NEWS FOR the weekend of 2/28/2015 Saturday February 28th 2015 & 3/1/2015 Sunday March 1st 2015

THE DAILY USA PATRIOT'S TOP FOUR NEWS STORIES FOR the weekend of 2/28/2015 Saturday february 28th 2015 and 3/1/2015 sunday march 1st 2015



WARNING: GOOGLE TO RANK WEBSITES IN SEARCH RESULTS BASED ON "KNOWLEDGE VAULT OF FACTS".... NOT ON REVELENCE OF THE SEARCH TERM COMBINED WITH PAGE VIEWS ANYMORE.

Google wants to rank websites based on facts not links

The trustworthiness of a web page might help it rise up Google's rankings if the search giant starts to measure quality by facts, not just links

THE internet is stuffed with garbage. Anti-vaccination websites make the front page of Google, and fact-free "news" stories spread like wildfire. Google has devised a fix – rank websites according to their truthfulness.

Google's search engine currently uses the number of incoming links to a web page as a proxy for quality, determining where it appears in search results. So pages that many other sites link to are ranked higher. This system has brought us the search engine as we know it today, but the downside is that websites full of misinformation can rise up the rankings, if enough people link to them.

A Google research team is adapting that model to measure the trustworthiness of a page, rather than its reputation across the web. Instead of counting incoming links, the system – which is not yet live – counts the number of incorrect facts within a page. "A source that has few false facts is considered to be trustworthy," says the team (arxiv.org/abs/1502.03519v1). The score they compute for each page is its Knowledge-Based Trust score.

The software works by tapping into the Knowledge Vault, the vast store of facts that Google has pulled off the internet. Facts the web unanimously agrees on are considered a reasonable proxy for truth. Web pages that contain contradictory information are bumped down the rankings.

There are already lots of apps that try to help internet users unearth the truth. LazyTruth is a browser extension that skims inboxes to weed out the fake or hoax emails that do the rounds. Emergent, a project from the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, New York, pulls in rumours from trashy sites, then verifies or rebuts them by cross-referencing to other sources.

LazyTruth developer Matt Stempeck, now the director of civic media at Microsoft New York, wants to develop software that exports the knowledge found in fact-checking services such as Snopes, PolitiFact and FactCheck.org so that everyone has easy access to them. He says tools like LazyTruth are useful online, but challenging the erroneous beliefs underpinning that information is harder. "How do you correct people's misconceptions? People get very defensive," Stempeck says. "If they're searching for the answer on Google they might be in a much more receptive state."

(New scientist, march 1st)

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22530102.600-google-wants-to-rank-websites-based-on-facts-not-links.html




AR-15 Bullet Sales Surge After ATF Ban Announcement

Customers are purchasing AR-15 ammo in volumes up to 20 times the normal rate in some gun stores across the country in reaction to the ATF’s plan to ban 5.56 mm steel-tipped bullets.

Earlier this week, the ATF announced its intention to ban sales of the ammunition, typically used by sports shooters, in the name of protecting law enforcement officers from “the threat posed by ammunition capable of penetrating a protective vest.”

The news prompted panic buying, with numerous gun stores reporting a rush of demand for the ammunition.

According to Travis Brunson, owner of Guns on 41 in Ft. Myers, Florida, he is getting calls from customers asking, “whether this ammunition is gonna be banned, how much can I get and what’s happening to the price.”

“We probably sold 2,000 rounds today, where normally we might sell 100, 200,” Brunson told Fox 4. The price of the bullets is also starting to rise.

It’s a similar story at Fowler Firearms, where manager Jon Dezendorf said he began receiving calls about the ammunition shortly after the ATF made its announcement.

Steve Ellis, owner of Top Guns in Terre Haute, Indiana, told WTHI that supplies were dwindling.

“Everyone is selling out of ammunition, distributors are out, manufacturers are out, most dealers are out,” said Ellis.

It was also reported that a Walmart in Anchorage, AK went from having plentiful supplies of the bullets to none whatsoever.

Meanwhile, Ryan Cook, manager of Eagle Armory in Springfield, said that suppliers were telling him “there was none available to order”.
(Infowars, feb 28th)

http://www.infowars.com/ar-15-bullet-sales-surge-after-atf-ban-announcement/



John Boehner allies fret coup attempt

Conservatives warn the speaker’s fate could be determined by how he handles the next seven days.

Close allies of Speaker John Boehner are worried that his conservative rivals could move to oust him as soon as next week.

Removing a sitting speaker is exceedingly difficult, and such an effort would almost certainly fall short. Yet growing speculation about the possibility of it – coming after Friday’s embarrassing defeat at the hands of conservatives and House Democrats on the homeland security battle — shows how vulnerable the speaker has become.

Five years into the job, he’s a leader consistently buffeted by forces beyond his control. The legislative calendar guarantees it won’t get any easier: in the coming weeks and months there will be battles over the debt ceiling, budget, taxes, and spending cuts.

The question is how many more of these episodes Boehner can withstand.

Frustration with the Ohio Republican is mounting after dozens of hardliners voted Friday against his three-week funding package for the Department of Homeland Security. Hours of frantic leadership meeting ensued. After some backroom maneuvering with Democrats, Boehner was able to push through a one-week bill to keep DHS open.

President Barack Obama signed the bill into law just 10 minutes before a shutdown of the massive federal agency.

The stinging rebuke of Boehner on the House floor infuriated his supporters, who accused opponents of handing Democrats a huge PR victory.

Yet is also left even Boehner backers wondering how viable he remains. They admit these repeated confrontations, in which Boehner can’t muster 218 Republican votes for his proposals and has to turn to Democrats for help, leave him looking weak and ineffective — and thus vulnerable to a conservative challenge.
(Politico, feb 28th)

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/john-boehner-allies-fret-coup-attempt-115616.html



Nina Pham claims the extent of her Ebola training was a printout of guidelines her supervisor found on the web. “The only thing I knew about Ebola, I learned in nursing school” six years earlier, Pham said.

The 26-year-old nurse says she has nightmares, body aches and insomnia as a result of contracting the disease from a patient she cared for last fall at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.

She says the hospital and its parent company, Texas Health Resources, failed her and her colleagues who cared for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person in the United States diagnosed with Ebola.

“I wanted to believe that they would have my back and take care of me, but they just haven’t risen to the occasion,” Pham told The Dallas Morning News last week in an exclusive interview.

Pham says she will file a lawsuit Monday in Dallas County against Texas Health Resources alleging that while she became the American face of the fight against the disease, the hospital’s lack of training and proper equipment and violations of her privacy made her “a symbol of corporate neglect — a casualty of a hospital system’s failure to prepare for a known and impending medical crisis.”

She says that Texas Health Resources was negligent because it failed to develop policies and train its staff for treating Ebola patients. She says Texas Health Resources did not have proper protective gear for those who treated Duncan.
Pham wants unspecified damages for physical pain and mental anguish, medical expenses and loss of future earnings. But she said that she wants to “make hospitals and big corporations realize that nurses and health care workers, especially frontline people, are important. And we don’t want nurses to start turning into patients.”

In her 90-minute interview, Pham described working in chaotic surroundings at the hospital with ill-prepared nurses who received little guidance on how to treat Ebola and protect themselves. She talked about her life since her diagnosis and recovery, as well as her anxiety about the future.

(Dallas news, feb 28th)

http://res.dallasnews.com/interactives/nina-pham/




JEB BUSH SHOULD NOT BE OUR NEXT PRESIDENT


Sessions Vs. Jeb: Battle For The Soul Of The GOP

In a surprise speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) unloaded on former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush—systematically dismantling Bush’s push for amnesty and a massive increase in guest workers from around the world.

“Right now, there are two conferences—one of them in public where candidates are out there having to speak and defend and answer questions on their views and on their positions on important issues facing America,” Sessions said to open up his remarks to the Breitbart News-sponsored meet-and-greet with CPAC activists. “Many people at this conference here and watching it from abroad are evaluating them, judging them and asking themselves whether or not their visions, their ideas, their character will be used to advance the interests of the American people and this republic—and that’s the way it ought to be.”

However, Sessions cited a Washington Times article saying Mitt Romney’s former top fundraising aide Spencer Zwick, “praised Jeb Bush’s stance on immigration, saying the party should follow his lead if the party hopes to win back the White House.”

“If someone wants to be serious about running for president, they need to be in a similar place [to Bush],” Zwick said on a conference call with GOP donors organized by Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist—a key figure at CPAC since he is a board member of the American Conservative Union (ACU). The ACU hosts CPAC every year, but the organization under new chairman Matt Schlapp has seen a shift away from the establishment wing of the GOP it had under old chairman Al Cardenas.

“I’ll tell you one thing: It’s the people of this country that run this country,” Sessions responded, pushing back against the donor community’s push for other Republican candidates to abandon their constituents in support of Bush’s immigration position. “Contributions and supporters are always important in presidential elections and other elections too, but votes trumps money.”

The crowd in the room cheered for Sessions.

Bush, on the other hand, was booed by CPAC activists—many of whom walked out on his speech as he argued that Congress needs to grant amnesty to the millions of illegal aliens in America right now.

(breitbart, feb 27th)

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/02/27/sessions-vs-jeb-battle-for-the-soul-of-the-gop/



Jeb Bush 'Will Not Sign Any Pledges' in 2016

Anti-taxman Grover Norquist recently told ABC News he believes Jeb Bush will likely sign his no-new-taxes pledge if and when he officially becomes a candidate for president.

Norquist may have had good reason to believe Bush would sign the Taxpayers Protection Pledge, where candidates vow to oppose "any and all efforts to increase taxes." After all, the vast majority of Republican candidates for national office and many for local and statewide office have been signing it ever since Norquist started Americans for Tax Reform in 1985.

Jeb Bush Answers Boos With Defense of Immigration and Common Core Positions...

...But Jeb Bush didn't sign Norquist's pledge (or any other pledge) in any of his three campaigns for governor of Florida and Bush spokeswoman Kristy Campbell says he is not going to start now.

"If Governor Bush decides to move forward, he will not sign any pledges circulated by lobbying groups," Campbell told ABC News.

(ABC news, march 1st)

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jeb-bush-sign-pledges-2016/story?id=29298106



GLOBAL CONFLICTS_______________________


Russia: US-Backed Opposition Leader Gunned Down in Moscow

Martyrdom on demand: if not of use alive, perhaps of use dead?

US-backed opposition groups in Russia have so far failed utterly to produce results. Their transparent subservience to Washington coupled with their distasteful brand of politics has left a rather unpleasant taste in the mouth of most Russians. Each attempt to spread the “virus” of color revolution to Moscow, as US Senator John McCain called it, has failed – and each attempt has fallen progressively flatter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has never been more popular. His ability to weather serial provocations aimed at Russia by NATO has made him a champion against the perceived growing injustice exacted against the developing world by an increasingly militaristic and exploitative West.

So when US-backed opposition groups in Russia decided to gather again this coming March 1, Sunday, many wondered just exactly what they expected to accomplish.

Bloomberg just a day ago, would report in an article titled, “Anti-Putin Opposition Looks to Russian Spring for Revival,” that:

    The opposition “hasn’t been this weak for many years,” Stefan Meister, an analyst at the German Council of Foreign Relations in Berlin, said by phone. “Even when we have a growing economic crisis in Russia, there’s still high support for Putin.”

