Saturday, July 2, 2016 - Today is
World UFO Day
Hostage crisis in Bangladesh
Bangladeshi troops rescued at least 13
hostages and shot dead six gunmen early today, ending an overnight siege at a
cafe in Dhaka, officials said. The gunmen attacked a restaurant popular with
foreigners in a diplomatic zone of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. The police
were augmented by a SWAT team and army tanks and armored personnel
carriers.
U.S. and Iraqi airstrikes targeted ISIS
convoy
Airstrikes destroyed around 200 vehicles
believed to be carrying ISIS fighters fleeing one of their former strongholds, a
senior Iraqi official has said.
Meanwhile, U.S. and Coalition
military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
terrorists in Iraq and Syria yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation
Inherent Resolve officials reported today. In Iraq, attack, fighter, and
remotely piloted aircraft conducted 15 strikes in Iraq yesterday, coordinated
with and in support of Iraq’s government: Near Baghdadi, five
strikes struck two ISIL bomb-making factories, an ISIL weapons cache, an ISIL
staging facility and an ISIL bed down location; Near Beiji, a
strike destroyed an ISIL tunnel entrance and an ISIL cave entrance and denied
ISIL access to terrain; Near Habbaniyah, two strikes destroyed two
ISIL front-end loaders and two ISIL vehicles; Near Qayyarah, four
strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL-used road, two ISIL
assembly areas, and an ISIL checkpoint and denied ISIL access to terrain;
Near Ramadi, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units
and destroyed four ISIL vehicles and an ISIL boat; and near Sinjar,
a strike suppressed an ISIL mortar system.
In Syria yesterday,
near Manbij, attack and remotely-piloted aircraft conducted three strikes
that struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL fighting
position.
U.S. releases report on drone and
airstrikes
The White House has released
a long-anticipated report on civilians killed in drone strikes outside active
conflict zones, saying between 64 to 116 civilians have been killed between 2009
and 2015.
Since President Obama took
office, he has been clear that, when necessary, the United States will use force
abroad to protect the American people consistent with our values and all
applicable law, including the law of armed conflict.
South China Sea dispute drives interest
in India's anti-ship missiles
India's plans to sell
advanced missile systems to countries like Vietnam got a boost this week after
New Delhi joined an exclusive global club of countries controlling the export of
missile technology.
Meanwhile, the Republic of
China (Taiwan)'s navy said that the accidental firing of an anti-ship missile
from one of its Chinchiang-class corvettes in a Kaohsiung naval base yesterday
was most likely caused by human error.
Thailand's navy to buy three
Chinese-built submarines
Thai Deputy Premier Prawit
Wongsuwan confirmed yesterday that Thailand will buy three Chinese-built Type
039A (NATO name: Yuan-class) submarines for a combined price of one
billion U.S. dollars.
Austria's presidential election needs a do-over,
court says
Austria's Constitutional Court has
announced that the country must redo May's presidential election after a
challenge brought by the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) against its candidate's
narrow defeat.
Five killed and 20 injured in cafe attack in
Serbia
A gunman killed five people and injured
at least 20 others early today when he opened fire with an automatic weapon in a
crowded cafe in northern Serbia, police said.
Report released on advancing two-state solution to
end Israel-Palestine conflict
The United Nations and its diplomatic
partners in the Middle East peace process have released the first report of its
kind which analyzed the impediments to a lasting resolution to the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict and offered recommendations on the way forward,
urging Israel to stop its settlement policy and Palestine to end
its incitement to violence.
The Hillary Chronicles
By Dick Morris
In sworn
testimony given in a deposition by Judicial Watch, top Clinton aide Huma Abedin
revealed that she and Hillary used the private server for some government
business, especially while traveling abroad. Both Hillary and Huma knew that
they were not permitted to use their devices outside the U.S. Hillary admitted
that she and her aides was explicitly warned by State Dept. security experts
that her phone could easily be hacked in foreign countries. In her book Hard
Choices, she describes the specific instructions to refrain from using her
personal Blackberry, laptops, and any other electronic devices in foreign
countries. But she completely ignored them. She was more interested in
protecting her own secrets than the U.S. Government's secrets. Now Huma has
confirmed that she - and her staff - arrogantly ignored those serious warnings.
