How state agencies improved the digital experience to serve Washingtonians better.

From the Governor's medium page post 9/ 13/ 19

Charged with a mission to serve the public, Washington state agencies consistently strive to find new ways to deliver a more effective customer experience. Here are some highlights of how agencies recently restructured and changed the way they deliver services, offer information to taxpayers and provide a more user-friendly digital experience.

Health Care Authority

An estimated 150,000 school employees will enroll in the new School Employees Benefits Board Program this fall. To support employees in this shift to a statewide health benefits program, the Health Care Authority is offering innovative online tools.

HCA built a “virtual benefits fair,” where employees can use their computer, tablet or smartphone to browse online booths and learn about medical plan options, among other things. The booths will offer videos, downloadable content, provider searches and other information to help employees choose the right plans for them and their dependents.

For those who want more guidance, HCA is offering an online benefits advisor tool that asks employees questions about their health care needs, then suggests which medical, dental and vision plans might make the most sense for them.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) launched a new website in March. With nearly 70 percent of its website users visiting on mobile or tablet devices, WDFW built its new website with a user-centered design philosophy in mind, emphasizing a mobile-first approach for improved user experience and accessibility.

The website project team developed five profiles, known as “personas”, to reflect the characteristics, interests and needs of website visitors. The team based these personas on user research data that informed how they organized and designed the new site.

Working with an outside contractor, the agency conducted several rounds of in-person and online usability tests before constructing the website. Some of the testers expressed that the old website was difficult to navigate, especially on a mobile device. WDFW also heard that the site wasn’t well designed for screen readers and other accessible devices, so they worked to make that a priority with the new site.

With this new website, WDFW now has a platform that will help them meet their customers where they are. Users can even view fishing rules and hunting season changes right from their boat or tree stand.

Regulatory Innovation and Assistance Office

For anyone starting a business, learning how to navigate state regulations can be confusing. That’s a large reason why the Governor’s Office for Regulatory Innovation and Assistance re-launched Business.wa.gov, the state’s central hub for business assistance. The new site offers enhanced services with a stronger customer focus:

People appreciate a quick, clear answer from a real person. So, the new site offers free assistance services from a pro, through online live chat and text message options in addition to existing phone and email methods. This change alone has more than tripled the number of customer requests coming through.

There is so much to think about when a business is starting up, that it’s hard to know where to begin — and even harder to know when you might have missed something important. So, the state provides a simplified checklist of what people need to do to get started. Business owners can also get access to a comprehensive Small Business Guide. The guide details the steps for starting, running and growing a business. The guide lists helpful resources, the latest changes in regulations and is available in six languages.

Sometimes people starting a new business hit bumps along the road with a particular permit or license. To help iron out those bumps, the state has a Small Business Liaison employee stationed at every agency that administers business regulations. Their job is to problem-solve and listen to businesses’ needs when a business encounters a problem.

ORIA Director Aaron Everett said the agency needed to revamp some of the great services already offered by the state so that the agency could reach people more effectively.

“But this is just the beginning,” Everett said. “Technology has advanced to the point where we can make people’s experience with government as convenient as buying goods on Amazon. This state leads in so many other areas of economic prosperity, and small business deserves to share in the best of our innovations, too.”

Washington State Department of Agriculture

In the past year, the agency replaced its 15-year-old website with a new, mobile compatible website, making it easier for visitors to view information on their smart phones and tablets. The agency updated the site navigation to reflect popular subjects, instead of organizational structure.

To share important information, the agency created a Facebook group specifically for Washingtonians interested in this past spring’s gypsy moth eradication efforts. The agency offered real-time updates during the treatment period to reach a more mobile-friendly audience, and social media followers could ask questions and receive prompt responses from agency staff and other group members. The agency also used email listservs and automated text messaging to alert the public about planned treatments.

The agency has also expanded availability of its Electronic Cattle Tracking Reporting System, an important tool for livestock owners to report animal sales. Previously limited to dairy cow owners, the system is now available to cattle owners so they can report any change in cattle ownership online.

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission

Washington State Parks recently made the first major update to its reservation system in a decade. The enhanced system improves customers’ digital experience with a more intuitive, mobile-friendly web navigation and a map-based interface.

When visitors arrive at a Washington state park, they can now check in (through their smartphone) by referencing the bar code from their printed or emailed reservation confirmation letter.

Other new features to the reservation system include the addition of 90 campsites and 38 cabins at two popular state parks (Cama Beach and Camano Island), which were previously on their own reservation system. Visitors can also make reservations at seven additional day-use facilities statewide and six group camps in the San Juan Islands. Visitors can make reservations for multiple parks in one online session, and pre-purchase extra-vehicle permits online.

The new system also allows Washington State Parks to offer specials and promotions to its customers. The first promotion offers $5 off camping at select state parks in September.

Users can save their profile information — such as trailer lengths or discount pass numbers — online for convenience.

Visitors can experience the new reservation system through the Parks website.

Washington State Department of Revenue

The Washington State Department of Revenue recently took its free, popular mobile app and redesigned it based on customer feedback. The app, called WA Tax Rates, offers a fast and easy way for businesses to look up a Washington sales tax rate from anywhere.

Businesses can search either by using GPS or by looking up an address. When the business makes deliveries or has multiple job sites, the app lets them look up the correct rate and calculate the sales tax to charge.

Here are some of the main features and improvements:

You don’t need a login to access any of the app’s features. You can find the combined state and local tax rate at your current location using GPS, or by entering in an address.

You can easily name, save and share locations via email or text message.

You can enter your taxable amount for each location, and the app will calculate the sales tax and total charge for you.

You can download or share a spreadsheet (CSV file) with all your saved locations for importing into your accounting system. You can also upload saved locations to cloud storage in a TXT or CSV file format.

You can view locations on a satellite map.

Learn more and download the app on Revenue’s website.

https://dor.wa.gov/find-taxes-rates/sales-and-use-tax-rates/mobile-apps

**************************

WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

***************************

Five avoidable deaths per minute shows urgent need for action on patient safety.

With at least five people dying every minute due to unsafe health care, the World Health Organization (WHO) is urging medical professionals, policy makers, caregivers and patients to take urgent action to ensure no one is harmed while receiving treatment.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1046552

Attack on Saudi facilities risks dragging Yemen into ‘regional conflagration’: UN Envoy.

Attacks against oil facilities in Saudi Arabia over the weekend, claimed by rebel fighters in Yemen, are a sign that the war-torn country could be drawn into even greater conflict, the top United Nations official there told the Security Council on Monday.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1046462

‘Champion for multilateralism’ readies to hand over UN General Assembly gavel.

Through consultation, collaboration and consensus, the UN chief on Monday described outgoing President of the General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa, as “a champion for multilateralism” who had succeeded in making the United Nations “relevant to all”.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1046492

Genocide threat for Myanmar’s Rohingya greater than ever, investigators warn Human Rights Council

Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Rohingya who remain in Myanmar may face a greater threat of genocide than ever, amid Government attempts to “erase their identity and remove them from the country”, UN-appointed independent investigators said on Monday.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1046442

One million facing food shortages, nutrition crisis after Mozambique cyclones: UNICEF.

Such was the extent of devastation caused by two back-to-back cyclones in Mozambique earlier this year, nearly one million people, including 160,000 children under five, are still facing food shortages and a nutrition crisis, the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said on Monday.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1046522

**************************

IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION

****************************

PAGE 2

WDFW 2019 Hunting Prospects available for hunters

PAGE 3

Presidential Proclamation on Constitution Day, Citizenship Day, and Constitution Week, 2019.

