September 3, 4 and 5, 2017


News and Views


DACA NEWS


IS THERE A MINI REBELLION?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/several-states-consider-legal-action-against-trumps-decision-to-rescind-daca/
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS September 5, 2017, 5:26 PM
Several states consider legal action against Trump's decision to end DACA

At least three states are considering legal action against the Trump administration in the wake of the decision announced Tuesday to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that has deferred deportations for more than 780,000 people.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a former Democratic member of Congress, said that he is prepared to sue the administration over the decision to halt the program. About a quarter of DACA recipients, 220,000 people, live in California, he said.

"Ending the program is devastating not just for recipients, but for our economy. California businesses would lose more than a billion dollars in turnover costs," he said in a statement. "California is taking action because one in four DACA grantees live in our great state. I will do everything I can to fight for them."

Washington state's Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, also said his state is mulling over a legal challenge.

What happens to 800,000 DACA recipients after program ends?
Play VIDEO
What happens to 800,000 DACA recipients after program ends?

"Washington state will consider every option possible to challenge the repeal of DACA, including legal action, coordination with other states and any executive action that could help protect Dreamers," said Inslee, who noted that about 17,000 "Dreamers" live in his state.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, tweeted Monday, "We will not stand by as 42,000 New Yorkers are deported. If President Trump rescinds DACA, we will sue."

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Andrew Cuomo ✔ @NYGovCuomo
We will not stand by as the lives of 42,000 New York Dreamers are destroyed. #DACA
11:21 AM - Sep 5, 2017
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In their initial responses, the Democratic governors who are considering suing the federal government did not say what the legal basis would be.

The Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice revealed the decision Tuesday and outlined the effect that it would have on "Dreamers," creating a six-month phase-out period to pressure Congress to find a legislative solution.

Just as some top Republicans in Congress have expressed their opposition to the move, several Republican governors have also said they're against it.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, tweeted that Mr. Trump made the "wrong decision."

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Charlie Baker ✔ @MassGovernor
Governor Charlie Baker's statement regarding the President’s plan on #DACA:
12:02 PM - Sep 5, 2017
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Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, another Republican, said in a statement Tuesday that he supports DACA and has been "proud to sign into law legislation that allowed DACA recipients to become licensed teachers in our schools and provide a path for them to earn a driver's license which has increased safety for all Nevadans."

"While the State has taken many actions to embrace and ensure equal opportunities for DACA recipients, a solution requires Congressional action," Sandoval said. "I am hopeful that Nevada's federal delegation will recognize the urgency of the moment and fight for the thousands of Nevadans who are living happier lives and contributing to our state's recovery. Congress must act in order to preserve this program and reform and stabilize our nation's immigration system."

Vermont's GOP governor, Phil Scott, said Tuesday it's "unfortunate" that the president has decided to end DACA.

"It is my hope Congress will take action and continue this policy, which I believe provides long term benefits to American culture, the economy and the prosperity of our country," Scott said.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a staunch conservative, said Tuesday that while it was wrong for Obama to address "Dreamers" by executive order, "I do not favor punishing children for the actions of their parents."

"These kids must be allowed to pursue the American Dream, and Congress must act on this immediately. I am encouraged by the approach Congressman Carlos Curbelo and Senator Thom Tillis are working on to address this problem," Scott said.

The GOP governor of Utah, Gary Herbert, tweeted Tuesday, "With the repeal of DACA, Congress must act quickly, humanely, and with certainty to fix our broken immigration system."

The decision came as attorneys general from 10 other states called in June for the administration to sunset DACA by September 5 or they would expand a lawsuit against the program.


PROTEST MARCHES BY DREAMERS

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-decision-to-end-daca-sparks-protests/
CBS NEWS September 5, 2017, 1:37 PM
Trump's decision to end DACA sparks nationwide protests

NEW YORK -- Immigration activists took to the streets Tuesday to protest the Trump administration's decision to end the 2012 program that deferred deportations for nearly a million young people who were brought to the U.S.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions outlined the decision at the Justice Department, arguing that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was an "unconstitutional" overreach of former President Obama's executive authority.

After the decision was announced, protesters marched in cities across the country, including Denver, Phoenix, Washington and New York City.

In Los Angeles, some of those able to come out of the shadows because of DACA told their stories, CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports.

Yamilex asked only be identified by her first name. She said her family came to the U.S. when she was 7 years old to escape violence in Guatemala.

"We went through so much things that a 7-year-old should never have to go," she said with tears in her eyes, "but it was all because we knew that in this country we would have more opportunities."

"Where do I go from here?" she asked.

Trump Immigration
Docmary Reyes, 21, left, a DACA recipient, joins protests in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017. RICHARD VOGEL/AP

Ivan Ceja, now 25, was just 9 months old when his family crossed the border from Mexico.

"I know I'm vulnerable -- that's valid. I know I can be deported tomorrow but I'm not going to go down and give Trump or Sessions the luxury of seeing me defeated," Ceja told Blackstone.

In Manhattan, hundreds of activists gathered on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower. At least 34 protesters were arrested, a New York Police Department spokesperson told CBS News.

A 24-year-old woman who lives and works in Manhattan said she was brought to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 4 years old. She said she's the only member of her family who was protected by DACA.

"I don't consider Mexico my home," she told CBS New York. "Home is here in New York."

Some activists cried as they held hands during a sit-in on the pavement. Others stood on the sidelines, chanting loudly and waving signs. They yelled "undocumented -- unafraid."

