Washington Electoral College makes their choice

Opening the 32nd Washington Electoral College Dec 19th Secretary of State Kim Wyman explains the history and process of the state Electoral College as 12 electors choose the state’s President and Vice-President choices. The Thurston County Commission voted on a new ordinance on Nov. 29 that will restrict the county’s use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement holds.

Blumenthal joins Simmons to call for improved safety at Stonington rail crossings

To continue reading up to 10 premium articles, you must register , or sign up and take advantage of this exclusive offer: U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and First Selectman Rob Simmons discuss safety improvements they say are urgently needed at two rail crossings in town during a meeting in Stonington Town Hall Monday afternoon. Stonington — Twice this fall First Selectman Rob Simmons wrote letters to Amtrak President Charles W. Moorman IV urging him to make safety improvements at the Elihu Island and Walker’s Dock rail crossings before someone is injured or killed.

NJ presidential electors cast their votes

NJ presidential electors cast their votes NJ Electoral College voters meet amid efforts to convince Republican electors elsewhere to withdraw support of Donald Trump Check out this story on mycentraljersey.com: http://on.app.com/2i8Fivp Trump won more than the necessary 270 electoral votes in November. Some groups had been pressuring Republican electors in other states to not vote for him but there was little indication of a significant rebellion.

President Obama hands out 78 pardons and 153 shortened sentences

President Barack Obama has pardoned 78 people and shortened the sentence of 153 others convicted of federal crimes, the greatest number of individual clemencies in a single day by any president, the White House said Monday. Obama has been granting commutations at rapid-fire pace in his final months in office, but he has focused primarily on shortening sentences of those convicted of drug offenses rather than giving pardons.

Obama sets rule to protect streams near coal mines

The Obama administration on Monday set final rules designed to reduce the environmental impact of coal mining on the nation’s streams, a long-anticipated move that met quick resistance from Republicans who vowed to overturn it under President-elect Donald Trump. The Interior Department said the new rule will protect 6,000 miles of streams and 52,000 acres of forests, preventing debris from coal mining from being dumped into nearby waters.

Wisconsin protesters brave cold to oppose Trump

Protesters braved sub-zero wind chills outside Wisconsin’s state Capitol on Monday to protest against Donald Trump and urge 10 Republican Electoral College members to “vote your conscience” and cast a ballot against the president-elect. The protests, both inside the Capitol and outside where the temperature hovered around zero, came hours before Wisconsin’s presidential electors were to gather in a fourth floor hearing room to officially award the state’s 10 electoral votes to Trump.

Protesters rally in advance of Connecticut electoral vote

Connecticut’s seven electors are expected to formally cast votes at noon Monday for Hillary Clinton, winner of the statewide election for president. But the protesters say they still felt the need to brave the cold and take a public stand, worried about Republican Donald Trump’s suitability to become the next president of the U.S., as well as the alleged Russian interference with the election.

Slideshow: Most sinful cities

The meeting of Presidential Electors will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday at the Capitol in Mississippi. The electors will case their electoral votes in the 2016 General Election or President and Vice President of the United States.

The Latest: SC win gives Trump 44 of 270 electoral votes

Graphic shows disparities between population and electoral votes among states; 4c x 5 inches; 195.7 mm x 127 mm; WASHINGTON – The Latest on the Electoral College meeting Monday to formally elect Donald Trump the nation’s 45th president : With a win in South Carolina, Donald Trump now has won 44 electoral votes of the 270 he needs to formally win the presidency. Clinton won the popular vote in the Nov. 8 election.

Villanova still No. 1 in AP Top 25 men’s hoops; UCLA at 2

The Latest on the Electoral College meeting Monday to formally elect Donald Trump the nation’s 45th president : The Latest on the Electoral College meeting Monday to formally elect Donald Trump the nation’s 45th president : U.S. women are increasingly using pot during pregnancy, sometimes for morning sickness. That’s according to an analysis of annual U.S. government drug surveys.

