Jose Garcia
Jose Garcia's JournalAs trial date draws near, FBI releases more about secretive 9/11 Review Commission
Source: Florida Bulldog
In moves aimed at heading off an unusual Freedom of Information Act trial in Miami next month, the FBI has released new information about the secretive work of its 9/11 Review Commission.
In one disclosure, the FBI made public how much it paid Reagan-era Attorney General Edwin Meese and two other men who served on the Review Commission, and staff. In another, the FBI put a human face on its effort to discredit a dramatic April 16, 2002 FBI report that said agents had found “many connections” between Saudis living in Sarasota and the 9/11 hijackers.
The FBI withheld the 2002 report from both Congress and the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, more simply known as the 9/11 Commission.
Late last year, in response to FOIA litigation brought by Florida Bulldog, the FBI made public copies of its personal services contracts with Meese, former ambassador and congressman Timothy Roemer and Georgetown professor Bruce Hoffman, but blacked out their pay.
Read more: http://www.floridabulldog.org/2017/02/trial-date-draws-nears-fbi-releases-new-details-about-secretive-911-review-commission/
Journalist Claims Omarosa Manigault Threatened Her, Said White House Has Dossier on Her
Source: New York Magazine
Somehow Gateway Pundit bloggers showing off their new White House press credentials in a tweet featuring a Pepe the Frog emoji was not the most troubling report about the White House press corps on Monday. A reporter claims that during an argument just outside the Oval Office last week, Omarosa Manigault, Apprentice star turned White House communications official, “physically intimidated” her. She said Manigault also told her that the Trump administration has collected “dossiers” of negative information on her and several other journalists.
According to the Washington Post, the exchange between Manigualt and April Ryan, American Urban Radio Networks’ White House correspondent, took place outside White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s office. “She stood right in my face like she was going to hit me,” Ryan told the paper. “I said, ‘You better back up.’ … She thought I would be bullied. I won’t be.”
Post reporter Abby Phillip was one of several people who witnessed the incident. Phillip said she didn’t hear every word, but Ryan told her afterward that she felt Manigault’s behavior was “Secret Serviceable,” meaning it warranted intervention by law enforcement.
Ryan also said that during the encounter Manigault told her she was one of several African-American journalists whom the White House is keeping dossiers on. “I said, ‘Good for you, good for you, good for you,’” Ryan said.
Read more: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/02/journalist-says-omarosa-threatened-her-has-dossier-on-her.html
New immigration measures prompts surge in number of residents seeking U.S. citizenship
Source: The Miami Herald
Demand for help to apply for U.S. citizenship has increased in recent weeks across South Florida, according to activists and organizations that serve immigrants.
Hundreds of people have attended citizenship workshops and some said they are taking the step because they are worried about their future in a country now under new immigration measures touted by President Donald Trump.
In Lauderhill, some 200 people were expected to attend a naturalization workshop on Saturday hosted by several organizations. But twice as many showed up.
“I’ve been here for over 30 years, and I’ve never thought about going through this process,” said Yves Darbouze, who applied for citizenship. “Now they’re sending people home. I have family here. I have my kids, who were born here. Even though I’m a permanent resident, I’m afraid that they might send me back. That’s why I’m here. I don’t want to be separated from my family.”
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article132516229.html
Scott playing budget hardball over repeal of EFI, Visit Florida, members say
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott’s staff is sending an indirect but unmistakable message to Florida lawmakers, according to several House members: If you support legislation abolishing two economic development entities strongly backed by the governor, you can kiss your budget items goodbye.
The governor’s office says the notion that it is tying the fate of House members' pet projects to how they vote on legislation that would shutter Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida is “absolutely false.” None of the lawmakers interviewed by POLITICO Florida have indicated that their discussions were held directly with the governor.
"The word ‘threat’ was not used, but the message was clear,” said a House member lobbied on the economic development reform bill. “It’s a pretty hardline approach so early in the process. If they want the House to work with them [governor’s office] in the future, they might want to rethink it.”
For veteran political observers, a governor using his line-item veto pen as leverage to muscle policy priorities out of the Legislature is nothing new.
more: http://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2017/02/some-house-members-say-they-are-feeling-scott-squeeze-over-repeal-of-efi-visit-florida-109540
Corcoran weighs potential suit against Scott administration over massive Florida Lottery contract
TALLAHASSEE — House Speaker Richard Corcoran is considering suing the Scott administration because he says a new massive lottery contract worth more than $700 million violates the state law that gives the Legislature budget writing authority, according to a draft complaint reviewed by POLITICO Florida.
