January 25, 2018


News and Views


THERESA MAY AND TRUMP BAD RELATIONSHIP “FALSE RUMOR” – MAYBE, BUT SHE HAS HAD SEVERAL UNHAPPY THINGS TO SAY ABOUT HIM – AFTER HE INSULTED HER AND BRITAIN A COUPLE OF TIMES.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-holds-bilateral-meeting-with-uks-may-at-davos-live-stream/
By EMILY TILLETT CBS NEWS January 25, 2018, 9:20 AM
Trump says he wants to correct "false rumor" of bad relationship with UK's May

2018 DAVOS Meeting

President Trump kicked off his first official day in Davos, Switzerland by holding a bilateral meeting with one of the closest allies to the United States -- the United Kingdom's Prime Minister Theresa May where he said he wanted to clarify reports surrounding his working relationship with the UK's political leader.

At the meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Thursday morning, Mr. Trump said that the two countries to [sic] "like each other, a lot," adding that the "feeling is mutual" between the two.

"We love your country we think it's truly great," said the president. He added that the two were "joined at the hip when it comes to military, same idea, ideals."

May echoed Mr. Trump's sentiments, saying the U.S. and UK "continue to have that really special relationship" as they work together to address issues on trade and the global economy.

This was the first time Mr. Trump and May came face-to-face since cancelling a working visit to London to officially open the new U.S. embassy. The president decided not to attend because he said he doesn't like the building, and thinks his predecessor was wrong to "sell" the old one.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson went in the president's place earlier this month.

The two were also at odds in the fall when the president seemingly endorsed a far-right UK political party "Britain First" by retweeting videos, some with violent imagery, tweeted out by the party's leader.

At the time, May's spokesperson criticized Mr. Trump for giving "Britain first" such a big platform and said the group "seeks to divide communities by their use of hateful narratives that peddle lies and stoke tensions."

Mr. Trump tweeted a response to May, advising her not to "focus on me" but instead "focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom." He added, "We are doing just fine."

The president said on Thursday he wanted to correct a "false rumor" of any remaining rifts between the two leaders.

The live television coverage of the bilateral meeting ended with reporters throwing questions at Mr. Trump about the still-lingering prospect of an official State Visit to Britain.

The president replied curtly that he and May would be "discussing it", without any additional detail. As the BBC live coverage returned to anchor Simon McCoy in the studio, he summed up the meeting with trademark British sarcasm: "Well, that was comfortable."

Mr. Trump arrived in Davos and the World Economic Forum Thursday, hours after an impromptu press conference with reporters in which he said he is looking forward to being interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller, and is open to a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.

The president is also set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the forum on Thursday.

CBS News' Tucker Reals contributed to this report.


© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



THIS INTERVIEW WITH VICENTE F0X IS VERY INTERESTING AND COMFORTING TO ME. HE DOESN’T SEEM TO BE INFURIATED AT TRUMP, AS I EXPECTED HIM TO BE, BUT HE DOES REPEAT THE WORD “NEVER” THREE TIMES IN HIS STATEMENT ABOUT THE WALL. HE SUGGESTS THE USE OF DRONES INSTEAD. “THERE ARE MANY BETTER THINGS” TO DO WITH $30,000,000 THAN “THAT WALL.”

HE ALSO STATED IN REFERENCE TO THE TRUMP COMMENT THAT “THE AMERICAN DREAM IS DEAD”: “I MEAN, HE DEMOTIVATES ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY.” THIS IS TRUE, BUT THAT IS TRUMP’S PLAN IN EXCITING THE MOST NEGATIVE FORCES IN OUR NATION TO A CALL OF SOCIETAL WAR. HE IS RALLYING HIS “SOLDIERS” TO HATE. DOES HE REALLY THINK THAT STREET WARFARE IS GOING TO BE A GOOD THING?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vicente-fox-former-mexican-president-border-wall-cbsn-red-and-blue/
By BLAIR GUILD CBS NEWS January 24, 2018, 10:56 PM
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox: "We will never, never, never pay for that wall"

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox reaffirmed his refusal on behalf of Mexico to ever pay for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. "We will never, never, never pay for that wall," he said in an interview with CBSN anchor Elaine Quijano on "Red & Blue."

Most Americans support DACA, but oppose border wall - CBS News poll

President Trump made the border wall an integral promise of his campaign for the presidency and has reemphasized his plan to build the structure during his time in office.

Fox said that if a wall were to be built, it would be "totally useless" and that there are better alternatives, such as the use of drones, to achieve a secure border.

"What's the use of it? I mean with 30 billion U.S. dollars, you can do so many things better than building that wall," he said.

180124-cbsn-vicente-fox-redandblue.jpg
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox in an interview with CBSN's "Red & Blue" with Elaine Quijano. CBSN

While Mr. Trump has said that a wall would help prevent drugs from "pouring" into the country from Mexico, Fox argued that outside of some marijuana production, most drugs are not produced in Mexico, but imported from South America and carried across the border into the United States.

He stressed that a wall would not prevent the transport of illicit substances.

"If you want to waste your money, you American taxpayers, it's your right to do it," Fox said. "So, build the wall. What I am sure of, is that walls don't work, that walls have never worked in history."

Fox also said that expanding NAFTA, or the The [sic] North American Free Trade Agreement, is vital to the U.S.-Mexico relationship. Mr. Trump has called the trade deal a "disaster" and aims to dismantle it.

Fox did not hide his strong feelings toward Mr. Trump.

