All 22 women senators on Wednesday called on leaders to allow votes on overhauling systems for handling sexual harassment complaints on Capitol Hill. "Survivors who have bravely come forward to share their stories have brought to light just how widespread harassment and discrimination continue to be throughout Capitol Hill," the 17 Democratic and five Republican women in the Senate wrote. "No longer can we allow the perpetrators of these crimes to hide behind a 23-year-old law." The senators expressed "deep disappointment" in the chamber's failure to approve changes to the Congressional Accountability Act that would update how complaints are handled to make the process "more equitable."
Source: The Washington Post Congressional leaders reached a bipartisan deal Wednesday night on a proposed $1.3 billion spending package needed to avoid a looming government shutdown. The bill, which would keep the government funded through September, increases military and domestic spending but does not give President Trump all of the money he wants to build a southern border wall or address the protection of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. "No bill of this size is perfect," House Speaker Paul Ryan said. "But this legislation addresses important priorities and makes us stronger at home and abroad." Both the House and Senate must pass the legislation by midnight Friday to avoid a government shutdown.
Source: The Associated Press, CNN Editor's Note: 13...really? Russian President Vladimir Putin easily won another six years in office in Sunday elections. Russia's Central Election Commission said Monday that Putin got nearly 77 percent of the vote in a field of eight candidates, though critics say Russian elections are a pseudo-democratic exercise with a predetermined outcome. Apathetic voters were under increased pressure to turn out this year, with some employers asking workers to provide proof that they voted. The mayor of the city of Yekaterinburg told Associated Press reporters he "received orders 'from higher up' to make sure the presidential vote turnout is over 60 percent." Turnout was 63.7 percent.
Source: The Associated Press, Reuters New York Rep. Louise Slaughter (D) has died after being hospitalized with a concussion earlier this week following a fall at her home in Washington, D.C., her office confirmed Friday. At 88, she was the oldest member of the House of Representatives. She was one of the longest-serving members as well as ranking member of the House Rules Committee. Slaughter had planned to run for re-election this fall for what would have been her 17th term. "This is stunning news," tweeted Politico reporter Jake Sherman. "Louise Slaughter was one of the sharpest, funniest, and nicest women in Congress."
Source: Democrat & Chronicle, Roll Call A Turkish private jet crashed in Iran Sunday en route from the United Arab Emirates to Istanbul, killing all 11 people on board. The plane reportedly was carrying a wealthy Turkish socialite and her friends home from a bachelorette party in Dubai when it hit a mountain in heavy rain. The aircraft burst into flames on impact. Witnesses said one engine was in flames before the crash. The Bombardier CL604 jet was owned by a private holding company of Turkish businessman Huseyin Basaran, whose daughter Mina reportedly was returning home with seven friends and three crew members ahead of her planned April wedding. Also, a Bangladeshi aircraft carrying 67 passengers crashed while attempting to land in Nepal on Monday. At least 17 people were rescued.
Source: The Associated Press, Reuters British police said Wednesday that former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, appear to have been poisoned with a nerve agent. The Sunday attack left both in critical condition in a London hospital. A police officer who responded to the shopping center where the Skripals were found on a bench also is being treated for exposure to the substance. Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence colonel, was released from Russia in a spy swap after being convicted as a double agent there. "It has not been declared a terrorist incident and at this stage we are keeping an open mind as to what happened," police said.
Source: USA Today A former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, fell critically ill on Monday after being exposed to an unidentified substance in the U.K. Skripal, 66, served as a colonel in Russia's GRU military intelligence service, but was convicted of treason in 2006 for betraying Russian agents to British intelligence. He got out of the country, however, in a 2010 spy swap. British authorities would not identify a man and a woman found critically ill in a park, but two sources told Reuters the man was Skripal. "This has not been declared as a counter-terrorism incident and we would urge people not to speculate," Wiltshire police's Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Craig Holden said.
Source: Reuters Editor's Note: Oh yes, please don't speculate. The Cold War sabers are rattling again. Can you hear them? And it's all a part of the program. Britain's Sir Roger Bannister, the first person to run a 4-minute mile, died peacefully Saturday in Oxford, his family confirmed Sunday. He was 88. Bannister was a 25-year-old medical student training with an amateur all-star team when he broke the once-unthinkable barrier on the morning of May 6, 1954, in a race at Oxford's Iffley Road track. The British runner was paced by two teammates, then turned on his trademark explosive kick to finish in 3:59.4. The news made headlines around the world, and Bannister was compared to Babe Ruth, Jesse Owens, and other giants of sport. Then, as quickly as he burst onto the world stage, he stepped off, announcing later the same year that he was retiring from competitive running to concentrate on his career as a neurologist.
Source: The New York Times |
About This BlogCertain numerology has a strong connection with occultism. Various numbers from time-to-time appear in news articles, and one has to wonder if there isn't some occult significance behind this story. Archives
May 2021
|