“They’ve forgotten about us.” I don’t remember where I heard this, perhaps somewhere in the small town of Blacksburg, Virginia, but the context was definitely political. The IRS is always out to get our money – of course the government hasn’t forgotten about us, right? But the more I thought about it, the more I realized the meaning behind that statement. Since the founding days of the United States, a problem has always been the power balance between small states and big states. Presently, this has evolved into the local balance between rural areas and urban areas. I remember hearing in government class how just a dozen or so of the largest cities in the United States could swing the popular vote to one political party and realizing just how valuable the electoral college is to modern politics. There’s no simple alternative to balancing out protecting the interests of the rural minority and forwarding those of the urban majority. From the U.S. Census: “Rural areas cover 97 percent of the nation’s land area but contain 19.3 percent of the population.” This is a huge disparity; how can state governments look out for rural counties when urban counties dominate the political sphere? For many in southwestern Virginia, it seems that politicians are always subverting rural interests in favor of the dense, northern urban areas. Even the President and many other conservatives use this idea of rural areas being left out to win votes. From his always-rambunctious Twitter account, Trump proclaimed: “The Democrats in the Southwest part of Virginia have been abandoned by their Party. Republican Ed Gillespie will never let you down!” In a time of great change and technology around the globe, sometimes it can feel as if rural areas are being left behind. Given this context, I’d like to quickly transition to a discussion about the political frustrations surrounding the Confederate flag. The Civil War was definitely fought over slavery, but does that make the Confederate flag racist? Probably. But I’d also like to consider what the Confederate flag symbolizes to many in the South. Growing up, Confederate flags were never really made out to be a big deal. I remember thinking nothing of the raised Confederate flags on the way to swim meets and camps. I remember the public outcry throughout the region when the school sent out an announcement banning Confederate attire. Even recently, right before I came to Stanford, I was driving home one night and pulled up next to a beat-up pickup truck flying two large Confederate flags at a traffic light. It felt pretty normal, albeit a little strange especially because of the earlier South Carolina flag controversy and the happenings in Charlottesville. This was the norm. The problem is just how commonplace these provocative items are in the region. These rural Southerners, a legislative minority, are painted as villains, outcasts for not seeing these items as strange in such an apparently “progressive” society. This is an issue because first off, no one likes being called a villain, and secondly, to many of these people – who have seen crumbling infrastructure, a stagnating economy and skyrocketing health care premiums (one of my older teachers always complained about his wife’s new insurance bill under Obamacare) – are we really that progressive? And how high should working out our flag issues be on our priorities list? Should we be arguing over a flag when there are places with exactly zero professional medical attention? I remember watching the local news and finding out that in nearby Wise County, Virginia, the only time people can receive medical attention is once a year, when a mobile clinic known as the Remove Area Medical arrives. General health is deteriorating every year as lung cancer and obesity set in. Things really aren’t looking up for the people here. The fact that a colored piece of cloth is generating the most media coverage instead of a terrible healthcare crisis here is a sort of a slap in the face to the coal miner with permanent nerve damage or the diabetic who can’t access insulin. We tend to separate the world into “us” and the “other,” but we fail to realize that the “other” may also be struggling to come to grips with the world too. There are definitely two sides to the argument, and I’m not advocating for any position. There are many parts of the country that need work. Racism is a huge problem that we need to solve as soon as possible. Denigrating an important bloc of people for the sake of making a point will only divide the nation even more. If we are to move forward and be “progressive,” we need to set aside distractions, unify in our actions and put our attention to the big picture. Contact Tiger Sun at tgsun ‘at’ stanford.edu. Answer: presence
Pentagon officials are used to looking for ISIS everywhere they can nowadays, and have found a security threat from them in the Caribbean, where ISIS obviously isn’t a huge thing, but where growing numbers of people trying to join ISIS are seen as a concerning trend. Marine General John Kelly, set to retire later this month, says that these small numbers of ISIS supporters are a particular risk, because in small nations like Trinidad and Tobago, they don’t have anything comparable to the US military or the TSA to combat ISIS. Gen. Kelly declared that “just a few of these nuts can cause an awful lot of trouble down in the Caribbean,” complaining many of the islands don’t even have proper militaries, let alone something like the US military, a leviathan that intervenes globally and rivals the scope off any in human history. ISIS issued a video for Trinidadian recruitment way back in 2015, showing a recruit from the island and his three young children calling on the island’s Muslim population to join the fight. About 5% of the island’s population is Muslim, or about 60,000 people. The indications are that Caribbean-wide ISIS recruitment was around 150 people, up from 100 the prior year. In reality, the “threat” here is much less about Trinidad not having a globe-hopping military, than that ISIS isn’t making such a big deal about recruits coming to Syria anymore, and is instead pressing them to launch attacks at home. This is particularly problematic for the US because many Caribbean islands are popular tourist destinations, and American tourists are a likely target. Answer: enforcement
