Week ahead: FCC enters new era under Pai

The Federal Communications Commission will hold an open meeting on Tuesday, its first of the year and the first with Ajit Pai as its chairman. The commission will consider eliminating a regulation that requires commercial broadcasters to keep copies of letters and emails from the public on hand.

Donald Trump Just Gave Wells Fargo a Break

But the tide has already begun to turn for the nation’s third biggest bank by assets, thanks in no small part to the new presidential administration. Earlier this week, the U.S. Labor Department removed a website it had created to log complaints from Wells Fargo employees who claimed to have been retaliated against by supervisors for blowing the whistle on a massive fake-account scandal that look place at the bank from at least 2011 through 2015.

Trump Freezes Refugee Program, Orders New Vetting for Entry

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday indefinitely banning admission of people fleeing Syria, temporarily freezing the entry of other refugees and prohibiting entry by people from seven majority-Muslim nations for 90 days. Trump said the measure would prevent terrorists from being admitted into the country.

What Is the Cassidy-Collins Obamacare Replacement Plan?

Repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, was a cornerstone of Donald Trump’s campaign for president. Recently, Trump said he wanted to repeal and replace Obamacare simultaneously.In response, Sen. Bill Cassidy and Sen. Susan Collins announced a plan that returns power to the states by allowing them to choose among three options.

GOP Leaders Embrace Trump’s Border Wall But Split on Details

Republican leaders are finally climbing on board President Donald Trump’s plan for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border — and they say they’re ready to spend as much as $15 billion to build it. House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell both suggested Thursday that, after months of studiously ignoring the border wall proposal, they’re now ready to act on the wall as part of a spending request they expect from Trump that would help jump-start construction.

Broadband in New York to get funding boost

FCC will reverse course and direct $170 million to the Empire State after threatening to bid the money out elsewhere. Broadband in New York to get funding boost FCC will reverse course and direct $170 million to the Empire State after threatening to bid the money out elsewhere.

Rebuking Obama, Trump boosts Keystone XL, Dakota pipelines

In this Jan. 16, 2015, file photo, Jim Tarnick of Fullerton, Neb., points to the route of the Keystone XL pipeline which is planned to run through his property. President Trump’s decision to restart the Keystone XL pipeline approval process was … disheartening but not surprising to Tarnick, who told the Associated Press on Tuesday, Jan. 24 that he and other landowners who oppose it will continue to fight, although he hopes he doesn’t have to do it for the rest of his life.

Trump picks PIO to head communications body

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has picked Ajit Vardaraj Pai, an outspoken opponent of new net neutrality, to head the crucial Federal Communications Commission , making him the fourth Indian-American in the administration at the senior level. “I am deeply grateful to the President of the United States for designating me the 34th cairman of the Federal Communications Commission,” Pai said in a statement.

Democrats say Trump’s Washington hotel lost money pre-election, push for GSA action

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants answers from the General Services Administration about possible violations of Trump’s Washington hotel lease. Leading Democrats on Capitol Hill say President Trump’s Washington hotel lost more than $1.1 million in the first two months of operations and renewed their assertions Monday that the project has violated its lease with the federal government and raised untenable conflicts of interest.

Withdrawal from Trans-Pacific Partnership shifts U.S. role in world economy

U.S. President Donald Trump holds up the executive order on withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership after signing it as White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus stands at his side in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington Jan. 23, 2017. President Trump’s cancellation Monday of an agreement for a sweeping trade deal with Asia began recasting America’s role in the global economy, leaving an opening for other countries to flex their muscles.

Huntsville native appointed to White House analyst position

Brooks announced Monday that White, a Huntsville native who graduated from Grissom High School in 2001, has been appointed to Trump’s White House Domestic Policy Council as a senior policy analyst. “Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District’s loss is President Donald Trump’s gain,” Brooks said in a statement.

Mega-mergers poised to get green light under Trump

Donald Trump Dem sen: Lewis’ comments on Trump ‘uncalled for’ Mark Hamill mocks Trump by reading Meryl Streep tweets as the Joker Priebus: John Lewis’s comments ‘irresponsible’ MORE ‘s incoming administration will be more favorable to corporate mergers, experts and business groups believe, marking a sharp shift from the Obama years. Trump’s team is tapping nominees who have offered support for scaling back regulations and oversight as companies in key industries look to consolidate.

Republican FCC member blasts leadership for ‘midnight’ regs without warning

The longest-serving Republican commissioner in the Federal Communications Commission criticized the Democrat-controlled agency for what he called a “regulatory spasm” in its final days after it issued a report Wednesday scolding AT&T and Verizon for their “zero rating” strategies without the approval of the majority of the agency. “It is disappointing that the FCC’s current leadership has yet again chosen to spend its last days in office the same way it spent the last few years – cutting corners on process, keeping fellow Commissioners in the dark, and pursuing partisan, political agendas that only harm investment and innovation,” wrote Commissioner Ajit Pai.

