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Today: 67 articles and 226 comments as of 14:23.
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Haftar's forces say they have captured Libyan city of Derna
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
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2 23:02 Herb McCoy [5] 
12 20:47 Regular joe [6] 
4 09:37 DarthVader [] 
1 10:49 SteveS [4] 
1 13:59 Roger29 Palms [5] 
6 23:24 Skidmark [6] 
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Page 4: Opinion
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Page 6: Politix
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15 22:35 trailing wife [7]
4 12:17 g(r)omgoru [2]
4 21:27 Zenobia Floger6220 [5]
-Lurid Crime Tales-
German police investigate 21 deaths linked to poisoned sandwich case
[CBSNEWS] Police in Germany are investigating the premature deaths of 21 people going back to the year 2000, following the arrest of a man suspected of trying to poison a colleague's sandwich. Bielefeld police said Wednesday the deaths, which occurred at the company the man worked for, included a "remarkably high number of heart attacks and cancers."

A 56-year-old man was placed in durance vile
Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try!
in May after surveillance video showed him putting a suspicious powder on a colleague's sandwich.

Police said the powder contained lead acetate "in amounts that would have been sufficient to cause serious organ damage." A search of the suspect's home uncovered further dangerous substances.

Two staff at the company in Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock, south of Bielefeld, are also believed to have fallen ill from heavy metal poisoning.

One employee was in a coma for two years, The Times of London reported.

Posted by: Fred || 06/29/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Gyros outside afterhours bars.
I've been sick soooo many times from the old yogurt and bad meat on the spit.

Oh wait, that was London this is Germany.
Wurst on a stick outside afterhours bars...
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/29/2018 0:38 Comments || Top||

#2  They have Chipolte shops in Germany?
Posted by: Raj || 06/29/2018 0:46 Comments || Top||

#3  I've been sick soooo many times from the old yogurt and bad meat on the spit

That's why traditional English cooking includes boiling everything.
Posted by: Mullah Richard || 06/29/2018 8:22 Comments || Top||

#4  Oh wait, that was London this is Germany

There are Doner Kebab shops every few blocks in Germany, Skidmark, courtesy of the Turkish guest workers.
Posted by: trailing wife || 06/29/2018 22:19 Comments || Top||


Five dead after shooting at Maryland newspaper
[NBCNEWS] Five people were killed Thursday afternoon after a gunman opened fire inside the offices of the Capital Gazette, a newspaper in the Maryland capital, Annapolis, police officials said. A suspect is in jug and has been identified.

William Krampf, the acting police chief of Anne Arundel County, said several other people were "gravely injured."

"The investigation has just started," he said at a news conference. "We’re going to be quite a while in determining what occurred, why it occurred, how it occurred."

Senior law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation told NBC News that the suspect, a white man wearing a black T-shirt and olive-green pants, had been identified through the use of facial recognition software. The sources said earlier that he had somehow obscured his fingerprints, making identification difficult.

A bigwig said the suspect is 39 years old. Local authorities were preparing to execute a search warrant for the suspect's home. The suspect's name has not been released, but sources told NBC News that he is from Maryland.

Anne Arundel County Police Lt. Ryan Frashure said the weapon he used was a "long gun," but he did not elaborate.

Phil Davis, a Gazette crime news hound who was in the office, recounted the shooting on Twitter.

"Gunman shot through the glass door to the office and opened fire on multiple employees," Davis said. "Can't say much more and don't want to declare anyone dead, but it's bad."
Looks like the guy's a nutcase. He got jugged for harassment and stalking or something like that, so he sued the Gazette for defamation. He got snickered out of court, since they didn't report anything bout him that wasn't true. So for the past three years he's been fulminating against them.
Posted by: Fred || 06/29/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Clearly a "right wing extremist".
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/29/2018 2:53 Comments || Top||

#2  Survey: 72% Of Americans Say News Outlets Intentionally Run Fake News
Is there any connection?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/29/2018 3:35 Comments || Top||

#3  You knew it would end up being blamed on the President:

Trump critics seize on anti-press comments in wake of Capital Gazette shooting
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/29/2018 3:44 Comments || Top||

#4  You knew it would end up being blamed on the President:

Over the long haul, their willful ignorance seems like more of a threat to them than to you and me.

Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/29/2018 10:10 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
Eight entitlement people booted from plane for failing to follow crew member cellie instructions
[Mail] A Delta flight attendant has been filmed throwing eight passengers off a flight for giving her 'attitude' when she asked one of them to turn their phones to airplane mode.

The unnamed attendant was filmed as she reprimanded passenger Robyn Rogers, a female DJ from New York, before take off on June 23 at Fort Wayne airport in Indiana.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/29/2018 04:54 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Booted passenger Rogers has not yet blamed Trump but did offer the following:

In her post, Rogers said she felt the incident was racially charged.

