California judge refuses to bring back Trump's sanctuary cities ban

Americans protesting??

In a seeming act of defiance toward the Trump administration, a federal judge in San Francisco has refused to reinstate the president’s sanctuary cities order.  

The bold move to not reinstate President Donald Trump's executive order -- which sought to slash funding to cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities -- comes amid a battle between the State Department and local governments across the country over the edict from Washington.

The U.S. Department of Justice had asked U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick to reverse his own injunction in April against Trump's executive order. The injunction was issued in response to lawsuits by San Francisco and Santa Clara County in California.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote a memo in May saying the executive order should be applied narrowly to a small number of grants and to very specific violations of immigration law. The memo said cities that "willfully refuse to comply" with federal law could lose grants from the Justice and Homeland Security departments, but not other federal funding.
The Justice Department said the memo negated the need for Orrick's injunction.
Orrick said he found Sessions' memo unconvincing, asserting it would allow the attorney general to reverse his stand at any moment.
The judge's injunction stops enforcement of the executive order across the country, and allows the lawsuits to go forward.
And Orrick's refusal to reverse it strikes another blow to Trump's attempt to punish cities that give safe haven to those in the country illegally.
On Friday, Sessions is scheduled to visit Philadelphia, where officials have said its local law enforcement will not act as immigration agents — a stance Sessions has challenged as unconstitutional.
During a speech to law enforcement officials in Las Vegas, Sessions recently singled out Philadelphia, saying the City of Brotherly Love is "advertising" its policy and "protecting criminals."
Sessions' trip comes on the heels of a New York Times interview published this week in which Trump expressed frustration with Sessions for recusing himself from the FBI probe into Russian influence on the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Jobless Claims Plunge to 233,000, Lowest Level in 2 Months

Job seeker Dalvin Jones, left, chats with Valmira Haxhimusa during the Opportunity Fair and Forum employment event in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

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Fewer people are filing for unemployment.
A new jobless claims report shows new claims for unemployment benefits dropped to 233,000 in the second week of July.
That’s the lowest level in two months.
Investors expected there would not be a drop, and the numbers would remain steady from the previous week.
Historically low unemployment levels from the past few months are one of the biggest signs of a healthy U.S. economy.

Turkish State News Agency Reveals Location of U.S. Troops in Syria

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Pentagon officials say a Turkish state run news agency published the location of U.S. military posts in Syria.
A Pentagon spokesman said the information puts U.S. troops in danger.
The news report published on Tuesday named the locations of 10 U.S. military posts in Northern Syria .
In some cases the story detailed the number of U.S. and French troops in the area.
Relations between the two nations have been rocky since the U.S. began supplying Kurdish YPG fighters with weapons to drive ISIS out of Syria.
Turkey considers the YPG a branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party.

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LGBT activists mock Christian ministry's decision to reclaim rainbow

The man behind the world-famous Ark Encounter has decided to reclaim "God's rainbow" - announcing the massive ark exhibit will be permanently bathed in rainbow lights.

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"We now have new permanent rainbow lights at the Ark Encounter so all can see that it is God's rainbow and He determines its meaning in Genesis 6," Answers in Genesis founder Ken Ham announced on Facebook.
"The rainbow is a reminder God will never again judge the wickedness of man with a global Flood—next time the world will be judged by fire," he said.
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The 500-foot-long ark is the centerpiece of the biblical theme park based in Williamstown, Kentucky. Hundreds of thousands of visitors have toured the replica of Noah's Ark.
"The Ark is lit permanently at night with a rainbow to remind the world that God owns it and He decreed it's a sign of His covenant with man after the Flood—Christians need to take back the rainbow as we do at the Ark Encounter," Ham said.

'I've been through worse': War-hero McCain tells Senate pal he'll be back

U.S. Sen. John McCain, who has been diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor, told Sen. Lindsey Graham over the phone Wednesday that he’s “been through worse,” and then went on to discuss health care and other policy issues.

