turbinetree
turbinetree's JournalInmate at center of landmark juvenile case loses parole bid
Source: Associated Press
By REBECCA SANTANA a few seconds ago
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana inmate whose case led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling extending the hope of freedom to juvenile offenders sentenced to life without the possibility of parole was again denied that freedom on Thursday after more than five decades in prison.
A three-member board voted 2-1 in Henry Montgomery’s favor, but parole decisions must be unanimous in Louisiana.
“It’s a tough, tough decision,” said board member Brennan Kelsey. He was the last member to vote and the only one to vote against Montgomery’s release. “Unfortunately, Mr. Montgomery, I am going to vote to deny your parole,” he said.
The board listened to Montgomery’s supporters talk about his rehabilitation in prison, from Montgomery himself who said he was “sorry” for this crime as well as emotional testimony from Hunt’s family who described in the emotional toll the killing had taken on them.
Read more: https://www.apnews.com/7e7a095c267d4eca86bf05a2f900e7c8
Senators on Trump Space Force plan: Not so fast
Source: Associated Press
By ROBERT BURNS 11 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration’s proposal for creating a Space Force as a new military service drew bipartisan skepticism in the Senate on Thursday, with several lawmakers questioning the need for expanding the military bureaucracy.
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan pitched the proposal as vital to maintaining what he called America’s “margin of dominance” in space as potential adversaries like Russia and China develop the capability to challenge U.S. use of space.
“Both China and Russia have weaponized space with the intent to hold American capabilities at risk,” Shanahan told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Every member of this committee has access to the classified threat picture, but the bottom line is: the next major conflict may be won or lost in space.”
Committee members agreed that the U.S. needs to innovate in space and move more quickly to improve defenses of U.S. satellites and other interests in space. But several members, both Republicans and Democrats, expressed skepticism about a Space Force, which is a high priority of President Donald Trump.
Read more: https://www.apnews.com/5a6e1a08acb745a69976e3110b4789b4
Let me see here..............we have 5 branches of the military, and these yahoo's want to add another, so that the 768 billion that they want now, is not enough for the five, so that they can turn around later and ask for more because, now they have or want six....................I want my Social Security payment to go up, and I want Medicare for everyone-------------------we already have a space force, just go out to NORRAD at Cheyenne Mountain...........................
Nancy Pelosi reveals her secret to predicting whether Trump and the GOP will go down in 2020
Noor Al-Sibai
11 Apr 2019 at 12:28 ET
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has revealed how she plans to ensure sweeping Democratic wins in 2020 — and her simple metric for predicting their chances a year ahead of time.
Roll Call reported that during an annual retreat, Pelosi told fellow Democrats that she can “predict how well we will do in an election one year in advance because one year in advance is where you see where the president of the party is,”
“If he’s still in the 40’s,” the House Speaker told her caucus, “they have a big problem.”
During the meeting, Pelosi also touted the importance of incumbent Democrats holding multiple town halls to hear from and get in front of constituents — a move later used by Rep. Antonio Delgado (D-NY) in an ad released Thursday.
“We won in November [2018] because we owned the ground. We didn’t give one grain of sand in terms of getting out the vote,” the House Speaker said. “We disciplined our message like a jackhammer: for the people, lower health care, bigger paychecks, cleaner government. That was our message. And we had the resources necessary.”
https://www.rawstory.com/2019/04/nancy-pelosi-reveals-secret-predicting-whether-trump-gop-will-go-2020/
Grosse Pointe schools weigh closures amid dropping enrollment
Jennifer Chambers, The Detroit News Published 10:40 p.m. ET April 10, 2019 | Updated 12:46 p.m. ET April 11, 201
A day of reckoning is coming for the public schools in the Grosse Pointes.
After 15 years of declining enrollment — and a determination to right-size without opening its doors to Schools of Choice students — the school district will identify on Thursday specific buildings that face potential closure.
Superintendent Gary Niehaus said the district will present at a public meeting different scenarios under which a specific school would close that would include the operational savings, bond savings and projected land value.
