| He devised a business plan that’s improved livelihoods in his native Senegal Posted: 16 Feb 2017 04:11 PM PST ![He devised a business plan that's improved livelihoods in his native Senegal]( "He devised a business plan that's improved livelihoods in his native Senegal") The Franco-Senegalese, born in Senegal's capital, Dakar, and vet-schooled in Belgium, was more interested in how healthy animals could boost food production and how that production could improve people's livelihoods. For 10 years now, the result is Dolima, Senegal's second-largest dairy brand under the milk production company La Laiterie du Berger (LDB). "If we had known it wasn't possible, we wouldn't have done it," Mr. Bathily says amusedly.
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| WA Supreme Court: By refusing same-sex wedding, florist violated anti-discrimination law Posted: 16 Feb 2017 03:52 PM PST ![WA Supreme Court: By refusing same-sex wedding, florist violated anti-discrimination law]( "WA Supreme Court: By refusing same-sex wedding, florist violated anti-discrimination law") The Washington State Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday that a florist based in the city of Richland discriminated against customers Rob Ingersoll and Curt Freed when she refused to sell flowers for their wedding in 2013. The ruling upheld a closely-watched decision from last February, when a Benton County Superior Court judge ruled that her religious beliefs did not allow her to discriminate against the same-sex couple. Mr. Ingersoll and Mr. Freed had been longtime customers of Barronelle Stutzman before the 2013 refusal.
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| Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch and the rise of originalism Posted: 16 Feb 2017 03:05 PM PST ![Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch and the rise of originalism]( "Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch and the rise of originalism") What Judge Gorsuch's confirmation hearings could highlight is how the traditionally conservative philosophy of originalism has become so mainstream and, arguably, bipartisan. Originalism calls for the Constitution to be interpreted as the Framers intended it to be more than 200 years ago. Since a staunch commitment to originalism helped scupper a Supreme Court confirmation three decades ago, the philosophy has become increasingly popular.
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| The 'Day Without Immigrants' protest returns a decade later. Will it be effective? Posted: 16 Feb 2017 02:40 PM PST ![The 'Day Without Immigrants' protest returns a decade later. Will it be effective?]( "The 'Day Without Immigrants' protest returns a decade later. Will it be effective?") Some restaurants, small businesses, and even schools across the country shut their doors Thursday to show the nation just what a United States without immigrants looks like. Businesses and consumers in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Houston, Boston, and others may feel the strain of the "Day Without Immigrants" strikes on Thursday, as immigrants and advocates protest the Trump administration's agenda on immigration. The move is intended to highlight the vital role immigrants play in each industry, as well as in the economy by calling on immigrants to keep their wallets closed while also skipping school or work if they can.
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| Justin Trudeau thinks an EU-Canada accord is make or break for free trade deals. Is he right? Posted: 16 Feb 2017 01:54 PM PST ![Justin Trudeau thinks an EU-Canada accord is make or break for free trade deals. Is he right?]( "Justin Trudeau thinks an EU-Canada accord is make or break for free trade deals. Is he right?") Justin Trudeau thinks there's life for big free trade deals after Donald Trump and Brexit. A long-stalled accord between Canada and the European Union – the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Accord, or Ceta – was approved by the European Parliament and Canada's House of Commons this week, leaving the Canadian senate and Europe's national governments as the final hurdles.
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| Third arrest made in murder of North Korean leader's half-brother, while debate over motive continues Posted: 16 Feb 2017 01:09 PM PST ![Third arrest made in murder of North Korean leader's half-brother, while debate over motive continues]( "Third arrest made in murder of North Korean leader's half-brother, while debate over motive continues") Malaysian police have made a third arrest in the apparent murder of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and an occasional critic of his family's regime. On Monday, the leader's estranged brother was attempting to board a flight from Kuala Lumpur to the Chinese territory of Macau when he said he was sprayed with a chemical thought to be a poison, and died shortly thereafter. Take our geography quiz.
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| The UN’s step for justice in Syria Posted: 16 Feb 2017 12:54 PM PST ![The UN's step for justice in Syria]( "The UN's step for justice in Syria") After six years of a brutal war in Syria, the United Nations took a concrete step this month to help heal Syrian society once the war ends. It set up an office for the formal investigation of war crimes in Syria to collect hard evidence for the future prosecution of perpetrators on all sides in the conflict.