In the potential lawsuit, Corcoran says that the Florida Department of Lottery’s agreement with Nevada-based International Gaming Technology would force the Legislature to fund a big increase in certain types of ticket terminals. Department officials have made the case that the new deal will boost overall sales and state revenues.
Though the Legislature is responsible for crafting the state budget, House General Counsel Adam Tanenbaum says that the contract should be found “void” because it represents an executive agency binding lawmakers to provide a funding boost, according to a complaint being drafted by House attorneys.
“Simply put, the Florida Lottery cannot enter into a contract that obligates the agency to pay more in subsequent fiscal years than its current budget authority allows,” reads the complaint.
more: http://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2017/02/corcoran-considering-suing-scott-administration-over-massive-lottery-contract-109580
DOJ asks to postpone district court proceedings on travel ban
Source: The Hill
The Trump administration is seeking to delay district court proceedings on the president’s travel ban until after an appeals court decides whether to rehear the case, suggesting that the government may not ask the Supreme Court to step in just yet.
A three-judge panel on the San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decided last Thursday not to reinstate Trump’s executive action on immigration and refugees while the policy works its way through the legal system.
But an unknown judge on the appeals court has requested that the entire court vote whether to rehear the case through “en banc” review. That process would task an 11-judge panel to review the case and could result in another hearing. A majority of the active judges would need to agree to review the case.
The Ninth Circuit asked both the defendants and plaintiffs to file briefs by this Thursday about whether they think the case should be heard en banc.
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/319284-doj-asks-to-postpone-district-court-proceedings-on-travel-ban
TSA employees arrested for cocaine smuggling operation in Puerto Rico
Source: The Hill
A dozen airport and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees have been arrested for their alleged involvement in a massive cocaine smuggling operation in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
The defendants are accused of helping smuggle approximately 20 tons of cocaine through Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport over the course of 18 years, from 1998 to 2016.
The investigation was initiated by the TSA as part of an ongoing effort to target employee misconduct and reduce insider threats.
The operation allegedly involved employees smuggling suitcases through TSA checkpoints at the airport and onto flights, with as many as five mules on some flights and with each mule checking two suitcases in some cases.
Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/319246-tsa-employees-arrested-for-cocaine-smuggling-operation-in-puerto-rico
IBM leader defends role on Trump advisory council
Source: The Hill
The head of IBM is defending her role on President Trump’s business advisory council.
In an internal letter to employees, CEO Ginni Rometty stressed that IBM “does not espouse a partisan or political point of view.”
“Some have suggested that we should not engage with the U.S. administration. I disagree,” Rometty wrote in the letter, obtained by The Hill and first reported on by TechCrunch, which was distributed shortly after a meeting with Trump earlier this month.
“Our experience has taught us that engagement — reaching out, listening and having authentic dialogue — is the best path to good outcomes.”
Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/technology/319257-ibm-leader-defends-role-on-trump-advisory-council
Trump cancels reported bill signing in Ohio
Source: The Hill
President Trump will not be in Ohio this week, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Monday.
Though the White House had never officially announced the trip, the administration had issued an advisory last week suggesting Trump would make a visit to Vienna, Ohio, according to the newspaper.
The Youngstown Vindicator reported over the weekend that Trump was planning to sign a bill overturning an Obama administration regulation known as the “Stream Protection Rule,” which sought to prevent coal companies from depositing waste into streams.
The Vindicator also reported on Monday that the trip would not happen, citing a spokesman for the 910th Airlift Wing of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station. The spokesman told the paper that the unit was not given a reason for the cancellation.
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/319259-trump-cancels-ohio-visit-report
Trump: Well be tweaking NAFTA
Source: The Hill
President Trump on Monday said his administration will be “tweaking” the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in a way that will be a boon for both the United States and Canada.
During a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a Canadian reporter asked Trump if the country can expect big or small changes to the trade agreement and how it relates to Canada.
“We’ll be tweaking it,” Trump said at Monday’s press conference. “We’ll be doing certain things that are going to benefit both of our countries."
"Our relationship with Canada is outstanding,” he added.
Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/319280-trump-well-be-tweaking-nafta
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