‘Police State’ National ID Card in Major Bill

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Inserted in a sweeping House bill introduced earlier this month called Securing America’s Future Act of 2018 is the establishment of a new biometric National ID card for all Americans that has privacy activists sounding alarms.

Introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., H.R. 4760 encompasses issues such as education, Homeland Security and the military. Buried in the 400-page legislation is the new mandatory national identification system in which citizens would be required to carry a government-approved ID containing “biometric features.”

The bill states that anyone seeking employment in the country must have the card.

The purpose of the measure, part of the legislative solution to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, is to curb illegal immigration. It specifically addresses the shortcomings of the E-Verify system, which has failed to catch an estimated 54 percent of illegal immigrant workers.

Ron Paul, the former Republican lawmaker and presidential candidate known for his libertarian views, has launched a campaign against the national ID through his non-profit Campaign for Liberty, including an online petition. (Read more from “‘Police State’ National ID Card in Major Bill” HERE)

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ICE Struck a Deal to Track License Plates Across the U.S.

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By Russell Brandom. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has officially gained agency-wide access to a nationwide license plate recognition database, according to a contract finalized earlier this month. The system gives the agency access to billions of license plate records and new powers of real-time location tracking, raising significant concerns from civil libertarians.

The source of the data is not named in the contract, but an ICE representative said the data came from Vigilant Solutions, the leading network for license plate recognition data. “Like most other law enforcement agencies, ICE uses information obtained from license plate readers as one tool in support of its investigations,” spokesperson Dani Bennett said in a statement. “ICE is not seeking to build a license plate reader database, and will not collect nor contribute any data to a national public or private database through this contract.”

Reached by The Verge, Vigilant declined to confirm any contract with ICE. “As policy, Vigilant Solutions is not at liberty to share any contractual details,” the company said in a statement. “This is a standard agreement between our company, our partners, and our clients.”

While it collects few photos itself, Vigilant Solutions has amassed a database of more than 2 billion license plate photos by ingesting data from partners like vehicle repossession agencies and other private groups. Vigilant also partners with local law enforcement agencies, often collecting even more data from camera-equipped police cars. The result is a massive vehicle-tracking network generating as many as 100 million sightings per month, each tagged with a date, time, and GPS coordinates of the sighting. (Read more from “ICE Struck a Deal to Track License Plates Across the U.S.” HERE)

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Now ICE Can Track License Plates, and Fears Are Mounting

By The Miami Herald. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contract to access a license plate recognition database is reinforcing undocumented migrants’ fears of being located and deported to their home countries . . .

That means ICE agents can track the movements of a license plate for the past five years, which could lead to home addresses and other places and people associated with the car owner.

The contract also allows ICE to access motor vehicle registration lists, which could provide its agents with real-time addresses and lead to an increase in deportations. (Read more from “Now ICE Can Track License Plates, and Fears Are Mounting” HERE)

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Democrats Defeat Pro-Life Senate Bill Banning Late-Term Abortions After 20 Weeks

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Senate Democrats today blocked a vote on a pro-life Senate bill to ban late-term abortions — a bill that would save as many as 18,000 unborn babies form abortions each and every year.

The Senate voted today on whether to stop the Democrats’ filibuster of the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, legislation that would ban abortions after 20 weeks — as neither Congress nor state legislatures can vote to ban all abortions under Roe v. Wade. The bill highlights how unborn babies feel intense pain when they are killed in abortions. Fifty-one senators (forty-eight Republicans and three Democrats) voted to take the bill up for debate, but 60 votes were required.

Unfortunately, because Republicans don’t have 60 votes in the chamber to overcome the filibuster, Democrats successfully stopped the bill. The vote came after the White House indicated President Donald Trump would sign the bill into law.

Leading pro-life advocates blasted Democrats for preventing passage of the late-term abortion ban.

“Americans should be outraged that pro-abortion Senate Democrats refuse to protect unborn babies who can feel pain. An overwhelming majority of Americans support this bill, including 56% of Democrats and 56% of those who identify as ‘pro-choice’,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. (Read more from “Democrats Defeat Pro-Life Senate Bill Banning Late-Term Abortions After 20 Weeks” HERE)

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FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe Stepping Down

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FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe has reportedly been forced to step down ahead of his planned retirement date.

McCabe, 49, is currently on leave and will officially retire in March, CBS News reported.

The deputy director had come under increased scrutiny following the release of text messages last month between FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.

In the texts, Strzok described Trump during the 2016 campaign as a “loathsome human” and an “idiot,” and found the prospect of him being president “terrifying.”

Page, Strzok’s mistress, texted him, “There is no way (Trump) gets elected.”

Strzok then replied, “I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office … that there’s no way he gets elected — but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk.”

“It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40.”

“Andy” apparently referred to McCabe.

NBC News reported that McCabe has been with the bureau since 1996, serving under former Directors Robert Mueller and James Comey.

According to NBC, last week, White House spokesman Raj Shah fanned reports of pressure from the White House to fire McCabe, saying in a statement that Trump “believes politically motivated senior leaders” of the FBI “have tainted the agency’s reputation for unbiased pursuit of justice.”

A new director will be appointed to “clean up the misconduct at the highest levels of the FBI.”

Following the release of the original batch of the Strzok/Page texts last month, Trump tweeted that McCabe was trying to hold on until he could retire with full benefits.

In addition to being implicated in the texts as possessing an anti-Trump bias, Republicans have pointed to McCabe’s wife Jill being connected with Hillary Clinton through a nearly $500,000 campaign donation she received in 2015 from Clinton ally Democrat Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. (For more from the author of “FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe Stepping Down” please click HERE)

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New State Rankings Are In: Best and Worst State in America Revealed

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A popular travel site rank ordered all 50 states in the U.S. and at least one Florida reporter is not happy with where the Sunshine State fell.

Thrillist, which has over 4.8 million followers on Facebook and nearly 400,000 on Instagram, ranked Florida dead last in its “The Definitive and Final Ranking of All 50 States.”

The criteria used by site editors Kevin Alexander and Matt Lynch to reach their findings included, “their contributions to America, so think inventions, food/drink, somewhat productive famous people, unique physical beauty, etc.”

The writers added they expect disagreements, but after the two of them hashed out the merits and demerits of each state, the chips fell as they did.

As for the continental U.S.’s most tropical state, Alexander and Lynch wrote, “When putting together a list such as this, there can be some temptation to defy popular expectations, and go against the grain. However, Florida’s awfulness resume is so staggeringly impressive that it couldn’t go any other way. You were born for this. Embrace it.”

Among the other bottom dwellers were Delaware, Ohio, Arizona, Utah, Mississippi, Connecticut, North Dakota, Missouri, and Nevada.

At the other end of the spectrum, Thrillist’s surprising pick for “best state” was Michigan, followed by Maine, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Hawaii, Minnesota, Washington, California and Colorado.

“Far too much of the Michigan narrative centers on Detroit and its many issues,” explained Alexander and Lynch. “The Motor City’s become a scrappily rising underdog you can’t help but root for, but Michigan’s greatest strengths lie in the state as a whole.”

“Did you know Michigan has more coastline than any state other than Alaska?” they added. “Did you know it has such an embarrassment of beer riches that you can easily hit Bell’s and Founders in the same afternoon?”

“Did you know the UP (Upper Peninsula) is so remote and uniquely beautiful that it almost feels like a secret 51st state where they inexplicably love British meat pies?”

However, Miami Herald reporter Howard Cohen took exception to Thrillist’s rankings.

“Florida ranks dead last when it comes to rating the best states in the nation,” Cohen wrote. “Michigan ranks No. 1, the very best state in the union.”

He continued, “Let that sink in for awhile. Michigan, the state that gave us the Motor City Madman, Ted Nugent and Kid Rock (the poor man’s Ted Nugent), is 49 states better than Florida.”

