Painful night all around for Zdeno Chara and Bruins
Isn't there a $ports $ection for that $elf-$erving $lop?
Years later, DNA helps ID mom, two daughters in Bear Brook murders in N.H.
Also see: How a search for a relative helped identify N.H.’s Bear Brook victims
Baker quietly puts political team together as he considers 3rd term
[flip to below fold]
"Businesses exiting. Talk of mall-ification. Empty stores. Some fear what’s next for Harvard Square" by Deanna Pan Globe Staff, June 5, 2019
John Harvard’s Brewery & Alehouse celebrated its last hurrah May 30 before shutting its doors for good, ending a 27-year run on Dunster Street in Harvard Square. It was just the latest in a wave of closings in the square that has some business owners and residents on edge, fearing what it portends for the bustling district.
“I think what’s gotten people’s attention at Harvard Square over the last, say, two to three years has been the number of businesses that have had to leave — particularly in the very central part of the square,” said Cambridge’s vice mayor, Jan Devereux.
Over the past three years, dozens of businesses have exited, including independently owned mainstays like Crema Cafe and Tealuxe, as well as major chains like Chipotle, Starbucks, and CVS.
The World’s Only Curious George Store will depart from the Abbot building for Central Square on June 30, and Harvard University’s renowned American Repertory Theater is leaving for Allston, thanks to a $100 million donation, though no departure date has been set.
Where they will be born again.
Related: Harvard alumnus donates $131m to research institute
So much for the concern over wealth inequality.
The vacancies are hard to ignore. Empty storefronts covered in “Coming Soon” and “Space for Lease” signs dot Massachusetts Avenue and Brattle and Church streets.
Mayor Marc McGovern blames a confluence of factors, including rising rents and a flurry of renovations following eye-popping, multimillion-dollar purchases of real estate by investment firms.
McGovern has no doubt the vacancies will be filled, he said, but he’s worried about the types of businesses that will occupy those spaces — namely, that they will be large national and international chains that can pay top dollar for a spot in the busy square, at the expense of quirky independent stores. For now, he said, property owners continue to sit on empty storefronts until they can get the rents they want.
“What’s going to take the place of those shops?” he asked. “Is it going to be more banks? Is it going to be more cellphone companies?”
See: Creating positive communities online and in our neighborhoods
Just as long as there are no pot shops.
“I’m talking about the mallification of Harvard Square,” he continued. “I don’t want it to be an open-air shopping mall, and I think we’re really in danger of that.”
Of course, Cambridge officials have been wringing their hands over that very issue for decades.
Still, despite the vacancies, Denise Jillson’s outlook is sunny.....
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Related: Tree House Brewery to run a beer garden at Prudential Center on four days in June, July
Going to celebrate the shooting.
"Senior scams proliferate as fraudsters deploy new tactics and technologies" by Robert Weisman Globe Staff, June 6, 2019
Last month, a pair of Swampscott police officers were dispatched to a local Stop & Shop to rescue an older man from Lynn. The man was rattled: A stranger had called to warn that his Social Security number was compromised and he needed to pay $2,500 to protect his identity. The man had withdrawn the money from a nearby bank and was trying to convert it to gift cards, as the caller instructed. A watchful supermarket manager alerted police.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Police Chief Ron Madigan said. “We’ve seen some pretty significant scams, and we don’t find out about many of them until the money’s been wired out of the country.”
Fraud attempts aimed mainly at seniors are at or near record levels nationwide, powered by expertly deployed technologies — robocalls, pop-up computer messages, and “spoofing” with fake caller IDs that make incoming calls seem local, and the more law enforcement and educators step up efforts to prevent scams, the wilier the fraudsters get, adapting technology and tactics to stay one step ahead of the law.
Reports of fraud and other financial abuse climbed from 325,500 in 2001 to nearly 3 million last year, Federal Trade Commission data show. Robocalls, those autodialed calls that play a recorded message, are the leading accelerant.
For the con artists, it’s a numbers game — maximum payout for minimal effort....
It's a “cat-and-mouse game,” and you would think that will all the electronic data collection by the telecoms and spying being done by the government, they would find and shut these guys down.
Instead, they are shutting down JouTube channels.
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Don't worry, help is on the way!
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"Pelosi says she doesn’t want to see Trump impeached; she wants to see him ‘in prison’" by Rachael Bade and John Wagner Washington Post, June 6, 2019
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told several high-ranking colleagues Tuesday night she wants to see President Trump ‘‘in prison’’ but does not want to impeach him, according to two officials familiar with the conversation.
