Dear Students, It’s Okay To Say ‘He’ Or ‘She’ Again

Authored by Daniel Cayne via The College Fix,

Traditional pronouns are fine again…

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A few years ago Haverford College took on the enterprising task of purging its campus of gendered language. 

The school “adopted the use of gender-neutral pronouns referring to unspecified community members when referenced in College text and official policies” and also abolished the term “freshman” in favor of “first-year.” Most notably, the school encourages community members to report any gendered language they encounter in official campus documents so that it can be “updated.”

Well. The dialectical trend in American life for some time now has been to move away from any sort of gendered language; where once “he” served as a perfectly acceptable generic pronoun, “they” has, confusingly, taken its place.

In very recent years even more bizarre forms have arisen: Where before we referred to “pregnant women” (or, the saints preserve us, “mothers”), it is now increasingly fashionable to say “pregnant person,” just in case there’s a pregnant man lurking somewhere in the concrete noun. In the near future we can probably expect to be dining on personwiches.

Here is a simple fact: It’s okay to say “he” and “she.”

Using “he” as a generic noun is perfectly fine; very few people will be offended by it. If one is dealing with a particularly sensitive population, it is perfectly fine to use “she” as a stand-in; “he or she” is also acceptable, if slightly more cumbersome. Assuming that a man standing in front of you is a man, and a woman a woman, is also fine. There’s nothing at all subversive about any of this; it’s just normal and acceptable. Don’t worry about it.

Gender ideology, particularly on campus, has done a great deal of damage to the everyday normal conventions and habits that once facilitated smooth and productive discourse. It is very silly that we now have to worry that saying “he” or “she” might grievously offend someone. This fad will very likely pass in short order; in the meantime, it’s best not to play into it. Just say “he” if you want, and move on with your life.

China tightens scrutiny over gray-market margin financing

March 13, 2019

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s securities watchdog is tightening scrutiny over gray-market margin financing, barring brokerages from facilitating shadow lending and warning against risks of another credit-fueled bubble.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said on Wednesday that its subsidiary in eastern Zhejiang province last week held a meeting with local brokerages, flagging potential risks associated with illegal margin financing and banning them from doing any form of business that could facilitate such a business.

Earlier in the day, the 21 Century Business Herald reported that in a recent meeting with brokerages, CSRC officials urged the industry to learn the hard lesson from the 2015 stock market crash, which was preceded by a bubble inflated partly by high levels of leveraged trading.

The instructions come as gray-market margin financing business appears to have revived, adding fuel to this year’s sharp stock market rally.

Previously, CSRC said it was closely monitoring the situation, without giving concrete instructions to the industry.

Unlike the official margin lending business, shadow bankers offer investors higher leverage, and at higher interest rates.

(Reporting by Samuel Shen and John Ruwitch; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Top Democrat stuns CNN host when asked if Trump obstructed justice — here’s what he said

Source:

Rep. Jerrold Nader (D-N.Y.) appeared to stun CNN’s Erin Burnett with his response to her question about whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice, a central claim of the president’s critics.

Nadler, who is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, admitted that there as not yet enough evidence to positively conclude that the president obstructed justice, but that his personal opinion was that he had done so.

“You say the president, you know,” asked Burnett, “has obstructed justice, you’ve been clear about that, but you….”

“There’s certainly,” he interrupted, “there’s certainly a lot of evidence that he has, but that’s exactly the kind of thing we have to look into.”

“OK,” she paused, “so now you’re not sure he’s obstructed justice?”

“Personally I think he has,” he replied, “but we have to, we have to look and see.”

Nadler went on to say that many of the president’s public statements added up to obstruction, but that they needed more evidence to act on that accusation.

“Personal opinions are limited,” he explained, “if we’re gonna do anything, we have to have proof. I think there’s a lot of evidence, but I think we need to get a lot more evidence.”

Previous to his new statement, Nadler had made a much concrete statement of accusation against the president.

“It’s very clear that the president obstructed justice,” Nadler told ABC News on Sunday.

“It’s very clear,” he explained, “1,100 times he referred to the Mueller investigation as a witch hunt, he tried to — he fired — he tried to protect Flynn from being investigated by the FBI. He fired Comey in order to stop the Russian thing, as he told NBC News. He — he’s dangled part — he’s threat — he’s intimidated witnesses. In public.”

Top Democrat stuns CNN host when asked if Trump obstructed justice — here’s what he said

Source:

Rep. Jerrold Nader (D-N.Y.) appeared to stun CNN’s Erin Burnett with his response to her question about whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice, a central claim of the president’s critics.

Nadler, who is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, admitted that there as not yet enough evidence to positively conclude that the president obstructed justice, but that his personal opinion was that he had done so.

“You say the president, you know,” asked Burnett, “has obstructed justice, you’ve been clear about that, but you….”

“There’s certainly,” he interrupted, “there’s certainly a lot of evidence that he has, but that’s exactly the kind of thing we have to look into.”

“OK,” she paused, “so now you’re not sure he’s obstructed justice?”

“Personally I think he has,” he replied, “but we have to, we have to look and see.”

Nadler went on to say that many of the president’s public statements added up to obstruction, but that they needed more evidence to act on that accusation.

“Personal opinions are limited,” he explained, “if we’re gonna do anything, we have to have proof. I think there’s a lot of evidence, but I think we need to get a lot more evidence.”

Previous to his new statement, Nadler had made a much concrete statement of accusation against the president.

“It’s very clear that the president obstructed justice,” Nadler told ABC News on Sunday.

“It’s very clear,” he explained, “1,100 times he referred to the Mueller investigation as a witch hunt, he tried to — he fired — he tried to protect Flynn from being investigated by the FBI. He fired Comey in order to stop the Russian thing, as he told NBC News. He — he’s dangled part — he’s threat — he’s intimidated witnesses. In public.”

Top Democrat stuns CNN host when asked if Trump obstructed justice — here’s what he said

Source:

Rep. Jerrold Nader (D-N.Y.) appeared to stun CNN’s Erin Burnett with his response to her question about whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice, a central claim of the president’s critics.

Nadler, who is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, admitted that there as not yet enough evidence to positively conclude that the president obstructed justice, but that his personal opinion was that he had done so.

“You say the president, you know,” asked Burnett, “has obstructed justice, you’ve been clear about that, but you….”

“There’s certainly,” he interrupted, “there’s certainly a lot of evidence that he has, but that’s exactly the kind of thing we have to look into.”

“OK,” she paused, “so now you’re not sure he’s obstructed justice?”

