News of the Force: Tuesday, May 16, 2017 - Page 1

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Tuesday, May 16, 2017 - Today is National Day in South Sudan

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   "One of the worst mistakes anybody can make is to bet against Americans."

                                              - U.S. President Ronald Reagan, May 16, 1987

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Latest al-Qaida propaganda video highlights bin Laden's son

    A new propaganda message featuring the son of Osama bin Laden could be evidence that the militant group is trying to rejuvenate its global appeal by using a new generation of the bin Laden family.

    This week on 60 Minutes, Ali Soufan offers a warning: al-Qaeda has continued to grow and get stronger, and there's a new bin Laden waiting in the wings.

 

Russia warns against 'intimidating' North Korea

    

    Russian President Vladimir Putin is urging foreign leaders to keep a cool head on North Korea. Speaking in China, Putin condemned North Korea's latest missile launch as “dangerous."

    North Korea staged a brazen show of defiance against the Trump administration's attempts to curb its nuclear ambitions, testing a missile on Sunday that it said could reach U.S. territory.

    Meanwhile, Putin accused the United States yesterday of developing the sophisticated hacking tools used in a worldwide cyber-attack, crippling computers including those used by Russian law enforcement agencies. The "WannaCry" ransomware has locked files on an estimated 300,000 computers across more than 100 countries.

 

Journalist killed in Mexico

    

    Javier Valdez, an award-winning reporter who specialized in covering drug trafficking and organized crime, was slain yesterday in the northern state of Sinaloa, the latest in a wave of journalist killings.

 

Mattis meets with UAE's crown prince

     

    U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met yesterday at the White House with United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan to discuss the U.S.-UAE defense partnership, the Pentagon’s chief spokes-person, Dana W. White, said in a statement about the meeting. Their meeting followed the crown prince's inaugural visit with President Donald J. Trump, she said. At the meeting, Mattis and Prince Mohammed, who is also the deputy supreme commander of the UAE’s armed forces, lauded the conclusion of a new bilateral defense cooperation agreement, which, White said, will enable closer and more agile collaboration against a range of threats over the next fifteen years. The two leaders discussed a range of shared security threats, White said, including the ongoing instability in Yemen and Libya and the campaign in Iraq and Syria to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. They also affirmed their shared values and interests, she said, including freedom of navigation, territorial sovereignty for the states of the Arabian Peninsula and the fight against extremism.

 

Venezuelans battle police with shields, gas masks and fecal bombs

    Tensions have escalated for a sixth week in Venezuela as protesters against President Nicolas Maduro hurled rocks and even jars filled with feces at the police, who fought back with tear gas.

 

JCS chief arrives in Brussels

    

    U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford arrived in Brussels, Belgium, today to discuss Afghanistan, countering terrorism and other missions during NATO’s Military Committee Chiefs of Defense Meeting. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will join his fellow chiefs of defense at tomorrow’s meeting to assess the threats facing the alliance. Czech Army Gen. Petr Pavel is the chairman of the Military Committee and will lead the discussions.

    The committee will look at the security environment in Afghanistan and the way forward for the Resolute Support Mission in that country.

    U.S. Army Gen. John W. Nicholson, Jr., commander of U.S. Forces- Afghanistan and Resolute Support, has recommended the NATO nations increase the number of troops they deploy to Afghanistan. He has said the situation in the nation is at risk of becoming a stalemate. There are currently around 13,000 troops in Afghanistan with more than 9,000 them American. Gen. Nicholson will participate in the discussions with the chiefs of defense when they are speaking of Afghanistan. He will present what he proposes for 2018 and beyond.

    The chiefs will also discuss the threats posed to alliance nations on the southern flank, whether by direct attack - like Islamic State of Iraq and Syria attacks in Turkey - or through refugees. Turkey has provided refuge to about 2.2 million refugees.

    The chiefs will also discuss Russia’s activities and alliance efforts to deter Russia.

    The NATO heads of state and government meeting is slated for May 25th and the chiefs’ discussion this week will help frame matters for the leaders. President Donald J. Trump will attend that meeting.