Senators Split Over Tillerson and His Ties to Putin

President-Elect Trump’s pick to be Secretary of State suggested that Russia “poses a danger,” responding to concerns that he is overly cozy with the Russian President. Lawmakers on Wednesday were deeply divided over whether President-elect Trump’s pick for Secretary of State, Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson would be right for the job, with many senators raising concerns about his overly cozy ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump AG Nominee Sessions Says He’ll Recuse Himself From Clinton Probes

Jeff Sessions would recuse himself from any Clinton-related probes as Attorney General, he said at Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, the Republican Senator from Alabama nominated to become U.S. Attorney General, will recuse himself from any Clinton-related probes if he gets the job, he said at Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

Goldman’s Donovan Said to Be Top Contender for Key Treasury Post

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker Jim Donovan is the front-runner to be Donald Trump’s pick for undersecretary of domestic finance, a key position in the Treasury department, according to a person familiar with the decision. If chosen and confirmed Donovan would be the fourth appointee with ties to the investment bank tapped to serve in the president-elect administration, and would be responsible for coordinating policies on banking, capital markets and regulation, and managing the issuance of the country’s debt.

REPORT: Jared Kushner is taking steps to explore a White House…

President-elect Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, may be headed for a job in the White House. Kushner is in the process of filing financial disclosure documents in preparation for taking a formal role as an adviser to the president, sources close to the process o wns the New York Observer , along with other media properties.

Trump Said to Tell Confidant He Remains Opposed to AT&T Deal

Donald Trump remains opposed to the megamerger between AT&T Inc. and Time Warner Inc. because he believes it would concentrate too much power in the media industry, according to people close to the president-elect, who has been publicly silent about the transaction for months. Trump told a friend in the last few weeks that he still considers the merger to be a bad deal, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the conversation was private.

Corzine Agrees to Futures Industry Ban in CFTC Settlement

Jon Corzine has agreed to a lifetime ban from the futures industry to settle a U.S. lawsuit that he failed to properly oversee MF Global Holdings Ltd. as the brokerage spiraled toward failure in 2011. Corzine, an ex-governor and U.S. senator from New Jersey and the former co-chairman of Goldman Sachs Group Inc., also agreed to pay a $5 million penalty from his own pocket to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, under a consent order approved by a federal judge in New York Thursday.

Free tuition Q&A: Could New York’s plan spread across US?

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, right and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders wave at the audience as they arrive onstage at an event at LaGuardia Community College, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, in New York. Gov. Cuomo announced a proposal for free tuition at state colleges to hundreds of thousands of low- and middle income residents.

Tillerson Discloses Global Assets of as Much as $400 Million

Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for U.S. secretary of state, disclosed assets worth as much as $400 million in a federal ethics filing that reflected investments spanning more than a dozen nations. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Tillerson will recuse himself for a year from government decisions involving Exxon Mobil Corp., where he served as chairman and chief executive officer until Jan. 1, according to a separate filing posted by the Office of Government Ethics on Wednesday.

How Senator Rand Paul Would Replace Obamacare

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) weighs in on the Senate Democrats' push to block the Obamacare repeal. As the new Republican-controlled Congress moves forward with its goal of repealing the Affordable Care Act, the biggest question now is what will replace it.

Trump Tells Confidant He Still Opposes AT&T-Time Warner 2 hours ago

Time Warner Inc. because he believes it would concentrate too much power in the media industry, according to people close to the president-elect, who has been publicly silent about the transaction for months. Trump told a friend in the last few weeks that he still considers the merger to be a bad deal, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the conversation was private.

How Donald Trump Could Make Rupert Murdoch Even More Powerful

President-elect Donald Trump may be preparing to give Rupert Murdoch a big reward for the positive coverage Murdoch’s outlets provided during the election. Trump has asked Murdoch to submit the names of possible nominees for Federal Communications Commission chairman, according to a report from New York magazine’s Gabriel Sherman.

Trump claims his briefing on Russian cyberattacks was delayed,…

President-elect Donald Trump mocked US intelligence officials on Tuesday in a tweet claiming his briefing on Russian cyberattacks was delayed, and once again cast doubt on their claims that Russia interfered with the presidential election. “The ‘Intelligence’ briefing on so-called ‘Russian hacking’ was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case.

FCC’s 5 biggest battles for Trump’s first year

Republicans are poised to take control of the Federal Communications Commission and the agency is bracing for a shake-up. Wheeler will step down in 2017 and control is tilting to the agency’s Republican commissions after Dem Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel failed to be reconfirmed.

California aims to take lead in giving marijuana industry access to financial services

In this Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016 photo, Rolie Gonzalez III displays a branch of marijuana buds taken for a plant on the farm of grower Laura Costa, near Garberville. California hopes to take the lead in giving the cannabis industry access to banking services in 2017, with a new working group focused on finding a solution to ongoing conflicts between state and federal laws that force marijuana businesses to operate largely in cash.

McCain calls for sanctions on Russia over election actions

U.S. Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., center, speaks as U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., left, and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, listen during the meeting with Lithuania’s President Dalia Grybauskaite at the President palace in Vilnius,… Lithuania’s President Dalia Grybauskaite, right, welcomes U.S. Senator John McCain, R-Ariz. during a welcome ceremony in the Presidential palace in Vilnius, Lithuania, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016.

State, Casey try to keep broadband money in Pa.

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