Nation-Now 11 mins ago 5:27 a.m.”White privilege” essay contest…

When the town sponsored a student essay contest on the topic of white privilege, it was intended to provoke discussion in this wealthy, overwhelmingly white community on Connecticut’s Gold Coast. Contest organizers have been surprised by the reaction from some who say the question wrongly suggests race plays into the good life enjoyed in Westport.

Logs: Trump supporters targeted nearly as much as Hillary Clinton backers

Contrary to expectations, state Attorney General Maura Healey’s hate crime hotline drew nearly as many complaints from backers of President Trump as it did from Hillary Clinton supporters in the first two weeks after the election, a Herald review found – with some using the phone number to troll Healey about her proposed assault weapons ban. Records for the first two weeks, released in response to a Herald request, show 21 complaints from people reporting threats or harassment from Trump supporters, while 15 people called to report incidents targeting Trump supporters, a review showed.

Syria Warns of Setting Up Safe Zones for Civilians as Unsafe

Syria warned Monday of safe zones for civilians that U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in creating, saying it would have to come in coordination with the Syrian government, otherwise it would be unsafe and violate the Arab nation’s sovereignty. The announcement was made in Damascus by Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem during a meeting with the head of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, Filippo Grandi, who began an official visit to Syria on Monday.

Starbucks to hire 10,000 refugees over next 5 years

Starbucks says it will hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years, a response to President Donald Trump’s indefinite suspension of Syrian refugees and temporary travel bans that apply to six other Muslim-majority nations. Howard Schultz, the coffee retailer’s chairman and CEO, said in a letter to employees Sunday that the hiring would apply to stores worldwide and the effort would start in the United States where the focus would be on hiring immigrants “who have served with U.S. troops as interpreters and support personnel.”

Syria warns of setting up safe zones for civilians as unsafe

Syria warned Monday of safe zones for civilians that U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in creating, saying it would have to come in coordination with the Syrian government, otherwise it would be unsafe and violate the Arab nation’s sovereignty. The announcement was made in Damascus by Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem during a meeting with the head of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, Filippo Grandi, who began an official visit to Syria on Monday.

March into Feminist Fashion

The “Nasty Woman” t-shirt is inspired by a comment Donald Trump targeted at Hillary Clinton on the election trail. On Jan. 21, millions of Americans across the country donned their feminist apparel and marched in protest of newly inaugurated President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and actions.

Is Trump’s war with the press different from past presidents’?

The difference between the first 44 and President Donald Trump, however, is that they didn’t pick their fights during their first week in office. From Trump denouncing reporters the day after his inauguration as “among the most dishonest human beings on Earth” to White House press secretary Sean Spicer warning that “we’re going to hold the press accountable,” the White House swiftly signaled that the often-hostile relationship between journalists and Trump during last year’s campaign is not going away.

Trouble in Trump Town

In the week-plus since Donald J. Trump was inaugurated the highly touted – if, oversold – “peaceful transfer of power” has been anything but. The President has flooded the zone by signing Executive Orders and Memoranda by the score, increased his rhetoric demonizing the media, demanded the National Park Service back him up on his ridiculous claims about the size the crowd at his inauguration ceremony, reorganized the National Security Council by adding Steve Bannon while subtracting the Chairman of the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of National Intelligence; and, continued to insist that 5 million people illegally voted for Hillary Clinton.

Starbucks to hire 10,000 refugees over next 5 years

Starbucks says it will hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years, a response to President Donald Trump’s indefinite suspension of Syrian refugees and temporary travel bans that apply to six other Muslim-majority nations. FILE- In this Dec. 7, 2016, file photo, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz speaks during the Starbucks 2016 Investor Day meeting in New York.

TERRELL: Questions we should ponder

The national events of the past several months have left us with a number of questions we should ponder. If what we have seen in the past several months, and especially the past two weeks, is the face of the Democratic Party, why would any reasonable person want to be a member of that political party? From the trash-talking and vulgar language to open threats and actual incidents of civil disobedience and violence, we may be seeing the party revert to its days of the 40s, 50s and 60s.

Trump talks to Putin, other world leaders about security threats

President Donald Trump discussed Syria and the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Jan. 28 in one of several calls with world leaders that the new U.S. president used to put his stamp on international affairs. Trump’s call with Putin was their first since the New York businessman took office and came as officials said he was considering lifting sanctions on Moscow despite opposition from Democrats and Republicans at home and European allies abroad.

Uproar on social media as Trump implements de facto Muslim ban

This comes after President Trump signed an executive order on Saturday suspending visas for visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries, as well as temporarily preventing the entry of all refugees. The four-month-long measure caused chaos and confusion as it came into effect with reports of travellers, including green card holders and dual nationals, being turned away from flights across the Middle East.

The real shocker: Trump is a politician who delivers on his promises :0

Here we are, barely a week into the Trump administration, and half of the country that opposed him during the election is quivering with rage. He’s building the wall ! He’s banning immigration from some Muslim countries ! He’s wrecking ObamaCare ! He’s sacking top officials at the State Department ! He’s threatening sanctuary cities ! What’s going on here? The answer is simple: we’ve become so inured to politicians lying to us to get elected that we find it hard to believe that the new man in the White House actually meant what he said – and can’t wait to get on with it.

