No alternative explanation.

...The gas being flared (click here) as a byproduct of a rush of oil drilling releases roughly six million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year, roughly equivalent to three medium-sized coal plants. Because of a lack of gas-gathering lines connecting oil wells to processing plants, nearly 30 percent of the gas flowing out of the wells has been burned as waste in recent months....

November 3, 2017
By Chris Mooney, Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis

The Trump administration (click here) released a dire scientific report Friday detailing the growing threats of climate change. The report stands in stark contrast to the administration’s efforts to downplay humans’ role in global warming, withdraw from an international climate accord and reverse Obama-era policies aimed at curbing America’s greenhouse-gas output.

The White House did not seek to prevent the release of the government’s National Climate Assessment, which is mandated by law, despite the fact that its findings sharply contradict the administration’s policies. The report affirms that climate change is driven almost entirely by human action, warns of potential sea level rise as high as 8 feet by the year 2100, and enumerates myriad climate-related damages across the United States that are already occurring due to 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit of global warming since 1900.

“It is extremely likely that human influence has been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th century,” the document reports. “For the warming over the last century, there is no convincing alternative explanation supported by the extent of the observational evidence.”...

2015 was a catastrophic year for oil train explosions. (click here) Since, then the incidents have slowed. I can only believe the change in rail safety actually mattered.

May 1, 2015

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx (click here) today announced a final rule for the safe transportation of flammable liquids by rail. The final rule, developed by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), in coordination with Canada, focuses on safety improvements that are designed to prevent accidents, mitigate consequences in the event of an accident, and support emergency response.

The rule:

1. Unveils a new, enhanced tank car standard and an aggressive, risk-based retrofitting schedule for older tank cars carrying crude oil and ethanol;
2. Requires a new braking standard for certain trains that will offer a superior level of safety by potentially reducing the severity of an accident, and  the “pile-up effect”;
3. Designates new operational protocols for trains transporting large volumes of flammable liquids, such as routing requirements, speed restrictions, and information for local government agencies; and
4. Provides new sampling and testing requirements to improve classification of energy products placed into transport.

Canada’s Minister of Transport, Lisa Raitt, joined Secretary Foxx to announce Canada’s new tank car standards, which align with the U.S. standard....

Self-righteous, Rick Perry; he must be fundraising. He is also incorrect, fossil fuel lighting is not a positive force for change. Wind energy does not harm to Earth's troposphere and works even during the night.

When Keith Smith was 14 years old, (click here) he was abducted, beaten and raped by a stranger in the woods in his hometown. He reported the assault to the police, and the perpetrator was arrested. Keith testified in front of a grand jury and the perpetrator was indicted—but the the man responsible never stood trial. Before the trial date, the perpetrator was beaten to death by unknown assailants.

The experience haunted Keith, and he remained silent about the assault for the next 35 years. “I was afraid of what people would think. I was ashamed that a man sexually assaulted me…that I didn't fight hard enough.” Men and boys may experience the same effects of sexual assault as other survivors, and they can experience additional challenges due to social norms about masculinity....

"Men in My Town" (click here) is the book written by Keith Smith. 

National Sexual Assault Hotline - Free to Callers (click here)

The hotline is sponsored by RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. 

Washington – September 12, 2017 – RAINN, (click here) the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, has developed an online tool to help colleges choose the right sexual assault prevention program for their campuses. The Prevention Navigator provides a forum for college administrators and students to anonymously identify and provide feedback about sexual assault prevention programs in which they have participated.

The Prevention Navigator is designed to to help colleges make a more informed choice when selecting the best sexual assault prevention program for their institution. It allows students and administrators to share their experiences and rate sexual assault prevention programs at their universities....

The Tillerson State Department is failing journalists abroad.

"Reporters Without Borders" (click here) is unable to carry out it's mission without a fully staffed US State Department.

Unions are important to any Middle Class, but, the free practice of journalism is vital to human rights and democratic principles.

October 30, 2017
By Murat Yetkin

The Istanbul 27th Criminal Court (click here) is due to hold another hearing in the trial of four members of the center-left Cumhuriyet newspaper on Oct. 31.

