December 18, 2015

News Clips For The Day

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/reports-bernie-sanders-campaign-accessed-hillary-clinton-voter-data/

Bernie Sanders campaign accessed Hillary Clinton's voter data
CBS NEWS
December 18, 2015

Play VIDEO -- New poll of millennials shows Trump, Sanders leading, support for ground troops against ISIS

Bernie Sanders' campaign acknowledged Friday morning that its campaign inappropriately accessed the voter files of "another campaign" -- reported by media outlets to be Hillary Clinton's -- and as a result, fired the staffer involved.

The DNC has suspended the Sanders campaign's access to the 50-state voter file, a master list of voter information and history, including past support, donations, and subscriptions. According to a Democratic elections source, access to the voter file will be denied until the campaign explains its actions and provides proof to the other campaign that the data obtained during the breach has been disposed of.

"We are also looking at the option of an independent audit by a data security firm," the source added.

That's seen as a serious blow to the Vermont senator's efforts just a day before a Democratic debate and weeks ahead of the first caucuses and primaries.

Blaming the vendor for the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Sanders campaign said in a statement, "Unfortunately, yesterday, the vendor once again dropped the firewall between the campaigns for some data. After discussion with the DNC it became clear that one of our staffers accessed some modeling data from another campaign. That behavior is unacceptable and that staffer was immediately fired."

The Sanders campaign also said it wasn't the first time the firewall between the different campaigns had been dropped. "Sadly, the vendor who runs the DNC's voter file program continues to make serious errors," it said. "Our campaign months ago alerted the DNC to the fact that campaign data was being made available to other campaigns. At that time our campaign did not run to the media, relying instead on assurances from the vendor."

The independent Vermont senator's campaign said it is working with the DNC and the vendor, NGP VAN, to ensure that the software flaws are corrected.

NGP VAN refuted the Sanders' claim that the company had made errors in the past, telling CBS News in a statement that the data breach had been a "brief isolated issue."

"The security and privacy of our customers' data is a top priority," NGP VAN CEO Stu Trevelyan said. "Over the company's 19 year history, we've not had a problem with that; but on Wednesday, we did have a brief isolated issue for users of one of our products."

Trevelyan went on to explain that a Wednesday release of VAN code "contained a bug" and "for a brief window, the voter data that is always searchable across campaigns in VoteBuilder included client scores it should not have, on a specific part of the VAN system."

Before the bug was fixed, users were able to search and view data from other campaigns, "but not export or save or act on" the data, Treveylan wrote.

The company said that as soon as the bug was detected, they "immediately mobilized" its engineers to investigate the source of the problem. The vendor later determined that "only one campaign" took actions that could have led to the storage of confidential data it did not have permission to access.

NGP VAN is providing a "thorough report" to the DNC of the incident and is conducting its own review "to ensure the integrity of the system."

The Washington Post was first with word of the breach and the Sanders staffer's actions.

The Sanders campaign confirmed to CBS News that the staffer fired was the Sanders campaign's national data director, Josh Uretsky. The campaign is also looking into the possibility that others on the campaign accessed the data as well.

Uretsky spoke with CNN early Friday, explaining that "We knew there was a security breach in the data, and we were just trying to understand it and what was happening... To the best of my knowledge, nobody took anything that would have given the (Sanders) campaign any benefit."

Uretsky noticed the data breach on Wednesday, said that he had told other higher-ups in the Sanders campaign of the security concern and had intended to let the DNC know as well. Uretsky said he only entered the database to create a record that he was able to go "through stuff that I wasn't supposed to have access to" and to investigate the extent of the breach.

The New York Times indicates there may have been up to three other data users involved: "According to three people with direct knowledge of the breach, there were four user accounts associated with the Sanders campaign that ran searches while the security of Mrs. Clinton's data was compromised," the newspaper says.

DNC Communications Director Luis Miranda explained in a statement to CBS News that, "The DNC was notified on Wednesday by its data systems vendor NGP VAN that, as a result of a software patch, all users on the system across Democratic campaigns were inadvertently able to access some data belonging to other campaigns for a brief window."

"The DNC immediately directed NGP VAN to conduct a thorough analysis to identify any users who accessed the data, what actions they took in the system, and to report on the findings to the Party and any affected campaign," Miranda continued.

"We have also instructed NGP VAN to conduct a full audit of the system to ensure the integrity of the data and the security of the system for the campaigns that use it, and to begin a review process with every campaign and user to ensure they understand and abide by the rules governing the use of the system," he added.

CBS News' Jacqueline Alemany, Nancy Cordes, Hannah Fraser-Chanpong, and Alex Greco contributed to this report.


“The DNC has suspended the Sanders campaign's access to the 50-state voter file, a master list of voter information and history, including past support, donations, and subscriptions. According to a Democratic elections source, access to the voter file will be denied until the campaign explains its actions and provides proof to the other campaign that the data obtained during the breach has been disposed of. …. The Sanders campaign confirmed to CBS News that the staffer fired was the Sanders campaign's national data director, Josh Uretsky. The campaign is also looking into the possibility that others on the campaign accessed the data as well. Uretsky spoke with CNN early Friday, explaining that "We knew there was a security breach in the data, and we were just trying to understand it and what was happening... To the best of my knowledge, nobody took anything that would have given the (Sanders) campaign any benefit." Blaming the vendor for the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Sanders campaign said in a statement, "Unfortunately, yesterday, the vendor once again dropped the firewall between the campaigns for some data. After discussion with the DNC it became clear that one of our staffers accessed some modeling data from another campaign. That behavior is unacceptable and that staffer was immediately fired." …. "Sadly, the vendor who runs the DNC's voter file program continues to make serious errors," it said. "Our campaign months ago alerted the DNC to the fact that campaign data was being made available to other campaigns. At that time our campaign did not run to the media, relying instead on assurances from the vendor." …. DNC Communications Director Luis Miranda explained in a statement to CBS News that, "The DNC was notified on Wednesday by its data systems vendor NGP VAN that, as a result of a software patch, all users on the system across Democratic campaigns were inadvertently able to access some data belonging to other campaigns for a brief window."


