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 | January 26, 2015 |
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| "POTENTIALLY HISTORIC" STORM |
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NYT: Mayor Says Storm Could Be Biggest Ever To Hit New York City
A winter that has largely spared the Northeast thus far is about to arrive with gusto: A storm the National Weather Service called "potentially historic" could dump 2 to 3 feet of snow from northern New Jersey to Connecticut. A blizzard warning was issued for New York and Boston, and the National Weather Service said the massive storm would bring heavy snow and powerful winds starting Monday and into Tuesday. "This could be a storm the likes of which we have never seen before," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio at a news conference Sunday. De Blasio held up a piece of paper showing the city's top 10 snowstorms and said this one could land at the top of a list that goes back to 1872. "Don't underestimate this storm. Prepare for the worst," he said as he urged residents to plan to leave work early Monday. Read more..
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| More News |
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| POLITICAL NEWS |
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The Hill: McConnell: Obama Sounds Like He's Running For A Third Term
Following the Obama’s State of the Union address last Tuesday, “my first thought was it sounded like he was running for a third term,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tells CBS’s “60 Minutes.” ... “He seemed to have completely forgotten or chose to ignore the election last November,” McConnell said. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he is disappointed Obama didn’t extend an “olive branch” to the new Republican leadership during his speech. "You know, the president could have, with the State of the Union, just put out an olive branch, could've taken just a little bit different tone that would've indicated to us that there's some interest in working with us,” Boehner said in a joint interview with McConnell. "I can tell you, we're interested in working with him.” Read more..
Des Moines Register: Republicans Make Pitches At Iowa Freedom Summit
No one seemed to regret the absence of Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush from the stage during a marathon session of conservative political theater in Iowa, as a string of GOP speakers urged Iowa Republicans not to buckle to the establishment. A parade of nine Republicans who are considering presidential bids engaged in an all-out battle for the conservative vote at U.S. Rep. Steve King's inaugural Iowa Freedom Fest. While the 1,500-member audience, made up predominantly of constitutional and religious conservative activists, seemed plenty happy with the speeches by Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Rick Perry, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Carly Fiorina, it was Scott Walker and Ted Cruz who were best received. Even Chris Christie, who argued against the conventional wisdom in some quarters that he isn't conservative enough for Iowa, got an enthusiastic standing ovation for a speech audience members later described as heartfelt and genuine. Read more..
The Hill: Scott Walker’s Stock Is Soaring After A Triumphant Return To Iowa
The Wisconsin Republican governor delivered a pitch-perfect speech to a room packed with influential Hawkeye State conservatives on Saturday, walking them through his robust resume and ideology with a passion that surprised many. Activists say Walker came out on top after 10 hours of candidate speeches. “It was a clear Walker victory. He had expectations coming in here, he was on everyone's shortlist and he had to meet those expectations and I thought he far exceeded them,” said former Iowa Republican Party political director Craig Robinson. “I thought his speech was just perfect, and I thought his delivery was perfect. The delivery really surprised me.” Read more..
NBC News: Huckabee Defends His Breaks From Conservative Orthodoxy
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee made it clear on Sunday that he's preparing to jump into the 2016 presidential race. "When you become an active candidate, then you file the FEC papers. But I think it's pretty evident that I'm moving in that direction," he told Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press. Huckabee said he will decide whether to formally launch a presidential campaign by the late spring. Huckabee also defended his breaks from conservative orthodoxy on Common Core education standards, immigration and cap and trade. He said he would support a bill to give in-state benefits to undocumented immigrants again, as he did in 2006 as governor of Arkansas. Read more..
Des Moines Register: Trump: 'I Would've Won The Race Against Obama'
Donald Trump is aggressively pushing himself back onto the Iowa stage as presidential material. In a sit-down interview with The Des Moines Register, he said the two presumed GOP frontrunners, Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush, are doomed to lose — and he expressed regret that he hadn't run himself in 2012. Trump said he should be in the White House right now. "I was leading in every poll. ... I regret that I didn't stay in," he said in an interview before a private dinner at the Stine Barn in West Des Moines. "I would've won the race against (President Barack) Obama. He would've been easy. Hillary (Clinton) is tougher to beat than Obama, but Hillary is very beatable." Trump said he heard Bush is trying to raise $15 million before he makes up his mind about running. "If I do it, I'll be self-funding so that solves that problem. Which is nice," he said. As for timing of a decision, he said: "It's too early for me to say. I'll may make a decision to run before June. But I'm strongly inclined to do so." Read more..
