David Cameron CAUGHT HUMMING A TUNE after announcing resignation & Theresa May as new Prime Minister
Nicola Sturgeon will today be accused of making unjustified and irresponsible threats of a second independence referendum after warning incoming Prime Minister Theresa May that a rerun of the 2014 vote is on the table.
The First Minister congratulated Mrs May on her victory in the race to succeed David Cameron and said she expects early engagement with the new Government on Brexit.
But Ms Sturgeon then made clear she does not accept that Scotland has to leave with the rest of the UK and, referring to a second referendum, warned the next Prime Minister that all options must be on the table to achieve that.
However, Ruth Davidson will today denounce the First Minister for piling uncertainty on top of uncertainty by exploiting the turmoil that followed the Brexit vote for political gain instead of acting in the national interest.
In a speech to the Commons press gallery, the Scottish Tory leader will say there has been no groundswell of demand among Scots for another independence referendum as voters recall the divisiveness and toxicity of the 2014 one.
She will also argue that the problems associated with Brexit will not be solved by leaving an even more important union in the United Kingdom. Scotland exports more than four times as many goods to the rest of the UK as it does to the EU.
Ms Davidson welcomed Mrs May succeeding Mr Cameron, saying it gives the country certainty and stability and a Prime Minister who has the experience, the judgement and the leadership to start that job from day one.
The Scottish Tory leader offered her full support to the long-serving Home Secretary, whom she supported in the Conservative leadership contest, and it is understood they will try and hold face-to-face talks in London today if their diaries allow.
David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary and another supporter of Mrs May, argued that she could keep Scotland in the UK by delivering a really good deal with the European Union.
Governor Mike Pence Speaks At The NRA-ILA Leadership Forum (2016)
Indiana Governor Mike Pence, a pro-life governor hailed by pro-life groups for recently signing a bill to ban abortions targeting babies with Down syndrome, is seen as Donald Trumps most likely running mate. Pence has quickly become the subject of speculation as the most likely choice for the presumptive Republican nominee.
Pence is a pro-life champion who has signed multiple pieces of pro-life legislation into law and led the fight in Congress to de-fund Planned Parenthood. His selection would go a long way towards mollifying concerns some pro-life voters have had about Trump, who has campaigned as a pro-life candidate but who has made some misstatements on abortion and Planned Parenthood.
One report suggests there is a 95% chance Pence will become the vice-presidential nominee and Twitter is abuzz today with talk about a rally the Trump campaign in planning in Indiana for next Tuesday.
SIGN THE PLEDGE: I Pledge to Vote for a Pro-Life Candidate for President
A Donald Trump campaign stop in Indiana scheduled for Tuesday is raising speculation that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee will announce Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate.
The Washington Times reported Sunday evening that Pencehas a 95 percent probability of being Trumps choice, according tosources close to the campaign and to the governor.
Trump has said he will make an announcement before the Republican National Convention, which begins on July 18. Pence, who is seeking reelectionto a second termas governor, would have to withdraw from that contest bynoonon July 15if hes going to run as Trumps vice president.
Former Trump adviser Michael Caputo said Sunday hes putting all his chips on an announcement at the event next week.
Right guy. Right timing. Right place #TrumpPence2016, he tweeted.
Earlier this year, Pence signed House Bill 1337, which would ban abortion doctors from knowingly aborting an unborn baby solely because of a genetic disability such as Down syndrome, the unborn babys race or s*x. The bill also has several other abortion-related measures, including a requirement that aborted or miscarried babies bodies be cremated or buried and another requirement that abortionists who have hospital admitting privileges renew them annually. The burial/cremation requirement backs up a law passed in 2015 by Gov. Pence requiring that aborted babies bodies be disposed of in a humane way.
Throughout my public career, I have stood for the sanctity of life. HEA 1337 is a comprehensive pro-life measure that affirms the value of all human life, which is why I signed it into law today, Governor Pence said in a statement.
Pence continued: I believe that a society can be judged by how it deals with its most vulnerablethe aged, the infirm, the disabled and the unborn. HEA 1337 will ensure the dignified final treatment of the unborn and prohibits abortions that are based only on the unborn childs s*x, race, color, national origin, ancestry, or disability, including Down syndrome.
He also started a state investigation of the Planned Parenthood abortion business after it was caught selling body parts of aborted babies.