 PAGE 4

Cantwell, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Reverse Trump Administration Attacks on Endangered Species Act.

PAGE 5

Charges Brought Against 34 Individuals for Alleged West Coast Medicare and Medicaid Fraud Schemes Totaling $258 Million,

PAGE 6

Kilmer, New Democrat Coalition Releases Priorities for U.S. Climate Policy

Members Endorse Bills to Act on Climate Change Policy in Congress.

PAGE 7

COMMENTARY

CAN LOCAL TAX PAYERS SPARE .10 CENTS ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING?

ZZ TOP: Well dressed man




Ric Ocasek, lead singer for The Cars, found dead at 75; cause of death determined---USA TODAY
Candy O ---The Cars

CANTWELL CHERPS ABOUT SNAP POLICY BACK IN JULY...

She claims it's a new policy that been approved by the USDA on her webpage!
Where was she back in July when this was happening!?

Washington State Delegation Blasts Trump Administration Rule that Would Strip Food Assistance Benefits from More than 175,600 Washingtonians
New Trump administration rule would eliminate Washington state’s ability to offer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to more than 60,000 children, 15,000 elderly individuals
Cantwell press released on Sept. 5
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) joined U.S. Representatives Kim Schrier (D-WA, 8th), Adam Smith (D-WA, 9th), Rick Larsen (D-WA, 2nd), Denny Heck (D-WA, 10th), Derek Kilmer (D-WA, 6th), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA, 7th), and Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA, 1st) today to send a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue decrying a proposed Trump administration rule that would severely limit Washington state’s ability to provide vulnerable people and families with food assistance. Specifically, the rule would restrict Washington and other states’ ability to offer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to families with low incomes, placing more than 175,000 Washingtonians in danger of losing food assistance.

“We have heard from leaders of locally-based organizations and faith-based communities across the state that this rule change will only put a greater burden on food banks that are already struggling to meet existing food assistance needs. This rule will undermine low-income families’ health, and jeopardize the food security and development of young and school-aged children. We urge you to consider the harmful impact of this proposed rule and to rescind it as soon as possible,” the delegation wrote.

SNAP is a critical program in Washington state and across the country that helps to reduce food insecurity, improve nutrition, and reduce poverty for low-income people and families. Should the Trump administration rule go into effect, more than 60,000 children and more than 15,000 elderly individuals in Washington state would stand to lose access to this vital assistance. Additionally, more than 15,000 children would lose access to free school lunches they are currently receiving through SNAP.

In addition to the harm it would inflict upon low-income families and individuals across the state, the proposed rule would also negatively impact the state government and economy. According to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Service (DSHS), implementing the changes mandated by the new rule would require the state to hire more than 150 new full-time employees, placing an increased administrative burden upon DSHS and financial burden upon state taxpayers. Finally, by removing 175,600 Washingtonians from the SNAP program, the rule would also inflict harm upon the state’s economy, directly reducing food spending by about $25 million.

Related USDA press release dated 7/ 23/ 19

USDA Proposes to Close SNAP Automatic Eligibility Loophole
WASHINGTON, July 23, 2019 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today proposed closing a loophole that allows states to make participants receiving minimal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits automatically eligible to participate in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The proposed rule published today in the Federal Register would limit SNAP/TANF automatic eligibility to households that receive substantial, ongoing TANF-funded benefits aimed at helping families move towards self-sufficiency. The proposed rule would fix a loophole that has expanded SNAP recipients in some states to include people who receive assistance when they clearly don’t need it. In fact, the depth of this specific flexibility has become so egregious that a millionaire living in Minnesota successfully enrolled in the program simply to highlight the waste of taxpayer money. This proposal gives USDA the ability to save billions of dollars, ensuring nutrition assistance programs are delivered with consistency and integrity to those most in need.

“For too long, this loophole has been used to effectively bypass important eligibility guidelines. Too often, states have misused this flexibility without restraint,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “The American people expect their government to be fair, efficient, and to have integrity – just as they do in their own homes, businesses, and communities. That is why we are changing the rules, preventing abuse of a critical safety net system, so those who need food assistance the most are the only ones who receive it.”



Cantwell Blasts Administration’s Attacks on Science, Calls for Congressional Oversight.
Press release issued 9/ 9/ 19

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, released the following statement on the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to undermine science for political reasons:

“Good weather science saves lives. From compromising the spectrum used by weather satellites to political interference with official hurricane advisories, the Trump administration’s attacks on science gets more and more harmful and outrageous every day.

The lives and property of millions of Americans depend on the information provided by the dedicated professionals at NOAA and the National Weather Service. We cannot allow science to be censored by politics or politicians. That’s why I am asking Chairman Wicker to hold a full committee hearing to provide much-needed oversight.”

**************************

WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

***************************

‘Whole spectrum of Afghan society’ must get behind peace talks, UN envoy tells Security Council
The long Afghan conflict can only be resolved by “direct talks” between its own people, the chief of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told the Security Council on Tuesday, underscoring that they must be inclusive and represent “the whole spectrum of Afghan society”.

Nicaragua ‘crisis’ still cause for concern amid murder, torture allegations: Bachelet
Nicaragua’s on-going human rights crisis can be resolved peacefully through dialogue, the UN’s top rights official said on Tuesday, before expressing concern about allegations of torture and murder of protesters involved in last year’s anti-Government demonstrations.

One person dies by suicide every 40 seconds: new UN health agency report
Despite progress in national prevention strategies, one person dies by suicide every 40 seconds, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Director-General lamented on Monday, highlighting key findings of the agency’s latest report on global suicide estimates.

Nuclear testing has ‘disastrous consequences’ for people and planet, General Assembly told
Events commemorating the recent International Day against Nuclear Tests serve as an “important and stark reminder…of the disastrous consequences of nuclear testing on human health and the environment”, a top UN official told the General Assembly on Monday.

Political solutions ‘prerequisite to sustainable peace’, Lacroix tells Security Council
While peacekeeping is an “essential tool” for preventing conflict and reducing the risk of relapse, “political solutions are a prerequisite to sustainable peace”, the United Nations peacekeeping chief told the Security Council on Monday.

******************************
IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION
******************************


PAGE 2
Senator Murray Announces Major Federal Investments in Affordable Housing for Seattle, Longview.



PAGE 3

President Donald J. Trump Is Protecting The Nation by Modernizing and Expanding Sanctions to Combat Terrorism----White House fact sheet



PAGE 4
Senator Murray Demands Action in the Senate to Address Gun Violence Epidemic: Families in Washington State Have “Had Enough of Just ‘Thoughts and Prayers’”



PAGE 5

USDA to Provide $150 Million to Help Rural Communities Affected by Natural Disasters.



PAGE 6

Cantwell Introduces Legislation to Permanently Protect Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from Oil and Gas Drilling.


PAGE 7

NEWS STORY COMMENTARY

KAMALA HARRIS MISSED OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW LEADERSHIP AT TOWN HALL EVENT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.

Senator Murray Demands Trump Administration End Remain in Mexico Policy.

Press release issued 8/ 30/ 19

(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) demanded that the Trump administration stop restricting access to the U.S. asylum system by ending its Remain in Mexico policy in a new letter this week. The key piece of the administration’s Remain in Mexico policy, the deceptively named Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) policy, blocks legal asylum seekers from being in the U.S. while they await court hearings in their cases, forcing them to wait in dangerous cities in Mexico for extended periods of time.

