gdata.io.handleScriptLoaded({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","xmlns$blogger":"http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727105942035073880"},"updated":{"$t":"2022-12-23T09:51:04.706-08:00"},"category":[{"term":"Politics"},{"term":"Stories"},{"term":"Blog"},{"term":"Nation"},{"term":"Destination"},{"term":"Travel"},{"term":"US"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Nation Post"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"Stories,Sports,Politics,Opinion."},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/-/Blog?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d12"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/-/Blog?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d12"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/search/label/Blog"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/-/Blog/-/Blog?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026start-index\u003d13\u0026max-results\u003d12"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"uri":{"$t":"https://draft.blogger.com/profile/18150451148290448917"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//www.blogger.com/img/blogger_logo_round_35.png"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"https://draft.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"22"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"12"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727105942035073880.post-5265200223327922655"},"published":{"$t":"2018-06-04T04:18:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-06-04T04:18:18.650-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Nation"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Dancing FBI agent drops gun during backflip and shoots man in leg"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"An off-duty FBI agent accidentally shot a bystander in the leg when his gun fell from its holster as he cavorted on the dance-floor of a bar in Denver, Colorado, police said.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eVideo widely shared on Twitter shows the agent strutting his stuff and then performing a backflip.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe gun falls to the floor and, as the agent goes to grab it, fires a shot.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe fellow customer hit by the bullet was taken to hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIt is unclear if the agent, who has not been named, will face charges or disciplinary action.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe video shows that his wild moves on the dance-floor had attracted an appreciative crowd at the Mile High Spirits and Distillery bar on Saturday night.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBut the mood quickly changed when the gun went off. As shocked patrons look on, the agent retrieves his weapon, holds up his hands and leaves the floor.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDenver Police Department said the agent \"was dancing at a nightclub when his firearm became dislodged from its waistband holster and fell on to the floor. When the agent retrieved his handgun an unintended discharge occurred\".\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe statement added: \"The victim was transported to the hospital with a good prognosis.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePolice spokeswoman Marika Putnam said the agent was taken to a police station and later released to an FBI supervisor.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe Denver District Attorney's office said the incident remained under investigation.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aoX_7hXvmoQ/WxUf9HhXELI/AAAAAAAAR2E/e7Tzq2tJzPMzmgHuIAD-EKoEbRsxB24kQCLcBGAs/s1600/imac-6.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" data-original-height\u003d\"637\" data-original-width\u003d\"960\" height\u003d\"212\" src\u003d\"https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aoX_7hXvmoQ/WxUf9HhXELI/AAAAAAAAR2E/e7Tzq2tJzPMzmgHuIAD-EKoEbRsxB24kQCLcBGAs/s320/imac-6.jpg\" width\u003d\"320\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://draft.blogger.com/feeds/3727105942035073880/posts/default/5265200223327922655"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/5265200223327922655"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/2018/06/dancing-fbi-agent-drops-gun-during.html","title":"Dancing FBI agent drops gun during backflip and shoots man in leg"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"uri":{"$t":"https://draft.blogger.com/profile/18150451148290448917"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//www.blogger.com/img/blogger_logo_round_35.png"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aoX_7hXvmoQ/WxUf9HhXELI/AAAAAAAAR2E/e7Tzq2tJzPMzmgHuIAD-EKoEbRsxB24kQCLcBGAs/s72-c/imac-6.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727105942035073880.post-5020457807767329121"},"published":{"$t":"2018-06-03T21:14:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-06-03T21:14:04.979-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Nation"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The United Nations says Trump is making life harder for the poor"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Donald Trump Is \"Punishing, Imprisoning The Poor\", Says United Nations\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe US has one of the highest youth poverty rates in the developed world.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nAbout 41 million Americans live in poverty,according to government data.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfC0-36j7FY/WxS8ca1ULoI/AAAAAAAAR1U/bwiAg9iZiugoQ-z8Aa1fHNKM9eOd4jADwCLcBGAs/s1600/united-nations.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" data-original-height\u003d\"400\" data-original-width\u003d\"650\" height\u003d\"196\" src\u003d\"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfC0-36j7FY/WxS8ca1ULoI/AAAAAAAAR1U/bwiAg9iZiugoQ-z8Aa1fHNKM9eOd4jADwCLcBGAs/s320/united-nations.jpg\" width\u003d\"320\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eThe United Nations has never been shy about attacking the United States.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn recent years, U.N. officials accused the Obama administration of failing to address police brutality and sexual assault in the military. After a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year, the U.N. team tasked with monitoring the implementation of the global convention against discrimination called on high-level U.S. politicians and public officials to unequivocally reject racial hate speech.Also last year, the world body called President Donald Trump's attacks on the media \"dangerous.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNow, a top human rights investigator is criticizing the United States for failing the poor.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePhilip Alston, U.N. special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, has spent the past several months visiting impoverished communities across the United States. In one visit to Alabama, he met a family struggling to maintain their home on an income of $958 a month.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOn the day of his visit, he said, sewage was visible inches from the family's house - a reflection of their county's failing infrastructure - and mildew and mold were growing inside. Alston said he had never seen sewage problems like it in the developed world.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\"There is a human right for people to live decently,\" he said at the time, according to AL.com, an Alabama news outlet.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAlston, a New York University law professor, also paid visits to slum areas in downtown Los Angeles and Puerto Rico.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNow, ahead of a presentation to the U.N. later this month, he is criticizing the Trump administration for gutting the United States' safety net by slashing welfare benefits and access to health insurance.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\"If food stamps and access to Medicaid are removed, and housing subsidies cut, then the effect on people living on the margins will be drastic,\" he told the Guardian, saying the loss of those protections would lead to \"severe deprivation.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nAlston also lambasted the administration over its recent tax cut, saying that legislation will offer \"financial windfalls\" to the rich and large corporations, leading to even more inequality.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe government should think harder about how to help those in need rather than \"punishing and imprisoning the poor,\" he said.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\"The policies pursued over the past year seem deliberately designed to remove basic protections from the poorest, punish those who are not in employment and make even basic health care into a privilege to be earned, rather than a right of citizenship,\" Alston said.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAbout 41 million Americans live in poverty, according to government data, about 12.7 percent of the population. One in three of those are children. The United States has one of the highest youth poverty rates in the developed world.