Today's News: November 07, 2017

Top Headlines

Jeff Sessions resigns as attorney general at White House request
Chicago Tribune – Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned Wednesday as the country’s chief law enforcement officer after enduring more than a year of blistering and personal attacks over his recusal from the Russia investigation.
Sessions announced his resignation in a letter to President Donald Trump. He said the resignation came at “your request.”
Trump announced in a separate tweet that he was naming Sessions’ chief of staff Matthew Whitaker, a former United States attorney from Iowa, as acting attorney general.
The resignation was the culmination of a toxic relationship that frayed just weeks into the attorney general’s tumultuous tenure, when he stepped aside from the investigation into potential coordination between the president’s campaign and Russia.
Trump blamed the decision for opening the door to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, who took over the Russia investigation and began examining whether Trump’s hectoring of Sessions was part of a broader effort to obstruct justice and stymie the probe.

Democrats win House, Republicans keep Senate
Investors Business Daily – Democrats clinched the U.S. House majority, halting Republicans’ eight-year reign as voters delivered a rebuke to President Donald Trump, projections showed. Republicans have kept control of the Senate.

Voting Equipment, Procedures Cause Confusion at the Polls
The New American – Voters typically experience a certain amount of confusion during an election, but such confusion is usually caused by double-talking politicians smokescreening the issues. It should not be caused by problems inherent in the processes and procedures of the act of voting. The increase in reports of such voter confusion in this election may be caused by an increase in such problems, or perhaps it is caused primarily by an increase in the reporting of such problems, usually by alternative news media. Alternative news media sources appear to be more likely to report on events that are typically brushed aside by the mainstream media outlets.
The Texas Secretary of State’s office issued guidelines on October 27 in response to problems reported by voters where the voting equipment either changed or appeared to have changed their choices. The website offered this advice:
Secretary Pablos issued the following guidance to voters and has instructed county election officials to amplify these tips for voters casting ballots in the 78 Texas counties that have chosen to employ Hart Intercivic eSlate voting machines in their elections:

When voting a straight-party ballot, wait at least 3-5 seconds for all choices to be rendered on the eSlate voting machines. Counties in which voters have longer ballots may require additional time to allow the screens to load fully.
Once all the candidate choices for that particular party have been fully loaded, take your time to slowly review each choice in each race before advancing to the next screen.
When advancing to the next screen, be sure the screen is fully loaded before scrolling through to the subsequent pages.
Once you have reached the summary page, carefully review each choice listed to ensure the candidate selected is, in fact, the candidate for whom you wish to cast your vote.
If you find that one or more of your choices are displayed incorrectly on the summary page, hit the ‘PREV’ button and choose the candidate for whom you wish to cast your vote.
If any issues persist, ask for assistance from a poll worker at your polling location, and the poll worker will ensure that the machine is working properly and advise you on the proper steps to take to cast a ballot with only the candidates of your choosing.

No one voting-machine company should be singled out for criticism, as this particular problem is not the only problem encountered by the complicated technology that has been employed for voting. In many cases, the complications have been discovered during startup early in the morning or during the closing procedures. Another problem is that in most states, the public is not allowed to witness these procedures unless they have been officially appointed as poll watchers, which can be a laborious process. Even then in many states, the poll-watchers are not allowed to use cameras or recording devices of any kind. This is a far cry from traditional American elections in which all aspects of the election, except for the marking of the secret ballot by a voter, were totally open to the public with no advance coordination necessary. Is it any wonder problems with the technology are rarely reported by mainstream news-media sources?

Donald Trump Defends ‘Big Victory’ for Republicans in Midterm Elections
Breitbart – President Donald Trump defended his assertion that the results of the midterm elections were a “big victory” for Republicans.
“To any of the pundits or talking heads that do not give us proper credit for this great Midterm Election, just remember two words – FAKE NEWS!” he wrote on Twitter.
Despite losing Republican House seats, Trump said that his allies did very well overall. Republicans added to their majority in the Senate with two races still too close to call on Wednesday.

