Groundhog Day, the improbable holiday that brings a shot in the arm to a former coal town – Philly.com
Groundhog Day, the improbable holiday that brings a shot in the arm to a former coal town – Philly.com

Officials with the Groundhog Club estimated that 25,000 people would come to the knob, which meant long lines for portable toilets, food, and warming tents for four hours. To keep people entertained, and moving their blood, emcees sang, danced, held talent shows, and shot hot dogs into the masses.

Source Article from http://www.philly.com/news/groundhog-billmuray-punxsutawney-pittsburgh-holiday-weird-eagles-20190202.html

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‘All alone’ no more: Trump returns to Mar-a-Lago – CNN
‘All alone’ no more: Trump returns to Mar-a-Lago – CNN

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By Kevin Liptak, CNN

Updated 7:38 PM ET, Sat February 2, 2019

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

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    MUST WATCH

    CNN’s Sophie Tatum and Liz Stark contributed to this report.

    Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/02/politics/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-shutdown/index.html

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    Gov. Ralph Northam had questionable nickname in 1981 yearbook – Fox News
    Gov. Ralph Northam had questionable nickname in 1981 yearbook – Fox News
    Video

    Virginia Gov. Northam now says he doesn’t believe he was in the controversial yearbook photo

    Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, who faces calls to resign over a 1984 yearbook photo of two men in blackface and a Ku Klux Klan outfit, had a questionable nickname that may have been a racial slur, according to a separate 1981 yearbook photo.

    Northam apologized Friday for the 1984 picture, first surfaced by Big League Politics, and called it “racist and offensive” but did not specify whether he was the figure seen in blackface, or the one in KKK hood and cloak.

    In a news conference on Saturday, he shifted gears, though, saying he was not in the picture at all. He also reiterated that he wouldn’t resign..

    NORTHAM SAYS HE IS NOT IN RACIST YEARBOOK PHOTO AND WON’T RESIGN, VIRGINIA DEM SAYS

    CBS News first reported that another picture from Northam’s 1981 yearbook page shows that he was given the nickname “Coonman” – a possible racial slur. He was also known as “Goose.”

    Fox News obtained a copy of 1984 yearbook page from the Eastern Virginia Medical School library in Norfolk.

    VIRGINIA GOV. NORTHAM FACES BACKLASH FOR COMMENTS ON 3RD-TRIMESTER ABORTION BILL: ‘MORALLY REPUGNANT’

    At the press conference Saturday, he said that his nickname in 1981 was “Goose” and that only two people had called him the other nickname — but didn’t know their motive for calling him that.

    Earlier Saturday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Northam to “do the right thing” and called the 1984 photo “racist and contrary to fundamental American values.”

    “The situation that he has put himself and the Commonwealth of Virginia in is untenable. It’s time for Ralph to step down, and for the Commonwealth to move forward,” Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said, calling the photo “racist, unacceptable and inexcusable at any age and at any time.”

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus said in a statement on Friday that the yearbook photos “rip the scabs of an excruciatingly painful history and are a piercing reminder of this nation’s sins. Those who would excuse the pictures are just as culpable.”

    The caucus was not impressed by Northam’s press conference, and amplified its calls for him to resign.

    “In light of his public admission and apology for his decision to appear in the photo, he has irrevocably lost the faith and trust of the people he was elected to serve. Changing his public story today now casts further doubt on his ability to regain that trust,” a statement Saturday afternoon said.

    Fox News’ Alexandria Pamias contributed to this report.

    Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gov-ralph-northam-had-questionable-nickname-in-1981-yearbook

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    High-Ranking General Rejects Maduro, Who Proposes Earlier Parliamentary Elections – NPR
    High-Ranking General Rejects Maduro, Who Proposes Earlier Parliamentary Elections – NPR

    An anti-government protester on Saturday in Caracas wears a sign that reads, “Venezuelans die for lack of medicines. Maduro is an assassin.” Momentum is growing for opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who has called supporters into the streets.

    Rodrigo Abd/AP


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    Rodrigo Abd/AP

    An anti-government protester on Saturday in Caracas wears a sign that reads, “Venezuelans die for lack of medicines. Maduro is an assassin.” Momentum is growing for opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who has called supporters into the streets.

    Rodrigo Abd/AP

    Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro proposed holding congressional elections earlier than planned, as a high-ranking air force general called on colleagues to join him in disavowing Maduro’s presidency and protests continue to shake the country.

    “I come here to you to state that I don’t recognize the dictatorial authority of Nicolás Maduro,” Gen. Francisco Yanez said in a video that has circulated on social media on Saturday.

    He went on to endorse 35-year-old industrial engineer Juan Guaidó who leads the opposition-filled National Assembly. “To order the armed forces to keep repressing the people is to continue killing more people from hunger, diseases and god willing combat between ourselves,” he said. “The people have suffered enough.”

    Then Yanez invited the citizens to peacefully defend Guaidó in the streets. “To my armed fellow men,” he pleaded, “I ask you not to turn your back on the people of Venezuela.”

    He is the first of the nation’s military brass to voice strong support for Guaidó, who declared himself interim president in January after denouncing the integrity of Venezuela’s presidential elections.

    Yanez told the Associated Press that he would not issue other statements until he was authorized by “the commander-in-chief of the legal armed force,” Guaidó.

    Several factions of Venezuela, including its Military Aviation and the Academy of Aviation, used Twitter to denounce the general. They tweeted a photo of Yanez in his uniform with the word “TRAITOR” scrawled across. The Air Force Command also accused him of switching sides because his father is facing an investigation into corruption.

    Although hundreds of generals serve in the Venezuelan military, the announcement represents a victory for Guaidó, NPR’s Philip Reeves reports. The young leader has asked armed forces to still their guns, and hopes to weaken their loyalty to Maduro.

    Guaidó passed an amnesty measure for them in the National Assembly. Supporters in the streets have handed out copies of the law to soldiers and police, though analysts say Maduro receives loyalty from top-ranking officers by giving them big paychecks and control of lucrative assets.

    “I think the first general that defects from that coalition is going to be the first in a long line of dominoes to fall,” John Polga, a Latin America specialist at the U.S. Naval Academy, told NPR before the air force general defected.

    The video comes as demonstrators across the country filled Venezuela’s streets in shows of support and disdain for their leadership.

    Guaidó followed up on his Wednesday protest by tweeting that people should keep going out and “continue our route to freedom.”

    Thousands of protesters carried the national flag and wore its colors as they demanded Maduro’s resignation and new elections. In one video posted Saturday, a riot police officer could be seen hugging a demonstrator.

    Workers from Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, participate in an “anti-imperialist” march promoted by the government to support President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.

    Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images


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    Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images

    Workers from Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, participate in an “anti-imperialist” march promoted by the government to support President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.

    Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images

    Maduro sought to spark rallies in support of the government. “Our struggle for self-determination has deep roots in the historic independence battles waged by our liberators,” he said. “From them comes the strength, with which we defend the Sovereignty and the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”

    His supporters danced and carried banners of Maduro’s predecessor, the late President Hugo Chavez, as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of his socialist party. Maduro thanked them for “so much love!”