“Personally I think he has,” he replied, “but we have to, we have to look and see.”

Nadler went on to say that many of the president’s public statements added up to obstruction, but that they needed more evidence to act on that accusation.

“Personal opinions are limited,” he explained, “if we’re gonna do anything, we have to have proof. I think there’s a lot of evidence, but I think we need to get a lot more evidence.”

Previous to his new statement, Nadler had made a much concrete statement of accusation against the president.

“It’s very clear that the president obstructed justice,” Nadler told ABC News on Sunday.

“It’s very clear,” he explained, “1,100 times he referred to the Mueller investigation as a witch hunt, he tried to — he fired — he tried to protect Flynn from being investigated by the FBI. He fired Comey in order to stop the Russian thing, as he told NBC News. He — he’s dangled part — he’s threat — he’s intimidated witnesses. In public.”

France’s Macron says anti-Zionism is a form of anti-Semitism

February 21, 2019

By Richard Lough

PARIS (Reuters) – France will adopt an international definition of anti-Semitism and look on anti-Zionism as one form of the hate crime, President Emmanuel Macron said.

Speaking at a dinner attended by Jewish leaders on Wednesday, Macron said a surge in anti-Semitic attacks in France was unprecedented since World War Two and promised a crackdown including a new law to tackle hate speech on the internet.

France will adopt the definition of anti-Semitism set by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), he said, adding: “Anti-Zionism is one of the modern forms of anti-Semitism.”

The IHRA definition does not use the phrase “anti-Zionism” but does say denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination “e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor,” is anti-Semitic.

Some critics of Israel, its occupation of territory internationally recognized as Palestinian, and its isolation of the Gaza Strip, say they risk being unfairly branded anti-Semitic, although the IHRA definition says: “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country” is not.

Welcoming Macron’s actions, the World Jewish Congress said: “This is just the beginning of a long road ahead. Adopting this definition of anti-Semitism must be followed by concrete steps to encode into law and ensure that this is enforced.”

The IHRA definition is not legally binding but does serve as an international guideline.

Germany and Britain adopted the definition in texts in 2016, though the European Union in 2018 adopted a softer tone, calling the IHRA definition a “guidance tool” amid concern from some member states that it could make criticism of Israeli policy, particularly with regards to Palestinians, difficult.

Macron said France would not change its laws relating to anti-Semitism and that recognizing the IHRA’s definition must not be seen as a means of preventing people from criticizing the Israeli government.

Jewish leaders in France have expressed growing alarm over anti-Semitism driven by fringe Islamist preachers, alongside that more commonly associated with Nazi ideology and the far right and a rise in anti-Zionism on the hard-left.

On Tuesday Macron visited a Jewish cemetery where dozens of headstones were desecrated with swastikas.

Macron said he had ordered the interior ministry to dismantle three neo-Nazi groups — Bastion Social, Blood and Honor Hexagone and Combat 18 — which he said fueled hate and promoted violence.

(Reporting by Richard Lough and Jean-Baptiste Vey in Paris; Additional reporting by Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Pope opens child sex abuse conference, promising ‘concrete’ remedies

February 21, 2019

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis promised that concrete actions against child sexual abuse by priests would result from a conference he opened on Thursday, countering scepticism from some survivors who said the meeting looked like a public relations exercise.

Francis convened Catholic leaders from around the world for the four-day meeting to address the scandal that has ravaged the Church’s credibility in the United States – where it has paid billions of dollars in settlements – Ireland, Chile, Australia, and elsewhere over the last three decades.

“Faced with the scourge of sexual abuse committed by men of the Church against minors, I wanted to reach out to you,” Francis told the assembled bishops and heads of religious orders, asking them to “listen to the cry of the little ones who are seeking justice.”

Victims expected “concrete and efficient measures” and not mere condemnations, he added.

The pope and the almost 200 participants in a Vatican auditorium watched a video of five victims, who wished to remain anonymous, telling painful stories of abuse and cover-up.

“From the age of 15 I had sexual relations with a priest. This lasted for 13 years. I got pregnant three times and he made me have an abortion three times, quite simply because he did not want to use condoms or contraceptives,” a woman said.

A Chilean man said that when he reported abuse to religious authorities he was treated as a liar and an enemy of the Church.

“You are the physicians of the soul and yet, with rare exceptions, you have been transformed – in some cases – into murderers of the soul, into murderers of the faith. What a terrible contradiction,” he said.

Cardinal Luis Tagle of the Philippines broke into tears as he read a keynote speech that acknowledged: “wounds have been inflicted by us, the bishops, on the victims”.

“LET’S SEE”

In Ireland, the sexual abuse scandal shattered the power of the Church which four decades ago dominated Irish society. In the past four years, voters approved abortion and gay marriage, defying the Vatican.

In Chile, all of the country’s bishops offered their resignations to the pope last year over a widespread cover-up. Francis accepted seven of the resignations and dismissed two others from the priesthood.

A poll by Santiago-based think-tank Latinobarometro showed the number of Chileans calling themselves Catholics fell to 45 percent last year, from 74 percent in 1995.

A report by a grand jury in Pennsylvania last year revealed that priests had sexually abused about 1,000 people over seven decades in that U.S. state alone.

Before it started, some victims’ groups said the conference was an attempt to cleanse the image of the 1.3 billion-member Church.

But Anne Barrett-Doyle of bishopaccountablity.org, which tracks abuse cases around the world, said she was pleasantly surprised by the pope’s opening remarks.

“They said this was going to just a teaching session but he is now talking about concrete measures. That’s good but let’s see how it ends up,” she told Reuters.

Journalists were permitted to listen to the conference speeches via audio and video links but not the debates that followed.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, the Vatican’s top sexual abuse investigator, said the Church had to look at how priests and bishops are appointed.

“The question of future screening of candidates for the priesthood is fundamental,” he said in a speech steeped in legal details about how bishops must collaborate with civil authorities, adopting a “culture of disclosure” and for society to know that “we mean business”.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

TOP PRIORITIES for the Democrat Death Cult: Organ harvesting from LIVE BIRTH abortions and 5-mile deep concrete pylons for trains across the Pacific

(Natural News) No, you are currently not reading the synopsis of a new science fiction series on Netflix or a horror movie coming soon to a theater near you. No, you are currently not reading a some sorry book report by a fifth grader with a twisted, dark imagination who doesn’t understand the value of…

Border Agents Arrest Child Rapist and MS-13 Member at Texas Border Where There’s No Barrier

Border patrol agents apprehend dangerous child rapists at Texas border where no fence exists

U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended several illegal immigrants at the southern border in Texas on Thursday, including a convicted child rapist and an MS-13 gang member.

