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The state of Florida has had some really bad and corrupt governors throughout our entire

history here, but our recently departed governor Rick Scott, who is now serving as a United

States senator.

He was probably one of the worst, certainly one of the worst in my lifetime.

But, uh, here's the thing about Rick Scott, you know, he was basically forced to leave

his own company after they were found to have committed one of the largest frauds against

government healthcare programs in the history of the United States.

In fact, at the time it was the largest fraud, uh, in terms of healthcare programs run by

the government of the United States.

Rick Scott had to plead the Fifth Amendment more than 70 times in order to not incriminate

himself in those crimes.

And then after that, after he made his hundreds of millions of dollars ripping off the federal

government again, uh, he ran for governor twice and won twice.

And then he ran for Senate and won that seat.

So this guy is corrupt to the core.

There is no question about it.

And now this week, Rick Scott has announced that unlike what he did for governor when

he was governor, he is not going to be putting his immense fortune into a blind trust while

serving as a United States senator.

Nope, not Rick Scott.

He doesn't need to hide his money.

He doesn't need somebody else dealing with it.

So he avoids conflicts of interest, not going to happen.

And this is a guy who has money in all sorts of projects throughout every sector, almost

of the US economy.

It is virtually impossible for him to vote in Congress without enriching himself.

And for the record too, when he was governor of Florida, he didn't even put all of his

money in a blind trust.

His wife's 170 plus million fortune was not in a blind trust.

And she made a ton of money while he was governor.

But so did he.

In last year alone, his last year being governor, uh, his net worth rose by 56 percent, 56 percent,

$83,000,000 that guy made last year while serving as governor of the state of Florida.

That is corruption.

I guarantee you, if we had any investigative bodies down here in Florida that weren't controlled

by Republicans, this guy would be in prison right now, but unfortunately this state is

wholly owned and operated by the Republican Party, and because of that, Rick Scott gets

to sit in his nice new Senate office instead of a jail cell, and he's bringing that same

corruption that became a hallmark of the state of Florida with him to the United

States Senate.

For more infomation >> Rick Scott Brings His Florida Corruption To The US Senate - Duration: 3:18.

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This Is Why The Homeless Crisis May Never End in The United States… - Duration: 15:33.

Hello, hello, welcome to your extra morning show my name is philip defranco

And today we're going to talk about the most visible sign of rising inequality in the United States

Homelessness another month of strong number seven and a half years now job creation. That is a record stretch

The unemployment rate dropped to three point seven percent

That's a number we haven't seen in nearly 50 years and the lowest overall unemployment in half a century

Is forcing companies to hire workers. They may have overlooked in the past four months

Now media figures of touted the strength of the US economy near record

Unemployment rising wages increased consumer spending but one statistic does not fit that narrative

And that is the homelessness rate despite the strengthening economy

America's homeless population has continued to increase and while the surge is slight the trend is concerning considering the 2018 is the second consecutive

Year of rising numbers following six years of declining rates and perhaps nowhere

is this more apparent than Los Angeles County which saw a 42% increase in the area's homeless population between 2010 and

2017 that number coincides with rising rental rates is a

2017 report by the California Housing Partnership found that median rents in LA County rose thirty-two percent since

2000 when adjusted for inflation now while la finally made strides this year by reducing the homeless rate by nearly 5 percent

there are still about

50,000 homeless people living in LA County and because of the great weather out here

Homelessness is even more visible in Los Angeles than arguably any other city in the country nowhere

Is this truer than Skid Row which is a fifty-four block area in downtown, LA where?

2,000 people spend each night in tents or just on the sidewalk

It's the largest

Concentration of unsheltered people anywhere in the country and it has a reputation for being a haven for drugs crime and prostitution

But the reality of Skid Row is far more complex than any of the stereotypes

So in order to understand the nuances of this crisis and the proposed solutions to LA's homelessness emergency being offered by grassroots

Activists nonprofits and government officials. We sent Koli snow from the team to talk to people on the ground in Skid Row

There was never ever ever a time

We're a whole bunch of homeless folks that together had this super-secret homeless

You know summit and said we're gonna take over the eastern side of downtown and we're just gonna spread it never happening

So skit roll with design take a walk through Skid Row, and there's a good chance

You'll see Jeff page

advocating for his community

Whether it's canvassing the streets for broken streetlights

Talking to residents of the neighborhood about their ideas or checking in on the construction of new basketball courts Paige better known as general Jeff

And dubbed by many as the unofficial mayor of Skid Row has lived and worked as a community activist in America's homeless

capital for 12 years

A former rap producer who has worked with names like Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube general Jeff moved to Skid Row in

