THE WHITE HOUSE's latest news

West Wing Reads for 11/16/17

NOVEMBER 16, 2017 AT 7:25 PM ET BY WEST WING READS

Summary: 

Each day we round up the best stories the West Wing is reading and share them with you.

“HOUSE PASSES ITS VERSION OF TAX REFORM”

- Bob Fredericks, New York Post

Bob Fredericks of the New York Post reports the House easily passed “a sweeping Republican tax bill that cuts taxes for corporations and many people.” The House voted 227-205 to approve the bill, a victory that advances the possibility of a major legislative achievement for President Trump, Fredericks writes. The bill itself looks to cut the corporate tax rate to 20%, reduce levies on “millions of partnerships and certain corporations” — including many small businesses — and lower personal income tax rates for many through some deductions.
Click here to read more

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Matt Mackowiak writes in the The Washington Times, “It is more likely than not that we are heading into a virtuous cycle for the Trump administration” if the President is able to sign a tax reform bill by the end of the year. Mackowiak argues the bill would bring a legislative victory to Republicans and “taxpayers can begin to see larger paychecks as soon as January."

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In The Hill, Bernie Marcus, chairman of the Marcus Foundation, says that small businesses “have a lot to be thankful for next week,” because both tax-reform bills introduced by the House and the Senate “make small-business tax cuts a centerpiece,” meaning small business owners can look forward to tax cuts that allow them to “keep a little more of their earnings,” and enable their businesses to be truly competitive.

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Cameron Cawthorne of the Washington Free Beacon reports the Washington Post gave Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) “two Pinnochios” for his exaggerated claim that the Senate Republican tax plan was going to be “kicking 13 million people off health insurance to give tax cuts to the wealthy” with its repeal of the Obamacare individual mandate.

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The editorial board at the Wall Street Journal wrote on the “appeal of mandate repeal,” writing “killing the ObamaCare tax will make it easier to restore insurer subsidies."The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

November 16, 2017

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, 11/16/2017, #32

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

3:43 P.M. EST

MS. SANDERS: Good afternoon. Apologies for the delay. It's great to be back with everybody. Certainly missed seeing most of you who weren’t on the road.

Q Most of us.

MS. SANDERS: Most of you. I gave myself a little wiggle room there.

The President's historic five-country trip to Asia was an incredible success. He rallied the world against the menace of North Korea; strengthened our alliances and showed our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region; and took a stand for fair and reciprocal trade. As a result of the trip, American families will be safer and more secure, and American workers and companies are one step closer to competing on the level playing field they deserve.

Speaking of leveling the playing field for our workers and businesses, the President applauds the House for passing the Tax Cut and Jobs Act -- a massive step toward fulfilling our promise to deliver historic tax cuts for the American people by the end of the year.

We are encouraged that the House and Senate continue to work together to deliver what the President asked them to do: allow hardworking middle-class families to keep more of their money, and empower our companies and workers to dominate their global competition.

The Senate Finance Committee is also making progress on its companion bill, and will soon advance it to the floor for a vote.

A simple, fair and competitive tax code will be rocket fuel for our economy, and it’s within our reach. We'll bring back our jobs, we'll bring back our wealth, and as the President has said many times, we'll bring back our great American dreams. Now is the time to deliver, and we fully expect the Senate to follow the House's suit.

And with that, I'll take your questions. Cecilia.

Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statements..

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on the death of the Honourable Tobias C. Enverga Jr.

November 16, 2017
Ottawa, Ontario

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the death of Senator Tobias C. Enverga Jr.:

“It was with sadness that I learned today of the death of Senator Tobias C. Enverga Jr., the first Filipino-Canadian appointed to the Senate.

“Senator Enverga served Canadians long before his appointment to the Senate in 2012, and was the first Filipino-Canadian elected to public office in the City of Toronto. He was a tireless advocate for the Filipino community and people with disabilities, and founder of the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation.

“As a Senator, he continued to actively promote the values of multiculturalism, diversity, and inclusiveness. He was well respected by colleagues in both Houses of Parliament.

“For his efforts, Senator Enverga was awarded the Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, and recognized by the President of the Philippines with the ‘Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino’ presidential award in 2008.

