Thursday, December 22, 2016

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Israel's Netanyahu calls on US to veto UN's anti-settlement resolution


UN's anti-settlement resolution

This March 14, 2011 file photo shows a general view of a construction site in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Modiin Illit.
This March 14, 2011 file photo shows a general view of a construction site in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Modiin Illit.  (AP/Oded Balilty, File)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the U.S. to use its veto power to block a United Nations resolution demanding a halt to Israeli settlement activities in Palestinian territory and declares that all existing settlements "have no legal validity" and are "a flagrant violation" of international law.
The draft resolution, circulated by Egypt, also stresses that "the cessation of all Israeli settlement activities is essential for salvaging the two-state solution" which would see Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side in peace.
The U.S. vetoed a similar resolution in 2011, but it was not immediately clear how U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power would vote Thursday.
The U.N. Security Council has scheduled a 3 p.m. ET meeting to vote on the resolution. The U.S., along with China, France, Great Britain and Russia, is one of five permanent Security Council members with the power to kill any resolution.
Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said the resolution "will do nothing to promote a diplomatic process, and will only reward the Palestinian policy of incitement and terror."
"We expect our greatest ally not to allow this one-sided and anti-Israel resolution to be adopted by the council," he said.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, has said a cessation of all Israeli settlement activities and an end to its nearly 50-year occupation of Palestinian territory are necessary for a comprehensive peace agreement. Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying negotiations should take place without conditions.
In September, the international diplomatic "quartet" of Mideast peacemakers called for Israel and the Palestinians to take steps to resume stalled peace talks.
But the gaps between Israeli and Palestinian leaders remain wide, preventing any meaningful talks since 2009.
The draft resolution calls for intensified and accelerated international and regional diplomatic efforts "aimed at achieving, without delay a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East."
New Zealand, a non-permanent council member, has been pushing a separate resolution that would set out the parameters of a peace settlement.

Showdown looms between Trump administration, sanctuary cities


As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, a major showdown looms between his administration and cities across the country over one of his hallmark campaign issues: illegal immigration.
At the Southern border, agents are on pace to apprehend almost 600,000 illegal immigrants, the highest number in eight years. The surge is coming largely from Central American migrants, far outpacing those from Mexico.
"They're mobilizing because they don't know what tomorrow will bring, but know today they can cross,” said Chris Cabrera, of the National Border Patrol Council.
Many illegal immigrants from Central America indeed have been motivated to make the trek after word traveled under the Obama administration that some could request asylum, claiming a “credible fear” of persecution should they return home.
But another driver is the knowledge that certain major cities offer “sanctuary” protections from deportation. Those same cities are now gearing up to fight on their illegal immigrant residents’ behalf against the incoming president.
In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced the creation of the L.A. Justice Fund, a multi-million dollar fund to provide legal assistance to immigrants facing deportation.
“The reason it was important for us to act is we will have a change in government next month,” he said. “We expect there could be actions right away.”
In announcing the fund, Garcetti vowed to fight for the “good and law-abiding immigrants of Los Angeles.” Asked if those with a criminal record would be excluded, however, he said no.
But such cities could be in for a major battle with the Trump administration, following campaign vows to deny federal funds to sanctuary cities.
Texas GOP Rep. John Culberson says federal law prohibits local and state law enforcement from refusing to share immigration status information with federal authorities. He believes the law will give Trump the power to follow through in denying funds to sanctuary cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.
“The president can cut off their money at noon on January 20, 2017 if they do not change their sanctuary policy and hand over criminal illegal aliens in their custody to be deported,” Culberson told Fox News.
Culberson, chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing the Department of Justice, added that President Obama’s attorney general not only is aware of the policy, but signed off on tying suspected violations to potential financial penalties.
“I quietly persuaded Attorney General Loretta Lynch to implement this new policy this past July,” he said. “So it’s already done.”
The Immigration Legal Resource Center disagrees, arguing that certain sanctuary policies do not violate federal law.
This gap in interpretation sets up a battle with 100 or so cities that stand to lose substantial federal funds should they refuse to cooperate in the Trump administration’s promised deportation efforts.
The traffic at the border, meanwhile, continues to surge.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports that last month alone, agents arrested 7,406 unaccompanied children and 15,573 families from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, a significant surge compared with the same month one year ago, when the agency apprehended 5,604 children and 6,471 families.
Under current policy for those seeking asylum, Border Patrol agents are required to process the immigrants for their day in court, which entitles them to a work permit and a plane or bus ticket to stay with relatives until it’s time to see an immigration judge. The typical wait-time is four to five years and, according to government data, up to 80 percent never show up.
The federal agency that handles deportations is spending, on average, $665 per juvenile to pay for travel to relatives in the U.S. or back home if they’re deported, according to calculations by the Immigration Reform Law Institute, a government watchdog group. That puts the current taxpayer cost at roughly $5 million a month.
With monthly apprehensions at a five-year high, border agents say they are slammed.
"We're not a deterrent because they're looking for us, so we can be standing there and [the smuggler will] still send them across," said Texas-based agent Marlene Castro. "It's been a group, and then maybe five minutes later another group, and then half an hour later you'll see another one."