Hillary Clinton condemns immigration ban: ‘This is not who we are’

Hillary Rodham Clinton Hillary Clinton condemns immigration ban: ‘This is not who we are’ Trump signs three more executive actions Two crowds on the National Mall with two very different messages MORE on Saturday tweeted in support of the numerous protests that sparked over President Trump’s executive order banning on immigrants. “I stand with the people gathered across the country tonight defending our values & our Constitution.

Women of courage at Trump’s inauguration

One of the most poignant moments in the entire event was the presence and demeanour of Hillary Clinton, who lost her presidential candidacy to Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries of 2008 and to Donald Trump in the presidential poll of 2016. Many observers say that one of the reasons she lost to both candidates is that she was unable to communicate directly to the people and feel their pain.

A mixed bag of letter writers

Often lacking the time or the mood to give an answer by letter, the possibility of writing a short comment was a great solution and very convenient to vent one’s opinion. Indeed, deleting this possibility is a hindrance to the freedom of expression.

The USPS will pay tribute to fashion designer Oscar de la Renta with an unusual 11-stamp pane.

The United States Postal Service will pay tribute to fashion designer Oscar de la Renta with an unusual 11-stamp pane that will be issued Feb. 16. The stamp pane includes a large background photograph of de la Renta with a single nondenominated forever stamp that duplicates the black-and-white portrait for its vignette. The remaining 10 forever stamps in the set are grouped together in the lower half of the pane as two horizontal rows of five, showing “details from several of his most exquisite gowns,” according to the Postal Service.

Ap Fact Check: Trump Cites Man’s Dubious Voter Fraud Claims

President Donald Trump has pressed his widely debunked claims of massive voter fraud by encouraging the work of a Texas man who has offered no evidence to support his claim that millions of people illegally voted in the 2016 election. Trump tweeted on Friday: “Look forward to seeing the final results of VoteStand.

Deceptive probe

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U.S. President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive action on Friday temporarily halting the flow of refugees into the United Sates and stopping all entries from some majority-Muslim nations, his spokesman said, according to The Associated Press. A draft of the order obtained by the news agency also includes an indefinite ban on accepting Syrian refugees, and the pause in the broader refugee program extends for 120 days.

Trump orders strict new refugee screening, citing terrorists

Setting a hard-line tone on national security, President Donald Trump on Friday ordered strict new screening for refugees to keep “radical Islamic terrorists” out of the United States and alternated tough talk with kind words in his diplomatic standoff with Mexico. Trump travelled to the Pentagon where he joined Defence Secretary James Mattis for the signing of an executive action to bring sweeping changes to the nation’s refugee policies and put in motion his plans to build up the nation’s military.

Secret Service Places Agent on Paid Leave for Saying She’d Take Jail Over a Bullet for Trump

The Facebook post was dug up this week and reveals that the 23-year veteran of the Secret Service was a strong Hillary Clinton supporter during the campaign and said that she didn’t care about the Hatch Act, which bans agents from publicly advocating for a political party or candidate. The director of the agency, Joseph Clancy , sent an email to employees last night informing them that the Office of Professional Responsibility was looking into the issue and to please have patience during the investigation.

Labor Sec. pick outsourced jobs

President Donald Trump’s pick for labor secretary outsourced his fast-food company’s technology department to the Philippines, a move that contradicts Trump’s vow to keep American jobs in the U.S. Trump has blasted, threatened and tried to charm American companies that have so much as contemplated moving jobs overseas, saying he’s sticking up for American workers who aren’t feeling the economic recovery and form his political base. But a filing with the Labor Department on CEO Andrew Puzder’s company – and a spokesman’s acknowledgement that CKE continues to use the IT operation in the Philippines – provides a window into a key contradiction raised by the nomination.

Mayor of ‘sanctuary city’ Miami-Dade says he’ll comply with the feds

Mayors of cities across the nation sounded off Thursday in defiance of President Donald Trump ‘s executive order aimed at punishing local governments that don’t comply with federal immigration officials. But the mayor of South Florida’s immigrant hub took an entirely different stance, ordering county jails to “fully cooperate” with the federal government in light of Trump’s vaguely worded order.

DC’s March for Life to highlight gains by abortion opponents

For the first time in years, abortion opponents will have all the political momentum when they hold their annual rally Friday on the National Mall. The March for Life, held each year in Washington to mark the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, will have one of its biggest-name speakers in years: Vice President Mike Pence.

Trump’s choice for labor secretary outsourced jobs

President Donald Trump ‘s pick for labor secretary outsourced his fast-food company’s technology department to the Philippines, a move that contradicts Trump’s vow to keep American jobs in the U.S. Trump has blasted, threatened and tried to charm American companies that have so much as contemplated moving jobs overseas, saying he’s sticking up for American workers who aren’t feeling the economic recovery and form his political base. But a filing with the Labor Department on CEO Andrew Puzder’s company – and a spokesman’s acknowledgement that CKE continues to use the IT operation in the Philippines – provides a window into a key contradiction raised by the nomination.

In need of allies, Trump and Britaina s Theresa May to meet

President Donald Trump is set to meet his first world leader since taking office – British Prime Minister Theresa May, a friendly ally who hopes to nudge the populist president toward the political mainstream. The visit Friday comes a day after Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto called off his own trip to Washington, planned for next week, amid wrangling over who will pay for Trump’s planned wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.