#bootsonground

[jrenardleather]

if you ever served in the military and deployed #BootsOnGround, but have NEVER used this, i don’t know if we can be friends. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-wbSV1AUyz/?igshid=ah7tg73zmiuu

[jeo-neun]

As time passes and the news coverage fades, families are often forgotten. Now approaching the one year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, there is still so much to do on the ground here in Texas. Help @allhandsandhearts (AHAH) continue their recovery efforts in Coastal Bend and Houston areas. AHAH has committed to at least 2 more years continuing the need for rebuilding work and flood repairs in its Texas responses. #hurricaneharvey #texasfloodrelief #disasterrelief #bootsonground #allhandsandhearts #houstonstrong #texascoastalbend https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm2Ep4vgfRr/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1kf0gtyf321ld

[jeo-neun]

Every day is a good work day with @allhandsvolunteers #bootsonground #allhandsin

[jeo-neun]

Every day is a good work day with @allhandsvolunteers #bootsonground #allhandsin

[coachkarren]

Outsource your problems. @feastyoureyez53 "Britney" is gonna help me out in these streets! #marketing #bootsonground @keepmehome

[arango54321]

I have vivid imagination so I question? Am I seeing an old tree or a dedicated #torpedo like #Syria so they could #emulate our outdated yet effective amo? Let me sit down. #nodapl🚫👊 #bootsonground #standingrock

[newsnotes]

TRNS News Notes: SCOTUS: Hobby Lobby wins / Iraq: boots on the ground? / Belgium v USA today!

