellino opened fire at the Air Force base on Friday. “The 37th Training Wing mourns the loss of our airmen and family members,” Brig. Gen. Trent H. Edwards, commander of the wing, said in a statement Saturday, according to CBS affiliate KENS. “Our primary focus at this time is to take care of the family and the men and women who are grieving our losses.” On Sunday, an FBI official explained to CBS News that Bellino was an FBI agent before resigning and joining the Air Force in 2013. Adding further suspicion to the case is the fact that in only 3 years, Bellino achieved the rank of Tech Sergeant (E-6). A technical sergeant is a rank above a staff sergeant and below master sergeant.

Holy Bible on list of 'challenged' books at libraries
Associated Press - On the latest list of books most objected to at public schools and libraries, one title has been targeted nationwide, at times for the sex and violence it contains, but mostly for the legal issues it raises. The Bible. "You have people who feel that if a school library buys a copy of the Bible, it's a violation of church and state," says James LaRue, who directs the Office for Intellectual Freedom for the American Library Association, which released its annual 10 top snapshot of "challenged" books on Monday, part of the association's "State of Libraries Report" for 2016.

Court Rules Police Can Legally Make Up Lies to Pull People Over to Fish for Criminal Behavior
Blacklisted News - The case in question originated out of a federal court in Montana and involved two men accused of transporting methamphetamine. The suspect, Hector Magallon-Lopez argued that his right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure was violated after he was stopped by an officer who lied to him about changing lanes without a signal. Magallon-Lopez argued, justly, that the evidence against him be thrown out, as it was obtained under false pretense. The court rejected his argument.

Police State America wants everyone to carry their birth certificate to the bathroom
MassPrivateI - Last year, multiple states have pushed bills requiring people to “prove” their gender before using a bathroom. Some of these bills encourage people to report on each other and offer a cash reward for finding someone in the “wrong” bathroom! North Carolina is the first state in America to create 'bathroom police'. The new law enacted in March, bars people from using public restrooms that don't align with the sex on their birth certificates. "The bill was passed by the state legislature in less than 10 hours and then signed by the governor that very same night with very little debate," Oakley says. "And so it's incredibly poorly drafted, leading to all kinds of consequences."

Protest Planned at Colorado GOP Headquarters Over Election Cancellation
Adan Salazar - A protest has been planned for Friday at the Colorado GOP headquarters following news that all of the state’s delegates were awarded to Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz without say from voters. “The Colorado Republican Party shamefully silenced its voters this election season,” read the details of an upcoming event posted to Facebook by the Colorado Votes Matter group.

Former CO GOP Chair: “The Message We’re Sending Is Your Vote Doesn’t Matter and Doesn’t Count”
RealClear Politics. - Former Colorado GOP Chair Ryan Call spoke with Laura Ingraham today to explain the delegation-selection process in the state. Call told Ingraham: “The very time we should be opening up our doors and being more open and transparent, and welcoming people into our Party, we’ve essentially made the decision to close it off and make it more cumbersome and more difficult. And, to prevent the ability of people to have their voice heard in this process. You’re reinforcing all of the very worst stereotypes about the Party and I, frankly, am very concerned about the way voters are going to feel.”

Border Patrol Agents Demand GOP Provide ‘Free, Fair and Open Elections in America’
Breitbart - The National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), the organization that represents nearly 17,000 of the Border Patrol agents who risk their lives to secure U.S. borders, is challenging the Colorado GOP for not holding a state primary and instead slating delegates mostly favorable to Trump’s rival Sen. Ted Cruz.

Cruz Supporters Stage Coup – Try to Dump Phyllis Schlafly After Trump Endorsement
The Gateway Pundit - Conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly has been a national leader of the conservative movement since the publication of her best-selling 1964 book, A Choice Not An Echo. She has been a leader of the pro-family movement since 1972 when she led the fight to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment. Phyllis Schlafly is 91 years-old. Last week Phyllis Schlafly released several board members for disloyalty to the organization. The group was planning to hold rogue board meeting to take over the Eagle Forum. Today the rogue Cruz supporters attempted a coup. They held a non-sanctioned meeting and blocked Phyllis Schlafly from their conference call. This email was sent out Monday afternoon....

Hundreds flock to US Capitol to protest money in politics, hundreds arrested
Fox News - Hundreds of protesters flocked to the U.S. Capitol Monday for a demonstration against the role of money in politics, prompting arrests of more than 400 by the Capitol police force. The demonstration was part of a series of "Democracy Spring" protests planned in Washington this week by a coalition of groups. The demonstrators chanted slogans like "one person, one vote" and "money out of politics" as they sat on the East Front of the Capitol. One sign read "Things go better without Koch," a reference to the billionaire businessmen David and Charles Koch, who have promised to lead an almost $900 million campaign to back favored candidates this election cycle.

Hate Taxes? You Certainly Are Not Alone…
Economic Collapse - I studied tax law when I was in law school, and it is one of the most mind-numbing areas of study that you could possibly imagine. At this point, the U.S. tax code is somewhere around 4 million words long, which is more than four times longer than all of William Shakespeare’s works put together. And even if you could somehow read the entire tax code, it is constantly changing, and so those that prepare taxes for a living are constantly relearning the rules. It has been said that Americans spend more than 6 billion hours preparing their taxes each year, and Politifact has rated this claim as true. We have a system that is as ridiculous as it is absurd, and the truth is that we don’t even need it.

Canadian Provinces Expressing Concern From U.S. Demands To Divert Millions of Gallons of From Great Lakes
Natural Blaze - Recently, a city of about 70,000 named Waukesha, has asked the Great Lake states for permission to divert water from Lake Michigan because its own aquifer is running low and the water is contaminated with high levels of naturally occurring cancer-causing radium.... Under a current regional agreement between eight U.S. states and Ontario and Quebec, diversions of water away from the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin are banned, with limited exceptions that can be made only when certain conditions are met. Waukesha — in seeking to become the first such exception to the ban — argues that although it’s located outside the boundary of the Great Lakes basin, it is part of a county straddling that geographical line and should be allowed access to the lakes’ water.

Monday  -  April 11, 2016  -  Today in History:

1783 - After receiving a copy of the provisional treaty on March 13, the U.S. Congress proclaimed a formal end to hostilities with Great Britain.
1803 - A twin-screw propeller steamboat was patented by John Stevens.
1898 - U.S. President William McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war with Spain.
1899 - The treaty ending the Spanish-American War was declared in effect.
1901 - Construction on the Empire State Building was completed. The building was dedicated and opened on May 1, 1931.
1941 - Germany bombers blitzed Conventry, England.
1945 - U.S. troops reached the Elbe River in Germany.
1945 - During World War II, American soldiers liberated the Nazi concentration camp of Buchenwald in Germany.
1951 - U.S. President Truman fired General Douglas MacArthur as head of United Nations forces in Korea.
1968 - U.S. President Johnson signed the 1968 Civil Rights Act.
1970 - Apollo 13 blasted off on a mission to the moon that was disrupted when an explosion crippled the spacecraft. The astronauts did return safely.
1974 - The Judiciary committee subpoenas U.S. President Richard Nixon to produce tapes for impeachment inquiry.
1981 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan returned to the White House from the hospital after recovering from an assassination attempt on March 30.
1985 - Scientists in Hawaii measured the distance between the earth and moon within one inch.
1991 - U.N. Security Council issued a formal cease-fire with Iraq.
2001 - China agreed to release 24 crewmembers of a U.S. surveillance plane. The EP-3E Navy crew had been held since April 1 on Hainon, where the plane had made an emergency landing after an in-flight collision with a Chinese fighter jet. The Chinese pilot was missing and presumed dead.
2003 - American troops took the northern Iraqi city of Mosul without a fight.
2006 - Iran announced that it had enriched uranium on a small scale for the first time.

U.S. deploys B-52 bombers to Qatar for fight against Islamic State
Reuters - The U.S. Air Force deployed B-52 bombers to Qatar on Saturday to join the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the first time they have been based in the Middle East since the end of the Gulf War in 1991. U.S. Air Forces Central Command said it last flew the long-range bombers operationally in the region in May 2006 as part of the war in Afghanistan, and during a U.S.-led military exercise in Jordan in May 2015… Brown said the bombers would be able to deliver precision weapons and carry out a range of missions, including strategic attack, close-air support, air interdiction, and maritime operations. Karns said the bombers would enable U.S. forces to drop one or two munitions in an area, rather than use carpet bombing." Accuracy is critically important in this war," he said. "Carpet-bombing would not be effective for the operation we're in because Daesh doesn't mass as large groups. Often, they blend into population centers. We always look to minimize civilian casualties."

U.S. Government Reveals 3,000 Ton Delivery Of Weapons To Al-Qaeda-Linked Syrian Rebels
Zero Hedge - The United States via its Central Intelligence Agency is still delivering thousands of tons of additional weapons to al-Qaeda and others in Syria. The British military information service Janes found the transport solicitation for the shipment on the U.S. government website FedBizOps.gov… One ship with nearly one thousand tons of weapons and ammo left Constanta in Romania on December 5. The weapons are from Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania. It sailed to Agalar in Turkey which is a military pier and then to Aqaba in Jordan. Another ship with more than two-thousand tons of weapons and ammo left in late March, followed the same route and was last recorded on its way to Aqaba on April 4. We already knew that the "rebels" in Syria received plenty of weapons during the official ceasefire. We also know that these "rebels" regularly deliver half of their weapon hauls from Turkey and Jordan to al-Qaeda in Syria (aka Jabhat al-Nusra)

French Intelligence Knew About Paris Attacks, Failed to React
Sputnik News - According to the French weekly [Le Journal du Dimanche], 31-year-old Nicolas spent over a year in Al-Raqqah and Fallujah before traveling to Turkey and surrendering himself to local authorities, which then handed him to their French counterparts. During an interrogation, Nicolas told French intelligence services that he fled the ranks of Daesh, as he became "disappointed" by what he saw in Syria and Iraq. Nicolas also revealed that terrorists were preparing a series of attacks in France and Belgium. Although he didn't know the exact time and date of the upcoming attacks, Nicolas told the French intelligence agency that Abdelhamid Abaaoud was the main mastermind of the upcoming attacks. It remains unknown why French authorities didn't do enough to prevent the Paris attacks, especially if they knew the name of the man who was behind the organization of the large-scale terrorist attacks. On November 13, a series of terrorist attacks were staged across the French capital and one of its suburbs, killing 130 people and injuring over 350.

Huge anti-government rally in Iceland amid Panama Papers scandal
Deutsche Welle - Up to 6,000 people took to the streets in anger at the revelations of the Panama Papers, which exposed some of the clandestine offshore financial activities of political figures and celebrities from around the world. It was a huge gathering in a country with a population of only 320,000. Outrage at such dealings is particularly rife in Iceland, which was plunged into a deep recession following the collapse in 2008 of the nation's three main banks. The crisis saddled thousands of Icelanders with debts. Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson resigned on Tuesday after protesters demanded he step down amid allegations that he and his wife had hidden investments to the tune of millions of dollars in an offshore company. A government reshuffle since his resignation has failed to quell the protests, and there have been loud calls for the whole center-right coalition - consisting of the Progressive Party and its junior partner, the Independence Party - to step down.

Fingerprints to be tested as 'currency'
The Japan News - Starting this summer, the [Japanese] government will test a system in which foreign tourists will be able to verify their identities and buy things at stores using only their fingerprints. The government hopes to increase the number of foreign tourists by using the system to prevent crime and relieve users from the necessity of carrying cash or credit cards. It aims to realize the system by the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The experiment will have inbound tourists register their fingerprints and other data, such as credit card information, at airports and elsewhere. Tourists would then be able to conduct tax exemption procedures and make purchases after verifying their identities by placing two fingers on special devices installed at stores. The Inns and Hotels Law requires foreign tourists to show their passports when they check into ryokan inns or hotels. The government plans to substitute fingerprint authentication for that requirement.

Chinese Citizens Protest against ChemChina’s $ 43 Billion Acquisition of Syngenta
Sustainable Pulse - A large group of Chinese experts and citizens have joined together to sign a protest letter against ChemChina’s acquisition of the Swiss pesticide giant Syngenta. The protest letter is based on the serious health concerns many Chinese citizens have over GMO crops and pesticides. The letter can be found in full below and was even signed by China’s former Chemical Industry Minister Qin Zhongda...

US Aims to Increase Fivefold Number of Troops in Syria
Sputnik News - The Barack Obama Administration is considering sending an additional Special Forces contingent to Syria consisting of 250 troops, CNN reported Saturday. The initiative falls in line with the Defense Department plan of supporting local forces to liberate the city of Ar Raqqah [Raqqa] in Syria and Mosul in neighboring Iraq, a spokesperson for the agency noted. At the meeting with American military brass earlier this week Barack Obama pledged to defeat Daesh militants after “squeezing” them from their strongholds. At the end of 2015, Obama ordered the deployment of about additional 50 Special Forces troops in Syria, saying the number will continue to grow… Enhancing the American military group in the region, the Pentagon is seeking to accelerate the course of the anti-Daseh campaign in both Syria and Iraq, the TV channel [CNN] noted.

DARPA Unveils Plans For World’s First Flotilla of Killer Robot Warships Within 5 Years – “Sea Hunter”
Activist Post - While the global drone arms race heats up across the planet, filling the sky with automated weapons of war, it makes perfect sense that the seas would soon follow. Amid cries of restraint from members of the scientific community and academia, as well as those within the field of robotics, the U.S. military is forging ahead with the development of a 132-foot “stalker” warship that might soon patrol the world’s oceans in search of enemies.... DARPA describes it as follows: DARPA’s Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) program has designed, developed and constructed an entirely new class of ocean-going vessel—one intended to traverse thousands of kilometers over the open seas for months at a time, all without a single crew member aboard. Deputy U.S. Defense Secretary, Robert Work, is once again out on the campaign trail stumping for a future filled with these unmanned systems that will ensure U.S. dominance within the “battlespace,” as he likes to call planet Earth.

Obama relents on Fast & Furious executive privilege, turns records over to Congress
Washington Times - The Obama administration caved to a judge’s order Friday and sent documents from the botched Fast & Furious gun-running operation to Congress, complying with a subpoena the House Oversight Committee issued years ago. President Obama had claimed executive privilege in trying to shield the documents from Congress, but a federal judge rejected that, insisting lawmakers had a right to see the information in order to complete their investigation into an operation that saw thousands of guns trafficked into Mexico, with the administration’s knowledge… He [House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz] also said, however, that the documents weren’t complete and the administration is still withholding some records, with the judge’s blessing, that he thinks Congress is entitled to see. The committee has filed an appeal of the case to try to get at those other records… Judge Jackson ruled earlier this year that because the administration had already let its own internal investigators see the materials and write up a report, the documents must also be made available to Congress.

Napolitano: Hillary Is ‘Laughing’ At The FBI
Daily Caller - During an interview with Bill Hemmer on Fox News’s “America’s News Room” on Friday, Napolitano argued that in fact Clinton does know that “she’s the target of the criminal investigation.” Clinton has insisted that the FBI is conducting a “security review” instead of an investigation. “What she’s done is for the umpteenth time in public sent a dog whistle to the FBI, a signal to the FBI,” Napolitano said. “She forgot they were watching. She knows it is a criminal investigation, she knows she’s the target of the criminal investigation, she knows the government has an extraordinary amount of resources investigating her, and she is laughing at them. Not a good thing to do.” “We know that they are at the end of their investigation because the second to last thing they do is call on the aides, which they did last week,” he continued, “And the very last thing they do is to call in Mrs. Clinton, which they will do in the month of May.” He added, “In fairness to the Democrats, they probably should know and should want to know whether or not the person they may nominate could become a criminal defendant.”

Video: Little Known Fact: Police Drug Kits Test Positive With Just About Anything
Activist Post - If you’ve ever found yourself on the wrong side of the law, there’s a good chance that you’ve encountered a field drug test before. It’s what the police use to test any suspicious looking substances you might have in your possession to see if they’re illegal drugs. And they are of course admissible in a court of law. What the cops won’t tell you, however, is that these drug test kits are incredibly fallible, and there are plenty of innocent substances that can cause them to produce a false positive. Several years ago the U.S. Marijuana Policy Project did a demonstration with the kits that the police use to put people in jail. The results were both enlightening and horrifying.

Mayor’s Office In Houston Shut Down VAXXED
Activist Post - The film Vaxxed, exposing criminal fraud at the CDC and the CDC’s concealment of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism, was shut down in Houston. Locked out 2 days ago. It was supposed to open at the Worldfest Houston International Film Festival, but Hunter Todd, the head of the Festival, admitted in writing that “high government officials” in Houston had threatened the Festival—so Vaxxed was axed. Now I have confirmation that it was the Houston Mayor’s office that did the deed. The threat was about $$. The city government supports the Festival with grants. Show the film—no grants. More censorship./// The film Vaxxed, exposing criminal fraud at the CDC and the CDC’s concealment of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism, was shut down in Houston. Locked out 2 days ago. I’ve just been informed that the Village Voice newspaper in New York, which agreed to a package of ads from Vaxxed, has canceled the ads—and blasted out an email distancing itself from Vaxxed. The censors are working overtime on all fronts….

Colorado Trump Delegates Scratched From Ballots at GOP Convention – Cruzers Listed TWICE
The Gateway Pundit - Ted Cruz supporters took all 13 of the delegates up for grabs at the Colorado GOP Convention on Saturday to complete a clean sweep of the state. But it was not without controversy. The Cruz camp and GOP establishment leaders strong-armed their way to a sweep by banning Trump delegates and omitting them from the ballots… and listing Cruz delegates TWICE! The liberal media and GOP establishment will call this “good electioneering.” One Trump delegate (379) was not listed on the ballot while a Cruz delegate (378) was listed twice.... Another disgusted Trump supporter Larry Wayne Lindsey from Douglas County had his name removed from the ballot. He posted this video after he was scratched from the ballot without his knowledge after driving to Colorado Springs for the convention.

