January 26, 2018

Democratic candidates hope to ride anti-Trump wave to victory in GOP congressional stronghold

The Democrats vying to replace disgraced former Rep. Trent Franks hope a national wave of opposition to President Donald Trump will help them break Republicans' decades-long vice grip on the West Valley congressional seat.

Physician Hiral Tipirneni and activist Brianna Westbrook took every opportunity Thursday to say how they oppose Trump's policies — on immigration, taxes, climate change and other issues — during an hourlong debate hosted by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com.

It was in sharp contrast to five of their GOP foes, who debated Wednesday, promoting themselves as border-security hawks and loyal allies of the president.

"The voters, they're wanting to talk about the issues, they're not talking partisan ideology," Tipirneni said. "The energy is there, it's on the ground and I'm incredibly excited to see the results of this election."

Read more: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/01/25/democratic-candidates-hope-ride-anti-trump-wave-victory-gop-congressional-stronghold/1067986001/

January 26, 2018

Tax break for military retirees barely passes Senate committee

By the barest margin, a Senate panel voted Wednesday to give an additional break in state taxes to military retirees despite the potential loss of $15 million in revenues.

SB 1167, approved on a 4-3 bipartisan vote by the Finance Committee, would allow those who have served for at least 20 years to exempt $10,000 of their pensions from the state income tax. That quadruples the current $2,500 exemption.

About 55,000 of the state’s estimated 550,000 veterans would qualify.

Sen. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, told colleagues they should not look at her proposal as a tax break but as a “workforce development bill.”

“Military retirees bring with them diverse skills, education and experience that Arizona desperately needs,” she said.

Read more: http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2018/01/24/tax-break-for-military-retirees-barely-passes-senate-committee/

January 26, 2018

Legislature passes opioids package

State lawmakers voted late Thursday to adopt changes in laws on opioids despite what some said are flaws and concerns by others that the plan won’t do much of anything to deal with the drug abuse epidemic.

The unanimous approval came just hours after the Republicans who control both the House and Senate picked apart the package that Gov. Doug Ducey presented to them Monday and asked that they give final approval in three days.

It wasn’t just the rush to make massive changes in Arizona law that concerned a few lawmakers who pointed out that many of the key provisions do not even take effect until next year. The bigger fear is that some of what’s in the package has not been well thought out.

One complaint deals with a provision designed to ensure that doctors do not provide larger doses than appropriate.

Read more: http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2018/01/25/arizona-legislature-doug-ducey-opioid-special-session-legislation-package-passes/

January 26, 2018

Grumpy Cat snatches lump of cash in California court

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — It still won't make her smile, but Grumpy Cat has won some scratch.

A California jury gave the furry frown queen more than $700,000 this week in a federal lawsuit over the use of her identity.

According to documents obtained by The Washington Post, owner Tabatha Bundesen of Morristown, Arizona, won the lawsuit first filed three years ago against the Grenade beverage company.

She signed on for the cat to endorse a "Grumpy Cat Grumpuccino," but the company subsequently used the cat's image to help sell other products, which an eight-person jury on Monday found was unauthorized.

Read more: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Grumpy-Cat-snatches-lump-of-cash-in-California-12523637.php

$700,000 will buy a lot of Friskies.

January 26, 2018

Venezuela prosecutor orders arrest of former state oil chief

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's chief prosecutor ordered the arrest of the former head of the state oil company Thursday, accusing him of bankrupting the downtrodden country's primary source of income.

Officials also announced that Venezuela is expelling the Spanish ambassador, a move that further isolates the Latin American nation from the international community.

Rafael Ramirez, the former head of the PDVSA state oil company, is wanted on suspicion of money laundering and embezzlement, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said.

Ramirez recently resigned as Venezuela's ambassador at the United Nations after falling out with Venezuela's socialist president, Nicolas Maduro.

Read more: http://www.mrt.com/business/energy/article/Venezuela-prosecutor-orders-arrest-of-former-12526575.php

January 26, 2018

50 Cent 'forgot' he was paid in bitcoin in 2014. It's now worth about $8M.

As recently as 2015, rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson claimed to be flat broke. The second-wealthiest rapper in history meekly pleaded his case in bankruptcy court.

But less than three years later, the man who went from rags to riches to rags again is again a millionaire — many times over, in fact.

50 Cent reportedly cashed in his minority stake in Effen Vodka for $60 million in 2017. (The company says its partnership with the rapper continues, however.)