"I am the most optimistic human being you can find, but when you hear a guy like Trump saying that the American dream is dead -- forget it," he said. "What is he doing there, in the presidency? Imagine saying the American dream, the founding father's dream, is dead. I mean, he demotivates anybody and everybody."

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



“IT’S NOT IN MY GENES.” DID OPRAH MEAN THAT SHE IS A BLACK FEMALE, AND THAT AS SUCH SHE CAN’T WIN? OR THAT SHE DOESN’T HAVE THE “FIRE IN THE BELLY” FOR THAT GOAL, AS COLIN POWELL SAID SOME TWENTY YEARS AGO. I PERSONALLY, THOUGH I LIKE THINKING ABOUT NATIONAL ISSUES, WOULDN’T WANT TO BE PRESIDENT, NOT EVEN FOR A MOMENT. I’M QUITE HAPPY WITH MY BLOG INSTEAD. OPRAH SAID SHE IS ALL ABOUT “CONVERSATION.” THAT’S A TYPICAL FEMALE THING TO SAY, AND EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT TO THE WORLD AS MILITARY MASTERY.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/oprah-on-2020-run-i-dont-have-the-dna-for-it/
By EMILY TILLETT CBS NEWS January 25, 2018, 9:28 AM
Oprah on 2020 run: "I don't have the DNA for it"

Just weeks before giving a rousing Golden Globes speech that spawned rumors of a possible shot at a presidential bid, renowned talk show host and "60 Minutes" correspondent Oprah Winfrey told InStyle Magazine that she has "no interest" in running for president in 2020.

"I've always felt very secure and confident with myself in knowing what I could do and what I could not. And so it's not something that interests me. I don't have the DNA for it," Oprah told InStyle's editor-in-chief Laura Brown in an interview for their March cover story. The interview was conducted three weeks before Winfrey had received the Cecile B. DeMille award where she gave the stirring speech.

The possibility of a Winfrey's run was trending heavily on social media after she delivered her remarks at the Golden Globe Awards before a television audience of 19 million people.

"For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up!" Winfrey said in her speech.

"So I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon," she continued.

The internet lit up, and her longtime partner Stedman Graham added fuel to the fire, telling the Los Angeles Times that Winfrey would "absolutely" run for president -- if the American people want her to.

But Winfrey went on in the interview, saying her close friend, "CBS This Morning" co-anchor Gayle King, regularly fields fans' questions of Winfrey's shot at politics.

"Gayle sends me these things, and then she'll go, 'I know, I know, I know! It wouldn't be good for you—it would be good for everyone else.' I met with someone the other day who said that they would help me with a campaign. That's not for me," Winfrey added.

While King insisted on CBS that Winfrey is not "actively considering" a run for president, she also said, "She loves this country and would like to be of service in some way."

As for Winfrey's role as a special correspondent with "60 Minutes", she says it's her "calling."

"I have to say the core of me is about conversations. Exploring the depth of our human experiences. That is what I do. That is my calling. Whether I do that through dramas, producing stories with OWN [Oprah Winfrey Network], or one-on-one conversations that matter, I know that's what I'm here to do," said Winfrey.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



I’M SO GLAD TO SEE THAT SANDERS IS ON HIS TOES AND READY TO GO. I HOPE HIS HEALTH HOLDS OUT, AND IT PROBABLY WILL. I DON’T KNOW IF HE STILL RUNS OR NOT, BUT HE USED TO BE IN TOP PHYSICAL CONDITION. MAY THE BEST MAN WIN – AND THAT MAN IS BERNIE SANDERS.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/25/bernie-sanders-2020-team-meeting-368148
Bernie Sanders summons team to discuss 2020
Although the Vermont senator hasn’t made a decision, sources say he wants to be ready if he throws his hat in the ring.
By GABRIEL DEBENEDETTI 01/25/2018 11:09 AM EST

Photograph -- Sen. Bernie Sanders has remained toward the top of polls surveying the potential Democratic field without fail after his stunning 2016 bid. | Getty Images

Bernie Sanders convened his top political advisers in Washington on Saturday for a planning meeting that included a discussion of the feasibility and shape of a possible 2020 presidential campaign, half a dozen senior Democrats familiar with the gathering confirmed to POLITICO.

The top-line message the Vermont senator received from the operatives gathered during the government shutdown was a more formal version of the one they’ve been giving him regularly for months: You would be one of the front-runners for the Democratic nomination. And if you want to run, it’s time to start seriously planning accordingly.

The Democratic socialist's response to the series of presentations, according to multiple Democrats: I haven’t yet made a decision about 2020, but I still think beating Donald Trump is the most important thing for this country. And I want to be ready if I do decide to run.

Sanders regularly speaks with a close group of advisers and periodically brings top allies in to discuss his political maneuvers, but Saturday’s get-together included planning for the rest of 2018 as well as a specifically slated 2020 component, said Democrats familiar with the session, which was scheduled for the one-year anniversary of Trump’s inauguration. Part of the discussion included gaming out how the rest of the field might look, since 2016’s landscape — effectively pitting Sanders directly against Hillary Clinton — was far more straightforward than the expected 2020 free-for-all.

Multiple Democrats close to Sanders insisted that the meeting was not solely a 2020 planning session and that the conversation was one in a series of talks that he frequently has with aides and associates in regular, less formal sessions. But they all acknowledged that this gathering was larger than the rest, and that it included a preplanned discussion of the next presidential race.

The senator, 76, has consistently refused to rule out running when asked over the past year, instead pivoting the conversation to other topics.

