March 22, 2019
By Steve Carmody
Friday is World Water Day. (click here)
In Flint, nearly five years after the city’s disastrous drinking water switch, activists are calling for more to be done to help city residents recover from Flint’s lead-tainted tap water crisis.
Members of the group, Color of Change, carried boxes containing 15,000 petition signatures into Flint city hall to mark World Water Day.
The petitions call for government help replacing damaged indoor pipes and water heaters in Flint homes....
March 22, 2019
By Robert Acosta
Flint - Tech billionaire Elon Musk has landed in Flint. (click here)
The Space X and Tesla CEO is taking part in an assembly on Friday, March 22 with students at Doyle-Ryder Elementary School that comes months after a pair of donations to the district.
Those donations made in the past six months -- through the Musk Foundation established in 2002 by Elon Musk with brother Kimbal -- have included $423,600 for the school district to buy Chromebooks for middle school students as they move into the former Flint Northern High School as part of a secondary school restructuring plan.
Friday, March 22, 2019
The Special Council's report is finished, so where is it? Certainly not only on Barr's desk. If it is kept from Congress then it needs to be kept from Trump as well.
Trump will hand information over to defendants lawyers to bolster the defense of those already indicted. There are pending trials and there should not be any interference.
Additionally, there are states with investigations as well. Barr better not interfere with those either.
Congress needs to review the documents from the Special Council. This is about Russian interference and the report is more than a matter of further investigations. There is legislation to be written to end such interference and unless the Special Council's report is provided to the Congress how are they supposed to address the necessary legislation?
We need to hear from Rod Rosenstein as well.
Outstanding are:
The inaugural committee investigation - Concentrated in New Jersey and Washington, DC there are questions as to whether the committee accepted illegal donations, donors sought a quid pro quo in return for their contributions and was the committee was used to enrich the president’s personal businesses.
The Trump Victory Fund which is a shared fundraising committe with the campaign nd the RNC. There was a $100,000 donation from Jho Low, a Malaysian businessman. He is involved in making payments into personal accounts of corrupt government officials. The scandal is called 1MBD (click here). The FBI along with approximately nine other countries are involved in this investigation. There are billions at stake.
The New York State investigation which involves the Trump Charities which has been dissolved as part of an agreement. But, there is ongoing investigations into Deutsche Bank and Investor's Bank.
The Attorney Generals of Maryland and Washington, DC are continuing an investigation in regard to Trump's use of the federal government for personal enrichment. Basically, is he in violation of the Emolument's Clause? This is actually more than an investigation, there is already litigation begun.
The ongoing Congressional Investigation which began with an absolutely astounding testimony by Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen.
Then there are the indictments brought by the Special Council investigation that has begun in court.
Trump will hand information over to defendants lawyers to bolster the defense of those already indicted. There are pending trials and there should not be any interference.
Additionally, there are states with investigations as well. Barr better not interfere with those either.
Congress needs to review the documents from the Special Council. This is about Russian interference and the report is more than a matter of further investigations. There is legislation to be written to end such interference and unless the Special Council's report is provided to the Congress how are they supposed to address the necessary legislation?
We need to hear from Rod Rosenstein as well.
Outstanding are:
The inaugural committee investigation - Concentrated in New Jersey and Washington, DC there are questions as to whether the committee accepted illegal donations, donors sought a quid pro quo in return for their contributions and was the committee was used to enrich the president’s personal businesses.
The Trump Victory Fund which is a shared fundraising committe with the campaign nd the RNC. There was a $100,000 donation from Jho Low, a Malaysian businessman. He is involved in making payments into personal accounts of corrupt government officials. The scandal is called 1MBD (click here). The FBI along with approximately nine other countries are involved in this investigation. There are billions at stake.
The New York State investigation which involves the Trump Charities which has been dissolved as part of an agreement. But, there is ongoing investigations into Deutsche Bank and Investor's Bank.
The Attorney Generals of Maryland and Washington, DC are continuing an investigation in regard to Trump's use of the federal government for personal enrichment. Basically, is he in violation of the Emolument's Clause? This is actually more than an investigation, there is already litigation begun.
The ongoing Congressional Investigation which began with an absolutely astounding testimony by Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen.
Then there are the indictments brought by the Special Council investigation that has begun in court.
Hate rallies do find recruits.
March 22, 2019
By Lilly Price
Police officials in Charlottesville, Virginia, (click here) arrested and charged a teenager Friday for making a racist threat against black and Hispanic students at Charlottesville High School in an online post.
