Gambling in Virginia? Slots-like horse-racing machines

With the closure of almost half of Atlantic City's casinos, Newark set to vote on gambling and casinos or racinos in almost every state, it seems as if the reasons for the very existence of Atlantic City are in serious jeopardy.
Israel Joffe
Atlantic City, once a major vacation spot during the roaring 20s and 1930s, as seen on HBOs Boardwalk Empire, collapsed when cheap air fare became the norm and people had no reason to head to the many beach town resorts on the East Coast. Within a few decades, the city, known for being an ‘oasis of sin’ during the prohibition era, fell into serious decline and dilapidation.
New Jersey officials felt the only way to bring Atlantic City back from the brink of disaster would be to legalize gambling. Atlantic City’s first casino, Resorts, first opened its doors in 1978. People stood shoulder to shoulder, packed into the hotel as gambling officially made its way to the East Coast. Folks in the East Coast didn't have to make a special trip all the way to Vegas in order to enjoy some craps, slots, roulette and more.
As time wore on, Atlantic City became the premier gambling spots in the country.
While detractors felt that the area still remained poor and dilapidated, officials were quick to point out that the casinos didn't bring the mass gentrification to Atlantic City as much as they hoped but the billions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs for the surrounding communities was well worth it.
Atlantic City developed a reputation as more of a short-stay ‘day-cation’ type of place, yet managed to stand firm against the 'adult playground' and 'entertainment capital of the world' Las Vegas.
Through-out the 1980s, Atlantic City would become an integral part of American pop culture as a place for east coast residents to gamble, watch boxing, wrestling, concerts and other sporting events.
However in the late 1980s, a landmark ruling considered Native-American reservations to be sovereign entities not bound by state law. It was the first potential threat to the iron grip Atlantic City and Vegas had on the gambling and entertainment industry.
Huge 'mega casinos' were built on reservations that rivaled Atlantic City and Vegas. In turn, Vegas built even more impressive casinos.
Atlantic City, in an attempt to make the city more appealing to the ‘big whale’ millionaire and billionaire gamblers, and in effort to move away from its ‘seedy’ reputation, built the luxurious Borgata casino in 2003. Harrah’s created a billion dollar extension and other casinos in the area went through serious renovations and re-branded themselves.
It seemed as if the bite that the Native American casinos took out of AC and Vegas’ profits was negligible and that the dominance of those two cities in the world of gambling would remain unchallenged.
Then Macau, formally a colony of Portugal, was handed back to the Chinese in 1999. The gambling industry there had been operated under a government-issued monopoly license by Stanley Ho's Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau. The monopoly was ended in 2002 and several casino owners from Las Vegas attempted to enter the market.
Under the one country, two systems policy, the territory remained virtually unchanged aside from mega casinos popping up everywhere. All the rich ‘whales’ from the far east had no reason anymore to go to the United States to spend their money.
Then came the biggest threat.
As revenue from dog and horse racing tracks around the United States dried up, government officials needed a way to bring back jobs and revitalize the surrounding communities. Slot machines in race tracks started in Iowa in 1994 but took off in 2004 when Pennsylvania introduced ‘Racinos’ in an effort to reduce property taxes for the state and to help depressed areas bounce back.
As of 2013, racinos were legal in ten states: Delaware, Louisiana, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia with more expected in 2015.
Tracks like Delaware Park and West Virginia's Mountaineer Park, once considered places where local degenerates bet on broken-down nags in claiming races, are now among the wealthiest tracks around, with the best races.
The famous Aqueduct race track in Queens, NY, once facing an uncertain future, now possesses the most profitable casino in the United States.
From June 2012 to June 2013, Aqueduct matched a quarter of Atlantic City's total gaming revenue from its dozen casinos: $729.2 million compared with A.C.'s $2.9 billion. It has taken an estimated 15 percent hit on New Jersey casino revenue and climbing.
And it isn't just Aqueduct that's taking business away from them. Atlantic City's closest major city, Philadelphia, only 35-40 minutes away, and one of the largest cities in America, now has a casino that has contributed heavily to the decline in gamers visiting the area.
New Jersey is the third state in the U.S. to have authorized internet gambling. However, these online casinos are owned and controlled by Atlantic City casinos in an effort to boost profits in the face of fierce competition.
California, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Texas are hoping to join Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey and the U.S. Virgin Islands in offering online gambling to their residents.
With this in mind, it seems the very niche that Atlantic City once offered as a gambling and entertainment hub for east coast residents is heading toward the dustbin of history.
Time will tell if this city will end up like Detroit. However, the fact that they are losing their biggest industry to major competition, much like Detroit did, with depressed housing, casinos bankrupting/closing and businesses fleeing , it all makes Atlantic City’s fate seem eerily similar.

Hey guys, I currently live in Virginia and I have two motorcycles, a 1994 Honda Magna VF750, and a 2005 Honda CRF450x. Both are registered, plated, and insured as street legal motorcycles here in Virginia, and I was wondering if I would have any problems bringing both of these to California if I moved there.
I think the Magna would be fine since it is older and came from the factory as a street legal machine, but I'm not so sure about the dirt bike. Here in Virginia, it was re-titled by the DMV a few years ago by the previous owner, so the "body type" now says "motorcycle". This may be enough to let it through, but I saw a lot of debate about specifics that might give me trouble, so I'll list off the things I know so far:

It is titled as a full motorcycle in Virginia, and has been for more than 2 years.
It has an electric odometer with about 10,400 miles on it.
It has lights, a mirror, headlight and taillight, and a license plate mount. It doesn't have turn signals, but has controls for them so they could be added of necessary.
It has a FMF powercore exhaust system with a matching FMF powerbomb header.

I know those exhausts (hell, even the factory exhausts) are generally considered 49 state exhaust systems, but they don't appear on the title or registration I'd be bringing to the DMV. Would the DMV require to see the vehicle to transfer the title and registration? Also, I read one thing about the VIN number having a C or a 3 in one of the number slots, I couldn't find anything that confirmed one way or another that this was a surefire way to tell if they'd title it, so I haven't checked that, but the bike is a 2005 which is possibly old enough (pre 2006) that it may not contain any of that information anyways. I have read about the red stickers and the green stickers for trail riding OHVs, and while that might be a compromise, I won't be close enough to any of those trails to really take advantage of it. I'd probably only ride a few weekends out of each year with that designation, vs riding multiple days every week if I can keep it street legal like it is now.
So anyway, I definitely want to be able to keep the CRF street legal so I can take it around anywhere in the city, and still be able to ride it from the trails down to a gas station if I bring it camping with me anywhere. I've been waiting my entire life to get this exact bike, and now that I have it, I'm not going to move to California if it'll rip away that street legal 'motorcycle' status that's so hard to get these days! Does anybody have experience with this? Thanks everyone

Introduction

The Made in America Act is perhaps the most ambitious economic programme in the United States since the New Deal by President Roosevelt, intended to drastically increase American economic growth and reshore businesses back to the United States. A large part of the reason for the series of bills to exist at all was the 4th Taiwan Strait Crisis, which made it more important to decrease American dependence on the People’s Republic of China.
The act has been personally overseen by President Donald J. Trump, as well as the overwhelmingly republican Finance and Budgetary committees. It’s creation is expected to create large amounts of growth for the American economy, as well as decrease dependence on the communist government of China.
Additionally, it includes large parts about increasing appreciation to American allies globally, preparing the United States for the second cold war, of which many believe is becoming increasingly more polar.

Reshoring Act

The Reshoring Act is President Trump’s most important step in bringing American Businesses back home, presenting heavy incentives to base businesses in the United States rather than China or other third world countries. The act works by combining various different types of incentive in order to support businesses moving to the United States.
The first of these incentives is corporate tax reform. The bill starts off strong by slashing corporate taxes, and when I say slash, I mean slash. This portion of the act dubs the highest amount of corporate taxes that a company may be entitled to pay at exactly 10%, that number being reserved for only the largest firms. Small firms, regarded as “small businesses” (defined by the Small Business Administration here) will pay no corporate taxes whatsoever, enabling higher levels of growth than ever before. Perhaps the most interesting part of this bill is that it dramatically expands the tiering of the American Corporate Tax, potentially allowing smaller businesses to grow and bring money into local areas.
Part of this corporate tax reform includes a complete nullification of corporate taxes for a plant’s first five to ten years in the United States, with permission for extension as granted by the Federal Trade Administration. President Trump specifically insisted that American Businesses be granted time in the United States “pressure free” to establish their operations solidly here and he felt that the best way to do this was by ending the corporate tax for such firms temporarily.
The second part of this bill is extreme in the sense that the benefits potentially being provided to firms moving plants to the USA are enormous. This part of the bill creates the ‘American Reshoring Grant Commission,” a commission dedicated exclusively to giving grants to firms moving plants or production facilities from out of the country into the United States. The firm has been granted permission to pay for upwards of 50% of the building costs for a plant in some specific cases, and has been granted full permission by the president to determine what firms get exactly what amount of funding from the federal government. The commission is expected to go into effect on September 1st.
The final, and perhaps most important part of the Reshoring Act, is the President himself personally thanking companies which decide to move back to the United States. He will do so in an incredibly public way, with the intention of providing free publicity to companies which go this route. The belief that patriotic American citizens can guide the way for American companies back into the country by voluntarily paying more for higher quality products is perhaps the most American and Capitalist thing someone could say or do.

American Ingenuity Act

An important attractor for basing one’s business in the United States rather than, say, China, is the level of technological standard within the United States. Approved by President Trump, the American Ingenuity Act (AIA) emphasizes these strengths and improves on them.
The AIA creates the Automated Industry and Production Fund (AIPF), a fund dedicated to advancing both current and future American industrial projects to a higher standard of production which creates high quality products in quantities which are affordable to the masses. The program does this in a variety of ways, the most important of which being generous industrial subsidies, which can often pay for up to 40% of the transition to Industry 4.0, with heavy amounts of automation and computerization. The program also heavily utilizes tax credits, often paying for up to a 5th of the transition.
The process to apply for AIPF assistance was also designated to be incredibly simple by Republican legislators, as to allow businesses to take advantage of the funding more easily. This also includes for the production of small-time businesses, including the funding of 3-D printers to allow small businesses to create more of their own stock.
Another important component of the AIA is the support which it provides to small businesses. The AIA greatly expands the Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) grants and loans programme, as well as drastically reducing the interest on small business loans and grants. It also creates the American Localized Business Subsidy (ALBS), a direct subsidy to small businesses in order to allow them better prices for their customers while maintaining a profit. This could also be used to expand buildings and facilities. ALBS subsidies are essentially a blank cheque, granting small business owners large amounts of freedom.
The final important-enough-to-mention component of the AIA is the Business Advisory Commission, a free-to-access business consultation program for small business owners. It provides invaluable advice for small business owners, allowing them to use smarter business sense without spending ridiculous amounts for consultation or compromising their values.

American Business Protection Act

The largest change of any in the American Business Protection Act is the establishment of ‘bracket tariffs,’ a tariff system in which countries are assigned to a bracket to incentivize/deincentivize American businesses to locate there. It establishes five different ‘Tiers’ of tariff, in three distinct ‘classifications,’ those classifications being ‘aligned,’ ‘unaligned,’ and ‘opposed,’ referring to how the United States feels about a business having production facilities in said country.
Map
Aligned
Tier 1 and Tier 2 countries are to be considered in the Aligned category, with tariffs that are considerably lower. Tier 1 countries are not to have import tariffs whatsoever, abolishing tariffs for these countries outright to promote improved relations with them. While President Trump was apparently personally opposed to this tier, he was strongarmed by Senate Republicans into backing it, showing an increased tameness of the President as his second term progresses. Tier 2 countries are to have a level of tariff (averaging around 8%), but not to the degree that any higher tier has.
This tier consists of almost all of Latin America (excluding ‘Tier X’ countries, to be explained later), the European Union, and every single one of the United States’ Free Trade Agreements which it currently already maintains.
There are however exemptions to this rule, that being that the United States can still increase tariffs on specific goods or services if protection is needed. For example, the mining industry in Brazil has tariffs equivalent to what would otherwise be a Tier-3 in order to protect American Miners.
Unaligned
Tier 3 is the only tier in the unaligned category, consisting of what are now average tariff levels (on average around 20%). This tier consists of countries which while not directly aligned to the PRC are not aligned to the United States. In a strange decision, all members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) excluding Russia are members of this tier, perhaps signaling an attempted detente with Russia and her sphere.
Opposed
Tiers 4 and 5 are members of this classification. Tier 4 (around 30% average import tariff) consists of countries which are generally either anti-American, pro-China, or are otherwise strangling American businesses. Tier 5 is restricted exclusively to China, giving all imports from the country a whopping 50% import tariff to incentivize production to leave the country and move into US-aligned nations.
The tier consists of only the most Chinese-aligned African countries (namely Mozambique and Angola,) Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Russia, and Syria. The Business Protection Act also establishes complete embargos on all goods and resources from Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Myanmar, and North Korea (‘Sanctioned’ on the map) until further notice.

Save American Farms Act

The Save American Farms Act (SAFA) provides much needed relief for American farmers, especially small family farmers who form the backbone of American agriculture. It does this in a variety of ways, all with a theme in giving power and influence to said small farmers.
The first major thing the act does is establish national farm animal quality of life standards, as to prevent massive factory farms from out competing organic small farmers. This will increase both US food quality and the profit margins for small farmers who would otherwise struggle to compete.
Second, the bill establishes the Farming Anti-Trust Administration (FATA), given the full power to dissolve monopolies plaguing the agribusiness. The two agribusinesses specifically targeted by this bill are the Bayer and Corvetta monopolies, which combined own more than 75% of the seed production and distribution market. By doing so we create fair competition for farmers to increase their profit margins.
Third, the bill grants farmers the “Right to Repair,” allowing them to repair and upgrade their own farming equipment. This means that farmers can save money going to professionals who would otherwise do exactly what they can for significantly higher prices, saving them large amounts of money.
Finally, the bill allows meat slaughtered at state-inspected facilities to be sold over state lines. Currently, small farms are unable to sell their meat over state lines due to regulations, while foreign meat is allowed to be sold all over the country. This means that American farmers are strangled by meat farmers in foreign countries, such as Australia. These regulations will be abolished in order to help American meat packing and production.
On a related note, SAFA was the only portion of the Made in America Act to pass with immense bi-partisan support. The progressive wing of the Democratic Party, as well as the Green Party, both supported the bill with open arms, leading to it passing with 97-0-3 in the senate.

American Shipping Act

The United States of America used to possess one of the largest merchant marines on the planet, however, most shipping lines have decided to base in either Panama or the Bahamas, this is unacceptable, starting immediately Donald Trump will be signing an executive order, ordering US based companies to relocate their ships flags to the united states. With US based cruise lines and shipping companies relocating their ships this is expected to increase operating costs, to avoid these costs being passed onto consumers the US federal government will be providing both funds to allow for the modification of vessels to meet safety regulations, furthermore the companies will receive tax breaks to subsidize the move and prevent harm to companies finances. With the Outbreak of coronavirus proving the offshoring ships leads to lax if not totally absent safety standards, we expect this move to be widely supported among the population. In regards to bailouts, companies that are not based in the USA and flying the US flag will be ineligible for bailouts, this is expected to motivate companies to rapidly adapt.

Civil Shipbuilding

With China State Shipbuilding becoming the dominant player in the shipbuilding industry, it is time for the USA to restore its place as the king of shipbuilding, the POTUS has decided that a carrot and stick approach must be undertaken. For the Carrot, the United States government will be providing no interest loans to shipbuilders across the united states to build large competitive shipyards along with giving said companies tax breaks. Furthermore, the EPA and other government agencies will be waving regulations pertaining to Shipbuilding to make them recommendations rather than legally binding. Ships built in the United States will be tax free, preventing american transaction taxes from affecting the vessels. Furthermore, Ships built in the United States will be eligible for up to 15% of the purchasing cost of the ship to be subsidized by the federal government, rendering american ships highly competitive on the global markets. Additionally the American Reshoring Grant Commission has been authorized to provide up to 50% of construction funds to the building of the shipyardsNow for the stick, after a one year grace period, 2.5% tariffs will be applied on any vessel attempting to import goods to the United States that is being transported on a non american built vessel.

Defence Shipbuilding

While Previous Administrations have become complacent with the pace of US shipbuilding, the emerging threat posed by China showcases the woeful state of US shipbuilding, just one chinese shipyard produces more surface combatants than the entirety of the US, this cannot stand. With the Trump Administration's Decision to prioritize the US armed forces once again, it is time to fix this glaring gap. Three major issues have been identified that prevent the United States from exceeding chinese naval production. First, decades of lax orders and shifting priorities have resulted in shipyards failing to accomplish jobs on time, and even when accomplished on time, years behind peer shipyards and billions of dollars extra. The second major issue facing shipyards is lack of production space, followed by inefficient working. All of these major issues will be addressed in the Naval Shipbuilding Revival plan.

