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| Wednesday July 30th 2014 |
Palestinians claim UN school hit, while Israel announces 4-hour cease-fire for parts of Gaza
Palestinian authorities claimed that a United Nations school was hit by Israeli tank shells early Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of 15 people and injuring 90, while Israel announced a four-hour cease-fire for parts of the Gaza Strip.The Israeli military said it fired after its soldiers were targeted by mortars operating from the vicinity of the school.
The shelling came amid the heaviest air and artillery assault by Israel against targets in Gaza since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge earlier this month.
On Wednesday afternoon, Israel’s military declared a four-hour cease-fire in some areas of the Gaza Strip, saying it's for humanitarian reasons. The cease-fire began at 3 p.m. local time. The cease-fire will not apply to areas of Gaza where the military is searching for tunnels used by Hamas militants, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz announced, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said it lacked any "value" because it excluded border areas from where Hamas wanted to evacuate the wounded.
Related: Rockets continue to target South as IDF observes four-hour 'humanitarian pause' in Gaza
Gaza conflict: UN accuses Israel over Jabaliya attack
Israel attacked a UN-run school housing refugees in Gaza despite warnings that civilians were there, the UN has said.
UN spokesman Chris Gunness said "the world stands disgraced" by the attack, in which 15 died and dozens were hurt.The Israeli military said an initial inquiry suggested soldiers responded to mortar fire. The military says it is now holding a partial, four-hour humanitarian ceasefire.
Some 1,200 Palestinians and 55 Israelis have been killed in the conflict.
Most of the Palestinian deaths have been civilians.
Fifty-three Israeli soldiers have been killed along with two civilians. A Thai worker in Israel has also died.
Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after a surge in rocket fire from the territory.
Iraq PM offers aid to displaced while calling on Sunnis to fight militants
BAGHDAD – Iraqi Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki says his government has allocated two
installments of 500 billion dinars ($429 million) to assist citizens who
have been internally displaced by the advance of Sunni militants across
northern and western Iraq.
In his weekly address Wednesday, al-Maliki also called on those living in Sunni-majority areas overrun by the Islamic State group and allied militants to take up arms against the insurgents.
Last
month's rapid advance by the extremist group, which captured Iraq's
second largest city Mosul, plunged the country into its worst crisis
since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011, with more than a million
Iraqis now classified as internally displaced or refugees.
In its new documentary 'Losing Iraq,' PBS Frontline investigates the country's descent into its current crisis, including the role of the United States and embattled Iraqi leader Nuri al-Maliki. The film details the many missed opportunities to address Maliki's increasingly sectarian policies and the growing Sunni-Shia divide.
"Boss we got to have a change here," Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq at the time, said to President Bush about Maliki in 2007. Bush insisted the U.S. would make it work with the Iraqi leader.
Frontline's 90-minute special was produced by Michael Kirk and draws upon the program's archive of more than a decade of Iraq reporting, as well as new interviews with military leaders and policy makers.
“In reporting this documentary and tracing the history of our involvement in Iraq, it’s become clear that the crisis that’s unfolding right now isn’t the result of just one or two big decisions,” Kirk says. “It’s the tragic accumulation of many mistakes and miscalculations."
Human Rights Watch's statement came as the Security Council is expected to meet later in the day for a fifth round of reporting on the resolution.
February's resolution demanded a halt to all attacks against civilians and indiscriminate shelling and aerial bombardment -- including the use of so-called barrel bombs -- in populated areas.
The New York-based group has documented over 650 strikes on rebel-held neighborhoods in the northern city of Aleppo since the resolution's adoption. It noted in the report that opposition fighters also carry out indiscriminate attacks, including mortar strikes and car bombings.
The crude weapons — barrels packed with explosives and scraps of metal and pushed out of helicopters — cannot be precisely targeted, and have caused widespread civilian casualties.
Libya militias seize Benghazi special forces base
Meanwhile, Italy has offered to help extinguish a huge blaze that has engulfed the biggest fuel depot in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
Libya has been gripped by instability since the 2011 uprising, with swathes of the country controlled by militias.
"We have withdrawn from the [Benghazi] army base after heavy shelling," Special Forces officer Fadel al-Hassi told reporters on Tuesday.
The fighters also confirmed in a statement that they had taken control of the base.
'Worst violence' On Monday, officials said that at least 38 people had been killed in clashes between troops loyal to the Libyan government and Islamist fighters in Benghazi.