Charlottesville Police Department arrested the 17-year-old male in relation to an anonymous threat posted to website 4chan containing "biased-based language targeting specific ethnic groups within Charlottesville High School." The city closed all public schools Thursday and Friday while police investigated the threat's credibility.
“We want the community to know that any potential threats made against our schools, credible or not, are taken seriously and will be vigorously investigated,” police said in a statement.
A screenshot of the 4chan threat telling white students to stay home because there was going to be a school shooting in an act of ethnic cleansing was posted to Reddit Wednesday, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The unnamed teen was charged with a felony for threatening to commit serious bodily harm to people on school property and a misdemeanor for harassment by computer. He is a resident of Albermarle County and is not a Charlottesville High School student. Officials said the teen identifies as Portuguese....
By Lilly Price
Police officials in Charlottesville, Virginia, (click here) arrested and charged a teenager Friday for making a racist threat against black and Hispanic students at Charlottesville High School in an online post.
Charlottesville Police Department arrested the 17-year-old male in relation to an anonymous threat posted to website 4chan containing "biased-based language targeting specific ethnic groups within Charlottesville High School." The city closed all public schools Thursday and Friday while police investigated the threat's credibility.
“We want the community to know that any potential threats made against our schools, credible or not, are taken seriously and will be vigorously investigated,” police said in a statement.
A screenshot of the 4chan threat telling white students to stay home because there was going to be a school shooting in an act of ethnic cleansing was posted to Reddit Wednesday, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The unnamed teen was charged with a felony for threatening to commit serious bodily harm to people on school property and a misdemeanor for harassment by computer. He is a resident of Albermarle County and is not a Charlottesville High School student. Officials said the teen identifies as Portuguese....
Another Trump supporter pleads guilty, possibly waiting for a pardon.
This statement from Cesar Sayoc, Jr.'s lawyer: “This was someone lost, he was looking for anything and he found a father in Trump,” Lowy added to CNN.
Those pipe bombs were not dummies, they were live and intended to carry out death and damage.
It is easy to be contrite when caught red handed. This is the example of a man with a broken life looking for any possible identity that will carry him to a different reality.
I think the pattern of people that Trump attracts is worrisome. Time and time again the personality of Trump's White Man is playing out before the country's eyes. The idea there is a strong acceptance for Trump is incorrect, there is however a strong acceptance for his form of politics which blames everyone else for problems. That is the plague of White Nationalism or White Supremacy. They are men with broken lives, sometimes they lean on alcohol, and they look to others to blame for their circumstances.
There are many of them and they identify with anger because that is the only male identity they still have available to them. Rather than accepting the fact they have lived their lives wrong, they want to blame society, the government or any other person in the vicinity for their inability to succeed in the USA. Their problems are real. Many live in squalor, have few family ties and look to others like them for friendship if they value friendship at all.
Holding that flag for Cesar Sayoc was his new hope. He was accepted into rallying adults just like him. The anger was their bond. Trump simply capitalized on it. The validation of that anger by Trump is a real problem for the country and law enforcement, especially, when Congressman Steve King (click here) rides the coattails of this level of hate. As I stated before, Trump and King know exactly whom they are talking to, BUT, they have no real plan to improve their lives so much as use their anger for their own purposes.
One other thing; I believe as a basis for their anger is fear of life and failure. Their education level and competency in literacy have to be questioned as well as their ability to learn a skill. If there was a sincere concern for these folks the entire idea of literacy and ABILITY to learn skills has to be explored.
Most of these Caucasian men are impoverished because of bad choices.
March 21, 2019
By Kevin McCoy
New York – Pipe bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc tearfully apologized as he pleaded guilty Thursday for the domestic terrorism attacks in which he mailed 16 crude explosive devices to prominent Democrats and critics of President Donald Trump in late 2018.
The 57-year-old Florida resident sobbed as he entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan federal court. He faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and possibly as much as life behind bars at his scheduled September 12 sentencing.
"I know that these actions were wrong and I am extremely sorry," the sobbing defendant told the judge in a voice that was little more than a raspy whisper before pleading guilty to 65 criminal counts that included using weapons of mass destruction and illegal mailing of explosives with intent to kill or injure.
Responding to questioning by Rakoff, Sayoc said he had not intended for the devices to explode and hurt anyone, but instead "to threaten and intimidate people."...
