Sunday, July 29, 2018

In the news, Friday, July 20, 2018


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JUL 19      INDEX      JUL 21
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Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
Some sources may require subscription.

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from City Journal
A quarterly magazine of urban affairs, published by the Manhattan Institute

Universally Wrongheaded
“The issue is not that the United States cannot pull its people above the poverty line,” writes Annie Lowrey, “but that it does not want to.” America’s safety net fails people because it is designed to do so, she argues, “woven as it is with deliberate and large holes.” The solution, per the title of her new book, is to Give People Money. The idea, specifically, is a “universal basic income” (UBI)—a government program that would send $1,000 to every American, every month, no strings attached, giving everyone enough to live on. A family of four would get $48,000, nearly equal to the nation’s median household income. Lowrey is a wonderful writer, and to make her case for UBI she takes readers on a fascinating global tour—from the border between the Koreas to rural Kenya, from the International Auto Show in Detroit to homeless shelters in Maine. The book falls short, though, when it moves from narrative to analysis—translating these examples, and the societal failings and challenges that they reveal, into the case for a radical policy. It mistakes a shiny object for a silver bullet. Handing out money will not change the underlying conditions of poverty. Artificially raising everyone’s income does nothing to make the recipients more productive or to enable their participation in the economy and society.

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from Competitive Enterprise Institute
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS

House Votes for Scalise Resolution Opposing Carbon Taxes
The House of Representative voted on July 19th for a resolution “expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to American families and businesses and is not in the best interest of the United States.” The final vote on H. Con. Res. 119 was 229 to 180. Seven Democrats joined 222 Republicans in favor, while six Republicans joined 174 Democrats against.

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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization

Why Indefinite Detention Is Un-American
Governments throughout the vast majority of history have abused individual liberty and ignored basic safeguards like due process and habeas corpus. Sections 1021 and 1022 of the National Defense Authorization Act opened the door for the United States to be treated as a “battlefield” and allow the government to indefinitely detain and imprison any person by only accusations or suspicions of a crime without due process or trial by jury. This is dangerous to liberty.

Why the ‘Conservative’ Carbon Tax Is a Non-Starter
The carbon tax needs to be called out for what it really is: just another tax. A carbon tax would have massive implications on the American economy regardless of what the initial tax rate is set.

Another California City is Trying a Universal Basic Income: Will it Work?
Starting in 2019, the city of Stockton will join San Francisco and Oakland in testing a “Universal Basic Income” (UBI) program that could eventually be expanded to a state or national level.

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from Financial Times
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Henry Kissinger: ‘We are in a very, very grave period’
The grand consigliere of American diplomacy talks about Putin, the new world order — and the meaning of Trump. Kissinger embarks on a disquisition about Russia’s “almost mystical” tolerance for suffering. His key point is that the west wrongly assumed in the years before Putin annexed Crimea that Russia would adopt the west’s rules-based order. Nato misread Russia’s deep-seated craving for respect. “The mistake Nato has made is to think that there is a sort of historic evolution that will march across Eurasia and not to understand that somewhere on that march it will encounter something very different to a Westphalian [western idea of a state] entity. And for Russia this is a challenge to its identity.” Do you mean that we provoked Putin, I ask. “I do not think Putin is a character like Hitler,” Kissinger replies. “He comes out of Dostoyevsky.”

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from Front Porch Republic

This selection of writings aims to make manifest to the reader Simone Weil’s “intensity in the pursuit of truth” and the “sense of the eternal which Weil had to an extreme degree.”  The admirably succinct biographical introduction describes how Weil “discovered, much to her surprise, that her pursuit of truth was, finally, the pursuit of Christ.”  She is especially valuable for opening this path toward Christ as truth “for those who struggle with institutional religion,” since her quest shows how “Christ makes himself known … to those who follow the deepest desire of their hearts.”

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from KHQ Local News (NBC Spokane)

Amazon.com to bring more than 1,500 jobs to Spokane
Seattle-based Amazon.com is opening a fulfillment center in Spokane, promising more than 1,500 full-time jobs. The company announced on Friday that it was opening its first fulfillment center in eastern Washington. The 600,000-square foot center will be built near the Spokane International Airport.

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

Wildfire burning 70,000 acres closes I-90 near Vantage; Spokane wakes up to smoky skies
A wildfire in Kittitas County has burned more than 70,000 acres and closed lanes of Interstate 90 near Vantage. As of 7 a.m. Friday, westbound lanes were open near Vantage, but the eastbound lanes remained closed and were expected to be reevaluated at 4 p.m., according to the Washington Department of Transportation. Evacuations were ordered in Kittitas County and Wanapum State Park. The Boylston fire is among several that have scorched scrubland and wheat fields in Eastern and Central Washington, and Eastern Oregon.