The goal is to have at least $1 million a year in savings and be at least 80 percent capacity at as many schools as possible, Niehaus said. The district will also discuss the creation of an early childhood center at one of the existing schools at Thursday's Blue Ribbon Committee meeting.
"We have declining enrollment, and there is a consensus that we need to reconfigure our district," Niehaus said. "It’s a matter of getting (the information) to town hall meetings. Once we do that, it will be interesting to see if there is anything we can do better."
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/education/2019/04/11/grosse-pointe-schools-weigh-closures-amid-dropping-enrollment/3266819002/
Lawmakers Just Confronted the IRS Over Tax Audits That Target the Poor
Following up on ProPublica stories about the IRS, lawmakers pressed the commissioner on the agency’s disproportionate focus on auditing the working poor while examinations of the rich plummeted.
by Paul Kiel April 10, 4:48 p.m. EDT
Over the past six months, ProPublica has detailed the myriad ways the IRS has been gutted and how that has impacted its ability to do its job. In sum: The wealthy escape scrutiny while the working poor, an easier target, are audited at high rates.
This week, Congress, in two separate hearings, confronted IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig with the findings.
“How can the Congress stand by a tax-enforcement system that punishes working people and gives the wealthy a green light to cheat?” asked Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, during his opening statement on Wednesday.
Wyden was referring to a ProPublica investigation last week into the fate of the elite unit the IRS formed to keep up with the complicated tax-avoidance schemes of the wealthy. Faced with staff cuts and blowback from the wealthy and their tax representatives, the effort fumbled and was scaled way back.
Wyden demanded that Rettig produce a plan within 30 days on how his agency will change a system that is “stacked in favor of the wealthy” and “against the most vulnerable.” Rettig promised to do so
Wyden was referring to a ProPublica investigation last week into the fate of the elite unit the IRS formed to keep up with the complicated tax-avoidance schemes of the wealthy. Faced with staff cuts and blowback from the wealthy and their tax representatives, the effort fumbled and was scaled way back.
https://www.propublica.org/article/lawmakers-to-irs-commissioner-charles-rettig-system-stacked-for-the-rich
And the IRS asshole trump lackey confirmed by Moscow Mitch and his enablers of treason forgot his eye glasses, the video says it all.....................look at the map asshole, do you see anything..................and do you know the law......................
Mnuchin slammed for blocking IRS from giving Trump's taxes to Congress
By Dan Desai Martin -
April 11, 2019
The Treasury Department refused to meet the deadline to hand over six years of Trump's tax returns to Congress.
On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin sent a letter to Congress refusing to allow the IRS to hand over six years of Trump's tax returns by the April 10 deadline. While Mnuchin did not deny the congressional demand, he said he needs more time to consult with attorneys at the Department of Justice before deciding whether or not to follow the law.
Mnuchin claims the demand for Trump's tax returns, which was sent to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, "raises serious issues concerning the constitutional investigative authority, the legitimacy of the asserted legislative purpose and the constitutional rights of American citizens." Mnuchin added that he would now take over and ultimately decide whether to comply with the demand sent to the IRS on April 4 by Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA), chair of the Ways and Means Committee.
The committee is seeking six years of Trump's personal tax returns, as well as the returns of some of Trump's businesses. Neal has the authority to demand any tax returns, based on a 1920s-era law that has been used multiple times by members of both political parties.
Mnuchin's interference and delay tactics did not sit well with some members of Congress.
"How many lawyers and how much time does it take for Secretary Mnuchin to understand that 'shall' means 'shall'?" said Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX). Doggett is referring to the plain language of the law giving Neal authority to demand tax returns, which states that the treasury secretary "shall" provide Congress with the requested information.
https://shareblue.com/treasury-trump-tax-returns-refuse-hand-over-congress/
Hey Mnuchin..........................your fucked basically and so are the lawyers and the IRS dude...............Congress will not let this slide and neither will the public, here let's rewind what Rep. Doggett and O'Donnell said last night...........................
Treasury Secretary Blocks President Donald Trump Tax Release, For Now The Last Word MSNBC
GOP congressman pulls ridiculous new stunt to suck up to Trump
By Emily Singer -
April 11, 2019
Rep. Matt Gaetz, who has said his purpose for being in Congress is to protect Trump, introduced an asinine bill attacking one of Trump's biggest Democratic foes.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) really will do anything to earn the affection of Trump.
