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Finally, Memorial Day is an occasion to solemnly consider the unfinished work for which men and women gave the last full measure of devotion. The United States is unique among earth’s nations. It was conceived as an enterprise to secure men’s inalienable rights, including life, liberty and property. It was constituted and organized to secure justice, domestic tranquility, and the blessings of liberty. It is a striving, aspiring society that shed great blood over its flaws, and amended its charter a number of times to move closer to the ideal of liberty and justice for all.
For some, that might be too sanguine, even jingoistic. Too eager to approve every conflict as embracing American ideals and advancing American interests. They too have a point. Memorial Day should be a time to consider the toll of war, the tearing of families, the historic rending of civil liberties. That debate, and its resolution also are part of the unfinished work of preserving government of the people, by the people, and for the people in the greatest nation God has yet allowed to flourish on the earth.
President Donald Trump claimed a memo that former FBI Director James Comey gave to a friend “in order to get a special counsel against me” was “all classified … totally classified.” That’s wrong.
President Donald Trump claimed a memo that former FBI Director James Comey gave to a friend “in order to get a special counsel against me” was “all classified … totally classified.” That’s wrong. It was unclassified at the time and remains unclassified.
In an April 26 interview on Fox News, Trump also claimed Dr. Jill McCabe, the wife of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, “didn’t even spend” and “kept some of” the nearly $700,000 that her 2015 state Senate campaign received from political groups affiliated with Terry McAuliffe, a longtime friend of Hillary Clinton.
In fact, campaign records show that the money was spent on campaign-related expenses and contributions.
Trump’s phone call to “Fox & Friends” came only hours after CNN broadcast a town hall meeting with Comey, the former FBI director who was fired by Trump during the ongoing FBI investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. Steve Doocy, a co-host of the show, asked Trump about his opinion of Comey, who is on a book tour to promote “A Higher Loyalty,” which is critical of Trump.
Trump, April 26: Look, Comey is a leaker and he’s a liar and not only on this stuff. He’s been leaking for years.
He’s probably been using his friend, the so-called professor who now turns out to have FBI clearance, which he never said. He even lied about that because he never said that in Congress.
He said he gave it to a friend and he gave it to a friend to leak classified information. It’s all classified. It was totally classified.
So illegally — he did an illegal act and he said it himself in order to get a special counsel against me.
Comey wrote that memo on the day of a Feb. 14, 2017, meeting with Trump at the White House. Comey writes in the memo that Trump brought up the FBI investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn when they met. “He said, ‘I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go’,” Comey recalled Trump saying.
But Trump is incorrect when he says that the memo contained classified information.
At the CNN town hall event, Comey reiterated that the memo he gave Richman was unclassified and he noted that Richman relayed the “substance” of the memo to the Times, but not the memo itself. “I sent one memo unclassified then, still unclassified and it’s recounted in my book, to my friend Dan Richman and asked him to get the substance of it but not the memo out to the media,” he said.
Trump didn’t make this point in his interview with “Fox & Friends,” but Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley has questioned whether Comey mishandled the classified information that was contained in four of the seven memos.
In a Jan. 3 letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Grassley said Comey gave Richman four of the seven memos. “If it’s true that Professor Richman had four of the seven memos, then in light of the fact that four of the seven memos the Committee reviewed are classified, it would appear that at least one memo the former FBI director gave Professor Richman contained classified information,” Grassley wrote.
The senator’s office told us that Grassley is not accusing Comey of leaking classified information, but is trying to get to the bottom of Comey’s handling of the memos. A staffer, who asked not to be identified, said the office could not discuss Rosenstein’s response to Grassley’s letter. The staffer also said the senator’s office has yet to hear from Comey.
On CNN, Comey confirmed that he gave Richman copies of four memos. However, he claimed that all four were unclassified.
Comey said as director of the FBI he had “the training and the authority to make decisions about what should be classified and what shouldn’t,” and that he decided that only three of the memos contained classified information.
At this point, we don’t know if Comey mishandled any classified information. But we do know that the president is wrong when he said the memo Comey gave to Richman “in order to get a special counsel against me” was “all classified … totally classified.” That memo was not classified.
