June 18, 2016

A year after marriage ruling, LGBT rights struggles continue

NEW YORK (AP) - On a Friday evening almost a year ago, the White House was awash in rainbow-colored lights, celebrating the momentous Supreme Court ruling that led to nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage. Across the country, gays and lesbians embraced and partied and in some cases scrambled to arrange ...

Source: www.washingtontimes.com stories: Politics

The DNC hacked

(Scott Johnson) The Democratic National Committee was hacked in 2015 and again this year. Hacked opposition research was posted online and made the headlines. The DNC's security consultant — CrowdStrike — attributes the hacking to operatives of the Russian government. Guccifer 2.0 (whoddat?) has posted a set of donor related documents that complicate the story. The DNC's early attempts to minimize the extent of the hacking have not held up. They appear

Source: Power LinePower Line

New York lawmakers leave Albany without big ethics reforms

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Another legislative session is in the books, and another chapter in Albany's long story of backroom horse trading has come to a close - without the reforms voters say are needed to address corruption.

The session started in January with some bold proposals to fix the ...

Source: www.washingtontimes.com stories: Politics

As the smartphone wars reheat, the threat of chilling innovation looms

samsung-chilling1 Bill Gates recently penned an open letter to the 2016 presidential candidates, imploring them to support something he hopes "every candidate will agree on in November: America's unparalleled capacity for innovation." Politics aside, it's hard to argue with his call to action. Read More

Source: TechCrunch

Learn deeply, but baby, don't fear the Skynet

dont-fear-the-reaper Who's afraid of AlphaGo? Everyone who's anyone, you might think. Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Stephen Hawking have all expressed concern about the "existential threat" of AI, just as "deep learning" neural networks are revolutionizing the AI field. Should we be scared for our jobs? Or even our species? Fear not, I have answers! They are, respectively… Read More

Source: TechCrunch

The Week in Pictures: 2nd Amendment Edition

(Steven Hayward) Mass shootings, by whatever kind of perpetrator, bring out the maximum ignorance from liberals and the media (but I repeat myself), but it's even worse when the reaction involves averting one's gaze from the growing problem of Islamic extremism in our midst. Good thing we have our cartoonists on the job. (And finally—something to change the subject from bathrooms.) Maybe we mistranslated Khruschchev all those years ago? And finally. .

Source: Power LinePower Line

A Twentieth Century Custer

To read about Douglas MacArthur, to think about the life and achievements of the American general, is to be forced to two conclusions. First, that he really was a great man. And second, that the nation was lucky to survive him.

Perhaps it's a testament to the strength of America's republican traditions, at least through those mid-twentieth-century years in which MacArthur flourished, that we didn't collapse into constitutional crisis simply from the fact of his outsized existence. Or perhaps the nation's survival is a testament to MacArthur's own deeply American character and political virtues. The popular historian Arthur Herman certainly thinks so, and to prove his point, he's penned a 900-page biography, Douglas MacArthur: American Warrior.

The post A Twentieth Century Custer appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

Source: Washington Free Beacon

June 17, 2016

The Latest: Cuomo, top lawmakers reach ethics reform deal

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The Latest on the New York Legislature as it works toward adjournment (all times eastern):

___

7:45 p.m.

Top lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo have reached a deal on a proposed Constitutional amendment to strip the state pensions from lawmakers convicted of corruption.

The compromise ...

Source: www.washingtontimes.com stories: Politics

Full Show: With All Due Respect (06/17/16)

Mark Halperin and Margaret Talev are joined by Republican strategist Katie Packer Gage, the New York Times' Carl Hulse, the Arizona Republic's Dan Nowicki, NBC News' Katy Tur and Kasie Hunt on "With All Due Respect."

Source: Bloomberg Politics

Prosecutors argue against governor's order on rights

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A bipartisan group of 43 commonwealth's attorneys are fighting Gov. Terry McAuliffe's restoration of voting and other rights for more than 200,000 ex-felons.

In a brief filed Friday with the Virginia Supreme Court, the prosecutors said each ex-felon's rights restoration should be handled individually, rather than ...

Source: www.washingtontimes.com stories: Politics

Bigly vs. Big League: What Is Donald Trump Saying?

The Bloomberg Politics "Bigly/Big League" Decision Desk weighs in.

Source: Bloomberg Politics

Department of Defense expanding Hack the Pentagon program

Marten Mickos of HackerOne speaks at TechCrunch Disrupt NY. Wanna hack the military? The Department of Defense is starting to give hackers more opportunities to test its systems without the threat of prosecution. The department announced today that it is expanding its Hack the Pentagon program to include more DoD systems and networks. Hack the Pentagon pays hackers to find and report vulnerabilities in exchange for cash, and so far it's proved… Read More

Source: TechCrunch

Republicans Fill Crucial Posts Ahead of Potentially Hectic Convention

The Republican National Committee has found someone to do what could be an intensely challenging job in July: serve as chair of the Rules Committee at the party's convention in Cleveland.

Source: Bloomberg Politics

Reporter to State Dept: Some Officials Fear Authors of Critical Syria Memo Are Risking Careers

The post Reporter to State Dept: Some Officials Fear Authors of Critical Syria Memo Are Risking Careers appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

Source: Washington Free Beacon

VA won't use law that allows expedited firing of executives

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Department of Veterans Affairs will no longer use its authority to fire senior executives in an expedited manner - dropping a key portion of a law Congress passed in response to a nationwide scandal over long wait times for veterans seeking medical care.

VA officials have ...

Source: www.washingtontimes.com stories: Politics

U.S. ELECTION WRAP: Rubio For Senate? Democrats Are Ready

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio may not have tipped his hand yet on whether he'll seek a second Senate term, but Democrats are gearing up just in case.

Source: Bloomberg Politics

Major Setback in Murder Investigation of Argentine Prosecutor

An Argentina high court said on Thursday that there is not enough evidence to prove that prosecutor Alberto Nisman was murdered, kicking the case back to a lower court judge, which is expected to rule that his mysterious death last year was a suicide.

The post Major Setback in Murder Investigation of Argentine Prosecutor appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

Source: Washington Free Beacon

Elizabeth Warren tells Hillary Clinton she must beat Trump: 'Don't screw this up'

Sen. Elizabeth Warren put pressure on Hillary Clinton on Friday, telling the former first lady in no uncertain terms she must prevail in the fight against Republican Donald Trump.

"Don't screw this up," the Massachusetts senator told Mrs. Clinton during a meeting at Clinton headquarters in Brooklyn, according to reports ...

Source: www.washingtontimes.com stories: Politics

Startups and immigration: Myths, lies and half-truths

visa Immigrants play a significant role in job creation, entrepreneurship and the startup ecosystem in the U.S. However, the U.S. has a strict immigration policy and has yet to pass the bill for the "startup visa." For entrepreneurs determined to stay in the U.S. to create or work at a startup, it's important to learn about the myths, lies and half-truths about startups and… Read More

Source: TechCrunch

Constitutional amendment on ethics to appear on Nov. ballot

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island voters will be asked in November to approve a constitutional amendment that would restore the state's Ethics Commission power investigate and sanction lawmakers for conflicts of interest.

House and Senate lawmakers on Thursday unanimously passed legislation putting the question on the ballot. It would ...

Source: www.washingtontimes.com stories: Politics