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Female Marines to sleep next to male Marines in field

Female infantry Marines will be sleeping in makeshift shelters next to their male counterparts when out in the field and no special accommodation will be offered to them, a Marine Corps official said Thursday. Marines in the field stay in everything from a large, single room shelter filled with dozens of cots to sleeping under tarps or nothing at all, said Maj.

Report: Trump called park official to dispute crowd photos

On his first full day in office, President Donald Trump called the acting director of the National Park Service to dispute widely circulated photos of Trump’s inauguration. The Washington Post reported Thursday that Trump personally ordered park service head Michael Reynolds to produce additional photographs of the previous day’s crowds on the National Mall.

The Latest: Administration pulls back on HealthCare.gov ads

President Donald Trump takes the cap off a pen before signing executive order for immigration actions to build border wall during a visit to the Homeland Security Department in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017. . Former South Carolina Governor and current ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, in middle, waves to the crowd after current Governor Henry McMaster, at left, was sworn in by S.C. Chief Justice Don Beatty during a ceremon… .

With eye on 2018, Illinois governor says ‘Don’t blame me’

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s strategy for fending off potential Democratic challengers includes stressing the bright spots while blaming others for the things going horribly wrong FILE – In this Jan. 25, 2017 file photo, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner delivers his State of the State address in the Illinois House chamber in Springfield, Ill. With crises mounting around him and potential Democratic rivals circling, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s strategy for keeping his job in 2018 appears to involve stressing the bright spots and blaming others for the things going horribly wrong.

Arkansas bans common second-trimester abortion procedure

Arkansas is poised to become the third state to ban a commonly used second-trimester abortion procedure under restrictions approved Thursday that are expected to face a legal challenge. Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed into law a measure banning the procedure known as dilation and evacuation, which abortion-rights supporters contend is the safest and most common procedure used in second-trimester abortions.

Ex-Rep. Dennis Kucinich discusses his latest trip to Syria and…

Former Rep. Dennis Kucinich and his wife, Elizabeth, along with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard met with Syrian religious leaders in Aleppo, led by Archbishop Denys Antoine Chahda of the Syrian Catholic Church of Aleppo, and joined by Archbishop Joseph Tabji of Maronite Church of Aleppo, Rev. Ibrahim Nseir of the Arab Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Aleppo, and others.

Kansas university president says $15K degree is possible

The interim president at Fort Hays State University has accepted Gov. Sam Brownback’s challenge to make it possible for a higher education student to receive a bachelor’s degree for $15,000 or less. Andy Tompkins says that depending on the field of study, a student can get a degree for that cost if two years are spent at a community college and two years are spent at his university, the Hutchinson News reported .

What Are the Possible Motives Behind Donald Trump’s Voter Fraud Lie?

By “propagating the myth of his stolen popular vote,” Trump has attacked both the democratic process and the press, which, in its ideal, is free and independent, writes Amherst College law professor Lawrence Douglas at The Guardian. “The impulse to heap all of Trump’s lies together or to puzzle over his unusual psychology threatens a to deflect our attention from the politics of this particular claim, which contains two separate falsehoods: first, that immigrants robbed him of the popular vote; and second, that the media has conspired to suppress the story.

The Injustices of Chelsea Manning’s Ordeal

After overseeing the aggressive prosecution and near-seven-year incarceration of Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning, President Obama – in one of his last acts in office – commuted all but four months of her remaining sentence but ignored the fact that he had taken no action on the war crimes that Manning revealed. At his final news conference, Obama explained his reasons for commuting Manning’s record-setting 35-year sentence for leaking classified information to the public.

Week One of Trump drama features Mexico

The first week of Donald Trump’s presidency promised Canada two bridges, one oil pipeline and a set of locks. America’s two neighbours had vastly different experiences in Week 1 of the reality-TV-star’s presidency – Canada away from the spotlight, quietly hoping for the best, while Mexico featured in tension-filled plot twists.

Survey: DC women’s march drew many first-time protesters

About a third of the people who turned out for the Women’s March on Washington were first-time protesters, an unusually high share of newcomers for a demonstration, according to a survey of march participants. University of Maryland Professor Dana Fisher said Thursday the random survey of 527 participants in the District of Columbia march on the day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration also found that about 56 percent hadn’t been part of a demonstration in the past five years, including the first-timers.

TransCanada makes new application for Keystone XL

TransCanada Corp. has submitted a new presidential permit application to the U.S. Department of State for approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. The project would move oil 1,180 miles from Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska, where it would connect with other lines for refineries along the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Analysis: Trump’s border wall faces reality check

President Donald Trump’s vow to accelerate construction of a “contiguous, physical wall” along the Mexican border is slamming into a Washington reality – who’s going to pay for it and how? Instead, U.S. taxpayers will foot the bill, starting with money already in the Department of Homeland Security account that amounts to a small down payment. Then it’s up to the Republican-led Congress to come up with $12 billion to $15 billion more, according to an estimate offered by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Thursday from a GOP issues retreat in Philadelphia.

