If you're old enough to drive in Illinois, you're now old enough to be an organ and tissue donor.
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a law Tuesday authorizing 16- and 17-year-olds to join the statewide registry .
The Unpopular Truth
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Illinois: Gov. Rauner signs law allowing 16-year-old organ donors
Crystal Lake:Northwest Herald
If you're old enough to drive in Illinois, you're now old enough to be an organ and tissue donor.
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a law Tuesday authorizing 16- and 17-year-olds to join the statewide registry .
If you're old enough to drive in Illinois, you're now old enough to be an organ and tissue donor.
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a law Tuesday authorizing 16- and 17-year-olds to join the statewide registry .
Report: US assesses NKorea can fit nuke inside a missile
Carmi:Times>
North Korea may have successfully produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles, passing a key threshold in becoming a full-fledged nuclear power, according to a Japanese defense paper and a U.S. media report.
The U.N. Security Council this weekend slapped its toughest sanctions yet on North Korea over its latest test of a ballistic missile that could be used to deliver a nuclear weapon. Despite the rapid tempo of these tests, uncertainty has lingered over the isolated nation’s ability to couple such a missile with a nuclear device.
Those uncertainties appear to be receding.
North Korea may have successfully produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles, passing a key threshold in becoming a full-fledged nuclear power, according to a Japanese defense paper and a U.S. media report.
The U.N. Security Council this weekend slapped its toughest sanctions yet on North Korea over its latest test of a ballistic missile that could be used to deliver a nuclear weapon. Despite the rapid tempo of these tests, uncertainty has lingered over the isolated nation’s ability to couple such a missile with a nuclear device.
Those uncertainties appear to be receding.
Read more...
Omaha officers involved in mentally ill man's death ‘will no longer be employed by the city’
Conyers:Rockdale Citizen
Two Omaha police officers who were involved in the June death of an unarmed, mentally ill man will stop working for the city today.
The police labor contract bars the city from releasing disciplinary information in most cases, so Assistant City Attorney Bernard in den Bosch didn’t say whether the officers had been fired.
But he said Thursday: “As of tomorrow morning two officers will no longer be employed by the City of Omaha.”
Two Omaha police officers who were involved in the June death of an unarmed, mentally ill man will stop working for the city today.
The police labor contract bars the city from releasing disciplinary information in most cases, so Assistant City Attorney Bernard in den Bosch didn’t say whether the officers had been fired.
But he said Thursday: “As of tomorrow morning two officers will no longer be employed by the City of Omaha.”
Read more...
Free access to tampons gains national political traction
Colorado Springs Gazette
A topic that for so long was rarely discussed above a whisper has recently been taken up by growing numbers of lawmakers.
Spurred by grass-roots activism aimed at lifting the stigma surrounding menstruation, the lawmakers are proposing measures to provide broad access to menstrual products for women. Their efforts include exempting tampons and pads from state and local taxes, compelling prisons to stop charging inmates for the supplies and making them available for free at public schools and workplaces.
A topic that for so long was rarely discussed above a whisper has recently been taken up by growing numbers of lawmakers.
Spurred by grass-roots activism aimed at lifting the stigma surrounding menstruation, the lawmakers are proposing measures to provide broad access to menstrual products for women. Their efforts include exempting tampons and pads from state and local taxes, compelling prisons to stop charging inmates for the supplies and making them available for free at public schools and workplaces.
Read more...
LaMalfa defends health care reform, president’s policies at ‘spirited’ town hall
Chico Enterprise-Record
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, was met by a crowd often noisy with opposition at a town hall Monday morning, though he didn’t walk off the stage this time.
It was nearly a full house, with a representative for the Chico Elks Lodge estimating about 400 were in attendance. Some of the most intense moments of the morning included one man’s comment that he hoped the congressman would die — drawing mostly boos from the audience — and one woman being escorted out for continuous yelling.
However, the congressman said by the end the audience was “spirited” but “pretty good,” not as raucous as at Oroville’s town hall in April. The meeting went a little past the allotted time, from 8-9 a.m.
Some of the top questions residents wanted their representative to answer included why he supported cuts to health care coverage, backed tax breaks for the wealthy, and refuses to acknowledge impacts of climate change?
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, was met by a crowd often noisy with opposition at a town hall Monday morning, though he didn’t walk off the stage this time.
It was nearly a full house, with a representative for the Chico Elks Lodge estimating about 400 were in attendance. Some of the most intense moments of the morning included one man’s comment that he hoped the congressman would die — drawing mostly boos from the audience — and one woman being escorted out for continuous yelling.
However, the congressman said by the end the audience was “spirited” but “pretty good,” not as raucous as at Oroville’s town hall in April. The meeting went a little past the allotted time, from 8-9 a.m.
