One year ago, Amir Hekmati stepped onto American soil for the first time in four years. He was being held captive in Iran, accused of being a CIA operative.
Day: January 16, 2017
Attorney General Bob Ferguson unveils bipartisan legislation to abolish executions
Flanked by former Attorney General Rob McKenna and Governor Jay Inslee, current Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced a major new effort to abolish the barbaric practice of state-sponsored executions in Washington, supported by a bipartisan group of legislators from each house. Declaring that it is the responsibility of leaders to lead, Ferguson said the time has come for the Legislature to take a vote on ending the costly, ineffective death penalty.
Trump continues Twitter assault
His inauguration days away, President- elect Donald Trump is continuing to lash out at critics in the intelligence community and Democrats in Congress who are vowing to skip his swearing-in ceremony. The tough-talking Republican questioned whether the CIA director himself was “the leaker of fake news” in a Sunday night tweet.
State Department Held Workshops For Employees Dealing With Trump Transition Stress
The Department of State held workshops for agency employees struggling with the emotional stress of the Trump Transition in December, the Washington Free Beacon reports. The workshop, titled, “The Emotional Transition: Managing the Stress of Change,” were advertised in an agency-wide email, and employees were allowed to dedicate work time to the hour-long sessions.
Alt-Right Leader Humiliated When Nazis Find Out His Wife Is Jewish
I don’t think a politician should be held accountable for the actions of every single one of his followers, whether the politician is a Democrat, a Republican, or Trump. As Ronald Reagan once said, when some creep tried to pull that dirty trick on him: “They support me; I don’t support them.”
Rolls-Royce To Pay $800M to U.S., U.K., Brazil in Bribery Settlements
Rolls-Royce has agreed in principle to settle bribery and corruption cases with U.S., U.K. and Brazilian authorities by paying the equivalent of more than $800 million to the three countries, the company said in a news release Monday. Rolls-Royce said it has cooperated with authorities on the cases, which involve bribery and corruption of intermediaries in overseas markets, concerns about which the company said it passed to the SFO from 2012 onwards.
Springsteen cover band drops out of inauguration gala
In this Nov. 7, 2016, file photo Bruce Springsteen performs during a Hillary Clinton campaign event at Independence Mall in Philadelphia. During an interview on Marc MaronA’s A’WTFA’ podcast released … more Some have come out publicly and said they won’t perform at the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump, in flap with civil rights icon, meets with MLK’s son
Days before taking office, President-elect Donald Trump attempted to navigate the fallout of his flap with a civil rights leader and colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while also losing a member of his incoming administration to accusations of plagiarism.
The Latest: Springsteen cover band will skip inaugural event
The Latest on a Bruce Springsteen tribute band that had been scheduled to perform at a gala ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration : A Bruce Springsteen tribute band has canceled its plans to perform at a Washington gala before Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.
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Boris Epshteyn, the communications director for the Presidential Inaugural Committee, told Breitbart News Sunday on SiriusXM Patriot Channel 125 this weekend that “things are shaping up wonderfully” ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald J. Trump, the incoming 45th President of the United States of America. Throughout the Sunday evening interview, Epshteyn sounded a tone of unifying the country-all people nationwide-behind the new President.
Illinois Senate vows swift action on ambitious budget plan
If last week’s action is any indication, the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Illinois Senate are serious about attempting to bust the state’s 18-month budget deadlock – quickly. Democratic Senate President John Cullerton and Minority Leader Christine Radogno negotiated an ambitious, multi-part plan to end a nearly two-year battle between Democrats and GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner, which has forestalled an agreed-upon annual state spending plan since 2015.
Davos Man Has No Clothes
The World Economic Forum’s annual celebration of global capitalism once represented the inevitable arc of human progress. No longer.
The Latest: Shakira calls for more early childhood education
Colombian singer and ‘Crystal Award’ winner Shakira speaks during the ‘Crystal Awards’ ceremony on the eve of to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Monday, Jan. 16, 2017. less Colombian singer and ‘Crystal Award’ winner Shakira speaks during the ‘Crystal Awards’ ceremony on the eve of to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Monday, Jan. 16, 2017.
Canada will have to do more in NATO if U.S. backs out
Canada will have to contribute more to NATO if the U.S. follows through on president-elect Donald Trump’s musings on withdrawing from the alliance, says the head of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee. Liberal MP Bob Nault cautions that Canada and its NATO partners need to see how U.S. foreign policy formally takes shape after Trump’s Friday inauguration.
When Every Story Is About the President
There were a couple of ideological splits at my college newspaper, the Daily Texan at the University of Texas. There was the usual Left-Right split; the Travis County Democratic party thought highly enough of our newspaper that it spent money working against conservatives who ran for the paper’s editorship.
Virginia Senate panel spikes bill that would restore utility rate reviews
Sen. J. Chapman Petersen, D-Fairfax City, waits to present a bill Monday during a meeting of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee in the General Assembly Building in Richmond.
Rep. John Yarmuth won’t attend presidential inauguration, citing Trump’s ‘behavior and actions’
Police say that in one case, the victims were an 87-year-old woman and her 92-year-old husband, who is hard of hearing and in poor health. Police say that in one case, the victims were an 87-year-old woman and her 92-year-old husband, who is hard of hearing and in poor health.
Oman reports accepting Guantanamo Bay detainees upon request
However, there has been no official statement released by the US Defense Department [official website] on the transfer nor has the Oman Foreign Ministry released the names of the detainees. US President-Elect Donald Trump recently called for a halt to the releases, stating [WP report] that the remaining detainees are too dangerous to be “allowed back onto the battlefield.”
The Latest: Media commentator Crowley not joining Trump team
Crowley had been slated to join Trump’s National Security Council as a director of strategic communications. Her decision comes after CNN reported that several passages in a 2012 book written by Crowley were plagiarized.
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A jet airplane skidded off the runway this morning at the Livingston County Airport, leaving the plane in pieces and the pilot shaken-up, with just minor injuries. Howell Mayor Nick Proctor was on his way to a Howell Rotary meeting this morning, which was being held at the EMS Center on Tooley Road, next to the Livingston County Airport.
Obama speaks on Israel, Trump in last White House interview
The increase of Israeli settlements has “gotten so substantial” that it is inhibiting the possibility for an “effective, contiguous Palestinian state,” President Barack Obama said Sunday, in his final interview as president. Speaking to CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Obama dismissed the idea that there is a “major rupture” in the relationship between the United States and Israel after last month’s decision by the U.S. to abstain from a United Nations vote condemning Israeli settlements.
Search resumes for father, toddler swept into ocean by wave
In this photo provided by the Oregon State Police taken Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter searches a beach about two miles north of Cape Blanco, Oregon, where a father and his young son were swept out to sea Sunday as they walked near the surf. (Oregon State Police via AP)
The Latest: Davos backdrop is ‘disruptive transformation’
President and Founder of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, gestures as he speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Davos, Switzerland, Sunday Jan. 15, 2017. Business and world leaders are gathering for the annual meeting in Davos.
ACLU Calls on Americans to Take “The People’s Oath” and Pledge …
Building on the sense of urgency and desire to take action that many Americans feel as we approach Donald J. Trump taking the Presidential Oath, the American Civil Liberties Union invites people to create their own oath to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution through its new campaign – The People’s Oath – launching this week to coincide with the 2017 Presidential Inauguration. Starting Jan. 16, individuals are encouraged to go to peoplesoath.org to add their own ending to: I do solemnly swear to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States to ensurea for example, that I’m the only one who gets to decide what to do with my body or a that my Muslim-American brothers and sisters get the same rights I do.
The Latest: Detroit bicyclists mark MLK Day holiday
President-elect Donald Trump is calling on Americans to honor Martin Luther King Jr. for “all of the many wonderful things that he stood for.” Trump, who is scheduled to meet with King’s son later in the day, may be trying to put behind him the controversy over his criticism of John Lewis, a black congressman and civil rights icon.
‘The Deportation Army Economic Stimulus Plan’
“Thankfully, the Deportation Army Economic Stimulus Plan is also a JOBS PLAN for men. We cannot investigate, round up, and deport illegals with the current staffing levels of the border patrol.
