THIS WEEK IN REVIEW

The city of Portland, Oregon will join six other west coast cities in suing Monsanto for polluting its waterways with cancer-causing PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). Monsanto was the only manufacturer of PCB’s in the US from 1939 until they were banned in the late ‘70s. There is evidence that the company knew that PCBs were dangerous to the environment, that they migrated from waterways to fish, from fish to birds and also to humans, yet they continued to manufacture and pollute. Mint Press News 2016 Mar 18 (Story) (Cached)

New York state: An American citizen from Yemen has been given a 22-year prison sentence for trying to recruit two people to join ISIS in Syria. This is the longest jail term yet for an American convicted of supporting the militant group. EuroNews 2016 Mar 17 (Story)

US: As a result of increased use of police body cameras, the number of officers who purchase liability insurance has increased from a growth rate of 1% per year to 15%. The insurance covers legal fees only, because it is customary for police not to be held personally responsible for malfeasance while on duty. The liability is paid by taxpayers. Reuters 2016 Mar 17 (Story) (Cached)

Miami, Florida: The Turkey Point nuclear power plant is leaking tritium radiation into a bay that flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Critics blame state regulators for failing to protect the public and the environment. Florida Power and Light says there is no danger to humans. RT 2016 Mar 17 (Story)

Here is more of the back story behind the Malheur Wildlife Refuge standoff in Oregon. The federal government wanted the Hammond’s land for its uranium resources. The Clinton Foundation brokered a deal with a Canadian mining company that was later acquired by a Russian company. The deal allows Russia to harvest 20% of America’s uranium. For this, the Clintons received $2.35 million in covert payments. Government confiscation of private property is legalized by the Wildlands Act and is part of the UN Agenda 21. Marshall Report posted 2016 Mar 16 (Story) (Cached)

Russian President Vladimir Putin caught the world off guard on Monday by announcing the withdrawal of ‘the main part’ of Russian armed forces in Syria as a new round of peace talks begins in Geneva. [The move offers the US a way to back off without appearing to have buckled under Russian military pressure. The real question is whether the Gulf States and Turkey (which follow US direction) will also stand down in Syria.] International Forecaster 2016 Mar 16 (Story)

Some of the same radical leftist groups that were involved in shutting down Donald Trump’s Chicago rally last week now are planning a mass civil-disobedience movement, named ‘Democracy Spring’ to begin next month in a march across the east coast. Ironically, these groups complain that special interests and billionaires dominate elections, but they, themselves, are funded by George Soros. Breitbart 2016 Mar 16 (Story) (Cached)

Donald Trump won a crucial victory in the winner-take-all Florida primary Tuesday night, delivering a fatal blow to Sen. Marco Rubio who dropped out of the race. Meanwhile, Gov. John Kasich’s win in Ohio kept hope alive for a convention contest. AP 2016 Mar 16 (Story)

US: ‘Black Lives Matter’ activist and rapper, Tef Poe, says that, if Trump wins the presidency, black people such as himself are ready to incite riots everywhere. InfoWars 2016 Mar 16 (Story) (Cached)

The US Senate rejected a bill that would have prevented the states from requiring genetically modified foods to be labeled. The bill was introduced by Senator Pat Roberts who falsely claimed that allowing states to label GMO foods would cost Americans $82 billion per year. [Even if that were true, the reduction in medical costs from illnesses caused by GMO foods would more than make up for it.] RT 2016 Mar 16 (Story)

Obama has proposed Judge Merrick Garland to replace Supreme Court Justice Scalia, but many Republican senators are set to reject him in order to wait until a new president is elected. CBS News 2016 Mar 16 (Story)

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state will support a complaint filed by nine private landowners, a county sheriff, and three Texas counties challenging the federal Bureau of Land Management’s seizure of 90,000 acres of private property along the Red River. [This is an encouraging sign of growing resistance against federal intrusion into state and private property. The fact remains, however, that the case will be held in a federal court and, regardless of the outcome, likely will be appealed to the federal Supreme Court. Texas had better be ready to nullify any decisions that violate the original intent of the Constitution. We shall see.] InfoWars 2016 Mar 15 (Story) (Cached)

George Soros has already funded the Democratic party and Hillary Clinton with $13 million to thwart Trump and Ted Cruz. He warns Trump and Cruz that their words and actions “have consequences”. ZeroHedge 2016 Mar 15 (Story) (Cached)

Following in Iceland’s footsteps, Ireland has extradited from the US the former chief executive of Irish Anglo Bank, David Drumm. Drumm faces 33 charges including fraud, forgery, unlawful lending, falsifying documents, and false accounting. These charges stem from the bank’s role in the 2008 financial crisis. Free Thought Project 2016 Mar 15 (Story) (Cached)

Plastic is slow to decompose, and many types of plastic contain toxins plus a hazardous chemical that acts like the sex hormone, estrogen. Scientists in Japan have found a bacteria that can eat polyethylene terephthalate, a component of many plastic products, and are seeking to genetically engineer the bacteria to speed up the process. [We are encouraged by the use of natural bacteria for this purpose but not enthusiastic about genetically modifying them. Consequences of GMOs can never be adequately predicted. and the process is irreversible.] Extreme Tech 2016 Mar 15 (Story) (Cached)

Brazil: More than three-million citizens protested across the country, demanding the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. She is believed to be part of a scheme to rob Petrobras, the state-owned oil company, through inflated contracts to her supporters and funneled payments into campaign coffers of political parties. Her predecessor did the same and, unfortunately, her successor will be no different. That’s because the Brazilian people vote for people, not principles. There is a better way.] France24 2016 Mar 14 (Story)

US: Over the last five years, 124 illegal aliens have been charged with murder who previously had been arrested and then released by the Obama administration. Two of the immigrants in question even had been convicted of homicide before being released to kill again. Washington Times 2016 Mar 14 (Story) (Cached)

Serbian officials reported finding two Hellfire missiles on a commercial passenger plane from Beirut that was scheduled to land in Portland, Maine. The US State Department says that the missiles were training dummies without explosives and were being returned to the manufacturer. KGW 2016 Mar 14 (Story)

US: Twelve Obamacare insurance CO-OPs fold after getting $1.2 billion from the federal government (taxpayers, that is). This has left 740,000 people in more than a dozen states scrambling for medical coverage. Judicial Watch 2016 Mar 14 (Story) (Cached)

The Israeli parliament on Monday approved a law with a two-year prison term for any Israeli who hires a Palestinian worker for even one day. AFP 2016 Mar 14 (Story) (Cached)

UK: A four-year-old Asian boy who mispronounced “cucumber” as “cooker bomb” was recommended for a de-radicalization program by staff at his nursery. RT 2016 Mar 13 (Story)

Three radical leftist groups have taken credit for shutting down Trump’s rally in Chicago that drew a crowd of over 10,000 people. The disruption was well organized and not an organic protest. [We anticipate that disruptions of this kind will help Trump, not hurt him.] BizPac review 2016 Mar 13 (Story) (Cached)

Chicago, Illinois: Trump called off his campaign rally due to safety concerns. He contends that the violent confrontation denied him and his supporters their First Amendment right to free speech. Trump is accused of inciting violence when he condoned punching the hecklers. ABC News 2016 Mar 12 (Story)

A UN report condemns the South Sudan government for targeting civilians for murder, torture, and rapes by those working for and with the government. Government militias reportedly are allowed to rape victims in lieu of wages. The government denies these charges. CNN 2016 Mar 12 (Story)