 In the letter addressed to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan, Senator Murray and 23 of her Democratic Senate colleagues raised serious concerns about the Remain in Mexico policy, its impact on U.S. national interests, its legality, and its expansion which will place thousands more asylum seekers at great risk by the end of August.

 “Under the Remain in Mexico policy, the United States has turned its back on its domestic and international legal obligations by forcing men, women, and children to await resolution of their U.S. asylum cases in parts of Mexico plagued by violence,” wrote Senator Murray and her colleagues.“Moreover, the Remain in Mexico policy further damages our status as a global leader in protecting refugees and undercuts our ability to ask other countries to cooperate on migration issues. This policy also has implications for U.S. national security, as it risks fueling instability in Mexican border cities unable to handle the increased number of asylum seekers.”

 Citing some of the growing dangers migrants are being exposed to by the Remain in Mexico policy, including reported kidnappings, extortion, trafficking, rape, and murder, Senator Murray called on the Trump administration to immediately end the MPP and allow asylum seekers to safely wait in the United States while their court cases are adjudicated.

The text of letter sent:
Dear Secretary Pompeo and Acting Secretary McAleenan:

We call on the Trump Administration to end its Remain in Mexico policy, deceptively named the Migrant Protection Protocols, which the administration uses to forcibly send tens of thousands of asylum seekers to Mexico to wait for immigration court hearings in the United States. Not only does this policy do nothing to protect either migrants or U.S. interests, but we have grave concerns about its legality, recent efforts to expand it, and the dangerous conditions it forces asylum seekers to endure while waiting for their cases to be heard.

Under the Remain in Mexico policy, the United States has turned its back on its domestic and international legal obligations by forcing men, women, and children to await resolution of their U.S. asylum cases in parts of Mexico plagued by violence. While in Mexico, these asylum seekers have limited access to lawyers and shelter, which makes it nearly impossible for them to prepare their cases and effectively denies them meaningful access to the U.S. asylum system.

Moreover, the Remain in Mexico policy further damages our status as a global leader in protecting refugees and undercuts our ability to ask other countries to cooperate on migration issues. This policy also has implications for U.S. national security, as it risks fueling instability in Mexican border cities unable to handle the increased number of asylum seekers.

On January 28, 2019, the Administration began implementing its Remain in Mexico policy at the San Diego-Tijuana port of entry. It has since expanded it, forcing asylum seekers to wait in the Mexican cities of Mexicali, Ciudad Juárez, Nuevo Laredo, and Matamoros. More than 30,000 asylum seekers are currently in Mexico awaiting adjudication of their cases, and by the end of August 2019, Mexican officials estimate that this number will rise to 60,000.

As the adjudication process can last for months and even years, the Administration is forcing this growing number of asylum seekers to reside in perilous conditions. Tijuana counted over 2,000 homicide cases in 2018, an increase of 22% from 2017. In Ciudad Juárez, there were 1,247 homicide cases in 2018, a 62% increase from 2017. Due to the prevalence of violent crime and gang activity in the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas, which includes the cities of Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros, the State Department issued a “Do Not Travel” warning for the area.

Amid this increasing violence, there has also been a growing number of reports from the border of the kidnapping, extortion, trafficking, rape, and murder of migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. LGBTQ individuals and indigenous peoples are at particularly high risk, and we are deeply disturbed by reports that pregnant women are also being returned to these precarious conditions in Mexico. These incidents include:

In December 2018, two Honduran teenagers seeking asylum were murdered outside their shelter in Tijuana while waiting to enter the U.S.[1]
From January to May 2019, Doctors Without Borders treated 378 patients in Nuevo Laredo. Of these, more than 45 percent had experienced at least one episode of violence and about 12 percent had been kidnapped while waiting to cross into the U.S. [2]
In April 2019, a Honduran woman and her 5-year-old daughter, who had been returned to Ciudad Juárez after their U.S. court hearing, were kidnapped by a taxi driver who threatened to kill them if their family did not pay a ransom. [3]
As the Trump Administration restricts access to the U.S. asylum system, it also places greater stress on the Mexican immigration system. This Administration knows that, according to independent experts, Mexico has a weak and underfunded asylum system, and does not appropriately screen migrants for protection needs. The Mexican government also has routinely violated the principle of nonrefoulement, a binding pillar of international law that prohibits the return of people to life-threatening situations, by involuntarily returning Central American asylum seekers to their home countries, despite fears of persecution or torture.

The growing body of evidence that migrants fleeing persecution face abuse or even death, along with the fact that the Remain in Mexico policy flouts our legal obligation to asylum seekers, underscores why we demand an end to this dangerous policy. It is imperative that the United States end this reckless course of action and reaffirm its commitment to the principles of due process on which this country was founded.

*******************************

WORLD  NEWS HEADLINES

*******************************

Insecurity and violence turn Nigeria into a ‘pressure cooker’ that must be addressed, says UN rights expert.
Nigeria is a pressure cooker of internal conflicts and generalized violence that must be addressed urgently, an independent United Nations expert said on Tuesday, following a fact-finding visit to the country.

Somalia: worst harvest since 2011, with more than 2 million expected to go hungry
Somalia’s 2019 cereal harvest is the poorest the country has seen since 2011, when famine strained already scarce resources, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), announced on Tuesday, blaming unreliable weather patterns and “climatic shocks”.

UN ‘prioritizing needs’, ramping up aid, as Hurricane Dorian continues to batter the Bahamas
Renewed warnings of deadly destruction in the Bahamas caused by Hurricane Dorian have been issued by UN agencies and partners, who said on Tuesday that they’re worried “for every single” person on two of the worst-hit Caribbean islands.

UN experts decry torture of Rakhine men and boys held incommunicado by Myanmar’s military
Allegations of torture and ill-treatment leading to the death of ethnic Rakhine men and boys being held in incommunicado detention by Myanmar’s military, has prompted three independent UN rights experts to call for an end to the practice and for “credible, independent” investigations.

DR Congo President and UN chief meet at a ‘historic moment’ for democracy in the country
On the third and final day of his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), UN chief António Guterres declared that the country is experiencing a historic moment, which could herald the development of democratic institutions.

***********************
IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION
************************

PAGE 2

At Meeting with Seattle Digital Literacy and Education Leaders, Senator Murray Learns from Local Success, Outlines Plan to Bridge Digital Divide.

PAGE 3

Remarks by President Trump at the Announcement of State Opioid Response Grants.



PAGE 4

Rep. Kilmer Hosts Appropriations Interior & Environment Subcommittee Chairwoman and Ranking Member to Highlight Funding Needs in the Region.



PAGE 5

Treasury Designates Vast Iranian Petroleum Shipping Network That Supports IRGC-QF and Terror Proxies.


PAGE 6

Cantwell, Murray, Kilmer Release Joint Statement on Diversion of Funds from Local Military Construction Project to Build a Wall at the Southern Border


PAGE 7

ON AUG. 7th STATE ESTABLISHES COMMITTEE THAT PANDERS TO SINFUL LIFESTYLES, WITH FORMER BAPTIST PASTOR AS  DIRECTOR!




( Boys of Summer---Don Henley)

RURAL AMERICA DOES MATTER!

