Day: February 7, 2017

House Speaker Ryan Says Obamacare Replacement Bill to Pass This Year

The U.S. House of Representatives’ Republican leader said on Tuesday that legislation to replace former President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law will be completed this year, trying to assuage concerns that the party is retreating from its campaign promise to dismantle Obamacare. “We are going to be done legislating with respect to healthcare and Obamacare this year,” House Speaker Paul Ryan told a news briefing.

Warren Violates Arcane Rule, Sparking Senate Dustup

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has earned a rare rebuke by the Senate for – believe it or not – quoting Coretta Scott King on the Senate floor. The Massachusetts Democrat ran afoul of the chamber’s arcane rules by reading a 30-year-old letter from Dr. Martin Luther King’s widow that dated to Sen. Jeff Sessions ‘ failed judicial nomination three decades ago.

GOP Senior Statesmen Making Push for a Carbon Tax

A group of Republican senior statesmen are pushing for a carbon tax to combat the effects of climate change , and hoping to sell their plan to the White House. Former Secretary of State Jim Baker is leading the effort, which also includes former Secretary of State George Shultz.

House votes to kill BLM “Planning 2.0” rule aimed at giving…

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to kill a federal rule that gives Americans more of a voice in large-scale planning for projects using public land, including 8.4 million acres in Colorado. The action launched by House Republicans, including sponsors Rep. Scott Tipton of Colorado and Liz Cheney of Wyoming, would nullify the Bureau of Land Management’s “Planning 2.0” rule that took effect in December.

House GOP leaders want more security at town halls

House Speaker Paul Ryan and top House GOP leaders are urging rank-and-file members to increase security after several unruly town hall meetings dominated by Obamacare protests, including one that involved a member needing a police escort. Members were cautioned at a closed-door conference meeting on Tuesday to be aware of organized efforts to disrupt events at home and told them take steps to ensure their own safety and that of their aides.

Minnesota lawmakers riled by free tickets in stadium suites

The oversight authority for the Minnesota Vikings’ new stadium issued nearly half of the tickets for a pair of luxury suites to friends and family of top officials and leased a third suite used for state profit, the state’s legislative auditor said Tuesday while releasing a report on the suite usage at U.S. Bank Stadium. Republican legislators condemned the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority during the hearing of the Office of the Legislative Auditor investigation that raised concerns about sloppy record-keeping and a continued lack of oversight of the organization’s practice of giving away tickets for games and concerts at the new downtown Minneapolis stadium, which was partially funded by the public.

Exclusive: White House eyeing executive order targeting ‘conflict minerals’ rule – sources

President Donald Trump is planning to issue an executive order targeting a controversial Dodd-Frank rule that requires companies to disclose whether their products contain “conflict minerals” from a war-torn part of Africa, according to sources familiar with the administration’s thinking. Reuters could not learn the precise timing of when the order will be issued, or exactly what it will say.

Possible Russia-US cooperation positive for Syria: Assad

Damascus, Feb 8 – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said a cooperation between Russia and the US would be positive, not only for Syria, but the entire world as well, state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday. Speaking to Belgium reporters in Damascus, Assad said the remarks of US President Donald Trump were promising, as Trump regarded the war on terror, mainly the Islamic State group, in his presidential campaign, while also noted that it’s still too soon to judge such remarks, Xinhua reported.

Here’s an early look at how questioning went in the appeals court review of Trump’s immigration ban

Judge Richard R. Clifton, shown in 2002, from left; Judge William Canby, shown in 2015; and Judge Michelle T. Friedland, shown in 2014, sit on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. A federal appeals court panel reviewing President Trump’s controversial limits on travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries appeared inclined Tuesday to rule that two states had the right to challenge the ban.

Federal Appeals Court Hears Arguments on Trump Travel Ban

In an unusual set of oral arguments by conference call late Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard and questioned attorneys for the federal government and for the States of Washington and Minnesota over the government’s plea to set aside a district judge’s temporary restraining order against the Trump administration’s travel ban. The government had the burden of convincing the judges that letting the TRO remain in place while the district court heard the case would represent “irreparable harm” to the national interest and would also interfere with the president’s exercise of congressionally delegated authority over immigration law.

Army to allow completion of Dakota Access oil pipeline

This Sept. 29, 2016, file photo, shows a section of the Dakota Access Pipeline under construction near the town of St. Anthony in Morton County, N.D. The Army has notified Congress Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017, that it will allow the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline to cross under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota, completing the four-state project to move North Dakota oil to Illinois.

