[American Thinker] The new year began with a bang as the long stalled congressional investigations of the top FBI and Department of Justice officials and Fusion GPS begin to see daylight and the Clinton Foundation slush fund investigation resumed, this time with greater probity than the former top officials at the FBI and DOJ permitted.
Congressman Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, and Judiciary chairman Senator Chuck Grassley (along with Judiciary member Lindsey Graham) fired the first salvos of the year.
Devin Nunes
Chairman Nunes demanded and got from the long stonewalling FBI and DOJ the FD-302s and FD-1023s relating to the unverified, unverifiable, and totally discredited Steele dossier. These forms document interrogations and interviews by agents. Nunes now has the record of what Steele was asked by the FBI and what he answered. I assume that this is the predicate for establishing that the FISA warrant permitting the spying on the Trump campaign (and subsequent unmasking) by the Obama administration was not based on legally adequate grounds to get a warrant. Possibly, as well, they will show that certain individuals deliberately misled the FISA court (FISC).
Additionally, Nunes demanded and has received assurances that his committee will get access to eight key witnesses. The witness list includes FBI agent Peter Strzok, FBI lawyer Lisa Page (who previously worked on the Russian probe), and FBI general counsel James Baker (who has been reassigned). Also on the list are FBI head of counterintelligence Bill Priestap (Strzok's boss during the relevant events and the man who Comey said decided not to inform the Committee of 8, who by law should have been alerted to the dossier-inspired investigation) and Bruce Ohr, a DOJ official now reassigned after concealing meetings with figures involved in the dossier.
Surprise!
[NYPost] TAMPA, Fla. ‐ A Florida contractor says he was attacked by a bobcat inside a woman’s condo, but the animal’s owner says her feline is no predator, just a 10-pound domestic longhair kitty named Calli.
The contractor, Marcos Hernandez, filed a lawsuit in Tampa on Dec. 19, alleging condo owner Christine Lee illegally kept a bobcat inside her u nit. He said a bobcat scratched him on May 16, causing serious injuries after he entered the condo to conduct a fire safety inspection.
Hernandez was in the condo alone, Lee said, something that shouldn’t have happened. She said an employee from the building was supposed to accompany him inside.
"This has gotten so blown out of proportion, it’s ridiculous," Lee said.
According to the lawsuit, Hernandez said he was attacked by an unleashed bobcat and suffered permanent injuries. He’s seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages. Hernandez said Lee had a duty to provide a safe environment and failed to warn him about the bobcat.
Lee said that’s nonsense. She only has a fluffy, tortoiseshell-colored housecat and a sleeker black cat named Max. She doesn’t know which cat may have scratched Hernandez, but Max’s color would likely rule him out.
She has not yet retained an attorney.
"I’m not denying he got scratched, what he was doing to get scratched, I don’t know," she said, adding that when she arrived home that day, Calli was "cowering and scared." Max was underneath her bed.
Calli, who is 3 1/2, is friendly, Lee said. But "just like any animal, she is guarded. If they feel threatened, they may attack, scratch or bite."
Soon after the incident, she was informed by building management that Hernandez had been scratched, but she hadn’t heard of the lawsuit until this week, when the Tampa Bay Times first wrote about the case and took a photo of Calli. Hernandez is also suing the condo building’s owner.
Lee said she has never owned a bobcat.
"A bobcat does look much different than this. They’re much bigger than this 10-pound little thing," she said. "It’s a litigious society and here we are."
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, wild bobcats in the state are about twice the size of a domestic cat, up to about 35 pounds. They are tan to yellowish brown, with dark spots. A wildlife official visited Lee’s apartment on Thursday, the newspaper report.
Hernandez’ attorney’s office said they were not going to comment at this time.
