Blog

Ex-Afghanistan Commander Warns of Troop Withdrawal Plan – TIME

Sunday, December 30, 2018

(WASHINGTON) — The former top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said Sunday that withdrawing up to half the 14,000 American troops serving there would reduce the incentive for the Taliban to negotiate a peace deal after more than 17 years of war.Retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal said the U.S. has “basically traded away the biggest leverage point we have.” McChrystal’s comments were in response to reports that President Donald Trump had ordered…

Minimum Wages Rising In 20 States And Several Cities – NPR

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Protesters with NYC Fight for $15 gather in front of a McDonalds to rally against fast food executive Andrew Puzder, who was President Trump’s nominee to lead the Labor Department on February 13, 2017 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Spencer Platt/Getty Images Protesters with NYC Fight for $15 gather in front of a McDonalds to rally against fast food executive Andrew Puzder, who was…

California utility, PG&E, could face murder charges if found liable in deadly wildfire – NBC News

Sunday, December 30, 2018

California’s giant utility, Pacific Gas and Electric, could face charges up to murder if it is found criminally liable in any of the state’s recent deadly wildfires, the state’s attorney general said in a court filing. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s office said PG&E could face the most serious in a range of criminal charges if it is found to have caused any of the recent deadly fires — and…

John Kelly opens up about tumultuous White House tenure in extensive exit interview – NBC News

Sunday, December 30, 2018

White House chief of staff John Kelly, who will depart President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday, told The Los Angeles Times in an extensive interview published Sunday that the president never ordered him to do anything illegal and added that the proposed border wall at the center of the government shutdown fight is not as it has been portrayed. Kelly, set to be replaced by Office of Management and Budget…

Trump decries ‘total obstruction of justice’ over Strzok-Page text messages – Washington Examiner

Sunday, December 30, 2018

President Trump flipped the script on Robert Mueller, claiming the special counsel’s team should be investigated for possibly obstructing justice. Trump made the assertion Saturday regarding text messages exchanged between two former FBI employees, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who sparked internal and congressional inquiries into potential bias at the bureau. The president alleged Mueller’s team “deleted” the messages, although an internal watchdog inquiry found this was not the case….

John Kelly Blames Jeff Sessions For Family Separation Policy: ‘He Surprised Us’ – HuffPost

Sunday, December 30, 2018

“To be honest, it’s not a wall,” Kelly said. “The president still says ‘wall’ — oftentimes frankly he’ll say ‘barrier’ or ‘fencing,’ now he’s tended toward steel slats. But we left (the idea of) a solid concrete wall early on in the administration, when we asked people what they needed and where they needed it.”

Lindsey Graham to ask Trump to reconsider Syria troop withdrawal during lunch Sunday – Washington Examiner

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he hasn’t given up on trying to convince President Trump to rethink pulling U.S. troops out of the Middle East and will broach the topic when he has lunch with Trump on Sunday. “I’m going to ask the president to do something that President Obama would never do: Reconsider. This is being done by President Trump against sound military advice,” Graham said during an interview…

Trump decries ‘total obstruction of justice’ over Strzok-Page text messages – Washington Examiner

Sunday, December 30, 2018

President Trump flipped the script on Robert Mueller, claiming the special counsel’s team should be investigated for possibly obstructing justice. Trump made the assertion Saturday regarding text messages exchanged between two former FBI employees, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who sparked internal and congressional inquiries into potential bias at the bureau. The president alleged Mueller’s team “deleted” the messages, although an internal watchdog inquiry found this was not the case….

Ocasio-Cortez slams McCaskill for referring to her as ‘shiny object’ and ‘thing’ – AOL

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez firing back after outgoing Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri recently said about her, “I’m a little confused why she’s the thing.” “Not sure why former Sen. McCaskill keeps going on TV to call me a ‘thing’ and ‘shiny object,’ but it’s pretty disappointing,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Saturday. “McCaskill promised she’d ‘100% back Trump up’ on his anti-immigrant rhetoric & lost. In MO, almost all progressive ballot issues won.” McCaskill made the…

A 16-year-old from Kansas on track to graduate from high school and Harvard in same month – USA TODAY

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Braxton Moral is scheduled to receive a high school diploma from Ulysses High School and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard in May.(Photo: Julie Moral) Millions of teens across the country next May will join fellow high school students with all the pomp and circumstance to accept their high school diplomas. Young adults on college campuses nationwide will joyfully toss their caps in the air in celebration of earning undergraduate degrees.  One 16-year-old…

6 Times Trump ‘Hit A New Low’ In 2018 – HuffPost

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Trump’s own daughter and official adviser, Ivanka Trump, agreed. In an interview at an Axios News Shapers panel in Washington, D.C., she called the family separations “a low point” for her, while also suggesting immigrant parents are to blame.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez snaps back at Claire McCaskill for calling her a ‘thing’ – Washington Examiner

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is showing yet again that she isn’t one to shy away from snapping back at her critics, even if it’s from a member of her own party. In a recent CNN interview, outgoing Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., expressed confusion about why Ocasio-Cortez has become so popular among Democrats, saying, “I’m a little confused why she’s the thing.” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted her dismay with that wording on Saturday….

In holiday message, Putin says Russia ‘open to dialogue’ with US – CNN

Sunday, December 30, 2018

“);var a = g[r.size_id].split(“x”).map((function(e) {return Number(e)})), s = u(a, 2);o.width = s[0],o.height = s[1]}o.rubiconTargeting = (Array.isArray(r.targeting) ? r.targeting : []).reduce((function(e, r) {return e[r.key] = r.values[0],e}), {rpfl_elemid: n.adUnitCode}),e.push(o)} else l.logError(“Rubicon bid adapter Error: bidRequest undefined at index position:” + t, c, d);return e}), []).sort((function(e, r) {return (r.cpm || 0) – (e.cpm || 0)}))},getUserSyncs: function(e, r, t) {if (!A && e.iframeEnabled) {var i = “”;return t && “string” == typeof t.consentString &&…

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez snaps back at Claire McCaskill for calling her a ‘thing’ – Washington Examiner

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is showing yet again that she isn’t one to shy away from snapping back at her critics, even if it’s from a member of her own party. In a recent CNN interview, outgoing Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., expressed confusion about why Ocasio-Cortez has become so popular among Democrats, saying, “I’m a little confused why she’s the thing.” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted her dismay with that wording on Saturday….

6 Times Trump ‘Hit A New Low’ In 2018 – HuffPost

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Trump’s own daughter and official adviser, Ivanka Trump, agreed. In an interview at an Axios News Shapers panel in Washington, D.C., she called the family separations “a low point” for her, while also suggesting immigrant parents are to blame.

In holiday message, Putin says Russia ‘open to dialogue’ with US – CNN

Sunday, December 30, 2018

“);var a = g[r.size_id].split(“x”).map((function(e) {return Number(e)})), s = u(a, 2);o.width = s[0],o.height = s[1]}o.rubiconTargeting = (Array.isArray(r.targeting) ? r.targeting : []).reduce((function(e, r) {return e[r.key] = r.values[0],e}), {rpfl_elemid: n.adUnitCode}),e.push(o)} else l.logError(“Rubicon bid adapter Error: bidRequest undefined at index position:” + t, c, d);return e}), []).sort((function(e, r) {return (r.cpm || 0) – (e.cpm || 0)}))},getUserSyncs: function(e, r, t) {if (!A && e.iframeEnabled) {var i = “”;return t && “string” == typeof t.consentString &&…

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez snaps back at Claire McCaskill for calling her a ‘thing’ – Washington Examiner

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is showing yet again that she isn’t one to shy away from snapping back at her critics, even if it’s from a member of her own party. In a recent CNN interview, outgoing Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., expressed confusion about why Ocasio-Cortez has become so popular among Democrats, saying, “I’m a little confused why she’s the thing.” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted her dismay with that wording on Saturday….

6 Times Trump ‘Hit A New Low’ In 2018 – HuffPost

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Trump’s own daughter and official adviser, Ivanka Trump, agreed. In an interview at an Axios News Shapers panel in Washington, D.C., she called the family separations “a low point” for her, while also suggesting immigrant parents are to blame.

In holiday message, Putin says Russia ‘open to dialogue’ with US – CNN

Sunday, December 30, 2018

“);var a = g[r.size_id].split(“x”).map((function(e) {return Number(e)})), s = u(a, 2);o.width = s[0],o.height = s[1]}o.rubiconTargeting = (Array.isArray(r.targeting) ? r.targeting : []).reduce((function(e, r) {return e[r.key] = r.values[0],e}), {rpfl_elemid: n.adUnitCode}),e.push(o)} else l.logError(“Rubicon bid adapter Error: bidRequest undefined at index position:” + t, c, d);return e}), []).sort((function(e, r) {return (r.cpm || 0) – (e.cpm || 0)}))},getUserSyncs: function(e, r, t) {if (!A && e.iframeEnabled) {var i = “”;return t && “string” == typeof t.consentString &&…

An Israeli Soldier Killed a Medic in Gaza. We Investigated the Fatal Shot. – New York Times

Sunday, December 30, 2018

By YOUSUR AL-HLOU, MALACHY BROWNE, JOHN WOO and DAVID M. HALBFINGER | Dec. 30, 2018 | 17:04 On June 1, an Israeli soldier shot into a crowd, killing a volunteer medic named Rouzan al-Najjar. Israeli officials say soldiers only use live fire as a last resort. Our investigation shows otherwise. We analyzed over 1,000 photos and videos, froze the fatal moment in a 3-D model of the protest, and interviewed…