    In January, he visited a military base outside Caracas, and security forces later paraded down the streets in their Russian-made arms, firing tank shells in a show of strength.

    Recent clashes between protesters and security forces have resulted in the deaths at least 40 people, according to the U.N. Foreign journalists covering the unrest have been arrested.

    As the rallies continue, Guaidó has turned down offers from the presidents of Mexico and Uruguay to mediate talks with Maduro — a move that the United States condones.

    “This is no time for dialogue,” Vice President Pence said on Friday at a church filled with Venezuelan exiles in a suburb of Miami. “It is time to end the Maduro regime.”

    Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2019/02/02/690944320/high-ranking-general-rejects-maduro-who-proposes-earlier-parliamentary-elections

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    Trump Sought a Loan During the 2016 Campaign. Deutsche Bank Said No. – The New York Times
    Trump Sought a Loan During the 2016 Campaign. Deutsche Bank Said No. – The New York Times

    In 2014 and 2015, a Trump legal entity lent at least $96 million to the subsidiary that operated Turnberry, according to British regulatory filings. The next year, the Trump Organization would go back to Deutsche Bank for more.

    The relationship between Mr. Trump and Deutsche Bank had survived some rocky moments. In 2008, amid the financial crisis, Mr. Trump stopped repaying a loan to finance the construction of a skyscraper in Chicago — and then sued the bank, accusing it of helping cause the crisis. After that lawsuit, Deutsche Bank’s investment-banking arm severed ties with Mr. Trump.

    But by 2010, he was back doing business with Deutsche Bank through its private-banking unit, which catered to some of the world’s wealthiest people. That unit arranged the Doral loans, and another in 2012 tied to the Chicago skyscraper.

    Mr. Trump’s go-to in the private bank was Rosemary Vrablic, a senior banker in its New York office. In 2013, she was the subject of a flattering profile in The Mortgage Observer, a real estate magazine owned by Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who was also among her clients. In 2015, she arranged the loan that financed Mr. Trump’s transformation of Washington’s Old Post Office Building into the Trump International Hotel, a few blocks down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House.

    In early 2016, as Mr. Trump was lending tens of millions of dollars to his campaign, his company contacted Ms. Vrablic about getting money for Turnberry, said two of the three people familiar with the request, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly. The proposal was to expand Deutsche Bank’s outstanding loans backed by the Doral by well over $10 million and to use the proceeds for work on Turnberry, the people said.

    Around the time that Mr. Trump was winning New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, officials in the private-banking unit informed their superiors that they were inclined to provide him with the loan, according to one of the people familiar with the internal discussions.

    Senior executives in New York balked, arguing that Mr. Trump’s candidacy made such a loan unacceptably risky, the three people said. In part, they feared the bank’s reputation could be harmed if the transaction were to become public because of the polarizing statements Mr. Trump was making on the campaign trail.

    Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/02/business/trump-deutsche-bank.html

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    TSA agent falls to death at Orlando airport, causing panic and lengthy delays – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    TSA agent falls to death at Orlando airport, causing panic and lengthy delays – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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    Trump didn’t kill the INF Treaty. Putin did – Washington Examiner
    Trump didn’t kill the INF Treaty. Putin did – Washington Examiner

    The Trump administration was right to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. But it’s inaccurate to say the U.S. is scrapping the treaty. Russia scrapped it years ago.

    Russia has flagrantly violated the treaty for at least the past three years and utterly rejected demands to return to compliance. Not only that, Russia also rejected repeated NATO requests to verify its claims that the illegal weapons, the Novator 9M729 intermediate-range cruise missile system, actually complied with INF strictures.

    So Russia was not merely violating the treaty on substance, but it was also refusing to go through the charade of trying to fool its enforcement mechanisms.

    But America’s withdrawal is no small matter, and it has costs. It will hinder our ability to monitor Russian missile deployments, and it will probably prompt Russia to increase its production and deployment of missiles. Such things matter, especially when we’re talking about the world’s deadliest weapons.

    Yet Russia’s flagrant violations are about more than a single treaty. If the U.S. did not withdraw, we’d be signaling American weakness to Russian President Vladimir Putin, spurring him to further international outrages. Abiding by our treaty obligations while Russia flouted its own would show the Kremlin it could get away with anything without Washington making a fuss.

    All NATO’s 28 member states agree that Russia is “in material breach” of its obligations under the INF Treaty. Speaking to the Washington Examiner last Sunday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg explained that Moscow’s deployment of the Novator is designed to split the U.S. and Europe.

    On Friday, he tweeted that “Russia is in material breach of the #INFTreaty and must use next 6 months to return to full and verifiable compliance or bear sole responsibility for its demise. #NATO fully supports the US suspension & notification of withdrawal…”

    President Trump’s suspension of the treaty, then, is no tantrum. It helps the NATO alliance. The U.S. sought Russia’s permission to analyze the Novator system forensically but was rebuffed. Instead, Putin put on a Potemkin demonstration of the Novator in which foreign military attaches were shown a mock-up of the system from a distance. That sounds like a joke, but it’s a sick one.

    Putin’s antics are intended to tell European powers that Russia can strike its interests without risking nuclear retaliation from the United States. If Trump were to let that pass, how could NATO trust the U.S. to come to a member’s aid in the event of conflict? Credibility matters, and it is measured in moments such as this one.

    This was a complicated decision, and we hope Russia will soon behave in such a way as to make the treaty more than a worthless piece of paper. But that’s what it is now. Trump didn’t kill it; Putin did.

    Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/trump-didnt-kill-the-inf-treaty-putin-did

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    Ralph Northam and Democrats reveal their disgusting distaste for any fetus with ‘abnormalities’ – Washington Examiner
    Ralph Northam and Democrats reveal their disgusting distaste for any fetus with ‘abnormalities’ – Washington Examiner

    Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday described third-trimester abortions as something done “in cases where there may be severe deformities or there may be a fetus that’s not viable.” Later that day, Northam’s Communications Director Ofirah Yheskel tried to clarify that Northam was referring to the fact that women seek third-trimester abortions only “except in the case of tragic or difficult circumstances, such as a nonviable pregnancy or in the event of severe fetal abnormalities.”

    Northam’s clarification isn’t much of an improvement, it’s more of a double-down: Rather than just choosing to end the life of any baby, he would advocate or support women who play God and only choose to give birth to healthy babies. This is wrong. Yet he’s not alone in proposing to eradicate from society those who seem like they would pose problems for parents and society alike. The humane, moral thing to do is encourage parents and society to value life in all its forms and try to help parents raising children with special needs.

    Northam’s comments do not represent a new concept. From ancient Sparta to the Holocaust, people with abnormalities, deformities, and diseases have been targeted and eradicated. When men give their moral compass over to the need to become like God (truly the oldest, darkest lie of all time) they lose their sense of justice, humanity, equality, and humility. In mankind’s quest to control the human population through power or or greed, dispelling of people who are deformed or “less than,” he pulls society downward through a maze of moral quagmires, bringing destruction — and with it, the spirit of humanity.