TRNS News Notes, begin your news day with TRNS News Notes. Victoria Jones brings you today's essential stories. View this email in your browser (http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=52b70e3b86&e=0349316805) TRNS News Notes is brought to you by Victoria Jones (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=1ce3e8c607&e=0349316805) . Victoria Jones is the Chief White House correspondent and global analyst of the Washington DC based Talk Radio News Service, (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=c53e17d730&e=0349316805) where her insight and analysis are made available to over 400 news talk radio stations around the country and internationally. In the News * Obama to act on immigration * Immigration: Nail in the coffin * SCOTUS: Hobby Lobby wins * The fight's just beginning * SCOTUS: Union dues - mixed * Israel: 3 teens dead - Hamas "will pay" * Iraq: Boots on ground? / Parliament meets * Obama: Exec order transgender workers * Obama announces VA sec pick * World Cup: Belgium v USA - today! Obama to Act on Immigration • President Obama plans to take administrative actions in the coming months to address "a serious problem" with the country's immigration policies, he said Monday in the Rose Garden. "In this situation, the failure of the House Republicans to pass a darn bill is bad for our economy" and bad for the country (Politico, NYT,TRNS, (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=d93c0fb573&e=0349316805) me) • Obama said Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told him last Tuesday at a WH event honoring professional golfers that he wouldn't be bringing an immigration bill to the floor "at least for the remainder of the year," according to Obama. Boehner's office confirmed the discussion • "In a conversation last week, I told the president what I have been telling him for months: the American people and their elected leaders don't trust him to enforce the law as written," Boehner said in a statement. "Until that changes, It is going to be difficult to make progress on this issue." • In his announcement, Obama repeatedly hammered House Republicans, arguing that they're aware of the problems with existing laws but unwilling to take action. "It makes no sense. It's not on the level. It's just politics, plain and simple." • About two weeks ago, U.S. authorities found an 11-year-old Guatemalan boy's body about a mile from Texas' southern border, apparently dead from heat stroke. He'd apparently gotten lost on his way north from his home. They found his brother's phone number on his belt buckle (AP) Nail In the Coffin • Obama will direct Homeland Security Sec Jeh Johnson and AG Eric Holder to shift immigration enforcement resources from the interior section of the U.S. to the border. Obama also wants admin officials to send him other actions he can take without the blessing of Congress - suggestions he wants by summer's end • Obama summoned immigration advocates to the WH for a meeting Monday before his speech. He told them he'll examine all options within his constitutional powers. Friday marked one year since the Democratic-led Senate passed a comprehensive immigration bill with 68 votes • Obama formally notified Congress Monday that he's seeking additional funds and expended powers to respond to the influx of unaccompanied children, in a letter to Hill leaders • The record number of children trying to cross into the U.S., coupled with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's (R-VA) primary loss, partially over immigration, have pretty much hammered the nail in the coffin for prospects of immigration overhaul in the House SCOTUS: Hobby Lobby/Canestoga Wood Win • The Supreme Court Monday ruled that requiring family-owned corporations to pay for insurance coverage for contraception under the Affordable Care Act violates a federal law protecting religious freedom (NYT, Scotusblog, AP, TRNS, (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=f1a4fb3c85&e=0349316805) me) • The 5-4 decision is the first time the high court has ruled that profit-seeking businesses (as opposed to human beings) can hold religious views under federal law. Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the majority decision for five male justices, said a religious freedom law applied to for-profit corporations controlled by religious families • He added that the requirement that the companies provide contraception coverage imposed a substantial burden on the companies' religious liberty. He said the govt could provide the coverage in other ways. The court suggested it would reject broad religious claims to, for example, discriminate against gay employees • Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg wrote a blistering dissent for the court's four liberals. Justices Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan joined almost all of the dissent. Ginsberg asked in the dissent whether the exemption would "extend to employers with religiously grounded objections to blood transfusions; antidepressants..." - she gave several examples • Ginsberg write: "Approving some religious claims while deeming others unworthy of accommodation could be 'perceived as favoring one religion over another,' the very 'risk the [Constitution's] Establishment Clause was designed to preclude." • The decision applies to "closely-held" companies, which includes some giants like Heinz Foods and Koch Industries. Hobby Lobby still covers vasectomies and Viagra The Fight's Just Beginning • Politicians from both sides of the aisle weighed in Monday. With midterms coming up, everybody's got an opinion and hope they can capitalize on the court's decision. The decision isn't risk-free for Republicans. They could celebrate too loudly and Democrats and pro-choicers would pounce (Politico, TRNS, (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=ec8b38576d&e=0349316805) Hill, me) • They can also point to at least three recent polls showing a majority of Americans support the contraception coverage. A Reuters/Ipsos poll Sunday: 53% support. WSJ/NBC News poll in March: 53% support. Recent survey by Public Religion Research Institute: 57% support • WH spox Josh Earnest said that SCOTUS had ruled that "some bosses can now withhold contraceptive care" and that "today's decision jeopardizes the health of women that are employed by these companies." &&& • House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said the decision is "another defeat for an administration that has repeatedly crossed constitutional lines in pursuit of its big govt objectives." • Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said, "The Obama administration cannot trample on the religious freedoms that Americans hold dear." He also derided Obamacare as "the single worst piece of legislation to pass in the last 50 years." • Sen Patty Murray (D-WA) will lead a Democratic push for legislation to restore the coverage. "Since the Supreme Court decided it will not protect women's access to health care, I will." A Dem aide said a bill could come before the midterms. Reps Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) are discussing a potential bill with Murray - in House • SCOTUS rejected a challenge to CA's law that bars mental counseling aimed at turning gay minors straight. They let stand an appeals court ruling that said the state's ban on so-called conversion therapy for minors doesn't violate the free speech rights of licensed counselors and patients seeking treatment (AP) SCOTUS: Union Dues - Mixed • In Harris v Quinn, home care workers in IL cannot be forced to pay union dues, the Supreme Court ruled Monday in a narrow decision that mostly preserves labor's biggest stronghold in the U.S. (Hill, NYT, AP, me,) • In a 5-4 decision, the justices voided a requirement that personal medical assistants in IL contribute fees to a branch of the SEIU, even if they choose not be become members • But in a victory for labor, the justices didn't address the broader question of whether public sector employees can be forced to pay union dues, leaving in place state laws aimed at preventing "free riding" by non-members • Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, said the home care workers in IL are "quite different from full-fledged public employees" and are thus not subject to the rules set out in a case known as Abood v Detroit et al • "If we allowed Abood to be extended to those who are not full-fledged public employees, it would be hard to see just where to draw the line," Alito wrote Israel: 3 Teens Dead - Hamas "Will Pay" • Israel has vowed retribution against Hamas, the militant Palestinian group it accuses of the kidnap and murder of three teenagers. The bodies of Naftali Fraenkel, a