March 11, 2016


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/minnesota-diners-photo-black-men-hanging-decoration-joes-crab-shack/

Diners find disturbing image in restaurant's decor
CBS NEWS
March 11, 2016, 11:07 AM

Photographs -- Two diners found a picture depicting a 19th century hanging embedded into a tabletop at a Joe's Crab Shack in Roseville, Minnesota. WCCO-TV


MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minneapolis NAACP is calling for action after allegations of racism at a Twin Cities restaurant, CBS station WCCO-TV reports.

The organization's leaders say two African-American diners -- Tyrone Williams and Chauntyll Allen -- sat down for a meal at Joe's Crab Shack in Roseville Wednesday when they discovered a disturbing image embedded inside a decorative table at the restaurant.

The diners, according to the NAACP, found a picture that depicted two black men being hanged, surrounded by a white crowd, with the caption next to one of the victims that read, "All I said was that I didn't like the gumbo."

Doing some quick research at their table, the NAACP says the diners discovered that the picture was authentic and depicted a real hanging from Texas in 1896. They notified the manager, who the NAACP says was apologetic.

"Me and Chauntyll, we just felt sick and confused," Williams said. "It was just sickening."

Allen said the restaurant manager told her this may not be an isolated incident.

"When we talked to the manager, he said that he was pretty sure that these tables were designed by a particular person," she said, "and if that particular person had the mindset to pick that particular picture, I'm sure they picked quite a few more that are similar."

In response, the NAACP is demanding a public apology from the corporate offices of the restaurant, immediate removal of any similar pictures in tables at restaurants around the country and a donation to a local community-based organization that serves African-American youth and teenagers.



“The diners, according to the NAACP, found a picture that depicted two black men being hanged, surrounded by a white crowd, with the caption next to one of the victims that read, "All I said was that I didn't like the gumbo." …. "When we talked to the manager, he said that he was pretty sure that these tables were designed by a particular person," she said, "and if that particular person had the mindset to pick that particular picture, I'm sure they picked quite a few more that are similar."


What a funny joke! Yuk, yuk, yuk! See the following apology from the Crab Shack. I want to hear also about the “immediate removal of any similar pictures in tables at restaurants around the country and a donation to a local community-based organization that serves African-American youth and teenagers.” Black people need to continue to flush out and embarrass every case of racism. With the modern communications system, especially Facebook, people may actually change their ways. Some lawsuits wouldn’t hurt either. Sometimes the old pocketbook is a very strong persuader. A restaurant like that could find itself with no customers and pickets out front overnight. I just Googled Ignite Restaurant Group, and they aren’t making much money. I wonder what this will do to their business.

THE APOLOGY:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/joes-crab-shack-fire-photo-black-mans-hanging/story?id=37580530

Joe's Crab Shack Under Fire for Using Photo of Black Man's Hanging as Table Decor
By AVIANNE TAN
Mar 11, 2016, 2:59 PM ET


“. . . . Williams, Allen and the Minneapolis NAACP said they stand by calling the photograph a "lynching."

At the news conference on Thursday, Allen said the restaurant's manager later contacted her and Williams "to try and clear up the situation by saying this was an execution rather than a lynching."

Allen said she explained to the manager that she believed lynchings of African Americans during that time were often "glorified" as legal executions.

The Ignite Restaurant Group, Joe's Crab Shack parent company, has since apologized for the photo.

"We understand one of the photos used in our table décor at our Joe’s Crab Shack location in Roseville, MN, was offensive," Ignite's chief operations officer David Catalano told ABC affiliate KSTP in a statement on Thursday.

"We take this matter very seriously, and the photo in question was immediately removed," Catalano said. "We sincerely apologize to our guests who were disturbed by the image and we look forward to continuing to serve the Roseville community."

However, the apology is "not enough," Minneapolis NAACP President Nekima Levy-Pounds said.

While the apology "was a great start," it did "not go far enough in addressing the concerns we've raised," Levy-Pounds told ABC News today. "We do not feel the racist imagery is just at the Roseville, Minnesota, location. We've received indication from numerous people around the country that similar imagery exists at other Joe's Crab Shack locations."

She said she wants to see "the immediate removal of all racist, offensive imagery removed from tables across the country."

"African Americans have already suffered a long painful history of oppression and systemic racism in this country," Levy-Pounds said. "This just goes to show how far we still have to go."

The City of Roseville also condemned the image, saying in a statement today: "The City condemns this type of display in the strongest possible terms and calls on Joe's Crab Shack to remove any and all racist imagery not only from its Roseville location, but all of its restaurants nationwide."

The Joe's Crab Shack in Roseville referred all inquiries regarding the incident to its parent company, the Ignite Restaurant Group, which did not immediately respond to ABC News' requests for additional comment and information, including who was in charge of picking and designing decor for restaurants.”



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-massive-ground-force-may-be-needed-to-fight-isis/

Donald Trump: Massive ground force may be needed to fight ISIS
By SOPAN DEB CBS NEWS
March 11, 2016, 12:29 AM

Play VIDEO -- Dickerson on violence at Trump rallies, GOP debate
Play VIDEO -- Ben Carson to endorse Donald Trump for president


GOP frontrunner Donald Trump suggested at Thursday's CNN Republican presidential debate in Miami that he would be willing to support a massive ground force to take on ISIS.

This is a shift for Trump, who has, as a presidential candidate, often portrayed himself as less hawkish than his Republican opponents.

