Thousands Of Federal Workers Just Missed Their First Paycheck

 HUFFPOST   NICK VISSER             Jan 11th 2019
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have missed their first paycheck of the year due to the ongoing partial government shutdown as President Donald Trump remains no closer to ending a stalemate over his border wall with Democrats.

Pay for about 800,000 government employees lapsed nearly three weeks ago, and Friday marks the first wave of missed paychecks. Operations at nine departments, including Homeland Security, Justice, Treasury, the Environmental Protection Agency and NASA, have been affected.

The government shutdown began Dec. 22 and is now the second-longest ever. Because of the lapse in funding for roughly a quarter of the government, about 380,000 workers have been furloughed and sent home while 420,000 continue to work as “essential” employees but without pay. Many of the essential workers are law enforcement personnel in the Department of Homeland Security, including Border Patrol and Transportation Security Administration agents.

Many stories of federal workers anxious about paying their bills have emerged, even as thousands of employees have continued to work without any guarantee they’ll be compensated after the shutdown ends.

“Morale is, I believe, close to rock bottom, and I think things will start getting really bad if this isn’t fixed by this weekend,” a TSA officer who last received a paycheck on Dec. 28 told HuffPost’s Nick Robins-Early.

Congress would have to pass a law granting those workers backpay once the government reopens, as it has after previous shutdowns. Many workers received their last paycheck shortly before the new year and now may have to rely on savings, loans, credit or unemployment benefits to cover their bills.

The impasse is the result of Trump’s demand that Congress sign off on more than $5.7 billion for a wall along the southern border, a structure he originally said Mexico would pay for. He has not budged on his request, and Democratic leaders have refused to give in, describing the wall as wasteful and foolhardy. The White House is now flirting with declaring a national emergency in order to secure the funding.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said Trump was holding the federal government “hostage.”

“Over 200,000 employees at DHS ― charged with protecting our skies, waterways, and borders ― will also not be paid while still working,” Thompson said in a statement. “Because of the President’s childish behavior, families will face difficulties paying rent, keeping the lights on, and putting food on the dinner table. He should not be treating them like pawns in his pathetic pursuit to fulfill an absurd campaign promise.”

The White House has also felt the effects of the shutdown, with only 156 employees deemed essential out of 359. 

Efforts to reopen the government have largely floundered since the start of the year, and the shutdown is on track to become the longest since the 1970s if it isn’t resolved by Saturday. The president reportedly stormed out of a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) on Wednesday after being told they would not give in to his demands, slamming his hands on a table and saying, “Bye-bye.”

The Democratic leaders have criticized the president’s behavior, equating it to a temper tantrum.

“It wasn’t even a high-stakes negotiation,” Pelosi said Wednesday. “It was a petulant president of the United States.”

Trump is getting more comfortable with the prospect of securing wall funding through a national emergency declaration. Severalmedia reports noted the president has been eyeing billions of dollars in disaster recovery and military construction funding from the Defense Department to build the wall, and a source told The Washington Post that Trump would like to begin work on the wall within the next 45 days.

Title 10 of the U.S. Code allows the use of such unspent money in the case of a national emergency.

The president, in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity during a visit to the southern border on Thursday, said that if he can’t make a deal with Congress, he’ll “most likely” seek to declare a national emergency.

“The law is 100 percent on my side,” Trump said. “I mean we have the absolute right to declare a national emergency, and this is security stuff. This is a national emergency.”

Trump says Democrats' impeachment talk is 2020 ploy

The Associated Press           Jan 4th 2019 
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump pushed back Friday against some Democrats' calls to impeach him, saying they're only seeking impeachment because they know they can't win the White House in 2020.

"How do you impeach a president who has won perhaps the greatest election of all time, done nothing wrong" and has had the "most successful two years of any president," Trump tweeted. He said he's "the most popular Republican in party history."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been cautious about whether her new Democratic majority would ever impeach Trump, but at least two of her members are ready to move forward. California Rep. Brad Sherman and Texas Rep. Al Green introduced articles of impeachment against Trump on Thursday, the first day of the new Congress.

Sherman and Green pushed to impeach Trump in 2017 and 2018 but the House blocked those resolutions twice, with the help of Democrats who said the effort was premature. Pelosi hasn't ruled out impeachment but has called it a "divisive activity" that needs support from both parties.

She and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., have said they want to wait for the outcome of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and contacts with the Trump campaign.

Trump said his campaign did not collude with Russia.

