{"id":22108,"date":"2018-10-13T22:56:32","date_gmt":"2018-10-14T06:56:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/?p=22108"},"modified":"2018-10-13T22:56:32","modified_gmt":"2018-10-14T06:56:32","slug":"rouge-forum-dispatch-tribes-crow-hopping-to-world-war-iii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/rouge-forum-dispatch-tribes-crow-hopping-to-world-war-iii\/","title":{"rendered":"Rouge Forum Dispatch: Tribes Crow-hopping to World War III"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>We Say Fight Back!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/43241237_1867716103324442_6941814791367294976_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&amp;oh=2aab584b5fb4dd250ab8a2431ec3585d&amp;oe=5C55BFAE\" alt=\"Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, people standing and outdoor\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"trb_outfit_primaryItem_article_title trb_outfit_featuredArticleTitle\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><a class=\"trb_outfit_primaryItem_article_title_a\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/business\/tourism\/sd-fi-westin-gaslamp-strike-20181008-story.html#nt=oft12aH-2la1\">Westin Gaslamp hotel workers walk off their jobs, part of nationwide strike<\/a><\/h2>\n<article class=\"trb_outfit_primaryItem_article\">\n<p class=\"trb_outfit_primaryItem_article_content\"><span class=\"trb_outfit_primaryItem_article_content_text\">Westin San Diego Gaslamp hotel workers, from housekeepers to banquet captains, began walking off the job this week, joining a nationwide protest targeting global lodging behemoth Marriott International. Members of Unite Here Local 30, which represents the Westin\u2019s 162 workers, had already authorized&#8230;a strike last month following stalled negotiations on a new contract. Workers at the Horton Plaza hotel have been working without a contract since April of last year.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/article>\n<figure class=\"trb_outfit_primaryItem_leadArt\">\n<aside class=\"trb_em trb_embed\" data-content-type=\"image\" data-content-size=\"leadart\" data-role=\"imgsize_ratiosizecontainer\" data-content-sourcefield=\"thumbnail\">\n<div class=\"trb_em_m\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Chanting \u201cLocal 30 on strike\u201d and wearing shirts emblazoned with \u201cOne job should be enough,\u201d workers in red T-shirts walked continuously in front of the hotel and along the side, holding aloft their signs.<\/p>\n<p>The walkout marks the first hotel strike in San Diego County since 2000 when workers at the <a id=\"PLTRA00163\" title=\"Hotel del Coronado\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/travel\/hotel-del-coronado-PLTRA00163-topic.html\">Hotel Del<\/a> Coronado walked off the job for one day, according to the local union.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"trb_ar_sponsoredmod\" data-v-ntidd=\"1069578\" data-adloader-networktype=\"nativo\" data-withinviewport-options=\"bottomOffset=100\" data-load-method=\"trb.vendor.nativo.init\" data-load-type=\"method\"><\/aside>\n<p>Nationally, Unite Here\u2019s organized job action has now grown to 7,700 workers across eight cities, including Boston, San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, Detroit and Honolulu. In some cities, workers are striking in multiple hotels managed or owned by Marriott, now the world\u2019s largest hotel corporation.\u00a0 \u201cNone of us are going back to work until the contracts at all the hotels are resolved,\u201d said Mondala Wilkins, 45, a banquet captain and 22-year Marriott employee. \u201cI have to live all the way in South Bay in order to find less expensive rental housing and have been working all these years trying to buy a home. It can sometimes be paycheck to paycheck and if we don\u2019t have any business at the hotel like a banquet or meeting, we don\u2019t work.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/business\/tourism\/sd-fi-westin-gaslamp-strike-20181008-story.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/business\/tourism\/sd-fi-westin-gaslamp-strike-20181008-story.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/43330210_437088336818318_2972217437275029504_n.png?_nc_cat=100&amp;oh=2d3c692e1d347f3a35482d63e355594a&amp;oe=5C55B19F\" alt=\"No automatic alt text available.\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/figure>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Seymour Hersh on the Future of American Journalism<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"vertical-featured-img wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/daily.jstor.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/seymour_hersh_2_1050x700.jpg\" alt=\"Seymour Hersh\" width=\"1050\" height=\"700\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The problem today is you can\u2019t go to an editor today and say \u201cI\u2019ve got a story,\u201d which I would do for years. I joke about it, but it was real. I was the equivalent of walking to an editor\u2019s desk and throwing a dead rat full of lice on his table and saying, \u201cI want to do this, and it\u2019s going to cost you a lot of money, and I may not get it, and if I do get it, you\u2019re going to have law firms yelling at you, and you\u2019re going to lose subscribers, and you\u2019re going to publish something that a lot of people won\u2019t like.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You know, that does wear out, no matter how effective the stuff is\u2013\u2013but I could do that then. I left the AP. They got tired of <a class=\"jcitation\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/24913636?mag=seymour-hersh-future-american-journalism\">my Vietnam reporting<\/a>. I left <em>The New York Times<\/em>. They got tired of my bitching and complaining about their processes there, which is sometimes sort of tedious and redundant, and at <em>The New Yorker<\/em> it was the same thing. They got tired of me always finding the dark side. It was much easier to do when Bush and Cheney were there, but when Obama was around, it was much harder.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s just the way it is. I feel sorry for kid reporters starting now, because the idea of telling an editor, \u201cI want to spend two or three months on a story\u201d just doesn\u2019t work anymore.\u00a0 &#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Everything\u2019s so souped up now. <a class=\"jcitation\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jstor.org\/stable\/25658900?mag=seymour-hersh-future-american-journalism\">Cable television is basically ruining media<\/a>. You\u2019ve got a president now that is considered to be a major liar but on an international event, if he puts out a statement, it\u2019s immediately taken. \u201cPresident says so and so did so and so,\u201d and that\u2019s the mantra. It\u2019s a very strange procedure now.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/daily.jstor.org\/seymour-hersh-future-american-journalism\/?utm_source=marketing&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_campaign=facebook\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">daily.jstor.org\/seymour-hersh-future-american-journalism\/?utm_source=marketing&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_campaign=facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"headline\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Mediation Fails Between LAUSD, Teachers Union; Potential Strike Looms<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/radicaljournal.com\/_Media\/political02.gif\" alt=\"Image result for i don't want to strike but I will\" width=\"239\" height=\"353\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\" data-pnum=\"1\">A third day of mediation efforts between the Los Angeles Unified School District and its teachers&#8217; union failed to produce a labor agreement Friday, moving the stalemate into a fact-finding period and one step closer to the district&#8217;s first teacher strike since 1989.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\" data-pnum=\"2\">Negotiators for the district and the United Teachers Los Angeles union met with a state mediator Friday &#8212; the third session in the past three weeks &#8212; but the sides moved no closer to a labor agreement. In fact, tensions between the district and union have only increased.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\" data-pnum=\"3\">Following Friday&#8217;s mediation session, the LAUSD filed another unfair labor practice charge against the union with the state, accusing UTLA of refusing to participate in &#8220;good faith&#8221; in the mediation effort.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\" data-pnum=\"4\">&#8220;By UTLA&#8217;s own admission, the only reason UTLA participated in mediation was to ensure that it could move quickly to a strike,&#8221; LAUSD attorney David Holmquist said in a statement&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\" data-pnum=\"8\">The district thinks they can buy us off with a modest pay raise, but our fight has never been just about salary,&#8221; UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl said. &#8220;What&#8217;s driving educators is the absolute need to fix what we see every day: too many overcrowded classrooms where kids have to share desks, schools with a nurse only one day a week and overloaded psychologists and counselors doing their best to triage the socio-emotional needs of our students.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\" data-pnum=\"9\">&#8220;The school district claims it can&#8217;t afford these very basic student needs,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We are ready to go to fact-finding and force the district to defend its position.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\" data-pnum=\"10\">Union officials have repeatedly blasted LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner in recent weeks, accusing him of spreading &#8220;disinformation&#8221; about the contract talks. Last week, union officials blasted Beutner for holding high-dollar meetings at ritzy Southland restaurants, often with charter-school advocates and operators&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\" data-pnum=\"14\">With mediation ending without a resolution, the impasse between the district and union now moves into a fact-finding period, during which an independent third party reviews the arguments of both sides and recommends a potential solution.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph\" data-pnum=\"15\">Following the fact-finding period, the union could call for a strike. UTLA&#8217;s membership has already overwhelmingly voted to authorize its leadership to call a strike.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbclosangeles.com\/news\/local\/Mediation-Fails-Between-LAUSD-Teachers-Union-Potential-Strike-Looms-497381631.html?akmobile=o\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nbclosangeles.com\/news\/local\/Mediation-Fails-Between-LAUSD-Teachers-Union-Potential-Strike-Looms-497381631.html?akmobile=o<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"link-fefb6a\" class=\"css-1a8ugfg ejekc6u0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Them\u2019s Fightin\u2019 Words: 10 Great Protest Songs<\/span><\/h1>\n<p class=\"css-1u56eiq ewc5vgb0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>To the barricades! And don\u2019t forget the lyric sheet!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"We Will All Go Together When We Go\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/X_F2TcbSom4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/12\/opinion\/loudon-wainwright-protest-songs.html?action=click&#038;module=Opinion&#038;pgtype=Homepage\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/12\/opinion\/loudon-wainwright-protest-songs.html?action=click&#038;module=Opinion&#038;pgtype=Homepage<\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<h1>Protesters are going to the royal wedding<\/h1>\n<h1 class=\"headline\">\u00a32m taxpayer bill for Princess Eugenie&#8217;s nuptials, with support for monarchy &#8216;at breaking point&#8217;<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/s3fs-public\/thumbnails\/image\/2018\/08\/18\/19\/Eugenie.jpg\" \/><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/princess-eugenie\">Princess Eugenie<\/a>\u2019s wedding is stretching public support for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/Royal%20family\">royal family<\/a> \u201cto breaking point\u201d, campaigners have claimed, after nearly 50,000 people signed a petition protesting the cost to taxpayers.<\/p>\n<p>Friday\u2019s wedding, expected to leave police with a security bill of about \u00a32m, could \u201cdamage the royals for a long time to come,\u201d warned anti-monarchy pressure group Republic.<\/p>\n<p>Eugenie is to marry long-term boyfriend Jack Brooksbank, a tequila brand ambassador, in a lavish ceremony in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/Windsor\">Windsor<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The cost of the wedding itself will be covered by the royal family, but the bill for policing, traffic management and stewarding will be picked up by the taxpayer.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/ThamesValleyPolice\">Thames Valley Police<\/a>\u00a0is to deploy\u00a0armed officers, specially trained search dogs, mounted horses, and high-visibility patrols in a major operation.<\/p>\n<p>Eugenie and Mr Brooskbank will take a 1km\u00a0open-topped carriage ride to Windsor following the ceremony at Windsor Castle\u2019s St George\u00a0Chapel.\u00a0The decision has raised eyebrows because it requires road closures and will significantly increase the force\u2019s costs.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/uk\/home-news\/princess-eugenie-royal-wedding-taxpayer-bill-monarchy-breaking-point-2m-cost-windsor-thames-valley-a8580256.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.independent.co.uk\/news\/uk\/home-news\/princess-eugenie-royal-wedding-taxpayer-bill-monarchy-breaking-point-2m-cost-windsor-thames-valley-a8580256.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/c8.alamy.com\/comp\/CA3X8J\/anti-monarchy-demonstrators-protest-during-diamond-jubilee-celebrations-CA3X8J.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for down with the monarchy\" width=\"304\" height=\"224\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"event-title\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Debating US National Security Whistleblowing: Secrets, the State, and Democracy<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"event-image aligncenter\" title=\"Debating US National Security Whistleblowing: Secrets, the State, and Democracy\" src=\"https:\/\/gallatin.nyu.edu\/gallatin\/en\/utilities\/events\/2018\/10\/whistleblowing\/_jcr_content\/image.img.320.medium.jpg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"description gallatinRichText nyuRichText text parbase\">\n<h3>Discussion with Whistleblowers, Advocates, and Historians<\/h3>\n<p>Are Edward Snowden, Reality Winner, and James Comey whistleblowers or leakers, heroes or traitors? Is WikiLeaks a media organization or a foreign agent? Is it ever appropriate to disclose official secrets to the public? Join us for a series of roundtable discussions featuring whistleblowers, advocates, and historians to debate the past, present, and future of national security whistleblowing. This event is organized by <strong>Hannah Gurman <\/strong>(NYU Gallatin) and <strong>Kaeten Mistry<\/strong> (University of East Anglia, UK) and is sponsored by the Urban Democracy Lab at NYU Gallatin, The Tamiment Institute Library at NYU, and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK).\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/gallatin.nyu.edu\/utilities\/events\/2018\/10\/whistleblowing.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">gallatin.nyu.edu\/utilities\/events\/2018\/10\/whistleblowing.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>The Little Red Schoolhouse<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/43023829_10157907275265884_252847336055635968_n.jpg?_nc_cat=1&amp;oh=1ed0e72ec2cb6854114dcc26667c3c6d&amp;oe=5C45885A\" alt=\"Image may contain: 1 person, smiling\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">What Happens When States Un-Standardize Tests?<\/h1>\n<p>Few educators are fans of fill-in-the-bubble standardized tests that don\u2019t yield results until after students leave the classroom.<\/p>\n<p>But when states had a chance to try out richer forms of assessment under\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edweek.org\/edweek\/campaign-k-12\/2016\/06\/how_will_essas_innovative_asse.html\">a new pilot program established by the Every Student Succeeds Act<\/a>, all but two demurred, in part because the pilot comes with tough technical requirements and no extra federal funding.<\/p>\n<p>That doesn\u2019t mean, though, that states are planning to stick with the Scantron sheets over the long haul.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, several are looking to experiment with new performance assessments that ask students to complete some sort of hands-on task to show what they know or are able to do. Others are moving to use shorter tests throughout the year, instead of one big exam at the end, or redesigning tests to better reflect material students see in the classroom.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a lot of momentum in states across the country around this idea of creating assessments that address student learning in more meaningful ways,\u201d said Lillian Pace, the senior director of national policy at KnowledgeWorks, which supports state and federal policymakers interested in personalized-learning systems. \u201cNobody right now has the answer, but there is a lot of energy to try to figure out what we could do better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some states\u2014like Georgia\u2014are planning to apply to the Innovative Assessment pilot to support this work, now that the U.S. Department of Education has opened a new window for applications.<\/p>\n<p>But others\u2014including Kentucky\u2014are keeping their plans separate from the federal flexibility, at least for now. (EdWeek)<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Equity Implications<\/h2>\n<p>One big knock on new forms of assessments is that they aren\u2019t helpful for equity. It can be hard to compare the results from one district to the next or measure the performance of particular populations of students, like English-language learners and students in special education.<\/p>\n<p>Natasha Ushomirsky, the director of P-12 policy development at the Education Trust, a research and advocacy organization in Washington, is uneasy about the potential downside of the changes for vulnerable children. These students are often given lower-level classroom work than their more-advantaged peers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStatewide annual assessments are a check on those differences in expectation,\u201d Ushomirsky said. \u201cThey give parents an objective picture of where their students are in relation to grade-level standards, with the knowledge that that bar is the same across all students, across all schools within the state.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/ew\/articles\/2018\/10\/11\/what-happens-when-state-un-standardize-tests.html?r=454216669&#038;cmp=eml-enl-eu-news1&#038;M=58638430&#038;U=1666178&#038;UUID=1077d6867cfb1e9eaaaa4a81b0c3ab4b&#038;mkey=A527E740-CE75-11E8-8CBC-29CEC819EBCD\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.edweek.org\/ew\/articles\/2018\/10\/11\/what-happens-when-state-un-standardize-tests.html?r=454216669&#038;cmp=eml-enl-eu-news1&#038;M=58638430&#038;U=1666178&#038;UUID=1077d6867cfb1e9eaaaa4a81b0c3ab4b&#038;mkey=A527E740-CE75-11E8-8CBC-29CEC819EBCD<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Education-overthrow.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22136\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Education-overthrow.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Education-overthrow.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Education-overthrow-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Education-overthrow-500x500.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-cover-content-wrapper\">\n<div id=\"main-content\" class=\"article-cover-content\">\n<h1 class=\"hed\" style=\"text-align: center;\">The Little College Where Tuition Is Free and Every Student Is Given a Job<\/h1>\n<p class=\"dek\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Berea College, in Kentucky, has paid for every enrollee\u2019s education using its endowment for 126 years. Can other schools replicate the model?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"soliloquy-image-15022\" class=\"soliloquy-image soliloquy-image-1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.berea.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/2018-10-02-Priority-1-1-2560x1092_c.jpg\" alt=\"Priority Application Deadline - October 31, 2018\" \/><\/p>\n<section id=\"article-section-1\">\n<p class=\"dropcap\">T<span class=\"smallcaps\">here\u2019s a small burst<\/span> of air that explodes from every clap. And when hundreds of people are clapping in unison, it begins to feel like a breeze\u2014one that was pulsing through the Phelps Stokes Chapel at Berea College in Kentucky. The students and staff that had gathered here were stomping, clapping, and singing along, as they were led in a rendition of the Civil Rights era anthem, \u201cAin\u2019t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">They had packed into the wood-framed building for a convocation address, where the speaker, Diane White-Clayton, would be talking about \u201cJesus, the Ultimate Rebel with a Cause.\u201d Berea does not have a sectarian affiliation, but the remnants of its Christian foundation are readily apparent\u2014so much so that, as Alicestyne Turley, a history professor at the college, told me, \u201cwe have students who come here who think they\u2019re coming to a Christian college,\u201d \u00e0 la Liberty University or Notre Dame.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">White\u2019s address was dotted with the markings of a Sunday sermon\u2014not the stuffy kind, but the kind I\u2019d heard time and again growing up\u2014the jokes, the whooping, the lessons that come in threes. In her speech, White explained to the students that it didn&#8217;t take supernatural abilities to do great things\u2014only a purpose\u2014and that all the evidence they needed could be found on the campus where they stood.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/education\/archive\/2018\/10\/how-berea-college-makes-tuition-free-with-its-endowment\/572644\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.theatlantic.com\/education\/archive\/2018\/10\/how-berea-college-makes-tuition-free-with-its-endowment\/572644\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"headline__heading\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Germany&#8217;s far-Right urges schoolchildren to expose &#8216;biased&#8217; teachers<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/static1.squarespace.com\/static\/54a55923e4b02cb3ce076c3f\/t\/54db7852e4b03442c7994d7c\/1423669332987\/\" alt=\"Image result for peaceful; teachers\" width=\"304\" height=\"304\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"m_first-letter m_first-letter--flagged\">G<\/span>ermany&#8217;s far-right AfD party has been criticised for launching a child informant programme in schools where pupils expose teachers who attack the party or show political bias.<\/p>\n<p>The Hamburg chapter of Alternative Fur Deutschland, which made major gains in last year&#8217;s general election, launched a &#8220;Neutral Schools&#8221; website for anonymous complaints about teachers.<\/p>\n<p>But Katarina Barley, the German justice minister, condemned the programme, warning that &#8220;organised denunciation is a tool of dictatorships.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A party using this to expose disagreeable teachers &#8230; reveals a lot about its own understanding of democracy,&#8221; she added.<\/p>\n<p>German teaching unions also hit out at the Stasi-esque surveillance scheme, which the AfD hopes to extend to nine other states, including Bavaria, Brandenburg, Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg and Saxony.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s to be expected that a party that wants to ostracise dissenters is now creating platforms to denounce people who have different opinions,&#8221; Ilka Hoffmann, a board member of the German Education Union, told the Funke newspaper group.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Teachers should be scared. This is a frightening development.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The AfD is the largest opposition party in the German parliament, the Bundestag, following a surge in support in the September 2017 election which handed them 90 seats.<\/p>\n<p>It has capitalised on popular anger against Chancellor Angela Merkel&#8217;s liberal refugee policy that resulted in a record refugee influx in 2015.\u00a0 <span class=\"m_first-letter m_first-letter--flagged\">B<\/span>ut the extreme rhetoric of some of its members has led to claims that the party harbours neo-Nazi and fascist sympathisers. Alexander Gauland, the party&#8217;s leader, has described the Third Reich as a &#8220;speck of bird poo in over 1,000 years of successful German history.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2018\/10\/11\/germanys-far-right-urges-schoolchildren-expose-biased-teachers\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2018\/10\/11\/germanys-far-right-urges-schoolchildren-expose-biased-teachers\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article__headline\">Stephen Miller&#8217;s Third-Grade Teacher: He Was a \u201cLoner&#8221; and Ate Glue (teacher suspended, clown show continues)<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"main-media__image\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thr.com\/sites\/default\/files\/imagecache\/landscape_928x523\/2018\/10\/stephen_millers_third-grade_teacher_tells_all_and_inset_of_miller.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn1.thr.com\/sites\/default\/files\/imagecache\/landscape_928x523\/2018\/10\/stephen_millers_third-grade_teacher_tells_all_and_inset_of_miller.jpg 928w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I\u00a0can still picture him sitting in my classroom.<\/p>\n<p>Do you remember that character in <em>Peanuts<\/em>, the one called Pig Pen, with the dust cloud and crumbs flying all around him? That was Stephen Miller at 8. I was always trying to get him to clean up his desk \u2014 he always had stuff mashed up in there. He was a strange dude. I remember he would take a bottle of glue \u2014 we didn&#8217;t have glue sticks in those days \u2014 and he would pour the glue on his arm, let it dry, peel it off and then eat it.<\/p>\n<p>I remember being concerned about him \u2014 not academically. He was OK with that, though I could never read his handwriting. But he had such strange personal habits. He was a loner and isolated and off by himself all the time.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the year, I wrote all my concerns \u2014 and I had a lot of them \u2014 in his school record. When the school principal had a conference with Stephen&#8217;s parents, the parents were horrified. So the principal took some white-out and blanked out all my comments. I wish I could remember what I wrote, but this was 25 years ago. I&#8217;ve taught a lot of third-graders since then. Of course, Stephen wasn&#8217;t political then \u2014 it wasn&#8217;t until later that he started to make waves.\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/news\/stephen-millers-third-grade-teacher-tells-all-1150549\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.hollywoodreporter.com\/news\/stephen-millers-third-grade-teacher-tells-all-1150549<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>The International Hot War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/43741398_2355020414513950_7078019633231429632_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&amp;oh=80d8ffb327eae82333ef2124d28b9cb1&amp;oe=5C4910A2\" alt=\"Image may contain: 1 person, smiling\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">Failed Counterinsurgency is here to stay: Marines plan to double foreign military training adviser group<\/h1>\n<div class=\"mco-body-item mco-body-type-text\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">While the Marines and the U.S. military are amid an overhaul to prep the force for a fight with near-peer adversaries, the Corps hasn\u2019t lost focused on its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/06\/13\/no-more-army-adviser-brigades-or-amphib-ships-this-proposed-report-could-radically-change-how-the-services-fight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">counterinsurgency mission<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mco-body-item mco-body-type-text\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">And on Wednesday, the top Marine told reporters at a media roundtable event that the Corps plans to double its foreign military training <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/08\/15\/the-corps-wants-lighter-body-armor-for-counterinsurgency-conflicts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">adviser group<\/a> that aids in stability operations and helps train future Marine foreign advisers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mco-body-item mco-body-type-text\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">While America\u2019s focus is once again on great power competition, that \u201cdoesn\u2019t mean we are going to forget or forgo the requirements to be able to do counterinsurgency or stability ops,\u201d Gen. Robert B. Neller, the commandant of the Marine Corps, told reporters Wednesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mco-body-item mco-body-type-text\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">In 2012, the Corps stood up the Marine Corps Security Cooperation Group, or MCSCG, which carries out foreign military training and cooperation and trains Marine advisors preparing to deploy overseas with cultural and immersion training and foreign weapons handling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mco-body-item mco-body-type-text\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The MCSCG runs a nearly 4-week course dubbed the Marine Advisor Course, which helps hone future Marine foreign military trainers in a plethora of skills from force protection to building rapport with foreign security forces.