“a Wednesday release of VAN code "contained a bug" … once again dropped the firewall … as a result of a software patch …” According to Wikipedia a “software patch” is code written to correct a “bug.” It is also sometimes called “a fix.” NGP VAN perhaps “dropped the firewall” in order to insert the “fix,” and perhaps had done that several times before, according to Sanders’ campaign. That’s not good, but when Josh Uretsky on his staff viewed some Clinton information illegally, supposedly to “understand” the data breach, he placed the Sanders’ camp in jeopardy.

The good news is that he (Uretsky) was promptly fired. The bad news is that Sanders, who had been viewed as “squeaky clean,” is now cast in the light of suspicion. I hope this doesn’t damage him in the eyes of voters. From the way this article reads NGP was responsible, with blame being shared by the DNC for not having solved the problem some months before after Sanders notified them. It is very possible that the DNC needs to break its contract with NGP VAN, because this is not their first mistake resulting in the need to drop the firewall. It would be even worse if a Republican candidate were to invade our campaign data while the firewall is dropped.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/martin-shkreli-resigns-from-turing-pharmaceuticals/

Martin Shkreli resigns from Turing Pharmaceuticals
By KATE GIBSON MONEYWATCH
December 18, 2015

Photograph -- Martin Shkreli, center, leaves the courthouse after his arraignment in New York on Dec. 17, 2015. AP PHOTO/SETH WENIG
Play VIDEO -- Feds: Notorious pharma CEO scammed investors out of millions


Martin Shkreli has stepped down as chief executive officer of Turing Pharmaceuticals, a day after his arrest on securities fraud charges.

Shkreli will be replaced on an interim basis by Chairman Ron Tilles, Turing said Friday in a statement. "We wish to thank Martin for helping us build Turing Pharmaceuticals into the dynamic research focused company it is today, and wish him the best in his future endeavors," Tilles said.

Shkreli pleaded not guilty to charges unrelated to his time at Turing, which he founded earlier this year.

The 32-year-old, who was released on $5 million bond, is accused of losing investor money and then covering up the losses by illegally taking assets from one of his companies to pay off debts in another.

Shkreli "ran his companies like a Ponzi scheme, using each subsequent company to pay off defrauded investors," U.S. Attorney Robert Capers told a news conference in Brooklyn.

Evan Greebel allegedly helped Shkreli in his schemes. The 42-year-old New York attorney was also arrested and charged. He pleaded not guilty, and he was released on a $1 million bond.



“The 32-year-old, who was released on $5 million bond, is accused of losing investor money and then covering up the losses by illegally taking assets from one of his companies to pay off debts in another. Shkreli "ran his companies like a Ponzi scheme, using each subsequent company to pay off defrauded investors," U.S. Attorney Robert Capers told a news conference in Brooklyn. …. Evan Greebel allegedly helped Shkreli in his schemes. The 42-year-old New York attorney was also arrested and charged.”


When I read about these kinds of situations I am disgusted anew. Republicans deify business leaders, when they are very often corrupt. Many, many Americans think they can “get rich quick” by investing in once scheme after another. In a way they have themselves to blame if they allow their broker to get too risky and end up losing money. It’s good to know that Shkreli is going to be prosecuted and has lost his position with the company, but there are tens of thousands of other such flimflam men out there.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/san-bernardino-massacre-enrique-marquez-911-call-radicalized-syed-rizwan-farook/

Contents of 911 call made by Calif. shooters' friend revealed
CBS NEWS
December 18, 2015

Photograph -- Play VIDEO -- Charges filed against friend of San Bernardino shooters
Photograph -- ap75306159775.jpg, In this courtroom sketch, Enrique Marquez appears in federal court in Riverside, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015. BILL ROBLES, AP


Federal authorities now believe Enrique Marquez was also a would-be terrorist. The longtime friend of Syed Rizwan Farook bought the rifles used in the San Bernardino massacre, and Marquez is in a California jail facing a terror-related charge.

Officials say Farook radicalized Marquez, and plotted with him to kill drivers on a California freeway.

Investigators are also studying a 911 call Marquez made hours after Farook and his wife's deadly rampage at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino that killed 14 people, reports CBS News correspondent Carter Evans.

Marquez told the dispatcher, "My neighbor. He did the San Bernardino shooting...the [expletive] used my gun in the shooting."

When asked the name of the individual who had his gun, Marquez responded, "It's Syed Farook."

The partial transcript of the 911 call also reveals that Marquez apparently mentioned suicide.

The operator asks, "Why do you feel like you want to kill yourself?"

The FBI said Marquez stopped plotting with Farook after seeing another terror plot involving men in Southern California foiled. Marquez is also accused of participating in a sham marriage with a member of Farook's extended family so she could obtain legal status.

President Obama will visit tonight with families of the victims of the San Bernardino massacre. Marquez is not accused of participating in those attacks but prosecutors say with his longtime friend and former neighbor the two hatched other plans for mass shootings.

After 10 days of questioning by the FBI, Marquez arrived at a federal courthouse Thursday appearing to face charges that he plotted terror attacks with Farook and unlawfully purchased the rifles Farook and his wife used in the San Bernadino massacre.

