Month: January 2017

Paul Ryan expected to be re-elected as House speaker Tuesday

Paul Ryan is expected to be easily re-elected Tuesday as speaker of the House, kicking off the new Congress and marking a quiet end following a year that saw both parties questioning their congressional leadership. Ryan was re-elected by the House Republican conference in November to serve a second term as speaker of the House.

Land Trust Celebrates Latest Property Addition

A flagship property of natural habitat in northern Moore County was recently placed under the protection of the Sandhills Area Land Trust – the organization’s 100th protection effort. At 330-acres, the Seaboard, Hanson/Pleasant tract continues SALT’s Deep River Initiative.

Ex-CIA agent on Spicer: ‘What the hell is that dude talking about?’

A former CIA operative on Tuesday slammed incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer for saying there is “zero evidence” of Russian interference in last year’s election. Donald Trump Trump: ObamaCare provides ‘lousy healthcare’ Ex-CIA agent on Spicer: ‘What the hell is that dude talking about?’ Trump slams GM on Twitter MORE and his team have repeatedly dismissed the intelligence community’s finding that the Kremlin interfered in the presidential race, even after the Obama administration issued new sanctions against Moscow and the FBI and Department of Homeland Security released a report last week detailing their findings.

Power firm quashes reports of US grid breached by Russian hackers

A US power utility company confirms that the US power grid was not breached by Russian hackers as reported by some US media An electrical power company in Burlington, Vermont has quashed reports that the US power grid was breached by Russian cyber attackers. According to its website, the Burlington Electric Department scanned its systems in response to an alert by the Department of Homeland Security about Russian malware dubbed Grizzly Steppe.

Ex-death row inmate in Ohio wants new trial amid new doubts

A one-time death row inmate in Ohio whose sentence was commuted to life in prison has asked a judge for a new trial based on concerns that have surfaced about a former state crime lab worker. Attorneys for Kevin Keith are questioning whether the state forensic expert provided unreliable testimony against him at his 1994 trial.

No proof Russian hacking influenced US election: Trump spokesman

No evidence has emerged to suggest Russian hacking influenced the outcome of the U.S. presidential election and it would be irresponsible to jump to conclusions before receiving a final intelligence report, Donald Trump’s spokesman said on Monday. Chief Strategist & Communications Director for the Republican National Committee Sean Spicer arrives in the lobby of Republican president-elect Donald Trump’s Trump Tower in New York, New York, U.S. November 14, 2016.

Senate Democrats Target President-Elect Trumpa s Cabinet Nominees

Senate Democrats are preparing to take a stand against eight of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks, a move which could slow the confirmation process, a senior Democratic aide confirmed to ABC News. With confirmation hearings scheduled to begin next week, the senators are calling for more detailed background information and financial records from Trump’s picks, including Secretary of State nominee ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions, and Department of Health & Human Services nominee Tom Price, as first reported by The Washington Post .

USDA: Emerging Markets Account For Most Of The Growth In Agricultural Exports

USDA: EMERGING MARKETS ACCOUNT FOR MOST OF THE GROWTH IN AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS Jan. 3, 2017 Source: USDA news release Growth in demand for food, and by extension for agricultural imports, is particularly sensitive to growth in per capita incomes in developing countries, where relatively large shares of rising incomes are typically spent on increasing both the amount and diversity of foods consumed. In contrast, consumers in more developed countries, where per capita incomes and food intake are already relatively high, are less likely to spend as much of new income on increasing the amount of food they eat.

Cattlemen Hopeful Trump Administration Will Have Fewer Regulations

CATTLEMEN HOPEFUL TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL HAVE FEWER REGULATIONS Jan. 3, 2017 Drover’s reports: As 2016 comes to a close the Obama administration is finalizing what policy it can before president-elect Donald Trump makes his way into the White House. A common theme for the new administration that might be a boon to agriculture is deregulation.

Ted McKinney Re-Appointed As Sec’y Of Indiana Ag, Comments On 2017 Goals

APPOINTED AS SEC’Y OF INDIANA AG, COMMENTS ON 2017 GOALS Jan. 3, 2017 Hoosier Ag Today reports: In the Governor Eric Holcomb administration which takes office next month, Ted McKinney will continue as Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. McKinney knows the incoming governor well, and continuity from the Pence years will be helpful for the ag department.

AP Lists Its Top Global Business News Stories

AP LISTS ITS TOP GLOBAL BUSINESS NEWS STORIES Jan. 3, 2017 AP reports: Globalization, the path that the world economy has largely followed for decades, took some hefty blows in 2016. The election of Donald Trump as U.S. president and Britain’s decision to leave the European Union have raised questions over the future of tariff-free trade and companies’ freedom to move production to lower-cost countries.

The Patriotic Response to Populism

If 2016 was the year of reckless populism, then 2017 must be the year of clear-eyed patriotism. The surest way to confront demagogues like Donald Trump, and to manage ordeals like Brexit, is by appealing not only to reason but also to common purpose and duty.

Stardust and dirt

Alec Baldwin , as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and Kate McKinnon, as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, delivered election laughs on Saturday Night live. Brangelina broke up.

The US, Europe, Japan and China…where should you invest in 2017?