"DACA meant everything to me. And now, five years later, I feel like my life is back in that place, like my life is back in limbo," Angie Kim, a DACA recipient, told CBS New York.

Trump Immigration Colorado
A protester holds a sign at a rally at Metropolitan State University in Denver on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017. TATIANA FLOWERS/AP

In Denver, high school students staged a walkout to protest the decision. Students marched with signs in support of DACA and joined a larger demonstration downtown, CBS Denver reports.

"I started crying because I don't think it's fair that people think that DACA is something wrong when it's not," Maria Daniela Lopez, a DACA applicant, told the station.

She added, "Like my poster says, DACA is working and it is supporting thousands of people, so I don't think it's fair that they're taking that away from everyone."

In Phoenix, DACA recipients and their families listened to Sessions' announcement and shed tears.

"We're not just here trying to get out of class, trying to skip class, trying to skip our work. It's a movement," Omar Galindo, a high school student, told CBS affiliate KPHO. "We've gotta stand up for what's right."

Aida Penuelas, a DACA recipient, told the station that she feels like her future is uncertain.

"I'm heartbroken because everything I've ever dreamed of is falling apart," she said. "My future, I don't see it anymore. Before this morning I would wake up and I could see a future ahead of me and now I don't see anything; I don't know what's going to happen."

Trump Immigration Arizona
DACA supporters march to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office to protest shortly after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' announcement. MATT YORK/AP



TO BE FAIR, TRUMP HAS ASKED CONGRESS TO DRAFT LEGISLATION TO LEGALIZE THE PROCESS. IT IS SHOCKING THAT THERE ARE 800,000 PEOPLE TO BE DEPORTED, AND THAT DOES SEEM "INDECENT" TO ME.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/obama-speaks-trump-moves-end-daca-basic-decency-194144993.html?soc_trk=gcm&soc_src=ecd5e8af-dc90-3332-9efb-d522bf6b8dfa&.tsrc=notification-brknews
Obama speaks out as Trump moves to end DACA: ‘This is about basic decency’
Michael Walsh Yahoo News September 5, 2017

Photograph -- Former U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his keynote speech to the Montreal Chamber of Commerce at the Palais de Congres in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, June 6, 2017. (Photo: Dario Ayala/Reuters)

“ . . . . Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced earlier Tuesday that the Trump administration would start phasing out Obama’s program, which he characterized “unilateral executive amnesty,” on March 5, 2018. He called upon Congress to present the president with replacement legislation by that time that would offer the estimated 800,000 young, undocumented immigrants a road to legal status. . . . . Let’s be clear: the action taken today isn’t required legally. It’s a political decision, and a moral question. Whatever concerns or complaints Americans may have about immigration in general, we shouldn’t threaten the future of this group of young people who are here through no fault of their own, who pose no threat, who are not taking away anything from the rest of us. They are that pitcher on our kid’s softball team, that first responder who helps out his community after a disaster, that cadet in ROTC who wants nothing more than to wear the uniform of the country that gave him a chance. Kicking them out won’t lower the unemployment rate, or lighten anyone’s taxes, or raise anybody’s wages.

It is precisely because this action is contrary to our spirit, and to common sense, that business leaders, faith leaders, economists, and Americans of all political stripes called on the administration not to do what it did today. And now that the White House has shifted its responsibility for these young people to Congress, it’s up to Members of Congress to protect these young people and our future. I’m heartened by those who’ve suggested that they should. And I join my voice with the majority of Americans who hope they step up and do it with a sense of moral urgency that matches the urgency these young people feel.

Ultimately, this is about basic decency. This is about whether we are a people who kick hopeful young strivers out of America, or whether we treat them the way we’d want our own kids to be treated. It’s about who we are as a people – and who we want to be.

What makes us American is not a question of what we look like, or where our names come from, or the way we pray. What makes us American is our fidelity to a set of ideals – that all of us are created equal; that all of us deserve the chance to make of our lives what we will; that all of us share an obligation to stand up, speak out, and secure our most cherished values for the next generation. That’s how America has traveled this far. That’s how, if we keep at it, we will ultimately reach that more perfect union.”



BANNON IS GONE, BUT THE ALT-RIGHT ISN’T – TWO ARTICLES. THE STATEMENT BY JULIA HAHN THAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR A LARGE INCREASE IN SEXUAL ASSAULTS ON AMERICAN WOMEN IS INACCURATE. THE SECOND ARTICLE CLARIFIES RATE OF SEXUAL ASSAULT BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

THE STATEMENT THAT TRUMP STILL CALLS BANNON FOR ADVICE JUST CONFIRMS MY THEORY – BANNON IS TRUMP’S BRAIN – A QUOTATION STOLEN FROM THE GEORGE W BUSH ERA, WHEN CHENEY WAS DESCRIBED IN THE SAME WAY. IT’S GOOD THAT WE CAN HAVE A LITTLE FUN WITH POLITICS.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/steve-bannons-right-hand-woman-remains-white-house-202241541.html
Steve Bannon's right-hand woman remains in the White House
Hunter Walker Yahoo News September 1, 2017

Photograph -- From left, Jordan Schachtel, Alex Marlow and Julia Hahn at the “Breitbart Embassy,” the nickname for their townhouse office in Washington. (Photo: Jeremy Liebman)

WASHINGTON — Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon may have left the building, but one of his top aides, Julia Hahn, remains in the West Wing.
Hahn is a 26-year-old former writer from Bannon’s site, Breitbart News. Earlier this week, a source familiar with the situation told Yahoo News that Hahn was staying on in her position as a special assistant to the president and deputy strategist in the wake of Bannon’s departure last month.