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCritics of Alston point out that those statistics are from 2016, before Trump took office. On Twitter, Alston explained his reasoning this way:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\"...The poverty figures for 2017 won't be published until Sept 2018. Poverty is a structural problem, but I strongly believe, backed up by extensive evidence, that a 1.5 trillion tax cut for the rich and the hollowing out of welfare benefits, will make things worse, not great.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003eThe White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. A U.S. official in Geneva disputed Alston's claims, saying that \"the Trump Administration has made it a priority to provide economic opportunity for all Americans.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xsZ4-S8IjJ4/WxS8KrfkWOI/AAAAAAAAR1M/ebgsUy6kqK8mfJaKZSvIM3Nn6cw2VhZvgCLcBGAs/s1600/20185a1e.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" data-original-height\u003d\"480\" data-original-width\u003d\"960\" height\u003d\"160\" src\u003d\"https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xsZ4-S8IjJ4/WxS8KrfkWOI/AAAAAAAAR1M/ebgsUy6kqK8mfJaKZSvIM3Nn6cw2VhZvgCLcBGAs/s320/20185a1e.jpg\" width\u003d\"320\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://draft.blogger.com/feeds/3727105942035073880/posts/default/5020457807767329121"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/5020457807767329121"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/2018/06/the-united-nations-says-trump-is-making.html","title":"The United Nations says Trump is making life harder for the poor"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"uri":{"$t":"https://draft.blogger.com/profile/18150451148290448917"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//www.blogger.com/img/blogger_logo_round_35.png"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfC0-36j7FY/WxS8ca1ULoI/AAAAAAAAR1U/bwiAg9iZiugoQ-z8Aa1fHNKM9eOd4jADwCLcBGAs/s72-c/united-nations.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727105942035073880.post-4398166723244150440"},"published":{"$t":"2018-06-03T20:24:00.004-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-06-03T20:24:57.933-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Nation"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stories"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Giuliani:Trump ‘Probably Does’ Have The Power To Pardon Himself,But Won’t"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cbr /\u003eGiuliani: Trump ‘Probably Does’ Have The Power To Pardon Himself, But Won’t\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe president’s lawyer also defended Trump’s shifting explanations for a 2016 Trump Tower meeting.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nPresident Donald Trump doesn’t intend to pardon himself, Rudy Giuliani said on Sunday ― but he “probably does” have the power to do so.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e“He has no intention of pardoning himself ... not to say he can’t,” Giuliani, a lawyer and adviser to Trump on the Russia probe, told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. He characterized the question of a self-pardon as a “really interesting constitutional argument.”\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e“I think the political ramifications of that would be tough,” he said. “Pardoning other people is one thing. Pardoning yourself is another.”\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nIn another Sunday interview, this one on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” Giuliani took a stronger stand on both the unlikeliness of such a move, and the possibility for political fallout.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e“It’s not going to happen,” he said, arguing that Trump had done nothing wrong that would require him to pardon himself.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHe added that “the president of the United States pardoning himself is unthinkable... it would probably lead to immediate impeachment.”\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHouse Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) also weighed in against the idea. “I don’t think a president should pardon themselves,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePreet Bharara, a former U.S. attorney fired by Trump, said on the same program that the idea of the president deciding to pardon himself as “almost self-executing impeachment.”\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGiuliani said on “Meet The Press” that Trump has the power to terminate any federal investigation, although he described such a move as “a very unrealistic thing.”\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e“The Department of Justice is a creature of the president,” he said. “I know based on presidential rulings... [the] Justice Department is given a certain amount of independence. I am tremendously in favor of it, but that’s all the president’s decision.”\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe president’s lawyer defended Trump’s shifting explanations about a meeting with Russians at Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign that included his son, Donald Trump Jr. “This is the reason you don’t let the president testify” as part of the special counsel probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, Giuliani told ABC. “Our recollection keeps changing, or we’re not even asked a question and somebody makes an assumption.” \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHe predicted that special counsel Robert Mueller would wrap up his investigation by the start of this September. “He’s as sensitive as everybody to not doing another Comey and interfering horribly in the election,” Giuliani said.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nHe was referring to then-FBI Director’s Jim Comey announcement less than two weeks before the 2016 vote that the agency was reopening aspects of its probe into Democratic candidate’s Hillary Clinton’s private use of email when she served as secretary of state. Although days later Comey said the probe was again being closed without charges being filed, Clinton has blamed his initial announcement as a key reason Trump went on to defeat her.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/giuliani-trump-probably-does-have-power-pardon-himself-but-wont_us_5b13e859e4b010565aacbc6b\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eSource\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ItqfYtI0dRY/WxSxBAEMPmI/AAAAAAAAR1A/USOovpnLmXsnsSb0sMijasfBY8IHA1YhwCLcBGAs/s1600/a2a.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" data-original-height\u003d\"394\" data-original-width\u003d\"700\" height\u003d\"180\" src\u003d\"https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ItqfYtI0dRY/WxSxBAEMPmI/AAAAAAAAR1A/USOovpnLmXsnsSb0sMijasfBY8IHA1YhwCLcBGAs/s320/a2a.jpg\" width\u003d\"320\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://draft.blogger.com/feeds/3727105942035073880/posts/default/4398166723244150440"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/4398166723244150440"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/2018/06/giulianitrump-probably-does-have-power.html","title":"Giuliani:Trump ‘Probably Does’ Have The Power To Pardon Himself,But Won’t"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"uri":{"$t":"https://draft.blogger.com/profile/18150451148290448917"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//www.blogger.com/img/blogger_logo_round_35.png"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ItqfYtI0dRY/WxSxBAEMPmI/AAAAAAAAR1A/USOovpnLmXsnsSb0sMijasfBY8IHA1YhwCLcBGAs/s72-c/a2a.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727105942035073880.post-1597247405816792553"},"published":{"$t":"2016-03-25T21:56:00.001-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-06-03T16:11:33.636-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Destination"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stories"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Travel"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"US"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Demolition Team Tears Down Wrong House."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u0026nbsp;A Texas woman has been left fuming after a demolition team accidentally tore down her home.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\nTornadoes had caused widespread damage to homes in Rowlett in December, leaving some in need of repair or even unsafe to live in.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\nLindsay Diaz was relieved after engineers said her home was structurally sound and she and begun making repairs to the property.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\nOn Tuesday, she returned home to find her duplex had been reduced to rubble.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u0026nbsp;She told CBS Dallas: \"Boom. Just like the tornado came through again.\"\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\nMs Diaz said when she went to speak to the demolition supervisor, he realised that his team should have torn down a duplex one block further along the street.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nShe claims the president of the demolition company - Billy L Nabors Demolition - has been unhelpful since the mix-up.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\nShe told CBS Dallas: \"I was hoping for an apology, I'm sorry my company did this. We'll make it better, and instead he's telling me how the insurance is going to handle it and telling me that it's going to be a nasty fight.\"\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\nSpeaking to WFAA,she added: \"How do you make a mistake like this? I mean,this is just the worst.