Definitely Beautiful, waiting for the fireworks on this!
Trump administration slams Fiat Chrysler with a half-billion dollars in fines for flouting emissions rules
The Trump administration on Thursday leveled nearly a half-billion dollars in fines against automaker Fiat Chrysler for intentionally violating emissions rules for 100,000 diesel vehicles sold and leased in the U.S. “Not only did they violate the law, but they tried to hide their actions,” Environmental Protection Agency acting chief Andrew Wheeler said on a call with reporters. Wheeler explained that EPA engineers discovered that the vehicles had hidden software, called a "defeat device," meant to intentionally violate emission rules and the Clean Air Act.
The federal penalties will total $490 million. That sum is higher than the fines leveled against Volkswagen in a landmark multi-national case that unfolded in the later part of the Obama administration. "Those that violate public trust in pursuit of profits will forfeit both,” Wheeler said on the call with Department of Justice lawyers and California emissions regulators. Officials on the call said the higher fines for Fiat Chrysler are a result of the company denying that it had installed the defeat devices after federal regulators had confronted it, following an investigation of millions of lines of computer code to find the "defeat device." Volkswagen had come forward sooner when confronted.
Thursday's settlement agreement with the company listed the fines it would have to pay, pollution remediation, and a recall of all affected vehicles. Additional penalties could be imposed if Fiat Chrysler does not comply with a full recall to contact customers affected and repair the vehicles, said Wheeler. He said the settlement agreement demonstrates the president’s overarching goal of leveling the playing field for all U.S. businesses and ensuring that a company cannot gain competitive advantages through cheating. Wheeler also said that that the administration will enforce all environmental and emission rules and punish violators. The announcement comes one day after Wheeler was nominated by President Trump to lead the agency as administrator. Wheeler has been serving in that role on an acting basis.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/energy/trump-administration-slams-fiat-chrysler-with-a-half-billion-dollars-in-fines-for-flouting-emissions-rules
Paraguay cuts diplomatic ties with Venezuela after Maduro sworn in
ASUNCION (Reuters) - Paraguayan President Mario Abdo said on Thursday he was cutting diplomatic ties with Venezuela and was immediately withdrawing his country’s diplomats from Caracas. Abdo made the announcement just minutes after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was sworn into a new term in office. Maduro has shrugged off global criticism that his leadership is illegitimate due to last year’s disputed election. “There are no bad consequences when defending just causes,” Abdo said in a television address. “The cause of liberty and democracy is a just cause.”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-paraguay/paraguay-cuts-diplomatic-ties-with-venezuela-after-maduro-sworn-in-idUSKCN1P428A?il=0
Nice isn't it! They probably feel like they are just as much at risk if not more with Maduro around.
Trump eyes emergency powers to pay for border wall, end shutdown
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to use emergency powers to bypass Congress and get billions of dollars to pay for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, as a partial U.S. government shutdown over the issue stretched into its 20th day. As he departed Washington for a trip to the Texas border with Mexico for wall-related events, Trump attacked the Democratic congressional leaders, who oppose his wall-funding demand, as less “honorable” than China, a rival power.
“I find China, frankly, in many ways to be far more honorable than crying Chuck and Nancy. I really do. I think that China is actually much easier to deal with than the opposition party,” Trump said, referring to House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.
Trump is insisting that a government funding bill to end the shutdown must include $5.7 billion for a border barrier - his signature campaign promise. The standoff has left a quarter of the federal government closed down and hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay. A day after he stormed out of a meeting with Pelosi, Schumer and other Democratic leaders that was aimed at finding a deal to end the funding standoff, Trump headed to McAllen, Texas, on the Mexican border to highlight what he has argued is a crisis. After the meeting Schumer accused the Republican president of “temper tantrum” tactics and Pelosi called Trump “petulant.”
Trump said his lawyers had told him he had the power to invoke national emergency powers to get his wall funded, a course of action that Democrats have said may be illegal. “I have the absolute right to declare a national emergency,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House. “I’m not prepared to do that yet, but if I have to, I will.”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shutdown/trump-eyes-emergency-powers-to-pay-for-border-wall-end-shutdown-idUSKCN1P416X?il=0
U.S. condemns Venezuela's Maduro for 'usurpation of power'
(Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for usurpation of power on Thursday, as the South American leader was sworn in to second term in office that governments around the world described as illegitimate.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics/venezuelas-president-maduro-starts-new-term-shrugs-off-criticism-idUSKCN1P40DH?il=0
Former U.S. Marine held for spying had Russian contacts with military backgrounds
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Paul Whelan, the former U.S. Marine held in Moscow on spying charges, had online contact with more than 20 Russians with military backgrounds, an analysis of social media shows. Russian men with military education or a history of military service make up nearly half of Whelan’s more than 50 friends on VK, a popular Russian social network that resembles Facebook, the analysis by Reuters shows. At least 12 of his friends received military education in Russia, according to open source information, and at least another 11 appear to have completed national service. In addition, about a fifth of those on Whelan’s list have backgrounds in IT, engineering or civil aviation, a quarter are not connected to the military or technical sectors, and there is no information about the rest.
Whelan’s family says he is innocent and was in Moscow for a wedding when he was arrested last month. The “Free Paul Whelan” Twitter page managed by the family has used the hashtag #JustATourist in one of its posts. Russian authorities have not given details of his alleged spying, and the FSB security service did not respond immediately to questions on whether Whelan’s online activity was linked to his detention.
Analysis of Whelan’s online activity - including exchanges with Russian friends and content on their own accounts - provides a fuller picture of his contacts than has so far been revealed. Reuters contacted 38 people on Whelan’s VK friend list, almost all men in their 20s. Whelan, 48, contacted them years ago through pen-pal websites or VK, corresponding occasionally online over the years, five of his contacts told Reuters.
Whelan’s military contacts in Russia are low-level, come from various regions and have served in the army, airborne forces and navy, according to information and pictures posted online. In Russia, men aged between 18 and 27 are conscripted into the military for a year. Enrollment at military academies, which is not mandatory, can lead to a career in the services. Asked if he was aware of Whelan’s Russian military contacts online, his brother David said: “I didn’t know he had a VK account before last week. But I’m not surprised that he had friends on social media, both Facebook and VK, that had military backgrounds just as he had a military background.” Whelan’s lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, was not available for comment. The arrest of Whelan, who also holds British citizenship, further strains relations between Moscow and Washington, which have soured over Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, economic sanctions and accusations of election meddling.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-usa-espionage/former-u-s-marine-held-for-spying-had-russian-contacts-with-military-backgrounds-idUSKCN1P41XF?il=0
Well there it is…media putting words into his mouth..hmmm. Media Fearmongers, this needs to be put out there…side by side maybe.
Cabal is running the show there …
Yes, thinking this is deeper than we have previously understood.
Wasn't for that purpose, this just came out with additional Info…and needs a closer look! I don't post old shit!