UNREAL. Colorado GOP Tweets Out: ‘We Did It #NeverTrump’
The Gateway Pundit - The Colorado GOP held conventions this weekend to select delegates. Ted Cruz did very well. The Colorado Republican elites handed Cruz 30 of the 37 delegates across the state. The delegates are legally bound to support the Texas Senator on the first ballot at the convention. Four other delegates gave him verbal commitments of support. The Colorado Republican voters were not involved in the distribution of delegates. This afternoon after the voting the Colorado GOP tweeted this out: “We did it. #NeverTrump” The GOP elites were very happy to give all the delegates to Cruz and tweeted about it.... They claim it was an unauthorized user.

Cruz Camp STEALS St. Louis County Delegates After Trump Wins Initial Vote (Update)
The Gateway Pundit - The St. Louis County Republican Caucus was held today at the Missouri River Township Caucus at the Westminster Christian Academy – near highways 40 and 270 this afternoon. There were two slates that were voted on today at the convention. One was called “Cruz” and the other “Trump.” So there was no confusion there. The vote took place by a public count. It’s when there is a standing vote and everybody is counted off. It is pretty above board. The vote was tied, 27-27. But a few people in the center of the room did not vote. One guy got up and voted for Trump. So Trump won the standing vote. I proposed a motion to combine the two slates. The chair chose to ignore my motion. It was seconded but the chair, Mark Dunn, decided to ignore the motion. At that point the chair entertained a motion to do a secret ballot because he was a Cruzer and the wrong guy won. The motion was presented by the head of the Cruz delegation who put together and submitted the Cruz slate. It was seconded and voted on. And, surprise! Cruz won the secret ballot!

Blocking Trump could hurt Republicans in election
Reuters - A third of Republican voters who support Donald Trump could turn their backs on their party in November's presidential election if he is denied the nomination in a contested convention, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll… "If it’s a close election, this is devastating news" for the Republicans, said Donald Green, an expert on election turnout at Columbia University… Cruz and Kasich have both said their paths to victory rely on winning at least enough votes to block an outright win for Trump and force a decision at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland… Green said the departure of even a small number of Republicans would make it tough for the party to prevent the Democrats from winning the White House, especially if the election is again decided by razor-thin margins in a handful of battleground states.

Boston Globe denounces Trump candidacy in 'front page' satire
Reuters - Headlines screaming "Deportations to begin" and "Markets sink as trade war looms" top a parody newspaper front page the Boston Globe posted on Saturday, with a scathing editorial denouncing Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump's candidacy. The mock-up, offering the Globe's satirical view of America under a Trump presidency, was set to run as the front page of the newspaper's "Ideas" section, followed on page 2 of that section by the anti-Trump editorial. The novel front-page spoof, says the editorial, is designed to take Trump's rhetoric and his policy positions to their "logical conclusion."... It casts his closest rival for the 2016 Republican nomination, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, as "equally extreme" and urges Republicans, if possible at the party's nominating convention in July, to draft a "plausible, honorable" alternative, suggesting U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan or former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Donald Trump: Ted Cruz “Has Hatred for New York – You Could See It” (Video)
Donald Trump unloaded on Senator Ted Cruz over his previous attacks on New Yorkers. Trump told Judge Jeanine, “He has hatred for New York.” Donald Trump: These are unbelievable people. And when you talk about New York values, New York values are amazing… When you look at his face during the debate he was talking of New York values as if he hates New Yorkers which is his real feeling. And if he ever got in he would give nothing to New York. He would never help New York. I mean, you always need help. Places, states, cities, they need help. They need help from the federal government. They need all sorts of money for all sorts of projects. He will never give anything to New York. He has hatred for New York. And you could see it. And it wasn’t even the fact that he talked about New York values. It’s the way he said it.”

Seven-in-a-Row Sanders Celebrates 'Momentum' After Double-Digit Wyoming Win
Common Dreams - Bernie Sanders has won the Wyoming caucus, making it his seventh win in a row (eight out of the last nine) ahead of the upcoming New York primary. The Vermont senator won with 56 percent of the vote, with rival Hillary Clinton claiming 43.8 percent. The numbers are not likely to determine the race one way or another, but the Sanders campaign is hoping a win in the state will keep up the momentum he built winning a handful of recent primaries—including a critical contest in Wisconsin last Tuesday… "If you want to talk about math, the truth is that it is very, very, very unlikely either candidate, either Secretary Clinton or Sen. Sanders, will go into the convention with a majority needed of pledged delegates in order to win," Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said in a CNN interview last week.
*Related: Rigged race means Hillary takes more delegates in Bernie’s Wyoming win

A WWII vet’s body lay unclaimed at the morgue. Then neighbors did something beautiful
Washington Post - Andrew Moore lived alone and died alone. He was raised in an orphanage, never married and outlived his friends. For his last 40 years, the World War II veteran slept on a couch in a rent-­controlled efficiency apartment in the nation’s capital. The 89-year-old pensioner died in December with no will, no instructions and no next of kin. He lay in a cold room at the D.C. medical examiner’s office, where the unclaimed dead are usually destined for a nameless pauper’s grave. Instead, on Friday, Moore was given a hero’s sendoff at Arlington National Cemetery. A uniformed honor guard escorted Moore’s flag-covered remains. In place of a silent goodbye, a bugler played taps and three volleys of rifle fire marked his passing… His neighbors in that vertical village didn’t know much about the affable old-timer who smoked on the front steps. But they knew this: He deserved a dignified goodbye.

Wells Fargo to Pay $1.2 Billion to Settle Mortgage Fraud Case
AllGov - Prosecutors said Friday that Wells Fargo will pay $1.2 billion to settle claims of mortgage fraud related to government-insured loans, a penalty that represents a fraction of the lender's profits. Wells Fargo Bank admitted that it told the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that certain residential home mortgage loans were eligible for federal housing insurance when they were not. As a result, the federal government paid Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insurance claims when some of those loans defaulted, prosecutors said… According to Forbes, Wells Fargo reported fourth quarter profits last year of $5.7 billion, based on earnings per share of $21.6 billion in revenue. The 2008 financial crisis cost the U.S. economy more than $22 trillion, the Government Accountability Office said in 2013. “While Wells Fargo enjoyed huge profits from its FHA loan business, the government was left holding the bag when the bad loans went bust,” [U.S. Attorney Preet] Bharara said.

If People Food was like Pet Food
Susan Thixton - Sarcasm. If people food was like pet food… If people food was like pet food, food would be sold in two categories; People Food Grade and People Feed Grade. People Feed Grade food would be allowed to violate federal law, but no one would ever know it because food labels look identical.... If people food was like pet food, human jerky snacks imported from China would kill thousands of people. FDA would investigate for 8 years, but the agency would find no cause.... If people food was like pet food, human jerky snacks imported from China would kill thousands of people. FDA would investigate for 8 years, but the agency would find no cause.... If people food was like pet food, medical students would be taught 3 hour nutrition classes by General Mills, Frito Lay, and Pizza Hut.... And…if people food was like pet food, the American Medical Association would declare all raw vegetables a threat to human health.
 

Friday  -  April 8, 2016  -  Today in History:

1789 - The U.S. House of Representatives held its first meeting.
1832 - About 300 American troops of the 6th Infantry left Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, to confront the Sauk Indians in the Black Hawk War.
1834 - In New York City, Cornelius Lawrence became the first mayor to be elected by popular vote in a city election.
1864 - The U.S. Senate passed the 13th Amendment (S.J. Res. 16) by a vote of 38 to 6.
1913 - The Seventeenth amendment was ratified, requiring direct election of senators.
1946 - The League of Nations assembled in Geneva for the last time.
1952 - U.S. President Truman seized steel mills to prevent a nationwide strike.
1962 - Bay of Pigs invaders got thirty years imprisonment in Cuba.
1985 - India filed suit against Union Carbide for the Bhopal disaster.
1988 - Former U.S. President Reagan aid Lyn Nofzinger was sentenced to prison for illegal lobbying for Wedtech Corp.
1994 - Smoking was banned in the Pentagon and all U.S. military bases.
1998 - The widow of Martin Luther King Jr. presented new evidence in an appeal for new federal investigation of the assassination of her husband.
2000 - 19 U.S. troops were killed when a Marine V22 Osprey crashed during a training mission in Arizona.
2005 - World leaders joined pilgrims and prelates in St. Peter's Square for the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
2009 - Somali pirates hijacked the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama. (The crew retook the cargo ship, and Navy sharpshooters killed two pirates holding the ship's American captain.)
2011 - Congressional and White House negotiators struck a last-minute budget deal ahead of a midnight deadline, averting a federal shutdown and cutting billions in spending.

Aleppo district shelled with chemical gas – local journalist to RT
RT - A neighborhood in the Syrian city of Aleppo, which is held by Kurdish YPG militias, has been shelled with chemical agents from territory held by Islamist and FSA factions, a local journalist on the ground has told to RT. “The attack was carried out between 11.30 and 12.00 local time. The gas that was used in this attack, caused choking and malaise among those affected. This indicates that the poisoning substances were used in the attack,” journalist Nawrouz Uthman reports. Uthman adds that 23 people were killed and over 100 injured in Thursday’s attack.... The Kurdish Red Cresent has confirmed the reports alleging that a chemical weapons attack took place.

U.S. Bombs Were Used in Saudi-Led Attack on Market in Yemen, Rights Group Finds
The Intercept - One of the deadliest airstrikes in Yemen since a Saudi Arabia-led coalition began bombing the country used munitions supplied by the United States, according to a report by Human Rights Watch. The March 15 attack targeted a crowded market in the village of Mastaba in northwestern Yemen, killing at least 97 civilians, including 25 children. HRW said it found remnants of a “GBU-31 satellite-guided bomb, which consists of a U.S.-supplied MK-84 2,000-pound bomb mated with a JDAM satellite guidance kit, also U.S.-supplied.” The group said it also reviewed evidence provided by British news channel ITV, which found remnants of an “MK-84 bomb paired with a Paveway laser guidance kit.” The report provides yet more evidence of U.S. complicity in the indiscriminate killing of civilians in Yemen. The Obama administration has been a key military backer of Saudi Arabia in its yearlong campaign against a rebel movement in Yemen known as the Houthis. In addition to billions of dollars in arms sales, the Pentagon has provided the Saudi-led coalition with logistical and intelligence support. Human Rights Watch said the U.S. role may make it “jointly responsible” for war crimes.

Kerry to Iran: Help us end wars in Yemen, Syria
RT - US Secretary of State John Kerry has asked Iran to help end the bloody conflicts in Syria and Yemen, while urging Tehran to make peace with its Arab neighbors. At a press conference in Bahrain on Thursday, Kerry urged Tehran to “help us end the war in Yemen... help us end the war in Syria, not intensify, and help us to be able to change the dynamics of this region.” He added that Iran should “prove to the world that it wants to be a constructive member of the international community and contribute to peace and stability,” according to AFP. Kerry is in Bahrain for a meeting with foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The group is scheduled to hold a summit on April 21 in Saudi Arabia, with President Barack Obama in attendance.

Days After Iceland's PM Resigns Over "Panama Papers", Its Bankers Are Released From Jail Years Early
Zero Hedge - How very ironic.Over the weekend, just hours before the Panama Papers were released, we wrote a post that took "A Look Inside Iceland's Kviabryggja Prison: The One Place Where Criminal Bankers Face Consequences." And then, minutes later, the Panama Papers were disclosed by the ICIJ, which had a clear target: to "expose" the "circle of friends close to Putin", and of course, to reveal the dirty laundry of the Iceland Prime Minister, who resigned just two days after his shady offshore tax dealing were revealed to the world. There was some "conspiratorial" speculation whether the explicit hit on ex-PM Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson was precisely due to Iceland's crackdown on the country's criminal bankers. As a reminder, Iceland is the only nation that sent bankers found guilty of crimes resulting from the financial crisis, to prison. It turns out there may have been something valid in said speculation, because moments ago, Iceland Monitor reported that three bankers from the defunct Iceland bank Kaupthing are to be released from jail today – after serving just one year of their 5-year sentences.

China steps up Panama Papers censorship after leaders' relatives named
The Guardian - Chinese censors have stepped up their censorship of websites, ordering all content related to the Panama Papers to be scrubbed as new revelations emerged of how relatives of some of the country’s top leaders had used secretive offshore companies to store their wealth. Documents from the leaked Mossack Fonseca database showed the relations of three of the seven members of the Communist party’s elite ruling council, the politburo standing committee, had companies that were clients of the offshore law firm. They included relatives of Chinese president Xi Jinping.

The Money Pit Deepens: US Air Force to Spend $500 Million to Prep Base for F-35s
Sputnik News - After spending over $1 trillion to develop the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the US Air Force is about to spend another $500 million to upgrade installations at Eielson Air Force Base to prepare for the aircraft's arrival. The controversial fighter jet has undergone a number of setbacks throughout its development. From cyberattack vulnerabilities to major issues with the plane’s propulsion system, it has taken over $1 trillion to bring just a handful of the new F-35s to flight-readiness. But as the first fighters prepare to enter service, the Pentagon must brace for a new round of expenses. On Monday, the US Air Force announced that Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska had been "selected as the new home for the Air Force’s first operational overseas F-35A Lightning IIs." The base will receive two squadrons of the fighter jets in 2020, a force equaling 54 F-35s. That gives the air base less than five years to upgrade its facilities to accommodate the new aircraft. Given that Eielson was chosen in part out of cost considerations, it’s surprising that it will take an estimated $500 million to renovate the facility.

The US Just Declared Russia a Greater Threat than ISIS — Paving the Way for Deadly Perpetual War (Video)
The Free Thought Project - Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski recently offered pertinent insight in an interview with RT about why Russia continues to be so vilified by the Pentagon and American media alike: “The Pentagon needs and wants Russia to be the next big enemy that they are arming against it, budgeting against it, that they are targeting. Certainly, we have talked for a long time about China and China plays an important role as the enemy of choice for the U.S. military. But Russia is ideal in part, because we don’t import a lot of things from Russia, in part because we don’t have the debt relationship with Russia that we do with China. So, Russia makes for a very convenient enemy for the Pentagon in terms of its mission, its budgeting, and its intelligence organization.” In a press conference this week, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter backed up the whistleblowing Lt. Col. as he touted the US Military’s 2016 Posture Statement. In the statement, the US declares Russia the largest threat in the world.

Not Even Police Were Told About This “Active Shooter” Drill…
Mac Slavo - As NBC reported: Bystanders didn’t take long to call police last month when they spotted a couple of suspicious men skulking around a New Jersey train station taking photos of security cameras. Port Authority cops turned on lights and sirens and rushed to the scene in hour traffic. But when they got there, the officers were shocked to find that the emergency they had rushed to was only a test. The suspicious men? Port Authority’s own security analysts. According to an incident report obtained by the I-Team, the two men said they were “testing the system.” But what made this test different than the regular drills practiced is that none of the officers in the police department — not even the supervisors — knew it was a test. According to president of the Port Authority police union, the consequences could have been deadly.... The Port Authority spokesman … said it is customary not to tell officers about active shooter drills in the terminals. Port Authority police in New Jersey were startled to respond to calls that led to an active shooter training scenario that ultimately involved their own security team running a “test.” This video breaks down the possible implications of this unannounced test – which may seem paranoid to some, but it likely a routine part of managing crises in the public eye. A “test” in order to keep the public “safe” from these and other threats.

Arizona Bill Supporting Constitutional Tender Passes House Committee 7-0
The 10th Amendment Center - Today, an Arizona House committee unanimously passed a bill that would help “legalize the Constitution” by defining gold and silver as legal tender and encouraging their use as currency. Sen. David C. Farnsworth and Rep. Doug Coleman, along with seven cosponsors, introduced Senate Bill 1141 (SB1141) on Jan. 19. The legislation defines constitutional legal tender to establish gold and silver coin for use in the marketplace as currency. It reads, in part, “Legal tender and specie are money and are not subject to regulation as property other than money – meaning it would not be taxed at the state level. On Thursday, the House Rules Committee deemed SB1141 “constitutional and in proper form” and passed it by a 7-0 vote.

Ferguson agreed to police reform but only if they could raise taxes, forcing citizens to pay for it
MassPrivateI - According to the St. Louis Dispatch article, Ferguson agreed to DOJ mandated police reform but only if they could raise taxes, forcing citizens to pay for it. "While voters approved a half-cent sales tax increase on Tuesday, they rejected a Ferguson city plan to increase property taxes." "Both measures were intended to offset a $2.9 million budget deficit." According to a 2015 letter from the city, the cost of a federal monitor is estimated to be $350,000 in the first year. There will also be costs for training and equipment. The city had a $2.5 million operating deficit last year, and has been forced to tap into its reserves. The budget fell by more than $1 million after the DOJ forced Ferguson to stop using fines and tickets to balance city budgets. The millions of dollars in fines and fees paid by black residents served an ultimate goal of satisfying "revenue rather than public safety needs," the Justice Department found.... "In the months leading up to the election, city officials warned residents that Ferguson would have to reduce or eliminate numerous services if the tax measures failed." As punishment for Ferguson residents not agreeing to pay for police reform. Police, will refuse to respond to some emergency calls and take longer to respond to emergency calls!

