As part of America’s elevated response to North Korea’s military expansion, the THAAD missile defense system installed in South Korea has been completed, less than 2 months after the equipment arrived there, according to the U.S. military.
The move to install the shield was made last July during the Obama administration.
217 – 213 was the vote that passed without motion to reconsider, but all 193 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted “Nay.”
Democrats made news by shouting “Hey Hey, Goodbye” on the Senate floor, and protesters staged public demonstrations against the move in the streets.
Trump said of the bill, “Make no mistake. This is a repeal and replace of Obamacare.”
The bill’s writing had several changes made in order to get passed, including that states can opt out of essential benefits, spending caps, hospital care, and pre-existing conditions requirements, on the condition that the state show it would improve the market to opt out.
The bill also cuts spending on Medicaid $880b over 10 years. This is where the figure of “24m more uninsured Americans” comes from, as reported by the CBO.
One day after he was fired as FBI Director by Trump, senators from both sides of the isle asked Comey to appear before the committee next week, reportedly.
It is not known whether the session will be public. Comey would be allowed to speak on classified intelligence to Senators in a classified setting as a private citizen, but in public classified information would not be given, although Comey’s personal thoughts on the matter might be more forthcoming than if he were still employed by the FBI.
Comey later declined the request. The President tweeted that Comey “better hope there are no ‘tapes'” of the conversation the two shared, but it is not known whether this was related to Comey’s decision.
“Today, President Donald J. Trump informed FBI Director James Comey that he has been terminated and removed from office,” read the statement issued by the White House Tuesday.
“President Trump acted based on the clear recommendations of both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.”
Comey was heading the FBI investigation into the possible Russian hacking of Clinton’s email servers and whether there was any collusion on the part of Trump associates. A similar investigation is also being conducted by both the Senate Intelligence Committee and the House Intelligence Committee. So far, there is no evidence that there was collusion.
New Orleans removed a monument to the Battle of Liberty Place, part of what is seen as a wider movement to remove symbols of Confederacy and Jim Crow.
In the 1874 battle, a mostly Confederate veteran army which was part of the Democratic Party, fought New Orleans metro police and state militia, and held official buildings for days until federal troops removed them.
The battle was part of violence that followed a contested 1872 gubernatorial election in which both parties claimed victory.
The monument was erected in 1891 to celebrate and remember the Democratic insurrection. A white obelisk and inscription expressed what some consider white supremacist views.
Mayor Mitch Landrieu removed the monument without warning in the early morning hours, and told the public other monuments would be taken down in the same way.
Some called Landrieu’s method “the coward’s way,” and criticised Landrieu for removing pieces of New Orleans’ history, which is also an important part of the city’s tourist economy.
By way of explanation, Landrieu stated, “We will no longer allow the Confederacy to literally be put on a pedestal in the heart of our city.”
To save around $8,000 per year, the Kentucky Coal Museum is installing rooftop solar panels.
The museum is in Benham, a town of 500 people, down from 3,000 in it’s coal town heyday.
The move is seen as part of a wider movement in Kentucky to move away from coal energy, which is considered to be increasingly replaced by natural gas.
A government shutdown could be the result of Trump’s demand for funding for a wall on the Mexico border.
Among Trump’s priorities for the CR* are the wall and the military, according to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
Congressional Democrats and some Republicans oppose the funding of the wall, and it may result in a government shutdown on Saturday, Trump’s 100th day in office. At least 8 democrats are needed to pass a funding bill.
However, Trump was reported to have indicated in a private meeting with conservative media outlets this week that he may put off seeking funds for the border wall until after Republicans begin drafting the budget blueprint for the next fiscal year, which would decrease the likelihood of a shutdown.
Lumber tariffs up to 24% are being imposed by Trump on Canada.
During his presidential run, Trump repeatedly spoke of “America first,” and threatened tariffs on China and Mexico. These threats received voter support, but the first tariff imposed by the president was on the U.S.’s northern neighbor.
The lumber tariffs were announced Monday after trade talks on dairy products fell through.
There is talk of a trade war between Canada and the U.S. Currently, the two nations and Mexico are preparing to renegotiate NAFTA.
The U.S. government is thought to be motivated by a desire improve prospects for American lumber companies, who complain that subsidies provided to Canadian companies by the Canadian government create an unfair playing field. Canada exported a reported $5.6 billion worth of softwood to the U.S. last year.
The U.S. State Department, ShareAmerica.gov, removed a page it posted which had an article promoting Trump’s golf club, the Mar-a-Lago Resport in Palm Beach, Florida, after receiving criticism that the article was an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds.
The title of the article was “Mar-a-Lago: The Winter White House,” and it began, “Mar-a-Lago, President Trump’s Florida estate, has become well known as thee president frequently travels there to work or host foreign leaders.” Trump is the sole beneficiary of the club, which is held in trust while Trump is President.
The State Department said they regretted if the public misperceived the purpose of the article. They said it was intended to inform the public about where the President hosts visiting dignitaries.
A new study experience option has started, called “city stay,” which is in some ways similar to “study abroad.”
City Stay is the name of a program run by Minnehaha Academy, a private school in Minneapolis. When students enrol in a city stay, they are placed in immigrant homes for a week and have a chance to learn a foreign culture without ever getting on a plane.
Minnehaha’s “City Stay” project has about 60 students and 20 host families so far. So far, It is an unpaid project run by founder Julie Knopp.
Attorney Nicholas Somberg was found guilty of contempt of court by Roseville District Judge Marco Santia for livestreaming a trial in which a Michagan man tried to fight a fine received for warming his car up in his driveway one cold morning.
In the trial over the ticket, the city’s attorney argued that the law was put in place due to a public safety issue. Two cars similarly left open and running in driveways were stolen and one led to high speed chase. The other had 2 kids in it when it was stolen.
During that trial, two TV news cameras were livestreaming.
Somberg acknowkedged that his associate sitting behind him was livestreaming, but had only done so after asking the local media if it was permissible.
The judge said Somberg did not fill out a permission slip for the filming.
For 12 years, the death chamber has been empty in the state, but this week a single execution and then a double execution were held there.
Jack Jones and Marcel Williams, both on death row for over 20 years for murder and rape, were killed most recently.
There is a rush in Arkansas because one of their injection drugs, Midazolam, passes its expiry in May, and the drug makers are trying to block the state from getting more due to concerns about how the drugs are obtained and used.