Some of the top questions residents wanted their representative to answer included why he supported cuts to health care coverage, backed tax breaks for the wealthy, and refuses to acknowledge impacts of climate change?
Read more...
Ending the EPA’s Billion Dollar Green Energy Rip-Off
Washington, D.C. - August 8, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- In recent years, the Environmental Protection Agency has created its own power of the purse independent of Congress by negotiating broad settlements with alleged violators of environmental statutes that require them to pay for the president’s—not Congress’s—political priorities. The Volkswagen settlement is the most recent example. In order to mitigate penalties paid to the U.S. Treasury for its “defeat device” scandal, the car company agreed to spend $1.2 billion on electric vehicles, despite the fact that Congress had rejected President Obama’s request for $300 million for this same purpose. The Competitive Enterprise Institute’s latest report, Ending the EPA’s Billion Dollar Green Energy Rip-Off, provides the context and the solution for ending the agency’s political slush fund.
“While the Trump administration has taken the right steps to put an end to this attempt by the EPA to act with the power of the purse that it doesn’t have, more can be done both by the agency and Congress to ensure this political behavior doesn’t return,” said CEI Senior Fellow and report author William Yeatman.
See Yeatman’s report Ending the EPA’s Billion Dollar Green Energy Rip-Off.
“While the Trump administration has taken the right steps to put an end to this attempt by the EPA to act with the power of the purse that it doesn’t have, more can be done both by the agency and Congress to ensure this political behavior doesn’t return,” said CEI Senior Fellow and report author William Yeatman.
See Yeatman’s report Ending the EPA’s Billion Dollar Green Energy Rip-Off.
New DHS Data Reveals 4 Million 'Half-Amnestied' Aliens
Washington, D.C. - August 8, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- A new analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies finds a little-known foreign-born labor force of close to four million people. These workers are not included among the one to two million temporary workers or the estimated seven million illegal workers. These "half-amnestied" aliens have Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allowing them to work legally, but they do not have legal permanent status.
David North, a Center fellow and author of the analysis, bases his estimates on newly released DHS raw immigration data, which also reveals that most of this population receives temporary legal status for reasons unrelated to their skills. They are "as free to move around the labor market as citizens or permanent resident aliens," North writes, and "with a handful of exceptions, they are free of ties to a given employer."
"This is a huge, rarely discussed alien labor force that is all but hidden from the public," North said.
View the full analysis by clicking HERE
The U.S. immigration system has 58 sub-classifications of EAD holders. The largest categories are DACAs (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), asylum applicants, two subgroups of adjustees, plus workers in Optional Practical Training (i.e. foreign college alumni) and Temporary Protected Status.
The numbers recently made public are of annual issuances, and therefore misleadingly small because most EADs are good for 18 months or longer. That means the published numbers do not reflect the full impact of the EAD population on the labor force at any one time. The estimate of four million is thus a snapshot of the current total number of EAD workers rather than the annual flow of approved applications.
North writes, "The major policy point here is that there is a huge alien workforce that remains unrecognized because it is never seen as a group, the way it should be viewed."
David North, a Center fellow and author of the analysis, bases his estimates on newly released DHS raw immigration data, which also reveals that most of this population receives temporary legal status for reasons unrelated to their skills. They are "as free to move around the labor market as citizens or permanent resident aliens," North writes, and "with a handful of exceptions, they are free of ties to a given employer."
"This is a huge, rarely discussed alien labor force that is all but hidden from the public," North said.
View the full analysis by clicking HERE
The U.S. immigration system has 58 sub-classifications of EAD holders. The largest categories are DACAs (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), asylum applicants, two subgroups of adjustees, plus workers in Optional Practical Training (i.e. foreign college alumni) and Temporary Protected Status.
The numbers recently made public are of annual issuances, and therefore misleadingly small because most EADs are good for 18 months or longer. That means the published numbers do not reflect the full impact of the EAD population on the labor force at any one time. The estimate of four million is thus a snapshot of the current total number of EAD workers rather than the annual flow of approved applications.
North writes, "The major policy point here is that there is a huge alien workforce that remains unrecognized because it is never seen as a group, the way it should be viewed."
Monday, August 7, 2017
National Security Advisor’s Serial Insubordination and Personnel Actions Undermine Trump Presidency, Requires His Termination
Washington, D.C. - August 7, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The Center for Security Policy has joined with others who are alarmed at the disloyal and subversive behavior of National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. They have joined together in calling on President Trump to dismiss McMaster from his office immediately. Such disloyal and subversive behavior from McMaster includes undermining the President’s policies on virtually every important foreign and defense policy issue and purging staff members who support these issues, while retaining or hiring others – including large numbers of Obama holdovers – who do not.
