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02/17/2017 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

BREAKING: Scott Pruitt Confirmed as EPA Administrator

Leftists are losing control. Big government is crumbling.

The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday in a mostly party line vote.

The confirmation vote came after contentious hearings during which Democratic lawmakers questioned Pruitt over his ties to fossil fuel companies, his multiple legal challenges to EPA regulations and his public statements questioning the science behind climate change.

Senate Democrats boycotted a committee vote to move forward Pruitt’s nomination earlier this month and stretched debate before the full Senate into the early hours of Friday. On Thursday evening, some Democrats again called for Pruitt’s confirmation vote to be delayed after an Oklahoma judge ordered his office to turn over thousands of communications with fossil fuel companies to a watchdog group.

But the nominee appeared to have the votes needed to win confirmation on Friday.

Democrats Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, both from energy-producing states, voted with Republicans to confirm Pruitt. Just one GOP senator, Susan Collins of Maine, voted against Pruitt.

The final vote was 52 to 46 in favor of confirmation.

While Democrats and environmentalists bristled at Pruitt’s nomination from the start, conservatives and the energy industry have welcomed his efforts to place more power over drilling and mining regulations in the hands of states. He set up a “federalism unit” at the office of the Oklahoma attorney general to “combat unwarranted regulation and overreach by the federal government.”

Pruitt is seen as an ideal candidate to execute Trump’s promises to scale back the EPA’s Obama-era initiatives. He has been a leading figure in a campaign by Republican attorneys general to sue government agencies over some of President Barack Obama’s landmark achievements, including the Affordable Care Act and regulations to reduce the impacts of climate change.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times investigation found Pruitt’s office in 2011 signed a letter criticizing environmental regulations that was drafted by lawyers for Devon Energy.

During his confirmation hearing, Pruitt rejected the claim he acted on behalf of energy companies in suing the EPA more than a dozen times. He said the suits were in the interest of Oklahoma citizens given the role of energy in the state’s economy.

Trump plans to announce executive orders during Pruitt’s swearing in at EPA headquarters, Reuters reported this week, citing sources who were briefed on the plans. Earlier in the week, Beltway newsletter Inside EPA reported the planned orders may impact the agency’s work on climate change, citing an administration source.

The president has vowed to cancel Obama’s Climate Action Plan, a framework for reducing greenhouse gas pollution, and the Clean Power Plan, a rule limiting carbon emissions from power plants. He has also threatened to defund the Paris Agreement, an international accord aimed at reducing the impact of climate change.

Trump promises to increase U.S. coal, natural gas and crude oil production, in part by making federal land more readily available to drillers and miners.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/17/scott-pruitt-epa-confirmation-senate-vote.html

02/17/2017 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

Free Tuition For Blacks in Wisconsin as Reparation for Slavery

WISCONSIN STUDENTS DEMAND FREE TUITION FOR BLACK STUDENTS

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Black students should be offered free tuition and housing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison because blacks were legally barred from education during slavery and university remains out of reach for black students today, the student government said Wednesday.

The Associated Students of Madison said in a resolution that students from suburban high schools are overrepresented. The group said consideration of ACT and SAT scores in applications restricts opportunities for the poor and thus upholds “white supremacy.”

Race relations have been a contentious issue at the Wisconsin’s flagship campus for months. The university has proposed some measures aimed at improving diversity.

“The university’s rhetoric suggests that it is committed to diversity and inclusion, so this legislation compels the university to move towards action – which is imperative,” the resolution’s author, ASM Student Council Rep. Tyriek Mack, said in a statement. “If no one challenges the university’s empty promises, then the racial composition will remain stagnant.”

The resolution demands free access to the university for all black people, including former inmates. That means free tuition, free housing and no fees, Mack said. That would save a black resident undergraduate student about $20,000 a year.

The resolution goes on to call for the university to use 10 percent of donations to bolster financial aid and study the feasibility of test-optional and geographically weighted admissions.

The language mirrors demands that the Black Liberation Collective, a national network of black youth focused on higher education, has made to nearly 90 campuses across the country.

Black students currently make up about 2 percent of Madison enrollment. University spokeswoman Meredith McGlone noted the proportion of “students of color” has grown from 11 percent to 15 percent over the last decade. She said the school supports the spirit of the resolution but that it’s unclear whether the methods it proposes are legal or the best way to accomplish those goals.

Chancellor Rebecca Blank has proposed giving first-generation transfers from two-year schools free tuition for a year, contingent on funding in the upcoming state budget, and a recent $10 million donation will be invested in expanding the Chancellor’s Scholarship Program, which supports minorities, McGlone said.

ACT and SAT scores are not the only factor in admissions to the university in Madison, but their inclusion is required under regent policy, McGlone said.

Last spring, pictures of swastikas and Adolf Hitler were posted on a Jewish student’s door, someone hurled racial slurs and spat at a black student in a dorm, and police arrested a black student during class for spray-painting anti-racist messages on campus buildings. Minority students spent the semester pressuring administrators for change.

Last month, a student who was imprisoned for burning down two black churches tried to start a white supremacist group on campus. He abandoned his efforts following intense backlash, but the student government criticized Blank for saying he had a legal right to express his views.

The university in August proposed building a black cultural center, introducing discussions about social differences and expanding ethnic studies courses and diversity training for all faculty and staff.

In-state undergraduate tuition has been frozen for four years and Gov. Scott Walker has proposed a 5 percent tuition cut for resident undergraduates in the second year of the upcoming state budget. Representatives of the Legislature’s budget-writing committee haven’t responded to an email Thursday seeking comment.

Asked for comment on the resolution, Mike Mikalsen, an aide to state Sen. Steve Nass – a Republican and one of the university’s most outspoken critics – responded by calling ASM a waste of student fees.

Madison Bevan, a sophomore from Los Angeles who identifies herself as black-white biracial, called free access for black students a good way to bolster their numbers on campus. She said one student in her dorm told her she was the first black person they’ve ever seen.

“There’s such a small number of (black) people on campus, it’s very easy to feel like you’re alone,” she said.

Chinese graduate student Yuhong Zhu said the resolution is awkward and he’d rather see more scholarships than a blanket offer of free access.

“I wouldn’t appreciate if the school offered me free tuition just because I’m a minority,” he said. “We should at least have to work hard for it.”

Jared Akers, a white student at the school, said the resolution was “odd” and that free access for blacks was unfair.

“That,” he said, “kind of seems like a handout more than doing them any favors.”

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http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BLACK_STUDENTS_FREE_TUITION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-02-16-11-51-52

02/16/2017 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

Cop Told ‘Tone Down Your Gayness’

CLAYTON • A 22-year St. Louis County police veteran who was once picked to become the department’s liaison to the gay community is now suing the department for discrimination.

In a lawsuit filed Jan. 10, Sgt. Keith Wildhaber claims a former St. Louis County Police Board member told him to “tone down your gayness” if he ever wanted to be promoted.

Wildhaber declined to comment for this story. His attorney, Russell Riggan, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The sergeant ranked third among 26 people who took a promotions test in February 2014, and also was third in a second round of tests in February 2015, according to the lawsuit.

But Wildhaber has watched as virtually all of his peers were promoted, even though his written performance reviews show that he “exceeds standards” or is “superior” in all rated categories, the suit says.

“Defendant believes plaintiff’s behavior, mannerisms, and/or appearance do not fit the stereotypical norms of what a ‘male’ should be,” according to the lawsuit.

Police Chief Jon Belmar would not comment on the suit or agree to an interview about his department’s interaction with gay officers, said a department spokesman, Sgt. Shawn McGuire.

Gay officers can raise concerns through the chain of command, McGuire said.

During a routine business check at Bartolino’s restaurant in 2014, Wildhaber visited with its owner, John Saracino, according to the lawsuit. Saracino was a member of the department’s civilian police board at the time.

“The command staff has a problem with your sexuality. If you ever want to see a white shirt (i.e. get a promotion), you should tone down your gayness,” Saracino allegedly told Wildhaber.

Reached Wednesday, Saracino said: “I never had a conversation like that. I would never say anything like that. That’s not me.”

Saracino later resigned from the board in controversy over a letter of support he asked Belmar to write to a federal judge who was sentencing Saracino’s nephew in a marijuana ring.

On April 1, 2016, Wildhaber filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Missouri Commission on Human Rights, alleging that he was unfairly passed up for advancement .

About a month and a half later, the department reassigned him from afternoon shifts at the Affton precinct to midnights in the Jennings precinct, the suit says. It says that the new assignment was about 30 miles from Wildhaber’s home in Oakville, according to the suit.

Several large departments nationally, including St. Louis city, have members appointed as liaisons to gay residents and officers, and diversity recruitment efforts.

A Justice Department report critical of the St. Louis County police response to Ferguson protests in 2014 suggested that the department create a diversity council to advise commanders on recruitment and other issues regarding an array of people — including ethnic, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and linguistic minorities.

The department has not acted on the recommendation, McGuire said.

“No liaison has been assigned, so there is no status update,” McGuire said in a prepared statement. “Our main focus in recruiting is attempting to recruit outstanding candidates who want to become part of our organization, no matter what their status, race, religion, sexual preference, political belief, or aspiration is.”

The St. Louis County Police Association has asked Wildhaber to serve on a committee it is forming to “ensure all of our members are treated equally and fairly in the workplace, which is a bedrock principal of our organization,” said Joe Patterson, its president and a county police detective.

“We have been actively recruiting LGBT members and minority members to serve on steering committees in order to bring forth not only their concerns, but their ideas on how to improve the police association,” Patterson said.

He said the association is eager to work with the police department and community.

“In the course of our duties, we encounter people from all walks of life and all backgrounds, and our police department should be reflective of the population we serve,” he said. “I don’t think you can be overly inclusive in 2017.”

In St. Louis, Police Chief Sam Dotson appointed Capt. Angela Coonce as the department’s LGBT liaison about three years ago. The department also has had a recruitment booth at the PrideFest diversity celebration for about the same amount of time.

“She advocates for policies, and when we were talking about the transgender community, she became the subject matter expert and liaison into the community to help me when issues arise internally,” Dotson said.

About the time Coonce became the city police liaison, county Police Chief Tim Fitch asked Wildhaber to serve in that role in the county. Belmar replaced Fitch as chief in January 2014 and it didn’t happen. Wildhaber took the test to become a lieutenant the next month. He remains a sergeant.

Wildhaber, with the department since 1994, previously served four years in the Army. In 1998, he won a medal of valor from the department for rescuing someone from a burning car.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sgt. Shawn McGuire said in an earlier version of this story that gay officers could take concerns to the department’s Employee Assistance Program. He said Thursday that he misunderstood the question in an email exchange with a reporter, and that gay officers can use the department’s chain of command.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-louis-county-cop-says-he-was-told-to-tone/article_a5afe909-771f-5726-8db9-5bdffe0ae1c1.html

02/16/2017 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

Wikileaks: CIA Spying on French Candidates

Le Pen is in the lead. Despite the media and the CIA.

Anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks released a set of documents allegedly showing CIA espionage on candidates in France’s 2012 presidential elections.

The seven pages of documents appear to be classified orders for intelligence operatives to gather information regarding candidates’ political strategies and internal communications. WikiLeaks’ release of the documents comes amid growing tensions between Trump and the intelligence community over leaks of classified information that have portrayed people close to Trump in a negative light.

“All major French political parties were targeted for infiltration by the CIA’s human (“HUMINT”) and electronic (“SIGINT”) spies in the seven months leading up to France’s 2012 presidential election,” a press release from WikiLeaks states.

“The revelations are contained within three CIA tasking orders published today by WikiLeaks as context for its forth coming CIA Vault 7 series. Named specifically as targets are the French Socialist Party (PS), the National Front (FN) and Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) together with current President Francois Hollande, then President Nicolas Sarkozy, current round one presidential front runner Marine Le Pen, and former presidential candidates Martine Aubry and Dominique Strauss-Khan.”

“Analysts in CIA’s Office of Russian and European Analysis (OREA) closely watched the Oct 9th and Oct 16th Socialist primaries and will be closely monitoring the April 22nd and May 6th 2012 Presidential elections. Of particular interest is President Sarkozy, the Socialist Party (PS), and other potential candidate’s plans and intentions for these elections,” one of the three CIA orders released by WikiLeaks states.

“Analysts assess that the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), the current ruling party, is not assured of winning the presidential election and, as a result, analysts are interested in the electoral strategy of the non-ruling parties listed below. Additional information on these topics will help analysts assess, and prepare key US policymakers for, the post-election French political landscape and the potential impact on US-France relations.”

Instructions for CIA operatives, according to the documents, included documenting French presidential candidates’ political strategies, views of the U.S. and sources of political funding.

02/16/2017 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

The Real Story: Trump in Danger if He Reveals Iran-Nuke Deal

The asshole who brokered this monstrosity.

Senior Iranian officials are warning the Trump administration about disclosing secret deals related to the nuclear deal that have long been hidden from the public by the Obama administration, according to recent comments that prompted pushback from senior sources on Capitol Hill.

Iran’s warning comes on the heels of a Washington Free Beacon report disclosing that former national security adviser Michael Flynn had been pushed out of office partly due to his intention to release these sensitive documents to the American public.

Leading lawmakers in Congress launched multiple investigations last year into the Obama administration’s efforts to keep these documents secret and out of public view. Sources who spoke to the Free Beacon about the matter said that the Trump White House is working on ways to publicize this information despite warnings from Iran.

Secret side deals related to the nuclear agreement remain unclassified but have been stashed in a secure location on Capitol Hill, making it difficult for staffers and lawmakers to view them. Individuals seeking to view these documents must have security clearance and are barred from taking notes or speaking about what they see.