Previously, Pence led the Congressional effort to defund the abortion corporation.
Reports show that Planned Parenthood, Americas largest abortion provider, receives nearly one-third of its $1 billion annual budget from the federal government. And its about to get worse, because Obamacare is hiding even more tax dollars in handouts for abortion providers, Pence explained at the time.
Nearly 3,500 abortions are performed every day in America. Thats 3,500 lives taken away, many on the government dime without the knowledge or direct approval of taxpayers! Its reprehensible and we cant allow it to continue, Pence added.
Pence referred to the Pledge With America that House Republicans put forward before the elections promising to dismantle ObamaCare, which contains a full prohibition on abortion funding, and to cut off taxpayer funding for abortions in other areas.
Im ready to deliver that promise with legislation that will prevent abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from receiving a single dime from the federal government, the Indiana congressman wrote. With a new Republican majority, Planned Parenthood is running scared.
Pence said then he was not surprised Planned Parenthood attacked him for pressing for defunding.
The fear of losing their federal funding has led them to target me for my pro-life positions. Theyve even named me to their 2010 Election Hall of Shame for advocating a pro-life agenda on Capitol Hill, he said. But I refuse to back down.
Our tax dollars should not be spent on abortions. I know it. You know it. Lets make sure every member of Congress knows it, he concluded.
Rappers Snoop Dogg and The Game led a peace march in downtown Los Angeles Friday morning in the wake of a sniper ambush that left five officers dead at a protest in Dallas.
The Game posted a message on Instagram calling on "ALL AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN, MEXICAN AMERICAN MEN & any other RACE of REAL MEN with heart to stand with us today & walk peacefully to the LAPD headquarters."
Several dozen people gathered outside police headquarters around 8:30 a.m., where a graduation ceremony for recruits was taking place. The rappers said the walk was intended to unify minorities and create a dialogue with officers.
"If you are a human being and you have ears and eyes to see, this is a day of change," The Game said during an impromptu news conference at City Hall following a meeting with Mayor Eric Garcetti and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck."I think that we need to take responsibility as a human race and accept the role as peace-givers and people that distribute love and change throughout this city."
Rappers Snoop Dogg and The Game led a peace march to LAPD"s headquarters as a show of unity following police shootings in Dallas. Toni Guinyard reports for the NBC4 News at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 8, 2016. (Published Friday, July 8, 2016)
The rappers said they planned the walk not knowing it would coincide with the graduation, but the ceremony gave their message more significance.
"This is even better because now these students that are about to hit the streets can know that there is some sort of dialogue going on and they don"t have to be fearful," Snoop Dogg said. "And they can do their jobs and know that when you stop somebody you"re a conversation away from sending them home or taking them to jail, but the conversation is key."
"We all represent the same cause and we all want to go home to our families," he added. "Today was a first step of many steps. We are here to show love and support to the police force in Los Angeles and get some understanding and communication, and we feel like this is a great start."
It comes a day after a sniper attack killed five officers and wounded seven others at the end of a peaceful protest in Dallas. The demonstration was in response to the deadly police-involved shootings of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota.
Snoop Dogg and The Game joined LAPD Chief Charles Beck and Los Angeles" mayor after a march to police department headquarters. Annette Arreola reports for the NBC4 News at 11 a.m. on Friday July 8, 2016. (Published Friday, July 8, 2016)
The suspected shooter in Dallas, later identified as a 25-year-old North Texas Army veteran, was killed during a standoff with officers. Three other individuals were in custody in connection with the shootings.
EURO 2016 final: Portugal line-up v France Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Despite the difference in viewing figures, both events drew about 55% of audience share
The Euro 2016 final drew nearly three million more viewers than Andy Murray"s win at Wimbledon on Sunday.
An average 10.2 million viewers watched Portugal beat France on BBC One, with a further 1.9 million tuning into ITV"s coverage of the football match.
Andy Murray"s second title-winning performance at the All England Tennis Club was seen by an average of 9.2 million viewers.
Both events drew about 55% of the audience available at transmission.
The build-up to the Wimbledon Men"s Final on BBC One was watched by about 2.2 million viewers.
