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Halifax mother who gave birth in Superstore didn't know she was pregnant - The husband of the woman who gave birth in a Halifax grocery store says the arrival of little Ezra was even more of a surprise than it first seemed: the mother didn't know she was pregnant.2:16 PM

'I'm not OK with people trying to poison my family,' Winnipeg woman says after pets targeted - Ashley Lamothe says her family pets have been targeted by complete strangers — with everything from anonymous complaint letters to what she says are attempts to poison her dogs. And it's gotten so bad, she says she and her family plan to move.1:22 PM

Team Canada wins gold at World Senior Curling Championships - Canada is on top of the curling world again as a senior women's team from Nova Scotia beat Switzerland in the gold medal final Saturday.11:58 AM

Police find no trace of Ontario woman and boyfriend missing in Belize - An Ontario woman is missing in Belize along with her American boyfriend, a friend says, and search crews have so far failed to turn up any clues indicating where they may be.11:52 AM

How Ontario's proposed pharmacare plan could improve employee benefits - The province says its proposed youth pharmacare plan could bring changes to employee benefit programs. Will that lead to savings or expanded coverage?10:22 AM

B.C. Muslim women's shelter becomes asylum haven for U.S. border crossers - A transitional home for Muslim women fleeing domestic violence in B.C. has turned into a haven for dozens of women who have fled the U.S., seeking refuge in Canada.10:00 AM

'Their positivity is infectious': Girls from remote First Nation play in 1st hockey tournament - When Eabametoong First Nation's first girls hockey team finished their first competitive hockey game in Thunder Bay, Ont., they skated to centre ice, shouting: 'We won! We won!' The scoreboard didn't reflect their view, but the players weren't going to let that stop the celebration.9:00 AM

Climate protests to mark Trump's 100 days in office - For the second time in a month, tens of thousands of protesters are expected to turn out around the world Saturday to voice concern over climate change in a mass demonstration marking the 100th day of Donald Trump's presidency.8:31 AM

What Harjit Sajjan really did while serving in Afghanistan - Truth being the first casualty of war has taken a decidedly different turn with growing outrage in both the political and military community about Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan's characterization of himself as the architect of Operation Medusa.7:00 AM

Children of the fire: Babies born during Fort McMurray wildfire bring joy amid chaos - As she lay in a strange bed that night in a shabby hotel room, feeling those first painful contractions, Monique Brunet wondered what remained of the fire-ravaged city she'd escaped just hours before.6:00 AM

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Photo: 03 Jiujang20, by Angel - 03 Jiujang20 © Sophie Beach for China Digital Times (CDT), get_post_time('Y'). | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: AngelDownload Tools to Circumvent the Great FirewallApr 28

Lawyer Li Heping Receives Suspended Sentence - Rights lawyer Li Heping has received a suspended prison sentence for subverting state power following a closed trial on Tuesday, some 22 months after his detention in the 2015 Black Friday or 709 crackdown. The sudden announcement of his sentence follows the equally abrupt cancellation of fellow lawyer Xie Yang’s trial, which had been scheduled for the same day. Chinese Human Rights Defenders has updated its biography of Li, which covers his career and previous detentions, with details of the conviction: On April 28, 2017, the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court weibo announced that Li had been tried in secret on April 25, and convicted and given a suspended sentence on April 28. Authorities held a closed door trial on the grounds it involved “national security,” and Li’s wife was not informed of the trial or sentencing hearing until after it had finished. According to the court’s announcement, Li pleaded guilty and said he would not appeal. He was represented by a government-appointed lawyer, after being denied access to the lawyer appointed by his family for the duration of his detention. The announcement claimed Li had “attacked” China’s political and legal system through postings online, interviews with foreign media, and accepting funding from overseas. [Source] Li was also accused of having “accepted foreign funds, ‘hyped’ cases and intentionally provoked dissatisfaction with society among ‘some people who don’t know the fact of the matter,’” according to Reuters’ report. Li’s wife Wang Qiaoling said in a video statement that she had known nothing of the trial until being surrounded by state security agents outside her home on Friday morning. Wang warned that her husband would still not enjoy genuine freedom, and that there is still “a very long road ahead” for the detainees and their families. Li Wenzu, wife of detained lawyer Wang Quanzhang who is still awaiting trial, also appeared in the video. From China Change’s translated transcript: The state security agents said that the result — three years imprisonment, suspended for four years — is something that everyone worked hard to achieve, and is to the delight and satisfaction of all. They told me to immediately pack up the kids so they could take us all to see Li Heping. Screw your delight and satisfaction. For Li Heping, who’s now a political offender, a three year sentence with a four year probation means that his personal freedom will be restricted for seven years. Over the last two years I’ve seen so many kind-hearted family members of 709 lawyers who’ve been hoodwinked by state security agents and taken to Tianjin — and then the whole family is cut off from the outside world. What on earth happened to them? We have no way of knowing. Today, many journalists asked me: How do you feel about Li Heping gaining freedom? I told them that Li Heping is not free. According to Chinese law, Li Heping was given a suspended sentence, so he should be at home with us right now. But instead of that, a big gang of state security agents came to our door and tried to take me and my daughter to Tianjin. This shows that Li Heping is still being locked up by the authorities — simply under different auspices. Li Wenzu: Today, state security told me very explicitly that Wang Quanzhang would be next. They told me to be a bit more obedient and Wang Quanzhang might be able to get a suspended sentence too. [Source] Wang Qiaoling, like Xie Yang’s wife Chen Guiqiu, also rebuked the defense lawyer with whom the authorities had replaced Li’s original representatives. She reported earlier this month that the security presence around her had escalated unnervingly in recent weeks, with security personnel following her everywhere and a cluster of security cameras installed in front of her home. She said she had already arranged for her daughter to live with her grandparents in the event of her own disappearance. Benjamin Haas reported on the sentencing for The Guardian: “A suspended sentence does not mean he’s free until we actually get to see him and he’s allowed to speak freely, and given what we’ve seen in the past that probably won’t happen,” said Eva Pils, a professor at King’s College London and longtime friend of Li. “It was a secret trial so we don’t know what state he is in,” Pils added. “In addition to our usual concerns about torture and physical health, I’m worried that this entire process may have robbed him of his mental health, especially after what they’ve apparently done to his brother.” Li’s younger brother, Li Chunfu, emerged from 500 days of secret detention in January and was later diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to his family. Li became well known for defending the disenfranchised, including Christian house churches, victims of forced evictions and free speech advocates. He worked within the scope of China’s legal system, rather than taking to the streets in protest. One Chinese security agent reportedly once told Li that the state considered him “more dangerous than Bin Laden”. [Source] Prior to his detention in 2015, Li had focused on anti-torture advocacy following reported abuses during earlier detentions in 2007 and 2011. He is one of several lawyers to have suffered alleged torture in the wake of the Black Friday crackdown, prompting international protests and fierce denials from Chinese authorities. The Wall Street Journal’s Te-Ping Chen presented more reactions to the suspended sentence: […] Patrick Poon, China researcher at Amnesty International, said that Mr. Li’s high profile likely contributed to the relatively lenient sentencing. “I think that was the difference for him,” said Mr. Poon. Others said the government appeared to want to wrap up the remaining crackdown cases quietly. “This is a face-saving exit strategy for the Chinese authorities,” said Kit Chan, executive director of the China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, a nonprofit based in Hong Kong. According to the group’s tally, there are still seven lawyers and activists still detained and awaiting trial. The first lawyer among the roughly two dozen arrested went on trial last August. Zhou Shifeng, of Beijing-based law firm Feng Rui, was sentenced to seven years for subversion. Ms. Chan of the China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group said a loose network of lawyers working on civil-liberties cases in China has actually grown since the crackdown; as of September it had 315 members, compared with 280-plus before the detentions started. [Source] Prior to the sentencing, meanwhile, The Globe and Mail’s Nathan VanderKlippe reported on the kind of legal tactics for which the Black Friday detainees and others have been prosecuted, which authorities denounce as attempts to hijack the justice system, and supporters describe as desperate acts of last resort. “In the courthouse, they stick to the law to the extreme. Whenever there is a little procedural problem they will just fight to the death,” said Sida Liu, a scholar at the University of Toronto and fellow of the American Bar Association who has conducted extensive research on China’s legal system. And in court, they will employ tactics tantamount to “street theatre,” he said. “They use this very radical behaviour, sometimes fainting or some other kind of incidents to, you can say, disturb the trial or to delay the trial.” […] “Most lawyers aren’t asking for special treatment, just basic due-process rights to ensure a fair trial and rule of law,” said Frances Eve, a researcher for Chinese Human Rights Defenders. “Many resort to public advocacy to try and challenge the politicized court system in China.” […] “I actually agree with the argument that to some extent these lawyers brought it upon themselves, because they were using very radical means to challenge the state,” Prof. Liu said. “But I’m very sympathetic to why they did it. It’s precisely because they couldn’t find justice in the courtroom.” [Source] © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), get_post_time('Y'). | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Black Friday 2015, Black Friday trials, Li Heping, national security, rights lawyers, sentencing, subversion, trials, Wang QuanzhangDownload Tools to Circumvent the Great FirewallApr 28

Minitrue: Official Comments on Trump’s Tax Plan - The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. The name of the issuing body has been omitted to protect the source. All websites find and delete the article “State Administration of Taxation Official: U.S. Tax Reform Lacks the Responsibility of Power.” (April 28, 2017) [Chinese] From the article in question, which surveyed state media reporting on the head of China’s State Administration of Taxation’s comments regarding the proposed U.S. tax reform: Friday, April 28, 2017 (United Zaobao News Network) The U.S. Trump administration on April 26 launched an “unprecedented” tax reform plan, which would bring the corporate income tax rate from about 35% down to 15%. The People’s Daily on April 28 commented that, from the perspective of other countries, the U.S. tax cuts could likely provoke a trade war. An April 28 report from ThePaper.cn interviewed State Administration of Taxation Director General Liao Tizhong, who said that while the U.S. tax reform is within the sovereignty of the United States, in the era of economic globalization sovereign policy can have a spillover effect. “We do not advocate a country’s sovereign policy formulation that doesn’t consider other countries, that only considers its self. We believe this is a mistake, and we unequivocally oppose this tax collection competition. We advocate for international cooperation and coordination. This is not only the point of view of China, but also that of all national leaders of the G20 Hangzhou Summit,” said Liao Tizhong. “Of course, in terms of legality, taxation is a sovereign matter, and Trump can cut taxes, but a great power should undertake its due responsibility. China is the world’s second largest economy, we don’t conduct our affairs irresponsibly, and neither should the leader of the largest power. Therefore we call on the entire world for cooperation and development with an awareness of common interests,” Liao said. [Chinese] While the United Zaobao article quoted above appears to still be accessible, the article from ThePaper.cn that it cited is currently offline, as are URLs leading to Weibo posts of the cited People’s Daily article. Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. Some instructions are issued by local authorities or to specific sectors, and may not apply universally across China. The date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source. See CDT’s collection of Directives from the Ministry of Truth since 2011. © josh rudolph for China Digital Times (CDT), get_post_time('Y'). | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: censorship, Directives from the Ministry of Truth, donald Trump, taxes, trade war, U.S. relations, United StatesDownload Tools to Circumvent the Great FirewallApr 28

Photo: Parade of umbrellas, by Dāvis Kļaviņš - Parade of umbrellas © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), get_post_time('Y'). | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Dāvis KļaviņšDownload Tools to Circumvent the Great FirewallApr 28

Ban on “Extreme” Muslim Baby Names in Xinjiang - In the latest of a series of recent regulations aimed at combatting “religious extremism” in Xinjiang, regional authorities have reportedly released a list of Islamic names new parents would be prohibited from naming babies. The AP reports: “Muhammad,” ”Jihad” and “Islam” are among at least 29 names now banned in the heavily Muslim region, according to a list distributed by overseas Uighur activists. An official at a county-level public security office in Kashgar, a hub in southern Xinjiang with strong Islamic influences, says some names were banned because they had a “religious background.” It is unclear how widespread the ban is or whether it is tightly enforced. The official refused to identify herself, as is common with Chinese officials. […] “Imam,” ”Hajj,” ”Turknaz,” ”Azhar” and “Wahhab” are on the list, as are “Saddam,” ”Arafat,” Medina” and “Cairo.” [Source] At Radio Free Asia, Xin Lin reports on information about the ban and its enforcement, gathered from an employee at an Urumqi police station: An employee who answered the phone at a police station in the regional capital Urumqi confirmed that “overly religious” names are banned, and that any babies registered with such names would be barred from the “hukou” household registration system that gives access to health care and education. “You’re not allowed to give names with a strong religious flavor, such as Jihad or names like that,’ the official said. “The most important thing here is the connotations of the name … [it mustn’t have] connotations of holy war or of splittism [Xinjiang independence].” Asked if names of Islamic scholars were acceptable, the employee replied: “Get him to change it; it’s the sort of thing that [could be regarded as] promoting terror and evil cults.” “Just stick to the party line, and you’ll be fine,” he said. “[People with banned names] won’t be able to get a household registration, so they will find out from the hukou office when the time comes.” “They have received training in this sort of thing over here [in Xinjiang] so they’re the experts [on what is allowed],” he said. [Source] The reported list of banned baby names comes amid a nationwide crackdown on terrorism launched in 2014 in response to increasing incidents of violence in Xinjiang and elsewhere in China. Last month, rules against “extremist behavior,” including wearing Islamic face veils or long beards, were released—the first region-wide ban, which came after some localities had enacted similar rules. Coverage from the New York Times’ Javier C. Hernandez quotes Munich-based Uyghur rights activist Dilxat Raxit on the “increasingly hostile” policies in Xinjiang: “China’s policies are increasingly hostile,” said Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the World Uyghur Congress, a group in Munich that advocates self-determination for Xinjiang. “Uighur people have to be cautious if they want to give their children names they are happy with, and at the same time avoid punishment from the government.” [Source] While Uyghurs in Xinjiang traditionally observe a moderate form of Sunni Islam, in recent years conservative practices have increased, which some interpret as a subversive response to increasing state regulations on religious observance. At Human Rights Watch, China Director Sophie Richardson criticizes recent repressive policies in Xinjiang, including the new ban on certain Islamic baby names, for exacerbating ethnic tensions and further destabilizing the region: According to media reports, Xinjiang authorities have recently banned dozens of names with religious connotations common to Muslims around the world, such as Saddam and Medina, on the basis that they could “exaggerate religious fervor.” Children with banned names will not be able to obtain a “hukou,” or household registration, essential for accessing public school and other social services. This is just the latest in a slew of new regulations restricting religious freedom in the name of countering “religious extremism.” On April 1, Xinjiang authorities imposed new rules prohibiting the wearing of “abnormal” beards or veils in public places, and imposing punishments for refusing to watch state TV or radio programs. These policies are blatant violations of domestic and international protections on the rights to freedom of belief and expression. […] Violent incidents and ethnic tensions in Xinjiang have been on the rise in recent years, but the government’s farcically repressive policies and punishments are hardly solutions. Instead, they are only going to deepen resentment among Uyghurs. If the government is serious about bringing stability and harmony to the region as it claims, it should roll back – not double down on – repressive policies. [Source] The ongoing crackdown has also recently included massive military rallies, increased surveillance measures, and the punishment of officials for not substantially enforcing rules. One Uyghur official in Hotan was reportedly demoted this month for “not daring” to smoke in front of religious elders. Other Uyghur Party officials in Xinjiang have published commentaries in state media admonishing fellow Uyghur cadres for their failings, and calling on them to reveal “two-faced people” and “clean them out.” At Reuters, Christian Shepherd reports on a more recent Xinjiang state media article from Uyghur officials appealing to the patriotism of Uyghur youth: Four senior Uighur officials, writing in a front-page article in the official Xinjiang Daily newspaper, asked young people to reflect on why Uighurs are labeled “terrorists”. “A small group of devils create violence and terror in order to split the motherland and destroy ethnic unity,” they said. “Because of this, we regularly face round-upon-round of safety checks, sometimes we finding it hard to stay in hotels or to rent housing.” Young Uighurs should reflect on how the party had created a “harmonious, prosperous, happy and safe” life for minorities in Xinjiang, they said, adding that a failure to grasp the nation’s common language of Mandarin was a “disgrace”. “Siblings, the great motherland has granted us a blessed, heavenly life, how can we follow those devils to abandon our motherland?” they said. [Source] For more on the ongoing crackdown on terrorism and continuing ethnic and political tensions in Xinjiang, see “The Wild West of the Far East: Uyghurs in Xinjiang” from Perry Arrasmith at the Harvard Political Review, or read prior coverage via CDT. © josh rudolph for China Digital Times (CDT), get_post_time('Y'). | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: islam, religion, religious persecution, terrorism, Uyghurs, XinjiangDownload Tools to Circumvent the Great FirewallApr 27

“Chinese Tour Groups Suck” - At Startup Grind on Medium (h/t Matthew Sheehan’s Chinafornia newsletter), Panpan Wang appeals for empathy with the often reviled groups of Chinese tourists abroad: Ugh. Why do Chinese tourists suck so much? Who Is A Chinese Tourist? You were born in 1954. […] You’re named Ping, which means Peace. Millions born in your time are also homages to peace. […] It’s 1960. You’re six years old and the eldest of four. The family learns that your mom’s cousin in the nearby village just died. Mom and Dad told you that he got sick. Later you learn that he died of starvation along with 50 million other comrades in what was the largest man-made disaster in history. […] You and your brothers get one egg each to eat as your protein for the week. Your parents’ protein intake is de-prioritized. This is because you live in the provincial capital of Henan and because your family is prosperous. You guiltily savor your friends’ jealousy of your single egg. [Source] For another, similarly sympathetic take, see Evan Osnos’ 2011 New Yorker article “The Grand Tour: Europe on fifteen hundred yuan a day.” Read more, often less sympathetic views on Chinese tourists via CDT. © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), get_post_time('Y'). | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Chinese tourists, Cultural Revolution, etiquette, Great Famine, Korean War, Mainland tourists, tourism, touristsDownload Tools to Circumvent the Great FirewallApr 27

Tycoon’s Facebook, Twitter Accounts Suspended Amid Corruption Claims - Property tycoon Guo Wengui has recently leveled accusations of corruption against top members of China’s political elite. His allegations have been met with vigorous counteraccusations in a coordinated media campaign, and an Interpol red notice seeking his arrest. Zheping Huang has summarized Guo’s background and claims at Quartz. Guo has used Western social media to trumpet his accusations, but both his Facebook and Twitter accounts have suffered temporary suspensions over the past week. Both companies, particularly Facebook, have come under fire in the past for their apparent willingness to collude with Chinese authorities, but in Guo’s case Beijing or its sympathizers may have used the services’ abuse reporting systems to temporarily silence him, rather than approaching the firms directly. The New York Times’ Michael Forsythe reports on Wednesday’s Twitter suspension: Mr. Guo’s account was apparently suspended for about four hours before it was restored after inquiries from members of the news media. Twitter normally suspends accounts if they are deemed to be sending out spam, if they appear to have been “hacked or compromised” or if they engage in “abusive behavior,” according to the company’s website. Twitter considers the posting of private information, like identification numbers, without the consent of those involved to be abusive behavior. In recent days, Mr. Guo had posted two screenshots that contained the Chinese national identification numbers of several people. When his account was restored, those screenshots had been removed. […] “Some authoritarian governments [monitor] accounts of critics and opponents for apparent violations of the companies’ own terms of service, then flag them through the companies’ abuse-reporting channels,” [Rebecca] MacKinnon said in an email. [Source] In addition to the missing screenshots, Guo’s account was initially stripped of all its roughly 100,000 followers, which returned after a short lag. Temporary reductions in follower count appear to be a normal side-effect of Twitter’s account restoration process, having also occurred after the accidental suspension of the company’s founder and CEO Jack Dorsey last November. The NYT’s Paul Mozur had previously reported on the suspension of Guo’s Facebook account, which Guo portrayed as a sign “that the value of my various evidence is bigger than what I had imagined.” A Facebook spokeswoman said that the company’s automated systems had erroneously suspended Mr. Guo’s account and that once the company was able to investigate the error, it had restored the profile. The precise reason for the suspension would be difficult to determine, the spokeswoman said, adding that publicizing the reasons could allow others to manipulate the system. […] Some Chinese activists have complained about accounts being sporadically suspended on Facebook and other sites without explanation. In response to Mr. Guo’s post on Twitter, some users brought up a theory that China’s government uses a collection of foreign social media accounts to report accounts like Mr. Guo’s so they will be suspended. The Facebook spokeswoman said the company does not remove content based simply on how many times it has been reported. [Source] Following Guo’s Twitter suspension, cartoonist Rebel Pepper suggested that the approach relied less on the volume than the variety of reports. His own experience shows how Facebook’s long-controversial insistence on the use of real names makes users with pseudonyms, often for the sake of political protection, especially vulnerable to malicious reporting. 臉書和推特沒有網管辦，但是也有舉報機制，五毛們沒有別的辦法，衹能找各種理由拼命舉報帳號，萬一舉報成功，對方的帳號就凍結了。前年我第一個臉書帳號就是被這麼凍結的，申訴無效，因為舉報者抓住了臉書規則——非實名用戶的問題，所以我衹能認倒楣，重新註冊實名帳號，筆名做公共主頁，果然沒事了 — 变态辣椒 (@remonwangxt) April 26, 2017 Facebook and Twitter are not subject to [China’s] network management, but they do have reporting mechanisms. Fifty centers have no alternative but to find various pretexts to report the account. If a few reports succeed, the targeted account will be frozen. The year before last, my first Facebook account was shut down like this, and my appeals were ineffective, because the people reporting me had caught onto Facebook’s rule about requiring the use of real names. So all I could do was acknowledge that I was out of luck, and re-register with my real name and a public page for my pen name. Sure enough, that was the end of it. [Chinese] Meanwhile, Reuters’ Joseph Menn reports Facebook’s announcement of new efforts to counter governments’ “information operations” abroad. China is not mentioned, but coordinated postings politically sympathetic to Beijing have been observed on Western social media in the past. Facebook Inc acknowledged on Thursday that it has become a battleground for governments seeking to manipulate public opinion in other countries and outlined new measures it is taking to combat what it calls “information operations” that go well beyond the phenomenon known as fake news. In a report and summary of response plans on its website on Thursday, Facebook describes well-funded and subtle efforts by nations and other organizations to spread misleading information and falsehoods for geopolitical goals. These initiatives go much further than posting fake news stories to include amplification – essentially widening the circulation of posts through a variety of means – carried out by government employees or paid professionals, often using fake accounts. […] Facebook said its security team would now fight information operations, which it regards as a more complex problem than traditional hackers and scammers, by suspending or deleting false accounts after identifying them with a combination of machine learning and intelligence agency-level analysis. [Source] © Samuel Wade for China Digital Times (CDT), get_post_time('Y'). | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Facebook, Guo Wengui, real name registration, Rebel Pepper, social media, TwitterDownload Tools to Circumvent the Great FirewallApr 27

Sun Liping (孙立平): Between Civilization and Barbarism - Tsinghua University Professor of Sociology Sun Liping last week launched the WeChat public account “Sun Liping’s Social Observations” (孙立平社会观察). In his first post, he provides an introduction to his new channel of expression, translated below: Introduction to Sun Liping’s Social Observations I am naturally lazy and slow to react. Now that WeChat is ubiquitous, and under the persuasion and goading of my friends, I’ve finally come to try this out. Winter is gone and spring is here. One after the other, the black swans fly. Perhaps we are living in an era of more and more confusion, more and more uncertainty. The world, life, demand that we keep coming back to understand them, to recognize them. That people have different opinions on myriad social phenomena is perfectly natural. But differing opinions cannot be grounds for exposing past mistakes and breeding hostility. Society needs a voice of calm and reason. A point of view, whether it is right or wrong, more often than not enhances our perception of life. As of four or five years ago, I no longer publish lengthy articles in academic journals or in standard media. But fragments of thought rush forth from time to time. I hope this WeChat public account may serve as a platform for constructive discussion of and communication about social phenomena. May China, and the world, progress. [Chinese] Following the introduction, Sun reposted a recent essay of his inspired by global events, offering his readers a warning on the importance of maintaining commitment to social progress. That essay is also translated in full: Repost of Essay from a Few Months Ago: Between Civilization and Barbarism, We Must Not Lose Our Way In contrast to barbarism, civilization is the accumulated progress of culture, behavior, lifestyle, and institutions for the betterment of humanity. The general contours of civilization and barbarism are indisputable. If we deny this, then there is no right or wrong in the world. A few days ago, I said, “In the face of dazzling change, as we struggle to agree on what is right, we must not blur one essential boundary—that which divides civilization and barbarism.” I’d like to talk a bit about this now. Trump’s rise to power. Brexit. The reassessment of political correctness. The resurgence of populism. The whole world has become confused, as if clear prospects had turned into a chaotic mass. What I want to stress is that we must not get lost during this unpredictable, dizzying time. If developed countries have some potential to lose their way, that is a price we cannot pay. Several months ago I posed questions on China’s sense of direction, the elite’s sense of security, and the common people’s sense of hope. In the new international climate, these questions, the first in particular, seem more real. Amidst all this, if at a certain place and time right and wrong are hard to discern, it is key that we not muddy one essential coordinate, that of civilization and barbarism. There are those who do not recognize civilization, who say that civilization and barbarism are relative. This is relativistic sophistry. Do we not recognize the difference between living well and living poorly? The difference between happiness and suffering? Defined in contrast to barbarism, civilization is the accumulated progress of culture, behavior, lifestyle, and institutions for the betterment of humanity. Human history is the process of moving from barbarism to civilization. Of course I must admit that no one can guarantee what the endpoint will look like. In an example I have given before, there are often land disputes in the countryside. There are some places that resolve these disputes through archaic community battle, but today more locales rely on modern law. Is there any doubt about the distinction between the civilized and the barbaric in this case? On a grander scale, international conflict can be solved through endless warfare, or it can be resolved by establishing international organizations, signing treaties, and negotiating compromise. Is there any doubt which is civilized and which is barbaric? The transfer of power may be reached via a river of blood, or it may be achieved through a procedure and election that have the approval of the people. Is there any doubt which is civilized and which barbaric? Public affairs may be handled by a small group acting arbitrarily, or with broader participation, thus embodying the will of more people. Is there any doubt which is civilized and which barbaric? In social life, one group of people can have the power to discriminate against and oppress another, or everyone can coexist equally. When genuine equality cannot be realized, at least equality in the sense of the law and of rights can be guaranteed. Is there any doubt which is civilized and which barbaric? I could come up with an endless list of such examples. Of course, I agree that not every situation is black-and-white. For instance, Buddhists, Christians, and atheists clearly have different understandings of life and its meaning. But the broad outlines of civilization and barbarism cannot be denied. If we deny this, then there is no right or wrong in the world. I will say it once again: between civilization and barbarism, our nation cannot afford the price of losing. [Chinese] Translation by Anne Henochowicz. See also CDT’s translation of Sun’s 2009 essay “The Biggest Threat to China is not Social Turmoil but Social Decay” (Part 1, and Part 2). © josh rudolph for China Digital Times (CDT), get_post_time('Y'). | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: brexit, democracy, donald Trump, land disputes, liberalism, social decay, Sun Liping, WeChatDownload Tools to Circumvent the Great FirewallApr 27

Evaluating the Urban-Rural Wealth Gap - The hukou, or household registration, system has long divided China’s urban and rural residents, by limiting where people can live and what services they can access in places they move to. The government has promised to reform the system, which has created endemic inequalities between living standards for urban and rural residents, but it so far still remains in place and likely will for years to come. The economic growth that China has experienced over the past few decades has primarily benefited the urban residents; 70 percent of personal wealth in the country in now held in property, and city dwellers have been the largest beneficiaries. Mark Magnier of the Wall Street Journal reports: Studies by the Asian Development Bank and the University of Michigan suggest China’s rich-poor gap is even higher once property and hukou status are taken into account. “The urban-rural wealth divide is much greater than the income divide,” Southwestern University’s Mr. Gan said. Often, the difference comes down to a line on a map. Wang Qiang, a 30-year-old construction engineer from a village in northern China, bought an apartment in 2014 in the Banyan Tree Harbor residential complex astride a garbage dump in Yanjiao, just outside Beijing, across a dying river in Hebei province. Looking across the dry riverbed separating Yanjiao from the capital, Mr. Wang said he hopes Beijing will someday absorb his community. Giving him hope, some cities across China have extended property-buying rights to rural hukou holders around them. With a Beijing hukou, Mr. Wang’s family would have access to better schools and hospitals, and his two-bedroom apartment would be twice as valuable. [Source] In China’s rapidly growing cities, urbanization has created new problems and patterns in housing, as Perry Arrasmith writes in the Harvard Political Review. In an effort to control its size and population, Beijing is planning to limit its population size and along with other large cities has implemented policies to discourage migrants from moving there. For Project Syndicate, Andrew Sheng and Xiao Geng write about the urban housing crisis: Of course, the housing situation is most urgent in the first-tier cities. And their governments have moved quickly to cool the market. Beijing, for example, raised the required down payment for residents purchasing a second flat for investment to as much as 80 percent of the price, and barred non-residents from such investments altogether. But this is just a temporary fix. A longer-term solution will require the authorities to address the fact that demand for a limited supply of residential property is high and rising, owing to the rapid flow of often-young Chinese talent to cities that offer access to economic opportunities, not to mention better public infrastructure. Policymakers must determine the proper balance between state control and market forces in guiding urbanization throughout the country. As it stands, urbanization pressure is being felt by the top 100 (out of 600) Chinese cities, which housed 714.3 million residents—52.8 percent of the total population—and generated 75.7 percent of China’s GDP in 2016. Of those 100 cities, six recorded GDP growth above 10 percent last year, compared to the national average of 6.7 percent; 82 recorded GDP growth between 6.7 percent and 10 percent; and just 12 grew by 6.7 percent or less. [Source] In IPP Review, Yongnian Zheng writes about some of the consequences of China’s urbanization project, including the “ruralization” of urban areas due to the influx of migrants without a city hukou: [..R]eform of the household registration (hukou) system did not match the speed of urbanization. The consequence is the ruralization of urban areas. Of the 56 percent urban population, only 40 percent have urban residence permits. In other words, there are over 10 percent of people in the cities who are rural workers or farmers. They have lived and worked in the cities for a long period of time and their offspring have already grown up, yet they are not integrated into the cities. Almost all the major cities in China have “villages in the city” and rural workers. These “villages in the city” are born from the rapid expansion of urban areas, where old villages are enveloped by skyscrapers all around. There have been efforts to improve the living conditions of these villages, but there remain serious concerns about employment, livelihood, and safety. [Source] But as much of the population moves to the cities, the rural regions are left to fend for themselves with a host of new problems, among them, the dearth of schools. Neha Thirani Bagri reports for Quartz: In 2001, in response to growing urbanization and emptying village schools, the Chinese government launched a campaign to close remote village schools and pool resources in centralized schools located in towns. In the years following, rural schools began to shut down at an alarming rate. Between 2000 and 2015, nearly three-quarters of all rural primary schools—more than 300,000 total—were permanently shuttered, according to the Economist. For those Chinese students left behind in rural villages, this has meant access to quality education has become scarce. The New York Times reports that the approximately 60 million “left-behind” children in rural schools, who live with their grandparents in villages whiles their parents migrate to big cities looking for work, are at a huge educational disadvantage compared to their urban peers. While 70% of students in cities attend senior high school, fewer than 10% of rural students make it that far. [Source] Some experts believe that the resources and attention focused on managing the newly urbanized areas need to shift to the rural areas in order to provide incentives for people to stay, rather than moving to overcrowded cities where they may not have access to basic services. From Eustance Huang at CNBC: While industrialization has played a significant role in lifting many Chinese citizens out of poverty, [John] Donaldson [of Singapore Management University] said the importance of rural development should not be overlooked. Citing former Chinese president Hu Jintao’s introduction of healthcare and education to rural areas, Donaldson said such initiatives give citizens the option of remaining in rural areas — rather than shifting to megalopolises in search of a better life. At the same time, those measures alleviate the problem of overcrowding in urban areas. Although he recognized that urbanization is a often tied to populations becoming wealthier, Donaldson said that it “should happen a lot more organically than people are planning.” “I think it’s not urbanization for its own sake,” he stressed, warning that such inorganic shifts to big cities could wind up fueling “a hidden time bomb” in the Chinese economy.[Source] © Sophie Beach for China Digital Times (CDT), get_post_time('Y'). | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: hukou, rural development, urban rural divide, urbanization, wealth gapDownload Tools to Circumvent the Great FirewallApr 26

The Eyeopener from CBC Radio Calgary (Highlights)

Eyeopener podcast for Friday April 28 - On today's podcast: A mother shares the story of her son's death on an oilsands job site -- ahead of the company's sentencing hearing; exporting Alberta honey wine to Japan; a a landmark cowboy bar celebrates it's 45 birthday.Apr 27

Eyeopener Podcast for April 27, 2017 - Today's podcast: Mayor Nenshi on Calgary's Indigenous framework and policy; creosote contamination in West Hillhurst; Paul McIntyre Royston checks in on the "fat project"; in search of Bridgeland's "bunny zero"Apr 26

Eyeopener Podcast for April 26, 2017 - Today's podcast: Deborah Yedlin on softwood lumber dispute; Unconventionals debate green bin compost program; why Calgary drivers keep smashing into overpasses.Apr 25

Eyeopener Podcast for April 25, 2017 - Abortion pill to be made available in Alberta; New type of aurora identified; celebrating National Volunteer Week; whooping crane at Calgary Zoo lays fertile egg.Apr 24

Eyeopener Podcast for April 24, 2017 - The City of Calgary is looking at Plan B for a new arena; Business reporter Tracy Johnson looks at problems at Lexin Resources; a doctor helps a jaguar rehabilitate; and Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn is in town this weekend for the Cgy Comic Expo.Apr 23

Eyeopener Podcast for April 21, 2017 - Today's podcast: New gravel pit upsets Bridlewood residents; marathon runner Gerry Miller talks about completing the Boston Marathon at the age of 80; new program helps doctors recognize signs of domestic abuse.Apr 20

Eyeopener Podcast for April 20, 2017 - Flames eliminated from Stanley Cup Playoffs; WestJet announces new low-cost airline; FUBAR celebrates 15th anniversary with a CUFF screening.Apr 19

Eyeopener Podcast for April 19, 2017 - Province offers new energy efficiency rebates; Sunshine Village parking dispute continues; why Costco makes us cranky.Apr 18

Eyeopener podcast for Tuesday April 18 - On today's podcast: Park Plus cameras in your neighbourhood; launching the first made-in-Alberta satellite; an inside look at Calgary's new bird training school; and how to spring clean your finances.Apr 17

Eyeopener podcast for Monday April 17 - On today's podcast: In defence of Shakespeare in Alberta schools; a tale of two cities, Eric Francis on the Flames and the Oilers; gardening expert Kath Smyth on some Easter dibbling.Apr 16

di

Daily Kos

Open thread for night owls: 'The Arctic is unravelling' - A new study finds that the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the Earth—and that as a result, past predictions of sea level rise during this century may need to be revised substantially upwards. The findings come from the Snow, Water, Ice, and Permafrost in the Arctic report, a comprehensive assessment compiled every few years by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, the scientific body that reports to the governments that make up the Arctic Council, a forum for issues affecting the region. The last assessment came out in 2011. “The take-home message is that the Arctic is unravelling,” says Rafe Pomerance, who chairs a network of conservation groups called Arctic 21 and was a deputy assistant secretary of state for environment and development under US President Bill Clinton. “The fate of the Arctic has to be moved out of the world of scientific observation and into the world of government policy.” Under the new calculations, mean sea level rise by the end of 2099 will be “about double” the estimates released in 2013 by the IPCC. • An Activists’ Calendar of Resistance Events • Indivisible’s list of Resistance Events & Groups TOP COMMENTS • HIGH IMPACT STORIES TWEET OF THE DAY xWhen Democrats win, hire conservative pundits to provide another view. When Republicans win, hire conservative pundits to be in touch.— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) April 29, 2017 BLAST FROM THE PAST At Daily Kos on this date in 2013—Inhofe says Obama ordering Feds to buy up all ammo so gun owners won't have any. All right, let's review. James Inhofe (R-NotOK,NotByAStretch), actual United States senator, says that President Black Guy is behind a secret effort to buy up all the ammunition in America so that God-fearing patriots can't get any, thus rendering their mighty guns and gun-related Constitutional rights useless. This is the guy whose various other holds and pronouncements and good-old-fashioned tantrums have been instrumental in causing the Senate to become the dull, incompetent wreck it is today. He's one of their big names, and he's proposing new laws based on things he read in the pamphlets men in strange hats sell inside this nation's lesser gun shows. To repeat: The modern Republican Party is nothing more than a cult. 36 min

The president of the United States is an open racist. - xTrump looks to 2020, suggesting Warren could be Democratic nominee: "it may be Pocahontas and she is not big for the NRA."Ã¢Â€Â” Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) April 28, 2017 xWell, that's bound relieve some economic anxiety ... https://t.co/92UNMlVtQjÃ¢Â€Â” digby (@digby56) April 28, 2017 xThe President is a racist POS https://t.co/FdfGO5nsnrÃ¢Â€Â” Reza Aslan (@rezaaslan) April 28, 2017 xImagine if the president referred to Chuck Schumer as Shylock. Or Obama as Sambo. But it's become accepted he refers to Warren as PocahontasÃ¢Â€Â” Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) April 28, 2017 8:09 PM

Nuts & Bolts: a guide to Democratic campaigns—what can I expect from the party? - Welcome back, Saturday Campaign D-I-Y’ers! For those who tune in, welcome to the Nuts & Bolts of a Democratic campaign. Each week we discuss issues that help drive successful campaigns. If you’ve missed prior diaries, please visit our group or follow Nuts & Bolts Guide. In case you missed it, last week David Jarman put out an excellent piece of writing regarding the structure of the Democratic party. It’s a great breakdown of how the national infrastructure is built. Knowing how some of the national infrastructure is built, though, doesn’t tell us much about what expectations a campaign can reasonably have of a county, state and national party in regards to their efforts to win an election. This week, I’m going to take time to talk just a bit about what resources come to a candidate through these organizations, and how to make the most of the resources that are available. Over the last decade or so, party infrastructure has not held up particularly well. Donors give straight to candidates or outside organizations, and the party apparatus, which is your state and county party organizations, really aren’t deep pockets for a candidate. This is also true of the national party organization. In a single day, or through the course of a federal campaign, most candidates should significantly out raise a state and county organization. With county and states not having deep financial pockets to support all of the candidates under them, what purpose do these organizations have for a campaign? First, we have to start looking at the pyramid. In David Jarman’s post, he talks about how the organizations are oriented for federal races, but when it comes to the party infrastructure, it is far more important to know what tools are available because they exist. 7:00 PM

This week in science: Trash in space - We’ve never had a decent microphone on Mars to hear what sounds might actually sound like in the planet’s ultra-thin atmosphere. That may change in a few years with the Mars Rover 2020 mission. But a recently trapped pebble on Curiosity gives us some idea of what to expect: Since sound is a pressure wave — molecules bunching up and spreading out in wave patterns — the thin atmosphere would make every sound much quieter on Mars than Earth. In addition, the atmospheric chemistry makes the speed of sound lower on Mars, which in turn makes the sound pitch lower, though not by a huge margin. Regardless of the sounds on the red planet, veggies may be grown there one day—beyond the handiwork of Hollywood studios. Think of them as the hanging gardens of Mars. There’s a lot of junk in space. And SETI is offering a post-grad workshop this summer to look at that issue and others. Creationism in Texas is dealt a small blow. An old mystery in Antarctica, the Blood Falls, may have finally been solved. Margaret Atwood’s classic dystopian sci-fi drama, The Handmaid’s Tale, has been made into a miniseries for Hulu. Reviews so far are promising. I’ve watched the first three episodes and so far, given the social trajectory we are on, it’s creepy as hell. 6:00 PM

This week in the war on workers: Death on the job - In 2015, 4,836 workers were killed on the job and another 50,000 to 60,000 workers died from work-related illnesses, according to the AFL-CIO’s Death on the Job report, released this week in observance of Workers’ Memorial Day on April 28. That means that the fatal injury rate held steady from 2014 at 3.4 deaths per 100,000 workers. Workplace deaths aren’t evenly distributed. Some states—led by North Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana—have higher fatality rates, and some groups of workers face disproportionate risk: Latino and immigrant workers continue to be at higher risk than other workers: The Latino fatality rate was 4.0 per 100,000 workers, 18% higher than the national average. Deaths among Latino workers increased significantly in 2015; 903 deaths, compared with 804 in 2014. Almost the entire increase in Latino deaths was among immigrant workers; 605 (67%) of Latino workers killed were immigrant workers. 943 immigrant workers were killed on the job—the highest since 2007. Older workers are at high risk. In 2015: 35% of all fatalities occurred in workers ages 55 or older, with 1,681 deaths. Workers 65 or older have more than 2.5 times the risk of dying on the job as other workers, with a fatality rate of 9.4 per 100,000 workers. The government doesn’t put the resources in to improve the situation: “Federal OSHA has enough inspectors to inspect workplaces once every 159 years.” And that was in 2015. Things will not be getting better under Donald Trump, who, with the Republican Congress, has already taken steps to weaken workplace safety protections. 4:55 PM

Trump's EPA destroys vital climate data web site on eve of Climate March - When scientists began frantically copying climate data against the possibility that an EPA website would no longer provide access, it seemed a bit ridiculous. Even for a regime stocked with climate change deniers, removing the site seemed just too blatant, too mustache-twirling stock villainous, to be real. And in fact, just five days ago, the EPA’s spokesman responded to stories that the site was going away. “Long story short, this story was a hoax,” agency spokesman J.P. Freire told me. “We have not had any conversations at EPA about taking down the website.” … As it turns out, climate change isn’t a hoax, but the idea that the Trump regime can be trusted on anything is absolutely a hoax. The Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday evening that its website would be “undergoing changes” to better represent the new direction the agency is taking, triggering the removal of several agency websites containing detailed climate data and scientific information. One of the websites that appeared to be gone had been cited to challenge statements made by the EPA’s new administrator, Scott Pruitt. Another provided detailed information on the previous administration’s Clean Power Plan, including fact sheets about greenhouse gas emissions on the state and local levels and how different demographic groups were affected by such emissions. Even as marchers were gathering to show the White House that Americans are serious about climate change, the Trump White House was carrying out a giant slap in the face of public trust, government transparency, and scientific truth. 4:32 PM

Trump wants to kill the Energy Star program. Guess what his motive might be? - Another day, another grift. The EPA's Energy Star program has been, for consumers, a raging success. A label, right there on each of the displayed home appliances in a store, tells you flat-out how much electricity your latest purchase is going to use and what it's going to cost you; if you want a version that costs less, you can easily find a brand that's more energy-efficient and go from there. If the program didn't exist, such comparisons would be impossible. So of course Team Trump wants to murder the thing. And of course there's a link to his own businesses involved here, because the program also includes voluntary scoring of commercial real estate buildings. Guess what? Trump's properties tend to receive low Energy Star ratings. The most recent scores from 2015 reveal that 11 of his 15 skyscrapers in New York, Chicago and San Francisco are less energy efficient than most comparable buildings. On a scale of 1 to 100 for energy efficiency, Manhattan's old Mayfair Hotel, which Trump converted into condos, rated a 1. But none of this could matter if the administration has its way. It has proposed cutting all funding to the Energy Star Program, run by the Environmental Protection Agency. This will Help Donald Trump Personally because, as a real estate developer, getting poor scores on buildings can make investors and prospective tenants wary. You don't want to buy into a white elephant, after all (though honestly, if the building you're investing in has a giant TRUMP logo perched on top of it like a gaudy and gigantic pigeon, you may deserve what you get.) And while the program is mostly voluntary, some cities require scores to be reported—a trend that developers like Trump may not like. Doesn't matter now, if Trump gets his way. Ratings? Gone. Consumer choice? Sod off! Oh, and just to bring home that Trump has always been as big a liar as he is right now in this moment: "I strongly believe in clean energy, in conserving energy, all of that --- more than anybody," Trump says on a fact sheet for a heating and power generation system at Trump Tower in White Plains, New York. More than anybody. 4:01 PM

Climate marches turn out tens of thousands to demand action, oppose denialism - As of yet there’s few crowd estimates from today’s marches, but the Washington, D.C. march al one has been estimated at about 150,000. Some images from across the country: 3:30 PM

In Baltimore, tenants lose big in a housing court system sorely in need of reform - Housing court in Baltimore is 70 years old. As the first of its kind in the nation, it was designed as a space where landlords could be held accountable for safety violations and renters would be able to address problems. It was supposed to lead to a safer city with better housing. But after nearly a century, it’s falling woefully short on its promise. An investigation by The Baltimore Sun shows that Baltimore’s housing court often works against the very group it was designed to protect—tenants. And landlords are routinely not held accountable for failing to meet safety standards or poor living conditions. A first-of-its-kind computer analysis of more than 5,500 complaints filed by Baltimore tenants from 2010 through November 2016 revealed that judges in rent escrow court tended to favor landlords, even when inspectors found and reported significant code violations: leaking roofs, no heat, infestations of insects or rodents, even suspected lead paint hazards. When tenants file in rent escrow court, there is a process that then takes place in order for a dispute to be resolved. A city inspector visits the property, then reviews the claim and reports to the court. A judge may then decide to open up an escrow account, meaning that the tenant has the option of paying the rent into the escrow account rather than to the landlord until repairs are completed. Except the investigation found that the judges in Baltimore rarely exercise this option. They found: Judges diverted rent payments into escrow accounts less than half as often as they could have, based on inspectors’ findings. Inspectors reported threats to life, health and safety in 1,427 cases, court records show, but judges established accounts in just 702 of them. [...] Even when accounts were established, judges returned most of the money to landlords when the cases ended. In cases in which inspectors found homes to be illegal or unfit for habitation, judges ultimately awarded 89 percent of the escrow money to the landlords. [...] Judges routinely require tenants to pay all back rent landlords say is due before their complaints are heard. They do not typically require the landlords to show that they provided a habitable home — the legal basis for charging rent. 3:08 PM

Republican approach to Trumpcare: 'insanity,' 'incredibly frustrating,' 'divorced from reality' - Campaign Action After seven years of dithering around and using every trick in the book to find ways to repeal and defund Obamacare, Republicans got caught with their pants around their ankles when it came time to do that other thing they promised—replacing it. Now that they're in the position of having to, they're showing just how insular, out-of-touch, and inept the House under Speaker Paul Ryan and popular vote loser Donald Trump's White House really are. And now much this is not about health policy but about tax cuts. [T]hey continue to refuse to reach out to Democrats. Even Senate Republicans have been largely sidelined, though their support will be crucial to putting a measure on Trump’s desk. And senior House Republicans and White House officials have almost completely shut out doctors, hospitals, patient advocates and others who work in the healthcare system, industry officials say, despite pleas from many healthcare leaders to seek an alternative path that doesn’t threaten protections for tens of millions of Americans. […] “To think you are going to revamp the entire American healthcare system without involving any of the people who actually deliver healthcare is insanity,” said Sister Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Assn., whose members include many of the nation’s largest medical systems. […] “They’re not interested in how health policy actually works,” said one insurance company official, who asked not to be identified discussing conversations with GOP officials. “It’s incredibly frustrating.” Another longtime healthcare lobbyist, who also did not want to be identified criticizing Republicans, said he’d never seen legislation developed with such disregard for expert input. “It is totally divorced from reality,” he said. This isn't real life to Republicans. It's the political game. Consequences are of no importance. Policy only matters as far as the next massive tax cut. Which, by the way, is the main point of the bill. The end goal isn't making sure anyone has health insurance (or really even access to health insurance, despite their talking points). It's all about slashing enough out of Medicaid and Obamacare's subsidies to make great big tax cuts for the wealthy possible. There is no other policy as far as Republicans are concerned. Cutting taxes is the be all and end all. Gutting services for everybody who isn't in a tax bracket that benefits is just an added bonus for them. 2:30 PM

Donald Trump has tied himself to the one form of energy that's never—never, never—coming back - There’s a reason that Donald Trump didn’t have a crowd of wind power workers standing behind him at his rallies, and it goes beyond just his disdain for windmills off the coast of his Scottish golf course. The reason is that anyone who knows how to build or service wind power was out building and servicing wind power. It’s not just the fastest growing segment of America’s energy picture, it’s the fastest growing occupation, period. The fastest-growing occupation in the United States — by a long shot, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics — might surprise you: wind turbine technician. … In 2016, for the first time, more than 100,000 people in the United States were employed in some manner by the wind industry, according to an annual report released Wednesday by the American Wind Energy Association. But Trump lined up coal miners. Why? First because Trump’s anti-regulatory bent was beloved of coal mine operators who expect to increase their profit per ton by using cheaper practices requiring less labor. Second, because … they make great props. Coal miners are the go-to occupation when it comes to dangerous, under-appreciated labor. They also happen to be in a failing industry that’s in a steep decline on its way to extinction, so they’re always available. Bloomberg has put together an article that contains a series of tables and graphics to show why coal is simply doomed. Wind and solar are about to become unstoppable, natural gas and oil production are approaching their peak, and electric cars and batteries for the grid are waiting to take over. This is the world Donald Trump inherited as U.S. president. And yet his energy plan is to cut regulations to resuscitate the one sector that’s never coming back: coal. 2:08 PM

May 1 marcher: 'We leave our houses every day to work hard and make this country better' - Interest in the May 1 RISE UP! day of action continues to explode, organizers say, with national marches and strikes in support of the immigrant families and workers now happening in some 200 cities across 39 states: “You’ll see rallies, you’ll see marches, you’ll see strikes, you’ll see any number of events that at the end of the day are doing two things: either calling out Trump on his bigotry but also affirming the rights and the dignity of immigrants and refugees in this country,” said Kica Matos, director of immigrant rights and racial justice at the Center for Community Change (CCC). May Day workers’ demonstrations have always been tied to the immigrant community because of the population’s contributions to the US economy, but this year the pro-immigrant message is being made explicit. “The Trump administration has shown nothing but contempt for immigrants and refugees and people of color, so we really want to make sure immigrants around the country rise up and speak about the rights of immigrants and the rights of workers,” Matos said. In Las Vegas, an estimated 5,000 people are expected to march down the strip in an action organized by the Culinary Union Local 226, one of the people power groups that turned Nevada blue last November and helped elect the nation’s first Latina U.S. Senator, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Nevada’s first Latino U.S. Congressman, Ruben Kihuen. “We want to show solidarity between workers that are black and brown and white and LGBT,” said Culinary’s spokesperson. “In this climate, we’ve increasingly seen community members mobilizing.” In Texas, Claudia Gollineli, an immigrant organizer with Workers Defense Project, a community-based organization that empowers local workers, says she is participating in the May 1 event because “we must all fight together, one voice, one body.” 1:08 PM

Dear Resistance: The Russia investigation needs more Jason Chaffetz moments - GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz suddenly discovered this week that a 12-year-old injury needed urgent attention and announced he would be leaving town for a multi-week sabbatical by Friday. Assuming no scandalous details emerge to claim credit for Chaffetz's quick exit and imminent retirement from Congress, he is arguably the progressive grassroots' biggest prize yet related to investigations of Donald Trump. It was the spellbinding town hall of nearly 1,000 people chanting "Do your job!" at an ambitious congressman with a plum committee chairmanship that laid the groundwork for Chaffetz's retreat. After an unusual show of bipartisanship at a Tuesday press conference with his Democratic counterpart, Rep. Elijah Cummings, and the stunning assertion that ousted Trump adviser Michael Flynn probably violated the law, Chaffetz had no good options. He simply hadn't signed up to be a central player in an investigation that threatens to take down a Republican president and perhaps a cadre of his GOP colleagues. In a separate press conference Thursday, Cummings even went a step further to say the White House was "covering up" for Flynn. Columnist E.J. Dionne marveled this week that despite Russia-related headlines peppering Trump's first 100 days, the pr*sident himself has emerged mostly unscathed from those repeated bombshells. Recall that just a little over a month ago, FBI Director James B. Comey told the House Intelligence Committee that the bureau was investigating possible cooperation between Trump’s team and Russia’s hacking and disinformation campaign to undercut Hillary Clinton. As the New York Times wrote, Comey’s testimony “created a treacherous political moment for Mr. Trump.” Yet the president slipped by. In mid-February, the administration should have come under sustained inquiry when Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser, was forced to resign because he misled White House officials about the nature of his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the United States. If you think about it, Russia scandals have dominated Trump’s first 100 days. Though Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation and Trump’s erratic foreign policy forays have long-term implications, the only story that has rivaled Russia’s persistent pervasiveness has been the administration’s bumbling attempt to pass Trumpcare, Trumpcare 2.0, and finally, Trumpcare 3.0 (may they all RIP forever). Yet Team Trump just keeps gliding along. In an ultimate show of hubris, White House press secretary Sean Spicer claimed this week that blame for the failure to properly vet Flynn should be laid at the Obama administration’s doorstep. It's beyond preposterous—it's infuriating. President Obama fired Flynn; Trump gave him a national platform while he was literally working as a foreign agent, then hired him into the most sensitive national security post in the White House—either failing to update his security clearance or ignoring the content of that update. And now they’re claiming that’s Obama’s fault? 12:01 PM

Texas Republicans don't want to let that pesky Constitution stand in their way - Remember how many Republicans spent the Obama years brandishing pocket-sized copies of the Constitution as if it justified each and every thing they believed? Yeah. About that. Texas Republicans have a blatantly unconstitutional proposal to lay the groundwork to let them ignore what’s constitutional whenever they please: A proposal in the GOP-led Legislature would allow Texas to ignore federal law and court rulings and forgo enforcing national regulations. Arizona already has approved a similar policy, and other states want to follow suit, despite the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which stipulates federal laws and treaties take precedence. State Rep. Cecil Bell’s Texas Sovereignty Act allows for overriding federal laws through the same process as passing a bill. First a legislative committee, then the whole Legislature, would vote for nullification, and then the governor would sign his approval. “This is an effort to establish how states can say, ‘No, you can’t do that in our state,” said Bell, a Republican from Magnolia, about 45 miles north of Houston. The idea is that Texas could say “screw you” to the Supreme Court—on marriage equality, for instance—and Congress whenever it likes. Which the Constitution addressed directly in a little thing called the Supremacy Clause: This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding. Will Texas Republicans pass this giant “f*ck you” to the Constitution? Stay tuned. 11:32 AM

New study has bad news for school voucher advocates - Advocates for school privatization are hurrying to come up with excuses to respond to a new federal analysis finding that the federally funded school voucher program in Washington, D.C., is not only not improving student achievement on test scores, it’s making things worse. In the District, the findings show that students who used vouchers had significantly lower math scores a year after they applied to the program, on average, than students who did not receive a scholarship. Reading scores also were lower, but the difference was not statistically significant. Among students who transferred into a private school from a low-performing public school — the population that the voucher program primarily aims to reach — attending a private school had no effect on achievement. Among students attending schools not designated low-performing, the negative effect was particularly large. Test scores aren’t the heart and soul of education, of course … except that privatization proponents tend to use test scores as a club against public schools and then turn around and offer up a double standard to benefit voucher programs and charter schools. Using test scores to judge the performance of vouchers is using the logic of the corporate education policy world. The same analysis also raised questions about the power of “choice”: The 2010 analysis also showed that parents of students who were offered vouchers, but not the students themselves, felt more confident in the safety of their schools. The new evaluation echoes that finding. The new evaluation also found that the program had no effect on parents’ school satisfaction. But “choice” is really just a cover for weakening public education, anyway. And that’s the crusade that Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump’s education secretary, has dedicated her life and many of her billions of dollars to. Evidence to the contrary is emphatically not welcome. 11:12 AM

Saying linguists are 'flummoxed' by Trump is like saying veterinarians are 'puzzled' by roadkill - Here's the title of an Associated Press piece on Trump's "unmistakably distinct" speaking style. Trump's speaking style still flummoxes linguists Which is a nice, polite way to put it. Linguists are flummoxed by the "rambling, aside-filled bursts" and "self-congratulatory bravado." The proximate cause for their flummoxation is the recent AP interview with Trump, in which the leader of the nation blusters and squirms like a grade-school child trying to convince his teacher he did indeed do the homework, but he did it in invisible ink on the skinned hide of a unicorn only visible during the full moon and only if you believe it exists. The linguists, however, do not sound all that flummoxed from here. They seem downright at peace with the antics of Shouty McShoutface. "I don't know that any president has ever used 'super-duper' in his rhetoric before," Du Mez said. Still, while she said the president is sometimes mocked for his elementary word choices, "In terms of oral rhetoric, you want a simpler grade level. That's a more effective way to communicate." Not addressed by the linguists: the part where he lies through his teeth. The part where he interrupts whatever he's supposed to be saying to drift into a long aside about his own greatness. The part where, when asked a question about any specific issue or policy, he invariably simply spouts words about how "important" the thing you're talking about is without giving even the barest hint he has ever thought about it before or will think about it in the future. What's important here is that the sitting president speaks in simple language, the language of the common clay. The common clay doesn't abide folks who know what the nuclear triad is, or who particularly care if the latest existential menace outside their door is real or imagined. As linguists will assure you, they just want it dumbed down. If it can't be stitched on a hat they'll just resent you for wasting their time. So this is something, anyway. The psychiatrists are officially Freaked Out, and the ethicists have given up and have resorted to day drinking, but the linguists are merely flummoxed by Trump. In today's world merely being flummoxed counts as having a pretty damn good day. 10:00 AM

Advice for life in 2017: How to survive a nuclear blast - So this is where we are now, apparently. NBC News has dedicated more than 1,500 words to the subject of how to survive a North Korean nuclear attack. If you’re thinking “How to survive a nuclear attack?” and laughing bitterly, you’re not alone, but NBC’s James Rainey has assembled a parade of experts here to tell you to stay inside—preferably way inside—and not to try to escape. "There is a lot of fatalism on this subject, the feeling that there will be untold death and destruction and there is nothing to be done," said Irwin Redlener, director of Columbia University's National Center for Disaster Preparedness. "But the thing that is frustrating for me is that, with some very simple public messaging, we could save hundreds of thousands of lives in a nuclear detonation." [...] "Go as far below ground as possible or in the center of a tall building," says Ready.gov, the website created by FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security. "The goal is to put as many walls and as much concrete, brick and soil between you and the radioactive material outside." The site recommends staying inside for at least 24 hours, unless authorities recommend coming out sooner. “Stay inside for at least 24 hours after a nuclear bomb goes off” does not seem like advice anyone should need to be given, and yet you know that there would be at least a few people going “Well, it’s been an entire 18 hours so we should probably head outside to check things out.” According to models, these precautions could save hundreds of thousands of lives. Alternatively, avoiding nuclear war would save even more lives. But considering the current heads of state in North Korea and the United States … duck and cover drills as in the video below will, we hope, remain a thing of the past, but it’s not that difficult to remember the instruction to go inside and if possible below ground. 9:02 AM

Newsweek: Ivanka Trump has power 'thanks to her man.' They mean her father. - We’ll start with the headline. "Ivanka Trump: The new Hillary Clinton in the White House?" Sometimes you read a headline and you think “this is such obviously false clickbait designed to provoke outrage that it should be ignored.” And then you read the article, and it is exactly what you thought it was, but it’s in Newsweek and it’s just the logical endpoint of what a lot of political reporters and pundits believe, and as exhausting and infuriating as it is, it requires a response. The top response to this nonsense from Nina Burleigh: You and every editor who signed off on this should drive a truck over your computer then set it on fire and never touch a keyboard again. But on the argument, such as it is. After 100 days, the answer to Who is Ivanka is clear: Almost everything about her politics and political style is something that we’ve seen before. In fact, very, very recently. Let’s review her uncanny similarities with Hillary Clinton. Wait, let me guess. Ivanka was a student leader in college, went to a top law school, spent her summers doing things like going undercover to make the case against segregation academies, spent decades advocating for children while building a solid law career, and sacrificed her own goals for someone else for years before putting her career back at the center of her life after his retirement? Yeah, no. Ivanka, Burleigh says, “provides cover for sexism,” as did Hillary when Bill Clinton so famously was caught on tape talking about “grabbing [unwilling women] by the pussy.” Or … wait … how did that go? If Bill Clinton had talked publicly about any woman the way Donald Trump talks about his own daughter, Republicans probably would have succeeded at removing him from office. Ivanka and Hillary each apparently “start[ed] on third base thanks to her man,” which is disgusting, when you consider that Ivanka’s “man” in this case is her father. But the specifics of the comparison are equally offensive. Of Hillary, we learn that “The maiden name retention, though, could never obliterate that she was in the White House, in politics at all, thanks to her marriage,” obliterating in a sentence the help that she gave her husband over decades of marriage, help he has repeatedly cited as central to his rise. 8:11 AM

Voting Rights Roundup: North Carolina GOP rams through yet another power grab to suppress the vote - Leading Off ● North Carolina: No state has been at the vanguard in the Republican war on voting rights quite like North Carolina. In the last week alone, Republican legislators have enacted two new laws over Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto, one of which a court already temporarily blocked. Republicans also advanced another four bills, all designed to make voting more difficult and give the GOP an electoral advantage—and all of this is on top of months of repeated efforts to undermine Cooper and overturn the results of last year’s elections. There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s dive in. Campaign Action Cooper ousted Republican Gov. Pat McCrory from office in the 2016 elections, entitling Democrats to gain one-seat majorities on the boards of election for the state and every county. However, Republican legislators have now overridden Cooper’s veto of a new law that would eviscerate these majorities by requiring the governor to choose equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans (the state parties would supply the governor with lists of potential nominees). Although Republicans claimed that this equal partisan division is about fairness, their true purpose was to ensure deadlocks throughout the state in order to prevent Democrats from overturning previous GOP voting restrictions. Republicans have also turned their gaze on the court system itself. Last year, the GOP won an 11-to-four majority over Democrats on the state Court of Appeals, but three Republican judges would have reached mandatory retirement age during Cooper’s term. Existing law would have allowed Cooper to appoint Democratic replacements for those judges, who would then serve until the next election. However, rather than let Cooper fill those vacancies and swing the court to just a one-seat GOP majority, Republicans overrode Cooper’s veto to enact a new law that simply eliminates these seats upon a vacancy, reducing the court from 15 to 12 members. Despite dubious Republican claims that they acted because the court’s workload had declined, this “reverse” court-packing bill was so flagrantly undemocratic that one of those very same Republican judges who was facing mandatory retirement in May, Douglas McCullough, promptly resigned a month early on Monday before the veto override took place. McCullough not only excoriated Republican legislators for injecting partisanship into the judiciary and burdening the court’s remaining members, his resignation allowed Cooper to appoint a Democratic replacement, which he did the same day. 7:06 AM

Abbreviated Pundit Round-up: 100 days of Meh and Chaos - Vox: “80 sets of invisible eyes rolling”: senators unimpressed by White House North Korea brief Wednesday afternoon, nearly the entire membership of the US Senate packed into a bus and headed to the White House grounds for an unprecedented classified briefing from top Trump administration officials on North Korea policy. Such a huge meeting, on such a volatile topic, had people wondering — was the United States about to announce some risky new policy on North Korea? Perhaps some kind of scary military escalation, or even a preemptive strike on a nuclear-armed power? Nope. According to senators who attended the briefing, it was a whole lot of nothing. It’s actually all part of the long con Trump is pulling on his voters. So are health care amendments and resuscitation, and the bogus one page tax plan. Republicans can’t govern and Trump has no idea what he’s doing. They’ll catch on eventually. xFor a POTUS obsessed w/ asserting dominance/projecting strength, it's striking how many fights w/ "the swamp" Trump has lost in 1st 100 days— McKay Coppins (@mckaycoppins) April 27, 2017 5:07 AM

Open thread for night owls: Exxon fined $20 million for Clean Air Act violations under Tillerson - While Rex Tillerson attempts to run an emptied-out State Department, the company he ran for a decade is once again being called to account for its hostility to American law. ExxonMobil was ordered to pay $20 million in fines for releasing 10 million pounds of pollutants into the air from a Texas chemical plant. District Judge David Hittner said that the company violated the Clean Air Act 16,386 times from 2005 to 2013, CNN reports. The court also found the company reaped millions economically because it delayed improvements at the facility where it released the pollutants, located in Baytown, Tex. The court estimated ExxonMobil gained about $14 million from dodging anti-pollution requirements, so the $20 million fine is not as large as it might at first sound. The company has not yet said whether it will appeal. • An Activists’ Calendar of Resistance Events • Indivisible’s list of Resistance Events & Groups TOP COMMENTS • HIGH IMPACT STORIES TWEET OF THE DAY xAfter Alderaan was destroyed, the media mostly did interviews with white working class Alderaanians who still supported Grand Moff Tarkin.— Frank Conniff (@FrankConniff) April 28, 2017 BLAST FROM THE PAST At Daily Kos on this date in 2006—Things aren’t going swimmingly in New Orleans: The Army Corps of Engineers has worked day and night to rebuild the levees. But the levees are not ready to withstand another Katrina. They will be back to "pre-Katrina" levels by June 1st, the government promises. Not built better, not built higher, but the same. Indeed, some experts say that they are "substantially weaker" than before. President Bush just requested $2.2 billion in emergency funding to repair Louisiana's damaged levees, but he is requiring the state to pick up another $270 million of the costs. Oh, and he left off lower Plaquemines Parish from the repair list. And he requested the extra funds only after Senator Landrieu placed a hold on his FCC nominee. This is the reality of the rebuilding process. For eight months, we've seen piecemeal funding--drip, drip, drip--demonstrating that Congress and the President refuse to acknowledge that this may well be the costliest disaster in American history. On today’s Kagro in the Morning show, Donald Trump joins the show to explain why he thought being POTUS would be so easy. We finally enter the exhibits against Sebastian Gorka into evidence. Trump Tower/Mos Eisley has a sister spaceport at Mar-A-Loco & it’s scumbags all the way down. x Embedded Content YouTube | iTunes | LibSyn | Keep us on the air! Donate via Patreon or Square Cash Apr 28

99 days into the hell that is a Trump presidency - It’s been 99 days since hell was released on earth, and here’s where things are for the popular vote losing moron currently occupying the White House: Trump has been in office for 99 days. As of our latest update on day 98, we’ve counted 452 false or misleading claims. And: xApproval at 100 days (Gallup)JFK: 83%Nixon: 62%Carter: 63%Reagan: 68%Bush: 56%Clinton: 55%W Bush: 62%Obama: 65%Trump yesterday: 39%— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) April 28, 2017 That said, we still have—presumably—another 1,400 or so days of this saber-rattling, incoherent, serial lying, in it for profit, racist, misogynistic, bigot being in office, so get up, get busy, organize … and vote. Apr 28

Corey Lewandowski's latest plan to profit off his Trump connection is to straight-up sell access - Former Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski hasn’t registered as a lobbyist, but a document from one of his several new consulting firms makes it sound an awful lot like he’s going to be lobbying. Actually, maybe “selling access” is more accurate than “lobbying.” A document provided to an Eastern European politician by an international consulting firm that Lewandowski co-founded this year promises to arrange “meetings with well-established figures,” including Trump, Pence, “key members of the U.S. Administration” and outside Trump allies. [...] The Washington East West Political Strategies document boasts that its clients will benefit from its partners’ ability to “leverage” their “trusted relations with the U.S. Administration,” as well as European parliamentarians and leading Western journalists. Lewandowski’s partners in this particular consulting firm—he’s apparently established several, to cater to clients from different parts of the world—include “an Azerbaijani oil executive and an American political consultant who works extensively in Russia,” according to Politico. Whether he can deliver on the sale of access to Trump and other key figures in a way that gets anything done for his clients is an open question, but Lewandowski continues to have tons of personal access to Trump. Apr 28

Alabama lawmakers vote forbidding any changes to Confederate monuments in order to preserve history - Oh, Alabama—forever taking a few tiny steps forward toward progress and a whole bunch backward. The state that represents the tenacity and determination of the civil rights movement just took a giant leap back toward its “Segregation Now, Segregation Forever” George Wallace days with the passage of its latest bill. Alabama lawmakers in the House of Representatives passed a measure on Thursday forbidding any changes to Confederate or long-standing monuments in the state. The bill now heads to the Senate for approval. Lawmakers argued for about three hours about the intention of the bill. Critics called the move an offensive effort to preserve monuments with links to the Confederacy and slavery. Proponents say that they want to maintain the history of the state. A previous version of the bill would have stopped changes from being made to monuments that are more than 20-years-old but lawmakers removed the time stipulation entirely. Proponents have a point—it is actually really important to remember the history of the state. But let’s be honest about the history that we are trying to remember: that history includes keeping people in bondage and buying and selling them like property, which consequently made Alabama’s landowners very wealthy. That history also includes systems (interpersonal and structural) of racial oppression and discrimination that marginalize people of color and continue into the present. That history is inextricably linked with the persons and symbols these monuments represent. So we cannot act as if Alabama’s history is benign and simply just “is.” And honestly, doesn’t Alabama have more important things to worry about? It is the fourth poorest state in the country and 19.2 percent of its residents live below the poverty line. Surely, lawmakers could worry about fixing that before some old reminders of decades past. But who knows. Maybe one of their cities will take a hint from New Orleans and eventually take their Confederate monuments down. If it can happen in Louisiana, perhaps there’s hope for progress after all. Apr 28

New York Times analysis of chemical attack is solid reporting, highlights Syrian and Russian lies - The New York Times comes in for well-deserved heat on badly reported articles, like the article just before the election in which the Times went out of its way to kill emerging stories on Trump and Russia. But that doesn’t mean there’s not some terrific reporting done by the Times, and a prime example is this video analysis of the Syrian chemical attack and statements from the Russian and Syrian government, which was put together by Malachy Browne, Natalie Reneau, and Mark Scheffler. The trio combined official statements with careful analysis of cell phone video from citizens of Khan Sheikhoun, aerial photographs, drone footage, local reporting and military videos from both Russia and US. Carefully walking step by step through the available information, they point out exactly how they validated the source and time of the videos, and what those videos reveal. Then they contrast their results with the statements from the Syrian and Russian governments to show how the information coming out of Damascus and Moscow includes purposeful distortions meant to cast doubt on the nature of the attack. The video work is backed up by interviews with local media and eyewitnesses to the Khan Sheikhoun attack. The work is well-explained, detailed, and compelling. It’s transparent. It’s thorough. It shows why good reporting isn’t easy, but is invaluable. Through their analysis, Browne, Reneau, and Scheffler show that both Russia and Syria provide a time for the attack that doesn’t match the timing of explosions recorded in the city. This is likely an attempt to disassociate the attack from planes that were tracked from a Syrian airbase by US military radar. Both Russia and Syria also provide matching descriptions of the target as a “large depot” where rebel weapons were stored. The NYT team shows that, not only did the bombs not hit any such depot, no such building exists in Khan Sheikhoun. Walking through before and after images, they’re able to show each building hit, most of which are identified by eyewitnesses as family homes. One thing the video demonstrates is that, if someone takes the time to look, it’s possible to put together an incredibly rich picture of events taking place in an area were technology and infrastructure might be expected to be degraded. Apr 28

Republicans want to turn effort to save coal miners into gift for coal mining companies - The bankruptcy of the nation’s largest coal companies included dumping responsibility for a large number of retired miners, many of them afflicted with black lung and other industry-related illnesses, onto health and pension funds that were already underfunded and near collapse. Though there are fewer than 50,000 coal miners currently working, there are over 89,000 on the UMWA funds. Of those, 22,000 are the responsibility of companies that have already used bankruptcy to slide out from under their responsibility to the fund. Congress gave the fund a temporary boost in December, but without immediate action, those 22,000 miners will face a loss of both medical care and pension benefits in a matter of days. Democrats has been lobbying to address this issue for months, while Republicans prevented any permanent solution. Meanwhile, Trump refused to address the issue, frustrating miners who somehow thought he was on their side. “A lot of our members supported Trump,” said Joseph Holland, a 68-year-old former miner from western Kentucky who works with local retirees. “I would like for him to step up and say ‘I want both the House and Senate to support this,’” he said. “I keep hoping and praying” and telling members to write Trump to say “I supported you, please stand by me.” On Thursday morning, Trump finally did make his first mention of this issue. "I want to help our miners while the Democrats are blocking their (health care)," he tweeted Thursday morning in a series of other tweets blasting Democrats for demands that could potentially hold up the bill. Not only has Trump suddenly become an advocate for this bill, Republicans are ready to pile on board. But not because it helps miners. They’ve worked out something very special. Apr 28

'How is any Republican in California and New York going to vote for Trumpcare?' - Campaign Action You know how Speaker Paul Ryan and fellow Republicans keep talking about the Zombie Trumpcare as giving more power to the states to determine how they want health care to work? Like everything else they say about the plan, that's bullshit. One of their own members wants you do know that. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) went on All In with Chris Hayes Thursday evening to discuss his ongoing opposition to Trumpcare and Zombie Trumpcare for a whole host of reasons, including how badly it would hit the middle class and lower-income people and people with pre-existing conditions. But then he highlighted another issue, one that has been kind of hidden under all the other awfulness that is Trumpcare. Residents of New York and California, where the state requires all insurance policies to include abortion coverage, wouldn't get the tax credits for their insurance coverage. At all. Donovan: Even before that, that's a strong reason for my no vote. But in addition, you know, the tax credits that were supposed to help families who are paying $20,000 in insurance premiums and have $6,000 deductibles and astronomical co-payments, you know, we're offering tax credits to those people to help them buy insurance. Those tax credits are not available to the people in new York. It's illegal to use tax credits to support policies that will provide abortion procedures, and in New York we require every insurance company to provide abortion procedures. So the help that we were going to give those hard-working people who don't get their insurance from their employer or who don't qualify for government assistance, who have to buy insurance themselves, we weren't providing them the relief that they deserve. Hayes: Wait a second. I don't think I figured this out policy-wise before. So what you're saying is there's actually this kind of train crash for blue states that—or Democratic states or pro-choice states that have these requirements for abortion coverage, and the current tax to the Republican bill in terms of the applicability of the subsidies. Donovan: Yeah, the tax credits are unusable. And one of the third things— Hayes: Wait. How is any Republican in California and New York going to vote for this thing? Donovan: I don't know. I can only account for myself, Chris. As if taking away health care from 24 million people wasn’t bad enough, House Republicans have a new plan that would be even worse. Call your member of Congress at 202-224-3121, and tell them you expect them to FIGHT Trumpcare. Apr 28

Cheers and Jeers: Rum and Resistance FRIDAY! - From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE… Friday Night Obama-Ha-Has Knowing full well that his lack of Barack Obama's comic timing is surpassed only by his lack of Obama's intellect, charm, empathy, honesty and stamina, Donald Trump will fail to show up this weekend at the White House Correspondents Dinner. So, to fill the void that's admittedly as tiny as Trump's hands, enjoy some barbs from the master through the years… 2009 ”Dick Cheney was supposed to be here but he’s very busy working on his memoirs, tentatively titled: How to Shoot Friends and Interrogate People.” 2010 "A few weeks ago I was able to throw out the first pitch at the Nationals game. I don't know if you saw it, but I threw it a little high and a little outside. This is how FOX News covered it: President panders to extreme left-wing of batter box." Not many presidents with better comic timing than this guy.2011 “Where is the National Public Radio table? You guys are still here? I know you were a little tense when the GOP tried to cut your funding, but personally I was looking forward to new programming like No Things Considered or Wait, Wait…Don't Fund Me.” 2012 "Congress and I have certainly had our differences---yet I’ve tried to be civil, to not take any cheap shots. And that’s why I want to especially thank all the members who took a break from their exhausting schedule of not passing any laws to be here tonight." 2013 "I know CNN has taken some knocks lately. But the fact is, I admire their commitment to cover all sides of a story just in case one of them happens to be accurate." 2014 "I'm feeling sorry, believe it or not, for the Speaker of the House. These days, the House Republicans actually give John Boehner a harder time than they give me, which means orange really is the new black." Reminder: Won 365 electoral votes in ‘08 and 332 in ‘12. Trump got 304. Sad!2015 “Just this week, Michele Bachmann predicted I would bring about the biblical end of days. Now that’s a legacy. That’s big. I mean, Lincoln, Washington, they didn’t do that.” 2016 “And then there’s Ted Cruz. Ted had a tough week. He went to Indiana---Hoosier country. Stood on a basketball court and called the hoop a ‘basketball ring.’ What else is in his lexicon? Baseball sticks? Football hats? But sure, I’m the foreign one.” I don’t give two coconuts if they're doing a WHCD this year or not. But I know Samantha Bee is doing an alternate one tomorrow night at 10 on TBS (and a version with all the cuss words un-bleeped on twitter at 11). That’ll be worth a look. And a quick reminder that the current registration-rate tier for August's Netroots Nation convention in Atlanta will evaporate at midnight tonight. So if you're planning to go, you still have a few hours to save some green before the rate goes up. Click here for the registration page. As a bonus, Nolan Treadway will give you a piggyback ride from the airport. Your west coast-friendly edition of Cheers and Jeers starts below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!] Apr 28

What is a 'sanctuary city' exactly? An immigrant rights group explains - There’s been a massive effort from popular vote loser, Donald Trump, and America’s most racist Keebler elf, Jeff Sessions, to demonize and twist sanctuary cities into lawless war zones where “bad hombres” run amok (that’s actually his cabinet, but that’s another story). The truth is that sanctuary city policies are locally decided actions that make cities safer, because local law enforcement agencies are able to build trust with undocumented immigrant residents. The result is a safer community. Of course, that goes against the entire smear campaign that Trump and Sessions have tried to set up. Here are some plain facts about what a sanctuary city is, courtesy a must-read explainer from immigrant rights group America’s Voice: Sanctuary cities come into play when an undocumented immigrant comes into contact with the police. A very common occurrence of this happens on the road – someone is speeding, has a broken taillight, or has a broken license plate light, and is pulled over. If a person is undocumented, chances are they do not have a valid driver’s license – only twelve states and the District of Columbia allow immigrants to legally drive. Immigrants still have to get to work and school somehow – but being found without a valid driver’s license can get an individual arrested. Other reasons immigrants (just like native-born Americans) come into contact with the police include an immigrant calling the police to their house (for example in the case of a domestic dispute), a car accident, drug usage, police checkpoints, so forth. Once an immigrant is arrested, their information gets put into a federal database that is shared with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE can then issue a hold, also called a detainer, asking the police to hold that person in custody until ICE can come pick that person up for immigration detention and eventual deportation. Apr 28

Lead poisoning in American children reaches frightening levels—and only half get treatment - The United States is doing a pitiful job of treating lead poisoning in children. We’ve spent decades talking about cleaning up lead but apparently we forgot that we also needed to worry about its impact on our kids. And a new report shows that the numbers are actually much worse than we thought. Researchers at the Public Health Institute reported Thursday in the journal Pediatrics that the overall number of children with elevated blood lead levels as of 1999-2000 in the US was 1.2 million, or double what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported. (The number is likely even higher now, since testing rates have only declined since 2000.) These kids who are never tested or reported to the CDC also aren’t receiving treatment. Currently, testing children for lead isn’t required by law and in 11 states (including Arizona and Florida), 80 percent of children were not tested by pediatricians or health departments. This means that doctors miss children that are exposed to lead poisoning and they don’t get treatment. Lead paint was banned in the late 1970s and as a result the percentage of children who blood lead levels has declined. However, researchers have learned in recent years that no level of lead in the blood is safe for children. Studies have even shown lead concentration in the blood as low as 2 micrograms per deciliter of blood (μg/dL) can lower IQ in children. And once children have blood lead levels of 5 μg/dL and above (what’s now considered lead poisoning), they can suffer severe neurological damage in the form of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders. Apr 28

Cartoon: Celebrate President Trump's first 100 days - The first 100 days milestone is largely arbitrary, but Trump made a big deal about it during the campaign. Now he’s downplaying it since it’s been such a disaster. 100 days is a blip in time when you realize Neil Gorsuch will be on the Supreme Court for probably the next thirty or forty years. Apr 28

Republicans admit no Democrats will vote for their deficit-exploding coporate tax giveaway - Democrats just aren't going to help Republicans blow a hole in the deficit with tax cuts that amount to a huge boon for billionaires and corporations, and both the White House and GOP leaders know it. The AP writes: A senior administration official said Thursday the White House plans to push its tax overhaul without any support from congressional Democrats. [...] On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he planned to pass a tax overhaul without Democratic support, but only if it didn't add to long-term deficits. Good luck with that. If the tax bill looks anything like the notes Treasury Sec. Steve Mnuchin scribbled down on a beverage napkin earlier this week, the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget says federal revenue will take a $5.5 trillion nosedive over 10 years and explode the deficit. Besides the debt/deficit disaster it will inflict, the giant corporate tax bonanza that serves of the centerpiece of Trump's "plan" repels voters, writes Politico. “It just doesn’t sell,” said one former longtime Republican tax aide. “Most [Republican lawmakers] come from rural districts. They don’t have big corporate headquarters in their districts, and their constituents don’t care if GE gets a 25 percent rate.” “If anything, there could be a backlash,” he said. That's exactly what a recent Pew Research poll found. Apr 28

Rob Quist speaks out in defense of Montana's public lands - Rob Quist was recently endorsed by Montana Conservation Voters in his campaign to replace Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in Montana’s lone House seat, and he expands on his views on natural resources in an interview with the Helena Independent Record. Quist hasn’t hunted or fished in recent years, but says he frequently canoes and camps, and describes access to public lands as “the No. 1 issue for me … probably why I’m in this race.” To improve access, Quist supports funding and authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The fund taps royalties on offshore oil as grants for community projects and conservation, including land acquisition. “We need to push the narrative about what an economic driver (public lands) is for the state of Montana,” he said, with recreation jobs and an influx of tourists each year. The Trump administration proposes slashing the budgets of several public land management agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency. Quist says he opposes those cuts. “These are vital programs for the state of Montana and I would definitely push back on those,” he said. Quist also opposes Trump’s recent executive order calling for review of national monuments established over the past two decades, while he supports Sen. Jon Tester’s bill banning mining near Yellowstone National Park. He’s a bit more wobbly on some issues, saying he wants to hear more about so-called clean coal, but he also points out that “the coal market will be drying up” and “Montana needs to be proactive and get out in front of it.” And on the subject of climate change, Quist is clear: “Hiking through Glacier when I was 13 years old and I saw all those glaciers, and now you walk in those same places and they’re a third of the size they were when I was a kid,” he said. “So that’s definite evidence for me that we are dealing with climate change. Can you chip in $3 to help Rob Quist make it to Congress? Apr 28

Conservative commentator has a sad that Republicans never really wanted to repeal Obamacare - Campaign Action Byron York is not happy. He's realizing that his Republican idols in Congress have feet of clay. That when they promised to repeal Obamacare, they didn't really mean it. And he shares his sad with a bunch of crazy other Republicans. [...] The lawmaker said, "It is a problem that we have members in the Republican conference that do not want Obamacare repealed, because of their district. That's the fundamental thing that we're seeing here." "I thought we campaigned on repealing it," the lawmaker continued. "Now that it's our turn, I'm finding there's about 50 people who really don't want to repeal Obamacare. They want to keep it." […] Another Republican, Rep. Steve King, quibbled a bit with the number of House Republicans who don't want to repeal Obamacare — he would put it in the 40s — but felt certain there are lots of Republicans who don't want to repeal. "If you don't want to get rid of federal mandates to health insurance, then it's pretty clear you don't want to get rid of Obamacare," King said. "Whatever we come out with, it will say to the American people that a full repeal of Obamacare is no longer in the cards," King added. […] "It's not full repeal. I will be honest, it's not," Rep. Jim Jordan told Fox News on Wednesday. "But it's as good as we think we can get right now." "We've given up on trying to get this bill repealed, basically," Rep. Louie Gohmert told Fox Business on Tuesday. "But we've been demanding at least let's repeal some of the provisions that we know will bring down rates. Apr 28

The implosion of Trumpcare and Trump's border wall funding cap his 100-day debacle of a debut - It's hard to overstate just how devastating this week was to popular vote loser Donald Trump. If anything captures the implosion of Trump's first 100 days in office, it's the downfall of his two biggest campaign promises: building a wall and repealing Obamacare. The fact that his presidential debut culminated in total retreat on both issues reflects just how little pull Trump has demonstrated at a time when presidents are supposedly at the peak of influence. We all know this, of course, but congressional Republicans have been promising repeal for seven years straight—they've bet and largely won the last four election cycles on it. When their first effort crashed and burned in front of the disbelieving eyes of their base, Trump himself picked it up, dusted it off and took it back into battle, for another high-profile collapse. There went the congressional Republicans’ most beloved rallying cry. No one can say they didn't try. They're just unbelievably incompetent, and no one is more grateful for that than the 24 million who GOP lawmakers intended to strip of their health coverage. And then there's Trump's border wall—his baby—which he was forced to abandon after pressing a funding bid that looked a lot like the brainchild of a two year old. When you can't get something you want so very badly, threaten everyone within earshot until the grown ups send you to your room screaming and crying till you can get ahold of yourself. In fact, the entire week featured hallmarks of the Trump's first 100 days in office, all of which fall into the categories of Scandal, Incompetence, and Jazz Hands: •Continued Russia revelations: Michael Flynn likely broke the law •White House cover ups: Everything Flynn •Campaign promise retreats: The Wall •Legislative Collapses: Trumpcare •Executive incompetence: Another blocked anti-immigrant executive order •Trump buffoonery: Admitting total ignorance in two interviews (governing is hard, government is big, I knew nothing about NAFTA, etc.) Apr 28

Democracy Now!

350.org's Bill McKibben on People's Climate March: "Weekends Are for Fighting Tyranny" - To mark the 100th day of Donald Trump’s presidency, thousands of climate activists from around the country are converging in Washington, D.C. on Saturday for the People’s Climate March. Already, Trump has threatened to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord, begun dismantling President Obama’s climate legacy and revived the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. He has also put climate change deniers in charge of several key agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, and proposed slashing the budget of the EPA and other climate programs. This comes as scientists have confirmed 2016 was the warmest year on record. Our guest is Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, who helped organize this latest march and notes: "Weekends are for fighting tyranny."Apr 28

Vermont Lawmaker: Residents of Sanctuary Cities Reject Trump's "Dragnet Approach" on Immigration - As we broadcast from Burlington, Vermont, which is a sanctuary city, Vermont Rep. Peter Welch says there has been enormous citizen support toward undocumented workers. "You’re just seeing people across this country say, 'Wait a minute, that is not the America I know,'" Welch notes. He also discusses the need for local control over whether police departments enforce immigration laws and says, "It is appropriate for law enforcement to have discretion."Apr 28

House Oversight Dems Demand White House "Paper Trail" on National Security Adviser Michael Flynn - Our guest Congressman Peter Welch explains why he joined his Democratic colleagues on the House Oversight Committee in demanding White House documents on President Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn. In a letter to chairman Jason Chaffetz, the group wrote, "There is obviously a paper trail that the White House does not want our Committee to follow. If the White House refuses to produce the documents requested by the Oversight Committee?—?as it has to date?—?we believe the Committee should consider employing compulsory measures as it did in similar cases during the previous Administration."Apr 28

Trump's Tax Plan & Push To End Net Neutrality Are An "All Out Assault" on Rural America - As President Trump marks his first 100 day in office, Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) argues many of his plans have increased inequality. "The tax plan is one where the benefits go to the elites in urban areas and corporations," Welch says. "Those are direct policies that will be crushing to the economic prospects of folks, especially in rural America." Meanwhile, a plan that backed by the Koch brothers to classify the Internet as a public utility would leave the industry to largely police itself.Apr 28

Democratic Rep. Peter Welch Condemns Trump's "Reckless" Threats Toward North Korea - The Trump administration sent mixed signals on North Korea Thursday, as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. is open to direct negotiations with Kim Jong Un’s regime over his country’s nuclear program, while President Trump hinted at a possible nuclear war. Trump made the remark in an interview with the Reuters news service. Trump’s comment came as Secretary of State Tillerson told NPR he’s open to direct talks with North Korea if the country is serious about permanently abandoning its nuclear program. Meanwhile, President Trump told Reuters that South Korea should pay the $1 billion price tag for a THAAD missile defense system the U.S. recently began installing. Trump suggested the U.S. could cancel a free trade deal between the two countries if South Korea doesn’t accept the demand. "I think the president should be talking diplomacy," says our guest Peter Welch, U.S. Congressman from Vermont. He is Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus, "not making a reckless threat of military action where it is going to be very damaging."Apr 28

"It Has Not Gone Well": 100 Days of President Trump and No Major Achievements - Just hours before a deadline, Congress has averted a government shutdown by working on a short-term spending bill and a broader deal to fund agencies through September. If the extension is not approved today, federal agencies will run out of money by midnight tonight. One of the key disputes stemmed from Trump’s demands that the government funding bill allocate $1.4 billion for border wall construction. "We don’t have a budget. We have a continuing resolution where basically we’re operating under last year’s numbers," says Vermont Congressman Peter Welch, Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus. "The fundamental responsibility of the legislative body is to pass a budget. We have not done that during the entire time that Paul Ryan has been the speaker of the house. It has not gone well." This comes as House Republicans have called off their efforts to revive a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, preventing President Trump from winning his first major legislative victory ahead of Saturday, which marks his 100th day in office.Apr 28

Headlines for April 28, 2017 - Arkansas Puts Kenneth Williams to Death in Fourth Execution in 8 DaysTrump Admin Considers North Korea Talks as Trump Warns of "Major Conflict"House Republicans Abandon Latest Effort on HealthcarePentagon Investigating Michael Flynn Over Foreign PaymentsPresident Trump to Sign Executive Order Expanding Offshore DrillingAtmospheric CO2 Levels Reach Record 410 Parts Per MillionSenate Bill Would Phase Out Fossil Fuels by 2050Activists Ready a Massive "People's Climate March" on WashingtonTexas House Approves Anti-Immigrant "Show Your Papers" BillGovernment "Alien Crime" Hotline Trolled by Calls about Space AliensSyria: Two Hospitals Bombed Amid Spate of Attacks on Medics in IdlibPalestinians Strike in Solidarity With Hunger-Striking PrisonersCourt Upholds Sentence Against Former Chadian Dictator Hissène HabréBrazil: Unions Call General Strike Against Pension CutsChicago Union Authorizes a Strike of 5,000 Nursing Home WorkersUnited Airlines Settles With Passenger Beaten and Dragged off FlightFree Speech Radio News to End After 17 Years of Grassroots ReportingNew York: Hundreds Rally on One-Year Anniversary of Mass ArrestApr 28

ICE Detains Mexican Man Who Sought Sanctuary in Denver Church for Nine Months - A Mexican immigrant named Arturo Hernandez Garcia was arrested Wednesday morning by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Hernandez Garcia had sought sanctuary from deportation at the First Unitarian Society church for nine months until July 2015, when he was told he was no longer a priority for deportation. Supporters of Hernandez Garcia say he has been targeted in part because of his immigration activism. We re-air our interview from Hernandez Garcia in 2015 and speak to Jennifer Piper, interfaith organizer for American Friends Service Committee in Denver and coordinator for the Metro Denver Sanctuary Coalition.Apr 27

Vermont's First Woman Gov. Madeleine Kunin on Protesting Trump, Helping Women Run for Office & More - As Donald Trump approaches his 100th day as president on Saturday, his approval ratings are the lowest any president has had at this stage in generations. A recent poll by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal found just 40 percent of Americans currently approve of his job performance. Trump took to Twitter to call the poll "totally wrong." We speak to the pioneering Vermont politician, former Vermont Governor Madeleine May Kunin. In 1997, she became just the fourth woman in U.S. history to be elected governor whose husband had not previously served. Kunin was born in Switzerland in 1933 and came to the United States as a child. She later served as U.S. ambassador to Switzerland. In recent months, she has been a vocal critic of President Trump. She recently participated in the Tax Day march in Burlington, Vermont, and also wrote a piece thanking Trump for "waking us from our slumber."Apr 27

"A Land Grab by the Ruling Elites": Trump's Tax Plan Derided for Benefiting the Rich - The White House has outlined a plan to give the nation’s millionaires and billionaires a massive tax break while adding trillions of dollars to the U.S. deficit. The plan would lower the corporate tax rate to 15 percent, end the estate tax and end the alternative minimum tax—a move that would solely benefit the richest Americans, including President Trump. A leaked 2005 tax return shows Trump paid out $36.6 million in federal income taxes that year—most of it due to the alternative minimum tax. Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich described Trump’s tax plan as a form of class warfare. The tax plan was unveiled on Wednesday by two former executives at Goldman Sachs—Trump’s chief economic adviser Gary Cohn and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin—who hailed the tax cuts. We speak to economist James Henry of the Tax Justice Network.Apr 27

John Perkins

These are the Times - THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he who stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. A generous parent should say, “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace;” I love the man who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. By perseverance and fortitude we have the prospect of a glorious future. George Washington ordered that these words written by Thomas Paine be read to his troops at Valley Forge in December 1776. They were also read aloud in taverns, schoolhouses and churches throughout the colonies. They rallied a nation that had experienced one defeat after another to keep up the struggle against the oppressive powers of imperialistic England. We are at such a time once again. We are being tested. Our souls are being tried – here in America and in so many other countries across the globe. We need writers like Tom Pain. We need YOU. Whether you think of yourself as a writer or not, the fact that you are reading this blog says that you are a writer. You write emails. You may also tweet, post on Facebook, or use other social media. Perhaps you write short stories, articles. . . books. The important fact is that you write and the written word has never been more important or necessary. And so very powerful. There is an interesting parallel between Tom Paine’s time and ours. Although popular history portrays the American Revolution as an idealistic uprising, it was driven by economics. The East India Company controlled world trade, as well as many of the policies of the British government. Its abusive actions in the colonies led to the Boston Tea Party and ultimately the Revolution. After independence, the US Congress perceived corporations as threats to democracy and determined never to allow them to have such power again. Laws were passed that restricted the granting of corporate charters to companies only if they guaranteed to perform a public service. No company was allowed to purchase another. On average, charters were limited to ten years. After that, as a condition for renewing its charter, each corporation had to prove that it had in fact served the public and guarantee that it would continue to do so. These laws lasted for roughly a century, until John D. Rockefeller and his associates convinced legislators in the states of New Jersey and Delaware that in order to best serve the public in a new industrialized era, the rules needed to change. Efficient oil exploration and processing, they argued, could not be done in ten years or on a small-scale. What was required were new laws that encouraged long-term charters and consolidation of financial and technological resources – in other words, monopolies. Known as “enabling acts,” these laws would, their proponents promised, generate huge profits that could be taxed. The taxes would fatten government coffers – which in turn would pay the legislators and other politicians higher salaries. Other states quickly followed. Rockefeller and his cronies created conglomerates that purchased their competitors or drove them out of business; their monopolistic tentacles eventually spread across the planet. Sound familiar? It gets worse. After Milton Friedman won the 1976 Noble Prize in Economics, the idea that corporations should maximize profits, regardless of the environmental and social costs, became the overarching goal of business. It also led to the extremely rapid growth of global corporations. Local companies in countries as diverse as Japan, Korea, Germany, UK, China, and the US expanded and quickly took control of governments. Through an assortment of strategies, including financing political campaigns, maneuvering their executives into high government positions, hiring armies of lobbyists, flooding consumers with extensive public relations and marketing crusades, and promising – as well as threatening – to impact economies by locating their facilities in – or removing them from – cities and countries, these companies have elevated themselves to positions of great power. The East India Company shareholders of the 1700s are peering down at us. Their mouths are watering. Tom Paine is also peering down. He is waging his finger at YOU. “Write!” he says. “Expose the story of a system that is failing – this Death Economy that is based on warfare and destruction of the planet. Tell the new story about the need for – and fun of – transforming it into a Life Economy – one based on cleaning up pollution, regenerating devastated environments, and creating new technologies that do not ravage the earth.” Tom stares across the centuries at you. “These are the times. . . write!” Upcoming Writer’s Webinar:4 sessions, every Tuesday from May 30 – June 20, 2017 // 7 PM – 8:30 PM EST Do you want to write a bestseller that accelerates change? In my upcoming writer’s webinar, I will share my experiences of many years of writing bestsellers to help you improve your skills, get published, and reach large audiences. This online writer’s salon is limited to 24 participants and spots are filling up fast. Reserve yours today.Apr 25

Trump: Exposing the Shadow - Back in the 1970s, economically developing countries were looked upon as nests of corruption. . . The United States, on the other hand, was considered to be – and for the most part was – above such massive corruption. That has totally changed. Drastically. Activities that would have been viewed as immoral, unacceptable, and illegal in the United States in my EHM days are now standard practice. They may be covered in a patina of oblique rhetoric, but beneath that surface, the same old tools are applied at the highest levels of business and government. – The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, p 265 I published The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man last year, twelve years after the original, because things had gotten so much worse. The tools we EHMs used in developing countries – the corruption, the deceptions, the debt, the threats, the fear, and the false stories – had come back to haunt the US, Europe and the rest of the so-called developed world. In addition to updating the original book, I added fifteen new chapters to describe the ways contemporary EHMs have created a global Death Economy that is failing us – and also to provide a strategy each of us can use for turning that Death Economy into a Life Economy. The “patina of oblique rhetoric” I wrote about a year ago has been ripped off. During the first months of the Trump administration, corruption, deceptions, debt, threats, fear, and false stories have become overt. Over the years, I’ve often condemned the “revolving door” that’s been part of American politics. There is nothing new about presidents with close ties to Big Oil, like the Bushes and to Wall Street, like Clinton and Obama. There is nothing new about cabinet members and heads of agencies who hail from and return to the very businesses they are supposed to regulate. There is nothing new about elected officials who earn millions of dollars as lobbyists after leaving public office. There is nothing new about laws and court decisions, like Citizens United, that give increasing power to corporations – and legalize what once was considered as corruption and bribery. These things are wrong. They are contrary to the principles of a democracy. They should be changed. But they are not new in America. What is new is a president who makes no attempt to hide his immense personal commercial interests in businesses that are known to be hotbeds of corruption, such as casinos, and where US foreign policy is jeopardized, such as in dealings with Russia. What is new are the many politicians in our national and state capitols who openly advocate bigotry and policies that favor the rich at the expense of all the rest of us. What is new is the overt declaration that the US is an imperial power that needs to increase its already huge, offensive, and budget-breaking military presence around the world. What is new is the lack of even an attempt to sound as though our country wants to defend equality, fairness, and the democratic principles that most of us were raised to champion. Perhaps the great gift of the Trump administration is that it has ripped off the patina. Those who claimed that US business and politics were essentially “transparent,” those who argued that the US was a true democracy and that our political system “might not be perfect, but it is the best in the world,” those who sneered at the under-the-table dealings in “banana republics” and held the US out as a shining example of how to do it right – all of those people, all of us, have been forced to look at the dark shadow that lurked beneath that patina. How do you remove a shadow? You walk under the light. Now that the patina has been removed, we in the US can walk under the light. We can expose ourselves to the true weaknesses – and strengths – of who we are. By being forced to look at our shadow, we have been liberated from the platitudes that have blanketed us in self-deception. We are free to admit to our liabilities and assets. That is the first step to change. It is a step forward into revitalization – and along the path to realizing our true potential. Upcoming Events: April 11, 2017Sounds True: Year of Ceremony Become a part of an online monthly shamanic group that brings together leading shamanic teachers and practitioners. May 30-June 20, 20174-Session Writer’s Webinar: How to Write a Bestseller in Times of Crises Join a small community of writers who intend to use their medium to accelerate change. Spots are limited to 24 and are filling up quickly. Book yours today. October 12-13, 2017The Love Summit 2017 LPK Brand Innovation Center, Cincinnati, OH Join me and my nonprofit organization, Dream Change, for our 2nd Love Summit business conference: a cutting-edge event designed to demonstrate how #BottomLineLove business practices can solve the most pressing social, environmental and economic issues of our time. Request an invite, here.Apr 4

You As Creator - Join me this spring for my 4-session live webinar series for writers. More information at the bottom of this email. The power of our perceptions to alter reality is a theme that runs through lectures I’ve given at Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, and more than 50 other universities and to over 3,000 executives at various conferences and summits, ranging from investment bankers and CEOs of communications conglomerates to heads of human resource departments. Religion, culture, legal and economic systems, countries, and corporations are determined by perceived reality. When enough people accept these perceptions or when they are codified into laws, they have immense impact on objective reality. Breakthroughs in modern science indicate that changes in human perceptions not only govern human behavior; they govern – everything. This past month (February) I was teaching at Sivananda Ashram in the Bahamas. My time there overlapped with two highly respected scientists who had just published a book about the powers of perception. Dr. Deepak Chopra is a cardiologist by training who has gained world-wide fame as a deep thinker, philosopher, and advocate of new ways to look at medicine and the world. Dr. Menas Kafatas is a physicist who specializes in cosmology (the science of the origin and development of the universe), quantum mechanics, and climate change. As we sat at meals together, we had many fascinating discussions about the impact of human consciousness on economics, politics, life in general – and the entire universe. In my lectures at the ashram, I discussed the relationship between perceived and objective realities and the idea that consciousness involves an awareness of the ways these impact each other, all of us, and our entire planet. Deepak and Menas gave lectures that were based on their newly released book You Are the Universe. They explored the idea that the very universe itself is a function of human perceptions. In the Preface to their book, they state: The most distant star, billions of light-years away, has no reality without you, because everything that makes a star real – its heat, light, and mass, its position in space and the velocity that carries it away at enormous speed – requires a human observer with a human nervous system. If no one existed to experience heat, light, mass, and so on, nothing could be real as we know it . . . [T]his is a participatory universe that depends for its very existence on human beings. There is a growing body of cosmologists – the scientists who explain the origin of the cosmos – developing theories of a completely new universe, one that is living, conscious, and evolving. Such a universe fits no existing standard model. A conscious universe responds to how we think and feel. It gains its shape, color, sound, and texture from us. Therefore, we feel the best name for it is the human universe, and it is the real universe, the only one we have. As pointed out in their book, scientists have discovered that when photons, electrons, and other sub-atomic particles are not observed by humans they act like waves that are constantly moving. However, once they are observed, they act like particles in a pinpointed location. This phenomenon, known as the “observer effect,” which seems to defy common sense suggests that the tiniest particles respond to human observation. In other words, those particles have consciousness about what is happening around them. You Are the Universe takes this idea to another level. It says that the entire universe responds to – in fact is created through – consciousness. Whether or not human consciousness creates the universe, there is no doubt that it has created the current crises that threaten life as we know it on this planet. Or that we humans are waking up to the realization that, in order to survive, we must rise to a higher level of consciousness. As I’ve written many times in previous newsletters, we are at the frontier of a revolution that may turn out to be the most important one in our species’ history – a Consciousness Revolution that will redefine relationships between perceived and objective reality and the impact we humans have on both. By way of example: As most of you know by now, one of the nonprofits I founded, Dream Change organizes “Love Summits”. These are – perhaps to your surprise – conferences aimed at instilling in business leaders the need to change their perception of what it means to be successful. The goal of the Love Summit is to bring to light why love is good business—how acting from a place of compassion not only benefits society and the environment, but also our businesses and other institutions. Love can be the motivation behind business planning and work relationships, instead of fear and scarcity, the current underpinnings of a suffering economy and environment. The Love Summit demonstrates how we can: Build purposeful, heart-centered business models that contribute to the greatest interest of people and the planet. Use individual and collective action to transform our economic system into one that is based on a life economy instead of a death economy. Inspire a global culture of love in business and throughout the world. The Love Summit is just one example of actions we can take to change reality by altering perceptions. Whether or not you help create the universe, there is no doubt that you create your universe, your life and you play a big role in creating the world we will pass on to future generations. Upcoming Event: May 30 – June 20, 2017 How to Write a Bestseller in Times of Crises: Using the Power of Story to Accelerate Change If you are a writer, you have an incredible opportunity to spread important messages, share thought-provoking ideas, and inspire revolutionary change through the power of story. Join me this spring in my exclusive 4-session webinar for writers, where I will help you improve your skills, get published and reach large audiences. Limited to just 24 participants, this webinar will be both intimate and participatory. Secure your spot today. Mar 2

This Spring: A Special Webinar for Writers - How to Write a Bestseller in Times of Crises: Using the Power of Story to Accelerate Change By John Perkins We’ve entered the greatest revolution in history: The Consciousness Revolution. People around the world are waking up to the fact that we are facing huge crises. We must change. What is your role in this revolution? If you are a writer, you have an incredible opportunity to spread important messages, share thought-provoking ideas, and inspire revolutionary change through the power of story. Fiction and non-fiction. In addition to doing my own writing, I decided to create a small community of writers who intend to use their medium to accelerate change. We will come together in this Spring’s webinar: How to Write a Bestseller in Times of Crises: Using the Power of Story to Accelerate Change. Limited to just 2 dozen participants, this course is uniquely designed to help you hone your skills through writing exercises and discussions in an intimate salon. As a New York Times bestselling author, I will share my experiences of decades of writing bestsellers to help you improve your skills, get published, and reach large audiences. The webinar will take place every Tuesday evening over the course of one month, making it easy for you to journey into this portal of writing your bestseller. You will learn how to: Hone your skills to inspire, entertain, and motivate audiences; Open your heart and soul to the muses of writing; Utilize effective techniques to captivate audiences – as well as agents and publishers; Learn the pros and cons of marketing tools, including the use of publicists and social networking; Work with an intimate salon of talented writers; and Much more. You will have the option of breaking into smaller groups to discuss and critique each other’s work and spend an additional hour-long session with me. At the end of the course, you will also have the opportunity to arrange to join me in private mentoring sessions. Session Dates & Times: Session 1: Tuesday May 30 – 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST Session 2: Tuesday June 6 – 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST Session 3: Tuesday June 13 – 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST Session 4: Tuesday June 20 – 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST This webinar is for people who want to be part of a powerful salon of writers and who intend to channel their passions and skills into articles, books, and blogs that will inspire transformation. If you are such a person, please sign up now. Space is limited. Cost: $780 for all 4 sessions. To see the course syllabus and purchase your tickets, click here.Feb 9

How to Be a Democracy Under Trump - I watched President Trump’s inauguration from an airport TV in Guatemala. I’d just finished leading 22 people on a pilgrimage to live, study and participate in ceremonies with Mayan shamans at sacred sites. For me, it was the first leg of a two-month working-journey. I am still in Latin America, teaching and speaking at a variety of venues. In the days since that inauguration, I, like so many, have felt the horror of the emerging Trump policies. Latin Americans cannot understand why so few of us voted in the last election and why so many who did, voted for Trump. A larger percentage of people vote in most Latin American countries than in the US; in several countries, voter turnout exceeds 90%. Many of these countries have a history of brutal dictatorships. Once free of these dictatorships, they revel in their rights to hold democratic elections; they see their ability to vote for their leaders as both a responsibility and a privilege. They wonder why such a relatively small percentage of voters would elect a potential dictator. And moreover, why those non-voters did not vote against him. The participants on the Guatemala trip ranged from successful business executives to community organizers and healers – with lots of other professions in between. They came from Canada, Ecuador, England, France, Indonesia, Italy, the United States, and Guatemala. Many – especially those from the US – arrived in Guatemala feeling disenfranchised, disempowered, depressed, and – yes, horrified – by the election. However, as we moved through the shamanic ceremonies, they grew increasingly convinced that the election is a wakeup call for Americans. We have been lethargic and allowed our country to continue with policies that hurt so many people and destroy environments around the world (including Washington’s involvement in the genocidal Guatemalan Civil War against the Mayas that raged for more than three decades). This election exposed a shadow side. It stepped us out of the closet. Many people expressed the realization that Americans had failed to demand that President Obama fight harder to end the wars in the Middle East, vacate Guantánamo, reign in Wall Street, confront a global economic system where eight men have as much wealth as half the world’s population, and honor so many of the other promises he had made. They recognized that he was up against strong Republican opposition and yet it was he who continued to send more troops and mercenaries to the Middle East and Africa, brought Wall Street insiders into his inner circle, and failed to inspire his party to rally voters to defeat Trump and what is now a Republican majority in both houses. We talked about how throughout the world, the US is seen as history’s first truly global empire. Scholars point out that it meets the basic definition of empire: a nation 1) whose currency reigns supreme, 2) whose language is the language of diplomacy and commerce everywhere, 3) whose economic expansions and values are enforced through military actions or threats of action, and 4) whose armies are stationed in many nations. The message became clear: we must end this radical form of global feudalism and imperialism. Those who had arrived in Guatemala disillusioned and depressed now found themselves committed to transforming their sense of disempowerment into actions. At the end of WWII, Prime Minister Churchill told his people that England could choose the course of empire or democracy, but not both. We in the US are at such a crossroads today. For far too long we have allowed our leaders to take us down the path of empire. President Franklin Roosevelt ended a meeting with union leaders by telling them that now they knew he agreed with them, it was their job to get their members to force him to do the right thing. FDR understood that democracy depends on We the People insisting that our leaders do what they promise to do. We failed with our last president. Let’s not repeat that mistake with the new one. It is extremely important that We the People force Trump and his band of corporatocracy henchmen to keep the promises we heard in his inaugural address. Let us hear “making America great” as “making America a true democracy!” Let us hear “we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People” and “we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow” as an echo of Prime Minister Churchill’s contention that a country cannot be both a democracy and an empire. It is up to us to insist upon democracy. It is essential that we continue to demonstrate and march, to bombard Trump and our other elected officials with tweets, posts, phone calls, and emails; to rally, clamor, and shout; and in every way to get out the word that we must end the wars, feudalism, economic and social inequality, and environmental destruction; we must become the model democracy the world expects of us. When General George Washington was hunkered down with extremely depressed troops at Valley Forge in the bleak winter of 1777, he ordered that an essay by Thomas Paine be read to all his men. Some of the most famous lines are as applicable today as they were then: These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he who stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. . . A generous parent should say, “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace” . . .I love the man who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. By perseverance and fortitude we have the prospect of a glorious future. We have arrived at such a time again. We must each do our part. Let’s here and now commit to taking positive actions. I commit to writing and speaking out at a wide variety of venues. I commit to supporting the Love Summit business conference, a powerful event that is committed to bringing love and compassion into business and politics, to transforming a Death Economy into a Life (Love) Economy. What are your commitments? We have arrived at a time that tries our souls. We must gather strength from distress, grow brave by reflection, and know that by perseverance and fortitude we can achieve a glorious future. Let’s make sure that the combined legacies of Presidents Obama and Trump will create the opportunity – indeed the mandate – to show the world how a country can be a true democracy. These are the times. . . Featured Event: Writing a Bestseller: How to Tell & Sell Your Story with John Perkins 4 Sessions | May 30-June 20, 2017 | Limited to 24 Participants | Register HereJan 31

Daily Kos

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John Perkins

Channel NewsAsia Singapore News

New complex for DSO National Laboratories - DSO National Laboratories (DSO), Singapore's largest defence R&D organisation, officially opened its new complex in Science Park Drive on Friday (Apr 21).Apr 21

Singapore researchers turn water into 'virtual lemonade' - Researchers in Singapore say they have invented a "virtual lemonade", using electrodes to mimic the flavour of the beverage and LED lights to imitate its colour, that could one day allow people to digitally share drinks over the Internet.Apr 21

Singapore football club chairman Bill Ng questioned by police: Lawyer - Mr Ng, who is vying for the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) presidency and leads the Team Game Changers slate in the leadership election on Apr 29, is the chairman of Hougang United FC and Tiong Bahru FC. Apr 21

Joanne Peh, Qi Yuwu welcome new son - This is the celebrity couple's second child, after their daughter Baby Qi was born in August 2015. Apr 21

StarHub's 2016 service outages not due to DDoS attacks: IMDA - IMDA says one of the reasons for the outages was that the telco's infrastructure was overwhelmed due to a cyberattack on US DNS service provider Dyn, among other reasons. Apr 21

3 charged over rioting at Clarke Quay that led to man's death - Fino Foo, Terence Tan and Chen Wen Cai were among nine suspects arrested after the man was found injured in the nightlife district in the early hours of Sunday (Apr 16). Apr 21

4 injured in CTE accident involving ambulance - SCDF says an ambulance from one of its private operators was sending a young boy to KK Women's and Children's Hospital when the accident happened.

Channel NewsAsia Asia Pacific News

Japan lawmakers' group visits Yasukuni shrine for war dead - Dozens of Japanese lawmakers, including one cabinet minister, visited a shrine to Japan's war dead on Friday, in a move that could spark protests elsewhere in Asia where the shrine is regarded as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.Apr 21

Ocean drift analysis shows MH370 most likely in new search area: Australian scientists - A new ocean debris drift analysis shows missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 is most likely within a proposed expanded search area rejected by Australia and Malaysia in January, the Australian government's scientific agency said on Friday.Apr 21

South Korea on heightened alert as North readies for army anniversary - South Korea said on Friday it was on heightened alert ahead of another important anniversary in North Korea, with a large concentration of military hardware amassed on both sides of the border amid concerns about a new nuclear test by Pyongyang.Apr 21

Truck ploughs into Indian farmers, 14 killed - Fourteen people were killed in India on Friday when a truck ploughed into a group of farmers who had gathered outside a police station, in what police said was an accident involving a drunk driver.Apr 21

In shadow of China's reef city, Philippines seeks upgrade for its island patriots - If the Filipinos on the remote South China Sea island of Thitu had binoculars, they might just be envious of how their neighbours on the next island live.Apr 21

Taliban kills eight soldiers at army HQ in northern Afghanistan - At least eight Afghan soldiers were killed and 11 wounded on Friday when Taliban gunmen dressed in uniforms talked their way past checkpoints and attacked a military headquarters in northern Afghanistan, officials said.Apr 21

The curious case of Thailand’s missing revolution plaque -

Media Monarchy

“The Circle”: One Button For Your Life Online - "All things are naked and open to the eyes of God. Everyone of us will soon be able to see and cast judgement upon every other." It's called "The Circle" - and we're already inside it. Apr 28

#PumpUpThaVolume: April 28, 2017 - Media Monarchy plays Control Freaks, Street Eaters, Charly Bliss and more on #PumpUpThaVolume for April 28, 2017. ♬ Apr 28

#MorningMonarchy: April 28, 2017 - Terrible affronts, illegal subtitles and entering "The Circle" + this day in history w/Port Arthur massacre and our song of the day by Goldfrapp on your Morning Monarchy for April 28, 2017. Apr 28

#NewWorldNextWeek: Fat Cat Obama, PedoGate Trump, Engineer Fraud (Audio) - This week on New World Next Week: Obama takes his payday from the banksters; Trump's pedogate woes grow as campaign chair arrested for child sex trafficking; and a man is fined $500 for using the word "engineer". Apr 27

#NewWorldNextWeek: Trump Campaign Chair Arrested For Child Sex Trafficking (Video) - This week on New World Next Week: Obama takes his payday from the banksters; Trump's pedogate woes grow as campaign chair arrested for child sex trafficking; and a man is fined $500 for using the word "engineer". Apr 27

#PumpUpThaVolume: April 27, 2017 - Media Monarchy plays Mux Mool, Christopher Willits, Ryuichi Sakamoto and more on #PumpUpThaVolume for April 27, 2017. ♬ Apr 27

#MorningMonarchy: April 27, 2017 - Bog bodies, alleged abuse and the science of "The Scream" + this day in history w/Brandon Lee and our song of the day by David Bowie on your Morning Monarchy for April 27, 2017. Apr 27

#PumpUpThaVolume: April 26, 2017 - Media Monarchy plays Benjamin Booker w/Mavis Staples, Screamfeeder, The Veldt and more on #PumpUpThaVolume for April 26, 2017. ♬ Apr 26

#MorningMonarchy: April 26, 2017 - Superbug fungus, artificial wombs and genetic memories + this day in history w/the Polio vaccine and our song of the day by Melodysheep on your Morning Monarchy for April 26, 2017. Apr 26

#PumpUpThaVolume: April 25, 2017 - Media Monarchy plays Trementina, Anna Wise, Tanika Charles and more on #PumpUpThaVolume for April 25, 2017. ♬ Apr 25

NATO Latest News

Statement by the NATO Secretary General on the violence in the Parliament in Skopje - I strongly condemn yesterday’s attacks on members of Parliament in Skopje. Violence has no place in any parliament. I call on all political actors to show calm, restraint, and respect for the democratic process. Political dialogue is the only reasonable and appropriate way forward, and is in the best interest of all citizens of the country.Apr 28

NATO Secretary General meeting with the Prime Minister of Belgium - The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will meet the Prime Minister of Belgium, Mr. Charles Michel, at the Palais d’Egmont in Brussels on Tuesday, 2 May 2017.Apr 28

Secretary General commends Italy’s contributions to NATO - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg praised Italy for its major contributions to the Alliance during an official visit to Rome on Thursday (27 April 2017). At a joint press point with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, Mr. Stoltenberg underlined Italy’s role in driving NATO’s adaptation to threats from the south, including terrorism and failing states. The two leaders also discussed preparations for the meeting of NATO leaders in Brussels.Apr 27

Secretary General in Malta: NATO is strengthening cooperation with the EU - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with EU Defence Ministers in Valletta on Thursday (27 April 2017) for talks on European defence and strengthening NATO-EU cooperation.Apr 27

NATO Deputy Secretary General visits California - NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller arrived in Los Angeles late on Wednesday (26 April 2017), for a five day visit to California that will include meetings at the RAND Corporation, Google, Palantir, and Stanford University.Apr 27

A new era of digital underwater communications - Satellites and mobile phones, built on international standards, help the world get connected. But the communications technology we use on land does not work well underwater. As water covers over 70 per cent of the earth's surface, NATO has sponsored research into establishing the first ever digital underwater communications standard.Apr 27

Secretary General meets Maltese Prime Minister in Valletta - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Maltese Prime Minister Dr. Joseph Muscat on Wednesday (26 April 2017) in Valletta, kicking off a two-day visit to Malta. The meeting was the first ever between a NATO Secretary General and a Prime Minister of Malta.Apr 26

NATO Deputy Secretary General to visit the United States of America - The NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ms. Rose Gottemoeller will visit the West Coast of the United States from 27 April to 1 May 2017.Apr 26

World’s largest cyber defence exercise takes place in Estonia - Locked Shields 2017, the largest and most advanced cyber defence exercise in the world, is taking place this week. It is organized by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia.Apr 26

NATO Secretary General to visit the Republic of Italy - The NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg will visit the Republic of Italy on Thursday, 27 April 2017 where he will meet with the President of the Council of Ministers, Mr. Paolo Gentiloni.Apr 26

National Post

Postmedia newspapers honoured with 21 Ontario Newspaper Awards - Postmedia’s newspapers won 21 Ontario Newspaper Awards at a gala held Saturday night in Hamilton attended by roughly 250 journalists, editors, photographers and publishers. The London Free Press and Windsor Star earned five awards each, while the Niagara Falls Review and the Sudbury Star each won two. Also among the winners Saturday were the Barrie Examiner, Belleville Intelligencer, Brantford Expositor, Owen Sound Sun Times, St. Catharines Standard and Woodstock Sentinel Review. “Each one of these winners — and nominees — represent a vital link between our journalists and their communities,” said Gerry Nott, Postmedia’s senior vice-president for content. “We’re reminded every day of the importance of journalism in a world where, unfortunately, fake news is gaining ground. The journalists recognized tonight are the real deal.” Among the winners for the Free Press were a team of six journalists — Jennifer O’Brien, Randy Richmond, Heather Rivers, Jennifer Vandermeer, Jane Sims and Megan Stacey — recognized for excellence in spot-news reporting for papers with circulation higher than 25,000 (a second team from the London newsroom was also nominated in that category). Richmond also won the Del Bell Memorial Award for feature writing for a paper with a circulation above 25,000. The Windsor Star’s five wins included three for photography — Star shooter Tyler Brownbridge was honoured twice, for feature photography and for spot-news photography at a paper with a circulation above 25,000, with Jason Kryk recognized for sports photography for papers with circulation above 25,000. John Law of the Niagara Falls Review was also a two-time winner Saturday, earning the James Bruce Award for Arts and Entertainment Writing and, with colleague Ray Spiteri, winning the ONA for municipal affairs reporting for newspapers with circulation below 25,000. “Consumers of news can rely on and trust what they read in Ontario newspapers. There is nothing alternative about the facts gathered by the professional journalists who work for these organizations. They are committed to uncovering truths, and in this way Ontario’s journalists are supporting democracy,” ONA chair Howard Elliott said in a release. Founded in 1953, the Ontario Newspaper Awards recognize excellence in journalism among some three dozen newspapers based outside Toronto. The Hamilton Spectator led all individual newspapers with 12 wins. The John E. Motz Memorial Award for design and graphics was awarded to the former newsroom of the Guelph Mercury, which ceased publication in January 2016. 8:28 PM

‘Go and kill yourself,’ a Louisiana teacher told 11-year-old student, authorities say - For months, an 11-year-old girl was bullied. Authorities say other students were forced to start a fight with her. At one point, they say, she was told to “go and kill yourself.” The person responsible, according to investigators, is the girl’s seventh-grade teacher, Ann Shelvin, who now faces criminal charges. Another school employee, Tracy Gallow, who replaced Shelvin after she was escorted off school grounds, faces charges for continuing the bullying, St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby J. Guildroz said. The two are employees at Washington Elementary School in Opelousas, Louisiana, about 60 miles west of Baton Rouge. Guildroz said the 11-year-old’s mother first came to his office in February to report the bullying, although it apparently had been going on since the fall. The mother was told to report the incident to the St. Landry Parish School Board. More than a month later, the mother returned to the sheriff’s office because the bullying had continued. Guildroz said an investigation revealed that Shelvin had told the 11-year-old to kill herself and threatened to fail three of her students if they didn’t start a fight with the girl. One of the students admitted to detectives that Shelvin forced her to take part in the fight and that she did so because she was scared she would be treated like her classmate and fail seventh grade. Several students were sent to the principal’s office because of the fight. Earlier this past week, the girl’s mother told investigators Shelvin has been bullying her daughter since October of last year, when the teacher threatened the 11-year-old that she’d fail her if she didn’t fight another student, Guildroz said. But instead of doing what Shelvin said, the girl, whom authorities did not name, reported her teacher to the principal. Shelvin was then escorted out of the school. Gallow, a teacher’s aide who replaced her, was later seen on school video surveillance pushing the girl at the school gym, authorities said. Shelvin, 44, was charged this week with two counts of encouraging or contributing to child delinquency, one count of malfeasance in office and two counts of intimidation and interference in the operation of schools. Gallow, 50, was charged with one count each of malfeasance in office, simply battery and intimidation and interference in school operation. It’s unclear whether they have attorneys. “Students should not have to attend school and be bullied especially by teachers that are there for their education, guidance and safety,” Guildroz said in a statement. “The parents did the right thing, they reported it to the school board, and continued to monitor and talk to their children. The bullying continued and they took the next step by contacting law enforcement again.” Anthony Stanberry, member of the St. Landry Parish School Board, told local news outlet KLFY that school officials will not tolerate such incidents. 2:37 PM

‘I am truly sorry’: Harjit Sajjan apologizes for claiming he was ‘architect’ of Operation Medusa - OTTAWA — Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says he is truly sorry after claiming in a recent speech to have been the architect of Canada’s largest battle in Afghanistan. The mea culpa follows what some saw as a half-hearted apology for the comments Sajjan made in India earlier this month. In a Facebook post, Sajjan says he made a mistake by describing himself as the architect of Operation Medusa in 2006. He goes on to retract the comments and offer his sincere apologies to all the soldiers he served with in Afghanistan. That includes then-major general David Fraser and his team, whom Sajjan credits for the operation’s success. Sajjan does not say why he made the comments about Operation Medusa, during which hundreds of Taliban were killed. Twelve Canadian soldiers also died during the two-week battle. RelatedHarjit Sajjan the soldier wouldn’t have claimed credit for being ‘architect’ of operation, top NATO officer saysSajjan retracts claim he was ‘architect’ of Canada’s biggest combat operation in AfghanistanCanadian defence minister accused of being Sikh nationalist during visit to India 1:43 PM

UK terror suspect arrested with bag full of knives was part of aid convoy to Gaza during Israeli blockade - A terror suspect arrested yards from Downing Street with a knapsack full of knives took part in a controversial aid convoy to Gaza, it has emerged. Khalid Mohammed Omar Ali, 27, was one of seven Britons on board a ship trying to deliver supplies to Palestinians during the Israeli blockade in 2010. Fellow workers described him as a “quiet and peaceful” man who was always smiling and was driven to help others. But his experiences may have left him disturbed and possibly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, one former associate said. Ali, who was born overseas but grew up in Tottenham, north London, was detained by armed officers in Westminster on Thursday afternoon. Police had been watching him for some time after receiving a tip-off from his family, who had become concerned about his erratic behaviour. John Phillips/Getty ImagesA man is detained by police officers near Downing Street, on Whitehall on April 27, 2017 in London, England. Multiple knives were seen at the scene close to Parliament Square and are being investigated. Seven years ago, he was among volunteers from the Road to Hope charity, who attempted to take food, clothing and other goods to Palestinians aboard a Maltese-registered ship. The mission was launched just months after Israeli commandos had stormed a flotilla of ships trying to break the naval blockade of Gaza, killing nine activists. Ali was one of 10 aid workers who set off from Libya for Gaza. In a video from the convoy, Ali can be seen sitting in the front of a van with a Palestinian banner tied around his head. Speaking excitedly about his trip, he says: “We are all getting together now, alhamdulillah [praise Allah], the vans are all done, energy is here, the sunshine is here, alhamdulillah… But perhaps his experiences took their toll on him and he has suffered some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder “You are going to see in action – the youth – doing our thing, all day long. We did it in Tottenham, we are going to do it in Gaza; taking it to another level. One love.” But the group became stranded in the Mediterranean following a row with the ship’s owners over money. The captain headed for Greece, where the group were reportedly held against their will. The volunteers eventually returned to the UK after the stand-off was settled. One of the group, who asked not to be named, remembered Ali as a happy and friendly person, who showed no signs of radical beliefs. He said: “Khalid was a happy, smiley person who was very easy-going. He had a genuine desire to help people. But perhaps his experiences took their toll on him and he has suffered some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder.” Ali’s arrest came just five weeks – and a 100 yards away – from the spot where Khalid Masood was shot dead after killing five people. Although Ali had been under surveillance, he had been able to travel into central London by Tube. A senior policing source said: “He was being watched very closely. We understand he had exited the Tube at St James’s Park station before walking in the direction of Whitehall. “At some stage an alert went out to all the teams in the area and the order was made to pick him up.” It is not clear whether police knew at that stage he was carrying weapons. 12:28 PM

Thai family mourns 11-month-old girl hanged by father on Facebook Live before he killed himself - PHUKET, Thailand — The funeral was held Saturday for an 11-month-old Thai girl who was killed by her father in a video broadcast live on Facebook before he then hanged himself. Mourners buried the girl along with some of her toys in the grounds of a temple Saturday on the southern island of Phuket. Friends and family had to support her grieving mother, 21-year-old Chiranut Trairat, as she stood crying at the graveside. APChiranut Trairat, mother of an 11-month-old baby girl, cries in front of her daughter's portrait before her funeral in Phuket, Thailand, Saturday, April 29, 2017. The video livestreamed Monday evening showed Wuttisan Wongtalay, 20, killing his daughter by hanging her at an abandoned hotel before killing himself. After the funeral service his mother issued a tearful apology for her son’s actions and appealed to young people who were troubled to speak with their parents. “I want to apologize with all my heart for the video that was shared and for the likes that people clicked on it. I apologize for what my son did,” Jinda Raksakham said. “I want to tell young people who are having difficulties in their family life that they can talk to their parents. Don’t let your current state of mind overwhelm you.” The video of the child’s death was apparently available for viewing online for almost 24 hours until Facebook pulled it down. Facebook has been seeking ways to quickly block videos after a series of gruesome events were livestreamed on the site, including murder and sexual assault. LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP/Getty ImagesThe body of 11-month-old girl Natalie is carried into her grave by male relatives in Phuket on April 29, 2017. The Thai case came less than two weeks after a man in Cleveland, Ohio, posted on Facebook a video of himself shooting a man to death. RelatedThai man kills infant daughter on Facebook Live then hangs himself in ‘appalling incident’Live-streaming takes a sinister turn as murderers, rapists and terrorists broadcast their deeds‘Serious safety implications’: Facebook to review handling of videos after Cleveland killing 12:02 PM

First comes fire, then comes marriage: Fort McMurray couple remembers blaze that almost derailed wedding - FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — It’s been a busy year for Elise Phillippo and her husband Brandon. They got hitched, bought a house and had a baby — all against the backdrop of the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history. Four days before her May 7 wedding, the bride-to-be was planning to pick up her dress from the seamstress after work. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Elise PhillippoElise Phillippo holds her baby Kellan in a family handout photo. It's been a busy year for Elise Phillippo and her husband Brandon. Instead, she was among the more than 88,000 Fort McMurray residents caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic as a fierce wildfire forced the entire northeastern Alberta city to empty. Phillippo would never see that dress again. It was inside a home that burned in the hard-hit Abasand neighbourhood. In Toronto, where the wedding was to take place, the couple’s photographer, Alex Neary with Wild Eyed Photography, asked if there was anything she could do to help. “And I said, ‘I need a dress,”‘ recalls Phillippo, 30. She thought perhaps Neary could scrounge up a second-hand one from a friend. “All of a sudden she messaged back and said she had all these dresses,” Phillippo says. “I was taken aback. What do you mean: ‘All these dresses?”‘ Word got around on social media. “People just started offering dresses one after another. I just couldn’t wrap my head around people being as generous as they were. They had no idea who I was, so they definitely didn’t have to do that for me.” A shop in downtown Toronto, Lea-Ann Belter Bridal, gave Phillippo one dress and loaned her another. Larry Wong/Postmedia NewsHomes in Fort McMurray destroyed by a massive wildfire that forced the evacuation of Alberta's fourth largest city. The couple tied the knot on Toronto Island on the same day they had planned all along. At the ceremony, Phillippo wore the loaner, a lacy number with spaghetti straps and a train. The donated dress got some use months later, when she let a friend, who was trying to save money, wear it for her wedding. From Toronto, the newlyweds went to Edmonton and waited for the evacuation order to lift. Phillippo, a massage therapist, spent that time working at the Active Life Centre clinic in St. Albert, where she says she was treated like family. RelatedThe sky was a sea of flames 300 feet tall in the forest of my city: A Fort McMurray firefighter remembersA tale of two cities: One year after wildfire, there’s still a ‘dark cloud’ around fragile Fort McMurrayAfter losing everything in Fort McMurray fires, engineer mulls his readiness to retire — maybe to far north The home the couple was renting in Fort McMurray’s Thickwood neighbourhood was undamaged by the fire. They have since bought it. Phillippo expects her first wedding anniversary to be low key. Their two-month-old son Kellan Xavier takes up all the time and attention. The one-year anniversary of the fire is looming a bit larger in her mind. “I’m actually kind of looking forward to the anniversary of the fire, as strange as that sounds,” she says. “I’m kind of hoping that it gives people some peace.” 11:25 AM

Up to 100,000 people expected to assemble for Climate March on Washington in sweltering heat - WASHINGTON – On what could be a record-hot day, tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected to assemble in Washington on Saturday. Their large-scale climate change protest will mark President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office, which have been punctuated by multiple rollbacks of environmental protections. The People’s Climate March, which originated with a massive demonstration in New York in September 2014, picked a symbolically striking day for its 2017 installment. Temperatures could exceed 90 degrees and possibly set a record for April 29 in the District of Columbia – which would greatly amplify the movement’s message. Astrid Riecken/Getty ImagesPeople gather near the U.S. Capitol for the People's Climate Movement before marching to the White House to protest President Donald Trump's environmental policies April 29, 2017 in Washington, DC. The climate event differs from last week’s March for Science in its focus and also its participants – only 1 out of 8 planned contingents of Saturday’s protest will feature scientific researchers. The rest will include labor activists, indigenous peoples already facing severe effects from climate change, and children and young people who will live on Earth the longest as it continues to warm. The motivation is clear: The young Trump administration already has moved to roll back President Barack Obama’s signature climate initiative, the Clean Power Plan, and it has taken many other actions to weaken environmental protections of air and water, and to enable fossil fuel exploitation on public lands and waters. The administration is grappling with a major climate policy decision: whether to remain in the Paris climate agreement. Several of Trump’s Cabinet picks are advising against following through on his campaign pledge to “cancel” the accord. Astrid Riecken/Getty ImagesPeople gather near the U.S. Capitol for the People's Climate Movement before marching to the White House to protest President Donald Trump's environmental policies April 29, 2017 in Washington, DC. Marchers on Saturday are expected to gather at the Capitol and then move up Pennsylvania Avenue and “surround” the White House. Celebrity attendees will include Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Gore and Richard Branson. Organizers told the National Park Service that they expect between 50,000 and 100,000 attendees. The forecast is for temperatures that reach as high as 89 to 93 degrees. The current record for the date is 91 degrees, while this month already is the warmest April on record for the District of Columbia. 10:11 AM

Self-proclaimed psychic gets 8-year sentence for $1 million scam to protect clients from ‘dark forces’ - PAINESVILLE, Ohio — A self-described psychic who scammed more than $1 million in cash and valuables from a dozen people she promised to protect from “dark forces” has been sentenced to eight years in prison. An Ohio judge gave 42-two-year-old Gina Miller the maximum sentence and ordered her to repay $1.4 million. Before her Thursday sentencing in Painesville, Miller apologized and asked Judge Vincent Culotta for leniency so she could care for her two sons, including one she said has a mental illness. “Quite simply, you don’t deserve leniency,” Culotta said. “You deserve to be punished.” You deserve to be punished Defence attorney Louis Carlozzi said Miller’s fortune telling was a part of her Romani culture, and she “took it a step too far.” But prosecutors described Miller as “a con artist.” An audio tape from a former client who had worn a wire for Mentor police was played in court, and the woman can be heard asking Miller what would happen if she could not make payments. “Your grandson would die,” Miller responds. Miller pleaded guilty in March to an aggravated theft charge in the scheme prosecutors say operated for 15 years. They say she targeted vulnerable clients, convincing them to pay her in cars, Rolex watches and a diamond ring in exchange for protection. Another former customer, a 72-year-old woman, told the judge she works two jobs to pay off credit card debt after giving money to Miller. RelatedToronto police charge man for pretending to practice witchcraft after victim pays $101K to remove evil spiritThe important questions: Is a psychic reading from a fortune teller ever worth the cost?U.S. federal judge bans Montreal company from postal system in wake of $180-million ‘psychic’ mail fraud “She has ruined my life,” the woman said. “I cannot live long enough to pay off the debt.” On recordings of meetings between Miller and an undercover agent also played in court, Miller can be heard asking for $180 for crystals to improve the agent’s luck. 9:25 AM

B.C. drunk driver gets more than eight years for killing three people after ‘lengthy binge of drinking’ - VANCOUVER — A British Columbia man who killed two cyclists and a passenger in his own vehicle while driving drunk along a winding, mountain highway north of Whistler has been sentenced to eight years and four months in prison. Samuel Alec pleaded guilty in B.C. Supreme Court in February to three counts of impaired driving causing death after he mowed down cyclists Ross Chafe and Kelly Blunden who were out for a weekend ride in May 2015. Alec’s friend in the passenger seat of the vehicle, Paul Pierre, was also killed. The court heard that Alec, 46, was returning home to Lillooet along Highway 99 after a “lengthy binge of drinking” following a friend’s funeral. Mr. Alec was not just impaired. His ability to drive was grossly impaired “It was a clear, sunny day. The cyclists were fully within their own lane,” Justice William Ehrcke said Friday, reading his decision. “The reason for the accident was that Mr. Alec was impaired by alcohol.” “Mr. Alec was not just impaired. His ability to drive was grossly impaired,” Ehrcke added, describing Alec’s blood-alcohol level as three times the legal limit. Alec will remain in prison for a further six years after 28 months of credit is given for time he served awaiting trial. The judge also ordered that Alec be banned from driving for 15 years beyond his sentence. “The offences you have committed have caused great harm and terrible suffering,” the judge told Alec, who breathed deeply and dabbed his eyes with tissue. Chafe’s cousin John Rufh said his family was disappointed with the sentence, calling it “not right.” Related‘I am to blame’: Drunk driver apologizes to friends, families of three victimsB.C.’s public auto insurer blames ‘careless’ cyclist for his own death in crash with alleged drunk driver “We had hoped that we’d get 12, maybe 10 (years). But he got eight, less time served, which is six,” said Rufh outside the court, adding that his family will experience a lifetime of pain while Alec is out in just a few years. “You look in the papers. Someone who deals drugs is getting 18 years. Here’s a guy who killed three people and he’s getting eight years. What does that say about our society?” Pierre’s younger brother Dion Pierre was also present to hear the judge’s ruling and said he was hoping for a higher sentence, but that no length of time would bring his brother back. “You can’t put a value on a loved one,” he said outside court. “I miss him. I miss him and I love him and I wish he was here.” The prosecution had asked for a 12-year sentence, while his defence lawyer argued four years would be more appropriate. At his sentencing hearing last month, Alec tearfully apologized to the families of the men he killed, saying that he would never be able to make up for the pain and suffering he caused after driving into the two cyclists. “I know I am to blame and I take full responsibility for my actions. I am sorry for what I have done,” Alec told the court in late March. Crown prosecutor Adrienne Lee said the sentence was lower than she had hoped but that it was still a significant amount of time. 8:52 AM

Trump thought being president ‘would be easier,’ admitting there’s a chance of war with North Korea - U.S. President Donald Trump has admitted that he thought his new job “would be easier” in an interview to mark his his first 100 days in office. Contemplating how it feels to be leading the free world, the former property mogul seemed wistful. “I loved my previous life. I had so many things going,” Trump said. “This is more work than in my previous life. I thought it would be easier.” Trump was a political novice when elected last November. More than five months later, that victory remains on his mind: midway through discussion about Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, Trump paused to hand out copies of a 2016 electoral map with the areas he won marked in red. “Here, you can take that, that’s the final map of the numbers,” the President told Reuters. “It’s pretty good, right? The red is obviously us.” His presidency has already faced obstacles that forced him to delay or abandon some campaign pledges. And he has been plunged into a burgeoning military face-off with North Korea. “There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea. Absolutely,” Trump said. “We’d love to solve things diplomatically but it’s very difficult.” The U.S. is trying to find a diplomatic solution to convince North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to end the country’s nuclear weapons program. AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, FileIn this Saturday, April 15, 2017, file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves during a military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea, to celebrate the 105th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the country's late founder and grandfather of current ruler Kim Jong Un. Hosting a UN Security Council meeting Friday, Rex Tillerson, the U.S. secretary of state, called on the global community to fully implement UN sanctions and suspend or downgrade diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. “With each successive detonation and missile test North Korea pushes north-east Asia and the world closer to instability and broader conflict,” Tillerson told the 15-member council. “The threat of a North Korean attack on Seoul or Tokyo is real.” The U.S. wants to convince China in particular to exercise the considerable economic leverage it has over North Korea as a trading partner and its main source of food and fuel aid. China’s foreign minister said before the UN Security Council meeting that negotiations were the “only way out.” Alex Brandon/CP NewsU.S. President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President, Xi Jinping, April 7. “The use of force does not solve differences and will only lead to bigger disasters,” Wang Yi told the council. When still president-elect, Trump caused a rupture with China by taking a congratulatory phone call from the leader of Taiwan. But he has since improved relations, hosting Xi at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Trump said in the interview that he would now consult Xi before speaking with Taiwan. “He’s a friend of mine,” he said of Xi. “I think he’s doing an amazing job as a leader, and I wouldn’t want to do anything that comes in the way of that.” Trump said he hoped Kim Jong-un would behave in a “rational” way. “He’s 27 years old,” Trump said. “His father dies, took over a regime. So say what you want, but that is not easy, especially at that age. [He’s actually 33.] RelatedNorth Korean mid-range ballistic missile failed shortly after launch, South and U.S. sayNorth Korea releases video showing the White House in crosshairs and carriers explodingHours after North Korean live-fire drills, South Korea announces it has installed U.S. missile defence system Trump later became the first president since Ronald Reagan to address the National Rifle Association (NRA). He told its conference in Atlanta, Georgia, last night that the NRA had “a true friend and champion in the White House.” To applause, Trump added he was still pressing ahead with the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, saying “don’t even think about it.” 7:53 AM

Greg Palast

Drill Baby Drill Why Drilling In The Arctic Is A Terrible Idea - President Trump aims to roll back the Obama administration’s attempts to ban oil drilling off the southeastern Atlantic and Alaskan coasts. I was in the Arctic where Trump wants to drill baby drill. Drilling means the ethnic cleansing of the Inuit speakers who still live there. Whales won't swim in hydrocarbon. I noticed Trump did not OK drilling off Mar-a-Lago. For more on this watch my movie, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy — available to stream worldwide from just $2.99! * * * * * Greg Palast (Rolling Stone, Guardian, BBC) is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, now out as major motion non-fiction movie. vStay informed, rent or buy the film on Amazon or get the signed DVD, a signed copy of the book companion or better still - get the Book & DVD combo. Visit the Palast Investigative Fund store or simply make a tax-deductible contribution to keep our work alive! Or support the The Palast Investigative Fund (a project of The Sustainable Markets Foundation) by shopping with Amazon Smile. AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchases to the Palast Fund and you get a tax-deduction! More info. GregPalast.com The post Drill Baby DrillWhy Drilling In The Arctic Is A Terrible Idea appeared first on Greg Palast.12:35 PM

Trump Stumped: Tax Cut based on his D-Student Misunderstanding of Laffer Curve - Trump claims his big tax cut will pay for itself based on his D-student misunderstanding of the "Laffer Curve." Economist Art Laffer, my mentor at U Chicago, showed how cutting taxes could produce more tax revenue, a theorem he famously drew on a napkin. Laffer drew the Curve for me—also on a napkin. (I can’t make this up: Art was addicted to cheeseburgers and always scribbled diagrams as he talked and chowed down. This is a replica of what he showed me—he used the original to wipe up.) One napkin was shown to Ronald Reagan who, foreshadowing Trump, was too thick to understand it. Like Trump, the Gipper thought that it proved that, 'the lower the tax, the more tax revenue collected.' George Bush Sr. called that "voodoo economics." Not voodoo, no; but here’s the key—pay attention, A students!— it’s a CURVE. When "marginal" tax rates are ABOVE 90%, cutting to, say, 85%, will actually produce more tax revenue from increased business activity. But at the lower end of the curve, with taxes below 40% as they are now, there’s no tax gain—just the opposite, the Laffer Curve shows tax collections will collapse. Cutting the corporate rate to 15% from 40% will cause a $4 trillion-dollar tax loss — which non-corporations, that is, working class schmucks who voted for Trump, will have to make up. Take a look…then wipe that cheese off your chin. And that ain’t the bottom of the stupid and venal oozing from the Oval Office. The Donald’s tax plan includes opening new loophole called, "territoriality." To translate from the pigs’-Latin, this means that the US can no longer collect taxes on profits of US corporations on their foreign operations. In other words, THIS IS A MASSIVE TAX BREAK FOR MOVING A FACTORY OVERSEAS. Shifting your plastics factory from Midland, Michigan to Monterey, Mexico means you no longer pay taxes on it. Hey, wasn’t this the guy who said he’d TAX companies that leave the USA? Well, it looks like he’ll make Mexico great again. But maybe Trump is no tax dunce—but one very brilliant business man who knows how to dupe his troops. After all, he’s a casino magnate who makes his money by fleecing those suckers in the red trucker hats. Trump knows: the house always wins. The post Trump Stumped: Tax Cut based on his D-Student Misunderstanding of Laffer Curve appeared first on Greg Palast.Apr 26

Muslim Lives Matter - Hey, Donald, the safe zone’s supposed to be in place BEFORE you lob the missiles. It seems, as TS Eliot put it, that Trump has committed, "The greatest treason / To do the right deed for the wrong reason." Meanwhile, some opposing safe-zones in Syria say we should just increase refugee immigration. In other words, let’s empty out Syria, assist Assad in ethnically cleansing Shia Muslims. And, without a no-fly zone, you’re asking Syrians to flee without any protection from barrel bombs and mass slaughter. And sorry, Donald, but it was the REPUBLICANS who voted down Obama’s request for power to take out Assad’s air bases in 2013. If GOP paper warriors like Marco Rubio hadn’t stopped Obama, those Syrian kids would be alive today. Trump is taking out one airfield. That’s like taking out Mar-al-Lago and leaving Trump Tower. Hillary says, take’m ALL out. Never thought I’d say this until today: Damn, I miss that woman. For years, too many of my progressive comrades have simply denied the slow-motion holocaust in Syria. When we talk about woman’s rights, how about the right not to see your child vomit out their intestines? * * * * * Greg Palast (Rolling Stone, Guardian, BBC) is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, now out as major motion non-fiction movie. Stay informed, rent or buy the film on Amazon or get the signed DVD, a signed copy of the book companion or better still - get the Book & DVD combo. Visit the Palast Investigative Fund store or simply make a tax-deductible contribution to keep our work alive! Or support the The Palast Investigative Fund (a project of The Sustainable Markets Foundation) by shopping with Amazon Smile. AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchases to the Palast Fund and you get a tax-deduction! More info. GregPalast.com The post Muslim Lives Matter appeared first on Greg Palast.Apr 7

Who gets XL Pipeline Bonanza? Koch - From Greg Palast’s film The Best Democracy Money Can Buy: A Tale of Billionaires and Ballot Bandits Stay informed, rent or buy the film on Amazon or get the signed DVD, a signed copy of the book companion or better still - get the Book & DVD combo. * * * * * Greg Palast (Rolling Stone, Guardian, BBC) is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, now out as major motion non-fiction movie. Suppor the Stolen Election Investigation Visit the Palast Investigative Fund store or simply make a tax-deductible contribution to keep our work alive! Or support the The Palast Investigative Fund (a project of The Sustainable Markets Foundation) by shopping with Amazon Smile. AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchases to the Palast Fund and you get a tax-deduction! More info. GregPalast.com The post Who gets XL Pipeline Bonanza? Koch appeared first on Greg Palast.Mar 24

Watch The Best Democracy… Movie Right now! - Right now, this minute, you can watch The Best Democracy Money Can Buy on Amazon from $2.99, or if you prefer get a lifetime stream from Vimeo. Or better yet, get a signed copy for a tax-deductible donation. See the Film that Jesse Jackson is bringing to 200 churches before election day. “Hilarious and heartbreaking. The most important movie — and the most entertaining. Standing ovation!” - John Perkins, author, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man Follow me as I bust the New Klux Klan – the billionaire bandits that are behind a scheme to purge one million voters of color on election day. The Hysteria Factory is in full effect. Trump says a million "aliens" are swimming the Rio Grande to vote for Hillary. Fox News —even NPR— are peddling stories about dead voters, ghost voters, double voters and other berserk claims of fraudulent voting. But it’s just the cover to STEAL THIS ELECTION, to swipe the Senate. Watch the Hysteria Factory Clip from the Movie With the help of Willie Nelson, Rosario Dawson, and detectives Ice-T and Richard Belzer, I track down the secret billionaires behind Donald Trump and the guys who are gaming our voter rolls and funding this voter fraud Hysteria Factory. * * * * * * Greg Palast (Rolling Stone, Guardian, BBC) is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, now out as major motion non-fiction movie. Donate to the Palast Investigative Fund and get the signed DVD. Download the FREE Movie Comic Book. Rent or buy the film from Amazon or Vimeo. Check for Movie Screenings in your area. Visit the Palast Investigative Fund store or simply make a tax-deductible contribution to keep our work alive! Or support the The Palast Investigative Fund (a project of The Sustainable Markets Foundation) by shopping with Amazon Smile. AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchases to the Palast Fund and you get a tax-deduction! More info. GregPalast.com The post Watch The Best Democracy… Movie Right now! appeared first on Greg Palast.Mar 20

March 15 Fundraiserto support Greg Palast’s new investigation of Trump’s Billionaires - Join Jackson Browne to honor Greg Palast and his team’s new investigations of Trump’s billionaires and the plan to fix the vote of 2018 With discussion of the attack on voting rights by Joy Reid of MSNBC and the need for investigative reporting WHEN: Wednesday, March 15 at 6:00pm PTWHERE: Santa Monica, CA Wine and Buffet Performance by Jackson BrowneRock & Roll Hall of Fame "Lives in the Balance" | "Running on Empty" We are facing a democratic emergency: Our purpose is to expose and prevent the theft of the election of 2018—and the billionaires who have turned The White House into a profit center. $100 per person or $175 per couple Very limited space. Get your TICKETS now. All proceeds are tax-deductible and benefit the Palast Investigative Fund (checks and credit cards accepted) If you are unable to attend but wish to support our work, and have your support acknowledged by Greg and Jackson, you can donate here. Trump has claimed that millions of Americans vote illegally. The Palast team's investigation for Rolling Stone, Al Jazeera, and BBC TV proved that this claim was the excuse for "anti-fraud" measures that, in fact, blocked 1.1 million citizens of color from casting their votes in the swing states of Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio and Florida in the last election. No, Trump did not win – and Palast has showed how, in cruel detail. Palast says, "While our work has been lauded and applauded for exposing mass vote suppression, our goal now is to expand our research and investigations while also coordinating with the Civil Rights Law Center of Washington to insure that this information is in the hands of voting rights litigators, progressive legislators, church and front-line organizations to prevent the theft of the 2018 election.'' Our film on the suppression of the vote in 2016 The Best Democracy Money Can Buy has been viewed by more than one million Americans and has become the source of fighting facts from People For the American Way to Rainbow-PUSH Coalition to the Potomac Coalition. "What Greg Palast has done is heroic, invaluable, and must be seen by every voting rights advocate in America." - Voting rights attorney Barbara Arnwine Help us win this next battle for democracy * * * * * * Greg Palast (Rolling Stone, Guardian, BBC) is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, now out as major motion non-fiction movie. Rent or buy the film from Amazon Vimeo. Support The Palast Investigative Fund and keep our work alive. Or support us by shopping with Amazon Smile. AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchases to the Sustainable Markets Foundation for the benefit of The Palast Investigative Fund and you get a tax-deduction!More info. GregPalast.com The post March 15 Fundraiserto support Greg Palast’s new investigation of Trump’s Billionaires appeared first on Greg Palast.Mar 7

Millions of fraudulent voters, my a**! Palast follows The Donald’s money - A Facebook Event Get the non-fake info with investigative reporter Greg Palast. Palast says, "It’s no joke—and it’s far more sinister than a mere "lie." "The US press has done a good job exposing President Trump’s looney-toons claim that millions of votes were cast against him. "But what’s missing is what’s behind Trump’s claim — and it’s not just his cranky, whining ego looking to erase the embarrassment of losing the popular vote. "We are witnessing the crafting of a systematic plan to steal the 2018 midterm election." And that’s not all: Did anyone notice that in the middle of Trump’s psycho-drama of a press conference, he said, "…I want to thank Paul Singer for being here and coming up to the Oval Office." Those are the most dangerous words Trump has uttered since Inauguration Day. Get the facts (and watch the cartoon!) during this special Facebook Live event. And Palast lets you in on the follow-up to his Rolling Stone investigation. He’s digging, and the worms are crawling up the shovel. And we’ll talk about how YOU can take part in the investigation. We have a lot to talk about, and a lot to expose. * * * * * * Greg Palast (Rolling Stone, Guardian, BBC) is the author of The New York Times bestsellers, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, now out as major motion non-fiction movie. Rent or buy the film from Amazon Vimeo. Support The Palast Investigative Fund and keep our work alive. Or support us by shopping with Amazon Smile. AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your purchases to the Sustainable Markets Foundation for the benefit of The Palast Investigative Fund and you get a tax-deduction!More info. GregPalast.com The post Millions of fraudulent voters, my a**! Palast follows The Donald’s money appeared first on Greg Palast.Feb 22

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Idaho National Laboratory Cyber Threat and Vulnerability Analysis of the U.S. Electric Sector - With utilities in the U.S. and around the world increasingly moving toward smart grid technology and other upgrades with inherent cyber vulnerabilities, correlative threats from malicious cyber attacks on the North American electric grid continue to grow in frequency and sophistication. The potential for malicious actors to access and adversely affect physical electricity assets of U.S. electricity generation, transmission, or distribution systems via cyber means is a primary concern for utilities contributing to the bulk electric system. This paper seeks to illustrate the current cyber-physical landscape of the U.S. electric sector in the context of its vulnerabilities to cyber attacks, the likelihood of cyber attacks, and the impacts cyber events and threat actors can achieve on the power grid. In addition, this paper highlights utility perspectives, perceived challenges, and requests for assistance in addressing cyber threats to the electric sector. There have been no reported targeted cyber attacks carried out against utilities in the U.S. that have resulted in permanent or long term damage to power system operations thus far, yet electric utilities throughout the U.S. have seen a steady rise in cyber and physical security related events that continue to raise concern. Asset owners and operators understand that the effects of a coordinated cyber and physical attack on a utility’s operations would threaten electric system reliability–and potentially result in large scale power outages. Utilities are routinely faced with new challenges for dealing with these cyber threats to the grid and consequently maintain a set of best practices to keep systems secure and up to date. Among the greatest challenges is a lack of knowledge or strategy to mitigate new risks that emerge as a result of an exponential rise in complexity of modern control systems. This paper compiles an open-source analysis of cyber threats and risks to the electric grid, utility best practices for prevention and response to cyber threats, and utility suggestions about how the federal government can aid utilities in combating and mitigating risks. Among the findings of this paper, several key elements are: Growth of networks and communication protocols used throughout ICS networks pose vulnerabilities that will continue to provide attack vectors that threat actors will seek to exploit for the foreseeable future. The interoperable technologies created for a shift toward a smart grid will continue to expand the cyber attack landscape. Threat actors on multiple fronts continue to seek to exploit cyber vulnerabilities in the U.S. electrical grid. Nation-states like Russia, China, and Iran and non-state actors, including foreign terrorist and hacktivist groups, pose varying threats to the power grid. A determined, well-funded, capable threat actor with the appropriate attack vector can succeed to varying levels depending on what defenses are in place. Utilities often lack full scope perspective of their cyber security posture. Total awareness of all vulnerabilities and threats at all times is improbable, but without enough cyber security staff and/or resources utilities often lack the capabilities to identify cyber assets and fully comprehend system and network architectures necessary for conducting cyber security assessments, monitoring, and upgrades. Some utilities require financial assistance in creating or shaping their cyber strategy, both to meet regulatory standards and for business security. While regulatory requirements for the bulk electric system are clear about what compliance outcomes utilities should achieve, utilities desire guidance about how to best achieve cyber security outcomes, as well as how to develop active defenses capable of addressing a highly targeted cyber attack. The assortment of regulatory standards and guidelines applicable to utilities regarding cyber security practices produces varied methods of adoption. This causes some overlap and confusion in jurisdictional applicability (federal vs. state) and has produced a wide range of differing practices by utilities in meeting standards, making an evaluation of industry-wide best practices difficult. Utilities expect more qualitative, timely threat intelligence from existing federal information sharing programs. Utilities also seek clarity about the conditions of information sharing programs based on new national cyber security policy (CISA 2015). … 1.2. Reported Cyber Attacks Involving U.S. Utilities It is likely that many more cyber incidents occur than are reported. Known attacks against the energy sector often follow a phased pattern that focuses on discovery, capture, and exfiltration of data, which generally does not produce tangible or immediately detectable consequences. However, if an attacker’s goal is to “degrade, disrupt, deny, [or] destroy” utility operations, prior reconnaissance and established access provide launch points for destructive payloads (malware). No lasting damage–physical, cyber-physical, or otherwise–to U.S. utilities as a result of a cyber attack has yet been reported publicly, but known cyber attacks and campaigns targeting U.S. electric utilities have been highly publicized. In early 2014, ICS-CERT released information about an unnamed public utility that was compromised via remote access. Not only was the control system configured for remote access, “the software used to administer the control system assets was accessible via Internet facing hosts.” Intrusion activity prior and related to this threat was also discovered. Researchers also found that though the remote access point was password-protected, the password was weak. Brute forcing techniques, or ‘trial-and-error until solved’ attempts to discover the password were found to be a threat to the access point. No long term costs or damage have been attributed to this attack, but an onsite cyber security assessment conducted by ICS-CERT as a result of the event likely resulted in recommendations for the utility’s future control system administration. Conversely, the Havex campaign uses spam email to distribute a remote access Trojan (RAT) tool to targets and in the past used watering hole attacks deployed from compromised ICS/supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) vendor websites. Since around 2013 a group known as ‘Dragonfly’ and ‘Energetic Bear’, thought to be a state-sponsored organization is responsible for Havex and targets energy sector companies (and other sectors) in the U.S. among other countries. By targeting electric grid operators, equipment vendors, and relevant software providers, the attackers were able to spread malware that “instruct infected machines to download and execute additional components.” Though no reports have yet emerged confirming exploit or damage of Havex in infected systems, the malware’s complexity and range of access thus far could produce future effects if not properly mitigated. Another incident to which ICS-CERT responded was found to have been ongoing since 2011 but with no detectable “attempts to damage, modify, or otherwise disrupt the victim systems’ control processes.” The threat, known as BlackEnergy, is a Trojan-based hacking campaign that exploits human-machine interface (HMI) software often used by utilities in grid control among other systems. While General Electric (GE), manufacturer of an HMI believed to be the target of the BlackEnergy campaign released a patch for its HMI software in response to the incident, future vulnerability based on this attack vector depends in part on awareness, detection and defense in depth.iii The BlackEnergy malware is described as “highly modular” with functionality varying in deployment to different victims, making it difficult to determine its future impact in the electricity industry. ICS-CERT published a Traffic Light Protocol (TLP) Amber-designated version of this information, a limited-release sharing mechanism by which companies affected by and/or requiring the information to mitigate a related cyber threat can receive and share the information internally on a need-to-know basis. A now-dated but well documented attack on a California independent system operator (ISO) responsible for electricity distribution across the state which occurred in 2001 highlights a lack of cyber security consideration in planned system maintenance. Taking advantage of poor security configuration, attackers compromised two web servers under development to access the ISO’s network. The attack was halted before attackers were able to access grid-connected systems, but took nearly three weeks to detect and was eventually assessed to be of Chinese origin. The servers that exposed the utility’s network were not firewalled and appear to have been an overlooked threat, the result of a time-sensitive business operations priority. … Apr 23

(U//FOUO) DHS Intelligence Note: Unknown Cyber Actors Target US Water and Sewage Authority Network - (U//FOUO) Likely Network Device Compromise Results in Excessive Data Traffic; Device Provided Access to Industrial Control System (U//FOUO) An unidentified actor or actors between November 2016 and January 2017 targeted a US water and sewage authority’s network, resulting in excessive cellular charges and unusual traffic on ports 10000 and 9600, according to an FBI source with excellent access who spoke in confidence but whose reliability cannot be determined. The FBI source indicated that four of the seven devices on the authority’s cellular data plan were impacted with high data usage, which was likely a result of compromised network devices. The November 2016–December 2016 billing cycle totaled $45,000, and the December 2016–January 2017 billing cycle totaled $53,000. A typical monthly bill averages approximately $300. The devices were Sixnet devices, which had been in place for six or seven years and provided access to the authority’s industrial control systems, according to the same FBI source. (U//FOUO) Support to Computer Network Defense (U//FOUO) Sixnet BT-5xxx and BT-6xxx series device versions prior to 3.8.21, as of May 2016, were vulnerable to a compromise that exploited a hard-coded factory password that could enable full access to the affected device, according to ICS-CERT Advisory ICSA-16-0147-02. The same advisory identifies vendor patches and firmware updates that address the issue. (U//FOUO) Sixnet BT-5xxx series industrial cellular modems and BT-6xxx machine-to-machine gateways facilitate data communications connectivity in mobile or remote environments. Ports 9600 and 10000 are used for transmission control protocol and user datagram protocol (TCP/UDP) communications, according to an online report from a firm that provides industrial automation and networking solutions.Apr 16

U.S. Army War College Study: Regaining Strategic Initiative in the Gray Zone - INTO THE NEW GRAY ZONE U.S. competitors pursuing meaningful revision or rejection of the current U.S.-led status quo are employing a host of hybrid methods to advance and secure interests that are in many cases contrary to those of the United States. These challengers employ unique combinations of influence, intimidation, coercion, and aggression to incrementally crowd out effective resistance, establish local or regional advantages, and manipulate risk perceptions in their favor. So far, the United States has not come up with a coherent countervailing approach. It is in this “gray zone”—the awkward and uncomfortable space between traditional conceptions of war and peace—where the United States and its defense enterprise face systemic challenges to U.S. position and authority. As a result, gray zone competition and conflict should be pacers for defense strategy. DESCRIBING THE GRAY ZONE For defense and military strategists, the gray zone is a broad carrier concept for a universe of often-dissimilar strategic challenges. Defense-relevant gray zone threats lie between “classic” war and peace, legitimate and illegitimate motives and methods, universal and conditional norms, order and anarchy; and traditional, irregular, or unconventional means. All gray zone challenges are distinct or unique, yet nonetheless share three common characteristics: hybridity, menace to defense/military convention, and risk-confusion. First, all gray zone challenges are some hybrid combination of adverse methods and strategic effects. Second, they menace American defense and military convention because they simply do not conform neatly to a linear spectrum of conflict or equally linear military campaign models. Finally, they are profoundly risk-confused; as such, they disrupt strategic risk calculations by presenting a paralyzing choice between action and inaction. The hazards associated with either choice appear to be equally high and unpalatable. For Department of Defense (DoD) strategists and planners, gray zone competition and conflict persistently complicate military decision-making, deployment models, and force calculations. They often fall outside the defense conceptions of war, yet they can rapidly and unexpectedly fall into them via miscalculation and unintended escalation. In the end, whether emerging via purpose or implication, gray zone challenges increasingly exact warlike consequences on the United States and its partners. AN IMPERATIVE TO ADAPT U.S. defense strategists and planners must dispense with outdated strategic assumptions about the United States, its global position, and the rules that govern the exercise of contemporary power. In fact, the U.S. defense enterprise should rely on three new core assumptions. First, the United States and the U.S.-dominated status quo will encounter persistent, unmitigated resistance. Second, that resistance will take the form of gray zone competition and conflict. Finally, the gray zone will confound U.S. defense strategists and institutions until it is normalized and more fully accounted for by the DoD. These assumptions, combined with the gray zone’s vexing action-inaction risk dilemma, indicate there is an urgent necessity for U.S. defense adaptation. Without it, the United States introduces itself to enormous strategic risk. The consequences associated with such failure to adapt range from inadvertent escalation to general war, ceding control of U.S. interests, or gradual erosion of meaningful redlines in the face of determined competitors. These risks or losses could occur absent a declared or perceived state of war. FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Examining the gray zone challenge through the lens of five archetypes—three state competitors (China, Russia, and Iran), one volatile environment (Middle East and North Africa), and the United States—this study arrived at six core findings and four recommendations. The findings and recommendations are statements of principle. The study team suggests that these principles will provide senior defense leadership with touchstones for deeper examination. The findings and recommendations are broken into two major categories: policy and strategy, and operational plans and military capabilities. The former provide judgments affecting high-level DoD decision-making, while the latter informs how the U.S. military might consider employing forces and assets. POLICY AND STRATEGY In the area of policy and strategy, this study found that there is no common perception of the nature, character, or hazard associated with the gray zone or its individual threats and challenges. Consequently, there are gaps in strategic design, deliberate plans, and defense capabilities as they apply to operating and succeeding in gray zone environments. This study further found that there is significant asymmetry in risk perceptions between the United States, its partners, and their principal gray zone adversaries and competitors. The results of this apparent asymmetry of risk-perception are predictable—loss of initiative, ceded control over interests or territory, and a position of general disadvantage in the face of aggressive gray zone competition. Finally, this study discovered that there is neither an animating grand strategy nor “campaign-like” charter guiding U.S. defense efforts against specific gray zone challenges. Because of this, U.S. gray zone responses are generally overly reactive, late, and ineffective. In response to these findings, this study recommends that the DoD develop a common, compelling, and adaptive strategic picture of the range of gray zone threats and their associated hazards. This new perspective should adequately assess the current gray zone landscape, the likeliest future trajectory of its constituent threats, and finally, the prospects for sharp deviations from current trends that might trigger a fundamental defense reorientation. It further recommends that the DoD “lead up” and develop actionable, classified strategic approaches to discrete gray zone challenges and challengers. Without a coherent approach to reasserting U.S. leadership, the United States risks losing control over the security of its core interests and increasing constraints on its global freedom of action. OPERATIONAL PLANS AND MILITARY CAPABILITIES In the area of operational plans and military capabilities, this study found that combatant commanders’ (CCDR) presumptive future gray zone responsibilities do not align with their current authorities. Combatant commands (CCMDs) need greater flexibility to adapt to their theater strategic conditions, and must act to gain and maintain the initiative within their areas of responsibility. It further found that the current U.S./North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) joint phasing model is inadequate to seize and maintain the initiative in the gray zone. Purposeful gray zone revisionist actors are successfully campaigning and achieving warlike objectives inside the steady state or deterrence phases of the U.S./NATO joint phasing model. Further, contextual forces of rejection are themselves accumulating warlike wins in the absence of a coherent non-linear U.S. approach. Finally, this study concluded that current U.S. concepts for campaign design, the employment of forces, and the use of force are not well-adapted to persistent gray zone competition and conflict. To contend effectively with the implications of these findings, this study recommends the following initiatives. First, CCDRs should be empowered to “operate” against active gray zone competition and conflict with new capabilities and agile, adaptive models for campaigning. This implies that CCDRs should possess the requisite responsibility, authority, and tools essential to achieve favorable outcomes that are in their purview. In addition, this study found that the DoD and the Joint Force should develop and employ new and adaptable concepts, capabilities, and organizational solutions to confront U.S. gray zone challenges. It recommends a number of specific actions to improve U.S. military performance in the areas of ground and special operations forces (SOF), air and maritime capabilities, cyber capabilities, exercises, and power projection. WAY AHEAD—ADAPTATION AND ACTIVISM Normalizing and accounting for the DoD’s burgeoning gray zone challenge relies on the socialization of two important concepts—adaptation and activism. The defense enterprise needs to adapt to how it sees its gray zone challenges; how it charters strategic action against them; and, finally, how it designs, prioritizes, and undertakes that strategic action. All of these require a robust and activist DoD response. To date, the United States favors approaches that are more conservative. This study suggests that continuing such approaches invites substantial and potentially irreversible strategic consequences.Apr 2

(U//FOUO) U. S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa Campaign Plan 2016-2020: Theater Crisis and Contingency Response Forces in Readiness - The U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa Campaign Plan 2016-2020 defines the organization’s desired baseline operating conditions and capabilities beyond a one-year planning and execution cycle and directs action to achieve desired end states. The Campaign Plan synthesizes strategic guidance provided by U.S. European Command (USEUCOM), U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM), and Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC); accounts for the Commanders’ priorities and vision; establishes a deliberate yet broadly-defined multi-year plan to achieve stated objectives; and provides a framework for implementation, periodic assessment, and refinement. The Campaign Plan will be supported by Fiscal Year Implementation Plans that will further refine the guidance of the multi-year Campaign Plan into detailed single-year Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms) with specific tasking to MARFOREUR/AF staff sections and subordinate commands. … STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT While the most dangerous challenges facing MARFOREUR/AF are associated with USEUCOM contingencies, the most likely are associated with crises in USAFRICOM. Since World War II, European allies and partners have worked with the United States to achieve security and stability, and Europe continues to be critical to U.S. national security interests around the globe. Growing instability, however, is being fueled by aggressive Russian behavior and NATO is undergoing a profound historical change to address a diversity of European and global challenges. Africa remains an enduring interest for the United States and its importance will continue to increase as African economies, population, and influence grow. Our engagement now can assist our African partners in realizing their potential and gaining the capability to solve African problems. African solutions to African problems are in the best interest of Africans, Americans, and indeed the world. USEUCOM AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY (AOR) After nearly a quarter century of relative geopolitical stability, Europe is entering a new strategic era that reflects a return to great superpower competition. The USEUCOM Theater Campaign Plan defines three threats in the AOR that drive the reframing of USEUCOM’s theater campaign: A revanchist Russian Federation coercing European states Terrorism stemming from the Syrian civil war and instability in North Africa providing safe haven and operating space to Violent Extremist Organizations (VEOs), thereby generating foreign fighter flow to, from, and within Europe Continued threats to Israel USEUCOM is promoting a balanced approach and working with allies and partners to address these challenges. Key to this approach is being able to deter our most advanced competitors. To do so, we must have—and be seen to have—the ability to fight and win. Given our budget, our capabilities, our readiness, and our actions, U.S. Marines must and will be prepared for a high-end full-spectrum enemy. The European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) demonstrates U.S. commitment to the security of our allies and partners and to protecting our homeland through several lines of effort, including: (1) increased U.S. military presence in Europe; (2) additional bilateral and multilateral exercises and training with allies and partners; (3) improved infrastructure to allow for greater responsiveness; (4) enhanced prepositioning of U.S. equipment in Europe; and (5) intensified efforts to build partner capacity for newer NATO members and other partners. Russia and Eastern Europe: Russia poses a long-term existential threat to the United States and our allies and partners in Europe. Russian intimidation of the Baltic states, revitalization of its Arctic bases, and aggressive actions in the air, at sea and in cyberspace are the cause of much concern. Meanwhile, Russia continues to develop advanced military systems that seek to threaten our advantages in specific areas and, in some cases, they’re developing weapons and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) that seek to achieve their objectives rapidly, in an effort to deny our ability to respond. The Levant: The emergence of the Islamic State is a significant regional development as the group now controls substantial portions of Iraq and Syria through its rapid para-military expansion and growth in resources. Internal strife in Syria continues to fuel the group amid sectarian friction, at great cost to human life. Syria has become a magnet for global jihad; a situation that is likely to persist. Ongoing, severe spillover effects include a flood of refugees and an influx of foreign fighters into neighboring countries and throughout Europe. Israel is in a region of growing instability, surrounded by adversaries in the West Bank, Gaza, Sinai Peninsula, and southern Lebanon. Continued U.S. political and security guarantees have left our strategic partnership with Israel unshaken, as Israel will be a key ally with which to coordinate efforts to minimize extremist influence in the broader Levant. The Arctic: The Arctic is at a critical point in its transformation from a relatively isolated region to one where receding ice is enabling increased human access. As climate change and the variability of new energy sources shape the global environment, these shifts will affect our strategic outlook, especially in the Arctic. As more countries operate in the Arctic, more opportunities and challenges will arise. The United States is committed to working with allies and partners to keep the region stable and secure through this historic change. U.S. Naval forces are uniquely capable of conducting operations across the vast distances, remote outposts, scarce infrastructure, and seasonal challenges present in the Arctic.Apr 2

The 2017 Guide to Detecting Homegrown Violent Extremists - A graphic from the 2017 National Counterterrorism Center handbook on indicators of mobilization to violence among homegrown violent extremists depicts a man watching a video of Anwar al-Awlaki. The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) has released a 2017 version of their handbook for spotting indicators of mobilization to violence among homegrown violent extremists (HVEs). The guide was originally intended for distribution among public safety personnel and is not intended for public release, but has since appeared on several publicly accessible law enforcement mailing lists and conference websites. In 2014, the NCTC’s Office of National Intelligence Management formed an Interagency Analytic Focus Group with members from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, FBI, NSA, as well as representatives of state and local law enforcement. The focus group “collaboratively developed the list of behavioral indicators and ranked them into three tiers of diagnosticity,” eventually developing a list to distribute to law enforcement personnel. The 2017 handbook released by NCTC is a version of that list updated with new indicators observed since the handbook was last published. Intended to provide “a roadmap of observable behaviors that could inform whether individuals or groups are preparing to engage in violent extremist activities,” the handbook is a slick 36-page publication with colorful graphics depicting dozens of behavioral indicators that an HVE is mobilizing to violence. These behaviors are divided into three groups based on their overall diagnostic capacity. Group A includes indicators that are “very diagnostic on their own” and thus require little else to indicate mobilization to violence. These indicators include “preparing or disseminating a last will or martyrdom video/statement” as well as “planning or attempting to travel to a conflict zone to fight with or support an FTO.” Group B includes indicators that are “moderately diagnostic, more so when observed with other indicators.” These include more common activities that may not directly indicate an imminent threat of violence, such as “posting terrorist icons/flags/prominent figures to social media” and “expressing acceptance of violence as a necessary means to achieve ideological goals.” Group C includes indicators that are even more common and thus are “minimally diagnostic on their own,” requiring the “presence of other indicators to gain diagnosticity.” This group includes “unusual purchase of military style tactical equipment” and “blaming external factors for failure in school, career, or relationships.” A graphic depicting the scale of threat levels assigned to various behavior indicators of mobilization to violence among HVEs. The guide also introduces a scale for evaluating the overall threat level of indicators by ranking: how diagnostic they are in positively identifying mobilization to violence; how dependent they are on other indicators to positively diagnose mobilization; how easily observable the indicators are; as well as whether the indicators present a long-term, near-term, or imminent concern. For example, someone “disseminating a last will or martyrdom video/statement” is ranked as highly diagnostic, independent of other indicators, and observable, presenting an imminent concern. An indicator like “surveilling potential targets” is moderately diagnostic and observable, but is highly dependent on other indicators and only presents a near-term concern. While some of the initial indicators in Group A seem plainly apparent as being indicators of mobilization towards violence, many indicators in the Group B and C are broad and at times confusing in their origin. One indicator in Group C is “inappropriate use of what an individual perceives as ‘doctrine’ to manipulate the behavior of parents, co-workers, close friends and family.” The guide offers examples of this indicator including “criticism of parents’ clothing choices, reading material choices, musical preferences, religious practices, interfaith friendships.” Another broad indicator in Group B is “use of encrypted media applications to engage with unknown overseas individuals.” Several indicators in Group C also relate to communications privacy, such as “utilizing communication security techniques” and “discussing operational security.” Many of these indicators are rated as being dependent upon other evidence “pointing to terrorism and intent to take violent action” and the guide makes clear that “many of these signals or indicators—some of which might involve constitutionally protected activities—may be insignificant on their own.” If any public safety personnel receiving the guide “reasonably believes” based on the information contained in the guide “that an individual may be mobilizing to violence “they are encouraged to “inform LE agencies with investigative authorities via mechanisms like E-Guardian or Suspicious Activity Reporting.” Mar 26

(U//FOUO) NCTC Homegrown Violent Extremist Mobilization Indicators for Public Safety Personnel 2017 Edition - (U//FOUO) The indicators of violent extremist mobilization described herein are intended to provide federal, state, local, territorial and tribal law enforcement a roadmap of observable behaviors that could inform whether individuals or groups are preparing to engage in violent extremist activities including potential travel overseas to join a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The indicators are grouped by their assessed levels of diagnosticity—meaning how clearly we judge the behavior demonstrates an individual’s trajectory towards terrorist activity. The list also includes additional information concerning what the behavior could indicate, identifies likely observers, and provides a probable timeframe between behavior and an ultimate violent act. Some of these activities might be constitutionally protected and may be insignificant on their own, but, when observed in combination with other suspicious behaviors, may constitute a basis for reporting. Law enforcement (LE) action should not be taken based solely on the exercise of constitutionally protected activities or on the apparent race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion of the subject. BACKGROUND (U//FOUO) By law, the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) focuses on international terrorism. Senior Intelligence Community officials judge that violent extremists inspired or enabled by the self-proclaimed Islamic state in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Qa‘ida, including their allies and affiliates, are among the most lethal international terrorist threats to the Homeland. This product focuses on the threat from those actors. (U//FOUO) In 2014, NCTC’s Office of National Intelligence Management (NIM) formed an Interagency Analytic Focus Group, including experts from DCTC, DHS/I&A, DOE, FBI, NCTC, NSA, and cleared representatives of State and local law enforcement, who collaboratively developed the list of behavioral indicators and ranked them into three tiers of diagnosticity. The focus group created this list with law enforcement, homeland security, and public safety officials in mind. The focus group updated the list for 2017 based on new indicators observed since the publication of the original booklet. GROUP INDICATORS (U//FOUO) GROUP A Indicators are very diagnostic on their own. (U//FOUO) GROUP B Indicators are moderately diagnostic, more so when observed with other indicators. (U//FOUO) GROUP C Indicators are minimally diagnostic on their own and require the presence of other indicators to gain diagnosticity. (U//FOUO) Nothing in this list of indicators is intended to confer additional authorities to law enforcement beyond that which is provided by federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Officers who believe individuals are exhibiting significant mobilization indicators are encouraged to immediately contact the local FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. … (U//FOUO) WHAT IS A HOMEGROWN VIOLENT EXTREMIST? (U//FOUO) A Homegrown Violent Extremist (HVE) is a violent extremist of any citizenship who has lived and/or operated primarily in the United States or its territories, and who is acting independently of the direction of a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). Because HVEs are acting to further the goals of an FTO, they are considered foreign intelligence threats under the authorities of both the Intelligence Community and domestic public safety entities. (U//FOUO) WHY WAS THIS BOOKLET CREATED? (U//FOUO) We face a heightened threat environment in the United States as HVEs heed the call to violence from ISIL and other global jihadist groups. • (U//FOUO) The rise of ISIL and an uptick in extremist travel and unsophisticated attacks—inspired in part by ISIL—prompted us to reexamine a set of violent mobilization indicators originally published in 2011. • (U//FOUO) Recent HVE attacks in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas have added urgency to publishing this booklet. (U//FOUO) We published this booklet to inform our federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement (LE) and private sector partners about what signals—or indicators—we judge HVEs, particularly those inspired or enabled by ISIL or al-Qa‘ida, might display that could potentially be detected by first responder personnel and other people. We emphasize that many of these signals or indicators—some of which might involve constitutionally protected activities—may be insignificant on their own. However, when such signals or indicators are observed in combination with other suspicious behaviors, they may constitute a basis for reporting. LE action should not be taken solely based on the exercise of constitutionally protected activities or on the apparent race, ethnicity, national origin or religion of the subject, or on any combination of any such factors. (U//FOUO) WHO IS THE BOOKLET’S TARGET AUDIENCE? (U//FOUO) We tailored this booklet specifically for first responders, including LE, homeland security, and public safety officials. These officials are on the front line in their communities, are well positioned to notice suspicious behaviors outlined in the booklet, and have the potential to maintain regular engagement with members of their communities who may also witness indicators mentioned in the booklet. (U//FOUO) If members of the public suspect—based on these indicators—that an individual is mobilizing to violence, they should contact LE. (U//FOUO) HOW WAS THIS BOOKLET DEVELOPED? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ‘DIAGNOSTICITY?’ (U//FOUO) NCTC conceptualized this booklet with the help of an interagency focus group, including officers from the FBI, the DHS, cleared representatives of state and local LE agencies, and subject matter experts. We decided to broadly publish it for public safety officials, to address the obvious need to inform those on the front lines of the effort to detect violent extremists in the United States. (U//FOUO) The group determined that the ideal manner of listing indicators would be by diagnosticity—the extent to which behaviors indicate violent mobilization – instead of by measuring how often the behaviors have been reported in past cases. The highest tier of behaviors would most likely indicate mobilization, behaviors in the middle tier would indicate mobilization when observed with other indicators, while the behaviors in the lowest tier would only likely indicate violent mobilization when combined with multiple other behaviors. • (U//FOUO) An example of a Group A highest-tier behavior or hard indicator is the potential observation of an individual preparing and posting a last will or martyrdom video or statement to the Internet. The group judged that this behavior would be diagnostic on its own and may be observable if shared with or otherwise discovered by family, friends, and bystanders, and online and social media contacts. • (U//FOUO) Examples of Group C lowest-tier behaviors or soft indicators would be those that on their own do not suggest mobilization, but when taken together would become more diagnostic. None of those behaviors, by themselves, conclusively signal violent mobilization. • (U//FOUO) The behaviors noted in the booklet were based on a review of information derived from dozens of FBI terrorism investigations over the past three years and brainstorming sessions by focus group members.Mar 26

ICANN-Europol Update on Whois-Related Initiatives - Uses of the WHOIS Traditionally: • Contact point for incident response • Determination of availability of domain names But also: • Assisting, public safety organisations, businesses, consumer groups, individuals in combating abuse and fraud and seeking redress. • Help with online crime attribution … Mar 26

FBI Cyber Bulletin: Cyber Criminals Targeting FTP Servers to Compromise Protected Health Information - The FBI is aware of criminal actors who are actively targeting File Transfer Protocol (FTP) servers operating in “anonymous” mode and associated with medical and dental facilities to access protected health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII) in order to intimidate, harass, and blackmail business owners. Threat Research conducted by the University of Michigan in 2015 titled, “FTP: The Forgotten Cloud,” indicated over 1 million FTP servers were configured to allow anonymous access, potentially exposing sensitive data stored on the servers. The anonymous extension of FTP allows a user to authenticate to the FTP server with a common username such as “anonymous” or “ftp” without submitting a password or by submitting a generic password or e-mail address. While computer security researchers are actively seeking FTP servers in anonymous mode to conduct legitimate research, other individuals are making connections to these servers to compromise PHI and PII for the purposes of intimidating, harassing, and blackmailing business owners. Cyber criminals could also use an FTP server in anonymous mode and configured to allow “write” access to store malicious tools or launch targeted cyber attacks. In general, any misconfigured or unsecured server operating on a business network on which sensitive data is stored or processed exposes the business to data theft and compromise by cyber criminals who can use the data for criminal purposes such as blackmail, identity theft, or financial fraud. Recommendations The FBI recommends medical and dental healthcare entities request their respective IT services personnel to check networks for FTP servers running in anonymous mode. If businesses have a legitimate use for operating a FTP server in anonymous mode, administrators should ensure sensitive PHI or PII is not stored on the server.Mar 26

U.S. Army Worldwide Equipment Guide 2015 Update - Volume 1: Ground Systems 658 pages 15,550,306 bytes FD2C566BB002FD5D7CAE1754AE11619A803B90AECEE1890DBA8BC8450535DB27 Volume 2: Air and Air Defense Systems 490 pages 8,633,454 bytes 957E099E8E63975DB197EBD1FDEF27B70AA9BB61B09A923E85096091FE7AE769 Volume 3: Naval Systems 69 pages 2,781,746 bytes 46972E3456364C4F010F139283801A6A1A7B676D3DDC47E2084539EB100712DA 1. In today’s complicated and uncertain world, it is impossible to predict the exact nature of the next conflict that may involve U.S. joint forces. We must be ready to meet the challenges of any type of conflict, in all kinds of places, and against all types of threats in all Complex Operational Environments. As a training tool, the opposing force (OPFOR) must be a challenging, uncooperative sparring partner capable of stressing any or all warfighting functions and mission-essential tasks of the U.S. force. 2. The Army Training Circular 7-100 series describes the doctrine, organizations, TTP, and equipment of such an OPFOR and how to combine it with other operational variables to portray the qualities of a full range of conditions appropriate to Army training environments. 3. The WEG was developed to support the TC 7- 100 series and all OPFOR portrayal in training simulations (live, virtual, constructive, and gaming). The equipment portrayed in the WEG represents military systems, variants, and upgrades that US forces may encounter now and in the foreseeable future. The authors continually analyze realworld developments, capabilities, and trends to guarantee the OPFOR remains relevant. 4. Published in three volumes, (Ground; Airspace & Air Defense Systems; and Naval & Littoral Systems) the WEG is the approved document for OPFOR equipment data used in U.S. Army training. Annual updates are posted on the ATN website. Therefore it is available for downloading and local distribution. Distribution restriction is unlimited. This issue replaces all previous issues. … Mar 11

Sunlight Foundation Blog

Two years of What Works Cities, HHS saves hundreds of millions of dollars with data, and more… - In today's edition, we look back at the progress made during the first two years of the What Works Cities partnership, examine how HHS is using data to save huge sums, share our concern about the Justice Department's efforts to keep some data closed, and more… states and cities Two years working towards more open, data driven cities. Sunlight's Stephen Larrick shared our progress on the What Works Cities initiative, two years in. "Over the past two years, Sunlight has made significant headway in helping cities build the public policy infrastructure for data transparency…We’ve supported cities in designing this infrastructure to be responsive to public feedback and ultimately accountable to the public interest. We will expand this support in 2017 and beyond." Read the whole story on the Sunlight blog. Can NYC become a sanctuary city for data privacy? "The New York City government is looking into ways to enforce stricter data privacy laws in the mold of the recently-scrapped FCC rules governing how internet service providers collect, store, and sell user information. The move sets New York City up to become a sanctuary for citizens looking for a little more privacy online." (Civicist) Watchdogs struggle to monitor open records threats at the state level. "In many states in the Union, the only watchdogs are volunteers who monitor bills as side projects and the editors of the local newspapers whose continued operations are under an existential threat." Deirdra Funcheon digs into the problem on the Sunlight Foundation blog. A little reporting can go a long way in under-covered areas. As this on investigative reporting in East St. Louis, Illinois shows energetic local reporting is an increasingly rare, but vital resource for small communities around the country. (Columbia Journalism Review) washington watch Health and Human Services uses data to identify fraud and save huge sums. "With access to petabytes’ worth of data housed within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and newfound analytic tools to delve into it, officials from the Department of Health and Human Services were able to team with the FBI and Justice Department in a $1 billion fraud takedown—the largest in Medicare’s history." (Nextgov) Seattle Times Editorial Board endorses the OPEN Government Data Act. "Who knows what else could be created if nearly all government data were routinely available? Let’s find out by passing the Open Government Data Act." (Seattle Times) We agree and hope that newspapers around the nation join in supporting the bill. ICE should comply with FOIA, release data on immigration enforcement cooperation. Sunlight joined a coalition of more than 50 organizations in signing a letter calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement "to comply with the legal obligations under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and fully disclose information on immigration enforcement cooperation between federal and non-federal law enforcement agencies." Read the full letter at OpenTheGovernment.org How governments exploit loopholes to avoid freedom of information. "All of which means that despite specific directives from the former president and attorney general, and transparency efforts in Congress and state legislatures, agencies from the Department of Defense down to the local city clerk's office frequently and increasingly find ways to use the rules in the service of de facto censorship. Given that the U.S. sets the standard for public document availability, that is discouraging and doubtless prevents crucial stories from seeing the light of day." Jason Leopold writes on the Committee to Protect Journalists blog. trumpland White House refuses to comply with Oversight's Flynn document request. Earlier this month, the White House refused to comply with a request from the House Oversight and Government Reform committee for documents related to former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. The committee is looking into Flynn's dealings with Russia and its chairman and ranking member appear in agreement that he may have broken the law by failing to disclose certain dealings. (Bloomberg) Watchdogs focus on Trumps ethics and transparency. "Donald Trump won the presidency back in November, but for many liberal organizations, the battle continues. A loose network of lawyers and watchdogs has dug in to scrutinize issues involving the Trump administration's ethics and transparency." (NPR) DC has always needed open government watchdogs to protect and defend transparency accountability and democracy, but the Trump White House is testing the immune systems of our democracy. Justice Department defends removal of animal abuse data. "The Justice Department is mounting a legal defense of one of the most-publicized counter-transparency moves of the new Trump administration: the Agriculture Department's decision to take offline a massive set of records on enforcement of laws against animal abuse." Now, despite previous assertions by the Agriculture Department that they had a legal obligation to do so, DOJ is arguing that the data did not have to be put online in advance of formal FOIA requests. (POLITICO) Our take? This a deeply troubling argument that further extends that anti-transparency record this administration has established in its first 100 days, in this case elevating saving people who abuse animals from public embarrassment and sanction over the public's right to know whether our government is taking action to inspect facilities and enforce violations. Former Obama official says IT modernization likely an "imperative" for Trump. "In a conversation with FedScoop, former Social Security Administration CIO Rob Klopp predicted that the Trump administration probably will elevate IT modernization higher than the Obama administration already did…" while pushing agencies to fund initiatives from their own capital budgets. (FedScoop) The State Department's promotion of Mar-a-Lago drew concern and criticism from ethics watchdogs. As John Wonderlich told NBC News and MSNBC, it doesn't matter that the context for the posts was President Trump's meeting with China's Xi Jinping. "Publishing promotional materials for the President's private business is clearly inappropriate, whether he is using it for official business or not," he said. "There is only one White House. If you're telling the story of Mar-a-Lago, it's the president's private business." (NBC News and MSNBC) save the dates #TCampAZ is coming up on May 22 in Phoenix. Learn more on Facebook and get your tickets here! This one-day unconference will bring together the government representatives, developers and journalists to solve problems relating to civic data access. TCamp participants design the agenda, present their ideas and dive into the challenges, success stories and new possibilities during morning and afternoon breakout sessions. It is being hosted by the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting with key partners including Sunlight, Galvanize, and the Institute for Digital Progress. April 26th, 6:00 PM: "Participatory Organizing: From Co-Op to Network to Mass Movement" in Washington, DC. The OpenGov Hub is hosting a co-created workshop on collaborative culture and non-hierarchical organizing. We combine storytelling and participation to learn together about democratic, bottom-up organizing at different scales: from co-ops, to networks, cities and nations. We'll offer some practices and tools that have helped us, and discover the intelligence in the room too. Learn more and register here. April 27th, 7:45 AM, DATA Act Breakfast "Spending Data Unleashed", in Washington, DC. "The Data Coalition and Booz Allen Hamilton invite you to a breakfast panel discussion for a front-row seat on the first fruits of the DATA Act. Join us on Thursday, April 27th, at the Booz Allen Hamilton Innovation Center." Learn more and get your tickets here. April 28th, 11:00 AM: Digital Inclusion Asset Mapping, Connect Chicago Meetup in Chicago, Illinois. "At the next Connect Chicago Meetup we will break into working groups to co-build a better shared inventory of public digital inclusion resources and assets." Learn more here. May 6th: Sustainable Development Goals Data Archive-a-thon in Washington, DC. The SDG Data Archive-a-thon is an opportunity for programmers, archivists, scientists and volunteers of all kinds to help preserve publicly accessible federal data resources in the public interest. The goal of this event is to archive the datasets used to report on the SDG indicators and to ensure they remain accessible to the public online. This event is hosted by the Center for Open Data Enterprise. Learn more and register to participate here. May 17th and 18th: Reboot Congress 2017 and the Kemp Forum in Washington, DC. "Held in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, Reboot Congress 2017, is an invite-only conversation that will bring together a dynamic mix of problem solvers – civic tech innovators, engineers and designers, elected officials, senior staffers, policy experts, and other stakeholders working to modernize Congress." Learn more here. May 17th: The 2017 Door Stop Awards in Washington, DC. "Lincoln Network and The OpenGov Foundation are joining forces to present the 2017 Door Stop Awards for Congressional Innovation and Transparency. Awards will be presented on May 17, 2017 in Washington, D.C. at an evening party as part of Reboot Congress." Learn more here. May 19th and 20th: Global Legislative Openness Conference in Kyiv, Ukraine. "This 2-day event is hosted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, organized by the Legislative Openness Working Group of the Open Government Partnership and Open Parliament Initiative in Ukraine. The event will convene leading legislators, government officials, and civil society representatives to consider how legislative openness can strengthen public trust in representative institutions and build a responsive, 21st century legislature. In addition, the conference will explore how parliaments can best leverage the Open Government Partnership's new legislative engagement policy to develop and implement legislative openness plans and commitments." Learn more here. June 8th and 9th: Personal Democracy Forum 2017 in New York City. "The annual flagship conference brings together close to 1,000 top technologists, campaigners, hackers, opinion-makers, government officials, journalists, and academics for two days of game-changing talks, workshops, and networking opportunities to celebrate the power and potential of tech to make real change happen." Learn more about #PDF17 and get your tickets here. September 11th and 12th: TicTec@Taipei in Taipei. "TICTeC@Taipei is the first ever conference about the influence of civic tech to be held in Asia. We’ve invited members of academia, business, politics, NGOs, education to participate, and discuss their research. We hope through this event, we can build a global network of civic tech enthusiasts." The event is being held during #CivicTechFest 2017. Learn more, submit a session proposal, and register to attend here. Are you hosting an event that you'd like to see highlighted in this newsletter? Please let us know by sending a quick email to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com with a brief description and a link to the event page. Tired of your boss/friend/intern/uncle forwarding you this email every morning? You can sign up here and have it delivered direct to your inbox! Please send questions, comments, tips, and concerns to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com. We would love your feedback! Apr 26