Last week in a condescending manner NY Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, calling the electoral college a scam, while mocking rural america.
Related news story: Ocasio-Cortez Is Calling For Another American Institution To Be Abolished.---Daily News Wire
Apparently, according to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez the decision of who gets elected into high office should be up to the big cities, and urban centers, we who happen to life in small cities, and towns are a bunch of racist pigs, and we in rural america don't matter! The Electoral College has been keeping our elections fair and square, insuring that all the votes count, not just allowing big cities like Seattle to control the outcome of national elections. Ocasio-Cortez wants to do away with it, because she wasn't happy of the results of the 2016 election, I'm assuming that's the main reason for this. I suspose if Hillary were elected and impeachment proceedings were happening to Hillary, Ocasio-Cortez would be singing a different tune. What she wants is to silence rural america from the electorial process, and our votes are our speech!
Ocasio-Cortez apparently doesn't mind trampling rural america's free speech, which by the way violates our 1st Amendment right.
Because is the effort of this paper to be educational, and informative let's take a look what the Electorial College is...FYI to Ocasio-Cortez, it's not a place!

What is the Electoral College?
Ref link: https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html
The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The founding fathers established it in the Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens.

The Electoral College process consists of the selection of the electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress.

The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. Your state’s entitled allotment of electors equals the number of members in its Congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of Representatives plus two for your Senators. Read more about the allocation of electoral votes.

Under the 23rd Amendment of the Constitution, the District of Columbia is allocated 3 electors and treated like a state for purposes of the Electoral College. For this reason, in the following discussion, the word “state” also refers to the District of Columbia.

Each candidate running for President in your state has his or her own group of electors. The electors are generally chosen by the candidate’s political party, but state laws vary on how the electors are selected and what their responsibilities are. Read more about the qualifications of the Electors and restrictions on who the Electors may vote for.

The presidential election is held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. You help choose your state’s electors when you vote for President because when you vote for your candidate you are actually voting for your candidate’s electors.

Most states have a “winner-take-all” system that awards all electors to the winning presidential candidate. However, Maine and Nebraska each have a variation of “proportional representation.” Read more about the allocation of Electors among the states and try to predict the outcome of the Electoral College vote.

After the presidential election, your governor prepares a “Certificate of Ascertainment” listing all of the candidates who ran for President in your state along with the names of their respective electors. The Certificate of Ascertainment also declares the winning presidential candidate in your state and shows which electors will represent your state at the meeting of the electors in December of the election year. Your state’s Certificates of Ascertainments are sent to the Congress and the National Archives as part of the official records of the presidential election. See the key dates for the 2016 election and information about the roles and responsibilities of state officials, the Office of the Federal Register and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and the Congress in the Electoral College process.

The meeting of the electors takes place on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December after the presidential election. The electors meet in their respective states, where they cast their votes for President and Vice President on separate ballots. Your state’s electors’ votes are recorded on a “Certificate of Vote,” which is prepared at the meeting by the electors. Your state’s Certificates of Votes are sent to the Congress and the National Archives as part of the official records of the presidential election. See the key dates for the 2016 election and information about the roles and responsibilities of state officials and the Congress in the Electoral College process.

Each state’s electoral votes are counted in a joint session of Congress on the 6th of January in the year following the meeting of the electors. Members of the House and Senate meet in the House chamber to conduct the official tally of electoral votes. See the key dates for the 2016 election and information about the role and responsibilities of Congress in the Electoral College process.

The Vice President, as President of the Senate, presides over the count and announces the results of the vote. The President of the Senate then declares which persons, if any, have been elected President and Vice President of the United States.

The President-Elect takes the oath of office and is sworn in as President of the United States on January 20th in the year following the Presidential election.

****************************************************************************
Editorial Note: That's just background information what the  Electoral College, something that apparently Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, doesn't comprehend. I could go on and say how condescending Ocasio-Cortez is toward rural America, or share with you press releases, and news stories about the American heart land, which is the bread basket of this nation. If it weren't for farmers, and ranchers, there be no food on the table Ocasio-Cortez! So, with that said the following stories and press releases are about policies being passed for rural America...Yes! Rural America matters.
*****************************************************************************


North Dakota Agriculture in One Word – Diverse
Posted by Darin Jantzi, North Dakota State Statistician, National Agricultural Statistics Service in Research and Science---USDA blog post 8/ 23/ 19
Aug 23, 2019
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2019/08/23/north-dakota-agriculture-one-word-diverse

Even before Lewis and Clark explored the Northern Plains in 1804 and 1805, agriculture was very prevalent in the area that later became North Dakota – and it’s even more so today. The 2017 Census of Agriculture showed that farms and ranches occupy 39.3 million acres of land in North Dakota, which is an amazing 89 percent of the total land in the state.

North Dakota is a very diverse state in the number of commodities produced. In 2017, North Dakota led the nation in the production of all dry edible beans, navy beans, pinto beans, canola, flaxseed, honey, dry edible peas, Durum wheat, and spring wheat. North Dakota was the No.2 producer of lentils, black beans, great northern beans, all wheat, and sunflowers. As if that isn’t impressive enough, North Dakota was in the top five for the production of several other crops as well.

The Peace Garden State sold almost $8.2 billion worth of agricultural products in 2017, which is down 25 percent from 2012. Of these sales, $6.7 billion – or just over 81 percent of the total agricultural sales – came from crops. Soybeans had the largest amount of sales at $2.1 billion, which accounted for one-fourth of all agricultural sales. North Dakota is the main producer of flaxseed and canola in the United States; the 2017 census showed that 87 percent of the country’s flaxseed was grown in the state and 81 percent of the canola.

In the lush, nutrient rich soils of the Red River Valley, sugarbeets and potatoes are widely grown. In 2017, North Dakota was the third largest producer of sugarbeets in the country and the fourth largest producer of potatoes. Also, producers in the state are proud of the fact that North Dakota is the largest honey producing state in the nation. Approximately, 33.7 million pounds of honey was collected in North Dakota in 2017, or 23 percent of the total collected in the United States.

To learn more about North Dakota agriculture and its diverse commodities, please see the 2017 Census of Agriculture state-level data and the North Dakota State Profile (PDF, 920 KB)!


Secretary Perdue Statement on Japan Agreement---USDA press release
Washington, D.C. August 25, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement regarding the new trade agreement between the United States and Japan:

“Japan is a significant market for United States agriculture exports, making today a good day for American agriculture. By removing existing barriers for our products, we will be able to sell more to the Japanese markets. At the same time we will be able to close gaps to better allow us to compete on a level playing field with our competitors. I thank President Trump and Ambassador Lighthizer for their constant support of America’s farmers and ranchers and their hard work negotiating better trade deals around the globe.
https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2019/08/25/secretary-perdue-statement-japan-agreement

USDA Details Trade Damage Estimate Calculations
(Washington, D.C., August 23, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of the Chief Economist has published a detailed accounting of how estimated damage from trade disruptions was calculated for its support package for farmers announced on July 25, 2019. USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist developed an estimate of gross trade damages for commodities with assessed retaliatory tariffs by China, India, the European Union, and Turkey to set commodity payment rates and purchase levels. USDA employed the same approach often used in adjudicating World Trade Organization trade dispute cases.---USDA press release
https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2019/08/23/usda-details-trade-damage-estimate-calculations

NYT: Farmers’ Frustration With Trump Grows as U.S. Escalates China Fight
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, a somewhat unlikely lieutenant in the president’s trade war, is tasked with fending off a revolt from the heart of the president’s base.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/27/us/politics/trump-farmers-china-trade.html

Trump is lying to farmers’ faces, and they’re finally getting angry about it---WP
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/27/trump-is-lying-farmers-faces-theyre-finally-getting-angry-about-it/




************WORLD NEWS HEADLINES*************

Marginalized groups hit hardest by inequality and stigma in cities
Millicent Auma Otieno, a Kenya-based human rights and community activist, campaigns on behalf of women and persons with disabilities who face stigmatization, as a result of cultural and religious beliefs.  In an interview with UN News, Ms. Otieno reinforced the message that inequality is prevalent in Africa where, she said, political power often remains in the hands of wealthy elites, adding that many people in cities are forced to live in informal settlements, which have proven to be hotbeds of unemployment, violence, drug abuse and early pregnancies.