Sport featured heavily in the ratings, with BBC Two"s Today at Wimbledon and Golf: Scottish Open Highlights being the third and fifth most popular shows on the channel, while Channel 4"s highlights of the Formula 1: British Grand Prix being its fourth most popular programme.
BBC Two"s largest audience was 1.2 million for a showing of Oscar-winning film The Help, while Channel 4"s came for Paul O"Grady"s 100 Years of Movie Musicals, which drew about 1.1 million viewers.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
Joint Fairfax / ABC Four Corners investigation reveals widespread wage abuse at 7-Eleven stores across Australia.
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The operatorof a 7-Eleven store involved in rampant exploitation ofits workers has been handed arecord court penalty of more than $400,000.
The penalty follows revelations in Fairfax Media about systematic underpayment of workers in 7-Eleven stores around the country.
The Fair Work Ombudsman said the court-imposed penalty was the largest it hadwonafter itsinvestigationfound 12employees in Brisbane had been short-changed more than $82,000.
7-Eleven has attracted scorn over its behaviour. Photo: Paul Jeffers
The Brisbane store owner had allegedly asked his staff to secretly repay thousands of dollars after they had beenpaid back some of the money they were owed.
The workers werepaidas little as$13 an hour and the store owner, Sheng-Chieh Lo, had tried to conceal theunderpayments throughfalse payroll records. Federal Circuit Court judge Michael Jarrett described the false records as "a sophisticated system of data manipulation".
Judge Jarrett saidthe 7-Eleven franchisee had shown"contemptuous disregard" for Australian workplace laws and that it had tried to deceive the fair work regulator. The$408,348 he issued in penalties is$65,000 more than the previous record of $343,860 awarded against aPerth store in 2013.
7-Eleven has been subject to a massive crackdown by the Fair Work Ombudsman.
Brisbane businessman Mr Lo, who owns and operates the 7-outlet on Boundary Road, West End,was penalised $68,058 and his company, Mai PtyLtd,$340,290.Mai Pty Ltd has wasordered to correctthe underpayment.
Mr Lo was found to have underpaid 12 employees, includinginternational students, $82,661 over 12 months toSeptember2014.More than $35,000 of the underpayment is stilloutstanding.
The court heard that Mr Lo initially providedinspectors with false records tocover up theunderpayments, and showed inspectors selective bank records as evidence that hisemployees had received back-pay. He later admitted he had made arrangements for the employees to pay back thousands of dollars to him and his wife.
"Mr Lo"s contempt is demonstrated by his persistent attempts to deceive the Fair Workinspectors investigating the relevant complaints and his insistence, undertaken in asecretive way, that any amounts he paid to the relevant employees to make good [MaiPty Ltd"s]defaults should be immediately paid back to him," he said.
Judge Jarrett said theunderpayments were"substantial amounts for low-income earners who were reliant on theminimum award wage".
Most of the employees received just over half what they were entitled to, with individualunderpayments ranging from $1673 to $21,966.
Mr Lo was said to have expressed no regret, instead trying to justify his actions "without accepting responsibility for them".
"Employers should be in no doubt that they have a positive duty to ensure that theycomply with the obligations which they owe to their employees under the law," Judge Jarrettsaid.
The courtpenalty is the latest in a numberof actions targetingsystemic exploitation of workerswithin the 7-Eleven network, which has been the subject of a national inquiry.
Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James saidher office was in talkswith 7-Eleven to ensure it wastakingsteps toensureworkers were correctly paid infuture.
The Brisbane outlet was one of 20 targeted by Fair Work inspectors duringsurprise night-time visits last year.
7-Eleven announced on Tuesday the approval of the first round of payments under itsin-house wage repayment program and said it was happy to be judged on its actions.
It released a statement saying21 claims, totalling $686,000, have been approved. It has received4,008 repayment claims.
7-Eleven chief executive officerAngus McKay said it had takenthe wage repayment program process in-house "to deliver a robust and efficient process that puts money in the hands of claimants as quickly as possible".
"We have spent the past few weeks building a claims assessment process that places legitimate claimant interests at its centre and responds to feedback from all key stakeholders," he said.
"We are confident that our Wage Repayment process delivers against these objectives, and are now absolutely focused on ensuring it meets our commitment to pay legitimate claims as quickly as possible.
"7-Eleven is happy to be judged on our actions, and will continue to publicly report our progress as we move forward."
