https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/14/isi...om-camps-in-syria-amid-turkish-offensive.html Hundreds of ISIS prisoners are escaping from camps in northern Syria amid Turkish offensive Published Mon, Oct 14 201910:40 AM EDT DUBAI — Islamic State fighters are seizing a chance to escape and regroup as U.S.-allied Kurdish forces turn their attention from guarding thousands of captive extremists to defending themselves from Turkey’s assault. More than 800 suspected IS detainees escaped the Ayn Issa camp in northern Syria on Sunday, Kurdish forces said in a statement, five days into Turkey’s military incursion into norther Syria.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...-two-years-later-trumps-wall-remains-unbuilt/ President Donald Trump’s signature promise — building a “big, beautiful wall” on the Mexican border — has not gone according to plan. Trump long ago gave up on making Mexico pay for the wall, and instead declared a national emergency and raided the military construction budget to move forward with the project. Even as it stands, engineers have mostly just upgraded or replaced existing fences, and CBP estimates that by the end of next year, only 110 miles of completely new barriers will have been constructed. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...ding-amid-environmental-lawsuit-against-trump Three border wall projects reportedly canceled due to lack of funding amid environmental lawsuit against Trump by Ellie Bufkin | September 14, 2019 The Trump administration reportedly canceled three projects to build parts of the barrier wall at the U.S. southern border in Arizona and California. A Friday court filing by the legal team representing the Trump administration in a civil suit indicated funds for the three construction projects were insufficient to continue building. The lawsuit, filed against the president and several Cabinet members in February, accuses the administration of illegally declaring a state of emergency in order to obtain funding for the border wall. The Center for Biological Diversity and several other environmental organizations are named as plaintiffs in the case. "Of the 58 times presidents have previously declared emergencies under the National Emergencies Act, none involved using the emergency powers to fund a policy goal after a president failed to meet that goal through foreign diplomacy (having Mexico pay for the wall) or the congressional appropriations process," the original complaint said. "Never before has a president used the emergency powers granted to him by Congress in such a manner." The lawsuit calls for the president and his administration to cease construction of the barrier at the southern border, citing concerns for wildlife. "Of particular concern to Plaintiffs and their members, border barriers prevent the passage of wildlife, and could result in the extirpation of jaguars, ocelots, and other endangered species within the United States," it reads. "The use of funds for such barriers that on information and belief are directed at least in part to investigating and where relevant prosecuting organized criminal activities related to illegal wildlife trafficking further harms Plaintiffs’ interests in protecting and preserving biological diversity." The Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental activist group, boasts on their website that they have sued the Trump administration and the president personally 158 times. U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner's request for comment on the matter.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/milita...illion-veterans-medical-claims-one-6-n1043086 VA wrongfully denied $53 million in veterans' medical claims in one 6-month period, says report In one recent six-month period, the VA left 17,400 veterans to pay out of pocket for emergency medical care the government should have covered. DAVENPORT, Iowa — When former Coast Guardsman Amanda Wolfe went to the emergency room because her appendix was about to burst in September 2016, she figured her insurance would cover the cost. She had two kinds of insurance — a private plan she paid for and her Veterans Affairsbenefits. The emergency appendectomy went well and Wolfe made a speedy recovery. Her private insurance covered most of the more than $20,000 bill for her hospital stay. But six months later,the VA denied her claim for the roughly $2,500 that remained, putting her in an unexpected financial bind. She has been appealing ever since. "It's one of those things where you thought that they would be there and they're not," said Wolfe, who adopted her nephew soon after the surgery and has been watching her budget to care for him. Wolfe thought she was living in her own private insurance hell, until a report from the VA's internal watchdog revealed problems in the way the VA reimburses veterans for emergency care at non-VA facilities. In one recent six-month period, according to a report from the VA's Office of Inspector General released last week, the VA left about 17,400 veterans to pay out-of-pocket for emergency medical treatment thegovernment should have covered.The report said that between April 1 and Sept. 30, 2017, veterans who got emergency care at non-VA facilities were forced to pay $53.3 million in