"They only want to impeach me because they know they can't win in 2020, too much success!" Trump tweeted.

Witchy's opinion :
Perhaps we could impeach him for "excessive arrogance, ego, and delusion."  Mueller has property records, bank records, tax records, phone records, audio, video, tweets, speeches, emails, photos and witness testimony, just to name a few.
Trump has Rudy and denial.
Any questions????   " Trump tweeted. He said he's "the most popular Republican in party history.  Classic narcissistic personality disorder.   Trump, the Traitor-in-Chief, must be impeached because he's a Kremlin asset planted in the White House.
He's also a racketeer, has committed conspiracy with criminal intent, money launderer, perjurer, tax evader, and witness tamperer. He's the head of the Trump Crime family and will either spend the rest of his life in federal prison or face capital punishment for his treason.   
Mueller will be finished with his investigation when every single last co-conspirator, including Donny (the donkey) Junior, is indicted and charged with various crimes including Crimes Against the United States, plus much more.  He has tons of evidence, but the whole investigation showed up so many more leads to follow than previously imagined.  Remember, already around 33 indicted, several big guilty plea bargains, plus a few in jail, including Russian Maria Butina who was one of the links between the Kremlin and the GOP/NRA.  Mueller is just now getting into high gear!   No Orange Monkey , they want to impeach you because you're a monster in human skin. The absolute worst president we've ever had. A stain upon humanity itself. 
Time for this fat toad to hop back to his swamp.    Trump  will self destruct. Have patience . HeHe
Stay tune ..."As The Stomach Turns"

Thirteen Canadians detained in China since Huawei executive’s arrest, says Ottawa

 

 



Thirteen Canadians have been detained in China since the high-profile arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on Dec. 1, Ottawa says.

Global Affairs Canada spokesman Guillaume Bérubé said in a statement to The Globe and Mail that the government is aware that 13 Canadians have been detained in China, excluding Hong Kong, since Dec. 1, 2018. Previously, only Michael Kovrig, Michael Spavor and Sarah McIver were publicly known to have been detained in China since Canada arrested Ms. Meng, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. They were taken into custody after China promised retaliation for Ms. Meng’s arrest.

Mr. Bérubé said in the statement that at least eight of the 13 have been released. Global Affairs Canada did not disclose the identities of the other 10 Canadians.

The federal government has not linked any of the detentions with Ms. Meng’s arrest, although it has demanded the “immediate release” of Mr. Spavor and Mr. Kovrig.

Meanwhile, China’s prosecutor-general, Zhang Jun, said at a briefing in Beijing on Thursday that Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor, who are accused of endangering national security, had “without a doubt” violated the law.

Ms. McIver, who was teaching English in China when she was detained in December, is among the eight who have been released. She has returned to Canada. Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor are still being held.

The 13 people include Mr. Kovrig, Mr. Spavor and Ms. McIver, said a government official who was not authorized to discuss individual cases.

At any given time, Canadians all over the world get in trouble with the law and may be arrested.

The government official said a total of about 200 Canadians are in some form of legal proceedings in China for a variety of alleged infractions, and many are out on bail or probation. The source said the number of detained Canadians has remained relatively stable, without a marked increase or decrease in recent years.

For comparison, the source said almost 900 Canadians are detained in the United States.

 

News of the 13 Canadian detentions came as the United States issued a new travel advisory for China on Thursday, warning its citizens they could be detained without charge if they go there. Although the U.S. travel advisory does not directly mention the Canadian cases, it warns Americans could be targeted in a similar way.

“U.S. citizens may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime. U.S. citizens may be subjected to prolonged interrogations and extended detention for reasons related to ‘state security,’ ” the travel advisory said.

It is the first time the United States has updated its travel advisory for China since January, 2018. Canada has not updated its travel advice for China since diplomatic tensions between the two countries began to escalate. Mr. Bérubé said the government urges Canadians to exercise a high degree of caution when travelling in China, noting that it constantly reviews its travel advice for all countries.

The Conservatives are urging the government to issue a new travel warning for China in light of the detentions on Dec. 10 of Mr. Kovrig, an analyst for the non-profit organization International Crisis Group, and Mr. Spavor, who owns an organization that brings visitors to North Korea.

Tory foreign affairs critic Erin O’Toole said he is concerned China is also using “administrative harassment” of Canadians, such as Ms. McIver, as retaliation. He said he is hearing from parents who are anxious about adult children teaching in China.

‘I’m a little concerned about what I see as a bit more security suspicion of westerners, than is usual.’ ” Mr. O’Toole said.