'I want to acknowledge because I am painfully aware of the serious and profoundly heartbreaking injustices/events happening in our world and communities,I have grappled with sharing my experience.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/29/2018 5:05 Comments || Top||

#2  Actually, it's all good. More and more people are admitting - by their actions, if nothing else - that they are husks without their stupid phones in their hands.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/29/2018 7:40 Comments || Top||

#3  The Borg.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/29/2018 8:53 Comments || Top||

#4  They should have been kicked off at 15,000 feet.
Posted by: DarthVader || 06/29/2018 9:37 Comments || Top||


-Land of the Free
Federal Judge temporarily blocks abortion reporting rule in Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ‐ A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a new Indiana law’s requirement that medical providers report detailed patient information to the state if they treat women for complications arising from abortions.

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Young granted the preliminary injunction sought by Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky. The order blocks the provision in a state law taking effect Sunday.
Not surprisingly, a Bill Clinton appointment.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued the state on behalf of the Planned Parenthood affiliate on April 23, arguing that the reporting provision was unconstitutional and imposed "unique and burdensome obligations." The lawsuit contends that many of the purported complications listed in the law are extremely rare for abortions and "are more likely to occur after other medical procedures."

Young, who heard arguments in the case earlier this month, wrote in his order that without the injunction, Planned Parenthood and its physicians in Indiana would "be subject to licensing penalties, and eventually criminal penalties, if they violate the challenged statute."
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/29/2018 04:19 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Planned Parenthood and its physicians in Indiana would "be subject to licensing penalties, and eventually criminal penalties, if they violate the challenged statute."

Last thing we want is people subjected to criminal penalties for violating a law. That's just mean.
Posted by: SteveS || 06/29/2018 10:49 Comments || Top||


CA Supreme Court: Bullet stamping law survives despite being impossible to comply with
HT LI:
Juliet Williams
‏Verified account @JWilliamsAP

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ‐ In ruling on bullet-stamping law, California Supreme Court says state laws cannot be invalidated on the grounds that complying with them is impossible.
Posted by: Frank G || 06/29/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:

#1  So all firearms manufacturers and ammunition companies should all refuse to do business with the state of california. Hell, why don't the neighboring states make it illegal to do business with any entity located in the state of california and that any california state elected official may not enter the state for any reason. Apparently it's okay to pass any laws you want.
Posted by: Silentbrick || 06/29/2018 0:35 Comments || Top||

#2  state laws cannot be invalidated on the grounds that complying with them is impossible.

Statism gone wild.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/29/2018 2:55 Comments || Top||

#3  High capacity bullet clips hit hardest.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/29/2018 8:07 Comments || Top||

#4  Send this to the SCOTUS. They are having a field day making liberals cry.
Posted by: DarthVader || 06/29/2018 9:04 Comments || Top||

#5  If the State Government of California feels that this is so earth shakingingly important then they should pay for the new technology on All of Their sidearms (and shotguns and rifles and batons and...). Show the way. Let the dear citizens know that when their armed public officials fire a weapon their spent brass can be ID'd for the public good. No? Cost too much? Then go pound sand.
Posted by: magpie || 06/29/2018 10:49 Comments || Top||

#6  Further, if the AB 1471 Crime Gun Identification Act of 2007 ... changes California definitions of "unsafe handgun" then aren't all of the guns in the hands of California Government "safety hazards"? Class-Action Lawsuit, 'Think of the Children'!
...Madness.
Posted by: magpie || 06/29/2018 11:09 Comments || Top||

#7  ...That's exactly the point: if no ammunition can meet the technical requirements of the law, then no ammunition can be sold in CA. The state's answer will be that if you want to sell ammo, then find a way to meet the requirements.

This was no depressingly funny coincidence - I believe this was the plan all along.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 06/29/2018 12:17 Comments || Top||

#8  Do they still have to stamp chainsaw bayonets?
Posted by: Raj || 06/29/2018 13:02 Comments || Top||

#9  Ideally someone will start a class action lawsuit requiring compliance by all local and state law enforcement agencies. may as well include all corrections officers as well. See how they like them apples
Posted by: Blossom Hupager6063 || 06/29/2018 18:17 Comments || Top||

#10  #7 nails it.
Posted by: charger || 06/29/2018 19:33 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Five police officers will be charged with murdering British aristocrat in Kenya
  • [Daily Mail, Where America Gets Its News] Alexander Monson, 28, died from blunt force trauma after a night out in Kenya

  • Police had stopped aristocrat's car near a nightclub on the beach resort of Diani

  • Mr Monson was found unconscious at police station and later died in hospital

  • Kenyan court has now said five police officers are to be charged with murder

  • His father Lord Nicholas Monson later tweeted about his 'jubilation' at the news
Posted by: Fred || 06/29/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:


Africa Subsaharan
Warring Parties Sign Cease-Fire In South Sudan
[NPR.ORG] The president of South Sudan and his former vice president, who now leads the country's largest rebel group, announced a permanent cease-fire Wednesday following talks in Sudan's capital.

In the latest of many unsuccessful attempts to stem more than four years of bloodshed in South Sudan's civil war, President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar's signed agreement is set to take effect on Saturday.

The two leaders met in person for the first time in two years beginning last week during talks in Æthiopia.

