US Elections news

• Anti-Trump activists threaten suit over inauguration protest permits

  05-01-2017 23:46 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Ian Simpson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Civil rights lawyers threatened on Thursday to sue the U.S. government agency that manages much public land in Washington, accusing it of quashing dissent by not issuing permits for protests of Republican Donald Trump's presidential inauguration. Some plan to criticize Trump's more controversial promises, including plans to build a wall along the Mexican border and deport illegal immigrants. Only three of the more 30 groups seeking to stage rallies either pr
  
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• Live Briefing: Intelligence Chief Criticizes ‘Disparagement’ of Findings on Russian Hacking

  05-01-2017 23:45 via nytimes.com
  A Senate committee heard from intelligence officials at a hearing on cyberthreats as President-elect Donald J. Trump has continued to question foreign involvement in the election.
  
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• Kerry: Nobody can predict Trump administration's choices

  05-01-2017 23:42 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Secretary of State John Kerry said he couldn't predict how Donald Trump's officials would act act once they take office -- and that they might not know either.
  
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• Republicans don't agree on when, how to replace Obamacare

  05-01-2017 23:36 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Republicans are moving at lightning speed to repeal Obamacare.
  
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• In 2010, Trump said WikiLeaks members would be shot within 24 hours in China for their 'spying,' 'espionage'

  05-01-2017 23:24 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Donald Trump strongly condemned WikiLeaks in a 2010 interview, calling its actions "spying" and "espionage" and saying its members would be shot within 24 hours if they were in a country like China.
  
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• FBI: DNC rebuffed request to examine computer servers

  05-01-2017 23:14 via rss.cnn.com
  
  The Democratic National Committee "rebuffed" a request from the FBI to examine its computer services after it was allegedly hacked by Russia during the 2016 election, a senior law enforcement official told CNN Thursday.
  
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• Transition Briefing: Dan Coats Expected to Be Named Intelligence Director

  05-01-2017 23:13 via nytimes.com
  Donald J. Trump is expected to tap retired Senator Dan Coats of Indiana to be director of national intelligence, a position that some in Mr. Trump’s circle say could go.
  
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• US transfers more Guantanamo prisoners; 55 remain

  05-01-2017 23:08 via rss.cnn.com
  
  The Pentagon announced Thursday that four inmates were transferred from the Guantanamo Bay prison to Saudi Arabia, dropping the prison's population to 55.
  
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• No. 2 Senate Republican: Obamacare won't be replaced all at once

  05-01-2017 22:53 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas said Thursday Republicans won't offer a comprehensive bill to replace Obamacare, saying instead that the GOP will try to enact individual health care measures.
  
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• Trump rounds out Cabinet with retired senator

  05-01-2017 22:22 via rss.cnn.com
  
  President-elect Trump will have about 4,000 government positions to fill, including some of the most important posts in the US government.
  
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• GOP seeks to punish UN with funding cut after Israel vote

  05-01-2017 22:19 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Congressional Republicans are prepping legislation to slash US funding to the United Nations, saying it's the right response following last month's Security Council vote condemning Israeli settlements.
  
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• 4 Yemeni Detainees at Guantánamo Are Transferred to Saudi Arabia

  05-01-2017 21:59 via nytimes.com
  The move began the Obama administration’s expected final push to reduce the population of the wartime prison.
  
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• Kerry says he accepts U.S. intelligence assessment on Russian hacking

  05-01-2017 21:58 via news.yahoo.com
  
  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday he accepted the U.S. intelligence assessment that the "highest level" of the Russian government was responsible for cyber attacks during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Asked during a news conference if he thought Russian President Vladimir Putin directed the hacking of the Democratic National Committee, Kerry said: "I accept the judgment of the intelligence community that this went to the highest level" of the Russian government.
  
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• St. Louis Art Museum Faces Backlash Over Artwork’s Role in Trump Inauguration

  05-01-2017 21:56 via nytimes.com
  A petition calls on the museum to cancel its loan of George Caleb Bingham’s “The Verdict of the People” for the inauguration luncheon on Jan. 20.
  