David Mulroney, a former Canadian ambassador to China, said detained Canadians will not get the same treatment they could expect at home.

“Foreigners who work in China notice this," he said. "It’s sending a chill through that broad community – diplomats, journalists, academics, [non-governmental organization] workers and business people – who try [to] understand and interpret China.”

At a news conference on Thursday, a spokesperson for the China’s foreign ministry said it was not “convenient” to discuss the charges against Mr. Spavor and Mr. Kovrig.

Mr. Spavor’s social-media accounts have shown brief glimmers of life in recent weeks, in what appears to be a digital glimpse into the invasive tactics of those investigating him. In the days after his detention, Facebook and the messaging app Viber recorded moments when Mr. Spavor’s accounts were momentarily online. His Instagram account has also shown signs of activity, reported NK News, a U.S. news site that covers North Korea.

Tensions between Canada and China have mounted since Dec. 1, when Ms. Meng, whose father is Huawei’s founder, was arrested in Vancouver in response to a request from the United States under an extradition treaty. She is accused of misleading multinational banks about Huawei’s control of a company operating in Iran, putting the banks at risk of violating U.S. sanctions and incurring penalties, according to court documents.

Ms. Meng is on bail awaiting an extradition hearing, and the Chinese have accused Canadian authorities of “kidnapping” her at the behest of the U.S. government.

 

 

 

You know who you are ... You should have known ... You just never bothered to look or ask .... When a Blind Man Cries

 



Heartbroken ! Bill Cosby is mentally warped He's possessed in Prison phone Call

By Radar Staff              Dec 27, 2018
With his wits slipping away, convicted sex fiend Bill Cosby Opens a New Window.  ranted, “They’re using sonic pressure on my head!” — before delivering a bizarre jailhouse confession exclusively obtained by RadarOnline.com.

The caged comic — now Inmate No. NN7687 — finally broke his silence with shocking outbursts to the precious few of his friends Opens a New Window. who have stuck by him!

In the phone call exclusively obtained by Radar, Cosby ranted that he believed he was possessed by the ghost Opens a New Window.  of his late mother, but that wasn’t his only off-kilter remark.

The 81-year-old perv sensationally claimed officials at Pennsylvania’s SCI Phoenix state prison are out to get him and raged about how he actually SAVED the women he’s accused of sexually assaulting Opens a New Window.  — all while bragging about his smarts and outrageously comparing himself to Jesus!

After three months behind bars for using knockout drugs to sexually assault Opens a New Window.  Andrea Constand in 2004, crazed Cosby has also been blathering about wild conspiracy theories regarding his treatment on the inside. Opens a New Window.  The paranoid former funnyman told pals: “I think they have some kind of eye in the cell — every time I start writing it goes up higher to see it.

“I think the mirror is rigged. There is a huge satellite on the compound.

“Their plan is to make me look totally crazy, so nobody believes anything I am saying!”

Although he called himself a “Frankenstein” monster during his rambling calls Opens a New Window.  to the outside, Cosby doesn’t accept any blame for what he calls his “alleged” assaults and accuses the cops of not doing enough to catch him — claiming they had been tailing him since the ’70s!

“I have empathy for those women! I have understanding for the women — I saw what they were struggling through. Did I put those women in a garbage can? Your society put them in the garbage!” Opens a New Window.  he said, before adding: “I picked them out of the garbage and helped them!”

Cosby’s mental health appears to be sinking faster since September, when hard-nosed Judge Steven T. O’Neill sentenced him to three to ten years in the big house.

The former sitcom star’s frustration mounted recently after an attempt to get him released on bail pending an appeal Opens a New Window.  was rejected outright by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and he railed against the cops and the judges he believes wronged him.

The entertainer also displayed his whopping ego in the calls Opens a New Window. , telling pals he knows “more about the economy, more about money, more about the government than all the presidents combined.

“You don’t take human life like this, and sabotage it, and rip it apart like Jesus Christ! Now I know what Jesus was going through!” Cosby declared.

The unhinged actor — once worth an estimated $400 million — has been spending buckets of cash on lawyers, private detectives and psychics to do anything he can to get out of prison.

In other rambling moments, the freak spat bile with foul tirades predicting a vengeful apocalypse!

Cosby said: “[The cops and judges] are to blame — I lost my f**king life. I couldn’t get a fair trial! They sabotaged my a**.

“They’re all inhumane living bastards — and they’re going to get nuked in the end!”

