Trump to declare national emergency to build wall

Unprecedented move would bypass Congress. No Images? Click here   By Paul Vale     Friday, February 15 TRUMP TO DECLARE NATIONAL EMERGENCY FOR WALL President Donald Trump will sign a spending bill with no funding for his promised border wall, and declare a national emergency to build the structure, the White House said. The move would bypass Congress to spend billions on a project Trump repeatedly promised Mexico would pay for. [HuffPost] [Tweet | Share on Facebook] UNPRECEDENTED MOVE BY TRUMP While the six previous presidents collectively declared dozens of national emergencies, Trump’s wall declaration would be the first to finance an unpopular construction project that congresses his own country and a neighboring one refused to fund. [HuffPost] PELOSI: REPUBLICANS WILL REGRET THIS House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) warned about the dangerous precedent of Trump’s national emergency. “If the president can declare an emergency on something that he has created as an emergency, an illusion that he wants to convey, just think of what a president with different values can present to the American people.” [HuffPost] AMAZON BAILS ON NEW YORK HQ Amazon canceled plans to build a headquarters in New York after local lawmakers and residents of Queens said changes brought by the company would hurt the neighborhood. [HuffPost] BEZOS’ COMPANY WILL PAY NO FEDERAL TAX THIS YEAR Amazon almost doubled its profit from $5.6 billion in 2017 to $11.2 billion in 2018, but the company isn’t likely to pay a cent in federal taxes this year. [HuffPost] FRAUDULENT PAYDAY LENDER GAVE MONEY TO INAUGURATION An online payday lender that defrauded customers but only got a slap on the wrist from the Trump administration also made a $25,000 donation to the president’s 2017 inaugural committee. [HuffPost]     .   AVENATTI: THERE’S AN R. KELLY ASSAULT VIDEO Attorney Michael Avenatti claimed he has given a videotape to prosecutors that shows musician R. Kelly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. [HuffPost] NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER ON DRUNKEN TEAR The publisher of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is accused of going on a drunken verbal rampage in its newsroom. Witnesses say he threatened to “burn the place down” and “close the whole paper” after seeing a sign on the newsroom bulletin board. [HuffPost] FEMALE INMATES FORCED TO STRIP Women incarcerated in a San Francisco jail say they were forced to strip naked in front of male deputies, in violation of state law. [HuffPost] ‘PIZZAGATE’ SUSPECT ARRESTED A California man has been charged with arson three weeks after prosecutors say he set fire to the Washington, D.C., pizza shop at the center of the far-right “pizzagate” conspiracy theory. [HuffPost] INDIA PM THREATENS PAKISTAN OVER CAR BOMB India Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised a strong response to a car bombing in Kashmir that killed 44 paramilitary troops that his government blamed on Pakistan. [Reuters] TRUMP ORGANIZATION SCRAPS HOTEL CHAINS Trump’s company is scrapping plans for two new hotel chains, casting blame on a hostile political environment. [AP]    .   A historic Pennsylvania Roman Catholic church was demolished this week after the local diocese failed to secure a buyer for the century-old building. Netflix said it is making a sequel to “The Kissing Booth.” The wife of White House communications director Bill Shine has been spreading false information about vaccinations on Twitter. Transgender YouTuber “Furry Potato” was shot in the leg by a security guard while livestreaming outside a Jewish synagogue and high school in Los Angeles. Members of Congress tasked with creating a plan to avert another government shutdown want to give federal employees a raise — defying Trump’s efforts to freeze their pay. The FBI is probing claims that musician Ryan Adams sent sexually explicit messages to an underage fan. Kanye West surprised Kim Kardashian with Kenny G and a room full of roses for Valentine’s Day. Jason Momoa is reportedly in talks to join the cast of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune.” China has closed the base camp on its side of Mount Everest to visitors who don't have climbing permits so it can deal with the mounting waste problem. A beagle that lost her litter of puppies has found renewed purpose after adopting a baby possum that was abandoned by its mother. The winning entry for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year is stunning. The “Parks And Rec” ladies reunited for Galentine’s Day. CNN’s Chris Cuomo called Fox News host Sean Hannity “without question the most powerful person in the media,” adding: “What he says, the president does.” Twitter thinks Melania Trump’s pink Fendi coat looks like a bathrobe. After being denied entry to the U.S. three times, “Roma” actor Jorge Antonio Guerrero Martínez has received a visa, allowing him to travel from Mexico to attend the Academy Awards. And love this newsletter? Share it with a friend!        HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. Start your workday the right way with the news that matters most — all with a dash of signature Morning Email snark. Does somebody keep forwarding you this email? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. 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