On Tuesday TMZ reported that 50 took bitcoin as payment for his 2014 album "Animal Ambition," back when companies such as Microsoft, Dell and Overstock.com were just beginning to accept the cryptocurrency. He supposedly was the first rapper to take a chance on bitcoin.

Read more: http://www.mrt.com/music/article/Report-50-Cent-forgot-he-was-paid-in-bitcoin-12522263.php

January 26, 2018

Man fatally shot by FBI agent a kidnap victim

HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on a man fatally shot as FBI agents raided a Houston home (all times local):

7:15 p.m.

Authorities say a man fatally shot by an FBI agent during an early morning raid on a Houston home was a kidnap victim.

FBI spokeswoman Christina Garza says an agent shot the man during an "operation" at the home shortly before 4 a.m. Thursday. The man, who hasn't been identified, later died at a hospital.

Police in Conroe, about 40 miles north of Houston, confirmed the man had been kidnapped and held for ransom.

It's unclear what led to the gunfire. Two men and one woman are charged with aggravated kidnapping. The men also are charged with aggravated robbery.

Garza says the agent who fired the fatal shot is on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Read more: http://hosted2.ap.org/TXAMA/e05b37b286d245c59be2fc10c9fbb84d/Article_2018-01-25-US--FBI%20Raid-Man%20Killed-The%20Latest/id-2b313ccb3efc4f2e8e45f7e12b14706b

January 26, 2018

Driller in Oklahoma explosion has history of fatal accidents

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Ten workers have died over the past decade at well sites linked to drilling contractor Patterson-UTI, the same driller involved in this week's rig explosion in Oklahoma that killed five workers, federal records show.

An analysis of Occupational Safety and Health Administration data shows the previous accidents happened at drilling sites in Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Texas.

The company also was fined nearly $367,000 over the past 10 years for more than 140 safety violations, many of them serious.

"Patterson-UTI has embraced a culture of continuous improvement in safety, training and operations," the company said in a statement in response to questions about its safety record. "In recent years, we have invested millions of dollars on training and protective equipment and worked to instill a company-wide culture where safety is the top priority of each employee."

Read more: http://hosted2.ap.org/TXAMA/9fe6901e65e14c17b96e6d68f3208992/Article_2018-01-24-US--Drilling%20Rig%20Explosion-Oklahoma/id-050eaf2a66d34fbb989f2e72a6f2b611

January 26, 2018

Owner of elephants that got stranded has faced scrutiny

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A circus that owns four elephants that were briefly stranded this week along an Oklahoma roadway also had a pachyderm escape its enclosure and roam free through a Wisconsin residential neighborhood last summer, federal records show.

A female Carson & Barnes Circus elephant named Kelly got loose in June at Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection report. The federal agency said in a document dated July 6 that the elephant could have been injured or hurt people.

The four elephants in Oklahoma were en route to Iowa on Wednesday when the floor began falling out of the trailer that was hauling them, leaving them stalled for about two hours awaiting another ride, according to the state Highway Patrol. The floor of the trailer was dragging on the road, sparking grass fires along the way.

Photos of the elephants moving from one trailer to another were shared widely on social media and prompted outcries from animal rights activists. The complaints come amid increased scrutiny of elephants in circuses and other public displays.

Read more: http://hosted2.ap.org/TXAMA/9fe6901e65e14c17b96e6d68f3208992/Article_2018-01-25-US--Stalled%20Elephants-Oklahoma/id-358de8d5f7f446b5a02f13af4351d917

January 26, 2018

AG Paxton says he will consider suing to end DACA if court case drags on

by Julián Aguilar, Texas Tribune


Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday informed the U.S. Supreme Court that if the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program still exists in June, his office would consider filing suit to eliminate the program.

The Obama-era program protects hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants from immediate deportation and allows them to legally work in the United States. But President Donald Trump in September 2017 announced his administration would end the program in March of this year. A federal district judge in California has placed that on temporary hold however, ruling that the administration could not abruptly shut down the program. Since then, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services began accepting renewal applications for two-year DACA permits, although new applications are not being considered.

The Trump administration has since asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider the case and overturn the judge's decision. It was in an amicus brief Paxton filed in support of the president Thursday that his office said it would consider future litigation.

“Indeed, if the injunction is maintained through June 2018, amici States will be forced to consider filing a lawsuit challenging the original 2012 memorandum creating DACA,” the filing reads, referring to the 12 other states that signed on to Paxton’s brief.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/01/25/ag-paxton-says-he-will-consider-suing-end-daca-if-court-case-drags/