In his interview, Trump also said without evidence that Jill McCabe, wife of the former FBI deputy director, “didn’t even spend” and “kept some of” the nearly $700,000 that her Virginia Senate campaign received from a Hillary Clinton supporter in 2015.
In fact, campaign finance reports filed with the Virginia Department of Elections show that Jill McCabe’s campaign spent all of the nearly $1.7 million it raised for her race. So, there were no leftover funds for the McCabes to keep.
Trump, April 26: You look at McCabe where he takes $700,000 from somebody supporting Hillary Clinton. He takes $700,000 for his wife’s campaign. And by the way, didn’t even spend that money. They kept some of it because under that law you’re — he took seven.
As we’ve written before, Jill McCabe unsuccessfully ran for a Virginia state Senate seat in 2015. Her campaign reported receiving a total of $1.67 million, including $467,500 from Common Good VA and $207,788 from the Virginia Democratic Party.
Common Good VA is the political action committee of former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a longtime friend and supporter of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Combined, McAuliffe’s PAC and the Virginia Democratic Party contributed $675,000 to McCabe’s campaign.
We asked the White House what evidence Trump had that the McCabes “kept some of” the campaign money, but did not receive a response. We will update this story if we do.
Jill McCabe’s campaign actually spent all of the money it raised in 2015, according to a summary of its finances by the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project.
As of Nov. 26, 2015, which was more than 3 weeks after the Nov. 3 election, McCabe’s campaign reported a balance of just $13,085.49, according to the financial report it filed on Dec. 3, 2015.
Its follow-up report on March 28, 2016, (see Schedule D) shows that a good chunk of the remaining money was used to pay staff salaries and donate to other Democratic candidates and committees. There were also payments for services such as email, internet and banking. The largest single payment we saw was $4,000 to Vaquero Blue LLC, a Democratic direct mail firm headed by former McCabe campaign manager, Scott Remley.
And the campaign’s final financial report — which was also filed on March 28, 2016, and disclosed an ending balance of $0 — says that its last two expenditures were campaign contributions. On Feb. 29, 2016, the campaign donated $1,000 to Democrat LuAnn Bennett, who lost her bid for Congress in 2016, and it donated $471.33 to Democratic Lt. Governor Ralph Northam, who won his 2017 race to succeed McAuliffe as governor.
So, McCabe had no leftover campaign funds to keep, according to state election records.
BERLIN - An explosion at a restaurant has killed one person and injured several others in the German city of Ansbach, near Nuremberg, the Nuernberger Nachrichten newspaper reported late on Sunday. It said the cause of the blast was unknown.
A police spokesman in Anspach confirmed that an explosion had been reported, but had no further information.
Germany's NTV television reported that officials suspected the explosion was caused by a gas leak.
Toshiba's Satellite L645D-S4036 laptop is an inexpensive, lightweight machine that'll suit budget-minded students. It won't blow your mind with its performance, but it has 4Gb of RAM, a triple-core AMD Phenom II processor, a DVD-writer, and a 320Gb hard drive.
Toshiba's L645D clearly aims for the hearts of budget laptop buyers, but some of the compromises it makes to hit its low price may be too severe.
Microsoft ends support for Windows XP on Tuesday: Is your survival kit ready?
Microsoft has decided to stop providing support for its popular operating system, Windows XP. If you continue using Windows XP after support ends, your computer will still work. It will, however, be vulnerable to security threats.
Microsoft has decided to stop providing support for its popular operating system, Windows XP, after a 12-year successful run. Technical assistance that helps protect your PC will end for all individual and professional subscribers across the world beginning April 8.
Microsoft's decision to end their Windows XP support has created ripples across the globe as a study shows the OS still makes up for almost 30% of the desktop market.
"Microsoft has provided support for Windows XP for the past 12 years. But now the time has come for us, along with our hardware and software partners, to invest our resources toward supporting more recent technologies so that we can continue to deliver great new experiences," Microsoft said in a statement.
What exactly will end of Windows XP support do?
If you continue using Windows XP after support ends, your computer will still work. It will, however, be vulnerable to security threats. It will also gradually become so obsolete that you just can't keep using the OS. "As more software and hardware manufacturers continue to optimise for more recent versions of Windows, you can expect to encounter greater numbers of apps and devices that do not work with Windows XP," Microsoft said.
