MLK ‘Knew’ He’d Be Gunned Down

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As Americans pause to commemorate what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 89th birthday, a new book chronicles the civil rights leader’s horrific assassination 50 years ago, the harrowing pursuit of his killer and the legacy he leaves with us today.

James L. Swanson is the author of “Chasing King’s Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King Jr.’s Assassin.” Swanson, who writes of these searing moments in history in the style of a novel, has also written on the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy and the pursuit of their assassins . . .

“I think Martin Luther King is one of the bravest men in American history, in a way more so than Abraham Lincoln or John Kennedy. Unlike them, Dr. King was under constant threat of death and harassment for over 10 years,” Swanson explained.

Swanson begins the book by recounting the 1958 attack on King’s life, when a deranged black woman named Izola Ware Curry stabbed King in the heart at a book signing event in Harlem. Later, the FBI kept very close tabs on King, and one official even sent a letter urging King to take his own life before receiving the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize . . .

“He could have gone back to private life and lived quietly as a husband, father and minister at his local church,” Swanson said. “But he said for this great cause, we must all be prepared to die. In fact, when John Kennedy was assassinated, Martin Luther King turned to his wife and said, ‘Well, you know that’s what’s going to happen to me.’” (Read more from “MLK ‘Knew’ He’d Be Gunned Down” HERE)

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Obamacare Mandate ‘Irony’: It’s Tax Repealed in Tax Reform

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Republicans succeeded in repealing the individual mandate in the 2010 Affordable Care Act as part of the recent tax reform package, but a leading health care expert urges President Trump and members of Congress to do even more this year to bring financial relief to Americans saddled by high premiums and deductibles.

Galen Institute President Grace-Marie Turner has been on the front lines of the health care debate since before the Clinton administration attempted to give government a greater role in the sector in the 1990s. A fierce critic of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, Turner is relishing how the individual mandate was sent to the scrap heap starting in 2019.

“The lovely irony is that the least popular provision of Obamacare was repealed in the tax bill. It’s a bit of a touché to the Supreme Court,” said Turner, noting that the court upheld the individual mandate as constitutional only if it was considered a tax.

Beyond the political and legal drama, Turner says the mandate improved nothing and was a major burden on people.

“It was ineffective. It was not doing what it needed to do. Health insurance was so expensive that it was driving people away from policies. Even with the tax penalties, people still found it was cheaper to pay the penalties than to buy this expensive coverage,” said Turner. (Read more from “Obamacare Mandate ‘Irony’: It’s Tax Repealed in Tax Reform” HERE)

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Is Trump-Bannon Feud Based on Fake Quotes?

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A friend and adviser of Donald Trump quoted in a controversial upcoming exposé of the White House calling the president “stupid” says the author put words in his mouth, casting doubt on other sensational claims that rocked the administration Wednesday, including that Trump didn’t want to win the election.

Thomas J. Barrack told the New York Times the quote attributed to him by Michael Wolff in “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” is “totally false.”

Wolff quoted Barrack telling a friend that the president is “not only crazy, he’s stupid.”

But Barrack commented Wednesday: “It’s clear to anyone who knows me that those aren’t my words and inconsistent with anything I’ve ever said.”

Barrack told the Times that Wolff never vetted the quotation with him for accuracy. (Read more from “Is Trump-Bannon Feud Based on Fake Quotes?” HERE)

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As Flu Spreads, Hospitals Are Restricting Patients

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The flu is now considered “widespread” across Minnesota.

In other words, the flu virus has been reported at hospitals all over the state.

Many hospitals are placing restrictions on visitors to stop the spread.

“We’re seeing people with body aches, headaches, high fevers, sore throat, cough, wheezing,” said Dr. Bjorn Peterson.

Emergency rooms across the state are dealing with an increase in the number of people seeking relief from flu-like symptoms. (Read more from “As Flu Spreads, Hospitals Are Restricting Patients” HERE)

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Senate Admits to Paying $1.5 Million for Harassment

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The Senate quietly released a bare-bones report late Thursday on what a statement called “harassment settlement” data, showing that nearly $1.5 million in taxpayers’ money has been spent over the past two decades to cover claims against lawmakers and other Senate offices.

