October 28 and 29, 2017


News and Views


WHITEFISH

ALL OF THESE SEVEN ARTICLES HAVE INFORMATION INVOLVED IN THE WHITEFISH CONTRACT. ODDITIES ABOUT IT, LIKE WHY AN UNKNOWN MONTANA COMPANY WITH ONLY TWO YEARS EXPERIENCE WAS GIVEN THE WORK, HAVE PRODUCED GREAT INTEREST. THE LEGISLATURE, PLUS MANY NEWS ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING PUBLIC RADIO ARE GETTING INTO THE DISCUSSION. THE WHITE HOUSE DENIES ANY POLITICAL CONNECTION TO THE MATTER – JUST LIKE THEY DON’T KNOW ANY RUSSIANS; HOWEVER, THIS WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BE IN THE NEWS FOR MONTHS AND MAYBE LONGER.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/puerto-rico-gov-seeks-immediate-cancellation-of-whitefish-energy-contract/
CBS NEWS October 29, 2017, 11:29 AM
Puerto Rico gov. seeks immediate cancellation of Whitefish Energy contract

Photograph -- Lawmakers called for an investigation after Whitefish Energy was awarded a $300 million contract to rebuild Puerto Rico's power grid. CBS NEWS

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello wants the $300 million contract that Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority signed with Whitefish Energy to be canceled "immediately," CBS News' David Begnaud reports.

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David Begnaud ✔@DavidBegnaud
BREAKING: Puero Rico Governor @ricardorossello wants the contract that PREPA signed with @WhitefishEnergy to be cancelled “immediately”
10:27 AM - Oct 29, 2017
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The controversy over the no-bid contract previously set off a Twitter feud between the mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yulin Cruz, and the company, which is based in Whitefish, Montana, the hometown of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

The company has only two full-time employees, and many were surprised when it received the big contract to help rebuild Puerto Rico's electrical grid in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Whitefish has never worked on a project of that size.

The Trump administration denied Friday that political connections had anything to do with restoring electrical connections in Puerto Rico, and Zinke said Friday he had nothing to do with the contract.

Whitefish CEO Andy Techmanski said his company has 300 workers on the ground in Puerto Rico working to fix a crippled electrical system. A month after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, 75 percent of the island is still without power.

This story is developing and will be updated.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/27/fema-has-significant-concerns-about-whitefishs-puerto-rico-contract.html
FEMA has 'significant concerns' about Whitefish's contract to rebuild Puerto Rico's electric grid
Tom DiChristopher | @tdichristopher
Published 3:32 PM ET Fri, 27 Oct 2017 Updated 5:48 PM ET Fri, 27 Oct 2017


FEMA says it has "significant concerns" about the Puerto Rican power authority's contract with a tiny energy company to rebuild the island's electric grid.
The $300 million contract awarded to a small, two-year-old firm called Whitefish Energy has attracted scrutiny and calls for investigations.
Whitefish is based out of Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke's hometown in Montana.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has "significant concerns" about a $300 million contract to rebuild parts of Puerto Rico's electric grid awarded to a tiny, two-year-old energy company with links to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

FEMA, the nation's disaster response agency, on Friday said it was reviewing the contract that Whitefish Energy signed with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. In a statement, FEMA said it was not involved in the decision, and warned that it might not reimburse the authority, known as PREPA, if the contract does not abide by federal requirements.

PREPA tapped Whitefish to restore electric infrastructure in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, which knocked out 80 percent of the U.S. territory's transmission lines. Whitefish had just two employees when Maria struck the island.

"Based on initial review and information from PREPA, FEMA has significant concerns with how PREPA procured this contract and has not confirmed whether the contract prices are reasonable," FEMA said in the statement.

"FEMA is presently engaged with PREPA and its legal counsel to obtain information about the contract and contracting process, including how the contract was procured and how PREPA determined the contract prices were reasonable," it said.

Whitefish and PREPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The announcement on Friday adds another layer of scrutiny to the contract, which has been under a microscope ever since Whitefish announced it last week.

News reports have revealed that Zinke's son worked a summer construction job for Whitefish CEO Andy Techmanski. The company is based out of Whitefish, Montana, Zinke's hometown.

Though Zinke and Techmanski acknowledge knowing one another, the Interior Department and Techmanski both told the Washington Post the secretary played no role in Whitefish securing the contract.

On Thursday, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce requested documents related to the contract from Whitefish. The ranking Democrats on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources and Finance committees on Wednesday asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate the contract.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello has also asked the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general to look into the deal.


Tom DiChristopher CNBC
Tom DiChristopher
Energy Reporter



https://splinternews.com/there-are-now-three-separate-investigations-into-that-s-1819889818
There Are Now Three Separate Investigations Into That Shady Puerto Rican Energy Contract
Rafi Schwartz
Thursday 5:35pmFiled to: WHAT GIVES?

[NOTE: SPLINTERNEWS.COM IS AN ETHICAL AND RELIGIOUS SITE, FOCUSING ON THE NEWS AND SOCIAL ISSUES. SEE THEIR WEBSITE FOR MORE.]

The perplexing decision to award obscure Montana company Whitefish Energy with a massive contract to help fix Puerto Rico’s failing electrical grid has prompted mass outrage, a ridiculous twitter spat, a bullshit apology, and now, the beginnings of two separate congressional investigations.

On Thursday, members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce requested that Whitefish Energy CEO Andrew Techmanski provide numerous documents relating to its recent contract with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority and its ongoing work on the island ahead of a November 9 appearance before the committee.

“We understand Whitefish is focused on the critical task of restoring power for the population of Puerto Rico,” the committee members wrote in a letter to Techmanski. “In light of the questions that have been raised about your company’s involvement in recovery efforts, however, it is important to develop a clear understanding of the facts.”

The House Natural Resources Committee is also probing the peculiarities of the $300 million contract. In a letter asking PREPA Executive Director Ricardo Ramos to provide documents on the process by which Whitefish was awarded the lucrative contract, the committee members wrote:

The size and terms of the contract, as well as the circumstances surrounding the contract’s formation, raise questions raise questions regarding PREPA’s standard contract awarding procedures.

Ramos has previously defended the decision to award Whitefish the contract, claiming they were the most available company who were not requiring upfront payment for their work.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General has confirmed that it is also looking into the Whitefish deal.

“They will review the contract and as part of their standard procedure, they will conduct vetting to look for the presence of any inappropriate relationships,” an OIG spokesperson told The Hill.

Whitefish, meanwhile, claims to have several hundred workers—many of whom are subcontractors—on the ground in Puerto Rico. As of Thursday, just under 75% of the island was still without power.



https://www.bloomberg.com/profiles/companies/1439765D:US-whitefish-energy-holdings-llc
Whitefish Energy Holdings LLC

Private Company
Company Profile
Sector: Industrials
Industry: Engineering & Construction Svcs
Sub-Industry: Infrastructure Construction

Whitefish Energy Holdings LLC operates as a holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, constructs utility infrastructure projects. Whitefish Energy Holdings serves customers worldwide.

Corporate Information
Address:
1444 Oak Lawn Avenue
Suite 119
Dallas, TX 75207
United States
Phone: -
Fax: -
Web url: www.whitefishenergy.com


BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT HOLDING COMPANIES

http://info.legalzoom.com/can-one-llc-two-businesses-4772.html

The limited liability company, or LLC, is a popular business structure for small business and startup ventures because it blends the advantages of traditional corporations and partnerships. LLCs can also be used to own other businesses. The same flexibility in tax treatment and membership, as well as their owners' limited liability from law suits, has made LLCs useful as holding companies.

Membership in LLCs and Shares in Corporations
As state law governs all non-tax aspects of LLC existence – and most states do not restrict ownership in LLCs – any individual, corporation or partnership can theoretically own membership interests in an LLC. . . . . LLCs as Holding Companies
When an LLC is set up to be a holding company, it conducts no operations other than owning the other company and its assets. The company where operations actually occur, and where most of the employees and liabilities are, is called an "operating company." Frequently, not only does the holding company own the shares or membership interests in the operating company, but it also owns the operating company's most important assets – it just leases them out to the operating company. The operating company can also purchase assets with cash borrowed from the holding company, which takes a mortgage or other security interest in the asset. . . .
Drawbacks

When an LLC operates as a holding company, even if it holds only one corporation or LLC, the operators inject another level of complexity, and thereby opportunity for error, into the company's operations. The operating company's assets and accounting must be kept separate from those of the holding company; the lines must not blur, and the operators must take care to observe the formalities with respect to both companies. Failure to do so creates the danger that a court will declare the holding-operating company distinction a sham, allowing a civil plaintiff to pierce the limited liability shield for the operating company and reach the assets of the holding company – which include ownership of the revenue-generating operating company.

Benefits

Despite the complexity of dividing a business into holding and operating companies, the division offers significant advantages to the members of the holding company LLC. The limited liability of the operating company shields its sole member, the holding company LLC, from torts committed by the operating company's employees. The holding company in turn provides limited liability to its own members, creating two levels of limited liability protection. As the holding company probably owns all of the operating company's assets and takes most of its cash in the form of lease or debt payments, creditors of the operating company have little recourse against cash or assets. As the holding company conducts no operations of its own, its opportunity for any liability at all is virtually nonexistent.