Trump’s Team: Who’s who in president-elect’s Cabinet, White House


President-elect Donald Trump has quickly announced his picks for key Cabinet and White House positions since the November election. The following are his selections so far – Cabinet nominees are subject to Senate confirmation.


Cabinet-level positions

Individuals Trump intends to nominate

Rex Tillerson

Rex Tillerson

Secretary of State
Rick Perry

Rick Perry

Secretary of Energy
Former Texas governor; former Texas agriculture commissioner, two-time presidential candidate
Ryan Zinke

Ryan Zinke

Secretary of Interior
U.S. representative, Montana; member of House Natural Resources Committee; former Navy SEAL
James Mattis

James Mattis

Secretary of Defense
Steven Mnuchin

Steven Mnuchin

Secretary of Treasury
Trump campaign finance chairman; former Goldman Sachs partner; Hollywood producer
Jeff Sessions

Jeff Sessions

Attorney General
Ben Carson

Ben Carson

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Former director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital; 2016 candidate for president
Wilbur Ross

Wilbur Ross

Secretary of Commerce
Investor; former banker
Tom Price

Tom Price

Secretary of Health and Human Services
U.S. representative, Georgia; chairman of House Budget Committee; orthopedic surgeon
Betsy DeVos

Betsy DeVos

Secretary of Education
Charter school advocate; philanthropist; Republican donor
Elaine Chao

Elaine Chao

Secretary of Transportation
Nikki Haley

Nikki Haley

U.S. Ambassador to United Nations
Andrew Puzder

Andrew Puzder

Secretary of Labor
John Kelly

John Kelly

Secretary of Homeland Security
Retired Marine general; former commander of U.S. Southern Command
Scott Pruitt

Scott Pruitt

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Oklahoma attorney general; former state senator
Mick Mulvaney

Mick Mulvaney

Director of Office of Management and Budget
U.S. representative, South Carolina; former South Carolina state senator and representative
Linda McMahon

Linda McMahon

Administrator of the Small Business Administration
Former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment

White House

Individuals Trump has appointed

Reince Priebus

Reince Priebus

Chief of Staff
Chairman of Republican National Committee
Michael Flynn

Michael Flynn

National Security Adviser
Former director of Defense Intelligence Agency; retired Army lieutenant general
Stephen K. Bannon

Stephen K. Bannon

Chief Strategist
Executive chairman of Breitbart News
Donald McGahn

Donald McGahn

White House Counsel
Former member of the Federal Election Commission

Boeing CEO vows to build new Air Force One for less after Trump complaints


The CEO of Boeing told President-elect Donald Trump Wednesday that his company can build a new Air Force One for less than originally quoted -- after Trump complained about the cost.
Earlier this month, Trump made headlines for blasting the company on Twitter for alleged cost overruns with the new fleet of Air Force One planes.
Trump called on the government to cancel the contract and called the supposed $4 billion price tag out of control.
Boeing’s Dennis Muilenburg, who met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., addressed the media after the meeting and said, “We’re going to get it done for less than that, and we’re committed to working together to make sure that happens.”
Anthony Scaramucci, a Trump adviser the founder of SkyBridge Capital, tweeted about the price reduction and called it a “big win for taxpayers.”
Trump also met Wednesday with Lockheed Martin Corp.’s Marillyn Hewson after he criticized the cost of its F-35.
"Trying to get the costs down, costs. Primarily the F-35...we're trying to get the cost down. It's a program that's very, very expensive,'' Trump told reporters.

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