A note to Steve Bannon: No matter what your beliefs are, the most dangerous thing you can do is cross Donald Trump. The fallout against the former White House political strategist and Trump confidant is continuing this week, in the wake of his comments appearing in Michael Wolff's tell-all book, "Fire and Fury," and as his political foes are celebrating his perceived demise and his political friends are starting to distance themselves from him. One of Bannon's strongest allies — the Mercer family, which is funding Breitbart — issued a stinging rebuke on Thursday, but limited the scope of their attack to what Bannon said about the president. "I support President Trump and the platform upon which he was elected," Rebekah Mercer told the Washington Post. "My family and I have not communicated with Steve Bannon in many months and have provided no financial support to his political agenda, nor do we support his recent actions and statements." And CBS reported Friday that Mercer "cut all ties" with Bannon because that's what Trump wanted her to do. . @CBSNews confirms Steve Bannon's longtime benefactor Rebekah Mercer cut *all ties* with him at the request of White House officials in the aftermath of #FireAndFury. pic.twitter.com/8eICjpp6Qw — ryan kadro (@RyanKadro) January 5, 2018 But Mercer is continuing to finance Breitbart, which has not only been Bannon's political agenda, it's been his political essence. Bannon made Roy Moore his candidate in the Alabama special election. When Moore's major flaws were exposed, Bannon dispatched Breitbart's staffers to attack the women who accused Moore of trying to date them when they were teenagers. After the election, Breitbart's editor admitted that they were acting as political operatives in their decision to cover the election. So while Breitbart's funders are wondering whether or not to cut ties with Steve Bannon, it's important to realize that Bannon's legacy will certainly live on. It will just be more Trump-friendly. Answer: presence
Department of Homeland Security and counter-terrorism officials are in contact with Spanish authorities in the aftermath of the terrorist attack that killed at least 13 people and left more than 80 injured on Thursday at a busy tourist area in Barcelona, Spain, according to DHS officials who spoke with Circa. DHS spokeswoman Anna Franko, said that the acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke has been briefed on the situation in Barcelona, Spain and remains in contact with U.S. allies in Europe in lieu of the ongoing investigation. A van slammed its way through crowds of people in the well-known area of Las Ramblas avenue. The area was reportedly crowded with locals and tourists who frequent the restaurants and shops in the historic district. The above message in Spanish was posted on a confirmed ISIS media page on the secure Telegram app. Islamic State praised the attack on their official Telegram account and have claimed responsibility in statement carried on its Aamaq news agency. Some U.S. Law enforcement officials say the attack bears similar hallmarks of past attacks and the groups of has reportedly called for using vehicles as primary weapons against civilians, followed by secondary attacks using weapons against bystanders. Catalan Interior Minster Joaquim Forn confirmed at a press conference that 13 people were killed and more than 50 injured. Catalan police are treating the incident as a terror attack and have sealed off the area, according to reports. The city has canceled public events. Metro and train stations are also closed at the request of city officials and emergency services. Police at the scene in Barcelona after the van crash. The situation is being closely monitored by Duke, who is being kept apprised of developments, Franko said. "DHS has reached out to Spanish authorities, and the Department is standing by to support our allies as they respond to and recover from this horrendous attack," Franko added. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and those affected. We will not let terrorism become the new normal. Instead, such acts of violence only harden our resolve to fight back against violent extremists, bring them to justice, and dismantle their networks. DHS will continue its efforts to raise the baseline of our security across the board and to work with foreign partners to help them do the same." FBI is not currently commenting on the situation as it is fluid and the Spanish authorities are leading the investigation. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson weighs in on the attack in Spain. State Department officials did not immediately respond for comment, as to whether or not Spanish authorities have asked for assistance from the United States to help with the terror investigation. Spanish authorities continue to remain vigilant and local authorities have asked people in the Las Ramblas area of the city, where the attack took place to remain on alert, according to reports. RELATED STORIES: 13 are dead and more than 50 injured in the Barcelona attack a government official said Sen. Grassley says partisan lawsuits against President Trump should also implicate Hillary Clinton U.S. Ambassador to Israel asks organization to reconsider it's opposition to McMaster and Tillerson Answer: enforcement
