Inspector
General To Review DOJ, FBI Handling Of Clinton Case
The Department of Justice inspector general announced a sweeping review
Thursday of Justice Department and FBI actions leading up to the November
election in response to criticism from both sides of the aisle over how
the agencies handled the Hillary Clinton email scandal. The decision breathes
new life into a controversy that had been fading since Clinton lost to
Donald Trump. The IG's office said the review will focus on allegations
that procedures were not followed in connection to FBI Director James Comeys
announcement on July 5 that he would not recommend charges, even though
Clinton and her staff acted extremely carelessly in using private email
when she served as secretary of state. Fox News
VOA VIEW: Hillary was at fault from the
beginning.
Sterile
Srewworms To Be Released On Florida Mainland In Effort To Prevent Outbreak
Agriculture officials will begin releasing sterile New World screwworms
in Homestead on Friday after an infection was confirmed in a stray dog
last week. No screwworms have been detected on the mainland, but because
so little is known about the dog a German shepherd or where it came
from, officials want to act aggressively to prevent the spread of the grisly
outbreak that has ravaged endangered Key deer. Since September, at least
135 deer, part of the last herd on the planet, have died in the Middle
Keys. Miami Herald
Netanyahu
Says Paris Peace Meeting 'Aigged' Against Israel
Dozens of countries are set to attend the conference on Jan. 15, where
they may endorse an international framework for peace between Israel and
the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vehemently
opposes such a move, saying it would undermine the negotiating process.
"It's a rigged conference, rigged by the Palestinians with French auspices
to adopt additional anti-Israel stances," Netanyahu said during a meeting
in Jerusalem with Norway's foreign minister. "This pushes peace backwards.
It's not going to obligate us. It's a relic of the past." The conference
comes days before U.S. President Barack Obama hands off to President-elect
Donald Trump, who is expected to be much more sympathetic to Netanyahu's
government than the outgoing administration was. Philadelphia
Inquirer
VOA VIEW: Israel will have its day when
Trump is president.
US
Agrees To Pay Billions To Marines Affected By Toxic Water
After years of wait, veterans who had been exposed to contaminated
drinking water while assigned to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina may now
be able to receive a portion of government disability benefits totaling
more than $2 billion. Beginning in March, the cash payouts from the Department
of Veterans Affairs may supplement VA health care already being provided
to eligible veterans stationed at the Marine base for at least 30 days
cumulative between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987. Veterans will have
to submit evidence of their diagnosis and service information. Outgoing
VA Secretary Bob McDonald determined that there was "sufficient scientific
and medical evidence" to establish a connection between exposure to the
contaminated water and eight medical conditions for purposes of awarding
disability compensation. The estimated taxpayer cost is $2.2 billion over
a five-year period. The VA estimates that as many as 900,000 service members
were potentially exposed to the tainted water. Philadelphia
Inqurier
Dems
Call On Obama To Pardon Green-Card Holders Convicted Of Minor Crimes
President Obama should pardon Green Card holders convicted of minor
crimes en masse to shield them from deportation under President-elect Donald
Trump, according to two New York Dems. Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-Brooklyn)
and Rep. José E. Serrano (D-Bronx) are leading an effort to urge
Obama to deliver relief in his final days in office to an estimated 100,000
to 200,000 residents. We write with great urgency to ask that you pardon
all Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) who are legally deportable based
solely on minor criminal offenses, the lawmakers said in a letter to Obama
Thursday. NY Post
Hillary
Clinton Keeps Hanging Out Near Trump Tower
Hillary Clinton seems curiously drawn to the area around Trump Tower.
The former presidential hopeful and Bill were spotted dining at the Polo
Bar (all of 100 yards from Trumps HQ at Fifth Avenue and 56th Street)
last month. On Wednesday, Page Six spies saw the pair dining at upscale
Greek spot Milos again just a block from Trump Tower, where former opponent
Donald Trump is preparing to take office next week. The Clintons dined
with Ted Danson and wife Mary Steenburgen. NY Post
VOA VIEW: The Clinton's needs some notoriety.
