Today's News: April 20, 2018

World News

Rotherham Council Ordered to Apologise to Whistleblower Who Exposed Grooming Scandal
Breitbart – Rotherham Council has been ordered to apologise to a whistleblower who helped expose the mass exploitation of underage white girls by mostly Muslim men.
Jayne Senior, who has worked with grooming victims since 1999 and was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2016 for services to child protection, helped to blow the lid off a long-running grooming gang scandal in the town
She revealed how council officials, social services, and police — paralysed by fears of racism accusations — failed to act while at least 1,400 girls were abused.
But just months after she received her award and published her memoirs, Broken and Betrayed, the council orchestrated a raid on the charity she runs, Swinton Lock, as part of an investigation which has now been slammed by the local government ombudsman.

US dropped more bombs on Afghanistan than Syria and Iraq last month
RT – The US dropped more bombs on Afghanistan last month than it did on Iraq and Syria – a sign that the military’s attention is shifting back towards the country it invaded in 2001 after focusing on Islamic State since 2014. According to an Air Force report, American aircraft dropped 339 bombs in Afghanistan in March, compared to 294 in Iraq and Syria. In March of last year, US forces dropped 203 bombs on Afghanistan, and a whopping 3,878 on Iraq and Syria.

US sanctions to trigger German recession: Merkel seeks special treatment
What Really Happened – GERMANY is seeking special treatment from US President Donald Trump over the sanctions imposed on Russia. Angela Merkel has sent her finance minister to Washington DC to beg Donald Trump for the favour as Germany’s recession fears mount.

Paul Craig Roberts: The Crisis With Syria (And Russia-China-Iran) Is Only Beginning
By Paul Craig Roberts – Many, including Russia’s President Putin, have asked why the US launched an illegal attack on Syria prior to the chemical weapons inspectors examining the site of the alleged chemical attack.
This popular question completely misses the point. The US attack on Syria is a clear and indisputable war crime against a sovereign country regardless of whether Syria used a chemical weapon in driving the Washington supported terrorists from Douma. No one acted to stop Washington’s war crime. Some of Washington’s vassals, such as Germany and Italy, refused to participate in Washington’s war crime, but no one attempted to block it. The impotent UN Security Council, to which Russia is wasting its time appealing, the EU, NATO, Russia and China themselves did nothing to stop Washington’s Nazi era war crime.

U.S. News, Politics & Government

GOP lawmakers demand Sessions investigate Clinton, Comey
The Hill – A group of conservative lawmakers on Wednesday wrote to Attorney General Jeff Sessions asking him to investigate Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey and others whom President Trump has targeted on Twitter and elsewhere.
The letter outlines accusations against Clinton and several former and current members of the FBI and Justice Department. The allegations largely relate to the lead-up to the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
The letter lays out allegations of criminal wrongdoing by Clinton, Comey, ex-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, former acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente and FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.

Government accidentally sends file on “remote mind control” methods to journalist
Boing Boing – When journalist Curtis Waltman filed a Freedom of Information Act request with Washington State Fusion Center (which is partnered with Department of Homeland Security) to obtain information about Antifa and white supremacist groups, he got more than the information he was looking for – he also accidentally received a mysterious file on “psycho-electric weapons” with the label “EM effects on human body.zip.” The file included methods of “remote mind control.”

Ex-DEA Agent: U.S. Failing to Share Intel in Terror Cases Five Years After Boston
Washington Free Beacon – Five years after twin bombings at the Boston Marathon left three people dead and hundreds more injured, the U.S. counterterrorism community is still failing to share critical information with law enforcement officers that could prevent similar attacks, according to a former Drug Enforcement Administration special agent.
Derek Maltz, who directed the DEA’s Special Operations Division for nine years ending in mid-2014, said the institutional barriers between criminal and terror investigators that led to missed opportunities to detect or disrupt the Boston bomb plot remain today.

‘Death-Smelling’ Cargo Train Terrorizes Alabama Town
Sputnik – Southern states are frequently used for creating landfills where waste from all over the US can be dumped, due to stricter legislation in the northern ones.
Inhabitants of Parrish, Alabama have faced severe environmental problems after a small town nearby, West Jefferson, banned trains from New York carrying waste to the Big Sky Landfill, from entering their city. The cargo trains with putridly stinking sludge stopped in Parrish in January and have remained there ever since, spreading their smell to nearby playing fields.
“Oh my goodness, it’s just a nightmare here, it smells like rotting corpses, or carcasses. It smells like death,” the Parrish mayor said.

