March 24, 2016


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-tied-among-democrats/

Poll: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders tied among Democrats
By REENA FLORES CBS NEWS
March 24, 2016, 8:50 AM

Play VIDEO -- Clinton targets Trump and Cruz in foreign policy speech
CBS Video – Sanders interview


Democrats are more than halfway through their nominating process, but voters nationwide are still split over which candidate they want to see in the White House, according to a new Bloomberg Politics poll.

The survey, released Thursday, shows that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is the first choice among 49 percent of Democrats who have voted or intend to vote in their primary contests. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, notches 48 percent of support. Three percent of voters say they are unsure.

Clinton has garnered a lead of more than 700 delegates in the primary race so far (including superdelegates) and more than two dozen states have already held their nominating contests. Still, Sanders continues to cultivate enthusiasm from first-time voters, people under the age of 35, men, and independents. Clinton, in contrast, continues to lead Sanders with large advantages among voters over 35, identified Democrats, and women.

The Bloomberg poll shows the former secretary of state continuing to struggle on issues of trustworthiness, with just a quarter of voters saying Clinton is an honest candidate. Sixty-four percent of voters see Sanders as embodying those characteristics. Nearly 60 percent of voters also say the Vermont senator cares more about people like them.

On the heels of the recent terror attacks in Brussels, however, Clinton could benefit with her foreign policy experience. By more than a 3-to-1 ratio, Clinton was believed to be the candidate who could best combat terrorism.

In the general election, Sanders seemed to perform better than his Democratic rival against potential Republicans. Against Donald Trump, Clinton would lead by 18 points, but Sanders would lead by 24 points. If Cruz were the GOP nominee, Clinton would hold a 9-point edge, but Sanders would lead by 12 points. Clinton would lose to Kasich by 4 percentage points, compared to a Sanders win by the same margin.

The Bloomberg poll, conducted between Mar. 19-22, surveyed 1,000 adults with a margin or error of 3.1 percentage points. It included a subgroup of 311 Democrats who have voted or are likely to vote in the Democratic nominating contests, with a margin of error of 5.6 percentage points. A subset of 815 likely voters in the general election had a margin or error of 3.4 percentage points.



“The survey, released Thursday, shows that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is the first choice among 49 percent of Democrats who have voted or intend to vote in their primary contests. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, notches 48 percent of support. Three percent of voters say they are unsure. Clinton has garnered a lead of more than 700 delegates in the primary race so far (including superdelegates) and more than two dozen states have already held their nominating contests. Still, Sanders continues to cultivate enthusiasm from first-time voters, people under the age of 35, men, and independents. Clinton, in contrast, continues to lead Sanders with large advantages among voters over 35, identified Democrats, and women. …. The Bloomberg poll shows the former secretary of state continuing to struggle on issues of trustworthiness, with just a quarter of voters saying Clinton is an honest candidate. Sixty-four percent of voters see Sanders as embodying those characteristics. Nearly 60 percent of voters also say the Vermont senator cares more about people like them.


“Against Donald Trump, Clinton would lead by 18 points, but Sanders would lead by 24 points. If Cruz were the GOP nominee, Clinton would hold a 9-point edge, but Sanders would lead by 12 points. Clinton would lose to Kasich by 4 percentage points, compared to a Sanders win by the same margin.” I am interested to see that in this poll, Kasich is apparently more popular than Trump, and that wasn’t true just a few weeks ago. Of course the pollsters are probably different and those who were contacted then are also different. I want to think, though, that Trump is truly “wearing out his welcome” among Republicans. Nearly everything I’ve heard about Kasich makes him seem a much, much better choice than either Trump or Cruz.

Sanders, in this poll, is doing “a good little bit” better than Hillary against known Republican candidates. He really is a good campaigner and an eloquent speaker. His look, with the tousled white hair, has been criticized by an article or two, but it is clear that he has made steady progress against Clinton in his untiring effort. There is a cartoon on the Net showing Hillary driving a car with Bernie Sanders on foot, his knees high in the air and fists pumping, running right on her bumper with dust flying up in the air from his feet. He is of course a long distance runner in real life, and that may well be why at seventy-something he hasn’t even looked or sounded fatigued. I think he’s getting old, of course, but he’s a tough cookie nonetheless and has absolutely no sign of dementia.

It’s unfortunate for Clinton, but in various ways since she was elected to office, she has flip-flopped or voted on the conservative side, particularly the vote to allow the invasion of Iraq. Both Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders did not allow themselves to be pressurized into voting for the Iraq war. I perfectly understood our involvement in Afghanistan because they were harboring Bin Laden and many al Qaeda members, but Bush gave as his reason for going into Iraq, “He tried to kill my Daddy!” That to me was ridiculous, yet for that reason, we are now enmeshed in another Vietnam; we have spent billions which could have been used to shore up our infrastructure, poverty programs, SS and Medicare.

