NOVEMBER 16 AND 17, 2017


PROOF THAT THE LAKOTA TRIBE WERE RIGHT, AND PROOF THAT THE GOVERNMENT WILL DO NOT ONE DANGED THING ABOUT IT!

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/keystone-pipeline-leak-spills-210k-gallons-of-oil-in-south-dakota/
CBS/AP November 16, 2017, 5:16 PM
Keystone pipeline leak spills 210K gallons of oil in South Dakota

AMHERST, S.D. — TransCanada Corp.'s Keystone pipeline has been shut down after it leaked an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil in northeastern South Dakota, the company and state regulators reported Thursday.

Crews shut down the pipeline Thursday morning and activated emergency response procedures after a drop in pressure was detected resulting from the leak south of a pump station in Marshall County, TransCanada said in a statement. The cause was being investigated.

TransCanada ✔@TransCanada
We are currently responding to an incident in Amherst, SD. We have activated emergency response procedures and dispatched ground crews to assess the situation. http://ow.ly/mVgM30gD6Ew
4:06 PM - Nov 16, 2017

TransCanada responds to oil leak in Amherst, South Dakota
AMHERST, SOUTH DAKOTA--(Marketwired - Nov. 16, 2017) - News Release - TransCanada (TSX:TRP) (NYSE:TRP) crews safely shut down its Keystone pipeline at approximately 6 a.m. CST (5 a.m. MST) after a...
marketwired.com
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Officials don't believe the leak affected any surface water bodies or threatened any drinking water systems, said Brian Walsh, an environmental scientist manager at the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which has dispatched a staff member to the site.

"Ultimately, the cleanup responsibility lies with TransCanada, and they'll have to clean it up in compliance with our state regulations," Walsh said.

The pipeline transports crude from Alberta, Canada, to refineries in Illinois and Oklahoma, passing through the eastern Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. It can handle nearly 600,000 barrels, or about 23 million gallons, daily. TransCanada says on its website that the company has safely transported more than 1.5 billion barrels of oil, or about 63 billion gallons, through the system since operations began in 2010.

"We told you so," Daniel Sheehan, chief counsel of the Lakota People's Law Project, said in a statement. "It was just a matter of time. There have been over 200 significant leaks in these pipelines since the year 2000. This is the exact threat that the Lakota people were trying to protect their sole source of water from at Standing Rock."

The Project has been defending activists who oppose the Keystone XL pipeline, an extension of the Keystone project, because it passes close to tribal lands and could endanger their drinking supply.

TransCanada said in its statement that it expected the pipeline to remain shut down as the company responds to the leak. It did not offer a time estimate.

The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration didn't immediately return an email requesting additional information from The Associated Press.

A leak and spill in southeastern South Dakota in April 2016 prompted a weeklong shutdown of the pipeline. TransCanada estimated that just under 17,000 gallons of oil spilled onto private land during that leak. Federal regulators said an "anomaly" on a weld on the pipeline was to blame. No waterways or aquifers were affected.

TransCanada said at the time that the leak was the first detected on the pipeline since it began operating, though there had been leaks at pumping stations. One of those leaks happened in southeastern North Dakota in May 2011, when 14,000 gallons spilled after a valve failed at a pumping station near the South Dakota border.

The Keystone Pipeline is part of a 2,687-mile system that also is to include the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which has faced persistent opposition from environmental groups, American Indian tribes and some landowners.

President Donald Trump issued a federal permit for the project in March even though it had been rejected by the Obama administration. The project has received needed approvals in states between Alberta, Canada, and Nebraska. Nebraska regulators plan to announce their decision next week.