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| End of the two-state solution? What Israel, Palestinians would be giving up. Posted: 16 Feb 2017 11:59 AM PST ![End of the two-state solution? What Israel, Palestinians would be giving up.]( "End of the two-state solution? What Israel, Palestinians would be giving up.") When President Trump dropped the longstanding American insistence on the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, he veered away from the two-state premise that has been at the core of Middle East peace efforts for decades. The idea of dividing the land shared by Israelis and Palestinians goes back to 1947. For more modern proponents of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the model enshrined the principle of trading "land for peace." It promised two essential ingredients that sought to satisfy the basic needs of the two peoples: political self-determination for the Palestinians in their own independent state, and recognized borders for Israel that would be accepted by its Arab neighbors.
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| Mattis: US 'not in a position to collaborate' with Russian military Posted: 16 Feb 2017 11:06 AM PST ![Mattis: US 'not in a position to collaborate' with Russian military]( "Mattis: US 'not in a position to collaborate' with Russian military") President Trump's defense secretary, James Mattis, said at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday that the US does not believe military cooperation with Russia is in the immediate future.
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| What's next for Joe Biden? Posted: 16 Feb 2017 10:08 AM PST ![What's next for Joe Biden?]( "What's next for Joe Biden?") Joe Biden has been elected to chair the Philadelphia National Constitution Center's board of trustees, his most significant appointment since the unusually popular former vice president left the White House early this year. Mr. Biden, who has left the door ajar to bigger appointments such as an unlikely third tilt at the presidency in 2020, was named by the center on Wednesday to succeed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. "The National Constitution Center's mission to teach all Americans about the great document of human freedom that unites us has never been more timely, urgently needed, and inspiring," Biden said in a statement.
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| 'A day without immigrants' arrives: Can a strike move immigrants' concerns forward? Posted: 16 Feb 2017 09:57 AM PST !['A day without immigrants' arrives: Can a strike move immigrants' concerns forward?]( "'A day without immigrants' arrives: Can a strike move immigrants' concerns forward?") A national grassroots campaign is urging immigrants to avoid work and shopping on Thursday to demonstrate how their absence could effect the US economy. Some activists may not be sure where the social media-driven campaign originated, but their target is clear: what they call anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies from President Trump, such as the now-halted travel ban blocking refugees and visitors from seven predominantly Muslim nations. Recommended: Could you pass a US citizenship test?
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| Amid global unrest, Germany rethinks its security – and its place in the world Posted: 16 Feb 2017 09:28 AM PST ![Amid global unrest, Germany rethinks its security – and its place in the world]( "Amid global unrest, Germany rethinks its security – and its place in the world") At the high-powered Munich Security Conference in 2014, German officials made news by acknowledging their nation's new responsibility in foreign and security affairs. Less than two months later, Russia annexed Crimea, bringing a security crisis to Germany's front yard. Less than a year after that, Islamic radicals shot their way into the offices of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, setting off a series of deadly terror attacks across Europe, including in Germany.
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| 2016 witnessed surge in anti-Muslim hate groups, SPLC report says Posted: 16 Feb 2017 08:40 AM PST ![2016 witnessed surge in anti-Muslim hate groups, SPLC report says]( "2016 witnessed surge in anti-Muslim hate groups, SPLC report says") Hate groups – particularly right-wing extremists and anti-Muslim groups – are on the rise in the United States, according to a report released Wednesday by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC's findings are contained in the current issue of their Intelligence Report, which tracks extremist groups.
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| Mexican mother fleeing deportation finds refuge in Colorado church Posted: 16 Feb 2017 08:09 AM PST ![Mexican mother fleeing deportation finds refuge in Colorado church]( "Mexican mother fleeing deportation finds refuge in Colorado church") A Mexican mother of four took sanctuary in a Denver church on Wednesday to avoid being deported by federal immigration authorities, amid a White House promise to crack down on illegal immigration. Jeanette Vizguerra, who has lived in the US for 20 years and has three US-born children ages 6, 10, and 12, took refuge at the First Unitarian Society church after US Immigration and Enforcement officials refused to grant her another "stay of removal" as she waits on the outcome of her visa application.
