Category: US Politics

Equity Futures Drop as Risk Appetites Hit

U.S. stock futures dropped but Asian shares were resilient on Monday as investors weighed the near-certain prospect of an interest rate hike in the United States this month against news of China’s slower 2017 growth target. Risk appetites also took a hit on rising geopolitical tensions in East Asia, as North Korea fired four ballistic missiles early in the day, while a spat between China and South Korea over missile defense deepened.

Pai to Lay Out Plans for FCC on Wednesday

Ajit Pai, the new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, promised to return the U.S. to ‘the light-touch approach’ of regulating broadband. New Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai will get a chance to clue in lawmakers about his plans for net neutrality, wrapping up the broadcast spectrum auction and rewriting media ownership rules when he and fellow FCC members appear before panels on both sides of Capitol Hill Wednesday, March 8. Both the Senate Commerce Committee as well as the communications subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold oversight hearings examining the FCC’s operations Wednesday.

Fmr. Federal Prosecutor Robert Ray: Trump Russia Probe Does Not Need Special Counsel

Former federal prosecutor Robert Ray said Sunday there is no need for special counsel to look into possible ties between the 2016 Trump presidential campaign and Russian officials. Ray, in an exclusive interview with Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures,” weighed in on the continuing debate, days after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations into the matter over two conversations he had with a Russian diplomat during the campaign, when Sessions was an Alabama senator.

FCC grants waiver allowing JCCs to receive caller information

The Federal Communications Commission has granted Jewish Community Centers throughout the country a temporary waiver allowing them to receive caller information, in response to the recent series of bomb threats on the Jewish institutions. The waiver, approved on Friday, comes days after 29 JCCs and Jewish schools across the country received called-in bomb threats, the fifth such incident in less than two months.

JCCs Win Special Permission To Identify Callers Amid Wave Of Threats

The Federal Communications Commission has granted Jewish Community Centers throughout the country a temporary waiver allowing them to receive caller information, in response to the recent series of bomb threats on the Jewish institutions. The waiver, approved on Friday, comes days after 29 JCCs and Jewish schools across the country received called-in bomb threats, the fifth such incident in less than two months.

Under threat, JCCs given special okay to track caller information

US Jewish leaders meet with the FBI director James Comey to discuss the ongoing investigation of bomb threats to JCC on March 3, 2017. The Federal Communications Commission has granted Jewish Community Centers throughout the country a temporary waiver allowing them to receive caller information, in response to the recent series of bomb threats on the Jewish institutions.

Questions for Muslim students

Three Muslim students who tried to visit an Oklahoma lawmaker Thursday at the State Capitol in Oklahoma City were surprised when they were instead handed a questionnaire at his office. They would have to fill out the survey first, an office assistant told them, before they could make an appointment to see state Rep. John Bennett.

Trump Supporters Declare Pride in President, Slam Opponents

From Colorado’s state Capitol to Trump Tower in New York and the Washington Monument, groups of hundreds of people rallied for President Trump on Saturday, waving “Deplorables for Trump” signs and even carrying a life-size cutout of the president. The March 4 Trump demonstrations were held around the country, and supporters clashed with generally smaller groups of counter protesters.

JCC waiver will help track bomb threats

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer announced Friday that the Federal Communications Commission will grant a temporary emergency waiver to all Jewish Community Centers that have been targeted during the recent wave of bomb threats. Schumer said the emergency waiver will help authorities track down and identify the people making those threatening calls that frighten communities and waste resources of local law enforcement.

The Latest: Reporter says bomb threat suspect harassed him

The Latest on an arrest in connection with threats made to Jewish institutions nationwide and the Anti-Defamation League’s headquarters in New York : A former journalist from St. Louis accused of making threats to at least eight Jewish community centers had been accused of bizarre behavior before. Juan Thompson is facing a federal charge of cyberstalking an ex-girlfriend.

