Jose Garcia
Jose Garcia's JournalWhite House walks back assertion military won't target US citizens overseas
The White House on Tuesday walked back its assertion that the military will never target U.S. citizens in overseas operations.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters earlier in the day that “no American citizen will ever be targeted” when asked whether the Trump administration would deliberately go after U.S.-born people with ties to extremists.
The statement represented a break with policy set under the Obama administration.
But a White House official later clarified that “U.S. policy regarding the possible targeting of American citizens has not changed.”
more: http://thehill.com/policy/defense/317234-white-house-walks-back-assertion-military-wont-target-us-civilians-overseas
It looks like at least some of President Obama's legacy will remain intact.
Nation's bacon reserves hit 50-year low as prices rise
Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
The country's bacon reserves are at the lowest levels in half a century.
In other words, pig farmers can't keep up with the world's sizzling appetite for those fatty, smoky strips of sheer eating pleasure.
The Ohio Pork Council, a Columbus-based non-profit, reported Tuesday that demand for frozen pork belly, frequently made into bacon, is outpacing supply.
“Today’s pig farmers are setting historic records by producing more pigs than ever,” said Rich Deaton, president of the organization. “Yet our reserves are still depleting.”
Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2017/02/01/nations-bacon-reserves-hit-50-year-low-prices-rise/97327794/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Israeli Officials Are Worried That Trump Will Actually Move The US Embassy To Jerusalem
Source: Buzzfeed
WASHINGTON — King Abdullah of Jordan Tuesday told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that Israeli intelligence officials are worried that Trump will move forward with relocating the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
According to a lawmaker present at the meeting, who asked not to be named, King Abdullah said that Israeli officials are concerned that moving the embassy would “enflame tensions among radical groups.” Jordan’s Information Minister Mohammed Momani, has also called the move a “red line” for Jordan that would “inflame the Islamic and Arab streets” and serve as a “gift to extremists.”
“This has been a hypothetical for a long time and we prefer it stay that way,” said one Israeli intelligence officer, who spoke with BuzzFeed News earlier this month. “Moving the US Embassy is something which gains us little and which could, potentially, inflame tensions.”
The intelligence officer said that if the Trump made a big show out of moving the US Embassy it would almost certainly “end in unnecessary violence.”
Read more: https://www.buzzfeed.com/sheerafrenkel/israeli-officials-are-worried-that-trump-will-actually-move?utm_term=.ahNNzgPY4#.eowme3PD5
Man convicted in Key West bomb plot
Source: Associated Press
A federal jury has convicted a man of a plot to detonate a nail-filled backpack bomb on a Florida Keys beach that prosecutors said was inspired by the Islamic State extremist group.
Court records show the jury in Key West convicted Harlem Suarez, 25, on Tuesday of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and providing material support to a terrorist organization after a seven-day trial. Suarez faces a maximum of life in prison at sentencing set for April 18.
Suarez, whose family emigrated from Cuba, came to the FBI's attention through Facebook posts praising the Islamic State group and containing extremist rhetoric, according to an FBI affidavit.
"By intending to place an explosive device on a public beach, Harlem Suarez posed a grave threat to the residents and visitors of Key West," said Miami U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer in a news release. "Let this case serve as an example to others that the U.S. attorney's office and our law enforcement partners stand as a united front against all domestic threats."
Read more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/fl-ap-keys-backpack-bomb-plot-conviction-20170201-story.html
Gabbard to repay cost of Syria trip
Source: The Hill
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) will “personally reimburse the cost” of her controversial visit to Syria earlier this month, according to her office.
“Though the trip has met every requirement of the House Ethics Committee, the congresswoman has decided to reimburse [the Arab American Community Center for Economic and Social Services-Ohio] for the trip because it has become a distraction from the important issue at hand,” the statement read.
But Gabbard stood by her trip, which has drawn condemnation from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
“Do the American people want their taxpayer dollars to continue to be used in support of militant groups working hand-in-hand with al-Qaeda and ISIS in the effort to overthrow the Syrian government?” the statement said.