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/10\/10\/counterinsurgency-is-here-to-stay-marines-plan-to-double-foreign-military-training-adviser-group\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/10\/10\/counterinsurgency-is-here-to-stay-marines-plan-to-double-foreign-military-training-adviser-group\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WORLD ORDER  &quot;LET&#039;S START WW3\u201d\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FMrqlo_L-gY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"content__headline \">US Nato envoy&#8217;s threat to Russia: stop developing missile or we&#8217;ll &#8216;take it out&#8217;<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<p>The US ambassador to Nato has warned <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/russia\" data-link-name=\"auto-linked-tag\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Russia<\/a> that if it does not halt the development of a new cruise missile in violation of a treaty between the countries, the US will \u201ctake out\u201d the missile.<\/p>\n<p>Kay Bailey Hutchison was <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/nato.usmission.gov\/october-2-2018-press-briefing-by-ambassador-kay-bailey-hutchison\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">speaking to reporters<\/a> about a longstanding issue of contention, a Russian ground-launched cruise missile which Washington says breaks the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).<\/p>\n<p>Moscow has denied the charge, and the Trump administration has announced plans to develop its own medium-range cruise missile in response, raising the spectre of a <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2018\/apr\/17\/us-russian-nuclear-arsenals-treaty-expire-unconstrained\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">new nuclear arms race<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But Hutchison went further in her remarks and appeared to suggest the possibility of a pre-emptive strike when the Russian missiles became operational.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe counter-measures would be to take out the missiles that are in development by Russia in violation of the treaty,\u201d the envoy said, mistakenly referring to the missile in question as a ballistic missile, rather than a cruise missile. She also suggested the missile, known as 9M729, was still in development, even though the <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/03\/08\/us\/politics\/russia-inf-missile-treaty.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">US accused Russia<\/a> of deploying it last year.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2018\/oct\/02\/us-ambassador-nato-russia-kay-bailey-hutchison\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.theguardian.com\/world\/2018\/oct\/02\/us-ambassador-nato-russia-kay-bailey-hutchison<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Imperialism1-292x300d.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22118\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Imperialism1-292x300d.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"292\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Imperialism1-292x300d.jpg 292w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Imperialism1-292x300d-146x150.jpg 146w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 292px) 100vw, 292px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<h1 class=\"c-article-header__hed\">Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United State<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div>\u201cThe erosion of American manufacturing over the last two decades\u2026 threatens to undermine the ability of U.S. manufacturers to meet national security requirements. Today, we rely on single domestic sources for some products and foreign supply chains for others, and we face the possibility of not being able to produce specialized components for the military at home.\u201d&#8230; \u201cChina\u2019s economic strategies, combined with the adverse impacts of other nations\u2019 industrial policies, pose significant threats to the U.S. industrial base and thereby pose a growing risk to U.S. national security.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2018\/Oct\/05\/2002048904\/-1\/-1\/1\/ASSESSING-AND-STRENGTHENING-THE-MANUFACTURING-AND%20DEFENSE-INDUSTRIAL-BASE-AND-SUPPLY-CHAIN-RESILIENCY.PDF\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">media.defense.gov\/2018\/Oct\/05\/2002048904\/-1\/-1\/1\/ASSESSING-AND-STRENGTHENING-THE-MANUFACTURING-AND%20DEFENSE-INDUSTRIAL-BASE-AND-SUPPLY-CHAIN-RESILIENCY.PDF<\/a><\/div>\n<div>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">America&#8217;s War With Afghanistan Enters 18th Year<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"U.S. Marines with Task Force Southwest depart a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter prior to an advisory meeting with Afghan National Army soldiers at Camp Hanson, Afghanistan, June 13, 2017. (U.S. Marine Corps photo) \" src=\"https:\/\/images04.military.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/full\/public\/2017-12\/marines-afghanistan-1-1200x800.jpg?itok=wV77WJSv\" alt=\"U.S. Marines with Task Force Southwest depart a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter prior to an advisory meeting with Afghan National Army soldiers at Camp Hanson, Afghanistan, June 13, 2017. (U.S. Marine Corps photo) \" width=\"621\" height=\"414\" \/><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>On Oct. 7, 2001, less than a month after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, U.S. warplanes bombed targets in Afghanistan in what would be the opening offensive of Operation Enduring Freedom, the effort to drive the Taliban and al-Qaida from the country and install a democratic government.<\/p>\n<p>CIA operatives and U.S. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.military.com\/special-operations\">special forces<\/a> teamed with the mostly-Tajik Northern Alliance to take Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif and other cities under an air umbrella that was provided primarily by the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.military.com\/navy\">Navy<\/a> and used <a href=\"http:\/\/www.military.com\/equipment\/joint-direct-attack-munition-jdam\">Joint Direct Attack Munitions<\/a> to devastating effect.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Then-<a href=\"http:\/\/www.military.com\/marine-corps\">Marine<\/a> Brig. Gen. Jim Mattis, now the U.S. secretary of defense, led Task Force 58, consisting of the 15th and 26th Marine Expeditionary Units, on an air assault that eventually resulted in the taking of Kandahar, birthplace of the Taliban movement.<\/p>\n<p>By Dec. 9, 2001, the Taliban had collapsed and leader Mullah Omar had fled to Pakistan. Then, the U.S. focus turned to the invasion of Iraq.<\/p>\n<p>On Oct. 7, 2018, the military endgame for the U.S. in Afghanistan was still an increasingly difficult and long-term work in progress. That date marked the start of the 18th year of war in Afghanistan &#8212; a war that has claimed thousands of American lives and shows no clear indication of drawing to a close.<\/p>\n<p>The resurgent Taliban is back and firmly in control of large swaths of territory. Osama Bin Laden is dead, but U.S. and Afghan special forces are still on the hunt for elements of al-Qaida. The new terrorist factor is the ISIS offshoot called Islamic State-Khorasan Province, or &#8220;ISIS-K.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;blood and treasure&#8221; costs to the U.S. continue to mount&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Since the war began, at least 2,414 U.S., 455 British and 686 troops from other coalition nations have been killed in Afghanistan for a total of 3,555, according to the website <a href=\"http:\/\/icasualties.org\/\">icasualties.org<\/a>. (and hundreds of thousands of Afghans).<\/p>\n<p>Depending on who is doing the counting and how it is done, the estimates for the costs of the war for the U.S. since 2001 have generally exceeded $1 trillion. The Pentagon estimates the U.S. will spend at least $45 billion on the war effort this year.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2001, U.S. policy has changed radically. The main goal is no longer to drive the Taliban out of Afghanistan but rather to drive them into a negotiated peace settlement to end the war, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.military.com\/army\">Army<\/a> Gen. John Nicholson, who recently turned over command of U.S.-Forces Afghanistan and the NATO Resolute Support Mission to Army Gen. Scott Miller.<\/p>\n<p>At his Senate confirmation hearing in June, Miller said he would not talk about turning points &#8220;unless there is one&#8221; and that he could not guarantee &#8220;a timeline or an end date&#8221; to the war.<\/p>\n<p>The estimated 14,000 to 15,000 U.S. troops in Miller&#8217;s command are operating under a new strategy for Afghanistan announced in August 2017 by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, Trump acknowledged that his first instinct was to withdraw all U.S. forces, but he agreed with the advice of Mattis and others to initiate a &#8220;conditions-based&#8221; approach with no timelines that would put more focus on counter-terror raids and airpower to back the increasingly stressed Afghan security forces.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.military.com\/daily-news\/2018\/10\/08\/americas-war-afghanistan-enters-18th-year.html?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=ebb%2010\/9\/18&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.military.com\/daily-news\/2018\/10\/08\/americas-war-afghanistan-enters-18th-year.html?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=ebb%2010\/9\/18&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/fm.cnbc.com\/applications\/cnbc.com\/resources\/img\/editorial\/2017\/08\/22\/104666288-RTS1CMK5-john-s-mccain.530x298.jpg?v=1503408025\" alt=\"Image result for navy accident\" width=\"304\" height=\"171\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"c-article-header__hed\" style=\"text-align: center;\">The Navy\u2019s Terrible Accident Record Is Now Hidden From Public View<\/h1>\n<div class=\"blah\">\n<div class=\"l-article__container__container\">\n<section id=\"article-section-0\" class=\"l-article__section s-cms-content\">\n<p class=\"dropcap\" dir=\"ltr\">Websites appear and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/technology\/archive\/2017\/04\/a-search-for-the-zombie-websites-of-1995\/523848\/\" data-omni-click=\"r'article',r'',d,r'intext',r'0',r'None'\">disappear<\/a>\u00a0every day. The internet is an amorphous beast, constantly being edited and updated. We accept these changes as simple fact, but crucial information is frequently removed from government websites\u2014and small changes over time can have major downstream consequences.<\/p>\n<p>I made the disturbing discovery recently that, amid a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/08\/navys-spike-in-aviation-mishaps-is-the-militarys-worst-up-82-percent\/\" data-omni-click=\"r'article',r'',d,r'intext',r'1',r'None'\">dramatic five-year spike<\/a>\u00a0in aviation accidents, the Navy has put aviation safety data that used to be public behind a wall. I bumped into this change while researching for the documentary film\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vandornmovie.com\/\" data-omni-click=\"r'article',r'',d,r'intext',r'2',r'None'\">Who Killed Lt. Van Dorn?<\/a><\/em>, which uncovers the long history of negligence and institutional failure surrounding the 53E helicopter, the deadliest aircraft in the U.S. military.<\/p>\n<p>I lost a high-school friend in the 2014 training accident that killed Wes Van Dorn, and soon after, I began investigating why he died. The safety data on Navy accidents that is now blocked was public when I began my reporting, and it was indispensable in producing what was first a newspaper series, then an NBC Nightly News\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/investigations\/sea-dragon-down-human-cost-navy-s-most-crash-prone-n281636\" data-omni-click=\"r'article',r'',d,r'intext',r'3',r'None'\">investigation<\/a>, and now a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vandornmovie.com\/\" data-omni-click=\"r'article',r'',d,r'intext',r'4',r'None'\">feature documentary<\/a>. Without that safety data, these stories would have been far more difficult to tell.<\/p>\n<p>The decision to suppress this data from public view came as the Navy, which also oversees Marine aviation, was dealing with headlines pointing out that its safety problems are increasing faster than any other branch: The Navy has seen\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/08\/navys-spike-in-aviation-mishaps-is-the-militarys-worst-up-82-percent\/\" data-omni-click=\"r'article',r'',d,r'intext',r'5',r'None'\">an 82 percent spike<\/a>\u00a0in accidents between the 2013 and 2017 fiscal years, while the overall military increase for that same period of time is 40 percent.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"blah\">\n<div class=\"l-article__container__container\">\n<section id=\"article-section-1\" class=\"l-article__section s-cms-content\">The Navy\u2019s decision may be part of a larger trend. In May 2017, the foreign-policy magazine\u00a0<em>National Interest<\/em>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nationalinterest.org\/feature\/how-the-us-military-trying-mask-its-readiness-crisis-20735\" data-omni-click=\"r'article',r'',d,r'intext',r'6',r'None'\">obtained emails<\/a>\u00a0from top Navy officials discouraging the disclosure of readiness numbers\u2014figures that report how many aircraft are ready to fight in the event of a major conflict. At the time, nearly two-thirds of the Navy and Marine F-18s were\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/naval\/2017\/02\/06\/grounded-nearly-two-thirds-of-us-navys-strike-fighters-cant-fly\/\" data-omni-click=\"r'article',r'',d,r'intext',r'7',r'None'\">unfit to fly\u00a0\u00a0<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/technology\/archive\/2018\/10\/the-navys-accident-data-is-now-hidden-from-public-view\/572461\/?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=ebb%2010-10&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.theatlantic.com\/technology\/archive\/2018\/10\/the-navys-accident-data-is-now-hidden-from-public-view\/572461\/?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=ebb%2010-10&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief<\/a><\/section>\n<section>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">America\u2019s obesity is threatening national security, according to this study<\/h1>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/resizer\/HlBR5KPuNXfbfniRS_y1m2UbY0M=\/1200x0\/filters:quality(100)\/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/J3VHV5HVAZCPVIT57DDF2R7IAM.