"Monster" Gas Leak Was Largest in US History, Study Shows

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/02/26/californias-monster-gas-leak-was-largest-us-history-study-shows

The Aliso Canyon natural gas well blowout, which lasted for months and sickened scores of nearby residents, has been confirmed as the largest methane leak in history.

Excel killings

Shooting at Kansas Plant Leaves 4 to 7 People Dead http://nyti.ms/1n0z4zn

Beck Compares Trump Supporters to Brownshirts and Breitbart to Goebbels | Mediaite

Beck Compares Trump Supporters to Brownshirts and Breitbart to Goebbels | Mediaite: "There is a storm coming of biblical proportions, a storm coming beyond your recognition. When the economy collapses, when our currency is worth toilet paper, who do you want, who do you want handling our nation? You want somebody who has divide us, who is grooming Brownshirts? I was at the caucus last night. I had never seen anything like it. These Trump supporters were beyond recognition as anything I’ve ever seen — rude, vile, nasty.

Then, Breitbart covered his Nazi comparisons and that set him off even more. On his radio show this afternoon, Beck unleashed more comparisons, taking aim at executive chairman Steve Bannon:" 'via Blog this'

Second Place Republicans | Full Frontal with Samantha Bee | TBS

Rubio's Friends

Everyone's a Law-abiding citizen until.. Uber driver who killed six in Kalamazoo shooting spree chose victims ‘at random,’ authorities say - The Washington Post

Uber driver who killed six in Kalamazoo shooting spree chose victims ‘at random,’ authorities say - The Washington Post: "KALAMAZOO, Mich. —  County officials say that a shooter who killed six people and injured two others here Saturday was an Uber driver who appears to have gunned down people at random during a  four-hour rampage."

'via Blog this'

Man asked his Uber driver in Kalamazoo, ‘You’re not the shooter, are you?’ - The Washington Post

Man asked his Uber driver in Kalamazoo, ‘You’re not the shooter, are you?’ - The Washington Post: "On Saturday night, an Indianapolis man named Derek and his wife took her parents to a show at the Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, Mich. As the craft beer flowed, a band called Andy Frasco and the U.N. belted out uplifting blues music. The group’s new album title seemed to capture the mood: “Happy Bastards.”

As the night drew on, however, the crowd began to hear increasingly horrific news. A Kalamazoo woman had been shot outside her apartment complex. Then a father and son had been gunned down in front of a car dealership. Finally, a local Cracker Barrel had been turned into a bloodbath when a shooter opened fire, killing at least four." 'via Blog this'

Trump on protester: 'I’d like to punch him in the face'

Trump on protester: 'I’d like to punch him in the face': "“We’re not allowed to punch back any more,” Trump lamented. The billionaire said he missed the “good old days,” when the man would be treated differently.

“You know what they used to do to a guy like that in a place like this?” Trump said. “They’d be carried out on a stretcher, folks.”"  'via Blog this'

Saudi oil minister Al-Naimi: Oil production cuts won't happen

Saudi oil minister Al-Naimi: Oil production cuts won't happen: "Saudi oil minister Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi said Tuesday producers will hopefully meet in March to negotiate an output freeze, but production cuts will not happen." 'via Blog this'

Obama Plans Visit to Cuba, as Talks on Expanding Trade Begin - The New York Times

Obama Plans Visit to Cuba, as Talks on Expanding Trade Begin - The New York Times: "Opening the discussions on Wednesday, Penny Pritzker, the commerce secretary, called on the government of Cuba to open its economy to American business and investment, saying the Cubans must do more to help facilitate commerce after the thaw between the two nations. Ms. Pritzker said her department had acted aggressively since Mr. Obama’s December 2014 announcement to pave the way for American companies to do business in Cuba, granting 490 authorizations amounting to $4.3 billion last year alone — a roughly 30 percent increase over the previous year." 'via Blog this'

U.S. tractor factory in Cuba gets green light - CBS News

U.S. tractor factory in Cuba gets green light - CBS News: "The Obama administration has approved the first U.S. factory in Cuba in more than half a century, allowing a two-man company from Alabama to build a plant assembling as many as 1,000 small tractors a year for sale to private farmers in Cuba.

