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adirondacker

Bernie Sanders Announces Deadline on Presidential Decision

(Common Dreams) "Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) announced Friday that he will decide by March if he will enter the 2016 presidential race—and whether he'll run on a Democrat or Independent platform.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Sanders said his nomination would be more than a political game. "I don't want to do it unless I can do it well," he said. "I don't want to do it unless we can win this thing."

hexola

WBFF (FOX 45) apologizes for misleading edit on videotape of protest chant

(Baltimore Sun) WWBF (Fox45) apologized Monday night online and on-air for misleadingly editing and airing a video Sunday of a protest march in Washington to make it seem as if protesters were chanting “kill a cop.”

What the marchers were actually chanting in response to the lead of a Baltimore woman, Tawanda Jones, was “We won’t stop. We can’t stop ‘til killer cops are in cell blocks.”

Scuba

“It may out-Ferguson Ferguson”: Why Milwaukee’s police violence will horrify you

(Salon) While the Hamilton case has not received as much media attention as the Michael Brown shooting, it may very well out-Ferguson Ferguson. Hamilton, an unarmed 31-year-old African-American man, was shot 14 times by white police officer Christopher Manney on the afternoon of April 30, 2014. Hamilton, who had a history of schizophrenia (which he had received treatment for), had been sleeping in downtown Red Arrow Park; two officers had checked on him earlier in the day and concluded that he was not a threat to himself or others. Toxicology reports found no drugs or alcohol in Hamilton’s system at the time of his death. Half of the bullets that hit Hamilton traveled in a downward direction before striking their target, with one shot hitting him in the back. According to Jonathan Safran, an attorney for the Hamilton family, no gunpowder residue was found near Hamilton’s 21 gunshot wounds – a finding that Safran suggests shows Manney fired from some distance when he discharged his weapon that day.

johnnyreb

NYT Editorial Board: Prosecute Torturers and Their Bosses

The question everyone will want answered, of course, is: Who should be held accountable? That will depend on what an investigation finds, and as hard as it is to imagine Mr. Obama having the political courage to order a new investigation, it is harder to imagine a criminal probe of the actions of a former president.

But any credible investigation should include former Vice President Dick Cheney; Mr. Cheney’s chief of staff, David Addington; the former C.I.A. director George Tenet; and John Yoo and Jay Bybee, the Office of Legal Counsel lawyers who drafted what became known as the torture memos. There are many more names that could be considered, including Jose Rodriguez Jr., the C.I.A. official who ordered the destruction of the videotapes; the psychologists who devised the torture regimen; and the C.I.A. employees who carried out that regimen.

Judi Lynn

Ferguson prosecutor says he knew some witnesses were ‘clearly not telling the truth.’ They testified

(WaPo) St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Bob McColluch knowingly placed witnesses who were not telling the truth in front of grand jurors investigating this summer’s police officer-involved shooting death of Michael Brown, according to a radio interview he gave Friday.

After nearly a month of silence following the the grand jury’s decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, McCulloch told St. Louis radio station KTRS 550 AM that some of the witnesses were “clearly not telling the truth,” but were allowed them to testify anyway.

kpete

Obama is Finally Free

(Political Wire) “Obama’s turnaround in recent weeks – he’s seized the offensive with a series of controversial executive actions and challenges to leaders in his own party on the budget — can be attributed to a fundamental change in his political mindset, according to current and former aides. He’s gone from thinking of himself as a sitting (lame) duck, they tell me, to a president diving headlong into what amounts to a final campaign – this one to preserve his legacy, add policy points to the scoreboard, and – last but definitely not least – to inflict the same kind of punishment on his newly empowered Republican enemies, who delighted in tormenting him when he was on top.”

Cali_Democrat

Obama Administration Issues Executive Order to Protect Transgender Rights in Public Employment

(Mediaite) President Barack Obama issued an executive order Thursday to prohibit transgender discrimination in public employment, another unilateral move by the administration in the wake of the 2014 midterms.

According to the new order, the Justice Department will now interpret the Civil Rights Act as covering transgender employees in workplace discrimination disputes, allowing the DOJ to bring suits against public employers for firing employees on the basis of gender identity.

