By Miriam Raftery

January 25, 2019 ( Washington D.C.) – The longest federal government shutdown in history is slated to end tonight, after President Donald Trump and Congressional leaders agreed to enact a temporary bill to fund agencies through February 15^th.  That bill does not include any funding for a border wall. 

The Senate passed the short-term funding bill today, one day after the Republican-controlled Senate voted to reject two measures that would have reopened the government long-term. One was a Trump proposal with wall funding and a temporary extension of protection for young immigrants or Dreamers.  The other was a funding bill with no money for the wall passed by the Democratic-controlled House.

During the next three weeks, Congress will convene a bipartisan conference committee on a Homeland Security Department funding bill and attempt to strike a compromise on border security.

By Miriam Raftery

December 21, 2018 (Washington D.C.) – President Donald Trump says he will shut down the government at midnight  unless the Repubilcan-controlled Senate passes a budget with $5 billion in funding for a border wall.  Trump claims this would be a “Democrat shutdown.”  The House already passed the measure yesterday down party lines.

But dozens of Senators have already left Washington for the holidays and it appears ulikely that enough votes will be mustered for passage.

Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming), chair of the Senate’s budget committee, has stated flatly, “No, he won’t have 60 votes over here.”

By Miriam Raftery

April 20, 2018 (Washington D.C.) – The Democratic National Committee has filed a lawsuit against the Trump campaign, Russia, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and associates of President Donald Trump. The suit alleges racketeering, computer hacking, fraud and conspiracy to win the 2016 presidential election and harm Democrats.

The suit provides evidence of how the Trumps allegedly used their family business to curry favor with Russians as well as how Russia allegedly shared findings of a cyber-attack on Democratic National Committee headquarters with the Trump campaign. The evidence includes numerous written communications between Trump advisors and Russians, the Washington Post reports.

By Miriam Raftery

View James Comey’s introductory remarks and full testimony.  

June 8, 2017 (Washington D.C.) – In riveting testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee today,  fired FBI director James Comey confirmed that President Donald Trump  asked him in person and in phone calls to back off the investigation of National Security advisor Michael Flynn’s Russian ties. 

Trump fired Comey after he refused to back off the investigation or swear a loyalty oath, promising "honesty" instead. Comey said Trump  then“chose to defame me—and more importantly, the FBI by saying the organization was in disarray and that it was poorly led, that the workforce had lost confidence in its leader. Those were lies, plain and simple.”

Acting FBI director Andrew McCabe backed Comey in his recent testimony , stating,“Director Comey enjoyed broad support within the FBI and still does to this day,” adding that Russia probe is “significant.”

By Miriam Raftery

May 17, 2017 (San Diego) -- San Diego’s Congressional delegate and California’s Senators are voicing diverse views – and in one case, a crude response to  the firing of FBI director James Comey and a startling report by the New York Times indicating that notes by fired FBI Director James Comey reveal that President Donald Trump  first asked Comey to shut down a federal investigation into fired national security advisor Michael Flynn over his Russian connections, but Comey refused to do so.  (See ECM special report.)

By Miriam Raftery

Protest planned at 5 p.m. tonight at Lindbergh Field; immigrant attorneys warn demonstrators could be detained, caution non-citizens not to participate due to “grave” risks

January 29, 2017 (San Diego)—Multiple federal courts have issued orders temporarily blocking deportation of  legal residents detained at airports following President Trump’s executive order Friday, including a New York federal judge ruling on an ACLU suit that applies nationwide. While some remain detained and denied access to counsel per the ACLU, others were allowed to meet with immigration attorneys  and were soon set free at airports across the U.S., where large crowds gathered and greeted the arriving immigrants with cheers to welcome them to America (View video).

The court orders thus far protect only those already at U.S. airports or in transit. Other lawsuits are set to be filed Monday by civil rights and Arab-American groups seeking to overturn as unconstitutional the broader ban on admitting refugees as from seven mostly Muslim nations (Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Syria, Libya and Yemen)  listed as countries of concern by the State Department. 

The order also applies to  an estimated half million legal U.S. residents with green cards from those countries, as well as people who hold dual citizen in any of the seven nations as well as citizenship in U.S. ally nations including Canada and Great Britain.

November  2, 2016 (San Diego's East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen about important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a wide variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

Presidential election

• Fearing violence, some officials close schools on Election Day (CS Monitor)
• Reports detail Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russia (Yahoo! News)
• National poll shows  Trump, Clinton tied after Comey letter(Politico)
• Winning without the White House? Why Gary Johnson is aiming for 5 percent (+video) (CS Monitor)

General News

• As Standing Rock protesters face down armored trucks, the world watches on Facebook (Wired)
• Amnesty and United Nations send human rights observers to monitor treatment of Dakota  Access Pipeline protesters at Standing Rock (Inquisitr)
• Big Media Companies And Their Many Brands — In One Chart(NPR)
• Bundy brothers found not guilty of conspiracy in Oregon militia stand-off (Guardian)
• From Pot To Guns To School Funding: Here's What's On The Ballot In Your State(NPR)
• Federal Overreach in Search of More Prison Time Cost Them a Conviction, Says Juror in Oregon's Malheur Wildlife Center Occupation Acquittal (Reason)
• Respect for police at all-time high in US, says new survey (CS Monitor)

WORLD

• Italy earthquake: More than 15,000 people in shelters (CNN)
• Iran Hardliners Target Dual Nationals(NPR)
• Yazidi women win EU Parliament's Sakharov Prize (Reuters)
• In Germany, Syrians find mosques too conservative (Reuters)
• After NATO Objections, Russian Warships Won't Refuel At Spanish Port (NPR)
• Swirling Scandal Involving Shamanistic Cult Threatens S. Korean President (NPR)
• Turkey sacks 10,000 more civil servants, shuts media in latest crackdown (Reuters)
• Jewish and Palestinian-Israeli teens learn how to better collaborate(CSMonitor)
• U.S. State orders family of employees in Istanbul to leave country (Reuters)
• U.S. charges 61 over India-based IRS impersonation scam(Reuters)
• For first time, US abstains from UN vote condemning Cuba blockade (+video) (CS Monitor)
• Britain, U.S. to build up forces on Russian border (Reuters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.