June 19th, 2019

Judicial Watch announced today that it has been informed that Los Angeles County has sent notices to as many as 1.5 million inactive voters on its voter rolls. This mailing is a step toward removing the names of voters who have moved, died, or are otherwise ineligible to vote. The massive mailing is the result of a settlement agreement with Judicial Watch requiring the County to remove as many as 1.5 million inactive registrations. In addition, the California secretary of state has alerted other California counties to clean up their voter registration lists to comply with the federal National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), as the secretary promised to do in that same settlement agreement...

At approximately 2:45 pm an individual dropped a backpack and attempted to jump a bike rack along the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Ave. The individual was immediately taken into custody by Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers.

— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) June 19, 2019

@realDonaldTrump has raised a record breaking $24.8M in less than 24 hours for his re-election. The enthusiasm across the country for this President is unmatched and unlike anything we’ve ever seen! #trump2020 #KeepAmericaGreat

— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) June 19, 2019

The Office of Personnel Management is preparing to send the career employees home without pay starting on Oct. 1, according to an internal briefing document obtained by The Washington Post. The employees could formally be laid off after 30 days, administration officials confirmed... Even as House Democrats and some Republicans signal that Congress is not going to break up the 5,565-employee department, the administration is moving forward in defiance. Trump appointees paint a dire picture of a corner of the government in financial free fall and failing to carry out its mission. They want a commitment from Congress by June 30 to agree to disband the agency — or they say they’ll be forced to trim staff.

An upstate New York clerk is challenging the new measure Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law on Monday that allows illegal immigrants to have driver’s licenses. Erie County Clerk Michael Kearns believes the move is a violation of federal law and will not enforce it. "I will not do it. I’m not going to break the law," said Kearns, reports WKBW. "I can't - in good conscious do this." "It’s more than just driving – it’s a privilege – it’s a gateway document – it’s a breeder document- and I’m not going to be a part of that," he said.

“After a review of the act, I am convinced that it is inconsistent with federal law,” Kearns wrote in the letter. “More importantly, however, complying with the act puts me and other county clerks in the untenable position of having to decide whether to uphold federal law or the newly enacted state law. I anticipate being sued in either event.”...

“Obviously, we’re all petrified of the next school shooter. But our mission should be to protect kids, not arrest kids,” said John Jordan, chief juvenile prosecutor for the district attorney of Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston.

Under Mr. Jordan, Harris County charged an unprecedented 216 students in the three months following the Feb. 14, 2018, Parkland shooting, including many with felonies. But when Mr. Jordan examined the cases last summer, he found that nearly 90% involved first-time offenders. More than half were 12-, 13- or 14-year-olds. And charges in some cases were reduced or dropped after prosecutors looked more closely at the cases.

Concerned they were harshly punishing juveniles in situations that could be handled outside of courts, Mr. Jordan and a chief prosecutor began advising school administrators and police officers on how to better investigate and manage threats themselves.

“With the announcement that it plans to create a cryptocurrency, Facebook is continuing its unchecked expansion and extending its reach into the lives of its users,” House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) said in a statement. “Given the company’s troubled past, I am requesting that Facebook agree to a moratorium on any movement forward on developing a cryptocurrency until Congress and regulators have the opportunity to examine these issues and take action.”...

How strange it is that U.S. colleges and universities are abandoning the study of American history and, at some institutions, the study of history altogether. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni evaluates the general education programs of more than 1,100 colleges and universities every year. The 2018–19 report found that only 17 percent of them required any kind of foundational course in American history or government. As of 2016, only four out of the top 25 national universities (as ranked by U.S. News and World Report) required a course in U.S. history in their history majors...

The limpet mines used to attack a Japanese-owned oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz last week bore “a striking resemblance” to similar mines displayed by Iran, a U.S. Navy explosives expert said Wednesday, stopping short of directly blaming Tehran for the assault... The comments by Cmdr. Sean Kido came as the Navy showed reporters pieces of debris and a magnet they say Iran’s Revolutionary Guard left behind when they spirited away an unexploded limpet mine after the June 13 attack in the Gulf of Oman. Iran has also not acknowledged taking the mine.