Carson
Defends Record, Tangles With Warren At Confirmation Hearing
Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon who's had an illustrious career
in medicine but little formal background in housing policy, defended his
qualifications Thursday to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development,
as he sought Senate approval during his confirmation hearing. Carson, testifying
before the Senate Banking Committee, cited his personal story as he explained
his familiarity with the core issues that HUD -- an agency with 8,300 employees
and a nearly $50 billion budget -- handles. He recalled his childhood in
inner-city Detroit and being raised by a single mother who worked as a
domestic because she had just a third-grade education.
Fox News
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US
Ending 'Wet Foot, Dry Foot' Policy For Cubans
President Barack Obama is ending the longstanding "wet foot, dry foot"
policy that allows Cubans who arrive in the United States without a visa
to become permanent residents, two senior US officials told CNN Thursday.
The policy, in place for more than two decades, has applied solely for
Cubans. Other immigrants who attempt to enter the United States without
a visa face arrest and deportation. The decision was likely Obama's last
move in his historic dealings with Cuba. In 2014, he reopened ties to the
island nation after a half-century of frozen diplomatic ties. Havana has
long argued the policy encourages Cubans to make the dangerous crossing
from Cuba to Florida. Immigrants from other nations have argued the policy
amounts to preferential treatment for one group. CNN
Biden
Confirms Obama, VP Were Briefed On Unsubstantiated Claims Against Trump
Vice President Joe Biden confirmed Thursday that he and President Barack
Obama were briefed last week by intelligence officials on unsubstantiated
claims that Russia may have compromising information on President-elect
Donald Trump. CNN first reported that the nation's top intelligence chiefs
provided both the President and President-elect a two-page written synopsis
of the claims, which came from a 35-page report compiled by a former British
intelligence operative based on Russian sources. Intelligence agencies
appended a two-page summary of the unverified allegations to documents
prepared for the briefing on Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential
election. CNN
VOA VIEW: CNN was wrong and Obama tried
to clear the air.
U.S.
Lost 286,000 Manufacturing Jobs Under ObamaBut Gained 3,238,800 In Retail,
Food Services And Drinking Places
The United States lost 286,000 manufacturing jobs during the time President
Barack Obama has been in office, according to data from the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. But, at the same time, the United States gained 3,238,800 jobs
in retail, food services and drinking places. Manufacturing workers, however,
had average hourly earnings ($26.37 in December, according to BLS) that
were about 94 percent more than those of workers in food services and drinking
places ($13.60 in November) and 45 percent more than workers in retail
($18.18 in December). CNS News
Sen.
Alexander: Congress Needs To Rescue 11 Million Americans On Obamacare
Before Repealing It
The Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, should be repealed
and replaced, but only after Congress rescues the 11 million Americans
who currently buy health insurance on the Obamacare exchanges, Senate Health,
Education, Labor & Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
said in a speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday. President-elect Donald
Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) have both said that Obamacare
should be repealed and replaced simultaneously or concurrently. To
me, simultaneously and concurrently means Obamacare should be finally
repealed only when there are concrete, practical reforms in place that
give every American access to truly affordable health care, Alexander
told his Senate colleagues. CNS News
China,
Russia Say United Against South Korea Missile Defense
China has a range of economic, diplomatic and military options to retaliate
if the U.S. and South Korea proceed with deployment of an advanced missile
defense system, experts said Friday, as Beijing remained vague in its threats
against the plan. Such steps could raise the stakes for Washington and
Seoul in a controversial deployment that China regards as a major security
threat, while complicating matters for South Korea as it faces domestic
political divisions and significant public opposition. China's official
Xinhua News Agency said Beijing and Moscow agreed to take "further countermeasures"
in response to the plan during security talks between the two countries
in Moscow on Thursday. Tampa Tribune
Kerry
Defends Trade Pact On Last Trip As Top US Diplomat
Secretary of State John Kerry, making his last trip as the top U.S.
diplomat, on Friday defended the 12-nation trade pact that the incoming
administration said it would scrap and urged countries to refrain from
provocative acts in the South China Sea. "I can't predict what the new
administration is absolutely going to do with the trade, but I can absolutely
tell you that the fundamental reasons for the TPP haven't changed," Kerry
told students of University of Technology and Education in southern Ho
Chi Minh City, referring to the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement. Tampa
Tribune
VOA VIEW: Kerry will be out soon.
Obama
Designates 3 Civil Rights Sites As National Monuments
Sites recognizing the Freedom Riders, a former school in South Carolina
for freed slaves and the church where four little black girls died in an
Alabama church bombing are among places that President Obama designated
as national monuments on Thursday, just days before he is scheduled to
leave office. The president signed three proclamations designating the
national monuments, saying in a statement released by the White House that
they "preserve critical chapters of our countrys history, from the Civil
War to the civil rights movement." Among them is the Birmingham Civil Rights
National Monument. It includes the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, where
four little girls died in a bombing set by a white supremacist in 1963,
and Kelly Ingram Park, where protesters were hosed down in famous showdowns
during the civil rights movement. USA Today
Judge
Refuses To Dismiss 'Bridgegate' Complaint Against New Jersey's Christie
A New Jersey judge on Thursday refused to dismiss a citizen's criminal
complaint against Governor Chris Christie over the "Bridgegate" scandal
but ordered a lower court to review it to determine whether the case should
continue. Bergen County Superior Court Judge Bonnie Mizdol rejected Christie's
request to toss the complaint outright. But she agreed with both Christie's
lawyers and county prosecutors that a lower court judge erroneously denied
the governor's attorney an opportunity to participate in a prior hearing
in October. The complaint was filed in September by Bill Brennan, a retired
firefighter and activist who recently announced he would run for governor
this year. Reuters
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Paul
Ryan: Russia A Menace, Putin Menacing
House Speaker Paul Ryan called Russia a global menace led by a man
who is menacing, once more underscoring the divide over Russia between
President-elect Donald Trump and some lawmakers in his own party. Appearing
at a CNN Town Hall Thursday night, Ryan fielded questions from moderator
Jake Tapper and audience members on health care, immigration, trade, foreign
policy and even Trumps Twitter habits. The speaker reiterated his view
that Russia tried to affect our elections by meddling in our elections
... there is no place for that. He said sanctions were called for, and
accused the Obama administration of not standing up to Russia over the
past eight years, saying it followed too much of an appeasement policy.
While Trump has called for a closer relationship with Russia, Ryan said,
The Russians are up to no good, we all know that. USA
Today
CNN
At War With Trump Over What Reporting Unleashed
A week before the inauguration, CNN is at war with an incoming president,
not necessarily for what it reported but for what its reporting unleashed.
For all the noise accusations of fake news, the confrontation between
Donald Trump and CNNs Jim Acosta at a news conference, false claims about
what CNN had reported or linked to that realization emerged toward the
end of a remarkable 25-minute televised confrontation between Anderson
Cooper and Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway. When it reported on Tuesday
that national intelligence officials had informed the president-elect that
the Russians had collected a dossier on his behavior, CNN did not specifically
detail what that behavior was because it couldnt vouch for its veracity.
But it was CNN that gave BuzzFeed the cover to do so, Conway said.
Boston Globe
VOA VIEW: CNN is the ultimate loser.
Watergate
Reporter Bernstein: 'Follow The Money' With Trump
Carl Bernstein, the former Washington Post reporter who shared a Pulitzer
Prize with Bob Woodward for their reporting on Watergate in the 1970s,
still has plenty of presidential probing going on in his notebook. Bernstein,
speaking Thursday in South Florida, talked about a number of newsworthy
topics and didnt hold back on his notion that both the public and the
press have a joint responsibility for holding presidents accountable. Bernstein
was one of four reporters whose byline appeared on a CNN story this week
that reported President Barack Obama and Donald Trump were presented with
classified documents last week that contained allegations Russian operatives
had compromising personal and financial information about the president-elect.
Some memos were in circulation this summer. Atlanta
Journal
Fast-Food
Workers Protest Trump's Labor Secretary Nominee
The union-backed "Fight for $15" movement protested at Carl's Jr and
Hardee's restaurants on Thursday in a bid to stop the chains' head, a vocal
opponent of minimum wage increases and "overregulation," from becoming
U.S. labor secretary. Senate leadership has pushed back the confirmation
hearing of Andrew Puzder to February from a tentative date of Jan. 17.
Puzder, 66, leads CKE Restaurants Inc. For years, he has said Obama administration
policies have saddled industry with higher costs and contributed to a "government-mandated
restaurant recession." Reuters
VOA VIEW: A $15 per hour rate will hurt
many businesses.
President
Barack Obama Honors Joe Biden With Surprise Medal Of Freedom
Calling him "the best vice president America has ever had," President
Barack Obama awarded Joe Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom Thursday
in a surprise tribute to his friend and close adviser for the last eight
years. The medal is the highest civilian honor in the United States, and
Biden appeared stunned and wiped away tears. When he took the podium, he
started by jokingly telling his chief of staff "you're fired," for not
hinting at the surprise. "This honor is not only well beyond what I deserve,
but it's a reflection of the extent and generosity of your spirit," Biden
said. MSNBC
YOU can speak out and be heard by having your own "Column" - Visit the "Public Opinion" Section above.
Paul
Ryan: Repeal And Replace Of Obamacare To Come At The Same Time
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Thursday that lawmakers plan to advance
legislation both to repeal and to replace Obamacare at the same time, a
day after President-elect Donald Trump said repealing and replacing the
law would be done essentially simultaneously. What
the president-elect
said yesterday is what weve been saying all along is were advancing these
things at the same time, Mr. Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, told radio host
Mike Gallagher. Were advancing the legislation to repeal and replace
Obamacare at the same time, and it will take time to put all of that into
place, all those moving parts in place, he said. Mr. Ryan said there will
be a transition period so people dont wake up one morning and lose their
health insurance. The speaker had told reporters earlier in the week that
the goal was to bring along a replacement plan concurrently with a repeal
bill. CBS
Week
1: Cabinet Picks Contradict Trump Sands On Some Issues
The lack of fireworks surrounding Senate consideration of President-elect
Donald Trump's Cabinet picks may reflect a host of statements his choices
have made contradicting positions the billionaire businessman has taken
on issues ranging from Russia and NATO to Muslims, climate change and nuclear
weapons. Trump acknowledged the differences early Friday, posting a message
on his Twitter account saying: "All my Cabinet nominee are looking good
and doing a great job. I want them to be themselves and express their own
thoughts, not mine!" This week's confirmation hearings produced an odd
political chemistry where, for instance, one of the harshest examinations
of a Trump Cabinet choice came from one of Trump's fellow Republicans,
presidential campaign rival Sen. Marco Rubio. Houston
Chronicle
VOA VIEW: We will see the truth when the
Cabinet takes office.
Millennials
Are Falling Behind Their Boomer Parents
Baby Boomers: your millennial children are worse off than you. With
a median household income of $40,581, millennials earn 20 percent less
than boomers did at the same stage of life, despite being better educated,
according to a new analysis of Federal Reserve data by the advocacy group
Young Invincibles. The analysis being released Friday gives concrete details
about a troubling generational divide that helps to explain much of the
anxiety that defined the 2016 election. Millennials have half the net worth
of boomers. Their home ownership rate is lower, while their student debt
is drastically higher. The generational gap is a central dilemma for the
incoming presidency of Donald Trump, who essentially pledged a return to
the prosperity of post-World War II America. Houston
Chronicle
The
Good, Bad, And Unknown About Marijuana's Health Effects
It can almost certainly ease chronic pain and might help some people
sleep, but its also likely to raise the risk of getting schizophrenia
and might trigger heart attacks.
Those are among the conclusions about marijuana reached by a federal
advisory panel in a report released Thursday. The experts also called for
a national effort to learn more about marijuana and its chemical cousins,
including similarly acting compounds called cannabinoids.
CBS
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Obama
To Make Last Network TV Appearance As President On "60 Minutes
President Barack Obama will appear in his last presidential interview
on network television on 60 Minutes Presents: Barack Obama: Eight Years
in the White House, an hour-long special broadcast Sunday, January 15
at 7 p.m. ET/PT. The president chose to return to 60 Minutes one last
time, where he made much news and revealed himself in numerous interviews
with Steve Kroft, who began covering him closely nearly two years before
he entered the White House. ABC
How
Donald Trump May Violate The Constitution The Second He's Sworn In
President-elect Donald Trump may be handing over the reins of his global
real estate empire to his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump and to a
longtime business executive, but he still risks violating the U.S. Constitution,
some experts have warned. Sheri Dillon, a partner at Morgan, Lewis &
Bockius, the law firm she said Donald Trump Sr. directed to design a structure
for his business empire, told reporters Wednesday that the financial trust
Trump signed would completely isolate [Trump] from the management of the
company. ABC
Wall
Street Gets Early Gift As House Tries To Ease Swaps Rules
Republican lawmakers who want to rein in Wall Streets watchdogs arent
waiting around for Donald Trump. In a likely preview of things to come,
the GOP-controlled House passed legislation 239-to-182 Thursday that would
make it much harder for the top U.S. regulator of the $544 trillion derivatives
market to justify new rules. The bill also could reduce the Commodity Futures
Trading Commissions authority over some swaps trades made overseas, even
if the transactions involve U.S. banks. Wall Street and Republicans have
sought such a change for years. Bloomberg
Can
The Rift Between Trump And The Intel Community Be Healed?
After a brief ceasefire, the war between Donald Trump and U.S. intelligence
agencies appears to be back on with a vengeance. Earlier this week, current
and former intelligence officials were speaking in hopeful tones about
how the breach that had developed between their profession and the president-elect
was repairable. "Certainly fixable," is how Michael Morell, a Trump critic
and former acting director of the CIA, put it on Tuesday afternoon, after
several days without a single Trump tweet disparaging intelligence officers.
"He may be getting a sense that these are serious people who have studied
their mistakes and who are careful about what they say," said John McLaughlin,
another former acting CIA director. MSNBC
VOA VIEW: The Intel Community will change
in Trumps favor on January 20.
3
Lawsuits, 5 Wheelbarrows, 298,745 Pennies: One Mans Quest To Stick It
To The DMV
Theres principled, and then theres whatever you may want to call
Nick Stafford. Early Wednesday morning, Stafford, a Cedar Buff, Virginia,
resident, entered the Lebanon, Virginia, Department of Motor Vehicles branch
Wednesday with 1,600 pounds of pennies in tow to pay a $2,987.45 bill.
He didnt leave until 1 a.m. Thursday, according to social media posts.
One might assume that in order to gather that many coins, transport them
and wait around all day as state employees counted every penny by hand,
Stafford must have some reason to be extremely angry. Thats not even taking
into account the three lawsuits, countless phone calls and four months
Stafford spent battling the states bureaucracy.
Charlotte Observer
A
12-Year-Old Killed Herself On Live Video. Facebook Wont Take It Down.
Live video has become increasingly controversial as social media sites
have encouraged use of the tool but have struggled to monitor it. The most
prominent example was when four Chicago residents kidnapped and tortured
a mentally challenged man in the beginning of January, broadcasting the
whole thing on Facebook Live. It was eventually taken down by Facebook,
but not before it had been shared and embedded by others. Another incident
with live video occurred on Dec. 30, this time originating on another site
with livestreaming capabilities called live.me. That was the day Katelyn
Nicole Davis, a 12-year-old in Georgia, decided to kill herself in a 40-minute
live video after saying she had been physically and sexually assaulted
by a family member, according to BuzzFeed. A Facebook page started in her
memory details signs she may have suffered from depression.