UN civil society conference to focus on sustainable solutions for challenges of urban life
“Well-planned and managed cities can steer us towards inclusive growth and serve as models of harmony among diverse people”, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres declared in a video message on Monday to delegates at the 68th UN Civil Society Conference, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Sudan: New political transition, bolstered by peacebuilding, could bring long-term stability to Darfur, Security Council told
“Important developments” under way in Sudan since midsummer, including a pledge to end the country’s outstanding conflicts, and the establishment of a new transitional government, could serve to edge the country’s people closer to stability, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix said, briefing the UN Security Council on Monday.

Malawi farmers diversify to fight climate change
Farmers in Malawi are diversifying their crops and adopting sustainable technologies as they look at ways to adapt to a changing climate.

Sri Lankan authorities must work ‘vigorously’ to ease simmering ethno-religious tensions, urges UN rights expert
A United Nations human rights expert warned on Monday that Sri Lankan authorities must take urgent action to strengthen respect for freedom of religion or belief and address simmering ethno-religious tensions.

***********************
IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION
***********************


PAGE 2
President Donald J. Trump Will Work with G7 Allies to Build a Future of Opportunity and Promise for All Our Nations.


PAGE 3

TRUMP MAKES DEAL WITH JAPAN THAT BENEFITS FARMERS..

PAGE 4

Under Secretary Northey: “The USMCA Is a ‘Big Win’ for Iowa’s Agriculture Industry”


PAGE 5

Security Summit warns of new IRS impersonation email scam; reminds taxpayers the IRS does not send unsolicited emails.

PAGE 6

Senator Murray Announces Significant Federal Investments to Strengthen Disaster Preparedness in Puget Sound


PAGE 7

Govs. Inslee, Whitmer lead coalition of 17 governors opposing federal proposal to kick families off food assistance.

PAGE 8

ATTORNEY GENERAL FERGUSON LEADS COALITION OPPOSING LABOR DEPARTMENT RULE THAT FAILS TO PROTECT APPRENTICES.




You Got it! Roy Orbison

My Town-- Montgomery Gentry

YES ANTIFA SHOULD BE LABELED A HOME GROWN TERRORIST GROUP.

Editorial Comment: Given their acts of violence, committing property damage, and their goal in taking over the government and replace it with a socialist type of government, they meet the requirements of being declared a terrorist group. They already have support in congress the AOC + 3 squad!
*******************************************************
Background info:
The antifa (/ænˈtiːfə, ˈæntiˌfɑː/)  movement is composed of left-wing, autonomous, militant anti-fascist groups and individuals in the United States. The principal feature of antifa groups is their use of direct action,  with conflicts occurring both online and in real life.  They engage in varied protest tactics, which include digital activism, property damage, physical violence, and harassment against those whom they identify as fascist, racist, or on the far-right.
Activists involved in the movement tend to be anti-capitalists  and subscribe to a range of ideologies, typically on the left. They include anarchists, socialists and communists along with some liberals and social democrats.[26] Their stated focus is on fighting far-right and white supremacist ideologies directly, rather than through electoral mean.
When Italian dictator Benito Mussolini consolidated power under his National Fascist Party in the mid-1920s, an oppositional anti-fascist movement surfaced both in Italy and countries such as the United States. Many anti-fascist leaders in the United States were syndicalist, anarchist, and socialist émigrés from Italy with experience in labor organizing and militancy. Ideologically, antifa in America sees itself as the successor to anti-Nazi activists of the 1930s; European activist groups that originally organized to oppose World War II-era fascist dictatorships re-emerged in the 1970s and 1980s to oppose white supremacy and skinheads and eventually spread to America.[28] After World War II, but prior to the development of the modern antifa movement, violent confrontations with fascist elements continued sporadically.

Modern antifa politics can be traced to opposition to the infiltration of Britain's punk scene by white power skinheads in the 1970s and 1980s, and the emergence of neo-Nazism in Germany following the fall of the Berlin Wall.[24] In Germany, young leftists, including anarchists and punk fans, renewed the practice of street-level anti-fascism.  Columnist Peter Beinart writes that "in the late '80s, left-wing punk fans in the United States began following suit, though they initially called their groups Anti-Racist Action (ARA) on the theory that Americans would be more familiar with fighting racism than they would be with fighting fascism."

Dartmouth College historian Mark Bray, author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, credits ARA as the precursor of the modern US antifa groups in the United States and Canada.[30] In the late 1980s and 1990s, ARA activists toured with popular punk rock and skinhead bands in order to prevent Klansmen, neo-Nazis and other assorted white supremacists from recruiting.[24][31][32] Their motto was "We go where they go" by which they meant that they would confront far-right activists in concerts and actively remove their materials from public places. In 2002, the ARA disrupted a speech in Pennsylvania by Matthew F. Hale, the head of the white supremacist group World Church of the Creator, resulting in a fight and twenty-five arrests.[24] One of the earliest antifa groups in the U.S. was Rose City Antifa, which was formed in Portland, Oregon in 2007.

Other antifa groups in the U.S. have other genealogies, for example in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where a group called the Baldies was formed in 1987 with the intent to fight neo-Nazi groups directly----Wikipedia
Ref, link


Related news stories:

SEATTLE TIMES: At least 13 people arrested at Portland, Oregon, protest.
Quote: " President Donald Trump weighed in early Saturday, writing on Twitter that “Portland is being watched very closely … Hopefully the Mayor will be able to properly do his job.”
He also wrote that “major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an ‘ORGANIZATION of TERROR.'”

SEATTLE PI: The Latest: 'Long and arduous' protests in Portland, Oregon

THE OREGION: 1 hammer, 1 ‘antifa mob chase’: A closer look at Portland’s viral protest moments.

WASHINGTON TIMES: Portland 'ground zero' as right-wing groups vow to crush antifa.

LA TIMES: Portland tries to ‘keep weird’ as another far-right vs. anti-fascist faceoff unfolds.
 

Senator Murray Calls On Colleagues to Stand Up for Women’s Health as Trump-Pence Administration’s Gag Rule Undermines Care for Millions.
Press release issue 8/ 19/ 18

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement in response to news that Planned Parenthood had been forced out of the Title X family planning program by the Trump-Pence Administration’s gag rule.


“Today we're seeing one of the most stark and damaging impacts President Trump and Vice President Pence have had on women's health care since day one of their administration. I stand with Planned Parenthood and the millions of people across the country they provide care for each year—as should everyone who cares about access to birth control, STI screenings, cancer screenings, or substance use treatment, or a woman's right to know about her full range of reproductive health care options. It’s time for every elected official to make clear whether they will join us to stop President Trump and Vice President Pence from attacking women’s health or whether they will join them in putting ideology ahead of patients’ wellbeing.”


