Sandy Cioffi on Nigerian Oil, Riki Ott Looking Back at Exxon Valdez Spill view post on FAIR.org MP3 Link This week on CounterSpin: Two deep conversations, about oil and much more. (photo: Jane Hahn/New York Times) The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico happened from the spring through the fall of 2010. The blowout of the Deepwater Horizon rig killed 11 people, and countless animals, on its way to becoming the worst marine oil spill in history. It seemed to take that protracted disaster on the US coast to generate a New York Times front-page story on June 16, 2010, about oil industry ravages in Nigeria’s delta region, which, the article noted, “has endured the equivalent of the Exxon Valdez spill every year for 50 years, by some estimates.” CounterSpin had a powerful conversation that week with filmmaker and video artist Sandy Cioffi, whose film, Sweet Crude, looks at the oil industry in Nigeria, and the way it is covered in the US. We’ll hear that conversation today. MP3 Link (photo: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council) Also on the show: Oil spills are often discussed in media in terms of the Exxon Valdez. But if the use of the Valdez as a touchstone might give the impression that “lessons were learned” from that 1989 disaster…. Well, that mainly applies to the lesson that not disaster, but activism—dogged, ongoing, out-of-the-spotlight, misunderstood and maligned activism—is what changes things. That’s part of what we learned when we spoke with activist and marine biologist Riki Ott in 2009—then the 20-year anniversary of that “oil spill to end all oil spills”—now many spills ago. MP3 Link Plus Janine Jackson takes a quick look back at recent coverage of Venezuela. MP3 Link

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Jill Abramson | In the Elevator Video, Two Rape Survivors Show How Democracy Works

29 September 18

It's Live on the HomePage Now:
Reader Supported News

ON FUNDING THE STAKES ARE HIGH - The stakes are high. We can have a powerful, influential publication - that serves the community or we can have nothing. It's a thin line. "We the community" often get less, because we accept less. Enough of that. Watch us fight, you fight too. Step up with what you can afford, watch what we do with it. In peace and solidarity. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News

Sure, I'll make a donation!

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Jill Abramson | In the Elevator Video, Two Rape Survivors Show How Democracy Works 

Jill Abramson, Guardian UK 

 

Abramson writes: "Truth spoke to power. And the US Senate finally listened. In the end, after a full day of official Senate hearings, all it took was two gutsy women, Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher, to stop the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh."
READ MORE

Bernie Sanders. (photo: Antonella Crescimbeni)

Bernie Sanders Calls for FBI to Investigate Whether Kavanaugh Lied During Senate Hearing
Tal Axelrod, The Hill
Axelrod writes: "Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley demanding that the FBI, in addition to investigating sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, also examine the truthfulness of Kavanaugh's statements made under oath Thursday before the Senate panel."
READ MORE

A Honduran family stands next to the border fence after they turned themselves in to Border Patrol agents. (photo: John Moore/Getty Images)

The Shadowy Network Shaping Trump's Anti-Immigration Policies
Carly Goodman, The Washington Post
Goodman writes: "In Oregon, nativists have placed a measure on the ballot to overturn a 31-year-old sanctuary policy, one that restricts the use of state and local resources to enforce federal immigration laws and protects community members from profiling based on their perceived immigration status."
READ MORE 

Senator Elizabeth Warren. (photo: Getty Images)

Elizabeth Warren's New Bill Is Designed to Combat Modern-Day Redlining
Aaron Glantz and Emmanuel Martinez, Reveal
Excerpt: "U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday unveiled a bill that one racial justice advocate said would be the first law since 1968 'to redress a century of housing discrimination.'"
READ MORE

Representative Kiah Morris. (photo: Banner)

Black Lawmaker Quits Vermont Legislature Citing Online Racial Abuse
Kay Wicker, ThinkProgress
Wicker writes: "Rep. Kiah Morris (D-VT), a black lawmaker who had served in the Vermont's House since 2014, announced this week that she is resigning, citing rampant racist cyber attacks."
READ MORE

Civilians there are the most vulnerable in the country, according to the UN. (photo: Anadolu Agency)

UN: No Light at the End of the Tunnel for Yemen
Ruairi Casey, Al Jazeera
Casey writes: "The World Food Programme (WFP) has said there 'very well could be' famine in remote areas of Yemen where the UN's food agency does not have access, painting a bleak picture of the hunger crisis gripping the country."
READ MORE