Due to her fiery writings for Breitbart, association with the controversial Bannon, and an unusual level of secrecy surrounding her work, Hahn has been the subject of mystery and intrigue since President Trump took office. Hahn did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story and the White House would not say what Hahn has been working on. However, a source said that, prior to Bannon’s exit, she was working closely with him and another top staffer, Stephen Miller, and focusing on immigration policy. Neither Bannon nor Miller responded to requests for comment on this story.

In addition to the secrecy surrounding Hahn and her duties, her rather unconventional background contributed to the interest in her work. Hahn hails from Beverly Hills, where her grandfather built a bottling company fortune, her father has produced movies, and she attended one of the Los Angeles area’s top private schools before going on to University of Chicago. Her grandmother is a well-known philanthropist and staunch advocate for gun control and her younger brother has worked in one of Trump’s least favorite fields, journalism, including a stint as an intern at the president’s frequent target, CNN. None of Hahn’s immediate family or former co-workers responded to requests for comment on this story.

Despite her roots in the liberal enclaves of Hollywood and academia, Hahn ended up developing hard-line views, particularly on immigration. She also built a close relationship with Bannon, whom liberal critics have decried as a far-right and even white supremacist influence on the White House. Earlier this year, there was a spate of profiles of Hahn in the Washington Post, the Intercept, and the New Yorker. They variously dubbed Hahn Bannon’s “right-hand woman,” his “disciple,” and even “Bannon’s Bannon,” in a reference to his reputation as a key architect of Trump’s nationalistic platform. This view of Hahn as an ideologue and Bannon protégé was cemented by her writings for Breitbart, where she railed against “immigration from undeveloped, foreign cultures” and the “expansionist immigration agenda” of House Speaker Paul Ryan, a leader in the Republican establishment.

In the last year, Hahn largely focused her Breitbart writing on immigration and trade, two of Bannon’s top priorities. Hahn regularly excoriated what she decried as the “globalist” and “open borders” agenda of Democrats and the establishment GOP. During last year’s presidential election, Hahn repeatedly attacked Trump’s opponents for backing international trade deals and immigration reform.

In a piece published last November three days before the election, Hahn blasted vice presidential candidate Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., for delivering a speech in Spanish that projected “communities of color will represent the majority of our population” by 2050. Hahn attributed this “demographic transformation of the United States” to “legal issuances of immigration visas to people from non-Western countries.” She also accused Kaine of cheering the “end of white majority.”

Hahn closed the piece on Kaine’s speech by accusing Ryan of sharing Democrats’ “desire for open borders” in opposition to “nine in 10 of his Republican constituents.” In another article for Breitbart published last October, Hahn accused Ryan of engaging in an effort to undermine Trump while boosting the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton. Hahn said Ryan and Clinton shared a “progressive, globalist worldview, which is at odds with Trump’s ‘America first’ approach.” Earlier that same month, Hahn wrote a piece that accused Ryan of criticizing Trump while ignoring what she described as an epidemic of sexual assaults by “criminal aliens.”*

“Ryan has remained passive and quiet as criminal aliens have assaulted tens of thousands of American women, but when an 11-year-old audiotape emerged of Donald Trump caught on a hot mic discussing women in crass terms, Ryan declared himself ‘sickened’ and spoke out,” Hahn wrote, referencing the infamous tape of Trump and television host Billy Bush.

Though crimes have been committed by undocumented immigrants, there is no evidence undocumented immigrants commit more crime than American citizens. Some studies have indicated undocumented immigrants commit less crime and, in recent years, as the immigrant population rose, violent and property crime has declined.

In addition to the Bannon departure, recent shakeups saw another former Breitbart staffer, Sebastian Gorka, leave the West Wing on August 25. These moves have come after former Marine Gen. John Kelly was installed as White House chief of staff and given a mandate to crack down on leaks and impose some discipline on the chaotic West Wing. Some in Trump’s orbit fear Kelly’s ascendance is a sign establishment and “globalist” voices are gaining influence and eliminating the populist “economic nationalism” that Bannon and his allies advocated and was encapsulated in Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”

Though the White House indicated Gorka did not leave his position of his own accord, he still penned a heated resignation letter blaming his exit on “forces that do not support the MAGA promise,” which he described as “ascendant within the White House.” Gorka did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

Both Gorka and Bannon have indicated they hope to influence the White House from the outside as Trump prepares to address two of the policy issues closest to their hearts — trade and immigration. The Trump administration is currently renegotiating the North American Free Trade agreement and, on Friday, the White House said there will be an announcement about the DACA immigration program next week. With Trump still reportedly calling Bannon for counsel and Hahn’s presence in the West Wing policy shop, it seems clear Bannon’s influence continues inside the building as well.


AN “EPIDEMIC” OF SEXUAL ASSAULTS BY CRIMINAL ALIENS – TRUE OR UNTRUE? NOT! JUST PROPAGANDA.

http://www.9news.com/news/local/verify/do-immigrants-commit-more-crimes/425994209
Verify: Do immigrants commit more crimes?
Anastasiya Bolton and Anna Staver,
KUSA DENVER, CO 8:34 AM. MDT March 28, 2017

Photograph -- A lot of the debate over illegal immigration centers on the suggestion that people here illegally increase the crime rate.