Federal agents said Marquez admitted to planning an attack with Farook at Riverside Community College in 2011. According to the criminal complaint, the plot targeted the school's cafeteria and library because they wanted to maximize casualties.

They also planned a rush hour attack on busy state Route 91 in Riverside. Farook would throw pipe bombs on the freeway to disable and stop traffic, then move among the stopped cars, shooting his rifle into them. Marquez would watch for approaching emergency responders, making it his priority to shoot law enforcement.

Investigators say Farook introduced Marquez to Islam and exposed him to radical ideology around 2007. Marquez started watching videos produced by the terrorist organization al-Shabaab and reading al Qaeda's "Inspire" magazine.

Marquez said he began distancing himself from Farook after 2012, but his recent social media post expressed troubling signs. Less than one month before the shooting, he wrote on Facebook: "No one really knows me. I lead multiple lives and I'm wondering when it's all going to collapse... Involved in terrorist plots, drugs, antisocial behavior..."



“Marquez told the dispatcher, "My neighbor. He did the San Bernardino shooting...the [expletive] used my gun in the shooting." When asked the name of the individual who had his gun, Marquez responded, "It's Syed Farook." The partial transcript of the 911 call also reveals that Marquez apparently mentioned suicide. …. The FBI said Marquez stopped plotting with Farook after seeing another terror plot involving men in Southern California foiled. …. Marquez is not accused of participating in those attacks but prosecutors say with his longtime friend and former neighbor the two hatched other plans for mass shootings. …. Federal agents said Marquez admitted to planning an attack with Farook at Riverside Community College in 2011. According to the criminal complaint, the plot targeted the school's cafeteria and library because they wanted to maximize casualties. …. They also planned a rush hour attack on busy state Route 91 in Riverside. Farook would throw pipe bombs on the freeway to disable and stop traffic, then move among the stopped cars, shooting his rifle into them. Marquez would watch for approaching emergency responders, making it his priority to shoot law enforcement. …. Marquez said he began distancing himself from Farook after 2012, but his recent social media post expressed troubling signs. Less than one month before the shooting, he wrote on Facebook: "No one really knows me. I lead multiple lives and I'm wondering when it's all going to collapse... Involved in terrorist plots, drugs, antisocial behavior..."


“The FBI said Marquez stopped plotting with Farook after seeing another terror plot involving men in Southern California foiled.”
Could it be that Marquez had a taste for such killing, but didn’t want to face death at the hands of police? Perhaps he thought that if he called 911 to report Farook he would not be held as a guilty party, himself. The interesting thing, from an earlier report, is that after calling 911 he turned himself in to a mental health center. Perhaps the reality of the killing was impossible for him to accept, though the fantasy had possibly have been merely exciting. If he had done that before the attack authorities might possibly have given him a relatively minor charge of purchasing the weapons, rather than the prison term that he will probably get now.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lottery-jackpot-fixing-investigation-expands-iowa/

Jackpot-fixing investigation expands to more state lotteries
AP December 18, 2015

Play VIDEO -- Lottery security head accused of scam to claim $16.5 million prize
Play VIDEO -- Lottery security head accused of scam to claim $16.5 million prize
13 PHOTOS -- Luck Gone Bad: Lottery winners who lost it all


DES MOINES, Iowa -- The allegations read like a movie plot: a lottery industry insider installs an undetectable software program in the computers that pick winning numbers so he can know them in advance. He enlists accomplices to play those numbers and collect the jackpots. And they enrich themselves for years until a misstep unravels their high-tech scheme.

Eddie Tipton, former security director of the Multi-State Lottery Association, has been accused of tampering with drawings in four states over a six-year period, and investigators are now expanding the inquiry nationwide to determine if the number could be larger.

State lotteries in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma have confirmed they paid jackpots worth $8 million to Tipton associates, including his old college roommate, Robert Rhodes. Investigators are looking at payouts in the other 37 states and U.S. territories that used random-number generators from the Iowa-based association, which administers games and distributes prizes for the lottery consortium.

The inquiry is sending a chill through state governments that receive $20 billion annually in lottery revenue, and that depend on public confidence in the contests. Tipton installed software or had access to machines for national games such as Hot Lotto and some state-based games. The most lucrative ones, Powerball and scratch tickets, weren't part of the scheme, according to lottery officials.

"It would be pretty naive to believe they are the only four" jackpots involved, said now-retired Iowa deputy attorney general Thomas H. Miller, who oversaw the investigation for 2 1/2 years. "If you find one cockroach, you have to assume there are 100 more you haven't found."

Tipton, 52, was convicted in July of fraud in the attempt to claim a $16.5 million jackpot in Iowa. He was sentenced to 10 years but is free pending appeal. He is also charged with ongoing criminal conduct and money laundering involving the other three state lotteries. Rhodes, a businessman from Sugar Land, Texas, is charged with fraud in connection with the Iowa jackpot, and is under investigation in Wisconsin.

Tommy Tipton, Eddie's brother, who bought a winning Colorado Lotto ticket in 2005, resigned his position last month as a justice of the peace in Flatonia, Texas, 100 miles west of Houston, but hasn't been charged. Colorado authorities are investigating.

Eddie Tipton's attorney, Dean Stowers, says his client is innocent.

"There's just absolutely no evidence whatsoever that he did anything to alter the proper operations of the computers that were used to pick those numbers, absolutely no evidence. It's just all speculation," Stowers said.

Rhodes' attorney did not respond to messages and Tommy Tipton did not return calls.

The scheme allegedly continued for years. Prosecutors say Eddie Tipton installed software known as a root kit that enabled him to manipulate numbers without a trace. Tipton was tripped up, investigators say, by the audacious move of buying the winning ticket himself at a service station near where he worked in Des Moines.