Published March 12, 2015 BREAKING: Two police officers reportedly were shot early Thursday outside the police department in Ferguson, Mo. amid protests that followed the resignation of the town’s police chief. The shooting was first reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Ferguson Police Lt. Col. Al Eickhoff told the paper that he did not believe the officers were from his department and had no information on the extend of their injuries. The Post-Dispatch reported, citing a police source, that one of the officers was from St. Louis County, while the other was from Webster Groves, another St. Louis suburb located south of Ferguson. KTVI reported that as many as 200 protesters had gathered outside the police station to demand more changes in the city’s government after the resignation of Police Chief Tom Jackson Wednesday afternoon. The station reported that at least one person had been arrested and that protesters were blocking traffic on nearby Florissant Road. The Associated Press reported that the crowd had appeared to be dwindling when the shots were heard. The Missouri Highway Patrol told the AP that troopers were heading to the scene. Jackson was the sixth Ferguson employee to resign or be fired after a Justice Department report cleared white former officer Darren Wilson of civil rights charges in the shooting of black 18-year-old Michael Brown this past August, but found a profit-driven court system and widespread racial bias in the city police department. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Answer: enforcement
President Donald Trump's nominee for federal judge in Alabama was just approved by every Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee — even though he was unanimously rated "not qualified" by the American Bar Association. Brett J. Talley is 36 years old, has only practiced law for three years and made a series of partisan comments on his blog in 2016 that would normally be considered unbecoming of a judge, like referring to the Democratic presidential candidate as "Hillary Rotten Clinton," according to the Los Angeles Times. Although Talley does have degrees from the University of Alabama and Harvard Law School and clerked for two federal judges, he has never argued a motion, making it nearly unprecedented for him to be considered as a candidate for a lifetime appointment. One of Talley's most controversial statements was a blog post in which he claimed that President Barack Obama was "about to launch the greatest attack on our constitutional freedoms in our lifetime." He added, "The object of that war is to make guns illegal, in all forms." After a commenter wrote that Americans would "resort to arms when our other rights — of speech, press, assembly, representative government — fail to yield the desired results," Talley said he agreed with him. When asked about these statements by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Talley said he was merely "trying to generate discussion. I wanted people to be able to use my blog to discuss issues, to come together and find common ground." The president has directly praised Talley as being an "untold story" that "nobody wants to talk about." "When you think of it, Mitch [McConnell] and I were saying, that has consequences 40 years out, depending on the age of the judge," Trump said in October. "But 40 years out." One other factor that may have contributed to Talley's nomination: He was mentored by Sen. Luther Strange of Alabama and worked in the Justice Department office that chooses judicial nominees. Talley isn't the only Trump judicial nominee who has been the subject of raised questions. Charles Goodwin, who was nominated to the federal bench in Oklahoma, was the first judicial nominee since 2006 to receive a "not qualified" label from the American Bar Association. Jeff Mateer, who was nominated to the federal bench in Texas, aroused controversy by referring to transgender children as proof of "Satan’s plan" and denounced the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage as "disgusting." John Bush, who was confirmed to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, wrote a blog post arguing that slavery and abortion were the "two greatest tragedies in our country." Answer: presence
“Bigger than Watergate!” Donald Trump exulted about the discovery of new emails from Hillary Clinton’s time as secretary of state. Sure, they could be. They could also be pleas from Clinton that Huma Abedin fetch her a skinny latte from Starbucks. We don’t know. And the horrifying thing is that the F.B.I. director, James Comey, didn’t seem to know, either, even as he disclosed their existence to the world. How strange but how fitting. This entire election is being conducted in the key of hysteria, and Comey just found a way to amplify that ugly music. Listen, Clinton made an awful decision in setting up a private email server, then compounded that error by dragging her feet through defensive non-apologies that gave the story such legs. Now she limps to the finish line when she should be hitting full stride. But Trump is as much of a part and player in this latest chapter of the email saga, because of the one-syllable grenade that he keeps lobbing at the body politic, his furious mantra over these final weeks. “Rigged,” “rigged,” “rigged.” Many Americans have come to believe that. Many others are rightly determined to prove to that group how wrong they are, or at least not to add accelerant to the wildfire. And so all of us, including Comey, operate in a befouled atmosphere, tailoring our actions to it. Comey obviously felt that he was in a bind and clearly believed that by disclosing the emails as soon as possible — and not, say, delaying until he had some sense of what the F.B.I. was dealing with — he had the best chance of avoiding any possible charges of a cover-up later, and was acting with the cleanest conscience. But his desire to be a Boy Scout may have eclipsed sound judgment here, and rectitude is a quaint, shortsighted notion in an election this rife with accusations of bias, this primed for scandal, this frenzied. Were the emails in question sent to or from Clinton? Comey didn’t and perhaps couldn’t say. What about them warranted inspection? Again, he had nothing to offer. He told F.B.I. employees in a memo that he was hoping, with his announcement, not “to create a misleading impression” of some hugely significant discovery. But that’s exactly and predictably what he did. Most Democrats were outraged. “Mr. Comey said he was duty bound to inform Congress,” Bob Kerrey, the former senator and governor, told me. “Quite the opposite is the case. He was duty bound to make an announcement after he completes his examination of the emails.