The Trump-Pence Administration’s gag rule bars health providers at the nearly 4,000 health centers receiving Title X funding from informing patients about the full range of reproductive health care options available to them, including safe, legal abortion. The rule also shut out Planned Parenthood by imposing new, medically unnecessary requirements on Title X-funded health centers and will make health care less accessible for the four million patients who rely on Title X health centers for basic health care services like birth control, STI screenings, cancer screenings, and more.

Senator Murray has been a constant critic of the Trump Administration’s Title X gag rule, and worked tirelessly to shine a spotlight on how it threatens women’s health. Earlier this year Senator Murray released a memo highlighting some of the negative impacts of the rule and comments from patients, providers, city and county officials, and religious organizations submitted in opposition. Last year she also released reports for all 50 states outlining the potential harm of a gag rule.

****************************

WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

****************************

Deadly airstrikes and drone hits displace thousands of civilians in Libya oasis town.
Intensifying clashes in the southern Libyan town of Murzuq involving air and drone strikes in recent days have left at least 90 people dead and displaced thousands of “terrified” civilians, the UN said on Tuesday.

Terrorism survivor in Cameroon takes road to recovery: UN News special report
“If I ever come face-to-face with a Boko Haram fighter and if I have strength and a knife in my hand, I will cut his throat and spill his blood! Because, it makes me sick whenever I remember the suffering I went through.”

UN refugee chief impressed with Brazil’s ‘exemplary’ response to plight of fleeing Venezuelans.
While praising the “efficient, coordinated, humane and innovative response” by Brazil on behalf of fleeing Venezuelans, the UN refugee chief has said that the sheer number of those on the run is proving to be a major challenge, calling for greater international support.

Afghanistan bloodshed mars 100 years of independence
Afghanistan is at a “crucial moment” in its history as it marks 100 years of independence, the head of the UN Mission there said on Monday, following a series of terror attacks in recent days.

**************************
IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION
**************************



PAGE 2

DOI to Treat More Than 1.2M Acres this Wildfire Season, Resources Mobilized across the Nation


PAGE 3

White House Announces Actions to Crack Down on Trafficking of Fentanyl and Synthetic Opioids and Better Position Private Sector to Protect the Homeland.


PAGE 4

Two Los Angeles Pharmacy Owners Found Guilty in Multimillion-Dollar Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme


PAGE 5
FTC Approves Final Order Imposing Conditions on UnitedHealth Group’s Proposed Acquisition of DaVita Medical Group



PAGE 6
DID THE PM OF DENMARK INSULTED AMERICA, WHILE DISSING 
TRUMPS OFFER TO BUY ICELAND?



PAGE 7

Trump administration forces Washington state out of Title X program



PAGE 8

DEMOCRATS! YOU CAN'T WIN ELECTIONS INSULTING RURAL AMERICA!




NASTY BOYS!
Janet Jackson

ENFORCING AN IMMIGRATION LAW DURING THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION..

.
Trump takes heat from Democrats and the media for acting upon it.

Editorial Comment:  When Clinton Signed this law in 1996, everyone was happy as clams, but apparently it was never enforced.  Now Trump is enforcing the law the Democrats, and the media condemning it!
************Related press releases & News Stories******************

 President Donald J. Trump is Ensuring Non-Citizens Do Not Abuse Our Nation’s Public Benefit.
White House fact sheet posted 8/ 12/ 19

PROTECTING PUBLIC RESOURCES: The Trump Administration is taking action to help ensure that non-citizens in this country are self-sufficient and not a strain on public resources.

The Trump Administration is releasing a final rule that will protect American taxpayers, preserve our social safety net for vulnerable Americans, and uphold the rule of law.
This action will help ensure that if aliens want to enter or remain in the United States they must support themselves, and not rely on public benefits.
An alien who receives public benefits above a certain threshold is known as a “public charge.”
Aliens will be barred from entering the United States if they are found likely to become public charges.
Aliens in the United States who are found likely to become public charges will also be barred from adjusting their immigration status.
President Trump is enforcing this longstanding law to prevent aliens from depending on public benefit programs.
The Immigration and Nationality Act makes clear that those seeking to come to the United States cannot be a public charge.
For many years, this clear legal requirement went largely unenforced, imposing vast burdens on American taxpayers. Now, public charge law will finally be utilized.
ENCOURAGING SELF-SUFFICIENCY: Self-sufficiency has long been a basic principle of our Nation’s immigration laws that has enjoyed widespread support.

Public charge has been a part of United States immigration law for more than 100 years as a ground of inadmissibility.
Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed two bipartisan bills in 1996 to help stop aliens from exploiting public benefits.
This included the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act.
As Congress made clear at the time, it is our national policy that aliens should “not depend on public resources to meet their needs.”
Americans widely agree that individuals coming to our country should be self-sufficient, with 73 percent in favor of requiring immigrants to be able to support themselves financially.
PRESERVING THE SOCIAL SAFETY NET: We must ensure that non-citizens do not abuse our public benefit programs and jeopardize the social safety net needed by vulnerable Americans.

Large numbers of non-citizens and their families have taken advantage of our generous public benefits, limited resources that could otherwise go to vulnerable Americans.
78 percent of households headed by a non-citizen with no more than a high school education use at least one welfare program.
58 percent of all households headed by a non-citizen use at least one welfare program.
Half of all non-citizen headed households include at least one person who uses Medicaid.



Related press release from the USCIS:
 USCIS Announces Final Rule Enforcing Long-Standing Public Charge Inadmissibility Law
Press release issued 8/ 12/ 19

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule that clearly defines long-standing law to better ensure that aliens seeking to enter and remain in the United States — either temporarily or permanently — are self-sufficient and rely on their own capabilities and the resources of family members, sponsors, and private organizations rather than on public resources.

This final rule amends DHS regulations by prescribing how DHS will determine whether an alien is inadmissible to the United States based on his or her likelihood of becoming a public charge at any time in the future, as set forth in the Immigration and Nationality Act. The final rule addresses U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) authority to permit an alien to submit a public charge bond in the context of adjustment of status applications. The rule also makes nonimmigrant aliens who have received certain public benefits above a specific threshold generally ineligible for extension of stay and change of status.

“For over a century, the public charge ground of inadmissibility has been part of our nation’s immigration laws. President Trump has delivered on his promise to the American people to enforce long-standing immigration law by defining the public charge inadmissibility ground that has been on the books for years,” said USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli. “Throughout our history, self-sufficiency has been a core tenet of the American dream. Self-reliance, industriousness, and perseverance laid the foundation of our nation and have defined generations of hardworking immigrants seeking opportunity in the United States ever since. Through the enforcement of the public charge inadmissibility law, we will promote these long-standing ideals and immigrant success.”

DHS has revised the definition of “public charge” to incorporate consideration of more kinds of public benefits received, which the Department believes will better ensure that applicants subject to the public charge inadmissibility ground are self-sufficient. The rule defines the term “public charge” to mean an individual who receives one or more designated public benefits for more than 12 months, in the aggregate, within any 36-month period (such that, for instance, receipt of two benefits in one month counts as two months). The rule further defines the term “public benefit” to include any cash benefits for income maintenance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), most forms of Medicaid, and certain housing programs.

The regulation also excludes from the public benefits definition: public benefits received by individuals who are serving in active duty or in the Ready Reserve component of the U.S. armed forces, and their spouses and children; public benefits received by certain international adoptees and children acquiring U.S. citizenship; Medicaid for aliens under 21 and pregnant women; Medicaid for school-based services (including services provided under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act); and Medicaid benefits for emergency medical services.