EU: Orwellian Counter-Terrorism Laws Stripping Rights Under Guise of Defending Them
Sweeping new laws are driving Europe into a deep and dangerous state of permanent securitization, Amnesty International said on the publication of a comprehensive human rights analysis of counter-terrorism measures across 14 EU member states. Dangerously disproportionate: The ever-expanding national security state in Europe reveals how a deluge of laws and amendments passed with break-neck speed, is undermining fundamental freedoms and dismantling hard-won human rights protections.
The Internet Wants to Give Chelsea Manning A Hug
Following reports that Chelsea Manning is on President Obama’s “short list” for a possible commutation, the Internet has exploded with support for the imprisoned transgender transparency advocate. Over the weekend, thousands of people started taking part in a spontaneous #HugsForChelsea campaign, posting photos of themselves with their arms outstretched as if waiting to give Chelsea Manning a hug, calling for President Obama to grant her clemency.
Murray and Cantwell criticized for drug import votes
JUNE 11: Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., speaks during a news conference in the Capitol on the Export-Import Bank bill, June 11, 2015. UNITED STATES – JUNE 11: Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., speaks during a news conference in the Capitol on the Export-Import Bank bill, June 11, 2015.
MLK III Meets With Donald Trump in New York
Martin Luther King III arrived at Trump Tower in New York to meet with president-elect Donald Trump. MLK III Meets With Donald Trump in New York Martin Luther King III arrived at Trump Tower in New York to meet with president-elect Donald Trump.
On King day, Trump meets with Martin Luther King III
Donald Trump will mark the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday by meeting with the son of the civil rights icon. On King day, Trump meets with Martin Luther King III Donald Trump will mark the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday by meeting with the son of the civil rights icon.
Trump lays down marker to judge his health care plan: Coverage ‘for everybody’
President-elect Donald Trump said, “I don’t want single-payer. What I do want is to be able to take care of people.”
Southern Indiana city renames road after President Obama
The southern Indiana city of New Albany has renamed a local road in honor of President Barack Obama days before the president leaves office. Crews installed signs Friday renaming Reas Lane as Barack Obama Way.
King Day highlights transition from Obama to Trump
As Americans celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights leaders and activists are trying to reconcile the transition from the nation’s first black president to a president-elect still struggling to connect with most non-white voters. King’s daughter on Monday encouraged Americans to fight for the slain civil rights leader’s vision of love and justice “no matter who is in the White House.”
John Goodson To Defend Himself at Circuit Court of Appeals
Texarkana class-action attorney John Goodson will get his day before the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals on Feb. 7. On that day, Goodson and four other attorneys who were found to have abused the court system by manipulating a controversial class-action case will argue that they shouldn’t have been punished.
Top Palestinian Official: Congress Limited in Push Back to U.N. Resolution
Congress has limited options for responding to a United Nations Security Council resolution critical of Israel, according to a top Palestinian official who spoke to THE WEEKLY STANDARD. The remarks from Maen Areikat, the chief representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization in the United States, came as lawmakers rolled out legislation in the aftermath of the December resolution, which describes the West Bank and east Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian territory and condemns Israeli construction in those areas.
Rubio Still Undecided on Tillerson Vote
Republican senator Marco Rubio told reporters Monday he is still mulling whether to support secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson, a decision that could bode ill for the former Exxon Mobil CEO’s confirmation hopes. The Florida Republican said he’s awaiting responses to written questions to Tillerson following last week’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.
Trump Inauguration Boycott Includes These New York Congressional Democrats
When Donald Trump is sworn in as the nation’s 45th President in four days, several New York City congressional representatives won’t be there. The Democrats say they are boycotting for several reasons: from Trump’s decision to not fully divest from his business empire to his attacks on civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis of Georgia.
Oman says it accepts 10 Guantanamo Bay detainees
Oman said Monday it accepted 10 detainees from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay ahead of President Barack Obama leaving office, part of his efforts to shrink the facility he promised to close. Oman’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had accepted the prisoners at Obama’s request.
Next gig for band: Defending its name
Ken Shima of the band The Slants warms up during a recording session in Eugene, Ore., in December 2016. The band is challenging the Patent Office’s decision to reject a trademark for their name, arguing that the government cannot make the decision on what kind of speech is disparaging.