Washington Post: Jeb Bush Previews 2016 Run, Promising ‘Adult Conversations’ On Big Issues
Jeb Bush previewed the ideas at the heart of his likely presidential campaign, delivering a sweeping address [in San Francisco] Friday about the economy, foreign affairs and energy exploration, and challenging the country to question “every aspect of how government works.” In his first major speech since stepping into the 2016 presidential sweepstakes in December, the Republican former Florida governor spoke confidently and in significant detail about the broad range of issues beginning to shape the campaign for the White House. Bush signaled he would offer the country the “adult conversations” he said are lacking in Washington and would focus on people who have been left out of the economic revival. ... Bush was sharply critical of Washington — not only of President Obama but also of the Republican-controlled Congress — saying there were too many “academic and political hacks” with “hard-core ideology” who are running the country without making progress. Read more..
WSJ: Obama, Modi Say Progress Made On Civil Nuclear Trade
After extended talks Sunday, Messrs. Obama and Modi said they had resolved some of the issues that have prevented U.S. firms from investing in nuclear power plants in India but left unclear what sticking points remained. The two leaders discussed long-standing differences, including the impasse over India’s liability law, which would hold American suppliers responsible for accidents at the power plants. Mr. Modi said a civil-nuclear agreement would be the centerpiece of a transformed U.S.-India relationship. Read more..
NBC News: Diplomatic 'Spat': White House Distances Itself From Netanyahu Comments
This morning on Meet the Press, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough responded to an article in Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, from Friday that quoted a senior U.S. official as saying "[Netanyahu] spat in our face publicly." The source quoted in the article went on to say that the prime minister "ought to remember that President Obama has a year and a half left to his presidency, and that there will be a price." McDonough denied that the anonymous source was him or President Obama, "I can guarantee that it's not me, not the president, and not what we believe." "We think that, as a general matter, we, the United States, has stayed out of internal politics in the countries of our closest allies," he said. Read more..
NYT: Obama to Seek To Protect Millions of Acres Of Arctic Habitat
President Obama will ask Congress to increase environmental protections for millions of acres of pristine animal habitat in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska in a move that already has triggered fierce opposition from the state’s Republican lawmakers. The White House announced Sunday that Mr. Obama would ask Congress to designate 12 million acres of the refuge’s 19 million acres as wilderness. The wilderness designation is the strongest level of federal protection afforded to public lands, and would forbid a range of activity that includes drilling for oil and gas and construction of roads. If the proposal is enacted, the area would be the largest wilderness designation since Congress passed the Wilderness Act over 50 years ago. But the proposal seems unlikely to find support in Congress, now with a Republican majority in both houses and a leadership that has consistently rebuffed Mr. Obama’s environmental agenda. Read more..
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| GREEK VOTE GOES TO LEFT-WING PARTY & OTHER STORIES FOR THIS MONDAY MORNING |
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NYT: Greeks Vote In Austerity Foes, A Major Shift
Greece rejected the harsh economics of austerity on Sunday and sent a warning to the rest of Europe as the left-wing Syriza party won a decisive victory in national elections, positioning its tough-talking leader, Alexis Tsipras, to become the next prime minister. With almost 98 percent of the vote counted, Syriza had 36 percent, almost nine points more than the governing center-right New Democracy party of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who conceded defeat. The only uncertainty was whether Syriza would muster a parliamentary majority on its own or have to form a coalition. Appearing before a throng of supporters outside Athens University late Sunday, Mr. Tsipras, 40, declared that the era of austerity was over and promised to revive the economy. He also said his government would not allow Greece’s creditors to strangle the country. Read more..
