Republicans
Want To Know Why Trump Hasn't Fired The IRS Head
Nearly two months into the Trump administration, the IRS commissioner
House Republicans once threatened with impeachment remains on the job.
John Koskinen's continued tenure may be surprising, considering how aggressively
Republicans went after him under the Obama administration. But despite
a sustained push by congressional Republicans to oust the IRS chief before
his five-year term expires this November, President Trump so far has made
no move to do so. Just last week, Koskinen was seen in the Capitol and
told Fox News he was there to meet with old friends. Asked if he intended
to stay on as commissioner during the Trump administration, Koskinen simply
said, They havent talked to me. Fox News
VOA VIEW: Koskinen should go.
Venezuelans
Passports In Short Supply As Millions Try To Flee Troubled Nation
Along with basic food, medicine and even toilet paper, Venezuela now
lacks the materials to meet to the soaring demand for new passports making
it almost impossible for those few Venezuelans with the monetary means
of escaping the troubled Latin American nation to do so. While estimates
of how many passport requests the socialist government received last year
vary from between 1.8 million to 3 million, only 300,000 of the elusive
documents were doled out. Everyday, hundreds of people line up outside
the passport agency, known as Saime, in the capital of Caracas in the hopes
of obtaining one. Fox News
Washington
State Asks Judge To Block New Trump Travel Ban
Washington state will ask a federal judge Thursday to block President
Donald Trump's new travel ban, joining Hawaii as the second state to challenge
the executive order. Bob Ferguson, Washington state's attorney general,
said that despite the significant changes to the President's previous executive
order, the new travel ban still suffers from legal flaws. "The revised
executive order does narrow" its impact, but "there is still harm," Ferguson
said in a news conference on Thursday. "This is effectively a Muslim ban."
CNN
VOA VIEW: Expected from CNN and the Washington
State AG.
Does
Border Drop Mean Trump's Tough Talk Is Working?
Illegal Southwest border crossings were down 40% last month, according
to just released Customs and Border Protection numbers -- a sign that President
Donald Trump's hardline rhetoric and policies on immigration may be having
a deterrent effect. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly himself announced
the month-to-month numbers, statistics that CBP usually quietly posts on
its website without fanfare. According to CBP data, the 40% drop in illegal
Southwest border crossings from January to February is far outside normal
seasonal trends. Typically, the January to February change is actually
an increase of 10% to 20%. CNN
VOA VIEW: Great!
PLEASE DO BUSINESS WITH THOSE WHO DO BUSINESS WITH US -- OUR ADVERTISERS.
Democrat
Suggests Trump May Benefit From Tanning Salon Provision Of Republicans'
Health Care Bill
The Democrats' effort to get a look at President Trump's tax returns
spilled into the health care debate on Wednesday. At the House Ways and
Means Committee mark-up of the Republican health care bill, Rep. Lloyd
Doggett (D-Texas) introduced, for the second time in recent weeks, an amendment
that would allow the committee to review Trump's tax returns in closed
session. Among other things, Doggett argued that Trump stands to enrich
himself from some of the provisions in the Republicans health care bill:
Pointing to a "recent analysis by...a series of reporters," Doggett said
Trump "personally stands to rake in almost $7 million from two giant tax
breaks that are in this bill. And as we get the tanning salon section,
we can explore whether there's one of those down in Mar-a-Lago or one of
his other resorts, and he's going to benefit even from the tanning provisions
here...And so I think it's important to adopt this amendment."
CNS
VOA VIEW: Democrats go at any lengths
to get what they want.
CBO
Says U.S. Has Highest Top Statutory Corporate Tax Rate In G20
The United States has the highest top statutory corporate tax rate39.1%--of
any nation in the G20, according to a study released Wednesday by the Congressional
Budget Office. That rate is nearly twice as high as the 20-percent rate
in Russia, which, along with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, has the lowest statutory
corporate tax rate in the G20. The U.S. won the top spot on the statutory-corporate-tax-rate
list after Japan and Germany, which formerly ranked first and second, cut
their rates. The United States made no change in federal corporate tax
rates between 2003 and 2012, said the CBO, and by 2012, it had the highest
top statutory rate in the G20. CNS
VOA VIEW: Pitiful!