At least 97 people have also been killed in fighting between rival militias battling for control of Tripoli's main airport in the past week.
The government has blamed clashes between the armed groups for starting the fire at the Tripoli fuel depot, and preventing firefighters from putting out the blaze.
The depot is about 10km (six miles) from Tripoli on the road to the international airport.
The government has been unable to disarm the numerous armed groups controlling large parts of the country, which are behind Libya's worst violence since the 2011 uprising that toppled Col Muammar Gaddafi.
It has led some Western governments to urge their nationals to leave and withdraw foreign staff from their embassies in Tripoli.
France's embassy in Tripoli has been closed temporarily, the French foreign ministry said on its website.
Libya has been gripped by instability since the 2011 uprising.
The French government spokesman in Paris, Stephane Le Foll, announced that French and British nationals had been evacuated, without giving numbers.
An unnamed diplomatic source gave the numbers to France's AFP news agency, saying the expats had been evacuated by the French army.
They are aboard a warship bound for the southern French port of Toulon, the French foreign ministry said.
On Sunday, the US evacuated its embassy in Tripoli, citing a "real risk" because of the fighting.
Together with France, Germany and the UK, it advised its nationals in Libya to leave immediately.
The UN announced this week it was pulling its staff out.
France and the UK played an important role in enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya in 2011, when rebels toppled long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was captured and killed.
Dozens of people have been killed in the fighting in recent weeks, which has centred on the city of Benghazi, where the main military base fell to Islamist-led militants on Wednesday.
In an online statement, the bank promised to "take adequate measures" to support targeted institutions. Russia's state-owned VTB bank -- Russia's second-largest -- was down 1.2 percent on Wednesday morning.
Other major banks that were left unscathed by sanctions -- such as the country's largest, Sperbank -- were trading higher.
U.S. officials said Tuesday that roughly 30 percent of Russia's banking sector assets are now constrained by sanctions.
The move comes after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine. Western officials accuse pro-Russian separatists of bringing down the plane with a missile supplied by Moscow.
The West also halted future sales to lucrative Russian economic sectors, with the U.S. announcing plans to block future technology sales to the oil industry and Europe approving an arms embargo. The Europeans on Tuesday also backed sanctions against state-owned banks and the energy sector, though the specific EU targets won't be made public until later in the week.
Western officials insist the new sanctions will damage an already struggling Russian economy. The International Monetary Fund has slashed Russia's growth forecast for this year to nearly zero, down from 1.3 percent last year, and the U.S. says more than $100 billion in capital is expected to flow out of the country.
"Russia's actions in Ukraine and the sanctions that we've already imposed have made a weak Russian economy even weaker," President Barack Obama said Tuesday.
It remained uncertain whether the tougher penalties would have any impact on Russia's actions in Ukraine -- nor was it clear what further actions the U.S. and Europe were willing to take if the situation remains unchanged. In the nearly two weeks since the Malaysia Airlines plane was felled in eastern Ukraine, Russia appears to have deepened its engagement in the conflict, with the U.S. and allies saying that Russia was building up troops and weaponry along its border with Ukraine.
Many other people were injured in the violence Monday in Shache county near the city of Kashgar, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
However, that official account was disputed by a U.S.-based organization representing the Uighur ethnic group, many of whom live in Xinjiang.
The Uyghur American Association said
Wednesday that according to "local sources," police killed protesters
condemning "Chinese security forces' heavy-handed Ramadan crackdown
since the beginning of the Holy Month and extrajudicial use of lethal
force in recent weeks."
Neither version could be independently confirmed.
The government account said a mob first attacked a police station and government offices in the township of Elixku before moving on to a neighboring township, attacking civilians and smashing and setting on fire vehicles along the way.
Xinhua said dozens of people were killed or injured in the attacks but gave no precise figures. It also said that police shot and killed dozens of the attackers.
"Initial investigation showed that it was a premeditated terror attack. Further investigation is underway," Xinhua said.
Calls to more than a half-dozen police stations and government offices in the area either rang unanswered Tuesday evening or were answered by people who confirmed the attack but said they were not permitted to release any information about it.
The Uighur association said police had already killed several in the region before Monday's incident after a July 18 protest also denouncing police repression during Ramadan.
Obtaining details of violence in the remote region is usually impossible and authorities routinely prevent foreign journalists from working freely in the area.