2006 to pursue community activism after becoming frustrated with the lack of progress

He was making working with gangs in South Central Los Angeles

But he quickly realized there was only one way to truly grasp Skid Row's homelessness crisis, you know, I knew that there was this

Style of acting called methodology we immerse yourself in a role

And so I like if I was gonna play a role as a doctor or you know, go work in the hospitals

I thought well, maybe maybe if I reduce myself to a state of homelessness and kind of you know

Understood, you know the complexities and the nuances then, you know

And I would do that in South Central then by the time I went to UM Skid Row, I would be a little more seasoned

And so that's exactly what I did when I was in South Central

I'm staying in abandoned houses abandoned warehouses leaving the streets even in cars

You know crack houses

It was insane

General jeff says the experience taught him that many of the issues that plagued Skid Row's homeless community need to be tackled through grassroots

Efforts rather than what he deems an over-reliance on large nonprofits and city government programs

2006-2007 when I first got in here and there's a gentleman down he woke up

There's early in the morning a little bit a couple hours before now and he woke up and he was saying yourself man

I'm hungry who's feeding around here. You know, I can't wait. I hope somebody hurry up and bring me something to eat and it just

That's not to me that's not normal as being a human being and so you get hungry you go get it go get food

you know hustle up some grub even in the old Wild West days and so

Then for the mindset to be reduced to a state of dependency is not normal

and

so that

Motivated me to do more for general Jeff that more meant launching the positive movement an initiative that brings activities like three on three street

ball chess clubs and photography classes to a community that much of society has given up on I think all the funding that comes to

Skid Row it either goes for some form of recovery of some form of housing

Hey, but there's nothing positive to do as we walked with general Jeff through the streets of Skid Row

He pointed out the various ways

He and other community members are bringing positive change to the area melee across the street where we have the srl low-income housing

Units for homeless folks these this is the very first shipping container housing in the entire nation

Skid Row Housing Trust building

So those are shipping containers up there that converted into the home for homeless folks one of our projects through Operation facelift

We started that in January of 2008. They know there was a need for color. We started a positive murals project

And so just we just gonna paint after our owners

Can we put a mural and we also reached out to a couple of organizations?

That came in and believed in our perspective is you look at this building behind

This is the Central City Community Church of the Nazarene every Wednesday night

They have Skid Row karaoke here, and it's amazing because you have it. You'll hear everything from Elton John to James Brown's

You know Michael Jackson the little Wayne it's no telling and you know

some people in our community take it very very serious put on suits and ties and you know, like they're

you know Showtime to the Apollo something then you have other people that just come in just

sign up and they

Alright, you know it's off but it's a wonderful opportunity but the community to come together

Another we talked about again is more positive programming here, and it's amazing

amazing energy

For our community, but despite general Jeff's positive movement. The harsh reality of life on Skid Row is still apparent everywhere

You look whether its needles strewn on the streets or the nooks and crannies of buildings that the homeless are forced to use due to

The small number of publicly available restaurants, you know, this is a toilet, you know, because one thing about people being homeless

There's no access to a you know, the restrooms even in the downtown businesses

as you know for customers on they were being criminalized in the form of like they were

Like it was some type of a sexual act to where they would have to register for the rest of their lives

As sex offenders because they're exposed publicly. Hey, man, they're homeless and they're just trying to relieve themselves

You know, these are the types of issues that general. Jeff says are not being properly represented on a local level

That's why he's been a fierce advocate for getting Skid Row, its own neighborhood council

Which would not only give the area tens of thousands of dollars to pursue positive movement style projects

But also more autonomy over political decisions in Skid Row where we've been a part of the downtown Los Angeles neighborhood

council since its inception in 2002

And here we are in with you know, 16 years later now said going on 17 and Skid Row is still Skid Row

And so there's a lot of unrest

Unaddressed issues two years ago Los Angeles allowed residents of downtown in North East LA to vote on whether Skid Row could have its own

Neighborhood council, but just 15 days before the vote LA City Council member Jose who is our push to make the voting process online?