Jourdan Shipyard, Diamondhead Naval Yard

While Current shipyards are going to be receiving federal funds to expand production and increase efficiency, it is believed that a new super shipbuilding complex is required to meet the plans outlined by president trump on time, while also creating thousands of high skill jobs across the united states and reviving the great american industry. The Joudran Shipyard will be the pinnacle of american manufacturing capabilities, utilizing the latest in modular construction techniques and parallel assembly the shipyard will be able to outcompete all current naval yards along with building ships faster and more affordably. With existing shipyards both being expanded and retasked, the Jourdan Shipyard will finish the gaps and will allow the USN to continue to expand well into the 21st century.
The Jourdan shipyard is tasked with the continuation of the production of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, with the planned extension of the class life to DDG-160, and with the production of the Multi Role Frigates, SSNs, SSKs and CVNs.
The Arleigh Burke class production line will be comprised of four parallel assembly halls(designed to be retaskable to the Multi Role Frigates), allowing the hull and its interior modules to be installed rapidly, following this the now completed hull form moves to an assembly hall where weapons and the interior are installed, following this the vessel moves into a finishing drydock, where the sonar is added along with final installations of systems. This new facility is designed to produce six Burke class destroyers a year at maximum production capacity, or ten Multi Role Frigates.
CVN Production
While our current yards are capable of handling the current demand president trump has ordered, after reviewing chinese shipbuilding, has ordered the creation of a second supercarrier capable yard, this supercarrier capable yard will feature two assembly areas for the production or maintenance of two carriers at once. This dual yard capability is expected to allow for Super carrier construction to continue even in the event of a carrier being damaged or requiring urgent maintenance, something that is extremely challenging to accommodate currently. Furthermore, the site will be tasked with the storage of a surplus of hard to produce equipment such as catapults, allowing faster upgrades, and the ability to replace a damaged component.
With the US government recognizing the need to mass produce SSN and SSK class vessels, a separate assembly line will be established for the rapid production of the Virginia class SSN. Building on CIA intel regarding the chinese production plant for its SSNs and SSBNs we will be creating a rival facility capable of exceeding chinese production, using state of the art assembly halls and using large scale prefabrication machines to create submarine hulls rapidly. The Assembly yard will be capable of assembling 4 Virginia Class submarines per year along with 5 of the to be revealed SSK. This will be done entirely inside assembly halls to allow for climate control and 24/7 construction, this also allows for increased security pertaining to the status of the construction

Bath Shipbuilding

With Bath Iron Works being one of the largest employers in its state, its role must be expanded and revitalized for this 21st century combat environment. The Bath Shipyards will partner with Marinette Marine to produce the FFG(X) class frigate for the United States Navy. To allow for a delivery rate of four vessels per year, the bath iron works shipyard will receive a federal grant to finance the extension of its shipbuilding bays to allow for this level of production, furthermore the Shipyard has been granted the SCS production Contract. This contract requires the expansion of the shipyard to the other side of the river, this will once again be financed by the federal government. The SCS shipyard is expected to produce two Vessels per year, while retaining a surge capacity for three vessels if needed. This spare slot will be utilized to fill any surplus production from other yards to prevent delays, along with allowing maintenance on the vessels.

Marinette Marine

Marinette Marine will be receiving a federal grant injection to allow for the expansion of facilities to handle the production of the FFG(X) program with the goal of six vessel per year maximum production. The yard will also receive federal grant money to allow for the creation of an SSK division that will have a maximum capacity of four Submarines per year.

HII

Newport News

With Newport News currently being the only provider of aircraft carriers for the united states navy, it will be receiving a direct funding boost to allow the building of dual secondary yards for the production of two additional Supercarriers, this comes with a myriad of benefits. With Jordan shipyard likely not to enter operation for several years, the addition of a second and third yard would allow for supercarrier production to continue even if a carrier has to undergo large scale repairs due to battle damage, along with allowing the shipyard to parallel produce sections of the carrier speeding up production. Furthermore, dedicated assembly lines will be made to improve the construction times on carriers, with module factories continuing production of that section even after its been installed allowing dramatically faster build times.

Ingalls

With Ingalls Shipbuilding being a primary shipbuilder for the united states navy, it will receive a massive expansion to allow for the production of the CG(X), DDG(X) and America Class LHDs. Utilizing the undeveloped swamp land above the plant, the plant will begin a rapid expansion to build dozens of new dockyards. The CG(X) production line will be built in the new area and is expected to allow for two CG(X) vessels to be produced per year. Pertaining to DDDG(X) production, the DDG(X) production will once the AB class is completed, switch to the production of DDG(X) vessels at a rate of five per year. America Class production will be expanded with the addition of a second shipyard, to allow for the rapid expansion of the USMC. Furthermore, with the revelation from the Office of Naval intelligence that the chinese navy is intending to procure and arsenal ship, the San Antonio class production line will immediately be expanded with the addition of 2 extra yards, for the production of the Defender class Arsenal Ship, followed by an expansion of the current system to increase production to two vessels per year maximum.

Avondale

Avondale Shipyard will be reactivated and expanded to handle the LXR production with a plan of a maximum of two LXRs per year.

General Dynamics Electric Boat

GDEB will receive funding to expand production to 3 vessels per year, along with 4 SSKs per year

National Defence Revival Act

With the rising threat of china, the defence industry must be kickstarted to allow for the US armed forces to rapidly and adequately project power across the globe to contain the spread of chinese influence. With President Trump's order that US forces be able to compete with a peer or near peer adversary without compromising interests, to accomplish this the United States Defence Industry must undergo a large scale modernization and expansion program. The Defence Revival Act, is excluding naval shipbuilding in its parameters due to the extensive coverage by the National Shipbuilding Act

Land Systems Production

With Nations such as China and Russia creating advanced main battle tanks, it has become necessary to not only upgrade our own MBT systems, however establish the infrastructure required to out produce both nations, allowing US forces to fight a two front war if required against both rivals. The Lima Army Tank Plant will be receiving a 4.8 Billion dollar revitalization package, directed from surplus funds following the withdrawal from afghanistan, this revitalization program will be focused on modernizing the plants production processes along with an expansion of the tank plants production capabilities. The Lima tank plant will, building on experiences by companies such as tesla, take extensive use of automation to allow for tanks to be assembled more rapidly and more efficiently. Furthermore, the plant will be expanded to allow for the addition of further assembly lines, with the goal of allowing the plant to operate at 180 per month capacity in the event of war, fully subsidizing two front war losses. Due to recent plans, the Lima Tank Plant will also receive a direct expansion pertaining to the addition of an secondary production complex to handle the production of the M113 Successor vehicle, with the need to replace all the vehicles rapidly, along with the preexisting requirement for production to be able to handle a two front large scale conventional war, the M113Successor will have a total production capacity of 220 vehicles per month. Similar to the Naval production plants, the modernized plants will take full advantage of parallel construction, with different sections specializing on different parts and assembling it in large parallel assembly bays, this will reduce the possibilities of delays on one tank causing the entire production line to slow down.
Pertaining to the production of advanced air and artillery systems, current production plants are insufficient to handle the requirements of a large scale conflict along with the modernization of the US armed forces, while current Patriot missile production is adequate for the current low threat environment, in the event of a full scale war US patriot missile stocks would be rapidly expanded, to allow for Wartime use of Patriot missile batteries the patriot missiles and other US SAM production plants will be expanded dramatically to allow for 2x over predictions for a two front peer to peer war, this will allow US air defence teams to focus on the engagement of hostile targets, and not what effect this will have on their missile reserves. Furthermore, US artillery production plants must be expanded to accommodate the rapid modernization of the US Artillery corp, production for the M109 SPG will be designed to allow for the production of 40 systems per month in surge situations, however standard production will be twenty vehicles per month. Munition manufactures will receive grants to expand production capability to allow for peer to peer weapons capacity.

Aircraft Production

With the USAF being the preeminent air power in the world, steps must be taken to retain its position as the premier air fighting force, the accomplish this defence contractors will be receiving additional funding to allow for the increase in production for USAF aircraft. The US fort Worth assembly line will have its production capacity upgraded to 21 aircraft per month, this will be accomplished via the increase in the size of the production plant, with an addition being added to the building to allow for the increase in production. This increase in production capacity will both allow the United States Airforce to replace any combat losses along with allowing the force to rapidly increase the number of 5th generation aircraft in light of both Russian and chinese 5th generation production numbers expanding to unexpected level, along with the withdrawal from afghanistan freeing up 46 billion dollars for use in modernizing the US armed forces, F-35 orders are expected to increase to make the production sustainable to both the united states government and for lockheed martin. Boeing, having received both isreali and american orders for the F-15 platform will use its famous ability to rapidly increase F-15 production to be able to handle the production of 34 aircraft per month, excluding upgrades.
Further funding will be provided to expand other production plants to accommodate and match and maintain the current rations of other production.

Conclusion

The Made in America Act will propel America into the 21st century, while also benefiting american workers and Keeping America Great, hopefully forever.

It is Thanksgiving Day in 1980. Ronald Reagan was elected president weeks prior. There are still fifty four American hostages held in the Iranian capitol, Tehran. In Reno, Nevada, the ‘Biggest Little City in the World’, locals are preparing to celebrate a long standing American tradition. It’s 2:57pm, around 47 degrees, a warm Thursday afternoon for November.
Thirty years prior to present, Reno is a different town. Fewer towering buildings decorate the skyline, the slate crosswalks downtown aren’t yet conceived, nor are the purple flower boxes and trash cans that will give Virginia Street an effervescent character. A time traveller would likely hear the sounds of Kenny Rogers’ saccharine “Lady” or Blondie’s “Call Me” from a passing car stereo. Competing with street sounds are the mechanical jingling, clinking and ringing of Casino slot machines. The noises is from the actual sound of metal striking metal, not the polyphonic, electronic beeps that they have today. The scent of local restaurant’s Thanksgiving specials, roast turkey or baked ham wafts through the air. Those planning ahead with Christmas shopping are more likely to come downtown or to Park Lane Mall than to J.C. Penney at Meadowood Mall, which has yet to become the area’s shopping mecca. This means that the downtown area is absolutely teeming with shoppers, picking up last minute gifts and food items before convening with their families for an evening of feasting and revelry. But joining them is fifty one year old Priscilla Joyce Ford, an African American teacher and mother of three. It would be easy to assume that a woman with three young children would have driven downtown that day to pick up yams, cranberry sauce, or any other last minute foods that constitute a stable Thanksgiving spread. But Priscilla Ford is there for a different reason entirely.
Ford is driving a blue, 1974 Lincoln Continental, a vehicle that weighs over five thousand pounds, with a top speed of over a hundred and twenty miles per hour. One might believe that a teacher and mother of three might have something of an angelic past, but not Priscilla Ford. Twenty three years prior to that Thanksgiving Day, Ford shot her second husband with a .38 revolver before threatening to turn the gun on herself. She was also arrested for trespassing and assault after tracking down one of her ex-husbands in a fit of rage. Ford is 5-feet-4 and weighs 125 pounds; she has brown eyes and shoulder-length hair, combed back. She had crackers and Emerald Dry Wine before leaving on her errand. Her blood-alcohol ratio is point-162. That’s too drunk to be driving legally, but many a barfly has made it home with higher. Sitting peacefully in her car, Priscilla Ford notices that there are many more people than usual walking up and down the downtown sidewalks. People are milling along casino row. Perhaps because of the mild weather, there are more tourists than usual here during the tail end of a national recession.
It takes another minute for the Lincoln to make its way to 100 feet south of the southeast corner of Second and Virginia streets. At 2:59 p.m., the Lincoln jumps the curb and careens down the sidewalk. It hits the curb at about twenty miles an hour, so as not to blow the tires. But the vehicle rapidly accelerates to as high as forty miles per hour, driving another hundred feet down the sidewalk, witnesses will later say. It crosses the Second Street crosswalk and continues another 322 feet down the sidewalk in front of the bank, in front of Harrah’s, Nevada Club and Harold’s Club. Then it’s back on Virginia Street, crossing to the southbound lane and stopping two blocks later behind traffic at the Fifth Street traffic light. The light is red. Bodies fly left and right, the screams are blood curdling. Destruction follows the car’s path like a tornado. Five people are killed immediately, and 24 are injured. Fourteen people will be sent to Washoe Medical Center; the remaining 10 to St. Mary’s. Street signs, body parts, clothing, wounded and dead lie on the sidewalk and in the gutter like victims of a natural disaster. But this is an entirely unnatural disaster.
It takes only a few seconds for Ford to drive five whole blocks. For the victims, every second following the attack is an eternity, waiting for help to arrive, for family members to come, for the news of survivors and casualties. But the longest wait, some will later say, is for justice. John Oakes is the deputy district attorney on call that day. “I was dispatched down to a hit and run,” he says. “I thought they were kidding me; it’s Thanksgiving. I got downtown, and it was a goddamn war zone. I never saw nothin’ like that before in my life, there were bodies everywhere. It was pure carnage. People were crying over the bodies of the dead, ambulances were responding, but there just weren’t enough of them. It was a complete mess.” Later, John Oakes is told to keep an eye on Priscilla Ford. “There was a trauma center set up down at Washoe Med, and we had the victims coming in crying and screaming, family members filing in, all of ‘em just shell-shocked. The perp was right next door. An officer and I were directed to maintain security because a lot of people wanted to kill her.” Oakes spends around five hours in the company of the killer. He says the most remarkable thing about her was her calmness, mixed with callousness. “At one point, she looked at me point-blank and asked, ‘How many people did I kill?’ I said, ‘Five or six.’ She said, ‘Good.’ She was just cold to it all. Like it was just another day to her. Very matter of fact. Very matronly, motherly. She was acting self-righteous, like she was justified in what she did. We couldn’t figure out why at the time.” “What’s the first defense of anybody who creates this kind of carnage? ‘Only a crazy person would do something like that.’ I got down to Reno PD before she was brought into booking, and I had them set up the video, so we could see on tape exactly how lucid she was. She knew who she was and where she was; that tape was worth its weight in gold.”
On August 4th, 1981, Priscilla Ford was successfully found competent to stand trial after previously being found incompetent on January 29 th . The trial lasted almost five months. After thirteen hours of deliberation, a jury composed of seven women and five men found Ford guilty on six counts of murder and a whopping twenty three counts of attempted murder on March 19th, 1982. A few weeks later, the jury decided she was to be put to death. Even though seven people died as a result of Ford's attack, issues in the indictment caused Ford to only be charged with six. Ford's lawyer claimed she was mentally ill with schizophrenia and should not be put to death, rather spend the rest of her life in a mental institution. However the District Attorney called her “evil personified” and fought for Ford to be found legally sane. Ford herself went on the stand and testified that she believed she was the reincarnation of Jesus and therefore incapable of sin. But it seems the only thing Priscilla Ford was incapable of was compassion for her victims.

At what duration in history did individuals begin to bet? The specific duration is unidentified however think it or not, pairs of dice have actually been discovered in Egyptian burial places over 4,000 years of ages! Likewise, gambling video games were played in ancient China, where Poker is believed to have actually come from. In 1492 throughout the Columbus landing, Native Americans were sports banking on the result of a video game looking like LaCross. So when did it all begin in America? Keep reading.
Early America
Gambling in America began with the very first English inhabitants in the 1600's. Their customs consisted of card video games that became part of the noble way of life. Nevertheless, when Puritans colonized in Massachusetts Bay they had the liberty to produce their own culture that included hostility towards gambling. They disallowed the ownership of dice, cards, and gambling table video games in their neighborhoods. However, gambling dominated in other regions. Numerous English colonists thought about gambling to be an ideal type of home entertainment.
The Transformation
The nest of Virginia was the very first to recognize that lottery games might raise capital for city governments. Ultimately all 13 nests were raising lottery game earnings. Profits assisted develop Universities like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. Lottery games likewise moneyed churches and libraries. Establishing Dads George Washington, Ben Franklin, and John Hancock were promoters of particular lottery games for public works tasks. When the Revolutionary War began, the Continental Congress elected a $10 million lotto to fund the war.
Westward Ho
Throughout the early 1800's the pubs and roadway homes permitted dice and card video games, producing the very first variation of gambling establishments. As America's population started to increase, gambling establishments ended up being more extravagant. The Mississippi River was a significant trade route where merchants and business owners brought their money. Gambling on riverboats ended up being a preferred activity and New Orleans ended up being the gambling capitol of America. In 1849 gambling followed the leaders to California throughout the gold rush. Gambling facilities started to thrive there and west of the Mississippi, consisting of Nevada. In the late 1800's Live roulette was embraced from France and the Slots was developed.
Much of the general public seen gambling as a social ill since it was connected to alcohol addiction and prostitution. Reformers persuaded jurisdictions to close down the Dens of Iniquity. The majority of states terminated lottos also. Riverboat gambling dried up with the development of the railway. By the end of the century just Nevada enabled gambling.
20th Century
In 1910 Nevada lastly shut the door on gambling, which left horse race betting the only legal entity in America. In 1912 Arizona and New Mexico were given statehood under the condition that gambling stay outlawed. Throughout the 1920's restriction age, the general public's thirst for gambling matched that of alcohol. Gambling establishments holed up in addition to the speak easys. In 1931 Nevada legislated gambling once again and stayed the only state to do so up until the latter half of the century. Gambling thrived underground as the mob made heavy financial investments in Nevada, and succeeded by managing off track wagering and the numbers lottery.
Throughout the 1950's the U.S. Senate examined arranged criminal offense's link to unlawful gambling. Ultimately the mob left Las Vegas. States put bookmakers out of business by legislating off track wagering and numbers video games. Atlantic City authorized gambling in 1976, the Indian Video gaming Act was authorized by congress in the late 1980's. Dockside riverboat gambling picked up, racetracks set up slots while Las Vegas transformed itself by constructing mega resorts throughout the 1990's.
Century 21
The American Video gaming Association reported that there are 832,988 slot machine expanded over 1,151 gambling establishments and racetracks throughout 44 states with more en route. There is another breed of gambling appearing and it is on the internet such as here slot deposit pulsa. It appears that the American culture's thirst for gambling matches that of the Egyptian Pharaohs! America has actually welcomed gambling as an appropriate kind of home entertainment.

The humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico worsened with the inadequate response by the federal government. Amid criticism, Trump threatened to pull out, but later backed off. Although the death count officially stands at 45, reporting revealed possibly hundreds more preventable deaths related to the Hurricane Maria.
Trump remains silent on both California’s deadliest wildfires and the deadliest combat incident since he took office. He continues to focus on undoing Obama’s legacy, piece-by-piece. The Mueller investigation hit Trump’s inner-circle, and social media’s role in aiding Russia continues to unfold.

On Saturday night, Richard Spencer led another white supremacist torch-lit rally at University of Virginia. The rally lasted 10 minutes and 40-50 people attended. Spencer vowed, “we will keep coming back.”
On Sunday, Trump attacked former ally Sen. Bob Corker in a series of incendiary tweets, saying “Corker “begged” me to endorse him for re-election” and “wanted to be Secretary of State.” Trump claimed to have said no to both.
Corker responded, tweeting it’s a shame the WH has become an “adult day care center,” and that someone “missed their shift this morning.”
On Sunday, Pence left a Colts game after a protest during the national anthem. Pence later issued a full statement opposing the protests. The Colts were playing the 49ers, a team known to protest.
Before the game, Pence tweeted a photo of him and the Second Lady wearing Colts gear. The photo was one he originally tweeted in 2014.
Shortly after, Trump tweeted he had asked Pence to leave the game “if any players kneeled,” and said he was proud of Pence and the Second Lady.
The pool of journalists covering Pence were not allowed into the stadium, and were told, “there may be an early departure from the game.” ABC estimated Pence’s flight cost taxpayers nearly $250k.
Bowing to pressure from Trump, the Cowboys’ Jerry Jones, after kneeling with players in week 3 of the season, changed course saying any player who “disrespects the flag” by kneeling will not be allowed to play.
On Tuesday, Trump threatened the NFL over protests saying the league is “getting massive tax breaks” and the law should be changed. This claim is false: the NFL gave up its 501(c)(6) tax-exempt status in 2015.
On Tuesday, bowing to pressure from Trump and fans, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who previously had said players had the right to voice their opinions, sided with owners opposed to letting players demonstrate.
On Monday, Pence headlined a fundraiser in CA for Republicans including controversial, Kremlin-ally Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. Rohrabacher had a previously undisclosed meeting in Russia with Veselnitskaya described in Week 47.
University of Wisconsin approved a policy which calls for suspending or expelling students who disrupt campus speeches and presentations. The policy mirrors Republican legislation passed by the state Assembly.
On Columbus Day, unlike Obama, Trump celebrated the “arrival of Europeans,” but did not mention of the suffering of Native Americans.
On Sunday, the Trump’s DHS allowed the Jones Act waiver, which helped speed relief to Puerto Rico, to expire. No explanation was given.
Trump’s EPA announced it would repeal the Clean Power Plan, Obama’s signature policy to curb greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The statement described the regulation as the “so-called Clean Power Plan.”
On Friday, Trump addressed the Value Voters Summit hosted by the Family Research Council, which has been classified by SPLC as an anti-gay hate group. Trump is the first US leader to address the group.
Reuters reported the Trump regime has been quietly cutting support for halfway houses for federal prisoners, severing contracts with as many as 16 facilities, necessitating some inmates stay behind bars longer.
ABC reported the Treasury Dept’s inspector general is looking into allegations reported by BuzzFeed in Week 47 that agency officials have been illegally looking at private financial records of US citizens.
A report compiled by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) at House and Senate Democrats’ request, found the Trump transition team ignored ethics officials and refused to cooperate with the GAO.
Trump named Kathleen Hartnett White to the WH’s Council on Environmental Quality. Hartnett White, a climate science denier, once also said, “fossil fuels dissolved the economic justification for slavery.”
In response to a filing by CREW, Trump’s DOJ told a court in DC that Trump can destroy records without judicial review, including tweets.
Brian Brooks became the second candidate under consideration for deputy Treasury Secretary to withdraw from consideration. Mnuchin said he has no plans to fill the number two slot in his agency.
WAPO reported at the Interior Dept, when Zinke enters the building a staffer takes the elevator to the seventh floor, climbs the stairs to the roof and puts up a special flag. The flag comes down when he leaves.
On Wednesday, NBC reported Tillerson calling Trump a “moron” was provoked by Trump suggesting a tenfold increase in the US nuclear arsenal during a July 20 meeting with the high-ranking national security leaders.
In response to the story which he called “Fake News,” Trump tweeted a threat to revoke the broadcasting licenses of “NBC and the Networks.”
Later that afternoon, at a news conference, Trump again lashed out at the independent news media saying it’s “frankly disgusting the press is able to write whatever it wants to write.”
In a statement Wednesday night, Republican Sen. Ben Sasse asked Trump if he was “recanting” his oath to protect the First Amendment.
Indiana Republican lawmaker Jim Lucas drafted a bill that would require professional journalists to be licensed by state police.
Under pressure to confirm Trump’s judicial nominees, McConnell will no longer allow “blue slips,” used by senators to deny a nominee from their state a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing and vote on confirmation.
The Trump regime withdrew from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), citing anti-Israel bias and a being in arrears on a $550 million payment. Israel remains part of UNESCO.
NYT published an interview with Corker in which he said Trump is treating his office like a “reality show” with reckless threats at other country that could put our country “on the path to World War III.”
Corker said he is concerned about Trump, and Trump’s behavior should concern “anyone who cares about our nation.” He added there is no ‘good cop, bad cop’ underway with Tillerson — Trump is undermining diplomacy.
Corker said nearly all Senate Republican share his concerns: “the vast majority of our caucus understands what we’re dealing with here.”
WAPO reported Trump is frustrated by his cabinet and that he is not getting enough credit for his handling of three hurricanes. Trump is lashing out and rupturing alliances with both Republicans and Democrats.
One confidant said Trump is like a whistling teapot, saying when he does not blow off steam, he can turn into a pressure cooker and explode: “I think we are in pressure cooker territory.”
Politico quoted 10 sources current and former WH aides who employed strategies like delays and distractions as “guardrails” in trying to manage Trump’s impulsivity.
Vanity Fair reported sources say Trump is “unstable,” “losing a step,” and “unraveling.” They say the WH is in crisis as advisers struggle to contain Trump who is increasingly unfocused and consumed by dark moods.
Trump allegedly told his former bodyguard Schiller, “I hate everyone in the White House!” Kelly is allegedly miserable in the job, and is staying on in a sense of duty and to keep Trump from making disastrous decisions.
One former official speculated Kelly and Mattis have discussed what they would do if Trump ordered a nuclear strike — “would they tackle him?”
According to sources, Bannon said the risk to Trump’s presidency wasn’t impeachment, but the 25th Amendment. Bannon thinks Trump has only a 30% chance of making it the full term.
In a column “What Bob Corker Sees in Trump,” conservative columnist Peggy Noonan urged Republicans they have a duty to speak on the record about what they see happening with Trump.
On Thursday, at a signing ceremony for his health care executive order, Trump nearly walked out of the room without signing the order. Pence pulled him back in.
On Tuesday, Trump said in an interview with Forbes that he could beat Tillerson in an IQ test. Trump met with Tillerson later that day at the WH.
On Friday, Corker called out Trump for his effort to disempower Tillerson saying: “You cannot publicly castrate your own secretary of state without giving yourself that binary choice.”
CNN’s Fareed Zakaria said, “It’s very clear now that we essentially have no diplomacy going on in the United States,” adding the way Trump has treated Tillerson is “the most dramatic example of it.”
On CBS’s 60 Minutes, Parscale claimed he fine-tuned ads on Facebook to directly reach voters with the exact messages they cared most about. He also claimed he handpicked Republican Facebook employees to help.
Daily Beast reported the Kremlin recruited two black video bloggers, Williams and Kalvin Johnson, to produce incendiary YouTube videos calling Hillary a racist. The videos were spread on social media platforms.
WAPO reported Google has uncovered evidence about $100k of ads purchased by Russian agents to spread disinformation on across the company’s many products, including YouTube, during the 2016 election.
Google said the ads do not appear to be from the same Kremlin-linked troll farm that bought ads on Facebook. Some ads touted Trump, Bernie Sanders, and Jill Stein, while others aimed to fan the flames of divisive issues.
Rep. Devin Nunes, who recused himself as Chair of the House Intel Committee’s Russia probe, unilaterally signed off on subpoenas to Fusion GPS, the research firm that produced the Steele dossier. Democrats were not consulted.
Reuters reported Chuck Grassley, the Republican chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is also taking steps to discredit the dossier according to Democrats on the committee.
Carter Page told the Senate Intel Committee that he will not cooperate with any requests to appear before the panel on Russia, and will plead the Fifth.
Daily Beast reported the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is looking at Cambridge Analytica’s work from the Trump campaign as part of its Russian probe.
Cambridge Analytica, which has ownership ties to the Mercers and Bannon, was brought in to help the campaign by Kushner. The company is also under investigation in the UK watchdog for its role in Brexit.
NYT reported Israel caught Kaspersky Lab working with the Russian government to search the world for US secrets, using Kaspersky software to scan for classified words. Kaspersky software is used by 400 million people.
WSJ reported that Russia’s use of the Kaspersky program to spy on the US is broader and more pervasive than the operation against one individual in Week 47. Trump continues to deny Russian meddling in the US election.
Politico reported as part their posture to cooperate, Trump’s attorneys may offer Mueller a meeting with Trump. If Mueller doesn’t ask by Thanksgiving, attorneys may force the issue by volunteering his time.
Legal experts were surprised by Trump’s lawyers strategy noting Trump would be speaking under oath and he routinely distorts facts, and that Trump would be interviewed in connection with a criminal investigation.
CNN reported Russian operatives used YouTube, Tumblr, and even Pokémon Go as part of their effort to interfere in the election, using a campaign titled “Don’t Shoot Us” to spread a divisive message.
NBC reported Manafort had a previously undisclosed $26 million loan from Deripaska through a series of transactions. It is unclear if the $26 million is a loan or an indirect payment from the Russian oligarch.
The loan brings the total financial relationship between Manafort and Deripaska to $60 million over the past decade, according to financial documents filed in Cyprus and the Cayman Islands.
Manafort’s spokesman, Jason Maloni, initially responded to NBC with a statement including: “Mr. Manafort is not indebted to former clients today, nor was he at the time he began working for the Trump campaign.”
Maloni’s statement was later revised and that sentence was removed. Both Manafort and Maloni have received subpoenas to supply documents and testimony in the Mueller probe.
Yahoo reported Andrew Feinberg, former correspondent for Sputnik, provided a guide and emails to FBI investigators looking into possible violations of the law which requires agents of foreign nations to register with the DOJ.
Further, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is investigating RT and Sputnik as possible parts of the Russian state-run propaganda machine in the broader probe into Russia’s election meddling.
On Friday, Mueller’s team interviewed Trump’s former chief of staff, Priebus. Priebus’ lawyer said he voluntarily met with investigators and “was happy to answer all of their questions.”
Priebus was present during Trump’s efforts to limit the Russia probe, and for discussions that led to the firing of Comey. He was also asked to leave the Oval Office before the infamous Trump-Comey conversation.
Politico reported Twitter deleted tweets and other user data of potentially irreplaceable value to investigators in the Russia probe.
Federal investigators believe Twitter was one of Russia’s most potent weapons. Bots and fake accounts launched recurring waves of pro-Trump, anti-Clinton story lines that were either false or greatly exaggerated.
AP reported Twitter has turned over 201 accounts linked to Russian attempts at influencing the 2016 election to Senate investigators. It is unclear if the posts associated with these accounts have been deleted.
CNN reported an attorney for Roger Stone said he has complied with the House Intel Committee request to provide the identity of his intermediary to WikiLeaks’ Assange.
WSJ reported Congressional investigators are homing in on connections between the Trump campaign, and Facebook, and Twitter. Digital director Parscale was paid $88 million during the campaign, the highest paid vendor.
Every vendor that worked with Parscale on the Trump campaign signed a nondisclosure agreement, and there are no federal disclosure requirements for online ads.
Both Congress and Mueller are investigating the role activity on Facebook and Twitter played in the 2016 election, and whether the Russian social-media activity was in any connected to the Trump campaign.
A Morning Consult poll found Trump’s approval has fallen in every state since he took office. The swings were as high as 30 percentage points in blue-states IL and CA, to 11 points in red-state LA.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found Trump’s popularity is eroding in small towns and rural communities: in September 47 approve/47 disapprove, down from 55/39 in his first four weeks in office.
WAPO reported as of October 10, Trump’s first 263 days in office, he has made 1,318 false or misleading claims.
The Brookings Institute released a 108-page report which concluded Trump “likely obstructed justice” in his firing of Comey. If Mueller agrees, there are legitimate articles of impeachment that could be drawn up.
In a letter to Mattis, over 100 Democrats are demanding proof that Trump did indeed consult with the Pentagon as he claimed in a tweet, prior to announcing his ban of transgender individuals from military service.
A Kaiser Foundation poll found 62% of Americans say Puerto Ricans aren’t getting the help they need. 76% were aware Puerto Ricans are US citizens.
On Thursday, in a series of tweets, Trump threatened to abandon Puerto Rico’s recovery effort, blaming the island for its infrastructure problems and saying and relief workers would not stay “in P.R. forever.”
The tweets follow harsh criticism from Puerto Rico of the Trump regime’s response to Hurricane Maria. One Puerto Rican said, “He doesn’t think of us as Americans.”
Trump also quoted a Sharyl Attkisson, a television journalist with Sinclair Broadcasting, in saying that while Puerto Rico survived Hurricane Maria, now “a financial crisis looms largely of their own making.”
Later Thursday, the WH issued a statement committing “the full force of the U.S. government” for now, but adding “successful recoveries do not last forever.”
At a House Energy and Commerce hearing about efforts to rebuild the island’s energy grid, Sec. Rick Perry referred to Puerto Rico as a country.
Next day, Trump referred to the Virgin Islands’ governor as a president.
VOX reported although the official death count in Puerto Rico is 45, they found 81 death linked to Hurricane Maria, as well as 450 more reported deaths, most of causes still unknown, and 69 still missing.
Puerto Rico’s governor said four deaths are being investigated as cases of leptospirosis, a disease spread by animals’ urine through contaminated water. A total of ten people have come down with the disease.
Rachel Maddow reported a doctor resigned from the disaster response team in Puerto Rico after seeing medical workers getting manicures and pedicures from residents of the island in medical triage tents.
NYT reported on Puerto Rico’s health care is in dire condition, and continues to suffer from mismanagement. The US Comfort ship with 800 medical personnel which can serve 250, has seen 82 patients in six days.
CNN reported Puerto Ricans are drinking water from a hazardous-waste site, having no other options for water.
A Politico/Morning Consult poll found just 32% of registered voters think the federal government has done enough to help Puerto Rico.
Bloomberg revealed one of its reporters was inadvertently put on the Pentagon’s internal email list which detailed how to spin Hurricane Maria to convince the public that the government response was going well.
On Thursday, Trump also signed an executive order ending Obamacare subsidies for the poor. Not paying the subsidies could boost premiums for millions and send the health insurance exchanges into turmoil.
NPR estimated consumers who earn 400% of the federal poverty level — $48k for individuals or $98.4k for a family of four — will see their the cost of their plans rise by, on average, 20% nationwide.
Doctors, hospitals, insurers, state insurance commissioners and patient advocates denounced Trump’s move. Trump actions puts pressure on Congress to protect consumers from soaring premiums.
WSJ reported if Congress doesn’t succeed, WH aides said Trump “will claim victory” for ending the Iran deal, cutting billions in payments to health insurers, and deporting hundreds of thousands of immigrants.
On Friday, a coalition of attorneys general from 18 states and DC filed a lawsuit to block Trump’s halt to subsidy payments under Obamacare.
NYT reported as of Friday, Trump has taken 12 actions which could weaken Obamacare and curtail enrollment, including spreading negative news releases and posting infographics criticizing the health law.
On Saturday, Trump boasted on Twitter that health insurance companies’ stocks “plunged yesterday” after his steps to dismantle Obamacare.
A Kaiser Health poll found 71% of Americans say the Trump regime should work to improve Obamacare, while just 21% say make it fail.
On Friday, Trump slammed Iran as a “menace” and called for “decertification” of the nuclear deal, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), saying Iran is “not living up to the spirit of the deal.”
Trump sent the deal back to Congress with a 60-day window to address its “many serious flaws” or see it “terminated.”
Top officials on Trump’s national security team, including Mattis and Tillerson, said Iran has technically complied with its restrictions. The International Atomic Energy Association also confirmed compliance.
Daily Beast reported while McMaster also wanted to save the Iran Deal, Trump consulted Fox News’ Sean Hannity and former UN Ambassador John Bolton, two neoconservatives who pushed for decertification.
The leaders of Britain, Germany and France declared their commitment to stand by JCPoA. They deal was the culmination of 16 years of diplomacy.
After being added to Trump’s travel ban, Chad pulled its troops from the fight against Boko Haram in Niger. US officials had warned Trump his decision would have major consequences for the fight against terrorism.
California’s deadliest wildfires charred more than 221,754 acres of land in Northern CA, and left at least 35 dead and hundreds more missing. Trump has yet to publicly comment or tweet about the wildfires.
Nor has Trump publicly commented on the deadliest combat incident since he took office, which took place in Niger last Saturday while Trump was golfing. The ambush by ISIS left four soldiers dead and two wounded.
As the week ended, 24 days after Hurricane Maria, just 64% of Puerto Ricans had access to drinking water, and only 14.6% had electricity.
Trump spent his fourth weekend since Hurricane Maria golfing. On Saturday, he visited Trump National Golf Club in VA, his 72nd day of golf since taking office.