    For people born with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or any other myriad of diseases and problems, simple tasks life presents do pose tremendous challenges, to say nothing of the things that overwhelm other members of society. However, people with special needs also bring a unique kind of joy, peace, and light to many people. Watch this quick clip to get a glimpse of what I mean.

    Occasionally, some people shine a light on these incredible people. When Gerber chose a Down syndrome boy in Feb. 2018 to be its “Gerber baby” poster boy that year, how could you not help but cheer? Who among us really would look at his smiling face and say abortion would have been better?

    Still, the convenience of abortion perpetuates the myth that society is better off without people who might struggle — whether from autism, Down syndrome, or something else. New York offers, and perhaps Virginia will offer, abortion on demand: dangling the carrot of last-minute infanticide in front of parents who would undoubtedly be aware of the struggles raising a baby with special needs will present and choose to balk.

    While political officials might tout abortion as some kind of “final solution,” many parents are tempted to choose, or do choose, abortion because they truly do fear the challenge of raising a child with needs. They worry they will be unable to withstand the emotional, physical, financial, and marital pressures. In this video on Upworthy, Christine Grounds and Jonathan Mir describe how difficult it has been to raise their son Nicholas, who was born with microcephaly. “We had no idea that, in utero, there was anything wrong with Nicholas,” Grounds recalled. “I’m pretty sure no one would have been able to say conclusively that he has microcephaly,” she said. “But I would have terminated the pregnancy.”

    While it’s tempting to lash out or point fingers at parents like this, that too is a reactive solution full of the kind of righteous indignation the Left hates. We must rise up to help these parents. We must connect them with nonprofit organizations, religious organizations, pregnancy resource centers, healthcare providers, and any physical or emotional support we can offer. ( Here’s one such list to start with.) Conservatives cannot continually advocate for a culture of life without also tangibly stepping alongside those same parents who choose life, and who then must endeavor to raise a child under difficult circumstances. We must continue to call out people like Northam for advocating such a selfish, heinous “solution” to children with special needs and help parents who choose life instead.

    Nicole Russell (@russell_nm) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota.

    Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/ralph-northam-and-democrats-reveal-their-disgusting-distaste-for-any-fetus-with-abnormalities

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    China urges U.S. not to withdraw from nuclear treaty with Russia – Reuters
    China urges U.S. not to withdraw from nuclear treaty with Russia – Reuters

    SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The United States should resolve its differences with Russia through dialogue instead of threatening to withdraw from an important nuclear arms control agreement between the two nations, China’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.

    The United States’ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that Washington would withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia within six months unless Russia returned to “full and verifiable compliance” with the treaty.

    Washington claims Russia’s new Novator 9M729 cruise missile violates the agreement, which bans ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500 km (310 to 3,420 miles).

    “As an important bilateral treaty in arms control and disarmament, the Intermediate-Range Treaty has great significance in improving relations between major powers, strengthening international and regional peace, and maintaining global strategic balance and stability,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement posted on its website.

    “China is opposed to U.S. withdrawal action and urges the United States and Russia to handle their differences properly through constructive dialogue,” the statement said, warning that unilateral withdrawal could trigger “negative consequences”.

    The agreement officially expires in early 2021 but can be extended by another five years if both Washington and Moscow agree. However, Russian officials have accused the United States of inventing a pretext to end the treaty, allowing them to develop new weapons.

    China’s foreign ministry said it was not in favor of drawing up a multilateral arms control agreement to replace the Intermediate-Range Treaty, saying the issues were too complicated and that existing agreements should instead be maintained and implemented.

    Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Joseph Radford

    Source Article from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-us-nuclear/china-urges-u-s-not-to-withdraw-from-nuclear-treaty-with-russia-idUSKCN1PR08C

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    Winter Storm Kai Will Spread Snow, Strong Winds From the Sierra, Rockies Into the Northern Plains, Upper Midwest – The Weather Channel
    Winter Storm Kai Will Spread Snow, Strong Winds From the Sierra, Rockies Into the Northern Plains, Upper Midwest – The Weather Channel
    <img class=”styles__noscript__2rw2y” src=”https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/early_week_system_0201.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273″ srcset=”https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/early_week_system_0201.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273 400w, https://s.w-x.co/util/image/w/early_week_system_0201.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551 800w” >

    Winter Storm Kai will spread a mess of snow, ice and strong winds from the Rockies into parts of the Plains and Midwest early next week.

    Winter Storm Kai was named early Saturday when the area of the U.S. that was under a winter storm warning exceeded criteria of at least 4000,000 square kilometers.

    After one of the coldest Midwest outbreaks in a generation, the jet stream pattern will undergo a fundamental change. Instead of taking a nosedive out of Canada into the Great Lakes and Northeast, the jet stream will take a southward plunge in the western U.S. by the weekend.

    Kai is a potent storm for the West Coast that will work its way into the Plains, Midwest and Northeast early next week.

    Snow is currently falling in the Sierra and parts of the higher elevations in southern Oregon, Nevada, Idaho and western Montana.

    <img class=”styles__noscript__2rw2y” src=”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL3_1280x720.jpg” srcset=”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL3_1280x720.jpg 400w, http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL3_1280x720.jpg 800w” >

    Even though the ferocity of this week’s cold outbreak will retreat, there will be sufficiently cold air across parts of the northern tier to manufacture snow, sleet and freezing rain.

    Current Winter Weather Alerts

    Winter storm watches and warnings have been issued for much Montana, North Dakota, northwestern Minnesota and for California’s Sierra, southern California mountains and the higher elevations in southern Nevada and southern Utah.

    Travel is expected to be dangerous in areas under winter storm warnings, especially in areas where strong, gusty winds result in blowing snow and reduced visibility.

    Winter weather advisories are also posted for parts of Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana nd southern North Dakota where conditions will could be difficult for travel due to periods of snowfall.

    <img class=”styles__noscript__2rw2y” src=”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL33_1280x720.jpg” srcset=”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL33_1280x720.jpg 400w, http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL33_1280x720.jpg 800w” >

    (MORE: Winter Storm Central)

    Snowy Forecast

    Kai will bring heavy snow to the Sierra on Saturday, likely causing travel issues in the normally tricky spots like Donner Pass. Snow will also fall at lower elevations as the weekend progresses and the National Weather Service noted on Friday that travel is highly discouraged.

    Snow will begin to spread into the Rockies Saturday night.

    Winter Storm Kai will head into the Plains Sunday and then into the upper Midwest and Great Lakes Sunday night into Monday.

    While the air mass won’t be nearly as cold as this week’s cold outbreak, high pressure nosing eastward across the Canadian prairie should keep just enough cold air in place to generate snow, sleet or freezing rain from the northern Plains to at least the northern Great Lakes and parts of the interior Northeast.