The two-page release contained no names of senators or victims. It said $599,000 was for 13 settlements involving “member-led” Senate offices, while the remaining $853,000 was for 10 settlements involving “other” Senate offices.

The Senate’s Rules and Appropriations committees released the information on the evening of Congress’ final work day this year. It came during a period that has seen several lawmakers resign or announce their retirements following sexual harassment accusations, and growing condemnation for the secrecy with which Congress has guarded information about such cases.

While the release called the information “harassment settlement data,” none of the terse descriptions of each case used those words. Four of the cases involved sex discrimination, including two that also involved “reprisal,” while most of the rest were for race, age or disability discrimination. (Read more from “Senate Admits to Paying $1.5 Million for Harassment” HERE)

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The House Just Gave Trump a Big Win on Tax Reform

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The GOP has inched one step closer to enacting monumental tax reform.

By a vote of 227 to 203, House Republicans passed an updated version of their comprehensive tax legislation, also known as the the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Bucking their party, 12 Republicans voted against the bill. These GOP members mostly hailed from high-tax states and are concerned with rollbacks of state and local tax deductions.

As predicted, no Democrat voted in favor of the legislation.

Tuesday’s vote marks the second time in a month House Republicans passed tax reform — the lower chamber approved a tax bill in November, but their version was markedly different than the Senate’s version that was passed in early December.

Because a uniform bill was needed, Republican House and Senate leaders met in conference committee and reached a compromise on identical measures to be passed in both chambers of Congress.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is a sweeping reform of the U.S. tax code, calling for slashes in rates for the majority of Americans and a simplification of the system.

The bill will deliver $1.5 trillion in tax cuts over a span of ten years, cut the corporate rate to from 35 percent to 21 percent and lower individual tax rates.

Multinational companies would also see a completely revamped tax system — including a one-time tax on foreign profits that have been earned, but kept overseas to avoid U.S. taxes, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Notably, the bill repeals the individual mandate to purchase health care, an unpopular provision in Obamacare that requires every American to purchase health insurance or else pay a fine.

With the House vote out of the way, the Senate is expected to act on the bill later in the evening, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

While most are certain Senate Republicans have the numbers to send the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk, the vote is expected to be razor thin.

Currently, the Senate Republicans hold a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate. During the last tax vote, the GOP only endured one defector, Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who joined Democrats in voting against the bill.

While Corker has now announced support for the updated bill, Senate Republicans are still in a somewhat precarious situation. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, who is battling brain cancer, revealed he will be in his home state to seek medical care and be with his family during the tax vote, leaving Republicans with one less body.

The other Republican senator from Arizona, Jeff Flake, has yet to say if he will vote for the bill or not.

Nevertheless, Senate Republicans appeared to be good position after Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a very moderate member of the GOP, announced her support. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio — who had previously said he was against the bill, citing a desire to see child tax credits expanded — switched to a “yes” after negotiators met him halfway.

Vice President Mike Pence postponed a scheduled trip to the Middle East in case he is needed in the Senate to cast a tie-breaking vote.

President Donald Trump has asked that the bill be passed in both chambers and sent to his desk for signature by Christmas — a goal that looks very likely to come to fruition. (For more from the author of “The House Just Gave Trump a Big Win on Tax Reform the House Just Gave Trump a Big Win on Tax Reform” please click HERE)

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What’s Going on in Cuba? US Embassy Workers Found to Have Brain Abnormalities

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By Nicole Darrah. Brain abnormalities have been found in the U.S. diplomats who were victims of suspected attacks at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, according to a new report.

Doctors discovered that white matter in the brains of Embassy workers had “developed changes,” The Associated Press reported. White matter allows different areas of the brain to communicate.

At least 24 U.S. Embassy officials in Cuba had reported hearing loud, grating noises before experiencing ear issues, hearing loss, dizziness, headache, fatigue, cognitive issues and difficulty sleeping.

Some victims knew immediately that the attack was affecting their bodies, while some developed physical symptoms within 24 hours.