[Daily Mail, Where America Gets Its News] Former NFL players Donovan McNabb and Eric Davis have been fired following allegations of sexual harassment
Former NFL Network wardrobe stylist Jami Cantor filed a lawsuit naming the two
She alleges McNabb sent inappropriate text messages and Davis rubbed his body against her and made lewd comments
McNabb had appeared on ESPN television and radio shows and Davis co-hosted an ESPN radio show in Los Angeles with Marcellus Wiley and Kelvin Washington
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2018 00:00 ||
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#1
When men and women can no longer work together, guess who is going to be unemployed?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/07/2018 10:33 Comments ||
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#2
It's Rush Limbaugh's fault, of course...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/07/2018 10:43 Comments ||
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[All Africa] Two former Zim-bob-wean cabinet minister who served under ex-president Bob Muggsy Mugabe Nonagenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case. Dumped in November 2017 when the Missus decided she wanted to be president, and opposed heer might against Crocodile Mnangawa Important safety tip: If your opponent goes by the name Crocodile andf your title is Shopper in Chief let him win.... have been charged with corruption, their lawyers said on Saturday, the latest crackdown on officials loyal to Mugabe.
Mugabe, 93, stood down in November last year after 37 years in power following a de facto military coup, making way for his for deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa to take over.
Mzembi, who was foreign minister in Mugabe's last Cabinet and Undenge who was energy minister were on Friday nabbed ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... by the Zim-bob-we Anti-Corruption Commission. They were granted bail of $400 and $300 respectively by magistrate Elisha Sungano and remanded to January 22
The two were ordered to surrender their passports and to report to the police every Friday.
Charges against Mzembi relate to his time as tourism minister while Undenge is accused of criminal abuse of office.
"We are going to make an application for an exception to the charge because the charges that my client is facing are ridiculous," Mzembi's lawyer, Job Sikhala told journalists outside the court.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2018 00:00 ||
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#1
Corruption in an African government? Get outta here!
[All Africa] President Emmerson Mnangagwa visited MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who is battling colon cancer, at his residence in Highlands today. President Mnangagwa was accompanied by Vice President General Constantino Chiwenga (Rtd). Addressing the media soon after the visit, the President said Mr Tsvangirai was recovering.
"He is fine and recuperating very well and he says he will soon be going back for further medical check-ups in South Africa," President Mnangagwa said.
Asked on the possibility of forming a Government of National Unity (GNU), the President brushed aside the idea saying there was no need for that.
"What's the cause (to form a GNU)?" he said. "You are allowed to lobby, it's a democratic country. People are allowed to lobby for anything. Currently, there is no need (to form a GNU)," he added.
Meanwhile MDC-T deputy president, Mr Nelson Chamisa welcomed President Mnangagwa's visit.
"It's a welcome thing, it's African to care for one another; it's very Zim-bob-wean. This is the new politics we want to see, the politics of peace, the politics of working together, the politics of feeling for one another. This is the direction and we hope it is the kind of talk that will be walked and talk that will be sustained. Going forward we want to see a peaceful election in Zim-bob-we and we are very appreciative," Mr Chamisa said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2018 00:00 ||
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[ARABNEWS] Gunmen killed at least 13 people Saturday in Senegal ... a nation of about 14 million on the west coast of Africa bordering Mauretania to the north, Mali to the east, and a pair of Guineas to the south, one of them Bissau. It is 90 percent Mohammedan and has more than 80 political parties. Its primary purpose seems to be absorbing refugees... who were gathering firewood in the forest, the military said. It was the worst attack in years in the West African nation’s restive southern region, where a separatist insurgency has dragged on for more than three decades.
The bloodshed sparked fears of renewed unrest in the area, which had been relatively calm for the last several years.
Col. Abdoul Ndiaye said late Saturday that seven others were maimed in the massacre 4 miles (7 kilometers) outside of the town of Ziguinchor, and the military stepped up its presence near the town. Casamance is separated from the rest of Senegal by the nation of Gambia ... The Gambia is actually surrounded by Senegal on all sides but its west coast. It has a population of about 1.7 million. The difference between the two is that in colonial days Senegal was ruled by La Belle France and The Gambia (so-called because there's only one of it, unlike Guinea, of which there are the Republic of Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, New Guinea, the English coin in circulation between 1663 and 1813, and Guyana, which sounds like it should be another one) was ruled by Britain... While no immediate claim of responsibility for the slayings was made, suspicion fell on the separatist group founded in 1982 known as the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance.
