Trump pick Tillerson: 'Fair assumption' Putin behind hacks

-
Image
It is a "fair assumption" that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind US election hacks, secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson has said. The former CEO of Exxon Mobil told his Senate confirmation hearing the intelligence report on Russian tampering "clearly is troubling". His comments came after Senator Marco Rubio pressed Mr Tillerson to admit Mr Putin's role in the cyber-breach. Mr Tillerson's reported good ties with Mr Putin have alarmed some in the US. The 64-year-old former corporate titan, who has never worked in government, faced tough questions from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday. In a heated exchange, Mr Rubio grilled him on whether intelligence reports about Russia's involvement in  hacks of the US Democratic party  were accurate and if Mr Putin had directed the attacks. Mr Tillerson said he had no inside information on the detailed intelligence about Russia's hacking, but he had read the declassi

Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, to be top adviser

-
President-elect Donald Trump is to make son-in-law Jared Kushner one of his senior advisers.
The 35-year-old played a key role in the presidential campaign and his new White House job will cover both domestic and foreign policy.
Mr Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, is a property developer with a wide range of business interests.
His appointment will be controversial because of nepotism laws and concerns over potential conflicts.
The news was confirmed by Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway, who described it as the "best news of the day".
Members of Mr Trump's team have argued that a law barring officials from giving government jobs to relatives does not apply to White House positions.
There are also federal ethics laws that mean government employees cannot profit from any businesses.

Mr Kushner's lawyer has said he would step down as boss of his family's real estate business if he took a White House job, and extricate himself from some of his assets.
Jamie Gorelick of law firm WilmerHale said Mr Kushner was committed to complying with federal ethics laws and had consulted with the Office of Government Ethics about what steps to take.
Mr Kushner was often seen by his father-in-law's side during the presidential campaign and was heavily involved in its digital strategy.
He was said to have played a role in the ousting of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie from the transition team during the campaign.
While US attorney for New Jersey, Mr Christie prosecuted Mr Kushner's father for tax evasion and witness tampering, and he served a jail sentence.
Mr Kushner has also been present at Cabinet interviews and in key meetings with foreign leaders.
He owns 666 Fifth Avenue, a skyscraper a few blocks down from Trump Tower, and aged 25, he bought the New York Observer newspaper.
Several of Mr Trump's Cabinet picks have business interests that will be scrutinised at confirmation hearings taking place this week.

Popular posts from this blog

Husband 'Cheats' On Wife With Pretty Blonde At Target But Then Looks Closer At Her Face . . .

-
Image
#1  The post. Jason Hewlett is a husband, father, and professional comedian and key speaker. Recently, he shared a personal experience on Facebook, a post about cheating on his wife. His post has been shared over 200,000 times.   “Kind of embarrassed to admit this, but I think I sort of cheated on my wife today. To explain what I mean, I was at Target getting a few manly things, you know – eyebrow tweezers, toenail clippers, beard trimmers, mustache molding waxes, some beef jerky, sardines, trail mix, a loofah – and as I went to pay I saw this woman in line that knocked me out. I thought, ‘Wow, some lucky guy is with her,’ and in a split second I realized it was my wife! You know, it was just out of context to see my spouse at the same store, in the same line, living her life and not knowing she might be at the same place, same time, different car.” #2  Trying to get her attention. “There was a person between us, so I just watched my cute little Love, tried to text
Read more

Charlotte Rampling: Oscars row is 'racist to white people'

-
Image
Following calls for more diversity in the Academy Awards, the Oscar-nominated actress suggested black actors did not 'deserve to make the list' this year The 69-year-old, who has been nominated in the Best Actress category for her performance in  45 Years , said the move by some of Hollywood's elite to boycott the awards "is racist to whites". She told  French radio network Europe 1 on Friday morning , "Perhaps the black actors didn't merit being on the finishing line". "One can never really know, but perhaps the black actors did not deserve to make the final list,” added Rampling. Will Smith confirms boycott, plus everything else Hollywood has said about #OscarsSoWhite When asked if the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has a predominantly white, male and sexagenarian membership, should improve its diversity with quotas, Rampling said: "Why classify people? These days everyone is more or less accepted... People
Read more