tate programs that track Zika infections and Zika-related birth defects around the country are in jeopardy as public health officials have been told not to count on federal funds for those efforts after July.

In meetings at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta last week, federal officials told state health departments that Zika funding initially envisioned to last five years will likely run out this summer instead, according to representatives of six states that attended the meetings. State health officials say this could harm their ability to prepare for an inevitable wave of new infections, or to provide services for babies already struggling with Zika-related birth-defects.

The potential loss of federal funding comes as health officials are bracing for this summer’s mosquito season, and as the dangers associated with the mosquito-borne disease are finally becoming clearer. After the disease erupted in Brazil in 2015, it was discovered that the otherwise mild virus caused neurological defects in developing fetuses. A CDC report released this month concluded that one in 10 pregnant women with Zika gave birth to a child with serious birth defects. Another CDC study found that a Zika infection increased the chances of delivering a baby with certain birth defects 20-fold.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/as-zika-season-nears-states-brace-for-an-end-to-cdc-funding/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share_button

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The head of Bethel Heights Vineyard looked out over the 100 acres of vines her crew of 20 Mexicans had just finished pruning, worried about what will happen if the Trump administration presses ahead with its crackdown on immigrants.

From tending the plants to harvesting the grapes, it takes skill and a strong work ethic to produce the winery's pinot noir and chardonnay, and native-born Americans just aren't willing to work that hard, Patricia Dudley said as a cold rain drenched the vineyard in the hills of Oregon.

"Who's going to come out here and do this work when they deport them all?" she asked.

President Donald Trump's hard line against immigrants in the U.S. illegally has sent a chill through the nation's agricultural industry, which fears a crackdown will deprive it of the labor it needs to plant, grow and pick the crops that feed the country.

https://apnews.com/1d92c1052dfe47f5b5cc408ebdd89e1e

Top Editors Use Their Roles At Breitbart To Flack For Other Mercer Ventures They Also Work For

Breitbart.com serves as the communications arm of a web of nonprofit and for-profit entities owned or supported by hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah. The conservative website shares staff with those organizations and regularly promotes their work.

White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon was executive chairman of both Breitbart and the conservative research organization Government Accountability Institute (GAI) from 2012 to 2016. Breitbart Managing Editor Wynton Hall and Senior Editor-at-Large Peter Schweizer also serve as GAI’s communications strategist and president, respectively. The Mercers are part-owners of Breitbart and their foundation is GAI’s primary funder.

The committee that handles congressional press credentialing is currently reviewing Breitbart’s claims of editorial independence in response to the website’s bid for permanent credentials. The committee has to this point denied Breitbart’s request and has expressed concern about Breitbart’s practice of sharing key staff with GAI and its connections to the Mercers.

A Media Matters review of the website’s reporting finds that these concerns are justified: Breitbart regularly promotes the research and films generated by its owners’ and top editors’ other projects. In hundreds of articles over the past six years, Breitbart’s reporters have produced what amounts to press release copy for GAI, highlighting its findings, aggregating stories about politicians responding to GAI’s reports, and posting videos of GAI leaders -- who are also Breitbart editors -- discussing their work on television.

https://mediamatters.org/research/2017/04/21/breitbart-not-independent-its-communications-arm-mercers-empire/216128

Nearly 100 days into his term, President Donald Trump hasn't nominated anyone for 85% of key executive branch positions that require Senate confirmation.

Of the 554 positions requiring confirmation, as of Saturday, 473 have no nominee, 35 have been announced but not formally nominated, 24 have been nominated, and just 22 have been confirmed thus far, according to a database put together by the Washington Post and the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service.

By this point in his first term, former president Barack Obama had 120 people nominated and just 54 confirmed, according to data provided to Business Insider by the Partnership for Public Service.

Having a high number of unfilled positions across federal agencies is not a catastrophic risk in the short term, experts say, because while political appointees await Senate confirmation, the administration has the power to appoint acting individuals to executive agency roles.

http://www.businessinsider.com/whos-running-the-government-trump-unfilled-executive-branch-positions-2017-4

(CNN)US President Donald Trump said he was sending "an armada" to Korean waters to potentially deal with threats from Pyongyang.

But its no-show has caused some South Koreans to question his leadership and strategy regarding their unpredictable neighbor in the north.

And as the country prepares to vote for a new president on May 9, the claim could have far-reaching implications for the two countries' relations.

"What Mr. Trump said was very important for the national security of South Korea," Presidential candidate Hong Joon-pyo told the Wall Street Journal.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/20/asia/south-korea-worries-donald-trump-uss-carl-vinson/index.html?sr=twCNN042017south-korea-worries-donald-trump-uss-carl-vinson0335PMVODtopLink&linkId=36702620

http://www.tampabay.com/news/perspective/politifacts-guide-to-fake-news-websites-and-what-they-peddle/2320923

the list:

https://infogr.am/politifacts_fake_news_almanac

At first look, BostonTribune.com certainly seems a trustworthy source. So does KMT11.com. And ABCNews.com.co. Even 24wpn.com has an official ring to it.

But all of these websites peddle bogus stories, either by making up fake news or sharing it from other sources. And it's not always apparent to readers that's the case.

Since December, we at PolitiFact have been partnering with Facebook to root out fabricated reports shared by social media users. As of April 19, we've written more than 80 fact-checks about fake news stories. We've noted some trends along the way, chief among them that it can be really difficult for readers — from casual skimmers to seasoned newshounds — to spot fake news outlets when they pop up.

It's also difficult to determine where these fictional stories come from, and just how they spread across the Internet.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/perspective/politifacts-guide-to-fake-news-websites-and-what-they-peddle/2320923

Donald Trump Jr. and his brother Eric are known for their passion for gunning down large African animals. In 2011, Donald Trump's sons Eric and Donald Jr. went to Africa to kill wild animals. Their tour company, Hunting Legends, posted images of the pair smiling with their trophies: a leopard, bull, waterbuck, crocodile, and even one holding an amputated elephant's tail next to the animal's body.

Now, several Montana media outlets have reported that businessman Greg Gianforte, Republican nominee for Montana's House seat in the 2017 special election, announced he would take Donald Trump Jr. on a hunting excursion this weekend to shoot Black-tailed prairie dogs in Montana.

For prairie dogs, March through June is peak breeding season, which means pregnant adult females will also be at risk. This is particularly troubling because Black-tailed prairie dogs have an average of fewer than three pups per year.

These innocent creatures are shot for nothing more than target practice. In using high-powered weapons to kill prairie dogs, the animals can seem to explode or have body parts severed and sent flying.

http://www.alternet.org/environment/donald-trump-jr-going-montana-kill-pregnant-prairie-dogs

Petty Officer 1st Class Gregory Kyle Seerden of SEAL Team 1 was arrested April 3 in San Diego after reportedly recording himself molesting a sleeping girl.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service found the footage while looking into Seerden on an unrelated charge after a woman accused him of raping her in a Norfolk, Virginia hotel near Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story

On February 3, with authorization from Seerden’s commanding officer, NCIS found 78 images and four videos of prepubescent girls and boys performing sexual acts in Seerden’s iPhone, according to court documents.

“At least one image also appeared to involve a naked child and aroused dog and another involved bondage,” the Virginian-Pilot reported .

http://www.businessinsider.com/navy-seal-charged-with-recording-himself-molesting-young-girl-2017-4

https://twitter.com/SUCLs/status/854699909257285633