Eric Holder: Department of Justice ‘Prepared’ to Dismantle Ferguson Police Department If Necessary

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Attorney General Eric Holder said the Department of Justice could go as far as dismantling the Ferguson Police Department to ensure change after the DOJ report that found it discriminated against blacks in the Missouri city.

“We are prepared to use all the powers that we have, all the power that we have to ensure that the situation changes there and that means everything from working with them to you know coming up with an entirely new structure,” Holder told reporters on the tarmac of Andrews Air Force Base today.

Asked if that includes dismantling the police department, Holder said, “If that’s what’s necessary, we’re prepared to do that” . . .

“What we saw was that Ferguson police department in conjunction with municipality saw traffic stops, arrests, and tickets as revenue generators as opposed to serving,” the president said at a town hall at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C. The president added the overwhelmingly white force was “systematically” biased, placing minorities under its care into an “oppressive and abusive situation.” (Read more about the Department of Justice being prepared to dismantle the Ferguson police department HERE)

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World’s First Three-Way Same-Sex Marriage, See the Disturbing Photos Here

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Three gay men from Thailand have tied the knot in what is thought to be the world’s first three-way same-sex marriage.

Happy newlyweds Joke, 29, Bell, 21 and Art, 26, took the plunge on Valentine’s Day after exchanging their vows in a fairy-tale ceremony at their home in Uthai Thani Province, Thailand.

The three blushing grooms are thought to be the world’s only wedded male threesome and have since become internet sensations after photos from their big day went viral.

In what they described as the happiest day of their lives, the three men were suited and booted for the ceremony in which they exchanged rings after walking down the aisle.

Bell, From Phitsanulok Province, said: ‘I think we are first three-way same sex males to have a wedding, possibly in the world. (Read more about the three-way same-sex marriage HERE)

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Here’s Michelle Obama’s Response to a Letter From an Unhappy Second Grader About Her Ruining ‘Taco Tuesday’

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After a second grader complained to First Lady Michelle Obama that she “ruined” Taco Tuesday with her healthy lunch rules, Trip Klibert has accepted the White House’s consolation: Bo and Sunny trading cards and a note from Mrs. Obama that said you’ll get used to it.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that Richard “Trip” Klibert, 7, wrote a letter to Mrs. Obama last November:

Dear Mrs. Obama,

Thank you for trying to make my school lunch better, but you have ruined Taco Tuesday. Please bring back the old taco shell. I miss them. Also, the pizza is terrible. If you would like to try the new tacos, I will buy you lunch.

Thank you,

Trip Klibert

Mrs. Obama replied to Klibert’s letter, along with “an autographed Obama family picture and trading cards of the family’s dogs.” She said that change is hard.

“In Obama’s letter, she explained that new child nutrition regulations were implemented as part of her “Let’s Move!” initiative started in 2010 to reduce childhood obesity,” the Times-Picayune reported. “The new regulations took effect in 2012 with the goal of including more whole grains, vegetables and fruits in school meals while reducing fat and sodium.” (Read more about the letter from the unhappy second grader HERE)

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No Surprise: White House Alerted About Missing Clinton Emails MONTHS Ago

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The White House, State Department and Hillary Clinton’s personal office knew in August that House Republicans had received information showing that the former secretary of state conducted official government business through her private email account — and Clinton’s staff made the decision to keep quiet.

Sources familiar with the discussions say key people in the Obama administration and on Clinton’s staff were aware that the revelation could be explosive for the all-but-announced candidate for president. But those involved deferred to Clinton’s aides, and they decided not to respond.

In the end, Clinton’s staff waited six months — until after the New York Times published a story on Tuesday about the email account and the possibility that it hampered public access to official records — to begin their response.

Clinton’s slow-off-the-block defense has left many political strategists and observers confused because even a presidential campaign in its early stages should have been prepared to get out ahead of bad news. Had the existence of the email address and private server been made public in August, they say, it could have become a marginal issue in the run-up to the midterm elections, which Democrats badly lost anyway and in which Clinton wasn’t a candidate. But the decision to let it linger has meant it will cast a much larger shadow over Clinton’s expected campaign announcement.

According to the sources, the problem came to light in August as the State Department prepared to respond to a request from the House Select Committee investigating the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. State Department officials noticed that some of the 15,000 pages of documents included a personal email address for Clinton, and State and White House officials conferred on how to handle the revelation, which they expected the committee to notice. But they felt that Clinton’s personal staff should take the lead, since she was no longer in government, and Clinton aides decided to wait and see. (Read more about the missing Clinton emails HERE)

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The Woman Who ‘Dies’ THIRTY SIX times a Year: Amazing Footage Captures Medics Bringing 21-Year-Old Back to Life [+video]

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This incredible video shows the moment a young woman with a rare heart condition becomes clinically dead for a minute before being pulled back to consciousness by medical staff.

Sara Brautigam has regular brushes with death and in one year was pronounced clinically dead 36 times.

The 21-year-old was four years ago diagnosed with Postural orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS), a condition which makes her heart stop beating.

She experiences rapid palpitations that regularly cause her heart to stop beating and her blood pressure to plummet to what doctors record as clinically dead.

The alarming video was shot three years ago with the consent of Ms Brautigam who has agreed for it to be released to highlight her condition. (Read more about the woman being brought back to life HERE)

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Boy’s ’50 Shades of Grey’ Costume Sends Chills Through School During World Book Day

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An 11-year-old boy in Manchester, England, caused a controversy when he showed up to his school’s World Book Day celebration dressed as Christian Grey from the hit book and movie “50 Shades of Grey.”

At the Sale High School World Book Day Thursday, students were encouraged to dress up as a character from their favorite book, but Liam Scholes’ “50 Shades of Grey” costume had to be “modified” before he could participate, according to a statement from the school.

