| How Washington, D.C., is using social media to bring back missing children Posted: 24 Mar 2017 02:35 PM PDT ![How Washington, D.C., is using social media to bring back missing children]( "How Washington, D.C., is using social media to bring back missing children") On Tuesday, Rep. Cedric Richmond (D) Louisiana, who is the Congressional Black Caucus chairman, and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) of the District of Columbia sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director James Comey. While the number of missing youths in the District hasn't dramatically increased, local police Commander Chanel Dickerson has become more vocal about the cases when they occur, increasingly using social media to spread the word when kids go missing – an important first step toward getting them back.
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| Tillerson's week: How top US diplomat’s ‘big reveal’ offered little clarity Posted: 24 Mar 2017 11:53 AM PDT ![Tillerson's week: How top US diplomat's 'big reveal' offered little clarity]( "Tillerson's week: How top US diplomat's 'big reveal' offered little clarity") The event was billed as a counter-ISIS conference, but for Rex Tillerson it was more like a coming-out party – with him starring as the diplomatic debutante. With all eyes on the new secretary of state with no formal diplomatic experience, the former ExxonMobil CEO offered the high-level representatives of the 68 countries in the US-led counter-ISIS coalition a bit of insight into his global philosophy and his approach to his new gig.
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| Hopeful combo: World economy grows, carbon emissions stay flat Posted: 24 Mar 2017 11:08 AM PDT ![Hopeful combo: World economy grows, carbon emissions stay flat]( "Hopeful combo: World economy grows, carbon emissions stay flat") Recommended: Climate change: Is your opinion informed by science? No sooner had the IEA trumpeted its latest findings on CO2 emissions last week than it came up with a new study warning that meeting the 2 degree target will take "an energy transition of exceptional depth, scope and speed" unlike anything we have ever seen. Flattening energy-related emissions (which make up two-thirds of all human-generated greenhouse gases) is "very, very good news," says Laura Cozzi, an IEA official, because they have leveled out even as the world economy grew by 3.1 percent.
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| 'Snooki' inspired bill could cap N.J. college speaker fees: How much is too much? Posted: 24 Mar 2017 10:35 AM PDT !['Snooki' inspired bill could cap N.J. college speaker fees: How much is too much?]( "'Snooki' inspired bill could cap N.J. college speaker fees: How much is too much?") The reality show "Jersey Shore" hasn't been on the air in nearly five years. A bill capping payments for guest speakers at the state's universities to $10,000 passed 74-0 in the Democrat-controlled Assembly on Thursday, after the state Senate also gave it a unanimous green light.
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| Trump says Keystone XL will bring thousands of jobs. Promise or pipe dream? Posted: 24 Mar 2017 10:26 AM PDT ![Trump says Keystone XL will bring thousands of jobs. Promise or pipe dream?]( "Trump says Keystone XL will bring thousands of jobs. Promise or pipe dream?") President Trump formally revived the Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, signing the presidential permit that granted TransCanada Corp. the right to cross-border construction on a project with symbolic weight for the future of US climate policy. At a White House event attended by TransCanada chief executive officer Russell Girling and Sean McGarvey, president of North America's Building Trades Unions, Mr. Trump heralded what he called "a new era of American energy policy" that he said would lower costs for US consumers, reduce reliance on foreign oil sources, and create thousands of jobs.
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| Samantha Ponder to host 'Sunday NFL Countdown,' despite backlash from internet trolls Posted: 24 Mar 2017 09:50 AM PDT ![Samantha Ponder to host 'Sunday NFL Countdown,' despite backlash from internet trolls]( "Samantha Ponder to host 'Sunday NFL Countdown,' despite backlash from internet trolls") TV networks bringing on female sports reporters seems a natural progression considering the large numbers of women who are fans of various professional male sports leagues, with women making up 45 percent of National Football League fans, according to a recent statement by the league.
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| Can judiciary recover from political battles over Supreme Court seat? Posted: 24 Mar 2017 08:36 AM PDT ![Can judiciary recover from political battles over Supreme Court seat?]( "Can judiciary recover from political battles over Supreme Court seat?") Since the death of Justice Antonin Scalia over a year ago, the empty seat on the US Supreme Court has been one of the most contentious political footballs in Washington. The debate has only gained greater intensity and gravity as the months have worn on, featuring two nominees, record-breaking congressional obstruction by Republicans, talks of an unprecedented filibuster by Democrats, tens of millions of dollars from outside groups on both sides of the political spectrum, and a president casually attacking federal judges. The filibuster is looming, but most expect that Judge Neil Gorsuch – who was subject to 20 hours of questioning from the Senate Judiciary Committee this week – will eventually fill the vacancy and end the conflict.
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| Estonia's lessons for fighting Russian disinformation Posted: 24 Mar 2017 07:41 AM PDT ![Estonia's lessons for fighting Russian disinformation]( "Estonia's lessons for fighting Russian disinformation") This fall, a few weeks after Donald Trump won the election, news surfaced on Russian websites that the newly elected president lashed out at the leaders of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, telling them to "shut up" and slammed down the telephone in outrage. An online Russian news portal 4esnok that initially published the story cited a CNN interview about the phone call with President Trump's counselor Kellyanne Conway, but links within the article to the original source revealed nothing about the irate exchange.
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| What does ‘multispeed’ Europe really mean? Posted: 24 Mar 2017 07:25 AM PDT ![What does 'multispeed' Europe really mean?]( "What does 'multispeed' Europe really mean?") The Treaty of Rome, which gave rise to the European Union, is marking its 60th anniversary. One idea to boost the postwar project is the notion of a "multispeed" Europe.Q: What is a multispeed Europe? This idea, which is not new, got new life ahead of an EU summit in Rome March 25, where leaders were expected to sign a declaration on the future of Europe post-"Brexit." In a white paper ahead of the summit, multispeed Europe was one of five scenarios proposed by EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
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| For US visa hopefuls, screening hurdles grow. Shades of 'extreme vetting'? Posted: 24 Mar 2017 07:11 AM PDT ![For US visa hopefuls, screening hurdles grow. Shades of 'extreme vetting'?]( "For US visa hopefuls, screening hurdles grow. Shades of 'extreme vetting'?") Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has issued four cables to US diplomatic posts abroad over the past two weeks that recommend additional steps consular officers should take when vetting visa applicants, in the first glimpse of the "extreme vetting" promised by President Trump on the campaign trail. "What this language effectively does is give the consular posts permission to step away from the focused factors they have spent years developing and revising, and instead broaden the search to large groups based on gross factors such as nationality and religion," he added.
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| Hawaii’s Beth Fukumoto is quitting the GOP. Whose defection is it? Posted: 23 Mar 2017 03:28 PM PDT ![Hawaii's Beth Fukumoto is quitting the GOP. Whose defection is it?]( "Hawaii's Beth Fukumoto is quitting the GOP. Whose defection is it?") A few years ago, a rattled Republican party was convinced it had to remake itself in the image of younger, ethnically diverse voters, and Beth Fukumoto, a representative in Hawaii's House, emerged as a rising star in the party. The state's youngest-ever House minority leader – having ascended to the position before she'd hit 30 – the Republican National Committee tapped Representative Fukumoto to help recruit female candidates. National media hailed her as a centrist, new-American antidote to the GOP's diversity problem.
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