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


I AM SORRY TO SEE THAT JESSE JACKSON IS ILL WITH A DISEASE THAT IS HUMBLING AND WILL EVENTUALLY END IN DEATH, I BELIEVE. MY COUSIN HAD IT, AND SHE DIDN’T LIVE MUCH MORE THAN TWO YEARS AFTER THE DIAGNOSIS. MAYBE JACKSON WILL HAVE THE BEST CARE, AND BE LUCKIER. THE ACTOR MICHAEL J FOX, AND A LARGE NUMBER OF OTHERS, SUCH AS JANET RENO ARE MENTIONED BELOW. SEE THIS LIST OF CELEBRITIES WHO HAVE EITHER SUCCUMBED TO IT, OR ARE STILL ALIVE: HTTPS://WWW.DISABLED-WORLD.COM/DISABILITY/AWARENESS/FAMOUS/PDD.PHP.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/rev-jesse-jackson-discloses-parkinsons-disease-diagnosis-174346475.html?soc_trk=gcm&soc_src=247b0a11-b86c-3f9e-9c65-cafeb511106c&.tsrc=notification-brknews
Rev Jesse Jackson discloses Parkinson's disease diagnosis
Sophia Tareen, Associated Press
Associated Press • November 17, 2017

PHOTOGRAPH FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2015 file photo Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks during a news conference in Chicago. Rev. Jackson says he's been seeking outpatient care for two years for Parkinson's disease and plans to "dedicate" himself to physical therapy. In a Friday, Nov. 17, 2017 letter to supporters, the 76-year-old says family and friends noticed a change in him about three years ago and he could no longer ignore symptoms. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green File)

CHICAGO (AP) -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson disclosed publicly Friday that he has been seeking outpatient care for two years for Parkinson's disease and plans to "dedicate" himself to physical therapy.

In a Friday letter to supporters, the 76-year-old civil rights leader said family and friends noticed a change in him about three years ago. He said he could no longer ignore symptoms of the chronic neurological disorder that causes movement difficulties.

"Recognition of the effects of this disease on me has been painful, and I have been slow to grasp the gravity of it," he wrote. "For me, a Parkinson's diagnosis is not a stop sign but rather a signal that I must make lifestyle changes and dedicate myself to physical therapy in hopes of slowing the disease's progression."

He noted that the same disease "bested my father." Noah Lewis Robinson Sr. died in 1997 at age 88.

Jackson also released a Northwestern Medicine letter saying he was diagnosed in 2015 and has since sought outpatient care.

He runs the Chicago-based Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and was twice a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 1980s. He's remained a strong voice in anti-discrimination efforts, including advocating for affordable housing, and been a fixture at protests nationwide.

He said Friday in the letter that he is also working on a memoir.

"I will continue to try to instill hope in the hopeless, expand our democracy to the disenfranchised and free innocent prisoners around the world," he said in the letter. "I steadfastly affirm that I would rather wear out than rust out."

Jackson declined further comment Friday.

Related Searches
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SICK, SICK, SICK! AT LEAST HE DIDN’T GROPE ANYBODY (THAT WE KNOW ABOUT). THE NAVY REPRESENTATIVE STATES, AMONG MULTIPLE REPETITIONS, THAT IT IS “UNACCEPTABLE,” THAT IT IS “Of ZERO TRAINING VALUE.” RIGHT AS RAIN! I DO HOPE THAT MEANS THAT HE WILL BE FIRED AND/OR SENT TO A MENTAL HOSPITAL FOR A NICE LONG STAY. THIS LEVEL OF “INAPPROPRIATE” BEHAVIOR ISN’T USUALLY DONE BY A PERSON WHO IS IN REALLY GOOD MENTAL HEALTH, AND SINCE IT IS SEXUAL IN NATURE, I TEND TO FEEL THAT HE MAY VERY WELL BE DANGEROUS TO OTHERS IF NOT TO HIMSELF.

AS LITTLE AS 15 OR 20 YEARS AGO, THOSE PEEPERS AND FLASHERS USED TO BE CONSIDERED LITTLE MORE THAN AN ANNOYANCE, AND “STALKING” WAS NOT CONSIDERED A CRIME EITHER. THEN IN THE LAST TEN YEARS OR SO I SAW A REPORT THAT CRIME STATISTICS AND PSYCHIATRISTS HAD COME AROUND TO THE CONCLUSION THAT SUCH ESCAPADES ARE MERELY THE FIRST STEP TOWARD GETTING UP ENOUGH COURAGE TO RAPE SOME POOR WOMAN, MAN, OR CHILD.