Abrams refuses to concede in close Georgia race
CNN – Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams is not conceding the Georgia governor’s race to Republican candidate Brian Kemp, arguing that the high stakes contest is too close to call.

Massive gun control passed in Washington state
Town Hall – For months, gun control advocates in Washington State have peddled initiative 1639, which moves to create stricter firearms laws. On Tuesday, 60 percent of Washingtonians voted in favor of ballot measure, the Seattle Times reported.
Specifically, i-1639 will:

Raise the age someone can purchase a rifle to 21.
Create an “enhanced background check system similar to what is used for handguns.”
Require a person to complete a firearms safety training course.
Create a common stand for secure gun storage.

World News

Bank of England Refusing Venezuelan Request to Return $550 Mln in Gold – Report
Sputnik – arlier, Caracas indicated that it was looking to repatriate some 14 tons of gold bars back from the UK out of concern that the bullion may be affected by harsh US sanctions against the Latin American country.
The Bank of England is refusing to release Venezuela’s gold bars, worth about $550 million or £420 million, back to Caracas, with British officials understood to have referred to “standard” anti-money laundering measures, The Times reports, citing unnamed sources.
“There are concerns that Mr. [Nicolas] Maduro may seize the gold, which is owned by the state, and sell it for personal gain,” the newspaper explains.
On Tuesday, two informed sources told Reuters that the Venezuelan government has been trying to move its gold from Bank of England vaults back to Venezuela for nearly two months, with the shipment thought to be held up over difficulties in obtaining insurance.

Houthi chief vows to ‘not surrender’ as rebels lose ground
Al Jazeera – Abdel-Malik al-Houthi said he will not surrender as pro-government forces advance towards a key port city.

Snowden Claims Israeli Software Was Used to Track Khashoggi
Sputnik – US whistleblower Edward Snowden has accused the Israel cyber intelligence firm NSO Group Technologies of “selling a digital burglary tool” which he claimed had been used to track Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in Istanbul last month, according to the Jerusalem Post.
He said in this context that that NSO’s software is not “just being used for catching criminals and stopping terrorist attacks […] not just for saving lives, but for making money […] such a level of recklessness […] actually starts costing lives.”

France Will Lead EU Drive to Defy Iran Sanctions, Bolster Euro – Minister
Sputnik – On Monday, a new array of US anti-Iranian sanctions entered force, targeting the Islamic Republic’s energy, banking and shipping sectors. Washington granted temporary waivers to eight countries to allow them to continue importing oil from Iran after November 5. They include China, India, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

McConnell says he will push for border wall funding
The Hill – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Wednesday that he will make an effort to get funding for President Trump’s border wall in the lame-duck session, adding that he had already spoken to House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) earlier in the day.
“We’re certainly going to try help the president achieve what he’d like to do with the wall and border security,” McConnell told reporters in the Capitol.
Republican leaders had declined to make a concerted push for border wall funding before the midterm election, fearing it could lead to a possible government shutdown that would hurt Republicans.
But now that Trump has helped McConnell expand his Senate majority by as many as four seats, the GOP leader said on Wednesday he will make a push to fund the president’s top priority, even though it will likely be met with stiff Democratic opposition.

Trump scolds CNN reporter for being rude as WH staffer wrestles microphone away during presser
WYXZ – A White House official wrestled a microphone away from a CNN reporter at a press conference with President Trump in the East Room of the White House Wednesday.
CNN reporter Jim Acosta questioned the President about his rhetoric surrounding a migrant caravan that is traveling on foot to the United States. While trying to ask a follow-up question, Trump repeatedly told Acosta he was moving on.
At that point, a White House staffer attempted to take the microphone out of Acosta’s hands.
“CNN should be ashamed of itself having you working for them,” Trump said. “You’re a very rude person. The way you treat Sarah Huckabee Sanders is horrible. You shouldn’t treat people that way.”