Long one with three parts.
My dad sells high end hairstyling scissors that he designs himself. Our business has patents and trademarks for all sorts of scissors in the U.S. He also does sharpening for the shears (hairstyling scissors) and other knives as a side thing at the office to earn some cash. He's been sharpening shears for over 20 years but recently officially started providing the service to everyone willing to pay.
Recently my dad has been training people to become our dealers in other states or cities. We are based in Florida, and the person in question was to go back go Virginia. To sell our merchandise and know their info in the market, we teach them sharpening techniques. It's easier to learn about the metals they are made from and what is high quality or not if you learn sharpening. He taught a new person, let's call him Kevin, how to sharpen scissors and sold some sharpening machines to him so that he would be able to do it on his own. We also gave him ~75 shears worth up to $12,000 or more for him to sell in his state when he finished training. How we do our contract is that we allow our dealers take large amounts of shears from us and they pay us half the amount of what they sell each month. This way they are not indebted the moment they start working with us. This was around 3 or 4 months ago in Late March or early April.
Part 1: About a month later, the guy said one of the machines he bought was not useful for him and he wanted to return it. It was a $1800 machine that we gave him a discount for and sold at $1500. However, the machine was meant for righthanded people and did not have a slot on the side for left handed people like Kevin. He requested that we cut a slot on the side. We did as he asked but my dad told him that it would lower the price of the machine permanently.
When he requested a return, he demanded full price of the machine. He tried to force this transaction by shipping the machine back to our office asking for a full price return. Mind, this was originally a new $1800 machine that we sold at $1500, but was returning used and damaged and definitely not even worth $1500 anymore. We obviously told him we could not give him a full return and offered $1000 instead. Kevin responded by implying that he would withhold our scissors until he got a full return. He also implied that my dad tricked him into buying a machine that was unneccessary for him. We tried to communicate with him multiple times but he refused to respond after a few exchanges. He later finally sent a mail directly telling us he would not give our scissors back until he got his full return. This was the last exchange for about a month.
Part 2: Kevin realized that since he paid with a credit card, he was capable of chargebacking us around late May. We had never even heard of such a thing before when we got an email that said $1500 was about to be taken out through a chargeback. We had to learn how to dispute the claim on businesstrack or the transaction would end with him giving back a damaged machine and taking $1500 from us by force. We wrote up our side of the story and disputed the claim around late May or early June. Sometime in June we got an email saying that $1500 was returned to us after our case was reviewed. Kevin decided to respond this time by saying through text message that since we took the chargeback back, he would not be returning our scissors. He refused to communicate further and our attempts to look him up were futile as the address he sent mails from was a bank.
Part 3: Lastly around 2 weeks ago July 12, he chargebacked us again for the same case. The credit card company's reasoning for allowing this was that he provided proof of return. Granted, we do have the machine back but we cannot allow a full return of $1500 for it. We tried numerous times to pay him back partially for the returned machine but he defiantly refused negotiation. We specifically asked in the second dispute that we get $500 back to finally end this one dispute.
The other main dispute was the problem with the shears worth $12,000. We have a receipt as proof that he took shears from us that we did not charge at the time. The transaction took place in Florida and we have all proof he did not return them. In fact we have texts from him saying he has then and wont be returning them. He has taken them somewhere in Virginia and has refused to give them back; we do not even know if they are damaged or was sold. We are currently looking to sue him for them back but I wanted to ask reddit first. How should we try to get them back? What happens if we fully prepare a legal team but he responds by just returning them with no apology as if to mock us? What can we do to him then?

Many state jurisdictions are opening up legalized sports betting after a Supreme Court case opened the door to allow states more leeway in regulating gaming, New Jersey and West Virginia being recent examples. This is something the casino operators will move in on with enthusiasm. The younger generations have little interest in slot machines, so casinos need to find new ways to engage a new demographic of legal gamblers.
I don't think that casino operators that have a heavy Las Vegas presence will really reap any benefits since sports betting was already legal there. I think regional companies that operate casinos across multiple east-cost and mid-west geographic areas will benefit far more than Las Vegas, such as Penn National (PENN), Boyd Gaming (BYD), and Pinnacle Entertainment (PNK).
DISCLOSURE: I have a position on Penn National.

I turned 42 today. I had never tried more than a puff or two of weed until I was in my mid 30s. I did this backwards. I was a regular weed smoker on and off for a lot of that time, and I huge nerd, so when I pick up a new hobby, I start googling every single fact I can find about it.. Strains, chemistry, legality, apparatus-- there's a lot to dig through when you first get started.
Weirdly, it happened to parallel the legalization momentum and the growth of weed related info on the net--I was part of a movement, but a strangely old one, based on my incredibly undeveloped early-adulthood.
This was actually one of the things weed has helped me do-- really examine the traumas in my life in a way I was never able to before.
Marijuana is more complicated than those who are not friends of the trees. But it is also less complicated than some make it out to be--And though I am a resolved proponent of legalization, I also think it's important, especially now, to be very honest about how weed works, and what is a healthy way to use it.
Too much of a good thing, and all that.
This is aimed at both smokers and non smokers, so I apologize for going over information that seems obvious to one side but not the other.
Marijuana has to major active ingredients, and I'm going to keep it simple: CBD and THC. Each strain, or variety is synonymous with heirloom tomatoes or the different kinds of apples that grow. It is divided into two subspecies: Indica and Sativa. Indica is CBD driven and Sativa is THC Driven.
These two chemicals have opposing effects-- that's one of the alures of Marijuana-- it both calms you down and speeds you up at the same time.
The THC is psychoactive-- It fuels the creative fire in one's mind. It makes TV more clever, strange art more interesting, and the meaning of the universe feel closer than ever. It also causes incredible paranoia.
The CBD is a calming chemical-- It relaxes anxiety as well as helps with nausea and pain associated with illness such as cancer.

Sativa makes you more active, Indica makes you chill out.
No matter which strain, Marijuana USUALLY causes a net reduction in anxiety-- it's calming for almost everyone.
But it wasn't for me.
I have spent hundreds if not thousands of hours trying to figure out my broken psyche and trying to find some explanations of why this is so different for me than so many others.
After almost a decade, now having spent some time off it because of my job, I wanted to share some things I've learned. I don't want to talk about myself too much, because that turns people off, but I will say I have been a video producer of some kind for going on 20 years now, and that Journey has taken me behind the scenes in almost every kind of company, institution, and human personality, really. I've been rich and I've been poor. I've been Christian and I've been Atheist. I've been Republican, Libertarian, Democrat, and Radical Independent. I'm not saying that this automatically gives me credibility or makes me right--But I am asking you to consider this as you evaluate what I'm about t o say--
--and try to hear beyond the normal tried-and-true arguments--no matter which side if you think there are sides you happen to be on.
We're doing weed wrong. We're missing some of the absolute best parts about it, while we might be letting some of the worst parts about it take us down a bad path without our realizing it.
So this is going to sound like one of the biggest stoner cliche's ever: After dealing with a fallout with my Mother, I started to piece together a kind of 'theory of everything,' from the perspective of personality types. I was raised by parents who started more liberal hippie-like Christians in New York in the late 70's. But in the mid 80's, we moved from a very diverse NYC to Virginia Beach, into what would become the heartland of Donald Trump's base.
By the time I was in my 30's, the words "God" "Jesus" "The Bible" or "Christianity" all had negative connotations to me-- the name of the hypocrisy under which I was raised. I was an angry agnostic atheist. Some things happened that gave me the right to some righteous anger. But not as much as I used. One night in 2012 I was short on sleep and high on weed, and I had one of those 'stoner moments' -- but it wasn't what it sounds like at first.
In a single moment, I realized that there is no substantive difference between the definition of "God" and "The Laws of Physics" except one is pictured as a being, and the other is pictured as a thing.
Both are responsible for the creation of the universe. Both have power over time and space, and both have omnipotence-- The universe, an unbroken chain of energy interacting across time--or "The Holy Spirit" or "The Force" if you want to simplify it.
This is not an especially original recognition. There are plenty of new age former hippies who realized "yeah man, we're all part of the same thing."
It was a bit more that that for me, though.
Its like I watched an actual lever--one of those like on a slot machine or an 80's driving game at a video arcade-- I saw the connection between the word "God" (pointing to a giant stack of feelings and memories that I saw as negative--to a blended understanding) The word universe was cold to me, too-- absolute zero, with some bumpy rocks every once in a blue moon. That I SAW the pointer change the fundamental meaning of words meant a nearly instant reshuffling of everything in my head.
All those things are nameless until we give them names--and a context, or way to understand them.
This still is not that new.
What I have come to believe is that the opposite acting drugs creates a kind of geometric opening for thoughts that are separated to come together-- The THC to cause the frequency modulation, and the CBD to help you cope with the dramatic shifts.
The thing is-- I really could have used a top tier psychologist to help me work through some of the new and often terrible understandings that came with opening these floodgates.
But I have looked at the many sides of Marijuana, and I still hope that my state legalizes it and I can see a doctor who will evaluate my thoughts on a regular basis--because once I saw through to the other side, I was torn into two people-- I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and during the breakdown that followed my 'stoner revelation' I admitted many secrets I'd had in a manic attempt to be completely open--In a moment I was changed, but It also took me years to understand that others were not ready to deal with difficult secrets being revealed, and what I was asking was too much for anyone, really.
That said, I still see those two realities, and in a kind of weird cyber zen, I have learned to see both of those realities at once-- the before and the after. Really, when I look at both and remember the moment the switch occurred, it's really like seeing 3 realities at once-- the one, the other, and the both.
When I switch from the one to the other, I cycle--My moods change, my perceptions of events and interactions changes-- I know its happening, and I know what side I'm on, but I don't know how to get to the other one--That's assuming I actually want to.
This story is every single superhero story ever... But rarely lived so openly-- the secret you nobody else knows that is capable of incredible things (good or bad)... And the you everybody else sees every day-- your true superhero and your secret identity.
The interesting thing is that seeing two worlds actually DOES give you a kind of superpower--like seeing around a corner or through time or something.
But it is painful, because some things just cannot be reconciled for one reason or another.
And that is when you could hit the weed bad cycle-- needing to medicate to both make things make sense and also relieve your sadness or anxiety.
I think marijuana at its worst is better than many pharmaceuticals at they're best. I can't believe what psychiatrists did to my brain with Klonopin.
This cycle can prevent us from doing things we need to actually do in life--it becomes an escape.
When those who oppose marijuana legalization point at 'those potheads,' they are using those worst-case scenerios as (legitimate) ammunition for their argument.
Sadly, opioids seem to be doing the same thing, only worse, and so weed still seems like a better alternative.
But the REAL reason I tried to take you through all this is to say that bud DOES help with your anxiety and making sense of a senseless situation be it personal or global. However, it allows us to alleviate that stress without doing the things we NEED to do to alleviate it.
This insane divide in humanity has many asymmetrical components. And one is the increasing usage of pharmaceuticals, and also the booming marijuana industry. And I don't think people are ready to start seriously looking at the way we now consume more beer than ever, and craft beers are about double the alcohol per glass as the old kind.
We're all medicating in our various ways--Vaping has made smoking kind of ok again, even--but if all we're doing is numbing the wounds, the original pain will spread, because nothing is there to stop it.
TL;DR :Reality is making us medicate ourselves. Thank god we have some ok choices. But we have absolutely no common understanding of healthy or unhealthy usage, and how to deal with weed as part of our lifestyle. No, weed is not very physically addictive, which is awesome. But if we have no other way to dampen the pain, that's a problem--maybe not with each of us individually, but if we blunt our emotions rather than address the issues, the situation will only get worse.
If you are dropping out of society because you can't deal with its present insanity, consider the possibility you might be leaving those who are stuck holding more and more of the load. I'm not angry or accusatory or resentful. I'm just asking.

As always, thanks to u/Maximum_Pootis for allowing me to turn this prompt into such a big story. I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited to write ANYTHING in my life, and I’m pleased it’s getting so much attention.
Original prompt can be read here.
Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
As I had expected, the inside of the house was just as beautiful as the outside. Right in the middle of the grand foyer, poised just beneath the bright chandelier, was a marble fountain, decorated with cherubs and flowers. A long staircase, each step made of beautiful, polished stone, led up to the second story. Many paintings, while varying in style, all portrayed different landscapes along the walls. While everyone else made their way up to the stairs, I found myself entranced by one of the landscape portraits.
The portrait showed a windmill against the sea. A simple fence made of thick wooden posts dotted the bottom right, close to three women who wore bright yellow and white bonnets. A single ship with stunning white sails sat on the resting sea, which barely made a ripple. In the background, several buildings dotted the landscape, paling in both stature and beauty to the windmill whose dominance over the foreground was seconded by the clouds. They were intricately detailed, billowy yet dark, seeming to indicate that it was about to rain.
“The Windmill of Wijk bij Duurstede.” An unfamiliar voice from behind me announced. I turned around to see, standing beside the entourage I came in with on the second balcony, was a man smoking. He started to come down the stairs, which gave me a better look at him.
The top of his head was completely bald, which made it hard to determine whether he was in his late 20’s or early 40’s. His brow was gently wrinkled, resting above a thin pair of designer glasses. A thick, black goatee dressed his mouth, whose left side seemed permanently curled into a smirk. His suit was a dark black with thin pinstripes, and he wore a bright red tie around his neck. I could see the light bounce off of the bright silver top of what I assumed to be a very expensive pen in his breast pocket. He brought the cigarette to his mouth with a hand covered in several rings, and took a long drag of his cigarette at the end of the stairs.
“That’s the painting you’re looking at.” Smoke trailed out of his mouth as he spoke, as if it took too much time for him to actually exhale. “Granted, it’s nothing more than a print, but I find it to be one of the finest paintings in the world, and I’m blessed to have it here in my home.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t have noticed.” I said, my speech coated with nervous laughter. I then caught what I said and hurried to clarify my words. "I mean I wouldn't have noticed it was a reproduction!"
“Luckily for me, most people don’t. Besides, whether in its rich, original form or a mere reproduction, art still carries its power to inspire emotion in people, don’t you think?” The mysterious man crossed his arms, giving me a solemn stare.
“I, uh…”
I’m no art critic. What am I supposed to say?
“I’d say so.” I look back at the painting and try to think of something smart to say. “It might be the game I’m about to play making me feel this way, but this picture fills me with both dread and wonder.”
“Hmmm.” The man stepped off of the stairs and stood beside me, looking at the painting with me. “I can certainly see how you’d feel that way. There’s a certain mix of beauty and impending doom portrayed by this painting.” He pointed to the windmill and the calm sea. “Here, we can see a mix of both nature and man’s beauty at work, while here,” He pointed to the dark clouds above. “We can see the promise of a storm or at least some rain.” He turned his gaze back to me. “But enough about that.”
The man extended the arm that held his cigarette out to me first, then quickly returned it to his mouth, resting the cigarette in the left corner of his mouth. Satisfied that his cigarette would no longer hinder his ability to shake my hand, he offered it to me once more.
“My name is Simon Casper, and, among other things, I am the Chairman of the Global Game of Guts.” He said, sucking in smoke as soon as he finished speaking. I felt my jaw drop a little.
“Wait, THE Simon Casper.” I found myself excitedly shaking his hand. “I’ve been playing in your casinos for years!”
“Ha, is that so?” He finished shaking my hand and pulled his glasses down a little so he could look at me past them. “I might know you.” Simon pointed at me, his grin growing wider. “Were you on a big streak at one of the craps tables in my Virginia casino? About six or seven years ago? You came in that night with your uncle I think!”
“Ugh, yeah.” I said, grimacing.
The memories of that evening came flooding back to me. I found myself at the table, rolling the dice once more with energy I didn’t know I had. But, as luck would have it, I’d throw the game on a foolish bet, and end up losing everything I gained, alongside some nasty glares from those that stood beside me for several rounds.
“Ah, cheer up, Richie!” My uncle slaps my back in that hard yet loving way he always did. His big smile shines through the lights and sounds of the casino, as well as the loud design of his tacky Hawaiian shirt. “It can happen to the best of us! And hey, for your first night playing craps, you should be proud that you did as well as you did.”
He leads me away from the craps table and takes me to another section of the casino as I end my handshake with Simon.
“Yeah, it was actually my first night in that casino.” I said, smiling bittersweetly. “My uncle took me as a surprise graduation gift.”
“Ah, your uncle was a regular there.” Simon turned around and beckoned for me to follow him up the stairs. “Ronnie was a master of finding big breaks, that one. I enjoyed playing against him in 21 on the odd occasion that I was in town.”
I followed Simon up the stairs as he spoke. I was a little heartbroken, since mentioning the casino made me think about my uncle Ronnie.
He was very special to me. Granted, my parents were great, and for the most part were there for me when I needed someone, but my uncle Ronnie just seemed to care for me in a way that they couldn’t. While my parents were always pushing me to do my best in academics, Ronnie made sure I had fun now and then, even if that occasionally meant doing something less than legal. I felt myself remember him showing up on my doorstep for special occasions, wearing some stupid Hawaiian shirt and that big fishing hat he loved so much, ready to take me fishing on Lake Anna or on some surprise trip to some place my parents would never approve of. It caused a pain in my chest similar to what I felt when I considered that Ana might be lost from me forever.
“Let’s see,” Simon threw back his wrist and looked in the face of some very expensive watch. “It’s nearly eight, and your opponent is waiting on you. Are you good to go Mr. Sapp?”
I looked up and met the collective gazes of the people I shared a limo with and Simon. I took a deep breath, and nodded my head. With that, Simon nodded to Baozhai’s men, who promptly marched toward a set of oak double doors. Each of them grabbed a door and pulled, opening the way to a dimly lit room. After everyone else, save for Baozhai’s men, had gone in, I looked behind me one last time.
Here goes everything.
I stepped into the room, and immediately recognized the layout. In the middle of the room, commanding the most light of the entire space, was a poker table. On one side sat the dealer, sporting the usual casino attire. To his right sat my opponent, who I couldn’t quite see yet due to the low-hanging light fixtures, and to his left sat an empty seat, which I assumed was mine. Behind the dealer was a bar, lit only by the neon fixtures behind it and the LED lights inside the wood paneling. On both sides of the table, I could see a series of tables and chairs: on my side, Baozhai and Clarence had already taken their seats in the table closest to my seat, while across the way I could see more people sitting behind my opponent. I figured these people must have been their representatives.
I finally arrived at my seat and sat down. As soon as I did, I heard sick yet angelic laughter from across the table. I let my eyes follow the sound, which I soon realized was coming from my opponent.
“This is who I have to fight?” He said, leaning forward.
The light hit his face, and I was surprised to meet the eyes of someone who appeared to be around my age, if that. His face was clean-shaven, boasting no noticeable imperfections of any kind. His hair was cut somewhat short, the front a little longer than the back and parted to the right. He wore a suit jacket, a nice tan color that was a little darker than his nearly-porcelain skin, with a white button-up underneath it. Tucked nicely into his suit pocket was a white handkerchief, which formed three points. On his right hand was a large gold ring with a red jewel inside of it. I couldn’t make out the inscriptions on the sides, but I could tell it was a high school ring.
I straightened up. I was playing him in a game of cards. Whatever mind games he was playing, they weren’t going to work on me.
“That’s right, you’re fighting me.” I said calmly. “And you’re going to lose to me as well.”
“Hey, if you say so man.” Suddenly, his mouth formed a smirk I had only seen a few times in my life, and I hated it. “I’m playing you all the same, so I hope you brought your A-game.”
I barely heard the rest of his little speech to me, as I once again found myself in Virginia branch of Casper Casino’s, my uncle pulling me away from the craps table.
“What should I get you to play next, I wonder?” My uncle pondered aloud, rubbing his chin.
I look around, and my eyes fall on the bright light and sounds that was the room for the slot machines.
“What about the slots, Uncle Ronnie?” I asked him, probably beaming like an idiot.
I’ll never forget the look he gave me. For a split second, I could see his happy expression, one I thought was permanent, give way to a pained, terrified expression. Before he could mask it with a less pallid, less gloomy one, his face was forever etched into my mind. A moment later, he wore a softer version of his usual gleeful look, and with a deep sigh began to speak.
“Richie, let me show you why you should never play the slots.”
With that, he turned from me and led me to the slot machine area. I found myself entranced by the bright lights and loud, joyous chorus of the many machines, and could feel a smile stretch across my face as I looked at all the different games.
“Don’t look too hard or it’ll capture you forever.” My uncle wasn’t even looking at me, but I could feel the grave seriousness in his voice. It scared me, because it reminded me of that face I had thought my uncle was incapable of making. I immediately pulled my gaze from the machines and kept my eyes straight ahead on my uncle.
“Now, look over there, Richie.” We were close to the end of one line of slot machines. I followed my uncle’s finger to an older man, probably in his fifties, his face practically pressed to the screen of the slot machine. After a few seconds, I noticed this man had a pattern to his game. He would reach into the seat next to him where he had stashed a box holding chips, slide a chip into the machine, and pull the lever, all without taking his eyes off of the screen. I wondered if he even stopped to breathe.
My uncle and I stood there for a few minutes, watching this old man sink chip after chip into the machine, and I looked up at him after a while.
“Okay, so he keeps putting money in. Big deal, he has a huge thing of chips, so it’ll pay out eventually won’t it?”
“And that is where the problem lies, Richie.” My uncle heaved a sigh, and looked wistfully at the old man. “This man has fallen into the trap all casinos want their patrons to fall into. He truly believes that if he gives up some portion, probably most or all, of his hard earned money, the machine will give him the jackpot. He’s probably really down on his luck, and has few options for getting money fast, so he’s banking whatever he has left on this damned machine. Now look.”
I hadn’t realized it, but in the short time I had taken my gaze off the old man to listen to my uncle, the old man had stood up and was frantically stuffing chips in, his arm almost constantly yanking the lever down. Soon, he reached into the bin next to him, only to return empty handed.
“No…” I heard him utter in a voice so terrifyingly defeated. “It can’t be.”
The old man tore his face off the screen and picked up the bin, shaking it wildly. He kept screaming out for his chips, his body trembling as he starting looking for wherever more chips might lie.
“Now Richie, I know it’s difficult, but take your eyes off of him for a moment and look over there.” My uncle was now pointing to the other side of the casino. I followed his finger and saw a younger man sitting there up against the wall. He was pretty well dressed, wore what I thought were expensive sunglasses, and, oh God, that smile. I didn’t see it at first, but the moment I saw it, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.
“You see it, don’t you?” My uncle cut in as I was absorbed in the world created by this man’s evil smile. “That grin he wears is the smile of a shark. It’s filled with nothing but pure malice. Now look back at that old man.”
I returned my gaze to the old man. He was lying on the ground, sobbing his eyes out as casino staff picked him up and carried him away from the game that took so much from him.
“I’m so close.” I heard him meekly mutter. “I only need a few more chips. Please!”
The staff ignored his pleads and carried him away. As soon as he was out of sight, I returned my gaze to the machine he was playing, and saw the shark take his seat there. The shark positioned himself comfortably in the seat, that sickening smile unwavering, put in a single chip, and pulled the lever.
I was taken aback by the loud noises of chips flowing out of the machine and the lights flashing brightly signaling that the shark had won.
“Jackpot, baby!” I heard the man shout as he jumped for joy. Picking up the bin the old man was using, he filled it with the chips as they flowed out. Soon, the chips were overflowing, and he shouted for someone to fetch him another bin.
“Do you understand now, Richie?” I heard my uncle say as he planted a firm grip on my shoulder. “The slots are a game for sharks and minnows. I certainly don’t want you to be a minnow, but I will not see you become a shark. Know this, Richie: sharks are gamblers who have lost touch with their human side. They do not care what it takes to win. They do not care who they step on in their pursuit of a big win. They will tear apart whoever gets in their way.”
“Richie,” My uncle grabbed me by my shoulders, keeping his eyes level with mine. “Sharks aren’t limited to the slots. If they find a way to exploit a win, they’ll pursue it. No matter how well you know the game, if you see a shark sitting across from you, you get out of that game immediately. You understand?”
“Are you guys ready to play?” I heard Simon say, standing next to the dealer. The dealer held two trays, each containing chips of varying value. Before I could speak, the shark that sat across the table from me belted out his response.
“You bet your ass I am! Pass me those chips!”
The dealer promptly handed the shark his tray of chips. With that, all eyes were on me.
I didn’t have to do this, technically speaking. I could get up and leave and just forget about the whole thing. I mean, I could easily pick up a job and support myself with the leftover money Karl gave me long enough to find permanent residence and employment somewhere. On top of all that, I’d still have my appendages. There was no guarantee that this game would give me what I needed, and I would more than likely have to sacrifice one of my extremities just to keep playing.
“I’m ready to play.” I uttered softly, looking down at the table as I spoke.
I’m sorry, Uncle Ronnie. I know this may be the dumbest thing I ever do, but I have to do it. If I don’t win here, I have no chance of seeing my sweet Ana ever again. I hope you can forgive me, wherever you are.
Thank you guys so much for your continuing support! I’m so glad my story is keeping you interested, and be sure to come back later for Part 8!
Edit: I had no idea I could request constructive criticism, so if you have anything you'd like to suggest to improve my story, just let me know!

A patent litigator is the attorney who actually does the patent enforcement lawsuit (or defense). I noticed that a patent prosecution attorney (who works to get a patent granted) did an AMA, so I thought I'd round it out.
I'm also admitted to the patent bar and can prosecute patents, I just don't do so in my normal work. I also do not have a science/engineering undergraduate degree.
I've been doing this for 3 years, but I work in a small shop so I've seen a lot in that short time, including working on some big money cases and I've handled 4 Federal Circuit patent appeals. My boss has been doing this for 20+ years and is very good at what he does.
Ask me whatever you'd like to know about the litigation side of things.
Here's proof:
My bar cards (bar numbers are public information)
My bio page on the Watson Rounds site
Disclaimer: I am not your attorney. I may not be licensed in your state. Nothing in this AMA shall be construed as legal advice. If legal advice is required, seek competent counsel in the subject matter you have concerns about. At no point is any question or answer the formation of an attorney-client relationship or prospective attorney-client relationship. If you think you may need an attorney or legal advice, please contact a lawyer (or my office if you so wish) through regular channels.
EDIT: I thought I'd give a bit more background info. I work at a small firm in Reno, Nevada called Watson Rounds. We've done work in a large number of technological areas, such as firewalls, web hosting, gaming machines (slots etc), generic drugs, and more. Most of our cases are not located in Nevada, and we've had cases in Texas, California, Washington, Virginia, Georgia, Delaware and a few others I can't remember off the top of my head.

