Tag Archives: United States

The Pentagon Reports that North Korea could Hit U.S. with Nuclear Strike

While North Korea has never been forthright with their nuclear capabilities, Washington officials stated that tiny communist nation does have the capability to hit the mainland of the U.S. with nuclear strikes. The Pentagon went on to state that they are prepared for such a situation.

“I’m pretty confident that we’re going to knock down the numbers that are going to be shot,” Admiral Bill Gortney, who heads the U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said of a potential strike.

Every few years North Korea taunts Western nations with allusions to the country’s nuclear capabilities. Throughout the past several years, they have continually announced successful nuclear tests.

Last month, North Korea’s space agency announced Pyongyang was building a new satellite and getting ready to launch the satellite for possible long range missile attacks. The country continues to state that the rocket launches are part of a legitimate space program that wants to put satellites into orbit. North Korea has defied past sanctions and international warnings by continuing to conduct missile tests.

In March, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency reported that North Korea could launch an intercontinental ballistic missile this year.

In light of recent reports on North Korea’s possible nuclear capabilities, the U.S. military is investing to modernize its current missile defense system with new sensors and radars in order to better identify potential launches.

“We’re ready for him [Kim Jong Un], and we’re ready 24 hours a day…,” Gortney said.

Ten Commandments Removed from Oklahoma City Capitol Grounds

In the quiet of night, the controversial Ten Commandments monument, located on the grounds of the Oklahoma City Capitol building, was removed.  A state hired contractor began removing the monument shortly after 10:30 p.m. The removal comes after the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s decision in June that the display violates a state constitutional prohibition on the use of public property to support “any sect, church, denomination or system of religion.”

Originally authorized by the Legislature in 2009, the privately funded monument was erected in 2012, bringing about a lawsuit from Bruce Prescott, a Baptist minister from Norman who complained it violated the state constitution.

“Frankly, I’m glad we finally got the governor and attorney general to agree to let the monument be moved to private property, which is where I believe it’s most appropriate,” Prescott said Monday. “The first sermon I ever preached was on the Ten commandments.  I am just opposed to it being on public property.”

Its placement at the Capitol prompted requests from several groups to have their own monuments installed, the list including a satanic church in New York that wanted to erect a 7-foot-tall statue that depicts Satan as Baphomet, a goat-headed figure with horns, wings and a long beard.

Office of Management and Enterprise Services spokesman John Estus said that the state is paying the contractor about $4,700 to remove the monument and take it to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs’ offices, a few blocks away.  Estus said the decision to remove the monument under the cover of darkness was made to avoid disturbing workers at the Capitol and to keep protesters from demonstrating while heavy equipment was being used to detach the two-ton monument from its base.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol had increased security around the monument earlier Monday, and barriers were erected to keep visitors from getting close to it.

Several conservative legislators have promised to introduce a resolution when the Legislature convenes in February to send to a public vote an amendment that would remove the article of the constitution that prevents the use of public money or property for religious purposes.

15 Million T-Mobile Customers’ Data Stolen by Hackers

The credit bureau Experian experienced a data breach, revealing user data from approximately 15 million T-Mobile customers.

The data gathered by the hackers included names, addresses, birth dates, and Social Security numbers along with other forms of identification like driver’s’ license numbers. According to T-Mobile, the hackers were not able to get payment information or bank account information.

People affected by the hack may not be current T-Mobile customers. The companies announced that customers who applied for T-Mobile postpaid services or device financing between September 1, 2013 and September 16, 2015 were the ones who could be victims of the hack.

Experian stated in a press release that no evidence has been presented so far that the data has been used illegally or inappropriately. Experian is a widely used credit-information provider that has experienced several security concerns; the T-Mobile hack is just the latest incident. The last cyberattack on Experian was in 2012 when 200 million Americans had their Social Security numbers exposed.

T-Mobile CEO John Legere had strong feelings regarding the breach and said that his company would be looking for a new and more secure service provider.

“Obviously I am incredibly angry about this data breach and we will institute a thorough review of our relationship with Experian,” but the carrier’s top concern now is helping the people affected, Legere wrote in an open letter on T-Mobile’s site.

Experian North America stated in a notice that it was a business unit that had been compromised, and its consumer credit bureau wasn’t affected. Experian has notified international and U.S. law enforcement.

T-Mobile is now offering free credit monitoring identity resolution services from ProtectMyID for the next two years for their customers that think they may have been affected by the breach. ProtectMyID is a division of Experian.

The breach at Experian is the latest in a string of massive hacks that have claimed tens of millions of customer records. The U.S. Office of Personnel experienced a major hack earlier this year, JPMorgan Chase had a breach of data in 2014, and large retailer, Target, had a major cyberattack on their cash register systems in 2013.