Multiple senior congressional sources familiar with the nature of the documents told the Free Beaconthat lawmakers and the Trump administration would not be intimidated by Iranian threats.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a senior Iranian lawmaker and head of country’s foreign policy committee, warned the Trump administration against making these documents public in recent remarks.

“If Trump wants to publish confidential documents exchanged between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, it will in fact constitute a violation of the agency’s obligations, because the agency has been committed not to make Iran’s confidential nuclear information and documents available to any country, including the U.S.,” Boroujerdi was quoted as saying in Iran’s state-run media.

Some of these documents surround side deals struck between Iran and the IAEA regarding the Islamic Republic’s ability to enrich uranium. They also include deals about how much information Iran must disclose to international inspectors about the country’s contested nuclear program.

As part of the nuclear deal, U.S. inspectors are not permitted to take part in the review of any Iranian sites.

Rep. Peter Roskam (R., Ill.), a vocal opponent of the Iran deal who has long been fighting for the full disclosure of the Iran deal documents, told the Free Beacon that the Obama administration hid these documents in order to mislead Americans about the true nature of the agreement.

“The administration is under no obligation to conceal information about secret side deals, nor should they feel obligated to protect the anonymity of individuals or institutions who misbehaved at the behest of the Obama administration,” Roskam said.

Included in these documents are details of multiple, secret payments to Iran that totaled close to $2 billion. The money is believed to have been part of an incentive package aimed at securing the release last year of several American hostages in Iran.

None of this information is technically classified, yet it remains hidden from the American public and a large portion of Congress.

“The deal has only survived this long because the Obama administration gave Iran secret exemptions to cheat,” said one veteran congressional adviser familiar with the documents. “The Iranians know that if people found out about those exemptions, it would be obvious that the deal was always a bad, unsustainable deal, and they couldn’t blame Trump. That’s why they’re making up reasons why parts of the deal should be kept secret.”

Iran is expressing opposition to the disclosure of the information in order to force the Trump administration into a corner, the source maintained.

A senior congressional aide familiar with the situation further told the Free Beacon that U.S. lawmakers would not be instructed by Iran about what can and cannot be made public.

“Our declassification procedures are not subject to the whims of Iranian officials,” the source said. “Unclassified documents should be released so the American public can see just how bad of a deal the previous administration negotiated on its behalf.”

A second congressional source explained that federal law mandates these documents be released to lawmakers. This includes side deals and other materials related to the future of Iran’s nuclear program.

“The American public has a right to know what’s really going on behind the scenes with the nuclear agreement. At the very least, Congress is entitled to all relevant documents—including side arrangements or any other related materials—as mandated by federal law under Corker-Cardin,” the source said. “We won’t be intimidated by these empty threats from Iran or any international body. It’s time to make these secret documents public so everyone can for themselves what this deal is really all about.”

http://freebeacon.com/national-security/iran-warns-trump-disclosing-secret-iran-deal-documents/

02/16/2017 by The Doctor Of Common Sense

Intelligence Community Readies for Coup and Threatens Trump with Prison

Trump shakes loose the traitors in the intelligence community

Former NSA Analyst Claims Intel Community Will Go ‘Nuclear’ Against Trump

John Schindler, a former National Security Agency analyst and current columnist for the New York Observer, said Wednesday that the intelligence community will go “nuclear” against President Donald Trump.

The national security columnist also quoted a senior intelligence official telling him that Trump “will die in jail.” “Now we go nuclear. [Intelligence community] war going to new levels. Just got an [email from] from senior [intelligence community] friend, it began: ‘He will die in jail,’” Schindler tweeted.

The Observer columnist has for months taken a strong stance against Trump. He recently wrote an article called “The Spy Revolt Against Trump Begins.”

This came after President Trump angrily tweeted about continued leaks to major media outlets. “Information is being illegally given to the failing [New York Times] & [Washington Post] by the intelligence community (NSA and FBI?). Just like Russia,” Trump wrote.

Schindler received heat for his tweet suggesting a coup by the intelligence community.

ABC News chief foreign correspondent Terry Moran tweeted, “If this source is for real, talk of a ‘Deep State’ coup aren’t insane. [The president] will ‘die in jail’? Who do you think you are?”

The former NSA analyst stood by his comment and said, “Surprisingly, some US spies consider [the president] colluding with [Russian intelligence services] + Kremlin, [including] election theft, to be kinda treason-y.”

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Former NSA Analyst Claims Intel Community Will Go ‘Nuclear’ Against Trump

John Schindler, a former National Security Agency analyst and current columnist for the New York Observer, said Wednesday that the intelligence community will go “nuclear” against President Donald Trump.

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