Kansas City Star
Not
So Fast: California Republican Says Hiring Holder To Fight Trump Violates
State Constitution
A California GOP lawmaker is challenging the hiring of former U.S.
Attorney Eric Holder to fight the Trump administration, saying it may violate
the California Constitution. Assemblyman Kevin Kiley has asked the California
Attorney Generals office to investigate whether legislative Democrats
ran afoul of the law by retaining Mr. Holder and his law firm, Covington
& Burling, for $25,000 per month to do a job that can be performed
by state employees. Mr. Holder was hired last week by the California legislature,
which is controlled by Democrats, as outside counsel to provide advice
on our efforts to resist any attempts to roll back the progress California
has made on issues such as climate change to immigration. But Mr. Kiley
cited a court ruling that said the state Constitution forbids hiring outside
consultants for roles that can be carried out adequately and competently
by those in the civil service, including work defending California against
federal actions. Washington Times
VOA VIEW: Holder is a poor attorney.
In
Senate Spotlight, Outspoken Kansas Congressman Becomes Measured U.S Spy
Chief
The Mike Pompeo whos nominated to lead the CIA is not the same Mike
Pompeo whos represented the 4th District of Kansas for the past six years.
In his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday, the formerly bombastic Pompeo
was more measured, reflecting the new role hes about to take on leading
what he called the worlds premier espionage organization. President-elect
Donald Trump nominated Pompeo in part because the three-term Republican
lawmakers aggressive views on national security were close to his own.
But in answering questions by members of the Senate Intelligence Committee,
Pompeo took a more gentle approach to the issues on which hes been outspoken
in the past: the Iran nuclear deal, National Security Agency surveillance,
the CIAs enhanced interrogation of terrorism suspects and even gay rights
and climate change. Kansas City Star
Scott
Unveils Plan He Touts As Making College More Affordable In Florida
Gov. Rick Scott unveiled a plan this week that he hopes will help Florida
students finish school more quickly and with less debt. At a press conference
in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, the governor touted his proposals, which
he announced for the first time earlier in the week. He called for freezing
state college tuition, expanding the states Bright Futures scholarships
to cover summer classes and getting rid of sales tax on college textbooks.
Scott said he hoped providing Bright Futures funds for summer courses would
enable students to finish their education more quickly. Currently only
44 percent of undergraduate students at the states universities graduate
within four years, according to the governor. When you think about the
cost of education, when you think about what it costs to you if you live
on campus or the years youre giving up higher pay after earning your degree,
every year it takes to get a degree costs you money and slows down your
opportunity to get better, he said. Miami Herald
Trump
And Populist Leaders Threaten Human Rights, Says Human Rights Watch
Trump and populist European leaders are a profound threat to human
rights, says a report by Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch, one of
the largest and most influential human rights organizations in the world,
published its annual World Report 2017, which examines the human rights
practices in over 90 countries. The centerpiece of the 687-page report
is an essay entitled The Dangerous Rise of Populism, in which Human Rights
Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth openly criticizes Trump and European
populists. SF Gate
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Fiat
Chrysler Accused Of Diesel Emissions Cheating By U.S.
Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 models that allows them to exceed
pollution limits. The EPA stopped short of calling the software a defeat
device but said the carmaker failed to disclose their use. Fiat Chrysler
said it meets all applicable regulatory requirements and will work with
President-elect Donald Trumps administration to contest the allegations.
Fiat Chrysler becomes the second automaker in less than three years the
EPA has accused of violating the law by using software to pass laboratory
emissions tests. Volkswagen, which admitted to using defeat devices in
September 2015, agreed Wednesday to pay a $4.3 billion fine, boosting the
cost of the scandal to about 20.5 billion euros ($21.9 billion). Bloomberg
Officers
More Reluctant To Carry Out Duties, Pew Study Finds
Fallout over recent high-profile police shootings involving blacks
has unnerved American officers to the point that many of them are "reluctant
to fully carry out some of their duties," according to Pew Research Center
findings released Wednesday. The study, touted as "one of the largest ever
conducted with a nationally representative sample of police," and authored
by Rich Morin, Kim Parker, Renee Stepler and Andrew Mercer, comprised the
responses of nearly 8,000 U.S. officers, the research organization said.