“ Indeed, he broke with the longstanding F.B.I. policy of not commenting on ongoing investigations. He also defied the wishes of senior officials in the Department of Justice, according to various news reports early Saturday afternoon. And he frustrated everyone — conservatives, liberals, Trump, Clinton — because his disclosure was all questions, no answers. Regardless, the media went nuts, declaring that the development could bend the shape of the race and assuming damage to Clinton without any polling or other evidence to back that up. “We don’t know what this means yet except that it’s a real bombshell,” the journalist Carl Bernstein said in a phone interview on CNN on Friday, adding: “It is unthinkable that the director of the F.B.I. would take this action lightly, that he would put this letter forth to the Congress of the United States saying there is more information out there about classified emails and call it to the attention of Congress unless it was something requiring serious investigation.” A viewer couldn’t see him licking his chops but could hear it. Even the many news organizations that stressed the possible innocuousness of the emails and emphasized how very little we knew contradicted that caution with the length, number and front-and-center placement of their stories about this development. Why? The Politico writer Glenn Thrush had a thought, expressed in this tweet: How is this supposed to play out? If, a few days from now, the F.B.I. determines and announces that none of the emails contain classified information or anything else of concern, will Trump and Clinton’s other enemies conceivably believe that? Hah! They’ll be shouting “rigged” all over again. They’ll be shouting it louder than ever. It wouldn’t be normal practice for the F.B.I., in an effort to buttress its determination, to release the emails, many of which are presumably private communications of Abedin’s. And those might be too intimate for her to make public herself. But now that Comey has flagged the whole batch of them, suspicion will never die. And if the emails are fresh cause for concern, will that be knowable, and digestible, before Nov. 8? On this point, too, we’re all in the dark. What a steaming mess, and that’s a comment partly on this specific situation but also on this election, which has devolved into a junkyard of innuendo, lies and conspiracy theories. Trump doesn’t bear all the blame for that, but he bears an ample share of it. On the subject of conspiracy theories, I can offer some comic relief, noting that he and Rush Limbaugh couldn’t get on the same page about the new emails on Friday. Even as Trump was praising Comey and saying that the election might not be quite as rigged as he’d feared, Limbaugh was telling his listeners that Comey was “just doing this to take everybody’s attention off of the WikiLeaks email dump” that was embarrassing Clinton and her aides. “The cynical view,” he said, “is that Comey is still carrying water for Clinton and is trying to get everybody to stop paying attention on the WikiLeaks dump because it’s starting to have an impact.” Let me get this straight: The crooked F.B.I. and the corrupt media throw just enough dirt at Clinton so that she’s sure to track it into the Oval Office? Thank God for Limbaugh. God help the rest of us. Answer: presence
Eminem ignited a social media firestorm at the BET awards Tuesday with the release of a blistering rap on President Donald Trump. The recorded video shows the rapper in a parking garage freestyling on political controversies like the NFL's national anthem protests, Trump's proposed border wall and his international diplomacy. Warning: Explicit language in video below In one verse he rapped: "This is his form of distraction/Plus, he gets an enormous reaction/When he attacks the NFL, so we focus on that/Instead of talking about Puerto Rico or gun reform for Nevada/All of these horrible tragedies and he's bored and would rather cause a Twitter storm with the Packers." In another: "But we better give Obama props/Because what we got in the office now's a kamikaze that'll probably cause a nuclear holocaust." Soon after "The Storm" was released, the video became a top trending topic on Twitter, racked up hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube and sparked reactions from multiple celebrities. LeBron James quoted his lyrics in a tweet: "Racism is the only thing he's Fantastic 4(fantastic for), cause that's how he gets his rock off, he's orange. Sheesh @Eminem." Racism is the only thing he's Fantastic 4(fantastic for), cause that's how he gets his rock off, he's orange. Sheesh @Eminem!! 🔥🔥✊🏾🔥🔥 #United pic.twitter.com/wcL28BCWpy In the video, Eminem also raised a fist in support of NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose decision to kneel during the anthem sparked the current controversy. In response, Kaepernick tweeted: "I appreciate you @Eminem." Ellen DeGeneres also tweeted her praise: "I (heart) @Eminem." There was no immediate reaction Tuesday from Trump or the White House press office. Answer: enforcement
Not too long ago we wrote about KFC following 11 people on Twitter: The five Spice Girls and six guys named Herb (including UFC referee Herb Dean). That’s right, six herbs and five spices! If you missed the article, check it out here. Well the gentleman that noticed this (@edgette22 on Twitter) has now been rewarded. You might think that the obvious choice would be a life supply of KFC right? Wrong… that’s not KFC’s style. What do you know, that’s Edge being given a piggyback ride by the Colnel himself! A work of art yes, a strange gift… also yes. But wow KFC’s marketing team are inventive. People on Twitter went mad for this of course! Edge had also been the victim of some controversy surrounding the whole debacle, so this will come as a welcome treat. What do you think? Images via: Twitter / @edgette22 Answer:
enforcement