Trump made the troop comment in response to a moderator's question as to whether he would follow a military commander's advice to increase the number of ground troops to fight the terrorist group.

"We really have no choice," Trump said. "We have to knock out ISIS. We have to knock the hell out of them. We have to get rid of it and then we have to come back here and rebuild our country, which is falling apart."

Radio host Hugh Hewitt pressed on specific numbers.

"I would listen to the generals," Trump said, "but I would - I'm hearing numbers of 20 to 30,000. We have to knock them out fast."

Before Thursday, Trump has often bragged about his reluctance to support wars in the Middle East. "'I was against the war in Iraq," he recently said at a rally in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. "We have to be given credit for vision. I was against the war in Iraq because I said it would totally destabilize the Middle East. And that's exactly what happened."

But Trump's position on ground troops has always been amorphous and without specifics. He's even talked about how he has been vague on purpose, saying at a South Carolina rally in December, "I want to be unpredictable. I don't want to tell ISIS what I'm going to do to knock the hell out of them."

This was a claim he has repeated many times on the trail and in television interviews. "I think we have to be unpredictable," Trump told CBS News' John Dickerson in January. "Our enemies know what we are going to do, whether it is battle, whether it is war, whether it is finance. You have to be somewhat unpredictable."

However, Trump's debate suggestion would mean a massive investment of ground troops abroad - a position that was a big part of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's platform during his unsuccessful presidential bid. Trump was critical of Graham's foreign policy platform, telling CNN in July, "All I know is every time I watch Lindsey Graham, he wants to bomb everybody."

Donald Trump vows to "strengthen" laws to allow torture

Trump has always implied, since announcing his candidacy, that he would be in favor of ground troops on some level. In an August interview with MSNBC's Morning Joe, Trump said that the United States military should confiscate oil from ISIS-held territories - with ground troops if necessary.

"I would knock out the source of their wealth," Trump said. "The primary source of their wealth which is oil. And in order to do that, you would have to put boots - I would knock the hell out of them, but I would put a ring around it and take the oil for our country. I would just take the oil."

On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly has said, to the delight of crowds, that he would "bomb the [bleep] out of ISIS" as president, but has stopped short of calling for a massive infusion of ground troops like he did tonight.

Last December, Trump told Fox News, "I would do whatever you have to do. I've been saying on your show for a long time, take the oil, and you know that. I've been saying it very loud and strong for years. I mean, I've been saying it for years. They've never done it."

While his support for ground troops has been unwavering, Trump has danced around how much he would invest in a campaign against ISIS.

At a press conference in November before a rally in Worcester, Massachusetts, Trump suggested that other countries should take the lead in taking on ISIS and that the United States should only be in a supporting role.

"We've got to get rid of ISIS quickly, quickly," Trump said. "Not for a long time. Let me tell you what I really want to do. I want to get other people to put troops on the ground and we'll back them up 100 percent."

To this effect, Trump was very supportive of Russian president Vladimir Putin's decision to launch airstrikes in Syria in September.

"If Putin wants to knock the hell out of ISIS," Trump said at a Fox Business debate in November. "I'm all for it 100 percent and I can't understand how anybody would be against that."

Trump even told Scott Pelley on 60 Minutes, "If you look at Syria. Russia wants to get rid of ISIS. We want to get rid of ISIS. Maybe let Russia do it. Let 'em get rid of ISIS. What the hell do we care?"

Trump was then pressed about using ground troops, which he said he was open to using.

But in the aftermath of President Barack Obama's announcement last fall that he would send fifty special forces operators to Syria, Trump was critical, saying that the enemy should not have been told specific numbers of ground troops.

"We have got to be chess players. You know what we are? We're checker players, and we don't play well. And part of the reason is, we always tell everything. Like, Obama goes -- and he has got 50 people that he's sending over," Trump said to CNN in January.

"Why does he have to make an announcement he's sending 50 people? He's sending 50 soldiers, our finest over there to Iraq and to Syria. Why does he have to say that? Why does he have to announce it? Why couldn't he just let them go?...Now they have a target on their back."



“This is a shift for Trump, who has, as a presidential candidate, often portrayed himself as less hawkish than his Republican opponents. Trump made the troop comment in response to a moderator's question as to whether he would follow a military commander's advice to increase the number of ground troops to fight the terrorist group. "We really have no choice," Trump said. "We have to knock out ISIS. We have to knock the hell out of them. We have to get rid of it and then we have to come back here and rebuild our country, which is falling apart." Radio host Hugh Hewitt pressed on specific numbers. "I would listen to the generals," Trump said, "but I would - I'm hearing numbers of 20 to 30,000. We have to knock them out fast." …. However, Trump's debate suggestion would mean a massive investment of ground troops abroad - a position that was a big part of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham's platform during his unsuccessful presidential bid. Trump was critical of Graham's foreign policy platform, telling CNN in July, "All I know is every time I watch Lindsey Graham, he wants to bomb everybody." …. While his support for ground troops has been unwavering, Trump has danced around how much he would invest in a campaign against ISIS. At a press conference in November before a rally in Worcester, Massachusetts, Trump suggested that other countries should take the lead in taking on ISIS and that the United States should only be in a supporting role. …. Why does he have to announce it? Why couldn't he just let them go?...Now they have a target on their back."