Watch Former WNBA Player Tamika Catchings’ Inspiring Life Story

ICYMI, American women are spreading some serious female power in 2017-did you see the incredible turnout and inspiring signs at the Women’s March in January after the inauguration? They’re standing up for what’s right, making their presence known, and voicing their opinions loud and clear. While there’s been a surge his movement certainly didn’t start overnight.

Schumer says he has ‘serious concerns’ about Gorsuch

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday he has “serious, serious concerns” about President Donald Trump ‘s Supreme Court nominee after their meeting, complaining that the federal judge “avoided answers like the plague.” The New York Democrat said after the meeting that he asked Gorsuch about “whether a Muslim ban could in concept be constitutional,” alluding to Trump’s executive order banning entries to the U.S. from seven majority-Muslim countries; about Trump’s unsubstantiated comments that there may have been millions of illegal votes in the 2016 election; and about the reach of executive power.

Advocates plan Hillsboro rally to support sanctuary designation

The Hillsboro City Council will meet Feb. 7, 2017 where members will be expected to fill a vacant seat. Later this month the City Council will discuss a proposal to designate Hillsboro as a sanctuary city for immigrants and vote on the resolution on March 7. ) Hundreds of people say they plan to march Tuesday afternoon supporting an effort to designate Hillsboro as a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants.

Ridgefield resident named to top position at Northeast Coast

Members of the United States Coast Guard color guard, sector Long Island Sound out of New Haven, Ct, during the History Committee of the Black Rock Community Council ceremony to dedicate a large stone monument placed at historic St Mary’s by the Sea Bridgeport, CT to honor the memory of Kate Moore, a 19th Century lighthouse keeper. Saturday, September 19, 2015.

Obamas join Richard Branson for private island getaway

Former President Barack Obama , and his wife, Michelle, have spent some time vacationing with Richard Branson since leaving the White House. The Virgin Group founder put up a blog post with pictures and video of the ex-president kitesurfing off one of Branson’s private islands in the British Virgin Islands.

NATO troops deploy in Lithuania, underscoring commitment to defense

Netherlands’ soldiers attend a ceremony to welcome the German battalion being deployed to Lithuania as part of NATO deterrence measures against Russia in Rukla, Lithuania February 7, 2017. German soldiers attend a ceremony to welcome the German battalion being deployed to Lithuania as part of NATO deterrence measures against Russia in Rukla, Lithuania February 7, 2017.

Country could use more of the Gorsuch approach

Another day, another administration and Senate, another partisan fight that catches a highly qualified Supreme Court candidate in the crosshairs. Democrats complain with some justification that Republicans should have taken up the nomination of well-qualified Merrick Garland late in President Obama’s term.

Trump’s immigration ban facing uphill legal battle

From the moment a federal judge in Seattle blocked President Trump’s executive order temporarily banning immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries, Trump was facing an uphill legal battle. Trump’s immigration ban facing uphill legal battle From the moment a federal judge in Seattle blocked President Trump’s executive order temporarily banning immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries, Trump was facing an uphill legal battle.

Jorge Ramos slams Trump’s anti-immigrant policies: ‘I…

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump fields a question from Univision and Fusion anchor Jorge Ramos during a press conference on August 25, 2015 in Dubuque, Iowa Jorge Ramos of Univision penned an op-ed for Fusion on Tuesday in which he noted that the xenophobic rhetoric that President Donald Trump has turned into policy has lead him to the conclusion that he no longer “recognize[s] this country anymore.” Ramos came to the U.S. from Mexico in the 1980s to pursue his career in journalism.

Donald Trump has thrown Mexico’s shockingly unpopular president a lifeline

As US president Donald Trump presses on with his personal crusade against us Mexicans, he’s finding out at last that the realities of government are quite different from the realities of life on the campaign trail. Trump has now made his plan for a wall on the Mexican border official by way of an executive order but, in a democratic system, formulating a “policy” is completely different to implementing it.

GOP leaders advise House members on dealing with protests

House Republicans are discussing how to deal with protesters showing up at their town halls and other events in their home districts after angry confrontations this past weekend. GOP leaders told members at a closed-door meeting on Tuesday to be welcoming and polite while arranging for moderators and security.