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Congress returns to session — but shutdown drags on – POLITICO

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Compared with the last extended government shutdown in 2013, this episode is remarkably low-key. | AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite Government Shutdown Republicans and Democrats look more dug in now than they were a week ago. By BURGESS EVERETT and ELIANA JOHNSON 12/27/2018 11:43 AM EST Updated 12/27/2018 01:38 PM EST 2018-12-27T01:38-0500 Officially, Congress will be in session on Thursday. Unofficially, lawmakers are doing little to nothing to end a partial…

Trump: ‘Most of the people not getting paid’ in shutdown are Democrats | TheHill – The Hill

Thursday, December 27, 2018

President TrumpDonald John TrumpEx-Obama national security official: Trump confused ‘troop visit with a campaign rally’ Watergate prosecutor compares Trump ‘poor me’ tweet to end of Nixon presidency Trump shows no signs of backing down over the border wall, shutdown during Iraq visit MORE early Thursday resumed his feud with Democrats on Capitol Hill over funding for a border wall, claiming that most of the hundreds of thousands of federal employees furloughed or…

After Trump visit, Iraqi lawmakers demand U.S. withdrawal – CBS News

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Baghdad — Iraqi lawmakers Thursday demanded U.S. forces leave the country in the wake of a surprise visit by President Donald Trump that politicians denounced as arrogant and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.  Politicians from both blocs of Iraq’s divided Parliament called for a vote to expel U.S. troops and promised to schedule an extraordinary session to debate the matter. “Parliament must clearly and urgently express its view about the ongoing…

Department Of Homeland Security Promises Changes To Protect Migrant Children – NPR

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced a host of “extraordinary protective measures” designed to improve conditions for children and adults held in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody. Susan Walsh/AP hide caption toggle caption Susan Walsh/AP Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced a host of “extraordinary protective measures” designed to improve conditions for children and adults held in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody. Susan Walsh/AP In the wake of…

Putin Says ‘Invulnerable’ New Hypersonic Nuclear Missile Is Ready For Deployment – HuffPost

Thursday, December 27, 2018

In Wednesday’s test, the weapon was launched from the Dombarovskiy missile base in the southern Ural Mountains. The Kremlin said it successfully hit a designated practice target on the Kura shooting range on Kamchatka, 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) away.

Catholic Church Used Bankruptcy for Sexual-Assault Cases. Now Others Are Following Suit. – Wall Street Journal

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Now the legal strategy is being adopted beyond religious groups. This month, USA Gymnastics filed for bankruptcy protection and the Boy Scouts of America hired bankruptcy lawyers to explore the option. Both groups are grappling with the legal and financial fallout of sexual-abuse claims. “There is an expectation in the restructuring community that we will see more of these types of chapter 11 filings,” said Adam Paul, a lawyer with…

Trump misleads about military pay raises again – CNN

Thursday, December 27, 2018

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The Nativity story isn’t about refugees. Where are you guys getting this from? – Washington Examiner

Thursday, December 27, 2018

It’s that time of year again for immigration activists to claim falsely that the story of the birth of Jesus Christ is the story of a refugee family. Because nothing says I’m a serious and thoughtful person quite like re-writing the nativity story to own the “anti-immigrant pundits.” On Christmas Day this year, Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., became the latest in a long line of activists to latch onto the…

Three specific reasons Trump’s Iraq visit is so important – Washington Examiner

Thursday, December 27, 2018

President Trump’s surprise visit to Iraq on Wednesday, his first to an erstwhile war zone, allows deployed U.S. military forces to see their commander-in-chief in action. It also gives Trump an opportunity to meet with important Iraqi leaders on their soil. Given his reluctance to travel outside the U.S., Trump had seemed out of touch with his presidential responsibilities. But now, Trump has corrected that interest in a manner that…

No signs of a deal to end partial government shutdown – CNN

Thursday, December 27, 2018

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ICE drops off almost 200 more migrants in El Paso, but this time gives advance notice to local charities – CBS News

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Ruben Garcia from Annunciation House in El Paso told CBS News that 518 migrants were released Wednesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at sites in El Paso and Las Cruces, New Mexico. That raises the total number of people released this week to more than 1,000 after 186 people were released on Christmas Day and 400 were released in the two days before Christmas.  Garcia said there could be…

Deaths of 2 migrant children in detention prompt ‘more thorough’ health assessments at border – Fox News

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Video Medical checks ordered for children in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody after a 2nd migrant child dies. U.S. immigration authorities said Wednesday that they have done new medical checks on virtually every child being held by the Border Patrol following the death of a second youngster in agency custody in less than three weeks’ time. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Wednesday afternoon that she’s ordered “extraordinary protective measures” after…

Florida school shooting: What happened next? – BBC News

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Image copyright AFP Image caption Student Emma Gonzalez speaks at a rally for gun control Throughout this week, we have been looking back at some of the BBC website’s most-read stories of the year and asking: what happened after the news moved on? It has been 10 months since Morgan Williams cowered under her teacher’s desk as bullets were fired into her Florida classroom; 10 months since 17 people died…

Three specific reasons Trump’s Iraq visit is so important – Washington Examiner

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

President Trump’s surprise visit to Iraq on Wednesday, his first to an erstwhile war zone, allows deployed U.S. military forces to see their commander-in-chief in action. It also gives Trump an opportunity to meet with important Iraqi leaders on their soil. Given his reluctance to travel outside the U.S., Trump had seemed out of touch with his presidential responsibilities. But now, Trump has corrected that interest in a manner that…

U.S. Justice Ginsburg released from hospital after cancer surgery – AOL

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 85, has been released from the hospital after undergoing cancer surgery, a court spokeswoman said on Wednesday. “Justice Ginsburg was discharged from the hospital yesterday and is recuperating at home,” spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said in a statement. The liberal justice underwent surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York on Friday to remove two cancerous nodules in her…

Russia slams Israel for ‘gross violation’ in Syria strikes – Al Jazeera English

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Russia has accused Israel of violating Syria’s sovereignty and threatening two civilian flights after Israeli warplanes launched air raids in Damascus on Tuesday. “We are very concerned by the attacks and how they were made. This is a gross violation of the sovereignty of Syria,” the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.  Syrian state media said the country’s air defences intercepted Israeli missiles near…

Wednesday is day 5 of a partial government shutdown. It could go on for a while. – Vox

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

The government is five days into a partial shutdown, and Congress and the president are no closer to a deal to fund it, foreshadowing a stalemate that could drag on into 2019. President Donald Trump has long demanded $5 billion for the construction of a wall (or other barrier) along the US-Mexico border, a proposal that is a nonstarter with Democrats, who Trump needs in order to pass a bill…

US borders ‘pushed to a breaking point by those who seek open borders’: Nielsen – ABC News

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Declaring the U.S. immigration system had been “pushed to a breaking point by those who seek open borders,” Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Wednesday ordered mandatory medical checks on all children under the age of 10 in U.S. custody and said she would send U.S. Coast Guard medical personnel to the border to help. Nielsen said she also planned to visit the border later this week to see “first-hand”…

U.S. Government Shutdown Enters Fifth Day – The Wall Street Journal

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

“I am all alone (poor me) in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come back and make a deal on desperately needed Border Security,” Mr. Trump tweeted earlier this week. “At some point the Democrats not wanting to make a deal will cost our Country more money than the Border Wall we are all talking about. Crazy!” The shutdown, the third of the year, started early Saturday after…

“We need a different approach," says CBP chief after 2nd migrant child dies in U.S. custody – CBS News

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is under fire after an 8-year-old boy from Guatemala died shortly before midnight on Christmas Eve. It was the second death of a migrant child in U.S. custody this month. CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan told “CBS This Morning” on Wednesday that his agency needs help from Congress and “a different approach” to handling children in its custody. At approximately 9 a.m. on Christmas Eve, agents at…