Category: US News

Obama says Putin knew about hacks: President urges Trump to take…

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.

Love Your Homemade Quilt? Thank Capitalism.

A patchwork quilt covering a bed in a country B&B or hanging on a museum wall evokes nostalgia for simpler times. Using simple shapes-triangles, squares, trapezoids, octagons-and the clever arrangement of color and pattern, the quilters of a bygone era created beauty and utility from what we wasteful moderns might simply discard.

North Carolina’s new law pushes the partisan envelope

North Carolina’s Republican-led legislature has fundamentally altered the balance of power, taking power from the governor before a newly-elected Democrat takes office. Jeanne Aaroe protests outside the Senate gallery after it was cleared during a special session of the North Carolina General Assembly in Raleigh, N.C., on Friday.

Here’s what the future of rail travel in the Northeast could be like

WASHINGTON — U.S. transportation officials proposed spending more than $120 billion over the next 30 years to revamp and overhaul railroad tracks in the Northeast Corridor, shaving 80 minutes off the trip between Washington and Boston, and expanding rail service throughout New Jersey. The report by the Federal Railroad Administration said a mixture of funding sources would need to be tapped to fulfill the plan of improved service along the 457-mile corridor, including some new tracks, new stations and new trains.

Trump salutes supporters in Florida, names budget director

President-elect Donald Trump, in the latest stop of his victory lap, told a military veteran-laden crowd in Florida that while he would build up the country’s armed forces, he would use them sparingly as commander-in-chief. “For too long, we’ve moving from one reckless intervention to another, to countries you’ve never heard of before,” Trump said at a rally Friday night in Orlando.

St. Albert MP calls for change alongside Bret McCann

St. Albert MP Michael Cooper spoke alongside Bret McCann at a press conference this afternoon, calling for changes to the Criminal Code. McCann, the son of Lyle and Marie McCann, is calling on the federal government to make changes to remove inoperative and unconstitutional sections of the Criminal Code.

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.

FDA Increases Transparency of Adverse Event Data for Cosmetics and Foods

On December 6th, FDA announced that it is publicly releasing data received by the Agency’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition about adverse events related to cosmetics and foods, including both conventional foods and dietary supplements. Adverse events can be any negative reaction to a product, such as a serious illness or allergic reactions, or other complaints like packaging problems, that are received through FDA’s voluntary adverse event reporting systems for these classes of regulated products .

Nation-Now 47 mins ago 11:29 p.m.Don’t call it soy milk, Vermont congressman says

Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., is asking the Food and Drug Administration to enforce the definition of “milk” – as in, a beverage that comes from cows – and require non-dairy drinks that currently market themselves as “milk” to find another name. Welch argues that plant-based products using the name “milk” are freeloading off milk ads paid for by dairy farmers, such as the “Got Milk?” campaign.

Don’t shoot the messenger

It is difficult to divine whether Gov. Sam Brownback enjoys living in a state of denial – or if he actually believes repeating misleading statements often enough will convince Kansans they are true.

Judge upholds California Electoral College mandate

San Jose >> A federal judge is rejecting a challenge to California’s requirement that Electoral College members vote for the statewide winner of the presidential election. An attorney for elector Vinz Koller says the judge issued his decision following a hearing on Friday.

More thoughts about Hillary’s loss

The Marshall Independent published two columns from syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts and, more recently, an opinion from a Redwood Falls subscriber. The common thread seems to be that Trump won the election, but didn’t deserve to! Nowhere was Hillary Clinton’s loss even mentioned let alone reasons for such loss presented despite all the ares of obvious concern, for example, economy, trade, wages, etc.

Oklahoma Republican lawmaker abandons anti-abortion bathroom signs law

An Oklahoma Republican lawmaker on Friday abandoned a measure that required public bathrooms to display anti-abortion signs after an outcry from business leaders and health providers who said it would cost millions of dollars. Republican Sen. A.J. Griffin, who had sponsored the original bill passed by the Legislature, proposed an amendment that would require the signs only at abortion providers and would direct the state Department of Health to launch a social media campaign on how to avoid abortions.

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.

State still must deliver water to Flint residents, federal court rules

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit denied a request by the state and by the city of Flint to stop an order requiring the state to immediately provide water delivery services to Flint residents at no cost. The decision came after state and city officials appealed an order from a federal judge issuing a preliminary injunction ordering the state to have bottled water delivered to Flint residents unless officials can prove there is an operating, properly-installed water filter in their home – a move that state officials say may cause other water crisis efforts to suffer.

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.

Coast Guard seizes 26.5 tons of cocaine

More than 26 tons of cocaine worth $2 billion have been seized by the US Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy, officials said Thursday. Approximately 100 suspected drug smugglers were apprehended at sea and turned over to federal authorities, said Vice Adm.

Training center mistakenly exposed students to deadly ricin

A federal terrorism response center in Alabama mistakenly used the lethal form of the toxin ricin as it trained thousands of firefighters, paramedics and other emergency responders during the past five years. Federal Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Alexa Lopez said FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness is supposed to use a form of ricin that is safe to humans in training exercises.

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.