Category: Barack Obama

Here’s what we know from the House hearing with FBI Director James Comey

Here’s what we know from the House hearing with FBI Director James Comey FBI Director James Comey and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers appeared Monday before the House Intelligence Committee Check out this story on jconline.com: http://usat.ly/2mIt7Hx FBI Director James Comey says the FBI and Justice Department have no information to substantiate President Donald Trump’s claims that former President Barack Obama wiretapped him before the election. FBI Director James Comey and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers appeared Monday before the House Intelligence Committee .

Gorsuch promises not to legislate from the Supreme Court bench

Describing himself as a judge who will “apply the law” and not be a “secret” legislator, U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch said he will attempt to be an independent justice who will “seek consensus” whenever possible. On the first day of his confirmation hearing today before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Gorsuch steered clear of ideological labels and instead told the senators that “putting on” a judge’s black robe “reminds us judges that it’s time to lose our egos and open our minds.”

The Latest: Meeting with Iraqis, Trump criticizes Iran deal

President Donald Trump is telling a delegation from Iraq that “nobody” can figure out why President Barack Obama signed a nuclear agreement with Iran. In his first meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Trump says Iran is one of the issues his team will discuss with the Iraqi delegation.

Sean Spicer: Just the ‘beginning phase’ of investigating whether Trump Tower was surveilled

White House press secretary Sean Spicer continued today to defend President Donald Trump’s claims that Trump’s predecessor ordered surveillance of Trump Tower during the presidential election campaign, even as FBI Director James Comey testified to Congress that there is “no information” supporting that claim. “We are still at the beginning phase of a look as to what kind of surveillance took place and why,” Spicer told reporters at his daily briefing at the White House.

FBI director confirms probe of Trump campaign and Russia

FBI director James Comey confirmed that the bureau is investigating whether there was coordination between Russian officials and President Donald Trump’s campaign during the 2016 presidential campaign. The House Intelligence Committee opened hearings on Monday to determine the extent of Russian interference and whether campaign officials from either side helped.

Hospitals worry about caring for newly uninsured in GOP plan

When Colorado expanded Medicaid coverage under former President Barack Obama’s health care law, the largest provider in the Denver region hired more than 250 employees and built a $27 million primary care clinic and two new school-based clinics. Emergency rooms visits stayed flat as Denver Health Medical Center directed many of the nearly 80,000 newly insured patients into one of its 10 community health centers, where newly hired social workers and mental health therapists provided services for some of the county’s poorest residents.

White House told to prove wire-tap

The White House says President Trump did not know until this week that his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had been working as a representative for Turkey, although the issue was raised with the Trump team before the Republican took office. THE Republican-chaired intelligence committee has demanded the Trump administration provide evidence to back the US president’s claim that Barack Obama “tapped his wires”.

House committee wants evidence for Trump’s wiretap claim

The House intelligence committee is asking the Trump administration for evidence that the phones at Trump Tower were tapped during the campaign as its namesake has charged. President Donald Trump asserted in a tweet last week: “Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory.

World Briefs: 3-12-17

A Manhattan federal prosecutor who says “absolute independence” was his touchstone for over seven years as he battled public corruption announced he was fired Saturday after he refused a request a day earlier to resign. Preet Bharara, 48, made the announcement on his personal Twitter account after it became widely known hours earlier that he did not intend to step down in response to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ request that leftover appointees of former President Barack Obama quit.

Under Trump, the Moon regains interest as possible destination

Washington: Dismissed by former US president Barack Obama as a place explorers had already seen, the Moon has once again gained interest as a potential destination under Donald Trump’s presidency. Private sector companies in particular are energized by the prospect of future space exploration missions beyond low-Earth orbit, where the International Space Station circles the Earth.

Now-fired US Attorney Bharara boasts of a absolute independencea

A Manhattan federal prosecutor who says “absolute independence” was his touchstone for more than seven years as he battled public corruption announced he was fired Saturday after he refused a day earlier to resign. Preet Bharara, 48, revealed his firing on his personal Twitter account after it became widely known hours earlier that he did not intend to step down in response to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ request that leftover appointees of former President Barack Obama quit.

Now-fired Preet Bharara boasts of ‘absolute independence’

A Manhattan federal prosecutor who says “absolute independence” was his touchstone for over seven years as he battled public corruption announced he was fired Saturday after he refused a day earlier to resign. Preet Bharara, 48, revealed his firing on his personal Twitter account after it became widely known hours earlier that he did not intend to step down in response to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ request that leftover appointees of former President Barack Obama quit.

Sessions seeks resignations of 46 United States attorneys appointed during Obama administration

AG Sessions Directs U.S. Attorneys to Pursue ‘Harsh Sentences’ for Gun Crimes AP by AWR Hawkins9 Mar 20170 9 Mar 2017 9 Mar 2017 Sessions is seeking the resignations of 46 United States attorneys who were appointed during the prior presidential administration, the Justice Department said Friday, March 10, 2017. The person said Bharara is remaining in his post after receiving assurances a year ago from Trump and Sessions that they wanted him to stay on.

Indian-American federal prosecutor Bharara sacked

Washington, March 12 – A day after being asked to quit by US President Donald Trump’s administration, Preet Bharara, a high-profile Indian-American federal prosecutor was sacked on Saturday, a media report said. Bharara, the Manhattan federal prosecutor who was asked by President Trump to remain in his post shortly after the election, was fired after he refused an order to submit his resignation, The New York Times reported.

Dream on, but just make it somewhat snappier this weekend

Graphic to be used as a reminder to turn the clocks forward one hour.; 1c x 1 inches; 46.5 mm x 25 mm; Time marches on, with a bit more skip this weekend, as daylight saving time officially re-emerges at 2 a.m. Time marches on, with a bit more skip this weekend, as daylight saving time officially re-emerges at 2 a.m. Federal judges have dealt Texas another loss over voting rights, finding that Republicans racially gerrymandered some congressional districts to weaken the electoral influence of the state’s booming minority… Federal judges have dealt Texas another loss over voting rights, finding that Republicans racially gerrymandered some congressional districts to weaken the electoral influence of the state’s booming minority population.

GOP Acts Fast on Health Care, Aims to Avoid Ire Dems Faced

It took former President Barack Obama and his Democrats more than a year to pass the Affordable Care Act, a slow and painstaking process that allowed plenty of time for a fierce backlash to ignite, undermining the law from the very start. Republicans are trying to avoid that pitfall as they attempt to fulfill years’ worth of promises to repeal and replace Obama’s law.

Federal judges find Texas gerrymandered maps on racial lines – Sat, 11 Mar 2017 PST

Federal judges found more problems in Texas’ voting rights laws, ruling that Republicans racially gerrymandered some congressional districts to weaken the growing electoral power of minorities, who former President Barack Obama set out to protect at the ballot box before leaving office. The ruling late Friday by a three-judge panel in San Antonio gave Democrats hope of new, more favorably drawn maps that could turn over more seats in Congress in 2018.

Federal judges find Texas gerrymandered maps on racial lines

Federal judges found more problems in Texas’ voting rights laws, ruling that Republicans racially gerrymandered some congressional districts to weaken the growing electoral power of minorities, who former President Barack Obama set out to protect at the ballot box before leaving office. The ruling late Friday by a three-judge panel in San Antonio gave Democrats hope of new, more favorably drawn maps that could turn over more seats in Congress in 2018.

Trump administration seeks resignations of 46 US attorneys

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is seeking the resignations of 46 U.S. attorneys who were holdovers from the Obama administration. Many of the federal prosecutors who were nominated by President Barack Obama have already left their positions, but the nearly four dozen who stayed on in the first weeks of the Trump administration have been asked to leave “in order to ensure a uniform transition,” Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said Friday.