"This is kind of an eye opener," said Oklahoma Lottery director Rollo Redburn. "It reaffirms the fact that we've got to be constantly vigilant against people trying to defraud the system."

Iowa launched the investigation in 2012 after a lawyer representing a trust tried to claim the $16.5 million Hot Lotto jackpot, turning in the ticket hours before a one-year deadline. The trust - which said it benefited a corporation in Belize - eventually withdrew the claim rather than identify who purchased the ticket. Investigators initially suspected it was merely someone trying to hide winnings from a creditor.

The case took a dramatic twist when authorities released surveillance footage from the service station showing a stocky, hooded man buying the winning ticket and hot dogs in December 2010. Stunned lottery colleagues stepped forward to say the man looked and sounded like Tipton - a man with access to their computers.

Eddie Tipton had worked at the association since 2003, after a career in information technology, including at a Rhodes-owned firm in Houston called Systems Evolution. He was promoted to lottery security director in 2013.

Investigators allege that he passed the winning ticket to Rhodes, his University of Houston classmate, who then worked with associates to try to collect.

At Eddie's trial in July, brother Tommy insisted the man on the video wasn't his sibling, who he said was larger than the person shown.

In the Wisconsin case, authorities said, Rhodes hired a law firm to claim a $2 million Megabucks jackpot for him in 2008, and took legal action so the $783,000 cash payout could go to his limited liability corporation instead of him. Wisconsin Lottery spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis said nothing seemed suspicious and that other winners have done the same.

In Oklahoma, investigators have alleged a $1.2 million Hot Lotto jackpot claimed in 2011 is linked to Tipton but haven't spelled out details.

Miller praised the Iowa lottery's skepticism about the suspicious jackpot but wonders whether other lotteries would have been as careful.

Prosecutor Rob Sand, who is now leading the case, said investigators want to talk to anyone who has been asked to claim a prize on behalf of someone else. They are focusing on jackpots that involve tickets in which the numbers were specifically requested by winners rather than chosen randomly.


“The allegations read like a movie plot: a lottery industry insider installs an undetectable software program in the computers that pick winning numbers so he can know them in advance. He enlists accomplices to play those numbers and collect the jackpots. …. Multi-State Lottery Association, has been accused of tampering with drawings in four states over a six-year period, and investigators are now expanding the inquiry nationwide to determine if the number could be larger. …. State lotteries in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma have confirmed they paid jackpots worth $8 million to Tipton associates, including his old college roommate, Robert Rhodes. …. that used random-number generators from the Iowa-based association …. The most lucrative ones, Powerball and scratch tickets, weren't part of the scheme, according to lottery officials. …. Tipton, 52, was convicted in July of fraud in the attempt to claim a $16.5 million jackpot in Iowa. He was sentenced to 10 years but is free pending appeal. He is also charged with ongoing criminal conduct and money laundering involving the other three state lotteries. Rhodes, a businessman from Sugar Land, Texas, is charged with fraud in connection with the Iowa jackpot, and is under investigation in Wisconsin. …. Tommy Tipton, Eddie's brother, who bought a winning Colorado Lotto ticket in 2005, resigned his position last month as a justice of the peace in Flatonia, Texas, 100 miles west of Houston, but hasn't been charged. …. "There's just absolutely no evidence whatsoever that he did anything to alter the proper operations of the computers that were used to pick those numbers, absolutely no evidence. It's just all speculation," Stowers said. …. The scheme allegedly continued for years. Prosecutors say Eddie Tipton installed software known as a root kit that enabled him to manipulate numbers without a trace. Tipton was tripped up, investigators say, by the audacious move of buying the winning ticket himself at a service station near where he worked in Des Moines. …. Iowa launched the investigation in 2012 after a lawyer representing a trust tried to claim the $16.5 million Hot Lotto jackpot, turning in the ticket hours before a one-year deadline. The trust - which said it benefited a corporation in Belize - eventually withdrew the claim rather than identify who purchased the ticket. …. He was promoted to lottery security director in 2013. Investigators allege that he passed the winning ticket to Rhodes, his University of Houston classmate, who then worked with associates to try to collect. …. Rhodes hired a law firm to claim a $2 million Megabucks jackpot for him in 2008, and took legal action so the $783,000 cash payout could go to his limited liability corporation instead of him. Wisconsin Lottery spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis said nothing seemed suspicious and that other winners have done the same. …. Prosecutor Rob Sand, who is now leading the case, said investigators want to talk to anyone who has been asked to claim a prize on behalf of someone else. They are focusing on jackpots that involve tickets in which the numbers were specifically requested by winners rather than chosen randomly.”


I’ve played state lotteries for years. Two thirds of the time I have simply taken the random number assignments. There is no way other than some scheme like this one, and then you have to be in the network of friends who are trying to influence the game, in order to have even a clue as to which numbers are “hot.” I have accepted what I won (never more than $50.00) and wouldn’t have done something illegal and dishonest to improve my chances. I’ve enjoyed the chance element of the game, but I basically accept my income level and try to deal with it.



RECOMMENDED PHOTOS

http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/hilarious-animals-comedy-wildlife-photography-awards/

Hilarious winners of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards
December 18, 2015

GO TO WEBSITE AND CHECK THESE ALL OUT. THERE ARE THIRTY SHOTS.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-weighs-in-on-putin-a-day-after-putin-praises-him/

Donald Trump weighs in on Putin a day after being praised by him
CBS NEWS
December 18, 2015

Photographs -- Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (L), and Russian President Vladimir Putin. REUTERS


Donald Trump basked in the praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin and returned the compliment by noting Putin's poll numbers "in the 80s" and calling him "powerful" during an interview Friday morning.

