September 3, 2018

National Red for Ed Day - September 4, 2018

Join in this effort by the National Education Association and wear red tomorrow, and support public education in America.

https://blogforarizona.net/national-red-for-ed-day-september-4-2018/

September 3, 2018

Windstorm insurance could rise 10 percent along coast

HARLINGEN — Hurricane Harvey is now hitting Cameron and Willacy counties.

The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association has proposed a 10 percent hike in what are known as windstorm policies eligible only to residents of 14 coastal counties, including these two.

If approved by the Texas Commissioner of Insurance — the deadline for a decision is mid-October — the average windstorm policy for coastal customers will rise from $1,589 a year to $1,745 in 2019.

“TWIA is the backstop for folks who are either declined by a regular company or they can’t get the coverage they want through a regular company,” said Jerry Hagins, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Insurance.

Read more: https://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/local_news/windstorm-insurance-could-rise-percent-along-coast/article_bdadb5b4-94dd-5e38-b7de-0abb6c798071.html

September 3, 2018

Smallest North Dakota city to double in population -- to 4

RUSO, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota's smallest incorporated city was on the verge of dissolving after the death of its longtime mayor. But now it's rebounding, with expectations to double its population — from two residents to four.

The McLean County community of Ruso was on the verge of disincorporation when its population dropped following the July death of 86-year-old Bruce Lorenz. It takes a minimum of three residents for a community to be incorporated, according to the North Dakota Century Code.

"We want to keep it going for Bruce's sake," Laurinda Roloson, the city's auditor and one of Ruso's two remaining residents, told the Minot Daily News. Her husband, Terry Roloson, is the other Ruso resident.

The city discovered that Greg Schmaltz qualifies as a resident because he has a Ruso mailbox and makes daily checks on his horses and chickens on land within city limits. So on Thursday, he's expected to become the city's next mayor.

Read more: https://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/strange_news/smallest-north-dakota-city-to-double-in-population-to/article_b6e82bae-4a07-5545-85d1-fa2f1d569d3a.html

September 3, 2018

Texas Democrat Beto O'Rourke shakes up Senate race with Cruz

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — If elections were decided by viral videos and fawning media profiles, Democrat Beto O'Rourke would win Texas' Senate race in a landslide.

Video of the candidate defending NFL players' right to protest during the national anthem had been viewed by millions even before NBA star LeBron James called it a "must-watch." Another of O'Rourke, a three-term congressman, cruising through a Whataburger parking lot on a skateboard is almost as popular, increasing the onetime punk rocker's already considerable street cred.

National magazines are suggesting he could be a Democratic vice-presidential pick in 2020 — or even a White House contender, a la a young Barack Obama. Sure, O'Rourke may lose to incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, the argument goes, but just staying competitive in Texas, which hasn't elected a Democrat to statewide office in nearly a quarter century, would still further boost his political star.

The White House is taking notice. President Donald Trump tweeted that he plans to stage "a major rally" for Cruz in October. Help from the president was long unthinkable in a race that for months looked like a Cruz cakewalk.

Read more: https://www.oaoa.com/news/us_news/article_9f3e56bc-989f-54d0-a671-37fa16deceaf.html

September 3, 2018

Putin Wants Big Business to Spend $120 Billion to Revive Economy

The Kremlin is leaning on Russia’s oligarchs to spend $120 billion on new investments by the end of Vladimir Putin’s term after shelving plans to hike taxes on big business.

That’s an increase of 15-20 percent and part of the Russian leader’s plan to take overall investment to a quarter of gross domestic product -- the highest level since the Soviet era. If the Kremlin succeeds, it could also leave less money for shareholders because the bulk of capital spending in companies is funded from profits.

But with the economy stuck in a rut as Western sanctions cut off foreign capital and technology, the Kremlin is running out of alternatives to jump start growth and meet Putin’s pledges to boost living standards.

“Compelling companies to invest in specific projects or confiscating sums are things of the same order,” said Natalia Orlova, chief economist at Alfa-Bank in Moscow. “For companies, this means the profitability of their business becomes less predictable.”

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-03/putin-wants-big-business-to-spend-120-billion-to-revive-economy

September 3, 2018

JD.com CEO Arrested for Alleged Sexual Misconduct in the U.S.

JD.com Inc.’s billionaire founder was arrested for alleged sexual misconduct during a trip to Minnesota, with local police beginning an investigation into the chief executive officer of one of China’s largest internet corporations.

Liu Qiangdong, who uses the English name Richard, was brought in at 11:32 p.m. Aug. 31 on a charge of “criminal sexual conduct” and released at 4:05 p.m. Sept. 1, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s arrest records. Minneapolis Police Department spokesman John Elder declined to provide any further details about the reasons for the arrest, but said authorities decided not to keep Liu in custody and haven’t imposed any travel restrictions on him while conducting their investigation.