In Hard Choices, Hillary recalls that: "When we traveled to sensitive
places, like Russia, we often received warnings from department security
officers to leave our Blackberrys, laptops, anything that communicated with the
outside world - on the plane, with their batteries removed to prevent foreign
intelligence services from compromising them. Even in friendly settings, we
conducted business under strict security protections, taking care where and how
we read secret material and used our technology." So there's no question that
she knew what she was supposed to do. She just chose to disregard it. E-mails
show what Huma has now confirmed that despite the acknowledged and understood
warnings, Hillary and her top aides routinely - and carelessly - used their
Blackberrys all over the world. She refused to use a government-issued
Blackberry, even though Eric Boswell, the Assistant Secretary of State for
Diplomatic Security at the time, issued another strong warning about the dangers
of using an unclassified Blackberry: "I cannot stress too strongly, however,
that any unclassified Blackberry is highly vulnerable in any setting to remotely
and covertly monitoring conversations, retrieving e-mails, and exploiting
calendars." But Hillary and her aides continued to use her unsecured Blackberry
that was connected to her private server housed in the basement of her
Chappaqua, N.Y., home. Hillary used her "berry" as she called it, all over
the world, including in unfriendly places like China and Russia. On March
17, 2010, at a stopover in Shannon, Ireland, en route to Russia, Hillary
indicated to Cheryl Mills when was in Shannon and would be available on her
Blackberry. Although Clinton denies that her Blackberry was ever hacked, The
Daily Caller has reported on a March 5, 2009, e-mail that suggests
otherwise. The e-mail appears to be from Boswell, but is heavily redacted: "Her
attention was drawn to the sentence that indicates that we (Diplomatic Security)
have intelligence concerning this vulnerability during her recent trip to
China." So what was the intelligence they had regarding the "vulnerability" of
Hillary's unsecured Blackberry? Most likely that other intelligence sources
found that her "berry" had been hacked. Now Huma has testified that it was a
regular practice for her, as well as Hillary, to use the basement private server
in foreign countries for State Department business. Hillary knew about the
risks, was warned about the dangers and ignored those warnings. She did what she
wanted - putting U.S. secrets in jeopardy. But she made sure that her private
dealings were well protected. So where's the FBI?
And last week, as the British people
voted overwhelmingly to leave the European Union and take back economic and
political control of their own country, Hillary Clinton was dramatically on the
wrong side. As always, she sided with the elite establishment. She strongly
opposed Brexit - as did Bill - in solidarity with their elitist E.U. friends,
benefactors, and friendly global bankers. She was rewarded: Almost immediately
after the vote, the former head of Goldman Sachs endorsed Hillary. No surprise.
Those people never expected to lose the referendum. Wall Street, George Soros,
and the big hedge funds bet on a vote to stay in the E.U. So did Tony Blair and
Hillary and Bill's cronies at Teneo, the global consulting firm. Like Hillary,
they believed that they could easily control the "little people" who just don't
understand the importance of globalism like they do. But it was exactly those
little people, the everyday citizens, who looked around at how their lives had
changed because of oppressive E.U. policies and revolted. Fifty-two percent of
the Brits voted to leave the E.U. - with equal numbers of votes coming from the
Conservative and Labor parties. That's what Hillary doesn't get. Tired of
faceless and unaccountable career bureaucrats making key decisions in Brussels -
with no input from the people in the U.K., the Brits yelled "No!".
They were sick of endless regulations that stifled small businesses and
economic growth and forced a massive immigration of Syrian refugees. They
had enough. They wanted to determine policies themselves. We worked with the
United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) on the Brexit campaign for several
years in its embryonic stages in 2003. One example of the insanity that the E.U.
created was told to us by some fishermen in South Britain. Two brothers in a
fishing business that was over a hundred years old bought a large new boat -
with a large mortgage - to replace their outdated one. They were told that all
they had to do was change and transfer their new boat registration at the
E.U.'s Fisheries Commission, which was headquartered in landlocked Austria. The
brothers dutifully sent in the forms, but received a letter back telling them
that the E.U. Fisheries Commission was in the midst of a fundamental overhaul
and review that would take two years. In the meantime, no new registrations
would be permitted. So their expensive mortgaged new boat sat, unable to be
used, because of crazy E.U. policies established by non-Britains in landlocked
Austria! Prior to the E.U.'s regulation of fishing, Britain had access to 80% of
European waters. It now has a quota of 13%. That's just one example of the
economic horrors inflicted on Britain. And, finally, they've had enough. They
want their national sovereignty back - understandably. But Hillary loves the
idea of globalism, where we surrender our sovereignty to an eventual "One World"
government. She loves the bureaucrats and their endless studies that pepper her
teleprompter speeches and memorized talking points. She knows better than the
regular people. She's supported every U.N. treaty that takes away our authority
to control our laws. She wants to open our doors to a tsunami of Syrian and
other immigrants. She wants to take away our nationalistic pride in America.