Furthermore, there was an increase of officers killed in ambush-style shootings
21 of the 63 officers shot to death last year were ambushed, according
to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. That's a 56 percent
increase compared with the previous year and the highest total of similar
deaths in more than two decades. Las Vegas Sun
Trumps
Pentagon Pick Cruises Toward Likely Confirmation
Retired Gen. James Mattis on Thursday cruised toward likely confirmation
as Donald Trump's defense secretary, easily prevailing in a Senate vote
granting him an exemption to run the Pentagon as a recently retired officer.
At his confirmation hearing, he called Russia the nation's No. 1 security
threat, accusing its leader of trying to "break" NATO. The Senate voted
81-17 to approve legislation overriding a prohibition against former U.S.
service members who have been out of uniform less than seven years from
holding the Defense Department's top job. The restriction is meant to preserve
civilian control of the military. The House Armed Services Committee backed
the waiver in a 34-28 vote; the full House will take up the matter Friday.
Las
Vegas Sun
Wearable
Sensors May Spot Illness Before Symptoms Start
Wearable sensors to track things such as heart rate, activity and skin
temperature may help you keep track of your health and warn you of impending
illness, a new study suggests. Researchers recently compiled almost 2 billion
measurements from 60 people. The idea is to determine baseline medical
information about the participants. "We want to study people at an individual
level," study senior author Michael Snyder, chair of genetics at Stanford
University School of Medicine in California, said in a university news
release. UPI News
Study:
U.S. Water Afordability Crisis On The horizon
Water is relatively cheap when it comes to food and housing, which
is why it is sometimes ignored in discussions about public assistance for
necessities. But the cost of water is rising, and researchers at Michigan
State University suggest water could become unaffordable to 36 percent
of U.S. households in the next five years. "In cities across the United
States, water affordability is becoming an increasingly critical issue,"
Elizabeth Mack, an assistant geography professor, said in a news release.
UPI
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TOP
TRUMP CABINET PICKS DROP CAMPAIGN TO SCRAP IRAN DEAL
President-elect Donald Trump's emerging national security team is settling
on a consensus in favor of policing the Iran nuclear agreement brokered
in 2015, as opposed to immediately scrapping it. Trump's choices for secretary
of state, Rex Tillerson, secretary of defense, James Mattis, and Central
Intelligence Agency director, Mike Pompeo, all testified this week of their
plans to advise the incoming president to preserve the international accord,
review it, strictly enforce it and worry over its sunset years, when several
of its most critical restrictions on Iran's nuclear program will expire.
Jerusalem Post
Trump
Claims Intelligence Chief Denounced 'False' Dossier
Donald Trump says the US spy chief called him to "denounce the false
and fictitious" report that Russia held compromising information about
the president-elect.
Mr Trump again tweeted that the report was "made up, phony facts".
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper merely said he had told
Mr Trump that no judgment had yet been made on its reliability. Mr Clapper
rejected Mr Trump's claim that US intelligence leaked the report. Mr Clapper's
statement on the conversation came out on Wednesday evening and he has
not yet commented on Mr Trump's version. In his statement, the spymaster
said he had "expressed profound dismay at the leaks that have been appearing
in the press and we both agreed that they are extremely corrosive and damaging
to our national security". BBC
VOA VIEW: Clapper will soon be gone.
Trump
Top Nominees Pompeo And Mattis Warn Of Russia Threat
President-elect Donald Trump's nominees for defence secretary and spy
chief have been taking aim at Russia during their Senate confirmation hearings.