medical bills they never should have had to pay. The IG report came after a 2017 investigation by Minneapolis/St. Paul station KARE, in which whistleblowers told the NBC News affiliate thatit was faster to deny claims than to approve them. Members of Congress, including the chairs of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees sent a letter to the VA on Monday, demanding answers. "No veteran should be afraid to seek care in an emergency room," said Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., who signed the letter. "Clearly the bureaucracy is favoring speed over accuracy, it's favoring efficiency over the health of our veterans. We've got to make sure that we're putting veterans first." The Inspector General found that the office that processes emergency claims like Wolfe's had been prioritizing speed over accuracy, even offering incentives like overtime pay for processing claims quickly and without concern for accuracy. According to the report, about 31 percent of denied or rejected emergency care claims had been inappropriately processed. Inspectors also found that there was a massive backlog in sending bills to patients, even time-sensitive ones that narrowed the window in which they could appeal a denial. During three different facility visits, inspectors found "stacks of unsent claims decision letters printed between one and two months prior." In interviews and surveys, employees told inspectors they were "verbally directed or encouraged to deny non-VA emergency claims to meet production standards." 'I couldn't stand up straight' Wolfe said she did not go to a VA hospital for her appendix because the nearest one was a two-and-a-half hour drive away. "By 10:00 a.m., I couldn't stand up straight," she said. "I certainly could've attempted the drive. I don't know that I would've made the drive." Bart Stichman, executive director of the National Veterans Legal Services Program, said that emergency medical expenses form a significant portion of the care sought by veterans — and the VA ought to pay those expenses. "An emergency is a devastating situation for veterans in the first place," said Stichman, whose group provides free legal aid to veterans. "But the financial toll, when the VA erroneously denies your claim for reimbursement, can be just as devastating." Since the end of September 2017, the last month of the period covered by the inspector general's report, there have been many leadership changes within the VA, including three different directors of the office that processes emergency claims. The inspectors say the instability apparently allowed problems to continue. In a statement, the VA told NBC News it is reviewing the claims in the Inspector General report for possible payment to veterans. "It's alarming. It's worrisome," said Wolfe, who read the report. She paid off her bill in 2017, but is still fighting for reimbursement. "They need to get the process back on track...not just for myself, but for all the other veterans who are impacted."
Iran has wanted nuclear weapons for a long time. They are not unreasonable in their belief nuclear weapons will give them greater security against the United States. It is also not a unreasonable possibility that Iran is trying to make a political point against the United States because of its recent rhetoric. The fact the US has not attacked Iran by now implies to me there is a non public agreement or understanding between Iran and the US. At present trajectories, it is inevitable Iran gets nuclear weapons. There are other weapons of mass destruction in Iran’s hands that would likely make a invasion against them very costly in terms of military casualties there and civilian casualties here. Iran having a large suicide squad appears to be a potent deterrent.
Veterans have been screwed over for multiple Administrations of both parties as I understand the history. The Veteran’s Administration, according to a well connected group of Navy Seals is finally getting their act together under the Trump Administration. In addition, Veterans are getting state agency sponsored, such as in Texas, discounts of near 1% on mortgage interest rates on FHA, VA, and Conventional loans. The group of Navy Seals I was talking about I met during a presentation to mortgage brokers and real estate agents.
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=31532 June 7, 2017 United States remains the world’s top producer of petroleum and natural gas hydrocarbons The United States remained the world's top producer of petroleum and natural gas hydrocarbons in 2016 for the fifth straight year despite production declines for both petroleum and natural gas relative to their 2015 levels. The United States has been the world's top producer of natural gas since 2009, when U.S. natural gas production surpassed that of Russia, and it has been the world's top producer of petroleum hydrocarbons since 2013, when its production exceeded Saudi Arabia’s.
Under Trump, the number of uninsured Americans has gone up by 7 million Even in a strong economy, Americans are losing their health coverage. By Sarah Kliffsarah@vox.com Jan 23, 2019, 10:00am EST The country’s uninsured rate has steadily ticked upward since 2016, rising from a low of 10.9 percent in late 2016 to 13.7 percent — a four-year high.