The Treasury Department last week notified partners Horace Clemmons and Saul Berenthal that they can legally build tractors and other heavy equipment in a special economic zone started by the Cuban government to attract foreign investment." 'via Blog this'

The Kochs Are Plotting A Multimillion-Dollar Assault On Electric Vehicles

The Kochs Are Plotting A Multimillion-Dollar Assault On Electric Vehicles: "A new group that's being cobbled together with fossil fuel backing hopes to spend about $10 million dollars per year to boost petroleum-based transportation fuels and attack government subsidies for electric vehicles, according to refining industry sources familiar with the plan. A Koch Industries board member and a veteran Washington energy lobbyist are working quietly to fund and launch the new advocacy outfit." 'via Blog this'

Cliven Bundy, 4 others face federal indictment in Nevada | OregonLive.com

Cliven Bundy, 4 others face federal indictment in Nevada | OregonLive.com: "Ammon Bundy, brother Ryan Bundy, Ryan Payne and Peter Santilli -- already indicted in the armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon -- now face federal indictment along with Cliven Bundy in the 2014 armed standoff near the Bundy ranch in Nevada.

The indictment charges the four with 16 felonies: one count of conspiring to commit an offense against the United States, one count of conspiring to impede or injure a federal officer, four counts of carrying a firearm in a crime of violence, two counts of assault on a federal officer, two counts of threatening a federal law enforcement officer, three counts of obstructing justice, two counts of interfering with interstate commerce by extortion and one count of interstate travel in aid of extortion."  'via Blog this'

CDC: Tips From Former Smokers - Brian: There’s Hope

Obama hits Trump, Republican presidential field - Business Insider

Obama hits Trump, Republican presidential field - Business Insider: "US President Barack Obama harshly criticized the entire slate of Republican presidential candidates during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

"I think foreign observers are troubled by some of the rhetoric that's been taking place in these Republican primaries and Republican debates," Obama said when asked what foreign leaders thought of Donald Trump."  'via Blog this'

Alabama company gets U.S. permission to build tractors in Cuba | Reuters

Alabama company gets U.S. permission to build tractors in Cuba | Reuters: "The U.S. government has granted an Alabama company permission to build tractors in Cuba, one of the company's co-owners said on Monday, making it potentially the first American manufacturer to open shop in Cuba since the 1959 revolution.

Co-owners Horace Clemmons and Cuban-born Saul Berenthal plan to self-finance a $5 million to $10 million factory at the Cuban port of Mariel just west of Havana to build small tractors for sale to private farmers and builders in Cuba. Named "Oggun" after the god of iron in the Afro-Cuban religion Santeria!"  'via Blog this'

Dallas Police Officer Celebrated For Calm Under Fire « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

Very cool!

Dallas Police Officer Celebrated For Calm Under Fire « CBS Dallas / Fort Worth: "“The department has spent hours in training, training us to be responsive to situations like that. We go through reality based training … some of those scenarios are just like that. My training kicked in. I didn’t think about—I didn’t have TIME to think about anything else!”

Ultimately, she says, the suspect responded to her verbal commands and dropped his weapon. A couple of bystanders also ignored the danger and rushed to help… holding the suspect down until Dallas County Sheriff’s Deputy M. Bailey, #707, who was working off-duty at the store, placed him in handcuffs."  'via Blog this'

Yellen: Slower Rate Hikes If Economy Disappoints | Here & Now

Yellen: Slower Rate Hikes If Economy Disappoints | Here & Now: "While the Fed expects to raise interest rates gradually, they are not on any preset course, she said Wednesday. The Fed would likely move slower “if the economy were to disappoint.”

In her first public comments in two months, Yellen offered no major surprises. She reiterated the Fed’s confidence that the U.S. economy was on track for stronger growth and a rebound in inflation. At the same time, she acknowledged the weaker economic data reported since the start of the year and made it clear the Fed is closely monitoring greater risks from abroad."  'via Blog this'

Recession - Japan

Bloomberg - Japan Contracted Again in Final Quarter of 2015 http://bloom.bg/20UHTxn

Justices Expand Parole Rights for Juveniles Sentenced to Life for Murder - The New York Times

Justices Expand Parole Rights for Juveniles Sentenced to Life for Murder - The New York Times: "Justice Antonin Scalia dissented, joined by Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr., and Justice Thomas filed a separate dissent." 'via Blog this'

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dies at 79; ardent conservative fought liberalism's tide - LA Times

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia dies at 79; ardent conservative fought liberalism's tide - LA Times: "Before Scalia ascended to the high court in 1986, most of its justices shared the view that the Constitution was a progressive document which promised justice and equality for all. They had interpreted it in the 1960s and 1970s as giving women equal rights -- including a right to abortion -- as forbidding official prayers in public schools, as requiring police to warn criminal suspects of their rights, and for a time, blocking the death penalty as cruel and unusual punishment."  'via Blog this'

Fact-Checking Trump’s ’42 Percent Unemployment’ Claim | Here & Now

Fact-Checking Trump’s ’42 Percent Unemployment’ Claim | Here & Now: "Donald Trump talked about the unemployment rate. “Don’t believe those phony numbers when you hear 4.9 and 5 percent unemployment,” he said. “The number’s probably 28, 29, as high as 35. In fact, I even heard recently 42 percent.”