General James Mattis, defence secretary nominee, warned Nato was under
its biggest attack since World War Two. Mike Pompeo, Mr Trump's pick to
lead the CIA, said Moscow posed a threat in Europe and was "asserting itself
aggressively" in Ukraine. The tough talk follows Mr Trump's call for warmer
relations with Moscow. BBC
Russia
Dossier: What Happens Next And Could Donald Trump Be Impeached?
With days to go before Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 45th president
of the United States, Washington has been convulsed by news of a 35-page
intelligence dossier containing incendiary allegations from Russian spies
about close links between the Trump camp and the Kremlin as well as salacious
sexual details that could allegedly expose the next US head of state to
blackmail. The allegations are wholly unsubstantiated, but were deemed
serious enough for US intelligence agencies to pass a two-page summary
of them last week both to Trump and the current president, Barack Obama.
Guardian
Obama
Gives US Intelligence Greater Access To Warrantless Data On Foreigners
Barack Obama, in one of his final acts on national security, has permitted
US intelligence and law enforcement agencies far greater access to raw
communications data warrantlessly collected on foreign targets, a move
that has alarmed privacy advocates. Under an executive order, the CIA,
FBI and other security agencies will be able to access unfiltered surveillance
aimed at foreigners abroad, before information identifying or revealing
Americans they may be in contact with gets censored out. A copy of the
23-page unclassified rulebook was obtained and published on Thursday by
the New York Times. The document stated that the changes were being made
to enable US intelligence agencies to conduct their national security
missions more effectively. Guardian
JPOST
POLL: 65% OF ISRAELIS SAY OBAMA PRO-PALESTINIAN, TRUMP ONLY 3%
US President Barack Obama said in a television interview broadcast
on Tuesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not realize he had
a friend in the White House for the last eight years. A Jerusalem Post
poll of the attitudes of Jewish Israelis to the outgoing president show
that two thirds of them didnt realize that either.
According to a Smith Consulting poll carried out for The Jerusalem
Post, 65% of the Jewish public when asked to characterize the positions
of the Obama administration classified them as more pro-Palestinian.
Only 12% said Obama was more pro-Israeli, another 20% said neutral and
3% did not express an opinion. Jerusalem Post
VOA VIEW: Obama is more than pro-Palestinian
- he is a Muslim.
Facebook
Is Working On Ways To Read Thoughts, Job Adverts Suggest
Facebook already has your name, your friends and your photos: now it
might want your thoughts. Job adverts posted in California suggest that
the social network is planning telepathic technology that can read brain
waves and send them between people, a way of sharing that would go far
beyond liking status updates or sharing holiday photos. The vacancies at
Facebook's secretive "Building 8" division, spotted by Business Insider,
include PhD-level roles for a "brain-computer interface engineer" and a
"neural imaging engineer", for a two-year project that will "accomplish
bold things". Telegraph
World's
Jobless To Rise Amid Economic Uncertainty, Growing Inequality UN Labour
Report
The United Nations International Labour Organization (ILO) released
its 2017 World Employment and Social Outlook report today, which finds
economic growth trends lagging behind employment needs and predicts both
rising unemployment and worsening social inequality throughout 2017. We
are facing the twin challenge of repairing the damage caused by the global
economic and social crisis and creating quality jobs for the tens of millions
of new labour market entrants every year, said ILO Director-General Guy
Ryder. UN News
Syria
Ceasefire Holding Amid Rising Concerns About Aid Delivery And Damascus
Water Supply UN Envoy
While the ceasefire in Syria is largely holding, the United Nations
envoy for the country cautioned today that the truce may be under threat
as clashes in villages in the Wadi Barada valley has damaged water infrastructure
and left more than five million people in and around Damascus facing water
shortages. Speaking to reporters after the latest meeting of the Humanitarian
Task Force on Syria, UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura said the cessation
of hostilities brokered by Russia and Turkey last month holding, with some
exceptions, and this, in theory, should be providing an opportunity for
stepping up humanitarian access to besieged areas.
UN News
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