Only a disadvantage for Skid Row residents with less access to computers the measure lost by sixty votes, you know

We felt strongly that we got cheated out of our election because obviously Skid Row is prime real estate

There's a lot of development with the downtown revitalization

They're looking at shops looking at Skid Row like Oh soon as we get them out of the way

Then we can come in and build skyscrapers and lofts and we're saying no no, no we live here

You know, we have a voice in the face of the matter general

Jeff is hardly alone in using grassroots efforts to bring a sense of pride and dignity to the Skid Row community every month Luis Sanchez

and his team of

Volunteers sets up shop in a small church parking lot in Skid Row where they serve hundreds of hot meals and give out donated clothes

We went from just my son my daughter and a couple of volunteers

to about 30 40 and then from there just

Took off today

the foundation is comprised of

150 volunteers focusing specifically on the rising number of children in Skid Row offering up face painting and balloons at the monthly events

according to la's homeless services authority

2018 saw a

109 percent increase in the number of children living in Skid Row an increase that Sanchez believes is due to more domestic violence cases and

High housing prices in the city, you know, the kids are walking on the street going to school

there watching the drug use they're watching the stuff that is going on in front of them and

and it's

It's damaging, which is very damaging for them. And it's very heartbreaking

It's very heartbreaking on what's going on kiss

You know that your children are not the ones that are it shows this right? It's

It's the difficulties the families are going through so

The children are just a product of the of the difficult

situations that alone to give these children and their families a break from the daily struggle of life on Skid Row Sanchez also,

Organizes trips to baseball games carnivals golf courses and movie theatres when you give opportunities for the kids that do something

It gives the families hope right when they're able to go to Disneyland or a camping trip or things like that

They're able to look beyond the skid row while these grassroots

Initiatives go a long way in improving everyday life for Skid Row's residents the major issue at hand

Shelter and housing is still largely provided through large nonprofits and government funding in 2016

LA City voters passed measure h h h a

1.2 billion dollar bond program to construct eight to ten thousand permanent housing units for the city's homeless

population over ten years one year later

LA County voters passed measure H raising the sales tax by a quarter cent to fund temporary housing and supportive services

Such as health care job training and outreach teams

Christopher Co the director of home for good a collaborative funding initiative that looks for innovative solutions to Ellie's homelessness crisis told us that these

Outreach teams are crucial to informing the city's homeless about their options when it comes to transitional or permanent housing or finally

Funding the people to go out and talk to people and engage in people. That's a process. I

Don't know if you've gotten any piece of mail offering eo3 vacation rental at home. You know, it's hard to believe the first time

It's kind of the same process when someone's been out there for 10 20 years

It takes three six nine months to believe an officer. Sure helped some of Skid Row's residents

We talked to highlighted their contentious relationship with support staff when it came to obstacles preventing them from obtaining housing

But for me, the obstacles have been the stuff because the staff has not been supportive down here. They're always having attitude

They're not

Willing to help you or anything like that

No, I have not have support nothing like that done here others

We spoke with like Daniel Evans who has lived in Skid Row for three years said that housing is obtainable

But that it requires some personal responsibility

They didn't make it available for you, you know, if you you know, it's up to you

Let's get on the vision, you know because they they put it out there for you and get everybody everybody die

He don't have to be in this in this condition

You know a lot of just choose to be like it come I was down here

living on the screen for a while because that's what I wanted it for a minute until I

Came to my senses them and I would only got out got affordable house

While more HHH permanent supportive housing units are built

The mayor's office has ramped up efforts to get more individuals off the streets by spending twenty million dollars to construct new temporary shelters

They're calling the shelter's bridge homes. And the plan is to build one in each of LA's 15 city council districts

You can think of it simply as shelter

but the reason we're calling it bridge housing is it has a lot of

Upgrading components and worthy of a new name

These components include not just on-site support such as mental health services substance abuse treatment and life skill classes

but also housing navigation help you can learn about

Managing your finances and keeping your home your apartment kind of clean all you want

But if no one's helping you apply for an apartment

If no one's helping you put that rental application together

If no one's helping you actually drive to those places to see those apartments

You're gonna be stuck in that shelter for a long time

But general Jeff says that while the intentions behind bridge homes may be good

The money could easily end up being wasted if it doesn't lead directly to permanent supportive housing

So you're taking this funding to try to hurry up and do something a quick fix of what people call band-aid solutions

And in three years, you know, you're gonna once you house these people, you know

They're gonna wind up coming right back to the street

So what exactly does a more permanent solution look like look no further than the Downtown Women's Center the nation's first permanent supportive housing

Provider for homeless and formerly homeless women more than 100 women enduring everything from physical disabilities to substance abuse issues to domestic violence

Live at the center while they transition to stability and independence

so every woman here that's housed has an individual case manager that she meets with regularly to make sure she's on track and

One of the outcomes we see from that is a ninety-nine percent retention rate for the folks that we housed here

That means that once women are housed in permanent supportive housing at Downtown Women's Center. They are not going back on the streets

Ah, Novello ease the director of communication and policy at the center told us that the organization follows a housing first model

That means the center does not require women that may be suffering from alcohol or substance abuse issues to get clean before they are provided

Permanent shelter there is also no limit to how long they can stay there if you think for yourself