\"\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\nThe demolition company declined to comment to media news.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir\u003d\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5Fso1P725wI/VvYWlri87nI/AAAAAAAALO4/eKllNq9IDDg/s1600/West.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e \u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5Fso1P725wI/VvYWlri87nI/AAAAAAAALO4/eKllNq9IDDg/s640/West.jpg\" /\u003e \u003c/a\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://draft.blogger.com/feeds/3727105942035073880/posts/default/1597247405816792553"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/1597247405816792553"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/2016/03/demolition-team-tears-down-wrong-house.html","title":"Demolition Team Tears Down Wrong House."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"uri":{"$t":"https://draft.blogger.com/profile/18150451148290448917"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//www.blogger.com/img/blogger_logo_round_35.png"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5Fso1P725wI/VvYWlri87nI/AAAAAAAALO4/eKllNq9IDDg/s72-c/West.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727105942035073880.post-7120582761797283328"},"published":{"$t":"2014-05-07T23:32:00.001-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-06-02T22:42:54.330-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Destination"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Politics"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stories"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Travel"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"US"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Government says no need to park recalled GM cars"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"There's no need to tell owners of recalled General Motors small cars to stop driving them, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ctable align\u003d\"center\" cellpadding\u003d\"0\" cellspacing\u003d\"0\" class\u003d\"tr-caption-container\" style\u003d\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/66/49a546da9e0f77c7cc8219bf644b0/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg\" class\u003d\"decoded\" src\u003d\"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/66/49a546da9e0f77c7cc8219bf644b0/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" /\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd class\u003d\"tr-caption\" style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003eWendi Kunkel faced ignition switch issues on her 2010 Chevy Cobalt in Rockwall, Texas. Kunkel was instructed to pull everything off her keychain, which GM contends will solve the problem. But she’s still nervous about driving her car on her 30-minute one-way commute.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\nIn a written response to two senators who asked for such an order, Foxx said engineers with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have determined it's not necessary.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nGM is recalling 2.6 million small cars worldwide to replace ignition switches that suddenly can slip out of the run position and shut off the engine. That can knock out power-assisted steering and cause drivers to lose control and crash. It also disables the air bags. GM says at least 13 people have died in crashes linked to the problem. The company has admitted knowing about the problem for at least a decade, yet failing to recall the cars until this year.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe company has told owners to remove everything from their key chains, and the reduced weight will stop the switches from slipping into the \"accessory\" or \"off\" positions.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nFoxx, responding to a letter from Democratic Sens. Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, said NHTSA engineers have examined the geometry and physics of the key, ignition switch and steering column of the GM vehicles, and they have reviewed GM's testing data.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ctable align\u003d\"center\" cellpadding\u003d\"0\" cellspacing\u003d\"0\" class\u003d\"tr-caption-container\" style\u003d\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/54/d5af6aa5954671bf2c91a52ca757fb/_h0_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg\" class\u003d\"decoded\" src\u003d\"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/54/d5af6aa5954671bf2c91a52ca757fb/_h0_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" /\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd class\u003d\"tr-caption\" style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003eThe ignition switch of a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\n\"NHTSA is satisfied that for now, until the permanent remedy is applied, the safety risk posed by the defect in affected vehicles is sufficiently mitigated by GM's recommended action,\" the letter says.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe safety agency, which is part of Foxx's department, has taken measures above and beyond normal procedures in the GM case, Foxx wrote.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe recalled cars include mainly Chevrolet Cobalts and Saturn Ions that are no longer being made. GM is in the process of shipping parts to dealers but has said it won't be done with that until October. The company is offering loaner cars to any owners with safety concerns and so far has provided about 45,000.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nBut Blumenthal and Markey disagree and say all the cars should be parked until the switches are replaced.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\"We remain extremely concerned that GM and NHTSA are not doing enough to convey the seriousness of this defect to owners of the affected cars, unnecessarily putting more lives at risk,\" the senators said in a statement Wednesday.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hPlfnOgLgBc/U2skdEiJZsI/AAAAAAAAJGc/PodvUMtTh6I/s1600/npost2.png\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hPlfnOgLgBc/U2skdEiJZsI/AAAAAAAAJGc/PodvUMtTh6I/s1600/npost2.png\" height\u003d\"200\" width\u003d\"200\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eThey also questioned why GM's initial recall notice to car owners said the ignition switches could malfunction while driving over rough terrain \"regardless of additional weight on the key ring.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nBoth senators are members of a subcommittee that is looking into GM's actions involving the switches. NHTSA and the Justice Department are also investigating, and criminal charges are possible.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nGM has said it has done 80 different tests at high speeds and on rough roads, and that with just the key in the ignition, the switches don't move out of the run position.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://draft.blogger.com/feeds/3727105942035073880/posts/default/7120582761797283328"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/7120582761797283328"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/2014/05/government-says-no-need-to-park.html","title":"Government says no need to park recalled GM cars"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"uri":{"$t":"https://draft.blogger.com/profile/18150451148290448917"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//www.blogger.com/img/blogger_logo_round_35.png"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hPlfnOgLgBc/U2skdEiJZsI/AAAAAAAAJGc/PodvUMtTh6I/s72-c/npost2.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727105942035073880.post-2860749311922674485"},"published":{"$t":"2014-05-07T23:18:00.001-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-06-02T22:42:54.291-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Destination"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Politics"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stories"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Travel"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"US"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"House votes to hold ex-IRS official in contempt"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"House Republicans voted Wednesday to hold a former Internal Revenue Service official in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify at a pair of committee hearings about her role in the agency's tea party controversy.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ctable align\u003d\"center\" cellpadding\u003d\"0\" cellspacing\u003d\"0\" class\u003d\"tr-caption-container\" style\u003d\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/8c/5b3f65d948b7d4732e79decfb9f90/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg\" class\u003d\"decoded\" src\u003d\"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/8c/5b3f65d948b7d4732e79decfb9f90/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" /\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd class\u003d\"tr-caption\" style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003eIn this May 22, 2013, photo, then-IRS official Lois Lerner is sworn in on Capitol Hill in Washington before the House Oversight Committee hearing to investigate the extra scrutiny the IRS gave to tea party and other conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\nThe House also passed a nonbinding resolution calling on the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate the IRS.