SB 1 would raise more than $5 billion for road repairs by increasing the registration fee by $38 for gasoline-burning vehicles and $100 for zero-emission vehicles. It also would make an adjustment to the gas excise tax that would be phased in over three years; increase the price-based gas excise tax by 7.5 per-gallon; adjust the diesel excise tax by 20 per-gallon; and increase the diesel sales tax by 4 percent.
Day: February 23, 2017
Montana abortion bill would make doctors try to save fetus
Montana lawmakers pushed forward with a measure Thursday that would effectively ban all abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy, regardless of the medical risks to a woman, by requiring doctors to deliver the fetus and try to save it. Critics of the bill said it could be among the most extreme anti-abortion laws in the nation, even as other states consider their own proposals that would reduce the window for legal abortions.
The Latest: Jenner calls transgender decision ‘a disaster’
Caitlyn Jenner is taking President Donald Trump to task for his administration’s reversal of a directive on transgender access to public school bathrooms. Jenner addresses Trump in a video posted Thursday night on Twitter.
California immigration policy debate brings local law enforcement role into focus
A California proposal to shield people from deportation by limiting communication between local police and federal agents took on new relevance this week after the Department of Homeland Security revealed it will try to enlist the help of local law enforcement agencies to crack down further on illegal immigration. A two-decade-old program the feds want to expand – which delegates immigration enforcement authority to some local officers – has all but disappeared from California.
Caitlyn Jenner Slams Donald Trump’s Anti-Transgender Policy In…
Caitlyn Jenner once proudly supported Donald Trump, but after rolling back protection of transgendered students in public schools, she’s changed her mind! The former Olympian thinks the President’s new policy is a total ‘disaster!’ Watch the video! Remember when Caitlyn Jenner , 67, was the only one in her family who attended Donald Trump ‘s, 70, inauguration? Well, maybe she’s wishing she hadn’t. The President’s latest policy against transgenders students in public schools across the nation has rattled Caitlyn to the very core.
White House says it will step up enforcement of marijuana laws
Oregon lawmakers have repudiated a White House statement suggesting the U.S. Justice Department will enforce the federal prohibition on recreational marijuana in states that have legalized it. When Oregonians legalized recreational pot in 2014, they knew there was a risk of a federal crackdown with future presidential administrations, said Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Portland.
GOP Congress backs Trump’s border wall to stop nukes hidden in weed
“President Donald Trump’s plan to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico has been highly questioned as effective, but one conservative congressman believes it’s the only answer to all the nukes rampantly smuggled in disguised as marijuana. Rep. Trent Franks recently appeared on CNN to defend Trump’s proposed Mexico border that would cost over $20 billion to build.
Grassley, Ernst, and other GOP face town hall anger
A judge in New York has delayed the sentencing of a man convicted in a second trial of killing 6-year-old Etan Patz in 1979. – Across the country, as Senators and Congressmen are on home recess, town halls are turning into a hot beds for political activism.
Celebrities, Politicians-Even YouTube!-Have Come Out Against Trump’s Trans Hate
Yesterday was a bleak day for America’s trans community , as Donald Trump officially rescinded the protections that Barack Obama had put in place for trans students. Whereas since May 2016 the Department of Justice told schools that trans students had to be allowed to use bathrooms matching their gender identity, those guidelines no longer exist.
Here’s a Complete List of Trans People Busted for Lewd Conduct in the Bathroom
There is zero evidence that trans people “prey” upon anyone, let alone children, when they’re just trying to pee. The National Center for Transgender Equality has “not heard of a single instance of a transgender person harassing a non-transgender person in a public restroom.
Lowey Asks Feds To Repay NYC For $300K Daily Cost To Guard Trump Tower
Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Congressman Jose E. Serrano, ranking Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee and the Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee, Thursday called for federal reimbursement for costs New York City first responders incur to protect President Donald Trump and his family. NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill informed the Congressional delegation Wednesday that NYPD and FDNY spent $25.7 million for this purpose between Election Day and the inauguration, and ongoing daily costs for NYPD of up to $308,000 when President Trump is in New York.
Fake News: WaPo Says Trump Rally was ‘Demonic’ – …
It took the Washington Post a little over one month to accuse President Trump and his supporters of being demonic. A Florida pastor who took his 11-year-old daughter to a campaign-style rally for President Trump said he hoped the event would serve as a civics lesson – but that it turned instead into a spectacle where “demonic activity was palpable.”
Key dates for transgender rights in the US
1969: Transgender people are in the forefront of the Stonewall Inn riots in New York City, which helped spark the U.S. gay-rights movement. 1977: The New York Supreme Court rules in favor of transgender physician/athlete Renee Richards in her bid to play pro tennis as a woman.
Jeff Sessions Goes Against Obama-Era Directive To Close Private Prisons
Sessions issued a memo replacing one issued last August by Sally Yates, the deputy attorney general at the time. That memo, which followed a harshly critical government audit of privately run prisons, directed the federal Bureau of Prisons to begin reducing and ultimately end its reliance on contract facilities.
Trump making good on promises to coal miners
Reducing harmful regulations and bringing back blue-collar jobs were major themes of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Now he is following through on those pledges.
Giffords tells lawmakers to hold town halls
But Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert won’t be facing any angry constituents in person. He’s opted for teleconferences instead.
Jake Turx, Jewish reporter, reflects on clash with Trump
Before President Donald Trump’s infamous 76-minute press conference on February 16, Jake Turx was a relatively unknown Washington reporter for Ami magazine. But that changed dramatically when Turx, who is visibly Jewish but describes himself as a “post-labelist millennial”, stood up after Trump pointed to him, seeking a “friendly reporter”.
‘Get out of my country’: Indian shot dead by American in Kansas
WASHINGTON: An Indian engineer was killed and two others injured when an American man opened fire on them after allegedly yelling “get out of my country”, with the local police calling it as a “possible hate crime”. Srinivas Kunchubhotla, 32, working at the Garmin headquarters in Olathe, was killed in the shooting on Wednesday night, while another Indian and his colleague Alok Madasani was critically injured and is battling for life at a local hospital.
Editorial: Don’t kill a species-saving law
A bald eagle sits perched in a tree this week near the St. Joseph River in South Bend, Ind. In the late 20th century, the bald eagle was on the brink of extirpation in the contiguous United States.
Philippines: Duterte critic De Lima arrested on drug-related charges
One of the fiercest critics of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and his bloody crackdown on illegal drugs was arrested Thursday evening on drug-related charges in what supporters say is a politically motivated vendetta. Sen. Leila de Lima is accused of having abetted the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison when she was justice secretary from 2010 to 2015.
Customs agents check IDs of domestic flight passengers at JFK
Customs agents caused a flap at Kennedy Airport late Wednesday with a surprise checkpoint at the exit door of a domestic flight from San Francisco. Passengers on Delta Flight 1583 were asked to show their IDs to armed U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents as they stepped off the aircraft onto the jet bridge, according to passengers who snapped photos and posted them online.
Steve Bannon and Reince Priebus made a rare joint appearance…
President Donald Trump’s chief strategist and his chief of staff sat down together in a rare joint appearance Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland, aiming to get that point across in a 25-minute discussion. Interviewed by the chairman of the American Conservative Union, Matt Schlapp, the two attempted to shut down reports of discord between them while painting the news media, as Bannon repeatedly called it, as “the opposition party.”
Boozman goes the French Hill route on constituent access
HOLD THE PHONE: That’s the only way to get a question to Sen. Boozman. And it won’t be easy.
Uber Criticized by Venture Backers Over Harassment Claims
A pair of venture capital investors in Uber Technologies Inc. criticized the company for tapping insiders to conduct an investigation into sexual harassment and discrimination claims by a former employee. Mitch and Freada Kapor, spouses and investing partners at Kapor Capital, said they have been unsuccessful in their attempts to convince Uber behind the scenes to prioritize diversity issues.
Trump calls deportations a ‘military operation.’ Could he make them one?
During a meeting with manufacturing CEOs at the White House on Thursday, President Donald Trump described moves by his administration to deport illegal immigrants as a “military operation.” Trump’s use of the word “military” to describe the enforcement of deportation policies is drawing a lot of attention, and for good reason.
Transgender teen to press Supreme Court case despite Trump administration guidance
Attorneys for a Virginia transgender teen who sued his school board for barring him from the boys’ bathroom said Thursday that they plan to continue to press his case before the U.S. Supreme Court, despite the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw guidance on transgender students that had buoyed his lawsuit. Lawyers with the American … Complete access to news articles on this website is available to Daily Record subscribers who are logged in.