OUR SOCIETY HAS TENDED DURING MOST OF MY LIFETIME TO FOLLOW THE “BOYS WILL BE BOYS” REASONING PATTERN. THE UNSPOKEN PART TO THAT SENTENCE IS, “AND THEY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO WHATEVER THEY FEEL LIKE DOING SEXUALLY.” IT’S THEIR NATURAL RIGHT. THEIR “DESIRES” ARE SO MUCH STRONGER THAN WOMEN’S. (SO, OKAY, THAT’S AN EXTREMELY WORDED STATEMENT, BUT IT’S PRETTY CLOSE TO BEING CORRECT AS STATED.) IT GOES ALONG WITH BEATING A DISOBEDIENT WOMAN. I FEEL ON THAT ISSUE LIKE MOSES ON THE MOUNTAINTOP GAZING AT THE PROMISED LAND, KNOWING HE WON’T BE ALLOWED TO GO THERE.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-navy-pilot-draws-obscene-pictures-washington-state/
By ALEX SUNDBY CBS NEWS November 17, 2017, 12:57 PM
U.S. Navy pilot draws obscene pictures over Washington state

Photograph -- A Boeing EA-18G Growler lands on the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Ocean on Oct. 25, 2017. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

A U.S. Navy pilot drew obscene pictures in the sky over Washington state on Thursday, CBS affiliate KREM-TV reports.

Viewers contacted the station after watching a plane draw what appeared to be crude depictions of a penis in the sky in Okanogan County, which borders Canada. The station posted pictures of the drawings on its website. (Warning: Some viewers may find the pictures offensive.)

A mother in Okanogan, Washington, told the station she was upset because she might have to explain the drawings to her kids.

The Navy told the station that the aircraft involved was based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island off the Washington coast. The air station's website describes it as the "premier naval aviation installation in the Pacific Northwest."

In a statement to the station, the Navy said the incident was "unacceptable."

"The Navy holds its aircrew to the highest standards and we find this absolutely unacceptable, of zero training value and we are holding the crew accountable," the Navy said.

An FAA official told the station there was nothing the agency could do about the incident because it "cannot police morality."

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



IT WOULD BE INTERESTING IF THE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION WERE TO SUE THAT LOUSY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT. WHY DIDN’T THEY RESPOND TO REPEATED CALLS FOR HELP ON THE GUNFIRE, INSTEAD OF REFERRING THE CASE TO THE HOMEOWNER’S ASSOCIATION. GROUPS LIKE THAT WILL PATROL FOR POOR DISPOSAL OF GARBAGE BUT I FEEL SURE THEY AREN’T EVEN EQUIPPED TO DO THE SAME WHEN THERE IS AN ACTIVE SHOOTER.

I FEEL ABOUT THIS THE SAME WAY I DO ABOUT POLICE BEING RELUCTANT TO GO TO CALLS CONCERNING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO LIKELY TO GET HURT. THEY SAY THAT THE ARGUING COUPLE ARE ALREADY ANGRY AND ARE MORE LIKELY TO SHOOT ANY INTRUDER, WHO HAPPENS TO BE A POLICE OFFICER. COULD THIS BE THE SAME REASON?

THE FACT THAT THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE IS 21 MILES AWAY IS A HUGE PART OF THE PROBLEM IN THIS CASE, I EXPECT. THE COUNTY NEEDS TO BUILD AND MAN (OR WOMAN) SEVERAL MORE NEW OFFICES SCATTERED OUT IN THE COUNTRYSIDE. THERE ARE SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS BEING BUILT OUT IN THE BOONIES, THE WAY THEY TEND TO DO. THE OTHER PROBLEMS THAT COMES TO MIND IS LACK OF CONVENIENT MEDICAL FACILITIES AND WILD ANIMALS COMING INTO PEOPLE’S YARDS. PERSONALLY, I WOULD MUCH RATHER BE IN TOWN.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rancho-tehama-reserve-residents-ask-for-security-after-shooting/
CBS/AP November 17, 2017, 10:00 AM
Deputies "wouldn't do anything" to stop California gunman, resident says

RANCHO TEHAMA RESERVE, Calif. -- Residents of a remote Northern California community terrorized by a mass shooting this week say they want more frequent patrols from sheriff's deputies and expressed anger and frustration over seemingly being left to fend for themselves in what several called a "Wild West" atmosphere.

The Rancho Tehama Reserve homeowners' association board met on Thursday to talk about more patrols, two days after 44-year-old Kevin Neal killed his wife and four others before he died in a gun battle with deputies. Neal targeted an elementary school while randomly shooting at homes and motorists in the sprawling rural subdivision about 130 miles north of Sacramento.

He was known to authorities and had at least one prior arrest.

Board president Juan Caravez was among those complaining that deputies didn't do enough to stop Neal despite numerous complaints from neighbors that he was shooting guns at all hours of the day and night.

"The sheriff wouldn't do anything about it," Caravez said.

Instead, he said Tehama County Sheriff's Department referred complaints to the homeowners' association.

Residents were already complaining about the lack of law enforcement and frequent gunfire that regularly disturbed the peace of the rolling oak-studded hills dotted with homes and trailers on large lots, board member Richard Gutierrez said.

Neighbors said they had complained repeatedly about Neal shooting off rounds of gunfire from his home, despite a court order barring him from having firearms after he was accused of stabbing a neighbor in January.

Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said deputies had tried to contact Neal but he wouldn't answer his door and Johnston said deputies couldn't find him. After being pressed by reporters on why police did not act when Neal was in clear violation of his court order, Johnston obliquely replied: "The law is only for people who obey it."

Sheriff's department spokeswoman Lt. Yvette Borden did not respond to phone and email inquiries Thursday.

Gutierrez was among those praising deputies' swift response Tuesday. Johnston said Neal was dead 25 minutes after dispatchers received the first frantic calls. The sheriff's headquarters is 21 miles away.

But Dillon Elliott was upset after hearing officials say road patrols had generally been increased in the last six years.

"It's like people out here think we're like a lawless city trying to survive, and we kinda are," said Elliott, who grew up in the community and whose parents still live there.

Claudette Wright said deputies responded to her calls, but the bad perception remains.

"It's always like, 'Rancho, it's crazy out there — it's the Wild West'," she said at a community prayer vigil Wednesday night.

"The perception is people think they can come out here and grow marijuana and there's no consequences," Wright said later, though she added that she had no complaints with law enforcement response.

Benigna Gonzalez said deputies appeared not to believe her when she reported being stalked a year ago while walking at dusk through the community. She no longer walks for exercise, takes sleeping pills and is undergoing counseling.

"We don't feel safe," she said tearfully. "I don't know when I'll feel safe anymore in this community."

Police found the bullet-riddled body of Neal's wife stuffed under the floorboards of their home in the rural community of Rancho Tehama Reserve. They believe her slaying was the start of the rampage.

tehama.jpg
Crime tape blocks off Rancho Tehama Road leading into the Rancho Tehama Reserve south of Red Bluff, Calif., following fatal shootings Tue., Nov. 14, 2017. AP

Neal then shot two neighbors in an apparent act of revenge before he went looking for random victims at the community's elementary school and several other locations.

Among those hurt at the school was 6-year-old Alejandro Hernandez, who was shot in the chest, arm and foot and remains hospitalized. His aunt, Marta Monroy, pleaded with fellow residents to formally report gunfire in the future.

"No shooting in the air — call the police, please," she urged at the prayer vigil.

If not more sheriffs' patrols, then the homeowners' association should consider paying for armed private patrols from the $50 monthly dues paid by every property owner or consider mounting an armed citizens' patrol, Raul Pinero said.

"We need enforcement, at least something out here," Pinero said.

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



AN ISSUE THAT I HADN’T SEEN BEFORE IS THAT THE SHOOTER HAD BEEN THREATENING THE NEIGHBOR MS. POLAND SEXUALLY AS WELL AS BEING CANTANKEROUS IN GENERAL. I REALLY DO LIKE HER PHRASE, "ALL KINDS OF PERVERTED THINGS." WHEN I SEE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT SICKOS COME UP WITH TO TRY TO DO, IT PARTLY MAKES ME LAUGH, AND ON THE OTHER HAND MAKES ME SHIVER IN MY SHOES.

