Rural California levees besieged by pounding wet winter

Billions of dollars in flood projects have eased fears of levee breaks near California’s capital and some other cities, but state and federal workers are joining farmers with tractors in round-the-clock battles this week to stave off any chain-reaction failure of rural levees protecting farms and farm towns. As the wet winter forces operators of dams to send more water roaring downstream, the struggle to spot and shore up weak spots in nearly 1,600 miles of levees in the Central Valley is unrelenting, said Rex Osborn, spokesman for emergency operations in San Joaquin County, one of the nation’s main farm and dairy counties.

Ukrainian Tycoon Firtash Detained In Vienna On European Arrest Warrant

An Austrian court has approved the extradition of Ukrainian tycoon Dmytro Firtash to the United States to face bribery allegations, overturning an earlier ruling that had said the U.S. request was politically motivated. Firtash, once an ally of former Moscow-backed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, has rejected the allegations as ‘absurd and unfounded.’

Australians doubt Trump’s commitment to its traditional ally

Some Australians foresee trouble in their country’s traditionally strong alliance with the United States because of what they see as “unpresidential” behavior from President Donald Trump, while others think outspoken businessman-turned-Australian-leader Malcolm Turnbull is a good match for him. Australians have long had an affinity with the United States and absorb American popular culture like blotting paper.

US probe of drone collisions with aircraft points to birds

Investigations into reported collisions by drones with civil aircraft found that they were caused instead by birds, wires and posts, or structural failures unrelated to unmanned aircraft systems , a U.S. regulator said. There has been widespread concern about the risks that the flying of drones close to aircraft can pose , and the Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that reports of “possible” drone sightings to FAA air traffic facilities continued to increase in fiscal year 2016.

Steven Lindsey’s New Book “C.J. Lincoln, FBI” is a Suspenseful, …

Steven Lindsey’s New Book “C.J. Lincoln, FBI” is a Suspenseful, Page-turner that Delves into the Psyche of a Convicted Criminal and a FBI Special Agent. Recent release “C.J. Lincoln, FBI” from Page Publishing author Steven Lindsey is an emotional and thrilling journey that follows a prison escapee and a detective, depicting a connection of resentment and fear.

Trump says he won’t attend correspondents’ dinner this spring

President Donald Trump, who has been criticizing the news media and is famously thin-skinned, says he won’t be attending the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner – sparing himself the dubious honour of being an in-the-house target of jokes. The annual fundraiser for college scholarships and venue for reporting awards mixes politicians, journalists and celebrities and is typically attended by the president and first lady.

‘Madman Theory’ of foreign policy working – so far

A man watches a TV news program showing a file footage of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with letters reading: “The North fired a missile” at the Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. At the heart of Donald Trump’s foreign policy team lies a glaring contradiction.

African Americans to Democratic Party: We’re still here

In this Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013 file photo, from left, President Barack Obama, former President Jimmy Carter, first lady Michelle Obama, and former President Bill Clinton wave after a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. As an African-American Democrat, I share the core values of my political party.

Vote expected on hotly contested New Jersey pipeline project

New Jersey regulators are set to vote on whether a natural gas pipeline should run through the state’s federally protected Pinelands region, which includes more than a million acres of farms, forests and wetlands. The Pinelands Commission is expected to make a final determination Friday morning on the proposal that has touched off a classic jobs-versus-environment battle in the nation’s most densely populated state.

State legislators propose increased taxes for California drivers

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”