News of the Force: Saturday, July 2, 2016 - Page 1

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Saturday, July 2, 2016 - Today is World UFO Day

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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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