    U.S. Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, commander of the U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe; and French Air Force Gen. Denis Mercier, Supreme Allied Commander (Transformation), will also attend the meeting.

 

Counter-ISIS strikes continue in Iraq

     

    U.S. and Coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

    In Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted 11 strikes consisting of 70 engagements against ISIS targets: Near Beiji, a strike destroyed a tactical vehicle; Near Hawayjah, a strike destroyed a supply cache and a tunnel; Near Mosul, five strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units, destroyed nine fighting positions, two mortar systems, to medium machine guns, two vehicle bombs, two ISIS-held buildings, two vehicle bomb-making facilities, and a supply cache, damaged 13 ISIS supply routes and nine fighting positions, and suppressed three ISIS tactical units and two mortar teams; Near Qaim, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS staging area and an ISIS storage area; and near Sinjar, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a tactical vehicle.

 

Syrian prison crematory hiding mass executions?

By Lisa Levine, News of the Force Tel Aviv

  

    The U.S. State Department released satellite images yesterday that officials said showed that President Bashar Assad of Syria has built a crematory at a military prison outside Damascus to hide a large number of executions. The Syrian government has constructed and is using a crematorium at its notorious Sednaya Military Prison near Damascus to clandestinely dispose of the bodies of prisoners it continues to execute inside the facility. 

    In Syria yesterday, Coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes consisting of 21 engagements against ISIS targets: Near Abu Kamal, two strikes destroyed three ISIS wellheads. Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes destroyed four ISIS wellheads and three ISIS pump jacks. Near Raqqa, eight strikes engaged seven ISIS tactical units, destroyed four vehicles, two fighting positions, two vehicle bombs, a front-end loader and a supply cache, and damaged an ISIS supply route. And near Tabqah, three strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions and a tactical vehicle.

    More than 2,000 rebels and their family members have left the devastated district of Qaboun, on the edge of the Syrian capital city of Damascus, after more than two months of aerial strikes and artillery shelling, state media said.

    The politician with the best chance of unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he's encouraged by President Trump's early efforts to resurrect peace negotiations with the Palestinians - even if he's not convinced they'll succeed.

    The White House ran into static with the Israelis yesterday on a series of small, but sensitive, diplomatic issues, as David Friedman, the new United States ambassador to Israel, appeared at the Western Wall yesterday.

    The Israeli police and the Shabak (Shin Bet) internal security agency are planning a large-scale security operation together with the U.S. Secret Service to protect President Trump while he's here.

    The security services have shot dead a fisherman from the Gaza Strip who attempted to breach the IDF's blockade.    

    And a vacant synagogue on New York City's Lower East Side mysteriously went up in flames on Sunday night sending massive plumes of thick, black smoke billowing across downtown Manhattan.

 

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    Couzin Gym's Thought for the Day: Each and every body submerged in a bathtub will cause the phone to ring.

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Small plane crashes in New Jersey

    Two people are dead after a small plane crashed yesterday afternoon in an industrial area near Carlstadt, in northern New Jersey.

 

U.S. Air Force

    

    Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis will administer the oath of office for Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson's swearing-in ceremony at 4 p.m., EDT, today at the Pentagon's River Entrance. Secretary Wilson and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. David L. Goldfein, will deliver remarks.

    The Boeing Co. announced yesterday it would assemble the new T-X Air Force training jet at its north St. Louis County, Mo., campus, a production line that would support local Boeing employment for years if it manages to beat out rivals for the contract. Industry analysts had mostly expected St. Louis was the logical place to get a large chunk of the T-X work should Boeing win the contract. But yesterday’s announcement - complete with members of the area's Congressional delegation, local politicians and regional business leaders - made it official. "It’s not 'if' it’s awarded, it’s 'when' it’s awarded," U.S. Rep Ann Wagner, R-Mo., told a cheering crowd of about 200 Boeing employees and area officials gathered in a hangar displaying two of the company’s T-X models. A decision from the Department of Defense is expected by the end of the year. Boeing has teamed up with Saab, the Swedish maker of the Gripen fighter, in its bid for the trainer work. It faces competition from a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Korean Aerospace Industries, and Italian aircraft maker Leonardo and its U.S. subsidiary, DRS Technologies. If Boeing and Saab are successful, the contract to replace the Air Force’s decades-old T-38 trainer could be worth up to $16 billion to the company. The Department of Defense is expected to buy up to 350 aircraft over the 15-year life of the contract, with the first planes delivered in 2024.

