May 6, 2017


News and Views


TO ME, THIS IS THE SHOCKER OF THE MONTH, THOUGH WHAT’S REALLY A SIGN OF THE TIMES IS THAT HE WOULD SAY THAT OUT LOUD AND IN FRONT OF A TOWN MEETING. HE WON’T BE REELECTED, I’LL BET.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gop-congressman-nobody-dies-because-they-dont-have-access-to-health-care/
By KATHRYN WATSON CBS NEWS May 6, 2017, 1:41 PM
GOP congressman: “Nobody dies because they don’t have access to health care"

Idaho Republican Rep. Raul Labrador sparked outrage from his audience and online after saying "nobody dies" for lack of health care access in a town hall Friday night at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho.

Labrador made the comments the day after the U.S. House passed a GOP-led health care bill repealing and replacing chunks of Obamacare. Labrador, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, was responding to an audience member who expressed concern about how the bill would affect Medicaid recipients.

"You are mandating people on Medicaid accept dying. You are making a mandate that will kill people," the audience member said, before being drowned out by Labrador's response.

"No one wants anybody to die," Labrador said. "You know, that line is so indefensible. Nobody dies because they don't have access to health care."

The line immediately drew audible outrage from the crowd, as well as ire from social media users.

Labrador was similarly booed for a comment he made last month that health care isn't a "basic human right."

What's next for the health care bill?
Play VIDEO
What's next for the health care bill?

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was fiercely criticized for a similar comment he made in 2012.

"We don't have people that become ill, who die in their apartment because they don't have insurance," the former Massachusetts governor told editors of the Columbus Dispatch.

It's unclear how many people would lose health insurance under the current version of GOP plan, which has yet to be scored by the Congressional Budget Office.

A 2009 study published by the American Journal of Public Health before Obamacare became law, said 45,000 people die annually from lack of health insurance.



GIVEN THIS YEARS’ EXPERIENCES WITH THE TRUMP/CLINTON CAMPAIGN, AND TRUMP’S CADRE OF PRIVATE SPIES AND SOLDIERS, WITH A CURRENT AND GROWING CONNECTION WITH THE NOVEMBER, 2016 DNC HACKING IN THE USA, I THINK PEOPLE IN FRANCE MAY BE MUCH LESS LIKELY TO BELIEVE THAT LE PEN HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS ONE, EITHER. THE RIGHT LEANING OF LE PEN AND THE PRESENCE OF RUSSIA IN THIS FRENCH CASE ALSO, IS TOO SIMILAR TO THE [HIGHLY SUSPECT] WIN BY DONALD TRUMP UNDER THE SAME SITUATION.

LET’S SEE HOW THE FRENCH PEOPLE RESPOND TO IT. IN AN INTERNET/MEDIA CONNECTED WORLD, SHEER NAIVETE IS HARDER TO KEEP ALIVE; PEOPLE ARE HARDER TO FOOL. EVERYONE’S ON THE INTERNET NOW, AND NEWS TRAVELS AS FAST AS IT DOES IN THE TV TOWN OF MAYBERRY, NC, WHERE ANDY GRIFFITH WAS SHERIFF. I DON’T LIKE ANY ULTRA-RIGHTISTS ANYWAY, SO I DO HOPE THIS MAN MACRON, WHO IS SAID TO BE A MODERATE, WILL WIN HANDS DOWN.

A VERY INTERESTING THING IN THIS STORY IS THAT THERE IS A BLACKOUT, “A PERIOD OF REFLECTION FOR VOTERS.” I THINK WE COULD USE ONE OF THOSE IN THIS COUNTRY.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hack-of-macron-campaign-rocks-french-presidential-race-ahead-of-election/
CBS/AP May 6, 2017, 8:23 AM
Hacking attack rocks French presidential race ahead of Sunday's vote

PARIS -- France's election campaign commission says "a significant amount of data" has been leaked on social networks following a hacking attack allegedly suffered by centrist presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron, 36 hours before the nation votes Sunday in the crucial runoff against Marine Le Pen.

The commission said Saturday that leaked data apparently came from Macron's "information systems and mail accounts from some of his campaign managers." In a statement released after a morning meeting, the watchdog said the leaked data had been "fraudulently" obtained and that fake news has probably been mingled with it.

The commission urged French media and citizens "not to relay" the leaked documents "in order not to alter the sincerity of the vote."

Apparent hacking in high-stakes French election
Play VIDEO
Apparent hacking in high-stakes French election

The timing of the leak is very strange, coming at a time when all campaigning has officially stopped and all reporting on the election is likewise supposed to have ceased, CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips reports. The blackout is supposed to be a period of reflection for voters.