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/section>\n<div class=\"blah\">\n<section>\n<div class=\"mco-body-item mco-body-type-text\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">It\u2019s well known at this point that just under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2018\/08\/01\/army-using-drug-waivers-bonuses-to-fill-ranks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">30 percent<\/a> of Americans ages 17 to 24 \u2015 the prime age to join the Army \u2015 aren\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2018\/07\/30\/the-army-is-tightening-waiver-authority-for-recruits-with-issues-like-self-mutilation-misconduct-and-substance-abuse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">eligible to join<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mco-body-item mco-body-type-text\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">But beyond that, almost a third of those who sit down with a recruiter to take the first steps are immediately disqualified.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mco-body-item mco-body-type-text\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">Why? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2018\/07\/18\/commentary-heres-why-fighting-youth-obesity-is-a-matter-of-national-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Because of their <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2018\/07\/18\/commentary-heres-why-fighting-youth-obesity-is-a-matter-of-national-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">weight.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mco-body-item mco-body-type-text\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">\u201cOut of all the reasons that we have future soldiers disqualify, the largest \u2013 31 percent \u2015 is obesity,\u201d Maj. Gen. Frank Muth, head of Army Recruiting Command, said Wednesday at AUSA\u2019s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mco-body-item mco-body-type-text\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">A freshly published study, \u201cUnhealthy and Unprepared\u201d concludes that America\u2019s rising numbers of overweight youth are going to have real impacts on the military\u2019s ability to maintain effectiveness.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mco-body-item mco-body-type-text\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ve got to make sure that message gets out, because our concern is what happens when that percentage that qualify \u2026 potentially goes down?\u201d Muth said. \u201cOr if the obesity, if that starts to go up.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2018\/10\/10\/americas-obesity-is-threatening-national-security-according-to-this-study\/?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=ebb%2011.10.18&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2018\/10\/10\/americas-obesity-is-threatening-national-security-according-to-this-study\/?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=ebb%2011.10.18&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"l-article__container__container\">\n<section>\n<h1 id=\"link-3da68ac9\" class=\"css-2wh0do ejekc6u0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">A Fighter Jet Flipped. Hangars Shredded. At Tyndall Air Force Base, a \u2018Complete Loss.\u2019<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-11cwn6f\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/10\/12\/us\/12michael-airforce\/merlin_145167240_5a60a411-89f4-49e1-8fe4-640447f548f7-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/10\/12\/us\/12michael-airforce\/merlin_145167240_5a60a411-89f4-49e1-8fe4-640447f548f7-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/10\/12\/us\/12michael-airforce\/merlin_145167240_5a60a411-89f4-49e1-8fe4-640447f548f7-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/10\/12\/us\/12michael-airforce\/merlin_145167240_5a60a411-89f4-49e1-8fe4-640447f548f7-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">As Hurricane Michael tore across the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday, shredding buildings and homes in its path, the mostly empty Tyndall Air Force Base braced for a ferocious impact.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">A wind gauge surged to 130 miles per hour, and then broke. Hangars where Air Force jets have sheltered during past tropical storms began to groan and shudder before being ripped to ribbons.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">The eye of the storm cut directly over the base, which sits on a narrow spit of land that juts into the Gulf of Mexico, about a dozen miles south of Panama City. Trees bent in the howling wind, then splintered. Stormproof roofs only a few months old peeled like old paint and were scraped away by the gale. An F-15 fighter jet on display at the base entrance was ripped from its foundation and pitched onto its back amid twisted flagpoles and uprooted trees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">When it was over, the base lay in ruins, amid what the Air Force called \u201cwidespread catastrophic damage.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/11\/us\/air-force-hurricane-michael-damage.html?action=click&#038;module=Spotlight&#038;pgtype=Homepage\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/11\/us\/air-force-hurricane-michael-damage.html?action=click&#038;module=Spotlight&#038;pgtype=Homepage<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>The International Economic War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.activistpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/economic-preparation.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for financial collapse\" width=\"304\" height=\"171\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"story-top\">\n<div class=\"story-header-left twoCol\">\n<h1 class=\"title\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Trade tensions could trigger another global financial crisis, but investors appear complacent, IMF says<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"article_deck\" class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"group-container last\">\n<div class=\"group\">\n<ul>\n<li>Stock prices \u2014 particularly those in the U.S. \u2014 have hit record-high levels multiple times over the past year, which is an indication that investors have continued to take on risks.<\/li>\n<li>Yet the International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday that &#8220;a further escalation of trade tensions, as well as rising geopolitical risks and policy uncertainty in major economies, could lead to a sudden deterioration in risk sentiment.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>According to the organization, that could trigger &#8220;a broad-based correction in global capital markets and a sharp tightening of global financial conditions.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Risks are building up in the global financial system, and a further escalation in trade tensions could push the situation over the edge, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/imf\/\">International Monetary Fund<\/a> warned.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2018\/10\/10\/trade-tensions-could-trigger-another-global-financial-crisis-imf.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.cnbc.com\/2018\/10\/10\/trade-tensions-could-trigger-another-global-financial-crisis-imf.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title single-post-title\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Ex-Flint emergency manager bills city taxpayers for growing legal tab over water crisis<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-25885 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/motorcitymuckraker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-1.17.12-PM.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" srcset=\"http:\/\/motorcitymuckraker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-1.17.12-PM.png 569w, http:\/\/motorcitymuckraker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-1.17.12-PM-150x95.png 150w, http:\/\/motorcitymuckraker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Screen-Shot-2016-03-15-at-1.17.12-PM-300x190.png 300w\" alt=\"Former Flint Emergency Manager Darnell Earley. \" width=\"450\" height=\"286\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Former\u00a0Flint Emergency Manager\u00a0Darnell Earley, who is under investigation for\u00a0his handling of the drinking water crisis, wants city taxpayers to pick up his growing legal tab \u2013 $75,000.<\/p>\n<p>Earley has paid an attorney up to $750 an hour\u00a0to guide him through a congressional hearing last month and to represent him in several investigations into the\u00a0water crisis, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.freep.com\/story\/news\/local\/michigan\/flint-water-crisis\/2016\/04\/23\/darnell-earley-attorney-flint-water\/83382484\/\">records obtained by the <em>Detroit Free Press<\/em>.\u00a0<\/a>In March alone, Earley spent $64,000 in legal fees and billed the city of Flint.<\/p>\n<p>Earley was the state-appointed emergency manager when the cash-starved city switched to the Flint River for drinking water in April 2014 to save money.<\/p>\n<p>Record obtained by <em>Motor City Muckraker<\/em> show that Earley rejected numerous opportunities to stay with Detroit\u2019s historically safe water for a dramatically discounted price.\u00a0On March 7, 2014, Earley wrote in an e-mail to the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) that he was not interested in a short-term contract to avoid using the Flint River, despite serious concerns raised by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality in 2012.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">\u201cThere will be no need for Flint to continue purchasing water (from DWSD) to serve its residents and businesses after April 17, 2014,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.documentcloud.org\/documents\/2697413\/Earley-Letter.pdf\"><span class=\"s1\">Earley wrote to <\/span><\/a>DWSD Director Sue McCormick.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">But months later, after studies began to show dangerously elevated levels of lead from Flint River water, Earley and Gov. Rick Snyder claimed the city\u00a0was forced to use the river because DWSD would not provide a short-term contract.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Earley, who previously refused to testify before Congress,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/motorcitymuckraker.com\/2016\/03\/15\/congressional-committee-slams-state-epa-for-mishandling-flint-water-crisis\/\">was slammed for his handling<\/a> of the crisis at\u00a0a hearing before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform last month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Rep. Elijah Cummings said he \u201calmost vomited\u201d when Earley tried to dismiss responsibility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cIt is sickening \u2013 all of it,\u201d Cummings said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be a water treatment expert. A 5-year-old could figure out\u201d there were problems with the water.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/motorcitymuckraker.com\/2016\/04\/24\/ex-flint-emergency-manager-bills-city-taxpayers-for-growing-legal-tab-over-water-crisis\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">motorcitymuckraker.com\/2016\/04\/24\/ex-flint-emergency-manager-bills-city-taxpayers-for-growing-legal-tab-over-water-crisis\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"link-139c8be2\" class=\"css-2wh0do ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">After Water Fiasco, Trust of Officials Is in Short Supply in Flint<\/span> (1,100 days)<\/h1>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Flint&#039;s water crisis, explained in 3 minutes\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NUSiLOwkrIw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&#8230;\u201cBut the loss of trust is so profound, and the sense of betrayal so complete \u2014 some Flint residents will never consume or bathe in tap water again. Given their personal experiences, I would not call that unreasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">The distrust is so ingrained that some people in Flint are not washing their hands enough, a factor in a recent <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/10\/05\/us\/flint-hit-with-bacterial-illness-as-residents-shun-city-water.html?module=inline\">outbreak of shigellosis<\/a>, a contagious infection that can cause severe diarrhea, fever and stools containing blood and mucus, health officials said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">Laura Sullivan, a professor of mechanical engineering at Kettering University in Flint who has worked closely with the authorities on solving the crisis, was among the sick, hospitalized for several days in July with shigellosis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">She washes her hands frequently and has not been able to definitively pinpoint the cause of her infection.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">But Ms. Sullivan, too, is afraid of the water, and she said convincing others in Flint that it is fit to drink is a long way off.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to convince people once they\u2019re aware that it has been unsafe that it is now safe,\u201d she said. \u201cThe messenger that says the water is safe can\u2019t come from the state government. They\u2019ve already ruined their potential to be someone who can be trusted.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/10\/09\/us\/after-water-fiasco-trust-of-officials-is-in-short-supply-in-flint.html?rref=collection%2Fnewseventcollection%2Fflint-water-crisis&#038;action=click&#038;contentCollection=us&#038;region=rank&#038;module=package&#038;version=highlights&#038;contentPlacement=1&#038;pgtype=collection\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2016\/10\/09\/us\/after-water-fiasco-trust-of-officials-is-in-short-supply-in-flint.html?rref=collection%2Fnewseventcollection%2Fflint-water-crisis&#038;action=click&#038;contentCollection=us&#038;region=rank&#038;module=package&#038;version=highlights&#038;contentPlacement=1&#038;pgtype=collection<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"article_deck\" class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"group-container last\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/National-Parks-sale.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22120\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/National-Parks-sale.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"375\" height=\"475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/National-Parks-sale.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/National-Parks-sale-118x150.jpg 118w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 375px) 100vw, 375px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"longform-intro-headline speakable-headline\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Detroit&#8217;s HIV rate is more than 4 times the state average. Here&#8217;s why.