Category: US Politics

Countdown to Inauguration Day: What you need to know today

Obama retaliated for suspected Russian inteference in the U.S. presidential campaign by imposing sanctions and expelling Russian government officials in the U.S. Trump then issued a statement saying it’s “time for our country to move on to bigger and better things.” Senior White House leadership team , listed on Donald Trump’s official presidential transition website : Vice President-Elect Mike Pence as team chair, with Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Newt Gingrich, Michael T. Flynn, Rudy Giuliani, Jeff Sessions as vice chairs.

States face off over Clean Power Plan

Two weeks after officials in two dozen states asked Republican President-elect Donald Trump to kill one of Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature plans to curb global warming, another group of state officials is urging Trump to save it. Democratic attorneys general in 15 states plus four cities and counties sent a letter to Trump asking him to preserve Obama’s Clean Power Plan, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, the lead author, announced Thursday.

UPDATE 1-FBI analysis fingers Russian spy agencies for U.S. election hacks

Dec 29 The FBI squarely blamed Russian intelligence services on Thursday for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, releasing the most definitive report yet on the issue, including samples of malicious computer code said to have been used in a broad hacking campaign. Starting in mid-2015, Russia’s foreign intelligence agency, the FSB, emailed a malicious link to more than 1,000 recipients, including U.S. government targets, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a 13-page report co-authored with the Department of Homeland Security.

Carjacking turned to Kidnappinga Child found safe

A 6-year-old girl was found safe today after a suspect stole the running car in which she was left waiting while her mother went into a South Los Angeles laundromat. The vehicle was taken just after 2 p.m. in the 7800 block of Broadway, according to Officer Aareon Jefferson of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Media Relations Section.

Tribes get say in land management but worry about Trump

In this July 14, 2016, file photo, the Newspaper Rock featuring a rock panel of petroglyphs in the Indian Creek Area is shown to U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell near Monticello, Utah, during a tour to meet with proponents and opponents to the “Bears Ears” monument proposal. President Barack Obama on Wednesday, Dec. 28, designated two new national monuments in Utah and Nevada.

Sanders’ bid, Hardwood tragedy top stories

Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid exposed a streak of progressivism in a swath of the American electorate, and the Vermont independent’s performance in the Democratic presidential primaries was voted the top story of 2016 in his adopted home state by Associated Press member editors and broadcasters. The AP gathered nominations from Vermont news organizations that belong to the news cooperative, developed a list and asked journalists to rank the top 10 stories, using a point system in which each ballot’s top-ranked story got 10, the second-ranking story 9 and so on.

Israel and the damage done by Obama

In this Nov. 9, 2015, file photo, President Barack Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House. The audience – overwhelmingly Jewish, passionately pro-Israel and supremely gullible – applauded wildly.

Final step of Indiana income tax cut effective Jan. 1

Indiana’s personal income tax rate will drop slightly beginning New Year’s Day, completing a phased-in reduction that’s half of the 10 percent cut Republican Gov. Mike Pence pushed during his 2012 campaign. The state income tax rate will become 3.23 percent for 2017, down from the 3.3 percent rate that’s been in place the past two years.

Trump on Russia sanctions: Time to move on, but I’ll meet…

President-elect Donald Trump responded Thursday to President Barack Obama’s fresh sanctions against Russia, saying that it’s “time to move on,” but that he’ll meet with intelligence officials to discuss Russian involvement in election hacks anyway. “It’s time for our country to move on to bigger and better things,” Trump said in a brief evening statement.

Russia expert: New US sanctions ‘clearly meant to throw a…

New US sanctions on Russia could complicate the Trump administration’s relations with the Kremlin, as the president-elect seeks to warm relations while other US officials insist on harsh punishments for election meddling. Boris Zilberman, a Russia expert at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said increased sanctions from the US are “clearly … meant to throw a wrench into next [administration’s] dealings with Moscow.”

a Faithless electorsa in Washington face $1,000 fines

Democratic electors Phillip Tyler, left, and Esther John fill out their ballots with ceremonial plastic “quill” pens during a meeting of Washington state’s Electoral College Monday, Dec. 19, 2016, in Olympia, Wash. For the first time in four decades, members of the Electoral College in Washington state broke from the state’s popular vote for president, with four electors casting their votes for candidates other than Democrat Hillary Clinton.

US punishes Russia for hacking presidential campaign

The United States struck back Thursday at Russia for hacking the U.S. presidential campaign with a sweeping set of punishments targeting Russia’s spy agencies and diplomats. The U.S. said Russia must bear costs for its actions, but Moscow called the Obama administration “losers” and threatened retaliation.

US considers mining limits in West to save sage grouse

The Obama administration offered five possible plans Thursday for limiting mining on federal land in the West to protect the vulnerable greater sage grouse, but it isn’t saying which it prefers. The options range from banning new mining activity on approximately 15,000 square miles for up to 20 years to imposing no additional restrictions on mine locations.

Kasich Veto Of Energy Bill Sets Up 2017 ‘Lame Duck’ Shooting Season

When Republican State Senator Bill Seitz issued his statement Monday, following Gov. John Kasich’s veto of Ohio House Bill 554, he didn’t spare the rod to spoil this governor. “It is apparent that Governor Kasich cares more about appeasing his coastal elite friends in the renewable energy business than he does about the millions of Ohioans who decisively rejected this ideology when they voted for President-elect Trump,” Seitz, representing Ohio’s 8th District from Cincinnati, said.