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| Where Americans agree on Trump: He should be builder-in-chief Posted: 16 Feb 2017 07:22 AM PST ![Where Americans agree on Trump: He should be builder-in-chief]( "Where Americans agree on Trump: He should be builder-in-chief") For several nervous days, the flooding at Oroville Dam in California presented the prospect of a catastrophic disaster. Throughout his presidential campaign, Donald Trump branded himself as a builder and dealmaker set to revive a decaying America.
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| Ashton Kutcher gets serious with Senate testimony on modern slavery Posted: 16 Feb 2017 06:15 AM PST ![Ashton Kutcher gets serious with Senate testimony on modern slavery]( "Ashton Kutcher gets serious with Senate testimony on modern slavery") Actor Ashton Kutcher testified emotionally before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday about the need to end modern slavery, a problem far greater in the United States and globally than many realize. The hearing, chaired by Sen. Bob Corker (R) of Tennessee, included a couple of moments of levity, which saw Mr. Kutcher blow Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona a kiss at one point after he told the actor he was better looking in his movies. At times fighting back tears, he shared the dark stories of children forced into sexual slavery which pushed him to co-found Thorn, an organization that uses technology to find and identify those trafficked into labor or sexual exploitation.
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| With Flynn gone, Trump's next move is crucial Posted: 15 Feb 2017 03:37 PM PST ![With Flynn gone, Trump's next move is crucial]( "With Flynn gone, Trump's next move is crucial") The tumultuous, short tenure of Michael Flynn, President Trump's national security adviser, is only part of the cloud hanging over the White House. A New York Times report claims that members of Trump's campaign and outside associates had "repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials" in the year before the election. Only then can the Trump administration begin to fully address all the foreign policy and national security matters on its plate.
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| As Kellyanne Conway's credibility wanes, what should TV news shows do? Posted: 15 Feb 2017 02:30 PM PST ![As Kellyanne Conway's credibility wanes, what should TV news shows do?]( "As Kellyanne Conway's credibility wanes, what should TV news shows do?") Kellyanne Conway presents a dilemma for news talk shows. In the administration's first 26 days, Ms. Conway has called falsehoods "alternative facts," cited a "Bowling Green massacre" that never happened, and said former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn had the "full confidence" of the president, only to be contradicted an hour later by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Now, the anchors of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" say they "will not interview her," with other shows' hosts telling Politico they will follow suit.
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| Stephen Colbert vs. Jimmy Fallon: What's the role of humor in the Trump era? Posted: 15 Feb 2017 02:29 PM PST ![Stephen Colbert vs. Jimmy Fallon: What's the role of humor in the Trump era?]( "Stephen Colbert vs. Jimmy Fallon: What's the role of humor in the Trump era?") While it's not unheard-of for ratings to fluctuate, analysts attribute the surge in Mr. Colbert's viewership to a greater demand for politicized comedy in the weeks since President Trump took office. Defenders of left-leaning personalities like Colbert or TBS's Samantha Bee say it's important for high-profile figures to take a political stance against what they perceive as offensive or discriminatory policies and rhetoric, no matter what the cost.
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| Tea party, reversed? How GOP town halls look from the inside Posted: 15 Feb 2017 02:19 PM PST ![Tea party, reversed? How GOP town halls look from the inside]( "Tea party, reversed? How GOP town halls look from the inside") Sitting in the front row of a congressional constituent day in Greensboro, Ga., with one of his daughters perched on his knee, Ron Denham felt like he was witnessing democracy in action. Then he walked outside after the event, and there "were state police cars everywhere." Someone had called for backup. "Such a tremendous police response to free speech," Denham says, dismayed.
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| A lesson on UN peacekeeping – from Haiti Posted: 15 Feb 2017 02:06 PM PST ![A lesson on UN peacekeeping – from Haiti]( "A lesson on UN peacekeeping – from Haiti") The Trump administration promises big changes at the United Nations, especially in its peacekeeping missions, which are now in 16 countries. The head of UN peacekeeping, Hervé Ladsous, said Haiti has made so much progress that he would recommend the Security Council pull out the nearly 5,000 multinational troops and police.