On Oct. 30, 365 signatories - representing the 365 days since the Cumhuriyet arrests started - were publicized for the release of editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu, prominent investigative reporter Ahmet Şık, Cumhuriyet Foundation head Akın Atalay, Emre İper and other journalists, writers and media employees currently in Turkish jails.

According to the Turkish Journalists’ Association (TGC), as of Oct. 24 - when journalist Murat Aksoy was released after spending more than a year in jail the number of imprisoned media workers under arrest in jail stood at 153.

The main accusation from the Istanbul Prosecutor’s Office against Cumhuriyet is its report from January 2014, describing a gendarmerie operation near the border with Syria against Turkish National Intelligence Agency (MİT) trucks allegedly carrying military material to rebels in Syria. The story was actually a version of earlier reports that were later placed under legal restriction, but it did add new details....

Turkey is currently jailing 12 journalists.

October 30, 2017

More than 300 Turkish intellectuals, (click here) including academics, authors, journalists and doctors declared on Oct. 29 that they have signed a petition demanding the release of jailed daily Cumhuriyet journalists, who will appear before a judge for a fourth hearing on Oct. 31.

“The text presented as ‘an indictment’ is far from demonstrating concrete evidence and violates the principles of crime and punishment, as it undermines the concept of ‘legal security’ in the country,” the statement regarding the arrest of four daily Cumhuriyet journalists read, addressed by Istanbul Bar Association Chair Mehmet Durakoğlu.

“We demand the freedom and release of all journalists, including daily Cumhuriyet employees, who have been subjected to illegal prosecution processes on the basis of doing their jobs—which is journalism,” Durakoğlu said.

In a press conference in Istanbul, the intellectuals declared they stand together for the release of editor-in-chief Murat Sabuncu, reporter Ahmet Şık, Akın Atalay and Emre İper –who have been jailed for 365 days in the case.

The union includes famous names, such as singer Sezen Aksu, photographer Ara Güler and actress Müjde Ar, as well as renowned journalists, such as Fehim Taştekin, İsmail Saymaz and Nevşin Mengü....

26 April 2017

Press freedom (click here) has never been as threatened as it is now, in the "new post-truth era of fake news", strongmen and propaganda, Reporters Without Borders said.

Its annual World Press Freedom Index, published on Wednesday, warned of a "tipping point" for journalism.

"Attacks on the media have become commonplace and strongmen are on the rise. We have reached the age of post-truth, propaganda, and suppression of freedoms - especially in democracies," the report said.

"Media freedom has never been so threatened."...

November 2, 2017
By Shahira Amin

A campaign launched by the Egyptian government (click here) to promote the World Youth Forum scheduled for Nov. 4-10 at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh appears to have backfired after internet activists hijacked the conference hashtag #WeNeedToTalk to highlight human rights abuses in the country under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s regime.

The conference’s organizers had hoped the hashtag would encourage interaction among the participants ahead of the forum and promote Egypt as a safe tourist destination. Instead, the activists posted images of security forces assaulting and arresting youths at protest sites and shared portraits of jailed journalists, activists and others who have allegedly been tortured or forcibly disappeared.

“#WeNeedToTalk about forced disappearances,” Amr Bakly, the director of the Cairo Liberal Forum, an Egyptian nongovernmental organization working to spread liberal values and culture among Egyptian youths, posted on Twitter....

November 1, 2017

An opposition politician and critic (click here) of Cameroon president Paul Biya has been jailed by a military court in a trial human rights group, Amnesty international, described as “unfair and deeply flawed.”

Aboubakary Siddiki is to serve 25 years behind bars after the military court in Yaounde found him guilty of charges including hostility against the homeland, revolution and contempt of the President.

Siddiki who is president of ‘Mouvement patriotique du salut camerounais’ – the main opposition party in northern Cameroon was arrested in August 2014 along with one Abdoulaye Harrisou – a well known notary....

Where is the American Baptist Convention to hire lawyers and advocate for other pastors abroad?

October 3, 2017

Two assistant pastors arrested by the Burma (Myanmar) (click here) army last December were sentenced to prison on Friday (Oct. 27) on false charges of unlawful association, defaming the military and spying, sources said.