In the last week 9NEWS has been inundated with emails from viewers asking why we didn’t report on a Maryland rape case.

The case involves three high school students. The victim alleges that she was forced into the bathroom by two of her classmates who then sexually assaulted her.

The reason people keep emailing us about this story is because one of the girl’s accused attackers is in the country illegally.

Our viewer emails ranged from people asking us to report the story to accusing us of trying to hide the fact people who come into the U.S. illegally are a significant source of crime.

WHAT WE FOUND

The first claim that we didn’t report on the Maryland rape case is easy to verify.
It’s not true. We reported the story during our morning newscast on Thursday March 23.

But it’s important to point out that we don’t report on every rape charge in the United States.
That would be close to impossible, and you certainly wouldn’t want to watch the news or go our website if we did.

The FBI’s crime statistics show 17,370 rape charges filed in 2015. To report on all those cases, we would have had to share six rape stories every hour that we broadcasted news.

If we did report on every rape case in the country, we would have told you about the Massachusetts daycare worker who pleaded guilty just last week to sexually abusing three preschool-aged children.

And we would have told you about an Idaho case that made national headlines in December. A high school football player got a plea deal that didn’t include sex crimes charges after he was accused of sodomizing a teammate with a coat hanger.

But 9NEWS didn’t cover those stories.

We covered the Maryland story because White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer cited it as an example of why President Donald Trump is “cracking down” on illegal immigration.

As for the second claim that illegal immigrants are inherently dangerous and commit a significant number of crimes, here’s what we found.

We started by reading a series of studies on immigration and crime. (See the reading list at the end of the article.)

Nearly all the reports came to the same conclusion: Overall, both legal and illegal immigrants commit fewer crimes than U.S. citizens.

The Verify team reached out to some of those authors, and spoke with Alex Nowrasteh.

He’s the co-author of the CATO Institute’s March report called Criminal Immigrants: Their numbers, demographics and countries of origin.

Nowrasteh and his co-author found that illegal immigrants are 44 percent less likely to be incarcerated than native born Americans and legal immigrants are 69 percent less likely.

They also found that when you subtract the number of illegal immigrants who are incarcerated for immigration offenses, the statistics for legal and illegal immigrants become about the same.

“They commit this, and it sort of feels like foreigners or outsiders that are doing this to us. It feels like it’s being done to us collectively as a nation rather than the individual, brutal crime that it actually is,” Nowrasteh said of the Maryland case. “I think that makes people more animated and more upset about it.”

Distrust of foreigners is a sentiment that’s been around since the U.S. first developed an immigration policy.

When immigration swelled during the first half of the 20th century, three government commissions studied this very issue.

The Industrial Commission of 1901, the Immigration Commission of 1911, and the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement of 1931 all found immigrants committed fewer crimes than their American counterparts.

The only study we found showing a higher crime rate for immigrants came from Northwestern economics professor Jorg Spenkuch.

His study is called Understanding the Impact of Immigration on Crime.

“The average immigrant commits roughly 2.5 times as many property crimes as the average native,” according to the study.

However, he didn’t find the same to be true for “crimes of passion” like rape and aggravated assault.

Spenkuch also writes that “despite the uncertainty associated with this cost estimate, it is far too small to outweigh the welfare gains to immigration produced elsewhere in the economy.”

BOTTOM LINE

People in the country illegally do commit crimes, and those crimes would not have happened if they weren’t here.

But immigrants, whether they came her legally or not, are less likely to commit crimes than U.S. citizens.

It’s up to each individual to decide for themselves whether the negatives associated with people in the country illegally outweigh the positives they bring to the United States.

VERIFY SOURCES

Criminal Immigrants: Their numbers, demographics and countries of origin

Does Immigration Enforcement Reduce Crime? Evidence from Secure Communities

Understanding the Impact of Immigration on Crime

Why are Immigrants' Incarceration Rates so Low? Evidence on Selective Immigration, Deterrence, and Deportation



VERY HIGH WINDS WITH THIS ONE. COULD ACTUALLY GO AS HIGH AS 225 MPH UNDER THE RIGHT COMBINATION OF CIRCUMSTANCES. ALL FL KEYS RESIDENTS MUST LEAVE, THERE WILL BE NO SHELTERS OPEN.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-irma-record-atlantic-ocean-category-5-track-forecast-path/
CBS/AP September 5, 2017, 5:03 PM
Hurricane Irma becomes most powerful storm ever recorded in Atlantic Ocean

Hurricane Irma strengthened to a Category 5 storm with winds up to 185 mph as it approaches the Leeward Islands of the northeast Caribbean, the U.S. National Hurricane Center announced Tuesday, making it the most powerful storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean.

Four other storms have had winds that strong in the overall Atlantic region, but they have been in the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico, where the usually warmer waters fuel tropical cyclones.

Hurricane Irma: How to prepare for the storm
In Your Words: Tell CBS News how you're preparing for Irma

Hurricane Allen hit 190 mph in 1980, while 2005's Wilma, 1988's Gilbert and a 1935 great Florida Key storm all had 185 mph winds.

Experts say Irma's strength is a result of unusually warm water for that part of the Atlantic.

Category 6 hurricane? Don't fall for these fake news stories
Florida on notice, evacuations coming as Hurricane Irma nears

If it stays on the forecast track and reaches the Florida Straits, the water there is warm enough that the already "intense" storm could become much worse with wind speeds potentially reaching 225 mph, warned Kerry Emanuel, an MIT meteorology professor.