Washington
Restaurant Sues Trump Over Alleged Unfair Hotel Competition
A Washington restaurant has sued U.S. President Donald Trump and the
company that operates his landmark Washington hotel, claiming that patrons
have shifted business there to curry favor with his new administration,
the owners said on Thursday. The suit, which was filed on Wednesday, does
not seek monetary damages but wants Trump to divest from the hotel, resign
or close it while he is president. Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts, the husband-and-wife
owners of the Cork Wine Bar, claim they and other businesses face unfair
competition from the Trump International Hotel, which opened in September
a few weeks before Trump was elected. Reuters
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FCC
Probes Why AT&T Customers Could Not Call 911
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday it will
investigate why AT&T wireless subscribers in several states could not
make emergency 911 calls late Wednesday. The FCC has previously fined carriers
that had 911 outages that it deemed preventable and required steps to prevent
further outages. A person briefed on the matter said a software glitch
apparently caused the outage, which lasted a few hours and spanned at least
10 states. Reuters
Obamacare
Creators Tell GOP: We Told You So
President Donald Trump said last week that "nobody knew that health
care could be so complicated." But the aides and advisers who worked on
health care for Bill Clinton and Barack Obama they knew. "Maybe I should
just say karma is a serious thing," said Neera Tanden, who was a top health
official in the Obama administration. "Health care is hard. Governing is
hard. And Republicans are now living with the fruits of never putting forward
a plan and making promises they can't keep." MSNBC
VOA VIEW: Giveaway and stupid programs
are hard to abolish.
Julian
Assange Says WikiLeaks May Release More CIA Hacking Tools
WikiLeaks is considering releasing more CIA hacking tools if internet
security professionals can first help make sure the cyber weapons can't
be used any further, the group's founder, Julian Assange, said Thursday.
Assange ridiculed the CIA for failing to guard information about its online
arsenal, allowing it to be passed around within the intelligence community.
That is how the material ended up in WikiLeaks' hands ? and, possibly,
criminals', he said. The spy agency "didn't secure it, lost control of
it and then appears to have covered up that fact," Assange said. MSNBC
VOA VIEW: Traitor!
Amal
Clooney: Don't Let Islamic State Get Away With Genocide
Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney urged Iraq and the world's nations
on Thursday not to let the Islamic State extremist group "get away with
genocide." The wife of actor George Clooney, who represents victims of
IS rapes and kidnappings, told a U.N. meeting that what's "shocking" is
not just the group's brutality but the "passive" response by the world's
nations to the campaign to investigate its crimes and bring the perpetrators
to justice. Philadelphia Inquirer
Court
Unanimously Ousts South Korea's Leader For Corruption
The decision capped a stunning fall for the country's first female
leader, who rode a wave of lingering conservative nostalgia for her late
dictator father to victory in 2012, only to see her presidency crumble
as millions of furious protesters filled the nation's streets. Two people
died during protests that followed the ruling. Police and hospital officials
said about 30 protesters and police officers were injured in the violent
clashes near the court, which prompted Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, the
country's acting head of state, to plead for peace and urge Park's angry
supporters to move on. The ruling opens Park up to possible criminal proceedings
- prosecutors have already named her a criminal suspect - and makes her
South Korea's first democratically elected leader to be removed from office
since democracy replaced dictatorship in the late 1980s.
Philadelphia Inquirer
YOU can speak out and be heard by having your own "Column" - Visit the "Public Opinion" Section above.
Japan
To End 5-Year Peacekeeping Mission In South Sudan
Japan is ending its peacekeeping mission in troubled South Sudan after
five years, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Friday. Abe told reporters
that Japan would not renew the mission after the current rotation returns
in May. The 350-person infrastructure team has been focused on road construction.
