https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/beto-can-bring-it-forget-trump-conway-other-critics-this-guy-is-not-just-a-shiny-new-object

Do I think he could get the Democratic nomination? Yes. Due to the enthusiasm around him, he has a real chance. And, after all, he’s one of the younger people who has thrown their hat into the ring.

Can he beat Trump? If he’s the nominee, I hope so. But I think being No. 2 on the ticket might do the trick. The sound of Biden/Beto has a nice ring to it.

Leslie Marshall joined Fox News Channel as a contributor in 2009; providing analysis on both political and social issues from a liberal point of view.

http://www.cubanews.acn.cu/cuba/9144-latin-american-and-caribbean-firefighters-train-in-cuba

So is that what they are calling mercenaries these days!

Along with Russian specialists and Cuban instructors, the course is attended by firefighters from Antigua and Barbuda, Guatemala, Venezuela, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Colombia, Jamaica, Dominica, El Salvador, Panama, Haiti, Nicaragua and Ecuador, countries linked to the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

https://apnews.com/d554610969e842d798ef1abef2deadf5

US Judge blocks oil, gas drilling over climate worries

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A judge has blocked oil and gas drilling on almost 500 square miles (1,295 sq. kilometers) in Wyoming and says the government must consider the cumulative climate change impact of leasing public lands across the U.S. for oil and gas exploration.

The order marks the latest in a string of rulings over the past decade faulting the U.S. for its inadequate consideration of greenhouse gas emissions when issuing leases for oil, gas and coal.

But U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras appeared to go a step further than previous rulings. Contreras said late Tuesday the U.S. Bureau of Land Management must consider nationwide emissions from past, present and future oil and gas leases.

The ruling was in a lawsuit challenging leases issued in Wyoming, Utah and Colorado in 2015 and 2016.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2017/12/08/the-big-ugly-why-u-s-district-court-judge-rudolph-contreras-recusal-from-mike-flynn-case-is-a-big-deal/

Last night news broke that U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras “has been recused” from the case overseeing the prosecution of General Mike Flynn. Details are vague. According to Reuters, both the judge and the Flynn legal team have yet to comment.

Additionally, there is no concrete answer as to whether the recusal was done by the judge himself or was forced upon him. While the reasoning is the key, the difference between the two options adds another layer of consequence within the rest of this outline. Reuters News Service puts it this way:

(Reuters) – The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia judge presiding over the criminal case for President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has been recused from handling the case, a court spokeswoman said on Thursday.

According to a court filing, U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras, who presided over a Dec. 1 hearing where Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about his contacts with Russia, will no longer handle the case.

Court spokeswoman Lisa Klem did not say why Contreras was recused, and added that the case was randomly reassigned. Reuters could not immediately learn the reason for the recusal, or reach Contreras. An attorney for Flynn declined to comment. (Link)

Obviously, the customary reason for recusal is when there is a conflict of interest between the case as assigned and the judge overseeing it. However, as you can clearly see, in this case it’s rather odd that if a conflict existed the judge would have even begun to oversee the case at the prior hearing. Why wait until six days after the first hearing?

As to the reasoning for the recusal, and stressed against the backdrop of the new information surrounding the investigative practices of the DOJ and FBI, this recusal is potentially both a game-changer and a massive dose of sunlight.

US Judge blocks oil, gas drilling over climate worries

But U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras appeared to go a step further

https://apnews.com/d554610969e842d798ef1abef2deadf5