“The senator is extremely focused on making sure the Democrats win in 2018 and that is the primary goal right now: to retake the House and retake the Senate so we can stop this horrendous Trump agenda,” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager and top political adviser.

Sanders has remained toward the top of polls surveying the potential Democratic field without fail after his stunning 2016 bid, and he has been working methodically to address major issues that plagued him politically last time, boning up on foreign policy and making nice with a series of party power brokers. He also visited both Iowa and New Hampshire multiple times in 2017, a traditional sign of a possible run.

Saturday's crowd was largely made up of top alums of Sanders’ 2016 campaign, a group of whom were later spotted dining together on Saturday evening at the downtown BLT Steak restaurant, famous for its popovers and $60 Kansas City cuts.

Along with Sanders, participants in the meeting included Weaver, and Sanders’ wife, Jane, called in on the phone. Nina Turner, the Ohio state senator-turned-president of Our Revolution, Sanders’ post-campaign political organization, was there too.

Veteran Democratic strategists and ad makers Mark Longabaugh and Julian Mulvey were in attendance after playing central roles in shaping the 2016 campaign, as was California-based pollster Ben Tulchin, who Sanders brought into the fold in 2015 after launching his last campaign.

Among the other attendees were senior Sanders senate adviser Ari Rabin-Havt, online fundraising guru Tim Tagaris, political adviser Chuck Rocha, and former Sanders communications aide Arianna Jones.

Still, not all of the senator’s top past or current advisers were in attendance at the meeting, which came just as some Sanders campaign alums work through concerns about how difficult a successful 2020 bid could be. Some high-level Sanders allies have recently raised concerns with his advisers that the senator had better start reactivating his early-voting state infrastructure if he intends to run again. While the senator is up for reelection in Vermont in November, he is highly unlikely to face any significant challenge.

On Monday, two days after the meeting, Sanders emailed his massive list of supporters to update them on his 2018 strategy. He intends to support candidates all over the country, he wrote, in addition to “reactivating the distributed organizing network that was at the heart of our grassroots success in 2015/2016.”

The next day, he hosted a town-hall event focused on his Medicare for All proposal that drew over 1 million viewers online, tweeted his communications director, Josh Miller-Lewis.

Over three dozen Democrats are currently considering running to challenge Trump, making the potential primary unpredictable. But if Sanders were to opt for a run, the field would likely shape itself around him — and he would find himself a target — as it might also for his fellow co-favorites, former Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Related -- Jon Tester is pictured. | AP Photo
CONGRESS
Tester puts reelection on the line with risky shutdown vote
By BURGESS EVERETT and KEVIN ROBILLARD



THE NEXT SEVERAL BBC ARTICLES ADDRESS BRITAIN’S HOMELESSNESS PROBLEM -- “ALL YOU CAN DO AS A HUMAN BEING IS TO HELP THEM.” THIS IS A VERY GOOD VIDEO SERIES FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH THOSE WHO LIVE ON THE STREET OR OUTSIDE TOWNS IN MAKESHIFT SHELTERS IN ENGLAND TODAY. THOSE INTERVIEWED ARE CALM AND COHERENT. ONE WRITES POETRY. I THINK WE FORGET IN AMERICA THAT LIFE MEANS NOT BEING DEAD, PHYSICALLY OR EMOTIONALLY. WE OFTEN ARE LOOKING TOWARD SOME “BETTER” LIFE CIRCUMSTANCE, RATHER THAN APPRECIATING THE SUNSHINE AND FLOWERS. I KNOW. THAT SOUNDS SENTIMENTAL, BUT IT ISN’T. IT’S GRATITUDE.

DOING WHAT THEY DO TAKES A CERTAIN ACCEPTANCE OF THINGS AS THEY ARE, AS OPPOSED TO WISHING. ACCEPTANCE INVOLVES AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF REALITY, WHICH IS ONE OF THE PRIMARY ASPECTS OF SANITY. WE SHOULD ALWAYS WANT THAT. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THEIR LIVES ISN’T IDEAL, BUT THOSE INTERVIEWED IN THE VIDEOS AT ANY RATE, DO HAVE A CERTAIN DIGNITY UNLESS THEY ARE DERANGED. DIGNITY OR NOT, THOUGH, WE WHO ARE RELATIVELY “SAFE,” SHOULD NOT IGNORE, HATE, SCORN, FEAR, AND ESPECIALLY, NOT ABUSE THEM; WE SHOULD HELP THEM, ONE BY ONE, OR AS A GROUP. A SMILE AND A KIND HELLO AS WE PASS THEM ON THE STREET IS A GOOD PLACE TO START. WHAT THAT DOES IS TO VISIBLY ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR EXISTENCE AND THEIR IMPORTANCE.

THE BEST HELP, OF COURSE, IS NOT THE TEMPORARY SORT. ONE OF THE PROFILES IN THIS SERIES IS OF A MAN WHO, WHEN HE ASKED FOR A CONTRIBUTION, RECEIVED INSTEAD AN OFFER OF A JOB SHINING SHOES. HE ACCEPTED HAPPILY AND IS ADVANCING IN HIS JOB. ANOTHER WAS GIVEN A JOB IN A CAR WASH. THE SOAPBOX I’M ALWAYS STANDING ON IS TO ILLUSTRATE TIME AFTER TIME THAT EACH AND EVERY LIFE IS IMPORTANT – EVEN ANIMALS. IS A LADYBUG BEETLE IMPORTANT? YOU BETCHA. ASK ANY FARMER, OR ANY LITTLE CHILD WHO IS EXPERIENCING THE DELICATE BEAUTY OF THE LITTLE CRITTERS.

http://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-birmingham-42820276/birmingham-beggar-saved-by-job-offer?intlink_from_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Flive%2Fuk-england-birmingham-42754011&link_location=live-reporting-map
'I went to prison to get off the street'
There are more than 4,000 rough sleepers in England. We spoke to four of them to find out their stories.