The worst however is that we are now, and will be for decades, under attack by a literally rabid set of Islamic fundamentalists. If we Westerners hadn’t broken up the ethnic and religious groups in a way which disorganized their more stable societies, we probably wouldn’t be faced with a situation of such raw hatred, which has ended up backfiring on us. We Dems don’t want to ban Muslims from coming here, but if radical, warlike, fundamentalist believers are here -- as well as the law abiding and gentler ones -- it is a simple fact that this is a real problem. That is a major reason why Sanders is more generally trusted and admired than Hillary. We hopefully wouldn’t have ever been in Iraq except as oil trading partners. The other is her having received big bucks from big business! We liberal Democrats really don’t like that.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/device-to-detect-tatp-explosive-used-by-brussels-terrorists-could-save-lives/

New device could detect explosive favored by terrorists
By KRIS VAN CLEAVE CBS NEWS
March 23, 2016, 7:04 PM

Photograph -- van-cleave.png, Professor Gregory demonstrates how the TATP detection device works while holding a small sample CBS NEWS
Play VIDEO -- Two Brussels terror suspects identified
Photograph -- vancleave0322.png, It only took a tenth of a pound of TATP to blow up a car door CBS NEWS


In the raid on the Brussels suspects' apartment, police found a homemade explosive called TATP.

Terrorists like it because it's made with household chemicals, like nail polish remover, ingredients that don't raise suspicion when they're purchased. Now, American researchers have a new device to detect it.

Dr. Jimmie Oxley is the director of the University of Rhode Island's Center of Explosives Detection. The university has been given a $1 million grant by the Department of Homeland Security to come up with a sensor for the highly volatile explosive, TATP.

"You don't need pounds to cause a catastrophic failure," Dr. Oxley explained.

It only took a tenth of a pound of TATP to rip apart a car door. Tuesday night, Belgian police seized 33 pounds of the explosive -- that's 300 times more .

TATP is made with hydrogen peroxide and acetone, items easily purchased at a drug store. For years we have relied on bomb sniffing dogs to detect TATP, but with long hours and fatigue, they have their limits.

From a campus lab, professor Otto Gregory designed the sensor that detects TATP.

"It's an electronic trace detection system that can do and compete with a dog, and doesn't need a break. It detects 24/7."

Gregory says that in closed spaces like airports, the sensor can detect amounts as small as 1 part per billion. He held a vial which contained trace amounts of TATP, and within seconds the computer graph spiked, alerting to the presence of the explosive.

"We would like to get it out there yesterday," Gregory said of finishing testing on the device.

The device will enter real-world testing later this year. The goal to get it down to the size of a smartphone so if could be put on things like a turnstile, or worn by an officer.



“Terrorists like it because it's made with household chemicals, like nail polish remover, ingredients that don't raise suspicion when they're purchased. Now, American researchers have a new device to detect it. Dr. Jimmie Oxley is the director of the University of Rhode Island's Center of Explosives Detection. The university has been given a $1 million grant by the Department of Homeland Security to come up with a sensor for the highly volatile explosive, TATP. …. For years we have relied on bomb sniffing dogs to detect TATP, but with long hours and fatigue, they have their limits. From a campus lab, professor Otto Gregory designed the sensor that detects TATP. "It's an electronic trace detection system that can do and compete with a dog, and doesn't need a break. It detects 24/7." …. The device will enter real-world testing later this year. The goal to get it down to the size of a smartphone so it could be put on things like a turnstile, or worn by an officer.”


It’s good to see that scientists, in some of these cases anyway, can set about to find how to do such things. Lots of our scientific discoveries are the result of happenstance, which is fine, but our technology and knowledge nowadays can make us proactive in our activities as we were in this case. I certainly don’t want all Islamic people banned from coming here to visit or live, but we do need good methods to weed out the dangerous ones. This new explosive sniffer is a great step up on the path, unless it doesn’t pan out to be effective in scientific trials. It gives me a better feeling in this time of unease when the Bad Boys are infiltrating not only European nations, but the US as well.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-charges-iran-in-cyberattacks-against-banks-bowman-avenue-dam-in-new-york/

U.S. charges Iran in cyberattacks against banks, New York dam
CBS/AP
March 24, 2016, 10:42 AM

Photograph -- Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FBI Director James Comey stand by a wanted poster of Iranians who are wanted by the FBI for computer hacking during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Thursday, March 24, 2016. AP PHOTO/JACQUELYN MARTIN
Play VIDEO -- After threat of cyber attacks, U.S. Navy brings back celestial navigation
Play VIDEO -- Sanctions ordered against North Korea in response to Sony cyberhack


WASHINGTON -- Seven hackers tied to the Iranian government were charged Thursday in a series of punishing cyberattacks on dozens of banks and a small dam outside New York City, intrusions that reached into America's infrastructure and disrupted the financial system, federal law enforcement officials said.