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Machinists' union sues DynCorp over termination of union president

44 min ago - Jill R. Aitoro The machinists' union at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George's County is suing DynCorp International Inc., claiming the company violated a bargaining agreement when it fired a union president. The lawsuit from the chapter of Internat ... (bizjournals)

Arrests plummet 66% with NYPD in virtual work stoppage

1 hr ago - NYPD traffic tickets and summonses for minor offenses have dropped off by a staggering 94 percent following the execution of two cops — as officers feel betrayed by the mayor and fear for their safety, The Post has learned. The dramatic drop comes a ... (NY POST)

Idaho court tosses verdict after prosecutor quotes 'Dixie' in closing

1 hr ago - Idaho court tosses verdict after prosecutor quotes 'Dixie' in closing Judges say racism in song’s lyrics may have swayed jury to convict black man in sexual assault of white teenagers Associated Press in Boise Tuesday 30 December 2014 12.47 EST ... (Associated Press)

How to kill captured Jordanian pilot? ISIS asks on Twitter

1 hr ago - The Islamic State (IS), formerly called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has again put the social media to use for its gory campaign, asking for suggestions on Twitter on how to kill the Jordanian pilot captured last week. An Arabic hashtag t ... (Times of India)

Ukraine May Leave Crimea’s Fate to Next Generation, Premier Says

1 hr ago - By Volodymyr Verbyany and Kateryna Choursina Dec 30, 2014 9:50 AM ET Ukraine may have to leave the fate of Crimea to future generations, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said, a day after the president said the country can’t afford to take back its ... (Bloomberg)

The Greek cleaning ladies fighting back against austerity

1 hr ago - With her red rubber glove raised in defiance, Despoina Kostopoulou has become a figurehead for a nation fed up with austerity. Since the 53-year-old became one of almost 600 cleaning ladies sacked by the Greek Finance ministry on a cost-cutting driv ... (The Telegraph UK)

US consumer confidence rises in December

3 hrs ago - By PAUL WISEMAN WASHINGTON (AP) — Impressed with an improving economy, American consumers are feeling more confident, a private survey showed. The Conference Board said Tuesday its consumer confidence index climbed to 92.6 this month from a revised ... (AP-Excite)

Researchers: IMF policies hindered Ebola response

4 hrs ago - By MICHELLE FAUL YORK, England (AP) — Professors from three leading British universities say International Monetary Fund policies favoring international debt repayment over social spending contributed to the Ebola crisis by hampering health care in ... (AP-Excite)

Luise Rainer, first to win consecutive acting Oscars, dead at 104

4 hrs ago - Luise Rainer, a star of cinema's golden era who won back-to-back Oscars but then walked away from a glittering Hollywood career, has died. She was 104. Rainer, whose roles ranged from the 1930s German stage to television's "The Love Boat," died Tues ... (Faux News-AP)

Syriza lead over Greek conservatives narrows to three points: poll

7 hrs ago - Greek left-wing opposition party Syriza's poll lead over the ruling conservatives has narrowed slightly to 3.0 percentage points, according to a poll published after Prime Minister Antonis Samaras proposed a Jan. 25 parliamentary election. The surve ... (Reuters)

Cargo ship with 100s on board issues distress call

8 hrs ago - ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek authorities say a cargo ship believed to be carrying hundreds of migrants has issued a distress call in bad weather northwest of the Ionian island of Corfu Tuesday. Greek officials said a Greek frigate that was in the are ... (AP)

Arabs endorse Palestinian U.N. draft urging end of Israel occupation.

8 hrs ago - (Reuters) - Arab U.N. delegations on Monday endorsed a Palestinian proposal to forge a peace deal with Israel within a year and end Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories by late 2017, despite fierce Israeli and U.S. opposition. The timing fo ... (Reuters)

Secret papers: UK studied chemical weapons buildup in 1980s

9 hrs ago - By GREGORY KATZ LONDON (AP) — Newly released official papers show that former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's government considered rebuilding Britain's chemical weapons arsenal in the face of a Soviet threat in the early 1980s. The formerly sec ... (AP-Excite)

Port workers union ask for ‘key decision makers’ to join contract talks

9 hrs ago - By Karen Robes Meeks Rather than involve a federal mediator, the union representing the 20,000 dockworkers at 29 ports in Los Angeles, Long Beach and along the West Coast wants “key decision makers” involved in its contract talks with the group acti ... (Press Telegram)

Kremlin critic Navalny calls for protests after brother jailed

10 hrs ago - Russia's top opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Tuesday called for mass protests to "destroy" President Vladimir Putin's regime after a court jailed his brother in a controversial fraud case. In a lightning hearing that was abruptly brought forward ... (AFP)

Indonesia finds bodies, debris in search for missing jet: official

11 hrs ago - Indonesian rescuers saw bodies and luggage off the coast of Borneo island on Tuesday and officials said they were "95 percent sure" debris spotted in the sea was from a missing AirAsia plane with 162 people on board. Indonesia AirAsia's Flight QZ850 ... (reuters)