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• Trump picks former U.S. Senator Coats as director of national intelligence

  05-01-2017 21:54 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday picked former U.S. Senator Dan Coats as his director of national intelligence, two senior transition officials said, as he puts his own stamp on a U.S. intelligence community that he frequently criticizes. The official announcement was expected this week as Trump makes decisions on some of the remaining major positions he must fill as he prepares to take over the White House on Jan. 20. Coats, 73, is a traditional c
  
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• Dan Coats picked to be director of national intelligence

  05-01-2017 21:51 via rss.cnn.com
  
  President-elect Donald Trump has selected Republican Indiana Sen. Dan Coats to be his director of national intelligence, multiple transition sources told CNN Thursday.
  
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• Tiger Woods says he was impressed by Trump's golf game

  05-01-2017 21:42 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Tiger Woods says President-elect Donald Trump is a pretty good golfer for a 70-year-old.
  
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• Ryan: GOP will defund Planned Parenthood

  05-01-2017 21:37 via rss.cnn.com
  
  House Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday that Republicans will move to strip all federal funding for Planned Parenthood as part of the process they are using early this year to dismantle Obamacare.
  
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• Who is Julian Assange?

  05-01-2017 20:50 via rss.cnn.com
  
  President-elect Donald Trump picked a fight with the US intelligence community in recent days, elevating the statements of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and Russian President Vladimir Putin over his own nation's top spies.
  
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• Indiana mayor Buttigieg enters DNC chair race

  05-01-2017 20:37 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Pete Buttigieg, a rising Midwestern star in his second term as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is entering the race for Democratic National Committee chair, he announced Thursday.
  
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• Military welcomes first women infantry Marines

  05-01-2017 20:20 via rss.cnn.com
  
  An infantry battalion at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina received three historic additions Thursday -- the first women infantry Marines.
  
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• Clapper: 'Disparagement' of intel agents cause for worry

  05-01-2017 20:15 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Republican senators are setting up a possible confrontation with their President-elect in a hearing Thursday on Russian cyber hacks.
  
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• Trump remains opposed to AT&T-Time Warner deal: Bloomberg

  05-01-2017 20:13 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Trump believes the deal would concentrate too much power in the media industry, Bloomberg reported. Shares of AT&T were down 0.3 percent, while Time Warner's stock was down 1.4 percent. Trump during his campaign had said AT&T's proposal to buy the owner of CNN and the Warner Bros movie studio was an example of a "power structure" that was rigged against him and voters.
  
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• U.S. spy chief 'resolute' on Russia cyber attack, differs with Trump

  05-01-2017 20:00 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Dustin Volz and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. intelligence official told Congress on Thursday he was "even more resolute" in his belief that Russia staged cyber attacks on Democrats in the 2016 election campaign, rebuking persistent skepticism from Republican President-elect Donald Trump about whether Moscow was involved. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said he had a very high level of confidence that Russia hacked Democratic Party institutions and oper
  
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• Trump: Toyota faces big tax if it builds Corolla cars for U.S. in Mexico

  05-01-2017 19:53 via news.yahoo.com
  
  U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday targeted Toyota Motor Corp , threatening to impose a hefty fee on the Japanese automaker it if builds its Corolla cars for the U.S. market at a plant in Mexico. "Toyota Motor said will build a new plant in Baja, Mexico, to build Corolla cars for U.S. NO WAY! Build plant in U.S. or pay big border tax," Trump said in a post on Twitter. Toyota, which announced its plan to build the Mexican facility in April 2015, had no immediate comment.
  
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• Trump deposed in hotel dispute

  05-01-2017 19:42 via rss.cnn.com
  
  President-elect Donald Trump completed a deposition earlier Thursday over his legal battle against chef José Andrés, Trump transition team spokeswoman Hope Hicks told CNN.
  
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• US puts Osama Bin Laden son on terror watch list

  05-01-2017 19:36 via rss.cnn.com
  
  The State Department said Thursday that one of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden's sons has been placed on a terror watch list, noting that he has threatened terror attacks against the US.
  
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• Trump Said ‘Torture Works.’ An Echo Is Feared Worldwide.

  05-01-2017 19:30 via nytimes.com
  Although the president-elect has equivocated, his campaign rhetoric favoring torture has experts concerned that years of progress could be erased and the world plunged into a darker place.
  
