Month: January 2017

Who is Julian Assange?

President-elect Donald Trump picked a fight with the US intelligence community in recent days, elevating the statements of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Russian President Vladimir Putin over his own nation’s top spies. “Somebody needs to march into his office and explain who Julian Assange is,” former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, a Republican and CNN contributor, offered Wednesday, in the wake of the controversy.

Russia interfered in presidential election: US intelligence chief

Washington, Jan 6 – The US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has said Russia staged cyber attacks to try to interfere in the November 8 presidential election. A report containing declassified information on the Russian hacking operation would be released next week, Clapper said during an appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Efe news reported.

US transfers more Guantanamo prisoners

The Pentagon announced Thursday that four inmates were transferred from the Guantanamo Bay prison to Saudi Arabia, dropping the prison’s population to 55. “The United States is grateful to the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing US efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility,” the Pentagon said in a statement. The news comes amid reports President Barack Obama is attempting to empty the facility as much as possible prior to Inauguration Day.

GOP seeks to punish UN with funding cut after Israel vote

Congressional Republicans are prepping legislation to slash US funding to the United Nations, saying it’s the right response following last month’s Security Council vote condemning Israeli settlements. The conservative House Freedom Caucus will meet Monday to discuss whether to move forward with efforts to reduce funding to the world body or to require Congress to reauthorize the spending every two years or it will cease.

No. 2 Senate Republican: Obamacare won’t be replaced all at once

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas said Thursday Republicans won’t offer a comprehensive bill to replace Obamacare, saying instead that the GOP will try to enact individual health care measures. So instead, top Republicans are looking at a mix of smaller bills that could attract bipartisan support in Congress and executive actions that could be pursued by President-elect Donald Trump and Rep. Tom Price if he’s confirmed as Health and Humans Services secretary.

The fight to defund Planned Parenthood has very little to do…

In a one-two punch, House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday that Republicans plan to defund Planned Parenthood when they try to repeal the Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare. Thursday morning, Planned Parenthood launched a national campaign focused on keeping Republicans in Congress from gutting the healthcare law, and from passing legislation to “defund” the organization.

Englewood school board ‘quite ready to start working’

Englewood school board ‘quite ready to start working’ Englewood Board of Education swore in three new members Thursday at its annual reorganization meeting. Check out this story on northjersey.com: http://northjersy.news/2j9V0ae Angela Midgette-David, Kim Donaldson and Elisabeth Schwartz joined the board, having won over the slate of incumbents Junius “Jeff” Carter and Devry Pazant and challenger William Feinstein in the November election.

Joe Biden to Trump: ‘Grow up. Time to be an adult’

The vice president made the critical remarks during an interview with PBS on Thursday. Asked to comment on Trump’s frequent use of Twitter, and particularly a controversial tweet in which he called Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer the “head clown” of the Democratic Party, Biden didn’t pull any punches.

Sources: Trump will ask Congress, not Mexico, to pay for border wall

President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has signaled to congressional Republican leaders that the President-elect’s preference is to fund the border wall through the appropriations process as soon as April, according to House Republican officials. The move would break a key campaign promise when Trump repeatedly said he would force Mexico to pay for the construction of the wall along the border.

Namechecked by Obama, gay ex-Navy officer joins race to revive Democrats

Washington; The gay, 34-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana – namechecked recently by President Obama – has entered the contest for chairman of the Democratic party, presenting himself as an alternative to the two leading candidates. Warning that beleaguered Democrats can ill afford a replay of their contentious presidential primary in the race to lead the Democratic National Committee, Pete Buttigieg said “this is not a time to relitigate an old battle”.

Trump picks former U.S. Senator Coats as director of national intelligence

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday picked former U.S. Senator Dan Coats as his director of national intelligence, two senior transition officials said, as he puts his stamp on a U.S. intelligence community that he frequently criticizes. The official announcement was expected this week as Trump makes decisions on some of the remaining major positions he must fill as he prepares to take over the White House on Jan. 20. Coats, 73, is a traditional conservative from Indiana who just finished a six-year term in the U.S. Senate.

Obama plans final White House bash before term ends Jan. 20

Before his farewell address, President Barack Obama plans a farewell bash Friday night to celebrate the end of his presidency. While the White House isn’t saying who’s on the guest list, Chicago-based hip-hop artist Chance the Rapper said Wednesday on Facebook and Twitter that he was about to fly “21 hours to DC to bid farewell to the greatest president in US history.

Recalling Syria ‘red line,’ Kerry says US didn’t back down

Touting his four years as secretary of state, John Kerry on Thursday attempted to explain one of the most contentious moments in American diplomacy during his tenure: President Barack Obama’s failure to enforce his “red line” warning to Syria about using chemical weapons. In a news conference meant to promote his achievements, Kerry said that Obama didn’t backtrack in 2013 on his ultimatum to Syrian President Bashar Assad not to attack rebels or civilians with his chemical weapons arsenal.

House GOP passes bill to undo a midnighta Obama administration regulations

House Republicans passed a bill aimed at reversing “midnight” or last-minute regulations created in the waning months of a presidential administration on Wednesday. The Midnight Rules Relief Act, which passed the House mostly along party lines 238-184, would allow Congress to repeal rules finalized in the last 60 legislative days of President Obama’s administration.

As 115th Congress Begins, NJ’s Newest Rep. Seeks the Center

House Speaker Paul Ryan administers the House oath of office to Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., during a mock swearing in ceremony on Capitol Hill on Jan. 3, 2017 After taking the oath of office Tuesday, Democrat Josh Gottheimer became the newest member of the New Jersey congressional delegation. In one of the few bright spots for Democrats in the November election, Gottheimer unseated 7-term Republican Scott Garrett in New Jersey’s 5th congressional district.

Intel chiefs: Trump is wrong, Russia behind 2016 hacks

Old school Republicans in the Senate aren’t sitting idly by as their party’s new leader Donald Trump bashes the intelligence community and questions findings that Russia hacked American entities and operatives in order to influence the 2016 election. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., used his power as Senate Armed Services Committee chairman on Thursday to launch a probe of Russia’s role in the hacking.

Sanderson Farms says ‘HB 1523 could inflict a staggering amount of damage’ on economy

Sanderson Farms, Inc. the second largest industrial manufacturing company in Mississippi and a Fortune 1000 company, publicly stated it is against Mississippi’s Religious Liberty Accommodations Act or House Bill 1523 . Sanderson Farms, which is headquartered in Laurel, is one of 11 prominent Mississippi businesses and individuals included in a brief filed with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans arguing “HB 1523 not only demeans and discriminates against” Mississippi’s gay, lesbian and transgender population, but “stigmatizes the entire state and will cause lasting harm to Mississippi’s economy – driving down the state’s GDP, deterring business development and expansion, and costing the state jobs.”

Trump selects former Sen. Coats for top intelligence post

President-elect Donald Trump has selected former Indiana Sen. Dan Coats to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a role that would thrust him into the center of the intelligence community Trump has publicly challenged, a person with knowledge of the decision said Thursday. Coats served as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee before retiring from Congress last year.

Dems want probe of Trump Cabinet pick over stock sales

Top Senate Democrats said Thursday that the House ethics office should investigate whether stock sales by a congressman who is now one of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks broke any laws. The Democrats cited a Wall Street Journal report last month that Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., had traded over $300,000 worth of shares in health care companies over the past four years while pushing legislation that might affect those stocks’ values.

Trump may pursue border wall with Mexico without new legislation

Congressional Republicans and Donald Trump’s transition team are exploring whether they can make good on Trump’s promise of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border without passing new legislation, officials said Thursday. Under the evolving plan, the Trump administration would rely on existing legislation authorizing fencing and other technology along the southern border.

Trump builds out White House policy team

NEW YORKa S-a SThe Trump-Pence Presidential transition team on Thursday announced the build out of the White House policy team. NEW YORKa S-a SThe Trump-Pence Presidential transition team on Thursday announced the build out of the White House policy team.

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.