THIS IS A 51% BRAZILIAN-OWNED COMPANY, THEREFORE A QUESTION HAS BEEN RAISED ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL LEGALITIES. SEE BELOW. ALSO OF INTEREST, A PART OF THE WORKERS HAVE BEEN SUBCONTRACTED FROM JACKSONVILLE FL’S POWER PROVIDER, JEA.

http://mtpr.org/post/whitefish-company-wins-power-restoration-contract-puerto-rico
Whitefish Company Wins Power Restoration Contract In Puerto Rico
By NICKY OUELLET • OCT 18, 2017

Photograph -- Whitefish Company Wins Power Restoration Contract In Puerto Rico
(PD)
Listen Listening. 5:32 -- Whitefish Company Wins Power Restoration Contract In Puerto Rico

A small company in Whitefish has won a major contract to restore power to Puerto Rico following widespread outages from Hurricane Maria. Nicky Ouellet reports there’s some confusion over why the Montana company was chosen.

Whitefish Energy Holdings is relatively new to the Flathead Valley. The company was established in 2015. It doesn’t have an office and only lists two employees. Yet it won a bid with the Puerto Rico Power Electric Authority, or PREPA, to rebuild more than 100 miles of downed transmission lines following a near system failure after two hurricanes hit the island in September. The contract is garnering national attention. The Weather Channel had a story this week:

"Something fishy is going on in Puerto Rico, and it’s not just the name of the company involved. Whitefish Energy Holdings was awarded a contract to restore power to the island by the local power authority, but no one can figure out why," says the Weather Channel story.

I tried getting in touch with Whitefish Energy for a week. They referred to me to their public relations firm, but no one would give me an interview. So I called Ricardo Ramos, PREPA's chief executive officer. He spoke on the phone from San Juan.

"We knew there was going to be a direct hit, so we wanted as much resources as possible. Their name popped up on several fronts," Ramos says.

Ramos says PREPA received bids from a few companies in the lull after Hurricane Irma hit the island, but before Hurricane Maria made landfall. PREPA, which filed for bankruptcy in July, shortlisted to two, including Whitefish Energy.

"Just before hurricane Maria came, one of those two requested a payment guarantee that we thought was a bit onerous, so we decided to mobilize Whitefish [Energy]," Ramos says.

Whitefish did not ask for a payment guarantee. It signed a contract for an undisclosed amount to rebuild three to four transmission lines — or more than 100 miles of PREPA’s total 2,500 miles of lines. PREPA is open to expanding the contract in the future.

This is just one aspect of power restoration on Puerto Rico, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing other parts of the effort and recently awarded a $240 million contract to a Texas-based corporation for power restoration.

Usually after a catastrophic power outage, utility companies call a trade organization to initiate mutual aid. The American Public Power Association organizes a network of state and regional public power utilities to restore electricity quickly.

But PREPA never made that call. Ramos says that’s because his utility lost communication within and outside the island following Hurricane Maria’s landfall.

"Just a matter of the timing. Hurricane came, all communications went down, our servers were down," says Ramos.

By the time communications came back online, President Donald Trump had declared a major disaster on the island, and FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, stepped in. FEMA charged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to oversee power restoration work, which will be paid for using federal funds for the first 180 days.

It’s unclear why PREPA didn’t call for mutual aid* when it contracted Whitefish Energy. Ramos says PREPA has paid Whitefish Energy about $2 million for its mobilization and work through October 11.

It’s now been a month since Maria hit. PREPA reports that it’s running at 19 percent of its power generation capabilities.

"Everything is working OK according to our expectations," Ramos says.

Whitefish Energy made a splash in the Flathead Valley last December, when CEO Andy Techmanski announced to news outlets he planned to build a transformer manufacturing plant at the former Columbia Falls Aluminum Company site. CFAC is currently a federally managed Superfund Site.

Techmanski told reporters he’d need the two local utilities to purchase about $20 million in pre-ordered transformers. Neither utility chose to do so.

Wendy Ostrom-Price is the public relations officer for Flathead Electric Co-op, one of the utilities Techmanski approached. She says Flathead Electric did contract Whitefish Energy to replace a transformer in the Libby area.

"We are scheduled to have that transformer delivered sometime before the end of the year."

Ostrom-Price declined to specify the dollar amount of that contract.

Contracting Whitefish Energy was a question mark at first, because the company is 51 percent owned by a Brazilian corporation, called COMTRAFO. Flathead Electric follows federal Buy American Act standards, meaning that at least half of the components in the equipment they use need to be built in the USA.

Ostom-Price says Flathead Electric did its homework.

"We know that over 50 percent of components used in this transformer and construction thereof is done in U.S."

Meanwhile in Puerto Rico, Whitefish Energy has been posting daily updates to social media. This one features CEO Andy Techmanski.

Whitefish Energy says it has 240 workers on the ground. A portion of those workers are subcontracted from Jacksonville Electric Authority in Florida. A spokesperson says Jacksonville Electric is committed to up to 90 days of work with Whitefish Energy.

Officials estimate repairs will last about six months.


MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT*

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_aid_(emergency_services)

Mutual aid (emergency services)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In emergency services, mutual aid is an agreement among emergency responders to lend assistance across jurisdictional boundaries. This may occur due to an emergency response that exceeds local resources, such as a disaster or a multiple-alarm fire. Mutual aid may be ad hoc, requested only when such an emergency occurs. It may also be a formal standing agreement for cooperative emergency management on a continuing basis, such as ensuring that resources are dispatched from the nearest fire station, regardless of which side of the jurisdictional boundary the incident is on. Agreements that send closest resources are regularly referred to as "automatic aid agreements".

Mutual aid may also extend beyond local response. Several states have statewide mutual aid systems. Examples include Washington and Oregon statewide mobilization programs. MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) is a regional mutual aid system, headquartered in Illinois, with 1500 member fire departments in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri.

Utility companies usually also have mutual aid agreements.[citation needed] . . . . Such calls for mutual aid are the results of incident escalations as determined by the incident commander. The responses required from other towns is predefined, so all the dispatcher has to do is call the appropriate resources as determined by the "run card" for such an incident.

International mutual aid is also common on border communities in places such as Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, and others.



https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/whitefish-ceo-says-nothing-to-hide-in-puerto-rico-contract/ar-AAuaXUg?page=12
Whitefish CEO Says 'Nothing to Hide' in Puerto Rico Contract
NBC News
Gabe Gutierrez
October 29 2017 15 hrs ago

Photograph -- © Provided by NBCU News Group, a division of NBCUniversal Media LLC Image: Whitefish CEO Andy Techmanski during his interview with Gabe Gutierrez.

SAN JUAN, P.R. — The CEO of Whitefish Energy, the small Montana company under intense scrutiny for an up to $300 million contract to help restore power to storm-ravaged Puerto Rico, said that he first made contact with officials on the island through the social networking site LinkedIn — and not through any previous connections.

In an interview with NBC News in San Juan, Andy Techmanski, responded to growing calls from Capitol Hill for the contract to be terminated.

"I think that there are people out there on a witch hunt looking for something that does not exist," he said.

Techmanski insists he first reached out to officials with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) — he did not name exactly who — through LinkedIn shortly after Hurricane Irma hit in early September. That storm knocked out power to 1 million.

Techmanski said he kept in contact with the power authority as Hurricane Maria approached. On Sept. 26, six days after Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, he said he flew down to the island to speak directly with PREPA officials.

The Whitefish contract controversy erupted in recent days largely following a report in The Washington Post detailing the mounting questions surrounding the deal. Since then, members of Congress from both parties have called for investigations. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello has referred a local audit to the territory's Office of the Comptroller and he wants the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general to look into the contract.

"They can audit it," Techmanski said. "There is nothing to hide."

It was widely reported that Whitefish only had two full-time employees when Maria made landfall, a number not disputed by Whitefish's own newly-hired media team at the time.

But Techmanski now argues that figure is incorrect, and that the company had 20-40 full-time employees working projects in Arizona, Montana and Washington State. He said Whitefish has more than 350 workers in Puerto Rico and plans to have more than 500 there soon.

"We're here doing actual work," Techmanski said. "We're under a contract and we came in good faith, and I think we're making an impact."

He strongly denies that U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke - also from Whitefish, Montana - or anyone else in the Trump administration had anything to do with securing the contract. Zinke said in a statement Friday that "I had absolutely nothing to do with Whitefish Energy receiving a contract in Puerto Rico" and any suggestions of involvement or influence "are completely baseless."

Still, in a written statement Friday, FEMA said it had "significant concerns" and had not approved the deal, despite a portion of the contract that suggested otherwise.

"That's simply not something we would do," Mike Byrne, FEMA's coordinator in Puerto Rico, told NBC News on Saturday.

Related: Puerto Rico's Frantic Search for Someone to Turn on the Lights

According to the contract, the labor rates were $240 an hour for a general foreman and $227 for a lineman. Almost $80 a day for meals, and $332 a day for lodging were included.

