Monday - November 30, 2015 - Today in History:

1700 - 8,000 Swedish troops under King Charles XII defeated an army of at least 50,000 Russians at the Battle of Narva. King Charles XII died on this day.
1782 - The United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris, ending the Revolutionary War.
1803 - Spain completed the process of ceding Louisiana to France.
1804 - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase went on trial accused of political bias. He was later acquitted by the U.S. Senate.
1838 - Three days after the French occupation of Vera Cruz Mexico declared war on France.
1936 - London's famed Crystal Palace was destroyed in a fire. The structure had been constructed for the International Exhibition of 1851.
1939 - The Russo-Finnish War began when 20 divisions of Soviet troops invaded Finland.
1981 - The U.S. and the Soviet Union opened negotiations in Geneva that were aimed at reducing nuclear weapons in Europe.
1986 - "Time" magazine published an interview with U.S. President Reagan. In the article, Reagan described fired national security staffer Oliver North as a "national hero."
1989 - PLO leader Yasser Arafat was refused a visa to enter the United States in order to address the U.N. General Assembly in New York City.
1993 - U.S. President Clinton signed into law the Brady Bill. The bill required a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers.
1995 - President Clinton became the first U.S. chief executive to visit Northern Ireland.
2001 - For the first time in it's history, McDonald's teamed up with a retail partner on its Happy Meal promotions. Toys R Us provided plush figures from it's Animal Alley.
2010 - Pentagon leaders called for scrapping the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" ban after releasing a survey about the prospect of openly gay troops.

‘Oxygen for jihadists’: ISIS-smuggled oil flows through Turkey to intl markets – Iraqi MP
RT - Terrorist group Islamic State earns millions of dollars selling oil on the black market in Turkey, Iraqi MP and former national security adviser, Mowaffak al Rubaie told RT. He also revealed that wounded terrorists are being treated in Turkish hospitals. “In the last eight months ISIS has managed to sell ... $800 million dollars worth of oil on the black market of Turkey. This is Iraqi oil and Syrian oil, carried by trucks from Iraq, from Syria through the borders to Turkey and sold ...[at] less than 50 percent of the international oil price,” Mowaffak al Rubaie said in an interview with RT.

Italians outraged after headmaster scraps Christmas carol concert so as not to offend Muslims
London Telegraph - An Italian headmaster has been forced to resign after he scrapped his school’s Christmas carol concert following the Paris attacks in a move that sparked outrage across the country. Marco Parma, 63, decided to ban traditional festivities at Garofani school in Rozano, near Milan, so as not to cause offence to non-Christian pupils. instead he planned to organise an evening of song in January, transforming the event into a winter concert rather than a celebration of Christmas.... Matteo Renzi, Italy’s prime minister and leader of the Democratic Party, expressed indignation that political correctness had been allowed to get in the way of such an important part of Italian culture.

Over 200 detained, tear gas and scuffles at banned Global Climate March in Paris
RT - Crowds gathered in the French capital on Sunday to attend a global march for the climate, despite the ban on gatherings enforced by French authorities.... The riot police repeatedly attempted to push back the activists, spraying the crowds with tear gas. Ahead of the summit, 24 green activists were put under house arrest, with police saying they were suspected of planning violent protests, according to Reuters. Over 200 people were arrested in the scuffles, AFP reported citing officials. The detained protesters were found to have been in possession of projectiles and other suspicious objects, AP cited Paris police chief Michel Cadot as saying. About 200 to 300 people who violated the official protests ban during the state of emergency have been identified by police, Cadot added.

Chinese yuan to become global reserve currency
RT - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to give the yuan a vote of confidence on Monday and include the Chinese currency in its Special Drawing Rights (SDR) that unites the US dollar, euro, British pound and the Japanese yen. Adding the yuan as a reserve currency will allow central banks to buy more of the Chinese currency, and boost investment in the Chinese stock market. According to Standard Chartered bank, within five years market players will invest at least $1 trillion in Chinese assets. The historic decision will come after years of negotiations between Beijing and the IMF. The main obstacle was China’s monetary policy of keeping the yuan artificially low to boost domestic exports.

Unimaginable Carnage From Fukushima - Killing Pacific Ocean
News With Views - One of the most prominent of them is Dr Helen Caldicott, an Australian physician and long time anti-nuclear activist who warns of "horrors to come" in Fukushima. Chris Busby, a professor at the University of Ulster known for his alarmist views, generated controversy during a Japan visit last month when he said the disaster would result in more than 1 million deaths. "Fukushima is still boiling its radionuclides all over Japan," he said. "Chernobyl went up in one go. So Fukushima is worse."

Top U.S. Air Defense Commander: Turkey's Shootdown of Russian Jet "Had to Be PRE-PLANNED"
Zero Hedge - Lt. General Tom McInerney is an expert on handling threats from fighter jets… In his role as Norad commander for Alaska, McInerney dealt with more Russian fighter jet incursions (which he calls “bear penetrations”) than anyone else in the world. So McInerney knows how to tell innocent from hostile incursions by foreign fighter jets, standard rules of engagement of foreign fighter jets, how to read radar tracks, and the other things he would need to know to form an informed opinion about the shootdown of a foreign jet. Yesterday, McInerney told Fox News – much to the surprise of the reporter interviewing him – that assuming the Turkish version of the flight path of the Russian jet is accurate, Russia wasn’t threatening Turkey, and that Turkey’s shoot down of the Russian jet “had to be pre-planned”, as the jet wasn’t in Turkish air space long enough for anything other than a premeditated attack to have brought it down.

Scientists offer new perspective on Russian jet downing
DW.com - Astrophysicists Tom van Doorsslaere and Giovanni Lapenta from the University of Leuven in Belgium have questioned the statements made by Russia and Turkey regarding the shooting down of a Russian warplane by a Turkish fighter jet on November 24. They employed simple calculations taking into account flight speed, altitude and direction to show that neither official account added up… Van Doorsslaere added that he and his colleague were not interested in proving that either country's version was more correct than the other. He said the two were simply trying to show that we should be careful with the facts and figures coming from both sides.
* Related: ‘Turkish jets gave us no warning before shooting’ – rescued pilot of downed Russian Su-24

Declaring 'new beginning,' EU and Turkey seal migrant deal
Reuters - Turkey promised to help stem the flow of migrants to Europe in return for cash, visas and renewed talks on joining the EU in a deal struck on Sunday that the Turkish prime minister called a "new beginning" for the uneasy neighbors. Leaders of the European Union met Turkish premier Ahmet Davutoglu in Brussels on Sunday to finalize an agreement hammered out by diplomats over the past month, as Europeans struggle to limit the strain on their 28-nation bloc from taking in hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.... A key element is 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) in EU aid for the 2.2 million Syrians now in Turkey.

"Mysterious" Fire Hits Argentine Ministry Of Finance, Destroys Years Of Prior Regime's Files
Zero Hedge - Just days after Argentina threw out the Peronists, who have ruled almost non-stop in the three decades since the end of military rule, The Ministry of Finance suffered a mysterious fire in its computer center, catastrophically (and coincidentally) destroying the prior-regime's files… This is not the first time a fire has destroyed government records - or second, or third, or even fourth... In February, there were fires in the Pink House and Senate and last month in the Libertador Building… And then there was last February's deadly fire which destroyed the central bank's records just days after a planned crackdown on the banking system.

Paris climate conference: Everything you need to know
The Independent - Ahead of the conference, more than 160 countries have said how much they are prepared to cut their carbon emissions by 2030, which puts the world on course for 2.7C of global warming… The UN’s climate chief, Christiana Figueres, the EU and many, though not all, countries want any agreement in Paris to include a “rachet mechanism”. This would require countries to revisit – and hopefully increase – their emissions pledges every five years as green technology progresses. There are also hopes that a longer-term goal can be established that goes beyond 2030. This might take the form of a goal to phase out fossil fuels by, say, 2050… The rich countries have pledged to give the poor ones $100bn a year by 2020 to help them reduce their emissions and adapt to climate change and they are currently giving them just over half that amount… Developing countries also want “loss and damage” funds, for example to help repair the damage caused by climate change-related events such as hurricanes.

Russia offers to help Japan shut down Fukushima reactors
RT - Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom is ready to help Japan shut down the reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. A huge earthquake and a resulting tsunami hit the plant in March 2011, causing three nuclear meltdowns and a massive radiation leak. Japan has been struggling in its cleanup effort in the aftermath of the nuclear accident. As of March 2015, about 600,000 tons of contaminated water was contained within tanks at the site, with the cleanup estimated to take up to 40 years.... The cooperation could involve Russia shutting down other nuclear power plants Japan won’t use in the future.... Earlier on Thursday Russian media reported that Japan was planning to ask for Russian help in shutting down Fukushima.

China Opening “The World’s Biggest Animal Cloning Factory”
Telegraph - The world’s biggest animal “cloning factory” is due to open in China, producing one million calves a year, sniffer dogs and even genetic copies of the family pet.... The factory, which will include a 15,000 square metre laboratory, an animal centre, a gene bank and an exhibition hall, is currently being built in the port city of Tianjin, near Beijing, and is due to open in the first half of next year.... The European Parliament’s environment committee co-rapporteur, Renate Sommer, has criticised the technique of cloning as not being “fully mature” as members voted on the ban in September. “In fact, no further progress has been made with it,” Ms Sommer said at the time. “The mortality rate remains equally high. Many of the animals which are born alive die in the first few weeks, and they die painfully. Should we allow that?"

New Ebola Cases Surface in “Ebola Free” Liberia: “The Threat Remains”
Mac Slavo - The threat from ebola remains quite real, and there is legitimate concern over whether or not the world’s health experts are really capable of containing it. The West African nation of Liberia has once again been reminded that it must remain vigilant and mindful of the terrible power that ebola has in its capacity to transform into a deadly epidemic. Just months after being declared ebola free – twice now – the country has again been plagued by new cases. Authorities aren’t sure how the recent outbreak of ebola happened, but know that it could once again be spreading.... Among other factors, health workers learned during the most recent outbreaks that the virus for ebola can turn up in sperm long after the ordinary incubation period and/or recovery, and can be spread through sexual contact – even six months later.

Paul Craig Roberts Rages At The "Arrogance, Hubris, & Stupidity" Of The US Government
Zero Hedge - On the heels of the Chinese stock market plunging 5.5%, continued turmoil in the Middle East and the price of gold hitting 5 year lows, former U.S. Treasury official, Dr. Paul Craig Roberts told Eric King of King World News that Putin and the Russians are now dominating in Syria and the Middle East as the West destroys itself.

CIA: We Should Not Bomb Certain ISIS Targets Because it May Harm Environment
Townhall - Former CIA director Michael Morell said last week that the White House has hampered the intelligence community's ability to attack oil fields and oil trucks controlled by ISIS. Morell said that, “we didn’t go after oil wells, actually hitting oil wells that ISIS controls, because we didn’t want to do environmental damage, and we didn’t want to destroy that infrastructure." He went on to say that there was a pretentious feeling in the war room that bombing ISIS oil targets would indeed cause environmental damage. On November 18th, Colonel Steve Warren said that striking oil trucks owned by ISIS may cause harm to the drivers who may be innocent.

FBI using elite surveillance teams to track at least 48 high-risk ISIS suspects
Fox News - With as many as 1,000 active cases, Fox News has learned at least 48 ISIS suspects are considered so high risk that the FBI is using its elite tracking squads known as the mobile surveillance teams or MST to track them domestically. “There is a very significant number of people that are on suspicious watch lists, under surveillance," Republican Sen. Dan Coats said.

Coming soon: More immigrants from Muslim nations than population of D.C. — 680,000
Washington Examiner - President Obama's open-door immigration policy is set to accept more immigrants from Muslim nations over the next five years than the entire population of Washington, D.C., according to federal documents. Figures from the Department of Homeland Security show that the president has already issued 680,000 green cards to immigrants from Muslim nations over the past five years. Unless Congress changes his policy, that number will be repeated in the next five years.... The subcommittee said that "assuming no change in visa policy, the U.S. can expect to give green cards to another 680,000 more migrants from these countries over the next five years. A green card entitles recipients to access federal benefits, lifetime residency, work authorization, and a direct route to becoming a U.S. citizen."

Video: “Moderate Muslims” Support Stoning Women For Adultery, Executing Gays
Paul Joseph Watson - Video footage out of Norway proves that the notion of “moderate Islam” is a complete myth and that far more than a tiny minority of Muslims harbor violent, intolerant and extremist views. During a conference held in May 2013, Norwegian Islamic leader Fahad Qureshi complains that the media often frames views such as “the death penalty for homosexuals” or the subjugation of women as only being held by radical Muslims. “I always try to tell them that….these are general views that every Muslim actually has….every Muslim believes in these things,” says Qureshi. Qureshi then asks the audience of Muslim attendees – black, white and Arab – to raise their hands if they agree with gender segregation and stoning women for adultery, as taught by the Koran. Virtually every single ‘moderate’ Muslim in the room raises their hand to agree with these positions. Qureshi then asks the audience if they go to “normal Sunni mosques in Norway.” Virtually everyone raises their hand in agreement once again.

Air Force hires civilian drone pilots for combat patrols; critics question legality
LA Times - The Air Force has hired civilian defense contractors to fly MQ-9 Reaper drones to help track suspected militants and other targets in global hot spots, a previously undisclosed expansion in the privatization of once-exclusively military functions… Civilians are not allowed to pinpoint targets with lasers or fire missiles. They operate only Reapers that provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, known as ISR, said Air Force Gen. Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, head of Air Combat Command. "There are limitations on it," he said. The contractors "are not combatants."… Critics, including some military lawyers, contend that civilians are now part of what the Air Force calls the "kill chain," a process that starts with surveillance and ends with a missile launch. That could violate laws barring civilians from taking part in armed conflict.

Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration: Who Is Robert Califf?
AllGov - … Califf went to Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1973 and medical degree in 1978. He did his residency in internal medicine and cardiology at the University of California San Francisco, but returned in 1982 to serve on the faculty of Duke, where he remained for more than 30 years. At Duke, Califf became a world-renowned researcher, eventually churning out more than 1,200 papers during his time there. He was also a go-to source for journalists writing about new drugs or other topics relating to cardiac issues… But as is common in health research, Califf worked closely with drug companies in his lines of investigation. More than half the funding for his research came from such firms as Merck, Novartis, and Eli Lilly. In his last full year at Duke, 2014, Califf listed six drug companies on his financial disclosure form from which he either got a part of his salary, drew a salary for consulting or in which he owned an equity stake.

Black Friday' protest of police shooting shuts main Chicago shopping street
Reuters -Thousands of people marched on Chicago's most prestigious shopping street on Friday, disrupting business on one of the busiest U.S. retail days, to protest the shooting death of a black teenager by a white policeman and the city's handling of the case. bout 2,000 protesters, some holding signs reading "Stop Police Terror" gathered in a cold drizzle for the march on Chicago's "Magnificent Mile," which closed the major city street of Michigan Avenue to traffic on the traditional "Black Friday" shopping day after the Thanksgiving holiday. Organizers said the rally, led by activist-politician the Rev. Jesse Jackson and several state elected officials, was a show of outrage over the October 2014 death of Laquan McDonald, 17, and what they see as racial bias in U.S. policing.

Colorado Springs Gunman Registered to Vote as 'Unaffiliated Female,' Was 'Unknown' to Pro-Lifers in Area
Breitbart - On November 27, Breitbart News reported that gunman Robert Lewis Dear surrendered to Colorado Springs police around 4:52, following five hours of exchanging intermittent gunfire with police. Two civilians and University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) police officer Garrett Swasey were killed during Dear’s attack. According to The Gazette, Colorado Springs Respect Life’s (CSRL) Joseph Martone Jr. said Dear is “unknown” to the group. CSRL is a pro-life group that “meets twice weekly at the Planned Parenthood for Mass on the mornings the clinic reportedly does surgical abortions.”… Fifty-seven-year-old Dear “originally was from South Carolina and also lived in North Carolina.” He has arrest records in both states–including animal cruelty in 2002, peeping Tom charges in 2002, and allegedly pushing his wife “out of a window” in 1997–but charges against him were dropped or dismissed in all cases. He is registered to vote in Park County, Colorado, and The Gazette reports that his voter registration has him listed as an “Unaffiliated female” voter instead of a Democrat or Republican.

LA to Scan ALL Cars, Publicly Shame Anyone Who Drives Through a ‘Prostitution Area’
The Free Thought Project - Nury Martinez, of the LA city council, wants to scan every single license plate, make a list, and mail out a shame letter to every person who drives through an arbitrary area deemed a prostitution zone.... Law enforcement technologist, and working police detective, Nick Selby writes, This scheme makes, literally, a state issue out of legal travel to arbitrary places deemed by some — but not by a court, and without due process — to be “related” to crime in general, not to any specific crime. There isn’t “potential” for abuse here, this is a legislated abuse of technology that is already controversial when it’s used by police for the purpose of seeking stolen vehicles, tracking down fugitives and solving specific crimes.... To make matters even worse, all the data collected in the process would be a matter of public record under the Freedom of Information Act. Anyone could walk down to the city council, request a report and publish a list of those who got the letter.

This Year's Biggest Dark Money Candidate: Marco Rubio
AllGov - The Florida senator and Republican presidential hopeful has gotten nearly $8.5 million in television advertising promoting his candidacy run in early states and he hasn’t paid a dime for it. The ads have come courtesy of the Conservative Solutions Project, a 501(c)(4) organization that is supposed to use its money to promote social welfare causes. For that reason, the group is not required to disclose its donors. But the only cause Conservative Solutions Project appears to be promoting is Rubio’s, which would appear to be a violation of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations.

Black Friday Total Sales Crash 10% (Despite Rise In Online Spend)
Zero Hedge - We can hear the mainstream media now - "Great News Everyone!! The American consumer is back" - online sales on Black Friday rose 10% to $1.7 billion which ComScore says shows "strong spending." The only problem is - which we suspect will be oddly missing from the mainstream narrative, as ShopperTrak reports total sales on Black Friday crashed 10% to $10.4 billion. While blame has been placed on early opening on Thanksgiving, that is false too since spending on that day also plunged 10%. So, the sales news is unequivocally bad - which is hardly surprising given the collapse in consumer confidence… So to clarify total sales collapsed by $1.2 billion (even as online sales rose by $150 million)... but everything will be awesome once Americans get back to work and start using their work computers to buy buy buy....

Solyndra II: Energy Company Busts on Eve of Climate Summit
Breitbart - As President Barack Obama departed for the climate summit in Paris, he faces a new “Solyndra” scandal as Spain’s Abengoa SA, which received $3 billion in administration sustainable energy loans and Export-Import Bank guarantees, announced that it has started bankruptcy proceeding and may soon default on its debt.

Silicon Valley’s Key Reservoir May Collapse
Breitbart - A pricey retrofitting project at one of Santa Clara County’s largest dams has been delayed by a full year after engineers discovered nearby “trace faults” that could elevate the risk of the dam’s collapse in the event of a strong earthquake. Santa Clara Valley Water District officials had hoped to begin the $193 million project to strengthen Anderson Reservoir in early 2017, but will now begin in early 2018, according to the San Jose Mercury News. The project will not completed until 2021 or 2022.

New Report Exposes Dangerous/Unhealthy Pet Food
The Cornucopia Institute - The report, and an accompanying buying guide, Decoding Pet Food: Adulteration, Toxic Ingredients, and the Best Choices for Your Companion Animals, details how pet food quality varies significantly among brands and all too often includes unnecessary chemical additives. The pet food industry is no different than leading food marketers for humans when it comes to cheap substitutes and false health claims,” says the report’s lead author, Linley Dixon, PhD, a policy analyst at The Cornucopia Institute.... “The good news is that discriminating shoppers now have a new web-based tool, released with the report, to help them weed through product labels and separate the healthy formulas from marketing hype,” stated Dr. Dixon.... Click here to read the report.
 

Wednesday - November 25, 2015 - Today in History:

1758 - During the French and Indian War, the British captured Fort Duquesne at what is now known as Pittsburgh.
1783 - During the Revolutionary War, the British evacuated New York. New York was their last military position in the U.S.
1850 - Texas relinquished one-third of its territory in exchange for $10 million from the U.S. to pay its public debts and settle border disputes.
1955 - In the U.S., the Interstate Commerce Commission banned racial segregation on interstate trains and buses.
1957 - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower suffered a stroke.
1985 - Ronald W. Pelton was arrested on espionage charges. Pelton was a former employee of the National Security Agency. He was later convicted of 'selling secrets' to Soviet agents.
1986 - U.S. President Reagan and Attorney Gen. Edwin Meese revealed that profits from secret arms sales to Iran had been diverted to rebels in Nicaragua. National Security Advisor John Poindexter resigned and Oliver North was fired.
1992 - The Czech parliament voted to split the country into separate Czech and Slovak republics beginning January 1, 1993.
1998 - President Jiang Zemin arrived in Tokyo for the first visit to Japan by a Chinese head of state since World War II.
1998 - The IMF (International Monetary Fund) approved a $5.5 billion bailout for Pakistan.
1999 - Six-year-old Cuban refugee Elian Gonzalez was rescued by a pair of sport fishermen off the coast of Florida.
2002 - President George W. Bush signed legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security.
2003 - The Senate gave final congressional approval to Medicare legislation combining a new prescription drug benefit with measures to control costs before the baby boom generation reaches retirement age.
2003 - Yemen arrested Mohammed Hamdi al-Ahdal, a top al-Qaida member suspected of masterminding the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole and the 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker off Yemen's coast.
2006 - Israel and the Palestinians agreed to a cease-fire to end a five-month Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip and the firing of rockets by Palestinian militants into the Jewish state.

Ankara defends ISIS, Turkish officials have financial interest in oil trade with group - PM Medvedev
RT - Some Turkish officials have ‘direct financial interest’ in the oil trade with the terrorist group Islamic State, Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev said as he detailed possible Russian retaliation to Turkey’s downing of a Russian warplane in Syria on Tuesday.... According to the PM, Russia is considering canceling several important projects with Turkey and barring Turkish companies from the Russian market. Russia has already recommended its citizens not to travel to Turkey, citing terrorist threats, resulting in several tourist operators withdrawing tours to Turkey from the market. Russia may further scrap a gas pipeline project, aimed at turning Turkey into a major transit country for Russian natural gas going to Europe, and the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant.
* Related: Flashback: Turkey’s Prime Minister Caught Arming ISIS

Downed Su-24 Pilot Found 'Safe And Sound', Taken to Hmeymim Base
Sputnik News - The rescue operation of Russia's Su-24 navigator has been successefully completed with the pilot back at the Hmeymim airbase safe and sound, Russian Defense Ministry Gen. Sergei Shoigu said Thursday.... Vladimir Putin said that the commander killed in Syria will be awarded the Star of Hero of the Russian Federation posthumously. The rescued pilot will also be given state honors.

Putin: Downing of Russian jet over Syria stab in the back by terrorist accomplices
RT - “This incident stands out against the usual fight against terrorism. Our troops are fighting heroically against terrorists, risking their lives. But the loss we suffered today came from a stab in the back delivered by accomplices of the terrorists,” Putin said. Putin said the plane was hit by a Turkish warplane as it was traveling at an altitude of 6000 meters about a kilometer from the Turkish border. It was hit by an air-to-air missile launched by a Turkish F-16 jet. The crash site is four kilometers from the border. The plane posed no threat to Turkish national security, he stressed. Putin said the plane was targeting terrorist targets in the Latakia province of Syria, many of whom came from Russia. Russia has for a long time been aware of oil going from Syria under the control of terrorists to Turkey, Putin said. The money finances terrorist groups.... The downing of the Russian warplane happened despite Russia signing an agreement with the US to prevent such incidents in Syria, Putin stressed. Turkey claims to be part of the US-led coalition fighting against IS in Syria, he added.

Russian Defense Ministry Video Proves Su-24 Never Entered Turkish Airspace
Sputnik News - While authorities in Ankara have insisted that it shot down the Russian Su-24 bomber after the aircraft entered Turkish airspace, the Russian Defense Ministry has released video proving that the plane never left Syrian airspace. According to a leaked letter written to the UN Security Council by the Turkish Ambassador, Turkey’s military justified the shooting down of a Russian bomber by claiming that the aircraft had entered Turkish airspace for 17 seconds. But flight data released by Russian Ministry of Defense shows that the Su-24s never entered Turkey, and were attacked while performing legitimate maneuvers over Syria.
* Related: Leaked Ankara UN letter claims Su-24's ‘air space violation’ lasted 17 seconds

Russia to suspend military cooperation with Turkey
RT - Moscow plans to suspend military cooperation with Ankara after the downing of a Russian bomber by Turkish air forces, Russian General Staff representatives said on Tuesday. Further measures to beef up Russian air base security in Syria will also be taken.

Russia Deploys Warship Off Syrian Coast To "Destroy Any Threats To Russian Planes"
Zero Hedge - The seemingly cagey confirmation by NATO and Obama of Turkey's claims that Russia invaded its airspace has been rebuked by Russia which claims the Hmeimim airbase radar shows the attacking Turkish plane violating Syrian airspace. In response, Russia is moving a Cruiser 'Moskva' off the coast to strengthen air-defenses - just as French and US carriers are on their way. Here is The Turkish version mapping of the flight paths....

Russian Su-24 pilots shot dead while parachuting over Syria - Turkmen militia
RT - As the two Russian pilots descended by parachute after the Su-24 jet was downed, both were shot dead by Turkmen forces, Reuters reports citing a deputy commander of a Turkmen brigade in Syria. "Both of the pilots were dead on retrieval. Our comrades opened fire into the air and they died in the air," Alpaslan Celik, a deputy commander of a Syrian Turkmen brigade said. He was speaking near the Syrian village of Yamadi, according to Reuters. Celik held what he said was a piece of a pilot's parachute. However, reports have emerged the two pilots may be still alive. Ankara is working to secure their release from Syrian rebels, a Turkish government official told Reuters. "Our units, who received the information that the two pilots were alive, are working to get them from opposition rebels safely," the official said.

Turkey Has Destroyed Russia’s Hope Of Western Cooperation
Paul Craig Roberts - Turkey’s unprovoked shoot-down of a Russian military aircraft over Syria raises interesting questions. It seems unlikely that the Turkish government would commit an act of war against a much more powerful neighbor unless Washington had cleared the attack. Turkey’s government is not very competent, but even the incompetent know better than to put themselves into a position of facing Russia alone. If the attack was cleared with Washington, was Obama bypassed by the neocons who control his government, or is Obama himself complicit? Clearly the neoconservatives are disturbed by the French president’s call for unity with Russia against ISIL and easily could have used their connections to Turkey to stage an event that Washington can use to prevent cooperation with Russia.

FSA video claims Russian-made helicopter hit with US-made TOW missile near Su-24 crash site
RT - A video of Syrian rebels allegedly firing at a Russian-made helicopter on the ground has been posted on a YouTube channel associated with the FSA’s 1st Coastal Brigade. The helicopter is said to have been on a search mission for the pilots of the Su-24 jet downed by Turkey in Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the militants stuck the helicopter with an anti-tank missile. he Free Syrian Army (FSA), considered to be the so-called “moderate opposition” by the West, has received US Tow missiles among other weaponry. The video released by the rebel group shows two helicopters flying over a wooded area. The clip then switches to a militant setting up and arming a TOW anti-missile rocket launcher. It’s followed by footage of a helicopter on the ground filmed from a distance, which is blown up by a direct hit. However, the distance and the quality of the video don’t make it possible to establish the allegiance of the helicopter. The BGM-71 TOW (Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided) is one of the most widely used anti-tank guided missiles, which has been produced in the US since the 1970s.

Top senator says Russia to help Afghanistan fight ISIS
RT - Russia will continue the free delivery of weapons to Afghanistan’s military as it is concerned by the growing influence of Islamic State and its plans to merge with the Taliban, Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko has said. Moscow will continue to closely observe the current situation in Afghanistan and will not ignore the recent rise in activity of Taliban fighters, the Russian Senate speaker said after talks with her Afghan colleague, Fazil Hadi Muslimyar, on Tuesday. Russia is especially concerned about the situation in Kunduz and Badakhshan, where the concentration of Taliban terrorists is on the increase, Matviyenko added.

Explosives Uncovered in Cairo Parcels Headed for US
Sputnik News - New X-Ray baggage security scanners installed at Cairo International Airport as part of enhanced security measures after A-321 tragedy detected explosives in two parcels going to the US. Explosive materials were discovered during routine security procedures, and the owners of the parcels haven't yet been identified. US has asked Egypt to stop sending parcels, cargo or mail on passenger planes heading for America starting this week, according to Aswat Masriya.

Islands Outraged Over Pentagon’s Plans to Send Thousands of Troops to Guam
Sputnik News - Residents of Guam and the Mariana Islands are enraged by US plans to send 4,800 Marines there in the nearest future to conduct military drills close to the scene of East Asia conflicts. The islands would be a perfect choice for carrying out military exercises due to their location. Not only they are a sovereign American territory — which means the US wouldn't have to worry about partnership abrogation — they are the US lands closest in proximity to Japan. One of the duties of Guam Marines would be to respond to natural disasters in Japan, and Tokyo is covering more than a third of the expenses in construction of the training grounds. The choice may be obvious for a Defense Department that has been struggling to locate permanent base options for the Marines, but for islanders, in particular the residents of neighboring Pagan and Tinian, the answer isn't so clear.

Powerful 7.5 quake jolts Peru-Brazil border
RT - A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake, initially reported as 6.9, has struck eastern Peru, close to the border with Brazil, according to USGS. he quake was extremely deep, some 600 kilometers below ground level. Besides Peru and Brazil, shaking has also been felt in neighboring Bolivia. The epicenter of the quake was located in an unpopulated area of the Amazon Basin, 175 kilometers from the closest Peruvian town of Iberia, and some 250 km from the Brazil’s Brasileia and Bolivia’s Cobija. There has been no tsunami risk for Chile and Peru following the quake, according to available data.

Take that! Obama: Climate summit a ‘powerful rebuke’ to terrorists
Climate Depot - President Obama declared Tuesday that next week’s climate change summit in Paris would be a “powerful rebuke” to terrorists, speaking alongside French President Francois Hollande at a joint news conference. “Next week, I will be joining President Hollande and world leaders in Paris for the global climate conference,” Obama said during his prepared remarks, which focused mostly on the efforts to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). “What a powerful rebuke to the terrorists it will be, when the world stands as one and shows that we will not be deterred from building a better future for our children,” he added.

Terrorism Deaths Quadruple Under Obama
Breitbart - Deaths from terrorism increased 80 percent last year to an all-time-record of 32,658 people killed, compared to 18,111 in 2013. The number is up about 426 percent from the 7,654 killed by terrorists in 2008 under President Bush, according to the latest report from ‘Vision of Humanity.’ The 2014 economic cost of 13,370 terrorist attacks in 93 countries included property damage, medical costs, lost income for victims, and the indirect costs of preventing and responding to terrorist acts. The annual “Global Terrorism Index” report estimated those costs hit an all-time-high in 2014 of $52.9 billion.

Students Want Statue of ‘Incestuous Rapist’ And ‘Racist’ Thomas Jefferson Removed
Breitbart - Students at the College of William & Mary want Thomas Jefferson’s status removed from campus because they call him an “incestuous rapist” and a “racist.” The Jefferson statue there is now covered in yellow notes that say things including: “he knew it was wrong,” “racist” “rapist,” “black lives matter,” and ” stop worshiping racists.” The College of William & Mary, Jefferson’s alma mater, is one of many schools in America where student activists are debating the legacy of the Founding Fathers and demanding the removal of anything that commemorates them. At Princeton University, student activists held a sit-in inside the office of the president demanding that Woodrow Wilson’s name be removed from all the university’s buildings. Students at the University of Missouri are also targeting Thomas Jefferson. A petition has been created for the removal of Jefferson’s statue from university grounds.

Obama: Syria Needs ‘Ceasefire,’ Regime Change, Democratic Elections So It Can Unite Against Terrorism
CNS News - President Barack Obama said today that the road to peace in Syria runs through a “transition away from” the current regime led by Bashar al Assad and then democratic elections that he believes can bring into power a “government that can unite the Syrian people against terrorism.” “Regarding the broader crisis in Syria, President Hollande and I agree that Russia’s strikes against the moderate opposition only bolster the Assad regime, whose brutality has helped to fuel the rise of ISIL,” Obama said in a joint press conference with French President Francois Hollande. “We agree that Russia could play a more constructive role if it were to shift the focus of its strikes to defeating ISIL, said Obama....

Thanksgiving Travelers Facing Tougher Security Measures
NY Times - Millions of Americans who take to the skies for the busiest travel period of the year, in the aftermath of terrorist attacks around the world, are expected to see longer security lines and more careful screening, more uniformed patrols and more bomb-sniffing dogs. The nation's railroads and highways will have heightened security, as well, but the vigilance will be most apparent at airports. On Monday, the State Department issued a worldwide travel alert for Americans because of the increased threat of terrorism. Late Monday, the F.B.I. and the Department of Homeland Security sent a joint bulletin to law enforcement agencies nationwide, warning of the possibility of "homegrown" terrorists trying to replicate the Paris attacks.

Chicago Mayor Emanuel Urges "Remain Peaceful" As Protests Begin After Video Shows Cop Killing Black Teen
Zero Hedge - With the release of this video, we suggest anyone living in and around Chicago 'brace' for potential social unrest. The Chicago Police Department has released video footage of the officer-involved shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, who was struck 16 times during a confrontation with officers. The dashcam video, described by Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez says that this video is "graphic, violent, and chilling," is expected to provoke a very strong emotional reaction from Chicago’s very large African-American community. As John Kass, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, said, the video "could tear Chicago apart," which is why Mayor Emanuel has already urged Chicagoans, "it is fine to be passionate, but it is essential to remain peaceful."

No Constitutional Right To Homeschool, Supreme Court Justice Says
Off the Grid News - Parents do not have a right to homeschool under the US Constitution, says Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Scalia also believes there is no right to school choice within the Constitution. “The notion that everything you care a lot about has to be in the Constitution is a very dangerous notion,” Scalia said during an appearance at Georgetown University. “Because it begins with stuff we all agree upon, ‘Oh, sure, we ought to be able to educate our children the way we want.’ That was one of the early substantive due process [cases] — don’t get me going on substantive due process.” Parental choice in education is among the important rights not guaranteed in the Constitution, Scalia told the law students at Georgetown University in mid-November, Education Week reported.

VIDEO: Trump Is Right: CNN Reported on American Muslims Celebrating 9/11
The American Spectator - So the newest controversy? That Donald Trump said he saw clips of New Jersey Muslims celebrating 9/11. His critics pounced. But whatever he may have seen or not seen in New Jersey, CNN reported that Muslims in New York City celebrated 9/11 — in 2009.The CNN segment was anchored by Anderson Cooper, with the report filed by CNN investigative reporter Drew Griffin. The focus of the story is the 96th Street Mosque, identified as “right in the heart of New York.” The report was titled “Homegrown Hate.” Griffin speaks to the Imam, who says Islam is about peace. But right outside the Mosque are Muslims — American Muslims “born and raised” in the United States — preaching hatred of the U.S. Saying that the 9/11 attacks were justified... Continue reading here.
* Related: I Live In Jersey And Trump Is Right: Muslims DID Celebrate On 9/11 In NJ . . . We Saw It!

'He confused New Jersey with the Middle East': Ben Carson campaign rows back on claims he saw New Jersey Muslims cheering on 9/11
Daily Mail - Ben Carson backed up Donald Trump and then did a walk back today, as The Donald claims that American Muslims in New Jersey cheered the collapse of the Twin Towers on 9/11. Carson told ABC News that 'yes' American Muslims were cheering, explaining that he 'saw a film of it, yeah,' and the footage came from 'the newsreels' of 9/11 coverage.Very soon after, Carson explained that he 'was thinking of the Middle East, not New Jersey' and his campaign apologized for the comments.

Rand Paul: Boston Bombers Were ‘Coddled’ as Refugees But Still Attacked Us
Mediaite - Rand Paul blasted the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program Friday, telling radio host Jeff Kuhnerthe Boston bombers were “coddled” and given “free stuff” as refugees, but still “decided to attack us.” The Republican presidential candidate said the refugee screening process is “absolutely not” rigorous enough to allow migrants into the United States. “The fact that we had two Iraqi refugees posing as refugees come into our country and want to attack us with stinger missiles shows that it wasn’t, and I don’t believe still is, very rigorous,” he said. The Boston bombers came here as refugees,” Paul noted. “We coddled them, we gave them free stuff, we gave them free housing, and yet, they decided to attack us, so there’s a great risk.”

Backfire: Hillary Tweets All Sexual Abuse Accusers Deserve To Be ‘Believed,’ Is Reminded Of Her Husband
Daily Caller - On the night CNN aired a controversial and, as many legal critics call it, flawed documentary on sexual assault on college campuses, Democratic Party frontrunner Hillary Clinton tweeted solidarity with victims of sexual assault. The response could not have been what she was hoping for. The link in her tweet went to a campaign webpage on sexual assault on campus that starts with a quote from a speech Hillary gave in September: “I want to send a message to every survivor of sexual assault: Don’t let anyone silence your voice. You have the right to be heard. You have the right to be believed, and we’re with you.” Clinton’s original tweet was immediately greeted with a crush of reminders of allegations against her husband, former President Bill Clinton, for sexual assault and even rape.

The Triumph Of Materialism: The Average American Will Spend 830 Dollars On Christmas In 2015
Economic Collapse - Has there ever been a major holiday more focused on materialism than the modern American Christmas? This year, Americans are planning to spend an average of 830 dollars on Christmas gifts, which represents a jump of 110 dollars over the average of 720 dollars last year. But have our incomes gone up accordingly? Of course not. In fact, real median household income in the United States has been experiencing a steady long-term decline. So in order to fund all of our Christmas spending, we have got to go into even more debt. We love to pull out our credit cards and spend money that we do not have on lots of cheap, useless stuff made on the other side of the world by workers making slave labor wages. We do the same thing year after year, and most of us have grown accustomed to the endless cycle of growing debt.

Census Bureau: 21.6% of U.S. Children—15,931,000–on Food Stamps in 2014
CNS News - Of the approximately 73,623,000 children under the age of 18 in the United States in 2014, 15,931,000—or 21.6 percent—were in households that received food stamps, according to data released today by the Census Bureau. The information comes from Table C8 in the Census Bureau’s Families and Living Arrangements data, which is derived from the Current Population Survey’s 2015 Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) and which the Census Bureau says reflects 2014 numbers. (The ASEC survey asks respondents about the receipt of food stamps in the previous year.)

Meat Tax: Influential Report Calls For Meat To Be Taxed Like Cigarettes
Breitbart - Tackling climate change and improving public health can be achieved by forcing consumers to eat less meat in their diets, and it is up to government to force that change, finds a new report. Co-authored by the University of Glasgow and Chatham House, one of the world’s most influential think-tanks, the paper claims “our appetite for meat is a major driver of climate change”. Finding global meat consumption has reached “unhealthy levels” and cutting consumption is key to “keeping global warming below the ‘danger level’ of two degrees Celsius”, the paper calls for urgent government intervention. Far from being a potentially fatal move for democratic governments around the world, the report findings insist the public won’t actually react badly to the State taking meat off the table. The changes and government intervention should be packaged and served up to the public in the same way punitive taxation and gradual banning of tobacco products were, reports The Guardian.

Tuesday - November 24, 2015 - Today in History:

1863 - During the Civil War, the battle for Lookout Mountain began in Tennessee.
1871 - The National Rifle Association was incorporated in the U.S.
1940 - Nazis closed off the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, Poland. Over the next three years the population dropped from 350,000 to 70,000 due to starvation, disease and deportations to concentration camps.
1944 - During World War II, the first raid against the Japanese capital of Tokyo was made by land-based U.S. bombers.
1947 - The "Hollywood 10," were cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about alleged Communist influence in their industry.
1963 - Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald live on national television.
1969 - Apollo 12 landed safely in the Pacific Ocean bringing an end to the second manned mission to the moon.
1971 - Hijacker Dan Cooper, known as D.B. Cooper, parachuted from a Northwest Airlines 727 over Washington state with $200,000 in ransom.
1985 - In Malta, Egyptian commandos stormed an Egyptian jetliner. 60 people died in the raid.
1987 - The U.S. and the Soviet Union agreed to scrap short- and medium-range missiles. It was the first superpower treaty to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons.
1989 - Czechoslovakia's hard-line party leadership resigned after more than a week of protests against its policies.
1992 - In China, a domestic jetliner crashed, killing 141 people.
1993 - The U.S. Congress gave its final approval to the Brady handgun control bill.
1993 - Robert Thompson and Jon Venables (both 11 years old) were convicted of murdering 2-year-old James Bulger of Liverpool, England. They were both sentenced to "indefinite detention."
2010 - A jury in Austin convicted former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, on charges he'd illegally funneled corporate money to Texas candidates in 2002. (DeLay is appealing a three-year prison sentence.)

Russian Su-24 fighter jet shot down over Syria - Russian MoD (VIDEO)
RT - A Russian Su-24 fighter has been shot down in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding the plane hadn’t violated Turkish airspace and was flying at an altitude of 6,000 meters. “During the flight, the aircraft was flying within the borders of Syria, which was registered by objective monitoring data,” the ministry said, adding that the aircraft was "supposedly shot down from the ground.” The pilots managed to eject, the ministry said, adding their fate is as yet unknown. The downing of the Russian plane is "a very serious incident,” said Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov. He added, however, that it is too early to draw conclusions until the whole situation is clear.... Reports of a downed plane emerged earlier in Turkish media. A Habertürk TV reporter on the scene said the aircraft “turned into a fireball. Turkish military added the plane had been warned at least 10 times over a period of five minutes before being shot down by two Turkish F-16 fighter jets. He said the plane had violated Turkish airspace. Turkish military added the plane had been warned at least 10 times over a period of five minutes before being shot down by two Turkish F-16 fighter jets. He said the plane had violated Turkish airspace.
* Related: Russian warplane shot down — Live updates

Crackdown on Citizen Freedoms After Paris Attacks Reeks of US Post-9/11
Sputnik News - The government is giving guarantees of security to a traumatized population that asks for ever more security, even at the price of sacrificing its own freedoms," Noel Mamere, one of the few politicians to vote against the new security measures, told Reuters. "In a few months, these same people will wake up with a hangover and realize that, in the name of fighting terrorism, the country has been locked down and our individual and collective liberties violated." The state of emergency gives French authorities a wide array of new powers. For one, police can conduct warrantless searches of both people and homes, provided that conspiratorial activity is suspected. Police are also free to detain individuals or place them under house arrest for indefinite lengths of time without charge, based purely on the exhibition of behavior deemed to be a threat. Since the attacks, 90 people have been arrested, with another 164 placed under house arrest.

Gifts From Uncle Sam: Al-Qaeda Wages War in Syria With US Weaponry
Sputnik News - The Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, has released a grateful video, where they openly thank the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which the US has touted as a “moderate opposition group”, for supplying them with US-made anti-tank TOW missiles (“Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided")… according to a report released by the Iranian news agency FARS. The agency reminds readers that the two groups, the Al-Nusra and the FSA, formed an alliance in March, the Army of Conquest, or Jaish al-Fatah in Arabic, to fight against the forces of President Assad… Through this alliance several militant groups like the Al-Nusra Front and the Ahrar al-Sham movement have been given access to FSA's US-made heavy weaponry, which has been supplied to the militant group by the US, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Brussels Lockdown: 1,000 Cops Hunt Paris Suspect Salah Abdeslam
NBC News - Belgian officials said five more raids were carried out on Monday, hours after residents of Brussels were ordered to shelter in place as police searched nearly 20 properties around the European capital overnight. Federal prosecutor Eric van der Sypt said 21 people in total had been detained as part of the large-scale operation. He earlier had said fugitive Salah Abdeslam — wanted in connection with the Paris terrorist attacks — was not among those taken into custody overnight. Around 1,000 police officers were working on the Abdeslam manhunt, Belgium's Interior Minister Jan Jambon told local radio. When asked how it was possible that the suspect could still be at large, Jambon said "he must have a lot of support on our soil."

Belgium Censors Free Speech With Kitten Photos During Terror Raid
Kit Daniels - After Belgian police asked residents to censor themselves on social media during a terrorist raid, the compliant public saturated Twitter with kitten photos to drown out news on the #BrusselsLockdown. The police told local Twitter users to refrain from posting live updates on the search for Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam to “keep the police and military safe.” “To prevent terrorists from following police activity, Belgian police asked residents not to share details of the #BrusselsLockdown via social media, and civilians took over the hashtag and flooded it with pictures of their feline friends,” Twitter said in a statement. But by burying news on the raid with kitten photos and by censoring their own speech, residents gave Belgium officials the opportunity to suppress facts which placed authorities in a bad light while also allowing corrupt government officials to potentially engage in a cover-up. This is nothing short of an attack on the press because media outlets use social media as a primary source of news, and such censorship only benefits the government while doing little to ensure public safety.

Canada reportedly to exclude single males from Syria refugee program
RT - Canada, which has agreed to take in 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year, will reportedly limit the immigration flow to single women and families, refusing to accept single males in the wake of the Paris Friday 13 bombings. Ahead of the announcement of the government plan to house the tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, CBC News has learned that Ottawa will limit their welcome to women and children, but will not accept any single unaccompanied men seeking asylum. However the CBC report on single male exclusion is yet to be confirmed, as Canada is due to announce its immigration plan only on Tuesday. “All these refugees are vulnerable but some are more vulnerable than others, for example, women, families and also members of religious minorities who are oppressed,” said Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard. Yet, he rejected the notion of “exclusion” of single men.

Refugees Block Railway on Greek-Macedonian Border, Demand Way to EU
Sputnik News - Some 1,300 migrants blocked international railway from the Greek city of Thessaloniki to Skopje on Monday, demanding the authorities to let them into Macedonia and then further into the European Union… On November 18, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia limited access to their countries for economic migrants, those who originate not from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The move came after the deadly Paris attacks on November 13 raised security concerns all over Europe… EU border agency Frontex recorded over 1.2 million illegal border crossings into the European Union in the first 10 months of 2015.

Putin lifts export ban on uranium enrichment equipment to Iran
RT - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree lifting the ban on supplying Iran with uranium enrichment equipment. It is linked to Russia importing enriched uranium from Iran, according to the official government website.... According to the document, the ban on supplying goods, materials and equipment no longer applies “to the exports of the enriched uranium from the Islamic Republic of Iran.” According to the document, the ban on supplying goods, materials and equipment no longer applies “to the exports of the enriched uranium from the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Worldwide travel alert: State Department issues warning for Americans amid increased terror threat
PIX 11 - The State Department issued a rare worldwide travel alert Monday evening for U.S. citizens amid several terror threats overseas. " Current information suggests that ISIL (aka Da’esh), al-Qa’ida, Boko Haram, and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions," a statement from the department read. "These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics, using conventional and non-conventional weapons and targeting both official and private interests." "Authorities believe the likelihood of terror attacks will continue as members of ISIL/Da’esh return from Syria and Iraq. Additionally, there is a continuing threat from unaffiliated persons planning attacks inspired by major terrorist organizations but conducted on an individual basis.... The department says all U.S. citizens should remain vigilant when in public places or using transportation.

People Should Think About the Threat of Government This Thanksgiving
Kurt Nimmo - During a press conference Obama’s Press Secretary Josh Earnest continued to press a narrative set up by gun control activists in response to the terrorist attacks in Paris, according to Charles Spiering. “As people sitting around the Thanksgiving table talking about these issues as they should and I’m sure they will all across the country, I hope that’s a question that will be raised and asked by members around the table,” Earnest said. Earnest’s remark coincides with a bill introduced by New York Sen. Charles Schumer. The Democrat wants to make certain people on the government’s no-fly list are denied the right to protect themselves. The list—which prevents people from boarding an airplane and flying in and out of the United States—is not based on criminal conviction. It is based on “predictive assessments” of people the government has determined are terrorists. It is pre-crime in action. It is violation of the Fourth Amendment.

Islamic State: ‘The Threat to the United States’… Feds interdict 82 ISIS affiliates within USA…
Breitbart - A Mclean, Virginia-based defense think-tank has published a prescient white-paper on the Islamic State terror group, which has been made available exclusively to Breitbart News prior to its release.... Threat Knowledge Group supports the Defense Department and FBI with strategic analysis and training, and this latest report unveils the Islamic State’s recruitment network inside of the United States. They found that over 250 people from the United States have attempted to join ISIS, according to a report from the House Homeland Security Committee. Also, some 82 individuals in the United States have been interdicted by federal agents as part of ISIS plots, according to a database compiled by Threat Knowledge Group. And the FBI already has almost 1,000 active ISIS investigations in the United States, the report adds. ... TKG Report the ISIS Threat [full report]

Chinese troops train in U.S. while New York prepares for terror attack with mass shooting drill
Activist post - In what is being touted as a groundbreaking first, Chinese troops are currently conducting training on U.S. soil despite recent tensions with the Communist nation. The training, part of the 11th Disaster Management Exchange, is being conducted at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State and includes at least 80 soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army.... Interestingly, the U.S. Navy also recently started a week-long training exercise, this time in China, with the guided missile destroyer USS Stethem arriving in Shanghai early last week ahead of planned communications exercises and a surface rescue simulation.... New York City recently conducted a major mass shooting simulation, apparently in response to the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and in preparation for the upcoming massive Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. According to a report by the Associated Press, the training exercise was planned long ago but got a “last-minute update” after the Paris attacks that included role players wearing suicide vests.

US Bioterrorism Gen-2 Detection System May Not Actually Work
Sputnik News - The system designed to detect terrorist biological attacks, BioWatch Gen-2, cannot readily be relied on because the US government has failed to properly test its technical capabilities, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report on Monday. "Considerable uncertainty remains as to the types and sizes of attack that the Gen-2 system could reliably detect," the report stated… "DHS officials have stated that the system’s operational objective is to detect attacks large enough to cause 10,000 casualties, but DHS cannot conclude with any defined level of statistical certainty that the system can reliably achieve this objective," the report said.

Report: 150 Passengers On Flight From Mexico to NYC Skipped Customs
Breitbart - Sources tell The Daily News that passengers on American Airlines Flight 1671 arriving at JFK from Cancun, Mexico, last week simply walked out of the airport without ever having to present their passports or check in with Customs and Border Protection. “Some passengers on Flight 1671 did not complete immigration and customs process upon arrival when they were inadvertently directed to the domestic terminal,” American Airlines said in a statement to The Daily News. The airline reportedly told the passengers to return to the airport and check in with customs. As of Sunday 144 passengers had returned for processing and an official told The Daily News that the remaining passengers were U.S. citizens.

Govt Denies Hungry Families Thanksgiving Food Because a Pro-Cannabis Group Donated It
Activist post - In the state of Oregon, where marijuana was recently legalized, a government agency has rejected food donations for the holidays because the donations came on the behalf of a marijuana-related organization. A group called Women Leaders in Cannabis was able to raise considerable food donations for people in need and initially their contributions were accepted by Oregon’s Department of Human Services. However, the agency later changed their mind and decided that they did not want to accept the donations because they did not want to be associated with a substance that is now legal in the state.... Gene Evans, a DHS spokesman later admitted in a statement to KATU that the donations would be an embarrassment for the government.... Luckily, the group was quickly able to find a private organization called Autism Rocks to help them distribute their donations.

Dinosaur Media Dumps Ratings, Claims Its Not Relevant Anymore
Government Slaves - Fox, the broadcast network owned by 21st Century Fox Inc., will stop issuing ratings based on how many people watch its shows live or soon after they air, saying the measure is no longer relevant because so many viewers catch up later. The network will still provide the so-called live plus same-day ratings for live events like awards shows and sports, it said in a statement on Friday. For most entertainment, like sitcoms or scheduled reality programs, it’ll measure viewership after three and seven days… The numbers, which come from Nielsen, are repackaged by statistics staff at the networks to spin even the most disappointing results as positive. “There will no longer be THAT email in your inbox every morning at 8AM, because THAT email is no longer relevant,” Dana Walden and Gary Newman, who share the titles of chairman and chief executive officer at Fox Television Group, said in a memo.

5 Signs Of America's Decaying Society
Zero Hedge - While Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning and John Kiriakou are vilified for revealing vital information about spying and bombing and torture, a man who conspired with Goldman Sachs to make billions of dollars on the planned failure of subprime mortgages was honored by New York University for his "Outstanding Contributions to Society." This is one example of the distorted thinking leading to the demise of a once-vibrant American society. There are other signs of decay...

Trump Hits Hillary for Hypocrisy on Border Walls
Breitbart - Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is calling out Hillary Clinton for supporting a protective border wall around Israel while also opposing a protective wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.... “She supported a wall for Israel when it was politically expedient,” he said. “Now, she is for open-borders and flooding the country with unvetted refugees from countries that are exporting terrorism.” “It’s bad enough that she lied to the American people about Benghazi, but now she wants to pander to those who might jeopardize our very homeland security,” he said. “This is hypocrisy at the highest level.”... Clinton co-sponsored a July 2004 resolution that “urges the United States to vote against any further United Nations action that could delay or prevent the construction of the security fence and to engage in a diplomatic campaign to persuade other countries to do the same.” But now she’s pandering to the progressive, open-borders wing of her party as she tries to lock up the party’s 2016 nomination.

Drought: Water Savers Fined, Rich Get Free Reign
Breitbart - Apple Valley resident Debbie Alberts, who, despite having cut her water use by more than half this year, told the New York Times that she pays hefty “drought surcharges” on a water bill that can routinely reach hundreds of dollars. Alberts’s last bill included a surcharge of nearly $80, putting the total bill above $330. “It’s impossible to get under the line,” Alberts, a part-time food service worker, told the paper. “We wash clothes once a week. We flush every third time. Sometimes we go to the laundromat because we’re afraid.” Meanwhile, in posh areas of Los Angeles, San Diego and the Bay Area, households that can afford it use millions of gallons of water per year with little or no repercussions.

15 Thanksgiving Foods and Snacks Safe to Share with Your Dog or Cat
Dr. Becker - The usual advice for dog and cat owners during the holiday season is to avoid feeding species-inappropriate "table scraps." This is because traditional holiday dinners tend to be high-fat feasts that aren't suitable for pets. There is also concern about ingredients in human food that can be toxic for pets. Plus, we don't want to encourage begging at the table. But with all that said, whether or not you share your Thanksgiving meal with your pet really depends on what the meal consists of and what ingredients are used. For example, cooked turkey meat is fine for both dogs and cats. A few fresh cooked veggies such as plain (no flavorings or additives of any kind) green beans or yams are also fine.
* Related: 8 (Somewhat Surprising!) Thanksgiving Day Foods that can Kill Your Dog

Monday - November 23, 2015 - Today in History:

1765 - Frederick County, MD, repudiated the British Stamp Act.
1936 - The first edition of "Life" was published.
1943 - During World War II, U.S. forces seized control of Tarawa and Makin from the Japanese during the Central Pacific offensive in the Gilbert Islands.
1945 - The U.S. wartime rationing of most foods ended.
1961 - The Dominican Republic changed the name of its capital from Ciudad Trujillo to Santo Domingo.
1971 - The People's Republic of China was seated in the United Nations Security Council.
1979 - In Dublin, Ireland, Thomas McMahon was sentenced to life imprisonment for the assassination of Earl Mountbatten.
1983 - The first Pershing II missiles were deployed in West Germany. In response, the U.S.S.R. broke off International Nuclear Forces (INF) talks in Geneva.
1985 - Larry Wu-tai Chin, a retired CIA analyst, was arrested and accused of spying for China. He committed suicide a year after his conviction.
1985 - Gunmen hijacked an Egyptian jetliner en route from Athens to Cairo. The plane was forced to land in Malta.
1991 - Yugoslavia's rival leaders agreed to a new cease-fire, the 14th of the Balkan civil war.
1998 - The tobacco industry signed the biggest U.S. civil settlement. It was a $206-billion deal to resolve remaining state claims for treating sick smokers.
1998 - A U.S. federal judge rejected a Virginia county's effort to block pornography on library computer calling the attempt unconstitutional.
2006 - Former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko died in London from radiation poisoning after making a deathbed statement blaming Russian President Putin.
2011 - Yemen's authoritarian President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to step down amid a fierce uprising to oust him after 33 years in power.

Russian airstrikes destroy 472 terrorist targets in Syria in 48 hours, 1,000 oil tankers in 5 days
RT - Russian airstrikes have torched more than 1,000 tankers taking stolen crude oil to Islamic State refineries. This blow against the jihadists comes as the Russian Air Force has hit 472 terrorist targets in two days in Syria, making 141 sorties.... The decision to augment operation in Syria was taken after the Russian security service, the FSB, reported to President Vladimir Putin that the Russian passenger plane that crashed over Egypt’s Sinai was destroyed by a terrorist bomb. President Putin has vowed to find and punish the culprits behind the Sinai plane attack. “Our military work in Syria must not only continue. It must be strengthened in such a way so that the terrorists will understand that retribution is inevitable,” he said. Russian Air Force pilots heading for sorties against Islamic State in Syria have been sending emotional messages to their targets, writing “For Paris” and “For our people” on the sides of the high explosive bombs.

Sixteen arrested in Brussels crackdown
Reuters - Belgian national Salah Abdeslam, a suspect in the Paris attacks, has not been found despite 19 raids and 16 arrests overnight in the Belgian capital, and authorities are still warning of possible imminent attacks.... Belgian national Salah Abdeslam has not been found despite 19 raids and 16 arrests overnight, and authorities are still warning of possible imminent attacks like those in the French capital, in which 130 people were killed. Belgian police fear he has returned home to launch new attacks.

Protective suits stolen from Paris hospital, raising fears of chemical attack
Global News - The authority for the Paris public hospitals says a number of protective health outfits, similar to those worn by people dealing with the Ebola virus, are missing from a locked room in a city hospitals. A formal complaint was filed on Thursday, the same day Prime Minister Manuel Valls said in the National Assembly “there may also be a risk of chemical and bacteriological weapons” used by attackers.... The Paris public hospital authority said Sunday a “limited number” of suits were missing but wouldn’t confirm media reports saying a dozen hermetic protective overalls, three dozen pairs of special boots resistant to chemical agents, gloves and anti-bacterial masks have disappeared.

Authorities missed many ‘red flags’ before Paris shootings
Reuters - There were multiple chances to stop the men who attacked Paris. In January, Turkish authorities detained one of the suicide bombers at Turkey’s border and deported him to Belgium. Brahim Abdeslam, Turkish authorities told Belgian police at the time, had been “radicalized” and was suspected of wanting to join Islamic State in Syria, a Turkish security source told Reuters. Yet during questioning in Belgium, Abdeslam denied any involvement with militants and was set free. So was his brother Salah – a decision that Belgian authorities say was based on scant evidence that either man had terrorist intentions. On Nov. 13, Abdeslam blew himself up at Le Comptoir Voltaire bar in Paris, killing himself and wounding one other. Salah is also a suspect in the attacks, claimed by the Islamic State, and is now on the run.

Ukraine nuclear power plants 'dangerously' without power as towers feeding energy to Crimea blown up
RT - In an eerie reminder of a possible nuclear catastrophe, a senior Ukrainian energy official revealed that the attack on transmission towers that cut off the delivery of electricity from Ukraine to Crimea also created an emergency situation at nuclear power plants. The apparent act of sabotage in Ukraine's Kherson region forced an emergency power unloading at several Ukrainian nuclear power plants, which can be extremely dangerous, according to the first deputy director of Ukraine's energy company Ukrenergo, Yuriy Katich. Russia's Crimea was forced to switch to autonomous reserve power after transmission towers in the adjacent Ukrainian region were blown up, causing a blackout.

US, French Aircraft Carriers Rush Toward Syrian Coast To Find Numerous Russian Warships Already There
Zero Hedge - Where things get very interesting is what the Navy Times says next: “ISIS is not the only challenge that awaits the flotilla, which includes the cruiser Anzio, Carrier Wing Air 7, and destroyers Bulkeley, Gravely and Gonzalez. Russian, Chinese and Iranian marines have established their presence in Syria, and Russian warships from the Black Sea have relocated to the eastern Mediterranean to protect fighter jets conducting airstrikes in support of Syria's Assad regime. In preparation, the strike group's Composite Training Unit Exercise focused on adversaries that more closely resembled those of the Cold War.” Russians and Iranians we knew about, but Chinese?.. We can only hope that the sudden confluence of goodwill and best intentions by the superpowers to crush ISIS is genuine instead of merely a ploy to get everyone in the same place and result in the biggest ever Gulf of Tonkin redux and an "accidental" sinking of one or more ships... with or without a fake Syrian passport planted next to it.

Army, APCs, Roadblocks Deployed In Brussels After Explosives, Chemicals Found
Zero Hedge - In the aftermath of last night’s warning [11/20/15] of an “imminent” terror threat in Brussels when OCAM Crisis Center and the government raised the country’s terror alert to the highest level, today the escalation continues and the Belgian capital looks like not only a ghost town but something out of a Call of Duty warzone after authorities shut the metro and warned the public to avoid crowds because of a “serious and imminent” threat of an attack.... “The advice for the population is to avoid places where a lot of people come together like shopping centers, concerts, events or public transport stations wherever possible,” a spokesman for the government’s crisis center said.

President Xi Jinping says China will fight Isis after hostage executed and three nationals die in Mali
International Business Times - China is set to wage war with Islamic State (Isis) after the extremists executed one of its citizens and three Chinese nationals died during the Mali siege. IS have claimed this week they have executed Beijing man Fan Jinghui, 50, and Norwegian Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad, 48, in their magazine, Dabiq… "Terrorism is the common enemy of humanity. China resolutely opposes terrorism in any form and resolutely fights against violent, terrorist, criminal activities that challenge the bottom line of human civilization." Xi also called on government departments to increase security "outside China's borders". The Chinese army has around two million soldiers at its disposal.

Army Chaplains To Lose Christian Motto Because It Might Offend Muslims
Breitbart - The Royal Australian Army Chaplains’ Department is to lose their traditional motto held since 1913, because it is offensive to Muslims. The cap badge and motto of the Australian army chaplains is presently identical to those held by the British army, a legacy and tradition dating back to the founding days of the Australian nation as it established itself as a Dominion independent of Great Britain. Emblazoned on a Maltese cross and wreath in purple and gold, the motto ‘In This Sign Conquer’ is thought to be a reference to the crusades. Now just five months after a Muslim Imam joined the Australian forces religious advisory committee, that history is to be swept away, reports Australia’s Daily Telegraph. Despite the sudden push for change, there is not thought to presently be a single Australian Muslim chaplain in the army.

Swiss alternative bank breaks negative rates taboo
AFP - A tiny Swiss bank specialized in financing social and environmental projects will on January 1 go where no retail lender has gone before, applying negative interest rates on individual clients. The Alternative Bank Schweiz (ABS) caused shockwaves with a letter sent to all clients in mid-October informing them that it would begin imposing interest charges on deposits in 2016. For current accounts, the bank said it would impose a -0.125-percent rate, while slapping a -0.75-percent rate on client deposits higher than 100,000 Swiss francs ($98,650, 92,420 euros). So far individual depositors have been shielded from the burn of decisions by several central banks, including Switzerland's, to introduce negative interest rates to light a flame under growth or ward off unwanted currency investors.

CNN Punished Its Own Journalist for Fulfilling a Core Duty of Journalism
The Intercept - CNN yesterday suspended its global affairs correspondent, Elise Labott, for two weeks for the crime of posting a tweet critical of the House vote to ban Syrian refugees. Whether by compulsion or choice, she then groveled in apology. This is the original tweet along with her subsequent expression of repentance... This all happened after the Washington Post’s Erik Wemple complained that her original tweet showed “bias.” The claim that CNN journalists must be “objective” and are not permitted to express opinions is an absolute joke. CNN journalists constantly express opinions without being sanctioned.

Police investigate New Orleans shooting that left 16 wounded
(AP) - Police have been trying to figure out what sparked a gun battle in a crowded New Orleans park that left 16 people wounded and the mayor is calling on witnesses to come forward. Hundreds of people were gathered at a playground for a block party and music video shoot when two groups in the crowd opened fire on each other Sunday evening, police said. Police were on their way to break up a big crowd at Bunny Friend Playground when gunfire erupted at the park in the city's 9th Ward, the police said in a statement. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, speaking in a news conference aired on WWL-TV, called on people who were in the park to come forward with information.

Israeli spy Pollard released, Washington refuses to change parole terms
RT - The US says it will not change the parole conditions of convicted Israeli Jonathan Pollard, who was released from jail Friday after spending 30 years behind bars. Washington says he will have to spend five years in the US before he can leave for Israel. Pollard was handed a life sentence in 1987 for passing on US state secrets to Israel. The Israeli government had long campaigned for his release and for the spy to be allowed to move to Israel. “The people of Israel welcome the release of Jonathan Pollard,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. “As someone who raised Jonathan’s case for years with successive American presidents, I had long hoped this day would come.” However, the White House confirmed that the US president does “not have any plans to alter the terms of his parole.”

US Congresswoman Introduces Bill To Stop "Illegal" War On Assad; Says CIA Ops Must Stop
Zero Hedge - Last month, US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard went on CNN and laid bare Washington’s Syria strategy… In short, Gabbard all but tells the American public that the government is lying to them and may end up inadvertently starting “World War III.” … and now, with bi-partisan support, the brazen Hawaii Democrat has introduced legislation to end the "illegal war" to overthrow Assad… Perhaps if the clueless masses won't listen to "lunatic" fringe blogs or Sergei Lavrov, they'll listen to a US Congresswoman who served two tours of duty in Iraq and who is now telling Americans that The White House, The Pentagon, and most especially the CIA are together engaged in an "illegal" effort to overthrow the government of a sovereign country and in the process are arming the very same extremists that are attacking civilians in places like Paris.

C-SPAN Goes There – Asks Question: Did President Obama Just Admit He Was Muslim? (Video)
GatewayPundit - CSPAN goes there, asks question: Did President Obama Just Admit He Was Muslim? Pay attention to when he uses the word “we”… Earlier this week Barack Obama spoke to G20 members in Antalya, Turkey about the Muslim issue. Obama said this: “I think on the one hand, non-Muslims cannot stereotype. But I also think the Muslim community has to think about how we make sure that children are not being infected with this twisted notion that somehow they can kill innocent people and that is justified…”

Obama Praises Refugees in Malaysia: ‘Excited’ to See What You Do in America
Breitbart - President Obama is using his visit to a refugee center in Malaysia to highlight the plight of Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar and remind the world that he’s committed to bringing more refugees to America. “I’m very excited to see what the individuals sitting around this table end up doing in the United States of America, because my suspicion is that they’re going to do great things,” he said. Obama spoke after visiting a group of refugees at the Dignity for Children Foundation in Malaysia who were on their way to settle in the United States.

DC Police Chief: 'Best Option' Is For Citizens To Take Out Paris-Style Attackers
Breitbart - …Lanier said, “If you’re in a position to try and take the gunman down, to take the gunman out, it’s the best option for saving lives before police can get there.” She admitted that such advice runs “counterintuitive” to what police have been saying for decades, but she stressed that the situation has changed. Lanier said: “We always tell people, ‘Don’t…don’t take action. Call 911. Don’t intervene in the robbery’…we’ve never told people, ‘Take action.’ [But] it’s a different…scenario.” She also made clear that she does not want Americans to be paranoid, but she does want them to be alert and prepared.

A List of Every U.S. Town Obama is Sending “Refugees”, Is Your Town on the List?
DC Gazette - Obama is increasing the number of migrants being brought to the U.S. by 10,000, so it’s important to know where they will be going, and if it is a town near you. The Department of state released a list of all the processing centers these refugees will be sent. Find out if your town is on the list, and please share with your friends and loved ones.

Nighttime Military Exercise Startles Phoenix Residents
Adan Salazar - Residents of Phoenix were startled last night [1119/15] when multiple low-flying choppers soared through the city and dropped black-clad figures onto the roof of a downtown structure. Unbeknownst to Phoenicians, some of whom feared the incident was related to the Paris terror attacks, the actions were part of a military exercise carried out with the blessing of the Phoenix Police Department. Claiming they received “a lot of calls” from confused and concerned people questioning helicopter noise, ABC15 reports the aircraft were part of a covert military drill centered around the Sandra Day O’Connor federal courthouse in central Phoenix.

Undercover Cop Dressed In All Black Shot While Placing GPS Tracker On Car
informationliberation - An undercover police officer in Arlington, Texas was shot while attempting to place a GPS tracker on a person's vehicle, and the man who shot him may not even be charged. Preliminary reports suggest the undercover officer, who was dressed in all black at the time, may have been mistaken for a car burglar… after the officer went to place a GPS tracker on a suspect's vehicle, a neighbor reportedly confronted him to ask what he was doing. When the cop responded that he "had dropped something" the neighbor opened fire on him with an assault rifle, hitting him in his arm, leg and hand. The undercover officer failed to identify himself as a police officer and ran away to the safety of a fellow officer's getaway vehicle, a black ford F150, which was also shot some sixteen times as they fled the scene. Two men and one woman were seen being arrested shortly after the incident. A SWAT team then descended on the neighborhood and surrounded the home in question for hours only to drive away later "with a whimper" and make no arrests.... Former Prosecutor Toby Shook says the shooter may not face any charges as Texas' liberal gun laws allow "for the use of deadly force to stop a burglary."

The Charity that Passes on only 3% of its Budget to Help the Children it Claims to Help
AllGov - According to an investigation by the Tampa Bay Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting, Kids Wish has given out less than 3% of its donations to sick children. The rest has gone to fundraising and salaries to its founder and former president, Mark Breiner. The Times found he or his companies have received $4.8 million over the past 10 years from the charity. More than $110 million has gone to professional solicitors. During the same period, the charity gave only $3.3 million to children. Kids Wish has come under enough scrutiny that it has hired a crisis management specialist. Melissa Schwartz worked for the federal government after the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. She said Kids Wish “hires solicitors so its staff can focus on working with children, not on raising donations,” the Times reported. She refused more comment, saying the charity is “focused on the future.”

Teacher Assigns 9th Grade Students To Create ISIS Recruitment Poster
Truth Revolt - A ninth grade teacher in Utah gave students a homework assignment this week that had parents outraged and has caused a stir online. Just days after the horrific terror attacks in Paris, the unnamed teacher sent kids home to research and create propaganda posters for terror group ISIS. The assignment was eventually canceled, and the school has issued an apology.... To call the assignment a dumb move would be a colossal understatement.... Students researching their posters would be searching the internet for actual ISIS propaganda, putting themselves at risk in addition to being exposed to the very propaganda that has polluted other teens too young to yet understand the full implications of what they are seeing. This assignment would be bad enough in class under supervision. But to send the kids home to work on it perhaps alone goes beyond irresponsible and into downright negligent.

Tell Your Senators QR codes are NOT a viable substitute for mandatory, on-package labeling of GE foods!
Center for Food Safety - Have you ever used a “QR code,”? If you haven’t, you’re not alone. Less than 20% of the U.S. population has ever used one. Yet some Senators are suggesting putting these QR codes on food products instead of mandatory on-package labeling of genetically engineered foods and to preempt the GE food labeling laws in Vermont, Connecticut, and Maine. But using a QR code is no substitute for clear, simple labels – worse, it’s discriminatory, burdensome, and raises serious privacy concerns. A QR code is a small square of black and white pixels that you can scan with the camera and a special app on your smartphone to take you to a certain website that the QR code creator has selected. ...imagine that each time you pick up a product you have to pull out your phone, open up an app, wait for the camera to focus on the bar code, wait for a webpage to load (if you can connect to the internet), and then finally read to see if the information you need is there.... Only 64 percent of Americans own a smartphone. That means that more than a third of all Americans will not be able to use this form of labeling.

Cancel the Debate! CNN Caught Selectively-Editing Trump’s ‘Muslim’ Comments
Breitbart - Left-wing cable news network CNN has been caught red-handed selectively editing Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump’s comments about a “Muslim registry,” and doing so in order to make it sound as though he is agreeing to this registry. He is not.... What CNN edited out is in bold: Reporter: Should there be a database system that tracks Muslims who are in this country? Trump: There should be a lot of systems, beyond databases. We should have a lot of systems, and today you can do it. But right now we need to have a border, we have to have strength, we have to have a wall, and we cannot let what’s happening to this country happen any longer. Reporter: Is that something your White House would like to implement? Donald Trump: I would certainly implement that. Absolutely.
* Related: Paul: Trump Should be ‘Disqualified’ His Plans Would Require a ‘Religious Czar’ for Muslims

UPDATE: CNN Lied – Trump Protesters DID NOT Kick Black Activist Who Stormed Rally
Gateway Pundit - Saturday at Donald Trump’s Alabama rally a far left black activist stormed the rally.... CNN reporter Jeremy Diamond said the irate protester was punched and kicked on the floor: At least a half-dozen attendees shoved and tackled the protester, a black man, to the ground as he refused to leave the event. At least one man punched the protester and a woman kicked him while he was on the ground. All of the attendees who were involved in the physical altercation with the protester were white… Today we received this firsthand account from an Alabama reader at the rally: No one kicked him or called him racial names. He laid in the floor refusing to get up & leave. Every time they got him on his feet he would try to lay down again. When they did finally get him on his feet & headed towards the door he tried to run back into the crowd shouting & screaming Black Lives Matter....

Obama’s VA Facility Bans ‘Merry Christmas’
Breitbart - President Barack Obama’s Department of Veterans Affairs has banned employees at its facility in Salem, Virginia, from saying “Merry Christmas” to veterans. It started as a broader ban that included Christmas trees. Federal law recognizes Christmas as an official federal holiday (5 U.S.C. § 6103) and provides federal employees with a paid day off to celebrate the Christian belief in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.... Yet the “Executive Leadership Team” at the Salem VA Medical Center banned Christmas trees, as well as other Christian speech and celebrations.... Just hours ago, pressure from the center’s employees caused the management team to cave on the Christmas tree ban. Christmas trees are back in at the facility. However, the email goes on to say that private religious expressions can only be uttered in “personal work areas.” That means employees can only speak freely in places where the public usually cannot enter and, even then, only if the recipient would clearly understand that the speaker is speaking in his personal capacity only.

Toxic Dust: Health Consequences of Depleted Uranium Home and Abroad [Full Film]
WhoWhatWhy - A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is defined as one that can cause indiscriminate death or injury on a large scale. One of the weapons the American military used in Iraq fits that definition — only it was a much more insidious substance, quiet, slow-acting, and persistent. It’s called depleted uranium (DU) and takes the form of a brown, radioactive, super-fine dust that is everywhere... Once a particle gets into the body, it irradiates its immediate surroundings forever, causing all kinds of damage — cancers including leukemia, organ damage, toxic encephalopathy, cognitive dysfunction, and birth defects.... Today, half of the 697,000 US Gulf War troops from the 1991 war have reported serious medical problems and a significant increase in birth defects among their newborn children.

Pfizer set to buy Allergan for more than $150 billion says sources
Reuters - Pfizer Inc secured formal board approval on Sunday for its acquisition of Botox maker Allergan Plc for more than $150 billion, a deal that will create the world's biggest drug maker, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal, the largest ever in the healthcare sector, will be announced on Monday and is sure to draw political ire in a U.S. presidential election year because Pfizer would redomicile to Ireland, where Allergan is registered, in a so-called "inversion" that would slash its corporate tax rate. t will also reignite debate in the pharmaceutical industry over the role of research and development, with Allergan Chief Executive Brent Saunders, a prolific dealmaker and a skeptic of in-house drug discovery, joining the combined company in a position to influence its strategy.

The U.S. Dollar Has Already Caused A Global Recession And Now The Fed Is Going To Make It Worse
Economic Collapse - The 7th largest economy on the entire planet, Brazil, has been gripped by a horrifying recession, as has much of the rest of South America. But it isn’t just South America that is experiencing a very serious economic downturn. We have just learned that Japan (the third largest economy in the world) has lapsed into recession. So has Canada. So has Russia. The dominoes are starting to fall, and it looks like the global economic crisis that has already started is going to accelerate as we head into the end of the year. At this point, global trade is already down about 8.4 percent for the year, and last week the Baltic Dry Shipping Index plummeted to a brand new all-time record low. Unfortunately for all of us, the Federal Reserve is about to do something that will make this global economic slowdown even worse.

More Signs the Economy Is Slowing
The New American - The latest Empire State Manufacturing Survey issued by the New York Federal Reserve Bank on Monday confirms an increasingly ominous economic trend: The fourth consecutive monthly decline in its index is the longest since early 2009. Its authors didn’t even try to sugarcoat it: Business activity declined for a fourth consecutive month ... new orders and shipments declined ... labor market conditions continued to deteriorate, with survey indicators pointing to a decline in both employment levels and hours worked. Disappointing results from retailers such as Best Buy, JCPenney, Macy's, and Sears, among others, are a harbinger for further declines even as the holiday shopping season approaches… Bank of America blames the weather. It notes that temperatures in October averaging 57 degrees reflecting “abnormal weather patterns” has led to a slump in sales of cold weather gear. For the month retail sales dropped three percent, month-over-month.

Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity from Microwave Technology Finally Medically Proven
Natural Blaze - Finally, there’s documented medical proof that electromagnetic hypersensitivity is a real-time health issue that actually can be verified using standard medical procedures and testing capabilities. An international group of researchers aced it when they published their findings from the clinical study “Metabolic and Genetic Screening of Electromagnetic Hypersensitive Subjects as a Feasible Tool for Diagnostics and Intervention” in the November 2014 issue of Mediators of Inflammation. Pennsylvanians currently are being bombarded by non-thermal health problems from public utility companies’ electric, natural gas and water Smart Meters, which operate using microwave technology. Furthermore, the PA House Consumer Affairs Committee Chair Robert Godshall sits on Opt-Out Bills that will permit electrosensitive consumers and others to keep safe analog meters, which have been in use for decades.

“Massively Altered” …German Professor Examines NASA GISS Temperature Datasets
NoTricksZone - Veteran journalist Günter Ederer* writes a piece reporting that massive alterations have been found in the NASA GISS temperature data series, citing a comprehensive analysis conducted by a leading German scientist. These results are now available to the public. Ewert painstakingly examined and tabulated the reams of archived data from 1153 stations that go back to 1881 – which NASA has publicly available – data that the UN IPCC uses to base its conclusion that man is heating the Earth’s atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels.... Ederer writes that Ewert particularly found alterations at stations in the Arctic. Professor Ewert randomly selected 120 stations from all over the world and compared the 2010 archived data to the 2012 data and found that they had been tampered to produce warming.

Friday - November 20, 2015 - Today in History:

1789 - New Jersey became the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights.
1901 - The second Hay-Pauncefoot Treaty provided for construction of the Panama Canal by the U.S.
1943 - During World War II, U.S. Marines began their landing on Tarawa and Makin atolls in the Gilbert Islands.
1945 - 24 Nazi leaders went before an international war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany.
1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis ended. The Soviet Union removed its missiles and bombers from Cuba and the U.S. ended its blockade of the island.
1969 - The Nixon administration announced a halt to residential use of the pesticide DDT as part of a total phase out of the substance.
1970 - The majority in U.N. General Assembly voted to give China a seat, but two-thirds majority required for admission was not met.
1983 - An estimated 100 million people watched the controversial ABC-TV movie "The Day After." The movie depicted the outbreak of nuclear war.
1986 - Dr. Halfdan Maher, the director of the World Health Organization, announced the first coordinated global effort to fight the disease AIDS.
1988 - Egypt and China announced that they would recognize the Palestinian state proclaimed by the Palestine National Council.
1990 - Saddam Hussein ordered another 250,000 Iraqi troops into the country of Kuwait.
1990 - The space shuttle Atlantis landed at Cape Canaveral, FL, after completing a secret military mission.
1993 - The U.S. Senate passed the Brady Bill and legislation implementing NAFTA.
1998 - Afghanistan's Taliban militia offered Osama bin Laden safe haven. Osama bin Laden had been accused of orchestrating two U.S. embassy bombings in Africa and later terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon.
1998 - Forty-six states agreed to a $206 billion settlement of health claims against the tobacco industry. The industry also agreed to give up billboard advertising of cigarettes.
2001 - The U.S. Justice Department headquarters building was renamed the Robert F. Kennedy building by President George W. Bush. The event was held on what would have been Kennedy's 76th birthday.

Gunmen Take 170 Hostages in Hotel in Mali Capital
Sputnik News - Gunmen took 170 people hostage in a Radisson Hotel in Bamako, Mali, according to a spokesperson from the hotel group. They have reportedly released at least 20 people including those who could cite Quran verses. Unidentified men opened fire in the Radisson Blu hotel in the Malian capital of Bamako. Two Malians and one French citizen were killed, a UN official said. "They have locked in about 140 guests and about 30 employees. So the hotel is locked down and there is no possibility to go out or come in," NBC quoted the spokesperson as saying. Belgian and French citizens, including military and aviation employees, are among the hostages, the media reported. Six staff employees of the Turkish Airlines are being held in the hotel, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. Ten Chinese guests are among the hostages, according to Chinese media.
* Related: 170 hostages taken in Mali hotel siege Live updates

ISIS sends dozen suicide bombers to Malaysian ASEAN summit - leaked memo
RT - A leaked Malaysian police report alleges there could be at least ten Islamic State suicide bombers in Kuala Lumpur, where leaders from 18 countries, including the US, Russia, Japan and China, are set to gather this weekend for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.... According to the Malaysiakini online news daily, Khalid has confirmed a leaked police circular on a meeting between members of Abu Sayyaf, a Philippines-based terrorist group, and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). The circular allegedly reports that IS have dispatched suicide bombers to Sabah (one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia's capital and most populous city).

‘ISIS branch’ seeking to produce chemical weapons - Iraq and US intel
RT - Islamic State has a branch devoted to creating chemical weapons, AP reports, citing Iraqi and US officials. Earlier, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls also warned that Islamic State could potentially use chemical or biological weapons in its attacks. A special branch has been set up by Islamic State to develop chemical weapon for the terrorist group using scientists from Iraq and Syria as well as other countries in the region, AP reported, citing Iraqi and US intelligence sources. Although Islamic State has already used mustard gas on the battlefield, US intelligence agencies are skeptical about the terrorists’ capabilities to produce sophisticated chemical weapons suited for a potential terrorist attack. At the same time, Iraqi officials warned that control over vast territories in Iraq and Syria gives the militants many opportunities for experiments, leaving Iraq’s forces largely unaware of the Islamic State actions.

Caught On Tape: Russian Air Force Destroys Dozens Of ISIS Oil Trucks
Zero Hedge - According to Russian General Staff spokesman Colonel General Andrey Kartapolov, “around 500 fuel tanker vehicles transporting illegal oil from Syria to Iraq for processing have been destroyed by Russia’s Air Forces.” “In recent years, Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and other extremist groups have organized the operations of the so-called ‘pipeline on wheels’ on the territories they control,” Kartapolov continued, adding that “in just the first few days, [Russian] aviation has destroyed 500 fuel tanker trucks, which greatly reduced illegal oil export capabilities of the militants and, accordingly, their income from oil smuggling.”

The Most Important Question About ISIS That Nobody Is Asking
Zero Hedge - The question of how the Islamic State funds its sprawling caliphate has been discussed in the past: we first broke down the primary driver of ISIS revenue well over a year ago, in September 2014, when we explained that "ISIS uses oil wealth to help finance its terror operations. Daily Signal's Kelsey Harkness explained the breakdown as follows: "According to the Iraq Energy Institute, an independent, nonprofit policy organization focused on Iraq’s energy sector, the army of radical Islamists controls production of 30,000 barrels of oil a day in Iraq and 50,000 barrels in Syria. By selling the oil on the black market at a discounted price of $40 per barrel (compared to about $93 per barrel in the free market), ISIS takes in $3.2 million a day. The oil revenue, which amounts to nearly $100 million each month, allows ISIS to fund its military and terrorist attacks — and to attract more recruits from around the world, including America.

Germany Attacks Israel’s East Jerusalem Settlement Plans
Reuters - Germany on Thursday strongly criticized Israel’s plans to push ahead with the building of hundreds of new settlements in East Jerusalem, saying it would undermine efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the marketing of land for the construction of 454 homes in two East Jerusalem settlements on Tuesday, an official said, including in Ramat Shlomo, territory Palestinians want for a future state. The United States has also harshly criticized the decision. The Palestinian Authority condemns settlement building as a violation of international law aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state. Some 500,000 Israelis have settled in the West Bank and East Jerusalem among 2.4 million Palestinians. The World Court says settlements built on land Israel occupied in a 1967 war are illegal. Israel disputes this.

The Baltic Dry Shipping Index Just Collapsed To An All-Time Record Low
Economic Collapse - I was absolutely stunned to learn that the Baltic Dry Shipping Index had plummeted to a new all-time record low of 504 at one point on Thursday. I have written a number of articles lately about the dramatic slowdown in global trade, but I didn’t realize that things had gotten quite this bad already. Not even during the darkest moments of the last financial crisis did the Baltic Dry Shipping Index drop this low. Something doesn’t seem to be adding up, because the mainstream media keeps telling us that the global economy is doing just fine. In fact, the Federal Reserve is so confident in our “economic recovery” that they are getting ready to raise interest rates.

House defies Obama, approves bill halting Syrian refugees
The Hill - In a 289-137 vote, the House on Thursday easily approved legislation that requires new screening requirements on refugees from Syria and Iraq before they can enter the United States. Forty-seven Democrats defied President Obama’s veto threat and backed the bill — enough to override a presidential veto given the six Democrats and two Republicans who missed the vote.... The outcome suggests the House could override Obama if he vetoes the measure, although there's no guarantee that Democrats will side against the president if they are asked to sustain a veto.

New ISIS video threatens to blow up White House; turn it ‘black’
RT - Islamic State has released yet another video message. In this one, it threatens to blow up the White House – the second time this week ISIS has vowed to attack Washington. The terrorists had already posted a video threatening to blow up New York. In a one-minute video titled Paris before Rome, a bearded man in a turban menaces the US with threats of suicide attacks and car bombings. Speaking in Arabic on behalf of fellow jihadists, he warns that other states will face attacks similar to the ones carried out in Paris should they follow the example of French President Francois Hollande and US President Barack Obama.

Syrian Community Leader in NY Says ISIL Already in the US, Waiting to Activate Attacks
Sputnik News - On Thursday, the US House of Representatives voted to place increased restrictions on which Syrian refugees will be allowed to enter the United States. The Obama administration had previously pledged to accept 10,000 people fleeing from war-torn Syria, but the attacks on Paris last week have left many worried about security concerns. The bill must pass the Senate and avoid a presidential veto before it becomes law, but according to a Syrian community leader in New York City, that legislation may be too little too late. "I believe the terrorists from Syria have been coming into the United States, not only in the past few years, but way before that," Arafat "Ralph" Succar told the New York Post. “I think they’re already at work."

Former Drone Operators Say They Were “Horrified” By Cruelty of Assassination Program
The Intercept - U.S. drone operators are inflicting heavy civilian casualties and have developed an institutional culture callous to the death of children and other innocents, four former operators said at a press briefing today in New York. The killings, part of the Obama administration’s targeted assassination program, are aiding terrorist recruitment and thus undermining the program’s goal of eliminating such fighters, the veterans added. Drone operators refer to children as “fun-size terrorists” and liken killing them to “cutting the grass before it grows too long,” said one of the operators, Michael Haas, a former senior airman in the Air Force. Haas also described widespread drug and alcohol abuse and said some operators had flown missions while impaired.

Gun Control Group: U.S. Should Ban ‘Assault Weapons’ After Paris Attacks
Breitbart - In the wake of the November 13 terror attacks in Paris, the Violence Policy Center (VPC) suggests the U.S. ban the sale of all “assault weapons” to civilians. Moreover, they suggest this ban include “assault pistols” and “assault shotguns” as well. Clearly, the VPC does not realize that any weapon—even a five-shot revolver—is an “assault” weapon in a place like France where few citizens are armed for self-defense.... Notice two things: 1.) VPC is more than willing to sacrifice tools law-abiding citizens use for self-defense if, in fact, they can prove a terrorist misused one of these tools in the commission of a heinous act. 2.) VPC is ready to pervert the design of these weapons, saying they are “designed… to kill as many people as possible in the shortest possible amount of time,” in order to see law-abiding Americans barred from possessing them.

Shock DHS Report: There Are 73 Airport Employees On Terror Watchlists… How Will They Properly Screen Syrian “Refugees”?
Mac Slavo - President Obama and other establishment figures are assuring us that thousands of Syrian refugees and other immigrant pools should be accepted in the U.S., and that risky figures will be swiftly screened out by an appropriate Homeland Security vetting process. However, a fresh report identified scores of suspected individuals who were missed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA),who operate under Homeland Security, during airport hiring processes, yet are on the government terrorist watchlist. Ultimately, many of them work in “secure” positions at the airport that could compromise security and put Americans at risk.

GridExIII Drill Coincides with American Terror Threat: “ISIS Cells Could Attack Our Power Grid”
Mac Slavo - The threat of an ISIS attack on U.S. soil has become a tangible possibility and a perhaps an inevitable one, with the Paris attacks demonstrating how easily terrorists can infiltrate Western nations and target public areas. The political chaos that is enveloping the globe with the demise of the dollar and the eruption of war in Syria and other locales makes this nation ripe for another catastrophic event – perhaps to manufacture support for military strikes or more venues of war in the Middle East. With that in mind, the United States and North American Energy Reliance Corporation has launched two days of high level national security exercises for today, November 18, and November 19. Known as GridEx III, simulations will engage top energy executives and senior government officials, including those in Homeland Security, in scenarios for an attack on the power grid. According to the GridEx III fact sheet, the multi-level exercise is...

The Beginning Of The End For The Affordable Care Act? Largest US Health Insurer May Exit ObamaCare
Zero Hedge - ...This was a stunning revelation because, after all, the Affordable Care Act was largely drafted by the insurance industry itself, and if for whatever reason, it itself was unable to capitalize on Obamacare, then it has truly been a disaster. Today we got confirmation of this when none other than the U.S.’s biggest health insurer, UnitedHealth, cut its 2015 earnings forecast with a warning that it was considering pulling out of Obamacare, just one month after saying it would expand its presence in the program. According to Bloomberg, "UnitedHealth Group would scale back marketing efforts for plans it’s selling this year under the Affordable Care Act, and may quit the business entirely in 2017 because it has proven to be more costly than expected."

If Have a hunch the news system is rigged, but you can’t put your finger on it...
INI World Report - ...this might help solve the puzzle.

Donald Trump On Breitbart News Daily: Obama A ‘Bad President,’ He’s ’Not Going To Stop’ At Just 10,000 Syrian Refugees
Breitbart - “You know Obama wants to bring not the 10,000, not the 15,000, not even the 65,000 that they talked about in the Democrat debate,” Trump tells Breitbart News Daily with Stephen K. Bannon. “Obama wants to bring, I hear, between 200,000 and 250,000 into the country. That’s what I hear the number is.”

Rand Paul Forces Mitch McConnell to Pull Bill Off Senate Floor Over Refugee Housing: ‘I Will Not Back Down’
Breitbart - Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) forced his own party’s leadership to yank a bill off the floor of the Senate on Thursday over refugee housing, a significant political and policy victory for the Kentucky Senator and 2016 GOP presidential candidate. Paul also blasted Senate leadership on Thursday for not considering his amendment to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill that would have blocked any current refugees in the United States from getting public housing.

Hillary hammers 'obsession' with the words 'radical Islamic terrorism' as she insists 'Muslims ... have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism'
Daily Mail - An acid-tongued Hillary Clinton ripped into conservatives on Thursday for what she said was an 'obsession in some quarters' with the notion that the global spread of terrorism is a byproduct of the Muslim faith, denying that the two are connected in any way. 'Islam itself is not our adversary,' the former secretary of state said during a campaign speech outlining her foreign policy objectives. 'Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people and have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism.' Reading her speech at a brisk clip from a teleprompter at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City, she slowed momentarily to mock three words – 'radical Islamic terrorism' – that Republicans often accuse President Barack Obama of purposefully avoiding.

US Food Safety Experts Sue FDA over GMO Salmon Approval for Human Consumption
Sustainable Pulse - Center for Food Safety today announced plans to sue the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to block the agency’s approval for sale and consumption of the genetically engineered AquaAdvantage® salmon developed by AquaBounty. The suit will be filed in coordination with other colleague plaintiffs. “The fallout from this decision will have enormous impact on the environment. Center for Food Safety has no choice but to file suit to stop the introduction of this dangerous contaminant,” said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of Center for Food Safety. “FDA has neglected its responsibility to protect the public.” In approving the AquaBounty transgenic salmon, FDA ignored millions of Americans and more than 40 members of Congress who have expressed vocal opposition. FDA also neglects the concerns of more than 300 environmental, consumer, health and animal welfare organizations, salmon and fishing groups and associations, food companies, chefs and restaurants.

The Case for Donald Trump - Part 1
Intellectual Froglegs - According to the Establishment Republicans...the only reason Donald Trump is doing so well....is because there are so many 'low-information" voters [...] this multi-part series The Case for Donald Trump ---is loosely based on "20 REASONS WHY IT SHOULD BE DONALD TRUMP IN 2016" written by the brilliant A.J. Delgado, whose columns have appeared in Breitbart, National Review, American Conservative, Fox News, etc, AND she holds a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School. The Yuge Case For Donald Trump – Part 2

Documentary: Birds Of Paradise (National Geographic)
Nine years ago, two men began an extraordinary quest: to be the first to find and document all 39 species of the legendary birds of paradise. After 18 expeditions and over 39,000 photographs, their vision is complete.... Read more here.
 

Thursday - November 19, 2015 - Today in History:

1794 - Britain's King George III signed the Jay Treaty. It resolved the issues left over from the Revolutionary War.
1863 - U.S. President Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address as he dedicated a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania.
1893 - The first newspaper color supplement was published in the Sunday New York World.
1919 - The U.S. Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles with a vote of 55 in favor to 39 against. A two-thirds majority was needed for ratification.
1942 - During World War II, Russian forces launched their winter offensive against the Germans along the Don front.
1954 - Two automatic toll collectors were placed in service on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey.
1969 - Apollo 12 astronauts Charles Conrad and Alan Bean made man's second landing on the moon.
1985 - U.S. President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev met for the first time as they began their summit in Geneva.
1994 - The U.N. Security Council authorized NATO to bomb rebel Serb forces striking from neighboring Croatia.
1998 - The impeachment inquiry of U.S. President Clinton began.
1999 - In Istanbul, Turkey, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) concluded a two-day summit after adopting a new arms accord. During the conference, Russia was criticized for its military campaign against Chechnya's separatist movement.
2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush signed the most comprehensive air security bill in U.S. history.
2002 - The U.S. government completed its takeover of security at 424 airports nationwide.
2003 - Eight competing designs for a memorial to the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center were unveiled. One design would be built at the site of the World Trade Center.
2006 - The Wii, the Nintendo Co.'s game console, first went on sale
2007 - The Amazon Kindle was first released.

Duma calls for foreign parliaments to launch worldwide anti-terror coalition
RT - “Deputies of the State Duma urge the lawmakers from Europe, North America, Middle East and Central Asia and other regions of the world to do all in their power to create an international anti-terror coalition. The necessity to protect human lives and the moral duty to terror victims make this an obligation for us all,” the resolution, prepared by the State Duma Committee for International Relations, reads.... Russian lawmakers expressed solidarity with all nations that had become victims of recent attacks by the Islamic State terrorist group (previously ISIL/ ISIS)..... The lawmakers noted that the future anti-terror coalition should be modeled on the anti-Nazi coalition that was created during WWII and that became “a real example of many nations’ and peoples’ unification against the common enemy.”

Alleged ringleader in Paris attacks killed in raid, 2 officials say
Washington Post - The suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks was killed Wednesday in a massive pre-dawn raid by French police commandos, two senior European officials said, after investigators followed leads that the fugitive Islamic State militant was holed up north of the French capital and could be plotting another wave of violence. More than 100 police officers and soldiers stormed an apartment building in Saint-Denis, a bustling suburb home to many immigrants, during a seven-hour siege that left at least two people dead, officials said. The dead ­included the suspected overseer of the Paris bloodshed, Abdel­hamid Abaaoud, according to the two senior European officials. Abaaoud, a Belgian extremist, had once boasted that he could slip easily between Europe and strongholds of the Islamic State militant group in Syria.

Europe on edge: Copenhagen airport is evacuated, London Tube security scare, Germany abandons its football match and the Vatican is even searching NUNS
Daily Mail - In a sign of the nervousness gripping the continent, Copenhagen Airport was evacuated this morning while Germany's international fixture with Holland last night was called off. At the Vatican, children, pensioners and even nuns were being searched ahead of the Pope's weekly general audience. Security has been stepped up after gunmen and suicide bombers went on the rampage in Paris, killing 129 in a wave of attacks on the Stade de France, bars and restaurants and the Bataclan theatre. In London earlier today, Tooting Broadway tube station was evacuated by police following a security alert.

China vows to bring ISIS to justice as Chinese hostage confirmed killed
RT - The Chinese Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has executed a Chinese national in the Middle East. The ministry has vowed to bring the perpetrators “to justice.” China has confirmed the identity of the victim as Fan Jinghui. He had been previously identified by the terrorists as a 50-year-old freelance consultant from Beijing. The man was apparently featured in the terrorist group’s magazine back in September, where he was mockingly put up for “sale” along with a Norwegian hostage. Both China and Norway refused to pay the ransom that the terrorists had demanded. Beijing is now saying that it had attempted to rescue the “cruelly murdered” Chinese national.

Honduras Pushes Back Unprecedented Surge in Cuban Refugees
Breitbart - The government of Honduras is facing unprecedented numbers of Cuban refugees who opt to reach its shores on makeshift maritime vessels, hoping to cross north towards the United States. Honduras has apprehended 5,000 Cuban nationals so far this year, 3,000 more than the entirety of 2014.

NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps to test ‘simulated’ troop deployment near Russian borders
RT - NATO is conducting its first-ever test deployment of troops in the Baltic from a UK-based command center. The simulated build-up close to Russia’s borders is aimed at checking the capabilities of the organisation’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) to control large formations ‘within a challenging security crisis.’ A large-scale command exercise named Arrcade Fusion 15 (AF15), lasting two weeks and involving over 1,700 troops from 20 NATO countries plus Sweden, is underway in three Baltic states – Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. AF15 is a command-post exercise by the ARRC, which is based in Gloucestershire, UK. Arrcade Fusion exercises have taken place annually since 1992. This year the ARRC is deploying its headquarters for the exercises to the Baltics for the first time at Latvia’s Lielvarde air base, with elements working concurrently in Lithuania, Estonia and the main HQ in the UK.

Head of French Senate wants sanctions lifted off Russia - Matviyenko
RT - President of French Senate Gerard Larcher strongly opposes sanctions against Russia and Russian parliamentarians, Federation Council Chairman Valentina Matviyenko said after a telephone conversation with her counterpart.... Earlier this week former French Prime Minister Francois Fillon called upon President Francois Hollande to cancel all sanctions against Russia so the two countries can unite in the common fight against terrorism. Fillon called the French authorities’ reluctance to cooperate with Russia the main mistake in the whole anti-terror campaign and said that the start of such cooperation would “pave the road to a larger anti-terror coalition.”

German Interior Minister Says Suicide Bomber's Syrian Passport "May Have Been Planted"
Zero Hedge - Overnight none other than the German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said that the "Syrian passport found next to a suicide bomber in the Paris terror attacks may have been planted." Bloomberg adds that reports that the identity in the passport may have been registered in several countries along the so-called Balkan route raise the suspicion that it could be a deliberate attempt to implicate refugees and “make people feel unsafe,” de Maiziere said. “There are indications that this was a planted lead, but it still can’t be ruled out that this was indeed an IS terrorist posing as a refugee,” he told reporters in Berlin on Tuesday, referring to Islamic State, which France blames for organizing the violence… “It’s certainly unusual that such a person would have been faithfully registered in Greece and Serbia and Croatia, while we’re constantly pressing for registration and aren’t happy that it isn’t happening to the necessary extent,” de Maiziere said. And with that the story on whether the passport was "planted" by someone else is effectively closed. The only open question remaining: who was so quick to plant the passport in the aftermath of the suicide bombing, and just whose agenda is in play?

France Moves To Strip Citizens Of Civil Liberties After Paris Attacks
Truth in Media - After a series of coordinated terrorist attacks left 129 dead in Paris Friday, Hollande immediately declared a state of emergency, based on a rarely used 1955 law that allows the state to conduct warrantless searches of private property, impose curfews, restrict public gatherings and movements of people, confiscate weapons at will and take over the press. By law the state of emergency cannot last more than 12 days, but Hollande asked for a three-month extension Monday. He also proposed a series of constitutional amendments to increase the state’s surveillance powers and give it power to strip convicted terrorists and bi-nationals who commit hostile acts toward France of citizenship.

Video: Turkish Fans Boo Paris Victims, Chant “Allahu Akbar”
Paul Joseph Watson - Turkish fans booed victims of the Paris attack and chanted “Allahu Akbar” during a minute’s silence, illustrating once again how “radical” Islam isn’t the problem, Islam is the problem period.

Fix it or 'Fixit': Finland’s parliament to decide on eurozone exit in 2016
RT - The Finnish Parliament will debate next year on whether the country should abolish the euro. Disgruntled citizens raised the 50,000 votes necessary for a parliamentary debate on 'Fixit' - Finland's exit from the eurozone.... Finland is the worst performer in the eurozone. According to official figures published last week, the county’s economy shrank 0.6 percent in the third quarter. The European Commission expects Finland’s economy to grow 0.7 percent in 2016, second worse to indebted Greece. Some Finnish euroskeptics say the country would return to growth if it brings back its national currency the markka. They want to follow Sweden's example, a country outside the eurozone.

Sustainable Pulse Banned by China after GMO Superpower Bid
Sustainable Pulse - The ban on Sustainable Pulse follows news last week that China National Chemical Corp. (ChemChina) is in talks to buy the Swiss pesticide maker Syngenta, in what would be the largest acquisition ever by a Chinese company. While ChemChina’s initial $42 billion bid for Syngenta was rejected, people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg last Thursday that the interest in a deal remains strong. Such a deal would also transform ChemChina into a developer of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), vaulting it into direct competition with market leader Monsanto Co.

Obama threatens to veto GOP halt on Syrian refugees
RT - Tensions rose between the Republican lawmakers and US President Barack Obama when the White House threatened to veto a GOP-proposed bill requiring additional background checks for 10,000 Syrian refugees that Obama intends to settle in the US. Sponsored by Representatives Mike McCaul (R-Texas) and Richard Hudson (R-North Carolina), the bill would require top US security officials to certify that every refugee admitted to the US “does not represent a security threat,” according to McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.... A statement from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday condemned the McCaul-Hudson bill as “untenable,” arguing that it would “provide no meaningful additional security for the American people, instead serving only to create significant delays and obstacles” for refugees fleeing conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

ISIS threatens NYC in new propaganda video
NY Post - A new ISIS propaganda video makes threats against the New York City — and shows Manhattan streetscapes that include Times Square and Herald Square, The Post has learned. The slick production includes storefront shots of TGI Fridays in Times Square and the Gap in Herald Square — along with footage of yellow taxi cabs driving past. The images of New York City are spliced between disturbing clips of suicide bombers preparing for attacks. A fighter also holds a grenade, pulling the trigger as the camera cuts to black.

REPORT: 8 Syrians Caught at Texas Border in Laredo
Breitbart - Two federal agents operating under the umbrella of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are claiming that eight Syrian illegal aliens attempted to enter Texas from Mexico in the Laredo Sector. The federal agents spoke with Breitbart Texas on the condition of anonymity, however, a local president of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) confirmed that Laredo Border Patrol agents have been officially contacting the organization with concerns over reports from other federal agents about Syrians illegally entering the country in the Laredo Sector. The reports have caused a stir among the sector’s Border Patrol agents.

Honduras arrests five Syrians headed to US with stolen passports
(AFP) - Honduran authorities have arrested five Syrians intending to make it to the United States with stolen Greek passports, triggering alarm Wednesday in the wake of the Paris attacks launched by Syria-linked jihadists. The Syrians were arrested on Tuesday as they flew into Toncontin airport serving the Honduran capital and failed to make it past airport security checks, a police spokesman, Anibal Baca, told reporters.

Va. mayor suggests internment camps over Syrian refugees
USA Today - A Roanoke mayor is getting national attention after citing the use of internment camps for Japanese-Americans during World War II to justify suspending the relocation of Syrian refugees to his city in Virginia. After requesting that all Roanoke Valley agencies stop Syrian refugee assistance, Mayor David Bowers wrote in a statement: "I'm reminded that President Franklin D. Roosevelt felt compelled to sequester Japanese foreign nationals after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and it appears that the threat of harm to America from Isis now is just as real and serious as that from our enemies then."

Nearly SEVENTY have been arrested in America over ISIS plots in last 18 months - including refugees who had been given safe haven but 'turned to terror'
Daily Mail - US authorities have charged at least 66 men and women with ISIS-related terror plots on American soil – including a handful of refugees. The terror group has set its sights on Washington, D.C. as it vows to further infiltrate the West and ramp up its blood-soaked offensive. Presidents Obama insists says that ‘slamming the door’ on Syrian refugees fleeing ISIS would be a betrayal of American values. But 34 governors are refusing to take in any more, in case jihadi fighters slip into their states and repeat the carnage of Paris. The incidents detailed here are among dozens of alleged disrupted by police and federal agents since ISIS began to rise from the flames of the Syrian civil war.

Americans Rush To Buy Guns In Wake Of Paris Attacks
Steve Watson - Gun sales and concealed carry permit applications in the US have spiked in the days following the terror attacks in Paris, according to gun store owners. Americans are exercising their Second Amendment rights in droves after witnessing the harrowing footage of innocent people being murdered by gunmen in the French capital, and being warned that the same could happen on home soil. Fox News San Antonio carried comments by Texas Guns owner Jerry McCall who noted that he is serving “people … in their 70s and 80s who say they have never owned a firearm before but … think [they] need one in the house now.”... Meanwhile, a Democratic lawmaker has suggested that the attacks in Paris demonstrate a need for further gun control in America.... Other Democratic commentators have suggested that “It is extremely easy for terrorists to obtain a gun in the United States,” and the New York Daily News even ran a front page headline, sublimely suggesting that the NRA was to blame for the Paris attacks, and is helping terrorists in the US.

Police Civil Asset Forfeitures Exceed All Burglaries in 2014
InvestmentWatchBlog - Between 1989 and 2010, U.S. attorneys seized an estimated $12.6 billion in asset forfeiture cases. The growth rate during that time averaged +19.4% annually. In 2010 alone, the value of assets seized grew by +52.8% from 2009 and was six times greater than the total for 1989. Then by 2014, that number had ballooned to roughly $4.5 billion for the year, making this 35% of the entire number of assets collected from 1989 to 2010 in a single year. According to the FBI, the total amount of goods stolen by criminals in 2014 burglary offenses suffered an estimated $3.9 billion in property losses. This means that the police are now taking more assets than the criminals.

Texas Ranchers, Counties Sue Feds Over BLM Land Grab
Adan Salazar - Multiple ranchers, a sheriff and several Texas counties are suing the federal government for unconstitutionally attempting to seize thousands of acres of private property along the Red River. Claiming the US Bureau of Land Management is violating citizens’ Fourth and Fifth Amendments and “infringing upon the sovereignty of local county governments,” a lawsuit filed in US District Court by nine private landowners, including one county sheriff, in addition to Wichita, Clay, and Wilbarger counties, seeks to end the dispute with the feds once and for all.

Rand: Refugees Are ‘Immediately’ ‘Put On Welfare,’ Cut Off Arms Sales To Gulf Countries Not Accepting Refugees (Video)
Breitbart - Kentucky Senator and Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul stated that “refugees come here, and immediately are put on welfare” and advocated cutting off arms sales to Gulf nations “until they start accepting refugees” on Wednesday’s “Happening Now” on the Fox. Rand said, [relevant remarks begin around 2:35] “refugees come here, and immediately are put on welfare. There are whole agencies set up to put them in government housing, government cash assistance and they’re basically put into our welfare programs. In Kentucky, we have a lot of people out of work, a lot of coal miners out of work. I’ve got disabled veterans saying to me on the phone, just as recently as last night, that they are having trouble surviv[ing] on their disability payments as veterans. They don’t understand why we’re going to take in the world’s poor, and put them on our welfare programs. So, there are some discussions we ought to have about this before we let it happen.”

Planned Parenthood Launches 2016 $20 Million Campaign Against Pro-Life Candidates: ‘You’re About to Be in For a Very Rude Awakening’
Breitbart - “Today we have a clear message for every politician who has threatened access to reproductive health care,” executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF) Dawn Laguens said in a statement announcing the “I Vote Planned Parenthood Action” campaign. “You’re about to be in for a very rude awakening.” Demonstrating the strong alliance between the militant pro-abortion and LGBT agendas, Laguens continues to seek out the support of minority and low-income voters: You cannot embrace policies that dismiss the lives of women, of the LGBTQ community, of people of color, of low-income families, of young people, and expect to be elected by the American people. We’ve already seen millions across the country rise up against attacks on reproductive health care, and now, with the launch of I Vote Planned Parenthood Action, we’re getting organized. Make no mistake — the fight for 2016 starts today.

A Donald Trump-Ted Cruz 2016 ticket? Republican front-runner admits it’s possible
NY Daily News - Donald Trump is eyeing Ted Cruz as potential running mate, the outspoken mogul revealed Tuesday night. Trump, who remains the front-runner in the 2016 GOP race, admitted he is fond of the conservative Texas senator and would, if he wins his party's nomination, be interested in teaming up with him. "Well, I like him," Trump said on "The Laura Ingraham Show," when he was asked about Cruz as a potential running mate. "He's backed everything I've said." "Ted Cruz is now agreeing with me 100 percent," he added.... In addition, Cruz and Trump have consistently refrained from attacking each other and have appeared together at several rallies, including a high-profile protest in September against President Obama's Iran nuclear deal.

Over 1,000 Attend Funeral for Veteran with No Family (Video)
Breitbart - U.S. Marine Corp veteran Billy C. Aldridge, 80, passed away at his nursing facility in Indianapolis, but the nurses could not find any records of family members. So over 1,000 people crammed into the Lawrence United Methodist Church to honor the veteran for his service. Legacy Funeral Services reached out to fellow veterans to attend, but they did not expect “how large the outpouring would be.” Almost everything, including the casket, was donated.... According to 13 WTHR Indianapolis the executive director of the Indiana War Memorials delivered the eulogy, surrounded by veterans in uniform. “No one should be buried alone and this man served our country and we just want to say thank you in some way,” explained Amy Kalsheur, who brought her six children.

If The Economy Is Fine, Why Are So Many Hedge Funds, Energy Companies And Large Retailers Imploding?
Economic Collapse - If the U.S. economy really is in “great shape”, then why do all of the numbers keep telling us that we are in a recession? The manufacturing numbers say that we are in a recession, the trade numbers say that we are in a recession, and as you will see below the retail numbers say that we are in a recession. But just like in 2008, the Federal Reserve and our top politicians will continue to deny that a major economic downturn is happening for as long as they possibly can. In this article, I want to look at more signs that a dramatic shift is happening in our economy right now.

Former Director of US Mint: Bitcoin Allows Money to Be Privatized Again
Government Slaves - Former Director of the United States Mint Edmund C. Moy was featured on a panel during the recent Bitcoin Investor Conference in Las Vegas, and he shared an unique perspective on bitcoin for someone who was once a government official under the Bush and Obama administrations. “Well, I see bitcoin as the improvement in technology that allows money to be privatized again, back where it should be because it is my belief that one of the main uses of money is economic transactions. Why is government involved in economic transactions except for the ability to tax that transaction and get their income out of it? So, if money is primarily used in economic transactions between two people, then it makes a lot of sense to me that — if current technology allows, then money should be privatized because it’s used between two people.”

Trace levels of radioactive cesium-137 from Fukushima now being detected in Florida citrus fruits
(NaturalNews) Radioactive cesium from the 2011 Fukushima disaster is still being detected in citrus and other plants as far away as Florida, according to a report sent to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).... According to the report, levels of Cs-137 have remained relatively constant in the samples tested over the past four years. This is to be expected, because that radionuclide has an incredibly long half-life.... What is troubling about the Florida report is the evidence of how far radionuclides from Fukushima have spread. In addition, no level of radiation is truly safe, and any increase in exposure contributes to cumulative lifetime risk. Similarly, a study conducted in February 2015 showed the first evidence that radioactivity from the Fukushima disaster has reached the North American coast. The levels of Cs-137 detected in the waters off Vancouver Island were six times higher than the base level – itself an artifact of decades of nuclear testing.

Wednesday - November 18, 2015 - Today in History:

1820 - Captain Nathaniel Palmer became the first American to sight the continent of Antarctica.
1883 - The U.S. and Canada adopted a system of standard time zones.
1903 - The U.S. and Panama signed a treaty that granted the U.S. rights to build the Panama Canal.
1916 - Douglas Haig, commander of the British Expeditionary Force in World War I, called off the Battle of the Somme in France. The offensive began on July 1, 1916.
1966 - U.S. Roman Catholic bishops did away with the rule against eating meat on Fridays.
1969 - Apollo 12 astronauts Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. and Alan L. Bean landed on the lunar surface during the second manned mission to the moon.
1983 - Argentina announced its ability to produce enriched uranium for use in nuclear weapons.
1987 - Congress issued the Iran-Contra Affair report. The report said that Pres. Ronald Reagan bore "ultimate responsibility" for wrongdoing by his aides.
1987 - CBS Inc. announced it had agreed to sell its record division to Sony Corp. for about $2 billion.
1988 - U.S. President Reagan signed major legislation provided the death penalty for drug traffickers who kill.
1993 - The U.S. House of Representatives joined the U.S. Senate in approving legislation aimed at protecting abortion facilities, staff and patients.
1993 - Representatives from 21 South African political parties approved a new constitution.
2002 - U.N. arms inspectors returned to Iraq after a four-year hiatus, calling on Saddam Hussein's government to cooperate with their search for weapons of mass destruction.
2003 - The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled 4-3 that the state constitution guarantees gay couples the right to marry.
2009 - Two days before turning 92, Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., became the longest-serving lawmaker in congressional history, at 56 years, 320 days.

* Truth in Media: Origin of ISIS
* JOURNALIST SPEAKS THE TRUTH ABOUT PARIS ATTACK, & MUCH MORE

Additional Video: Putin Claims ISIS is Financed by 40 Countries Including G20 Members

Long-range bombers to fly anti-ISIS missions from Russia, Putin orders Navy to work with France
RT - Russia has deployed its fleet of strategic bombers to double the volume of airstrikes on Islamist targets in Syria, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has announced. Vladimir Putin has ordered a cruiser to coordinate operations with French naval forces in the Mediterranean. “We are conducting a mass airstrike campaign against Islamic State targets in Syria. We have now doubled the number of sorties, which is allowing us to conduct operations throughout the length and breadth of the country,” Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said during a Security Council meeting in Moscow chaired by the Russian president.... “By conducting military missions in Syria, you are protecting Russia and her citizens,” Putin told his military chiefs. “Our air campaign in Syria must not only be continued, it must be boosted, in such a way that the criminals are made aware that retribution is inevitable.”

US intentionally spare ISIS in Syria, want terrorists to weaken Assad – Russian FM
RT - The US and its allies are playing a dangerous game in Syria as they count on Islamic State to weaken President Bashar Assad, but at the same time don’t want the terror group to seize power in the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. Despite announcing ambitious plans for its coalition against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), “the analysis of those [US-led] airstrikes during over a year lead to conclusion that they were hitting selectively, I would say, sparingly and on most occasions didn’t touch those IS units, which were capable of seriously challenging the Syrian army,” Lavrov told the Rossiya 1 channel. The Russian FM called Washington’s actions in Syria a “dangerous game,” making it hard to determine America’s true aims in Syria.

Metrojet Crash: Egypt Detains Airport Workers, $50M Reward Offered
NBC News - Traces of explosives were found in the debris of the passenger jet that crashed in Egypt last month, the Kremlin announced Tuesday as it unveiled a $50 million reward in the case. A senior Egyptian official also told NBC News that two employees at Sharm el-Sheikh airport had been detained in connection with the Metrojet bombing. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said the pair were being questioned. However, the country's interior ministry later issued a statement saying that no one had been "arrested." Alexander Bortnikov, the chief of Russia's domestic security agency FSB, briefed a meeting of Russia's Security Council late Monday that a bomb equivalent to 2.2 pounds of TNT exploded on board the aircraft.... Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to hunt the perpetrators, saying that "we will find them anywhere on the globe, and punish them."

Shoot Out: Three Terror Suspects Killed in 100-Strong Paris Police Raid
Breitbart - Just before dawn Wednesday, over 100 police descended on the area, raiding an apartment building in the ethnically diverse town where suspects had barricaded themselves in. An exchange of fire was reported during which the three suspects were eventually killed, and three police officers were wounded. One of the suspected terrorists killed in the operation was reportedly a female suicide bomber who fired bursts of bullets with a Kalashnikov before blowing herself up by detonating her explosives belt. A second suspect was shot and killed by a police sniper. The operation reportedly targeted Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a Belgian jihadist and the alleged mastermind behind Friday’s Paris attacks.

Bomb threats force 2 Air France flights from US to Paris into emergency landings
RT - Two Air France planes flying to Paris from Washington and Los Angeles were forced to divert to Halifax and Salt Lake City due to bomb threats, the airline has confirmed. All passengers have been evacuated. Air France confirmed in a statement that both flights AF055 and AF065 were diverted because they “were subjects of anonymous threats received after their respective take-offs.” “As a precautionary measure and to conduct all necessary security checks, Air France, applying the safety regulations in force, decided to request the landings of both aircraft,” the statement added. “Local authorities are carrying out complete inspections of the aircraft, the passengers and their luggage. An investigation will be led by the authorities to identify the source of the telephone call.”

Fear of new terrorist plots spreads; German stadium evacuated after threat
Washington Post - German authorities scrambled to respond to a reported bomb plot and French investigators uncovered clues suggesting the Islamic State cell that launched last week’s devastating assaults in Paris was larger than previously known. Authorities in Hanover, Germany, abruptly called off a friendly soccer match between Germany and the Netherlands that Chancellor Angela Merkel had planned to attend to show resolve against terrorism and support for the victims of the attacks that killed at least 129 people in Paris.

Russia hits 206 ISIS targets in Syria after confirming bomb downed passenger plane over Sinai
RT - On the day Moscow officially confirmed a terrorist attack as the cause of last month’s downing of a passenger plane in Egypt, the Russian military hit over 200 terrorist targets in Syria in 127 sorties. The escalated Russian operation involved not only warplanes flying from an airfield near Latakia, but also strategic bombers operating from Russian territory. On Tuesday, Russian warplanes conducted 127 sorties and hit 206 targets, a source in the Russian defense ministry told RT.