Nicola Scholes posted a photo of her son’s outfit on Facebook, showing the boy dressed in a suit and carrying a mask and small cable ties.

Her son’s costume “was lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek,” Scholes told ABC News today.

She wrote earlier on Facebook, “It was that inappropriate that they told him to change his character and wouldn’t include him on any photos.” (Read more from “Boy’s ’50 Shades of Grey’ Costume Sends Chills Through School During World Book Day” HERE)

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World’s Smallest Drone Shows Privacy May Be Dead Forever [+video]

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By Brad Reed. Privacy seems like such a quaint 20th Century concept, doesn’t it? Unbox Therapy has posted a video of the CX-10 Mini Drone, which is described as the world’s smallest drone and is a definite harbinger of things to come. In other words, it looks like privacy is finally toast . . .

All the same: At least with standard-sized drones there’s no way to miss them. If you’re being trailed by one or if one is hovering outside your window, there’s a decent chance you’ll see it. But as they get smaller and quieter as technology improves, they’ll be much harder to detect and will open up the door for every amateur NSA agent in your neighborhood to keep an eye on everything.

(Read more about the world’s smallest drone HERE)

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The First Drone Film Festival

By David Schneider. It shouldn’t take the whirring of a small drone to remind you that many people are awfully leery of these little aerial contraptions, fearing threats to privacy – and also to airliners.

But others see great benefits, particularly cinematographers, who are thrilled to make use of the unique perspectives drones can provide. Some of the best examples of what they can achieve will be screened March 6 and 7 at the first-ever “drone film festival” in New York City.


The inspiration for the festival came from Randy Scott Slavin, who is the founder and the festival director.

“I bought this thing called a DJI Phantom. It’s the iPhone of drones,” he says. “I had hours and hours and hours of footage around New York, and I finally decided to edit it.”

Randy put the film online and within the next couple of days, received calls from Fox News, Time magazine, Mashable and Gizmodo. (Read more from this story HERE)

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A Record-Breaking 56 Million Women Unemployed; Black Unemployment Rates Twice as High

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By Ali Meyer. A record 56,023,000 women, age 16 years and over, were not in the labor force in February.

Not only was that a record high, but it’s also the first time the number has exceeded 56 million, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

To be counted as ‘not in the labor force,’ according to the BLS, one must not have a job or have looked for one in the past four weeks. In January 2015, there were 55,756,000 women not in the labor force, which means that 267,000 women dropped out of the labor force since then.

The labor force participation rate, which is the percentage of those who are participating in the labor force by either having a job or looking for one in the past four weeks, declined in February.

According to the BLS, 56.7 percent of women were participating in the labor force in February, a drop from 56.8 percent in January. In the last year, since February 2014, the labor force participation rate for women has fluctuated within a range of 56.6 percent to 57.2 percent, and February’s percentage of 56.7 falls on the low end of that scale. (Read more from “A Record 56 Million Women Unemployed” HERE)

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Black Unemployment Rate Nearly Twice the National Average on Eve of Selma Anniversary

By Caroline May. On the eve of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, the unemployment rate among African Americans remains more than twice that of white Americans and nearly twice the national average.


According to the latest jobs figures released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the African American unemployment rate for the month of February was 10.4 percent, compared to the white unemployment rate of 4.7 percent and national average of 5.5 percent.

The latest African American unemployment rate represents a slight uptick over the January figure of 10.3 percent. Whites experienced a slight decline in unemployment from January’s rate of 4.9 percent and the national average also dipped from 5.7 percent. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Russia Arrests ‘American Spy’ Gives Him 15 Years Jail Time

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This is the first picture of a Russian policeman jailed for 15 years for handing over Kremlin secrets to the CIA.

Roman Ushakov, 33, from Krasnoyarsk, was found guilty of high treason for allegedly receiving 37,000 euros from his American handlers – hidden in a ‘fake rock’.

The police major confessed to flying to Britain and other foreign countries to meet US agents after making contact with them via a CIA website . . .

He passed to the CIA the identities of around a dozen FSB agents who were posted to ‘closed’ towns and scientific research bases in Siberia where Russian strategic missiles are located, and uranium and plutonium is manufactured.

Ushakov began spying for the CIA in 2009 after being snubbed for a post with the FSB secret service, the court was told. (Read more about Russia arresting the ‘American spy’ HERE)

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Warm Weather Forces Iditarod Race Farther North [+video]

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By Mark Thiessen. Much of the start of the world’s most famous sled dog race is covered in barren gravel, forcing Iditarod organizers to move the start farther north where there is snow and ice.

A weather pattern that buried the eastern U.S. in snow has left Alaska fairly warm and relatively snow-free this winter. . .

The nearly 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race starts Saturday with a ceremonial run through Anchorage. But the official start two days later has been moved 225 miles north, over the Alaska Range, to Fairbanks to avoid the area that left many mushers bruised and bloodied last year. Iditarod officials said the conditions are worse this year. (Read more about pushing the Iditarod race farther north HERE)


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Record Number of Women to Compete in 2015 Iditarod Race

By Ch2ktuu. In 1985, Libby Riddles was one of just 5 women out of 61 mushers to compete in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Today, 30 years after Riddles claimed the title, a record number of women — one-third of the field — are starting the race. KTUU’s Abby Hancock tells how times have changed.

(Read more from this story HERE)

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Original Musher from First Iditarod, Friend of Joe Redington, to Appear on The Joe Miller Show Next Week

One of twelve living mushers who completed the first Iditarod will be interviewed on The Joe Miller Show next week. Rod Perry has written a book on the race and also helped produce a successful documentary on it. The Joe Miller Show airs daily from 2 to 4 p.m. Alaska Time (6 to 8 p.m. EST).

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