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Horrifying details about invasive customs searches experienced by women of color
In horrifying detail, women accuse U.S. customs officers of invasive body searches
Tameika Lovell, pictured in Queens on May 13, 2017, claims she was racially profiled and inappropriately searched at John F. Kennedy International Airport. (David Wexler)
By Susan Ferriss | Center for Public Integrity
August 19 at 7:00 AM
Tameika Lovell was retrieving luggage at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport when Customs and Border Protection officers detained her for a random search. It was Nov. 27, 2016, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and the school counselor from Long Island had just returned from a short Jamaica vacation. Lovell, who is black, had been stopped before, but this time a CBP supervisor began asking questions she hadn’t heard previously.
“Don’t you think you’re spending too much money traveling?” Lovell, 34, recalls a CBP supervisor asking.
What happened next is the subject of a harrowing lawsuit pending in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Inside a secure room, Lovell’s litigation alleges, a female CBP officer searched Lovell’s belongings, presumably for illegal drugs, and asked if she was using a tampon or sanitary pad. The question upset her, but Lovell replied “no” and complied when told to remove her shoes, lift her arms and spread her legs.
As a second female officer observed, hand on her firearm, the lawsuit says, the first officer touched Lovell “from head to toe” before ordering her to squat. Lovell was clothed, but the lawsuit claims that the officer squeezed Lovell’s breasts, and, “placed her right hand into [Lovell’s] pants ‘forcibly’ inserting four gloved fingers into plaintiff’s vagina” before parting Lovell’s buttocks “for viewing.”
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CBP officers intercepted the woman at customs and took her to a screening room to search her belongings and allegedly interrogate her about suspicions that her short trip might indicate drug smuggling. The woman allegedly explained that she travels often on airline employee discounts available to family members.
Her suit says that she was told she would be released after a pat-down. But after seven hours — and attempts to get her to consent to an X-ray — the woman was allegedly handcuffed, shackled and “dragged” from the airport and taken to a hospital, court documents say.
Officers “provided false and misleading information” to staff suggesting she was packing drugs, the woman’s suit alleges, and that she would have to remain in a room “until she had urinated and defecated into a plastic container in the presence of an officer.”
After a staff shift change, the suit alleges, a nurse announced that the woman’s heart rate was elevated, and doctors “involuntarily” admitted her due to “possible drug toxicity.”
According to the suit, the woman was tied to a bed with restraints, stripped naked by medical staff and had a tampon removed from her vagina during a body search. In court filings, the hospital does not deny conducting an exam, administering sedatives intravenously, catheterizing the woman to collect urine, and conducting X-rays and abdominal and pelvic CT scans.
www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-horrifying-detail-women-accuse-us-customs-officers-of-invasive-body-searches/2018/08/18/ad7b7d82-9b38-11e8-8d5e-c6c594024954_story.html?utm_term=.ca34238c22b1
Trump backed 'space force' after months of lobbying by officials with ties to aerospace industry
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-trump-space-20180817-story.htmlPresident Trump speaks to Marines in March at Miramar Air Station in San Diego. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune)
When President Trump spoke to Marines at Air Station Miramar in San Diego on March 13, he threw out an idea that he suggested had just come to him.
"You know, I was saying it the other day, because we're doing a tremendous amount of work in space — I said maybe we need a new force. We'll call it the ‘space force,’" he told the crowd. "And I was not really serious. And then I said what a great idea — maybe we'll have to do that."
The origin of the space force wasn’t that simple.
The concept had been pushed unsuccessfully since 2016 by a small group of current and former government officials, some with deep financial ties to the aerospace industry, who see creation of the sixth military service as a surefire way to hike Pentagon spending on satellite and other space systems.
The idea of a space force “is not a new thing,” said Stuart O. Witt, an aerospace executive and a member of the White House’s National Space Council Users Advisory Group. “The president just acted upon it.”
But Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), one of the early supporters of a separate service, complained that Trump’s impromptu endorsement had “hijacked” the issue and could vastly inflate the budget process. “There are many vendors of all types who are excited at the prospect of an explosion of new spending, which was not our goal,” he said.
Still, when Trump abruptly embraced the idea at Miramar — and began promoting it to wild applause at other rallies — a moribund notion opposed by much of the Pentagon hierarchy and senior members of the Senate became a real possibility.
White Dr. Arrested At Airport: 'You're Treating Me Like A F**king Black Person!'
