Zero Hedge – by Tyler Durden

Update: The Senate tax plan roll vall vote which was widely expected to take place on Thursday evening, has been pushed back to 11am on Friday following the collapse of the “Trigger” compromise (discussed below) to win a majority for a Senate tax overhaul left Republicans scrambling to salvage the legislation, Bloomberg reports. While debate over the bill may continue into the evening, McConnell said. It’s unclear when the unlimited amendment vote series known as “vote-a-rama” would begin.   Continue reading ““A Potential Nightmare Scenario For The GOP”: Tax Vote Delayed To Friday; May Include $350BN In New Tax Hikes”

Reuters – by Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When conservative Christian baker Jack Phillips in 2012 politely but firmly told Colorado gay couple David Mullins and Charlie Craig he would not make them a cake to celebrate their wedding, it triggered a chain of events that will climax on Tuesday in highly anticipated U.S. Supreme Court arguments.

Phillips contends the U.S. Constitution’s free speech guarantees protect him from making a cake that would violate his religious beliefs against gay marriage. To Mullins and Craig, the baker’s refusal represented a simple case of unlawful discrimination based on sexual orientation.   Continue reading “Supreme Court’s cake case pits gay rights versus Christian faith”

USA Today – by Jessica Estepa

The Secret Service spent nearly $7,500 on golf cart rentals while President Trump was in at his private golf club Mar-a-Lago for Thanksgiving.

According to federal purchase orders flagged by progressive PAC American Bridge and reviewed by USA TODAY, the agency charged with protecting the president spent $7,470 on the rentals for Trump’s Florida golf outings.   Continue reading “Secret Service spent $7,500 on golf carts during Trump’s Thanksgiving Mar-a-Lago trip”

TASS

MOSCOW, November 29. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message of congratulations to his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, the Kremlin reported on its website on Wednesday.

“Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the Middle East Quartet of international mediators, takes a principled stand in support of the realization of the Palestinians’ legitimate right to self-determination. We are in favor of a comprehensive and fair settlement in the Middle East on a solid international legal basis, including the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. It should result in the end of the Israeli occupation of the Arab lands that began in 1967 and the creation of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem,” the Russian head of state noted in his message of greetings.   Continue reading “Putin favors Palestinian state with capital in East Jerusalem”

The Sun – by Lauren Windle

AN IRANIAN woman has gone viral after claiming she’s had 50 surgeries in a bid to look like her idol Angelina Jolie.

Sahar Tabar claims to be one of the Tomb Raider actress’ biggest fans and has said she “would do anything” to emulate her.

The 19-year-old from Tehran underwent 50 surgeries in the space of just a few months, according to Belgian website Sud Info.   Continue reading “Teen ‘undergoes 50 surgeries’ in a bid to look like her idol Angelina Jolie”

Mercury News

SAN FRANCISCO — After nearly a week of deliberations, a jury of six men and six women found an undocumented immigrant accused of fatally shooting 32-year-old Kate Steinle two years ago at San Francisco’s Pier 14 not guilty of homicide.   Continue reading “Kate Steinle shooting: Jury acquits Jose Ines Garcia Zarate”

Fox News – by Gary Gastelu

We’re not sure if this car went over a river, but it looks like it took the woods with it.

Police in Sudbury, Mass., posted an image to Facebook of a car they stopped on the day after Thanksgiving with an enormous Christmas tree on its roof that appears to be poorly secured.

The unwrapped evergreen dwarfs the Mazda5 minivan it’s strapped to, hanging over the sides and the rear, blocking the windows and obscuring the license plate.   Continue reading “Massachusetts police stop car with massive Christmas tree on top”

Washington Examiner – by Anna Giaritelli

Current “chain migration” policies would allow an estimated 2 million immigrants to move to the United States in addition to the 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients if Congress legalizes the expiring program.

“If Congress were to pass an amnesty for people with DACA, it would ultimately result in 2 million new immigrants over time,” Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, told reporters in a Thursday panel discussion in Washington, D.C.   Continue reading “Legalizing DACA with current ‘chain migration’ policies would give green cards to additional 2 million foreigners”

The Daily Caller – by Eric Lieberman

Australian authorities upheld the firing of a man who allegedly used empty snack bags to block GPS tracking mandated by his employer.

The labor grievance commission in Australia ruled that Tom Colella, a 60-year-old electrician from Perth, rather resourcefully used the flexible food containers so he could leave work and play golf without anyone noticing, according to an official report. It’s believed he played a round of golf more than 140 times while he reported that he was working offsite for necessary repairs. NPR first reported the confirmation of his termination.   Continue reading “Man Blocked GPS Tracker With Chip Bags So His Bosses Wouldn’t Know He Was Out Golfing, Says Report”

The Weather Channel

A rare 4.1 magnitude earthquake struck Delaware Thursday, causing rumblings that were felt in other cities along the East Coast.

The temblor’s center was reported near Dover, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. No injuries or damages were reported.

USGS geophysicist John Bellini told the Associated Press that any damages would be minimal.    Continue reading “Rare 4.1 Magnitude Earthquake Rattles East Coast”

Tech Spot – by Shawn Knight

The Federal Communications Commission earlier this year – from April 27 to August 30 – allowed members of the public to weigh in on the subject of net neutrality. Millions of comments were submitted electronically and posted online for review and almost immediately, it was clear that something wasn’t quite right.

A study from consulting firm Emprata funded by industry lobbyist group Broadband for America that came out shortly after the public comment period closed found a high level of form use and bots. Now, we have another source weighing in on the matter.   Continue reading “The FCC’s public comment period on net neutrality was ripe with fraud, Pew analysis concludes”

New York Times – by Farhad Manjoo

The internet is dying.

Sure, technically, the internet still works. Pull up Facebook on your phone and you will still see your second cousin’s baby pictures. But that isn’t really the internet. It’s not the open, anyone-can-build-it network of the 1990s and early 2000s, the product of technologies created over decades through government funding and academic research, the network that helped undo Microsoft’s stranglehold on the tech business and gave us upstarts like Amazon, Google, Facebook and Netflix.    Continue reading “The Internet Is Dying. Repealing Net Neutrality Hastens That Death.”