Fri, January 17, 2025

by: CNN

Trump pick Kristi Noem to appear at confirmation hearing

Kristi Noem, Donald Trump's pick to oversee the Department of Homeland Security, will appear before senators for her confirmation hearing. Follow for the latest news about Trump's presidential transition.

by: Sky

Kemi Badenoch hits back at claims she would means test pensions triple lock

Kemi Badenoch has denied the Conservatives would consider means testing the pensions triple lock, as she accused her opponents of trying to "scare people".

by: WHYY

How Trump's political and business interests will intersect in the White House

Here's a look at the various connections and potential conflicts in President-elect Donald Trump's second administration.

by: Reuters

Former Canada finance minister Freeland running to replace Trudeau

Former Canadian finance minister Chrystia Freeland on Friday announced that she would take part in the contest to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader of the ruling Liberal Party.

by: RealClearPolitics

Scarborough: Elon Musk Is The Last Person To Trust With TikTok, Because He Would Do Exactly What The Chinese Would Want

Joe' host Joe Scarborough expressed on Thursday's show that he has "always been horrified" by the Chinese-owned app TikTok and said Elon Musk should not be the person to take over American operations for the social platform.

by: ABC

Biden administration will leave it to Trump to implement TikTok ban

The Biden administration doesn't plan to take action that forces TikTok to immediately go dark for U.S. users on Sunday, an administration official told ABC News.

by: Richmond

Key bill on data center oversight fails; rural-suburban split emerging

A centerpiece of a bipartisan push to strengthen Virginia's oversight of data centers failed in a early General Assembly test.

by: RealClearPolitics

Student Governments Must Ditch National Politics

As politics have become increasingly nationalized and polarized, more and more local political bodies are being swept up by the news of the day to

by: CNN

American Battleground: Trump and his quest for power prepare to confront the realities of winning

The music is majestic. The setting is glorious. Many of the top power players from DC are in attendance, and the words of praise for the president up front are unending.

by: Reuters

Nvidia CEO says not attending Trump's inauguration

Nvidia's chief executive Jensen Huang said on Friday he will not be attending U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, but will instead be "on the road" celebrating the Lunar New Year with employees and their families.

by: Slate

Trump's Biggest Political Liability Is Hiding in Plain Sight

The Los Angeles Times' billionaire owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, declared on X that "the Mayor cut LA Fire Department's budget by $23M." The right-wing social media account Libs of TikTok lambasted a political leadership team that "defunds the fire dept," and Elon Musk boosted a post that lamented "LAFD underfunding."

by: CNN

Federal employees quietly edit job descriptions to protect roles from DOGE scrutiny

Some federal employees are quietly changing the language of job descriptions and performance reviews in an effort to protect roles and critical government functions in the face of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

by: Politico

Pipeline politics and tariff threats

2025 PREDICTIONS — Playbook is asking politicos to pronounce on their predictive prowess in a show of sagacious speculation. We'll roll out their forecasts in a pair of Playbooks next week as you acclimatize to the coming chaos of 2025.

by: MSN

Lindsay Owens: Donald Trump's tax giveaways for the rich, part II

As President Trump takes office, his Republican allies in Congress are already hard at work readying his legislative agenda. He campaigned on a promise to lower costs for Americans. But so far, the GOP hasn't proposed a single plan to do that.

by: MSN

India News Live Today January 17, 2025: Ease of travel now a major priority for India: PM Modi at Global Expo 2025

Stay informed with our live blog covering India's latest in politics, economy, crime, and general news. Get real-time updates on political developments, financial trends, crime reports, and important events across the country.

by: MSN

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and tech billionaire Elon Musk have found some common ground

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and tech billionaire Elon Musk have found common ground with their shared disdain for a controversial state agency - and Republicans are misrepresenting the governor's position as they threaten to withhold disaster aid.

by: MSN

8th Pay Commission: Central Government Employees to Get Salary Hike in 2026, Check Expected Salary and Pay Matrix

The Union Government has approved the implementation of 8th Pay Commission for central government employees and pensioners just before the Union Budget 2025 announcements. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav has confirmed on January 16 that the 8th Pay Commission gets the approval of the cabinet for 1 crore central government employees and the exact date of implementation is yet to be announced.

by: MSN

Current Affairs One Liners 16 January 2025: 8th Pay Commission Approved By Government

Get the latest updates with Jagran Josh! Highlights include 8th Pay Commission, Exercise Devil Strike, New Supreme Court Justices, Cyber Security Grand Challenge, and other key developments—quick and concise!

by: MSN

Macron to address growing hostility from Algeria, says French foreign minister

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that President Macron and key government members would meet soon to determine how to respond to what Paris considers growing hostility from Algeria,

by: MSN

Mark Carney says it's 'no time for politics as usual' as he launches campaign to replace Trudeau

After months of speculation about his future, former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney launched his campaign to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader on Thursday with a promise to build the fastest-growing economy in the G7 if he's elected.

by: Firstpost

Who is Mark Carney, ex-governor of Bank of Canada, who wants to take over from Trudeau?

Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, has launched his bid to lead the Liberal Party and become Canada's next prime minister. With a platform focused on economic stability,

by: MSN

Israel Officially Inks Gaza Truce-Hostage Release Deal With Hamas After Trump's Warning

Israel and Hamas have finally signed the hostage release-Gaza ceasefire deal after mediators U.S., Egypt and Qatar iron out final kinks. Israeli PM said he will convene a security cabinet meeting today,
Thu, January 16, 2025

by: CNN

Senators hold confirmation hearings for Trump Cabinet picks

More of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks are facing confirmation hearings Thursday, including Lee Zeldin to run the Environmental Protection Agency and Scott Bessent, the nominee to be treasury secretary.

by: Oregonian

Oregon's lawmakers get to work next week. Here are their stated priorities

Oregon's legislative leaders will kick off their 2025 session with a shared focus on improving affordability for Oregonians and making sure the government is held accountable for delivering quality services, they said during a preview Thursday.

by: Politico

Netanyahu keeps Washington waiting

"You waved the white flag before Netanyahu!" yelled blogger MAX BLUMENTHAL. Blumenthal is credentialed by the State Department and runs a site accused of downplaying human rights abuses by China, Russia and former Syrian dictator BASHAR ASSAD. "How does it feel to have your legacy be genocide!"

by: deseret

Remembering Becky Lockhart a decade after her death

Friday, January 17th is the 10-year anniversary of Becky Lockhart's death at 46 years old and yet it seems like it was just yesterday," Stan Lockhart, who was her husband, shared with me. "The only woman to be Utah Speaker of the House was just finishing up her 16 years in the Utah Legislature when she began having dizzy spells or vertigo.

by: WLRN

A new proposal on recreational marijuana emerges, planned for 2026 ballot

The revamped proposal from the Smart & Safe Florida committee seeks to address issues raised by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who led a drive to defeat last year's constitutional measure.

by: Oregonian

NW Natural lobbyists also working for Oregon governments combatting climate change, report says

Conflicts of interest between NW Natural and a number of government bodies and nonprofits were analyzed in a new report from the Pennsylvania-based nonprofit climate group F Minus and the Oregon-based nonprofit climate advocacy group Breach Collective.

by: CNN

People want to change the Constitution. What's next?

The right and the left don't agree on how they'd like to change the Constitution, but they do agree that changes need to be made.

by: Forbes

How Fortunes Will Be Made And Retirements Lost In The Next 4 Years

Trump 2.0 will create a "market barbell" of big winners and sad losers. Let's focus on the dividend payers that will be propelled higher—and step over the laggards.

by: CNN

Teacher layoffs, bigger classes: Potential federal education cuts could hit GOP's base hardest

It's the sort of place where President-elect Donald Trump's "America First" message resonated - but also where some of his proposed policies could hit hardest, especially his promise to eliminate the Department of Education and slash federal funds to public schools.

by: justthenews

Trump indicates he won't hire people who worked for opponents with 'TDS'

The TDS term has entered common parlance and refers to a process by which traditionally conservative Republican figures who oppose Trump gradually turn to the political left for support and become fixated on the president-elect and his supposed status as a harbinger of the nation's doom.

by: WLRN

Fact-check: Senate confirmation hearing for Pam Bondi, attorney general nominee

Pam Bondi's hearing came on the second day of high-profile confirmation hearings for Trump's second-term nominees. PolitiFact fact checked her statements.

by: ABC

Few US adults confident Justice Department and FBI will act fairly under Trump, AP-NORC poll finds

As President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, gets set for her Senate confirmation hearings, only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults are "extremely" or "very" confident the Justice Department will act in a fair and nonpartisan manner

by: Reuters

Germany says it has found no more foot-and-mouth cases

Germany has not found any further cases of foot-and-mouth disease, agriculture minister Cem Oezdemir said on Wednesday, adding that experts were working day and night to establish the source of the country's first outbreak in decades.

by: MSN

Bondi questioned about prosecuting journalists and DOJ prosecutors

Pam Bondi was questioned about comments she made about prosecuting Department of Justice prosecutors and her view about investigating journalists.

by: CNN

Senators quiz Rubio, Bondi and other Trump Cabinet picks at hearings

Sen. Marco Rubio and Pam Bondi face questions from senators in their respective confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Follow for live news updates.

by: Sky

Sir Keir Starmer says government will 'look at every conceivable way' to stop Gerry Adams payout

A thinktank backed by 16 peers has criticised the government's plan to lift a ban on compensation for unlawful detention during the Troubles.

by: MSN

UK politics live: Badenoch admits Tories made mistake on Brexit as Reeves under fire over weak economy growth

Badenoch admits Tories made mistake on Brexit as Reeves under fire over weak economy growth - 'Disappointing' new GDP figures 'unlikely to ease stagflation concerns', analysts say

by: CNN

Biden makes last big move to protect US networks from hackers from China and elsewhere

President Joe Biden on Thursday signed an executive order that is his final stab at shoring up America's cyber defenses after a damaging string of cyberattacks on federal networks that US officials have blamed on Chinese and Russian operatives.

by: Reuters

Biden warns oligarchy forming in US that threatens democracy

President Joe Biden capped a half-century political career with a final Oval Office speech as he hopes to seal a legacy overshadowed by Democrats' failure to stop Donald Trump from returning to the White House.

by: MSN

Bob Ferguson sworn in as Washington's 24th governor, outlining goals and challenges

The state's first new governor in 12 years, Bob Ferguson used his inaugural speech to highlight his priorities of making government more efficient, working with all lawmakers and making the state a better place to live.

by: MSN

President Joe Biden Farewell Address: Reflective Tone, Achievements Touted, and Threats to Democracy

In a final message from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden farewell address stroke a reflective, hopeful, and cautionary tone. Speaking directly to the American people, Biden recounted his administration's achievements while sounding alarms about the risks to democracy posed by the concentration of power and technological advances.

by: MSN

Israel and Hamas agree to ceasefire deal to pause Gaza war and release some hostages, mediators say

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal, mediators announced Wednesday, pausing a devastating 15-month war in the Gaza Strip and raising the possibility of winding down the the deadliest and most destructive fighting between the bitter enemies.

by: MSN

Schiff and Bondi reignite old grudges at confirmation hearing: 'You were censured'

by: WYSO

Trump attorney general pick Bondi faces Democrats' questions about her independence

by: MSN

The pomp, pageantry and circumstance of presidential inaugurations in the words of AP reporters

Presidential inaugurations are deeply rooted in American history. The customs and festivities, like the parade and galas, bring spectacle to the nation's capital. But the date and oath of office are prescribed in the Constitution.

by: MSN

Donald Trump's New Staffer Request Has Potential Issue

President-elect Donald Trump's demand for his incoming administration to be free of those with ties to a long list of Republican enemies and others with "Trump Derangement Syndrome" appears to ignore one of his own Cabinet picks.

NW Natural lobbyists also working for Oregon governments combatting climate change, report says

Conflicts of interest between NW Natural and a number of government bodies and nonprofits were analyzed in a new report from the Pennsylvania-based nonprofit climate group F Minus and the Oregon-based nonprofit climate advocacy group Breach Collective.

The article from OregonLive discusses a report by the Energy and Policy Institute revealing that lobbyists for NW Natural, Oregon's largest gas utility, are also working for various Oregon government entities involved in climate change initiatives. This dual representation raises concerns about conflicts of interest, as NW Natural has a vested interest in promoting natural gas, which contradicts efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The report highlights that these lobbyists, including former state lawmakers, are paid to influence legislation in favor of NW Natural while simultaneously advising or representing government bodies like the Oregon Department of Energy and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Critics argue that this situation could undermine the state's climate goals, as these lobbyists might push for policies that favor gas infrastructure over renewable energy solutions. The article also notes that while some officials see no conflict, others, including environmental groups, are calling for stricter regulations on lobbyist activities to ensure transparency and integrity in climate policy-making.

Read the Full Oregonian Article at:
https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2025/01/nw-natural-lobbyists-also-working-for-oregon-governments-combatting-climate-change-report-says.html