The Carry-On Kids: Part One - The Tape
As I sit in my front seat, looking at the rising, morning sun from the horizon in my driver’s side mirror, I wonder how I got here. Not in the parking lot of a Motel 6. But, here. In the middle of this mess. Halfway obsessed and two steps from insanity. Part of me wishes I had never found the tape. That I had just gone on living as Drew Williamson, blissfully unaware of the iceberg of lies below me. This month could have been filled with football, hot chocolate, and a warm fireplace. Instead, I’ve driven over 4,000 miles, exhausted almost all of my savings, and am about to walk into the building that started this whole shitshow. Awesome. So how’d I get here? I’ll fill you in.
After I found the tape, I figured it best not to make any rash decisions. Mistakes happen when people are emotional and impulsive. And I cannot make a mistake. A few days after I had gone out with Tyler and received my birthday gift, a 2015 Jeep Compass, I sat down at my laptop and tried to come up with a game-plan. I knew eventually I’d end up in Ashland. But that was 2600 miles away and I had no idea what to do when/if I got there. So I took to the internet. I looked up missing persons in Oregon, for the last 5 years, specifically searching for any record on Parker Hudson or Bryan and Paige Hudson. There were 2 Bryan Hudson’s in Oregon, 3 Paige Hudson’s, and no record of a Parker Hudson. I couldn't figure out if any of the Hudson’s I found are related or married as my research methods (Google) are limited. I also tried to look them up on Facebook. I could only find one Paige Hudson on Facebook who lived in Oregon and looked the appropriate age to be my mother. Her profile was locked so I sent her a friend request and hoped she accepted strangers.
A few days passed. It was difficult to wake up every morning and see them- kiss Janice goodbye, and tell them I love them. Because…well…I do love them. At least I think I do. They’re all I know, but I also know they're lying to me. I almost cracked at dinner one night. We were reminiscing about our last trip to Hershey Park, when the memory came flickering in like a movie. I saw Janice and Tyler holding my hands as we walked into the park. I saw us eating funnel cake and riding the spinning tea cups. I saw us laughing and Tyler throwing me up on his shoulders. It was like a highlight reel. No scenes of waiting in line behind a really fat guy, or spilling soda on my jeans. No begging my parents to let me on a ride too scary. Nothing that wasn't necessary. That’s when I knew it wasn't real-that it must have been put there. Memories aren't perfectly edited video packages ready to play at the utterance of a keyword. They’re messy and patched together. You remember little things. Like what color lipstick Katie Resskin had on when you square-danced in 4th grade. Or when you almost peed your pants on the bus ride home from the Smithsonian Institute field trip. Those are the things that make memories… memorable.
After that dinner, I knew it was time to leave. I left school the next day almost as soon as I got there. I didn't bother with a note. I knew it’d probably be awhile before I’d be back- if ever. My car skidded to a stop on my barely shoveled driveway. Tyler and Janice work all day and won’t even realize I’m gone until they get home around 6. I started unloading the boxes from “my parents” closet as quickly as I could and stacking them in my car. Six in the trunk, four in the backseat. I did one last sweep of the only home I can remember and snagged the tape I had placed back in the cubby hole. I had bought ten similar boxes a couple days ago to re-stack in the closet. It probably won't do much. They’ll come searching for me as soon as they realize I’m gone, but hopefully it’ll buy me some time until they figure out where I’m going. I tried to drop hints during the previous days about having trouble with kids in school. I didn’t. I also asked when we would be visiting Aunt Kim in Florida again. I hoped they’d think I had run away, but I didn't think they’d buy that. Tyler and Janice didn't seem that dumb. As I got out of my neighborhood, my city, and Pennsylvania, I slowly realized I had no idea where I was going or what I was doing. A few more hours on the road and the shy winter sun was just about gone. I GPS’d a motel in West Virginia and decided I needed to get my shit together before I could carry on.
The curtains in my room had stains of brown over their dull yellow shade. The disgustingly cheap motel was, indeed, disgusting. I had strewn the boxes around me like numbers on a clock. My arms ticked around slowly. 1:12 p.m- a heap of papers that looked like a college research paper. Charts, financial statements, print outs of websites. There had to be 100 pages of research on each of, at least, eight different companies. It looked like two of the companies were adoption agencies, there were a few foster homes, orphanages, and a few that didn't really say what they were, but they looked like they did some kind of social work. None of the companies were based in Oregon. 2:24 p.m- CDs. 38 of them. They were labeled with dates from my first birthday all the way up to my 13th. I tried to play them in my laptop but an error message came up every time. I tried 17 of them before I gave up. I even tried to play a couple in my car but nothing happened. 3:36 p.m- a bunch of electronics that I didn't recognize. Wires were wrapped around all of them. One looked like my old Gameboy color but I couldn't figure out what it did. One looked like a 7th grade science fair project. Couldn't get it to turn on. I put them aside. 4:48 p.m- Old VCRs of my favorite kids movies. Mulan, Home Alone, Air Bud, etc. 6:00 p.m- Books that I’ve read. Dr. Seuss, Goosebumps, Nancy Drew. I used to think it was so cool that we had the same name. Not so cool anymore. 7:12 p.m- More papers. These didn't look like research though. They had a label in the corner of some kind of bird and the name printed on the top page of the stack: Relictio Inc. The first line on the paper was a confusingly long mission statement. 8:24 p.m- The 2x4 that held up the empty box. I forgot about that one. 9:36 p.m- Photos. There must have been thousands. Too many to look at all of them now. I grabbed a small stack from the top and flipped though them. It was mostly landscapes, pictures of my parents, and one of a boy I don't know. At least I think I don't know him. He was standing on the play-set in our backyard like I used to do. He looked happy. 10:48 p.m- Contracts. A large stack of them with the same label as the other papers in 7:12. 12:00 a.m- Yearbooks. Eight of them from kindergarten to 7th grade. I couldn't find myself though. I flipped through the first couple and I recognized everyone. Jimmy Laul, my best friend in 1st grade. Kristen Nestrel. She kissed me behind the 4-square court in 3rd grade. And Mrs. Keller. Mrs. Keller and the kindergarten olympics, but I was nowhere to be found. It took a minute to grasp, as to why I wasn't in any of these yearbooks. To understand that I had been right about my past…That it wasn't mine at all.
I sat with my back against the far wall of the motel room, looking at the circular mess of papers, books, and CDs in the middle of the floor. What did this all mean? There were so many things running through my head it was hard to keep everything straight. I had so many questions that I knew I couldn't answer on my own. Overwhelmed, I laid my head back against the wall and closed my eyes- waiting for it to be tomorrow.
“I don’t think my parents are my parents.” That was the name of the thread. That’s how I met the twins. I had spent the next morning combing the web for anything that could help. I researched Relictio Inc. but it only had a homepage and some generic pictures of people smiling. The webpage headline read: “Relictio. Bringing people together one case at a time.” That was basically it. There was one contact number but it required a valid credit card number to talk to the receptionist. Never seen that before. After striking out there, I tried seeing if this had happened to anyone else. It wasn't easy to find, but I stumbled upon a forum. A forum for unsolved mysteries, and the thread, “I don't think my parents are my parents.” The thread didn't have any responses, but the original poster had included a bit of info in the body:
hi, we’re Casey and Clark. we’re siblings. we ran away two months ago because our parents kidnapped us from our real parents. we can’t remember anything about our old parents but we know we weren't legally adopted. for proof, or if this happened to you, message us.
I immediately messaged them and tried to explain my situation as briefly as possible. I didn't want to give any personal info in case it was some sort of trap. I actually changed a bunch details but kept the basics the same. Tape. Not real parents. Files. Can’t remember anything. Send.
I received a response a few hours later. They wanted to meet in person. At their place. In Colorado.
I guess it was fine. Colorado was kind of on my way anyway. It took me three days to get there, stopping often for rest and food. There’s not much to say about those days. It was a lot of anticipation and anxiety, masked by my “road trippin” playlist. Eventually, I made it to their home, residing in the dusty, little town of Silverton. Population: 638. It was located in the back of town, far from the main street, in a wooded area. The house was almost a trailer- one story, one window on either side of the front door. As I parked and got out of my car, the feeling of being watched donned on me immediately. It was a creepy place in the middle of nowhere. No neighbors. No one nearby to hear me scream. I had been blinded by the thought that I might not be alone in this, and now I was probably going to be murdered by a psychopath on laptop. I thought about getting back in the car and driving- driving anywhere else. But my curiosity got the better of me- something I might need to keep in check from now on. I walked up to the quiet screen door and raised my fist to knock when- “Hey!” a voice yelled. I was grabbed by the neck and taken to the ground in one motion. My back hit the hard dirt and a stick snapped under my head. “Owww.” I moaned. When I opened my eyes, a young blonde girl was leaning over me, her hand still around my neck. “Who are you?” She said. Her hair hung in her face and flickered in front of the sun behind her. “Dre-Park-uhh…” Who was I? I didn't even know what name to say. “Spit it out!” “Parker! My name’s Parker! I messaged you guys about your thread!” I squeaked out. “Let him go, Clark.” A voice rang out as the screen door mockingly squeaked open. The hand released from my neck and a breath of Rocky Mountain air rushed into my lungs. The voice was attached to a guy, similar to the age of the girl standing over me. He walked over, extended a hand, and helped me up. I brushed myself off and adjusted my eyes to the pair in front of me. The girl was rough. Raggedy blonde hair, wearing dirty overalls, and had just taken me down with one hand. Cute face though. The guy wore tight, black jeans, a grey flannel, and stood just a hair taller than me. His shoulder-length, blonde hair was tied back in a man bun. He looked a lot like his sister. “Hi Parker. I’m Casey,” he reached out and shook my hand. “Looks like you've already met my twin sister Clark.” I nodded and smiled shyly. “You wanna go inside and talk?” I nodded again. “Cool. Come on in… Oh and don't worry about getting taken down by a girl. She’s a lesbian.” Clark glared at her brother. “I am not a lesbian…dick.”
We sat down at their small kitchen table, just big enough for 3 people to sit comfortably at. They only had two seats though so they pulled up a bucket for me and flipped it upside down. We got to talking and it wasn't long before we started piecing things together. We went over my entire story. Front to back. The tape, the boxes, the company. Everything. Then they told me their story. They ran away from a really nice neighborhood in Connecticut when they overheard their parents talking about their real parents. They said if the real parents found them, “the company would kill everyone.” They figured they were adopted from an early age since they looked nothing like their parents, but when they asked their parents about it, they got super defensive and told the kids to shut up with that nonsense. They called the hospital where their parents said they were born, but there was no record of them ever being born there. Apparently, for them, that was the last straw. They packed up a few days after their 18th birthday and drove west. They figured out their parents bank account info from their fathers briefcase and wire transferred $100,000 into a new account they set up. They figured since they were 18 and legally adults now, their parents couldn't get the police to do much. They don’t think they’re even looking for them anymore.
“So we’ve been on our own for a year now.” Casey took a sip of his coffee and placed it back in the condensation ring on the table. “And we’ve been digging ever since.” We all sat back and tried to process all the information running through our heads, looking for their proper spot in the puzzle. “Alright. Well what now?” Clark chimed in for the first time in the conversation. “Well, what do we know…?” Casey started to put pieces together as he talked. He pointed at me and continued, “Your tape mentioned Wiping and Implementation stages, meaning they probably have some sort of technology to wipe our previous memories and implement fake ones, which is most likely what the boxes of old yearbooks, children books, and movies are about. The CD’s are probably encrypted but I’m guessing its home movies or something. We don’t know for sure but given your tone on the tape, our parents probably kidnapped us…Unless our real parents gave us away…” He trailed off in thought, but regained it quickly. “We have to go through all these papers and find out where this Relictio Inc. is headquartered. If we can get all of this evidence organized we can go to the police and expose…whatever this is.” We all stared at the table, arms crossed, thinking for a while. “But…why us?” I said, mostly to myself, still staring at the table. Casey looked up at me and sighed. “I don’t know.”
Papers were everywhere. Scattered about the entire living room and flowing into the kitchen. So much for being organized. Two days and we still had nothing about Relictio Inc. It’s like they didn't exist. The contracts were so vague, it was impossible to decipher what exactly was being agreed upon, let alone prove that they fucked with our brains. It’s not like there was a “We removed every memory from their childhood and tricked them into living with their kidnappers” clause. We debated going to the police with what we had but it was a long-shot. There was nothing incriminating in sight. A bunch of old junk, some vague contracts, and three runaways accusing a unknown company of erasing their memory. Long-shot was the understatement of the century.
“If we could just find out where they’re headquartered…” Casey didn't finish his thought. Then I remembered the contact number on the website. I pulled out my wallet and credit card that Tyler got me for my 15th birthday. It was a risk. They could track it. They could triangulate my phone location and find Casey and Clark’s house. It could tip off my “parents” as to what I was doing and where I was going. It was also the only option at this point.
Ring-ring. “Hello, thank you for calling Relictio. This is Veronica speaking. Can I have your name please?” I was so thrown off. I should have come up with a plan before I rushed into it. “Hi, uh-my name is…uh… Jason Bour…neo.” Casey rolled his eyes and Clark face-palmed. I don’t know why my mind went straight to Jason Bourne. It was my favorite movie series, and I guess what we were doing was Bourne-esque. I tried to refocus. “Hello Jason. How can I help you today?” Veronica’s voice was soft and pleasant. I lowered my voice and tried to sound like a perspective client. “Yes. I was referred to your company by a close friend, and I’m interested in possibly enlisting your services.” I said with my chest puffed out. Clark and Casey’s faces turned into impressed upside-down frowns. “Okay great. We do have a lengthy acceptance process, as we are very selective with our clients. We also do not do any of the application procedure online so you will need to come in in person to continue the process. However, If you are still interested, we can set up a meeting with an advisor as early as next week.” I paused and looked at Casey and Clark who were now huddled by the phone, trying to hear. They nodded hastily. “Yes, that would be great, Veronica. Thank you.” “Wonderful. I have a slot open for 11 a.m. next Tuesday.” “Let’s book it…Oh and Veronica…” “Yes?” “Where are you guys located?” We looked at each other and held our breath waiting for an answer. “Your friend didn't tell you?” “Uhh no, I think he forgot.” My voice wavered from the obvious lie. “I’m sorry. We work on a strictly referral system, and cannot give out information over the phone. I suggest you talk to your friend more and give us a call back.” “Wait, Veronica. Veronica, please. I really need this. I can't risk losing this opportunity because my friend is absentminded. Please Veronica…” I closed my eyes and tensed up. I heard her sigh on the other line. The silence felt like an eternity. “…Do you have a pen?”
“Colorado?! Son of a bitch!” Casey yelled as I hung up the phone. “They were right under our noses the whole time!” “She didn't even give me an address- just directions.” I said as I held up the piece of paper I had just scribbled on. “This is so sketchy.” Clark chimed in while cracking open a beer from the fridge. We all looked at each other gravely. We didn't even have a plan for what we would do when we got there. It was clear we weren't old enough to be parents. Do we just storm in like Jon Taffer and yell, “Shut it down!?” Even if we were old enough, what would we do? Wear a wire? That seemed risky. These guys have obviously done some pretty horrible things. Who says they wouldn't just kill us if they found it.
We drank a lot that night- whiskey and beer. And spitballed ideas, many of which seemed much better than they did the next morning. I have to admit though, it was nice to let loose for a while. My stress level was at an all-time high. Record book status. We talked about sports, music, movies- everything really. We blasted some Third-Eye Blind, The Chainsmokers new EP, and danced. Clark was a surprisingly good dancer. She looks a lot different when she’s showered and not in overalls. Almost…sexy? She caught me sneaking side-glances at her a couple times that night. I think Casey could feel the tension as well. I distinctly remember him smiling and winking at me as Clark and I jammed out to a remix of the Beastie Boys. Felt like a “you have my blessing” wink. I could be way off though.
I also had a dream that night. I dreamt about my real parents. About what they looked like- what they sounded like. I dreamt about Casey and Clark running into the arms of their tearful parents. I also dreamt about a room. A dark, cold room. Wires were attached to my head. Not stuck on, but burrowed into my skull- attached to my brain. I looked around and saw I was surrounded by people- kids. Hundreds of them. And they were getting closer. I was paralyzed. Couldn't move, couldn't talk. But I could hear. I could hear all of them crying. It started as a whimper but grew to full on screaming. They circled around me, getting so close they could touch me. But their faces were still dark. The screaming was so loud that my brain started pulsing. The machine behind me attached to the wires was going off like a fire alarm. I felt a hand land on my shoulder and a breath on my neck, and despite all the crying, I heard a whisper in my ear. “Save them.”
So here I am. Here. Parking lot. Motel 6. Tuesday morning. Casey and Clark weren't particularly thrilled with my plan. In fact, they vehemently opposed it. But after my dream, I realized that the only way to end this was to face it head-on. To face the man on the tape. The voice behind the camera. Alone.
Casey and Clark came out of our motel room and walked over to the car window. “This is a horrible idea.” Clark said bluntly. “Your confidence is overwhelming, Clark. Tone it down a bit.” I said sarcastically. She leaned down and stuck her head in the window. Her eyes softened and she pursed her lips. “Just be careful, idiot,” she said and kissed me on the lips. I smiled and nodded as she hustled back into the motel room. “Good luck, kid.” Casey said popping his head into the open window. He was only two years older than me but it was clear he was much more mature. “I ain’t gonna kiss you but-… ah fuck it.” He grabbed my face and planted a big, long kiss on my cheek. We both burst out laughing. “Thanks man,” I said as our chuckles fizzled out. We exchanged nods and I put the car in drive. “Give ‘em hell!” I heard Casey yell as I pulled out.
Had I told them what I was actually going to do, they wouldn't have let me go. The directions to Relictio Inc. were taped to the dash in front of me. My heart rate began to rise with sun. The drive was around 2 hours from the twins house, and about 30 minutes from the motel, which was the closet thing for 50 miles in any direction. I had to pull over halfway there and throw up. I doubt it was from the cereal I ate that morning.
When my car finally pulled up in front of the metal gate a familiar voice came out of the intercom.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Bourneo. We’re so happy you could make it.”
Part Three

In Virginia, it is illegal to gamble. Therefor, we have these sneaky little machines that you can actually gamble with, but for every $5 that you put in, it spits out a $5 prepaid phone card. That's how they make it legal- you actually get something for the money you're putting in. I have no use for these, just like most of the people who go there to play the machines. I decided last time I went, to grab the stack of cards that had collected in the machine slots and ended up with 57 cards, from just 2 machines. They are each for 50 minutes. Now, I don't know if these can be added to minutes on a prepaid line, or if they're just for calling from numbers like pay phones. I'll attach 3 pictures of the cards. Like I said, I have 57 of them, each with 50 minutes on them for a total of 2,850 minutes (47.5) hours. The front of the card says "50 Minutes with 800# usage") so I don't know if that "with" means "for", "in addition to" or "usable with". If you'd like some, please contact me and i'll send you some. I'd rather not send the whole stack to one person, but if you'd like a few of them I have no issue sending you 5-10 of them. I wanna share with as many people as I can! I'll pay the postage, which is another reason I want to only send a few at a time so it's easily mailed in an envelope instead of a small box.

If you can't read the back of the card in the picture, just tell me and i'll write it out on here.
UPDATE: Ok, guys! I've got a good amount of response about these cards and I think i'm gonna be out of them! Thanks for taking them and I'll post again next time I get some!
UPDATE 2: If you've contacted me and showed interest but haven't given me a location to send the cards then by Friday I am going to be adding them to my other collection of these cards and sending them overseas to the troops in Afghanistan. From here on out i'm going to be sending them overseas, and have luckily collected hundreds more cards, but am still willing to help my fellow reddit community if you guys need them.