I HAVE NOTICED ONE THING IN THESE STORIES, WHICH IS THAT POLICE RESPONSE IS FREQUENTLY EITHER NONEXISTENT OR SLOW. NOT WANTING TO BEAT A DEAD HORSE, I WILL SAY THIS AS WELL: FOUR OR FIVE OF THE LISTED NEIGHBORS HAVE SPANISH NAMES. COULD IT BE THAT THERE IS A RACIAL DISCRIMINATION ISSUE GOING ON? I WOULD HOPE NOT, BUT THAT IS CALIFORNIA, AND HISPANIC AND NATIVE AMERICANS ARE FREQUENTLY TREATED LESS THAN WELL IN THE WEST, AS BLACKS ARE IN THE EAST AND SOUTH. OF COURSE, WE ARE LIVING IN THAT KIND OF TIME PERIOD RIGHT NOW. WE NEED A NEW PRESIDENT AND A TOTAL TAKEOVER IN THE LEGISLATURE BY DEMOCRATS AND BERNIE SANDERS INDEPENDENTS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-shooting-kevin-janson-neal-neighbor/
CBS/AP November 16, 2017, 9:54 AM
California shooting gunman's neighbor lived in fear of him

RANCHO TEHAMA RESERVE, Calif. -- A neighbor of a Northern California gunman told a judge earlier this year that she and her family lived in fear of him because he was violent and unpredictable, firing off guns at all hours and threatening her with "all kinds of perverted things."

A sheriff's deputy on April 1 handed Kevin Janson Neal a court order to stay away from his neighbor Hailey Suzanne Poland and her family, and barred him from possessing guns.

Records show Neal certified that he surrendered his weapons in February, but Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said they had recovered two illegal homemade assault rifles and two handguns registered to someone else.

On Tuesday, Neal embarked on what authorities called a "murderous rampage" through a neighborhood in Tehama County about 130 miles north of Sacramento.

During the rampage that lasted 25 minutes, Neal tried to get into Rancho Tehama Elementary School.

Neal reached the school as teachers were completing lockdown procedures, CBS News correspondent Jamie Yuccas reports. He rammed the gate with his truck at the north end of campus. He then exited the vehicle with a semi-automatic rifle in hand.

"Our head custodian, who was shepherding kids in a class, poked his head around the corner to see what it was, made eye contact with the shooter," school district Superintendent Rick Fitzpatrick told Yuccas. "The shooter engaged him and almost immediately had problems with his rifle. It looks like it jammed. Those few seconds that the custodian was able to distract him allowed us to get those kids into the room."

Without being able to gain entry, the shooter became frustrated, opened fire on school buildings and eventually left.

"His face was full with violence, and quite frankly the word that easily comes to mind is evil," Fitzpatrick said. "There was no doubt in my mind that he intended to take life and as many as he could."

Neal killed five people and wounded at least eight others before sheriff's deputies fatally shot him during a gun battle, Johnston said.

Several other neighbors had repeatedly reported that Neal was firing hundreds of rounds at his property.

At a tense news conference Wednesday, Johnston initially said Neal "was not prohibited from owning firearms" but later acknowledged the protective order against him.

After being pressed by reporters on why police did not act when Neal was in clear violation of his court order, Johnston obliquely replied: "The law is only for people who obey it."

The incident underscores the difficulty of enforcing restraining orders when suspects ignore them, Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson said.

"Law enforcement often doesn't realize it has a problem until it's too late," Levenson said.

Neal was arrested and charged with stabbing Poland and attacking her mother-in-law during a Jan. 31 encounter in their rural neighborhood. Poland filed for a restraining order a week later, writing in a plea to a judge that Neal "is very unpredictable and unstable ... has anger issues."

Tehama County district attorney Gregg Cohen said he sought a protective order for Poland and her mother-in-law after Neal's release from jail on bail.