Amazon confirms plans for fulfillment center near airport
After months of speculation, Amazon confirmed today that it is the entity behind a huge warehouse planned near the Spokane International Airport. The opening date is forecast for late 2019. More than 1,500 people will work in the center, with hiring to begin in 2019, according to a company spokeswoman. The numbers of workers could swell to nearly 3,000 during the holiday peak.

County pushes back against state move to expand commission
As the state of Washington moves forward on a new law to expand Spokane County’s board of commissioners from three members to five, the county is pushing back, and is planning a lawsuit to block the expansion. Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill in March, requiring counties with populations of more than 400,000 residents to have a board of five commissioners, to be elected by district in both the primary and general elections. Currently, Spokane County commissioners run in primary elections where they live and are then elected countywide in the general election.

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In the news, Thursday, July 19, 2018


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JUL 18      INDEX      JUL 20
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Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
Some sources may require subscription.

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from Asia Times Online
News & Media Website

Open Letter to Larry Kudlow: You need a different China strategy
Dear Larry: China threatens American preeminence and President Trump is right to worry about it. But you’re going about it the wrong way, and your approach will produce results very different from what you expect or want. The world isn’t lining up with us. It’s lining up against US. China and its One Belt, One Road economic sphere—stretching from Turkey to the Philippines—represents the world’s fastest-growing consumer market. China will open its market selectively, bribing our erstwhile friends and allies. It might take a minor hit to growth (between 0.5% and 1% of GDP growth per year, according to most estimates), but it will survive a trade war with the US with an expanded Asian market.

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from The Atlantic
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

A New Talking Point From the Pro-Trump Fringe
A new line of punditry is bubbling up among the president’s followers online: It was a positive thing that the Russians hacked the 2016 election.

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from Competitive Enterprise Institute
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS

CEI Praises Dept of Interior's Proposed Changes to Endangered Species Act Regulations
After decades of implementation, it's clear that the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has a sad record of identifying and recovering endangered species while it's been used to stymie economic growth and trample on private property rights.

CEI Supports Resolution Opposing a Carbon Tax
This week, the U.S. House will vote on an anti-carbon tax resolution, introduced earlier this year by Reps. Steve Scalise (R-LA) and David McKinley (R-WV), “expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy.” Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) energy and environmental policy experts said the following about H.Con.Res 119. Carbon taxes are not a solution to anything except increasing government revenues and control over people. Carbon taxes will raise the cost of electricity, motor fuels, airfares, manufactured products, transporting freight, food, and anything else that uses energy. Nearly every proposed carbon tax proposal includes an automatic escalator, which means even if the tax starts small it will go up every year—ever increasing tax revenues without having to vote for them.

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from Gateway Pundit  News & Media Website
Questionable Source, Extreme Right, Propaganda, Conspiracy, Nationalism, Some Fake News

Leftist Antifa Terrorist Arrested with Bombs with Plans to Sell to Friends to Kill Law Enforcement
South Dakota officials arrested far left Antifa terrorist Mark Einerwold on charges of burglary, damage to property and possession of weapons and explosives. Einerwold had plans to sell to the explosives to associates to bomb law enforcement.

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from National Review
RIGHT BIAS

The Ninth Circuit Protects Gun Rights and Stops Confiscation
Every now and then the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals — arguably the nation’s most progressive federal circuit — can offer up a legal surprise. Yesterday, it gave us a legal shock, when a divided panel of its judges affirmed last year’s federal district-court injunction temporarily blocking enforcement of California’s confiscatory ban on so-called large-capacity magazines.

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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from Sputnik
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, MIXED, Broadcasting & Media Production Company out of Moscow, Russia

Iran is Uninterested in Nuclear Armament - Analyst
Iran’s rotor centrifuge factory came online Wednesday, but even though it will help Tehran’s plans to increase its uranium enrichment capacity, the Middle Eastern country remains uninterested in pursuing nuclear weapons, an economist and political analyst told Sputnik.

Canada’s Trudeau Appoints a Border Security Minister to Deal with Migration
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, faced with heavy criticism for not taking the issue seriously, has decided to appoint a Minister of Border Security, tasked with dealing with unending border violations by people fleeing the US after US President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigrants.