DNC files lawsuit against Russia, Trump campaign, WikiLeaks
CBS News – The Democratic National Committee on Friday filed a lawsuit against the Russian government, WikiLeaks and the Trump campaign, and its associates, arguing that the parties conspired to influence the 2016 presidential campaign.
The complaint, filed in federal court in Manhattan, claims millions of dollars in damages, alleging violations of everything from conspiracy to violations of federal copyright laws and the Trade Secrets Act. One of the most notable things about the complaint is the sheer number of defendants — the 66-page complaint lists WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Donald Trump, Jr., former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, former campaign worker George Papadopoulos, former campaign associate Rick Gates and “John Does 1-10,” among others.

Assange has ‘physical proof’ Russia didn’t hack DNC – Congressman
Assange had “physical proof of that” and was going to show it in exchange for an agreement that he would not get arrested upon leaving the embassy, Rohrabacher said.
Russia did not provide WikiLeaks with Democratic National Committee emails during the 2016 US presidential campaign and Julian Assange has physical evidence to prove it, says a Republican congressman who met with him.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-California) visited the Ecuadorian embassy in London in August 2017 and met with Assange. He brought up that meeting on Wednesday evening’s episode of Breitbart Radio.
Assange had “physical proof of that” and was going to show it in exchange for an agreement that he would not get arrested upon leaving the embassy, Rohrabacher said. The WikiLeaks co-founder has been virtually imprisoned inside the London building since 2012, after the UK sought to arrest him on a Swedish warrant that has since been lifted. British authorities insist they will arrest Assange the moment he leaves the embassy, for violating the terms of his bail.

DOJ PROBES COMEY OVER CLASSIFIED INFO
Wall Street Journal – At least two of the memos that former FBI Director James Comey gave to a friend outside of the government contained information that officials now consider classified, according to people familiar with the matter, prompting a review by the Justice Department’s internal watchdog.
The Justice Department inspector general is now conducting an investigation into classification issues related to the Comey memos, according to a person familiar with the matter. Mr. Comey has said he considered the memos personal rather than government documents. He has told Congress that he wrote them and authorized their release to the media “as a private citizen.”

Baltimore mayor signs bill banning plastic foam containers
Town Hall – Carryout food and drink containers made from plastic foam are no longer welcome in the city of Baltimore.
Mayor Catherine Pugh signed a bill Thursday giving businesses 18 months to stop using containers made from polystyrene foam. It also prohibits restaurants and other food vendors from using cups, plates, dishes, bowls and trays or any similar items made from this material. After that, businesses will face $1,000 fines for violations.

Comey Vouched for Andrew McCabe Four Times in Released Memos
Western Journalism – ‘The Committee has discovered serious violations of the public trust, and the American people have a right to know when officials in crucial institutions are abusing their authority for political purposes.’
As reported by Breitbart, Comey endorsed the alleged “integrity and professionalism” of McCabe to President Donald Trump — a stark contrast to reports from the Justice Department on Thursday regarding the disgraced official’s actions.
The inspector general for the Department of Justice referred findings on McCabe to the top federal prosecutor in Washington after his reports found that the former deputy director had “lacked candor” with investigators on four different occasions.

After Joining Trump’s Legal Team, Guiliani Sets Timeline for Ending Russia Investigation
Western Journalism – Shortly after joining President Donald Trump’s personal legal team, Rudy Giuliani announced Thursday that he hopes to bring an end to the Russia investigation.
As reported by The New York Post, Giuliani said he wanted to wrap up the investigation on any Russian meddling — headed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller — in a “week or two.”
“I’m going to join the legal team to try to bring this to a resolution,” Giuliani told The Post. “The country deserves it. I’ve got great admiration for President Trump.”

Comey’s Book Tossed into Bookstore Bargain Bins
True Pundit – The former FBI director’s book is getting marked down at retailers who have not sold out their original stock. Only four days after its release.
Comey banked $10 million for the book. His publisher, Macmillan, could take a financial beating, however.
It printed 850,000 copies thinking the book would be a sensation. Pre orders of the book were very high but since its release those numbers have not been matched.

Economy & Business

Sen. Mitch McConnell Kills President Trump’s Plan to Cut $60 Billion in Spending
Breitbart – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R, KY) has torpedoed President Donald Trump’s plan to cut $60 billion in federal spending, despite a promise to open a “discussion” on the cuts.

