Donald Trump: We Have to Take Back the Heart of Our Country

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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, whose caustic comments about Mexicans have inflamed the immigration debate, told thousands of cheering supporters here Saturday that “we have to take back the heart of our country.”

In a rambling, defiant speech delivered in this border state that has been the epicenter of the nation’s divisive battle over immigration reform, Trump declared: “These are people that shouldn’t be in our country. They flow in like water.” One man in the crowd of 4,200 shouted back, “Build a wall!”

Basking in polls that show he has risen to the top of the crowded Republican field, Trump took obvious glee in mocking former Florida governor Jeb Bush, the establishment favorite who is setting fundraising records.

“Jeb Bush, let’s say he’s president — Oy, yoy, yoy,” Trump said. He asked the crowd: “How can I be tied with this guy? He’s terrible. Terrible. He’s weak on immigration.”

Trump’s 70-minute address here, which sounded more like a stream-of-consciousness rant than a presidential-style stump speech, put an exclamation point on his bombastic push since his presidential announcement last month to return immigration to the forefront of the national conversation. (Read more from “Donald Trump: We Have to Take Back the Heart of Our Country” HERE)

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The Democrats Are the Party of Slavery, Segregation, and the KKK [+video]

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By Jim Treacher. As we watch the Confederate flag being brought down in South Carolina (and being brought up by Nancy Pelosi, in a characteristically cynical and underhanded ploy), it’s worth taking a look at the racist history of the Democratic Party. They own that stupid flag, which is why they keep trying to pin it on the Republicans.

Courtesy of the great Bill Whittle:

(Read more from “Democrats are the Party of Slavery” HERE)

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Conservative NAACP Exec: ‘Liberal Machine’ Hinders Civil Rights Progress

By Emma Kristina. A leader in the Baltimore branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) who has been an active advocate since long before the Freddie Gray incident is critical of the black civil rights group’s politicization of their own mission.

Blind allegiance to the Democratic Party hinders true civil rights progress, Hassan Giordano, chairman of the Baltimore NAACP’s Criminal Justice Committee, told The Daily Caller in an exclusive interview.

“The NAACP — on a national level, not necessarily a local level — has this liberal machine they bow down to that does nothing to help them in the long run,” Giordano said.

Giordano, who is also a contributor to Fox News Radio, identifies as a conservative independent. Although he says that if he had to choose, his allegiance would lie much more with the Republican Party rather than the Democratic Party.

“I’m not the average conservative. I’m Muslim, I’m black, I’m from the hood, I got a criminal record,” Giordano told The Daily Caller. “So you would think, ‘Oh, he’s definitely a typical Democrat.’ But I’ve never identified with the Democratic Party. Ever.” (Read more from “Conservative NAACP Exec: ‘Liberal Machine’ Hinders Civil Rights Progress” HERE)

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Texans Organize Operation Counter Jade Helm Surveillance Operation

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Hundreds of people have organized a “Counter Jade Helm” surveillance operation across the Southwestern states and in an effort to keep an eye on the contentious military drill that’s sparked many suspicious of Uncle Sam’s intentions.

Eric Johnston, a 51-year-old retired firefighter and sheriff’s deputy who lives in Kerrville, is a surveillance team leader in Texas. He’ll coordinate three groups of volunteers, about 20 folks in total, who hope to monitor the SEALs, Green Berets and Air Force Special Ops in Bastrop, Big Spring and Junction when Jade Helm kicks off on July 15. With media prohibited at the drills, the volunteers could be a main source of information for the highly-anticipate seven-state exercise.

But locations more precise than the towns around which troops will drill remain unknown. For the citizens’ surveillance operation, therein lies the first challenge.

“If a team member sees two Humvees full of soldiers driving through town, they’re going to follow them,” Johnston said. “And they’re going to radio back their ultimate location.”

They aren’t worried about martial law, he said, but feel like they can’t trust the government, and want to make sure the Military isn’t under orders to pull anything funny. (Read more from “Texans Organize Operation Counter Jade Helm to Do This” HERE)

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Robert E. Lee Statue Vandalized in Dallas Park

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The historic monument faces to the south. It sits like a mountain of pride, a bold-bronze boulder of acknowledgement along Dallas’ Turtle Creek Boulevard. It’s gargantuan presence displays a towering military man on horseback, accompanied by a young soldier.

In 1936, the City of Dallas christened the sculpture as its ode to its southern secessionist sacrifice. Gen. Robert E Lee’s monument, sculpted by artist A. Phimister Proctor, stands at the heart of the city park that also bears the Confederate General’s name . . .

“SHAME,” emblazoned in large white spray painted letters, covered the granite base of the Gen. Lee monument. Could it be coincidence that the defacing of the sculpture occurred on the same day as the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of South Carolina’s state house?

One week prior, a Dallas advocacy group protested at Lee Park, calling for the city to “undedicate” its affinity toward public memorials for those loyal to the movement of the Confederacy. The Dallas Chapter of the NAACP has urged Mayor Mike Rawlings to create a task force to examine the elimination and removal of names of Confederate loyalists from schools, municipal buildings, city parks and cemeteries. (Read more from “Robert E. Lee Statue Vandalized in Dallas Park” HERE)

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Has the Federal Reserve Sold the Gold at Fort Knox?