So, what are you supposed to do?
The US-based multinational firm is advising its users to upgrade their current PC or simply buy a new one. "Not many computers will be able to run Windows 8.1, which is the latest version of Windows. You can check if your system is compatible for the latest OS with the help of Windows Upgrade Assistant. If your current PC can't run Windows 8.1, it might be time to consider shopping for a new one," its statement reads.
There are, however, several workarounds you can use. While the Windows XP will gradually perish, you don't have to jump immediately.
If you can't immediately migrate from XP because of unavoidable reasons, you can still keep your PC secured. After the end of support, no existing features will be disabled and no upgrades will be forced on to you. There are several support forums with details of tweaks and fixes you can use to stay secure.
Download and install a good antivirus, keep your Windows updates covered till April 7. Keep your browser updated too and refresh the plug-ins. Stay alert about all these precautions and your PC should be safe before you migrate from XP.
The end of support may not stop XP fans from using it. Windows XP fan sites will continue to be a source for tips and tricks. Windows Forums and XPforums.com and Mark Salloway's Windows XP Resource Center are three such sites.
While there are a few ways to keep Windows XP safe even after the end of support, please stop using the OS as soon as possible.
Microsoft will not issue any security updates for XP. While you will be able to download and update patches up to this date, if a new flaw in the OS is discovered, it will persist. Hackers can target the new flaws. The hardware manufacturers will not care about the OS. This means that XP won't work with new devices. The cyberattacks will soon start getting through soon as patches can't always help you.
US computer security company Symantec advises you move away from XP soon. "At Symantec, we firmly believe running up-to-date security products is a critical step in protecting your small business' information and devices. However, even the best security products can't fully protect an outdated operating system. XP users will face increased risks after April 8 as cybercriminals try to take advantage of vulnerabilities," it said in a statement.
"Symantec products will continue to support Windows XP systems for the foreseeable future, but we strongly recommend small businesses still using Windows XP upgrade to a more current operating system as soon as possible and protect it with a robust security solution."
What will be the impact on business users?
A Microsoft blog entry recently discussed the end-of-support impact on business users. Get this: "A study (issued by analyst firm IDC) interviewed nine large organisations that have deployed both Windows XP and Windows 7, and used the content of those interviews to quantify both the IT and end user costs of not migrating to Windows 7.
The "productivity costs" were measured for end users on metrics of lost time due to virus or malware attacks, reimaging, rebooting, downtime, and help desk requests/needs. Cost components for IT included upgrading PCs, security-related activities, deploying apps, patch management, help desk service, and several other metrics."
IDC's conclusion: 'Organisations that continue to retain a Windows XP environment not only are leaving themselves exposed to security risks and support challenges, but also are waiting budget dollars that would be better used in modernising their IT investments.'"
The study also shows the longer you wait, the pricier supporting Windows XP gets. "IT labour costs go up 25% in the fourth year of continuing to run Windows XP past deadline, and user productivity suffers as well, with an increased cost of 23%. In the fifth year, IT labour increases by an additional 29%, and user productivity costs jump up a staggering 40%."
As previously reported by HT, more than 20,000 ATM machines across India face an uncertain future and the threat of virus attacks after Microsoft's end-of-support move.
"The probability of security breaches will grow exponentially on Windows XP running beyond the end of support. This is even more risky for financial institutions' (in-house and ATMs)," a Microsoft spokesperson said. As on March 31, 2013 India had around 1.15 lakh ATMs, of which, an estimated 20% are still running on Windows XP.
It is, however, not easy to breach an ATM's cybersecurity. Girish Chavan, national manager, project services, Diebold India, said all ATMs are not connected to the internet so a hacker would need to reach it through the bank's network, "....and to breach a bank's firewall is not easy."
The pop singer may be pairing with celebrity chef Art Smith for a night to benefit her Born This Way Foundation.
While he won’t confirm or deny, it seems Art Smith, owner of Capitol Hill’s Art & Soul restaurant, is ready to take his friendship with Lady Gaga to a new level. He’s offered the restaurant to the pop star for an evening so “she can get to know Washington better.” The idea behind the offer is for her to invite over members of Congress and other Washington power brokers to schmooze with drink and food and promote her Born This Way Foundation. The event won’t happen until after the first of the year, when Congress is in session.