Pastor Dom Dawng Nawng Latt, 65, received a prison term of four years and three months, and fellow pastor La Jaw Gam Hseng, 35, received two years and three months, according to sources present in court in Lashio town, in Shan state.

The two ethnic Kachin pastors, members of the Kachin Baptist Convention, were charged under the Unlawful Association Act for alleged connections with an ethnic armed group, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), and allegedly spying for it. Nawng Latt was prosecuted under a defamation statute. They deny the charges, which colleagues say are baseless.

Nawn Latt received the additional two years under the defamation charge as the military accused him of criticizing the army while speaking to media.

Pastor Zau Ra, secretary of the Kachin Baptist Convention in Mong Maung town, Shan state, told Morning Star News the two pastors were likely arrested and charged for speaking to media and helping local journalists cover army attacks on a Catholic church building, schools and houses in Shan state in November 2016....

The Democratic leadership is important. They need to have a PAC as well as providing a fundraiser to the DNC.

They are standing up for Americans against big money that wants more money and power. The American people need to invest in the party that gives a damn.

DNC should be providing full disclosure of income and where the monies are being spent. Voters need confidence. My guess is the voter is going to first complain about salaries the party pays to their employees. The DNC has to compete for employees no different than any other major organization. Discuss the reality of the world today and allow suggestions to be real IF it solves problems.

The DNC also should tap retired members for assistance in fundraising. The voice of unions need to be loud and clear, the Middle Class needs them. Ask the unions to carry out fundraising. The unions donate but could run independent fundraisers. There is no alternative for the DNC, they have to include unions in their identity, the Middle Class dies without them. The Democrats were on the House and Senate floor during the Janis hearing. They should consider submitting "a-friend-of-the-court" document regarding Janis.

When the DNC begins to have full partnership with it's candidates the organization will finally take on the issues of the people. They hae to represent the people.

THE TRUMP TAX CUT, "IS REALLY ANTI-SENIORS!" That needs to be a motto for the DNC.

Therefore, what?

The DNC entered into a contract for money. Where was full disclosure? The problem isn't Clinton, the problem is the DNC never fully disclosed their finances with sources and what the contracts stated. I don't blame Clinton for exerting control, look what she had to work with.

November 2, 2017
By Donna Brazile

...So I followed the money. (click here) My predecessor, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, had not been the most active chair in fundraising at a time when President Barack Obama’s neglect had left the party in significant debt. As Hillary’s campaign gained momentum, she resolved the party’s debt and put it on a starvation diet. It had become dependent on her campaign for survival, for which she expected to wield control of its operations....

What is Perez doing for fundraising? I think the DNC needs leadership that can find the funding it can count on. Every Democrat in the party currently in office should be investing in the organization's treasury. If every Democrat in office carried out a fundraiser the problem should be solved. The PACs did this to them. The individual took control of their own interests and funding.

Get for real. If a single source, ie: Hillary Clinton, bailed out the DNC while running for office, they have rights to ensure their money is spent responsibly. I think Clinton was generous to a fault. I really am tired of people dumping on a very qualified woman to be in government and dedicated to the USA.

I am tired of hearing this after the fact. Hillary was generous and the DNC never solved their problems. I am impressed she had the funds to invest in the DNC. She obviously didn't want the down-ballot to suffer because no one cared about them enough to carry out significant fundraising.

This isn't about Bernie, it is about the DNC and it's failure to sustain the treasury it needed. Did Bernie do a fundraiser for them? 

I am sorry Donna Brazile inherited a disaster, but, don't blame Hillary for it's bailout. Clinton has a thankless career. She really does. It is the DNC that is the issue and I suggest fundraising should be solicited from it's members. Soon. President Obama should be holding at least one fundraiser in an interest in the party.

Clovis?

To begin, what type of caliber individual is the American people receiving to run the government with this administration?

But, as to Clovis; there is a god.

Tne caliber of the Trump individual is not discussed enough. These people have an agenda. They aren't good for the country. Their agenda threatens America's promise to every generation.

"Good job, Brownie." People were dying. They died and may very well be dying right now in Puerto Rico. There is a lack of expertise, ethics and morals; not to speak to their preparedness for taking office in the federal government.

