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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge who has compared Texas’ voter ID requirements to a “poll tax” on minorities once again blocked the law Wednesday, rejecting a weakened version backed by the Trump administration and dealing Texas Republicans another court defeat over voting rights.

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos rejected changes signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott this summer as not only lacking but also potentially chilling to voters because of new criminal penalties. The new version didn’t expand the list of acceptable photo identifications — meaning gun licenses remained sufficient proof to vote, but not college student IDs.   Continue reading “Federal judge again tosses out Texas voter ID law”

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9:20 a.m. President Donald Trump is attacking Republican congressional leaders on debt ceiling negotiations.

On Twitter Thursday, Trump says he asked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan to attach legislation to increase the country’s borrowing limit to a bill related to veterans. Trump said they didn’t do it and “now we have a big deal with Dems holding them up.”   Continue reading “The Latest: Trump says GOP botched debt ceiling negotiations”

RT

The CIA is also overjoyed because its black-ops budget – which is tied to the exponential growth of opium production in Afghanistan – is now secured possibly for another 20-50 years, claims Mike Raddie, co-editor of online site BSNews.

The announcement on US strategy in Afghanistan comes as Donald Trump shakes up his inner circle: chief strategist, Steve Bannon, has become the latest to head for the exit.

The US military said that in a matter of days additional US troops could be deployed to Afghanistan, following President Trump’s speech on a new strategy for the region.  Continue reading “It’s the opium, stupid: ‘Afghan surge guarantees CIA black-ops budget boost’”

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WICHITA, Kansas (AP) — A conservative firebrand promoting President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud oversees a Kansas election system that threw out at least three times as many ballots as any similarly sized state did, fueling concerns about massive voter suppression should its practices become the national standard.

Only six states — all among the top 10 in population — discarded more votes during the 2016 election than the 33rd-largest state of Kansas, according to data collected by the bipartisan U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a federal agency that certifies voting systems. Kansas’ 13,717 rejected ballots even topped the 13,461 from Florida, which has about seven times as many residents.   Continue reading “Uncounted Kansas ballots fuel fears about Kobach’s proposals”

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CAIRO (AP) — The Saudi-led coalition carried out several airstrikes in Yemen early on Wednesday, hitting a small hotel near the capital of Sanaa and killing dozens of people, Yemeni officials and witnesses said.

There were conflicting reports on the victims, with doctors saying they were farmers and officials and witnesses saying they included Houthi rebels. The fighter jets targeted a two-story hotel in Qaa al-Qaidhi district, located in the town of Arhab, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) north of Sanaa, officials said.   Continue reading “Yemen officials: Saudi-led coalition strikes hotel, many die”

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TOKYO (AP) — The U.S. Navy dismissed the commander of the Asia-based 7th Fleet on Wednesday after a series of warship accidents raised questions about its operations in the Pacific. A two-sentence statement said Adm. Scott Swift, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, had relieved Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command.”

The move follows four Navy accidents in the Pacific since late January, including two collisions that left sailors dead and missing. “While each of these four incidents is unique, they cannot be viewed in isolation,” Swift said earlier.   Continue reading “Navy dismisses 7th Fleet commander after warship accidents”

RT

Moscow made the final payment on the remaining foreign debt inherited from the Soviet Union. Russia took on the debt after the other former Soviet republics refused to pay.

“The debt to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the amount of $125.2 million has been settled in accordance with the agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” the Russian Finance Ministry said on Tuesday.   Continue reading “Russia pays off balance of Soviet Union’s foreign debt”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has rejected a coal industry push to win a rarely used emergency order protecting coal-fired power plants, a decision contrary to what one coal executive said the president personally promised him.

The Energy Department says it considered issuing the order sought by companies seeking relief for plants it says are overburdened by environmental regulations and market stresses. But the department ultimately ruled it was unnecessary, and the White House agreed, a spokeswoman said.   Continue reading “Coal CEO expected Trump help, but administration said no”

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DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s largest city is on the brink of licensing some of the nation’s first legal marijuana clubs. But Denver’s elaborate hurdles for potential weed-friendly coffee shops and gathering places may mean the city gets few takers for the new licenses.

Denver voters approved bring-your-own-pot clubs in a ballot measure last year after city officials’ dragged their feet on calls to give legal pot smokers a place to use the drug. The city plans to start accepting applications by the end of the month.   Continue reading “Denver soon to license pot clubs, but few may open”

RT

A meeting to honor victims of crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants sparked a counter protest at California’s Laguna Beach on Sunday.

Supporters of the ‘America First!’ rally numbered an estimated 20 people.  Continue reading “Protesters dwarf ‘America First!’ supporters 100 to 1 at Laguna Beach rally”

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NORTON, Vt. (AP) — It can be slow at the U.S.-Canadian border crossing between Norton, Vermont, and Stanhope, Quebec, where agents have watched moose amble through while waiting for people and cargo. But the port is still open 24/7 and needs to be staffed around the clock. However, the U.S. Government is having a hard time finding employees.

As part of a nationwide effort to increase staff at some of its most remote border crossings, Customs and Border Protection is now offering hiring bonuses and job security for people willing to make the move to remote spots in Vermont, Maine, North Dakota, Texas and other locations on both the northern and southern borders.   Continue reading “Incentives offered for new agents at remote border crossings”

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ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said his government will step up its campaign against Islamic extremist rebels but made no mention of his health he spoke to the nation for the first time Monday, after more than three months of medical treatment in London.

“Terrorists and criminals must be fought and destroyed relentlessly so that the majority of us can live in peace and safety,” said Buhari in a televised speech on Monday. “Therefore we are going to reinforce and reinvigorate the fight not only against elements of Boko Haram which are attempting a new series of attacks on soft targets, kidnappings, farmers versus herdsmen clashes, in addition to ethnic violence fueled by political mischief makers. We shall tackle them all.”   Continue reading “Nigerian president vows to step up fight against Boko Haram”

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CHICAGO (AP) — The fatal stabbing of a hairstylist in Chicago was part of a sexual fantasy hatched in an online chatroom between a Northwestern University professor and an Oxford University employee, whose plan included killing someone and then themselves, prosecutors told a Cook County judge Sunday at a bond hearing for the men.

An Illinois prosecutor shared disturbing new details about the July 27 slaying, describing to the court how Trenton James Cornell-Duranleau, the 26-year-old boyfriend of since-fired microbiology professor Wyndham Lathem, was stabbed 70 times at Lathem’s Chicago condo and with such brutality that he was nearly decapitated. His throat was slit and pulmonary artery torn.   Continue reading “Prosecutors: Prof killed boyfriend as part of sexual fantasy”

RT

Japan wants to bolster its missile defense with the US Aegis Ashore system in light of North Korean threats, local media reported. Tokyo also plans to increase its number of Aegis-equipped destroyers.

The Japanese Defense Ministry will include costs related to the Aegis Ashore system when drafting a budgetary request for the 2018 fiscal year, NHK reported.   Continue reading “Japan aiming to boost missile defense with US Aegis Ashore system – media”

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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian senator provoked an angry backlash from lawmakers by wearing a burqa in Parliament on Thursday as part of her campaign for a national ban on Islamic face covers.

Pauline Hanson, leader of the anti-Muslim, anti-immigration One Nation minor party, sat wearing the black head-to-ankle garment for more than 10 minutes before taking it off as she rose to explain that she wanted such outfits banned on national security grounds.   Continue reading “Anti-Muslim Australian senator wears burqa in Parliament”

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JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came under mounting pressure Thursday to speak out against President Donald Trump’s response to the racially charged violence and anti-Semitic outpouring in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Netanyahu’s near silence on the march staged by anti-Semitic white nationalists — and Trump’s assertion that “both sides” were responsible for the violence — appears to reflect the Israeli leader’s desire to remain in the good graces of the embattled U.S. president.  Continue reading “Israeli leader criticized for response to Charlottesville”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Japanese defense chiefs and top diplomats were meeting in Washington Thursday to discuss North Korea amid mixed messages from the Trump administration on how to deal with the nuclear and missile threat.

Japan is a key U.S. ally and potential target of North Korean aggression. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson are hosting Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and Foreign Minister Taro Kono at the State Department.  Continue reading “US, Japan discuss North Korean threat”

RT

The US Coast Guard is searching for five people who were on board the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter that went down in the Pacific Ocean west of the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

Wheeler Army Airfield reported losing contact with the helicopter late Tuesday night, but the Coast Guard just acknowledged the search-and-rescue effort on Wednesday morning.  Continue reading “Black Hawk down: 5 feared dead in Army helicopter crash off Hawaii”

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — Facebook has banned the Facebook and Instagram accounts of a white nationalist who attended the rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that ended in deadly violence. Facebook spokeswoman Ruchika Budhraja tells The Associated Press that the profile pages of Christopher Cantwell have been removed as well as a page connected to his podcast. Cantwell was featured in a Vice News documentary about the rally and its aftermath.   Continue reading “Facebook bans white nationalist’s accounts over hate speech”