The civil war, which broke out in late 2013, helped bring about one of the world's worst ongoing humanitarian crises. Tens of thousands of people have been killed while at least 4.2 million people, one in three South Sudanese, have been forced from their homes since the war started, according to the United Nations
...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks...
secretary-general of South Sudan.
Posted by: Fred || 06/29/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Anybody keeps count?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/29/2018 3:25 Comments || Top||


Britain
UK nurse is first person convicted under modern slavery laws
[THEGUARDIAN] A British nurse has become the first person to be convicted under new modern slavery laws, after being found guilty of trafficking five Nigerian women to Germany to work as hookers.

Josephine Iyamu was prosecuted under the Modern Slavery Act involving victims who have no connection to the UK but have been victimised by a Brit.

Jurors were told the 51-year-old Liberia-born British citizen forced the women to swear oaths to hand over money to her during "juju" ceremonies. These included forcing women to eat chicken hearts, drink blood containing worms, and have powder rubbed into cuts, the court heard.

Iyamu, formerly of Bermondsey in London, then arranged for the women to be trafficked across the Mediterranean, with one being told to pay a "bill" of €37,000 (£32,700).

She was convicted at Birmingham crown court of five counts of arranging or facilitating travel for sexual exploitation.

Prosecutors said the Voodoo rituals gave Iyamu crushing psychological control over the women, who were too afraid to challenge her or to fail to pay her back tens of thousands of euros she charged them to be trafficked into Germany.

Jurors also convicted Iyamu of perverting the course of justice by arranging for relatives of the complainants in Nigeria to be tossed in the clink
Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages!
. Her husband, Efe Ali-Imaghodor, 60, was acquitted of doing acts intending to pervert the course of justice.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said Iyamu forced victims to take oaths that bound their loyalty to her on pain of death.

Iyamu, who was made a British citizen in 2009 and worked as an NHS agency nurse, declared a modest income of around £14,500 in 2016-17. But inquiries after Iyamu’s arrest in 2017 found she was able to spend thousands on international air travel and to afford a large home in Benin City in Nigeria.

Posted by: Fred || 06/29/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Human Trafficking

#1  Iyamu, who was made a British citizen in 2009

So, not really a Brit, and exploiting her own.
Both country'men' and gender.

Can't say enough bad things about a person like this.
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/29/2018 0:33 Comments || Top||

#2  Jurors were told the 51-year-old Liberia-born British citizen forced the women to swear oaths to hand over money to her during "juju" ceremonies.

Should have made a defense that she was a union organizer.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/29/2018 8:49 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Is your missle on backwards?
[twitter]

Posted by: 3dc || 06/29/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  But he looks scary.
They even do any urban fighting?
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/29/2018 0:42 Comments || Top||

#2  (Facepalm)....


Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 06/29/2018 6:39 Comments || Top||

#3  I kust finished reading Lt. Col. Robert K. Brown's I An Soldier of Fortune

Whether you think hes a self promoting charlatan or the real deal, one thing that always comes out in the stories of the places he has been is what sh*tholes they are and how vicious the locals are.
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/29/2018 7:50 Comments || Top||

#4  M. Murcek - You may also enjoy 'Against All Odds.' Just over 760 pages of African conflict, politics, betrayal, treachery and tribal butchery.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/29/2018 8:13 Comments || Top||

#5  ...so sorta like Chicago, Baltimore, et al (bastions of one party rule).
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/29/2018 8:41 Comments || Top||

#6  Thanks, B, I'll read it for sure. My kind of thing...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/29/2018 9:46 Comments || Top||

#7  Just over 760 pages of African conflict, politics, betrayal, treachery and tribal butchery.

Seven hundred some pages, eh? So it only goes back a couple decades.
Posted by: SteveS || 06/29/2018 11:01 Comments || Top||

#8  Seven hundred some pages, eh? So it only goes back a couple decades.

In a single country.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/29/2018 12:26 Comments || Top||

#9  No, Angola, Sierra Leone, etc.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/29/2018 12:34 Comments || Top||

#10  I mean 700 pages barely enough for a single country, oi roineck.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/29/2018 12:39 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
Kim Jong Un ordered army officer executed after giving soldiers extra food: report
[FOXNEWS] North Korean leader Kim Pudge Jong-un
...the overweight, pouty-looking hereditary potentate of North Korea. Pudge appears to believe in his own divinity, but has yet to produce any loaves and fishes, so his subjects remain malnourished...
reportedly ordered a high ranking army officer to be executed after he was accused of giving extra food and fuel rations to troops and their families.

Daily NK reported that Hyon Ju Song, the lieutenant general of the Korean People’s Army in the country’s capital, Pyongyang, was executed by a firing squad for "charges of abusing authority and engaging in anti-Party acts."

Hyon was reportedly a rising star in the army before his death. He served as a member of the Workers' Party of Korea's Central Committee and battalion commander under the Supreme Guard Command.

"While checking the oil supplies for the Sohae Satellite Launching Station during the comprehensive inspections of wartime supplies on April 10, Hyon stated, ’We no longer have to suffer and tighten our belts to make rockets or nuclear weapons.’ This was seen as an abuse of authority and a treasonous statement that opposed the Party’s military-first policy," a source told Daily NK.

Posted by: Fred || 06/29/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Commies


Economy
US Export Dependency by State [2015]
[Twitter]


Posted by: 3dc || 06/29/2018 16:59 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  How about a chart of unemployment due to trade?