How interesting.
Reminds of the calls in 2016 to "Lock Her Up," and we have seen what happens to the Clinton crime family in the aftermath. No one lays a glove on them and they are allowed to just merrily go on their way.
The California Democrat was meeting privately with five chairmen of committees with investigative powers as part of a weekly check-in on probes of Trump and his administration when she came under some pressure to allow the launch of an impeachment inquiry.
When are you guys going to get around to doing some actual governing?
House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat of New York, has been asking Pelosi to give the green light on launching an impeachment inquiry for several weeks, but Pelosi suggested she wanted Trump to face charges after leaving office rather than be impeached by the House and acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate.
‘‘I don’t want to see him impeached. I want to see him in prison,’’ Pelosi said, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share private conversations. The officials said the meeting was not particularly contentious and characterized Pelosi’s comment as offhand.
During a television interview Thursday morning, White House spokeswoman Mercedes Schlapp said that Pelosi’s comments about wanting to see Trump in prison were reflective of a Democratic Party ‘‘obsessed with investigations.’’
‘‘I think it clearly shows the true colors of Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic Party,’’ Schlapp said on Fox News.
During a separate interview Thursday morning, House minority leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican of California, also chided Pelosi. McCarthy appeared on Fox News from the site of a ceremony in France that both he and Pelosi attended commemorating the 75th anniversary of the storied D-Day invasion.
Related:
"The president said little about how he views the US role in the world or its relationship to the Europe of today. Populist insurgencies that Trump has led at home and embraced abroad [were] on vivid display during his weeklong trip to Europe. It fell to President Emmanuel Macron of France to defend the US-led postwar order......"
Not only did FDR get it wrong, but Trump lied about it.
Also see:
"Pelosi, who attended Thursday’s ceremony, declined to respond, according to CNN. During a brief interview near the cemetery where nearly 10,000 American war dead are buried, she said she would rather not criticize Trump while she is out of the country, according to a tweet by a CNN correspondent....."
What a back-stabbing, two-faced piece of work is she!
‘‘At that moment, we weren’t about party,’’ McCarthy said. ‘‘We were about country. I hope we take that back to Washington, not wanting to put somebody in jail but putting Americans first.’’
Later Thursday, House Democrats unveiled a promised resolution to hold Attorney General William Barr and former White House counsel Donald McGahn in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas.
The House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines last month to hold Barr in contempt over his failure to produce the full contents of Mueller’s report to Congress — something Barr has argued he cannot do without breaking the law, as releasing grand jury material would require a court order.
The panel also issued a subpoena for McGahn to deliver documents and testimony regarding what he knew about President Trump’s alleged efforts to obstruct justice. The White House blocked McGahn, who was a key witness in Mueller’s report, from testifying.
The resolution, which is scheduled to be considered by the full House on Tuesday, authorizes Nadler to initiate proceedings in federal court to force Barr and McGahn to comply. And it empowers other committee chairmen to take similar actions if the administration rebuffs their subpoenas.
In Tuesday’s meeting, Pelosi told her colleagues that she would like to see Trump defeated in next year’s elections and then prosecuted for his alleged crimes.....
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You going to go after Kushner, too?
"Senators ask Federal Reserve to review Trump’s Deutsche Bank transactions" by David Enrich New York Times, June 6, 2019
A group of Democratic senators wants top officials at the Federal Reserve to examine whether Deutsche Bank complied with anti-money-laundering and other laws after bank employees flagged transactions tied to President Trump as potentially suspicious.
They aren't going to investigate themselves?
The request, in a letter sent Thursday, was in response to a New York Times article that said specialists at Deutsche Bank had recommended that transactions by legal entities controlled by Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, be reported to a federal financial crime regulator. Managers at the bank rejected their employees’ advice and did not alert the government.
The letter to the Fed chairman, Jerome Powell, and John C. Williams, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, called on the Fed to look into the transactions and whether the bank’s handling of the matter adhered to anti-money-laundering laws. The Fed is one of the main regulators of Deutsche Bank’s American operations.
“Only by conducting a thorough review of the full range of this activity can we better understand what happened in these cases; what practices, procedures, or personnel may need to be changed at the bank; and what regulators should do to ensure the Federal Reserve’s ability effectively to monitor compliance with anti-money-laundering laws,” the senators wrote.
Employees in Deutsche Bank’s Jacksonville, Fla., office flagged the transactions in 2016 and 2017 — during the presidential campaign and Trump’s first year in office. The German lender was the only mainstream financial institution consistently willing to do business with Trump over the past two decades because of his repeated defaults.