The payout was part of a confidential settlement to dismiss a lawsuit relating to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, when a BP offshore drilling rig exploded on April 20, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico. (photo: Sean Gardner/Reuters)

Documents Show BP Quietly Paid Just $25 Million to Mexico After the Worst Oil Spill of the Century
Nathaniel Janowitz, BuzzFeed
Janowitz writes: "The Mexican government quietly accepted a $25.5 million payout earlier this year from oil giant BP to free the company of responsibility for polluting Mexican waters after the largest oil spill of the 21st century."
READ MORE

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Andy Borowitz | Mexico Agrees to Pay for Trump's Psychiatric Care

Andy Borowitz | Mexico Agrees to Pay for Trump's Psychiatric Care

ARE ALL THE SEX MISFITS REPUBLICANS?

Prominent Republican staffer Benjamin Sparks. (photo: Fox)

Former Scott Walker Staffer Faces Domestic Abuse Charge; Reportedly Had Fiancee Sign Sex Slave Contract

William Cummings, USA TODAY

Cummings writes: "A Las Vegas political adviser who has worked on national campaigns for Republican candidates, including Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, physically abused his ex-fiancee and had her sign a contract to be a 'slave in training.'"

READ MORE

CLICK ON LINK FOR MORE!

RSN: Chemical Freight Train Derails and Continues to Burn Poison CYANIDE, Forcing 5,000 to Evacuate, BP Settles 2010 US Oil Spill Claims for $18.7 Billion, Jeb Bush's Big Lehman Brothers Problem

It's Live on the HomePage Now: 
Reader Supported News

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Steve Weissman | Greece: When Will NATO Call In the Troops? 
 
Steve Weissman, Reader Supported News 
Weissman writes: "Whatever the Greek people decide in Sunday's off-again, on-again referendum, the story won't end there. The IMF, most Eurocrats, and the mass media here will continue to vilify Prime Minister Alexis Tsipris for fighting against austerity, while many on the left will accuse him of selling out far too much on his anti-austerity, pro-growth promises." 
READ MORE

Justice Department Investigates Airline Collusion to Keep Fares High 
Associated Press 
Excerpt: "As a result of a series of mergers starting in 2008, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines now control more than 80% of the seats in US skies. They have eliminated unprofitable flights, filled a higher percentage of seats on planes and worked to slow growth in order to command higher airfares." 
READ MORE

Greenwald, Marquis-Boire and Lee | XKEYSCORE: NSA's Google for the World's Private Communications 
Glenn Greenwald, Morgan Marquis-Boire and Micah Lee, The Intercept 
Excerpt: "One of the National Security Agency's most powerful tools of mass surveillance makes tracking someone's Internet usage as easy as entering an email address, and provides no built-in technology to prevent abuse." 
READ MORE

Jeb Bush's Big Lehman Brothers Problem 
Charles Gasparino, The Daily Beast 
Gasparino writes: "If Jeb won't tell you what Jeb exactly did while working on Wall Street, in the interests of transparency and disclosure, I will try." 
READ MORE

BP Settles 2010 US Oil Spill Claims for $18.7 Billion 
Terry Wade and Kristen Hays, Reuters 
Excerpt: "BP said it has reached an $18.7 billion settlement of damages claims from the U.S. government and five states after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill." 
READ MORE

Ecuador's Government Denounces Coup Plot 
teleSUR 
Excerpt: "Ecuador's government denounced plans by the country's right-wing opposition to overthrow the government during protests scheduled for Thursday." 
READ MORE

Chemical Freight Train Derails and Continues to Burn Poison, Forcing 5,000 to Evacuate 
Knoxville News Sentinel 
Excerpt: "Authorities on Thursday morning issued a request across the region for specialized medical kits to treat cyanide poisoning that results from exposure to the fumes emitted from the burning of the toxic chemical in the ruptured train tank car in Blount County." 
READ MORE

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Destroying our environment......

Bold Nebraska

 

"Lesions in the lungs and shrunken adrenal glands distinguish dolphins that washed up dead in the Gulf of Mexico between June 2010 and December 2012 compared with those found in beachings elsewhere. As a result, researchers have linked the mass deaths to BP's oil spill."
 

BP Oil Spill Responsible for Gulf of Mexico Dolphin Deaths

New autopsy results confirm mass dolphin strandings largely stemmed from BP's 2010 Macondo well blowout

scientificamerican.com|By David Biello

The Wilderness Society

BREAKING. Internal documents from BP show they would have to bring equipment from Texas to contain an oil spill off the South Australian coastline.