FINLAND REDUCED ITS’ HOMELESS POPULATION BY 50%.

http://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-birmingham-41969501/can-idea-from-finland-cut-uk-s-homelessness-problem?intlink_from_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Flive%2Fuk-england-birmingham-42754011&link_location=live-reporting-map
Can Finland help reduce UK homelessness?
The West Midlands Mayor Andy Street wants the region to pilot Finland's Housing First strategy.
14 November 2017
From the section Birmingham & Black Country


THE CEO OF A SHOESHINE BUSINESS

http://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-41946240/the-boss-who-only-hires-the-disadvantaged-or-homeless?intlink_from_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Flive%2Fuk-england-birmingham-42754011&link_location=live-reporting-map
The boss who only hires the disadvantaged or homeless
Drew, a former rough sleeper, is now the CEO of a shoe-shining business helping the disadvantaged to get back into work.
13 November 2017
From the section Stories


THIS MAN LIVES IN A VAN IN A WOODLAND WITH HIS TWO DOGS. HE’S BEEN THERE FOR FOURTEEN YEARS AND IS “USED TO IT.” HE SAID “IT’S A SMALL PRICE YOU PAY FOR LIVING LIKE THIS.” I ASSUME HE IS TALKING ABOUT LIVING WITHOUT THE HARASSMENTS OF DEALING WITH URBAN SOCIETY – FREE FOOD FROM THE FOOD BANK, NO TAX, NO RENT, NO NOSY-PARKERS, ETC. YEARS AGO, I SAW AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE FACT THAT A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE – MAYBE A FAIRLY LARGE ONE – LIVE “FREE” PURPOSELY. STILL, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM HOUSED, WITH CLEAN WATER, HEAT AND LIGHTING.

http://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-kent-41448518/kent-homeless-man-lives-in-van-for-14-years
Kent homeless man lives in van for 14 years
A man living in a broken down van in a forest near Faversham has told his story to the BBC's Inside Out programme.

Homelessness is more usually seen as an urban issue, with rough sleepers more likely to be found in a doorway in a city centre.

But rural homelessness in England has risen by 42% from 2010 to 2016.

Jimmy Shilling has made the van his home for the past 14 years.

See more on this story on Inside Out, on BBC One South East on Monday 2 October at 19:30 BST, and later on the BBC iPlayer.

01 Oct 2017
From the section Kent



I HAVE INCLUDED THIS ONE BECAUSE OF THE CLEARLY AND POINTLESSLY DOMINEERING BEHAVIOR BY A POLICE OFFICER, AND ITS’ SHEER STUPIDITY AS TO THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ISSUE AS WELL. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WE’RE BECOMING A NEO-NAZI NATION FROM THE INSIDE OUT INSTEAD OF SIMPLY THROUGH UNPRINCIPLED PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET – RUSSIAN BOTS AND TROLLS, ETC. THANK GOODNESS, THE MAN DIDN’T DRAW HIS GUN. ONE COMMENT IN HIS DEFENSE, HOWEVER. SHE SHOULDN’T HAVE SPIT ON HIM. THAT’S TRULY UNACCEPTABLE – BUT NOT GROUNDS FOR A BEATING OR A SHOOTING. SHE DID SAY TO HIM THAT SHE WAS “STANDING UP FOR HER PEOPLE.” SHE IS HISPANIC, BUT IN SOME SITUATIONS, THEY ARE TREATED AS BADLY AS BLACK PEOPLE.

I HAVE SAID THIS BEFORE, BUT I’M GOING TO REPEAT IT. THIS COUNTRY IS MOVING FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY FROM “MY AMERICA.” OF COURSE, IN MY AMERICA, A YOUNG WOMAN PROBABLY WOULDN’T HAVE HAD HER FEET ON THE BACK OF A SEAT IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION EITHER. WE WERE TOO “NICE,” I.E. “CONSERVATIVE” FOR THAT.

“I EXPECT MORE FROM OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS. THIS INCIDENT IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION, BUT I WANT TO BE CLEAR: THIS IS NOT THE KIND OF POLICING I WANT ON OUR SYSTEM. .... "MY EXPECTATION OF THE MTA... IS THAT THERE WILL BE COURTESY FROM EVERYONE. I EXPECT THAT FROM THE INDIVIDUALS WHO RIDE – I EXPECT THAT FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT," GARCETTI SAID.”

“THAT’S TELLIN’ ‘EM,” MR. GARCETTI. ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS THAT POLICE IN THIS COUNTRY HAVE SO MUCH RESISTANCE IN THEIR DEALINGS WITH THE PUBLIC IS THAT THEIR FIRST APPROACH IS CRUDE, RUDE AND ABUSIVE. THIS OFFICER DID THAT, TOO. AFTER WE SELECT FOR AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL OF INTELLIGENCE AND SANITY IN POLICE APPLICANTS, WE SHOULD LOOK FOR BREEDING AND EDUCATION NEXT. IF OFFICERS WERE ALL POTENTIAL MANAGEMENT MATERIAL, THEY WOULDN’T TREAT THEIR FELLOW CITIZENS LIKE THIS. THEY ALSO MOST PROBABLY WOULDN’T BE TARGETS FOR LONE SNIPERS. INSTEAD OF SIMPLY GOING ON A RAMPAGE OVER AN OFFICER BEING KILLED, CONSIDER SOME SERIOUS RETRAINING. I THINK THERE’S A SPECIFIC REASON FOR THESE POLICE SHOOTINGS OF THE LAST FEW YEARS. IT IS RAGE.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/video-shows-lapd-officer-dragging-teen-off-train-for-foot-on-seat/
By CRIMESIDER STAFF CBS NEWS January 25, 2018, 12:43 PM
Video shows LAPD officer dragging teen off train for foot on seat

LOS ANGELES -- Video of an officer dragging a teen off a Los Angeles Metro train after she apparently put her foot on a seat is causing controversy.