Vatican confirms papal trip to Egypt under study

Federal judges have dealt Texas another loss over voting rights, finding that Republicans racially gerrymandered some congressional districts to weaken the electoral influence of the state’s booming minority… Federal judges have dealt Texas another loss over voting rights, finding that Republicans racially gerrymandered some congressional districts to weaken the electoral influence of the state’s booming minority population.

Illinois congressman objects to men purchasing prenatal care

Illinois Republican Rep. John Shimkus is under fire after comments he made Wednesday about prenatal requirements in the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. During a 27-hour debate on House Republicans’ health care plan in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Shimkus suggested men could be opposed to former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law because under the law they are required to pay for prenatal care.

Attorney general seeks resignations of 46 US attorneys

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is seeking the resignations of 46 United States attorneys who were appointed during prior presidential administrations, the Justice Department said Friday. Many of the federal prosecutors who were nominated by former President Barack Obama already have left their positions, but the nearly four dozen who stayed on in the first weeks of the Trump administration have been asked to leave “in order to ensure a uniform transition,” Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said.

Trump cleans house, dismisses 46 Obama-era federal prosecutors

The administration of US President Donald Trump has moved to clean house at the Justice Department, demanding the resignations of 46 federal prosecutors appointed during the two terms of his predecessor Barack Obama. Presidents often order political appointees in several agencies to resign when they take office, but the abrupt nature of the move caught some by surprise – especially given that so many were asked to leave at once.

Editorial Roundup: Excerpts from recent editorials

President Trump’s Twitter rants are rather like magical pixie dust – they obscure real controversies, like possible links between Trump campaign officials and the Russian government, and change the conversation. President Trump’s Twitter rants are rather like magical pixie dust – they obscure real controversies, like possible links between Trump campaign officials and the Russian government, and change the conversation.

Sean Spicer, Mike Pence

Vice President Mike Pence is set to rally support in Kentucky for a White House-backed health care overhaul, traveling to a state that has often been front-and-center in the battle over former President Barack Obama’s sweeping health care law. In Louisville, Pence is scheduled to tour an energy services company with Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, part of an effort to reassure conservative Republicans who have raised objections to the House GOP health care proposal that would scrap the “Obamacare” health care law.

4 takeaways from demonstration

The anti-Trump protest on Feb. 23 in front of Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s office in Ottawa brought about 100 protesters, most of them progressives but a few tea party and pro-life folks as well. – There’s no evidence of outside money.

US attorneys appointed pre-Trump ‘asked to leave’ by Jeff Sessions

US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions is seeking the resignations of 46 United States attorneys who were appointed during previous administrations, the Justice Department says. Many of the federal prosecutors who were nominated by former US president Barack Obama have already left their positions, but the nearly 48 who stayed on in the first weeks of the Trump administration have been asked to leave “in order to ensure a uniform transition”, Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said.

Suspected rebel-planted mine hits Yemeni ship, kills 2

A federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing his new travel ban against a Syrian family trying to reach Wisconsin. A federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing his new travel ban against a Syrian family trying to reach Wisconsin.

U.S. extends leniency program for companies that disclose bribery

The U.S. Justice Department will extend a program that offers companies leniency if they voluntarily tell authorities when employees may have paid bribes, a senior official said on Friday. The program was set to expire on April 5, after a one-year pilot period but will now be continued indefinitely while officials evaluate its effectiveness, Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Blanco said at the American Bar Association’s conference on white collar crime in Miami.

Say a where’s the Democratic plan to fix ObamaCare, anyway?

Remember “mend it, don’t end it”? Democrats have floated that slogan for three years while trying to convince voters that their unhappiness with ObamaCare doesn’t mean throwing it out entirely. A year ago, Chelsea Clinton argued that the “crushing costs” of the ACA needed immediate attention, but not repeal.