The team that arrived in South Sudan in November was Japan's first to have
an expanded mandate to use force if necessary to protect civilians and
U.N. staff. The Japanese military's use of force is limited by its post-World
War II constitution. Tampa Tribune
Use
Daylight Saving Time As Wellness Wake-Up Call
Daylight saving time is not only a time to reset the clocks, but also
a time to reset health goals. Springing ahead is a reminder to put a little
more spring in your body. This is the time for a wellness reboot a wake-up
call to eat properly, exercise and create a safer and healthier way of
living. This year, we set our clocks ahead one hour on Sunday and back
one hour on Nov. 5. Daylight saving time is the start of spring, and spring
is an excellent time for growth, says Christine Scalfo, a certified health
and nutrition counselor. Everything is sprouting and bursting forth, and
our energy is expanding. We can take advantage of this energy and utilize
it for our health goals. USA Today
House
Panel Says Trumps Twitter Use Could Break Federal Record-Keeping Laws
President Trumps prolific tweeting may now cause another headache
for the White House Congresss top investigators said Thursday he may
be breaking federal record-keeping laws if hes not preserving all of his
Twitter messages. In a letter to the White House, Oversight Committee Chairman
Jason Chaffetz and Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat, demanded
to know whether Mr. Trumps long-standing personal account, @RealDonaldTrump,
and the official White House account, @POTUS, are being archived properly.
It has been reported
that President Trump has deleted tweets, and if
those tweets were not archived it could pose a violation of the Presidential
Records Act, the congressmen said. Washington Times
VOA VIEW: They are all public.
Trump
Vows To Spare No Effort To Find American Missing In Iran For 10 Years
The White House said President Trump is unwavering in his determination
to bring home CIA contractor Robert Levinson, who went missing in Iran
10 years ago on Thursday. We want him back, and we will spare no effort
to achieve that goal, said White House press secretary Sean Spicer. Mr.
Levinson, a former FBI agent who would turn 69 tomorrow, vanished from
Kish Island, Iran, while reportedly investigating cigarette smuggling in
the Middle East. Iranian officials have insisted they dont have any information
about his whereabouts or his fate. Washington Times
EPA
Chief Says Carbon Dioxide Not A Primary Cause Of Global Warming
The new chief of the Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday
he does not believe that carbon dioxide is a primary contributor to global
warming, a statement at odds with mainstream scientific consensus and his
own agency. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said measuring the effect of
human activity on the climate is very challenging and that theres tremendous
disagreement about the degree of impact of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gases. So, no, I would not agree that (carbon dioxide) is a primary contributor
to the global warming that we see, Pruitt told CNBCs Squawk Box. Pruitts
view is contrary to mainstream climate science, including NASA, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the EPA itself. CBS
Megyn
Kelly Wants To Be The Next Oprah
Megyn Kelly grew tired of combative hard news reporting and now wants
to help people the way Oprah did on her new NBC show, sources tell Page
Six. After signing a deal with NBC worth between $12 million and $15 million,
Kellys plans for her new show have been shrouded in secrecy. NBC brass
are interviewing executive producers in the hopes that Kelly will debut
in September at either 9?or 10?a.m. in front of a live studio audience.
NY Post
VOA VIEW: NBC overpaid - Kelly is a nothing.
Washington
AG Says Order Blocking Trumps First Travel Ban Should Apply To New One
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson will try to block President
Donald Trumps latest travel-ban executive order by returning to the same
judge who halted the first version. Ferguson said his office will ask U.S.
District Judge James Robart to confirm that the Feb. 3 injunction against
Trumps initial travel ban also applies to similar portions of the presidents
new order, which restricts travel for people from six Muslim-majority nations.
The revised executive order does narrow the scope of who is impacted by
it, but that does not mean it has cured its constitutional problems, Ferguson,
a Democrat, said at a news conference Thursday in Seattle.
Seattle Time
Palestinian
Leader, President Trump To Hold First Phone Call
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will speak Friday by telephone
with U.S. President Donald Trump in the first contact between the two leaders
since Trump took office in January. Trump's planned phone call to Abbas
was revealed in a White House notice. Abbas has spent many hours on the
phone and in meetings with U.S. presidents and secretaries of state over
the past decade but he has been unsuccessful when reaching out to Trump.