In the interview, on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," host Joe Scarborough asked Trump whether he'd considered the brutality of Putin's tactics. Scarborough pointed out that Putin "is also a person who kills journalists, political opponents, and invades countries. Obviously that would be a concern, would it not?"

Trump responded, "He's running his country, and at least he's a leader, unlike what we have in this country."

Scarborough seemed taken aback and followed up, "But again -- he kills journalists that don't agree with him," he said.

"I think our country does plenty of killing, also, Joe, so, you know," Trump replied. "There's a lot of stupidity going on in the world right now, Joe. A lot of killing going on. A lot of stupidity. And that's the way it is. But you didn't ask me the question, you asked me a different question. So that's fine."

Then Scarborough, who said he was "confused" by the GOP front runner's response, asked one more time for clarification, saying, "I mean, you obviously condemn Vladimir Putin killing journalists and political opponents, right?"

"Oh sure, absolutely," Trump replied.

Jeb Bush responded to Trump's apparent warm feelings toward Putin with a tweet:
Jeb Bush ✔ @JebBush
.@realDonaldTrump, a real leader would stand up, not suck up, to bullies and despots like Putin. Here’s a lesson.


And Trump had a ready response -- slapping at Bush's use of just his first name in his campaign logo:
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
I have an idea for @JebBush whose campaign is a disaster. Try using your last name & don’t be ashamed of it!


At his annual news conference Thursday, Putin called Trump an "outstanding and talented person." Trump in the past has said he thinks he would "get along very well with" Putin, and that he has "a great relationship with the people of Russia."

CBS News' Katiana Krawchenko contributed to this report.


“Donald Trump basked in the praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin and returned the compliment by noting Putin's poll numbers "in the 80s" and calling him "powerful" during an interview Friday morning. In the interview, on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," host Joe Scarborough asked Trump whether he'd considered the brutality of Putin's tactics. Scarborough pointed out that Putin "is also a person who kills journalists, political opponents, and invades countries. Obviously that would be a concern, would it not?" Trump responded, "He's running his country, and at least he's a leader, unlike what we have in this country." Scarborough seemed taken aback and followed up, "But again -- he kills journalists that don't agree with him," he said. …. Then Scarborough, who said he was "confused" by the GOP front runner's response, asked one more time for clarification, saying, "I mean, you obviously condemn Vladimir Putin killing journalists and political opponents, right?" "Oh sure, absolutely," Trump replied.”


Putin’s “annual” news conference? Wow! And he gets away with that? Clearly killing news reporters who are too bold is a good idea!



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-elementary-school-cancels-santa-claus-field-trip-mom/

School cancels Santa field trip after mom objects
CBS NEWS
December 18, 2015


SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Parents of San Jose school kids confronted a school board Thursday night after a decision to cancel a field trip to see Santa Claus followed a complaint by a Jewish mother who objected to the school-sponsored outing, CBS San Francisco station KPIX-TV reports.

The visit to Santa, along with a "Dear Santa" assignment, was a decade-long tradition at Sartorette Elementary School, part of San Jose's Cambrian School District.

Last week, the Sartorette staff informed parents the school would suspend the outing to see Santa at a local coffee shop after a Jewish mother, who identified herself only as Talia, complained to the school board that the district was celebrating one religion over others.

"We need to teach about all the holidays," Talia told KPIX-TV. "We live in a global society."

Talia said that as a result of her complaint and the decision by the school board other parents began to bully her.

"I had some parents that called me a communist, that said that I didn't want any holidays in the school," she said.

Some parents are blaming Talia for ruining Christmas.

"It's really scary how one parent can go and voice her opinion and then everything gets shut down," said parent Vanessa Howes.

"I think that's it's really sad that the school district didn't ask for other opinions," said parent Melanie Scott.

Cambrian School District Superintendent Carrie Andrews told reporters outside Thursday night's school board meeting that what began as a tradition 10 years ago is not necessarily the right thing to do today.

"The bigger conversation that needs to be had is really looking at the diversity of our beliefs and our customs and making sure we instill that, and that's what public schools need to be doing," Andrews said.

Talia said she is not ruining Christmas for the kids in her child's school.

"No, Santa will be there. I'm not going around to anybody's homes asking them not to celebrate Christmas. I'm not going to go to anyone's church or private school, but in a public school we have to design curriculum to fit everybody," she said.

Parents voiced their opinions to the school board Thursday night, but the board was unable to take any action on the issue because it was not on the agenda. Some parents vowed before the meeting to walk out of school in protest Friday if the decision wasn't reversed, but not one parent told the board they planned to go through with that threat Thursday night.



“Parents of San Jose school kids confronted a school board Thursday night after a decision to cancel a field trip to see Santa Claus followed a complaint by a Jewish mother who objected to the school-sponsored outing, CBS San Francisco station KPIX-TV reports. The visit to Santa, along with a "Dear Santa" assignment, was a decade-long tradition at Sartorette Elementary School, part of San Jose's Cambrian School District. …. "We need to teach about all the holidays," Talia told KPIX-TV. "We live in a global society." Talia said that as a result of her complaint and the decision by the school board other parents began to bully her. "I had some parents that called me a communist, that said that I didn't want any holidays in the school," she said. …. Cambrian School District Superintendent Carrie Andrews told reporters outside Thursday night's school board meeting that what began as a tradition 10 years ago is not necessarily the right thing to do today. "The bigger conversation that needs to be had is really looking at the diversity of our beliefs and our customs and making sure we instill that, and that's what public schools need to be doing," Andrews said. …. "No, Santa will be there. I'm not going around to anybody's homes asking them not to celebrate Christmas. I'm not going to go to anyone's church or private school, but in a public school we have to design curriculum to fit everybody," she said. …. Some parents vowed before the meeting to walk out of school in protest Friday if the decision wasn't reversed, but not one parent told the board they planned to go through with that threat Thursday night.”


"It's really scary how one parent can go and voice her opinion and then everything gets shut down," said parent Vanessa Howes.” This statement is interesting. It isn’t a matter of how many parents’ comments were voiced, but what this Jewish mother had to say.

I’m sure all the parents understand, really, what the legal distinction between the public schools and a private Christian school is. This is just one more attempt to push the agenda of making Christianity the official religion for the US. It would be interesting to note whether a conservative group of some sort were behind this uproar around a matter of established law. The video of the Jewish mother speaking about the matter shows a completely calm, ladylike and rational person standing up for a basic US principle. I commend her for her courage.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/forced-to-learn-islam-massachusetts-minister-fights-ruling/

Forced to learn Islam? Mass. minister fights ruling
AP December 13, 2015

Play VIDEO -- Muhammad Ali talks Islam and presidential politics in 1976


BOSTON - After a landlord was convicted of pushing her Muslim tenant down a flight of stairs, a judge ordered her to respect the rights of all Muslims and to take an introductory course on Islam. Now the highest court in Massachusetts is being asked to decide whether the judge violated the landlord's constitutional rights.

The Supreme Judicial Court will hear arguments next month in a case that poses interesting legal questions at a time when the country is grappling with anti-Muslim backlash following deadly attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, both allegedly carried out by radical Muslims.

The case centers on Daisy Obi, a 73-year-old ordained minister from Nigeria who is the pastor of the Adonai Bible Center in Somerville, just north of Boston. In April 2012, Obi rented an apartment in her multi-family home to Gihan Suliman, her husband and five young children.

Suliman complained about the heat and electricity not always working, while Obi complained Suliman appeared to have 12 to 15 people living in the apartment at one point.

Suliman testified that about a month after she moved in, Obi stood on the stairs outside Suliman's apartment screaming anti-Muslim insults.

The following month, while Suliman was taking her baby out of the car, she said Obi yelled anti-Muslim sentiments at her other children.

Then, about a month later, Suliman said Obi accused her of ringing her doorbell, shouted at her and pushed her. Suliman said she fell backward down 15 to 20 stairs, hitting her face on the banister, cutting her lip and tearing a ligament in her shoulder.

While sentencing Obi last year, Judge Paul Yee Jr. called Obi "the landlord from hell" after pointing out that she had harassment prevention orders issued against her by two other tenants.

He sentenced her to two years in jail on the assault and battery charge for pushing Suliman but required her to serve only six months, with the remaining 18 months suspended if she complied with certain probation conditions.

"I want you to learn about the Muslim faith," he said. "I want you to enroll and attend an introductory course on Islam.

"I do want you to understand people of the Muslim faith, and they need to be respected. They may worship Allah ... but they need to be respected."

Obi vehemently denied making any anti-Muslim statements to Suliman or pushing her. She testified she was inside her apartment praying when she heard a knock at the door from the police, who arrested her.

Obi said in a phone interview that she believes Suliman had a vendetta against her because she refused to allow her to let more people live in her apartment.

"I've never, ever made a rude remark against her," she said.

"Why would I do that? I have three Muslims living in the house now."

Obi also said she believes Suliman hates her because she is a Christian.

Suliman did not respond to messages left at her home and workplace.

Obi's lawyer argues the probation condition that she learn about the Muslim faith "burdens Dr. Obi's free exercise of religion."

"It is beyond dispute that the Constitution guarantees that the government may not coerce anyone to support or participate in religion or its exercise," attorney Kimberly Peterson wrote in a legal brief.

Prosecutors argued in their brief that the order to take a course on Islam is not coercive because it does not require her to adopt a religious practice or to attend a Muslim religious service, but merely to educate herself.

Two legal experts not involved in the case differed on the argument.

New York Law School professor Robert Blecker said the order does not appear to violate Obi's constitutional rights.

"We're not requiring her to embrace any (religious) principles. We're requiring her to learn about them," Blecker said.

Suffolk University law professor Christopher Dearborn disagreed, saying that although Obi's conduct may be considered highly offensive, he believes the judge should have ordered her to attend anger management classes or counseling instead of ordering her to take a course on Islam.

"It's requiring her to participate in something that she would be strongly opposed to on religious grounds," Dearborn said.

The court is scheduled to hear arguments Jan. 8.


“After a landlord was convicted of pushing her Muslim tenant down a flight of stairs, a judge ordered her to respect the rights of all Muslims and to take an introductory course on Islam. Now the highest court in Massachusetts is being asked to decide whether the judge violated the landlord's constitutional rights. …. Then, about a month later, Suliman said Obi accused her of ringing her doorbell, shouted at her and pushed her. Suliman said she fell backward down 15 to 20 stairs, hitting her face on the banister, cutting her lip and tearing a ligament in her shoulder. While sentencing Obi last year, Judge Paul Yee Jr. called Obi "the landlord from hell" after pointing out that she had harassment prevention orders issued against her by two other tenants. He sentenced her to two years in jail on the assault and battery charge for pushing Suliman but required her to serve only six months, with the remaining 18 months suspended if she complied with certain probation conditions. …. "I do want you to understand people of the Muslim faith, and they need to be respected. They may worship Allah ... but they need to be respected." Obi vehemently denied making any anti-Muslim statements to Suliman or pushing her. She testified she was inside her apartment praying when she heard a knock at the door from the police, who arrested her. …. "I've never, ever made a rude remark against her," she said. "Why would I do that? I have three Muslims living in the house now." Obi also said she believes Suliman hates her because she is a Christian. Suliman did not respond to messages left at her home and workplace. Obi's lawyer argues the probation condition that she learn about the Muslim faith "burdens Dr. Obi's free exercise of religion." …. Prosecutors argued in their brief that the order to take a course on Islam is not coercive because it does not require her to adopt a religious practice or to attend a Muslim religious service, but merely to educate herself.”