Flint man struggling to evict strange woman from his home, police say their hands tied
RT - They say a man’s home is his castle, but one Flint, Michigan man hasn’t been feeling very kingly for the past month. A strange woman moved herself in, though he never invited her and has no idea who she is – and the police say there’s nothing they can do.... The uninvited guests have been visiting Riegel’s home to hang out with the woman he says is squatting, a form of trespass. But how did she get there? Riegel left town for few days in March, trusting a friend to watch his house. Before he returned, however, the friend invited the mystery woman, who had no other place to stay, to live in Riegel’s house, WJRT reported. That “friend” has since been sent to jail, though no details were available. The woman began living upstairs, while Riegel stayed downstairs. Though the police were eventually called, they told Riegel there was no evidence of a crime, and as the woman had been invited to live there and 72 hours had passed, the issue was a civil one, and not a criminal matter. Riegel’s only option would not be a speedy one. He would have to go to court.

Merle Haggard Dies at 79, Outspoken Opponent of War and Chemtrails in Later Years
Brandon Turbeville - On April 6, 2016 country music legend Merle Haggard passed away at the age of 79. Haggard was one of the most legendary country music performers and artists in the music industry with more than 36 number one country hits to his credit. Haggard’s career was more than that of a typical country performer. His songs touched a chord with the working man, the down and out and the outsider in a way that few artists could ever hope to do.... Haggard died on his 79th birthday, a prediction he made a week prior to his death of complications from pneumonia.
* Related video: What I Hate by Merle Haggard

Campaign Ad? Paul Ryan Video Raises Questions
Breitbart - A new video released by House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan has reporters chattering about whether or not it serves as a subtle campaign ad, as his supporters continue to whisper his name as a potential Republican presidential nominee in a brokered convention. The video features footage from Ryan’s speech calling for a better brand of politics. That talk implicitly criticized Donald Trump’s brand of campaigning. The video is the latest of a series of web videos produced by his digital communications director Caleb Smith to highlight the Ryan brand of politics.

Fallout: Donald Trump Will Fall 50-100 Delegates Short of 1,237 Needed to Clinch Nomination
Breitbart - Senator Ted Cruz’s overwhelming victory in Wisconsin on Tuesday makes it all but impossible for GOP frontrunner Donald Trump to win the 1,237 delegates he needs to secure the nomination ahead of the RNC convention in Cleveland. ,Trump currently leads the GOP field with 743 delegates. He would need to win 58.9 percent of the remaining pledged delegates to obtain the simple majority necessary. A number of the states remaining award delegates proportionally. The bulk of delegates in one critical upcoming state, Pennsylvania, aren’t officially bound to any candidate. The fight for California’s massive 172 delegates will be fought largely in each of the state’s 54 Congressional Districts. As a result, Breitbart News estimates that Donald Trump will end the primary portion of the nomination fight with 1164 delegates, 74 short of the 1,237 delegates necessary to win the nomination on the first ballot. This estimate assumes Trump’s performance in upcoming contests is consistent with the results prior to Wisconsin.

Puerto Rico Deals Horrendous Blow to Wall Street — Suspends All Payments On Public Debt
Activist Post - In a devastating blow to its megabank creditors, Puerto Rico’s Legislature approved a bill on Wednesday that suspended the US territory’s debt payments until at least January 2017. Since 2000, Wall Street has conned the Puerto Rican government into a massive black hole of debt. After Puerto Rico handed them control of their federal bond sales, Wall Street executives tacked on hundreds of millions in fees for their “services,” greasing the skids for the island’s financial dismay. Along with suspending debt payments, the legislation suspended payment on all general obligation bonds which happen to be guaranteed by the island’s constitution.

New Ford plant will create 2,800 new jobs -- in Mexico
CBS News - There is nothing stopping Ford from building a new auto plant in Mexico. Ford says it's decision will create 2,800 new jobs by 2020 -- new jobs in Mexico. The move was immediately denounced by Donald Trump as " an absolute disgrace," and by the United Auto Workers as "very troubling." Starting in 2018, production of smaller Fords will move from the Wayne, Michigan plant to San Luis Potosi state in Mexico. At the 40-lane Wayne Bow, manager Victoria Stone says it's a raw deal. "They're taking business away from us, they're taking business away from the city, the state of Michigan. And I was born and bred on Ford Motor Company." Veteran autoworkers in this country make about $60 an hour when all the benefits are factored in, versus about $8 an hour in Mexico -- an obvious incentive for Ford.

Chrysler Dumps 1,420 Detroit Jobs As Sales Slip
(Auto Blog) FCA will indefinitely lay off a total of 1,420 workers from its Sterling Heights Assembly and Stamping plants on July 5, according to The Detroit News. This decision will cut a 1,300-person shift that builds the Chrysler 200, and it will also affect 120 people who stamp the sedan’s components. The company’s statement said the decision would “better align production with demand.” FCA plans to give these folks open full-time positions as they become available. Chrysler 200 sales are down 63 percent to just under 18,000 units so far in 2016.

You Probably Spend More On Taxes Than Food, Clothing, and Housing Combined
Activist Post - Are you familiar with Tax Freedom Day? No, it isn’t the day after April 15th. According to the Tax Foundation, it’s the day of the year when the average American has earned enough money to pay for all the income taxes they will accumulate throughout the rest of the year. In 2016, that day will fall on April 24th. Or put another way, if you work during all 52 weeks of the year, more than 16 weeks of your labor are going to the IRS. According to the Tax Foundation’s annual report, Americans are going to spend a total of $5 trillion on federal, state, and local taxes this year, which amounts to about 31% of our nation’s income. That’s almost $1 trillion more than we spend on food, clothing, and housing put together.

Inflation Alert: April Cold Wave Hitting U.S. Crops
Breitbart - Bitter cold across the eastern U.S., caused by Arctic air and a rapidly weakening El Niño weather condition, threatens widespread damage to crops that could ignite a new round of food inflation.... According to the Penn State Fruit Tree Production Guide, a 90 percent kill of apples, cherries and peaches can occur with temperatures of about 25 Fahrenheit for 30 minutes or more during this time of year. This year’s combination of a very mild winter, above-average temperatures during March, and the most recent bout of below-freezing temperatures is believed to have already caused substantial damage to eastern fruit crops.... Mid-Atlantic grape growers are already utilizing wind machines and bonfires to prevent the cold waves from killing their vines. But many worry that next week’s freezing temperatures could overwhelm their efforts and cause widespread crop loss.

Keystone pipeline leaked 16,000 gallons of oil in South Dakota field
RT - TransCanada estimated on Thursday that about 16,800 gallons of oil leak in a field in South Dakota from the Keystone I pipeline. The spill, discovered by a farmer over the weekend, led the company to close down the pipeline. The company reported the estimate to the National Response Center and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration which is equivalent to 400 barrels of oil, according to the Associated Press. The company began excavating the site on Sunday in a field close the town of Freeman, South Dakota, by turning over topsoil. It said they exposed more than 100 feet of pipe, and the estimate comes from oil being observed in the soil, and the potential area affected.

Everyday radiation in food and water: Where it is and what you can do about it
(NaturalHealth365) The radioactive sludge that continues to spew from the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster five years after the fact may or may not be effecting the fish that will eventually wind up on your dinner plate. Still, the situation begs the question: How else are we being exposed to the dangers of radiation in our food and drinking water and what can we do to protect ourselves and our families?... As these gloomy statistics make clear, there is really no way to avoid radiation in some form in our food and water supply. There ARE clear-cut and scientifically-proven actions you can take, however, to lessen the effects of radiation on your body...

It's Wonderful for Healing, so Why Is This so Very Uncommon?
Dr. Becker - Caring, inspired veterinarians are leading the way in implementing medical massage (defined as the therapeutic manipulation of soft tissues) at their clinics to make post-operative patients more comfortable, and to speed recovery time.... After surgery, massage helps decrease inflammation and pain. It can also lower blood pressure, restore normal breathing patterns, and help the digestive tract get moving again. And as we all know, massage decreases stress and anxiety.... When a patient (human or animal) is feeling pain and anxiety after surgery, it hinders the body's ability to heal. This can extend a pet's hospital stay, and increase the stress that comes along with it. One of the therapeutic benefits of massage is that it increases the movement of fluids in the body such as water, blood, and lymphatic fluids. Improved circulation helps to flush toxins, which boosts the immune system.

Pet Food: Trick of the Trade
Susan Thixton - We educate consumers to risk ingredients, so pet food works out a plan…they just won’t list all those risk ingredients on the pet food label. Recently I received a call from an employee of a pet food manufacturing plant that was quite concerned at the company’s new initiative. This pet food company has decided to NOT list all ingredients used to make the pet food on the label even though pet food regulations require them to do so. I was told the “recipe will remain the same” but the pet food label – the list of ingredients – will be different. In other words, the pet food will tell consumers their pet food is ‘New and Improved’ – but actually it won’t be any different than in the past. I do not have permission to share the pet food name, this employee was concerned over losing their job – ramifications for sharing what they discovered about the company.

Video: Chito (Texas Country Reporter): A Feel Good Story
See why one Del Rio resident is considered a local hero.

Thursday - April 7, 2016 - Today in History:

1712 - A slave revolt broke out in New York City.
1798 - The territory of Mississippi was organized.
1862 - Union General Ulysses S. Grant defeated Confederates at the Battle of Shiloh, TN.
1930 - The first steel columns were set for the Empire State Building.
1933 - Prohibition ended in the United States.
1945 - The Japanese battleship Yamato, the world’s largest battleship, was sunk during the battle for Okinawa. The fleet was headed for a suicide mission.
1948 - The United Nations' World Health Organization began operations.
1953 - The Big Four met for the first time in 2 years to seek an end to their air conflicts.
1957 - The last of New York City's electric trolleys completed its final run from Queens to Manhattan.
1966 - The U.S. recovered a hydrogen bomb it had lost off the coast of Spain.
1967 - Israel reported that they had shot down six Syrian MIGs.
1971 - U.S. President Nixon pledged to withdraw 100,000 more men from Vietnam by December.
1980 - The U.S. broke diplomatic relations with Iran and imposed economic sanctions in response to the taking of hostages on November 4, 1979.
1983 - The Chinese government canceled all remaining sports and cultural exchanges with the U.S. for 1983.
1988 - Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev agreed to final terms of a Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. Soviet troops began leaving on May 16, 1988.
1988 - In Fort Smith, AR, 13 white supremacists were acquitted on charges for plotting to overthrow the U.S. federal government.
1990 - In the U.S., John Poindexter was found guilty of five counts at his Iran-Contra trial. The convictions were later reversed on appeal.
2000 - U.S. President Clinton signed the Senior Citizens Freedom to Work Act of 2000. The bill reversed a Depression-era law and allows senior citizens to earn money without losing Social Security retirement benefits.
2002 - The Roman Catholic archdiocese announced that six priests from the Archdiocese of New York were suspended over allegations of sexual misconduct.
2003 - U.S. troops in more than 100 U.S. armored vehicles rumbled through downtown Baghdad and seized one of Saddam Hussein's opulent palaces.
2006 - The Boeing X-37 conducted its first flight as a test drop at Edwards Air Force Base, CA.
2009 - Vermont became the fourth state to legalize gay marriage.

A World Preparing For Conflict: Global Military Spending Rises For The First Time In Five Years
Zero Hedge - As Bloomberg reports, the Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute is out with their latest military spending report, and it looks as though many countries around the globe are preparing for more conflict in the coming years, if only based on the recent jump in military-related spending. In aggregate, world military expenditures rose to $1.7 trillion in 2015, an increase of about 1% from last year. According to SIPRI, this was the first increase in global military spending since 2011. Unsurprisingly, the United States earned the top spot by a ridiculous margin, spending a gargantuan $596 billion in 2015 (for which the military industrial complex - the recipient of the funds - is eternally grateful). The US is followed by China, and Saudi Arabia who spent an estimated $215 billion and $87.2 billion respectively. Here is how the top fifteen countries rank...

The Panama Papers: This Is The Consequence Of Centralized Money And Power
Zero Hedge - Increasing concentrations of wealth and power that are free of any constraint (such as taxes) is not just the consequence of centralized money and state power--this inequality is the only possible output of centralized money and state power. The Panama Papers offer damning proof of this. Here is a graphic portrayal of just how concentrated global wealth really is: the top .7% (less than 1%) own 45% of all global wealth, and the top 8% own 85%.... Once the creation and distribution of money is centralized, the corruption of political power is inevitable, as wealth can always buy political favors, such as tax evasion schemes. Concentrations of private wealth and the central state are simply two sides of the same coin. Private wealth, monopolies and cartels are all protected and enforced by the state/central bank: the status quo exists to protect the privileges of the few at the expense of the many.

'Panama Papers’ company set up 1000+ businesses in USA
RT - Dubbed the “Panama Papers,” the leaked papers have pointed to several former and current government leaders across the world. Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson was pressured to resign over his role in the scandal, while the offshore fund run by the late father of UK Prime Minister David Cameron has been named as a client as well. However, Mossack Fonseca has also operated in the United States, registering almost 1,100 businesses over the past 15 years. Its Nevada operation, which USA Today describes as “a one-employee company based out of a low-slung tile-roofed office building 20 miles from the Las Vegas strip,” is responsible for 1,026 registrations. Another business registration operation was set up in Wyoming the same year. The Wyoming office is actually operated from Las Vegas, according to a testimony given in a Nevada court case in 2014 by Mossack Fonseca’s Patricia Amunategui, USA Today reported. Among the corporations created by the Nevada subsidiary of Mossack Fonseca are 123 firms named in the corruption probe involving the current and former presidents of Argentina, and another entity implicated in the corruption scandal within FIFA, the international soccer association, according to USA Today.

Greeks Confiscate Largest Amount Of Gold Ever Smuggled
Zero Hedge - Customs officials at the Greek-Turkish border crossing of Kipoi have confiscated the largest amount of gold that anyone has ever attempted to smuggle out of the country. The loot was found hidden in a taxi and consisted of 18 bars of unrefined gold, weighing 33.5 kilos, along with four crosses made of oure gold (11.6 grams). The gold was found last Friday during a police check on cars planing to cross the border. The suspects hid seven gold bars and the four crosses in the car’s passenger armrest while the other 11 bars were concealed in their luggage. According to Greek media, the value of the gold is estimated at 800,000 euros, which translates into 200,000 euros in unpaid tax revenue for the Greek state. It is unclear if Greece will sell the confiscated gold to repay creditors.

Watch Japan – For All Is Not Well In The Land Of The Rising Sun
Economic Collapse - One of the epicenters of the global financial crisis that started during the second half of last year is Japan, and it looks like the markets in the land of the rising sun are entering yet another period of great turmoil. The Nikkei was down another 390 points last night, and it is now down more than 1,300 points since a week ago. Why this is so important for U.S. investors is because the Nikkei is often an early warning indicator of where the rest of the global markets are heading. For example, the Nikkei started crashing early last December about a month before U.S. markets started crashing really hard in early January. So the fact that the Nikkei has been falling very rapidly in recent days should be a huge red flag for investors in this country.... In short: while Obama is complaining about corporate tax avoidance and slamming Panama, he is encouraging it in the U.S.

Alibaba passes Walmart as world's largest retailer
RT - China’s e-commerce site Alibaba has become the world’s largest retail platform, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing released on Tuesday. Alibaba has yet to announce the financial results for the last quarter of its fiscal year ending on March 31, but the statement makes it clear the company has outpaced Walmart that posted revenues of $482.1 billion for its fiscal year ending January 31. In the fortnight before the filing, the Chinese retailer said it had reached 3 trillion yuan (about $476 billion) in Gross Market Value (GMV).

Rothschild Humiliates Obama, Reveals That "America Is The Biggest Tax Haven In The World"
Zero Hedge - In his speech yesterday, following the Treasury's crack down on corporate tax inversions, Obama blamed "poorly designed" laws for allowing illicit money transfers worldwide. Since the speech came at a time when the entire world is still abuzz with the disclosure from the Panama Papers, Obama touched on that as well: "Tax avoidance is a big, global problem" he said on Tuesday, "a lot of it is legal, but that’s exactly the problem" because a lot of it is also illegal. There is one major problem with that: of all the countries in the world, it is none other than the country of which Obama is president, the United States, that has become the world's favorite offshore "tax haven" destination. As Bloomberg, which first broke the story about Nevada's use as a prominent tax haven early this year, writes, "Panama and the U.S. have at least one thing in common: Neither has agreed to new international standards to make it harder for tax evaders and money launderers to hide their money."

Obama Claims Power to Make Illegal Immigrants Eligible for Social Security, Disability
CNS News - The solicitor general calls what Obama is doing "prosecutorial discretion." He argues that under this particular type of "prosecutorial discretion," the executive can make millions of people in this country illegally eligible for Social Security, disability and Medicare. On April 18, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case. Entitled United States v. Texas, it pits President Obama against not only the Lone Star State, but also a majority of the states, which have joined in the litigation against the administration. At issue is the policy the administration calls Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, which would allow aliens in this country illegally who are parents of citizens or lawful permanent residents to stay in the United States. "The Executive Branch unilaterally created a program — known as DAPA — that contravenes Congress's complex statutory framework for determining when an alien may lawfully enter, remain in, and work in the country," the attorney general and solicitor general of Texas explained in a brief submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of the states seeking to block the policy.

Mexican Army Destroys Two Opium Poppy Plantations Near California Border
CNS News - The Mexican army says it has discovered almost an acre (0.37 hectares) of opium poppies growing in the township of Ensenada, near the U.S border. Soldiers destroyed the two poppy plantations in the hills near the Baja California city, which is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of the California border. Opium poppies are usually a mountain crop grown farther south in Mexico. But Mexican cartels have been expanding poppy production to export heroin to the United States.

Mississippi governor signs law that allows businesses to refuse service to gay couples
LA Times - Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a controversial bill into law on Tuesday that could allow businesses and government workers to deny services to lesbian and gay couples. Bryant said in a statement that he was signing HB 1523 "to protect sincerely held religious beliefs and moral convictions of individuals, organizations and private associations from discriminatory action by state government or its political subdivisions." The law, dubbed the Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act, has met with sustained opposition from LGBT groups, businesses and the Mississippi Economic Council.