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| No wall too high: Authorities seize drug catapult along US-Mexico border Posted: 15 Feb 2017 01:54 PM PST ![No wall too high: Authorities seize drug catapult along US-Mexico border]( "No wall too high: Authorities seize drug catapult along US-Mexico border") US Border Patrol agents have confiscated a catapult system believed to have been used to launch drugs into the United States, underscoring concerns that President Trump's plan to erect a wall along the border may not be effective at thwarting marijuana smugglers. The two agents were patrolling a stretch of border fence near Douglas, Ariz., on Friday, when they noticed several people running away. The Associated Press reported that the catapult was seized by Mexican authorities.
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| What crisis? Moscow plays it cool on Flynn’s firing, missile launch, and campaign allegations Posted: 15 Feb 2017 01:37 PM PST ![What crisis? Moscow plays it cool on Flynn's firing, missile launch, and campaign allegations]( "What crisis? Moscow plays it cool on Flynn's firing, missile launch, and campaign allegations") It's been a turbulent week for US-Russian relations, with allegations about improper contact with Russia seemingly coming from all corners of the United States. In the midst of the storm, however, Moscow appears determined to stay the course. On Monday night, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn resigned after just 23 days in office.
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| Once in search of life-long jobs, Spaniards begin to catch start-up spirit Posted: 15 Feb 2017 01:04 PM PST ![Once in search of life-long jobs, Spaniards begin to catch start-up spirit]( "Once in search of life-long jobs, Spaniards begin to catch start-up spirit") Landing a dream job in the United States often implies a path of trial and error, fraught with peril before triumph is reached. But in Spain, the employment ideal starts with a job for life.
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| Congress nixes regulation that would block gun sales to mentally ill Posted: 15 Feb 2017 12:42 PM PST ![Congress nixes regulation that would block gun sales to mentally ill]( "Congress nixes regulation that would block gun sales to mentally ill") On Wednesday, the Republican-led Senate voted to repeal a regulation that would have prevented an estimated 75,000 people diagnosed with mental disorders from purchasing a firearm. The rule, created in the wake of the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school by a man diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder, was part of a package of regulations aimed at preventing mentally ill people who receive Social Security disability benefits from being able to buy a gun.
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| Americans are becoming more tolerant of many religious groups, survey finds Posted: 15 Feb 2017 10:49 AM PST ![Americans are becoming more tolerant of many religious groups, survey finds]( "Americans are becoming more tolerant of many religious groups, survey finds") According to a Pew Research study released Wednesday, Americans have been warming up to other religious groups across the United States, even compared to a relatively recent study released by the nonpartisan research center. The survey found that positive feelings had increased for almost all of the various religious groups studied in this year's survey, compared to the study from three years ago. The coolest overall ratings were fairly neutral on the scale – 48 and 50 toward Muslims and atheists, respectively – but were a significant step up from a 2014 survey that rated the groups at a chillier 40 and 41 degrees.
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| For this Palestinian educator, the Global Teacher Prize was just the start Posted: 15 Feb 2017 10:42 AM PST ![For this Palestinian educator, the Global Teacher Prize was just the start]( "For this Palestinian educator, the Global Teacher Prize was just the start") When a Palestinian teacher won the prestigious Global Teacher Prize last year, she won more than the $1 million prize. The international recognition gave Hanan al-Hroub a platform for her to not only inspire teachers at her own school but throughout the Arab world, education experts say. Back home, hundreds of Palestinian teachers have taken her cue.
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| Opinion: How to build public trust in our data-powered universe Posted: 15 Feb 2017 09:52 AM PST ![Opinion: How to build public trust in our data-powered universe]( "Opinion: How to build public trust in our data-powered universe") Do you trust your data? Recent headline events make that an essential question.
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| Doppelgänger ethics: Why Austria arrested a Hitler double Posted: 15 Feb 2017 09:15 AM PST ![Doppelgänger ethics: Why Austria arrested a Hitler double]( "Doppelgänger ethics: Why Austria arrested a Hitler double") Austrian police have detained a man for violating a 1947 Austrian law that makes it illegal to promote Nazi ideology after he allegedly dressed like Adolf Hitler and stood outside of the home where the infamous dictator was born. The accused, Harald Zen, has been referred to as "Hitler's double" by Austrian newspapers. Mr. Zen, who once identified himself in a bar as "Harald Hitler," had been photographed in full Hitler regalia in Braunau am Inn, an Austrian town close to the German border and the birthplace of the dictator.
