Month: September 2017

One person was killed and seven wounded in a shooting at a church Sunday in the southern U.S. state of Tennessee.

Six of those wounded were shot, while a seventh was pistol whipped, police said on Twitter.  The woman who was killed died in the parking lot of the church.

The gunman was also injured and is currently in the hospital.  No details were given about his condition or those of the shooting victims, who have not yet been identified.

All but one of the victims at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ was more than 60 years old, according to police.

The church is in Antioch – about 16 kilometers southeast of the state capital, Nashville.
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Hurricane Maria, which ravaged Puerto Rico last week, is growing weaker as it moves north.

But the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Sunday the storm could still cause dangerous surf and rip currents at beaches on the U.S. east coast.

Maria, which hit the island of Puerto Rico as a category 4 storm, weakened to a category 2 with maximum sustained winds of 165 kph.

Puerto Rico remains without power, except for generators, and phone service is spotty, as officials struggle to provide food and water to those affected by the worst storm to hit the island of 3.4 million in nearly a century.

Tens of thousands of people evacuated from a river valley below a failing dam Saturday in northeast Puerto Rico, urged to do so by the National Weather Service.  “Stay away or be swept away,” the weather service added.

In addition to Puerto Rico, the storm lashed other Caribbean islands.  Fourteen people were reported dead on Dominica, which has a population of about 71,000.  Three deaths were reported in Haiti, two deaths in the French territory of Guadeloupe and one in the Dominican Republic.
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A key Republican U.S. senator said Sunday she finds it “very difficult” to imagine herself voting for the party’s latest plan to dismantle nationwide health care policies championed by former Democratic President Barack Obama, a crucial vote that likely would doom the repeal effort this week.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine told CNN she was not ready to declare with certainty that she would vote against the overhaul of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, and wanted to wait for an assessment of the Republican proposal that the independent Congressional Budget Office is expected to release Monday.

Collins said she wants to see if the new report “reinforces the concerns and reservations” she already has. “Maybe there will be a surprise in there,” she said. “I don’t anticipate that. But I want to wait.”

McCain, Rand Paul opposition

Republican Senators John McCain of Arizona and Rand Paul of Kentucky have already said they would vote against the repeal effort, the latest of dozens of legislative attempts by Republicans to undermine the 2010 law they have opposed, in part because it requires almost all American workers to buy health care insurance policies or pay a fine if they don’t.

A Collins vote against the repeal effort would kill the overhaul effort, as would a “no” vote by Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who also have voiced reservations about the repeal plan.

In the politically closely divided Senate, Republicans hold a 52-48 advantage over Democrats. With all Democrats opposed to repealing Obamacare, Republicans can afford only two defections, with Vice President Mike Pence poised to vote for the repeal in the event of a 50-50 deadlock.

The latest repeal effort is being advanced by Senators Lindsay Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. It would send block grants of federal money to the country’s 50 states and allow them to shape independent health care plans for the poorest people in their states, rather than having Washington officials allocate the money, as is now the case.

But Collins has expressed the view that millions of people who now have insurance to pay their health care bills under Obamacare would lose it under the Republican plan. National opinion surveys show that overall a majority of Americans want to keep the current law, although many Republicans do not.

Last-ditch effort

Graham told ABC News that he still thinks there is a possibility of winning the repeal vote and is “moving forward” with efforts to try to change the minds of the last Republican holdouts against the repeal legislation.

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell says the Senate will consider the repeal effort this week, just days ahead of a September 30 deadline, as dictated by the Senate’s legislative rules, for completing action.

Even so, it is not clear there will be a vote because McConnell has said he will only call for a vote if he is assured of having enough votes to repeal the law. If the Senate repeals the law, the House of Representatives would then vote on it.

Numerous Democratic critics of the proposal, along with several major health care groups in the country, say that over the coming years the change in the law would cut millions of people from the insurance rolls.

Millions more Americans have been able to secure insurance to help pay their health care bills under Obamacare, but Republicans oppose it because of the mandate to buy insurance coverage and provisions in the law that have led to big increases in the cost of insurance policies for individuals who do not have coverage through their employers as millions of American workers do.

