A convoy of vehicles with diplomatic plates drives

Sanctions and the expulsion of Russian diplomats from the United States in response to attempts to influence the U.S. presidential election are a rare physical response to ongoing and growing cyber conflicts between nations. Sanctions mark rare window into cyberwar Sanctions and the expulsion of Russian diplomats from the United States in response to attempts to influence the U.S. presidential election are a rare physical response to ongoing and growing cyber conflicts between nations.

Trump ally who said he wished President Obama would die of ‘cow…

Trump ally who said he wished President Obama would die of ‘cow disease’ and wanted Michelle to ‘return to being a male in the outback’ is told to resign In an email to a magazine, Paladino said he hoped President Obama died of mad cow disease after ‘having relations with a Hereford’ He said he wanted Michelle Obama to ‘return to being a male’ so she could live with a ‘gorilla in the outback of Zimbabwe’ A controversial Trump ally has been told to resign his school board job a week after shocking comments about Barack and Michelle Obama. Carl Paladino said he wished the president would die of mad cow disease while the first lady should ‘return to being a male’ in the ‘Zimbabwean outback’ in an extraordinary outburst.

Liberal democracies put to the test

A great many writers, people who know what they’re talking about, have warned that liberal democracy is more significantly threatened today than at any time in the recent past. That’s not just because of the election of Donald Trump, but also the Brexit vote in Great Britain, and widespread support for nationalist, authoritarian and exclusionist regimes in Hungary, Poland and elsewhere.

With Trump’s victory, GOP hopes to overhaul Medicaid

In this Jan. 13, 2015 file photo, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., left, joined by Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., heads to a meeting of House Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington. When President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, Republicans will have the opportunity to do something they have desired for years – overhaul Medicaid, the program that provides health care to millions of lower-income and disabled Americans.

U.S. punishes Russia for hacking campaign

HONOLULU – The U.S. struck back Thursday at Russia for hacking the U.S. presidential campaign with a sweeping set of punishments targeting Russia’s spy agencies and diplomats. The U.S. said Russia must bear costs for its actions, but Moscow called the Obama administration “losers” and threatened retaliation.

Nikkei drops to 3-week low in choppy trade; ekes out small gains for 2016

TOKYO, Dec 30 Japan’s Nikkei share average dropped to a three-week low in choppy trade on Friday as investors took profits from the recent gains on the last trading day of 2016, but the market managed to eke out marginal gains for the year. The Nikkei ended 0.2 percent lower at 19,114.37, the lowest closing level since Dec. 9. After trading in negative territory, the benchmark index turned positive in afternoon trade, with traders citing speculation that the Bank of Japan was buying exchange-traded funds to support the market.

Triumphs and challenges : 2016 in policing

The offenders were responsible for an increase in the number of car thefts , theft from cars, vandalism and property based dishonesty and damage offences. Superintendent Margetts said police were in the process of gathering intelligence to identify factors behind the 2016 increase in repeat youth offending and were actively working to prevent re-offending.

Trump Dismisses Russia Sanctions: – Time for Our Country to Move On’

President-elect Donald Trump appeared to dismiss the sanctions imposed against Russia for its alleged cyberattack on the U.S., saying it was “time for our country to move on” and still not acknowledging the Kremlin’s role in meddling in the presidential election. “It’s time for our country to move on to bigger and better things,” Trump said in a statement.

Countdown to Inauguration Day: What you need to know today

Obama retaliated for suspected Russian inteference in the U.S. presidential campaign by imposing sanctions and expelling Russian government officials in the U.S. Trump then issued a statement saying it’s “time for our country to move on to bigger and better things.” Senior White House leadership team , listed on Donald Trump’s official presidential transition website : Vice President-Elect Mike Pence as team chair, with Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Newt Gingrich, Michael T. Flynn, Rudy Giuliani, Jeff Sessions as vice chairs.

New slate of officials sworn in

New Douglas County Commission Chairwoman Romona Jackson Jones is sworn in by Probate Judge Hal Hamrick as her mother looks on holding the Bible. New Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds, right, is sworn in Thursday night by Superior Court Judge Beau McClain at the courthouse.

States face off over Clean Power Plan

Two weeks after officials in two dozen states asked Republican President-elect Donald Trump to kill one of Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature plans to curb global warming, another group of state officials is urging Trump to save it. Democratic attorneys general in 15 states plus four cities and counties sent a letter to Trump asking him to preserve Obama’s Clean Power Plan, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, the lead author, announced Thursday.