What the This is Money team would like to see in 2017: From stamp duty cuts, to customers losing misplaced loyalty and rates to rise What next for savings rates in 2017? After a terrible year for returns we get the experts’ view on whether savers are set for further misery Which is the best used family saloon for under A 10k? We put an Audi, BMW, Mercedes and VW to the test Round pound coins will cease to be legal tender in OCTOBER: New 12-sided A 1 will hit the streets in March – as will new Jane Austen A 2 M&S shoppers face price hikes of ‘up to 15% on basic goods’ despite a pledge to shield customers from the falling value of the pound Britain’s deserted shopping malls: Visits to stores plunge by HALF on New Year’s Day – as online sales triumph What would you do with a windfall worth A 100,000? Five experts reveal how they would invest a big lump sum How to soften the blow of rising … (more)

What do we want?

President-elect Donald Trump put on Twitter last week that new economic indicators are uncommonly good. Then he wrote, “Thanks, Donald.”

Police end NAACP sit-in against attorney general nominee

The national president of the NAACP and five others were arrested after staging a sit-in Tuesday at the Alabama office of Sen. Jeff Sessions, the nominee for U.S. attorney general, the civil rights group said. The organization held the demonstration to protest Sessions’ nomination by President-elect Donald Trump, criticizing Sessions’ record and views on civil rights, immigration, criminal justice reform, and voting rights enforcement.

Judge: Requiring more parking for mosque is unconstitutional

An upscale New Jersey town violated anti-discrimination laws by insisting that a proposed mosque have more parking spaces than churches or synagogues because of its unique worship times and traditions, a federal judge has ruled. The ruling issued Saturday by U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp stated that Bernards Township violated the Religious Land Use and Institutional Persons Act by applying a different standard to Muslims.

Trump to name Lighthizer as trade representative, tap Pence adviser for West Wing

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate Robert E. Lighthizer as the U.S. trade representative, a transition official confirmed Monday night, recruiting to his Cabinet a veteran of the Reagan administration who has decades of experience in trade policy and litigation. Lighthizer, whose nomination is expected to be formally announced as early as Tuesday, will join a team of Trump lieutenants charged with fulfilling one the central promises of Trump’s populist candidacy: aggressively confronting China, Mexico and other nations the president-elect believes have been taking advantage of international trade agreements, to the detriment of U.S. workers.

House Republicans Move To Weaken Congressional Ethics Office

U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy laughs as he and House Speaker Paul Ryan, flanked by House Republican Whip Steve Scalise , introduce Representative Jason Smith and Representative Luke Messer as new members of the House Republican leadership team after their caucus held leadership elections on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. November 15, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst In an abrupt move made without the backing of their leaders, Republicans in the House of Representatives plan to dramatically scale back an independent congressional ethics office created eight years ago.

Opinion: A ‘precap’ for 2017

Jan. 20 – Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts looks on as Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey administers a 140-character version of the oath of office to the nation’s 45th president. Mar. 22 – CNN expands its roster of paid Trump apologists to include David Buono, the head golf professional at Mar-a-Lago.

Ex-Chicago top cop blames Black Lives Matter for surge in murders

Chicago’s disgraced top cop thinks Black Lives Matter is to blame for his city’s sharp surge in violence. Garry McCarthy – who served as the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department for nearly four years before getting fired in 2015 – went on “The Cats Roundtable” radio show on New Year’s Day and accused police brutality protesters of creating a “political atmosphere of anti-police sentiment.”

Requiring more parking for N.J. mosque is unconstitutional, judge rules

An upscale New Jersey town violated anti-discrimination laws by insisting that a proposed mosque have more parking spaces than churches or synagogues because of its unique worship times and traditions, a federal judge has ruled. The ruling issued Saturday by U.S. District Judge Michael Shipp stated that Bernards Township violated the Religious Land Use and Institutional Persons Act by applying a different standard to Muslims.

Youngstown CEO to host presidential party

A Valley businessman is invited to take part in President Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration festivities in Washington D.C. After Trump takes his oath on Jan. 20, Bruce Zoldan, CEO and president of Phantom Fireworks, will be ready to party with the president. Zoldan also mentioned tweets from both Trump and his wife Melania Trump about how excited they are about the party.

Donald Trump to ‘repeal’ lot of Obama’s actions on day one in office

Washington [USA], Jan. 2 : Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer has said that President-elect Donald Trump plans to repeal a raft of incumbent Barack Obama’s executive actions in his first day in office. Spicer said on ABC’s “This Week” that Trump will immediately “repeal a lot of the regulations and actions that have been taken by this administration over the last eight years that have hampered both economic growth and job creation,” reports the CNN.

SpaceX finds source of rocket explosion, plans new launch

SpaceX plans to resume flights as early as next week after finding the cause of an explosion that destroyed a rocket and satellite on a Florida launch pad in September. The Hawthorne, California-based company is aiming for a Sunday, Jan. 8, flight from Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday .

The fix was in for Jim Kim

Joe Asch at Dartblog has the story of how President Obama engineered the reappointment of Jim Kim ten months prior to the end of his term as president of the World Bank. Readers may recall that Kim served briefly as president of Dartmouth College.

Arnold Schwarzenegger reveals his New Celebrity Apprentice catchphrase

The post-Donald Trump era of NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice has arrived, and with it the debut of new host Arnold Schwarzenegger’s catchphrase for firing contestants in the climactic boardroom showdown segment. NBC’s The Apprentice franchise has taken on heightened significance in pop culture because it proved to be the vehicle that president-elect Trump used to establish himself as a household name, paving the way for his convention-busting political career.