White Man Arrested At Airport: ‘You’re Treating Me Like A F**king Black Person!’
https://newsone.com/3822546/orlando-airport-arrest-video-black-person/?utm_source=moengage&utm_campaign=white_man_arrested&utm_medium=push
https://twitter.com/ChefRoble/status/1030477095045132289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1030477095045132289&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsone.com%2F3822546%2Forlando-airport-arrest-video-black-person%2F
security clearance cancellations to be released during optimum times for distraction
White House drafts more cancellations of clearances as Trump seeks to punish critics
President Trump wants to sign off on “most, if not all” of the documents revoking the security clearances, said one senior White House official, who indicated that communications aides have discussed the optimum times to release them as a distraction during unfavorable news cycles.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/former-intelligence-officials-rebuke-trump-for-pulling-brennans-security-clearance/2018/08/17/ea8382f2-a20d-11e8-8e87-c869fe70a721_story.html?utm_term=.3fd329ae3bf1
Faux news is shocked the Omarosa isn't following prior White House norms (but not Trump)
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/08/17/omarosa-acted-dishonorably-by-recording-confidential-white-house-conversations-but-here-s-bigger-problem.htmlWhile it is common for White House staffers to write books about the president they served after he has left office, it is far less common to see books coming out while a president is still serving. Whether the disclosures and allegations in “Unhinged” violate the nondisclosure agreement Manigault Newman signed while working on the Trump campaign is a matter still to be determined.
Omarosa Manigault Newman claims audio proves the president wanted to silence her.
And I know of no previous White House aides who secretly recorded conversations and then released them to the media. Further investigation is needed to determine if any of these recordings violated the law – and if they did, Manigault Newman deserves to be prosecuted.
There’s no question that Manigault Newman’s disclosures will hinder the ability of the current president, future presidents and their aides to candidly communicate.
Possibly Trump's stupidest tweet ever
President Trump has issued shameful tweets, offensive tweets and self-serving tweets. Rarely, however, has he sent out a tweet that better conveys his abject ignorance about the country and economics than the tweet he posted Wednesday:
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Our Country was built on Tariffs, and Tariffs are now leading us to great new Trade Deals - as opposed to the horrible and unfair Trade Deals that I inherited as your President. Other Countries should not be allowed to come in and steal the wealth of our great U.S.A. No longer!
No, no, no.
Our country was founded on a principle Trump often seems unacquainted with: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Unless Trump wants to retreat to a 1776-sized economy or relive the Great Depression (care of Smoot-Hawley) it’s best we not follow the outdated mercantilist philosophy that was supplanted fortunately by Adam Smith who deplored tariffs (“extraordinary restraints upon the importation of almost all sorts of goods from those countries with which the balance of trade is supposed to be disadvantageous”). Unlike Trump, Smith knew that a balance of trade “deficit” is not disadvantage, let alone a debt to be repaid or money stolen from us:
President Trump has issued shameful tweets, offensive tweets and self-serving tweets. Rarely, however, has he sent out a tweet that better conveys his abject ignorance about the country and economics than the tweet he posted Wednesday:
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Our Country was built on Tariffs, and Tariffs are now leading us to great new Trade Deals - as opposed to the horrible and unfair Trade Deals that I inherited as your President. Other Countries should not be allowed to come in and steal the wealth of our great U.S.A. No longer!
8:04 AM - Aug 15, 2018
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No, no, no.
Our country was founded on a principle Trump often seems unacquainted with: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Unless Trump wants to retreat to a 1776-sized economy or relive the Great Depression (care of Smoot-Hawley) it’s best we not follow the outdated mercantilist philosophy that was supplanted fortunately by Adam Smith who deplored tariffs (“extraordinary restraints upon the importation of almost all sorts of goods from those countries with which the balance of trade is supposed to be disadvantageous”). Unlike Trump, Smith knew that a balance of trade “deficit” is not disadvantage, let alone a debt to be repaid or money stolen from us:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2018/08/16/possibly-trumps-stupidest-tweet-ever/?utm_term=.25c073e0d30c
Donald Trump, the Payback President What fun is it being president if you can't use the tools of gov
Donald Trump, the Payback President
What fun is it being president if you can’t use the tools of government to punish your critics?
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/16/opinion/donald-trump-john-brennan-security-clearance.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region
Trump's all-about-me approach is warping the presidency
Does anyone believe President Donald Trump's claim, issued via press secretary Sarah Sanders, that he wanted only to protect the country when he revoked former CIA director John Brennan's security clearance?
That claim was, in case you missed it, the official reason. "I have a unique responsibility to protect the nation's classified information," Trump said in a statement Sanders read on Wednesday.
But before the day was over, Trump had admitted what everyone already knew: that this was all about Brennan's piercing criticism and his role in launching the investigation into his campaign's possible involvement with the Russians in the 2016 election.