McCain talked about the long road ahead regarding treatments, but said that he’s been though wars. Graham said McCain-- who is resting at his home in Arizona-- sounded resolved and determined.

“The disease has never had a more worthy opponent,” Graham said.
McCain was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for more than five years. Injuries from being tortured left the longtime Arizona senator unable to lift his arms above his head.
McCain, chairman of the Senate's Armed Services Committee, has glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer, according to doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, where McCain had a blood clot removed from above his left eye last Friday.
It’s the same type of tumor that struck McCain’s close Democratic colleague in legislative battles, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts.
The tumor digs tentacle-like roots into normal brain tissue. Patients fare best when surgeons can cut out all the visible tumor, which happened with McCain’s tumor, according to his office. That isn’t a cure; cancerous cells that aren’t visible still tend to lurk, the reason McCain’s doctors are considering further treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation.
In a statement on Twitter, the senator's daughter, Meghan McCain, spoke of the shock of the news and the anxiety over what happens next. “My love for my father is boundless and like any daughter I cannot and do not wish to be in a world without him. I have faith that those days remain far away,” she said.
News about the operation to remove a blood clot above his eye took many by surprise. Some theorized that McCain may have showed signs of a health issue during last month’s Senate questioning of former FBI Director James Comey. The senator appeared to struggle with his line of questioning. At one point, Comey said, “I’m a little confused, senator.”
McCain blamed his vague questions on being tired from watching an Arizona Diamondbacks game the night before.
A neurosurgeon downplayed the Senate hearing testimony as evidence of the condition, USA Today reported. Dr. Joseph Zabramski, a neurosurgeon, told the paper that McCain “was normal” after the hearing and does not see a connection.
As word spread of his diagnosis, presidents past and present along with McCain’s current and former Senate colleagues offered support in an outpouring rarely seen in Washington.
“Senator John McCain has always been a fighter. Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to Senator McCain, Cindy, and their entire family. Get well soon,” President Trump said.
A group of senators prayed together Wednesday night after learning that McCain had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, according to one of the lawmakers.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said he asked Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who has a master's degree in divinity, to lead the group in prayer.
"It was very emotional," Hoeven added. The group of senators was taking part in an evening meeting to discuss health care.

Sessions Reinstates Asset Forfeiture Police at the Dept. of Justice

Attorney General Jeff Sessions addresses the summer meeting of the nation’s district attorneys from around the country at the Hilton in Minneapolis, Minn., Monday, July, 17 2017. Sessions said the Justice Department will soon make it easier for local law enforcement to seize cash and property from crime suspects and reap the proceeds. (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via AP)

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The Justice Department announces plans to step-up efforts to seize property and money from suspected criminals.
Speaking at the department this Wednesday morning, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said civil asset forfeiture is a key tool in helping law enforcement de-fund organized crime.
Politicians and lawmakers have criticized the practice, saying it allows law enforcement to seize property without an indictment or ample evidence of a crime.
However, Sessions added there will be enhanced training on the expanded asset forfeiture laws, and his department will protect the rights of all law abiding citizens.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosentein tied the effort to the push to combat the nation’s opioid crisis, suggesting it would help local law enforcement fight the rise in drug overdose deaths.

Iran Resists New U.S. Sanctions

In this photo released by official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a cabinet meeting in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 19, 2017. Iran’s president said Wednesday that his country will stand up to the United States and reciprocate for any new sanctions that America imposes on the Islamic Republic. (Iranian Presidency via AP)

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The president of Iran vows he will resist President Trump’s new economic sanctions against the country.
In a statement Wednesday, President Hassan Rouhani said some of the U.S. actions violate the 2015 nuclear accord.
The country’s parliament agreed Tuesday to consider increasing funding for its missile program to retaliate against the new sanctions.
This comes just one day after the Trump administration applied the sanctions over Iran’s ballistic missile program for its quote — “malign activities” — in the Middle East, which could weaken any positive contributions from the 2015 deal.