White House Refuses House Investigation Request On Rob Porter

WASHINGTON ― White House officials are refusing to turn over information to congressional leaders on their handling of domestic abuse allegations against former top aide Rob Porter, further raising questions about the Trump administration’s already muddled explanations. House Oversight Committee chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) launched an investigation into the White House’s handling of the matter on Feb. 14, giving chief of staff John Kelly a deadline of Feb. 28 to submit information, particularly on why Porter worked under an interim security clearance to handle sensitive information.

Syria regime pummels besieged Eastern Ghouta

Syrian forces pursued a relentless air and ground offensive against Eastern Ghouta on Thursday, moving closer to retaking the rebel enclave but also depriving desperate civilians of vital aid. More than 930 civilians have been killed in the nearly three-week assault on the last rebel enclave outside the capital, where dozens suffered overnight from a suspected chlorine attack. On another front in Syria's complex seven-year war, pro-Turkey rebels seized control of the key northern town of Jandairis from Kurdish fighters.

The Latest: Official: Metal detectors at school not in use

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The Latest on a high school shooting in Birmingham, Alabama (all times local):

Parkland Deputy Who Didn't Engage School Shooter Told Other Officers To Stay Away

A Florida sheriff’s deputy who resigned for staying outside Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School during last month’s mass shooting also warned other officers to stay away, according to newly released police radio recordings. Peterson, an armed school resource officer hired to protect students on the Parkland, Florida, campus, was forced to resign after it was discovered he did not engage the shooter. Peterson can be heard on the recordings giving commands as he waits outside the school and the first officers arrive.

NRA Sues To Block Brand-New Gun Law In Florida

The National Rifle Association filed a lawsuit in federal court on Friday to block a new gun law in Florida just over an hour after it was signed by Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who is an NRA member. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act — passed three weeks after a mass shooting at the school killed 17 people — raises the minimum legal age for buying any guns in Florida from 18 to 21 and would allow some teachers and other staff in the Florida school system to be armed after training. SB 7026 also prohibits gun ownership by people mental health problems and expands the three-day waiting period that had applied only to handguns to now include long gun purchases.

Cops: Missing girl changed paperwork to list man as stepdad

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A 45-year-old man who signed out a 16-year-old girl from her Pennsylvania school 10 times in the last few months before the two went missing was able to do so because she had changed school documents to list him as her stepfather, according to police.

This Politician Wants Bachelor Arie Luyendyk Jr. Banned From the State. There's Even a Bill.

Drew Christensen is here for the right reasons

Vladimir Putin on alleged election interference: ‘So what if they’re Russians?’

For more from Megyn Kelly’s exclusive interviews with Russian President Vladimir Putin, tune in to the NBC News special ‘Confronting Putin.’

Report: Trump upset at press secy. over Stormy Daniels answers

Donald Trump is reportedly upset that his press secretary appeared to confirm key details about his agreement with Stormy Daniels. Ex-Obama press secretary Josh Earnest tells Lawrence O'Donnell he never encountered questions like the ones Sarah Sanders.

Former Sikh militant sorry for Canada PM Trudeau embarrassment in India

A former Sikh militant apologized Thursday for causing embarrassment to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his trip to India. Jaspal Atwal, who was part of a movement that supported an independent Sikh nation in the 1980s and went to prison for the attempted murder of a visiting Indian minister in 1986, was invited to a dinner with Trudeau in New Delhi causing consternation among his hosts. Trudeau's visit to India had already been dogged by suspicions that Canada was soft on Sikh separatists.

Former George W. Bush White House ethics lawyer eyes run for Senate

Richard Painter served as chief ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, and has since become a high-profile critic of the Trump White House and potential conflicts of interest. Painter announced this week that he's forming an exploratory committee for a possible campaign to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate. Painter joins "Red and Blue."

The cyberwar that never happened: How Obama backed down from a counterstrike against Russia

A plan to unleash far-reaching cyberattacks against Russian intelligence agencies and Russian-created websites like Guccifer 2.0 and DCLeaks was never launched.

Ben Carson Backpedals On Removing Anti-Discrimination Language From HUD Mission Statement

WASHINGTON ― In a message to employees at the Department of Housing and Urban Development Thursday, Secretary Ben Carson assured them he was committed to ensuring fair and discrimination-free housing ― despite his proposal to remove such language from the agency’s mission statement. “The Department’s mission statement has changed from time to time to capture the dynamic nature of our work. Now, in 2018, we are considering another change to our mission statement and are seeking comments and ideas from our senior staff,” Carson said.

Turkey, Iraq to carry out joint operation against Kurdish militants in Iraq: Turkish formin

Turkey and Iraq's central government in Baghdad will carry out a joint operation against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying on Thursday. Cavusoglu's comments came as Turkey pushed ahead with a cross-border military operation against the Kurdish YPG militia in northern Syria's Afrin region.

Woman discovers she has a twin she was separated from at birth

Sharon Morello, who was adopted as a baby, learned that she was separated at birth from her twin sister, who was adopted by a different family.

