FBI Has ‘Encircled’ Remaining Occupiers at Oregon Wildlife Refuge, Agents in Armored Vehicles Demanding Surrender

/5 Comments/in , /by

The FBI has encircled remaining occupiers at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon, which armed protesters took over in early January.

Les Zaitz, senior investigative reporter for the Oregonian, posted the following tweet: . . .

Refuge occupier Sean Anderson adds additional confirmation that FBI will not advance tonight, but will allow occupiers to meet at checkpoint with Fiore and Graham later Thursday morning.

Anderson says occupiers will put their weapons in their vehicles when they turn themselves in as they march toward the checkpoint with American flags.

Anderson added that turning themselves in to the FBI is “going against everything we believe in,” but said they will “proceed with our surrender” once Fiore and Graham arrive at the refuge.

(Read more from “FBI Has ‘Encircled’ Remaining Occupiers at Oregon Wildlife Refuge, Agents in Armored Vehicles Demanding Surrender” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Scandal Grows: This Is Who Handled the ‘Top Secret’ Intel on Hillary Server

/6 Comments/in , /by

By Catherine Herridge and Pamela K. Browne. At least a dozen email accounts handled the “top secret” intelligence that was found on Hillary Clinton’s server and recently deemed too damaging for national security to release, a U.S. government official close to the review told Fox News.

The official said the accounts include not only Clinton’s but those of top aides – including Cheryl Mills, Huma Abedin, Jake Sullivan and Philippe Reines – as well as State Department Under Secretary for Management Patrick F. Kennedy and others. There is no public evidence they were authorized to receive the intelligence some of which was beyond Top Secret.

A second source not authorized to speak on the record said the number of accounts involved could be as high as 30 and reflects how the intelligence was broadly shared, replied to, and copied to individuals using the unsecured server.

“My contacts with former colleagues and current active duty personnel involved in sensitive programs reveal a universal feeling that the HRC issue is more serious than the general public realizes,” Dan Maguire, a former strategic planner with Africom, and with 46 years combined service, told Fox. “Most opine they would already be behind bars if they had apparently compromised sensitive information as reported.” (Read more from “Scandal Grows: This Is Who Handled the ‘Top Secret’ Intel on Hillary Server” HERE)

__________________________________

Judge Chides State Department for Delay in Clinton Email Release

By Laura Koran. A federal judge expressed dismay over the State Department’s continued delays releasing Hillary Clinton’s emails.

“The government has put me between a rock and a hard place,” Judge Rudolph Contreras said at a hearing Tuesday, noting his displeasure over the State Department’s explanations about the delays.

Contreras said he felt he was being forced to choose between accepting the State Department’s proposed timeline without question, or else risk the accidental release of sensitive information by hurrying the process.

The State Department’s proposed production schedule would result in all the remaining emails being released the day before “Super Tuesday” and after early contests in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. (Read more from “Judge Chides State Department for Delay in Clinton Email Release” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Two Republican Presidential Candidates Just Suspended Their Campaigns

/0 Comments/in , /by

By Cheryl Chumley. Gov. Chris Christie has decided to suspend his presidential campaign, according to two Republicans briefed on his deliberations.

Christie held a meeting and conference call with campaign staff at 4 p.m. to inform them of his decision, the Republicans said.

Christie headed home to New Jersey after his New Hampshire primary loss, telling supporters his message apparently didn’t have enough steam to push him to a top-place finish with voters.

Later Wednesday, talk was swirling that he was suspending his presidential campaign, according to CBS News and the New York Times.

“We bet the ranch on New Hampshire and no one ever anticipated the Trump phenomenon,” one source said to ABC News, citing Christie’s looming announcement. “He’s a realist.” (Read more from “Two Republican Presidential Candidates Just Suspended Their Campaigns” HERE)

_________________________________

Carly Fiorina Drops out of Republican Presidential Race

By Scott Bixby. Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination on Wednesday, over a disappointing finish in the New Hampshire primaries and her ineligibility to participate in upcoming presidential debates.

