Bloomberg – by Jennifer A Dlouhy

As President Donald Trump contemplates whether to make good on his campaign promise to yank the United States out of the Paris climate accord, an unlikely lobbying force is hoping to talk him out of it: oil and coal producers.

A pro-Paris bloc within the administration has recruited energy companies to lend their support ahead of a high-level White House meeting on the subject taking place as soon as Tuesday, according to two people familiar with the effort who asked not to be identified.  Continue reading “Exxon, Shell Join Ivanka Trump to Defend Paris Climate Pact”

Yahoo News – by Rick Newman

President Trump plans to sign an executive order on Tuesday meant to rein in abuses in a visa program that lets some companies replace American workers with foreign ones.

The order would target so-called H-1B visas, which Congress created in 1990 as a way to help companies that can’t find highly skilled technical workers hire foreigners able to do the job. Many companies still abide by the intent of the program, but others seem to be using H-1B visas simply to replace American workers with foreigners willing to work for less.   Continue reading “Trump takes on outsourcing with new executive order”

Yahoo News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court sidestepped a turbulent debate over illegal immigration on Monday, turning away an appeal by a group of asylum-seeking Central American women and their children who aimed to clarify the constitutional rights of people who the government has prioritized for deportation.

The families, 28 women and 33 children ages 2 to 17 from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, had hoped the justices would overturn a lower court’s ruling preventing them from having their expedited removal orders reviewed by a federal judge.   Continue reading “U.S. top court leaves intact ruling against Central America asylum seekers”

Bloomberg – by Julie Johnsson

Boeing Co. plans to lay off hundreds of engineers in Washington state and other locations — and may eliminate more jobs later this year as the planemaker contends with slowing aircraft sales.

The latest workforce reduction, which should take effect June 23, follows a separate exodus of 1,500 mechanics and 305 engineers and technical workers who agreed to leave voluntarily earlier this year. Both union and non-union workers will be affected, Doug Alder, a Boeing spokesman, said Monday.   Continue reading “Boeing to Dismiss Hundreds of Engineers Amid Sales Slowdown”

Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

According to a report by South Korea’s primary news outlet, Yonhap, the Pentagon has directed a total of three US aircraft carriers toward the Korean Peninsula, citing a South Korean government source.

Yonhap reports that in addition to the CVN-70 Carl Vinson, which is expected to arrive off the South Korean coast on April 25, the CVN-76 Ronald Reagan – currently in home port in Yokosuka, Japan – and the CVN-68 Nimitz carrier group – currently undergoing final pre-deployment assessment, Composite Training Unit Exercise off Oregon – will enter the Sea of Japan next week.  According to the senior government official. the US and South Korea are discussing joint drills, which will include the three aircraft carriers and other ships.   Continue reading “US Deploys Two More Aircraft Carriers Toward Korean Peninsula: Yonhap”

Fox News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska –  A federal official said crews in Alaska are trying to shut down an oil well that is leaking explosive natural gas on the frozen North Slope.

The Environmental Protection Agency said a crack in a BP wellhead near Deadhorse sent up mist of crude oil on Friday before it froze over and an initial leak stopped.   Continue reading “Alaska oil well leaking gas in northern part of state”

Newsweek – by Michelle Gorman

The U.S. Supreme Court, including the newly confirmed conservative Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, will soon conference to discuss a gun-rights case from California that has the potential to expand the Second Amendment.

In Peruta v. California, the justices would decide whether the Second Amendment entitles law-abiding citizens to carry handguns outside of the home for self-defense, including concealed carry when open carry is prohibited by state law. Edward Peruta and other gun owners who were denied concealed-carry permits by the San Diego County sheriff appealed the case to the Supreme Court in January, The San Diego Tribune reported earlier this year. California has some of the strongest gun laws of all 50 states. Regarding concealed carry, every state and Washington, D.C., allows it in some form.   Continue reading “Supreme Court to consider a gun case that could expand the Second Amendment”

The Hill – by Ben Kamisar

A top North Korean official is threatening a preemptive strike against the U.S. if his nation believes America is taking “reckless” military action.

Vice Minister Han Song Ryol on Friday told The Associated Press that President Trump’s tweets are part of a “vicious cycle” of escalated tensions in the region, adding that North Korea will continue to stockpile more nuclear warheads and improve on the country’s nuclear program.   Continue reading “North Korean official warns of preemptive strike of its own”

VOA – by Cindy Saine, Ayaz Gul

STATE DEPARTMENT / ISLAMABAD —  As the United States and Russia clash on Syria, another war-torn nation could play out as a renewed theater for the U.S.-Russia rivalry: Afghanistan.

Thursday, U.S. forces dropped what was being called the largest non-nuclear bomb on a reported Islamic State militant complex in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar.   Continue reading “US Wary of Russian Role in Afghanistan as Moscow Holds Talks”

MLive – by Lauren Gibbons

The Lansing City Council backed out of its decision to declare itself a sanctuary city Wednesday evening, holding a vote to rescind the barely week-old resolution.

After hours of public comment, the council voted 5-2 to rescind the resolution containing a reference to sanctuary city passed April 3. Council member Jessica Yorko was not present for the vote.    Continue reading “Lansing, Michigan no longer a sanctuary city”

New York Times – by Jacey Fortin

A Michigan doctor has been accused of performing genital cutting on two 7-year-old girls at a medical clinic, in a case that federal officials believe to be the first prosecution under a law banning the brutal practice.

The doctor, Jumana Nagarwala, 44, was arrested on Wednesday on charges that she performed the genital cutting at an unnamed medical clinic in Livonia, Mich.; transported minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity; and lied to federal agents.   Continue reading “Michigan Doctor Is Accused of Genital Cutting of 2 Girls”

ABC News

Wisconsin authorities are investigating a letter sent in the mail that made unspecific but violent threats against churches in Waukesha County. The author of the letter claims to be Joseph Jakubowski, the fugitive accused of robbing a Wisconsin gun shop and sending a manifesto to President Donald Trump.

The Waukesha Sheriff’s office is currently determining the authenticity of the letter, which threatened violence against a number of unspecific churches on Easter Sunday.   Continue reading “Wisconsin police investigating letter threatening Easter church attacks”

CNBC – by Scott Cohn

Two owners of allegedly defective Remington Model 700 rifles say they will seek to block a landmark class action settlement approved by a federal judge last month, arguing the agreement does not go far enough. That means the fate of as many as 7.5 million allegedly unsafe guns is once again in question.

The settlement covers the iconic Model 700 and a dozen other Remington models with similar designs. In 2010, CNBC investigated allegations Remington covered up a deadly design defect that allows the guns to fire without the trigger being pulled. Remington has steadfastly denied the allegations and maintains that the guns are safe, but said it was settling the class action case to avoid prolonged litigation. Remington has agreed to replace the triggers in millions of the guns free of charge, and provide product vouchers for models it says are too old to be retrofitted.   Continue reading “Remington rifle settlement in question as gun owners appeal”

RT

The US military has used its GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), nicknamed “the mother of all bombs,” for the first time in combat. The US Air Force used it in Afghanistan to target Islamic State tunnels and personnel.

The 21,000-pound (9,525 kg) bomb was dropped in the Achin district of the Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan.   Continue reading “US drops largest non-nuclear bomb on Afghanistan, first time used in combat”

Yahoo News – by Ian Simpson

(Reuters) – A groundbreaking black jurist who became the first Muslim woman to serve as a U.S. judge was found dead in New York’s Hudson River on Wednesday, police said.

Sheila Abdus-Salaam, a 65-year-old associate judge of New York’s highest court, was found floating off Manhattan’s west side at about 1:45 p.m. EDT (1545 GMT), a police spokesman said.   Continue reading “United States’ first female Muslim judge found dead in Hudson River”

Free Thought Project – by Jack Burns

Americans are up in arms over the alleged gas attack in Syria. Although there was no investigation, and many high-profile individuals have called it a sham, the US has pinned the blame on Syrian president Bashar Al Assad. So, we thought it would be a good idea to remind our fellow Americans of an occasion where the federal government got away with gassing its own people, an action which, consequently, led to the deaths of 86 men, women, and children.   Continue reading “As US Bombs Syria, Americans Forgot Govt Used Chemical Weapons to Kill Children in Texas”

Reuters

Russia blocked a Western effort at the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday to condemn last week’s deadly gas attack in Syria and push Moscow’s ally President Bashar al-Assad to cooperate with international inquiries into the incident.

It was the eighth time during Syria’s six-year-old civil war that Moscow has used its veto power on the Security Council to shield Assad’s government.   Continue reading “Russia blocks U.N. Security Council condemnation of Syria attack”