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• Comey defends actions during 'challenging' U.S. election year

  05-01-2017 19:20 via news.yahoo.com
  
  FBI Director James Comey on Thursday defended his handling of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's email investigation during the contentious U.S. presidential election, according to a message to FBI staff reported by ABC News. Comey and the Federal Bureau of Investigation came under criticism from Republicans and Democrats amid its investigation into Democrat Hillary Clinton's use of a personal email server while U.S. secretary of state. "I would be lying if I said the external c
  
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• Democrats demand probe of Trump health nominee

  05-01-2017 19:17 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Susan Cornwell and Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democrats on Thursday demanded an ethics probe into Tom Price, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for health secretary, following a report that the fierce Obamacare critic traded in healthcare company stock while pushing legislation in Congress that could affect those shares. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and others made their comments as congressional Republicans moved ahead with their long-desired effort to dismant
  
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• Valls favorite to win official left-wing ticket for French election

  05-01-2017 19:15 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Andrew Callus PARIS (Reuters) - Former prime minister Manuel Valls is favorite to represent the Socialists in the French presidential election, an opinion poll showed on Thursday, an outcome surveys show would offer the best chance of victory for the beleaguered party and its allies. Valls is seen coming top in the Jan 22 first round vote of the primaries of the French left with 43 percent, ahead of second placed Arnaud Montebourg on 25 percent, and third-placed Benoit Hamon on 22 percent, th
  
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• Family reveals American vanished in Afghanistan two years ago

  05-01-2017 18:44 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Some time in May 2014, Paul Overby, an American writer in his 70's, disappeared as he was traveling between Khost in Afghanistan and North Waziristan in Pakistan -- a region rife with the Taliban and terror groups such as al Qaeda.
  
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• Macron gains on Fillon, Le Pen in new French election poll

  05-01-2017 18:21 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Michel Rose PARIS (Reuters) - Conservative candidate Francois Fillon's lead in France's presidential election race has narrowed according to an opinion poll showing independent Emmanuel Macron gaining on both the former prime minister and far-right leader Marine Le Pen. In a series of scenarios, Fillon was seen winning up to 28 percent of the first-round vote - down by between 7 and 8 points since the Elabe polling institute's last poll, published just after he won the centre-right primary in
  
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• Trump's spiritual adviser fires back at critics

  05-01-2017 18:14 via rss.cnn.com
  
  President-elect Donald Trump's longtime religious adviser, Paula White, is firing back at critics who have called her a heretic and questioned her personal finances and romantic history.
  
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• Reports that Trump eyeing revamp of spy agencies are false: spokesman

  05-01-2017 18:12 via news.yahoo.com
  
  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Donald Trump's spokesman on Thursday rejected media reports that said the Republican president-elect was planning to restructure the nation's intelligence agencies, calling the reports "100 percent false." "There is no truth to this idea of restructuring the intelligence community infrastructure," Trump spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters in a conference call. "All transition activities are for information gathering purposes and all discussions are tentative." (Reporting by
  
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• Trump looking to limit power of DNI, sources say

  05-01-2017 18:10 via rss.cnn.com
  
  President-elect Donald Trump is looking at possible ways to limit the power of the Director of National Intelligence, according to sources close to the transition.
  
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• France's far-right FN scrambles to raise cash for election battle

  05-01-2017 18:09 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Simon Carraud and Ingrid Melander PARIS (Reuters) - France's far-right National Front is struggling to raise millions of euros it needs to fund its presidential election campaign, but leader Marine Le Pen vowed: "We will find one bank somewhere in the world that is willing to lend us that money." Le Pen - who has been tipped to make it through to the second-round runoff in May - accused French banks of playing politics by refusing to lend money to her party, suggesting it was being marginalis
  
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• Ryan says expects legislation to replace Obamacare this year

  05-01-2017 17:59 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday he expected to have legislation to replace, as well as repeal, the Affordable Care Act this year. "Our legislating will occur this year," Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, said at a news briefing. "What date all of this gets phased in on is something we do not now know," partly because the administration is not in office yet. (Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Writing by Doina Chiacu)
  
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• Dems call for ethics probe of Trump HHS nominee

  05-01-2017 17:54 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Senate Democrats are calling on the House Office of Congressional Ethics to launch an investigation into Rep. Tom Price, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, to probe the congressman's financial investments and stock holdings.
  
