Category: Republican

U.S. House Republicans to release healthcare bill changes

FILE PHOTO: House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady speaks with the media on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 14, 2017. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives will release changes to their healthcare bill on Monday, a top lawmaker said, in hopes of winning passage for the legislation later this week, and eventually, in the Senate.

Bill addresses ‘toxic relationship between US and Pakistan

Entitled “Pakistan State Sponsor of Terrorism Act of 2015,” a bill introduced by Rep. Ted Poe would designate Pakistan one of the world’s originators of globalized state-sponsored terrorism. Poe said upon introducing the bill on Thursday, “Not only is Pakistan an untrustworthy ally, Islamabad has also aided and abetted enemies of the United States for years,” Poe is the chairman of Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade of the House Foreign Relations Committee.

U.S. general says Russia has deployed banned missile

A senior U.S. general on Wednesday accused Russia of deploying a land-based cruise missile in violation of “the spirit and intent” of a nuclear arms treaty and charged that Moscow’s intention is to threaten U.S. facilities in Europe and the NATO alliance. “We believe that the Russians have deliberately deployed it in order to pose a threat to NATO and to facilities within the NATO area of responsibility,” Gen.

Rep. DeSantis visits Israel, tours possible US embassy sites

While President Trump has backed away from moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a ranking Republican Congressman visited the country Sunday, pushing for the controversial move. Ron DeSantis, the chair of the Subcommittee on National Security, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and toured four possible sites for the embassy relocation, including the two current U.S. consulates in West Jerusalem.

White House eyes steep cuts to leading US climate science agency

Washington: President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking to slash one of the government’s premier climate science agencies by 17 per cent, delivering steep cuts to research funding and satellite programs, according to a four-page budget memo obtained by The Washington Post.The proposed cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would also eliminate funding for a variety of smaller programs including external research, coastal management, estuary reserves and “coastal resilience,” which seeks to bolster the ability of coastal areas to withstand major storms and rising seas.

White House eyes steep cuts to leading US climate science agency

Washington: President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking to slash one of the government’s premier climate science agencies by 17 per cent, delivering steep cuts to research funding and satellite programs, according to a four-page budget memo obtained by The Washington Post.The proposed cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration would also eliminate funding for a variety of smaller programs including external research, coastal management, estuary reserves and “coastal resilience,” which seeks to bolster the ability of coastal areas to withstand major storms and rising seas.

Grandpa Wolcott

Shouldn’t James Wolcott retire? I read his latest spew in VANITY FAIR — online — and who needs it? Grandpa doesn’t like the left. We get it.

Russian ambassador in eye of storm over Trump campaign ties

The Trump administration’s back-to-back controversies over its Russian ties now have at least one thing in common: Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Moscow’s top diplomat is a Washington fixture with a sprawling network, and he has emerged as the central figure in the investigations into Trump advisers’ connections with Russia.

Donald Trump says he has ‘total’ confidence in Jeff Sessions; no need to recuse from Russia probe

Update: President Donald Trump says he “wasn’t aware” that his attorney general — former Sen. Jeff Sessions — had contact with the Russian ambassador during last year’s White House campaign. A growing number of Republicans joined Democratic leaders Thursday in calling for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to step aside from an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 White House election.

Nunes rejects GOP calls for special prosecutor into Russian ties

Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Tulare, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, rejected calls from his fellow Republican for a special prosecutor to investigate purported ties between Russia and members of President Trump’s administration and campaign. Earlier Saturday, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista , the former House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chair, said it would be inappropriate for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was involved with the Trump campaign and is a Trump appointee, to investigate the matter.

Muhammad Ali Jr., mother detained at Florida airport, attorney says

LOUISVILLE, KY – Muhammad Ali’s son was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigators at a Florida airport earlier this month, his attorney confirmed on Saturday. Muhammad Ali Jr. and his mother, Khalilah Camacho-Ali, were arriving at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from Montego Bay, Jamaica on February 7 when they were directed to secondary inspections, Chris Mancini said.

US senator revives bill cutting funds to PA over funding for terrorists

Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham will reintroduce legislation next week that would cut US funding to the Palestinian Authority if it continues to provide monetary support to the families of those who commit acts of terror against Israelis. The bill, known as the Taylor Force Act , was first introduced last year by Graham with former Indiana Republican Sen. Dan Coats and Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt.

US senator revives bill cutting funds to PA over funding for terrorists

Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham will reintroduce legislation next week that would cut US funding to the Palestinian Authority if it continues to provide monetary support to the families of those who commit acts of terror against Israelis. The bill, known as the Taylor Force Act , was first introduced last year by Graham with former Indiana Republican Sen. Dan Coats and Missouri Republican Sen. Roy Blunt.

.com

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is preparing to make good on a pledge to veto a bill increasing personal income taxes as a bud One man said that North Korean agents are operating right now in South Korea, the United States and many other countries.