This rule also makes certain nonimmigrant aliens in the United States who have received designated public benefits above the designated threshold ineligible for change of status and extension of stay if they received the benefits after obtaining the nonimmigrant status they seek to extend or from which they seek to change.

Importantly, this regulation does not apply to humanitarian-based immigration programs for refugees, asylees, Special Immigrant Juveniles (SIJs), certain trafficking victims (T nonimmigrants), victims of qualifying criminal activity (U nonimmigrants), or victims of domestic violence (VAWA self-petitioners), among others.

This rule also explains how USCIS will exercise its discretionary authority, in limited circumstances, to offer an alien inadmissible only on the public charge ground the opportunity to post a public charge bond. The final rule sets the minimum bond amount at $8,100; the actual bond amount will be dependent on the individual’s circumstances.

This final rule supersedes the 1999 Interim Field Guidance on Deportability and Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds and goes into effect at midnight Eastern, Oct. 15, 60 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register. USCIS will apply the public charge inadmissibility final rule only to applications and petitions postmarked (or, if applicable, submitted electronically) on or after the effective date. Applications and petitions already pending with USCIS on the effective date of the rule (postmarked and accepted by USCIS) will be adjudicated based on the 1999 Interim Guidance. 

USCIS will provide information and additional details to the public as part of public outreach related to the implementation of this rule. In the coming weeks, USCIS will conduct engagement sessions for the public and other interested groups to ensure the public understands which benefits are included in the public charge inadmissibility rule and which are not.


Related news stories: 
Trump Ending Welfare-Dependent Immigration, Saving Taxpayers Billions---Breit Bart

 NYT: Trump Rule Targets Legal Immigrants Who Rely on Food Stamps and Other Aid
A new rule is part of a sweeping policy aimed to narrow the demographic of people who come to live and work in the United States.


New rule could deny citizenship, green cards for immigrants who need public assistance
A new policy from the Trump administration would affect legal immigrants who use public benefits such as Medicaid, food stamps or housing assistance.---WP Post

Trump Administration to Crack Down on Visa Applicants Who Would Rely on Public Services---National Review

Trump Admin Rule Could Disqualify Poor Visa Applicants---News Max

Washington Times: Trump administration approves policy to deter immigrants' use of welfare.

Seattle PI: New Trump rules would further restrict legal immigration.

******************************

WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

*******************************

‘We are facing a learning crisis’, UN chief warns on International Youth Day
Schools are “not equipping young people with the skills they need to navigate the technological revolution”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned, in a message released to mark the UN’s International Youth Day.---UN NEWS CENTER

Three UN workers killed following Benghazi car bomb attack, as Security Council meets in emergency session, honours their ‘ultimate sacrifice’
Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned a car bomb attack in front of a shopping mall in the Libyan city of Benghazi, which left three UN workers dead, and three others injured, with dozens of civilians also wounded. ----UN NEWS CENTER

‘Preserve, revitalize and promote’ indigenous languages, or lose a ‘wealth of traditional knowledge’, UN chief says
Secretary-General António Guterres underscored the urgency to “preserve, revitalize and promote indigenous languages” in his message for the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, celebrated on Friday.----UN NEWS CENTER

More than half a million Rohingya in Bangladesh get ID cards for first time: UN refugee agency.
More than 500,000 Rohingya refugees who fled a brutal crackdown in Myanmar two years ago, have received identification cards that the UN insisted on Friday were critical to safeguarding their right to return home.---UN NEWS CENTER

 During Emergency Meeting, Security Council Condemns Car Bombing in Libya, Urging Parties to Uphold Truce as First Step Towards Permanent Ceasefire
Government of National Accord Ready to Work with International Community in Ending Terrorism, Representative Says---UN Press release

PAGE 2
PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNED INTO LAW THE  PERSONAL
WORK AND OPPORTUNITY LAW IN 96'.


PAGE 3

INSLEE ATTACKS THE VERY LAW CLINTON SIGNED IN 96'

PAGE 4

WASHINGTON CO-LEADS MULTISTATE LAWSUIT AGAINST DHS RULE TARGETING IMMIGRANT FAMILIES LEGALLY IN THE U.S.

PAGE 5

No Need to Watch Grass Grow Anymore!



PAGE 6
 DURING SPEECH BARR DECLARES: " Let me assure you that this case will continue on against anyone who was complicit with Epstein.  Any co-conspirators should not rest easy.  The victims deserve justice, and we will ensure they get it."



PAGE 7
 Initial Site Survey Work on Port Angeles Dock, Shoreline to Begin Late August




PAGE 8

AFTER WEEK'S OF PROTEST IN HONG KONG...





( Don't bring me down...ELO)

ONE FROM THE FAR RIGHT, ONE FROM THE FAR LEFT.

By, Peter Ripley, Publisher
As you probably heard by now, two shootings happened during last weekend. One in El Paso, TX, and Dayton OH. Both white, and with mental illness done these dastardly acts. Of course the main stream media before even getting the fact straight jumped on these two stories pointing out both of these guys were white, and assumed that they were Trump supporters. Then just a few days after these tragic events occurred that one of the shooters, Connor Betts, 24 was a antifa, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, supporter.
 Of course the media, along with the Marxist Democrats want to blame everything, mostly at Trump for the shooting other than the two crazed shooters! Acting out their twisted fantasies.
The following press releases and news headlines reflex how the media has covered these two shootings, and their bias reporting.
**********************************************************




 Remarks by President Trump on the Mass Shootings in Texas and Ohio
White House press release issued 8/ 5/ 19

THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning.  My fellow Americans, this morning, our nation is overcome with shock, horror, and sorrow.  This weekend, more than 80 people were killed or wounded in two evil attacks.

On Saturday morning, in El Paso, Texas, a wicked man went to a Walmart store, where families were shopping with their loved ones.  He shot and murdered 20 people, and injured 26 others, including precious little children.
Then, in the early hours of Sunday morning in Dayton, Ohio, another twisted monster opened fire on a crowded downtown street.  He murdered 9 people, including his own sister, and injured 27 others.
The First Lady and I join all Americans in praying and grieving for the victims, their families, and the survivors.  We will stand by their side forever.  We will never forget.
These barbaric slaughters are an assault upon our communities, an attack upon our nation, and a crime against all of humanity.  We are outraged and sickened by this monstrous evil, the cruelty, the hatred, the malice, the bloodshed, and the terror.  Our hearts are shattered for every family whose parents, children, husbands, and wives were ripped from their arms and their lives.  America weeps for the fallen.
We are a loving nation, and our children are entitled to grow up in a just, peaceful, and loving society.  Together, we lock arms to shoulder the grief, we ask God in Heaven to ease the anguish of those who suffer, and we vow to act with urgent resolve.
I want to thank the many law enforcement personnel who responded to these atrocities with the extraordinary grace and courage of American heroes.

I have spoken with Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, as well as Mayor Dee Margo of El Paso, Texas, and Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio, to express our profound sadness and unfailing support.
Today, we also send the condolences of our nation to President Obrador of Mexico, and all the people of Mexico, for the loss of their citizens in the El Paso shooting.  Terrible, terrible thing.
I have also been in close contact with Attorney General Barr and FBI Director Wray.  Federal authorities are on the ground, and I have directed them to provide any and all assistance required — whatever is needed.

