Jacques Agency

As Russia case unfolds, Trump and Republicans go to battle with Clinton and Democrats - The Washington Post Tensions between Republicans and Democrats over the investigation of Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election intensified Sunday, with President Trump demanding to know why his campaign is under federal scrutiny while his former opponent Hillary Clinton is not. The president’s latest outburst over the inquiry led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III surfaced on Twitter as his administration braced for the possibility that the first batch of charges in the case could be publicly announced as soon as Monday.  CNN reported  that a federal grand jury had approved an indictment, although details of the possible charges and the name of a defendant remained unclear. Trump issued four tweets over 24 minutes, attacking the Mueller probe as unfair and citing various Clinton controversies that he said warranted investigation. “Instead they look at phony Trump/Rus...

AP: Georgia Election Server Wiped Clean After Lawsuit Filed A Georgia election server that was an important piece of a lawsuit against the state's election officials had its data destroyed days after the lawsuit was filed, The Associated Press reported Thursday. The server's data was destroyed July 7 by technicians at the Center for Elections Systems at Kennesaw State University, which runs the state's election system. The data wipe was revealed in an email sent last week from an assistant state attorney general to plaintiffs in the case that was later obtained by the AP. More emails obtained in a public records request confirmed the wipe. The lawsuit, filed on July 3 by a diverse group of election reform advocates, aims to force Georgia to retire its antiquated and heavily criticized election technology. The server in question, which served as a statewide staging location for key election-related data, made national headlines in June after a security expert disclosed a g...

Hello to the Heavens: Pope Francis Phones the Space Station Pope Francis made a phone call to the  International Space Station  today (Oct. 26) to ask its six occupants deep questions about humanity's place in the universe. Calling from the Vatican in Rome, Pope Francis spoke with Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency along with three NASA astronauts and two Russian cosmonauts. Pope Francis skipped the small talk and dove straight into the big questions. "As you're contemplating the undoubted limits of the universe, it makes us think about where we come from and where we're going," he said. "In light of your experiences in space, what are your thoughts regarding the place of man in the universe?" "Holy Father, this is a complex question," Nespoli replied in Italian as NASA TV provided an English translation. "I feel like a technical person — an engineer — and I'm here among experiments, machinery an...

Jeff Flake, a Fierce Trump Critic, Will Not Seek Re-election for Senate - The New York Times WASHINGTON — Senator Jeff Flake, the Arizona Republican who has tangled with President Trump for months, announced on Tuesday that he would not seek re-election in 2018, declaring on the Senate floor that he “will no longer be complicit or silent” in the face of the president’s “reckless, outrageous and undignified” behavior. Mr. Flake made his announcement in an extraordinary 17-minute speech in which he challenged not only the president but also his party’s leadership. He deplored the “casual undermining of our democratic ideals” and “the personal attacks, the threats against principles, freedoms and institutions, the flagrant disregard for truth and decency” that he said had become prevalent in American politics in the era of Mr. Trump. The announcement appeared to signal a moment of decision for the Republican Party. Last week, Senator John McCain, the senior senator from Arizona, spoke i...

Venezuela opposition seeks election victory over Maduro Venezuela’s political crisis shifted from barricades to ballots on Sunday with nationwide gubernatorial elections likely to hand the demoralised opposition a major victory against President Nicolas Maduro’s government. The ruling Socialist Party controls 20 of 23 state governorships, but polls showed the opposition Democratic Unity coalition likely to upend that, given voter anger at hunger and shortages stemming from an economic meltdown. “I used to have enough food in my house to feed my children tomorrow, but now no longer. Hunger motivates us to vote,” said Zulay Acosta, voting early in southern Puerto Ordaz city. The government, however, made liberal use of state resources in its candidates’ campaigns, evoked popular former leader Hugo Chavez at every rally, and appealed to Venezuelans’ exhaustion with political turmoil to vote against “candidates of violence.” “I vote because I want peace, not terrorism,” customs official ...

Somalia: At least 300 people killed in car bombings - CNN Mogadishu (CNN) At least 300 people have been confirmed dead after a double car bombing rocked Mogadishu on Saturday, making it the deadliest attack in Somalia's modern history. The revised death toll follows efforts by rescue works to recover bodies from the rubble and the deaths of several people who succumbed to their wounds on Monday, according to Major Ahmed Ibrahim of the police force. More than 30 people injured severely by the blast were airlifted to Turkey on Monday by military air ambulance after the Turkish health minister arrived in the Somali capital. Minutes after the first blast, a second vehicle bomb went off nearby. No casualties were reported from that second blast, according to police. Al-Shabaab, which is now based mainly in rural areas in the south of the country having lost control of Mogadishu in 2011, has been waging a war with the Somali government for more than ten years, prompting the...