Everything from getting ready for a job

To accessing medical appointments it's difficult to do if you're living on the street

so the housing first model gives people a foundation and a

Safe place to be able to start to rebuild their lives

But replicating the centre's model has been easier said than done not only do these types of facilities require major funding commitments

But many communities in LA have been reluctant to embrace

Permanent or even temporary housing construction in their neighborhoods for fear of what it will bring to their community

I already have a problem with break-ins and assault and harassment and public defecation and urination

What I've always said is we want to clean in st. Venice. No parks, not on our beaches are not residential neighborhoods

That was the reaction from attendees at two different town hall meetings in Venice last year to the mayor's proposal to build a single bridge

Home in the city but veluwe says that these communities need to understand that homelessness in LA is not going away

Do we want them?

Sleeping on our streets in front of our houses and businesses or do we want them housed and on a path to stability?

It's a question. All of Los Angeles will need to answer if homelessness is ever going to improve

So with all of that set now you've heard about some of the solutions that are being trying to tackle this homelessness crisis in Los

Angeles I do want to pass some questions off to you is your community

experiencing some of the same problems with homelessness that we showcased in Skid Row

do you think that outreach teams and housing first programs are the weight forward or do you think it's up to the

Individual to seek out help for themselves and to try and obtain shelter through the options that are already out there

I'd really love to hear your thoughts on those questions or just on the story in general also have know we put a link to

The GoFundMe set up by the chilo

Foundation which we featured in the story to help send children and their families in Skid Row to Disneyland for the day

so if you'd like to be a part of that you definitely can but with all of that said I want to say

Thank you so much for watching

Remember, if you like this video you like these extra morning news deep dives or going even further than we normally do

Let us know hit that like button

Also, if you're new here you want more of these daily videos sometimes two times a day videos

Be sure to subscribe maybe even ring that bell to turn on notifications. But with that said, I love your face

I hope you have a fantastic day and I'll see you later on. Today's brand new philip defranco show

For more infomation >> This Is Why The Homeless Crisis May Never End in The United States… - Duration: 15:33.

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"STATE OF THE UNION" — A Bad Lip Reading - Duration: 3:57.

*** You can turn off these captions using the CC button below

Don't lay a finger on my gavel

Pack up the car

Don't break the telephone, I just got it

He's so good

Ayyeeee

I can't believe it's Vin Diesel!

Ch-chhh

I like your fingers

And I like your face

You're a thick youth

And tall too

So there's shark fins all over the room tonight, right?

Ehh I thought you were this guy I used to know in Cancun

That ain't good

Don't lean!

Okay

Hey I like your hairspray, friend

I like it very much

It's like lacquer, it's got that artful shine

[burp]

You know what, Mike?

Ever since you asked what the opposite of wheat is

I"ve been avoiding you

I brought you a hat

Ehh I don't like it

I like your belly

Your ankles

And that girl

I told you we wouldn't be offering any snacks

Why not?

Hey listen, you need to get your right foot checked out

You need to go away

I'm mad at you, but you know, you gotta be an optimist in our world

I think I just said a haiku

Is it "haiku" or "Jaiku"?

Which should I be saying?

Hey, I once had a cockroach named Verne, but he got lost in a disaster

Oh that's nice

Well, not really, 'cause he poisoned people

We have to talk less during these sorts of things

Hey just so you know, your suit looks good

So does your dress

That's not what --

I like oak

Na-Nu Na-Nu

Elegantro

I got one for you

Thank you, sweet prince

And also this

I have to do it, that's all

I know

'Sup buddy?

I wanna roast all of his fingers

Yeah

Let's get this thing started

It is time for me!

Hmmm?

Milk!

Okay, sure, milk

Hoffa-loppa-hooga-boogga

What am I saying when I mutter the phrase, "Kega-Bega, poulga shegel"?

Hmmm?

You know, there's a few things you should know about me

I'm pretty sexy

I don't walk in nature

I hate shy kids

I worship my little comb

I like the bra business

I think guys are the coolest

I'd marry coal

I think Asia has a nifty wall

I like gluten down my chute

And I'd like a pizza party, I'd like if very much

You're a seal, I knew it!

Pizza party: I'd like it very much -- text me

Hey, Mike... a question

Is this the Republicans' best hope?

Well, we got me

[laughter] that's awesome!

Okay, just let go now

[crunch] ah, my hand's cracked!

For more infomation >> "STATE OF THE UNION" — A Bad Lip Reading - Duration: 3:57.

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's State of the State address - Duration: 55:07.

For more infomation >> Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's State of the State address - Duration: 55:07.

