Saturday, May 13, 2017

Harvard Constitutional Scholar Calls For Trump Impeachment Probe

 

A top Harvard constitutional law professor is calling for an impeachment investigation into Donald Trump for obstruction of justice, branding the president’s firing of FBI Director James Comey as an “obvious effort to interfere with a probe involving national security.”

To “wait for the results of the multiple investigations underway is to risk tying our nation’s fate to the whims of an authoritarian leader,” Professor Laurence Tribe wrote in an opinion piece in The Washington Post on Saturday. Tribe added that Trump’s conduct “strongly suggests that he poses a danger to our system of government.”

After Comey’s firing last week, Tribe joined the legal advisory board of Impeach Trump Now, a campaign pushing for an impeachment probe into the president. 

“It is now up to Congress to save the Constitution by initiating impeachment proceedings,” Tribe said in a statement Friday when he joined the board. “Trump can’t say ‘You’re fired’ to the House of Representatives.” 

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The Huffington Post

White House Statement on the North Korea Missile Test


The President has been briefed on the latest missile test by North Korea.
 

With the missile impacting so close to Russian soil – in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan – the President cannot imagine that Russia is pleased.
 

North Korea has been a flagrant menace for far too long.  South Korea and Japan have been watching this situation closely with us. The United States maintains our ironclad commitment to stand with our allies in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea. Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea. 

Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary 

Note: Additional information on the missile test is available here.

Whistleblower on NY Home Health Care Agencies and Aides to Meet with State Investigator

Monica Arroyo-Horne poses with her mother, Naomi Davis, in an undated photo. Arroyo-Horne has been engaged in a fierce battle with home health care agencies and aides since 2004. "I'm going to do whatever I have to do to protect my mother during the last chapter of her life," said Arroyo-Horne.


By Gary Glennell Toms 


There has been a major development on the investigation conducted by The G-Man Interviews on home health care agencies and aides in New York State.

The sister site of From The G-Man was informed that Francis Morrisey, who investigates elder abuse and Medicaid fraud through New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office, watched the episode below and immediately requested a meeting with the whistleblower, Monica Arroyo-Horne, to discuss the matter in greater detail. 

Unskilled Home Health Aides: A Growing Threat in the U.S.?
http://fromthegman.blogspot.com/2017/04/unskilled-home-health-aides-grave.html


Morrisey's office has requested all documents and video footage on Arroyo-Horne's case, which date back to 2004. 

"I want to thank 'The G-Man Inteviews', once again, for allowing me to share my story. Its been a difficult few years having to deal with home health care agencies and the women they hire," said Arroyo-Horne. "I will continue to fight not only for my mother, but also for the many elderly out here who rely on HHAs and HHCs. Thank you, on behalf of me and my mother, for bringing this to the forefront."

Arroyo-Horne, a resident of Brooklyn, was raised in a single family home in Jamaica, New York, with her mother Naomi Davis. She spent most of her teenage years there and attended Bayside High School. 

Her passion for the legal field led to a position with the New York City Law Department. After three months, she was promoted to Executive Level II Secretary and worked directly with the Corporation Counsel, Michael D. Hess. 

She is currently employed with the City of New York and attends John Jay College of Criminal Justice, as well as the College of New Rochelle, in pursuit of her Master’s Degree in Communications. 

During her tenure as a city employee, she held discussions with a number of New York City officials, including former Mayor David Dinkins, Congressman Charles Rangel, former City Council member Charles Barron, Eric Adams, who currently serves as Brooklyn Borough President, and retired First Deputy Police Commissioner Howard Safir. 

She also devotes much of her time to the daily care of her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s and dementia. 

Photo courtesy of Monica-Arroyo-Horne 

In the Age of Trump, Black Church Preaches Gospel of God and Guns


8-Year-Old Boy Commits Suicide After Being Bullied


Court Rules LGBTQ People Not Covered by West Virginia Hate Crime Law


If two men are violently attacked for kissing each other in public, is that a form of sex discrimination?

Prosecutors in a prominent West Virginia case argued that it is, because if one of those men were female, the alleged homophobic assault would not have occurred. But on Wednesday, the state's Supreme Court decided gay people are not protected by West Virginia hate crime law — ruling that sexual orientation is not a form of sex discrimination.

DHS Chief Kelly Asks for Criminal Histories of Thousands of Haitians Seeking to Stay in U.S.

Secretary John Kelly asked Department of Homeland Security staff for the criminal history of thousands of Haitians living in the United States on protected immigration status as he mulls the decision of whether to extend the program set to expire in July.

The Trump administration must soon decide whether to renew "Temporary Protected Status" for some 50,000 Haitians currently living in the U.S. In 2010, the Obama administration granted the status to Haiti after a massive earthquake that devastated the island-nation, killing an estimated 220,000 and displacing 1.5 million.

