Rate of sea-level rise 'steeper'

Source: BBC

Their reassessment of tide gauge data from 1900-1990 found that the world's seas went up more slowly than earlier estimates - by about 1.2mm per year.

But this makes the 3mm per year tracked by satellites since 1990 a much bigger trend change as a consequence.

It could mean some projections for future rises having to be revisited.

"Our estimates from 1993 to 2010 agree with [the prior] estimates from modern tide gauges and satellite altimetry, within the bounds of uncertainty. But that means that the acceleration into the last two decades is far worse than previously thought," said Dr Carling Hay from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

"This new acceleration is about 25% higher than previous estimates," she told BBC News.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30816143

'Enough is enough.' Obama stands firm on telecoms ahead of State of the Union

Source: The Guardian

With a looming showdown over net neutrality bumping up against his internet-heavy State of the Union address, President Barack Obama continued his weeklong dance with telecommunications giants on Wednesday in Iowa, unveiling plans to challenge state laws that limit the expansion of high-speed broadband access.

The ambitious plan aims to make small US towns more powerful economic players by cracking laws that benefit major internet service providers. Obama praised the “visionary move” of the city of Cedar Falls to upgrade its broadband network, a move that has angered the major telecoms companies. But Obama showed no signs of backing down in pushing for an expansion of cheaper and speedier access – but also more competition.

“In too many places across America, some big companies are doing everything they can to keep out competitors,” Obama said. “Today I am saying we are going to change that. Enough is enough.”

After privacy advocates pushed back on cybersecurity measures announced by Obama ahead of Tuesday’s speech before Congress, open internet advocates are already pleased with the president’s plan to write a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, asking the agency to look at how it can undo restrictions on municipal internet service.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/14/obama-lift-curbs-small-town-broadband-access

Romney tells donors he is considering 2016 campaign

Source: Washington Post

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, told Republican donors in New York on Friday that he is seriously considering a third presidential campaign in 2016, according to a source present at the meeting.

Spencer Zwick, Romney’s former national finance co-chairman who was at the New York meeting, confirmed that Romney is weighing a 2016 run.

“I believe Mitt Romney is too much of a patriot to sit on the sidelines and concede the presidency to Hillary Clinton or Elizabeth Warren when he knows that he can fix the country,” Zwick said. “He traveled the country in 2014, met with voters, met with citizens, and I think at the end of the day he believes he could actually make a difference.”

Zwick added, “He won’t make a decision to run for president based on who else is in the race. He will make a decision based on his own desire and his own abilities. He has to decide on his own.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/01/09/romney-tells-donors-he-is-considering-2016-campaign/

Obama Proposes Free Community College Program

Source: ABC

The White House on Thursday announced a proposal that President Barack Obama said would make community college "free for everybody who is willing to work for it." But administration officials provided no details about the program's costs or where the money would come to pay for it.

Obama planned to formally announce the plan Friday at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee. He gave a preview in a videotaped message shot aboard Air Force One and posted on Facebook.

"It's not just for kids," Obama said. "We also have to make sure that everybody has the opportunity to constantly train themselves for better jobs, better wages, better benefits."

Obama provided few specifics, and White House and Education Department officials on a conference call with reporters Thursday evening said the funding details would come out later with the president's budget.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/obama-propose-free-community-college-program-28098580

Watch the Eiffel Tower go dark as Paris mourns.

Christie's records of canceled meetings with Jersey City mayor are subpoenaed: report

Source: NJ.com

Documents that are related to meetings that were canceled between Gov. Chris Christie and Jersey City mayor Steve Fulop have been subpoenaed by federal prosecutors in New Jersey, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Those meetings were allegedly canceled with Jersey City’s mayor after he declined to endorse the governor, according to people familiar with the matter, the paper reported.

U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman issued the subpoenas to Christie's re-election campaign, broadening an investigation related to the George Washington Bridge lane closures, according to the newspaper.

A Christie spokesman declined to comment and there was no response to a request for a comment from a lawyer for the re-election campaign, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Read more: http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2015/01/christies_records_of_cancelled_meetings_with_jersey_city_mayor_are_subpoenaed.html

Louie Gohmert Gets a Whopping 3 Votes for Speaker

Lawmakers consider investigating Christie Cowboys tickets

Source: CBS

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The joint legislative committee that led an investigation into the George Washington Bridge scandal is now considering looking into Gov. Chris Christie's free tickets and travel to Dallas Cowboys games.

Democratic Assemblyman John Wisniewski says that he and co-chair Loretta Weinberg have discussed probing whether Christie violated state ethics rules when he accepted tickets from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Wisniewski says this is "precisely the type of behavior that is within the jurisdiction of the committee's scope of authority." He pointed to a Wall Street Journal story reporting that the Cowboys co-own a company that received a Port Authority contract.

Read more: http://cbs7.com/news/state/article_8f47ef31-db5f-586a-8b34-9b8ed092565b.html

Group with ties to Hillary Clinton files ethics complaint against Chris Christie for Dallas trip

Source: NJ.com

TRENTON — A Democratic group with ties to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today filed a complaint with the New Jersey State Ethics Commission over Gov. Chris Christie’s recent trip to Dallas to root for the Cowboys.

American Democracy Legal Fund wants the commission to investigate whether the governor violated state ethic rules by accepting gifts from Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones – including a flight for Christie and his family on a private jet. The group has close ties to American Bridge, a pro-Democratic group that conducts opposition research on Republicans.

They argue the flight and seats inside the owner’s luxury box at NFL games violated state rules because Jones is a part-owner of a hospitality company – Legends Hospitality – that was awarded a lucrative Port Authority of New York and New Jersey hospitality services contract, according to published reports.

“… Given Mr. Jones’ own personal business relationship with the Port Authority which is partially controlled by Governor Christie, it appears Governor Christie’s acceptance of gifts from Mr. Jones violates (state ethic rules),” reads the complaint filed by Brad Woodhouse, treasurer for American Democracy Legal Fund.

Read more: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/01/group_with_ties_to_hillary_clinton_files_ethics_complaint_against_chris_christie_for_dallas_trip.html#incart_river

Ted Cruz: Your Two-Time Equine Posterior Achievement Award Winner