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U.S. may limit ties with European nations partnering with Huawei: Pompeo - Duration: 1:37.

the United States is stepping up pressure on countries that continue to

do business with China's telecommunications giant Huawei Kim your

son tells us more US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who's visiting Eastern

Europe has warned European countries that using Huawei equipment could hurt

their relationship with Washington speaking in Hungary the first leg of his

five-nation European tour Pompeyo said the US could scale down certain

operations in the country if it continues to do business with Huawei he

also said in Slovakia that the US has an obligation to alert its partners and the

risks associated with products made by the Chinese telecommunications giant we

want to make sure that our friends and allies our NATO partners those who are

inside of the EU we want to make sure they're aware of those risk and that's

our task the u.s. is increasingly troubled with Huawei's expansion in

europe where washington believes the company poses at significant information

security threats however such pressure faces challenges as Eastern European

countries like Hungary have no other choice but to continue using Huawei

equipment due mainly to their economic relationship with Beijing unsurprisingly

China has slammed Washington's move the u.s. behavior is neither just nor moral

which is not the proper manner that a major country is supposed to have yet

Beijing said it appreciated Hungary's just an objective stance in dealing with

the issue adding their bilateral ties will not be disturbed by any other

country's key Merson arirang news

For more infomation >> U.S. may limit ties with European nations partnering with Huawei: Pompeo - Duration: 1:37.

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Donald Trump v Beto O'Rourke: rival rallies on US border security - Duration: 1:58.

In one of the safest cities in the United States of America.

Safe not because of walls but in spite of walls.

Just so you know, we're building the wall anyway.

And there's no place better to talk about border security,

whether they like it or not ...

Because I've been hearing a lot of things:

"Oh, the wall didn't make that much of a difference."

You know where it made a big difference?

Right here in El Paso.

In the last 10 years, more than 4,000 children,

women and men have died trying to come to this country

and as we build these walls, we push them to ever more

treacherous and remote stretches of the US-Mexico border,

thereby ensuring greater suffering and death.

This weekend, some Democrats even proposed a measure

that would force the release of thousands of criminal

illegal aliens, including dangerous felons convicted of rape,

sex-trafficking, violent assault and even murder into our country.

Can you believe this?

We stand for America. We stand against walls.

– Have you given yourself a deadline?

– I'm serious, by the way. Have you given yourself a ...?

And the serious answer is really soon.

Is ... Is really soon. Before the end of this month.

For more infomation >> Donald Trump v Beto O'Rourke: rival rallies on US border security - Duration: 1:58.

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Cory Gardner Pushes Public Land Bill Which Passes U.S. Senate - Duration: 1:01.

For more infomation >> Cory Gardner Pushes Public Land Bill Which Passes U.S. Senate - Duration: 1:01.

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Gov. Whitmer prepares for first State of the State address - Duration: 2:30.

For more infomation >> Gov. Whitmer prepares for first State of the State address - Duration: 2:30.

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US warships again challenge Beijing's claims in South China Sea CNNPolitics - Duration: 3:16.

For more infomation >> US warships again challenge Beijing's claims in South China Sea CNNPolitics - Duration: 3:16.

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U.S. may limit ties with European nations partnering with Huawei: Pompeo - Duration: 1:37.

The United States is stepping up pressure on countries that continue to do business

with China's telecommunications giant, Huawei.

Kim Hyo-sun tells us more.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who's visiting Eastern Europe,... has warned European

countries... that using Huawei equipment could hurt their relationship with Washington.

Speaking in Hungary,... the first leg of his five-nation European tour,... Pompeo said

the U.S. could scale down certain operations in the country if it continues to do business

with Huawei.

He also said in Slovakia that the U.S. has an obligation to alert its partners of the

risks associated with products made by the Chinese telecommunications giant.

"We want to make sure that our friends and allies, out NATO partners, those that are

inside of the EU, we want to make sure that they're aware of those risks and that's our

task."

The U.S. is increasingly troubled with Huawei's expansion in Europe,... where Washington believes

the company poses significant information security threats.

However, such pressure faces challenges,... as eastern European countries like Hungary

have no other choice but to continue using Huawei equipment,... due mainly to their economic

relationship with Beijing.

Unsurprisingly,...

China has slammed Washington's move.

"The U.S. behavior is neither just nor moral, which is not the proper manner that a major

country is supposed to have."

Yet, Beijing said it appreciated Hungary's just and objective stance in dealing with

the issue,... adding their bilateral ties will not be disturbed by any other countries.

Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.

For more infomation >> U.S. may limit ties with European nations partnering with Huawei: Pompeo - Duration: 1:37.

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Iran and the U.S. – Imagine A Bright Future - Duration: 1:25.