"Simply put, the victims were very scared of him," Cohen said.

Neal was also known to have violent squabbles with his wife.

The gunman's sister, Sheridan Orr, said her brother had struggled with mental illness throughout his life and at times had a violent temper.

She said Neal had "no business" owning firearms.

At Wednesday's news conference, Johnston conceded that neighbors had repeatedly complained about Neal firing hundreds of rounds from his house.

Johnston said authorities responded to calls several times, but the 44-year-old Neal wouldn't open the door, so they left.

"He was not law enforcement friendly. He would not come to the door," Johnston said. "You have to understand we can't anticipate what people are going to do. We don't have a crystal ball."

The evidence that emerged Wednesday, however, along with residents' statements raised questions about whether lawlessness was occasionally tolerated.

The community is a sparsely populated area of rolling woodlands dotted with grazing cattle.

"There's hardly any police presence out here," said Dillon Elliot, who moved away in 2001, though his parents still live there. "Every so often you'll see them if it's super bad."

He said his father, who was on the homeowners' association board, was threatened in the late '80s and early '90s during a dispute with a neighbor and deputies never responded.

"It's almost like they think we're lawless out here and they just don't care," he said.

Police found the bullet-riddled body of Neal's wife stuffed under the floorboards of their home in the rural community of Rancho Tehama Reserve. They believe her slaying was the start of the rampage.

Neal then shot two neighbors in an apparent act of revenge before he went looking for random victims at the community's elementary school and several other locations.

Six-year-old Alejandro Hernandez was in his classroom when one of Neal's bullets came through the window and hit him in the chest.

His aunt, Rosa A. Monroy, said he was at a Sacramento hospital awaiting surgery on his foot. It's not clear when they will operate on the more serious wound to his upper chest and right arm, she said.

"I just pray that we can all be strong together," she tearfully told a crowd of dozens of people that gathered for a vigil to honor the victims on Wednesday night.

Editor's note: The Associated Press had previously reported that Hailey Suzanne Poland was among the victims of the Tuesday shooting rampage in Rancho Tehama Reserve. CBS News has since confirmed Poland is alive and was not involved in Tuesday's shooting.

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



GHOST GUNS? WELL, YOU CAN BUY KITS TO MAKE EXPLOSIVES, SO WHY NOT AUTOMATIC RIFLES? BECAUSE WHEN A SOCIETY ALLOWS THINGS LIKE THAT, THEY AREN’T GIVING PEOPLE THEIR RIGHTS UNDER THE CONSTITUTION; THEY ARE ENABLING VIOLENT INDIVIDUALS TO DO THEIR WORST. CAN WE FORCE THE INTERNET BOSSES HIDING AWAY BEHIND THEIR COMPUTERS AND COLLECTING MEGABUCKS ON AD FEES TO BLOCK ALL ADS FOR “GHOST GUNS,” AS WE DID SO RECENTLY WITH FACEBOOK, AND OTHER POINTLESS AND DANGEROUS THINGS? THERE’S A RULE AGAINST SENDING DANGEROUS ANIMALS THROUGH THE MAIL – LIKE TARANTULAS -- AND THE SAME LOGIC APPLIES IN THIS CASE, I WOULD ASSUME. THE “GHOST GUNS” ARE NOT REGISTERED OR EVEN ASSIGNED A SERIAL NUMBER, ONE ARTICLE SAID – HENCE THE TERM “GHOST” – AND THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO WANT A GUN LIKE THAT ARE CRIMINALS, I WOULD SAY. IT’S NO DIFFERENT FROM A MASK. ANOTHER KEY PROBLEM, MENTIONED HERE, IS THAT BUILDING YOUR OWN GUN IS PERFECTLY LEGAL AND DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY PESKY OLD CRIMINAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CHECKS, LIKE OTHER GUNS DO.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ghost-guns-shooting-rancho-tehama-california/
CBS/AP November 16, 2017, 3:20 PM
Shooting rampage in California highlights "ghost guns" and their dangers

LOS ANGELES -- The gunman who killed his wife and four others in a rampage in Northern California this week found an easy way around a court order prohibiting him from having guns: He built his own at home.