The employees said the handling of the Trump and Kushner transactions had been part of a pattern of the bank’s executives rejecting valid reports to protect relationships with lucrative clients. The bank had disputed that view.
The letter, sent by Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, also asks Fed officials for information about their interactions with Deutsche Bank, including whether they have investigated the issues that several former bank employees raised in the Times article.
“This is a test of the Fed’s independence,” Van Hollen said in an interview. “It would be gross negligence if they weren’t investigating.”
Representatives of the Fed and Deutsche Bank declined to comment. The bank has previously said it was cooperating with various government investigators.
Deutsche Bank has a history of run-ins with the Fed. Since the early 2000s, regulators at the central bank have repeatedly criticized Deutsche Bank for a range of problems, including inadequate risk management and sloppy financial accounting. Most recently, in May 2017, the Fed ordered Deutsche Bank to fix anti-money-laundering systems that had failed to stop billions of dollars of illicit transactions by wealthy Russians.
That is where the print copy cut it!
Congress has turned a close eye to the bank’s longstanding relationship with Trump and his family.
In the House of Representatives, the Financial Services and Intelligence Committees have issued subpoenas to Deutsche Bank, demanding its records about the Trump family. Among other things, the subpoenas seek information about any “suspicious activity reports” that the bank prepared in connection with Trump’s accounts.
Trump has sued to block Deutsche Bank and another bank, Capital One, from complying with the congressional subpoenas. A federal judge ruled against Trump last month. The case will most likely be heard by an appeals court this summer.
In the meantime, congressional investigators are preparing to interview former Deutsche Bank employees, including some who have voiced concerns about the bank’s anti-money-laundering practices.....
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What a joke, and the laughs keep on coming:
"House Democratic leaders are protesting President Trump’s decision to place himself at the center of the national Fourth of July celebration on the Mall, saying his planned speech at the Lincoln Memorial would waste taxpayer dollars and impart a partisan flavor to what has traditionally been an apolitical event. The Washington Post first reported last month that the president was deeply involved in organizing changes to the annual event, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors. Calling the program ‘‘A Salute to America,’’ Trump will address the nation and is moving the celebration’s fireworks to West Potomac Park. Embraced by some of the president’s supporters, the plan has also been panned by critics who say it will alter the family-friendly, nonpartisan atmosphere of one of Washington’s most popular traditions. Previous presidents have held large gatherings at monuments in the nation’s capital. In 1999, President Clinton appeared at a concert at the Lincoln Memorial on New Year’s Eve. His supporters underwrote the event with donations, but the Park Service helped facilitate the event. President Reagan participated in a ‘‘Star Spangled Salute to America’’ at the Jefferson Memorial on July 3, 1987, which showcased an economic announcement, but the regular fireworks celebration happened the next day as usual. Still, at a time when the president is squaring off with House Democrats on many issues, and candidates are gearing up for the presidential election, critics say Trump’s appearance would inevitably carry partisan notes and could lead to demonstrations from both sides of the political spectrum."
But when Clinton did it, no problem.
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I would hit the beach at this point; however, like 75 years ago, the weather delayed it:
"A combination of major winter snowfalls and excessive rainfall are primary drivers for this year’s high water. Winter saw record snowfall. Last year was also quite wet....."
Meaning it must have been cooler than normal, and it's going to affect the corn crop:
"The relentless rain bashing the corn belt could cut output by 10 percent this year, according to forecasts from the United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organization. The United States, the world’s largest corn grower, may harvest 330 million tons, after “prolonged, excessive wet conditions” derailed field work, the group said in a report. A harvest that size would be the smallest in seven years, according to US Department of Agriculture data."
It's a nightmare scenario for Ford, too, as the disaster is whitewashed.
When the soldiers finally hit the beach they met a Stonewall of resistance and died:
"By the time she was 17, the Dutch teenager had written a harrowing memoir recounting repeated sexual assaults and her subsequent experience with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anorexia. Last year, when she was 16, she approached an end-of-life clinic seeking assisted suicide but was rejected because her parents had been unaware of her request and she needed permission, according to a newspaper report in December. On Sunday, when her sister announced that the teenager, Noa Pothoven, had died Sunday morning — without revealing where or how — the story ricocheted and metastasized around the globe. It set off debates about the nature of the Dutch law on euthanasia. The Internet was flooded with inaccurate reports that she had died via legal euthanasia, raising questions about how someone so young could be allowed to die voluntarily, but the teenager did not die of euthanasia, her family said; she had stopped eating and drinking and died at home."
