WASHINGTON -- House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (La.) on Sunday rejected the suggestion that House Republicans had made a deal with Democrats to pass a "clean" bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security next week, telling "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace, "There is no such deal and there's no such bill."
Scalise is seen as a leader of the conservative wing of the GOP-controlled House, which has so far rejected any long-term funding for DHS that does not include language that dismantles President Barack Obama's executive action on immigration. That action, announced last year, would enable as many as 5 million undocumented people to remain in the country and work legally for three years. Republicans claim that the president in issuing that directive has overstepped his authority. A federal judge temporarily halted the actions from moving forward.
"On Friday there was a bill on the House floor to pass a clean [DHS] funding bill, and we rejected that because we said, 'We're fighting the president on what he's done illegally on immigration and we want to continue this battle,'" Scalise said. Instead of funding DHS for the year, the House passed a one-week funding bill, ensuring that the GOP's internal battle on the matter would continue for another week.
"What we did was pass a bill that now forces the Senate to vote on going to conference. We actually passed a bill that pushes back on the president's illegal actions on immigration. They made changes to that bill that we don't like," Scalise said. "On Monday, the Senate will actually be taking that vote."
Scalise did not offer any resolution to the impasse beyond encouraging the public to press the Senate to move forward with the House version of the bill, which is all but assured to fail. "I would encourage anybody who disagrees with the president's illegal actions on immigration, like I do, to light up the Senate switchboard between now and Monday evening," he said.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Dolce & Gabbana's Fall 2015 Show Celebrates 'Mamma' With Baby-Filled Runway
Mother's Day came early at Milan Fashion Week.
For Dolce & Gabbana's Fall/Winter 2015 show, the designers tapped model mamas like Bianca Balti, beautiful babies and toddlers to showcase their latest collection.
While the Italian fashion house has a long history of celebrating family and honoring elders in its ad campaigns (remember these stylish grandmas?), it was touching to see it all come together on the runway.
In the matching mommy-and-me shift dresses with rose embellishments or a doodle-print gown that channeled Angelina Jolie's unconventional wedding dress, Dolce & Gabbana's "point of reference" was very clear.
See front row photos and a heartwarming finale video from D&G's show below!
For Dolce & Gabbana's Fall/Winter 2015 show, the designers tapped model mamas like Bianca Balti, beautiful babies and toddlers to showcase their latest collection.
While the Italian fashion house has a long history of celebrating family and honoring elders in its ad campaigns (remember these stylish grandmas?), it was touching to see it all come together on the runway.
In the matching mommy-and-me shift dresses with rose embellishments or a doodle-print gown that channeled Angelina Jolie's unconventional wedding dress, Dolce & Gabbana's "point of reference" was very clear.
See front row photos and a heartwarming finale video from D&G's show below!
Man Who Believes He Is A 'Werewolf' Who Killed A 'Vampire' Found Guilty Of Murder
A California man is guilty of murder in a bizarre case wherein the suspect claimed he was a werewolf who killed a vampire.
Atascadero man Mark Andrews, 51, went to his neighbor's home and fatally shot her in the doorway with a rifle, a jury determined Friday.
Andrews pleaded insanity in the 2013 killing of 52-year-old Colleen Barga-Milbury, KSBY reports.
"I'm disappointed," defense attorney Ilan Funke-Bilu told the station. "Mark is a very sick man and when I told the jury I believed he wasn't a murderer I believe that."
Carolyn Murphy, a forensic psychologist who interviewed Andrews, said in court last Tuesday that Andrews has schizophrenia, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports. He also believes he is a werewolf, who was sent on a mission by God to kill what he believed to be a vampire, Murphy said in testimony.
He believes he "transforms into a werewolf" because he "holds the spirit of the wolf," Murphy said.
This is not the first time Andrews became suspicious of his neighbors.
More from the Tribune:
Though mentally ill, Murphy said Andrews is "not a psychopath."
A day after the murder of Barga-Milbury, KCOY spoke to Andrews, who claimed to have no knowledge of the killing, even saying that only an "animalistic person" would commit such a horror.
"She was married once and he passed away also, and that's another reason why this is more sad," Andrews told the station at the time. "I'm just at a loss of words right now, I don't know what to say."
Andrews initially admitted to the killing after his arrest, but a judge ruled his Miranda rights had been violated during questioning, so the confession was thrown out, according to Cal Coast News.
In a conversation with his mother recorded in 2013, Andrews said he wanted "to be executed and die," according to the Tribune.