Those pipe bombs were not dummies, they were live and intended to carry out death and damage.
It is easy to be contrite when caught red handed. This is the example of a man with a broken life looking for any possible identity that will carry him to a different reality.
I think the pattern of people that Trump attracts is worrisome. Time and time again the personality of Trump's White Man is playing out before the country's eyes. The idea there is a strong acceptance for Trump is incorrect, there is however a strong acceptance for his form of politics which blames everyone else for problems. That is the plague of White Nationalism or White Supremacy. They are men with broken lives, sometimes they lean on alcohol, and they look to others to blame for their circumstances.
There are many of them and they identify with anger because that is the only male identity they still have available to them. Rather than accepting the fact they have lived their lives wrong, they want to blame society, the government or any other person in the vicinity for their inability to succeed in the USA. Their problems are real. Many live in squalor, have few family ties and look to others like them for friendship if they value friendship at all.
Holding that flag for Cesar Sayoc was his new hope. He was accepted into rallying adults just like him. The anger was their bond. Trump simply capitalized on it. The validation of that anger by Trump is a real problem for the country and law enforcement, especially, when Congressman Steve King (click here) rides the coattails of this level of hate. As I stated before, Trump and King know exactly whom they are talking to, BUT, they have no real plan to improve their lives so much as use their anger for their own purposes.
One other thing; I believe as a basis for their anger is fear of life and failure. Their education level and competency in literacy have to be questioned as well as their ability to learn a skill. If there was a sincere concern for these folks the entire idea of literacy and ABILITY to learn skills has to be explored.
Most of these Caucasian men are impoverished because of bad choices.
March 21, 2019By Kevin McCoy
New York – Pipe bomb suspect Cesar Sayoc tearfully apologized as he pleaded guilty Thursday for the domestic terrorism attacks in which he mailed 16 crude explosive devices to prominent Democrats and critics of President Donald Trump in late 2018.
The 57-year-old Florida resident sobbed as he entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan federal court. He faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and possibly as much as life behind bars at his scheduled September 12 sentencing.
"I know that these actions were wrong and I am extremely sorry," the sobbing defendant told the judge in a voice that was little more than a raspy whisper before pleading guilty to 65 criminal counts that included using weapons of mass destruction and illegal mailing of explosives with intent to kill or injure.
Responding to questioning by Rakoff, Sayoc said he had not intended for the devices to explode and hurt anyone, but instead "to threaten and intimidate people."...
For sale on Etsy for $200 (click here)
In some ways, defaming the Late Senator falls into the idea Trump doesn't consider the USA a great country.
But, in all honesty, it is an identity political methodology the American people are hearing from Trump. The name calling, the hands "thing," it all distracts from Trump's responsibility.
Identity politics, meet David Green, President of the UAW 1112.
David Green was employed at the GM Plants in Lordstown, Ohio. He was cited by Trump as a problem that closed the GM plant. I need to add that the same MO was used by Trump at the Carrier Plant and it closed, too.
Donald Trump uses identity politics as a method and that is exactly what is occurring with the Late Senator as well. It gives people a target. It is much more difficult to be informed before making statements about policy, then simply to reach into his bag of tricks and pull out a person to identify with a problem. It also removes the responsibility for failed policies from his own identity as president.
The damage is real. His bitter and nasty words do hit home and Americans that agree with Trump will lob onto his words and harass and defame those he cites, ie: the mainstream media. No matter the issue, Trump cannot speak to policy or facts, he simply plays with people's lives and reputation to facilitate "the blame" for bad news.
To illustrate the danger of this method used by Trump, the gun violence in the year 2019 is escalating from last years numbers. Trump exerts no control over any issue, so much as exploits it for his own purposes. It is a very dangerous method and continues to build instability while motivating those heavily invested in Trump's dummied down idea of leadership. It is why Trump values Twitter rants above all forms of communication to the country.
March 19, 2019
By Jessica Wehrmann
Washington — Here’s what you call (click here) the definition of a lousy run of luck.
First, you lose your job when your plant closes.
Then, because you’re the union president, you try desperately to negotiate to keep both your colleagues’ jobs and your own, helping those colleagues figure out what their next move is.
If that’s not bad enough, President Donald Trump then gets on Twitter and blames you for not doing enough.
Welcome to Dave Green’s Sunday....
Donald Trump uses identity politics as a method and that is exactly what is occurring with the Late Senator as well. It gives people a target. It is much more difficult to be informed before making statements about policy, then simply to reach into his bag of tricks and pull out a person to identify with a problem. It also removes the responsibility for failed policies from his own identity as president.