There has been increasing violence in Xinjiang in recent months blamed on pro-independence militants from the region's native Turkic Uighur Muslim ethnic group. While some of the attacks have shown an increased level of sophistication and planning, most have relied on crude weaponry such as swords, bombs and homemade explosives.
China's government says the attackers have ties to overseas Islamic terror groups, although it has provided little evidence to back up its claim.
Related: Uighur group says nearly 100 casualties in China clash
In his weekly address Wednesday, al-Maliki also called on those living in Sunni-majority areas overrun by the Islamic State group and allied militants to take up arms against the insurgents.
Losing Iraq: The Tragic Sum Of Mistakes And Miscalculations
Two and a half years after the United States withdrew its troops, violence rages unabated throughout the country. Nearly 2,000 people were killed in Iraq in June, making the month the deadliest since May 2007. The brazen success of extremist militants of the Islamic State group has highlighted the country's divisions, the weaknesses of its leaders, and the vulnerability of the Iraqi population.In its new documentary 'Losing Iraq,' PBS Frontline investigates the country's descent into its current crisis, including the role of the United States and embattled Iraqi leader Nuri al-Maliki. The film details the many missed opportunities to address Maliki's increasingly sectarian policies and the growing Sunni-Shia divide.
"Boss we got to have a change here," Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq at the time, said to President Bush about Maliki in 2007. Bush insisted the U.S. would make it work with the Iraqi leader.
Frontline's 90-minute special was produced by Michael Kirk and draws upon the program's archive of more than a decade of Iraq reporting, as well as new interviews with military leaders and policy makers.
“In reporting this documentary and tracing the history of our involvement in Iraq, it’s become clear that the crisis that’s unfolding right now isn’t the result of just one or two big decisions,” Kirk says. “It’s the tragic accumulation of many mistakes and miscalculations."
Human Rights Watch Says Syria Is Defying The UN By Using Barrel Bombs
BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian government is still indiscriminately bombing civilians with explosives-filled barrels in defiance of a U.N. Security Council resolution, an international human rights group said Wednesday.Human Rights Watch's statement came as the Security Council is expected to meet later in the day for a fifth round of reporting on the resolution.
February's resolution demanded a halt to all attacks against civilians and indiscriminate shelling and aerial bombardment -- including the use of so-called barrel bombs -- in populated areas.
The New York-based group has documented over 650 strikes on rebel-held neighborhoods in the northern city of Aleppo since the resolution's adoption. It noted in the report that opposition fighters also carry out indiscriminate attacks, including mortar strikes and car bombings.
The crude weapons — barrels packed with explosives and scraps of metal and pushed out of helicopters — cannot be precisely targeted, and have caused widespread civilian casualties.
Libya militias seize Benghazi special forces base
A special forces base in the Libyan city of Benghazi has been seized by militias, fighters and officials say.
The site was captured by Islamist-led militias after days of fighting in the eastern city, officials said.Meanwhile, Italy has offered to help extinguish a huge blaze that has engulfed the biggest fuel depot in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
Libya has been gripped by instability since the 2011 uprising, with swathes of the country controlled by militias.
"We have withdrawn from the [Benghazi] army base after heavy shelling," Special Forces officer Fadel al-Hassi told reporters on Tuesday.
The fighters also confirmed in a statement that they had taken control of the base.
'Worst violence' On Monday, officials said that at least 38 people had been killed in clashes between troops loyal to the Libyan government and Islamist fighters in Benghazi.
At least 97 people have also been killed in fighting between rival militias battling for control of Tripoli's main airport in the past week.
The government has blamed clashes between the armed groups for starting the fire at the Tripoli fuel depot, and preventing firefighters from putting out the blaze.
The depot is about 10km (six miles) from Tripoli on the road to the international airport.
The government has been unable to disarm the numerous armed groups controlling large parts of the country, which are behind Libya's worst violence since the 2011 uprising that toppled Col Muammar Gaddafi.
It has led some Western governments to urge their nationals to leave and withdraw foreign staff from their embassies in Tripoli.
France evacuates French and British expats from Libya
The French government
says it has evacuated French and British nationals from Libya, as
battles rage between government forces and militias.
A French diplomatic source said 40 French nationals,
including the ambassador, had been evacuated by ship along with seven
British nationals.France's embassy in Tripoli has been closed temporarily, the French foreign ministry said on its website.
