Month: December 2016

Trump voters will be hurt the most with Obamacare repeal and Democrats have to remind them of that

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes.But according… Senate Republicans refused to give President Obama’s pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Scalia even the courtesy of a… Liberal bloggers aren’t the only ones sending a strong warning to Democrats about not helping Republicans one iota when it comes to dismantling Obamacare, or their bullshit efforts to “replace” it. Here’s Theda Skocpol , a professor of government and sociology at Harvard and the director of the Scholars Strategy Network: For the Democratic Party, the coming Republican assault on public health insurance represents a huge political opportunity.

Photo credit: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Newscom

Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid defended the unsubstantiated charges he made about Mitt Romney’s tax liability as “necessary” during an interview on Nevada public radio Wednesday. Asked by a caller about the “brazen lie” of claiming the former Republican nominee for president hadn’t paid taxes for a decade, Reid took issue with the characterization and said he spoke the “truth”-though he referenced a separate criticism of Romney, that he didn’t release several years of tax returns, as proof.

Clinton wins popular vote by nearly 2.9 million

In this Dec. 8, 2016 file photo, Hillary Clinton attends a ceremony to unveil a portrait of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Capitol Hill in Washington. Clinton received nearly 2.9 million more votes than President-elect Donald Trump, giving her the largest popular vote margin of any losing presidential candidate, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

Sherr named new Greenwich Board of Ed chairman

Board of Education member Peter Sherr, seen here at a 2013 candidates forum, is the new chairman of the school board after a Thursday morning vote by the Board of Selectmen. Board of Education member Peter Sherr, seen here at a 2013 candidates forum, is the new chairman of the school board after a Thursday morning vote by the Board of Selectmen.

Under Israeli pressure, UN vote on settlements postponed

Under heavy Israeli pressure, Egypt on Thursday indefinitely postponed a planned U.N. vote on a proposed Security Council resolution that sought to condemn Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, diplomats and Western officials said, just a few hours before the vote was set to take place. The vote would have been one of the last opportunities for President Barack Obama to take a stand against Israeli settlement building after years of failed peace efforts, but doing so could re-ignite a dispute with a close ally in the waning days of his tenure.

Suspicious fumes at Florida home leads to FBI-assisted probe

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says it’s assisting a Tampa Bay area law enforcement agency in the potential terrorism activity of a 21-year-old man who was arrested after his father was taken to a hospital due to suspicious fumes in the family home. Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said Thursday there is no indication that Sherif Eleganainy has terrorist ties.

Trump: U.S. must ‘greatly strengthen’ nuclear capability

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday abruptly called for the United States to “greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability” until the rest of the world “comes to its senses” regarding nuclear weapons. Trump made the statement on Twitter and did not expand on the actions he wants the U.S. to take or on the issues he sees around the world.

Florida may let some death row inmates avoid executions

More than half of Florida’s inmates sentenced to death may avoid execution under a far-reaching ruling handed down by the state’s Supreme Court. A sharply divided court agreed Thursday to stop blocking the execution of Mark Asay, a Jacksonville man sentenced to death in 1987 for murdering two men.

Lawyer says Wahlberg movie unfair to Boston bomber’s widow

A lawyer for Katherine Russell, widow of one of the Boston Marathon bombers, says the new film “Patriots Day” is unfair because it suggests she knew something was up before the attack and then didn’t cooperate with the investigation afterward. “It’s just not true,” lawyer Amato DeLuca told The Associated Press.

Prosecutors: ‘Making a Murderer’ inmate’s confession legal

A Wisconsin inmate featured in the Netflix series “Making a Murderer” has no basis for his claims that his confession wasn’t voluntary and shouldn’t be released from prison as a judge has ordered, state attorneys argued in a court filing. Brendan Dassey, now 27, was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 in the death of photographer Teresa Halbach two years earlier.

‘It’s a hassle’: Pennsylvania driver’s licenses…

Pennsylvanians planning on traveling in 2018 will be required to have more than their driver’s license to fly as the state-issued ID will no longer be accepted for domestic air travel. ‘It takes a while to get a passport and if they’re not aware of it, they’re not going on a trip’ – Kimberly Wilson Pennsylvanians planning on traveling in 2018 will be required to have more than their driver’s license to fly as the state-issued ID will no longer be accepted for domestic air travel.

Another view: Trumping the environment

Another view: Trumping the environment Whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump was elected, the environment is going to suffer. Check out this story on ldnews.com: http://ldne.ws/2ikiTeq President-elect Donald Trump gives a thumbs up to the crowd during a campaign rally on Aug. 31 in Phoenix.

Trump meets with one-time adversary David Koch at Mar-a-Lago

President-elect Donald Trump may be making peace with the Koch brothers, the influential Republican billionaires who frequently criticized him during the election campaign. Sources familiar with the impromptu meeting told the Washington Post that Mr. Trump had met with billionaire businessman and philanthropist David Koch at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach.

Capitol Report: Senate Dems say Wells Fargo not responding to fraud info requests

US Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, holds up copies of Wells Fargo earnings call transcripts as she questions John Stumpf, then chairman and CEO of Wells Fargo The bank’s management has so far failed to answer all the questions the committee members have put to it, the letter says, following its settlement with multiple regulatory authorities in September for multi-year fraudulent sales practices. The letter , jointly signed by nine Democrats including Ranking Member Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, again asked Wells Fargo’s board for a status report on its ongoing investigation of the fraud and a detailed timeline of when the board learned about the illegal practices and actions it took.

Gallup’s Top Well-Being Discoveries of 2016

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index provides nearly real-time data on Americans’ well-being across five elements: purpose, social, financial, community and physical. The following are Gallup editors’ picks for the most important health and well-being findings reported in 2016.

Trump after Berlin, Turkey attacks: ‘I’ve been proven to be right’

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump called the attacks this week in Berlin and Ankara “terrible” on Dec. 21 and said he has been proven to be correct about his plans to impose curbs on Muslims immigrating to the United States. “What’s going on is terrible, terrible,” Trump told reporters, when asked about the truck attack that killed 12 people at a Christmas market in Berlin and the killing of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey by a gunman in Ankara, Reuters reported.

Hugo Lloris commits future to Tottenham as goalkeeper signs new…

Bayern Munich take pop at Red Bull and RB Leipzig after 3-0 win confirms them as ‘Winter Champions’ of the Bundesliga Griezmann is one of top three players in the world and the perfect signing to help United get best out of Pogba Who would you pick in team from OUTSIDE of the top six? From Payet to Mahrez, our reporters reveal their Premier League XI Manchester City to launch A 50m move for Van Dijk as Guardiola looks to shore up his shaky defence in January ‘I don’t get on with my dad… but I’m proud of the name’: Nigel Benn’s estranged son Harley making his own way in boxing Ex-Chelsea player Gary Johnson on his torment: Telling my kids I was abused is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do Man United are still keen on A 38m man Lindelof despite FIFA looking into cash row between Benfica and his old club Rise of the super bosses: Big six have pulled clear for Christmas… but which of … (more)

Israeli leader urges US to veto UN settlement resolution

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the U.S. on Thursday to veto a draft United Nations resolution demanding a halt to Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank. The vote, expected Thursday, provides one of the last opportunities for President Barack Obama to take a stand against Israeli settlement building after years of failed peace efforts, but doing so could re-ignite a dispute with a close ally in the waning days of his tenure.

Morning Bits

Steven Mnuchin, left, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for treasury secretary, walks through the lobby of Trump Tower in New York on Dec. 7. President-elect Donald Trump’s Achilles heel : “You’re seeing members like John McCain and Lindsey Graham kind of coming out guns blazing, even threatening the nomination of Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state, saying that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is a butcher and a thug, and we can’t do business with him. The concern is that Trump has this kind of personal admiration for Putin that may blind him to Russia’s real goals and to what America’s strategic stake is in doing business with Russia.

First Nations Development Institute Receives $200,000 USDA-NRCS Grant for Ag and Food Training

First Nations Development Institute has received a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service grant of $200,000 for a broad effort to increase the capacity of Native American farmers, ranchers and tribal communities so they can advance their farming or ranching businesses, or so tribal communities can work more effectively to improve local control of community food systems. Under the grant, First Nations will conduct various in-person trainings and workshops, plus online webinars, for Native farmers, ranchers, tribal departments, nonprofit organizations, food entrepreneurs and others that will focus on business-management systems and techniques.

The Fed: Here’s who Trump may tap for two open posts at the Fed

Donald Trump is not expected to offer Janet Yellen a second four-year term at the helm of the central bank when her term expires in early February 2018 With two nominations made by President Obama stalled, Trump will get a chance to add a pair of officials to the Federal Open Market Committee. The positions will be of particular importance given that Trump will have a chance to nominate a replacement for Janet Yellen when her term as chair expires in Feb. 2018.

A shameful delay

With the end of 2016 just days away, victims of North Carolina’s forced sterilization program have yet to receive their last payment – or the simply courtesy of a written update from the state. The lack of an update is shameful.

Why people believe fake news, explained

Why do so many Americans have trouble telling truth from fiction online? As humans, we’re wired to believe the worst. The controversy around “fake news” took on a new pall this month when a North Carolina man chose to investigate, gun in hand, a false online conspiracy theory that a Washington.

U.S. says Arkansas schools’ ouster of 3 over HIV tests illegal

The Pea Ridge School District violated the Americans with Disabilities Act in 2013 by excluding some students until they were tested for the human immunodeficiency virus, according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice. The district removed three students, all foster children, from its schools on the basis of documents it had received about the HIV status of a family member of those students, according to the letter dated Dec. 13 from Rebecca Bond, chief of the disability rights section of the department’s civil-rights division.

Repeal of N.C.’s – bathroom bill’ stumbles

A sign protesting a recent North Carolina law restricting transgender bathroom access is seen in the bathroom stalls at the 21C Museum Hotel in Durham, N.C., on May 3, 2016. Photo courtesy of REUTERS/Jonathan Drake/File photo A deal has fallen apart to undo the North Carolina law known as the “bathroom bill” in a sign of the state’s bitter political divide.

10 books on leadership to read in 2017

After an utterly dark and divisive year of political leadership, people will surely be looking for fresh professional inspiration in 2017: books that help us stick to our resolutions at work, that offer surprising and uplifting stories from other leaders, that provide lessons from history about consequential leaders, and books that simply give us ideas for working smarter, faster or better. To compile this year’s list of leadership books to watch for in the year ahead, we combed through publishers’ lists and picked a few that we believe will make an impact.

Trump picks China hawk to lead new White House trade council

In another sign that he intends to shake up relations with China, President-elect Donald Trump named economist Peter Navarro to lead a newly created White House council on trade. The University of California-Irvine professor, who advised Trump during the campaign, has sharply criticized China’s economic and military policies in books and videos.

More

North Carolina’s legisl… . Opponents of HB2 hold signs outside the North Carolina House chambers gallery as the North Carolina General Assembly convenes for a special session at the Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C. on Wednesday… .