USA News and Discussions

[firestar464]

I'm sorry but this is the same logic as "hunter biden bad, so joe bad"

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These kinds of people are always hypocrites! I fully expect that they were having a gay relationship and taking part in sexual acts together. It'll be funny when that gets out. lol I think they want to ban it and add these punishments to the act to make it more interesting.

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'We're ungovernable': House Republicans nix votes on two funding bills as shutdown deadline nears

Source: NBC News

Nov. 9, 2023, 12:48 PM EST / Updated Nov. 9, 2023, 1:23 PM EST

WASHINGTON — House Republicans closed out the week by canceling votes on two party-line funding bills in the span of 48 hours, a setback for new Speaker Mike Johnson and a sign of persisting dysfunction in the chamber ahead of a key funding deadline.

They pulled a transportation-housing bill late Tuesday as some coastal Republicans opposed cuts to Amtrak. And they yanked a financial services and general government measure on Thursday morning that included divisive anti-abortion language.

It's a step backward for Johnson, R-La., who had hoped to show progress on appropriations bills championed by his party's conservative wing in order to secure their votes to pass a short-term bill that would keep the government open beyond the Nov. 17 deadline. And it shows how ungovernable the House continues to be after right-wing Republicans ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy over complaints about his handling of government funding.

"I don't think the Lord Jesus himself could manage this group," said Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas. He added that he would pray for the new speaker as the House adjourned for a long weekend. "We’re still dealing with the same divisions we always have had," said another House Republican. "We’re ungovernable."

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congre ... rcna124441

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Ohio GOP lawmakers vow to target state judiciary after passage of Issue 1 abortion measure

Source: CBS News

November 10, 2023 / 4:21 PM EST

Washington — Republicans in the Ohio state legislature are threatening to strip state courts of their authority to review cases related to Issue 1, the ballot measure approved by voters on Tuesday that established a right to abortion in the state constitution. A group of four state GOP lawmakers announced their plans in a press release Thursday, which also teased forthcoming legislative action in response to voters' approval of the reproductive rights initiative.

"Issue 1 doesn't repeal a single Ohio law, in fact, it doesn't even mention one," state Rep. Bill Dean said in a statement. "The amendment's language is dangerously vague and unconstrained, and can be weaponized to attack parental rights or defend rapists, pedophiles, and human traffickers."

The Ohio Republicans said state lawmakers "will consider removing jurisdiction from the judiciary over this ambiguous ballot initiative. The Ohio legislature alone will consider what, if any, modifications to make to existing laws based on public hearings and input from legal experts on both sides."

Republicans hold wide majorities in both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly. The state's governor is a Republican, and the seven-seat Ohio Supreme Court has a 4-3 Republican majority.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-abort ... judiciary/

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Government shutdown looms as new speaker struggles to control hardliners

(CNN) — New House Speaker Mike Johnson may already be losing his first big clash with the hard-right lawmakers who are making the Republican majority and the nation ungovernable as time races down to yet another federal funding cut-off.

The Louisiana conservative, who was just lifted from obscurity to second in line to the presidency, may soon find himself in the position that doomed his predecessor Rep. Kevin McCarthy — needing Democratic votes to keep the government open.

-snip-

While the two-step approach appears to be a concession to the far right — which abhors what it calls “clean” continuing resolutions, or CRs, that keep government open temporarily at current spending levels — Johnson’s approach may already have backfired since it lacks the sweeping cuts that hard-right Republicans demanded even though they have no chance of getting them past a Democratic-run Senate and White House. “It’s a 100% clean. And I 100% oppose,” Freedom Caucus member and Texas Rep. Chip Roy wrote on X, conjuring up exactly the showdown that cost McCarthy his job.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/13/poli ... index.html

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The Supreme Court says it is adopting a code of ethics, but it has no means of enforcement


Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday adopted its first code of ethics, in the face of sustained criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices, but the code lacks a means of enforcement.

The policy, agreed to by all nine justices, does not appear to impose any significant new requirements and leaves compliance entirely to each justice.

Indeed, the justices said they have long adhered to ethics standards and suggested that criticism of the court over ethics was the product of misunderstanding, rather than any missteps by the justices.

“The absence of a Code, however, has led in recent years to the misunderstanding that the Justices of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules,” the justices wrote in an unsigned statement that accompanied the code. “To dispel this misunderstanding, we are issuing this Code, which largely represents a codification of principles that we have long regarded as governing our conduct.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-cour ... a06f0f4187

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US House speaker's plan to avoid shutdown gains some Democratic support

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, Nov 13 (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson's plan to avoid a partial government shutdown secured tentative support from top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer on Monday, even as some of Johnson's hardline Republican colleagues pushed back against it.

