Fox 4 KC

NASHVILLE — President Donald Trump pitched his efforts to help rural America, promoting his tax overhaul law and economic development plans on a visit to Tennessee on Monday. He’s also reserving a seat at the national college football championship game.

Trump became the first president in a quarter-century to address the annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation. With the trip to Nashville, he unveiled a report the White House says will include proposals to stimulate a segment of the national economy that has lagged behind others.   Continue reading “President Trump signs executive order to expand broadband in rural areas”

The Daily Beast – by Dean Obeidallah

If you hate Muslims, love guns, and are giddy at the prospect of a holy war pitting Christians versus Muslims, then there’s only one logical thing to do: Run for governor of Arkansas.

Actually, there are other things you could do with that pedigree, such as appear regularly on Fox News or write for Breitbart. And Jan Morgan has done all that and more. And now this Republican activist wants to “Make Arkansas Great Again!”   Continue reading “She Banned Muslims Before Trump. Now She Wants to Be Governor.”

Yahoo News

NBC deleted a tweet posted during Sunday night’s Golden Globes telecast which appeared to endorse the suggestion made by host Seth Meyers that Oprah Winfrey should be president of the U.S.

“Nothing but respect for OUR future president,” NBC tweeted during the comedian’s monologue on Sunday night.   Continue reading “NBC deletes tweet welcoming ‘OUR future president’ Oprah”

AZ Central – by Robert Anglen

LAS VEGAS — Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, his two sons and a militia member will not face a retrial on charges that they led an armed rebellion against federal agents in 2014.

A federal judge on Monday said the federal prosecutors’ conduct was “outrageous” and “violated due process rights” of the defendants.

U.S. District Court Judge Gloria Navarro dismissed the charges against the four men “with prejudice,” meaning they cannot face trial again. She said a new trial would not be sufficient to address the problems in the case and would provide the prosecution with an unfair advantage going forward.   Continue reading “Cliven Bundy to walk free as federal judge dismisses Bundy Ranch standoff case”

ABC News

An oil tanker that caught fire after colliding with a freighter off China’s east coast is at risk of exploding and sinking, Chinese state media reported Monday, as authorities from three countries struggled to find its 32 missing crew members and contain oil spewing from the blazing wreck.

State broadcaster China Central Television, citing Chinese officials, said none of the 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis who have been missing since the collision late Saturday had been found as of 8 a.m. Monday. Search and cleanup efforts have been hampered by fierce fires and poisonous gases that have engulfed the tanker and surrounding waters, CCTV reported.   Continue reading “Oil tanker burning off China’s coast at risk of exploding”

Washington Post – by Amanda Erickson

It sounds like an urban legend: A 60-year-old man bent to pick something up outside a subway station in Stockholm.

It exploded, blowing up his hand and killing him.

But Swedish police say that’s exactly what happened Sunday morning outside the Varby Gard subway station in Huddinge, a suburb to the city’s south.   Continue reading “A man scooped something from the ground in Stockholm. It exploded in his hand.”

RT

In the current climate of fake news and pseudo-reporting, I’m honestly having trouble remembering a “report” as misinformed, convoluted and contradictory as this. It simply stinks.   Continue reading “Foreign Policy: Improbable and made-up conspiracy about ISIS children. Because why not?”

RT

Iran has banned teaching English in primary schools, a top education official says. The move comes amid repeated calls from Tehran to put an end to the Western “cultural invasion” of the Islamic Republic.

“Teaching English in government and non-government primary schools in the official curriculum is against laws and regulations,” Mehdi Navid-Adham, head of the state-run High Education Council, said on state TV on Saturday. “This is because the assumption is that, in primary education, the groundwork for the Iranian culture of the students is laid.”   Continue reading “Iran bans English in primary schools after calls to end Western ‘cultural invasion’”

Mail.com

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s recent abrupt push to improve ties with South Korea wasn’t totally unexpected, as the country has a history of launching provocations and then pursuing dialogue with rivals Seoul and Washington in an attempt to win concessions.

Still, Tuesday’s planned talks between the Koreas, the first in about two years, have raised hopes of at least a temporary easing of tensions over North Korea’s recent nuclear and missile tests, which have ignited fears of a possible war.   Continue reading “AP Explains: What to expect from North-South Korean talks”

Mail.com

CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) — In New Jersey and California, top Democratic officials want to let people make charitable contributions to the state instead of paying certain taxes. In Connecticut and New York, officials are exploring a switch from income taxes to new ones on payroll. A few governors have even called for tax cuts.

The ideas are bubbling up as state lawmakers begin their 2018 sessions and assess the effects of the Republican tax overhaul that President Donald Trump signed into law last month. Lawmakers and governors in some states are grappling with how to protect their constituents.   Continue reading “States exploring tax changes in response to federal overhaul”

Anti-War – by Jason Ditz

With an estimated 1,000 people arrested over the course of a little over a week in protests in Iran, the most high profile may ultimately be the most surprising, with reports former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been jailed for “incitement.”

Though Ahmadinejad has not really been linked to the protest movement, he made comments during his visit to Bushehr in late December which seemed to express support for them, faulting the leadership for being “detached from the problems and concerns of the people.”   Continue reading “Iran Arrests Former President Ahmadinejad for Inciting Unrest: Report”