"Some of the costs that they showed us, we felt we needed to have a harder look," Byrne said. "We're going to give them a chance to make the case as to why those are higher than what we would've thought we'd see and if it's legitimate, then we'll accept it. If it's not legitimate, then we're going to end up telling them what we will be willing to pay."

A man riding a horse jumping over a fence: Image: Whitefish Energy Holdings workers restore power lines damaged by Hurricane Maria in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico© Provided by NBCU News Group, a division of NBCUniversal Media LLC Image: Whitefish Energy Holdings workers restore power lines damaged by Hurricane Maria in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico

In the document, there is also a portion that reads: "By executing the Contract, PREPA hereby represents and warrants that FEMA has reviewed and approved of this Contract."

Techmanski said that language wasn't supposed to be there and has been deleted from an amended version of the contract, which he declined to provide.

"I haven't compared them side-by-side," he said. "But certainly an oversight."

Techmanski's signature was on the original document — along with that of Ricardo Ramos, the recently-appointed head of PREPA, the embattled utility company that is $9 billion in debt and went bankrupt in July after a long history of maintenance problems and corruption allegations.

On Saturday, officials with PREPA did not comment and said Ramos was not immediately available. But on Thursday, Ramos said at a news conference that if he had to approve the contract again, he would - and that there had not been anything illegal or out of order.

Related: Democrats Call for Investigation Into Whitefish Energy Contract in Puerto Rico

Ramos attributed the criticism of the deal to "mainly gossip from the U.S" and suggested it could be coming from other contractors who didn't get the job.

Techmanski said Whitefish has been paid about $8-10 million so far.

When asked whether he thought the contract had been rushed, Techmanski said: "How can you take time with a contract that has to do with millions of people being out of power? It's not something that could take days or weeks to contemplate. The priority and should still remain the priority is getting power back to the people of Puerto Rico. So do I think it was rushed? No."

Image: Whitefish CEO Andy Techmanski during his interview with Gabe Gutierrez.
Image: Whitefish Energy Holdings workers restore power lines damaged by Hurricane Maria in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico
Image: Whitefish Energy Holdings workers restore power lines damaged by Hurricane Maria in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico
Image: Whitefish CEO Andy Techmanski during his interview with Gabe Gutierrez.
Next Slide
1/3 SLIDES © Whitefish CEO Andy Techmanski during his interview with Gabe Gutierrez.
Image: Whitefish CEO Andy Techmanski during his interview with Gabe Gutierrez.

* * *


SENATOR CORKER ON FACE THE NATION (FOR A TRANSCRIPT, SEE: HTTPS://WWW.CBSNEWS.COM/NEWS/TRANSCRIPT-SEN-BOB-CORKER-ON-FACE-THE-NATION-OCT-29-2017/). I BELIEVE BOB CORKER IS ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sen-bob-corker-tillerson-getting-knee-capped-by-trump-hurts-our-nation/
By EMILY TILLETT CBS NEWS October 29, 2017, 1:13 PM
Sen. Bob Corker: Tillerson getting "kneecapped" by Trump "hurts our nation"

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, suggested Sunday that President Trump's tweets taking aim at North Korea are undermining diplomatic efforts regarding the country and its surrounding region.

"When our Secretary of State is sitting down with a partner that matters most, China, trying to negotiate something that would resolve and keep us from going into military conflict with North Korea which brings in South Korea, Japan, China, and Russia, and he's kneecapped by the president, it hurts our nation. It hurts our efforts," Corker said Sunday on "Face the Nation."

Corker called China our "greatest partner" when it comes to North Korea, and said "every military leader wants the State Department and our Secretary of State to be successful" in exercising diplomacy to "keep our men and women in uniform out of harm's way."

Transcript: Sen. Bob Corker on "Face the Nation"
When Tillerson is "kneecapped" by Mr. Trump "it leads us more fully towards the conflict that most of us would like to see resolved in another way," Corker said.

"The tweets that are sent out mocking a leader of another country raises tensions in the region," he said. "And so if people are sitting there, they know they've got an erratic leader in North Korea, they've lived with three erratic leaders. And then when we start exhibiting some of those same tendencies, it creates an air that leads again more fully towards conflict."

The senator, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and one of Mr. Trump's toughest critics within the Republican Party, previously told The New York Times that threats like those lobbed by the president toward other countries such as North Korea would set the U.S. "on the path to World War III."

Corker said on "Face the Nation" that "what we need to be doing" is supporting the efforts of Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis when it comes diplomacy.

His newest comments came just days after Corker spoke out against the president on Tuesday -- the same day Mr. Trump lunched on Capitol Hill with his Republican colleagues in an effort to push the administration's tax plan. Corker told reporters on the Hill that the president would be remembered for "the debasing of our nation," and would not able to bring his conduct up to the level demanded by the presidency.

"I think that he's proven himself unable to rise to the occasion, and I think many of us, me included, have tried to, you know, intervene, and I have had a private dinner and have been with him on multiple occasions to try and create some kind of aspirational approach, if you will, to the way that he conducts himself. I don't think that that's possible. He's obviously not going to rise to the occasion as president," said Corker.

While Corker has announced he will no longer be seeking re-election in 2018, he said that he, along with his Senate colleagues, are just "trying to do the best job we can."

"I care deeply about our country. It's why I ran for the Senate. I care even more deeply about it now having been there 11 years. I've been in the foreign relations area the entire time I've been there," said Corker.

He added, "I'm chairman. I have coffees with Tillerson often. I talk with him. I talk with national security folks not only here, but around the world. And I have a good sense of what is happening. I'm just speaking to that. That's my job. And I'll continue to do so."

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



TODAY'S NEWS ON RUSSIA PROBE

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/first-charges-filed-in-special-counsel-robert-muellers-russia-investigation/
CBS NEWS October 28, 2017, 2:32 PM
First charges filed in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation

The federal grand jury being used by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election has approved the first charges stemming from the investigation, sources tell CBS News.

The indictment is currently under seal but is expected to become public as early as Monday. The nature of the charges is not clear, nor is the identity or number of individuals targeted.

CNN first reported the approved charges Friday night.

Video -- Special Counsel Robert Mueller using grand jury in widening Russia probe

Could Russia probe reports derail tax reform?
Play VIDEO
Could Russia probe reports derail tax reform?

Peter Carr, a spokesman in the special counsel's office, declined to comment.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's office declined to comment on whether he was briefed on possible charges. Rosenstein oversees the Mueller probe at the Justice Department.

There was a flurry of activity Friday at the courthouse where the grand jury is meeting. Andrew Weissmann, a special staff attorney for the special counsel, was spotted at the courthouse. Weissmann spent much of his career at the Justice Department and recently served as the chief of the fraud section of the criminal division.

Rosenstein appointed Mueller in May to lead the investigation into Russian meddling after FBI Director James Comey was fired by President Trump. Comey led the investigation until his firing. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the investigation.

Mueller has wide latitude to examine matters arising from the investigation, and he has also been looking into any collusion by anyone associated with the Trump campaign with Russia. Targets of his investigation include former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, among others.

CBS News' Andres Triay, Paula Reid, Pat Milton and Clare Hymes contributed to this report.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



OUR NATIONAL DEGRADATION PROCEEDS APACE! A NEW CBSN ORIGINAL: "PORTLAND | RACE AGAINST THE PAST" WILL BE SHOWING ON CBSN THIS COMING MONDAY, OCTOBER 30 AT 8PM, 11PM AND 2AM ET.

"YOU CALL IT TERRORISM! I CALL IT PATRIOTISM!" AND "DEATH TO THE ENEMIES OF AMERICA!" ARE THE NUT JOBS REALLY TAKING OVER THE COUNTRY, OR DOES IT JUST SOMETIMES SEEM TO BE THE CASE? OR IS IT THE FACE OF DEEPLY ROOTED AND HIGHLY PRIZED IGNORANCE – AS WE HAVE FAILED AS A SOCIETY TO TEACH OUR KIDS WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW IN ORDER TO SUCCEED. PERHAPS IT IS THE BASIC LOVE OF DISORDER AND VIOLENCE WHICH HAVE NEVER LEFT THIS NATION? THAT’S THE ONLY WAY I CAN EXPLAIN THE UTTER FASCINATION WITH EVER MORE DESTRUCTIVE GUNS, RIFLES AND EVEN BOMBS THAT WE SEE HERE. IT IS A GREAT MISTAKE THAT WE ARE HIDING IT UNDER THE COVER OF OUR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS UNDER THE CONSTITUTION. AS LONG AS OUR POPULATION REMAINS UNWILLING TO RETHINK AND MODIFY THAT IN THE LAWS AND CONSTITUTION, WE ARE DOOMED AS A DEMOCRACY.

THERE IS A WONDERFUL OLD FUTURISTIC NOVEL BY WALTER MILLER, JR. OF THE TIME AFTER THE “SIMPLIFICATION” CAUSED BY AN ATOMIC WAR. THE SCENE OPENS IN THE WEST WITH A MONASTERY WHICH IS ONE OF THE REMAINDERS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. A NOVICE IS DOING A RELIGIOUS FAST AND SOUL SEARCHING PERIOD IN THE DESERT WHEN HE COMES ACROSS A TREASURE TROVE COVERED BY A PROTECTIVE CAIRN.