VIDEO: Journalist speaks the truth about Paris attack, & much more
Russia Today interview.

India seeks targeted economic sanctions to curb terror funding
RT - The Paris attacks claimed by ISIS are a “grim reminder” that terrorists have become very flexible in meeting their funding requirements, according to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Disrupting fund flow constrains the capabilities of terrorists and reduces their ability to execute attacks," Modi said at an Indian anti-corruption conference Tuesday. "This involves putting in place both systemic safeguards, and targeted economic sanctions based on credible counter-terrorism intelligence," said the Prime Minister, adding that "there is an imperative need to focus our efforts to enhance international co-operation in the field of asset recovery for fighting crime, corruption and terrorism."

WikiLeaks Releases Audio Exposing Multi-Billion Dollar Fraud With Links to White House
Daily Sheeple - In a Tweet on Monday, WikiLeaks said it has 30 hours of audio recordings related to a billion-dollar corruption scandal “with links to the White House.” The recordings appear to provide evidence of fraud within the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, with appointees to both presidents allegedly misappropriating funds in a government program called AbilityOne. Taxpayer money set aside for AbilityOne, which is mostly distributed by the non-profit SourceAmerica, is intended for companies in which at least 75 percent of work is performed by disabled people. AbilityOne awards roughly $3 billion annually in government contracts. The program is meant to supply jobs to those who are blind or have other significant disabilities and to veterans, including wounded warriors.... The WikiLeaks tapes allegedly reveal that more than half of the $2.3 billion went to defense contractors and other major corporations that did not employ enough disabled people to qualify for the federal money, including the Department of Defense and contractors like Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman and Boeing.

‘Hundreds of Guns Lost or Stolen’ From Bay Area Authorities
Breitbart - On Nov 16, NBC Bay Area released an investigative report showing that “hundred of guns” have been “lost or stolen” from police departments and federal agencies in the Bay Area since 2010. And these are not simply semiautomatic handguns, but grenade launchers, sniper rifles, and M4 rifles–which are fully automatic military-grade rifles on the AR-15 platform. According to NBC Bay Area, while it is common knowledge that a gun stolen from a Bureau of Land Management agent’s vehicle was later used by an illegal alien to kill Kathryn Steinle in July, there has still been no answer provided for how guns the BLM has lost. But NBC did learn that “in the Bay Area alone, six local law enforcement agencies can’t account for at least 379 firearms since 2010 because of loss or theft.”

Syrian ‘Refugee’ already missing in Louisiana
Gateway Pundit - Liberals continue to tell us the “vetting process” for refugees is under control. They insist the federal government is monitoring every Syrian once they make it to America. But, of course, that’s a total fallacy.... At least one Syrian refugee that was in the process of resettling in the Baton Rouge area has already gone missing, according to a report by WBRZ.... The news may seem alarming that neither state government nor the federal government track newly-arrived refugees who have just entered the country, but it is actually not uncommon at all.... Governor Jindal’s office contacted The Gateway Pundit this morning. The missing refugee turned up out of state. The governor’s office had to do the leg work on this. The spokesman said the feds were no help.

This Supreme Court Case Soon May Remove Your Right To Hire A Lawyer
Off the Grid News - The US Supreme Court could grant prosecutors the power to stop you from using your own money to hire a defense attorney in a major case the justices are considering. In Luis v. US, the federal government is arguing it has the power to freeze all of a defendant’s assets, including those not earned through crime. “What the government proposes to do is financially cripple someone before they’ve been convicted, before they’ve had a trial and not allow them to use assets that are theirs to try to match the government in the courtroom,” defense attorney Howard Srebnick told the media, referencing the Nov. 10 oral arguments.

Ted Cruz Bill Would Bar Syrian Refugees
Breitbart - Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz will introduce a bill to bar Syrian refugees from entering the United States. He is already on record in support of resettling them in majority Muslin countries in the Middle-East. At the same time, Cruz believes Christian refugees should be allowed to enter the U.S. “There is no meaningful risk of Christians committing acts of terror. If there were a group of radical Christians pledging to murder anyone who had a different religious view than they, we would have a different national security situation,” Cruz said Sunday in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Barack Obama responded, saying it’s “shameful” to put refugees to a religious test. Cruz responded via CNN: “It’s not surprising that Obama is attacking me personally,” the Texas senator and 2016 Republican presidential candidate told CNN’s Dana Bash. “I’ll tell you what’s shameful is that the president after seven years still refuses to utter the words radical Islamic terrorism [and] claims that somehow [it’s] a religious test. [It’s] not that at all. It is understanding the nature of the evil we face.”
* Related: Discrimination: 2,098 Syrian Muslim Refugees Allowed Into America, Only 53 Christians

Trump: I Will Build ‘a Big Beautiful Safe Zone’ in Syria for Refugees
Breitbart - Monday night at a rally in Knoxville, TN, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said instead of bringing refugees to the United States he would build a “big, beautiful safe zone” in Syria.... “So You keep ’em in Syria. You build a tremendous safe zone, it’ll cost you tremendously much less, much less...

Virginia Becomes The First US State To End Veteran Homelessness
True Activist - While Connecticut was the first state to end chronic veteran homelessness, Virginia is officially now the first US state to end all veteran homelessness, a monumental achievement, indeed. As of Wednesday, the state of Virginia has officially ended veteran homelessness, stated Governor Terry McAuliffe. According to the Huffington Post, the milestone declaration means that every veteran in the state has housing, except for those who were offered shelter, but declined. The state press release shares that by streamlining resources and having the Department of Veterans Affairs, public housing groups, local utility companies and other key partners collaborate on the conundrum, Virginia has been able to house 1,432 veterans since October 2014.

CA Water Conservation Rules May Be Permanent
Breitbart - California has adapted well to mandatory water conservation rules ordered into effect earlier this year by Gov. Jerry Brown–and water officials now say that some of those rules may be implemented permanently. At Brown’s direction, the State Water Resources Control Board–which oversees all water-related resource management in California–issued sweeping new regulations this year intended to trim the state’s total water usage by 25 percent. The regulations included limits on the amount of times homeowners could water their lawns or wash their cars, as well as a rule prohibiting restaurants from serving water to customers unless asked. The Board also implemented a water usage reporting requirement for each of California’s roughly 400 water agencies, under which each agency or water district must file a monthly report with the state indicating how much water it has saved–or, alternatively, how much water it failed to save.

Indian entrepreneur aims to bring cycle power to homes
GCR - The creator of a sports drink called “5-Hour Energy” has decided to invest his $4bn fortune in bringing innovative solutions to the poor of India. Manoj Bhargava’s latest idea is to place a stationary bike in 10,000 Indian homes with the idea that the occupants can charge a battery by riding them. The hybrid cycle, which costs $100 to install, is equipped with a dynamo and is similar to a normal bicycle and can be fixed by a bicycle repair man. Bhargava says his “Free Electric” devices will be more efficient than conventional pedal-powered dynamos. He told Indian website Business Standard: “An electricity-producing bicycle can power one bulb as long as you are peddling it; the bulb goes out once you stop peddling. Our device can power 24 light bulbs, a fan, a phone charger and a tablet charger at the same time,” he says. He added that a day’s worth of charge could be accumulated by about an hour’s work.... Bhargava and his Stage 2 Innovations Lab are the subject of a documentary film Billions in Change.
* Related: Roller Style Bicycle Generator

Tuesday - November 17, 2015 - Today in History:

1800 - The U.S. Congress held its first session in Washington, DC, in the partially completed Capitol building.
1869 - The Suez Canal opened in Egypt, linking the Mediterranean and the Red seas.
1903 - Russia's Social Democrats officially split into two groups - Bolsheviks and Mensheviks.
1904 - The first underwater submarine journey was taken, from Southampton, England, to the Isle of Wight.
1913 - The steamship Louise became the first ship to travel through the Panama Canal.
1962 - Washington's Dulles International Airport was dedicated by U.S. President Kennedy.
1973 - U.S. President Nixon told an Associated Press managing editors meeting in Orlando, FL, "people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook."
1979 - Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the release of 13 female and black American hostages being held at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
1982 - The Empire State Building was added to the National Register of Historical Places.
1990 - A mass grave was discovered by the bridge over the River Kwai in Thailand. The bodies were believed to be those of World War II prisoners of war.
2003 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as governor of California.
2010 - A hand-count of votes affirmed the re-election of U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, the first Senate candidate in over 50 years to win a write-in campaign.
2010 - The first Guantanamo detainee to face civilian trial, Ahmed Ghailani, was convicted by federal jury in New York on one charge of conspiracy related to 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Ghailani's native Tanzania.
2010 - Researchers trapped 38 antihydrogen atoms. It was the first time humans had trapped antimatter.

Putin: ISIS financed from 40 countries, including G20 members
RT - President Vladimir Putin says he’s shared Russian intelligence data on Islamic State financing with his G20 colleagues: the terrorists appear to be financed from 40 countries, including some G20 member states. During the summit, “I provided examples based on our data on the financing of different Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) units by private individuals. This money, as we have established, comes from 40 countries and, there are some of the G20 members among them,” Putin told the journalists. Putin also spoke of the urgent need to curb the illegal oil trade by IS.

Putin, Cameron pledge to join forces to eradicate Islamic State
RT - Russia and its Western allies must set aside foreign policy differences and join forces to defeat Islamic State in the aftermath of the horror of the Paris attacks, Russian President Vladimir Putin told UK Prime Minister David Cameron at the G20 summit. “The recent tragic events in France show that we need to — and should have a long time ago — join forces in the fight against this evil,” Putin said ahead of the meeting with the British leader in Antalya, Turkey on Monday morning. Admitting to strained relations, Putin said: “As far as bilateral relations are concerned, they are not at their best, but there is some upturn.”
* Related: Terror intel exchanges between US, Russia need to be enhanced – CIA director

Mastermind behind Paris attacks identified as active ISIS executioner from Belgium – reports
RT - Investigators have identified the alleged sponsor and mastermind of Friday’s massacre in Paris. He had direct contact with the terrorists, media report. The suspect is believed to be a Belgian national and an active Islamic State executioner in Syria. Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 27, financed and organized the attacks and the explosions in the French capital, RTL radio said, citing investigating authorities. The report added that Abaaoud was the “butcher” of the Islamic State group and had carried out several grisly executions. Abaaoud is said to be from the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, notorious for being an Islamist hotspot. This is the same area where another suspect in the Paris attacks, Salah Abdeslam, was raised.

Egypt plane crash Bomb brought jet down, says Russia's security service
The Guardian - The Kremlin has said for the first time that a bomb ripped apart a Russian passenger jet over Egypt last month, and promised to hunt down those responsible and intensify its airstrikes on Islamist militants in Syria in response. Until Tuesday, Russia had played down assertions from western countries that the crash, in which 224 people were killed, was a terrorist incident, saying it was important to let the official investigation run its course. But in a Kremlin meeting late on Monday night, three days after Islamist gunmen and bombers killed 129 people in Paris, Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia’s FSB security service, told a meeting chaired by President Vladimir Putin that traces of foreign-made explosive had been found on fragments of the downed plane and on passengers’ personal belongings.
* Related: Egypt detains two airport staff in connection with Sinai air crash

Russia’s New ‘Nuclear Torpedo’ Can Create Giant Tsunamis And Wipe Out Entire Coastal Cities
Economic Collapse - While the eyes of the world are on ISIS, Russia is creating weapons unlike anything the world has ever seen before. Plans for a giant self-propelled nuclear torpedo that can create a giant tsunami more than 1,000 feet tall were recently “leaked by mistake” by the Russian media. Apparently the warheads on these torpedos are designed to create so much radiation “that everything living will be killed” – including those that try to survive the attack by hiding in underground shelters. These “robotic mini-submarines” would have a range of up to 10,000 kilometers and would be able to evade all existing U.S. detection systems. To say that such a weapon would be a “game changer” would be a massive understatement. I know that you are not just going to take my word for any of this. So like I do in all of my articles, I am going to carefully document what I am saying.

Paris Shooting: 10 Ways It Looks Like a Hallmark False Flag Op
Activist Post - The Paris shooting of November 2015 which just occurred on Friday 13th November bears many of the telltale signs of a false flag operation. Now more than 48 hours later, we have some clues that the New World Order manipulators are up to their old tricks again – which are getting very predictable by now. Here are 10 signs that the Paris shooting is yet another false flag attack designed to scare the common citizen (in France and everywhere), demonize Islam, provide “reason” for Governments at G20 and around the world to waste more money and take more liberty fighting terrorism, provide justification for the French Government to increase surveillance, and provide France and NATO with an excuse to escalate violence against Syria.

U.S-South Korean "Operational Plan" Raises the Risk of War. Calls for a "Preemptive Strike" on North Korea
Global Research - OPLAN 5015 is said to lay out the approach the U.S. and South Korea will take in limited war scenarios, and calls for a preemptive strike on North Korea, taking out its strategic targets and launching “decapitation” raids to kill North Korean leaders. There is an apparent contradiction in the use of the term ‘preemptive’ as a response to conflict, and implies that the aim is to carry out attacks that are out of proportion to the triggering event. Just how much or how little it would take to put OPLAN 5015 into effect is not publicly known. Asahi Shimbun reports that sources indicated the plan “deals with surprise military provocations by Pyongyang through the use of its special forces.” That seems rather a narrow focus to develop a major operations plan around, and an unnamed source told Hankyoreh that OPLAN 5015 “outlines how U.S. and South Korean forces would operate during the outbreak of war or some other crisis.” That wording, particularly the last three words, would appear to indicate that the plan has much broader coverage than reported by Asahi Shimbun.

Spain ‘issues arrest warrant’ for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over 2010 Gaza flotilla attack
The Independent - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and seven other former and current government officials are at risk of arrest if they set foot in Spain, after a Spanish judge effectively issued an arrest warrant for the group, it has been reported. According to the Latin American Herald Tribune, Spanish national court judge Jose de la Mata ordered the police and civil guard to notify him if Mr Netanyahu and the six other individuals enter the country, as their actions could see a case against them regarding the Freedom Flotilla attack of 2010 reopened.

Paris Attack Reported on WIKIPEDIA and TWITTER before it happened!!!
Bosnia Press - Was the Friday the 13th event scripted ahead of time?

US Greenlights Sale of $1.3 Billion in 'Smart' Bombs to Saudi Arabia
Sputnik News - The approval clears the way for the sale to go through – that is, unless lawmakers block it in the next 30 days, which is a rare move. The sale includes 22,000 smart and general purpose bombs, including 1,000 GBU-10 Paveway II Laser Guided Bombs, and more than 5,000 Joint Direct Attack Munitions kits to turn older bombs into precision-guided weapons using GPS signals... The bombs are in part intended to replenish Saudi inventories that have been depleted by its air operations against Islamic State in Syria and rebels in Yemen.... Since March, the Saudis have led a bombing campaign in Yemen targeting Houthi rebels who ousted the government. Human Rights Watch has said Saudi "airstrikes have indiscriminately killed and injured civilians" in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a and elsewhere. Still, the Obama administration has provided intelligence and targeting information for the airstrikes, Bloomberg reported.
* Related: Red Cross Accuses U.S.-Backed Saudis of Deliberately Attacking Health Care Facilities in Yemen

USS Harry Truman deployed to strike ISIS in wake of Paris attack
RT - The US Navy has deployed the aircraft carrier ‘Harry S. Truman’ to the Middle East, where it will help the US-led coalition launch strikes against the Islamic State terrorist group in Iraq and Syria. Although the deployment of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has been scheduled for more than a year, according to the Navy Times, news of its departure comes in the wake of the Paris massacre that claimed the lives of at least 129 people. The Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS/ISIL) has claimed responsibility. The Truman's deployment will last for seven months, the Washington Post reported. The carrier left Norfolk, Virginia on Monday and will arrive in the Persian Gulf in roughly six weeks. It is accompanied by the rest of the carrier strike group, which consists of the Carrier Air Wing Squadron 7, Destroyer Squadron 28, and the ships USS Anzio, USS Bulkeley, USS Gravely and the USS Gonzalez, according to The Hill.

ISIS Threatens Attacks On Washington DC In New Video
Zero Hedge - ...on Monday we get the latest video from ISIS' media arm and the group has now threatened to strike Washington. Here's Reuters: Islamic State warned in a new video on Monday that countries taking part in air strikes against Syria would suffer the same fate as France, and threatened to attack in Washington. "We say to the states that take part in the crusader campaign that, by God, you will have a day God willing, like France's and by God, as we struck France in the center of its abode in Paris, then we swear that we will strike America at its center in Washington," one man in the video said. It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the video.

Brennan: 4th Amendment Will Allow Terrorists to Attack America
Kurt Nimmo - CIA boss John Brennan said Monday violating the Fourth Amendment and eliminating the privacy of virtually every American will be required if the United States hopes to stop attacks by the Islamic State. He said recent proposed NSA reforms and a return to the principles enshrined in the Constitution will “make our ability collectively, internationally to find these terrorists much more challenging.” The CIA director mentioned the Islamic State. “I would anticipate that this is not the only operation ISIL has in the pipeline,” Brennan said in remarks delivered at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “It’s not going to content itself with violence inside of the Syrian and Iraqi borders.”

Texas Governor To Obama: No Syrian Refugees In The Lone Star State
Zero Hedge - Governor Greg Abbott today sent a letter to President Barack Obama informing him that the State of Texas will not accept any refugees from Syria in the wake of the deadly terrorist attack in Paris. Furthermore, Governor Abbott implored President Obama to halt his plans to accept more Syrian refugees in the United States entirely, as the federal government does not have the background information necessary to effectively conduct proper security checks on Syrian nationals....

Revolt: 22 Sitting GOP Governors Rebel Against President Obama Over Syrian Refugees
Breitbart - The growing number of governors rejecting Syrian refugees comes after reports that one of the suspects in Friday’s Paris terrorist attacks, which killed more than 120 people, had entered Paris by masquerading as a Syrian refugee. The number of Republican governors who have called for the rejection of the relocation of Syrian refugees in their states continues to climb. Currently, the GOP Governors of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, New Jersey, Kansas and Wisconsin have all rejected Obama’s resettlement plan. That means 22 sitting GOP governors have rejected Obama’s plans–and only nine sitting GOP governors haven’t come out against the plan. n addition, Kentucky’s governor-elect Matt Bevin is publicly opposed to the plan as well, which means when he is sworn in as the next governor of Kentucky there will be at least 23 states with GOP governors opposed to Obama’s Syrian refugee resettlement plan. That’s also all in addition to New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan–a Democrat–coming out against President Obama’s plans.

CO, VT, CT: Dem Governors Want Syrian Refugees
Breitbart - Although 52% of Americans believe accepting Syrian refuges will make America less safe, and the F.B.I. has admitted they cannot vet all of these refugees for terror ties, Democrat governors in Colorado, Vermont, and Connecticut have told President Obama that they will accept Syrian refugees into their state.

City Lets People Pay Parking Tickets With Canned Food Donations
Huffington Post - Parking tickets can be paid with donations of canned food instead of cash during a monthlong "Food for Fines" program in Lexington, Kentucky. The city's parking authority will accept cans for citations from Nov. 16 to Dec. 18, The Lexington Herald-Leader reported. Those who donate 10 canned food items will receive a $15 credit on citations. Customers with multiple citations may bring in 10 cans per citation for the credits. God's Pantry Food Bank will use the food to stock shelves at its four Lexington locations... Citizens brought in more than 6,200 cans of food as payment during last year's inaugural "Food for Fines" program, LexPark Executive Director Gary Means said. Last year, the program was limited to LexPark citations for expired parking meters. This year any parking citation issued by either LexPark or the police department will be eligible.

Stock prices of weapons manufacturers soaring since Paris attack
Hang The Bankers - The Paris attacks took place on Friday night. Since then, France’s president has vowed “war” on ISIS and today significantly escalated the country’s bombing campaign in Syria (France has been bombing ISIS in Iraq since last January, and began bombing the group in Syria in September). Already this morning, as Aaron Cantú noticed, the stocks of the leading weapons manufacturers — what is usually referred to as the “defense industry” — have soared...

Chemical spill, gas leaks reported after massive tornado levels Texas Halliburton plant
RT - Large tornados ripped through the Texas panhandle on Monday night, including one estimated to be a mile wide that reportedly leveled a Halliburton plant, causing chemical and gas leaks. Downed power lines were also reported. According to ABC 7 Amarillo, the Halliburton plant in Pampa, Texas was “completely leveled.”... Meanwhile, a BNSF train has also derailed near Pampa as a result of the storm, ABC 7 reported. Roberts County Sheriff's Department has confirmed that several rail cars were blown over during the severe weather. It’s unclear if there have been any injuries, as emergency officials are struggling to reach the area due to downed power lines.

8 Causes of Excessive Dog Panting That Deserve Your Concern
Dr. Becker - If you've spent any time around dogs, you know they pant. In fact, many dogs pant a lot. Panting describes a type of rapid, shallow breathing that speeds evaporation of water from your dog's tongue, and inside his mouth and upper respiratory tract. As the water evaporates, it helps your dog regulate his body temperature.... There are two types of panting: normal and abnormal. Normal panting typically occurs when your dog's body is overheating and is considered a natural, healthy response. Abnormal panting, on the other hand, may be a sign that your dog has a physical or emotional issue that needs further investigation. You can tell the difference between the two types of panting by looking for these signs...
 

Monday - November 16, 2015 - Today in History:

1776 - British troops captured Fort Washington during the American Revolution.
1885 - Canadian rebel Louis Riel was executed for high treason.
1907 - Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th state.
1915 - Coca-Cola had its prototype for a contoured bottle patented. The bottle made its commercial debut the next year.
1933 - The United States and the Soviet Union established diplomatic relations for the first time.
1969 - The U.S. Army announced that several had been charged with massacre and the subsequent cover-up in the My Lai massacre in Vietnam on March 16, 1968.
1973 - U.S. President Nixon signed the Alaska Pipeline measure into law.
1981 - A vaccine for hepatitis B was approved. The vaccine had been developed at Merck Institute for Therapeutic Research.
1985 - Colonel Oliver North was put in charge of the shipment of HAWK anti-aircraft missiles to Iran.
1998 - It was announced that Monica Lewinsky had signed a deal for the North American rights to a book about her affair with U.S. President Clinton.
2000 - Bill Clinton became the first serving U.S. president to visit Communist Vietnam.
2001 - Congress passed a law mandating that airport screeners be federal employees.
2004 - President George W. Bush picked National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to be secretary of state, succeeding Colin Powell.
2004 - A NASA unmanned "scramjet" (X-43A) reached a speed of nearly 10 times the speed of sound above the Pacific Ocean.
2010 - President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor to Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, the first living service member from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars to receive the nation's top military award.

Paris carnage suspect arrested in Belgium after raid on Brussels jihadist hotspot Molenbeek- reports
RT - Belgian police have arrested Salah Abdeslam, suspected of coordinating Friday’s attacks in Paris, during raids in Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, notorious as an Islamist hotspot, RTL radio reported. Earlier on Sunday French and Belgian authorities released a photo and issued an international arrest warrant for 26-year-old Abdeslam, saying he is very dangerous and warning the public not to directly intervene if they see him. Salah Abdeslam was raised in Molenbeek, French and Belgian authorities said earlier. The alleged mastermind of the massacre, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, is also said to be from the same Brussels district. However, Belgian broadcaster RTBF cited a federal prosecutor who said that the man arrested in the Brussels district of Molenbeek was not Salah Abdeslam.
* Related: Mastermind behind Paris attacks identified as active ISIS executioner from Belgium – reports

French jets drop 20 bombs in massive anti-ISIS raid in Syria
RT - France has carried out a massive airstrike on an Islamic State stronghold in Raqqa, Syria. It struck dozen’s of targets including a command and control center, training camp and munitions warehouse, the country’s defense ministry announced. Twelve French aircraft, including 10 fighter jets, took part in the country’s biggest air raid in Syria, the statement from the defense ministry read. The strike, coordinated with the United States, was carried out simultaneously from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. “The first target destroyed was used by Daesh (a derogatory Arabic acronym for IS) as a command post, jihadist recruitment center and arms and munitions depot. The second held a terrorist training camp,” a ministry statement said, adding that in total some 20 bombs were dropped in the raid.

“Paris Changes Everything,” Say Merkel’s German Political Allies
Paul Craig Roberts - In my recent writings I have explained the many agendas served by the false flag Paris attack. I also predicted that other countries would follow France’s lead in closing their borders, thus dispossessing the dissenting political parties of their issue and preserving the political power and control of the European establishment. Germany is now moving in the direction of repulsing refugees [Link]... Just as with 9/11, Charlie Hebdo and the Boston Marathon Bombing, the media was scripted with the story and ready to go the minute the happening was reported. There is no investigation, no questioning, just the media moving in lockstep with the scripted official story. Again the perpetrators conveniently leave their ID. Again the attack coincides with an official drill of the attack. No matter how transparent the false flag attack and the agendas served by it, patriotism whipped to a frenzy blinds people to the reality.

Widespread Terrorism Is Just Part Of The Perfect Storm That Is Now Descending On The Western World
Economic Collapse - [...] Unfortunately, I believe that we are moving into a new era. Instead of just being satisfied with killing dozens or hundreds of people, these terrorists will start getting a hold of weapons that can kill thousands. Eventually we will see terror attacks inside this country that will make 9/11 look like a Sunday picnic. And Barack Obama is certainly not helping things by “resettling” thousands upon thousands of Syrian refugees in communities all over America. Of course increasing terror is just a part of the overall picture. Many have described what is coming to the United States and Europe as a “perfect storm”, and I would agree with that assessment.

CONFIRMED: French Government Knew Extremists BEFORE Attack
Tony Cartalucci - As predicted and previously reported, terrorists who took part in an unprecedented attack in the center of Paris killing over a 100 and injuring hundreds more, were well-known to French security agencies before the attack took place. The UK Daily Mail reported in its article, “Hunt for the Isis killers: One terrorist identified as ‘young Frenchman known to authorities’ – another two found with Syrian and Egyptian passports,” that: One of the terrorists involved in last night’s attacks in Paris has been officially identified as a Parisian, according to local media reports. The man, who was killed at the Bataclan, was identified using his fingerprints and was from the southern Parisian neighbourhood of Courcouronnes. French reports say that the man, who was around 30 years old, was already known to French anti-terrorist authorities prior to last night’s attacks.... Astoundingly, French security agencies never moved in on the terrorists, claiming that after a decade of tracking them, they had finally decided to close their case for precisely the amount of time needed for them to plan and execute their grand finale.

Report: Paris Attacker Was Syrian “Refugee” Who Arrived in Greece Last Month
Paul Joseph Watson - Greek journalist Yannis Koutsomitis tweets that the country’s Ministry of Public Order and Citizen Protection has confirmed that the terrorist found with a Syrian passport on his person was, “registered as refugee on Leros island in October.”... Koutsomitis also drew attention to a quote by Greece migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas, who on September 9th said, “It would be “foolish to believe that there are no jihadists among the refugees that cross into Europe.” A Syrian passport was discovered on the body of one of the suicide bombers who staged the attack outside the Stade de France during the France v Germany soccer game. If confirmed, the report will be a devastating blow to Angela Merkel and other European leaders who have opened the borders to hundreds of thousands of migrants despite ISIS’ vow to exploit the crisis to infiltrate jihadists into the west.

Amid Bataclan Hostage Crisis, Did Paris Police Wait Too Long To Rescue Victims?
IBT - More than 115 people were killed during a hostage crisis before police SWAT teams stormed the Bataclan theater in central Paris at around 1 a.m. Saturday local time, freeing an unknown number of victims and killing three terror suspects, according to a live TV broadcast by CNN. It was not immediately clear how many hostages died before the rescue operation took place, but it’s likely the length of time the police waited will be the subject of scrutiny in the aftermath of the attacks, according to an expert in hostage situations and counterterrorism. “In this case, the police tactical teams should have just gone in straight away, using the quickest preliminary plan they had,” said former Army Special Forces Col. Steve Bucci, now director of the Center for Foreign and National Security Policy at the Heritage Foundation, a Washington, D.C., think tank. “With their high level of training they could have gone in and used their instincts to resolve this situation quickly.”

9 Reasons to Question the Paris Terror Attacks
Brandon Turbeville - Only hours after the first shots were fired, stories and reports are beginning to change and contradict one another. Considering the history of the French government, French Intelligence agencies and the Anglo-American/NATO Intelligence apparatus, particularly the recent events surrounding the Charlie Hebdo attacks that were exposed as false flags, one would be justified in wondering whether or not these recent attacks in Paris were of the same variety.

German Law Would Give Police Power to Enter Homes to Check For “Refugee Suitability”
Paul Joseph Watson - A proposed law in Germany would give police the power to enter people’s homes without their permission in order to conduct a “suitability” check to see if the accommodation could be used to house asylum seekers. Journalist Gunnar Schupelius writes that he was so shocked by the idea he first thought it was “satire,” but after doing some digging found that the Senate Chancellery has actually proposed altering German law, which currently forbids police from entering a home against the owner’s permission without a warrant or unless it’s “to avert imminent danger”. The proposal would add a paragraph to § 36 ASOG to state (translated version), “The regulatory authorities and the police can enter to check the suitability for accommodation of refugees land, buildings or parts thereof without the consent of the owner, if the threat for the Prevention Homelessness is required.”

About 38% Of All The COMEX Gold In Hong Kong Left The Warehouses Yesterday
Zero Hedge - Roughly 21 tonnes, or 685,652 troy ounces of gold in .999 fine kilo bars, was withdrawn, net of a small deposit of 27,328 ounces, from the Brinks warehouse in Hong Kong yesterday. To put that into some perspective, that is the same amount of all gold in the entire JPM [JP Morgan] warehouse in the US. The point of this is that the price discovery in New York is becoming increasingly distinct from the actual physical supply and demand flows of bullion which are taking place in Asia... gold is 'trading like a modern currency' without respect to its nature as a commodity bound by physical supply. The Fed et al. can print money, but they cannot print bullion… And that is a potentially dangerous development, especially with respect to a commodity that is being traded at a leverage in excess of 200:1.

EU Shocks Pesticide Industry by Suggesting Glyphosate Herbicide Formulations are Genotoxic
Sustainable Pulse - Despite the tragic and ‘corrupt’ nature of the EU Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and their report Thursday stating the ‘unlikely’ carcinogenicity of the most widely used active substance in herbicides – glyphosate – there is a very important admission in the report: “It is likely, therefore, that the genotoxic effects observed in some glyphosate-based formulations are related to the other constituents or “co-formulants”. This single EFSA admission may change the face of how pesticides are regulated worldwide, as up until now only studies on the ‘active’ substances, such as glyphosate in Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide formulation, have been taken into account by regulators.

22 Islamic Jihad Training Camps in America – Is There One In YOUR State?
The Federalist Papers - It is confirmed that there are over 22 Jihadi Training Camps in the United States of America, but the FBI says there is nothing that can be done about them. These training camps have been connected to Muslims of America (MOA) and belong to Jamaat ul-Fuqra, a Pakistan Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaeda-related branch. These camps are nothing new, as at least 19 of them were established as early as 2012. FBI documents obtained by “The Clarion Project” in 2007 detailed the Texas enclave.

Governors of Michigan, Alabama Seek to Bar Syrian Refugees After French Attack
NBC News - No Syrian refugees have entered Alabama under federal refugee assistance rules, and Gov. Robert Bentley declared Sunday night that they never will on his watch. Bentley cited Friday night's "attacks of terror on innocent citizens in Paris" in promising that he would "oppose any attempt to relocate Syrian refugees to Alabama." "I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm's way," he said. Earlier Sunday, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said his state was halting efforts to accept refugees from Syria. Snyder said Michigan is "proud of our rich history of immigration" but that the state's "priority is protecting the safety of our residents," NBC Chicago reported.

Deputy Nat'l Security Adviser Ben Rhodes: 'We're Still Planning to Take in Syrian Refugees'
CNS News - White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, intent on damage control, made the rounds of the talk shows on Sunday, partly to defend President Obama's remark that ISIS has been "contained"; partly to respond to criticism that the Obama administration has underestimated the enemy; and partly to support the president's decision to let thousands of Syrian refugees into this country.... "We have very robust vetting procedures for those refugees. It involves our intelligence community, our National Counterterrorism Center, extensive interviews, vetting them against all information. And what we need to be able to do, frankly, is sort out that foreign fighter flow, those who have gone into Syria and come out and want to launch attacks or those people who have connections with ISIL in Syria. We need to be able to have the intelligence base to identify and target those people.
* Related: Ex-House Intelligence chairman: Refugees can't be fully vetted

Assault Rifles Stolen From Massachusetts Army Reserve Armory
The Daily Beast - The U.S. Army Reserve armory in Worcester, Massachusetts was broken into Saturday night and more than a dozen guns were stolen, a law enforcement source tells The Daily Beast. Six M4 assault rifles, ten pistols, and several long guns were taken from the armory, according to the source. The break-in was discovered this morning. The armory’s alarms did not go off, according to the source who added they may have been disabled due to ongoing construction. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is currently investigating the break-in. “Nothing at this point in time would tie this to any specific threat or anything else at this point,” Hank Shaw, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston division said at a press conference on Sunday.

Obama Claims ISIS “Contained” Day Before Paris Attacks
Kit Daniels - President Barack Obama claimed ISIS was losing strength and was “contained” a day before the Paris attacks. “I don’t think they’re gaining strength,” he told ABC’s George Stephanopolous on Thursday, which aired Friday on Good Morning America. “What is true is that from the start, our goal has been first to contain and we have contained them.” The president also said that despite not eradicating ISIS’s top commanders, the U.S. was making “some progress.” “…We’ve made some progress in trying to reduce the flow of foreign fighters, and part of our goal has to be to recruit more effective Sunni partners in Iraq to really go on offense rather than simply engage in defense.”

NYPD tightens security at French consulate, counterterrorism teams deployed across NYC in response to Paris attacks
NY Daily News - The NYPD tightened security at the French consulate and French mission in response to the Paris attacks, and cops were on "high alert," Mayor de Blasio said Friday...The NYPD said in a statement its intelligence bureau in France was already working with Parisian officials while keeping Commissioner Bill Bratton updated on the developing situation. "The NYPD is in close touch with our French police counterparts as well as our FBI partners here," the statement said.

Matt Drudge Slams Obama for Importing Muslims into the United States
Breitbart - Since 2009, Obama has admitted more than 250,000 Muslims each year, via family reunification sought by new Muslim citizens and government invites to Muslims fleeing wars in the chaotic Islamic heartland of the Middle East. In 2013, for example, Obama’s government admitted 280,276 people from Muslim-majority countries where the notion of jihad against non-Muslims is a conventional belief. But many migrants have brought their belief in jihad into the United States. Since 2011, more than 100 Muslim immigrants have been charged with jihad-related crimes in the United States, as domestic surveillance has expand to keep pace with jihadist plots. Even the Southern Poverty Law Center, a progressive advocacy group, admits that many Muslim migrants have gotten involved in terrorism.

Secret planting of up to 75,000 Syrian Muslims begins in U.S.
WND - Up to 10,000 Syrian refugees, most of them Muslims, will be resettled in cities throughout the U.S. in 2015, with that figure expected to surge to near 75,000 over the next five years... The U.S. State Department does not announce where it plans to send foreign refugees for resettlement within the United States, although the locations do eventually show up in a government database some weeks after they arrive in their host cities. Word of their anticipated arrivals will sometimes surface earlier in local media reports. And that’s already happening in North Dakota, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio and Washington....The U.S. State Department places refugees in 180 cities across 49 states with help from nine contractors, most of them affiliated with Christian denominations. See the list of resettlement offices in all 180 U.S. cities where U.N.-selected refugees are being resettled....The cost of resettling the refugees has been estimated at more than $1 billion a year.

BORING: CBS Ends Democratic Debate 7 Minutes Early
POLITICO - CBS brought in the second Democratic debate seven minutes under time, giving Iowa Democrats the chance to catch the end of the No. 5-ranked Hawkeyes' game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The candidates began their closing statements with more than 10 minutes to go until the scheduled 11 p.m. conclusion, with Bernie Sanders finishing his at 9:52 p.m. local time. Moderator John Dickerson cut to a commercial break, returning with final thoughts from the panel and a teaser for the next debate on CBS for the Republicans on Feb. 13 in South Carolina.

Hillary Clinton Refuses to Say ‘Radical Islam’ at Dem Debate
PrisonPlanet - Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the Democratic Party presidential debate on Saturday evening in Iowa that she would not use the phrase “radical Islam” to describe the enemy responsible for attacking the United States and the west in general.... Clinton’s two opponents, former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley and Sen. Bernie Sanders, likewise refused to use the term “radical Islam.” O’Malley said: “I believe calling it what it is is to say, ‘radical jihadis.’ That’s calling it what it is. John, let’s not fall into the trap of thinking that all of our Muslim-American neighbors in this country are somehow our enemies here. They are our first line of defense.” Sanders, who earlier had reaffirmed his view that climate change is a greater threat than terrorism (and, in fact, causes terrorism), said: “I don’t think the term is what’s important.”

Gov. O’Malley: Donald Trump Is an ‘Immigrant-Bashing Carnival Barker’
Breitbart - O’Malley took a shot at the Republican presidential candidates, specifically Donald Trump, and discussed immigration during the second Democratic presidential candidate. “The fact of the matter is, and let’s say it in our debate because you’ll never hear this from that immigration-bashing carnival barker Donald Trump— the truth.” “The truth of the matter is net immigration from Mexico last year was zero–fact check me” he said. “Go ahead, check it out.” O’Malley argued that if people want wages to go up in America, then Americans need to consider amnesty for the millions of illegal immigrants that reside in the country.
* Related: Hillary, Sanders, O’Malley: After Paris Attack U.S. Should Still Take Refugees

Poll: Trump Surges to 42% Nationally
Breitbart - In the Reuters/Ipsos 5-day tracking poll that samples 534 Republicans, over the last week, Donald Trump has surged to a massive national lead in the GOP presidential primary. Currently, the billionaire businessman sits at 42% with likely Republican primary voters. His closest competitor is Ben Carson, who sits at just below 25%.... Rubio remains stuck at 10%.

Donald Trump Says Tough Gun Control Laws In Paris Contributed To Tragedy
Washington Post - Donald Trump says the tough gun control laws in Paris contributed to the high death toll during a series of terrorist attacks on Friday. The attacks, he added, also reveal the danger in allowing Syrian refugees into the country. “You can say what you want, but if they had guns — if our people had guns, if they were allowed to carry — it would have been a much, much different situation,” Trump said to cheers during a political rally at an arena in southeast Texas on Saturday afternoon. “I hear it all the time, you know. You look at certain cities that have the highest violence, the highest problem with guns and shootings and killings — Chicago is an example, toughest gun laws in the United States, nothing but problems. So our country better get smart because we’re not smart right now.”... “Isn’t it interesting that the tragedy in Paris took place in one of the toughest gun control countries in the world?”
* Related: FULL Speech HD: Donald Trump MASSIVE Rally in Beaumont, TX (11-14-15)

US Senate Passes Bill Approving Mandatory Vaccinations for Veterans
Activist Post - A Bill has just passed the US Senate, mandating that the US Department of Veteran Affairs ensure that all veterans receive immunizations (vaccines) per a draconian schedule. At this juncture, active military must receive over a dozen vaccines. This piece of legislation is therefore an effort to extend the vaccine mandate to those who have previously served their country. Sec. 101 of Senate Bill 1203, named the 21st Century Veterans Benefits Delivery Act, states that the Department of Veterans Affairs will be tasked with the mandate to “ensure that veterans receiving medical services under chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, receive each immunization on the recommended adult immunization schedule at the time such immunization is indicated on that schedule.” The schedule referred to above is frankly staggering. Over ninety vaccines are listed.... Senate Bill 1203 was authored by US Senator Dean Heller, Republican from Nevada. It passed the US Senate on November 10, 2015 and now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Veterans drop hundreds of empty pill bottles in front of the White House
Washington Post - A couple dozen servicemen and women marched to the White House this Veterans Day and dumped a large box of empty pill containers, calling on the president and other federal officials to make medical marijuana accessible to veterans. “Here’s what the over-medication of our veterans looks like,” they said as they spilled the canisters onto the floor. “We don’t want it.” The veterans and protesters — affiliated with various veteran and marijuana advocacy organizations — argued that Veterans Affairs hospitals are over-medicating veterans, prescribing them a large number of psychoactive medications to treat PTSD.... VA health-care providers can’t talk to their patients about medical marijuana options, even in states where there are legal medical marijuana programs.