Obstructed exports
Worked moved overseas
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/29/2018 19:25 Comments || Top||

#2  America isn't dependent on World Trade like the rest of them are. This is why we'll win the trade war. They need us far more than we need them.
Posted by: Herb McCoy || 06/29/2018 23:02 Comments || Top||


President Trump Breaks Ground for Foxconn Plant in Wisconsin
[Breitbart] President Donald Trump visited a Foxconn manufacturing facility in Wisconsin on Thursday after breaking ground on a building that will bring thousands of jobs to the United States.

The president touted the arrival of the new manufacturing plants in Wisconsin as a result of his tough trade policies, deregulatory agenda, and tax cuts.

"As Foxconn has discovered, there is no better place to build, hire, and grow than right here in the United States," Trump said. "America is open for business ‐ more than it has ever been open for business," he said.

He also credited Gov. Scott Walker for helping bring the vision of a restored manufacturing base to the Midwest.

"I gave Scott the ball," Trump said. "If that were football standards, NFL standards, he ran 2,000 yards in one game. He is an unbelievably talented guy."

The president joked that he hoped Walker would not challenge him for the Republican nomination.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/29/2018 03:34 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
Trump said as the part time prior occupant of the white house for 8 of the last 9 years found 372 more white hairs on his pate while adoring himself in his latest purchase; a 10 foot by 10 foot mirror.
Posted by: Roger29 Palms || 06/29/2018 13:59 Comments || Top||


US GDP growth could hit 15 year high and US dollar is surging
h/t Instapundit
The U.S. trade deficit dropped in May which is causing Wall Street firms to increase GDP growth estimates for the second quarter. Macroeconomic Advisers raised its forecast to 5.3%. They have one of the most detailed forecasts.

Others are also increasing their estimates to 4.5% to 5%.

* Consumer spending is strong with a strong job market and tax cuts.
* Business investment has been strong with the tax cuts
* the US trade deficit has been smaller than expected.

Economists doubt the strong growth can last. Most predict GDP will slow in 2019 and 2020.
Yea, yea, but what about all the people who want nice white collar jobs but can't read or write?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/29/2018 03:27 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The U.S. trade deficit dropped in May which is causing Wall Street firms to increase GDP growth estimates

Cause meet effect.
Posted by: Chaimble Ebbomonter8653 || 06/29/2018 5:19 Comments || Top||

#2  Let's export unemployment
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/29/2018 8:51 Comments || Top||

#3  You said that yesterday, P2k. Is there a theme there?
Posted by: Bobby || 06/29/2018 12:40 Comments || Top||

#4  Change of optics.

I recall when a McD hamburger, small fries and a small drink were 15 cents each. Now its about 3.50 for the lot. People call that 'inflation'. I call it debasing the currency, making the value of the dollar lesser. It's not really politically safe to declare you're making people's money worth less, so they blame 'inflation'.

The same with 'trade'. Instead of calculating trade deficits or pluses, how about counting the amount of your citizenry gainfully employed. Not government/administrative fillers, but actual productive jobs.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/29/2018 21:16 Comments || Top||

#5  ...I wish McDs was still plain cheap, much less that low. Tonight 2 Quarter Pounders and two medium fries cleared $14...

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 06/29/2018 21:59 Comments || Top||

#6  An "I remember" game, I love it!
I remember when a Burger King Whopper was and cost $.55.
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/29/2018 23:24 Comments || Top||


Europe
France Plans Revival Of Compulsory National Service
[NPR.ORG] The French government has a plan to revive compulsory national service for young people between the ages of 16 and 21 ‐ a watered-down version of a proposal put forth on the campaign trail by then-presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron.

Under the plan, French boys and girls would do a minimum of one-month of service, with a focus on "teaching, working with charities, and traditional military training with the police, fire service or army," Euro News reports.

"They can then volunteer to do a further three months to a year after that, which could involve an area linked to [defense] and security, or more volunteer work," the news service says.

Even so, the plan is a toned-down version of what Macron proposed in 2017. His initial idea was "a sort of military service in miniature, with all French citizens forced to have a 'direct experience of military life' for a minimum of one month between the ages of 18 and 21," according to the BBC.

In modern La Belle France, national service ‐ including military conscription for all fit males ‐ dates back to the years leading up to World War I, when the French military tried to keep pace with the growing German Imperial Army. Conscription was continued following World War II and was only phased in 1996. When it ended, the requirement was for males only to serve a minimum of 10 months.

Posted by: Fred || 06/29/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  What will they do with the Moroccans?
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/29/2018 0:30 Comments || Top||

#2  ....and Iraqis, and Syrians, and Somalis, and...
Posted by: Raj || 06/29/2018 0:39 Comments || Top||

#3  ....and Iraqis, and Syrians, and Somalis, and...What will they do with the Moroccans?

Simple, put them in the French Foreign Legion, and send them to Africa to handle French interest there. If they survive the tour, they can then apply for Français par le sang versé and obtain French citizenship.