    Textron's Scorpion jet and AT-6 will be joining the Embraer's A-29 Super Tucano in the Air Force's light attack aircraft demonstration.

    The U.S. Air Force has lifted its flight restrictions on lightweight F-35A fighter pilots, nineteen months after the U.S. Air Force banned lightweight pilots from flying the F-35s.

    After a little more than a year of research and more than 20 attempts to get the right materials, an Air Force Academy cadet has developed new bullet-stopping materials.

    Air Force officials yesterday developed a crowdsourcing/idea website to leverage knowledge and expertise from airmen in the field.

    The U.S. Air Force is investigating satellite propulsion subsystem issues after a rash of malfunctions.

    Lockheed Martin has received a delivery order from the U.S. Air Force to provide Sniper® Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP) to the Kuwait Air Force.

    AAR has been selected to provide the United States Air Force with palletized seating for its KC-46 aircraft.

    Top generals with the U.S. Air Force have  reaffirmed their call for continued modernization and recapitalization of the country's nuclear arsenal.

    The Chattanooga Choo Choo Senior Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol's Tennessee Wing has been invited to participate in this year’s 2017 Challenge Air’s Fly Day Event at Wilson Air's Center Hangar #13, on the West side of the Chattanooga Airport, at 932 Jubilee Dr. Challenge Air, a nationwide non-profit organization that is dedicated to change the perception of children with special needs, is holding their first Chattanooga event on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Up to 60 children will get to experience flight in light aircraft for the first time. Challenge Air holds the events to give children with special needs an unforgettable growing experience, while building confidence, learning to find courage within themselves, and build in areas where they lack self-esteem.

    Air Force Reserve Capt. Kristin J. Montville has been decorated with the Air Force Commendation Medal for outstanding achievement or meritorious service.

    Lt. Gen. Stanley E. Clark, III, USAF (Ret.) as been appointed as the chairman of Armed Forces Insurance.

    The emergence of the night sky signals the beginning of a mission for a select group of airmen at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The airmen, assigned to Detachment 1 of the 21st Space Wing, operate the just under 4-foot tall telescopes, which are kept busy detecting, tracking and cataloging tens of thousands of objects in orbit within their area of coverage. Throughout the night, members of the detachment collect positional and photometric data on satellites and space objects orbiting the Earth and provide this information to the 18th Space Control Squadron and the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., said Air Force Maj. Erin Salinas, Detachment 1's commander. With everyday life and the Air Force mission becoming more dependent on satellites, identifying and tracking space objects that could harm them has become a priority. These objects include everything from dead satellites and expended upper-stage rocket bodies to debris the size of a softball, as well as the 1,300 other active satellites with a range of roles, including GPS and communications. "We have to know where things are in space in order to know what is going on around us," Maj. Salinas said. "Our data helps maintain the advantages space is providing us, in not just our everyday life as civilians, but with our military capabilities, as well." Located around the globe, the Air Force has three Ground-Based Electro-Optical Deep-Space Surveillance sites. Working together, these telescopes provide situational awareness of items in space, ranging from 3,000 to 22,000 miles away. The GEODSS sites perform their mission using three powerful, 1.2-meter telescopes, including low light level, electro-optical cameras and high-speed computers. Because the sites use optical sensors, mission operations are limited to low light pollution skies, and the isolated high desert of central New Mexico provides an ideal location for the detachment’s operations. "New Mexico has a history of having a great environment to view the stars," Maj. Salinas said. "Since we are a photometric telescope, meaning that we are a telescope looking at light coming off of objects, we definitely want to be somewhere where there is not a lot of light pollution, which helps us accurately detect objects in space." Space is a battlefield just like other domains, according to Maj. Salinas. With more countries operating in space every day, military leaders require the most current information on detected objects in order to make decisions that shape actions. As defense, space operators often have the ability to fly the satellites away from threats. "It’s important for us to understand what is going on in this domain because you can't make a great decision unless you know what is happening," Maj. Salinas said. "We can detect if something changes, and we can ensure we protect our own satellites and those of our allies. We can adequately defend our satellites if necessary because our leaders will make decisions on adversarial movements in space."