The Wheels Are About To Come Off This Bubble
Zero Hedge - People are taking out eight-year car loans. This is – or ought to be – alarming. The automotive equivalent of the zero-down, no-doc, adjustable rate mortgage on a $500,000 McMansion circa 2004… New car loans used to be 36 months (three years) and then 48 months (four years). Back when the economy was sane. Today, the typical new car loan is 72 months (six years). This is almost double the formerly typical length of a new car loan. But even that is not – apparently – enough to keep the music playing. Enter the eight-year loan… Stretching out the loan from four to six (and now eight) years is a way to make a car you can’t afford seem affordable. To hide from view just how much a new car really costs. Consider: The average price paid for a new car this year was about $35k, a record high… But the average family income in the United States is around $55k. And it has been around $55k for at least a decade. People are buying more car – with less money. Sound familiar?

Friday - November 13, 2015 - Today in History:

1775 - During the American Revolution, U.S. forces captured Montreal.
1789 - Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to a friend in which he said, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
1927 - The Holland Tunnel opened to the public, providing access between New York City and New Jersey beneath the Hudson River.
1942 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a measure lowering the minimum draft age from 21 to 18.
1956 - The U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws calling for racial segregation on public buses.
1971 - The U.S. spacecraft Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, Mars.
1982 - The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, DC.
1986 - President Ronald Reagan publicly acknowledged that the U.S. had sent "defensive weapons and spare parts" to Iran. He denied that the shipments were sent to free hostages, but that they had been sent to improve relations.
1997 - Iraq expelled six U.N. arms inspectors that were U.S. citizens.
1998 - Monica Lewinsky signed a deal with St. Martin's Press for the North American rights to her story about her affair with U.S. President Bill Clinton.
2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush signed an executive order that would allow for military tribunals to try any foreigners captured with connections to the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. It was the first time since World War II that a president had taken such action.
2003 - Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore was thrown off the bench by a judicial ethics panel after refusing to remove a granite Ten Commandments monument from the state courthouse.
2006 - A deal was finalized for Google Inc. to acquire YouTube for $1.65 million in Google stock.
2009 - NASA announced that water had been discovered on the moon. The discovery came from the planned impact on the moon of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS).
2009 - Attorney General Eric Holder announced plans to try professed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others in civilian court in New York City. (The Obama administration later backed off the plan.)

U.S. drone strike targeted 'Jihadi John,' Briton linked to hostage beheadings
Washington Post - The U.S. military launched a drone strike Thursday targeting “Jihadi John,” the masked Islamic State terrorist who beheaded several Western hostages in Syria and came to symbolize the brutality of the militant group, U.S. officials said. But the Pentagon is still working to determine whether the strike killed the militant, Briton Mohammed Emwazi. [‘Jihadi John’: Islamic State killer is identified as Londoner Mohammed Emwazi] Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said the strike took place around the Syrian city of Raqqa, the Islamic State’s de facto capital. “We are assessing the results of tonight’s operation and will provide additional information as and where appropriate,” Cook said.

US strategic bombers fly close to Chinese islands, ignore ‘get away’ orders
RT - Two US B-52 strategic bombers have flown near Chinese artificial islands in the South China Sea, ignoring calls to “get away” from Beijing’s airspace, the Pentagon said, claiming the “routine mission” was in accordance with international treaties. The Pentagon points out that it regards the flights near the Chinese manmade islands as fully legitimate because from a US point of view, the airspace over the islands is a part of international airspace. The US military spokesman added that the B-52s did not get within 12 miles of the islands.... The incident comes around two weeks after a serious incident involving the US destroyer USS Lassen, which sailed close to the artificial islands. China was extremely critical of the US Navy’s actions.

Regardless Of Sanctions, Russia Recession Ends In 2016
Forbes - Russia’s economy is still contracting, but the recession will end in 2016 if oil stays steady-to-higher from where it is now, Barclays Capital said on Thursday. Russia’s economy was whacked with the double whammy of falling oil prices and Western sanctions, now into their 16th month. Third quarter GDP fell 4.1% from the same period last year, which is better than the 4.6% decline in the second quarter. Russia’s third quarter GDP also beat consensus forecasts.

Sudan to Boost Oil, Gas Production Despite Slumping Crude Prices
Sputnik News - Oil-rich South Sudan seceded from what is now the Republic of Sudan in 2011. Khartoum estimates that the loss of the southern oilfield brought oil production volumes down to some 150,000 of barrels a day from a previous half a million barrels per day. "Actually, we are planning to expand, although the prices are going down," Ambassador Nadir Babiker told RIA Novosti, adding his country imports oil byproducts like gasoline for the needs of its agricultural industry. Sudan hopes for an increase of at least 5,000 barrels a day from a new and "promising" oilfield in the Republic’s southern White Nile State.

Ukraine’s Finance Minister Jaresko Made Her Fortune on US Taxpayers’ Dime
Sputnik News - Before becoming Ukraine’s finance minister last year, Natalia Jaresko collected $1.77 million in bonuses from a US-taxpayer-financed investment fund where her annual compensation was supposed to be caped to $150,000, Robert Parry, an author for Ron Paul Institute, wrote in his article. The author analyzed financial documents filed with the US Internal Revenue Service this year.

Kurds launch offensive in Iraq, Turks consider ground operation in Syria
RT - Kurdish forces lave launched an offensive to retake northern Iraq's city of Sinjar, controlled by Islamic State for over a year. The Turkish government has announced plans to send 10,700 soldiers to Syria in mid-December to make a buffer zone for refugees. US-led anti-IS coalition airstrikes in support of the Kurdish offensive operation in Iraq have killed from 60 to 70 Islamists, the US military reports. The Kurds report about 100 IS fighters killed in Thursday’s assault, Rudaw informs. American military personnel aren’t taking part in the siege of the city of Sinjar, but military advisers are stationed near Sinjar Mountain, staying in contact with Kurdish commanders, US military representatives in Iraq report.

Over 40 killed, dozens wounded as twin suicide bombings rock Beirut
RT - Two suicide bombings in the southern suburbs of Beirut have left at least 43 people dead, the Interior Ministry said. The death toll is expected to rise with Lebanon's Red Cross putting the number of those injured at over 200.... Islamic State militants have claimed responsibility for the attack. IS (formerly ISIS/ISIL) claimed on Twitter that their agents blew up a bike with explosives in the middle of a street in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Russia to loan Iran $7bn
RT - Iran will be loaned $5 billion by the Russian government, and another $2 billion from the Russian infrastructure bank VEB, RIA Novosti reports. The Iranian First Deputy Industrial Minister Mojtaba Khosrowtaj confirmed the $7-8 billion loan from Russia.... According to Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak, Iran asked Russia for a loan of $5 billion for infrastructure projects, mostly likely electrical power generation and the development of railways.The loan is expected to boost trade between the two countries. The target is $10 billion, from the current $1.6 billion.

China discovers undersea gold reserves estimated at $16.4bn
RT - A huge deposit holding at least 470 tons of gold has been discovered beneath the seabed of the East China Sea. The largest deposit is located two kilometers below sea level in an area with estimated reserves of at least 1,500 tons of gold. It was discovered in the Laizhou city which has the largest gold reserves in China. More than 2,000 tons of gold has been found there recently.

Japan Was Just Added To List Of "Partially Dangerous" Places For Tourists To Visit In The World
Zero Hedge - Whether it is because of Abe's shift to a newly militaristic doctrine or simply its proximity to a more sabre-rattling China is unclear, but Britain's Foreign Office just added Japan to its list of "dangerous" or "partially dangerous" countries. As ValueWalk's Vikas Shukla notes, the list of “high risk” countries includes Syria, Yemen, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Congo, Libya, Burundi, Chad, Central African Republic, Guinea, Somaliland, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Niger, Mauritania, and the Palestinian territories. Japan among partially dangerous countries Then there are 45 countries that are partially dangerous. Surprisingly, Japan has been included in this list. Parts of Russia, including areas of Chechnya and regions near the border with Ukraine, are also deemed dangerous. Here’s the full list of 45 “partially dangerous” countries....

Over $1 Trillion Spent Since Nixon Began The War On Drugs
Blacklisted News - - The “war on drugs” costs Americans a staggering amount of money every year that it persists. Despite the billions they receive, federal, state and local law enforcement have a proven inability to stem the flow of drugs on the nation’s streets. Since Richard Nixon declared a war on drugs in June 1971, the cost of that “war” had soared to over $1 trillion by 2010.Over $51 billion is spent annually to fight the drug war in the United States, according to Drug Policy Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting more humane drug policies.

Ferguson Effect: 1000 at Berkeley ‘Million Student March’
Breitbart - Roughly 1,000 demonstrators gathered in front of Sproul Hall at the University of California Berkeley to protest for free tuition and demonstrate solidarity with students at the University of Missouri. The Berkeley demonstration was one of more than 100 across the country, part of a “Million Student March” that demanded free tuition, student debt forgiveness, and a minimum wage of $15 per hour. However, events of the past several days have linked the economic campaign to the broader racial protests sweeping across U.S. campuses. The Berkeley students were boosted by roughly 200 demonstrators from the National Nurses Union, who are formally aligned with the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders. Once targeted by Black Lives Matter demonstrators, Sanders emerged from Thursday’s demonstration as a symbol of left-wing solidarity.

Another Paid-for Protest? #MillionStudentMarch Campus Uprising Has George Soros Written All over It
Daily Sheeple - It’s no coincidence that WAPO published an article two days ago about how college campuses are once again becoming “civil rights battlegrounds”. It’s also no surprise at all that the nationwide protest going down today is timed perfectly to piggy back off the media outcry over the University of Missouri protests, either....The #MillionStudentMarch movement has its own website at studentmarch.org started by Elan Axelbank, a Northwestern student and activist member of the Socialist Alternative movement who also has enough time on his hands as a student to co-found not only the Million Student March but 15 Now, a group that demands to “end poverty wages” by making the national minimum wage $15/hour.... The so-called “grassroots campaign” even comes complete with an “organizing guide” to teach people how to organize their own march on their campus, not a quick feat as it includes 17 steps...

LA Times: Some Texas Universities to Create ‘Gun Free Zones’ to Circumvent Campus Carry
Breitbart - On November 10 the Los Angeles Times reported that some universities in Texas are assessing how and where they can create gun free zones to keep law-abiding students with concealed handgun licenses (CHLs) from carrying guns for self-defense. Campus carry becomes law of the land in Texas in August 2016. According to the LA Times, the University of Texas (UT) is leading the charge to find ways to circumvent the law. “More than 800 UT professors have added their names to a list opposing guns in classrooms, and more than 8,000 people have signed a separate petition [opposing campus carry].”

Video: Fourth Grader Threatened With Sexual Harassment Charges For Writing Love Letter
Steve Watson - In a story that perfectly encapsulates the insane degree to which our society has been neutered by political correctness, a nine year old child has been threatened with sexual harassment charges for writing a love letter to his classmate. The love letter, one of many according to wptv news, stated that the Florida boy is enamored with how his classmate “wears the same [school] uniform” and how her eyes “sparkle like diamonds.” It also notes how the boy finds his crush “pretty”, and features a heart with the words “I like you” within it.

Ithaca College students stage walkout, call for president’s removal
Campus Reform - About 1,000 students at Ithaca College (IC) staged a walkout from their classes Wednesday afternoon to protest college president Tom Rochon and numerous allegations of racist incidents on campus this semester. Students participating in the Solidarity Walk Out, organized by People of Color at Ithaca College (POC at IC), first rallied around Freedom Rock outside the student center. Several students delivered speeches calling for Rochon’s ouster. After the speeches, the protest leaders lead students in the chant “Tom Rochon/No Confidence” and filtered across the central area of campus. Students then lay on the wet pavement for a 20-minute moment of silence.

Video: “Safe Space” Students Silence Asian Woman For Saying “Black People Can Be Racist”
Paul Joseph Watson - Students at Claremont McKenna College in California who are demanding a racially segregated “safe space” for “marginalized identities,” silenced and embarrassed an Asian woman when she described how she had been racially harassed by an African-American man. The incident occurred yesterday during a protest against, “a lack of support from the Claremont McKenna College administration for students of color and others with marginalized identities.” After numerous other students spoke about nebulous examples of racial discrimination, while refusing to allow white people to speak or (initially) use the megaphone, an Asian woman stepped forward to relate how she was an actual victim of racism.

Your social, political and religious views are now deemed suspicious by police
Mass Private I - The Berkley Police Review Commission in California admits DHS run Fusion Centers are tracking American's social, political and religious views! Click here to see Los Angeles, California's SARs reports. DHS's 'Suspicious Activity Reporting' (SARs) has officially become law enforcement's new version of McCarthyism! "McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence. It also means "the practice of making unfair allegations or using unfair investigative techniques, especially in order to restrict dissent or political criticism."

Something Very Strange Is Taking Place Off The Coast Of Galveston, TX
Zero Hedge - Having exposed the world yesterday to the 2-mile long line of tankers-full'o'crude heading from Iraq to the US, several weeks after reporting that China has run out of oil storage space we can now confirm that the global crude "in transit" glut is becoming gargantuan and is starting to have adverse consequences on the price of oil. While the crude oil tanker backlog in Houston reaches an almost unprecedented 39 (with combined capacity of 28.4 million barrels), as The FT reports that from China to the Gulf of Mexico, the growing flotilla of stationary supertankers is evidence that the oil price crash may still have further to run, as more than 100m barrels of crude oil and heavy fuels are being held on ships at sea (as the year-long supply glut fills up available storage on land). The storage problems are so severe in fact, that traders asking ships to go slow, and that is where we see something very strange occurring off the coast near Galveston, TX.

The Bitter, Crushing Poverty Of Appalachia Is A Preview Of What Is Coming To The Rest Of The Country
Economic Collapse - What do you say to people that have completely lost all hope that things will ever get any better? The mountains of Appalachia stretch all the way from southern New York to northern Mississippi, and nestled within those mountains are dozens upon dozens of little towns that are so impoverished that they look like they have been through a war. Thanks to Barack Obama’s relentless assault on the coal industry and the ongoing collapse of our industrial infrastructure, Appalachia has lost millions of good paying jobs over the past several decades. Today, more than 40 percent of the population is living in poverty in some areas of eastern Kentucky, and addiction to “hillbilly heroin” (Oxycontin) is absolutely out of control throughout the region. Yes, poverty is on the rise all over America, but it has especially been cruel to those that make the mountains of Appalachia their home.

First Ever Collection of "Chemtrail" Samples: 2 Para-Gliders to To Collect Samples ...
Green Med Info - As the following press release states, this coming Spring of 2016 will see an unprecedented attempt to acquire the first chemtrail sky sample in modern history. While there have been many ground samples taken of chemtrail aerosols which have fallen to Earth, this particular initiative will be conducted by flying through freshly sprayed chemtrails.

Thursday - November 12, 2015 - Today in History:

1799 - Andrew Ellicott Douglass witnesses the Leonids meteor shower from a ship off the Florida Keys.
1927 - Stalin became the undisputed ruler of the Soviet Union. Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party leading to Stalin coming to power.
1942 - During World War II, naval battle of Guadalcanal began between Japanese and American forces. The Americans won a major victory.
1944 - During World War II, the German battleship "Tirpitz" was sunk off the coast of Norway.
1946 - The first drive-up banking facility opened at the Exchange National Bank in Chicago, IL.
1948 - The war crimes tribunal sentenced Japanese Premier Hideki Tojo and six other World War II Japanese leaders to death.
1954 - Ellis Island, the immigration station in New York Harbor, closed after processing more than 20 million immigrants since 1892.
1979 - President Carter ordered a halt to all oil imports from Iran in response to 63 Americans being taken hostage at the U.S. embassy in Iran on Nov 4.
1980 - The U.S. space probe Voyager I came within 77,000 miles of Saturn while transmitting data back to Earth.
1985 - In Norfolk, VA, Arthur James Walker was sentenced to life in prison for his role in a spy ring run by his brother, John A. Walker Jr.
1991 - In the U.S., Robert Gates was sworn in as CIA director.
1997 - Four Americans and their Pakistani driver were shot to death in Karachi, Pakistan. The Americans were oil company employees.
1997 - The UN Security Council imposed new sanctions on Iraq for constraints being placed on UN arms inspectors.
1997 - Ramzi Yousef was found guilty of masterminding the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.
2013 - In New York, it was announced that the new World Trade Center was the tallest building in the United States. The height was measured at 1,776 feet. The building was also the fourth tallest building in the world at the time.
2014 - NATO commander Gen Philip Breedlove reported that Russian military equipment and Russian combat troops had been seen entering Ukraine in columns over several days.
2014 - The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft used its lander Philae to perform the first soft landing on a comet. The comet was 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Syrian opposition provided intel to target terrorists around besieged key airbase
RT - Syrian government forces received intelligence on terrorist positions around the besieged Kweires airbase from opposition sources, which helped them lift the two-year blockade, the Russian Defense Ministry has revealed. “This airfield had been surrounded by ISIS [the former name of the Islamic State terrorist group] for two years,” Major General Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian defense ministry, said in a daily briefing. “Intelligence on the locations of the terrorist fire positions and support points around Kweires was provided by the Syrian opposition and cleared by the communication center in Baghdad.”… The opposition also provided data to help target a big weapons depot of the Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda, near the village Mheen in the Homs province, Konashenkov revealed. Russia has been calling on moderate opposition forces in Syria to strike a truce with the government and fight together with it against the common terrorist threat.

Video: US Apache Helicopter Safely Escorts ISIS Into Syria
Live Leak - Over 200 Toyota Hilux pick up trucks carrying ISIS fighters into Syria are filmed traveling on a main highway while an Apache attack helicopter flies alongside them twice. Note the altitude of the helo and the fact it never fires a shot. Obviously it was not conducting reconnaissance as if it were it would have been in danger of being shot down by the machine guns mounted to may of the trucks. This helo pilot obviously felt in no danger whatsoever and and was instead escorting this convoy due to the fact he circled twice and never fires a single shot. This is conclusive proof that the US has been financing and using ISIS/Al Nusra Front as a proxy army and excuse to go into Syria and attempt to overthrow the legitimate government.

Slovenia starts building fence to control flow of refugees
The Guardian - Trucks carrying wire fencing have arrived in the Slovenian village of Veliki Obrez, close to the border with Croatia, a day after the government said it would start erecting barriers to control the flow of refugees and migrants… About 180,000 people, many fleeing war in Syria and Afghanistan, have entered the Alpine state since mid-October, when Hungary fenced off its border with Croatia and pushed the migrant route towards its western neighbour. The Slovenian prime minister, Miro Cerar, said on Tuesday the border would remain open, but the fence would help control the flow of people. He said his country would not have the resources to shelter large numbers of migrants over the harsh winter if Austria shut its border, creating a bottleneck. About 175 police officers from other EU states have come to Slovenia to bolster the local force, with another 100 expected in the next two weeks.

Exclusive: Christian Army Fighting ISIS Pleads For U.S. Support: ‘We’re Done’
Breitbart - The Assyrian Army is in dire need of military support from the United States to protect Christian communities in Iraq and Syria against the genocide they are facing at the hands of the barbaric Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), according to a decorated American military veteran advising the force. Retired Lt. Col. Sargis Sangari, who was deployed to Iraq during his 20-year career in the U.S. Army, is one of the Americans advising the Assyrian Army, known as Dwekh Nawsha, which means “self-sacrifice” in the ancient Aramaic language used by Jesus and still spoken by the Assyrian Christians. ccording to Sangari, the Assyrian military force, which is primarily based in Iraq’s Assyrian Nineveh plain, is closely aligned with the strategic goals and aspirations of the United States.

'Flagrant Violation': Saudi Jets 'Deliberately' Attack Hospitals in Yemen
Sputnik News - As the Saudi-led alliance, backed by the United States, continues its bloody operation in Yemen, the International Committee of the Red Cross reports coalition jets are “deliberately” targeting hospitals and clinics, as the civilian death toll continues to rise. The news follows reports of a civilian hospital coming under fire on Sunday in the southern city of Taiz, in Yemen’s most densely populated region… According to the publication, Saudi jets on Sunday repeatedly shelled the Al-Thawra hospital, considered one of the area’s most important health care facilities, providing medical assistance to 50 patients daily. The attack was carried out just weeks after another significant facility – a Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) clinic – was reportedly attacked in the northern city of Haydan.

US Offers New Theories on A321 Crash, Despite Not Being Asked for Help
Sputnik News - Despite not being asked for their help in the official probe led by Russian and Egyptian officials, the US and UK have launched their own "investigation" into the crash of Metrojet Flight 9268 in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The latest from unnamed US officials? The A321 was brought down by a "military-grade" explosive. Immediately following the tragedy that left 224 people dead, the Egyptian government, in conjunction with Moscow, launched an investigation to uncover the cause of the tragedy. As analysts sift through the evidence, they have urged foreign governments to refrain from jumping to conclusions. In the latest claim, two American officials speaking on condition of anonymity have proposed that it must have been a “military-grade” explosive placed in the cargo hold of the A321. They say something like C4 would be required to have caused the tragedy. This was echoed by British officials.

Toronto: East end given iodine pills as nuclear disaster precaution
The Star - 200,000 Greater Toronto Area (GTA) homes and businesses have just received pills to 'protect them' from radiation. If you live in Durham Region or Scarborough, you may have just been mailed a package of pills in a calming sky blue box. Those pills are meant to protect you in the event of a nuclear disaster -- a disaster on which you would be on the frontlines, living within a sensitive 10km zone surrounding the Pickering and Darlington Nuclear Generating Stations. 200,000 homes and businesses have just received potassium iodide (KI) pills in a $1.5 million OPG-funded project that is being run in conjunction with Durham Region and the City of Toronto. Also known as RadBlock, the pills prevent the thyroid gland from absorbing radioactive iodine, thus reducing the risk of thyroid cancer in the aftermath of a nuclear disaster.

TPP Trade Pact Would Give Wall Street a Trump Card to Block Regulations
The Intercept - Banks and other financial institutions would be able to use provisions in the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership to block new regulations that cut into their profits, according to the text of the trade pact released this week. In what may be the biggest gift to banks in a deal full of giveaways to Hollywood, the drug industry and technology firms, financial institutions would be able to appeal any national rules they didn’t like to independent, international tribunals staffed by friendly corporate lawyers. That could nullify a proposal by Hillary Clinton to impose a “risk fee” on financial firms — or the Elizabeth Warren/Bernie Sanders plan to reinstate the firewall between investment and commercial banks. Financial firms could demand compensation for these measures that would make them too expensive to manage....
* Related: See full text of the trade pact here

VIDEO: Milwaukee police fold American flag burned by protesters
The American Mirror - Milwaukee police officers are respectful of the American flag because of the liberty it represents.... Democratic State Sen. Lena Taylor posted several photos of protesters outside the Milwaukee Theatre where the Republican presidential debate was taking place last night, including one of a protester standing on an American flag and pointing at it. A short time after protesters trampled and tried to burn the American flag, police officers Joel Rossman, Jedidiah Thompson and Jutiki X recovered it. The Milwaukee Police Department posted several photos, as well as a video, showing the officers picking it up, folding it properly and saluting it.... Police said protesters circulated rumors than officers had deployed tear gas when in reality, they had used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames.

Mob-Violence-Inciting University Of Missouri Media Professor Resigns
Zero Hedge - If you haven’t seen the video of Click from yesterday, you must watch it immediately, and trust me, you need to watch it from beginning to end to truly understanding how dangerous Melissa’s Click’s request is. She is essentially advocating a mob of student inflict violence upon another student merely for taking pictures in public.... But now, as The NY Times reports, after calling for “some muscle” to remove a journalist from a public demonstration, the professor cut her ties to the university’s journalism school on Tuesday as protest organizers — and the professor herself — joined college officials in stating that journalists had a right to be present. In a statement on Tuesday, Ms. Click said, “I regret the language and strategies I used, and sincerely apologize to the M.U. campus community, and journalists at large, for my behavior, and also for the way my actions have shifted attention away from the students’ campaign for justice.” She said she had called the journalists involved to apologize, personally.

City Confiscates 10,000 Guns, Thumbs Nose At State Law (Video)
Off the Grid News - Atlanta’s police department is storing up to 10,000 confiscated firearms and refusing to give them back to their owners or sell them, in defiance of state law. Deputy Police Chief Ericka Shields told The Atlanta Journal Constitution that her department has several thousand confiscated guns stored in a secret location. The city’s mayor supports the police department. “It’s very difficult for me to lead on this, because even in the state of Georgia, when we take illegal guns off the street, under Georgia state law right now, we actually have to return them or make them available to the public in some form,” Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed told TV station CBS 46.

Trump Was Right About TPP Benefiting China
The Intercept - Donald Trump lambasted the Trans-Pacific Partnership at Tuesday night’s Republican presidential debate, contending that China would use it to “take advantage of everyone” — generating snickers from journalists and a withering refutation from Rand Paul, who said “we might want to point out that China is not part of this deal.” But Trump never suggested that China was part of the TPP, only that the country would “come in, as they always do, through the back door” of the agreement. And he was right. The TPP does indeed allow China and other non-members to reap benefits from the deal without having to abide by any of its terms. Here’s how it works...

Ted Cruz: Mainstream Media Would Freak Out if Illegals Were Taking Journalists’ Jobs
Breitbart - During the November 10 Republican presidential debate, Senator Sen. Ted Cruz suggested that reporters and news anchors who do not see illegal immigration as a threat would change their tunes if the people crossing the Rio Grande had journalism degrees and threatened to destroy the financial livelihood of those who work in the mainstream press. He said these things after Republican presidential hopefuls John Kasich and Jeb Bush countered Donald Trump’s strong stand against illegal immigration. Cruz went on to explain that it’s easy to be soft on illegal immigration when the mainstream media is not interested in cracking down on it either.He observed: “When the mainstream media covers illegal immigration they do not see it as an economic issue, but I can tell that for millions of Americans watching this [debate] at home it is a very personal economic issue.”

Carson: Doesn't Rule Out Keeping Yellen as Fed Chair
Armstrong Economics - Ben Carson just dropped 18 notches in my ranking of the presidential candidates. After the debate, Carson told Neil Cavuto that Janet Yellen "is a wonderful person." “Janet Yellen is a wonderful person, I’ve known her for many years," Carson told the Fox Business host, saying that he is "not necessarily ... saying one way or the other." Yellen and Carson, both Yale alumni, served together on the university's board, the Yale Corporation.

Military Veterans on Death Row Deserve Special Consideration: Report
Guardian - For a fleeting moment in 2009, James Davis was a wounded war veteran belatedly receiving his Purple Heart four decades after he fought in Vietnam. But after the medal was pinned, it was removed, his shackles were snapped back on, and he was escorted back to his cell on death row, where he remains to this day. One spring day in 1995, Davis had walked into a tool company in Asheville, North Carolina, and opened fire. With a rain of bullets, Davis killed three people, including two of his bosses who had fired him earlier that week. As his murder trial progressed, testimony showed that Davis was mentally ill, that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, and that he had been abused as a child. But this was not raised until late in his trial, a misstep that advocates say led to Davis's death sentence.

Veterans Affairs pays $142 million in bonuses amid scandals
USA Today - The Department of Veterans Affairs doled out more than $142 million in bonuses to executives and employees for performance in 2014 even as scandals over veterans' health care and other issues racked the agency. Among the recipients were claims processors in a Philadelphia benefits office that investigators dubbed the worst in the country last year. They received $300 to $900 each. Managers in Tomah, Wis., got $1,000 to $4,000, even though they oversaw the over-prescription of opiates to veterans – one of whom died. The VA also rewarded executives who managed construction of a facility in Denver, a disastrous project years overdue and more than $1 billion over budget. They took home $4,000 to $8,000 each. And in St. Cloud, Minn., where an internal investigation report last year outlined mismanagement that led to mass resignations of health care providers, the chief of staff cited by investigators received a performance bonus of almost $4,000.

Cleveland VA Medical Center Opens First Veterans’ Transgender Clinic
Breitbart - On Thursday the Cleveland VA Medical Center is opening the nation’s first VA clinic dedicated to providing for the healthcare needs of transgender veterans. The Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center will provide transgender veterans with primary care, hormone therapy, mental health care, and social work services, says local NBC affiliate WKYC. A calendar of events from the VA states the medical center will celebrate the opening of the transgender clinic on Thursday, November 12.

Energy Default Alarms Get Louder as Pain Seen Lasting Into 2016
Bloomberg - Eleven months of depressed oil prices are threatening to topple more companies in the energy industry. Four firms owing a combined $4.8 billion warned this week that they may be at the brink, with Penn Virginia Corp., Paragon Offshore Plc, Magnum Hunter Resources Corp. and Emerald Oil Inc. saying their auditors have expressed doubts that they can continue as going concerns. Falling oil prices are squeezing access to credit, they said. And everyone from Morgan Stanley to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is predicting that energy prices won’t rebound anytime soon.

The Biggest Threat To Oil Prices: 2-Mile Long Stretch Of Iraq Oil Tankers Headed For The U.S.
Zero Hedge - After some initial excitement, November has seen crude oil prices collapse back towards cycle lows amid demand doubts (e.g. sllumping China oil imports, overflowing Chinese oil capacity, plunging China Industrial Production) and supply concerns (e.g. inventories soaring). However, an even bigger problem looms that few are talking about. As Iraq - the fastest-growing member of OPEC - has unleashed a two-mile long, 3 million metric ton barrage of 19 million barrel excess supply directly to US ports in November.

4 Harbingers Of Stock Market Doom That Foreshadowed The 2008 Crash Are Flashing Red Again
Economic Collapse - So many of the exact same patterns that we witnessed just before the stock market crash of 2008 are playing out once again right before our eyes. Most of the time, a stock market crash doesn’t just come out of nowhere. Normally there are specific leading indicators that we can look for that will tell us if major trouble is on the horizon. One of these leading indicators is the junk bond market. Right now, a closely watched high yield bond ETF known as JNK is sitting at 35.77. If it falls below 35, that will be a major red flag, and it will be the first time that it has done so since 2009. As you can see from this chart, JNK started crashing in June and July of 2008 – well before equities started crashing later that year. A crash in junk bonds almost always precedes a major crash in stocks, and so this is something that I am watching carefully.

Earth Changes Accelerate As 12 Major Earthquakes Hit Chile Within The Last 24 Hours
Michael Snyder - Over the past 30 days, there seems to have been much more “shaking” than normal, and this is particularly true along the Ring of Fire. This afternoon I visited the official website of the U.S. Geological Survey, and I discovered that Chile had been hit with 12 major earthquakes within the last 24 hours alone. The smallest was of magnitude 4.4, and the two largest both measured magnitude 6.9. We have also seen dozens of volcanoes erupt recently, including the incredibly dangerous Mt. Popocatepetlin Mexico. Fortunately we have not seen a major disaster that kills thousands of people yet, but many believe that all of this shaking is leading up to one.... So why are all of these things happening? Well, some experts point to the sun.

Vizio TV Smart Interactivity Spies On Your Viewing Habits And Sends Your Data To Advertisers
Tech Times - According to the latest report, the new Vizio Smart TVs are watching what users are doing. What's even more disturbing is the claim that Vizio is selling what the smart TVs have gathered to various advertisers. The advertisers then use the data to target users more efficiently. It was reported that the feature, which was not advertised to consumers, can be found in Vizio's privacy policy, and it is called "Smart Interactivity." The feature is turned on by default though it is possible for users to option out. However, how can they, when the feature is practically a secret?... Furthermore, Vizio's "Smart Interactivity" feature can also collect user IP addresses, and this used to allow advertisers to better target users with the best possible advertisement.

It’s Finally Happening! An Animal Abuser Registry!
Dogington Post - Beginning January 1, 2016, a new database will publicly name, those who have been convicted of animal abuse in the state of Tennessee. In May, the Tennessee House of Representatives and Senate passed legislation that allowed the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to create a website that compiles the names of animal abusers throughout the state. As part of the Tennessee Animal Abuser Registration Act, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation began compiling a database including the abuser’s full name, a photograph, and any other identifying data as determined by the TBI.

This Life Threatening Emergency Kills 30% of the Dogs It Afflicts
Dr. Becker - If you've never heard of a condition in dogs called gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), you may have heard it referred to simply as "bloat." However, the technical name is quite descriptive of what's actually happening when this condition strikes. It affects the stomach (gastric), which bloats (dilatation), and then often twists or rotates (volvulus). If your dog has simple bloat, or gastric dilatation, his stomach has filled up with gas and air but hasn't rotated or twisted. Gastric dilatation volvulus is when the bloated stomach twists around on itself, squeezing off the blood supply, and setting the stage for serious injury to other internal organs. GDV is a life-threatening emergency, and sadly, about 30 percent of the time, dogs with the condition do not survive. It's critically important that a pet who is suspicious for GDV be seen by a veterinarian immediately. The cause of GDV isn't well understood, however, it is most commonly seen in older, large, and giant breed deep-chested dogs that often have relatives with GDV in their lineage. Other markers for the condition include...
 

Wednesday - November 11, 2015 - Today in History:



1620 - The Mayflower Compact was signed by the 41 men on the Mayflower when they landed in what is now Provincetown Harbor near Cape Cod. The compact called for "just and equal laws."
1831 - Nat Turner, a slave and educated minister, was hanged in Jerusalem, VA, after inciting a violent slave uprising.
1889 - Washington became the 42nd state of the United States.
1918 - World War I came to an end when the Allies and Germany signed an armistice. This day became recognized as Veteran's Day in the United States.
1921 - The Tomb of the Unknowns was dedicated at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia by U.S. President Harding.
1938 - Kate Smith first sang Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" on network radio.
1942 - During World War II, Germany completed its occupation of France.
1966 - The U.S. launched Gemini 12 from Cape Kennedy, FL. The craft circled the Earth 59 times before returning.
1972 - The U.S. Army turned over its base at Long Bihn to the South Vietnamese army. The event symbolized the end of direct involvement in the Vietnam War by the U.S. military.
1981 - The U.S.S. Ohio was commissioned at the Electric Boat Division in Groton, CT. It was the first Trident class submarine.
1984 - The Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. died in Atlanta at age 84.
1984 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan accepted the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a gift to the nation from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
1990 - Stormie Jones, the world's first heart-liver transplant recipient, died at a Pittsburgh hospital at age 13.
1991 - The U.S. stationed its first diplomat in Cambodia in 16 years to help the nation arrange democratic elections.
1992 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin told U.S. senators in a letter that Americans had been held in prison camps after World War II. Some were "summarily executed," but others were still living in his country voluntarily.
1993 - In Washington, DC, the Vietnam Women's Memorial was dedicated to honor the more than 11,000 women who had served in the Vietnam War.
1996 - The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund unveiled "The Wall That Heals." The work was a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial that would tour communities throughout the United States.
1998 - Israel's Cabinet ratified a land-for-peace agreement with the Palestinians.
2002 - Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates pledged $100 million to fight AIDS in India.

US Has Right to Probe A321 Crash as US Company Built Plane Engine - Cairo
Sputnik News - The Egyptian Foreign Ministry confirmed Wednesday that the regulations covering the investigation into the crash of the Russian Airbus A321 aircraft in Egypt permitted the United States to take part in the Cairo-led international probe. Washington offered assistance in the investigation on Monday. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told CNN in an interview on Tuesday that his country had accepted the US offer to participate in the investigation, as the aircraft engines were produced in the United States.

Never Giving Up? Turkey’s Allies May Support Idea of 'Safe Zone' in Syria
Sputnik News - Turkey’s allies from the US-led anti-ISIL coalition may support Ankara’s idea on the creation of a safe zone in northern Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday. "We are insisting on a no-fly zone in Syria as a safe zone. Our allies are getting closer to the idea. Some progress has also been made on conducting a ground operation against ISIL," Erdogan was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti. He added that coalition warplanes have been deployed to the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey. If necessary they can be redeployed to other bases.

EU orders consumer warning labels on goods produced in Israeli occupied lands
RT - The European Commission has adopted new guidelines on labeling of products from Israeli-occupied Arab settlements. Brussels says the move is technical but Israel has called it discriminatory. The European Commission "adopted this morning the Interpretative Notice on indication of origin of goods from the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967," Reuters quoted an EU official as saying. EU Ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen was called to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem to be reprimanded over the decision, Haaretz reports.“Whereas the upcoming labeling guidelines are presented by the EU as a purely ‘technical measure’ designed to protect European consumers, there is no doubt that the main purpose of the measure is to exert political pressure upon Israel,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said prior the EU decision. This move shouldn’t come as a surprise to Israel, US State Department Deputy spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday before the ruling was published.

US needs boots on the ground to ‘occupy & govern’ Syrian territories – Air Force secretary
RT - Washington needs “boots on the ground” in Syria in addition to its air campaign against ISIS, which is not fruitful despite some progress. US Air Force secretary has admitted that “ground forces” is a must in order to “occupy” and “govern” parts of Syria. In her comments, Secretary Deborah Lee James stressed the importance of the US-led air campaign, but admitted that airstrikes need to be backed by ground forces. “Air power is extremely important. It can do a lot but it can't do everything,” James said, just two days after Secretary of Defense Ash Carter supported President Obama’s “willingness to do more” in terms of US troops on Syrian ground. “Ultimately it cannot occupy territory and very importantly it cannot govern territory,” James told reporters at the Dubai Airshow. “This is where we need to have boots on the ground. We do need to have ground forces in this campaign.”

Putin: US missile defense aimed at neutralizing Russia nukes, N. Korea & Iran just a cover
RT - Vladimir Putin said the US is trying to “neutralize Russia’s nuclear potential” with its on-going deployment of a missile defense shield in Europe. The Russian president has promised a response. References to Iran and North Korea nuclear threats are just a cover for the true purpose [of NATO missile defense]. That is to neutralize the potential of other nuclear states not the US or its allies – primarily Russia,” Putin said during a meeting in Sochi dedicated to national military development. “The US is attempting to achieve strategic military superiority, with all the consequences that entails.”

UN wants Australia to stop forced sterilization of disabled, improve treatment of asylum seekers
RT - Australia's forced sterilization program of disabled persons is being examined by the UN, along with its behavior towards asylum seekers. It comes after member states harshly criticized the country's treatment of refugees at offshore detention centers.... Australia's practice of allowing the forced sterilization of disabled persons was addressed at the United Nation Human Rights Council (UNHRC) forum in Geneva on Monday, with the United Kingdom calling for legislation to prohibit sterilization without consent from the individual. The country currently allows the parents of a disabled person to make the decision regarding sterilization, and also accepts court-issued sterilization orders – a policy that has attracted the ire of international human rights groups for years.

Read The Jaw-Dropping Email Police Just Sent Students At Missouri
Before It's News - The University of Missouri Police Department sent an email to students on Tuesday calling on them to report “hateful and/or hurtful speech” so those engaging in it can be disciplined.