According to the DHS, the arrests occurred in places where there are no physical barrier walls to deter illegal crossings.

Washingtonexaminer.com reports: Among those caught crossing into the U.S. were a Mexican man with a previous conviction in Georgia for child molestation, a Honduran man with a record in North Carolina showing a conviction for “Indecent Liberties with Child,” and another Honduran male with a Florida record that identified him as a member of the violent MS-13 gang.

The apprehensions occurred in the Rio Grande Valley sector of the southern border on Monday and Tuesday, according to a release by the Border Patrol.

I toured a portion of that sector in January, and agents said that areas that feature a 25-foot barrier of concrete and steel have proven critical in blocking illegal border crossers, forcing them to attempt their crossings in specific areas where they can be apprehended.

They’ve asked for more of the same kind of border wall to fill in the long gaps that current exist.

When President Trump said during his State of the Union address Tuesday that his proposal is for new barrier that “will be deployed in the areas identified by the border agents as having the greatest need,” this is what he meant.

Trump Still Unwilling To Make “Tough Trade Offs” With China After Washington Talks

Two days of intense trade talks in Washington have yielded some progress…but not nearly as much as the Trump administration has let on. Looking past US Trade Rep Robert Lighthizer’s post-hoc press conference, where he revealed that, during two days of intense discussions, the two sides had focused on US demands for structural reforms by Beijing (including ending the forced transfer of technology from US companies and reining in the use of industrial subsidies, two of the US’s biggest asks), as well as the requirements for enforcement. But it doesn’t appear that the US or China were in the mood to make any new commitments.

No specific concessions had been made by Beijing. Instead, a US delegation led by Lighthizer and Mnuchin are planning to travel to Beijing after the Chinese New Year for another round of talks. And after that, President Trump – the “closer” in chief himself – is expected to meet Xi on the southern island of Hainan after the second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to seal the deal with President Xi.

Trump

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that “I think that probably the final deal will be made, if it’s made, between myself and President Xi.” But he offered little in the way of anything concrete to justify why investors should be optimistic now. As China’s Xinhua news agency reported, the two sides had “clarified the timetable and roadmap for the next consultation” after holding “frank, concrete and constructive” discussions on issues like technology transfers and IP protections. But though the two sides had “clarified the roadmap” toward a deal, it doesn’t appear that any actual progress was made, despite Xi telling Trump in a letter delivered by the Chinese delegation that the “intensive consultations” had yielded “good progress,” according to Bloomberg.

And the US has continued to insist that if there isn’t a deal by March 1, tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods will increase from 10% to 25%.

China

“I hope our two sides will continue to work with mutual respect and win-win co-operation,” the Chinese president wrote, adding that an agreement would “send a positive signal to our two peoples and the broader international community.” So far, China has offered to boost its purchases of soybeans and discuss improving market access to international investors – but neither of these offers is anything new.

But as the Financial Times points out, China remains unwilling to reduce state support for its economy in any way that could impact its ability to compete with the US. So whatever progress was made on this key US demand, it was, apparently, superficial, at best. Setting aside the administration’s optimistic tone, Trump’s team is apparently leaning on the notion that the US has the upper hand because the Communist Party would be unwilling to rock the boat at a time when the economy is slowing. But the US is facing pressures of its own – pressures that have been exacerbated by the government shutdown – and nothing about China’s behavior so far suggests they’re leaning toward caving.

Plus, Beijing’s simmering outrage over the US’s perceived persecution of Huawei remains a major complication. 

But the White House is facing pressure of its own – in the form of the hit taken by the US economy this month from the partial government shutdown and Mr Trump’s sensitivity to adverse movements in equity markets.  Politically, Mr Trump is striving to fulfil one of his key 2016 campaign pledges – to reset trade relations with China. But any agreement that is seen as weak or inconclusive would expose him to attacks from Democratic rivals. 

The chance of a big breakthrough this week in the trade talks was relatively low, after Beijing reacted with outrage to Monday’s indictment of Huawei, the Chinese telecoms equipment maker, on criminal charges it stole US technology and violated US sanctions. But US officials said there was no evidence it adversely affected the negotiations. 

A new summit between Mr Trump and Mr Xi would follow their steak dinner in Buenos Aires on December 1, just after the G20 summit in the Argentine capital. That meeting resulted in a commercial ceasefire between the US and China and avoided a tariff escalation that was originally scheduled for January 1.

Speaking with the FT, a professor of economics at Syracuse University named Mary Lovely highlighted what appears to be the biggest obstacle to a deal: The Trump administration remains unwilling to make big concessions.

Mary Lovely, a professor of economics at Syracuse University and a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a think-tank, said it was still unclear whether the US was prepared to make “tough trade-offs” with the Chinese in the final stretch.

This was perhaps best encapsulated by Trump’s hint (a suggestion he later walked back) that the talks could be extended past the March 1 deadline.

“This isn’t going to be a small deal with China,” Trump said. “This is either going to be a big deal or it’s going to be a deal that we’ll just postpone for a while.”

So if the administration doesn’t have a change of heart, it would be easier – and more politically expedient – for Trump to continue hailing incremental “progress” while putting off the “real” breakthroughs until the next meeting…and the next meeting…and the next meeting.

Satellite Images Reveal China Is Building Secret War Bunkers Near Indian Border

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has constructed a new, underground facility (UGF) about 31 miles from the India-China border, and 37 miles from the Indian Army’s forward posts at Demchok in Ladakh.

According to The Print, satellite imagery identified a deeply buried hardened target (DBHT) under construction outside the town of Ngari, also known as Shiquanhe in Mandarin.

Construction started in December 2016, about six months before the 2017 China–India border standoff near the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction in the east.

The Print, specified that special personnel are being used instead of locals, to maintain secrecy and security of the project.

The UGF appears to have four large tunnel entrances and three small ones; all have hardened entrances with reinforced concrete. Judging by the images, the openings would soon be covered with other material to withstand a direct military strike.

Some of the construction material can be seen outside the entrances, including cement and metals plants sufficient for construction activity inside the tunnels.

The tunneled facility had a support garrison constructed in 2016 and 2017. Another support garrison has just been started, said The Print.

Both the garrisons are close to the main road. Surrounding roads have been widened to allow large transport vehicles to operate safely and smoothly.

Although it is hard to indicate the exact purpose of this facility, these underground bases generally perform numerous strategic functions, such as command and control of military forces, protection of national leadership, WMD production or storage, and ballistic missile production, storage, or launch.