Solves a lot of problems right there!
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance || 06/29/2018 2:59 Comments || Top||

#4  Do enough French-persons still believe in France as a country for this to work?
Posted by: SteveS || 06/29/2018 3:18 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
FBI Chief Christopher Wray: ‘I've Never Completely Understood the Term Deep State'
[Breitbart] Thursday while testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, FBI Director Christopher Wray said he never had "completely understood" the concept of a "deep state" in government.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) asked, "So I asked in another hearing, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, was there a deep state at the State Department. He laughed, and he basically said no, there was not. So, Director Wray, I’m going to ask you. Is there a deep state at the FBI?"

Wray answered, "Congressman, I’ve never completely understood the term ’deep state.’ What I can tell you is that we have 37,000 men and women working in field offices all over the country and in offices all over the world. They are people of character, of courage, of principle, of selflessness and of patriotism. And that’s the FBI that I see."
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/29/2018 12:56 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Painting the 'field office' people with the 7th floor brush. Nicely done you disingenuous arsehole.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/29/2018 13:02 Comments || Top||

#2  Blutarsky said it best...
Posted by: Raj || 06/29/2018 13:36 Comments || Top||

#3  we have 37,000 men and women working in field offices all over the country and in offices all over the world.

Wonder if he's ever spoke with one of them "under the rose"?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/29/2018 14:22 Comments || Top||

#4 
Posted by: 3dc || 06/29/2018 16:53 Comments || Top||

#5  #3 Wonder if he's ever spoke with one of them "under the rose"? --g(r)omgoru
Would you trust this smarmy jackass if he told you to "...speak frankly and don't worry about repercussions..."? I sure wouldn't.
Posted by: magpie || 06/29/2018 17:00 Comments || Top||

#6  Well, Chris you are now the director of our premier Federal investigative agency. You've never understand "deep state." How about "shadow government?" Do you understand the following terms "swamp?" What about "subversive activities" in your agency? Sedition? Treason?
Posted by: JohnQC || 06/29/2018 17:19 Comments || Top||

#7  Every time this moron "testifies" before congress, the first, third, fifth and so on questions should be "describe an actual criminal case the FBI broke last week." Every hearing should end with "Is it true that committed amateurs broke the D.B. Cooper case where the FBI could not?"
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/29/2018 17:19 Comments || Top||

#8  Treason smugness.
Posted by: Woodrow || 06/29/2018 17:20 Comments || Top||

#9  One simple question for this fellow:

Senior FBI employee Peter Strzok's security clearance was either suspended or revoked.

Tell us WHY and be specific !
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/29/2018 17:23 Comments || Top||

#10  #5 Still paying for it.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/29/2018 17:25 Comments || Top||

#11  Known wolves. However, its far better to just watch and not interfere because our sheep citizens are expendable rather than expose the danger and end our work. When government decides what you get to know and not know.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/29/2018 19:28 Comments || Top||

#12  The sainted rank and file had treason happening right under their noses, which means either they were in on it or too stupid to carry a badge.
Posted by: Regular joe || 06/29/2018 20:47 Comments || Top||


Science & Technology
SpaceX likely to expend its last rocket for a while on Friday
[ARSTECHNICA] When SpaceX launches its 15th resupply mission to the International Space Station, possibly as early as Friday morning at 5:42am ET (09:42 UTC), the company plans to fly the Block 4 version of its Falcon 9 rocket for the final time.

The company's next two launches in July were already known to be flying on the latest and presumably final revision to the Falcon 9 rocket—the Block 5 variant. But during a news conference Thursday, the company's manager for the Dragon spacecraft program, Jessica Jensen, confirmed that there will be no more Block 4 flights after the impending space station launch.

The Block 5 version of the rocket, which has been optimized for reusability, has flown one time when it made a successful flight in May. Since then, SpaceX has been working through its inventory of previously flown rockets. The booster scheduled to fly Friday first launched just a little more than two months ago, on April 18, sending NASA's planet-hunting TESS spacecraft into a lunar resonant orbit. This 10-week turnaround was remarkably fast for a Block 4 booster, but SpaceX says its Block 5 should be able to fly much more rapidly.

Posted by: Fred || 06/29/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Last block 4. Not last rocket.
Posted by: 3dc || 06/29/2018 11:27 Comments || Top||

#2  US Scheduled Launches:
Date - Satellite(s) - Rocket - Launch Site - Time (UTC)

