U.S. tracking three migrant caravans, one with 12,000 people…
Pentagon to send thousands more troops to southern border, mostly for surveillance
January 29, 2019
The U.S. government is tracking three separate migrant caravans, one of them estimated to be more than 12,000 people in size, heading north toward the U.S., a top Pentagon official said Tuesday.
Defense Undersecretary for Policy John Rood told Congress that those caravans are one reason why the presence of active-duty troops is still needed on the U.S.-Mexico border.
OUCH! After Firing Dozens, Now BuzzFeed is Advertising for Cheaper Writers…
Buzzfeed is hiring software engineers. The MEMES Write Themselves...
January 29, 2019
Border agents seize bags of guns, ammo left on Texas ranch…
January 29, 2019
Two duffel bags filled with 17 rifles, shotguns, handguns, and ammunition were found on a private Texas ranch and confiscated by border officials.
The weapons were taken from a ranch near the Border Patrol's Carrizo Springs Station in Del Rio, Texas. An unnamed citizen called the agency after seeing a group of suspected illegal immigrants carrying large bags on nearby land Friday. The area is about 25 miles east of the international border.
Roger Stone to appear in court today and expected to plead not guilty…
January 29, 2019
Footage of Shirtless Bernie Sanders in the USSR?…
January 29, 2019
Trump to give State of the Union address on February 5…
January 29, 2019
Dear Madam Speaker:
Thank you for your letter inviting me to deliver the State of the Union Address before ajoint session of Congress on Tuesday, February 5, 2019. It is my great honor to accept. We have a great story to tell and yet, great goals to achieve!
I look forward to seeing you on the 5th.
Sincerely,
Donald J. TrumpInteresting Article From Fake News CNN: Inside the Pentagon’s race against deepfake videos…
January 29, 2019
A thousand miles west of Denver a team at SRI International in Menlo Park, California is developing the crucial second component to DARPA’s program: technology to spot a deepfake. By feeding computers examples of real videos as well as deepfake videos, these researchers are training computers to detect deepfake videos.
[...]
Researchers at academic institutions like Carnegie Mellon, the University of Washington, Stanford University, and The Max Planck Institute for Informatics are also experimenting with deepfake technology.Read the article. It's actually worth it. Some interesting videos included.
A Top U.N. Judge Has Resigned Over Interference From the White House and Turkey…
January 29, 2019
The judge, Christoph Flügge, alleged that Turkey used its veto to end the tenure of a Turkish judge in one of the U.N. courts, setting a dangerous precedent for intervention.
[...]
Flügge cited White House interference as well. He said the U.S. had threatened judges over an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the conduct of American soldiers in Afghanistan.Kamala Harris wants to eliminate all private health insurance, could end 150 million plans…
January 29, 2019
Asked by CNN host Jake Tapper if people who like their current health care insurance could keep it under Harris' "Medicare for All" plan, Harris indicated they could not -- but that, in turn, they would experience health care without any delays.
[...]
"Well, listen, the idea is that everyone gets access to medical care. And you don't have to go through the process of going through an insurance company, having them give you approval, going through the paperwork, all of the delay that may require," Harris told Tapper.
Senate advances bill that allows states to penalize companies boycotting Israel…
January 29, 2019
After weeks of a shutdown-inspired filibuster, some Senate Democrats relented Monday and joined Republicans to advance a bill to give state and local governments a green light to penalize companies that boycott Israel.
The Senate voted 74-19 to head off an initial blockade and clear the path for the bill to reach the chamber floor later this week. The vote also signals that barring a major dust-up, the legislation likely has enough support to pass.
Sounds unconstitutional. Let's see where this goes.
John Huber MIA? Crickets At DOJ…
January 29, 2019
Where Is John Huber?
“HUBER – HIS WORK CONTINUES,” DOJ SAID BUT “DECLINE TO COMMENT BEYOND THAT.”This is one of the most perplexing questions. We have rarely seen any leaks regarding the investigation allegedly being conducted by Huber.
WaPo: ‘A paid agent of the Clinton campaign approached Russian officials for damaging material on Trump’…
January 29, 2019
Ag Nominee Says He’D Resign If Ordered To Fire Mueller ‘Without Good Cause’…
January 29, 2019
“I would resign rather than follow an order to terminate the special counsel without good cause,” Barr wrote in response to a list of questions posed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to USA Today.
Barr’s pledge may be a moot point, both since Mueller is reportedly close to wrapping up his investigation and because President Donald Trump has not indicated that he plans to shut down the probe. But Barr’s statements could set at ease some Democrats who have expressed concern that Barr could stymie Mueller’s investigation, which began on May 17, 2017.
Ready for the Retail Robots?
January 29, 2019
New details of 2016 meeting with Trump dossier author conflict with Dems’ timeline…
January 29, 2019
New details contained in congressional transcripts and emails about a July 2016 meeting involving the author of the anti-Trump “dossier,” Justice Department official Bruce Ohr, and his wife, Nellie, appear to conflict with claims from Democrats -- and the co-founder of the firm behind the dossier -- that significant contacts did not occur until after the election. According to the records, the little-known breakfast meeting was held on July 30, 2016 at Washington, D.C.’s Mayflower Hotel.
[...]
“My understanding was that Chris Steele was hoping that Bruce (Ohr) could put in a word with the FBI to follow-up in some way,” Nellie Ohr testified in response to a Republican line of questioning, regarding the purpose of the meeting. Bruce Ohr did just that, almost immediately contacting then-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and FBI lawyer Lisa Page.
[...]
In her testimony, Nellie Ohr also said that pieces of the unverified dossier – which later would be used to secure a surveillance warrant for Trump campaign aide Carter Page – may have been shared during the meal.See our investigative analysis on Nellie and the Spy Operation.
Six Tanzanian children killed ‘for body parts’…
January 29, 2019
Some of the bodies of the children, aged between two and nine years old, were also missing limbs.
"This is all about superstitious beliefs and many believe they will get help from witchcraft," Njombe District Commissioner Ruth Msafiri said.
[...]
Correspondents say that some witchdoctors in the region tell people that human body parts have special properties that can bring them wealth and luck.5 police officers injured in Houston shooting, 2 suspects dead…
January 29, 2019
At about 4:15 p.m. local time, a group of about a dozen officers with the Houston Police's narcotics unit responded to a residence they suspected was a hub for drug dealing, particularly the sale of "street-level narcotics" like "black tar heroin," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said at an evening news conference held outside the hospital. The two suspects had opened fire on the team of officers.
"Narcotics officers tried to serve a search warrant," Acevedo said. "They announced themselves as police at the time. Immediately upon reaching the door, the officers came under fire from one or two suspects." One suspect, according to the police chief, momentarily retreated into the home and then returned to the front of the location to resume shooting.