"People who are living there (the Florida Keys) or have property there are very scared, and they should be," Emanuel said.

170905-irma-nhc-5pm-forecast.jpg
A map from the National Hurricane Center shows the probable path of Hurricane Irma as of 5 p.m. ET on Tue., Sept. 5, 2017. U.S. NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER

Meanwhile, officials in the Florida Keys have issued evacuations ahead of Irma.

Monroe County spokeswoman Cammy Clark said that a mandatory evacuation for tourists will begin at sunrise Wednesday. An evacuation plan for residents is also underway but a timetable hasn't been determined.

"For the Florida Keys, if you were to create the worst case scenario that is what we are looking at," Monroe County Emergency Operations Center Director Martin Senterfitt told CBS Miami. "We're emphatically telling people you must evacuate; you can not afford to stay on an island with a Category 5 hurricane coming at you."

Clark said government offices, parks and schools will close and there will be no shelters in Monroe County. The county's three hospitals are also beginning evacuation plans.



NORTH KOREA

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/united-nations-chief-warning-north-korea-confrontational-rhetoric/
CBS/AP September 5, 2017, 7:57 PM
U.N. chief warns U.S., North Korea on "confrontational rhetoric"

The U.N. secretary-general is warning the U.S. and North Korea that "confrontational rhetoric may lead to unintended consequences" and stressing that the nuclear crisis must be solved diplomatically.

Antonio Guterres says it's "absolutely crucial" that the U.N. Security Council is united in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile tests and that the U.S., Russia, China, Japan and South Korea use one strategy.

Nikki Haley says North Korea is "begging for war"
Guterres told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday that North Korea's nuclear and missile tests threaten regional and international stability.

What is Kim Jong Un's goal?
Play VIDEO
What is Kim Jong Un's goal?
He accused North Korea's leaders of "needlessly and recklessly (putting) millions of people at risk including its own citizens already suffering drought, hunger and serious violations of their human rights."

Guterres urged communication and offered to support any efforts to peacefully resolve "this alarming situation."

Asked by CBS News if the U.N. could play a role in resolving the crisis in North Korea, the Secretary General said, "I have signaled to the parties my availability to support any serious efforts."

"Yet again, the DPRK [North Korea] has broken the global norm against nuclear test explosions," Guterres told reporters, CBS News' Pamela Falk reports, and he added that the unity of the Council is crucial in addressing this crisis.

But Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia made clear that disagreements persist in the Council about next steps, Falk reports. On Tuesday, he said that despite good intentions, sanctions are not working and that Moscow wants a new U.N. Resolution to focus more on a political solution, referring again to the China-Russia position in support of a "suspension for suspension."

Nebenzia also supported the Swiss proposal to mediate the dispute.

"The potential consequences of military action are too horrific," Guterres said.



https://www.cbsnews.com/news/united-nations-security-council-north-korea-emergency-meeting-hydrogen-bomb/
By PAMELA FALK CBS NEWS September 3, 2017, 5:31 PM
U.N. Security Council calls emergency meeting after latest North Korea test

After North Korea claimed it set off a hydrogen bomb Sunday in its most powerful nuclear test, President Trump's United Nations envoy, Nikki Haley, announced the United Nations Security Council would meet in an open emergency session Monday, at the request of the U.S., South Korea, Japan, France and Britain.

With the testing of a hydrogen bomb, North Korea provoked the international community and defied the toughest set of sanctions ever imposed by the U.N.

The international community is unanimous in condemning the nuclear and ballistic missile tests, but any further measures have been opposed by China and Russia, both of which have suggested talks with the government of Kim Jong Un.

Both countries have suggested a policy known as "freeze for freeze," in which North Korea would declare a moratorium on nuclear and missile tests while the U.S. and South Korea would refrain from large-scale military exercises.

North Korea says it tested a hydrogen bomb meant for missiles
Play VIDEO
North Korea says it tested a hydrogen bomb meant for missiles

U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea and diplomatic isolation have failed, thus far, to slow the rapid pace of advancement of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, diplomats say, and the most recent round of sanctions will take time to pressure the government of Kim, if they are enforced.

In a statement issued by his spokesman, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres condemned North Korea's nuclear test Sunday as "yet another serious breach of [the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's] international obligations" and as "profoundly destabilizing for regional security." He also called on the government of Kim to cease the nuclear weapon and ballistic missile tests.

The White House is threatening further action and Sunday, Defense Secretary James Mattis said that the Trump administration is not looking for the "annihilation" of any country, but warned North Korea that the U.S. has "many" military options to deal with North Korea.

"We made clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies, South Korea and Japan, from any attacks, and our commitments among the allies are ironclad," he said.


SOME LIGHTER FARE

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pennsylvania-police-red-balloons-tied-to-sewer-grates/
By JENNIFER EARL CBS NEWS September 5, 2017, 3:43 PM
Pennsylvania police respond to red balloons tied to sewer grates

Photograph -- The Lititz Borough Police Department in Pennsylvania saw at least 20 red balloons pop up overnight. LITITZ BOROUGH POLICE DEPARTMENT


I’M GLAD TO SEE THIS ISSUE CLEARED UP ONCE AND FOR ALL ... I WONDER WHAT QUESTION BROUGHT UP THIS ANSWER.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/putin-says-trump-is-not-my-bride-and-im-not-his-groom/
AP September 5, 2017, 3:24 PM
Putin says Trump is "not my bride" and "I'm not his groom"

Photograph -- Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference after the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany, July 8, 2017. POOL NEW VIA REUTERS

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin refrained from criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump at a news conference in China on Tuesday, but said a decision to shutter Russian diplomatic outposts in the U.S. was poorly handled.