Witchy sez :
He's desperate to get out. He'll try every trick in the book. Meanwhile Camille is busy transferring and spending those millions!  Or is he trying to fake being crazy so he can get early release? 
Wouldn't put anything past the perv.imagine what his victims saw when they were drugged .  Probably not the best way to fake mental issues . Keep looking in that mirror  Cosby ....
 eventually it will come to you .Faking mental instability to get out . If he did get out, he'd be in a facility for the criminally insane. Not the best place to be.The guy hasn't been playing with a full deck for half his adult life. What's new? 

I'm so bad .      Hahahahaha!!!

 



Spacecraft hurtles toward world beyond Pluto..... Sending back photos New Year's day

This illustration provided by NASA shows the New Horizons spacecraft. NASA launched the probe in 2006; it's about the size of a baby grand piano. NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is set to fly past the mysterious object nicknamed Ultima Thule at 12:33 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019.

 

LAUREL, Md. (AP) — The NASA spacecraft that yielded the first close-up views of Pluto hurtled toward a New Year’s Day rendezvous with a tiny, icy world a billion miles farther out, in what would make it the most distant cosmic body ever explored by humankind.
New Horizons was on course to fly past the mysterious, ancient object nicknamed Ultima Thule at 12:33 a.m. Tuesday. The close encounter comes 3½ years after the spacecraft swung past Pluto.
This time, the drama was set to unfold more than 4 billion miles (6.5 billion kilometers) from Earth, so far away that it will be 10 hours before flight controllers at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel find out whether the probe survived the flyby.
A few black-and-white pictures of Ultima Thule might be available following that official confirmation, but the highly anticipated close-ups won’t be ready until Wednesday or Thursday, in color, it is hoped.
“Today is the day we explore worlds farther than ever in history!! EVER,” tweeted the project’s lead scientist, Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute.
He called it an auspicious beginning to 2019, which will mark the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s footsteps on the moon in July 1969.

“Ultima Thule is 17,000 times as far away as the ‘giant leap’ of Apollo’s lunar missions,” Stern noted in an opinion piece in The New York Times.
New Horizons, which is the size of a baby grand piano and part of an $800 million mission, was expected to hurtle to within 2,200 miles (3,500 kilometers) of Ultima Thule, considerably closer than the Pluto encounter of 2015.
Its seven science instruments were to continue collecting data for four hours after the flyby. Then the spacecraft was to turn briefly toward Earth to transmit word of its success. It takes over six hours for radio signals to reach Earth from that far away.

Scientists believe there should be no rings or moons around Ultima Thule that might endanger New Horizons. Traveling at 31,500 mph (50,700 kph), the spacecraft could easily be knocked out by a rice-size particle. It’s a tougher encounter than at Pluto because of the distance and the considerable unknowns, and because the spacecraft is older now.
“I can’t promise you success. We are straining the capabilities of this spacecraft,” Stern said at a news conference Monday. “By tomorrow, we’ll know how we did. So stay tuned. There are no second chances for New Horizons.” The risk added to the excitement.

Queen guitarist Brian May, who also happens to be an astrophysicist, joined the team at Johns Hopkins with plans to present around midnight the cosmic premiere of a song he wrote for the big event.
“There’s nothing more exciting in the world of exploration than going to a place about which we know nothing,” May said.
Despite the government shutdown, several NASA scientists and other employees showed up at Johns Hopkins as private citizens, unwilling to miss the historic event.

Ultima Thule was unknown until 2014, eight years after New Horizons departed Earth. It was discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope and added to New Horizons’ itinerary. Deep inside the so-called Kuiper Belt, a frigid expanse beyond Neptune that is also known as the Twilight Zone, Ultima Thule is believed to date back 4.5 billion years to the formation of our solar system. As such, it is “probably the best time capsule we’ve ever had for understanding the birth of our solar system and the planets in it,” Stern said.
In classic and medieval literature, Thule was the most distant, northernmost place beyond the known world.

Scientists suspect Ultima Thule is a single object no more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) long, though there’s a chance it could prove to be two smaller bodies orbiting each other or connected by a slender neck. It is thought to be potato-shaped and dark-colored with a touch of red, possibly from being zapped by cosmic rays for eons.
The exact shape and composition won’t be known until Ultima Thule starts sending back data in a process expected to last almost two years.
“Who knows what we might find? ... Anything’s possible out there in this very unknown region,” said John Spencer, a deputy project scientist from Southwest Research Institute. “We’ll find out soon enough.”