A billion dollar cut for the Army Corp,

June 29, 2017
By Tom Ichniowski

Signals are strong that Congress (click here) will reject President Trump’s proposed sharp spending cut in fiscal year 2018 for the Army Corps of Engineers civil-works program, which includes funds for river locks and dams, flood control and environmental restoration projects.

Trump’s FY18 budget request, sent to Congress on May 22, would slash Corps civil-works spending by $1 billion, or 17%, to $5 billion. But a House appropriations subcommittee has spurned the president’s proposal. The panel cleared a bill on June 28 that recommends increasing Corps 2018 civil-works spending by 2%, to $6.16 billion. [Read the draft bill text]

In the Senate, Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who chairs the appropriations subcommittee in charge of Corps spending, said at a June 28 hearing on the agency’s budget that Trump’s proposed $1-billion cut for Corps civil works would be “an enormous step backwards.” Alexander said, “We should spend more, not less, on our nation’s water infrastructure.” [Read text of Alexander's prepared statement....

This is an absolute joke. Harvey, Irma, Maria and Philippe recently rolled through the Florida Keys AGAIN. This is ridiculous.

They have no morals. They have no conscience.

There was a fatal flaw by the DNC and Clinton Campaign; they never discussed them in a new conference.

I didn't read them, but, evidently others did. This particular breaking news does not impress me as something that should have caused radical anger with the American people.

To begin, the DNC, Secretary Clinton and Mr. Podesta were the victims. Their data bases and emails were hacked. Then the emails taken, even from the Clinton server, is not classified information. I believe Secretary Clinton stated same. Then there was insistence by the opposition to her presidency there were "c" on some indicating "classified."

There should have been a news conference with all the victims to discuss the specifics of the investigation and to discuss the noise with the American public. There was a missed opportunity to place themselves square in the public eye as victims to ruthlessness.I think the American people deserved that.

Instead, the American people were allowed to believe the victims weren't victims, but, criminals that deserved to be exposed. There is such a thing as the truth. I think the American people can be trusted with it.

Originally, the Clinton emails were supposed to be placed in a searchable data base for the campaign to use.

October 26, 2017

A data firm used by the Trump campaign (click here) asked Wikileaks' founder Julian Assange in 2016 for access to Hillary Clinton's emails kept on a private server while she was secretary of state, The Daily Beast reported.

The chief executive of Cambridge Analytica, Alexander Nix, sent an email to several people -- including Rebekah Mercer, a top donor to President Donald Trump's campaign -- explaining how he had contacted Assange seeking access to Clinton's private server. Nix wanted to turn her emails into a searchable database for the Trump campaign or for a pro-Trump political action committee, sources familiar with the situation told CNN.

1the Trump campaign hired Cambridge Analytica in the summer of 2016 as part of a three-pronged data operation led by Brad Parscale and overseen by Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a top White House aide.

No one from the Trump campaign was copied on the email, the sources said, and there is no evidence the Democratic presidential nominee's emails were ever hacked or that Wikileaks ever gained possession of them.

Republican talking points about the proposed tax cuts.

"Open up the American economy."

Reckless deregulation no different than Snyder and Flint.

"Let's try something different."

The American economy is not an experiment.

Another woman discriminated against.

There is absolutely no reason to replace her. Oh, but, the markets are fine with her replacement. Really. Every woman within the scope of Wall Street, including secretaries and file clerks, should be protesting.

As predicted, the markets have had unprecedented growth. Chairwoman Yellen is a genius and now she has received news she will be replaced, FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON EXCEPT SHE IS A WOMAN!

When the market crashes again, we'll know who to blame.

November 1, 2017
By John Ydstie











A day before President Trump (click here) was expected to name their next leader, Federal Reserve policymakers decided to hold a key interest rate steady at between 1 percent and 1.25 percent. However, analysts are still looking for a rate increase at the central bank's next meeting, in mid-December.

The Fed's post-meeting statement would seem to support that expectation. Policymakers slightly upgraded their assessment of economic growth from moderate to "solid" despite disruptions from hurricanes Harvey and Irma. And they said the labor market has continued to strengthen, despite a hurricane-related drop in payroll numbers in September....