Speaking at a news conference during a summit in China on Tuesday, Putin dismissed as "naive" a question about whether he was disappointed in Trump.

In comments carried by Russian news agencies, Putin said Trump is "not my bride, and I'm not his groom."

Asked how Russia would feel if Trump were impeached, Putin said it would be "absolutely wrong" for Russia to discuss domestic U.S. politics.

Russian officials cheered Trump when he was elected last year, and Putin praised him as someone who wanted to improve ties with Russia. However, further U.S. sanctions on Russia and the U.S. decision to close Russian diplomatic outposts have raised concerns that the two countries remain far apart.

The Trump administration last week ordered the closure of three Russian facilities in the U.S.: The San Francisco consulate and trade missions in New York and Washington. It was the latest in a series of escalating retaliatory measures between the former Cold War foes.

Putin said the U.S. had a right to close consulates but "it was done in such a rude way."

"It is hard to hold a dialogue with people who mix Austria with Australia," he continued, an apparent reference to a decade-old gaffe by George W. Bush, who during a 2007 visit to Sydney referred to Austrian troops when he meant Australian troops.

"The American nation, America is truly a great country and a great people if they can tolerate such a big number of people with such a low level of political culture," Putin said.



J D ROBB TIME (VIDEO ONLY)

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/video/this-week-in-pioneering-1037087811907
Mach’s “Pioneering” franchise covers the latest in scientific breakthroughs. Mach
This Flying Car Could Take Off By The End of 2018
00:00:56



A HEARTWARMING STORY – THE WIDOW’S MITE

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/offering-a-chance-for-college-for-kids-with-incarcerated-parents/
By BROOK SILVA-BRAGA CBS NEWS September 2, 2017, 7:28 PM
Offering a chance for college to kids whose parents are incarcerated

Cy Lindberg wasn't sure he'd ever pack up for the drive to Snow College.

"College was stressful because I was always thinking like, 'How am I going to make up the money to go?'" Cy said.

He was just 5 years old when his father was sent to prison. Even the cost of an in-state school seemed out of reach.

silva-braga-scholarship-3-2017-9-2.jpg
Cy Lindberg received a Willy the Plumber scholarship. CBS NEWS
"Mom comes in, she goes, 'You got the scholarship,' and I was like, 'I can go to college,'" Cy said.

The philanthropist behind Cy's scholarship was Karl Winsness.

"Most of the time you think of philanthropist, you know, Rockefeller, people with big money," Karl said.

Karl is a plumber in Salt Lake City, and for the last five years, the source of one of the country's only scholarships for kids with incarcerated parents.

silva-braga-scholarship-5-2017-9-2.jpg
Karl Winsness and one of the students he helped with a Willy the Plumber scholarship. CBS NEWS

"These kids haven't done anything wrong," Karl said.

He solicits donations with homemade fliers, but mostly the money has come out of his own $30,000 salary.

"I don't smoke, I don't drink from Starbucks, I don't have HBO," he said. "So I mean, I don't waste a lot of money on that stuff, so seriously, what's $1,000?"

$1,000 is the amount of most of the 17 "Willy the Plumber" scholarships Karl has given to Utah students.

And if that doesn't sound like a lot, you've never been where Macie Nielson was.

"A thousand dollars was a huge deal," she said.

silva-braga-scholarship-4-2017-9-2.jpg
Macie Nielson was raised by her grandparents after her parents were sent to prison. The $1,000 Willy the Plumber scholarship helped her go to college. CBS NEWS

Her application essay explained that her dad and mom were sent to jail. "I never got to give my parents a hug or have them tuck me in," she wrote. Her grandparents raised her.

"I moved in when I was 5," she said. It's pretty much home to her.

But in truth, the money is only part of the prize for a kid like Macie.

"You get really down on yourself, people judge you and you just feel like you can't do anything," Macie said. "And all of a sudden you have this random stranger who believes in you and knows that you're not who your parents are, and you do have a chance."

silva-braga-scholarship-2017-9-2.jpg
The "Willy the Plumbership" scholarships help kids with incerated [sic] parents go to his college. CBS NEWS

Karl knows what it means for a parent to be absent. He shot an intruder who turned out to be a police officer, and served 17 years, unable to support his own two daughters.

"It's nice to be able to give back or correct wrongs," he said. "Maybe it's all just part of the healing process."

Karl says the money he sends to kids like Cy helps ease the anger of all those wasted years.

"You know, I'm very grateful for this opportunity to go," Cy said.


TEMPORARY OCCUPANTS OF THE WHITE HOUSE

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-obama-congratulates-trump-on-remarkable-run-in-inauguration-letter/
By EMILY TILLETT CBS NEWS September 3, 2017, 5:06 PM
Obama congratulates Trump on "remarkable run" in inauguration letter

A letter obtained and released by CNN written by out-going President Barack Obama to incoming President Trump, reveals some life lessons Mr. Obama imparted on the newly elected commander-in-chief, while congratulating him on what he called a "remarkable run."

"Millions have placed their hopes in you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for expanded prosperity and security during your tenure. This is a unique office, without a clear blueprint for success, so I don't know that any advice from me will be particularly helpful. Still, let me offer a few reflections from the past 8 years," writes Mr. Obama to Mr. Trump.

