UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - More than 120 countries defied President
Donald Trump on Thursday and voted in favor of a United Nations General
Assembly resolution calling for the United States to drop its recent
recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Trump had threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted
in favor. A total of 128 countries backed the resolution, which is
non-binding, nine voted against and 35 abstained. Twenty-one countries
did not cast a vote.
Trump’s threat appeared to have some
impact, with more countries abstaining and rejecting the resolution than
usually associated with Palestinian-related resolutions.
Nevertheless, Washington found itself isolated as many of its Western
and Arab allies voted for the measure. Some of those allies, like
Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, are major recipients of U.S. military or
economic aid, although the U.S. threat to cut aid did not single out any
country.
A spokesman for Western-backed Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas called the vote “a victory for Palestine.” Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the vote.
Earlier this month, Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy by
announcing the United States recognized Jerusalem -- home to major
Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites -- as the capital of Israel and
would move its embassy there.
The status of Jerusalem is one of the thorniest obstacles to a peace
deal between Israel and the Palestinians, who were furious over Trump’s
move. The international community does not recognize Israeli sovereignty
over the full city.
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Doug Jones upsets Judge Roy Moore
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Reuters) - Democrat Doug Jones won a bitter fight for a
U.S. Senate seat in deeply conservative Alabama on Tuesday, dealing a
political blow to President Donald Trump in a race marked by sexual
misconduct accusations against Republican candidate Roy Moore.
The stunning upset by Jones makes him the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama in a quarter-century and will trim the Republicans’ already narrow Senate majority to 51-49, endangering Trump’s agenda and opening the door for Democrats to possibly retake the chamber in next year’s congressional elections.
The ugly campaign drew national attention and split the Republican Party over accusations from several women that Moore pursued them when they were teens and he was in his 30s.
Moore, 70, a Christian conservative who was removed from the state Supreme Court in Alabama twice for ignoring federal law, denied the allegations and said he did not know any of the women who made them. Reuters has not independently verified the allegations.
Trump endorsed Moore even as other party leaders in Washington walked away from him, but Jones, 63, a former federal prosecutor, portrayed the campaign as a referendum on decency and promised the state’s voters he would not embarrass them in Washington.
The stunning upset by Jones makes him the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama in a quarter-century and will trim the Republicans’ already narrow Senate majority to 51-49, endangering Trump’s agenda and opening the door for Democrats to possibly retake the chamber in next year’s congressional elections.
The ugly campaign drew national attention and split the Republican Party over accusations from several women that Moore pursued them when they were teens and he was in his 30s.
Moore, 70, a Christian conservative who was removed from the state Supreme Court in Alabama twice for ignoring federal law, denied the allegations and said he did not know any of the women who made them. Reuters has not independently verified the allegations.
Trump endorsed Moore even as other party leaders in Washington walked away from him, but Jones, 63, a former federal prosecutor, portrayed the campaign as a referendum on decency and promised the state’s voters he would not embarrass them in Washington.
Sunday, December 10, 2017
Franken to resign from Senate
WASHINGTON
— Senator Al Franken of Minnesota, in an emotional speech on the Senate
floor, announced on Thursday that he would resign from Congress, the
most prominent figure in a growing list of lawmakers felled by charges
of sexual harassment or indiscretions.
At
turns defiant and mournful but hardly contrite, Mr. Franken called it
“the worst day of my political life,” as he denied allegations of
groping and improper advances from at least six women. Instead, as his
Democratic colleagues looked on, he took a parting shot at President
Trump and Roy S. Moore, the Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama;
both have also been accused of sexual misconduct.
“I,
of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am
leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual
assault sits in the Oval Office, and a man who has repeatedly preyed on
young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party,” Mr. Franken said.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Matt Lauer too?
NEW YORK >> NBC News fired longtime “Today” show host
Matt Lauer today for “inappropriate sexual behavior,” making him the
second morning television show personality to lose his job because of
sexual misconduct charges in a week.
Lauer’s co-host Savannah Guthrie made the announcement at the top of today’s “Today” show. Last week, CBS News fired Charlie Rose after complaints from several women who worked for him.
NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack said the network had received a complaint from a colleague on Monday night, and a review determined it was a clear violation of company standards. While it was the first complaint lodged against Lauer, Lack said in a memo to staff that “we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.”
Lauer, 59, has hosted “Today” for two decades. When paired with Katie Couric, “Today” was the longtime ratings leader and was highly lucrative for NBC. It now runs second in the ratings to ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Many “Today” show viewers took out their anger for the unsightly 2012 firing of co-host Ann Curry on Lauer, sending the show plunging in the ratings. But NBC stuck with Lauer and the show had steadied with his pairing with Guthrie. The show runs for four hours, with Lauer and Guthrie hosting the first two.
He joins a lengthening list of media figures felled by sexual misconduct charges this year. Besides Rose, they include Lauer’s former NBC News colleague Mark Halperin, former Fox News prime-time host Bill O’Reilly and National Public Radio newsroom chief Michael Oreskes. The New York Times suspended White House correspondent Glenn Thrush last week.
Lauer’s co-host Savannah Guthrie made the announcement at the top of today’s “Today” show. Last week, CBS News fired Charlie Rose after complaints from several women who worked for him.
NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack said the network had received a complaint from a colleague on Monday night, and a review determined it was a clear violation of company standards. While it was the first complaint lodged against Lauer, Lack said in a memo to staff that “we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.”
Lauer, 59, has hosted “Today” for two decades. When paired with Katie Couric, “Today” was the longtime ratings leader and was highly lucrative for NBC. It now runs second in the ratings to ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Many “Today” show viewers took out their anger for the unsightly 2012 firing of co-host Ann Curry on Lauer, sending the show plunging in the ratings. But NBC stuck with Lauer and the show had steadied with his pairing with Guthrie. The show runs for four hours, with Lauer and Guthrie hosting the first two.
He joins a lengthening list of media figures felled by sexual misconduct charges this year. Besides Rose, they include Lauer’s former NBC News colleague Mark Halperin, former Fox News prime-time host Bill O’Reilly and National Public Radio newsroom chief Michael Oreskes. The New York Times suspended White House correspondent Glenn Thrush last week.
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Charlie Rose too?
CBS News and PBS fired Charlie Rose on Tuesday after eight women accused the veteran journalist of sexual misconduct.
"Despite Charlie's important journalist contribution to our news division, there is absolutely nothing more important, in this or any organization, than ensuring a safe, professional workplace-a supportive environment where people feel they can do their best work," said CBS News President David Rhodes in a memo.
"We need to be such a place," he added. "I'm deeply disappointed and angry that people were victimized-and that even people not connected with these events could see their hard work undermined."
PBS fired Rose not long after CBS News announced its decision to terminate the newsman.
"In light of yesterday's revelations, PBS has terminated its relationship with Charlie Rose and cancelled distribution of his programs. PBS expects all the producers we work with to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect," PBS said in a statement.
The firings come after eight women accused Rose of sexual misconduct in a report published Monday by The Washington Post.
Rose, who co-hosted "CBS This Morning," was accused of making unwanted sexual advances ranging from making lewd suggestions during phone calls to walking naked in front of female employees to groping their breasts or genital areas, according to the report.
The accusations, which centered around behavior at Rose's PBS program, "Charlie Rose," date from the late 1990s to as recently as 2011.
Rose acknowledged Monday in a statement that he had "behaved insensitively" at times, but said that some of the allegations were not accurate.
"It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I am greatly embarrassed. I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate. I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken," Rose said in a statement to the Post.
Rose's CBS co-hosts addressed the controversy on-air Tuesday morning.
"This is a moment that demands a frank and honest assessment about where we stand, and more generally, the safety of women," "CBS This Morning" co-host Norah O'Donnell said.
"Let me be very clear: There is no excuse for this alleged behavior. It is systematic and pervasive."
PBS announced Monday it would suspend distribution of Rose's program while it looked into the allegations against the 75-year-old host.
"PBS was shocked to learn today of these deeply disturbing allegations. We are immediately suspending distribution of 'Charlie Rose,'" a PBS spokesman said in a statement Monday.
"'Charlie Rose' is produced by Charlie Rose, Inc., an independent television production company. PBS does not fund this nightly program or supervise its production, but we expect our producers to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect," the spokesman added.
"Despite Charlie's important journalist contribution to our news division, there is absolutely nothing more important, in this or any organization, than ensuring a safe, professional workplace-a supportive environment where people feel they can do their best work," said CBS News President David Rhodes in a memo.
"We need to be such a place," he added. "I'm deeply disappointed and angry that people were victimized-and that even people not connected with these events could see their hard work undermined."
PBS fired Rose not long after CBS News announced its decision to terminate the newsman.
"In light of yesterday's revelations, PBS has terminated its relationship with Charlie Rose and cancelled distribution of his programs. PBS expects all the producers we work with to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect," PBS said in a statement.
The firings come after eight women accused Rose of sexual misconduct in a report published Monday by The Washington Post.
Rose, who co-hosted "CBS This Morning," was accused of making unwanted sexual advances ranging from making lewd suggestions during phone calls to walking naked in front of female employees to groping their breasts or genital areas, according to the report.
The accusations, which centered around behavior at Rose's PBS program, "Charlie Rose," date from the late 1990s to as recently as 2011.
Rose acknowledged Monday in a statement that he had "behaved insensitively" at times, but said that some of the allegations were not accurate.
"It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I am greatly embarrassed. I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate. I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken," Rose said in a statement to the Post.
Rose's CBS co-hosts addressed the controversy on-air Tuesday morning.