Jewish Centers get FCC help in tracking bomba

Jewish Centers get FCC help in tracking bomb threats Jewish Community Centers are getting a federal waiver to help them identify perpetrators behind a wave of bomb threats. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2lnCTD4 People evacuated because of a bomb threat return to the David Posnack Jewish Community Center and David Posnack Jewish Day School, Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, in Davie, Fla.

White House fight on import tax puts Congress in limbo

A major split among senior White House officials over whether to effectively create a new tax on imported goods has stalled the broader tax overhaul effort on Capitol Hill, with Republicans looking to the Trump administration for leadership on an issue that has drawn fierce resistance, according to several officials with direct knowledge of the matter. White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, senior adviser Stephen Miller and National Trade Council director Peter Navarro have all voiced internal support for the creation of a border adjustment tax or something like it.

Feds will let JCCs obtain blocked numbers after bomb threats 0:0

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department K-9 officers search the Jewish Community Center of Southern Nevada after an employee received a suspicious phone call on Feb. 27. The Federal Communications Commission will offer temporary emergency waivers to Jewish Community Centers so they can obtain numbers for blocked callers in the wake of numerous bombs threats against the institutions nationwide, The Post has learned. “It’s a nationwide preemptive waiver for all JCCs and their carriers which lets them and law enforcement agencies get numbers even when the caller tries to block his or her number – no application necessary,” a US official said.

FCC approves waivers to track Jewish center threats

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is granting an emergency temporary waiver to Jewish community centers and telecommunications carriers that serve them to help track down callers who have made threats, the agency said on Friday. Jewish community centers and schools in at least 13 U.S. states have reported receiving bomb threats this year, stoking fears of a resurgence of anti-Semitism.

JCCs can now trace threatening calls after bomb scares

After more than 30 Jewish Community Centers around the country received call-in bomb threats this week, the Federal Communications Commission on Friday granted Sen. Charles Schumer’s request that Jewish organizations that feel targeted be allowed to trace threatening calls. The Joan & Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center on Manor Road in Sea View was one of 31 around the country that received a threatening phone call Monday.

Trump: Investigate Sen. Schumer Over Photo With Putin

President Trump is responding to calls for an investigation into his Attorney General over concerns that he is too close to Russia. President Trump tweeted that an immediate investigation should be launched into Sen. Chuck Schumer’s ties with Russia due to a photo featuring Schumer and Vladmir Putin.

FCC, in potential sign of the future, halts new data security rules

The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday halted new government rules related to data security from taking effect this week, in a potential prelude to a broader repeal of privacy protections for users of high-speed internet. After a 2-to-1, party-line vote by the Republican-led commission, Ajit Pai, the chairman, announced that a portion of privacy rules passed in October would be temporarily stayed.

Top Bush ethics lawyer: Russia could have blackmail on…

President George W. Bush’s top ethics lawyer told Business Insider on Thursday that while it was “debatable” whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions perjured himself during his Senate confirmation hearing, he must resign. Richard Painter, a professor at the University of Minnesota Law School who was the chief White House ethics lawyer from 2005 to 2007, added the latest Russia-related White House firestorm could leave Sessions open to the risk of “blackmailing.”

Is This The Best Biotech Play for 2017?

Last year, a political spotlight on drug pricing policies threatened the entire industry. Scandals at Mylan and Valeant Therapeutics did damage to the entire sector, sending the share prices of many biotech companies down.

Pelosi Calls on Sessions to Quit After Post Discloses Russia Contacts

U.S. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign on Wednesday after the Washington Post reported he failed to disclose two meetings he had with Russia’s ambassador before Donald Trump was inaugurated as president. Citing Justice Department officials, the Post said Sessions spoke twice last year with Russia’s ambassador while he was still a U.S. senator.

Us FCC stays data security regulations for broadband providers

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has halted new rules that would require high-speed internet providers to take ‘reasonable’ steps to protect customer data. In a 2-1 vote that went along party lines, the FCC voted Wednesday to stay temporarily one part of privacy rules passed in October that would give consumers the right to decide how their data is used and shared by broadband providers.