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nLois Lerner directed the IRS division that processes applications for tax-exempt status. A year ago this week, Lerner publicly disclosed that agents had improperly singled out tea party applications for extra, sometimes burdensome scrutiny.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nAn inspector general's report blamed poor management but found no evidence of a political conspiracy. Many Republicans in Congress believe otherwise.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\"Who's been fired over the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS? No one that I'm aware of,\" House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Wednesday. \"Who's gone to jail for violating the law? When is the administration going to tell the American people the truth?\"\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nHouse Democrats said Wednesday's voting was little more than an election-year ploy to fire up the GOP base.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\"Instead of passing bipartisan legislation to create more jobs, reform immigration, raise the minimum wage or address any number of issues that affect our constituents every single day, House Republicans are spending this entire week trying to manufacture scandals for political purposes,\" said Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\"Welcome to witch hunt week,\" said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe vote to hold Lerner in contempt of Congress was 231 to 187, with all Republicans voting in favor and all but a few Democrats voting against.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nLerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions at a pair of hearings by the Oversight Committee. House Republicans say she waived her constitutional right by making an opening statement in which she proclaimed her innocence.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe matter now goes to Ronald Machen, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Federal law says Machen has a \"duty\" to bring the matter before a grand jury. But a report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service said it was unclear whether the duty is mandatory or discretionary. Machen was appointed to his job by President Barack Obama.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\"We will carefully review the report from the speaker of the House and take whatever action is appropriate,\" Machen's office said in a statement.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe vote calling on the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel was 250 to 168, with all Republicans voting in favor and most Democrats voting against.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nAttorney General Eric Holder has denied previous requests to appoint a special counsel, saying it was unwarranted.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThree congressional committees and the Justice Department have spent much of the past year investigating the IRS over its handling of applications for tax-exempt status.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nSo far, the congressional investigations have revealed that IRS officials in Washington were more involved in handling the applications than the agency initially acknowledged.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nHowever, the investigations have not publicly established that anyone outside the IRS knew about the targeting or directed it.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nCummings released a report this week saying House Oversight Committee investigators have interviewed 39 witnesses, and found no involvement by the White House and no political conspiracy by IRS officials. Instead, many IRS witnesses said they lacked clear guidance from management on how to handle tea party applications, the report said.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\"Who told Lois Lerner to target conservative Americans?\" Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., said at a news conference sponsored by several tea party groups. \"That's what we don't know. That's what we need to know.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nLerner sat for a lengthy interview with Justice Department investigators, said her lawyer, William W. Taylor III. The interview was done \"without conditions,\" he said.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nLerner wouldn't answer questions before the Oversight Committee because, Taylor said, committee Republicans were only looking to vilify her in front of TV cameras.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\"It was clear that the majority would conduct the hearing without any sense of decorum or fairness,\" Taylor told reporters in March.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nOn Wednesday, Taylor said in a statement: \"Today's vote has nothing to do with the facts or the law. Its only purpose is to keep the baseless IRS `conspiracy' alive through the midterm elections.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\"Ms. Lerner has not committed contempt of Congress. She did not waive her Fifth Amendment rights by proclaiming her innocence,\" Taylor added.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nOn May 10, 2013, Lerner was speaking at a Washington law conference when she made the agency's first public acknowledgment of the tea party controversy. At the time, Lerner publicly apologized on behalf of the agency.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nMost of the groups were applying for tax-exempt status as social welfare organizations. Agents were scrutinizing the applications to measure how much the groups were involved in politics.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nIRS regulations say social welfare groups may engage in electoral politics, but it may not be their primary mission.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nAbout two weeks after Lerner's public revelation, she was subpoenaed to appear at a House Oversight Committee hearing. Lerner read an opening statement, saying she did nothing wrong, broke no laws and never lied to Congress. Then she refused to answer lawmakers' further questions, citing her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3uDHG8-sw1o/U2sjHamGT0I/AAAAAAAAJGQ/EQxXu6sbMiQ/s1600/npost.png\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3uDHG8-sw1o/U2sjHamGT0I/AAAAAAAAJGQ/EQxXu6sbMiQ/s1600/npost.png\" height\u003d\"200\" width\u003d\"200\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe next day Lerner was placed on paid leave. She retired from the IRS last fall, ending a 34-year career in the federal government, including work at the Justice Department and Federal Election Commission.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe Oversight Committee later ruled in a party-line vote that Lerner forfeited her constitutional right not to testify by making an opening statement. All Republicans voted in favor while all Democrats voted against.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nCommittee Democrats have compiled a list of constitutional experts who say the contempt case is weak. Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., countered with a memo from the House general counsel's office saying there is a legal foundation for holding Lerner in contempt.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b33Abi4x07E/U2shq0obY_I/AAAAAAAAJGE/sJMFxTjUEK0/s1600/grey.png\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b33Abi4x07E/U2shq0obY_I/AAAAAAAAJGE/sJMFxTjUEK0/s1600/grey.png\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://draft.blogger.com/feeds/3727105942035073880/posts/default/2860749311922674485"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/2860749311922674485"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/2014/05/house-votes-to-hold-ex-irs-official-in.html","title":"House votes to hold ex-IRS official in contempt"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"uri":{"$t":"https://draft.blogger.com/profile/18150451148290448917"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//www.blogger.com/img/blogger_logo_round_35.png"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3uDHG8-sw1o/U2sjHamGT0I/AAAAAAAAJGQ/EQxXu6sbMiQ/s72-c/npost.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727105942035073880.post-710812971568766652"},"published":{"$t":"2014-05-07T22:38:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-06-03T15:58:25.339-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Destination"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Travel"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"This Email Shows Google And NSA's Close Working Relationship"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\nIf Google wasn't cooperating with the National Security Agency's spying program, as the company has vehemently claimed\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/07/mark-zuckerberg-larry-page-prism_n_3405382.html\" sl-processed\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #60b8d7; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\" target\u003d\"_hplink\"\u003eagain\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/04/google-eric-schmidt-nsa-spying_n_4211785.html\" sl-processed\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #60b8d7; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\" target\u003d\"_hplink\"\u003eagain\u003c/a\u003e, why were the guys in charge of each organization emailing so much in 2011 and 2012?\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\n\u003cimg height\u003d\"400\" src\u003d\"http://24.media.tumblr.com/a9d051a9a60632bac9c2be981875e5d1/tumblr_n5674rSQ4t1s8na7jo1_1280.jpg\" width\u003d\"640\" /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\nThat's the question raised by a series of emails between then-NSA director Keith Alexander and Google chairman Eric Schmidt and co-founder Sergey Brin starting in late 2011. The emails were\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/5/6/nsa-chief-google.html\" sl-processed\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #60b8d7; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\" target\u003d\"_hplink\"\u003epublished by Al Jazeera America\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;on Tuesday.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\nThe correspondence suggests a close relationship between the NSA and Google before former\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/14/nsa-snowden-documents_n_4276708.html\" sl-processed\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #60b8d7; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\" target\u003d\"_hplink\"\u003eNSA contractor Edward Snowden\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;ever leaked documents detailing the agency's online spying efforts. One of the two email chains describe a meeting between the NSA director and Google executives near an airport in San Jose, Calif.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\n\"When we reach this point in our projects we schedule a classified briefing for the CEO’s of key companies to provide them a brief on the specific threats we believe can be mitigated and to seek their commitment for their organization to move ahead,\" Alexander wrote in June 2012 email to Schmidt. \"Google’s participation in refinement, engineering and deployment of the solutions will be essential.”\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\nWhen Schmidt wasn't able to attend, he enthusiastically responded, \"Would love to see you another time. Thank you !\" See the entire message below:\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\n\u003cimg alt\u003d\"nsa google\" src\u003d\"http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1779156/thumbs/o-NSA-GOOGLE-570.jpg?1\" /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong style\u003d\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\u003cbig style\u003d\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/5/6/nsa-chief-google.html\" sl-processed\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #60b8d7; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\" target\u003d\"_hplink\"\u003eYou can read the full email exchanges over at Al Jazeera\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/big\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\n\"We work really hard to protect our users from cyber attacks and we talk to outside experts, including occasionally in the US government, to ensure we stay ahead of the game,\" a Google spokesperson told The Huffington Post. The company provided the same comment to Al Jazeera America.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\nGoogle executives have maintained\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nsa-infiltrates-links-to-yahoo-google-data-centers-worldwide-snowden-documents-say/2013/10/30/e51d661e-4166-11e3-8b74-d89d714ca4dd_story.html?Post+generic\u003d%3Ftid%3Dsm_twitter_washingtonpost\" sl-processed\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #60b8d7; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\" target\u003d\"_hplink\"\u003esince the Snowden revelations\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp;that the search giant does not give the U.S. government access to its servers and the personal information of its users unless it is legally compelled to. If the government\u0026nbsp;\u003cem style\u003d\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003edoes\u003c/em\u003e\u0026nbsp;have such access, Google does not know about it,\u0026nbsp;\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/04/google-eric-schmidt-nsa-spying_n_4211785.html\" sl-processed\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #60b8d7; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;\" target\u003d\"_hplink\"\u003eSchmidt publicly stated in November\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\nThese emails don't directly contradict that claim by Google. But they do suggest a cozier relationship between Silicon Valley and the state than the Googling public should be comfortable with.\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-icqJjcPpVNw/U2sYIk7hjKI/AAAAAAAAJFI/4BDt5Ksejf8/s1600/src.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-icqJjcPpVNw/U2sYIk7hjKI/AAAAAAAAJFI/4BDt5Ksejf8/s1600/src.jpg\" height\u003d\"400\" width\u003d\"640\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; direction: ltr; font-family: Georgia, Century, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;\"\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://draft.blogger.com/feeds/3727105942035073880/posts/default/710812971568766652"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/710812971568766652"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/2014/05/this-email-shows-google-and-nsas-close.html","title":"This Email Shows Google And NSA's Close Working Relationship"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"uri":{"$t":"https://draft.blogger.com/profile/18150451148290448917"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//www.blogger.com/img/blogger_logo_round_35.png"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-icqJjcPpVNw/U2sYIk7hjKI/AAAAAAAAJFI/4BDt5Ksejf8/s72-c/src.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727105942035073880.post-5057868193023588170"},"published":{"$t":"2014-05-07T20:01:00.001-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-06-03T15:57:26.945-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Nation"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Destination"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stories"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Travel"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Colorado lawmakers approve plan for pot banking"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cblockquote class\u003d\"tr_bq\"\u003e\nColorado lawmakers approved the world's first financial system for the marijuana industry Wednesday, a network of uninsured cooperatives designed to give pot businesses a way to access basic banking services.\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N7dP-w_6rYs/U2r34hIHImI/AAAAAAAAJEw/GFME2glpu0Y/s1600/3.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N7dP-w_6rYs/U2r34hIHImI/AAAAAAAAJEw/GFME2glpu0Y/s1600/3.jpg\" height\u003d\"112\" width\u003d\"200\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe plan seeks to move the marijuana industry away from its cash-only roots. Banks routinely reject pot businesses for even basic services such as checking accounts because they fear running afoul of federal law, which considers marijuana and its proceeds illegal.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe result: Pot shop owners deal in large amounts of cash, which makes them targets for criminals. Or they try to find ways around the problem, like drenching their proceeds in air freshener to remove the stink of marijuana and try to fool traditional banks into accepting their money.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\"This is our main problem: Financial services for marijuana businesses,\" said Sen. David Balmer, R-Centennial. \"We are trying to improvise and come up with something in Colorado to give marijuana business some opportunity, so they do not have to store large amounts of cash.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nColorado became the first state to allow recreational pot sales, which started Jan. 1. Washington state will follow suit, with retail sales expect to start in July.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe U.S. Treasury Department said in February that banks could serve the marijuana industry under certain conditions. With the industry emerging from the underground, states want to track marijuana sales and collect taxes. It's a lot easier to do that when the businesses have bank accounts.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nBut most banks have shrugged at the Treasury guidelines, calling them too onerous to accept marijuana-related clients. The result is a marijuana industry that still relies largely on cash, a safety risk for operators and a concern for Colorado's pot regulators.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\"This is not something that we can wait for any further,\" said another banking sponsor, Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe bill approved Wednesday would allow marijuana businesses to pool money in cooperative s, but the co-ops would on take effect if the U.S. Federal Reserve agrees to allow them to do things like accept credit cards or checks.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nDemocratic Gov. John Hickenlooper supports the pot bank plan and is expected to sign it into law, though a spokesman said Wednesday the governor had yet to review the final language.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nLawmakers from both parties supported the banking co-ops as a way to properly audit marijuana shops and to make sure they're paying all their taxes. Dispensary owners came to the Capitol this session to tell of their difficulties paying taxes and utilities in cash and the dangers of dealing in cash.