Libya has been gripped by instability since the 2011 uprising.
The French government spokesman in Paris, Stephane Le Foll, announced that French and British nationals had been evacuated, without giving numbers.
An unnamed diplomatic source gave the numbers to France's AFP news agency, saying the expats had been evacuated by the French army.
They are aboard a warship bound for the southern French port of Toulon, the French foreign ministry said.
On Sunday, the US evacuated its embassy in Tripoli, citing a "real risk" because of the fighting.
Together with France, Germany and the UK, it advised its nationals in Libya to leave immediately.
The UN announced this week it was pulling its staff out.
France and the UK played an important role in enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya in 2011, when rebels toppled long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was captured and killed.
Dozens of people have been killed in the fighting in recent weeks, which has centred on the city of Benghazi, where the main military base fell to Islamist-led militants on Wednesday.
Paying Ransoms, Europe Bankrolls Qaeda Terror
BAMAKO, Mali — The cash filled three suitcases: 5 million euros.
The
German official charged with delivering this cargo arrived here aboard a
nearly empty military plane and was whisked away to a secret meeting
with the president of Mali, who had offered Europe a face-saving
solution to a vexing problem.
Officially, Germany had budgeted the money as humanitarian aid for the poor, landlocked nation of Mali.
In
truth, all sides understood that the cash was bound for an obscure
group of Islamic extremists who were holding 32 European hostages,
according to six senior diplomats directly involved in the exchange.
The
suitcases were loaded onto pickup trucks and driven hundreds of miles
north into the Sahara, where the bearded fighters, who would soon become
an official arm of Al Qaeda, counted the money on a blanket thrown on
the sand. The 2003 episode was a learning experience for both sides.
Eleven years later, the handoff in Bamako has become a well-rehearsed
ritual, one of dozens of such transactions repeated all over the world.
Russian central bank says it will support institutions hit by US-EU sanctions
MOSCOW – Russia's central bank promised to support financial institutions hit by U.S. sanctions as stocks took a tumble in Moscow on Wednesday.In an online statement, the bank promised to "take adequate measures" to support targeted institutions. Russia's state-owned VTB bank -- Russia's second-largest -- was down 1.2 percent on Wednesday morning.
U.S. officials said Tuesday that roughly 30 percent of Russia's banking sector assets are now constrained by sanctions.
The move comes after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine. Western officials accuse pro-Russian separatists of bringing down the plane with a missile supplied by Moscow.
The West also halted future sales to lucrative Russian economic sectors, with the U.S. announcing plans to block future technology sales to the oil industry and Europe approving an arms embargo. The Europeans on Tuesday also backed sanctions against state-owned banks and the energy sector, though the specific EU targets won't be made public until later in the week.
Western officials insist the new sanctions will damage an already struggling Russian economy. The International Monetary Fund has slashed Russia's growth forecast for this year to nearly zero, down from 1.3 percent last year, and the U.S. says more than $100 billion in capital is expected to flow out of the country.
"Russia's actions in Ukraine and the sanctions that we've already imposed have made a weak Russian economy even weaker," President Barack Obama said Tuesday.
It remained uncertain whether the tougher penalties would have any impact on Russia's actions in Ukraine -- nor was it clear what further actions the U.S. and Europe were willing to take if the situation remains unchanged. In the nearly two weeks since the Malaysia Airlines plane was felled in eastern Ukraine, Russia appears to have deepened its engagement in the conflict, with the U.S. and allies saying that Russia was building up troops and weaponry along its border with Ukraine.
China: Attack In Xinjiang Kills Dozens Of Civilians
BEIJING (AP) — A mob armed with knives and axes rampaged through part of China's volatile northwestern region of Xinjiang and police responded with gunfire, leaving dozens of people dead in the latest violence blamed Islamic militants, state media reported Tuesday.Many other people were injured in the violence Monday in Shache county near the city of Kashgar, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
However, that official account was disputed by a U.S.-based organization representing the Uighur ethnic group, many of whom live in Xinjiang.
Neither version could be independently confirmed.
The government account said a mob first attacked a police station and government offices in the township of Elixku before moving on to a neighboring township, attacking civilians and smashing and setting on fire vehicles along the way.
Xinhua said dozens of people were killed or injured in the attacks but gave no precise figures. It also said that police shot and killed dozens of the attackers.