The U.S. Just Issued a Travel Warning for a Popular Mexican Resort Town

Following a ferry explosion last month that injured 26 people

911 Calls From Parkland Shooting Reveal Terror Of Parents Desperate For Answers

The Broward County Sheriff’s Office released 10 of 81 phone calls on Thursday related to the Parkland, Florida, school shooting, revealing parents’ desperation as they sought information about the safety of their children. “She’s afraid to talk, they’re hiding right now,” the mother of a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student told a 911 operator the day a gunman opened fire, killing 17 and wounding dozens more.

Majority of poll respondents say Florida students 'effective advocates for gun control'

Monmouth University poll also shows some respondents believe students pushing for gun reform are ‘being manipulated by outside groups’ Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school student Emma Gonzalez and classmates at a CNN town hall in Sunrise, Florida, on 21 February 2018. Photograph: Michael Laughlin/Sun-Sentinel via ZUMA Wire/Rex/Shutterstock

Baltimore Mayor Vows To Send 3,000 Students To Anti-Gun Rally In D.C.

Ahead of the student march for gun control in Washington, D.C., planned for this month, Baltimore’s mayor vowed that thousands of her city’s students will be among the protestors. Mayor Catherine E. Pugh said Tuesday that she will provide 60 buses to transport students to the “March for Our Lives” rally on March 24, which was organized by survivors of last month’s deadly shooting at a Florida high school.

Michael Cohen May Have Used Trump Org Email For Stormy Daniels Arrangement: Report

Michael Cohen, personal attorney for President Donald Trump, used his Trump Organization email to arrange to have money transferred to former adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, NBC News reported on Friday. A source familiar with the negotiations said Cohen used the Trump-affiliated email address to arrange the 2016 transfer of $130,000 to Clifford, who goes by the stage name Stormy Daniels. The lawyer used the same email in other negotiations with Clifford, who signed a nondisclosure agreement not to speak publicly about an alleged 2006 affair she had with Trump.

Ferry Boat Explosion Sparks Mexico Travel Warning Ahead of Spring Break

Tourists are urged to use "extreme caution" when visiting the Playa Del Carmen area.

Pennsylvania man signs 16-yr-old out of school, both missing

Allentown police issued a missing person alert on Wednesday for Kevin Esterly and Amy Yu. A warrant for Esterly’s arrest for interference with the custody of children was issued on Wednesday, according to Pennsylvania court records. Investigators said Esterly and Yu had a “secretive relationship,” according to court documents seen by the Allentown Morning Call newspaper.

Home Depot in $27.84 million California hazardous waste, privacy settlement

Home Depot Inc agreed to pay $27.84 million to settle charges by California's attorney general that it illegally disposed of hazardous waste in that state and threw out customer records without first rendering personal information unreadable. The attorney general, Xavier Becerra, on Thursday said the largest U.S. home improvement retailer will pay $16.64 million in civil penalties, $9.35 million toward environmental protection and compliance, and $1.85 million to cover costs. California said Home Depot stores and facilities failed to properly manage the disposal of aerosol cans, batteries, electronics, paint and other items, as well as customer information.

Active shooter takes three hostages at California veterans home

Law enforcement authorities from multiple agencies responded to a report in the morning of shots being fired at the Yountville Veterans Home in Napa County, working to clear buildings and establish a perimeter. A sheriff’s deputy exchanged gunfire with the assailant, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said. In the early evening, California Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt Robert Nacke said he knows of no contact on Friday with the gunman or the people who were holed up with him at the veterans home.

See Dramatic Cyclones Churning on Jupiter's Surface in These New NASA Photos

See the gas giant as never before

One Town Makes — and Hates — Guns Like No Other Place in the U.S.

To understand America’s great gun divide, visit Springfield, Massachusetts, birthplace of the $17 billion-a-year U.S. firearms industry

U.S. seeks 'concrete actions' from North Korea before planned talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will not meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un unless Pyongyang takes "concrete actions," the White House said on Friday as it faced criticism for agreeing to talks that would boost Kim's standing.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2Fqcs9I

Showman Trump abandons cautious Obama approach to North Korea

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When President Barack Obama counseled his successor Donald Trump on the global threats he should expect to face once he assumed office last year, a nuclear North Korea and its unpredictable leader were at the top of the list.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2FFKXIQ

Convoy delivers food to Syria's besieged Ghouta amid shelling

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A convoy of relief trucks crossed front lines into the rebel-held Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta on Friday and unloaded all its food to the trapped population, despite fighting that the Red Cross said had come "extremely close".

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2FDc734

Venezuela's Maduro calls U.N. rights chief a U.S.-backed 'tumor'

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan socialist President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday the United Nations human rights chief was a puppet of the United States who had implanted himself like a "tumor" and had no right to criticize Maduro's handling of the crisis-stricken nation.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2p2ADA1

Mexican leftist seeks to court bankers, to mixed reviews

ACAPULCO (Reuters) - Mexico's left-wing presidential frontrunner on Friday tried to assuage the fears of a skeptical audience of bankers that he would run a radical economic agenda, vowing not to nationalize, expropriate or drive the country deeper into debt.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2p3589e

Britain sends specialist troops to city where Russian double agent poisoned

SALISBURY, England (Reuters) - Britain deployed specialist troops on Friday to remove potentially contaminated objects from the English city where a Russian former double agent and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent.

from Reuters: World News http://ift.tt/2De3B5g