Cohen noted that food and drink seemed to weigh heavily in the ordering.

Thrillist mentioned Alaska’s salmon, but Cohen counted, “We have Joe’s Stone Crab in South Beach.”

As to Michigan and Alaska’s (ranked 16) long coastlines, Cohen wrote, “So have you had the desire to go swimming in Michigan — or Alaska lately?” (For more from the author of “New State Rankings Are In: Best and Worst State in America Revealed” please click HERE)

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Black Woman Sues Walmart, Claims Cosmetic Section Is ‘Racist’

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By Fox News. A woman is suing Walmart over alleged instances of racial discrimination in its beauty aisles.

Essie Grundy, who was shopping at a Walmart in Southern California, was upset to find beauty products targeted toward African-Americans locked behind a glass case, while other, sometimes more expensive products were placed on open shelving.

“When I walked down the aisle and saw that Walmart had placed all of the African-American hair and skin products under lock and key, I had to pause,” Grundy said at a press conference on Friday.

Grundy also said that employees told her she needed to be brought to the register by an employee if she wanted to purchase anything, and was not allowed to touch the product prior to buying it.

“It perpetuates a racial stereotype that African-Americans are thieves,” Grundy’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, stated. (Read more from “Black Woman Sues Walmart, Claims Cosmetic Section Is ‘Racist'” HERE)

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Walmart Responds to Furious Customers’ Claims That It Only Locks up Beauty Products for African Americans

By Business Insider. Walmart has responded to allegations that it is racially discriminating against its customers.

On Friday news broke that the store is being sued by a customer who claims that it is segregating products by the race of the people who use them.

The plaintiff, Essie Grundy, was shopping for a comb in her local store when she found it was locked in a cabinet: “That’s when I noticed that all of the African-American products were locked up under lock and key,” Grundy told reporters at a news conference on Friday.

Walmart immediately stamped out these allegations.

“We do not tolerate discrimination of any kind at Walmart,” a spokesperson for the company told Business Insider. (Read more from “Walmart Responds to Furious Customers’ Claims That It Only Locks up Beauty Products for African Americans” HERE)

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Shock: Mexican Drug Bust Had Enough Doses to Kill over 19 Million People

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By The Daily Wire. Late last week, Mexican law enforcement officials seized 100 pounds of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, one of the most lethal drugs in existence, in a vehicle approximately 30 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Mexican police say they intercepted the shipment — which also contained 14 pounds of meth, 88 pounds of cocaine and 18.5 pounds of heroin — close to the city of Ensenada in Baja California last Thursday, the Associated Press reported. Ensenada is just 30 miles south of the Mexican border city of Tijuana, the most likely destination for the drugs seized by Mexican authorities. (Read more from “Shock: Mexican Drug Bust Had Enough Doses to Kill over 19 Million People” HERE)

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Mexican Police Find 100 Lbs of Fentanyl in Multi-Drug Stash

By Associated Press. Fentanyl can be fatal in doses of just a few milligrams. To put the size of the haul in perspective, a seizure last year of 4.5 pounds (2 kilograms) of fentanyl in Columbus, Ohio, was said by prosecutors to be enough to potentially kill the entire population of the city of 860,000 people.

Police in Mexico said the drug shipment seized near Ensenada also included 914 pounds (415 kilograms) of crystal meth, 88 pounds (40 kilograms) of cocaine and 18.5 pounds (8.4 kilograms) of heroin . . .

In November, Mexican authorities seized 31 pounds (14 kilograms) of fentanyl hidden in a car on a highway between the Gulf of California and San Luis Rio Colorado, which is home to a border crossing with Arizona. (Read more from “Mexican Police Find 100 Lbs of Fentanyl in Multi-Drug Stash” HERE)

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Crisis: Top DNC Official Is out in Less Than a Year After Disastrous Fundraising Run

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By The Daily Wires. A top official in the Democratic National Committee is out in less than a year on the job after the party continued to struggle financially, something that many top Democrats have warned will cause significant problems for them in the 2018 midterms.