Clearly to match the expectations the “spring” rally was meant to have, to infuse the “virus” US Senator McCain had claimed was intended for Moscow, something drastic would have to be done to change the current calculus.

The prospect of triggering sustainable unrest aimed at the Kremlin was beyond impossible – that is – until the leader of the planned protest was shot dead, practically on the steps of the Kremlin itself in the heart of Moscow.

Boris Nemtsov, was reportedly shot four times in the back on Friday night in a drive-by shooting. His body laid conveniently for media photographers to capture the Kremlin looming in the background.

Russia immediately condemned the killing, with President Putin noting it was an act of “pure provocation.”

Nemtsov’s Questionable Ties to US Agitators....

Nemtsov, A Convenient Martyr… Too Convenient....

A Message to America’s Proxies – Be Useful Alive, or Be Useful Dead....

....continued in article

(Land destroyer, feb 28th)

http://landdestroyer.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/russia-us-backed-opposition-leader.html



US State Department Admits Russia had Nothing to Gain from Killing Boris Nemtsov

Perhaps believing by virtue of having admitted the murder of Russian opposition member Boris Nemtsov in Russia’s capital of Moscow Friday evening in no way served the Russian government’s best interests, the US State Department believes it can deflect guilt from being shifted towards its direction.

Indeed, the US State Department through its Voice of America media network - chaired by the US Secretary of State himself - would state in an online article titled, “Could Nemtsov Threaten Putin in Death as in Life?,” that (emphasis added):

    With the murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, gunned down on a Moscow street, the fiercest critic of President Vladimir Putin has been removed from the political stage. But it remains to be seen whether, in death as in life, Nemtsov will remain a threat to Putin’s rule.

    Already, city authorities have approved a mass march for up to 50,000 people in central Moscow on Sunday. The march, expected to be far larger than the scheduled protest rally it replaces, will provide a powerful platform for Kremlin critics who suspect a government hand in Nemtsov’s death.

    Even officials in Putin’s government seem to sense the danger that the former first deputy prime minister’s martyrdom might pose, hinting darkly that Friday night’s drive-by shooting may have been an deliberate “provocation” ahead of the planned weekend rally.

While this logic has clearly not escaped the US State Department’s media network, it stops short of clearly implicating the Russian opposition and its foreign backers (the US State Department itself) as the chief suspects in Nemtsov’s murder – though the article clearly states only the opposition (and in turn, their foreign sponsors) stood to benefit from his death.

(land destroyer, march 1st)

http://landdestroyer.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/us-state-department-admits-russia-had.html



Venezuela president claims to have captured U.S. pilot accused of 'recruiting citizens to stage a coup'

    -'Pilot' with 'Latino roots' detained in Táchira, border with Colombia, in the last few days, President Nicolas Maduro claims
    -5 other U.S. nationals and 4 missionaries have been detained recently
    -All accused by Venezuelan government of 'espionage' and 'recruitment'
    -Comes as tensions rise between the two nations, Maduro accused the U.S. of trying to overthrow him
    -There has been a recent surge in anti-government protests in Caraca

(daily mail, feb 28th)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2973954/U-S-pilot-detained-Venezuela-accused-recruiting-citizens-stage-coup.html



Venezuela to limit staff at U.S. Embassy and require $160 visa for American tourists

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro today announced his government is implementing a new $160 visa for all U.S. citizens who want to visit his country, and ordered his foreign ministry to “revise, reduce and adjust” the number of U.S. personnel working at the U.S. embassy in Caracas.

Maduro did not say how many U.S. embassy posts he wants eliminated, but said the U.S. currently has more than 100 employees in its diplomatic mission, while Venezuela has only 17 in Washington, D.C.

The president also ordered the U.S. embassy to notify his government about all meetings it has with members of Venezuela’s opposition.

Maduro said the new visa policy for all other U.S. citizens visiting Venezuela will be a quid pro quo for “the same price that they charge Venezuelans at the U.S. embassy,” according to Telesur. The U.S. charges Venezuelans $160 for non-immigrant visas.

Furthermore, the Venezuelan leader said, his government will deny entry to U.S. politicians who “violate human rights.” The Venezuelan president specifically named George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Bob Menéndez, Marco Rubio, Ileana Ross-Lethinen, George Tenet and Mario Díaz Balart — none of whom have responded yet. Nicaragua recently issued a similar ban for certain U.S. politicians, journalists and NGO workers identified as unfriendly to the government.

(fusion.net, feb 28th)

http://fusion.net/story/56477/venezuela-imposes-new-travel-visa-for-u-s-citizens-bans-american-politicians-from-entering-country/



Pentagon walks back plans for spring offensive against ISIS stronghold Mosul

Facing criticism, the Pentagon announced it has pushed back plans by Iraqis to mount a major attack to regain Mosul from the Islamic State

According to a new report by the Daily Beast, military officials said Friday it is more realistic for Iraqi and Kurdish troops to try and retake Mosul from the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS or ISIL) in the fall.

“I can’t put a date certain…nor say April is out,” said Defense Department spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby to the website. “I don’t think we are there yet. There are gaps and seams that need to be closed.”

(Russia today, feb 28th)

http://rt.com/usa/236399-pentagon-backpedals-mosul-offensive-isis/



Egyptian Court Declares Hamas a Terrorist Organization

An Egyptian court on Saturday declared the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement a terrorist organization, media report.

The news comes one month after a judge listed the group’s armed wing as a terrorist group.

While the January decision on Hamas targeted only the armed wing, Saturday’s broader ruling could further deteriorate relations between Cairo and Hamas which controls the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

The ruling came in response to a lawsuit alleging that Hamas was involved in attacks in Egypt in recent months.

(Sputnik, feb 28th)

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150228/1018889845.html



Raif Badawi, the Saudi Arabian blogger whose punishment of 1,000 lashes has prompted international condemnation, may now face the death penalty.

Mr Badawi’s wife, Ensaf Haidar, told The Independent in a series of messages that judges in Saudi Arabia’s criminal court want him to undergo a re-trial for apostasy. If found guilty, he would face a death sentence.

She said the “dangerous information” had come from “official sources” inside the conservative kingdom, where Mr Badawi has already been sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes – administered at a rate of 50 per week – for criticising the country’s clerics through his liberal blog. In 2013, a judge threw out the charge of apostasy against the 31-year-old blogger after he assured the court that he was a Muslim. The evidence against him had included the fact that he pressed the “Like” button on a Facebook page for Arab Christians.

The news that the charge may now be re-examined will come as a bitter blow to Mr Badawi’s family and supporters, who had hoped that the international pressure over his case would prompt Saudi Arabia to reduce his sentence.

Although he remains in prison, he has only been flogged once since his sentence was passed, with subsequent punishments being repeatedly postponed.

(Indepedent, march 1st)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/raif-badawi-the-saudi-arabian-blogger-sentenced-to-1000-lashes-may-now-get-the-death-penalty-10077877.html



HAS THE WORLD LOST ITS DAMN MIND ON TERRORISM?


London schoolgirls among 60 female Britons thought to have joined Isis

Top counter-terrorism official reveals figures as CCTV shows three teenagers feared to be heading to Syria at Istanbul bus station
Sixty British women and girls, including 18 teenagers, are believed to have travelled to Syria to join Islamic State (Isis) militants, the UK’s top counter-terrorism police officer has said.
Deputy assistant commissioner Helen Ball, senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism, revealed that about five of them are 15 – 16.

The figures came as fresh CCTV images emerged of three London schoolgirls who secretly caught a flight to Istanbul after slipping out of their homes last month.

Shamima Begum, 15, was pictured with Amira Abase, also 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, on the Turkish leg of their trip before they were feared to have crossed the border into Syria.

(the guardian, march 1st)

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/01/london-schoolgirls-60-female-britons-joined-isis



Teacher investigated for posting ‘terrorist list’ of students on classroom door

Pinellas school district officials are investigating a math teacher at St. Petersburg High who allegedly posted a “terrorist list” on his classroom door with students’ names.

District officials declined to name the teacher, citing the investigation.

Tyler Harris, 15, discovered the list Wednesday after arriving at his fourth period class. He was one of five students named. Under each name was an Arabic-sounding alias that mimicked the students’ actual names. Harris took a photo of the list and sent it to his parents.

“He was upset, very upset,” said Sandra Harris, his mother.

(Tampa Bay Times, feb 28th)

http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/teacher-investigated-for-posting-terrorist-list-of-students-on-classroom/2218498



Crowd Kills Girl Suspected to Be Suicide Bomber in Nigeria

Girls aroused suspicion by refusing to be searched when they arrived at the gate to the vegetable market

A crowd beat to death a teenage girl accused of being a suicide bomber and then set her body ablaze Sunday, according to police and witnesses at a northeastern Nigerian market.

A second suspect, also a teenage girl, was arrested at Muda Lawal, the biggest market in Bauchi city.

A spate of suicide bombings has been blamed on Nigeria’s home-grown Boko Haram Islamic extremist group, which wants to enforce strict Islamic law across Nigeria. The group has threatened to disrupt Nigeria’s March 28 presidential and legislative elections, saying democracy is a corrupt Western concept.

(AP, march 1st)

http://time.com/3727531/nigeria-boko-haram-crowd-kills-girl/





U.S. GOVERNMENT__________________


Congress OKs stopgap DHS funding bill, lawmakers remain at impasse in immigration fight

After a dramatic and chaotic day of votes, Congress late Friday approved a stopgap bill to keep money flowing to the Homeland Security Department past a midnight deadline and avert a partial agency shutdown — though Congress is no closer to a long-term deal.

The House voted 357-60 for a mere one-week spending bill. With the Senate already having approved the measure. President Obama signed the bill into law late Friday night.

But that legislation was passed only after efforts to pass a slightly more substantial stopgap – a three-week funding bill – melted down on the House floor Friday afternoon. Though it had been expected to pass, 52 Republicans defected and joined Democrats in opposing the leadership-backed legislation.

This led to bad blood late Friday between House Republicans who joined Speaker John Boehner in supporting the bill, and those who peeled off. One senior House GOP source told Fox News that the nearly 200 Republicans who backed that bill were “super mad” at those who left them hanging.

(Fox news, feb 28th)'

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/02/28/dhs-funding-vote/



FCC chief scheduled for marathon week of testimony on Internet rules

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler's March schedule is filling up fast.

Wheeler has agreed to cap off a marathon week of hearings next month with testimony in front of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Communications and Technology on March 19.

The hearing, announced by panel Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.), will be his third of the week. He will also testify at the Senate Commerce Committee and the House Oversight Committee.

There is still another request for testimony outstanding from the House Judiciary Committee.

(the hill, feb 27th)

http://thehill.com/policy/technology/234168-wheeler-scheduled-for-marathon-week-of-testimony-on-internet-rules



Big Brother 2.0: 160,000 Facebook pages are hacked a day

Company loosens up your privacy settings every time they update the terms of service...

WikiLeaks, the National Security Agency, data mining — we all know Big Brother is watching. But few of us realize to what extent.