2018
NET July 20 - Iridium Next Flight 7 (x10) - Falcon 9 - Vandenberg SLC-4E - 12:12
NET July 19 21 - Telstar 19 Vantage - Falcon 9 - Canaveral SLC-40 - 05:50-09:50
August 4 - Parker Solar Probe (Solar Probe Plus) [LWS-6 Living With a Star mission-6] - Delta IV-H/Star-48BV [D-380] - Canaveral SLC-37B - 07:57-09:57
Early Mid- August - Merah Putih (Telkom 4) - Falcon 9 - Canaveral SLC-40
NET Early Mid-August - Telstar 18 Vantage (APStar 5C) - Falcon 9 - Canaveral SLC-40 (or Late July)
Late August - Es’hail 2 (AMSAT P4A) - Falcon 9 - Canaveral SLC-40
August - Unicorn-2a, Alfa Orbital UG Delfi-PQ1, TU Delft - Vector-R (Wolverine) - Kodiak (or H2 Late)
NET Mid-Summer August - test launch (ballast/dummy payload) - LauncherOne - Runway 12/30 Spaceport America (Mojave), Boeing 747 "Cosmic Girl"
September 12 - ICESat-II, ELaNa-XVIII: ELFIN, IT-SPINS, CHEFsat - Delta II 7420-10C - Vandenberg SLC-2W - 12:46-15:20 (or October)
NET August 30 September 16 (TBD) - Dragon v2 (unmanned test) (SpX-DM1)- Falcon 9 (B1051) - Kennedy LC-39A ~10:00 (or Late)
September 26 - NROL-71: KH-11 17 (Crystal 17, Block 5 #1) (TBD) - Delta IV-H - Vandenberg SLC-6
September 30 - ORS-6 (COWVR, WSGF), Spaceflight SSO-A/SHERPA SSO : ORS 7A, ORS 7B, COPPER 2, MinXSS 2, Audacy Zero, Eu:CROPIS, BlackSky Global 2, STPSat-5, SkySat 14, SkySat 15, NEXTSat 1, HawkEye Pathfinder 1, HawkEye Pathfinder 2, HawkEye Pathfinder 3, Fox 1C, KNACKSAT, Elysium-Star 2, JY1-Sat, Myriota, KazSTSAT, Kazakhstans scientific CubeSat, ROSE-1, ICEYE X2, SpaceCap, CSIM-FD, Hiber 2, Orbital Reflector, PW-Sat 2, Hamilton 1, MOVE 2, Flock-v (x36) - Falcon 9 - Vandenberg SLC-4E
September - SAOCOM-1A, ITASAT-1 - Falcon 9 - Vandenberg SLC-4E
NET September - Iridium Next Flight 8 (x10) - Falcon 9 - Vandenberg SLC-4E (or Early October)
NET Q3 - Planet Labs tech-demo sat, INCA, ALBus, CACTUS 1, ExoCube 2, MicroMAS 2b, MiTEE 1, Q-PACE, Fox 1E, MakerSat 0, CAPE 3, SurfSat, PICS 1, PICS 2 + 12 sats - LauncherOne - Runway 12/30 Spaceport America (Mojave), Boeing 747 "Cosmic Girl"
H2 - ICON (Ionospheric Connection Explorer) [Helio EX-1] - Pegasus XL - Kwajalein, L-1011 "Stargazer"
NET H2 - Astrium active SARah-1 satellite, TBD - Falcon 9 - Vandenberg SLC-4E (or 2019)
Q4 - PSN-6 (Pasifik Satelit Nusantara 6), U.S. government satellite - Falcon 9 - Canaveral SLC-40
Q4 - SAS constellation sat (x12) - LauncherOne - Runway 12/30 Spaceport America (Mojave), Boeing 747 "Cosmic Girl" (or 2019)
October 5 - AEHF-4 - Atlas V 531 (AV-073) - Canaveral SLC-41
NET October 30 - STP-02: DSX (SSTE 4, Cygnus, SET 1), FORMOSAT 7A/7B/7C/7D/7E/7F (COSMIC-2A equatorial), GPIM, OTB 1, FalconSat 6, FalconSat 7, NPSat 1, Oculus-ASR, Prox 1 + LightSail B, ARMADILLO, TBEx A, TBEx B, Prometheus 2.5, Prometheus 2.6, Prometheus 2.7, Prometheus 2.8, Prometheus 2.9, Prometheus 2.10, PSat 2, BRICSat 1, BRICSat 2, TEPCE 1, TEPCE 2, CP 9 (LEO), StangSat, DOTSI, CNGB, Ballast - Falcon Heavy-02 - Kennedy LC-39A
NET October - GPS III-1 - Falcon 9 - Canaveral SLC-40
NET November 7 - Radarsat C-1, Radarsat С-2, Radarsat С-3 - Falcon 9 - Vandenberg SLC-4E
NET November 18 - Dragon SpX-16 (CRS-16), IDA3 GEDI, RRM3 - Falcon 9 - Kennedy LC-39A
November 21 - Cygnus OA-10 (CRS-10) - Antares-230 - MARS LP-0A
NET Late November - CST-100 Starliner (unmanned test) (Boe-OFT) - Atlas V N22 (AV-080) - Canaveral SLC-41 ~10:00
December 13 - WGS-10 - Delta IV-M+(5,4) - Canaveral SLC-37
December 31 - CST-100 Starliner (manned test) (Boe-CFT) - Atlas V N22 (AV-082) - Canaveral SLC-41
NET December - Arabsat 6A - Falcon Heavy - Kennedy LC-39A (or January 2019)
Late - NROL-111 - Minotaur I - MARS LP-0B
Posted by: 3dc || 06/29/2018 11:30 Comments || Top||

#3 
Quite the schedule. Maybe Tesla should be split into two entities before the whole ship sinks.
Posted by: Roger29 Palms || 06/29/2018 14:07 Comments || Top||

#4  Well, most of the "visionary" enterprises went initially bankrupt and the second, third, or even fourth owner made a success of it.
Posted by: magpie || 06/29/2018 16:09 Comments || Top||


An early morning launch to the space station! Friday, June 29 at 5:42 am EDT.