Other Americans who were not working but were traveling in Cuba had also reported experiencing weird symptoms similar to those that the U.S. officials reported, the State Department said. (Read more from “What’s Going on in Cuba? US Embassy Workers Found to Have Brain Abnormalities” HERE)

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Mysterious Cuba Embassy Attacks Left Victims With Brain Anomalies

By Avery Thompson. Back in September, a strange mystery was unfolding in Cuba. American officials and their spouses were experiencing some kind of attack, but nobody was really sure what was going on. People experienced a wide range of symptoms, from headaches and difficulty concentrating to hearing loss and brain damage. Many reported hearing high-pitched, painful noises prior to experiencing the symptoms.

Medical experts have been unable to explain what kind of weapon is affecting these officials, or even what’s wrong with them. But new results from doctors at the University of Miami and the University of Pennsylvania have provided a valuable clue: The victims appear to have abnormalities in their brains’ white matter.

White matter refers to the sections of the brain filled with dense nerve connections, which are primarily responsible for learning and higher brain functions. Doctors often see white matter damage when people suffer concussions or other brain damage, which likely means the victims are suffering something similar. (Read more from “Mysterious Cuba Embassy Attacks Left Victims With Brain Anomalies” HERE)

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VA Hired Doctors With Malpractice Claims, Felony Convictions Against Them

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Neurosurgeon John Henry Schneider racked up more than a dozen malpractice claims and settlements in two states, including cases alleging he made surgical mistakes that left patients maimed, paralyzed or dead.

He was accused of costing one patient bladder and bowel control after placing spinal screws incorrectly, he allegedly left another paralyzed from the waist down after placing a device improperly in his spinal canal. The state of Wyoming revoked his medical license after another surgical patient died.

Schneider then applied for a job earlier this year at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. He was forthright in his application about the license revocation and other malpractice troubles.

But the VA hired him anyway . . .

A VA hospital in Oklahoma knowingly hired a psychiatrist previously sanctioned for sexual misconduct who went on to sleep with a VA patient, according to internal documents. A Louisiana VA clinic hired a psychologist with felony convictions. The VA ended up firing him after they determined he was a “direct threat to others” and the VA’s mission. (Read more from “VA Hired Doctors With Malpractice Claims, Felony Convictions Against Them” HERE)

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Cop Adopts Homeless Mother’s Opioid-Addicted Newborn

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. . .In the body camera footage, Ryan [Holet] questions Champ [addicted mother] and her companion for almost 11 minutes. He focused on Champ and tried to figure out whether she fully understood the danger drug use was inflicting on her unborn child . . .

In the course of the conversation, Champ emotionally told Ryan that she desperately hoped someone would adopt her baby. Champ says the words triggered a change in the officer’s demeanor . . .

Ryan showed Champ a picture of his wife and four children, including a 10-month old baby and in that moment offered to adopt her baby . . .

Ryan walked up to his wife, who was holding their 10-month old baby, and said he had just met a pregnant woman who was shooting up heroin and that he offered to adopt the baby. (Read more from “Cop Adopts Homeless Mother’s Opioid-Addicted Newborn” HERE)

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So, What About Joe Scarborough’s Dead Intern…

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Shortly after NBC unleashed news of its firing of “The Today Show” anchor Matt Lauer, President Trump ripped into the left-leaning network and even called for MSNBC to fire Joe Scarborough based on an “unsolved mystery” surrounding the death of Scarborough’s intern in 2001.

Trump tweeted Wednesday morning: “So now that Matt Lauer is gone when will the Fake News practitioners at NBC be terminating the contract of [MSNBC President] Phil Griffin? And will they terminate low ratings Joe Scarborough based on the ‘unsolved mystery’ that took place in Florida years ago? Investigate!”

The president also urged the news media to “Check out Andy Lack’s past!” Lack, 70, is the chairman of NBC News and MSNBC.

On July 20, 2001, Scarborough was a Republican congressman who represented Florida when his 28-year-old intern, Lori Klausutis, turned up dead in his office . . .

According to the medical examiner, Klausutis, who had an abnormal heart rhythm, lost consciousness and fell in Scarborough’s office. She reportedly hit her head on a desk, which caused her death, the medical examiner said. Authorities said Klausutis had told people she wasn’t feeling well the day before she died. (Read more from “So, What About Joe Scarborough’s Dead Intern…” HERE)

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