The teen, identified by CBS Los Angeles as 18-year-old Bethany Nava, was reportedly asked to take her foot off the seat Monday by a Los Angeles Police officer. He then orders Nava to get off the train, which she refuses.

"I paid to be on this train," Nava is heard saying in the cell video captured by a fellow train rider.

The officer then grabs her by the arm and drags her off the train.

"This is not [expletive] fair that you took me off the train because I had my foot there, because I was comfortable like that," Nava tells the officer as they are both on the platform.

Another woman, identified by the station as Selena Lechuga, 22, approaches the officer in an attempt to intervene. After asking Lechuga to back away from the scene, the officer warns her she is "impeding" the investigation and radios for backup.

"I'm not going to leave because I'm going to stand up for my people no matter what," Lechuga is heard responding to the officer.

Moments later, five additional officers arrived on scene and took both Nava and Lechuga into custody.

During her arrest, Lechuga is heard yelling expletives at the officers and shouting, "This is racism! This is what we are!"

She is also seen on video spitting at one of the officers and was arrested on suspicion of battery. Both women were cited and later released, the station reports.

The Los Angeles Metro is patrolled by a multi-agency law enforcement partnership that includes the LAPD, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, the Long Beach Police Department, as well as Metro's own security personnel, CBS Los Angeles reports.

Police later told CBS Los Angeles that Nava was being loud and boisterous on the train and had violated the disorderly conduct code under Metro rules.

Both Metro and the LAPD are investigating the incident.

"I am extremely disappointed, our riders deserve better," Metro CEO Phil Washington said in a statement released to the station. "We want the Metro system to be a safe environment for everyone. I expect more from our law enforcement partners. This incident is still under investigation, but I want to be clear: this is not the kind of policing I want on our system."

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said the officers' body cameras will help shed more light on the incident.

"My expectation of the MTA... is that there will be courtesy from everyone. I expect that from the individuals who ride – I expect that from law enforcement," Garcetti said. "I know MTA and LAPD has launched an investigation. I also know that videos sometimes tell one picture. We'll have the videos that officers have – as well as the videos that were made."

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



WELL, HERE’S A LAWSUIT RIPE FOR THE PICKING AND A GUARANTEED "MEDIA CIRCUS!"

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gay-candidate-jason-white-says-alabama-gop-leaders-refused-to-let-him-run-for-sheriff/
CBS/AP January 25, 2018, 12:55 PM
Gay candidate says Alabama GOP leaders refused to let him run for sheriff

ATHENS, Ala.-- A gay businessman and one-time police officer who is married to another man says GOP leaders in a north Alabama county refused to let him run for sheriff after a review that included questions about his sexual orientation. Jason White told the News-Courier of Athens that members of the Limestone County Republican Executive Committee voted Tuesday to deny his bid for sheriff in a decision he believes is linked to the fact he is gay. "I think it is obvious," he said.

White, 40, said he now plans to run for sheriff as an independent, and Republicans must find another candidate if they want an opponent for longtime incumbent Mike Blakely, a Democrat.

"I'm disappointed, but I'm not deterred," said White, who spent 22 years in law enforcement and co-owns a private security company in Huntsville.

Noah Wahl, chairman of the county GOP executive committee, declined to comment on the committee's reason for denying White's candidacy, the newspaper reported.

A former Athens police officer, White qualified to run for Limestone County sheriff in 2002 but lost in the primary. White said all he had to do to qualify as a candidate then was complete qualifying papers and pay a qualifying fee.


White, who was married to a woman at the time, has since divorced and married former Navy SEAL Brett Jones in Indiana. White said he didn't openly admit that he was gay until about a year after the 2002 vote, the News-Courier reported.

Now, White and Jones live in Alabama and have a teenage son. Jones published a book about coming out as gay and leaving the military. In 2015, The Los Angeles Times reported that Jones was the Navy's first openly gay SEAL.

White, in qualifying to run this year, had to fill out a form that includes questions about whether candidates have ever voted for a Democrat; if they believe "in the traditional definition of marriage;" and if they were "committed to protecting life at all ages."

About two weeks before the vote, White said a county Republican steering committee asked for an interview in which he was asked him to name two weaknesses as a candidate.

"I said the fact I was fired and that I'm gay," White said. White said members then had a lengthy conversation that included remarks like, "We don't think we'd be able to raise any money for you," and "We're a small Southern town; how are we going to get around that?"

White said the committee spent more time talking about his sexual orientation than his dismissal by the Athens Police Department in 2012 over allegations he wrongly used a state crime database to look up information linked to his ex-wife.

Before the vote Tuesday, White said members of the county committee asked whether he voted for Donald Trump for president.

"I said, 'No, I voted for Gary Johnson (the Libertarian candidate),'" White said. "You'd think I had stabbed them."

Wahl called later to say about two-thirds of the 34-person committee had voted against letting him run, White said.