Poll: Donald Trump Hits 52 Percent in Home State of New York
Breitbart - The latest polling suggests GOP frontrunner Donald Trump could regain momentum in New York when Republican primary voters cast their votes in roughly two weeks, but it is Ohio Gov. John Kasich making the best showing of the GOP candidates against Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. A Monmouth University poll now shows Trump leading the GOP field with 52 percent in his home state. Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who has only won his home state throughout the 2016 primary elections, is in second place with 25 percent support. Sen. Ted Cruz ranks last with 17 percent.... “If this result holds in every single congressional district, Trump will walk away with nearly all of New York State’s delegates,” stated the Director of Monmouth University’s Polling Institute, Patrick Murray.

Trump Needs 56% of Remaining Delegates, Cruz Needs 81% – An Impossibility
The Gateway Pundit - Senator Ted Cruz won Wisconsin last night but that does not change the course of the 2016 GOP primary. Based on current delegate counts and poll numbers Ted Cruz will be mathematically unable to reach the delegate count required for him to win the Republican Presidential nomination. Donald Trump still leads Cruz by over 200 delegates.

$160 billion Pfizer-Allergan mega merger falls apart after US tax-dodging rules hit
RT - Drug makers Pfizer and Allergan called off their $160 billion merger just two days after the US Treasury Department issued new rules to stop companies from moving overseas to avoid taxes. President Barack Obama criticized corporations for trying to change their tax residencies overseas simply to avoid paying corporate taxes in the US in his speech on Tuesday. Pfizer had planned to move its headquarters to Ireland after buying Dublin-based Allergan, though it would keep its core management operations in America. If successful, Pfizer could have saved some $35 billion in taxes owed thanks to Ireland’s 12 percent corporate tax rate. In the US, the corporate tax rate is 35 percent. On Monday, the Treasury announced two rules intended to limit the relocation of US companies overseas for tax purposes, a process known as a tax “inversion.” One would reduce the ability of foreign business to become eligible for inversions by not counting recent purchases of US companies towards a deal. Another would limit a business’ ability to accept loans from their foreign parent companies and deduct interest payments on them in order to pay fewer taxes on profits from the US.

McDonalds Responds To Minimum Wage Hikes, Launches McCafe Coffee Kiosk
Zero Hedge - With a $15 minimum wage becoming a reality across most states, McDonalds is increaingly thinking of next steps... such as the zero wage McCafe Coffee Kiosk.... McDonald's has been spotted testing a self-serve McCafe coffee station/kiosk out in downtown Chicago. The station is located in the restaurant but apart from the counter and looks to be a theoretically more convenient way for those who just want a cup of coffee to skip the regular line (while also freeing employees from having to make each drink in the back). In essence, this is the company's latest venture to make employees responsible for one less task as corporate HQ slowly but surely responds to minimum wage hikes sweeping all states, and in the process, outsource its minimum wage workers to simple machines which will never unionize or have any demands aside from being cleaned occasionally.

Here We Go Again: Obama Pushes Banks To Lower Home Loan Standards
Zero Hedge - The Obama administration is engaged in a broad push to make more home loans available to people with weaker credit, an effort that officials say will help power the economic recovery but that skeptics say could open the door to the risky lending that caused the housing crash in the first place. Administration officials say they are working to get banks to lend to a wider range of borrowers by taking advantage of taxpayer-backed programs — including those offered by the Federal Housing Administration — that insure home loans against default.

Southern California Braces For Summer Blackouts Due To Porter Ranch Gas Leak
LA Times - State officials warn that Southern California could face as many as 14 days of scheduled blackouts this summer because of depleted reserves of natural gas caused by the massive leak in Aliso Canyon. The canyon in the hills above Porter Ranch is a crucial gas storage facility, supplying 17 power plants in the Los Angeles Basin. But the four-month leak that began in October left the facility at one-fifth of its capacity and new injections of gas have been prohibited until all of its wells have passed comprehensive tests. Officials estimate the storage facility won’t be back on line for months, leaving local power plants without a key source of natural gas.... In addition to the summer blackouts, the region could face an additional eight to 18 days of outages later in the year, according to the report by Rothleder’s agency and the California Energy Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Georgia Pipeline Suspended After Public Resistance
On March 29, Kinder Morgan Inc. released a statement announcing the end of construction for the planned Palmetto Pipeline project. The pipeline was expected to carry 150,000 barrels of gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel and ethanol through Georgia. The project was heavily resisted by property owners who had their lands stolen through the government’s use of eminent domain, as well as environmental groups concerned about the possible effects on the land and animals. Kinder Morgan Inc. noted that they were stopping the project due to a recently passed temporary moratorium on the use of eminent domain. The bill was put on hold until June 30, 2017 to allow officials and “industry experts” to review the eminent domain issue and make recommendations.

Wednesday - April 6, 2016 - Today in History:

1789 - The first U.S. Congress began regular sessions at the Federal Hall in New York City.
1830 - Joseph Smith and five others organized the Mormon Church in western New York.
1830 - Relations between the Texans and Mexico reached a new low when Mexico would not allow further emigration into Texas by settlers from the U.S.
1862 - The American Civil War Battle of Shiloh began in Tennessee.
1865 - At the Battle of Sayler's Creek, a third of Lee's army was cut off by Union troops pursuing him to Appomattox.
1909 - Americans Robert Peary and Matthew Henson claimed to be the first men to reach the North Pole.
1917 - The U.S. Congress approved a declaration of war on Germany and entered World War I on the Allied side.
1924 - Four planes left Seattle on the first successful flight around the world.
1938 - The United States recognized the German conquest of Austria.
1941 - German forces invaded Greece and Yugoslavia.
1965 - U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson authorized the use of ground troops in combat operations in Vietnam.
1983 - The U.S. Veteran's Administration announced it would give free medical care for conditions traceable to radiation exposure to more than 220,000 veterans who participated in nuclear tests from 1945 to 1962.
1988 - Mathew Henson was awarded honors in Arlington National Cemetery. Henson had discovered the North Pole with Robert Peary.
1998 - Federal researchers in the U.S. announced that daily tamoxifen pills could cut breast cancer risk among high-risk women.
2001 - Algerian national Ahmed Ressam, accused of bringing explosives into the United States days before the millennium celebrations, was convicted on terror charges.

Western states block Kurdish participation in Syria peace talks proposed by Russia
RT - Russia’s proposal to include Kurds in Geneva Syrian talks was vetoed by the UN Security Council’s Western members, UN envoy Vitaly Churkin reported, saying this contradicts UN resolutions on Syrian reconciliation and ignores calls for inclusive talks. Churkin warned that if the Syrian Kurds do not in the peace process, international efforts to bring peace to Syria could be undermined. “We are concerned that the Syrian Kurds, historically woven into the social fabric of the country, still have not been invited to the Geneva talks,” he said, pointing out that by not inviting the Kurds, the West is violating the spirit of inclusiveness for the Syrian talks in the UN Security Council resolutions on Syria. The diplomat also slammed the actions of the non-permanent member Ukraine, whose opposition to the Russian draft “added its destructive share” to the final decision.

Syrian jet shot down in Aleppo, pilot reportedly captured by Al-Qaeda affiliate
RT - A Syrian Su-22 jet has been shot down by a surface-to-air missile in Aleppo Province. The pilot ejected and was reportedly captured. “The plane wasn’t striking any targets, but was carrying out airborne surveillance. It was hit by a surface to air missile to the south of Aleppo, and now we’re looking for the pilot who ejected from the aircraft,” Syrian Army press service head General Samir told RT on the phone. “The plane wasn’t striking any targets, but was carrying out airborne surveillance. It was hit by a surface to air missile to the south of Aleppo, and now we’re looking for the pilot who ejected from the aircraft,” Syrian Army press service head General Samir told RT on the phone.

Here Are Some Of The Americans In The "Panama Papers"
Zero Hedge - With media attention squarely falling on the foreigners exposed by the Panama Papers offshore tax haven scandal, everyone has been asking for more information on who are the Americans involved in this biggest data leak in history. After all, as we showed, Mossack Fonseca had over 400 American clients. But who are they?... Among them: Retirees, scammers, and tax evaders, all of whom found a use for secrecy of offshore companies. As the news paper reports, "the passports of at least 200 Americans show up in this week’s massive leak of secret data on secretive offshore shell companies." And yet, the following release may prompt merely more questions: given the high-profile nature of some of the foreign names in the leaks "many of the Americans may seem like small fish." Perhaps few Americans used Panama to hide their shady dealings; perhaps that was as intended. In any event, here are some of the findings courtesy of McClatchy...

Head Of "Transparency International" In Chile Resigns After "Panama Papers" Revelations
Zero Hedge - While the global media has been almost entirely focused on the "circle of close Putin friends" who have emerged as some of Mossack Fonseca's clients, and moments ago the Panama Papers even had their first official casualty when the Iceland prime minister resigned, far more amusing examples of "shell firm" perpetrators have emerged, if deep under the radar. As Reuters reports with barely a trace of humor, the president of the Chilean branch of Transparency International resigned on Monday after documents from a Panamanian law firm showed he was linked to at least five offshore companies. For those who are unfamiliar, Transparency International is a German-based organization that seeks to monitor and root out corporate and political corruption worldwide.

Iceland's leader resigns, first casualty of Panama Papers
Reuters - Iceland's Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson resigned on Tuesday, becoming the first casualty of leaked documents from a Panamanian law firm which have shone a spotlight on the offshore wealth of politicians and public figures worldwide. The Panama Papers showed the premier's wife owned an offshore company with big claims on Iceland's banks, a undeclared conflict of interest for Gunnlaugsson, infuriating many who hurled eggs and bananas in street protests calling for him to step down. The banks collapsed as the global financial crisis hit in 2008 and many Icelanders blame politicians for not reining in their debt-fueled binge and averting a deep recession. The more than 11.5 million documents, leaked from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, have caused public outrage over how the world's rich and powerful are able to stash their wealth and avoid taxes while many people suffer austerity and hardship.

Soros and Ford Foundation Behind the Panama Papers
Kurt Nimmo - The corporate media has seized upon the so-called Panama Papers linked to the law firm Mossack Fonseca to heap condemnation on Russian President Vladimir Putin. “ICIJ [International Consortium of Investigative Journalists] and an international coalition of media outlets investigated the trove of papers, which allegedly reveal a clandestine network involving associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and business ties between a member of FIFA’s [Fédération Internationale de Football Association] ethics committee and men whom the United States has indicted for corruption,” CNN reports this morning. Putin is headlined in the emerging scandal, although he is not directly connected to the scheme to move billions of dollars into offshore tax havens. 12 current or former world leaders and 128 other politicians and public officials are directly implicated, but they play second fiddle to Putin in corporate media news stories. The establishment has not bothered to investigate the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), the organization behind the leak. A trip to its web page reveals its support and funding sources: the Open Society Foundations (a George Soros outfit), the Ford Foundation and a host of other foundations. Soros’ anti-Russian obsession is well-known. Less well-known is the fact the Ford Foundation is connected to the CIA and has specialized in international cultural propaganda since the end of the Second World War.

Athens Officials: We Have to Build a Mosque or Terrorists Will Attack Us
Paul Joseph Watson - Officials in Athens warn that if they fail to follow through on a plan to build a mosque in the Greek capital, Islamic terrorists could stage an attack. After a law was passed in 2006 requiring the building of the taxpayer-funded mosque in Votanikos, near the city center, the construction of the building has been held back by numerous appeals against the project. “It is exactly because of the recent terrorist attacks that we have to move quickly to construct the mosque in Athens,” a government official told Ekathimerini, suggesting that the failure to acquiesce to the demands of Muslims will increase the threat of Athens being targeted by terrorists. An official at the Education and Religious Affairs Ministry also argued that Muslims would be more prone to radicalization at unofficial places of worship if the mosque, which will be overseen by a government-appointed imam, is not built. After lurching from one financial crisis to another, Greece is currently being deluged by Muslim migrants from the Middle East and North Africa.

Police warn 2,000 people in Hanover, Germany to stay away from windows and avoid waving at President Obama
Daily Mail - Residents of the German city of Hanover have been told to keep away from windows and avoid waving at President Obama when he visits later this month – incase they are shot by trigger-happy American secret service agents. Police have issued flyers to nearly 2,000 people living near the Congress Centre due to be visited by Obama on April 24. He will meet there with Chancellor Angela Merkel for the Hanover Messe, an industrial technology fair. As well as keeping away from windows and waving, residents expecting visitors that weekend will have to register them with police a week beforehand. People working in shops lying within the security area will also have to register.

Burkina Faso Association Seeks $ 83 Million from Monsanto over GMO Cotton Failure
Sustainable Pulse - Burkina Faso’s cotton association is seeking 48.3 billion CFA francs ($83.91 million) in compensation from U.S. seed company Monsanto after it said genetically modified cotton led to a drop in quality, association members said on Monday. Cotton is the second-biggest source of revenue for the impoverished West African country after gold. In an effort to increase yields, the Inter-professional Cotton Association of Burkina (AICB) began introducing Monsanto’s Bollgard II trait into Burkinabe cotton varieties beginning in 2009 as protection against caterpillars. However, the AICB, which groups together Burkina’s three cotton companies and the national cotton farmers union (UNPCB), believes the trait has increased levels of short fibers in its cotton, reducing its market value.... “We went from 39.2 billion (CFA francs) in losses to 49.3 billion in just one harvest. If we continue like that we’ll just dig the hole deeper,” said Wilfried Yameogo, managing director of SOFITEX, one of the cotton companies belonging to the AICB.

Wild radioactive Fukushima boars breed like rabbits, ravage local countryside
RT - Northern Japan is raising an alarm, as the area surrounding the Fukushima Nuclear disaster zone has been overwhelmed by radioactive wild boars, whose population has increased dramatically over the past 4 years, as they breed freely in the exclusion zone. With the number of animals steadily growing, the boar population has been devastating the crops of farms in the area. Since the nuclear disaster of 2011, damage to agriculture caused by boars in the Fukushima prefecture has doubled, amounting to some $15 million, according to a report from The Times. Boars also pose a threat to public safety, as reports of rampaging wild beast injuring local residents while roaming the streets have become more frequent over the past few years. With the number of animals steadily growing, the boar population has been devastating the crops of farms in the area. Since the nuclear disaster of 2011, damage to agriculture caused by boars in the Fukushima prefecture has doubled, amounting to some $15 million, according to a report from The Times. Boars also pose a threat to public safety, as reports of rampaging wild beast injuring local residents while roaming the streets have become more frequent over the past few years.

Bad rules: Obama invokes Panama Papers as US Treasury moves to stop corporate tax dodgers
RT - President Barack Obama criticized “poorly designed” laws allowing for illicit money transfers worldwide as the US Treasury issued new rules to stop companies from avoiding US taxes simply by buying up foreign businesses and changing their headquarters. This relocation behavior, known as a corporate tax “inversion,” has come under heavy fire from lawmakers because companies move their headquarters overseas to claim a lower tax residence and, at the same time, keep their core operations and management based in the United States. Once an inversion is successful, the company no longer becomes subject to US corporate tax laws. Companies looking to invert their tax residence often do so in order to get away from the 35 percent corporate tax rate in the US. In countries like the UK and Ireland, the rate is 20 percent and 12 percent, respectively.

Obama Admin Tells Landlords They Can’t Refuse To House Criminals
Daily Caller - The Obama administration released a warning Monday telling the nation’s landlords that it may be discriminatory for them to refuse to rent to those with criminal records. The Fair Housing Act doesn’t include criminals as a protected class, but the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) says refusing to rent based on a criminal record is a form of racial discrimination, due to racial imbalances in the U.S. justice system. “The Fair Housing Act prohibits both intentional housing discrimination and housing practices that have an unjustified discriminatory effect because of race, national origin, or other protected characteristics,” say HUD’s newly-released guidelines. “Because of widespread racial and ethnic disparities in the U.S. criminal justice system, criminal history-based restrictions on access to housing are likely disproportionately to burden African-Americans and Hispanics. While the Act does not prohibit housing providers from appropriately considering criminal history information when making housing decisions, arbitrary and overbroad criminal history-related bans are likely to lack a legally sufficient justification.”

Man recreates TSA's $47,400 "head this way" app in 10 minutes
Blacklisted News - TSA guards at airports had a new weapon in their arsenal in 2014: tablets that they held up to randomly direct travelers into different lines. According to the TSA's documentation, they spent $47k developing the app that did this. In this YouTube video, Chris Pacia develops a clone of the app in a few minutes. The implication is that the TSA is astoundingly wasteful: Kevin Burke's FOIA request reveals a total spend of up to $336k to develop and distribute the related software, and about $1m more for the actual devices and training. Use of the app was discontinued by the TSA in any case.

Alabama's governor Robert Bentley facing impeachment
AL.com - State Rep. Ed Henry, R-Hartselle, is moving to start impeachment against embattled Gov. Robert Bentley amid the scandal engulfing the governor's office surrounding his former senior political adviser, Rebekah Caldwell Mason. If the House impeaches Bentley, it would bring the governor one step closer to being removed from office by the legislature. House Minority Leader Craig Ford, D-Gadsden, confirmed to AL.com that Henry was planning on bringing the articles of impeachment against the governor as early as next week. Henry could not immediately be reached for comment. Ford said "over half" of the House is in favor of impeachment. A majority is needed to impeach the governor. Bentley was publicly accused last week of having an affair with Mason, who resigned Monday as the governor's senior political adviser, by former Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Secretary Spencer Collier. Both Bentley and Mason denied the affair, but the governor admitted to using sexually inappropriate language in a conversation with Mason that was obtained by AL.com.