Indonesian officials find items resembling plane door, emergency slide in search for missing AirAsia

13 hrs ago - Agence France-Presse 30 Dec 2014 at 01:11 ET Items resembling an emergency slide, plane door and other objects were spotted during an aerial search Tuesday for missing AirAsia flight 8501, Indonesian officials said. “We spotted about 10 big obje ... (Raw Story)

AirAsia QZ8501: Smoke spotted in search for missing plane

14 hrs ago - 29 December 2014 Last updated at 23:32 ET Indonesian officials say they are sending teams to investigate reports of smoke on an island in the area where AirAsia flight QZ8501 has gone missing. *** Andriandi said the smoke was spotted on Monday by ... (BBC)

Romney eyes 2016 run for president, close friend says

14 hrs ago - A close confidante says the Republican is eyeing the White House yet again. Romney’s long-time advisor, former chairman and general counsel of Romney’s leaderships PACs Kirk Jowers, said the Republican is considering it. Romney isn’t saying yes but ... (Fox13)

State declines to fight gay marriage; licenses to be issued next week

16 hrs ago - Florida’s attorney general is getting out of the way of clerks who want to issue gay marriage licenses next week. Ten days after Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared to surrender to the notion that gay marriage would move forward in Florida, the stat ... (Palm Beach Post)

Former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke Calls GOP Majority Whip Scalise a ‘Fine Family Man’

17 hrs ago - Here’s an endorsement House Majority Whip Steve Scalise probably wasn’t looking for and doesn’t want. In a comment to The Huffington Post, white nationalist and former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan David Duke called the Republican ... (Mediaite)

Revival Of US Embassy In Tehran Is Possible, Obama Says

17 hrs ago - By MICHAEL WILNER \ 12/29/2014 18:59 WASHINGTON – More than 35 years since the American embassy in Tehran was besieged, US President Barack Obama has signaled that a renewed US presence in Iran is possible – should Iran choose to permanently curb it ... (Jerusalem Post)

Verso Union Workers Ask Federal Judge to Rule on Severance Paydate

17 hrs ago - By Joy Hollowell Severance and vacation pay owed to Verso paper workers took center court in Bangor Monday. 58 machinists from the Bucksport mill have filed a claim in federal court. === “The issue in this case is all about the timing of payment,” ... (WABI 5)

U.S. scientists to study monarch butterfly numbers for protected status

18 hrs ago - By JOHN M. GLIONNA For scientist Tierra Curry, the monarch butterfly is part of the American experience. Native to North America, once present in every U.S. state except Alaska, the insects with the distinctive and colorful wings are known for thei ... (LA Times)

Michael Grimm has decided to resign from Congress days after pleading guilty: sources

18 hrs ago - WASHINGTON — Rep. Michael Grimm has decided to resign from Congress in the wake of his guilty plea on a felony tax evasion charge, sources told the Daily News Monday night. Grimm (R-S.I.) said after he entered his plea last week that he planned to c ... (NY Daily News)

Liberia reports dozens of new Ebola cases on border

19 hrs ago - MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — Dozens of new Ebola cases have erupted in Liberia, near the border with Sierra Leone, Liberian health officials warned Monday, marking a setback amid recent improvements. The flare-up is due to a number of factors including ... (AP-Excite)

Ferry passengers recount chaos: No fire alarm, just smoke

20 hrs ago - By PAOLO SANTALUCIA, COSTAS KANTOURIS and COLLEEN BARRY BARI, Italy (AP) — There were no fire alarms at first, no knocks on the door from the crew, just thick, acrid smoke filling cabins and waking passengers on the overnight ferry from Greece to It ... (AP-Excite)

Chrysler recalls 67,000 pickup trucks

20 hrs ago - NEW YORK (AP) — Fiat Chrysler is recalling about 67,000 model year 2006 and 2007 pickups because of a problem that could allow the trucks to be started without the clutch being depressed. Chrysler said one death is associated with the problem. The N ... (AP-Excite)

Quinn signs 'revenge porn' ban into law

21 hrs ago - Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn on Monday signed a measure into law that will make it a felony to post sexually explicit videos and photos of another person online without their permission. The law is aimed at preventing a practice known as "revenge porn, ... (Chicago Tribune)

US air strike targets senior Somali militant: Pentagon

21 hrs ago - US war planes carried out a strike in southern Somalia on Monday targeting a senior leader of the Shebab militia, the Pentagon said, without giving any details of casualties. Military spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said the raid hit a target in S ... (AFP)

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