Toward open, data-driven cities: our progress on the What Works Cities initiative two years in - Photo credit: Alyssa DoomLast week marked the two-year anniversary of the official launch of the What Works Cities Initiative, a useful moment to reflect on Sunlight’s progress supporting cities in the What Works network in the context of our broader theory of change. We on Sunlight’s Open Cities Team believe strongly that cities must leverage data-and-evidence to become not only more efficient, but more transparent, accountable, and participatory—in short, more open—as well. Many city officials agree, and, propelled by this conviction, our team is working hard to help city halls that want to become both data-driven and data-democratized. In this post we’ll check in on this work by exploring our progress supporting three critical steps needed for cities to realize the full benefits of data-driven governance in a 21st century democracy: First, cities need to build the infrastructure for data transparency. Second, cities need to design this infrastructure to be responsive to public feedback and ultimately accountable to the public interest. Third, cities need to encourage community participation by facilitating the reuse of public data to drive positive community impact. Taken together, these steps are key to moving the conversation beyond the data-driven city hall and toward a vision for the open, data-driven city. The Expanding Brain meme can help explain our Open Cities Team’s theory of change.Building the infrastructure for data transparency Sunlight’s primary role on the What Works Cities effort to date has been supporting city halls as they develop public policy frameworks to ensure the proactive release of government information online (“open data policies” for short). We believe these data-democratizing reforms constitute critical infrastructure for cities that strive to be data-driven, and our progress in helping cities build this infrastructure has been substantial. When What Works Cities first launched in April of 2015, fewer than 30 American cities with population between 100,000 and 1 million people—only about 10% of the municipalities that our initiative defines as “mid-sized cities”—had at least one open data policy on the books. Since that time, Sunlight has provided support to over 50 city halls seeking to develop new open data policies, and as a result the number of mid-sized cities with a policy on the books has nearly doubled. Scaling democratic norms for the 21st century The scale of this success is critical to fostering open data as a democratic norm in US cities. Public policy is how we enshrine our democratic values as a society and as open data policy spreads to more and more communities, we are are seeing that democratic value spread as well. City leaders and the publics they serve are increasingly viewing open data as critical democratic infrastructure for the 21st century: Instead of skeptically questioning “why should we have an open data policy?” more and more city leaders are instead asking “why don’t we have an open data policy already?” Advancing the field The progress of our efforts in building the infrastructure of data transparency in What Works Cities should not simply be measured by the quantity of reforms passed, however, but also by the quality of these reforms—by how thoughtful and innovative policy ideas are advancing the field of open data. We are thrilled to have provided technical assistance in the development of bold new policies that have pushed boundaries and driven the open data movement forward. Of the ten cities that have committed to the highest number of Sunlight’s open data best practices in official policy, our Open Cities Team supported seven in the development of those policies via the What Works Cities program. Individual cities have stood out in specific ways: In Seattle, the city’s commitment to best practices in its open data policies was complemented by a thoughtful and careful approach to navigating its residents’ expressed privacy concerns. The result is more comprehensive than we’ve seen codified elsewhere and serves as an example to cities around the country. In San Jose, the self-proclaimed “Capital of Silicon Valley” was eager to put out a policy with big ambitions. The comprehensive approach of City Council Open Data Policy 0-43 and the accompanying administrative implementation manual did so by connecting open data to San Jose’s smart city vision; finally Cities like Naperville, Illinois have shown that you don’t need to be big to make big commitments to an infrastructure of data transparency. Naperville City Council’s “Open Data Policy” Resolution tops the charts among all municipal open data policies for the most number of Sunlight’s best practices contained. Policies like the above and many others have collectively raised the bar for what a high-quality municipal infrastructure for data transparency looks like in US cities and in cities globally. Continuing the work with Sunlight’s policy help desk Key to our success in scaling and advancing the municipal public policy infrastructure of data transparency has been Sunlight’s democratization of the reform process itself. We’ve put together the most comprehensive suite of city open data policy resources available anywhere, and it’s available online for anyone to use. As a result, any city official, community advocate, or member of the public with an Internet connection and a desire for a more transparent, accountable, and participatory city is now equipped to develop great open data policy. Specifically, we’ve taken key steps like those below: We have opened up open data policy itself (which, ironically, is too often left locked up in PDFs) by making those policies searchable and downloadable on opendatapolicies.org We have lowered barriers in the drafting process with resources like our open data firestarter and policy wizard We’ve created world-class, easy-to-understand guidance with our Public Policy for Public Data checklist These online tools, combined with Sunlight’s support, constitute what we’re calling our policy help desk, available to anyone looking for help advancing urban open government reforms. By scaling and democratizing the field of open data policy with our help desk and continued direct technical assistance, we will keep helping cities build and maintain the infrastructure for municipal data transparency in 2017 and beyond. Holding transparency accountable In order for data-driven cities to succeed, it is critical that the new civic infrastructure for transparency that these cities’ open data policies and portals represent is democratically designed in ways that are fundamentally reflective of the public interests that public data is meant to serve. Realizing this imperative, city halls are increasingly seeking to improve public access to information by making transparency initiatives themselves more responsive and accountable. Sunlight’s Open Cities Team is helping to make this happen by ramping up our support for collaborative policy development processes that are driven by online and in-person community feedback. How ‘crowdlaw’ can bring the public into public policy There are many reasons city open data programs are increasingly interested in utilizing “crowdlaw”—a collaborative approach to policy development driven by online public input—for open data policy. Crowdlaw processes result in better, more informed public policy for data transparency and can also play a key role in fostering the ongoing partnerships and participation needed for open data programs to hold themselves accountable. For these reasons we believe that crowdlaw and open data policy make a perfect match, and if the demand for open data crowdlaw support in the first two years of What Works Cities is any indication, city governments agree. To meet city hall demand, we’ve further developed our toolkit and expertise in this area in several ways: We’ve begun tracking all instances of open data crowdlaw to understand this growing trend and share best practices with city halls. We’ve helped connect cities to the tools they need for their goals, including resources on getting started with Madison, collaborative policy making with Google Docs , and using GitHub for public policy collaboration. We’ve made “draft policy in the open” a standard recommendation for local governments as part of our Public Policy for Public Data checklist. We hosted a webinar for What Works Cities and interviewed city officials about their experience In What Works Cities like Buffalo, NY, Sunlight’s resources and support have already proven valuable for building a municipal infrastructure of data transparency that is itself accountable and responsive. With our help, the city leveraged the expertise of its community to not only build a better policy but in the process forge new partnerships. Opening up the drafting process connected the city to groups like Open Buffalo and university researchers like CUNY Buffalo Prof. of Geography, Dr. Monica Stevens that will contribute to the ongoing success and sustainability of Buffalo’s infrastructure for data transparency. Including Buffalo we’ve supported seven local jurisdictions since 2016, and in order to support even more cities’ open data programs with better policy made accountable through community feedback and partnerships, Sunlight has made open data crowdlaw a core part of our technical assistance offerings to What Works Cities going forward. Accountable crowdlaw is better law This commitment to accountability is not just idealistic, it’s outcome oriented too. Our preliminary research suggests that crowdlaw practices that hold open data programs accountable to public feedback may be correlated with stronger policy, as measured by the number of open data best practices contained. On average, we see about three additional best practices in the public policy produced through crowdlaw processes when compared to the average jurisdiction with an open data policy. Likewise, open data programs designed via online public feedback show signs of better open data performance, as measured by a given jurisdiction’s score on the US City Open Data Census. On average, cities score about 600 points higher than the average score. While these are rough and imperfect measures, it is intuitive enough to think that designing open data programs through processes that willingly submit to public accountability via public feedback are not only good for optics, but good for the bottom line as well. Fostering participation As we’ve seen, Sunlight has made significant progress in supporting the development and advancement of municipal open data policy at scale, and in expanding our support to help cities design these policies collaboratively, in ways driven by public feedback. Together these efforts further a municipal infrastructure for data transparency that is publicly accountable—something Sunlight believes every city in a 21st-century democracy should view as a prerequisite for the sustainable proliferation of data-driven governance programs. But for the open data movement to live up to its promise in cities—for it to permeate from city hall and into the fabric of the community—building an accountable infrastructure for data transparency must be accompanied not just by programs that use data internally, but also by the use of that infrastructure of transparency by those outside city hall. This means that in order to realize the value of their investments in open data city halls must actively facilitate participation by fostering the reuse of city data to drive community impact. We believe this much is imperative for the future of the city open data movement: cities must actively identify opportunities for community reuse of public data and then proceed to facilitate that reuse. This is why we are developing and piloting a new support model for What Works Cities we are calling Tactical Data Engagement to help cities realize this vision for the future. Piloting participatory open data in Glendale We’ve started by piloting this approach in Glendale, Arizona. Here we are working with city hall to reimagine how city government might share information in ways best-suited to support the needs of existing community actors who are already working to improve the community, but could do so more effectively with public data. In Glendale this has meant working with the city to evaluate expressed demand for city information by analyzing public records requests, employing a strategy of FOIA-as-open data-demand-sensor that we’ve often advocated here at Sunlight. Embracing our Tactical Data Engagement approach means more than simply using public records request data to inform the prioritization of open data release. It means starting a dialogue with the human beings who frequently request information in order to learn more about how and why they are using public records—and how open data might facilitate that use. With this in mind, this spring, we will be working with the city to design and conduct interviews with frequent public records requesters. We will then help the city use those interviews to drive plans for how information is ultimately shared proactively online. One promising use-case has already emerged from Glendale: requests for building permit data could help inform investment in neighborhoods by local real-estate developers, something the local government and neighborhoods themselves would like to encourage in many cases. Talking to the real estate community about their information needs will help further explore and define opportunities to support such neighborhood investment with proactively released open data. Building on our continued work of scaling an accountable municipal infrastructure for data transparency, we’ll be piloting our tactical data engagement approach in more cities in the months ahead–leveraging community participation to put the new infrastructure of transparency to productive use. City-making is participatory, city open data should be too Checking back in on our progress in the three critical steps we started out discussing: one step one, Sunlight has clearly made significant headway in helping cities build the public policy infrastructure for data transparency; on step two, we’ve further supported cities in designing this infrastructure to be responsive to public feedback and ultimately accountable to the public interest, and will expand this support in 2017 and beyond. However, on the third step—helping cities to encourage community participation in new data transparency regimes by actively facilitating impactful reuse of public data by existing community actors—we are just getting started. I want to close by suggesting that there is no greater need for realizing the future of open data-driven cities. Cities are participatory endeavors. City-making is a continuous process undertaken not just by city hall, but by the collective urban ecosystem, comprised of many organizations and individuals. We at What Works Cities, and we at Sunlight have a powerful vision for a data-driven city, but if we are to achieve this vision, use of data and evidence by city halls alone is not enough. For the process of city-making to be truly data-driven the multitude of actors who play a role in the city-making process need to utilize data and evidence to drive change. As the stewards of vast amounts of relevant urban data collected for the public’s benefit, city halls have a crucial role to play in ushering in this future. We know this, and this is why we care about supporting public officials directly in developing open data policy and practice. But open data in a vacuum doesn’t get us to the data-democratized future we need: building an infrastructure for data transparency is a critical foundation, but it alone is not the answer. The ecosystem of community actors addressing urban challenges has been around much longer than the open data movement has. Cities need to meet these actors where they are to learn about how and why data might be reused outside of city hall and to facilitate participation to foster that impactful reuse. This will be a tall order for cities, but Sunlight is looking forward to helping.Apr 25

State watchdogs face challenges monitoring threats to open records laws - In many states in the Union, the only watchdogs are volunteers who monitor bills as side projects and the editors of the local newspapers whose continued operations are under an existential threat. “About 70 percent of our affiliates said that tracking their state legislature is a mission-critical role for them to play,” said Daniel Bevarly, the executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition (NFOIC), in an interview. “The fight for freedom of information is at the state and local levels. A lot of [blocking of public information] starts with a bad bill.” Changes to public records access, exemptions or policies can be “buried in other legislation, like a farm package, and on page 700, there’s this thing about increasing exemptions,” he explained. That means FOI watchdogs must comb through every page of every filed bill. “Florida and Maine require that when a bill is filed that affects freedom of information laws, it has to be pointed out at the onset,” said Bevarly, but “in many states it’s very, very challenging to track because of the way these get filed. Sunlight’s OpenStates project, which has been spun out into an independent project, enables the public to search for and identify bills of concern for free. Services like FastCase provide paid legal research services. Newspapers and state press associations also track legislation — or hire lobbyists to do so — but the the local newspaper industry has a money problem that will have an impact on their capacity to do accountability journalism — or exist. Bevarly, whose groups connects open government advocates across 44 states, said there aren’t many other groups warding off potential legislative threats before they become law. He sees this work as under-appreciated, even by other, issue-oriented watchdog organizations that are dependent on open records laws to access information related to their causes. A constant battle for the NFOIC is to keep information that officials wish to classify as private based on security concerns available to the public. Take, for example, datasets about the age or structural integrity of tunnels and bridges. “That’s the kind of data that’s very much in the public interest,” said Bevarly, “but agencies often deny that type of information because they consider that a security risk.” The NFOIC also watches for bills that discourage access to public documents by increasing fees. In Florida, one measure would change the awarding of attorneys’ fees for plantiffs who sue public agencies for withholding records. Currently, the law states that courts “shall assess and award” reasonable fees. The new bill would give judges discretion, thus making it financially riskier for attorneys to take such cases. “It’s a really critical, fundamental change,” said Bevarly. Looking at legislative trends around the country, Bevarly said that many bills introduced in recent years “are more political than practical.” He’s seen a number of attempts to exempt names of law enforcement officers from court files, police reports, or disciplinary proceedings. Such efforts in New Jersey and Virginia failed last year, but one in West Virginia passed. Politicians say it’s for security, though there’s no evidence, Bevarly observed. Such exemptions could have shielded many officers involved in police-brutality cases that riveted the country over the past few years. A hot issue for NFOIC is a spate of bills that seek to exempt footage from police body cameras. A new frontier will likely have to do with social media, including cases of public agencies using third-party software, Bevarly predicts. “If they’re not generating the data, well who is managing that data?” Could the agencies access the data for release when required? What about the Twitter accounts of government contractors who are bound by freedom of information laws? How about public comments collected on Facebook? “A lot comes down to the digital transformation that’s coming down,” said Bevarly. “It’s tough for public agencies to catch up – if they ever will.” Where the Sunshine State is a national leader Unless you’re talking about weird crimes or alligator attacks, it’s unusual to hear Florida described as the best at anything. When it comes to sunshine, that would be a mistake. “We have probably the most progressive public records law and open meetings law in the country,” said Barbara Petersen, a Tallahassee-based attorney who runs the First Amendment Foundation, in an interview. Florida’s sunshine laws dictate that “all state, county, and municipal records are open for personal inspection and copying by any person” and that meetings of two or more officials must be announced and open to the public. “An agency can deny release of a record only if there is a specific statutory exemption,” Petersen explains. Exemptions can only be created by state legislators – who haven’t been shy about asking for them. Petersen, whose organization tracks legislative threats to open government, said there are already 1,122 public records exemptions on the books. At her latest count in mid-April, she had identified 112 similar bills pending in the current legislative session alone. Every day, she monitors their progress through the Florida House and Senate websites and scours new bills for new exemptions. So how did Florida earn its status? A century of reform. The state’s first open meeting and public records laws were enacted in 1905 and 1909, respectively. In 1968, new, stronger ones were implemented to counteract the influence of the so-called “Pork Chop gang,” a group of conservative Democrats who had a stranglehold over the legislature. Furthermore, says Petersen, “we had a very broad interpretation of sunshine laws by the Florida Supreme Court.” While the initial law stated that all meetings should be noticed and open to public, it didn’t define “meeting.” The court held that it meant a meeting of two or more officials. This year, one bill that Petersen is tracking – and opposing – seeks to define a meeting as three or more officials. An amendment to the Florida constitution in 1992 stated that any bill asking for exemptions to public-records law must state the factual need for the exemption, be no broader than the stated purpose, and must be in bill all by itself, Petersen said. “Prior to that going into effect, you’d see a 900-page bill related to the insurance regulations, and on page 217, it’d say, ‘and by the way, all records and meetings are exempt.” Many such bills are now marked as “an act related to public records,” which makes them easier to track. Petersen keeps a spreadsheet highlighting about 150 bills of concern and checks the house and senate websites to track them as they move through the legislature. Some, the First Amendment Foundation supports. Others, it opposes. “We always write letters [to leaders] saying, ‘This one could be amended,’ or ‘This so bad, you need to withdraw it.” Currently, the four bills Peterson considers “really bad” include the aforementioned new definition of a meeting, and another exemption to hide the identity of anybody who witnesses a murder. “The rationale, which is not supported by facts, is that witnesses don’t come forward because of public records law, which is ridiculous.” Another “bad” bill would close records related to hiring for public university presidents, provosts, or dean. Politicians argue that quality candidates will not apply if their application is public. “If that rationale applies to university presidents, why wouldn’t it apply to city managers or school board superintendents?” counters Petersen. “If this were to pass, we’d see an avalanche of similar exemptions.” The last “really bad” bill exempts photos and videos that depict the killing of a person. “On its face, it doesn’t sound awful — except that it defines the killing of a person to include anything that precedes or immediately follows a death,” said Peterson. “All of those cop-killing videos, [like the one of South Carolina’s Walter Scott], who was was running away when an officer shot him in the back, would be exempt.” But the First Amendment Foundation stays neutral on a lot of bills, and even supports some. Petersen sees some as well-intentioned but poorly executed, like one measure that sought to exempt soldiers’ personal information for their safety –- “Like ISIS is making public records requests,” she quips — but required the creation of even more public records in the exemption process. And ultimately, politicians can find ways around sunshine laws, with or without any bills. For instance, Florida governor Rick Scott notoriously avoids using email and text messages. “You can’t make them create a public record,” Petersen sighed. “We don’t get into trying to protect information from flowing into the hands of government, but if the government’s already got it, we support all efforts towards transparency and fighting to preserve access.”Apr 25

Today in OpenGov: What’s the deal with EPA’s data, Mar-a-Promo, and more… - In today’s edition, we share more strategies for small cities looking to do big things with open data, ask why fewer lobbyists are spending more money this year, dig into the complicated communications situation around a vital EPA data site, and more… states and cities Strategies for small cities getting started with open data. Sunlight’s Alyssa Doom continued to help small cities embrace open data by sharing some proven strategies on the Sunlight Foundation blog and encouraging interested cities to investigate the What Works Cities Certification Program. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania moves towards open data. “In Bethlehem, city leaders are considering posting already public information online, hoping data lovers might spin it into something useful.” Last month, the city council passed a resolution that would result in an open data plan. (The Morning Call) Indiana governor vetoes legislation that would have imposed unnecessary fees on public records requests. Earlier this month, we urged Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb to veto a bill that would have put a fee on public records access. Yesterday the governor announced that he had done just that. Get the full story and read the governor’s statement on Twitter. trumpland Mapping Trump’s global conflicts of interest. “President Donald Trump came into office pledging to avoid conflicts of interest by resigning from his global business empire and handing control to his sons. Despite those steps, more potential conflicts have surfaced since his inauguration, fueled by the president’s critics and, in one case, his own tweet. Prominent examples – and the White House rebuttals – are summarized here.” (VOA News) State department pulls blog post on Mar-A-Lago following ethics complaints. “The U.S. State Department has removed its promotional posting about President Donald Trump’s Florida resort, after a storm of ethics criticism Monday…In an April 4 blog post that was republished by several U.S. embassies abroad, Mar-a-Lago was described as ‘Trump’s Florida estate,’ where he has hosted foreign leaders.” (Associated Press) Check out Quartz, The Hill, and POLITICO for more coverage. elsewhere in washington Pop-up, miscommunication fuel as-yet unfounded fears of EPA open data disappearance. Yesterday, a pop-up message indicating that the Environmental Protection Agency’s open data portal would be going offline at the end of this week sparked fear that the data could disappear permanently. It appears that the message was related to a potential government shutdown and representatives from the EPA have since clarified that the portal and its data are not going anywhere. For more on this story we recommend reading this story on Snopes, Alex Howard’s thread on Twitter, and our statement on Facebook. New law allows NOAA to purchase weather data from commercial satellite systems. “…the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 [signed this week by President Trump] allows NOAA to spend up to $6 million a year to conduct a pilot procurement program that will study the effectiveness of commercial data to aid weather forecasts from fiscal 2017 to fiscal 2020.” (Government Executive) Ethics watchdog files complaint tied to Georgia special election. “A conservative-leaning ethics foundation filed an inquiry Monday with the Office of Congressional Ethics, asking it to look into Rep. Hank Johnson’s use of official resources to help Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff’s campaign.” (Roll Call) Number of registered lobbyists drops, spending increases. Potentially in response to President Trump’s strong rhetoric on the campaign trail “from January to March, the number of registered lobbyists dropped 10.3 percent compared to 2016’s first quarter, with only 9,175 official lobbyists on record. That number has been declining in recent years, but this is the biggest drop since lobbying reports started being reported quarterly.” Meanwhile, total lobbying spending had its biggest 1st quarter since 2012. (OpenSecrets.org) save the dates #TCampAZ is coming up on May 22 in Phoenix. Learn more on Facebook and get your tickets here! This one-day unconference will bring together the government representatives, developers and journalists to solve problems relating to civic data access. TCamp participants design the agenda, present their ideas and dive into the challenges, success stories and new possibilities during morning and afternoon breakout sessions. It is being hosted by the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting with key partners including Sunlight, Galvanize, and the Institute for Digital Progress. April 26th, 6:00 PM: “Participatory Organizing: From Co-Op to Network to Mass Movement” in Washington, DC. The OpenGov Hub is hosting a co-created workshop on collaborative culture and non-hierarchical organizing. We combine storytelling and participation to learn together about democratic, bottom-up organizing at different scales: from co-ops, to networks, cities and nations. We’ll offer some practices and tools that have helped us, and discover the intelligence in the room too. Learn more and register here. April 27th, 7:45 AM, DATA Act Breakfast “Spending Data Unleashed”, in Washington, DC. “The Data Coalition and Booz Allen Hamilton invite you to a breakfast panel discussion for a front-row seat on the first fruits of the DATA Act. Join us on Thursday, April 27th, at the Booz Allen Hamilton Innovation Center.” Learn more and get your tickets here. April 28th, 11:00 AM: Digital Inclusion Asset Mapping, Connect Chicago Meetup in Chicago, Illinois. “At the next Connect Chicago Meetup we will break into working groups to co-build a better shared inventory of public digital inclusion resources and assets.” Learn more here. May 17th and 18th: Reboot Congress 2017 and the Kemp Forum in Washington, DC. “Held in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, Reboot Congress 2017, is an invite-only conversation that will bring together a dynamic mix of problem solvers – civic tech innovators, engineers and designers, elected officials, senior staffers, policy experts, and other stakeholders working to modernize Congress.” Learn more here. May 17th: The 2017 Door Stop Awards in Washington, DC. “Lincoln Network and The OpenGov Foundation are joining forces to present the 2017 Door Stop Awards for Congressional Innovation and Transparency. Awards will be presented on May 17, 2017 in Washington, D.C. at an evening party as part of Reboot Congress.” Learn more here. May 19th and 20th: Global Legislative Openness Conference in Kyiv, Ukraine. “This 2-day event is hosted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, organized by the Legislative Openness Working Group of the Open Government Partnership and Open Parliament Initiative in Ukraine. The event will convene leading legislators, government officials, and civil society representatives to consider how legislative openness can strengthen public trust in representative institutions and build a responsive, 21st century legislature. In addition, the conference will explore how parliaments can best leverage the Open Government Partnership’s new legislative engagement policy to develop and implement legislative openness plans and commitments.” Learn more here. June 8th and 9th: Personal Democracy Forum 2017 in New York City. “The annual flagship conference brings together close to 1,000 top technologists, campaigners, hackers, opinion-makers, government officials, journalists, and academics for two days of game-changing talks, workshops, and networking opportunities to celebrate the power and potential of tech to make real change happen.” Learn more about #PDF17 and get your tickets here. September 11th and 12th: TicTec@Taipei in Taipei. “TICTeC@Taipei is the first ever conference about the influence of civic tech to be held in Asia. We’ve invited members of academia, business, politics, NGOs, education to participate, and discuss their research. We hope through this event, we can build a global network of civic tech enthusiasts.” The event is being held during #CivicTechFest 2017. Learn more, submit a session proposal, and register to attend here. Tired of your boss/friend/intern/uncle forwarding you this email every morning? You can sign up here and have it delivered direct to your inbox! Please send questions, comments, tips, and concerns to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com. We would love your feedback Apr 25

How small cities can do big things with open data - I recently wrote about the Hometown Summit, an event bringing together leaders in government, academia, private and nonprofit organizations from small cities across the country, to discuss the strategies they’re using to target community challenges. The conversations I had at the conference inspired me to take a step back and think through tactics that cities with fewer resources and residents can use to build an open data program. As the What Works Cities (WWC) initiative broadens its reach with the new Certification Program, which is available to cities with populations as low as 30,000, I’m looking forward to seeing more small cities gain recognition for their efforts to expand the use of data in their communities. Below is a list of strategies that smaller cities can use to get started. Leverage community resources No capacity to provide training to data users? Need help building a data visualization to illustrate an issue you identified using open data? Want to communicate to residents that your city is building an open data program? Working with those outside government is always key to carrying out a successful open data program. In cities with fewer internal resources, it becomes increasingly important to leverage the power of your community, borrowing tools and volunteers from local businesses, nonprofits, the media, and schools to achieve your open data goals. There is great value for smaller cities in cultivating partnerships outside of government. The small city of Johns Creek, GA, for example, kicked off its open data program by partnering with Waze, a community based traffic and navigation app, to help drivers navigate around road closures and find the best routes for avoiding traffic. If you’re looking for ideas, the GovLab shared some tips for reaching out to these similar data collaboratives. Support from city leadership is key In smaller cities with fewer resources, support from city councils, mayors, city managers, and other internal leadership can be key to establishing and sustaining a successful open data program. Take Hartford, CT, for example. The city was constrained in some ways by a small population and a limited budget, but a strong executive order issued by the mayor cleared the way for the city’s participation in the open data movement. With clear mandates for timelines, implementation steps, and monitoring, the order allowed the team working on the open data program to build it up from scratch in just months. If you’re not sure where to get started with a policy, Sunlight’s Public Policy for Public Data website will walk you through the entire process. Meet people where they are When it comes to engaging residents in any city, it’s important to meet residents where they are. This is especially true when it comes to open data. Not everyone has the tech skills to work with data, especially in smaller cities, nor is everyone going to know what you mean when you say “open data.” Just as important, tech-savvy residents won’t have all the insights and expertise needed to take on every issue – or even most issues. Work toward equity in your open data program by involving non-technical members of your community in other ways. Understand the issues they care about to inform your metrics and data collection. Open data is a two-way street. The Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center‘s (WPRDC) transportation data user group meeting. These meetings, which are open to any member of the public, allow residents to explore the data WPRDC collects, meet others working with the data, and learn about new opportunities for using data.Find the right vehicles to reach people, whether through a phone call, a paper survey, a website, text message, a billboard, an email, or a community event. Get creative. As one Hometown Summit attendee from New Orleans put it, “People won’t tell you much online, but they sure will come around and talk if you offer them free food.” In cities of any size, it’s critical that insights are gathered from all residents to inform your open data program. Plus, you’re much more likely to build trust and gain participation if you can show residents you took the time to incorporate their feedback. Use peer networks Learn from the successes and setbacks of other small cities. Take advantage of opportunities to network with open data leaders from other cities at conferences such as the Hometown Summit. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when something is already working. Sunlight has worked with several smaller cities who have found alternatives to procuring a fancy, top-of-the-line open data portal by taking advantage of in-house expertise to build their own using existing web-based open source data management systems, such as CKAN. And through the What Works Cities Certification program, you’ll be able to follow the great work of cities of all sizes. Steal a page out of our Tactical Data Engagement Guide Sunlight’s new Tactical Data Engagement Guide features many different problem framing and action tactics for engaging residents in your open data program. The best part? These strategies are completely flexible so you can adapt them to work for a city of any size. Don’t be afraid to fail If the first strategy you use to engage your community around your new open data program doesn’t work, try again! As is key to the guide I mentioned above, you should continue iterating on your engagement processes to ultimately figure out what works. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Do you know of a small city doing big things with open data? Let us know by emailing local@sunlightfoundation.com! We encourage them to participate in the WWC Certification program. We’re excited to be able to better track and celebrate the open data progress in smaller U.S. cities. Apr 24