AP: Iran Foreign Minister Summoned To Explain Stroll With Kerry
Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has been summoned before parliament to explain his recent public stroll with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, according to a Sunday report by the country's official IRNA news agency. On Jan. 14, on the sidelines of ongoing nuclear negotiations, Zarif took a 15-minute walk through the streets of Geneva with Kerry. Now, according to IRNA, 21 Iranian parliamentarians are demanding that Zarif explain his "diplomatic mistake." Zarif is representing Iran in negotiations with the so-called "P5+1" global powers — the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. Zarif and moderate President Hassan Rouhani have faced intense skepticism from Iranian hard-liners — who believe they are making too many concessions to the West in negotiations to limit the scope of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the easing of crippling international economic sanctions. Read more..
Yahoo News: Japan Stunned By Video Claiming Death Of Islamic State Hostage
From the prime minister to ordinary people, Japanese were shocked Sunday at a video purportedly showing one of two Japanese hostages of the extremist Islamic State group had been killed. With attention focused on efforts to save the other hostage, some also criticized Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's drive for a more assertive Japan as responsible for the hostage crisis. A somber Abe appeared on public broadcaster NHK early Sunday demanding the militants release 47-year-old journalist Kenji Goto unharmed. He said the video was likely authentic, although he added that the government was still reviewing it. He offered condolences to the family and friends of Haruna Yukawa, a 42-year-old adventurer taken hostage in Syria last year. Abe declined to comment on the message in the video, which demanded a prisoner exchange for Goto. Read more..
Reuters: At Least 17 Killed In Protests On Anniversary Of Egypt Uprising
At least 17 people were killed on Sunday in Egypt's bloodiest protests since Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected president, as security forces fired at protesters marking the anniversary of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak. Gunfire and sirens could be heard in Cairo into the night as armoured personnel carriers moved through the centre of a city where security forces had once again used lethal force against dissenters. A Health Ministry spokesman said at least 17 people had been killed at protests across the country. The anniversary was a test of whether Islamists and liberal activists had the resolve to challenge a government that has persistently stamped out dissent since the then-army chief Sisi ousted elected Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in July 2013 after mass protests against his rule. Read more..
AP: Rocket Fire Kills 30 Civilians In Ukrainian City Of Mariupol
Indiscriminate rocket fire slammed into a market, schools, homes and shops Saturday in Ukraine's southeastern city of Mariupol, killing at least 30 people, authorities said. The Ukrainian president called the blitz a terrorist attack and NATO and the U.S. demanded that Russia stop supporting the rebels. Ukrainian officials rushed to defend the strategically important port on the Sea of Azov, beefing up military positions with more equipment and sending in more forces. The separatists' top leader declared that an offensive against Mariupol had begun — then later toned down his threats as the scale of the civilian casualties became clear. President Petro Poroshenko held an emergency meeting of his military officials and cut short a trip to Saudi Arabia to coordinate the government's response.Read more..
AFP: Spain Arrests Four Suspected Jihadists
Spanish police on Saturday arrested four suspected Islamist extremists who were prepared to launch attacks in Spain, the government said. Officers detained two pairs of brothers, Spaniards of Moroccan origin, in the Spanish territory of Ceuta bordering Morocco, the interior ministry said in a statement. It said they had "a very similar profile" to the killers in this month's Islamist attacks in France, but made no material link between the two cases. Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz compared the suspects to the two brothers -- Cherif and Said Kouachi -- who killed 12 people in an attack on the Paris offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Read more..
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Planes Cleared After 'Credible' Bomb Threats Against 2 Atlanta Flights
FBI spokesman Stephen Emmett told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that NORAD scrambled military fighter jets to escort the two planes to Atlanta after the threats were made. The FBI confirmed that the threats were made via Twitter. While authorities have not yet released information on the Twitter account responsible for the specific threatening tweets, someone calling himself “King Zortic” first posted messages to Delta on Twitter around noon that said, “I have a bomb on one of your planes, but I forgot which one when I left the airport. Can you help me find it?,” and “It was from Portland to Atlanta, I forgot the flight number, though. It was something like DL156 or DL 1556 I forgot the order.” Another tweet read, “It was smuggled through one of the back entrances because the airport didn’t have much security around one of the entrances so the bomb is at the back of the plane. Everyone will know when it’s detonated.” Read more..
