Bill's Daily Briefing

Muslim hard-liners ID suspect in London attack

2013-05-24T12:35:00Z

A man seen with bloody hands wielding a butcher knife after the killing of a British soldier on the streets of London was described as a convert to Islam who took part in demonstrations with a banned radical group, two Muslim hard-liners said Thursday. Police raided houses in connection with the brazen slaying of the off-duty soldier, identified as Lee Rigby, of the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, who served in Afghanistan. In addition to the two suspects who were hospitalized after being shot by police, authorities said they had arrested a man and a woman, both 29, on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. Police would not say whether it appeared Rigby had been targeted specifically because of his military service. Although he was not in uniform at the time he was killed, he was said by witnesses to be wearing a T-shirt for a British veterans' charity.

Authorities have not identified either of the two wounded suspects and have not said when they would do so. Officials in Britain usually wait to name suspects until charges have been filed. Anjem Choudary, the former head of the radical group al-Muhajiroun, told The Associated Press that the man depicted in startling video that emerged after Rigby's death was named Michael Adebolajo, a Christian who converted to Islam around 2003 and took part in several demonstrations by the group in London. Asked if he condemned what Adebolajo did, Choudary told CBS News: "I don't think it helps. There's so many people who have been slaughtered, killed by drones, who are being tortured." The BBC broadcast video from 2007 showing Adebolajo standing near Choudary at a rally.

Bear Season Hits California Again

2013-05-24T12:26:00Z

April showers may bring May flowers but, in the foothills of Southern California, you can also expect bears. From May 1 to June 21, as grills fire up and tasty smells waft through the neighborhood, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife considers it "second bear season." The department spokesman, Andrew Hughan, told ABC News that he expects at least one bear a week for the next month. So far, the bears have already been living up to his predictions. All around Southern California, news reports have shown bears climbing fences, spooking horses and roaming streets all in search of their next meal.

One woman in Duarte, Calif., came downstairs thinking there was a burglar in her home. Instead, she found a cub halfway through her kitchen window. "You must have had something that smelled good in that kitchen," the 911 operator told the woman, who had barricaded herself in her bedroom bathroom, according to the 911 recording obtained by ABC News. And that's the problem. As bears eat more human food or garbage, or even the fish out of the koi pond, they become habituated to a human food source and less frightened of people, according to the California Department of Fish and Wild Life website. This could lead to a more tenacious and even aggressive bear. "Once a bear's habituated, they cannot unlearn," Hughan told ABC News. "It's a death sentence."

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Paula Broadwell Apologizes for Extramarital Affair With David Petraeus

2013-05-24T12:23:00Z

The woman at the center of the sex scandal that led to David Petraeus' resignation from the CIA has spoken publicly for the first time about the affair and apologized for the "harm" she caused to the families involved. "I have remorse for the harm that this has caused, the sadness this has caused in my family and other families," Paula Broadwell said in her first interview with ABC News' affiliate WSOC in Charlotte, N.C.,since news of the extramarital affair broke last November. Broadwell met Petraeus, 60, while she was a graduate student at Harvard University and working on a dissertation about Petraeus. Broadwell wrote the biography on Petraeus titled "All In: The Education of General David Petraeus." As Petraeus' personal biographer, she enjoyed tremendous access to the decorated war hero and former four-star general. "I 'm the first to admit I've made mistakes, and I'm regretful for the pain I've caused, but at some point again you pick yourself up face forward and keep moving," Broadwell said. Broadwell said it was support from loved ones that got her through the public scrutiny she faced in the aftermath of the affair. Broadwell, who lives in Charlotte with her husband and two kids, spends her time supporting veterans and wounded warriors.

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Arias Jury Reaches No Unanimous Verdict; Judge Orders Retrial In Penalty Phase

2013-05-24T12:20:00Z

The judge in the Jodi Arias murder trial declared a mistrial in the penalty phase Thursday after the jury reported for a second time that it was deadlocked on whether to sentence her to life in prison or death for killing her boyfriend in 2008. The judge scheduled a retrial for July 18. A new panel likely will be seated to try again to reach a decision on a sentence -- unless the prosecutor takes death off the table agrees to a life sentence. The panel began deliberating Tuesday and first reported they had failed agree the next day. The judge instructed them to keep trying. The same panel on May 8 found Arias guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Travis Alexander, who was stabbed and slashed nearly 30 times and nearly decapitated at his Mesa home. The jury later determined the killing was cruel enough to merit consideration of the death penalty. Under Arizona law, a hung jury in the death penalty phase of a trial requires a new jury to be seated to decide the punishment. If the second jury cannot reach a unanimous decision, the judge would then sentence Arias to spend her entire life in prison or be eligible for release after 25 years. The judge cannot sentence Arias to death. (AP)

Morgan Freeman seems to fall asleep during on-air interview

2013-05-24T12:14:00Z

Morgan Freeman is pretty much Hollywood royalty, so it’s no surprise that two Seattle-based news anchors were super excited to interview the famous actor. But the 75-year-old star didn’t seem to share their excitement, as he struggled to keep his eyes open during an early-morning interview with the anchors on Wednesday. Freeman appeared to nod off during the segment, as his “Now You See Me” co-star Michael Caine answered the anchors’ questions about the impressive magic tricks in their upcoming film. The actor, who previously starred as God in “Bruce Almighty,” plays Thaddeus Bradley in the film, out May 31. The movie is about a team of illusionists who rob banks and share their earnings with their magic show audiences. (Fox News)

Holder OK'd Search Warrant For Fox News Reporter's Private Emails

2013-05-24T12:06:00Z

Attorney General Eric Holder signed off on a controversial search warrant that identified Fox News reporter James Rosen as a “possible co-conspirator” in violations of the Espionage Act and authorized seizure of his private emails, a law enforcement official told NBC News on Thursday. The disclosure of the attorney general’s role came as President Barack Obama, in a major speech on his counterterrorism policy, said Holder had agreed to review Justice Department guidelines governing investigations that involve journalists. I am troubled by the possibility that leak investigations may chill the investigative journalism that holds government accountable," Obama said. "Journalists should not be at legal risk for doing their jobs." Rosen, who has not been charged in the case, was nonetheless the target of a search warrant that enabled Justice Department investigators to secretly seize his private emails after an FBI agent said he had "asked, solicited and encouraged … (a source) to disclose sensitive United States internal documents and intelligence information." Obama's comments follow a firestorm of criticism that has erupted over disclosures that in separate investigations of leaks of classified information, the Justice Department had obtained private emails that Rosen exchanged with a source and the phone records of Associated Press reporters. (NBC News)

Conservative group's lawsuit targets IRS employees personally

2013-05-24T12:04:00Z

True the Vote is not only suing the IRS, but also taking action against the IRS employees who participated in the harassment of the voter education and election monitoring organization. Those employees could personally be held liable to pay damages that would be established in litigation. True the Votes’ lead counsel, Cleta Mitchell, explained in an email to The Daily Caller that she does not know whether the employees, if found to be liable in the lawsuit True the Vote filed against the IRS and its employees Tuesday, would pay out of pocket or take other avenues such as accessing union funds or homeowners insurance. Either way, she noted, the group will pursue its action. “[T]heir unlawful actions caused my clients to have to come up with the money to deal with their demands…out of their own personal finances… They didn’t seem to worry / care about that,” Mitchell wrote to TheDC. “Government employees never do care about the costs to private citizens of their burdensome demands….” Founder and president of True the Vote Catherine Engelbrecht explained in a conference call Thursday morning that in July of 2010 her organization filed an application for tax exemption. The request has been in limbo since then. (Daily Caller)

Code Pink protester interrupts the president

2013-05-24T11:57:00Z

A left-wing activist heckled President Barack Obama during his foreign policy speech Thursday, objecting to the president’s inability to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center as promised.“There is no justification, beyond politics, for Congress to prevent us from closing a facility that should have never been opened,” Obama said in regard to Guantanamo Bay, prompting an outburst from veteran Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the progressive activist organization Code Pink, who recently said in an interview that she refuses to allow Obama to shift the blame for not closing Guantanamo to Congress.“It’s not Congress. It’s you, sir! … You are commander-in-chief. You can close Guantanamo today!” Benjamin shouted at Obama, drawing a moderate amount of applause for her disruption.“Part of free speech is you being able to speak, but also me being able to speak. And you listening,” Obama said in response to Benjamin. Obama notably agreed with the content of Benjamin’s interruption. “It’s worth being passionate about. Is this who we are?” he asked.Benjamin was interviewed May 11 after a Code Pink protester chained herself to the White House gate in protest of Guantanamo Bay’s continued existence, saying that she refuses to allow the president to blame Congress for his own inaction. (Daily Caller)

IRS official on leave refused to resign

2013-05-24T11:51:00Z

First she refused to testify. Now Lois Lerner, the IRS official at the center of the tax agency scandal, is refusing to resign, according to a top Republican senator. Sources confirmed to Fox News earlier Thursday that Lerner, the head of the IRS division that oversaw the unit targeting conservative groups, had been placed on administrative leave, with pay. But Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, claimed she was only put in that status after refusing to step down. He said the commissioner was in his right to demand her resignation, and said taxpayers should not continue to pay her salary indefinitely. “My understanding is the new acting IRS commissioner asked for Ms. Lerner’s resignation, and she refused to resign. She was then put on administrative leave instead,” Grassley said in a statement. “The IRS owes it to taxpayers to resolve her situation quickly. The agency needs to move on to fix the conditions that led to the targeting debacle."

Capitol Hill sources said Lerner, the director of exempt organizations, was placed on paid leave Thursday, amid calls from some lawmakers for her to be suspended or fired. In her absence, Ken Corbin, the current deputy director of the submission processing, wage and investment division, will take over her duties, according to an internal IRS memo obtained by Fox News. Lerner, the official who first acknowledged the controversial IRS practice earlier this month, asserted her innocence at a House hearing on Wednesday. She then refused to testify, citing her Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination. The move angered many who say she should have been forced to answer why the tax agency targeted conservative groups applying for tax exempt status. Republican leaders of that committee, though, now say she waived that right by giving a statement and want to haul her back to testify. (Fox News)

Boy Scouts vote to allow openly gay youths, maintain ban on gay adult leaders

2013-05-24T11:48:00Z

The Boy Scouts of America on Thursday ended its ban on openly gay youths but maintained a prohibition on gay adult leaders, a decision framed as a compromise but one that could lead to litigation and thousands of defections from one of America’s largest youth organizations. The immediate impact of the policy change, endorsed by more than 60 percent of the organization’s 1,400 voting members, is likely to vary widely. Mormon officials on Thursday night said the church would stay involved with Scouting “based on our mutual interest in helping boys and young men understand and live their duty to God and develop upright moral behavior.” Bishop Paul Loverde, the leader of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, issued a statement saying the vote would likely force the diocese to reconsider sponsoring troops in about 50 of its parishes, while the Rev. William Byrne, secretary for pastoral ministry of the Archdiocese of Washington, said the new policy is not in conflict with Catholic teaching.

The vote of the century-old group symbolizes just how quickly many Americans’ views on homosexuality are changing. Just last summer the Scouts reaffirmed its desire to keep out openly gay boys and gay adult volunteers, a policy the Supreme Court upheld in 2000. But escalating pressure from families and major donors in the past year forced the Scouts to act. The vote by the Boy Scouts of America’s National Council, meeting in Grapevine, Tex., removes “the restriction denying membership to youth on the basis of sexual orientation alone,” the Boy Scouts of America said in a statement. “The Boy Scouts of America will not sacrifice its mission, or the youth served by the movement, by allowing the organization to be consumed by a single, divisive, and unresolved societal issue,” the statement said. “While people have different opinions about this policy, we can all agree that kids are better off when they are in Scouting.” The new policy goes into effect Jan. 1. (Washington Post)

Republicans Blast Obama Over Call To Repeal 9/11 Law on Military Force

2013-05-24T11:43:00Z

President Obama drew sharp criticism from Republican senators Thursday for urging the repeal of the 2001 law that effectively authorized the war on terror. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., claimed the president was assuming Al Qaeda is "on the run," calling that mindset "really incredible." The president addressed the law, known as the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), toward the end of an hour-long speech largely devoted to explaining and defending his administration's lethal drone program. He even referenced the fact that America is at war in defending the legality of the drone strikes. But Obama made clear that his ultimate goal is to update, and then repeal, the use of force law, saying he wants to fight terrorism without keeping the country on a "perpetual war-time footing." "The AUMF is now nearly twelve years old. The Afghan War is coming to an end. Core Al Qaeda is a shell of its former self," Obama said. "Unless we discipline our thinking our definitions, our actions, we may be drawn into more wars we don't need to fight, or continue to grant presidents unbound powers more suited for traditional armed conflicts between nation states.

"So I look forward to engaging Congress and the American people in efforts to refine, and ultimately repeal, the AUMF's mandate. And I will not sign laws designed to expand this mandate further," he said. "Our systematic effort to dismantle terrorist organizations must continue. But this war, like all wars, must end. That's what history advises. That's what our democracy demands." The resolution was passed by Congress three days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. It authorized the military and president to use all necessary force to go after those responsible, and prevent future acts of terror. It remains in effect. Obama will find support in Congress for revising and updating the law. Before the president's speech, Republican Sen. Bob Corker, top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the original law is "increasingly unrelated to current terrorist threats." (Fox News)

Bridge collapses in Washington state leaving cars and people in the water

2013-05-24T11:36:00Z

Three people were rescued from a river after a bridge along Interstate-5 in Washington State collapsed on Thursday evening, plunging cars into the water below, according to Washington State Patrol. Looking at specific areas of the bridge, the substructure (piers, abutments, footings, piles, etc.) was described as in satisfactory condition, with the superstructure (beams, girders, stringers, trusses, cables, pins, hangers, etc.) in somewhat worse condition, listed as fair, according to the inspection data online from the Federal Highway Administration. "Fair" meant that all primary structural elements were sound but may have minor defects. The extent of the injuries for the three is unclear, but all were evaluated on scene and were transported to area hospitals, according to Marcus Deyerin of the Washington Incident Management Team. Authorities say they have no reason to believe any others are still in the river. Two vehicles were submerged in the Skagit River when the bridge fell around 7 p.m. local time (10 p.m. EDT), and traffic has been closed in both directions.

