TSA Hired Dozens With Links to Terror Groups

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On the heels of a revealing report demonstrating its ineptitude at catching would-be bombers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been targeted with a second damning report — this time for failing to properly vet new employees, several of whom turned out to be linked with the very terror groups agencies like TSA take pride in thwarting.

An Inspector General’s (IG) report Monday revealed the beleaguered agency “did not identify 73 individuals with terrorism-related category codes because TSA is not authorized to receive all terrorism-related information under current interagency watchlisting policy.”

While the review found the agency’s performance in using available employee-vetting practices to be “generally effective,” it also noted that TSA’s limited ability to cross-reference potential hires with all available watchlist information allowed more than six dozen applicants with possible terror ties to be hired and receive security clearance.

The report also notes that TSA left much of the vetting process to airports, which themselves did not uniformly apply the same set of standards to weeding through the agency’s pool of job applicants . . .

TSA took a beating in the public eye last week, with even mainstream media picking up an IG report explaining how auditors from the Department of Homeland Security were able to sneak weapons and bomb materials past TSA screeners 95 percent of the time. (Read more from “TSA Hired Dozens With Links to Terror Groups” HERE)

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McConnell Gets All Slippery When Cornered on the Secrecy That Surrounds Obamatrade

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By Personal Liberty News Desk. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may butt heads with Barack Obama on many things — but Obamatrade, apparently, isn’t one of them.

Speaking with Fox News this week, McConnell had a lot of trouble explaining why the White House has been so secretive with the contents of the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), the backbone for Obama’s plans to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He was similarly dodgy when attempting to explain why he supports the president’s plan.

“The trade agreement will be completely transparent,” he told Fox. “We’ll have a chance to vote whether to approve it or not.” (Read more from “McConnell Gets All Slippery When Cornered on the Secrecy That Surrounds Obamatrade” HERE)

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GOP Leadership’s Latest Obamatrade Ploy Revealed

By Alex Swoyer. Establishment Republicans are desperately trying to secure the passage of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which would give President Obama fast-track authority to secure congressional approval of at least three secretive trade deals, are now willing to increase taxes on small businesses in a way that would violate a pledge almost every Republican Congressman has taken when elected into office.

To secure final passage through Congress of a package that would include TPA fast-track authority—which would ensure finalization of the secretive Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) and Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), among other deals—the House would need to pass the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) package that was necessary for Senate passage of TPA. The House voted TAA down 302-126 with widespread bipartisan opposition to last week, but House Ways and Means Committee chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and his allies in House GOP leadership have pledged that they will try to pass it again early next week. The vote would potentially be on Monday, but more likely on Tuesday—and if there is no vote by Tuesday, it’s unlikely that Ryan will be able to succeed in his ploy to revive TPA.

TAA is a big government program usually favored by Democrats—it increases the size and scope of government, and is essentially viewed by Republicans as a welfare program—so their opposition to it during Friday’s complicated and confusing House vote schedule was not opposition to TAA as a specific concept, but opposition to the full Obamatrade package, especially TPA.

House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) gave a blistering floor speech against the full Obamatrade deal, causing a Democratic rebellion against TAA—and forcing Ryan to push Republicans to vote for that part of the package.

TAA was originally supposed to be financed with Medicare cuts – which sparked major outrage, and cries of hypocrisy in what would have certainly turned into boldly negative campaign advertisements against Republicans by Democrats this next cycle. But under pressure, Republican leadership, mainly Boehner and Ryan, negotiated with Democrats to remove the Medicare cuts from the financial backing of TAA and instead using direct tax hikes by raising the penalties for misfiled taxes. (Read more from this story HERE)

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ICE Freed Sex Offenders Without Notifying States

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For years, doctors warned federal immigration officials: Do not take your eyes off Santos Hernandez Carrera.

He had raped a woman at knifepoint and spent roughly half his life in jail, where immigration officials hoped to keep him until they could send him home to Cuba. As far as the public knew, the strategy worked: Until last month, the public sex offender registry said Hernandez Carrera, who has been diagnosed with a mental illness, had been deported.

He never was. Instead, the Globe discovered that Hernandez Carrera is in Florida, one of hundreds of immigrants convicted of sex crimes who should have been deported but instead were released in the United States because their homelands refused to take them back.

They are convicted rapists, child molesters, and kidnappers — among “the worst of the worst,” as one law enforcement agency put it. Yet the Globe found that immigration officials have released them without making sure they register with local authorities as sex offenders.

