Petrus

Retired Senior Federal Law Enforcement and Intelligence Official. Three decades with the US Departments of Justice and Homeland Security.

Magazines

Followers

Flips

News
AP sources: Pentagon proposing troop buildup in the Mideast
Associated Press - By LOLITA C. BALDOR and ROBERT BURNS
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon on Thursday will present plans to the White House to send up to 10,000 more troops to the Middle East, in a move to beef up defenses against potential Iranian threats , officials
Trump University
The wall of concealment Trump built around his finances is beginning to crumble
The Washington Post - By Paul Waldman
In the past, presidents have gone to almost any length to assure the public that there wouldn’t be even the barest suggestion of impropriety regarding their personal finances. Jimmy Carter put his peanut
Democrats
Sneaky Photo Captures Trump Handwritten Notes Saying ‘Dems Have ‘No Achomlishments’
The Daily Beast
Anyone who watched Donald Trump's bizarre Rose Garden news conference Wednesday might be surprised to learn that he had prepared notes. But a sneaky …
African-American News
Court Reporters Are Literally Writing Down Black People's Testimonies Wrong - VICE
VICE - Leila Ettachfini
A new study shows that stenographers frequently fail at correctly understanding and transcribing African American English, which can have devastating consequences for Black people in court. In 2013, Rachel
Sears
Warren, Ocasio-Cortez press Mnuchin for answers on Sears bankruptcy
POLITICO - By ZACHARY WARMBRODT
Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday called on Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to disclose more information about his role in the demise of Sears, for whom he served as
Rex Tillerson
"Dumb as a rock": Trump fires back at Tillerson over Putin preparedness claims
Axios - Marisa Fernandez
President Trump fired back at former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a Thursday tweet after reports that Tillerson disparaged the president's …
Washington D.C.
They attacked a draft board office to protest the Vietnam War. Fifty years later, the fallout continues.
The Washington Post - By Diane Bernard
They thought their protest against the Vietnam War would have short-lived repercussions. Early that sunny morning 50 years ago, Les Bayless, who was 22, his brother, Jonathan, 17, and Michael Bransome,
Roe v. Wade
How often does the Supreme Court overturn precedents like Roe v. Wade?
The Washington Post - By Dan Keating, Brittany Renee Mayes, Kevin Schaul
From the mid-1950s through the mid-1970s, the Supreme Court reversed its own positions in ways that dramatically reshaped the country on civil rights, freedom of speech and protections for criminal defendants.
U.S. Politics
Trump angrily walks out of meeting with Democrats after Pelosi says he is ‘engaged in a coverup’
The Washington Post - By Mike DeBonis, Rachael Bade, Josh Dawsey, John Wagner
The feud between President Trump and congressional Democrats reached new heights of animosity Wednesday after Trump angrily walked out of a White House meeting on the nation’s infrastructure, insisting
Trump Tower
Trump’s Financial Secrets Move Closer to Disclosure
The New York Times - By EMILY FLITTER, JESSE McKINLEY, DAVID ENRICH and NICHOLAS FANDOS
For three years, Donald J. Trump has treated the details of his personal and business finances as a closely guarded secret. On Wednesday, those secrets moved two steps closer to becoming public. A federal
Opinion
Donald Trump shows why he's a stunningly bad deal maker
CNN - By Frida Ghitis
(CNN) — President Donald Trump leveraged his claims to be a world-class deal maker to win the presidency, touting that his fabled negotiating skills would reap benefits for America. The businessman who
Horrific Photos Show Florida Fast-food Restaurant Kitchen Overrun by Rats, Cockroaches
newsweek.com - Jason Murdock
A fast food restaurant in Florida’s Palm Bay has been closed down by the state's Department of Health after shocking images were uploaded to social …
Florida
North Carolina teacher allegedly threatened to shoot up school, Florida teacher allegedly brought Glock to class
NBC News - Doha Madani
In both instances from this week, which were unrelated, the elementary school teachers were arrested. A teacher was charged for threatening to "shoot up" an elementary school in Hillsborough, North Carolina,
House Intelligence Committee
Judge says banks can give Trump financial records to House Democrats
thehill.com - Jacqueline Thomsen
A federal judge in New York on Wednesday ruled that Deutsche Bank and Capital One may provide President Trump's financial records to House Democratic …
The White House
White House sends clear message to Kris Kobach with leak of his diva-esque demands
kansascity.com - By The Kansas City Star Editorial Board