Both countries border one another in two locations, northern India/western China and eastern India/southern China, with constant territorial disputes in both areas.

A hypothetical war between India and China would be catastrophic for the Indo-Pacific region, cause thousands of casualties on both sides and crash the global economy.

With that in mind, the underground military bases near the Indian border shows us that China is preparing for a fight.

Australia man charged over suspicious parcels sent to diplomatic offices

January 9, 2019

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian police said on Thursday they had arrested a 48-year-old man for sending as many as 38 suspicious packages to diplomatic embassies and consulates across the country.

More than a dozen foreign offices received suspicious packages on Wednesday, including the U.S. and British missions in Melbourne.

The man was charged with sending dangerous articles through a postal service and the maximum penalty for the offense is 10 years imprisonment, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said in a statement.

There was no ongoing threat to the general public, the AFP said.

Police have so far recovered 29 of the 38 parcels but are yet to determine the exact composition of the material in them.

Australian media reported on Wednesday the parcels appeared to contain plastic bags of concrete and asbestos, with “asbestos” written on at least one of the bags.

The Age newspaper reported that one firefighter was seen outside the South Korean consulate carrying a large plastic bag with the word “asbestos” written on it.

Other missions in Melbourne reported by media to have received suspicious packages included those representing Greece, Italy, Spain, Thailand, India, Japan, Pakistan, Egypt, Denmark and Switzerland. Reuters could not confirm the reports.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said it had sent an email to all diplomatic missions in Canberra earlier this week after three offices in the capital and Sydney received suspicious packages.

It subsequently sent similar advice to missions around Australia.

“The note advised missions to handle mail in accordance with their own government’s protocols and instructions,” a DFAT spokesman said.

(Reporting by Swati Pandey; Additional reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Tom Brown and Paul Tait)

BIS: 70% of Central Banks Involved in CBDC Research, Only Several Have Concrete Plans

by Marie Huillet, Coin Telegraph: A new report published on Jan. 8 by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has found that seventy percent of central banks worldwide are conducting research into central bank digital currency (CBDC) issuance. However, concrete plans for implementation and motivations vary considerably across contexts. The BIS is an organization based in Switzerland made up of 60 […]

The post BIS: 70% of Central Banks Involved in CBDC Research, Only Several Have Concrete Plans appeared first on SGT Report.

President Trump Hails ‘Productive Meeting’ on Sunday: Dems ‘Don’t Like Concrete, So We’ll Give Them Steel’

(CNSNews.com) – There’s still no deal in sight to end the government funding lapse and give President Trump money for a border wall, but Trump tweeted on Sunday that ongoing talks with Democrats have been “productive.”

“V.P. Mike Pence and group had a productive meeting with the Schumer/Pelosi representatives today. Many details of Border Security were discussed. We are now planning a Steel Barrier rather than concrete. It is both stronger & less obtrusive. Good solution, and made in the U.S.A.”

When he returned to the White House from Camp David on Sunday, Trump told reporters, “We’ve been in touch with a lot of people, and I informed my folks to say that we’ll build a steel barrier, steel — that it will be made out of steel, that it will be less obtrusive and stronger.”

Trump added that Democrats “don’t like concrete, so we’ll give them steel.”

But earlier on Sunday, a number of Democrats went on the Sunday shows to repeat their party’s talking points: No money for a wall; and reopen government while negotiations continue.

There’s a new talking point as well: Several Democrats, including Sen. Dick Durbin, said visa overstays are more of a problem than border crashers: “If we’re talking about border security, the overwhelming number of undocumented people in the United States overstayed visas. They did not cross the border,” Durbin told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

“The solution to that is not a concrete wall. It’s a computer program that needs to track these people who received the visas.”

Durbin added that a wall will not prevent foreigners from coming to legal ports of entry to make claims for asylum or refugee status.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told “Face the Nation” that it’s clear to him that any deal must include a wall. “The president will compromise but he will not capitulate. So that’s where we’re at.”

“Nancy Pelosi sees the border crisis as manufactured. President Trump sees it as real. Until we see the same movie, you’re never going to reach a conclusion,” Graham said.

“The president is right to dig in to get money for a wall as part of border security. It will not be a concrete wall. It will be steel barriers. And every plan I’ve supported in the past with Dick Durbin has had money for physical barriers, including walls and fences, except now when Trump is president.”

Graham said the recent caravans “changed everything,” and he said that’s why Trump is right to demand nothing less than $5 billion for a border barrier.

Graham, who regularly speaks with the president, also offered his opinion of what a deal might look like:

Here is what I think the deal would look like. Give him the money we need to secure our border and $5 billion, $5.6 billion, could be well spent. And I think we can put on the table, TPS (Temporary Protected Status) reform. There’s 400,000 people going to lose their legal status soon who have been here for decades. I’d like to deal with that problem.”

Graham also want to put DACA recipients on a path to citizenship.

Graham said part of the problem right now is finding someone on the other side “that is not crazy to deal with.”

We’re not going to put any offers on the table as long as people in charge of these negotiations accuse all of us who want a wall of being a racist and see our Border Patrol agents as gassing children. Until you get that crowd put to the sidelines, I don’t see anything happening.

When you see Dick Durbin and others in the room, not a bunch of staffers, when you see this rhetoric that those who want to build the wall are racists stop, when you see the idea one dollar is enough for the wall, when that stuff ends, the real negotiations begin.

Right now the people running the show on the Left are radical, liberal Democrats, who don’t see a border security problem. They see their own government being the problem, not the illegal immigrant. Until that changes we’ll never get anywhere.

There’s a deal to be had here but it will include a wall and if there’s no wall in this deal, we’ll never have a deal.

Graham said he does want to reopen the part of government that has run out of funding, “but the goal is not to open up the government,” he said. “The goal is to fix a broken immigration system, to bring reality to this table, that ICE is not the problem, it’s the solution.

“The goal is to repair a damaged, broken immigration system. It’s to implement policies Democrats have voted for in the past on President Trump’s watch.

“We’re not going to give in to this radical left ever until we can find a rational way forward where we’ll have a wall as part of a border security plan. We’re going nowhere. Wall plus DACA plus TPS makes sense.”

But speaking to reporters when he returned from Camp David on Sunday, President Trump said he would rather wait for the Supreme Court to rule on DACA first — and then work with Democrats to find a solution for people brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

Trump to Declare ‘State of Emergency’ to Build Border Wall

Trum prepares to declare state of emergency to fund border wall

President Donald Trump is preparing to declare a State of Emergency in America, in order to build the US-Mexico wall without Congress’ approval.