Posted by: 3dc || 06/29/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:


Southeast Asia
Communist rebels tell Philippine leader: No more talks
[FOXNEWS] A Philippine communist rebel leader said Thursday that the murderous Moslems can no longer hold peace talks with President Rodrigo Duterte's administration and that it is better to help oust him and negotiate with his successor.

Jose Maria Sison said Duterte wants the guerrillas to surrender without addressing the social ills that have inflamed one of Asia's longest communist rebellions. He criticized the president for being "subservient to U.S. imperialism" and blamed him for the "traitorous sellout" of disputed South China Sea territories to China.

After preliminary talks, both sides agreed to a new temporary cease-fire on June 21, with peace talks to resume on Thursday in Norway, which has been brokering the decades-long negotiations. But Duterte delayed the resumption indefinitely, antagonizing the guerrillas.

"Based on the implications drawn from the current impasse," the rebel front involved in the talks, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, "can no longer negotiate with a government of the Republic of the Philippines that is headed by Duterte," Sison said.

Posted by: Fred || 06/29/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Oooohhh, commies vs. muzzies.
Posted by: Skidmark || 06/29/2018 0:34 Comments || Top||

#2  … vs. Duterte.
Posted by: ryuge || 06/29/2018 11:36 Comments || Top||


Government
Puerto Rico pushes for statehood by 2021
[CNN] In the wake of Hurricane Maria, the island territory of Puerto Rico is making a new push to become a state within the next three years.

Puerto Rico's representative in the House, Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón introduced the bill Wednesday that would make the territory a state "no later than January 1, 2021."

This is the second time González-Colón, who has no voting power in the House except in committees, has pushed for statehood since elected resident commissioner.

"The catastrophe left behind by Hurricanes Irma and María unmasked the reality of the unequal treatment of the American living in Puerto Rico, forcing the Executive to approve waivers and Congress to make exceptions so that we could receive help," González-Colón said in a news release Wednesday.

"My colleagues saw firsthand the effects of this unequal treatment due solely to our territorial situation. Statehood is nothing else than Equality; and this Admission Act provides the means to put into effect the values of Democracy and Respect upon which our Nation is built."

Ricardo Rosselló, Puerto Rico's governor, echoed her.

"The fight for Puerto Rico's Equality is one of civil rights," he said in the release.

So far the bill has bipartisan support and currently 37 co-sponsors -- a majority of which are Republicans.

The Puerto Rico Admission Act of 2018 proposes creating a bipartisan task force -- the Congressional Task Force on Equality for American Citizens of Puerto Rico -- of nine members to help with the transition and make recommendations to Congress
Posted by: Fred || 06/29/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Split CA up into three and add Puerto Rico and we've got 53 states. We need one more and updating the flag will be easy.
Posted by: ruprecht || 06/29/2018 0:20 Comments || Top||

#2  "Not This Shit Again" picture guy - please come back from mowing the yard...
Posted by: Raj || 06/29/2018 0:32 Comments || Top||

#3  Still need four more to get the 57 we supposedly already had.
Posted by: Glenmore || 06/29/2018 0:41 Comments || Top||

#4  The fight for Puerto Rico's Equality is one of civil rights," he said in the release.

BS. Why do they want to become a state now? Besides being broke?
Posted by: Clem Kadiddlehopper9000 || 06/29/2018 0:43 Comments || Top||

#5  Just give the place back to Spain.
Posted by: PBMcL || 06/29/2018 1:55 Comments || Top||

#6  Why do they want to become a state now?

Yeah, given that they have voted about N times *not* to be a state (if memory serves). They do know if they become a state, Donald Trump will be their Prez, right?
Posted by: SteveS || 06/29/2018 3:06 Comments || Top||

#7  Why do they want to become a state now?

IMO, they don't - it's just a stunt to squeeze some $$$ from the Gov.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/29/2018 3:22 Comments || Top||

#8  The three PR factions continue as they have for decades; State Hood, Nationhood, Status Quo. Financial exploitation of the U.S. drives the individual arguments.
Posted by: Besoeker || 06/29/2018 3:29 Comments || Top||

#9  An independent nation is also a state. Just sayin'...
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 06/29/2018 6:08 Comments || Top||

#10  No. No additional Democrat Senators
Posted by: Frank G || 06/29/2018 7:24 Comments || Top||

#11  Puerto Rico gains statehood and its economy is totally captured by stateside plungers within five years.
Posted by: Clurong Peacock9529 || 06/29/2018 7:59 Comments || Top||

#12  Well, they seem to have qualified Dem pols:

Posted by: Maggie Elmineque8767 || 06/29/2018 8:19 Comments || Top||

#13  No.