A witnesses told KING5 that an oversized truck hit the upper right side of the bridge before the collapse, though it wasn't clear if that caused the span to give way. This I-5 bridge over the Skagit River at Mount Vernon was described by the Washington State Department of Transportation, after an inspection in August 2010, as "somewhat better than minimum adequacy to tolerate being left in place as is." State inspection reports submitted to the Federal Highway Administration were reviewed by NBC News. That overall evaluation of the structural condition on the bridge corresponds to a score of 5 on a scale from 0 (worst) to 9 (best). The 1,112-foot steel truss bridge was built in 1955, and was carrying an average daily traffic of 71,000 vehicles. The bridge was of a "fracture critical" design, as are 18,000 bridges nationwide, meaning it could collapse if even one part failed. Even after the bridge collapse that killed 13 people in Minneapolis in 2007, a haphazard system of inspections continued, with federal authorities choosing not to require re-inspection of all the fracture-critical bridges. (NBC News)

Dirty, couch-bound, unkempt, and unevolved: It's Samsung's new view of men.

2013-05-23T14:58:00Z

A new ad for Samsung televisions portrays men as dirty slobs, just a half step up from cavemen -- and it has the more evolved members of the male species crying foul. “That's probably one of the most vile adverts I've ever seen,” wrote one outraged user on a Reddit forum dedicated to men’s rights. “This isn't the normal IV drip of laughing at men; this is simply mainlining outright contempt.” “Are they trying to alienate their primary consumer base?” another person asked. The advertisement, released May 14, touts the company’s Evolution Kit, a plug in module that upgrades the software in the television without necessitating the purchase of a brand new set. The advertisement shows the average man as a caveman, aping a television program he is watching; his disgusted wife contemplates plugging the module into him instead. “Hilarity” ensues, the ad firm must have thought. Viewers of the ad disagree, jumping online solely to voice their displeasure. “I saw this as a commercial and came here just to dislike [it],” one person wrote Wednesday on YouTube, where Samsung posted the clip. (Fox News)

Obama prom photo revealed

2013-05-23T14:57:00Z

Even future presidents go to prom, as seen in newly released pictures of President Barack Obama before his 1979 event. TIME magazine on Thursday published photos of Obama, then 17, with his date and another couple before their senior prom in Hawaii. Obama was sporting a white suit jacket; his date Megan Hughes wore a light blue gown. Also pictured is Obama’s classmate Kelli Allman, who offered up the pictures, and her date Greg Orme. “You are extremely sweet and foxy, I don’t know why Greg would want to spend any time with me at all!” Obama wrote in Allman’s yearbook in a note that is also included in the TIME piece. “You really deserve better than clowns like us; you even laugh at my jokes!” (Politico)

Vote on Gay Scouts Comes at Emotional Moment

2013-05-23T14:56:00Z

The Boy Scouts of America's national leadership will vote Thursday whether to allow openly gay Scouts in its ranks, a critical and emotionally charged moment for one of the nation's oldest youth organizations and its millions of members. About 1,400 voting members of BSA's national council are to cast ballots Thursday on a resolution that would end a policy that allows youth Scouts to be excluded based only on sexual orientation. The ban on gay adult leaders would remain in place. The vote is taking place at a resort in Grapevine, Texas, not far from BSA's headquarters, during the national council's three-day annual meeting. While the meeting was closed to the public, it was closely watched by supporters and opponents of a change. Both sides on Wednesday made a final effort to explain their positions. Gay-rights supporters and others who want the policy changed held a summit at a nearby resort, while opponents held signs on the street next to the entrance and a rally nearby. The results are expected to be announced shortly after 5 p.m. CDT Thursday. (AP)

Some business owners resist providing employees with contraceptive coverage

2013-05-23T14:54:00Z

Religiously devout business owners are waging a broad rebellion against providing their employees with contraceptive coverage, bringing dozens of lawsuits that seem certain to land the issue before the Supreme Court. The company owners say their religious beliefs take precedence over a new federal requirement, contained in President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, that they give employees insurance that covers contraceptives. The legal battle took an important step forward Wednesday when an appeals court here heard arguments in two cases brought by business owners who are Catholic. Another challenge is scheduled to be heard Thursday by an appeals court in Denver, and two other courts are set to hear similar cases over the next two weeks. There are 60 cases filed nationwide objecting to the impending mandate, which requires employers to provide no-cost coverage of all contraceptives approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The challenges are split almost equally between those brought by corporations and by nonprofit entities with a religious affiliation or moral objection to contraception.

So far, it is the objections from religious-affiliated nonprofit corporations and institutions that have drawn the most attention. Groups such as Catholic bishops have accused the Obama administration of waging war on religious groups by insisting on the contraceptive mandate. But those cases are mostly in legal limbo as the administration works on regulations that might provide a compromise. Further along in the legal process are the suits filed by businesses with religious owners. These enterprises are involved in profit-making activities that have nothing to do with faith. The companies, among other things, make wooden cabinets, run a national chain of arts and crafts stores and supply salad greens to local Panera restaurants. Their challenges offer a complex set of issues — religious freedom, equality for women workers, whether a company rather than a person is protected in its exercise of religion — that already are dividing lower courts. (Washington Post)

American Workers' Health Care Costs Increase Again

2013-05-23T14:54:00Z

The family health care tab shows no sign of shrinking. On average, according to the latest Milliman Medical Index (MMI), a family of four covered through a typical employer health plan will pay out $9,144 this year in premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. That's up about 6.5 percent over 2012, though not as much as the prior year's increase of 7.2 percent. The 2013 rise translates into slightly more than $45 a month in higher monthly premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. A significant reason for the jump, based on today's figures from Milliman, a health care consultancy, is that employees are shouldering a greater share of the cost of health insurance. Families are paying 8.4 percent more than last year toward insurance premiums, while employers are paying 6.1 percent more. Between 2010 and now, employees have seen yearly increases of 8 percent to 9 percent in their average monthly premium; increases in the employer contribution have averaged less than 7 percent. Private-industry wages, by contrast, have risen less than 2 percent in the last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Families with coverage like the one built into Milliman's assumptions will pay an average of $5,544 in monthly premiums through payroll deductions and $3,600 out of pocket for doctor visits, medications and other medical bills. (US News)

Jury in Jodi Arias Trial Resumes Deliberations

2013-05-23T14:53:00Z

Jurors in Jodi Arias' murder trial resume deliberations Thursday after they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict on whether she should be sentenced to life in prison or death for killing her one-time boyfriend, prompting the judge to instruct them to keep trying. The panel reported its impasse Wednesday after only about two and a half hours of deliberations. Judge Sherry Stephens told jurors to try to identify areas of agreement and disagreement as they work toward a decision. The jury then continued deliberating until late afternoon, when it adjourned for the day without a decision. Under Arizona law, a hung jury in the death penalty phase of a trial requires a new jury to be seated to decide the punishment. If the second jury cannot reach a unanimous decision, the judge would then sentence Arias to spend her entire life in prison or be eligible for release after 25 years. In the event of a hung jury in the Arias trial, the case could drag on for several more months, said former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley. (AP)

Training Ground: Western radicals could be learning terrorism skills in Syrian conflict

2013-05-23T14:53:00Z

Americans and Europeans have been joining al Qaeda-affiliated groups in Syria in increasing numbers, causing concern that these Western radicals could attempt to carry out terrorist attack on the United States upon returning home, experts told Congress Wednesday. “Syria is becoming a training ground for foreign fighters,” Seth Jones, a former U.S. Special Operations liaison, told lawmakers during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing. “Syria is attracting a cadre of foreign fighters who could return home with the ability and intention” to commit terrorism in America and Europe, said Jones, currently a counterterrorism expert for RAND, a think-tank that provides analysis to the U.S. Armed Forces. “An increasing number of [Western] fighters have travelled to Syria … to fight against the Assad regime.” Terror organizations connected to al Qaeda have become a central presence in Syria as its years-long civil war spiral out of control, the experts told lawmakers. The al Qaeda-backed group Jabhat al-Nusra (JN), for instance, has already become more popular among rebels than the Free Syrian Army, which the United States and other Western nations have attempted to bolster. Al-Nusra is now turning Syria into a massive jihadi training camp, giving Western radicals the know-how to commit terrorist attacks on the United States and Europe once they return home, according to Jones and other experts who testified. (Free Beacon)

Ruemmler met one-on-one with radical-left Treasury lawyer long before April

2013-05-23T14:50:00Z

Although White House Chief Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler claims to have learned about the IRS audit scandal only last month, she had three unprecedented one-on-one meetings last year with the Treasury Department’s chief lawyer, who has known about the inspector general’s investigation of the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative nonprofits since at least June 2012. The Treasury lawyer in turn has a long history of extreme left-wing agitation. Christopher J. Meade, Treasury Chief Counsel, met with Ruemmler on September 27th, December 11th, and December 13th, 2012, according to White House Visitor Records requests. The two had never met one-on-one prior to these meetings. Meade was one of the first members of President Barack Obama’s administration to find out about the IRS investigation in June 2012, when he became the Treasury Department’s acting general counsel. The two also met with fifteen other people on July 2nd, 2012 and with fifteen other people on July 17th.

The unusual timing of the meetings suggest that Ruemmler and potentially other White House members may have known of the IRS Inspector General Report months earlier than has been reported. Meade himself is a long-time left-wing activist whose history of agitation goes back to his Ivy League days. As a Princeton undergraduate, Meade, along with two other students, was arrested in February 1990 for disorderly conduct after disrupting Vice President Dan Quayle’s speech to Congressional Republicans. “Protestors shouted ‘Stop the killing’ and ‘There’s women’s blood on your hands, Dan,’” wrote The Daily Princetonian on February 28, 1990. “They were taken out of the hall by Secret Service agents as they continued their heckling.” Meade was charged with “attempting to disrupt a lawful meeting (and to) interfere and obstruct Vice President Quayle (by addressing) him in unreasonably and offensively abusive language,” according to the school paper. He was also punished by the university.

Meade was particularly anti-Republican. “Give me any issue, and I’ll tell you why we’re protesting the Bush administration’s policy on it,” Meade told the Daily Princetonian, citing Quayle’s favoring of “hardline military spending” and U.S. intervention in Central America and Panama. “Another one is someone so dumb being the vice president,” Meade said, repeating a then-popular jibe about Quayle. The arrest was the culmination of a long period of left-wing agitation at Princeton. In April 1989, Meade led a class boycott against Princeton University after having planned a sit-in of the Dean of Students office that resulted in a letter of reprimand. “It just seems by doing things the nice way, no one listens,” he told the Daily Princetonian in April 1989. “This will get the administration’s ear.” Meade also led the left-wing campus group, Urban Action, which according to Meade had as its “primary purpose” “mobiliz[ing] students to get involved in issues of homelessness, gentrification, poverty, and racism.” (Daily Caller)

Colorado governor grants indefinite stay of execution to mass murderer

2013-05-23T14:50:00Z

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper tried to find middle ground in a clemency petition for convicted mass murderer Nathan Dunlap Wednesday, sealing neither his life nor his death, but settling instead on a temporary stay of execution. Hickenlooper made clear the stay would remain in effect as long as he is the governor. Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler, whose office sought Dunlap’s execution, said Hickenlooper’s decision “does not feel like an act of courage and it sure isn’t leadership.”

“I’m confused. I’m frustrated,” Brauchler told reporters after Hickenlooper made his announcement at the state capitol building in Denver. “Disappointed isn’t strong enough.”

“The governor shrugged,” Brauchler added, also saying he would have been happier if Hickenlooper had made a definitive decision. Instead, Brauchler charged that Hickenlooper has merely punted to future governors. Dunlap was convicted of killing four employees at a Chuck E. Cheese’s restaurant in 1993 and attempting to kill a fifth who survived the shooting attack. Dunlap, 19 at the time, had been recently fired from the restaurant. In the words of Eva Wilson, an assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case 17 years ago, he did it for revenge and for fame. His legal appeals exhausted, Dunlap was scheduled for execution in August. Had the state killing been carried out, it would have been in the first in Colorado since 1997 and only the second since 1967. In emotional comments, Hickenlooper said he struggled with the decision but ultimately decided that a temporary stay — which can be allowed to stand or be revoked by a future governor — satisfied his unease with the death penalty and still respected the rule of law and the work of the courts and jurors who sentenced Dunlap to die. (Daily Caller)

Did Lois Lerner Botch Fifth Amendment Rights?

2013-05-23T14:48:00Z

After a key agency IRS official today invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself during congressional testimony, Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa said he will review legal precedent in order to determine whether Lois Lerner, the director of Exempt Organizations at the IRS, could be held in contempt of Congress. Although Lerner, who’s at the center of the controversy, refused to answer questions from members of the committee, she read a brief statement into the record declaring her innocence. Furthermore, at the request of Issa, Lerner authenticated a document containing her written answers for the inspector general’s investigation of the matter. Those actions prompted members of the committee to question whether Lerner effectively waived her right to invoke the Fifth Amendment.

“She just testified. She just waived her Fifth Amendment right to privilege,” Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., a former federal prosecutor, said. “You don’t get to tell your side of the story and then not be subjected to cross-examination. That’s not the way it works.” Although Issa dismissed Lerner, at the end of the hearing he announced that the committee would recess rather than adjourn while he determines whether Lerner should be recalled before the panel. “Ms. Lerner may have waived her Fifth Amendment rights by addressing core issues in her opening statement and the authentication afterwards,” Issa, R-Calif., said as he brought the hearing to a close. “Although I excused Ms. Lerner subject to a recall, I am looking into the possibility of recalling her and insisting that she answer questions in light of a waiver.” (ABC News)

On IRS issue, senior White House aides were focused on shielding Obama

2013-05-23T14:35:00Z

As soon as White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler heard about an upcoming inspector general’s report on the Internal Revenue Service, she knew she had a problem. The notice Ruemmler saw on April 24 gave her a thumbnail sketch of a disturbing finding: that the IRS had improperly targeted tea party and other conservative groups. She shared the news with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and other senior White House aides, who all recognized the danger of the findings. But they agreed that it would be best not to share it with President Obama until the independent audit was completed and made public, in part to protect him from even the appearance of trying to influence an investigation. This account of how the White House tried to deal with the IRS inquiry — based on documents, public statements and interviews with multiple senior officials, including one directly involved in the discussions — shows how carefully Obama’s top aides were trying to shield him from any second-term scandal that might swamp his agenda or, worse, jeopardize his presidency.

