Agree...

India has called on the United States to investigate Pakistan's alleged use of American-made F-16 jets during an aerial engagement last month that brought the two nuclear armed neighbors to the brink of conflict.

"We have asked the United States to also examine whether the use of F-16 against India is in accordance with the terms and conditions of sale," Indian foreign ministry spokesperson told journalists.

The Indian Air Force said Pakistan used F-16 fighter jets in the raid that brought down an Indian MIG 21 jet, in a possible violation of the terms of use by the US.

As part of the purchasing agreement, the US puts certain restrictions on how its military equipment can be used. It is unclear what restrictions were placed on the use of Pakistan's F-16 jets.

Fare Beating...

A linebacker on the Detroit Lions is facing up to seven years in prison having assaulted a police officer in Queens, authorities said.

Sources tell CBS2 that the 25-year-old was cooperating with police until officers needed to fingerprint the linebacker. That’s when Bates refused to comply with police and a sergeant at the 115th Precinct was brought in to calm the suspect down.

“The defendant then allegedly attacked an NYPD sergeant during the issuance of a desk appearance ticket for the fare beating charge,” District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement.

Sergeant James O’Brien was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and treated for lacerations to his head that needed three stitches and a slight concussion.

Officials said that the Lions backup had to be tased by officers after he attacked O’Brien.

“The defendant is being held pending...

Isgur...

Sarah Isgur, the Justice Department’s lead spokeswoman under former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, will now serve as a "political analyst" at CNN, following the uproar after the network hired her as a political editor to help coordinate 2020 coverage.

Isgur's initial hire as a political editor drew immediate backlash when it was revealed last month: Isgur has no journalism experience and often battled with reporters as she defended Sessions and other Justice Department officials.

CNN executives said at the time they were "excited" about the hire and that she "brings a wealth of government, political, communications, and legal experience to our team."  Yes, the team lacks all these aspects and more.

But they made multiple changes to her position, reportedly offering assurances that she would not be involved in the 2020 debates and then that she would not be overseeing campaign coverage.

Isgur previously served as deputy campaign manager for former Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina and has worked with the Republican National Committee and the Mitt Romney campaign.

Does CNN hire experience?  Just a thought.

Sugary...

Drinking a sugar-sweetened drink with a high-protein meal primes your body to store more fat, according to a new study.

Researchers found that sugary drinks decrease fat oxidation, the process that begins the breakdown of fat molecules. The more protein in the meal, the more fat oxidation decreases.

About a third of the additional calories provided by the sugar-sweetened drinks were not expended, fat metabolism was reduced, and it took less energy to metabolize the meals, according to the study author. "This decreased metabolic efficiency may 'prime' the body to store more fat.”

To put this in context, a decent-size hamburger may weigh around 130 grams, about 30 of which are protein. If you slam it down with a glass of sugar-sweetened soda, this study predicts that your fat metabolism will decrease somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 grams.

And that’s not all that happens. “This combination [of a sugar-sweetened drink with a high-protein meal] also increased study subjects' desire to eat savory and salty foods for four hours after eating.
  Bon Appetit.

Near...

Jeremy Grantham, an investor credited with predicting the 2000 and 2008 downturns, told CNBC that investors should get inured to lackluster returns in the stock market for the next two decades, after a century of handsome gains.

Grantham, who has been predicting a meltdown in stocks since last year, said that not even the recent go-slow reversal by the Federal Reserve on rate increases and the European Central Bank’s decision to roll out a fresh batch of bank stimulus will push stocks significantly higher. “You can’t get blood out of a stone,” he told the network.

“In the last 100 years, we’re used to delivering perhaps 6%,” but the U.S. market will be delivering real returns of about 2% or 3% on average over next 20 years, the value investor and co-founder of Boston-based asset manager GMO told CNBC in a rare interview.

Sigh...

Not going anywhere!

Say it ain't so...

As if R. Kelly didn't have enough legal woes, now his ex-lawyer, who saw him through child porn charges more than a decade ago, told a Chicago newspaper columnist that the R&B star was "guilty as hell."

No doubt Kelly and his current lawyer would not be thrilled that his ex-defense lawyer is commenting on his guilt. 

Meanwhile, Genson's comments sent shock waves through the Cook County legal community for seemingly betraying his former client, who now faces 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against four women, including three who were allegedly underage at the time.

Ed Genson, a famous Chicago defense attorney who says he's dying of cancer, might be in trouble for violating legal ethics rules, which say attorney-client privilege is sacrosanct and permanent unless the client lifts it. 

Say it ain't so or just.  Just a thought.

Scammers...

Scammers are flooding the United States with Chinese-language robocalls, causing major headaches from coast to coast.

Your phone rings, you pick up, a prerecorded voice message meets your ears. The recording, which often sounds like a young woman, usually delivers a message about lowering credit-card rates or buying into cheap health insurance.

The Chinese scammer s claim to be counselate rep.

The important thing to remember is that sales robocalls are illegal in the United States. So, don’t expect the person on the other end of the line to follow through on whatever deal they claim to offer. 

If you get a call or message like this, hang up or delete it, and then tell the FTC. If you have business with the real Chinese Consulate and you’re worried, contact the real Chinese Consulate by looking up your local office’s number. But, whatever you do, don’t give out your information – or your money – to anyone who contacts you out of the blue.

Me...

Freshman Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar has wasted no time making a name for herself. One group will not benefit from the brouhaha  from use of familiar anti-Semitic themes, are the Palestinians themselves. Being anti-Israel is different from being pro-Palestinian.

There’s no end to the urgent tasks she could champion. Palestinians are enduring a crisis in relations with the U.S. and desperately need effective political support in Washington. A disastrous set of developments needs to be reversed, but no one in Congress is effectively addressing them.Washington mission of the Palestine Liberation Organization was closed last year.
Failure to bring humanitarian and reconstruction aid to that, polluted and impoverished almost 1.5 million people, most of them also refugees.

Instead of championing the urgent Palestinian interest in any of those imperatives, Omar’s rhetoric has provoked a pointless debate over the motivations and national loyalty of Americans who support Israel.
She is for herself and only herself .  Just a thought.

Break...

Senator Elizabeth Warren wants to break up the big three: Amazon, Facebook and Google. The Massachusetts Democrat and presidential contender wants to create a regulatory regime that would treat tech companies with more than $25 billion in revenue differently from small tech companies.

 

She is, by nature, a wonk in that she can articulate complicated policy proposals better than most. And breaking up Big Tech is an idea that will require deep dives into the nature of platforms, the meaning of antitrust law, and all sorts of other things. 

Passing a bill to break up Amazon, Facebook and Google in the Senate requires someone who has the ability to get into the weeds and write legislation that makes sense — and can then argue for that bill in ways her colleagues will understand. As a senator, Elizabeth Warren could do that.  

How about break the healthcare cost down? Just a thought.