“Suffolk University law professor Christopher Dearborn disagreed, saying that although Obi's conduct may be considered highly offensive, he believes the judge should have ordered her to attend anger management classes or counseling instead of ordering her to take a course on Islam.” I do basically agree with Dearborn in that some of the “creative sentencing” that has been used in the last decade or so, though humorous, strays over the line. I’m reminded of the prison warden who makes his male inmates wear pink underwear. I think he’s also the one who makes them eat a bland and unappetizing compacted combination of various vegies called “the loaf” if they behave in a disorderly or overly assertive way.



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/12/18/460293220/obama-commutes-prison-sentences-for-95-non-violent-offenders

Obama Commutes Prison Sentences For 95 Nonviolent Offenders
MERRIT KENNEDY
Published December 18, 2015

Related article -- LAW, 'Driving Straight,' Giving Back: Rebuilding A Life After Prison
President Obama's letter to Terry Andre Barnes of East Moline, Il., THE TWO-WAY, READ: Commutation Letter President Obama Sent To Inmate


The White House says it is commuting the federal prison sentences of 95 men and women who committed nonviolent offenses.

President Obama has now commuted 184 sentences total. That's more than the previous five presidents combined, the White House says in a blog post.

The administration says Friday's commutations are tied to the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010:

"Most of the commutations the President has granted have been to non-violent offenders sentenced under those unjust — and now outdated — drug crime sentencing rules. If these individuals had been convicted for the exact same crime under today's laws, nearly all of them would have already finished serving their time."
Five years ago, Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act, which "reduced the sentencing disparity between offenses for crack and powder cocaine from 100:1 to 18:1," according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

"African Americans served virtually as much time in prison for non-violent drug offenses as whites did for violent offenses," said the ACLU, because the majority of crack cocaine offenders were African-Americans.

President Obama visited the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Okla., on Thursday as part of a weeklong focus on inequities in the criminal justice system. While there, he met with non-violent drug offenders.

The White House says Obama sent a letter to all 95 people whose sentences were commuted.

In one letter the administration posted, to a prisoner named Donald Allen incarcerated in Florida, Obama says the presidential power to grant pardons and clemency "embodies the basic belief in our democracy that people deserve a second chance after having made a mistake in their lives that led to a conviction under our laws."



“If these individuals had been convicted for the exact same crime under today's laws, nearly all of them would have already finished serving their time." Five years ago, Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act, which "reduced the sentencing disparity between offenses for crack and powder cocaine from 100:1 to 18:1," according to the American Civil Liberties Union. …. In one letter the administration posted, to a prisoner named Donald Allen incarcerated in Florida, Obama says the presidential power to grant pardons and clemency "embodies the basic belief in our democracy that people deserve a second chance after having made a mistake in their lives that led to a conviction under our laws."

We do need a more creative look at how we bring convicted criminals toward a gentler and more positive attitude and set of behaviors. If a prisoner has violently raped or otherwise physically abused someone, such as a man who brutally beats his sexual partner or a child, commits torture of any kind -- including police officers toward suspects -- I think he should serve at least 15 years in a high security prison. If he simply has been caught with a couple of marijuana cigarettes, one of those high mandatory sentences is totally inappropriate. I also believe that the work release programs, mental health counseling, the right to pursue a college degree while in prison, are all preferable over 20 or more years in incarceration, with large proportions of it served in solitary confinement.

Part of the purpose of serving prison time used to be considered to be rehabilitation, and somehow since Richard Nixon we have strayed far away from that principle. For the President to commute these men’s sentences is good, but getting a more positive law on the books that would prevent recidivism is better. We really need to get a handle on how humans are to be treated in this country. And above all, the color of a prisoner’s skin should absolutely not be a part of the judicial reasoning that gets a citizen arrested, convicted or punished. If he’s vicious, he’s vicious. Okay. But if he is black or Hispanic or Islamic, those things won’t make him any more vicious than a vicious white man. That’s a simple, basic principle in our society.



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/12/18/460296647/chicagos-chance-the-rapper-joins-with-nonprofit-to-give-coats-to-homeless

Chicago's Chance The Rapper Joins With Nonprofit To Give Coats To Homeless
LAURA WAGNER
December 18, 2015

Photograph -- Donating $100 to the Warmest Winter 2016 project sponsors the full cost of making one high-tech coat. It also enters the donor in a drawing to meet Chance The Rapper, who co-created the project.
Robb D. Cohen/Robb D. Cohen/Invision/AP
Photograph -- The Empowerment Plan says it can produce 1,000 of these high-tech coats on a budget of $100,000.
Courtesy of CrowdRise and The Empowerment Plan


The goal of Warmest Winter 2016, a project co-created by Chicago artist Chance The Rapper and a Detroit-based nonprofit called The Empowerment Plan is to give 1,000 coats to Chicago's homeless.

This project, though, isn't your ordinary coat drive.

For one thing, the coats manufactured by Warmest Winter 2016 are high-tech creations that the project says can save lives.

"The EMPWR coat is a water-resistant and self-heating jacket, which can transform into a sleeping bag, or be worn as an over-the-shoulder bag when not in use," the website says, adding that the coats can reduce the number of deaths of homeless people due to hypothermia by 20 percent.