According to the most recent annual report from Social Security"s Trustees, the Old Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund is set to exhaust itself some time in 2034. Once we hit that barrier, the program won"t disappear entirely, but benefits will likely need to be reduced by 25%.
That might sound like a modest cut, but it"s important to consider that for 22% of retired married couples -- and 47% of retired singles -- Social Security accounts for an astounding 90% or more of household income. Such cuts could mean serious sacrifices for future generations.
There are lots of suggestions on the table to remedy the situation. Over the past month, I"ve evaluated the effectiveness for some of the most popular options from both Republicans and Democrats. Today, I"m zeroing in on the one solution that has the greatest demonstrated leverage: raising taxes on the wealthy.
How much more would wealthy households have to pay in new Social Security taxes?
Under its current structure, every working individual pays in to Social Security via FICA taxes. An employee is responsible for forking over 6.2% of his/her salary to the program, while their employer is obligated to pay an equal amount.
However, there are maximum limits on taxable income -- often dubbed the "tax max." In 2016, the tax max is $118,500. In other words, at this income level, an individual will owe about $7,350 in taxes to support Social Security. But an individual who makes $200,000 will only owe $7,350 as well. So will someone earning $2 million. The tax simply stops being applied after the tax max.
If the tax max were eliminated, the individual earning $200,000 would owe $5,050 more than they currently do. And the household with $2 million would owe a whopping $117,000 more. That"s not chump change -- for the household or Social Security in general.
Would eliminating the tax max actually make a difference?
Proponents of eliminating the tax max point out that by doing so, a huge swath of Social Security"s shortfall could be addressed. According to the American Association of Actuaries, eliminating the tax max would address 88% of the program"s long-term deficit.
In other words, this alone wouldn"t solve Social Security"s problems, but it would take a huge bite out of it.
There are, however, a number of second-order effects that opponents of the move are worried about. A 2014 report from the Heritage Foundation laid out the reasoning as such:
Higher-income workers generally have more flexibility to work less when marginal tax rates rise. But when workers cut back on work and receive less take-home pay, they also tend to cut back on savings and investment. Less work, lower incomes, smaller savings, and less investment are harmful to economic growth, which in turn, is detrimental to tax revenues.
Is there a precedent for raising the tax max?
For much of Social Security"s history, the tax max was updated on an ad-hoc basis. Starting in 1975, increases were made yearly, based on average increases in wages. Here"s what those increases look like, in both real dollars, and inflation-adjusted dollars.
Eliminating the tax max would be dramatic in a historical sense. President Obama proposed a plan where families would avoid Social Security taxes for all the money they earn between the tax max ($118,500 in 2016) and $250,000, and then start paying taxes again once that threshold is breached. No serious action, however, was ever taken based on the proposal.
If Social Security"s shortfall is ever truly dealt with by politicians, it is likely that a substantial increase in the tax max would be coupled with other changes -- probably aimed at reducing benefits. The most popular tends to be a gradual increase in the full retirement age.
There"s no way to predict what will happen with the program. But it"s clear that the most important thing you can do to prepare for retirement is to assume that your benefits will be reduced by 25% at least. If that motivates you to save and invest more now, it"ll only be beneficial in the long run.
Another Person In Memphis Shot & Killed Over Hair Weave! So Where Are The #BLM Protest?
Chanel Trice holds a sign while standing on the cement median between the Eastbound and Westbound lanes of the Interstate 40 bridge over the Mississippi River. Black Lives Matter supporters brought traffic to a standstill on both sides of the bridge by about 7 p.m. as the estimated crowd on the bridge swelled to more than 1,000.(Photo: Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal)
A crowd of more than 1,000 shut down the Interstate 40 bridge for several hours Sunday night as part of a protest over recent killings of black men by police officers. Traffic finally began moving again about 10:30 p.m.
Traffic was backed up for miles in both Tennessee and Arkansas as drivers sat idling on the bridge, wondering what was going on. This has become a common tactic with some Black Lives Matter movements around the country. In response to two fatal police shootings of black men this past week in Louisiana and Minnesota, groups in both those states have attempted similar shutdowns.
Despite the turmoil in Memphis Sunday night, no one was arrested and no one was injured, police said.
"(It"s been) very peaceful so far," Memphis Police Department Deputy Director Mike Ryall said. "Our main goal here is that no one get hurt. They definitely have a right to voice their opinion. I came through and everyone was polite."