It's all part of life, and who lets a kid do that?
Yeah, the Internet is broken!
"Steven Pleiter, director of the end-of-life clinic in The Hague that Pothoven approached last year to help end her life, would not go into details about her case because of privacy reasons, but he said by phone Wednesday, “It is a terrible story of a young woman who made the decision to end her life. “It would be fake news if we made this euthanasia,” he added. The story of the Dutch teenage author from the city of Arnhem appeared even to have caught the attention of the pope, who alluded to the case Wednesday in a Twitter post. “Euthanasia and assisted suicide are a defeat for all,” his account tweeted, but as Pothoven’s case became a battleground for arguments about the right to die, many commentators criticized news outlets in Europe and the United States for wrongly reporting means of her death. Naomi O’Leary, a journalist with Politico, initially debunked those stories in a post on Twitter. Pothoven’s case, as tragic as it is, turned out to be far more complex than initially reported.
Oh, so the agenda-pushing propaganda pre$$ outlets got it wrong, huh? Wouldn't be the first time in what is an increasingly common occurrence!
The health minister, Hugo de Jonge, said in a statement Wednesday, “There is no question of euthanasia in this case,” he said, citing information from the family, with whom authorities were in touch. According to a private Instagram post written in Dutch by Isa Pothoven, her sister, who allowed The New York Times to see it, Noa Pothoven died at 2:40 a.m. Sunday local time. “You deserve a lot better, but Noa, go to sleep,” Isa Pothoven wrote. “We will have to let go of you.” Noa Pothoven’s family told Dutch news outlets in a statement Thursday that she had stopped taking food and had been under the supervision of a medical team. Subsequent news reports said that Pothoven had died at home in her living room in Arnhem. Isa Pothoven did not respond to follow-up questions, and other members of the family could not be reached for comment Thursday.
This story is really starting to stink of fakery, and that wouldn't be the first time we have seen that act, too!
Active euthanasia — when a doctor injects a lethal combination of drugs into a patient — and assisted suicide — when a doctor provides the means for someone to take his or her life — were legalized in the Netherlands in 2002. It is legal for someone as young as 12 to request and receive euthanasia, as long as the parents give their permission, according to Dutch law. For those 16 to 18, parents must be aware of the request, but their permission is not necessary, Pleiter said. Pothoven unsuccessfully tried to end her life more than once, according to the newspaper profile in December. Pothoven said in an interview at that time that she longed for peace and the absence of pain. Her mother, Lisette, also said in an interview with a Dutch newspaper in December, “Noa doesn’t want this life anymore.” She added, “She just longs for peace.” In her autobiography, Pothoven wrote that at the age of 11 she was sexually assaulted at a school party. The next year, she was assaulted again at a classmate’s party. At 14, she was raped by two men. She did not tell anyone for a long time, she wrote, but the experience took a destructive toll. She recounted in her book, “Winning or Learning,” which was released in November, that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anorexia. “To this day, my body still feels dirty,” the teenager wrote. “My house has been broken into, my body, that can never be undone.”
I'm sorry, but that whole story is fucked up.
So when are the parents going to be charged with negligence as the pre$$ worships the death cult?
"Niels Hoegel liked to bring about cardiac arrests in his patients by injecting them with overdoses of heart medication and other drugs because he enjoyed the feeling of being able to resuscitate them. Sometimes he succeeded in bringing them back, but in at least 87 cases they died, making him what is believed to be modern Germany’s most prolific serial killer....."
He's surpassed Hitler with the mercy killings, huh?
Won't be fighting them this time anyway:
"Vladimir Putin again denies Russians interfered in 2016 US election" by Gary Pruitt Associated Press, June 6, 2019
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday reaffirmed his staunch denial that his government meddled in the 2016 US presidential election despite the extensive evidence to the contrary, and insisted Moscow has no intention of interfering in any future votes, either.
Look at this! The lying, war-promoting, agenda-pushing pos pre$$ is claiming evidence!
Speaking in response to a question from The Associated Press during a meeting with chief executives of international news agencies in St. Petersburg, the Russian leader said that ‘‘we didn’t meddle, we aren’t meddling, and we will not meddle in any elections.’’
Putin and other Russian officials have hotly denied any interference with the US vote to help Donald Trump win the presidency, even though special counsel Robert Mueller has uncovered evidence of a Kremlin operation to interfere with the 2016 vote. He charged 12 Russian military intelligence officers with breaking into Democratic Party emails, and also indicted other Russians who used phony social media accounts to spread divisive rhetoric and to undermine the US political system.