The indictment, announced at the Justice Department, reveals the determination of overseas hackers to cripple vital American interests, the officials said.

"The attacks were relentless, systematic and widespread," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said. "They threatened our economic well-being and our ability to compete fairly in the global marketplace, both of which are directly linked to our national security."

One of the seven alleged hackers is accused of repeatedly gaining access to the control system of the Bowman Avenue Dam, a small flood-control structure in Rye Brook, about 20 miles north of New York City. With that access, the hacker was able to get information about the dam's operations, including its water level, temperature and the status of the sluice gate.

In a tweet, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said New Yorkers are "fighting back."

The hacker would have been able to operate the sluice gate, which controls water levels and flow rates, but the gate had been disconnected for maintenance when the intrusion occurred.

The seven accused hackers worked for a pair of Iranian computer companies linked to the Iranian government, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the U.S. said.

None of the individuals is in American custody, and the U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with Iran. But officials said the goal of cases such as this one is to put cybercriminals on notice that their mouse clicks can be traced, even if they're on the other side of the globe.

"The message of this case is that we will work together to shrink the world and impose costs on these people so that no matter where they are, we will reach them," said FBI Director James Comey.

The indictments stem from a series of cyber intrusions between 2011 and 2013 that officials say targeted 46 victims, primarily in the financial sector, that disabled bank websites and collectively caused tens of millions of dollars in losses.

It's the latest instance of the Obama administration publicly blaming foreign nations for damaging cyber intrusions.

The Justice Department in May 2014 indicted five Chinese military officials suspected of hacking into several major American companies and stealing trade secrets. None of those individuals has been brought to America to face charges.

And that December, the federal government linked a damaging attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment to North Koreans.



“Seven hackers tied to the Iranian government were charged Thursday in a series of punishing cyberattacks on dozens of banks and a small dam outside New York City, intrusions that reached into America's infrastructure and disrupted the financial system, federal law enforcement officials said. …. "The attacks were relentless, systematic and widespread," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said. "They threatened our economic well-being and our ability to compete fairly in the global marketplace, both of which are directly linked to our national security." One of the seven alleged hackers is accused of repeatedly gaining access to the control system of the Bowman Avenue Dam, a small flood-control structure in Rye Brook, about 20 miles north of New York City. With that access, the hacker was able to get information about the dam's operations, including its water level, temperature and the status of the sluice gate. In a tweet, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said New Yorkers are "fighting back." …. The seven accused hackers worked for a pair of Iranian computer companies linked to the Iranian government, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the U.S. said. …. "The message of this case is that we will work together to shrink the world and impose costs on these people so that no matter where they are, we will reach them," said FBI Director James Comey.”


The black hat hackers, under our present arrangements with Iran, cannot be extradited, but the US has frozen assets and denied visas of identified perpetrators in the past, and probably will in this case. At least I hope we will. Clearly, if the Iran government was behind this, they can’t be trusted, nuclear deal or not. I still want us to have active diplomatic relations with them, though. An isolationist stance is not helpful at all, because we never know when we will need them as allies or trading partners. We trade with China and Russia, after all, and have cooperated on the space program, and that’s a good thing.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pressure-from-belgian-police-may-have-led-terrorists-to-act-brussels-attacks/

Pressure from Belgian police may have rushed terrorists to act
By HOLLY WILLIAMS CBS NEWS
March 23, 2016, 6:46 PM

Play VIDEO -- Manhunt for third Brussels attacker expands
Photograph -- Police are seen at the scene of a security operation where Salah Abdeslam, inset, was arrested in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek in Brussels, Belgium, March 18, 2016. BELGIUM FEDERAL POLICE/REUTERS/FRANCOIS LENOIR
Play VIDEO -- Two Brussels terror suspects identified

BRUSSELS -- The timing of Tuesday's attacks may have been forced by the pressure Belgian police were putting on the terrorists.

Last Friday, they raided a Brussels apartment and arrested one of the Paris conspirators. That raid also turned up the names of two brothers who went on to attack the airport and subway in Brussels.

An apartment in a quiet Brussels suburb may have been an important clue that came too late.

It was rented under a false name, according to Belgian media reports, by a man who turned out to be one of the suicide bombers -- Khalid El Bakraoui.

He and his brother Ibrahim -- who blew himself up at the airport -- were Belgian citizens with a history of violent crime. But they were not linked to terrorism until last week, when a police raid turned into a gun fight at the apartment.

One suspected terrorist was killed and two others escaped.

Inside the apartment, investigators said they found ammunition, an ISIS flag, and most importantly the fingerprints of Salah Abdeslam -- the alleged logistics man behind the Paris attacks.

That led to Abdeslam's capture three days later, but the apartment may have also linked him with the Bakraoui brothers.

The ammunition raised fears that another attack could be imminent.

But less than a week later -- before they were found or stopped -- the two brothers carried out their deadly plan.