“No voter in this country – not one – elected H.R. McMaster to run U.S. foreign policy. Actually, the winner of the 2016 election was a man who opposed virtually every aspect of the McMaster agenda – and that of the president who made its architect a three-star general, Barack Obama,” said Center for Security Policy President Frank Gaffney in a nationally syndicated radio commentary today.
“It may be hard to square that reality with what has happened since McMaster became Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor. At every turn, the Army general has been insubordinate to his Commander-in-Chief. For example, he has openly opposed Mr. Trump on “radical Islamic terrorism,” Syria, Qatar, Iran, Russia and the Muslim Brotherhood.
“Of late, McMaster has taken to purging Mr. Trump’s most loyal staff members, including senior intelligence advisor Ezra Cohen-Watnik – a man the President had previously, personally insisted be retained. If such misconduct is tolerated, Trump voters will have unknowingly elected President McMaster.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coates described the administration’s redoubled efforts to stop leaks that compromise national security. One place that must receive close scrutiny is McMaster’s own office in light of Thursday’s revelation by Sara Carter of Circa News that last April, the National Security Advisor personally granted one of his most notorious predecessors, Susan Rice, continued access to classified information and vouched for her trustworthiness with respect to safeguarding it. Given Ms. Rice’s record of playing fast-and-loose with sensitive information for partisan political purposes, this action speaks volumes about Gen. McMaster’s poor judgment and loyalties – and affirms the necessity of his termination forthwith.
“No voter in this country – not one – elected H.R. McMaster to run U.S. foreign policy. Actually, the winner of the 2016 election was a man who opposed virtually every aspect of the McMaster agenda – and that of the president who made its architect a three-star general, Barack Obama,” said Center for Security Policy President Frank Gaffney in a nationally syndicated radio commentary today.
“It may be hard to square that reality with what has happened since McMaster became Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor. At every turn, the Army general has been insubordinate to his Commander-in-Chief. For example, he has openly opposed Mr. Trump on “radical Islamic terrorism,” Syria, Qatar, Iran, Russia and the Muslim Brotherhood.
“Of late, McMaster has taken to purging Mr. Trump’s most loyal staff members, including senior intelligence advisor Ezra Cohen-Watnik – a man the President had previously, personally insisted be retained. If such misconduct is tolerated, Trump voters will have unknowingly elected President McMaster.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coates described the administration’s redoubled efforts to stop leaks that compromise national security. One place that must receive close scrutiny is McMaster’s own office in light of Thursday’s revelation by Sara Carter of Circa News that last April, the National Security Advisor personally granted one of his most notorious predecessors, Susan Rice, continued access to classified information and vouched for her trustworthiness with respect to safeguarding it. Given Ms. Rice’s record of playing fast-and-loose with sensitive information for partisan political purposes, this action speaks volumes about Gen. McMaster’s poor judgment and loyalties – and affirms the necessity of his termination forthwith.
CORTEZ MASTO COSPONSORS BILLS TO PROTECT IMMIGRANT VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS
Washington, D.C. - August 7, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) cosponsored two bills intended to protect veterans and service members—men and women who have proven they are willing to lay down their lives to defend America—from being deported. The bills, sponsored by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), an Iraq War veteran, would help keep our promises to these brave individuals by preventing the Administration from deporting veterans, giving legal permanent residents a path to citizenship through military service, and establishing naturalization offices at military training facilities.
“These bills will help us honor our commitment to veterans and service members seeking U.S. citizenship,” said Cortez Masto. “Unfortunately, the programs that exist to help eligible noncitizen military service members complete their naturalization process are often under-resourced and inconsistent. If passed, these bills would allocate resources to help ensure that qualified military members in Nevada and across the country receive the guidance and support they need on their pathway to citizenship. I am proud to have co-sponsored this legislation to support the men and women who have sacrificed so much to keep our nation safe.”
A 2016 American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) study identified 239 non-citizen veterans who have been deported from the United States in recent years – and some experts believe the actual number of deported veterans is significantly higher.
While most deported veterans would have been eligible for naturalization when they were in the military, the U.S. government in many cases failed to prioritize assisting non-citizen service members with completing the naturalization process. Because of this lack of follow-through, some veterans who thought they had become citizens found out later that they were vulnerable to deportation because their paperwork had never been processed.
Once a veteran is deported, they are usually unable to access the VA benefits they have earned and would receive if they were still living in the United States. Many have trouble accessing even basic medical care, which is particularly problematic because veterans struggle with higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and physical health problems like chronic pain than the general population. Many deported veterans have also been separated from their families and their children, who live in the United States. Veterans deported to Mexico or Central America also are vulnerable to threats from gangs and drug cartels because of their military experience.