Conservatives urged not to ‘squander’ Trump presidency
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, right, accompanied by White House strategist Stephen Bannon, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017. White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, right, accompanied by White House strategist Stephen Bannon, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md., Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017.
Tillerson and Kelly’s Visit to Mexico Went About as Well as You’d Expect
America’s top diplomat and top U.S. counterterrorism official were in Mexico Thursday for what could only be described as an awkward visit. First, there’s the issue of the wall that U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to build along the U.S.-Mexican border.
FBI using billboards for tips in killings of 2 Indiana teens
Indiana State Police Peru post public information officer Tony Slocum talks during a news conference to provide the latest details of the investigation into the murders of Liberty German and Abigail Williams on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, at Delphi United Methodist Church in Delphi, Ind. German, 14, Williams, 13, were murdered last week while hiking the High Bridge Trail just east of Delphi.
Military Vehicles, Bulldozers and Heavily Armed Police Remove Dakota…
On Thursday military vehicles, bulldozers and heavily armed police showed up to remove protesters who were blocking construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. RT reports that roughly 100 protesters remained in the camp on Wednesday after they defied orders from the North Dakota Governor to evacuate.
Lawmakers, actors and advocates – shine light’ on slavery
It’s something many people think is a thing of the past. But right now 27 million people are living in slavery.
Judge: Man accused in store poisoning competent for trial
The Ann Arbor News reports that 30-year-old Kyle Bessemer was bound over Thursday for trial in circuit court in Washtenaw County. The FBI has said Bessemer admitted he sprayed a mixture of hand sanitizer, mouse poison and water on produce and food bars at three local supermarkets.
Upset at Trump, Mexico voices ‘worry and irritation’ to US envoys
Mexico on Thursday expressed “worry and irritation” about US policies to two of President Donald Trump’s top envoys, giving a chilly reply to the new administration’s hard line on immigration, trade and security. The US government this week angered Mexico by saying it was seeking to deport many illegal immigrants to Mexico if they entered the United States from there, regardless of their nationality.
Barrancas Cemetery Project provides opportunity for District to give back to Veterans, Families
The daughter of Chief Master Sgt. Arthur Arehart Sr., U.S. Air Force, pays respect to her late father at the Barrancas National Cemetery at the Naval Air Station-Pensacola, Fl., Feb. 14. The final resting place for Arehart is in a section of columbarium that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, constructed last year.
Minneapolis women line up for ‘she persisted’ tattoos
So many women showed up at a Minneapolis tattoo parlor for a permanent reminder of female solidarity that it had to turn away some latecomers. Local women Chelsea Brink, Nora McInerny and Kate O’Reilly organized a fundraiser in which people could get a tattoo of the words “Nevertheless, she persisted,” for $75, Minnesota Public Radio reported .
Internet poker company founder pleads not guilty to U.S. charges
The founder of what had been one of the largest online poker websites agreed on Thursday to confront U.S. charges stemming from a long-running criminal case targeting internet firms like his operating illegally in the United States. Scott Tom, who founded Costa Rica-based Absolute Poker, pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court to charges he violated a federal internet gambling law and engaged in a money-laundering conspiracy.
As Trump orders bureaucrats to slash regulations, Canada shares lessons learned
Donald Trump has ordered his bureaucrats to slash regulations – for every one created, the U.S. president wants them to eliminate two. Now comes the hard part of actually implementing the campaign promise.
Senate Committee Holds Hearing On Bill To Ban Voting By Undocumented Immigrants
In Annapolis, a Senate committee today held a hearing on a bill that would bar undocumented immigrants from voting in municipal elections. Undocumented immigrants cannot legally vote in state and federal elections, but can legally vote in municipal elections that allow it.
Can a football coach get elected governor?
Deposed Cincinnati football coach Tommy Tuberville is considering a political campaign to be governor of Alabama. We are not making this up.
Graham, McCain doing CNN town hall next week; no plans for S.C. event
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham talks with the press at his office this month in Mount Pleasant. File/Grace Beahm/Staff South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is co-hosting a foreign policy town hall on CNN next week with Arizona Sen. John McCain.