Baton Rouge news

• Bill: Make schools fly Mississippi's Confederate-themed flag

  25-01-2017 19:53
  
  JACKSON, Miss. - A bill advancing in the Mississippi House would require all K-12 schools to fly the state flag or lose state accreditation.  House Bill 280 passed the House Education Committee 13-8 Wednesday. It would require all schools to follow all state laws.
      
  One often-ignored Mississippi law says schools must fly the banner that has the Confederate battle emblem in its upper left-hand corner. Especially in districts with a majority of Afric
  
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• 18-year-old Gretna mayoral candidate disqualified

  25-01-2017 19:34
  
  GRETNA, La. - An 18-year-old high school student who signed up to run for Gretna mayor has been disqualified from the race.
      
  The New Orleans Advocate reports William Boartfield Jr.'s ouster results from a lawsuit accusing him of not living in Gretna long enough to run.
      
  State District Judge Raymond Steib disqualified him after a hearing Tuesday. That means Mayor Belinda Constant is automatically elected to a second four-year term.
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• Crash closes lanes on I-12 west at Drusilla Lane

  25-01-2017 18:01
  
  BATON ROUGE – Sources say three people, including two children, were hurt after a crash on I-12 west closed lanes near Drusilla Lane Wednesday afternoon. According to DOTD, the crash happened just before 6 p.m. Wednesday. Sources tell WBRZ's Brett Buffington that the three victims were transported to the hosptial in table condition.  Traffic is passing through the left lane. Congestion from the incident has reached Airline Highway.The 2 right lanes a
  
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• College student stays positive after losing fingers during tornado

  25-01-2017 17:43
  
  ST. AMANT – Last week an E-F 3 tornado tore through Hattiesburg, destroying William Carey University where one student lost three of her fingers.Taylor Gautreaux was trying to get through the hallway of her dorm during the tornado when the door slammed shut, smashing her fingers."I just kind of like pulled away and everyone was just staring at me and I felt my leg was wet and I looked at my leg and I was like 'oh wow there's blood on my leg' and then I looked at my hand was li
  
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• Knitting store: no yarn for women's movement protesters

  25-01-2017 17:22
  FRANKLIN, Tenn. - The owner of a Tennessee knitting store doesn't want anyone buying its yarn for arts and crafts for the women's movement.The Tennessean reported comments Tuesday on the Facebook page of The Joy of Knitting store in Franklin drew thousands of responses - both support and vows of a boycott.The social media post by Elizabeth Poe said the "vulgarity, vile and evilness" of the women's movement is "absolutely despicable." She framed her comments around Saturday's massive women's marc
  
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• UPDATE: 19-year-old Livingston girl found safe

  25-01-2017 16:08
  
  UPDATE: Sheriff's deputies report Cureton has been safely located, according to a post on the department's Facebook page.LIVINGSTON - The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office is searching for a teenager who went missing over the weekend.The Sheriff's office says 19-year-old Loren Rae Cureton of Denham Springs was last seen in the Walker area Sunday. Deputies say Cureton has long, dirty blode hair and hazel eyes. She is 5'10" and weighs 225 lbs.Anyone with information is asked to contact t
  
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• Authorities searching for missing 19-year-old Livingston girl

  25-01-2017 16:08
  
  LIVINGSTON - The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office is searching for a teenager who went missing over the weekend.The Sheriff's office says 19-year-old Loren Rae Cureton of Denham Springs was last seen in the Walker area Sunday. Deputies say Cureton has long, dirty blode hair and hazel eyes. She is 5'10" and weighs 225 lbs.Anyone with information is asked to contact the LPSO at 225-686-2241.Permalink| Comments
  
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• WATCH LIVE: News 2 newscasts, live video and 24/7 news replay

  25-01-2017 16:07
  
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• 'Triple S' store owner talks about his meeting with feds

  25-01-2017 16:02
  
  BATON ROUGE- For the first time since his meeting with federal investigators and the Department of Justice, Abdul Muflahi, the owner of the Triple S Store where Alton Sterling was killed, is talking about what was discussed.
  Muflahi said he's met with federal investigators at least three times, and had to give them special codes to get into his security system that was set up around his store.
  "I've had multiple meetings with them, and asked a lot of questions," Muflahi said. I gave them my answ
  
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• Trump stopping refugee processing for Syrians