Overnight Tech: FCC votes in favor of stay on data security |…

FCC VOTES TO HALT INTERNET PRIVACY RULE: The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday voted 2-1 along party lines to prevent a new internet privacy rule from taking effect. The provision was part of a larger set of broadband privacy rules passed by the FCC in October under the Obama administration and set to go into effect on Thursday.

FCC puts data security protections on hold – CNET

As expected the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday voted 2-1 along party lines to stop a new data security rule from taking effect. It was part of a bigger set of privacy regulation, approved by the FCC in October , that’s supposed to protect consumers’ sensitive personal information online.

Chuck Schumer Seeks FCC Waiver To Unscramble, Trace Origin Of Bomb Threats To Jewish Centers

After a disturbing rash of anti-Semitic acts, which includes Jewish cemeteries being vandalized and bomb threats called in to Jewish community centers, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asked the Federal Communications Commission for a waiver that would allow authorities to unscramble anonymous phone numbers that are being used to call in threats. Schumer’s letter specifically referred to a series of bomb threats that were made on Feb. 27 to 11 JCCs, several of them in or near New York.

Trump Doubles Down on Controversial Pledge to Leave Social Security, Medicare Untouched

President Trump delivered his first speech Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress, discussing his budget blueprint for the coming fiscal year which includes a $54 billion increase in defense spending, a large cut in funding for the Environmental Protection Agency– and “no changes” to Social Security and Medicare. As of January, 66 million Americans were receiving Social Security, Supplemental Security Income payments, or both, according to the program’s website.

Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross confirmed as Trumpa s secretary of commerce

Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., takes his seat at a hearing of Commerce, Science, and Transportation committee on January, 18, 2017 in Washington, DC. Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., a former banker and investor who earned billions during decades buying and selling industries and who Trump has touted to lead his trade negotiations, was confirmed as Secretary of Commerce on Monday night in a 72 to 27 vote in the Senate.

Patrick Kennedy Talks The “Turmoil” Of Protecting Mental Health Care In The Trump Age

We spoke to the former Congressman about the future of mental health treatment and his new project, Advocates for Opioid Recovery. After his father, Ted Kennedy, passed away, former U.S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy chose not to run for re-election in the House of Representatives so he could devote more energy to the issue that he cares most deeply about: changing the way we talk about and treat millions of Americans who suffer from mental health disorders.

Internet privacy rules headed for showdown

In a showdown over Internet privacy, the newly conservative Federal Communications Commission and the Republican-led Congress are trying to block tough Obama administration rules that limit how broadband Internet providers use their customers’ personal information. At stake is the way Internet service providers such as Comcast Corp., AT&T Inc., and Verizon Communications Inc. use and store the sensitive data they collect, including customers’ locations, their financial information, Social Security numbers, and Internet browsing habits.

Father of Navy SEAL killed in Yemen raid to Trump…

The father of William “Ryan” Owens, the Navy SEAL Team 6 member who was the first US combat death during US President Donald Trump’s presidency in January, urged the Trump administration to not “hide behind my son’s death” and provide answers. In an interview with the Miami Herald , Bill Owens, also a Navy veteran, called for an investigation into the raid that left his son, an eight-year-old girl, and as many as 29 civilians dead.

3 Global Factors Including Trump, Brexit That Could Smash Consumer Spending in 2017

Developed markets such as North America and Europe will be bogged down by slowing consumer spending in 2017, as debt, an ageing population and economic stagnation takes hold, analysts at market research firm Euromonitor International predicted in a new report. Euromonitor said that events such as Brexit and the “Trump effect,” as they called it, creates political instability that will be “a key challenge going into 2017.”

Top Democratic Senator: The party has to do these 3 things to…

The Democratic Party is in the midst of an identity crisis – but a leading Democratic senator said he has an idea of what the left needs to do in order to win at the ballot box in 2018 and 2020. The first, he said, was directly related to his book, which outlined what he believes to be the negative effects of corporate influence on the political system.