The episode also offers a glimpse into the workings of Obama’s insular West Wing, which has struggled to cope in recent weeks with the IRS scandal, the continued fallout from last year’s deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya, and the Justice Department’s tracking of journalists as part of leak investigations. But Ruemmler and McDonough’s careful plan for the IRS was upended on May 10, when Lois Lerner, a senior official at the agency, broke the news by admitting that the IRS had given extra scrutiny to conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status. Senior White House officials were stunned to see the IRS trying to get ahead of its own story — and in doing so, creating a monstrous communications disaster for an administration that appeared not to know what its agencies were up to. Ruemmler views her mission strictly as advising Obama on the law and protecting executive branch prerogatives, colleagues and friends said. “She’s a lawyer’s lawyer,” said Neal Katyal, acting solicitor general in Obama’s first term and a close friend. “She can go with you toe to toe on footnotes and Supreme Court opinions or she can get into the intricacies of protecting the president against a Capitol Hill investigation.” Yet Ruemmler’s lawyerly focus sometimes conflicts with political imperatives. The absence of such dominant first-term personalities as former adviser David Axelrod and former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who could bridge those differences, has left the White House scrambling to contain its public damage. (Washington Post)

Woman says she tried to "talk down" suspects in London slaying

2013-05-23T14:33:00Z

Both suspects remained at the scene after the soldier was killed, and one woman stepped forward in an attempt to talk the two men down. "My instinct said to just talk to him, and he looked like a normal guy," explained mother and a scout leader Ingrid Loyau Kennet. "He wasn't drunk, he was not high on drugs, he looked like just a normal guy pissed off with the fact that women -- Muslim women and children -- are dying in their own country by the hand of white men." Loyau Kennet said she asked the man why he had done it. "He said he's a British soldier, he's killed people, he killed Muslim people in Muslim countries and have nothing to do here. And I said okay, so what would you like? And I tried to talk about what he felt, and he said all the bombs dropping and killing blindly, women, children, all Muslims." She told Britain's ITV that she tried to talk the suspects out of confronting the police and asked one of the men to hand over his knife. The suspects did not flee the scene, but instead stayed and engaged with Loyau Kennet, allowing bystanders to capture them on cell phone cameras. When police did arrive, the men charged forward and police opened fire. (CBS News)

Bloodied London Attacker Speaks After Beheading: 'You People Will Never Be Safe'

2013-05-23T14:30:00Z

KILLER: By Allah, we swear by the almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone. (EDIT) many, many ayah throughout the Koran [referring to religious verses] that we must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I apologize that women had to witness this today but in our lands women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your governments, they don’t care about you. You think David Cameron is going to get caught in the street when we start busting our guns? You think politicians are going to die? No, it’s going to be the average guy, like you

U.S. acknowledges killing of four U.S. citizens in counterterrorism operations

2013-05-23T13:58:00Z

The Obama administration acknowledged Wednesday that it has killed four Americans in overseas counterterrorism operations since 2009, the first time it has publicly taken responsibility for the deaths. Although the acknowledgment, contained in a letter from Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to Congress, does not say how the four were killed, three are known to have died in CIA drone strikes in Yemen in 2011: Anwar al-Awlaki, his 16-year-old son and Samir Khan. The fourth — Jude Kennan Mohammad, a Florida native indicted in North Carolina in 2009 — was killed in Pakistan, where the CIA has operated a drone campaign against terrorism suspects for nearly a decade. His death was previously unreported. Holder’s letter came the day before President Obama is due to deliver a major speech designed to fulfill a promise in his State of the Union address in January to make elements of his controversial counterterrorism policies more transparent and accountable to Congress and the American public. Obama is also under pressure to explain how he intends to make even modest progress on other priorities that were centerpieces of a pledge he made at the beginning of his first term. At the top of that list is closing the Guantanamo Bay prison, where 103 of the 166 detainees still in custody are on a hunger strike. The administration is planning to restart the transfer of the detainees, 86 of whom have been cleared to leave. A White House official said without elaboration that Obama “will announce a number of specific steps to advance” his goal of closing the facility. (Washington Post)

London Attack: Man Hacked to Death Was a British Soldier

2013-05-23T13:58:00Z

British authorities are debating whether to raise the country's threat level one day after a British soldier was hacked to death by suspects shouting jihadist slogans in southeast London. Britain's top leaders held an emergency meeting today in the equivalent of the White House Situation Room, deciding whether they believe Wednesday's assault near an army barracks could lead to more attacks. The soldier's family has asked that his identity not be released. Counterterrorism police searched a home in northeast England, according to police in Lincolnshire, and officers were seen meticulously searching a parking garage and a lawn in Woolwich, where the attack took place. They also continue to interview the two suspects, who are in the hospital under arrest after they were both shot by armed police. It's unclear whether they are cooperating with authorities. One of the alleged attackers was a British Christian who converted to Islam, according to Anjem Choudary, the former leader of the group Al Muhajiroun, a banned Islamist Organization.

Choudary told ABC News that the killer's name is Michael Adebolajo, who converted to Islam in 2003 and changed his name to Mujahid, meaning one who wages jihad. Choudary said Adebolajo was never a member of Al Muhajiroun but knew him because he attended the group's rallies from about 2005 to 2011. (ABC News)

Drones, Guantanamo part of broad Obama counterterrorism speech

2013-05-23T13:54:00Z

President Obama on Thursday will deliver a major speech on his counterterrorism policies, addressing everything from drone strikes and the status of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, to continuing efforts to fight al Qaeda and the legal framework for the continuing "war on terror." In the substantive speech to be delivered at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., Mr. Obama will announce plans to restart transfers of Guantanamo Bay prisoners to third countries. Before their transfer, the prisoners would have to be cleared for release, and the U.S. would have to be satisfied that an oversight and monitoring program is in place. The president will lift the prohibition on potential transfers to Yemen, but Congress may attempt to block this move. Broadly speaking, Mr. Obama is delivering this speech because he "is very concerned about the need to put an architecture in place that governs counterterrorism policy for now and into the future," White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Tuesday. "The President will provide the American people with an update on how the threat of terrorism has changed substantially since 9/11, as Al Qaeda's core in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been decimated, and new threats have emerged from al Qaeda affiliates, localized extremist groups, and homegrown terrorists," added a White House official in a written statement. (CBS News)

Anthony Weiner Announces Candidacy for Mayor in Video

2013-05-22T14:25:00Z

Anthony D. Weiner, once a rising star of New York politics whose career cratered over revelations of his sexually explicit life online, announced an improbable bid on Wednesday for the job he has long coveted: mayor. After a rocky re-emergence into public life over the past few weeks, marked by circuslike scenes of tabloid photographers chasing him onto the subway, Mr. Weiner opted to declare his candidacy from the safe remove of a video. The two-minute video, which was posted online without any accompanying announcement from Mr. Weiner’s campaign, is a slickly produced argument for the candidacy of Mr. Weiner, a former congressman. In the video, he briefly, and obliquely, acknowledges wrongdoing, but focuses his time on asserting that he has the experience and determination to help New York deal with issues of unaffordability, education and public safety. “Look, I made some big mistakes, and I know I let a lot of people down,” he says. “But I’ve also learned some tough lessons.” His candidacy, fueled by a $5 million war chest and a determination to resurrect his public standing, promises to immediately disrupt a wide-open Democratic primary race populated by several lesser-known candidates. (NY Times)

Woman in UK claims she is too pretty to work

2013-05-22T14:23:00Z

Beauty is usually seen as a blessing. But for some, it would seem, it can be a curse. Laura Fernee says her good looks are so powerful they are ruining her life - and have forced her to quit her job. The 33-year-old science graduate says her slim figure and pretty face attracted unwanted attention from her male colleagues. She also claims she has been ostracized by other women in the workplace who are jealous of her beauty. Miss Fernee now lives off her wealthy parents after quitting her job in scientific research two years ago. She said her appearance meant she was constantly harassed and bullied, and has decided work 'just isn't for her'.

'I'm not lazy and I'm no bimbo. The truth is my good looks have caused massive problems for me when it comes to employment, so I've made the decision that employment just isn't for me at the moment. It's not my fault. I can't help the way I look." Male colleagues were only interested in me for how I looked. I wanted them to recognize my achievements and my professionalism but all they saw was my face and body.' She said men left 'romantic gifts' on her desk and she was 'constantly asked out', which she found 'sleazy'. 'Even when I was in a laboratory in scrubs with no make-up they still came on to me because of my natural attractiveness. There was nothing I could do to stop it,' she added. (Daily Mail)

Oklahoma tornado packed more energy than atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima

2013-05-22T14:14:00Z

It really was as if a bomb went off. The tornado that leveled Moore, Okla., on Monday contained more energy than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, five separate meteorologists have found. Using real-time measurements, the meteorologists contacted by the Associated Press calculated the energy released during the tornado's 40-plus minutes on the ground and concluded that it ranged from eight to more than 600 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb. After surveying the full-scale damage to homes, shopping centers, and schools, the National Weather Service upgraded the storm to a top-of-the-scale EF-5 tornado with winds estimated between 200 and 210 mph. The 17-mile swath of destruction left by the 1.3-mile-wide twister stunned residents, many of whom were still struggling to come to terms with their memories of the storm. (NY Daily News)

Oklahoma Tornado: 2 Devastated Elementary Schools Had No Safe Rooms

2013-05-22T14:11:00Z

There are reinforced tornado shelters in more than 100 schools across Oklahoma, excluding the two that were devastated by a Tornado earlier this week in Moore, Okla., an emergency-management official said. As authorities search the rubble in Moore for possible survivors and bodies, among the unanswered questions is how everyone at Briarwood Elementary School survived while several students died at Plaza Towers Elementary School. Both schools were destroyed when an EF-5 twister with winds of at least 200 mph killed 24 people Monday and injured hundreds more. Some people believe those at Briarwood were more fortunate because of the school's construction. Each grade at Briarwood is organized into four pods with a few classrooms in each pod. An opening to the outside runs through the center of the pods. Teachers said that when the walls and ceilings collapsed, they crawled through that open area and children were passed over the rubble. Plaza Towers Elementary is more of a traditional school building with a long line of classrooms, all under one single roof. When the school collapsed, the roof and walls piled on top of one another, making it difficult for people to crawl to an outside space. Both schools had practiced tornado drills but neither had a safe room, which could have potentially saved lives. (ABC News)

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Senate panel approves sweeping immigration reform bill

2013-05-22T14:05:00Z

A Senate committee approved a sweeping immigration reform bill Tuesday that would provide a path to citizenship for up to 11 million illegal immigrants, setting the stage for the full Senate to consider the landmark legislation next month. After five days of debate over dozens of amendments, the Judiciary Committee voted 13 to 5 in support of the bill, with three Republicans joining the committee’s 10 Democrats. The legislation emerged with its core provisions largely intact, including new visa programs for high-tech and low-skilled workers and new investments in strengthening border control. President Obama, who has made immigration reform his top second-term priority, issued a statement praising the committee for approving a bill that is “largely consistent” with the principles he had outlined. “None of the committee members got everything they wanted, and neither did I,” Obama said, “but in the end, we all owe it to the American people to get the best possible result over the finish line.” The comprehensive bill is now headed to the full Senate, where Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) urged fellow Republicans on Tuesday not to block the bill from a floor vote. The Congressional Budget Office will take two weeks to issue an assessment of the fiscal cost of the bill, so Democratic aides said the floor debate could begin around June 10. The final Judiciary Committee vote represented a victory for the bipartisan group — four Democrats and four Republicans — that negotiated the 850-page comprehensive bill over several months.

Four of the bipartisan group members who are on the Judiciary Committee banded together to fight off the most serious challenges to the core provisions of the bill, including a last-minute attempt by Leahy to add protections for same-sex couples. In an emotional debate, Sens. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) said they wanted to support Leahy’s amendment, but that they would not because Republican members of the bipartisan group, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), said they would drop support if the provision were added to the legislation. Leahy ultimately withdrew the amendment “with a heavy heart,” amid near silence in the packed Senate hearing room. Rubio, who is not on the Judiciary Committee, issued a statement after the committee approved the bill praising their work but adding that “work still remains to be done.”

The legislation already would raise the annual limit of high-tech visas, known as H-1B, from 65,000 to as many as 180,000, but Hatch had lobbied to eliminate other restrictions on U.S. companies seeking to hire engineers and programmers from abroad. The compromise amendment lifts the requirement that companies first offer tech jobs to Americans for all firms except those that depend on foreigners for more than 15 percent of their workforce and relaxes the formula for determining the annual number of foreign high-tech workers. The high-tech amendments are perhaps the most substantial changes to the immigration bill over five days of hearings on dozens of proposed changes. Hatch warned he could still drop his support in the full Senate if other concerns aren’t met. “I’ve got to get those or we’ll never pass this bill,” he said. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka called Hatch’s amendments “unambiguous attacks on American workers” and he vowed to press for changes during the full Senate debate. (Washington Post)

Accused Fort Hood Shooter Paid $278,000 While Awaiting Trial

2013-05-22T14:03:00Z

The Department of Defense confirms to NBC 5 Investigates that accused Fort Hood shooter Major Nidal Hasan has now been paid more than $278,000 since the Nov. 5, 2009 shooting that left 13 dead 32 injured. The Army said under the Military Code of Justice, Hasan’s salary cannot be suspended unless he is proven guilty. If Hasan had been a civilian defense department employee, NBC 5 (Dallas) Investigates has learned, the Army could have suspended his pay after just seven days. Personnel rules for most civilian government workers allow for "indefinite suspensions" in cases "when the agency has reasonable cause to believe that the employee has committed a crime for which a sentence of imprisonment may be imposed." Meanwhile, more than three years later soldiers wounded in the mass shooting are fighting to receive the same pay and medical benefits given to those wounded in combat.