The US is in a difficult position. Most citizens don’t want us to lead a massive ground assault against ISIS, but it may be needed. Trump said he wants us to “let” European countries do it, but they haven’t stepped up to perform that task either. I’ve been noticing that everybody – including Russia – just wants to follow the safer path of dropping bombs on them, which isn’t stopping them.

I’m not sure that sending 20 to 30 thousand soldiers in won’t be useless. It wasn’t a complete and permanent success when we did it in both Iraq and Afghanistan. America needs to recognize that we have bitten off more than we can chew. Obama’s tendency to send in small numbers of special forces sounds like a good one, because they might be able to do strategic strikes. I like the idea of killing their leaders. Still, I keep thinking of the poor Kurds whose few but brave ground forces keep picking away as ISIS’ strongholds, and they are having at least some results. They need and deserve our help. I think our special forces should fight alongside them, and for goodness sake give them weapons and ammunition, as they have been begging us to do.

Philosophically, I would prefer that the Middle Eastern nations band together to fight ISIS, because it is their territory that the barbaric group is overrunning and destroying. However, the last year has seen them performing terrorist acts in Europe and even the US, too. I do feel that we won’t be safe unless ISIS can be totally destroyed. I’m just afraid that a large investment there may fail, as I feel it has in other Middle Eastern places. The populations tend to be very poor, uneducated, disorganized and angry, and their governments too often are dictatorships. That keeps unrest alive and well, so that no matter how many of the dragon’s heads we chop off, more keep growing back.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-campaign-responds-to-charges-of-getting-physical-with-reporter/

Donald Trump's campaign denies getting rough with reporter
By REENA FLORES CBS NEWS
March 10, 2016, 5:08 PM

Play VIDEO -- Trump supporter denounces protesters, calls them selfish
Play VIDEO -- Protests, interruptions dominate Donald Trump rallies
Play VIDEO -- Republicans fighting for Florida


Donald Trump's campaign is denying charges that top campaign official Corey Lewandowski got rough with a reporter during an event in Jupiter, Florida late Tuesday.

"The accusation, which has only been made in the media and never addressed directly with the campaign, is entirely false," Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks wrote in a statement, obtained by CBS News. "As one of dozens of individuals present as Mr. Trump exited the press conference I did not witness any encounter. In addition to our staff, which had no knowledge of said situation, not a single camera or reporter of more than 100 in attendance captured the alleged incident. This individual has never met Corey, nor has the only reporter that supposedly identified him."

Hicks was responding to an account, posted to the conservative-leaning Breitbart website by reporter Michelle Fields, of a physical confrontation at the Trump National Golf Club.

After the GOP front-runner spoke at a televised press conference, Fields, according to her Breitbart report, attempted to ask Trump a question on affirmative action as he was exiting the room.

Trump "acknowledged the question," Fields said, "but before he could answer I was jolted backwards."

"Someone had grabbed me tightly by the arm and yanked me down," she added. "I almost fell to the ground, but was able to maintain my balance. Nonetheless, I was shaken."

Fields, who typically covers Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2016 race and was filling in for a colleague at the Trump event, said she did not recognize who had grabbed her, but cited Washington Post reporter Ben Terris, a witness to the events.

"The Washington Post's Ben Terris immediately remarked that it was Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who aggressively tried to pull me to the ground," she wrote. "I quickly turned around and saw Lewandowski and Trump exiting the building together. No apology. No explanation for why he did this."

According to one witness who provided an account to The Daily Beast, Lewandowski had grabbed the reporter's left forearm from behind and was "yanking her down toward the ground like a ragdoll."

After the Trump campaign countered her claims, Fields tweeted out a photo bruises on her arm: [See website.]

Terris also came out with his own report for the Post on Thursday, doubling down on his account that Lewandowski had been responsible.

"As security parted the masses to give him passage out of the chandelier-lit ballroom, Michelle Fields, a young reporter for Trump-friendly Breitbart News, pressed forward to ask the GOP front-runner a question. I watched as a man with short-cropped hair and a suit grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the way. He was Corey Lewandowski, Trump's 41-year-old campaign manager," Terris wrote. "Fields stumbled. Finger-shaped bruises formed on her arm."

Breitbart came out with its own statement on Wednesday, calling the physical altercation "unacceptable," although it expressed some uncertainty that Lewandowski was to blame.

"It's obviously unacceptable that someone crossed a line and made physical contact with our reporter," read the Breitbart statement, from CEO and president Larry Solov. "What Michelle has told us directly is that someone 'grabbed her arm' and while she did not see who it was, Ben Terris of The Washington Post told her that it was Corey Lewandowski. If that's the case, Corey owes Michelle an immediate apology."

An editor-at-large at Breitbart, Ben Shapiro, wants more than an apology for Fields.

Another Breitbart reporter, Patrick Howley, sent a series of tweets (later deleted) aimed at casting doubt on the accuser. He demanded that the reporter involved in the scuffle "release video of the incident," noted that it was "getting a lot of attention from the mainstream media," and said "I've been reporting for Breitbart at Trump rallies and no one ever grabbed my shoulder and everyone was very nice.

On Thursday, Howley was suspended.

"Patrick Howley was speaking for himself and not for Breitbart News. Senior Management at Breitbart News believes his comments were inappropriate and has decided to suspend him indefinitely effective immediately," Breitbart said in a statement. "Breitbart continues to stand 100% with Michelle Fields and believes that Corey Lewandowski must accept responsibility for his actions and apologize."