Republicans could still get someone in the race since prospective candidates have until Feb. 9 to file qualifying papers.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



NOW, THIS IS A CLEAR CASE OF SELF DEFENSE AND AS THE TV SHOW NYPD BLUE WOULD SAY, “A GOOD SHOOTING.” IT’S NOT THAT IT’S GOOD, OF COURSE, BUT IT IS ENTIRELY JUSTIFIABLE.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/suspected-gunman-in-shooting-of-trooper-serving-cold-case-warrant-found-dead/
By CRIMESIDER STAFF CBS NEWS January 25, 2018, 11:43 AM
Suspected gunman in shooting of troopers serving cold case warrant found dead

Photograph -- MIKE CAMPBELL/WWJ

UNION TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Two Michigan state troopers were wounded and a suspect is dead after an incident that began when the officers served a warrant in a cold case on Wednesday morning, reports CBS affiliate WWJ.

According to Michigan State Police director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue, Det. Sgt. Aaron Steensma of the Marshall Post was being treated for a gunshot wound to the chest and was in serious but stable condition on Wednesday afternoon.

Steensma and Trooper Daniel Thayer were serving a warrant in a cold case investigation at the home when they encountered the gunman, said MSP First Lt. Mike Shaw.

"When they announced their presence at the front door, an individual inside the house leveled a shot-gun or a long gun at the officers and began opening fire," Shaw told WWJ.

The troopers attempted to take cover, but Steensma was shot in the chest. Police said that Thayer sustained only a graze wound to the hand while a second bullet was stopped by his ballistic vest.

A short time later, Shaw said the suspect, whose name has not been released, was found dead in a nearby field, possibly of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. An investigation is ongoing.

Police have not disclosed information on the cold case the troopers were investigating.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



THE MORE INTERVIEW AND MEETING TRANSCRIPTS THE BETTER. I DO LIKE FRESH AIR AND SUNLIGHT ON ALL GOVERNMENT ISSUES.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sen-chuck-grassley-signals-hed-like-to-release-interview-transcripts-related-to-trump-tower-meeting/
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS January 25, 2018, 10:55 AM
Sen. Chuck Grassley signals he'd like to release interview transcripts related to Trump Tower meeting

Photograph -- Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Charles Grassley (R-IA) speaks during the second day of confirmation hearings on Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) nomination to be U.S. attorney general in Washington, U.S., January 11, 2017. REUTERS/JOSHUA ROBERTS - RTX2YI74

The Senate Judiciary Committee's investigation into the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting is complete, says its Republican chairman, who signaled Thursday that he plans to release transcripts from interviews related to the meeting.

"I believe this Committee's interviews of the witnesses surrounding the Trump Tower meeting are complete. That section of our investigation is done," said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the panel's chairman at a business meeting Thursday.

"So, now it's time to start officially releasing the transcripts of all witness interviews we have done related to that meeting," he added.

The committee interviewed President Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., about the June 9, 2016 meeting at Trump Tower last September. He told told [sic] Senate investigators at the time that he agreed to a meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya who claimed to have damaging information about Hillary Clinton because he wanted to determine her "fitness" for office. Trump Jr. had come under fire last summer due to revelations that gradually came out surrounding the meeting with the Russian lawyer, which was attended by Trump's campaign chairman at the time, Paul Manafort, and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Earlier this month, the panel's top Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, released a transcript from an interview with the co-founder of Fusion GPS, Glenn Simpson, whose firm commissioned a dossier of allegations about President Trump's ties to Russia. She released it after Grassley declined to. Simpson's firm commissioned the dossier, which was initially paid for by a conservative website and later by Democrats.*

On Wednesday, Mr. Trump told a group of reporters that he is "looking forward" to being interviewed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

CBS News' Alan He contributed to this report.

*PAID FOR TWICE? HOW NICE FOR FUSION GPS! OR IS IT THAT THE DEMOCRATS FINISHED PAYING FOR IT LATER? IT ISN’T VERY IMPORTANT EITHER WAY, I DON’T THINK, EXCEPT TO PROVE COMPLICITY.



JUST ONE MORE STORM

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/01/24/discovery-channel-storm-chaser-joel-taylor-dies-38/1060909001/
Discovery Channel storm chaser Joel Taylor dies at 38
John Bacon, USA TODAY Published 8:24 a.m. ET Jan. 24, 2018 | Updated 12:10 p.m. ET Jan. 24, 2018

Photograph -- A large funnel cloud touches down west of Albert Lea, Minn., on June 16, 2010. (Photo: Arian Schuessler, The Globe-Gazette via AP)

Joel Taylor, who starred in the popular Discovery Channel reality series Storm Chasers, has died at age 38, friends announced.

Reed Timmer, Taylor's partner on the show, announced Taylor's death on Twitter late Tuesday. The cause of Taylor's death was not immediately available.

"RIP my best friend and storm chasing partner, Joel Taylor," Timmer said. "I am shocked and absolutely devastated by the loss of my incredible, caring friend."

Taylor grew up in Oklahoma, part of the nation's iconic "tornado alley," and studied meteorology at a University of Oklahoma. Taylor joined the Storm Chasers cast in 2008, shortly after its premiere. Discovery canceled the show in 2012.

"We chased so many intense storms, and I wish we could have just one more storm chase," Timmer said on Twitter. "I'll miss you forever, Joel. We lost a legend."