Retired Army Spc. Logan Burnett, a reservist who, in 2009, was soon to be deployed to Iraq, was shot three times when a gunman opened fire inside the Army Deployment Center. “I honestly thought I was going to die in that building,” said Burnett. “Just blood everywhere and then the thought of -- that's my blood everywhere.” Burnett nearly died. He's had more than a dozen surgeries since the shooting, and says post-traumatic stress still keeps him up at night. Burnett is now fighting a new battle; only this one is against the U.S. Army. The Army has not classified the wounds of the Ft. Hood victims as “combat related” and declines to label the shooting a “terrorist attack.” The “combat related” designation is an important one, for without it Burnett and other shooting victims are not given combat-related pay, they are not eligible for Purple Heart retirement or medical benefits given to other soldiers wounded either at war or during the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon. As a result, Burnett, his wife Torey, and the families of other Fort Hood victims miss out on thousands of dollars of potential benefits and pay every year. (NBC – Dallas)

Top IRS official to invoke 5th Amendment, decline to testify at House hearing

2013-05-22T14:00:00Z

Lois Lerner, the director of the IRS division that singled out conservative groups, is expected to invoke the Fifth Amendment Wednesday when she appears before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Fox News has learned. That means Lerner, head of the exempt organizations division, probably won’t answer any questions on what she knew about IRS agents going after Tea Party-related groups. That also means she probably won’t say why she sat on the information for so long before it became public. Lerner’s attorney William Taylor III asked committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., in a letter if she could skip Wednesday’s hearing since she would be pleading the Fifth. Taylor argued in the letter that forcing Lerner to appear “would have no purpose other than to embarrass or burden her.”

Late Tuesday, the House oversight committee released a statement saying Lerner was still under subpoena and would be required to appear in the morning. “Chairman Issa remains hopeful that she will ultimately decide to testify tomorrow about her knowledge of outrageous IRS targeting of Americans for the political beliefs,” committee spokesman Ali Ahmad said in a statement. Other former or outgoing IRS officials have already testified, and will continue to give their testimony on Wednesday. But Lerner, who is the official who first acknowledged the IRS program, has faced significant scrutiny. Since the Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into the IRS scandal and the House committee indicated it would question Lerner about why she provided incomplete information to the committee at least four times last year, Taylor wrote that his client would be invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The House committee is also scheduled to hear from Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal Wolin, among others, as the search for someone who will claim responsibility continues. (Fox News)

Ben Stein: From the Obama Ministry of Truth

2013-05-22T13:58:00Z

From The American Spectator:

…we are supposed to believe that a massive assault by the IRS on a popular uprising called the Tea Party was known to the higher ups at the IRS, at the Justice Department, and at the White House. But Mr. Obama, much too pure and innocent to be told about mistakes in his administration, was too busy bathing the feet of the poor and tending to lepers to be told that his administration was engaged in an Orwellian attack on free speech. Now, you see if you fail to believe that, you are the worst thing that you can be in today’s world. You are a racist. You can be a homosexual. In fact, that’s a good thing. You can be a pornographer. In fact, you’re supposed to be a pornographer. You can kiss the butts of terrorists. That’s called leading from behind and abandoning American “exceptionalism,” a really wicked idea that America is exceptionally great. You can be all of these things. But no matter what, you cannot be a racist against blacks. (You can be a racist against whites.)

But if you criticize Mr Obama, you are a racist. Thus, quod erat demonstrandum, Mr. Obama cannot be criticized. So, he did not for a moment know that his IRS was tormenting the political movement that laid him low in 2010. And, if you doubt it, you’re a Klansman. Let’s see what else we are supposed to believe... Who would have ever dreamed things could go so wrong? And if Mr. Obama can never be held accountable because his father was a Kenyan, when does this ever stop?

Washington Post Analysis: In AP, Rosen investigations, government makes criminals of reporters

2013-05-22T13:57:00Z

Dana Milbank:

There are various reasons you might not care about the Obama administration’s spying on journalist James Rosen and labeling him a “co-conspirator and/or aider and abettor” in an espionage case. Liberals may not be particularly bothered because the targeted journalist works for Fox News. Conservatives may not be concerned because of their antipathy toward the news media generally. And the general public certainly doesn’t have much patience for journalists’ whining. But here’s why you should care — and why this case, along with the administration’s broad snooping into Associated Press phone records, is more serious than the other supposed Obama administration scandals regarding Benghazi and the Internal Revenue Service. The Rosen affair is as flagrant an assault on civil liberties as anything done by George W. Bush’s administration, and it uses technology to silence critics in a way Richard Nixon could only have dreamed of.

To treat a reporter as a criminal for doing his job — seeking out information the government doesn’t want made public — deprives Americans of the First Amendment freedom on which all other constitutional rights are based. Guns? Privacy? Due process? Equal protection? If you can’t speak out, you can’t defend those rights, either. Beyond that, the administration’s actions shatter the president’s credibility and discourage allies who would otherwise defend the administration against bogus accusations such as those involving the Benghazi “talking points.” If the administration is spying on reporters and accusing them of criminality just for asking questions — well, who knows what else this crowd is capable of doing?

When Rosen and I covered the Bush White House together a decade ago, I knew him as a scrappy reporter who had a fascination with Watergate trivia. He later wrote a sympathetic biography of John Mitchell, Nixon’s disgraced attorney general. Now he’s learning just how abusive a Justice Department can be, from an administration that has launched more leak prosecutions than all previous administrations combined.

Justice Department targeted FNC's James Rosen's parents as well

2013-05-22T13:56:00Z

On Tuesday’s “Special Report” on the Fox News Channel, host Bret Baier revealed that the intrusions into James Rosen’s privacy went beyond Rosen himself and also involved his parents. Baier laid out the specifics of Rosen’s situation during the panel segment, first reported by The Washington Post earlier this week. “The U.S. attorney’s office in D.C. said because of this case — it’s an open case — active prosecution, they’re limited in what they can share,” Baier said. “The government exhausted, they said, ‘All reasonable non-media alternatives for collecting this evidence before seeking court approval for a search warrant based on the investigation and all the facts known to date. No other individuals, including the reporter, have been charged since Mr. Kim was indicted nearly three years ago.’ We can report that James Rosen, to his knowledge, was never contacted by anyone in the administration.” Baier revealed that in addition to Rosen having his own phone records seized, the federal government had also seized Rosen’s parents’ phone records. “You know, I just want to point out one more thing,” Baier said. “You know, we said the different numbers. We have the documents now, and the seized toll records also relate to James’ parents’ home in Staten Island.” (Daily Caller)

DOJ seized phone records of numbers tied to Fox News lines, documents show

2013-05-22T13:54:00Z

Newly uncovered court documents show the Justice Department seized phone records associated with several Fox News lines as part of a leak investigation -- a revelation that comes as the White House Correspondents' Association spoke out against the administration's monitoring of reporters. Documents filed in October 2011 appear to show exchanges that match the specific locations of Fox News' White House, Pentagon, State Department and other operations. The last four digits of each of the phone numbers listed are redacted in the government filing so it is impossible to know the full numbers. The information was included in a long list of phone numbers, email addresses and other details that prosecutors shared with defense attorneys shortly after the alleged leaker was indicted. Asked about the documents, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told Fox News he "can't comment on an ongoing criminal investigation." Meanwhile, the Correspondents' Association spoke out on incidents involving two news organizations. The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of phone records from the Associated Press and obtained a search warrant for the personal emails of Fox News' James Rosen. The information about the phone records was uncovered Tuesday. In the latter case, an FBI agent also claimed in an affidavit that Rosen was possibly a criminal "co-conspirator." Though no charges were brought against Rosen, the White House Correspondents' Association said no journalist should even face that threat for doing their jobs. (Fox News)

Advisers Urged Obama Early On To Release Comprehensive Benghazi Timeline

2013-05-22T13:51:00Z

The White House Counsel’s office advised senior Obama officials to keep quiet about the attack in Benghazi during the weeks preceding last year’s November presidential election, according to two administration sources. BuzzFeed has learned that key members of President Obama’s national security team, including deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes, pushed to release a comprehensive timeline of events documenting the attack that would also synthesize the views of the various government agencies into one report. The CIA also wanted the White House to put out such a timeline, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Those plans were quashed, however, when the White House Counsel’s office, which is led by Kathryn Ruemmler, advised the officials to not release any information to the public out of fear it could be used against them in any subsequent investigations and other legal complications.

The White House told BuzzFeed any suggestion that Ruemmler shot down the release of the Benghazi timeline was “off base” — but an official said the White House would not comment “on leaks out of purported internal deliberations.” BuzzFeed’s sources said the legal advice proved frustrating for a number of officials in the president’s orbit, who felt they would have better served to put to rest controversy that has lasted nine months. “It was aggravating,” one administration official said. “It comes back to Kathryn Ruemmler, Kathyrn Ruemmler, Kathryn Ruemmler. I hate to say it, as it sounds like piling on, but it’s on her doorstep too.” Ruemmler has also come under fire this week for not making the president and others aware of the IRS investigation.

Sharyl Attkisson's computers compromised

2013-05-22T13:51:00Z

Sharyl Attkisson, the Emmy-award winning CBS News investigative reporter, says that her personal and work computers have been compromised and are under investigation."I can confirm that an intrusion of my computers has been under some investigation on my end for some months but I'm not prepared to make an allegation against a specific entity today as I've been patient and methodical about this matter," Attkisson told POLITICO on Tuesday. "I need to check with my attorney and CBS to get their recommendations on info we make public." In an earlier interview with WPHT Philadelphia, Attkisson said that though she did not know the full details of the intrustion, "there could be some relationship between these things and what's happened to James [Rosen]," the Fox News reporter who became the subject of a Justice Dept. investigation after reporting on CIA intelligence about North Korea in 2009.

On Sunday, The Washington Post reported that the Justice Dept. had searched Rosen's personal e-mails and tracked his visits to the State Dept. The court affadavit described Rosen as “at the very least, either as an aider, abettor and/or co-conspirator" of his government source, presumably because he had solicited classified information from that source -- an argument that has been heavily criticized by other journalists. Attkisson told WPHT that irregular activity on her computer was first identified in Feb. 2011, when she was reporting on the Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal and on the Obama administration's green energy spending, which she said "the administration was very sensitive about." Attkisson has also been a persistent investigator of the events surrounding last year's attack in Benghazi, and its aftermath. (Politico)

Man with ties to Boston bombing suspects shot during FBI questioning

2013-05-22T13:47:00Z

A 27-year-old Orlando, Fla., man was shot and killed during a gunfight with the FBI overnight after being questioned in the Boston Marathon bombing, according to numerous reports today. The FBI in Tampa confirmed to the Herald this morning that a suspect has been shot in Orlando by an agent "conducting official duties" and they expect to release more information later today. A friend of the slain man said the suspect was approached by federal agents in relation to the April 15 Boston bombing because he was a mixed martial arts fighter who may have known bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Orlando TV station WESH is reporting. Tsarnaev -- killed in a wild shootout with police just after midnight April 19 -- was an MMA fighter before he quit and turned to terror. The FBI has also questioned a friend of Tsarnaev's in New Hampshire last week.

The FBI in Tampa told the Herald this morning they are investigating the fatal shooting in Orlando now, according to FBI Special Agent Dave Couvertier. "We are currently responding to a shooting incident involving an FBI special agent. The incident occurred in Orlando Florida," Couvertier said via email. "The agent encountered the suspect while conducting official duties. The suspect is deceased. We do not have any further details at this time. We expect to have more information later this morning."

FBI ID'S BENGHAZI SUSPECTS... BUT NO ARRESTS YET

2013-05-22T13:44:00Z

The U.S. has identified five men who might be responsible for the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, and has enough evidence to justify seizing them by military force as suspected terrorists, officials say. But there isn't enough proof to try them in a U.S. civilian court as the Obama administration prefers. The men remain at large while the FBI gathers evidence. But the investigation has been slowed by the reduced U.S. intelligence presence in the region since the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks, and by the limited ability to assist by Libya's post-revolutionary law enforcement and intelligence agencies, which are still in their infancy since the overthrow of dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi. The decision not to seize the men militarily underscores the White House aim to move away from hunting terrorists as enemy combatants and holding them at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The preference is toward a process in which most are apprehended and tried by the countries where they are living or arrested by the U.S. with the host country's cooperation and tried in the U.S. criminal justice system. Using military force to detain the men might also harm fledgling relations with Libya and other post-Arab-Spring governments with whom the U.S. is trying to build partnerships to hunt al-Qaida as the organization expands throughout the region. (AP)

Democratic Senator uses Okla. tornado for anti-GOP rant over global warming

2013-05-21T14:41:00Z

While many Americans were tuned into news coverage of the massive damage from tornadoes ravaging the state of Oklahoma, Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse took to the Senate floor to rail against his Republican colleagues for denying the theory of anthropogenic global warming. Whitehouse spent 15 minutes chastising GOP senators and justified his remarks by alluding to states that seek federal assistance in the wake of natural disasters. “So, you may have a question for me,” Whitehouse said. “Why do you care? Why do you, Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, care if we Republicans run off the climate cliff like a bunch of proverbial lemmings and disgrace ourselves? I’ll tell you why. We’re stuck in this together. We are stuck in this together. When cyclones tear up Oklahoma and hurricanes swamp Alabama and wildfires scorch Texas, you come to us, the rest of the country, for billions of dollars to recover. And the damage that your polluters and deniers are doing doesn’t just hit Oklahoma and Alabama and Texas. It hits Rhode Island with floods and storms. It hits Oregon with acidified seas, it hits Montana with dying forests. So, like it or not, we’re in this together.”