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| Black voters in Jones County, N.C., haven't been heard, they say. Can a new lawsuit change that? Posted: 15 Feb 2017 07:25 AM PST ![Black voters in Jones County, N.C., haven't been heard, they say. Can a new lawsuit change that?]( "Black voters in Jones County, N.C., haven't been heard, they say. Can a new lawsuit change that?") Black residents of Jones County, N.C., have struggled for years to ensure local representation, some say, but they hope that a new lawsuit will finally bring results. Since the five candidates receiving the most votes from across the county are elected to the board, the white majority can vote as a bloc to prevent black candidates from winning seats, the plaintiffs say.
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| North Korean murder: Did Kim Jong-nam's ties to China play a role? Posted: 15 Feb 2017 05:21 AM PST ![North Korean murder: Did Kim Jong-nam's ties to China play a role?]( "North Korean murder: Did Kim Jong-nam's ties to China play a role?") The apparent murder of the North Korean leader's half-brother by poison-wielding assassins at a busy Malaysian airport on Monday appears torn from the pages of a cold war spy thriller. "The North Korean regime has never balked at eliminating dissent and making sure that alternate power centers do not form at home," says Christopher Green, a North Korea watcher at Leiden University in The Netherlands. Recommended: Kim 101: How well do you know North Korea's leaders?
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| On Israel, Trump takes a conspicuously cautious approach Posted: 15 Feb 2017 04:03 AM PST ![On Israel, Trump takes a conspicuously cautious approach]( "On Israel, Trump takes a conspicuously cautious approach") President Obama's relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was icy. As Mr. Netanyahu prepares to visit President Trump at the White House Wednesday, both sides will be looking to change the first part of that equation while leaving the second untouched. In other words, don't expect Netanyahu to lecture Mr. Trump about Israel's security in front of the press, as he did to Mr. Obama at the White House in 2011.
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| What changed – and what didn't – with Trump's immigration raids Posted: 14 Feb 2017 04:05 PM PST ![What changed – and what didn't – with Trump's immigration raids]( "What changed – and what didn't – with Trump's immigration raids") When Angela Fernandez offered to hold a "know your rights" community workshop at her immigration coalition last week, many immigrant families were too scared to attend. Here in Washington Heights, where nearly half the neighborhood's 170,000 residents are foreign born, word spread quickly that the Trump administration had begun one of its first widespread immigration enforcement actions. "And I was told that the parents are so scared that they only feel comfortable meeting in a school," says Ms. Fernandez, executive director of the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, a nonprofit that helps provide legal services to immigrants.
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| Will Trump defy experts on how many crises he can endure? Posted: 14 Feb 2017 03:23 PM PST ![Will Trump defy experts on how many crises he can endure?]( "Will Trump defy experts on how many crises he can endure?") After three weeks in power President Trump may be finding that the blunt talk and unorthodox style that won him the election don't work nearly as well in the White House itself. The resignation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn following revelations that he misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his conversations with the Russian ambassador is but the latest in a string of controversies that have roiled Trump's short term in office and exhausted and dismayed opponents as well as some supporters. From the rocky rollout of Trump's partial travel ban to truth-stretching press appearances and the use of a Mar-a-Lago patio table as a crisis-management center amid wedding festivities, the administration's actions seem to reflect a White House team that has yet to embrace an organized approach to governance.
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| Etan Patz case finally comes to an end Posted: 14 Feb 2017 03:00 PM PST ![Etan Patz case finally comes to an end]( "Etan Patz case finally comes to an end") A 40-year mystery was finally laid to rest on Tuesday, as a New York City jury found a former store clerk guilty of the murder of 6-year-old boy Etan Patz, who became the first missing child to appear on milk carton. "The Patz family has waited a long time, but we've finally found some measure of justice for our wonderful little boy, Etan," the victim's father, Stanley Patz, told the Associated Press.