    The Green Valley group is throwing the 2017 Baby Shower for Military Families of the 162nd Fighter Wing, of the Arizona Air National Guard.

    Brigadier Gen. Clay L. Garrison, commander of the California Air National Guard, will be the keynote speaker at the Siskiyou County Armed Forces Day celebrations.

    The Royal Canadian Air Force's Snowbirds flight demonstration team will not perform in the upcoming Rhode Island Air National Guard Open House and Air Show, as was previously announced.  The 2017 Rhode Island National Guard Air Show just days away in Quonset. With crowds expected in the thousands at the annual Rhode Island National Guard Air Show, safety and security is a top priority, officials say.

    Mercer County, state, and local agencies held a full-scale disaster drill on May 6th with members of the Civil Air Patrol's New Jersey Wing.

    An Air Force MQ-9 Reaper combat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has successfully test-fired a GBU-38 JDAM bomb.

    Battlefield communications experts at the Northrop Grumman Corp. are equipping long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with military networking equipment to provide situational awareness to front-line war-fighters.

    The Leidholms are just like any ordinary young family. They get up early to deal with the happy chaos of getting themselves ready for work and preparing their two small daughters for the day. The Dad and Mom tag-team - he changes the baby's diaper and ensures their 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter is dressed and clean, then feeds the cats and dogs. He heads out the door by 6:30 a.m. Mom spends a few more moments nursing their 8-month-old daughter, then leaves to drop the kids off at day care and get to the office. Nights and weekends are spent doing the usual stuff: housework, homework, laundry, running errands, watching television and, of course, sharing time with each other. They are a typical American family, except for one significant difference: Staff Sgts. Kyle Leidholm of the 60th Maintenance Squadron and Nicole Leidholm of 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs both serve their country in the Air Force at Travis AFB, Calif. The Leidholms work a fairly normal duty day, but unlike most families, they know their normal routine could be dramatically interrupted at any time. Kyle is an aero repair technician, servicing heavy-lift transport aircraft. Nicole is a photojournalist and the noncommissioned officer in charge of media relations. They are aware that one or both of them could be deployed overseas with little notice. Like all military personnel, they are ready to put the needs of their country above all else. Dual-military marriages - a service member married to another service member - are becoming more common, with the highest percentage of these couples being in the Air Force, according to a 2008 Defense Department study on military families. Both Kyle and Nicole joined the military when their college plans didn't work out. Nicole was still in technical school when the two married. Kyle was stationed here, and Nicole joined him soon after. The girls were quickly added to the growing family. The military treats each member of a dual-military couple as an independent entity, despite the fact that the couple makes decisions jointly. Unfortunately, this can be problematic at times. "Work is definitely a lot harder now than it was before kids," Kyle said. "Working extended shifts and nights is harder. The balance of family and job tend to blur. "It’s hard trying to explain to my oldest why Dad hasn't come home from work yet, or why Dad is going to work at night," Nicole said. "She's very curious and notices everything," she added. "When he was on 12-hour days, I was the one coming home after work and cooking dinner and getting her ready for bed on top of when I was pregnant. It's definitely an added challenge to balance life and work duties." Often, there can be difficulty fitting child care expenses within a family budget. "The cost of child care is not cheap," Nicole said. "We use family child care, so our costs are a bit more than at the child development center on base, but I like it. There are usually a smaller number of children, and they take care of my girls like their own. On top of those costs, infant care is even more," she continued. "So having two kids in child care was almost like sticker shock when I first went back to work after maternity leave. Fortunately, we both received promotions around that same time so our 'extra money' goes toward the cost of child care. The child care expenses a little more than doubled for each week with the new baby." Since Sept. 11, 2001, deployments are the rule, not the exception, for military families. Research from a 2009 RAND National Defense Research Institute study shows these deployments often have a more negative effect on dual-military couples' retention and family life than on than on service members who aren't married to another service member. Kyle shared an experience he had when his wife was deployed. "I had appliances die on me during a base exercise and I had to figure out child care by myself without help from my spouse on the other side of the world," he said. "Just the day-to-day Air Force obligations affected both me and my wife. And sometimes, it carried over to the kids." "Our first deployments didn't really have an impact on our oldest daughter," Nicole said. "She was too young to remember. The deployments were harder on us. I deployed first in 2014 to Southwest Asia, and it was a lot harder on my husband, because