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Monthly archive

May 2017

Mnuchin Dragging Feet on Push for Details of Legally-Sketchy Trump Business Associates Abroad

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The Treasury Department is stonewalling inquiries seeking information about President Trump’s business ties abroad, according to the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) has for months been asking Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin if Trump Organization ties have been vetted by officials for compliance with a bevy of federal laws and regulations. In a letter released to the public on Tuesday, the lawmaker said the Department isn’t answering these questions. Brown accused Mnuchin’s staff of having “ altogether missed the point…

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Trump’s Laptop Ban Halted on Shores of Europe Again…And For Now

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Europe is again resisting efforts by the Trump administration to install a laptop ban on all flights headed to US destinations. Following a conference call Tuesday afternoon between Department of Homeland Security and European Commission officials, it was reported that the Trump administration is not extending its laptop restrictions to EU airports. A commission official told Politico that there would be “no ban” and that “both sides have agreed to intensify technical talks and try to find a common solution.” In March, the Trump administration…

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U.S. Military Calls Anti-Missile Deployment “Very Transparent,” After South Korean President Decries Secrecy

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The Pentagon claimed it has been upfront in its dealings with South Korea, after the country’s newly-elected president said that a US missile defense system is being partially-deployed in secrecy. President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday that he was “very shocked” to hear that four additional launchers were recently added to the Terminal High Altitude Aerial Defense (THAAD) system. He ordered an inquiry to probe the actions of his own Ministry of Defense. US military officials, however, say they have been nothing but forthright in…

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On the War Path: Bill That Threatens Iran Deal Passes Senate Committee By Landslide

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The Senate Foreign Relations Committee overwhelmingly advanced legislation that could kill the Iran Nuclear Deal, according to advocates of the initiative, including former Secretary of State John Kerry. A bill that would impose additional sanctions on Iran passed the committee on Thursday in an 18-3 vote. The only “no” votes came from Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.). The legislation would penalize Iranian entities involved in Tehran’s ballistic missile program. Proponents of the nuclear deal say this would violate terms…

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Rep. Cummings Cites “Grave Concerns” Over Trump’s Emoluments Policy

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A frustrated Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) sent a letter to officials within the Trump Organization, pressing for more information about how the President’s businesses operate in compliance with the US Constitution. Cummings released to the public on Wednesday a 9-page glossy pamphlet provided by the Trump Organization to the House Oversight Committee this month. The document detailed how Trump’s business would avoid violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause, which prohibits Presidents from accepting foreign gifts. Government ethics watchdogs warned that foreign entities could attempt to curry…

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Trump Aide Mulvaney Cites 1996 Study to Backstab Appalachian Voters

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A Republican congressman who represents some of the most deprived parts of the country is anxious that the Trump administration is recklessly planning on destroying a program designed for his constituents. Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) admonished top White House budget aide Mick Mulvaney on Wednesday, saying the administration was relying on a 21-year-old study when justifying plans to shutter the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). Johnson told Mulvaney that the program last year raised $866 million in public and private investment, and that more than three-quarters of…

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Trump Budget to Face a Receptive Capitol Hill with Knives Out for the Poor

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Several Republicans have declared President Trump’s budget “dead on arrival” in Congress. But there are still a lot of shared goals in the document that could bring the two branches together—namely, the inflicting of pain on lower income Americans. Trump’s blueprint includes hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid and public assistance programs. Disability benefits and food stamps would be slashed, energy and rental assistance programs for the poor and elderly would also be eliminated, along with student loan affordability measures. Those drastic…

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Obama CIA Head And Trump Agree: Disclosing Presidential Activity is the Real Problem

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Barack Obama’s CIA head found common ground with the Trump administration, decrying media reports of the President sharing state secrets with the Russian government. Testifying before the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday, John Brennan told lawmakers that American officials have shared classified information with the Russian government, and that Trump probably violated protocols for information-sharing, if press reports about the May 12 meeting are true. “What I was very concerned about, though, is the subsequent releases of what appears to be classified information purporting to point…

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Another Year, Another SIGAR Panning of Afghan Rebuilding

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The watchdog charged with overseeing the US government’s costly reconstruction effort in Afghanistan has more bad news: the campaign is still plagued by corruption. It is a common refrain from John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), who produces quarterly reports on the $117 billion rebuilding mission. “The big issue…is corruption,” he said on C-SPAN Monday, discussing the oversight body’s latest report. “We have problems of intense corruption in the Afghan military and police,” Sopko added. He used a metaphor his office has…

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Feinstein, Other Dems Back Probation Officer Arrest Bill Decried as Abusive by House Dems

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A bill that advanced through the House could lead to unconstitutional abuses by lightly-trained law enforcement officers, Democrats have warned. Some of their colleagues in the Senate, however, appear poised to help the legislation become law. Federal probation officers would be granted the power to arrest those not under their direct supervision, under the proposal. It passed the House on Friday in a 229-177 vote, largely along party lines. If and when Senators decide to take up the measure, it will have the support of…

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FCC Chair Ajit Pai Tips First Domino in Play Toward Internet Dystopia

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In a vote that lasted just a few seconds, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) initiated the deconstruction of sweeping internet regulations that preserve open access to independent information. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which aims to repeal Net Neutrality protections, was approved by the three-member commission in a 2-1 party line vote on Thursday morning. Passage of the measure kicks off a public comment period that ends on August 16. During that time, the FCC will solicit feedback on its repeal proposal. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai…

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