An unemployment rate of 42 percent would be nearly 10 times higher than the official unemployment rate of 4.9 percent, reported last Friday. Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson looks at how Trump is coming up with that number with Ali Velshi of Al Jazeera America."  'via Blog this'

Last Occupiers Of Oregon Wildlife Refuge Surrender To FBI | Here & Now

Last Occupiers Of Oregon Wildlife Refuge Surrender To FBI | Here & Now: "The occupiers were 27-year-old David Fry of Blanchester, Ohio; Jeff Banta, 46, of Elko, Nevada; and married couple Sean Anderson, 48, and Sandy Anderson, 47, of Riggins, Idaho.

In the live stream, Fry said the three others had surrendered but he refused to. He later said he was giving up. The FBI did not immediately confirm that the three surrendered."  'via Blog this'

How to build a "post-Ferguson" police station - POLITICO Magazine - POLITICO Magazine

How to build a "post-Ferguson" police station - POLITICO Magazine - POLITICO Magazine: "How to build a "post-Ferguson" police station
With a radical new design, Chicago architect Jeanne Gang aims to repair the trust between communities and cops."  'via Blog this'

Ferguson Votes To Reject Police Reform Agreement | Here

Ferguson Votes To Reject Police Reform Agreement | Here: "The Justice Department says it is considering taking legal actions against the city of Ferguson, Missouri, after Ferguson city councilors unanimously voted last night to amend and potentially gut a negotiated agreement to reform the city’s police department and municipal court."  'via Blog this'

Chicago officer sues estate of teen he shot

Chicago officer sues estate of teen he shot: "The unusual lawsuit was filed Friday amid city leaders’ efforts to win back the public’s trust after several cases of alleged police misconduct.

Robert Rialmo’s lawsuit provides the officer’s first public account of how he says the Dec. 26 shooting happened. It says Rialmo opened fire after Quintonio LeGrier swung a bat at his head at close range. Also killed in the shooting was LeGrier’s neighbor Bettie Jones, 55."  'via Blog this'

Ferguson Approves Revised DOJ Deal - The Daily Beast

Ferguson Approves Revised DOJ Deal - The Daily Beast: "The Ferguson, Missouri, City Council voted Tuesday to send a proposal on police and court reform to the Justice Department with six revisions. The council decided in a unanimous vote after three public hearings on the proposed consent agreement, which includes reforming policies on use of force, body-camera requirements for officers, and hours of additional training. The proposal, which was released last week, follows a Justice Department investigation into the police department and court in the wake of the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown. Though the Justice Department will consider the provisions, Councilman Wesley Bell said some of the reforms will be put into effect."  'via Blog this'

Marco Rubio Short-Circuits Again, Inexplicably Repeats Scripted Line Wor...

21 Century - got it!

Marco Rubio Short-Circuits, Repeats Same Scripted Line Four Times During...

Ted Cruz apologizes to Ben Carson at debate - Business Insider

Ted Cruz apologizes to Ben Carson at debate - Business Insider: "Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) apologized to Ben Carson on stage at the ABC News Republican debate Saturday night for his campaign spreading misleading messages the night of the Iowa caucuses implying that Carson was going to leave the race." 'via Blog this'

Ben Carson to Florida to get 'a fresh set of clothes,' accuses Cruz campaign of 'dirty trick' - CNNPolitics.com

Ben Carson to Florida to get 'a fresh set of clothes,' accuses Cruz campaign of 'dirty trick' - CNNPolitics.com: "Ben Carson charged on Tuesday that Ted Cruz needs to fire campaign staffers for falsely telling Iowa caucusgoers to support the Texas senator because the retired neurosurgeon was planning on quitting the race.

"If Ted Cruz doesn't know about this, then he clearly needs to very quickly get rid of some people in his organization," Carson said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "And if he does know about it, isn't this the exact kind of thing that the American people are tired of? Why would we want to continue with that kind of shenanigan?""  'via Blog this'

Chris Christie and Jeb Bush Team Up on a Mutual Target: Marco Rubio - The New York Times

Chris Christie and Jeb Bush Team Up on a Mutual Target: Marco Rubio - The New York Times: "Frustrated and flailing as his candidacy threatens to slip away, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is embarking on a scalding effort over the next week to discredit Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, the man he blames for undermining his campaign and whose ascendancy he deeply resents.

