Washington, DC...It seems if the logjams have been temporarily cleared enough for the Senate to overwhelmingly vote to get the US Government officially back up and running. For 99.9% of Americans it will be as if it had never been closed. Questions still remain on if the American People will start ranking Washington as functioning better. Congress especially has low approval ratings and this last weekends obvious dysfunction will probably not inspire confidence....
San Andreas, CA...On January 11th a good sized crowd was on hand at the San Andreas Town Hall as Gary Stevens officially launched his campaign for the top law enforcement job in Calaveras County. Gary L. Stevens, long time Calaveras County resident is running as candidate for Sheriff.
Former CIA Officer Arrested for Retaining Classified Information That Possibly Lead to Deaths of Field Agents
Posted by: thepinetree on 01/21/2018 09:09 AM
Washington, DC...Jerry Chun Shing Lee, aka Zhen Cheng Li, 53, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, was arrested on charges of unlawful retention of national defense information. Dana J. Boente, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement.
Yosemite National Park To Remain Open During Government Shutdown ~ Rep. Tom McClintock CA-04
Posted by: thepinetree on 01/19/2018 08:12 PM
Roseville, CA...The House yesterday passed a bill to continue to fund the government through February 16th to accommodate ongoing discussions over budget caps, immigration policy and other issues. If Senate Democrats use the Senate cloture rule to prevent the bill from being taken up, the government will shut down at midnight on January 19th. The vendors, visitors and gateway communities to our national parks suffered enormously during the government shutdown in 2013 because of deliberate actions by the Obama administration. The administration ordered businesses in the parks to cease operations, cancelled long-standing tourist reservations, barricaded park entrances and even blocked turn-out lanes overlooking the Yosemite Valley. The shutdown required none of these measures.
AG Becerra Held Joint Press Conference to Urge Students to Submit DACA Renewal Applications
Posted by: thepinetree on 01/19/2018 05:43 PM
Sacramento, CA...AG Becerra Held Joint Press Conference to Urge Students to Submit DACA Renewal Applications.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, University of California President Janet Napolitano, California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley, and CSU Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs Loren J. Blanchard held a press conference to discuss important steps students can take following a court order that required the Trump Administration to begin accepting DACA renewal applications.
President Trump's Remarks at H&K Equipment Company
Posted by: thepinetree on 01/19/2018 09:18 AM
Coraopolis, Pennsylvania...."What a great place. What a great place. I met the workers and the people that really do make America great. They’re incredible people. Thank you. And thank you for being here. (Applause.) You know, I’m very familiar with this setting, as you found out. This is something special and I am thrilled to be back in Pennsylvania with the hardworking men and women of H&K Equipment. Good job you do. Good job. (Applause.) Good job you do. We’re honored to be joined by the Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin. (Applause.) Oh, look at that, Steve. They must know you. There’s about 5 percent of this group. (Laughter.)
Sacramento, CA...As the California High-Speed Rail Authority continues to move from the planning phase to full construction of the nation’s first high-speed rail system, the Board of Directors today announced that it has selected a new Chief Executive Officer, Brian P. Kelly, to lead the organization, effective February 1, 2018.
RCRC Installs 2018 Officers and Presents Rural Leadership Awards. TC Supervisor Hanvelt Installed as Vice Chair
Posted by: thepinetree on 01/18/2018 08:41 AM
Sacramento, CA...The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) installed its 2018 Officers and presented its Rural Leadership Awards at their annual reception in Sacramento yesterday. Humboldt County Supervisor Rex Bohn was installed as Chair, Tuolumne County Supervisor Randy Hanvelt was installed as First Vice Chair, and Inyo County Supervisor Matt Kingsley was installed as Second Vice Chair. Tehama County Supervisor Bob Williams remains an Officer as Immediate Past Chair. The newly installed 2018 Officers will lead the organization in championing policies on behalf of California’s rural counties.
Sen. Jeff Flake...Reflexive “Fake News” Claims Not Good For Democracy. Use Gives License to Authoritarian Leaders Suppressing Free Speech Abroad
Posted by: thepinetree on 01/17/2018 08:48 PM
Washington, DC...U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) today spoke on the Senate floor warning of the danger to democracy around the world posed by political leaders denying shared truths and reflexively dismissing facts as “fake news”: “2017 was a year which saw the truth – objective, empirical, evidence-based truth – more battered and abused than any other in the history of our country, at the hands of the most powerful figure in our government. The impulses underlying the dissemination of such untruths are not benign. They have the effect of eroding trust in our vital institutions and conditioning the public to no longer trust them. The destructive effect of this kind of behavior on our democracy cannot be overstated.