BREAKING: TRUMP to delay UK trip -- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Aug. recess in jeopardy -- ISENSTADT: MITT shows signs of political revival -- SPOTTED at Mike Shields/Katie Walsh engagement party -- B’DAY: Greta van Susteren
by [email protected] (Daniel Lippman) via POLITICO - TOP Stories
URL: http://ift.tt/2rP8bod
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- WE HEAR … There is a chance Congress will stay in session for part of August. There has been political pressure from some members of the House and Senate to stay in town and try to get some things done instead of take a five-week recess. The pressure will only increase if the Obamacare repeal and replace isn’t done in the next few weeks. Congress has just 27 days in session until the summer break. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise: many lawmakers have had to face angry constituents on trips home.
STATEMENTS FROM PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP from Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey -- at 8:22 a.m.: “The #FakeNews MSM doesn’t report the great economic news since Election Day. #DOW up 16%. #NASDAQ up 19.5%. Drilling & energy sector......way up. Regulations way down. 600,000+ new jobs added. Unemployment down to 4.3%. Business and economic enthusiasm way up- record levels!” … at 8:29 a.m.: “I believe the James Comey leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone ever thought possible. Totally illegal? Very ‘cowardly!’” … at 8:49 a.m.: “The Democrats have no message, not on economics, not on taxes, not on jobs, not on failing #Obamacare. They are only OBSTRUCTIONISTS!”
-- TWO QUICK THINGS: Many Democrats will privately agree with Trump that they oftentimes lack a coherent message. But Trump’s presidency has unified Democrats for the first time in a long time … Trump has majorities in the House and Senate, and he’s blaming Democrats for obstructing him.
**SUBSCRIBE to Playbook:http://politi.co/2lQswbh
BREAKING OVERSEAS -- TRUMP PUTS OFF U.K. VISIT -- THE GUARDIAN: “Donald Trump’s state visit to Britain put on hold: U.S. president told Theresa May he did not want trip to go ahead if there were large-scale public protests”: “Donald Trump has told Theresa May in a phone call he does not want to go ahead with a state visit to Britain until the British public supports him coming. The U.S. president said he did not want to come if there were large-scale protests and his remarks in effect put the visit on hold for some time. The call was made in recent weeks, according to a Downing Street adviser who was in the room. The statement surprised May, according to those present.” http://bit.ly/2reskVQ
Good Sunday morning. Jake will be on Steve Hilton’s new Fox News show “The Next Revolution” live from Los Angeles tonight at 9 p.m. East Coast time.
TRUMP stopped by a wedding at his country club in New Jersey last night. http://bit.ly/2t98Uhy
YOU’LL HEAR THIS QUOTE A LOT -- Donald Trump Jr. on Fox News, via the Washington Post: “‘When he tells you to do something, guess what? There’s no ambiguity in it, there’s no, ‘Hey, I’m hoping,'’ Trump said. ‘You and I are friends: ‘Hey, I hope this happens, but you’ve got to do your job.’ That’s what he told Comey. And for this guy as a politician to then go back and write a memo: ‘Oh, I felt threatened.’ He felt so threatened -- but he didn’t do anything.’ Trump also said that Comey’s testimony ‘vindicated’ the president and that everything in it was ‘basically ridiculous.’” http://wapo.st/2t9eJf5
ALEX ISENSTADT in DEER VALLEY, UTAH -- “Romney stokes speculation he’s weighing another political run: The 2012 GOP nominee is plotting how to help Republicans in the midterms, and he’s being coy about his own political future”: “Mitt Romney is once again testing his political power — critiquing President Donald Trump, raising money and campaigning for fellow Republicans, and not ruling out another run for office for himself. The 2012 GOP nominee is returning to the spotlight, six months after Trump -- the man Romney once savaged as unfit for the presidency -- nearly picked him to be secretary of state. …
“Spencer Zwick, a longtime Romney adviser and political gatekeeper, said he’d been inundated with appeals from Republican candidates asking the former GOP nominee to help them. Last week, Romney held his first fundraiser for a 2018 hopeful, an event benefiting Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican who has been fiercely critical of the president. Over the coming days, Romney is also expected to release a robo-call boosting Georgia Republican Karen Handel, who has been losing ground in a high-stakes June 20 special House election she had once been favored to win.
“‘All I can tell you is that the number of requests that Mitt has gotten in the last month to come to a district or to come to a state for a sitting senator — it’s like he’s a presidential candidate again, which I was surprised by,’ said Zwick, who doubles as a top political aide to House Speaker Paul Ryan. ‘There are only so many people in the party that can headline these things.’” http://politi.co/2rZkZ9X
-- THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE between Republicans wanting to take advantage of Romney’s fundraising prowess, and his running for office and garnering the support he needs to win.
SUNDAY BEST -- JOHN DICKERSON speaks with SEN. JAMES LANKFORD (R-OKLA.) on CBS’S “FACE THE NATION” -- DICKERSON: “On the question of influencing the investigation, again, thinking about the scale, on the one hand the president might have done something that was a little bit crossing a line but he’s a new guy to the job all the way to this question of obstruction of justice. Where do you put, knowing what you know about the president’s behavior, where do you put what he did on that scale?” LANKFORD: “I would say it’s very inappropriate. As Jim Comey said, it’s awkward to be able to have the president of the United States sitting down with someone in the F.B.I., the leadership of the F.B.I., to be able to have direct questions. And for the issue to come up about the Michael Flynn investigations, inappropriate. But the way that it was handled, with no follow-up, with no other press, with no other return to that topic, it looks like what I called a pretty light touch. If this is trying to interfere in a process of any investigation, it doesn’t seem like it was number one, very effective, and number two, came up more than once in a conversation. So this looks more like an inappropriate conversation than obstruction.”
-- SEN. JACK REED (D-R.I.) tells CHRIS WALLACE on “FOX NEWS SUNDAY” that Trump needs to be deposed on all Russia-related questions -- “[T]he deposition is not just about his conversations with Mr. Comey. There are issues with respect to his conversation with director of national intelligence Dan Coats, Admiral Rogers, the NSA director, his relationships with Manafort. By the time the special prosecutor Mr. Mueller is ready to depose or ask the president to speak under oath, there are a myriad of questions. So what I don’t want to see is simply, we’ll I just said I talk about Comey, I’m not talking about anything else. To resolve this situation he has to be prepared to speak on all these matters.”
-- PREET BHARARA speaks to GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS on ABC’S “THIS WEEK” -- STEPHANOPOULOS: “The president’s defenders, like Alan Dershowitz, say there’s no grounds for obstruction. You talked about that. And he, in fact, says that presidents have the constitutional right to fire FBI directors and investigations as much as they want. One of the president’s attorneys, Jay Sekulow, is coming up next. He says there’s no there there, no basis for obstruction. You’re a former prosecutor. Are -- is there evidence there ... to begin a case for obstruction?” BHARARA: “I think there’s absolutely evidence to begin a case. I think it’s very important for all sorts of armchair speculators in the law to be clear that no one knows right now whether there is a provable case of obstruction. It’s also true I think from based on what I see as a third party and out of government that there’s no basis to say there’s no obstruction.”
-- SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-Maine) talks to BRIANNA KEILAR on CNN’s “STATE OF THE UNION” -- KEILAR: “I want to ask you about something the president has been cagey about, and that is these tapes, of course. So, I wonder if you would support issuing a subpoena to the White House. Right now, it’s just a request coming from Congress. Would you support issuing a subpoena for the recordings or any documents that might come from that?” COLLINS: “This is an issue that the president should have cleared up in his press conference. He should give a straight yes or no to the answer -- to the question of whether or not the tapes exist. And he should voluntarily turn them over not only to the Senate Intelligence Committee, but to the special counsel. So, I don’t think a subpoena should be necessary. And I don’t understand why the president just doesn’t clear this matter up once and for all.”
THE NEXT MAIN EVENT -- “Sessions will testify before Senate in Russia investigation,” by Kyle Cheney and John Bresnahan: “In a letter to his former colleagues in the House and Senate, Sessions canceled a planned appearance before Congress’ appropriations committees. Sessions said he instead plans to appear on Tuesday before the Intelligence panel to respond to questions stemming from FBI director James Comey’s bombshell testimony last Thursday. …
“If this is an open session ... Sessions will likely face a barrage of questions over his role in Comey’s dismissal, his independence from President Donald Trump, and allegations of additional unreported meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Sessions has already recused himself from the Russia probe after failing to tell the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation of two meetings with Kislyak, and there have been reports of additional sessions.” http://politi.co/2rOVc5P
-- SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CALIF.) told Brianna Keilar on “State of the Union” that she didn’t know if the hearing will be open.
INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW -- “What’s next for Comey? Maybe law, corporate work, politics,” by AP’s Eric Tucker: “So what’s next for James Comey? The former FBI director boldly challenged the president who fired him, accused the Trump administration of lying and supplied material that could be used to build a case against President Donald Trump. But after stepping away from the Capitol Hill spotlight, where he’s always seemed comfortable, the 56-year-old veteran lawman now confronts the same question long faced by Washington officials after their government service.
“His dry quip at a riveting Senate hearing that he was ‘between opportunities’ vastly understates the career prospects now available to him — not to mention potential benefits from the public’s fascination with a man who has commanded respect while drawing outrage from both political parties.” http://apne.ws/2sQlkMb
EYE-POPPING NUMBERS FROM WAPO’S KAREN TUMULTY in SANDY SPRINGS, GEORGIA -- “Trump looms over Georgia special election, a proxy battle for 2018”: “It is an arms race of money and organization. The latest fundraising report, filed Thursday, showed Ossoff raising an additional $15 million in the past two months, nearly quadruple what Handel brought in. With outside groups weighing in, the race has thus far cost more than $40 million -- far outpacing the previous record for a congressional race of nearly $30 million for a Florida contest in 2012.
“Polls indicate there are few voters still undecided. ‘The next 10 days are about turning out the base. There are more of us than them in the district. The more people who vote, the better,’ said Corry Bliss, who heads the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC affiliated with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.). That organization alone plans to spend about $7 million in the race.” http://wapo.st/2rjhPM4
FASCINATING READ -- “Palantir goes from Pentagon outsider to Mattis’ inner circle,” by Jacqueline Klimas and Bryan Bender: “The Trump era has brought a change of fortune for a Silicon Valley software company founded by presidential adviser Peter Thiel — turning it from a Pentagon outcast to a player with three allies in Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' inner circle. At least three Pentagon officials close to Mattis, including his deputy chief of staff and a longtime confidante, either worked, lobbied or consulted for Palantir Technologies, according to ethics disclosures obtained by POLITICO. That’s an unusually high number of people from one company to have such daily contact with the Pentagon leader, some analysts say.
“It also represents a sharp rise in prominence for the company, which just months ago could barely get a meeting in the Pentagon. Last year, Palantir even had to go to court to force its way into a competition for a lucrative Army contract. Thiel was one of the only Silicon Valley titans to openly support Trump during the campaign, a role that gave him a prime speaking slot at last summer’s Republican convention. He has since acted as a key adviser arranging meetings among the president and other tech executives. While there's no evidence he had a direct hand in these specific Pentagon hires, analysts say they absolutely show his growing influence in the administration, where he holds no formal role.” http://politi.co/2sqMdbS
DEMOCRATS’ NEW PLAYBOOK -- “Democrats bet on Trump in Virginia governor’s race,” by Kevin Robillard: “Virginia’s Democratic primary on Tuesday is shaping up to be the first real test of liberalism in the Trump era, with both candidates lurching for increasingly leftward policies to position themselves in contrast with President Donald Trump. …
“Virginia’s gubernatorial elections often develop into contrasts with a new president, but there’s a stark difference between now and how Republican candidate Bob McDonnell handled then-President Barack Obama in 2009. While critical of the Obama's economic record, the future governor also regularly praised Obama for supporting school choice, straddling the partisan divide. The Democrats have felt no need to do the same with the less popular Trump, whose approval rating was at 36 percent in a recent Washington Post-George Mason University poll of Virginia.” http://politi.co/2rjHzYJ
THE LATEST ON HEALTH CARE -- “Fate of Planned Parenthood funding tied to Senate moderates,” by Jen Haberkorn: “Two female Senate Republicans could stop the anti-abortion movement from achieving its most significant win against Planned Parenthood in decades. Most Republicans want to eliminate the group’s $555 million in federal funding as part of their bill to repeal Obamacare. But as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tries to solve the legislative Rubik’s Cube of finding 50 votes for repeal, he may have to drop the Planned Parenthood cut to win the support of the two Republican moderates, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.” http://politi.co/2sbbpTf
WHAT SILICON VALLEY IS READING -- “Uber Board to Discuss CEO Travis Kalanick’s Possible Leave of Absence: Board also set to vote on recommendations from a report of an investigation into workplace issues,” by WSJ’s Greg Bensinger: “Uber Technologies Inc. Chief Executive Travis Kalanick will discuss taking a possible leave of absence when the board of directors of the embattled ride-hailing company meets Sunday morning, according to a person familiar with the matter.
“Also on the agenda when the seven-person board convenes is a vote on a series of recommendations from a report prepared by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder regarding its workplace. It was uncertain whether Mr. Kalanick would ultimately take the leave or whether the board would approve of such a measure, which would require finding a temporary replacement in short order.” http://on.wsj.com/2r7Ram8
THE JUICE …
-- SPOTTED at Mitt Romney’s E2 Summit in Deer Valley, Utah: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, Spencer Zwick, Matt Waldrip, Corry Bliss, Speaker Paul Ryan, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Kristen Soltis Anderson, Ron Kaufman, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), Anthony Scaramucci, Bianna Golodryga, Will Ritter, Mary Bono Mack, Lanhee Chen, Leah Malone and Andrew Liveris.
RIP -- @SecondLady: “Rest in peace Oreo. You touched a lot of hearts in your little life. Our family will miss you very much.” http://bit.ly/2sgQOxR
‘WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT WEEK’ AT THE WHITE HOUSE -- “Donald and Ivanka Trump head to Wisconsin for jobs push,” by ABC News’ Jordyn Phelps: “President Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump are set to travel to Wisconsin Tuesday to join Gov. Scott Walker to tour a technical college, as the administration puts a renewed focus on its goal of job creation. The trip is just one event in a week full of activities built around promoting technical skills training and apprenticeships. [They are d]ubbing it ‘workforce development week’ ...
“The president is expected to make what the administration is billing as a ‘major policy speech’ at the Department of Labor on Wednesday, in which he’ll lay out steps the administration will take to encourage workforce development and also call for Congressional action. Ivanka Trump will also lead a roundtable with some 15 CEOs. On Thursday, the president will also host a roundtable discussion, where he will welcome eight governors from states with successful workforce development programs to the White House.” http://abcn.ws/2r7tOwT
THE NEW U.K. POLITICAL REALITY -- “For Britain, Political Stability Is a Quaint Relic,” by NYT’s Steven Erlanger in London: “In a little more than two years, Britain has had two general elections and a nationwide referendum. Each time, the politicians, pollsters, betting markets, political scientists and commentators have got it wrong.
“Once considered one of the most politically stable countries in the world, regularly turning out majority governments, Britain is increasingly confusing and unpredictable, both to its allies and itself. Far from settling the fierce divisions exposed by last year’s referendum on Britain’s exit from the European Union, or Brexit, the election on Thursday only made them worse.” http://nyti.ms/2shhy1i
-- THE POLITICO EUROPE TICK TOCK: “How Theresa May lost it: A reluctance to delegate, hubris and campaigning ineptitude ruined British prime minister’s grand plan to secure a mandate,” by Tom McTague, Charlie Cooper and Annabelle Dickson in London: “Halfway through Britain’s seven-week snap election campaign, some in Theresa May’s team came to the conclusion that they had a problem — the candidate. At a gathering of senior staff in Conservative campaign headquarters in central London, one of May’s top operatives told the sitting prime minister that she risked crashing and burning like Sarah Palin did in 2008. ... To the operative, May was overly controlling and her inexperience would tell during a short, intense campaign. May listened with good grace ... [but] changed nothing.” http://politi.co/2t8VuSG
ACTUAL FAKE NEWS – NYT A22, “A Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theorist, a False Tweet and a Runaway Story,” by Jeremy Peters: “A pro-Trump activist notorious for his amateur sleuthing into red herrings like the ‘Pizzagate’ hoax and a conspiracy theory involving the murder of a Democratic aide, Mr. Posobiec wrote on May 17 that Mr. Comey, the recently ousted F.B.I. director, had ‘said under oath that Trump did not ask him to halt any investigation.’ …
“But as the journey of that one tweet shows, misinformed, distorted and false stories are gaining traction far beyond the fringes of the internet. Just 14 words from Mr. Posobiec’s Twitter account would spread far enough to provide grist for a prime-time Fox News commentary and a Rush Limbaugh monologue that reached millions of listeners, forging an alternative first draft of history in corners of the conservative media where President Trump’s troubles are often explained away as fabrications by his journalist enemies.
“In this fragmented media environment, the spread of false information is accelerated and amplified by a web of allied activist-journalists with large online followings, a White House that grants them access and, occasionally, a president who validates their work. The right-wing media machine that President Bill Clinton’s aides once referred to as ‘conspiracy commerce’ is now far more mature, extensive and, in the internet age, tough to counter.” http://nyti.ms/2sbduPm
DEEP DIVES -- NYT A1, “Opioid Dealers Embrace the Dark Web to Send Deadly Drugs by Mail: Anonymous online sales are surging, and people are dying. Despite dozens of arrests, new merchants — many based in Asia — quickly pop up,” by Nathaniel Popper (print headline: “Drug Trade Rises in Dark Corners of the Internet”): “As the nation’s opioid crisis worsens, the authorities are confronting a resurgent, unruly player in the illicit trade of the deadly drugs, one that threatens to be even more formidable than the cartels. The internet. In a growing number of arrests and overdoses, law enforcement officials say, the drugs are being bought online. Internet sales have allowed powerful synthetic opioids such as fentanyl — the fastest-growing cause of overdoses nationwide — to reach living rooms in nearly every region of the country, as they arrive in small packages in the mail.” http://nyti.ms/2t91CdL
--“China’s New Bridges: Rising High, but Buried in Debt: China has built hundreds of dazzling new bridges, including the longest and highest, but many have fostered debt and corruption,” by NYT’s Chris Buckley: “The eye-popping structures have slashed travel times in some areas, made business easier and generated a sizable slice of the country’s economy, laying a foundation, in theory at least, for decades of future growth. But as the bridges and the expressways they span keep rising, critics say construction has become an end unto itself. Fueled by government-backed loans and urged on by the big construction companies and officials who profit from them, many of the projects are piling up debt and breeding corruption while producing questionable transportation benefits.” http://nyti.ms/2t9er7I
BONUS GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman:
--“Bob Dylan’s Nobel Lecture”: “Some of these same things have happened to you. You too have had drugs dropped into your wine. You too have shared a bed with the wrong woman. You too have been spellbound by sweet voices with strange melodies. You too have come so far and have been so far blown back.” http://bit.ly/2rULMnO
--“How the D-Day Invasion Was Planned” – in the August 1944 issue of Popular Mechanics: “Every one of the thousands of men landed in France required about 10 ship tons of overall equipment, and an additional ship ton every 30 days. The number of separate items needed was about a million. Some of these million items had to be accumulated in millions, resulting in astronomical totals.” http://bit.ly/2smaY97
--“Eternal Champions,” by Sam Borden in ESPN: “Seven months ago, Brazilian underdogs Chapecoense boarded a plane to play in the game of their lives. Instead, their biggest moment turned into a tragedy no one can forget.” http://es.pn/2r9Y3aB (h/t Longform.org)
--“Inside Trump’s secretive immigration court: far from scrutiny and legal aid,” by The Guardian’s Oliver Laughland in Jena, Louisiana: “[T]he remote LaSalle detention facility is part of Trump’s attempt to fast-track deportations. A visit reveals a hastily arranged setup beset by flaws.” http://bit.ly/2scNvHQ
--“Rolling Stone at 50: How Hunter S. Thompson Became a Legend,” by Patrick Doyle in Rolling Stone – per The Browser’s description: “Sports Illustrated asked Hunter S. Thompson for 250 words about a Las Vegas motorbike race. He gave them 2,500 words — and when they spiked the piece he took it to Rolling Stone, which wanted more. The result was Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, published in 1971. Thompson’s coverage of the 1972 presidential campaign ‘reshaped what it meant to write about politics’. But ‘getting work out of him was becoming difficult”. Editing him ‘was a bit like being a cornerman for Ali.’” http://rol.st/2smiHEk
--“Weddings of the 0.01 Percent,” by Julia Rubin in Racked: “Cristal! Caviar! Chris Martin! How the rich (and sometimes famous) get married.” http://bit.ly/2smtvCz
--“The truth about tarot,” by James McConnachie in Aeon Magazine: “Whether divining ancient wisdoms or elevating the art of cold reading, tarot is a form of therapy, much like psychoanalysis.” http://bit.ly/2sL1XDY (h/t ALDaily.com)
--“The Worst Ever First Day on the Job -- Punching In: My Life as a Long Haul Trucker,” by Finn Murphy in Literary Hub: “Moving companies perform four categories of moving work: local, commercial, long-distance, and international. Callahan’s work was mostly local moving, loading up someone’s house in the morning and then unloading in the afternoon at the new house. It takes the greatest toll on the body because you are handling stuff every working day. It’s the local stuff that eventually kills you or drives you to drink; more commonly, both.” http://bit.ly/2s4Nuoy
--“There Were Once Jews Here,” by Lucette Lagnado, author of “The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: A Jewish Family’s Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World,” in Tablet Magazine: “During the Six-Day War, some of the Arab countries at war with Israel -- Egypt, Tunisia, Libya -- treated their Jewish populations terribly, causing them to leave en masse.” http://bit.ly/2t92OOk ... $10.01 on Amazonhttp://amzn.to/2sbmAeT
--“Dear Brazilian Government, Thanks for the Contracts,” by Michael Smith, Sabrina Valle, and Blake Schmidt on the cover of Bloomberg Businessweek: “There’s graft, and then there’s the graft machine perfected by Odebrecht, one of the world's biggest construction companies.” https://bloom.bg/2rOEHqr … The coverhttp://bit.ly/2rjKL6H
--“‘Kill them, kill them, kill them’: the volunteer army plotting to wipe out Britain’s grey squirrels,” by Patrick Barkham in The Guardian: “The red squirrel is under threat of extinction across Britain. Their supporters believe the only way to save them is to exterminate their enemy: the greys. But are they just prejudiced against non-native species?” http://bit.ly/2re8OE6
--“This County Switched From Backing Obama to Trump. Here’s What Happened,” by Josh Siegel in The Daily Signal: “In 1980, manufacturing jobs comprised 38 percent of all jobs in Coos [New Hampshire]. In 2014, only 7 percent of jobs in the county were in manufacturing. Payroll wages from manufacturing have dropped from 49 percent to 9 percent since the mid-1980s.” http://bit.ly/2sL2A0v
SPOTTED: Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly enjoying “DHS Night” Friday night at the Nats game along with members of DHS’ workforce – pic http://bit.ly/2rjyfUM... Anson Kaye, partner at GMMB, in New Orleans last night, accepting a Gold ADDY award (and also a Mosaic Award) for the ad “Mirrors” (http://bit.ly/2sbAIEM) he created for Hillary for America
SPOTTED at State Department senior White House adviser Matt Mowers’ birthday party at Wet Dog Tavern last night (which coincidentally also hosted RNC alum Anna Epstein’s birthday party at the same time): Cassie Spodak, Ryan Williams, Zeke Miller, Ben Sparks, Jill Barclay, Phil Elliott, Ethan Zorfas, Ben DeMarzo, Maren Kasper, Michael Kratsios, Kailani Koenig, Tom Dickens, Elise Dietsch Dickens, Eric Jones, Alan He, Andy Polesovsky, Corey Ershow, Kelly Klass, Britt Carter.
SHIELDS/WALSH ENGAGEMENT PARTY -- THE BRITISH EMBASSY hosted an engagement party last night for Mike Shields, former RNC chief of staff and founder and partner at Convergence Media and Katie Walsh, former WH deputy chief of staff and former RNC chief of staff who is now senior advisor at America First Policies. Amb. Kim Darroch toasted the pair and called them the “ultimate political couple” and told the crowd how the couple got engaged in the Cabinet Room at 10 Downing Street, where the prime minister has met with his or her cabinet every week for 250 years. He also needled Mike, who has a British mother and is a big soccer fan, for supporting Ipswich, who he cast as much inferior to Chelsea in the Premier League. The food at the party included: herb-crusted fillet of lamb, goat’s cheese and beetroot, terrine of pork, and chili shrimp while desserts included mini Bakewell tart, strawberry tartlet and passion fruit mousse. Pics of the couplehttp://bit.ly/2sbk3Bp … http://bit.ly/2saWbhk … Reince Priebus taking a pic of the couple as they thanked friends for coming http://bit.ly/2rOGmfz … The crowdhttp://bit.ly/2rOzjDs
SPOTTED: Reince and Sally Priebus, Sean and Rebecca Spicer, Steven Mnuchin and his chief of staff Eli Miller chatting on a walk around the gardens of the embassy, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Rob and Cindy Simms, Cara Mason, Jessica Ditto, Sarah and Dave Armstrong, Tim Pataki, Richard Walters, Rob Jesmer chatting with Sean Cairncross (Sean and Rob have been friends since they were 5 years old growing up in Minnesota), Brian O. Walsh, Josh Pitcock, Mike’s 15-year-old son Aidan Shields-Eads, Molly Donlin, Steven Law, Sam Feist, Mike Allen, Andrew Bremberg, Lew Eisenberg, Madeleine Westerhout, Johnny DeStefano, Renee Hudson, Michael Hoare, Lindsay Walters, Vanessa Morrone and Mike Ambrosini, Zach and Mallory Hunter.
ENGAGED --Andrew Feldman, principal of the progressive communications firm Feldman Strategies, proposed to his longtime girlfriend Megan Salzman Saturday night during Country Music Fest in Nashville. Megan is a communications manager at the early education advocacy group The First Five Years Fund. “Andrew and Megan met on OKCupid nearly four and a half years ago. Andrew points out that the ring has extra significant because the center stone was Megan’s mother’s engagement stone and she is no longer with us.” Pics http://bit.ly/2r7KrIZ ... http://bit.ly/2rOFJTb … The ringhttp://bit.ly/2rjzLGh
-- Jessica Huff, social media director for McClatchy in Dallas and a Politico alum, and Spenser Walters, an area sales rep for Duvel USA, got engaged on Friday night in Austin, Texas. She emails us: “We met in college at UT-Austin after he came back from Afghanistan. He was serving in the Marines. We had the same group of friends but I hadn’t met him yet since he was overseas. Once he was back, one of our first dates was at a restaurant in the hill country in Texas overlooking the lake, and so while visiting Austin he took me back there and proposed during sunset. It’s a very special place to us so it was perfect!” Picshttp://bit.ly/2shqCmX … The ringhttp://bit.ly/2t9rnKO
WEEKEND WEDDINGS -- Travis Considine, communications manager at Uber Texas and a John McCain and Rick Perry alum, married Morgan Smith, a reporter with The Texas Tribune, on Saturday evening at the San Antonio Museum of Art. Guests enjoyed a bluegrass band and flawless weather at the outdoor ceremony and reception. Pichttp://bit.ly/2t9jc1c … Travis’ speechhttp://bit.ly/2sQLqi2
SPOTTED: Tucker and Alexia Bounds, Brittany Bramell, Trevor Theunissen, Chris Miller, Allie Brandenburger and Ryan Mahoney, Kevin Benacci, Emily Ramshaw, Matt and Jen Hirsch, Evan Smith, Perrylanders Rob Johnson, Mark Miner, and Andy Hemming.
OBAMA ALUMNI – Meredith Carden, head of partnerships at Sidewire, got married this weekend to Micah Fergenson, law clerk at U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in a small ceremony at Four Follies Farm in Tiverton, Rhode Island. The couple first met in 2009 when they were working for President Obama. Micah worked in the WH Counsel’s Office, and Meredith worked for FLOTUS in the East Wing. They lost touch, but were reintroduced by a mutual friend in 2015. Pichttp://bit.ly/2sb3PIq
--“Lily Rothman, Elihu Dietz” – N.Y. Times: “Ms. Rothman, 31, is the history and archives editor at Time magazine, overseeing its history coverage, Life.com and the magazine’s digital archive. She also wrote ‘Everything You Need to Ace American History in One Big Fat Notebook.’ She graduated magna cum laude from Yale and received a master’s degree in journalism from the City University of New York. ... Mr. Dietz, 32, is a candidate for a master’s degree in environmental management at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke, where he studies the integration of renewable energy into the grid. He graduated from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, N.M. ... The groom is a great-great-grandson and a namesake of Elihu Root, who was President Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary of state and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1912. He is also a direct descendant of President Ulysses S. Grant. The couple met on a blind date arranged by friends in Brooklyn in 2011.” With pic http://nyti.ms/2rZpO2N
--“Alison Kenworthy, Michael Koenigs”: “The bride and groom work at ABC News in New York, where they met. She is a news producer for ‘Good Morning America.’ He is a senior coordinating producer, creating content that is used on-air and on the website. He was also the host of ‘Election Cycle,’ a series in 2016 that featured him bicycling through swing states and interviewing voters along the way. The bride, 33, graduated from Rutgers. ... Mr. Koenigs, 30, graduated cum laude from Harvard.” With pichttp://nyti.ms/2t8GB2L
--“Julia Pudlin, David Wishnick”: “Ms. Pudlin, 32, worked until earlier this year at the United States Treasury Department as a deputy executive secretary in the chief of staff’s office and a senior adviser to the general counsel. On July 10 she is to begin working as the assistant deputy general counsel for government investigations at Comcast in Philadelphia. She graduated summa cum laude from Yale, and received a law degree magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania. ... Mr. Wishnick, also 32, was until recently an associate in the Washington office of Jenner & Block, a Chicago law firm. On July 12 he is to begin a fellowship, conducting research in contract law, at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He graduated magna cum laude from Brown, and received a law degree from Yale. ... The couple met in April 2013 through the dating app Hinge.” With pichttp://nyti.ms/2rOZSIV
--“Victoria St. Martin, Richard G. Jones”: “The bride, 36, is a general assignment reporter on the local desk of The Washington Post. She graduated from Rutgers and received a master’s degree in journalism from American University. ... The groom, 46, is to become the director of the journalism program at Notre Dame. Until recently, he was an associate editor in news administration for The New York Times, as well as the director of the newspaper’s Student Journalism Institute. He graduated from the University of Delaware and has a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia. ... The couple were introduced in 2006 by a mutual friend in Yardley, Pa.” With pichttp://nyti.ms/2rOtYMA
BIRTHDAYS: Greta Van Susteren, the pride of Appleton, Wisconsin (hat tip: Tammy Haddad) ... Tad Devine, the pride of Providence who lives on Block Island, is 62 ... Kim Oates of the House Radio/TV gallery … Carrie Budoff Brown’s older sister, Jennifer Budoff, budget director for the D.C. City Council ... former Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) is 87 … Lindsey Williams Drath ... Jennifer Rubin ... Michael Timmeny, SVP for government and community relations at Cisco ... Jeremy Ben-Ami, president at J Street (h/ts Jon Haber) ... POLITICO’s Reid Pillifant, Emily Dobler and Juliette Medina ... South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard is 64 ... Treasury alum David Cohen ... TJ Adams-Falconer, associate director of external affairs at Axios ... Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Tex.) is 69 ... Cesar Gonzalez, COS for Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart ... former Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) is 59 ... DNC comms staffer and former HRC campaign media booker Lucas Acosta (h/t Crystal Carson) ...
... Will Rahn, managing editor for politics at CBS News digital, is 3-0 ... Jessica Franks, gov’t affairs representative for Halliburton ... Politico Europe’s Tanit Parada Tur ... Chris Campbell, Republican staff director at Senate Finance ... Kristina Edmunson ... Rachel Ruskin ... Obama alum Jonathan McBride, now a managing director at BlackRock … Mike Schoenfeld, the Blue Devils’ master of public affairs/Duke’s other Mike … Betsy Gotbaum, former NYC public advocate, is 79 ... Matt Chaban, policy director at Center for an Urban Future ... Mary Kate Cunningham ... Salesforce’s Tom Gavin, an Obama WH OMB alum … Michael Froehlich ... Caroline Barker ... Matthew Campbell ... Vanessa Chan, corporate comms. at Facebook ... Kelly Danielka Peirson ... Google’s Ramya Raghavan ... Tom Alexander, COO at 1871 Chicago and a Rahm alum ... Jacque Vilmain, the pride of Eagle Grove, Iowa(h/t Teresa) ... animal rights activist Ingrid Newkirk is 68 ... Power Playbooker Dr. Oz is 57 ... actor Hugh Laurie is 58 ... Shia LaBeouf is 31 (h/ts AP)