And Mr. Christie has a secret ally: Jeb Bush.

Mr. Christie, whose White House hopes hinge on a strong showing in New Hampshire, is unleashing the kind of cutting and personal attacks that brought him renown in New Jersey but that pose a far greater risk in a presidential campaign, where they can harm the assailant as much as the intended target.

Over the past 48 hours, Mr. Christie has mocked Mr. Rubio as a cosseted “boy in the bubble,” derided him as “constantly scripted,” likened him to “the king of England,” and, perhaps most creatively, compared his Senate career to that of a helpless fourth grader who is told which chair to sit in at school. On Wednesday, Mr. Christie challenged anyone “to show me the significant accomplishment that Senator Rubio has done while he’s in the United States Senate.”"  'via Blog this'

Willie Wood Made the Most Memorable Play of Super Bowl I. He Has No Recollection. - The New York Times

Willie Wood Made the Most Memorable Play of Super Bowl I. He Has No Recollection. - The New York Times: "Wood remembers nothing of the play.

He does not even recollect playing in the first Super Bowl, on Jan. 15, 1967, or ever being on an N.F.L. roster.

Wood, who spends most of his time in a wheelchair, has been at an assisted living center in his hometown, Washington, for the last nine years, first for physical woes — debilitating neck, hip and knee operations — and later because dementia robbed him of many cognitive functions. Nonetheless, Wood, 79, likes to wear a green Packers cap most days now as he sits in his sunny room listening to jazz and 1950s doo-wop. Wordlessly and impassively, he will point to the logo on the cap as if he knows it has some shadowy meaning in his life. But specifics elude him." 'via Blog this'

Study: Bush, aides made 935 false statements in run-up to war - CNN.com

Study: Bush, aides made 935 false statements in run-up to war - CNN.com: ""In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003," reads an overview of the examination, conducted by the Center for Public Integrity and its affiliated group, the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

According to the study, Bush and seven top officials -- including Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice -- made 935 false statements about Iraq during those two years."  'via Blog this'

Paul Ryan Hosts Budget Meeting With House Freedom Caucus. It Didn't Go Well.

Paul Ryan Hosts Budget Meeting With House Freedom Caucus. It Didn't Go Well.: "to support the 2017 spending plan.

Over beer, chips, soda and, according to one caucus member who asked to remain anonymous to discuss the private meeting, "all the normal kinds of bagged munchies that you’re not supposed to eat," Ryan hosted caucus members around a large conference table in his office to tell them that, if Republicans want to pass appropriations bills this year, they have to accept the budget number that leaders from both parties agreed to at the end of October.

"There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that I’ll vote for that," caucus member Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) told The Huffington Post after the meeting."  'via Blog this'

Plumbers Converge On Flint To Help Get Lead Out Of Its Drinking Water : NPR

Plumbers Converge On Flint To Help Get Lead Out Of Its Drinking Water : NPR: "Some good news for Flint, Mich., where the water was contaminated with lead. Dozens of union plumbers volunteered to install water filters and replace faucets for some of the city's poorest residents."  'via Blog this'

The Zika virus, explained

Uber Drivers and Others in the Gig Economy Take a Stand - The New York Times

Uber Drivers and Others in the Gig Economy Take a Stand - The New York Times: "Last September, Dallas-area drivers for UberBlack, the company’s high-end car service, received an email informing them that they would be expected to start picking up passengers on UberX, its low-cost option.

The next day, when the policy was scheduled to go into effect, dozens of drivers caravaned to Uber’s office in downtown Dallas and planted themselves outside until company officials met with them. Many had taken out loans to buy luxury vehicles that cost upward of $35,000, and worried that the modest per-mile rate for UberX passengers would barely cover gas and wear and tear, to say nothing of their car payments."  'via Blog this'

Cost Of Investing Falls As Companies Try To Attract New Investors | Here & Now

Cost Of Investing Falls As Companies Try To Attract New Investors | Here & Now: "The cost of investing in some basic stock funds is falling, as firms try to attract new customers, many of whom are younger and skeptical of paying hefty fees. According to Morningstar, the number of funds that cost $10 or less for every $10,000 invested has more than doubled in recent years, from 40 in 2010, to more than 100 today. This puts pressure on companies to make money elsewhere. Jill Schlesinger of CBS News joins Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson to explain." 'via Blog this'