Starting right at the top with biggest ones going:
On Beacon Hill, new talk of raising taxes
No talk of recalling the hundreds of millions in corporate welfare going to the likes of GE, Hollywood (btw, AP, it's not summer for five more weeks), and any other well-connected corporate concern -- nor is there talk of giving back the $18 million dollar a year pay raise (on top of the New Year's gift due to the grand economy they constantly keep overestimating) they rushed through before doing nothing up to this very second. I haven't read about Baker signing any bills, have you?
Instead they want to raise the marijuana taxes as they delay the rollout of legalization; tax sugary drinks (I'd be careful if I were you); tax Airbnb; and they claim to want to tax any income over one million dollars (we know that is going absolutely nowhere). Meanwhile, they are going to leave all taxes in place, even ones that are mandated by law to drop (like sales and income taxes) -- and now they want to hold on to your refund!
MFers isn't a strong enough word for those $cum under the golden dome.
Not everyone is happy about all-electronic tolling
Yeah, turns out it is costing more than they told you when they rolled it out and told us all the surveillance system, 'er, tolling gantries were going to save us money. MFing liars.
State prison spending soars despite falling population
Where TF is all the money going in this state, huh?
Looks like the corruption is out of control.
Those cells should be filled with state legi$looters first.
"Vacancies affect many state boards" by Todd Wallack Globe Staff January 16, 2017
The dormant committees reflect a broader problem. About one-third of the seats on the state’s nearly 700 state boards and commissions are vacant or held by “holdover” members, whose terms have expired but remain on the board because officials have yet to name a replacement.
Adding to the problem of vacancies is the sheer volume of boards, dealing with everything from marketing dairy products to reducing the number of stray animals.
One commission with nine vacancies was created to help plan the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower landing in Plymouth in 2020. Another with seven empty seats has only a single duty: give away the annual Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery on Sept. 11 each year.
The Globe found three years ago that Massachusetts had far more boards than other states its size, in part because there is no mechanism to regularly weed out committees that are no longer needed.
A 2014 report by the Senate Post Audit & Oversight Committee found dozens of boards were redundant or no longer served a purpose....
And yet it's a “huge problem” that they are not filled?
--more--"
I'm not going to argue about it anymore.
Neighbors clash over Cambridge restaurant’s smoke
Pffft!
Ruined Mom's meal out, did it?
Just looking to shed a little weight:
"A supplement maker tried to silence this Harvard doctor — and put academic freedom on trial" by Rebecca Robbins, January 10, 2017
Dr. Pieter Cohen, 46, is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and an internist at Cambridge Health Alliance, a network of hospitals and clinics just north of Boston. He first got interested in studying supplements after seeing Brazilian immigrant patients with alarming symptoms, such as palpitations, panic attacks, and even kidney failure. It turned out they had been taking a Brazilian weight-loss supplement spiked with amphetamines, antidepressants, and benzodiazepines.
The entire episode opens a window into the Wild West world of supplements. Unlike drug companies, supplement manufacturers don’t have to show that their formulations are safe or effective before putting a product on the market. They don’t have to run clinical trials. They don’t have to consult federal regulators....
--more--"
Maybe it was what they ate:
"Brazil’s president met Sunday with dozens of ambassadors from countries that import Brazilian meat, seeking to minimize damage from a corruption probe that alleges meatpackers bribed inspectors to keep rotten meat on the market. Speaking at the presidential palace, President Michel Temer told the diplomats that Brazil’s ‘‘government wants to reiterate its confidence in the quality of our national product.’’ Temer set up the meeting after inquiries from the European Union and China over the scandal. Federal police issued 38 arrest warrants involving the giant meatpackers JBS and BRF in a blow to Brazil’s reputation as one of the world’s leading meat producers. The president minimized the investigation, saying that only 33 of the 11,000 inspectors at the Agriculture Ministry are being investigated for allegedly taking bribes to overlook meatpackers using chemicals to improve the appearance and smell of expired meat. Some of the bad meat was exported to Europe, investigators have said. Temer told the ambassadors that the Agriculture Ministry would soon release a list of countries that could have received rotten meat as well as the name of the meatpackers responsible. Temer sought to allay fears by hosting a dinner for diplomats Sunday at a traditional Brazilian barbecue restaurant. He said a task force would be created to speed up the investigation of the plants that were targeted."
Related: Brazilian Car Wa$h
Was proved right again regarding the rigged elections, and even the Palestinians know it.
Haitians upended by 2010 earthquake face uncertainty
You can still dream of getting a green card.
Tillerson says Trump still considering US embassy move in Israel
US casino mogul to be questioned in inquiry of Israel leader
Trump to nominate Newt Gingrich’s wife as Vatican ambassador
Clapper says democracy ‘under assault’ by Trump
From a guy who LIED to Congre$$ during sworn testimony. Now he's worried about checks and balances.
Trump to speak at Coast Guard Academy
At least he won't be texting while he is speaking.
Torch-wielding group protests Confederate statue removal
Oregon port vote is latest local action on fossil fuels
China pledges more than $100 billion to global development
Those a$$holes! How dare they challenge the U.S.!