The armed wing of the group had agreed to a cease-fire in 2014, and the last major attack blamed on the group had been in 2013 when rebels took 12 employees of a South African bomb disposal firm hostage. The victims, all Senegalese citizens, were eventually released.
Saturday’s deaths came just hours after the release of two prisoners belonging to the separatist group following negotiations that were mediated by the Community of Sant’Egidio.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2018 00:00 ||
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[ARABNEWS] US President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... said Saturday he would be willing to speak directly with Kim Jong-Un, voicing hope that rare talks between North and South Korea could help deescalate the crisis over Pyongyang’s nuclear drive.
Trump’s remarks were a further pivot from his often-bellicose rhetoric on North Korea and Kim, with whom he has engaged in a war of words that raised fears of nuclear war as Pyongyang carried out missile and nuclear tests.
"I always believe in talking," Trump said at the Camp David presidential retreat when asked if he would speak to Kim by phone.
"Absolutely I would do that, no problem with that at all," Trump said, while making clear this did not mean he would do so without preconditions.
North and South Korea have agreed to hold their first official talks in more than two years, and Trump expressed hopes that they would go beyond discussions of Pyongyang’s participation in the upcoming Winter Olympics in the South, which a North Korean Olympic official said Saturday was "likely."
"I would love to see them take it beyond the Olympics," Trump said. "And at the appropriate time, we’ll get involved."
He added that if something could come out of the talks, "that would be a great thing for all of humanity."
Kim said in a New Year speech that his country wished success for the Olympics, to be held from February 9-25, and would consider sending a delegation ‐ remarks that set off a tentative rapprochement after weeks of high tensions.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2018 00:00 ||
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#1
They can hold it in Kimmie's office. He can show off his little button.
[Pensions and Investment] Aflac Inc., Columbus, Ga., is raising the corporate match to its 401(k) plan this year to 100% on the first 4% of an employee's contribution from 50%.
The company also is making a $500 one-time contribution to each employee's retirement account. The Aflac Inc. 401(k) Savings and Profit Sharing Plan had $386 million in assets as of Dec. 31, 2016, according to its latest Form 5500 filing.Aflac said in a news release Dec. 28 it was making these and other changes to employees' benefits due to the new tax reform law signed by President Donald Trump.
"We are pleased that these tax reforms provide Aflac with an opportunity to increase our investments in initiatives that reflect our company values," Dan Amos, chairman and CEO, said in the release.
The company also will provide "certain hospital and accident insurance products to all employees free of charge," the news release said.
John Sullivan, a company spokesman, did not return a request for comment.
[Townhall] Controversy swirls in Texas as the San Antonio Police Department has been criticized for its judgement in a human smuggling incident, after a case involving 12 alleged illegal aliens was not turned over to U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement. Instead, SAPD opted to handle the case locally and allow these individuals free without so much as a fingerprint or background check. However, SAPD Chief William McManus maintains that his decision to not contact the federal agency was well within his rights as police chief.
Two drivers were arrested on December 23rd, 2017 after police discovered 11 adults and one minor, possibly from Guatemala, riding in the back of their semi-truck trailer in the San Antonio area.
After arresting the two men, SAPD failed to alert ICE of the passengers in the back of the truck. Instead, they brought the stowaways to the local police station and contacted an immigrant aid organization. These 12 alleged illegal aliens were then let go without any charges. The two drivers who were arrested will be tried in district court in 2018. As for their passengers, at least one councilman questions why they were not given a background check before being released.
[AsiaTimes] It’s a little-known twist in the cyber-warfare between nations that carries potentially devastating consequences. At a time when more than 95% of everything that moves on the global Internet passes through just 200 undersea fiber-optic cables, potential adversaries such as the US, Russia, China and Iran are focusing on these deep-sea information pipes as rich sources of intelligence as well as targets in war.