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• Who is performing at Trump's inauguration — and who isn't?

  05-01-2017 17:44 via rss.cnn.com
  
  President-elect Donald Trump has for decades hobnobbed with famous faces -- A-list models, actors and musicians.
  
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• U.S. intelligence chief says Russia involvement in 2016 election unprecedented

  05-01-2017 17:40 via news.yahoo.com
  
  U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Thursday that Russia has a "long history" of interfering in elections, but that U.S. officials had never encountered activity like its efforts during the 2016 U.S. campaign. "The Russians have a long history of interfering in elections.
  
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• Gap between Fillon, Le Pen, Macron narrows in French election poll

  05-01-2017 17:36 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Conservative candidate Francois Fillon was seen winning up to 28 percent of votes in the French presidential election's first round next April, a poll showed on Thursday, with the gap narrowing with far-right leader Marine Le Pen and independent Emmanuel Macron. Le Pen was seen arriving second and qualifying for the run-off alongside Fillon in all but one scenario, with between 22 percent and 24 percent under different scenarios tested by the Elabe polling institute for business daily Les Echos.
  
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• Agendas at odds, Obama and Trump aides work to make nice

  05-01-2017 17:17 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Staffs for the incoming and outgoing administrations are forging what both sides describe as effective, even sometimes warm, working relationships in the weeks before Inauguration Day, even as their visions for the country remain deeply at odds.
  
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• Russia cyber attacks are 'major threat,' Congress probe hears

  05-01-2017 16:58 via news.yahoo.com
  
  By Dustin Volz and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russian cyber attacks pose a "major threat" to the United States, top U.S. intelligence officials told a congressional hearing on Thursday despite skepticism from President-elect Donald Trump about findings that Moscow orchestrated hacking of the 2016 election. Although Trump called himself a "big fan" of the intelligence community on Thursday, he is heading for a conflict over the issue with Democrats and some fellow Republicans in Con
  
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• Ex-Chilean leader Pinera, senator front-runners for presidency

  05-01-2017 16:49 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Former Chilean president Sebastian Pinera and independent center-left Senator Alejandro Guillier have established themselves as the favorites to face off in the presidential election in November, two new polls showed on Thursday. Twenty-nine percent of respondents said they would vote for Pinera, a conservative billionaire, if the election was held on the following Sunday, while 26 percent favored journalist-turned-politician Guillier, a poll run by Gfk Adimark said. All other politicians who th
  
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• Intel chiefs spurn Trump on Russia hacks

  05-01-2017 16:21 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Republican senators are setting up a possible confrontation with their President-elect in a hearing Thursday on Russian cyber hacks.
  
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• U.S. intelligence chiefs call Russia 'major' cyber threat to U.S.

  05-01-2017 15:58 via news.yahoo.com
  
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia is a major threat to a wide range of U.S. interests because of its "highly-advanced offensive cyber program" and sophisticated capabilities, senior U.S. intelligence officials said on Thursday. "Russia is a full-scope cyber actor that poses a major threat to U.S. ...
  
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• Trump Takes on Democrats and Health Law in New Twitter Blitz

  05-01-2017 15:57 via nytimes.com
  The president-elect called President Obama’s signature law a “lie” and assailed Democrats for working to preserve it.
  
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• Senator McCain says Russia hacking probe not intended to question U.S. election result

  05-01-2017 15:47 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Republican U.S. Senator John McCain said on Thursday the goal of the intelligence community's review of Russian hacking and any influence on the 2016 U.S. election is not intended to question the result of the November poll.
  
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• Rand Paul rallies House Republicans on deficit, could imperil Obamacare repeal

  05-01-2017 15:47 via rss.cnn.com
  
  Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is set to meet Thursday morning with members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus in an effort to heighten concerns about deficit spending -- even as doing so could imperil the Republican effort to immediately repeal President Barack Obama's health care law.
  
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