IN IT HE FINDS A BLUEPRINT SHOWING ELECTRICAL CIRCUITRY, SIGNED BY A SCIENTIST CALLED LEIBOWITZ. HE COULDN’T UNDERSTAND IT, BUT HE THOUGHT IT WAS BEAUTIFUL, AND HE TOOK IT AS A SIGN OF HIS PROFESSION. THE NOVICE, THEN ENTHUSIASTICALLY PROFESSES HIS FAITH AND COMMITMENT TO THE CHURCH. HE COPIES THE MYSTIFYING AND MYSTICAL DIAGRAM REPEATEDLY AND WITH WONDERFUL PICTORIAL ORNAMENTATION, LIKE THE “THE DOMESDAY BOOK,” TAKES HIS PRIZED BLUEPRINT TO “NEW ROME” TO PRESENT IT TO THE POPE.

UNFORTUNATELY, HE RUNS AFOUL OF A ROAMING GANG OF PEOPLE WHO CALL THEMSELVES “SIMPLETONS” AS A BADGE OF HONOR, SO NAMED BECAUSE THE MEEK HAVE INHERITED THE EARTH, UNFORTUNATELY, AND HAVE SET UP A SOCIETY OF PEOPLE WHO CAN’T READ AND ARE EXTREMELY HOSTILE, BARBARIC AND IN THE CASE OF POOR FATHER FRANCIS, MURDEROUS. I FIRST READ THIS IN THE MID NINETEEN SIXTIES AND AGAIN TWO OTHER TIMES DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS. I THINK IT’S TIME I READ IT AGAIN, GIVEN OUR PRESENT POLITICAL CLIMATE.

READ THE FOLLOWING NEW YORKER ARTICLE FROM 2014 ABOUT THE BOOK CALLED “CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ.” I DIDN’T INCLUDE IT HERE, BECAUSE IT’S MUCH TOO LONG. IF YOU READ “CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ,” YOU WILL SEE WHY I CARE SO VERY MUCH ABOUT THE INTELLECTUAL, RELIGIOUS, SPIRITUAL, SCHISM WHICH SEEMS TO BE RECURRING AGAIN IN AMERICA. “CANTICLE,” AS IT IS FONDLY CALLED BY FANS, IS STILL AVAILABLE – IT HAS NEVER GONE OUT OF PRINT SINCE 1959. DURING THAT TIME PERIOD, IT HAS MADE IT TO EDUCATIONAL READING LISTS. IF YOU DON’T LIKE USING BOOKS BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO DO THE WORK OF CARRYING THEM AROUND, THERE IS ALSO THE E-BOOK ALTERNATIVE. PERSONALLY, I PREFER PAPER.

SEE MY SEPARATE BLOG FOR TODAY WHICH CONSISTS OF THE WHOLE EXCELLENT NEW YORKER REVIEW OF CANTICLE.

FOR THE DOMESDAY BOOK, ANOTHER MILESTONE DOCUMENT MADE BY MONKS, SEE:

HTTP://WWW.NATIONALARCHIVES.GOV.UK/DOMESDAY/,
DOMESDAY: BRITAIN'S FINEST TREASURE

“DOMESDAY IS BRITAIN’S EARLIEST PUBLIC RECORD. IT CONTAINS THE RESULTS OF A HUGE SURVEY OF LAND AND LANDHOLDING COMMISSIONED BY WILLIAM I IN 1085. DOMESDAY IS BY THE FAR THE MOST COMPLETE RECORD OF PRE-INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY TO SURVIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD AND PROVIDES A UNIQUE WINDOW ON THE MEDIEVAL WORLD.”

PORTLAND’S “TROUBLES”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/portland-race-against-the-past-white-supremacy-preview/
CBS NEWS October 27, 2017, 8:21 AM
Portland | Race Against The Past — Preview

Watch the new CBSN Original: "Portland | Race against the Past" on CBSN this coming Monday, October 30 at 8pm, 11pm and 2am ET.

Portland's image as a bucolic, progressive haven in the Pacific Northwest is a "mask" that hides a racist past and a troubling, white supremacist present, according to the people who know it best. Historians and academics who have studied Portland's anthropology told CBS News that white supremacy in Portland is never far from the surface, and in reality, has never been that well hidden.

The "Portlandia" stereotype was shattered for many people late this May, when two people died and another was hurt in a stabbing on a Northeast Portland light-rail train. The assailant yelled racial slurs at two young women, one of whom was wearing a hijab, and then launched an attack at two men who tried to defend her.

The perpetrator, Jeremy Joseph Christian, appeared to brag about the attacks as he sat in the back of a police patrol car, saying "that's what liberalism gets you," according to court documents. Christian, 35, shouted "You call it terrorism! I call it patriotism!" and "Death to the enemies of America!" as he made his first appearance in court not long thereafter.

For some people, this attack came as no surprise. "Oregon is a racist utopia," said Walidah Imarisha, an Oregon historian who explained how racism is baked into Oregonian history. In 1857, its constitution contained a provision that stated "No free negro or mulatto...shall ever come, reside, or be within this State, or hold any real estate, or make any contracts, or sustain any suit therein."

Racist provisions banning blacks from entering the state remained on the books, even if they weren't enforced, until 2001. And in 2017, racism and white supremacism may have become less overt, but are no less sinister.

Now, Portland is grappling with decades of bigotry, and the tense legacy that leaves behind. It's a challenge for police, as white supremacy is fostered in the state's nearly all-white prisons and exported as prisoners are released. But it's worse for Portland's minority residents, who deal every day with bigotry and hatred which now hides in plain sight.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



PRESIDENT TRUMP AND MICHAEL MOORE HAD A BRIEF FENCING MATCH YESTERDAY. TAKE A LOOK AT IT. IT IS CLEVER, ON BOTH THEIR PARTS. IF TRUMP WOULD JUST PUT AS MUCH EFFORT INTO BEING PRESIDENT AS HE DOES ON TWEETS, WE WOULD BE IN BETTER CONDITION AS A NATION, UNFORTUNATELY.

I LOOKED, AND WAS UNABLE TO FIND, THE FAMOUS AND PIQUANT INTERACTION BETWEEN SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL AND GEORGE BERNARD SHAW. ONE ARTICLE SUGGESTED THAT THE EXCHANGE NEVER REALLY HAPPENED, BUT I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE IT DID, IN THAT I HAVE ALWAYS LIKED THEM BOTH VERY MUCH.

IT SEEMS THAT SHAW SENT CHURCHILL TWO TICKETS TO THE OPENING NIGHT OF HIS LATEST PLAY, WITH A NOTE, SAYING SAUCILY THAT HE WAS SENDING THEM, WITH THE ADDENDUM, “BRING A FRIEND IF YOU HAVE ONE.” CHURCHILL REPLIED, AGAIN BY NOTE AS THEY DID IN THOSE DAYS, THAT HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO ATTEND, BUT WOULD WITH PLEASURE COME ON THE SECOND NIGHT OF THE SHOW, “IF YOU HAVE ONE.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-michael-moore-broadway-play/
CBS/AP October 29, 2017, 7:46 AM
President Trump slams Michael Moore's Broadway play

Photograph -- Filmmaker Michael Moore. KATHY WILLENS, AP

President Donald Trump has set his sights on a new target: filmmaker and Trump critic Michael Moore.

Mr. Trump tweeted: "While not at all presidential I must point out that the Sloppy Michael Moore Show on Broadway was a TOTAL BOMB and was forced to close. Sad!"

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Donald J. Trump ✔@realDonaldTrump
While not at all presidential I must point out that the Sloppy Michael Moore Show on Broadway was a TOTAL BOMB and was forced to close. Sad!
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Mr. Trump criticized the liberal activist on Saturday night, several days after Moore's one-man show, "The Terms of My Surrender," concluded its limited Broadway run on Oct. 22.

Moore quickly fired back, responding in a series of tweets to the president. He commented on topics ranging from Mr. Trump's response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico to special counsel Robert Mueller's grand jury indictment.

"You must have my smash hit of a Broadway show confused with your presidency -- which IS a total bomb and WILL indeed close early. NOT SAD," Moore wrote in one tweet.

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Michael Moore ✔@MMFlint
1) You must have my smash hit of a Broadway show confused with your presidency-- which IS a total bomb and WILL indeed close early. NOT SAD https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/924400308834455552 …
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Moore also tweeted a photo of the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, saying "For now, at least, I know I still have one fan in the White House (thx for your unwavering support, Jared!)

13h
Michael Moore ✔ @MMFlint
Replying to @MMFlint
10) On Broadway, Donald, they call it a "LIMITED ENGAGEMENT" -- just like we’re planning on making your presidency.
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Michael Moore ✔@MMFlint
11) For now, at least, I know I still have one fan in the White House (thx for your unwavering support, Jared!) pic.twitter.com/mTwLxW4KgR
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Playbill.com says the anti-Trump show examined America's current political and cultural landscape.

In August, Moore led the show's audience to Trump Tower in New York to protest the president's reaction to deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.