he, all of a sudden, was a single dad." She added, "I also do all the finances, so I had to keep on him to pay the bills. At the time, he worked in a shop that did eight-hour days, but more often than not, those days became 12-hour days with no notice. They also worked a Panama schedule, but because I was deployed, they worked his schedule to be Monday through Friday. Thankfully, we also had a flexible child care provider that could help us out." A Panama shift is 24/7 coverage with four teams working two 12-hour shifts on a rotating pattern - two days on, two days off; three days on, three days off; two days on, three days off. Child care most notably affects the retention rate of dual-military couples. Although the RAND study shows both male and female service members perform at the same levels on the job, females are more likely to leave the military citing family responsibilities. Male service members are more likely to cite financial concerns or career opportunities. "I'll play it enlistment by enlistment," Kyle said. "I would like to retire out of the military, but we will see how the next 14 years go. Having supportive leadership and an understanding and flexible work environment is vital to alleviate the stressors of a dual-military family. It's the only thing that can make it so I can continue to serve and still be there for my kids and wife,' Kyle said. "It’s extremely important," Nicole said. "Recently, when I was on a trip, I was supposed to be back after four days and ended up being away for seven. My leadership asked to make sure Kyle was OK and if he needed anything. It's good to know if there was anything needed, they were there for us. It's hard to focus on the mission if my family isn't cared for when I'm away." Today's technology makes it easier to keep in touch while being deployed for any length of time and lessens the anxiety of separation. Nicole's first deployment was for six months. "We were only three years into our marriage - young by any standard. So it definitely put a strain on our marriage," she said. "Skype was a big one when I was deployed, but now - and even when I was on a temporary duty assignment - we used Facebook Messenger to video chat. We also used a free texting app when I was deployed. I've now learned that my phone carrier has an overseas plan that I would look into using the next time either of us is deployed. We also sent a lot of care packages." Having a family care plan is a mandatory military requirement to protect children of military families when military parents must answer the call to duty. "Dual and single military families can face some unique challenges," said Air Force Master Sgt. Hugh Fetla, the 60th Comptroller Squadron’s first sergeant. Fetla served as first sergeant to both of the Leidholms, who are in different squadrons. "Deployments and un-accompanied assignments can make child care and maintaining the marriage very difficult," Fetla said. "Mission permitting, the member's leadership can work with the dual and single military families when assigning deployment cycles and work schedules. But sometimes, the mission does not allow leadership to be 100-percent accommodating. When this happens, one of the most important items the dual and single military families need to have is a family care plan. This will ensure the children are taken care of during a medical emergency or period of separation." "I think Kyle has had to use it. I’ve almost had to," Nicole said. "Every year, his unit recertifies the FCP. We also have to keep it updated, such as when our provider moved - we changed providers - and when we had our second daughter." With time in service, promotions and the gained experience of military life, there is an increased understanding and acceptance. "I can see the bigger picture of what the mission needs," Kyle said. "It makes it easier to get on board with the decisions leadership makes. I wish it had been relayed to me differently when I was a younger airman with kids." Nicole agreed. "We have a lot more responsibilities now as noncommissioned officers than as airmen," she said. "Now, we are taking care of people at work and at home. I guess in a way, for me, becoming a mom first helped prepare me to be a leader." Though the demands of dual military couples can be stressing, Kyle and Nicole’s un-wavering commitment to each other and to their children make it possible to readily face any challenge. "Having us both in the Air Force is cool, because we understand the job that each of us does. Sometimes, spouses don't know what their significant other does every day at work," Nicole said. "It also made the deployments easier in my mind, because we knew the locations and our resources. It's also cool because we can talk military jargon with each other and have an understanding of some of the stressors that may be going on," she continued. "At the supervisory level, we can bounce ideas off each other and learn together. It's also neat to almost get an inside seat to see how another squadron operates." Kyle said Nicole makes him think bigger than maintenance when he talks with her about his airmen and how to help them. "She always has that important phone number when I don’t know who to call," he added. Nicole is proud of her daughters, especially her eldest, who at only 3 years of age has seen one or the other parent go through two six-month deployments and three temporary duty assignments. "It's amazing how resilient kids are," she said. Military OneSource offers 24/7 confidential help across all aspects of military life. It's available on the web, or by calling 1-800-342-9647.

