2018 Ends With Record Employment; Participation Rate Hits Trump-Era High

(Worthy News) – The Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Friday the economy added an impressivve 312,000 jobs in December, which was a month of strong retail sales; and the nation’s unemployment rate increased two-tenths of a point to 3.9 percent, which is still an 18-year low.

The number of employed Americans has now set a 14th record under Trump:

When Trump became president in January 2017, 152,076,000 Americans were employed. Last month, that number grew to a record 156,945,000, a gain of 4,869,000 in two years. [ Source: CNS News (Read More…) ]

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Islamic Jihad tells Iran: We will create second front in any Israel-Lebanon war

(Worthy News) – The Iranian-backed Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad has committed to spark an escalation on the southern front if Israel enters a military conflict with Lebanon’s Hezbollah on the north, said the Palestinian faction’s leader, Ziad Nakhala, in an interview to the state-owned Iranian TV channel Al-Alam.

Islamic Jihad is the second largest military organization in Gaza. Although the group normally works in coordination with Hamas, it has recently subjugated itself almost completely to Iran, despite being a Sunni organization, and was the one that initiated a round of fighting on the southern border last October.

“In the next confrontation with the occupation, the axis of resistance will operate from the north in Lebanon to the south in Gaza,” said Nakhala. [ Source: Ynet News (Read More…) ]

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Dem introduces bills to eliminate electoral college, stop presidents from pardoning themselves

(Worthy News) – Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tn.), a vocal critic of President Trump, on Thursday introduced two bills to eliminate the electoral college and prevent presidents from pardoning themselves or their family members.

Cohen introduced the constitutional amendments on the first night of the 116th Congress, both digs at Trump.

“Presidents should not pardon themselves, their families, their administration or campaign staff,” Cohen said in a statement. “This constitutional amendment would expressly prohibit this and any future president, from abusing the pardon power.” [ Source: The Hill (Read More…) ]

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U.S. House elects Democrat Pelosi to be speaker for 2019-2020

(Worthy News) – Democrat Nancy Pelosi was elected on Thursday to be the new speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives as her party took majority control of the chamber following its election victory last Nov. 6.

This marks Pelosi’s second stint as speaker. She was the first woman ever to hold the job, serving from 2007 until 2011, when Republicans began an eight-year run in the House majority.

Pelosi received 220 votes for speaker, while Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy got 192 votes. A smattering of others received the remaining votes in the chamber that holds 435 seats. [ Source: Reuters (Read More…) ]

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Dems’ House takeover to usher in wave of Trump investigations

(Worthy News) – As Democrats officially take back control of the House when the new Congress is seated Thursday, newly empowered House Committee chairmen are preparing to launch a slew of Trump administration investigations.

Those Democrats armed with subpoena power include Rep. Jerry Nadler, the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee; Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., incoming chairman of the House Oversight Committee; and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

In a press release Wednesday, Cummings said his committee plans to “investigate waste, fraud, and abuse in the Trump Administration,” as well as “other issues that affect the American people every day.” [ Source: Fox News (Read More…) ]

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‘Unacceptable’: White House vows veto on Dems’ bill to end shutdown without wall money

(Worthy News) – The White House issued a veto threat Thursday on Democrats’ new bill to end the government shutdown, saying it shortchanged “the nation’s urgent border security needs.”

The White House also complained that the package of bills, which Democrats plan to force to the floor for votes later Thursday, the first night of the new Congress, includes billions of dollars in wasteful spending President Trump opposes.

That includes $12 billion in new money for foreign aid, $2 billion in funding Mr. Trump doesn’t want to see in the Environmental Protection Agency and $7.1 billion he says isn’t needed in the Housing and Urban Development Department. [ Source: Washington Examiner (Read More…) ]

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U.S. warns Iran on space launches, Tehran rejects concerns

(Worthy News) – The United States issued a pre-emptive warning to Iran on Thursday against pursuing three planned space rocket launches that it said would violate a U.N. Security Council resolution because they use ballistic missile technology.

Iran rejected the warning, issued by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying its space vehicle launches and missile tests were not violations.

Pompeo said Iran planned to launch in the coming months three rockets, called Space Launch Vehicles (SLV), that he said incorporate technology “virtually identical” to what is used in intercontinental ballistic missiles. [ Source: Reuters (Read More…) ]

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US, China officials headed to Japan for trade talks Monday

(Worthy News) – China and the U.S. will commence trade talks in Beijing early next week as both countries work to put an end to yearlong trade tensions that have left global markets unstable, according to a report published late Thursday.

Officials from both nations will meet Monday and Tuesday for the vice ministerial trade talks, Chinese officials announced Friday local time.

Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish is leading his U.S. colleagues on the trip. He said he expects “positive and constructive discussions,” according to the Chinese Commerce Ministry. [ Source: Washington Examiner (Read More…) ]

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Pew reports, ‘Christians overrepresented in Congress’: 55 percent Protestant, 30 percent Catholic, 6 percent Jewish

(Worthy News) – The new Congress that was sworn in Thursday afternoon is significantly more religious and Christian than the nation it represents, according to an analysis of religions claimed by House and Senate members.

Most notable, while 23 percent of the nation claims to be unaffiliated, atheist, or simply “none,” there is just one member of that group. Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema said that she is religiously unaffiliated, said the analysis from the Pew Research Center. [ Source: Washington Examiner (Read More…) ]

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UN envoy bound for Yemen, Saudi Arabia for Yemen war talks

(Worthy News) – The United Nations’ envoy for Yemen is heading to the region this weekend to talk with government and rebel leaders as international efforts aimed at ending Yemen’s civil war continue.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Thursday that envoy Martin Griffiths plans to visit Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, starting Saturday.

Griffiths intends to meet with leaders of the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, then go to Saudi Arabia to consult with Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in Riyadh. [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]

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