AP: Miss Colombia Crowned Miss Universe In Miami
Miss Colombia Paulina Vega has been crowned Miss Universe, beating out first runner-up Miss USA Nia Sanchez and contestants from more than 80 other countries at Sunday's pageant in Miami. Vega, a 22-year-old student of business administration from Barranquilla, Colombia, said the contests leading up to Miss Universe were the first she had participated in. She also said they would be her last as she would be eager to return to her studies in Colombia after her reign. Read more..
WSJ: SkyMall Files For Bankruptcy
The company behind the in-flight catalog SkyMall filed for bankruptcy protection, a victim of evolving rules and technology that now lets airline passengers keep their smartphones and tablets powered up during flight. `After 25 years selling quirky products like a Darth Vader toaster or a paper towel holder with USB ports, SkyMall LLC is seeking a court supervised sale of its assets, according to papers filed Thursday with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Phoenix. The company, which started in 1989, fully suspended its retail catalog operation Jan. 16, and laid off 47 of its 137 employees, according to court papers. SkyMall’s parent company Xhibit Corp. , which acquired the business in 2013, is also seeking Chapter 11 protection. Read more..
St. Louis Business Journal: Shake Shack IPO Values Company At $568 Million
Shake Shack, the fast-food restaurant chain founded by St. Louis' Danny Meyer, has set a price range for its initial public offering at $14-$16 per share. The amount would value the chain at about $568 million, Reuters reported, but that value is significantly lower that some optimistic predictions that stated the valuation could be closer to $1 billion. The chain has chosen SHAK as its ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange,according to the New York Times. The New York Business Journal said Shake Shack's biggest challenge might be growing profit margins as it expands outside the New York area and beyond. Read more..
SI: Deflategate Checkmate? Bill Nye Calls Out Bill Belichick's Science
Belichick on Saturday held a second press conference to address allegations the Patriots had deliberately under-inflated footballs in the team's 45-7 AFC Championship victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Belichick claimed rubbing the footballs to break them in over the course of a game was to blame for lowering their pressure. "Rubbing the football, I don't think you can change the pressure," Nye said, indicating one would need an air pump with a needle in order to change ball pressure. "I cannot help but say, go Seahawks," Nye said. Read more..
Chicago Tribune: Cubs Legend Ernie Banks Dies Of Heart Attack
The lawyer for the family of Chicago baseball great Ernie Banks said Sunday that the legendary player died Friday after suffering a heart attack, just a week short of his 84th birthday. A public service for Banks likely will be Wednesday at Daley Plaza, sources said. The statue of Banks from Wrigley Field, which was removed last fall during renovations, has returned to Chicago to be used for the public memorial, said Brent Harris, proprietor of the Kalamazoo shop where it was supposed to be refurbished. New bolts were added in order for the statue to be mounted in Daley Plaza this week from Wednesday morning through Saturday. Read more..
ESPN: Mike Krzyzewski Becomes 1st Div. I Men's Coach To Reach 1,000 Wins
Mike Krzyzewski earned his 1,000th career win Sunday, making him the first NCAA Division I men's coach to reach the milestone, when No. 5 Duke surged past St. John's in the second half for a 77-68 victory at Madison Square Garden. Tyus Jones scored 22 points and the Blue Devils (17-2) went on an 18-2 run down the stretch to put Coach K in four figures on his first try. "I'm not sure I've ever been a part of a game like that. That's kind of nuts, huh?" Krzyzewski said. "It just seemed like three different games." ... When the final horn sounded, Blue Devils players engulfed Krzyzewski and he received a bear hug from assistant Jeff Capel. Photographers swarmed the coach on the court, and players were given T-shirts that read "1,000 Wins And Kounting." Read more..
AP: 'American Sniper' Dominates The Weekend Box Office Again
The military drama starring Bradley Cooper as Navy SEAL marksman Chris Kyle topped the box office for a second weekend in a row with $64.4 million in first place, according to studio estimates Sunday. "American Sniper" is up for six Academy Awards, including best picture and best actor for Cooper. The total haul for the Warner Bros. film now stands at $200.1 million. "American Sniper" also earned an additional $17.6 million in 16 international territories, including Australia, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Read more..
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