ANOTHER OF TRUMP’S CLOSE FRIENDS IS IN THE NEWS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/roger-stones-twitter-account-suspended-after-expletive-filled-rant/
CBS NEWS October 28, 2017, 9:45 PM
Trump ally Roger Stone's Twitter account suspended after expletive-filled rant

Photograph -- Political adviser Roger Stone poses for a portrait following an interview in New York City, U.S., Feb. 28, 2017. REUTERS

Roger Stone, a longtime ally of President Trump, was suspended from Twitter, he confirmed in a statement to CBS News.

Stone provided a screenshot to CBS News of the message Twitter sent him saying he had violated the Twitter Rules and had been temporarily suspended. A Twitter spokesperson said in a statement that they do not comment on individual accounts and sent a broad outline of their abusive behavior, violent threats and harassment policy.

First charges filed in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation
On Friday night, Stone tweeted angrily at CNN after the network reported that a federal grand jury had approved the first charges related to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia meddling.

Longtime Trump associate Roger Stone speaks out on Russia probe
Play VIDEO
Longtime Trump associate Roger Stone speaks out on Russia probe
At first, Stone tweeted theories that the charges were instead related to something frivolous. Then, according to Mediaite, which saved the tweets, he started tweeting at Don Lemon and some of the guests who were on CNN. While were some were standard "fake news" tweets, there were a number that included expletives and insults.

"I have been informed that I have been suspended for 3 hours and 12 minutes," Stone told CBS News. "While I am uncertain why , sometimes the stark truth offends some people. That time-out had passed yet my Twitter feed has not been restored."

Although the screenshot Stone provided said Twitter had temporarily suspended his account, he could be suspended indefinitely according to Twitter's guidelines that prohibit "targeted abuse."

Stone is a longtime GOP operative and confidante of Mr. Trump, although he has no formal role in the Trump administration. While he has insisted that he did not collude with Russia ahead of the 2016 election, he testified before the House Intelligence Committee on Sept. 26.

Stone's name has come up in the various government investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and any contacts between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Stone's name has come up in congressional testimony about the Russia investigation, in particular because of his contacts with Guccifer 2.0.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



AMERICA HAS SOME VERY WELL-BRED AND KIND PEOPLE IN IT, AND MANY AMERICAN SPORTS FIGURES ARE IN THAT CATEGORY, TOO. I TEND TO SELL THEM SHORT IN GENERAL BECAUSE THEY OFTEN CAN’T EXPRESS THEMSELVES VERBALLY VERY WELL. THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT THEY ARE CRUEL OR DUMB. YOGI BERRA* COMES IMMEDIATELY TO MY MIND. HE WAS A VERY NICE PERSON, I CAN SEE. [SEE: https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/flashback-yogi-berra-on-meet-the-press-530906691590.]

AND THEN THERE ARE CASES LIKE THIS ONE BY A SPORTS FIGURE, WHEN THEY DO SOMETHING THIS INSULTING WITHOUT EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT. THE WHOLE BUSINESS OF RACIAL ISSUES IS ONE ON WHICH MANY OTHERWISE WELL-BRED AMERICANS HAVE A BLIND SPOT. I THINK THE LONG HISTORY OF OUR ALMOST TOTAL ACCEPTANCE OF SLAVERY HAS SEVERELY DEADENED THE SENSITIVITY GENE IN US. WE HAVE LEGITIMIZED POINTLESS, SILLY BAD BEHAVIORS.

I DON’T EXPECT MUCH FROM THE AVERAGE SPORTS STAR, AND I’M OFTEN RIGHT ABOUT THAT. TOO MANY OF THEM ARE IN SPORTS BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T DO WELL ENOUGH IN HIGH SCHOOL TO GET A SCHOLARSHIP TO COLLEGE THAT DIDN’T DEPEND ON THEIR SPORTS SKILLS. OF COURSE, HIGHLY ACTIVE KIDS MAY HAVE ADHD WHICH INTERFERES WITH CONCENTRATION, BUT MAKES THEM VERY GOOD AT RUNNING AROUND A BASKETBALL COURT AND MAKING A SLAM DUNK, AS THE FAMOUS DR. J DID.

YULI GURRIEL GETS IN TROUBLE FOR DOING WHAT SO MANY AMERICANS DO EVERY DAY, AND WHICH TRUMP DID IN HIS CAMPAIGN RALLY LAST YEAR. THE WORLD OF SPORTS IS BECOMING TRULY PROFESSIONAL, WHETHER THE PLAYERS LIKE IT OR NOT. WHEN WILL THE PRESIDENCY?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/houston-astros-yuli-gurriel-under-fire-for-racist-gesture-toward-dodgers-yu-darvish/
CBS NEWS October 28, 2017, 10:25 AM
MLB suspends Houston Astros' Yuli Gurriel for 5 games next season for racist gesture

Photograph -- Yuli Gurriel #10 of the Houston Astros on Oct. 21, 2017 in Houston, Texas. RONALD MARTINEZ / GETTY IMAGES

A Houston Astros player who made a seemingly racist gesture mocking a Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher during Game 3 of the World Series Friday night will be suspended for five games next season, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Saturday.

First baseman Yuli Gurriel hit a homerun in the second inning of Friday's game, which Houston went on to win 5-3 to take a 2-1 lead over L.A. in the series.

Upon returning to the dugout after his homerun, Gurriel appeared to mock Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish, who is Japanese, by pulling on the corner of his eyes. Gurriel appeared to say the word "chinito," which loosely translates to "little Chinese boy" in Spanish, CBS Sports reports.


Gurriel, who is Cuban, told reporters after the game that he "didn't want to offend anybody."

"I don't want to offend him or anybody in Japan. I have a lot of respect. I played in Japan," Gurriel said through a translator, according to MLB.com's Joshua Thornton. Gurriel said he would apologize to Darvish.

In a tweet early Saturday, Darvish said he hoped to move on.

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"No one is perfect. That includes both you and I," Darvish wrote. "What he had done today isn't right, but I believe we should put our effort into learning rather than to accuse him."

On Saturday afternoon, Manfred said Gurriel would be allowed to play the rest of the World Series, saying he didn't think it would be fair to penalize the rest of the Astros. Gurriel will be suspended for five games in the 2018 season.

In a statement, the Astros said they were "surprised and disappointed" by Gurriel's behavior and supported Manfred's decision to suspend him next year.

"The Astros will donate Yuli's salary for these five games in equal parts to the Astros Foundation and to a charity directly supporting diversity efforts," the team said.

Game 4 of the World Series is Saturday night at 8 p.m. in Houston, airing on Fox.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


MORE ABOUT THE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-three-most-interesting-new-jfk-assassination-records/
CBS NEWS October 27, 2017, 12:29 PM
The three most interesting new JFK assassination records

The newly released U.S. government files on the JFK assassination include some fascinating information. Here are three of the released documents that shed some light – and raise more questions – about what happened before and after President Kennedy was killed.

The Soviets called Lee Harvey Oswald a "maniac"

An FBI document from 1966 sheds some light on how American intelligence perceived the Soviet reaction to Kennedy's assassination. Citing several sources, the document lays out the "great shock" of the Soviet people and leadership, and their fears that JFK's death could lead to war with the U.S.

JFK files reveal CIA plots, Oswald's Cuba connection
Play VIDEO
JFK files reveal CIA plots, Oswald's Cuba connection

The Soviets seem to have been convinced that Oswald was no lone gunman, and was likely part of a "coup" launched by the American "ultraright." They also professed to have a low opinion of Oswald, who defected to the Soviet Union in 1959. Oswald, a former Marine who had worked at sensitive U.S. military installations in Japan, was apparently seen by the Soviets as a "neurotic maniac who was disloyal to his country and everything else."

Despite Cold War tensions, the Soviet leadership and intelligence apparatus also appeared to have a high opinion of Kennedy and knew little about his successor, President Lyndon Johnson. Figuring out "what kind of man" Johnson "would be" as president was, according to a source, a top priority for the KGB.

The Soviets were also anxious to not be blamed for the assassination, which came at a fraught moment for U.S.-Soviet relations. KGB guards were placed outside the U.S. embassy in Moscow to prevent any "disrespect" from being shown to the U.S. in the days following the assassination.

An odd call in Cambridge

A memo from James Jesus Angleton, the legendary head of the CIA's counterintelligence division, tells the story of a disturbing phone call placed to a newspaper in Cambridge, England just minutes before the assassination.

According to Angleton's memo, which was sent to FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, a man called a reporter at the Cambridge News to tell him that he should check with "the American Embassy in London for some big news and then hung up." Roughly 25 minutes later, President Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas.

Angleton's memo goes on to say that the reporter immediately informed MI-5, the British domestic security service, about the call after news broke that Kennedy had been shot. "The Cambridge reporter had never received a call of this kind before and MI-5 state that he is known to them as a sound and loyal person with no security record," the memo continues.

The memo adds that MI-5 was familiar with "similar anonymous phone calls of a strangely coincidental nature" that had been reported by other British citizens over the previous year.

The FBI was trying to track Oswald before the assassination

A mysterious document from the FBI's New Orleans office express interest in tracking down Lee Harvey Oswald in the weeks before the assassination. The interest in Oswald appears to stem from his involvement in the New Orleans chapter of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, a pro-Castro group.