Jess O’Connell, the former EMILY’s List Executive Director, took over the DNC as CEO in May 2017 after the party endured multiple special election losses to the Republicans and as Clinton-loyalist Tom Perez took over as the new chairman, NBC News reported . . .

O’Connell’s departure comes just two days after a report highlighting the deep concern felt by Democrats across the country over the party’s lack of funding and how that could stifle any momentum they think they might have heading into the 2018 midterms. (Read more from “Crisis: Top Dnc Official Is out in Less Than a Year After Disastrous Fundraising Run” HERE)

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Local Democrats Warn Dnc: Cash Crunch Threatens November Gains

By Politico. Local Democratic Party leaders are convinced a wave is coming in November. But they’re increasingly worried they won’t be able to ride it.

At a time when many Democratic candidates and groups are reporting record-breaking fundraising, the top state party officials gathered here for the meeting of the Association of State Democratic Committees say their local parties are cash-starved, raising the prospect that they won’t be able to take full advantage of what could be a historic opportunity in the midterm elections.

Local committees are in desperate need of more money if they’re going to support the costly precinct-level organizing and political groundwork needed to win back the House of Representatives, compete for the Senate and governor’s mansions, and swing back state legislatures, they say.

“If we’re able to accomplish all we hope, the concept would be to take advantage of a wave year, and make it as big as possible,” said New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley, who has been vocal about the need for state parties to receive more funding, or to risk missing out on that wave altogether. (Read more from “Local Democrats Warn DNC: Cash Crunch Threatens November Gains” HERE)

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New Sponsor on Arizona Highway: the Satanic Temple

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The Adopt-A-Highway idea, in which a group can submit a bid to the Department of Transportation to adopt a section of highway to clean up for the quid pro quo of having its name on a sign on the highway, has a new user whose name might give freeway drivers pause: the Satanic Temple Arizona. The group has adopted a 2-mile stretch of Interstate 10 near Casa Grande.

America Curl, a member of the Satanic Temple, contacted the Department of Transportation last summer. Curl recalled, “I just want to clean up a highway, please give me a highway to cleanup, and they said fine.” Curl filled out an online form and paid the necessary fee, adding, “Then, you put what you want on the signs. We wrote the Satanic Temple of Arizona. Then, you submit through DOT, and they get back to you really quickly.” . . .

Stu de Haan, one of the founding members of The Satanic Temple Arizona, stated, “People have this perception that one side does the good stuff and the other side does all the bad stuff. What we are really showing here is that Satanism is a legitimate religion, even though it’s non-theistic, we are showing the people do have a sense of community and they want to get involved.”

De Haan asserted that the members of his group do not worship the devil; they just don’t believe in God. The members of his group showed up to pick up trash by using pitchforks just to mock those who criticize them. De Haan said, “A lot of what we hear is from the ’80s and ’90s called the ‘Satanic Panic,’ wild and atrocious myths that were just never proven to be true.” (Read more from “New Sponsor on Arizona Highway: the Satanic Temple” HERE)

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Mysterious Orange Crocodiles Mutating into New Species?

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A group of mysterious orange cave crocodiles who live in complete darkness in Africa may be mutating into a new species.

Researchers discovered the 1.5-metre-long (5 ft) reptiles in 2008 in a remote cave in Gabon, western Africa, where they fed only on bats and crickets.

Experts first though they were a type of African dwarf crocodile, but new research shows they could be an entirely separate species.

Scientists led by the Institute of Research for Development in Marseille found about 30 specimens in the cave, including 10 orange crocodiles.

They suspect more crocodiles remain hidden in the depths of the cave’s system of rooms, which are filled with water. (Read more from “Mysterious Orange Crocodiles Mutating into New Species?” HERE)

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