<\/h1>\n<p class=\"p-text\">While the overall number of people diagnosed with new cases of HIV in Michigan has remained relatively stable since the early 2000s,\u00a0it has been rising in a\u00a0key demographic:\u00a0young African-American gay and bisexual men who have seen a sweeping statewide\u00a0increase in diagnoses, according to Jennifer Miller, an\u00a0HIV epidemiology manager for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Meanwhile other states, including parts of Ohio and Indiana, have seen an uptick in HIV cases fueled by the nationwide opioid crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The number of new HIV diagnoses in Michigan peaked in 1992 at 1,525, before\u00a0dropping sharply throughout the rest of the decade. Roughly 10 years after the peak, the decline leveled out as the numbers started increasing\u00a0among black men between the ages of 15 and 29.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">If current HIV diagnosis rates persist, according to a new analysis by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), half of black gay or bisexual\u00a0men and a quarter of Latino gay or bisexual men nationwide are expected to be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchhstp\/newsroom\/2016\/croi-press-release-risk.html\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\"> according to a 2016 CDC analysis<\/a>.\u00a0https:\/\/www.freep.com\/story\/news\/local\/michigan\/detroit\/2018\/10\/07\/detroit-michigan-hiv-rate\/1345370002\/<\/p>\n<div class=\"content__labels content__labels--not-immersive \">\n<div class=\"content__section-label content__label\"><a class=\"content__label__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/detroit\" data-link-name=\"article section\"> <span class=\"label__link-wrapper\"> Detroit <\/span> <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content__headline-standfirst-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"content__header tonal__header\">\n<div class=\"u-cf\">\n<h1 class=\"content__headline \">Big promises for a thriving urban core in Detroit vanish in a swath of parking lots<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Detroit-Blight-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22133\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Detroit-Blight-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Detroit-Blight-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Detroit-Blight-1-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Detroit-Blight-1-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Detroit-Blight-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tonal__standfirst u-cf\">\n<div class=\"content__standfirst\" data-link-name=\"standfirst\" data-component=\"standfirst\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>The city\u2019s billionaire Ilitch family made ambitious promises in 2013, but now the area remains a redevelopment deadzone<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"drop-cap\"><span class=\"drop-cap__inner\">A<\/span><\/span>long the streets leading to Detroit\u2019s recently minted <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Little_Caesars_Arena\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Little Caesars Arena<\/a>, colorful banners hang from temporary fencing, informing visitors they have arrived in the District Detroit. The neighborhood holds \u201ca dynamic mix of shopping and dining\u201d with \u201cplaces to live in the heart of the action\u201d, the signage reads. The banners depict a thriving urban core with smiling families holding hands while well-dressed people drink under patio lights.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the fencing, the landscape isn\u2019t quite so lively. There are few places to live in the District, and little to eat. Vacant, decaying buildings make up entire city blocks. There are almost no lights, save for those illuminating surface lots and parking garages.<\/p>\n<p>The arena, the Red Wings ice hockey team that plays there, and almost all the blighted property in the District share the same owner: Detroit\u2019s billionaire Ilitch family. Their company hung the banners, but there\u2019s growing frustration among many Detroiters over the discrepancy between the Ilitches\u2019 imaginative marketing and the neighborhood\u2019s stark reality.<\/p>\n<p>Just down the street from LCA, Sean Swierkosz, general manager of the longstanding sports bar Harry\u2019s, watched the Ilitches make progress, \u201cbut then it stalled\u201d, he said. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m looking over the fence at my neighbor\u2019s yard at his half-finished project or garage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The project began in 2013 when the Ilitches unveiled plans to revive the area between Detroit\u2019s now-thriving mid- and downtowns. Their ambitious vision included a 50-block sports and entertainment neighborhood called The District Detroit, anchored by the 20,000-seat LCA. The Ilitches <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.freep.com\/story\/money\/2017\/09\/04\/timeline-little-caesars-arena-ilitch-hockey-detroit\/597623001\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">promised $200<\/a><a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.freep.com\/story\/money\/2017\/09\/04\/timeline-little-caesars-arena-ilitch-hockey-detroit\/597623001\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">m in development around the arena<\/a>, claiming new housing, stores, restaurants, bars and offices would bloom.<\/p>\n<p>Though the late Mike Ilitch was <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/business\/detroit\/index.ssf\/2015\/07\/detroit_ilitch_family_called_o.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">worth $5.1bn<\/a> at the time, local leaders handed the family a huge tax deal to help fund the vast rehab. They did so in early 2014, just as Detroit slid into the nation\u2019s largest-ever municipal bankruptcy. The agreement will be worth at least $740m if the arena is open for 48 years, as the Ilitches estimate.<\/p>\n<p>While LCA opened in 2017, the surrounding neighborhood that justified the huge tax deal never materialized, so The District largely remains a redevelopment deadzone.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2018\/oct\/08\/detroit-the-district-redevelopment-ilitch-companies\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2018\/oct\/08\/detroit-the-district-redevelopment-ilitch-companies<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/43654214_10156944156499474_1227080162286239744_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&amp;oh=f59e9f0cce177cd17deafa2582ac7909&amp;oe=5C5F69EE\" alt=\"Image may contain: 8 people, people smiling, people standing and text\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"article-headline\" style=\"text-align: center;\">The stock market\u2019s nightmare may be far from over<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-image MG aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/ei.marketwatch.com\/Multimedia\/2018\/10\/12\/Photos\/MG\/MW-GR721_psycho_20181012153845_MG.jpg?uuid=6ebf02a2-ce56-11e8-ab47-ac162d7bc1f7\" \/><\/p>\n<p>After a nail-biting week with the Dow Jones Industrial Average sinking nearly 1,400 points over two sessions, the jury is still out on whether the selloff signals a fundamental shift in the stock market or a brief episodic correction.<\/p>\n<p>But one thing is certain: Investors should brace for more market drama in the coming days as corporate earnings, rising interest rates and economic data all converge to create an angst-ridden trading backdrop.<\/p>\n<p>Stocks bounced back decisively on Friday with major indexes finishing in positive territory even though they were sharply <a class=\"icon none\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/story\/stocks-set-for-sharp-rebound-but-still-on-track-for-worst-week-since-march-2018-10-12\">lower for the week<\/a>. The fact the market closed on a strong note heading into the weekend negates some of the \u201ctechnical damage\u201d wrought earlier, according to Jeffrey Saut, chief investment strategist at Raymond James. (Market Watch)<\/p>\n<div id=\"topper\">\n<h1 id=\"link-6f0d3814\" class=\"css-1orvmgz ejekc6u0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Take a Tour of Manafort\u2019s Multimillion-Dollar Homes, Going Up for Sale<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content-hole\">\n<article id=\"article\" class=\"\">\n<div id=\"article-meat\">\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<figure class=\"article-figure MG\"><\/figure>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1h6w7uo e1t57l6r0\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/09\/28\/nyregion\/00manaforthouses5\/merlin_143785920_f08166e3-3087-4fd0-be4f-5e76612381c0-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/09\/28\/nyregion\/00manaforthouses5\/merlin_143785920_f08166e3-3087-4fd0-be4f-5e76612381c0-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/09\/28\/nyregion\/00manaforthouses5\/merlin_143785920_f08166e3-3087-4fd0-be4f-5e76612381c0-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/09\/28\/nyregion\/00manaforthouses5\/merlin_143785920_f08166e3-3087-4fd0-be4f-5e76612381c0-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1944w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-4w7y5l\">\n<h2 id=\"link-1620c95\" class=\"css-rcspn7 eqpy7av0\">Long Island: 174 Jobs Lane, Water Mill, N.Y.<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">Ten bedrooms! A tennis court! A little patch of green and a sand trap to practice your putt!<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">Those amenities, plus its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, make Mr. Manafort\u2019s forfeited Long Island mansion a pretty desirable property, said Paul Brennan, Douglas Elliman\u2019s executive manager for sales in the Hamptons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/43706411_2274540309227239_9119219475063767040_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&amp;_nc_ht=scontent.fsan1-1.fna&amp;oh=f1b9ab0dde85a963920c74a1304291b8&amp;oe=5C586059\" alt=\"Image may contain: text\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"video-single__title\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Video: Michael Lewis traces the \u2018gutting of the civil service\u2019 under Trump<\/h1>\n<p>Bestselling author Michael Lewis says the idea that civil servants are \u201clazy or stupid or dead weight on the society is&#8230;the most sinister idea alive in this country right now.&#8221; In his new book, \u201cThe Fifth Risk,\u201d Lewis examines how the Trump administration has been staffing the federal government, and its \u201cignorance of the mission.\u201d Lewis sits down with William Brangham for a conversation.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/show\/michael-lewis-traces-the-gutting-of-the-civil-service-under-trump\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.pbs.org\/newshour\/show\/michael-lewis-traces-the-gutting-of-the-civil-service-under-trump<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Solidarity for Never<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Below, FEA&#8217;s boss, McCall<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazy responsive-image\" title=\"joanne mccall\" src=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/politics-government\/state-politics\/44a7ti\/picture136322288\/alternates\/FREE_1140\/joanne%20mccall\" alt=\"joanne mccall\" data-original=\"\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/politics-government\/state-politics\/44a7ti\/picture136322288\/alternates\/FREE_1140\/joanne%20mccall\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"link-5687e056\" class=\"css-2wh0do ejekc6u0\">It\u2019s been a tough few years for Florida teachers. Will a new union leader shake things up? Tweedle Dee Vs Dumber<\/h1>\n<p>Top education leaders have spent years pleading, lobbying and rallying at the state Capitol, but Tallahassee lawmakers keep making life harder and harder for Florida\u2019s public school teachers.<\/p>\n<p>The Florida Education Association advocates for the state\u2019s nearly 200,000 educators, but it hasn\u2019t been able to fend off these blows to public education:<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"ng_z_sym_square_bullet\">\u25aa <\/span>A charter-friendly law that requires school districts to share their construction dollars with charter schools.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"ng_z_sym_square_bullet\">\u25aa <\/span>A thrice-denied attempt to sue over the state\u2019s voucher-like, tax credit scholarship program because the FEA argues that it siphons public school dollars away to send low-income students to private schools.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span class=\"ng_z_sym_square_bullet\">\u25aa<\/span>A new law that endangers the certification of any local teachers\u2019 union that doesn\u2019t have 50 percent of its membership paying dues.<\/p>\n<p>And teacher salaries that rank among the lowest in the country are now affecting recruiting: There were 4,000 teacher vacancies statewide when the school year started.<\/p>\n<p>The FEA, whose delegates will meet Friday evening in Orlando to choose a new leader, is at a crossroads.<\/p>\n<p>Current FEA President Joanne McCall has had a rough three years in the post. She\u2019s being challenged by her own vice president, Fedrick Ingram, the former president of United Teachers of Dade. Read more here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/local\/education\/article219812695.html#storylink=cpy\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.miamiherald.com\/news\/local\/education\/article219812695.html#storylink=cpy<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>The remnants of the American Federation of Teachers (think Pat Tornillo in jail) have taken over the Florida Education Association. Ingram is the new boss. This is the result:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/43828876_10156618584134631_1547533526281224192_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&amp;_nc_ht=scontent.fsan1-1.fna&amp;oh=db70aae8d7fa59889431eb721d7f80d4&amp;oe=5C464A41\" alt=\"Image may contain: 1 person, text\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">More money for New York City teachers in contract deal, but is it a raise? Some are pushing back<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-183075\" src=\"https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/BnEzDheCYAETJN8-900x0-c-default.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/BnEzDheCYAETJN8-900x0-c-default.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/BnEzDheCYAETJN8-480x0-c-default.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/BnEzDheCYAETJN8-220x0-c-default.jpg 220w\" alt=\"\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/BnEzDheCYAETJN8-900x0-c-default.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/BnEzDheCYAETJN8-900x0-c-default.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/BnEzDheCYAETJN8-480x0-c-default.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/BnEzDheCYAETJN8-220x0-c-default.jpg 220w\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8230;as educators worked to make sense of a proposal that union officials were asking them to move forward just 24 hours later, some union members began to raise concerns.<\/p>\n<p>For one thing, the average annual raises fall below the 2.8 percent that the federal government has identified as matching the rising cost of living. When inflation exceeds pay increases, workers effectively experience pay cuts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWait. The negotiated contractual increases are going to be LOWER than the government\u2019s own 2019 COLA increases?\u201d one union member <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uftny\/posts\/10156356203007713?comment_id=10156356263767713&amp;comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%2322%22%7D\">wrote<\/a> on the union\u2019s Facebook page. \u201cAre you kidding me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe city economy is growing at a rate of 2.7%,\u201d James Eterno, a retired teacher who once ran <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\/posts\/ny\/2010\/04\/07\/michael-mulgrew-wins-teachers-union-election-in-a-landslide\/\">a quixotic bid<\/a> to unseat United Federation of Teachers chief Michael Mulgrew, <a href=\"https:\/\/iceuftblog.blogspot.com\/2018\/10\/new-contract-raises.html?m=1&amp;fbclid=IwAR1bzq3o6D3kd2lPKTKhlQtVlfWUM3zWHWIAuQSqXX_lMw568u5BiQdmFwk\">wrote on his blog<\/a>, referring to the economic growth rate <a href=\"https:\/\/comptroller.nyc.gov\/reports\/new-york-city-quarterly-economic-update\/\">reported<\/a> for the second quarter of this year. \u201cThe prosperity of the last ten years has passed us by.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The city negotiates pay raises for its municipal unions as a group, hemming in the UFT because other unions had settled on new contracts first. The union also agreed to raise health care costs for new members earlier this year as part of a deal to secure paid parental leave for the first time, further limiting what could be on the table in the contract talks\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\/posts\/ny\/2018\/10\/12\/more-money-for-new-york-city-teachers-in-contract-deal-but-is-it-a-raise-some-are-pushing-back\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.chalkbeat.org\/posts\/ny\/2018\/10\/12\/more-money-for-new-york-city-teachers-in-contract-deal-but-is-it-a-raise-some-are-pushing-back\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\n<h1 class=\"story-h gn-speakable-title\">Michael Bloomberg joins Democrats again, remains silent on possible 2020 bid (he knows\u00a0 they&#8217;re 2 heads of the same snake)<\/h1>\n<p>Former New York City Mayor <a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/tag\/michael-bloomberg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Bloomberg<\/a> rejoined the <a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/tag\/democractic-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Democratic Party<\/a> on Wednesday, going back to his political roots weeks before the Nov. 6 congressional elections and amid speculation that he might run for the <a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/tag\/white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">White House<\/a> in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Bloomberg, the billionaire founder and chief executive of global media company Bloomberg LP, said in a post on social media he was re-registering as a Democrat, citing a potential constitutional crisis under Republican President <a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a>, a fellow New York businessman.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/4532278\/michael-bloomberg-democrats-2020\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">globalnews.ca\/news\/4532278\/michael-bloomberg-democrats-2020\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><strong>The Emergence of Fascism as a Popular Mass Movement and <\/strong><strong>The War on Reason <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/510bG0ixlPL._AC_UL320_SR208,320_.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for r palme dutt fascism and social revolution\" width=\"208\" height=\"320\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"link-5687e056\" class=\"css-2wh0do ejekc6u0\">R. Palme Dutt on the Role of Social Democrats (a la Lula&#8217;s Workers Party) in laying the groundwork for fascism.<\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><u>Chapter Eight Social Democracy (SD) and Fascism<\/u><\/p>\n<p>Social democracy shares twin characteristics with Fascism. In fact it is social Fascism<\/p>\n<p>These are the shared tendencies:<\/p>\n<p>(a) Both split the working class and hope to maintain capitalism. Both create a favored section of the work force. Fascism and reformism exist together and supplement one another. Fascism draws the middle and lower classes, SD the upper structure of industrial workers. Fascism smashes workers organizations from without, SD undermines them from within. Fascism relies on force. Then lies: SD relies on lies, then force.<\/p>\n<p>(b) Fascism draws many of its leaders from SD (Pilsudski) and fascist ideology comes from SD which closely ties its party with its nation and endorses class collaboration. Fascism and SD are both anti communist.<\/p>\n<p>SD helps Fascism come to power by:<\/p>\n<p>Disorganizing workers, preaching defeatism, opposing real struggle, disarming strikers, warring on reds, pointing people away from class battles and toward ballots etc. SD drives militants out of unions. SD adapts to fascist forms of government and serves as handmaiden to Fascism.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/richgibson.com\/synopsisfascim.htm\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">richgibson.com\/synopsisfascim.htm<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"link-5687e056\" class=\"css-2wh0do ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Brazil Election: Jair Bolsonaro Heads to Runoff After Missing Outright Win<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-11cwn6f\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/10\/08\/world\/08brazil-bols\/merlin_144968610_f0ed33a9-c4ef-4f9d-a3d9-b6679651e40d-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/10\/08\/world\/08brazil-bols\/merlin_144968610_f0ed33a9-c4ef-4f9d-a3d9-b6679651e40d-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/10\/08\/world\/08brazil-bols\/merlin_144968610_f0ed33a9-c4ef-4f9d-a3d9-b6679651e40d-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/10\/08\/world\/08brazil-bols\/merlin_144968610_f0ed33a9-c4ef-4f9d-a3d9-b6679651e40d-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">A far-right candidate who has spoken fondly of Brazil\u2019s onetime military dictatorship came close to an outright victory in the country\u2019s presidential election on Sunday, as Brazilians expressed disgust with politics as usual and endorsed an iron-fisted approach to fighting crime and corruption.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">Voters delivered a first-round victory to Jair Bolsonaro, who had stunned the political establishment by rising to the top of a crowded presidential field despite a long history of offensive remarks about women, blacks and gays.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">With 99.9 percent of votes tallied, Mr. Bolsonaro had 46 percent of the vote; he needed 50 percent to avoid a runoff. His nearest rival finished far behind, with 29 percent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">With the presidency in sight, Mr. Bolsonaro said Sunday night he intended to unite a nation that is \u201con the brink of chaos\u201d and said, \u201cTogether we will rebuild our Brazil.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-4w7y5l\">\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">Brazilians will now vote in the runoff election on Oct. 28 between Mr. Bolsonaro and Fernando Haddad, the leftist Workers\u2019 Party candidate. The two men represent radically different visions for Brazil, the world\u2019s fourth-largest democracy, where leftists have won the presidency in every election since 2002.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">However strongly Mr. Bolsonaro performed on Sunday, he remains an extremely divisive figure who alienated large segments of Brazil\u2019s highly diverse population during the campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">But political analysts said Sunday night that Mr. Haddad faces a daunting task in the second round to rally a majority of Brazilians to his side.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/07\/world\/americas\/jair-bolsonaro-brazil-election.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/07\/world\/americas\/jair-bolsonaro-brazil-election.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"CurrentSingleArticle__hed___2UOqh\" style=\"text-align: center;\">The Ongoing, Avoidable Horror of the Trump Administration\u2019s Texas Tent Camp for Migrant Kids<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.newyorker.com\/photos\/5bb3839cb3243c2da4b667da\/master\/w_727,c_limit\/Lach-TornilloFollowUp.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The <a class=\"ArticleBody__link___1FS03\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/dispatch\/a-closeup-of-the-governments-new-tent-camp-for-migrant-kids\">detention camp<\/a> for migrant kids in Tornillo, Texas, was supposed to be gone by now. Set up as a temporary \u201cemergency influx shelter\u201d in June, when the government was running out of places to put the kids it was tearing from parents at the border, the camp, located in the desert forty miles southeast of El Paso, was originally scheduled to close on July 13th. But the government kept pushing back the deadline, in thirty-day increments, until recently <a class=\"ArticleBody__link___1FS03\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/tornillo-texas-tent-city-for-unaccompanied-migrant-boys-to-expand-remain-open-through-the-end-of-the-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">disclosing<\/a> that the facility will remain open at least through the end of the year.<\/p>\n<p>The <em class=\"\">Times<\/em> put the camp back in the news this week, <a class=\"ArticleBody__link___1FS03\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/09\/30\/us\/migrant-children-tent-city-texas.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reporting<\/a> that the facility\u2019s capacity was also recently increased, so that it could accommodate up to thirty-eight hundred kids\u2014some ten times as many kids as it was housing in June. \u201c[T]he intent is to use these temporary facilities only as long as needed,\u201d Evelyn Stauffer, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the facility, told the <em class=\"\">Times<\/em>. From the start at Tornillo, though, \u201cas needed\u201d has been less about outside forces than about the Administration\u2019s own decisions and goals. The government has discussed Tornillo as if it\u2019s a necessary response to a crisis \u201cwhen it\u2019s not a crisis,\u201d Bob Carey, a former H.H.S. official, told me on Monday. Carey ran the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the branch of H.H.S. responsible for the care of migrant kids, during the final two years of the Obama Administration. Tornillo was, and is, \u201ca consequence of the actions of the Administration,\u201d he said.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/current\/the-ongoing-avoidable-horror-of-the-trump-administrations-texas-tent-camp-for-migrant-kids?mbid=social_facebook\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.newyorker.com\/news\/current\/the-ongoing-avoidable-horror-of-the-trump-administrations-texas-tent-camp-for-migrant-kids?mbid=social_facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article__headline\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Crop-protecting insects could be turned into bioweapons, critics warn<\/h1>\n<article class=\"primary primary--content\">\n<div class=\"article__body\">\n<div class=\"entity entity-paragraphs-item paragraphs-item-image\">\n<figure class=\"figure\">\n<div class=\"figure__head\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/inline__450w__no_aspect\/public\/bugs_16x9.jpg?itok=ClRDBrLD\" sizes=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/inline__450w__no_aspect\/public\/bugs_16x9.jpg?itok=ClRDBrLD 1w, https:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/inline__699w__no_aspect\/public\/bugs_16x9.jpg?itok=Mog5ZXwv 700w\" \/><\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<div class=\"caption__text\">\n<p>Researchers are studying whether aphids and other insects could be used to transmit viruses that help protect plants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"credit\"> Larry Mayer\/Getty Images <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<header class=\"article__header article__header--inline\">\n<p class=\"byline byline--article\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/author\/kai-kupferschmidt\">Kai Kupferschmidt<\/a><time>Oct. 4, 2018 , 2:00 PM<\/time><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<p>It sounds like science fiction: A research program funded by the U.S. government plans to create virus-carrying insects that, released in vast numbers, could help crops fight threats such as pests, drought, or pollution. \u201cInsect Allies,\u201d as the $45 million, 4-year program is called, was launched in 2016 with little fanfare. But in a <a href=\"http:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/362\/6410\/35.summary\">policy forum<\/a> in this week\u2019s issue of <cite>Science<\/cite>, five European researchers paint a far bleaker scenario. If successful, the technique could be used by malicious actors to help spread diseases to almost any crop species and devastate harvests, they say. The research may be a breach of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), the piece argues.<\/p>\n<p>The paper is likely to touch off another round in the long-running debate about \u201cdual-use research of concern,\u201d scientific work that may have benefits but could also be used for nefarious means. Other recent examples of such science include the creation of a flu mutant better able to spread in mammals and the synthetic creation of the extinct horsepox virus, a cousin of the virus that causes smallpox.<\/p>\n<p id=\"interstitial-container\">Funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Virginia, Insect Allies aims to use insects such as aphids or whiteflies to infect crops with tailormade viruses that can deliver certain genes to mature plants;\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/news\/2018\/10\/crop-protecting-insects-could-be-turned-bioweapons-critics-warn\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.sciencemag.org\/news\/2018\/10\/crop-protecting-insects-could-be-turned-bioweapons-critics-warn<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"link-27fc24d2\" class=\"css-2wh0do ejekc6u0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Chicago Officer Is Cleared in Fatal Shooting of 15-Year-Old in Back of the Head<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cbslocal-uploads.storage.googleapis.com\/captures\/E2C\/EC7\/E2CEC7D0575C4D83A46771433683380E.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for Dakota Bright\" width=\"304\" height=\"171\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"css-4w7y5l\">\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">On a November afternoon in 2012, a Chicago police officer opened fire on a teenager, 15-year-old Dakota Bright, fatally striking him in the back of the head.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">On Thursday, an independent civilian body decided that the officer, Brandon R. Ternand, 34, would be allowed to remain on the force.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">In a 5-to-3 vote, that body, the Police Board of the City of Chicago, cleared Officer Ternand of charges that he had used unnecessary force in the shooting death of Dakota. In its 21-page decision, the board said that it had found \u201ccredible and persuasive\u201d the testimony of Officer Ternand that he had feared for his life after the teenager turned around during a foot chase, looked at him and reached for his left side as if for a gun.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">No gun was found on or near Dakota\u2019s body, but the police said they had discovered a gun near an alley where the officers first saw the teenager.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/12\/us\/chicago-police-shooting-dakota-bright-brandon-ternand.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/12\/us\/chicago-police-shooting-dakota-bright-brandon-ternand.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>Spy versus Spy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ex-CIA Officer Speaks Out: The Italian Job\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Wwgx0DwhPiY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"link-450eaef3\" class=\"css-2wh0do ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Chinese Officer Is Extradited to U.S. to Face Charges of Economic Espionage<\/span><\/h1>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">\u00a0A Chinese intelligence official was arrested in Belgium and extradited to the United States to face espionage charges, Justice Department officials said on Wednesday, a major escalation of the Trump administration\u2019s effort to crack down on Chinese spying.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">The extradition on Tuesday of the officer, Yanjun Xu, a deputy division director in China\u2019s main spy agency, the Ministry of State Security, is the first time that a Chinese intelligence official has been brought to the United States to be prosecuted and tried in open court. Law enforcement officials said that Mr. Xu tried to steal trade secrets from companies including GE Aviation outside Cincinnati, in Evendale, Ohio, one of the world\u2019s top jet engine suppliers for commercial and military aircraft.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">A 16-page indictment details what appears to be a dramatic international sting operation to lure Mr. Xu to what he believed was a meeting in Belgium to obtain proprietary information about jet fan blade designs from a GE Aviation employee, only to be met by Belgian authorities and put on a plane to the United States.<\/p>\n<div class=\"StoryBodyCompanionColumn css-p1yi70\">\n<div class=\"css-4w7y5l\">\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">China has for years used spycraft and cyberattacks to steal American corporate, academic and military information to bolster its growing economic power and political influence. But apprehending an accused Chinese spy \u2014 all others charged by the United States government are still at large \u2014 is an extraordinary development and a sign of the Trump administration\u2019s continued crackdown on the Chinese theft of trade secrets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-13jtjmc\"><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"StoryBodyCompanionColumn css-p1yi70\">\n<div class=\"css-4w7y5l\">\n<p class=\"css-1xl4flh e2kc3sl0\">The administration\u00a0<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/10\/business\/us-china-investment-cfius.html?module=inline\">also outlined on Wednesday<\/a>\u00a0new restrictions on foreign investment aimed at keeping China from gaining access to American companies.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/10\/us\/politics\/china-spy-espionage-arrest.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/10\/us\/politics\/china-spy-espionage-arrest.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ex-CIA Officer John Kiriakou: &quot;The Government Turned Me Into a Dissident&quot;\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GaiyVMRGE0M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Owner of limousine company involved in horror crash is a former FBI informant who was paid $96,000 to go undercover to expose terror plots after fleeing to the US from Pakistan where he&#8217;d been accused of murder<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1\/2018\/10\/08\/19\/4866906-6253639-image-a-81_1539024938802.jpg\" alt=\"Shahed Hussain, 62, is the owner of Prestige Limousines, the company involved in Saturday's crash\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"mol-bullets-with-font\">\n<li class=\"class\"><strong>Shahed Hussain is the owner of Prestige Limousines, also known as Hasy Limos<\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"class\"><strong>It was one of his cars that crashed in upstate New York on Saturday, killing 20\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"class\"><strong>The vehicle failed a safety inspection last month and the company has had four others taken off the road<\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"class\"><strong>Hussain, who also goes by &#8216;Malik&#8217;, worked as an informant for the FBI after being caught running a DMV scam where he helped test takers cheat<\/strong><\/li>\n<li class=\"class\"><strong>In 2007, he started going undercover in mosques in Newburgh, New York, to record conversations with alleged terrorists <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-6253639\/Owner-limousine-company-involved-horror-crash-former-FBI-informant.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-6253639\/Owner-limousine-company-involved-horror-crash-former-FBI-informant.html<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>The Magical Mystery Tour<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/l3.yimg.com\/bt\/api\/res\/1.2\/YTN0FyHs2zebJ0V5PeTAKg--\/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTcwMTtweW9mZj0wO3E9NzU7dz05NjA-\/http:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en_us\/News\/ap_webfeeds\/b9c8ad433a54dc2b460f6a7067000474.jpg\" alt=\"Related image\" width=\"304\" height=\"222\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article-header__headline\" style=\"text-align: center;\">The Catholic Church\u2019s Biggest Crisis Since the Reformation<\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"article-header__deck\">Why a New Wave of Sexual Abuse Revelations Has Deepened Preexisting Divisions<\/h2>\n<p>The Catholic Church is facing its most serious crisis in 500 years. In these last few months, a new wave of clerical sexual abuse revelations left the world in shock. From Australia to Chile to Germany to the United States, horrifying reports revealed thousands of cases of child molestation by members of the clergy. One U.S. grand jury report\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/14\/us\/catholic-priests-pennsylvania-church-jury.html\">documented<\/a>\u00a01,000 children abused by 300 priests in the state of Pennsylvania alone over seven decades.<\/p>\n<p>The new wave of revelations in 2018 was disturbing not only because it exposed the persistence of abuse but also because it implicated high level church officials in the abuse and its cover-up. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, resigned from the College of Cardinals in July when credible accusations came to light that he had sexually abused a minor and harassed seminarians he supervised. The McCarrick revelations were particularly troubling because the former archbishop had played a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/archive\/politics\/2002\/04\/28\/vaticans-man-of-the-hour\/f8a133c9-b2d2-486b-9c2f-ab619afdee1e\/\">leadership role<\/a>\u00a0in the Catholic Church\u2019s response to the last U.S. clerical sexual abuse scandal in 2002. In late August, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigan\u00f2, a former papal diplomat, published a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ncregister.com\/daily-news\/ex-nuncio-accuses-pope-francis-of-failing-to-act-on-mccarricks-abuse\">letter<\/a>\u00a0accusing Pope Francis of knowing about McCarrick\u2019s sexual abuses for years and helping to cover them up. Vigan\u00f2 concluded by calling on the pope to resign.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.pinimg.com\/originals\/61\/e7\/e5\/61e7e56add917d78614df879f763206f.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for priest kissing baby jesus\" width=\"304\" height=\"210\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Vigan\u00f2 letter, and the scandal itself, have sent shockwaves through a foundation that was already cracked. The church is bitterly divided between progressive and conservative wings. This split is particularly pronounced in the United States, where highly mobilized, neo-traditionalist Catholics\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/08\/27\/opinion\/pope-francis-catholic-church-letter.html\">took up<\/a>\u00a0Vigano\u2019s call for Francis\u2019 resignation. This branch of the church already feared that Francis presented a progressive threat to church teachings on marriage and sexuality. The letter seemed to vindicate such distrust by accusing the current papacy and its supporters in the church of complacency towards what Vigan\u00f2 called a \u201cpro-gay ideology\u201d and \u201chomosexual networks\u201d among the clergy. In Vigan\u00f2\u2019s opinion, this was the cause of the abuse crisis. Church progressives, meanwhile, have defended Francis against the allegations, but without the resolve of those who are demanding his resignation\u2014in part because they too view his general record on the sexual abuse crisis as weak.<\/p>\n<p>In desperate need of institutional reform and facing growing political, theological, and geopolitical rifts, the church has not experienced so great a crisis since the Protestant Reformation. Unlike that of the sixteenth century, the current situation probably won\u2019t result in a schism or the establishment of new churches. But to understand the magnitude and complexity of what is now taking place, we have to look that far back, and to so significant a rupture.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foreignaffairs.com\/articles\/world\/2018-10-11\/catholic-churchs-biggest-crisis-reformation?cid=nlc-fa_twofa-20181011\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.foreignaffairs.com\/articles\/world\/2018-10-11\/catholic-churchs-biggest-crisis-reformation?cid=nlc-fa_twofa-20181011<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"trb_ar_hl_t\" style=\"text-align: center;\">San Diego priest suspended, as diocese finds allegations of sexual misconduct credible<\/h1>\n<p><img class=\"trb_em_ic_img\" title=\"Justin Langille\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1260px) 750px, (min-width: 1060px) calc(100vw - 559px), (min-width: 840px) calc(100vw - 419px), (min-width: 800px) 800px, 100.1vw\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/350\/350x197 350w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/400\/400x225 400w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/450\/450x253 450w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/500\/500x281 500w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/550\/550x309 550w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/600\/600x338 600w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/650\/650x366 650w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/700\/700x394 700w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/750\/750x422 750w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/800\/800x450 800w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/850\/850x478 850w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/900\/900x506 900w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/950\/950x534 950w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/1000\/1000x563 1000w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/1050\/1050x591 1050w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/1100\/1100x619 1100w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/1150\/1150x647 1150w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/1200\/1200x675 1200w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/1400\/1400x788 1400w, http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\/1600\/1600x900 1600w\" alt=\"Justin Langille\" data-baseurl=\"http:\/\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5bbd3a20\/turbine\/sd-1539127833-s8xtuyz749-snap-image\" data-c-nd=\"1600x899\" data-role=\"imgsize_srcsetdisplayitem\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Twice, in 1995 and in 2002, the Diocese of San Diego cleared the Rev. Justin Langille of allegations that he had sexually abused a teenage girl.<\/p>\n<p>But a third investigation \u2014 conducted last month by the Diocesan Independent Review Board \u2014 found new evidence that undermined the priest\u2019s alibi. On Tuesday, the diocese announced that Langille, 65, has been suspended and is no longer able to perform priestly duties.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI felt strongly that even older, previously decided cases involving currently serving priests would benefit from being examined by the Independent Review Board,\u201d Bishop Robert McElroy said in a statement released by the diocese Tuesday. \u201cThe voice of the laity needs to be heard on these matters&#8230;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The review board, which includes lay attorneys, criminal investigators, psychologists and a clergy abuse victim, offers \u201cexceptionally valuable guidance and expertise,\u201d McElroy said.<\/p>\n<p>Langille was accused of inappropriately touching an adolescent girl. While stopping short of sexual intercourse, a diocesan official described the priest\u2019s actions as a clear \u201cboundary violation.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/news\/religion\/sd-me-priest-suspended-20181009-story.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/news\/religion\/sd-me-priest-suspended-20181009-story.