Dispute over Venezuela vote could spark more unrest, sanctions Maduro’s candidates took 17 governorships, versus five for the opposition, in Sunday’s nationwide poll, according to the pro-government electoral board. The socialists’ strong showing came despite devastating food shortages, triple-digit inflation, and a collapsing currency. Polls had suggested the opposition would easily win a majority. Dismayed leaders of the Democratic Unity coalition decried irregularities, called for street action, and demanded an audit, but they did not offer detailed evidence of fraud. “Neither Venezuelans nor the world will swallow this fiction,” said opposition campaign chief Gerardo Blyde. One losing candidate, Carlos Ocariz who ran for Miranda state, alleged a litany of abuses ranging from multiple voting, state food handouts on the day of the poll, forced attendance at gunpoint, and suspicious phone and power outages. Opposition leaders also said the election board skewed the poll by moving se...

Iraqi Forces Sweep Into Kirkuk, Checking Kurdish Independence Drive - The New York Times KIRKUK, Iraq — After weeks of threats and posturing, the Iraqi government began a military assault on Monday to blunt the independence drive by the nation’s Kurdish minority, wresting oil fields and a contested city from separatists pushing to break away from Iraq. In clashes that pit two crucial American allies against each other, government troops seized the vital city of Kirkuk and surrounding oil fields, ousting the Kurdish forces who had controlled the region for three years in their effort to build an independent nation in the northern third of Iraq. The Kurds  voted overwhelmingly in a referendum  three weeks ago for independence from Iraq. The United States, Baghdad and most countries in the region condemned the vote, fearing it would fuel ethnic divisions across the region, lead to the break up of Iraq and hobble the fight against the Islamic State.

Venezuela holds landmark vote as it seeks to end crisis — World — The Guardian Nigeria Newspaper – Nigeria and World News Venezuelans vote on Sunday in regional elections seen as a key test for both President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition alike after months of street protests that failed to unseat him. The opposition, unable to sustain the protests in which 125 people were killed between April and July, is seeking a big turnout which experts say could give them victory in the vast majority of Venezuela’s 23 states in the vote to elect governors. International powers accuse Maduro of dismantling democracy by taking over state institutions in the wake of an economic collapse cause by a fall in the price of oil, its sole significant source of revenue.

Trump Addresses Values Voter Summit: In America 'We Don't Worship Government, We Worship God' : NPR I might go with this: In America 'We Don't Worship Government, We Worship God' May the Angels of heaven and of the earth praise God for this man! He is the man of God; He is not afraid to tell the truth. WATCH AND PRAY!

Iran warns U.S. against imposing further sanctions BEIRUT/DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran warned the United States against designating its Revolutionary Guards Corp as a terrorist group and said U.S. regional military bases would be at risk if further sanctions were passed. The warning came after the White House said on Friday that President Donald Trump would announce new U.S. responses to Iran’s missile tests, support for “terrorism” and cyber operations as part of his new Iran strategy. “As we’ve announced in the past, if America’s new law for sanctions is passed, this country will have to move their regional bases outside the 2,000 km range of Iran’s missiles,” Guards’ commander Mohammad Ali Jafari said, according to state media. Jafari also said that additional sanctions would end the chances for future dialogue with the United States, according to state media, and issued a stark warning to American troops.

White nationalists return to Charlottesville - BBC News White nationalist protesters have returned to the US town Charlottesville two months after violent clashes there saw a woman killed. The town's mayor said the small group's appearance at the statue of a Confederate general was "another despicable visit by neo-Nazi cowards". The brief torch-lit rally was organised by far-right figure Richard Spencer. In videos he posted protesters can be heard chanting "You will not replace us" and "we will be back". The statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee was also the venue for the "Unite the Right" rally in August, held to oppose plans to remove it. Counter-demonstrator Heather Heyer, 32, was killed when a participant drove into a group of counter-protesters at high speed.

Hurricane Nate Makes Landfall on the Gulf Coast, Then Weakens - The New York Times BILOXI, Miss. — This year’s crushing hurricanes have submerged Houston, wrecked the Florida Keys and decimated Puerto Rico, but spared the central Gulf Coast — at least until now. Hurricane Nate, the fourth to lash the United States in just over six weeks, made landfall on Saturday in southeast Louisiana, near the mouth of the Mississippi River, as a Category 1 system. It made landfall again hours later, this time near Biloxi, with roaring wind and heavy rain, and dragged in flooding that overtopped Highway 90 and poured into the bottom level of some parking garages. The National Hurricane Center later  downgraded the hurricane  to a tropical storm as it moved farther inland over Mississippi and Alabama. The center added that though the storm was rapidly weakening, with wind speed falling to 45 miles per hour by 8 Eastern, storm-surge flooding continued, and heavy rainfall spread over the sout...