Read more: http://www.thehill.com/homenews/house/317270-gabbard-to-repay-syria-trip-costs
Senate panel approves McMahon to lead Small Business Administration
Source: The Hill
The Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee voted Tuesday to approve former World Wrestling Entertainment head Linda McMahon to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA).
The vote was 18-1, with the only "no" vote coming from Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). The nomination now heads to the full Senate for a final vote.
McMahon faced friendly questions from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle during her confirmation hearing last week.
"It goes without saying that a nearly unanimous committee vote to approve her nomination shows that members from both sides of the aisle have great confidence that she is the right leader for the SBA," Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Small Business Committee, said in a release.
Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/finance/317149-senate-panel-approves-trump-pick-to-lead-sba
Israeli president apologizes to Mexico over Netanyahu border wall tweet
Source: The Hill
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin apologized to Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted his apparent support for a wall on the Mexico-United States border.
"President Trump is right. I built a wall along Israel's southern border. It stopped all illegal immigration. Great success. Great idea," Netanyahu tweeted Saturday.
On a call with Peña Nieto Tuesday, Rivlin called the ensuing diplomatic rift a "misunderstanding," Spanish news agency EFE reported.
"We have no intention to compare Israel's security situation and the needs that emanate from it, and the situation faced by countries that are friends of Israel," Rivlin said.
Read more: http://thehill.com/latino/317150-israeli-president-apologizes-to-mexico-over-netanyahu-border-wall-tweet
Politico: Dems struggle over SCOTUS opposition strategy
The Democratic Party is splintering over its strategy for handling President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, with liberals upset that Senate Democrats aren’t taking a harder line and moderates fretting about appearing too obstructive.
In the middle is Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who's facing one of the biggest moments in his career. Battles over Supreme Court nominees are epic struggles between the parties, and emotions are running hotter than normal this time around after Republicans blocked President Barack Obama’s nominee Merrick Garland from even getting a hearing for almost all of last year.
Some Democrats want to reprise those same hardball tactics. But Schumer and his allies are trying to convince all the factions in his party to move deliberately, and wait to mount any full-scale opposition until after a pick has been named and they've had a chance to dig into nominee's record.
Schumer, for his part, has repeatedly said he will fight any nomination that isn't "mainstream," declining to match McConnell's strategy of a unilateral blockade so early in the process.
more: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/trump-supreme-court-democrats-strategy-234441
Susan Brooks won't challenge Joe Donnelly for U.S. Senate seat
Source: The Indianapolis Star
WASHINGTON -- Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly may already be feeling the pressure from outside groups hoping to stop his 2018 re-election bid, but he won’t have to face one potentially formidable opponent.
Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Carmel, is passing on the challenge.
"Our country has many opportunities and challenges ahead, and I love and am focused on being a strong leader for the Fifth District in Congress,” Brooks said in a statement.
Other GOP members of the delegation, such as Reps. Luke Messer or Todd Rokita, still could announce a bid.
Read more: http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/behind-closed-doors/2017/01/31/brooks-wont-challenge-donnelly-us-senate-seat/97282986/
Gosar eyes primary challenge to Flake
Source: Arizona Capitol Times
Add Congressman Paul Gosar to the list of potential challengers U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake might face in next year’s Republican primary.
Gosar, a fourth-term representative from Arizona’s 4th Congressional District, said people have asked him to consider running against Flake, and he’s considering it.
“People are not happy. And you know, when people ask, I’m a dentist, and so I listen to what the problem is, I take in the information and make wise decisions. So I’ve made no decision, but that’s where we go,” Gosar told the Arizona Capitol Times.
Flake’s frequent clashes with President Donald Trump throughout his 2016 campaign and into the early days of his presidency have earned him the enmity of many in the Republican base. During a contentious meeting between Trump and Republican senators last year, Flake introduced himself to the then-nominee as, “Arizona’s other senator, the one who didn’t get captured,” in a reference to Trump’s criticism of fellow U.S. Sen. John McCain’s war record. Flake skipped the Republican National Convention, quipping that he couldn’t go because he had to mow his lawn.
Read more: http://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2017/01/30/gosar-eyes-primary-challenge-to-flake/
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