“This campaign was always about citizenship,” Fiorina wrote in a Facebook post on her official campaign account. “I’ve said throughout this campaign that I will not sit down and be quiet. I’m not going to start now. While I suspend my candidacy today, I will continue to travel this country and fight for those Americans who refuse to settle for the way things are and a status quo that no longer works for them.”

Issued by the sole female candidate in the Republican field, Fiorina’s statement singled out women who looked up to her as someone who could go toe-to-toe with the male-dominated political establishment, urging them not to be bound to ideology because of their gender.

“Do not let others define you,” Fiorina wrote, addressing women and girls. “Do not listen to anyone who says you have to vote a certain way or for a certain candidate because you’re a woman. That is not feminism. Feminism doesn’t shut down conversations or threaten women. It is not about ideology. It is not a weapon to wield against your political opponent. A feminist is a woman who lives the life she chooses and uses all her God-given gifts.” (Read more from “Carly Fiorina Drops out of Republican Presidential Race” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Gun Store Owner Breaks Silence, Reveals ATF Raided His Business in 2014 and Why He ‘Quit Fighting’ Them [+video]

/3 Comments/in , /by

Photo Credit: KERO-TVA gun shop owner in Southern California was subjected to a raid by the federal government in 2014, but he has just now decided to voluntarily forfeit the more than 3,000 parts the agents took two years ago.

Christopher Cook, the owner of The Armory in Southwest Bakersfield, California, told KERO-TV that it was simply a clerical error and wrong information given to officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives by a former lawyer that led to a raid of his business in 2014, during which officials took 3,804 parts . . .

Cook contended that his former lawyer gave ATF officials the wrong information regarding how the pieces were made that led to the raid as well as his eventual forfeiting of the more than 3,000 parts taken from him.

“The reason that I quit fighting is because it’s a battle that I don’t believe that the U.S state attorney, the DOJ or the ATF office would be able to say they were going to give our stuff back,” he said.

According to KERO-TV, the Department of Justice said in an agreement with Cook that the agency will ensure that the receivers stay out of the hands of criminals. The agreement also states that Cook will never be criminally prosecuted for this incident; he is also not allowed to sue the ATF for wrongfully taking his property. (Read more from “Gun Store Owner Breaks Silence, Reveals ATF Raided His Business in 2014 and Why He ‘Quit Fighting’ Them” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Top U.S. Intelligence Official Calls Gene Editing a WMD Threat

/0 Comments/in , /by

Genome editing is a weapon of mass destruction.

That’s according to James Clapper, U.S. director of national intelligence, who on Tuesday, in the annual worldwide threat assessment report of the U.S. intelligence community, added gene editing to a list of threats posed by “weapons of mass destruction and proliferation.”

Gene editing refers to several novel ways to alter the DNA inside living cells. The most popular method, CRISPR, has been revolutionizing scientific research, leading to novel animals and crops, and is likely to power a new generation of gene treatments for serious diseases.

It is gene editing’s relative ease of use that worries the U.S. intelligence community, according to the assessment. “Given the broad distribution, low cost, and accelerated pace of development of this dual-use technology, its deliberate or unintentional misuse might lead to far-reaching economic and national security implications,” the report said.

The choice by the U.S. spy chief to call out gene editing as a potential weapon of mass destruction, or WMD, surprised some experts. It was the only biotechnology appearing in a tally of six more conventional threats, like North Korea’s suspected nuclear detonation on January 6, Syria’s undeclared chemical weapons, and new Russian cruise missiles that might violate an international treaty. (Read more from “Top U.S. Intelligence Official Calls Gene Editing a WMD Threat” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Dr. Alveda King: Any True Conservatives Left?

/4 Comments/in , /by

As the presidential primaries are under way, Dr. Alveda King is concerned that “conservative” voters are more caught up with personalities than they are in supporting the U.S. Constitution based on godly principles.

King asserts voters are less concerned about candidates’ stances on issues than they are about appearances.

“We are dealing with a reality show mentality,” King told OneNewsNow. “Too many people are saying ‘I like,’ rather than ‘I think;’ thus voting with emotions rather than brains.”

When asked what she believes is the most important topic to be addressed at the conservative presidential debates, the former Representative of the Georgia State House categorically replied.