Some things you might not know: Your smart TV is probably watching you watch it. Your office photocopier is recording everything you duplicate. Your smartphone can identify you by the way you walk, the way you hold it, and may also be recording you. The app you downloaded has now siphoned your name, e-mail address and place of residence and reported back to its parent company.

The insecurity of the individual, however, has nothing on the insecurity of nations, diseases, global finance, air and space travel, traffic and power grids, police and fire departments, medical data, news organizations. There are no firewalls that can’t be breached.

In his new book, “Future Crimes: Everything is Connected, Everyone is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It” (Doubleday), global-security expert Marc Goodman explores our existing and impending vulnerabilities, all while exhorting us to be aware to the point of paranoia.

(NY Post, march 1st)

http://nypost.com/2015/03/01/big-brother-2-0-160000-facebook-pages-are-hacked-a-day/





POLICE STATE______________________



Gitmo2Chicago: Activists demand probe of ‘secret interrogation facility’ (PHOTOS)

Activists in Chicago are demanding a thorough investigation into Homan Square, a local detention facility which is being compared to a CIA black site. Several dozen protested on Saturday after police denied the accusations.

Organized by Anonymous, Occupy, and Black Lives Matter, as well as a number of other groups, the ‘Shut Down Homan Square’ protest gathered around 200 people outside the detention facility in the city’s West Side.

Braving Saturday’s below-zero temperatures, the activists held banners and chanted slogans such as “Shut it down” and “Freedom first,” as well as “Indict, convict, send the torturers to jail.” They demanded a probe and changes at the facility after a report in the Guardian claimed it is used by Chicago police as a “secret interrogation facility.”

“Hopefully with the presence we expect to have, that will put a little bit of pressure to say, ‘Hey, look – this isn’t going to go away,’” said Travis McDermott, one of the organizers of the protest, as quoted by the Guardian.

Later, dozens of protesters marched through nearby streets.

During Saturday’s demonstration, organizers called on people to come forward if their rights have ever been violated by police.

“We need you to come forth and tell us yes you have been a victim of abuse,” one organizer said, according to USA Today. “Please come forward and let the people know so we can take some action.”

Anonymous took to Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms with the hashtag #Gitmo2Chicago to draw attention to the so-called secret prison. “Torture soon coming to a city near you,” it stated.

“This will not stand,” the collective said in a video message posted on February 27.

(Russia Today, march 1st)

http://rt.com/usa/236549-chicago-protest-police-probe/



Private police carry guns and make arrests, and their ranks are swelling

Michael Youlen stopped a driver in a Manassas apartment complex on a recent night and wrote the man a ticket for driving on a suspended license. With a badge on his chest and a gun on his hip, Youlen gave the driver a stern warning to stay off the road.

The stop was routine police work, except for one fact: Youlen is not a Manassas officer. The citation came courtesy of the private force he created that, until recently, he called the “Manassas Junction Police Department.”

He is its chief and sole officer.

He is a force of one.

And he is not alone. Like more and more Virginians, Youlen gained his police powers using a little-known provision of state law that allows private citizens to petition the courts for the authority to carry a gun, display a badge and make arrests. The number of “special conservators of the peace” — or SCOPs, as they are known — has doubled in Virginia over the past decade to roughly 750, according to state records.

(washington post, march 1st)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/private-police-carry-guns-and-make-arrests-and-their-ranks-are-swelling/2015/02/28/29f6e02e-8f79-11e4-a900-9960214d4cd7_story.html



LAPD fatal shooting of man caught on tape

Authorities said Sunday night that Los Angeles police fatally shot a man on skid row during a struggle over an officer's weapons.

Police officials offered a detailed account of what they say prompted the Sunday morning shooting, which was captured on video by a bystander.

Cmdr. Andrew Smith said officers assigned to the LAPD's Central Division and Safer Cities Initiative — a task force focused on skid row — responded to the location about noon Sunday after receiving a 911 call reporting a possible robbery.

People gather at Pershing Square on Sunday to protest the police shooting of a homeless man. The man was killed by LAPD officers during a confrontation downtown.

Smith said the officers approached the man and made contact with him, at which point he "began fighting and physically resisting the officers." The officers attempted to take him into custody and at one point, attempted to use a Taser that Smith said was "ineffective."

The man continued to resist police, Smith said, and the man and some of the officers fell to the ground.

"At some point in there, a struggle over one of the officer's weapons occurred," Smith said. "At that point an officer-involved shooting happened."

Two officers and a sergeant fired at the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, Smith said. It was unclear how many times the officers fired, although at least five shots can be heard on the video recording that captured the shooting.

No other gun was recovered at the scene, Smith said. It was unclear if the man had any other weapons among his possessions — investigators were still combing the scene late Sunday night.

The man has been tentatively identified, but Smith said it was unclear if he was homeless.

Two officers were treated and released for injuries sustained in the struggle, Smith said. The extent of those injuries was unclear.

(LA times, march 1st)

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-police-fatally-shoot-homeless-man-20150301-story.html#page=1



Autopsy: Teen killed by Denver police had 4 gunshot wounds,

An autopsy shows a 17-year-old girl who was killed by Denver police officers while driving a stolen car was shot three times.

The coroner’s report states that Jessica Hernandez suffered four gunshot wounds, but two of the wounds were caused by one bullet. Two bullets were recovered from her body, one exited.

The Denver medical examiner’s office said Friday that Hernandez also had marijuana and a small amount of alcohol in her system during the Jan. 26 shooting that sparked protests and calls for an outside investigation.

(AP, feb 28th)

http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2015/02/27/autopsy-teen-killed-by-denver-police-had-4-gunshot-wounds/24149681/



Miami Gardens Police Chief Stephen Johnson, hired last May to rein in a department reeling from accusations of racial profiling, was fired Friday night after being arrested on a charge of soliciting a prostitute in Dania Beach.

Michael Wright, a detective and police department spokesman, said Johnson was arrested at a Dania Beach motel during a sting operation conducted by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. He said Johnson was immediately fired by City Manager Cameron Benson and that Assistant Police Chief Antonio Brooklen would take the helm in the interim.

The city released a statement late Friday saying, “We recently learned Chief Stephen Johnson has been arrested for solicitation of a prostitute. As a result, Mr. Johnson’s employment with the city of Miami Gardens has been terminated, effective immediately.”

(Miami Herald, feb 28th)

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-gardens/article11403440.html



VIDEO: Hidden camera records cop receiving illegal ‘massage’

This cop lied about the details of a marijuana arrest, failed to report how he tormented a suspect with his Taser, and claimed a three-hour lunch break lasted only one.

While his supervisors investigated his misdeeds, Coconut Creek Police Officer James Yacobellis kept drawing his nearly $90,000 annual salary. After 16 months of paid leave, they finally agreed to let him return to duty.

But within a year and a half, James Yacobellis was in trouble again.

It was a video-recorded massage — and its happy ending — that finally cost him his job.

(Sun-sentinel, feb 28th)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/coconut-creek/fl-coconut-creek-yacobellis-fired-20150227-story.html#page=1



Widespread aggressive police coercion of civil activists in the United Kingdom demonstrates the British state is “afraid of its own citizens,” a senior United Nations official told Sputnik on Sunday.

“The practice of infiltrating civil society and protest groups is clearly not a thing of the past, and it’s more than a series of isolated incidents. There are patterns that strongly suggest an official policy,” Maina Kiai, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, said.

Last week, police in Cambridge confirmed that two of its officers had been facing an internal investigation into allegations they had been using threats and intimidation in trying to persuade activists to spy for them.

One campaigner secretly filmed a police detective attempting to bribe him to spy on fellow Cambridge University students, anti-racism activists, environmentalists and those campaigning against government cuts to public services.

“Why is an established democracy such as Britain so afraid of its own citizens that it feels the need to spy on peaceful civic groups?” Kiai said.

The UN official called on a nationwide investigation, specifying that the police had been infiltrating Britain’s civic groups at least since 2003.

“Why do [the police] think they can keep getting away with it? This is pure, blatant intimidation, and it is suffocating the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the UK,” Kiai said.
At least two of the individuals who claim they were pressured into becoming police informants were students at Cambridge University, whose alumni include naturalist Charles Darwin, philosopher Bertrand Russell and physicist Stephen Hawking.

Helen Hoogewerf-McComb, president of Cambridge University Students’ Union (CUSU), refused several requests to be interviewed by Sputnik or deny whether she or other CUSU officials had been approached by police to inform on fellow students.

In 2013, a Freedom of Information request revealed that over a five-year period police forces in England and Wales had paid over 25 million pounds ($38 million) to “Covert Human Intelligence Sources,” a police designation of their informants.

(sputnik, march 1st)

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150301/1018924087.html





MISCELLANEOUS NEWS___________________


Chicago nears fiscal free fall with latest downgrade

 Chicago drew closer to a fiscal free fall on Friday with a rating downgrade from Moody's Investors Service that could trigger the immediate termination of four interest-rate swap agreements, costing the city about $58 million and raising the prospect of more broken swaps contracts.

The downgrade to Baa2, just two steps above junk, and a warning the rating could fall further still, means the third-biggest U.S. city could face even higher costs in the future if banks choose to terminate other interest-rate hedges against fluctuations in interest rates. All told, Chicago holds swaps contracts covering $2.67 billion in debt, according to a disclosure late last year.

"This is an unfortunate wake-up call for anyone still asleep over the fiscal cliff facing the city of Chicago," said Laurence Msall, president of the Chicago-based government finance watchdog, The Civic Federation.

Chicago's finances are already sagging under an unfunded pension liability Moody's has pegged at $32 billion and that is equal to eight times the city's operating revenue. The city has a $300 million structural deficit in its $3.53 billion operating budget and is required by an Illinois law to boost the 2016 contribution to its police and fire pension funds by $550 million.

(Reuters, feb 27th)

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/exclusive-chicago-rating-downgrade-could-end-swaps-deals-174532024--finance.html




Wells Fargo, one of the largest subprime car lenders, is pulling back from that roaring market, a move that is being felt throughout the broader auto industry.

The giant San Francisco bank, known for its stagecoach logo and its steady profits, has been at the center of the boom in making loans to people with tarnished credit scores. Wall Street, meanwhile, has been bundling and selling such loans as securities to investors, reaping big profits while allowing millions of financially troubled borrowers to buy cars.

But now, amid signs that the market is overheating, Wells Fargo has imposed a cap for the first time on the amount of loans it will extend to subprime borrowers.

The bank is limiting the dollar volume of its subprime auto originations to 10 percent of its overall auto loan originations, which last year totaled $29.9 billion, bank executives said.

The decision, detailed in interviews with top Wells Fargo executives, along with other large auto lenders, is a sobering moment for the booming market. Other lenders may decide to take their cue from Wells Fargo, one of the nation’s largest lenders. After successfully sidestepping many of the catastrophic mortgage losses that hit its competitors during the financial crisis, the bank has developed a reputation for deftly managing risk.

John Stumpf is the chief executive of Wells Fargo. Last year, the bank made $29.9 billion in new auto loans to consumers

Over all, auto loans to subprime borrowers — typically people with credit scores at or below 640 — have more than doubled since the financial crisis, with one in four new auto loans going to subprime borrowers. In the second quarter of 2014, for example, total auto loan originations hovered at the highest level since before the financial crisis, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In that quarter, lenders originated $20.6 billion in subprime auto loans, nearly two times as much as in the same period of 2010.