The damage is real. His bitter and nasty words do hit home and Americans that agree with Trump will lob onto his words and harass and defame those he cites, ie: the mainstream media. No matter the issue, Trump cannot speak to policy or facts, he simply plays with people's lives and reputation to facilitate "the blame" for bad news.
To illustrate the danger of this method used by Trump, the gun violence in the year 2019 is escalating from last years numbers. Trump exerts no control over any issue, so much as exploits it for his own purposes. It is a very dangerous method and continues to build instability while motivating those heavily invested in Trump's dummied down idea of leadership. It is why Trump values Twitter rants above all forms of communication to the country.
March 19, 2019By Jessica Wehrmann
Washington — Here’s what you call (click here) the definition of a lousy run of luck.
First, you lose your job when your plant closes.
Then, because you’re the union president, you try desperately to negotiate to keep both your colleagues’ jobs and your own, helping those colleagues figure out what their next move is.
If that’s not bad enough, President Donald Trump then gets on Twitter and blames you for not doing enough.
Welcome to Dave Green’s Sunday....
Trump is simply wrong and egregious in his dialogues.
Donald Trump needs to stop defaming the Late Senator John McCain. There are ways of talking about policy without defaming people no longer alive to defend themselves.
The statements by Trump raises many questions about the president, not the Late Senator.
The statements by Trump raises many questions about the president, not the Late Senator.
The Missouri River remains untamable.
March 22, 2019
Flood Warnings remain (click here) in effect until further notice for areas along the Missouri River with near record crests coming in on Friday in locations such as St. Joseph and Atchison. The latest forecast from the National Weather Service brings the Missouri River to 31.5 feet Friday in St. Joseph. Stay tuned to KQ2 for the latest!
The quiet weather pattern will continue for tonight into our Friday as high pressure settles in. We'll continue to warm up with above average highs the upper 50s to lower 60 with a lot of sunshine on Friday.
The next chance for rain will move in for the upcoming weekend. The best chance is looking right now to be Saturday into Sunday. We could even hear a few rumbles of thunder. The rain should move out on Monday making way for mostly sunny skies for the middle part of the midweek. Temperatures remaining near average in the middle 50s to lower 60s.
There are more evacuations in the area. There are concerns about the dams in the area and their ability to handle record water movement.
Any work to return the Missouri River to it's banks relies on receding waters. The devastation to the infrastructure is considerable. Rebuilding that infrastructure is going to be quite a task and expensive. The US House is going to have to consider the demands for relief in this area in it's budget.
St. Joseph - The City of St. Joseph and Buchanan County (click here) officials are issuing a voluntary evacuation of areas behind the L-455 levee system on the Missouri side.
The areas included in the voluntary evacuation are areas west of Lake Avenue and U.S. Highway 59 between Contrary Creek and Atchsion St.
According to a press release from the city, model predictions of the river bring levels to between 30.8 and 31 feet early Friday. There remain an additional two feet of levee height above those forecast heights so this is a voluntary evacuation notice in an abundance of caution.
Flood Warnings remain (click here) in effect until further notice for areas along the Missouri River with near record crests coming in on Friday in locations such as St. Joseph and Atchison. The latest forecast from the National Weather Service brings the Missouri River to 31.5 feet Friday in St. Joseph. Stay tuned to KQ2 for the latest!
The quiet weather pattern will continue for tonight into our Friday as high pressure settles in. We'll continue to warm up with above average highs the upper 50s to lower 60 with a lot of sunshine on Friday.
The next chance for rain will move in for the upcoming weekend. The best chance is looking right now to be Saturday into Sunday. We could even hear a few rumbles of thunder. The rain should move out on Monday making way for mostly sunny skies for the middle part of the midweek. Temperatures remaining near average in the middle 50s to lower 60s.
There are more evacuations in the area. There are concerns about the dams in the area and their ability to handle record water movement.
Any work to return the Missouri River to it's banks relies on receding waters. The devastation to the infrastructure is considerable. Rebuilding that infrastructure is going to be quite a task and expensive. The US House is going to have to consider the demands for relief in this area in it's budget.
St. Joseph - The City of St. Joseph and Buchanan County (click here) officials are issuing a voluntary evacuation of areas behind the L-455 levee system on the Missouri side.