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ctable cellpadding\u003d\"0\" cellspacing\u003d\"0\" class\u003d\"tr-caption-container\" style\u003d\"float: left; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xQk0eLBf6-4/U2r4BP9quJI/AAAAAAAAJE4/LxfQ0UDTiH0/s1600/4.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xQk0eLBf6-4/U2r4BP9quJI/AAAAAAAAJE4/LxfQ0UDTiH0/s1600/4.jpg\" height\u003d\"112\" width\u003d\"200\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd class\u003d\"tr-caption\" style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003eRobin Goldfarb smokes\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u0026nbsp;marijuana in Denver on April 19, 2014.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\n\"It is very easy to see somebody get killed over this issue,\" Marijuana Industry Group Director Michael Elliott testified last month.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe plan had bipartisan support, though some Republicans said that the effort won't pass federal muster.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nA few banks are accepting marijuana clients in light of the federal regulations.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nNumerica Credit Union in eastern Washington state is accepting limited business from marijuana growers and processors, The Spokesman-Review reported Wednesday.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nColorado pot shop owners say a small number of credit unions will do business with them, too, though no banks or credit unions have said so publicly.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nCountries that don't ban marijuana don't have banking systems unique to the drug."},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://draft.blogger.com/feeds/3727105942035073880/posts/default/5057868193023588170"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/5057868193023588170"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/2014/05/colorado-lawmakers-approve-plan-for-pot.html","title":"Colorado lawmakers approve plan for pot banking"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"uri":{"$t":"https://draft.blogger.com/profile/18150451148290448917"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//www.blogger.com/img/blogger_logo_round_35.png"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N7dP-w_6rYs/U2r34hIHImI/AAAAAAAAJEw/GFME2glpu0Y/s72-c/3.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727105942035073880.post-7428961351407413386"},"published":{"$t":"2014-04-22T08:17:00.001-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-06-03T15:59:04.422-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Destination"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Politics"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stories"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"US court upholds ban on race decisions"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the state of Michigan's ban on using race as a factor in college admissions.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CTEB9WW-ZpI/U2sZyQkxg5I/AAAAAAAAJFU/fM0tiiCVy9E/s1600/logo-4.png\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CTEB9WW-ZpI/U2sZyQkxg5I/AAAAAAAAJFU/fM0tiiCVy9E/s1600/logo-4.png\" height\u003d\"200\" width\u003d\"320\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\nThe justices said in a 6-2 ruling that Michigan voters had the right to change their state constitution in 2006 to prohibit public colleges and universities from taking account of race in admissions decisions. The justices said that a lower federal court was wrong to set aside the change as discriminatory.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nJustice Anthony Kennedy said voters chose to eliminate racial preferences, known as affirmative action, presumably because such a system could give rise to race-based resentment.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nKennedy said nothing in the U.S. Constitution or the court's prior cases gives judges the authority to undermine the election results.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\"This case is not about how the debate about racial preferences should be resolved. It is about who may resolve it,\" Kennedy said.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDTbL0W-8m0/U1aH6QM4C6I/AAAAAAAAJAM/trpk6FRG8jk/s1600/kyup9tx4.png\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZDTbL0W-8m0/U1aH6QM4C6I/AAAAAAAAJAM/trpk6FRG8jk/s1600/kyup9tx4.png\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eIn dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the decision tramples on the rights of minorities, even though the amendment was adopted democratically. \"But without checks, democratically approved legislation can oppress minority groups,\" said Sotomayor, who read her dissent aloud in the courtroom Tuesday. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg sided with Sotomayor in dissent.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nAt 58 pages, Sotomayor's dissent was longer than the combined length of the four opinions in support of the outcome.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nChief Justice John Roberts and Justices Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas agreed with Kennedy.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nJustice Elena Kagan did not take part in the case, presumably because she worked on it at an earlier stage while serving in the Justice Department.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nIn 2003, the Supreme Court upheld the consideration of race among many factors in college admissions in a case from Michigan.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThree years later, affirmative action opponents persuaded Michigan voters to change the state constitution to outlaw any consideration of race.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the issue was not affirmative action, but the way in which its opponents went about trying to bar it.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nIn its 8-7 decision, the appeals court said the provision ran afoul of the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment because it presents an extraordinary burden to affirmative action supporters who would have to mount their own long, expensive campaign to repeal the constitutional provision.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nSimilar voter-approved initiatives banning affirmative action in education are in place in California and Washington state. A few other states have adopted laws or issued executive orders to bar race-conscious admissions policies.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nBlack and Latino enrollment at the University of Michigan has dropped since the ban took effect. At California's top public universities, African-Americans are a smaller share of incoming freshmen, while Latino enrollment is up slightly, but far below the state's growth in the percentage of Latino high school graduates.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://draft.blogger.com/feeds/3727105942035073880/posts/default/7428961351407413386"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/7428961351407413386"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/2014/04/us-court-upholds-ban-on-race-decisions.html","title":"US court upholds ban on race decisions"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"uri":{"$t":"https://draft.blogger.com/profile/18150451148290448917"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//www.blogger.com/img/blogger_logo_round_35.png"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CTEB9WW-ZpI/U2sZyQkxg5I/AAAAAAAAJFU/fM0tiiCVy9E/s72-c/logo-4.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727105942035073880.post-8096220161194318729"},"published":{"$t":"2014-04-22T07:59:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-06-03T15:59:04.425-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Nation"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Destination"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stories"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"E-cig industry awaits looming federal regulation"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"RICHMOND, Va.-Smokers are increasingly turning to battery-powered electronic cigarettes to get their nicotine fix. They're about to find out what federal regulators have to say about the popular devices.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LCpDIFpETb4/U1aEZ7DguUI/AAAAAAAAJAA/W27dxGLSf5k/s1600/plogon.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LCpDIFpETb4/U1aEZ7DguUI/AAAAAAAAJAA/W27dxGLSf5k/s1600/plogon.jpg\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe Food and Drug Administration will propose rules for e-cigarettes as early as this month. The rules will have big implications for a fast-growing, largely unregulated industry and its legions of customers.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nRegulators aim to answer the burning question posed by Kenneth Warner, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health: \"Is this going to be the disruptive technology that finally takes us in the direction of getting rid of cigarettes?\"\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe FDA faces a balancing act. If the regulations are too strict, they could kill an industry that offers a hope of being safer than cigarettes and potentially helping smokers quit them. But the agency also has to be sure e-cigarettes really are safer and aren't hooking children on an addictive drug.