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November 2018

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 27, 2018 20 Comments
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's newest exploration vehicle InSight landed on Mars on Monday with much social media fanfare on earth.
Mission Control at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory exploded into celebratory applause and cheers after the touchdown was confirmed. The landing was watched around the world and even broadcast live on the Nasdaq Stock Market tower in New York City's Times Square. During a post-landing NASA press conference, the astronauts on the International Space Station called down to congratulate the mission team and said they "got some goosebumps" watching the coverage.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 27, 2018 22 Comments
Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused now Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct over 30 years ago, emerged and released a statement to end the fundraising someone set up for her a few months ago. The GoFundMe account raised $647,610 in the past two months with the last donation coming in at $50 five days ago. Ford wrote on the page:
The funds you have sent through GoFundMe have been a godsend. Your donations have allowed us to take reasonable steps to protect ourselves against frightening threats, including physical protection and security for me and my family, and to enhance the security for our home. We used your generous contributions to pay for a security service, which began on September 19 and has recently begun to taper off; a home security system; housing and security costs incurred in Washington DC, and local housing for part of the time we have been displaced. Part of the time we have been able to stay with our security team in a residence generously loaned to us.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 27, 2018 36 Comments
Special Counsel Robert Mueller claims that Paul Manafort, the former chairman for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, lied to the FBI and investigators "on a variety of subject matters," which means he broke his plea agreement. NBC News continued:
Manafort, 69, was convicted of eight counts of tax evasion and bank fraud in August. In September, he agreed to cooperate with Mueller's investigation when he pleaded guilty to two new counts and admitted his guilt to 10 counts outstanding from the earlier trial in Virginia.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 27, 2018 28 Comments
Mississippi citizens hit the polls today to vote in the special election for the senate seat after Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who took over in April after Thad Cochran retired, and Democrat Mike Espy tied on Election Day. President Donald Trump went to Mississippi on Monday night in one final attempt to keep the seat red after controversies swamped Hyde-Smith for the past few weeks. However, recent polls showed Hyde-Smith with a 10 point lead.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on November 26, 2018 1 Comment
Amid rising antisemitism and anti-Israel activism in Europe, over 3000 members of Jewish diaspora and supporters of Israel gathered in Frankfurt, Germany, for the 5th German Israel Congress this weekend. Widely regarded as the biggest pro-Israel event in Europe, the conference was attended by leading politicians, government officials, and public figures from Germany and Israel. Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan took the opportunity to urge the German government to take a tougher stance on Iran. "Germany should take a more aggressive stance against the Iranian regime," Minister Erdan said. "It was only yesterday that President Rouhani called Israel metastatic cancer. History has taught us that anti-Semitic threats from fanatical leaders, and exporters of terror who have hegemonic aspirations, must be taken seriously."

Posted by Leslie Eastman on November 26, 2018 47 Comments
California is dead to me...a smoldering ruin of a once prosperous state. I spent a glorious Thanksgiving week in Michigan, enjoying my first snowfall in many years and escaping coverage of the wildfire disaster.  Before leaving, I went through my jewelry collection and packed sentimental favorites and valuable items in the event that San Diego was hit with a fire during my vacation. While I was organizing my case, my anger at the choices made by both federal and state politicians and bureaucrats that led to the loss of life was heating up as hot as any of those flames. And instead of meaningful change, Governor Jerry Brown's solution to this is to let the utilities charge us for the fire settlements likely to stem from this disaster.
California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a measure allowing utilities to bill their customers to pay for future legal settlements stemming from devastating 2017 wildfires.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 26, 2018 17 Comments
*UPDATE 2:42PM: Ukraine's parliament has approved "martial law for 30 days in the regions bordering" Russia. The undeclared war between Ukraine and Russia took a horrific turn on Sunday after Ukraine claimed that Russia opened fire on its navy in the Kerch Strait, which separates the Black and Azoz Seas. The attack wounded six sailors and Russia seized at least three Ukrainian vessels.
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