The areas included in the voluntary evacuation are areas west of Lake Avenue and U.S. Highway 59 between Contrary Creek and Atchsion St.
According to a press release from the city, model predictions of the river bring levels to between 30.8 and 31 feet early Friday. There remain an additional two feet of levee height above those forecast heights so this is a voluntary evacuation notice in an abundance of caution.
The death toll is enormous.
NASA
On March 15 the MODIS instrument aboard NASA’s Terra satellite provided a visible image of Tropical Cyclone Idai after it made landfall in Mozambique.
...On March 14, (click here) warnings were in effect in Mozambique as Idai nears landfall. Idai will affect (parts of) the Mozambique provinces of Zambézia, Sofala, Manica and Inhambane with very strong winds (190 to 210 kilometers per hour), accompanied by very heavy rains (more than 150 mm in 24 hours) and severe thunderstorms. INAM also foresees the continuation of moderate to strong rains (30 to 50 mm / 24h), accompanied by severe thunderstorms and gusty winds north of the provinces of Niassa and Cabo Delgado....
The governments don't know how or have the resources to respond to these events.
March 22, 2019
By Jenny Marsh and Columbus Mayhunga
Chimanimani - As many as "300 to 400" bodies (click here) line the banks of a road out of the city of Beira in Mozambique, according to an eyewitness account, and flood waters have formed an inland ocean that is visible from outer space.
The harrowing scene, described by Zimbabwean Graham Taylor, suggests that the human toll of Cyclone Idai is likely to far exceed official estimates. It follows reports from aid agencies on the ground detailing how entire villages and towns have been completely flooded in the wake of last Thursday's high-end Category 2 storm.
Taylor said the bodies were located on a 6 kilometer (3.7 mile) track of highway, where flood waters had created an inland ocean, submerging entire villages around a "densely populated" sugar-cane plantation. The area is a mere fraction of the land in the southeast African nation left flooded after two major rivers burst their banks in the days following the storm.
Flooding is so extreme in Buzi, central Mozambique, that the water can be seen in satellite images from outer space....
Putin is using anti-semetic tropes in Crimea. Jewish people are at risk with the open anti-Semitic speech by Putin.
Putin's actions in Syria, including missile interceptors, is in question at the realization of Putin's embrace of Anti-Semitism. It should be no surprise that Prime Minister Netanyahu has been making overtures to Arab leaders with his trip to Oman (click here).
The idea there will be a peace agreement for Israel and Palestine need to take shape to end the divisive role Putin in playing in the Middle East.
March 15, 2019
The idea there will be a peace agreement for Israel and Palestine need to take shape to end the divisive role Putin in playing in the Middle East.
March 15, 2019
By Marcy Oster
Individuals also face fines and up to 15 days in jail if they publish material online that expresses “clear disrespect for society, the state, the official state symbols of the Russian Federation, the Constitution of the Russian Federation and bodies exercising state power.”....
Russian President Vladimir Putin (click here) made a joke invoking the anti-Semitic trope about Jews and money during a visit with local residents and religious leaders in Crimea on Monday.
When a local Jewish leader made a comment about financial difficulties, Putin replied: “So the Jews have problems with finances! Only such a thing could happen in Crimea.” He also said to the bearded and black-hatted Jewish man in Hebrew, “toda raba,” or thank you very much.
The exchange was first reported in English in a tweet by Washington Post Moscow correspondent Anie Ferris-Rotman, who included a video of the exchange.
Putin today, responding to a Jewish community member in Crimea: “So the Jews have problems with finances! Only such a thing could happen in Crimea” (forced laughter all round) He also tells him, in Hebrew, “thank you very much”...
March 18, 2019
By Stephen Kravchenko
President Vladimir Putin signed laws (click here) punishing online media and individuals for spreading “fake news” or material that’s considered insulting to Russian officials.
Prosecutors can now complain about online publications to the state communications watchdog, which has powers to block access to the websites if their owners fail to remove the material promptly. Publications found guilty of spreading “unreliable socially significant information” may face fines of as much as 1.5 million rubles ($23,000).
March 18, 2019
By Stephen Kravchenko
President Vladimir Putin signed laws (click here) punishing online media and individuals for spreading “fake news” or material that’s considered insulting to Russian officials.
Prosecutors can now complain about online publications to the state communications watchdog, which has powers to block access to the websites if their owners fail to remove the material promptly. Publications found guilty of spreading “unreliable socially significant information” may face fines of as much as 1.5 million rubles ($23,000).
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