The document, dated October 25th, 1963, discusses "contact" with "Cuban sources" about Oswald and what he was up to, as the Fair Play for Cuba Committee "appears to have become inactive" since he left New Orleans. An addendum notes that the report was sent to Dallas, where the FBI suspected he might relocate there to start another chapter of the pro-Castro group. Oswald would assassinate Kennedy in Dallas on Nov. 22.

Interestingly, Jack Ruby was also under some kind of FBI surveillance in 1962. Oswald was shot and killed by Ruby on Nov. 24, 1963.

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


WILL OBAMA SERVE ON A JURY, REALLY? THE SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS WOULD BE HORRIFIC, OVER SUCH A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, IT SEEMS TO ME.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-president-barack-obama-called-for-jury-duty-in-chicago/
AP October 28, 2017, 9:27 AM
Former President Barack Obama called for jury duty in Chicago

Photograph -- Former president Barack Obama speaks during a rally for New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Murphy in Newark, New Jersey, Oct. 19, 2017. MARK MAKELA / REUTERS

CHICAGO -- Former President Barack Obama has been called for jury duty in Chicago.

Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans on Friday told county commissioners during a budget hearing that Obama, who owns homes in Washington, D.C., and Chicago's Kenwood neighborhood, will serve in November. He is registered to vote in Chicago.

Evans says Obama's safety will be "uppermost in our minds" when he serves.

Those called can be put either in the pool for criminal case or civil hearings.

They can be called to any of the county's Chicago or suburban courthouses. All jurors watch a decades-old video about their duties narrated by a mustachioed Lester Holt, once a local news reader and now anchor of NBC Nightly News.

Jurors in Cook County are paid $17.20 for each day of service.

© 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



DECRY IS ONE OF THOSE FANCY WORDS THAT DOES LITTLE TO DRIVE HOME THE POINT, BECAUSE IT IS TOO LITERARY. HALF THE PEOPLE DON’T REALLY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT MEANS. YOU MAINLY RUN ACROSS IT IN WORKS FROM THE 1800S OR EARLIER. TO BE SPECIFIC, ACCORDING TO THE GOOGLE DICTIONARY, IT MEANS “PUBLICLY DENOUNCE.” THE GOOGLE SAMPLE SENTENCE IS, “THEY DECRIED HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES;" “SYNONYMS: DENOUNCE, CONDEMN, CRITICIZE, CENSURE, ATTACK, RAIL AGAINST, RUN DOWN, PILLORY, LAMBASTE, VILIFY, REVILE; MORE ....”

I DON’T LIKE DEVOS AT ALL, BUT I AGREE WITH HER STATEMENT THAT SHE “SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE.” THERE WERE ALMOST ZERO CHOICES FOR BLACK PEOPLE, AND NO SCHOLARSHIPS. SOME OF US AMERICANS WOULD BE TRULY SHOCKED IF THEY WERE TOLD ABOUT ONE OF THE MOST ABUSIVE PRACTICES IN SLAVERY, WHICH OCCURRED AMONG MANY TO MOST AMERICAN SLAVERY SITUATIONS. IT WAS ILLEGAL FOR ANYONE TO TEACH A SLAVE TO READ, AND THE REASONS FOR THAT ARE SO EASY TO SEE. IF YOU DON’T SEE IT, JUST TAKE A WHIFF OF THE AIR, AND YOU WILL SMELL IT.

FOR A BIT MORE ON THIS, GO TO WIKIPEDIA AND READ THE BIOGRAPHY THERE OF GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/devos-says-she-should-have-done-more-to-decry-racism/
AP August 9, 2017, 4:34 PM
DeVos says she should have done more to decry racism

Photograph -- U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md., on Feb. 23, 2017. REUTERS

WASHINGTON -- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Wednesday distanced herself from her comment earlier this year about the nation's historically black colleges and universities being pioneers of school choice, saying that in the past "there were no choices" for African-Americans in higher education.

"When I talked about it being a pioneer in choice it was because I acknowledge that racism was rampant and there were no choices," DeVos said in an interview with The Associated Press in her office at the Education Department. "These HBCUs provided choices for black students that they didn't have."

DeVos, who marks six months in office this week, alienated many African-Americans in February when she described historically black colleges as "real pioneers when it comes to school choice." In May, she was booed while attending the commencement ceremony at a historically black college in Florida.

Betsy DeVos booed during commencement ceremony
Play VIDEO
Betsy DeVos booed during commencement ceremony

"My intention was to say they were pioneering on behalf of students that didn't have another choice. This was their only choice," DeVos said. "At the same time I should have decried much more forcefully the ravages of racism in this country."

The Trump administration and DeVos have come under criticism from civil rights advocates for undoing some civil rights protections, including rescinding Obama-era federal guidance that instructed schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms of their choice and President Trump calling for banning transgender individuals from serving in the military.

DeVos, a billionaire Republican donor and long-standing school choice activist from Michigan, said that she has spent her career campaigning on behalf of minority children.

"That's where my heart has been for three decades is to really empower and allow all families the same kind of opportunities I've had for my kids," she said.

At the same time, DeVos acknowledged that she could have done more to reach out to African-American communities around the country to make her position more clear.

"I've had these conversations with some of the African-American organizations that represent higher education, but probably not as explicitly as I am right now," DeVos said.

The NAACP did not immediately return a call for comment about DeVos' remarks.

The issue of minorities' access to higher education remains controversial today. The Justice Department said last week it would conduct an inquiry into how race influences admissions at Harvard University after a coalition of more than 60 Asian-American groups brought a complaint alleging the school uses race as a factor in admissions and discriminates against Asian-Americans by holding them to a higher standard.

DeVos said her department was not involved in that process and added that this "has been a question for the courts and the courts have opined."

The Supreme Court last year upheld a University of Texas program that considers race, among other factors, in admissions, offering a narrow victory for affirmative action. A white Texan who was denied admission to the university sued, but the high court said the Texas plan complied with earlier court rulings that allow colleges to consider race in an effort to bolster diversity.

At America's elite private colleges, many of which have drawn criticism over race-conscious admission policies, incoming classes have become increasingly diverse in recent years.

Asked whether race should play a role in college admissions, DeVos said it is already being considered in the selection process.

"Well, they are looking at that, that is a factor today," DeVos said referring to college admissions officers. "I am not going to debate that, I am not going to discuss that."

But DeVos said the key to giving students equal access to higher education lies in elementary and secondary school.

"It is not fair to think that when students transit through a K-12 system that is not preparing them for beyond, that somehow we are going to waive [sic] a magic wand and things are going to be perfect for them at the higher-ed level," DeVos said.

"So I've always said: What we should really be talking about is what are we doing to ensure that every single child no matter their family income, no matter their racial background, no matter their zip code has equal opportunities to access a quality education."

© 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



WHY ARE ASIAN AMERICANS BEING MADE TO TRY HARDER BY MAKING THEIR TESTING HARDER? BECAUSE THEY DO TOOOO WELL! THEY WOULD OVERPOPULATE THE ELITE COLLEGES WITH MINORITY FACES. I READ AN INTERESTING ARTICLE ON THIS AND IT SAID THAT THEY PROVIDE TOO MUCH COMPETITION FOR OTHER RACES (MANY OF WHOM COME FROM WEALTHY FAMILIES WHO GIVE MONEY TO THE SCHOOL); AND OF COURSE, THERE IS THE PROBLEM THAT IT ISN’T ONLY BLACK PEOPLE WHO FACE SOCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL DISCRIMINATION, BUT ALL OTHER RACES INCLUDING JEWISH AS WELL. IF YE AIN’T WHITE, YE AIN’T RIGHT.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-elite-colleges-discriminating-against-asian-americans/
By AIMEE PICCHI MONEYWATCH May 25, 2016, 8:58 AM
Are elite colleges biased against Asian Americans?

Getting accepted by an Ivy League college can seem like a crapshoot, but a coalition of Asian-American organizations alleges that some elite schools are using a discriminatory process that hurts Asian-American applicants.

The complaint, filed by the Asian American Coalition for Education (AACE), claims that Brown, Yale and Dartmouth are relying on quotas to keep enrollment of Asian Americans to about 16 percent of their student bodies. "The situation is eerily reminiscent of the quota system the Ivy League schools maintained for Jews during the 1920s," the complaint states.

America's population of Asian Americans between ages 18 and 21 -- the prime college years -- has jumped from about 3 percent in 1990 to 5.1 percent in 2011, but enrollment of Asian-American students at elite colleges peaked in 1993 and then started declining, according to the complaint.

The reason, the group claims, is the use of racial quotas that are shutting out qualified Asian-American students. AACE President Yukong Zhao said the practice runs contrary to American values such as equal opportunity, while putting undue pressure on young Asian-American students.

Supreme Court upholds Michigan ban on race as admission factor
Play VIDEO
Supreme Court upholds Michigan ban on race as admission factor

"If this is merit-based, we should eliminate racial quotas," Zhao said. "America is a country with indispensable principles like democracy and equal opportunity. Asian Americans have been attracted to this land primarily on these principles. Violating these principles undermines it."

For Asian-American students who aren't admitted to elite schools because of the alleged racial bias, Zhao said, it represents "lost career potential."