On Wednesday, Gaetz filed a childish and asinine bill to taunt Rep. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat and chair of the House Intelligence Committee who is working to ensure Trump is held accountable for his campaign's Russia-related crimes.
Gaetz titled the bill the PENCIL Act, an homage to Trump's juvenile "little pencil neck" nickname for Schiff. It aims to revoke Schiff's security clearance and thus his access to highly classified material that he's privy to, thanks to his position as chair of the Intelligence Committee.
Getz's reasoning for revoking Schiff's security clearance is that Schiff can "no longer be trusted by his colleagues in Congress or the American people" because of Schiff's "blatant bias" against Trump.
https://shareblue.com/gop-congressman-matt-gaetz-trump-suck-up-pencil/
I just wonder if this ASSHOLE, PIN HEAD, wants a job on the judicial bench somewhere...............
November 3, 2020 cannot get here fast enough......................
Warren Unveils Plan For $1 Trillion In New Taxes On Big Corporations
By Cameron Joseph
April 11, 2019 10:13 am
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) unveiled a major plank in her platform to tax the rich on Thursday, introducing plans for a new tax on all corporations that clear $100 million in annual profits.
Warren’s “real corporate profits tax” is aimed at large corporations like Amazon that have generated huge profits in recent years while almost entirely avoiding federal taxes through a series of loopholes and credits.
“Because of relentless lobbying, our corporate income tax rules are filled with so many loopholes and exemptions and deductions that even companies that tell shareholders they have made more than a billion dollars in profits can end up paying no corporate income taxes,” Warren wrote in a Medium post unveiling the plan. “Let’s bring in the revenue we need to invest in opportunity for all Americans. And let’s make this year the last year any company with massive profits pays zero federal taxes.”
The plan would institute a seven percent tax on profits over $100 million in addition to current taxes. An economic analysis released by Warren’s campaign estimated that at least 1,200 companies would be forced to pay new taxes under the plan, generating a net revenue boost of at least $1 trillion for the government.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/warren-unveils-plan-for-1-trillion-in-new-taxes-on-big-corporations
Why has Congress stalled on investigating money laundering allegations at Trump properties?
Stonewalled by investigators, interest in Trump's former projects in Panama and Azerbaijan seems to have disappeared.
Casey Michel
Apr 11, 2019, 8:00 am
When Donald Trump assumed the presidency in 2017, two of his foreign projects — one in Panama and one in Azerbaijan — stood out for what appeared to be clear links to foreign money laundering operations. But with Trump’s presidency enveloped in an unprecedented number of scandals, congressional willingness to investigate the properties appears to have wilted — in no small part because of stonewalling by the current administration.
Both properties were closely associated with Ivanka Trump. Trump described the Trump Ocean Club property in Panama City, Panama, as Ivanka’s “baby,” while the Trump Tower Baku project, located in Azerbaijan’s capital, was something Ivanka herself claimed she “oversaw.” Both endeavors, however, have been swamped in controversy — not simply because of signs pointing to money laundering operations, but because both projects have since imploded, with neither any longer carrying Trump’s name.
In Panama, for instance, the indicators of money laundering at Trump Ocean Club Panama, which the Trump Organization helped manage, were impossible to miss. From purchases in cash to bulk sales, from sales to anonymous shell companies to purchasers using “bearer shares” — in which the company is owned by whoever holds a physical stock certificate, without any registry keeping track of ownership — the signs were all there. One of the property’s primary sales brokers, Alexandre Ventura Nogueira, admitted in a 2013 conversation secretly taped by a former business partner that he was “regularly laundering money” across Panama.
And in Azerbaijan, the Trumps chose to partner with one of the most notoriously corrupt members of the country’s notoriously corrupt regime. For good measure, Trump’s Azeri partners contracted with an Iranian construction company that appears to have been a front for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
https://thinkprogress.org/where-are-the-investigations-into-the-trump-properties-linked-to-foreign-money-laundering-705464010f8a/
Lock them UP............................
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