“Absolutely, we can call a national emergency,” Trump told a reporter. “I haven’t done it. I may do it. I may do it.”

Breitbart.com reports: The president spoke to reporters in the Rose Garden on Friday at the White House after meeting with Congressional leaders for more than two hours to try to make a deal.

Trump confirmed that he said that he was willing to keep the government shutdown for up to a year, if necessary if Democrats refused to make a deal on border security funding.

“I did say that, absolutely I said that,” he said. “I don’t think it will but I am prepared and I think that I can speak for Republicans in the House and Republicans in the Senate they feel very strongly about having a safe country.”

Trump said that he was not pleased that the government remained shut down as Democrats refused to compromise with his demands, but would continue to stand strong on the issue.

“I’m very proud of doing what I’m doing,” he said when asked if he was “proud” of the shutdown.

Trump said that he was adamant about getting funding for the border.

“This should have been done by all of the presidents preceding me,” Trump said. “We’re not playing games; we have to do it.”

He also signaled interest in building a “steel wall” that you could see through, declaring that it was probably stronger than a concrete wall.

Trump reminded reporters that he was present at the White House during Christmas and New Years looking to make a deal with Democrats, and received zero response.

The president said he remained “very firm” on the $5.2 billion number requested for border security.

“We have to get a structure built,” he said, adding that the federal government had already replaced existing fencing on the border.

The partial government shutdown is now in its 14th day.

Trump holds firm on border wall, offers steel option as compromise

January 6, 2019

By Jeff Mason and Ginger Gibson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump pledged on Sunday not to bend in his demand for a wall along the southern border with Mexico but said the barrier could be made of steel instead of concrete as a potential compromise with Democrats who refuse to fund it.

Trump’s comments came at the start of the third week of a partial government shutdown resulting from the dispute that has left hundreds of thousands of federal workers idled or without paychecks.

Trump threatened again, without providing specifics on where the funding would originate, to declare a national emergency as an alternative way to build the wall, depending on the outcome of talks in the coming days.

Democrats have declined to approve the $5.6 billion Trump wants to fulfill a 2016 campaign promise to curb illegal immigration. Led by new Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrats passed a bill in the House of Representatives last week to reopen the government without wall funding. Pelosi has called a border wall immoral.

“This is a very important battle to win from the standpoint of safety, number one, (and) defining our country and who we are,” Trump told reporters at the White House before leaving for a short trip to the Camp David presidential retreat.

“The barrier, or the wall, can be of steel instead of concrete, if that helps people. It may be better,” he said.

The White House painted that offer, which Trump floated previously, as an olive branch.

Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s acting chief of staff, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that agreeing to a steel barrier would allow Democrats to stick to their refusal to fund a wall.

“That should help us move in the right direction,” he said.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer did not show his hand when asked whether the White House offer to move away from a concrete structure was evidence of compromise.

“It’ll be discussed,” he said on NBC.

Vice President Mike Pence led a second round of talks with congressional aides on Sunday about the issue, but Trump said he did not expect those talks to produce results, noting that the principals – himself, Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer – were the ones who could solve it quickly.

“If we don’t find a solution, it’s going to go on for a long time. There’s not going to be any bend right here,” Trump said.

He later tweeted that the Pence talks were productive. But a Democratic aide familiar with the meeting said Democrats urged the White House to pass measures to reopen the government without wall funding and Pence said Trump would not do that. The aide said no progress was made and no further meetings of the group were scheduled.

OTHER CONCESSIONS?

Democrats could demand other concessions from the White House, such as protections for immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children, known as Dreamers, or changes to other spending provisions. Trump said he wanted to help on the Dreamer issue but preferred to wait for a Supreme Court ruling on it first.

Democratic U.S. Senator Dick Durbin reacted coolly to Trump’s suggestion of declaring a national emergency. “I don’t know what he’s basing this on, but he’s faced so many lawsuits when he ignores the law and ignores tradition and precedent,” Durbin said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Large chunks of the federal government were shut down on Dec. 22 after lawmakers and the president hit an impasse over Trump’s demand that a bill to keep the federal government operational include money to help build a $23 billion wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. About 800,000 government workers are either furloughed or working without pay.

“I can relate,” Trump, a former New York businessman, said when asked if he could relate to the pain of federal workers struggling to pay their bills. “I’m sure that the people that are on the receiving end will make adjustments.” Asked if workers would get paid on Friday, Trump said: “We’ll see whether or not it’s settled.”

Not all Republicans agree with Trump’s insistence on keeping government agencies shuttered until the border debate is resolved.

“It is not a sign of weakness to try to figure out a middle ground, and I think that both sides need to indicate a willingness to listen and to compromise,” U.S. Senator Susan Collins of Maine said on NBC. She called the debate over using steel versus concrete “bizarre.”

House Democrats plan to pass a series of bills this week to reopen government, breaking up legislation they have already approved in a bid to get Republicans to agree to reopen certain agencies, Hoyer said on “Meet the Press.”

“We need to open up government and then negotiate. Not the other way around,” he said.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Ginger Gibson; Additional reportering by Amanda Becker; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Peter Cooney)

Pope enters fray over migrant ships, appeals for safe ports

January 6, 2019

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis urged European leaders on Sunday to stop bickering over the fate of 49 migrants stuck aboard two humanitarian rescue ships on the Mediterranean and to give them a safe port of call.

With his comments at his address to tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square at the end marking the feast of the Epiphany, Francis jumped into a diplomatic fracas between Italy and Malta.

“I make a heartfelt appeal to European leaders to show concrete solidarity for these people,” Francis said.

They were “seeking a safe port where they can disembark,” he said.

Thirty-two people are aboard the Sea-Watch 3, a vessel run by a German humanitarian group, which plucked them from an unsafe boat off the coast of Libya on Dec. 22. They include three small children and four teenagers. Another ship run by the German humanitarian group, Sea-Eye, carries 17 people rescued on Dec. 29 on board its ship.

Last week, nearly two dozen humanitarian groups, including Amnesty International and the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration, called on the European Union to offer a safe port to both vessels.

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio, leader of the 5-Star Movement, has said Italy would take in women and children if Malta allowed the ships to dock. But Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who leads the anti-immigrant League party and has closed ports to rescue ships, opposes this.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Alison Williams and Angus MacSwan)

New Venezuela congress chief says Maduro will be usurper president

January 5, 2019

By Deisy Buitrago and Corina Pons

CARACAS (Reuters) – The newly elected chief of Venezuela’s opposition-run Congress on Saturday said President Nicolas Maduro will be “usurping the presidency” when he swears in for a second term on Jan. 10 after winning a much criticized and broadly boycotted 2018 election.