International Partners Ask Russia to Stop Airstrikes, Focus on ISIS

Escalating tension continues between the U.S. and Russian over Russian airstrikes that government officials feel are serving to strengthen Syrian President Bashar Assad by targeting “moderate” rebels rather than ISIS fighters that it promised to attack.

The Pentagon is wrestling with the question as to whether the U.S. should use military force to protect U.S. trained and equipped Syrian rebels now that they may be the targets of Russian airstrikes. Pentagon leaders have been consistent in saying that the U.S. must take steps to protect the American-trained rebels.
An international coalition is urging Russia to immediately cease attacks on the Syrian opposition and civilians and focus instead on fighting the ISIS terrorist group.

“We express our deep concern with regard to the Russian military build-up in Syria and especially the attacks by the Russian Air Force on Hama, Homs and Idlib since yesterday which led to civilian casualties and did not target Da’esh,” said the statement, jointly issued late Thursday by the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey, France, Germany, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Russia’s defense ministry said that over the past 24 hours it had damaged or destroyed 12 targets in Syria belonging to the ISIS fighters, including a command center and ammunition depots. A U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, Col. Steve Warren, said he had no indication that the Russians had hit Islamic State targets.

Concerns are being raised that this conflict is leading to a new alliance between Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran.

Major Companies to Cut Significant Amount of Jobs

Major companies, mostly located in the United States, are expecting to cut thousands of jobs within the next few years. These companies include: Whole Foods, Caterpillar, Chesapeake Energy, Hewlett-Packard Co., and Toshiba, along with supermarket giant, Wal-Mart Stores.

Reasons for the cuts have been attributed to a variety of reasons. Whole Foods reported to USA Today that they would be cutting 1,500 jobs within the next two months in order to lower prices for customers. The organic grocery store also announced that they would be trying to find other jobs within the company for those who were laid off.

Caterpillar, the heavy equipment manufacturer, said they would be cutting 10,000 jobs within the next three years. The job cuts come from a lack of projects for the company due to weakness in the energy and mining businesses worldwide, which affects the company greatly because their equipment is usually used for resource extraction and construction.

Another company that has been affected by the energy industry is Chesapeake Energy. Due to the high prices of oil and natural gas, the energy company is having to cut 750 workers, which is 15% of its workforce. Most of the job cuts will be in Oklahoma City, OK, where the company is based.

The technology business has also been affected by the recent world markets. Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) announced earlier this month that they would be cutting 33,300 jobs over the next three years due to falling demand. Another tech giant, Toshiba, also announced today that they would be cutting jobs as well due to a recent account scandal within the company. So far, Toshiba has not announced how many jobs would be cut, but that there would be restructuring within their company.

Even one of the biggest companies in the United States announced today that they would be cutting jobs. Wal-Mart Stores told Reuters that hundreds of people would be laid off at their headquarters in Arkansas. They expect fewer than 500 employees to lose their jobs. The job cuts were announced while the company struggles to shore up its profit margins, which have been weighted down by a $1 billion investment earlier this year to increase the wages of employees. So far this year, the stock for the world’s biggest retailer is down 26%.

CNN Money reported that the U.S. has cut more than 86,000 jobs due to falling oil prices.

Officials Announce New Sanctions on ISIS Affiliates

On Tuesday, U.S. government officials announced sanctions against 25 people and groups affiliated with the Islamic State. The announcement has revealed that the Islamic terrorist organization has connections in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

The financial sanctions were placed in hopes of interrupting the Islamic State’s financial, logistical, and recruiting operatives who are not suitable targets for drone strikes. Many of the ISIS affiliates operate outside of the war in Iraq and Syria. U.S. officials also hope that the sanctions prevent ISIS fighters from getting supplies and travelling.

The Treasury Department’s sanctions were forced on Islamic State officials who operate in Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Tunisia. Individuals who were sanctioned included was a British national Aqsa Mahmood. Mahmood is accused of recruiting three young British school girls to leave the United Kingdom and become wives of ISIS fighters in February. It is believed that her location is in Syria.

Government officials also reported that the Islamic State’s biggest money-maker is oil sales, taxation, and extortion, which won’t be affected by the sanctions. Daniel Glaser, the Treasury’s assistant secretary for terrorist financing, said that ISIS is making as much as $500 million per year from oil sales, which is beyond their estimated payroll of $360 million a year. Experts are also skeptical of the effectiveness of the sanctions given the extensive smuggling networks in the region.

U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders recently discussed the battle against the Islamic State during the address at the General Assembly.

“This is not a conventional battle. This is a long-term campaign — not only against this particular network, but against its ideology,” Obama said.

World leaders still have not come to an overall agreement on how to eradicate ISIS.