Trump’s comments

U.S. President Donald Trump, anxious for a major legislative victory, has called for the repeal, saying in a Twitter comment last week, “I hope Republican Senators will vote for Graham-Cassidy and fulfill their promise to Repeal & Replace ObamaCare. Money direct to States!”

In a string of comments, Trump has also attacked Paul and McCain for their opposition to the repeal. Trump said Paul ought to vote for the repeal for the good of the Republican party and that McCain had let down voters in home state, where insurance premiums have risen.

“Rand Paul is a friend of mine,” Trump said in one tweet, “but he is such a negative force when it comes to fixing health care. Graham-Cassidy Bill is GREAT! Ends Ocare!,” adding “I know Rand Paul and I think he may find a way to get there for the good of the Party!”

Of McCain, Trump said, “John McCain never had any intention of voting for this Bill, which his Governor loves. He campaigned on Repeal & Replace. Let Arizona down!”

Obama

Obama has only rarely publicly engaged in the day-to-day Washington policy fights since Trump replaced him in January.

But last week Obama attacked Republicans for trying to overturn the health care law.

“The legislation that we passed was full of things that still need to be fixed; it wasn’t perfect, but it was better.” Obama said. “And so, when I see people trying to undue that hard won progress for the 50th or 60th time with bills that would raise costs or reduce coverage or roll back protections for older Americans or people with pre-existing conditions, the cancer survivor, the expecting mom, the child with autism or asthma for whom coverage, once again, would be almost unattainable.

“It is aggravating,” Obama said. “And all of this being done without any demonstrable economic or actuarial or plain common-sense rationale — it frustrates. And it certainly is frustrating to have to mobilize every couple of months to keep our leaders from inflicting real human suffering on our constituents.”

 
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U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Senator John McCain at a political rally in Alabama Friday for opposing the Republican party’s latest attempt to repeal the nation’s health care law.

Speaking at a campaign event for Republican Senator Luther Strange, Trump said McCain’s opposition was “sad” and “a horrible, horrible thing.”

“It’s a little tougher without McCain’s vote,” Trump said, but added, “We are going to do it eventually.”

Trump continued to lash out at the senator from Arizona in a series of tweets Saturday morning, one of which said:

“John McCain never had any intention of voting for this Bill, which his Governor loves. He campaigned on Repeal & Replace. Let Arizona down!”

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McCain announced his opposition Friday to Republicans’ last-ditch attempt to replace the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, former President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement.

The 81-year-old senator, who is fighting brain cancer, said he could not “in good conscience” vote for the measure, which would repeal major parts of the law and replace them with block grants to the states to tailor their own health care programs.

McCain’s opposition deals a likely death blows to the bill and to years of Republican efforts to repeal and replace the law.

Many large medical organizations and a bipartisan group of governors are also opposed to the measure, maintaining that millions of people would lose insurance altogether or have their coverage reduced.

Trump appeared at Strange’s campaign rally after endorsing him last month. Strange is competing against opponent Roy Moore in a special runoff election to fill the Senate seat vacated when Jeff Sessions became attorney general.

Strange was appointed to the seat when Sessions left, but he must win the special election September 26 to keep it for a full term.

The president said Friday his support of Strange has bolstered his candidacy, but predicted on Twitter the race will be close.

Despite the president’s support, Moore, a former Alabama chief justice who was twice removed from the bench for disobeying judicial orders, has maintained a lead in the polls. He is campaigning on an anti-Washington platform and is known for unsuccessfully pushing for the public display of the Ten Commandments and opposing gay marriage.

During a debate Thursday night, Strange emphasized “the president supports me,” while Moore argued that Strange supporter Senate Majority Mitch McConnell and other members of the “elite Washington establishment” were trying to influence the race.

A super political action committee linked to McConnell has injected millions of dollars into the race amid Republican concern Moore would be a disruptive force in the Senate, or possibly lose to Democrat Doug Jones.   

Moore also has high-profile support, led by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and his conservative website Brietbart News. Additionally, Moore has the backing of former White House adviser Sebastian Gorka and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

While Trump claims his support of Strange has narrowed Moore’s lead in the polls, the latest Real Clear Politics polling average completed on September 17 shows Moore with a nearly 9-point lead. 