Today in OpenGov: Open data for smaller cities, a Census tech to-do list, and more… - In today’s edition, we help small cities join the open data movement, tackle the Census Bureau’s tech to-do list, ask about aid transparency under Trump, and more… states and cities How can smaller cities participate in the open data movement? Sunlight’s Alyssa Doom “had the opportunity to showcase Sunlight’s latest research on community engagement around open data at the Hometown Summit in Charlottesville, Virginia…[where] Talking through the barriers to community engagement faced by small cities — especially those who wish to engage residents in using public data — provided us with some meaningful insights into tactics for implementing open data programs in communities with smaller populations and fewer resources.” Read all of Alyssa’s insights on the Sunlight Foundation blog. Cities are turning to the Internet of Things to map air pollution and quality. “In response to a growing concern about the effects of air pollution, many cities have improved their efforts to measure pollution using the Internet of Things (IoT)—networks of connected sensors that gather and send data. Using this data, cities can map areas of high pollution, track changes over time, identify polluters, and analyze potential interventions.” (Data-Smart City Solutions) New Orleans aims to bridge digital divide through outreach and awareness building. New Orleans, Louisiana has a number of programs targeted connecting underrepresented groups to technology, but officials where struggling to achieve adoption. Now, City leaders are trying a more specific approach, reaching “out to under-represented populations and spread awareness that they, too, deserve a place in tech.” (Government Technology) washington watch Man in charge of overseeing White House conflict of interest rules has some conflicts of his own. Earlier this year president Trump “signed an executive order to limit conflicts of interest. It required all his appointees not to deal with matters relating to people they had worked with up to two years before their appointment…it turns out that one of the main people charged with overseeing it, and other White House ethics issues, is in violation of it.” Stefan Passantino is the White House’s designated agency ethics official. His financial disclosure documents also show that, in the past two years, he has done paid work for current HUD Secretary Ben Carson, current HHS Secretary Tom Price, and unpaid Trump advisor Carl Icahn. (Quartz) Trump promised to “drain the swamp”, but his actions in office tell a different, more opaque story. “Last week, the White House said it would not go public with its visitor logs. Obama released those records every three months. Seeing the names of people who come and go can help the public understand who has the ear of the administration on important policy matters. Trump’s tendency toward concealment should not be a surprise: Breaking from precedent, Trump refused to release his tax forms throughout his campaign and even now — while Democrats threaten to hold up his tax reduction plans over the issue.” (Associated Press) Changes in law, technology should boost government transparency. Austin Ever, Executive Director of the watchdog group American Oversight, argued that recent updates to the FOIA and recordkeeping rules, combined with continued advances in technology should result in unprecedented levels of transparency, assuming the Trump Administration enforces the law. “When members of the news media or general public ask for government records, it is no longer acceptable for them to reply that no information could be found, or that a thorough search would take too long. They have the technology, the law is clear, and the courts are unlikely to believe the same old excuses. 2017 will mark a new era of transparency, whether the government likes it or not.” (The Hill) Census Bureau tackles big tech to-do list amid budget uncertainty. “The bureau still faces risks as it plans to award three IT contracts, scale up its systems and nail down its partnership with the U.S. Postal Service and with state and local governments to shore up its address records — all in time for its decennial census dress rehearsal to begin taking shape in August.” (Federal Computer Week) Chaffetz, Cummings get together to ask for information on Trump’s plan to donate foreign profits. “A key House Republican is calling on the Trump Organization to give more details about its system for identifying and donating profits to the Treasury Department that come from foreign government officials who make payments to any of President Donald Trump’s businesses.” (POLITICO) think global Results of referendum boosting Turkish presidential powers under scrutiny. Just after voting ended in a referendum on presidential powers Turkish election officials “were told to count every ballot, even the ones without an official stamp to verify their authenticity. It was a clear departure from election rules. And it means that the allegations of fraud that have echoed around the country since the April 16 vote, one of the most momentous in Turkey’s history, can probably never be set to rest.” (Bloomberg) Early signs for international aid transparency under Trump aren’t encouraging. President Trump’s approach to transparency and openness over his first months in office doesn’t paint an encouraging picture for those fighting for transparency in international aid programs. This article lays out several ways that less openness could negatively effect international aid and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. (Devex) save the dates #TCampAZ is coming up on May 22 in Phoenix. Learn more on Facebook and get your tickets here! This one-day unconference will bring together the government representatives, developers and journalists to solve problems relating to civic data access. TCamp participants design the agenda, present their ideas and dive into the challenges, success stories and new possibilities during morning and afternoon breakout sessions. It is being hosted by the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting with key partners including Sunlight, Galvanize, and the Institute for Digital Progress. April 26th, 6:00 PM: “Participatory Organizing: From Co-Op to Network to Mass Movement” in Washington, DC. The OpenGov Hub is hosting a co-created workshop on collaborative culture and non-hierarchical organizing. We combine storytelling and participation to learn together about democratic, bottom-up organizing at different scales: from co-ops, to networks, cities and nations. We’ll offer some practices and tools that have helped us, and discover the intelligence in the room too. Learn more and register here. April 27th, 7:45 AM, DATA Act Breakfast “Spending Data Unleashed”, in Washington, DC. “The Data Coalition and Booz Allen Hamilton invite you to a breakfast panel discussion for a front-row seat on the first fruits of the DATA Act. Join us on Thursday, April 27th, at the Booz Allen Hamilton Innovation Center.” Learn more and get your tickets here. April 28th, 11:00 AM: Digital Inclusion Asset Mapping, Connect Chicago Meetup in Chicago, Illinois. “At the next Connect Chicago Meetup we will break into working groups to co-build a better shared inventory of public digital inclusion resources and assets.” Learn more here. May 17th and 18th: Reboot Congress 2017 and the Kemp Forum in Washington, DC. “Held in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, Reboot Congress 2017, is an invite-only conversation that will bring together a dynamic mix of problem solvers – civic tech innovators, engineers and designers, elected officials, senior staffers, policy experts, and other stakeholders working to modernize Congress.” Learn more here. May 17th: The 2017 Door Stop Awards in Washington, DC. “Lincoln Network and The OpenGov Foundation are joining forces to present the 2017 Door Stop Awards for Congressional Innovation and Transparency. Awards will be presented on May 17, 2017 in Washington, D.C. at an evening party as part of Reboot Congress.” Do you know a member of Congress or staffer who deserves to be recognized? You can submit a nomination here! May 19th and 20th: Global Legislative Openness Conference in Kyiv, Ukraine. “This 2-day event is hosted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, organized by the Legislative Openness Working Group of the Open Government Partnership and Open Parliament Initiative in Ukraine. The event will convene leading legislators, government officials, and civil society representatives to consider how legislative openness can strengthen public trust in representative institutions and build a responsive, 21st century legislature. In addition, the conference will explore how parliaments can best leverage the Open Government Partnership’s new legislative engagement policy to develop and implement legislative openness plans and commitments.” Learn more here. June 8th and 9th: Personal Democracy Forum 2017 in New York City. “The annual flagship conference brings together close to 1,000 top technologists, campaigners, hackers, opinion-makers, government officials, journalists, and academics for two days of game-changing talks, workshops, and networking opportunities to celebrate the power and potential of tech to make real change happen.” Learn more about #PDF17 and get your tickets here. Are you hosting an event that you’d like to see highlighted in this newsletter? Please let us know by sending a quick email to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com with a brief description and a link to the event page. Tired of your boss/friend/intern/uncle forwarding you this email every morning? You can sign up here and have it delivered direct to your inbox! Please send questions, comments, tips, and concerns to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com. We would love your feedback! Apr 24

How Smaller Cities Can Participate in the Open Data Movement - Last week, I had the opportunity to showcase Sunlight’s latest research on community engagement around open data at the Hometown Summit in Charlottesville, Virginia. The event united local leaders, elected officials, practitioners, policymakers, community organizers, and investors in small to mid-sized U.S. cities who are working to find creative solutions for community problems at the local level, for 3 days of sharing stories and strategies. Talking through the barriers to community engagement faced by small cities — especially those who wish to engage residents in using public data — provided us with some meaningful insights into tactics for implementing open data programs in communities with smaller populations and fewer resources. On the first day of the summit, I joined colleagues from the Center for Government Excellence, the Behavioral Insights Team, and Results for America on a panel highlighting the efforts of the What Works Cities Partnership over the past two years. Amongst a crowd of innovators from small cities across the country, we found the perfect opportunity to introduce the new What Works Cities Certification initiative, which is like an ENERGY STAR rating for data-driven governance. This certification program was created to celebrate U.S. cities that are paving the way for the use of data and evidence to make governments more effective. It expands upon the two years of work we’ve completed in an important way: certification allows smaller cities — with populations as little as 30,000 — to receive recognition for great work incorporating data into the governance process. We’re thrilled to have more cities join the conversation about opening their data and engaging their communities. There’s a lot we can learn from smaller communities. Charlottesville, Virginia, for example, is partnering with local organizations to host a Civic Innovation Day in June, where they plan to tap into the knowledge in their community by inviting designers, technologists and any interested citizen to use their talents to develop solutions to tackle community challenges. A member of the City Council of Lancaster, PA is working to help her community- which collects tons of data-find low-cost solutions for hosting open data online. Other small cities like Asheville, NC and Galveston, TX have also worked around resource constraints to join the open data movement. We’re proud to help shine a light on the great work that smaller cities are doing. Smaller cities, bigger challenges? Larger cities tend to have more civic tech groups, businesses, nonprofits, academic institutions, and overall more residents to use their data. Smaller cities, on the other hand, face relatively larger barriers creating an active community around data to drive decision-making, spur innovation, and make government more efficient, primarily due to a lack of resources to establish programs internally, as well as fewer data users. On the second day of the Summit, I participated in a panel about activating citizen leadership and methods for empowering residents to shape the future of cities. Sunlight is interested in discovering how communities can drive public participation in using open data to identify and solve community problems. We began this research several months ago, and have since captured several of these strategies in our new Tactical Data Engagement Guide. During this panel, I explained the many ways that the strategies in the TDE guide are flexible and can be adapted to work for a city of any size. But as the conversation continued, I began to further reflect on the challenges faced by smaller cities seeking to demonstrate the public’s use and reuse of public data —a key to measuring the success of a sustainable open data program. So, how can smaller cities overcome these barriers? Stay tuned for my piece on strategies for open data engagement in small towns next week. Apr 21

Today in OpenGov: Chicago’s new data portal, a sale on congressional staff, and more… - In today’s edition, we explore Chicago’s upgraded data portal, explain how donors get access to top congressional staff, talk Trump with WNYC, share some tools to help with the upcoming election in the UK, and more… states and cities Chicago’s data portal gets user-friendly refresh. “Chicago’s data portal…is one of the oldest and most robust data portals in the United States. Yet while its content has grown by hundreds of datasets during that time, its overall design, features, and accessibility have not seen significant variation in more than five years. That is, until now: last week, the City of Chicago launched a massive revamp of its open data portal, giving its visitors a wholly new and modernized experience.” (Data-Smart City Solutions) Syracuse leverages data to fix aging water infrastructure. After Syracuse, NY mayor Stephanie Miner struggled to get state or federal help to fix her city’s deteriorating water mains she turned to “she turned to big data. To get to the bottom of the problem of catastrophic water main breaks, Syracuse first had to understand what was happening underground and where. Using an algorithm developed by a team at the University of Chicago, the city put reams of information, scattered among various departments, to work.” (POLITICO) State and local governments try to ease Immigrant fears that federal officials will use local data to target them. Many states and localities have programs aimed at helping immigrants that “have reviewed and perhaps retained millions of documents with personal information about the applicants, such as their names, addresses and foreign identification numbers.” Immigrants are increasingly fearful that this data can be used against them. “To try to ease the fear, lawmakers in states such as Hawaii, Massachusetts and Vermont have pushed various measures to prevent state and local resources from being used to enforce federal immigration law.” (Government Technology) Lessons learned from Cincinnati’s data-driven efforts. Cincinnati, Ohio city manager Harry Black released a retrospective paper after three years building a data-driven governance program. The paper explores “the methodologies behind the efforts and just what they have meant to Cincinnati government.” (Government Technology) washington watch Access to congressional staff advertised for big donors. “Documents obtained by The Intercept and the Center for Media and Democracy show that the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee are both telling donors that in exchange for campaign contributions, they will receive invitations to special events to meet with congressional staff including chiefs of staff, leadership staffers, and committee staffers.” The behavior isn’t limited to the Republican party, the article highlights several Democratic examples are highlighted as well. (The Intercept) Alleged Menendez co-conspirator nears the end of his fraud trial. “If Melgen is convicted on some or all of the 76 fraud-related felony counts he faces, he could feel extreme pressure to testify against Menendez (D-N.J.) in the corruption case in Newark where both men are named as defendants.” (POLITICO) How does USAFacts fit in with other government spending efforts? Among others “…a law with an impending deadline may make their work easier for future reports — at least in tracking federal spending. The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act — signed into law in 2014 — requires all federal agencies begin reporting their spending data in a standardized format starting in May.” (FedScoop) Interested in filing a FOIA request? Full Frontal with Samantha Bee’s got you covered. We think Ashley’s “Totally Basic FOIA Tutorial” is a great gateway to government transparency. Check out FOIA.Wiki to learn more about the law and think about our friends at MuckRock for your filing needs. Watch the video below or check it out on YouTube trumpland Sunlight talks Trump and transparency with WNYC. Sunlight’s Alex Howard joined WNYC’s “On The Media” to talk about transparency and accountability in the White House. You can listen online or download the podcast here. Ivanka Trump to skip book tour, donate royalties. “Ivanka Trump, who now serves as an official government adviser to her father, complete with a security clearance and an office in the West Wing, announced Thursday she won’t do any publicity for her book – no tour, no book signings, and none of the television interviews that help boost a book to the bestseller lists.” She will also donate her advance and any royalties from the book to charity. (POLITICO) New administration brings K Street boom. “Washington’s top-grossing lobbying firms are expecting a banner year, with Republicans in control of the federal government for the first time in a decade.” After an election year slow down many K Street firms experienced a major bounce back in the first quarter of 2017. (The Hill) around the world Useful tools as the UK gears up for a June general election. mySociety highlights their range of offerings that might be “useful during the campaign whether you just want to find out the voting record of your current MP or if you’re planning on building a website or app to cover the campaign.” (mySociety) OGP subnational program helps connect ideas around the globe. “One of the positive outcomes of the OGP Subnational Pilot Program is that it creates relationships among like-minded cities and governments. These relationships result in exchanges of knowledge, practices, and experiences. Buenos Aires Elige(link is external) (BA Elige), a platform through which citizens can bring their ideas, discuss them and make them compete for the support of fellow-citizens, is an initiative that exemplifies the results of such collaboration.” (Open Government Partnership) Major donors present new strategy on transparency. “The Transparency & Accountability Initiative [a donor collaboration formed in 2010] has unveiled a new strategy emphasizing the use of data for accountability, tax governance and civic space.” (FreedomInfo.org) save the dates #TCampAZ is coming up on May 22 in Phoenix. Learn more on Facebook and get your tickets here! This one-day unconference will bring together the government representatives, developers and journalists to solve problems relating to civic data access. TCamp participants design the agenda, present their ideas and dive into the challenges, success stories and new possibilities during morning and afternoon breakout sessions. It is being hosted by the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting with key partners including Sunlight, Galvanize, and the Institute for Digital Progress. April 26th, 6:00 PM: “Participatory Organizing: From Co-Op to Network to Mass Movement” in Washington, DC. The OpenGov Hub is hosting a co-created workshop on collaborative culture and non-hierarchical organizing. We combine storytelling and participation to learn together about democratic, bottom-up organizing at different scales: from co-ops, to networks, cities and nations. We’ll offer some practices and tools that have helped us, and discover the intelligence in the room too. Learn more and register here. May 17th and 18th: Reboot Congress 2017 and the Kemp Forum in Washington, DC. “Held in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, Reboot Congress 2017, is an invite-only conversation that will bring together a dynamic mix of problem solvers – civic tech innovators, engineers and designers, elected officials, senior staffers, policy experts, and other stakeholders working to modernize Congress.” Learn more here. May 17th: The 2017 Door Stop Awards in Washington, DC. “Lincoln Network and The OpenGov Foundation are joining forces to present the 2017 Door Stop Awards for Congressional Innovation and Transparency. Awards will be presented on May 17, 2017 in Washington, D.C. at an evening party as part of Reboot Congress.” Do you know a member of Congress or staffer who deserves to be recognized? You can submit a nomination here! May 19th and 20th: Global Legislative Openness Conference in Kyiv, Ukraine. “This 2-day event is hosted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, organized by the Legislative Openness Working Group of the Open Government Partnership and Open Parliament Initiative in Ukraine. The event will convene leading legislators, government officials, and civil society representatives to consider how legislative openness can strengthen public trust in representative institutions and build a responsive, 21st century legislature. In addition, the conference will explore how parliaments can best leverage the Open Government Partnership’s new legislative engagement policy to develop and implement legislative openness plans and commitments.” Learn more here. June 8th and 9th: Personal Democracy Forum 2017 in New York City. “The annual flagship conference brings together close to 1,000 top technologists, campaigners, hackers, opinion-makers, government officials, journalists, and academics for two days of game-changing talks, workshops, and networking opportunities to celebrate the power and potential of tech to make real change happen.” Learn more about #PDF17 and get your tickets here. Are you hosting an event that you’d like to see highlighted in this newsletter? Please let us know by sending a quick email to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com with a brief description and a link to the event page. Tired of your boss/friend/intern/uncle forwarding you this email every morning? You can sign up here and have it delivered direct to your inbox! Please send questions, comments, tips, and concerns to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com. We would love your feedback! Apr 21

Today in OpenGov: Tracking open data to Birmingham, digging into Trump’s inauguration donations, and more… - In today's edition, we track open data to Birmingham, Alabama, dig into documentation on donations to President Trump's inaugural committee, share our suggestions for a new FOIA portal, and more… states and cities Birmingham, Alabama officially embraces open data. Mayor William A. Bell signed an executive order ushering in an era of open data in the Alabama city. Birmingham will work with OpenGov to build an open data portal. Read Birmingham's press release announcing the move. "Smart cities" must have clear policies around data use and privacy. Earlier this week the Wall Street Journal looked at the rise of smart cities, prompting us to point out the need for clear, accountable methodologies when it comes to data use and predictive analytics. When ever there's a gap between what the public knows about how governments collect data, about whom and when — or how it's used — and what's actually happening, it damages public trust. Read our full statement on Facebook. How Kansas City, Missouri inventoried and improved its data, boosting transparency. "When Chief Data Officer Eric Roche realized how much time he was spending updating out-of-date, non-automated open data in the city’s portal, he embarked on a project to understand and inventory the data in all departments to develop a more systematic approach to open data publishing in the city." (Government Technology) A year later, fears around Washington, D.C.'s police body camera policy appear unfounded. During a 2015 debate over the policy mayor Muriel Bowser "fought to prohibit public access, in part with forecasts that the District faced sky-high costs–more than a million dollars a year–for new staff to handle time-consuming review of an expected 4,500 requests a year." After a year, only 60 requests for footage have been filed with costs only reaching $25,000. (DC Open Government Coalition) Money in politics Ann Ravel and Zach Galifianakis talk dark money. Former Federal Election Commissioner Ann Ravel joined comedian Zach Galifianakis to talk about dark money and its influence on our political system as part of the "docu-series" America Divided. Watch the video on YouTube or check it out below. Trump's inauguration powered by corporate powers and business titans numerous million dollar donations. "Numerous corporate powerhouses and individual business titans — including fossil fuel, financial and food and beverage interests with lucrative business before the federal government — helped fund President Donald Trump's inauguration, according to a new disclosure filed with the Federal Election Commission." (Center for Public Integrity) Around 45 individuals or corporations donated at least $1 million to the inaugural committee, with Sheldon Adelson dropping $5 million on the festivities. (The Hill) Filing reveals inaugural donors, but spending remains a mystery. "Though this report shows how much money Trump's inauguration brought in, it does not detail exactly how that money was spent. Presidential inauguration committees do not have to disclose that to the FEC." (NPR) Washington Watch Office of Special Counsel files briefs supporting two defense whistleblowers. "The Office of Special Counsel on Tuesday announced it had filed two amicus curiae briefs challenging judges’ rulings that 'restrict whistleblower protections for federal workers.'" (Government Executive) DOJ and 18F team up to build new FOIA portal, seek public input. The Department of Justice's Office of Information Policy announced yesterday that they are collaborating with 18F on "the development of a National FOIA Portal." If you're interested in "joining the effort and providing feedback throughout the process" you can email the team at National.FOIAPortal@usdoj.gov by April 28th. (Office of Information Policy) Last November, we shared a number of ideas about how to build a better FOIA.gov by connecting FOI to open data. House Oversight chair declines 2018 reelection bid. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, announced that he would not run for another term in 2018. (POLITICO) Chaffetz has so far seemed hesitant to perform energetic oversight against a President from his own party. We will be watching to see if that changes now that he doesn't have the politics of reelection to worry about. Watchdog to file suit for Trump Tower wiretap records. American Oversight, a Washington-based ethics watchdog group, is planning "to sue the Department of Justice for records regarding wiretaps of Trump Tower and the investigation into connections between members of President Trump's campaign and Russia." (The Hill) save the dates #TCampAZ is coming up on May 22 in Phoenix. Learn more on Facebook and get your tickets here! This one-day unconference will bring together the government representatives, developers and journalists to solve problems relating to civic data access. TCamp participants design the agenda, present their ideas and dive into the challenges, success stories and new possibilities during morning and afternoon breakout sessions. It is being hosted by the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting with key partners including Sunlight, Galvanize, and the Institute for Digital Progress. Today at 12 PM: Webinar on "Kick-Starting Data-Driven Government". Hosted by Data-Smart project director Stephen Goldsmith. Register here! April 26th, 6:00 PM: "Participatory Organizing: From Co-Op to Network to Mass Movement" in Washington, DC. The OpenGov Hub is hosting a co-created workshop on collaborative culture and non-hierarchical organizing. We combine storytelling and participation to learn together about democratic, bottom-up organizing at different scales: from co-ops, to networks, cities and nations. We'll offer some practices and tools that have helped us, and discover the intelligence in the room too. Learn more and register here. May 17th and 18th: Reboot Congress 2017 and the Kemp Forum in Washington, DC. "Held in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, Reboot Congress 2017, is an invite-only conversation that will bring together a dynamic mix of problem solvers – civic tech innovators, engineers and designers, elected officials, senior staffers, policy experts, and other stakeholders working to modernize Congress." Learn more here. May 17th: The 2017 Door Stop Awards in Washington, DC. "Lincoln Network and The OpenGov Foundation are joining forces to present the 2017 Door Stop Awards for Congressional Innovation and Transparency. Awards will be presented on May 17, 2017 in Washington, D.C. at an evening party as part of Reboot Congress." Do you know a member of Congress or staffer who deserves to be recognized? You can submit a nomination here! May 19th and 20th: Global Legislative Openness Conference in Kyiv, Ukraine. "This 2-day event is hosted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, organized by the Legislative Openness Working Group of the Open Government Partnership and Open Parliament Initiative in Ukraine. The event will convene leading legislators, government officials, and civil society representatives to consider how legislative openness can strengthen public trust in representative institutions and build a responsive, 21st century legislature. In addition, the conference will explore how parliaments can best leverage the Open Government Partnership's new legislative engagement policy to develop and implement legislative openness plans and commitments." Learn more here. June 8th and 9th: Personal Democracy Forum 2017 in New York City. "The annual flagship conference brings together close to 1,000 top technologists, campaigners, hackers, opinion-makers, government officials, journalists, and academics for two days of game-changing talks, workshops, and networking opportunities to celebrate the power and potential of tech to make real change happen." Learn more about #PDF17 and get your tickets here. Are you hosting an event that you'd like to see highlighted in this newsletter? Please let us know by sending a quick email to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com with a brief description and a link to the event page. Tired of your boss/friend/intern/uncle forwarding you this email every morning? You can sign up here and have it delivered direct to your inbox! Please send questions, comments, tips, and concerns to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com. We would love your feedback! Apr 20

Today in OpenGov: Syracuse opens up, Steve Ballmer discovers government data, and more… - In today's edition, we examine Syracuse's push towards openness, ask some questions about a former Microsoft CEO's newfound interest in government data, track another round of Trump trademarks, share an open contracting challenge, and more… states and cities Syracuse, NY takes collaborative approach to crafting a new open data policy. "City Hall wants people to have easier access to things like code violations, pothole locations and other information they're seeking…Syracuse's innovation office is crafting an open data policy for sharing all sorts of stats on the operation of city government." (Syracuse.com) The draft policy is up for public comment on the Madison platform. Hawaii's geospatial data portal like "Google Maps" for Aloha State government data. "Maps identifying everything from the locations of homeless shelters to ahupuaa boundaries are now available online to the public thanks to a partnership between the state Office of Planning and the Office of Enterprise Technology Services." (Government Technology) The beltway, inside and out Former Microsoft CEO Steven Ballmer's USAFacts.org went live, seeking to inform the public about how their taxpayer dollars are spent using government data. (Wired) Ballmer reportedly put $10 million into funding the development of the website which, as we highlighted last November, presents federal, state, and local data in an interactive online format. (New York Times) USAFacts published a report (yes, a PDF) modeled on the annual 10K financial reports that companies submit to the SEC. (USAFacts.org) We heartily endorse the stated purpose of the project and agree that increased transparency will "help voters judge the effectiveness of our Government’s programs, improving the accountability that is essential to a well-functioning democracy." Balmer introduced the site at an event in New York yesterday. Watch the video below: As stated in the methodology, USAFacts analyzed federal data about local programs, but it doesn't advance the field by opening up state and city spending data. Sunlight's Alex Howard praised the effort, while noting its disconnect from, and potential overlap with, existing open data programs: "It doesn't seem like Mr. Ballmer talked to people in Washington and in the open government community writ large about what existed already and what would be useful." He also expressed skepticism that the site's underlying data would be made open. (Federal Computer Week) Meanwhile, efforts to revamp the Federal government's spending data are moving along. An alpha version of the new USASpending.gov recently launched in anticipation of DATA Act reporting deadlines in May. In a blow to FOIA requesters, DOD and Joint Chiefs remove lists of classified directives from web. "FOIA requesters who relied on lists of classified directives published by both the Defense Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to know what documents to file FOIA requests for may now be out of luck. In a transparency backslide, both the DOD and JCS websites no longer publish lists of classified directives and instructions, making it impossible to know what to FOIA." (National Security Archive) Transparency may be coming to secret hospital inspection data. "The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services wants to require that private health care accreditors publicly detail problems they find during inspections of hospitals and other medical facilities, as well as the steps being taken to fix them. Nearly nine in 10 hospitals are directly overseen by those accreditors, not the government." (ProPublica) conflicts in trumpland In complete coincidence, Ivanka Trump won approval for Chinese trademarks on the same day she dined with Chinese President. "In fact, on April 6, Ivanka Trump's company won provisional approval from the Chinese government for three new trademarks, giving it monopoly rights to sell Ivanka brand jewelry, bags and spa services in the world's second-largest economy. That night, the first daughter and her husband sat next to the president of China and his wife for a steak and Dover sole dinner at Mar-a-Lago." (Associated Press) Meanwhile, "emoluments" suit against Trump expanded to include trademarks. A lawsuit filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington against Donald Trump for allegedly violating the constitution's emoluments clause was expanded on Tuesday to include "gratuitous Chinese trademarks." (The Hill) Billionaire Trump adviser poised to profit from policy involvement. "Billionaire investor Steve Schwarzman’s newfound status as a trusted outside adviser for President Donald Trump has created blurred lines in which the Blackstone CEO is offering guidance on policies that could boost the fortunes of his company and his personal wealth." (POLITICO) Trump's inauguration doubled Obama's previous record for fundraising. "President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee said Tuesday it raised $106.7 million for the celebration of his taking office in Washington, an amount that is roughly twice the previous record set by former President Barack Obama’s first inauguration." (Bloomberg) You can view the entire 510 page report here. Trump's pledges to donate foreign profits, excess inauguration funds remain unfulfilled. Despite promises to do so, the Trump Organization has not yet disclosed any foreign profits that they have sent to the Treasury department or detailed the charities that will benefit from excess inaugural funds. (Washington Post) around the world Anticipating disaster by mapping vulnerable communities. "The Missing Maps project, an open, collaborative project, is working to fill in this “missing” information. Combining the work of volunteers contributing remotely, on-the-ground community leaders, and humanitarian organizations, the project works hand-in-hand with the OpenStreetMaps platform to collect data in a free and open manner." (Global Voices) Open Contracting Challenge looks for ways to track government procurement. The $60,000 challenge prize from the Open Contracting Partnership and the Open Data Institute targets "big ideas to find better ways to manage, analyse, and monitor how government buys goods & services." Learn more and apply here! Lobbyists take different approaches to influencing Brexit. "…figuring out how to influence the Brexit talks is a big headache for people who make their living lobbying EU institutions and governments. Some are trying to get to [Michael] Barnier [the EU's Brexit negotiator], some are focusing on key officials from the EU’s member countries and some are holding off to see how this unprecedented process develops." (POLITICO) Spanish prime minister to testify in major corruption case. "The so-called Gürtel case, launched last October after nine years of investigations, implicates former lawmakers and civil servants from [prime minister Mariano] Rajoy’s ruling Popular Party (PP) in a vast kickbacks-for-contracts scheme that allegedly fueled Spain’s boom years." (POLITICO) save the dates #TCampAZ is coming up on May 22 in Phoenix. Learn more on Facebook and get your tickets here! This one-day unconference will bring together the government representatives, developers and journalists to solve problems relating to civic data access. TCamp participants design the agenda, present their ideas and dive into the challenges, success stories and new possibilities during morning and afternoon breakout sessions. It is being hosted by the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting with key partners including Sunlight, Galvanize, and the Institute for Digital Progress. April 20th, 12 PM, Webinar on "Kick-Starting Data-Driven Government". Hosted by Data-Smart project director Stephen Goldsmith. Register here! April 25th: TICTeC in Florence, Italy. Hosted by mySociety and "Returning for a third year, the Impacts of Civic Technology Conference focuses on the impact that civic technology and digital democracy are having on citizens, decision makers and governments around the world." Learn more and register to attend here. May 17th and 18th: Reboot Congress 2017 and the Kemp Forum in Washington, DC. "Held in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, Reboot Congress 2017, is an invite-only conversation that will bring together a dynamic mix of problem solvers – civic tech innovators, engineers and designers, elected officials, senior staffers, policy experts, and other stakeholders working to modernize Congress." Learn more here. May 17th: The 2017 Door Stop Awards in Washington, DC. "Lincoln Network and The OpenGov Foundation are joining forces to present the 2017 Door Stop Awards for Congressional Innovation and Transparency. Awards will be presented on May 17, 2017 in Washington, D.C. at an evening party as part of Reboot Congress." Do you know a member of Congress or staffer who deserves to be recognized? You can submit a nomination here! May 19th and 20th: Global Legislative Openness Conference in Kyiv, Ukraine. "This 2-day event is hosted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, organized by the Legislative Openness Working Group of the Open Government Partnership and Open Parliament Initiative in Ukraine. The event will convene leading legislators, government officials, and civil society representatives to consider how legislative openness can strengthen public trust in representative institutions and build a responsive, 21st century legislature. In addition, the conference will explore how parliaments can best leverage the Open Government Partnership's new legislative engagement policy to develop and implement legislative openness plans and commitments." Learn more here. June 8th and 9th: Personal Democracy Forum 2017 in New York City. "The annual flagship conference brings together close to 1,000 top technologists, campaigners, hackers, opinion-makers, government officials, journalists, and academics for two days of game-changing talks, workshops, and networking opportunities to celebrate the power and potential of tech to make real change happen." Learn more about #PDF17 and get your tickets here. Are you hosting an event that you'd like to see highlighted in this newsletter? Please let us know by sending a quick email to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com with a brief description and a link to the event page. Tired of your boss/friend/intern/uncle forwarding you this email every morning? You can sign up here and have it delivered direct to your inbox! Please send questions, comments, tips, and concerns to todayinopengov@sunlightfoundation.com. We would love your feedback! Apr 19

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