The 44th president goes on to list some advice to Mr. Trump, including to "build more ladders of success" for hard working families and their children.

"American leadership in this world really is indispensable. It's up to us, through action and example, to sustain the international order that's expanded steadily since the end of the Cold War, and upon which our own wealth and safety depend," Mr. Obama adds.

He goes on to remind Mr. Trump that the two leaders are just "temporary occupants" in the Oval Office, adding that regardless of the daily onslaught of political spats, "it's up to use [sic] to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them."

trump obama
Former President Obama (R) congratulates President Trump after he took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2017, in Washington, D.C. GETTY

Mr. Obama leaves Mr. Trump with a final piece of wisdom for his busy moments as president: to take time for friends and family as "they'll get you through the inevitable rough patches."

The letter, written by Mr. Obama sometime after the 2016 election, was left for Mr. Trump inside the Resolute Desk of the Oval Office to read upon his arrival to the White House after his January inauguration, as part of ongoing tradition from departing president to incoming president.

Shortly before Mr. Obama left office, the letter George W. Bush wrote to him was released, also offering words of congratulations but warning of challenging times ahead of him.

"There will be trying moments. The critics will rage. Your 'friends' will disappoint you," Bush warned Obama. He added, "But, you will have an Almighty God comfort you, a family who loves you, and a country that is pulling for you, including me. No matter what comes, you will be inspired by the character and compassion of the people you will lead."

Mr. Trump acknowledged the receipt of Mr. Obama's letter during his first few days at the White House during a swearing-in ceremony for senior staff.

President Trump Swears In Senior Staff At White House
President Trump holds up an envelope that was left for him in the Oval Office by former President Obama during a swearing in ceremony of White House senior staff in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 22, 2017, in Washington, D.C. GETTY

"I just went to the Oval Office and found this beautiful letter from President Obama," Mr. Trump said. "It was really very nice of him to do that. And we will cherish that. We will keep that," said Mr. Trump of the letter.

US-POLITICS-TRUMP-STAFF
US President Donald Trump holds the letter left for him by former US president Barack Obama before the swearing-in of the White House senior staff at the White House on January 22, 2017, in Washington, DC. / AFP / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images) MANDEL NGAN / AFP/GETTY IMAGES

CNN reportedly obtained a copy of the personal letter from someone Mr. Trump allegedly showed it to.


http://splinternews.com/trump-letter-justifying-comey-firing-could-expose-vp-pe-1798728046
Trump Letter Justifying Comey Firing Could Expose VP Pence to Legal Trouble
David Boddiger
September 3, 2017

Photograph – Mike Pence and his wife

A New York Times report about an early draft letter that Donald Trump and aide Stephen Miller allegedly wrote to justify the firing of former FBI Director James Comey could have legal consequences for Vice President Mike Pence, some legal experts say.

The Times reported on Friday that special counsel Robert Mueller III has obtained the draft letter as part of his ongoing probe of Trump and Russian interference in last year’s presidential elections. Mueller is investigating Trump’s firing of Comey and the administration’s contradictory public statements to justify it, the newspaper reported.

If that investigation discovers evidence of wrongdoing in the drafting and circulation of the letter, which was shared with top advisers and the vice president, the dragnet of conspiracy and obstruction of justice accusations could sweep Pence up along with Trump, Fordham University law professor Jed Shugerman argued.

The Times wrote:

The letter, drafted in May, was met with opposition from Donald F. McGahn II, the White House counsel, who believed that its angry, meandering tone was problematic, according to interviews with a dozen administration officials and others briefed on the matter. Among Mr. McGahn’s concerns were references to private conversations the president had with Mr. Comey, including times when the F.B.I. director told Mr. Trump he was not under investigation in the F.B.I.’s continuing Russia inquiry.

Ultimately, the letter was scrapped and replaced with a toned-down version written by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Trump fired Comey on May 9. Then, White House officials, including Pence, began speaking publicly about the firing with information that not only appeared contradictory at the time, but also now seems to have been untrue.

The night of the firing, Sean Spicer, who was White House press secretary at the time, said the decision to fire Comey was led by the Justice Department. Asked who was behind the decision, Spicer said, “No one from the White House,” according to The Washington Post.

The next day, Pence told reporters at Capitol Hill that Trump had acted on the recommendations of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein. If the New York Times and Washington Post reports are accurate, then Pence could have knowingly misled the public about what he knew about Comey’s firing. And that’s where the legal hot water begins to boil for the vice president, Shugerman argues.

Of course, Donald Trump contradicted Pence’s statements not even 48 hours later, when he admitted to NBC’s Lester Holt on national television that he “was going to fire [Comey] regardless of recommendation,” and that he did it because of “this Russia thing with Trump and Russia.”

Now, in addition to possible obstruction of justice, Shugerman says Pence may have committed something called misprision of felony, which carries a prison sentence of up to three years for “whoever, having knowledge of the actual commission of a felony” fails to disclose the crime to authorities.

“There are lots of people we suspected before of participating in obstruction of justice. The biggest name tonight is Vice President Pence,” Shugerman said on MSNBC on Friday.