"This is a moment that demands a frank and honest assessment about where we stand, and more generally, the safety of women," "CBS This Morning" co-host Norah O'Donnell said.
"Let me be very clear: There is no excuse for this alleged behavior. It is systematic and pervasive."
PBS announced Monday it would suspend distribution of Rose's program while it looked into the allegations against the 75-year-old host.
"PBS was shocked to learn today of these deeply disturbing allegations. We are immediately suspending distribution of 'Charlie Rose,'" a PBS spokesman said in a statement Monday.
"'Charlie Rose' is produced by Charlie Rose, Inc., an independent television production company. PBS does not fund this nightly program or supervise its production, but we expect our producers to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect," the spokesman added.
Monday, November 06, 2017
mass shooting in Texas
At least 26 people were killed in Sunday's church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said at a press conference.
About 20 others were wounded, said Freeman Martin, a regional director with the Texas Department of Public Safety, with victims ranging in age from 5 to 72 years old.
Among the dead is the 14-year-old daughter of the First Baptist Church's pastor, Frank Pomeroy, according to his wife, Sherri Pomeroy, the girl's mother. The couple were traveling out of state when the shooting occurred.
About 20 others were wounded, said Freeman Martin, a regional director with the Texas Department of Public Safety, with victims ranging in age from 5 to 72 years old.
Among the dead is the 14-year-old daughter of the First Baptist Church's pastor, Frank Pomeroy, according to his wife, Sherri Pomeroy, the girl's mother. The couple were traveling out of state when the shooting occurred.
Sunday, October 29, 2017
the Russian investigation
10/30/17 - Trump tweets NO COLLUSION!
10/30/17 - Paul Manafort indicted for funneling money, pleads not guilty
10/29/17 - Roger Stone Jr. suspended from twitter after tirade against Don Lemon
10/28/17 - WSJ calls for investigation into the FBI, Hillary Clinton and for Mueller to resign
10/27/17 - First charges approved in the Mueller investigation
10/30/17 - Paul Manafort indicted for funneling money, pleads not guilty
10/29/17 - Roger Stone Jr. suspended from twitter after tirade against Don Lemon
10/28/17 - WSJ calls for investigation into the FBI, Hillary Clinton and for Mueller to resign
10/27/17 - First charges approved in the Mueller investigation
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
repealing and replacing Obamacare
[10/19/17] Shutdown of insurance subsidies could mean more free insurance coverage
[10/17/17] Alexander and Murray reach bipartisan deal to restore subsidies
[10/13/17] Eighteen U.S. states vowed to sue President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday to stop him from scrapping a key component of Obamacare, subsidies to insurers that help millions of low-income people pay medical expenses
[10/13/17] Trump to stop subsidy payments to insurers
[10/2/17] There is nothing sacred about single-payer
[9/26/17] Trump to work with Democrats
[9/26/17] GOP healthcare bill fails again
[9/22/17] McCain opposes this bill too
[9/21/17] Senator Cassidy health care fact check
[9/21/17] Santorum on Paul on health care bill
[9/21/17] Rand Paul: new plan keeps Obamacare funding giving more to Republican states
[9/20/17] Huelskoetter: Graham-Cassidy is the most harmful version yet.
[9/20/17] Ned Ryun: Graham-Cassidy is like lukewarm gruel but better than ObamaCare
[9/20/17] Kimmel blasts Brian Kilmeade too
[9/20/17] It would depend on where Billy Kimmel lives
[9/20/17] Jimmy Kimmel blasts Graham-Cassidy bill
[8/10/17] - Trump tells McConnell to get back to work
[7/31/17] - Should Trump let Obamacare fail? (Yes / No)
[7/28/17] McCain votes no on Obamacare repeal, wants input from both sides of the aisle
[5/7/17] Charlie Munger on healthcare
[5/4/17] Relieved Republicans muscled their health care bill through the House today, taking their biggest step toward dismantling the Obama health care overhaul since Donald Trump took office. They won passage only after overcoming their own divisions that nearly sank the measure six weeks ago.
The measure skirted through the House by a thin 217-213 vote, as all voting Democrats and a group of mostly moderate Republican holdouts voted no. A defeat would have been politically devastating for President Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Passage was a product of heavy lobbying by the White House and Republicans leaders, plus late revisions that nailed down the final supporters needed. The bill now faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, where even GOP lawmakers say major changes are likely.
[3/14/17] health care bill fact check
[3/13/17] President Donald Trump's administration on Monday rejected a report by the U.S. Congressional Budget Office that concluded millions of Americans would lose health insurance under a Republican plan to dismantle Obamacare.
U.S. health secretary Tom Price told reporters at the White House that the administration strenuously disagreed with the report, which he said did not look at the full Republican plan and did not take into account regulatory reforms and other efforts to reform healthcare.
[3/13/17] Fourteen million Americans would lose medical insurance by next year under a Republican plan to dismantle Obamacare, the nonpartisan U.S. Congressional Budget Office said on Monday in a report that dealt a potential setback to President Donald Trump's first major legislative initiative.
The eagerly awaited CBO report also forecast that 24 million more people would be uninsured in 2026 if the plan being considered in the House of Representatives were adopted. Obamacare enabled about 20 million previously uninsured Americans to obtain medical insurance.
The CBO projected that 52 million people would be uninsured by 2026 if the bill became law, compared to 28 million who would not have coverage that year if former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law remained unchanged.
[3/6/17] House Republicans unveiled on Monday their long-awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, scrapping the mandate for most Americans to have health insurance in favor of a new system of tax credits to induce people to buy insurance on the open market.
The bill sets the stage for a bitter debate over the possible dismantling of the most significant health care law in a half-century. In its place would be a health law that would be far more oriented to the free market and would make far-reaching changes to a vast part of the American economy.
The House Republican bill would roll back the expansion of Medicaid that has provided coverage to more than 10 million people in 31 states, reducing federal payments for many new beneficiaries. It also would effectively scrap the unpopular requirement that people have insurance and eliminate tax penalties for those who go without. The requirement for larger employers to offer coverage to their full-time employees would also be eliminated.
[10/17/17] Alexander and Murray reach bipartisan deal to restore subsidies
[10/13/17] Eighteen U.S. states vowed to sue President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday to stop him from scrapping a key component of Obamacare, subsidies to insurers that help millions of low-income people pay medical expenses
[10/13/17] Trump to stop subsidy payments to insurers
[10/2/17] There is nothing sacred about single-payer
[9/26/17] Trump to work with Democrats
[9/26/17] GOP healthcare bill fails again
[9/22/17] McCain opposes this bill too
[9/21/17] Senator Cassidy health care fact check
[9/21/17] Santorum on Paul on health care bill
[9/21/17] Rand Paul: new plan keeps Obamacare funding giving more to Republican states
[9/20/17] Huelskoetter: Graham-Cassidy is the most harmful version yet.
[9/20/17] Ned Ryun: Graham-Cassidy is like lukewarm gruel but better than ObamaCare
[9/20/17] Kimmel blasts Brian Kilmeade too
[9/20/17] It would depend on where Billy Kimmel lives
[9/20/17] Jimmy Kimmel blasts Graham-Cassidy bill
[8/10/17] - Trump tells McConnell to get back to work
[7/31/17] - Should Trump let Obamacare fail? (Yes / No)
[7/28/17] McCain votes no on Obamacare repeal, wants input from both sides of the aisle
[5/7/17] Charlie Munger on healthcare
[5/4/17] Relieved Republicans muscled their health care bill through the House today, taking their biggest step toward dismantling the Obama health care overhaul since Donald Trump took office. They won passage only after overcoming their own divisions that nearly sank the measure six weeks ago.
The measure skirted through the House by a thin 217-213 vote, as all voting Democrats and a group of mostly moderate Republican holdouts voted no. A defeat would have been politically devastating for President Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.
Passage was a product of heavy lobbying by the White House and Republicans leaders, plus late revisions that nailed down the final supporters needed. The bill now faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, where even GOP lawmakers say major changes are likely.
[3/14/17] health care bill fact check
[3/13/17] President Donald Trump's administration on Monday rejected a report by the U.S. Congressional Budget Office that concluded millions of Americans would lose health insurance under a Republican plan to dismantle Obamacare.
U.S. health secretary Tom Price told reporters at the White House that the administration strenuously disagreed with the report, which he said did not look at the full Republican plan and did not take into account regulatory reforms and other efforts to reform healthcare.
[3/13/17] Fourteen million Americans would lose medical insurance by next year under a Republican plan to dismantle Obamacare, the nonpartisan U.S. Congressional Budget Office said on Monday in a report that dealt a potential setback to President Donald Trump's first major legislative initiative.
The eagerly awaited CBO report also forecast that 24 million more people would be uninsured in 2026 if the plan being considered in the House of Representatives were adopted. Obamacare enabled about 20 million previously uninsured Americans to obtain medical insurance.
The CBO projected that 52 million people would be uninsured by 2026 if the bill became law, compared to 28 million who would not have coverage that year if former President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law remained unchanged.
[3/6/17] House Republicans unveiled on Monday their long-awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, scrapping the mandate for most Americans to have health insurance in favor of a new system of tax credits to induce people to buy insurance on the open market.
The bill sets the stage for a bitter debate over the possible dismantling of the most significant health care law in a half-century. In its place would be a health law that would be far more oriented to the free market and would make far-reaching changes to a vast part of the American economy.
The House Republican bill would roll back the expansion of Medicaid that has provided coverage to more than 10 million people in 31 states, reducing federal payments for many new beneficiaries. It also would effectively scrap the unpopular requirement that people have insurance and eliminate tax penalties for those who go without. The requirement for larger employers to offer coverage to their full-time employees would also be eliminated.