The weapons earmarked for the struggle include submarines, underwater drones, robots and specialized ships and divers. The new battlefield is also a gray legal zone: Current Law of the Sea conventions cover some aspects of undersea cables but not hostile acts.
There’s evidence that missions are already under way and that most big powers, including the US, are keen on engaging in such activities. Cables can also be attacked by terrorists and other non-state actors.
The damage from such hard-to-detect acts could be enormous, since a foe’s economy, in addition to military and diplomatic communications, could be blinded. As more nations exploit the Internet for political or military gain, it’s also clear that the tactical concept of undersea cables as critical assets to be attacked or defended is an idea whose time has come.
"In the most severe scenario of an all-out attack upon undersea cable infrastructure by a hostile actor the impact of connectivity loss is potentially catastrophic, but even relatively limited sabotage has the potential to cause significant economic disruption and damage," a former commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, retired US Navy Admiral James Stavridis, wrote in the foreword to a recent report, "Undersea Cables: Indispensable, Insecure."
...
US intelligence officials contend that Russia is the chief offender in the new cable war. They have publicly disclosed that Russian submarines are "aggressively operating" near the Atlantic cables that serve the US mainland, as part of an asymmetric-warfare approach.
However, there are signs that the United States may be engaging in similar activities. In September, the US media reported that the USS Jimmy Carter, a Seawolf-class nuclear submarine equipped for intelligence missions, had returned to its base in Washington state flying a Jolly Roger pirate flag beside the US flag. Continues at link.
#4
I used to load these cables onto boats when I was going to college at UNH. There's a division of Tyco Industries in Newington, NH (Simplex) where they make the cables, and $8 / hr was pretty good cake for a college kid in the '80's.
[JewishPress] Al Quds Al Arabi on Saturday cited reliable sources in Tehran who said Iranian authorities ordered the arrest of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his visit to the city of Shiraz and that the arrest was made with the approval of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei after his remarks had been described as inciting unrest.
The independent pan-Arab daily newspaper, published in London, learned that the authorities intended to impose house arrest on Ahmadinejad.
Two weeks ago, on the Thursday that saw the start of anti-government protests in Iran, the former president, said in a speech to a crowd of residents of the city of Bushehr in southern Iran: "Some of the current officials live away from the problems of the people and concerns, and do not know anything about the reality of society." He added that "what Iran suffers today is mismanagement and not lack of economic resources."
"The government of Hassan Rouhani believes that they own the land and that the people are a ignorant society that does not know anything," Ahmadinejad said. "The people are angry at this government because of its monopoly on public wealth."
The former president said that "Rouhani and his government team consider themselves a criterion for what’s right, and do not accept any criticism or objection directed to their performance."
Ahmadinejad’s remarks came after an attack against him by President Hassan Rouhani earlier that Thursday, describing him as "walking the path of confrontation with the regime."
#2
Ahmadinejad was always envious of the egregious theft committed by the big shots of the council of guardians (top mullahs) and the Iranian Natl Guard (top generals).
Ahmadinejad stole too but more modestly.
Posted by: lord garth ||
01/07/2018 9:03 Comments ||
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[Newsweek] President Donald Trump’s mental health might lead to the extinction of the human species, the Yale psychiatrist briefing lawmakers on the president's psychological state told Newsweek on Friday.
If it were possible, Dr. Bandy Lee said, "we would be declaring a public health emergency that needs to be responded to as quickly as possible."
"As more time passes, we come closer to the greatest risk of danger, one that could even mean the extinction of the human species," she said. "This is not hyperbole. This is my the reality."
...
Lee said she’d received death threats since hosting a conference in April on the ethics of warning the public about dangers posed by mentally ill public figures. "I notified campus police and I changed my means of getting around," she said. Well, that settles it.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
North Korea
[JewishPress] Al Quds Al Arabi on Saturday cited reliable sources in Tehran who said Iranian authorities ordered the arrest of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his visit to the city of Shiraz and that the arrest was made with the approval of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei after his remarks had been described as inciting unrest.