    • Saturday-Saturday night: Rain and high elevation snow will fall across most of the West. Light snow, sleet or freezing rain may break out in parts of the Great Lakes from an initial jet-stream disturbance.
    <img class=”styles__noscript__2rw2y” src=”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL32_1280x720.jpg” srcset=”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL32_1280x720.jpg 400w, http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL32_1280x720.jpg 800w” >

    • Sunday-Sunday night: Snow, sleet and freezing rain will impact Montana, the Dakotas, northwest Iowa and parts of Minnesota. As this system strengthens, winds will increase which will likely cause blowing and drifting snow, potentially with near-blizzard conditions in some spots. Some snow or ice may also move into far northern Wisconsin, northern Michigan, northern New York and northern New England.
    <img class=”styles__noscript__2rw2y” src=”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL31_1280x720.jpg” srcset=”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL31_1280x720.jpg 400w, http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL31_1280x720.jpg 800w” >

    • Monday: Snow or rain changing to snow and strong winds could impact parts of the upper Midwest as the area of low pressure lifts into Canada. Amazingly, some areas shivering in subzero cold late this week may see rain, not snow, from this system, particularly in the Ohio Valley and parts of the southern Great Lakes. Snow or a rain/snow mix is also possible in parts of Maine.
    <img class=”styles__noscript__2rw2y” src=”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL29_1280x720.jpg” srcset=”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL29_1280x720.jpg 400w, http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL29_1280x720.jpg 800w” >

    Temperatures will be 20 to 40 degrees colder than average in much of the northern Plains behind this system.

    Snowfall Forecast

    Multiple feet of Sierra snow are expected, adding to a snowpack that is already above average for this time of year. Travel will be dangerous throughout the Sierra, including Interstate 80 over Donner Pass.

    The biggest snowfall totals are expected to be pretty far north, mainly near the Canadian border, due to a mid-winter warm spell across the Midwest and East.

    <img class=”styles__noscript__2rw2y” src=”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL47_1280x720.jpg” srcset=”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL47_1280x720.jpg 400w, http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DCT_SPECIAL47_1280x720.jpg 800w” >

    While it’s too soon to pinpoint totals, accumulating sleet and/or ice may be a more significant component with this system in parts of the Midwest than we saw earlier this week from Winter Storm Jayden. The highest risk for accumulating ice appears to be in parts of central and northern Wisconsin and portions of Michigan.

    There may be at least one more wintry system to follow next week that could once again spread a wintry mess across the West, Plains, Midwest and Northeast.

    Check back with us at weather.com for the latest on Winter Storm Kai.

    Source Article from https://weather.com/safety/winter/news/2019-02-01-winter-storm-kai-snow-wind-sierra-plains-midwest-new-england

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    Schumer aide was forced out over ‘inappropriate encounters’ with staffers – Fox News
    Schumer aide was forced out over ‘inappropriate encounters’ with staffers – Fox News

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., saw his communications director depart last year over “inappropriate encounters” with staffers, a Schumer spokesman told Fox News. (Associated Press)

    The communications director for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was forced out of his role after the November midterm elections over “inappropriate encounters” with staffers, Fox News has learned.

    “Upon learning that he had inappropriate encounters within the office and that it was making some staff uncomfortable, he was asked to leave,” a Schumer spokesman told Fox News regarding Matt House, who served as the senator’s communications director for nearly six years.

    No specific allegations of improper behavior involving House were disclosed.

    KAMALA HARRIS AIDE RESIGNS OVER $400G HARASSMENT SETTLEMENT

    In a statement to the New York Post, House said: “I absolutely loved my time working in the Senate and it was the honor of my life. I deeply regret the mistakes I made on the number of occasions when I had too much to drink, and I apologize to anyone who was affected by my behavior.”

    “I have always respected all of my colleagues and I was horrified to learn that I made anyone feel uncomfortable. In the past three months, I’ve stopped drinking and I’ve committed to making myself a better colleague and person,” he continued.

    According to his LinkedIn page, House previously served from 2011 to 2012 as Schumer’s press secretary. Prior to joining Schumer’s office, House worked for then-Sen. Joe Biden’s 2008 presidential campaign.

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    In the past, Schumer has been quick to comment when powerful figures have crossed lines with underlings. Along with other Democrats, he pushed for former U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., to resign following sexual misconduct accusations and a Senate Ethics Committee investigation.

    The Schumer aide’s departure was another sign of turmoil among the staffs of top Democrats.

    In December a senior adviser to U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., resigned over inquiries about a $400,000 harassment lawsuit against him while working at the California Department of Justice.

    In August, reports surfaced that a longtime driver for U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was suspected of spying on behalf of the Chinese.

    Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this story.

    Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-schumer-aide-forced-out-after-after-innapropriate-encounters-in-office

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    How the US can stop Maduro from stealing Venezuela’s gold – Washington Examiner
    How the US can stop Maduro from stealing Venezuela’s gold – Washington Examiner

    In a tweet on Friday morning, national security adviser John Bolton effectively confirmed that Nicolas Maduro is paying Russia to guarantee his regime’s survival.

    There’s a simple way to stop Maduro from using these lifelines. The U.S. should ask Juan Guaido whether he wishes for the U.S. to interdict Maduro’s money planes. When Guaido says yes, and he almost certainly will, the U.S. Air Force or Navy can intercept the money planes and force them to land at Guantanamo Bay or another U.S.-friendly air base.

    This wouldn’t be that complicated. The Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group could be diverted south of its present Atlantic position to provide this air role, or other fighters could be flown from the U.S. and refueled in the air. Regardless, this legal action authorized by executive consent and international law would allow Venezuela’s gold reserves to be kept safe for Guaido once he finally takes power.

    This speaks to a broader point: While the U.S. is actively facilitating Guaido’s constitutionally vested empowerment via a means of overt and covert political and financial support, we can do more. And we can do more short of using military force in any lethal sense. That’s because the U.S. has the capacity to outmatch Russian support for Maduro. In financial terms, military terms, and political terms (Maduro is an evil leader, and the region’s big players are aligned against him), we hold more cards of influence than Moscow. We should use these instruments of national power to deter and degrade Maduro’s control over power. Let the Russians and Chinese complain.

    Let us empower the rightful leader of Venezuela to bring his people out of the abyss in which Maduro has them imprisoned.

    Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/how-the-us-can-stop-nicolas-maduro-from-stealing-venezuelas-gold

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    GOP Congressman Spent His Week Harassing Muslim Colleague On Twitter – HuffPost
    GOP Congressman Spent His Week Harassing Muslim Colleague On Twitter – HuffPost

    Asked to clarify what he meant by his first tweet, Zeldin denied it had anything to do with Omar’s religion or gender. “Congressman Zeldin is referring to empowering/elevating pro-BDS, anti-Israel, pro-Maduro, etc., including asking for leniency for ISIS fighters,” spokeswoman Katie Vincentz wrote in an email, referring to the boycott, divestment and sanction movement and socialist Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Zeldin tagged Omar in the tweet with the anti-Semitic voicemail because he wanted to know “if his pro BDS, anti Israel colleague disagreed with it,” Vincentz continued.

