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Today's News: June 25, 2018

World News
 
Italy orders seven boats with 1,000 migrants on board to go back to Libya days after turning away another ship carrying 234 people
Daily Mail – Italy is seeking to have seven boats carrying roughly 1,000 migrants needing rescue off Libya taken back to North Africa, according to a Spanish aid group.
Proactiva Open Arms, which has rescued thousands of migrants in the Mediterranean, said the Italians want the Libyan coast guard to conduct the rescues and return the migrants.
Proactiva said in a tweet that Italian coast guard authorities who coordinate rescues sent out advisories to all ships in the area but told the aid group: ‘We don’t need your help.’
 
North Korea Reportedly Cancels Annual Anti-U.S. Rally
Infowars – Decision comes amid easing tensions following Trump-Kim Summit
 
U.S. News, Politics & Government
 
Napolitano: Trump’s Call for Deportations Without Hearings Goes Against the Constitution
Judge Andrew Napolitano said Monday that President Trump’s calls for the deportations of illegal immigrants without proper court hearings goes completely against the Constitution.
Trump tweeted that “people must simply be stopped at the border” and children should be turned back to their home countries.
He added that doing so would stop illegal immigration “in its tracks.”
 
Bossert: Executive order won’t ‘survive three weeks’
Politico – Donald Trump’s former homeland security adviser said Sunday that the president’s executive order halting family separations would “not survive three weeks” before it is overruled by a court.
“The problem with his executive order is, it’s in direct contradiction to the standing order and ruling from the judge in 2015,” Tom Bossert said on ABC’s “This Week.” “My guess, that stroke of a pen does not survive three weeks before this court overrules it.”
But Bossert said the order would likely run into a court decision from 2015, which said detaining children with their parents was inhumane.
U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee ruled in 2015 that the guidelines that mandated children be incarcerated no more than 20 days extended to children with their parents.
 
Ben Rhodes Admits Obama Armed Jihadists In Syria In Bombshell Interview
Infowars – Someone finally asked Obama administration officials to own up to the rise of ISIS and arming jihadists in Syria.
In a wide ranging interview titled “Confronting the Consequences of Obama’s Foreign Policy” The Intercept’s Mehdi Hasan put the question to Ben Rhodes, who served as longtime deputy national security adviser at the White House under Obama and is now promoting his newly published book, The World As It Is: Inside the Obama White House.
Deputy National Security adviser Ben Rhodes and President Obama. Image source: AP via Commentary Magazine
Rhodes has been described as being so trusted and close to Obama that he was “in the room” for almost every foreign policy decision of significance that Obama made during his eight years in office. While the Intercept interview is worth listening to in full, it’s the segment on Syria that caught our attention.
 
Pentagon Confirms Plan To House Immigrants On Two Military Bases
The Daily Caller – The U.S. military is moving forward with plans to open two military bases as temporary housing for immigrants, Secretary of Defense James Mattis told reporters Sunday.
“The details are being worked out … about exactly how much capacity they need at the two bases, what other kinds of facilities they need built,” Mattis said, according to a Reuters report.
 
The owner of the Red Hen explains why she asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave
Washington Post – Stephanie Wilkinson was at home Friday evening — nearly 200 miles from the White House — when the choice presented itself.
Her phone rang about 8 p.m. It was the chef at the Red Hen, the tiny farm-to-table restaurant that she co-owned just off Main Street in this small city in the western part of the state.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders had just walked in and sat down, the chef informed her.
“He said the staff is a little concerned. What should we do?” Wilkinson told The Washington Post. “I said I’d be down to see if it’s true.”
“I’m not a huge fan of confrontation,” Wilkinson said. “I have a business, and I want the business to thrive. This feels like the moment in our democracy when people have to make uncomfortable actions and decisions to uphold their morals.”
 
Liberals’ Hatred Will Inevitably Turn Into Violence
Town Hall – Many of us are predicting that eventually these foam-spitting, psycho liberals are going to embrace violence out of frustration at their inability to recover the power we stripped from them, but we’re already past that point. Just ask Steve Scalise, alive today only because the Bernie bro who tried to massacre a bunch of Republicans, as well as Jeff Flake, did not know how to shoot.
When people tell you they want to hurt you, you should believe them. And we Normals are starting to listen to what liberals say.
There’s really nowhere else for the liberals to go but towards embracing widespread violence. The logic of their twisted mindset is such that Normals are not merely wrong and not merely evil, but that normal Americans and those who represent them are the evilest evildoers in evil history
 
Historian Links Current Political Environment to Pre-Civil War
NewsWars – A famous presidential historian warns that the aggressive confrontations against Trump officials and Republican politicians by far-left protestors are reminiscent of “some of the things that happened before the Civil War.”
 
Supreme Court sides with Texas in redistricting map dispute
Fox – A sharply divided Supreme Court on Monday kept in place most of a controversial Texas redistricting plan enacted by the GOP-led legislature, despite lawsuits from civil rights groups claiming it was discriminatory.
The case involved claims of racial gerrymandering — that election maps had the effect of harming the voting rights of black and Hispanic voters.
The 5-4 decision kept in place all but one challenged district, striking down the conclusions of a special three-judge federal panel that had ruled against the state.
 
Laura Ingalls Wilder Award renamed after racism concerns
The Book Seller – The US Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has changed the name of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award to the Children’s Literature Legacy Award because of “anti-Native and anti-Black sentiments” in the author’s work.
The association announced the change on Saturday (23rd June), saying: “This decision was made in consideration of the fact that Wilder’s legacy, as represented by her body of work, includes expressions of stereotypical attitudes inconsistent with ALSC’s core values of inclusiveness, integrity and respect, and responsiveness.”
Ingalls Wilder’s books include The Little House in the Big Woods (1932) and are inspired by her childhood as part of a family of pioneers. They are still read by children today but the author’s legacy is complex and “Wilder’s work is not universally embraced”, said ALSC.
“The novel has racist elements, and its portrayal of Indians has consequences when read uncritically and approvingly in schools… Whether we love Wilder or hate her, we should know her. For decades, her legacy has been awash in sentimentality, but every American — including the children who read her books — should learn the harsh history behind her work. Vividly, unforgettably, it still tells truths about white settlement, homesteading and the violent appropriation of Indian land and culture.”
 
Mixed-race family asks Blue Bell Ice Cream to change flavor name
Fox – A mixed-race family of eight are asking Blue Bell Ice Cream to change the name of a popular chocolate and vanilla ice cream flavor, The Great Divide, to be more inclusive.
Traci Schmidley, her husband, and their brood of six children were sitting down for an ice cream party at their Louisiana home to celebrate the end of a hard week, Schmidley wrote on Love What Matters.
“We always buy Blue Bell, and this time we chose the flavor The Great Divide, which has chocolate on one half and vanilla on the other half,” Schmidley wrote.
After dishing out the dessert, Schmidley said her older son, 10, jokingly called the Great Divide flavor the Civil War.
“We had a lot of great discussion about how despite the division at that time in our country’s history, how our very table, located in the Deep South, was reflective of how far we have come as a people,” she wrote. “I challenged the kids to come up with a different name that could capture the intent of Blue Bell ice cream but would reflect the remarkable progress our country has made.”
Within twenty minutes, the proud mom said two of her sons came up with a new name: Better Together.
Schmidley and her husband foster more children in addition to their six – two of whom were adopted from foster care — and they all have different skin colors, which prompted the kids’ new name.
“I thought a new name could be ‘Better Together,’ because it will make everyone happy and also in our family, everyone, no matter our color, are all better together as well. If we work together, we’re really powerful, and nothing can overcome it,” her sons wrote on Facebook.
“The sign on the wall reads: When you have more than you need build a longer table, not a higher fence.”
 
Economy & Business
 
Things Just Went Nuclear In Our Trade War With China, And A Giant Shockwave Is About To Hit The U.S. Economy
The Economic Collapse Blog – It is difficult to find the words to describe just how serious America’s trade war with China is becoming.  As you will see below, the two largest economies on the entire planet are on a self-destructive course that almost seems irreversible at this point.  The only way that this trade war is going to come to a rapid conclusion is if one side is willing to totally submit and accept an extremely bitter and humiliating defeat on the global stage, and that is not likely to happen.  So in the short-term, and probably beyond that, we are going to experience a tremendous amount of economic pain. In fact, if one wanted to create a recipe for economic disaster, it would be hard to beat having the Federal Reserve dramatically raise interest rates at the exact same time that the U.S. government is starting trade wars with all of the other major economic powers simultaneously.  Unless something drastically changes in the very near future, there is no way that the U.S. is going to be able to get through this without experiencing severe pain.
Many had hoped that President Trump would settle down after the initial salvos in this new trade war, but instead on Sunday evening we learned that he has decided to go nuclear.  The following comes from CNBC
President Donald Trump plans to bar many Chinese companies from investing in U.S. tech and to block additional technology exports to China, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday evening, citing people familiar with the matter.
The two measures are set to be announced by the end of the week, and are intended to counter Beijing’s Made in China 2025 — a Chinese initiative to be a global leader in technology.
 
Xi says China must lead way in reform of global governance
Reuters – China must lead the way in reforming global governance, the foreign ministry on Saturday cited President Xi Jinping as saying, as Beijing looks to increase its world influence.
China has sought a greater say in global organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and United Nations, in line with its growing economic and diplomatic clout.
Since taking office in late 2012, Xi has taken a more muscular approach, setting up China’s own global bodies like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and launching his landmark Belt and Road project to build a new Silk Road.
Beijing has cast itself a responsible member of the international community, especially as President Donald Trump withdraws the United States from agreements on climate change and Iran, and as Europe wrestles with Brexit and other issues.
China must “uphold the protection of the country’s sovereignty, security and development interests, proactively participate in and show the way in reform of the global governance system, creating an even better web of global partnership relationships”, Xi said in comments reported at the end of a two-day high-level Communist Party meeting.
 
Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ Headaches Include Outcry From Its Own Fans
Once again, Walt Disney Co. is at odds with “Star Wars” fans.
After a poor performance by “Solo: A Star Wars Story” — a movie poised to become the first money-losing film in the series — Disney faces criticism over how it’s managing one of Hollywood’s most lucrative franchises. The company is dealing with reports that its next stand-alone “Star Wars” movie may be delayed and an effort by one faction of fans to remake “The Last Jedi,” which came out in December.
 
Arizona family discovers rattlesnakes in pool noodles, police say
Fox – Arizona officials issued a warning to residents Sunday after a family said they found several rattlesnakes inside one of their pool noodles.
The family in the Phoenix suburb of Buckeye told authorities they picked up two pool noodles that were left near a cinderblock wall when a rattlesnake came out of it. Several young rattlesnakes were also found inside, police said.
 
Science & Technology
 
Retailers experiment with blue lights to deter drug use
Fox –  Colored bulbs cast an eerie blue glow in the restroom of a convenience store where people who inject heroin and other drugs have been seeking the relative privacy of the stalls to shoot up.
The blue lights are meant to discourage people from using drugs in store bathrooms by making it more difficult for them to see their veins. It’s an idea that’s been around for years but is getting a fresh look as a result of the nation’s opioid epidemic.
 
Health
 
Consuming Moringa oleifera powder is beneficial for diabetics
Natural News – Researchers from the University of Guadalajara in Mexico have suggested that powdered Moringa oleifera leaves could provide some benefit for people with diabetes. In the study, published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the effects of M. oleifera on glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, corporal weight, and predominant groups of microbiota were evaluated.
 
7 of The Germiest Places in Your Home – And What to Do About Them
Care 2 – You may already approach public toilets or street food vendors with caution, but harmful bacteria can be much closer to home. Hotspots throughout your home can act as unintentional breeding grounds for dangerous pathogens.
Read on to discover some of the most high-risk areas and how to keep germs out of your home for good.

  1. Kitchen Sponges

An NSF International study found that kitchen sponges topped the list of the dirtiest places in your home

  1. Kitchen Sink

Your kitchen sink can breed germs almost as well as your kitchen sponge. It’s where you wash harmful bacteria and other pathogens off your fresh food, but they don’t all go down the drain.

  1. Coffee Makers

The reservoir in your coffee maker is another surprizing source of bacteria. Its moist and dark conditions make it ideal for germ

  1. Kitchen Countertops

Your kitchen countertops are exposed to a host of nasty germs carried on the bottoms of grocery bags, purses, backpacks, electronics and even pets.

  1. Toothbrushes and Toothbrush Holders

Toothbrushes pick up bacteria from your mouth and provide a safe, damp environment for them to multiply. If that’s not icky enough, they can also pick up airborne germs that are released when you flush your toilet.

  1. Washing Machine

You may not think of your laundry as a potential source of bacteria, but research has found that the average person’s underwear contains about a tenth of a gram of fecal matter. Another disturbing fact is that germs are not killed in a washing machine

  1. Reusable Shopping Bags

A University of Arizona study found that 97 percent of people surveyed never washed their reusable bags. And this is a problem. The study also randomly tested 84 reusable bags collected from shoppers in Tucson, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

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