2019 November

McConnell, McCarthy not notified ahead of Baghdadi raid

The top two Republicans on Capitol Hill say they were not notified by the administration ahead of the weekend raid that led to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.   Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellMurkowski, Collins say they won’t co-sponsor Graham’s impeachment resolution Senate rejects Paul effort to cut spending […]

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GOP senator blocks sweeping election reform bill

A Republican senator blocked a sweeping House-passed election and ethics reform bill on Wednesday, the latest of several failed attempts by Democrats to advance election-related legislation ahead of 2020.   Democratic Sens. Jeff MerkleyJeffrey (Jeff) Alan MerkleyHillicon Valley: Twitter to refuse all political ads | Trump camp blasts ‘very dumb’ decision | Ocasio-Cortez hails move | Zuckerberg […]

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Keystone pipeline spills more than 350,000 gallons of oil in North Dakota

The Keystone pipeline has spilled hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude oil into North Dakota this week, The New York Times reports. The pipeline has leaked roughly 383,000 gallons of crude oil, impacting an estimated half-acre of wetland, according to state environmental regulators. ADVERTISEMENT The leak has been contained, according to Karl Rockeman, the director of […]

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Civilian casualties in Afghanistan hit record high

More than 4,300 civilians were killed or injured in Afghanistan between July and September, an all-time high for a quarter since such casualties were first recorded in 2009, according to a new report released Thursday. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that the civilian casualties “rose significantly during the quarter due to a high […]

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Trump taps North Korea envoy to be No. 2 at State Dept

President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump says he would be willing to do ‘fireside chat’ reading the Zelensky transcript Krystal Ball: ‘The weird obsession and freakout over Tulsi Gabbard has massively helped her’ Trump says poor treatment and high taxes prompted permanent residence change MORE plans to nominate North Korea envoy Stephen Biegun to serve as deputy […]

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White House Russia expert defends Trump-Ukraine call: Nothing 'illegal'

Tim Morrison, the outgoing top White House Russia expert, testified behind closed doors that he doesn’t believe anything illegal was discussed during President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump says he would be willing to do ‘fireside chat’ reading the Zelensky transcript Krystal Ball: ‘The weird obsession and freakout over Tulsi Gabbard has massively helped her’ Trump says poor […]

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ISIS confirms al-Baghdadi death, names new leader

ISIS on Thursday confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi as its new leader, according to the BBC. The terror group also confirmed spokesman Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, who had been considered a potential heir to al-Baghdadi, had been killed in a separate joint operation between U.S. and Kurdish forces on […]

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Overnight Energy: Trump officials backing off plans to freeze fuel economy | EPA blames advisory board for FOIA changes | Keystone pipeline spills more than 350K gallons of oil

AN EPIC REVERSAL: The Trump administration is backing away from its proposal to roll back Obama-era rules that push automakers to make vehicles more fuel efficient, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The administration is now considering requiring a 1.5 percent increase in fuel efficiency, compared with the 5 percent annual called for under the Obama rules, according to the Journal, […]

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Trump officials weigh adding more countries to travel ban list: report

The Trump administration is considering adding more countries to its travel ban list, an immigration measure taken by the Trump Administration that has sparked outrage from many Americans.  The contemplation stems from inter-agency discussions revolving around nations that do not comply with digital document and information sharing, a topic that is a focal point for […]

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Pentagon: US on alert for possible 'retribution attacks' following al-Baghdadi raid

The Defense Department is on alert for possible retaliation from ISIS in the wake of the killing of its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, by U.S. special forces last weekend, according to The Associated Press. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie spoke of the possible threat Wednesday as part of the most detailed account to date of the operation […]

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