Behind the surge are two major forces: Large banks, weathering a slowdown in other types of lending like mortgages, have increased their auto lending. And much as in the housing boom, investors in search of higher returns, like insurance companies and hedge funds, are buying billions of dollars of investments backed by subprime auto loans.

Such growth, though, has given rise to concerns, like those at Wells Fargo, that growing competition is fostering lax lending practices, including longer repayment periods and increased loan balances.

Federal and state authorities, meanwhile, are examining whether dealerships have been inflating borrowers’ income or falsifying employment information on loan applications to ensure that any borrower, even some who are unemployed and have virtually no source of income, can buy a car.

More broadly, many of the questionable lending practices, while not necessarily illegal, could eventually spell losses for banks and investors, credit analysts and regulators say. The size of the subprime auto loan market is a fraction of the subprime mortgage market at its peak, but its crash would still have wide-reaching effects for banks and borrowers, including some of the most vulnerable Americans

(NYT, march 1st)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/02/business/dealbook/wells-fargo-puts-a-ceiling-on-subprime-auto-loans.html?_r=0



Meta-Study On Genetically Modified Food: Virtually All Independent Scientists Are Concerned

Half of the Studies Find Cause For Concern … The Other Half Are Studies By the GMO Food Industry Itself

Tufts University’s Director of the Research and Policy Program at the Global Development and Environment Institute (Timothy Wise) points out:

    There is no … consensus on the safety of GM food. A peer-reviewed study of the research, from peer-reviewed journals, found that about half of the animal-feeding studies conducted in recent years found cause for concern. The other half didn’t, and as the researchers noted, “most of these studies have been conducted by biotechnology companies responsible of commercializing these GM plants.”

    ***

    The only consensus that GM food is safe is among industry-funded researchers.

By way of background, genetically engineered foods have been linked to obesity, cancer, liver failure,infertility and all sorts of other diseases (brief, must-watch videos here and here).

And genetically-engineered meat isn’t even tested for human safety.

And a leading risk expert says that genetically modified foods could wipe out the global ecosystem.

But government agencies like the FDA go to great lengths to cover up the potential health damage from genetically modified foods, and to keep the consumer in the dark about what they’re really eating.  (Indeed, the largest German newspaper – Süddeutsche Zeitung – alleges that the U.S. government helped Monsanto ATTACK THE COMPUTERS of activists opposed to genetically modified food.)

Indeed – as Tufts’ Timothy Wise notes – huge sums of money are being poured into shutting down all honest scientific debate about the risks from GMOs:

    Biotechnology companies and their powerful advocates, like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, are succeeding in a well-planned campaign to get GM safety declared “settled science.”

    ***

    An indicator was a quiet announcement in the press last summer that the Gates Foundation had awarded a US$5.6 million grant to Cornell University to “depolarize” the debate over GM foods. That’s their word. The grant founded a new institute, the Cornell Alliance for Science.

    “Our goal is to depolarize the GMO debate and engage with potential partners who may share common values around poverty reduction and sustainable agriculture, but may not be well informed about the potential biotechnology has for solving major agricultural challenges,” said project leader Sarah Evanega, senior associate director of International Programs in Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS).

    Got it? The Gates Foundation is paying biotech scientists and advocates at Cornell to help them convince the ignorant and brainwashed public, who “may not be well informed,” that they are ignorant and brainwashed.

    “Improving agricultural biotechnology communications is a challenge that must be met if innovations developed in public sector institutions like Cornell are ever to reach farmers in their fields,” added Kathryn J. Boor, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of CALS.

    It’s kind of like depolarizing an armed conflict by giving one side more weapons.

(washingtons blog, march 1st)

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/03/meta-study-genetically-modified-food-virtually-independent-scientists-concerned.html



Ikea turns furniture into wireless phone chargers

Global furniture giant Ikea announced on Sunday the launch of desks, tables and lamps that will wirelessly charge phones and other devices.

The new collection will use Qi wireless technology to charge devices that are placed on or near the furniture.

"Through research and home visits, we know that people hate cable mess. They worry about not finding the charger and running out of power," Ikea's business area manager of lighting and wireless charging, Jeanette Skjelmose, said in a statement.

"Our new innovative solutions, which integrate wireless charging into home furnishings, will make life at home simpler," she added.

The Home Spot range of desks, bedside tables and lamps will hit stores in Europe and North America in April, Ikea said, with a "global roll-out" in the works.

"This is (a) very early time in the furniture business to blend wireless technology," Jeff Kagan, a technology industry analyst, told AFP.

(AFP, march 1st)

http://news.yahoo.com/ikea-turns-furniture-wireless-phone-chargers-154108533.html



Bill O’Reilly admits he did not see “Irish terrorists kill” in Northern Ireland

Fox News has now stated that host Bill O’Reilly’s claim that he saw action in Northern Ireland was based on seeing photographs of violence shown him by police, the Washington Post reports.

O’Reilly’s claims to have seen violence in Northern Ireland and elsewhere have come under withering fire from his opponents.

O’Reilly has stated that he reported from Northern Ireland and in his 2013 book “Keep it Pithy” he stated “I’ve seen....Irish terrorists kill and maim their fellow citizens in Belfast with bombs.”

However, the Washington Post points out he told syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt a different story: “We went on a raid in Divis Flats (Republican stronghold high rise  flats ) with the police. And it was a pretty intense situation. There was stuff being thrown, arrests being made, all of that.”

“Were you in fear of physical harm?” Hewitt asked.

No, O’Reilly said.

Fox News clarified to the Washington Post that O’Reilly had been shown pictures of violent incidents and victims of bombings by police but had not actually seen any such incidents first hand himself.

That explanation is very similar to what they told critics about his time in El Salvador where he stepped back from comments about seeing nuns shot to seeing pictures of nuns who were shot.

(irish central, march 1st)

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Bill-OReilly-admits-he-did-not-see-Irish-terrorists-kill--in-Northern-Ireland.html



Montel Williams Got Called Out On Twitter For Endorsing Payday Loans—And He Didn’t Handle It Well

You may have heard of Montel Williams, actor, producer, and host of the long-running but now-defunct Montel Williams Show. You may also know that Williams is a spokesperson for Money Mutual, a lead generator for so-called payday lenders.

On Thursday, that side-business got a little awkward for the former host when an education activist named André-Tascha Lammé called out Williams on Twitter for “Support[ing] the *most* predatory of loans in existence, PayDay loans. Designed to prey on the poor.”

Williams denied the charge.

Montel is either being disingenuous—deliberately not addressing Lammé’s point—or he just doesn’t understand the real-world effect of payday lending. The truth is that a large portion of payday customers end up in dire financial straits because of these seemingly innocuous loans.

Here’s what happens. The average payday loan charges a fee of about $15 for every $100 borrowed. That might sound like an interest rate of 15%, but that’s the fee for a two-week loan. On an annualized basis—which is how most people think about interest rates, or should—that translates into a rate of 391%.

Montel apparently thinks it’s unfair to think about it this way, since borrowers are supposed to pay back their loan in two weeks.

But here’s the thing: Four out of five payday loan borrowers are not able to pay off their debt in such a short time period, so they go back to the payday loan shop and take out another loan to pay off the first one—for an additional fee, of course—and a cycle of debt begins.

In fact, according to the CFPB, the median payday customer is in debt for 199 days a year, taking out new payday loans along the way as they struggle to pay down the initial loan amount. That’s more than 14 times longer than the period Williams was talking about. As a result, more than half of payday loans are made to borrowers who end up paying more in interest than they borrowed in the first place. The median loan recipient ends up paying $458 in fees and an effective interest rate of 130%.

(time, feb 27th)

http://time.com/money/3726637/montel-williams-payday-loans-twitter/




GLOBAL WARMING AKA CLIMATE CHANGE________



NOAA: 2185 cold records broken or tied in past week – 1913 Low Min Records Broken & 272 tied in 7 days

(Climate depot, feb 28th)

http://www.climatedepot.com/2015/02/28/noaa-2185-cold-records-broken-or-tied-in-past-week-1913-low-min-records-broken-272-tied-in-7-days/



The unseasonable cold is expected to continue over much of the U.S., with some interruptions, and the latest GFS model forecast shows some snow for portions of all 50 states in the next seven days.

And, yes, I checked…even in Hawaii.

(dr. roy spencer, feb 27th)

http://www.drroyspencer.com/2015/02/snow-for-all-50-states-forecast-in-next-7-days/

NEWS FOR 2/27/2015 Friday February 27th 2015

RAND PAUL 2016

20 MINUTE VIDEO OF RAND PAUL AT CPAC!!!

AN ABSOLUTE MUST SEE FOR ALL LIBERTARIANS AND PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE 2016 PRESIDENTAL ELECTION!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfw46xdBCd0



CPAC Hails ‘President Paul’

CPAC activists waited an hour-and-a-half for Senator Rand Paul after congressional votes delayed his speech, and the pent-up energy made for a rowdy welcome. “President Paul! President Paul! President Paul!” the attendees chanted in the middle of Paul’s speech after he declared America needs “a new president.”

The longtime CPAC favorite and 2016 presidential contender addressed foreign and domestic policy issues, with Paul promising to unveil a plan that would balance the budget in five years while passing “the largest tax cut in American history.” “My tax plan will get the IRS out of your life and out of the way of every job creator in America,” he said.

Paul turned to economic issues only after citing the Benghazi terrorist attacks as the centerpiece of an indictment of Hillary Clinton and a defense of his own foreign-policy ideas. Paul noted that terrorists took over Libya after Clinton backed intervening against the incumbent dictatorship. “As [Hillary Clinton] was declaring victory in Libya, Ambassador Stevens was pleading for more security,” Paul said. “Her dereliction of duty should forever preclude her from higher office. . . . It’s time for Hillary Clinton to permanently retire.”

As Paul tied the rise of terrorists in Libya to the U.S. intervention, he also argued that ISIS was empowered by a misguided decision to arm Syrian rebels. “Without question, we must now defend ourselves and American interests from this barbarous aberration; but it troubles me that we must now fight against our own weapons,” he said. “As conservatives we should not succumb to the notion that a government inept at home will somehow become successful abroad.”

(national review, feb 27th)

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/414566/cpac-hails-president-paul-joel-gehrke




OBAMA_____________________________


Obama Brags About Power Grab While Americans Debate Color of a Dress

Americans more concerned about the color of a dress which went viral than they are about Internet takeover

While the Obama administration celebrates its latest power grab, the federal takeover of the Internet and the ATF’s unlawful ammo ban, Americans are debating the color of a woman’s dress which went viral over social media.

On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission voted to declare the Internet a “public utility,” opening the door for feds to regulate on-line speech, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms announced its plan to illegally ban M855 AR-15 ammunition, and Americans are outraged – because they couldn’t decide if a dress posted on Tumblr was black and blue or white and gold.

“This is very important guys,” Alison Lynch for Metro wrote. “Are you Team Blue and Black or Team White and Gold? You need to pick a side.”

“Kimye, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift already have.”

The news tracking web site Viral News Chart revealed that at the time of this writing, the top two “political” news articles in the past 12 hours were both about the dress, with the ammo ban coming in third.

