Mainstream News

Detroit police’s simulated purse snatching goes awry

"An FBI agent almost shot a Detroit cop on Wednesday at a gas station while filling up. The idea was to simulate a purse snatching and then invite a TV crew to film your reaction Detroit. 'The event takes place. The officer takes the purse, runs around the gas station. As he's running, an off-duty FBI agent is pumping gas. He witnesses the whole thing. He gives chase. He pulls his weapon, and as he turns the corner around the gas station, he's stopped by another officer, who identifies herself as a police officer and don't shoot, don't shoot, this is a scenario,' said Inspector Shawn Gargalino with the Detroit Police Department." Continue reading →

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Collection of phone records stirs debate: Valuable tool or ‘beyond Orwellian’?

"Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the program helped to disrupt 'terrorist plots' on U.S. soil. 'It is lawful,' the California Democrat insisted. 'It has been briefed by Congress.' Reps. Mike Rogers and Dutch Ruppersberger, the two top Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, both stressed that 'this important collection tool does not allow the government to eavesdrop' and that it is routinely reviewed by Congress. White House spokesman Josh Earnest further stressed the importance of ensuring 'we have the tools we need to confront the threat posted by terrorists (and to) protect the homeland.'" Continue reading →

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Margin Debt Hits Record High

"Investors ramped up their borrowing against brokerage accounts in April, taking margin debt to its highest-ever level. Investors borrowed $384.4 billion against their investments in April, a 1.3% gain from the previous month, and a 29% rise from the same month last year, according to the New York Stock Exchange. The rising level of debt is seen as a measure of investor confidence, as investors are more willing to take out debt against investments when shares are rising and they have more value in their portfolios to borrow against. The latest rise has been fueled by low interest rates and a 15% year-to-date stock-market rally." Continue reading →

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Tests Show 0.00% BAC, Retired Firefighter Arrested For DUI & Car Impounded Anyway

"The police documents show the drug recognition officer wrote, 'I conducted an evaluation of Jessie, in my opinion Jessie was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.' According the documents from the Surprise Police Department, the blood analysis showed no drugs were detected in Thornton's blood. Jessie's car had been impounded and the MVD notified of the DUI charge. 'I then get this message that my license is being suspended and I have to take some sort of drinking class or something,' said Thornton. According to the police documents, Thornton was later released to his wife. Thornton now claims this wasn't DUI. 'It was driving while black,' said Thornton." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTests Show 0.00% BAC, Retired Firefighter Arrested For DUI & Car Impounded Anyway

Army Vet: Police Raided Wrong Apartment, Found No Drugs, Killed His Dog

"Adam Arroyo has lived in his Breckenridge apartment for three years but has never experienced a day like this past Monday; when police busted down his door in search of drugs, shooting and killing his dog in the process. When Arroyo returned home Monday evening he found his apartment torn apart, door busted down and several bullet holes in his kitchen wall. Arroyo is a combat veteran who served in Iraq and plans to join the National Guard. This incident, however has left him heart-broken and angry. Arroyo now has to pay to have Cindy cremated. He also had to repair his door at his own cost and has had to miss work." Continue reading →

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Jury Nullification Advocate Out Of Jail, Files Federal Lawsuit Against Judge

"Mark Schmidter is a free man after spending 104 days in the Orange County Jail. He was convicted late last year of indirect criminal contempt by Chief Judge Belvin Perry for handing out flyers at the Orange County Courthouse in the months leading up to and during the Casey Anthony trial. He says his fight over free speech is not over. Those flyers explained the right of jurors to nullify convictions if they thought the law was wrong, even if a defendant had committed the crime. Schmidter says he will jump right back into the fray now that he has served his time." Continue reading →

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CIA didn’t always know who it was killing in drone strikes, classified documents show

"About one of every four of those killed by drones in Pakistan between Sept. 3, 2010, and Oct. 30, 2011, were classified as 'other militants,' the documents detail. The 'other militants' label was used when the CIA could not determine the affiliation of those killed, prompting questions about how the agency could conclude they were a threat to U.S. national security. The uncertainty appears to arise from the use of so-called 'signature' strikes to eliminate suspected terrorists -- picking targets based in part on their behavior and associates. A former White House official said the U.S. sometimes executes people based on 'circumstantial evidence.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCIA didn’t always know who it was killing in drone strikes, classified documents show

Former Mexico president calls for marijuana legalization

"Ex-president Vicente Fox says Mexico should legalize marijuana to steal business back from violent drug cartels — and when it’s legal, he’s in (as a grower). 'Once it is legitimate and legal, of course, I do some farming. I can do it myself,' the conservative former leader said from his ranch in San Francisco del Rincon. Fox, a former Coca-Cola executive who was president from 2000-2006, surprised many when he was among early voices in Mexico calling for illegal drugs to be legalized, seeing it as the only way to break the cycle of violent crime. 'Mexico should become an authorized producer, and export marijuana to places where it is already legal,' argued Fox." Continue reading →

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New York ‘soccer mom’ accused of $3 million marijuana operation

"Andrea Sanderlin was described by friends and neighbours in the upmarket town of Scarsdale as a 'soccer mom' who drove a Mercedes SUV and competed in horse riding competitions. But the federal drug enforcement agency alleges that the 45-year-old was in charge of a 'sophisticated operation to grow and process marijuana', according to the criminal complaint. Investigators linked Sanderlin, who has two daughters aged 3 and 13, to a warehouse that was using 'an unusually high amount of electricity'. In a separate raid on her Scarsdale home authorities found books on how to grow marijuana and how to launder money, according to the DEA." Continue reading →

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What telephone metadata can tell the authorities about you

"The phone number of every caller and recipient; the unique serial number of the phones involved; the time and duration of each phone call; and potentially the location of each of the participants when the call happened. All of this information is being collected on millions of calls every day – every conversation taking place within the US, or between the US and a foreign country. The government has long argued that this information isn’t private or personal. It is, they say, the equivalent of looking at the envelope of a letter. Because it’s not personal information, but rather 'transactional' or 'business' data, there’s no need to show probable cause to collect it." Continue reading →

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