WTF is this sh!t?!
Putin insisted that ‘‘we don’t have and never had any plans to interfere in US domestic politics,’’ but added that the Russian government can’t stop private citizens from expressing their views about developments in the US online.
During his meeting, Putin also warned that the US reluctance to start talks on extending a key arms control pact raises the threat of an uncontrollable arms race, and said that Moscow has no plans to send troops to shore up Venezuela’s embattled leader.
Asked about Trump’s tweet this week that Moscow had informed Washington it had ‘‘removed most of their people from Venezuela,’’ Putin said that Russian experts come and go to service Russian-made weapons bought by Caracas.
‘‘We aren’t building any military bases there, we aren’t sending troops there, we have never done that,’’ Putin said. ‘‘But we have fulfilled our contract obligations in the sphere of military-technical cooperation and we will keep doing that.’’
The Russian leader said the US sanctions against Venezuela have hurt ordinary people, and warned Washington against using force to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Russia has staunchly backed Maduro, while the US and several dozen other nations have thrown their support behind opposition leader Juan Guaidó and recognized him as interim president, asserting that Maduro’s re-election last year was illegitimate.
Putin said ‘‘the crisis in Venezuela should be settled by the Venezuelan people,’’ adding that ‘‘through dialogue, consultations, and cooperation between various political forces, the Venezuelan people themselves must decide whether Mr. Maduro should stay in power or not.’’
I need to decide if I am going to continue to purcha$e, read, and blog about the Bo$ton Globe because this is dogshit "journali$m."
The Russian leader said he feels ‘‘absolutely neutral’’ about Guaidó, describing him as a ‘‘nice person,’’ but charged that his leadership claim has created a precedent that could ‘‘lead to chaos across the world.’’
‘‘Let them elect US presidents, British prime ministers, and French presidents like that,’’ he said. ‘‘And where will all that lead? I would like to ask those who support it: Are you mad?’’
Putin issued a stern warning about the danger of a new arms race.
He accused the United States of shunning talks on extending the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty that is set to expire in 2021.
Putin said that while Russia has repeatedly signaled its intention to begin discussions on extending the pact, Washington has been unresponsive.
‘‘We have said 100 times already that we are ready, but no one is talking to us,’’ he said.
The New START pact, signed in 2010 by Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers.
Putin added that Russia’s new weapons will protect its security ‘‘for a long time to come’’ even if the pact isn’t extended, but he voiced concern about the ‘‘complete dismantling of arms control mechanisms.’’
Putin also criticized the US withdrawal from another key arms pact, the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, denying Washington’s claims of Russian violations of the agreement.
Citing those alleged violations, the US has formally suspended its obligations under the INF that bans all land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 310 to 3,410 miles, setting the stage for the treaty to terminate later this year. Russia, which has denied any breaches, has followed suit.
While criticizing the US moves, Putin said that his latest phone call with Trump ‘‘encouraged certain optimism.’’ He said that Trump shared his concern about the arms race and suggested that the money spent on new weapons would be better used for other purposes.
The Russian leader noted that arms control talks should eventually involve other nuclear powers.
‘‘As of now, the talks between us as the countries that have the most powerful nuclear arsenals are the most important, but I believe that all nuclear powers — both official and unofficial — should be brought in,’’ Putin said.....
If Israel gets to keep theirs, then you keep yours!
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"Europe Vows to Spend More on Defense, but U.S. Still Isn’t Happy" by Steven Erlanger New York Times, June 6, 2019
BRUSSELS — The United States and its European allies on Thursday commemorated the 75th anniversary of D-Day, which freed the Continent from tyranny, but at the same time, the two sides are squabbling bitterly over the future and funding of European defense.
Washington has been pressing the European Union to spend more and do more for its own defense for well over a decade, with President Trump just the latest and loudest to do so.
That's odd because the NYT and the other mouthpieces of propaganda have led us to believe everything was fine until Trump came along.
Now that the European Union is actually responding, with a defense fund and a project for military cooperation and development, the United States is criticizing how it is being done and complaining that the moves could harm trans-Atlantic cooperation and prevent American companies from competing for potentially lucrative contracts.
If anything, the spat is another reminder of the sour state of relations between the Trump administration and the European bloc and of the divisions on issues such as trade, climate change, and Iran. The fact that a European plan to increase military spending — acceding to a demand from Trump — has degenerated into acrimony only emphasizes the split.