"Initial investigation showed that it was a premeditated terror attack. Further investigation is underway," Xinhua said.
Calls to more than a half-dozen police stations and government offices in the area either rang unanswered Tuesday evening or were answered by people who confirmed the attack but said they were not permitted to release any information about it.
The Uighur association said police had already killed several in the region before Monday's incident after a July 18 protest also denouncing police repression during Ramadan.
Obtaining details of violence in the remote region is usually impossible and authorities routinely prevent foreign journalists from working freely in the area.
There has been increasing violence in Xinjiang in recent months blamed on pro-independence militants from the region's native Turkic Uighur Muslim ethnic group. While some of the attacks have shown an increased level of sophistication and planning, most have relied on crude weaponry such as swords, bombs and homemade explosives.
China's government says the attackers have ties to overseas Islamic terror groups, although it has provided little evidence to back up its claim.
Related: Uighur group says nearly 100 casualties in China clash
Argentina, on verge of debt default, meeting with U.S. bondholders
Argentina will hold further debt talks with "holdout"
investors in New York on Wednesday, a government source said, as talks
to avoid a second default in little over a decade went down to the wire.
Pollack said overnight that no meeting was confirmed.
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Business spending increased by 14% in the world's largest economy, as businesses restocked inventories.
The growth during the second quarter reverses the contraction seen earlier in the year.
Measured on a quarter-on-quarter basis, GDP grew by 1%.
In the previous quarter, from January to March, the US economy shrank a revised 2.1% on an annualised basis, as a result of harsh winter weather.
However, even with the rebound, the winter is likely to mean overall growth this year will be only 1.6% - less than in 2013.
That could cause the Federal Reserve - which ends a two-day meeting on Wednesday - to continue to keep interest rates low for an extended period into 2015.
Inflation fears Overall, however, the report was strong enough to ensure that the US central bank will continue to trim its monthly bond-buying purchases.
However, some have worried that keeping rates so low could spur inflation.
The Commerce Department figures showed that inflation, as measured by a component of the overall GDP report, increased by 1.9% - which is within the Fed's target, but an increase from the 1.4% annualised figure reported during the January-to-March period.
A party-line vote -- and plenty of sharp partisan rhetoric -- was expected when the GOP-led chamber considers the measure Wednesday.
Democrats dismiss the proposal as a legally groundless exercise that
could end up costing taxpayers millions of dollars in legal fees and
other expenses.
They've branded the effort a political charade aimed at stirring up Republican voters for the fall congressional elections. They say it's also an effort by top Republicans to mollify conservatives who want Obama to be impeached -- something House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Tuesday he has no plans to do.
"This lawsuit is frivolous on steroids," Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., said Tuesday as the House Rules Committee met to clear the way for Wednesday's debate. "It's absolutely insane what you all are doing."
That hasn't stopped Democrats from sending fundraising pleas to their own supporters warning that the GOP is out to impeach Obama and ruin his presidency. Using that pitch, Democrats raised $1 million Monday, according to the head of the House Democratic campaign organization, Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y.
Republicans say the House's planned legal action is warranted because Obama has violated his constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws. They say that instead, he has enforced laws as he wants to, dangerously shifting power to the presidency from Congress.
According to White House advisor Dan Pfeiffer, President Barack Obama is frustrated with the lack of progress Congress is making toward immigration reform and will take action unilaterally, if necessary.
The Associated Press reports that such measures could include granting work permits "to potentially millions of immigrants who are in this country illegally, allowing them to stay in the United States without threat of deportation".
As word of the possible move has leaked out, Republican politicians expressed outrage.
On Monday Senator Jeff Sessions issued a warning to the president: "It would be an affront to the people of this country which they will never forgive. It would be a permanent stain on your presidency."
Given the near certain right-wing fury were Mr Obama to proceed, the National Review's Rich Lowry wonders whether the president might be intentionally provoking a constitutional crisis. Could he be daring Republicans to impeach him?
He points to Mr Pfeiffer's comments to reporters on Friday in which he seemed to acknowledge that impeachment may be on the table as a result of the administration's actions.
"I would not discount the possibility," Mr Pfeiffer said.
Republican Representative Steve King of Iowa says impeachment would be a done deal.
"From my standpoint, if the president [enacts more executive actions], we need to bring impeachment hearings immediately before the House of Representatives," Mr King told Breitbart News Saturday. "That's my position, and that's my prediction."