Legislator Juan Guaido of the hard-line opposition party Popular Will, who was elected to head the legislature on Saturday, said he would confront the “dictatorship” and seek fair elections, without offering details.

His statements add to criticism by governments around the world that have accused Maduro of undermining democracy and mismanaging the economy. But the largely powerless congress has few concrete means of stopping the inauguration or easing Maduro’s grip on power.

“Maduro from January 10 will be usurping the presidency of the Republic,” said Guaido, a 35-year-old industrial engineer, in his first speech. “This National Assembly, as the only legitimate power elected by Venezuelans, assumes the representation of the people.”

Venezuela’s annual inflation now tops 1 million percent and basic food and medicine are out of the reach of most citizens, spurring an exodus of some 3 million people since 2015, according to the United Nations.

Maduro says the country is the victim of an “economic war” by opposition leaders with the help of Washington, which has levied several rounds of sanctions against his government and top officials.

He won a second term in 2018, but the vote was broadly boycotted by the opposition on the grounds that it was rigged in his favor.

The ruling Socialist Party with the help of the country’s top court has turned the Congress into a mostly symbolic entity, replacing its day-to-day functions with an all-powerful body called the Constituent Assembly.

Guaido on Saturday vowed “not to give up” while demanding justice for dozens of imprisoned or exiled political leaders, including some of his fellow legislators. He blamed the government for creating a “miserable” life for Venezuelans.

A group of Latin American countries on Friday called on Maduro not to take office on Jan. 10, but Mexico – which has warmed to Venezuela after the election of a leftist government – urged the group not to meddle in Venezuelan affairs. [nL1N1Z41AV]

(Writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Susan Thomas)

Trump Threatens To Keep Government Closed “For Months Or years”

President Trump on Friday confirmed that he told Democratic leaders he would be willing to keep the government closed for months or even years if they refuse to provide funding for his border wall with Mexico.

“I did, absolutely, I said that,” said the president, speaking with reporters after the morning meeting. 

“I don’t think it will,” Trump added, “But I am prepared and I think I can speak for Republicans in the House and Republicans in the Senate. I hope it doesn’t go on even beyond a few more days. It really could open very quickly, I told them.”

Trump has directed Vice President Mike Pence, White House senior adviser (and his son-in-law) Jared Kushner and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to meet with the aides of top congressional leaders over the weekend to continue discussions on the shutdown impasse. 

“We really cannot resolve this until we open up government, and we made that clear to the president,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) following the meeting – which Trump called “very productive.” 

Around 25% of the federal government has been shut down for 14 days following Trump’s refusal to sign a spending package that did not include $5 billion he has requested for the wall. 

On Thursday the House ignored Trump’s threat to veto any legislation without wall funding, passing two stopgap spending bills that would keep some parts of the government open as late as September.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed that Trump had agreed to direct his top aides to meet with Congressional aides over the weekend “to see if they can come up with an agreement to recommend back to us and to him and the various leaders.”

“The government couldn’t reopen until Tuesday anyway because we don’t have people here to vote,” McConnell told reporters in a statement at the Capitol. 

***

Update2: Trump defended the idea of a steel wall instead of using concrete, despite stating on Monday that the idea of a concrete wall was “NEVER ABANDONED.” Some other highlights from his long speech:

  • TRUMP SAYS HE MIGHT CONSIDER FREEZING RAISES FOR CABINET
  • TRUMP WANTS APPLE TO MAKE IPHONES, OTHER PRODUCTS IN U.S.
  • TRUMP SAYS APPLE SHOULD MAKE PRODUCTS IN U.S., NOT CHINA
  • TRUMP SAYS HE THINKS HE WILL MAKE A DEAL WITH CHINA
  • TRUMP SAYS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT APPLE, STOCK MARKET

Responding to a comment made by brand new Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) that she would help Democrats “impeach the motherfucker,” Trump said “I thought her comments were disgraceful…I think she dishonored herself, and I think she dishonored her family.”

Update: Trump says that Pelosi told him she’s not looking to impeach him, adding “You can’t impeach somebody who’s doing a great job.” 

The president also said that DACA will be discussed at another time. 

resident Trump delivered remarks following an 11:30 a.m. meeting in the White House with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and other congressional leaders.

Watch Live: 

***

Discussing the border wall, Trump said “We’re not playing games, we have to do it.” 

The President added “I think we’ll have to build a steel wall instead of a concrete one … although steel is more expensive.”

President Trump confirmed that he told Pelosi and Schumer that the shutdown could last for months or years. 

***

Pelosi and Schumer spoke outside the White House immediately following the meeting, where Schumer said that Trump threatened to keep government closed for months or years.

Emerging from the White House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) described a “lengthy and sometimes contentious conversation with the president.” She said both sides agreed to continue talks but added that Democrats don’t believe the standoff is resolved until the government is re-opened.

“We cannot resolve this until we open up government,” Pelosi said. 

That sentiment was echoed by Schumer, who said “it’s very hard to see how progress will be made unless they open up the government.”

In contrast to what Democratic leaders said, Trump said the group came “a long way” during the meeting. –The Hill

Watch (fast forward to 2 hours, 12 minutes): 

Indian rescuers struggle to pump out water from flooded mine

January 4, 2019

By Zarir Hussain

GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) – Indian rescuers trying to reach a group of miners trapped in a remote and illegal “rat-hole” coal mine are struggling to pump out water from the 370-foot-deep pit, further dimming their chances of survival more than three weeks into their ordeal.

The slow progress in the rescue efforts in the northeastern state of Meghalaya has been contrasted with the dramatic rescue of 12 Thai boys and their football coach from a flooded cave in July last year, which drew a massive international audience.

The mine became flooded after at least 15 miners went down the narrow pit on Dec. 13. Rat-hole mines killed thousands of workers in Meghalaya before India’s environmental court banned the practice in early 2014.

Many mines continued operation, despite the ban, requiring workers, often children, to descend hundreds of feet on bamboo ladders and dig coal out of narrow, horizontal seams.

“We are continuously engaged in our efforts but the terrain and conditions out here are extremely difficult,” Santosh Kumar Singh, an assistant commandant with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), told Reuters from the site.

Navy divers and NDRF personnel had not been able to reach the trapped miners, he said.

Rescuers are now placing their hopes on a huge pump from state miner Coal India Ltd that is being installed on a concrete platform near the mine.