Evacuations of rebels from last Damascus stronghold begins
Train derailment in northern Greece leaves 4 dead, 5 injured
North Korea launch challenges South’s new leader
So the ground offensive has been called off?
Related: A Peekel at Phillips Exeter
I'm sure if you link around in there you will commence seeing something regarding St. George.
Don't let that spoil school for you:
Dennis Lehane to Emerson grads: ‘You are the hope’
Graduate, 14, youngest ever at Texas Christian University
In Arizona, teachers can be hired with no training in how to teach
Harvard Pilgrim employees get unlimited time off
New arts center helps reclaim a piece of Chinatown
So where do you want to spend the day, in the White Mountains or on Boston Common?
I think I will just stay put.
EVENING UPDATE:
"Trump allegedly revealed classified info to Russians" by Greg Miller and Greg Jaffe The Washington Post May 15, 2017
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump revealed highly classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador in a White House meeting last week, according to current and former U.S. officials, who said that Trump’s disclosures jeopardized a critical source of intelligence on the Islamic State.
Let the impeachment hearing begin!
The information Trump relayed had been provided by a U.S. partner through an intelligence-sharing arrangement considered so sensitive that details have been withheld from allies and tightly restricted even within the U.S. government, officials said.
That means it is most likely Israel that is behind the relay, with it being an outside chance at U.K. (of course, then it would have been mentioned).
The partner had not given the United States permission to share the material with Russia, and officials said that Trump’s decision to do so risks cooperation from an ally that has access to the inner workings of the Islamic State. After Trump’s meeting, senior White House officials took steps to contain the damage, placing calls to the CIA and National Security Agency.
So it's the Saudis then, the very people he gave a massive arms deal to?
Please keep in mind, readers, that it is the EUSraeli intelligence apparatus and the Sunni Arab sheikdoms that are behind the phantom of ISIS (others designated as ISIS, such as in Iraq and Libya, are simply grass-roots guerrilla movements against foreign oppressors but the designation ultimately justifies more U.S. military aggression that serves the large geopolitical purpose of world domination).
‘‘This is code-word information,’’ said a U.S. official familiar with the matter, using terminology that refers to one of the highest classification levels used by American spy agencies. Trump ‘‘revealed more information to the Russian ambassador than we have shared with our own allies.’’
The revelation comes as Trump faces rising legal and political pressure on multiple Russia-related fronts. Last week, he fired FBI Director James Comey in the midst of a bureau investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Moscow. Trump’s subsequent admission that his decision was driven by ‘‘this Russia thing’’ was seen by critics as attempted obstruction of justice.
One day after dismissing Comey, Trump welcomed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak - a key figure in earlier Russia controversies - into the Oval Office. It was during that meeting, officials said, that Trump went off script and began describing details about an Islamic State terrorist threat related to the use of laptop computers on aircraft.
How about all those Democrats that met with Kislyak in the course of their Senate and House duties, as well as Obummer administration officials. Didn't Kerry meet with him?
For most anyone in government discussing such matters with an adversary would be illegal. As president, Trump has broad authority to declassify government secrets, making it unlikely that his disclosures broke the law.
I'm sorry, say again?
More Deep State WaPo torpedoing of this guy Trump. Wow.
Officials expressed concern with Trump’s handling of sensitive information as well as his grasp of the potential consequences. Exposure of an intelligence stream that has provided critical insight into the Islamic State, they said, could hinder the United States’ and its allies’ ability to detect future threats.
‘‘It is all kind of shocking,’’ said a former senior U.S. official close to current administration officials. ‘‘Trump seems to be very reckless, and doesn’t grasp the gravity of the things he’s dealing with, especially when it comes to intelligence and national security. And it’s all clouded because of this problem he has with Russia.’’
I hate to say this, but if I were him I would say fu*k it. I know that would be a betrayal of his supporters, but he doesn't need this.
I don't even like the guy, but the way he has been sabotaged from the very start by these disgusting apparatchiks within the American government tells you something.
In his meeting with Lavrov, Trump seemed to be boasting about his inside knowledge of the looming threat. ‘‘I get great intel. I have people brief me on great intel every day,’’ Trump said, according to an official with knowledge of the exchange.
OMG, he gave props to the intel community that is trying to destroy him!
Trump went on to discuss aspects of the threat that the United States only learned through the espionage capabilities of a key partner. He did not reveal the specific intelligence gathering method, but described how the Islamic State was pursuing elements of a specific plot and how much harm such an attack could cause under varying circumstances. Most alarmingly, officials said, Trump revealed the city in the Islamic State’s territory where the U.S. intelligence partner detected the threat.
The Washington Post is withholding most plot details, including the name of the city, at the urging of officials who warned that revealing them would jeopardize important intelligence capabilities.
There was a time when they called that censorship, and I'm sure Nixon is spinning in his grave.
‘‘Everyone knows this stream is very sensitive and the idea of sharing it at this level of granularity with the Russians is troubling,’’ said a former senior U.S. counterterrorism official who also worked closely with members of the Trump national security team. He and others spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the subject.