Sunday, October 08, 2017
gun-related deaths
[10/8/17] The empirical literature on firearm policy is complex, but most studies
support one clear conclusion: Places with more guns have more
gun-related deaths and violence. After reviewing 130 studies in 10
different countries, one comprehensive analysis in Epidemiologic Reviews
determined that laws restricting the purchase of and access to firearms
were strongly associated with lower rates of homicide and unintentional
deaths.
Strict regulations cannot protect us from all gun violence — but they can dramatically reduce it.
There is no better example of their potential for success than here in Hawaii. In 2014, Hawaii had the lowest firearm death rate in the nation, with a mere 2.6 gun deaths per 100,000 residents, compared to a rate of 14.8 in Nevada and an astonishing rate of 19.2 in Alaska.
[5/7/09] Hawaii continues to have the lowest rate of gun-related deaths in the nation, which state officials and a national organization attribute to Hawaii's strict gun laws and low gun ownership.
Hawaii had 2.58 gun deaths per 100,000 residents, while Louisiana, the highest, had a rate of 19.58, according to a Violence Policy Center report. The national average was 10.32, according to 2006 data the center used from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Only 9.7 percent of households in Hawaii owned a gun, compared with 45.6 in Louisiana.
"More guns means more gun death and injury. Fewer guns means less death and injury. It's a simple equation," said Kristen Rand, the center's legislative director.
* * * [6/10/09]
Let's see.. The top 5 states in gun related deaths are Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Mississippi, Nevada. I wonder if they're all Republican states? (Not to be political, but I was just wondering.)
It was hard to pinpoint, but according to this map of the 2010 Senate races, LA is barely GOP, AL strong GOP, AK barely GOP, MS (grey, but both Senators republican), NV strong democrat.
OK, how about going by who they voted for in the last Presidential Election.
Louisiana (McCain)
Alabama (McCain)
Alaska (McCain)
Mississippi (McCain)
Nevada (Obama)
How about the states with the least gun death percentages?
Hawaii (Obama)
Massachusetts (Obama)
Rhode Island (Obama)
Connecticut (Obama)
New York (Obama)
OK, I'm detecting a trend here.
Strict regulations cannot protect us from all gun violence — but they can dramatically reduce it.
There is no better example of their potential for success than here in Hawaii. In 2014, Hawaii had the lowest firearm death rate in the nation, with a mere 2.6 gun deaths per 100,000 residents, compared to a rate of 14.8 in Nevada and an astonishing rate of 19.2 in Alaska.
[5/7/09] Hawaii continues to have the lowest rate of gun-related deaths in the nation, which state officials and a national organization attribute to Hawaii's strict gun laws and low gun ownership.
Hawaii had 2.58 gun deaths per 100,000 residents, while Louisiana, the highest, had a rate of 19.58, according to a Violence Policy Center report. The national average was 10.32, according to 2006 data the center used from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Only 9.7 percent of households in Hawaii owned a gun, compared with 45.6 in Louisiana.
"More guns means more gun death and injury. Fewer guns means less death and injury. It's a simple equation," said Kristen Rand, the center's legislative director.
* * * [6/10/09]
Let's see.. The top 5 states in gun related deaths are Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Mississippi, Nevada. I wonder if they're all Republican states? (Not to be political, but I was just wondering.)
It was hard to pinpoint, but according to this map of the 2010 Senate races, LA is barely GOP, AL strong GOP, AK barely GOP, MS (grey, but both Senators republican), NV strong democrat.
OK, how about going by who they voted for in the last Presidential Election.
Louisiana (McCain)
Alabama (McCain)
Alaska (McCain)
Mississippi (McCain)
Nevada (Obama)
How about the states with the least gun death percentages?
Hawaii (Obama)
Massachusetts (Obama)
Rhode Island (Obama)
Connecticut (Obama)
New York (Obama)
OK, I'm detecting a trend here.
Monday, October 02, 2017
Las Vegas shooting
LAS VEGAS — Perched in his suite at a high-rise hotel overlooking the Vegas Strip, a 64-year-old retiree with no real criminal history and no known affiliations with terror groups rained bullets down into a crowd at a country music festival Sunday, killing at least 59 people and injuring hundreds more in the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.
The attack, at least initially, was as inexplicable as it was horrifying. Law enforcement officials said they could not immediately tell what drove Stephen Paddock to fire at thousands of unsuspecting concertgoers from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino before killing himself.
Authorities said a sweep of law enforcement databases showed Paddock had no known run-ins with police, and — despite the Islamic State’s repeated claims otherwise — investigators also could not find any connections to international terrorist groups. He was the son of a notorious bank robber and his own crime demonstrated some amount of sophisticated planning.
Police said he stayed in a large hotel suite for several days and aroused no suspicion, bringing with him an arsenal of 23 guns — their calibers ranging from .223 to .308, some with scopes — authorities said. One of the weapons he apparently used in the attack was an AK-47 type rifle, with a stand used to steady it for firing, people familiar with the case said. He fired, without warning, from an elevated position on an open-air venue, leaving his victims few options to avoid harm.
***
In the hours after a Las Vegas gunman mowed down more than 50 people Sunday night, Washington sent an implicit, but clear, message: Do not expect the capital to attempt to stop the next mass shooting.
Critics of Washington’s refusal to budge on gun control point out that the United States regulates many things to keep them out of the hands of evil and insane people — explosives or the ability to control an airplane, for example. The Republican posture is increasingly frustrating to Democrats and gun control activists who are beginning to boycott the predictable moments of unification that commonly occur in the hours after mass shootings — hoping their refusal to participate will call attention to the inaction.
But the Democratic protests will almost certainly have no impact on the larger gun control debate. Most observers point to the fact that the country refused to pass gun laws after the December 2012 Newtown mass shooting in which 26 people — including 20 children ages 6 and 7 — were killed. At that time, Democrats controlled the White House and the Senate.
Polling shows Republican voters support some gun control measures. Nearly 90 percent of GOP voters say that the mentally ill should not be able to purchase a gun, according to a June survey by the Pew Research Center. Seventy-seven percent want background checks for private sales or weapons purchased at gun shows. And 54 percent would ban the assault-style weapons that are frequently used in mass shootings.
But the Republican Party’s energized base is quick to turn on anyone seen as soft on the Second Amendment, leaving GOP candidates competing to show who is more pro-gun. In a recent Senate primary in Alabama, Republican Roy Moore pulled out a gun during a campaign rally to show how much likes weapons. He beat incumbent Luther Strange.
***
The casualties in the attack exceeded those of the Pulse nightclub tragedy in Florida more than a year ago. As with the Pulse attack, the Las Vegas shooting led to prompt calls from Democrats – not just Clinton – for gun legislation, though the party has struggled to tighten laws even when the Obama administration was in power.
Connecticut’s senators, who have been especially outspoken on gun control ever since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, were among the first to issue statements Monday.
“Nowhere but America do horrific large-scale mass shootings happen with this degree of regularity,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said in a statement. “This must stop. It is positively infuriating that my colleagues in Congress are so afraid of the gun industry that they pretend there aren't public policy responses to this epidemic. There are, and the thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with continued legislative indifference. It's time for Congress to get off its ass and do something."
Connecticut’s other Democratic senator, Richard Blumenthal, issued a similar statement.
“It has been barely a year since what was previously the largest mass shooting in American history – the deadly attack at Pulse nightclub. In the interim, thousands more have been lost to the daily, ruthless toll of gun violence. Still, Congress refuses to act. I am more than frustrated, I am furious,” he said.
As the lawmakers seemed to acknowledge, gun legislation stands little chance of passing under a Republican-controlled Congress and White House.
After the Pulse shooting, Senate Democrats launched a 15-hour filibuster followed by a Democratic sit-in on the House floor in a high-profile push for gun control legislation. But the divided Senate ultimately rejected all four gun measures put on the floor for a vote.
***
It’s been almost five years since a gunman mowed down students and teachers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. But Congress has rejected just about every attempted gun safety measure since then—more than 100 all totaled, although many are duplicative—and passage is even less likely following the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
The attack, at least initially, was as inexplicable as it was horrifying. Law enforcement officials said they could not immediately tell what drove Stephen Paddock to fire at thousands of unsuspecting concertgoers from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino before killing himself.
Authorities said a sweep of law enforcement databases showed Paddock had no known run-ins with police, and — despite the Islamic State’s repeated claims otherwise — investigators also could not find any connections to international terrorist groups. He was the son of a notorious bank robber and his own crime demonstrated some amount of sophisticated planning.
Police said he stayed in a large hotel suite for several days and aroused no suspicion, bringing with him an arsenal of 23 guns — their calibers ranging from .223 to .308, some with scopes — authorities said. One of the weapons he apparently used in the attack was an AK-47 type rifle, with a stand used to steady it for firing, people familiar with the case said. He fired, without warning, from an elevated position on an open-air venue, leaving his victims few options to avoid harm.
***
In the hours after a Las Vegas gunman mowed down more than 50 people Sunday night, Washington sent an implicit, but clear, message: Do not expect the capital to attempt to stop the next mass shooting.
Critics of Washington’s refusal to budge on gun control point out that the United States regulates many things to keep them out of the hands of evil and insane people — explosives or the ability to control an airplane, for example. The Republican posture is increasingly frustrating to Democrats and gun control activists who are beginning to boycott the predictable moments of unification that commonly occur in the hours after mass shootings — hoping their refusal to participate will call attention to the inaction.
But the Democratic protests will almost certainly have no impact on the larger gun control debate. Most observers point to the fact that the country refused to pass gun laws after the December 2012 Newtown mass shooting in which 26 people — including 20 children ages 6 and 7 — were killed. At that time, Democrats controlled the White House and the Senate.
Polling shows Republican voters support some gun control measures. Nearly 90 percent of GOP voters say that the mentally ill should not be able to purchase a gun, according to a June survey by the Pew Research Center. Seventy-seven percent want background checks for private sales or weapons purchased at gun shows. And 54 percent would ban the assault-style weapons that are frequently used in mass shootings.
But the Republican Party’s energized base is quick to turn on anyone seen as soft on the Second Amendment, leaving GOP candidates competing to show who is more pro-gun. In a recent Senate primary in Alabama, Republican Roy Moore pulled out a gun during a campaign rally to show how much likes weapons. He beat incumbent Luther Strange.
***
The casualties in the attack exceeded those of the Pulse nightclub tragedy in Florida more than a year ago. As with the Pulse attack, the Las Vegas shooting led to prompt calls from Democrats – not just Clinton – for gun legislation, though the party has struggled to tighten laws even when the Obama administration was in power.
Connecticut’s senators, who have been especially outspoken on gun control ever since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, were among the first to issue statements Monday.
“Nowhere but America do horrific large-scale mass shootings happen with this degree of regularity,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said in a statement. “This must stop. It is positively infuriating that my colleagues in Congress are so afraid of the gun industry that they pretend there aren't public policy responses to this epidemic. There are, and the thoughts and prayers of politicians are cruelly hollow if they are paired with continued legislative indifference. It's time for Congress to get off its ass and do something."
Connecticut’s other Democratic senator, Richard Blumenthal, issued a similar statement.
“It has been barely a year since what was previously the largest mass shooting in American history – the deadly attack at Pulse nightclub. In the interim, thousands more have been lost to the daily, ruthless toll of gun violence. Still, Congress refuses to act. I am more than frustrated, I am furious,” he said.
As the lawmakers seemed to acknowledge, gun legislation stands little chance of passing under a Republican-controlled Congress and White House.
After the Pulse shooting, Senate Democrats launched a 15-hour filibuster followed by a Democratic sit-in on the House floor in a high-profile push for gun control legislation. But the divided Senate ultimately rejected all four gun measures put on the floor for a vote.
***
It’s been almost five years since a gunman mowed down students and teachers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. But Congress has rejected just about every attempted gun safety measure since then—more than 100 all totaled, although many are duplicative—and passage is even less likely following the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Maddow most watched cable news show?
Fox News Channel finished the third quarter of 2017 as the most-watched cable news network across the board for the 63rd consecutive quarter, dating back to the first quarter of 2002.
Rupert Murdoch’s news network averaged 1.4 million total viewers and 2.2 million viewers during prime time to win both categories. FNC also won both categories among the key news demo of adults ages 25-54, averaging 298,000 total demo viewers and 436,000 from 8-11 p.m. ET.
FNC also was the top-rated basic cable network in both prime time and total day viewers, for the fifth straight quarter.
“The Rachel Maddow Show” became the first program in MSNBC history to finish as the most-watched show in cable news among both total viewers and the demo for an entire quarter. Maddow averaged 2.7 million total viewers and 606,000 viewers between ages 25-54.
Among total viewers, Maddow picked up a win for the first time ever. Among other cable news programs, Fox News had six of the Top 10 programs among total viewers, while MSNBC has three other programs finish among the 10 most-watched cable news shows. The most-watched show on the liberal CNN was ”Anderson Cooper 360,” which finished at No. 21, behind 13 different FNC programs.
Maddow finished atop the demo for the second consecutive quarter. Her new competitor, “Hannity,” finished second followed by “Tucker Carlson Tonight” and “The Five.” CNN’s most popular show among younger viewers was Cooper, who finished sixth overall.
“Fox & Friends" dominated mornings, averaging 1.5 million viewers and 343,000 in the demo, compared to 1 million and 237,000 for MSNBC’s “Morning Joe." CNN’s “New Day” averaged only 643,000 viewers and 228,000 between ages 25-54.
FNC’s sister station, Fox Business Network, ended the third quarter as the No. 1 rated business network, marking the first time ever the network has outpaced rival CNBC in business day viewers for four consecutive quarters. FBN grew 26 percent from last year among business day viewers, while CNBC saw a 14 percent decline over the same time period.
*** [9/26/17]
O'Reilly gloats Hannity slaughtered Maddow
Rupert Murdoch’s news network averaged 1.4 million total viewers and 2.2 million viewers during prime time to win both categories. FNC also won both categories among the key news demo of adults ages 25-54, averaging 298,000 total demo viewers and 436,000 from 8-11 p.m. ET.
FNC also was the top-rated basic cable network in both prime time and total day viewers, for the fifth straight quarter.
“The Rachel Maddow Show” became the first program in MSNBC history to finish as the most-watched show in cable news among both total viewers and the demo for an entire quarter. Maddow averaged 2.7 million total viewers and 606,000 viewers between ages 25-54.
Among total viewers, Maddow picked up a win for the first time ever. Among other cable news programs, Fox News had six of the Top 10 programs among total viewers, while MSNBC has three other programs finish among the 10 most-watched cable news shows. The most-watched show on the liberal CNN was ”Anderson Cooper 360,” which finished at No. 21, behind 13 different FNC programs.
Maddow finished atop the demo for the second consecutive quarter. Her new competitor, “Hannity,” finished second followed by “Tucker Carlson Tonight” and “The Five.” CNN’s most popular show among younger viewers was Cooper, who finished sixth overall.
“Fox & Friends" dominated mornings, averaging 1.5 million viewers and 343,000 in the demo, compared to 1 million and 237,000 for MSNBC’s “Morning Joe." CNN’s “New Day” averaged only 643,000 viewers and 228,000 between ages 25-54.
FNC’s sister station, Fox Business Network, ended the third quarter as the No. 1 rated business network, marking the first time ever the network has outpaced rival CNBC in business day viewers for four consecutive quarters. FBN grew 26 percent from last year among business day viewers, while CNBC saw a 14 percent decline over the same time period.
*** [9/26/17]
O'Reilly gloats Hannity slaughtered Maddow
Monday, September 25, 2017
will Trump reverse back into Paris climate agreement?
Will President Trump bring the country back into the Paris climate agreement? The bets are on, and this bet says he will.
After his call to ban transgender troops from serving in the armed forces, our military leaders pushed back, and Trump pulled back. Defense Secretary James Mattis is now tasked with devising a new policy months hence. Meanwhile, transgender people are re-enlisting.
What makes one think that Trump will follow a similar trajectory on the Paris climate deal? Several things.
One, and I hate putting this first because it should be the least consequential: his approval ratings. They've been inching up from the depths for three weeks in a row. Trump's moves toward moderation, which includes working with Democratic leaders, are surely playing a part. A rising applause meter lowers a reality TV star's blood pressure.
Two, and it's a shame this has to go second, is Emmanuel Macron. The French president excels in courting Trump's grandiosity. As other European leaders gave Trump a wide berth, Macron gallantly invited him to Paris for the Bastille Day parade.
At the Elysee Palace, Macron had Trump sitting on gilded chairs that the gilded chairs in Trump Tower wish they could be. Trump was so impressed by the Bastille Day spectacle that he's proposing a Fourth of July parade in Washington that would "top it."
After his call to ban transgender troops from serving in the armed forces, our military leaders pushed back, and Trump pulled back. Defense Secretary James Mattis is now tasked with devising a new policy months hence. Meanwhile, transgender people are re-enlisting.
What makes one think that Trump will follow a similar trajectory on the Paris climate deal? Several things.
One, and I hate putting this first because it should be the least consequential: his approval ratings. They've been inching up from the depths for three weeks in a row. Trump's moves toward moderation, which includes working with Democratic leaders, are surely playing a part. A rising applause meter lowers a reality TV star's blood pressure.
Two, and it's a shame this has to go second, is Emmanuel Macron. The French president excels in courting Trump's grandiosity. As other European leaders gave Trump a wide berth, Macron gallantly invited him to Paris for the Bastille Day parade.
At the Elysee Palace, Macron had Trump sitting on gilded chairs that the gilded chairs in Trump Tower wish they could be. Trump was so impressed by the Bastille Day spectacle that he's proposing a Fourth of July parade in Washington that would "top it."
Thursday, September 14, 2017
the Hawaii delegates
Capitol Priorities
With Congress back in session, we ask Hawaii's delegates about their top priorities and how they expect to make headway in such partisan times and with the fledgling Trump administration.
Mazie Hirono (Time Magazine)
For the near term, I will continue focusing on protecting Hawaii from further harm from this administration, and working across party lines to advance important priorities for Hawaii and the country.
Immigrants and minorities have been under near continuous attack from this administration, and I will continue to fight to protect them from discriminatory treatment.
This has become an even more urgent priority following the administration’s decision to cancel the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Tulsi Gabbard
For too long, our country’s leaders have refused to meet and negotiate directly with North Korea, and have held onto failed policies that resulted in a nuclear-armed North Korea with intercontinental ballistic missiles that put Hawaii and the mainland squarely within range. President Donald Trump needs to meet with Kim Jong Un to conduct direct negotiations without preconditions, in order to de-escalate and ultimately denuclearize the peninsula. Until then, we must also invest in cutting edge missile defense technology. We must always be willing to sit down with our adversaries, not just our friends, to pursue all avenues of peace.
Colleen Hanabusa
Congress has important work to accomplish during this 2017 fall session. As a member of the House Democratic Caucus, my priorities include issues important to the people of Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District and, of equal importance, resistance to Trump administration initiatives opposed by my constituency. In a broad sense, my top three priorities are: 1) People, 2) Budget, and 3) Defense.
Brian Schatz
We live in highly partisan times. But in the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, distrust and dislike for the other party is rare.
As a member of the committee, my No. 1 priority is to bring federal funds home, knowing that these dollars play a critical role in helping our state solve challenges and seize opportunities.
With Congress back in session, we ask Hawaii's delegates about their top priorities and how they expect to make headway in such partisan times and with the fledgling Trump administration.
Mazie Hirono (Time Magazine)
For the near term, I will continue focusing on protecting Hawaii from further harm from this administration, and working across party lines to advance important priorities for Hawaii and the country.
Immigrants and minorities have been under near continuous attack from this administration, and I will continue to fight to protect them from discriminatory treatment.
This has become an even more urgent priority following the administration’s decision to cancel the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
Tulsi Gabbard
For too long, our country’s leaders have refused to meet and negotiate directly with North Korea, and have held onto failed policies that resulted in a nuclear-armed North Korea with intercontinental ballistic missiles that put Hawaii and the mainland squarely within range. President Donald Trump needs to meet with Kim Jong Un to conduct direct negotiations without preconditions, in order to de-escalate and ultimately denuclearize the peninsula. Until then, we must also invest in cutting edge missile defense technology. We must always be willing to sit down with our adversaries, not just our friends, to pursue all avenues of peace.
Colleen Hanabusa
Congress has important work to accomplish during this 2017 fall session. As a member of the House Democratic Caucus, my priorities include issues important to the people of Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District and, of equal importance, resistance to Trump administration initiatives opposed by my constituency. In a broad sense, my top three priorities are: 1) People, 2) Budget, and 3) Defense.
Brian Schatz
We live in highly partisan times. But in the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, distrust and dislike for the other party is rare.
As a member of the committee, my No. 1 priority is to bring federal funds home, knowing that these dollars play a critical role in helping our state solve challenges and seize opportunities.
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Bernie Sanders to introduce Medicare for all
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will introduce legislation on Wednesday that would expand Medicare into a universal health insurance program with the backing of at least 15 Democratic senators — a record level of support for an idea that had been relegated to the fringes during the last Democratic presidency.
“This is where the country has got to go,” Sanders said in an interview at his Senate office. “Right now, if we want to move away from a dysfunctional, wasteful, bureaucratic system into a rational health-care system that guarantees coverage to everyone in a cost-effective way, the only way to do it is Medicare for All.”
Sanders’s bill, the Medicare for All Act of 2017, has no chance of passage in a Republican-run Congress. But after months of behind-the-scenes meetings and a public pressure campaign, the bill is already backed by most of the senators seen as likely 2020 Democratic candidates — if not by most senators facing tough reelection battles in 2018.
The bill would revolutionize America’s health-care system, replacing it with a public system that would be paid for by higher taxes. Everything from emergency surgery to prescription drugs, from mental health to eye care, would be covered, with no co-payments. Americans under 18 would immediately obtain “universal Medicare cards,” while Americans not currently eligible for Medicare would be phased into the program over four years. Employer-provided health care would be replaced, with the employers paying higher taxes but no longer on the hook for insurance.
Private insurers would remain, with fewer customers, to pay for elective treatments such as plastic surgery — a system similar to Australia, which President Trump has praised for having a “much better” insurance regime than the United States.
But the market-based changes of the Affordable Care Act would be replaced as Medicare becomes the country’s universal insurer. Doctors would be reimbursed by the government; providers would sign a yearly participation agreement with Medicare to remain with the system.
“When you have co-payments — when you say that health care is not a right for everybody, whether you’re poor or whether you’re a billionaire — the evidence suggests that it becomes a disincentive for people to get the health care they need,” Sanders said. “Depending on the level of the copayment, it may cost more to figure out how you collect it than to not have the copayment at all.”
As he described his legislation, Sanders focused on its simplicity, suggesting that Americans would be happy to pay higher taxes if it meant the end of wrangling with health-care companies. The size of the tax increase, he said, would be determined in a separate bill.
Sanders acknowledged that the plan would be costly but pointed to the experience of other industrialized countries that provided universal coverage through higher taxes. The average American paid $11,365 per year in taxes; the average Canadian paid $14,693. But the average American paid twice as much for health care as the average Canadian.
[9/14/17] Trump calls Sanders' plan a curse on the U.S.
“This is where the country has got to go,” Sanders said in an interview at his Senate office. “Right now, if we want to move away from a dysfunctional, wasteful, bureaucratic system into a rational health-care system that guarantees coverage to everyone in a cost-effective way, the only way to do it is Medicare for All.”
Sanders’s bill, the Medicare for All Act of 2017, has no chance of passage in a Republican-run Congress. But after months of behind-the-scenes meetings and a public pressure campaign, the bill is already backed by most of the senators seen as likely 2020 Democratic candidates — if not by most senators facing tough reelection battles in 2018.
The bill would revolutionize America’s health-care system, replacing it with a public system that would be paid for by higher taxes. Everything from emergency surgery to prescription drugs, from mental health to eye care, would be covered, with no co-payments. Americans under 18 would immediately obtain “universal Medicare cards,” while Americans not currently eligible for Medicare would be phased into the program over four years. Employer-provided health care would be replaced, with the employers paying higher taxes but no longer on the hook for insurance.
Private insurers would remain, with fewer customers, to pay for elective treatments such as plastic surgery — a system similar to Australia, which President Trump has praised for having a “much better” insurance regime than the United States.
But the market-based changes of the Affordable Care Act would be replaced as Medicare becomes the country’s universal insurer. Doctors would be reimbursed by the government; providers would sign a yearly participation agreement with Medicare to remain with the system.
“When you have co-payments — when you say that health care is not a right for everybody, whether you’re poor or whether you’re a billionaire — the evidence suggests that it becomes a disincentive for people to get the health care they need,” Sanders said. “Depending on the level of the copayment, it may cost more to figure out how you collect it than to not have the copayment at all.”
As he described his legislation, Sanders focused on its simplicity, suggesting that Americans would be happy to pay higher taxes if it meant the end of wrangling with health-care companies. The size of the tax increase, he said, would be determined in a separate bill.
Sanders acknowledged that the plan would be costly but pointed to the experience of other industrialized countries that provided universal coverage through higher taxes. The average American paid $11,365 per year in taxes; the average Canadian paid $14,693. But the average American paid twice as much for health care as the average Canadian.
[9/14/17] Trump calls Sanders' plan a curse on the U.S.
Tuesday, September 05, 2017
Trump administration to unwind Dreamer program
[9/5/17] The Trump administration announced Tuesday it would begin to unwind an Obama-era program that allows younger undocumented immigrants to live in the country without fear of deportation, calling the program unconstitutional but offering a partial delay to give Congress a chance to address the issue.
The decision, after weeks of intense deliberation between President Trump and his top advisers, represents a blow to hundreds of thousands of immigrants known as “dreamers” who have lived in the country illegally since they were children. But it also allows the White House to shift some of the pressure and burden of determining their future onto Congress, setting up a public fight over their legal status that is likely to be waged for months.
The Department of Homeland Security said it would no longer accept new applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which has provided renewable, two-year work permits to nearly 800,000 dreamers. The agency said those enrolled in DACA will be able to continue working until their permits expire; those whose permits expire by March 5, 2018 will be permitted to apply for two-year renewals as long as they do so by Oct. 5.
New applications and renewal requests already received by DHS before Tuesday will be reviewed and validated on a case-by-case basis, even those for permits that expire after March 5, officials said. Also, the agency said it will no longer issue "advanced parole" notices allowing DACA recipients to travel abroad and reenter the country.
Trump administration officials cast the decision as a humane way to unwind the program and called on lawmakers to provide a legislative solution to address the immigration status of the dreamers. Senior DHS officials emphasized that if Congress fails to act and work permits begin to expire, dreamers will not be high priorities for deportations — but they would be issued notices to appear at immigration court if they are encountered by federal immigration officers.
Trump had deliberated for weeks as pressure mounted on him to fulfill a campaign promise to end DACA, which he repeatedly called an abuse of executive authority by his predecessor. The president had equivocated since taking office, vowing to show “great heart” in his decision and saying dreamers could “rest easy.”
But a threat from Texas and several other states to sue the administration if it did not end DACA by Tuesday forced Trump to make a decision. Several senior aides, including Sessions, an immigration hard-liner who had said the administration would be unable to defend the program in court, lobbied the president to end DACA. Others, including Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, the former DHS secretary, cautioned that terminating the program would cause chaos for immigrants who enjoy broad popular support.
Sessions wrote a memo Monday calling DACA unconstitutional, leading acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke to issue a memo Tuesday to phase out the program.
“As a result of recent litigation,” Duke said in a statement, “we were faced with two options: wind the program down in an orderly fashion that protects beneficiaries in the near-term while working with Congress to pass legislation; or allow the judiciary to potentially shut the program down completely and immediately. We chose the least disruptive option.”
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), who last week had urged Trump not to end the program until Congress acted, said in a statement that DACA was a “clear abuse of executive authority” by Obama.
“It is my hope that the House and Senate, with the president’s leadership, will be able to find consensus on a permanent legislative solution that includes ensuring that those who have done nothing wrong can still contribute as a valued part of this great country,” Ryan said.
Immigrant rights groups quickly denounced Trump's decision. More than 150 immigration activists protested front of the White House Tuesday morning, calling the president a “liar” and a “monster." Javier Palomarez, president of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, announced he was resigning from Trump's presidential diversity committee over the "disgraceful action."
In a tweet, former vice president Joe Biden wrote: "Brought by parents, these children had no choice in coming here. Now they'll be sent to countries they've never known. Cruel. Not America."
And in a sign of the political nature of the issue, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) quickly sent out a fundraising pitch to Democratic supporters, calling the decision “quite possibly the cruelest thing President Trump has ever done.”
The president was reportedly torn over the decision, according to White House officials, split between his desire to appear tough on illegal immigration and his personal feelings toward the dreamers, most of whom have lived in the United States most of their lives.
"We will resolve the DACA issue with heart and compassion – but through the lawful Democratic process," Trump said, "while at the same time ensuring that any immigration reform we adopt provides enduring benefits for the American citizens we were elected to serve."
The fight over the dreamers now shifts to Congress to act on a bill to grant them some form of permanent legal status. A bill called the Dream Act that would have offered them a path to citizenship failed in the Senate in 2010. Several new proposals have been put forward, including the Bridge Act, a bipartisan bill with 25 co-sponsors that would extend DACA protections for three years to give Congress time to enact permanent legislation.
*** [9/6/17]
Sessions told Trump he would not defend the DACA program in court. Kelly's solution was to delay the program's end by six months.
*** [9/14/17]
The top House and Senate Democrats said today they had reached agreement with President Donald Trump to protect thousands of younger immigrants from deportation and fund some border security enhancements — not including Trump’s long-sought border wall.
The decision, after weeks of intense deliberation between President Trump and his top advisers, represents a blow to hundreds of thousands of immigrants known as “dreamers” who have lived in the country illegally since they were children. But it also allows the White House to shift some of the pressure and burden of determining their future onto Congress, setting up a public fight over their legal status that is likely to be waged for months.
The Department of Homeland Security said it would no longer accept new applications for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which has provided renewable, two-year work permits to nearly 800,000 dreamers. The agency said those enrolled in DACA will be able to continue working until their permits expire; those whose permits expire by March 5, 2018 will be permitted to apply for two-year renewals as long as they do so by Oct. 5.
New applications and renewal requests already received by DHS before Tuesday will be reviewed and validated on a case-by-case basis, even those for permits that expire after March 5, officials said. Also, the agency said it will no longer issue "advanced parole" notices allowing DACA recipients to travel abroad and reenter the country.
Trump administration officials cast the decision as a humane way to unwind the program and called on lawmakers to provide a legislative solution to address the immigration status of the dreamers. Senior DHS officials emphasized that if Congress fails to act and work permits begin to expire, dreamers will not be high priorities for deportations — but they would be issued notices to appear at immigration court if they are encountered by federal immigration officers.
Trump had deliberated for weeks as pressure mounted on him to fulfill a campaign promise to end DACA, which he repeatedly called an abuse of executive authority by his predecessor. The president had equivocated since taking office, vowing to show “great heart” in his decision and saying dreamers could “rest easy.”
But a threat from Texas and several other states to sue the administration if it did not end DACA by Tuesday forced Trump to make a decision. Several senior aides, including Sessions, an immigration hard-liner who had said the administration would be unable to defend the program in court, lobbied the president to end DACA. Others, including Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, the former DHS secretary, cautioned that terminating the program would cause chaos for immigrants who enjoy broad popular support.
Sessions wrote a memo Monday calling DACA unconstitutional, leading acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke to issue a memo Tuesday to phase out the program.
“As a result of recent litigation,” Duke said in a statement, “we were faced with two options: wind the program down in an orderly fashion that protects beneficiaries in the near-term while working with Congress to pass legislation; or allow the judiciary to potentially shut the program down completely and immediately. We chose the least disruptive option.”
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), who last week had urged Trump not to end the program until Congress acted, said in a statement that DACA was a “clear abuse of executive authority” by Obama.
“It is my hope that the House and Senate, with the president’s leadership, will be able to find consensus on a permanent legislative solution that includes ensuring that those who have done nothing wrong can still contribute as a valued part of this great country,” Ryan said.
Immigrant rights groups quickly denounced Trump's decision. More than 150 immigration activists protested front of the White House Tuesday morning, calling the president a “liar” and a “monster." Javier Palomarez, president of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, announced he was resigning from Trump's presidential diversity committee over the "disgraceful action."
In a tweet, former vice president Joe Biden wrote: "Brought by parents, these children had no choice in coming here. Now they'll be sent to countries they've never known. Cruel. Not America."
And in a sign of the political nature of the issue, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) quickly sent out a fundraising pitch to Democratic supporters, calling the decision “quite possibly the cruelest thing President Trump has ever done.”
The president was reportedly torn over the decision, according to White House officials, split between his desire to appear tough on illegal immigration and his personal feelings toward the dreamers, most of whom have lived in the United States most of their lives.
"We will resolve the DACA issue with heart and compassion – but through the lawful Democratic process," Trump said, "while at the same time ensuring that any immigration reform we adopt provides enduring benefits for the American citizens we were elected to serve."
The fight over the dreamers now shifts to Congress to act on a bill to grant them some form of permanent legal status. A bill called the Dream Act that would have offered them a path to citizenship failed in the Senate in 2010. Several new proposals have been put forward, including the Bridge Act, a bipartisan bill with 25 co-sponsors that would extend DACA protections for three years to give Congress time to enact permanent legislation.
*** [9/6/17]
Sessions told Trump he would not defend the DACA program in court. Kelly's solution was to delay the program's end by six months.
*** [9/14/17]
The top House and Senate Democrats said today they had reached agreement with President Donald Trump to protect thousands of younger immigrants from deportation and fund some border security enhancements — not including Trump’s long-sought border wall.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Fox News taken off the air
in Britain.
Rupert Murdoch and his sons are pulling Fox News off the air in Britain.
The network's parent company, 21st Century Fox, has announced that the controversial news channel will no longer be broadcast in the U.K. after failing to attract an audience. The network has also become a lightning rod for critics seeking to spoil the Murdochs' planned $15 billion takeover of Sky, the top pay TV provider in the U.K.
"Fox News is focused on the U.S. market and designed for a U.S. audience and, accordingly, it averages only a few thousand viewers across the day in the U.K.," 21st Century Fox said in a statement.
"We have concluded that it is not in our commercial interest to continue providing Fox News in the U.K.," it added.
21st Century Fox (FOX) said the network's final broadcast in the U.K. would be Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. local time.
The decision to jettison the network in Britain could help insulate 21st Century Fox from criticism as it seeks to win approval for its takeover of Sky.
Rupert Murdoch and his sons are pulling Fox News off the air in Britain.
The network's parent company, 21st Century Fox, has announced that the controversial news channel will no longer be broadcast in the U.K. after failing to attract an audience. The network has also become a lightning rod for critics seeking to spoil the Murdochs' planned $15 billion takeover of Sky, the top pay TV provider in the U.K.
"Fox News is focused on the U.S. market and designed for a U.S. audience and, accordingly, it averages only a few thousand viewers across the day in the U.K.," 21st Century Fox said in a statement.
"We have concluded that it is not in our commercial interest to continue providing Fox News in the U.K.," it added.
21st Century Fox (FOX) said the network's final broadcast in the U.K. would be Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. local time.
The decision to jettison the network in Britain could help insulate 21st Century Fox from criticism as it seeks to win approval for its takeover of Sky.
death toll rises in Houston flood
HOUSTON — The biggest rainstorm in the history of the continental United States finally began to move away from Houston on Tuesday, as the remnants of Hurricane Harvey and its endless, merciless rain bands spun east to menace Louisiana instead.
But, after more than 50 inches of rain over four days, Houston was less of a city and more of an archipelago: a chain of urbanized islands in a muddy brown sea. All around it, flat-bottomed boats and helicopters were still plucking victims from rooftops, and water was still pouring in from overfilled reservoirs and swollen rivers.
Between 25 and 30 percent of Harris County — home to 4.5 million people in Houston and its near suburbs — was flooded by Tuesday afternoon, according to an estimate from Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the county flood control district. That’s at least 444 square miles, an area six times the size of the District of Columbia.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner imposed a curfew starting Tuesday from midnight to 5 a.m. to deter looting of abandoned homes.
On Tuesday morning authorities discovered the body of a Houston police officer who had drowned in his patrol car two days earlier, at the storm’s height. Sergeant Steve Perez, a veteran officer, was on his way to work on Sunday morning — spending two and a half hours looking for a path through rain-lashed streets — when he drove into a flooded underpass.
In all, authorities said at least 22 people had been confirmed dead from the storm. But they said it was difficult to know how many more were missing. They also said it is too early to assess the total number of homes and other buildings damaged, in part because rescue crews were still having trouble even reaching some areas because of flooded or flood-damaged roads, said Francisco Sanchez, spokesman for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Authorities said more than 3,500 people had been rescued from floodwaters, but that number was surely low. Many had been rescued by strangers with boats, who had rescued so many that they themselves had lost count. They left behind homes that could be flooded for days, or weeks, and perhaps lost forever.
Officials said more than 13,300 people were already in shelters. Federal authorities estimated that 30,000 people could be forced from their homes in Texas and surrounding states.
President Trump flew to Texas on Tuesday, and he visited both Corpus Christi — near where the storm made landfall — and state officials in Austin. At one point, he shouted a message to a crowd outside a fire station in Corpus Christi.
“This is historic, it’s epic what happened. But you know what, it happened in Texas and Texas can handle anything,” he told the crowd, which applauded his remarks and cheered more loudly when he waved the Texas state flag.
But, after more than 50 inches of rain over four days, Houston was less of a city and more of an archipelago: a chain of urbanized islands in a muddy brown sea. All around it, flat-bottomed boats and helicopters were still plucking victims from rooftops, and water was still pouring in from overfilled reservoirs and swollen rivers.