Now That America Has Given The Crazies Control Of The House, They Plan To Hit Trump With A Wave Of Subpoenas
Infowars – On November 6th, the American people gave the keys to the U.S. House of Representatives to the Democrats, and that means that the crazies will soon be unleashed on Capitol Hill. They won’t be able to get much legislation pushed through because Republicans still control the Senate and Donald Trump is still in the White House, but they will be able to cause all sorts of chaos with their investigative powers. If you thought that things were bad the last two years, just wait, because you haven’t seen anything yet. Top Democrats are already talking about hitting Trump with a huge wave of subpoenas, and the White House is bracing for the worst. It is going to be a time of bitter partisan wrangling in Washington, and meanwhile the nation as a whole is going to continue to fall apart.

Trump’s Republicans Beat Historical Average for Midterm Elections
Infowars – Republicans were disappointed to lose the House of Representatives to Democrats on Tuesday. But they gained several seats in the Senate. Overall the GOP out-performed the historical average for the president’s party.
As a recent analysis of historical trends in midterm elections noted: “Over the past 28 midterm elections since 1906, the president’s party lost about 30 House seats and 4 Senate seats on average.”
President Donald Trump’s Republican Party was projected to lose between 25 and 35 seats as of 1:00 a.m. EST on Wednesday — right around the historical average. Moreover, Trump and the GOP were projected to gain at least four seats in the Senate — defying history

Science & Technology

Apps Track You Even After You Uninstall Them
Off Grid News – Apps track you even after you remove them from your phone. In fact, some apps track you with targeted advertising after you uninstall them.
Bloomberg Businessweek reports that many apps have built-in uninstall tracking tools. In detail, the tracking tools send data about you to developers after you remove the app.
T-Mobile, Bloomberg LP, Spotify, and Yelp use apps that track users after uninstalling them. The apps track you and keep showing you ads for the company’s products.

Health

Too much screen time puts children at risk of sight damage, obesity and cancer
Daily Mail – Spending too much time gawping at screens is making children more likely to be short-sighted, become overweight and get cancer, experts say.
A review of 80 studies on more than 200,000 people has ranked smartphones and tablets alongside sugary drinks as one of the biggest risks for childhood obesity.
Being overweight can lead to a dozen types of cancer, including breast, colon, kidney, liver, ovarian, pancreas and prostate.
As well increasing their risk of dying young, too much time on gadgets is damaging youngsters’ eyes – the number of short-sighted children has doubled in 50 years.
Researchers say the findings are a ‘significant concern’ and call for more control on junk food adverts, which worsen the effects of children doing less exercise.

Your Gut Is Your Second Brain
Mercola – The quality, quantity and composition of the bacteria in your gut have enormous influence on your brain and overall health. Your gut plays a key role in your mental health, stress and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s

Nearly 100 trillion bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms compose your gut microbiome, and advancing science has made it clear that these organisms play a major role in your mental and physical health
The human gut has 200 million neurons — the equivalent of a cat’s or dog’s brain — and produces 95 percent of your body’s serotonin, a brain chemical associated with emotional well-being
Research suggests Parkinson’s disease may start in the gut and travel to the brain via the vagus nerve. Chemicals produced by certain gut bacteria also worsen the accumulation of proteins in the brain associated with the disease
Your immune system is educated based on the information received from your gut bacteria. Exposure to a wide variety of bacteria helps your immune system stay alert and optimizes its function

Watch out for these frequently ignored symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency
NaturalNews – Vitamin D deficiency is a rising problem across the world, with more than one billion individuals suffering from this condition. Unfortunately, people suffering from it don’t always get the proper treatment since they fail to recognize is a vitamin D deficiency. When the body does not get enough vitamin D, it exhibits different symptoms that you should be on the lookout for, such as: