Day: January 5, 2017

Obama is planning one last batch of pardons before he departs – but …

Under mounting pressure to free convicts as a last act, President Barack Obama is planning at least one more batch of pardons and commutations before leaving office in two weeks, but don’t expect many famous offenders to make the list. The list of bold names appealing to Obama for compassion in his final weeks includes accused leaker Chelsea Manning, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Army Sgt.

Top intelligence official says Russia undoubtedly meddled in US election

The nation’s top intelligence official said Thursday that Russia undoubtedly interfered in America’s 2016 presidential election but stopped short of using the explosive description “an act of war,” telling lawmakers such a call isn’t within the purview of the U.S. intelligence community. In a joint report that roiled the presidential campaign last fall, the Homeland Security Department and the intelligence community said the U.S. was confident of foreign meddling, including Russian government hacking of Democratic emails.

Obama renominates Rosenworcel as FCC commissioner, kicking off battle with Republican leaders

Democratic FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel was renominated on Wednesday as one of several nominations sent to the Senate by outgoing President Barack Obama. Democratic FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel has been renominated by outgoing President Barack Obama, a move that will likely draw a battle from Republican leaders, who desire to create a GOP majority-led commission.

Planned Parenthood would lose funding as part of Obamacare repeal, Ryan says

House Speaker Paul Ryan leaves a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 5. Republicans plan to strip Planned Parenthood of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding as part of their rapid push to repeal President Obama’s health-care reforms, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Thursday. Ryan said a defunding measure would appear in a special fast-track bill that is expected to pass Congress as soon as next month: “Planned Parenthood legislation would be in our reconciliation bill,” he said at a news conference, in response to a question about plans to defund the organization.

Ted Cruz: I dona t see a GOP primary …

Sen. Ted Cruz said Thursday that as it stands now, he doesn’t see anyone who is likely to mount a GOP primary challenge against him in his 2018 bid for re-election but that he’s taking nothing for granted. “At this point, I don’t see anyone that is likely to run, but I am going to assume that the threat is serious and prepare accordingly,” Mr. Cruz told radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Remembrance of inaugurations past

With another presidential inauguration due on January 20, it brings back to memory three such events that I had the privilege of being in Washington DC for, the Jimmy Carter and two Ronald Reagan inaugurations. My wife and 14-year old daughter accompanied me to our nation’s capital for the Carter inauguration.

a Guccifer,a Clinton-tied hacker, doubts FBIa s claims concerning Russian cyber campaign: Report

A self-taught computer hacker convicted of compromising the emails of one of Hillary Clinton’s closest advisers said the White House’s allegations of a Russian-led cyber campaign aimed at the recent U.S. presidential race are overblown. Marcel Lehel Lazar, a Romanian national better known by the alias “Guccifer,” doubts the Obama administration’s claims with respect to Russia’s widely believed meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Fox News reported Wednesday.

John and Ray in 60 a ” 1-05-17

A Facebook video shows four men torturing a man with special needs in Chicago. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin talks about the future of the Democratic Party after President Obama leaves office. Plus, is the video of two twins knocking over a dresser at home and one of the twins saved the other a hoax?

Confessed Hitman Claims To Have Personally Seen Duterte Off At Least Eight People

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte reacts during a visit at the military’s Scout Ranger Camp Tecson in San Miguel, Bulacan in northern Philippines September 15, 2016. REUTERS/Erik De Castro Edgar Matobato said Monday that he saw President Rodrigo Duterte commit at least eight murders, seven at the Ma-a quarry in Davao, during Duterte’s stint as mayor of Davao, reports the Inquirer.

Hunt for Prison Escapee Pivots to Bank Robbery Attempt

The FBI says a man who generally fits the description of an escaped inmate attempted to rob a bank in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Thursday morning. The suspect is described as a husky 5’10” man with a mustache and a tattoo on his neck, matching the description of James Walker Morales, who escaped from the high-security Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island on New Year’s Eve.

Cotton Debunks The ‘Trump Is Great For Russia’ Narrative

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton questioned the widespread talking point that President-elect Donald Trump is the preferred candidate for Russia in a Senate hearing Thursday, pointing to a number of Trump’s proposals that are arguably not in Russia’s interests. “There’s a widespread assumption since the election that Vladimir Putin favored Donald Trump in this election,” Cotton said to intelligence officials testifying about Russia’s meddling during the 2016 U.S. election cycle.

Tucker Savages College Prof Refusing To Back Up His Claim That…

Fox News host Tucker Carlson stumped a California college professor, who claimed that “98 percent” of the world’s scientists believe in global warming, when he asked the academic how he reached his number. California State University, Sacramento, professor Joseph Palermo went on Carlson’s show to defend a Huffington Post op-ed where he argued that Trump’s administration shouldn’t be allowed to use Twitter since they believed “the science of global warming is bogus.”

Professor Obama FINALLY Publishes A Piece Of Scholarship

REUTERS/Carlos Barria President Barack Obama, the first black president of the Harvard Law Review and senior lecturer in law at the University of Chicago Law School, has finally published a piece of legal scholarship. The president’s first journal article appeared Thursday in the Harvard Law Review and concerned the role of the executive branch in advancing criminal justice reform.

Washington Post Worried Videotaped Torture Provides Evidence Of Anti-White Racism

Washington Post writer Callum Borchers believes one of the worst aspects of the brutal videotaped torture of a mentally handicapped white man at the hands of black assailants is that gives credence to a “pro-Trump narrative” that whites face rampant discrimination in America. In a column published on “The Fix” blog Thursday , Borchers argues, “If you believe discrimination against white people is rampant, that Donald Trump supporters face persecution, that Chicago is a war zone, and the media is dishonest, then your entire worldview is likely to be confirmed by one awful story.”

Obama Pens Law Review Article on Criminal Justice

President Barack Obama walks down the White House Colonnade from the main residence to the Oval Office, in Washington, Nov. 9, 2016. President Barack Obama returns to his roots at the Harvard Law Review on Thursday, penning an article about progress his administration made in reforming the criminal justice system – and the challenges that remain for the next administration.

The FBI Never Asked For AccessTo Hacked Computer Servers

The FBI did not examine the servers of the Democratic National Committee before issuing a report attributing the sweeping cyberintrusion to Russia-backed hackers, BuzzFeed News has learned. Six months after the FBI first said it was investigating the hack of the Democratic National Committee’s computer network, the bureau has still not requested access to the hacked servers, a DNC spokesman said.

Some Democrats relieved to bidthe Obama doctrine farewell

For years, Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill managed to keep relatively quiet their frustration with Barack Obama’s approach to the Middle East, careful to navigate his brokerage of a nuclear deal with Iran, his absence in Syria and his antagonistic relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by offering respectful criticism coached in commitments to party loyalty. But the discomfort of these Democrats has spilled into the public as their president prepares to leave office.

Next 25 Articles

Four Gitmo detainees are slated to be transferred to Saudi Arabia in the next 24 hours, the first of the final wave of up to 20 transfers expected before Inauguration Day, two U.S. officials tell Fox News. The identities of the four detainees are not immediately known.

Thursday’s Morning Email: House GOP Pushes To Undo Obama’s Legacy

While President Barack Obama visited Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers to fight to protect the Affordable Care Act, president-elect Donald Trump fired off a series of tweets about the ACA that seemed to indicate he would not be a fan of an immediate repeal. And the Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing this morning on “foreign cyberthreats to the United States.”

Migrants die on dangerous sea voyage to reach ‘Italy’ – then…

Migrants die on dangerous sea voyage to reach ‘Italy’ – then survivors are devastated to arrive on shore and find they are in LIBYA A boat filled with migrants desperate to reach Europe met with tragedy on treacherous seas, and ended up arriving in the country it had set off from. After three days, during which several of the 80 people who left drowned, survivors reached dry land only to discover they were still in Libya.

Trump opponents find an ally: Republican incompetence

For 10 years, Republicans have waited for their chance to govern, and finally the voters handed them the car keys: unified GOP control of Congress and the White House. But the moment the starter’s flag dropped Tuesday, the opening day of the 115th Congress, the eager majority seized the wheel of power, hit the gas – and immediately lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a guardrail.

Pentagon Chief: Trump Needs to Keep Alliances, Hold Russia Accountable in Syria

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says President-elect Donald Trump’s administration should maintain partnerships with NATO and allies in the Asia-Pacific, while also holding Russia accountable to its stated mission of battling terrorists in Syria and help end the war. The recommendations came in a memo that Carter, like the other Cabinet secretaries, prepared to highlight what their departments achieved during the eight-year presidency of Barack Obama.

WashPost: Why Isn’t Trump Outraged Over Election Hacking?

The Washington Post called on President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans to stop trying to hush up the truth about the election hacking. “Some Republicans – including President-elect Donald Trump – appear to be entirely unconcerned about the strong evidence that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign in order to create uncertainty in the presidential race, or tilt it toward Mr. Trump,” the Post said in an editorial.

The University of California looks to raise tuition

University of California students protest proposed tuition hikes outside a regents meeting in San Francisco. The University of California unveiled a proposal Wednesday for the first tuition increase in six years, saying booming enrollment growth and reduced state support have left campuses scrambling to pay for more faculty, course offerings, classrooms and financial aid.

Threats in Honduras

A man wanted in Kelowna on harassment charges now faces 30 days in a Honduran jail over a separate case of defamatory and threatening comments, according to court documents obtained by Castanet. “He just unleashed a fury of three months of nasty emails on Facebook on me and my family,” said Kelowna’s JC Rathwell, who recently moved to the Caribbean.