India’s Supreme Court on Friday ordered the federal government and Meghalaya to file a report by Monday on the rescue operation. Meghalaya told the court on Thursday that nearly 86 people had been working on the rescue effort.

At its peak, the state produced coal worth $4 billion a year, or about a tenth of India’s total production.

While the Thailand drama got round-the-clock international media coverage, the trapped miners in Meghalaya are getting very little attention, even within India.

“Whole media, government and us, the common people, have completely ignored them,” one Twitter user, Rahul Sribastab, wrote. “The government, opposition and media have failed us.”

(Writing by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Democrats maneuver to end shutdown, without Trump wall money

December 31, 2018

By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives plan to vote on Thursday on a funding package to end the 10-day-old partial U.S. government shutdown, without providing the $5 billion President Donald Trump has demanded for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The planned vote sets up a Democratic showdown with Trump’s fellow Republicans on an issue dear to the president on the first day of divided government in Washington since he took office in January 2017 with a Congress led by his own party.

Democrats formally take control of the House from the Republicans after winning a majority of seats in November’s congressional elections.

The two-part Democratic package filed on Monday in the House includes a bill to keep funding for the Department of Homeland Security at current levels through Feb. 8 with no new wall funding, as well as a bundle of six measures worth nearly $265 billion combined that would fund the other shuttered agencies through the Sept. 30 end of the current fiscal year.

The two parts will be voted on separately on the House floor on Thursday, said Democrats, who will hold a 36-seat majority.

If approved in the House, the funding package would go to the Republican-led Senate. Its prospects there appear unpromising, although Trump’s unpredictability makes it hard to gauge how the shutdown showdown will play out.

“It’s simple: The Senate is not going to send something to the president that he won’t sign,” said a spokesman for Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

The Democratic legislation will mark the first major battle pitting the incoming Democratic House majority led by Nancy Pelosi against Trump and McConnell.

“While President Trump drags the nation into Week Two of the Trump Shutdown and sits in the White House and tweets, without offering any plan that can pass both chambers of Congress, Democrats are taking action to lead our country out of this mess,” Pelosi and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement.

Democrats oppose Trump’s demand for wall funding, with Pelosi calling the wall immoral, ineffective and expensive.

Democrats hope their two-pronged funding approach will put Senate Republicans in a tough position. If they reject funding for departments unconnected to border security, Republicans could be seen as holding those agencies and their roughly 800,000 affected workers hostage to Trump’s wall demand.

“Then they are complicit with President Trump in continuing the Trump shutdown and in holding the health and safety of the American people and workers’ paychecks hostage over the wall,” Pelosi and Schumer said in their statement.

Non-border-related agencies include the Departments of Agriculture, Interior, Transportation, Commerce and Justice.

The homeland security piece of the package includes $1.3 billion for border fencing and roughly $300 million more for other border security items including cameras and technology.

Democrats said the entire package is based on legislation that has already been passed by either the Senate or Senate committees.

The shutdown, which began on Dec. 22 and has idled roughly a quarter of the federal government, was precipitated by Trump’s demand, under pressure from conservative commentators, that Congress approve $5 billion to help fund a wall that was a promise made in his 2016 election campaign, although he said at the time it would be paid for by Mexico.

Trump has called the wall crucial to combating illegal immigration and drug trafficking. The Senate on Dec. 21 failed to muster the votes needed to pass Republican-backed House legislation that included Trump’s wall funding. Passage in the Senate would need at least some Democratic support to reach the 60-vote threshold required.

“NOT A WALL”

A central issue in finding a resolution could be the definition of what constitutes a wall, including the idea of steel slats and other types of barriers versus a concrete structure.

Trump on Twitter criticized Democratic opposition to the wall project, which carries a total estimated price tag of $23 billion. He also seemed to contradict comments made by outgoing White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.

In a Los Angeles Times interview published on Sunday, Kelly said: “To be honest, it’s not a wall.”

“The president still says ‘wall’ – oftentimes frankly he’ll say ‘barrier’ or ‘fencing,’ now he’s tended toward steel slats. But we left a solid concrete wall early on in the administration, when we asked people what they needed and where they needed it,” Kelly added.

Trump wrote on Twitter that border security could not exist “without a strong and powerful Wall.”

“An all concrete Wall was NEVER ABANDONED, as has been reported by the media,” Trump wrote. “Some areas will be all concrete but the experts at Border Patrol prefer a Wall that is see through (thereby making it possible to see what is happening on both sides). Makes sense to me!”

Trump, who canceled his vacation in Florida and has stayed at the White House during the holiday government shutdown while first lady Melania and their son Barron were at Trump’s private estate Mar-a-Lago in Florida for New Year’s Eve, said Democrats could have come over for talks anytime.

“I’m in Washington. I’m ready, willing and able,” Trump told Fox News.

White House officials did not reply to an email asking whether the president had been in touch directly with Democratic leaders to set up a round of talks.

Pelosi has not heard formally from the White House since Dec. 11, when she and Schumer had a contentious Oval Office meeting with the president, Democratic aides said. Schumer has not heard from the White House since he met with Vice President Mike Pence and incoming White House acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney on Dec. 22, Democratic aides said.

(Reporting by David Morgan; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh, Peter Cooney and Leslie Adler)

Watch US Stealth Bomber Drop Two of World’s Largest Conventional Bombs

Whiteman Air Force Base, home to the 509th Bomb Wing, assigned to the Eighth Air Force of the Air Force Global Strike Command, operates a fleet of Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, recently released a video showing one of its bombers dropping two 14 ton GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP) in a test flight.

According to The Aviationist, the MOP is capable of penetrating up to 200 feet into the ground or 60 feet of reinforced concrete to strike enemy targets deep underground.

“The B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is the only aircraft in the U.S. Air Force inventory currently capable to operationally drop the massive 30,000-lb (14,000 kg) GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (even though the testing of the MOP involved a B-52 back in 2009, the weapon’s intended platform is only the B-2).

The 14-ton GBU-57 is a 20-foot long GPS-guided bomb said to be able to penetrate 200 feet of concrete before exploding: for this reason it is considered the weapon of choice in case of attack on buried targets (such as the North Korean bunkers),” The Aviationist blog said.

The short video, uploaded to YouTube by The Aviationist blog, shows the stealth bomber with the tail number 82-1066. The video first starts with the bomber in a hanger, being prepped for flight, then takes off from Whiteman Air Force Base under cover of night. About a third into the clip, the bomber is over an unidentifiable mountain range receiving fuel from an aerial refueling tanker. Moments later, the plane releases two MOPs. Land-based cameras capture the incredible moment when the bombs slam into an unidentifiable missile test range producing a massive explosion. 