His office did not comment ahead of the call. Trump is unpopular among
Palestinians because he appeared to break from his predecessor and adopt
friendlier positions toward the Israeli government, including a vague stance
on Palestinian statehood and a more lenient approach to settlements in
territory claimed by the Palestinians. Tampa Tribune
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Trump
Administration Looks To Resume Arms Sale To Saudi Arabia
The Trump administration is moving toward approving the sale of more
than $300 million in precision-guided missiles to Saudi Arabia, a decision
that would reverse the Obama administrations position on the deal from
late last year. State Department officials confirmed to CBS News that Secretary
of State Rex Tillerson has officially signaled his approval of the sale,
though the actual proposal is still going through the interagency process
and must be approved by the National Security Council. Congress would then
be notified of the sale -- it could face resistance among lawmakers there.
CBS
VOA VIEW: Democrats are expected to do
what they can to stop Trump.
Government
Ethics Office 'Concerned' Over White House Decision Not To Discipline Kellyanne
Conway
The director of the Office of Government Ethics said he is "concerned"
over the White House's decision not to discipline Kellyanne Conway for
promoting Ivanka Trump's brand in a television appearance. In a letter
to White House deputy counsel Stefan Passantino, OGE director Walter Shaub
said the White House failed to discipline Conway despite conduct that may
have violated a federal ethics rule prohibiting "using one's official position
to endorse any product or service." Shaub is referring to Conway's February
9 "Fox and Friends" appearance in which she encouraged viewers to "go buy
Ivanka's stuff," following the decision by Nordstrom to pull Trump's clothing
and accessory brand products from its shelves. CBS
VOA VIEW: Shaub should go.
Ex-Adviser's
Tenuous Ties To Trump Campaign Draw Scrutiny
For months, President Donald Trump and his advisers have tried to distance
themselves from Carter Page, a little-known investment banker who briefly
served as a foreign policy adviser on the Republican's presidential campaign.
This week, Page who is at the center of the swirling controversy over
Trump associates' connections to Russia painted himself as a recurrent
visitor to Trump Tower, the New York skyscraper that housed Trump's campaign
offices. "I have frequently dined in Trump Grill, had lunch in Trump Café,
had coffee meetings in the Starbucks at Trump Tower, attended events and
spent many hours in campaign headquarters on the fifth floor last year,"
Page wrote in a letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is investigating
Russia's hacking of Democratic groups and possible campaign contacts with
Moscow. Houston Chronicle
Radiation
Not Biggest Impact On Fukushima Health
Experts say the number is many times higher than is typically found
in Japan through touch and visual examination, although thyroid irregularities
have been found at similar rates in children in three areas of the country.
The doctors said more thyroid cancer cases were found because of the blanket
screening, not the radiation that leaked from the plant. They say evacuees'
stress and changing lifestyles have prompted obesity and diabetes, increasing
the risk of strokes and heart problems. "Those thyroid cases have been
found because we conducted the survey, not because of the radiation," said
Akira Ohtsuru, an expert on radiation and thyroid ultrasound examination
at the university. "The survey has caused over-diagnosis."
Houston Chronicle
Trump
Administration Announces Steps To Avoid Debt Default
The Trump administration is letting Congress know that it will begin
taking steps next week to keep the government from an unprecedented default
on the national debt.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a letter to lawmakers released
Thursday that he will employ measures to avoid breaching the borrowing
limit once the current suspension of the limit expires on March 16. Once
that happens, Treasury will use a variety of bookkeeping maneuvers to continue
to finance government operations, including making interest payments on
the national debt. However, the Congressional Budget Office estimated in
a report earlier this week that those measures will be exhausted by sometime
in the fall. ABC
VOA VIEW: All an Obama default.
John
Kerry, Former Secretary Of State, Writing Memoir
John Kerry, the former secretary of state, U.S. senator and presidential
candidate, has a book deal. Kerry, 73, has signed with Simon & Schuster,
the publisher told The Associated Press on Thursday. The book, a memoir
covering his life from childhood through his recent time as secretary of
state, does not yet have a title or release date. Financial terms were
not disclosed. Kerry has been a public figure since the early 1970s, when
he emerged as a spokesman for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War organization.
