Trump praises arrest of a troubled persona at White House

President Donald Trump on Saturday praised the U.S. Secret Service for doing a “fantastic job” apprehending a “troubled person” who climbed a fence and was approaching a south entrance to the White House while Trump was inside the executive mansion. When approached by a Secret Service officer on the south grounds about 11:38 p.m. Friday and asked whether he had a pass authorizing him to be in the restricted area, Tran replied, “No, I am a friend of the president.

ZTE reaches settlement with U.S. authorities over export violation charges

Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp. said on Tuesday that it has reached settlements with U.S. authorities over U.S. export controls and sanctions charges. The Chinese company has agreed to pay a criminal and civil penalty of about 892 million U.S. dollars and an additional penalty of 300 million dollars which will be suspended during a seven-year probationary period to deter future violations, the ZTE said in a statement posted on its website.

Jen Psaki: Without free press, democracy dies

Is it typical to target specific media outlets and exclude them from attending a White House briefing? The short answer is no. I spent almost eight years working for the Obama administration, in the White House as the deputy press secretary, deputy communications director, communications director, and as the spokesperson at the State Department.

Venezuela: US sanctions VP El Aissami over drug ties

Executive Vice President Tareck El Aissami and Venezuelan financier Samark Lopez were placed on the Office of Foreign Assets Control blacklist, the Treasury Department said in a statement Monday. The list freezes their assets in the U.S. and blocks U.S. companies and individuals from doing business with them.

U.S. Senate approves 2 more of President Trump’s cabinet nominees

The Senate confirmed Steven Mnuchin, President Donald Trump’s pick to head the Treasury Department, in a vote mostly along party lines Monday night as Democrats criticized him as a Wall Street-friendly banker who breaks with Trump’s promise to stand for American workers. The Senate voted 53-47, with all Republicans voting for him and all Democrats voting no except Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

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A Michigan doctor accused of sexually abusing gymnasts has been hit with a new lawsuit by 18 women and girls who say they were molested by him, mostly at his clinic at Michigan State University. A Michigan doctor accused of sexually abusing gymnasts has been hit with a new lawsuit by 18 women and girls who say they were molested by him, mostly at his clinic at Michigan State University.

Dakota Access protest policing costs exceed $22M

The cost of policing the Dakota Access pipeline protests in North Dakota has surpassed $22 million – an amount that would fund the state Treasury Department for two decades and $5 million more than the state set aside last year. Protest-related funding decisions will be made by state lawmakers during the 2017 session.

Laurence Fink: The Trillion-Dollar Deadhead

Among the current crop of Wall Street financiers, Laurence “Larry” Fink has received the greatest number of awards and plaudits. He is the CEO and Chairman of BlackRock , the world’s largest multinational investment management corporation.

U.S. punishes Russia for election hacking with sanctions, expulsion of diplomats

The Obama administration announced Thursday the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and new sanctions as punishment for meddling in the U.S. presidential election. The White House and the Treasury Department announced sanctions against Russia’s main intelligence organizations — the Federal Security Service, which is the main successor to the KGB, and the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence operation.