Sconty empire

National park visitors cut down protected Joshua trees during partial government shutdown By Andrea Diaz, CNN  Updated 4:47 PM EST, Sat January 12, 2019   (CNN) There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who take it upon themselves to go to understaffed national parks to  keep them clean during the government shutdown , and then those who set up illegal campsites and cut down Joshua trees in the national park of the same name. Pictures shared by the National Park Service and the nonprofit news organization  National Parks Traveler  show a downed tree and illegal campsites in California's  Joshua Tree National Park . A group of people set up camp on an illegal camp site, David Smith told National Parks Traveler. "There are about a dozen instances of extensive vehicle traffic off roads and in some cases into wilderness. We had destruction of government property with the cutting of chains and locks for people to access campg...

Washington Post: Trump concealed details from meetings with Putin Updated 10:28 PM EST, Sat January 12, 2019   Washington (CNN) There are no detailed records of five personal meetings President Donald Trump has had with Russian President Vladimir Putin,  The Washington Post reported Saturday, citing US officials. Trump has gone to what the Post described as "extraordinary lengths" to keep the specifics of his conversations with his Russian counterpart under wraps. Current and former US officials told the paper that Trump's efforts include confiscating the notes from his interpreter and not allowing them to discuss the details of the meetings with other officials in his administration. The Post notes that this behavior by Trump is not usual per past presidential standards. In one instance, following a meeting Trump had with Putin in Hamburg, Germany, in 2017 that former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was also present for, a Whit...