The Elko County Sheriff's Office states a hazardous material spilled as a result of the derailment, which occurred around 10:51 a.m. MDT. Lt. Kevin McKinney said aluminum oxide was released after the crash. “Right now they’re decontaminating any individuals who have been exposed that we know of," he said. McKinney said the cars carrying small arms and explosives were further down the train and were not breached. He said those cars are still secure and responders are not opening them. Those potentially explosive materials include ammonium nitrate, small arms and grenades along with ammunition.

The jury was out for less than 5 hours when they reached a unanimous verdict. Guilty on all counts. Guilty on everything. Keith Alan Raniere is guilty... The man formerly worshiped by his followers as the illustrious Vanguard is now a convicted felon... The sentencing range for his crimes is from 15 years minimum for sex trafficking – up to life in prison... But now he’ll likely be housed in the big boys’ section – where those who have been convicted are awaiting sentencing... The 12 men and women found him guilty on everything!

Here's the verdict sheet:

Here’s a look at the verdict sheet the jurors in the #NXIVM case will be tasked with filling out. https://t.co/rpTKdPGAcK pic.twitter.com/CuWu3ewjBw

— Ayla Ferrone (@AylaFerrone) June 19, 2019

“For the first time in many years, the World War II Memorial and areas around the Reflecting Pool will be open for the public to enjoy a stunning fireworks display and an address by our Commander-in-Chief. We are excited to open these new areas so that more visitors may experience this year’s Independence Day celebration in our nation’s capital.” Salute to America will honor each of the nation’s five service branches with music, military demonstrations, flyovers and much more. Participants include the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, the U.S. Army Band (“Pershing’s Own”), the Armed Forces Chorus, the United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Team, and many others.

YouTube's handling of kids videos has been problematic, to put it mildly, and the company is apparently looking into major changes in policy to prevent further incidents. Wall Street Journal sources understand that YouTube is both considering moving all child-oriented videos to its dedicated Kids app and disabling the autoplay feature on that programming. Both moves could hurt ad revenue, but they'd theoretically steer kids clear of "objectionable" clips.

Pinterest Cease and Desist ... by on Scribd

If the Fed surprises markets with a rate cut on Wednesday, officials are likely to also end early the runoff of the Treasury holdings in their $3.8 trillion asset portfolio. That process is now set to conclude in October.

Also, no Fed officials have dissented on any rate decision during Mr. Powell’s term as chairman, which began in Feb. 2018. St. Louis Fed President James Bullard called earlier this month for the Fed to cut rates and could be a candidate to dissent if the Fed doesn’t cut rates or indicate it is leaning toward a possible cut...

Sanders and her allies have started making calls to donors and Republican operatives in the state. Though neither Sanders nor her associates have directly sought support for a potential campaign, some who have spoken with them see the outreach as a sign that she’s weighing a run.

“She’s extremely serious,” said one of the people who has talked to her...

Dutch prosecutors file the first criminal charges over the 2014 downing of flight MH17 over east Ukraine which killed 298 people. Four suspects will face murder charges for the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, three of them Russians, international investigators said on Wednesday, with a trial due to start next March in the Netherlands.

On the one hand, we can take for granted that tariffs are always economically harmful—except, of course, that even from an economic perspective they can be beneficial if used as a temporary negotiating tool to get other countries to, say, lower their own tariffs. On the other hand, we must remember that there is more to life than economics...

Those who think illegal immigration is a problem will be interested to know that Mexico has already professed willingness to help curb it in order to avoid Trump’s threatened trade penalty. Thinking in these more political terms nuanced terms is vital if the United States is to adequately pursue its interest and duty in the area of tariff policy.