“This dress color war is the perfect way to end a wonderful day on the Internet,” The Verge reported Thursday, the day Obamanet was born.

The Obama administration’s takeover of the Internet is particularly concerning because the FCC consulted with self-described socialist activists to develop its “Net Neutrality” program, which was largely funded by billionaire George Soros, a Nazi collaborator who is also responsible for the current war in Ukraine.

(Infowars, feb 27th)

http://www.infowars.com/obama-brags-about-power-grab-while-americans-debate-color-of-a-dress/



President Obama wants to treat marijuana like tobacco but not legalize it. Wait, what?

President Barack Obama on Thursday said he wants to treat marijuana like tobacco, which is legal. But, in a bit of a contradiction, he also suggested he opposes marijuana legalization.

In an interview with Kansas City news station KMBC, Obama said states could change their marijuana laws to discourage pot use in the same way tobacco use is discouraged:

    As a general matter, I think that we have to separate out legalization — you know, there’s a lot of concern about drug abuse of any sort by our children and the general population — versus the heavy criminalization of non-violent drug offenses. And I think that a lot of states are taking a look to see, do we have proportionality in terms of how we are penalizing the recreational user? We still want to discourage that. But we’ve been able to discourage tobacco, we’ve been able to discourage a lot of other bad things that people do, through a public health approach as opposed to an incarceration approach.

The president drew a key distinction in his comments, which echo previous statements he made to CNN. He appears to support marijuana decriminalization, which would remove criminal penalties, particularly prison time, attached to the drug. But he doesn’t seem to support marijuana legalization, which would remove even misdemeanor penalties, including small fines, and potentially allow retail outlets to sell pot.

There’s an obvious contradiction in Obama’s comments: he vouches for treating marijuana like tobacco, but tobacco isn’t just decriminalized — it’s legal and sold in stores, and excluded from the federal government’s scheduling system, which evaluates drugs for medical value first and abuse potential second.

(VOX, feb 27th)

http://www.vox.com/2015/2/27/8120707/barack-obama-marijuana-legalization



VIDEO: President Obama Breaks Into Tears as He Says Goodbye to Holder

Friday, President Barack Obama spoke at the portrait unveiling ceremony for outgoing U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, which led to the commander-in-chief breaking into tears that he wiped away as he finished his remarks.

The president said, “Having good men in a position of power and authority, who are willing to fight for what is right, that is a rare thing, a powerful thing. That’s something that shapes our future in ways we don’t even understand, we don’t always imagine. It made me very proud.”

(breitbart, feb 27th)

http://www.breitbart.com/video/2015/02/27/president-obama-breaks-into-tears-as-he-says-goodbye-to-holder/



Why Silicon Valley is the new revolving door for Obama staffers

In 2004, when Barack Obama was running for the U.S. Senate, he made his first visit to Google’s campus and saw firsthand how a search on the Internet worked. It left such a strong impression that he returned during his first presidential run vowing to protect the industry.

Now, near the end of his administration, the extent of Obama’s commitment to Silicon Valley has become clear. And nowhere is that more evident than net neutrality, an issue where the president pressured the government to pass regulations with major implications for how consumers experience the Internet.

The rules, passed Thursday by the Federal Communications Commission, limit Internet providers from auctioning off the fastest download speeds to the highest bidders, all but ensuring that Web firms — not cable companies — will retain control of what consumers see on their browsers. It marked a major win for Silicon Valley, an industry that has built a close relationship with the president and his staff over the last six years.

The affinity between the White House and the tech industry has enriched Obama’s campaigns through donations, and it has presented lucrative opportunities for staffers who leave for the private sector.

On Thursday, former White House press secretary Jay Carney joined Amazon as its senior vice president for worldwide corporate affairs. Former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe runs policy and strategy for Uber, the car service start-up. And several other former administration officials are peppered throughout Silicon Valley in various positions, lobbying on important policy issues related to taxes, consumer privacy and more.

History may view Obama as the first tech president, a leader who began his term clutching a BlackBerry and in every step along the way has embraced an industry that has evolved into a powerful force in politics and policy. In addition to net neutrality, Obama has supported immigration reforms favored by tech firms such as Facebook, Yahoo and Microsoft and decried by labor unions. He has pushed for patent reforms that Google and Apple have championed. The president even sided with the tech industry — and against dependable Democratic allies in Hollywood — to block a copyright bill in early 2012.

But Obama’s close ties with Silicon Valley have rankled some conservatives and rival businesses, who say tech companies have grown too powerful to go unchecked.

(washington post, feb 27th)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/as-obama-nears-close-of-his-tenure-commitment-to-silicon-valley-is-clear/2015/02/27/3bee8088-bc8e-11e4-bdfa-b8e8f594e6ee_story.html



Obama Judge Invites Repatriated Illegals To Return, Seek US Jobs

President Barack Obama’s government is inviting many repatriated illegal immigrants back to work in the United States under a deal approved approved this week by a federal judge.

The deal was finalized by Obama’s deputies and their ideological allies in the American Civil Liberties Union, via a courtroom negotiation under the supervision of an Obama-app0inted judge.

The deal also provided $700,000 to the ACLU for the lawyers’ fees.

The lawyers had claimed that illegals were unfairly and unlawfully pressured to sign so-called “voluntary return” documents as they were being deported. The illegals should have been invited to fight repatriation via the courts, said the lawyers’ group.

The returned illegals will likely seek jobs sought by Americans and will increase the labor supply, driving down incomes for Americans.

(daily caller, feb 27th)

http://dailycaller.com/2015/02/27/obama-judge-invites-repatriated-illegals-to-return-seek-us-jobs/



Al Sharpton Gets [closed door] Meeting With President

Al Sharpton met with the president of the United States yesterday. "President Obama met with African American civil rights and faith leaders to provide an update on the Administration’s priorities as described in the State of the Union. The meeting was also an opportunity to have a dialogue with the leaders about the issues facing their communities, including criminal justice, education, health care and economic development," the White House announced in a read-out of the meeting.

"The President highlighted the upcoming release of the report by the Task Force on 21st Century Policing, and emphasized the  work of the Task Force leading to the report’s creation. The President also spoke about his efforts to work with a broad bipartisan coalition to continue to reform the criminal justice system and the significance of doing so for the country. The President noted the upcoming anniversary of the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative tomorrow and the progress made by the initiative with over 150 elected officials, cities and tribes having accepted the community challenge. The President and leaders also agreed to work together to find ways to strengthen our nation’s voting laws and reduce any barriers that prevent Americans from voting. The leaders in attendance agreed to continue their outreach to their communities and to work with the Administration on its efforts to implement its initiatives."

(weekly standard, feb 27th)

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/al-sharpton-gets-meeting-president_868395.html





CLINTON/BUSH 2016__________________________________


Hillary Clinton Exposed Part 2 – Clinton Foundation Took Millions From Countries That Also Fund ISIS

IF YOU HAVE THE TIME, CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE. ITS BEYOND INCREDIBLE.

(liberty blitzkrieg, feb 27th)

http://libertyblitzkrieg.com/2015/02/26/hilary-clinton-exposed-part-2-clinton-foundation-took-millions-from-countries-that-also-fund-isis/



Clinton foundation received up to $81m from clients of controversial HSBC bank

Leaked files from HSBC’s Swiss banking division reveal the identities of seven donors to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation with accounts in Geneva.

They include Frank Giustra, a Canadian mining magnate and one of the foundation’s biggest financial backers, and Richard Caring, the British retail magnate who, the bank’s internal records show, used his tax-free Geneva account to transfer $1m into the New York-based foundation.

Hillary Clinton has expressed concern over growing economic inequality in the US and is expected to make the issue a cornerstone of her widely anticipated presidential campaign in 2016. However, political observers are increasingly asking whether the former secretary of state’s focus on wealth inequality sits uncomfortably with the close relationships she and her husband have nurtured with some of the world’s richest individuals.

(guardian, feb 27th)

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/10/hillary-clinton-foundation-donors-hsbc-swiss-bank



Jeb to Booing CPAC Activists: ‘I’m Marking You Down As Neutral’

CPAC activists booed Jeb Bush when Sean Hannity broached the subject of immigration in a Q&A with the former Florida governor, but Bush stood by his perceived conservative heresies on the issue, winning applause as he argued that Americans shouldn’t feel deprived of jobs by incoming immigrants. “For those who made an ‘oo’ sound — is that what it was? — I’m marking you down as neutral and I want to be your second choice,” Bush said, grinning. Asked if he still supports providing driver’s licenses and in-state tuition prices to illegal immigrants, Bush initially demurred. When Hannity circled back to those past stances, he stood by the policies — neither of which passed into law when he was in office — and noted that a conservative state legislature and governor signed an in-state tuition bill into Florida law just this year. Bush said that “first and foremost” the federal government should secure the borders, but emphasized that “there is no plan to deport 11 million people.”

(national review, feb 27th)

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/414577/jeb-booing-cpac-activists-im-marking-you-down-neutral-joel-gehrke





GLOBAL CONFLICTS__________________________________


In Midst of War, Ukraine Becomes Gateway for Jihad

“Our brothers there,” Khalid said when he heard I was going to Ukraine. “Buy a local SIM card when you get there, send me the number and then wait for someone to call you.”

Khalid, who uses a pseudonym, leads the Islamic State’s underground branch in Istanbul. He came from Syria to help control the flood of volunteers arriving in Turkey from all over the world, wanting to join the global jihad. Now, he wanted to put me in touch with Rizvan, a “brother” fighting with Muslims in Ukraine.

The “brothers” are members of ISIS and other underground Islamic organizations, men who have abandoned their own countries and cities. Often using pseudonyms and fake identities, they are working and fighting in the Middle East, Africa and the Caucasus, slipping across borders without visas. Some are fighting to create a new Caliphate — heaven on earth.  Others — like Chechens, Kurds and Dagestanis — say they are fighting for freedom, independence and self-determination. They are on every continent, and in almost every country, and now they are in Ukraine, too.

In the West, most look at the war in Ukraine as simply a battle between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian government. But the truth on the ground is now far more complex, particularly when it comes to the volunteer battalions fighting on the side of Ukraine. Ostensibly state-sanctioned, but not necessarily state-controlled, some have been supported by Ukrainian oligarchs, and others by private citizens. Less talked about, however, is the Dudayev battalion, named after the first president of Chechnya, Dzhokhar Dudayev, and founded by Isa Munayev, a Chechen commander who fought in two wars against Russia.

(first look, feb 26th)

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/02/26/midst-war-ukraine-becomes-gateway-europe-jihad/



China has voiced its support for Russia's handling of the Ukraine crisis, with prominent diplomat Qu Xing calling on the West to "abandon its zero-sum mentality".

According to state news agency Xinhua, the Chinese ambassador to Belgium said the West should take "the real security concerns of Russia into consideration".

Qu said the "nature and root cause" of the crisis was the "game" between Russia and western powers the United States and EU, and that a change of approach is required to resolve it.

After nearly a year of relative silence on the subject, China's intervention is striking, not least because it comes just as harsher sanctions against Moscow are being discussed.