Additionally, the coats are manufactured at the Empowerment Plan factory in Detroit, which hires "homeless parents from local shelters to become full time seamstresses so that they can earn a stable income, find secure housing, and gain back their independence for themselves and for their families."

Though distributing coats to people experiencing homelessness in Chicago is the project's immediate plan, the ultimate goal of the partnership is to open an Empowerment Plan factory in Chicago to bring jobs to the city as well.

Chance The Rapper, who was a guest on NPR's Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me in August, has been promoting the project on his Twitter page. According to the Los Angeles Times, more than $7,500, or 75 coats, had been raised within hours of the artist's first tweet about the project. By Friday afternoon, nearly $25,000 had been donated.

The project runs from Dec. 16 through Jan. 13. Donors can give various amounts and are entered in raffles to win tickets to Chicago Bulls games, White Sox games or Chance The Rapper shows.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chance_the_Rapper
Chance the Rapper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chancelor Bennett, better known by his stage name Chance the Rapper, is an American hip hop recording artist from the West Chatham neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.[2] In 2013, he began to gain major recognition following the release of his second mixtape, Acid Rap.[3] Chance is also a member of the Chicago collective SAVEMONEY with frequent collaborator Vic Mensa, and lead vocalist for the band The Social Experiment.

1993–2010: Early life[edit]

Chance grew up as the oldest brother [citation needed] in the middle-class neighborhood of West Chatham in Chicago's South Side. His father, Ken Williams-Bennett, was a prominent presence in the city: He first served as an aide to former Chicago mayor Harold Washington and then worked for Barack Obama, who was a senator at the time. Williams-Bennett, who is now a deputy chief of staff to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, dreamed that his son might one day hold office.[4]

But Chance was always more interested in the arts, performing in talent shows from his pre-school days through high school at Chicago's esteemed Jones College Prep.[citation needed] Chance showed interests in music at a young age, and in his freshman year of high school at Chicago's Jones College Prep High School,[citation needed] formed the hip-hop duo Instrumentality with a friend.[5] Many of Chance's earliest performances took place at the YOUmedia Lyricist Loft at Harold Washington Library in Chicago.[6] He mentioned in an interview that fellow Chicago native Kanye West's 2004 debut album The College Dropout was the first hip-hop album that he ever purchased and listened to, previously being into soul and jazz.[7]

2011–12: Career beginnings and 10 Day[edit]

At Jones College Prep High School, some of his teachers ridiculed his aspirations to become a musician.[8] Following a 10-day suspension in early 2011 during his senior year for possessing marijuana on campus,[9] Bennett recorded his first full-length project, a mixtape titled 10 Day (also known as #10Day).[8][10][11] In December 2011, he released a song titled "Windows", and publicly announced his 10 Day project.[12] After the song's release, in February 2012, Bennett was highlighted as one of Complex magazine's "10 New Chicago Rappers to Watch Out For."[13] Bennett says he spent "about eight months recording, writing and making connections off of the hunger to put out something."[10] After about a year’s time of working on the tape, Bennett released it on April 3, 2012 and it has since been downloaded over 300,000 times via Datpiff.[10][14] The mixtape was well received locally and would help Bennett make connections with producers such as Chuck Inglish, Kenny Jame$ and Blended Babies.[10] The mixtape would also grab the attention of Forbes magazine, which featured it in the publication's Cheap Tunes column.[15] Prior to writing and recording 10 Day, Chance The Rapper recorded the mixtape Good Enough and The Back to School Pack EP respectively.

In July 2012, Bennett appeared on American rapper Childish Gambino's sixth mixtape Royalty, on the track "They Don't Like Me". Gambino would then ask Bennett to join his 2012 concert tour of North America, as his opening act.[10][16][17]


NPR -- "The EMPWR coat is a water-resistant and self-heating jacket, which can transform into a sleeping bag, or be worn as an over-the-shoulder bag when not in use," the website says, adding that the coats can reduce the number of deaths of homeless people due to hypothermia by 20 percent. Additionally, the coats are manufactured at the Empowerment Plan factory in Detroit, which hires "homeless parents from local shelters to become full time seamstresses so that they can earn a stable income, find secure housing, and gain back their independence for themselves and for their families." …. Chance The Rapper, who was a guest on NPR's Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me in August, has been promoting the project on his Twitter page. According to the Los Angeles Times, more than $7,500, or 75 coats, had been raised within hours of the artist's first tweet about the project. By Friday afternoon, nearly $25,000 had been donated.

WIKIPEDIA -- 2011–12: Career beginnings and 10 Day[edit]
At Jones College Prep High School, some of his teachers ridiculed his aspirations to become a musician.[8] Following a 10-day suspension in early 2011 during his senior year for possessing marijuana on campus,[9] Bennett recorded his first full-length project, a mixtape titled 10 Day (also known as #10Day).[8][10][11] In December 2011, he released a song titled "Windows", and publicly announced his 10 Day project.[12] After the song's release, in February 2012, Bennett was highlighted as one of Complex magazine's "10 New Chicago Rappers to Watch Out For."[13]

I don’t care for Rap and Hip Hop at all, but I am very impressed by the progress this young man has made in his personal life and music. His interest in helping others is the most beautiful thing about him, however. When we talk about helping the homeless, a sturdy, warm coat that can be made into a sleeping bag and then into a carryall really shows an understanding of how the homeless have to live. I’m impressed by the generosity and also by the creativity of this particular product. He is also multiplying his own contributions by joining an organization devoted to such efforts to keep the project going. I hope his success as an artist continues as long as he cares to serve “the muse.”