Lewandowski, according to Lloyd Grove's report in The Daily Beast, admitted to Breitbart's Washington political editor that he had grabbed Fields. "Lewandowski's explanation to Boyle, said these sources, was that he and Fields had never met before and that he didn't recognize her as a Breitbart reporter, instead mistaking her for an adversarial member of the mainstream media," Grove wrote.

In a separate statement to ABC News, Hicks added, "There are often large crowds aggressively seeking access to Mr. Trump and our staff would never do anything to harm another individual, while at the same time understanding that Mr. Trump and his personal spaces should never be invaded."

Hicks went on to attack Fields' credibility. "[T]his person claims she does not want to be part of the news, and only report it, however if that was the case, any concerns, however unfounded they may be, should have been voiced directly first and not via [T]witter," she wrote, continuing, "especially since no other outlet or reporter witnessed or questioned anything that transpired that evening."

"We leave to others whether this part of a larger pattern of exaggerating incidents, but on multiple occasions she has become part of the news story as opposed to reporting it," she said. "Recall she also claimed to have been beaten by a New York City Police officer with a baton."

On Twitter, Lewandowski also chimed in against Fields.

On Thursday, a 78-year-old man was charged with assault for allegedly punching a protester at a Trump rally Wednesday night in North Carolina. The alleged assault was caught on video.



"The Washington Post's Ben Terris immediately remarked that it was Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, who aggressively tried to pull me to the ground," she wrote. "I quickly turned around and saw Lewandowski and Trump exiting the building together. No apology. No explanation for why he did this." According to one witness who provided an account to The Daily Beast, Lewandowski had grabbed the reporter's left forearm from behind and was "yanking her down toward the ground like a ragdoll." After the Trump campaign countered her claims, Fields tweeted out a photo bruises on her arm: [See website.] Terris also came out with his own report for the Post on Thursday, doubling down on his account that Lewandowski had been responsible.” …. Another Breitbart reporter, Patrick Howley, sent a series of tweets (later deleted) aimed at casting doubt on the accuser. He demanded that the reporter involved in the scuffle "release video of the incident," noted that it was "getting a lot of attention from the mainstream media," and said "I've been reporting for Breitbart at Trump rallies and no one ever grabbed my shoulder and everyone was very nice. On Thursday, Howley was suspended. …. Lewandowski, according to Lloyd Grove's report in The Daily Beast, admitted to Breitbart's Washington political editor that he had grabbed Fields. "Lewandowski's explanation to Boyle, said these sources, was that he and Fields had never met before and that he didn't recognize her as a Breitbart reporter, instead mistaking her for an adversarial member of the mainstream media," Grove wrote. …. On Thursday, a 78-year-old man was charged with assault for allegedly punching a protester at a Trump rally Wednesday night in North Carolina. The alleged assault was caught on video.”


According to the Trump side of things, either Lewandowski didn't really do it, or had a good excuse for doing it. I can't help saying that they can't have it both ways. Besides, I did see on one of these videos an oldish man with a bushy beard making a very aggressive display and in the background there was general disorder. This doesn’t speak well for our country, either here or overseas. I do hope we are not becoming unquestionably the kind of place that I don’t want to claim as being my home.


http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/11/470064826/former-putin-aide-died-of-blunt-force-injuries-in-d-c-medical-report-says

Former Putin Aide Died Of 'Blunt Force Injuries' In D.C., Medical Report Says
BILL CHAPPELL
Twitter
Updated March 11, 201612:05 PM ET
Published March 11, 201610:03 AM ET

A former Russian press minister and aide to President Vladimir Putin who was found dead in a Washington, D.C., hotel last November died from blunt force injuries, according to a report from the chief medical examiner's office.

It's the first time an official cause of death for Mikhail Lesin has been announced in the case. When Lesin died four months ago, Russian media outlets reported that the cause was a heart attack, citing family members.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Washington says Lesin died as a result of blunt force injuries to his head, with other contributing causes listed as blunt force injuries to his "neck, torso, upper extremities and lower extremities."

Under the entry for manner of death, the medical examiner wrote, "Undetermined."

In response to the medical examiner's statement, Russian officials said that they have repeatedly sought information about the investigation into Lesin's death at a hotel in Washington's Dupont Circle neighborhood on Nov. 5.

"But the US side has not provided us with any substantive information," Russia's Foreign Ministry official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement. "We are waiting for clarification from Washington and the relevant official details on the progress of the investigation."

Police in Washington say they have an active investigation into the death of Lesin, an influential media executive who until early 2015 ran Russia's largest media holding, Gazprom-Media. He worked under Putin for roughly 10 years, from 1999 to 2009, first as a press minister and then as an adviser.

Russia Today, the English-language TV and online media outlet, has repeatedly cited Lesin as the man who came up with the idea of establishing the state-run network.

Lesin's death also brought out memories of his long career in Russia, with Sputnik News highlighting his allegiance to former President Boris Yeltsin — and his rumored role in creating a secret video recording that created a storm of scandal around a prosecutor who was investigating Yeltsin's family over allegations of corruption.

When Yeltsin left office, Lesin stayed; he is seen as the man responsible for placing several large TV and other media outlets, such as NTV, under Putin's central control in 2000.

The death of Lesin prompted many conspiracy theories, which variously implicate Putin, the CIA and, in some corners, Mossad. Early efforts in Russia to describe the cause of death as a heart attack added to the suspicions — and so did reports that Lesin might somehow have been compromised by money-laundering allegations raised by a U.S. senator who claimed Lesin had "bought homes worth a total of $28 [million] in Los Angeles and moved his immediate family there," as The Financial Times reported.

Immediately after Lesin died, the authorities released only the most basic information. From The Washington Post's initial report on his death:

"D.C. police said only that a body was found before noon on an upper floor of a hotel in the 1500 block of New Hampshire Avenue in Northwest.
"A police spokesman said Friday night that authorities have not yet publicly identified the man and that a cause of death had not yet been determined. Russian state media said Lesin died of a heart attack. He was 57 or 58, according to different Russian new agencies.
"District police said on Thursday that detectives who investigate apparent natural deaths were handling the case.
"It was unclear what Lesin was doing in Washington."


“When Lesin died four months ago, Russian media outlets reported that the cause was a heart attack, citing family members. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Washington says Lesin died as a result of blunt force injuries to his head, with other contributing causes listed as blunt force injuries to his "neck, torso, upper extremities and lower extremities." This definitely sounds like he was beaten and kicked to death by a gang of thugs. Russian thugs? The last time one of their people was killed here it turned out to be on the orders of the Kremlin. Let’s face it they aren’t known for their gentle behavior.



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/11/469990052/millions-of-voters-are-sending-a-message-our-economic-framework-is-rotten

Millions Of Voters Are Sending A Message: Our Economic Framework Is Rotten
MARILYN GEEWAX
Updated March 11, 201612:22 PM ET
Published March 11, 201611:44 AM ET

Photograph -- Abandoned homes molder on the east side of Detroit last year. Carlos Osorio/AP


If you don't hang out with lawmakers, economists and journalists in Washington, you probably think Democrats and Republicans disagree on economic policy.

They don't.

In Washington, there's actually a broad consensus about economic growth. These ideas have held sway for decades:

Globalization is inevitable
Technology boosts productivity
Immigration brings in fresh talent
Trade deals spur growth

Of course, Democrats and Republicans disagree on the details, but the framework has remained solid regardless of who holds power in the White House or Congress.

That's why President Obama, a Democrat, and House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, both support the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal. It's why Obama says that "generations of immigrants have made this country into what it is," and Ryan says that "immigrants contribute to our economy."

It's why Democrat Nancy Pelosi says that "it is imperative that America continues to lead the world through innovation," and Republican Mitch McConnell says that "the Internet and the rapid adoption of mobile technology have been great American success stories."

Now, Washington's cozy cocoon of ideas is getting a violent shaking from Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.

Trump, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, and Sanders who is seeking the Democratic nomination, are very different candidates. One is a billionaire businessman, and the other a democratic socialist.

But each is appealing to voters who believe that Washington's economic framework is rotten. The candidates want to tear it down, and millions of working-class Americans agree.

The people who helped build that framework are taking note.

"While the U.S. economy is performing well, the electorate remains unconvinced, even angry over how the economy has not performed for them, and their anger is stirred by presidential candidates in both parties," Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, said in a written assessment Thursday.

To understand what's been happening this presidential primary season, consider Michigan, where voters turned out in huge numbers for Sanders and Trump. According to Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis data, the inflation-adjusted annual median household income in Michigan fell by about $14,000 a year — down to about $52,000 — from 1999 to 2014.

That same time period played out very differently for corporations. From 1999 to 2014, U.S. annual corporate profits after taxes shot up by about 250 percent, to nearly $1.7 trillion.

So, yes, businesses did much better, allowing Washington thought-leaders to, in effect, say: "See, we were right! We promoted the ideas that have kept America's GDP ranked No. 1 in the world, even though China has four times our population."

But outside of Washington, millions of Americans are not living in a Big Picture or a Framework. They are living in houses that have lost value, in cities where they don't trust the water pipes and where companies can suddenly announce they are moving jobs to other countries.

With their support of Sanders and Trump, those workers have made it clear they want a new paradigm. Trump talks about building a wall to stop immigrants; Sanders talks about breaking up big banks. So their solutions are quite different, but the message is the same: No more business as usual.

Many economists say the alternatives would only be worse. They point to Argentina — it was one of the world's richest nations a century ago. Then it fell behind in technological innovation and education, became politically chaotic and declined dramatically.

The only way to improve the lives of average Americans is to encourage them to fit themselves into a technologically advanced, fast-changing, intensely competitive global economy.

But other economists are saying Washington does need to rethink its assumptions.

Andrew Levin is a Dartmouth economics professor who spent many years in Washington as an economist for the Federal Reserve and for the International Monetary Fund.

He said that for decades, economists have been basing their ideas on formulas that showed the free flows of goods, capital and people would maximize wealth.

But these days, many are "recognizing that our models are too simple ... life is more complex," Levin said.

In other words, economists were right to say more trade could boost wealth, but wrong to assume it would help most workers. As wages have stagnated, "confidence in the Washington consensus has very much faded over the past 10 years," Levin said.

So should the Washington consensus change?

Yes, "but you don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater," Levin warned. For example, he said, it would be a big mistake to shut off all trade or return to an obsolete gold standard.

Instead, he recommends that economic and policy leaders take smaller steps while re-examining the data. For example, they could decide that "trade agreements should ensure that the benefits are shared more evenly with American families," he said.



“To understand what's been happening this presidential primary season, consider Michigan, where voters turned out in huge numbers for Sanders and Trump. According to Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis data, the inflation-adjusted annual median household income in Michigan fell by about $14,000 a year — down to about $52,000 — from 1999 to 2014. That same time period played out very differently for corporations. From 1999 to 2014, U.S. annual corporate profits after taxes shot up by about 250 percent, to nearly $1.7 trillion. …. He said that for decades, economists have been basing their ideas on formulas that showed the free flows of goods, capital and people would maximize wealth. But these days, many are "recognizing that our models are too simple ... life is more complex," Levin said. In other words, economists were right to say more trade could boost wealth, but wrong to assume it would help most workers. As wages have stagnated, "confidence in the Washington consensus has very much faded over the past 10 years," Levin said. …. For example, they could decide that "trade agreements should ensure that the benefits are shared more evenly with American families," he said. ….
Now, Washington's cozy cocoon of ideas is getting a violent shaking from Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.”

“…shared more evenly with American families …." “And the best lack all conviction” came immediately into my mind when I saw this comment by Levin. He clearly is no Democratic Socialist. Trump, as far as I’ve been able to tell from the news, is a man of individualistic and varied ideas, and many of them are radical, but he isn’t exactly conservative as the Republican Party is for the most part. He has backed Hillary Clinton and other Democrats down through time, and has stated that the economic “safety net” is probably necessary.

He is what I call pragmatic which I like, but I don’t like his particular beliefs and apparent assumptions. He seems certainly to be a racist and a believer in placing the welfare of corporations over that of individual citizens every time. He is a billionaire in his instincts as well as his income, which includes that uncaring ruthlessness which he so often shows. An article today mentions the fact that in a calm and thoughtful interview recently he showed an ability to speak rationally and seriously. I’ve seen signs of that, too, but unfortunately that’s not how he’s trying to gain control, but by the same old “dog whistle” politics that the Republican Party has been using for years. If you want to attract masses of poor to lower middle class white middle aged men, you have to say the things that he says. He’s not stupid. He’s just unscrupulous and totally undisciplined, and those things make him unsuited to becoming the head of our country.

Unless a major shift in the way of new jobs are generated occurs our people and then eventually, believe me, our government are in serious danger. Sanders is proposing a really large rebuilding of our national infrastructure, as Franklin Roosevelt did. It’s much needed work, and our workers want the jobs. That, along with his minimum wage of $10.00 an hour would really make the kind of difference that we need, so I do find Levin’s comments insufficient at best. Still, it’s good to see that some prominent economists aren’t all marching to the same, tired old drummer! Maybe they can influence “the powers that be” to do the right things.

I’m hoping that the Sanders movement will continue after this election, whoever wins. I’d like to see a Socialist leaning party emerge and gain a footing. I’m seeing some evidence that the Republican Party could also split, whether or not Trump wins. Some of the old Republicans have been unhappy with the radical crowd that the Tea Partiers have brought into the legislature and state offices. Let’s face it, they have too much sense to follow radicals.

I’ve been thinking that the two party system, particularly these two parties, are so hidebound and unyielding that they can’t pass laws, can’t attract new political faces with new ideas, and may both, in fact, be bound in with Hillary’s “vast right wing conspiracy,” despite their avowed beliefs to the contrary. Some people say that they don’t vote at all because “both parties are just alike.” My reaction is not to abstain, but to shake the situation up. Go, Bernie!



http://www.npr.org/2016/03/11/469974819/chicago-murder-rate-spikes-less-aggressive-policing-blamed

Chicago Crime Spikes As Police Avoid Becoming 'The Next Viral Video'
DAVID SCHAPER
Updated March 11, 201612:29 PM ET
Published March 11, 20165:11 AM ET

Photograph -- Demonstrators in Chicago call for an end to gun violence and resignation of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Chicago police are under scrutiny following the release of a video showing the shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by a Chicago police officer. Scott Olson/Getty Images
Source: Chicago Police Department (PDF). Figures for 2016 are through March 6.
Credit: Alyson Hurt/NPR
Photograph -- Coach and police officer Ron Rewers shakes the hands of opposing players after a very close first game in a new youth basketball league organized by police. David Schaper/NPR

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Chicago is having a bloody year.

Already since January, more than 100 people have been murdered in the city — double the number of homicides in Chicago during the first two months last year. The number of shooting incidents is also up by 120 percent compared to the first nine weeks of 2015.

The spike in violent crime comes at a time when the police in Chicago is under increased scrutiny for misconduct.

It started with the release of a video last fall that showed a white police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times, resulting in a Justice Department civil rights investigation into the Chicago Police Department's patterns and practices. Then there were other incidents of police shootings, brutality and misconduct, followed by allegations of officers covering for one another and higher ups failing to hold officers accountable.

In short, the heat and public scrutiny on Chicago police officers right now is intense.

"Well, morale is poor, to describe it in one word," says Dean Angelo Sr., president of Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police. "It's probably the lowest I've seen in my career."

There is a feeling among police officers, Angelo says, "that no one wants to be on that next video."

The 'Laquan McDonald Effect'

The dash cam video released under court order in November showed Officer Jason Van Dyke firing 16 shots into Laquan McDonald as the 17-year-old was moving away from the police while holding a small knife. The incident continues to hamper Chicago police.

Van Dyke was charged with murder — but only hours before the video went public and more than a year after the shooting took place. The political fallout from the video's release amid daily anti-police protests cost police Supt. Garry McCarthy his job.

