CTH has noted on several occasions that many of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipal authorities control their regions in a similar fashion to mafioso families.  There is a tremendous amount of corruption within the ranks of “Mayors” on the island.  The entire system of governance is more accurately similar to third-world overlords.
This report on FEMA aid being corrupted by these same officials does not come as a surprise; indeed, unfortunately, it is the norm – not the exception.

(Puerto Rico) FBI agents in Puerto Rico have been receiving calls from “across the island” with residents complaining local officials are “withholding” or “mishandling” critical FEMA supplies — with one island official even accused of stuffing his own car full of goods meant for the suffering populace.
The accusations come in the aftermath of deadly Hurricane Maria, which devastated the U.S. territory last month.
“The complaints we’re hearing is that mayors of local municipalities, or people associated with their offices, are giving their political supporters special treatment, goods they’re not giving to other people who need them,” FBI Special Agent Carlos Osorio told Fox News.
(more…)

There is a myriad of complexity within the Iran issue that extends beyond the substantive issue of whether or not President Trump should again certify compliance with the Iran Nuclear Deal.
For clarity, President Trump would not be ending the deal or ending the agreement.  The President is required (every 90 days) to certify if Iran is upholding the terms of the nuclear agreement.  The next certification is due on October 15th.  If President Trump does not, because he cannot, certify compliance – he notifies congress.  It’s up to congress to decide what to do from there.
Therefore President Trump would not be “tearing up” the agreement, nor would he be “ending the agreement”, he would simply be notifying congress of the compliance of Iran, or lack thereof, according to the monitoring agencies that report to the President.  That’s it.  Now to Senator Tom Cotton.  Watch:

.
Senator Cotton can be an ally for MAGA (see immigration), or he can be a concern for MAGA (see aggressive military intervention), depending on the issue.  It is also important to understand how lobbying efforts impact policy positions as they relate to military intervention.  There are interests in DC pushing us toward military conflict with Iran.
(more…)

As best can be determined the current narrative (subject to change) is that a security guard, Jesus “Jose” Campos, was dispatched to the 32nd floor due to an alarm from an emergency stairwell door being opened.  [Jose Campos is currently being guarded by a security firm and not available for media interviews].

Sometime after (or during) Campos assignment to check out the alarm, a maintenance worker named Stephen Schuck was sent to check out a fire exit door that would not open.  Presumably this is the same door Campos was assigned to investigate.
Maintenance worker Schuck could not open the door from the stairwell and needed to go back into another wing to come to the front of the exit door on the 32nd floor.
During this Schuck transit time Campos arrived on the 32nd floor and noted the hotel suite door partially open (didn’t knock) and encountered the shooter, Stephen Paddock, who shot Campos in the leg (upper left thigh) and fired multiple rounds through the door.

Maintenance worker Schuck arrives to find Security Guard Campos hiding in an alcove (“poking his head out”) who immediately warned Schuck to get away and then both come under a hail of gunfire.  See video interview:
(more…)

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcome Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau back to the White House.
By all media accounts, especially those from Canada, the primary purpose of Trudeau’s visit is to firm up support for NAFTA.  Prior to the bilateral meeting between the two leaders, Trudeau was lobbying the congressional GOPe Ways and Means Committee to rebuke the America-First economic policies of President Trump.

[Transcript Here]

.
Isn’t it interesting how heads of foreign governments feel so comfortable coming to the U.S., engaging with Washington DC politicians and openly attempting to eliminate the national economic policy interests of a sitting U.S. President (and American workers)?
No, really… think about that.  If you ever needed to remind your family, friends and neighbors of how thoroughly our national economic sovereignty has been destroyed, simply put the reality of foreign leaders lobbying Washington DC to retain their global interests into the context of any conversation…. then ask them to think about it.
Name another country that would even fathom allowing such activity.
(more…)

Earlier today President Trump tweeted out a statement that NBC is fake news. The media, and Trump’s political opposition, immediately began circling the wagons to defend NBC.