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The famed Fort Knox is a facility managed by the U.S. Mint. Curiously, however, in a recent exchange of e-mails with a gold investment blog, the former director of that agency demonstrates a disturbing lack of knowledge about the precious metal supposedly stored there. And the Federal Reserve may be hiding the location and value of the allegedly missing bullion.

On July 1, Koos Jansen of goldseek.com published another in a series of posts exploring the fate of the gold allegedly kept in vaults at Fort Knox, Kentucky. In his latest article, Jansen makes some startling claims that if proven true, should instantly constrain Congress to investigate the situation with the gold inventory.

Jansen questions the accuracy and reliability of the recent audit of the reserves. In his own words, he is investigating “the audits performed on 95 % of US official gold reserves — the 7,628 tonnes stored by the US Mint — this is referred to as Deep Storage gold, 4,583 tonnes is at Fort Knox, 1,364 tonnes in Denver, 1,682 tonnes at West Point. In total US official gold reserves account for the 8,134 tonnes, owned by the US Treasury.”

Specifically, he is concerned with the biggest cache of bullion — that supposedly being held at Fort Knox.

Goldseek isn’t the first to question the federal government’s official position regarding the amount of gold held in reserve by the United Stores or the location of those bars. A quick Google search reveals that for at least the last five years, several mainstream news organizations have asked questions similar to those posed by Jansen. (Read more from “Has the Federal Reserve Sold the Gold at Fort Knox?” HERE)

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US Personnel Chief Resigns After Massive Data Breach, Bigger Than Previously Disclosed

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By Tribune News Service. The head of the U.S. personnel office, Katherine Archuleta, resigned Friday in the wake of a pair of massive data hacks said to affect 25 million people, far more than had been acknowledged before.

Personal information, including the Social Security numbers of 21 million people, was stolen in the hacks into government personnel files that began last year, officials said Thursday. Another 4 million people also had information stolen in one of the breaches, which weren’t discovered until a few months ago.

Archuleta said in a statement that she told President Obama that it was best for someone else to lead the Office of Personnel Management as it tries to recover from the intrusions and toughen the government’s digital security systems.

“It is best for me to step aside and allow new leadership to step in, enabling the agency to move beyond the current challenges and allowing the employees at OPM to continue their important work,” Archuleta said. (Read more from “US Personnel Chief Resigns After Massive Data Breach” HERE)

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Day Before Hack Announced, Director of Personnel Focused on ‘Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination’ Issues

By Jeryl Bier. The day before the Office of Personnel Management first announced a massive data breach of personal information, now former OPM director Katherine Archuleta’s attention was focused elsewhere. Archuleta published a blog post on June 3 entitled “Celebrating Every Member of Our Federal Family” in recognition of “LGBT Pride Month.” The White House reposted Archuleta’s article the same day.

In her post, Archuleta announced the release of an updated guide called “Addressing Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination in Federal Civilian Employment: A Guide to Employment Rights, Protections, and Responsibilities.”

As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month, I want to proudly reinforce my continued commitment to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender members of our federal family, and recognize the incredible contributions this community has made in service to the American people…

That’s why I’m so excited to announce that the Office of Personnel Management is joining our partners at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Merit System Protections Board, and the Office of Special Counsel to release an updated guide titled “Addressing Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination in Federal Civilian Employment: A Guide to Employment Rights, Protections, and Responsibilities.” This informative resource will help LGBT federal employees make more informed choices about how best to pursue their individual claims when they believe they have suffered from discrimination.

On the OPM website, the agency has seven “top priorities” listed. The first two are “Honoring the Workforce” and “Build a More Diverse and Engaged Workforce”. Number four on the list is “IT Improvement” to “streamline and update IT systems” and number five is “Background Investigations” to “lead efforts to strengthen the background investigations program across government.” The priorities list does not include any direct references to “security.” (Read more from this story HERE)

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Anthrax Probe After Mysterious Bison Deaths in Montana

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By Reuters. Investigators are probing whether anthrax played a role in the mysterious deaths of more than a dozen bison at an American Indian reservation in Montana, the state veterinarian said on Thursday.

Marty Zaluski said the bison, which have died since the start of the July 4 weekend at the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, may have succumbed to anthrax. But he said more testing was needed to confirm what he emphasized was an early suspicion.

Anthrax bacteria can be found naturally in soils but the infectious and sometimes deadly disease it can cause is rare in humans and animals in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Spores of naturally occurring anthrax can lie dormant in the environment for years without being ingested or breathed in by grazing livestock or wild animals, according to the CDC.

Zaluski said results from testing of tissue from one of the Fort Belknap bison will help agricultural, tribal and wildlife officials determine the gravity of the threat posed by the unknown illness. (Read more from “Anthrax Probe After Mysterious Bison Deaths in Montana” HERE)

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Anthrax Confirmed as Cause of Death for Canadian Cattle

By Canadian Press. Saskatchewan Agriculture says anthrax has killed two bison and is suspected in seven other deaths.