The Latest: Texas convict awaiting execution for killing 2

A 43-year-old convicted killer has been moved to a small cell a few steps from the Texas death chamber where he’s awaiting the outcome of federal court appeals his attorneys have filed to try to put off his lethal injection. Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark says inmate Terry Edwards appears apprehensive following his transfer about 45 miles Thursday afternoon from the East Texas prison that houses death row to another prison in downtown Huntsville where executions are carried out.

Trump could revive Missouri proposal on deported immigrants

As President Donald Trump rolls out plans to build a wall on the Mexican border and considers blocking refugees, Missouri lawmakers are trying again to pass a bill aimed at cracking down on deported immigrants who come back and commit crimes. Under the proposal pitched Thursday by Republican Sen. Mike Cunningham, immigrants who are deported but come back and commit any assault or felony offense would face up to 10 years in prison for “illegal re-entry.”

Trump Fires Obama Border Patrol Chief

HE’S FIRED! Trump administration tells Border Patrol chief to pack his bags one day after the president ordered Homeland Security to build his wall U.S. Border Patrol chief Mark Morgan is out, just a few months after taking over the agency as an Obama White House appointee President Trump gave the order hours later to build a wall on America’s southern border, and said he would hire an additional 5,000 border patrol officers Now excuse me a moment. I want to record the weeping and lamentations of the Obamaite women, especially the ones with penises.

Trump advisers, daughter registered to vote in 2 states

President Donald Trump’s sweeping preview of his plans to investigate voter fraud in the United States includes those registered in more than more than one state. A number of people closest to the president fall into that category, including his Treasury Secretary nominee, Steve Mnuchin, Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser, Jared Kushner, as well as his younger daughter, Tiffany Trump.

Expecting Trump action, US suspends refugee resettlement interviews

The US Department of Homeland Security has temporarily halted trips by staff to interview refugees abroad as it prepares for a likely shakeup of refugee policy by President Donald Trump, two sources with knowledge of the decision said on Thursday. The decision effectively amounts to a pause in future refugee admissions, given that the interviews are a crucial step in an often years-long process.

Analysis: Trumpa s border wall faces reality check

WASHINGTON >> President Donald Trump’s vow to accelerate construction of a “contiguous, physical wall” along the Mexican border is slamming into a Washington reality – who’s going to pay for it and how? Instead, U.S. taxpayers will foot the bill, starting with money already in the Department of Homeland Security account that amounts to a small down payment. Then it’s up to the Republican-led Congress to come up with $12 billion to $15 billion more, according to an estimate offered by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Thursday from a GOP issues retreat in Philadelphia.

Trump to address GOP House, Senate members at retreat

President Donald Trump is trying to cement support from Republican House and Senate members and line up shared goals as he addresses them during their annual policy retreat. Trump’s midday remarks Thursday in Philadelphia come a day after he began overhauling the nation’s immigration rules and moved to jumpstart construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Border Patrol chief out day after Trump border fence decree

The Border Patrol chief is leaving the agency on the heels of President Donald Trump’s announcement of an ambitious plan to build a massive wall at the Mexican border and hire 5,000 Border Patrol agents. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday that Morgan’s last official day in office will be Tuesday.

Sources: U.S. Border Patrol Chief Morgan Asked to Leave the Agency

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan, a former longtime Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, has left the agency, two sources familiar with his departure told Reuters on Thursday. Morgan told employees on a phone call Thursday morning that he was not resigning but had been asked to leave by the Trump administration, said a Department of Homeland Security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Dionne: In search of the truth about Trumpism

Or is the country confronting something even more troubling: a president unhinged from any realities that get in the way of his impulses, unmoored from any driving philosophy, and willing to make everything up as he goes along, including “alternative facts”? In his first days, Trump has been riding policy horses that seem to be moving in quite different directions. On the one hand, he has continued to make himself out as a “populist” standing up for workers by scrapping the Trans-Pacific Partnership and bringing verbal pressure on American companies to keep or create jobs in the United States.

Trump to launch probe into unproven voter fraud claim

A spokesman said President Donald Trump will sign an executive action Thursday to commission an investigation into widespread voter fraud, raising the prospect of a federal government probe into a widely debunked claim and sparking alarm among experts and Democrats. White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Trump would sign the order in the Oval Office but did not provide more details as to what it might entail.

Pentagon plans A-10 vs. F-35 showdown for close-air-support supremacy

The Pentagon ‘s plan to pit its $400 billion F-35B Joint Strike Fighter against the tried-and-true A-10 Thunderbolt II may happen as early as next year. The latest update to the National Defense Authorization Act includes a stipulation that while Air Force officials cannot yet retire the iconic “Warthog,” they will be expected to set up a battery of tests to gauge each aircraft’s ability to perform close-air-support missions.

Trump to address GOP House, Senate members at retreat

President Donald Trump salutes before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., then onto Philadelphia for the Republican Con… PHILADELPHIA – President Donald Trump is trying to cement support from Republican House and Senate members and line up shared goals as he addresses them during their annual policy retreat. Trump’s midday remarks Thursday in Philadelphia come a day after he began overhauling the nation’s immigration rules and moved to jumpstart construction of his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The Latest: Jonson: Assad should run in vote to resolve war

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini speaks during a press conference with Lebanese Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil at the Lebanese Foreign Ministry in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017. A senior European Union official says it is too early to comment on reports of U.S. plans for safe zones in Syria.