European diplomats say the issue recently boiled over at a private meeting in Washington.....
Yeah, London and Washington have expressed concern that their defense contractors will be shut out.
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At least there is Taiwan:
"The Trump administration is proposing to sell more than $2 billion worth of tanks and other military equipment to Taiwan, US officials said Thursday. The sale would intensify tensions between the United States and China, which are already clashing over trade, communications technology, and a military buildup in the Pacific region. The sale would be one of the largest to Taiwan in recent years by the United States. The single costliest part of the package is 108 M1A2 Abrams tanks, the officials said, and the deal would also resupply some weapons, including portable antitank missile systems. The United States does not give national recognition to Taiwan, a de facto independent island off the southeast coast of China that the Chinese Communist Party intends to bring back eventually under the control of Beijing, by force if necessary, but the Taiwan Relations Act obligates the US government to help Taiwan maintain self-defense capabilities, and each administration has sold it arms packages. The United States is Taiwan’s main arms supplier."
That won't make the Chinese very happy, and now you know why the U.S. has tensions high all the around the world. No wars, no weapons sales, and that's all we got left to sell!
As for Iran:
"In July, a wealthy Iraqi sheikh named Nahro al-Kasnazan wrote letters to national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging them to forge closer ties with those seeking to overthrow the government of Iran. Four months later, he checked into the Trump International Hotel in Washington and spent 26 nights in a suite on the eighth floor — a visit estimated to have cost tens of thousands of dollars. It was an unusually long stay at the expensive hotel. The Washington Post obtained the establishment’s ‘‘VIP Arrivals’’ lists for dozens of days last year, including more than 1,200 individual guests. Kasnazan said his choice of the Trump hotel was not part of a lobbying effort, adding that he came to Washington for medical treatment....."
Uh-huh, and I have a bridge to sell you.
"Three months before the 2016 election, a small group gathered at Trump Tower to meet with Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son. One was an Israeli specialist in social media manipulation. Another was an emissary for two wealthy Arab princes. The third was a Republican donor with a controversial past in the Middle East as a private security contractor. At the time, the emissary was also promoting a secret plan to use private contractors to destabilize Iran. The meetings, which have not been reported previously, are the first indication that countries other than Russia may have offered assistance to the Trump campaign....."
I'm sorry, NYT, SAY AGAIN?
The contractor is Erik Prince (brother of Betsy DeVos) of Blackwater fame, the specialist is Joel Zamel, whose company employs several Israeli former intelligence officers specializing in collecting information and shaping opinion through social media and was paid up to $2 million, and the emissary would be the infamous Israeli fixer and interventionist George Nader, a convicted pedophile with a shadowy past, who frequently met with Jared Kushner and Michael Flynn.
So when are the Democrats going to focus on them, and if so, will the pre$$ bother to report on it and pound it like they do so much fake news?
Looks like it will be left to Israel to take Iran out:
"In 1981, Israeli military planes destroyed a nuclear power plant in Iraq, a facility the Israelis charged could have been used to make nuclear weapons."
It was military aggression and a war crime against a sovereign nation, but Israel has carte blanche to whatever the hell it feels like.
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"When philanthropist Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. pledged a record $26.5 million to the University of Alabama in September, the institution showered him with praise, lauding his generosity, describing him as a ‘‘special person’’ and renaming the law school in his honor. That relationship quickly soured. On Friday, Alabama’s board of trustees is expected to reject Culverhouse’s gift, give back the $21.5 million received so far, and remove his name, too. Depending on which side you talk to, the flap is either the most high-profile fallout from Alabama’s new abortion ban or a completely unrelated dispute. The bond began publicly unraveling last week after Culverhouse, a Florida real estate investor and lawyer, called on students to boycott the university to protest the ban. Hours later, Alabama announced it was considering giving back his money, the biggest donation ever made to the university. ‘‘I don’t want anybody to go to that law school, especially women, until the state gets its act together,’’ the 70-year-old Culverhouse said in an interview....."
"Leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang were charged Thursday with directing killings and drug smuggling from within California’s most secure prisons, US prosecutors said. The charges detail five slayings and accuse an attorney of helping smuggle drugs and cellphones to aid the white supremacist gang. A total of 16 Aryan Brotherhood members and associates are accused of running the criminal enterprise using contraband cellphones, encrypted chats, text messages, multimedia messages and email. Among them are nine current inmates charged with racketeering, conspiracy, and other charges, and seven people outside prison accused of assisting the gang in activities in Las Vegas and as far east as Missouri and South Dakota. Prosecutors say a longtime leader of a rival black gang was killed just days after he was released from decades of solitary confinement. Despite its racist philosophy, the Aryan Brotherhood had a drug smuggling partnership with the Mexican Mafia, prosecutors said....."