Turkey repatriates gold from US in bid to ditch dollar
RT – Ankara has decided to bring back all its gold stored in the US Federal Reserve, according to Turkish media. In recent years, Turkey repatriated 220 tons of gold from abroad, and 28.7 tons was brought back from the US last year.

Nissan to cut hundreds of jobs at Sunderland plant as demand for diesel cars plummets
Daily Mail – Hundreds of jobs could be lost at Nissan’s Sunderland factory after the company announced plans to throttle back capacity as a result of an almost six per cent drop in new car sales in the UK.

Wells Fargo fined $1 billion by regulators to settle auto-loan, mortgage abuses
USA Today – Wells Fargo agreed to pay a $1 billion fine to federal regulators Friday over mortgage and auto-loan violations that resulted in customers paying extra fees.

Energy & Environment

No-go warning as Japan volcano erupts for first time in 250 years
Yahoo – A volcano in southern Japan erupted for the first time in 250 years on Thursday, spewing steam and ash hundreds of metres into the air, as authorities warned locals not to approach the mountain. “There is a possibility that (Mount Io) will become more active,” said Makoto Saito, an official from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), confirming the eruption.

Science & Technology

NASA Is Determined To Find New Planets
Daily Caller – NASA is determined to find new planets and launched a spacecraft and satellite from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday to start its latest quest.
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) was launched with the FalconX to orbit around the earth for at least two years to search for other planets by examining stars at least a dozen light years away, The Associated Press reported.

‘iTunes Wi-Fi Sync’ Feature Could Let Attackers Hijack Your iPhone, iPad Remotely
What Really Happened – Be careful while plugging your iPhone into a friend’s laptop for a quick charge or sharing selected files.
Researchers at Symantec have issued a security warning for iPhone and iPad users about a new attack, which they named “TrustJacking,” that could allow someone you trust to remotely take persistent control of, and extract data from your Apple device.
Apple provides an iTunes Wi-Fi sync feature in iOS that allows users to sync their iPhones to a computer wirelessly. To enable this feature, users have to grant one-time permission to a trusted computer (with iTunes) over a USB cable.
Once enabled, the feature allows the computer owner to secretly spy on your iPhone over the Wi-Fi network without requiring any authentication, even when your phone is no longer physically connected to that computer.

Health

Nanoparticles in food packaging disrupt digestion
NaturalNews – Antimicrobial substances added to food packaging could be negatively affecting the way in which your digestive tract operates, according to new data.
Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are present in the lining of certain canned goods for their antimicrobial properties and to prevent staining of sulphur-producing foods.
But according to Gretchen Mahler, associate professor of bioengineering at Binghamton University, State University at New York, “We found that zinc oxide nanoparticles at doses that are relevant to what you might normally eat in a meal or a day can change the way that your intestine absorbs nutrients or your intestinal cell gene and protein expression,”
In the study, which was published in the journal Food & Function, canned corn, tuna, asparagus and chicken were studied using mass spectrometry to estimate how many particles might be transferred to the food. It was found that the food contained 100 times the daily dietary allowance of zinc. Mahler then looked at the effect the particles had on the digestive tract.

Heavy metal poisoning causes personality shifts in birds; they become less curious and unwilling to explore new places
NaturalNews – You’re probably already aware just how bad environmental toxins can be for your health, but did you know that they can also alter personalities? Heavy metals occur naturally in the environment in small amounts, but human activity can cause these numbers to rise dramatically in some places, and many species are paying the price for this pollution. Now, a study involving songbirds has illustrated just how much heavy metal pollution can transform animals’ personalities.
In the study, researchers from the University of Antwerp examined how different populations of songbirds known as great tits behaved depending on how far they lived from a heavy metal pollution site. They looked at five great tit populations in total outside of Antwerp close to a smelter and metal refinery called the Umicore facility, which is known for emitting lead as well as cadmium. The sites they studied were situated various distances from the contaminating factory, ranging from next door to as far as five miles away.
Around 250 birds in total were caught between January and March 2017. After being brought back to the lab, they were placed in a new area that contained artificial trees, and their behavior and activity levels were assessed. The researchers found a correlation between the distance the birds lived from the smelter and their activity levels, with those living closest to the smelter being the least active.
These birds were less willing to explore, displaying extreme caution, and it also impacted other traits like protecting their nests from predators and reacting to intruders and competitors. It is believed that those who lived closer to the dangerous metals found that curiosity and exploration could lead to negative consequences and altered their behavior accordingly.