Category: Celebrities

Trump aide plays down prospect of upending ‘one China’ policy

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming White House chief of staff on Sunday played down the prospect that Trump would revisit Washington’s decades-old “one China” policy, even though he suggested as much a week ago. Since 1979, the United States has acknowledged Taiwan as part of “one China” but Trump prompted a diplomatic protest from Beijing after he accepted a congratulatory phone call on his election win from President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan on Dec. 2. “We are not suggesting that we’re revisiting ‘one China’ policy right now,” Trump aide Reince Priebus said on “Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.”

Monday’s letters: Focus on fixing cyber security

Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee and John Podesta is the kind of behavior that the United States needs to address, but the hype about it is poorly focused. First, the hacking effort was likely expected by cyber security folks, but apparently not sufficiently by the DNC and Podesta to take even modest precautions: Shame on the DNC and Podesta.

Obama, rapping Putin, says US could strike back on cyber

President Barack Obama put Russia’s Vladimir Putin on notice Friday that the U.S. could use offensive cyber muscle to retaliate for interference in the U.S. presidential election, his strongest suggestion to date that Putin had been well aware of campaign email hacking. Caught in the middle of a post-election controversy over Russian hacking, Obama strongly defended his administration’s response, including his refusal before the voting to ascribe motive to the meddling or to discuss now what effect it might have had.

Trump taps conservative SC Rep. Mulvaney as budget chief

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Mulvaney as his budget director, naming a tough-on-spending conservativ… WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump has tapped South Carolina GOP Rep. Mick Mulvaney as his budget director, naming a tough-on-spending conservative and an advocate of balancing the federal budget to the important post. An official on Trump’s transition team, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter before it is officially announced, confirmed Trump’s pick Friday evening.

Top Trump aide forming group to back White House agenda

One of President-elect Donald Trump’s top campaign advisers is moving forward with plans to form a nonprofit group that will support the Republican’s agenda in the White House. The group is being formed with the backing of Trump and his family, according to two people with knowledge of the plans.

FLOTUS: White House Needs ‘Grown-Up’ in Times of Crisis

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive for a reception to honor recipients of the 2016 Kennedy Center Honors in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016. Michelle Obama says the White House needs a “grown-up” and the nation will come to appreciate President Barack Obama.

GOP electors targeted with $500K ad buy in final anti-Trump push

GOP electors targeted with $500K ad buy in final anti-Trump push Outside groups are seeking to pressure Republican members of the Electoral College to vote against Trump Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/2i0UVoG It’s time for America to get up to speed again on the Electoral College, that oddball way the nation selects its president every four years. A coalition of outside groups seeking to pressure Republican members of the Electoral College to vote against Donald Trump are sinking half a million dollars into a final ad buy in all 50 states.

Obama, rapping Putin, says US could strike back on cyber

President Barack Obama suggested strongly on Friday that Russia’s Vladimir Putin knew about the email hackings that roiled the U.S. presidential race, and he urged his successor, Republican Donald Trump, to back a bipartisan investigation into the matter. “Not much happens in Russia without Vladimir Putin,” Obama said in his year-end news conference.

No intel briefing for electors, DNI says

OCTOBER 20: Director of National Intelligence James Clapper speaks about the domestic security landscape, and ways to address today’s domestic terrorist threats, during a forum hosted by the National Security Alliance on October 20, 2016 in Washington, DC. Electoral College electors will not receive an intelligence briefing on Russian interference in the 2016 election, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Friday.

Obama signs massive water bill that could impact Delta

President Barack Obama on Friday quietly signed and bequeathed to President-elect Donald Trump a massive infrastructure bill designed to control floods, fund dams and deliver more water to farmers in California’s Central Valley. While attempting to mollify critics’ concerns over potential harm to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, Obama signed the $12 billion bill in a distinctly low-key act.

Everything you need to know about Trump’s inauguration

The countdown clock on the White House transition is winding down as specifics about Donald Trump’s inauguration are being finalized. The Trump team announced that it’s going to stick with the campaign slogan that helped get the real estate developer elected, saying that “Make America Great Again” will be the inaugural theme.

U.S. electors expected to officially confirm Trump victory

The U.S. Electoral College is expected on Monday to officially select Republican Donald Trump as the next president in a vote that is usually routine but takes place this year amid allegations of Russian hacking to try to influence the election. At meetings scheduled in every state and the District of Columbia, the institution’s 538 electors, generally chosen by state parties, will cast official ballots for president and vice president.

Hope, Trump upstage ‘La La Land’s’ moment in the sun

Chart shows films with most Golden Globe nominates in 2017; 2c x 3 inches; 96.3 mm x 76 mm; By JOCELYN NOVECK Associated Press Donald Trump was not in attendance at the Golden Globes, but he was there in spirit – or more precisely, as the target of a slew of political barbs. By JOCELYN NOVECK Associated Press Donald Trump was not in attendance at the Golden Globes, but he was there in spirit – or more precisely, as the target of a slew of political barbs, not to mention an… Actress Meryl Streep earned a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes Sunday and in accepting, turned the spotlight away from herself.