In a statement, Dartmouth said it evaluates all applicants, including Asian-American students, on the same criteria. Yale said it uses a "holistic review" and that "applicants are not disadvantaged in the admissions process on the basis of race or national origin." Brown didn't immediately return a request for comment.

"Dartmouth aspires to expand the horizons of students from different backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives. Our admissions process considers the whole person and seeks to create an intellectually vibrant and engaged campus community," Dartmouth said.

The complaint isn't the first to allege that Asian-American students are shut out of elite colleges. Last year, the U.S. Department of Education dismissed a complaint against Harvard that alleged bias against this group because of a similar federal court case.

The goal with this complaint is to spark a "vigorous and objective investigation," Zhao said. He added that he'd like to see a policy change at the Department of Education that would ban colleges from using higher standards for Asian-American students.

These students tend to score higher on the SATs than those who come from other racial backgrounds. The average combined SAT score for college-bound Asian Americans was 1645 in 2013, compared with 1576 for whites, 1278 for blacks and 1,355 for Mexican or Mexican-American students, according to the College Board.

"An Asian-American student has to score 140 point higher than a white student, 270 points higher than a Hispanic student and 450 points higher than a black student on the SAT to be on equal footing," the complaint alleges. "Put another way, if a top private university such as Yale accepts white students with an SAT mean score of 2160, its mean the score for accepting Asian-American students would be 2300 -- 140 additional points."

Zhao added, "It's extremely stressful for Asian-American kids."

© 2016 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.



BERNIE TODAY –

THE DAILYCALLER REPORT USED FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DEBATE FIGURES HERE PLACES THE WAIT TIME AMONG CANADIANS FOR SPECIALIST CARE SIMILARLY TO THAT OF A CANADIAN INFORMATION SOURCE, BUT PLACES THE NUMBER OF SUCH CASES AS BEING HIGHER IN 2009 THAN 2015, SO CANADA IS DOING BETTER.

http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/29/sanders-lauds-canadas-innovative-universal-health-care/
WORLD
Sanders Lauds Canada’s ‘Innovative’ Universal Health Care
Photo of David Krayden
DAVID KRAYDEN
Ottawa Bureau Chief
3:38 PM 10/29/2017

Sen. Bernie Sanders was in Toronto Saturday to examine Canada’s health care system in action. The failed Democratic presidential candidate went on a whirlwind tour of three hospitals as he continues to press for Canadian-style universal Medicare for the United States.

Sanders pronounced his visit a success as he praised the “innovative” single payer system that has existed in Canada for about 50 years.

Sanders says American critics of Canadian health care are always declaring that it is not innovative, but the independent senator disagrees.

“What we heard was incredibly innovative. In fact, they are proud to be doing things that are leading the world. I think it is not a fair argument to say that the system here is not a strong system and innovative system,” Sanders told reporters at a news conference.

Sanders suggested Americans have a lot to learn about how other countries address health care needs but they don’t do so.

“We do not in the United States do a good job in looking around the rest of the world and asking the questions that have to be asked,” he said Saturday.

Sanders cited Sinai Health System’s neonatal intensive care unit as an example of Canadian innovation. The facility offers private rooms for infants.

In his quest to bring Canadian health care to the U.S., the senator has previously enlisted the assistance of Canadian doctor Danielle Martin, who has spoken at Sanders’ events about the “simplicity” of Canadian Medicare.

However, neither Sanders nor Martin have discussed some of the pitfalls of that system, including data recently released from the Fraser Institute* revealing that 63,000 Canadians left the country to seek medical treatment that they could not obtain at all or in a timely manner within their own country. The majority of them went to the United States for surgery or other operations.

The think-tank also reported that the average Canadian family spends over $12,000 in taxes on government-funded health care.

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THE NUMBERS HERE SHOW A DECREASE IN CANADIAN PATIENTS, BETWEEN 2013 AND 2015, OF 5 TO 10K IN RAW NUMBERS OF PATIENTS WHO CHOSE TO TRAVEL ABROAD FOR CARE -- NOT NECESSARILY TO THE USA AND NOT NECESSARILY TO AVOID THE UNDESIRABLY LONG WAIT TIME. THE ARTICLE DOESN’T SAY HOW LONG THE CANADIAN WAIT TIME WAS, EITHER.

FRASER’S 63,000 IS COMPARED TO CBC POWER AND POLITICS’ ESTIMATES OF ABOUT 10,000 FEWER. THAT IS A GUESTIMATE, I THINK, TAKEN FROM POLLING CANADIAN DOCTORS INSTEAD OF SOME OFFICIAL CANADIAN GOVERNMENT COUNT. IT DOES PLACE THE FIGURE LOWER THAN THAT OF FRASER’S, HOWEVER. I’M DOING ALL THIS WORK TO SEE WHETHER THE TRUMP FIGURES IN HIS DEBATE IS BASED ON BIASED FIGURES TO INFLATE THE “INFERIORITY” OF OUR MEDICAL SYSTEM.

SEE THE SEVERAL ARTICLES BELOW. NONE OF THE SOURCES I FOUND, EXCEPT “MOTHERJONES,” DISCUSS HOW MANY AMERICAN PATIENTS GO TO CANADA OR ANOTHER FOREIGN COUNTRY FOR TREATMENT. IN ADDITION, THE MOTHERJONES ARTICLE, COMING AT THE END OF THE GROUP, GIVES A TOTALLY DIFFERENT TAKE.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-health-tourists-drop-1.3800729
Power & Politics CBC Secure Drop
Number of Canadians seeking health care abroad in 2015 drops over previous year
1% of patients receiving specialist treatment went abroad, report says
By Peter Zimonjic, CBC News Posted: Oct 12, 2016 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Oct 12, 2016 9:31 AM ET

Photograph -- A report from the Fraser Institute says that longer wait times in Canada compared with other developed countries is likely a key factor in motivating Canadians to seek health treatments abroad. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

During Sunday's U.S. presidential debate, Republican candidate Donald Trump said Canada's "catastrophic" health-care system is prompting Canadians to head south for treatment — but a new report says the number of health tourists has fallen year over year.

The Fraser Institute report estimates that about one per cent of Canadian patients who received treatment from a specialist in 2015 got that treatment outside of Canada.

The report estimates that percentage translates into 45,619 Canadians, slightly lower when compared with the 52,513 who went abroad for medical treatments in 2014, but higher than the 41,838 in 2013.

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The report does not break down the numbers to determine how many Canadians went to the U.S. for treatment, but just refers to those who have received treatment in another country.

The report focuses on 12 types of specialist treatments such as urology, neurosurgery and plastic surgery, but does not explain why Canadians chose to travel abroad — just that they did.

But one of the report's authors, Bacchus Barua, a senior economist with the Fraser Institute, said there are a number of likely reasons some Canadians travel abroad for treatment. Chief among them is wait times, something Trump referred to in the debate.

"If you've ever noticed the Canadians when they need a big operation when something happens they come into the United States in many cases," Trump said on Sunday. "Because their system is so slow, it's catastrophic in certain ways."

Play -- Trump criticizes Canadian health care, 00:00 00:46

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, [CIHI] 70 per cent of Canadian doctors said they thought their patients often experienced long wait times to see a specialist, the highest out of the 10 countries compared in the study.

The number is well below the average in comparative countries, but has improved from 75 per cent in 2009.

The average of Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Norway, the U.K., the U.S., the Netherlands and Switzerland was 45 per cent, with Switzerland being the lowest at nine per cent.

Once Canadians patients have seen a specialist, the timeliness of care improves, with only 21 per cent of Canadian doctors saying they thought their patients often had to wait a long time to get treatment. The number was 29 per cent in 2009.

The 2015 Commonwealth Fund Survey notes that the average of the 10 countries was 19 per cent, with New Zealand having the most patients waiting at 33 per cent and Switzerland the least at just one per cent.

Canada's wait time story, however, varies greatly by region. Between 2014 and 2015 the number of patients who sought treatment abroad rose in Newfoundland and Labrador, B.C., New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, while they went down in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.

Receiving treatment outside of Canada

*Residual count was produced using the average provincial per cent of patients receiving treatment outside of Canada and the residual count of procedures produced in Waiting Your Turn, 2015 report (Waiting Your Turn 2015, calculations by authors) ( Source: Fraser Institute/Kevin Kirk/CBC)

The report says that aside from wait times, people may travel abroad because a given procedure is not available in Canada, while others may have chosen to go abroad simply because they can afford to get treated immediately.

"It's not something that we know," said Barua. "It's not one reason, but likely a variety of reasons why Canadians might be doing it."

Barua said that while the report does not offer prescriptions for how to improve Canadian health care, countries with better wait times usually do three things differently than Canada:

Include some private partnership or private sector alternatives to government-funded health care.
Implement a cost-sharing user fee model where patients pay a deductible or flat fee for accessing services.
Fund hospitals based on the number and type of patients they treat rather than providing a global budget.

By the numbers

The authors of the report note that the numbers are not definitive, but rather estimates calculated by combining responses from about 2,000 specialist doctors and information from the Canadian Institute for Health Information on how many procedures were performed in Canada, in a given specialist area, each year.