On a laptop discovered by police yesterday, Ibrahim El Bakraoui wrote that he didn't know what to do, and feared he would end up in a prison cell.

Connecting the dots in a case like this one is not easy work -- and the Belgian intelligence agency has been criticized as understaffed and underfunded. Meanwhile though, Belgium -- by some counts -- has the highest per capita number of fighters in Syria of any country in Western Europe.


“The timing of Tuesday's attacks may have been forced by the pressure Belgian police were putting on the terrorists. Last Friday, they raided a Brussels apartment and arrested one of the Paris conspirators. That raid also turned up the names of two brothers who went on to attack the airport and subway in Brussels. …. On a laptop discovered by police yesterday, Ibrahim El Bakraoui wrote that he didn't know what to do, and feared he would end up in a prison cell. Connecting the dots in a case like this one is not easy work -- and the Belgian intelligence agency has been criticized as understaffed and underfunded.”


It’s unfortunate if would be terrorists – specific individuals, that is – are speeding up their plan under pressure from Belgium’s government. They still would have done the attacks without that. That is their whole reason for being in the country. I agree with Obama that democratic nations shouldn’t close the borders to all Islamic people or put soldiers into Islamic neighborhoods to do surveillance randomly. I believe in stings and using our metadata, which the Feds say was set up for that purpose, to locate active conspirators and killers for purposes of arrest and incarceration, though. The Belgians are not wrong in their tactics, and they have discriminated between criminals and Muslims in general. That’s not only fair, it’s necessary.



http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/listen-alabama-governor-leaked-sex-call-advisor-article-1.2576237

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley talks about advisor's breasts in leaked phone call after affair accusation
BY JASON SILVERSTEIN NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Updated: Thursday, March 24, 2016, 11:19 AM

Video -- WHNT, Alabama Governor Responds to Affair Allegations
Photograph -- DAVE MARTIN/AP, Bentley (right, in 2011) denies that Mason (left) was his mistress.
Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014 file photo, BRYNN ANDERSON/AP, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley with Rebekah Caldwell Mason in 2014, the night he was re-elected. Bentley has admitted to making "inappropriate" comments to the advisor.


The governor of Alabama sweet talked — and then some — one of his top advisors in an icky leaked phone call, saying he loved her and he covets her breasts.

The conversation between Gov. Robert Bentley and Rebekah Caldwell Mason appeared online Wednesday, after the governor admitted to making "inappropriate" comments to her. Bentley has denied that Mason was his mistress.

The recorded call is from 2014, according to AL.com. It captures only Bentley’s side of a talk with Mason, and the context of the call is unknown.

An excerpt of the call begins with Bentley, 73, apparently referencing a message sent to 44-year-old Mason. He assures his advisor of its secrecy.

“He couldn’t tell who I was sending it to,” Bentley says, referring to someone who is never named, “and it didn’t say, ‘Hey baby, I love you so much and I’d like to spend the rest of my life with you.’ ”

Then things get gross.

“You’d kiss me. I love that, you know I do love that,” Bentley says.

“You know what? When I stand behind you and I put my arms around you, and I put my hands on your breasts, and I put my hands on you (unintelligible) and pull you real close ... Hey, I love that too, putting my hands under you.”

The two-term Republican governor later tells Mason: “I love you. I love to talk to you. I do ... But baby, lemme tell you what we’re gonna have to do tonight: Start locking the door. If we’re gonna do what we did the other day, we’re gonna have to start locking the door.”

The audio leaked after Spencer Collier, former head of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, told reporters he had investigated texts and recordings between Bentley and Mason showing the two had a relationship “of a sexual nature.”

Collier’s statements came the same day the governor fired the top cop over an internal investigation showing that the police force may have misused state money.

At his own press conference, Bentley — a former Baptist deacon who was married until last year — admitted to the “inappropriate”call with Mason and deemed it “a mistake.” However, he insisted the two never had a “physical relationship.”

He also insisted he is not considering stepping down.



The governor of Alabama sweet talked — and then some — one of his top advisors in an icky leaked phone call, saying he loved her and he covets her breasts. The conversation between Gov. Robert Bentley and Rebekah Caldwell Mason appeared online Wednesday, after the governor admitted to making "inappropriate" comments to her. Bentley has denied that Mason was his mistress. …. “If we’re gonna do what we did the other day, we’re gonna have to start locking the door.” The audio leaked after Spencer Collier, former head of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, told reporters he had investigated texts and recordings between Bentley and Mason showing the two had a relationship “of a sexual nature.” Collier’s statements came the same day the governor fired the top cop over an internal investigation showing that the police force may have misused state money. …. “You know what? When I stand behind you and I put my arms around you, and I put my hands on your breasts, and I put my hands on you (unintelligible) and pull you real close ... Hey, I love that too, putting my hands under you.”