Proof of concept display LAX Missile Test Estimate Update--it becomes obvious that we have a very dangerous situation brewing. Very dangerous
Steve Quayle - Based on what I witnessed with the bright white beam of light encasing a blue beam, followed by apparitions in the sky I did some research. I believe that what happened is connected with Space acquisition, especially in light of a perceived China threat.... Fears of China shooting down our important satellites coupled with rising tensions between our country, China and Russia would be the impetus for fast actions to carry out what General C. Robert Kehler of US Air Force Space Command wanted to do back in 2009, which was a 3 phase acquisition of Space. Laser beam technology is a part of this and if you read the article I first sent you again, you will see that a military missile launch is involved in measuring an "enormous energy surge (plasma discharge) emanating from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory located in Menlo Park, California."
* Related: 60 Minutes The Battle Above

Highway Patrol Sergeant: ‘We killed Brandon Ellingson.’
(KTVI) - Powerful words from a Highway Patrol whistleblower. Sgt. Randy Henry opened up about the drowning death of Brandon Ellingson, who drowned Memorial Day weekend in 2014. Sgt. Henry recently announced his retirement, which will become official in December. He told us today, 'We killed as an agency, we killed Brandon Ellingson. Are my hands in that? Yes, I was part of the agency. I was a supervisor at Lake of the Ozarks. I was a supervisor who signed off on Piercy to work the water.' Sgt. Henry says he approved Trooper Tony Piercy to work the water after Missouri Governor Jay Nixon merged Water Patrol with Highway Patrol. Henry said, 'I was pressured. It was my mistake.

State by State Corruption Rating
Mother Jones - In Missouri, a lawmaker who pushed through a bill that prohibited cities from banning plastic bags in supermarkets also happened to be the director of the state's Grocer's Association. New Mexico lawmakers passed a resolution that exempted their emails from public scrutiny. The governors of Virginia and Oregon, and house or assembly speakers in Alabama, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and New York were charged or convicted of corruption. There may be lots of good government laws, but corruption, influence peddling, and lack of government accountability are in fact very difficult to prevent across all 50 states.

Obama to sign defense bill with Guantanamo restrictions
Reuters - The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed a sweeping defense policy bill on Tuesday and the White House said President Barack Obama will sign it, despite provisions making it more difficult to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Senate vote was 91-3 in favor of the measure, which authorizes $607 billion in defense spending and includes $5 billion in cuts excluded from an earlier version vetoed by Obama. The president had objected to the previous bill both because of the Guantanamo language and because it eased military spending cuts without also loosening restrictions on domestic spending.
* Related: Senate passes VA spending bill — just in time for Veterans day

FBI steps up interviews in Clinton email probe
POLITICO - Even as Hillary Clinton tries to put questions about her private email server behind her, the FBI has stepped up inquiries into the security of the former Secretary of State's home-made email system, and how aides communicated over email... The FBI’s recent moves suggest that its inquiry could have evolved from the preliminary fact-finding stage that the agency launches when it receives a credible referral, according to former FBI and DOJ officials... “This sounds to me like it’s more than a preliminary inquiry; it sounds like a full-blown investigation,” said Tom Fuentes, former assistant director of the FBI. “When you have this amount of resources going into it …. I think it’s at the investigative level.”

The US inmates charged per night in jail
BBC - A widespread practice in the US known as "pay to stay" charges jail inmates a daily fee while they are incarcerated. For those who are in and out of the local county or city lock-ups - particularly those struggling with addiction - that can lead to sky-high debts.... Today, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio released the first comprehensive study looking specifically at pay-to-stay policies and how they are used in the state.... After requesting records from all 75 city and county lock-ups in Ohio, the study shows that 40 charge per diem fees in a patchwork style. Where you are arrested and jailed can make a huge difference in whether and how many fees are assessed - the fees affect mostly rural and suburban counties, and some charge as little as $1 or as much as $66 a day. The ACLU found former inmates with debts ranging from several hundred dollars up to $35,000. ...these types of fees are legal in nearly every state - only Washington DC and Hawaii do not have a law authorizing pay-to-stay charges.

Funding 'toys for police': Best and worst states to have your assets seized
RT - Texas leads the US in civil asset forfeiture, the notorious practice of police seizing property from suspects who have not been convicted of any crime, according to a new report. Such programs have skyrocketed since the start of the Great Recession. In 2012, 26 states and the District of Columbia seized a total of $254 million through forfeiture, a new report by the Institute for Justice has found. Texas alone took in nearly 20 percent of those assets with $46 million, followed closely by Arizona with $43 million. Illinois was third with almost $20 million. Most states have little to no requirement to report civil asset forfeitures, though, and 2012 is the most recent year that consistent data from states was available. In the report, titled ‘Policing for Profit,’ the Institute for Justice also graded each state on its forfeiture practices, looking at criteria like the share of forfeited funds that cops get to keep and protections for innocent owners. New Mexico, which reformed its laws on the practice in July, received an A-, the highest grade given. It was followed by Maine, North Carolina, Indiana and Missouri, which all received a B+.

**DRUDGE POLL** Who Won 4th Republican Debate '16?

Video: Fourth Republican Presidential Debate (FULL)
The eight top Republican presidential candidates gathered for the fourth debate of the 2016 campaign Tuesday night in Milwaukee.

The Trump Plan: Reforming The U.S.-China Trade Relationship To Make America Great Again
Donald Trump - If you give American workers a level playing field, they will win. At its heart, this plan is a negotiating strategy to bring fairness to our trade with China. The results will be huge for American businesses and workers. Jobs and factories will stop moving offshore and instead stay here at home. The economy will boom. The steps outlined in this plan will make that a reality.... The Trump Plan will achieve the following goals...

Donald Trump: Hillary Running for POTUS ‘Because She Wants to Stay Out of Jail’
Breitbart - On Monday at a Springfield, Illinois rally, GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump said that Hillary Clinton in running for president to avoid going to jail. “People are in jail right now for doing five percent of what she did and the Democrats are not gonna to prosecute her, and it’s frankly a disgrace,” Trump said. “And you know it and so do I and so do these people right here—they know it.” Regarding Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was Secretary of State and mishandling of classified information, Trump said that “and you better remember that there’s a six-years statute of limitations on that crime.” “Hillary is running for a lot of reasons—one of ‘em is because she wants to stay out of jail.” Trump added that, “if we had honest government, Hillary wouldn’t be allowed to run.” Trump mentioned that General David Patreaus got two years probation for sharing classified information with his mistress “and he was somebody that everybody liked, everybody respected.” “What [Hillary Clinton] did is so much worse,” Trump said.

Hillary Clinton’s Vaccine Propaganda
Brandon Turbeville - In stark contrast to candidate Clinton in 2008 when questions over the safety and effectiveness of vaccines were just coming to the political consciousness of the American people in large numbers, Hillary has now become a vocal cheerleader of Big Pharma and vaccinations. While her opinion is odious enough on its face, it is quite the change from the opinion she held as a candidate in 2008 when she stated that there was the possibility that vaccines were linked to autism. In fact, she wrote in a campaign questionnaire that she was committed to finding out the causes of autism, including “possible environmental causes like vaccines.”

Dr. Ben Carson Signals Openness To Obamatrade’s Pacific Rim Trade Deal
Breitbart - “It’s always open for discussion but I’m an advocate for free trade,” Carson said. There are things in the TPP I’m not enthusiastic about, certainly [including] disputes that are supposed to be looked at by, you know, a UN commission or a World Trade Organization. I don’t like to subject anything in America to outside forces that might be able to impact our laws. That’s a caveat. And I have to be assured that they don’t have influence over us. But, I think overall it helps to level the playing field. I think there are those that say “no, no, no, we don’t want it.”... Would I prefer to negotiate a better trade agreement? Absolutely. If this is the best we can get, I would take it rather than allow the people of the country to be suffering further economically.... Would I prefer to negotiate a better trade agreement? Absolutely. If this is the best we can get, I would take it rather than allow the people of the country to be suffering further economically.

Veterans Day 2015 freebies: Full list of restaurant deals on Nov. 11

Veterans’ Graves Destroyed Before Veterans’ Day (Photos)
Breitbart - People discovered vandalized gravestones and urns of veterans at a cemetery in West Bridgewater, MA, only days before Veterans Day. “It’s kind of a mix between sadness and anger,” explained Lauren Delaney, a board member of the Old Pleasant Hill Cemetery in West Bridgewater. “This is part of people’s history, people that come to remember, people that come to honor the veterans.” She continued: “This is the fourth time since 2012 that we’ve had vandalism. Each time it’s been before a holiday. And 95-percent of the stones hit have been veterans. This isn’t something one person can be going through here and doing.”

Dear Striking Fast-Food Workers: Meet The Machine That Put You Out Of A Job
Zero Hedge - Dear fast food workers of the US – presenting you nemesis: the Momentum Machines burger maker.... According to a recent BofA reported on how robotics will reshape the world, San Francisco start up Momentum Machines are out to fully automate the production of burgers with the aim of replacing a human fast food worker. The machine can shape burgers from ground meat, grill them to order with the specified amount of char, toast buns, add tomatoes, onions, pickles, and finally place it on a conveyor belt. The robot is shown below. It occupies 24 square feet, and is much smaller and efficient than most assembly-line fast-food operations. It provides “gourmet cooking methods never before used in a fast food restaurant” and will deposit the completed burger into a bag. It does all of this without a trace of attitude.

Ted Koppel Is Buying Freeze-Dried Food For The Day When A Cyberattack Takes Out The Power Grid
Economic Collapse - Most Americans have absolutely no idea how incredibly vulnerable our electrical grid is, but Ted Koppel does. For many years, Koppel was the level-headed host of Nightline on ABC, but now he is issuing a very chilling warning to America. For more than a year, he investigated potential threats to our power grid, and he has detailed what he discovered in a new book entitled “Lights Out“. He is convinced that a massive cyberattack could take down our entire electrical grid for an extended period of time, and he was horrified to learn that the Department of Homeland Security really doesn’t have a plan for how to deal with this kind of a scenario.

Giant Utilities Try to Kill Solar Power
Washington’s Blog - One of the main reasons that solar energy is growing so fast in California is “net metering” … i.e. crediting rooftop solar users for surplus power their systems create, which is fed back into the grid for use by other customers. Currently, rooftop solar owners are credited at the same rate they would pay the utility for electricity.... But the giant California utilities – PG&E, Southern California Energy and San Diego Gas & Electric – are determined to kill net metering, because it cuts into the profitability of their centralized energy production business. The Los Angeles Times notes: For new purchases of rooftop solar, the utility proposals could wipe out the potential savings on power — the main incentive for buying the systems.... Utility proposals call for crediting solar users at about half the current rates. Utilities would also charge monthly fees, based on the size of a homeowner’s solar system.

60 Minutes of Exercise On This Free Energy Bicycle Can Power Your Home For 24 Hours!
Natural Blaze - People often complain about the high costs of energy and the fact that they “never have time to workout.” This invention certainly solves both conundrums. And, most importantly, this free power invention has the potential to lift the 1.3 billion people who presently live without electricity out of poverty. As Manoj Bhargava, the founder of the Free Electric hybrid bike, shares in the video above, it is possible to generate electricity at home while simply doing a daily workout routine. When an individual pedals the bike, the action drives a flywheel, which turns a generator and charges a battery. This means from just one hour of pedaling, a rural household can be supplied with energy for 24 hours.... Manoj’s plan is to distribute 10,000 of the bicycles in India next year. In addition, he has pledged 90% of his wealth to charity and research.

Tuesday - November 10, 2015 - Today in History:

1775 - The U.S. Marines were organized under authority of the Continental Congress. The Marines went out of existence after the end of the Revolutionary War in April of 1783. The Marine Corps were formally re-established on July 11, 1798. This day is observed as the birth date of the United States Marine Corps.
1879 - Western Union and the National Bell Telephone Company reached a settlement over various telephone patents.
1917 - 41 suffragists were arrested in front of the White House.
1954 - The Iwo Jima Memorial was dedicated in Arlington, VA.
1970 - The Great Wall of China opened for tourism.
1975 - The U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution that equated Zionism with racism. The resolution was repealed in December of 1991.
1975 - The Edmund Fitzgerald, an ore-hauling ship, and its crew of 29 vanished during a storm in Lake Superior.
1976 - The Utah Supreme Court gave approval for Gary Gilmore to be executed, according to his wishes. He was put to death the following January.
1982 - In Washington, DC, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was opened to visitors.
1984 - The U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
1988 - The U.S. Department of Energy announced that Texas would be the home of the atom-smashing super-collider. The project was cancelled by a vote of the U.S. Congress in Oct. 1993.
1993 - John Wayne Bobbitt was acquitted on the charge of marital sexual assault against his wife who sexually mutilated him. Lorena Bobbitt was later acquitted of malicious wounding her husband.
1993 - The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Brady Bill, which called for a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases.
1994 - U.S. officials announced that it planned to stop enforcing the arms embargo against the Bosnian government the following week. The U.N. Security Council was opposed to lifting the ban.
1994 - Iraq recognized Kuwait's borders in the hope that the action would end trade sanctions.
1997 - WorldCom Inc. acquired MCI Communication Corporation. It was the largest merger in U.S. history valued at $37 billion.
1998 - At the White House, "The Virtual Wall" website was unveiled. The site allows visitors to experience The Wall through the Internet.
2001 - The World Trade Organization approved China's membership.

Battlefield Syria: Turkey, Qatar Have Zero Chance of 'Toppling' Assad
Sputnik News - Ankara and Doha remain determined to topple Bashar al-Assad by supporting Islamic radicals but their efforts to project power beyond their borders will come to nothing, particularly after Russia launched its anti-ISIL campaign in Syria, analysts Giorgio Cafiero and Daniel Wagner wrote for the National Interest.... Despite support that regional donors provide to ISIL, al-Nusra Front and the like, they have been unable to match Damascus-led forces. The Syrian Army, according to the experts, remains the most potent force in the country and this state of affairs is unlikely to change under current conditions.

TTIP Opponents File Petition Signed by Over 3Mln Europeans to EU Parliament
Sputnik News - Activists from the Stop TTIP movement handed a petition to the European Parliament on Tuesday, seeking to stop the possible implementation of the trade agreement between the European Union and the United States, EurActiv news website said. The petition, signed by almost 3.3 million people from 23 EU countries, was handed to President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, and campaigners demanded a parliamentary hearing.

We Have Never Seen Global Trade Collapse This Dramatically Outside Of A Major Recession
Economic Collapse - Never before in history has global trade collapsed this dramatically outside of a major worldwide recession. And this makes perfect sense – when global economic activity is increasing there is more demand for goods and services around the world, and when global economic activity is decreasing there is less demand for goods and services around the world. So far this year, global trade is down about 8.4 percent, and over the past 30 days the Baltic Dry Index has been absolutely plummeting. A month ago it was sitting at a reading of 809, but now it has fallen all the way to 628. However, it is when you look at the trade numbers for specific countries that the numbers become particularly startling.

West Not Waiting on Investigation Before Declaring Bomb Caused A321 Crash
Sputnik News - Even though there is no proof yet that an explosive device went off on board the A321 aircraft, a number of countries have suspended flights to Egypt, and are in the process of a controlled evacuation of their citizens… The crashed plane's flight recorders has already been analyzed and there have so far been two official statements released on them. Firstly, Egypt's lead investigator Ayman al-Muqaddam said on November 7 that a "noise" was registered in the last second of the cockpit voice recorder, something that he said demands further investigation. Secondly, the Interstate Aviation Committee officially announced on November 8 that until the parametric recorder abruptly stopped working, the plane was flying at a normal altitude of 9,400 meters and everything seemed fine. The investigators seem to confirm the initial theory that something happened very suddenly on board the plane, leading to the crash. It is a significant step toward recognizing a terrorist attack as the official cause of the crash, Lenta.ru claims.

German Town: Migrants Riot in Church, Steal From Stores, Defecate on Gardens
Paul Joseph Watson - Residents in the German town of Ellwangen are reporting that thousands of migrants who recently arrived are defecating on people’s gardens, staging riots in church and stealing from local stores, while police in the area struggle to cope with the disorder. Ellwangen, which has a population of around 23,500 and a strong Catholic community, was recently inundated with 4,500 asylum seekers who are staying in the old army barracks on the edge of town. The original plan was to house just 500 immigrants, but this quickly ballooned to ten times that figure, at which point “serious mass brawls and conflicts” began, prompting the police to be called out routinely. The state government is set to fork out €5.1 million euros of taxpayer money to renovate and expand the barracks. A friend of a local reports that store owners are struggling to do any business since people are afraid to go into town because of the migrants.... Women are also afraid to walk into town alone, with reports of a woman being raped and a 10-year-old girl being sexually harassed.

No Place Like Home? EU Offers Africa $2 Bln to Take Back Migrants
Sputnik News - About two billion dollars may be allocated for the implementation of the EU's "radical plan" to return at least some of the 800,000 refugees from African countries who have fled to Europe. Talks revolving around the implementation of the idea are expected to dominate a meeting between EU and African leaders in Malta this week, according to the Wall Street Journal… In addition to the subsidies, the EU also reportedly plans to simplify visa requirements for students, doctors and entrepreneurs from African countries, as well as help them with education and employment in Europe. Nigel Faraj, leader of the UK Independence Party, has meanwhile warned against clinching such an agreement, which he said will be tantamount to madness. "The EU offers to stop illegal migration from Africa by means of its legalization. This is madness," he said.

Italian Government Attempted to Hide Arrest of Al Qaeda Terrorist on Migrant Boat
Mikael Thalen - The Italian government attempted to cover up the arrest of a convicted Al Qaeda terrorist who tried to enter the country on a migrant boat last month, German media claims. According to N-TV, the arrest of Tunisian citizen Ben Nasr Mehdi, who was sentenced to seven years in 2007 for plotting multiple terror attacks, was initially hidden by authorities over fears that the news would stoke “panic” among Italians. Mehdi, who was arrested at sea while traveling with more than 200 migrants, told police he was seeking asylum in Europe in order to escape persecution after providing a false name. Following several days of interrogation by police, Mehdi was deported back to Tunisia and handed over to local authorities.

Belgian Court Gives Facebook 48 Hours to Stop Tracking Web Users
Sputnik News - Facebook could be fined of 250,000 euros [$269,000] per day in Belgium if company does not stop tracking Internet users who do not have a Facebook account within 48 hours… In June, the Belgian Privacy Commission (BPC) filed a lawsuit against the popular social network for surveillance practices akin to those of the US National Security Agency (NSA). A BPC survey published earlier this year demonstrated Facebook tracking logged-out users and non-users who visited sites that use plugins such as the "like" button. The survey contended that such tracking is conducted without explicit consent and is out of line with Belgian and European privacy laws.

McDonald's french fries cost $133 in Venezuela
The Independent - Such is the economic crisis Venezuela finds itself in that a single large serving of McDonald's french fries would set you back $133. Venezuelans may have cheered when the fast food giant promised the return of the fries 10 months off the menu, but at 800 bolivars they’re simply unaffordable. They are available on the black market for far cheaper (equivalent to $1.15) but even that price is nearly 10% of the country’s monthly minimum wage, according to Fusion. The fries are so expensive because state-imposed current controls have forced McDonalds to source the potatoes from Venezuelan farms rather than import them.

‘Separation of powers remains the law of the land': Appeals Court Stops Obama’s Executive Amnesty
Breitbart - The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling on Monday evening effectively putting a halt to President Barack Obama’s executive amnesty program. Texas and 26 other states joined in the lawsuit to block the Administration’s illegal action.... “The court’s decision is a vindication for the Rule of Law and the Constitution,” said Texas Governor Abbott in a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas. Abbott initially filed the lawsuit in 2014 duing his final months as Texas’ Attorney General. “The President’s job is to enforce the immigration laws, not rewrite them. President Obama should abandon his lawless executive amnesty program and start enforcing the law today.”

A map showing country size based on the amount they receive in US foreign aid
The Independent - … the US provided $35bn (£23.2bn) to more than 140 countries in the past fiscal year. While many would assume that these funds are spent on development in poor countries, this map from cost information website How Much reveals something different.

Obamatrade: 100 pounds, 5,554-pages, 2 million words -- and NO Amendments (Photo)
Washington Examiner - The administration's Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty legislation is 5,554 pages long, twice that of Obamacare and nearly 3 feet high, a legislative nightmare highlighted in a tweet from Sen. Jeff Sessions Monday. The Alabama Republican used his photo to alert critics that because the bill is fast-tracked, it cannot be filibustered or amended. Not only is the legislation filled with 2 million words, it measures exactly 2 feet high and weighs an amazing 100 pounds.

Navy launches second test missile off Southern California coast
LA Times - The second test launch of the Trident II (D5) missile from a ballistic submarine in the Pacific Ocean took place Monday afternoon, the Navy said. The blast-off took place to far less fanfare than Saturday night’s launch, which provoked residents from San Francisco to Mexico to take to social media, posting photos of an eerie-looking bluish-green plume smeared above the Pacific.... The Navy later confirmed a ballistic submarine launched an unarmed Trident II (D5) missile in a test flight, but would not define the window of time available for conducting additional launches, nor would it disclose where the exercise was actually taking place.

Maryland Ends Ballistic Fingerprinting Database After 15 Years, $5 Million, No Crimes Solved
Breitbart - … ballistic fingerprinting was sold to Maryland residents as a way for police to literally use discarded crime scene shell casings to find the gun that had fired them and, thereby, the person who possessed the gun at the time of crime. To accomplish this, Maryland began a process of requiring one spent casing from every new handgun sold in the state to be sent to the Maryland State Police… According to The Baltimore Sun, the pursuit of ballistic fingerprinting had already cost Maryland taxpayers $2.4 million by 2004 and a total of $5 million by 2015. Yet, no crimes were ever solved via the ballistic fingerprint requirements. Moreover, “the computerized system designed to sort and match the images never worked as envisioned… [and] in 2007, the state stopped bothering to take the photographs [of casings], though hundreds of thousands more… kept piling up in the fallout shelter.”

Video Shows Dad of Autistic 6-Year-Old Killed by Cops Didn't Pose a Threat
Sputnik News - Community members are outraged that the Louisiana police officers charged with murder for the shooting of an autistic 6-year-old child last Tuesday may walk out of jail on bond on the same day as the boy’s funeral. New details also emerged in the case, as Marksville police officers Norris Greenhouse Jr., 23, and Derrick Stafford, 32, appeared in front of a judge for their bond hearing. The duo are charged with the second-degree murder of Jeremy Mardis, an autistic first-grader, and the attempted second-degree murder of his father, Chris Few, who was also shot but survived. A lawyer for Few, Mark Jeansonne, argued that the body camera footage recorded in the incident shows that the father had his hands up as the vehicle was riddled with bullets.

P.C. Runs Wild: Campus Activists Demand Sensitivity Resignations, Collect a Scalp at University of Missouri
Breitbart - The University of Missouri president lost a power struggle with students, with the decisive blow coming when the university football team “drew national attention to the campus protests by announcing during the weekend that they would not participate in team activities until Wolfe was removed,” as Fox News reports. The team acted in solidarity with a student named Jonathan Butler, who was staging a hunger strike: “It is my belief that we stopped listening to each other,” Wolfe said during his statement. “We didn’t respond or react. We got frustrated with each other and we forced individuals like Jonathan Butler to take immediate action, unusual steps to affect change. This is not – I repeat, not – the way change should come about. Change comes from listening, learning, caring and conversation and we have to respect each other enough to stop yelling at each other and quit intimidating each other. “Unfortunately this has not happened,” Wolfe said.

University of Kansas Student Senate Bans Gender Pronouns Because They’re Microaggressions
Adan Salazar - Effort to form more "inclusive" student government bans words "he," "she," "his" and "her. A governing body made up of students at the University of Kansas has voted to eliminate their use of gender specific pronouns, stating the terms pose “microaggressions” towards people who don’t fit traditional gender roles. Last Wednesday, the KU Student Senate, in a 2/3 majority vote, passed a bill altering the Senate’s official Rules & Regulations which would require senators to use “inclusive” terminology, such as “they them or their,” as opposed to “his,” “her,” “he,” or “she.”

Police Department Becomes First to Voluntarily Withdraw From 1033 Military Surplus Program
Blacklisted News - Vermont's Burlington Police department announced they will be withdrawing from the Pentagon's questionable 1033 military surplus program. This will mark the first time a police department has ever willfully withdrawn from the Department of Defense's (DOD) federal program, according to the New York Daily News. The controversial program is responsible for the militarization of local police departments across the United States, often arming them with left over equipment including advanced surveillance technology, MRAP’s, grenade launchers, tanks and numerous other left over war accessories. The Burlington Police Department’s official statement over their separation with the DOD’s 1033 program voices their concerns over the warlike training and gear:

TSA Trained Disney World in Goofy 'Terrorist Detection' Methods
Peter Van Buren - The same ridiculed and useless techniques used by the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) to not find terrorists at America’s airports are now being used at Orlando theme parks, including Disney World, Sea World, and Busch Gardens, to not find terrorists. The Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques, or SPOT, program is TSA’s one billion dollar “behavioral detection” scheme. SPOT requires TSA staff to be on the lookout for indicators... Some of the actual indicators are listed on the graphic, above. There are actually 92 individual indicators (terrorists are sneaky!), divided into various categories with a point score assigned to each. Those categories include a preliminary “observation and behavior analysis.” Those passengers pulled over for additional inspection are scored based on two more categories: whether they have “unusual items,” like almanacs and “numerous prepaid calling cards or cell phones,” and a final category for “signs of deception,” which include “covers mouth with hand when speaking” and “fast eye blink rate.”

Exclusive — Donald Trump: Obama’s Trans-Pacific Free-Trade Deal Is ‘Insanity’
Breitbart - GOP frontrunner Donald Trump lambasted the permanent political class for supporting the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade deal, in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News ahead of the next debate. “The deal is insanity,” he said. “That deal should not be supported and it should not be allowed to happen.” The 5,544-page deal is far too long to be understood, said Trump. “Nobody understands it,” he said. The “Obamatrade” deal is longer than Obamacare plus the 2013 amnesty bill, authored by 2016 candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Democratic leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “The deal is so bad because of the fact they don’t cover currency manipulation,” Trump added. “It’s the number-one weapon used by foreign countries to hurt the United States and take away jobs.”

Political Campaigns’ New Invasive Tool to Win Elections: Scanning Faces, Brains and Bodies of Voters
AllGov - In Mexico, President Peña’s presidential campaign used neuropolitical techniques to gauge voters’ brain waves, skin arousal, and heart rate. One way the new methods are applied is by placing cameras in digital billboards and recording people's facial reactions to political messages. Use of neuropolitics could increase during the run-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Hillary Clinton’s campaign already hired a neuromarketing firm to help it improve its targeting and messages.... Some neuroscientists criticize the practice, saying even if researchers find a speech or commercial has spurred activity in part of a person’s brain, a campaign can’t know what that person is thinking. “For the most part, I think that companies selling neuroscience-based market research tools are taking advantage of people’s natural tendency to think that measurements of the brain are somehow more ‘real’ than measurements of behavior,” Russell Poldrack, a psychology professor at Stanford University, told the Times.

Astonishing Report From the Fed Says US Banks are Not "Sound"
Economic Policy Journal - Late last week, a consortium of financial regulators in the United States, including the Federal Reserve and the FDIC, issued an astonishing condemnation of the US banking system. Most notably, they highlighted “continuing gaps between industry practices and the expectations for safe and sound banking.” This is part of an annual report they publish called the Shared National Credit (SNC) Review. And in this year’s report, they identified a huge jump in risky loans due to overexposure to weakening oil and gas industries. Make no mistake; this is not chump change. The total exceeds $3.9 trillion worth of risky loans that US banks made with your money. Given that even the Fed is concerned about this, alarm bells should be ringing.

War on Thanksgiving: Retailers Opening Day Early For Black Friday
Kit Daniels - Thanksgiving is now under attack by retailers who want shoppers and workers to spend the holiday buying and selling electronic slave goods instead of spending time with their families. Toys R Us will open its doors at 5pm Thanksgiving Day while Target, Macy’s, Sears and other major retailers will open only an hour later. That means numerous shoppers will be spending Thanksgiving not at a dinner table but rather at make-shift campsites outside big box stores waiting for them to open.... But while shoppers spend Thanksgiving fighting each other over the latest smartphone made in a Chinese suicide factory, the fact is the items on “sale” were given huge mark-ups in the weeks before Black Friday to make the “sales” look spectacular in comparison. In other words, Black Friday is a hoax.

U.S. fast-food workers to strike in 270 cities: organizers
(Reuters) - U.S. fast-food workers will strike in 270 cities on Tuesday in a protest for higher wages and union rights that they hope will catch the attention of candidates in 2016 elections, organizers said. The walkouts will be followed by protests in 500 cities by low-wage workers in such sectors as fast food and home and child care, a statement by organizers of the Fight for $15 campaign said on Monday. The protests and strikes are aimed at gaining candidates' support heading into the 2016 election for a minimum wage of $15 an hour and union rights, it said.... The strikes and protests will include workers from McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, KFC and other restaurants, the statement said.

Group Fights Nuclear Waste Dump on San Diego County Beach
(CN) - Southern California Edison agreed to pay $5 million to the California Coastal Commission for an illegally issued permit to bury 3.6 million pounds of nuclear waste on a San Diego beach, a citizens' group claims in court. Citizens Oversight asked the Superior Court to vacate the permit, and nullify the permit the Coastal Commission issued on Oct. 6. The Nov. 3 lawsuit against Edison and the Coastal Commission claims the waste would be within 100 feet of the ocean, where 8.4 million people live within a radius of 50 miles. The group calls the deal "an unenforceable indemnity agreement from Edison in which Edison agreed to indemnify the CC commissioners for the intentionally unlawful act of issuing the permit" and any potential liability from approving the permit.

Stanford scientists test ultrasound & microwave ‘tricorder’ to detect tumors remotely
RT - A team of scientists from Stanford University is testing a new “tricorder” technology able to remotely detect abnormal matter, such as buried plastic explosives or even early stage cancers in humans, by manipulating microwaves and ultrasound. The new “radio frequency (RF)/ultrasound hybrid imaging system... was designed for remote detection of embedded objects in a number of different kinds of matter, including water, soil and tissue. It was developed by the Stanford electrical engineering team as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project aimed at developing a system to detect plastic explosives (IEDs) hidden underground that metal detectors are unable to pick up.... To make their “tricorder” technology “hear” hidden objects, researchers developed a technology based on basic principles of physics – namely that electromagnetic stimulation makes material expand and contract, and that this “expansion and contraction” generates ultrasound waves that can be detected at the surface.

Monday - November 9, 2015 - Today in History:

1872 - A fire destroyed about 800 buildings in Boston, MA.
1906 - U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt left for Panama to see the progress on the new canal. It was the first foreign trip by a U.S. president.
1923 - In Munich, the Beer Hall Putsch was crushed by German troops that were loyal to the democratic government. The event began the evening before when Adolf Hitler took control of a beer hall full of Bavarian government leaders at gunpoint.
1938 - Nazi troops and sympathizers destroyed and looted 7,500 Jewish businesses, burned 267 synagogues, killed 91 Jews, and rounded up over 25,000 Jewish men in an event that became known as Kristallnacht or "Night of Broken Glass."
1965 - The great Northeast blackout occurred as several states and parts of Canada were hit by a series of power failures lasting up to 13 1/2 hours.
1979 - The United Nations Security Council unanimously called upon Iran to release all American hostages "without delay." Militants, mostly students had taken 63 Americans hostage at the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, on November 4.
1981 - U.S. troops began arriving in Egypt for a 3-week Rapid Deployment Force exercise. Somalia, Sudan and Oman were also involved in the operation.
1984 - A bronze statue titled "Three Servicemen," by Frederick Hart, was unveiled at the site of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.
1989 - Communist East Germany opened its borders, allowing its citizens to travel freely to West Germany.
1992 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin, visiting London, appealed for assistance in rescheduling his country's debt, and asked British businesses to invest.
1998 - A federal judge in New York approved the richest antitrust settlement in U.S. history. A leading brokerage firm was ordered to pay $1.03 billion to investors who had sued over price-rigging of Nasdaq stocks.
2004 - U.S. First Lady Laura Bush officially reopened Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House to pedestrians.

Russia to top UK govt's new security threat list - media
RT - Russia will be named as a top-tier potential threat when Prime Minister David Cameron announces the UK's new National Security Strategy later in November, according to British media. Terrorism, radicalization by Islamic State and other extremist groups, instability caused by mass migration, and global health threats like Ebola also made it onto the list. The new roster of potential threats was put together by the British government after a major security review that the UK performs every five years.

Pentagon petty cash: $5mn for Iraqi civilians killed in anti-ISIS strikes could cover 2,000 people
RT - The US Defense Department is to get $5 million that could be used to hand out 'condolence payments' to civilian Iraqis hit by American airstrikes. Officially the Pentagon doesn't admit that such casualties have occurred. The money is allocated by the defense budget deal passed by the House last week and is part of the Commanders’ Emergency Response Program, or CERP. It was first created for Iraq in 2004 and later expanded to Afghanistan. Since then, American commanders have received $6 billion in petty cash to spend on small projects meant to foster goodwill of the local populations.

Catalonia Parliament Begins Process of Splitting From Spain
Sputnik News - The initiative was backed by 72 out of 135 votes in parliament. The process of gaining independence from Spain consists of forming a government and other state structures, as well as drawing up a constitution. Once a new constitution is accepted, Catalonia will declare its independence. According to supporters of Catalonia’s secession from Spain, the process should take approximately 18 months.

Japan: 'My Number' national ID law will track vaccination records, link to bank accounts from 2018
Japan Times - The Diet passed a bill Thursday to expand the use of a personal identification number to improve tax collection, despite ongoing concerns over the potential leak of private information and identity theft. Under changes to the so-called My Number system, personal ID numbers can be linked to people’s bank account numbers from 2018. Although such links will be made initially on a voluntary basis, the government is considering making it mandatory from 2021. The amendment will make it easier for the government to discover tax evasion or welfare benefits fraud by having better access to information on people’s assets.

Russian plane crash: flight recorder captured 'sound of explosion'
The Guardian - Vladimir Putin orders halt to all flights to Egyptian airports as evidence mounts that flight 9268 was brought down rather than suffering mechanical failure.... An Egyptian-led international team of aviation experts, including some from France, successfully recovered the black box, the flight recorder, from the crash site. Several French media outlets, including the television station France 2, reported that the investigators had listened to it and concluded that a bomb had detonated, which would seem to rule out structural failure or pilot error. The pilots can be heard chatting normally, including contact with airport controllers, up until the apparent explosion.

U.S. Official: ‘99.9% certain’ Russian Plane was Felled by Bomb
(CNN) - Several senior administration officials in the intelligence, military and national security community told CNN the United States is almost positive a Russian passenger jet was brought down by a bomb. How convinced are they? One official said "it's 99.9% certain."... The evidence that it might have been a bomb centers to a large extent on British and U.S. intercepts of chatter after the crash from the ISIS affiliate in Sinai to ISIS operatives in Syria around Raqqa.

Iran bans US consumer goods
RT - Coca-Cola and Wrigley gum won’t see a newly-opened Iranian market. On Thursday, the Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh directed a blockade of American consumer goods, Press TV reports. The minister said the decision is based on guidance from Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani. According to Khamenei, the nuclear accord with world powers reached in July, should help the Iranian economy become more independent, which should have happened years ago. This includes boosting national production and checking imports of US-made goods. Rouhani said he would comply with the guidance.

Bank Of Ireland Bans “Small” Cash Withdrawals At Branches
Zero Hedge - As central planners the world over grapple with the effective “lower bound” that’s imposed by the existence of physical banknotes, there’s been no shortage of calls for a ban on cash. Put simply, if you eliminate physical currency, you also eliminate the idea of a floor for depo rates. After all, if people can’t withdraw paper money and stash it under the mattress, then interest rates can be as negative as the government wants them to be in order to “encourage” consumption.

Gulf States to Lose Some $275Bln in 2015 Due to Falling Oil Prices
Sputnik News - “With oil prices having declined sharply since mid-2014, export revenues are expected to be nearly $275 billion lower in 2015 than in 2014. The fiscal and current account balances in the region are deteriorating sharply, with the fiscal balance projected by the IMF to be in a deficit of 12.7 percent of GDP in 2015,” [IMF Managing Director] Lagarde said. She added that despite the fact that oil-rich countries of the Gulf have created significant savings they should implement several financial measures, including control of current spending, expansion of non-oil tax revenues and a review of capital expenditures to carry out necessary fiscal adjustment. Global oil prices have halved compared to the summer of 2014 levels, when the price of Brent crude stood at about $115 per barrel. At present, oil prices are hovering around $50 per barrel.

'Million Cancer Deaths From Fukushima Expected in Japan,’ New Report Reveals
Green Med Info - A new report from Fairewinds Energy Education (FEE), "Cancer on the Rise in Post-Fukushima Japan," reveals that the ongoing multi-core nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant that started in March 2011 has produced approximately 230 times higher than normal thyroid cancers in Fukushima Prefecture, and could result in as many as one million more cancers in Japan's future as a result of the meltdown. ccording to the new report, data provided by a group of esteemed Japanese medical professionals and TEPCO, confirm a direct link of numerous cancers in Japan to the triple meltdown.

Secret Military Operations To Divert LAX Planes For A Week
ABC7 News - Mysterious maneuvers over the Pacific are forcing a change in Los Angeles International Airport landings late at night, meaning noise for thousands of people in the flight path. Instead of landing from the east over Inglewood, planes begin flying from the west and over the ocean to keep noise levels down, but due to secret military operations, the airspace over the Pacific is closed to incoming flights for the next week.... The military is not saying what exactly is causing the change, and LAX claims it’s also in the dark. Castles said all they know is planes can’t be flying at low altitudes to our west.

Oregon County Nullifies All Unconstitutional State and Federal Gun Laws
The New American - Citizens of Coos County, Oregon, decided on November 3 that they consider their right to keep and bear arms beyond the reach of the federal government. Specifically, voters approved a bill that authorizes the Coos County sheriff to interpose between the people of his county and any state or federal act that would infringe upon the rights protected by the Second Amendment. The text of the ordinance declares as null and void "any regulation of the right to keep and bear arms.” It also empowers the county sheriff to ascertain whether any regulation — local, state, or federal — infringes unconstitutionally on the right of citizens to be armed. Perhaps most importantly, the new law forbids the expenditure of county funds or other resources on the executing of Oregon’s recently reinforced background checks for anyone attempting to purchase a firearm.

Christian Daycare Workers Fired for Refusing to Call a Little Girl a Boy
Breitbart - Two daycare workers have been fired for refusing to go along with the center’s transgender agenda. Madeline Kirksey, one of the workers who is an author of a Christian book, says her religious liberty rights have been violated. The two were fired after refusing to call a little girl a boy. The two male parents of a six-year-old little girl told employees at the school to refer to their daughter as a boy, and to call her by a new masculine name. The little girl’s hair had also been cut like a boy’s. Kirksey told Breitbart Texas in an interview, that the problem was not so much with the transgender issue as it was with telling young children that the little girl was a boy when she was not, and with calling her “John” (not the name given) when that was not her name.

Video: Cop Executes Man While Face Down On The Ground, Showing Hands
Steve Watson - Officer cleared of murder charge; Routine traffic stop turned deadly.The footage shows the aftermath of Mearkle’s run in with Kassick over an expired inspection sticker. Kassick unfortunately chose to flee his vehicle and run home. He was later found to have alcohol and drugs in his system. Mearkle gave chase and eventually was able to deploy a taser. The footage shows the officer repeatedly firing the taser into Kassick, by then on the ground. While Kassick writhes in agony, Mearkle, clearly in a panicked rage, continues to yell “get on the ground.”
After a time she then shouts “Show me your hands!” Kassick is seen holding his hands forward and saying, “I am showing you.” It appears from the footage that Kassick attempts to remove the taser barbs from his body, which seems to have been the prompt for the officer to shoot him.... A Dauphin County jury acquitted Mearkle of third-degree murder and voluntary and involuntary manslaughter charges, even after seeing the footage.