White House sends clear message to Kris Kobach with leak of his diva-esque demands Do you ever get the feeling, Kris Kobach, that someone in the White …
Donald Trump
Donald Trump branded a ‘poor baby’ by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after he stormed out from meeting
thesun.co.uk - Jenny Awford
DONALD Trump was branded a “poor baby” by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after he stormed out of a White House meeting and refused to work with Democrats. …
Ben Carson
A lawmaker asked Carson about foreclosure properties. He thought she was talking about Oreos.
CNN - By Caroline Kelly, CNN
(CNN) — Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson on Tuesday appeared to think that a freshman Democrat was questioning him about Oreo cookies during his congressional testimony, when she was
Politics
The President* Has Done Too Many Things, and Too Many People Know About Them
Esquire - By Charles P. Pierce
"They did too many things. Too many people know about it. There is no way to keep it quiet. The time is going to come when impeachment is going to hit this Congress and we better be ready for it." —House
Opinion
Nancy Pelosi is making a big mistake on impeachment
CNN - By Julian Zelizer, CNN Political Analyst
(CNN) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is sitting on a political powder keg. With a President trying to goad her into launching impeachment, fulfilling the textbook definition of abusing power, she faces pressure
Ben Carson
Ben Carson Knows Nothing About His Job and Cares Less
Esquire - By Charles P. Pierce
Ayanna Pressley has dealt with more gifted charlatans than the Housing and Urban Development Secretary. There's so much happening under the Big Top these days that we all tend to forget the many remarkable
Iran
Senate committee rejects proposal to require congressional approval before US strike on Iran
ThinkProgress - Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani
"There can be no war without Congressional authorization. That’s not our opinion— that’s the Constitution." The Senate Foreign Relations committee on …
James Mattis
Breaking Silence, James Mattis Warns Trump Against War With Iran
observer.com - Davis Richardson
In his first public remarks since leaving the White House in December, former Secretary of Defense James Mattis warned against U.S. military …
Michael Avenatti
Michael Avenatti charged with stealing $300,000 from former client Stormy Daniels
CNN - By Erica Orden, CNN
New York (CNN) — A federal grand jury in Manhattan indicted celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti on Wednesday in two alleged schemes, charging him with fraud and aggravated identity theft involving his
Steve Mnuchin
Steve Mnuchin’s Nonsensical Excuse for Hiding Trump’s Tax Returns Just Got More Nonsensical
GQ - Jay Willis
A leaked IRS memo shows how information unfavorable to the president's interests has a funny way of quietly disappearing. In this column, erstwhile attorney and GQ staff writer Jay Willis untangles the
Democrats
Democratic Reluctance to Even Utter “Impeachment” Is Becoming Untenable
slate.com - By Dahlia Lithwick
There is perhaps no better encapsulation of the difference between the two modern American political parties than this one: Republicans start from …
Trump Administration
Trump Is Considering Deputizing the Military as a Civilian Police Force. That Is Terrifying.
slate.com - By Elizabeth Goitein
The Donald Trump presidency, marked by cruelty, corruption, and disdain for the rule of law, has been disastrous for our democracy. If there is one …
Socialism
Should the U.S. Trash Capitalism?
slate.com - By Jordan Weissmann
After reading The Socialist Manifesto, I’d have to say no. The more Americans talk about socialism, the more the word becomes drained of any …
U.S. Politics
Pelosi Pushes Go-Slow Strategy on Impeachment as She Goads Trump
The New York Times - By GLENN THRUSH
WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi hopped into her SUV on Wednesday for the short drive to the White House knowing full well that a presidential ambush awaited. President Trump was not “serious,” and needed
Nancy Pelosi
Trump Blows Up After Meeting With Pelosi and Schumer
The New York Times - By PETER BAKER and KATIE ROGERS
WASHINGTON — President Trump abruptly blew up a scheduled meeting with Democratic congressional leaders on Wednesday, lashing out at Speaker Nancy Pelosi for accusing him of a cover-up and declaring that
Politics
Angry Trump slams Democrats' investigations after cutting infrastructure meeting short
CNN - By Kevin Liptak, CNN
Washington (CNN) — President Donald Trump took his deepening rage with Democrats to the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday, orchestrating a public display of fury at persistent oversight requests he