Yuck and double yuck!! Thank God this man is a Republican! He’s too old, and perhaps too stupid, to learn that women aren’t possessions, and are to be treated with at least a little bit of respect. It’s not surprising that he and his wife are divorced! I would like to see Aretha Franklin come to his office and belt out one of her inimitable renditions of R E S P E C T!!!



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-open-to-nuclear-retaliation-after-brussels-attack/

Donald Trump open to nuclear retaliation after Brussels attack
By REENA FLORES CBS NEWS
March 24, 2016, 12:25 PM

Play VIDEO -- 2016 candidates spar over Belgium, GOP Muslim proposals


Donald Trump is not ruling out the use of nuclear weapons in the U.S. fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), according to an interview with the GOP front-runner that aired on Bloomberg TV Wednesday.

Asked if he would consider nuclear retaliation after this week's terror attacks in Brussels, Trump responded: "Well, I'm never gonna rule anything out. And I wouldn't wanna say. Even if I felt -- it wasn't going -- I wouldn't wanna tell you that because, at a minimum, I want them to think maybe that we would use it."

"The fact is that we need unpredictability," Trump said of his openness to using nuclear weapons. "When you ask a question like that, it's a very - it is a very sad thing to have to answer it because the enemy is watching and I have a very good chance of winning. I frankly don't want the enemy to know how I'm thinking. But with that being said, I don't rule out anything."

When pressed on whether he would have utilized America's nuclear capabilities after September 11, Trump said that he would only have used it as a "last resort."

During his interview, Trump emphasized that terrorists "are winning" and "we don't do anything about it."

"We're worried about laws and we can't waterboard and yet, they are chopping off heads and drowning people in steel cages," he told Bloomberg, adding in concerns that Muslims in the Middle East "do not respect us."

Trump's comments come on the heels of other controversial foreign policy proposals in recent days.

Earlier this week, the GOP front-runner proposed rethinking U.S. involvement in the NATO international alliance -- remarks for which he received widespread Republican criticism.

On Tuesday, Trump told CNN, "Frankly, they have to put up more money....We are paying disproportionately. It's too much, and frankly it's a different world than it was when we originally conceived of the idea."

Trump doubled down on his NATO remarks in the Bloomberg interview as well, saying that "I think that NATO may be obsolete....It doesn't really help us. It's helping other countries. And I don't think those other countries appreciate what we are doing."



“Asked if he would consider nuclear retaliation after this week's terror attacks in Brussels, Trump responded: "Well, I'm never gonna rule anything out. And I wouldn't wanna say. Even if I felt -- it wasn't going -- I wouldn't wanna tell you that because, at a minimum, I want them to think maybe that we would use it." …. "We're worried about laws and we can't waterboard and yet, they are chopping off heads and drowning people in steel cages," he told Bloomberg, adding in concerns that Muslims in the Middle East "do not respect us." Trump's comments come on the heels of other controversial foreign policy proposals in recent days. …. Earlier this week, the GOP front-runner proposed rethinking U.S. involvement in the NATO international alliance -- remarks for which he received widespread Republican criticism. On Tuesday, Trump told CNN, "Frankly, they have to put up more money....We are paying disproportionately.”


Okay, so Trump is a nut job. We mustn’t forget, however, Cruz’s comment within in the last month or so on the subject of ISIS, that he would “carpet bomb” them so hard that the “sand would glow in the dark.” Now that is a nuclear reference, also. I just looked the date up. It was December 5, 2015.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/threes-a-pattern-donald-trump-questions-gop-rivals-faith-election-2016/

Three's a pattern? Donald Trump questions rivals' faith
By JAKE MILLER CBS NEWS
March 24, 2016, 1:20 PM

Photograph -- FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ - MARCH 19: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to guest gathered at Fountain Park during a campaign rally on March 19, 2016 in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Trumps visit to Arizona is the second time in three months as he looks to gain the GOP nomination for President. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) RALPH FRESO/GETTY IMAGES
Play VIDEO -- Full interview: Donald Trump, February 21
Play VIDEO -- Donald Trump: “I don’t understand Iowa”
Play VIDEO -- Donald Trump vs. Ted Cruz on immigration


At one point in Ian Fleming's "Goldfinger," the villain of the title says to James Bond, "They have a saying in Chicago: 'Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, the third time it's enemy action.'"

Donald Trump met the Goldfinger standard last week, when he raised questions about a rival's religion for the third time this campaign. It is a favorite tactic of the GOP front-runner, to question another's faith, though he doesn't like when his own is questioned.

The most recent target of Trump's innuendo was Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee who'd been harshly criticizing Trump for weeks. "I have many friends that live in Salt Lake City - and by the way, Mitt Romney is not one of them," Trump told an audience in Salt Lake City last week ahead of the Utah primary. "Are you sure he's Mormon? Are we sure?"