It's easy to image Hillary and her elite friends - many who benefit from the
E.U. - shaking their heads in shock and dismay at the stupidity of the little
people.
But guess what? They're the stupid people. They don't realize that
the world is changing. Watch out Hillary. Remember Bernie Sanders?
U.S. Air Force
Hattiesburg, Miss. Police
Officer Benton Sorrell, a senior airman in the Air Force
Reserve, said sometimes there is a military conflict with his work
weekends.
To add to the patriotic ambience of
Independence Day, the Oregon Air National Guard's 173rd Fighter
Wing, based in Klamath Falls, plans to perform July 4th fly-overs in Rockaway
Beach and Neskowin, Oregon.
Cadets with the Civil Air Patrol
squadron in Binghampton, N.Y., were recognized for their service to
the community on Thursday evening. They were honored with a special award and
promotion ceremony at the Greater Binghamton Health Center on Robinson Street.
The Cadet Program provides opportunities to nearly 25,000 young Americans from
12 to 20 years of age. Twenty cadets were handed awards on Thursday. Among
the awards given out was the Wright Brothers award, which signifies an increase
in rank and responsibility. "I think it's really important to recognize
especially the young people, to let them know that what they're doing does have
a positive impact on the community," said CAP 1st Lt. Franklin Birt. In recent
months, members of this Civil Air Patrol squadron helped in the search for
missing Chenango Bridge woman Brenda Halpin.
And a News of the Force
investigation into the Civil Air Patrol continues. Recently, we found that yet
another CAP member - James Nova - was a convicted felon. Today, a source told
us: "The latest CAP Vector came out on July 1st, yesterday. It shows
James Nova on pages 4-5 still as an active member of the CAP and involved with
state appropriations." (Nova has been convicted of - wait for it - felony
embezzlement). And although the CAP assured NOTF that Nova's membership
in the CAP had been terminated, its own publication says that's not the
case. At least one U.S. Army Reserve officer has told us that he flies CAP
aircraft on cadet orientation rides in South Florida, and although that's
commendable, that officer has admitted to us that he's not a member of the Civil
Air Patrol, but he flies CAP aircraft. At least three sources have told NOTF
that the McSparrons, a husband-and-wife team of CAP officers, are still in
the CAP and appearing at CAP meetings and activities in uniform in South
Florida even after NOTF was assured by the CAP that they had both
resignedafter NOTF first broke the story that they were both CAP "porn
stars" and proved it with links to their "adult" web pages. We've also been
told that disgraced former CAP national commander Tony Pineda also
regularly appears at the same South Florida CAP unit even though that's not
allowed under the CAP's regulations. And since 2006, CAP aircraft have
reportedly been allowed to fly back and forth across the U.S.-Mexico border
without going through Customs inspections. NOTF called U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this week to ask about this. The
source we spoke to was extremely vague and told us that the source could not
talk about that (government-speak for yes, that's true, but we can't tell you it
is.) The ICE source also gave us the number for U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) in Miami, Fla., which we called on Thursday and got a
voice mail which has not yet been returned. The ICE source said, "I want you to
clearly understand that I'm only giving this to you out of courtesy to a member
of the press, but CBP probably won't speak to this issue, either." Bonus:
Another report tells us that the CAP also has a small fleet of unmarked cargo
planes in its inventory. We also made three calls this week to public affairs at
the CAP's National Headquarters, which also resulted in our getting voice mails,
and no one there has yet returned our calls seeking comment, but in
fairness, that may be because of a long holiday weekend. So why is the CAP
flying into a foreign nation's airspace? Sources tell us that this is all a part
of "Project Gunrunner," an operation of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives (ATF) intended to stem the flow of firearms into Mexico - but
reportedly does that by bringing firearms into Mexico. So remember, "If any
member of your force is caught or killed, the secretary will disavow
any knowledge of your actions."
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross has received an
award designating it as a "Not-for-Profit Organization Team of the Year."