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, Sophie and I offer our sincerest condolences to Senator Enverga’s wife Rosemer; to their three daughters, Rystle, Reeza and Rocel; and to Senator Enverga’s friends and colleagues.”

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Louis Riel Day

November 16, 2017
Ottawa, Ontario

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statement today on Louis Riel Day:

“Today, we commemorate the life of Louis Riel, a fearless Métis leader, politician, and founder of the province of Manitoba.

“Louis Riel was a courageous and impassioned defender of minority rights and a key contributor to Canadian Confederation. Today, we celebrate a man who envisioned – and fought for – a more diverse and more inclusive country.

“Last year, I promised that federal ministers and Métis Nation leaders would work together to advance meaningful reconciliation and solve important challenges. Earlier this year, we took a significant step toward a renewed government-to-government relationship with the signing of the Canada-Métis Nation Accord. This accord is a solid foundation on which to build a new partnership – one based on recognition of rights, respect, and co-operation.

“As we continue our journey of reconciliation, I encourage everyone today to honour the Métis people and recognize their many contributions to Canada.”

U.S.A.'s interesting latest

Προς

politikimx@yahoo.gr

Νοεμ 16 τις 8:09 μ.μ.

Tax Reform that Makes Numbers Move  Today, President Donald J. Trump will be at the U.S. Capitol to talk America First tax reform with the House Republican Conference. The President’s priorities have been consistent: cutting tax rates for middle-income families, simplifying the tax code, and slashing the corporate tax rate to promote job growth and bring overseas profits back to the U.S. economy. Pay raises from these tax cuts could put around $5,000 back in American pockets, allowing more hardworking American families to enjoy financial prosperity and peace of mind. Dramatic tax cuts, massive job creation, and competitive American business are at the heart of America First tax reform. Read more at whitehouse.gov/taxreform. Growing America’s Global Relationships in Asia  During President Trump’s recent historical trip to Asia, he made tremendous efforts to invest in American workers, encourage fair and reciprocal trade, generate unified resolve to denuclearize North Korea, promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region, and express the United States’ commitment to Asia. “I'm here to advance peace, to promote security, and to work with you to achieve a truly free and open Indo-Pacific, where we are proud and we have sovereign nations, and we thrive, and everybody wants to prosper,” President Trump said of his trip. In China, South Korea, and Vietnam, new trade and investment deals were announced that will create jobs for American workers, increase American exports, and stimulate investments in American communities. President Trump underscored the importance of rebalancing bilateral economic relationships with all countries he visited, advancing fair trade and working towards ending years of unbalanced trade that has left too many Americans behind. Additionally, President Trump called upon all responsible nations to work to compel the North Korean regime to denuclearize and strengthened existing relations with Asian nations that will propel regional development and prosperity. Read more about the strides President Trump made towards global prosperity here. Continuing Relief and Recovery in Texas  Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence visited Austin, Texas, on Wednesday to receive a briefing on Hurricane Harvey disaster relief and recovery efforts at the FEMA Joint Field Office. The Vice President thanked the hard-working men and women of FEMA and emergency responders for their dedication and he made clear that the Administration has made the full resources of the federal government available to the people of Texas during the recovery. He was joined by Governor Greg Abbott, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, and FEMA Administrator Brock Long. See more here. PHOTO OF THE DAY President Donald J. Trump visits Vietnam | November 11, 2017 (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) POTUS TODAY In the morning, President Donald J. Trump traveled to the U.S. Capitol, where he delivered remarks on tax reform to the House Republican Conference. Tonight, the Vice President will speak at the Tax Foundation's annual dinner at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

Lipari Foods, LLC. Issues Voluntary Product Recall of Specific Dark Chocolate Products Due to Undeclared Milk Allergen

Lipari Foods, LLC has issued a voluntary recall of specific dark chocolate products packaged by sister company JLM due to an undeclared milk allergen. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products. The products are safe for consumption by those who do not have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk.
The products were distributed to retail stores throughout Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
Products were distributed under the Weis and All Natural brand names or as generic product without branding.

