Barclays, Former Executives Charged Over Qatar Fundraising

Barclays Plc and four former executives were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud regarding the bank’s 2008 capital raising from Qatar as it sought to avoid a bailout during one of the most turbulent periods in financial history.

The Serious Fraud Office said Tuesday that former Chief Executive Officer John Varley, former chairman of investment banking for the Middle East Roger Jenkins, ex-wealth chief Thomas Kalaris, and Richard Boath, the former European head of the bank’s financial institutions group, face charges along with Barclays.

The four men are the most senior U.K. banking executives charged since the financial crisis, which sent banks across the globe scrambling to raise funds to cover billions in losses. The case relates to fees Barclays paid to the Qatar Investment Authority and a $3 billion loan facility it made available to the nation while the bank raised 12 billion pounds ($15 billion) from Qatari and other investors.

more
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-20/barclays-four-former-executives-charged-over-qatar-fundraising

Hundreds of Inmates Still Confined to Tent City During Phoenix Heat Wave

With an excessive heat warning in effect all week long and temperatures expected to reach 120 degrees during the daytime, the city of Phoenix is advising everyone to stay indoors for the next few days.

But several hundred inmates in Tent City will continue to sleep outdoors during the heat wave, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office public information officer Mark Casey confirmed this morning.

Given that Sheriff Paul Penzone announced in April that he'd be closing Tent City, you may be surprised that there are still inmates there. Local news reports have focused on the crews breaking down tents and beginning to dismantle the complex, and plenty of people only skimmed those headlines and didn't read further to find out that it would take several months to relocate all the inmates housed in Tent City.

As of today, Casey says, there are still 380 inmates left in Tent City. Approximately 400 others have been relocated to the Estrella and Durango county jail facilities.

more
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/tent-city-inmates-held-outdoors-during-120-degree-heat-wave-in-phoenix-9428767

It's so hot in Phoenix, they can't fly planes

PHOENIX — The extreme heat forecast for Phoenix on Tuesday has caused the cancellation of 20 American Airlines flights out of Sky Harbor International Airport.

According to a statement from American Airlines, the American Eagle regional flights use the Bombardier CRJ aircraft, which has a maximum operating temperature of 118 degrees. Tuesday's forecast for Phoenix included a high of 120 degrees, and the flights that are affected were to take off between 3 and 6 p.m. MT.

Customers affected were told to contact American Airlines for rebooking options or to request a refund.

Extreme heat affects a plane's ability to take off. Hot air is less dense than cold air, and the hotter the temperature, the more speed a plane needs to lift off. A runway might not be long enough to allow a plane to achieve the necessary extra speed.


more
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/nation-now/2017/06/19/its-so-hot-phoenix-they-cant-fly-planes/410766001/

Interior head says fracking and drilling on public lands can make U.S. a 'dominant' oil power

By Valerie Volcovici | BOSTON
Boosting drilling and mining on America's protected federal lands can help the United States become not just independent, but "dominant" as a global energy force, according to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, whose agency manages about one-fifth of U.S. territory.

In an interview with Reuters, Zinke outlined his approach to development and conservation in America's wildest spaces, and discussed how that philosophy was guiding his review of which national monuments created by past presidents should be rescinded or resized to make way for more business.

"There is a social cost of not having jobs," the former Montana Congressman and Navy Seal said in the interview on Friday. "Energy dominance gives us the ability to supply our allies with energy, as well as to leverage our aggressors, or in some cases our enemies, like Iran," he said.

Former President Barack Obama, who oversaw a huge increase in domestic energy production during his tenure while strengthening environmental protections, had advocated reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

more
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-interior-zinke-idUSKBN19A1KG

Hey asshole, the unemployment rate is below 5%. Oil is below $45/barrel today. What the fuck is the problem you are trying to solve, again?

Monday Toon Roundup

Trump























Nugent



Cuba




If only

Sunday Toons

Trump
















Guns


GOP









Cuba



Housing


Air Traffic



Feminism Critics




TV



Father’s Day

Third noose found by DC museum in a month: report

A noose was reportedly found hanging outside the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Saturday, the third similar incident in recent weeks.

U.S. Park Police Sgt. Anna Rose told the Associated Press that her agency is investigating the incident.

A noose was found last month in the lobby of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and another one outside the Hirshhorn Museum. The three museums are located on the National Mall.

The NCAAP condemned the noose found in the African American history museum and called on President Trump to speak out about the incident.

more

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/338300-third-noose-found-by-dc-museum-in-a-month-report?amp

Tougher Trump Stance On Cuba Delights Cuban Hardliners

HAVANA (CBSMiami/AP) — President Donald Trump’s tougher stance toward Cuba has delighted hardliners on the island, who say it reveals the long-held U.S. aim of imposing American will on Cuba and justifies their wariness toward Washington.

The president’s speech to Cuban exiles in Miami has also dismayed moderates who were working with pro-engagement Americans but now fear association with a policy of open hostility toward the communist system could make them targets for repression.

Trump and the Cuban-American Congress members who helped design the new policy pledged on Friday that it would block the flow of U.S. cash toward military-linked enterprises and direct it toward independent businesses, with the long-term aim of overturning President Raul Castro’s government.

Members of Cuba’s small but vibrant independent civil society say they fear the new policy will do more harm than good.

more

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2017/06/17/tougher-trump-stance-cuba-delights-hardliners-island/

Sheriff David Clarke reverses acceptance of Homeland Security role:report

Source: The Hill

Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke has reportedly withdrawn from consideration for the role of deputy secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, according to a new report.

An adviser to Clarke told The Washington Post that the sheriff had officially notified Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly late Friday that he had rescinded his acceptance.

Clarke told conservative radio host Vicki McKenna during an interview last month that he had accepted the role of deputy secretary of Homeland Security.

“I’m both honored and humbled to be appointed to this position by Secretary Kelly, working for the Trump administration,” he previously said.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/338297-sheriff-david-clarke-reverses-acceptance-of-homeland-security

Texas Just Banned Child Marriage

Texas passed a law to make marriage under age 18 illegal.

On Thursday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill banning child marriage, in the state with the second highest rate of underage marriage.

Before this new law, 16- and 17-year-olds could marry in Texas with parental consent, according to advocacy group Tahirih Justice Center, which helped draft and drive the bill to get passed. What’s more, a child of any age could get married with judicial approval.

This new law includes one exception: Those ages 16 and 17 can marry if they have been legally emancipated from their parents. In Texas, this still sets a firm minimum age for marriage at 16.

more

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/texas-bans-child-marriage-law_us_594402a4e4b06bb7d272b673?utm_campaign=hp_fb_pages&utm_source=women_fb&utm_medium=facebook&section=women&ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000046