"I think we have a long way to go as a society to understand how sick some people are -- that they can kill and yet at the same time not be held responsible," Funke-Bilu told KSBY. "That's something for a lot of people a very difficult concept to grasp."
Barga-Milbury was a former State Hospital employee, and lived alone with her 15-year-old son.
Next week, the trial will continue to determine if Andrews was insane at the time of the killing.
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Atascadero man Mark Andrews, 51, went to his neighbor's home and fatally shot her in the doorway with a rifle, a jury determined Friday.
Andrews pleaded insanity in the 2013 killing of 52-year-old Colleen Barga-Milbury, KSBY reports.
"I'm disappointed," defense attorney Ilan Funke-Bilu told the station. "Mark is a very sick man and when I told the jury I believed he wasn't a murderer I believe that."
Carolyn Murphy, a forensic psychologist who interviewed Andrews, said in court last Tuesday that Andrews has schizophrenia, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports. He also believes he is a werewolf, who was sent on a mission by God to kill what he believed to be a vampire, Murphy said in testimony.
He believes he "transforms into a werewolf" because he "holds the spirit of the wolf," Murphy said.
This is not the first time Andrews became suspicious of his neighbors.
More from the Tribune:
In 2009, according to court records, Andrews believed a different neighbor was a vampire. Andrews left mounds of dirt and flour on that neighbor’s door and once pounded on the neighbor’s door, calling her a “bitch,” though she didn’t answer.
At his home, according to police reports, police found two lists of names, several marked “hate with death.”
Murphy testified that she asked Andrews why he didn’t kill the neighbor from 2009.
“God didn’t tell him to kill her,” she said.
Though mentally ill, Murphy said Andrews is "not a psychopath."
A day after the murder of Barga-Milbury, KCOY spoke to Andrews, who claimed to have no knowledge of the killing, even saying that only an "animalistic person" would commit such a horror.
"She was married once and he passed away also, and that's another reason why this is more sad," Andrews told the station at the time. "I'm just at a loss of words right now, I don't know what to say."
Andrews initially admitted to the killing after his arrest, but a judge ruled his Miranda rights had been violated during questioning, so the confession was thrown out, according to Cal Coast News.
In a conversation with his mother recorded in 2013, Andrews said he wanted "to be executed and die," according to the Tribune.
"I think we have a long way to go as a society to understand how sick some people are -- that they can kill and yet at the same time not be held responsible," Funke-Bilu told KSBY. "That's something for a lot of people a very difficult concept to grasp."
Barga-Milbury was a former State Hospital employee, and lived alone with her 15-year-old son.
Next week, the trial will continue to determine if Andrews was insane at the time of the killing.
Like Us On Facebook | Follow Us On Twitter | Contact The AuthorUN: Iraq Violence Kills At Least 1,100 In February
BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.N. mission to Iraq said Sunday that violence claimed the lives of at least 1,100 Iraqis in February, including more than 600 civilians.
The U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said in a statement that 611 civilians were among 1,103 people killed last month, with the rest hailing from the security forces. It said at least 2,280 people were wounded, including 1,353 civilians. January's death toll was at least 1,375. The most violent city was the capital Baghdad, with 329 civilians killed and 875 wounded, it said.
The U.N. numbers do not include the third of the country held by the Islamic State extremist group.
U.N. envoy Nickolay Mladenov blamed the deaths on the extremist group, government forces and pro-government Shiite militias.
"Daily terrorist attacks perpetrated by ISIL continue to deliberately target all Iraqis," Mladenov said in the statement, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. "There are also concerning reports of a number of revenge killings by armed groups in areas recently liberated from ISIL," he added.
He called on Iraq's fractured leaders to reconcile, saying "an exclusively military solution to the problem of ISIL is impossible."
The statement came a day after series of attacks targeting public places and Shiite militia checkpoints in and around the capital killed at least 37 people. The deadliest, near the city of Samarra, saw two suicide car bombers attack checkpoints manned by Shiite militiamen, killing 16 Shite fighters and wounding 31.
Hours later, the IS group claimed responsibility for the Samarra attacks in a statement posted on an account used by the militants.
The Islamic State extremist group and other Sunni insurgents seized control of much of western and northern Iraq last year. According to UNAMI, last year was the deadliest in Iraq since the peak of the country's sectarian conflict in 2006-2007, with a total of 12,282 people killed and 23,126 wounded.