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Once again, Trump has made a move affecting national security driven by what he thinks most benefits him.
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Trump's relentless attacks on the intelligence community -- from likening them to Nazis ahead of the election to repeatedly accusing them of engaging in a politically motivated witch-hunt and labeling them an untrustworthy "deep state" conspiring against him -- have caused long-lasting harm to America's credibility. Long after he is gone, US presidents will struggle to overcome Trump's slanderous behavior.
But that doesn't matter to him. In his presidency, decisions are based on what satisfies Trump. The practice is so pervasive that Trump doesn't even seem to understand that it amounts to presidential malpractice.
www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/08/16/opinions/john-brennan-clearance-trump-ego-ghitis/index.html
cops can't believe black man does not have drugs or a gun
https://nypost.com/video/bodycam-footage-shows-iowa-cop-allegedly-racially-profile-driver/'Nervous' cop accuses innocent black men of drugs and weapons
August 16, 2018
A community group in Iowa is claiming that a police officer racially profiled a driver during a traffic stop. Bodycam footage of the incident shows the officer continuously accuse the driver of hiding drugs and weapons, even though none were discovered in the car.
https://whotv.com/2018/08/15/iowa-organization-accusing-des-moines-police-of-habitual-racial-profiling/
Des Moines police dash and body cam video on July 15th shows her son Jared Clinton riding passenger with his friend Montray Little when the two were stopped by Des Moines police officer Kevin Thies and Natalie Heinemann. Video shows Officer Thies telling Little, "I'm gonna be honest with you, it smells like marijuana in the car and I can see shake on the ground and your buddy is giving me the idea that maybe he's got a gun."
13Raw Video: Des Moines Police Accused of Racial Profiling After July Traffic Stop
Later in the video, Little asked, "Officer can I ask you why?" Thies responded, "Because I just told you. Step out of the car. If you don't want to go to jail please listen. I told you that I'm a cop. Face the car when you step out, face the car when you step out, face the car when you step out. Don't flex. I don't know what you're doing man."
Laural says the men were never told why they were pulled over and believes the two were guilty until proven innocent. Body cam video also shows Officer Heinemann having a conversation with Jared Clinton, asking him about his heavy breathing. She said, "Why don't you like being pulled over by police?"
Jared's mother says situations like what is in the video can be a strong reason why her son does not like being pulled over. She said, "I want to be able to tell my sons to trust the police. They are here to help but if this is the way they are going to engage with these young men we are going to have a problem and they aren't going to trust you."
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement claims officer Thies has a history of similar traffic stops. They claim Polk County booking records show that of Thies' 282 arrests in 2017, 100% were black. When looking at interference with official acts charges, twenty-six were black compared to five white. All numbers Des Moines police strongly contest. Sergeant Paul Parizek with the department says "These are horribly inaccurate. We are finding right now it is nowhere near one hundred percent. They do a lot of good work but for an organization whose mission is supposed to be community improvement, this type of attack on us is the most irresponsible thing they could do."
Police found no weapons, no drugs and after briefly detaining Montray, made them empty a bottle of liquor but let both go freely without any citation. Laural said,"I think the chief needs to acknowledge that there is a problem on his police force. Until you acknowledge it, you can't do anything."
The incident is now under administrative review and police cannot comment on the video. Parizek said, "If we had a case where somebody was intentionally, deliberately racial profiling, one, that would shock us and two, they wouldn't last long in our organization."
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Thies tells the pair that he believes the passenger is carrying a weapon because he is "acting funny."
"Your buddy's giving me the idea that maybe he's got a gun, you know what I mean," the officer says. "That's what I think."
"How?" the passenger asks.
"Just the way you're holding yourself, man. That's why we're nervous, man. That's it," he said. "If you're scared because you got a little bit of weed, that'll be one thing."
The officers removed both men from the car.
"You're making me think something funny's going on," Thies says on the video as he pats down the driver, Montray Little, a 23-year-old from Des Moines.
After searching the car, the officers apparently found no drugs or weapons. But Thies continued to interrogate Little while he sat in the back of a police cruiser in handcuffs.
At one point, the officer pushes the man to admit he was smoking marijuana or was around others who were smoking. He threatens to write a citation if the man won't confess. But Little maintains that he was only smoking cigarettes.
Even after releasing both men, Thies seemed to suspect some foul play.
"I feel like I was missing something," he said on the video after he re-enters the police cruiser.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2018/08/15/iowa-cci-traffic-stop-videos-show-evidence-racially-biased-policing-des-moines-kyle-thies/1001324002/
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