    RF and microwave experts at the Raytheon Co. are helping U.S. Air Force researchers find ways to integrate high-power electromagnetics (HPEM) technology into military cyber and electronic warfare (EW) systems.

    And third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students at the Haynor School created telescopes with the help of a grant and Ionia, Mich.’s Civil Air Patrol squdron. Last year, teacher Kelsey Jones applied for Civil Air Patrol membership and looked through the available Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) kits, which are free for teachers to use, and chose the astronomy kit. The kit came with two telescopes and a lesson book, so Jones was able to teach about astronomy. "From there Mike (Seiloff) had told me to apply for the grant and I was thinking, 'What could I use the grant money for, we already have technology, how could I tie it into my astronomy unit and I asked if we could use it for the field trip and the telescopes from the book,' and he said 'absolutely,'" Jones said. Major Mike Seiloff, who is an aerospace education officer for the CAP, said five teachers in the area received the $250 grant which is very unusual. He said the grant is given to 20 teachers across the nation every six months. "We had five of them in Michigan and not only were five of them in Michigan, but they were all in this area, because I worked with the various teachers to help them tune their grant applications up and they awarded five of them," Major Seiloff said. Two other recipients were also in the Ionia area and the last two were in the Carson area. The grant not only allowed the students to make the telescopes, but they will also go to Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University. Jones said the grant means a lot to the kids, the school and her.

 

Homeland insecurity

    

    A U.S. immigration agent tried to search for a fourth-grader at Queens, N.Y., school yesterday - but was sent packing by staff, according to city officials.

    President Trump's homeland security adviser, Tom Bossert, said the unprecedented global cyber-attack that has hit more than 200,000 hospitals, and more than 300,000 computer systems in total have been affected, and it's "an urgent call to action."

    And members of Congress who sit on the Homeland Security committees have launched a formal inquiry into allegations of a "rape table" and extreme hazing of its employees at CBP at New Jersey's Newark Airport.

 

Today's Trumpet

    

    FNC's Tucker Carlson has ripped MSNBC hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough for their unprofessional comments about Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway and says the incident is an example of the "hysteria" gripping much of the mainstream media. Carlson said the media is "degrading" themselves over President Trump, and "stumbling around in sightless rage, screaming."

    As the White House was engulfed by a crisis of its own making - the abrupt firing of the FBI director - President Trump received an unlikely visitor: Henry Kissinger, the Republican Party's leading elder statesman.

    "The FBI director is given a 10-year term so they can lead in a way that's not influenced by the political winds, James Comey told 60 Minutes in 2014. "You cannot trust people in power," he said then.

