Politics

Pelosi Delivers Fiery Defense Of Schiff After GOP Reps Demand He Resign As Intel Committee Chair [VIDEO]

Politico reports: The House Intelligence Committee devolved into bitter infighting Thursday, as all nine Republicans demanded Chairman Adam Schiff resign his post and the California Democrat responded with a blistering account of “evidence of collusion” between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia. “We have no faith in your ability to discharge your duties,” said Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), who led …

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New York State Poised To Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags

USA Today reports: New York appears poised to ban single-use plastic shopping bags and mandate a small fee for paper bags, with a final deal expected to be part of a $175 billion state budget due Sunday. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx, told reporters Wednesday he expects a ban on plastic bags to be part of the final budget. But …

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US Approves Sales Of Nuclear Tech To Saudi Arabia

The Daily Beast reports: The U.S. Department of Energy has approved six authorizations for U.S. companies seeking to conduct nuclear related work in Saudi Arabia, according to two sources with knowledge of those approvals. Federal law stipulates that companies obtain clearance from the U.S. government for exporting nuclear technology to or engaging in the production or development of special nuclear …

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REPORT: Mick Mulvaney Backed Obamacare Reversal, Other Cabinet Members Objected To Surprise Move

Politico reports: The Trump administration’s surprising move to invalidate Obamacare on Monday came despite the opposition of two key cabinet secretaries: Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Attorney General Bill Barr. Driving the dramatic action were the administration’s domestic policy chief, Joe Grogan, and the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, according to …

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Venezuela Blames US For Another Nationwide Blackout

Bloomberg reports: A second blackout in less than a week occurred in Venezuela on Wednesday, leaving the vast majority of the country’s residents without internet connections or other electrical needs. A graph tracking disruptions to the country’s internet connectivity by NetBlocks.org showed about 91 percent of the country offline just before 6:00 a.m. EST on Wednesday, the worst outage the …

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Barbara Bush Rips Trump In Posthumous Book

USA Today reports on a coming book about Barbara Bush: How did she think things were going in the USA in the Age of Trump? “I’m trying not to think about it,” she said in an interview as the first anniversary of Trump’s election approached. “We’re a strong country, and I think it will all work out.” Even so, she …

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Rand Paul: I’ve Told Trump To Pardon Michael Flynn

“No American should be prosecuted for something they said in a private phone call unless a judge gave a warrant to the government and said they can listen to the phone call. They listened to General Flynn because they were spying on the ambassador. Okay, that’s foreign intelligence, but that shouldn’t be domestic prosecution. So what they did to Flynn––not …

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Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Rebukes Prosecutors For “Whitewash” In Dropping Smollett Charges [VIDEO]

Deadline reports: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson dismissed Empire actor Jussie Smollett’s latest insistence on his innocence and decried the prosecutors’ dismissal of criminal charges against the Empire actor as, in Emanuel’s words, “a whitewash.” Emanuel lambasted Smollett as selfishly exploiting hate crime laws for his own personal gain. “He took those laws and turned them …

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Michelle Obama’s Memoir Sales Near All-Time Record

The Washington Post reports: Sales for Michelle Obama’s memoir “Becoming” continue to skyrocket. According to publisher Penguin Random House, the book has sold more than 10 million copies — including hardcover, audiobooks and e-books — since its November release. That puts it near the top, if not the pinnacle, of all-time memoir sales. Markus Dohle, Penguin Random House’s chief executive, …

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Andrew Sullivan Jeered At Hollywood “Inclusion” Event

From the Hollywood Reporter: At an event billed as ‘A Day of Unreasonable Conversation,’ it seemed only fitting that journalist and provocateur Andrew Sullivan provided the audience with its most uncomfortable moment. During a Monday morning panel probing how Hollywood screenwriters and showrunners portray “the other side,” Sullivan criticized “Hollywood” for regularly painting non-coastal elites in unflattering terms, which has …

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Schiff: Evidence Of Collusion Is In “Plain Sight” [VIDEO]

“There was a big difference between whether there was evidence of collusion — and I think that evidence is in plain sight — and whether you can establish proof beyond a reasonable doubt of a criminal conspiracy You have an attorney general who applied for the job by talking down any potential obstruction conviction or indictment who then went to …

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NJ To Become 8th State To Allow Assisted Suicide

NewJersey.com reports: New Jersey is poised to become the eighth state to allow doctors to write a lethal prescription for terminally ill patients who want to end their lives. The state Assembly voted 41-33 with four abstentions Monday to pass the “Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act.” Minutes later, the state Senate approved the bill 21-16. Gov. …

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TODAY: Supreme Court Hears Gerrymandering Cases

Politico reports: The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in two cases that will test the constitutionality of partisan gerrymandering — the practice of drawing voting districts to favor a particular political party or group. The congressional map being challenged in Maryland helped Democrats unseat a 20-year Republican incumbent by adding thousands of Democratic voters in the Washington, D.C. suburbs …

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Avenatti Out On Bail, Vows To Expose Nike [VIDEO]

CNBC reports: Celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti denied on Tuesday that he had tried to shake down Nike, and he accused the sports apparel giant of committing a “crime and coverup.” Avenatti tweeted his denial a day after he was arrested on federal charges, including trying to extort up to $25 million from the sports apparel company by threatening to reveal …

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Stormy “Saddened, Not Shocked” By Avenatti’s Arrest

The Hill reports: Adult-film star Stormy Daniels said Monday that she was “saddened but not shocked” at charges brought against her former attorney, Michael Avenatti. “Knowing what I know now about Michael Avenatti, I am saddened but not shocked by news reports that he has been criminally charged today,” Daniels said in a statement. “I made the decision more than …

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US Formally Recognizes Golan Heights As Part Of Israel

Haaretz reports: U.S. President Donald Trump met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday to sign a presidential proclamation officially recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli territory on Monday, thus formalizing a move announced with a tweet earlier on Thursday. In a joint press conference, Trump said: “We do not want to see another attack like the one suffered this morning north …

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Michael Avenatti Arrested On Extortion Charges

CNBC reports: Celebrity lawyer Michael Avenattii has been arrested on charges related to an alleged $20 million extortion of the athletic apparel company Nike, federal authorities said Monday. A press conference is scheduled to discuss the charges against Avenatti in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon. Avenatti had represented porn star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Donald Trump and …

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25K Sign Nobel Prize Petition For New Zealand PM

Axios reports: Almost 25,000 people had by Sunday morning signed two petitions calling for New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to get the Nobel Peace Prize. Ardern has been widely praised for her leadership in response to last week’s terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques. The New York Times published an editorial Thursday, titled “America Deserves a Leader as Good …

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Trump Sides With Netanyahu On Golan Heights

McClatchy reports: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has intensified a push for U.S. recognition of Israeli control over disputed territory with Syria, hoping that President Donald Trump will deliver a major diplomatic victory during his visit to Washington two weeks before his toughest election yet. Israel has sought international recognition of its sovereignty in the disputed Golan Heights for decades, …

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Jimmy Carter Becomes Oldest-Living Former President

ABC News reports: Jimmy Carter is now the oldest-living former president in U.S. history at 94 years and 172 days old, surpassing George H.W. Bush.  Bush, the 41st president, died on Nov. 30 at 94 years, 171 days old. America’s founding president, George Washington, was the youngest former president to die — at 57 years and 67 days — in …

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