Niger ambush, deaths highlight U.S. Africa military mission creep NAIROBI/ABIDJAN (Reuters) - U.S. special forces soldiers were training their Nigerien counterparts in the West African nation’s volatile southwest, a growing hot-bed of jihadist violence, when the report came in of a raid nearby. The assailants were believed to be led by Dondou Chefou, a lieutenant in a new group operating along the Mali-Niger border and called Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. A decision was soon taken to pursue them. The mixed force was ambushed by fighters on dozens of vehicles and motorcycles. Under heavy fire, U.S. troops called in French fighter jets for air support. But the firefight was at such close quarters the planes could not engage and were instead left circling overhead as a deterrant. The version of events, as told by two Nigerien and two Western sources briefed on the incident, shines a light on Washington’s increasingly aggressive Special Forces-led counter-terrorism strategy in Afr...

Trump officials roll back birth control mandate | TheHill The Trump administration on Friday rolled back an ObamaCare requirement that employers include birth control coverage in their health insurance plans. Under highly anticipated rules published Friday, any for-profit or non-profit employer or insurer can stop following the birth control mandate on moral and religious grounds. The changes also let publicly traded companies obtain a religious exemption but not a moral one. The rules take effect immediately. ObamaCare mandated that employers offer health insurance that covers birth control without a co-pay, with exemptions for houses of worship and some companies.

King of Spain Forcefully Denounces Catalan ‘Disloyalty’ - The New York Times BARCELONA, Spain — King Felipe VI of Spain stepped forcefully into the political crisis over Catalonia on Tuesday, accusing the region’s separatist leaders of “inadmissible disloyalty” and of creating “a situation of extreme gravity” that threatened the country’s constitution and unity. The monarch’s televised address came at the close of a daylong general strike in Catalonia, as well as road blockades and a mass rally in downtown Barcelona, to protest Sunday’s police  crackdown on voters  as they took part in an independence referendum that had been declared illegal by Spain’s constitutional court. The Catalan authorities “have put themselves completely on the sidelines of the law and democracy,” Felipe said. “With their irresponsible conduct, they can even put at risk the economic and social stability of Catalonia and the whole of Spain.”

Hundreds Injured as Spanish Police Clash with Defiant Voters in Catalonia - NBC News   by SAPHORA SMITH and MATT BRADLEY BARCELONA, Spain — Hundreds were injured as armed police descended on some polling stations in Catalonia Sunday as defiant voters attempted to take part in a banned referendum on independence from Madrid. Over 460 people were injured in Catalonia, Barcelona's Mayor Ada Colau said on Twitter at around 4:45 p.m. local time (10:45 a.m. ET). Colau said that as mayor she demanded "an immediate end to police charges against the defenseless population." "I call for a halt to the police actions that are taking place in our city at this very moment immediately because it is unacceptable that the police should be thrown against a populace that has mobilized to exercise its right to vote, that is behaving absolutely peacefully and is defenseless," she told reporters, according to a clip posted and translated by the Barcelona City Council on Twi...

Health Secretary Tom Price Resigns After Drawing Ire for Chartered Flights - The New York Times WASHINGTON — Tom Price, the health and human services secretary, resigned under pressure on Friday after racking up at least $400,000 in travel bills for chartered flights and undermining President Trump’s promise to drain the swamp of a corrupt and entitled capital. Already in trouble with Mr. Trump for months of unsuccessful efforts to repeal and replace President Barack Obama’s health care program, Mr. Price failed to defuse the president’s anger by offering regret and a partial reimbursement. His departure was the latest from an administration buffeted by turbulence at the top, and capped a week of setbacks for the president. “I’m not happy, O.K.?” Mr. Trump told reporters who asked about Mr. Price as the president prepared to leave for his New Jersey golf club for the weekend, barely an hour before the resignation was announced. “I can tell you, I’m not happy.” He called Mr. Price...

Trump signed presidential directive ordering actions to pressure North Korea - The Washington Post By  Karen DeYoung ,  Ellen Nakashima  and  Emily Rauhala   September 30 at 6:51 PM   Early in his administration, President Trump signed a directive outlining a strategy of pressure against North Korea that involved actions across a broad spectrum of government agencies and led to the use of military cyber-capabilities, according to U.S. officials. As part of the campaign, U.S. Cyber Command targeted hackers in North Korea’s military spy agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau, by barraging their computer servers with traffic that choked off Internet access. Trump’s directive, a senior administration official said, also included instructions to diplomats and officials to bring up North Korea in virtually every conversation with foreign interlocutors and urge them to sever all ties with Pyongyang. Those conversations have had significant success, particular...

O.J. Simpson released from Nevada prison LAS VEGAS -- Former football legend O.J. Simpson became a free man again Sunday after serving nine years for a botched hotel-room heist in Las Vegas that brought the conviction and prison time he avoided in the killings of his ex-wife and her friend after his 1995 acquittal in the "trial of the century" in Los Angeles. Simpson was released at 12:08 a.m. PT from Lovelock Correctional Center in northern Nevada, state prisons spokeswoman Brooke Keast told The Associated Press. She said she did not know the driver who met Simpson upon his release and didn't know where Simpson was immediately headed in his first hours of freedom.