[TEXT: For 40 years, Iran has been denied its full potential]

[TEXT: by a tyrannical regime that lies to its people about the United States.]

[TEXT: In reality, friendship with the U.S. opens Iran to a bright future that's not possible under its oppressive leadership.]

[TEXT: Just look at history.]

[TEXT: Since World War II, Germany and Japan have forged strong bonds with the United States.]

[TEXT: Once foes in war, the U.S. and Vietnam have since expanded trade.]

[TEXT: The U.S. even helped Vietnam join the World Trade Organization.]

[TEXT: The people of Iran deserve the same opportunity to prosper.]

[TEXT: Imagine the future.]

[TEXT: Iranian goods like caviar, carpets and pistachios flying off American shelves,]

[TEXT: direct flights from Tehran to Washington, New York and Los Angeles,]

[TEXT: and a re-opened U.S. Embassy in Tehran issuing visas for tourism, business and academics.]

[TEXT: American technology and global information can return to the hands of the Iranian people,]

[TEXT: allowing Iranian entrepreneurship to flourish and expand across the world.]

[TEXT: The barriers the regime has built can be torn down,]

[TEXT: so the American and Iranian people can once again come together as friends.]

[TEXT: and usher in a bright future for the United States and Iran] [TEXT: Select Photos © AP Images Produced by the U.S. Department of State]

For more infomation >> Iran and the U.S. – Imagine A Bright Future - Duration: 1:25.

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Assemblymember Rudy Salas Praises Governor Newsom's State of the State Speech - Duration: 0:43.

Members and guests I am pleased to welcome the 40th governor of the great state of California

the honorable Gavin Newsom.

I appreciate the governor focusing a lot of the State of the State on the Central Valley

and on Central Valley issues, things like infrastructure things like water bring more

water to the Central Valley for safe drinking water for farms talking about job infrastructure

talking about the needs of special education putting money back in education.

There's so many things about that the governor touched on that I think are great things for

the valley great things that we get to look forward to and I'm eager to roll up my sleeves

and get to work.

For more infomation >> Assemblymember Rudy Salas Praises Governor Newsom's State of the State Speech - Duration: 0:43.

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Pompeo says the U.S. is 'not covering up for a murder' as Khashoggi scandal deepens - Duration: 3:45.

The United States is still probing the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday, as U

S.lawmakers continued to demand stronger U.S.action to punish the perpetrators.'America is not covering up for a murder,' Pompeo said during a visit to Hungary, adding that the United States would take more action to hold accountable all those responsible for the U

S.-based journalist's death inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.After initially denying his death, Saudi Arabia has confirmed that its agents killed Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi government

Riyadh denies its senior leaders were behind the killing.U.S.lawmakers, Democrats and some of Trump's fellow Republicans, have sought a strong response by Washington to Khashoggi's murder and to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels

The Trump administration had faced a Feb.8 deadline to send a report to Congress on who was responsible for Khashoggi's death and whether the U

S.government would impose sanctions on those behind the killing.Ahead of the deadline, a group of Republican and Democratic senators on Thursday renewed their push to penalize Saudi Arabia, unveiling legislation to bar some arms sales and impose sanctions

President Donald Trump has resisted such legislative efforts, viewing weapons sales as an important source of U

S.jobs and standing by Saudi crown prince and Trump's ally, Mohammed bin Salman.Trump is also reluctant to disturb the strategic relationship with the kingdom, seen as an important regional counterbalance to Iran

Eleven suspects have been indicted in Saudi Arabia for Khashoggi's murder, and on Friday a top Saudi official rejected accusations that the crown prince ordered the killing

On Friday, a State Department representative said Pompeo had briefed U.S.lawmakers on the murder investigation but gave no other details

Democratic U.S.Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, on Sunday said the required report was not submitted and accused the Trump administration of complicity in covering up the killing

'This amounts to the Trump administration aiding in the cover-up of a murder,' Kaine said in a statement

'America should never descend to this level of moral bankruptcy.'

For more infomation >> Pompeo says the U.S. is 'not covering up for a murder' as Khashoggi scandal deepens - Duration: 3:45.

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British rapper 21 Savage to be released on bond amid US deportation threat - Duration: 3:10.