Those leaks will infuriate Trump, and if he cleans house as rumored it will make him look even more disorganized and disheveled as he heads to the Middle East.
The identification of the location was seen as particularly problematic, officials said, because Russia could use that detail to help identify the U.S. ally or intelligence capability involved.
Like they couldn't do that on their own, those dumb Russkies!
Officials said that the capability could be useful for other purposes, possibly providing intelligence on Russia’s presence in Syria. Moscow and would be keenly interested in identifying that source and possibly disrupting it.
Russia and the United States both regard the Islamic State as an enemy and share limited information about terrorist threats. But the two nations have competing agendas in Syria, where Moscow has deployed military assets and personnel to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
‘‘Russia could identify our sources or techniques,’’ the senior U.S. official said. A former intelligence official who handled high-level intelligence on Russia said that given the clues Trump provided, ‘‘I don’t think that it would be that hard [for Russian spy services] to figure this out.’’
At a more fundamental level, the information wasn’t the United States’ to provide to others. Under the rules of espionage, governments - and even individual agencies - are given significant control over whether and how the information they gather is disseminated even after it has been shared. Violating that practice undercuts trust considered essential to sharing secrets.
I didn't know there were any rules to espionage other than there were no rules. Look at WaPo pushing the noble spy bit!
The officials declined to identify the ally, but said it is one that has previously voiced frustration with Washington’s inability to safeguard sensitive information related to Iraq and Syria.
‘‘If that partner learned we’d given this to Russia without their knowledge or asking first that is a blow to that relationship,’’ the U.S. official said.
Trump also described measures that the United States has taken or is contemplating to counter the threat, including military operations in Iraq and Syria as well as other steps to tighten security, officials said.
The officials would not discuss details of those measures, but the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed that it is considering banning laptops and other large electronic devices from carry-on bags on flights between Europe and the United States. The United States and Britain imposed a similar ban in March affecting travelers passing through airports in 10 Muslim-majority countries.
Trump cast the countermeasures in wistful terms. ‘‘Can you believe the world we live in today?’’ he said, according to one official. ‘‘Isn’t it crazy.’’
I certainly agree with that.
Lavrov and Kislyak were also accompanied by aides.
A Russian photographer took photos of part of the session that were released by the Russian state-owned Tass news agency. No U.S. news organization was allowed to attend any part of the meeting.
Oooooh, I see. And now they are throwing a hissy fit at the snub!
Senior White House officials appeared to recognize quickly that Trump had overstepped and moved to contain the potential fallout.
Thomas Bossert, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism, placed calls to the directors of the CIA and the NSA, services most directly involved in the intelligence-sharing arrangement with the partner.
One of Bossert’s subordinates also called for the problematic portion of Trump’s discussion to be stricken from internal memos and for the full transcript to be limited to a small circle of recipients, efforts to prevent sensitive details from being disseminated further or leaked.
Trump has repeatedly gone off-script in his dealings with high-ranking foreign officials, most notably in his contentious introductory conversation with the Australian Prime Minister earlier this year. He has also faced criticism for lax attention to security at his Florida retreat Mar-a-Lago, where he appeared to field preliminary reports of a North Korea missile launch in full view of casual diners.
U.S. officials said that the National Security Council continues to prepare multi-page briefings for Trump to guide him through conversations with foreign leaders but that he has insisted that the guidance be distilled to a single page of bullet points, and often ignores those.
I'm not believing the WaPo account here; from what I've read, McMaster yells at him and won't let him ask questions.
‘‘He seems to get in the room or on the phone and just goes with it - and that has big downsides,’’ the second former official said. ‘‘Does he understand what’s classified and what’s not? That’s what worries me.’’
Lavrov’s reaction to the Trump disclosures was muted, officials said, calling for the United States to work more closely with Moscow on fighting terrorism.
Kislyak has figured prominently in damaging stories about the Trump administration’s ties to Russia. Trump’s initial national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was forced to resign just 24 days into the job over his contacts with Kislyak and misleading statements about them. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was forced to recuse himself from matters related to the FBI’s Russia investigation after it was revealed that he had met and spoke with Kislyak despite denying any contact with Russian officials during his confirmation hearing.
‘‘I’m sure Kislyak was able to fire off a good cable back to the Kremlin with all the details’’ he gleaned from Trump, said the former U.S. official who handled intelligence on Russia.
The White House readout of the meeting with Lavrov and Kislyak made no mention of the discussion of a terrorist threat.
And my WaPo pos here doesn't mention McKaskill, Pelosi, and all the other scum Dems that met with the same man.
‘‘Trump emphasized the need to work together to end the conflict in Syria,’’ the summary said. Trump also ‘‘raised Ukraine’’ and ‘‘emphasized his desire to build a better relationship between the United States and Russia.’’
--more--"
Yeah, speaking of Syria:
US accuses Syria of mass executions and burning bodies
Oh, they have satellite photos -- whoop-de-doo -- that are six years apart! Just like those of Iraqi troops at the Saudi border and how many phonies up against Serbs? Did the Syrians also throw babies out of incubators?
C'mon!!