The remark was made in jest, Trump later insisted, in what is also a familiar part of this tactic. Last October, when Trump was being challenged in the polls by Ben Carson, who identifies as a Seventh Day Adventist, Trump mused out loud about Carson's religion.

"I'm Presbyterian. Boy, that's down the middle of the road, folks, in all fairness," he told a crowd in Jacksonville. "I mean, Seventh-day Adventist, I don't know about. I just don't know about."

In an appearance on "Face the Nation" shortly thereafter, Trump denied that he was trying to raise any eyebrows about Carson's faith in order to hurt him with evangelical voters.

TRUMP: I don't know about that. I don't know about what that is. I'm not that familiar with it. I have heard about it, but I'm not that familiar with it. That wasn't meant to be insult, obviously. It's just that I don't know about it.

DICKERSON: OK. So an expression of ignorance, not raising questions about it?

TRUMP: Well, it's a harsh way of putting it, but perhaps I could say it that way, yes, because I just don't know about -- as I said, I don't know about that.

Later in 2015, Trump watched as another rival - Texas Sen. Ted Cruz - crept into the lead in Iowa, buoyed by a strong showing among evangelical Christians. At a campaign event in Iowa in December, Trump once again attempted to sow some doubt on the subject of Cruz's religion.

"Just remember this," he told voters. "You gotta remember, in all fairness, to the best of my knowledge, not too many evangelicals come out of Cuba, OK?"

There is no doubt about Cruz's evangelical bona-fides, of course - his platform and stump speech are grounded firmly in his Christian faith. His father, Rafael, is an evangelical pastor.

Asked about his quip on Cruz and evangelicals during an appearance on "Face the Nation," Trump once again said he meant nothing by it.

DICKERSON: When you say about Senator Cruz not too many evangelicals come out of the Cuba, what does that mean?

TRUMP: Well, it just means that Cuba, generally speaking, is a Catholic country. And you don't equate evangelicals with Cuba. I don't. I think of evangelicals, and I have a -- I guess I am. I'm Presbyterian. I'm Protestant. But I don't see it as coming out of Cuba.

DICKERSON: But you're not questioning whether -- as far as you know, he could be more devout than you are.

TRUMP: It's possible. Certainly, it's possible. I'm not questioning. And I say it in a somewhat smiling manner, but there's a little truth to it.

Trump also questioned Cruz's faith more directly during the South Carolina primary, asking, "How can Ted Cruz be an Evangelical Christian when he lies so much and is so dishonest?"

Trump, for his part, has bristled at any skepticism about his own religious conviction. After Pope Francis suggested Trump's proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border was not something a Christian would propose, the GOP candidate took great umbrage.

"No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith," Trump declared on Twitter.

When asked on Face the Nation how he could be upset about the Pope questioning his faith, after he so recently questioned Cruz's religion, Trump said, "No, I never questioned Ted's--anything having to do with his religion...I just said you can't lie and hold up a Bible and you can't do that, you just can't do that, it's not appropriate."

The GOP frontrunner has described himself as a strong Christian, even brandishing his Bible at campaign stops. But when he's been pressed for details on his faith, and he hasn't always been exceptionally fluent on the subject.

Trump has said he doesn't ask God for forgiveness, raising eyebrows among Christians who see repentance as a central tenet of their faith. Last August, during an interview with Bloomberg News, Trump declined to cite his favorite Bible verse, saying it was "very personal." And when he was asked which testament he prefers - Old or New - Trump said the two are "probably equal."

Still, in what may be one of the more surprising turns of the 2016 primary, Trump has won strong support from the GOP's religious conservatives. In a CBS News/New York Times poll released this week, Trump won support from 42 percent of white Evangelical Republicans nationwide. Cruz came in second at 35 percent.

Whatever questions may be raised about Trump's faith, they're not hurting him. The same may or may not be true of Trump's questions about his rivals.



“The most recent target of Trump's innuendo was Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee who'd been harshly criticizing Trump for weeks. "I have many friends that live in Salt Lake City - and by the way, Mitt Romney is not one of them," Trump told an audience in Salt Lake City last week ahead of the Utah primary. "Are you sure he's Mormon? Are we sure?" …. "I'm Presbyterian. Boy, that's down the middle of the road, folks, in all fairness," he told a crowd in Jacksonville. "I mean, Seventh-day Adventist, I don't know about. I just don't know about." In an appearance on "Face the Nation" shortly thereafter, Trump denied that he was trying to raise any eyebrows about Carson's faith in order to hurt him with evangelical voters. …. At a campaign event in Iowa in December, Trump once again attempted to sow some doubt on the subject of Cruz's religion. "Just remember this," he told voters. "You gotta remember, in all fairness, to the best of my knowledge, not too many evangelicals come out of Cuba, OK?" …. Trump, for his part, has bristled at any skepticism about his own religious conviction. After Pope Francis suggested Trump's proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border was not something a Christian would propose, the GOP candidate took great umbrage. "No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man's religion or faith," Trump declared on Twitter. …. Trump has said he doesn't ask God for forgiveness, raising eyebrows among Christians who see repentance as a central tenet of their faith. Last August, during an interview with Bloomberg News, Trump declined to cite his favorite Bible verse, saying it was "very personal." And when he was asked which testament he prefers - Old or New - Trump said the two are "probably equal." Still, in what may be one of the more surprising turns of the 2016 primary, Trump has won strong support from the GOP's religious conservatives. …. . In a CBS News/New York Times poll released this week, Trump won support from 42 percent of white Evangelical Republicans nationwide. Cruz came in second at 35 percent.”