Moore led Strange in the first round of Republican voting, although the margin was not wide enough to avoid a runoff election, which will be held next Tuesday.

Some political observers say the runoff will be an early test of Trump’s influence over his political base. Republican leaders are concerned about the impact a loss by Strange could have on Trump’s political strength ahead of the 2018 mid-term elections, as well as Republicans’ ability to advance Trump’s agenda in Congress.

 
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China’s earthquake administration said Saturday it had detected a magnitude 3.4 earthquake in North Korea that was a “suspected explosion,” raising fears the isolated state had conducted another nuclear bomb test.

The administration said in a statement on its website that the quake, which occurred around 0830 GMT, was recorded a depth of zero kilometers.

Previous quakes from North Korea have indicated nuclear tests by the reclusive state, the most recent earlier this month.

Quake near nuclear test site

The earthquake was detected in Kilju county in North Hamgyong Province, where North Korea’s known Punggyeri nuclear site is located, according to South Korea’s meteorological agency.

The South Korean agency said it was analyzing the nature of the quake and its initial view was that it was a natural tremor because no sound waves specific to man-made earthquakes were detected.

China’s official Xinhua news agency said the epicenter was roughly at the same place as a similar shallow earthquake on Sept. 3, which turned out to be caused by North Korea’s sixth and largest nuclear test.

There was no immediate reaction from China’s Foreign Ministry.

Tensions high

Tensions have continued to rise since North Korea carried out its sixth nuclear test, prompting a new round of U.N. sanctions.

North Korea’s Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, currently in New York for a United Nations meeting, warned on Thursday that Kim could consider a hydrogen bomb test of an unprecedented scale over the Pacific.
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State media says Iran has successfully tested a new, medium-range, ballistic missile that was on display in a military parade Friday.

State television aired footage of the test and in-flight video from the nose cone on Saturday.  

It was not clear, however, when and where the test launch of the Khorramshahr missile was conducted.  The missile has a range of 2,000 kilometers and has the capacity to carry several warheads.

President Hassan Rouhani said Friday at the military parade that Iran would strengthen its missile program without seeking any country’s permission.

Washington is not likely to be pleased with any new missile test.

Iran has entered a deal with six world powers – Russia, China, France, Germany Britain and the U.S. – to limit its nuclear program.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said recently that Iran is “clearly in default”of expectations under its 2015 nuclear accord. .

While international inspectors have found Iran is meeting requirements to limit its nuclear program, Tillerson has said that Iran is violating language about regional peace and security, citing Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for Syria’s President Bashar al-Asad.

 
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U.S. President Donald Trump will campaign Friday at a rally in Alabama on behalf of Senator Luther Strange, an establishment-backed Republican candidate who has trailed opponent Roy Moore in a special runoff election.

Strange, who was appointed to the Senate seat vacated when Jeff Sessions became attorney general, was endorsed last month by Trump.

The president said Friday his support of Strange has bolstered his candidacy, but predicted on Twitter the race will be close.

Despite the president’s support, Moore, a former Alabama chief justice who was twice removed from the bench for disobeying judicial orders, has maintained a lead in the polls. He is campaigning on an anti-Washington platform and is known for unsuccessfully pushing for the public display of the Ten Commandments and opposing gay marriage.

During a debate Thursday night, Strange emphasized “the president supports me,” while Moore argued that Strange supporter Senate Majority Mitch McConnell and other members of the “elite Washington establishment” were trying to influence the race.

A super political action committee linked to McConnell has injected millions of dollars into the race amid Republican concern Moore would be a disruptive force in the Senate, or possibly lose to Democrat Doug Jones.

Moore also has high-profile support, led by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon and his conservative website Brietbart News. Additionally, Moore has the backing of former White House adviser Sebastian Gorka and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

While Trump claims his support of Strange has narrowed Moore’s lead in the polls, the latest RealClearPolitics polling average completed on September 17 shows Moore with a nearly 9-point lead.

Moore led Strange in the first round of Republican voting, although the margin was not wide enough to avoid a runoff election, which will be held next Tuesday.

Some political observers say the runoff will be an early test of Trump’s influence over his political base. Republican leaders are concerned about the impact a loss by Strange could have on Trump’s political strength ahead of the 2018 mid-term elections, as well as Republicans’ ability to advance Trump’s agenda in Congress.
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Cheap solar panels imported from China and other countries have led to a boom in the U.S. solar industry, where rooftop and other installations have surged 10-fold since 2011.