For now, the former Top Chef Masters contestant will appear in Gaga’s upcoming Thanksgiving special on ABC-TV. Their friendship was born from Gaga’s love of food and Top Chef. They met backstage at Oprah (Smith was once Oprah’s personal chef), and when the singer told the chef she was a fan, he said, “I have to cook for you.” He did, and she then introduced him to her parents, who asked him to help them open a restaurant at 68th and Columbus in New York, Joanne, where he’s the executive chef.
What will he prepare on the ABC special? Fried turkey and waffles. The interpretation was decided by Gaga, who, like Oprah, is fond of Art’s fried chicken and waffles.
A warning over a heightened threat of terrorism in Morocco was issued yesterday.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office reviewed its travel advice to the North African country, which attracts around 650,000 UK travellers a year.
The advice was “reflecting an increased threat” from terrorism in Morocco.
“Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Morocco. You should be vigilant at all times,” the FCO said in an updated travel advisory.
Two foreign tourists were murdered while hiking near Mount Toubkal – the highest peak in Atlas Mountians – in December.
“The Moroccan authorities have warned of an increased threat linked to the number of Moroccans sympathetic or belonging to Daesh (formerly referred to as ISIL) and other extremist groups, and regularly report the disruption of terrorist cells across the country, some of which have intended to carry out attacks in Morocco against government installations, public spaces and tourist sites.
“Attacks could be indiscriminate or target foreigners. In April 2011, 17 people were killed and 25 injured in a large explosion caused by a bomb in Marrakech at the Argana Restaurant in Djema el-Fna Square.
On Monday, the Postal Service announces that its governing board has given orders to accelerate cost-cutting measures. On Thursday, the Postal Service notifies the National Postal Mail Handlers Union that it is speeding up the shutdown of mail processing operations at 18 plants.
For employees at the affected plants—which include facilities in Florida, Texas and Wyoming—that may be a distinction without a difference. Under the Postal Service’s three-year plan to halve the size of its processing network, the 18 were supposed to be axed next year. Under the new timetable, they’ll join 82 other facilities set for consolidation between this month and July. In an interview, John Hegarty, president of the mail handlers union, was hopeful that the departure of thousands of workers under two early-out programs in the last year will lessen the number of employees who will have to move to keep working for the Postal Service. In any case, he said, the union will continue to stress that dislocation be kept to a minimum.
For anyone who’s wondering, incidentally, postal officials still aren’t saying exactly what they will be doing in response to the Board of Governors directive. Information on that score will come “as soon as possible,” another spokesman said.
Simple business. Charge enough to cover your cost plus profit margin. USPS can’t do that. Congress under GOP control morphed PRC (Postal Regulatory Commission) into master agency above Postal board of Governors & Postmaster General. PRC has blocked rate increases to cover Congress mandated business costs. GOP solution. Create additional layers bureaucracy over USPS operations. Never mind that USPS actually has never fired anyone for agency losing money. That managers in national management have been in place for sometimes 40+ years. This will take President Obama declaring an emergency & issuing Executive order(s) changing USPS operating standards. Then GOP can complain that Obama is over reaching (again).
role is to maintain the integrity and bring accountability to the united states postal service. if the office of the inspector general was doing its job, the levels of waste, incompetence, fraud, and corruption would be significantly lower within the management of the USPS. case in point, the office of the inspector general recently announced that they discovered that postal management paid out over $600,000 in ‘questionable bonuses’ in 2011 and 2012 to (2) ad agencies!
in just this one instance relating to USPS’s advertising. what did the office of the inspector general do about all these questionable costs and improperly documented payments and ‘suspect’ bonus payments? well, the OIG put out a press release of course! why wasn’t anyone fired or charged with a crime? why does the office of the inspector general even bother to investigate anything if they don’t intend to do ANYTHING ABOUT IT? postal management is littered with incompetence, waste, fraud, and corruption BECAUSE THE OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL IS A MISERABLE FAILURE AND ALLOWS IT TO CONTINUE.
ww.facbook.com/TPSradio Please listen to my ideas by calling (562)804-5625 and view my PROJECTS area on LinkedIn.