    The Trump administration, already in near-perpetual crisis management mode, scrambled again last night to respond to yet another explosive allegation: President Trump revealed highly classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador in a White House meeting last week, according to current and former U.S. officials. But the information was relative to ISIS, which both countries are fighting. (The enemy of my enemy makes my enemy my friend.) President Trump said he has the "absolute right" to share such information with those fighting on the side of the U.S.

    U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who just can't keep her mouth shut about anything, warned yesterday that President Trump's “messy” handling of classified information threatens the effectiveness of the intelligence community at the expense of national security.

    Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski dished some dirt yesterday about counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, claiming that she used to complain privately about representing a man she did not always believe in.

    White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus issued a stern warning at a recent senior staff meeting: Quit trying to secretly slip stuff to President Trump.

    The Trump administration has removed or tucked away a wide variety of information that until recently was provided to the public, limiting access, for instance, to disclosures about workplace violations, energy efficiency, and animal welfare abuses.

    "Pay Trump Bribes Here" was projected onto the Trump hotel in Washington, D.C., late last night. Photos shared on social media also showed the Constitution's emoluments clause projected on the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Ave.

    "Pres. Trump must be impeached: He has shown no respect for the rule of law. He regards himself as above the law," a Harvard professor tweeted yesterday.

    President Trump is preparing to go public with information about how last year shaped his personal fortune, a White House official says.

    And on a sunny, somber day in Washington, D.C., the survivors of three Missouri law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty joined a quiet procession at the base of the U.S. Capitol. One by one, the names were read beneath a clear sky: Paul A. Clark, Blake C. Snyder, Ronald E. Strittmatter. And on went the procession of names, dozens into hundreds, with officers standing in blue lines, saluting. Two hours of solemnity. Police Week in Washington had begun. In a ceremony marked with President Trump’s declaration that "the attacks on our police must end, and they must end right now," the three Missourians were among 234 officers whose names were read; 143 died in 2016. Survivors placed wreaths at the base of the Capitol as the names of fallen loved ones were read, capping a four-hour commemoration that had begun with mournful bagpipes and congregating officers from all parts of the country. After a Saturday night candlelight vigil that added the names of the officers killed last year, more than 21,000 men and women who died in the line of duty are now commemorated on the National Law Enforcement Memorial. Snyder, a St. Louis County Mo., police officer, was shot and killed in October while responding to a disturbance call in Green Park, Mo. An 18-year-old has been charged in his murder. Snyder’s wife, Elizabeth, accompanied by family members, laid a wreath on his behalf. After the ceremony, she posted on Facebook a picture of her husband’s Medal of Honor, and wrote: "The love of my life. A hero." Commenting on the fact that Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both spoke at the ceremony, Elizabeth Snyder added: "About time someone in charge showed some respect for our officers." Survivors also laid wreaths for St. Francois County, Mo., deputy sheriff Clark, who died in July from injuries sustained when a fleeing car struck his vehicle the previous year; and Lakeshire, Mo., Police Department Officer Strittmatter, who died of a heart attack after a shift in 2015. President Trump told a crowd of several thousand that "I will always support the incredible men and women of law enforcement as much as you have always supported me. We are living through an era in which our police have been subject to unfair defamation and vilification - even worse, hostility and violence," the president added. Trump gave his speech on a platform on the Capitol’s west face, where fewer than four tumultuous months earlier he gave his inaugural address. He was flanked by Vice President Pence and the highest-ranking law enforcement and national security members of his Cabinet, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Decrying politicians he said were afraid to stand up for police, Trump got his most sustained applause when he called attacks on police "a stain on the very fabric of our society. And you are entitled to leadership at the highest level that will draw a bright line in the sand," Trump said. "We will protect you, and we will say, ‘Enough is enough.'"

 

Vietnam War Memorial in Missouri to expand

    

    Wentzville, Mo., will unveil additions to its Vietnam War Memorial tomorrow. Expansions to the memorial at 203 Pearce Boulevard include a plaza around the existing red granite monument with tributes to the U.S. military. Renovations also include lighting, landscaping, a rock wall, seating and a ramp for wheelchairs, city spokeswoman Kara Roberson said yesterday.