Senate Majority Leader Schumer, whose support would be critical to pass the measure to head off a government shutdown beginning on Saturday, said he was "pleased" that Johnson's proposal did not include sharp spending cuts.

"The speaker's proposal is far from perfect, but the most important thing is it refrains from making steep cuts," said Schumer, who stopped short of backing the idea.

However, before the bill can move to the Senate, it will need to clear the House, where at least seven of Johnson's fellow Republicans signaled opposition to his two-step continuing resolution, or "CR," which would keep federal agencies operating at current funding levels.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-us ... 023-11-13/

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House passes short-term funding plan to avert government shutdown

Source: CBS News

Updated on: November 14, 2023 / 6:11 PM EST

Washington — The House on Tuesday passed a two-step plan from Speaker Mike Johnson to fund federal agencies into the new year, sending the legislation to the Senate days before the approaching deadline to avert a government shutdown.

The short-term measure cleared the House in a 336 to 95 vote. Known as a continuing resolution, it received substantial support from House Democrats, who helped ensure its passage over the objections of dozens of Republicans. The bill is the first major piece of legislation the House has approved since Johnson became speaker.

The plan, which Johnson unveiled Saturday, extends federal funding at current levels for one group of agencies and programs through Jan. 19, and a second batch through Feb. 2. Johnson argued the extension will allow lawmakers to avoid a massive end-of-year spending bill while negotiations over spending levels continue.

Though more Democrats voted for the bill than Republicans, Johnson celebrated its passage, saying it puts the GOP "in the best position to fight for conservative policy victories."

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2023-gover ... ote-today/

Washington — The House on Tuesday passed a two-step plan from Speaker Mike Johnson to fund federal agencies into the new year, sending the legislation to the Senate days before the approaching deadline to avert a government shutdown.

The short-term measure cleared the House in a 336 to 95 vote. Known as a continuing resolution, it received substantial support from House Democrats, who helped ensure its passage over the objections of some conservative Republicans. The bill is the first major piece of legislation the House has approved since Johnson became speaker.

The plan, which Johnson unveiled Saturday, extends federal funding at current levels for one group of agencies and programs through Jan. 19, and a second batch through Feb. 2. Johnson argued the extension will allow lawmakers to avoid a massive end-of-year spending bill while negotiations over spending levels continue.

The resolution's passage in the House all but eliminates the threat of a shutdown on Saturday, when most government funding expires. The Senate is expected to quickly approve the bill, which would allow President Biden to sign it into law before the deadline.

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Joe Biden and Xi Jinping sit down for first face-to-face meeting in a year.

Source: The Guardian

As Xi stepped out of his bulletproof Hongqi sedan, Biden greeted the smiling Chinese president with a handshake and said: “Welcome.”

The two then proceeded to pose briefly for photos before heading into their meeting hall where they were greeted by US officials including the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, the treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, the US’s special climate envoy, John Kerry, and the national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.

Addressing Xi, Biden said:

Mr President, we’ve known each other for a long time. We haven’t always agreed which [does] not surprise anyone but our meetings have always been candid, straightforward and useful … I value our conversation because I think it’s paramount that you and I understand each other clearly, leader to leader with no misconceptions or miscommunication …

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/liv ... st-updates

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[raklian]

FBI investigating ‘vehicle explosion’ at Rainbow Bridge on US-Canadian border
By Celina Tebor, CNN

Federal authorities in Buffalo, New York, are investigating a “vehicle explosion” at the Rainbow Bridge border crossing between US and Canada, adding that the “situation is very fluid.”

The FBI is coordinating with local, state and federal law enforcement in the ongoing investigation, it said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Emergency rooms in at least 3 states diverting patients after ransomware attack

Source: NBC News

Nov. 27, 2023, 4:52 PM EST

Hospitals in at least three states are diverting patients from their emergency rooms after a major cyberattack hit their parent company last week. Ardent Health Services, which oversees 30 hospitals across the U.S., said Monday that it had been the victim of a severe ransomware attack in Oklahoma, News Mexico and Texas, forcing it to take action.

“In an abundance of caution, our facilities are rescheduling some non-emergent, elective procedures and diverting some emergency room patients to other area hospitals until systems are back online,” the company said in a news release.

Spokespeople at three Ardent-owned hospital chains across the U.S. — Hillcrest HealthCare System in Oklahoma, Lovelace Health System in New Mexico, and UT Health in Texas — each told NBC News Monday that at least some of their emergency rooms were diverting patients to other hospitals while the company tries to fix the damage from the attack.

Ardent said it had shut down a significant number of its computerized services, including clinical programs and its use of Epic Systems, a program that tracks patients’ health care records.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/e ... rcna126890

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