South Koreans to march against president on Christmas Eve

California's attorney general is pursuing new charges against the operators of a website advertising escort services two weeks after a judge tossed an earlier case. California's attorney general said Friday that she was pursuing new pimping charges against the operators of Backpage.com, a website that advertises escort services, just two weeks after a judge tossed an earlier case.

Trump’s ambassador pick could drastically alter 2 of the…

President-elect Donald Trump tapped bankruptcy lawyer David Friedman to serve as the US ambassador to Israel on Thursday, raising questions about how Friedman's far-right views will upend Washington's longstanding approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Friedman, who has no diplomatic experience, is a fierce opponent of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine that would create two independent states on either side of the Jordan river.

Women on the march: Bay Area women to rally in DC, locally

Woman rally as part of a nationwide protest against US President-elect Donald Trump outside of Trump Tower in New York on December 12. / AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY Jordan Spiegel cried the night Donald Trump was elected president. The 14-year-old high school freshman from Walnut Creek not only looked forward to Hillary Clinton becoming the first female president, she despaired of the sexist, racist and xenophobic rhetoric that marked the celebrity mogul's campaign.

Obama to press Trump to preserve Cuba detente, says White House

U.S. President Barack Obama will make his case directly to President-elect Donald Trump not to derail the recent U.S.-Cuba detente, the White House said on Dec. 13, insisting that "turning back the clock" would be damaging to American interests and the Cuban people. Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser, said the outgoing administration hopes to persuade the incoming Trump administration to preserve Obama's policy of engagement despite the president-elect's threat to roll back the opening with the communist-ruled island.

Florida is among the worst places to drive

Something to contemplate as you are idling on Interstate 95 behind a tanker truck or gripping the steering wheel in terror as ninja-motorcyclists weave past in 100 mph-plus packs: The rankings, released Tuesday, come courtesy of Bankrate.com. The study evaluated 50 U.S. states based on several factors that impact drivers, including commute time , annual insurance premiums , gas expenditure, cost of car repairs, car thefts and auto fatalities.

Ex-Illinois US Rep. Schock pleads not guilty to funds misuse

Former Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock, who just two years ago was the future face of the Republican Party, pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court to charges that he misused government and campaign money for personal use. The 35-year-old Republican from Peoria pronounced his plea and gave short answers to questions by U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough, who set a trial date of Feb. 7. Appearing calm and dressed in a dark suit with thin stripes, the one-time formidable fundraiser and rising GOP star faces federal corruption charges alleging he used his position to spend lavishly on travel, World Series and Super Bowl tickets and other amenities of an extravagant lifestyle.

What the 114th Congress did and didn’t do

Congress wrapped up the 114th session early Saturday, a tumultuous two years marked by the resignation of a House speaker, a fight over a Supreme Court vacancy, bipartisan bills on health care and education and inaction on immigration and criminal justice. The new Congress will be sworn-in Jan. 3. - A hard-fought budget and debt agreement that provided two years of relief from unpopular automatic budget cuts and extended the government's borrowing cap through next March.

US Congress votes to apply Magnitsky human rights act globally

Senator Ben Cardin speaks during a press conference introducing the Iran Policy Oversight Act on October 1, 2015 in Washington, DC Legislation expanding the 2012 U.S. Magnitsky human rights act from Russian citizens to cover abusers in any country passed the U.S. Senate on Thursday as part of an annual defense policy bill, leaving the landmark measure on the verge of becoming law. The legislation was included in the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, setting policy for the Department of Defense, despite the recent election of Republican Donald Trump as the U.S. president.

Wins 2 National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards for Book and Film Coverage

Actress Angela Lansbury is interviewed Sunday as members of the press gather around at the 9th National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Truthdig contributors John Patterson and Tim Riley took top prizes at Sunday evening's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, the ninth annual event sponsored by the Los Angeles Press Club.

Stein & Co. Too Late To The Post In PA.

Or just CLICK THIS LINK to start shopping for anything. Don't worry - anything you buy through it will pay Daily Pundit a commission! Thanks! Per The Washington Examiner , the PA Department of State is rejecting Jill Stein's attempt to file for an election re-count, stating that the deadline was a week ago: Stein missed Pennsylvania's deadline to file for a voter-initiated recount.

Trump aides say Cuban government will have to change

A person wearing a Donald Trump mask holds a sign in Spanish that reads the Rat Dies as he celebrates the death of Fidel Castro Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016, in the Little Havana area in Miami. Castro died eight years after ill health forced him to formally hand power over to his younger brother Raul, who announced his death late Friday, Nov. 25, on state television.

Donald Trump dubs Fidel Castro a ‘brutal dictator’

The US president-elect called the former Cuban leader "a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades". Trump said Castro, who has died aged 90 , leaves a legacy of "firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights".

Under Fidel Castro, Cuba became thorn in the side of the US

Within half an hour of the Cuban government's announcement Saturday of the death of the 90-year-old revolutionary leader, cheers were heard in Miami's Little Havana. Within half an hour of the Cuban government's announcement Saturday of the death of the 90-year-old revolutionary leader, cheers were heard in Miami's Little Havana.

A date with destiny

IT was just past midnight on Nov 9, and there I stood in the middle of Times Square in New York City, among hundreds of Americans transfixed by the live election results that were flashing across the giant screens every few seconds. A strong sense of anticipation and nervousness had filled the chilly air.

Yearlong Shakespeare 400 Chicago Festival Welcomes Estimated 1.1 Million

Shakespeare 400 Chicago , the yearlong festival marking the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare 's death, will wrap up a dynamic year of programming with a full calendar of events in December , having inspired an estimated 1.1 million people to take part in 863 events at 231 locations across the city of Chicago. Spearheaded by Chicago Shakespeare Theater under the leadership of Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and Executive Director Criss Henderson -and in partnership with 60 local cultural institutions-the city's festival is one of the largest Shakespeare quadricentennial celebrations in the world.

Rick Perry met with Trump Monday; Tuesday he’s ‘Dancing with the Stars”

NOVEMBER 21: Former Texas Governor Rick Perry leaves Trump Tower on November 21, 2016 in New York City. President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team are in the process of filling cabinet and other high level positions for the new administration.

Ex-US Rep. Schock allegedly profited off voters’ DC visits

The indictment of a 35-year-old disgraced former Republican congressman jolted residents of his central Illinois district, shaken by prosecutors' claims that Aaron Schock illegally dipped into campaign and government coffers to subsidize a lavish lifestyle, including his Capitol Hill office done up in the style of "Downton Abbey." Perhaps more stunning was an allegation found on page 34 of the charging document: Schock's apparent willingness to pocket thousands of constituents' dollars by arranging annual Washington tours combined with meet-and-greets.