And once US Immigration and Customs Enforcement frees them, agency officials often lose track of the criminals, despite outstanding deportation orders against them. The Globe determined that Hernandez Carrera and several other offenders had failed to register as sex offenders, a crime. By law, police are supposed to investigate if such offenders fail to update their address within days of their release. But local officials said they did not learn that ICE had released the offenders until after the Globe inquired about their cases. (Read more from “ICE Freed Sex Offenders Without Notifying States” HERE)

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Hillary’s EPIC FAIL: Where Were the Adoring Throngs for Her Campaign’s New Launch?

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Hillary Clinton’s “don’t-call-it-a-relaunch” presidential campaign launch wasn’t as well-attended as she would have liked– and nowhere near what a Democratic Party would expect if it wants to hold onto the White House next year.

Organizers were so optimistic that they designated an “overflow” area to handle progressive partisans who were sure to crowd New York’s Roosevelt Island to get a glimpse of the former secretary of state according to multiple media outlets.

Instead, a photo tweeted by CNN’s Dan Merica showed a dismally empty overflow area: . . .

It’s a sad showing, especially when you compare the turnout to the crowd U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ announcement speech attracted. Even though mainstream media pundits would have you believe the Independent from Vermont has exactly zero chance of winning, he was able to turn out a crowd estimated at 5,000 when he announced his run for the presidency in Burlington, according to this tweet:

Sanders has actually been turning some heads for his ability to draw unexpectedly large crowds. The Washington Post reported that nearly 2,000 supporters packed a Minneapolis gym for in late May to hear the senator speak – about as many who showed up for Clinton on Roosevelt Island. (Read more from “Hillary’s EPIC FAIL: Where Were the Adoring Throngs for Her Campaign’s New Launch?” HERE)

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Is the Common Core Killing Kindergarten?

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Last spring, Susan Sluyter quit teaching kindergarten in the Cambridge Public Schools. She’d spent nearly two decades in the classroom, and her departure wasn’t a happy one. In a resignation letter, Sluyter railed against a “disturbing era of testing and data” that had trickled down from the upper grades and was now assaulting kindergartners with a barrage of new academic demands that “smack of 1st or 2nd grade.” The school district did not respond to a request for comment.

But Sluyter’s complaints touched a national nerve. Her letter went viral, prompting scores of sympathetic comments by other frustrated teachers and parents. Sluyter’s letter was fresh evidence for groups of early-childhood educators who oppose the kindergarten expectations for math and English Language Arts, or ELA, set by the new Common Core, the academic benchmarks for K-12 that most states have adopted to replace the historic patchwork of standards.

The thrust of the opposition is that many of the standards are too high and not developmentally appropriate for kindergartners. Opponents say teaching some academic skills too early can be counterproductive. They cite research suggesting that reading and math advantages in kindergarten are fleeting. Furthermore, they say, the pressure to meet academic standards will lead to lecture and work sheet style teaching, foster rote memorization, and snuff out the inquiry and play-based instruction that can instill a love of learning.

The impetus for developing the Common Core standards for kindergarten through 12th grade was the worry that American education was losing its edge in a globalized economy fueled by innovation . . .

The Common Core’s defenders say critics are misreading the kindergarten standards, which are meant to be goals, not dictates. What’s more, standards alone don’t tell teachers how to teach. What standards actually do, backers contend, is level the playing field and help keep students from falling behind early, which they say is the real and lasting danger for our youngest learners. (Read more from “Is the Common Core Killing Kindergarten?” HERE)

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Rich Californians Balk at Limits: ‘We’re Not All Equal When It Comes to Water’

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Drought or no drought, Steve Yuhas resents the idea that it is somehow shameful to be a water hog. If you can pay for it, he argues, you should get your water.

People “should not be forced to live on property with brown lawns, golf on brown courses or apologize for wanting their gardens to be beautiful,” Yuhas fumed recently on social media. “We pay significant property taxes based on where we live,” he added in an interview. “And, no, we’re not all equal when it comes to water.”

Yuhas lives in the ultra-wealthy enclave of Rancho Santa Fe, a bucolic Southern California hamlet of ranches, gated communities and country clubs that guzzles five times more water per capita than the statewide average. In April, after Gov. Jerry Brown (D) called for a 25 percent reduction in water use, consumption in Rancho Santa Fe went up by 9 percent.

But a moment of truth is at hand for Yuhas and his neighbors, and all of California will be watching: On July 1, for the first time in its 92-year history, Rancho Santa Fe will be subject to water rationing.