I’m a true Unitarian in that I don’t believe there should be any faith should be held above another, and a “little d democrat” enough to rebel totally against a faith-based test for becoming president, or for any other office in this country. I think while it may be politically clever for Trump to knock others’ religions, because some vicious people like that, it won’t bring in voters from any group other than Protestant Evangelicals, and not all of them. Besides, not even Evangelicals are necessarily Republicans, racists or fiscal conservatives. To me an atheist, as well, should absolutely be able qualify to be president, and it shouldn’t even be brought up as an issue.

That religious test was brought up against Obama, with his Chicago pastor who had comments about black solidarity and preached a gospel of service to the downtrodden. That’s a lot like most Unitarian ministers, but without the shouting, so Obama’s less than fervent espousals of Christianity didn’t offend me at all; but my sister said that she didn’t vote for him because of that minister. I think the real reason why she didn’t vote for him is because he is black. She is a Southerner, too, and in addition, she is eight years older than I am, putting her birth in the 30s and her growing up period into the ‘40s. My birth year was 1945 and I was growing up in the ‘50s. A ten-year difference is enough to produce a true “generation gap,” and that particular time period with the KKK activity and the fear of nuclear warfare in the news on a frequent basis, was truly a different kind of environment from hers. I’ve always been interested in the big world outside my little manufacturing city, and I read the papers, listened to the radio, TV and to our family discussions around the dining table. Some people think kids should be sheltered from everything, but I think such things are a basic part of their education.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rockefeller-family-is-exiting-the-oil-business/

After 146 years, Rockefeller family is exiting the oil business
By ALAIN SHERTER MONEYWATCH
March 24, 2016, 2:06 PM

Photograph -- A portrait of John D. Rockefeller, taken in the mid 1930's in Ormond, Florida. STF/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
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Heirs to the oil fortune created by John D. Rockefeller, who founded Standard Oil in 1870, are exiting the family business.

The Rockefeller Family Fund, a charity that supports causes related to the environment, economic justice and other issues, is liquidating its investments in fossil fuel companies, including Exxon Mobil (XOM).

"While the global community works to eliminate the use of fossil fuels, it makes little sense -- financially or ethically -- to continue holding investments in these companies," the fund said on Wednesday in a statement. "There is no sane rationale for companies to continue to explore for new sources of hydrocarbons."

The fund, which manages roughly $130 million, said it would immediately divest holdings of Exxon, as well as sell its investments in coal companies and tar sands-based oil producers.

Exxon, the world's second-biggest company, is a descendant of Standard Oil, which was famously broken up in 1911 as part of President Theodore Roosevelt's "trustbusting" campaign.

In announcing its decision, the Rockefeller fund attacked Exxon for what it called the company's "morally reprehensible conduct," alluding to allegations that the company has hidden evidence that fossil fuels contribute to climate change.

"Evidence appears to suggest that the company worked since the 1980s to confuse the public about climate change's march, while simultaneously spending millions to fortify its own infrastructure against climate change's destructive consequences and track new exploration opportunities as the Arctic's ice receded," the fund said.

Rockefeller family members have long accused Exxon of working to deny the existence of global warming. Former Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller, a great-grandson of John D. Rockefeller, in 2006 urged Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson to stop funding groups that denied climate change.

In a February op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, Neva Rockefeller Goodwin, an economist and great-grandaughter of John D. Rockefeller, said that in the 1980s the company "began to finance think tanks and researchers who cast doubt on the reliability of climate science."

Exxon denies that it misrepresented the dangers of climate change.

"It's not surprising that they're divesting from the company since they're already funding a conspiracy against us," Alan Jeffers, a spokesman for Exxon, said in an emailed statement to CBS MoneyWatch about the Rockfeller fund's announcement.

New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is said to have launched an investigation last fall into whether Exxon misled the public and investors about its internal research regarding climate risks. California Attorney General Kamala Harris is also reportedly looking into whether Exxon lied about climate change.

The probes followed a report by InsideClimate News, a non-profit news organization, claiming that Exxon sought to undermine scientific evidence that pointed to the growing threat of climate change.

Jeffers said the Rockefeller Family Fund provided financial support to InsideClimate News, which he said "produced inaccurate and deliberately misleading stories" about the company's climate research.