Whitehouse went on to condemn the current Republican position on global warming, citing economic, environmental and diplomatic damages. “You drag America with you to your fate,” he continued. “So, I want this future: I want a Republican Party that has returned to its senses and is strong and a worthy adversary in a strong America that has done right by its people and the world. That’s what I want. I don’t want this future. I don’t want a Republican Party disgraced, that let its extremists run off the cliff, and an America suffering from grave economic and environmental and diplomatic damage because we failed, because we didn’t wake up and do our duty to our people, and because we didn’t lead the world. I do not want that future. But that’s where we’re headed. So I will keep reaching out and calling out, ever hopeful that you will wake up before it is too late.” (Daily Caller)

Daily Show co-creator: Oklahoma tornado 'ordered to only target conservatives'

2013-05-21T14:38:00Z

With a massive tornado devastating the Oklahoma City area Daily Show co-creator Lizz Winstead took to Twitter to claim that the tornado was targeted at conservatives. “This tornado is in Oklahoma so clearly it has been ordered to only target conservatives,” Winstead tweeted in an apparent attempt at humor, trying to apply the Internal Revenue Service targeting of conservatives to the tornado bearing down on Oklahoma. When she received push-back on Twitter she responded “If Its not OK to YOU for me to combine news stories to point out hypocrisy AND Im not making fun of victims u shld Unfollow.” Winstead eventually went on to apologize for her joke. “Made a political joke, Twas before devastation revealed. In hindsight, had I understood, I would have refrained. Beyond sorry. ‪#LetMeHaveIt,” she tweeted. (Daily Caller)

The Pope and the Devil: Is Francis an Exorcist?

2013-05-21T14:37:00Z

Is Pope Francis an exorcist? The question has been swirling ever since Francis laid his hands Sunday on the head of a young man after celebrating Mass in St. Peter's Square. The young man heaved deeply a half-dozen times, convulsed and shook, and then slumped in his wheelchair as Francis prayed over him. The television station of the Italian bishops' conference said it had surveyed exorcists, who agreed that Francis either performed an exorcism or a prayer to free the man from the devil. The Vatican was more cautious Tuesday, saying Francis "didn't intend to perform any exorcism. But as he often does for the sick or suffering, he simply intended to pray for someone." Fueling the speculation is Francis' obsession with the devil, a frequent subject of his homilies. (AP)

Angry mob in Denver attacks man thought to be sexual predator

2013-05-21T14:36:00Z

Residents angry that police had not warned them about sex assaults of children took matters into their own hands, chasing down a man they thought was the attacker, pelting him with rocks and leaving him with a bloody face in Colorado, authorities said Monday. Pueblo police later released the man because of lack of evidence, The Pueblo Chieftain reported. Neighborhood residents were looking for a man suspected of two separate sexual acts when they got word that a man matching the description had been spotted, said Alex Pacheco, one of the pursuers. The group confronted the man and he ran. Pursuers surrounded him and punched him in the face, police Capt. Tom Rummel said. Arriving officers shoved the man into a police car and whisked him to the station for questioning. He was not seriously injured. "The primary officer on the scene said get him out of here," Rummel said. Pacheco told the newspaper that residents were canvassing the area looking for the man who committed the sex crimes during the past few months. One incident involved the sexual assault of a girl in her home. In the other, authorities said a man with the same description exposed himself to another child.

Police said the mob grew to about a half-dozen people as residents learned of the chase and joined in. "We went through the right channels in contacting the police but there hasn't been much response," Pacheco said. "We can't wait around any longer without doing something. These are children that this man is after and we can't let any more children get hurt by him." Rummel said police had notified the media and posted warnings on social media about the attacks, but authorities are not required by law to notify residents because no one had been arrested. Rummel said police only had a vague description of the suspect because he wore a bandanna over his face. The 54-year-old man accosted by the mob did not want to file charges against his pursuers, the chief said. "He said folks were reacting to a bad situation and he told the officer, `I don't want to go that route,"' Rummel said. "He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." The name of the man was not released because no charges were filed. He agreed to give investigators a DNA sample so he could be ruled out as a suspect. (AP)

Judge denies Jodi Arias lawyers' request to withdraw from case

2013-05-21T14:33:00Z

The penalty phase of the Jodi Arias murder trial wrapped up for the day Monday after an unexpected series of legal arguments in which her defense lawyers asked for a mistrial and to withdraw from the case -- both of which were rejected by the judge. The trial is scheduled to continue Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. ET with Arias speaking directly to the jury, but without cross-examination. Jurors will find out then if she tells them the same thing she told a local reporter: She'd rather be executed than spend her life in prison.

Defense attorneys told the judge Monday they would call no witnesses after a key witness refused to take the stand because of death threats. They argued the attention the case has received has made it impossible for Arias to receive a fair trial. Defense lawyer Kirk Nurmi alleged the prosecutor has fanned the flames with incendiary attacks on witnesses, stirring up outrage among the public. He noted an earlier defense expert witness also received death threats. "This cannot be a modern day version ... of witch trials," Nurmi said. After Judge Sherry Stephens denied their mistrial request, Nurmi and defense lawyer Jennifer Willmott asked to withdraw. The judge promptly rejected that request, too. It was the second time in the past week that the defense has asked to step down. (Fox News)

IRS targeted conservative college interns

2013-05-21T14:32:00Z

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) demanded information about conservative groups’ college-aged interns, prompting outrage from one of the country’s top conservative activist organizations and leading one former intern to wonder whether his family’s pizza parlor would be endangered. The IRS requested, in an audit, the names of the conservative Leadership Institute’s 2008 interns, as well as specific information about their internship work and where the interns were employed in 2012, according to a document request the IRS sent to the Leadership Institute, dated February 14, 2012. The IRS requested:

“Copies of applications for internships and summer programs; to include: lists of those selected for internships and students in 2008.
– In regards to such internships, please provide information regarding where the interns physically worked and how the placement was arranged.
– After completing internships and courses, where were the students and interns employed?”

The Arlington, Virginia-based Leadership Institute is a conservative activist training organization founded in 1979 by Virginia Republican National Committeeman Morton C. Blackwell, the youngest elected delegate to the 1964 Republican convention that nominated Barry Goldwater. The institute was audited in 2011. As The Daily Caller has reported, at least two different IRS offices made a concerted effort to obtain the group’s training materials. The Leadership Institute’s audit, which was conducted by the IRS’ Baltimore office and which ended with no determination of wrongdoing but cost the conservative group $50,000 in legal fees, only covered the year 2008, leading employees to speculate that the IRS’ primary interest was figuring out how the group operates during a presidential election year. (Daily Caller)

Politico: The White House's shifting IRS account

2013-05-21T14:31:00Z

The White House on Monday once again added to the list of people who knew about the IRS investigation into its targeting of conservative groups — saying White House chief of staff Denis McDonough had been informed about a month ago. Press secretary Jay Carney said again that no one had told President Barack Obama ahead of the first news reports: not his top aide McDonough, nor his chief counsel Kathy Ruemmler, nor anyone from the Treasury Department. Monday’s revelation amounts to the fifth iteration of the Obama administration’s account of events, after initially saying that the White House had first learned of the controversy from the press. Republicans said they were on the lookout for the next installment in the White House’s ever-shifting narrative. Here’s how the White House account has evolved:

Friday, May 10: IRS official Lois Lerner disclosed at an American Bar Association conference that the agency had targeted non-profit applications from groups with tea party language in their name. That afternoon, Carney said he didn’t know when the White House first became aware of the investigation. “I don’t have an answer to that specifically,” Carney said. “I know that when the IG began investigating it, that it’s been investigating it for however long the IRS has said, but I don’t have a specific answer to that.” Outside the White House, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said that he’d first learned of the details of the investigation from news reports.
Monday, May 13: Obama, during his press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron, said he first learned about the IRS story from the press. “I first learned about it from the same news reports that I think most people learned about this,” Obama said. “I think it was on Friday.” Later in the day, Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One that White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler’s office was told “in the week of April 22” that an inspector general’s report was coming “involving the office in Cincinnati.” “But that’s all they were informed as a normal sort of heads up,” Carney said. “And we have never — we don’t have access to, nor should we, the IG’s report or any draft versions of it.”
Tuesday, May 14: The inspector general’s report was released, and Obama released a statement directing Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to “hold those responsible for these failures accountable.”
Wednesday, May 15: Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller resigned at Obama’s request.
Thursday, May 16: Obama, during his press conference with Turkey’s prime minister, repeated that he’d been unaware of the inspector general’s report before learning about it via press reports. “I can assure you that I certainly did not know anything about the IG report before the IG report had been leaked through the press,” Obama said. “Typically, the IG reports are not supposed to be widely distributed or shared. They tend to be a process that everybody is trying to protect the integrity of.”
Friday, May 17: Lew, during an interview with Bloomberg News, revealed he’d actually first learned of the inspector general’s investigation in March, adding that he hadn’t been aware of the details of the report until May 10.
Monday, May 20: A senior White House official confirmed to POLITICO that Treasury Department staffers told White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler the inspector general report was nearing completion during the week of April 22. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney originally acknowledged that the counsel’s office had been told of the investigation during a press briefing last Monday. But Carney didn’t explicitly say Ruemmler had learned that conservative groups were targeted and how they were singled out.

Later, during the White House briefing, Carney told reporters that some staff in the counsel’s office were told of the report — and others nearing completion — a week earlier, on April 16. Ruemmler did inform chief of staff Denis McDonough’s office of the investigation, Carney said, and other senior staff were also told of the report. Carney wouldn’t say who those other staffers were, but did say there were communications between White House and Treasury Department staff ahead of the first news reports of the IRS investigation 10 days ago.

Did Obama and IRS Union Boss Talk Tea Party? WH Won't Say

2013-05-21T14:30:00Z

The head of the National Treasury Employee Union (NTEU), which represents employees of the Internal Revenue Service, met with President Barack Obama in the White House one day before the manager of the IRS’s “Technical Unit” suggested establishing a “Sensitive Case Report” for the tax-exempt status applications of Tea Party groups, according to data from the official White House visitor log and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. The White House visitor log shows that NTEU President Colleen Kelley met with Obama--“POTUS,” President of the United States--on March 31, 2010. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration report on the IRS's targeting of the tax-exempt applications of Tea Party groups for heightened scrutiny includes a "Comprehensive Timeline of Events" that outlines the IRS actions in this matter over the course of more than two years. The fourth item in this timeline says that on “April 1-2, 2010,” the "new Acting Manager, Technical Unit, suggested the need for a Sensitive Case Report on the Tea Party cases. The Determinations Unit Program Manager agreed.” In a May 20 article, The American Spectator’s Jeffrey Lord first noted the chronological proximity of Obama's meeting with the NTEU's Collins (based on the White House log) and the action by the manager of the IRS's Technical Unit, based on the IG report. (CNS News)

Ex-IRS chief heads to Hill as Carney says White House senior staff told of probe findings

2013-05-21T14:28:00Z

Lawmakers will get their first opportunity to question the man who ran the IRS when agents were improperly targeting tea party groups Tuesday, as the timeline for when senior White House officials knew about the scandal seems to be shifting. The lawmakers are expected to ask former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman why he didn't tell Congress that agents had been singling out conservative political groups for additional scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status -- even after he was briefed on the matter. Shulman, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, left the IRS in November when his five-year term ended. He is testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, which has launched a bipartisan investigation into the matter. The hearing comes after White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Monday that the president’s counsel was told on April 24 about the preliminary findings of an IRS audit that showed tax officials unfairly targeted Tea Party groups applying for tax-exempt status. Carney had previously said that White House counsel did not have any details about the IRS probe and was given a generic heads up that one was being conducted. Senior legal counsel Kathryn Ruemmler was told about the audit on April 24, Carney said Monday. She then told Denis McDonough, Obama’s chief of staff and other senior officials about the investigation. “It was the judgment of counsel this is not a matter she should convey to the president,” Carney said. “Her opinion that this is not the kind of thing that requires notification to the president.”

“No one in this building intervened in an independent investigation or anything that could be seen that way,” he said, adding that the misconduct had stopped in 2012, “almost a year before we knew about it.” Carney also said while Ruemmler knew the subject of the investigation and potential findings, they were not given a draft of the report and understood details could change. Ahead of the hearing, the committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, the ranking Republican, sent a letter to the IRS Monday, asking for an explanation. The letter included 41 separate requests for information. They gave the IRS until May 31 to respond. The two senators said the IRS had not been forthcoming about the issue in the past. (Fox News)

Incredbile Time Lapse Footage of the Tornado

2013-05-21T14:26:00Z

Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee

At least 51 people, including 20 children, dead after massive twister strikes near Oklahoma City

2013-05-21T14:21:00Z

A massive tornado at least a half mile-wide with 200 mph winds churned through Oklahoma City's suburbs Monday afternoon, killing at least 51 people, including at least 20 children, and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled inside. Amy Elliott, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office, said early Tuesday that 51 people were confirmed dead, at least twenty of them children. She said officials could see as many as 40 additional fatalities. The storm decimated scores of buildings in Moore, a community of 41,000 people about 10 miles south of Oklahoma City. Block after block lay in ruins. Homes were crushed into piles of broken wood. Cars and trucks were left crumpled on the roadside. More than 120 people were being treated at hospitals, including about 50 children.

Search and rescue crews were looking for anyone who may be trapped in the rubble. Many land lines to stricken areas were down, and cell phone networks were congested. The storm was so massive that it will take time to establish communications between rescuers and state officials, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin said. Fallin deployed 80 National Guard members to assist with rescue operations and activated extra highway patrol officers. She also spoke with President Obama, who declared a major disaster and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts. Families anxiously waited at nearby churches to hear if their loved ones had survived. A man with a megaphone stood Monday evening near St. Andrews United Methodist Church and called out the names of surviving children. Parents waited nearby, hoping to hear their sons' and daughters' names.