Hurricane Joaquin Threatens U.S. East Coast and Bahamas

Tropical Storm Joaquin was upgraded to a Category 1 Hurricane early this morning as it bears in on the Bahamas.  Forecasted to become a Category 3 Hurricane with wind gusts up to 115 mph by Saturday. Winds are now sustained at 80 mph and will hit the Bahamas by early Sunday. Hurricane watches and warnings have been issued.

More than 10,000 people live on the Bahamian islands and should experience tropical storm-like winds Wednesday and hurricane conditions by noon Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Five to 15 inches of rain could fall. Dangerous storm surges 4 feet above normal tides are also expected.  

“Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,” the hurricane center said about the Bahamas on Wednesday.

Hurricane Joaquin is the 2015 Atlantic season’s third hurricane. Residents along the East Coast of the U.S. should pay close attention to the forecast now through this weekend. It is a particularly difficult forecast that hinges on the behavior of several different atmospheric features over North America and the North Atlantic Ocean.   

U.S. Military Airstrike Launched in Attempt to Regain City

In an attempt to regain Kunduz from the Taliban in Afghanistan, military officials announced airstrikes that were launched on Tuesday.  

U.S. Army Col. Brian Tribus, spokesman for the U.S. and NATO missions in Afghanistan, said the strike was carried out “in order to eliminate a threat to the force.”  

Afghanistan troops were amassed outside Kunduz in an effort to take back the city that had fallen to the Taliban on Monday.   

President Ashraf Ghani stated in a televised address to the nation, that the military launched a counter-offensive on the city, with security forces “retaking government buildings … and reinforcements, including special forces and commandos are either there or on their way there.”

“The enemy has sustained heavy casualties,” said Ghani, who marked his first anniversary in office on Tuesday. He urged his nation to trust Afghan troops and not give in to “fear and terror.”

Many analysts and officials predict a very difficult time in the fight ahead.  Taliban have control of many of the roads to the city which make supply runs and reinforcing troops quite challenging as well as the fact that the Taliban has infiltrated residential areas which make airstrikes and the use of heavy weapons quite costly.  

Stock Market Dives Sliding 313 points

The volitive stock market took another dive as the Dow slid 313 points on Monday and plunged biotech stocks way lower.  The S& P lost 2.6%.

The Nasdaq experienced steeper losses, shedding 3%. It was the Nasdaq’s worst one-day decline since August 24, the day the Dow took an unprecedented 1,000-point nosedive.

Biotech stocks have stumbled amid concerns that political pressure will end steep drug price increases.

The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF plummeted 6.3% on Monday, its biggest one-day loss since 2011.

Blue chips comprising the Dow temporarily ducked below 16,000 at one point, the first time the index has fallen below that mark since Aug. 25.

“Investors are in a more conservative mood right now. The higher the valuation of a sector, the more vulnerable it is,” said David Kelly, chief global strategist at JPMorgan Funds.

U.N Summit, World Leaders Meet to Discuss Global Problems

Today five of the most powerful men in the world will be speaking at this historic meeting at the U.N. United States President Obama, Russia’s President Putin, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani

U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki Moon called for a political solution to the war in Syria that has left more than 200,000 dead and unleashed a torrent of refugees. “The global humanitarian system is not broken; it is broke,” he said. He also urged world leaders to work together in order to banish the “blatant brutality” of extremist groups, such as the Islamic State.

U.S. President Barack Obama said they would work with any country to solve the crisis and war in Syria but that we must also not allow Syrian President Bashar Assad to stay in office. When speaking about the conflict in Ukraine, he said the world cannot stand by while Russia violates Ukraine’s integrity and sovereignty.

The need to protect and nurture the environment was first thing on Chinese President, Xi Jinping’s agenda in his speech today. “We should care for nature and not place ourselves above it. We should reconcile industrial development with nature.” He added that China would never pursue “hegemony, expansion or sphere of influence” in the world. And he pledged $1 billion over the next decade to support U.N. efforts to further global peace and development.

Russian President Putin stressed the importance of combating the ISIS threat in Syria stating that it must be done in cooperation with the Syrian government. “We think it is an enormous mistake to refuse to work with the Syrian government and its armed forces,” Putin said. “No one but the Syrian forces and Kurdish militia are seriously fighting against the Islamic state.” The alternative is to arm terrorists who threaten Europe, Russia and other countries, he said.

The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani praised the Iranian/U.S. agreement on nuclear weapons as an example of global cooperation. On the terroristic threats in the middle east, he stated firmly the terrorist “wave of destruction has gone beyond the Middle East and the Arab world and reached the shores of the United States and Europe,” he added. “Without the U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, and U.S. support for the Zionist regime, the terrorists would not have justification for their actions.”

President Obama and Putin are scheduled for an intense meeting this afternoon at the White House to discuss their differences on Syria and the Ukraine.