The shooter in El Paso posted a manifesto online consumed by racist hate.  In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy.  These sinister ideologies must be defeated.  Hate has no place in America.  Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart, and devours the soul.  We have asked the FBI to identify all further resources they need to investigate and disrupt hate crimes and domestic terrorism — whatever they need.
We must recognize that the Internet has provided a dangerous avenue to radicalize disturbed minds and perform demented acts.  We must shine light on the dark recesses of the Internet, and stop mass murders before they start.  The Internet, likewise, is used for human trafficking, illegal drug distribution, and so many other heinous crimes.  The perils of the Internet and social media cannot be ignored, and they will not be ignored.
In the two decades since Columbine, our nation has watched with rising horror and dread as one mass shooting has followed another — over and over again, decade after decade.

We cannot allow ourselves to feel powerless.  We can and will stop this evil contagion.  In that task, we must honor the sacred memory of those we have lost by acting as one people.  Open wounds cannot heal if we are divided.  We must seek real, bipartisan solutions.  We have to do that in a bipartisan manner.  That will truly make America safer and better for all.
First, we must do a better job of identifying and acting on early warning signs.  I am directing the Department of Justice to work in partisan — partnership with local, state, and federal agencies, as well as social media companies, to develop tools that can detect mass shooters before they strike.
As an example, the monster in the Parkland high school in Florida had many red flags against him, and yet nobody took decisive action.  Nobody did anything.  Why not?
Second, we must stop the glorification of violence in our society.  This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace.  It is too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence.  We must stop or substantially reduce this, and it has to begin immediately.  Cultural change is hard, but each of us can choose to build a culture that celebrates the inherent worth and dignity of every human life.  That’s what we have to do.
Third, we must reform our mental health laws to better identify mentally disturbed individuals who may commit acts of violence and make sure those people not only get treatment, but, when necessary, involuntary confinement.  Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun.

Fourth, we must make sure that those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms, and that, if they do, those firearms can be taken through rapid due process.  That is why I have called for red flag laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders.
Today, I am also directing the Department of Justice to propose legislation ensuring that those who commit hate crimes and mass murders face the death penalty, and that this capital punishment be delivered quickly, decisively, and without years of needless delay.
These are just a few of the areas of cooperation that we can pursue.  I am open and ready to listen and discuss all ideas that will actually work and make a very big difference.
Republicans and Democrats have proven that we can join together in a bipartisan fashion to address this plague.  Last year, we enacted the STOP School Violence and Fix NICS Acts into law, providing grants to improve school safety and strengthening critical background checks for firearm purchases.  At my direction, the Department of Justice banned bump stocks.  Last year, we prosecuted a record number of firearms offenses.  But there is so much more that we have to do.
Now is the time to set destructive partisanship aside — so destructive — and find the courage to answer hatred with unity, devotion, and love.  Our future is in our control.  America will rise to the challenge.  We will always have and we always will win.  The choice is ours and ours alone.  It is not up to mentally ill monsters; it is up to us.

If we are able to pass great legislation after all of these years, we will ensure that those who were attacked will not have died in vain.
May God bless the memory of those who perished in Toledo.  May God protect them.  May God protect all of those from Texas to Ohio.  May God bless the victims and their families.  May God bless America.
Thank you very much.  Thank you.

Secretary-General Strongly Condemns Deadly Terrorist Attacks in United States
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in El Paso, Texas, on 3 August.  He also expresses his shock and outrage over the mass shooting only hours later in Dayton, Ohio.  He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims and expresses his solidarity with the peoples and Governments of the United States and Mexico, from where a number of those killed and injured in the El Paso attack hailed.
The Secretary-General stresses the need for all to work together to counter violence rooted in hatred, racism, xenophobia and all forms of discrimination.----UN Press release 8/ 5/ 19



Related news stories:
National Review: It’s Time to Declare War on White-Nationalist Terrorism

NY Times Gives Beto, Other Dems Room to Blame 'Racist' Trump Rhetoric for El Paso Killings---News Busters

DIABOLICAL: CNN Smears Gun Owners, Trashes ‘Diversionary’ Speech by Racist Trump---News Busters

NYT OPINION: We Have a White Nationalist Terrorist Problem
Mass shootings like the one in El Paso should be condemned by America’s leaders as terrorism.

WP: ‘Do something!’: Ohio governor drowned out by angry chants at Dayton shooting vigil
What started as just a smattering of voices swiftly morphed into a deafening chant that reverberated around the historic street in Dayton, Ohio, near where nine people were killed and 27 injured in the weekend’s second mass shooting.

PJ MEDIA: From El Paso to Antifa to LA: America the Insane

RT: Dayton shooter was apparently a self-professed ‘leftist,’ Warren & Sanders fan
Judging by his supposed activity on Twitter, the Dayton shooter appears to have held views opposite to those of the El Paso gunman from hours earlier. A now-suspended account, allegedly his own, implies he was a die-hard leftist.

Fox News anchor points out 'glaring omission' in Trump speech addressing mass shootings---Washington Examiner

Washington Times: Elizabeth Warren: 'I will do every thing I can by executive order' on gun controls

Washington Times: 'Myth': Narrative of rampant white nationalist mass shootings overblown

Mark Levin: We All Knew After These Two Slaughters Media, Left Would Blame Trump, NRA, Constitution---CNS

***************************

WORLD NEWS HEADLINES

****************************

Colombia offers nationality rights to Venezuelan children born there: UN hails ‘very important step’
The UN migration agency, IOM, has welcomed Colombia’s decision on Monday to grant nationality status to more than 24,000 Venezuelan babies born inside the country after their parents fled across the border.

All States have ‘primary responsibility’ to protect against hate attacks: UN’s Bachelet
The UN’s top rights official has added her voice to condemnation of the weekend mass-shootings in the cities of El Paso and Dayton, insisting on Tuesday that “not just the US, but all States” should do more to stop discrimination.

Cataclysmic events’ in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, began ‘global push’ against nuclear weapons says Guterres, honouring victims
Paying homage to those who perished as the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, as well as the many others whose lives were devastated in the years that followed, UN chief António Guterres on Tuesday underscored their “courage and moral leadership” in reminding the world of “the human cost of nuclear war”.

Help African farmers cope with climate change threats, UN food agency urges
African farmers need help to cope with the threats of climate change, with national policies that protect them and make them resilient, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, has declared, following a major conference on food security in the continent.

 Myanmar companies bankroll ‘brutal operations’ of military, independent UN experts claim in new report  
Money earned by the Myanmar military from international and domestic business deals, “substantially enhances its ability to carry out gross violations of human rights with impunity” according to a report released on Monday by an independent United Nations group looking into military-business ties in the South East Asian country.





******************************
IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION
*****************************


PAGE 2

Executive Order on Blocking Property of the Government of Venezuela


PAGE 3
Senator Murray, Local Leaders Applaud Federal Housing Investments in Northwest and Eastern Washington State


PAGE 4

Justice Department Settles Immigration-Related Discrimination Claim Against Texas Fast Food Franchisee



PAGE 5

Treasury Underscores U.S. Commitment to Humanitarian Support for Venezuelan People.


PAGE 6

Cantwell, Murray Urge Trump Administration to Reject $100 Billion Tax Cut for Wealthy


PAGE 7

A student story of pursuing education in Washington as an immigrant


PAGE 8

 OUTING TRUMP DONATORS ONE STEP TOWARD MARXISM!

( Commentary)

CELEBRATING 22 years of blogging 1997-2019!

Remember readers some say no reads my stuff....Why do I get daily hits on my site, if that is true??