 UK-born Rap artist 21 Savage, who has been in custody in Georgia for nine days on immigration charges, was granted bond on Tuesday and will be released from custody on Wednesday, his lawyer said

 The entertainer, whose real name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was arrested on February 2 by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents over accusations he had overstayed his visa by more than a decade

Officials said he came to the United States from Britain in 2005.  Atlanta US Immigration Court Judge Dan Pelletier granted the 26-year-old bond during a hearing on Tuesday, his attorney Charles Kuck told Reuters by phone

 The bond amount was set at $100,000, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. Kuck declined to confirm the amount

 His legal team earlier on Tuesday released a statement that said he had been released

Kuck later said Abraham-Joseph remained in ICE custody because the bond was not granted before a daily 2 pm deadline, but said he would be released on Wednesday

 The rapper was granted an expedited hearing after speaking with ICE officials to clarify his legal standing and bond eligibility, his legal team said in a statement

 "He will not forget this ordeal or any of the other fathers, sons, family members and faceless people, he was locked up with or that remain unjustly incarcerated across the country," they said

 ICE officials were not immediately available for comment.  The rapper still faces deportation proceedings in federal immigration court, Kuck said

 "His case is not over by a long shot," he added.  Abraham-Joseph was convicted on felony drug charges in Georgia in 2014, and was arrested as part of a targeted operation with the cooperation of local law enforcement, an ICE spokesman told Reuters when the rapper was taken into custody

 21 Savage was nominated for two Grammy Awards for the hit "Rockstar," with Post Malone, including the coveted record of the year category, but was unable to attend the glitzy awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday because he was being held in Georgia

 His Facebook page shows he has several concerts scheduled in the coming weeks. 

For more infomation >> British rapper 21 Savage to be released on bond amid US deportation threat - Duration: 3:10.

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US commander warns of little to no verifiable change in North Koreas military capabilities Politic - Duration: 5:30.

US commander warns of little to no verifiable change in North Koreas military capabilities Politic

"I remain clear eyed about the fact that, despite a reduction in tensions along the DMZ and a cessation of strategic provocations coupled with public statements of intent to denuclearize, little to no verifiable change has occurred in North Koreas military capabilities," Gen. Robert Abrams, commander of US Forces Korea, said during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Abrams said North Koreas "conventional and asymmetric capabilities" continue to put the US, South Korea and allies at risk, making it is necessary for the US military to "maintain a postured and ready force to deter any possible aggressive actions."

That assessment comes as Trump is under pressure to demonstrate progress in his diplomatic opening with Pyongyang ahead of his second summit with Kim scheduled for February 27 and 28 in Vietnam.

Despite saying after his first meeting with Kim last June that the nuclear threat from North Korea had been eliminated, the regime is continuing to develop its nuclear program.

In an effort to move towards its stated goal of complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization, US negotiators have asked North Korea for a list of the nuclear scientists working on their weapons programs, a source familiar with the talks told CNN Tuesday, adding that the US intelligence community knows more about North Koreas nuclear program than it does about its scientists.

The request was first reported by South Korean media.

The US wants to monitor the scientists because they believe they could potentially hide materials.

Some experts suggest that should the denuclearization process begin, the international community should pay the scientists to dismantle the program they helped to build to stop them being hired by countries like Iran or Syria to work on their missile programs.

Still a threat

While the US and South Korea suspended several large joint military drills as part of an effort to ease tensions with Pyongyang following the first Trump Kim summit, Abrams told lawmakers that he has seen no significant changes in North Koreas own exercises.

"For instance, we are watching the ongoing Korean Peoples Army winter training cycle, including a slate of full spectrum exercises which is progressing along at historic norms, meaning that we have observed no significant changes to size, scope or timing of their ongoing exercises compared to the same time period over the last four years," he said.

Abrams warned that North Korea remains a potent military threat despite the regimes recent shift in tone toward the US and a lack of missile and nuclear tests in recent months.

"The only observable change has been a reduction in the attention and bellicosity the regime layers onto its military activities. Since the end of 2017, Pyongyang has reduced its hostile rhetoric and halted media coverage of Kim Jong Un attending capstone events such as large scale, live fire training or special operations raids on mock up aliance targets. It is, however, too soon to conclude that a lower profile is indicative of lesser risk," his opening statement for the committee said.

Those comments come after Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats testified last month that North Korea "will seek to retain its WMD capabilities and is unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capability because its leaders ultimately view nuclear weapons as critical to regime survival."

Coats told Senate lawmakers that the intelligence communitys "assessment is bolstered by observation of some activity that is inconsistent with full denuclearization." His CIA counterpart, director Gina Haspel, said Pyongyang "is committed to developing a long range nuclear armed missile that would pose a direct threat to the United States."

On Monday, scientists at Stanford University released a new report which estimates that North Korea has increased its arsenal of nuclear weapons from 30 to 37 since last year.

The study notes that the current threat posed by these weapons is less than it was last year due to North Koreas halt on testing but indicates that assessment would change should those activities start again.