The following bills were cosponsored this week by Senator Cortez Masto:
The Immigrant Veterans Eligibility Tracking System (I-VETS) Act of 2017 would identify non-citizens who are currently serving or who have served in the armed forces when they are applying for immigration benefits or when placed in immigration enforcement proceedings. The bill would also require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to annotate all immigration and naturalization records to reflect their service records. This information will enable DHS to “fast track” veterans and service members who are applying for naturalization, while also allowing officials to practice prosecutorial discretion, if appropriate, when adjudicating their cases.
The Naturalization at Training Sites (NATS) Act of 2017 would establish a naturalization office at each initial military training site to identify and conduct outreach to non-citizen service members to ensure the government follows through on its promise to help them become American citizens.
“These bills will help us honor our commitment to veterans and service members seeking U.S. citizenship,” said Cortez Masto. “Unfortunately, the programs that exist to help eligible noncitizen military service members complete their naturalization process are often under-resourced and inconsistent. If passed, these bills would allocate resources to help ensure that qualified military members in Nevada and across the country receive the guidance and support they need on their pathway to citizenship. I am proud to have co-sponsored this legislation to support the men and women who have sacrificed so much to keep our nation safe.”
A 2016 American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) study identified 239 non-citizen veterans who have been deported from the United States in recent years – and some experts believe the actual number of deported veterans is significantly higher.
While most deported veterans would have been eligible for naturalization when they were in the military, the U.S. government in many cases failed to prioritize assisting non-citizen service members with completing the naturalization process. Because of this lack of follow-through, some veterans who thought they had become citizens found out later that they were vulnerable to deportation because their paperwork had never been processed.
Once a veteran is deported, they are usually unable to access the VA benefits they have earned and would receive if they were still living in the United States. Many have trouble accessing even basic medical care, which is particularly problematic because veterans struggle with higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and physical health problems like chronic pain than the general population. Many deported veterans have also been separated from their families and their children, who live in the United States. Veterans deported to Mexico or Central America also are vulnerable to threats from gangs and drug cartels because of their military experience.
The following bills were cosponsored this week by Senator Cortez Masto:
‘Kari’s Law’ Makes Dialing 911 Easier from Multiline Phones
Washington, D.C. - August 7, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) issued the following statement after the Senate passed the Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things (DIGIT) Act, which included Kari’s Law, a bill that amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require multiline telephone systems, common in hotels and offices, to have the ability to directly dial 911 without locating an outside line first:
“In an emergency situation, every moment counts. By ensuring all callers are able to directly dial 911, we can help save critical seconds that could mean the difference between life and death,” said Sen. Cornyn. “Following the example of the State of Texas, I’m glad my colleagues in the Senate have taken this commonsense step to help prevent tragedies across the nation.”
Sen. Cornyn is an original co-sponsor of Kari’s Law, named after Kari Hunt, who was tragically killed in her hotel room in 2013. Kari’s daughter was unable to reach emergency personnel because she failed to dial “9” to locate an outside line on the multiline phone in the hotel room before dialing 911. The Texas legislature passed a similar state law that went into effect in 2016. A similar bill passed the House of Representatives on January 23, 2017.
Kari Hunt was killed in her hotel room after her daughter was unable to reach emergency responders due to the hotel phone system's requirement of dialing an extra “9” to reach 911.
“I am grateful my colleagues in the Senate have come together to pass this bill that has the potential to save many lives,” Senator Ted Cruz said. “No family should have to endure the grief inflicted upon the Hunt family, when technology that was supposed to be there in Kari's time of need was not easily accessible. I am a proud supporter of this bipartisan bill that will make dialing 911 easier and I hope it quickly becomes law.”
“In an emergency situation, every moment counts. By ensuring all callers are able to directly dial 911, we can help save critical seconds that could mean the difference between life and death,” said Sen. Cornyn. “Following the example of the State of Texas, I’m glad my colleagues in the Senate have taken this commonsense step to help prevent tragedies across the nation.”
Sen. Cornyn is an original co-sponsor of Kari’s Law, named after Kari Hunt, who was tragically killed in her hotel room in 2013. Kari’s daughter was unable to reach emergency personnel because she failed to dial “9” to locate an outside line on the multiline phone in the hotel room before dialing 911. The Texas legislature passed a similar state law that went into effect in 2016. A similar bill passed the House of Representatives on January 23, 2017.
Kari Hunt was killed in her hotel room after her daughter was unable to reach emergency responders due to the hotel phone system's requirement of dialing an extra “9” to reach 911.
“I am grateful my colleagues in the Senate have come together to pass this bill that has the potential to save many lives,” Senator Ted Cruz said. “No family should have to endure the grief inflicted upon the Hunt family, when technology that was supposed to be there in Kari's time of need was not easily accessible. I am a proud supporter of this bipartisan bill that will make dialing 911 easier and I hope it quickly becomes law.”
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