While some parents and children hugged each other as they reunited, others were left to wait, fearing the worst as the night dragged on. Crews continued their desperate search-and-rescue effort throughout the night at Plaza Towers Elementary, where the storm had ripped off the school's roof, knocked down walls and turned the playground into a mass of twisted plastic and metal as students and teachers huddled in hallways and bathrooms. Children from the school were among the dead, but several students were pulled out alive earlier Monday from under a collapsed wall and other heaps of mangled debris. Rescue workers passed the survivors down a human chain of parents and neighborhood volunteers. Parents carried children in their arms to a triage center in the parking lot. Some of the students looked dazed while others appeared terrified. (Fox News)

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UPDATE: ACLU backs students in San Diego 'twerking' video

2013-05-20T14:41:00Z

The American Civil Liberties Union is urging a San Diego-area high school principal to reconsider harsh punishments given to 31 students for making an on-campus video featuring suggestive "twerking" dance moves. ACLU legal director David Loy wrote in a letter Thursday that Scripps Ranch High School Principal Ann Menna's suspensions were unjustified and excessive. The students, mostly girls, were suspended from school earlier this month after the rump-shaking video was posted online. School officials called the video deeply offensive with implications for lewd conduct and sexual harassment. Loy says the principal is wrongly interpreting the state's sexual harassment code to justify the suspension. The ACLU is not representing any of the students legally, though some have retained lawyers. A late message left at the school was not immediately returned. (Mercury-News)

Pelosi: GOP 'Makes So Much' of Scandals Because Obama Is

2013-05-20T14:19:00Z

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that Republicans are using scandals coming out of the White House to undermine President Barack Obama out of "fear," because he is “such a great president.” At her press conference: (CNS News)

“They make so much of these issues, because this president is such a great president. He’s a visionary—you’ve heard me say this so many times.This is a great president. He’s a visionary. He has a knowledge of our country, concerns of the American people that give him judgment as to what plan we should have to go forward to strengthen the middle class. And he has an eloquence to convey that message. They fear that, and so any issue that comes up, they will try to exploit. And some of them are legitimate issues, but they should not dominate everything. And so what I think is that they have used talking points on Benghazi. They will use the IRS. They will use the AP. They will use these as, again, subterfuges, evasions of what the American people want us to do here.”

Bob Schieffer:

2013-05-20T14:12:00Z

BOB SCHIEFFER: When the burglars broke into Democratic Headquarters at the Watergate, a lot of us back then found it hard to believe. Why would anyone break into a political headquarters? What did they hope to find? Bumper stickers? Yard signs? Nobody is dumb enough to pull a stunt like that. But they were! I admit I had about the same reaction when I first heard the IRS had gone after the tea party last year. The tea party? Surely no one could be dumb enough to think you could get away with that in an election year. But they were! So, welcome to dumb and dumber.

It did take awhile for the news to get to some quarters. We've heard that the President said he didn't find out about it until last week. Last week! Which qualified him for Washington's fastest-growing club: the longer and longer list of officials who suddenly don't know much about a lot of unpleasant things, from Benghazi to the Associated Press investigation. At this point, spare me the talking points and the excuses. No matter whether Republicans or Democrats are doing this kind of thing, this stuff is not just wrong, it's really stupid, and it will take more than firing a few temps and low-level bureaucrats to fix it. The president won re-election with a smart political team, but the election is over. Maybe he should look now for people of substance who know about other things who could help him govern.

NYC lawmakers furious over 'ghetto tour' by Bronx bus company

2013-05-20T14:07:00Z

Tourists are crowding onto a Bronx bus tour that promises “a ride through a real New York City ‘GHETTO’ ” — and local politicians are furious. Three times a week, Real Bronx Tours takes riders — mainly white Europeans and Australians — on a trip that includes stops at food-pantry lines and a “pickpocket” park. Last week, on the first stop of the $45 tour, guide Lynn Battaglia, from Pittsburgh, pointed out a housing project. She then mocked the Grand Concourse, modeled after a Parisian boulevard. “Do you feel like we’re on the Champs-Elysées?” she teased a couple from Paris. As the bus idled across from historic St. Ann’s Episcopalian Church, Battaglia launched into a description of the crime, poverty and violence that plagued the South Bronx during the 1970s recession. As she spoke, a line of two dozen poor people — including one man visibly agitated by the onlookers — waited for handouts from the church pantry. (NY Post)

OJ Simpson close to freedom? His lawyers think so

2013-05-20T13:59:00Z

The latest high-stakes court hearing for O.J. Simpson in the glitzy capital of big gambles has come to a close with the former football star's defense team feeling confident that their client is closer to getting out of prison. The last time Simpson was in a Las Vegas courtroom, he was convicted of kidnapping and armed robbery. Now, with a new team of attorneys on his side, he has mounted a cool, methodical case that his former lead lawyer botched the 2008 trial so badly that a new one should be granted. "He has a very good chance now," said Ozzie Fumo, one of the attorneys who represented Simpson. "I don't think the state was able to counter any of our issues." Simpson's lawyers presented evidence that showed Miami-based attorney Yale Galanter shared responsibility for the ill-conceived plan for the NFL Hall of Famer and former Hollywood star to take back personal items and mementos from two sports collectible dealers in a Vegas hotel room. They also built a case that he deliberately sabotaged Simpson's chances for acquittal and appeal to protect himself and his own self-interests. When the weeklong hearing ended Friday there seemed to be little doubt that major mistakes were made when Simpson was sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison on 12 criminal counts. The real question is whether enough was done to meet the high standard needed for District Court Judge Linda Marie Bell to free Simpson from state prison and grant him a new trial. (AP)

Pipe dream: Skip college, become a plumber, NYC Mayor Bloomberg says

2013-05-20T13:57:00Z

The heck with Harvard, says New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Most high school grads should learn a trade . . . like plumbing. Bloomberg -- he of the no-oversized sodas -- is now reportedly dispensing career advice via his weekly radio show. “The people who are going to have the biggest problem are college graduates who aren’t rocket scientists, if you will, not at the top of their class,” Bloomberg said Friday, according to the New York Daily News. “Compare a plumber to going to Harvard College — being a plumber, actually for the average person, probably would be a better deal,” he reportedly said. “You don’t spend ... four years spending $40,000, $50,000 in tuition without earning income.” Bloomberg made the remark in response to a question on his weekly radio show appearance, according to a spokesman contacted by FoxNews.com, although a transcript of the remarks was not immediately available. The mayor added that another benefit to learning a trade, like plumbing, is that it’s hard to outsource, or computerize “It’s hard to farm that out,” he reportedly said, “and it’s hard to automate that.”

The mayor seemed to bookend those remarks the following day with an address to the graduating class of Ohio’s Kenyon College. “I know that today’s job market is not easy,” he reportedly told those assembled for his address speech, “...today, if I interview a recent college grad who tells me he or she spent the summer curing cancer, bringing peace to the Middle East, and writing the Great American Novel – I’m impressed. “But I’m more likely to hire the person who spent his or her summer working days, nights, and weekends for an auto-body shop or a construction company in order to pay tuition or help with family bills.” (Fox News)

Florida girl, 18, arrested and expelled after relationship with 15-year-old female classmate - faces 15 years in prison

2013-05-20T13:56:00Z

An 18-year-old Florida student’s senior year has become a nightmare — all because she was in a same-sex relationship with a 15-year-old, her family says. Kaitlyn Hunt was arrested Feb. 16 for having a physical relationship with a younger classmate, who was her girlfriend at the time, mom Kelley Hunt Smith wrote on Facebook. Under Florida law, Hunt could see up to 15 years in prison and must register as a sex offender. A plea deal, however, remains on the table that would give Hunt two years' house arrest and one year of probation, her family said. “Does my daughter deserve to lose her life for 15 years, or 3 years, or to have no life, because of one choice she made in high school, absolutely not!!” Hunt Smith wrote Friday, adding, “This is a mother’s nightmare.”

The distraught mom and her family has launched an online campaign asking supporters to petition the State Attorney’s office in Indian River County and have them reconsider the charges. “The (assistant) state attorney, Brian Workman needs to use taxpayers money to prosecute REAL criminals, not a high school student who has never been in trouble a day in her young life, all because she had a mutual consenting relationship with someone who has bigoted parents,” wrote Hunt Smith, who didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment Sunday. Hunt’s uncle, Andrew Gay, told the Daily News that the girls were in the same social circle at Sebastian River High School and played together on the basketball team. (NY Daily News)

Ralph Peters: The Arab collapse - Middle East a vulture's feast

2013-05-20T13:55:00Z

In the NY Post:

The Arab Spring has unleashed the Arab Collapse. Everybody still standing in the region is picking the flesh of the helpless. The Islamist cancer proved more virulent than Arabs themselves expected, while dying regimes behave with unrestrained ruthlessness. And our diplomats still think everyone can be cajoled into harmony. We’re witnessing a titanic event, the crack-up of a long-tottering civilization. Arab societies grew so corrupt and stagnant that violent upheaval became inevitable. That’s what we’re seeing in Syria and Iraq — two names, one struggle — and will find elsewhere tomorrow. We can’t stop it, we can’t fix it, and we don’t understand it. But we canstay out of it…

We had our chance to extend the peace and keep both Iran and Wahhabi crazies at bay after we defeated Iraq’s insurgencies. But a new American president, elevating politics over strategy, walked away from Baghdad, handing Iraq to Iran. Now it’s too late. If George W. Bush helped trigger the Arab Spring, Barack Obama made this Arab Winter inevitable. We must not be lured into the current fighting — centered, for now, on Syria — by cries of humanitarian necessity. The local powers could step in to stop the killing. But they won’t. Once again, they want us to pay the bill. (It’s time for the Saudis, especially, to give their own blood.) We’ve paid enough. Rhetoric and red lines notwithstanding, we need to back off from Syria, if for no other reason than a strategist’s golden rule: If you don’t understand what a fight’s about, stay out.

Jihad experts decry White House terror training guidelines

2013-05-20T13:54:00Z

Experts on Islam and terrorism are decrying the Department of Homeland Security’s recently revealed anti-terrorism training guidelines, which pressure cops to ignore Islamic beliefs when investigating terror crimes. The Boston bombings demonstrated the impact of such training, Andrew McCarthy, a former New York prosecutor, told The Daily Caller. “The Boston Marathon was bombed by a jihadist who had been investigated by the FBI … [and was confirmed in 2011 to be] an Islamist, which would have been hard not to do since he does not appear to have made any secret of it,” said McCarthy, who persuaded a New York jury in 1995 to convict “Blind Sheikh” Omar Abdel-Rahman for his use of Islamic teaching to spur jihad attacks, including the 1993 attack against the Twin Towers. But before the bombing, “the FBI closed its file [on Tamerlan Tsarnaev] because it found this did not constitute ‘derogatory information,’” McCarthy said.

McCarthy and other security experts, and even members of the American Islamic community, indicate that a culture of excessive concern for the sensibilities of Muslims supremacists is preventing law enforcement agencies from pursuing jihadists. The 2011 guidelines unveiled Thursday by The Daily Caller are part of this pattern of deferring to Islamist chauvinism. (Related: Homeland Security guidelines advise deference to pro-Shariah Muslim supremacists) Under the federal guidelines, “agents are admonished to discount the possibility that an Islamist’s constitutionally protected abhorrence of the United States might possibly lead to violence,” McCarthy told TheDC. Even if FBI officials had learned about Tsarnaev’s 2012 trip to a part of southern Russia that is embroiled in a jihadi war, they would not have restarted their 2011 investigation, a government official told the Washington Post in April. “The FBI investigation into the individual in question had been closed six months prior to his departure from the United States and more than a year before his return. …Since there was no derogatory information, there was no reason to suggest that additional action was warranted,” the official said in April. (Daily Caller)

More than 85,000 veterans treated last year over alleged military sex abuse, report says

2013-05-20T13:54:00Z

More than 85,000 veterans were treated last year for injuries or illness stemming from sexual abuse in the military, and 4,000 sought disability benefits, underscoring the staggering long-term impact of a crisis that has roiled the Pentagon and been condemned by President Barack Obama as ""shameful and disgraceful." A Department of Veterans Affairs accounting released in response to inquiries from The Associated Press shows a heavy financial and emotional cost involving vets from Iraq, Afghanistan and even back to Vietnam, and lasting long after a victim leaves the service. Sexual assault or repeated sexual harassment can trigger a variety of health problems, primarily post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. While women are more likely to be victims, men made up nearly 40 percent of the patients the VA treated last year for conditions connected to what it calls "military sexual trauma." (AP)

Lawmakers to investigate EPA FOIA scandal

2013-05-20T13:51:00Z

Republican lawmakers are launching an investigation into claims that the Environmental Protection Agency, while giving preferential treatment to environmental groups, made it harder for conservative groups to obtain government records. “According to documents obtained by the Committees, EPA readily granted FOIA fee waivers for environmental allies, effectively subsidizing them, while denying fee waivers and making the FOIA process more difficult for states and conservative groups,” wrote Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Darrell Issa and Sens. David Vitter, Chuck Grassley and Jim Inhofe in a letter to the EPA. Citing a report by The Daily Caller News Foundation, Republicans are asking the EPA to hand over all Freedom of Information Act fee waiver requests, responses to requests, and FOIA officer training materials since the beginning of the Obama administration. Lawmakers are also asking for all communications regarding FOIA fee waiver requests or appeals under the Obama administration. The free-market Competitive Enterprise Institute obtained documents showing that since January 2012, the EPA granted fee waivers for 75 out of 82 FOIA requests from major environmental groups and only denied seven of them, giving green groups a 92 percent success rate. At the same time, the EPA rejected or ignored 21 out of 26 fee waiver requests from conservative groups.

Deadly Twisters Slam Midwest, Plains

2013-05-20T13:51:00Z

At least one person has been killed and 21 injured in Oklahoma as a severe storm system generated several tornadoes Sunday in Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa, leveling neighborhoods and sending frightened residents scurrying for shelter. The tornadoes, high winds and hail across the Midwest were part of a massive, northeastward-moving storm system that stretched from Texas to Minnesota. Victims and emergency responders might not get much of reprieve as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center was forecasting similar weather for Monday over much of the same area. At least four separate twisters touched down in central Oklahoma late Sunday afternoon, including one near the town of Shawnee, 35 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, that laid waste to much of a mobile home park. Oklahoma state Rep. Justin Wood confirmed to Fox News Sunday that at least one person had been killed in the town. Authorities tell the Associated Press the 79-year-old man's body was found in an open area of the neighborhood.