Democrats may be thinking that a Republican push to oust the president would rally their political base, Lowry writes. When the House of Representatives successfully pushed articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton in 1998, they were roundly condemned by public opinion and lost seats in Congress in the next election.
Lowry concludes:
"An administration that is fast entering its dotage could consider this one of the few potential positive game-changers that it has direct control over - the Constitution and the rule of law be damned."
In order to remove Mr Obama from office, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has to approve articles of impeachment by a simple majority and two-thirds of the Senate has to vote to convict.
With the Senate currently in the hands of the Democrats, such a development seems unlikely in the extreme.
Bergdahl, who apparently wandered off his base and was captured in Afghanistan five years ago, was freed at the end of May in exchange for five high-ranking Taliban prisoners, sparking cries of outrage from many lawmakers in Congress. The reason for their anger was that Congress passed a law requiring the White House to provide 30 days' notice for such exchanges.
In a 34-25 vote, the House Armed Services Committee voted to pass a resolution that "condemns and disapproves" of the president's decision not to give Congress notice of the planned swap as required by the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014. Obama has asserted that his administration had been in talks with lawmakers well before the swap took place, and that he was clear that he might be required to take quick action.
Lawmakers have kicked into action over the last few days, after a year otherwise marked by partisan sniping, hearings and a dearth of legislative activity even by congressional standards.
The motivating factor? August recess is set to begin at the end of
the week, and it’s helped focus lawmakers on a handful of priority
items.
The most popular, it appears – and most likely to pass before recess – is a $17 billion package addressing some of the many problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Lawmakers are trying to tackle a barrel-full of other crises – from the influx of illegal immigrant children along the southern border to wildfires burning across the American West to a rapidly depleting national highway fund. But right now, it’s unclear whether the House and Senate can get on the same page before August.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid acknowledged Tuesday that “when we come back after this recess, we have lots to do.”
But even Reid, who revels in firing rhetorical bombs at his GOP rivals from the floor, acknowledged some bipartisan cooperation in recent days.
First up is the VA reform bill. The House is planning to move ahead on a newly struck deal Wednesday, fast-tracking the $17 billion bill for a vote in the afternoon. The Senate could follow suit later in the day.
The bipartisan bill is Congress’ answer to a problem that received bipartisan attention: the scandal over veterans enduring long wait times at VA facilities, and VA staffers covering up their records to hide the delays.
The legislation would send billions into the system to help veterans seek outside care when necessary, to help hire more doctors and medical staff and to lease new clinics across the country. The size of the bill is still causing some consternation among fiscal conservatives, though.
“It looks very weak financially and it is very troubling the bill is moving forward without a score,” Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., told Fox News, adding, “It’s bad policy for Congress to jam bills through without members understanding what’s at stake.”
Still, the bill is less expensive than an earlier version.
While the VA bill could get a strong showing of bipartisan support, the next item on the House docket Wednesday is virtually a Republican-only endeavor – a proposed lawsuit against President Obama over his use of executive actions on ObamaCare.
The House is expected to take up the resolution late Wednesday. Democrats have condemned the move as an “absurd” stunt, but have also used the lawsuit resolution to accuse Republicans of setting the stage for an impeachment push against Obama – which Republicans say is equally absurd.
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Premier Alison Redford’s flights had 'false passengers,' auditor general says
A review by Alberta's auditor general found "false passengers" were booked on at least a dozen government flights, making it possible for then Premier Alison Redford to fly alone with her entourage.
Merwan Saher also concluded Redford derived a "personal benefit" by taking her daughter on dozens of government flights. Saher raises the question of whether Redford's desire to take her daughter on out-of-province trips may have influenced the decision to use government aircraft rather than commercial carriers.
These findings are contained in an internal report to the government obtained exclusively by CBC News.
"It reveals a scarcely disguised contempt for taxpayers' money," Lightbody said.
Under pressure from the opposition and the public, Redford on March 4 suspended all out-of-province travel on government planes and asked the auditor general to review the government's use of aircraft.
Saher is expected to issue a final public report next month.
Redford resigned as premier on March 23 after her caucus and the Conservative Party lost faith in her leadership as the Tories plunged in the polls, owing in part to a scandal over what the opposition alleged were lavish travel expenses.
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- Argentina facing default on $1.5B debt
- Argentina faces default risk as court orders $1.3B debt payback
- Argentina stops payment on foreign debt
Pollack said overnight that no meeting was confirmed.