"The stories wrongly suggested that we had reached definitive conclusions about the risks of climate change decades before the world's experts and while climate science was in an early stage of development," he said. "ExxonMobil believes the risk of climate change is clear and warrants action."

Exxon critics praised the Rockefeller Family Fund's move to divest its fossil fuel holdings.

"Just like with Big Tobacco before it, the turning point in the movement to end the fossil fuel industry's abuses has come: Influential institutions and people are withholding their investments, and there is a burgeoning movement of attorneys general launching investigations into Exxon to expose the truth and hold it accountable for its lies," said Katherine Sawyer of watchdog group Corporate Accountability International.



“The Rockefeller Family Fund, a charity that supports causes related to the environment, economic justice and other issues, is liquidating its investments in fossil fuel companies, including Exxon Mobil (XOM). "While the global community works to eliminate the use of fossil fuels, it makes little sense -- financially or ethically -- to continue holding investments in these companies," the fund said on Wednesday in a statement. "There is no sane rationale for companies to continue to explore for new sources of hydrocarbons." …. In announcing its decision, the Rockefeller fund attacked Exxon for what it called the company's "morally reprehensible conduct," alluding to allegations that the company has hidden evidence that fossil fuels contribute to climate change. "Evidence appears to suggest that the company worked since the 1980s to confuse the public about climate change's march, while simultaneously spending millions to fortify its own infrastructure against climate change's destructive consequences and track new exploration opportunities as the Arctic's ice receded," the fund said. …. Former Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller, a great-grandson of John D. Rockefeller, in 2006 urged Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson to stop funding groups that denied climate change. In a February op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, Neva Rockefeller Goodwin, an economist and great-grandaughter of John D. Rockefeller, said that in the 1980s the company "began to finance think tanks and researchers who cast doubt on the reliability of climate science." …. they're already funding a conspiracy against us," Alan Jeffers, a spokesman for Exxon, said in an emailed statement to CBS MoneyWatch about the Rockfeller fund's announcement.”


“…funding a conspiracy against us….” Well, since they are among the members of the “vast rightwing conspiracy,” they deserve whatever we can do to them, within the law that is. The infamous Exxon subterfuges on the subject of Global Warming were pretty much detailed in some articles within the last month, and Environmental groups have accused them of such things for years, with the attempted suppression of progress in solar energy being probably the worst. The decimation of forests around the world and wildlife is also horrific because we know better, including the seriousness of the consequences, but the Big Business Club around the world won’t allow laws to be made against continued deforestation for lumber, farms, etc. Those people aren’t ignorant. They’re Harvard graduates. The problem is they’re so greedy and unethical that they just don’t care about the consequences. I am proud of the Rockefellers for standing up for right thinking in a time of dogmatism and near imbecility. If that sounds extreme to you, I’m sorry, but the ”conservatives” have acted directly against our educational and scientific progress, endangering the future of mankind, which to me should be classified as treason.




http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/24/us/san-diego-naval-medical-center-armed-person/index.html

Armed man reported at Naval Medical Center San Diego
By Jason Hanna, CNN
Updated 4:02 PM ET, Thu March 24, 2016

Developing story - more to come

Video -- Armed man reported at Naval Medical Center San Diego 00:46


(CNN)The Naval Medical Center San Diego has asked people there to shelter in place after someone reported seeing an armed man, the southern California complex said on its Facebook page Thursday morning.

No shots have been fired, and security personnel are investigating, the center said.

"A caller to the hospital reported seeing an armed man on 4-West," the post reads. "... As a measure of precaution, staff are sheltering in place -- staff and patients en route to NMCSD are advised not to come to the hospital until the scene is cleared."

In January, a separate report of a shooting at the center turned out to be a false alarm, the military said.

Naval Medical Center San Diego bills itself as the largest military health care system in the western United States. Situated on 78 acres surrounded by San Diego's Balboa Park, the center has a 272-bed hospital, eight clinics for active-duty personnel and nine primary care sites for their family members.

The center had more than 1.2 million outpatient visits in 2014, admitting more than 19,000 patients that year. The hospital offers a comprehensive array of medical services, including births.



“The Naval Medical Center San Diego has asked people there to shelter in place after someone reported seeing an armed man, the southern California complex said on its Facebook page Thursday morning. No shots have been fired, and security personnel are investigating, the center said. "A caller to the hospital reported seeing an armed man on 4-West," the post reads. "... As a measure of precaution, staff are sheltering in place -- staff and patients en route to NMCSD are advised not to come to the hospital until the scene is cleared." In January, a separate report of a shooting at the center turned out to be a false alarm, the military said.”

This does sound like a false alarm to me. So often pranksters or more serious malefactors call in reports like this, just to see the police cars rush up. It’s a very childish turn of mind, but that doesn’t prevent adults from having it. All the same, at this time in the history of our world, I will wait with anticipation to hear or read all the follow-up items that will come out.