Report: Officials Searching David Daleiden’s Apartment
Breitbart - Troy Newman, a board member of the Center for Medical Progress, reports that officials from the California Attorney General’s office are searching the apartment of David Daleiden. Daleiden is the pro-life activist who produced the raft of videos exposing the Planned Parenthood baby parts trade that has roiled the abortion giant since last summer. The film maker has been sued by Planned Parenthood. He was also indicted in Houston on various charges related to his expose of the Texas abortion clinic. According to Newman, the search being carried out now in Daleiden’s California apartment came at the direction of California Attorney General Kamala Harris, a longtime financial supporter of Planned Parenthood.... It is not known at this time what officials from her office are looking for.

Trump Reveals How Mexico Will Pay For "The Wall"
Zero Hedge - In what he assures will be "an easy decision," Donald Trump has released details of his plan to "compel Mexico to pay for the wall." In a 600 word statement, Trump proposes, in a potentially devastating move for Mexico’s economy, to block billions of dollars in payments immigrants send back home until the nation made "a one-time payment of $5-10 billion" to the U.S. The Donald cites a section of the USA Patriot Act antiterrorism law that he argues can be changed to enforce his proposal if he is elected president, but as Bloomberg reports, it's unclear if Trump would be able to carry out the plan without approval from Congress.
* Related: Obama Scolds Donald Trump on Cutting Off Remittances to Mexico

"Delegate Hunter" Manafort Brings Savvy to Trump Camp
RealClearPolitics - If Donald Trump has so far succeeded with his disregard for the conventional rules of presidential politics, his hiring this week of seasoned Republican hand Paul Manafort seemed to signal an acknowledgement that the rules are now paramount. Manafort is a “master” of delegate counting and convention strategy, according to those who have worked with and against him, and one of only a few operatives with practical experience in this niche area. For a campaign whose survival might well hinge on a few dozen delegates, Manafort’s hire is a monumental, if surprising, coup… Said [Roger] Stone, “The sharpies in the party who thought they would just razzle-dazzle the neophyte Trump people now have their hands full.”

Roger Stone Plans to Disclose Delegates’ Hotel Room Numbers: ‘We Urge You to Visit’
Breitbart - GOP frontrunner Donald Trump’s ally Roger Stone threatened to reveal the hotel locations of delegates who steal the nomination from Trump at a contested convention. “We’re going to have protests, demonstrations. We will disclose the hotels and the room numbers of those delegates who are directly involved in the steal,” Stone stated in a radio interview. “If you’re from Pennsylvania, we’ll tell you who the culprits are,” Stone threatened. “We urge you to visit their hotel and find them. You have a right to discuss this, if you voted in the Pennsylvania primary, for example, and your votes are being disallowed.” Stone, who was previously banned from CNN, is now reportedly banned from MSNBC.

California Primary: Trump up by 8; Leads Women by 7
Breitbart - A new poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of four California television stations and released Monday shows Donald Trump leads among likely Republican primary voters by eight points — and also leads by seven among GOP women. Trump has 40% support, followed by Sen. Ted Cruz at 32% and Ohio Governor John Kasich at 17%. The survey also showed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ahead of Sen. Bernie Sanders, 53% to 39%.

Sanders: Israel 'indiscriminately' killed '10,000' Palestinians
Washington Examiner - Bernie Sanders claimed recently that "over 10,0000 innocent" Palestinians were killed by Israelis during the summer 2014 Gaza War as the result of an "indiscriminate" military operation. These figures are much higher than those accepted by any side of the conflict. The Democratic primary candidate acknowledged to the New York Daily News that he wasn't sure if those numbers were exactly accurate. "Anybody help me out here, because I don't remember the figures, but my recollection is over 10,000 innocent people were killed in Gaza. Does that sound right?" Sanders said in an interview with the newspaper's editorial board on Monday.

Hillary Doubles Down: Unborn Child Has No Constitutional Rights… even on Due Date!
Breitbart - Tuesday on ABC’s “The View” Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton reiterated her claim from over the weekend that a child, on its due date, just before delivery has no constitutional rights. Co-host Paula Faris asked, “I want to ask you about some comments that you made over the weekend on ‘Meet the Press,’ you said, quote, ‘The unborn person doesn’t have constitutional rights.’ My question is at what point does someone have constitutional rights, and are you saying that a child, on its due date, just hours before delivery still has no constitutional rights?” Clinton said, “Under our law that is the case, Paula. I support Roe versus Wade because I think it is an important — an important statement about the importance of a woman making this most difficult decision with consultation by whom she chooses: her doctor, her faith, her family. And under the law and under certainly that decision, that is the way we structure it.”

19 Facts That Prove Things In America Are Worse Than They Were Six Months Ago
Economic Collapse - In this article, you will find solid proof that the U.S. economy has continued to get worse over the past six months. Unfortunately, most people seem to think that since the stock market has rebounded significantly in recent weeks that everything must be okay, but of course that is not true at all. If you look at a chart of the Dow, a very ominous head and shoulders pattern is forming, and all of the economic fundamentals are screaming that big trouble is ahead. When Donald Trump told the Washington Post that we are heading for a “very massive recession“, he wasn’t just making stuff up. We are already seeing lots of things happen that never take place outside of a recession, and the U.S. economy has already been sliding downhill fairly rapidly over the past several months. With all that being said, the following are 19 facts that prove things in America are worse than they were six months ago…

The Lock Down Has Begun: JP Morgan Restricts ATM Cash Withdrawals
Mac Slavo - Citing criminal activity as a factor, JP Morgan is limiting cash withdrawals at ATM machines. The bank said there doesn’t appear to be fraud involved. But partly due to heightened regulatory scrutiny, banks are paying more attention to large cash transfers that could be a sign of money laundering or other types of shady activity. Typically, the card-issuing bank sets withdrawal limits, not the bank owning the ATM. The move by the largest bank in the U.S. doesn’t affect J.P. Morgan Chase’s own customers, whose maximum daily withdrawals are set depending on the client’s account type.... And while the recent move by JP Morgan Chase appears to only affect non-customers, a recent report indicates that the Justice Department has advised bank tellers nationwide to keep any eye out on cash transactions. Suspicious activity, which by the government’s definition is as little as $3000, should be reported to law enforcement and under existing guidelines police can then seize those funds without charge or trial... After the massive bailouts required to save the system following the crash of 2008 banks and regulators worked together to ensure that all deposit accounts in the United States are no longer the property of depositors, but rather, the banks themselves.

As Seen On One Billboard: The San Francisco Housing Bubble
Zero Hedge - That San Francisco, ground zero of the second tech - this time private (and currently bursting) - bubble, has a housing market that is "just a little frothy" is no surprise to anyone, but even we had to chuckle when we saw this billboard making the twitter rounds. As Marketwatch notes, real estate is so frothy in the San Francisco Bay Area that a new development in the city’s Lake Merced neighborhood felt the need to advertise its townhomes on a billboard as million-dollar deals - get in now while the price is right! This is what the "low $1,000,000s" will buy you: a 1,547 square foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bath townhome (listed on real estate site Redfin for $1,012,000+).... As a reminder, according to Case Shiller, home prices in San Francisco rose 10.5% over the past year. U.S. house prices overall rose 5.7% compared with a year ago in January, or about three times more than average wages. Since 2012, median housing prices in San Francisco have more than doubled, hitting $1.225 million in February 2016, as the following dramatic charts demonstrate.... And here is the problem: to be able to purchase a house in San Francisco, a prospective buyer should make on average over quarter million dollars per year, nearly 6 times more than for the broader U.S.

Feds Plan to Go Around Congress to Remove Klamath Dam
Breitbart - Proponents of removing the Klamath Dam — the largest dam removal project in U.S. history — are seeking to bypass Congress and use a nonprofit private corporation to decommission four hydroelectric dams by 2020, four of which are located in California, going directly through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. “It turns out we don’t need Congress to remove dams,” Karuk Tribe Natural Resources Policy Adviser Craig Tucker said, according to the Eureka Times-Standard. “Congress has already passed the Federal Power Act and that gives us the power to remove dams without congressional approval.” The new California-based Klamath River Renewal Corporation is reportedly planning to take control of the dams, which are owned by PacifiCorp, a Portland, Oregon based energy company where one of the four dams in question is located. Proponents of maintaining dams argue that they preserve needed water, much of which comes from precipitation, from being lost and flowing into the ocean, and creating a reservoir for dryer days. Dams also create the potential for hydroelectric power and recreation. Opponents suggest dams prevent fish species from surviving and thriving as they otherwise would, as well as damaging the environment and interrupting other water uses downstream.

Tuesday - April 5, 2016 - Today in History:

1621 - The Mayflower sailed from Plymouth, MA, on a return trip to England.
1792 - U.S. President George Washington cast the first presidential veto. The measure was for apportioning representatives among the states.
1887 - Anne Sullivan taught Helen Keller the meaning of the word "water" as spelled out in the manual alphabet.
1892 - Walter H. Coe patented gold leaf in rolls.
1923 - Firestone Tire and Rubber Company began the first regular production of balloon tires.
1933 - The first operation to remove a lung was performed at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, MO.
1955 - Winston Churchill resigned as British prime minister.
1976 - Reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes died at age 72.1986 - A discotheque in Berlin was bombed by Libyan terrorists. The U.S. attacked Libya with warplanes in retaliation on April 15, 1986.
1999 - Two Libyans suspected of bombing a Pan Am jet in 1988 were handed over so they could be flown to the Netherlands for trial. 270 people were killed in the bombing.
2004 - Near Mexico City's international airport, lightning struck the jet Mexican President Vicente Fox was on.
2009 - North Korea launched the Kwangmyongsong-2 rocket, prompting an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
2010 - An explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine near Charleston, W.Va., killed 29 workers

Mossack Fonseca Has 441 U.S. Clients: Who Are They?
Zero Hedge - As the shock from the initial revelation of leaked Mossack Fonseca files fades away, one recurring question has emerged: why were there no American clients of the firm named (at least not yet)? After all, leaders in Iceland, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Australia and many other nations are already facing questions about their use of the Panamanian law firm, and yet nothing about the US? One hint may have emerged when observing at the funding supporters of the project, among which we find George Soros' heavily financially connected Open Society: Recent ICIJ [International Consortium of Investigative Journalists] funders include: Adessium Foundation, Open Society Foundations, The Sigrid Rausing Trust, the Fritt Ord Foundation, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, The Ford Foundation, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts and Waterloo Foundation… There may be a simpler explanation: as Eoin Higgins points out, the 2010 United States—Panama Trade Promotion Agreement included a taxation clause that effectively shut down any chance of the rich in the US using Panama as a shelter… Perhaps. However that does not explain why according to an interactive map created by Brian Kilmartin which lays out shotgun data (no names) about the number of companies, clients, beneficiaries and shareholders of Mossack Fonseca, there are at least 441 clients, 3,072 companies, 211 beneficiaries and 3,467 U.S.-based shareholders of the Panamanian law firm.
* Related: Corporate Media Gatekeepers Protect Western 1% From Panama Leak

A Key Similarity Between Snowden Leak and Panama Papers: Scandal Is What's Been Legalized
The Intercept - The documents reveal billions of dollars being funneled to offshore tax havens by leading governmental and corporate officials in numerous countries (the U.S. was oddly missing from the initial reporting, though journalists vow that will change shortly). Some of these documents undoubtedly reveal criminality: either monies that were illegally obtained (and are being hidden for that reason) or assets being concealed in order to criminally evade tax debts. But the crux of this activity — placing assets offshore in order to avoid incurring tax liability — has been legalized. That’s because Western democracies, along with overt tyrannies, are typically controlled by societies’ wealthiest, and laws are enacted to serve their interests… Proving that certain behavior is “legal” does not prove that it is ethical or just. That’s because corrupted political systems, by definition, often protect and legalize exactly the behavior that is most unjust... In such cases, as [ACLU’s Jameel] Jaffer put it, “The deeper scandal is what’s legal, not what’s not.”

Cameron's dad, senior Tories' offshore asset dealings exposed & UK media still focus on Putin
RT - Sections of the British public have slammed their local media outlets for ignoring the fact Prime Minister David Cameron’s father was caught up in a massive data leak involving possible tax evasion. A huge leak of more than 11.5 million documents from a Panama-based law firm saw the British media jump to accuse President Vladimir Putin of corruption, despite the Russian president not being named in any of the papers. Putin’s photo popped up all over the British press. This has not been lost on people in the UK, who were scathing that so little attention was being paid to allegations that the prime minister’s father had been caught up in the alleged tax evasion scandal… The irony is the Guardian put a story on David Cameron's crusade against tax havens right next to the article on Vladimir Putin, without even mentioning the fact that the leak revealed information about the PM's father… Cameron has said on many occasions that he wants to tackle money laundering and make sure no dirty money enters the UK. “I want Britain to be the most open country in the world for investment. But I want to ensure that all this money is clean money,” he said in July. “There is no place for dirty money in Britain. Indeed, there should be no place for dirty money anywhere.”

3k armed marshals in civilian clothing to patrol French trains
RT - French trains will soon be patrolled by 3,000 plain-clothes marshals carrying guns, according to the national rail service. The move comes in response to the recent terror attacks in Brussels and Paris… The marshals will supplement security teams who patrol in uniform on certain lines, particularly on suburban trains around Paris. The idea is similar to air marshals: armed plain-clothes officers which are often present on flights… In addition to the armed marshals, a team of profilers will survey some of the 40,000 train station cameras for suspicious behavior, according to the AP. Security portals in some stations will add arms and explosives detection, while more metal detectors will also be placed on platforms… The measures come after France moved to arm more local police and gave off-duty officers the right to carry arms. The government is also considering allowing private security guards to carry weapons.

Nagorno-Karabakh Tensions Heat Up
Sputnik News - Armenia and Azerbaijan declared on April 2 a sharp escalation of the situation in the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh area. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported, in particular, about the shelling by the Armenian armed forces, and the Armenian Defense Ministry said about offensive actions from the Azerbaijani side. The Armenian Defense Ministry said in turn about the "active offensive actions taken by the opponent on the contact line of Karabakh and Azerbaijani forces in the night between April 1 and 2." The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988, when the Armenian-dominated autonomous region sought to secede from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, before proclaiming independence after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. The conflict escalated further in September 2015, with the sides blaming one another for violating the truce.

North Korea claims attacks on US will kill more than 9/11 in latest chilling threat
UK Mirror - North Korea has claimed they will kill more people in America than the September 11 attacks. A ranting article in the hermit Stalinist nation’s state-run publication DPRK Today said their weapons are trained on the White House, the Pentagon and other vital strategic locations. It read: “If three civilian airplanes’ attacks from 15 years ago resulted in 3,000 deaths and brought a nightmare to life for the US, the outbreak of our final war will wipe the country from history, leaving no time (for them to) even regret or have nightmares about it,” read the bulletin, seen by NK News. Kim Jong-un’s regime has issued a series of threats recently – even threatening long-time ally China.

Mexico tortures migrants - and citizens - in effort to slow Central American surge
The Guardian - A growing number of indigenous Mexicans are being detained and threatened with expulsion by immigration agents looking for undocumented Central American migrants. The trend comes amid a crackdown on migrants driven in part by political pressure and financial aid from the US. Deportations have already risen exponentially since summer 2014 when Barack Obama declared the surge in Central American child migrants a humanitarian crisis. Campaigners say that Mexico migration officials are running a secret quota system to increase the number of expulsions. Activists say that Mexico’s National Immigration Institute is increasingly operating like an unchecked police force – and say that that like the country’s security forces, it appears to be systematically using torture against detainees.

WikiLeaks Exposes IMF Plan of Financial Terror to Force Government Compliance
Activist Post - WikiLeaks has once again exposed how supranational organizations create artificial crises in an effort to advance the Western corporate-political elites geostrategic goals, as revealed in the transcript of a teleconference, which took place on March 19, 2016, between top International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials. The striking conversation reveals IMF officials implying that the threat of an imminent financial disaster was necessary to force other stakeholders into accepting the IMF’s “measures” such as cutting Greek pensions and working conditions. However, a June 23 referendum will essentially freeze European decision-making at an extremely critical moment – potentially risking greater political destabilization, but also giving the organization greater leverage. The transcript of the teleconference between Poul Thomsen, the head of the IMF’s European Department, and Delia Velkouleskou, the IMF Mission Chief for Greece, exposed the fact that the IMF is anticipating a potential Greek bailout default that would occur in concert with UK’s ‘Brexit’ referendum on EU membership.

Gates Foundation and USAID Spread GMO Industry Control over Traditional African Crops
Sustainable Pulse - The African Centre for Biodiversity (ACB), in a new report published Monday titled, “For your own good!” The chicanery behind GM non-commercial ‘orphan crops’ and rice for Africa shows that the GM industry is expanding its grasp to African traditional crops such as cassava, sorghum, sweet potato, pigeon pea, cowpea, banana as well as rice under the guise of philanthropy. The report reveals that a great deal of research and development is currently underway into the genetic modification (GM) of these crops, with most of the on-going trials being focused on drought and salt tolerance, nitrogen use efficiency, resistance to tropical pests and diseases and nutritional enhancement (biofortification). The key countries that have been targeted include, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Malawi.

Senate: Few answers on US theft that risked data of millions
Washington Times - Senate investigators indicated Monday they’ve received few answers from the Obama administration after a laptop and portable hard drives - likely containing names and Social Security numbers of millions - were stolen from a federal building in Washington state… The data breach would mark the latest case of personal information swiped from the federal government… Court documents stated the stolen drives had between 2 million and 5 million individual profiles containing names, Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses and phone numbers. Police said the intruders used a copy of a building key kept by a former building employee, who was ultimately fired for stealing. The Office of Child Support Enforcement oversees child-support programs across the nation.