BP have prop...osed to drill four exploratory deep sea wells in a whale sanctuary off the Great Australian Bight. These wild and pristine waters are the nursery for southern right whales and their mums before they make their way down to Antarctica for summer.

This report concedes that here in South Australia, in the event of a disaster, a second rig would be positioned to drill a “relief” well, which would take 157 days, BP says. 157 DAYS.

In comparison, the Deep Horizon Spill in the Gulf of Mexico couldn’t be contained for 87 days – the havoc and the devastation of the spill is still being felt, five years on.

Pete Owen, the head of the Wilderness Society South Australia office said BP’s attempts to drill the Bight were not right.

“Of all the places to be turning into an oil field, the Great Australian Bight is not it. This is akin to what Shell is trying to do in the Arctic – it’s utterly inappropriate.”

Sign the petition calling on BP to stay away from our coastlines: http://bit.ly/1DBKXQx

Read more: http://bit.ly/1cVgsMy
Image: Governor Jindal’s office



 

This & that....

Conservatives seem to never have a problem with welfare as long as it only goes to the rich. Astonishing!

https://www.facebook.com/carl.younger/posts/10152891090106381?comment_id=10152892185446381&ref=notif&notif_t=feed_comment_reply#!/350.org/photos/a.136077452707.110998.12185972707/10153272992717708/?type=1&fref=nf

350.org

Fossil fuels are not cheap -- in fact they cost A LOT of money. A new study by the IMF reveals that global fossil fuel subsidies come out to $10 million every minute. You read that right, every minute.
That's more than all governments spend on healthcare.

Bill Gates: Tax Reductions ‘Nonsense,’ Economic Growth Best When Corporate Tax Rates Are High – VIDEO

http://samuel-warde.com/2015/05/bill-gates-tax-reductions-nonsense-tax-the-rich/

Bill Gates: Tax Reductions 'Nonsense,' Economic Growth Best When Corporate Tax Rates Are High -...

Bill Gates astutely points out that America's biggest period of economic growth was when the rich were paying their fair share of taxes.

samuel-warde.com

 

"Bill Gates doesn’t hold back when questioned about his opinion regarding taxing the wealthy. The co-founder of Microsoft has a combined net worth of greater than 80 billion dollars, but is very clear on where that money should be going:
The highest economic growth decade was the 1960s. Income tax rates were 90 percent…I mean, the idea that there’s some direct connection that all these innovators are on strike because tax rates are at 35 percent on corporations, that’s just such nonsense"

 

The Gulf Oil Spill Disintegrated This Island

April 14, 2015 - Cat Island was once one of the four largest bird-nesting grounds in Louisiana. But the Deepwater Horizon oil spill killed the mangroves growing there, destroying the root system that held the island's sediment in place. Since 2010,...

video.nationalgeographic.com

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/150414-cat-island-oil-vin
 

CLG: Chemicals from stain repellent disrupt brain signal in polar bears, Putin in film on Crimea: US masterminds behind Ukraine coup, helped train radicals, Maduro wins decree powers to fight 'U.S. imperialism'

News Updates from CLG
17 March 2015

http://www.legitgov.org/
All links are here:http://www.legitgov.org/#breaking_news

Previous edition: Obama approves $75 million in 'non-lethal' aid to Ukraine

Secret C.I.A. Fund Adds Millions to al-Qaeda Coffers --'God blessed us with a good amount of money this month,' Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, al-Qaeda's general manager, wrote in a letter to Osama bin Laden in June 2010. [No, not God. The CIA.] | 14 March 2015 | In the spring of 2010, Afghan officials struck a deal for 5 million to free an Afghan diplomat held hostage by al-Qaeda [incontrovertibly, *al-CIAduh*]. They first turned to a secret fund that the Central Intelligence Agency bankrolled with monthly c-sh deliveries to the presidential palace in Kabul, according to several Afghan officials involved in the episode. The C.I.A.'s contribution to al-Qaeda's bottom line, though, was no well-laid trap. It was just another in a long list of examples of how the United States...has sometimes inadvertently fin-nced the very militants it is fighting.