First Review of Secret Monsanto Studies Shows Glyphosate Cancer Cover Up
Sustainable Pulse - For the past 35 years Monsanto has known of the link between glyphosate and cancer, but has systematically worked to cover it up through scientifically fraudulent methods in its safety testing research programme. This is the most significant conclusion to be drawn from a new research paper published in the Journal of Biological Physics and Chemistry and now available online. For the first time the authors, Dr. Anthony Samsel and Dr. Stephanie Seneff, present in tabulated form the data contained in secret Monsanto studies conducted in the period 1980 – 1990 which showed unequivocally that animals exposed to different quantities of glyphosate in their food supply developed tumorigenic growth in multiple organs.

Clinton Signed NDA Laying Out Criminal Penalties for Mishandling of Classified Info
Washington Free Beacon - As the nation’s chief diplomat, Hillary Clinton was responsible for ascertaining whether information in her possession was classified and acknowledged that “negligent handling” of that information could jeopardize national security, according to a copy of an agreement she signed upon taking the job. A day after assuming office as secretary of state, Clinton signed a Sensitive Compartmented Information Nondisclosure Agreement that laid out criminal penalties for “any unauthorized disclosure” of classified information. Experts have guessed that Clinton signed such an agreement, but a copy of her specific contract, obtained by the Competitive Enterprise Institute through an open records request and shared with the Washington Free Beacon, reveals for the first time the exact language of the NDA.

Donald Trump gives SNL its biggest ratings in years
(NBC) With Donald Trump hosting, Saturday Night Live jumped to its biggest overnight rating since 2012. According to NBC, SNL had a whopping 6.6 household rating on Saturday night, easily beating the season’s previous high: the 41st season premiere last month, hosted by Miley Cyrus and with a guest appearance by none other than … Hillary Clinton. In fact, Trump’s overnight rating was 47 percent higher than the Miley/Hillary episode.

When a 127-Year-Old U.S. Industry Collapses Under China's Weight
Bloomberg - Alcoa Inc.’s latest aluminum-making cutback is signaling the end of the iconic American industry… Now, with prices languishing near six-year lows, it’s wiping out almost a third of domestic operating capacity, Harbor Intelligence estimates. If prices don’t recover, the researcher predicts almost all U.S. smelting plants will close by next year… While output has been moving abroad for some time, the game changer in the past year has been the domination of China, where ballooning output has compounded a global surplus and driven prices so low that Bank of America estimates more than 50 percent of producers globally lose money. Smelters in the Asian country are still profitable, helped by higher physical premiums in the region.

Ex-GAO head: US debt is three times more than you think
The Hill - Dave Walker, who headed the Government Accountability Office (GAO) under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, said when you add up all of the nation’s unfunded liabilities, the national debt is more than three times the number generally advertised. “If you end up adding to that $18.5 trillion the unfunded civilian and military pensions and retiree healthcare, the additional underfunding for Social Security, the additional underfunding for Medicare, various commitments and contingencies that the federal government has, the real number is about $65 trillion rather than $18 trillion, and it’s growing automatically absent reforms,”… “You can be a Democrat, you can be a Republican, you can be unaffiliated, you can be whatever you want, but your duty of loyalty needs to be to country rather than to party, and we need to solve some of the large, known, and growing problems that we have,” he said

2nd Train Derails in Wisconsin in 2 Days, Spills Crude Oil
ABC News - A Canadian Pacific Railway train derailed Sunday, spilling less than 1,000 gallons of crude oil and prompting evacuations in Wisconsin, the second day in a row a freight train derailed in the state. Thirteen cars of an eastbound CP train went off the tracks around 2 p.m. in Watertown, in the southeastern part of the state, the railroad said. One tank car was punctured and leaked oil.
* Related: Evacuation, 1,000 gallons of oil leaked as Canadian Pacific train derails in Watertown, Wisconsin

Officials Secretly Added Cancer-Causing Chemicals to City's Water Supply
Anti Media - Officials experimented on the water with a new added chemical to aid in removing sediment, silt, and other impurities in the water supply: aluminum chlorohydrate (ACH). It was due to replace the chemical known as ALUM that was regularly used to take the larger particles out of river water to treat it… However, the addition of ACH to the city’s water supply wound up being ineffective as a treatment — so an excessive quantity of chlorine was added to the water, as well. An astonishing failure, the combination of excess chlorine and aluminum chlorohydrate ended up yielding carcinogenic toxins known as “DBPs” — disinfection byproducts. Specifically, these are in the class of chemicals known as THMs, or Trihalomethanes... This isn’t the only water contamination that affects greater Sacramento — Northside residents need to be aware that McClellan Air Force Base is rumored to be the source of contaminated water, as a “chromium plume” of groundwater contamination radiates from out from the base. Our water, in other words, is polluted with cancer-causing chromium-6.

From Best to Worst - My NEW Rankings of 13 Pet Foods
Dr. Becker - The version I compiled 5 years ago continues to be one of the most popular videos here at Mercola Healthy Pets... But now I'm releasing the new, revised list - and this one contains a category of pet food that wasn't even popular five years ago.
 

Friday - November 6, 2015 - Today in History:

1789 - Father John Carroll was appointed as the first Roman Catholic bishop in the United States of America.
1860 - Abraham Lincoln was elected to be the sixteenth president of the United States.
1861 - Jefferson Davis was elected as the president of the Confederacy in the U.S.
1952 - The first hydrogen bomb was exploded at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
1961 - In the Saraha Desert of Algeria, a natural gas well ignited when a pipe ruptured. The flames rose between 450 feet and 800 feet. The fire burned until April 28, 1962 when a team led by Red Adair used explosives to deprived the fire of oxygen. (Devil's Cigarette Lighter)
1962 - The U.N. General Assembly adopts a resolution that condemned South Africa's racist apartheid policies. The resolution also called for all member states to terminate military and economic relations with South Africa.
1965 - The Freedom Flights program began which would allow 250,000 Cubans to come to the United States by 1971.
1983 - U.S. Army choppers dropped hundreds of leaflets over northern and central Grenada. The leaflets urged residents to cooperate in locating any Grenadian army or Cuban resisters to the U.S-led invasion.
1986 - Former Navy radioman John A. Walker Jr., was sentenced in Baltimore to life imprisonment. Walker admitted to being the head of a family spy ring.
1986 - U.S. intelligence sources confirmed a story run by the Lebanese magazine Ash Shiraa that reported the U.S. had been secretly selling arms to Iran in an effort to secure the release of seven American hostages.
1989 - In the hopes of freeing U.S. hostages held in Iran, the U.S. announced that it would unfreeze $567 million in Iranian assets that had been held since 1979.
1991 - Kuwait celebrated the dousing of the last of the oil fires ignited by Iraq during the Persian Gulf War.
2001 - In London, the "Lest We Forget" exhibit opened at the National Memorial Arboretum. Fred Seiker was the creator of the 24 watercolors. Seiker was a prisoner of war that had been forced to build the Burma Railroad, the "railway of death," for the Japanese during World War II.
2001 - Billionaire Republican Michael Bloomberg was elected New York City mayor.
2009 - The government reported that unemployment rose to 10.2 percent in the U.S. in October, the first time the jobless rate had hit double digits since 1983.

OPCW finds chemical weapons use during rebels vs ISIS fighting in Syria – Reuters
RT - A new report reveals that mustard gas was used during fighting between Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL) and other militant groups in a Syrian town, Reuters has reported, citing an undisclosed paper by the international chemical arms watchdog. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) released a confidential report on October 29, revealing the latest use of chemical weapons in Syria. The summary of the report seen by Reuters concluded “with the utmost confidence that at least two people were exposed to sulfur mustard [on August 21]” in the town of Marea, located north of Aleppo. “It is very likely that the effects of sulfur mustard resulted in the death of a baby,” the report added.

Kremlin Says UK Not Sharing Intelligence on Russian A321 Crash in Egypt
Sputnik News - The UK government has not shared its intelligence reports on the crash of the Russian aircraft A321 in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday. On Thursday, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said it was "more likely than not" that the plane was brought down by a terrorist bomb. "The British government has not shared the data. We do not know what data our British colleagues refer to," Peskov told journalists.
* Related: British PM Hints at 'Likely' Bomb On Board A321, But Offers No Proof

2015 Million Mask March: Arrests in London, rush against Monsanto in DC
RT - Protesters took to the streets in hundreds of cities around the world for the 2015 Million Mask March on Thursday, with police arresting dozens in London and activists storming the doors of biotech giant Monsanto in Washington, DC. Organized by the hacktivist group Anonymous, the event featured thousands of people from around the world donning Guy Fawkes masks and protesting a variety of injustices ranging from inequality and corruption to police brutality and capitalism itself. Protests spanned the globe, with major events taking place in Europe and the United States, as well as Canada and Guatemala.

Russian air defense deployed to Syria along with warplanes – commander
RT - Russia’s Air Force has secured Syrian airspace with air defense missile systems that were delivered and deployed into the war-torn country along with other military hardware, its chief has revealed in an interview. “We figured out all possible threats in advance, that’s why we brought not only fighter jets, strike-fighters and helicopters, but also air defense missile weapon systems,” Viktor Bondarev, the chief of Russia’s Air Force, told Komsomolskaya Pravda daily, adding that all kinds of force majeure circumstances should be expected.

Combat report: Russian jets hit 263 terror targets in Syria in 2 days
RT - The Russian Air Force has carried out 81 sorties hitting 263 Islamic State (IS) targets in two days in Syria, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. Russian jets hit targets that mostly belong to Islamic State and other militants in such provinces as Aleppo, Damascus, Deir ez-Zor, Idlib, Latakia, Raqqa, Hama and Homs, Igor Konashenkov, a Defense Ministry spokesman, said Thursday. After their combat missions all the jets returned to the Russian Khmeimim airbase in Latakia, he said. Russian Su-24M bombers destroyed IS repair facilities with seven armored vehicles near an airport in Aleppo province, Konashenkov said.

Video: Hungarian PM Calls Migrant Influx A “Treasonous Conspiracy To Marginalise Nation States”
Steve Watson - In a speech to a gathering of his fellow countrymen and women, the Prime Minister of Hungary has slammed elitist European leaders as “treasonous” and declared that the uninhibited influx of migrants into Europe is part of a “conspiracy” to erode nation states.... “By whom and on what authority were the European leaders tasked with not only admitting but transporting to the European continent hundreds of thousands of people from groups outside European culture, so that European cultural identity will be called into question?” Orban questioned. “The answer from us can only be that in opposition to this conspiracy and treason we must turn to democracy.” Orban declared. In recent weeks Orban has repeatedly said that migrants entering Hungary and neighboring countries “looked more like an army than asylum seekers.”

GERMANY: 19 Year-Old Girl Becomes 4th Migrant Gang Rape Victim in Magdeburg This Month
Gateway Pundit - A nineteen year-old girl at Magdeburg University became the fourth gang rape victim by refugees this month. The German woman was ambushed by “refugees” around 4 AM and brutally raped. She is currently recovering in a local hospital. No matter if you’re young or old, the climate is getting worse and worse in Magdeburg, a city filled with migrants. Three people were arrested in the vicinity of the gang rape. Early in October a 24 year-old woman was brutally gangraped in a Magdeburg cemetery. Two weeks ago two 19 year-old girls were gangraped by “refugees.” The locals are worried. But Merkel will send them a few more thousand migrants anyway.

India wants people to turn in their gold
RT - India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a program to lure tons of gold from households into the country’s banking system. The program consists of three schemes; a gold monetization scheme, gold sovereign bonds and Indian gold coin. The gold monetization scheme aims to unlock about 20,000 tons of gold worth over $800 billion lying idle in homes and temples. Under the plan, banks will collect gold for up to 15 years and pay 2.25-2.50 percent interest per year. This is higher than previous rates of around one percent. The government hopes that higher interest rates will help in mobilizing the gold as previous attempts have been unsuccessful.

Europe Rejects GM Crops as New Report Highlights 20 Years of GM Failures
Sustainable Pulse - By the end of today, all 19 government requests for bans of GM crop cultivation are expected to go unchallenged by biotech companies, pathing the way for two thirds of the EU’s farmland and population to remain GM-free. The growing opposition to GM crops coincides with a new Greenpeace report reviewing evidence of GM environmental risks, market failures, and increased pesticide use.... Around 85 per cent of GM crops are cultivated in just four countries in the Americas (US, Brazil, Argentina and Canada), representing only three per cent of global agricultural land.

ObamaTrade Details Unveiled, Officials Warn "It's Worse Than We Thought"
Zero Hedge - "The Trans-Pacific Partnership means that America will write the rules for 21st century trade," according to President Obama, but as Reuters reports, U.S. unions, lawmakers and interest groups questioned the long-awaited text of a landmark U.S.-backed Pacific trade deal on Thursday. "It's worse than we thought,” Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, told members and U.S. labor representatives said the agreement contained weak, poorly worded or unenforceable provisions, concluding "we do not believe those improvements are significant or meaningful for workers." It appears, that ObamaTrade may be a boon for factory and export economies like Malaysia and Vietnam, but - as expected - will achieve little for the average joe in America.
* Related: Text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Strong Cities Network: “The UN is coming and coming in the worst way possible for patriotic America!"
Canada Free Press - ...”The Strong Cities Network About page clearly states “The Strong Cities Network is run by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a London-based ‘think-and-do’ tank with a long-standing track record of working to prevent violent extremism across all forms.” That is to say, the Strong Cities Network is a front group for the Institute of Strategic Dialogue.... “Who is the Institute for Strategic Dialogue? It is yet another NGO think-tank run by a fourteen-member Board of Trustees all of whom are directly connected to the global oligarchy. One member, Field Marshal The Lord Guthrie, is a member of the Trilateral Commission and a former Director of the global financial empire, N M Rothschild & Sons Limited. No less than ten other board members also have direct ties to the global financial world. The Board also contains two Baronesses and three Lords of the British monarchy.”... “One of ISD’s ideological positions should be of great concern to all Americans. A section of their web site details an initiative to fight against “Far-Right Extremism and Intolerance”, which states...

‘Zombie’ blimp, aid to Ukraine, and Syrian ‘moderates’ unaffected by NDAA cuts
RT - Congress is preparing to vote on a new military funding bill that includes $5 billion in cuts requested by the White House. The new NDAA slashes readiness programs, but leaves aid to the Ukrainian government and the “zombie” spy blimp untouched. President Barack Obama vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on October 22, saying it skirted spending restrictions by padding the war fund. The White House also objected to language blocking closure of the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay. Since then, the White House and the Republican leadership in Congress reached a deal on the budget through 2017 that required the NDAA to be trimmed by $5 billion. The revised bill, approved on Wednesday by the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, is expected to go up for a vote on Thursday or Friday. It will need a two-thirds majority to pass.
* Related: House Votes To Approve 2016 Defense Policy Bill

New Wave of Police Taking Valuables From Unlocked Cars to Teach Lesson
Activist Post - Connecticut news stations are reporting that “police will now be going into to cars and removing items that would attract thieves.” Oftentimes, a person will by accident hit the button to unlock the doors or accidentally release the trunk. Oftentimes, the person will return only to have their faith in humanity restored when they see their valuables are still there. Not with the East Rock police in New Haven – now residents will be punished for their forgetfulness. New Haven police stated intentions to “send a strong message” and by removing the valuables are “forcing residents to make a trip to the police station to pick up belongings.”... Obviously, this brings up clear 4th amendment violations. However, Connecticut claims a loophole under state law that allows law enforcement to take valuables in plain sight without a search warrant and with the intention of safe keeping.

This City Will Fine You Literally Anything: “Including Mismatching Drapes and Front Yard Grilling”
Mac Slavo - In an age of economic stress, many cities and states – on the verge of bankruptcy or default – are abusing their powers to squeeze extra revenue out of their already struggling citizens.... The Institute For Justice takes on the ridiculous case of Pagedale, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, where police have truly been deputized as revenue collection officers in the name of paying for the city’s budget. It would be funny if it weren’t so scary – with a cap on the revenue that can be raised through traffic tickets, the police are out in force to fine residents for literally just about anything, including mismatching drapes and front yard grilling... Numerous residents have appealed to the municipal court to protest against its “unconstitutional” policies against residents. One homeowner, Valarie Whitner told cameras that she’s had to take out multiple loans just to pay for citations against her home by the city.

The GOP debate field is set — and two high-profile candidates are out
Business Insider - On Thursday, Fox Business announced the lineup for the debate, which will be hosted next Tuesday in Wisconsin. Two GOP heavyweights — Gov. Chris Christie (R-New Jersey) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee — fell short of the 2.5% polling average in the four latest national polls needed to qualify. They will, therefore, not participate in the main-stage debate. The remaining candidates from the previous debate — real-estate mogul Donald Trump, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, US Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina — all qualified.
* Related: GOP candidate line-up announced for Fox Business Network/WSJ debate

Slip? Hillary Says ‘Former Presidents’ Shouldn’t Have to Declare Criminal History
Breitbart - Last week at the Charleston Branch NAACP’s 98th annual Freedom Fund Banquet, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said “former presidents” instead of “former prisoners” shouldn’t have to disclose their criminal history when first applying for a job. Clinton said “Earlier today, I announced that as president, I will take steps to ban the box, so former presidents won’t have to declare their criminal history at the very start of the hiring process. That way, they’ll have a chance to be seen as more than just someone who’s done time.”

Donald Trump to host 'Saturday Night Live' Nov. 7
AP - NBC said its former "Celebrity Apprentice" host will be the headliner of the Nov. 7 show. It's the second time he has hosted the venerable comedy institution; he was on the show in April 2004. Trump was also skewered in the season premiere's opening sketch. Trump has been ratings gold for nearly every television outlet he's touched since his candidacy took off this summer, the main reason behind record viewership for the two GOP candidates' debates in August and September.
* Related: Video: ‘Saturday Night Live’ Promos With Host Donald Trump

Latino Group Offers $5k to Disrupt Donald Trump on SNL
Breitbart - The same radical pro-amnesty group that released a video of children shouting profanities at Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is offering $5,000 in “cold, hard cash” to anyone who disrupts his upcoming appearance on Saturday Night Live by shouting, “Trump is a racist!”. The group, Deport Racism, operates a website and a political action committee (PAC). In addition to Cejudo’s bounty, there are other efforts afoot to prevent or disturb Trump’s appearance. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is putting political pressure on NBC, with Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) warning that Saturday Night Live is “endangering Latinos” by allowing Trump to host the show.
* Related: This anti-Trump website that is offering a reward for anyone who disrupts Trump's SNL appearance looks like it was created by Sanders campaign, but its source code reveals it was created by Clintons campaign

VA wrongly tells veterans they’re dead, cuts off benefits
Fox News - That’s why the Pinellas County, Florida, resident was alarmed when his VA check didn’t show up in his bank account Monday. He called the Department of Veterans Affairs office to find out why, and their response was stunning: The benefits had been suspended because he was dead. “Well, I’m not,” Rieker retorted. “I woke up this morning and I’m feeling rather chipper, in fact.” As it turns out, Rieker is one of six Tampa Bay area residents who were getting veterans benefits, but then were declared dead — despite being very much alive. U.S. Rep. David Jolly, who represents a section of Florida’s Gulf Coast near Tampa, said he’s handled a total of five such cases in the past 18 months, and a neighboring congressman in the Tampa Bay area received a similar call as well. “It’s a very serious matter,” said Jolly. “How many cases are there nationwide?”

Kraft Heinz closing 7 factories, cutting 2,600 jobs
CNBC News - Kraft Heinz announced Wednesday that it would be closing seven factories and cutting about 2,600 jobs. The closing factories are in Fullerton, California; San Leandro, California; Federalsburg, Maryland; St. Marys, Ontario, Canada; Campbell, New York; Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania; and Madison, Wisconsin, Michael Mullen SVP of corporate and government affairs, said in a statement.

Even Retailers Suffering As Americans Too Poor to Shop: “Everyone Is Broke Except the 1%”
Mac Slavo - The downsizing of the Middle Class has become so huge that even mainstream American corporations like Walmart, Campbell Soup and Hershey are hurting from the loss of their mainstream demographic. Most Americans are so strapped for cash at this point, that they can little afford to splurge on anything but the basics. As a result, stores are shifting their appeal to wealthier, upper class niches where they hope to turn a profit.

NY Attorney General Launches Crack Down On Exxon Over Global Warming Denial
Zero Hedge - As the NYT reports, the New York AG has "begun a sweeping investigation of Exxon Mobil to determine whether the company lied to the public about the risks of climate change or to investors about how those risks might hurt the oil business." According to people with knowledge of the investigation, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman issued a subpoena Wednesday evening to Exxon Mobil, demanding extensive financial records, emails and other documents. The NYT adds that "the focus includes the company’s activities dating to the late 1970s, including a period of at least a decade when Exxon Mobil funded groups that sought to undermine climate science."
* Related: Clinton Calls for Exxon Probe After Company Cuts Off Foundation Funding

Thursday - November 5, 2015 - Today in History:

1844 - In California, a grizzly bear underwent a successful cataract operation at the Zoological Garden.
1872 - In the U.S., Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for attempting to vote in the presidential election. She never paid the fine.
1895 - George B. Selden received the first U.S. patent for an automobile. He sold the rights for $200,000 four years later.
1940 - U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt won an unprecedented third term in office.
1946 - John F. Kennedy was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives at the age of 29.
1956 - British and French forces began landing in Egypt during the Suez Canal Crisis. A cease-fire was declared 2 days later.
1959 - The American Football League was formed.
1986 - The White House reaffirmed the U.S. ban on the sale of weapons to Iran.
1990 - Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the Kach movement, was shot to death after a speech at a New York Hotel. His assassin, Egyptian El Sayyid, was later convicted of the murder and was sentenced to life in prison for his part in the World Trade Center bombing.
1994 - Former U.S. President Reagan announced that he had Alzheimer's disease.
1998 - In the U.S., Chairman Henry Hyde of the Judiciary Committee asked President Clinton to answer 81 questions for the House impeachment inquiry.
1998 - The U.N. announced that the Taliban militia had killed up to 5,000 civilians in a takeover of an Afghani town.
1999 - A 12-day conference on global warming, attended by delegates from 170 nations, ended in Bonn, Germany.
1999 - U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson ruled that Microsoft Corp. enjoyed "monopoly power".
2009 - A shooting rampage at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas left 13 people dead; Maj. Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was charged in the worst mass killing on a U.S. military base.

First Data From Kogalymavia Flight Recorders Extracted - Russian
Sputnik News - The first data from the black boxes of Kogalymavia's ill-fated flight 7K9268 has been extracted, Russian Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said Thursday. On Wednesday, the Egyptian Aviation Ministry said that investigators had extracted and validated data from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) of a Russian airliner that had crashed in the Sinai Peninsula. According to investigators, the second black box — the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) — was partially damaged.

Russian jet was avoiding air defense system when it entered Turkish airspace in October - Air Force
RT - A Russian fighter jet was forced to enter Turkish airspace in early October while performing an evasive maneuver against a surface-to-air missile system, the commander of Russia’s Air Force said. “Our fighter jet was on a combat mission in Northern Syria in very dense cloud conditions. When the aircraft was passing along the Turkish border, the onboard equipment set off an alarm indicating the plane was being targeted by some kind of air defense system,” Commander-in-Chief Viktor Bondarev told Komsomolskaya Pravda daily. The pilot had to take a split-second decision to perform an anti-missile maneuver. Well, [the plane] went a little bit into Turkish airspace. We acknowledged it frankly,” Bondarev added.

An-12 Cargo Plane Crash in South Sudan Kills 39, Including 1 Russian, 5 Armenians
Sputnik News - Thirty-nine people, including six crew members, a Russian national and five Armenian citizens, were killed in an Antonov An-12 cargo plane crash in South Sudan on Wednesday, a source in Russian law enforcement said. According to the South Sudanese transport minister, bodies of 36 victims of the plane crash have been found so far.

Murdered for their guns, Venezuela's police are now victims of crime
The Guardian - Not even the police are safe in Venezuela. In a country which saw 24,000 murders recorded in 2013 and whose capital city Caracas was runner-up for murder capital of the world, 252 security officers have been killed in the country from January until October this year, in most cases simply because they were carrying something valuable – a gun.... When President Maduro launched a disarmament plan in 2014, and security forces were also ordered to destroy weapons seized during the police operations, the government’s intention was to reduce violence by making it harder for people to obtain guns. His predecessor had already made private gun ownership illegal in 2012. But these actions have only increased interest in the people allowed to carry weapons. “There are now fewer deals in black market arms but that has made anyone in uniform a more popular target for criminals than before,” says Eliseo Guzmán, the general commissioner of the Miranda state police force. “They will identify a police officer and take away his life just to take his gun.”

US Spec Ops Already On The Ground In Syria Sources Say, As Russian Troop Presence Grows To 4,000
Zero Hedge - Unnamed Lebanese sources claim US spec ops are now operating near Latakia, and while we must consider the source, that would mean direct combat between American troops and Iranian ground forces is virtually a foregone conclusion and would also help to explain why the Pentagon has reportedly sent in the dogfighters to patrol the skies.

Israel orders aircraft carrier as part of US military aid package
Middle East Monitor - Israel has provided the United States with a list of weapons that it would like to have available as part of the US aid package, Israel’sYedioth Ahronoth revealed yesterday. According to the newspaper the list included a modern aircraft carrier and a squadron of F-15 aircrafts as well as material assistance to support Israel’s anti-ballistic missile system, Arrow 3. According to the newspaper Israeli officials have asked for these weapons during closed-door meetings with US officials attended by Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon and US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter in Washington. The list of arms exceeded the maximum assistance provided by the United States each year, amounting to nearly $3 billion, therefore it has been referred to US President Barack Obama before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House scheduled for next week, the paper reported.

UK govt: ‘Significant possibility’ bomb may have downed Russian passenger jet over Sinai
RT - The UK says it has concluded that the Russian A321 jet that crashed over Egypt’s Sinai on Saturday was likely brought down by an “explosive device.” The British government decided at a crisis meeting to ground all UK passenger flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh. “We have concluded that there is a significant possibility that the crash was caused by an explosive device on board the aircraft… We are now advising against all but essential travel by air through Sharm el-Sheikh airport. That means that there will be no UK passenger flights out to Sharm el-Sheikh from now,” Philip Hammond, the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, told reporters after a meeting of a crisis response committee chaired by Prime Minister David Cameron.

Libya warns it could flood Europe with migrants if EU does not recognise new self-declared government
The Telegraph - Libya has issued a veiled threat to send "hundreds of thousands" of extra migrants to Europe if Brussels does not give official recognition to its self-declared government. Officials say they could hire boats to send large numbers of African migrants across the Mediterranean, massively adding to the numbers already reaching Europe's borders. The warning was made by a spokesman for the National Salvation Government of Libya's General National Congress in an interview with The Telegraph in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

Rioting Illegals Demand Entry to Britain
Kurt Nimmo - Rioting illegal migrants housed at an army base on the island of Cyprus are demanding Britain take them in immediately. Police were called in to quell the disturbance at the RAF Dhekelia base. The migrants trashed taxpayer funded living quarters and burned tents. Many say they are no different than detainees at Guantanamo Bay. “Those staying there have access to three meals a day, shelter, privacy and communications, which United Nations staff have visited and say exceeds the standard of comparable set-ups,” a spokesman for the British military said. The UK has not agreed to grant the migrants refugee status. The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, insists the ”vast majority of people who are setting off into the Mediterranean are not asylum seekers, but people seeking a better life.”... Steven Woolfe, the migration spokesman for the UK Independence Party, said allowing thousands of illegal immigrants into Britain will bankrupt the country.

Volkswagen says 800,000 European cars have false CO2 emissions levels too
Ars Technica - The company is now reporting that it has found "irregularities" in the carbon dioxide emissions levels of around 800,000 cars. That figure is just for Europe, too; the worldwide number of affected cars could be much higher. The original VW scandal revolved around nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions. Nitrous oxides are a toxic pollutant produced by diesel engines.... Now, however, VW is reporting that around 800,000 cars, mostly with 1.4-litre diesel engines, may have an issue with their carbon dioxide emissions as well. The two main cars affected are the VW Polo and Golf, but some cars from the Audi, Seat, and Skoda brands are also included. VW says that some 1.4-litre petrol engines may also be affected, but the company didn't provide any further details.

IT BEGINS: Government to Pay Doctors to Tell Patients to Kill Themselves
EPJ - Move marks a turning point after a similar proposal was dropped from the Affordable Care Act. The federal government is about to pay doctors who speak with patients about the type of medical care they want when they are "near death." The rule announced on Friday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid service will reimburse, starting January 1, 2016, healthcare providers if they have conversations with Medicare patients about advance planning--also known as end-of-life discussions, reports WSJ. Make no mistake about it, this is about cutting the cost for the government of patient care, Notes WSJ: It is a delicate issue, however, because end-of-life discussions also are likely to lower health-care spending—which could lead to claims the conversations are a way to limit treatment or care.

Police claim forcing people to submit their DNA will help reunite families
MassPrivateI - Police across the country are forcing motorists to give them blood, saliva (DNA) and much worse. The National Highway Safety Administration, the agency that funds “No Refusal” DUI checkpoints and forcible blood draws, is also funding nationwide roadblocks that provide police with “voluntary” DNA samples. Presently, there are 28 states that force motorists to give police their DNA regardless of whether they've been convicted of a crime.... According to a DHS article titled "Bringing a New Biometric Capability to Verify Families Separated by Crisis". Law enforcement claims that forcing people to submit their DNA is a public service and will be used to reunite families trust them... “The Rapid DNA technology can be used in the field to confirm kinship between a parent and a child with 99.5 percent likelihood of relationship in 90 minutes.”

Gun Sales At Record High For 6th Straight Month
Steve Watson - The level of FBI firearm related background checks in October again hit a record high, indicating that Americans have been buying firearms at all time highs for six months in a row now. It also constitutes a a 373,290 increase in checks on figures from this time last year. While the figure, almost 2 million, does not represent a one to one calculation for gun sales, it is considered a reliable indicator of overall gun sales. Sales between private parties are not subject to background checks.... “Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton are the best gun salespeople on the planet,” said Alan Gottlieb, the head of the Second Amendment Foundation. “The more they scream for new gun control laws the more guns walk off the shelves at gun stores,” Gottlieb added.

Fed's Yellen sees possible December rate rise, gradual hiking path
Reuters - Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Wednesday pointed to a possible December interest rate "liftoff" but said rates would rise only slowly from then on to nurture the U.S. economic recovery. In her first public comments since the Fed's meeting last week Yellen laid out what now appears the base case at the U.S. central bank - that low unemployment, continued growth and faith in a coming return of inflation means the country is ready for higher interest rates. Her remarks pushed bond yields higher and stocks lower. They also caused investors to reset their expectations of a December rate hike above 60 percent, a sign that markets are finally taking the Fed's language seriously after a period in which U.S. central bankers were frustrated by the gap between their own outlook and market bets about their likely course of action.
*Related: Congress To Yellen: "If You Want To Be Good With The Almighty, Delay Until May"

Former Reagan Administration Official Warns That Financial Disaster Is Dead Ahead
Economic Collapse - David Stockman was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977 to 1981, and he served as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1985. These days, he is running a website called “Contra Corner”... Stockman believes that a global “debt super-cycle” that has been building for decades is now bursting, and he is convinced that the consequences for the U.S. and for the rest of the planet will be absolutely catastrophic.

There Are Now 293 Ounces Of Paper Gold For Every Ounce Of Physical As Comex Registered Gold Hits New Low
Zero Hedge - Unlike Bitcoin, which has doubled in the past few weeks (as the predicted Chinese buying onslaught indeed materialized), it hasn't been a good week for spot gold prices which have tumbled from $1,180 to just over $1,100. While the reason for the selling is unknown, with recurring speculation that an imminent Fed rate hike will make holding gold even more unwelcome in real terms (if not in India where gold now pays interest on par with inflation), what we do know is that as of yesterday the total registered gold at the Comex had dropped to a fresh record low following another transfer of "registered" gold into "eligible."

FHFA Head Warns Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac May Need Another Taxpayer Bailout
Michael Krieger - Earlier today, we learned that Fannie Mae recently rolled out a new program known as “Home Ready,” which would allow borrowers to obtain a 3% downpayment mortgage with no minimum cash contribution. Now we learn this. From MarketWatch: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are at risk of needing an injection of Treasury capital after the latter reported its first quarterly loss in four years, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency said Tuesday. FHFA Director Mel Watt issued a statement following mortgage-finance company Freddie Mac’s $475 million third-quarter loss, its first quarterly loss in four years.... Watt said. Freddie Mac said its loss was driven by interest rate changes that soured the value of derivatives it holds.

TransCanada Seeks to Suspend Keystone XL Pipeline Proposal
Truth in Media - The Canadian corporation responsible for the Keystone XL pipeline has asked the U.S. government to temporarily suspend the review process for the controversial project. The Canadian corporation responsible for the Keystone XL pipeline has asked the U.S. government to temporarily suspend the review process for the controversial project. On Monday, TransCanada Corp sent the US. Department of State a letter asking for a delayed review. TransCanada may have sought a delay rather than an outright rejection from the Obama administration. The State Department told Reuters it had received the letter from TransCanada but the review would continue for now.

Wednesday - November 4, 2015 - Today in History:

1842 - Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd in Springfield, Ill.
1847 - Scottish obstetrician James Young Simpson discovered the anesthetic qualities of chloroform.
1939 - During World War II, the U.S. modified its neutrality stance with the Neutrality Act of 1939. The new policy allowed cash-and-carry purchases of arms by belligerents.
1942 - During World War II, Axis forces retreated from El Alamein in North Africa. It was a major victory for the British.
1952 - In the United States, the National Security Agency (NSA) was established.
1956 - Soviet forces enter Hungary in order to suppress the uprising that had begun on October 23, 1956.
1979 - Iranian militants seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took 63 Americans hostage (90 total hostages). The militants, mostly students, demanded that the U.S. send the former shah back to Iran to stand trial. Many hostages were later released, but 52 were held for the next 14 months.
1981 - The second scheduled flight of the space shuttle Columbia was canceled with only 31 seconds left in the countdown.
1990 - Iraq issued a statement saying it was prepared to fight a "dangerous war" rather than give up Kuwait.
1991 - Ronald Reagan opened his presidential library in Simi Valley, CA. The dedication ceremony was attended by President Bush and former U.S. presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald R. Ford and Richard M. Nixon. It was the 1st gathering of 5 U.S. chief executives.
1999 - The United Nations imposed economic sanctions against the Taliban that controlled most of Afghanistan. The sanctions were imposed because the Taliban had refused to turn over Osama bin Laden, who had been charged with masterminding the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
2001 - Hurricane Michelle hit Cuba destroying crops and thousands of homes. The United States made the gesture of sending humanitarian aid. On December 16, 2001, Cuba received the first commercial food shipment from the U.S. in nearly 40 years.
2008 - Barack Hussein Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States, as the country chose him as its first black chief executive.

25,000-30,000 foreigners fighting for ISIS - Russian dep. defense minister
RT - Russia’s Air Forces are striking only confirmed terrorist targets, such as Islamic State militants and are not after the so-called ‘moderate’ Syrian rebels, Russia’s deputy defense minister said, revealing that ISIS employs up to 30,000 foreign extremists. “The aviation and other [combat] means are deployed exclusively against the terrorist formations on the territory of Syria. There are no strikes being conducted at any other targets, connected to, for example, the forces of the so-called ‘moderate’ opposition,” Defense Ministry deputy head Anatoly Antonov said on Wednesday. Antonov was speaking at the third meeting of the ASEAN countries’ defense chiefs and their dialogue partners.

Fighter planes the Obama administration is deploying to Turkey can't drop bombs – so are they meant for dogfights with the Russians?
Daily Mail - The Obama administration is sending a group of fighter planes to Turkey equipped with air-to-air missiles, raising concerns that the jets are really intended to battle Russian planes. The Pentagon plans to ship up to a dozen Boeing F-15C Eagle twin-engine planes to a base in Incirlik which the Turkish government has allowed the U.S. to use in its effort against the Islamic State. The base is near the country's border with Syria. But since the F-15C has no air-to-ground capability, their real mission may be to protect other U.S. warplanes from those of Russia or Syria, according to The Daily Beast.

Merkel: We must hit climate target to avoid refugee waves
(AP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the world must do everything it can to meet an international goal to fight global warming, arguing that failing to do so could set off large new waves of refugees. The U.N. and experts say governments' emissions-cutting pledges ahead of a global conference in Paris beginning this month aren't yet enough to hit the target of keeping the rise in global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of this century compared with pre-industrial times. Merkel said in a speech Tuesday "if we don't manage this, that could be a reason for many, many refugee movements" around the world.

Radioactive honey found near nuclear power station
RT - Honey contaminated with nuclear waste has been found near a disused power station in Scotland, scientists have confirmed, with samples of the product testing positive for "elevated" radioactivity. The samples showed levels of radioactive caesium-137 that are 14 times higher than samples of honey from elsewhere in the UK, prompting scientists to call for an investigation into wider contamination at the site. The plant, which closed in 1994, no longer produces nuclear energy. It is still in the process of being decommissioned, however. Independent nuclear energy consultant John Large said bees are an important barometer of environmental health.

Washington Post Confirms: ISIS Supplied Via Turkey, a US Excuse to Seize Syria
Tony Cartalucci - With the announcement of US special forces joining Western-backed militants on the ground in Syria, many still appear confused as to exactly what the implications of this move are. As if to assure the public that indeed, the move is to use the so-called Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) as a pretext to invade and occupy Syrian territory, the Washington Post has published an article explaining the move in detail titled, "Obama has strategy for Syria, but it faces major obstacles." In it, it states openly that ISIS is being supplied via Turkey. It states specifically that: They will increase air operations in northern Syria, particularly in the Turkish border area to cut the flow of foreign fighters, money and materiel coming in to support the Islamic State.

Sinai crash: Russia plane flight recorders to be examined
BBC News - Egypt says its experts are being joined by teams from Russia and also the Republic of Ireland, where the Airbus 321 was registered.... Egypt's Civil Aviation Minister Hossam Kamal said the investigators would conclude their last field inspection at the crash site on Tuesday and start working on the two flight recorders, or "black boxes". Mr Kamal was quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying that it "will take some time" to produce the final report and that the joint investigative committee "has all the tools and experts to deal with the investigation".
* Related: Russian passenger jet crash over Sinai: Aftermath, reactions Live updates

Migrant crisis pushing Germany towards ‘anarchy and civil war’
RT - Germany now is somewhere at the edge of anarchy and sliding towards civil war, or to become a "banana republic without any government," says Hansjoerg Mueller of the Alternative for Germany party. Bavarian official Peter Dreier called German Chancellor Angela Merkel to tell her personally that if Germany welcomes a million refugees, his town of Landshut will only take in around 1,800. Any extra will be put on buses and sent to her Chancellery in Berlin.
* Related: The Stunning Infographic Showing The Worst Refugee Crisis Since World War II

Burger King and KFC to open in Iran?
al-Araby - Unconfirmed reports from Iranian media suggest America's fast food is soon to arrive in the Islamic Republic, with mixed reactions from the country's residents. Burger King and KFC, the famed US fast food brands, have officially registered as companies in Iran, according to Tasnim, an Iranian news website. Although a document bearing the Burger King logo documenting the chain's registration was circulated, its authenticity has yet to be confirmed. .. Tehran reportedly allowed Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) to open a branch in the country on May 10 on condition that they used the name Iranian Halal KFC. If reports are true, then the company's exploration of the Iranian market would pre-date the Iran-US nuclear deal that put an end to economic sanctions on the country… Accordingly, Iranian social media users had mixed reactions to the news.