The bison were found northwest of North Battleford.

Anthrax is caused by the bacteria bacillus anthracis, which can survive in spore form for decades in soil.

Spores can concentrate in sloughs and potholes, and risk of animal exposure to anthrax increases in drier years when these areas dry up and become accessible.

Livestock are infected when they eat forage contaminated with spores and they are found dead without any signs of illness. (Read more from this story about the anthrax probe in Canada HERE)

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North Dakota Anthrax Case Confirmed

By AP. State Veterinarian Susan Keller is urging North Dakota ranchers to make sure their livestock are vaccinated against anthrax, after the first confirmed case of the year in a Grand Forks County beef cow. . .

Anthrax bacteria spores lie dormant in the soil and become active under extreme weather conditions such as drought or flooding. Livestock grazing in areas where spores are present can get infected by consuming or breathing in the spores. (Read more from this story about the anthrax probe in North Dakota HERE)

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The Decline of US Power? [+video]

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By Nick Bryant. Standing on the Washington Mall at the turn of the new millennium, it was impossible not to be struck by America’s power and global pre-eminence . . .

Few argued when the 20th Century was dubbed the “American Century”, a term first coined in the early 1940s when the country was still overcoming its isolationist instincts.

Even the New Year’s fireworks, which illuminated the obelisk of the Washington Monument in a way that made it resemble a giant number one, projected the country’s supremacy as the world’s sole superpower.

Over the past 15 years, America’s fortunes have changed with dizzying speed.

First came the tremors: the dot-com bust and a disputed presidential election in 2000. Then came the massive convulsions: the destruction of the Twin Towers in 2001 and the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. (Read more from “The Decline of US Power?” HERE)

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CBO: Debt Headed to 103% of GDP; Level Seen Only in WWII; ‘No Way to Predict Whether or When’ Fiscal Crisis Might Occur Here

By Terence P. Jeffrey. Testifying in the U.S Senate yesterday, Congressional Budget Office Director Keith Hall warned that the publicly held debt of the U.S. government, when measured as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product, is headed toward a level the United States has seen only once in its history—at the end of World War II.

To simply contain the debt at the high historical level where it currently sits—74 percent of GDP–would require either significant increases in federal tax revenue or decreases in non-interest federal spending (or a combination of the two).

Historically, U.S. government debt as a percentage of GDP hit its peak in 1945 and 1946, when it was 104 percent and 106 percent of GDP respectively.

In 2015, the CBO estimates that the U.S. government debt will be 74 percent of GDP. That is higher than the 69-percent-of-GDP debt the U.S. government had in 1943—the second year after Pearl Harbor.

By 2039, CBO projects, the debt will increase to 101 percent of GDP and by 2040 to 103 percent GDP. (Read more from this story HERE)

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DC Council Wants to Give Non-Citizens the Right to Vote

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District of Columbia council members voiced their support Wednesday for a new law that would allow non-citizens to vote in local elections.

“These are residents who are well on their paths to citizenship,” Councilman David Grosso said. “Unfortunately not all of our residents have a say in the politicians who are elected to represent them.”

The bill would allow permanent residents in the city who are not American citizens to vote in elections for mayor, city council, the attorney general and State Board of Education members, among other things.

“They are our neighbors and our friends and they want to see our city flourish, yet they have no say in how the city’s government is run,” said Councilwoman Elissa Silverman.

Silverman went on to say that nearly one in eight D.C. citizens are immigrants, but only about 30 percent of them are American citizens, and that “all long-term residents of a city should have a right to have a choice in who represents them.” (Read more from “DC Wants to Give Non-Citizens the Right to Vote” HERE)

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Leaders of the Largest Association of Psychologists Reportedly Collaborated With CIA to Allow for Torture

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Leaders of the largest association of psychologists in the country reportedly collaborated with Pentagon and CIA officials to weaken the group’s guidelines, allowing psychologists to take part in and cover up their involvement in coercive interrogation tactics after the 9/11 attacks.

The American Psychological Association’s report details findings from a former federal prosecutor that seem to show the complicity of psychologists in interrogation programs that sometimes relied on torture, according to The Washington Post.

The investigation into the association concludes that the APA’s ethics director and others colluded with top level Department of Defense officials to have the association issue “loose, high-level ethical guidelines that did not constrain” the Pentagon in its interrogations of Guantanamo Bay detainees.

The Post reports the investigation also found that “current and former APA officials” had pertinent interactions with the CIA between 2001 and 2004 when the agency used waterboarding and other extreme measures to try and get information from prisoners at the camp.

The scathing 542-page report was commissioned by the psychological association’s board of directors last year base on an investigation led by David H. Hoffman. Hoffman was an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago from 1998 to 2005. (Read more from “Leaders of the Largest Association of Psychologists Reportedly Collaborated With Officials on Abusive Interrogations” HERE)

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