"The number of patients receiving treatment outside Canada each year produced by this methodology is likely to be an underestimate," the report says, noting that patients who leave Canada for treatment without consulting a specialist would not be counted.

The report also notes that the estimates were calculated based on the number of procedures performed, which is lower than the number of patients that consulted specialists.

With files from Susan Lunn


MOTHERJONES – THIS IS MY ONLY “LIBERAL” SOURCE, AND THE ONLY INDICATIONS OF HOW MANY AMERICANS ALSO BECOME “MEDICAL TOURISTS,” BUT THE CLINCHER IS THE REASON WHY IN BOTH CASES.

DRUM’S CONCLUSION IS, “CANADA’S IS BAD FOR RICH PEOPLE WHO CAN AFFORD TO PAY TOP DOLLAR TO GET FASTER SERVICE. AMERICA’S IS BAD FOR POOR PEOPLE, WHO WOULD GO BANKRUPT IF THEY PAID AMERICAN PRICES. CHECK YOUR MORAL COMPASS AND TAKE YOUR PICK.”

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/02/americans-flee-america-overseas-health-care-just-canadians/
Americans Flee America For Overseas Health Care Just Like Canadians
KEVIN DRUM FEB. 8, 2017 4:01 AM

I’d forgotten all about this, but tonight was the date of the great Ted Cruz-Bernie Sanders debate. Apparently Cruz decided to haul out the old chestnut about Canadians fleeing en masse to the US for health care, which just proves how crappy government-run medicine is.

Lots of people are pointing out that this isn’t really true, but I want to point out something different: Americans flee the US in pretty similar numbers to Canadians fleeing Canada. The best numbers we have suggest that about 45,000 Canadians left the country for medical care in 2015. (That’s all destinations, not just the US.) Meanwhile, about 250,000 Americans left the US for medical care abroad. And these numbers don’t even count the number of Americans who get their prescription drugs from overseas.

Overall, then, that’s about 0.13 percent of Canadians and 0.08 percent of Americans who flee their countries for health care. Those are pretty similar numbers. The only real difference is the reason for leaving. Canadians mostly cite wait times for elective surgery. Americans mostly cite the high cost of medical treatment.

<i>So you see, every kind of health care system has its own problems. Canada’s is bad for rich people who can afford to pay top dollar to get faster service. America’s is bad for poor people, who would go bankrupt if they paid American prices. Check your moral compass and take your pick.


I HAVE LEARNED TO ALWAYS, ALWAYS GOOGLE WHATEVER IS DESCRIBED AS A “THINK TANK,” BECAUSE 90 PERCENT OF THE TIME IT IS A MEANS OF SEEKING AND DISSEMINATING POLITICAL FODDER FOR CANDIDATES, HOMEGROWN PROPAGANDA AND BIASED NEWS OUTLETS. READ THIS ONE, FOR INSTANCE. ONE OF THE GREATEST SOURCES FOR THIS THINK TANK’S MONEY IS THE INFAMOUS AND UBIQUITOUS “KOCH BROTHERS.” SEE BELOW.

FRASER INSTITUTE –
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraser_Institute
Fraser Institute
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Fraser Institute is a Canadian public policy think tank and registered charity. It has been described as politically conservative[1][2][3] and libertarian.[4][5] The Institute is headquartered in Vancouver, with offices also located in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal, and ties to a global network of 80 think-tanks through the Economic Freedom Network.[6]

According to the 2014 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report (Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, University of Pennsylvania), Fraser is number 23 (of 100) in the "Top Think Tanks Worldwide (non-U.S.)", number 19 (of 150) in the "Top Think Tanks Worldwide (U.S. and non-U.S.)" and number 1 (of 30) in the "Top Think Tanks in Mexico and Canada".[7]

History[edit]

The Fraser Institute was founded in 1974 by Michael Walker, an economist from the University of Western Ontario, and businessman T. Patrick Boyle, then a vice-president of MacMillan Bloedel. It obtained charitable status in Canada on October 22, 1974, and in the United States in 1978.[8] Its stated mission is "to measure, study, and communicate the impact of competitive markets and government intervention on the welfare of individuals."[9] The Institute is named for the Fraser River.[6]

Sir Antony Fisher, previously instrumental in setting up the UK's Institute of Economic Affairs, was appointed acting director in 1975, until Walker became executive director in 1977.[8] In its first full year of operation, 1975, the Institute reported revenues of $421,389.[8] In 1988, revenues exceed $1 million, and in 2003, $6 million.[8]

Political stance[edit]

The Fraser Institute describes itself as "an independent international research and educational organization",[10] and envisions "a free and prosperous world where individuals benefit from greater choice, competitive markets, and personal responsibility".[9]

Forbes has referred to the think tank as libertarian.[11] The New York Times has described the Institute as libertarian[12] and conservative.[2] The Calgary Herald called it conservative,[3] Langley Times classified it as right-of-center libertarian.[5]

The Institute depends on contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations. It does not accept government grants or payments for research, however individual donors may claim tax credits for donations and corporate donors may claim tax deductions.[14]

The Institute has received donations of hundreds of thousands of dollars[15] from foundations controlled by Charles and David Koch, with total donations estimated to be approximately $765,000 from 2006 to 2016.[16] It also received US$120,000 from ExxonMobil in the 2003 to 2004 fiscal period.[17] In 2016, it received a $5 million donation from Peter Munk, a Canadian businessman.[18]

In 2012, the Vancouver Observer reported that the Fraser Institute had "received over $4.3 million in the last decade from eight major American foundations including the most powerful players in oil and pharmaceuticals". According to the article, "The Fraser Institute received $1.7 million from 'sources outside Canada' in one year alone, according to the group's 2010 Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) return. Fraser Institute President Niels Veldhuis told The Vancouver Observer that the Fraser Institute does accept foreign funding, but he declined to comment on any specific donors or details about the donations."[19]

Research and publications[edit]

The Institute self publishes a variety of reports:

Economic Freedom Index: The Institute's annual Economic Freedom of the World index ranks the countries of the world according to their degrees of economic freedom.[20] The Institute has also published regional and sub-national reports ranking the economic freedom of North America, Latin America, the Arab World, and the Francophonie.[21] These reports are distributed worldwide through the Economic Freedom Network, a global network of 80 think-tanks.[6]

Human Freedom Index: Along with the Cato Institute and the Liberales Institut at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, the Fraser Institute publishes annual Human Freedom Index, which presents the state of human freedom in the world based on a broad measure of 76 distinct indicators that encompasses personal, civil, and economic freedom.[22][23] The index presents a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. The index covers the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, and Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business.[24] The Human Freedom Index was created in 2015, covering 152 countries for years 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012.[25][26][27][28][29] In January 2016 data for 2013 was added, covering 157 countries.

Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada[30] is the Institute's annual report on hospital waiting times in Canada, based on a nationwide survey of physicians and health care practitioners. The twentieth annual survey, released December 2010, found that the total waiting time between referral from a general practitioner and delivery of elective treatment by a specialist, averaged across 12 specialties and 10 provinces surveyed, had risen from 16.1 weeks in 2009 to 18.2 weeks in 2010.[30]

Survey of Mining Companies: Published annually, the global Survey of Mining Companies ranks the investment climates of mining jurisdictions around the world, based on the opinions of mining industry executives and managers.[31]

Global Petroleum Survey: An annual survey of petroleum executives regarding barriers to investment in oil- and gas-producing regions around the world.[32]

Canadian Provincial Investment Climate: A series of reports measuring the extent to which Canadian provinces embrace public policies that contribute to, and sustain, positive investment climates.[33]

Firearms reports. The Fraser Institute issued a number of articles and statements opposing Canadian gun control laws,[34][35] including firearms registry.[36]

School Report Cards: Every year, the Institute publishes a series of School Report Cards ranking the academic performance of schools in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Washington state based on the publicly available results of standardized testing mandated and administered by the provinces.[37] The website www.compareschoolrankings.org allows anyone to compare up to five schools at once, based on a variety of performance indicators.[38]

Tax Freedom Day: The Institute's annual Tax Freedom Day report calculates the day the average Canadian family has paid off the total tax bill and royalties imposed on them and corporations by all levels of government.[39] In 2016, Tax Freedom Day was June 7 with $45,167 (42.9% of income) having been collected per family.[40] The Institute also offers a personal Tax Freedom Day calculator.[41]

The Institute publishes three magazines: Fraser Forum, a bi-monthly review of public policy in Canada; Perspectives, a French-language review of public policy in Quebec and la Francophonie; and Canadian Student Review, a look at current affairs written for students, by students.[42]

In March 2010, the Institute released Did Government Stimulus Fuel Economic Growth in Canada? An Analysis of Statistics Canada Data,[43] a report critical of the Harper government's Economic Action Plan, concluding that the stimulus package did not have a material impact on Canada's economic turnaround in the latter half of 2009.

Education programs[edit]

The Institute periodically hosts free seminars across Canada for students, teachers, and journalists, focusing on key economic concepts and timely issues in public policy.[44] In 2010, the Institute hosted eight one-day student seminars, attracting more than 775 participants.[45]

The Fraser Institute also offers an internship program, to which more than 431 individuals applied in 2010.[45]