Between 25 and 30 percent of Harris County — home to 4.5 million people in Houston and its near suburbs — was flooded by Tuesday afternoon, according to an estimate from Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the county flood control district. That’s at least 444 square miles, an area six times the size of the District of Columbia.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner imposed a curfew starting Tuesday from midnight to 5 a.m. to deter looting of abandoned homes.
On Tuesday morning authorities discovered the body of a Houston police officer who had drowned in his patrol car two days earlier, at the storm’s height. Sergeant Steve Perez, a veteran officer, was on his way to work on Sunday morning — spending two and a half hours looking for a path through rain-lashed streets — when he drove into a flooded underpass.
In all, authorities said at least 22 people had been confirmed dead from the storm. But they said it was difficult to know how many more were missing. They also said it is too early to assess the total number of homes and other buildings damaged, in part because rescue crews were still having trouble even reaching some areas because of flooded or flood-damaged roads, said Francisco Sanchez, spokesman for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Authorities said more than 3,500 people had been rescued from floodwaters, but that number was surely low. Many had been rescued by strangers with boats, who had rescued so many that they themselves had lost count. They left behind homes that could be flooded for days, or weeks, and perhaps lost forever.
Officials said more than 13,300 people were already in shelters. Federal authorities estimated that 30,000 people could be forced from their homes in Texas and surrounding states.
President Trump flew to Texas on Tuesday, and he visited both Corpus Christi — near where the storm made landfall — and state officials in Austin. At one point, he shouted a message to a crowd outside a fire station in Corpus Christi.
“This is historic, it’s epic what happened. But you know what, it happened in Texas and Texas can handle anything,” he told the crowd, which applauded his remarks and cheered more loudly when he waved the Texas state flag.
Friday, July 28, 2017
John McCain diagnosed with brain cancer
[7/28/17] McCain votes no on Obamacare repeal, wants input from both sides of the aisle
[7/27/17] John McCain on courage
[7/25/17] McCain calls for bi-partisan cooperation on healthcare
[7/22/17] Sen. John McCain, 80, has been diagnosed with a primary glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor, Mayo Clinic doctors directly involved in the senator's care told CNN exclusively. The doctors spoke directly to CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
[7/27/17] John McCain on courage
[7/25/17] McCain calls for bi-partisan cooperation on healthcare
[7/22/17] Sen. John McCain, 80, has been diagnosed with a primary glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor, Mayo Clinic doctors directly involved in the senator's care told CNN exclusively. The doctors spoke directly to CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
The
senator underwent surgery to remove a blood clot on Friday at Mayo
Clinic Hospital in Phoenix. Lab results from that surgery confirmed the
presence of brain cancer associated with the blood clot.
Glioblastoma is a particularly aggressive tumor that forms in the tissue of the brain and spinal cord, according to the American Brain Tumor Association.
McCain is recovering "amazingly well," according to a statement from his office.
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Republicans vs. Democrats on education
A sizable majority of Republicans consider higher education to be a
negative influence on America, according to a new Pew Research Center
poll published Monday.
Pew found that fifty-eight percent of Republicans viewed college education negatively, while 36 percent of GOP voters saw these institutions positively.
Democrats, on the other hand, overwhelmingly viewed higher education favorably, with 72 percent of the party’s self-described voters having a positive opinion of it. Only 19 percent of Democrats had a negative view of higher education, according to Pew.
The prestigious research firm said that Republican views on college have dramatically changed over a short period of time. In just two years, the number of Republicans who positively viewed higher education declined from 54 percent to 36 percent, Pew reports.
The study also reported that self-described conservative Republicans were more likely to suspiciously view college education — 65 percent versus 58 percent for all GOP voters.
Pew’s poll attempted to study which major institutions Americans trust and distrust based on party affiliation. Republicans were also found to overwhelmingly view the news media negatively, while Democrats were more evenly split on the institution.
Eight-five percent of Republicans said they had a negative opinion of the press versus only 10 percent with a positive view of this institution. Most Democrats as well were found to negatively view the media, but by a much smaller margin of 46 percent with a negative opinion versus 44 percent with a positive view of the press.
Pew found that fifty-eight percent of Republicans viewed college education negatively, while 36 percent of GOP voters saw these institutions positively.
Democrats, on the other hand, overwhelmingly viewed higher education favorably, with 72 percent of the party’s self-described voters having a positive opinion of it. Only 19 percent of Democrats had a negative view of higher education, according to Pew.
The prestigious research firm said that Republican views on college have dramatically changed over a short period of time. In just two years, the number of Republicans who positively viewed higher education declined from 54 percent to 36 percent, Pew reports.
The study also reported that self-described conservative Republicans were more likely to suspiciously view college education — 65 percent versus 58 percent for all GOP voters.
Pew’s poll attempted to study which major institutions Americans trust and distrust based on party affiliation. Republicans were also found to overwhelmingly view the news media negatively, while Democrats were more evenly split on the institution.
Eight-five percent of Republicans said they had a negative opinion of the press versus only 10 percent with a positive view of this institution. Most Democrats as well were found to negatively view the media, but by a much smaller margin of 46 percent with a negative opinion versus 44 percent with a positive view of the press.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Ige takes from the rich
Gov. David Ige approved a new law Monday that increases income tax rates for the state’s wealthiest residents while also creating a new state earned income tax credit to ease the state tax burden on some of Hawaii’s poorest working families.
In all, the state treasury will gain about $20 million to $40 million a year from the new law because the extra income tax on wealthier residents will bring in more money than the tax credits will cost the state in lost revenue, according to House Finance Chairwoman Sylvia Luke.
In all, the state treasury will gain about $20 million to $40 million a year from the new law because the extra income tax on wealthier residents will bring in more money than the tax credits will cost the state in lost revenue, according to House Finance Chairwoman Sylvia Luke.
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Fox News no longer fair and balanced
You can’t call Fox News “fair and balanced” anymore… because they’re not calling themselves that anymore.
The cable news network is dropping its famous “Fair & Balanced” marketing slogan, according to New York Magazine — a slogan that’s been an integral part of Fox News since the channel debuted in 1996. The motto was an invention of late founder/chairman Roger Ailes, who resigned last year after a series of sexual-harassment allegations. Fox will reportedly rely on its other tagline going forward: “Most Watched. Most Trusted.”
The “Fair & Balanced” moniker was a controversial one, viewed by some as a way for the conservative-leaning news channel to feign editorial objectivity. (NY Mag‘s Gabriel Sherman calls it an example of “Ailes’ cynical genius at its most successful.”) But Ailes insisted it was a necessary guideline to fight the tide of a largely liberal media. “He would say, ‘The news is like a ship. If you take hands off the wheel, it pulls hard to the left,'” a Fox News senior producer remembers.
The move is the latest sign that Fox News is busy rebuilding its identity in the wake of Ailes’ departure, along with the high-profile exits of anchors Megyn Kelly (who left to join NBC News) and Bill O’Reilly (who was fired following his own sexual-harassment scandal).
The cable news network is dropping its famous “Fair & Balanced” marketing slogan, according to New York Magazine — a slogan that’s been an integral part of Fox News since the channel debuted in 1996. The motto was an invention of late founder/chairman Roger Ailes, who resigned last year after a series of sexual-harassment allegations. Fox will reportedly rely on its other tagline going forward: “Most Watched. Most Trusted.”
The “Fair & Balanced” moniker was a controversial one, viewed by some as a way for the conservative-leaning news channel to feign editorial objectivity. (NY Mag‘s Gabriel Sherman calls it an example of “Ailes’ cynical genius at its most successful.”) But Ailes insisted it was a necessary guideline to fight the tide of a largely liberal media. “He would say, ‘The news is like a ship. If you take hands off the wheel, it pulls hard to the left,'” a Fox News senior producer remembers.
The move is the latest sign that Fox News is busy rebuilding its identity in the wake of Ailes’ departure, along with the high-profile exits of anchors Megyn Kelly (who left to join NBC News) and Bill O’Reilly (who was fired following his own sexual-harassment scandal).
Thursday, May 18, 2017
fake news winning?
Fox News and MSNBC both find themselves in unusual positions right now: Fox is losing and MSNBC is winning.
And there seems to be a striking similarity between the ratings race and President Trump's political fortunes.
Fox, which has a pro-Trump vibe in prime time, usually ranks No. 1 among cable news channels with 25 to 54 year olds, a key demographic for advertisers.
But for the past week, with Trump mired in scandal, MSNBC has out-rated Fox News in prime time in the so-called "demo."
Both MSNBC and CNN have seen ratings spikes related to FBI Director James Comey's firing and the fallout ever since. The Nielsen ratings data suggests that Fox viewers are less interested.
Fox still has a loyal base of viewers who watch the network throughout the day. It remains No. 1 in total viewers, with CNN and MSNBC far behind.
But with the White House in crisis mode, and Fox sometimes downplaying the seriousness of the situation, channel surfers are opting for MSNBC and CNN instead.
So far this week, Fox has ranked No. 3 in prime time behind both CNN and MSNBC, which almost never happens.
And there seems to be a striking similarity between the ratings race and President Trump's political fortunes.
Fox, which has a pro-Trump vibe in prime time, usually ranks No. 1 among cable news channels with 25 to 54 year olds, a key demographic for advertisers.
But for the past week, with Trump mired in scandal, MSNBC has out-rated Fox News in prime time in the so-called "demo."
Both MSNBC and CNN have seen ratings spikes related to FBI Director James Comey's firing and the fallout ever since. The Nielsen ratings data suggests that Fox viewers are less interested.
Fox still has a loyal base of viewers who watch the network throughout the day. It remains No. 1 in total viewers, with CNN and MSNBC far behind.