They are bluer than Illinois and even broker. I'm for cutting them lose completely so they don't suck at Uncle Sugar's tit anymore.
Posted by: DarthVader || 06/29/2018 9:02 Comments || Top||

#14  Yup! Forgive their debts as they won't be paid anyway and let them decide if they want to be more like the Dominican Republic or like Haiti.
Posted by: Capsu78 || 06/29/2018 11:53 Comments || Top||

#15  IIRC they pay no Fed taxes hence not wanting to become a state..untilllll - the disaster hits and now we want $$$ to rebuild. You don't get it both ways suckers!
Posted by: Warthog || 06/29/2018 15:29 Comments || Top||

#16  Forget that
Posted by: newc || 06/29/2018 15:51 Comments || Top||

#17  Let Cuba have them.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 06/29/2018 15:57 Comments || Top||

#18  let them decide if they want to be more like the Dominican Republic or like Haiti.

We should point out that being like Haiti comes with Clintons and cholera.
Posted by: SteveS || 06/29/2018 16:33 Comments || Top||

#19  Actually Elon Musk has done more than other individuals to help them.
At one time he wanted to launch his rockets from Roosevelt Roads. (one of the better places on the planet to launch from). They told him to get lost!
He still helped them.
Maybe they should just gift themselves to Tesla?
Elon would fix them up enough so his digs didn't look like crap.
Posted by: 3dc || 06/29/2018 16:58 Comments || Top||

#20  We don't need another failed state such as California or Illinois.
Posted by: JohnQC || 06/29/2018 17:22 Comments || Top||

#21  Money grab, lib senate grab.
Posted by: Woodrow || 06/29/2018 17:37 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Culture Wars
Whoopi Goldberg to Potential Trump SCOTUS Pick: ‘Get Out of My Vagina'
[Breitbart] Thursday on ABC’s "The View," co-host Whoopi Goldberg discussed her concerns over President Donald Trump picking a Supreme Court nominee to replace Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Advocating for abortion rights Goldberg said, "Get out of my vagina."
Ew! Ew! Ew, nasty image! Go away! Go away!


Goldberg said, "Here’s the piss-off for me. I’m the person that does believe that just because someone is appointed doesn’t mean ‐and I believe I have said that a lot about the Supreme Court ‐ that you never know a person on the Supreme Court is going to vote because sometimes, you know, things change. They wake up. They see things. I don’t like hearing, again, that I’m trying to take your rights away. I have to tell you, as a woman, I think you’re trying to take my rights away."
Posted by: Anomalous Sources || 06/29/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under:

#1  At last, an infallible cure for unwanted thoughts of baseball!
Posted by: Albemarle Phaiter6709 || 06/29/2018 0:42 Comments || Top||

#2  I don't think 'to go where no man has gone before' is part of the oath for a Supreme Court Justive so she's safe.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 06/29/2018 1:42 Comments || Top||

#3  Whoopi's odds of a Presidential vaginal encounter are the same as Rosie O'Donnell's.
Posted by: Chineter McCoy9052 || 06/29/2018 2:03 Comments || Top||

#4  Because it's your holy of holies?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 06/29/2018 3:23 Comments || Top||

#5  I will Whoopi, as soon as I find my car keys
Posted by: Regular joe || 06/29/2018 7:12 Comments || Top||

#6  Dear worshipers of Baal,

Nothing stops your state governments' ability to pass legislation that is in effect Roe vs Wade. Get on with it. You have enough votes, make it happen. If by chance you don't, maybe you need to reconsider moving to one that does. My guess those states already are experiencing a population decline and can use the boost from your migration.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 06/29/2018 8:46 Comments || Top||

#7  I don't think this is going to be a problem Whoopie.
Posted by: JohnQC || 06/29/2018 8:47 Comments || Top||

#8  I don't think 'to go where no man has gone before' is part of the oath for a Supreme Court Justice so she's safe.

Uh...as I recall, Ted Danson tapped that.
Posted by: Pearl Cleang3837 || 06/29/2018 8:54 Comments || Top||

#9  I think Jean Luc Picard might have gone there too, though he's rumored to be not leaning that way. In any event, science fiction is nearly ruined for me...
Posted by: M. Murcek || 06/29/2018 10:17 Comments || Top||

#10  ‘Get Out of My Vagina'

Well, then toss me a rope!
Posted by: SteveS || 06/29/2018 16:31 Comments || Top||

#11  Where are my keys? I'll drive the truck out.
Posted by: Woodrow || 06/29/2018 17:39 Comments || Top||



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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2018-06-29
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Thu 2018-06-28
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Wed 2018-06-27
  Anthony Kennedy retiring from Supreme Court
Tue 2018-06-26
  SCOTUS upholds Trump travel ban
Mon 2018-06-25
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Sun 2018-06-24
  TTP appoints Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud as chief after Fazlullah's killing
Sat 2018-06-23
  Indonesian cleric sentenced to death over 2016 ISIS/JAD terror attack
Fri 2018-06-22
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Thu 2018-06-21
  Militant leader gunned down in southern Thailand
Wed 2018-06-20
  Taliban kill 30 Afghan soldiers and take base in first major attack since ceasefire
Tue 2018-06-19
  Philippine airstrikes target ISIS-linked militants near Marawi
Mon 2018-06-18
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Sun 2018-06-17
  Israeli Air Force Attacks 'Leader of Gaza Cell Behind Burning Kites'
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Fri 2018-06-15
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