The Midland Empire Chapter of the
American Red Cross sent a volunteer to Charleston, W. Va., last week to
deliver "help and hope" in the wake of the flooding there.
Domus, Inc., a nonprofit affordable
housing developer based in Westfield, Mass., has remodeled 48 Broad St.,
which used to be an American Red Cross building, into a shelter fro homeless
young adults.
And American Red Cross officials are
counting on even more volunteers to step up and donate blood before July
4th.
Homeland insecurity
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh
Johnson said this week that a gun is "an instrument of terrorism" and
that "sensible gun control" is a matter of homeland security."
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee
held a hearing this week on over-sight of the Department of Homeland
Security.
And the state of Vermont and its
communities will get $7 million from a round of federal funding for homeland
security.
U.S. Army
The U.S. Army Reserve's 99th Regional
Support Command has partnered with the USAR's 678th Human Resources Command
to help enhance "sustainable readiness" at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst,
N.J.
The 484th Army Reserve Band will make
its first Buttermilk Festival appearance on Wednesday, July 6th, in Fond du Lac,
Wis.
Brig. General Tommy Baker says support
and jobs for reservists is especially important because the U.S. Army is now the
smallest its been in recent years.
The Adjutant General for the Montana
Army National Guard, Major Gen. Matthew T. Quinn, and Montana's First Lady Lisa
Bullock, boarded an Army helicopter this week to visit with the children of
deployed Montana soldiers.
And an advance team of soldiers
assigned to the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, of the Idaho Army National
Guard, has arrived at a port city in Romania.
New laws in Tennessee
Dozens of
new laws went into effect in Tennessee yesterday, and though many
people are anticipating the one that allows for the sale of wine in grocery stores, there
are others that might be of interest.
- Have a habit
of driving slowly in the left lane? With the new law, you'll be subject to a
penalty for doing that.
- Take a chance
every now and then and text while driving? Now, if you get caught, you'll
automatically have to go to driving school.
- One new
law will prevent welfare recipients from
using an EBT card at a tobacco retailer to buy certain tobacco
products.
- Motor
vehicles owned or leased by licensed private investigators or private
investigation companies won't be subject to current restrictions about
the darkness of window tints.
- All public
school teachers and principals must adopt policies on suicide prevention.
-
Under this new law, anyone who flees from or
attempts to elude a law enforcement officer in a motor vehicle will get a
minimum of 30 days in confinement if convicted. It's 60 days "if the flight or
attempt to elude creates a risk of death or injury to others, including pursuing
law enforcement officers."
- This
law allows a court to order someone
convicted of driving under the influence to be subject to monitoring, including
use of a "transdermal monitoring device, electronic monitoring with random
alcohol or drug testing, global positioning monitoring, or any other monitoring
device necessary to ensure compliance with the conditions of
probation."
-
With this change, students must be provided
with certain periods of physical activity, depending on grade
level.
-
Businesses will now have 45 days to notify
customers if their personal information was obtained by an unauthorized person.
This is a change from immediate notification.
- The
Tennessee Promise scholarship will now be extended to dependents of the state's military
parents who are stationed outside of Tennessee.
- This
rule changes the way local education
agencies treat bullying and cyber-bullying. It requires that an investigation be
started within 48 hours and that "appropriate intervention" starts within 20
calendar days from the time of the report.
- The
Elena Zamora Memorial Act is enacted, which changes the criminal
penalties for failure to yield when it results in an accident that causes
serious injury or death.
- All
public higher education institutions will be encouraged to offer instruction to incoming
freshmen in an effort to increase awareness about and prevent hate crime
offenses, sexual battery, sexual harassment and date rape.
- No more
driving in the fast lane for "slow pokes."
-
Lawmakers have created the Fantasy Sports Act, which creates an
advisory task force to review online competitions such as fantasy football and
recommend any revisions to consumer protection laws that should be made to
protect anyone paying to participate in such games.
-
Legislators have also enacted the Tyler Head Law, which creates a
memorial sign program for people who have died in accidents caused by someone
driving under the influence.
-
Now, the Department of Education must create a
process for universal dyslexia screening, and local education agencies must
implement the screening procedures.
- And
full-time employees at Tennessee colleges and universities who have handgun carry permits can
carry handguns on campus if certain requirements are met.
UFO news
Footage of dozens of glowing orb-like
UFOs has been caught on film as they flew near a volcano in Mexico which
has recently erupted.
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