Trump Says He Holds Putin Personally Responsible for Election Meddling
US President Donald Trump told CBS News in an interview aired Wednesday that he holds Russian President Vladimir Putin personally responsible for Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.

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from Vox
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Maria Butina, explained: the accused Russian spy who tried to sway US politics through the NRA
She met with Donald Trump Jr. and lived with a Republican consultant. Where will this investigation lead? Amid the sprawling scandal over Russian interference with the 2016 election, there’s long been an odd subplot over Russian ties to, of all groups, the National Rifle Association — ties that, according to McClatchy, have been investigated by the FBI. Now the arrest of 29-year-old Russian national Maria Butina on charges of conspiracy and acting as an agent of a foreign government has put those questions about the famous gun rights group on center stage. But despite the new indictment (which is not part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe), the full extent of what happened here remains mysterious.

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In the news, Wednesday, July 18, 2018


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JUL 17      INDEX      JUL 19
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from Asia Times Online
News & Media Website

Chinese consumers ready to boycott US goods, survey shows
Trade weapon is locked and loaded, but Beijing is showing restraint.

Trump ‘so dissatisfied’ with China trade talks, keeping pressure on: Kudlow
Top economic advisor’s comments confirm pessimistic view of negotiations.

EU hits Google with record fine
Internet giant denies it abused the dominance of its Android operating system.


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from The Atlantic
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Why It's a Bad Idea to Tell Students Words Are Violence
A claim increasingly heard on campus will make them more anxious and more willing to justify physical harm.

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from Competitive Enterprise Institute
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS

CEI Criticizes European Union's Antitrust Decision Against Google
The European Union announced its decision today to fine Google $5 billion in an antitrust case involving the tech giant’s Android operating system. Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) regulatory experts lamented the decision. The European Union's $5 billion antitrust decision against Google's Android operating system could cause immense consumer harm by requiring Google to provide an inferior product for no good reason.

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from HumanProgress.org  Education Website

Cities Are Central to Human Flourishing
Increasing urbanization may not sound like a particularly positive and newsworthy trend. In fact, cities are the engines of human liberation and economic growth. Urbanization is also good for the planet, for people in the cities have a smaller environmental footprint than people in the countryside. As such, it should be welcomed and encouraged.

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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from Sputnik
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, MIXED, Broadcasting & Media Production Company out of Moscow, Russia

Trump Ponders NATO Article 5: Montenegro 'May Get Aggressive & You're in WWIII'
President Trump has come back from last week's NATO summit in Brussels armed with new questions about the possible dangers stemming from the NATO alliance's commitment to mutual defense.

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from UPI News Agency - United Press International
upi.com

DHS expected to decide whether to extend Somali protected status
3:15 PM: The Department of Homeland Security is expected to decide whether to cancel or extend protected status for hundreds of Somalis living in the U.S. by Thursday, and experts warn revoking the protection would send the Somalis back to a country where terrorist groups are torturing thousands of residents.

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In the news, Tuesday, July 17, 2018


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JUL 16      INDEX      JUL 18
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Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
Some sources may require subscription.

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from Alex Jones (INFOWARS.COM)
CONSPIRACY-PSEUDOSCIENCE,  LOW,  radio program and website run by Alex Jones

Democratic Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL) pressured Facebook to ban Infowars during a hearing into social media censorship today on Capitol Hill. During the House Judiciary Committee inquiry into social media bias, Deutch attempted to lobby Facebook’s Monika Bickert, Head of Global Policy Management, into banning Infowars content. People may differ on their views about Infowars but this is clearly a foot in the door on censoring other Alternative Media outlets and thus Christians, patriots, conservatives, constitutionalists...etc. If they are attacking one source we must treat it as an attack on all.

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from Asia Times Online
News & Media Website

Brushing Russia probe aside, Trump, Putin lay groundwork for future talks
Leaders dismiss questions on investigation into Russian meddling; closed-door discussion touched on areas of possible cooperation, including Syria.

Trump is right about who’s to blame for bad relations with Russia
Washington’s naiveté regarding Moscow comes not from the current administration, but from previous presidents who foolishly designed to reshape Russia in America’s image.

EU, Japan put Trump on defensive with ‘historic’ trade deal
The two countries were expected to sign deal on Tuesday, sending a message that free trade lives on despite US protectionism.

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from Competitive Enterprise Institute
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS

CEI Report: EPA's Science Transparency Rule Makes Science Stronger
The Environmental Protection Agency uses so-called "secret science" to justify burdensome regulations on consumers. Now, the Trump Administration is considering a rule that would promote transparency of scientific data used to write major regulations.