Reed Timmer
✔
@ReedTimmerAccu
RIP my best friend and storm chasing partner, Joel Taylor. I am shocked and absolutely devastated by the loss of my incredible, caring friend. We chased so many intense storms, and I wish we could have just one more storm chase. I'll miss you forever, Joel. We lost a legend

11:33 PM - Jan 23, 2018
1,136 1,136 Replies 2,073 2,073 Retweets 6,522 6,522 likes
Twitter Ads info and privacy

Taylor's storm-chasing team, Elk City-based Team Western OK Chaser, paid homage to Taylor on Facebook, calling Taylor an "inspiration."

"Our community of Elk City and the Storm Chasing community lost a great guy today," the post says. "He was one of the most level headed chasers on the roads and truly a classy guy outside of chasing. He didn’t chase for the glory he chased because he had a true passion for storms."

The post went on to state that the cause of Taylor's death remained a mystery.

"The medical professionals are trying to determine the cause," the post said. "It will most likely be quite a while before the medical professionals have those answers."



TRUMPIAN PROBLEM SOLVING: “MY LAWYERS ARE WORKING ON THE RULES.”

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/24/trump-says-he-would-testify-under-oath-muellers-russia-probe/1063745001/?csp=chromepush
Trump says he is ‘looking forward’ to testifying under oath for Mueller's Russia probe
David Jackson and Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY Published 6:01 p.m. ET Jan. 24, 2018 | Updated 6:05 p.m. ET Jan. 24, 2018

WASHINGTON — President Trump said Wednesday he's willing to testify in the special counsel's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election — and will do so under oath.

“I’m looking forward to it actually,” Trump told reporters in the West Wing of the White House. “There has been no collusion whatsoever, there has been no obstruction whatsoever.”

Trump said his lawyers are working on the rules regarding his testimony, but added “I would do it under oath, absolutely.”

Asked if Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his office would be fair to him, Trump said: "We're going to find out."

Trump again criticized the investigation, saying he no knowledge of any Russian activity during the election and did not need any help to defeat Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. "I was a much better candidate than her," he said.



NO BOTOX, NO EAR JOBS!

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/24/580228837/a-dozen-camels-disqualified-from-saudi-beauty-pageant-over-botox-injections
A Dozen Camels Disqualified From Saudi Beauty Pageant Over Botox Injections
January 24, 201811:33 AM ET
LAUREL WAMSLEY

Photograph -- Saudi men lead camels during a beauty contest as part of the annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Rumah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday. A dozen camels were banned from the competition for receiving Botox injections.
Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images

Some pageant contestants hit a hump in the road this week. That is, a camel beauty contest in Saudi Arabia disqualified a dozen camels for receiving Botox injections to make them more attractive.

Saudi media reported that a veterinarian was caught performing plastic surgery on the camels a few days before the pageant, according to UAE's The National. In addition to the injections, the clinic was surgically reducing the size of the animals' ears to make them appear more delicate.

"They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw," Ali Al Mazrouei, a regular at such festivals and the son of a prominent Emirati breeder, told the newspaper. "It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it's like, 'Oh look at how big that head is. It has big lips, a big nose.' "

Real money is at stake: About $57 million is awarded to winners of the contests and camel races, The National reports, with more than $31.8 million in prizes for just the pageants.

The festival provides a number of informative graphics about camels, including a diagram titled Standards of Camel Beauty. It is sadly unspecific about what makes for handsome nostrils and withers, though it does mention a "leathery mouth."

The standards of camel beauty can include delicate ears and long lips.
Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images

Among regulations about the age, breeding and teething of the dromedaries, contest rules say "[i]n case of fraud to change the natural form of participating camels, the participant shall be excluded immediately" — with violators banned from this year's contest and the next five sessions of the festival, along with possible legal penalties for violating the kingdom's animal welfare laws.

Camel owner Ali Obaid told The National that cheaters will get creative to get an edge and will alter an animal's appearance for months before it's sold to a buyer.

"For example they start to pull the lips of the camel, they pull it by hand like this every day to make it longer," he explained to the newspaper. "Secondly, they use hormones to make it more muscular and Botox makes the head bigger and bigger. Everyone wants to be a winner."

The beauty contest, launched in 2000, is a centerpiece of the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. Last year, authorities moved the festival from a remote location in the desert to a site an hour and a half from Riyadh, and this year attendance has increased by a third, according to Reuters.

"The camel," the chief judge of the show, Fawzan al-Madi, told the newswire, "is a symbol of Saudi Arabia. We used to preserve it out of necessity, now we preserve it as a pastime."



HERE’S ANOTHER EXCITING SUBJECT – ALCATRAZ. REMEMBER THIS PRISON BREAK THAT MADE THE NEWS FOR DAYS AND WEEKS? REMEMBER WHEN THE TRIBALLY MIXED GROUP OF NATIVE AMERICANS RECLAIMED IT WITH A MASSIVE OCCUPATION OF IT? IF YOU DO, YOU’RE GETTING OLD.

SEE: HTTPS://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/OCCUPATION_OF_ALCATRAZ

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alcatraz-inmates-survived-infamous-1962-escape-letter-suggests/
CBS NEWS January 24, 2018, 8:06 AM
Alcatraz inmates survived infamous 1962 escape, letter suggests

SAN FRANCISCO — It is one of America's greatest mysteries: What happened to three men after they pulled off a daring prison break at Alcatraz in 1962? Only the worst criminals were sent to Alcatraz. And for 29 years, it was the most secure federal prison in the country – surrounded by the cold, rough waters of the Pacific. But brothers John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris disappeared into the night and have never been found.

The men have become folklore – fueled by Hollywood and popular shows. And in the last 55 years, theories about their fate have multiplied as new evidence surfaces.

