Mexican man charged with rape had 19 deportations, removals

This undated photo provided by the Geary County Detention Center In Junction City, Kan., shows Tomas Martinez-Maldonado. Records obtained by The Associated Press show that Martinez-Maldonado a Mexican national accused of raping a 13-year-old girl on a Greyhound bus that traveled through Kansas had been deported 10 times and voluntarily removed from the U.S. nine times since 2003.

With Putin, the Danger Isn’t a Non-Response

The New York Times editorial board is pleased that President Obama has taken some retaliatory actions against Vladimir Putin, but I found part of their reasoning very interesting. While it is definitely too late, and may also be too little, there should be no doubt about the correctness of President Obama ‘s decision to retaliate against Russia for hacking American computers and trying to influence the 2016 presidential election.

More

Michael Mullen of the U.S. Coast Guard answers questions during a news conference at Burke Lakefront Airport, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, in Cleveland. The U.S. Coast Guard said there’s been no sign of debris or those aboard a p… .

Crews hopeful in search for plane carrying 6 near Cleveland

Crews combing Lake Erie for a plane carrying six people that disappeared overnight shortly after takeoff from a Cleveland airport along the shore are still hopeful that the occupants could be found alive, a Coast Guard official said Friday. Authorities have “faint hints” but no strong pulse from an emergency locating transmitter, a beacon that could help find the plane carrying three children and three adults, said Capt.

Tennis, sailing or spying? US shuts 2 Russian compounds

U.S. special agents check a car with diplomatic license plates outside an estate in the village of Upper Brookville in the town of Oyster Bay, N.Y., on Long Island on Friday, Dec. 30, 2016. On Friday, the Obama administration closed this compound for Russian diplomats, in retaliation for spying and cyber-meddling in the U.S. presidential election.

Black Lives Matter Chapter Proudly Praises Barista For Spitting In Officer’s Coffee

Police watch over a small contingent of protesters gathered in the rain at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Station in Charlotte, North Carolina November 30, 2016, following the decision of the district attorney not to press criminal charges against police in the shooting of Keith Scott. REUTERS/Jason Miczek A Black Lives Matter chapter publicly praised a Starbucks barista for spiting in an officer’s coffee at a local California coffee shop Wednesday night.

House Dems Promise War Over Paul Ryan’s Proposal

U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi applauds as Rep. John Lewis waves to supporters along with House Democrats after their sit-in over gun-control law on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas House Democrats are prepared to go to war over a new rule proposed by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, according to a letter sent to Ryan late Thursday.

Duterte Calls Dead Kids ‘Collateral’

REUTERS/Damir Sagolj While vowing to continue his bloody war on drugs, the president of the Philippines issued a rare apology Thursday for the deaths of innocent victims. “I would admit there were killings that were really unintended, like the children who were caught in the crossfire,” President Rodrigo Duterte said in an interview with ABS-CBN.

Mormon Tabernacle Choir Member Quits Over Trump Inauguration

Former Mormon Tabernacle Choir member Janet Chamberlin formally resigned over the choir’s plans to perform at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration later this month, according to a Friday report from RawStory. The Choir announced it planned to perform at Trump’s inauguration last week, and several members voiced their concerns over the decision.

Is Middle East Instability An Opportunity To Apply Leverage?

A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter launches mortar shells towards Zummar, controlled by Islamic State , near Mosul September 15, 2014. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah – RTR46B59 As I have written , even without ISIS, the Middle East, the epicenter of radical Islam, is a complex political-military environment dominated by the Sunni-Shia religious conflict, but influenced by ethnic aspirations, tribal rivalries, regional hegemony, superpower competition and ever-shifting allegiances.

LA’s Top Cop Files Restraining Order Against BLM Activist

People carry a “Black Lives Matter” banner while protesting the death of Ezell Ford during a meeting of the Los Angeles Police Commission in Los Angeles, June 9, 2015. The president of the Los Angeles police commission filed a temporary restraining order against a Black Lives Matter activist for allegedly threatening and stalking him.