The Massachusetts Democrat later served nearly 30 years in the senate and
had an unsuccessful run for president in 2004, when he lost to the incumbent,
George W. Bush. Boston Globe
NFL
Teams Violated Federal Laws On Prescription Drugs, Court Filings Show
National Football League teams violated federal laws governing prescription
drugs, disregarded guidance from the Drug Enforcement Administration on
how to store, track, transport and distribute controlled substances, and
plied their players with powerful painkillers and anti-inflammatories each
season, according to sealed court documents contained in a federal lawsuit
filed by former players. The sealed material, which was reviewed by The
Washington Post, provides a rare look into the league's relationship with
drugs and how team doctors manage the pain inherent in a bruising sport
to keep players on the field. Charlotte Observer
India
Extends Paid Maternity Leave To 26 Weeks. The U.S. Is Still At Zero.
Indias lawmakers passed a bill Thursday that mandates 26 weeks of
paid maternity leave for women, upping the benefit from its previous 12-week
level, according to media reports. The bill passed Indias upper chamber
of Parliment, the Rajya Sabha, in August. It passed the lower house, the
Lok Sabha, Thursday, after four hours of debate, much of it focused on
paternal benefits. This is my humble gift to women, a day after the world
celebrated the International Womens Day, said Labor Minister Bandaru
Dattatreya, according to NDTV. The new provisions only apply to a womans
first two children. After that, the benefit is 12 weeks. They also only
apply to women working in what is considered the organized sector of Indias
economy, which accounts for about 10 percent of the countrys workers.
Charlotte
Observer
VOA VIEW: Pay is next to nothing.
Convicted
Felons Can Upgrade Jail Cell For A Price
In Southern California, pay-to-stay jails collected nearly $7 million
between 2011 and 2015, according to revenue figures provided by the cities.
Some cities openly claim their facilities as safer, cleaner and have more
modern amenities. This upgraded jail cell is not cheap. From 2011 through
2015, the average cost of a stay was $1,756, the Times reported. The most
expensive stay, according to jail records, was $72,050, paid by a man responsible
for a drunken freeway crash that killed one of his passengers. On average,
defendants served 18 days in pay-to-stay jails, the analysis found. Atlanta
Journal
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Doctors
Tie Zika Virus To Heart Problems In Some Adults
For the first time, doctors have tied infection with the Zika virus
to possible new heart problems in adults. The evidence so far is only in
eight people in Venezuela, and is not enough to prove a link. It's also
too soon to know how often this might be happening. The biggest trouble
the mosquito-borne virus has been causing is for pregnant women and their
fetuses. "I think as awareness increases, the cases will start to show
up more," said Dr. Karina Gonzalez Carta, a Mayo Clinic research fellow
working in Venezuela who investigated the heart cases. She discussed them
on an American College of Cardiology press call, ahead of a presentation
Saturday at the group's meeting in Washington. ABC
You
Cant Retire On The Trump Bump
U.S. stocks keep on booming, but they may not deliver the long-term
returns many hope for. The S&P 500 has returned more than 11 percent
since the election of President Trump on Nov. 8, adding a bit of renewed
thrill to a bull market thats already eight years old. Clearly, investors
are feeling optimistic about the prospect for returns. But many companies
that put individual investors money to work for the long run have been
arguing for lower long-term expectations. Thats not a judgment on Trump
or his economic policiesits about equity valuations and fundamentals
that were in place before the election. Last year, Horizon Actuarial Services
LLC surveyed 35 investment advising companies about their working assumptions
for returns. On average, they anticipated annual returns from U.S. large-company
stocks of about 7 percent for the next decade. Bloomberg
Trump
Hires Three Men for Every Woman
Women have been named to 27 percent of the appointed roles filled by
President Donald Trump so far, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of
records newly released by the federal government. That number falls far
short of overall representation in the U.S. labor force, where women account
for 47 percent. The gender breakdown of Trump's first wave of appointees
was based on a list of appointee names obtained through Freedom of Information
Act requests by ProPublica. The nonprofit publication sent requests to
the Office of Personnel Management and some two dozen federal agencies,
though only six responded. The ProPublica list includes 436 people, mostly
hired in late January, and doesn't include appointees who require Senate
confirmation. The White Houses reportedly expected to appoint about 520
employees during a transitional period. Bloomberg
VOA VIEW: Liberal BS.
