Today's News: January 17, 2018

World News

Rumors: US Supplied Kurdish Forces in Syria with Air Defense Manpads

Global Research – Kurdish militias operating in Syria have allegedly received a batch of man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADs) from the US, according to rumors spread by pro-opposition sources on January 15. Kurdish militias – YPG and YPJ – are a core of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that control large areas in northwestern and eastern Syria. Opposition sources argue that the US had provided MANPADs to the part of the US-backed forces operating in the area of Afrin in northwestern Syria. However, they were not able to provide any evidence to confirm that the so-called “secret deal” between the sides really exists and the SDF had received the MANPADs. Reports about the MANPADs supplies followed the escalation of tensions between Turkey/pro-Turkish militants and the SDF in northwestern Syria. Turkish forces repeatedly shelled positions of the SDF in the area of Afrin last weekend. The SDF, particularly Kurdish YPG units, responded with shelling positions of pro-Kurdish militants south and east of the Afrin area. On January 14, the US-led coalition announced that it is working with the SDF to establish a 30,000-strong border security force that will control the Syrian border with Turkey and Iraq. On the same day, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that Turkish forces may soon carry out an attack on the city of Afrin and reports appeared that Ankara is deploying additional forces south of it. On January 15, the Turkish president vowed to “drown” the forming “terror army” [border force] before it’s complete.

Sweden sends leaflets to 5m homes on how to prepare for war with Russia

Yahoo – Sweden is preparing to issue a public information manual on what to do in the event of war, as debate in the country grows over how to deal with the threat from Russia.

The brochure, due to be sent to 4.7m households, will inform the public how they can take part in “total defence” during a war and secure water, food and heating. The booklet with the working title If Crisis or War Comes will also give guidance on dealing with threats from cyber attacks, terrorism and climate change, the FT reported. Russia’s annexation of Crimea and military support for Ukrainian separatists, along with increased activity and exercises near the Baltics and Scandinavia have caused deep unease in Sweden. The neutral country has begun to reverse deep post war defence cuts and incursions by Russian planes and submarines have sparked intense public debate over whether to join Nato.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

DOJ says it plans to ask Supreme Court to allow it to end DACA

ABC – The Department of Justice today appealed a federal court ruling that had forced the Trump administration to again accept renewal applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. The administration, which is seeking to appeal a lower court ruling to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, announced that later this week it intends to take the “rare step” of seeking direct review in the Supreme Court.

Bannon Agrees to Cooperate With Mueller Inquiry

New York Times – Stephen K. Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, will be interviewed by investigators working for the special counsel in the Russia investigation instead of testifying before a grand jury, according to a person familiar with the matter, a sign that Mr. Bannon is cooperating with the inquiry. The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, had subpoenaed Mr. Bannon to appear before a grand jury this week. But Mr. Bannon has agreed to cooperate with Mr. Mueller’s investigation and will be interviewed in the less formal setting of the special counsel’s offices in downtown Washington. It was not clear why Mr. Mueller subpoenaed Mr. Bannon and did not first ask him to sit for an interview, as Mr. Mueller had done with more than a dozen current and former White House officials who were questioned in recent months. Mr. Mueller could still call Mr. Bannon to appear before a grand jury after he meets with investigators.

White House official: House intel panel broke an agreement on limiting scope of questions for Bannon

CNBC – The White House believed it had an agreement with the House Intelligence Committee to limit questions for Steve Bannon only to events on the presidential campaign, and not during the ousted former chief strategist’s time in the Trump administration, an official told CNBC.

According to the White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, staffers for the committee and the White House on Friday discussed the parameters of Bannon’s testimony. The White House emerged from that conversation believing it had an agreement to limit the questioning of Bannon just to events during the campaign, and not during the transition period or his time in the White House. Then, hours into Bannon’s closed-door testimony on Tuesday, Bannon’s lawyers informed the White House from Capitol Hill that the questions would extend beyond the scope of what the White House understood the agreement to be. At that point, the White House told Bannon not to answer any further.

Pentagon: Troops Will Not Be Paid if Government Shuts Down this Week

Breitbart – Troops will not receive a paycheck this Friday if Congress fails to pass a budget or another short-term spending measure by then, according to the Pentagon. Troops will have to continue reporting for duty and will accrue pay, but cannot be paid until the actual money is appropriated, said Pentagon spokesman Christopher Sherwood in a statement to Breitbart News on Tuesday. President Trump is not able to exempt troops from a government shutdown, he said. Defense civilians will be furloughed, except for those who support activities “that are necessary for the safety of life and protection of property,” he said. They would also not receive pay until the passing of a budget. Once a 2018 budget is passed, Sherwood said, troops will receive a pay raise, due to a 2.4 percent pay raise that went into effect on January 1, 2018.

This Friday would have been the first time troops would have received a paycheck reflecting that raise.