  25-01-2017 15:49
  
  WASHINGTON - A draft executive order obtained by The Associated Press shows that President Donald Trump intends to stop accepting Syrian refugees and will suspend the United States' broader refugee program for 120 days.The president also plans to suspend issuing visas for people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen for at least 30 days, according to the draft. All are predominantly Muslim countries.Trump is expected to sign the order this week. It is not clear whether the draft
  
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• Juvenile, man arrested in Assumption firearm burglary

  25-01-2017 15:43
  
  PIERRE PART - Assumption Parish Sheriff's Deputies have arrested two people, including a juvenile, in connection to a Belle River burglary.Deputies say Allen Landry and a juvenile were booked in connection to the residential burglary. They are actively searching for a third suspect, 20-year-old Kelton Smith of Morgan City.The three suspects are accused of stealing firearms from a home on January 22, according to detectives. Investigators say Smith and the juvenile committed the burglary while La
  
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• Lineman killed in Oklahoma Panhandle was Louisiana man

  25-01-2017 15:25
  
  BEAVER, Okla. - A power company lineman who was killed while working to restore power in the Oklahoma Panhandle was a Louisiana man.
      
  Echo Powerline says 30-year-old employee Nathan Evans of Sarepta, Louisiana, was electrocuted Sunday while helping restore electricity in Beaver County after the area was hit hard by an ice storm earlier this month.
      
  The company said a second lineman who was injured in the accident was taken to an Oklah
  
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• Last pipeline protesters weigh whether to fight or leave

  25-01-2017 15:02
  
  CANNON BALL, N.D.- Most of the demonstrators who gathered on the North Dakota plains to oppose the Dakota Access oil pipeline declared victory and departed their snowy protest camp last month.
      
  That was after the Army announced it would halt the project.
      
  Now that President Donald Trump's administration is pushing to complete the pipeline, the few hundred protesters still living on the wind-whipped prairie must decide what to do - acc
  
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• Juvenile arrested for threatening to bomb East Iberville High School

  25-01-2017 14:33
  
  ST. GABRIEL – A juvenile was arrested on Wednesday after he threatened to bomb East Iberville High and Elementary School.The incident happened around 9 a.m. on Wednesday when a caller stated that he was coming to blow up the school.
  The students and teachers were evacuated while the St. Gabriel Police Department, the Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office, the East Iberville Fire Department and members of the Parish School Board searched the school.Detectives were able to locate an
  
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• Wildlife agent shot 5 times to move from hospital to rehab

  25-01-2017 14:18
  
  BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says an enforcement agent shot after a Jan. 7 traffic stop is expected to move Thursday from a Shreveport hospital to a rehabilitation facility in Mississippi.The agent's father, Darren Wheeler, told the agency that 25-year-old Tyler Wheeler of Monroe is talking and using a walker, sometimes helped by a medical assistant "to keep him steady."A news release quotes him as saying rehabilitation will focus on recovering strength and re
  
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• Actress Mary Tyler Moore is dead at age 80, publicist says

  25-01-2017 13:44
  
  NEW YORK -Mary Tyler Moore, the star of two of TV's best-loved sitcoms, has died.Her publicist, Mara Buxbaum, says Moore died with her husband and friends nearby. She was 80.Moore gained fame in the 1960s as the frazzled wife Laura Petrie on "The Dick Van Dyke Show." In the 1970s, she created one of TV's first career-woman sitcom heroines in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."She won seven Emmy awards over the years. She also was nominated for an Oscar for her 1980 portrayal of an affluent mother whose
  
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• La. voting officials: State votes were secure, no fraud in election

  25-01-2017 13:26
  
  BATON ROUGE – Louisiana's Secretary of State said Wednesday there was no voter fraud on election day.President Donald Trump is concerned voter fraud may have cost him the popular vote, though he still won the presidential election through the Electoral College. Trump suggested there were some three to five million ballots cast illegally. Wednesday, the president promised an investigation but provided no specifics about how it would unfold.Wednesday afternoon is when Louisiana Secretary
  
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• Bush recovering from pneumonia, could see weekend release

  25-01-2017 13:20
  
  HOUSTON - A spokesman says former President George H.W. Bush could be sent home over the weekend after being hospitalized in Houston for pneumonia.Bush spokesman Jim McGrath says Bush is experiencing a lingering cough, but his lungs are clearing.McGrath also said Wednesday the 92-year-old Bush continues to work with physical therapists to help him regain strength.The nation's 41st president was admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital on Jan. 14 for breathing difficulties. He later was moved to in
  
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• Lyft service launches in Baton Rouge

  25-01-2017 13:16
  
  BATON ROUGE - The popular ride-sharing company Lyft will launch in Baton Rouge Thursday at noon. Baton Rouge is one of 40 cities across the country where the service will launch this week. Local passengers will be able to download the app and request an affordable ride to their destination."From Scotlandville to South Baton Rouge, we look forward to seeing ridesharing grow in the Capital City for years to come," said Jaime Raczka, Lyft's Head of Early Stage Markets and Expansion.How Lyf
  
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• Trump signs 2 executive orders

  25-01-2017 13:14
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump is signing two executive orders in keeping with campaign promises to boost border security and crack down on immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.The president signed the two orders Wednesday during a ceremony at the Department of Homeland Security after honoring the department's newly confirmed secretary, retired Gen. John Kelly.The executive orders jumpstart construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall, one of his signature campaign promises, and st
  
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• Body discovered under I-12 bridge in Walker

  25-01-2017 12:53
  
  WALKER – Walker Police say a body was found under West Colyell Bridge on I-12 Wednesday morning.Captain John Sharp said the body was discovered around 10:45 a.m. Sharp could not provide any further details at this time.Investigators have not determined whether foul play was involved. The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office is responding to the scene.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Ascension residents furious over Matassa trial delay

  25-01-2017 12:21
  
  GONZALES - Frustrated residents met to discuss the lack of action taken against embattled Parish President Kenny Matassa.Matassa is accused of bribery, allegedly offering money to a man if he dropped out of a Gonzales council race.District Attorney Ricky Babin scheudled a grand jury for Matassa last year. He recused himself in November after learning some of his employees contributed to Matassa's campaign."The alleged bribery that occurred in late July of last year should have been put to rest w
  
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• President Trump talks exclusively with ABC News today, Watch on WBRZ all day

  25-01-2017 12:17
  
  WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Trump talked for the first time with ABC News about his first few days in office.The first, exclusive interview with Trump happened Wednesday morning.  ABC News' David Muir discussed many topics with the president.Watch clips of the interview during all WBRZ News 2 newscasts Wednesday.  The entire interview airs at 9 p.m. on WBRZ Channel 2.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Agents find drugs, weapons in home next to elementary school

  25-01-2017 12:06
  
  IBERIA - Agents from the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office and SWAT recovered several drugs, firearms and cash while executing a search warrant within 1,000 feet of an elementary school Wednesday morning.According to Sheriff Louis Ackal, agents searched a home on Ann Street occupied by 32-year-old Akia Celestine in reference to illegal drug activity. Celestine attempted to escape through a back window but was captured by police surrounding the house.Agents found $33,000 worth of narcotics
  
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• Report: President Trump's team highlighted La. projects on 'priority list'

  25-01-2017 11:34
  
  BATON ROUGE – Deepening the Mississippi River could have a big impact on business at the port here, and while it's not a done deal, it appears the Trump administration would like to pursue the possibilities.In a priority list of projects the Trump team put together after Donald Trump's November election, dredging the Mississippi was highlighted as a possible project along with replacing the lock on the Industrial Canal in New Orleans and work on the Causeway connecting either side of L
  
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• The Pledge of Allegiance: Gardere Christian Community School

  25-01-2017 11:16
  
  BATON ROUGE- Today's Pledge of Allegiance comes from the preschool class at Gardere Christian Community School.Be sure to watch The Daily Pledge every weekday on 2une In at 5:58 a.m. to see if your child's school is featured!Permalink| Comments
  
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• Mortgage company donates $15,000 to local food bank

  25-01-2017 11:12
  
  BATON ROUGE - Local mortgage company Assurance Financial donated $15,000 to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank in December.The donation was funded in part by an annual "Jeans Fund," which allowed team members to wear casual dress attire to work in exchange for contributing to the donation."Because of their donations, Assurance Financial is able to actively give back to the community we’re so proud to call home,” said Steve Ward, Chief Operating Officer for Assurance F
  