Macron's political movement said the unidentified hackers accessed staffers' personal and professional emails and leaked campaign finance material and contracts -- as well as fake decoy documents -- online.

Links from Wikileaks showed lists of documents, but whatever is in them may have limited -- if any -- influence on the election results because of the official news blackout.*

The Macron campaign was clearly furious. Slamming the hack as an effort to "seed doubt and disinformation" and destabilize the vote, Macron's movement En Marche said it would "take all measures" to shed light on what happened. It recalled similar leaks from Hillary Clinton's U.S. presidential campaign, which also said that authentic documents were mixed with false ones.

Is Marine Le Pen France's Trump?
Play VIDEO
Is Marine Le Pen France's Trump?

Suspicion for the attack is falling on the Russians and is considered a possible attempt to benefit the faltering campaign of Marine Le Pen, who was jeered out of one of her own rallies Friday. Le Pen -- the right wing, anti-immigration candidate -- is known to be less hostile to the Kremlin and even met with Vladimir Putin during the campaign. She has also received campaign funding from a Russian bank.

The No. 2 in Le Pen's anti-immigration National Front party, Florian Philippot, asked in a tweet, "will the #Macronleaks teach us something that investigative journalism deliberately buried?"

A Le Pen victory in Sunday's election would be a massive surprise, given Macron's 20-point lead in the polls.

Still, with neither of the two remaining two candidates coming from the established political parties, this election has already produced a surprise.



IS THIS A BACK DOOR TO BREAKING DOWN THE IMPORTANT DOCTRINE OF THE SUPERIORITY OF FEDERAL OVER STATE IN SOME ISSUES? IT CERTAINLY IS AN ATTEMPT TO “DECONSTRUCT THE EPA.” SEE THE LAST SENTENCE. I COULDN’T FIND A DEFINITION OF “FEDERAL PARTIALITY;” AND WHEN I LOOKED, THE IDEA OF “ARBITRATION” ALWAYS COMES UP IN CONNECTION WITH THAT OF “PARTIALITY.” IT MAY SIMPLY BE A REFERENCE TO THE FACT THAT IN LOTS OF AREAS IN THE LAW, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS GIVEN PRECEDENCE OVER STATE OR LOCAL. THERE ARE VERY GOOD REASONS FOR THAT, BUT THESE TEA PARTIERS REALLY HATE IT.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/epa-head-scott-pruitt-recuses-himself-from-lawsuits-against-the-epa-he-pursued/
By KATHRYN WATSON CBS NEWS May 6, 2017, 10:31 AM
EPA head Scott Pruitt recuses himself from Obama-era lawsuits against agency

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt is recusing himself from a number of active lawsuits against the EPA he pursued as Oklahoma's attorney general— including the Clean Power Plan and Waters of the United States suits, according to a memo environmental and energy publication E&E News obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request.

"To demonstrate my profound commitment to carrying out my ethical responsibilities, while I am the administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, I will not participate in any active cases in which Oklahoma is a party, petitioner or intervenor, including the following," Pruitt wrote in the May 4 memo to EPA's acting assistant administrators, acting general counsel, inspector general and acting regional administrators, before listing 12 cases from which he is recusing himself.

Pruitt, a longtime critic of the EPA while serving as Oklahoma's attorney general, joined a collection of attorneys general suing the EPA over the Clean Power Plan, the key component of former President Barack Obama's climate change agenda. Last week, a federal appeals court granted President Donald Trump's request to halt the lawsuit, effectively sending the rule back to the EPA for review and likely quashing the measure that aimed to combat carbon dioxide emissions from coal power plants.

Pruitt also sued the EPA in 2015 over the Waters of the United States, or "WOTUS," rule, which expanded the definition of what qualifies as a federal body of water. But Mr. Trump signed an executive order in February directing the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to review and rescind the rule.

EPA director downplays CO2 role in global warming
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EPA director downplays CO2 role in global warming

Pruitt's memo also recuses him from litigation involving Volkswagen, including the criminal case against the company for allegedly cheating on emissions tests.

"Thus far, I have not participated in any of the cases listed in this recusal statement officially at all and will continue to recuse for now," Pruitt wrote. "In the event that I wish to participate, I will seek an ethics determination from the (designated agency ethics officer), which will appeal the federal partiality set forth" in federal law.


I AM SO GLAD TO SEE WATCHDOGS OF THE LAW AND OF OUR DEMOCRACY STEPPING UP TO COMBAT THE BILLIONAIRES’ ONSLAUGHT AGAINST MY COUNTRY.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-ag-says-hell-sue-if-senate-passes-unconstitutional-obamacare-repeal/
By KATHRYN WATSON CBS NEWS May 6, 2017, 11:52 AM
New York AG threatens lawsuit if Senate passes "unconstitutional" health care bill

Photograph -- New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. CBS NEWS

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a warning to Congress -- if the Senate passes the House's legislation repealing and replacing Obamacare, he may sue.

"I hope it'll never become law. I hope we'll be able to save a lot of time and trouble and not have to bring this litigation," Schneiderman said in an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett Friday night.

Schneiderman criticized the American Health Care Act, which the House passed Thursday, as not only "bad public policy" but "unconstitutional." Schneiderman criticized the bill's ban on government funding for Planned Parenthood, and provision that insurance plans covering abortions aren't "qualified" health plans.

GOP health care bill attacks Planned Parenthood funding
Play VIDEO
GOP health care bill attacks Planned Parenthood funding

"Federal funds aren't used for abortions now," Schneiderman said. "This is an effort to cut off funding for breast cancer screenings, education on sexually transmitted disease -- it imposes an undue burden on women's constitutional rights."

"We are beseeching the Senate to make sure this never becomes the law of the land," Schneiderman added.

It's unlikely the House's bill will pass the Senate in its current form, as senators indicated they will be making changes to the bill, if not re-writing it entirely.

Mr. Trump expressed confidence Thursday night in New York that the health bill would pass the Senate.

"I think we'll get it through," he said, according to the White House pool report. "... The Senate is looking forward to getting it. [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell knows how to do things."

Breaking down the House GOP health care bill
Play VIDEO
Breaking down the House GOP health care bill

Schneiderman has made it part of his mission to hold the Trump administration accountable. Last month, he began legal proceedings against the Trump administration for "violating federal law" by delaying energy efficiency standards for some products.

"I will continue to use the full force of my office to compel the Trump administration to live up to its obligations to the law and the people of New York," Schneiderman said in a news release announcing the legal proceedings.

He is also supporting efforts to make Mr. Trump's tax returns public. A bill from a New York state senator would force the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance to release New York State income tax returns for all government officials elected statewide -- including the president of the United States.



THIS IS A GREAT PROJECT FOR ANYONE, REALLY, BUT ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS WHO ARE USUALLY SO FOND OF ROBOTS. IT’S LIKE THE SHOP CLASS THAT MY BROTHER IN LAW TAUGHT, WHO WITH THE BACKING OF THE HIGH SCHOOL, BUILT A HOUSE WHICH WAS ACTUALLY PUT UP FOR SALE. DOING AN ADULT LEVEL TASK AND DOING IT WELL IS REALLY STIMULATING AND EDUCATIONAL TO YOUNG PEOPLE. MORE INTERESTING SCHOOL WORK WOULD IMPROVE THE GRADES IN SCHOOLS, INSTEAD OF BORING THE KIDS TO DEATH AND THEN THREATENING THEM FOR GOING TO SLEEP IN CLASS. IN-SCHOOL PROJECTS ARE GREAT; ART AND MUSIC ARE GREAT. PARTICIPATION IS THE KEY.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/indiana-kids-defy-the-odds-on-their-school-robotics-team/
By STEVE HARTMAN CBS NEWS May 5, 2017, 8:02 PM
Indiana kids defy the odds on their school robotics team

INDIANAPOLIS -- When Pleasant Run Elementary in Indianapolis decided to launch a competitive robotics team last fall, coach Lisa Hopper said she had one goal and one goal only: to avoid humiliation.

"I said, 'I hope we don't embarrass ourselves, and if that happens I'll be a happy coach,'" Hopper said.

Photograph -- d3-hartman-robotics-0505en-transfer.jpg, Lisa Hopper CBS NEWS

The school is in a high-poverty neighborhood, so the kids don't have many resources. And her 4th grade team didn't know the first thing about robotics.

Nevertheless, the Pleasant Run Pantherbots began studying and then designing a robot to complete the assigned task. In the beginning there were a few successes -- and a lot of failures.

Although the kids say the biggest disappointment had nothing to do with their robot. At one of their first matches, an adult in the crowd heckled a Hispanic teammate, told him to "go back to Mexico."

Photograph -- d3-hartman-robotics-0505en-transfer3.jpg, The Pleasant Run Pantherbots team CBS NEWS

"I don't know why they did that," the boy said.

"That was actually kind of hurtful for them to say that," said a student.

The incident was demoralizing, but far from debilitating. In fact, it only made the kids work harder and stay after school later.

"I was so mad 'cause that happened, but I was actually kind of glad because we beat their butts," one of the kids said.

That's a poetic way of saying they channeled that insult into a victory at the city tournament. They went on to win at state, too. And just last week competed in the world championships in Louisville, Kentucky.

Photograph -- d3-hartman-robotics-0505en-transfer2.jpg, The Pantherbots at the national championship CBS NEWS

They didn't win it all, but they made it to the final round. Hardly the humiliation their coach had feared.

"They started with nothing and created something fantastic," Hopper said.

The kids are all now talking about technical careers. Someday they may build incredible robots. But for now their greatest contribution remains purely human.

"All of our team, everybody in America, it's gotta be mixed. It's a melting pot," one said.

To contact On the Road, or to send us a story idea, email us: OnTheRoad@cbsnews.com.



THE REAL NCIS AT WORK. THIS IS A PRETTY EXCITING STORY. NCIS NEW ORLEANS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TV SHOWS. THIS HIGHLY ABUSIVE AND THREATENING SITUATION IS NO JOKE, THOUGH. I HOPE THEY WILL JAIL MANY OF THESE PEOPLE RATHER THAN MERELY PUTTING A LETTER INTO THEIR PERSONNEL FILE, ESPECIALLY IF THE VICTIM WAS SUBJECT TO EXTORTION OR WORSE. ONE THING SHORT OF JAIL THAT MIGHT HELP IS TO TAKE OUT $500 OR SO OUT OF THEIR MONTHLY SALARY FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, ON AN ONGOING BASIS. I HAVE NO IDEA WHETHER THAT WOULD BE LEGAL OR NOT, BUT IT WOULD MAKE THEM THINK ABOUT BEING HONEST AND DECENT FOR A CHANGE.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nude-photo-scandal-grows-felony-cases-military-scours-web-evidence/
AP May 5, 2017, 5:56 PM
Nude photo scandal grows to 21 felony cases as military scours web for evidence

Photograph -- U.S. Marine soldiers participate in the U.S. and South Korean Marines Joint Landing Exercise at Pohang seashore on November 4, 2009 in Pohang, South Korea CHUNG SUNG-JUN, GETTY IMAGES

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Virginia -- In a cramped office at the Marines' Quantico base outside Washington, about 20 investigators sit elbow to elbow, staring into their computers as images of naked men and women flash across the screens.

On the walls are white boards with statistics, crime lists and a montage of social media messages directed to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

The objective of this disturbing sleuth work: Rooting out the extent of a nude-photo-sharing scandal that has rocked the Corps, embarrassed its leaders and spread to other military services. And the sheer scope of the job is daunting.

Photograph -- ap-602945852147.jpg, Cars pass under a sign at the entrance to the main gate at Quantico Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va., Friday, March 22, 2013. CLIFF OWEN / AP

"If you do that eight to 10 hours a day, five days a week, you get pretty burned out," NCIS Director Andrew Traver said in an interview. New agents cycled in after the first month, he said, "just because of the burnout factor, especially the ones that are doing the image review."

This is Task Force Purple Harbor. What began as a response to military members posting nude photos online has morphed into a growing criminal investigation that now includes 21 felony cases and more than 30 others referred to Marine commanders for possible administrative action. Five Marines have received administrative punishments so far, but no details have been provided.

Photograph -- Marines photo scandal victim speaks out
Play VIDEO
Marines photo scandal victim speaks out

For the investigators, men and women, it is a broad and grueling process. Agents from all four services and the Coast Guard have scoured close to 200 different websites. They've pulled more than 150,000 nude or semi-nude images. They've identified 20,000 with a possible military connection. More than half are of men.

The overwhelming majority are selfies or photos subjects posed for and then voluntarily shared, which is not illegal even under military code. That leaves just a small number of people who could potentially be prosecuted for crimes such as extortion and stealing or hacking into someone's computer hard drive.

New Navy order makes sharing nude photos without consent a crime

More than a dozen military members -- mostly women -- have asked the task force for help. They want to know if any of their intimate photographs ended up on the largely private websites without their consent. In four cases, facial recognition software has helped identify victims. One woman confirmed an image was of her. The other three are still checking.

It's the kind of investigation that could go on forever. A simple word search of "uniformed military nude" got nearly 80 million hits, Traver told The Associated Press during the interview in his Quantico office. And the anonymity of the internet makes it difficult to identify either suspects and victims.