He added:

After this letter is edited, Mike Pence then tells the media the Comey firing was not connected to the Russian probe, and he said it was due to Rod Rosenstein’s recommendation…Those statements are untrue and it implicates Mike Pence now in a combination of conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, aiding and abetting of obstruction of justice, and also a relatively less–known felony, called misprision of a felony…


MISPRISION OF A FELONY

https://www.google.com/search?q=misprision+of+a+felony+elements&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS725US725&oq=misprision+of+a+felony&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.8817j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

The federal definition of misprision requires that, “(1) the principal committed and completed the felony alleged; (2) the defendant had knowledge of the fact; (3) the defendant failed to notify the authorities; and (4) the defendant took affirmative steps to conceal the crime of the principal.” Sep 29, 2014


Watch: breaking news msnbc
This Is Not Normal @NetworkJunkyz
Jed Shugerman @jedshug lays out the case for Pence now facing conspiracy & aiding obstruction of justice w/ today's Trump/Russia revelations
10:32 PM - Sep 1, 2017
27 27 Replies 406 406 Retweets 598 598 likes



RUSSIANS BURNED DOCUMENTS IN SEVERAL EMBASSIES

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-russia-latest-aggression-attack-fires-san-francisco-washington-diplomats-a7926436.html
Russia says US plans to break into diplomatic mission as it condemns 'unprecedented aggressive action'
Moscow summons senior US diplomat to protest over building closures in latest escalation of diplomatic tensions
Independent US staff
September 3, 2017, 16 hours ago

Russia has hit out at the US over what it called the “unprecedented aggressive action” of plans to conduct searches in the country’s trade mission complex in Washington, upping the ante in the latest diplomatic spat between the two nations.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it summoned Antony F Godfrey, a deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Moscow, to hand over a strongly-worded protest note. The note said the planned “illegal inspection” of Russian diplomatic premises included a "threat" to break down the front doors and any search could be used by the US special services for “anti-Russian provocations” by the way of “planting compromised items.”

The move follows an announcement from the US earlier this week that it would move to close the Russian consulate in San Francisco, as well as diplomatic annexes in New York and Washington as part of escalating tit-for-tat that began in the aftermath of the US Presidential election.

The State Department later said that Russia had compiled [sic] with the order to shut the offices, but refuted the claims of threats to break down doors. The department said a walkthrough was conducted with Russian officials and the US is upholding international law.

The Trump-Russia probe contains new and explosive allegations
It also comes amid reports of fires at the Russian diplomatic premises in Washington and San Francisco, sparking speculation that documents might be being burned before closure.

In Washington, Foreign Policy reported signs that staff were burning paper at the Trade Representative of the Russian Federation, which came after images of thick black smoke coming from the chimney of the building in San Francisco.

Mindy Talmadge, a spokeswoman from the San Francisco Fire Department, told the Associated Press that the department received a call about the smoke and sent a crew to investigate but determined the smoke was coming from the chimney.

Ms Talmadge said she did not know what they were burning on a day when normally cool San Francisco temperatures had already climbed to 95 degrees by noon.

“It was not unintentional. They were burning something in their fireplace,” she said.

Responding to the reports, Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, said it was part of a “mothballing”.

“In relation to this, the windows could be closed, the light could be turned off, the water could be drained out, the heating appliances could be turned off, the garbage could be thrown away, essential services could be turned off and many other things,” she wrote on social media.

Related video: Sen. Lindsey Graham - Trump is empowering Putin by ignoring the cyber attacks

The cooling of diplomatic co-operation between the two nations began in late 2016, when then-President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and the seizure of two Russian government compounds in response to US intelligence services stating that Russia had sought to interfere in the election that made Donald Trump president.

At the time, Russia said it would not retaliate immediately, but would wait to see what the Trump administration would do. However, after Donald Trump reluctantly backed expanded sanctions against Russia voted for by Congress in July, Moscow ordered the US to cut its diplomatic staff in Russia by around half as well as announcing property seizures of its own. That would bring the number of staff down to 455, to match the number of Russian diplomats in the US.

That move prompted the US to announce the closures in San Francisco and on the East Coast, bringing the latest Russian protest note.

READ MORE
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US orders Russia to close diplomatic offices in three US cities
Mueller seeks to draw Paul Manafort into Trump-Russia probe
Trump allies 'should not expect pardons over Russia investigation'

“The note stressed that we are considering a planned illegitimate search of diplomatic premises in Russia without the presence of Russian officials and a threat to crack the front door as an unprecedented, aggressive action that can also be used by the US special services to organise an anti-Russian provocation using planted compromising objects,” a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

“The US authorities must stop the gross violations of international law and breaching the immunity of Russia's diplomatic institutions. Otherwise, we reserve the right to reciprocate on mutual basis,” it added.”

The United States says Russia has complied with its order to shutter the San Francisco consulate and trade offices in Washington and New York.

But it is disputing Russia's claim that U.S. officials threatened to break down the doors as part of a plan to search the premises. A senior State Department official told the Associated Press that personnel from the Russian Embassy joined State Department officials for walkthroughs of the three properties so the US could verify the Russians had vacated ahead of the Saturday deadline. The official says it's untrue that the FBI is “clearing the premises.”

A senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin called Washington's had decried the US decision to close the diplomatic premises via state media late on Friday.

“These new steps push the bilateral relations further into a deadlock,” Yuri Ushakov told Russia Today late Friday.

“Moreover, they contradict the statements made by the US President's administration, including at the highest level, on the establishment of cooperation… Unfortunately, the spiral of unfriendly moves tightens,” he said.

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report



TWO GREAT VIDEOS --
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InV2vogeiec – Prehistoric music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBUFRmQ4eso – Ice Age flutes