Can't we all be friends?
"Thomas, Ginsburg align in 5-4 rulings" by Mark Sherman Associated Press, June 6, 2019
WASHINGTON — Since Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s return in late winter from cancer surgery and broken ribs, she has regularly accepted Justice Clarence Thomas’ extended hand to help her down the three steps behind the Supreme Court bench when the gavel falls and court ends for the day.
There’s something touching about seeing the 86-year-old liberal icon and the 70-year-old conservative stalwart briefly join hands to exit the courtroom. Most people in the courtroom can’t see the justices once they leave the bench, but the seats reserved for reporters offer a good view.
Now Ginsburg and Thomas have been on the same side of the last two 5-4 decisions issued by the high court. Is this the start of something new?
Actually, no. Thomas and Ginsburg have been together in 42 cases in the court’s closest outcomes during Ginsburg’s nearly 26 years as a justice. The two cases this term are a bit above the average of 1.6 times per term they have agreed in decisions in which there was a bare majority of five justices.
The numbers are courtesy of Adam Feldman, whose Empirical SCOTUS website runs all kinds of interesting numbers about the court. The Ginsburg-Thomas pairing actually is more common than some of the other court odd couples.
It is safe to say that Ginsburg and Thomas, the longest-serving justice with nearly 28 years on the bench, are not on the verge of becoming the court’s new power duo. Just last week, they sniped at each other in footnotes to opinions involving an Indiana law backed by abortion opponents that regulates the disposal of fetal remains following an abortion, but such is life on the Supreme Court that your bitter opponent in one case is the fifth vote you need to form a majority in another.....
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The photo that accompanies the piece is from 2013, leaving a deceptive impression of Ginsberg's health!
At least she doesn't have the measles (as far as we know, anyway).
Related: Over 3 A.M. Dissent, Supreme Court Says Alabama Execution May Proceed
Also see: High court sends out SOS on evidence
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Opioid crisis? It’s more complex than that: Study shows fatalities usually involve multiple drugs
Boston appoints special adviser to oversee services at Melnea Cass Boulevard and Mass. Ave
It is what is known as Methadone Mile, and it is only going to get worse.
Is a Marty Walsh endorsement in Biden’s future?
I think they are out of step now:
Biden reverses stance on US funding for abortions
Looks like Joe is wearing flip-flops while Liz Warren is “a mensch.”
Better reclaim the conversation soon, Joe.
"Dorchester man gets life sentence for murder committed months after release" by Kellen Browning Globe Correspondent, June 6, 2019
On Thursday, Shaquille Brown’s attorney Mark Bennett detailed Brown’s difficult background and time in prison, which the Globe chronicled in a November 2018 story. He said Brown was born with an addiction to alcohol and crack cocaine.
That's why the Globe has taken such a special interest in this case.
Raised by his grandmother, Brown had no role model in his life after she died when he was 13, Bennett said.
“This great void appeared in his life, when the streets beckoned,” Bennett said.
Brown ended up being imprisoned for nearly 10 years — some of that time spent in solitary confinement — for charges that included assault and illegal gun possession.
On Tuesday, Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins said on WGBH’s “Greater Boston” that Brown’s time in prison — as described by the Globe — represented a “significant breakdown in the system.”
Then why did you charge him?
The Globe reported that Brown was placed in a prison unit for inmates with mental health problems but was rejected as a client by the state’s Department of Mental Health as he prepared to leave prison.
Bennett, Brown’s attorney, said he has already filed an appeal and is hopeful Brown’s conviction will be overturned.
“I don’t see Mr. Brown as some might see him. I see him as a very human face,” Bennett said.
“Someone with hopes, and yes, frailties and fears, but someone who is very capable of compassion and humor . . . you don’t have to know much about Mr. Brown’s story to know that he never really had a chance.”
The message seems to be, therefore, that he be allowed to get away with murder.
As Suffolk Superior Court Judge Michael Ricciuti handed down the sentence, Brown’s mother, Tammy, and sister, Jasmen, broke into tears.
“I love you, baby,” his mother said as Brown prepared to leave the room.
“I love you, too, Mama,” Brown said.....
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When was the last time you saw a murderer get the royal treatment, 'eh?