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nMembers of Congress and several public health groups have raised safety concerns over e-cigarettes, questioned their marketing tactics and called on regulators to address those worries quickly.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nHere's a primer on e-cigarettes and their future:\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eWHAT ARE E-CIGARETTES?\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nE-cigarettes are plastic or metal tubes, usually the size of a cigarette, that heat a liquid nicotine solution instead of burning tobacco. That creates vapor that users inhale.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nSmokers like e-cigarettes because the nicotine-infused vapor looks like smoke but doesn't contain the thousands of chemicals, tar or odor of regular cigarettes. Some smokers use e-cigarettes as a way to quit smoking tobacco, or to cut down.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe industry started on the Internet and at shopping-mall kiosks and has rocketed from thousands of users in 2006 to several million worldwide who can choose from more than 200 brands. Sales are estimated to have reached nearly $2 billion in 2013.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nTobacco company executives have noted that they are eating into traditional cigarette sales. Their companies have jumped into the business.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThere's not much scientific evidence showing e-cigarettes help smokers quit or smoke less, and it's unclear how safe they are.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eWHAT IS THE FDA LIKELY TO DO?\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe FDA is likely to propose restrictions that mirror those on regular cigarettes.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe most likely of the FDA's actions will be to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to people under 18. Many companies already restrict sales to minors, and more than two dozen states already have banned selling them to young people.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nFederal regulators also are expected to set product standards and require companies to disclose their ingredients and place health warning labels on packages and other advertising.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nWhere the real questions remain is how the agency will treat the thousands of flavors available for e-cigarettes. While some companies are limiting offerings to tobacco and menthol flavors, others are selling candy-like flavors like cherry and strawberry.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nFlavors other than menthol are banned for regular cigarettes over concerns that flavored tobacco targets children.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nRegulators also must determine if they'll treat various designs for electronic cigarettes differently.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nSome, known as \"cig-a-likes,\" look like traditional cigarettes and use sealed cartridges that hold liquid nicotine. Others have empty compartments or tanks that users can fill their own liquid. The latter has raised safety concerns because ingesting the liquid or absorbing it through the skin could lead to nicotine poisoning. To prevent that, the FDA could mandate child-resistant packaging.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe FDA also will decide the grandfather date that would allow electronic cigarette products to remain on the market without getting prior approval from regulators — a ruling that could force some, if not all, e-cigarettes to be pulled from store shelves while they are evaluated by the agency.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe regulations will be a step in a long process that many believe will ultimately end up being challenged in court.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eWHAT ABOUT MARKETING?\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThere are a few limitations on marketing. Companies can't tout e-cigarettes as stop-smoking aids, unless they want to be regulated by the FDA under stricter rules for drug-delivery devices. But many are sold as \"cigarette alternatives.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe FDA's proposals could curb advertising on TV, radio and billboards, ban sponsorship of concerts and sporting events, and prohibit branded items such as shirts and hats. The agency also could limit sales over the Internet and require retailers to move e-cigarettes behind the counter.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eWHAT DOES THE INDUSTRY THINK?\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe industry expects regulations, but hopes they won't force products off shelves and will keep the business viable.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nE-cigarette makers especially want the FDA to allow them to continue marketing and catering to adult smokers — some of whom want flavors other than tobacco. They believe e-cigarettes present an opportunity to offer smokers an alternative and, as NJOY Inc. CEO Craig Weiss says, make cigarettes obsolete.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\"FDA can't just say no to electronic cigarettes anymore. I think they also understand it's the lesser of the two evils,\" said James Xu, owner of several Avail Vapor shops, whose wooden shelves are lined with vials of liquid nicotine flavor, such as Gold Rush, Cowboy Cut and Forbidden Fruit.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eWHAT DO PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS THINK?\u003c/b\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nSome believe lightly regulating electronic cigarettes might actually be better for public health overall, if smokers switch and e-cigarettes really are safer. Others are raising alarms about the hazards of the products and a litany of questions about whether e-cigarettes will keep smokers addicted or encourage others to start using e-cigarettes, and even eventually tobacco products.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\"This is a very complicated issue and we must be quite careful how we proceed,\" said David Abrams, executive director of the Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at the American Legacy Foundation, in a recent panel discussion. \"I call this sort of the Goldilocks approach.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe regulation must be just right. The porridge can't be too hot, and it can't be too cold.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ctable align\u003d\"center\" cellpadding\u003d\"0\" cellspacing\u003d\"0\" class\u003d\"tr-caption-container\" style\u003d\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"In this Jan. 17, 2014 file photo, a smoker demonstrates an e-cigarette in Wichita Falls, Texas. Soon, the Food and Drug Administration will propose rules for e-cigarettes. The rules will have big implications for a fast-growing industry and its legions of customers.\" class\u003d\"image\" src\u003d\"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/88/2d38b1a51a3edb9a2b6b4fdb73c3/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg\" data-src\u003d\"{\u0026quot;default\u0026quot;:\u0026quot;http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/88/2d38b1a51a3edb9a2b6b4fdb73c3/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg\u0026quot;}\" style\u003d\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" width\u003d\"628\" /\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd class\u003d\"tr-caption\" style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003eIn this Jan. 17, 2014 file photo, a smoker demonstrates an e-cigarette in Wichita Falls, Texas. Soon, the Food and Drug Administration will propose rules for e-cigarettes. The rules will have big implications for a fast-growing industry and its legions of customers.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://draft.blogger.com/feeds/3727105942035073880/posts/default/8096220161194318729"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/8096220161194318729"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/2014/04/e-cig-industry-awaits-looming-federal.html","title":"E-cig industry awaits looming federal regulation"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"uri":{"$t":"https://draft.blogger.com/profile/18150451148290448917"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//www.blogger.com/img/blogger_logo_round_35.png"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LCpDIFpETb4/U1aEZ7DguUI/AAAAAAAAJAA/W27dxGLSf5k/s72-c/plogon.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727105942035073880.post-4036106044019512322"},"published":{"$t":"2014-04-09T07:42:00.002-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-06-03T15:59:04.408-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Destination"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stories"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"US"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"School Stabbing Spree: 20 Hurt in Pittsburgh-Area Bloodbath"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u0026nbsp;A student went on a stabbing rampage through the classrooms and halls of a high school outside Pittsburgh on Wednesday morning, authorities said. As many as 20 students were hurt, some with life-threatening injuries.