US Senator McCain meets Turkish leaders

U.S.’s Senior Republican Senator John McCain, who serves as a chairman for the Senate Armed Services Committee, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Y ld r m on Feb. 20. McCain, who has been an ardent promoter of U.S.-Turkey relations, was expected to discuss the Syrian crisis in Ankara. His visit came after U.S. Senate on December 2016 passed a defense policy bill that allows supplying portable surface-to-air missiles to Syrian opposition groups.

Graham: Trump must punish Russia for election interference

A senior U.S. Republican senator urged President Donald Trump Sunday to take action against Russia over allegations that Moscow interfered in the election that brought him to power. U.S. intelligence officials have told Trump that Moscow tried to influence voters by hacking Democratic emails and trolling social media sites, but Trump has sought to downplay Russia’s role in the election.

Pence says US to hold Russia accountable, stand with NATO

U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence on Saturday conveyed a message to jittery partners that the Trump administration will “hold Russia accountable” and maintain steadfast support for NATO, a military alliance the American commander in chief once dismissed as “obsolete.” In his overseas debut as vice-president, Pence told the audience at the Munich Security Conference that the U.S. would be “unwavering” in its commitment to NATO and that President Donald Trump would “stand with Europe.”

Ap Fact Check: The audacity of hype

In the Washington week that wasn’t, President Donald Trump’s new administration whirred like a “fine-tuned machine,” piling on big-league accomplishments at a pace never before seen. Immigration agents newly empowered by Trump’s call to secure borders sent hordes of bad foreigners back home, validating a president who won the most lopsided Electoral College victory since Ronald Reagan.

Today in History

On Feb. 18, 1977, the space shuttle prototype Enterprise, sitting atop a Boeing 747, went on its debut “flight” above Edwards Air Force Base in California. In 1913, Mexican President Francisco I. Madero and Vice President Jose Maria Pino Suarez were arrested during a military coup .

McCain says Flynn affair shows Trump administration in ‘disarray’

At the Munich Security Conference, McCain said the departure of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn shows that the Trump’s administration is “in many respects, in disarray”, remarking that “they’ve got a lot of work to do”. But McCain blurred the clear line he drew between his pro-Western orthodoxy and Trump’s new populism when he said that Pence and Trump appointee John Kelly would back him up with similar, pro-NATO, pro-democracy, pro-liberal values, pro-Western messages to the conference.

McCain slams Trump in Munich speech without using his name

Republican Sen. John McCain delivered a withering critique of President Donald Trump in a speech Friday that highlighted fractures within the GOP as the new administration struggles to overcome a chaotic start. Speaking in Germany at the Munich Security Conference, McCain didn’t mention the president’s name, according to the prepared text, while he lamented a shift in the United States and Europe away from the “universal values” that forged the Western alliance seven decades ago.

Lawmakers push for answers on Trump teama s Russia ties

A crisis over the relationship between President Donald Trump’s aides and Russia deepened as a growing number of Trump’s fellow Republicans demanded expanded congressional inquiries into the matter. Trump sought to focus attention on what he called criminal intelligence leaks about his ousted national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

AP Sources: Justice warned White House about Flynn contacts

Joseph Dunford, left, and National Security Adviser Michael Flynn as he arrives via Air Force One at MacDill Air Forc… . Kellyanne Conway, left, and Stephen Miller, both senior advisers to President Donald Trump, walk to a news conference with President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Feb. 10, 2017, at the White House in Washin… .

Senate nears confirmation of Trumpa s pick to head Treasury

The Senate is poised to confirm President Donald Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary despite complaints by Democrats that Steven Mnuchin failed to protect thousands of homeowners from unnecessary foreclosures when he headed OneWest Bank. Votes on Trump’s Cabinet picks have exposed deep partisan divisions in the Republican-controlled Senate, with many of the nominees approved by mostly party-line votes.

Tom Price sworn in as health and human services secretary

Rep. Tom Price of Georgia was sworn in Friday as health and human services secretary, setting the stage for the conservative to play a leading role in dismantling President Barack Obama’s health care law. Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath to Price hours after he won Senate confirmation on a narrow 52-47 vote early Friday.

The Latest: Trump press need for tougher immigration checks

President Donald Trump is pressing the need for more stringent screening while his immigration order is on hold by the courts. Trump says in remarks at the U.S. Central Command at the MacDill Air Force base in Florida that, “We need strong programs” so that “people that love us and want to love our country and will end up loving our country are allowed in” and those who “want to destroy us and destroy our country” are kept out.

Dakota Access and Keystone XL Pipelines Revived: Why Does It Matter?

On January 24, President Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum expediting review of the application to build the Dakota Access Pipeline. Construction of the 1,172 mile, $3.7 billion pipeline that carries oil from North Dakota into Illinois is almost complete, except for a 1,100 foot section under North Dakota’s Lake Oahe , an important reservoir on the Missouri River.