Predictions: DeWine-Rosenberger Gov. Ticket, Householder Returns To House Speaker

Governor John Kasich, who is being dubbed by some statehouse insiders these days as “John Who?” still has two years left in his term, but with the clout Majority Caucus Republicans will yield next year in the House and Senate, his last biennial budget could be dead on arrival, and any bills sent to him that he chooses to veto can be easily over ridden if Republican will is strong enough.

When telling the truth is actually dishonest

In the taxonomy of deception, many believe that the worst kind of lie is one of “commission” – intentionally misleading someone by knowingly making a false statement. But another common type of deception – one many have witnessed but probably didn’t know what to call – may be viewed just as badly.

U.S. punishes Russia for election hacking with sanctions, expulsion of diplomats

The Obama administration announced Thursday the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and new sanctions as punishment for meddling in the U.S. presidential election. The White House and the Treasury Department announced sanctions against Russia’s main intelligence organizations — the Federal Security Service, which is the main successor to the KGB, and the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence operation.

Obama retaliates against Russia for election hacking

Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis, right, looks at US Sen. John McCain centre left, during a press conference, Wednesday in Riga, Latvia, while Lindsey Graham, R-SC., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., stand in the background. Russia can expect hard-hitting sanctions from United States lawmakers if an investigation proves that Moscow interfered in the presidential election, a U.S. senator said Wednesday during a visit to Latvia.

Russia sanctions announced by White House

President Barack Obama took unprecedented steps Thursday retaliating against what the administration described as “Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities,” including sanctioning six Russian individuals and five Russian entities as well as ordering Russian diplomats to leave the country. This is the first time the names of Russian officials involved in the hacking have become public on the sanctions list.

Rep. Franks: Sanctions Based on ‘Leaks,’ Obama Acting ‘Hypocritically’

Congress has not yet been briefed on whether Russia interfered in the presidential election, and it’s a “little premature” to come to conclusions that lead to President Barack Obama’s sanctions against Russia, Rep. Trent Franks said Thursday, and he finds it hypocritical that Obama is making such accusations. “What we’re hearing is information leaked from the intelligence community, primarily from the Barack Obama administration apparatus,” the Arizona Republican, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told MSNBC Thursday afternoon.

new Obama retaliates against Russia for election hacking

In a sweeping response to election hacking, President Barack Obama on Thursday sanctioned Russian intelligence services and their top officials, kicked out 35 Russian officials and shuttered two Russian-owned compounds in the U.S. It was the strongest action the Obama administration has taken to date to retaliate for a cyberattack. “All Americans should be alarmed by Russia’s actions,” Obama said in a statement released while he was vacationing in Hawaii.

Obama Sanctions Russia For Interference in the U.S. Election

President Barack Obama on Thursday authorized a series of sanctions against Russia for intervening in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and warned of more action to come. “These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm U.S. interests in violation of established international norms of behavior,” Obama said in a statement.

Utah attorney general to sue over monument

The Republican attorney general of Utah says he’s going to sue over President Barack Obama’s designation of the Bears Ears National Monument that spans 1.35 million acres in the state. Attorney General Sean Reyes said in a statement Wednesday that he’s working with local officials to file a lawsuit.

Utah attorney general to sue over monument

The Republican attorney general of Utah says he’s going to sue over President Barack Obama’s designation of the Bears Ears National Monument that spans 1.35 million acres in the state. Attorney General Sean Reyes said in a statement Wednesday that he’s working with local officials to file a lawsuit.

President Obama designates two more nat’l monuments, infuriating right wingers in Utah and elsewhere

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes.But according… Senate Republicans refused to give President Obama’s pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Scalia even the courtesy of a… American Indian petroglyphs, some dating back 5,000 years, cover “Newspaper Rock” located in what is now Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada also contains a “Newspaper Rock.”

President Obama designates two more nat’l monuments, infuriating right wingers in Utah and elsewhere

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes.But according… Senate Republicans refused to give President Obama’s pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Scalia even the courtesy of a… American Indian petroglyphs, some dating back 5,000 years, cover “Newspaper Rock” located in what is now Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada also contains a “Newspaper Rock.”

Punishment for Alleged Russian Hacking Expected to Be Announced Today

The Obama administration later today is expected to announce retaliatory steps against Russia for a cyber assault on Democratic political organizations during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to sources familiar with the matter. Federal authorities are also expected to expand on why Washington is confident that Russia was behind the hacks, which some officials believe may have influenced the U.S. presidential election .

APNewsBreak: US considers mining limits to save sage grouse

The Obama administration will release five possible plans Thursday for limiting mining on federal land in the West to protect the vulnerable greater sage grouse, but it isn’t saying which it prefers. The options range from banning new mining activity on about 15,000 square miles for up to 20 years to imposing no additional restrictions on mine locations.

What the UNSC resolution means for the US and Israel

The United Nations Security Council on Friday passed a resolution condemning Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The United States abstained on the resolution, allowing it to pass, rather than vetoing it — as it usually does with resolutions it sees as overly critical of Israel.

What the UNSC resolution means for the US and Israel

The United Nations Security Council on Friday passed a resolution condemning Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The United States abstained on the resolution, allowing it to pass, rather than vetoing it — as it usually does with resolutions it sees as overly critical of Israel.