Palpable reduction of tensions

Abrams also injected some cautious optimism into his testimony Tuesday, touting the "palpable" reduction of tension on the Korean Peninsula. He also highlighted the announcement of a second summit between Trump and Kim as a positive sign.

"If you have not been on the peninsula in a while, along the DMZ there has been significant reduction that has enabled nascent confidence building measures ... its decreased the chance of mistakes, miscalculation, and its continued to preserve space for the main effort, the Department of State to continue along this road of negotiations and discussion with the DPRK," Abrams said.

"I think, my personal opinion is the announcement of a second summit between President Trump and the Supreme Leader Kim is a positive sign of continued dialog because it certainly beats the alternative of what we were living with in 2017," he added.

During his testimony last month, Coats also acknowledged that North Korea seems to have halted, for now, its missile and nuclear tests, a development Trump has touted as evidence of successful diplomacy.

In that same hearing, Haspel indicated that Kim does "value dialogue" with the United States, and the US sees "indications" that he is "trying to navigate a path for some kind of better future" for the North Korean people.

Trump has sought to emphasize the economic benefits of denuclearization since his last summit with the North Korean leader, but with their next meeting nearing, some in the administration worried Trump could raise the future of US troops in South Korea as another incentive to prod Kim along.

The President has long publicly lamented the cost of stationing US troops around the world and has privately pressed his advisers about the possibility of withdrawing US forces from the country.

While Trump insisted earlier this month that he has "no plans" to withdraw US troops from South Korea, it was clear Tuesday that several Senate lawmakers remain concerned about that possibility despite the Pentagons announcement that Washington and Seoul have reached an agreement over the costs of US troops stationed on the Peninsula.

Pressed repeatedly on the strategic implications of such a move, Abrams consistently reaffirmed the need for US troops to remain on the Peninsula but also highlighted the need for balance when it comes to ensuring military readiness of the forces stationed there and avoiding escalation.

"We must continuously strike a balance between the clear need to train and exercise military capability and the requirement to create space for and support strategic diplomacy," he said.

Diplomacy in the works

The special Representative to North Korea, Steve Biegun, recently spent a few days in Pyongyang with his counterparts to work out the basic logistics for the upcoming summit in Vietnam, namely date and location.

This was his first solo trip to North Korea since taking over the post more than five months ago.

Despite solidifying a date and location for the second summit, all indications suggest that there is still a long way to go on the working level discussions between the two countries.

The White House is not yet saying what it hopes to accomplish during the second meeting between Trump and Kim.

Biegun and his counterparts have agreed to meet for another round of working level talks ahead of the Hanoi summit.

For more infomation >> US commander warns of little to no verifiable change in North Koreas military capabilities Politic - Duration: 5:30.

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Pompeo says the U.S. is 'not covering up for a murder' as Khashoggi scandal deepens - Duration: 3:56.

The United States is still probing the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday, as U

S.lawmakers continued to demand stronger U.S.action to punish the perpetrators.'America is not covering up for a murder,' Pompeo said during a visit to Hungary, adding that the United States would take more action to hold accountable all those responsible for the U

S.-based journalist's death inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.After initially denying his death, Saudi Arabia has confirmed that its agents killed Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi government

Riyadh denies its senior leaders were behind the killing.U.S.lawmakers, Democrats and some of Trump's fellow Republicans, have sought a strong response by Washington to Khashoggi's murder and to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels

The Trump administration had faced a Feb.8 deadline to send a report to Congress on who was responsible for Khashoggi's death and whether the U

S.government would impose sanctions on those behind the killing.Ahead of the deadline, a group of Republican and Democratic senators on Thursday renewed their push to penalize Saudi Arabia, unveiling legislation to bar some arms sales and impose sanctions

President Donald Trump has resisted such legislative efforts, viewing weapons sales as an important source of U

S.jobs and standing by Saudi crown prince and Trump's ally, Mohammed bin Salman.Trump is also reluctant to disturb the strategic relationship with the kingdom, seen as an important regional counterbalance to Iran

Eleven suspects have been indicted in Saudi Arabia for Khashoggi's murder, and on Friday a top Saudi official rejected accusations that the crown prince ordered the killing

On Friday, a State Department representative said Pompeo had briefed U.S.lawmakers on the murder investigation but gave no other details

Democratic U.S.Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, on Sunday said the required report was not submitted and accused the Trump administration of complicity in covering up the killing

'This amounts to the Trump administration aiding in the cover-up of a murder,' Kaine said in a statement

'America should never descend to this level of moral bankruptcy.'

For more infomation >> Pompeo says the U.S. is 'not covering up for a murder' as Khashoggi scandal deepens - Duration: 3:56.

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State of the Union - Duration: 0:04.

I'm guilty!

I'm guilty!