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| Democrats want answers on Michael Flynn and Russia Posted: 14 Feb 2017 02:15 PM PST ![Democrats want answers on Michael Flynn and Russia]( "Democrats want answers on Michael Flynn and Russia") Democrats are demanding a magnified investigation into communications between President Trump's former national security adviser and a Russian ambassador before inauguration and how much the incoming administration knew about it. The only problem is Democrats have no power to launch an investigation into Michael Flynn and the Trump White House on their own in a Republican-controlled Congress. Flynn's resignation from Mr. Trump's cabinet ended months of speculation about whether the former general discussed sanctions against Russia with the country's ambassador to the United States, a violation of an obscure federal statute that forbid Flynn, then a civilian, from interfering in diplomatic disputes, and an allegation Flynn first denied, but then walked back from.
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| Winning the hearts of Islamic State’s potential recruits Posted: 14 Feb 2017 02:13 PM PST ![Winning the hearts of Islamic State's potential recruits]( "Winning the hearts of Islamic State's potential recruits") As it began to lose more territory last year in Iraq and Syria, Islamic State (IS) posted a 55-page document online that aims to entice Muslims to operate on its behalf – as "media operatives" – in spreading its radical and violent message in the digital universe. After translating the document, researchers at King's College London issued a report this week that offers an important recommendation: To counter the group's attempt to deputize Muslims as propagandists will take more than showing the negative aspects of IS, such as the dismal life for its jihadi fighters or its misguided ideology. "[R]efuting the Islamic State's claims to legitimacy is not enough – and will never be enough – to degrade its brand," the report says.
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| Israel's right-wing revolutionaries Posted: 14 Feb 2017 02:01 PM PST ![Israel's right-wing revolutionaries]( "Israel's right-wing revolutionaries") As a leftist 20-something in the 1990s, Anat Roth railed against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not making peace with the Palestinians. "It was very noisy and it was very effective," recalls Ms. Roth, noting that Mr. Netanyahu lost to a pro-peace candidate in 1999. Today, Netanyahu is back in power, and Roth is opposing him again – but for a completely different reason.
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| Brother of North Korea's Supreme Leader murdered in Malaysia, officials confirm Posted: 14 Feb 2017 01:29 PM PST ![Brother of North Korea's Supreme Leader murdered in Malaysia, officials confirm]( "Brother of North Korea's Supreme Leader murdered in Malaysia, officials confirm") The older half-brother of North Korea's Supreme Leader died Tuesday in a Malaysian airport under mysterious circumstances, South Korean and Malaysian news outlets reported, in what the US government believes may have been a murder carried out by North Korean agents. The Royal Malaysian Police issued a statement identifying the deceased as a 46-year-old North Korean man, Kim Chol – an alias that South Korean officials say was being used by Kim Jong-nam. The man had been waiting to board a flight to Macau when, according to police official Fadzil Ahmat, "a woman came from behind and covered his face with a cloth laced with a liquid," as he told Bernama, the Malaysian state news agency.
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| Melania Trump says she will make Michelle Obama's White House garden her own Posted: 14 Feb 2017 01:00 PM PST ![Melania Trump says she will make Michelle Obama's White House garden her own]( "Melania Trump says she will make Michelle Obama's White House garden her own") While the West Wing might be busy revoking many of former President Barack Obama's policies, the East Wing is extending at least one significant legacy from the former presidency – the White House Kitchen Garden. After touring the Morikami Museum and its six Japanese-inspired gardens in Delray Beach, Fla., with Akie Abe, wife of Japanese Prime Minister, Melania Trump on Saturday signaled that she will continue and preserve both the Kitchen Garden and the Rose Garden in the Oval Office. "Both our countries histories and cultures are steeped in the nurture and nature of gardening," Mrs. Trump said in a statement, according to CNN.
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| US labels Venezuela's vice president a drug 'kingpin' Posted: 14 Feb 2017 12:58 PM PST ![US labels Venezuela's vice president a drug 'kingpin']( "US labels Venezuela's vice president a drug 'kingpin'") In the citation, the US Department of Treasury accused Mr. El Aissami of facilitating drug shipments and having links to drug gangs in Mexico and Colombia, making him the most senior Venezuelan official to be sanctioned by the United States. The sanction marks a departure from the so-called "soft landing" approach taken by the Obama administration, which clashed on occasion with efforts by the US Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Administration to crack down on money laundering and drug trafficking by influential Venezuelan officials. This move by the new administration dashes any hopes Socialist President Nicolas Maduro may have had that President Trump would stay out of Venezuelan affairs.