A storm spotter told the National Weather Service that the tornado "scoured" the landscape in the park and an area along Interstate 40. The highway has been closed because of overturned tractor-trailers that now litter the road. Across the state, 21 people were injured, not including those who suffered bumps and bruises and chose not to visit a hospital, said Keli Cain, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. Gov. Mary Fallin declared an emergency for 16 Oklahoma counties that suffered from severe storms and flooding during the weekend. A tornado grazed the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond Sunday afternoon, dropping hail as large as grapefruit and damaging roofs and structures before heading east. Aerial flyovers in Wellston, northeast of Oklahoma City, showed significant property damage. Dozen of counties in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri were placed under tornado watches and warnings that were in effect through late Sunday. In Kansas, an "violent and extremely dangerous tornado" was spotted in the southwest side of Wichita near the Mid-Continent Airport, according to the National Weather Service. (Fox News)

Obama's Counsel Was Told of IRS Audit Findings Weeks Ago

2013-05-20T13:47:00Z

The White House's chief lawyer learned weeks ago that an audit of the Internal Revenue Service likely would show that agency employees inappropriately targeted conservative groups, a senior White House official said Sunday. That disclosure has prompted a debate over whether the president should have been notified at that time. In the week of April 22, the Office of the White House Counsel and its head, Kathryn Ruemmler, were told by Treasury Department attorneys that an inspector general's report was nearing completion, the White House official said. In that conversation, Ms. Ruemmler learned that "a small number of line IRS employees had improperly scrutinized certain…organizations by using words like 'tea party' and 'patriot,' " the official said. President Barack Obama said last week he learned about the controversy at the same time as the public, on May 10, when an IRS official revealed it to a conference of lawyers. The president's statement drew criticism, focusing attention on his management style and whether he has kept himself sufficiently informed about the agencies under his authority.

Others, including veterans of previous scandals, said the counsel—whose role is to advise the president on all legal matters concerning his job and the White House—was right to avoid telling Mr. Obama about the audit's early findings. Doing so could have caused a new storm by creating the appearance of meddling in an independent investigation that hadn't yet concluded, former officials said. The White House, which declined to make Ms. Ruemmler available for comment Sunday, wouldn't say whether she shared the information with anyone else in the senior administration staff. The new detail doesn't help answer some fundamental questions about the IRS scandal, including how it began and who, if anyone, in the administration was aware of the severity of the inspector general's probe before last November's presidential election. Instead, it focuses attention on the White House's handling of the matter, which has blown up into the kind of crisis that could persist. (WSJ)

Pat Robertson tells wife of cheating husband to be grateful for marriage

2013-05-17T14:39:00Z

Pat Robertson has many opinions on subjects including homosexuality, politics and the coming of the Mark of the Beast, but it was the famous televangelist's opinion on marriage that took center stage during Wednesday's episode of his daily television program, "The 700 Club." Responding to a question from a viewer, Robertson said that married men "have a tendency to wander" and it is the spurned wife's job to focus on the positive and make sure the home is so enticing, he doesn't want to stray. "I've been trying to forgive my husband for cheating on me," the viewer writes. "We have gone to counseling, but I just can't seem to forgive, nor can I trust. How do you let go of the anger? How do you trust again?" While Robertson's co-host hedged on the question, calling forgiveness "difficult" and spousal infidelity "one of the ultimate betrayals," Robertson got right to the point. "Here's the secret," the famous evangelical said. "Stop talking the cheating. He cheated on you, well, he's a man." The wife needs to focus on the reasons she married her spouse, he continued. "Does he provide a home for you to live in," Robertson said. 'Does he provide food for you to eat? Does he provide clothes for you to wear? Is he nice to the children... Is he handsome?" (Huffington Post)

GOP Rep. Gohmert: AP Scandal Shows Obama A "Tyrannical Despot"

2013-05-17T14:37:00Z

Capitol Hill press conference:

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX): But I want to go back to this question here about why were you seeking legal status? Have you heard what has happened? You have a government that is forcing people to get a legal status in order to just come up here and have their voices heard. And then wants they force you into this funnel of having to have legal status then they use that to intimidate and abuse to prevent opposite views from being heard. This is a government run a mug. If the AP story has taught anything it should be, to the media, that when there is a tyrannical despot, the media will be one of the early victims - you will be used as helpful savants for awhile, and then when you're no longer needed, you will be pressured and put out of business as well."

Bea Arthur topless painting fetches $1.9M in NYC!

2013-05-17T14:36:00Z

A painting of actress Bea Arthur topless has sold for $1.9 million at a New York City auction. The painting is by artist John Currin and is titled "Bea Arthur Naked." It sold at Christie's auction of postwar and contemporary art on Wednesday. It had been expected to bring in between $1.8 million and $2.5 million. Christie's hasn't said who bought it. The 1991 oil painting depicts the late television actress nude from the waist up. Christie's said Thursday the image was based on a photograph of her with her clothes on. Arthur gained fame for her Emmy Award-winning roles in "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" in the 1970s and '80s. She died of cancer in 2009 at age 86. (AP)

President Obama makes U.S. Marine break military rules by holding an umbrella while in uniform?

2013-05-17T14:35:00Z

Even though he is the commander in chief, there are some orders that even President Obama cannot give - as he found out today, much to the chagrin of a put-upon U.S. Marine. Hosting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Rose Garden today, the president requested a standing Marine to open an umbrella and protect his head from the light rain that was falling. However, according to Marine Corps regulations, not even the President of the United States can request a Marine to carry an umbrella without the express permission of the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The Marine Corp Manual, which is the bible for all soldiers serving, specifically states that a soldier's uniform dress code does not allow the carrying of an umbrella and 'no officer or official shall issue instructions which conflict with, alter, or amend any provision without the approval of the Commandant of the Marine Corps.' Indeed, male Marines are informed never to carry an umbrella from the earliest phases of training. Regulation MCO P1020.34F of the Marine Corps Uniform Regulations chapter 3, rules out any use or carrying of an umbrella while a Marine is in uniform. However, female Marines 'may carry an all-black, plain standard or collapsible umbrella at their option during inclement weather with the service and dress uniforms. It will be carried in the left hand so that the hand salute can be properly rendered.' (Daily Mail)

Refinery woes cause nationwide gas price spike

2013-05-17T14:15:00Z

It's been a roller coaster year for gas prices, which began the year averaging $3.29 a gallon, then zoomed to $3.78 in February before dropping to $3.50 last month. Current average price: $3.60. Troubles at several oil refineries are driving gasoline prices sharply higher in the Midwest, and the regional shortages are expected to boost pump prices nationwide. While the USA may be dripping in new found crude oil deposits and early May supplies were at their highest levels since the early 1930s, issues at a handful of refineries that turn crude into gasoline and diesel fuel underscore how kinks in the supply chain can cause quick surges in what consumers pay at the pump. Gas prices in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wisconsin have spiked up to 27 cents a gallon the past week alone. Behind the rise: outages and extended maintenance has curbed output at refineries in Joliet, Ill., Whiting, Ind; Tulsa, Okla, and Eldorado, Kansas. Nationally, prices average $3.60 a gallon after beginning 2013 at $3.29. Some industry observers thought this year's prices had peaked at $3.78 in February after sliding to $3.50 April 29. But the Midwest's refinery issues are now expected to keep propel prices for several weeks, perhaps to $3.85 a gallon nationwide. (USA Today)

House votes to repeal Obamacare for 37th time

2013-05-17T14:13:00Z

The House of Representatives voted again to repeal President Obama’s health-care law Thursday afternoon, marking the 37th time that the GOP-led House has tried to undo all or part of the legislation. The vote was 229 to 195, with two Democrats joining Republicans in voting for repeal. The Democrats were Mike McIntyre (N.C.) and Jim Matheson (Utah). Previous repeal votes had attracted as many as five Democrats. This vote does not put the Affordable Care Act in jeopardy. Thursday’s repeal bill will probably meet the same fate as five others that would have eliminated the entire health-care law: It will die in the Democrat-led Senate. (Washington Post)

U.S. lost track of two with known or suspected terror ties

2013-05-17T14:12:00Z

The U.S. Marshals Service lost track of two former participants in the federal Witness Security Program "identified as known or suspected terrorists," according to the public summary of an interim Justice Department Inspector General's report obtained by CNN. The Marshals Service has concluded that "one individual was and the other individual was believed to be residing outside of the United States," according to the summary. A Justice Department official said in response to follow up questions about the matter by reporters on Thursday that the pair had left the program years ago and had been accounted for. It was not clear when or for how long the Marshals Service lost track of them. The report notes that while in the middle of an audit of the witness program, the inspector general notified the Justice Department of national security vulnerabilities. The agency watchdog "developed the interim report to help ensure that the Justice Department promptly and sufficiently addressed the deficiencies we found."

After its audit, the inspector general's office reported that "the department did not definitively know how many known or suspected terrorists were admitted" into the witness program," among other "significant issues concerning national security." As of March 2013, the Justice Department was reviewing more than 18,000 program case files to determine whether more known or suspected terrorists have been admitted, the summary notes. As such, the number of terrorists lost or unaccounted for "may not be complete and may continue to evolve." The summary said that although the Marshals Service was giving known or suspected terrorists who participated in the witness program and their dependents new names and identity documents, the Justice Department "was not authorizing the disclosure to a federal center that operates a terrorist watch list that helps provide information to the Transportation Security Administration's "no-fly" database.

Homeland Security guidelines advise deference to pro-sharia Muslim supremacists

2013-05-17T14:11:00Z

The Department of Homeland Security, which under Secretary Janet Napolitano has shown a keen interest in monitoring and warning about outspoken conservatives, takes a very different approach in monitoring political Islamists, according to a 2011 memo on protecting the free speech rights of pro-sharia Muslim supremacists. In a checklist obtained by The Daily Caller entitled “Countering Violent Extremism Dos and Don’ts” the DHS’s Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties notifies local and national law enforcement officials that it is Obama administration policy to consider specifically Islamic criticism of the American system of government legitimate. This policy stands in stark contrast to the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis’s 2009 memo “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment” [pdf], which warned of the dangers posed by pro-life advocates, critics of same-sex marriage and groups concerned with abiding by the U.S. Constitution, among others.

The advice of the Dos and Don’ts list is far more conciliatory. “Don’t use training that equates radical thought, religious expression, freedom to protest, or other constitutionally-protected activity, including disliking the U.S. government without being violent,” the manual’s authors write in a section on training being “sensitive to constitutional values.” The manual, which was produced by an inter-agency working group from DHS and the National Counterterrorism Center, advises, “Trainers who equate the desire for Sharia law with criminal activity violate basic tenets of the First Amendment.” The checklist also advised against using moderate Muslim “trainers who are self-professed ‘Muslim reformers’” because they “may further an interest group agenda instead of delivering generally accepted, unbiased information.” The Homeland Security document also seems to discount evidence unearthed by the Justice Department about the aims of some mainstream Muslim organizations, warning law enforcement not to rely on “unsubstantiated theories” and “conspiracies,” such as the belief that “many mainstream Muslim organizations have terrorist ties” or are “fronts for Islamic political organizations whose true desire is to establish Sharia law in America.” (Daily Caller)

GALLUP: Americans' Attention to IRS, Benghazi Stories Below Average

2013-05-17T14:02:00Z

Slim majorities of Americans are very or somewhat closely following the situations involving the Internal Revenue Service (54%) and the congressional hearings on the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and its aftermath (53%) -- comparatively low based on historical measures of other news stories over the last two decades.

Most Agree That Both IRS and Benghazi Deserve Further Investigation
Most Americans agree that both of these situations are serious enough to warrant continuing investigation, with little difference in views of the two -- 74% for the IRS matter and 69% for Benghazi.

Second court invalidates Obama appointments to labor board

2013-05-17T13:59:00Z

A national labor board which has long been accused of making union-friendly decisions was dealt another blow Thursday, after a second federal appeals court found President Obama exceeded his power when he bypassed the Senate to appoint its members. The ruling by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia once again threatened to upend the National Labor Relations Board's decisions. And it has the potential to stall the board entirely, as well as challenge other federal agencies that have similar appointees. For now, the Obama administration has tried to disregard the court decisions -- it has already appealed a similar ruling, from a Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to the Supreme Court. In the 2-1 decision from the Philadelphia court, judges said Obama had no constitutional authority to install attorney Craig Becker to the labor board in 2010 while the Senate was adjourned for two weeks. This is what's known as a recess appointment. But the court said that under the Constitution recess appointments can be made only between sessions of the Senate, not any time the Senate is away on a break. "If the Senate refused to confirm a president's nominees, then the president could circumvent the Senate's constitutional role simply by waiting until senators go home for the evening," Judge D. Brooks Smith wrote in a 102-page decision. (Fox News)

Sen. Vitter: EPA FOIA scandal 'no different than the IRS disaster'

2013-05-17T13:58:00Z

A Republican senator says allegations that the Environmental Protection Agency has made it more difficult for conservative groups to obtain information is no different from the burgeoning scandal at the IRS. Shortly after the IRS admitted to targeting conservative groups, it was reported that the EPA has routinely denied fee waiver requests from conservative groups seeking government records, while at the same time, approving such requests to environmental groups. “We know the Obama EPA has completely mismanaged FOIA, but granting fee waivers for their friends in the far-left environmental community, while simultaneously blocking conservative leaning groups from gaining access to information; is really no different than the IRS disaster,” Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter told the Daily Caller News Foundation in an emailed statement.

The free-market Competitive Enterprise Institute revealed that since January 2012 the EPA granted fee waivers for 75 out of 82 Freedom of Information Act requests sent by major environmental groups and only denied seven of them — a 92 percent success rate for green groups. However, the agency rejected or ignored 21 out of 26 fee waiver requests from conservative groups — an 81 percent rejection rate. “Their practice is to take care of their friends and impose ridiculous obstacles to deny problematic parties’ requests for information,” said CEI senior fellow Chris Horner. When a fee waiver is denied, it generally stops the FOIA request as many groups don’t have the resources to pay the fees associated to get the FOIA. In advance of EPA nominee Gina McCarthy’s hearing Senate Republicans, led by Vitter, sent her five requests on transparency in the EPA. In one request, Republicans asked the EPA general counsel to issue new guidelines to ensure that all EPA business is done on official government email accounts. (Daily Caller)

Flashback: Schumer, Franken urged IRS to target tea party in 2012

2013-05-17T13:55:00Z

Long before the Internal Revenue Service revealed it had improperly targeted conservative 501(c)(4) groups, a group of Democratic senators led by New York Sen. Chuck Schumer urged the IRS to do just that. The IRS’s admission last Friday that it had singled out tea party and other groups for extra audits and delays has raised concerns that President Barack Obama’s administration quietly attempted to stymy opponents through intimidation. But many prominent Democrats — including Montana Sen. Max Baucus, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and the New York Times editorial board — had been publicly calling for tighter restrictions on 501(c)(4) groups affiliated with the tea party and conservatives. Last year, Schumer, along with Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jeff Merkley, Tom Udall, Jeanne Shaheen and Al Franken, penned a letter calling on the agency to cap the amount of the political spending by groups masquerading as “social welfare organizations.” A press release from Schumer’s office dated March 12, 2012 laid out the terms of the letter: The senators said the lack of clarity in the IRS rules has allowed political groups to improperly claim 501(c)4 status and may even be allowing donors to these groups to wrongly claim tax deductions for their contributions.