This includes Same Dy Delivery Service which is being tested RIGHT NOW and employing our honorably discharged military Veterans – more than 22%.
Twoguns is right in that mailers have to pay their share. If you go to USPS.com find the standard mail calculator and input numbers. Large mailers pay as little as 12 cents a letter! The post master general refused to tell congress how much mailers that have contracts pay. Is this because the amount is even less? In the past there was more first class mail than junk mail, now it is the other way around. Standard mail is sill growing, while 1st class is shrinking. These large mailers make donations to congress every year in attempt to privatize the postal service. What they really mean is cut the workers pay and allow the new owners to make millions! A private corporation also would not have price controls. Critics of the P.O. say that prices would drop, but we only have to look at Japan and Germany that have already privatized. They pay a lot more for postage than here in the U.S.
When a 90-year-old Curtis Bay lawn care company went under, some accused the former president of theft.
A lawn and garden products supplier started 90 years ago by Russian immigrants met its end in a flurry of court actions alleging its former president, Malcomb Cork, defrauded the business and concealed his actions.
Cork has pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Baltimore to three counts of wire fraud. His trial is scheduled to begin April 6.
Commerce Corp.'s demise in a 2013 bankruptcy meant the end of a family business that was one of the largest lawn and garden supplies distributor on the East Coast, with its former owner saying it had annual revenue of around $200 million and around 280 employees between its Curtis Bay headquarters and other facilities in Michigan and California.
Federal prosecutors in Baltimore and Richard Lessans, the company's former owner, accused Cork of defrauding the company of $450,000, which he "disguised" as a loan in 2010, according to the federal indictment unsealed a year ago. They further allege Cork manipulated the company's financial statements to conceal that he had taken the money.
In 2011, Cork made two more fraudulent wire transfers of $200,000 and $187,500 to his accounts, for a total of more than $800,000 allegedly stolen, according to the indictment.
The financial mismanagement of the company resulted in a $29 million loss, according to Lessans and the company's bankruptcy trustee. In 2012, when the company learned of the alleged fraud, Lessans fired Cork. The company was forced into bankruptcy by creditors in early 2013.
Lessans, the grandson of one of the founders, called the loss of the company his family built a "tragedy" and said his family has ceased the philanthropic giving they once enjoyed.
"I've only had one job and that's my family business, and that's gone," Lessans said. "We were the best at what we did."
Cork, he said, "ultimately turned out to be someone we couldn't trust."
If Cork is found guilty and the money cannot be recovered, prosecutors have filed a claim of forfeiture on Cork's property.
Cork's attorney, Howard L. Cardin of Baltimore-based law firm Cardin and Gitomer, declined to comment on his behalf.
Cork was hired as the company's president in 2004, and prosecutors allege the fraud scheme began in 2010.
Commerce began as an electrical wholesale supply business, founded in 1923 by Lessans' grandfather, Israel, and his three brothers at the corner of Pratt and Commerce streets in Baltimore. The company later became involved in housewares and hardware after World War II, then evolved into distributing lawn and garden supplies to many independent garden centers.
Troubles began to emerge publicly in late 2012 when the company notified the state it would lay off between 60 and 70 employees. Then five creditors filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition against Commerce, claiming they were owed a combined $1.73 million. They successfully pushed Commerce into a Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation.
In 2013, Big Lots Stores Inc. agreed to purchase inventory from Commerce for an amount expected to top $6 million, with the proceeds to go to another creditor, M&T Bank, which was owed more than $17.9 million by Commerce.
The Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings are continuing. In January, the bankruptcy trustee for Commerce, Zvi Guttman, asserted in a suit within the bankruptcy case that the law firm of Saul Ewing, which had been retained by Commerce, learned of Cork's actions in 2011 and concealed it from Lessans.
The lawsuit says the firm waited a year to inform Lessans of the alleged fraud, and that by then, the company had suffered irreparable financial harm. If the alleged fraud had been reported sooner, the company may have survived, the lawsuit contends.
Leslie K. Gross, a spokeswoman for Saul Ewing, which has offices in Baltimore and 11 states, declined to comment but said the firm "will vigorously defend the suit commenced by the bankruptcy trustee of our former client."

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