Stop & Shop Alerts Customers to Voluntary Recall of Store Brand Frozen Whole Kernel Sweet Corn

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC announced it removed from sale Stop & Shop Brand Frozen Whole Kernel Sweet Corn due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

The following product is included in this recall:
Stop & Shop Brand Frozen Whole Kernel Sweet Corn, 16 oz., UPC 68826700676 with a Best By Date of Oct-2019

Stop & Shop has received no reports of illnesses to date. Listeria is a common organism found in nature. Consumption of food contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy.

Giant/Martin’s Alerts Customers to Voluntary Recall of Store Brand Frozen Whole Kernel Sweet Corn

GIANT Food Stores, LLC and MARTIN’S Food Markets announced it removed from sale GIANT/MARTIN’S Brand Frozen Whole Kernel Sweet Corn due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

The following product is included in this recall:
GIANT/MARTIN’S Brand Frozen Whole Kernel Sweet Corn, 16 oz., UPC 68826700676 with a Best By Date of Oct-2019

GIANT/MARTIN’S has received no reports of illnesses to date. Listeria is a common organism found in nature. Consumption of food contaminated with Listeriamonocytogenescan cause listeriosis, an uncommon but potentially fatal disease. Healthy people rarely contract listeriosis. However, listeriosis can cause high fever, severe headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Listeriosis can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, as well as serious and sometimes fatal infections in those with weakened immune systems, such as infants, the elderly and persons with HIV infection or undergoing chemotherapy.

Beware of College Scams College students and young adults are often the intended targets of scams. Even the brightest students can fall victim to the schemes of nefarious tricksters. Here are a few of the most common college scams and how to avoid them. Holiday Baking Infographic It’s holiday baking and cooking season. Whether it’s roasting a turkey with all the trimmings for Thanksgiving dinner or batches of baked goods to share with loved ones, butter is often a key ingredient. Check out USDA's butter infographic for tips on all types, storage information, and its different uses.  How to Deal With Snow and Extreme Cold It's time to prepare for winter again. Learn tips and best practices for winter safety with these tips from Ready.gov. Find out what to do to prepare your home, car, and what to do during episodes of cold weather or heavy snow.

RUSSIA's latest

Opening of WHO ministerial conference

Vladimir Putin spoke at the opening of the first WHO Global Ministerial Conference titled Ending Tuberculosis in the Sustainable Development Era: A Multisectoral Response.
November 16, 2017
14:00
Moscow

video:
http://static.kremlin.ru/media/events/video/en/video_low/Ai5V37Zpj0nOFsGGc8cgHaAAvyNvvZ3J.mp4

The Global Ministerial Conference to end TB, which the World Health Organisation is holding together with the Russian Healthcare Ministry for the first time, is a key international event in global healthcare as well as in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Healthcare ministers and ministers from related sectors from 194 WHO member states, heads and representatives of UN bodies and other international organisations, NGOs, civil society representatives, as well as the heads of national programmes dedicated to ending TB are taking part at the conference.

* * *

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, friends.

I am glad to welcome all of you to Moscow, the capital of Russia and the venue of the first WHO Global Ministerial Conference to end TB.

I would like to thank you all for accepting our invitation to visit Russia and for supporting our initiative on holding an international conference on this serious problem. I am confident that the only way we can stand up against this truly global threat is if we join forces.

Despite the rapid development of diagnostic and treatment methods and progress in pharmaceuticals, TB still poses a major threat to people’s health around the world.

Experts cite a horrible figure for the number of affected people: about one third of the global population. This disease claims more lives than any other infectious disease, sparing nobody, including people in prosperous countries with high living and medical standards. The situation is compounded by direct and indirect socioeconomic losses from TB.

Taken together, this is a most serious concern both at the national and international levels. It is not surprising therefore that ending TB is among the Sustainable Development Goals. Global research and the nations’ consolidated efforts must be focused on this goal.

The death rate from TB will have been reduced by 95 percent by 2035, and its incidence by 90 percent. A difficult and ambitious task by all accounts, especially for the high burden countries, that is, countries with the highest number of TB cases in a year. Unfortunately, such situation with TB is cause for our concern here in Russia too. We are aware of our responsibility and the extreme importance of this matter, and we are concentrating major efforts and resources to resolve it.