JD.com is the country’s largest e-commerce company after Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., backed by investors from social media titan Tencent Holdings Ltd. to American names Walmart Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google. Liu, 45, has led the $45 billion business since its founding and controls the business through special voting rights.

“We are very much in the infancy of this investigation,” Elder said. Authorities may decide not to charge Liu at all, he added. “There are no travel restrictions on him at the moment and he’s not charged with a crime at this time.”

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-02/jd-com-ceo-arrested-for-alleged-sexual-misconduct-in-the-u-s

September 3, 2018

Father of Alison Lundergan Grimes indicted in campaign finance conspiracy

Longtime Kentucky Democratic operatives Jerry Lundergan and Dale Emmons were indicted by a federal grand jury in Lexington Friday for allegedly making illegal contributions to the 2014 U.S. Senate campaign of Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes and then conspiring to cover them up.

Emmons was indicted on six counts and Lundergan was indicted on 10 counts after investigators found they “willingly and knowingly” made corporate contributions of more than $25,000 to Grimes’ campaign and then worked to cover up the contributions.

The indictment alleges that Lundergan and an employee of his company approached campaign consultants and vendors and told them to bill S.R. Holding Co. for work they did for his daughter’s campaign. The company paid those bills and then allegedly did not seek reimbursement from Grimes’ campaign. After a grand jury subpoenaed records from Lundergan in 2016, the company still only sought partial reimbursement, according to the indictment.

It also alleges that Emmons provided political consulting to the campaign, but billed Lundergan and S.R. Holding instead of the campaign, and was paid with corporate funds instead of campaign funds. When vendors billed Emmons’ business for campaign services, he was allegedly reimbursed by Lundergan and not the campaign.

Read more: https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article217583675.html

September 3, 2018

Paul Ryan's "To Do Away With" List Discovered!

DWT hackers today announced that they have discovered a bucket list of items that House Speaker Paul Ryan wishes to do away with by the time he gathers up all of his ill-gotten gains and fleas to K-Street where he can grab even more. There were no surprises found on the Ryan bucket list but we thought it was nice to put them all in one handy meme for Labor Day, as a reminder of so many (but not all) of the things that typical republican sociopaths and psychopaths find abhorrent and have dedicated their lives to eliminating. Ryan in particular has devoted his career to inflicting as much human misery upon the American populace as possible, even though he personally benefited greatly from his father's Social Security death benefits.

Please note the Frederick Douglas quote. We've heard from no less than Donald Jackass Trump himself that old Frederick "is doing great work."

Happy Labor Day everybody!



http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2018/09/midnight-meme-of-day_3.html

September 3, 2018

Tens of thousands protest across Germany against neo-Nazi violence in Chemnitz

Following a neo-Nazi rampage in Chemnitz last Sunday and Monday, tens of thousands have demonstrated across Germany against the far right. Around 10,000 young people and workers took to the streets in the Neuköln district of Berlin on Thursday. Then on Friday, several hundred demonstrators assembled in front of Saxony’s state office in Berlin. Several thousand protested in other cities, including Frankfurt and Chemnitz.

In Berlin, World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke with Stefan, 29, a Chemnitz native who studies in Potsdam. “I wasn’t there over the weekend, but I was born in Chemnitz. It has a big effect on you when you know the city and see the scenes that played out on the streets and know what has been happening in Saxony over the past two or three decades since reunification. This is a new low. I was really staggered by it, it left me feeling helpless. That’s why I'm here today, to send a message.”

Stefan said he supports “a world and a country where people can live together, irrespective of where they come from, their skin colour, their beliefs; where people cooperate peacefully, live together in peace, and don’t have to live in a world of hate.” That’s why “I’m here today. Because I think if you don’t start to stand up now, at some point it will be too late, and I don’t want to have to accuse myself of not being there if it should come to that.”

Stefan said that he sees disturbing “parallels” with the 1920s and 1930s. “If you look at the history of the NSDAP [Nazi Party], they began as a tiny group and nobody took them seriously. They were shouted down as a right-wing mob and suppressed, and then it took ten years before the party came to power. … I think we have the chance to prevent it now.” Stefan said he was “deeply concerned that if we don’t decisively oppose it now, something similar could be repeated.”

Read more: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/09/03/chem-s03.html

September 3, 2018

GOP Hopeful Harris Says Wives Should Submit

North Carolina GOP candidate Mark Harris believes that wives should submit to their husbands.

Per a report from Roll Call, Harris, a Baptist preacher, has on multiple occasions made statements that women should submit fully to their husbands. He has also preached that homosexuality is a choice.

Harris defeated current 9th District representative Robert Pittenger, and faces a challenge from democrat Dan McCready for the seat.

McCready jumped on the report, taking to Twitter to respond.

https://twitter.com/McCreadyForNC/status/1015269631047725058

Read more: https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/2018/09/gop-hopeful-harris-says-wives-should-submit/