The U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said in a statement that 611 civilians were among 1,103 people killed last month, with the rest hailing from the security forces. It said at least 2,280 people were wounded, including 1,353 civilians. January's death toll was at least 1,375. The most violent city was the capital Baghdad, with 329 civilians killed and 875 wounded, it said.
The U.N. numbers do not include the third of the country held by the Islamic State extremist group.
U.N. envoy Nickolay Mladenov blamed the deaths on the extremist group, government forces and pro-government Shiite militias.
"Daily terrorist attacks perpetrated by ISIL continue to deliberately target all Iraqis," Mladenov said in the statement, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. "There are also concerning reports of a number of revenge killings by armed groups in areas recently liberated from ISIL," he added.
He called on Iraq's fractured leaders to reconcile, saying "an exclusively military solution to the problem of ISIL is impossible."
The statement came a day after series of attacks targeting public places and Shiite militia checkpoints in and around the capital killed at least 37 people. The deadliest, near the city of Samarra, saw two suicide car bombers attack checkpoints manned by Shiite militiamen, killing 16 Shite fighters and wounding 31.
Hours later, the IS group claimed responsibility for the Samarra attacks in a statement posted on an account used by the militants.
The Islamic State extremist group and other Sunni insurgents seized control of much of western and northern Iraq last year. According to UNAMI, last year was the deadliest in Iraq since the peak of the country's sectarian conflict in 2006-2007, with a total of 12,282 people killed and 23,126 wounded.
Rio 450 anos, com Uber!
É um prazer para a Uber fazer parte da história do Rio de Janeiro, que completa 450 anos, e ajudar milhares de pessoas, cariocas ou não, a se locomover na cidade maravilhosa!
Por isso convidamos alguns apaixonados pelo Rio, para visitar marcos da cidade em um UberBLACK.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Chile's President Meets With Teen Who Asked To Die
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile's president went to a hospital Saturday to meet with a 14-year-old girl who shocked the country by going on YouTube to plead for the leader to let doctors euthanize her because she is tired of her struggle with cystic fibrosis.
The government quickly said no after the video began spreading on social media Thursday. A government statement said President Michelle Bachelet talked with Valentina Maureira and her father for more than an hour at the Catholic University hospital in the capital.
Officials did not release any information on what was said. But the government provided photographs of the visit, including one of Valentina taking a selfie with the president, who is also a pediatrician.
Valentina grabbed attention after posting on YouTube a video that appeared to have been shot from a hospital bed.
"I urgently request to speak to the president because I'm tired of living with this illness," said the teenager, whose older brother died at age 6 from the same disease. "I want her approval so I can get a shot that will make me sleep forever."
Cystic fibrosis damages multiple organs, especially the lungs, by causing recurrent infections that damage tissue. Valentina said she was frustrated by the lack of options and by how the disease had hurt her quality of life.
On Thursday, presidential spokesman Alvaro Elizalde expressed sympathy for Valentina's plight, but stressed that Chilean law does not allow euthanasia.
"It's impossible not to be overcome by emotion with the girl's request; it's impossible to grant her wish," Elizalde said.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, the girl's father, Fredy Maureira, said he supported his daughter's request, though he added that he "cried through the night" after he first heard about her wish to die.
"This is so tough, but I have to respect her decision because she's the one who's suffering this illness," Maureira said.
The government quickly said no after the video began spreading on social media Thursday. A government statement said President Michelle Bachelet talked with Valentina Maureira and her father for more than an hour at the Catholic University hospital in the capital.
Officials did not release any information on what was said. But the government provided photographs of the visit, including one of Valentina taking a selfie with the president, who is also a pediatrician.
Valentina grabbed attention after posting on YouTube a video that appeared to have been shot from a hospital bed.
"I urgently request to speak to the president because I'm tired of living with this illness," said the teenager, whose older brother died at age 6 from the same disease. "I want her approval so I can get a shot that will make me sleep forever."
Cystic fibrosis damages multiple organs, especially the lungs, by causing recurrent infections that damage tissue. Valentina said she was frustrated by the lack of options and by how the disease had hurt her quality of life.
On Thursday, presidential spokesman Alvaro Elizalde expressed sympathy for Valentina's plight, but stressed that Chilean law does not allow euthanasia.
"It's impossible not to be overcome by emotion with the girl's request; it's impossible to grant her wish," Elizalde said.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, the girl's father, Fredy Maureira, said he supported his daughter's request, though he added that he "cried through the night" after he first heard about her wish to die.
"This is so tough, but I have to respect her decision because she's the one who's suffering this illness," Maureira said.
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