The 18-month program has been extended three times since. 

Click here for the full article.

NHS Cyber Attack: Analyst, 22, Discovers WannaCry Ransomware's Hidden Kill Switch 'Completely By Accident'

 
By Ian Johnston

A 22-year-old cybersecurity analyst accidentally shut down vast numbers of attacks by the devastating WannaCry ransomware by buying a domain name hidden in the program for about £8.29. 

The domain name is believed to have been written into the software by the hackers to act as a kill switch.

Each time the program tried to infect a computer, it would try to contact the webpage. If it failed, WannaCry would carry on with the attack, but if it succeeded it would stop.

The analyst, who tweets as MalwareTech and works for Kryptos Logic, a security firm, admitted he had not realised that buying the domain name, for just $10.69, would have this fortunate effect.

WannaCry has infected tens of thousands of computers across the world, shutting down vital systems used by the NHS in Britain.

Click here for the full article.

Source: The Independent

Friday, May 12, 2017

Worldwide Cyberattack Holding Computers Hostage, Demanding Ransom


Four Dead In Nursing Home Shooting


President Trump's Weekly Address


James Comey Reflects on Public Service in 2016 Commencement Address


FBI Director James Comey delivered the commencement address to University of Richmond Law School graduates. Director Comey previously served as the assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, which has jurisdiction over the city of Richmond. 

Click here for video.

Source: C-SPAN

Attorney General Jeff Sessions Remarks at Justice Department


Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivers remarks his recommendation for stricter criminal charging and sentencing policy. He declines to answer questions on the role he played in the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

Click here for video.

Source: C-SPAN

Teen Mental Health and Suicide Prevention


Caroline Fenkel, a psychotherapist with Newport Academy in New York City, discusses the prevalence of teen suicide amid the stir over a new Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.”

Source: C-SPAN

FBI Agents Worry White House Will Kneecap Russia Probe



The acting FBI director may promise that the investigation into Trump-Russia connections will continue. Many agents aren’t buying it.

By Jana Winter and Betsy Woodruff

On Tuesday night, after James Comey got fired, FBI agents tasked with thwarting Russian intelligence operations started drinking.

Two well-connected former FBI employees told The Daily Beast that counterintelligence agents working on the Russian counterintelligence program out of FBI headquarters in downtown Washington met for drinks in the hours after their boss’s firing and shared their concerns: that they would be reassigned elsewhere, and their work on the Russian-Trump associates investigation would come to a grinding halt.

“We do not have any comment,” an FBI spokeswoman said in an email to The Daily Beast Friday morning.

These are worries that have spread through the bureau in the days since Comey was fired: that the new administration will find ways to stymie investigations that could create political problems—especially on Russia. It’s a concern the president himself exacerbated in an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt that aired Thursday evening.

“And in fact when I decided to just do it I said to myself, I said, ‘You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, it’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should’ve won,’” the president said, discussing his reasoning for firing Comey.

Among current and former agents who worked on Russian counterintelligence, concern about political meddling is palpable.

“It’s complete bananas,” said one FBI source. “Management in counterintelligence are insanely concerned, worried about the overreaching obstruction and political influence from the White House.”

And a former high-ranking FBI official who worked on aspects of the case said there’s “no doubt the investigation can be damaged.”

“This particular case is within HQ with pieces in other field offices,” the source continued. “Hard to stop, but definitely subvert.”

Click here for the full article.

Source: The Daily Beast

Bob Schieffer Explains Recent Comparisons Between Presidents Trump and Nixon

 
This video was published on May 12, 2017. 

CBS News political contributor Bob Schieffer explains the parallels between the Trump/Comey crisis and Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal.

Source: CBS News

'Flashback Friday': President Nixon Resigns (The Watergate Scandal)


This segment was broadcast on August 9, 1974. TODAY's Barbara Walters and Jim Hartz, along with White House correspondent Tom Brokaw, report on the resignation of President Nixon. 

Source: TODAY

Trailblazers in Black History: Patrick Ewing



Sen. Kamala Harris: Sessions Should Resign For Signing Off on Comey Firing


Bail-Bond System Exploits the Poor and Undermines Justice, ACLU Says

Bail bond companies both weaken and profit from the criminal justice system — by keeping poor people in debt even after they've been cleared of charges — the American Civil Liberties Union said in a report released Thursday.

The $14 billion-a-year bail bond industry, underwritten by nine large insurance companies including some owned by multinational corporations, perpetuates a system in which people who can't afford bail remain in jail before trial. This leaves them with a choice between borrowing money or staying locked up, the ACLU said.

Those who remain incarcerated are less likely to win their court cases, researchers say. And those who borrow from bondsmen to buy their freedom often spend months or years paying it back. 

Click here for the full article. 