House Bipartisan JOBS Act 3.0 Act Will Cut Red Tape for Investors, Small Companies
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives will likely pass by a substantial margin a legislative package — backed by both House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) and Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA) — being called the “JOBS Act 3.0.”

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from Miami Herald

Tribe begins negotiations with possible new coal plant owner
The Navajo Nation continues to press to bring back coal. The Associated Press reports President Russell Begaye told members of the Navajo Nation Council that an agreement could be ready for them to consider by October. Environmental groups have said the coal plant is not worth saving and have urged tribal officials to focus on renewable energy projects.

After almost two years of unending chaos, the only shocking thing about Donald Trump’s disastrous Helsinki press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin is that some people were apparently shocked. That suggests they expected better, which, in turn, suggests they still don’t understand what we’re dealing with. They don’t get that there’s no pivot coming, no magic moment when Trump becomes thoughtful, intelligent, presidential. He will not grow into the job, or change, or improve. What you see is what you get. What you see is what there is.

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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from Washington Examiner

Helsinki update: Russia ready ‘to charge’ US officials for financial ‘crimes’
Russia wants to charge former Ambassador Michael McFaul and several U.S. intelligence officials with financial crimes, Russian officials revealed Tuesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin broached the topic during his summit with President Trump, when he offered to allow Special Counsel Robert Mueller to attend the questioning of Russian spies accused of conducting cyberattacks against the Democratic Party in 2016. In exchange, Putin’s team wants to question McFaul and at least three National Security Agency officials in connection to a case involving Bill Browder, a hedge fund manager who has led an international effort to impose sanctions on Russian officials implicated in human rights abuses.

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In the news, Monday, July 16, 2018


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JUL 15      INDEX      JUL 17
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from Competitive Enterprise Institute
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS

For Sake of Public Health, FDA Should Not Ban E-cigarette Flavors
Based on the U.S. government’s own evidence, tobacco use among adolescents has declined faster since e-cigarettes came to the market.

5 Facts about Vapes that Media and Activists Don’t Want You to Know
The news media and activists like to hype e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco products as a health hazard, but the reality is that e-cigarettes could help save smokers’ lives.

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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization

What Part of “Brexit Now” Don’t You Understand?
In voting to leave the E.U., the British were clearly voting to bring with them every part of their sovereignty that had been conceded to the E.U.—including the jurisdiction of their courts, the ability to make all of their laws, their territorial waters, and everything else. So let’s say it directly. Any Brexit that doesn’t do all of those things isn’t Brexit.

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from HumanProgress.org
Education Website

Increasing urbanization may not sound like a particularly positive and newsworthy trend. In fact, cities are the engines of human liberation and economic growth. Urbanization is also good for the planet, for people in the cities have a smaller environmental footprint than people in the countryside. As such, it should be welcomed and encouraged. Traditionally, between 80 percent and 90 percent of humanity lived in rural areas and worked in agriculture. As late as 1900, 40 percent of Americans, to give just one example, worked on farms. Today, less than 2 percent do. Prior to mechanization, farm work was physically exhausting and poorly paid, which helps to explain why people started to move from the countryside to the cities. At first, most found employment in manufacturing. Today, they tend to occupy better paid and physically less strenuous jobs in the service sector.

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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from Sputnik
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, MIXED, Broadcasting & Media Production Company out of Moscow, Russia

US Media Loses It Over Trump-Putin Presser, Forgets American History
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper did not think Monday’s news conference in Helsinki, Finland, between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump went well, calling it “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American leader.”

US Pentagon Chief Shoots Down Report of Damage Control After Heated NATO Summit
US Defense Secretary Jim “Mad Dog” Mattis struck down a recent report that suggested Pentagon officials were engaged in “damage control” following US President Donald Trump’s heated remarks at NATO allies.

The US president and his Russian counterpart have met in Helsinki to discuss a wide array of issues, including bilateral relations between the two countries. Sputnik has summed up the highlights from the press conference after their first one-on-one meeting. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have labeled the talks as highly "successful," "productive" and essential for improving the ties between the countries. Vladimir Putin added that it was only a first step, although important.