FEMA to Perform 'Full-Scale Exercise' at Nuclear Power Plant
The Patch - Next week’s training will analyze response to a radiological release at the Seabrook Station; NH, Mass. emergency officials participating. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced today that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will conduct a “full-scale” training exercise at the NextEra Energy Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant located in Seabrook on April 8, 2016. The exercise if being organized by FEMA, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and state and local emergency management officials. “This exercise allows federal teams to examine the ability of the participating local, state and utility officials to protect the health and safety of the public living near the Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in the event of a radiological release,” according to Bruce Brodoff of the FEMA. “FEMA will observe and evaluate governmental responses. The NRC will observe and evaluate the on-site performance of Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant staff.” Officials from communities in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts, within a 10-mile radius of the plant, are being requested to activate their emergency operations centers during the exercise, according to a press statement.

Supreme Court rules illegal immigrants, other non-citizens can be counted for apportionment
Washington Times - A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Monday that illegal immigrants and other non-citizens can be counted when states draw their legislative districts, shooting down a challenge by Texas residents who said their own voting power was being diluted. The ruling does not grant non-citizens power to vote, but says the principle of “one person, one vote” doesn’t require localities to only count those who are actually eligible to vote. Justice Ruth Baden Ginsburg, writing for the court, said even though only eligible voters are supposed to cast ballots, elected officials represent all people within their districts, and it is that act of representation, not the election itself, that the boundaries are drawn to… Texas residents had challenged the way districts were drawn in their state, saying that because they ended up in districts with more eligible voters, their vote counted less than someone in another district. Because of illegal immigrants, other non-citizens and children under 18 years of age, state legislative districts in Texas can vary by as much as 40 percent.

Judge Sends Homeschoolers To Fake Court
WND - When Missouri parents Tiffany and Anthony Swearengin saw their children weren’t making progress in school, they followed the lead of millions of American families: They notified the school, took their kids out of class and started homeschooling. Then the Swearengins received a letter from Rose Pursell, the chief deputy juvenile officer in the Douglas County, Missouri, court system, notifying them “to appear before the Truancy Court of 44th Judicial Circuit, at the Juvenile Court Center.” The letter threatens the parents with the “above named juvenile be[ing] placed in the legal custody of the Missouri Children’s Division.” But no such court legally exists, and now the judge, R. Craig Carter, who’s behind an effort described by the Home School Legal Defense Association as “improper intimidation and retaliation against any parent who withdraws a child from public school to lawfully homeschool,” is finding himself on the defense in a lawsuit.

New Wisconsin Poll Has Donald Trump Up 10 Points Over Ted Cruz
The Gateway Pundit - After another week of nonstop media attacks and insults Donald Trump has a 10 point lead in Wisconsin. The American Research Group poll was released Monday, the day before the Badger State primary.... Trump 42%, Cruz 32%, Kasich 23%.

Anti-Trump Protesters Stomp American Flag Outside Trump Town Hall
Breitbart - Fox News reports the atmosphere outside the town hall event location at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Mainstage Theatre was tense and aggressive. An anti-Trump protester was captured stomping on an American flag and then confronted U.S. military members and bystanders. Police calmed the scene. “Tactics like that definitely do get people upset in this country, and people of all political stripes, not just Republicans,” Fox News’ John Roberts reported.

Ted Cruz: People Would 'Revolt' if Establishment Parachutes in 'White Knight' at Contested Convention
Breitbart - Before a Fox News town hall event with Megyn Kelly in Madison, WI, Cruz declared that such an event “ain’t gonna happen. If it did the people would quite rightly revolt.” The event will air Monday evening just hours before Wisconsin Republicans make their choice in the primary nominating contest…. If at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland a 2012 convention rule is upheld that any candidate up for the nomination must have won eight states, then Trump and Cruz would be the only qualified candidates at this point in the race. Concern has arisen among Republicans that the establishment would try to pull off a “white knight” situation in which someone like failed 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney or his former running mate House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) would be put up for and win the 2016 Republican nomination. Both Trump and Cruz have pushed back against this possibility now, citing the potential of “riots” or “revolt” if the establishment makes such a push.

Ted Cruz And The Wall Street Connection
The Daily Caller - It was disturbing enough when Senator Ted Cruz announced that Neil Bush, brother of Jeb and George W., would be a Finance Chairman of his campaign. Neil defrauded U.S. taxpayers out of $1.5 billion dollars in a savings and loan scam. Now, however, Cruz has announced a key appointment that should disturb voters even more. Cruz named Former Texas Senator Phil Gramm as his economic guru. This guy virtually crashed the U.S. economy. Gramm is largely responsible for two bills which led to the speculative bubble which popped in September 2008. First was his Gramm-Leach-Bliley bill that repealed Glass-Steagall, which separated investment banking from commercial banking. Its repeal — which was signed into law by President Clinton, with the backing of Robert Rubin and Larry Summers — opened the door for a flood of money, from commercial banks, to flow into mortgage-backed securities and other funny-money schemes, which blew up in 2008.

Clinton Not Worried She Will Be Indicted for Compromising National Security
Kurt Nimmo - Hillary Clinton will likely never be held accountable for the email scandal that reportedly put the national security of the United States at risk while she was secretary of state. On Sunday Clinton told NBC’s Meet the Press she is “not worried at all” about an FBI investigation into the scandal. Clinton also said she does not expect the issue to be settled before the convention this summer. “I don’t think anything inappropriate was done. And so I have to let them decide how to resolve their security inquiry, but I’m not at all worried about it,” she added. Clinton is in direct violation of 18 USC 793, a statue covering “information respecting the national defense” that potentially “could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation.” Section F specifically makes it a crime for anyone “entrusted with… any document… or information relating to the national defense… through gross negligence (to permit) the same to be removed from its proper place of custody.” Corporate media reports on Clinton’s role in the scandal have ignored this statue. NBC certainly did not bring it up when Clinton declared she is not worried about prosecution. “One suspects that many reporters and commentators have not bothered to read the actual law or are hesitant to blow the central defense of the Clinton campaign out of the water,” USA Today reported on Monday.

Video Surfaces of Bernie Sanders Praising Breadlines and Food Rationing
The Libertarian Republic - Vermont’s Democratic socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has sought to separate his views from those of tyrannical socialist regimes throughout history. The problem is that back in the 1980’s Sanders was outspoken in his support of communist dictator Fidel Castro as well as the Soviet-aligned Sandinista government in Nicaragua. In fact, recently discovered video shows Sanders praising food lines as a good thing. Sanders asserts that countries where people don’t line up for food that the poor are starving to death because “the rich get all the food.” The lack of logic here is astounding. In America and individual can buy a meal for under $2 if you’re not picky, and everywhere we go we are surrounded by stores stocked full of food. Free markets lead to abundance, controlled markets lead to shortages and rationing. This is common sense to anyone who isn’t a Marxist ideologue. Watch the video of John Stossel taking Bernie’s claims to task...

VA still plagued by problems two years after scandal
Washington Times - Two years after the scandal emerged over phony waiting lists for patients at the Department of Veterans Affairs facility in Phoenix, the department is still beset with problems ranging from fresh accusations of falsified waiting lists to a system-wide failure to discipline wrongdoing. “The VA is still struggling with a lack of accountability, an inability to properly manage a budget rapidly approaching $200 billion, and a failure to provide veterans with timely access to care and benefits,” said John Cooper, a spokesman for Concerned Veterans for America… Employee discipline has become an embarrassment. Even in the rare cases where VA management does punish employees, the agency is being thwarted by union-backed civil service rules. For example, a VA employee in Puerto Rico was reinstated with back pay last month after she was fired upon being arrested for armed robbery. She pleaded guilty, but her union got her job back by arguing in a grievance that a VA manager at the facility is a registered sex offender and another VA hospital manager was once arrested for drunken driving and found in possession of pain pills.

Retail job cuts spike 41% in Q1
Government Slaves - Employers announced 184,920 job cuts during the first quarter of 2016, up 31.8% from the 140,241 cuts tracked in the same period last year and 75.9% more than in Q4 2015’s 105,079 job cuts, according to outplacement firm Challenger Gray and Christmas’s monthly and quarterly report. March’s total, however, was 21.7% lower than the 61,599 layoffs in February and the lowest monthly total since December’s 23,622 cuts. Significant cuts in the retail and computer sectors combined with declines in the oil business to lead the Q1 surge, according to the report. The retail sector recorded the second highest number of job cuts compared to other industries with 31,832 in Q1, up 41% from 22,502 in Q1 2015. Only the energy sector ranked higher in Q1, at52,901 job cuts.

US judge grants $20 billion settlement from 2010 BP oil spill
CNBC News - A federal judge in New Orleans has granted final approval to an estimated $20 billion settlement, resolving years of litigation over the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier's final order on the settlement was released Monday. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier's final order on the settlement was released Monday. The settlement, first announced in July, includes $5.5 billion in civil Clean Water Act penalties and billions more to cover environmental damage and other claims by the five Gulf states and local governments. The money is to be paid out over a 16-year period. Barbier had set the stage for the settlement with an earlier ruling that BP had been "grossly negligent" in the offshore rig explosion that killed 11 workers and caused a 134 million-gallon spill.

This Hospital Allows Pets To Visit Sick Humans To Help Them Feel Better (Video)
Natural Blaze - A Canadian hospital has adopted a program that allows thoroughly cleaned pets to visit their sick humans once a week. When one is feeling under the weather, the smallest of comforts can help shift a mood. A warm blanket, hot tea, or even the presence of a loved one can remind one of the impermanence of the situation, as well as the good days to come. Perhaps no greater comfort exists, however, than the loving presence of a beloved pet. Because animals are great at gifting unconditional love, Juravinski Hospital in Ontario, Canada, has adopted a program that allows pets to visit their seriously ill humans.

Monday - April 4, 2016 - Today in History:

1812 - The territory of Orleans became the 18th U.S. state and will become known as Louisiana.
1818 - A plan was passed by Congress that the U.S. flag would have 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars and that a new star would be added for the each new state.
1841 - U.S. President William Henry Harrison, at the age of 68, became the first president to die in office. He had been sworn in only a month before he died of pneumonia.
1862 - In the U.S., the Battle of Yorktown began as Union General George B. McClellan closed in on Richmond, VA.
1887 - Susanna M. Salter became mayor of Argonia, KS, making her the first woman mayor in the U.S.
1917 - The U.S. Senate voted 90-6 to enter World War I on the Allied side.
1932 - After five years of research, professor C.G. King, of the University of Pittsburgh, isolated vitamin C.
1945 - During World War II, U.S. forces liberated the Nazi death camp Ohrdruf in Germany.
1949 - Twelve nations signed a treaty to create The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
1967 - The U.S. lost its 500th plane over Vietnam.
1968 - Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the age of 39.
1969 - Dr. Denton Cooley implanted the first temporary artificial heart.
1973 - In New York, the original World Trade Center twin towers opened. At the time they were the tallest building in the world.
1975 - More than 130 people, most of them children, were killed when a U.S. Air Force transport plane evacuating Vietnamese orphans crashed just after takeoff from Saigon.
1984 - U.S. President Reagan proposed an international ban on chemical weapons.
1987 - The U.S. charged the Soviet Union with wiretapping a U.S. Embassy.
2006 - The Iraq tribunal charged Saddam Hussein and six others, accusing them of genocide and crimes against humanity stemming from a 1980s crackdown against Kurds.
2011 - Yielding to political opposition, the Obama administration gave up on trying avowed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators in civilian federal courts and said it would prosecute them instead before military commissions.

Panama Papers -The secrets of dirty money
Süddeutsche Zeitung - Over a year ago, an anonymous source contacted the [German newspaper] Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) and submitted encrypted internal documents from Mossack Fonseca, a Panamanian law firm that sells anonymous offshore companies around the world. These shell firms enable their owners to cover up their business dealings, no matter how shady… The Panama Papers include approximately 11.5 million documents – more than the combined total of the Wikileaks Cablegate, Offshore Leaks, Lux Leaks, and Swiss Leaks. The data primarily comprises e-mails, pdf files, photo files, and excerpts of an internal Mossack Fonseca database. It covers a period spanning from the 1970s to the spring of 2016... Among others, Mossack Fonsecas’ clients include criminals and members of various Mafia groups. The documents also expose bribery scandals and corrupt heads of state and government. The alleged offshore companies of twelve current and former heads of state make up one of the most spectacular parts of the leak, as do the links to other leaders, and to their families, closest advisors, and friends. The Panamanian law firm also counts almost 200 other politicians from around the globe among its clients, including a number of ministers.
* Related: Panama Papers: The Power Players

China Builds Africa Base Near US Base, Americans Express Concern
Sputnik News - China is getting ready to move "a few thousand" troops and other military personnel to its first permanent military installation abroad, a new base stationed in Djibouti on the strategic Horn of Africa, according to China Cheat Sheets. The city of its location also happens to be the site of America's own major African military camp, a 4,500 member base used for counter-terrorism and other operations. China’s move has made the US concerned that its rival is beginning a new era as an international military force. Previously, China was seen primarily as an economic competitor with which the US sometimes came into conflict with in the greater Asian region… However, China has downplayed their role in Africa and described the Djibouti base as a "logistical facility” to enhance worldwide anti-piracy efforts.

Saudi Arabia Feels Dire Consequences of Oil Price Decline
Sputnik News - The consequences of the drop in oil prices are having an increasingly negative impact on the domestic economy of Saudi Arabia. The amount of physical currency in circulation has thus significantly decreased for the first time since 2000, Bloomberg reported. Analysts interpret this as a sign that the pressure on the state budget and the country's economy arising from falling oil prices has gradually become noticeable among the country's residents… An economic expert told Bloomberg that the data reflects weakened consumer confidence among Saudis. Despite a recovery in February and March, oil prices remain low and current incomes are under pressure this year, he argued, adding that a consumption recovery in 2016 is unlikely. The foreign exchange reserves of the Saudi Arabian central bank also declined in February by around nine billion euros, with huge outflows bringing the state budget under pressure.

Abuse of hospitality: Czechs to deport Iraqi Christian refugees for attempt to move on to Germany
RT - Czech authorities are planning to deport a group of Christian refugees back to Iraq within a week, after they “abused the good will” of the republic, which provided them asylum, by attempting to cross the border into Germany. The bus which had been carrying a group of Iraqi refugees was stopped at the Czech-German by the police on Saturday. After negotiating with the Czech side, the German authorities decided to return them to Prague… The Christian refugees arrived in the Czech Republic as part of resettlement program run by Generation 21 Endowment. They were originally accommodated in Okrouhlik near Jihlava. But on Saturday, after rejecting asylum in the Czech Republic they boarded a coach to Essen, Germany. According to media reports the Christians were unsatisfied with their future prospects in the Czech Republic. “By rejecting asylum and leaving the accommodation facility, we offered to them, they started acting on their own account,” Martin Frydl, spokesman for the Generation 21 Endowment, told CTK earlier.

Belgium wants migrants to sign pledge to accept local values
RT - Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Theo Francken has drafted a document – “Newcomer’s statement.” The proposal is expected to be passed by parliament in the next few months, according to Reuters. All non-EU immigrants and their children, who wish to stay in Belgium for longer than three months, will be asked “to respect the laws and democratic principles” and concede to freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of sexual orientation. The obligation to sign the “Newcomer’s statement” does not apply to international students and asylum seekers… Immigrants would also be asked to agree to “do everything possible” to prevent any act of terrorism and report it to the police.

CDC Urges U.S. to Prepare for Arrival of Zika Virus…
Breitbart - The government urged health officials around the country Friday to get ready now in case there are outbreaks of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in the U.S. this summer. A Zika epidemic has been sweeping through Latin America and the Caribbean, and officials think it’s likely some small clusters of Zika will occur in the U.S. when mosquito numbers boom. At a “Zika Summit” on Friday, experts prodded some 300 state and local officials gathered at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters to make Zika response plans now.... Officials don’t expect Zika to be a big problem, though, in the U.S. for a number of reasons, including the widespread use of air conditioning and screens. The Zika mosquito likes to bite indoors. They think the clusters may be small and surface only in a few states – most likely Florida and Texas. But they don’t know for sure.... During the summit, state and local officials were encouraged to map where the Zika mosquito lives and breeds in the state and which insecticides would work best in their area. The Zika response will likely mean workers will go door to door, sometimes asking to go on properties and even spray. That’s different from the truck- and aerial-spraying seen in conventional mosquito eradication efforts.
* Related: California’s San Mateo County reported a new case of Zika virus

21 Generals Lead ISIS War the U.S. Denies Fighting
The Daily Beast - There are at least 12 U.S. generals in Iraq, a stunningly high number for a war that, if you believe the White House talking points, doesn’t involve American troops in combat… But if the U.S. footprint is so small, why does the war demand so many generals? There is the three-star general in charge of the war, Army Gen. Sean MacFarland, and his two deputies... There is the two-star Army general in charge of the ground war, Army Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky, and his two deputies... There is the two-star general in charge of security cooperation… and his deputy. Then there are the one-star generals in charge of intelligence, operations, future operations, targeting, and theater support… [also] the dozen figure presumes at least one one-star Special Forces general. And that is just the beginning of the top-heavy war fight. That figure doesn’t include the bevy of generals stationed in places like Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar… Nor does it count the three-star Air Force general and his two-star deputy in charge of U.S. Air Forces Central Command,... Then there is a three-star Marine in charge of Marine Corps Forces Central Command,.. and his deputy and their Navy counterparts. All three commands are responsible for the Middle East… Officially, there are only 3,870 U.S. troops, or the equivalent of a heavy brigade, which is usually led by a colonel. One colonel.

