China Suspends Cybersecurity Cooperation After U.S. Charges
By Bloomberg News May 20, 2014 12:15 AM ET
China suspended its involvement in a cybersecurity working group and threatened further retaliation after the U.S. indicted five Chinese military officials for allegedly stealing trade secrets.
The indictment is a “serious violation of the basic norms of international relations and damaged China-U.S. cooperation and mutual trust,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement. Assistant Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang summoned U.S. Ambassador Max Baucus yesterday to lodge a formal protest, the ministry said today.
Qin’s sharply worded statement reflected how the charges, which accused China of a vast effort to mine U.S. technology through cyber-espionage, added new strains to a relationship already tested by past allegations of hacking. Former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden claimed last year that the U.S had been hacking into computers in China since 2009.
From FNC Catherine Herridge: “7 page email about Fox ….circulated at the highest levels of the White House….is being withheld by the state department, citing executive branch deliberations”
Fox news learning new details of a seven page email — circulated at the highest levels of the white house – apparently to come up with a media strategy to deal with a fox news report- is being withheld by the state department, citing executive branch deliberations.
The report, which is the subject line of the emails, “Fox News: US officials knew Libya attack was terrorism within 24 hours, sources confirm” was circulated september 27th and September 28th 2012 concluded the intelligence community knew benghazi was terrorism within 24 hours.
On the email chain, among others, Denis McDonough, the president’s deputy national security adviser during Benghazi, John Brennan former White House counterterrorism adviser and now CIA Director, then deputy director of the CIA Michael Morell, and presidential aide Ben Rhodes who sent the email September 14th 2012, critics say, attempted to shape the public discussion of Benghazi.
Chris Farrell with Judicial Watch which is suing for the documents, including the email related to the Fox News report, said “A 7-page dialogue concerning one Fox News report to me uh demonstrates um an alarm bell situation where they are reacting to and trying to shape a response or commentary to react to or to shut down reporting.”
“The reporting itself would appear to be at odds or at least to challenge strongly the White House position that had been announced. And so this report from Fox News would run counter to what the Obama administration was attempting to put out there as their position.”
Catherine V. Herridge
Chief Intelligence Correspondent Fox News Channel Benghazi, Herridge
The Veterans Administration Scandal Hits Home May 5, 2014 By Kay Daly
For anyone laboring under the assumption that the scandal that plagues the VA hospital in Phoenix, Arizona must be anomalous, think again. Without even delving into the medical malpractice testimonials of my three relatives who work at a VA Medical Center on the East coast, the recent near-death experience of my brother confirms our worst fears: the culture of corruption and indifference that afflicts the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is systemic.
The horrifying picture my brother cheerfully sent me one afternoon illustrates the story better than any narrative I can tell. It was a “selfie.” An old Army buddy had sent him a pair of sunglasses and my brother suddenly thought he was Joe Cool, happily taking pictures and texting away about his new treasure.
But I wasn’t quite as pleased. Behind the sunglasses was a face that bore so little resemblance to my brother I would not have recognized it had I passed him on the street. Tears streamed down my face as I gazed upon the sunken lines and permanent grimace that now marked a face marred by years of excruciating pain.
Ridgewood Police : Another successful operation take back
May 5,2014Ridgewood NJ, On Saturday APRIL 26, The Ridgewood Police participated in the DEA National Take Back Initiative .
This program allows residents a safe and convenient way to dispose of unwanted, expired or unused prescription medication. Often, some of these medicines languish in the home and are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.
Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high. More Americans currently abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin, and inhalants combined, according to the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
The Ridgewood Police would like to thank all those who participated .
It’s time to defy health-care mandates issued by bureaucrats not in the healing profession.
By DANIEL F. CRAVIOTTO JR. Updated April 28, 2014 7:34 p.m. ET
In my 23 years as a practicing physician, I’ve learned that the only thing that matters is the doctor-patient relationship. How we interact and treat our patients is the practice of medicine. I acknowledge that there is a problem with the rising cost of health care, but there is also a problem when the individual physician in the trenches does not have a voice in the debate and is being told what to do and how to do it.
As a group, the nearly 880,000 licensed physicians in the U.S. are, for the most part, well-intentioned. We strive to do our best even while we sometimes contend with unrealistic expectations. The demands are great, and many of our families pay a huge price for our not being around. We do the things we do because it is right and our patients expect us to.
So when do we say damn the mandates and requirements from bureaucrats who are not in the healing profession? When do we stand up and say we are not going to take it any more?
‘Ridiculous’: Administration punts on Keystone, Obama faces Dem revolt
The Obama administration once again has punted on a final decision for the Keystone XL pipeline, announcing ahead of the holiday weekend it is extending a key review period indefinitely — a move that could push off a determination until after the midterm elections.
Republicans, as well as red-state Democrats who want the proposed Canada-to-Texas pipeline approved, slammed the administration for the delay. Democrats even threatened to find ways to go around the president to get the project approved.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous that this well over five year long process is continuing for an undetermined amount of time,” Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., said in a statement.
Republican Nebraska Rep. Lee Terry called the decision “shameful,” noting that another spring construction season will come and go without the project.
The administration had been in the middle of a 90-day review period for federal agencies assessing an environmental study from the State Department.
But the State Department said Friday it is giving agencies “additional time” to weigh in, in part because of ongoing litigation before the Nebraska Supreme Court which could affect the pipeline’s route. If the route changes, officials made clear the State Department reserves the right to conduct another environmental impact study to include more public comments, which could delay the process more.
Boehner Tells Attendees at Fundraiser He’s ‘Hellbent on Getting This Done’
WASHINGTON—Speaker John Boehner and other senior House Republicans are telling donors and industry groups that they aim to pass immigration legislation this year, despite the reluctance of many Republicans to tackle the divisive issue before the November elections.
Many lawmakers and activists have assumed the issue was off the table in an election year. But Mr. Boehner said at a Las Vegas fundraiser last month he was “hellbent on getting this done this year,” according to two people in the room.
A spokesman for Mr. Boehner didn’t dispute the account but said no action is possible until President Barack Obama proves himself a trustworthy partner to Republicans.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R., Va.), chairman of the HouseJudiciary Committee, delivered an upbeat message about legislative prospects during a recent trip to Silicon Valley, said Carl Guardino, chief executive of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, who hosted his visit.
He said Mr. Goodlatte told him action in 2014 was “entirely possible,” likely in the form of votes this summer on five to seven immigration bills. A spokeswoman for Mr. Goodlatte declined to comment on the exchange.
Obama administration’s ‘Culture of intimidation’ seen in Nevada ranch standoff
Critics say fight isn’t first instance of feds’ ‘overkill’
Sending scores of armed agents along with helicopters and dogs to confront an elderly Nevada rancher over grazing fees may seem like overkill, but critics say it’s not inconsistent with the federal government’s recent approach to environmental enforcement.
The simmering truce between the Bundys and the Bureau of Land Management comes after high-profile raids last year by armed federal agents on small-time gold miners in tiny Chicken, Alaska, and guitar makers at the Gibson Guitar facilities in Tennessee.
That doesn’t include more subtle threats, such as recent efforts by the Obama administration to raise grazing fees or pressure permit holders to transfer their water rights as a condition of renewal, said Ryan Yates, director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau.
“Some have called it a culture of intimidation,” Mr. Yates said. “It’s issue after issue, threat after threat. It’s becoming harder and harder to keep those operations in business.”
The atmosphere was quiet but tense Tuesday at the Bundy ranch near Bunkerville, Nev., just days after Bureau of Land Management chief Neil Kornze pulled federal agents off the property and returned about 400 head of cattle to rancher Cliven Bundy.
DiVincenzo wants Democrats to ‘do the right thing’ on arbitration cap bill
FAIRFIELD – Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo says he hopes Democratic lawmakers “do the right thing” and move on an arbitration cap proposal Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-32) allowed to expire.
DiVincenzo, who attended Gov. Chris Christie’s town hall in Essex County, said he agreed with the governor that renewing the arbitration cap is the right thing to do. The state Senate recently voted to renew the cap, though the Assembly permitted the proposal to expire after refusing to bring it to the floor for a vote by the end of March.
“I haven’t spoken to Vinnie,” said DiVincenzo, adding, however, that he’s been “urging [his] colleagues” to support moving on the arbitration cap
“I hope they do the right thing,” he said. (Arco/PolitickerNJ)
Rep. Garrett with Julia Perry, Antonio Nadera, Erin Novak and Shannon Casey, all students from the Fifth District who are taking classes and interning at various organizations in Washington, D.C. this semester. We had a lively discussion about issues facing young people in the U.S. and the experiences they’ve had here in our nation’s capital.
Rep. Garrett: America’s Current Economic Path is Unfair to Future Generations
Apr 1, 2014
Ridgewood NJ, Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), senior member of the House Budget Committee and Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, issued the following statement regarding the introduction of the House Budget Committee’s Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Resolution:
“Our fiscal situation is dire. Each of our children and grandchildren are on the hook for nearly $56,000 of our $17.5 trillion dollar debt. It’s time for us to put an end to the overspending and borrowing of more and more money each year. Today, the House Budget Committee puts forth a budget that recognizes that the status quo is unacceptable and unsustainable. Rather than continuing on the road to debt and decline, we instead offer a path forward that focuses on economic growth, expands opportunity, and restores fairness. Years of foolish overspending have brought us to this point, but America’s current economic path is no laughing matter.”
N.J. legislature to vote on extension of arbitration cap for police, fire pay hikes
Top Democratic lawmakers are rushing to extend the cap on police and firefighter pay raises that some say has helped keep property tax bills in check. But local officials say the bill expected to be voted on today in both the Assembly and state Senate includes too many loopholes to be effective.
Since 2011, raises for local police and firefighters have been limited to 2 percent if contract disputes were settled, as many are, through the state’s binding arbitration process. Statewide, the average property tax bill rose to a record $7,988 in 2013, but that rate of growth has slowed while this cap and another that limits overall increases in the local tax have been in place.
The salary cap expires on Tuesday, a deadline written into the original law as a compromise between the Democrats who control the Legislature and Governor Christie, a Republican.
Before the cap was in place, unions were often given raises of around 4.5 percent. That figure is now 1.9 percent after the cap, according to a recent report issued by a task force set up to study the cap’s effectiveness.
Without a full extension of the current cap, the local officials warn, cuts in services are likely. (Reitmeyer and Phillis/The Record)
Obama administration will allow more time to enroll in health care on federal marketplace
By Amy Goldstein, Published: March 25
The Obama administration has decided to give extra time to Americans who say that they are unable to enroll in health plans through the federal insurance marketplace by the March 31 deadline.
Federal officials confirmed Tuesday evening that all consumers who have begun to apply for coverage on HealthCare.gov, but who do not finish by Monday, will have until about mid-April to ask for an extension.
Under the new rules, people will be able to qualify for an extension by checking a blue box on HealthCare.gov to indicate that they tried to enroll before the deadline. This method will rely on an honor system; the government will not try to determine whether the person is telling the truth.
The rules, which will apply to the federal exchanges operating in three dozen states, will essentially create a large loophole even as White House officials have repeatedly said that the March 31 deadline was firm. The extra time will not technically alter the deadline but will create a broad new category of people eligible for what’s known as a special enrollment period.
The change, which the administration is scheduled to announce Wednesday, is supported by consumer advocates who want as many people as possible to gain insurance under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. But it’s likely to be criticized by Republicans who oppose the law and have denounced the way the administration is implementing it.
Administration officials said the accommodation is an attempt to prepare for a possible surge of people trying to sign up in the final days before the deadline. Such a flood could leave some people unable to get through the system.
“We are . . . making sure that we will be ready to help consumers who may be in line by the deadline to complete enrollment — either online or over the phone,” said Julie Bataille, director of the office of communications for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency overseeing the federal health-care exchange.
The extra time will not be restricted, though, to people who wait until the last minute to try to sign up. Although no one will be asked why they need an extension, the idea is to help people whose applications have been held up because of the Web site’s technical problems, or who haven’t been able to get the system to calculate subsidies to help them pay for coverage.
NYT reporter: Obama administration the ‘greatest enemy of press freedom’ in a generation
New York Times reporter James Risen called the Obama administration “the greatest enemy of press freedom that we have encountered in at least a generation” on Friday, explaining that the White House seeks to control the flow of information and those that refuse to play along “will be punished.”
Poynter reports that Risen made the remarks while speaking at Sources and Secrets conference — a meeting of journalism and communication professionals held in New York City. The foreign policy reporter, who is currently fighting a fierce court battle with the federal government over his protection of a confidential source, warned that press freedom is under serious attack in today’s America.
In a speech kicking off the conference, Risen claimed that the Obama administration wants to “narrow the field of national security reporting” and “create a path for accepted reporting.” Those who stray from that path, he cautioned, “will be punished.”
Christie administration outlines $700 million in mid-year cuts to balance budget
March 21, 2014, 10:49 AM Last updated: Friday, March 21, 2014, 1:04 PM
By JOHN REITMEYER
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
The Record
Nearly every state department will see some funding reduced in a series of spending cuts totaling nearly $700 million that Governor Christie says is needed now to help keep New Jersey’s $33 billion budget in balance.
Christie’s administration announced the midyear cuts — spending adjustments called “lapses” in state budget documents — in late February, but the administration did not detail at the time which departments and programs would see budget reductions.
In all, the administration is making cuts to 70 different programs spanning 12 different departments, as well as several accounts that are shared by state departments. The Department of Education will lose the most funding, with $223.1 million cut from its budget, followed by the Department of Human Services, which is losing $148.5 million.
The spending lapses, which total $694 million, were announced in late February as the $33 billion budget Christie signed in June was running a revenue shortfall estimated to be as high as $400 million.
The budget adjustments will also help offset two midyear changes to the spending plan Christie signed last year. Treasury reduced its revenue forecast by roughly $250 million in February, and it also reported $292 million in supplemental spending added the Christie’s original budget plan.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/christie-administration-outlines-700-million-in-mid-year-cuts-to-balance-budget-1.748079#sthash.kmmNa97W.dpuf