Ex-CIA Chief, US Officials Slam Trump-Putin Presser as 'Treason,' 'Weakness'
The US President and his Russian counterpart met in Helsinki to discuss a wide array of issues, including bilateral relations between the two countries, their cooperation in Syria and alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. Former CIA Director John Brennan slammed US President Trump's "performance" during the press conference after his meeting with Putin in Helsinki as "treasonous" on his Twitter. He also claimed that Trump is "in the pocket" of Russian President Vladimir Putin and said that he had exceeded the "threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors."

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In the news, Sunday, July 15, 2018


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JUL 14      INDEX      JUL 16
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Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
Some sources may require subscription.

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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from Sputnik
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, MIXED, Broadcasting & Media Production Company out of Moscow, Russia

Prime Minister Netanyahu: Israel Ready to Increase Strikes on Hamas as Necessary
Israel is ready to enhance the strength of airstrikes on Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip as necessary, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday.

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In the news, Saturday, July 14, 2018


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JUL 13      INDEX      JUL 15
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Information from some sites may not be reliable, or may not be vetted.
Some sources may require subscription.

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from Asia Times Online
News & Media Website

Washington’s free traders held hostage by Trump’s plan for midterms
Voters won’t feel significant pain from tariffs before November vote, and the president is relishing rising approval ratings amid his brazen disregard for orthodoxy. Bipartisan efforts to crimp Trump’s power to impose tariffs without congressional oversight are taking shape.

China’s ultimate challenge to US supremacy in SC Sea to come ‘within a year’
‘It would be the end of freedom of navigation and overflight if it went unchallenged,’ analyst predicts. China may begin to exert control over the wide swath of territory it claims in the South China Sea within a year.

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from CNN
LEFT BIAS

12 Russians indicted in Mueller investigation
The Justice Department announced indictments against 12 Russian nationals as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, accusing them of engaging in a "sustained effort" to hack Democrats' emails and computer networks. All 12 defendants are members of the GRU, a Russian federation intelligence agency within the main intelligence directorate of the Russian military, who were acting in "their official capacities."

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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization

Ain't No Way Norway Is a Model for Democratic Socialism
If America is “capitalism run wild,” then so is Norway. If Norway is “socialism,” then so is the United States.

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from Medium  Community

Five Things That Would Make The CIA/CNN Russia Narrative More Believable
I do not believe the establishment Russia narrative. I do not believe that Donald Trump colluded with the Russian government to rig the 2016 election. I do not believe the Russian government did any election rigging for Trump to collude with. This is not because I believe Vladimir Putin is some kind of blueberry-picking girl scout, and it certainly isn’t because I think the Russian government is unwilling or incapable of meddling in the affairs of other nations to some extent when it suits them. It is simply because I am aware that the US intelligence community lies constantly as a matter of policy, and because I understand how the burden of proof works.


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from Military Times
and Air Force Times, Army Times, Marine Corps Times, and Navy Times

10 years after Wanat: Army leaders should look to this battle to prepare for brutal fights in the future
The attack began with a single burst of machine gun fire, followed by a score of rocket-propelled grenades. For the next 90 minutes, a platoon of U.S. soldiers and a handful of reinforcements would fight off a wave of more than 100 Taliban fighters. A decade ago, the men of Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade came under attack near the end of a brutal and demanding deployment in the Kunar and Nuristan provinces of Afghanistan. When the guns finally went silent at Wanat, nine U.S. soldiers had been killed, 27 were wounded, and at least dozens of Taliban fighters lay dead. The fight and the preceding deployment resulted in the battalion being the most decorated to date in the Global War on Terror.

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

Sue Lani Madsen: Alternative milk sounds healthy, but it really is just fake
A one-word substitution – from “fake” to “alternative” – in last Saturday’s print edition of this column launched a lively social media discussion on fake foods. Many favorite fakes have been well-marketed to develop brand loyalty regardless of nutritional value. Nobody reads the dietary label on a Twinkie or a can of Spam before reaching for comfort food. Homemade macaroni with four cheese casserole has a hard time competing with the blue box for kids’ approval. And “alternative milk” rides the aura of good health promoted for a century by images of contented cows and wholesome dairying families. Fake milk does fill a niche for people who can’t tolerate milk but still want to whiten their coffee, enjoy a bowl of cereal or follow a favorite recipe without triggering a health crisis.

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Saturday, July 28, 2018

In the news, Friday, July 13, 2018


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JUL 12      INDEX      JUL 14
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from Activist Post
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

Starting in June of 2018, Facebook began deleting pages with up to 40 million followers in an unprecedented assault on independent media outlets using the platform. 