    Source Article from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lee-zeldin-ilhan-omar-racist-dog-whistle_us_5c54d2b5e4b0871047537f47

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    Ralph Northam apologizes for medical school yearbook photo with blackface, KKK robe – Fox News
    Ralph Northam apologizes for medical school yearbook photo with blackface, KKK robe – Fox News
    Video

    Virginia Governor Ralph Northam faces questions about racist yearbook photo

    Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam apologized Friday for appearing in a “racist and offensive” photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page that showed one man dressed in blackface and another in a KKK robe, while giving no indication he plans to resign.

    Northam – who has been under fire this week for comments made about a third-trimester abortion bill in his state – admitted to being one of the people in the photo, though it’s not clear which costume he is wearing.

    “Earlier today, a website published a photograph of me from my 1984 medical school yearbook in a costume that is clearly racist and offensive,” Northam said in a statement.

    He added, “I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now.”

    Turning to Twitter on Friday night to speak directly with the public, he elaborated on his error in judgment, and on his apology for it, saying the photo doesn’t reflect the person he is today or how he’s conducted himself as a public servant.

    In a video accompanying his tweet, he said, “I cannot change the decisions I made, nor can I undo the harm my behavior caused then and today.”

    He said he was committed to continuing his work as governor and “living up to the expectations you set for me.”

    Fox News obtained a copy of the 1984 yearbook page from the Eastern Virginia Medical School library. Northam graduated from the school that year. The Virginian-Pilot, the Washington Post and the Richmond Times-Dispatch also reported they independently confirmed the authenticity of the page.

    The quote on the page says, “There are more old drunks than old doctors in this world so I think I’ll have another beer.”

    Fox News obtained a copy of 1984 yearbook page from the Eastern Virginia Medical School library in Norfolk.

    VIRGINIA GOV. NORTHAM FACES BACKLASH FOR COMMENTS ON 3RD-TRIMESTER ABORTION BILL

    A growing number of both Republicans and Democrats on Friday evening said Northam should step down.

    “Racism has no place in Virginia,” Republican Party of Virginia chairman Jack Wilson said in a statement. “These pictures are wholly inappropriate. If Gov. Northam appeared in blackface or dressed in a KKK robe, he should resign immediately.”

    Derrick Johnson, the leader of the NAACP, also called for Northam’s resignation, as did Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro.

    “If @RalphNortham is one of the two people pictured in the highly disturbing, horrific photo wearing either blackface or a KKK hood – or if he selected or approved of its use on his yearbook page — he should immediately resign,” the liberal MoveOn.org group tweeted. “There are no excuses for such a racist display.”

    Northam did not respond to those calls. But in his statement, he said, “This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine, and in public service.”

    “I recognize that it will take time and serious effort to heal the damage this conduct has caused,” Northam said. “I am ready to do that important work. The first step is to offer my sincerest apology and to state my absolute commitment to living up to the expectations Virginians set for me when they elected me to be their governor.”

    Earlier on Friday, a conservative website called Big League Politics first posted a photo of the yearbook page.

    The White House took aim at Northam, referencing the attention Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s high school yearbook received during his brutal confirmation fight last year.

    “This should be easier work than parsing every word and semicolon in the Kavanaugh yearbook,” White House adviser Kellyanne Conway tweeted Friday.

    The newest revelation comes as Northam came under fire Wednesday after he waded into the fight over a controversial abortion bill that one sponsor said could allow women to terminate a pregnancy up until the moment before birth — with critics saying Northam indicated a child could be killed after birth.

    Northam’s troubles began Wednesday when he appeared on WTOP to discuss The Repeal Act.

    Northam, a former pediatric neurologist, was asked about the sponsor’s comments and said he couldn’t speak for Tran, but said that third-trimester abortions are done with “the consent of obviously the mother, with consent of the physician, multiple physicians by the way, and it’s done in cases where there may be severe deformities or there may be a fetus that’s not viable.”

    “So in this particular example if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen, the infant would be delivered,” Northam said. “The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”

    Video

    The intent of his comments was not clear. But some conservative commentators and lawmakers took his remarks to mean he was discussing the possibility of letting a newborn die — or even “infanticide.”

    Northam refused to back down from comments that have sparked outrage. “I have devoted my life to caring for children and any insinuation otherwise is shameful and disgusting,” Northam tweeted this week.

    But Republicans aren’t buying his defense.

    “What’s shameful is that you’re too cowardly to say point blank that it’s wrong to leave babies to die after birth,” Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse said in a statement Thursday. “You could have said that yesterday. But because you’re terrified of an extremist pro-abortion lobby that now defends even infanticide, you’re still ducking.”

    Northam defeated Republican Ed Gillespie in Virginia’s 2017 gubernatorial race. During that contest, Democrats tried to link Gillespie to the torch-bearing white nationalists who infamously marched in Charlottesville. When he won, California Sen. Kamala Harris tweeted congratulations to Northam for “showing that Virginia won’t stand for hatred and bigotry.”

    Last month, Florida’s secretary of state resigned after a local newspaper obtained photos of him dressed in blackface as a Hurricane Katrina victim.

    Fox News’ Lukas Mikelionis, Jeffrey Rubin and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

    Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ralph-northams-medical-school-yearbook-page-shows-men-dressed-in-blackface-kkk-robe

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    How the US can stop Maduro from stealing Venezuela’s gold – Washington Examiner
    How the US can stop Maduro from stealing Venezuela’s gold – Washington Examiner

    In a tweet on Friday morning, national security adviser John Bolton effectively confirmed that Nicolas Maduro is paying Russia to guarantee his regime’s survival.

    There’s a simple way to stop Maduro from using these lifelines. The U.S. should ask Juan Guaido whether he wishes for the U.S. to interdict Maduro’s money planes. When Guaido says yes, and he almost certainly will, the U.S. Air Force or Navy can intercept the money planes and force them to land at Guantanamo Bay or another U.S.-friendly air base.

    This wouldn’t be that complicated. The Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group could be diverted south of its present Atlantic position to provide this air role, or other fighters could be flown from the U.S. and refueled in the air. Regardless, this legal action authorized by executive consent and international law would allow Venezuela’s gold reserves to be kept safe for Guaido once he finally takes power.

    This speaks to a broader point: While the U.S. is actively facilitating Guaido’s constitutionally vested empowerment via a means of overt and covert political and financial support, we can do more. And we can do more short of using military force in any lethal sense. That’s because the U.S. has the capacity to outmatch Russian support for Maduro. In financial terms, military terms, and political terms (Maduro is an evil leader, and the region’s big players are aligned against him), we hold more cards of influence than Moscow. We should use these instruments of national power to deter and degrade Maduro’s control over power. Let the Russians and Chinese complain.

    Let us empower the rightful leader of Venezuela to bring his people out of the abyss in which Maduro has them imprisoned.

    Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/how-the-us-can-stop-nicolas-maduro-from-stealing-venezuelas-gold

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    Perspective | The U.S. militarized its southern border once before. It didn’t work. – Washington Post
    Perspective | The U.S. militarized its southern border once before. It didn’t work. – Washington Post

    U.S. military members install concertina wire along the banks of the Rio Grande near the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge at the border in Laredo, Tex. (Eric Gay/AP)

    Perhaps not surprisingly for someone who craves the limelight, President Trump has made publicity stunts central to his immigration agenda, including his deployment of 5,000 troops to the border, his border visit during the shutdown and his recent threats to declare a national emergency. But such public-facing feints at border militarization draw upon a very real historical act, one of the most unfortunate episodes of modern U.S. history: the deportation of 1.3 million Mexicans during the derisively named “Operation Wetback.”

    That action was the result of the Eisenhower administration’s decision to redefine the long-standing demand for immigrant labor in the United States as a security crisis. The result of this fabricated crisis: the use of military means to fortify the border and scare the region’s residents of Mexican descent, racial coding of Mexican immigrants as enemies and mass deportation campaigns along the border (and in the interior). The Trump administration now seeks to reenact that same process of dehumanizing people of Latin American descent, turning them from productive residents into faceless threats.

    In 1954, Immigration and Naturalization Service leadership declared there was a crisis of illegal immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border. Attorney General Herbert Brownell sought a career military man to deploy militarized tactics and technologies along the border in a mass deportation program accompanied by a well-orchestrated public relations campaign.

    Joseph Swing, a former Army general who headed the INS, took the lead to militarize the border region. He created a mobile task force of law enforcement agents to round up undocumented Mexican immigrants and force them south of the border. Deploying the military terminology of “sweeps” and “operations,” several hundred agents would quite literally encircle communities, forcing people across the border via bus, boat, train and airlifts. The use of military means to remove “wetbacks” (mojados) — a racially divisive and pejorative term — was a way to cast doubt on all Mexican migrants’ rights to be in the United States.

    All of this was done with careful attention to public relations. Swing and his agents controlled media coverage, creating news releases to tout the successes of deportations and crafting media relations in a manner conducive to INS interests. Such media strategy was necessary because the sweeps could be violent, even deadly. As historian Mae M. Ngai noted in her book, “Impossible Subjects,” “Some eighty-eight braceros died of sunstroke as a result of a round-up that had taken place in 112-degree heat, and [labor official Milton Plumb] argued that more would have died had Red Cross not intervened.”

    The U.S. operation was deployed at the height of the Bracero Program, a temporary worker initiative with Mexico that had been designed as a wartime labor relief measure but continued at the behest of the U.S. agriculture industry from 1942 to 1964. The program actively recruited over 309,000 Mexican laborers in 1954 to temporarily work on U.S. farms to, in the words of legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow, “harvest the food for the best-fed nation in the world.” But the demand for labor exceeded the federal contracts issued for workers, creating a demand for more undocumented migrants.

    And so in 1954, the INS began repatriating these undocumented workers with Swing’s tactics. Now recognized as a Low Intensity Conflict doctrine, Swing’s approach was similar to that used on the battlefield in response to the guerrilla tactics deployed first by Korean and later Vietnamese soldiers. In short, undocumented immigrants were treated as “enemies.”

    The military-style deportation campaign used sweeps, mop-up operations, military equipment and principles from low-intensity conflict spatial containment). Historian Juan Ramon García notes Attorney General Brownell gave a speech on the border where he stated that the best way to repel migrants from Mexico “would be to allow the border patrol to shoot some of them.” Swing, the first administration official to suggest a chain-link fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, was hired because he had a long history of policing the border stemming from his role in the Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa and his forces during the Mexican revolution.

    Sweeps began June 9 in California, then spread eastward through Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, with operations spreading to the Midwest by Sept. 18. Deportees were then airlifted from Chicago, Saint Louis, Kansas City, Memphis and Dallas. Others were shipped by sea to Veracruz in conditions human rights observers likened to slave ships.

    In the end, Swing’s operation resulted in the eventual mass deportation of an INS-estimated 1.3 million people (mostly undocumented Mexican migrants, but also legal temporary migrants and Mexicans of U.S. descent). This strategy induced fear and dehumanized immigrants, but it did little to curb the demand for Mexican workers from American businesses. It was not until 1986 that the United States took an active stance against undocumented migration by enforcing sanctions on employers who hire undocumented laborers.

    Rather than learning from such mistakes, the U.S. government has replicated them. The use of aircraft to survey the region in subsequent “mop-up operations,” military vehicles to hunt down and capture suspected undocumented immigrants and joint “roundups” by the Border Patrol and local police, all deployed by Swing and other officials, are the modus operandi of today’s U.S. Border Patrol.

    Today, we find ourselves as a nation with the commander in chief recently deploying himself at the U.S.-Mexico border to concoct his own border crisis. Trump’s visit to McAllen, Tex., earlier this month was clearly a public-relations stunt, during which he conflated drugs, crime and undocumented migrants to unabashedly promote a border crisis that would allow him to declare a national emergency, which would theoretically allow the military to build his wall.

    But such militaristic efforts did not work 60 years ago, and they are not working today. They do, however, create higher costs and escalate deaths and humanitarian abuses. The question remains as to how the American people will respond in 2019. There’s no question the Trump administration would like to see the exact same result from their public-relations “crisis.” Giving Trump his wall will only embolden the administration in its ongoing efforts at immigration restriction and mass deportations.

    Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/01/31/us-militarized-its-southern-border-once-before-it-didnt-work/

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    Schumer aide was forced out over ‘inappropriate encounters’ with staffers – Fox News
    Schumer aide was forced out over ‘inappropriate encounters’ with staffers – Fox News

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., saw his communications director depart last year over “inappropriate encounters” with staffers, a Schumer spokesman told Fox News. (Associated Press)

    The communications director for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was forced out of his role after the November midterm elections over “inappropriate encounters” with staffers, Fox News has learned.

    “Upon learning that he had inappropriate encounters within the office and that it was making some staff uncomfortable, he was asked to leave,” a Schumer spokesman told Fox News regarding Matt House, who served as the senator’s communications director for nearly six years.

    No specific allegations of improper behavior involving House were disclosed.

    KAMALA HARRIS AIDE RESIGNS OVER $400G HARASSMENT SETTLEMENT

    In a statement to the New York Post, House said: “I absolutely loved my time working in the Senate and it was the honor of my life. I deeply regret the mistakes I made on the number of occasions when I had too much to drink, and I apologize to anyone who was affected by my behavior.”

    “I have always respected all of my colleagues and I was horrified to learn that I made anyone feel uncomfortable. In the past three months, I’ve stopped drinking and I’ve committed to making myself a better colleague and person,” he continued.

    According to his LinkedIn page, House previously served from 2011 to 2012 as Schumer’s press secretary. Prior to joining Schumer’s office, House worked for then-Sen. Joe Biden’s 2008 presidential campaign.

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    In the past, Schumer has been quick to comment when powerful figures have crossed lines with underlings. Along with other Democrats, he pushed for former U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., to resign following sexual misconduct accusations and a Senate Ethics Committee investigation.

    The Schumer aide’s departure was another sign of turmoil among the staffs of top Democrats.

    In December a senior adviser to U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., resigned over inquiries about a $400,000 harassment lawsuit against him while working at the California Department of Justice.

    In August, reports surfaced that a longtime driver for U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was suspected of spying on behalf of the Chinese.

    Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this story.

    Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-schumer-aide-forced-out-after-after-innapropriate-encounters-in-office

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    Ralph Northam and Democrats reveal their disgusting distaste for any fetus with ‘abnormalities’ – Washington Examiner
    Ralph Northam and Democrats reveal their disgusting distaste for any fetus with ‘abnormalities’ – Washington Examiner

    Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday described third-trimester abortions as something done “in cases where there may be severe deformities or there may be a fetus that’s not viable.” Later that day, Northam’s Communications Director Ofirah Yheskel tried to clarify that Northam was referring to the fact that women seek third-trimester abortions only “except in the case of tragic or difficult circumstances, such as a nonviable pregnancy or in the event of severe fetal abnormalities.”

    Northam’s clarification isn’t much of an improvement, it’s more of a double-down: Rather than just choosing to end the life of any baby, he would advocate or support women who play God and only choose to give birth to healthy babies. This is wrong. Yet he’s not alone in proposing to eradicate from society those who seem like they would pose problems for parents and society alike. The humane, moral thing to do is encourage parents and society to value life in all its forms and try to help parents raising children with special needs.

    Northam’s comments do not represent a new concept. From ancient Sparta to the Holocaust, people with abnormalities, deformities, and diseases have been targeted and eradicated. When men give their moral compass over to the need to become like God (truly the oldest, darkest lie of all time) they lose their sense of justice, humanity, equality, and humility. In mankind’s quest to control the human population through power or or greed, dispelling of people who are deformed or “less than,” he pulls society downward through a maze of moral quagmires, bringing destruction — and with it, the spirit of humanity.

    For people born with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or any other myriad of diseases and problems, simple tasks life presents do pose tremendous challenges, to say nothing of the things that overwhelm other members of society. However, people with special needs also bring a unique kind of joy, peace, and light to many people. Watch this quick clip to get a glimpse of what I mean.

    Occasionally, some people shine a light on these incredible people. When Gerber chose a Down syndrome boy in Feb. 2018 to be its “Gerber baby” poster boy that year, how could you not help but cheer? Who among us really would look at his smiling face and say abortion would have been better?

    Still, the convenience of abortion perpetuates the myth that society is better off without people who might struggle — whether from autism, Down syndrome, or something else. New York offers, and perhaps Virginia will offer, abortion on demand: dangling the carrot of last-minute infanticide in front of parents who would undoubtedly be aware of the struggles raising a baby with special needs will present and choose to balk.

    While political officials might tout abortion as some kind of “final solution,” many parents are tempted to choose, or do choose, abortion because they truly do fear the challenge of raising a child with needs. They worry they will be unable to withstand the emotional, physical, financial, and marital pressures. In this video on Upworthy, Christine Grounds and Jonathan Mir describe how difficult it has been to raise their son Nicholas, who was born with microcephaly. “We had no idea that, in utero, there was anything wrong with Nicholas,” Grounds recalled. “I’m pretty sure no one would have been able to say conclusively that he has microcephaly,” she said. “But I would have terminated the pregnancy.”

    While it’s tempting to lash out or point fingers at parents like this, that too is a reactive solution full of the kind of righteous indignation the Left hates. We must rise up to help these parents. We must connect them with nonprofit organizations, religious organizations, pregnancy resource centers, healthcare providers, and any physical or emotional support we can offer. ( Here’s one such list to start with.) Conservatives cannot continually advocate for a culture of life without also tangibly stepping alongside those same parents who choose life, and who then must endeavor to raise a child under difficult circumstances. We must continue to call out people like Northam for advocating such a selfish, heinous “solution” to children with special needs and help parents who choose life instead.

    Nicole Russell (@russell_nm) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota.

    Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/ralph-northam-and-democrats-reveal-their-disgusting-distaste-for-any-fetus-with-abnormalities

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    Donald Trump Prepares ‘Military Response Options’ Against Russia as U.S. Leaves Nuclear Weapons Treaty – Newsweek
    Donald Trump Prepares ‘Military Response Options’ Against Russia as U.S. Leaves Nuclear Weapons Treaty – Newsweek

    President Donald Trump has confirmed the United States’ withdrawal from a key nuclear weapons treaty, saying he would confer with allies in preparation of potential military action against Russia’s missile arsenal.

    Secretary of State Mike Pompeo first announced on Friday the Trump administration’s decision to officially suspend its compliance with the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. The U.S. accused Russia of developing a new missile that would breach the banned 310-to-3,420-mile range limit for land-based systems, with the top diplomat arguing that “Russia’s violation puts millions of Europeans and Americans at greater risk” and “aims to put the United States at a military disadvantage.”

    Trump then issued a statement asserting that the U.S. “will not remain constrained by its terms while Russia misrepresents its actions.”

    “We cannot be the only country in the world unilaterally bound by this treaty, or any other,” the president said. “We will move forward with developing our own military response options and will work with NATO and our other allies and partners to deny Russia any military advantage from its unlawful conduct.”

    Secretary of State Mike Pompeo holds a news briefing at the State Department in Washington on February 1. Citing Russia’s alleged violation of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty, Pompeo announced that the United States would withdraw from the treaty, which has been a centerpiece of nuclear arms control since the Cold War, in 180 days, CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES

    Russia has dismissed accusations that its Novator 9M729 missile was in violation of the INF, and even exhibited the weapon for the first time earlier this month in a bid to refute U.S. claims, which date back to at least 2014. The White House first announced it would leave the INF in October 2018. Despite recent talks Moscow and Washington arranged to save the treaty, Pompeo said Friday that the U.S. would officially scrap the agreement in 180 days.

    Moscow rallied against Washington’s desire to leave the INF, with President Vladimir Putin pledging to “restore balance” in the military sphere. Both powers warned of retaliatory measures that would be taken should the other attempt to deploy new medium-range missile systems.

    U.S. ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison told reporters in October that if the 9M729 “became capable of delivering,” then the Western military alliance would “be looking at the capability to take out a missile that could hit any of our countries in Europe and hit America.” Later that same month, Putin warned European countries that accepted U.S. missile positions “that they will be subjecting their own territory to the threat of a possible retaliatory strike.”

    Russian military general staff chief General Valery Gerasimov then told foreign military attachés in December that “if the INF treaty is destroyed, we won’t leave it without a response,” adding, “You, as military professionals, must understand that the target for Russian retaliation won’t be U.S. territory but the countries where the intermediate-range missiles are deployed.”

    Per NATO’s Article 5, “Collective defence means that an attack against one Ally is considered as an attack against all Allies.”

    An unarmed LGM-30 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base on November 6, 2018. The weapon comprises the land-based third of the U.S. nuclear weapons triad. Jan Jones/U.S. AIR FORCE/DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

    U.S.-Russia relations entered a period of heightened tension following Moscow’s annexation of the neighboring Crimean Peninsula in 2014 in a disputed referendum following a political uprising in Ukraine, which has accused Russia of backing eastern separatists. Both Russia and U.S.-led NATO have shored up their mutual borders, conducting drills of historic magnitude in recent years.

    Along those borders, the U.S. installed missile defense systems that Russia claims could be used offensively, undermining its national security and violating the INF treaty. Long-standing Russian complaints of the U.S. building a global missile system were again raised in the wake of Trump’s announcement last month of the 2019 Missile Defense Review, through which he vowed to “detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States anywhere, anytime.”

    Russia and China, which have worked more closely together in recent years, both accused the U.S. of attempting to provoke an “arms race,” a stance echoed Friday by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, who warned that the U.S. withdrawal from the INF “seems like they are starting the game of putting economic pressure on us through a new arms race.”

    Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Rossiya-24 that “Moscow reserves the right to corresponding reactions and response measures,” as cited by the state-run Tass news agency. Zakharova said the pullout was “not about Russia’s guilt of violating this treaty, it is not about China or any other factor of international security,” but “the United States’ strategy of waiving international liabilities in various spheres.”

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    Source Article from https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-military-response-russia-treaty-1315046

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    Elizabeth Warren apologized to the Cherokee Nation for her DNA stunt – Washington Examiner
    Elizabeth Warren apologized to the Cherokee Nation for her DNA stunt – Washington Examiner

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has offered a private apology to the Cherokee Nation for publicizing the results of a DNA test showing she might have distant Native American ancestry, the Tulsa World reported.

    “We are encouraged by this dialogue and understanding that being a Cherokee Nation tribal citizen is rooted in centuries of culture and laws, not through DNA tests,” Julie Hubbard, the tribe’s executive director of communications, told Tulsa World. “We are encouraged by her action and hope that the slurs and mockery of tribal citizens and Indian history and heritage will now come to an end.”

    The reason for the apology? Warren is at most 1/1024th American Indian according to the DNA test. But she had made plenty of hay from her supposed Native American heritage for decades before that.

    Before embarrassing herself with her 23andMe stunt last October, Warren submitted recipes to the Pow Wow Chow cookbook, claimed Native American heritage on her Harvard Law School job application, and even fundraised off being nicknamed “Pocahontas” by the president.

    It was that mockery that inspired Warren to take the DNA test. It didn’t go well.

    The Cherokee Nation was one of the first to condemn Warren’s actions as “inappropriate and wrong.”

    “It makes a mockery out of DNA tests and its legitimate uses while also dishonoring legitimate tribal governments and their citizens, whose ancestors are well documented and whose heritage is proven,” Cherokee Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. said last year. “Senator Warren is undermining tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage.”

    Warren has made amends for that mistake. Whether Warren can convince primary voters her judgment is sound is another question. The apology is a start.

    Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/elizabeth-warren-apologized-to-the-cherokee-nation-for-her-dna-stunt

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    Trump to offer ‘aspirational,’ ‘visionary’ path in State of the Union address – The Washington Post
    Trump to offer ‘aspirational,’ ‘visionary’ path in State of the Union address – The Washington Post

    David Nakamura

    Josh Dawsey

    February 1 at 5:20 PM

    President Trump intends to offer an “aspirational” and “visionary” path for the nation at the State of the Union on Tuesday, White House aides said, even as his relations with lawmakers have soured over his threats to use executive power to bypass them.

    In his third prime-time address to the nation from the House chambers, Trump will call on Congress to work with him on initiatives around infrastructure and health care, while also reaffirming his strategy to toughen immigration enforcement, confront China on trade and actively intervene in the political upheaval in Venezuela, aides said in previewing the speech Friday.

    Trump will make an appeal for bipartisan support, the aides said, despite the heightened acrimony in the nation’s capital as the White House has engaged in a fierce standoff with Democrats over the president’s efforts to build a border wall. The speech comes after Trump began his third year in office last month during a partial government shutdown that ended only after the president set a Feb. 15 ultimatum to get his wall — with a threat to declare a national emergency if he is rebuffed.

    “Together we can break decades of political stalemate,” Trump plans to say, according to an excerpt of his prepared remarks offered by a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “We can bridge old divisions, heal old wounds, build new coalitions, forge new solutions and unlock the extraordinary promise of America’s future. The decision is ours to make.”

    [Trump predicts failure by congressional committee charged with resolving border stalemate]

    Earlier Friday, Trump was coy about his plans for a potential national emergency, which advisers have said could allow him to redirect some Pentagon funding to build the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

    “I don’t want to say,” Trump said at a midday photo op, when asked about that possibility. “You’ll hear the State of the Union, and let’s see what happens.”

    The president intends to highlight his immigration agenda, the senior administration official said, but the speech is not intended as a sweeping, lengthy complaint on that topic. The aide described the address, in length and tone, as in line with traditional State of the Union speeches from Trump.

    Among the key points, the president intends to call on lawmakers to ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement that his administration signed last year. That pact is intended to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump called unfair to American workers.

    The president also will discuss his national security and foreign policy initiatives, including his “determination to bring an end to U.S. foreign wars,” the official said. Trump has initiated a withdrawal of troops from Syria, though aides have emphasized that it will be done in a deliberate fashion as the United States continues to battle threats from the Islamic State. The president has suggested that the Islamic State has largely been defeated, but national security analysts say the group remains a potent threat in the region.

    [Senate rebukes Trump’s plan to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria, Afghanistan]

    The administration also has negotiated the outlines of a tentative peace deal with the Taliban, which could lead to a drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

    Trump’s speech had been scheduled for Jan. 29, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called it off because the shutdown was underway, leading to an angry response from the president, who denied her and several other Democrats access to a military plane to visit U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

    Stacey Abrams, the former minority leader of the Georgia House of Representatives who narrowly lost the gubernatorial race last fall, is slated to deliver the Democratic rebuttal to Trump.

    A joint negotiating committee on Capitol Hill is trying to work out a spending deal to keep the government open past Feb. 15, which is when the three-week continuing resolution that ended the shutdown is set to expire. Pelosi has said there will be no money for a wall in any deal, and in an interview with the New York Times on Thursday, Trump called the talks a “waste of time.”

    Asked if Trump would acknowledge the shutdown in his speech, the administration official said the president will “definitely talk about immigration and about where we are in that debate and present a path forward. The totality of the speech will address it because in some ways, he will offer a vision forward.”

    Last year, Trump used the State of the Union to admonish North Korea and build public support for his maximum-pressure campaign on dictator Kim Jong Un. That helped lead to a summit between the leaders in Singapore in June, and a second summit has been tentatively planned for the end of this month, perhaps in Vietnam.

    [Analysis: A Trump-Kim summit in Vietnam would carry major symbolism for North Korea]

    Trump has said an announcement of an exact date and location is imminent, but the administration official declined to say whether the president would talk about his engagement with Kim in the speech Tuesday.

    White House officials said the guest list for the first lady’s viewing box will be released Monday, but they said the speech likely will be worked on through Tuesday.

    “We’re always capable of incorporating things at the last minute,” the official said, “and we will be ready this time as well.”

    Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-to-offer-aspirational-visionary-path-in-state-of-the-union-address/2019/02/01/cd782836-2663-11e9-90cd-dedb0c92dc17_story.html

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