However, as if on cue, moments after President Trump made the statement, NBC presented video of a Today Show segment interviewing a maintenance worker for Mandalay Bay with a jaw-droppingly false claim about Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock warning the worker. LOOK:
(more…)

During an interview on Sunday casino, hotel and resort billionaire Steve Wynn was describing some insider trade talk about the Mandalay Bay Massacre.  During the interview Wynn inadvertently mentioned shooter Stephen Paddock using the “service elevators” and how Wynn’s internal security measures would never allow that to happen.
Asked for clarification, Mr. Wynn quickly demurred.  However, CBS is now reporting that Stephen Paddock did in fact use the freight elevator at the Mandalay Hotel and Casino:

Las Vegas – Law enforcement sources told CBS News that Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock is believed to have used the freight elevator at the Mandalay Bay hotel casino in the days leading up to last week’s deadly attack.
It wasn’t clear what Paddock used the freight elevator for or how often he used it.

(more…)

President Trump has turned the 2017 NFL into 2015 Megyn Kelly, and now the league president, Roger Goodell, is trying desperately not to end up in Kelly’s isolated position.

NFL owners are preparing to address the player National Anthem controversy at their fall meeting in New York Oct. 17-18.  According to Reuters NFL chief spokesman Joe Lockhart told reporters:

“Everyone at this point is frustrated by the situation.  The commissioner and the owners do want the players to stand. We think it is an important part of the game.”

(more…)

Here we go… buckle up, and grab the popcorn.  This is the part where the “trillions at stake” comes into play…

U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue is now engaged in a direct fight with U.S. President Donald Trump. As would be expected, and as we specifically predicted, Tom Donohue is now specifically aligning himself with Canada and Mexico against the interests of the United States economy.

Tom Donohue gives hundreds of millions to Mitch McConnell and the crony UniParty capitalist ilk that infect Washington DC. Donohue owns the vast majority of U.S. politicians. This battle is the epicenter of lobbying usurpation, and how multinational corporations own U.S. politicians. This battle will be epic.

MEXICO CITY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The most powerful U.S. business lobby accused the Trump administration on Tuesday of making “poison pill proposals” to sabotage talks aimed at modernizing NAFTA, as negotiators began gathering in Washington for fresh trade talks.
[…] Speaking in Mexico City, Thomas Donohue, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s president and chief executive, listed several U.S. proposals that he said would undermine $1 trillion in annual trilateral trade, including a “sunset clause” to force regular negotiations.

(more…)

(NEW YORK) – Project Veritas has released a video of the New York Times video gatekeeper Nicholas Dudich, who was caught on hidden-camera boasting of his lack of journalistic ethics. Dudich, who serves as Audience Strategy Editor, displays a lack of integrity throughout the video, manages videos which go “on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram” for the Times.
While talking about being objective at the Times, Dudich replies candidly, “No I’m not, that’s why I’m here.” Dudich considers himself an important player at the New York Times, telling the Project Veritas Journalist “my voice is on… my imprint is on every video we do.”

.
Dudich goes on to explain what he might do to target President Trump:
(more…)

Well, well, well… the entire previous weeks claims about the timeline and structure of Stephen Paddock and how he carried out the Mandalay Bay Massacre just changed a full 180 degrees today when Sheriff Joseph Lombardo dropped a statement that Paddock did not begin shooting until his advanced preparation was interrupted by Mandalay Bay security officer Jesus “Jose'” Campos.
According to the latest stunning revelation by Sheriff Lombardo, security guard Campos was responding to a door alarm notification, presumably from a fire exit door being opened by suspect Paddock on the 32nd floor.  Upon reaching the floor, Campos noticed the hotel room suite door was ajar, and heard the sound of drilling (he didn’t knock).

Paddock was drilling a hole in a door (“adjacent room”) when Campos walked in at 9:59pm.  That’s when Paddock opened fire on Campos wounding him in the leg.  Immediately thereafter is when Stephen Paddock broke out the windows and opened fire on the crowd below.
This latest revelation is explosive because it shows Paddock was interrupted in the act of preparing for the attack, and not during the commission of the attack itself.
This explains a great deal about the event and why so many advanced preparations appeared not to have been utilized.  Unused ammunition, body armor, weapons etc.
(more…)