“[It’s] the failure to uphold the Constitution,” King stressed to OneNewsnow. (Read more from “Dr. Alveda King: Any True Conservatives Left?” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Iran Publishes Pictures of Captured U.S. Sailors Crying

/6 Comments/in , /by

Iran has released new photographs in which at least one of the recently captured U.S. sailors is crying, according to a series of the pictures posted on social media.

The pictures, as well as an accompanying video, were released by Iranian state-controlled news outlets and disseminated on Twitter by Iranian reporters early Wednesday.

The new photographs come on the heels of another set of pictures that showed Iranian military forces detaining the U.S. sailors at gun point and forcing them to place their hands upon their heads while kneeling on a ship.

(Read more from “Iran Publishes Pictures of Captured U.S. Sailors Crying” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

‘We’re Going to Die’: Alaska Air Flight Diverted After Unruly Passenger Threatens Crew

/3 Comments/in , /by

Alaska Airlines Flight 769 from Boston to San Diego took a scary turn Tuesday after a male passenger who was reportedly intoxicated “became disruptive” after the flight attendants would not let him drink on the plane.

The pilot was forced to divert the flight at Denver midway through its route, Fox 5 in San Diego reported.

Passenger Clair Conroy told NBC News that the man “was upset the flight attendants would not let him drink the nips [small bottles of alcohol] he brought” on the flight and became abusive as he began to threaten the flight’s crew members.

Yelling, “I’m not a terrorist” and, “We’re going to die” the crew tried to calm him down, KMGH-TV reported. He also threatened the crew members and passengers on board, saying that he was going to ”cut their throats” with a box cutter. (Read more from “‘We’re Going to Die’: Alaska Air Flight Diverted After Unruly Passenger Threatens Crew” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Despite Carbon Ruling, White House Says U.S. Can Meet Climate Deal Goals

/1 Comment/in , /by

The White House promised on Wednesday that it would be able to uphold U.S. commitments to an international climate change agreement, as a court ruling heightened concerns about the stability of the global carbon reduction pact reached last year.

Shares of coal companies reflected the uncertainty the day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. After jumping nearly 7 percent early in the session, the Thomson Reuters U.S. coal index was down 3 percent in afternoon trading.

The court dealt a serious blow to the Obama administration’s climate change agenda on Tuesday when it took the unusual step to delay implementation of the Clean Power Plan until legal challenges to the regulation are completed.

A centerpiece of the Obama administration’s climate change policy, the Clean Power Plan was designed to lower carbon emissions from U.S. power plants by 2030 to 32 percent below 2005 levels.

The decision to temporarily block the rule came after the United States entered into a landmark agreement in December with countries around the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (Read more from “Despite Carbon Ruling, White House Says U.S. Can Meet Climate Deal Goals” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.

Why Dementia Rates May Be Slowing Down

/1 Comment/in , /by

The older we get, the more memories we lose and the more scrambled some of our thoughts become. Some experts believe that such decline in our cognitive abilities is unavoidable if we live long enough.

But in a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers question that theory. Working with data from the long-running Framingham Heart Study—which began in the 1940s and continues to follow the original group, as well as their children and their children’s children—scientists say that rates of dementia may actually be decreasing rather than climbing. Dementia refers to the overall drop in cognitive function and encompasses a number of disorders, including Alzheimer’s . . .

That makes sense, say Seshadri, since dementia is connected to problems in circulation, and the Framingham Heart Study looks at risk factors for heart disease, which include circulation-related factors such as blood pressure and stroke.

It’s possible that lifestyle factors such as physical activity and diet, as well as taking care of heart disease risk factors like hypertension, may all contribute to preventing dementia. Stroke is also a big risk factor for dementia, and keeping the circulatory system and heart healthy can lower stroke risk as well. Understanding that lifestyle factors may play a role in preventing dementia could be critical in reversing the upward curve of dementia rates that most studies are predicting in coming years. The World Health Organization says that 47.5 million people currently live with dementia, and by 2050, 135.5 million could suffer from its effects. (Read more from “Why Dementia Rates May Be Slowing Down” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.