O.J.
Simpson Could Be Released As Early As October
O.J. Simpson could get out of prison later this year, if a pivotal
parole hearing goes his way. The hearing will likely take place in July,
according to David Smith, spokesman for the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners.
Depending on the outcome, the "Juice" could be loose as soon as October
1. Previous ratings of Simpson have scored him in the low-risk category
for release. Simpson -- who was famously acquitted in 1995 in the slayings
of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman -- has been
serving out a nine-to-33-year sentence for his role in a 2007 incident
that unfolded in a Las Vegas hotel room. He and armed associates allegedly
confronted memorabilia dealers Bruce Fromong and Alfred Beardsley and took
pieces of Simpson's memorabilia from them. Simpson was convicted on charges
including kidnapping, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.
Las Vegas Sun
Hillary
Clinton Lights Up Social Media With A New Haircut
Hillary Clinton posted a Snapchat and gave a speech for International
Womens Day on Wednesday. She encouraged women to keep fighting for themselves.
Stand up. Resist. Run for office. Be a champion, she said on Snapchat.
Later, at the 16th anniversary of the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards
at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., she made brief but passionate
remarks to a group of female leaders. She said shes been overwhelmed by
the amount of public activism thats erupted since the presidential election.
Never lose your optimism, your persistence and your resistance, she challenged
the largely female audience. Kansas City Star
VOA VIEW: Liberal media will say anything
positive about Hillary.
Trumps
Border Wall Will Be Even More Useless Than Previously Thought
A new report on President Trump's proposed $21.6 billion wall on the
border with Mexico is the clearest evidence I have seen so far that Trump's
obsession with undocumented Mexican immigrants is based on false data,
and is aimed at stirring up racial panic for political gain. Until now,
most critics of Trump's planned border wall cited studies showing that
about 40 percent of undocumented immigrants have not entered the country
by sneaking across the U.S. border with Mexico, but arrived as tourists,
and overstayed their visas. But a new study by the Center for Migration
Studies, or CMS, titled "The 2,000 Mile Wall in Search of a Purpose," shows
that the real percentage of visa overstayers is 66 percent, much more than
previously thought. Miami Herald
VOA VIEW: Typical liberal media.
Arnold
Schwarzenegger Mulls Run For U.S. Senate, Insiders Say (Report)
Somehow Senanator doesnt have as great of a ring to it as Governator
but Arnold Schwarzenegger is considering a run for U.S. Senate nonetheless,
according to a Politico report that quotes unnamed GOP insiders. This would
give Arnold the stage to jam Trump for the next 16 months, one unnamed
veteran GOP strategist who spoke on condition of anonymity told Politico.
The former California governor and Terminator star is said to be eyeing
the 2018 Senate race, when Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, would be up
for reelection at 85 years old. SF Gate
White
House: Trump Unaware Of Flynns Foreign Agent Work
President Donald Trump was not aware that his former national security
adviser, Michael Flynn, had worked to further the interests of the government
of Turkey before appointing him, White House press secretary Sean Spicer
said Thursday. Spicer's comments came two days after Flynn and his firm,
Flynn Intel Group Inc., filed paperwork with the Justice Department formally
identifying him as a foreign agent and acknowledging that his work for
a company owned by a Turkish businessman could have aided Turkey's government.