Ethics reviews incomplete for several Trump picks

Several of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet choices have not completed a full review to avoid conflicts of interest, the government’s ethics office says, even as Republican senators move quickly to hold at least nine confirmation hearings this week. In a letter to Senate leaders, the director of the Office of Government Ethics described the current status of several nominees, some of whom are billionaires and millionaires, in the ethics process and expressed concern about the lack of ethics reviews just days from committee hearings.

U.S. appeals court revives Clinton email suit

In a new legal development on the controversy over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s emails, an appeals court on Tuesday reversed a lower court ruling and said two U.S. government agencies should have done more to recover the emails. The ruling from Judge Stephen Williams, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, revives one of a number of legal challenges involving Clinton’s handling of government emails when she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.

Trump administration orders EPA contract and media blackout

The Trump administration has instituted a media blackout at the Environmental Protection Agency and barred staff from awarding any new contracts or grants, part of a broader communications clampdown within the executive branch. The prohibitions came to light Tuesday as the agency moved to delay implementation of at least 30 environmental rules finalized in the closing months of President Barack Obama’s term, a potential first step to seeking to kill the regulations.

Opinions

As we report in today’s edition, in the wake of the state’s presidential recount, county, city, and town clerks are being inundated with open-records requests related to the election, and some of the requests are quite significant. Friday, December 16, 2016 In his upcoming budget proposal, Gov. Scott Walker is proposing to establish a series of sunrise and sunset review commissions that would analyze proposed and existing occupational licenses to see if they are needed, or if they are too restrictive, and we think it is a good proposal that is long overdue.

Democrats eye confirmation fight over Trump’s Treasury pick

Democrats are eyeing the Senate confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s Treasury secretary pick selection as a prime opportunity to chip away at the Republican’s populist appeal with working-class voters and begin rebuilding their own party’s economic message. Given the narrow GOP majority in the Senate, Steven Mnuchin is likely to be confirmed.

Democrats plan lengthy hearings for Trump Cabinet nominees

Democratic senators plan to aggressively target eight of Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees in the coming weeks and are pushing to stretch their confirmation votes into March – an unprecedented break with Senate tradition. Such delays would upend Republican hopes of quickly holding hearings and confirming most of Trump’s top picks on Inauguration Day.

Trump ushers in a new age of deceit

On Friday, Donald Trump will place his left hand on a Bible, raise his right hand in the air, and, repeating after U.S. Supreme Court chief justice John Roberts, take the oath of the highest office in the land. It’s funny, in a dark sort of way, because the dude taking this solemn oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution is one of the most notorious liars our country has ever elected.

Study finds November 9 was the day with the most ‘f-words’ used online

Has 2016 been the crudest year ever? Study finds almost one-billion ‘f-words’ were written on social media this year – with the most coming the day after Donald Trump was elected Almost one-billion f-words were tweeted, posted, commented, shared and blogged across the internet in 2016, a new study has found. Analysis carried out on the language used across the internet found the word ‘f**k’ was used 946,158,697 times this year.

Trump to meet with Republic of Congo president on Tuesday: Sassou spokesman

Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou plans to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing political turmoil crisis in Libya and other African issues, Sassou’s spokesman said on Monday. Sassou’s spokesman Thierry Moungalla, in a post on Twitter, noted that the two men were meeting to discuss ways to the end the Libyan crisis as well other broader issues affecting the continent, according to a statement attached to the tweet.

Trump to meet with Republic of Congo president on Tuesday: Sassou spokesman

Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou plans to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing political turmoil crisis in Libya and other African issues, Sassou’s spokesman said on Monday. Sassou’s spokesman Thierry Moungalla, in a post on Twitter, noted that the two men were meeting to discuss ways to the end the Libyan crisis as well other broader issues affecting the continent, according to a statement attached to the tweet.

CIA head on Trump’s tweeting: Spontaneity ‘not something…

Outgoing CIA Director John Brennan ripped into Donald Trump on Sunday for “talking and tweeting” about possibly easing sanctions against Russia, saying the president-elect lacks a full understanding of the threat Moscow poses to the United States. “I think he has to be mindful that he does not have a full appreciation and understanding of what the implications are of going down that road,” Brennan said on “Fox News Sunday,” a show Trump routinely watches.

2016 Presidential Campaign Hacking Fast Facts

Here’s a look at hacking incidents during the 2016 presidential campaign and allegations by the US that the Russian government meddled in the election. Both Republicans and Democrats have issued calls for a deeper probe of Russian interference.

2016 Presidential Campaign Hacking Fast Facts

Here’s a look at hacking incidents during the 2016 presidential campaign and allegations by the US that the Russian government meddled in the election. Both Republicans and Democrats have issued calls for a deeper probe of Russian interference.