Photograph -- ap-17111517617704.jpg, In this photo taken April 19, 2017, Andrew Traver, director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) speaks during an interview at Marine Corps Base Quantico, in Quantico, Va. CAROLYN KASTER / AP

"People that are posting and reposting, generally are not posting under their real name and some people are posting under multiple identities," said Traver. "It's very difficult for us to find the origin, to find the person that started the whole chain."

In the computer room, agents stare into their computer screens for hours a day. Tucked between the keyboards are cups, scattered papers, Fig Newtons, a cereal box.

The investigators are reviewing seemingly endless images to ferret out those they can link to the military and that appear to have been posted without permission.

It's a moving target. Site hosts shut pages down and open new ones, often within a day or two. The websites are usually private and require an invitation, which is vetted by hosts demanding a "tax." The tax, or entry requirement, is usually a naked photo, said Curtis Evans, chief of the NCIS criminal operations division.

"As law enforcement, we can't do that, and they know it," Evans said.

He described some of the internet memes online that taunt the investigators. One is a gorilla wearing an NCIS hat with a sign saying "add me." Others mimic Facebook pages, saying they are open to "Friends and NCIS" or "Only Media and NCIS."

When an investigator does secure an invitation into a closed website, Traver added, "we don't last long." When the hosts see that someone isn't posting photos or making comments, the person is kicked out.

Still, investigators have made headway.

They've opened 21 criminal cases. Sixteen suspects have been identified: nine active duty Marines, two Marine reservists, three Navy sailors, one Navy reservist and a civilian. Suspected crimes include extortion, stalking, threats and theft of photos.

Marine Corps leaders promise changes amid nude photo scandal
Play VIDEO
Marine Corps leaders promise changes amid nude photo scandal

NCIS' cyber experts are providing help sorting through the massive reams of data. They've developed new tools and software to analyze photos more quickly. All the data on a website can be stripped and each photo reviewed to determine if it includes a military uniform, a male or female, signs of consent.

A process that once took 40 seconds now takes only five to 10.

Perpetrators are getting quicker, too. The task force has seen cases when someone has posted a photo online of a military member in uniform, snapped perhaps in the chow hall or on base, and then asked for naked images of that person. Traver said it sometimes takes only an hour-and-a-half for someone else to post a naked or semi-nude photo in response.

After two months, Traver said, the investigation has slowed. They're now working more on individual cases than on the initial internet photo search.

"Now that we're sensitized to this, this will become another aspect of that type of work that we do in cyberspace," Traver said. "It's another realm that we hadn't really seen before."



THIS WONDERFUL PIECE OF MUSIC, ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITES, TELLS THE WHOLE STORY, AND IT’S A VERY SAD ONE. PLUG THIS IN ON GOOGLE, LEAN BACK IN YOUR CHAIR AND LISTEN.

https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=AwrBT7pZYg5ZOhMAg0dXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTByMjB0aG5zBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=bad+boys+song&fr=yfp-t#id=1&vid=cc0fcea7c0d491f05660edab94141087&action=view

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/massachusetts-police-officer-shot-in-face-suspect-barricades-himself-in-motel-6/
CBS/AP May 6, 2017, 12:32 AM
Suspect found dead in motel after shooting police officer in face

Photograph -- A police officer has been shot in the face at a Massachusetts motel, where the shooter is holed up in a room. CBS BOSTON

BRAINTREE, Mass. -- A man who authorities say barricaded himself in a Massachusetts motel room after shooting a police officer in the face has been found dead.

The Boston Globe reported that Braintree Police Chief Paul Shastany said at a press conference early Saturday that the officer underwent surgery at a Boston hospital and is expected to survive.

Police officers and vehicles were stationed around the grounds of the Motel 6 in Braintree, just south of Boston.

Police say officers were at the motel to check a person's warrant status Friday night when the person opened fire, hitting one officer. They say the officer has been hospitalized for surgery and is in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

A man could be hurt [sic] over police radio transmittions [sic] as the incident unfolded saying, "shots fired, get on the ground. I'm hit, I'm hit!" CBS Boston reports.

When asked if he was alright, the officer responded, "I can't see out of my left eye. I think I got hit in the arm, but I'm good."

Witnesses say they heard at least three gunshots, possibly up to seven or eight.

The motel, which was full at the time, was evacuated, sources told CBS Boston.

"I was just watching TV and then I heard gunshots," one man who was saying in the hotel recalled. "And that was about it. I went outside and they had the guy trapped in the corner so I just got evacuated, kicked out of the room."

A man who answered a phone at the motel wouldn't talk and hung up.