Month: February 2017

Treasury sanctions Iran after ballistic missile launch

President Donald Trump’s administration enacted new sanctions on Iran Friday, the first concrete action after the White House put Tehran “on notice” this week. The Treasury Department said it was sanctioning individuals and companies connected to Iran’s ballistic missile program and those providing support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Qods Force.

Iran bans travel of US wrestlers in response to Trump order

The White House is following up its declaration of putting Iran “on notice” by preparing new sanctions for test-firing a ballistic missile The Trump administration is imposing sanctions on 13 people and a dozen companies in response to Iran’s recent ballistic missile test Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are struggling with jammed phone lines as constituents call with complaints or praise or just questions in the era of Trump Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are struggling with jammed phone lines as constituents call with complaints or praise or just questions in the era of Trump A state Senate panel has approved a so-called sanctuary cities bill that would withhold state money from local jurisdictions that don’t hand over immigrants already in custody for possible deportation A state Senate panel has approved a so-called sanctuary cities bill that would withhold state money from local jurisdictions … (more)

DeVos clears Senate hurdle toward becoming ed secy

Betsy DeVos’s embattled nomination for education secretary cleared another hurdle in the Senate on Friday as Republicans overpowered fierce resistance from Democrats. Senators voted 52-48 to cut off debate in an early-morning session, setting the stage for a final confirmation vote next week on President Donald Trump’s nominee.

Asia Stocks Fall Ahead of U.S. Jobs Data as China Reopens Lower

Asian shares fell as Chinese stocks declined when trading resumed after a week-long break while investors wait for a U.S. nonfarm payrolls report later Friday that could indicate the timing of rate increases by the Federal Reserve. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index reversed a two-day gain, with materials and industrial shares the biggest drag.

AP source: US preparing new Iran sanctions over missile test

The Trump administration is preparing to levy new sanctions on Iran, U.S. officials say, in the first punitive action since the White House put Iran “on notice” after it test-fired a ballistic missile. Up to two dozen Iranian individuals, companies and possibly government agencies could be penalized as part of the move, expected as early as Friday, said the officials and others with knowledge of the decision.

he’LL Be Visiting Dover Often:

Planning for the final assault on Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic State’s caliphate, had been grinding on for more than seven months. There had been dozens of meetings of President Barack Obama’s top national security team, scores of draft battle plans and hundreds of hours of anguished, late-night debates.

Trump moves toward a tougher line on Israeli settlements

President Donald Trump is warning Israel that constructing new settlements “may not be helpful” to Middle East peace efforts, shifting toward a tougher line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Still, the White House made clear Thursday that the Trump administration “has not taken an official position on settlement activity,” departing from previous administrations that have considered the settlements illegitimate.

Fairfield Woman Turns Into A Tireless Anti-Trump Dynamo

To say Lisa Boyne is energized – and more than a little enraged – by Donald J. Trump’s presidency is an understatement. Boyne – who organized the Women’s March for Connecticut, drawing an estimated 5,000 like-minded people to a Jan. 21 rally in Stamford – says she’s not resting on her laurels because she believes the country’s values are under attack.

Israeli settler group brushes off Trump settlement warning

A corrections union official says the guard killed at Delaware’s largest prison saved his colleagues’ lives by warning them that the inmates had set a trap A corrections union official says the guard killed at Delaware’s largest prison saved his colleagues’ lives by warning them that the inmates had set a trap Texas Republicans eager to reinforce President Donald Trump’s call for a crackdown on illegal immigration have begun their push to deny state money for local jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate Texas Republicans eager to reinforce President Donald Trump’s call for a crackdown on illegal immigration have begun their push to deny state money for local jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate Federal judges on opposite coasts are due Friday to hear legal arguments defending President Donald Trump’s travel ban on citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries Federal judges on … (more)

Make 50 the New 60

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer isn’t a happy warrior. He loves the spotlight, but everyoneA s paying more attention to his colleagues Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

John McCain, Meddling Busybody

ArizonaA s gift to the rest of the United States — a man who apparently never met a comrade he didnA t want to double-cross — keeps on giving: Sen. John McCain said Thursday that he spoke to the Australian ambassador to express support for the nationsA relationship after a heated call from President Trump. “I called Australia’s Ambassador to the United States this morning to express my unwavering support for the U.S.-Australia alliance,” McCain, whoA s frequently criticized Trump, said in a statement.

Betsy DeVos nomination on thin ice

Billionaire philanthropist and public education backer Eli Broad is urging senators to vote against President Donald Trump’s pick for education secretary, Betsy DeVos, saying she is “unprepared and unqualified for the position.” Broad writes in a letter to senators that if DeVos were confirmed, “much of the good work that has been accomplished to improve public education for all of America’s children could be undone.”

Majority of Americans want Barack Obama back as President: Poll

Less than two weeks into Donald Trump’s presidency, a majority of Americans want Barack Obama back as President with a significant percentage of voters already thinking that the real estate tycoon-turned-politician should be removed from office, according to a new poll. It has not taken long for voters to miss the good old days of Obama with 52 per cent saying they would rather have him as President, to only 43 per cent who are glad Trump is at the helm, according to a survey by Public Policy Polling.

Democrats Try to Reconcile Positions on Travel Ban, 2015 Measure

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., was one of the members of Congress who voted for the SAFE Act but says President Donald Trump’s order goes further. Virginia Democrat Gerald Connolly was among many elected officials at Washington Dulles International Airport who wanted to speak to detainees after President Donald Trump issued an executive order that severely restricted travel from seven majority-Muslim nations.

Aguirre suspends NBI from enforcing anti-illegal drug ops

Taking cue from recent pronouncements of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Department of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II suspended the National Bureau of Investigation from conducting anti-illegal drug operations and investigation. “The DOJ and the NBI will now focus [their] energy and resources in waging war against corruption and in waging war against criminality,” he said in a statement.

Arizona lawmakers again push for split of 9th Circuit Court

Republican members of Arizona’s congressional delegation are again trying to split up the federal appeals court whose nine-state territory includes Arizona. A bill introduced Thursday by Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake would put Arizona in a new 12th Circuit with Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Washington while leaving California, Hawaii and Oregon plus Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in the 9th Circuit.

Hundreds protest President Trump’s immigration policy at mosque

Hundreds of protesters demonstrated at the Islamic School of Miami against President Donald Trump’s immigration policy on Feb. 3, 2017. Protesters gather at the Stephen P. Clark Center to protest against Miami-Dade Mayor’s Carlos Gimenez decision to effectively abandon the county’s stance as a “sanctuary” for undocumented immigrants.

‘South Park’ creators aim to scale back Trump coverage

‘South Park’ creators aim to scale back Trump coverage “We decided to just kind of back off and let them do their comedy and we’ll do ours.” Check out this story on scsun-news.com: http://usat.ly/2ka4562 ‘South Park’ creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone say fans keep assuming they must be loving the Trump presidency – there’s so much dramatic material to parody, right? The creators of South Park have acute Trump fatigue – so much so that they plan to scale back on the number of storylines about him when they return to work on the show’s 21st season later this year.

Judge Blocks Immigration Order; President Trump Responds

A federal judge in Seattle has issued a nationwide restraining order halting parts of the executive action signed by President Donald Trump that temporarily bars some immigrants and refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries — a move that the Washington state attorney general said is “historic” and indicates that “no one is above the law.” The White House ripped the ruling — which involved the states of Washington and Minnesota — hours later, at first calling it “outrageous” in a statement and then removing the word from an updated release.

Mattis warns NKorea against any attack on US or its allies

In an explicit warning to North Korea, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Friday said any use of nuclear weapons by the North on the United States or its allies would be met with what he called an “effective and overwhelming” response. U.S. defense secretaries have long offered assurances to South Korea and Japan that its nuclear “umbrella” will protect them, but Mattis’s statement was perhaps more pointed than most.

Overnight News Digest

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes.But according… **NOTE: THE FORM LETTER IS BLANK. WE WILL ACHIEVE MAXIMUM IMPACT WITH UNIQUE LETTERS.

Movie Review: War on Everyone

The movie begins with a man in white-face makeup-a mime-running down a road. Some ways behind him, but catching up fast, is a car with two plain-clothes detectives in it, Terry Monroe and Bob BolaA o .

California High Court Gives Regulators Vast New Powers

President Donald Trump’s spate of executive orders has jump-started a national debate about the wisdom of executive edicts, especially those that stray into the area of lawmaking. While presidential orders grab the spotlight, the issues of administrative overreach and how to properly limit the power exerted by government officials are frequent subjects of court scrutiny at every level of our political system.

Clip of Trump granddaughter singing spreads on Chinese web

Computer screens display a video clip showing U.S. President Donald Trump’s granddaughter Arabella Kushner singing a Chinese New Year greeting song that garnered almost 20 million views in Beijing, China, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. The brief video clip of Donald Trump’s granddaughter singing in Chinese is circulating to strong approval on the internet in China, even while some criticized the U.S. president’s failure to send greetings for the Lunar New Year.

In shift, Trump warns Israel against new settlements

President Donald Trump on Thursday warned Israel that constructing new settlements “may not be helpful” to Middle East peace efforts, shifting toward a tougher line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s government. Still, the White House made clear that the Trump administration “has not taken an official position on settlement activity,” departing from previous administrations that have considered the settlements illegitimate.

Australian PM Admits Controversial Trump Phone Call As “Very Frank”

Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says his phone conversation with US President Donald Trump this week was “cordial” but “very frank” as Trump reportedly expressed his anger over the proposed refugee deal between the two countries, reports China’s Xinhua news agency.. The deal was signed by Turnbull and the previous Obama administration late last year, and requires the United States to take in around 1,200 asylum seekers from Australia’s offshore detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island.

EDITORIAL: Nevada Supreme Court rules for investor in super lien case

The Nevada Supreme Court perpetuated an absurd injustice last week when it decided that property rights and due process don’t apply to mortgage lenders. The justices ruled in favor of a speculator who in 2013 claimed clear title to a Las Vegas property by simply paying off $6,900 in back HOA dues despite the fact that Well Fargo held an $81,000 note on the home.The dispute concerned a poorly written Nevada law passed in 1991 and intended to shield homeowner associations from financial stress triggered by delinquent dues payments.

Sierra Nevada snowfall is at the heaviest in 22 years

Ivanka looks somber as Nordstrom dumps her fashion line from stores and online in response to boycott by thousands of women over the election… but Jared is all smiles as he meets Queen Rania Husband admits stabbing his pregnant wife to death in front of their two children after she begged her church, the police and relatives for protection from his abuse for months Can this Twitter account predict the future? Mysterious social media handle appears to have called Brexit, Trump and Beyonce being pregnant Why noisy eating can frazzle your brain: Scans find that people who become annoyed at chewing or have an abnormality in the organ Woman, 19, was ‘robbed, strangled and thrown off a 50ft bridge by her two FRIENDS’ before her body was swept out to sea and never recovered White man who shot NFL star Joe McKnight in road rage attack is charged with murder after outrage over police who … (more)