Gambling in Virginia? Slots-like horse-racing machines

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The next Detroit: The catastrophic collapse of Atlantic City

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[Event] The Made in America Act

Introduction

Reshoring Act

American Ingenuity Act

American Business Protection Act

Save American Farms Act

American Shipping Act

Civil Shipbuilding

Defence Shipbuilding

Jourdan Shipyard, Diamondhead Naval Yard

Bath Shipbuilding

Marinette Marine

HII

Newport News

Ingalls

Avondale

General Dynamics Electric Boat

National Defence Revival Act

Land Systems Production

Aircraft Production

Conclusion

Reno Vehicular Murder

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[PI] - There is a strange lottery that picks a random person on the planet every day. The prize is completely random, too, for you could win anything- five dollars, a divorce, a brand new car, or even instant death. But today, you just won the grand prize. (Part 7)

IAMA Patent Litigator that does patent infringement lawsuits - AMAA

The Carry-On Kids: Part Two - The Twins

Free 50 minute prepaid phone cards (Multiple)

BREAKING: TRUMP to delay UK trip -- FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Aug. recess in jeopardy -- ISENSTADT: MITT shows signs of political revival -- SPOTTED at Mike Shields/Katie Walsh engagement party -- B’DAY: Greta van Susteren

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this arcade claw machine hack should be illegal.. - YouTube