Passengers stepped out of their cars after Black Lives Matter protesters blocked traffic on I-40 Sunday evening in Memphis.(Photo: Submitted by Tim Allen)
Mayor Jim Strickland said that despite the peaceful nature, the protest was still illegal.
"I appreciate the fact that they"ve remained peaceful," he said. "But part of the conversations that we are going to have going forward, we have to have protests in a legal way. And stopping traffic on the interstate is not legal."
This all began a little before 6 p.m. in front of FedExForum, as about 200 people, nominally associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, gathered to protest the two killings by police. Many shouted slogans or waved placards.
"I"m just tired of the senseless killings of black people. That fact that I have two sons, that hits me close to home," said Porshia Scruggs, who came from West Memphis with her sons Isaiah, 7, and Isaac, 6.
The event was somewhat chaotic and disorganized, as people just shouted through bullhorns. One man shouted that the killing of five police officers in Dallas was just a hoax.
Then, a little before 6:30, the crowd started walking north on Third Street as police blocked off streets to prevent any accidents. The crowd soon turned west and when it reached Front, began walking up the on-ramp to I-40.
Police quickly mobilized to try to stop anyone else from going toward the bridge, but by then the crowd had swelled and several hundred were already on I-40.
Stephanie Cole was one of those standing at the on-ramp who didn"t get to walk up to the bridge.
"I have a 16-year-old son. He just got his (driver"s) license. I held off letting him get a license just (because of) this," she said, referencing shootings of motorists after being pulled over by police. "You"re afraid if he gets pulled over, he"s not going to act right. Or the officer is not going to act right."
Officers formed a line to keep the remaining protesters at bay. But around 6:45 p.m., a new group of protesters, spurred Downtown by social media and news reports, began walking up another ramp from Riverside Drive.
At that point, police relented and allowed those gathered on front to also walk up the on-ramp. Atop the ramp, police set up a blockade of both squad cars and officers to prevent the protesters from continuing to walk.
"I was told not to come," said Dealisia Brye, one of those who saw the protest unfold on social media. "I decided to come anyway. It"s peaceful and it"s beautiful."
The standoff lasted for more than three hours as the crowd continued to swell. Memphis police kept a stern but calm presence as some of the protesters attempted to stir up trouble. However, the vast majority of those gathered remained peaceful.
DeAnna Morris had just left her shift at Verizon and was heading back to West Memphis when she got stuck in the traffic. Yet she wasn"t too frustrated, she said.
"I think it"s good that they came together to protest. I do think they could"ve been a little bit more organized," she said, also adding that she didn"t approve of those who climbed on squad cars and the like. "It"s not a fun time. If we"re going to do this, be serious about it."
Ryall led the police response at the scene for most of the night, but as the standoff wore on, interim Director Mike Rallings appeared, wearing a Kevlar vest. He, Ryall and others spoke to some of the nominal leaders of the crowd, hoping to reach a resolution.
Then, after 8 p.m. the crowed started to thin out, with many leaving the bridge. However, the 150 or so who remained suddenly moved en masse toward the thin line of police officers.
That spooked the cops, one of whom suddenly appeared holding a tear gas gun. One of those nominal leaders tried to talk to the crowd over a squad car"s speaker, but that went nowhere. The situation soon eased as more of the protesters left the bridge.
However, many of those protesters didn"t go home, instead camping out at the end of the on-ramp near Front and the Memphis Cook Convention Center.
By 9:30 or so, some protesters still remained on the bridge, linking arms in front of the police officers. But police in riot gear gathered on the bridge and began to move the demonstrators.
Rallings met with several of the protesters and spoke briefly afterward.
"The only thing I want in my city is peace. I think we recognize our young people are hurting. It"s time for talk," Rallings said. "But I want to hear what these young people have to say. Their voices will not be silent. We"re going to have to listen, we"re going to have to talk."
Still, Rallings also said the bridge shutdown was not the proper way to protest.
"Now, it ain"t what I wanted, I don"t want us to shut down a bridge. ... I"m with you, I"ll march with you. But we need to do it together, we need to have a dialogue, we need not to be shutting down (bridges)," he said. "The demonstration has been had. Now it"s time for the conversation."
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