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"pg-headline\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Abuse survivors angry over Pope&#8217;s praise for fallen cardinal<\/h1>\n<div class=\"el__leafmedia el__leafmedia--sourced-paragraph\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"media__image media__image--responsive aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/180902143302-cardinal-donald-wuerl-medium-plus-169.jpg\" alt=\"Cardinal Wuerl acknowledges calls for leadership change, doesn&amp;#39;t mention his future\" data-src-mini=\"\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/180902143302-cardinal-donald-wuerl-small-169.jpg\" data-src-xsmall=\"\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/180902143302-cardinal-donald-wuerl-medium-plus-169.jpg\" data-src-small=\"\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/180902143302-cardinal-donald-wuerl-large-169.jpg\" data-src-medium=\"\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/180902143302-cardinal-donald-wuerl-exlarge-169.jpg\" data-src-large=\"\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/180902143302-cardinal-donald-wuerl-super-169.jpg\" data-src-full16x9=\"\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/180902143302-cardinal-donald-wuerl-full-169.jpg\" data-src-mini1x1=\"\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/180902143302-cardinal-donald-wuerl-small-11.jpg\" data-demand-load=\"loaded\" data-eq-pts=\"mini: 0, xsmall: 221, small: 308, medium: 461, large: 781\" data-eq-state=\"mini xsmall\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"zn-body__paragraph speakable\"><cite class=\"el-editorial-source\"><\/cite><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2013\/03\/14\/world\/pope-francis-fast-facts\/index.html\">Pope Francis<\/a> accepted the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the embattled archbishop of Washington and one of the church&#8217;s most powerful Americans. But the Pope&#8217;s high praise for Wuerl in the wake of two clergy sexual abuse scandals angered some abuse survivors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph speakable\">Wuerl is the most prominent American Catholic to step down since the abuse scandal reignited this summer.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph speakable\">\n<p>But Francis has asked Wuerl to remain as the archdiocese&#8217;s apostolic administrator &#8212; akin to an interim manager &#8212; until a successor is named. And in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/10\/12\/world\/cardinal-wuerl-resignation-letter\/index.html\">a letter released Friday<\/a>, the pope praised Wuerl for his &#8220;nobility&#8221; in handling the criticism against him.<\/p>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">The Pope wrote that Wuerl has &#8220;sufficient elements to &#8216;justify'&#8221; his actions &#8220;and distinguish between what it means to cover up crimes or not to deal with problems, and to commit some mistakes.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">&#8220;However, your nobility has led you not to choose this way of defense. Of this, I am proud and thank you,&#8221; the pope wrote.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__read-all\">\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">Significantly, while Wuerl is resigning as archbishop of Washington, he will remain a cardinal. He is still part of the powerful College of Cardinals and is one of only 10 American cardinals who could choose the next Pope.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/10\/12\/us\/cardinal-wuerl-resignation\/index.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.cnn.com\/2018\/10\/12\/us\/cardinal-wuerl-resignation\/index.html<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>The Best and Worst Things in the History of the World<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mackinac Island 1944.mov\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/q-jn127ea6Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"Post-title\" style=\"text-align: center;\" data-reactid=\"157\"><a class=\"Post-title-link\" href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/10\/09\/brett-kavanaugh-supreme-court-bush-administration\/\" data-reactid=\"158\">Obama\u2019s Resistance to Investigating the Bush Administration Allowed Brett Kavanaugh to Skate Onto the Supreme Court<\/a><\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ResponsiveImage-image\" src=\"https:\/\/theintercept.imgix.net\/wp-uploads\/sites\/1\/2018\/10\/obama-bush-1539030215-e1539030270884.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;q=90&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=1440&amp;h=720\" alt=\"US president-elect Barack Obama (L) walks with US President George W. Bush (R) during a welcome ceremony at the White House in Washington, DC, November 11, 2008. AFP PHOTO\/TIM SLOAN (Photo credit should read TIM SLOAN\/AFP\/Getty Images)\" width=\"1440\" height=\"720\" \/><\/p>\n<p><u>One of Barack<\/u> Obama\u2019s first decisions after being elected president continued to haunt the country over the weekend, as Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in as the fifth hard-line conservative on the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<p>In January 2009, George W. Bush\u00a0left office <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/bushs-final-approval-rating-22-percent\/\">with an abysmal 22 percent approval rating<\/a>, the lowest ever recorded. Almost everyone with anything to do with his administration was considered politically toxic.<\/p>\n<p>With full Democratic control of the federal government, calls came for an investigation into the scandals of the Bush administration,\u00a0including\u00a0torture, mass surveillance, and war profiteering. While some called for criminal prosecutions, others wanted hearings or an independent investigation that would \u2014 at minimum \u2014 put into the public record the details\u00a0of who did what and when. At the least, the argument went, Democrats could ensure that the GOP had to wear the Bush administration for years; that the officials involved in wrongdoing would be written out of polite society; and that future administrations would not revert to those practices.<\/p>\n<p>Obama refused. \u201cWe need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards,\u201d he said famously on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2009\/01\/12\/us\/politics\/12inquire.html\">January 11, 2009<\/a>,<\/p>\n<p>Had he looked forward far enough, he\u00a0would have seen one of the chief boosters of the torture program elevated to CIA director, and a Bush administration attorney with complicity in a wide array of its most controversial programs lifted up to the U.S. Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<p>Kavanaugh\u2019s rise to the Supreme Court is the result of elite institutional failure. The judge was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/10\/06\/politics\/kavanaugh-final-confirmation-vote\/index.html\">sworn in<\/a> by Chief Justice John Roberts on Saturday evening, even as demonstrators <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IRnmnxVtDqg\">banged on the doors of the court<\/a>. \u201cThe road that led us here has been bitter, angry, and partisan,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/06\/us\/politics\/brett-kavanaugh-supreme-court.html?action=click&amp;module=Spotlight&amp;pgtype=Homepage\">said Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer<\/a> on the Senate floor after the vote, \u201csteeped in hypocrisy and hyperbole and resentment and outrage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Three allegations of sexual assault \u2014 the first was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/09\/12\/brett-kavanaugh-confirmation-dianne-feinstein\/\">broken by The Intercept<\/a> \u2014 and and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/10\/02\/brett-kavanaugh-fbi-investigation\/\">FBI investigation<\/a> weren\u2019t enough to sink Kavanaugh. Nor were <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/10\/02\/jeff-flake-wont-vote-for-brett-kavanaugh-if-hes-shown-to-have-lied-to-the-judiciary-committee-but-which-lies-matter\/\">indications of perjurious testimony<\/a> \u2014 in part because a trove of documents relating to Kavanaugh\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/10\/05\/brett-kavanaugh-susan-collins-bush\/\">time with the Bush administration<\/a>\u00a0that is currently being analyzed by the National Archives, including emails and memos about surveillance, torture, and Kavanaugh\u2019s involvement with a hacking scandal, won\u2019t be released until the end of October.<\/p>\n<p>At least 100,000 documents relating to Kavanaugh\u2019s involvement in developing policy during his time as associate counsel to the president from 2001 to 2003, and his time as staff secretary from 2003 to 2006, have been withheld by the Trump administration, citing executive privilege.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/10\/09\/brett-kavanaugh-supreme-court-bush-administration\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">theintercept.com\/2018\/10\/09\/brett-kavanaugh-supreme-court-bush-administration\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Michael Cohen Wiretap Cold Open - SNL\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/K1K8s-tQGqY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article-header__headline\">Melania Trump says she ignores reports of Trump\u2019s infidelity (&#8220;don&#8217;t touch me&#8230;&#8221;)<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lead-media__media imagetargeting\" src=\"https:\/\/c.o0bg.com\/rf\/image_960w\/Boston\/2011-2020\/2018\/10\/12\/BostonGlobe.com\/Politics\/Images\/f49833a6-ce0d-11e8-a360-85875bac0b1f.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width:960px) 800px, 100vw\" srcset=\"\/\/c.o0bg.com\/rf\/image_960w\/Boston\/2011-2020\/2018\/10\/12\/BostonGlobe.com\/Politics\/Images\/f49833a6-ce0d-11e8-a360-85875bac0b1f.jpg 960w, \/\/c.o0bg.com\/rf\/image_835w\/Boston\/2011-2020\/2018\/10\/12\/BostonGlobe.com\/Politics\/Images\/f49833a6-ce0d-11e8-a360-85875bac0b1f.jpg 835w, \/\/c.o0bg.com\/rf\/image_460w\/Boston\/2011-2020\/2018\/10\/12\/BostonGlobe.com\/Politics\/Images\/f49833a6-ce0d-11e8-a360-85875bac0b1f.jpg 460w\" alt=\"First lady Melania Trump.\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Melania Trump says she has \u2018\u2018much more important things to think about and to do\u2019\u2019 than worry about allegations of President Donald Trump cheating on her.<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Trump says she\u2019s \u2018\u2018a mother and a first lady.\u2019\u2019 She says allegations of her husband\u2019s infidelities are not a \u2018\u2018concern and focus.\u2019\u2019\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/news\/politics\/2018\/10\/12\/melania-trump-says-she-ignores-rumors-trump-infidelity\/JR8P6DGYRvbH6zXg8HYFlM\/story.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.bostonglobe.com\/news\/politics\/2018\/10\/12\/melania-trump-says-she-ignores-rumors-trump-infidelity\/JR8P6DGYRvbH6zXg8HYFlM\/story.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\"><span class=\"dfm-title\">Woman with \u2019emotional support squirrel\u2019 is ordered off plane; passengers cheer<\/span> (video within)<\/h1>\n<p>Police had to remove a woman who brought an \u201cemotional support squirrel\u201d on a Frontier Airlines flight headed from Orlando, Florida, to Cleveland.<\/p>\n<p>Frontier says the passenger had noted in her reservation that she was bringing an emotional support animal with her on Flight 1612 Tuesday night. But she did not indicate it was a squirrel.<\/p>\n<p>The airline says rodents, including squirrels, are not allowed. The airline says police were called when the passenger refused to leave the plane.<\/p>\n<p>Police requested the other passengers disembark while officers dealt with the woman, who was eventually escorted into the main terminals.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/2018\/10\/10\/woman-with-emotional-support-squirrel-is-ordered-off-plane-passengers-cheer\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.mercurynews.com\/2018\/10\/10\/woman-with-emotional-support-squirrel-is-ordered-off-plane-passengers-cheer\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/43672940_524380817967418_6385366688287686656_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&amp;oh=57921df171d6504381e46741f0a5f3cb&amp;oe=5C463A07\" alt=\"Image may contain: text\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sesame Street: Ian McKellen Teaches Cookie Monster to Resist\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/GxCplsdCwxY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Did Robert Johnson Sell His Soul to Play the Blues?\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/feIaNfFONWo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong>So Long<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.substancenews.net\/assets\/images2\/1526505560.jpg\" width=\"500\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.substancenews.net\/articles.php?page=4496\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.substancenews.net\/articles.php?page=4496<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.substancenews.net\/assets\/images2\/1620054435.jpg\" width=\"380\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1 id=\"link-3ea4e087\" class=\"css-2wh0do ejekc6u0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">David Wise, Journalist Who Exposed C.I.A. Activity, Dies at 88<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-11cwn6f\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/10\/10\/obituaries\/10WISE1\/merlin_145086405_4eb30e99-a12b-4ce6-a858-4f6b1efd055b-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/10\/10\/obituaries\/10WISE1\/merlin_145086405_4eb30e99-a12b-4ce6-a858-4f6b1efd055b-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/10\/10\/obituaries\/10WISE1\/merlin_145086405_4eb30e99-a12b-4ce6-a858-4f6b1efd055b-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/10\/10\/obituaries\/10WISE1\/merlin_145086405_4eb30e99-a12b-4ce6-a858-4f6b1efd055b-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Mr. Wise was the author, with <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2002\/10\/28\/us\/thomas-b-ross-73-author-and-defense-spokesman.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&amp;module=inline\">Thomas B. Ross<\/a>, of \u201cThe Invisible Government,\u201d an explosive 1964 expos\u00e9 of the C.I.A. and its covert operations. To keep its contents from the public, the C.I.A. considered buying up all copies of the book but backed off when the publisher, Random House, made clear that it would simply print more&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Invisible Government.\u201d It was a startling unmasking of C.I.A. involvement in the Bay of Pigs and in coups in Guatemala and Iran. It also revealed the agency\u2019s covert operations in Laos and Vietnam and its attempts, with British assistance, to overthrow President Sukarno in Indonesia, among many other previously undisclosed activities.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/09\/obituaries\/david-wise-dead.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/10\/09\/obituaries\/david-wise-dead.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We Say Fight Back! Westin Gaslamp hotel workers walk off their jobs, part of nationwide strike Westin San Diego Gaslamp hotel workers, from housekeepers to banquet captains, began walking off the job this week, joining a nationwide protest targeting global lodging behemoth Marriott International. Members of Unite Here Local 30, which represents the Westin\u2019s 162 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22108"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22140,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22108\/revisions\/22140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}