“It’s no longer a ‘You can only water on these days’ ” situation, said Jessica Parks, spokeswoman for the Santa Fe Irrigation District, which provides water service to Rancho Santa Fe and other parts of San Diego County. “It’s now more of a ‘This is the amount of water you get within this billing period. And if you go over that, there will be high penalties.’ ” (Read more from “Rich Californians Balk at Limits: ‘We’re Not All Equal When It Comes to Water'” HERE)

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US Airstrike ‘Likely’ Killed Al Qaeda Leader in Libya

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The U.S. military launched an airstrike that targeted and “likely” killed the Al Qaeda leader behind the attack on a gas plant in Algeria in 2013 that killed 35 hostages, including three Americans, a senior defense official told Fox News Sunday.

Libyan government and U.S. officials say warplanes targeted Mokhtar BelMokhtar and several others in the eastern city of Ajdabiya. The U.S. filed terrorism charges against BelMokhtar last year in connection with the Algeria attack. Officials have said they believe he remained a threat to U.S. and Western interests.

The Libyan government in a statement said that the strike came after consultation with the U.S. so that America could take action against a terror leader there.

One government official in Libya said an airstrike in Ajdabiya hit a group believed to be affiliated with Ansar al-Shariah, and that it killed five and injured more. He said the group that was injured got into clashes with the Libyan military that guarded the hospital there, leading to hours of fighting. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters . . .

The charges filed against Belmokhtar by federal law enforcement officials in Manhattan included conspiring to support Al Qaeda and use of a weapon of mass destruction. Additional charges of conspiring to take hostages and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence carry a maximum penalty of death. (Read more from “US Airstrike ‘Likely’ Killed Al Qaeda Leader in Libya” HERE)

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Jeb Bush: I’ll Break Away From GOP Pack

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Jeb Bush said in an interview aired Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he believes he’ll be in a better position to break away from the rest of the Republican field when he announces his presidential candidacy.

“I think this transition to a candidacy will allow me to be more direct about my advocacy of the leadership skills necessary for the next president to fix a few things,” Bush told CNN’s Dana Bash in Tallinn, Estonia, on Saturday.

“And as a candidate, contrary to someone who has been listening and learning along the way, I’ll offer up alternatives to the path we’re on as well, so I’ll be more specific on policy,” he said.

Bush, who has long been viewed as a likely presidential contender, is expected to announce his candidacy on Monday. But he believes it could take some time for him to break out of a crowded Republican pack, which already boasts 10 candidates.

“People make up their minds in the last weeks of these primaries,” Bush said. “My expectation is we’ll have slow, steady progress. That’s been the expectation all along.” (Read more from “Jeb Bush: I’ll Break Away From GOP Pack” HERE)

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North Carolina Youths in Stable Condition After Losing Limbs in Shark Attack

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By Fox News. Two North Carolina kids were reported in stable condition late Sunday after losing limbs in separate shark attacks approximately two hours apart.

Oak Island Mayor Betty Wallace told the Wilmington Star-News that a 12-year-old girl lost part of her left arm and might lose her left leg, while a 16-year-old boy lost his left arm. Brain Watts, Brunswick County’s emergency management director, told the paper Sunday that both victims were out of surgery. Wallace said the girl was not from the area, but was visiting family. There was no immediate information about the 16-year-old boy.

Brunswick County Dispatchers said that they received the call at 4:12 p.m. and several agencies responded to the scene including Oak Island Police and the Air Link Helicopter. The second incident was reported at 5:30 Sunday.

The Oak Island town manager sent an ATV to get everyone out of the water, the mayor said, adding that the Brunswick County Sheriff’s office was going to send a helicopter up and down the coast to patrol. (Read more from “North Carolina Youths in Stable Condition After Losing Limbs in Shark Attack” HERE)

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Animals Roam Streets of Tbilisi After Flooding Kills 12, Frees Zoo Animals

By Kimberly Hutcherson and Don Melvin. Wild animals roamed the streets of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, on Sunday, after raging floodwaters damaged the city’s zoo and set many of the animals free.

Twelve people died in the flooding, according to Civil Georgia, a news website run by the nongovernmental organization UN Association of Georgia.

Several others were missing, and wolves, bears, big cats and even a hippopotamus were wandering the streets of the city, according to Civil.ge, a news agency funded by the EU and the UN.

Of the zoo’s 600 residents, including fish and birds, about half were missing on Sunday, theTbilisi Zoo said.

Some animals have been recaptured, Civil.ge reported. Others have been killed. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Soldier Killed During Fort Wainwright, Alaska Training Exercise

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The Army says a 23-year-old soldier died during a training exercise at Fort Wainwright.

The Fairbanks News-Miner reports that the soldier was killed by a single-vehicle rollover accident on Wednesday.

The Army says Spc. Tyrice Weaver died from injuries caused when his 5-ton tactical vehicle rolled while conducting a platoon convoy at the Yukon Training Area. (Read more from “Soldier Killed During Fort Wainwright, Alaska Training Exercise” HERE)

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