(Indepedent, feb 27th)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-crisis-top-chinese-diplomat-backs-putin-says-west-should-abandon-zerosum-mentality-10075762.html




The stage is set for Syrian Invasion

One week ago, when reporting on the latest bizarre plan presented by the Pentagon, namely providing Syrian rebels (but only the moderate ones, not the jihadists like al Nusra, or, well, ISIS) with B-1B Bomber air support in their attacks on ISIS, when we wrote that this “means in the coming weeks and months look forward to a surge in false flag “attacks” blamed on the Assad regime, aiming to give Obama validation to expand the “War against ISIS” to include Syria’s regime as well.”

We didn’t have long to wait: in an entirely unsourced Time article written today by Aryn Baker, the Middle East Bureau Chief, the stage for the second attempt at invading Assad regime is finally set.

The article, titled “Why Bashar Assad Won’t Fight ISIS” is essentially an essay that, as the title suggests “proves” that the Syrian leader is, in fact, quite close with ISIS and derives strategis benefits from his relationship, which is why he won’t attack them, and thus by implication is just as bad as ISIS and worthy of America’s wrath.

How does Baker build up her propaganda? First, she cits a “Sunni businessman who is close to the regime but wants to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions from both ISIS supporters and the regime” and who “trades goods all over the country so his drivers have regular interactions with ISIS supporters and members in Raqqa, the ISIS stronghold in Syria, and in ISIS-controlled areas like Dier-ezzor.” According to this Syrian version of Amazon:

    The regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad has long had a pragmatic approach to the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria. Even from the early days the regime purchased fuel from ISIS-controlled oil facilities, and it has maintained that relationship throughout the conflict. “Honestly speaking, the regime has always had dealings with ISIS, out of necessity.”

“Honestly speaking” of course being used quite loosely, considering that it is by now no secret that ISIS, in the words of General Wesley Clark, “got started through funding from our friends and allies“, most notably Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and according to some even the CIA is involved so, no: honestly speaking, if anything, the Assad regime has been doing its best to stay away from ISIS, which at least on paper, was created as a result of extremist Al Nusra factions, who were fighting Assad in 2013, and were funded and weaponized by the US.

Of course, none of that is mentioned. What is, however, duly emphasized is the goalseeked conclusion that Assad and the Islamic State are like two peas in a pod:

    Assad does not see ISIS as his primary problem, the businessman says. “The regime fears the Free Syrian Army and the Nusra Front, not ISIS. They [the FSA and Nusra] state their goal is to remove the President. But ISIS doesn’t say that. They have never directly threatened Damascus.” As the businessman notes, the strikes on ISIS targets are minimal. “If the regime were serious about getting rid of ISIS, they would have bombed Raqqa by now. Instead they bomb other cities, where the FSA is strong.” That said, the businessman does not believe that the regime has a formal relationship with ISIS, just a pragmatic one. “The more powerful ISIS grows, the more they are useful for the regime. They make America nervous, and the Americans in turn see the regime as a kind of bulwark against ISIS.”

Actually, the “Americans” see ISIS as the perfect false flag placeholder to build up yet another case about invading Damascus, after the humiliation of the bumbled attempt to use a doctored YouTube clip showing paid actors following what the CIA guaranteed was an Assad “chemical weapon” attack as a pretext to launch an invasion on Syria in the first attempt to topple Assad. It took an escalation that involved numerous Russian ships side by side with US cruisers in the Mediterranean before John Kerry realized that building Qatar’s nat gas pipeline to Europe is not worth rising World War III over, and promptly backed off.

This time, ISIS is the bait.

Back to the Time article, where next we get the next “source” of information:

    A senior Western diplomat who specializes in the Syrian civil war agrees that ISIS is seen as an asset by Assad. “They will do whatever it takes to devalue the opposition, even if it means strengthening ISIS. They know that if it comes to choosing between the black flag [of ISIS] and Damascus, the international community will choose Damascus.” And the strategy has worked extremely well. “The way it’s going now, it’s a matter of months, not even a year, that the moderate opposition is so weakened that it won’t be a factor anymore. So in just a few months from now the regime will be able to achieve its strategic goal of forcing the world to choose between Damascus and the black flags.”

Actually, according to that logic, the “international community” will choose both Damascus and the “black flags”, in fact the community will be delighted to have the “flags” as a cover in an invasion, both air, sea and ground, toppling Assad and replacing him with yet another US-puppet regime (whose fate, following such sterling examples as Egypt, Libya and Iraq will be just spectacular), one which will be glad to accept Qatar and Syria hush money, while thousands of kilometers of pipes are laid under the territory in attempt to dethrone Gazprom as the provider of first and last resort to Europe… which as a reminder is what it is all about.

(zero hedge, feb 27th)

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-26/stage-set-syrian-invasion



‘100yrs to repair Gaza’: Oxfam says blockade remains, aid almost non-existent

Reconstructing Gaza could take an entire century, if Israel doesn’t stop the siege, leading charity Oxfam warned. And that’s just the time frame for essential projects. The NGO’s regional director calls the situation “deplorable.”

A statement was issued by the group on Thursday, six months after the latest conflict, which saw Israel roll out Operation Protective Edge. That brought about eight weeks of bombardment, followed by a devastating ground assault.

Oxfam’s statement outlines how “the situation in Gaza is becoming increasingly desperate” and calling for the lifting of the eight-year blockade, as well as a continuation of peace talks.

“Only an end to the blockade of Gaza will ensure that people can rebuild their lives,” Regional Director Catherine Essoyan said. With it in place, the flow of construction materials in and agricultural produce out is having a crippling effect on the lives of Palestinians.

According to the NGO, new figures reveal a drop last month in construction materials, which are vital to the efforts. “Less than 0.25 percent of the truckloads of essential construction materials needed have entered Gaza in the past three months,” the statement also said.

In pure figures, over 800,000 truckloads of such materials are still required to repair the infrastructure damaged in last summer’s operation alone – Israel’s bloodiest in years – which claimed 2,200 Palestinian lives, most of them civilians.

About 100,000 of these people still live in shelters and other makeshift or temporary accommodation because of this lack of materials.

“Tens of thousands more are living in badly damaged homes,” Oxfam ads.

“Families have been living in homes without roofs, walls or windows for the past six months. Many have just six hours of electricity a day and are without running water. Every day that people are unable to build is putting more lives at risk. It is utterly deplorable that the international community is once again failing the people of Gaza when they need it most,” Essoyan continues.

A further problem concerns food.

“Exports of agricultural produce from Gaza have fallen in the last year to just 2.7 percent of the level before the blockade was imposed. Fishermen are still restricted to an enforced fishing limit of 6 nautical miles – far short of where most fish are – farmers are restricted from accessing much of the most fertile farmland.”

The charity continues to provide water, food vouchers and health services where it can.

In the meantime, no progress has been reached on a diplomatic, long-term solution to the crisis, which was supposed to take effect after the ceasefire.

As the separation between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank persists, people continue to be trapped. The same goes for the border with Egypt, which has been shut for the past two months, preventing thousands from leaving.

The organization also places blame with the Palestinian unity government, which hasn’t been able to reach a consensus and is therefore “exacerbating the situation.”

(russia today, feb 27th)

http://rt.com/news/236023-gaza-rebuild-oxfam-israel/



Poland’s largest farmer uprising ever has occurred as convoys of tractors took to the roads recently in protest of GMO infiltration and land grabs by biotech and Big Ag corporations.

More than 150 farmers blocked roadways and held numerous demonstrations in order to bring attention to the important issue of food sovereignty in Poland. Their focus is a ban on GMOs and a restoration of small farmer’s rights after decades of oppressive health and safety regulations which take rights away from small farms and give them to mono-cropping, poisoning Big Ag mega-companies.

The farmers have been stalwart – refusing to call off their demonstrations until their demands are met. Rallies and demonstrations have littered the country – in over 50 locations. Hundreds are picketing government offices in addition to the road blockades.

In the largest organized farmer’s protest the country has likely ever seen, the farmers are demanding that legislators protect the small farmer from exploitation by monopolizing companies and refuse the sell off of their country’s land to these behemoths. As the farmers point out, once the land is sold, the Big Ag model can’t be stopped, and the land is forever lost.

Read: Record GMO Farmers Switching to NON-GMO Crops in 2015

Until government officials agree to talk with the farming unions, they have vowed to keep up their efforts. Edward Kosmal, chairman of the farmers protest committee for West-Pomeranian Region said:

 “We are ready for dialogue. We look forward to meeting with you, Prime Minister, and beginning a comprehensive government commitment to solving the problems of Polish agriculture. If you do not enter into a dialogue with the Union, we will be forced to step up our protests.”

(Infowars, feb 27th)

http://www.infowars.com/hundreds-of-farmers-block-roads-in-protest-of-monsantos-gmo-crops/



Details On An Alleged US-Backed Coup In Venezuela Come To Light

Having tried, and failed, to hamper Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution during Hugo Chavez’s presidency, the United States has intensified its attempts to permanently disrupt the socialist process now headed by Nicolas Maduro.

Funding Venezuela’s opposition and oligarchy — the same tactic the U.S. used to bring down Salvador Allende’s socialist government in Chile — prompted a strong statement from Maduro earlier this month: “As President, I will not permit that Venezuela suffers as Chile did in 1973.”

On Feb. 12, Venezuela’s Telesur reported that the government had thwarted a coup plot involving both civilians and members of the military. As the plot became public knowledge, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez issued a series of tweets pledging the Bolivarian National Armed Forces’ (FANB) loyalty to Maduro and the Bolivarian Revolution.

Since the riots against Maduro’s government started on Feb. 12, 2014, the U.S. has taken great pains to portray the socialist government as infringing upon human rights and attempting to strangle the Venezuelan opposition’s allegedly peaceful protests.

While Maduro has accused Vice President Joe Biden of attempting to instigate the coup, Biden’s office issued a diplomatic response reiterating allegations of human rights violations perpetrated by Maduro’s government: “President Maduro’s accusations are patently false and are clearly part of an effort to distract from the concerning situation in Venezuela, which includes repeated violations of freedom of speech, assembly, and due process.”

(mint press news, feb 27th)

http://www.mintpressnews.com/details-on-an-alleged-us-backed-coup-in-venezuela-come-to-light/202549/



Venezuela’s Military Can Now Legally Use Firearms Against Demonstrators

"Even before firearms were authorized to suppress protests in #Venezuela, there were 43 deaths in February…" one activist notes

Venezuela’s Ministry of Defense has authorized the military to use firearms against demonstrators as a last resort in the demonstrations taking place in the country.

Released through a regulation published in the Official Gazette on 27 January, the measure seeks “to avoid disorder, to support the legitimately constituted authority and to reject any aggression, facing it immediately and with the necessary means”.

While some people supported the measure, opposition politicians, human rights activists and citizens condemned the announcement, especially through social networks

(globalvoicesonline.org, feb 27th)

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2015/02/26/venezuelas-military-can-now-legally-use-firearms-against-demonstrators/






POLICE STATE_______________________________

Shocking! Torture & Murder in America's Black Sites Revealed 

 (8 min Infowars video report of the protest outside "3379 W. Fillmore St. Chicago, IL", address of the Chicago PD black site)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lBHfN6IpCw

 

“Say ‘Lawyer’ All You Want Motherf****r”: Detainees from Chicago’s Police “Black Site” Speak Out

It was discovered this week that the Chicago Police Department has been operating a secret “black site” facility on the city’s west side.

