March 26, 2018 – Bridge Agents

US Senate: Reject Haspel for CIA Director

March 26, 2018 Bridge Agents

(HRW) – The US Senate should oppose the nomination of Gina Haspel to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to the Senate leadership and Select Committee on Intelligence. She was closely involved in the torture of detainees under the CIA’s Rendition, Detention, and Interrogation (RDI) program, and the destruction of related evidence. The government should disclose more information about Haspel’s role in the RDI program, but what is already known should disqualify her from serving as CIA director and other…

Hey Kellyanne, Federal Employees Work for Both Democrats and Republicans – Even You

March 26, 2018 Bridge Agents

United States (Conversation) – Federal ethics lawyers determined earlier this month that White House adviser Kellyanne Conway violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits a variety of political activities by federal employees. During two television appearances last year, Conway, a Republican, had encouraged Alabama voters to vote against the Democratic senate candidate in a special election. Conway made her comments on television. That’s not the only arena where federal employees have crossed the line into prohibited political advocacy. They do it in their offices, at meetings and in memos. And in…

Don’t Make the Border a Wasteland

March 26, 2018 Bridge Agents

US (OW) – Some Americans think of the U.S.-Mexico border as a wasteland. In fact, the mountains and deserts of our borderlands are teeming with wildlife. Here you’ll find large cats like the jaguar, the subject of my research. Jaguar sightings have been reported in New Mexico and Arizona for over a century, even as far north as the Grand Canyon. Their presence is a stamp of approval — they mean healthy habitats, prey populations, and the connection of critical wildlife corridors across the border. Humans, after all, aren’t the only animals…

PKK Denies Reports About Launch of Turkish Operation in Iraqi Sinjar

March 26, 2018 Bridge Agents

(Sputnik) – Earlier on Sunday, Turkish media cited President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying that that the operation against the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara, had started in Iraq’s Sinjar. “At the moment, there is no movement of Turkish [forces] in the town of Sinjar, Nineveh Governorate. If this happens, we will respond with force to protect the Yazidis [a Kurdish religious minority],” the party’s member said, noting that Erdogan frequently makes wrongful statements. Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds escalated in July 2015 when a ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK collapsed over a series of terror attacks allegedly…

Is Selling Retail Online Worth the Initial Costs?

March 26, 2018 Bridge Agents

Moving a retail business online may seem formidable at first. But with the help of experts and a willingness to adapt, your business can soon be thriving on an online platform. Initial setup costs should be factored into the budget and plan, but these can be managed in ways to reduce the outlay, so your company begins to quickly generate profit on the web. Here are some other things you can do to mitigate costs and get your online business up and running. Establish a Web Presence Begin by designing…

How Will Self-Driving Cars Change DUI Convictions?

March 26, 2018 Bridge Agents

It’s a modern world, and self-driving cars are finally hitting the roads. Although self-driving cars aren’t commonly used by the general public yet, they could be a normal form of transportation in the not-so-distant future. If autonomous cars no longer use humans behind the wheel, it can raise some serious questions about driving laws and traffic-related offenses. Would an individual inside of a self-driving car still be held responsible if that car were to crash? In addition, would current DUI laws still apply to a situation involving a driverless car?…

Death Penalty for Drug Dealers? Be Careful What You Wish For, President Trump

March 26, 2018 Bridge Agents

(Garrison) – In his first 2020 re-election campaign appearance in New Hampshire, US president Donald Trump addressed some of his typical bombast to the so-called “opioid crisis.” “If we don’t get tough on the drug dealers,” said Trump, “we’re wasting our time. That toughness includes the death penalty.” An odd take, considering that one of Trump’s few worthwhile campaign promises was to leave the legal status of marijuana up to the states. That promise should have been kept, and extended to other drugs as well. Instead, he turned Jeff “good…