U.S. citizen, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach were found in a pit Monday evening, near where they'd disappeared, after they'd been missing for more than two weeks (NYT, BBC, Haaretz, me) • "They were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood by beasts," Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of an emergency cabinet meeting. "Hamas is responsible and Hamas will pay." Hamas denies any involvement. Palestinian President Abbas has called an emergency meeting of Palestinian leadership today • Israel launched more than 30 strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight. The strikes came in reaction to Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel, the Israeli military said • Israeli forces demolished the homes of two Hamas men, Marwan Qawasmeh and Amer Abu Aishah, named by Israel as prime suspects. The abduction and aftermath, after the collapse of American-brokered peace talks, have sent the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to its most precarious point in nearly a decade • As the news spread Monday evening, Israeli TV channels halted World Cup broadcasts, filling the hours with discussions of the discovery. The funerals will be the focus of intense grief and anger • President Obama issued a statement saying the U.S. condemned the "senseless act of terror" in "the strongest possible terms" and saying that as a father, he could not "imagine the indescribable pain" the parents were experiencing. He urged all parties to refrain from steps that could further destabilize the situation • In a WaPo op-ed, SecState John Kerry says the 20 July deadline for a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran is fast approaching and Iran faces a choice: agree to the steps necessary or squander a historic opportunity to end isolation (AP, me) Iraq: Boots on Ground? / Parliament Meets • President Obama is sending up to 200 additional U.S. troops to Iraq. The troops will reinforce security at U.S. diplomatic facilities and at the Baghdad Airport, and is in addition to the 300 troops requested earlier this month. Another 100 troops will also flow into Baghdad. There could be a total of 750 U.S. troops in Baghdad (...) • Iraqi legislators convene for the first time today to choose a parliament speaker, the first step in a constitutional timetable that's supposed to lead to selecting a PM within 45 days (Hill, NYT, WSJ, me) • Two-term PM Nouri al Maliki is fighting for his political life even though his electoral coalition won the greatest share of votes in 30 April elections. There are signs that his closest political allies might turn on him in the interest of Shiite unity • Politicians in Iraq and international allies, including in the U.S., have blamed Maliki in part for the crisis, saying he failed to form a representative leadership inclusive of Sunnis and other minority sects (he did fail) • Ahmad Chalabi, who took millions of dollars from the CIA and sold the Bush administration a bill of goods on WMD in Iraq, is among two serious contenders for PM. He's visited the U.S. embassy. (OMG) The other is Adel Abdul Mahdi, a Shiite former VP and staunch opponent of Malik, with ties to Shiite cleric Moktata al-Sadr • Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has ended a unilateral ceasefire with separatists in the east, saying: "We will attack, we will free our land." Ukraine says it's launched a full-scale military operation in the east today. Both sides have accused the other of violating the truce (BBC) Obama: Exec Order Transgender Workers • The WH is preparing an executive order offering transgender federal workers formal protection from discrimination at work, President Obama announced Monday during a WH reception marking Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. No details provided (AP, me) • At least two other measures already prevent the federal govt from firing people for being transgender, so Obama's announcement is largely symbolic. The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBT rights group, praised Obama's announcement as a "crucial and historic measure." • Obama in 2009 signed a presidential memorandum saying the federal govt shouldn't discriminate against workers for reasons unrelated to their job performance. And in a major ruling last year, the EEOC said that the section of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that bars discrimination based on gender also applies to gender identity • Monday's move comes just weeks after Obama announced plans to sign an executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against millions of employees on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity • Obama had resisted signing that order in hopes Congress would sign a broader measure that would apply to nearly all employees, but changed course amid signs that lawmakers won't take it up in an election year • GM recalled 8.2 million more vehicles Monday. "Unintended ignition key rotation." Recall total this year: 29 million. Wowzer. Recall came hours after the co's compensation consultant, Kenneth Feinberg, said there's no limit to how much he can spend to compensate victims of small car crash issues. Official death toll now 16 (AP,TRNS, (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=158264fbe9&e=0349316805) me) Obama Announces VA Pick • President Obama on Monday nominated former Procter & Gamble exec Robert McDonald to lead the Dept of Veterans Affairs. "When it comes to delivering quality, timely, health care [to veterans], we have to do better," Obama said at VA's headquarters (WaPo, Fox, CNN, Politico, NYT, me) • Leading efforts to reform the agency and the Veterans Health Administration - a part of the dept - "is not going to be an easy assignment," Obama said. McDonald "has a reputation for being ready, for jumping into tough situations and going all the way." • McDonald said, "At Procter & Gamble, we always focus on our customer. At the VA, the veteran is our customer, and we must focus all day, every day on getting them the benefits and care they've so earned." McDonald, 61, would succeed Eric Shinseki, who resigned amid a scandal over widespread delays in getting healthcare to veterans • Some veterans groups were surprised by the choice of McDonald, a West Point graduate and Army veteran, and expressed concern that the WH hadn't discussed McDonald with them in advance • Ohio native McDonald has gotten the support of Republicans, including Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Sen Rob Portman (R-OH), both of whom have received campaign contributions from McDonald in recent years. McDonald retired abruptly from P&G a year ago under criticism in the midst of a major restructuring at the company • Kissing Kongressman Vance McAllister (R-LA) said Monday he would seek reelection, reversing a previous decision. Of course. The married McAllister was caught kissing a former staff member earlier this year. He says his family's forgiven him and he isn't going to talk about it any more. He's said to be heavily in debt (Hill, me) World Cup: Belgium v USA - Today • Game: highly physical, probably defensive and anxiety-ridden. And don't bet on a goal-fest in the actual game (if it goes to a penalty shootout that's different). Today's winner will face either Argentina or Switzerland in Brasilia on 5 July (Telegraph, Guardian, AP, me) • Belgium are without midfielder Steven Defour - one-match ban. There's also a concern over Belgium's captain Vincent Kompany, the central defender who's been struggling with a groin injury and is in doubt. The U.S. have no fresh problems after Jozy Altidore was cleared to play • Belgium qualified with three wins out of three but haven't been impressive and are due a better performance. However, getting past them may not be an easy task. So far, they've only conceded one goal - a penalty at that. And in Thibaut Courtois they have a very exciting goalkeeper • The U.S. are (or should be) going to rely on Kyle Beckerman, Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones, a vital midfield trio. If they can get a little movement of their own going, and maybe benefit from Altidore, they could stall the Belgium momentum in the middle of the pitch - and make inroads of their own • The US haven't played Belgium in the World Cup since 1930. The Americans won 3-0. President Obama on Monday called today's game a "tough match" and wished the US team "a lot of luck in the game to come." Sign up here for (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=11a836039f&e=0349316805) TRNS News Notes

[jarrettbarrios-blog]

#shapes & #light, no #color. #BackInBoston #BootsOnGround #boston #airports #LookUp #Massachusetts #mbta #ArtInEverydayThings (at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS))