Wednesday, January 13, 2016

CLG: Jeb Bush calls for end of federal food stamp program as part of welfare overhaul, Israeli rights group B'Tselem Jerusalem office torched in suspected arson, Obama expected to push Congress to pass TPP corporate takeover




News Updates from CLG
12 January 2016
 
Previous edition: TransCanada sues Obama administration over Keystone XL rejection under NAFTA --Note:Yahoo has been relegating CLG Newsletters to the sp*m bin. If you've not received recent newsletters, please check your sp*m bin. Also, you may write lori at legitgov dot org and request recent editions. Thank you.
 
Breaking: President Obama's 2016 State of the Union Address | 12 Jan 2016 | (Transcript) The White House is once again making the full text of the State of the Union available online ahead of the speech, as prepared for delivery, continuing efforts to meet people where they are and make the speech as accessible as possible. On Medium, people can follow along with the speech as they watch in real time at WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU, view charts and infographics on key areas, share their favorite lines, and provide feedback.
 
Iran Seizes U.S. Sailors Amid Claims of Spying | 12 Jan 2016 | Two United States Navy patrol boats and their crews were seized by the Iranian authorities in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday during what a Tehran news agency alleged was "snooping." ...The semiofficial Fars news agency in Iran said that the boats had illegally traveled more than a mile into Iranian waters near Farsi Island, the site of a major Iranian naval base. It said that members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy had confiscated GPS equipment, which would "prove that the American ships where 'snooping' around in Iranian waters." The waters where the boats were sailing are a frequent location for intelligence collection by the United States, Iran and many gulf countries.
 
Iran expected to return 10 sailors, 2 U.S. Navy boats Wednesday | 12 Jan 2016 | Iran was holding 10 U.S. Navy sailors and their two small boats that drifted into Iranian waters after experiencing mechanical problems. Iran accused the sailors of trespassing but American officials said Tehran has assured them that the crew and vessels would be returned safely and promptly. The sailors, nine men and one woman, were being held overnight at an Iranian base on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf, and were expected to be transferred to a U.S. ship in the region on Wednesday morning local time. Officials said they believe the U.S. had spoken to one of the crew, and all 10 were fine and uninjured. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told The Associated Press that the Riverine boats were moving between Kuwait and Bahrain when the U.S. lost contact with them.
 
After Vessels Drift Into Iran's Waters, 2 U.S. Navy Boats With 10 American Sailors Held by Iran Military - Pentagon | 12 Jan 2016 | Iranian military forces seized two U.S. Navy boats Tuesday and are holding them in custody on Iran's Farsi Island in the middle of the Persian Gulf, senior U.S. officials told NBC News. The officials said it's unclear whether the 10 American sailors aboard two small Riverine vessels had strayed into Iranian territorial waters before they were captured. The sailors were on a training mission around noon ET when their boat experienced mechanical difficulty and drifted into Iranian-claimed waters and were detained by the Iranian Coast Guard, officials added. The crew was described as being safe.
 
US Navy seeks 'long-term' presence in the Mediterranean, warns of Russia's increased capabilities | 12 Jan 2016 | US Navy weighs permanent deployment in the Mediterranean to respond to Russia’s increased naval capabilities, a senior Navy official said. As part of global rivalry, not countering Moscow at sea entails the "risk of falling behind," another Navy chief warned. The US Navy is considering "long-term" deployments in the Mediterranean in addition to the ongoing use of four guided missile destroyers stationed in Rota, Spain, the senior Navy official told Sputnik on Tuesday.
 
Crimeans vote to give up electricity contract with Ukraine even if it means more power cut-offs | 01 Jan 2016 | A survey ordered by Vladimir Putin shows Crimea residents would rather break an electricity contract with Kiev than sign one calling the peninsula part of [Nazi-run] Ukraine - even if it means further blackouts that began when a pylon bearing power lines was blown up. Over 93 percent of respondents voted against signing a new electricity supply contract with Ukraine in the poll conducted by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) as the current contract expired...In addition, 94 percent said they were ready to put up with minor disruptions in electricity while Russia is working to provide 100 percent power supply to Crimea in the following months.
 
USociopaths keep attacking Doctors Without Borders (MSF), because MSF is speaks against Obama's deadly TPP: 'Projectile' hits Medecins Sans Frontieres clinic in Yemen, killing four: MSF| 10 Jan 2016 | A "projectile" struck a clinic supported by international medical group Medecins Sans Frontieres in north Yemen on Sunday, killing four people, MSF said, another in a series of attacks on its facilities in the war-torn country. MSF said it was not clear who was behind the attack that also wounded 10 other people in Shiara Hospital in the Razeh district, where the group has worked since November last year. In a statement on its Twitter account, MSF did not identify who was killed in the attack but said that three of the wounded were staff members, of whom two were in critical condition.
 
Israeli rights group B'Tselem Jerusalem office torched in suspected arson | 11 Jan 2016 |The office of a prominent Israeli rights group was targeted overnight in a suspected arson attack. B'Tselem said if proven true, the government's "incitement and smear campaigns" are to blame. The fire broke out on Sunday evening in a large commercial building in Jerusalem's Makor Haim neighborhood. In addition to the office of B'Tselem it houses Hand in Hand, an organization that runs a bilingual school for Israeli and Palestinian students. 
 
White House, Silicon Valley to hold summit on militants' social media use | 07 Jan 2016 | Senior White House officials and U.S. intelligence and law enforcement figures will meet with Silicon Valley executives on Friday to discuss how to counter the use of social media by militant groups, sources familiar with the meeting said on Thursday. In an escalation of pressure on technology firms to do more to combat online propaganda from groups such as Islamic State, the meeting follows attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California, that underscored the role played by social media companies...Invited participants include White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, presidential counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, FBI Director James Comey, National Intelligence Director [perjurer] James Clapper and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers, one of the sources said.
 
10 killed, others injured in Istanbul terrorism attack | 13 Jan 2016 |  At least 10 people are reported to have been killed in suspected suicide bombing in Turkey's biggest city, Istanbul. Germany's foreign minister said that eight Germans were killed in today's attack and nine others wounded, correcting an earlier claim made by a senior Turkish official that nine Germans had died. Angela Merkel has expressed her sympathies for the victims of the Istanbul bombing and their families, and promised Germany would continue to fight against terror, the Associated Press reports.
 
Blast rocks square in central Istanbul, casualties reported | 12 Jan 2016 | An explosion has rocked a central square in Turkey's biggest city, Istanbul, According to Hurriyet newspaper, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device near a group of tourists. Local media reports suggest there may have been several explosions. The incident took place on Sultanahmet Square...According to Dogan News, there are a number of people killed and injured at the scene.
 
Police: Paris Police Attacker Lived in German Shelter | 09 Jan 2016 | German police have raided an apartment at a shelter for asylum seekers in the western city of Recklinghausen that they say had been occupied by a man shot and killed as he stormed a Paris police station. North Rhine-Westphalia state police said in a statement late Saturday that they were acting on "concrete evidence" they had obtained from French security authorities.
 
Belgium says found possible Paris attacks bomb factory in December raid | 08 Jan 2016 | Belgian investigators believe explosives used in the attacks in Paris in November may have been made in an apartment in Brussels that was rented under a false name and where a fingerprint of a key fugitive was found. Police found material that could be used to make explosives, traces of explosive acetone peroxide and handmade belts during a raid on the apartment on Dec. 10, federal prosecutors said in a statement on Friday. Belgian newspaper De Standaard, which reported the raid in its Friday edition, said the investigators believed the explosives were probably packed into suicide belts in a hotel outside Paris in the lead-up to the Nov. 13 attacks.
 
Gunman attempts to execute Philly cop 'in the name of Islam' by firing 13 shots from point blank range as officer sits in squad car | 08 Jan 2016 | A gunman ambushed a police officer as he sat in his marked cruiser at an intersection, striking him three times in the arm during a barrage of bullets and fleeing before being apprehended. Police Commissioner Richard Ross said the suspect fired at least 13 shots at Officer Jesse Hartnett as he sat in his car late Thursday. Hartnett is in a stable condition is in a stable condition with a broken arm and nerve damage.
 
Two Middle East refugees arrested in U.S. on terrorism charges | 07 Jan 2016 | Two men from the Middle East who came to the United States as refugees more than three years ago were arrested on federal charges in California and Texas involving international terrorism, the U.S. officials said on Thursday. The men, arrested in Sacramento and Houston, were not involved in a single plot, but they may have been in contact with each other, a source familiar with the two cases said...Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, a Tea Party Republican, cited the arrest in Houston as a reason why Texas has been seeking to block Syrian refugees from resettling there.
 
Obamas invite Syrian refugee to State of the Union Address | 10 Jan 2016 | President Obama is taking a dramatic step to show he opposes Republican efforts to slow or halt the admission of refugees over terrorist concerns: He has invited a Syrian refugee to attend his State of the Union Address. Refaai Hamo, 55, a native of Syria now living in Detroit, will sit in first lady Michelle Obama's box in the House of Representatives gallery for Tuesday night's speech...Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has called for a temporary ban on admitting Muslims until the U.S. government can "figure out what is going on."
 
