Yahoo News

WASHINGTON (AP) — A top executive at the company building the controversial Dakota Access pipeline on Wednesday compared pipeline opponents to terrorists.

Joey Mahmoud, executive vice president of Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, said protesters have “assaulted numerous pipeline personnel,” destroyed millions of dollars’ worth of construction equipment and even fired a pistol at law enforcement during months of demonstrations against the 1,200-mile pipeline, which will carry North Dakota oil to an Illinois terminal.   Continue reading “Pipeline exec compares Dakota protesters to terrorists”

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Reason – by Peter Suderman

How much difference does a single line on a tax form make? For Obamacare’s individual mandate, the answer might be quite a lot.

Following President Donald Trump’s executive order instructing agencies to provide relief from the health law, the Internal Revenue Service appears to be taking a more lax approach to the coverage requirement.   Continue reading “Major Blow to Obamacare Mandate: IRS Won’t Reject Tax Returns That Don’t Answer Health Insurance Question”

Yahoo News

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress on Wednesday sent President Donald Trump legislation blocking an Obama-era rule designed to keep guns out of the hands of certain mentally disabled people.

On a vote of 57-43, the Senate backed the resolution, just one of several early steps by the Republican-led Congress to undo regulations implemented by former President Barack Obama. The House had passed the measure earlier this year. The White House has signaled Trump will sign the legislation.   Continue reading “Congress blocks rule barring mentally impaired from guns”

Yahoo News

President Donald Trump today said that he is keeping his options open about how best to reach a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian situation but urged Israel to hold back on settlement building in occupied territories.

“I’m looking at a two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like. I’m very happy with the one that both parties like. I could live with either one. I thought for a while the two-state looked like it may be the easier of the two, but honestly, if Bibi [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] and if the Palestinians, if Israel and the Palestinians are happy, I’m happy with the one they like the best,” Trump said while standing next to Netanyahu.   Continue reading “Trump says he ‘can live with’ either one- or two-state solution in Israel”

MSM

RANSOM, Kan.—The Farm Belt is hurtling toward a milestone: Soon there will be fewer than two million farms in America for the first time since pioneers moved westward after the Louisiana Purchase.

Across the heartland, a multiyear slump in prices for corn, wheat and other farm commodities brought on by a glut of grain world-wide is pushing many farmers further into debt. Some are shutting down, raising concerns that the next few years could bring the biggest wave of farm closures since the 1980s.   Continue reading “The Next American Farm Bust Is Upon Us”

Bloomberg – by Catherine Traywick

President Donald Trump has overturned an Obama-era anti-corruption rule that would have forced oil, gas and mining companies to disclose payments to foreign governments, becoming the first president in 16 years to take advantage of a law that allows him to rescind a predecessor’s regulations.

Trump on Tuesday signed a congressional resolution to repeal a Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure rule that was called for in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act. It’s likely just the start: Congress is considering a number of other measures, including ones to overturn Obama administration rules protecting streams from mountaintop mining and prevent people with serious mental-health problems from buying guns.   Continue reading “Trump Repeal of Obama SEC Regulation Signals More to Come”

Yahoo News

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – U.S. authorities have arrested an immigrant from Mexico who was brought to the United States illegally as a child and later given a work permit during the Obama administration in what could be the first detention of its kind under President Donald Trump.

Daniel Ramirez Medina, a 23-year-old with no criminal record, was taken into custody last week at his father’s home in Seattle by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The officers arrived at the home to arrest the man’s father, though court documents did no make clear the reason the father was taken into custody.   Continue reading “U.S. arrests Mexican immigrant in Seattle covered by Obama program”

The Hill – by Rebecca Kheel

Russia has deployed a cruise missile in violation of a landmark arms treaty with the United States, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

The deployment of the missile would violate the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.   Continue reading “Russia deploys cruise missile in violation of arms treaty: report”

The Mercury News

SANTA CRUZ >> The U.S. Department of Homeland Security led a pre-dawn operation across Santa Cruz County and Daly City on Monday, arresting 11 members of the Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, gang.

The effort, in partnership with local law enforcement, was part of a five-year investigation into the notorious street gang operating in the area, according to Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Dan Flippo. The suspected criminals, members of MS-13, are men between the ages of 20 and 40, he said. A 12th man had been arrested prior to Monday’s operation, Flippo said.   Continue reading “Homeland Security raids arrest MS-13 gang members across Santa Cruz County”

Reuters

President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned late on Monday after revelations that he had discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia with the Russian ambassador to the United States before Trump took office and misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.

Flynn’s resignation came hours after it was reported that the Justice Department had warned the White House weeks ago that Flynn could be vulnerable to blackmail for contacts with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak before Trump took power on Jan. 20.  Continue reading “Trump national security aide Flynn resigns over Russian contacts”

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History Channel

On the evening of February 13, 1945, a series of Allied firebombing raids begins against the German city of Dresden, reducing the “Florence of the Elbe” to rubble and flames, and killing as many as 135,000 people. It was the single most destructive bombing of the war—including Hiroshima and Nagasaki—and all the more horrendous because little, if anything, was accomplished strategically, since the Germans were already on the verge of surrender.   Continue reading “Firebombing of Dresden”

McClatchy – by Catherine Lucey

WASHINGTON- President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will participate in a roundtable discussion about women in the workforce Monday, showing the rising policy influence of the first daughter who has stressed her commitment to issues like child care.

A White House official said the two countries would launch a new task force called the United States Canada Council for the Advancement of Women Business Leaders-Female Entrepreneurs. The official said Trudeau’s office reached out to discuss working on a joint effort, noting that this was seen as an area of shared interest between both leaders.   Continue reading “Trump, Trudeau to discuss women in workforce”

The Hill – by Timothy Cama

A House Republican is sponsoring legislation to do away with large portions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including environmental justice and greenhouse gas programs.

Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas)  introduced the Wasteful EPA Programs Elimination Act on Thursday, saying it would save $7.5 billion annually. That would leave the agency with a budget of less than $1 billion.  Continue reading “GOP bill would gut EPA”

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Judge Anna von Reitz

Today the world is a-flutter with news and disgruntlement about Donald Trump’s Executive Orders re-enlivening the oil pipeline projects that Obama and the Army Corps of Engineers shut down.

He’s the Chief Executive of a worldwide conglomerate whose lifeblood depends upon oil. What do you expect him to do?   Continue reading “It’s the Oil, Or, Stop Being Stupid Part 23”