Shaquille Brown stared off into the distance during Thursday’s sentencing hearing.(Nathan Klima for The Boston Globe)
Is that the face of a murderer who has “been in hell all his life?”
If anything, he looks like a young Clarence Thomas!
Also see:
Lexington man charged in killing of wife ordered held without bail
It's a racy story that keeps coming back.
Related: Man who killed pregnant woman and two children in 1987 as a teen must remain behind bars, SJC rules
Time to slow down and close this out.
{@@##$$%%^^&&}
"Decision on delaying paid leave is still up in the air" by Jon Chesto Globe Staff, June 6, 2019
Watch out, everyone. Paid Leave Armageddon could be just a few weeks away.
On July 1, the state is supposed to start collecting assessments for a massive new paid family and medical leave program, but companies have so many unanswered questions, their trade groups warn of a looming HR disaster.
They have been asking for a three-month delay, and state officials might still put one in place before time runs out, to give everybody the time they need to get ready.
I was told that a delay was all but ruled out, and why aren't they ready?
They knew when was the deadline!!
That’s the theory, anyway.
(Blog editor just shakes his head at this elitist drivel)
The business lobbyists strengthened their hand by bringing their former antagonists at Raise Up Massachusetts, a coalition of labor and community activists that pushed for the new benefits, on board with a delay in May.
The frenemies then sent a letter together to Governor Charlie Baker, Senate President Karen Spilka, and House Speaker Bob DeLeo, pleading for the postponement.
Raise Up originally pushed this legislation, and wants to avoid a botched rollout.
On Monday, Baker said that lawmakers would probably need to act this week on the delay, but Thursday came and went, with no legislation to that effect appearing. You can’t blame the folks at Associated Industries of Massachusetts and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce for starting to sweat. Lawmakers and lobbyists alike remained unsure how this saga was going to end.
To quote the great philosopher Yogi Berra, it ain’t over till it’s over.
Encouraging signs began to emerge from the Big Three as Thursday wore on. Baker issued a statement in the afternoon saying his administration supports a three-month delay. Employers, he said, need significant lead time to adjust their payroll operations.
They had six months of lead time. WTF?
Spilka added that she is hopeful the discussions with DeLeo and Baker can result in the three-month postponement.
DeLeo then issued a statement making it clear that he “has not closed the door” on a delay.
That is not what he said yesterday, the lying sack of sh......
About that assessment: If the state has three fewer months of collecting assessments, the forgone money would have to come from somewhere — from, say, an increase in the assessment to 0.75 percent.
That’s one reason this issue has turned into a bit of a political hot potato. (The rates could be adjusted over time, anyway, starting in the fall of 2021.)
So why the delay? Carolyn Ryan, a senior vice president at the Greater Boston Chamber, says businesses simply don’t have the information they need to be ready on July 1.
Among the most pressing issues: who gets to opt out.
Companies also have to make tough decisions about how much they pay, and how much they pass on to employees. It’s a tight labor market, and many bosses are reluctant to chase talent away, and then there’s the unsuspecting public: Many workers don’t even know this hit is coming.
Related: Mass. job gains for 2018 turned out to be a vast exaggeration
Looks like that "tight labor market" just loosened up some.
Are you sick of the lying narrative yet?
The clock is ticking, but there’s nothing like a deadline to motivate the powers that be on Beacon Hill. In true State House style, the decision will be down to the wire.
Unless you are, by law, required to set up a family leave program!
One wise man might even say it’s déjà vu, all over again.....
Yeah, every single day when I sit down a flip through this $elf-$Erving $lop!!!!
--more--"
Also see:
Senate unanimously backs ban on drivers using hand-held devices
It's a natural fit.
Third Rock raises $770m in new funding round
There $ure is plenty of loot out there if you know where to look!
"US stocks finished higher Friday as optimism that the United States and Mexico can work out a deal before costly tariffs kick in next week helped power the market to its third straight gain. A modest rally gained strength in the final hour of trading after Bloomberg reported the United States was considering delaying a 5 percent tariff on Mexican goods set to go into effect Monday. The two countries held a second day of trade talks and claimed to be making progress, but President Trump insisted earlier in the day that a ‘‘lot of progress’’ had to be made. Investors have been anxious about escalating trade disputes with key trading partners, primarily China. Worries that the trade conflicts will drag on, stifling economic growth and hurting corporate profits, drove a monthlong sell-off in May. Still, investors have been in a buying mood most of this week because they’re betting the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year. The government’s May jobs report, due Friday, could prove a key factor in what the Fed does....."
Mexico is looking to avoid the consequences.