But with the White House in crisis mode, and Fox sometimes downplaying the seriousness of the situation, channel surfers are opting for MSNBC and CNN instead.
So far this week, Fox has ranked No. 3 in prime time behind both CNN and MSNBC, which almost never happens.
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Bill O'Reilly out at Fox News
Bill O'Reilly is out at Fox News, parent company 21st Century Fox said in a statement on Wednesday.
"After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the Company and Bill O'Reilly have agreed that Bill O'Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel," the company said.
In an internal memo obtained by NBC News, Fox said the decision was made in collaboration with outside counsel.
"By ratings standards, Bill O'Reilly is one of the most accomplished TV personalities in the history of cable news. In fact, his success by any measure is indisputable. Fox News has demonstrated again and again the strength of its talent bench. We have full confidence that the network will continue to be a powerhouse in cable news," the memo said.
The memo, signed by Rupert Murdoch and his sons, Lachlan and James, also reiterated Fox's "consistent commitment to fostering a work environment built on the values of trust and respect."
Earlier this month, a slew of major brands pulled their advertisements from Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" amid allegations of sexual harassment, which O'Reilly has denied.
The New York Times reported that he or Fox settled five cases, totaling about $13 million.
The scandal prompted 21st Century Fox to commission an investigation into O'Reilly's behavior, the Times reported.
The newspaper said that the results would help determine O'Reilly's fate at the company, which is run by Rupert Murdoch and his sons Lachlan and James.
The storm clouds over O'Reilly have fueled further questions about Fox's company culture.
Last summer, Roger Ailes resigned from his leadership positions at the company in the wake of sexual harassment allegations.
This story is developing. Please check back for further updates.
"After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the Company and Bill O'Reilly have agreed that Bill O'Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel," the company said.
In an internal memo obtained by NBC News, Fox said the decision was made in collaboration with outside counsel.
"By ratings standards, Bill O'Reilly is one of the most accomplished TV personalities in the history of cable news. In fact, his success by any measure is indisputable. Fox News has demonstrated again and again the strength of its talent bench. We have full confidence that the network will continue to be a powerhouse in cable news," the memo said.
The memo, signed by Rupert Murdoch and his sons, Lachlan and James, also reiterated Fox's "consistent commitment to fostering a work environment built on the values of trust and respect."
Earlier this month, a slew of major brands pulled their advertisements from Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" amid allegations of sexual harassment, which O'Reilly has denied.
The New York Times reported that he or Fox settled five cases, totaling about $13 million.
The scandal prompted 21st Century Fox to commission an investigation into O'Reilly's behavior, the Times reported.
The newspaper said that the results would help determine O'Reilly's fate at the company, which is run by Rupert Murdoch and his sons Lachlan and James.
The storm clouds over O'Reilly have fueled further questions about Fox's company culture.
Last summer, Roger Ailes resigned from his leadership positions at the company in the wake of sexual harassment allegations.
This story is developing. Please check back for further updates.
Thursday, April 06, 2017
chemical attack in Syria
[4/11/17] Spicer says Hitler didn't use chemical weapons
[4/11/17] Gabbard on the hot seat
[4/7/17] Tulsi Gabbard says air strike could led to nuclear war.
[4/6/.17] USA launches 59 Tomahawk missiles at Syria airfield
[4/6/17] A suspected chemical attack in rebel-held northwestern Syria killed dozens of civilians including children and left many more sick and gasping on Tuesday, causing widespread outrage.
The attack on the town of Khan Sheikhun killed at least 58 civilians and saw dozens suffering respiratory problems and symptoms including vomiting, fainting and foaming at the mouth, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.
Syria's opposition blamed President Bashar al-Assad's forces, saying the attack cast doubt on the future of peace talks.
The army denied any involvement however, issuing a statement blaming "terrorist groups" for using "chemical and toxic substances".
At least 11 children were among the dead, the Observatory said, and an AFP correspondent in Khan Sheikhun saw many attached to respirators.
If confirmed, it would be one of the worst chemical attacks since the start of Syria's civil war six years ago.
The incident brought swift international condemnation, with the United States, France and Britain all pointing the finger at Assad.
[4/11/17] Gabbard on the hot seat
[4/7/17] Tulsi Gabbard says air strike could led to nuclear war.
[4/6/.17] USA launches 59 Tomahawk missiles at Syria airfield
[4/6/17] A suspected chemical attack in rebel-held northwestern Syria killed dozens of civilians including children and left many more sick and gasping on Tuesday, causing widespread outrage.
The attack on the town of Khan Sheikhun killed at least 58 civilians and saw dozens suffering respiratory problems and symptoms including vomiting, fainting and foaming at the mouth, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.
Syria's opposition blamed President Bashar al-Assad's forces, saying the attack cast doubt on the future of peace talks.
The army denied any involvement however, issuing a statement blaming "terrorist groups" for using "chemical and toxic substances".
At least 11 children were among the dead, the Observatory said, and an AFP correspondent in Khan Sheikhun saw many attached to respirators.
If confirmed, it would be one of the worst chemical attacks since the start of Syria's civil war six years ago.
The incident brought swift international condemnation, with the United States, France and Britain all pointing the finger at Assad.
Saturday, March 11, 2017
largest humanitarian crisis
The world faces the largest humanitarian crisis since the United Nations was founded in 1945 with starvation and famine threatening more than 20 million people in four countries, the U.N. humanitarian chief said Friday.
Stephen O'Brien told the U.N. Security Council that "without collective and coordinated global efforts, people will simply starve to death" and "many more will suffer and die from disease."
He urged an immediate injection of funds for Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia and northeast Nigeria plus safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid "to avert a catastrophe."
"To be precise," O'Brien said, "we need $4.4 billion by July."
Without a major infusion of money, he said, children will be stunted by severe malnutrition and won't be able to go to school, gains in economic development will be reversed and "livelihoods, futures and hope will be lost."
U.N. and food organizations define famine as when more than 30 percent of children under age 5 suffer from acute malnutrition and mortality rates are two or more deaths per 10,000 people every day, among other criteria.
"Already at the beginning of the year we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations," O'Brien said. "Now, more than 20 million people across four countries face starvation and famine."
O'Brien said the largest humanitarian crisis is in Yemen where two-thirds of the population — 18.8 million people — need aid and more than seven million people are hungry and don't know where their next meal will come from.
Stephen O'Brien told the U.N. Security Council that "without collective and coordinated global efforts, people will simply starve to death" and "many more will suffer and die from disease."
He urged an immediate injection of funds for Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia and northeast Nigeria plus safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid "to avert a catastrophe."
"To be precise," O'Brien said, "we need $4.4 billion by July."
Without a major infusion of money, he said, children will be stunted by severe malnutrition and won't be able to go to school, gains in economic development will be reversed and "livelihoods, futures and hope will be lost."
U.N. and food organizations define famine as when more than 30 percent of children under age 5 suffer from acute malnutrition and mortality rates are two or more deaths per 10,000 people every day, among other criteria.
"Already at the beginning of the year we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations," O'Brien said. "Now, more than 20 million people across four countries face starvation and famine."
O'Brien said the largest humanitarian crisis is in Yemen where two-thirds of the population — 18.8 million people — need aid and more than seven million people are hungry and don't know where their next meal will come from.
Friday, February 10, 2017
Ward Warehouse to close in August
The wrecking ball now has a firm date with Ward Warehouse.
Property owner Howard Hughes Corp. has informed the Kakaako retail complex’s roughly 60 tenants that they must vacate in August to make way for residential tower development.
The closure has been anticipated since Hughes Corp. in 2014 applied for and received state approval to develop two residential towers on much of the site. The company initially said that construction might start in mid-2015. Later, clearing for demolition was pushed back to no earlier than March 2016, then to as early as July of this year.
“The demolition of Ward Warehouse is a bittersweet point in the development of our Ward Village community,” Todd Apo, Hughes Corp. vice president of community development, said in a statement. “As we look forward to the future of this area, we give a heartfelt mahalo to all the merchants who have made Ward Warehouse a special place over the last four decades.”
Ward Warehouse, planned as a “temporary” structure to exist about 15 years, was built in 1974-75 largely using timber.
Hughes Corp. — which has a master plan for 16 towers and 1 million square feet of retail on 60 acres that also include Ward Centre and warehouse property — plans to develop three towers on the Ward Warehouse site. The two approved towers — to be 28 stories with 123 units and 35 stories with 113 units — are called Ward Village Gateway. A public recreational space with a waterway running between the two towers is also part of the plan.
Property owner Howard Hughes Corp. has informed the Kakaako retail complex’s roughly 60 tenants that they must vacate in August to make way for residential tower development.
The closure has been anticipated since Hughes Corp. in 2014 applied for and received state approval to develop two residential towers on much of the site. The company initially said that construction might start in mid-2015. Later, clearing for demolition was pushed back to no earlier than March 2016, then to as early as July of this year.
“The demolition of Ward Warehouse is a bittersweet point in the development of our Ward Village community,” Todd Apo, Hughes Corp. vice president of community development, said in a statement. “As we look forward to the future of this area, we give a heartfelt mahalo to all the merchants who have made Ward Warehouse a special place over the last four decades.”
Ward Warehouse, planned as a “temporary” structure to exist about 15 years, was built in 1974-75 largely using timber.
Hughes Corp. — which has a master plan for 16 towers and 1 million square feet of retail on 60 acres that also include Ward Centre and warehouse property — plans to develop three towers on the Ward Warehouse site. The two approved towers — to be 28 stories with 123 units and 35 stories with 113 units — are called Ward Village Gateway. A public recreational space with a waterway running between the two towers is also part of the plan.
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