Interim police Supt. John Escalante acknowledges there might have been a "Laquan McDonald effect," where police officers are less aggressive and even somewhat passive in pursuing criminals.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel responds to a question during a news conference last month about new police procedures.

"There's a little bit of an effect," says Escalante. "Every officer I think, not just here in Chicago, but every police officer around the country does not want to be that next viral video."

Police in Chicago made 30 percent fewer arrests in the early part of this year compared to last year. Street stops are down more than 80 percent so far this year.

Escalante was so concerned that he recently recorded a video message sent out to all 12,000 Chicago police officers emphasizing that those doing their jobs properly don't have to worry about being that next viral video. He also clarified how officers can continue to make investigative street stops without violating new state laws and announced a landmark agreement with the ACLU designed to prevent racial profiling. As a result, Escalante says both arrests and street stops are now back on the rise.

But the city's sharp increase in violent crime continues unabated.

"The majority of it is still gang violence," Escalante says. "We're seeing a significant percentage of that gang violence being fueled by social media."

Escalante says social media taunts are the new gang graffiti and in today's gang culture, there are almost immediate, violent responses to those taunts, which in turn spurs retaliatory shootings.

A very mild winter may also be contributing to Chicago's increase in violence. Warmer weather means more people are out and there is more opportunity for conflicts. When temperatures reached the 70s earlier this week, 21 people were shot and two of them were killed in a 20-hour period.

Angelo rejects the notion that the police are somehow responsible for an increase in violent crime, but he says the police are under pressure.

"You know, they're damned when they put people on the wall and search them ... if they have weapons on them, and now they're being blamed for not putting people on the wall to searching them to see if they have weapons on them," he says.

Angelo says police officers now are walking what he calls "a thin blue line" between protecting law abiding citizens and getting law breakers off the streets. Some cops on the street agree.

"Yeah, (the) job's real tough," says 17-year veteran police officer Ron Rewers. "You know, you got a lot of eyes on you and a lot of people don't understand the job and they want to jump to conclusions about what we do and what we're supposed to do."

Improving Relations With Chicago Teens

Rewers is one of several officers from the 12th Chicago police district volunteering on Friday nights to coach a new basketball league for 13- to 15-year-old boys who live in and around the public housing development known as the ABLA homes on the city's west side.

Officer Paris Edwards, another 17-year veteran of the force, came up with the idea for the league as a way to improve relations with teenagers in the neighborhood.

"We've known for quite a while that the relationship between the police and youth has been one that has been strained," Edwards says. "The youth feel like the only time they have interaction with the police is when they're being stopped for questioning or they're being looked at for committing some type of crime."

Edwards says the goal is to build a little teamwork and trust.

"In basketball, you do have to communicate. Coaches and players have to communicate. If we can get the youth communicating with these officers, then we can develop some type of relationship outside of them being stopped and questioned for some type of crime," he says.

People participate in what organizers are calling a "Black Christmas" protest on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago Thursday.

Star player Daronte Peterson, 13, says he welcomes the chance to see police officers in a different arena.

"I'm glad they doing this because like, right here where we are at now, it's a very bad neighborhood and I'm glad the police came to do this for us," Peterson says.

If the police-led basketball program shows real results in improving relations between beat cops and black teenagers, city officials say it will likely be expanded and replicated across the city.



“It started with the release of a video last fall that showed a white police officer shooting a black teenager 16 times, resulting in a Justice Department civil rights investigation into the Chicago Police Department's patterns and practices. Then there were other incidents of police shootings, brutality and misconduct, followed by allegations of officers covering for one another and higher ups failing to hold officers accountable. In short, the heat and public scrutiny on Chicago police officers right now is intense. …. Van Dyke was charged with murder — but only hours before the video went public and more than a year after the shooting took place. The political fallout from the video's release amid daily anti-police protests cost police Supt. Garry McCarthy his job. Interim police Supt. John Escalante acknowledges there might have been a "Laquan McDonald effect," where police officers are less aggressive and even somewhat passive in pursuing criminals. …. Star player Daronte Peterson, 13, says he welcomes the chance to see police officers in a different arena. "I'm glad they doing this because like, right here where we are at now, it's a very bad neighborhood and I'm glad the police came to do this for us," Peterson says. If the police-led basketball program shows real results in improving relations between beat cops and black teenagers, city officials say it will likely be expanded and replicated across the city. …. Police in Chicago made 30 percent fewer arrests in the early part of this year compared to last year. Street stops are down more than 80 percent so far this year. Escalante was so concerned that he recently recorded a video message sent out to all 12,000 Chicago police officers emphasizing that those doing their jobs properly don't have to worry about being that next viral video. He also clarified how officers can continue to make investigative street stops without violating new state laws and announced a landmark agreement with the ACLU designed to prevent racial profiling.”


I am so glad to see Interim Police Supt. John Escalante combining intelligence, leadership, firmness and honesty in the way he is doing his job. If all police supervisors would do their jobs in that way, we would have a much improved situation on our streets. The police forces around the country, in the absence of their usual blanket permission to do whatever they feel like, have been lying down on the floor and kicking their feet. As one officer put it, “"Yeah, (the) job's real tough," says 17-year veteran police officer Ron Rewers. "You know, you got a lot of eyes on you and a lot of people don't understand the job and they want to jump to conclusions about what we do and what we're supposed to do."