Inside a warehouse, Homan Square has long been the home to secretive police work. Attorneys as well as protesters, tell a tale of being systematically being denied their constitutional rights while being held.

In an eye-opening report, the Guardian blew the top right off of Pandora’s box, leaving the CPD and their media spin factory backpedaling.

Up until now, if you mentioned that the Chicago police took you to some unmarked warehouse and held you captive with no due process, people would think you were nuts. For this reason, all those who’ve been held in this repugnant secret prison, have been voiceless — until now.

The very night we reported on the Guardian’s discovery, we were contacted by one of CPD’s victims. He was held in this torturous black site not only without due process, but without food and water as well.

Another victim of Chicago’s terrorist apparatus took to Reddit to voice his experience of being inside. In his post, the man who wishes to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, spoke out about his experience inside. He was brought to Homan Square after six heavily armed police officers kicked in his door and kidnapped him for being in possession of a plant that is legal in other parts of the country.

He talks about only asking for his lawyer and not talking about anything else. He explains how this led to the staff of Homan Square replying, “you can say lawyer all you want motherf****r, you won’t see one until tomorrow.”

The anonymous poster goes on to say, “I want to state that I was not tortured, but I did hear another man in the room next to me screaming in pain asking to go to the bathroom and for water.”

The Reddit user’s description of the facility is exactly like the one given to us by a man who we’ll identify as Roger.

Roger contacted us Tuesday night after our report on Homan Square went out. His story is similar to the Reddit poster’s story, but it is far more ominous.

Roger tells us that he was in his father’s house when a swat team burst in to serve a search warrant. During the raid, one of the officers threw a flashbang grenade right by Roger’s son.

According to Roger, police claimed that a “John Doe” had tipped them off that there were drugs and guns in the house.

After searching the residence and finding no drugs nor guns, they took Roger’s father’s $6,000 tax refund which he had a receipt for.

They also took Roger.

Roger explained to the Free Thought Project how he felt on the way to Homan Square. “So they start driving down Roosevelt, they turn on to Kedzie and right onto South Homan. Then, I’m fearing, like what is this? ‘Take me to Area 4. I don’t belong here,’” Roger told the police.

Area 4 is the actual police station, but police didn’t want Roger at an actual police station. They wanted to shake him down first — off the record.

Roger told us about the “FBI and SWAT tanks on the 1st floor” that he saw as they brought him up to the now infamous second floor.

“All the way to the right is where they take people in because they got cages on the second floor. The first floor is where the SWAT and FBI tanks are,” Roger recalls.

“I was held for 24 hours,” Roger said, “My people couldn’t find me because I wasn’t in jail.”

“They kept bringing in pics of old friends of mine asking questions. But I kept to myself. I got no food and no water, and it was hot as hell. I couldn’t sleep and was hungry as hell,” Roger tells the Free Thought Project.

The next day Roger was finally taken to Area Four where he was booked on a possession charge and released. He told us that during the escapade, police put drugs in his pants pocket.

(free thought project, feb 27th)

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/say-lawyer-motherfr-detainees-chicagos-police-black-site-speak/



NYPD Quota Whistle-Blower’s Lawsuit Revived

New York City police officers have free speech rights too, just as long as they talk though civilian channels, the 2nd Circuit ruled Thursday.

The potentially groundbreaking decision allows NYPD Officer Craig Matthews to sue the department for allegedly retaliating against him after he blew the whistle on police quotas in the Bronx, implemented in 2008.

Attorneys for Matthews say the decision could also unmuzzle public employees of all stripes.

Matthews, a 17-year police veteran of the 42nd Precinct, said that he started reporting issues with the policy to his then-commander, Capt. Timothy Brugge, in early 2009.

(Courthouse news, feb 26th)

http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/02/26/nypd-quota-whistle-blowers-lawsuit-revived.htm



Video: Man Falls Asleep On Bus, Cop Pummels And Pepper Sprays Him

Video footage shows a clearly intoxicated Bernard Warren being woken by Officer Raymond Chu of SFPD. Struggling to get Warren to move, the cop becomes impatient and starts pushing Warren.

Warren, clearly not in any state to act as a threat, then tells Chu “Don’t touch me. I could beat your ass,” which immediately sets the officer into thug cop mode.

After shoving Warren off the bus, and watching him stumble away, Chu takes out his baton and charges at the homeless man, cracking him viciously in the back of the legs and sending him to the ground.

Chu then chases Warren out of shot, reportedly beating him four more times before pepper spraying him in the face.

Warren was admitted to hospital with deep bruises on the legs and burns on the face as a result of the pepper spray. Warren was then jailed for TWO WEEKS, and only released when a judge was shown the video footage.

In the police report, Chu blatantly lied, claiming that Warren was acting violent and came at him with clenched fists.

Unsurprisingly SFPD is siding with the officer.

“Force is never a pretty sight and the officer gave orders for Mr. Warren to walk away. The officer’s report is consistent with what we see on the video,” said San Francisco Police Department Sgt. Monica Macdonald.

“Mr Warren was asked/told to leave and he returned several times and he continued to threaten to beat the office which is a crime – which you can see and hear in the video.” Macdonald added.

Warren now faces up to a year in prison on charges of threatening a police officer.

“This sort of force was totally unnecessary. It was completely over the top,” said San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi, whose office is representing Warren. “If you find anyone sleeping on a bus, it’s reasonable to wake them up and ask [them] to leave. Sure, but is that reason to beat [someone] down?”

“It was clear Mr. Warren could not have carried out any sort of threat,” Adachi added. “Yet he was incarcerated for over two weeks, at a cost to taxpayers of $150 a day. Now we are dealing with costly court hearings and investigations and legal filings. It is a tremendous waste of resources because an officer lost his temper.”

(infowars, feb 27th)

http://www.infowars.com/video-man-falls-asleep-on-bus-cop-pummels-and-pepper-sprays-him/




For the past year, Braden Bunch with the Sumter County Sheriff’s office says they’ve had a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle or MRAP in their fleet.

“The beauty of having this vehicle here at the sheriff’s office is that while there are other agencies like SLED or what-have-you across the state that have these types of vehicles that could help us respond to certain situations, this gives us a quicker response time,” said Bunch.

(WLTX, feb 26th)

http://www.wltx.com/story/news/2015/02/26/sumter-mrap-training/24085903/




PRIVACY_____________________________


NSA Spying Wins Another Rubber Stamp

A federal court has again renewed an order allowing the National Security Agency to continue its bulk collection of Americans’ phone records, a decision that comes more than a year after President Obama pledged to end the controversial program.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court approved this week a government request to keep the NSA’s mass surveillance of U.S. phone metadata operating until June 1, coinciding with when the legal authority for the program is set to expire in Congress.

The extension is the fifth of its kind since Obama said he would effectively end the Snowden-exposed program as it currently exists during a major policy speech in January 2014. Obama and senior administration officials have repeatedly insisted that they will not act alone to end the program without Congress.

“While the administration waits for the Congress to act, it has continued to operate the program with … important modifications in place,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement released late Friday.

(national journal, feb 27th)

http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/nsa-spying-wins-another-rubber-stamp-20150227



Why your smartphone records everything you say to it

After controversy earlier this month over televisions recording owners and sending the clips to third parties, smartphone owners are now discovering that companies like Google, Apple and Microsoft are also recording voice commands and storing them for up to two years.

Modern televisions are able to change channels, alter volume or even look up information on films via voice command. But controversy erupted on internet forums earlier this month when it was noticed that the terms and conditions for some such services – invariably skipped over due to their length and impenetrable language – allow companies to send recordings of tricky commands to third parties for interpretation.

Often these recordings are not encrypted, so are potentially vulnerable to hackers, and the recordings will capture personal conversations as easily as legitimate commands.

The privacy policy for South Korean manufacturer Samsung states: “Please be aware that if your spoken words include personal or other sensitive information, that information will be among the data captured and transmitted to a third party.”

Now frustrated users are discovering that voice commands issued to smartphones are also being recorded and stored. And unlike relatively straightforward commands made to a television, smartphone commands could reveal information on current locations, contacts, calendar entries or finances, making any sharing more sensitive.

(telegraph, feb 27th)

http://www.infowars.com/why-your-smartphone-records-everything-you-say-to-it/



At the newly opened Epicenter office complex in central Stockholm, office workers have been opening doors and operating the photocopier with a chip implanted in their hands.

The radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip is made from Pyrex glass and contains an antenna and microchip, with no need for batteries.

Instead of using identification cards and pass codes, all the staff at companies based in the Swedish tech business incubator Epicentre are using microchips implanted into their hands to get into and around the workplace.

All each member of staff has to do is wave their hand in front of a sensor and the door opens.

(IB times, feb 27th)

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/stockholm-microchipped-office-workers-feel-very-modern-using-hand-implanted-chips-open-doors-1489739



Video: Former NSA Head Heckled After Labeling Himself ‘Unrelenting Libertarian’

Hayden’s statement came shortly after a speech by Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Naptolitano in which he repeatedly pointed to the NSA’s unabashed and unconstitutional activities surrounding dragnet surveillance.

“Let’s talk about reality. Let’s talk about facts. The judge is an unrelenting libertarian,” Hayden said to extended applause.

As the crowd continued their positive response, Hayden interrupted by stating that he himself held identical views.

“So am I,” Hayden said to audible confusion. “I’m an unrelenting libertarian who’s also responsible for four decades of his life for another important part of that document, the part that says ‘provide for the common defense.’”

Audience members immediately reacted to the claim with boos and protest, prompting one attendee to shout, “No, you’re not!” as Hayden continued his speech.

(Infowars, feb 27th)

http://www.infowars.com/video-former-nsa-head-heckled-after-labeling-himself-unrelenting-libertarian/



China censorship sweep deletes more than 60,000 Internet accounts

Some of China's largest Internet companies deleted more than 60,000 online accounts because their names did not conform to regulations due to take effect on Sunday, the top Internet regulator said.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, Tencent Holdings Ltd, Baidu Inc, Sina Corp affiliate Weibo Corp and other companies deleted the accounts in a cull aimed at "rectifying" online names, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said.

The reasons for their removal included accusations of being misleading, rumor mongering, links to terrorism, or involving violence, pornography and other violations, the CAC said in a statement on its website late on Thursday.

The purge is notable as a step toward China's government locking down control over people's internet account names, an effort which censors have struggled with in the past, despite numerous efforts to introduce controls.

These failed attempts have included trying to force users to register for online services using their real names.

The new regulations, which take on effect March 1 and will also target real-name registration, were issued by the CAC, which was formed last year and given power over all online content, something previously divided between various state ministries.

"Previously, the real-name registration system hasn't really been enforced," said Rogier Creemers, a researcher on Chinese media law at the University of Oxford. "These rules essentially impose a uniform and consolidated system for all online services requiring accounts."

The measure also reflects China's tightening control of the Internet, which has accelerated since President Xi Jinping took power in early 2013.

Weibo, the country's biggest microblog platform, will comply with the regulations and had a dedicated team to handle illegal information, including account names, a spokesman told Reuters.