House Republicans shut down investigation into Flint water crisis, blame EPA instead

As President Obama signed a bill Friday authorizing $170 million to address lead in the drinking water in Flint , Michigan, Republicans in the House quietly closed a nearly yearlong investigation into the disaster before receiving crucial information from Republican Gov. Rick Snyder. Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, sent a pair of letters late Friday afternoon offering no new information and essentially summarizing what was already revealed about the crisis during several high-profile hearings earlier this year to announce the end of his investigation.

Gov-elect: North Carolina will repeal LGBT law on Tuesday

In this June 24, 2016, file photo, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper speaks during a forum in Charlotte, N.C. North Carolina legislators will repeal the contentious HB2 law that limited protections for LGBT people and led to an economic backlash, the state’s incoming governor, Roy, said Monday, Dec. 19. less FILE – In this June 24, 2016, file photo, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper speaks during a forum in Charlotte, N.C. North Carolina legislators will repeal the contentious HB2 law that limited … more FILE – In this Monday, April 25, 2016, file photo, protesters head into the Legislative building for a sit-in against House Bill 2 in Raleigh, N.C. North Carolina legislators will repeal the contentious HB2 law that limited protections for LGBT people and led to an economic backlash, the state’s Gov.-elect Roy Cooper said Monday, Dec. 19, 2016.

Donald Trump blames terrorists for killings in Turkey, Germany

Jumping ahead of investigators, President-elect Donald Trump is blaming Islamic terrorists for deadly violence in Turkey and Germany and vowing anew to eradicate their regional and global networks. Authorities in both countries were still investigating Monday when Trump issued a pair of statements condemning the attacks, the same day the Electoral College formally awarded him the presidency.

As alliance wavers, U.S. says gave Philippines big annual defense aid boost

The United States provided the Philippines with $127 million in security assistance in the 12 months ended in September, the biggest sum in about 15 years, overlapping with a stream of angry threats from President Rodrigo Duterte to sever their defense alliance. The U.S. embassy in Manila on Friday confirmed its longtime Asian ally had received a 154 percent increase in military assistance from the 2014-2015 period, the biggest sum since American forces returned to the Philippines in 2002.

Mount Washington wind chill hits 87 below zero

New England’s highest peak is notorious for its winds. Combine those whipping winds with an air temperature of 35 below zero and you get a wind chill of minus 87. A West Lebanon woman survived a close call Saturday after she was dragged underneath a tractor trailer in a White River Junction parking lot.

Sage, Ink: Naughty Rewards

In the waning days of President Barack Obama’s administration, he and his wife, Michelle, hosted a farewell party, the full import of which no one could then grasp. It was late October, Friday the 21st, and the president had spent many of the previous weeks, as he would spend the two subsequent weeks, campaigning for the Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton.

New Jersey’s presidential electors set to meet in Trenton

The Electoral College delegation will meet Monday afternoon in Trenton to officially allot the state’s 14 electoral votes to Democrats Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine. Clinton won the state on Election Day over Republican President-elect Donald Trump, who is preparing to take office in January to succeed President Barack Obama.

Ireland accuses Brussels, China’s real-life Big Brother, Microsoft

Dublin has laid out the grounds for its appeal against the European Commission’s demand that it claw back a 13bn of state aid from Apple Ireland has outlined the grounds for its appeal against the European Commission ‘s demand that it claw back €13bn of state aid from Apple, accusing Brussels of interfering with national sovereignty. The Irish finance ministry said the EU’s executive arm had misunderstood both Irish law and the relevant facts of the case, and also that the commission had exceeded its powers.

Editorial: Snapshots from the nation’s press

This image released last Thursday by Aleppo 24 shows residents gathered near green government buses for evacuation from eastern Aleppo, Syria. Allegations that the Russian government tried to influence America’s election are extraordinarily serious – “the political equivalent to 9/11,” according to Michael Morell, the former acting director of the CIA.

Trump aides ask of Russian meddling: Does it matter?

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, second from right, attends a meeting Friday with former White House Chiefs of Staff in the office of current White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough at the White House in Washington, D.C. From left are, Andrew Card, Bill Daley, Samuel Skinner, Priebus and Rahm … (more)