ACLU files new lawsuit over Obama administration drone 'kill list' | 16 March 2015 | On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) will file a disclosure lawsuit for secret Obama administration documents specifying, among other things, the criteria for placement on the so-called "kill list" for drone strikes and other deadly force. Information sought by the ACLU includes long-secret analyses establishing the legal basis for what the administration terms its "targeted killing program" and the process by which the administration determines that civilians are unlikely to be killed before launching a strike, as well as verification mechanisms afterward to establish if the strike in fact has caused civilian deaths.

No, *This* is ISIS: 'Dirty Brigades': US-Trained and Armed Iraqi Forces Investigated for War Crimes | 11 March 2015 | U.S.-trained and armed Iraqi military units, the key to the American strategy 'against' ISIS [-CIA-SIS], are under investigation for committing some of the same atrocities as the terror group, American and Iraqi officials told ABC News. Some Iraqi units have already been cut off from U.S. assistance over "credible" human rights violations, according to a senior military official on the Pentagon's Joint Staff. The investigation, being conducted by the Iraqi government, was launched after officials were confronted with numerous allegations of "war crimes," based in part on dozens of ghastly videos and still photos that appear to show uniformed soldiers from some of Iraq's most elite units and militia members massacring civilians, torturing and executing prisoners, and displaying severed heads.

UN torture expert refused access to Guantánamo Bay and US federal prisons | 11 March 2105 | The United Nations’ top investigator on the use of torture has accused Washington of dragging its feet over his requested visits to prisons and refusing to give him access to inmates at Guantánamo. Juan Méndez said he had been waiting for more than two years for the United States to provide him access to a range of state and federal prisons, where he wants to probe the use of solitary confinement. Méndez told reporters in Geneva he wanted to visit federal prisons in New York and Colorado and state prisons in New York, California and Louisiana, among others.

Israel election: Binyamin Netanyahu rules out Palestinian state as voting begins | 16 March 2015 | Israel's prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has unequivocally ruled out the establishment of a Palestinian state as he vowed to strengthen construction of settlements in occupied east Jerusalem should he be re-elected on Tuesday. Netanyahu's comments reinforced his hardening message of recent days and confirmed his final abandonment of his at best tepid commitment to a two-state solution designed to see the creation of an independent Palestinian state. While his remarks will be seen in large part as election rhetoric designed to cement his standing with his country's hard right at a time when Netanyahu has been struggling in his campaign, they will further strain relations with the US and other key allies should he win a third consecutive term.

Ex-Mossad chief Dagan: I would have resigned if Netanyahu ordered Iran strike | 15 March 2015 | Former Mossad Chief Meir Dagan said Saturday night that he would have resigned if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had decided to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. In his interview with Channel 10, Dagan said, "it was his fully within his authority to make such a decision, but I decided that I would resign at that moment." In the interview, Dagan also showed the letter in which he requested to leave his post - responding to claims made by Netanyahu's associates that his criticism of the premier was due to personal reasons, after Netanyahu decided not to renew his tenure.

Putin in film on Crimea: US masterminds behind Ukraine coup, helped train radicals --'They facilitated the armed coup.' | 15 March 2015 | The Ukrainian armed coup was organized from Washington, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in an interview for a new documentary aired Sunday. The Americans tried to hide behind the Europeans, but Moscow saw through the trick, he added. "The trick of the situation was that outwardly the [Ukrainian] opposition was supported mostly by the Europeans. But we knew for sure that the real masterminds were our American friends," Putin said in a documentary, 'Crimea - The Way Home,' aired by Rossiya 1 news channel. "They helped training the nationalists, their armed groups, in Western Ukraine, in Poland and to some extent in Lithuania," he added.

Maduro wins decree powers to fight 'U.S. imperialism' [It's about time!] | 15 March 2015 | Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Sunday was given the right to rule by decree for nine months, as he continued to capitalize on the backlash created by recent U.S. sanctions. In a raucous session full of chanting and blistering speeches, the National Assembly, which is controlled by the ruling party, passed the "Anti-Imperialist Enabling Law for Peace." The law, which gives Maduro the ability to bypass congress in issuing security and defense legislation through December, is expected to go into effect Monday when it's published in the official gazette.

Venezuela Sounds Alarm after Obama Invokes International Emergency Act | 10 March 2015 | Venezuelan foreign minister Delcy Rodriguez sent an alert to international solidarity groups this afternoon, indicating that recent actions taken by the US government are meant to justify "intervention," and do not correspond with international law. The warning came within 24 hours of an address made by US president Barack Obama, in which Venezuela was labeled an "unusual and extraordinary threat to [US] national security". While slapping a new set of sanctions on the South American nation, Obama declared a national emergency, invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) against Venezuela.

Vigil for Julian Assange to mark 1,000 days in embassy for Wikileaks founder | 16 March 2015 | Supporters of the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will hold a vigil today to mark the 1,000th day of his stay inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London. His sympathisers will display posters and banners opposite the Knightsbridge building where the Australian has been holed up since June 2012. The 43-year-old has been living in the embassy to avoid travelling to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning over claims of sex assaults against two women [in a CIA 'honeypot' trap], which he denies. Assange fears being extradited to the United States if he goes to Sweden, and face interrogation over publication of secret documents by WikiLeaks.

Sydney siege gunman's lawyer Adam Houda takes on terrorism suspects' case | 16 March 2015 | A lawyer who accused Prime Minister Tony Abbott of prejudicing the trial of two terrorism suspects by "milking" it for political gain [So true!] has taken on their case, indicating they will plead not guilty. Adam Houda, the former lawyer of Sydney siege gunman Man Haron Monis, appeared in Central Local Court on Monday on behalf of two Fairfield men accused of plotting a terrorist attack in Sydney..."From what I've seen, the essential feature of this case is the video and I've seen the video and it's not convincing," Mr Houda said outside court. In February, Mr Houda said Mr Abbott had prejudiced the trial of the Fairfield pair by reading out details of that video in Parliament.

Police watchdog to investigate claims Met covered up child sex abuse | 16 March 2015 | The Independent Police Complaints Commission has launched an investigation into allegations of police corruption in London relating to child sex offences dating back to the 1970s, including that officers colluded in the coverup of a high-level paedophile ring. The allegations, referred by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), include suppressing evidence, hindering or halting investigations and covering up offences because of the involvement of MPs and police officers. "These allegations are of historic, high-level corruption of the most serious nature," said Sarah Green, the IPCC deputy chair.

Met Police pedophiles get a pass: Police condemned for using stop and search powers on 300 children aged under five --Metropolitan Police stopped and frisked 184 under-fives in last five years | 15 March 2015 | Nearly 300 children under the age of five have been stopped and searched by police over the last five years, it has emerged. Officers across the UK have been condemned for using their powers to stop and search toddlers on suspicion of a host of offences including drug or knife crime, possession of weapons and terrorism. Police said that in nearly all cases, officers had carried out the searches after believing the child had been an innocent party who had been used by adults to conceal drugs, weapons or stolen goods.

Canada-wide demonstrations against proposed anti-terrorism law --Conservative government introduced legislation, known as Bill C-51, in January | 14 March 2015 | Demonstrators are gathering across Canada today to protest the government's proposed anti-terrorism legislation. Organizers say demonstrations will take place in dozens of cities in Canada, from Victoria to Halifax, in an event they have dubbed "Defend our Freedom." In Toronto, hundreds gathered at city hall to speak out against the proposed legislation, with many holding signs, chanting and drumming in protest of the bill they call dangerous, reckless and unacceptable. The wide-ranging bill would give police much broader powers and allow them to detain terror suspects and give new powers to Canada's spy agency.

Families of nine Sandy Hook victims sue estate of Adam Lanza's mother | 16 March 2015 | The families of nine people killed in the Newtown elementary school shooting have filed lawsuits against the estate of the [alleged] gunman's mother. The lawsuits allege that Nancy Lanza incorrectly secured her legally owned Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, which her troubled adult son, Adam Lanza, used to kill 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012, the Connecticut Post reported Friday. The lawsuits seek to collect on Nancy Lanza's homeowner's insurance, the Connecticut Post reported.

Ebola Is a Man-Made Virus From America; Why Go to Liberia for Vaccine Trials, Asks Monrovia Local --Reporter asked whether signing Ebola vaccine consent form was tantamount to a 'death warrant' for volunteers. [It is.] | 13 Mar 2015 | The United States is helping to lead a large study of two vaccines against Ebola..."When we look at Ebola, it came from America," [Most likely, Fort Detrick] said Sylvester George, a pastor's assistant, expressing doubts about the clinical trials at an information session. "It's a man-made virus. So why didn't they do this trial in America, but they decide to come to Liberia?" The phrase "Ebola prevention vaccine" is used rather than "Ebola vaccine," to help avoid the impression that the vaccine might cause Ebola. [It does.] ..."They said they want more Ebola patients because government is using them to make m-ney," Samuel Weah said. "The more dead and infections, the more m-ney."

Americans Evacuated After at Least 10 Aid Workers Had Possible Ebola Contact | 14 March 2015 | Several American aid workers, among at least 10 who might have come into contact with the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone, were evacuated on Saturday, according to a United States Embassy spokeswoman in the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown. They will be the most Americans who have returned home over fears of exposure to the virus since an outbreak in three West African countries was declared last year. Another American aid worker, who was showing signs of illness, arrived in the United States on Friday evening, hours after a colleague with Ebola was flown from Sierra Leone to the clinical center of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. That patient, a clinician who was not identified, tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, and investigators feared that he had exposed others to it.

U.S. appeals ruling on size of BP oil spill | 14 March 2015 | The U.S. government is appealing a federal court ruling that reduced the potential penalty BP Plc must pay for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill by almost $4 billion. The appeal, which was filed on Friday in U.S. District Court in New Orleans, challenges a January decision by U.S. District Court Judge Carl Barbier that set the size of the spill at 3.19 million barrels. The government had estimated the size of the spill at 4.09 million barrels and BP at 3.26 million.

Chemicals from stain repellent disrupt brain signal in polar bears --Scientists have warned that a quarter of Canadian polar bears could be wiped out by the end of the century because of shrinking ice caps. Warming temperatures could destroy one tenth of the bear's habitat, affecting their ability to roam across huge expanses of ice to hunt for food and mate. | 16 March 2015 | Polar bears are suffering potentially harmful changes to their brains due to the accumulation of pollution in the arctic, according to a new study. Scientists have found that key processes in the brains of polar bears are being disrupted by man-made chemicals such as stain repellents and water-proofing treatments. They claim this could result in changes to polar bear behaviour and hormone balance that may ultimately affect their ability to survive.

Vanuatu's Cyclone Pam death toll rises to 24 | 16 March 2015 | The United Nations reported Monday that 24 people are confirmed dead and 3,300 have been displaced by Cyclone Pam in the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu. Radio and telephone communications with outer islands have not yet been established two days after what the country's president called a "monster" storm, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. It said 3,300 people are sheltering in 37 evacuation centres on the main island of Efate and in the provinces of Torba and Penama.

Did Time magazine just put DEVIL HORNS on Hillary Clinton's head? Suspected political jab has Democrats seeing red | 13 March 2015 | The latest issue of Time magazine features Hillary Clinton on its cover, but there's something different about the former secretary of state and would-be Madam President. The way the magazine's graphic designers positioned her silhouette under the letter 'M' in its iconic masthead appears to tack a pair of devil horns on her head.

GOP Rep. Aaron Schock Announces Resignation Amid Scandals | 17 March 2015 | Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock resigned Tuesday, less than 12 hours after POLITICO raised questions about tens of thousands of d-llars in mileage reimbursements he received for his personal vehicle...The discrepancy added to a growing wave of ethical and legal problems the 33-year-old politician faces. During the past month, Schock repaid the government 40,000 after spending m-ney from his official office budget to redecorate his office in the theme of PBS's "Downton Abbey," an English historical drama. He also reimbursed taxpayers more than 1,200 after using his office account to pay to fly on a private plane to a Chicago Bears football game.

Dems will try to override Christie veto today on Port Authority reform bill | 16 March 2015 | The state Senate is schedule for a veto override vote this afternoon on a Port Authority reform bill vetoed by the governor in December. While Democrats control the Senate and Assembly, they lack the two-thirds majority needed in either chamber for an override, and have never succeeded in pulling the GOP votes necessary to push through bills vetoed by the Republican governor. The senate's Democratic sponsors of the reform bill, S-2181, had been optimistic about the chances for an override, after Republicans had joined in approving it last fall without a single no-vote in the Senate or Assembly.

N.J. pension system worst in nation, new study shows | 12 March 2015 | New Jersey's record of funding its p-nsion system is the worst in the country, according to a new study by the National Association of State Retirement Administrators. That chronic underf-nding has led to a deepening pension crisis and individual p-nsion f-nds that could run out of m-ney by 2027, officials say.

State, county police take over Ferguson protest security after shooting | 12 March 2015 | With tensions running high after the shooting of two officers in Ferguson, Missouri, state and county police took over protest security in the St. Louis suburb Thursday. St. Louis County Police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol are assuming "command of the security detail regarding protests," St. Louis County Police said, while Ferguson Police will remain responsible for "routine policing services" in the city.

*****

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