Asked whether Trump knew about Flynn's work before he appointed him as
national security adviser, Spicer said, "I don't believe that that was
known." Las Vegas Sun
RadioShack
Files Bankruptcy Again; Will Close About 200 Stores
Struggling consumer electronics chain RadioShack has filed for bankruptcy
for the second time in just over two years. Fort Worth, Texas-based RadioShack
filed its petition in bankruptcy court in Delaware on Wednesday and said
it will close about 200 of its more than 1,500 locations. The company did
not provide information on whether any of its Long Island stores would
be affected. There... Newsday
GOP
Health Plan Advances; Schumer Calls It Less For More
The Republican plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act moved ahead
Thursday despite opposition by Democrats and the concerns of some Senate
Republicans when two House panels approved it in party-line votes after
working through the night. With the majority Republican in control, the
Energy and Commerce Committee voted 31-23 for its piece of the legislation
Thursday afternoon after a 27-hour session and the Ways and Means Committee
approved its part of the bill in pre-dawn 23-16 vote. Two House committees
have now approved the American Health Care Act. Next the bill goes to the
Budget Committee as part of an open, transparent process, said House Speaker
Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who with President Donald Trump has put the act on
a fast track. Newsday
VOA VIEW: The limited Republican plan
is better than Obamacare.
Study
Finds Low-Gluten Diets Linked To Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
Researchers from Harvard University found that a low- or gluten-free
diet may increase a person's risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The research
findings were presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology
and Prevention/Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health 2017 Scientific Sessions.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, and gives bread and
baked goods their elasticity during the baking process. Celiac disease
is a gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity in people and is linked to
type 1 diabetes. The availability of gluten-free products has increased
in recent years, however, many people without Celiac disease are using
gluten-free products more and more. Research has shown that reducing gluten
consumption in people without Celiac disease provides no long-term health
benefits. UPI
Interior
Secretary Says He'll Treat Native American Tribes As 'Equals'
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, who oversees the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, said he wants to interact with Native American tribes as equals
and supported their calls for sovereignty and self-determination. Zinke,
who was confirmed March 1, made the comments during the Senate Committee
on Indian Affairs' "Identifying Indian Affairs priorities for the Trump
Administration" oversight hearing. Zinke, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, recently
resigned as Montana's sole member of the House of Representatives to lead
the Department of the Interior. During testimony, Zinke cited his experience
with Montana's seven tribes recognized by the U.S. government. Zinke said
while serving as a member of Congress he made it his priority to "remain
accessible" to all tribal members "from the Crow Nation to the Blackfeet
Nation" in order to work together "on a leader-to-leader basis." UPI
News
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NETANYAHU
IN MOSCOW LEVERAGES PUTIN PURIM GREETING TO SLAM IRAN
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Moscow Thursday afternoon,
and used Russian President Vladimir Putin's greetings for Purim as a chance
to blast Iran.
I think you for your good wishes on Purim, Netanyahu said alongside
Putin before their meeting in the Kremlin. Some 2,500 years ago in ancient
Persia, there was an attempt to wipe out the Jews, which did not succeed,
and which we commemorate with this holiday. Jerusalem
Post
INVESTIGATORS
SAY THREATS TO JEWISH GROUPS IN US AND UK ARE LINKED
Scotland Yard and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating
more than a hundred bomb threats made to Jewish groups in the United States
and Britain since Jan. 7, US and UK law enforcement and Jewish community
officials said. Investigators said there is evidence that some of the US
and British bomb threats are linked. According to people in both countries
who have listened to recordings of the threats, most of the them have been
made over the telephone by men and women with American accents whose voices
are distorted by electronic scramblers. Jerusalem
Post
IS
Conflict: US Sends Marines To Support Raqqa Assault
They include Marines, who arrived in the past few days. US special
forces are already in Syria. Meanwhile, US-led coalition air strikes killed
20 civilians - including children - near the city, reports say. US Secretary
of State Rex Tillerson is to host talks with coalition members ahead of
an expected assault on Raqqa. Foreign ministers and senior officials from
68 nations and international organisations had been invited to attend a
two-day gathering in Washington beginning on 22 March, the state department
said. "Secretary Tillerson has been crystal clear that defeating Isis (IS)
is the state department's top priority in the Middle East," acting state
department spokesman Mark Toner said. BBC
Can
Sweat Patches Revolutionise Diabetes?