A letter allegedly written by one of the escapees recently came to light. CBS San Francisco exclusively obtained it from a source.

"My name is John Anglin. I escape from Alcatraz in June 1962 with my brother Clarence and Frank Morris. I'm 83 years old and in bad shape. I have cancer. Yes we all made it that night but barely!"

The FBI says this is the most recent piece of evidence that forced the agency to reopen the iconic cold case. The letter was sent to the San Francisco Police Department's Richmond station in 2013.

"It's interesting, I mean it's obviously a very famous case here in San Francisco," said Jeff Harp, a security analyst for CBS San Francisco.

Harp spent 21 years with the FBI, but did not work directly on this case.

"As a law enforcement person I'd like to think that their escape attempt was not fruitful for them. Personally, as someone who swims in the bay, and we have a triathlon that goes on every year, and there's not a single person that doesn't make that swim," he added.

This past summer, CBS San Francisco got an exclusive tour of some never-before-seen parts of Alcatraz. After months of meticulous planning – on the night of June 11, 1962 – the trio of bank robbers squeezed through the vents in the back of their cells.

The FBI says they used a homemade drill made from a broken vacuum cleaner motor to widen the vents. Once they crawled through, they climbed up a network of pipes and plumbing in a commonly unguarded space.

They set up a secret workshop on the top of their cells, where they built and hid what they needed to escape. They eventually made it out through the ventilator that led them to the prison roof. They slid down the smokestack to the ground and launched their raft – made of more than 50 raincoats. They also created life vests and wooden paddles.

The next morning, guards found dummy heads made of plaster, paper mache, paint and real human hair in their cells.

According to the letter, Frank died in 2008 and John's brother died three years later. The writer makes a deal – "If you announce on TV that I will be promised to first go to jail for no more than a year and get medical attention, I will write back to let you know exactly where I am. This is no joke…"

The U.S. Marshals, which is the sole agency investigating the case today, says the FBI lab examined the letter for fingerprints and DNA, and the handwriting.

The FBI's results were inconclusive.

"So that means yes, and it means no, so this leaves everything in limbo," said Harp.

The writer of the letter says he spent many years after his escape from Alcatraz living in Seattle. He also mentions that he lived in North Dakota for 8 years, and currently lives in Southern California.

In a statement to CBS San Francisco, the U.S. Marshals Service writes: "There is absolutely no reason to believe that any of them would have changed their lifestyle and became completely law abiding citizens after this escape."

"The Federal Bureau of Prisons say that they drowned once they got off of Alcatraz and their bodies were swept out to the Pacific Ocean — end of story," said National Park Service Ranger John Cantwell.

New evidence presented in a 2015 History Channel special shows a photo allegedly showing escaped brothers John and Clarence Anglin in Brazil – 13 years after the great escape.

If the men are alive today, Frank Morris would be 90 years old and John and Clarence Anglin would be 86 and 87.

"I didn't believe that they made it, but that was because of what the officers were saying," said author Jolene Babyak.

Babyak was 15 years old and living on the island with her family when the men broke free.

Her father was the acting warden.

"I was awaken by the siren, which I had never heard before, so I wasn't really sure exactly what it was," she said.

She has since written several books on Alcatraz. CBS San Francisco showed her a copy of the letter.

"No evidence, lots of allegations, no real evidence, nothing you can follow up on," she said.

As for the U.S. Marshals, they tell CBS San Francisco they consider this lead closed with no merit.

"They're getting up there in age, someone knows, cause if they made it out they communicated with somebody, so somebody somewhere knows – that's still alive," added Harp.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



MADDOW NOTES:


NOT QUITE YET, MR. PRESIDENT!

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/24/18
Trump lawyers quick to walk back Trump bluster on meeting Mueller
Rachel Maddow reports on Donald Trump boasting that he would be happy to testify to Robert Mueller's investigation under oath, only to have that statement promptly turned back back his lawyers making excuses for his outburst. Duration: 4:36


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/24/18
Manafort lawyers accidentally publish case notes not court doc
Rachel Maddow reports on Paul Manafort's lawyers apparently intending to publish a relevant court document to the court web site and instead apparently publishing a page of their case notes. Duration: 2:53


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/24/18
DoJ warns Nunes against political stunts with classified material
Rachel Maddow reports on a letter from Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd to Rep. Devin Nunes, cautioning him that whatever political stunt he is trying to pull with classified material, he risks endangering national security in doing so. Duration: 8:47


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/24/18
Mike Flynn hid FBI interview from White House
Carol Lee, national political reporter for NBC News, talks with Rachel Maddow about new revelations about the FBI's interview of Mike Flynn that eventually led to his firing. Duration: 10:36


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/24/18
Indicted Trump aide adds new lawyer, raising plea deal questions
Rachel Maddow outlines the storied career of prominent attorney Tom Green, who has specialized in clients mired in high-profile political scandals, and points to a CNN report that he has been retained by indicted Trump aide Rick Gates. Duration: 9:22


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/24/18
Law enforcement made more difficult by Republican smears of FBI
Former U.S. attorney Chuck Rosenberg, talks with Rachel Maddow about how the important work of the FBI is made more difficult by the unwarranted smears by Republicans attempting to deflect attention from the investigation of Donald Trump. Duration: 3:57


http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1/23/18
GOP tries to save Trump, attacks FBI, U.S. intelligence
Rachel Maddow looks at how Republicans are enacting a strategy of undercutting the elements of U.S. intelligence and the FBI that are the underpinnings of the investigation into Donald Trump. Duration: 23:03