Mainstream News

Spain Dismisses Catalonian Government, Dissolves Parliament, Fires Police Chief

"Spain dismissed Catalonia's president and Cabinet and dissolved its Parliament on Friday hours after lawmakers in the autonomous region defied Madrid and voted overwhelmingly to declare independence. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called new elections and fired the Catalan police chief, as part of an unprecedented package of measures to seize control of the renegade administration in Barcelona. The European Union has backed Madrid in its handling of the crisis. The United States also voiced its support for the Madrid government."

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Saudi Prince says Bitcoin is ‘just going to implode one day’

"Alwaleed said bitcoin 'doesn’t make sense. This thing is not regulated, it’s not under control, [and] it’s not under the supervision' of any central bank. Of course, to bitcoin proponents, those same criticisms are features rather than bugs."

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U.S. widens surveillance to include individuals with no foreign connection

"The change last year to a Department of Defense manual on procedures governing its intelligence activities was made possible by a decades-old presidential executive order, bypassing congressional and court review. The new manual, released in August 2016, now permits the collection of information about Americans for counterintelligence purposes 'when no specific connection to foreign terrorist(s) has been established,' according to training slides created last year by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI)."

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Two wealthy Italian states vote for autonomy in shadow of Catalonia crisis

"In both regions, many people complain their taxes are wasted by the central government, accusing Rome of delivering low-quality public services and diverting money to the poor south widely seen by northerners as corrupt. Italy’s constitution does not allow regional fiscal autonomy, however, and Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina said that while Rome was open to talks it would not give up tax proceeds from the rich regions."

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Japan’s Abe to push for rearmament, war powers after election win

"Amending the charter’s pacifist Article 9 would be hugely symbolic for Japan. Supporters see it as the foundation of post-war democracy but many conservatives view it as a humiliating imposition after Japan’s defeat in 1945. It would also be a victory for Abe, whose conservative agenda of restoring traditional values, stressing obligations to the state over individual rights and loosening constraints on the military, centers on revising the constitution."

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Trump Unleashes CIA Kill Teams In Afghanistan

"Trump previously loosened CIA drone strike rules in Afghanistan that will now allow for some civilian casualties relative to the importance of the target. 'We’ll be here as long as it takes until you change your mind,' Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said recently in a message to the Taliban."

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IRS Still Stealing Cash From Immigrant Business Owners

"After the gas station went under, and Kwon’s wife died amid the stress of it all, after he moved from his neighborhood in shame and the Internal Revenue Service changed its policy so no other small business would get steamrolled this way — the agency won’t give Kwon his money back. That’s $59,117.47 the IRS is holding on to. As recently as August — the last time Kwon, now 73, asked for his money back — the IRS said no. He’s heartbroken that the country he loves is treating him this way."

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Dark side of Ca. pot legalization: a bonanza of government jobs

"The state is on a hiring binge to fill what eventually will be hundreds of new government positions by 2019 intended to bring order to the legal pot economy, from keeping watch on what’s seeping into streams near cannabis grows to running background checks on storefront sellers who want government licenses. Thousands of additional jobs are expected to be added by local governments. Last January, just 11 full-time workers were part of what’s now known as the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the state’s chief regulatory agency overseeing the pot market. Now, it’s more than doubled, and by February the agency expects to have more than 100 staffers."

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