LAX Terminal Evacuated Over Bomb Threat | 08 Jan 2016 | A terminal at Los Angeles International Airport was briefly evacuated Friday afternoon due to a bomb threat, police said. The "non-specific" threat was made just before 2 p.m., leading to the evacuation of Terminal 1, airport police said. The terminal was reopened before 3 p.m. after the FBI found the threat to be non-credible, airport police said.
 
Heavily armed men offer 'security' for Oregon militia at wildlife refuge | 09 Jan 2016 | A large group of heavily armed men showed up to the wildlife refuge occupation in eastern Oregon on Saturday, further escalating tensions and causing internal conflicts at the protests. Just as a number of the regular occupiers at the Malheur national wildlife refuge were finishing a morning press conference, a fleet of more than a dozen vehicles drove up to the site. Men armed with rifles got out of their trucks and began stationing themselves along a road. The men said they were with a group called the Pacific Patriot Network and were a "neutral party", there to provide security and protection for everyone at the refuge.
 
Experts Say Decaying Gas Lines Are a Ticking Time Bomb Below New York City Streets | 08 Jan 2016 | From the city to the suburbs, thousands of miles of some of the country's oldest and decaying gas mains lay just below the surface of our streets. As CBS2 reported, experts said the consequences could be dangerous or devastating. In the early 20th century, there were new roads, rails, and an underground system delivered gas to buildings around New York. More than 100 years later the landscape has drastically changed - but some of those exact same mains are still delivering our gas today.
 
Obama expected to push Congress to pass TPP corporate takeover | 12 Jan 2016 | Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) is sounding a cautious tone about the Asia-Pacific trade deal's chances in Congress. The House Ways and Means Committee chairman said that passing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement between the United States and 11 other nations "is difficult but doable" during a Politico Morning Money event Monday evening...The president faces widespread opposition from his own party and will have to rely on Republicans to push the deal through Congress. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who is opposed to the TPP, joined a group of Democrats, labor and environmental groups ahead of the State of the Union to reiterate her stance. "We know TPP is too dangerous for us simply to stand aside and let it pass," she said in a press conference on Monday. [@legitgov #Obama to pimp #TPP like crazy during #SOTU. #EmptySeat represents millions of jobs to be lost if his TPP passes. #NoTPP #StopTPP @POTUS]
 
In 2016, let's hope for better trade agreements - and the death of TPP | 10 Jan 2016 | The US concluded secret negotiations on what may turn out to be the worst trade agreement in decades, the so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and now faces an uphill battle for ratification, as all the leading Democratic presidential candidates and many of the Republicans have weighed in against it...In particular, the ['investment'] chapter gives foreign investors the right to sue governments in private international tribunals when they believe government regulations contravene the TPP's terms (inscribed on more than 6,000 pages)...Furthermore, a "most favoured nation" provision ensures that corporations can claim the best treatment offered in any of a host country's treaties. That sets up a race to the bottom - exactly the opposite of what US President Barack Obama promised.
 
Supreme Court case could undercut public sector union power | 11 Jan 2016 | The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a legal dispute on Monday involving 10 non-union California school teachers who object to paying fees to finance collective bargaining in a case that could undercut the power of public sector unions. U.S. conservatives have long sought to curb the influence of public sector unions representing employees like police, firefighters and teachers that often support the Democratic Party and liberal causes. The case coming before the nine justices was spearheaded by a conservative group called the Center for Individual Rights.
 
High court orders Florida to overhaul death penalty decisions | 12 Jan 2016 | Juries, not judges, should be the ones to impose the death penalty in Florida, the U.S. Supreme Court decided on Tuesday in a ruling that will force lawmakers in Tallahassee to scramble to revamp how the state metes out sentences for murder. In an 8-1 decision, the high court ruled that the state's unique sentencing scheme in capital punishment cases -- jurors only issue "advisory" recommendations to judges -- violates the U.S. Constitution's Sixth Amendment, which guarantees the accused the right to an impartial jury trial...The Florida Supreme Court will now likely have to iron out which of 390 Death Row inmates -- there are 27 from Miami-Dade -- may be eligible for new sentences under the [Timothy] Hurst decision.
 
Immigration, the GOPe, and Chamber of Commerce-Backed Candidates... | 09 Jan 2016 | Since 2013 we have specifically documented the legislative agenda of Tom Donohue, Wall Street, and their lobbying arm the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The CoC legislative agenda includes: Passage of the [deadly US corporate takeover aka] Trans-Pacific Trade Deal; Retention of ObamaCare - Without repeal or modification; Implementation of Federal Common Core Education Standards; Comprehensive Immigration Reform to include Amnesty. All of the presidential candidates actively support this chamber agenda (some more openly than others), which is also supported by Club4Growth, Koch Brothers, Robert Mercer, and Wall Street. ALL of the GOP Presidential candidates have taken tens of millions in lobbyist money to assist their campaigns. All, except Donald J Trump.
 
GOP candidate lineup announced for Fox Business Network debate | 11 Jan 2016 | Fox Business Network on Monday announced the candidate lineup for the Jan. 14 Republican presidential debates -- and already one candidate has said he will not participate after not qualifying for the prime-time event. The participants qualifying for the prime-time, 9 p.m. ET debate are: Businessman Donald Trump; Texas Sen. Ted Cruz; Florida Sen. Marco Rubio; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. [Ferret-face Carly Fiorina won't be interrupting all night, *awesome!*]
 
Quinnipiac poll: Sanders surges to retake lead in Iowa | 12 Jan 2016 | Bernie Sanders leads Hillary Clinton in a major Iowa poll for the first time since September, the latest sign the Democratic primary race is tightening between the two candidates. The Vermont senator wins 49 percent of likely caucusgoers in the Quinnipiac University pollreleased Tuesday, compared to Clinton's 44 percent. It's a significant drop for the former secretary of State from last month's Quinnipiac poll, which had her up by 11 percent. Sanders is boosted by his 30-point lead among men, a significantly higher favorability rating, and more favorable views of his character traits and values.
 
Poll: Bernie Sanders widens lead over Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire | 12 Jan 2016 | Sen. Bernie Sanders has widened his lead over Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire Democratic primary to 14 points, according to a new poll out Tuesday. A Monmouth University survey finds the Vermont senator leading Clinton 53% to 39% in the early voting state. That's a reversal from Monmouth's last poll, taken in November, that had Clinton up 48% to 45%, though Sanders led in September by 7 points.
 
Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders Even in Early Races, Poll Finds | 10 Jan 2016 | Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are deadlocked in both Iowa and New Hampshire three weeks before voting begins in the 2016 presidential race, while the Republican primary contest remains tight in Iowa, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist poll finds. Mrs. Clinton holds a slim, 48%-to-45% lead over the Vermont senator among likely Democratic caucusgoers in Iowa, the survey finds. Mr. Sanders edges the former secretary of state among likely primary voters in New Hampshire, 50% to 46%. Both leads are within the poll's margins of error.
 
Donald Trump Says He'll Pull Scotland Investment if Britain Bars Him | 07 Jan 2016 | Donald J. Trump has threatened to abandon plans to invest more than 1 billion in Scotland if Britain bars him from entering the country over his comments that Muslim foreigners should not be allowed into the United States. In the wake of the comments late last year...interest surged in a petition calling for Mr. Trump, a Republican presidential contender and real estate developer, to be barred from Britain on the basis of laws against hate speech. More than 570,000 people in the country signed the petition, easily passing the threshold requiring Parliament to at least consider debating it. The question will be taken up Jan. 18.
 
Jeb Bush calls for end of federal food stamp program as part of welfare overhaul | 08 Jan 2016 | Republican presidential candidate [sociopath] Jeb Bush is calling for an end to the federal food stamp program as part of a proposed revamp of the nation's welfare system. Bush would end the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, generally known as food stamps, and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Instead, state governments would be able to apply for new federal "Right to Rise" grants to pay for programs launched to assist lower-income residents.
 
Exit the race now, scum-bag: Ben Carson's bumbling humiliation of 5th-grader: Too painful to be called a gaffe | 08 Jan 2016 | Somehow, the word "gaffe" doesn't quite describe Ben Carson's latest foot-in-mouth moment. His stumble on the stump in Iowa on Thursday was awkward, embarrassing, possibly painful -- anything but funny. And it involved a school kid who -- how to put this pleasantly? -- perhaps in the view of his fifth-grade classmates does not shine as brightly as they do, and was called out for his shortcomings in front of 500 people at a campaign rally. By a man who wants to be president..."Anybody here in fifth grade?" Carson said. "Who's the worst student?"
 
Multiple Fans Arrested During Steelers vs. Bengals 2015 AFC Wild-Card Matchup | 10 Jan 2016 | Six fans were arrested during the Pittsburgh Steelers' 18-16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium. Rebecca Butts of Cincinnati.com reported on the unfortunate events that took place in the stands, which allegedly included punches being thrown...
 
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