    The city's fire protection district donated part of the land for the memorial expansion. The city's Board of Alderman approved plans to add to the memorial in February. Mayor Nick Guccione said then he and the board were "passionate about the memorial and want to make it a first-class tribute to our Vietnam War veterans."

    The memorial, which the city claims to be the first in the nation to honor Vietnam War veterans, was established in December 1967. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the tribute.

    The ribbon-cutting ceremony to reveal the additions to the memorial is at 4:30 p.m., local time, tomorrow.

 

The FBI

    

    The FBI has released its 2016 Preliminary Statistics for Law Enforcement Officers Killed in the Line of Duty. See the full story here: https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-2016-preliminary-statistics-for-law-enforcement-officers-killed-in-the-line-of-duty?utm_campaign=email-Immediate&utm_medium=email&utm_source=national-press-releases&utm_content=620960 .

 

U.S. Coast Guard

    

    An Alameda, Calif.-based U.S. Coast Guard crew rescued one baby sea turtle and three adult sea turtles last month that had become entangled in floating garbage.

    The search is on for a Delray Beach, Fla., woman who went missing on Sunday night, west of the Bahamas, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The woman's new husband told the Coast Guard that their boat struck "something in the water," and she was ejected.

    The U.S. Coast Guard is urging boating safety after a man died last week on Malletts Bay, Vt.

    New U.S. Coast Guard statistics illustrate the dramatic drop in the number of Cuban migrants trying to reach U.S. shores by sea since President Barack Obama left office.

    Free courtesy checks are conducted by qualified members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and are the best way of learning about problems that might be a problem while boating.

    St. Johns County and U.S. Coast Guard personnel were searching for a missing swimmer on Sunday night in Vilano Beach, near St. Augustine Inlet, Fla. As of yesterday, the swimmer has not been found, and the case is now a "recovery effort," the Coast Guard says.

    The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a South Florida woman who went missing after an apparent boating accident in the Florida Straits.

    And at noon, EST, on Friday, May 19th, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's Flotilla 59 will take a photo at the Stuart (Fla.) River Walk Bandstand of all those wearing their life jackets.

 

Report: Slain Democratic National Committee staffer had contact with WikiLeaks

    

    There is tangible evidence on the laptop of Seth Conrad Rich that confirms he was talking to WikiLeaks prior to his murder, a private investigator on the case has revealed. He was shot and killed on July 10, 2016, in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

 

Missouri police officer seriously injured in traffic crash

By Jim Corvey, News of the Force St. Louis

    A police sergeant from Manchester, Mo., was seriously injured on Friday in an off-duty vehicle crash in Franklin County. The four-car crash on Highway 50, in Union, Mo., injured Sheree Waterhouse.

    Manchester Police Chief Tim Walsh said Waterhouse has been on the force about 20 years. She is a Community Oriented Policing officer. "Everybody is saying a prayer for her," Chief Walsh said. "Everybody is concerned and worried for her."

    Waterhouse was stopped at a traffic light on westbound Highway 50 at Prairie Dell Road at about 6 p.m., when a westbound Ford F450 work truck rear-ended her, according to the Union Police. The truck pushed her 2010 Nissan Altima through the intersection, with her car striking a southbound Toyota Corolla. The work truck also hit an eastbound Chevrolet Tahoe that was stopped at the light. Both the work truck, driven by James Mills of Washington, Mo., and Waterhouse’s Altima, ended up off the south side of Highway 50, police said.

    Waterhouse was the only person seriously injured in the crash. She lives in Leslie, Mo., along Highway 50 about 15 miles west of the crash scene, police said.

    The intersection was closed for about five hours after the crash, and the crash remains under investigation.

    An online account to raise money for her medical care said Waterhouse was in intensive care with brain trauma.

 

UFO news

    

    A NASA spacecraft has captured three huge UFOs on video, silhouetted against the sun. A source of light is seen on one of the UFOs - the light can be either a sun-reflective element or another object that accompanied the group of unidentified flying objects.

 

 

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