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from Asia Times Online
News & Media Website

Political shocks and German bond yields: The Trump rally
As was the case last night, Treasuries have been following Bunds in response to political headlines – this is a very odd development. The tail wagged the dog again overnight as the 10-year Bund led the US 10-year Treasury.

China’s trade numbers look certain to trigger Trump backlash
Spiraling deficit and rhetoric at the World Trade Organization will increase tensions between Washington and Beijing. China’s exports to the United States hit a record high last month.

US needs to change its approach to talks with North Korea
The present approach has not worked in the past and will not work in the future and Washington needs to travel the road not taken.

Trump, NATO and ‘Russian aggression’
The US President's blitzkrieg at the Brussels summit, calling NATO obsolete and for member states to boost spending to defend themselves is correct. After the NATO summit in Brussels, the definitive Decline of the West has been declared a done deal.

American fascism: Reading the signs of the times
Donald Trump may not be a reincarnated Hitler, but Republicans’ acquiescence in every step he has taken away from civilized democratic norms is ominous.

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from Competitive Enterprise Institute
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS

Five Reasons Banning Plastics May Harm the Environment and Consumers
1. Most of the waste is not from consumers. 2. Studies show the vast majority of plastic waste is due to poor disposal practices outside of the United States. 3. Plastic is more sanitary and safer to use than other alternatives. 4. Plastics have important environmental benefits. 5. Plastics are economical.

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from Crosscut (Seattle)

Affordable health care takes a leap of faith
Self-employed. Contract worker. Small business owner. If your situation ticks any of these boxes, you likely fit the profile of a loser under the Affordable Care Act. Ticking all three boxes made abandoning the insurance industry and joining a health care sharing ministry less a leap of faith and more of a necessity in November 2014. Health care sharing ministries are a faith-based model for how a community takes care of its own. Members pay a monthly fee into the ministry, which then pays for larger medical expenses. It’s the original template for insurance.

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from HumanProgress.org  Education Website

Market Has Achieved What Marx Wanted - Less Labor
Even within Marx's own lifetime the average Englishman became three times richer. The overall number of hours worked has declined in tandem with increasing prosperity. Plainly put, the richer the country, the less people work.

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from Miami Herald

They did not have to die. That’s the bitter truth. Katie Sasser and her friend John Hall would likely still be alive if cops and prosecutors in Glynn County, Georgia, had done their jobs. But they were more interested in protecting one of their own. So Sasser and Hall were shot to death in June by Sasser’s estranged husband, Robert C. Sasser. He then killed himself. Consider it the grim coda to a tale told in this space in 2016, about the most troubling police shooting you’ve never heard of. It began in June of 2010 when Caroline Small, a troubled 35-year-old woman, led police on a low-speed chase after being spotted using drugs.

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from Orthodox Christianity
Organization in Moscow, Russia

GRAND DUCHESS MARIA VLADIMIROVNA ROMANOVA TO TAKE PART IN ROYAL MARTYRS’ CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
The head of the Russian Imperial House of Romanov, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna will take part in the “Royal Days” events in Ekaterinburg for the centenary celebrations of the July 17, 1918 murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family and faithful servants.

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from Space.com (& CollectSpace)

Towers Toppled at Historic Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 17
The last two launch towers to stand at Cape Canaveral since the dawn of the Space Age are no more. The twin mobile gantries at Launch Complex 17 (LC-17) were imploded Thursday morning (July 12), toppling the oldest remaining launch pad structures at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The United States Air Force's 45th Space Wing oversaw the demolition, which leveled the landmark towers just after 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT).

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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from Sputnik
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, MIXED, Broadcasting & Media Production Company out of Moscow, Russia

US-Led Coalition Pledges 'Stabilization Assistance' to Syrian Areas
The foreign ministers of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (Daesh, ISIS) terrorist group pledged during a meeting in Brussels "immediate stabilization assistance" to support areas of Syria that had been liberated from Daesh, the State Department said in a press release on Thursday.

Trump ‘Acting Like Tony Soprano’ By Demanding NATO Members ‘Pony Up’ on Spending
US President Donald Trump is tapping into his inner mobster by demanding that NATO allies fork over more money to the organization, anti-war activist and former British parliamentarian George Galloway told Radio Sputnik Thursday.

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from Vox
[Information from this site may not be reliable.]

The 4 key things to watch for at the Trump-Putin summit
US President Donald Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland next week in one of the most anticipated summits in years. The two leaders will likely discuss Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election; how to wind down the war in Syria; Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and broader incursion into Ukraine; and how to reduce the number of nuclear weapons around the world.


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