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cimg class\u003d\"irc_mut\" src\u003d\"http://media3.s-nbcnews.com/i/newscms/2014_15/311866/140409-school-stabbing-9a_3c484dbc4a4e3d4e6f804555d127f3d8.jpg\" height\u003d\"357\" id\u003d\"irc_mi\" style\u003d\"margin-top: 0px;\" width\u003d\"640\" /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe student was in custody and being questioned by police, said Dan Stevens, a Westmoreland County emergency management spokesman. The student is a sophomore, the county confirmed to NBC News. Stevens said that the motive was unclear.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe attack happened at Franklin Regional High School, in the suburb of Murrysville, just after doors opened for the day. A student described panic in the halls.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n“I was walking into the school and a stampede of people were running after me,” said the student, Kari Lee, who said several of her friends had been knifed. “They were screaming, ‘Go to your cars! Go to your cars! Someone is stabbing people!’”\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nSeven teenagers and an adult were taken to Forbes Regional Hospital, Dr. Chris Kauffman, the trauma director there, told NBC News. The seven were stabbed in the chest, back and abdomen, he said. He characterized some of the injuries as life-threatening but said everyone was expected to live.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nAt least two of the students were in surgery. Others were undergoing CT scans and X-rays and could require surgery later.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n“These are quite serious injuries,” Kauffman told CNN. “These are not superficial in nature.”\u003cbr /\u003e\nReese Jackson, president and CEO of the hospital, said that one of the victims may have saved the life of another.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n“A surgeon came out and congratulated one of the victims by saying she had saved the person’s life by applying pressure to the person’s wound,” Jackson told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nOne hospital reported that it had a patient as old as 60.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nStevens told WPXI, the NBC affiliate in Pittsburgh, that the first call for help from the school came at 7:13 a.m. The situation was under control by 7:30 to 7:40, he said.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nAmbulances swarmed the parking lot of the high school, and nearby streets were sealed off.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe school district said that high school students and middle school students nearby were “secure,” and that elementary school had been canceled for the day. Parents were asked to report to an elementary school to pick up their children.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nStudents who drove to school were not allowed to drive home without a parent, according to the district.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nThe high school has about 1,200 students. Murrysville, about 20 miles east of Pittsburgh, is a city of 21,000. Renatta Signorini, a reporter for the Tribune Review newspaper, told MSNBC that it is a city with low crime.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LCpDIFpETb4/U1aEZ7DguUI/AAAAAAAAJAE/nYbPZ4-FHLE/s1600/plogon.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LCpDIFpETb4/U1aEZ7DguUI/AAAAAAAAJAE/nYbPZ4-FHLE/s1600/plogon.jpg\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eShe said that the schools there do not have metal detectors but have been updating their security procedures.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nGov. Tom Corbett said that he was shocked and saddened. He said he had directed the Pennsylvania State Police to help and would make other state resources available."},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://draft.blogger.com/feeds/3727105942035073880/posts/default/4036106044019512322"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/4036106044019512322"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/2014/04/school-stabbing-spree-20-hurt-in.html","title":"School Stabbing Spree: 20 Hurt in Pittsburgh-Area Bloodbath"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"uri":{"$t":"https://draft.blogger.com/profile/18150451148290448917"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//www.blogger.com/img/blogger_logo_round_35.png"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LCpDIFpETb4/U1aEZ7DguUI/AAAAAAAAJAE/nYbPZ4-FHLE/s72-c/plogon.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3727105942035073880.post-5415337857578616576"},"published":{"$t":"2013-10-13T14:29:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2018-06-03T15:59:38.870-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Blog"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Nation"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Destination"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Stories"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Travel"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"US"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Canadian eco activist pleads guilty to US arsons"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LCpDIFpETb4/U1aEZ7DguUI/AAAAAAAAJAE/nYbPZ4-FHLE/s1600/plogon.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LCpDIFpETb4/U1aEZ7DguUI/AAAAAAAAJAE/nYbPZ4-FHLE/s1600/plogon.jpg\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\nPORTLAND, Oregon-A Canadian environmentalist pleaded guilty Thursday to setting a string of fires across the U.S. West that torched a ski resort and other buildings in what the Justice Department has called the \"largest eco-terrorism case\" in U.S. history.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003ctable align\u003d\"center\" cellpadding\u003d\"0\" cellspacing\u003d\"0\" class\u003d\"tr-caption-container\" style\u003d\"float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cimg abp\u003d\"108\" alt\u003d\"Canadian pleads guilty to arson in US west: Rebecca Rubin\" class\u003d\"image articleimage\" data-class\u003d\"img1\" src\u003d\"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/3b/5330c694195d47268a64def967119/_h0_w295_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg\" style\u003d\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" /\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd class\u003d\"tr-caption\" style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd class\u003d\"tr-caption\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cspan abp\u003d\"107\" class\u003d\"media hover\" style\u003d\"clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\nRebecca Rubin, who surrendered to authorities a year ago after a decade on the run, was accused of helping the Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front carry out 20 acts of arson across several U.S. states between 1996 and 2001.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nRubin, 40, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of arson and conspiracy as part of a plea deal that prosecutors said could see her spend between five and 7½ years in prison. She is scheduled to be sentenced in Portland Jan. 27.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nProsecutors have said that the arson campaign stood out for the number of fires set and damage caused, which was estimated at more than $40 million. The charges against Rubin were consolidated from cases filed in Oregon, Colorado and California.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nRubin, shackled at the ankles and wearing blue prison togs, pleaded guilty of involvement in an arson attack on the Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse Facility near Burns, Oregon, in 1998 and a similar facility in California in 2001. The horses were released in both incidents.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nShe also admitted involvement in the attempted arson of U.S. Forest Service Industries in Medford, Oregon, and pleaded guilty to eight counts of arson for the 1998 torching of a Vail ski resort in Colorado.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nAssistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Peifer said the Vail plan \"was motivated by environment and animal welfare concerns\" and that she had carried fuel up the mountain, where it was hidden in the snow for later use. She did not participate in the actual arson that took place later, he said.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nRubin did not speak in court other than to enter her pleas and to repeatedly say that she understood all the proceedings and provisions of her agreement and was not coerced.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\nIn 2007, 10 other defendants in the group pleaded guilty to various counts and received prison terms from 37 to 156 months. Two others charged in the case remain at large.\u003cbr /\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://draft.blogger.com/feeds/3727105942035073880/posts/default/5415337857578616576"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/feeds/posts/default/5415337857578616576"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.nationpost.publimetro.us/2013/10/canadian-eco-activist-pleads-guilty-to.html","title":"Canadian eco activist pleads guilty to US arsons"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"uri":{"$t":"https://draft.blogger.com/profile/18150451148290448917"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"35","height":"35","src":"//www.blogger.com/img/blogger_logo_round_35.png"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LCpDIFpETb4/U1aEZ7DguUI/AAAAAAAAJAE/nYbPZ4-FHLE/s72-c/plogon.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}}]}});