Scientists have developed a sensor that can monitor blood sugar levels
by analysing sweaty skin. But rather than a gym-soaked t-shirt, it needs
just one millionth of a litre of sweat to do the testing. The team - in
South Korea - showed the sensor was accurate and think it could eventually
help patients with diabetes. And in extra tests on mice, the sensor was
hooked up to a patch of tiny needles to automatically inject diabetes medication.
The team at the Seoul National University were trying to overcome the need
for "painful blood collection" needed in diabetes patients.
BBC
Sean
Spicer Muddles Answer When Pressed On Trump And Russia Investigation
The White House has shown further confusion about Donald Trumps accusations
of wiretapping against his predecessor, Barack Obama. At a briefing on
Wednesday, press secretary Sean Spicer initially said we need to find
out if the president is the subject of an investigation, then subsequently
sought to clarify that there is no reason to believe he is. Reports emerged
on the Heat Street website in November, and the BBC in January, that secret
court orders were issued as part of a justice department inquiry into Russian
efforts to intervene in the election on Trumps behalf.
Guardian
Trumps
Anti-Muslim Policies May Portend Oil Industry Brain Drain
Chemical, electrical and production engineers are among those who gather
every Friday for a service at the Muslim Association of West Texas, a small
mosque in Midland, Texas. According to Farook Rafeek, who regularly attends
these services, more than half of the congregation works in the oil industry.
And Trumps new immigration ban may keep the mosque from growing: despite
an oil industry desperate for specialists like the ones who moved across
the world from majority-Muslim nations to work in Texas, fewer are on the
way. Guardian
Donald
Trump Offers Pizza And Bowling To Republicans On Charm Offensive To Secure
Healthcare Bill
President Donald Trump launched an all-out charm offensive targeting
opposition within his own Republican Party as he sought to secure the repeal
and replacement of Obamacare. In a critical early test of his ability to
fulfill his campaign promises Mr Trump planned to head to various states
and hold football stadium rallies as he seeks to overhaul President Barack
Obama's controversial signature healthcare policy. Telegraph
Melania
Trump's Popularity Rating Overtakes Donald's As She Makes Rare Appearance
At White House Event
America appeared to be warming to Melania Trump as a new poll showed
the first lady is now popular than her husband. Mrs Trump's latest approval
rating stood at 52 per cent, surging 16 points from the day President Donald
Trump was sworn in on Jan 20. The president's approval rating was currently
45 per cent, according to CNN/ORC. Mrs Trump, 46, has remained out of the
limelight, continuing to live at Trump Tower in New York to look after
the couple's son Barron during the early days of the presidency. The Slovenian-born
former model hosted an event at the White House on International Women's
Day on Wednesday where she talked about growing up under communism and
coming to America as an immigrant. Telegraph
VOA VIEW: Great numbers coming from a
liberal source.
UN
Announces New Approach To 'Stamp Out' Sexual Exploitation And Abuse
Underscoring that the United Nations should not be, in any way, associated
with the vile and vicious crimes of rape, sexual violence, exploitation
and abuse, Secretary-General António Guterres has outlined a new
victim-centred approach to prevent and respond to such abuses committed
by those serving under the UN flag.
Such acts of cruelty should never take place. Certainly no person
serving with the United Nations in any capacity should be associated with
such vile and vicious crimes, said Mr. Guterres in a message announcing
his report released today on the issue. Let us declare in one voice: We
will not tolerate anyone committing or condoning sexual exploitation and
abuse. We will not let anyone cover up these crimes with the UN flag,
he added. UN News
'Holistic
Thinking' Needed For Peace, Development In Lake Chad Region Deputy UN
Chief Mohammed
Highlighting the multifaceted nature of the crisis in Africa's Lake
Chad Basin, the deputy United Nations chief underlined the need for a holistic
approach that includes responding to the Boko Haram as well as closing
the gap between humanitarian assistance and development interventions.
Lasting recovery will entail supporting reconstruction of schools, health
centres, and reviving essential infrastructure [
] that support the necessary
livelihoods, Amina Mohammed, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, told the
Security Council today. Effective prevention of future radicalization
and violence will also entail comprehensive responses that benefit all
members of society, she added. UN News
ABC Online Canada National Post Daily Telegraph The Observer Wired News Xinhua News
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