Kevin Janson Neal, 44, was armed with what authorities believe were two high-powered rifles that he made himself when he opened fire Tuesday on homes, cars and an elementary school around his tiny hometown of Rancho Tehama Reserve. A deputy finally shot and killed him.

California shooting gunman's neighbor lived in fear of him
Workers at California elementary school averted "horrific bloodbath"

It is the latest case of homemade semi-automatic weapons being used in a crime, and it comes as federal authorities try to draw attention to the dangers posed by these "ghost guns," which contain no registration numbers that can be used to trace them. In Baltimore, a man used a homemade AR-15-style rifle to shoot at four police officers in July 2016. They returned fire, killing him.

It's legal to build a gun in a home or a workshop, and advances in 3-D printing and milling has made it easier to do that. Kits can be purchased legally for $450 to $1,000 from hundreds of websites without the kind of background check required for traditional gun purchases.

"The more restrictive the laws become for people to purchase firearms, we're going to see those criminal elements build their own," Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said. "That's what they do."

kevin-neal.jpg
Kevin Janson Neal TEHAMA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

In Neal's case, he had been ordered to give up all his guns earlier this year under a restraining order that was issued against him after he was charged with assaulting two women who lived nearby. He signed a document in February saying he surrendered a 9 mm handgun to a gun store, which also attested to that. When Neal was arrested, police seized an AR-15 Bushmaster semi-automatic rifle.

During Tuesday's rampage, officials say he chose random targets and stole two vehicles as he moved through town. Officers recovered one semi-automatic rifle and two handguns. One of the stolen vehicles, a white truck with bullet holes in the windshield, was removed from the area Tuesday night, reports CBS News correspondent Jamie Yuccas.

Neal was known to authorities and had at least one prior arrest. His neighbors had complained he had fired multiple rounds for days before Tuesday's deadly incident.

"He's a bad guy and I'm not going to glorify him in any manner whatsoever. He attacked my school," Johnston said.

While making a ghost gun is legal, selling one is not. Federal officials are sounding the alarm about an increasing black market for homemade military-style semiautomatic rifles and handguns.

Mills where guns are built are popping up across the country and especially in California, which has strict gun laws. By 2019, people who own or create homemade firearms in California will have to apply for a serial number from the state and permanently affix it to the weapon.

The critical component in building an untraceable gun is what is known as the lower receiver, a part typically made of metal or polymer. An unfinished receiver -- sometimes referred to as an "80-percent receiver" -- can be legally bought online with no serial numbers or other markings, no license required.

Converting the piece of metal into a firearm is relatively simple and takes only a few hours. A drill press or a metal cutting machine known as a Computer Numeric Control, or CNC, is used to create a few holes in the receiver and well out a cavity. The receiver is then combined with a few other parts to create a fully functioning semiautomatic rifle or handgun.

Ghost guns are increasingly turning up at crime scenes and being purchased from gang members and other criminals by undercover federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents. It is hard to say how many are circulating on the streets. In many cases, police departments don't even contact the ATF about the guns because they can't be traced.

Cody Wilson, who runs a website and sells unfinished receivers and a CNC machine specifically marketed for making ghost guns, said although there is no legal requirement that he conduct background checks, he tries to take precautions to make sure the weapons aren't used nefariously. For example, he said, he won't sell to foreigners.

Wilson said each month he sells about 175 Ghost Gunner machines for about $1,700 each. Purchasers can use them over and over to mill out their guns. Wilson said most of his customers are gun enthusiasts and survivalists who simply enjoy building their own military-style weapons.

"There's a genuine excitement," he said.

Criminals, though, see the guns as a way to sidestep federal laws that prohibit them from owning guns, said Paul Ware, an attorney with the ATF in Los Angeles.

"The unfinished receiver is a total workaround because the prohibited person doesn't have to provide any identification," Ware said. "You just get it delivered to your home, and you build the exact same gun you could have bought at the store."