The MOP was used in combat by the Air Force in Afghanistan, where it was dropped in the Nangarhar province in 2017, killing about 100 terrorists, hiding in an elaborate underground tunnel. 

The clip is short, so prepare yourself for an exhilarating 55 seconds of American firepower, weapon bays open at 00:37:

 

DC Metro Station Inspectors Plagiarized Reports While Concrete Was Falling From The Ceiling

(DCNF) For three years, inspectors apparently copied and pasted inspection reports for an underground metro station in Washington, D.C., then a metal beam fell from the ceiling.

No one was hurt in that incident, which occurred in the fall of 2016, but it was a wake up call for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to find out what went wrong.

report from the inspector general released Thursday reveals critical weaknesses in the inspection protocols for the primary public transportation system for the nation’s capitol.

On Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 2016, corroded bolts caused pieces of concrete, lighting fixtures and a large steel beam fell from the ceiling of the Rhode Island Avenue metro station, forcing the station to close for a few days. That could have been prevented if it had procedures to inspect certain hard-to-see areas and ensured that inspection reports were actually conducted. (RELATED: There’s So Much Human Hair In DC’s Metro It’s Now A Fire Hazard)

Over a three-year period, a total of 49 inspection reports contained identical language, leading the inspector general to conclude that “remarks are being copied and pasted from year to year, which makes it difficult to verify a new inspection was done.”

After the falling ceiling incident, the initial inspectors reports found the bolts holding up a large steel brace, 16 feet from the floor, had rusted and apparently no one had noticed.

One inspection in 2015 noted that there was a crack in the concrete where the metal brace and concrete pieces fell, but the 2016 follow-up report didn’t list any issues with that area. And, inspectors weren’t required to look at hard-to-see or inaccessible places.

“There are no policies and procedures to inspect non-visual and hard-to-reach areas,” and “the inspection area where the incident occurred was unassigned,” the new report claims.

The Rhode Island metro station will be closed for 45 days starting July 21 for repairs of the damaged area — which since the fall of 2016 have been patched with temporary wooden braces and a safety netting that was still in place when inspectors visited in January.

As for addressing inspection weaknesses in the future, WMATA said it would work to improve inspection protocols.

“This level of inspection may not have been required when Metro’s infrastructure was younger. However, as OIG noted, ‘as the infrastructure ages, additional inspection techniques need to be deployed,’” Metro spokesman Dan Stessel told The Washington Post. “We concur.”

 

Written by Thomas Phippen: Follow Thomas Phippen on Twitter

 

This article was republished with permission from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The post DC Metro Station Inspectors Plagiarized Reports While Concrete Was Falling From The Ceiling appeared first on Ben Swann’s Truth In Media.

DC Metro Station Inspectors Plagiarized Reports While Concrete Was Falling From The Ceiling

(DCNF) For three years, inspectors apparently copied and pasted inspection reports for an underground metro station in Washington, D.C., then a metal beam fell from the ceiling.

No one was hurt in that incident, which occurred in the fall of 2016, but it was a wake up call for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to find out what went wrong.

report from the inspector general released Thursday reveals critical weaknesses in the inspection protocols for the primary public transportation system for the nation’s capitol.

On Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 2016, corroded bolts caused pieces of concrete, lighting fixtures and a large steel beam fell from the ceiling of the Rhode Island Avenue metro station, forcing the station to close for a few days. That could have been prevented if it had procedures to inspect certain hard-to-see areas and ensured that inspection reports were actually conducted. (RELATED: There’s So Much Human Hair In DC’s Metro It’s Now A Fire Hazard)

Over a three-year period, a total of 49 inspection reports contained identical language, leading the inspector general to conclude that “remarks are being copied and pasted from year to year, which makes it difficult to verify a new inspection was done.”

After the falling ceiling incident, the initial inspectors reports found the bolts holding up a large steel brace, 16 feet from the floor, had rusted and apparently no one had noticed.

One inspection in 2015 noted that there was a crack in the concrete where the metal brace and concrete pieces fell, but the 2016 follow-up report didn’t list any issues with that area. And, inspectors weren’t required to look at hard-to-see or inaccessible places.

“There are no policies and procedures to inspect non-visual and hard-to-reach areas,” and “the inspection area where the incident occurred was unassigned,” the new report claims.

The Rhode Island metro station will be closed for 45 days starting July 21 for repairs of the damaged area — which since the fall of 2016 have been patched with temporary wooden braces and a safety netting that was still in place when inspectors visited in January.

As for addressing inspection weaknesses in the future, WMATA said it would work to improve inspection protocols.

“This level of inspection may not have been required when Metro’s infrastructure was younger. However, as OIG noted, ‘as the infrastructure ages, additional inspection techniques need to be deployed,’” Metro spokesman Dan Stessel told The Washington Post. “We concur.”

 

Written by Thomas Phippen: Follow Thomas Phippen on Twitter

 

This article was republished with permission from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The post DC Metro Station Inspectors Plagiarized Reports While Concrete Was Falling From The Ceiling appeared first on Ben Swann’s Truth In Media.

Ancient Aliens in the Bible w/ Xaviant Haze Jan 14/18

Did a distant race of ancient aliens once inhabit the lands of the Bible?
Do the ancient writings of the Bible and other texts provide proof of their existence?
Did the “prophets” have close encounters with ancient aliens?
Were the “angels” physical beings sent to perform specific tasks by their alien masters?
Ancient Aliens in the Bible answers these questions and more. Analyzing the historical and archaeological evidence, and using the work of former Vatican translator Mauro Biglino as his guide, Xaviant Haze provides ample proof that what our ancestors described in ancient biblical texts were real-life events and not visions. The UFO encounters in the Bible are described as concrete experiences by flesh-and-blood beings. The angels were assigned specific duties and struggled to carry them out; some even rebelled and took earthly wives, forbidden by their superiors.

Xaviant Haze is a researcher, teacher, and archivist of ancient manuscripts with a keen interest in lost civilizations, ancient aliens, ancient giants, and the myths of the prediluvian world. He is the author of 10 books, including Ancient Giants of the Americas and Aliens in Ancient Egypt. His free online library, Xaviantvision.com, is home to one of the most complete collections of metaphysical, spiritual, and alternative history books and podcasts in the world, with links and resources to all major works in the field. Haze resides in a haunted house in South Beach, Florida.

We Are Change TV.US