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| Trekking through snow and cold, Muslim refugees take their chances in Canada Posted: 14 Feb 2017 12:55 PM PST ![Trekking through snow and cold, Muslim refugees take their chances in Canada]( "Trekking through snow and cold, Muslim refugees take their chances in Canada") Disheartened by the Trump administration's attempts to halt the flow of refugees into the United States, a small but growing number of Muslim asylum seekers are fleeing President Trump's America, trekking through, through frigid temperatures and waist-deep snow to cross the border to Canada. As 1,100 refugees arrived in the United States last week with the lifting of the Trump administration's travel ban by the federal courts, some 25 refugees decided to forgo their chances of being granted asylum in the United States and instead made their way to Emerson, Manitoba, despite fierce snowstorms. "Sometimes we were crawling," Hussein Ahmed, a Somali refugee told CNN.
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| In Venezuela's reaction to US sanctions, a possible 'Russia factor' Posted: 14 Feb 2017 12:50 PM PST ![In Venezuela's reaction to US sanctions, a possible 'Russia factor']( "In Venezuela's reaction to US sanctions, a possible 'Russia factor'") When the United States announced sanctions against Venezuelan Vice President Tareck El Aissami Monday, many prepared themselves for a "déjà vu" moment.
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| Despite petition, UK prepares royal welcome for Trump Posted: 14 Feb 2017 12:31 PM PST ![Despite petition, UK prepares royal welcome for Trump]( "Despite petition, UK prepares royal welcome for Trump") In a statement posted Tuesday, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office rejected an online petition requesting that the British government cancel or remove the official status of President Trump's forthcoming state visit. Rather than demanding an outright ban on Mr. Trump's proposed visit, the petition had requested that his visit be downgraded from an official state visit, which would involve meeting with Queen Elizabeth and a formal state banquet in the Buckingham Palace Ballroom. Recommended: Keep calm and answer on: Take our United Kingdom quiz.
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| How Trump's shift to traditional US stance on Mideast aids Netanyahu Posted: 14 Feb 2017 11:09 AM PST ![How Trump's shift to traditional US stance on Mideast aids Netanyahu]( "How Trump's shift to traditional US stance on Mideast aids Netanyahu") As he prepares to meet President Trump Wednesday to reset US-Israeli relations after years of rancor with the Obama administration, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is treading a cautious path. Pressed by the right flank of his government to drop his declared commitment to the two-state solution to the conflict with the Palestinians, expand Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and even annex parts of the territory, the prime minister has warned that not all restraints imposed during the Obama years can be thrown off. Strengthening the alliance with the United States "requires a responsible and considered policy," Mr. Netanyahu said before leaving Israel for Washington.
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| Oklahoma lawmakers debate bill requiring men's permission for abortion Posted: 14 Feb 2017 09:11 AM PST ![Oklahoma lawmakers debate bill requiring men's permission for abortion]( "Oklahoma lawmakers debate bill requiring men's permission for abortion") According to Oklahoma House Bill 1441, a woman must provide the name of her sexual partner to the physician performing the abortion prior to the procedure. The bill, which is the latest in a wave of controversial state-level anti-abortion measures, has been denounced by reproductive rights advocates who argue that it violates women's constitutional rights.
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| Congressional oversight committee will not seek Trump's tax returns Posted: 14 Feb 2017 08:42 AM PST ![Congressional oversight committee will not seek Trump's tax returns]( "Congressional oversight committee will not seek Trump's tax returns") President Trump's tax returns may not become public anytime soon. Kevin Brady (R) of Texas, chairman of a congressional committee responsible for setting tax policy, has refused a letter from fellow committee member Bill Pascrell (D) of New Jersey asking that the House Ways and Means Committee use an obscure law to review the Mr. Trump's tax returns. The law would allow Ways and Means to order the Internal Revenue Service to hand over the president's tax returns, after which the committee would decide by a vote whether to make them public if they discovered any relevant conflicts of interest.
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| Senate confirms former Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin as Treasury secretary Posted: 14 Feb 2017 08:26 AM PST ![Senate confirms former Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin as Treasury secretary]( "Senate confirms former Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin as Treasury secretary") Former banker Steven Mnuchin was sworn in as Treasury secretary on Monday, following a Senate vote deeply divided along party lines.
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