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US economy grows by 4% after harsh winter weather
The US economy grew at an
annual rate of 4% during the April-to-June period, latest figures
released by the US Department of Commerce have shown.
Consumer spending - which makes up over two-thirds of US economy activity - grew by a robust 2.5%.Business spending increased by 14% in the world's largest economy, as businesses restocked inventories.
The growth during the second quarter reverses the contraction seen earlier in the year.
Measured on a quarter-on-quarter basis, GDP grew by 1%.
In the previous quarter, from January to March, the US economy shrank a revised 2.1% on an annualised basis, as a result of harsh winter weather.
However, even with the rebound, the winter is likely to mean overall growth this year will be only 1.6% - less than in 2013.
That could cause the Federal Reserve - which ends a two-day meeting on Wednesday - to continue to keep interest rates low for an extended period into 2015.
Inflation fears Overall, however, the report was strong enough to ensure that the US central bank will continue to trim its monthly bond-buying purchases.
The US central bank is expected to announce
that it will cut its bond-buying to $25bn (£15bn) a month from $35bn
later on Wednesday.
It has been buying bonds in an effort to keep long-term
interest rates low and thus encourage spending, rather than saving, by
businesses and consumers.However, some have worried that keeping rates so low could spur inflation.
The Commerce Department figures showed that inflation, as measured by a component of the overall GDP report, increased by 1.9% - which is within the Fed's target, but an increase from the 1.4% annualised figure reported during the January-to-March period.
GOP-led House ready to OK lawsuit against Obama
Republicans are ready to muscle legislation through the House authorizing an election-year lawsuit against President Barack Obama that accuses him of exceeding his powers in enforcing his health care law.A party-line vote -- and plenty of sharp partisan rhetoric -- was expected when the GOP-led chamber considers the measure Wednesday.
They've branded the effort a political charade aimed at stirring up Republican voters for the fall congressional elections. They say it's also an effort by top Republicans to mollify conservatives who want Obama to be impeached -- something House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Tuesday he has no plans to do.
"This lawsuit is frivolous on steroids," Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., said Tuesday as the House Rules Committee met to clear the way for Wednesday's debate. "It's absolutely insane what you all are doing."
That hasn't stopped Democrats from sending fundraising pleas to their own supporters warning that the GOP is out to impeach Obama and ruin his presidency. Using that pitch, Democrats raised $1 million Monday, according to the head of the House Democratic campaign organization, Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y.
Republicans say the House's planned legal action is warranted because Obama has violated his constitutional duty to faithfully execute the laws. They say that instead, he has enforced laws as he wants to, dangerously shifting power to the presidency from Congress.
Obama's immigration-impeachment gambit
The Obama administration could be planning a "very significant", large-scale immigration reform sometime before November's mid-term congressional elections.According to White House advisor Dan Pfeiffer, President Barack Obama is frustrated with the lack of progress Congress is making toward immigration reform and will take action unilaterally, if necessary.
The Associated Press reports that such measures could include granting work permits "to potentially millions of immigrants who are in this country illegally, allowing them to stay in the United States without threat of deportation".
As word of the possible move has leaked out, Republican politicians expressed outrage.
On Monday Senator Jeff Sessions issued a warning to the president: "It would be an affront to the people of this country which they will never forgive. It would be a permanent stain on your presidency."
Given the near certain right-wing fury were Mr Obama to proceed, the National Review's Rich Lowry wonders whether the president might be intentionally provoking a constitutional crisis. Could he be daring Republicans to impeach him?
He points to Mr Pfeiffer's comments to reporters on Friday in which he seemed to acknowledge that impeachment may be on the table as a result of the administration's actions.
"I would not discount the possibility," Mr Pfeiffer said.
Republican Representative Steve King of Iowa says impeachment would be a done deal.
"From my standpoint, if the president [enacts more executive actions], we need to bring impeachment hearings immediately before the House of Representatives," Mr King told Breitbart News Saturday. "That's my position, and that's my prediction."
Democrats may be thinking that a Republican push to oust the president would rally their political base, Lowry writes. When the House of Representatives successfully pushed articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton in 1998, they were roundly condemned by public opinion and lost seats in Congress in the next election.
Lowry concludes:
"An administration that is fast entering its dotage could consider this one of the few potential positive game-changers that it has direct control over - the Constitution and the rule of law be damned."
In order to remove Mr Obama from office, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has to approve articles of impeachment by a simple majority and two-thirds of the Senate has to vote to convict.
With the Senate currently in the hands of the Democrats, such a development seems unlikely in the extreme.
House Committee Votes To Condemn Obama On Bowe Bergdahl Prisoner Swap
WASHINGTON -- A House committee voted Tuesday to condemn President Barack Obama for failing to notify Congress ahead of the May prisoner swap that won the freedom of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl -- a vote that some Democrats hammered as another step toward impeaching the commander in chief.Bergdahl, who apparently wandered off his base and was captured in Afghanistan five years ago, was freed at the end of May in exchange for five high-ranking Taliban prisoners, sparking cries of outrage from many lawmakers in Congress. The reason for their anger was that Congress passed a law requiring the White House to provide 30 days' notice for such exchanges.
In a 34-25 vote, the House Armed Services Committee voted to pass a resolution that "condemns and disapproves" of the president's decision not to give Congress notice of the planned swap as required by the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014. Obama has asserted that his administration had been in talks with lawmakers well before the swap took place, and that he was clear that he might be required to take quick action.
Congress races to tackle VA, border crisis and more before recess
That sound you hear is the buzz of Congress actually trying to get something done.Lawmakers have kicked into action over the last few days, after a year otherwise marked by partisan sniping, hearings and a dearth of legislative activity even by congressional standards.
The most popular, it appears – and most likely to pass before recess – is a $17 billion package addressing some of the many problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Lawmakers are trying to tackle a barrel-full of other crises – from the influx of illegal immigrant children along the southern border to wildfires burning across the American West to a rapidly depleting national highway fund. But right now, it’s unclear whether the House and Senate can get on the same page before August.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid acknowledged Tuesday that “when we come back after this recess, we have lots to do.”
But even Reid, who revels in firing rhetorical bombs at his GOP rivals from the floor, acknowledged some bipartisan cooperation in recent days.
First up is the VA reform bill. The House is planning to move ahead on a newly struck deal Wednesday, fast-tracking the $17 billion bill for a vote in the afternoon. The Senate could follow suit later in the day.
The bipartisan bill is Congress’ answer to a problem that received bipartisan attention: the scandal over veterans enduring long wait times at VA facilities, and VA staffers covering up their records to hide the delays.
The legislation would send billions into the system to help veterans seek outside care when necessary, to help hire more doctors and medical staff and to lease new clinics across the country. The size of the bill is still causing some consternation among fiscal conservatives, though.
“It looks very weak financially and it is very troubling the bill is moving forward without a score,” Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., told Fox News, adding, “It’s bad policy for Congress to jam bills through without members understanding what’s at stake.”
Still, the bill is less expensive than an earlier version.
While the VA bill could get a strong showing of bipartisan support, the next item on the House docket Wednesday is virtually a Republican-only endeavor – a proposed lawsuit against President Obama over his use of executive actions on ObamaCare.
The House is expected to take up the resolution late Wednesday. Democrats have condemned the move as an “absurd” stunt, but have also used the lawsuit resolution to accuse Republicans of setting the stage for an impeachment push against Obama – which Republicans say is equally absurd.
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A review by Alberta's auditor general found "false passengers" were booked on at least a dozen government flights, making it possible for then Premier Alison Redford to fly alone with her entourage.
Merwan Saher also concluded Redford derived a "personal benefit" by taking her daughter on dozens of government flights. Saher raises the question of whether Redford's desire to take her daughter on out-of-province trips may have influenced the decision to use government aircraft rather than commercial carriers.
These findings are contained in an internal report to the government obtained exclusively by CBC News.
- Opposition politicians call on RCMP to probe Redford flights
- Alison Redford billed taxpayers for $9,200 Palm Springs flight
- Alison Redford flew daughter on dozens of government flights
- Alison Redford's travel expenses to be audited
"It reveals a scarcely disguised contempt for taxpayers' money," Lightbody said.
Under pressure from the opposition and the public, Redford on March 4 suspended all out-of-province travel on government planes and asked the auditor general to review the government's use of aircraft.
Saher is expected to issue a final public report next month.
Redford resigned as premier on March 23 after her caucus and the Conservative Party lost faith in her leadership as the Tories plunged in the polls, owing in part to a scandal over what the opposition alleged were lavish travel expenses.
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