Doctor gives Trump a clean bill of health, physical and mental

Yahoo -President Trump needs to lose 10-15 pounds but is generally in excellent health and has no problems “whatsoever” with his mental ability, his official military doctor said Tuesday. Dr. Ronny Jackson predicted that Trump would stay in good health throughout his time in office, even if it stretches to a second term.

Economy & Business

BitConnect shuts down after accusations it was running a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme

Natural News – While it may have been fun – and profitable – for some people while it lasted, the leading Bitcoin investment platform BitConnect has finally announced that it is shutting down. It announced its decision via a blog post on the official BitConnect website titled, “Changes coming for the Bitconnect system – Halt of lending and exchange platform.” The changes to the investment platform’s operations are already in effect, which means that it will no longer be around in its original state much longer.

Humana Will Increase Minimum Wage, Offer Incentive Pay Due to Tax Reform

Washington Free Beacon – Humana has announced it plans to increase its minimum wage for workers as well as offer incentive pay thanks to the tax reform package signed into law in December, the Louisville Courier Journal reported. “Like many U.S. companies, Humana will begin benefitting this year from a lower corporate income tax rate,” the company said. “This provides Humana with the opportunity to make an investment in our employees, using the proceeds from tax reform to further the long-term financial health and well-being of our employee population.” The health insurer plans to increase its minimum wage to $15 for both full-time and part-time employees and has changed plans to start its incentive pay program now instead of waiting until 2019.

Bitcoin Slumps to $10,000, Half Its Peak Price, as Regulatory Fears Grow

Newsmax – Bitcoin skidded below $10,000 on Wednesday, halving in value from its peak price, with investors gripped by fears regulators could clamp down on the volatile cryptocurrency that sky-rocketed last year. The price of bitcoin, the world’s biggest and best known cryptocurrency, fell to as low as $9,500 on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange, the lowest since Dec. 1. Bitcoin had touched a peak of almost $20,000 in December – and indeed crossed over that threshold on some exchanges – but has since been roiled by several large selloffs. Other cryptocurrencies plunged as well. Ethereum and Ripple were both down heavily after reports South Korea and China could ban cryptocurrency trading, sparking worries of a wider regulatory crackdown.

Energy & Environment

Earthquake-causing meteor leaves southeast Michigan residents awestruck

ABC -Residents of southeast Michigan were left a bit shaken Tuesday night after a big bright flash lit up the sky and the ground beneath them shook. A flying saucer? No. A shooting star? Not quite. The National Weather Service eventually solved the mystery, tweeting “USGS confirms meteor occurred around 810 pm, causing a magnitude 2.0 earthquake.”

Science & Technology

CIA-Connected Amazon Turns Over A Record Amount Of Data To U.S. Law Enforcement

Activist Post – Amazon’s fifth transparency report has revealed that the company provided more customer data to U.S. law enforcement in the first half of last year than in its history with a shocking 1,936 different requests between January and June 2017, ZDNet reported. Of those 1,936 requests, Amazon complied and replied to 1,200 subpoena requests, 189 search warrants and 76 other court orders – for a whopping 1,465 requests they responded to. That’s 42 percent of all subpoenas, 44 percent of search warrants and 52 percent of other court orders.

Delhi parents to watch government schools via CCTV

BBC – Parents in India’s capital will soon be able to watch their children in the classroom in real time, using a mobile phone app. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said CCTV will be installed in all government schools within three months. He said he hoped the move would make schools “transparent and accountable”. There is also a child safety motive. In September 2017, a young boy was found with his throat cut in a school bathroom.

Health

Despite vaccine mandates, California’s public health collapses due to the common cold… hospitals under siege from masses of sick people

NaturalNews – Democrats are the poster children of insanity: They keep doing the same things over and over and over again expecting a different outcome.

Take California (please!). In recent years the one-party state (Democrats) violated the rights of everyone by mandating that vaccines will be administered to all children, regardless of parents’ objections to them. Because vaccines, don’t you know, are the end-all, cure-all of everything that ails us. Except when they’re not, which is frequently the case when it comes to “flu season.” Despite that fact that flu shots and other vaccines are widely mandated in California, the Los Angeles Times reports that many of its hospitals resemble “war zones” because they are under siege by legions of sick people. This year’s strain of flu — well, this year’s most debilitating strain of flu — is the H3N2, known for being “more virulent” than other strains, the paper reported.

6 Benefits of Limes You Won’t Believe + Lime Recipes You Can Enjoy

Dr. Axe – This incredible citrus fruit may seem pretty ordinary, but it’s actually a powerhouse of nutrition. Bursting with both vitamin C and antioxidants, limes — like lemons — possess a powerful set of health benefits.

In fact, limes may be able to help amp up weight loss, enhance immunity, boost iron absorption, prevent kidney stones, improve heart health and even fight off cancer.

Best of all, this fruit is widely available and easy to add into your diet, making it the perfect way to give your health an easy upgrade with minimal effort required.

Benefits of Limes