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• Ex-West Virginia teacher accused of 40 counts of sex abuse

  25-01-2017 11:07
  
  WELCH - West Virginia State Police say a former McDowell County teacher has been charged with 40 counts of sex abuse involving children.Police tell the Bluefield Daily Telegraph that 60-year-old Anthony Harris, of Northfork faces charges from abuse involving one victim in 1985 and another in 2006.Harris was a longtime teacher in elementary middle schools, and the children were between the ages of 12 and 15.Trooper M.D. Brooks says the abuse occurred on school grounds. He says the investigation b
  
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• Unhinged man escapes ambulance, causes disturbance at school Wednesday

  25-01-2017 11:05
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police and paramedics had to deal with a patient that caused a disturbance near a school and then escaped from an ambulance Wednesday evening.A state trooper at St. Thomas More Catholic School was on the scene by coincidence at a time when some parents were picking up children and noticed a man near the campus chapel.  As a disturbance unfolded, the lawman called additional officers to check on the man.  The unidentified person was unhinged and b
  
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• Disturbance at Baton Rouge school leads to ambulance escape

  25-01-2017 11:05
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police and paramedics chased and captured a patient after he caused a disturbance at a school and escaped from an ambulance.A state trooper, who happened to be at St. Thomas More Catholic School while class was dismissing, was on scene as a man appeared near the campus chapel.The trooper called additional police to check on the man, who caused some sort of disturbance at the campus. Officers checked him out, and brought him into an ambulance.Paramedics were taking the man to the ho
  
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• Disturbance at Baton Rouge campus chapel leads to ambulance escape

  25-01-2017 11:05
  
  BATON ROUGE - Police and paramedics chased and captured a patient after he caused a disturbance after school and escaped from an ambulance.A state trooper, who happened to be at St. Thomas More Catholic School two hours after class had dismissed, was on scene as a man appeared near the campus chapel.The trooper called additional police to check on the man, who caused some sort of disturbance at the chapel. Officers checked him out, and brought him into an ambulance.Paramedics were taking the man
  
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• Dudley DeBosier law firm offering scholarships to graduating high school seniors

  25-01-2017 09:43
  
  BATON ROUGE – Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers, a person injury law firm, is accepting applications for their College Scholarship Program.The law firm is providing eight $1,000 scholarships and one $2,000 scholarship to eligible graduating students. The program is open to graduating high school seniors in Louisiana who are attending an institution of higher education within one year of graduation.The law firm created the scholarship program to provide education opportunities to students
  
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• Bolt loses 2008 Olympic relay gold in teammate's doping case

  25-01-2017 08:56
  
  LAUSANNE, Switzerland - Usain Bolt has been stripped of one of his nine Olympic gold medals in a doping case involving teammate Nesta Carter.The IOC says Carter tested positive for methylhexaneamine, a banned stimulant, in re-analysis of samples from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Carter and Bolt were teammates on the winning 4x100-meter relay team.The IOC says "the Jamaican team is disqualified," and "the corresponding medals, medalist pins and diplomas are withdrawn and shall be returned."Permalin
  
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• Dow Jones industrials breach 20,000

  25-01-2017 08:52
  
  NEW YORK - The Dow Jones industrial average is trading over 20,000 points for the first time, the latest milestone in a record-setting drive for the stock market.The market has been marching steadily higher since bottoming out in March 2009 in the aftermath of the financial crisis. The rally continued after the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president last fall.The Dow was up 102 points, or 0.56 percent, to 20,018.The Nasdaq rose 48 points, or 0.9 percent, to 5,600. The Standard & Poor's 5
  
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• Bruno Mars will perform at the Grammy Awards next month

  25-01-2017 08:16
  NEW YORK - Bruno Mars will bring his upbeat, funky swag to the Grammys stage.The Recording Academy announced Wednesday that the singer-songwriter-producer will perform at the Feb. 12 show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.Mars, a four-time Grammy winner, is nominated for album of the year as a co-producer on Adele's comeback effort, "25." He worked on the ballad "All I Ask."Other album of the year nominees include Drake, Justin Bieber, Sturgill Simpson and Beyonce, who is the overall top nomi
  