Don't tell me cyber is not the enemy. Example in point.

I know what I am writing about. Osama bin Laden is dead and the enemy is cyber. End of discussion.

The wacko, fruitcake Muslim didn't even have contact with an Imam or any Cleric.

This poor idiot trusted cyber to inspire his jihad. This is the most outrageous lack of national secuirty in the face of American and International deaths when it was completely avoidable, both from infrastructure and ending access to cyber sites where ideology lives all by itself even in the face of the deaths of iconic leaders.

These websites NEVER had the protection of the First Amendment. These websites are inflammatory, promote the death of other human beings and formate hate. They need to be dismantled NOW! 

It is outrageous to realize this man was radicalized in the USA with access to a cell phone. He never imagined his Muslim roots would be able to access INSPIRATION HATE with the purchase of a GD cell phone! 

This attack is owned by Homeland Security. There is no way a video that inspires hate and demands death is protected in this country. Oh, wait, I forgot the NSA and all the computerized EXPERTS within the national security network have everything under control. THAT IS LAUGHABLE!

That hapless fool never stopped to question why he never felt hate the way he did with his AMERICAN cell phone. 

November 1, 2017
By Benjamin Mueller, William K. Rashbaum, Al Baker and Adam Goldman

...As investigators (click here) looked into whether Mr. Saipov’s Uzbek contacts may have handed him off to an ISIS operative, they pieced together parts of his past, law enforcement officials said. He attended a wedding in Florida of an Uzbek man who was under scrutiny by the F.B.I. But his attendance didn’t trigger a separate investigation of him, the official.

Investigators were still looking into whether Mr. Saipov had links to other federal counterterrorism inquiries.

On Mr. Saipov’s cellphone, F.B.I. agents found 90 videos, including of ISIS fighters killing prisoners and of instructions for making an explosive device, according to the criminal complaint. They also found 3,800 images, among them some of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS. The complaint said Mr. Saipov reported being inspired in particular by a video in which Mr. al-Baghdadi “questioned what Muslims in the United States and elsewhere were doing to respond to the killing of Muslims in Iraq.

The F.B.I. was uncovering details that sent agents on a far-ranging chase for leads.

But several crucial facts remain unclear. It is not known if the F.B.I. is still investigating the Uzbek man whose wedding Mr. Saipov attended. And as investigators built out concentric circles of his associates, they are still looking at whether Mr. Saipov had direct connections with ISIS operatives....

It is noteworthy to realize Saipov PRACTICED his attack. He even rented the very truck he would use to conduct such a rehearsal. Americans need to report anything that seems odd and out of place. Nothing bad will happen if such observations are made. I have at times reported what was odd to me and a simple investigation by on-duty police officers resulted in a "Thank you, we've got it from here." I went on my way and never concerned myself with the issue again.

For those that care to, the bin Laden documents are being declassified by the CIA. All I need to know is that he is dead.

November 1, 2017

By Jonathan V. Last

Over at the Long War Journal, (click here) Thomas Joscelyn and Bill Roggio have the first analysis of the massive trove of documents, files, and images which were recovered at Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, during the raid in which bin Laden was killed.

The cache of documents, released today for the first time by the CIA, are an amazing stockpile of information that has never before been public....

               

He is an arrogant ass.

He isn't a Scalia. Not by a long shot. He's another Trump. He loves to hear himself talk.

October 3, 2017
By Jeffery Toobin

Toward the end of the Supreme Court’s argument (click here) in Gill v. Whitford, about the future of partisan gerrymandering, there was a revealing moment about the place of the newest Justice in the esteem of at least one of his peers. In less than a year, Neil Gorsuch has dominated oral arguments, lectured his colleagues, and given dubiously appropriate public speeches. Questioning Paul Smith, the lawyer challenging Wisconsin’s contorted district lines, Gorsuch made another pedantic gesture....

...Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is bent with age, can sometimes look disengaged or even sleepy during arguments, and she had that droopy look today as well. But, in this moment, she heard Gorsuch very clearly, and she didn’t even raise her head before offering a brisk and convincing dismissal. In her still Brooklyn-flecked drawl, she grumbled, “Where did ‘one person, one vote’ come from?” There might have been an audible woo that echoed through the courtroom. (Ginsburg’s comment seemed to silence Gorsuch for the rest of the arguments.)...