I would like to inform you that reducing mortality from TB is among our state priorities along with reducing mortality from cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

We are implementing a number of programmes to combat this disease and providing stable budget financing for these programmes. We pay much attention to improving the diagnostics and treatment, and creating modern vaccines and tests based on biotechnology. In addition, we are improving the system for preventive medical examinations and introducing customised approaches to treating TB based on genetic analysis of the pathogen.

In general, we continue to promote a healthy and active lifestyle and to encourage people to quit bad habits. As you may be aware, smoking is one of the risk factors accounting for more than 20 percent of TB cases worldwide.

Our measures have brought positive results. I think that our experts ‒ your colleagues ‒ will share more about this, expecting to receive useful information from you.

Notably, the death rate from TB in Russia has declined by more than 66 percent, and the incidence rate by 37 percent over the past eight years. During the specified period, the incidence has been decreasing by an average of 1.5 percent internationally, whereas in Russia the rate of decline was 2.8 percent.

However, in order to achieve a radical change in the fight against this disease, of course, new approaches are needed, both at the national and international levels, as well as the joint work of governmental agencies, public and professional organisations.

Another important success factor is to step up scientific tuberculosis research and develop effective diagnostic tools, vaccines and medicines, including those aimed at treating resistant forms of tuberculosis. In this regard, I believe that the initiative of the BRICS countries to create a network to study tuberculosis is very important. Specialists are already working on this project.

I would like to emphasise once again: only coordinated and consistent actions will help us achieve a final victory over tuberculosis. I hope that your conference will contribute to strengthening such a global partnership.

I know that the Moscow Declaration will be signed following this meeting. Our Healthcare Minister Veronika Skvortsova said that it has been practically agreed upon. Over 100 countries, international non-governmental organisations, WHO regional offices and independent experts have been involved in drawing it up. I am confident that such wide participation will allow us to make the most effective, coordinated proposals for fighting tuberculosis.

We expect these steps to be supported at the highest level – by the General Assembly of the United Nations, whose meeting next year will focus on the problems of tuberculosis.

In conclusion, I would like to wish you once again fruitful work and express hope that your meeting will contribute to improving the quality of life and protecting the health of people around the world. You are engaged in a very noble task. I sincerely wish you success.

Thank you very much for your attention.

Δήλωση του Ανεξάρτητου Βουλευτή Στάθη Παναγούλη για την εξέγερση του Πολυτεχνείου

Αθήνα, 17/11/2017

Δήλωση του Ανεξάρτητου Βουλευτή Στάθη Παναγούλη  για την εξέγερση του Πολυτεχνείου



Ο Αγωνιστής του αντιδικτατορικού αγώνα Στάθης Παναγούλης έκανε την εξής δήλωση για την επέτειο της εξέγερσης του Πολυτεχνείου:

Μέχρι χθες το βράδυ περιθωριακοί τύποι, επαναστάτες του γλυκού νερού, ληστές τραπεζών, θαυμαστές του Κουφοντίνα, πρεζέμποροι, καλλιεργητές ινδικής κάνναβης, έμμισθοι πράκτορες της ΚΥΠ, είχαν αποκλείσει το Πολυτεχνείο, απαγορεύοντας εκδηλώσεις τιμής και μνήμης στους φοιτητές της εξέγερσης τον Νοέμβρη του 1973.

Οι τύποι αυτοί εγκατέλειψαν το Πολυτεχνείο με την Προστασία της Αστυνομίας και φυσικά μιας Ανίκανης Κυβέρνησης κι ενός Υπουργού Προστασίας του Πολίτη, θιασώτη της Χούντας, ο οποίος μέχρι σήμερα έχει το θράσος να παριστάνει τον Αντιστασιακό!!!

Ως επιβεβαίωση της φαύλης αυτής κατάστασης είναι τα λόγια, που τελευταία ξεστόμισε ο Πρόεδρος της Βουλής: «Δεν νομοθετούμε πάντα όπως το Σύνταγμα επιβάλλει».

ΝΤΡΟΠΗ.