(Reuters, feb 27th)

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/china-censorship-sweep-deletes-more-60-000-internet-113610173.html





U.S. GOVERNMENT_____________________


A huge bipartisan coalition came together Friday night to approve a one-week funding bill for the Homeland Security Department, preventing a partial government shutdown with just a couple of hours to spare.

Nearly every House Democrat joined most Republicans to pass the measure 357-60 after GOP leaders failed to squeeze out a short-term victory earlier Friday when the chamber rejected a three-week funding bill amid fierce opposition from conservatives, who were angered that the bill didn't include provisions defunding President Obama's immigration executive orders.

Democrats now hope the chamber will get to vote by March 6 on the Senate-passed long-term clean DHS funding bill, though Republican leaders claim no promises have been made on that front. But Speaker John Boehner will still have to cope with fallout from his own GOP troops, who are furious that he has not been able to sufficiently battle back against Obama on a variety of fronts.

(national journal, feb 27th)

http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/republicans-homeland-security-shutdown-funding-bill-20150227



The IRS’s inspector general confirmed Thursday it is conducting a criminal investigation into how Lois G. Lerner’s emails disappeared, saying it took only two weeks for investigators to find hundreds of tapes the agency’s chief had told Congress were irretrievably destroyed.

Investigators have already scoured 744 backup tapes and gleaned 32,774 unique emails, but just two weeks ago they found an additional 424 tapes that could contain even more Lerner emails, Deputy Inspector General Timothy P. Camus told the House Oversight Committee in a rare late-night hearing meant to look into the status of the investigation.

“There is potential criminal activity,” Mr. Camus said.

He said they have also discovered the hard drives from the IRS’s email servers, but said because the drives are out of synch it’s not clear whether they will be able to recover anything from them.

(washington times, feb 26th)

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/26/irs-watchdog-reveals-lois-lerner-missing-emails-no



Justice Department ramps up scrutiny of candidates and independent groups

The Justice Department is stepping up scrutiny of the increasingly cozy ties between candidates and their outside allies, a move that could jolt the freewheeling campaign-finance atmosphere ahead of the 2016 elections.

(washington post, feb 27th)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/justice-department-ramps-up-scrutiny-of-candidates-and-independent-groups/2015/02/27/f28409d8-be8e-11e4-8668-4e7ba8439ca6_story.html





MISCELLANEOUS NEWS____________________________



Walmart Begins to Sell Out of AR-15 Ammo

Panic buying causes shortages after release of ATF proposal to ban bullets

As gun shops report shortages of AR-15 ammunition following the ATF’s proposal to prohibit the sale of steel-tipped 5.56-millimeter bullets, one reader contacted us to report that his local Walmart had sold out of the ammo despite having substantial stocks just two weeks ago.

Yesterday it was revealed that the ATF intends to ban sales of the ammunition, typically used by sports shooters, in the name of protecting law enforcement officers from “the threat posed by ammunition capable of penetrating a protective vest.”

Gun stores immediately reported that people were panic buying cases of the bullets, with Ryan Cook, manager of Eagle Armory in Springfield, noting that suppliers were telling him “there was none available to order”.

It appears as though some Walmart stores are also beginning to sell out of the same ammunition.

Alex Jones Show listener Monte Bosak contacted us to relate how his local Walmart in Anchorage, AK went from having “way too much” of the ammo in question two weeks ago, according to the store clerk, to completely selling out after yesterday’s announcement.

“Two weeks ago, I purchased a thousand rounds of XM855 62 grain green tip ammo at this exact Walmart location for $350,” writes Bosak. “While purchasing, I spoke to the lady who works the gun counter and asked her if she had been selling a lot of it. $350/1k rounds is extremely cheap. She said no they hadn’t been selling much of it, and that they had many pallets in the back… “way too much” as she put it.”

“So that leads us to today (2/26/15) when the Drudge Report broke the story of the impending executive order to ban this specific ammunition. Naturally, I went straight to this Walmart after work to purchase what I could, only to find out that they had “sold out”. I spoke to the same lady behind the counter, and I spoke to a manager. Neither of which could look me square in the eye while telling me they sold out,” adds Bosak, who suspects that Walmart may even have deliberately “pulled their stock of the ammunition.”

“There’s no way possible in my mind that they sold all that ammunition,” writes Bosak.

Walmart has previously faced accusations that it has restricted ammunition sales in accordance with the Obama administration’s gun control agenda, but has denied them every time.

Shortly after the Sandy Hook massacre, reports circulated that the retail giant had stopped ordering ammunition and would not be making more sales in anticipation of expected curbs on the second amendment. Other customers reported that they were told Walmart would not stock ammunition for assault rifles, only for shotguns.

(Infowars, feb 27th)

http://www.infowars.com/report-walmart-begins-to-sell-out-of-ar-15-ammo/



Last quarter, in “This Is What Americans Spent The Most Money On In Q4” we showed that according to the first estimate of Q4 GDP data, the American consumer spent a whopping $20.4 billion in nominal dollars on healthcare, which also resulted in the biggest consumption contribution to GDP in years.

Today, following the first revision of consumer spending, we learn that in the fourth quarter Americans spent even more on healthcare, pushing the total up by $1 billion more, to a whopping $21.4 Bn, or 18% of all spending on goods and services in Q4.

This upward revision on healthcare, of which Obamacare was the primary source of mandatory spending, takes places even as the bulk of the key spending line items were revised lower following the revision.

In any event, the math is clear – the next time anyone asks you what Americans spent their so-called “gas savings” on in Q4, and why retail sales in the end of 2014 (and the start of 2015) were so weak, show them this chart.

(zero hedge, feb 27th)

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-02-27/here-what-americans-spent-their-gas-savings



Virginia to Compensate Victims of Eugenics Sterilization Program

Anywhere between 7,300 and 8,300 people sterilized under state-sponsored law

Virginia lawmakers have approved a measure seeking to financially compensate victims of its 50-year long, state-sponsored eugenics sterilization program.

On Thursday, the Virginia General Assembly voted in favor of paying out $25,000 to each of the 11 remaining victims who were forcibly sterilized under the state’s “Eugenical Sterilization Act.”

Passed in 1924, the Act led to the involuntary sterilization of anywhere between 7,300 and 8,300 people until it was repealed in 1974, and is said to have partly inspired Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s dream to create a master race.

Under the Act, leaders of colonies and physicians at mental health institutions across the state identified individuals deemed “undesirable,” “defective” and feeble-minded and made the case to hospital boards to prevent those individuals from having children.

Victims deemed “mentally ill” and “mentally deficient” included those “afflicted with hereditary forms of insanity that are recurrent, idiocy, imbecility, feeble-mindedness or epilepsy,” according to the law.

The law protected the act of sterilizing minorities, poor whites and “mongrels,” people of non-white heritage.

“Often, ‘mongrels’ and ‘worthless’ whites were collected in ‘mountain sweeps.’ This involved a sheriff of a nearby town driving into mountain villages and forcibly removing individuals and taking them to institutions where they would only be released upon submission to sterilization,” according to a report compiled by the University of Vermont.

The proposed sterilization of Virginia resident Carrie Buck, who was deemed “feeble-minded” after having the baby of her rapist, sparked the Supreme Court case of Buck v. Bell in 1927, which established the legitimacy of the practice with the goal of eliminating “defective” individuals.

At the time, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Holmes is said to have remarked that “three generations of imbeciles are enough.”

Attempting to preserve the purity of the “American race,” the wealthy, white Virginia elite paired the Eugenical Sterilization Act with another law, the “Racial Integrity Act,” which made it “unlawful for any white person in [Virginia] to marry any [person] save a white person.” Both acts were passed on the same day.

One victim, Lewis Reynolds, 85, recounted his hardship after being sterilized to the Associated Press, saying his first wife deserted him because of his inability to have kids. Reynolds remarried, but said he and his second wife would sometimes share tears because they could never have children.

Rep. Ben Cline, a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates and one of the sponsors of the compensation bill, said the time had long come to reimburse afflicted families.

“There was a growing consensus that we needed to act while we still had the opportunity to look these people in the eye and acknowledge the wrong that was committed against them so many years ago,” Cline said.

Virginia wasn’t the only state with a eugenics program.

“Nearly 65,000 Americans were sterilized in 33 states, including more than 20,000 in California alone,” reports the Daily Mail.

The practice of compulsory sterilization hasn’t ended either.

In 2013, it was revealed that doctors working with California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation had sterilized up to 148 women via tubal ligations between the years 2006 and 2010, with 100 more said to have taken place in the late 1990s.

Virginia is the second state to compensate victims of the eugenics program following North Carolina, which passed a similar law in 2013.

(Infowars, feb 27th)

http://www.infowars.com/virginia-to-compensate-victims-of-eugenics-sterilization-program/



Indiana may allow 'baby boxes' for surrendering newborns

On the outside, the metal box looks like an oversized bread container. But what's inside could save an abandoned newborn's life.

The box is actually a newborn incubator, or baby box, and it could be showing up soon at Indiana hospitals, fire stations, churches and selected nonprofits under legislation that would give mothers in crisis a way to surrender their children safely and anonymously.

Indiana could be the first state to allow use of the baby boxes on a broad scale to prevent dangerous abandonments of infants if the bill, which unanimously passed the House this week, clears the state Senate. Republican state Rep. Casey Cox and child-safety advocates say they're unaware of any other states that have considered the issue at the level Indiana has.

Cox says his bill is a natural progression of the "safe haven" laws that exist in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Those give parents a legal way to surrender newborns at hospitals, police stations and other facilities without fear of prosecution so long as the child hasn't been harmed.

Many children, however, never make it that far. Dawn Geras, president of the Save the Abandoned Babies Foundation in Chicago, said safe haven laws have resulted in more than 2,800 safe surrenders since 1999. But more than 1,400 other children have been found illegally abandoned, nearly two-thirds of whom died.

(AP, feb 27th)

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20150227/us--baby_boxes-e57413f2de.html



The Vatican on Friday condemned the leaking of documents that according to a media report show a power struggle in the Holy See over economic reforms and excessive expenses by the cardinal charged with carrying them out.

L'Espresso magazine said it had seen minutes of meetings and emails showing mostly Italian cardinals felt that Cardinal George Pell had accumulated too much power.

Pell is an outsider brought by the pope to Rome from Australia to oversee the Vatican's often muddled finances after decades of control by Italians.

Pope Francis was given a mandate by the cardinals who elected him in 2013 to clean up after a series of financial scandals, mostly involving the Vatican bank.

Francis set up the Secretariat for the Economy last year and gave Pell, as its head, broad powers to clean up the Vatican's often troubled and murky finances and bring them in line with international standards.

"Leaking confidential documents to the media in order to stir up polemics and fuel arguments is nothing new but it is always something to be condemned and is illegal," Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said.

Lombardi said it was "normal" to have disagreements on complex financial and legal issues and condemned the article as "undignified and petty" because of its personal attack on Pell. Pell could not be reached for comment.

The "Vatileaks" scandal in 2012, in which the butler of former Pope Benedict, Francis' predecessor, was arrested for leaking the pope's private papers to the media, alleged corruption in the Holy See, something the Vatican denied.

(Reuters, feb 27th)

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/vatican-condemns-leaking-documents-showing-power-struggle-173257318.html