Justice Ginsburg got tired of the disrespect. Disrespect for her wisdom, disrespect for the US Constitution and disrespect for the American citizen. Gorsuch is a jerk besides lacking constitutional intellect. 

If I recall, Justices Scalia and Ginsburg were dear friends. I doubt Gorsuch will ever say the same.

Thank you, Mr. Toobin.

Senator Graham has good intentions, but, I think there should be great caution in turning the USA Homeland into a battlefield. I think it is a mistake to admit some Who-Ha made his way into the USA and was successful in killing Americans on a battlefield. 

New York didn't see their soil as a battlefield. The people of New York stated they needed to address their infrastructure to prevent the use of trucks, even large trucks, from causing injuries and death within their city. 

I think the New York Governor and New York City's Mayor should have a great deal of input in determining if the city is a battlefield.

I remind it is highly unconstitutional for any military movement within the borders of the USA. To consider an immigrant an enemy combatant is a huge mistake. I don't want any part of my country to be considered a battlefield. That elevates the terrorist and provides a platform they should never enjoy. Such a status of a terrorist striking within the USA would give more poison to the charismatic movement within Daesh.

Senator Graham was an honorable member of the US Air Force in the capacity of a lawyer. He tends to reach into his experience in the USA military to find solutions. The US Constitution is specific about the power of the military within the borders of this country. It is imprudent to place an overlay of a battlefield to the peaceful lives of Americans.

A President of the USA has to know the pulse of the country and if he can't he will continually cause sincere problems with domestic peace.

May 22, 2017
By Nina Burleigh

Donald Trump’s election (click here) has led to such a steep rise in fundamentalist Christian evangelizing and religious bigotry in the U.S. armed forces that the matter is reaching the level of a “national security threat,” according to information shared exclusively with Newsweek by an organization that represents and advocates for secular and minority religious views in the military.

The number of complaints from servicemen and -women in the Army, Air Force, Marines and other service branches to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) has doubled in number since November 2016, according to lawyer Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, a former Air Force officer who founded the organization.

Many of the recent charges are coming from members of minority religions, including Roman Catholics, Jews and Muslims, and from atheists. Among the complaints: military family and marital therapy programs are being infused with Protestant Christianity, which would violate the U.S. Constitution; open anti-Semitism; anti-LGBT statements, posters, symbols and bullying; openly anti-Muslim teachers and Islamophobic attacks; a rise in on-base evangelizing; and increased pressure on recruits or lower-level personnel and service members to convert to fundamentalist Christianity.

“With the advent of Trump as the commander in chief of our armed forces, MRFF has experienced a massive influx of new military and civilian personnel complaints of religion-based prejudice and bigotry, most of them coming from non-fundamentalist Christians being persecuted by their military superiors for not being ‘Christian enough,’” Weinstein tells Newsweek....

There should be no surprise White Supremacist ideologues are in the military.

I watched the interview on FOX News which was the first show for what's her name? I was appalled. The first half I was in denial it was profound hate I was hearing, but, the longer the interview went on the more I realized, the USA military has problems. Real problems and they are deployed in areas where war never seems to end.

November 1, 2017
By Zeke Miller

Washington — In his three months on the job, (click here) John Kelly has been credited with bringing order to a chaotic West Wing, but don’t call him a moderate.

President Donald Trump’s chief of staff was the enforcer of Trump’s controversial immigration policies, has frequently criticized the president’s enemies, and this week echoed his boss’ defense of Confederate monuments.

It all suggests that “The Chief,” as he is known among aides, may have instilled order, but he is more ideologically aligned with Trump than many believed.

Much has been made of the imagery of Kelly silently lurking on the sidelines of presidential addresses, seeming to cringe when Trump gets out of line. But it may be wishful thinking by Trump’s critics to believe that he’s tugging the president in another direction.

White House officials and Kelly allies say he is not so much partisan as he is ideological, holding hawkish views on issues like immigration and national security....