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• Siege kills 8 in Somalia

  25-01-2017 07:48
  
  MOGADISHU, Somalia - In Somalia, at least eight people are dead following a siege by extremist fighters who stormed a hotel in the capital. Four al-Shabab attackers were also killed in the attack in Mogadishu, according to police. Somali security forces have put down the assault.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Police: 7 protesters climb crane at DC contruction site

  25-01-2017 07:41
  
  WASHINGTON - A spokesman for the environmental group Greenpeace says a group of seven protesters who have climbed a 270-foot crane at a downtown Washington construction site just blocks from the White House are calling for resistance to President Donald Trump.Greenpeace spokesman Travis Nichols says the group of seven people planned to unfurl a 70-foot by 35-foot banner that says "Resist." He says it's a continuation of protests that began with Trump's inauguration.Capt. Robert Glover of the Met
  
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• Police: 7 protesters climb crane at DC construction site

  25-01-2017 07:41
  
  WASHINGTON - A spokesman for the environmental group Greenpeace says a group of seven protesters who have climbed a 270-foot crane at a downtown Washington construction site just blocks from the White House are calling for resistance to President Donald Trump.Greenpeace spokesman Travis Nichols says the group of seven people planned to unfurl a 70-foot by 35-foot banner that says "Resist." He says it's a continuation of protests that began with Trump's inauguration.Capt. Robert Glover of the Met
  
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• South Carolina lawmaker accused of beating his wife resigns

  25-01-2017 07:35
  
  COLUMBIA, S.C. - A South Carolina state lawmaker accused of beating his wife bloody has resigned rather than be expelled from the Statehouse.But State Rep. Chris Corley still faces a felony aggravated domestic violence charge that could put him in prison for up to 20 years.House Speaker Jay Lucas read Corley's one-sentence resignation letter to his colleagues yesterday, just as Lucas was preparing to introduce legislation forcing Corley from his House seat.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Police: Masked man guns down 2 inside cash advance company

  25-01-2017 07:30
  
  NEW YORK - Police say a masked man gunned down two other men inside a cash advance company in New York City.The shooting happened Tuesday evening at Universal Merchant Funding, a small business loan and cash advance company on Staten Island.Police say the gunman went inside and shot the men in their heads. The suspect then fled in a vehicle.Police say 57-year-old Michael Genovese, of Edgewater, New Jersey, and an unidentified 52-year-old man were both pronounced dead at the scene.No arrests have
  
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• Avalanche rescue continues as crews mourn colleagues

  25-01-2017 07:26
  
  PENNE, Italy - Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni acknowledges delays and "malfunctioning" in the country's esponse to the avalanche that buried a mountain hotel. The death toll has climbed to 24 and rescue workers have all but ruled out finding any of the five people still missing alive.In a briefing to parliament, Gentiloni stressed the unprecedented perfect storm that unfolded last week as more than six feet of snow fell within 72 hours on the isolated Hotel Rigopiano, followed by four powerful
  
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• GA gov. to visit areas damaged by storms

  25-01-2017 07:25
  
  ADEL, Ga. - Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal plans today to visit two communities affected by weekend storms that left 15 people dead in the state, injured another 43 and caused at least $100 million damage.The National Weather Service says a tornado that struck Albany, Georgia had winds of at least 111 to 135 mph.The storms also hit Florida and Mississippi, killing an additional 5 people.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Taliban tell Trump: 'it's time to leave Afghanistan'

  25-01-2017 07:23
  
  KABUL, Afghanistan - The Taliban is telling the U.S. that it's time to leave Afghanistan.The long rambling letter addressed to President Donald Trump was emailed today to journalists. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid warns Trump that peace will be elusive as long as foreign troops are on Afghan soil.He says independence from foreign dominance is "the only asset" that an impoverished nation like Afghanistan truly has.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Trump to take action on immigration

  25-01-2017 07:21
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's focus is expected to be immigration today, with the president planning to roll out executive actions, beginning with a proposal for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.Two administration officials also say Trump is expected to target so-called sanctuary cities and review proposals to restrict the flow of refugees into the United States.Permalink| Comments
  
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• Trump to order investigation into 'voter fraud'

  25-01-2017 07:20
  
  WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump says he will order an investigation into voter fraud.The president tweeted early today that the measures will affect those registered to vote in more than one state, "those who are illegal and even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time)."Trump says that "depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures."Trump repeatedly made disputable claims of a rigged voting system before the election, but now in the White House, he c
  
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