But two U.S. solar manufacturers say the flood of imports has led one to bankruptcy and forced the other to lay off three-quarters of its workforce.

The International Trade Commission is set to decide Friday whether the imports, primarily from Asia, are causing “serious injury” to the companies. If so, the commission will recommend this fall whether the Trump administration should impose tariffs that could double the price of solar panels from abroad.

President Donald Trump has not cozied up to the solar industry, as he has for coal and other fossil fuels, but he is considered sympathetic to imposing tariffs on solar imports as part of his “America first” philosophy. A White House spokeswoman declined to comment Thursday.

Both sides of the dispute were making their case ahead of Friday’s meeting.

“Simply put, the U.S. industry cannot survive under current market conditions,” a lawyer for Georgia-based Suniva Inc. wrote in a petition filed with the commission. Suniva brought the case with Oregon-based SolarWorld Americas.

Opposition to tariffs

Governors of four solar-friendly states — Nevada, Colorado, Massachusetts and North Carolina — oppose the tariff, warning it could jeopardize the industry. They cited a study showing that a global tariff could cause solar installations to drop by more than 50 percent in two years, a crushing blow as states push for renewable energy that does not contribute to climate change.

“The requested tariff could inflict a devastating blow on our states’ solar industries and lead to unprecedented job loss, at steep cost to our states’ economies,” the two Republicans and two Democrats wrote in a letter Thursday to the trade commission.

A group of former U.S. military officials also urged the Trump administration to reject solar tariffs, noting that the Defense Department is the nation’s largest energy consumer and follows a federal law calling for the Pentagon to procure 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025.

Suniva called the case a matter of fairness. Even with better manufacturing methods, lower costs and “dramatically improved efficiency,” the company has “suffered substantial losses due to global imports,” Suniva said in its petition. The company declared bankruptcy this spring after laying off 190 employees and closing production sites in Georgia and Michigan.

SolarWorld Americas, meanwhile, has trimmed its workforce from 1,300 to 300, with more cuts likely.

“After nearly 30 factories have shut down in the wake of surging imports, the legacy of this pioneering American industry hangs in the balance,” said Juergen Stein, CEO and president of SolarWorld Americas.

“We believe that the promise of solar — energy sustainability and independence — can be realized only with healthy American manufacturing to supply growing U.S. demand,” Stein said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Trade group speaks out

In a twist, the main trade group for the solar industry opposes tariffs and calls the trade case “an existential threat” to the industry.

“The stakes are exceedingly high. We are talking about 88,000 people in this country who could lose their jobs if these tariffs are put in place,” said Abigail Ross Hopper, president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, which represents an array of solar companies.

A global tariff could cause a sharp price hike that could force the U.S. to lose out on solar installations capable of powering more than 9 million homes over the next five years — more than has been installed to date, Hopper said. States could lose out on billions of dollars of infrastructure investment, she added.

Suniva and SolarWorld have themselves to blame for their struggles — not pressure from overseas, Hopper said.

“Here is the real story of this case: We have two foreign-owned, poorly managed companies using U.S. trade laws to put U.S. manufacturers out of business and causing U.S. employees to lose their jobs,” she said.

Indeed, while Suniva’s U.S. operations are based in Georgia, the company’s majority owner is in China. SolarWorld Americas is a subsidiary of German solar giant SolarWorld, which declared insolvency last month.

If an injury finding is made, the trade commission would have until mid-November to recommend a remedy to the president, with a final decision on tariffs expected in January.
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Showtime has won a bidding war to develop former President Bill Clinton and powerhouse author James Patterson’s upcoming thriller, “The President is Missing,” into a television series.

The network announced the deal Friday, months away from the book’s publication next June.

In the collaboration with Patterson, Clinton provides an insider’s perspective of having been in the White House. It’s the first time that Clinton has helped write fiction.

Showtime’s affiliation with CBS, and the corporation’s boss Leslie Moonves, helped seal the deal. Moonves knows Clinton, and Patterson helps with the production of the CBS series “Zoo” and “Instinct.”
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