Trump crude and rude behavior is now systemic.

Oh, good.

Sarah Sanders does identify hateful speech.

Knock off the extreme vetting mess. The Oval Office FIRST needs to learn some manners.

There is every reason to believe the attack stance of President Trump has contributed to the agitation of those so inclined. Trump doesn't have a sterile office whereby his employees are the only people willing to kiss the ring. He is supposed to be a leader that recognizes all the people within the borders of the USA as important people. When he attacks minority religions by banning arrivals of their members after standard security clearance, there will be repercussions.

The violence within the borders of the USA has escalated this year and this is just another one. The attacker yesterday in New York City isn't very different than the Las Vegas killer, they wanted to kill people. I might add the police in both instances shut down the killers within a very short period of time. The police are as good as they come. Now, it is time for Trump to support them by maintaining domestic peace without fomenting hate.

May 1, 2017
By Michael Gerson

For those who claim that Donald Trump (click here) has been pasteurized and homogenized by the presidency, his sour, 100th-day speech in Harrisburg, Pa., was inconvenient.

Trump used his high office to pursue divisive grudges (Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer is a “bad leader”), to attack the media (composed of “incompetent, dishonest people”) and to savage congressional Democrats (“they don’t mind drugs pouring in”). Most of all, Trump used his bully pulpit quite literally, devoting about half his speech to the dehumanization of migrants and refugees as criminals, infiltrators and terrorists. Trump gained a kind of perverse energy from the rolling waves of hatred, culminating in the reading of racist song lyrics comparing his targets to vermin. It was a speech with all the logic, elevation and public purpose of a stink bomb....

Well, she won't get pregnant. Someone convinced Saudi Arabia there was a place for AI in the world.

October 3, 2017
By Mindy Weisberger

A robot (click here) with an uncannily human-like appearance recently advanced one step closer to human status, when it was granted citizenship to Saudi Arabia at the tech summit Future Investment Initiative (FII).

Named "Sophia," the robot, created by Hanson Robotics (HR), has a pale-skinned face with features that are capable of being highly mobile and expressive and displaying a range of emotions. The company's "latest and most advanced robot," according to a statement on the HR website took to the stage at FII on Oct. 25 to address hundreds of attendees in Riyahd, Saudi Arabia, and to announce her recently acquired citizenship — the first to be given to a robot, the BBC reported.

"I am very honored and proud for this unique distinction," Sophia said during her onstage appearance, which was shared on YouTube by Arab News. "This is historical to be the first robot in the world to be recognized with a citizenship," the robot said....

Bush did the same thing. He diverted security money. Trump should realize this attack occurred under his watch.

They want to victimize New York even further by eliminating the State and Local Tax deduction. New York has financial stability and it's unions have no problems with their pensions. Every Republican envious of the stability of New York sees any spending there as a mistake.

The problems of New York don't show because of a compassionate people and excellent governance. Every city and state should have such quality of life. But, it means good paying jobs and a people paying taxes and following regulations. 

June 4, 2017
By Sarah Trefethen

The latest terror attack in London (click here) should convince President Trump to nix his proposed cuts to anti-terror funding for New York and other US cities, US Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Sunday.

“I can’t figure out why they proposed cutting anti-terrorism funds in the budget, but I certainly hope that the horrible incident that occurred last night and in recent months in Europe will get the president to reverse his decision,” Schumer told reporters, referring to a plan to cut 25 percent from funding for the NYPD and FBI for anti-terrorism training, security and intelligence.

The Trump budget proposal would reduce anti-terrorism funding to New York City by $150 million, according to the senator....

Uber is racking them up. This is the second mass killer affiliated with Uber in the US.

I suppose working for a computer dispatcher is estranging to reality. I'll take a medallion.

November 1, 2017

Uber (click here) has confirmed that suspected truck terrorist attacker Sayfullo Saipov previously worked for the company as a driver.

The popular company issued a statement late Tuesday night about 29-year-old Saipov, who they said passed a background check to work for the ride-hailing service, according to Daily Mail.

"We are horrified by this senseless act of violence. Our hearts are with the victims and their families," the statement reads.

"We have reached out to law enforcement to provide our full assistance."...