CIA Leaves “Explosive Training Material” Under the Hood of Children’s School Bus
Young Conservatives - The CIA left “explosive training material” under the hood of a Loudoun County school bus after a training exercise last week, a bus that was used to ferry elementary and high school students to and from school on Monday and Tuesday with the material still sitting in the engine compartment, according to the CIA and Loudoun County officials. The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and the CIA said in statements Thursday that the explosive material was left behind after a training exercise at Briar Woods High School during spring break. The CIA said it was a training scenario for explosives-detecting dogs. CIA officials said in a statement that the material “did not pose a danger to passengers on the bus,” which was used on March 28 and 29. Authorities held a joint training program at Briar Woods from March 21 to 24.

Florida limits “Policing for Profit!” Gov. Scott signs forfeiture reform bill into law
Activist Post - Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed SB 1044 into law, which enacts a significant overhaul of the state’s civil forfeiture laws. The bill, which unanimously passed both the Florida Senate and House of Representatives, creates transparency requirements and a long list of new protections for property owners. “This is a significant first step towards ending civil forfeiture in Florida,” said Florida Office Managing Attorney Justin Pearson of the Institute for Justice, which is leading the nationwide effort to end civil forfeiture. “Civil forfeiture is one of the most serious assaults on property rights in America and SB 1044 increases protections for innocent property owners in the Sunshine State. The transparency requirements will also provide valuable information that should lead to additional and needed reform in the future.”

Mother charged with neglect for making her kids walk to school
Government Slaves - Last month, Lisa Marie Palmer, upset that her children had missed the bus, again, decided that it would be a good learning experience for them if they walked to school. Palmer then got in her car and drove in front of her two daughters as they walked the 3-mile route to school. ...when Marion County sheriff’s deputy Chris Ladd spotted the two girls walking behind their mother’s car, he just had to stop it. In his report, Ladd said it appeared Palmer was driving ahead of her children and allowing them to catch up to her car until the kids reached the school. Sheriff Ronnie “Bo” Burnett said Palmer told deputies that her daughters were being punished for missing the bus..... Palmer was subsequently charged with child neglect. To justify his actions, Ladd stated in the report that “Temperatures were cold, and traffic was beginning to become heavy with citizens heading to work.” He went on to state that “Mrs. Palmer was in no position to reach her children safely in the event of an emergency.” The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services is now investigating the case and Lisa Marie Palmer and her husband Douglas Palmer could face the possibility of losing their children.

Cop plays hopscotch with homeless girl after rich neighbors snitch on her 'suspicious' behavior
RT - Video of 'Officer Friendly' playing hopscotch with a homeless girl in the affluent California community of Huntington Beach is all the rage on mainstream media channels, but few noticed the original reason why the cop was there. Turns out, anonymous neighbors tried to ‘shop’ the girl and her mother to police. They rang the authorities to complain about a “suspicious occupied vehicle” Wednesday, rather than doing the neighborly thing by going out to offer assistance… Comments below the Facebook post reveal a number of people in the area know the mother and daughter. One commenter recognized them from church and said they had been attending services for years. “They have lived in their van for a while. Very nice and respectful mom and daughter,” another commenter said. While most of the comments were gushing with joy at the sight of a police officer playing hopscotch, as opposed to shooting unarmed civilians, another commenter got real. “Wait. People know this mother/daughter living situation AND they attend a local church AND they've been homeless for years? Why hasn't anyone offered employment or a place to stay for a while, while they save a little money and get back on their feet?” read the Facebook comment.

Trump Adviser STEVE MILLER Drops Bomb on TED CRUZ: He Proposed Legislation to Double Muslim Immigration in America
The Gateway Pundit - Steve Miller spoke this morning at the Donald Trump town hall in Racine, Wisconsin. Miller destroyed Ted Cruz on the senator’s immigration and trade record. Miller pointed out that Ted Cruz supported the Trans-Pacific Trade Deal that will cost the US millions of jobs. Cruz also pushed to expand Muslim immigration into America. This is despite the fact that Obama has issued 680,000 green cards to immigrants from Muslim countries in the last five years. The Cruz amendment would have doubled the number of Muslim immigrants to America to up to 1.35 million.

THE FIX IS IN: Only 1 in 168 RNC Members – Who Double as Convention Delegates – Supports Donald Trump (Video)
The Gateway Pundit - Maria Bartiromo spoke with Sean Spicer the chief strategist on the Republican National Committee on Sunday Morning Futures this morning. Bartiromo reported that over 100 Republican delegates are reported to break from Donald Trump on a second ballot despite the fact that he won the most states. Out of the 168 Republican National Committee members only one supports Donald Trump. Maria Bartiromo: In one of the starkest examples of lack of support out of the 168 Republican National Committee members, each of whom doubles as a convention delegate, only one publicly supports Trump.

Concerns About Paul Ryan Emerging Out of Ted Cruz-Created Contested Convention as Nominee Dominate Wisconsin
Breitbart - In recent weeks, there has been increasing discussion about the possibility that House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan could emerge out of a brokered convention as the Republican nominee if the donor class is successful in denying Donald Trump the requisite 1,237 delegates.... As conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly, who has endorsed Donald Trump, warned in January, “After months of waiting for Trump to self-destruct, the Washington-based Republican Establishment has finally found a way to take back control of the party from the outsiders and grassroots. The plan revolves around the newly empowered House Speaker, Paul Ryan.” Schlafly writes that through a brokered convention, “‘dark horse’ Paul Ryan could become our nominee. Such an outcome could destroy the Republican Party and guarantee a Democratic victory by causing disheartened grassroots voters to stay home.”

Bikers For Trump Roll Into Wisconsin!
Dianne Marshall - Bikers for Trump rolled in to Wisconsin and upset some anti-Trump protestors that think the first amendment isn’t for all citizens.... Bikers for Trump announced on their Facebook page that “Patriotic Bikers, from all across the United States are planning to show up at ALL future TRUMP rallies to make sure that any paid agitator protesters don’t take away Mr. Trump’s right to speak.

Donald Trump Is Starting To Sound Just Like The Economic Collapse Blog (And That Is A Good Thing)
Economic Collapse - Last week, I discussed how Robert Kiyosaki and Harry Dent are warning that a major crisis is inevitable, but I didn’t expect Donald Trump to come out and say essentially the exact same thing. On Saturday, the Washington Post released a stunning interview with Donald Trump in which he boldly declared that we heading for a “very massive recession”. He also warned that we are currently in “a financial bubble” and that “it’s a terrible time right now” to be investing in stocks. These are things that you may be accustomed to hearing on The Economic Collapse Blog, but to hear them from the frontrunner for the Republican nomination is another thing altogether.

Donald Trump On North Korea Going To War: ‘Good Luck, Enjoy Yourself Folks’
The Guardian - Donald Trump on Saturday told a crowd of thousands he was sanguine about potential hostilities between North Korea and its neighbors. Speaking at a rally in Rothschild, Wisconsin ahead of the state’s primary on Tuesday, the Republican presidential frontrunner said that if conflict between Japan and nuclear-armed North Korea were to break out, “it would be a terrible thing but if they do, they do”. “Good luck,” he added. “Enjoy yourself, folks.” Referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, Trump also complained that the US had 28,000 troops on the armistice line between North Korea and South Korea “to stop a maniac”. Trump complained that the United States received no benefit from deploying troops around the world to help other countries who did not reimburse American taxpayers. “We can’t be the policeman of the world,” said Trump.

Navy SEALs Split Over Members Flaunting Service to Cash in on Brand
NY Times - Eric Greitens’s bid for governor of Missouri hinges on his experience as a Navy SEALs member, which he has chronicled in three books and promotes on his campaign web site, where he is pictured wearing his combat uniform, holding a rifle.... Now Mr. Greitens, seeking the Republican nomination, finds himself in a battle with some former comrades, who charged in a slickly produced YouTube video that he exaggerated his record and was unduly benefiting from his time in the SEALs. The dispute lays bare a widening rift among Navy SEALs, provoked by what leaders and many in the ranks describe as rampant commercial and personal exploitation of a brotherhood that once prized discretion.

U.S. military suicides remain high for 7th year
Government Slaves - The Pentagon reported Friday that 265 active-duty service members killed themselves last year, continuing a trend of unusually high suicide rates that have plagued the U.S. military for at least seven years… The increase in suicide in the military was driven largely by the Army, where suicides rose sharply from 45 in 2001 to 165 in 2012. The Army reported 120 suicides last year, the same as in 2013 and down from 124 in 2014. Data released Friday also show that suicides among reserve troops — reservists in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps and the National Guard — were 210 last year. That is an increase from 170 suicides in 2014 but down from 220 suicides in 2013. U.S. troops have been at war since 2001 in Afghanistan, and fought in the Iraq war from 2003 to 2011.

Video: The Biggest Scam In United States History! G. Edward Griffin Speaks With Stefan Molyneux
Activist Post - Stefan Molyneux and G. Edward Griffin discuss the basics of the central banking scheme, the secrecy which went into the creation of the Federal Reserve System in the United States, why central banking is important, the true nature of the income tax, the government control of currency interest rates, the erosion of market signals by government policies, the possibility of a cashless society, the similarity between the Republican/Democrat establishment and the dangers of collectivism. G. Edward Griffin is the Founder and President of Freedom Force International, a network of men and women from all parts of the world and all walks of life who are concerned over loss of personal liberty and growth of government power.

Waiters And Bartenders Rise To Record, As Manufacturing Workers Drop Most Since 2009
Zero Hedge - On the surface, the March jobs reported was better than expected... except for manufacturing workers… But not all is lost: as has been the case for virtually every month during the "recovery", virtually every laid off manufacturing worker could find a job as a waiter: in March, the workers in the "Food services and drinking places" category, aka waiters, bartenders and minimum wage line cooks, rose again to a new record high of 11,307,000 workers, an increase of 25K in the month, offsetting virtually all lost manufacturing jobs. This is how the two job series have looked since the start of 2015: 24k manufacturing jobs have been lost in the past 14 months compared to an increase of 365K food service workers.

J.D. Power Evaluates the Health of U.S. Auto Market
PR Newswire - J.D. Power warns that incentive spending on new vehicles has risen rapidly in the past year and is trending toward recession-era levels for the industry as a whole and has already exceeded recession-era levels on cars. The analysis… finds that while overall industry retail sales are expected to grow by 300,000 to 14.5 million units in 2016, the growth is being delivered through actions that pose meaningful risks to the long-term health of the industry. Those actions include elevated incentive spending, increased use of extended loan terms, rising loan-to-value ratios and record levels of leasing… King noted that an immediate and significant reduction of incentives on new cars is required, but that means manufacturers will have to reduce car production levels.

L.A. council OKs law limiting homeless people's belongings to what can fit in a trash bin
LA Times - The city has been grappling for the better part of a year with how to respond to shantytowns that leapfrogged their traditional downtown boundaries as the city's homeless population rose 20% in two years, to 26,000 people… Under the new measure, the city can impound homeless people's "excess personal property" after providing 24 hours' notice. The measure defines that as "personal property that cumulatively exceeds the amount of property that could fit in a 60-gallon container with the lid closed." The city will store these items for 90 days, during which time the owners can claim them… With no advance warning, the city can seize and impound a tent that has not been taken down during the day… Bulky and contaminated items can be seized and discarded without warning. Wheelchairs, crutches and walkers are exempt, and homeless people can keep their tents up in daytime hours if the temperature falls below 50 degrees.

'Wake-up call': Study finds fracking can pollute underground drinking water
RT - A Stanford University study shows that fracking can pollute underground drinking water… The findings came from a case study of Pavillion, a small Wyoming town with a population of 231. For the first time, research showed, the fracking operations near the town had polluted underground sources of drinking water, making it unsafe to use… In 2008, the residents of Pavillion complained of a foul taste and odor in their drinking water and questioned whether it was related to physical ailments. The Environmental Protection Agency conducted testing, and in 2011, a preliminary report was issued linking shallow fracking to toxic compounds in aquifers. The EPA report was heavily criticized by the oil and gas industry and regulators, and the environmental watchdog agency never finalized its findings. Instead, it turned them over the state of Wyoming, which released a series of reports without firm conclusions. Wyoming has no plans to take further action on them.

Expert Groups Sue US FDA over GMO Salmon Approval
Sustainable Pulse - A broad coalition of environmental, consumer, and commercial and recreational fishing organizations today sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approving the first-ever genetically engineered (GE) food animal, an Atlantic salmon engineered to grow quickly. The man-made salmon was created by AquaBounty Technologies, Inc. with DNA from three fish: Atlantic salmon, Pacific king salmon, and Arctic ocean eelpout. This marks the first time any government in the world has approved a GE animal for commercial sale and consumption..... The lawsuit challenges FDA’s claim that it has authority to approve and regulate GE animals as “animal drugs” under the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Those provisions were meant to ensure the safety of veterinary drugs administered to treat disease in livestock and were not intended to address entirely new GE animals that can pass along their altered genes to the next generation. The approval of the GE salmon opens the door to other genetically engineered fish and shellfish, as well as chickens, cows, sheep, goats, rabbits and pigs that are reportedly in development. The lawsuit also highlights FDA’s failure to protect the environment and consult wildlife agencies in its review process, as required by federal law. U.S. Atlantic salmon, and many populations of Pacific salmon, are protected by the Endangered Species Act and in danger of extinction.

8 Powerful Liberty Quotes That Will Inspire You to Live Free
Activist Post - Within the United States today, we see ever increasing bureaucracy with a strong stranglehold on the personal liberties which we are supposed to believe we are in total possession of. With the rise of the police state, NSA spying, and extremely dangerous executive orders, America has fallen in many of the metrics that rank countries based on their level of freedom. The American way of life that once looked at government as an entity which the people should avoid being parasitic to, and as an institution that should remain as small as possible, has gone completely to the wayside. A profound example of how large the U.S. federal government has grown is the fact that the Department of Health and Human Services is set to spend over $1 trillion in 2016. That is just one agency out of hundreds. Our once free society now labors to pay off big government. In America today, it is those who cherish freedom who are labeled as dangerous.

The Difference Between Human Grade and Feed Grade
Susan Thixton - All pet foods fall into two categories, human grade or feed grade. The legal definition of a human grade pet food is: “Every ingredient and the resulting product are stored, handled, processed, and transported in a manner that is consistent and compliant with regulations for good manufacturing practices (GMPs) for human edible foods as specified in 21 CFR 117.” This means that every ingredient – including every supplement – are human edible…you could eat the pet food. All pet foods that do not meet the full definition of human grade are feed grade.... Feed grade pet foods could use 100% human grade ingredients or they could use 100% feed grade ingredients or they could use a combination of both. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell by looking at the label. Considering that each US State and the FDA allows pet foods to use illegal, risky ingredients (diseased and non-slaughtered animals) – every pet food consumer should ask their pet food these questions…

Woman Accidentally Mails Her Cat
The Catington Post - It’s no secret that cats love boxes. That’s why we aren’t surprised that a Siamese cat in Britain named Cupcake climbed into a box of DVD’s her owner was packing up to put in the mail. Cupcake’s owner, Julie Baggott, didn’t notice she had climbed into the box – so Cupcake went on an 8-day, 260-mile journey across England. Imagine how surprised the recipient was when a Siamese cat emerged from the box of DVDs they ordered! he surprised recipient called the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and they took the kitty to Grove Lodge Veterinary Group. Fortunately for Cupcake, she had a microchip that brought up contact information for Baggott – who was (as you can imagine) frantically searching for her lost cat! Cupcake was extremely dehydrated after her journey, but she’s fully recovered and was returned to her owner.

Here Are The Strangest Laws From Every State In The Country
ViralNova - With the amount of laws that get thrown around on both state and federal levels every year, a few ridiculous ones are bound to slip through the cracks. And by a few, I mean an uncomfortably large amount. What's crazier is that outdated laws from the past tend to hang around for decades. While law enforcement officers typically focus on laws that actually matter and affect the lives of civilians every day, it's a little unsettling that this level of weirdness is allowed to gum up the works. Take a look at some of the most ridiculous laws that America has to offer. We should at least get a laugh out of them, right?

 

Friday - April 1, 2016 - Today in History:

1621 - The Plymouth, MA, colonists created the first treaty with Native Americans.
1789 - The U.S. House of Representatives held its 1st full meeting in NYC. Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania was elected the first House Speaker.
1853 - Cincinnati became the first U.S. city to pay fire fighters a regular salary.
1863 - The first wartime conscription law went into effect in the U.S.
1865 - At the Battle of Five Forks in Petersburg, VA, Gen. Robert E. Lee began his final offensive.
1891 - The William Wrigley Jr. Company was founded in Chicago, IL. The company is most known for its Juicy Fruit gum.
1924 - Adolf Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison for high treason in relation to the "Beer Hall Putsch."
1938 - The Baseball Hall of Fame opened in Cooperstown, NY.
1945 - U.S. forces invaded Okinawa during World War II. It was the last campaign of World War II.
1953 - The U.S. Congress created the Department of Health Education and Welfare.
1954 - The U.S. Air Force Academy was formed in Colorado.
1960 - France exploded 2 atom bombs in the Sahara Desert.
1960 - The U.S. launched TIROS-1. It was the first weather satellite.
1970 - The U.S. Army charged Captain Ernest Medina in the My Lai massacre.
1970 - U.S. President Nixon signed the bill, the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act, that banned cigarette advertisements to be effective on January 1, 1971.
1972 - North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops renewed their offensive in South Vietnam.
1973 - Japan allowed its citizens to own gold.
1976 - Apple Computer began operations.
1982 - The U.S. transferred the Canal Zone to Panama.
1987 - U.S. President Reagan told doctors in Philadelphia, "We've declared AIDS public health enemy No. 1."
1991 - Iran released British hostage Roger Cooper after 5 years.
2003 - North Korea test-fired an anti-ship missile off its west coast.
2010 - The U.S. Congress cut Medicare reimbursements to physicians by 21%.