Ireland to open 'medically supervised' heroin injection rooms
RT - Drug users in Ireland will soon be able to safely inject heroin at supervised rooms in Dublin, the minister in charge of National Drugs Strategy has announced, adding that there is a “strong consensus” that drugs should be decriminalized throughout the country. Speaking at the London School of Economics on Monday, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said that users will be able to use the rooms from next year. He said he hopes the cities of Cork, Galway, and Limerick will open similar rooms shortly after Dublin does. “Research has shown that the use of supervised injecting centers is associated with self-reported reductions in injecting risk behaviors,” the Labour minister said.

When Daylight Saving Time Ends, Crime Goes Up
AllGov - The researchers found certain crimes tend to go up when daylight saving ends each year, as it did last Sunday. “Most street crime occurs in the evening around common commuting hours of 5 to 8 p.m., and more ambient light during typical high-crime hours makes it easier for victims and passers-by to see potential threats and later identify wrongdoers,” they wrote. Their research showed that robberies declined about 7% when daylight saving time goes into effect.

Robin Williams' Suicide: What Is Lewy Body Dementia?
Tia Ghose - Although actor Robin Williams died by suicide, the underlying cause of his death was a rare brain disease called Lewy body dementia, according to his widow. The disease caused Williams to experience hallucinations and other debilitating neurological symptoms, including depression, Susan Schneider Williams, widow of the late actor, told People magazine in a recent interview. An autopsy released in 2014 confirmed that the actor had the disease, but this is the first time that his condition has been discussed in detail.
* Related: Wife Reveals What Drove Robin Williams To Suicide: ‘It Was Not Depression’

White House Admits US Troops In Syria Will Go On Combat Raids
Anti War - Ben Rhodes, White House deputy national security adviser for strategic communication, said at the Defense One Summit 2015 that raids would not be the troops’ “principle” function. Photo: Getty During a speech at the Defense One Summit in which he repeatedly insisted that the US troops heading to Syria won’t have a “combat mission,” Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes conceded that the troops will be going out on raids against ISIS forces, during which they’ll engage in combat. This only adds to the confusion surrounding the mission, in which 30-50 US ground troops are to be sent to Syria and embedded with some force in the Hasakeh Province, presumably the Kurdish YPG under the guise of the “Democratic Forces.”

Obama’s Secret Migration Plan: Work-Permits For Millions of Foreigners
Breitbart - President Barack Obama’s deputies have drafted a new quasi-amnesty memo that would allow employers to quickly and cheaply get work-permits to hire millions of lower-wage foreign graduates. If approved by Obama, roughly 3 million guest-workers, students and migrants — including perhaps 1.5 million college-grads — would be immediately eligible for the work-permits, at an up-front cost to employers of only $580 per foreign hire. But the work-permit handout would have a huge economic impact on Americans, especially college graduates. Each year, roughly 800,000 Americans graduate from college with skilled degrees in medicine, business, science, engineering and computers. Many cannot find jobs in their fields, and the new plan would force them to also compete for jobs against a huge number of foreign graduates who would take lower-wage jobs in the hope of winning U.S. citizenship and its myriad taxpayer benefits.

25 Million U.S. Residents Speak English Poorly, 350 Languages Spoken in U.S.
Breitbart - At least 350 different languages are spoken in homes across the country and tens of millions of people in the U.S. do not speak English well, according to new Census Bureau data. In tables based on American Community Survey data collected from 2009 to 2013, the Census revealed more than 60 million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home, 25 million of whom speak English less than “very well.” More than 231 million people in the U.S. speak only English at home. The top languages other than English spoken in U.S. homes include Spanish (with more than 37.4 million speakers), Chinese (with about 2.9 million speakers), French (with 1.3 million speakers), Korean (1.1 million), German (1.1 million), Vietnamese (1.4 million), Arabic (924,573), Tagalog (1.6 million), and Russian (879,434).

Trump: Fed Chair Yellen Not Raising Rates ‘Because Obama Told Her Not To’
Truth in Media - Donald Trump, who said that he believes the Federal Reserve should raise interest rates, accused Fed Chair Janet Yellen of keeping U.S. borrowing rates artificially low to prevent a financial crisis from occurring during Barack Obama's presidency.... “Janet Yellen should have raised the rates. She’s not doing it because the Obama administration and the president doesn’t want her to. And if she does it, you see what happens every time there’s even a thought of raising them just a little bit…” Reuters reported that Trump then lamented what he described as the U.S. dollar’s lack of competitiveness and said, “If you look at the (currency) devaluations of China, of Japan, of many, many different countries, they’re making it impossible for our companies to compete with them because we don’t have leaders that know how to say to China, ‘Don’t do that. Don’t do that, because if you do that, we’re going to put a big fat tax on you.’”

Ben Carson had been sued for malpractice at least six times including by a girl who suffered facial disfigurement and woman who claimed he left a SPONGE in her skull
Daily Mail - Ben Carson has been running his campaign for the White House as an outsider, heavily relying on his stellar reputation as a brain surgeon, but the National Enquirer has revealed that a string of malpractice lawsuits dating back to the 1980s suggests that the Republican presidential candidate’s medical career was far from flawless.... One of his claims to fame is that in 1987 Carson became the first surgeon to successfully separate twins conjoined at the head. But as court records indicate, over the course of Carson's distinguished 35-year career in the medical field he had been sued for malpractice no fewer than six times. In one case, Carson was accused of bungling a surgery to replace a shunt in the brain of an ailing 9-year-old girl, leaving her disfigured for life and for a time partially paralyzed.
* Related: Ben Carson Responds: "They found five or six disgruntled people, that’s a very small number, and many of those cases never went anywhere..."

Largest religious group in Democratic Party: No religion
Breitbart - The largest single religious group in the Democratic Party is now the religiously unaffiliated, or “nones,” a new report by the Pew Research Center reveals. In just seven years, the percentage of religiously unaffiliated among Democrats jumped a remarkable 47 percent, from 19 percent in 2007 to 28 percent in 2014. The category of “religiously unaffiliated” comprises those who self-identify as atheists or agnostics as well as those who describe their religion as “nothing in particular.” According to the study, the religiously unaffiliated now account for 23 percent of the total U.S. adult population, up from 16 percent in 2007.

If Elected Trump Promises to Dump F-35 Fighter Jet Project
Sputnik News - GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump promised to cancel the F-35 fighter jet program if he gets elected, Trump told Hugh Hewitt during his radio show.... "When they say that this cannot perform as well as the planes we already have, what are [we] doing, and why are we spending so much more money?" — Trump said during the show.... Trump was referring to a test report that was leaked last June describing the F-35's poor performance, especially when it came to combat maneuvering capabilities. Furthermore, last month the Pentagon revealed that the F-35 ejection seat could snap the necks of lighter-weight pilots. That's why until the potentially fatal problem is resolved, the US military announced it would restrict pilots weighing less than 136 pounds from operating the plane.

VA Hospitals May be Concealing Wait Times for Vets
AllGov - Veterans are still waiting months to get care from VA medical centers, but the agency’s leadership has tried to obscure this problem by changing how it calculates the time it takes to see a medical professional. Since the Department of Veterans Affairs was blasted by lawmakers for hiding how long it really took for vets to receive help, the agency has spent billions of dollars trying to improve its scheduling system. But CNN learned that the efforts have still left many former service members waiting months or more to see a doctor or specialist. Meanwhile, the VA has changed its wait-time calculations in what may be an attempt to hide the ongoing issue. Wait times had been measured by the time that elapsed from the day an appointment was created until the day it was completed.... Wait times are now calculated by measuring the time between the date a patient prefers to be seen and the date the appointment is actually completed, they found.

Over 40% Of Chinese Goods Sold Online Are Counterfeit
Zero Hedge - Following a recent report documenting the surge in empty malls littering China, many suggested that this is indicative of a shift to online shopping and migration to platforms such as Alibaba. That may well be the case, but unlike in the US where one is assured at least some quality control and has a rational expectation that what was ordered online is what will be delivered, in China the reality is far different. According to China's official news agency, Xingua, more than 40% of goods sold online in China last year were either counterfeits or of bad quality, illustrating the extent of a problem that has bogged down the fast-growing online sector.

Lawsuit targets nuclear waste permit at beach
San Diego Union-Tribune - The California Coastal Commission approved a permit in October to bury nuclear waste in concrete bunkers within 125 feet of a seawall and the beach at the shuttered San Onofre Nuclear plant in northern San Diego County. A lawsuit filed by Citizens Oversight in state Superior Court in San Diego accuses the coastal commission of neglecting its obligation to protect the coastline and marine life from hazardous waste, and for failing to require that nuclear plant operator Southern California Edison show it had exhausted other reasonable alternatives.

Tuesday - November 3, 2015 - Today in History:

1796 - John Adams was elected the 2nd U.S. President.
1900 - The first automobile show in the United States opened at New York's Madison Square Garden.
1903 - Panama proclaimed its independence from Columbia.
1911 - Chevrolet Motor Car Company was founded by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant.
1941 - U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Grew warned that the Japanese may be planning a sudden attack on the U.S.
1952 - Frozen bread was offered for sale for the first time in a supermarket in Chester, NY.
1973 - The U.S. launched the Mariner 10 spacecraft. On March 29, 1974 it became the first spacecraft to reach the planet Mercury.
1979 - Five members of the Communist Workers' Party are shot to death in broad daylight at an anti-Ku Klux Klan rally in Greensboro, NC. Eight others were wounded.
1986 - The Ash-Shiraa, pro-Syrian Lebanese magazine, first broke the story of U.S. arms sales to Iran to secure the release of seven American hostages. The story turned into the Iran-Contra affair.
1987 - China told the U.S. that it would halt the sale of arms to Iran.
1994 - Susan Smith of Union, SC, was arrested for drowning her 2 sons. 9 days earlier she had claimed that the children had been abducted by a black carjacker.
1995 - U.S. President Clinton dedicated a memorial at Arlington National Cemetery to the 270 victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.
1998 - Bob Kane, the creator of Batman, died at the age of 83.
1998 - A state-run newspaper in Iraq urged the country to prepare for to battle "the U.S. monster."
1998 - Minnesota elected Jesse "The Body" Ventura, a former pro wrestler, as its governor.
2003 - In Kabul, Afghanistan, a post-Taliban draft constitution was unveiled.
2014 - In New York City, One World Trade Center opened for business.

U.S. Navy plans two or more patrols in South China Sea per quarter
Reuters - The U.S. Navy plans to conduct patrols within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands in the South China Sea about twice a quarter to remind China and other countries about U.S. rights under international law, a U.S. defense official said on Monday. "We're going to come down to about twice a quarter or a little more than that," said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about Navy operational plans. "That's the right amount to make it regular but not a constant poke in the eye. It meets the intent to regularly exercise our rights under international law and remind the Chinese and others about our view," the official said.

Heat flash over Sinai prior to Russian plane crash reportedly detected by US satellite
RT - Just before a Russian passenger airliner crashed in Egypt’s Sinai on Saturday, a US infrared satellite reportedly detected a heat flash in the same vicinity, indicating that an explosion may have happened on board. The US intelligence community believes that a fuel tank or bomb may have been the source of the heat signature, NBC News reported. The same satellite ruled out a missile attack, as it didn’t detect a heat trail that a rocket engine would have produced, the channel’s source said. The heat flash may not be related to the crash since the Sinai Peninsula is a volatile place with regular military activity, a Pentagon official told ABC News.

Egypt plane crash: Black boxes ‘show aircraft was not hit from outside’
The Independent - Initial examinations of black boxes from Metrojet flight 9268 show that it was not struck by a missile, a source on the investigating team handling the recorders has claimed. Terrorism has not officially been ruled out by investigators determining the cause of Saturday’s disaster but Egyptian and Russian politicians quickly rejected Isis’ claim of responsibility. The group’s Egyptian affiliate, Wilayat Sinai, said it downed the plane in revenge for Russian air strikes in Syria but experts pointed out missile systems controlled by the militants only have a range of 15,000ft – half the plane’s altitude. Tensions are growing over opposing accounts offered by Egyptian investigators pointing to an internal problem and Metrojet bosses claiming there could have been no fault with the plane or the crew’s actions.

China Arrests Three High Frequency Traders For "Destabilizing The Market And Profiting From Volatility"
Zero Hedge - As the crackdown against Zexi was taking place, Shanghai police also arrested 3 suspects as they cracked a case of stock futures price manipulation involving over 11.3 billion yuan (US$1.8 billion), police said yesterday in a statement. According to Shanghai Daily, Yishidun, a commercial company registered in Jiangsu Province’s Zhangjiagang City in 2012, was found to use an illegal stock futures trading software to destabilize the market and profit from volatility.

Deutsche Bank to axe 35,000 jobs
Hang The Bankers - Germany’s biggest lender, Deutsche Bank, has announced that it will cut 35,000 jobs through redundancies and the sale of businesses. The Deutsche Bank says it plans to slash 9,000 full-time jobs and 6,000 contractor positions. It will also sell operations with 20,000 more workers and close local operations in 10 smaller countries. By 2018, the cuts and disposals are to shrink the bank’s workforce from around 103,000 to 77,000. The announcement came as the German lender reported a $6.6 billion quarterly net loss.

Former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, a Suspect After 680 Kilos of Cocaine Found on Private Jet
The Free Thought Project - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is under investigation for his involvement in a drug deal worth over $54 million. Investigators discovered that he was connected to possible drug traffickers, and regularly used a private airplane that was caught attempting to transport large amounts of cocaine internationally..... The judge in the case ordered that two cellphones owned by Sarkozy be seized by police, as well as his phone records, and even his GPS location data. It is likely that investigators will attempt to use the GPS location data to place Sarkozy at the scene of the crime during the time that one of the large deals was happening.

Soros Admits Involvement In Migrant Crisis: 'National Borders Are The Obstacle'
Breitbart - Billionaire investor George Soros has confirmed he wants to bring down Europe’s borders, following the accusation made last week by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban… Mr Soros has now issued an email statement to Bloomberg Business, claiming his foundations help “uphold European values”, while Mr Oban’s actions in strengthening the Hungarian border and stopping a huge migrant influx “undermine those values.” “His plan treats the protection of national borders as the objective and the refugees as an obstacle,” Mr Soros added. “Our plan treats the protection of refugees as the objective and national borders as the obstacle.”… George Soros is a firm backer of transnational bodies such as the European Union, and his Open Society Foundation (OSF) provides assistance for pro-migration activists. He is well-known for his support for “progressive” causes such as the Centre for American Progress, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

German Schools Abolish Christian Festival to Avoid Offending Muslim Migrants
Paul Joseph Watson - Primary schools and kindergartens in Germany are abolishing a Christian celebration and changing it into a generic “festival of lights” so as not to offend the hundreds of thousands of Muslim migrants pouring into the country. According to a translated report out of the Epoch Times, schools are re-naming the Christian-themed St. Martin’s Day, an annual celebration that takes place in numerous European countries on November 11. Several daycare centers in Düsseldorf have abolished the festival altogether out of “consideration for the refugees,” a decision that has prompted fierce criticism from head teachers at other schools in the region.

Government to Build 60 New Houses For Migrants While Poor Germans Are Evicted
Paul Joseph Watson - Local authorities in the German town of Bergheim are set to build 60 brand new houses at a cost of around €12 million euros to house incoming migrants even as Germans themselves are being evicted from their homes to make way for asylum seekers.... A report citing the German broadcaster Radio Erft reveals that the houses will be large enough to accommodate a total of 600 asylum seekers and that land in the urban areas of Kenten, Oberaußem-Fortuna and Quad-Ichendor has already been set aside for the project. The project is necessary because the country is running out of suitable facilities to house the migrants, with available gymnasiums, temporary camps and disused office facilities now at a premium.10,000 migrants cross the Austrian border into Germany every single day.
* Related: Entitled Illegals: “When Will I Get My House and Car?”

Obama Releasing Nearly 6,600 Federal Inmates Starting this Weekend
Breitbart - Marking the largest release of federal prisoners in history, thousands of inmates are being released all across the country. In Illinois, for instance, 260 are scheduled to be released. The release plans were initiated by the U.S. Sentencing Commission in 2014 when it reduced maximum sentences for offenders. The new sentencing rules were made retroactive, requiring the mass release this year, and were aimed at easing overcrowding. The new rules, being called “drugs minus two,” could ultimately reduce the sentencing of as many as 46,000 convicted criminals. Supporters say the rules should affect the sentences only of non-violent offenders. But Senate Judiciary Chairman Senator Chuck Grassley (R, IA) criticized the new rules. Grassley insists that thousands of violent felons could also be released into the public.

Obama to Sign Order Forcing Government to Hire Convicts
Breitbart - According to the Associated Press, President Obama will announce executive orders Monday attempting to prevent screening for prior criminality in government hiring. The so-called “ban the box” program would prevent government agencies from asking about criminal history until later in the interview process. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Vermont Senator Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley have all joined Obama in calling for banning “the box” – meaning the check box for criminal conviction. Obama also wants to prevent public housing from hindering the ability for convicted criminals to gain access to subsidies. So, in short, we all get to hire unhireable employees with criminal backgrounds, and subsidize those who wouldn’t be able to find housing because they have committed crimes.

Pentagon Spends $43M On Gas Station In Afghanistan: Project Should Have Cost Department Of Defense $500K
International Business Times - The Pentagon awarded Central Asian Engineering a $3 million contract to build the compressed natural gas automobile filling station, but Sopko discovered during his investigation that between 2011 and 2014 the contractor had spent nearly $40 million more… According to the report, there is no evidence that that the task force carried out a feasibility study before awarding the contract, otherwise it would have discovered that Afghanistan doesn't have the national or local infrastructure to support vehicles that run on compressed natural gas. While it is possible to convert a normal car to run on natural gas, it costs around $700 per vehicle. The average annual income in Afghanistan is about $690 per person, according to a Defense news report.

Leaked DHS memo shows Obama might circumvent DAPA injunction
The Hill - A newly leaked internal DHS memorandum produced for an off-the-record agency conclave reveals that the Obama administration is actively planning to circumvent a federal court injunction that suspended part of last November’s deferral-based amnesty initiative. The document, apparently prepared as follow-up from a DHS “Regulations Retreat” last summer, appears sure to re-ignite concerns in Congress as well as federal judges in the Fifth Circuit. The Administration has already been criticized from the bench for handing out work permits to hundreds of thousands of deferred action beneficiaries, in direct violation of a district court’s order.

Republicans trust Trump on economy, nuclear weapons: Reuters/Ipsos poll
Reuters - Donald Trump is the Republican candidate most trusted to manage the economy, deal with foreign leaders and serve as commander in chief, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll of Republicans conducted after the party's third debate. And more Republicans would trust him with the nation’s nuclear weapons than most of the rest of their party's presidential primary field. In terms of overall support, Trump was favored by 31 percent of Republicans polled by Reuters/Ipsos in an online survey conducted Oct. 28 to Nov. 2 that had a credibility interval of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson placed second with 18 percent. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and former Governor Jeb Bush tied for third place with 10 percent each.

Marco Rubio’s New Billionaire Backer Top Funder for Open Borders
Breitbart - Hedge-fund billionaire Paul Singer’s decision to throw his financial weight behind the donor-class 2016 favorite, Sen. Marco Rubio. Singer was a major financial force behind the Rubio-Obama amnesty and immigration expansion push in 2013. As Politico reported at the time, Singer “quietly go[t] involved in the fight for immigration reform, making a six-figure donation… to the National Immigration Forum”— a George Soros-backed organization that lobbied for Rubio’s legislation to issue 33 million green cards to foreign nationals in the span of a single decade. The announcement of Singer’s endorsement highlights an intra-party tension that has emerged with new strength since Rep. Paul Ryan’s inauguration as Speaker of the House.

21 Facts About The Explosive Growth Of Poverty In America That Will Blow Your Mind
Economic Collapse - As you will see below, poverty is reaching unprecedented levels in this country, and the middle class is steadily dying. There aren’t enough good jobs to go around, dependence on the government has never been greater, and it is our children that are being hit the hardest. If we have this many people living on the edge of despair now, while times are “good”, what are things going to look like when our economy really starts falling apart? The following are 21 facts about the explosive growth of poverty in America that will blow your mind…

Your Health Insurance Premiums Are About To Go Through The Roof -The Stunning Reason Why
Zero Hedge - The reason for this comes courtesy of a new report from the WSJ which explains something few if any had expected: corporate insurers are scrambling to profit from Obamacare!... Obamacare was written by the health insurance companies, and it was supposed to benefit them first and foremost as US households struggled to catch up to what most rational observers had said would be surging premiums. And, on the top line, it did just that: "under the ACA, insurers have seen an influx of new membership in individual plans and in Medicaid plans they administer for the government… The stunning finding comes from a new analysis by McKinsey which notes that much of that revenue growth has been unprofitable!… The simple bullet point summary: Insurance industry revenues surged by 16% thanks to Obamacare. However, its costs surged by... more than 16%.

NASA REPORT: Antarctic Ice Sheet is Actually… Growing By Billions of Tons?
Louder With Crowder - We’d still gain trillions of tons of ice between now and say 2046 before we started to see a net loss of ice... A new NASA study says that an increase in Antarctic snow accumulation that began 10,000 years ago is currently adding enough ice to the continent to outweigh the increased losses from its thinning glaciers. The research challenges the conclusions of other studies, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) 2013 report, which says that Antarctica is overall losing land ice. According to the new analysis of satellite data, the Antarctic ice sheet showed a net gain of 112 billion tons of ice a year from 1992 to 2001. That net gain slowed to 82 billion tons of ice per year between 2003 and 2008.

Mysterious huge crack developing in Wyoming
9News - A crack that started developing in late September on a Wyoming ranch is now about the length of six football fields. The crack, which is about 50 yards wide, is located 40 miles south of Ten Sleep. "We don't really know what caused it, or if it's done falling," Sy Gilliland SNS Outfitter & Guides said. "One of my hunters stumbled on it when he was hunting there Oct. 1." No one witnessed the crack's start. "And the next time anybody went out there, a few weeks later, there it was, this huge slide or crack or whatever it is," Gilliland said. "I don't really think anyone knows what happened out there, all of a sudden it was just there. I think the reason it's so fascinating is it's so big. And it doesn't make any sense, where it happened it's just like the ground opened up, and the size of it is just huge."
* Related: Video: Massive Wyoming crack continues to grow

Want to protect your pet from unnecessary injections? Have a personal pet vaccination waiver!
(NaturalNews) Homeopathic veterinarian Dr. Will Falconer knows that the best of intentions in veterinary care often get undermined by bad and untimely medicine. Many times, these interventions and strict vaccine due dates are what make animals sicker than they were before. Dr. Falconer says,"You have a choice of partaking in this intervention or refusing it. You as a consumer can say 'Yes, please!' or 'No, thank you.' to everything offered to you on behalf of our animals." Dr. Falconer says that every vaccination that is pushed has a built-in waiver, and it's right on the vaccine's label. The label, which almost always gets overlooked, will say, "Only for use in healthy dogs, cats, ferrets, etc.
 

Monday - November 2, 2015 - Today in History:

1776 - During the American Revolutionary War, William Demont, became the first traitor of the American Revolution when he deserted.
1783 - U.S. Gen. George Washington gave his "Farewell Address to the Army" near Princeton, NJ.
1889 - North Dakota and South Dakota were admitted into the union as the 39th and 40th states.
1948 - Harry S. Truman defeated Thomas E. Dewey for the U.S. presidency. The Chicago Tribune published an early edition that had the headline "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN." The Truman victory surprised many polls and newspapers. (Illinois>
1959 - Charles Van Doren, a game show contestant on the NBC program "Twenty-One" admitted that he'd been given questions and answers in advance.
1962 - U.S. President Kennedy announced that the U.S.S.R. was dismantling the missile sites in Cuba.
1963 - South Vietnamese President Ngo Dihn Diem was assassinated in a military coup.
1966 - The Cuban Adjustment Act allows 123,000 Cubans to apply for permanent residence in the U.S.
1983 - President Reagan signed a bill establishing a federal holiday on the third Monday of January in honor of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
1985 - The South African government imposed severe restrictions on television, radio and newspaper coverage of unrest by both local and foreign journalists. 1986 - American hostage David Jacobson was released after being held in Lebanon for 17 months by Shiite Muslims kidnappers.
1993 - The U.S. Senate called for full disclosure of Senator Bob Packwood's diaries in a sexual harassment probe.
1993 - Christie Todd Whitman was elected the first woman governor of New Jersey.
1995 - The U.S. expelled Daiwa Bank Ltd. for allegedly covering up $1.1 billion in trading losses.
1998 - U.S. President Clinton gave his first in-depth interview since the White House sex scandal to Black Entertainment TV talk show host and political commentator Travis Smiley on the network's "BET Tonight with Tavis Smiley."
2003 - In the U.S., the Episcopal Church diocese consecrated the church's first openly gay bishop.

Saudi Arabia 'Moves Towards Forging Alliance With Russia'
Sputnik News - King Salman has been impressed by Russia's counterterrorism campaign in Syria so much that he is allegedly planning to come to Moscow before the year is out to "forge an alliance with Russia," Dr. Mordechai Kedar wrote for Arutz Sheva. The oil kingdom is one of America's key allies in the Middle East but Riyadh and Washington have long appeared to be slowly moving apart. At the same time, Saudi Arabia and Russia have been increasingly interested in improving bilateral ties.

A321 Crew Completely Lost Control Over Plane Before Crash - Kogalymavia
Sputnik News - Kogalymavia confirmed on Monday that a Russian airliner's tail part had been damaged prior to the air crash in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.... Sputnik News - After the tail part of the Airbus A321 plane had sustained damages in 2001, the airliner was fully repaired. The technical condition of the plane was normal, Kogalymavia officials said. "Before the A321 began falling, it most likely had received considerable damage to its construction that would not allow it to fly. Obviously, due to this, when the catastrophic situation started to unfold, the crew completely lost control over the plane, which would explain why there were no attempts to communicate and report on the emergency situation on board," the airlines’ deputy general director of technical and production issues, Andrei Averianov, said at a press conference in Moscow. External forces are the only possible reason of the deadly crash, Kogalymavia officials said Monday. Kogalymavia 7K9268 flight likely suffered substantial damages when it started to fall, officials said.

US pledges $100 million to support "moderate opposition" in Syria
Press TV - The United States has pledged nearly 100-million dollars in financial support to what it calls Syria’s moderate opposition. US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the announcement at the Manama Dialog Conference in Bahrain. This will bring to nearly 500-million dollars the amount Washington has pledged to anti-Damascus militants since 2012. The latest financial support came a day after Washington said it will deploy up to 50 troops to Syria to advise and train militants. The Saudi foreign minister, speaking at the conference, has also reiterated his country’s support for the so-called Syrian opposition. Adel al-Jubeir said the kingdom’s policy toward Syria has not changed.
* Related: Syrian Rebels Cage Alawites as Human Shield Against Airstrikes

US Sends Troops To Syria: Here Are The Questions The Media Should Be Asking
Zero Hedge - The real questions revolve around where these troops are going to be placed, what their objectives are, and ultimately, how the Pentagon plans to do this without putting them in the crosshairs of either the Russians, the Turkish air force, or Hezbollah. Here’s a bit of color from WSJ on what the “plan” is: Up to 50 U.S. special-operations troops will assist Syrian rebel units spearheading what the Pentagon says would be a new military offensive against the militant group, marking a sharp escalation in the level of direct U.S. involvement on the ground inside Syria. The American forces are to link up with local forces in Kurdish-controlled territory whose mission will be to choke off supply lines to Islamic State militants in their Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. The first phase of the new campaign is expected to kick off with an operation in northern Syria as early as next week, officials said. U.S. drones and fighter planes will provide the Syrian fighters with air support....
* Related: 16 times Obama said there would be no boots on the ground in Syria

Russian Plane "Broke Apart In The Air," Officials Say As Investigators Frantically Search For "Clues"
Zero Hedge - Just when it seemed as though the conflict in Syria and the attendant ISIS saga couldn’t possibly get any more surreal, on Saturday a Russian passenger jet fell out of the sky over the Sinai Peninsula. Subsequently, ISIS claimed responsibility and released a video clip that purportedly depicts the mid-air explosion that brought the plane down.... Now, as Russia mourns, authorities are scrambling to determine exactly what happened and more than a few observers contend that ISIS couldn’t possibly have shot the plane down given the altitude. Nevertheless, some international airlines have diverted traffic over the region which has been the site of clashes between the Egyptian government and militants. Adding to the mystery, the plane’s co-pilot allegedly voiced concerns about the condition of the aircraft prior to the flight and while officials insist that it would be extraordinarily difficult for a terrorist group to hit a plane flying at 31,000 feet, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail says there’s “no evidence that anything unusual was happening on the plane before it crashed.”
* Related: Flight 7K9268: What we do and don’t know about Russia’s deadliest-ever air crash

Thousands of Muslim migrants 'disappear' from camps
WND - Where oh where have the Muslim migrants gone? That is the question German authorities are asking themselves after some troubling reports of disappearances. According to German press reports, keeping track of all the Muhammads and Alis pouring across borders is proving ever so tricky for European countries being flooded with people on the move from the Middle East and Africa. Now, the United Nations is partnering with a private company to offer a solution – a new “universal” identification system that will comply with the United Nations’ sustainability goal of having biometric identification “in the hands of every citizen” in the world by 2030.

“This Is Our Future”: Germany May Soon Have 8 Million Muslims
Kurt Nimmo - Fear of minority political parties enforcing Sharia law... Falter [a German political scientist] said during an interview with the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper that statements by Chancellor Andre Merkel sound “like an invitation to the entire world that unlimited refugees are welcome.”... Falter said as the demographic changes in Germany so may the political landscape. He said Muslims will not vote for a German political party with the word “Christian” in its name.... “The bulk of the migrants who are arriving here cannot be integrated,” Heinz Buschkowsky, former mayor of Berlin’s Neukölln district, has warned. “We should no longer support immigration by people who are totally foreign to our cultural traditions, in fact we ought to block it,”
* Related: German Town Of 100 Gets Enriched By 750 Migrants

Hundreds of Germans Are Trying To Bring Treason Charges Against Angela Merkel Over Migration Policy
Breitbart - The Federal Prosecutors office in Karlsruhe, Germany, has received over 400 letters calling for it to open an investigation into Chancellor Merkel, the elected leader of the German government for high treason. The complaints cite the chancellor’s decision to open the borders of the nation to all comers in September, since when they claim “an unhindered flow of refugees have poured into Germany”. Under German law, anyone who attempts to affect change to the German republic or damage the constitutional order by force or threat of force is guilty of high treason. The letter, of which dozens more are received by the state prosecutor every day and is reproduced by Compact magazine, insists the migrant flood satisfies the conditions, as demographic change is altering the existence of the republic.

STEALTH AGENDA: New UN Tribunal to Judge US for “Climate Debt”
The New American - The official draft text of the climate treaty for the soon-to-start UN Climate Summit in Paris proposes to establish a global Supreme Court that would rule on issues such as “climate justice,” “climate finance,” “technology transfers,” and “climate debt.” Tucked away on page 19 of the 34-page document is the call for establishing an International Tribunal of Climate Justice. The text, which is still heavily bracketed with text that hasn’t been completely resolved and agreed upon, reads: An International Tribunal of Climate Justice as][A] [compliance mechanism] is hereby established to address cases of non-compliance of the commitments of developed country Parties on mitigation, adaptation, [provision of] finance, technology development and transfer [and][,] capacity-building[,] and transparency of action and support, including through the development of an indicative list of consequences, taking into account the cause, type, degree and frequency of non-compliance.

China's Manufacturing Misses; Nonmanufacturing Worst Since 2008 Despite Unprecedented $1 Trillion "Debt Injection"
Zero Hedge - The most anticipated economic release over the weekend was the early glimpse into China's manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors via the two key PMI surveys released by China's National Bureau of Statistics, to get a sense if the slowdown across China is stabilizing or, as some have suggested, rebounding. It did not: overnight the NBS reported that the manufacturing PMI remained unchanged in October at 49.8 missing consensus estimates of a modest rebound to 50.0, its third consecutive month in contraction territory.

Explosion rocks nuclear power plant in Belgium
RT - An explosion occurred overnight at a nuclear power plant in Doel, northern Belgium, local media reported, adding that the blast caused a fire. The exact damage from the incident remains unknown. The blast happened around 11pm local time on Saturday. The fire started in Reactor 1 of the plant, but was soon extinguished by personnel. The explosion didn’t cause any threat to nature, Els De Clercq, spokeswoman from Belgian energy corporation Electrabel that runs the plant, told Het Laatste Nieuws. There was no fuel present at the time of the incident as the reactor had been shut due to its expired operational license... According to the Nature journal and Columbia University in New York, the plant is in the most densely populated area of all nuclear power stations in the EU. About 9 million people live within a radius of 75km of the station.

Record radiation at Fukushima power plant could kill person in under 1 hour – reports
RT - Deadly radiation levels of up to 9.4 Sieverts per hour have been recorded at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant – enough to kill a person in less than an hour if directly exposed, local media reports.... The reading of 9.4 sieverts (Sv) per hour was taken during the September 4-25 checks. According to the operator, the highest levels of contamination were measured on the floor. TEPCO did not offer any further details. The company will start the decontamination process that it hopes to complete by December.

Monsanto Research Site in France Goes up in Flames
Natural Society - A Monsanto research site in France was enveloped recently in heavy flames due to a possible arson attack against the company. Two areas dedicated to maize research caught fire with the smell of petrol lingering in nearby hallways and throughout other areas of Monsanto’s building site. Jakob Witten, an official spokesperson for the company told police that the company suspects arson because no electrical damage was found. Witten said that this was unprecedented violence against the Big Ag company as no other arson attempts had been made in Europe to date.

GM Free India Slams Application for GMO Mustard Commercialization
Sustainable Pulse - Following a news report confirming that an application for approval for commercialization of GM mustard has been moved with India’s apex regulatory body GEAC (Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee in the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change), the Coalition for a GM Free India reminded the government about the serious consequences of this GMO’s release, and warned the government of serious resistance all over the country.

US Military Gets 'Kindergarten' Grade According to Influential Report
Sputnik News - James Jay Carafano, America’s leading expert in national security and foreign policy challenges, has criticized the current state of the US military, calling it “not a bad grade for kindergarten,” but certainly “not much to show for a commander-in-chief after seven years of stewardship over America’s military.” His comments on The Heritage Foundation website follow the assessments of the US military index, released by the Foundation in its “2016 Index of US Military Strength” report. The report concluded that the US’ military posture is rated as “marginal” for its Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Nuclear power, trending toward “weak”, and is just plain “weak” for the Army.

WHITE HOUSE WANTS Clinton Emails INVOLVING OBAMA KEPT PRIVATE
Breitbart - The State Department on Friday released 7,000 additional pages of Clinton’s emails that were kept on a non-government email server while she was the department chief — its sixth and largest mass email release so far this year. More than half of Clinton’s private server emails have now been released, in accordance with a lawsuit filed under the Freedom of Information Act. While State officials have been persistent in releasing Clinton’s emails, the White House doesn’t want all of them made public. Officials rummaging through Clinton’s private server came across the emails between her and Obama, which touched on a range of topics that include Benghazi, Libya, and even the lack of emojis on Clinton’s cellphone, The New York Times reported Friday.

Qwasie Reid: US paramedic suspended without pay for helping child who was choking
The Independent - Qwasie Reid, an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) in New York City, was transporting a nursing home patient to a doctor’s appointment in an ambulance last week when he was flagged down by a "frantic man" near a Brooklyn school who said a student was choking... According to WABC-TV, Mr Reid "cleared out the little girl's mouth, put an oxygen mask on her, used a defibrillator and started CPR."… He said he was subsequently suspended without pay by his employer, Assist Ambulance Company, because the firm's policy forbids paramedics from making any unauthorized stops.

Exclusive– GOP Campaigns Agree to Cut RNC Out of Debate Process, Negotiate Directly with Networks
Breitbart - Corey Lewandowski, the campaign manager for frontrunner Donald Trump, confirmed to Breitbart News via phone on Sunday that the “biggest consensus” of five separate points the GOP campaigns agreed on was cutting the RNC out of the negotiations with the networks, as the campaigns would each like to negotiate with the networks directly.... The second point of agreement was that they want information from the networks on things such as qualification criteria earlier than before, Lewandowski said, and third was they want “greater parity and greater integrity” in questions. A fourth point of agreement, according to Lewandowski, was they want debates to last no longer than two hours—including commercials—and a fifth is they want each candidate to get at least 30 seconds apiece for opening and for closing statements.

Donald Trump: Veterans Administration Reforms That Will Make America Great Again
DonaldJTrump.com - The current state of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is absolutely unacceptable. Over 300,000 veterans died waiting for care. Corruption and incompetence were excused. Politicians in Washington have done too little too slowly to fix it. This situation can never happen again, and when Donald J. Trump is president, it will be fixed – fast. The guiding principle of the Trump plan is ensuring veterans have convenient access to the best quality care. To further this principle, the Trump plan will decrease wait times, improve healthcare outcomes, and facilitate a seamless transition from service into civilian life. The Trump Plan Will...
* Related Video: Trump's Plan To Reform Veterans Affairs — USS Wisconsin Rally Norfolk VA

RNC pulls out of NBC debate
The Hill - The Republican National Committee has pulled out of a planned Feb. 26 debate with NBC News after widespread criticism of this week's CNBC debate from both the party and campaigns. "We are suspending the partnership with NBC News for the Republican primary debate at the University of Houston on February 26, 2016," RNC Chairman Reince Priebus wrote in a letter to NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack. "CNBC network is one of your media properties, and its handling of the debate was conducted in bad faith," Priebus wrote. "I have tremendous respect for the First Amendment and freedom of the press. However, I also expect the media to host a substantive debate on consequential issues important to Americans. CNBC did not." He went on to pan CNBC for "inaccurate or downright offensive" questions, specifically singling out a question to Donald Trump, who was asked whether he was running a "comic book" version of a presidential campaign.

$20 trillion man: National debt nearly doubles during Obama presidency
Washington Times - Mr. Obama’s spending agreement with Congress will suspend the nation’s debt limit and allow the Treasury to borrow another $1.5 trillion or so by the end of his presidency in 2017. Added to the current total national debt of more than $18.15 trillion, the red ink will likely be crowding the $20 trillion mark right around the time Mr. Obama leaves the White House. When Mr. Obama took over in January 2009, the total national debt stood at $10.6 trillion. That means the debt will have very nearly doubled during his eight years in office, and there is much more debt ahead with the abandonment of “sequestration” spending caps enacted in 2011.

South Dakota scientist says USDA censored pesticide research
Star Tribune - A highly regarded federal scientist filed a whistleblower complaint Wednesday against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), charging that he was punished for publicizing research showing a link between pesticides and the decline in bees and other pollinators. Jonathan Lundgren, a USDA entomologist in Brookings, S.D., said in civil service documents that while the agency did not stop publication of the research, supervisors harassed him, tried to stop him from speaking out, and interfered with new projects.
* Related: Bee Expert Punished For Whistleblowing (Video)

Pictured: Six killed in devastating flooding in Texas as waters rage through homes and overturn cars
Daily Mail - The discovery of the bodies came after a central Texas saw storms and flooding on Friday. One man, named Kerry Packer, called into a local news station while he was stuck in a tree . They sent for help and Packer was later rescued by emergency services. He had been up the tree for at least four hours before he was rescued... Austin and other parts of Texas have experienced historic flooding over the past week. Floods in Onion Creek reached 25 foot and sparked road closures, and knocked down power lines. The latest round of storms and strong winds was moving east across Texas on Saturday, and two people were missing from earlier flash floods in the Austin area, The Weather Channel reported.

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