Some illegal gun mills provide one-stop shopping -- they build the guns and sell them on site, Ware said.

Anthony Keeling operated a business out of a motorcycle shop in Riverside where he finished receivers and illegally sold them, authorities said. Keeling pleaded guilty to federal charges earlier this year and was sentenced to four months in prison.

In another case, a business tried to skirt the federal firearms licensing requirements by claiming it was selling barbeques and giving away ghost guns free with each purchase.

"It was like a parting gift," Ware said. "Instead of beans and a hotdog, you were getting an AK" rifle.

America's deadliest mass shootings

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



VIDEO ONLY:
https://www.cbsnews.com/videos/new-court-documents-contradict-jeff-sessions-russia-testimony/
New court documents contradict Jeff Sessions' Russia testimony

NOVEMBER 14, 2017, 7:09 AM| Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to face tough questions on Russia during an appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Sessions will likely be asked about recently-released court documents and testimony that show he was told about meetings between Trump campaign aides and Russian interests. Paula Reid reports.


KUSHNER IS JUST TOO SLICK FOR WORDS – GOOD WORDS, THAT IS. THE WHOLE FAMILY REMINDS ME OF THE MAFIA. GO TO YOUTUBE AND WATCH “MICKY BLUE EYES.”

IT’S THE ATTITUDE TOWARD THE LAW THAT STANDS OUT TO ME, AND THE TYPE OF ENDEAVORS THAT THEY HAVE USED TO MAKE EVER GREATER AMOUNTS OF MONEY. THIS IS HOW THE INTERNATIONAL OLIGARCHS WORK, I GUESS, BUT SURELY IT IS ILLEGAL.

I’M SO GLAD TO SEE MUELLER DELVING INTO THEIR “PRIVATE” BUSINESS AFFAIRS, WHICH TRUMP EARLY ON IN THE INVESTIGATION NOT TOO SUBTLY WARNED AGAINST. IT’S NO WONDER HE WAS SO CONCERNED ABOUT IT. THAT IS THE CLOSET WHERE MANY OF HIS MISDEEDS LIE, WRAPPED UP IN THE PRETTY BOX OF GREAT WEALTH.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-panel-says-documents-that-jared-kushners-lawyer-shared-were-incomplete/
CBS NEWS November 16, 2017, 6:21 PM

Senate panel says documents that Jared Kushner's lawyer shared were incomplete

The top members on the Senate Judiciary Committee say that the documents that Jared Kushner's lawyer submitted to the panel are "incomplete."

In a letter to the attorney of the president's son-in-law, Abbe Lowell, Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said that the committee requested documents from Kushner on Oct. 18 and acknowledged that Lowell provided documents to the panel on Nov. 3.

"We appreciate your voluntary cooperation with the Committee's investigation, but the production appears to have been incomplete. In addition, you asked for clarification on the scope of the request. Therefore, we write today to clarify the scope and reiterate our requests for documents," the letter said.

The senators said that the documents from Kushner's lawyer failed to include "several documents that are known to exist" concerning September 2016 email communications to Kushner about WikiLeaks.

"Such documents should have been produced in response to the third request but were not. Likewise, other parties have produced documents concerning a "Russian backdoor overture and dinner invite" which Mr. Kushner also forwarded. And still others have produced communications with Sergei Millian, copied to Mr. Kushner. Again, these do not appear in Mr. Kushner's production despite being responsive to the second request. You also have not produced any phone records that we presume exist and would relate to Mr. Kushner's communications regarding several requests," they wrote.

Millian is a Belarusan American businessman who is said to be the source of some of the material in the Russian dossier which contained unverified allegations about Donald Trump's connections to Russia.

Kushner's lawyer in addition, didn't produce documents requested from the committee from an SF 86, a security clearance form.

"However, if Mr. Kushner or his counsel retained copies of the forms, you should produce them. The SF-86 instructions explicitly advise the applicant to "retain a copy of the completed form for your records,"" the letter said. "Moreover, with regard to your claim that the documents are confidential, while the Privacy Act limits the government's authority to release the information provided to it, there is no restriction on your client's ability to provide that information to Congress."

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