Assad Ready For Snap Elections As Kremlin Denies Report Of Russia-US Plan To Help Him Flee Syria
Zero Hedge - With the help of Russia and Hezbollah, Assad’s army liberated the ancient city of Palmyra from Islamic State. Palmyra is a UNESCO world heritage site and over the course of the last nine or so months, ISIS has obliterated a number of priceless artifacts on the grounds that they are monuments to paganism.... But Washington’s reluctance to celebrate the liberation of Palmyra reflects growing concerns that Assad, Hezbollah, and other Iran-backed Shiite militias are now poised to march on Deir ez-Zor - and then on Raqqa. With the “moderate” opposition in the west subdued, a victory in the east would mean Assad has conquered the entire country. Clearly, that raises the question of what happens next.... On Thursday, The Kremlin denied the report. "Al-Hayat published information which does not correspond to reality," Dmitry Peskov said, in a call with journalists.
* Related: How Russia helped free Palmyra from ISIS

Assad says ‘Erdogan's army of terrorists’ fighting in Syria
RT - Turkey’s direct support for terrorists fighting in Syria makes them President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s own army, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an exclusive interview with Sputnik, adding that his country is ready to counter the aggression. Turkey, as well as Saudi Arabia, have "crossed all possible red lines, possibly from the first weeks of the Syrian war," Assad said. "Today, the war against Erdogan and against Saudi Arabia is a war against terrorists. The Turkish army, which is not even Turkish, is Erdogan's army that is fighting today in Syria," he added. Everything that Ankara and Riyadh “have done from the very beginning can be considered aggression. Aggression in a political sense or in a military sense – providing terrorists with arms – or direct aggression with the use of artillery, and other military violations," he stressed.

Obama, Hollande Discuss Possible Forming of New Libyan Gov't to Fight Daesh
Sputnik News - US President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande discussed on the sidelines of Thursday’s Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC on Thursday their commitment to fighting the Daesh and the possibility to form a new government in Libya. Libya has been in a state of turmoil since early 2011, following the overthrow of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi. The instability in the country has caused the emergence of two rival governments, as well as of several militant groups, such as the Daesh. Obama said that the two leaders were both "absolutely committed to the destruction" of the Daesh, and added that France has been a key partner in the US-led coalition’s efforts against the terrorist group in Syria and Iraq.

‘Empty words’: Senior Russian MP denounces Obama’s proposal on nuclear talks
RT - US calls for Russia to join nuclear disarmament talks would remain useless until normal relations between the two nations are restored, the head of the State Duma Committee for International Relations has stated. “The USA must first restore its relations with Russia destroyed by Obama and only after this they can offer us talks on nuclear weapons. Right now his calls are empty,” MP Aleksey Pushkov (United Russia) tweeted. The post came as a reply to a Barack Obama article published by the Washington Post newspaper. In it the US president urged the United States and Russia to negotiate a reduction in the stockpiles of nuclear weapons and to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, as well as sign a new treaty to end the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.

China Set to Deploy Nuke-Equipped Ballistic Missile Capable of Reaching US
Sputnik News - As Chinese President Xi Jinping meets counterparts in Washington DC for the Nuclear Security Summit, military experts suggest that Beijing could soon be in possession of intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the continental United States. US military experts have raised concerns over China’s DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missile. "Given the number of real reported tests, it is reasonable to speculate the DF-41 will be deployed to PLA Strategic Rocket Force bases in 2016," said Richard Fisher, senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, according to the Financial Times. The missile has an estimated range of 9,000 miles and is the first in Beijing’s arsenal to be capable of delivering multiple warheads to any part of the US from any location on the Chinese mainland.

Beijing’s Ominous Threat to Washington over South China Sea: ‘Be Careful’
Sputnik News - Tensions continue to mount between the US and China with an escalation of aggressive posturing on both sides. On Thursday, Beijing’s Defense Ministry issued a veiled warning to the US, regarding naval activity in the South China Sea and a newly signed agreement between the US and the Philippines: "be careful." Tensions have risen between the US and China in recent months. There have been disputes over China’s handling of the North Korean sanctions regime, with American officials arguing that Beijing failed to implement the agreed-upon measures fully, and posturing by both sides regarding the long simmering dispute over territories in the South China Sea.

China Unveils 'Trumpian' Tariffs On All Foreign Goods
Zero Hedge - Chinese President Xi appears to have moved on from currency wars to protectionism as WSJ reports China is tightening its grip on cross-border e-commerce, imposing a new tax system on all overseas purchases. While Trumpian tariffs are dismissed as crazy talk by America's establishment, it seems China took first-mover advantage to boost "Made-in-China" products at the expense of the rest of the world.... The changes in taxes come as the Chinese economy is slowing down and the deceleration is crimping tax revenues. Tax revenues grew 4.8% last year, compared with 7.8% in 2014. Beijing is looking for new sources of growth and revenue, and is trying to guide the economy to rely more on consumption and less on investment and industry. At the same time, Beijing is anxious to build up domestic businesses to provide jobs.

"There Are No More Hotel Beds At All": Sweden's Tourism Industry Collapses As Resorts Become Refugee Centers
Zero Hedge - A new report from Berlin’s labor agency suggests that it will likely be years before the country experiences any benefit from the migration wave. “It can be expected that the labor supply will expand because of migration and the number of unemployed refugees will rise,” as it will take time for migrants to master the language and obtain the qualifications they’ll need to join the labor force. Meanwhile, in Sweden, the toursim industry is being choked off by the migrant flows. According to SvD Naringsliv, the Swedish Migration Board's move to transform tourist facilities into asylum centers means they'll be no more room for vacationers - literally.... An industry that brings in around $32 billion per year (and that doesn't count the $12 billion tourists spend on food, entertainment, and transportation) is about to disappear entirely thanks to the housing needs of Mid-East migrants.... And here is the final insult: Sweden's tourism industry employs around 160,000 people. The number of refugees Sweden took in from the Mid-East in 2015 was... drumroll... 160,000.

Fukushima ice wall gets Japan nuclear regulator’s approval
RT - Japan has given the green light to the launch of its 35 billion yen ($312mn) underground ice wall system around the Fukushima plant, designed to form a barrier and prevent the contamination of groundwater beneath the crippled nuclear facility. The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) announced that they had signaled that the first sections of the system are to be switched on. The giant underground refrigerating system will erect and maintain a barrier of frozen soil around the plant. The complex ice wall system consists of underground pipe network stretching 30 meters (100 feet) below the surface for nearly 1.5 kilometers around the reactor and turbine buildings. The pipes are designed to transport refrigerant cooled to minus 30 degrees Celsius to chill the soil around them until it freezes.... TEPCO’s plan is to first freeze the entire wall on the seaside and about half of the wall on the mountain side to first focus on preventing further contamination of the ocean. The company already managed to freeze small part of the ground and is hoping to freeze the entire wall within several months.

The FBI stalks Hillary while Bill Clinton trolls Obama
Washington Times - Do Bill and Hillary Clinton sense a breakdown in whatever deal they may have struck with President Obama to protect her presidential ambitions? Is whatever negotiation they may have been conducting over her email server problem and any inside information she may have on him now imploding? Or have the Clintons “won” the negotiation with Mr. Obama, freeing them to hit him publicly to get her elected? Something has happened, which has led Mr. Clinton to openly slam Mr. Obama: ” If you believe we’ve finally come to the point where we can put the awful legacy of the last eight years behind us ” he said recently. A few days later, Chelsea Clinton launched a broadside on Obamacare’s costs. A classic Clintonian one-two punch, coming just days before a report that the FBI is seeking interviews with Mrs. Clinton’s top aides, and likely Mrs. Clinton herself. Most investigations interview the target last. What’s going on? No one knows for sure, but we have a clue.

John McCain Linked Nonprofit Received Million Dollar Donation From Saudi Arabia
Zero Hedge - For just and obvious reasons, it’s illegal under U.S. law for foreign governments to finance individual candidates or political parties. Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop them from bribing politicians and bureaucrats using other opaque channels.... Bloomberg reports: A nonprofit with ties to Senator John McCain received a $1 million donation from the government of Saudi Arabia in 2014, according to documents filed with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. The Arizona Republican has strictly honorary roles with the McCain Institute for International Leadership, a program at Arizona State University, and its fundraising arm, the McCain Institute Foundation, according to his office. But McCain has appeared at fundraising events for the institute and his Senate campaign’s fundraiser is listed in its tax returns as the contact person for the foundation.... Though federal law strictly bans foreign contributions to electoral campaigns, the restriction doesn’t apply to nonprofits engaged in policy, even those connected to a sitting lawmaker. This law/loophole obviously needs to be changed. Groups critical of the current ethics laws say that McCain’s nonprofit effectively gives Saudi Arabia — or any other well-heeled interests — a means of making large donations to politicians it hopes to influence.

Library of Congress to Eliminate Terms ‘Illegal Alien’ and ‘Alien’
Breitbart - The Library of Congress is dropping the terms “illegal alien” and “alien” from its subject headings after a group of college students and the American Library Association protested the words’ usage. As early as May, the Library of Congress will begin revising its subject headings and replacing “Aliens” with “Noncitizens” and heading references to “Illegal aliens” with “Noncitizens” and “Unauthorized immigration.” “[The Policy and Standards Division of the Library of Congress] concluded that the meaning of Aliens is often misunderstood and should be revised to Noncitizens, and that the phrase illegal aliens has become pejorative,” the Library explained in its Executive Summary about the changes.

Top 20 Modern Doublespeak Terms To Be Aware Of
Activist Post - Doublespeak is a language that is alive and well in our world today. Doublespeak can refer to terms that are euphemisms (mild expressions designed to hide harsher or more direct ones), deliberately ambiguous (expressions designed to hide the truth) or actual inversions (outright lies which state the opposite of the truth).... Political correctness is a great example of how language control, thought control and doublespeak can be introduced to an entire population without people realizing they are being deceived and manipulated. Below is list of the top 20 modern Orwellian doublespeak terms, with the first half focusing on military and geopolitical terms.

Prison Time for Texas Man Running Los Zetas Warehouse near Border
Breitbart - A Texas warehouse manager for a local company had been using his position to secretly allow members of the Los Zetas drug cartel to move and hide ton quantities of drugs from this border city into Dallas, Texas. On Wednesday U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo sentenced 57-year-old Rafael “Tio” Ortega to a ten year prison sentenced for his role in a massive drug operation by Los Zetas in Texas. According to information provided to Breitbart Texas by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, “Tio” is directly responsible for helping is drug trafficking cell move more than 13,800 pounds of marijuana through Laredo, Texas. Ortega, the former manager at a local industrial warehouse, had previously been convicted in November following a three day trial. Information that came out during that trial form 13 witnesses in the case and from more than 300 exhibits proved to jurors that without the knowledge or the consent of his bosses, Ortega provided a warehouse to the Trejo Nava cell of Los Zetas in order to help the group move large drug shipments. The man known as “Tio” was paid $3,000 per shipment.

Video: Cartel Smugglers Stumble into Mexican TV Reporters
Breitbart - A crew of Mexican reporters who were recording a segment on the border fence in the city of Nogales Arizona, ended up stumbling into two cartel smugglers who managed to sneak into the country undetected. Carolina Rocha a reporter for Mexico’s Azteca Noticias had been recording a segment along Nogales’ International Avenue for an apparent story on cross border shootings when two cartel smugglers with large bundles strapped to their back were able to climb over the border fence from Mexico in a matter of seconds. The two were were able to use the gaps between the metal posts that make the fence to create leverage in order to rapidly climb up and down the fence.

National Border Patrol Council Endorses Trump for President
Breitbart - In an official statement first obtained by Breitbart Texas, the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) endorsed Donald Trump for President of the United States. The unusually bold statement comes just days after a senior policy adviser for Trump made clear that future U.S. border security policy would be largely determined by the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol who are actual agents protecting the border and not by politically-appointed bureaucrats in the Border Patrol or its parent agency, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), if Trump is elected.

Video: Obama White House Attacks Donald Trump for Standing By Aide Charged With Hoax Assault
Gateway Pundit - The #NeverTrump Cruzers have now joined with Team Obama to bash Donald Trump over a hoax assault. The real question is: Are they working together to bring down Trump? Yesterday group of 16 self-righteous Ted Cruz supporters released a statement demanding Donald Trump fire Campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski for allegedly assaulting reporter Michelle Fields. Fields claims she was assaulted when Lewandowski walked past her at the end of a Trump event in Jupiter, Florida. White House Press Secretary joined the Cruz-supporting vigilantes in calling for Lewandowski to step down. Trump said he will stand by his campaign manager because he watched the video and nothing happened. Good for Trump.

CONFIRMED: Cruz Camp Stealing Trump Delegates from States Trump Won (Video)
The Gateway Pundit - The Ted Cruz campaign is running Cruz supporters as Trump delegates in states that Trump won. That way they can steal the nomination from Trump in Cleveland although they’ve only won a fraction of the states Trump has won. "Guy Benson: This has been percolating for several months. He has a very sharp legal team that know the rules inside and out in a way the Trump campaign clearly does not. It’s not just Louisiana. And it’s not just finagling to just get Rubio delegates or unbound delegates. What they’re also doing is getting people elected as Trump delegates who are not, in fact, Trump loyalists. So they would be bound to Donald Trump on the first ballot only. After which, although they are technically Trump delegates, they’ve been sort of put in place to jump.

Ted Cruz Personally Meets Hundreds Of Delegates In California
Breitbart - With Wisconsin’s primary election just days away, 2016 Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz is making a bold move and personally meeting with hundreds of California delegates on Thursday morning in their state. Cruz traveled to California for a Wednesday night appearance on the late night show Jimmy Kimmel Live! He also has a lunch hour fundraiser in Newport Beach on Thursday, where an estimated 250 people are expected to attend at a reported $1,000-per-person event. The invitation lists Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt as attendees. Former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina was listed on the invitation, but she is also slated for meet-and-greet appearances in Wisconsin on Thursday with Heidi Cruz.

Robert Kiyosaki And Harry Dent Warn That Financial Armageddon Is Imminent
Economic Collapse - Financial experts Robert Kiyosaki and Harry Dent are both warning that the next major economic crash is in our very near future. Dent is projecting that the Dow will fall to “5,500 to 6,000 by late 2017″, and Kiyosaki actually originally projected that a great crash was coming in 2016 all the way back in 2002. Of course we don’t exactly have to wait for things to get bad. The truth is that things are not really very good at the moment by any stretch of the imagination. Approximately one-third of all Americans don’t make enough money to even cover the basic necessities, 23 percent of adults in their prime working years are not employed, and corporate debt defaults have exploded to the highest level that we have seen since the last financial crisis. But if Kiyosaki and Dent are correct, economic conditions in this country will soon get much, much worse than this.

Calif. Lawmakers OK $15 Hourly Min. Wage, Highest in US
Economic Policy Journal - Looks to me like it will mean more opportunity for undocumented foreign workers, who are perfectly willing to work for below minimum wage. The legislation passed Thursday now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown, who is expected to sign it into law after previously working out the plan with labor unions. The Assembly passed SB3 with a 48-26 vote. The Senate followed, 26-12. The increases would start with a boost from $10 to $10.50 on Jan. 1. Businesses with 25 or fewer employees would have an extra year to comply. This, of course, will result in more unemployment for unskilled above- ground "legally protected" American workers.

Farewell fossil fuels? Biomass broken down without chemicals for 1st time, study claims
RT - Scientists have made a huge leap in lessening our dependence on fossil fuels, managing to break down raw biomass without using chemicals for the very first time. The result was record high amounts of clean liquid hydrocarbon fuel, according to a new study. When dealing with the possibility of breaking down biomass, a substance known as lignin – one of the components in the woody material used to produce fossil fuel – has traditionally been seen as a challenge, as it is difficult to break down and convert into useful fuel. As such, it often requires high levels of energy or the use of chemicals.... The production of biomass offers an energy alternative that is almost carbon neutral, since the carbon dioxide used is recycled in plant photosynthesis.

Saudi Land Purchases Fuel Debate Over US Water Rights
ABC News - Saudi Arabia's largest dairy company will soon be unable to farm alfalfa in its own parched country to feed its 170,000 cows. So it's turning to an unlikely place to grow the water-chugging crop — the drought-stricken American Southwest. Almarai Co. bought land in January that roughly doubled its holdings in California's Palo Verde Valley, an area that enjoys first dibs on water from the Colorado River. The company also acquired a large tract near Vicksburg, Arizona, becoming a powerful economic force in a region that has fewer well-pumping restrictions than other parts of the state. The purchases totaling about 14,000 acres enable the Saudis to take advantage of farm-friendly U.S. water laws. The acquisitions have also rekindled debate over whether a patchwork of regulations and court rulings in the West favors farmers too heavily, especially those who grow thirsty, low-profit crops such as alfalfa at a time when cities are urging people to take shorter showers, skip car washes and tear out grass lawns.... For decades, Saudi Arabia attempted to grow its own water-intensive crops for food rather than rely on farms abroad. But it reversed that policy about eight years ago to protect scarce supplies.

Preventing Liver Disease In Dogs
Dogs Naturally - Your dog is exposed to toxins from his vaccinations and other drugs, flea, tick and heartworm preventatives, poor quality foods, the cleaning products you use in your home, as well as fertilizers and pesticides outside his home. Even if you don’t use these products, your neighbors probably do. Eliminating these chemicals and using natural, non-toxic alternatives is an important first step to protect your dog’s liver.... Below are some herbs and foods recommended by homeopathic veterinarian Dee Blanco DVM to help strengthen and protect your dog’s liver from liver disease...
 

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