“What we’re supposed to do.” As Escalante said, “… those doing their jobs properly don't have to worry about being that next viral video.” He put his point into practice by issuing a video to every officer on the force as to HOW they are to do their job. Police retraining is so important, and the increased implementation of community relations interactions of all kinds is also. I say interactions instead of programs, because it’s not a philosophy alone, but a personal action. A smile and a polite tone of voice are free of charge, and will make such a difference in the terrible situation we are in these days.

If you want to see the police administrative philosophy of the recent past, go to the Net and look up “Broken Windows Policing.” I read a description of that policing style and understood immediately why the level of authority overreach is occurring. It hasn’t been just a matter of “bad apples,” but bad instructions from the brass. It’s a hard, aggressive and in my book unnecessary “enforcement” of things which aren’t even crimes. It’s public intimidation, pure and simple. It’s not far from the KKK method of harassing not only “uppity” blacks, but any whites who step up to protect them.

I am really delighted to see the police in Chicago sponsoring these ball games. Kids are kids, and they do crave such physical entertainment. Black people need to meet white people in real human contexts which are positive in nature, both the young and the old. Trust has to be built and it simply can’t be forced. Beating someone into submission is just not the same thing at all!



IS THIS PHOTOGRAPH FOR REAL??

I have included quite a few reader comments below, and I can’t do better than they have, so I won’t. I love the imaginative handles that some of these people use in their comments. I’m sure that a proper battery of scientific tests will be done on the carcass, from complete dissection to DNA testing; and I do hope a follow up story comes out giving their findings, unless of course this photo is just a total fake.

Do go to the website below and see the picture. What do you think it is? To me it looks like a much decayed and degraded – probably half eaten – small species of whale such as the pygmy sperm whale or the dwarf sperm whale. The dwarf is only in the range of nine feet long, and the pygmy is a little bigger. See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_sperm_whale.


https://www.yahoo.com/news/mysterious-sea-creature-washes-up-on-beach-in-160659953.html

World
Mysterious 13ft Sea Creature Washes Up On Beach In Mexico
nreilly1.tumblr.com
March 10, 2016 9 hours ago


MUST SEE: Image -- Rosa Comacho, the coordinator of the Civil Guard and Fire Brigade believes the animal had not been dead for a long time - but it has started to rapidly decay.


It looks like something from a terrifying horror movie, but this is the mystery sea creature that’s baffled experts after washing up on a tourist beach in Mexico.

The monstrous 4-metre (13-foot-long) beast was discovered on Bonfil Beach, in the city of Acapulco, in the south-west Mexican state of Guerrero.

Stunned beach-goers stood around the beast and began taking photos - while also speculating on the possible species of the creature.

The creature’s body was washed on the shore by strong currents that have been affecting parts of the Mexican coast.

She said: ‘We have no idea what type of animal this is, but I do know that it does not smell bad or have a fetid aroma.

‘It is four metres long and was found on Bonfil Beach.’

The photos of the mysterious creature have since provoked huge debate online - with some suggesting that it might be a type of giant squid, while others have suggested that it is a whale.

See also photo at website above “Huge Manta Ray Caught In Peru.”


Comments (1118)

Tom Sawyer 2 hours ago
With DNA and x rays and other such tests it should not be hard to eliminate most of the known sea creatures , and their many parts that have washed up on beaches around the world . For some sea creatures do lose their skin and fat layer upon death , and it floats to shore .
What it is , I can not say from the few pictures and description in the story , but would all most bet it is just another instance of a known sea creatures remains floating to shore .

A Friend 2 hours ago
Of course we'll hear nothing more about this mysterious sea creature because they never do a follow up to these stories. So gang - make up a story.

Gram Reeper 4 hours ago
It's a politician!

Steve 58 minutes ago
Its just a Gabbagoula squidoctapusulus thought to be extinct for 12 to 20 million years.
Its said to feed on the feet of sea turtles or anything with feet or legs.
it probably was interested in beach goers and got to close and got beached.

Nevim Nic 24 minutes ago
Probably a decomposed whale.

BONES 1 hour ago
It is a highly decomposed beached whale. they have been washing ashore all up and down the west coastlines of both North and South America. Fukushima radiation is killing all aquatic life in the pacific ocean.
Show replies (1) Reply 4 0
Avatar
Lucy just now
I do want to think that you just made this up!

intelien 6 minutes ago
Did Hillary shed her skin?

Robby 1 hour ago
once it thaws out we're all gonna be in trouble. I suggest quarantine and a blood sample of the individuals who found it

DoctorHoo 1 hour ago
It is an alien.

Make Jokes Not War 21 minutes ago
I am no expert but I would guess that it may be a canary.

Margit 56 minutes ago
Who knows whats lurking at the bottom of the ocean that we dont know of? We
probably never find all the creatures that live there. A amazing find I have to say.

Untis 7 minutes ago
It is a Blob Whale. Fried in avacado oil with salt and pepper it tastes like chicken.

BettaBeGood 17 minutes ago
It can't be Trump. He wouldn't be caught dead in Mexico, right?

Ekim 33 minutes ago
Well from the looks of the last photo it's quiet obviously the Bat Plane.

Octavius 1 hour ago
My guess is it's a lawyer who fell off this yacht and couldn't swim back because his pockets were stuffed with cash. Now his body and money have merged into one huge bloated waterlogged stinking decaying carcass. His partners will be suing the builders of the yacht.

ELD 38 minutes ago
Man is killing all animals in the sea, on land and in the sky.