Attorney General Sessions Orders Tougher Drug Crime Prosecutions

Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered federal prosecutors this week to seek the maximum punishment for drug offenses, in one of the clearest breaks yet from the policies of the Justice Department under the Obama administration.

The move is an abrupt departure from policy made by President Barack Obama's attorney general, to reduce the number of people convicted of certain lower-level drug crimes being given long jail terms.

The change, "affirms our responsibility to enforce the law, is moral and just, and produces consistency," Sessions said, in a memo to federal prosecutors written May 10 and made public Friday. 

Click here for the full article.

WHO Confirms a Small Ebola Outbreak in Congo

Ebola has killed at least one person in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the World Health Organization confirmed Friday at least one person had tested positive for the deadly virus.

The DRC's health department said nine people had been sickened with hemorrhagic fever and two people died, according to the Thomson Reuters Foundation. 

Pakistan Bombing 'Targets Senate Deputy Chairman'


Source: euronews (in English)

Interview: EU's Moscovici Hails Macron Win


Source: euronews (in English)

South Korea Orders Hyundai-Kia to Recall 240,000 Vehicles


Source: euronews (in English)

Iraqi Forces Close in on Mosul


Source: euronews (in English)

Turkish Hunger Strikers Protest Post-Coup Purge


Source: euronews (in English)

Macron's Election Team Announced; Parity and Probity


Source: euronews (in English)

Belgian School Language Book for Migrants Causes Offence


Source: euronews (in English)

Activists Urge Early Deal on EU Citizens Rights


Source: euronews (in English)

National Action Network Responds to Trump Executve Order


The following statement was provided by the National Action Network.

Washington, DC – President Trump recently signed an executive order to establish a “Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.” 

This commission was formed as an attempt to construct legitimacy around baseless claims of illegal voting and to pursue destroying the fundamental foundation of democracy. This attempt, disguised as an effort to eradicate voter fraud, will lead to voter suppression efforts specifically in marginalized communities of color where too many already face unnecessary barriers.

Numerous “studies” have shown that the number of instances of voter fraud were minuscule. Adding Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach as vice-chair of the commission, someone who has a history of fueling fear of illegal voting without evidence, further sends a red flag. To have the Department of Justice address the commission’s findings -- coupled with Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ long record of hostility towards equal voting rights -- damages our democracy.

This Administration should focus on increasing participation by pursing greater access to the polls. This includes modernizing both voter equipment and voter registration procedures.

The National Action Network (NAN) will continue to monitor any efforts to suppress the voting participation of minority voters by this commission or any entity on a local, state and federal level.  

Source: Mercury

Blasio’s Push for Speed Cameras Near Schools Gains Some Support in State Legislature



A New York Daily News Exclusive

By Kenneth Lovett

ALBANY — Mayor de Blasio has found support within the state Legislature for his push for more speed cameras around city schools, the Daily News has learned.

A bill introduced this week by breakaway Democratic Sen. Jose Peralta would bring the number of speed cameras in school zones up to 750. There are currently 140 authorized under law.

The bill, which is expected to add Senate Independent Democratic Leader Jeffrey Klein as a co-sponsor, is also set to be introduced in the Assembly by Manhattan Democrat Deborah Glick.

It would allow the cameras to be installed up to a half-mile away from school entrances. The current limit is a quarter-mile.

Click here for the full article.

Source: The Empire Report 

City & State: Winners & Losers, 5/12/17


It’s been a weird week in Cuomoland. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s brother, Chris, went hard after White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on his CNN show, getting compliments from the left and derision from the right. And the gov's partner, Sandra Lee, threw some extra salt into her cooking, reportedly treating House Speaker Paul Ryan with disdain on the set of Fox & Friends. But Andrew himself was chumming it up with a Republican, dining with Gov. Chris Christie at a New Jersey diner – and crossing paths again in Midtown. While our Cuomologists read the tea leaves of what this all means for the 2020 election, check out some more straightforward Winners & Losers. 

Winners

Anthony Bonomo
– If Bonomo was "Always Dreaming" of redemption, his aptly named horse gave it to him by winning this year’s Kentucky Derby. The former New York Racing Association chairman’s been plagued by scandal, accused of providing a no-show job, giving sketchy campaign donations and suffering huge losses at his medical malpractice insurance firm – but that scarcely matters when you’ve got “Kentucky Derby-winning horse owner” on the top of your resume. 

Betty Little – The North Country state senator was appointed to lead the newly created Senate Republican Women’s Caucus, which is aimed at touting women's growing ranks in the conference while also helping the GOP connect with female voters. We just hope it’s a genuine effort – unlike another oft-criticized and arguably self-serving effort to capitalize on women voters – and isn’t driven solely by recent voting trends.

Click here for the full listing. 

Source: City & State (via The Empire Report)