The uncertainties of 2017

A place for the writings and the ideas of the people in and around the Ridenbaugh Press. A new administration is about to take office in Washington, but anyone certain about what exactly that will mean – other than something a lot different from the last eight years – is kidding themselves.

Russian foreign minister proposes expulsion of 35 US diplomats

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has recommended that the Kremlin expel 35 US diplomats from Russia in response to sanctions announced by Washington, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday. Lavrov said his ministry proposed the removal of 31 staff members from the US Embassy in Moscow and four from the US consulate in St Petersburg.

President Obama warns Russia after announcing sanctions: “Such…

The United States is unleashing a string of sanctions and other punitive measures against Russia amid allegations that it engaged in cyber-meddling in the U.S. presidential campaign, putting pressure on President-elect Donald Trump not to let Moscow off the hook after he takes office. Russia’s government threatened retaliation and continued to deny U.S. accusations that it hacked and stole emails to try to help Trump win.

Putin says Russia won’t oust US diplomats in hacking flap

President Vladimir Putin has condemned a new round of U.S. sanctions against Russia but said Moscow will not retaliate by expelling American diplomats. U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday imposed sanctions on Russian officials and intelligence services in retaliation for Russia’s interference in the U.S. presidential election by hacking American political sites and email accounts.

U.S. evicts Russians for spying, imposes sanctions after election hacks

President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over their involvement in hacking U.S. political groups in the 2016 presidential election. The measures, taken during the last days of Obama’s presidency, mark a new post-Cold War low in U.S.-Russian ties and set up a potential flashpoint between incoming President-elect Donald Trump and fellow Republicans in Congress over how to deal with Moscow.

Where suburban precincts changed from the GOP to Clinton

Five out of six Chicago-area counties voted for Hillary Clinton for president on Nov. 8, but our analysis of unofficial returns shows that many precincts in those counties had more Republican votes cast in the March primary. We took our analysis of primary election results — which showed whether a precinct had more Democratic or Republican voters — and compared that to unofficial precinct results from the general election in November.

Nobody watches a Monday Night Footballa anymore

If not for this past Monday night’s highly watched NFL game, The Walt Disney Co’s ESPN network would have had its smallest audience for “Monday Night Football” in 2016 since the 2006 season. The National Football League has been plagued all season by ratings downturns, forcing its TV partners to give free extra commercial time to advertisers to compensate for lower-than-promised ratings.

US levels sanctions against Russia over election hacking

This image provided by the FBI shows the wanted poster for Evgeniy Bogachev. In a sweeping response to election hacking, President Barack Obama sanctioned Russian intelligence services and their top officials, kicked out 35 Russian officials and shuttered two Russian-owned compounds in the U.S. It was the strongest action the Obama administration has taken to date to retaliate for a cyberattack.

The Latest: Russia FM suggests expelling US diplomats

Russia’s foreign minister has suggested expelling 35 U.S. diplomats in response to a new round of U.S. sanctions against Moscow. U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday imposed sanctions on Russian officials and intelligence services in retaliation alleged Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election, as American political sites and email accounts were hacked.

Russia plans to expel US diplomats

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual end-of-year news conference in Moscow, Russia, December 23, 2016. Reuters file photo Russia today announced plans to expel 35 US diplomats and ban US diplomatic staff from using a dacha and a warehouse in Moscow in retaliation to Washington’s sanctions, Russian news agencies reported.

Explainer: Funding Rockland’s 224 Non-Profits

You’ve probably heard something about about the recent dispute between the Rockland County Executive Ed Day and the Rockland County Legislature about the funding of the so-called “224 non-profits” in the Rockland budget. You may have also heard something about another dispute between the executive and the legislature about the sale of the “Sain Building” in New City.

Learn From The Bible Mr. Kerry

In Philadelphia, the Gold Star Khizr Kahn told Trump t and wondered aloud whether President-Elect Trump had ever read the Constitution, pulling his own pocket-sized copy from his jacket for emphasis. Now I wonder has John Kerry ever read the Bible or Koran? Barack Obama and John Kerry’s stance is unbelievable by not vetoing the resolution.