The senators promised legislation if the IRS failed to act to fix these problems. “We urge the IRS to take these steps immediately to prevent abuse of the tax code by political groups focused on federal election activities. But if the IRS is unable to issue administrative guidance in this area then we plan to introduce legislation to accomplish these important changes,” the senators wrote. The letter cited a March 7, 2012 New York Times article by Jonathan Weisman that suggested donations to groups like American Crossroads and Priorities USA could be tax deductible, which was a primary concern of those senators at the time. A number of those senators participated in a press conference about their efforts on March 21, 2012, and Franken spoke out about what he called lack of oversight of 501(c)(4) status.“I think that there hasn’t been enforcement by the FEC and the IRS, and so there are entities that are taking a 501(c)4 status, and under that they’re supposed to have more than half of their activity be non-political,” Franken said. (Daily Caller)

Outgoing IRS chief faces hearing after 'stunning' revelation on another scandal-tied official

2013-05-17T13:45:00Z

The outgoing commissioner of the IRS is in the hot seat Friday, scheduled to testify for the first time on his agency's scandalous practice of targeting conservative groups -- after it was revealed that another potentially implicated official is now in charge of an ObamaCare unit. Steven Miller, the acting commissioner who was ousted by the administration earlier this week, will testify before the House Ways and Means Committee Friday morning. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are sure to have plenty of questions for Miller, as they search for who was responsible for the program. Outrage mounted after lawmakers learned that the IRS official who led the tax-exempt organizations unit when the targeting took place -- Sarah Hall Ingram -- has since moved over to the IRS office responsible for ObamaCare. "Stunning. Just stunning," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said after learning of the move.

The acknowledgement comes after the administration announced that Ingram's successor Joseph Grant -- who had only been on the job a few days -- would be retiring. The agency released a memo Thursday night that may give insight into Miller's talking points at the Friday hearing, although it was written by Grant. In the memo, Grant acknowledged "errors" but said the program was started to deal with an influx of applications, as well as allegations that some of the groups were engaged in political activity that would be "impermissible" under the tax-exempt status they were seeking. The agency also directed those seeking a possible preview to Miller's testimony to a frequently asked questions page on their website. Also scheduled to testify is J. Russell George -- the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration -- and the man whose report released this week exposed the IRS practice that led to Miller's ouster (though Miller was apparently planning to leave the agency anyway).

President Obama, meanwhile, maintained Thursday that he didn't know about the investigation into the IRS program until it was made public. The ObamaCare official now drawing scrutiny had been serving as commissioner of the office responsible for tax-exempt organizations from 2009 to 2012 -- the division included the group that targeted Tea Partiers -- and has since left to serve as director of the IRS' Affordable Care Act division. That unit is responsible for enforcing parts of the health care law, including the fines associated with the so-called individual mandate -- the requirement to buy health insurance. (Fox News)

Kirstie Alley Slams Abercrombie and Fitch

2013-05-16T16:34:00Z

Add Kirstie Alley to the list of Abercrombie & Fitch critics who take exception to the company's refusal to carry clothing in larger sizes. The Former "Cheers" actress and "Dancing With the Stars" competitor slammed the store Tuesday, telling "Entertainment Tonight" she would "never buy anything from Abercrombie." The popular casual-clothing retailer is under fire for filling its shelves with products for the smallest of customers. Protestors gathered outside the retailer's Michigan Avenue store in Chicago Monday, outraged about the store's not carrying clothes in a size 14, the size worn by the average U.S. woman. Plus-size shoppers now make up 67 percent of U.S. consumers. "It's body discrimination, and it's bullying and it encourages bullying," Cali Lindstrom, a former Abercrombie & Fitch customer, told ABC News.

The backlash is growing online on Twitter and Facebook, and several petitions on Change.org urge people not to shop at Abercrombie & Fitch until the New Albany, Ohio-based retailer starts carrying larger sizes. One YouTube user started a "Fitch the Homeless Campaign," asking customers to rebrand the popular retailer by giving their Abercrombie & Fitch clothes to the homeless. An ABC News report last week revealed that the trendy retailer carries mostly double-zero and extra-small sizes inside its New York City flagship store. There was no clothing for women in sizes larger than a 10, and salespeople at the store confirmed that Abercrombie doesn't carry XL or XXL sizes for women. (ABC News)

Anthony Weiner hires campaign manager

2013-05-16T16:33:00Z

Anthony Weiner’s new campaign manager for his nascent mayoral bid is a recent Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee adviser who spent four months working on a failed Staten Island congressional race last year, two sources familiar with the hire told POLITICO. Danny Kedem, who worked on Mark Murphy’s congressional run in New York’s 11th District last year, has been brought on as Weiner’s campaign manager for a race he is likely to announce next week, according to multiple sources. Kedem’s resume includes a handful of other congressional runs and mayoral races, as well as field organizing work on Hillary Clinton’s presidential run. Weiner has also brought on a press secretary and is filling other roles, after a disjointed rollout that followed his New York Times Magazine profile and interview. The sources said Weiner or his surrogates had reached out to a number of potential press hires with experience in high-pressure races or in New York City, and a number of them passed on interviewing for a job. Weiner did not respond to an email for comment. Kedem couldn’t be reached. (Politico)

15 killed, including 6 Americans, after car bomb hits US convoy in Afghanistan

2013-05-16T16:30:00Z

A suicide car bombing tore through a U.S. convoy during rush hour in the Afghan capital on Thursday, killing at least 15 people, including six U.S. military advisers and two children, officials said. U.S. soldiers rushed to the scene to help, including some wearing only T-shirts or shorts under their body armor. An Islamic militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out by a new suicide unit formed in response to reports that the U.S. plans to keep permanent bases and troops in Afghanistan even after the 2014 deadline for the end of the foreign combat mission. Hezb-e-Islami said its fighters had stalked the Americans for a week to learn their routine before striking.

It was the deadliest attack to rock the Afghan capital in more than two months and followed a series of other attacks against Americans that has made May the deadliest month for international forces this year. U.S.-led forces are increasingly leaving the fighting to their Afghan counterparts and focusing more on training mission in a bid to prepare the government forces to take over their own security after the international combat mission ends by the end of 2014. The explosion was powerful enough to rattle buildings on the other side of the city, and left body parts scattered on the street. Cmdr. Bill Speaks, a spokesman for the U.S. Defense Secretary, confirmed that two American soldiers were killed, while international security company DynCorp International said four of its American civilian contractors were among the dead. DynCorp International said its employees were working with U.S. forces training the Afghan military when the blast occurred. (AP)

LA schools ban suspensions for 'willful defiance'

2013-05-16T16:29:00Z

The Los Angeles Unified School District has become the first in California to ban suspensions of students for willful defiance. The school board said in a statement Tuesday that it had banned the practice by a 5-2 vote. The vote requires Superintendent John Deasy, who supported the move, to devise an outline for putting the plan into practice within the next four months. Previously, students could be suspended for not coming to class prepared, refusing to remove a hat, cursing at a teacher or other acts deemed defiant. The Los Angeles Times reported earlier that willful defiance accounted for nearly half of all statewide suspensions in the 2011-2012 school year and black students were disproportionately affected. Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill last year that would've barred such suspensions. (Fresno Bee)

Schieffer: "Is anybody home?"

2013-05-16T15:54:00Z

“It’s very, very disturbing what we’re seeing here,” Bob Schieffer tells Charlie Rose and Norah O’Donnell on CBS This Morning, but he’s not talking about the scandals — at least not directly. Instead, Schieffer describes the lack of confidence induced by plausibility run amok, where no one in executive positions knows anything except what they read in the newspaper. ”Somebody’s got to grab hold of this thing,” Schieffer says, and even the steps taken by Barack Obama yesterday are far more than a day late and a dollar short: (Hot Air)

SCHIEFFER: Some people are saying 'Are we back to the Nixon administration? This is what they did in the Nixon administration.' This is not the Nixon administration where you had burglars and people talking about blowing up the Brookings Institution. This is more of a case of, is anybody home? I mean, just all of a sudden, well, you have this thing over at the Justice Department. They're over there getting all these phone records of all the reporters, 'the attorney general, well, he didn't know anything about it.' You get to the IRS, they don't seem to know anything about the tea party thing. You come to the White House, they don't know anything about Benghazi. I mean, somebody has got to grab hold of this thing. You know, it's, it's very, very disturbing what we're seeing here."

In Wake of Scandal, Obama Fires IRS Boss - Who Was Leaving Anyway

2013-05-16T15:37:00Z

President Obama announced Wednesday that acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller would resign in the wake of the agency scandal in which conservative groups were targeted -- though Miller was apparently set to step down anyway. An official close to Miller told Fox News, shortly after Obama's brief announcement, that the IRS chief was "set to resign the position of acting commission as of early June." He was planning to leave the IRS entirely a "couple of months later, regardless of the current controversy," the source said. These details were not mentioned by the president as he announced Wednesday evening Miller was resigning. Obama spoke following a meeting with Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew and other top department officials in which they reviewed a highly critical inspector general’s report on the practice. The report concluded poor management allowed agents to improperly target Tea Party and other groups for more than 18 months, starting in 2010. Obama said Lew asked for the resignation and Miller agreed, after being on the job since November 2012. “Americans have a right to be angry about it, and I’m angry about it,” Obama said from the White House. The president is expected to name a new acting commissioner later this week. Republicans, who along with Democrats have slammed the IRS for the practice, welcomed the resignation Wednesday but made clear they would continue to investigate and press for accountability. (Fox News)

Director of IRS Tax-Exempt Determinations Office Is Obama Donor

2013-05-16T15:33:00Z

The director of the Office of Rulings and Agreements, which oversees the determinations of tax-exempt organizations, is a donor to Barack Obama. Holly Paz donated $2,000 to Obama’s 2008 campaign, according to Open Secrets, which maintains a database of individual political donations. An inspector general’s report released yesterday concluded that the IRS improperly targeted Tea Party and other conservative groups for undue scrutiny, and Paz heads the office in which the wrongdoing is said to have occurred. National Review Online reported earlier today that agency officials are currently copying the hard drives of every employee on Paz’s watch. That data will be made available to investigators working on a second IG investigation focusing on the potential criminal activity individual agency employees. The House Oversight Committee is requesting that Paz and four other employees be made available for transcribed interviews starting next week. Data from the Center for Responsive Politics indicate that Paz’s donations are consistent with broader trends at the IRS, where agency employees donated overwhelming to President Obama in both the 2012 and 2008 presidential Elections. (National Review)

IRS official Lerner speedily approved exemption for Obama brother's 'charity'

2013-05-16T15:18:00Z

Lois Lerner, the senior IRS official at the center of the decision to target tea party groups for burdensome tax scrutiny, signed paperwork granting tax-exempt status to the Barack H. Obama Foundation, a shady charity headed by the president’s half-brother that operated illegally for years. According to the organization’s filings, Lerner approved the foundation’s tax status within a month of filing, an unprecedented timeline that stands in stark contrast to conservative organizations that have been waiting for more than three years, in some cases, for approval. Lerner also appears to have broken with the norms of tax-exemption approval by granting retroactive tax-exempt status to Malik Obama’s organization. The National Legal and Policy Center filed an official complaint with the IRS in May 2011 asking why the foundation was being allowed to solicit tax-deductible contributions when it had not even applied for an IRS determination. In a New York Post article dated May 8, 2011, an officer of the foundation admitted, “We haven’t been able to find someone with the expertise” to apply for tax-exempt status. Nevertheless, a month later, the Barack H. Obama Foundation had flown through the grueling application process. Lerner granted the organization a 501(c) determination and even gave it a retroactive tax exemption dating back to December 2008. (Daily Caller)

IRS Told Pro-Life Group Not to Picket Planned Parenthood

2013-05-16T15:16:00Z

The Internal Revenue Service allegedly told an Iowa pro-life group they had to sign documents promising not to protest or picket Planned Parenthood and they told a Texas pro-life organization they had to promote abortion, according to documents obtained by Fox News. “The IRS was concerned about advocacy,” said Sally Wagenmaker, special counsel to the Thomas More Society. “The (agent) said picketing and protesting is not allowed.” She said the IRS’s role “should only be to determine whether organizations fit the section 501(c)(3) test for ‘charitable, religious, or educational’ qualification, not to inquire about the content of prayers, protests, and petitions.” It’s high time that the IRS be called to account for its workers’ potential to trample on our constitutional rights, through such ostensibly innocuous means,” Wagenmaker said – hinting that this may only be the tip of the iceberg of IRS abuses. An IRS spokesman said they would look into the cases.

Wagenmaker was representing Coalition for Life of Iowa and Christian Voices For Life of Fort Bend County, Texas. Both groups were seeking tax exempt status. Their requests were eventually granted but only after they sought legal help from the Thomas More Society. In 2009 the Coalition for Life received correspondence from the IRS raising questions about their prayer activity – specifically outside Planned Parenthood clinics. “You then asked … to have all Coalition Board members sign a statement that the coalition will not ‘picket’ or ‘protest’ outside of Planned Parenthood or similar organizations and will not ‘organize’ others to do so,” Wagenmaker wrote in a letter to an IRS representative known only as “Ms. Richards.” Wagenmaker said the IRS’s demand was clearly a violation of the pro-life group’s constitutional rights. “It really concerned me there would seem to be this protection of Planned Parenthood,” Wagenmaker told Fox News. “They had revenues of $55 million and the Coalition is just a group of volunteers.” (Fox News Radio)

Conclusion on Email Release: It's in the eye of the beholder

2013-05-16T14:03:00Z

Like looking at one of the silly paintings at the Museum of Modern Art, apparently you can interpret these emails any number of ways. Here are some of the headlines:

Fox News.com: “BENGHAZI EMAILS: State Dept. Tried to Dodge Criticism, Docs Show”

ABC News.com: “Emails: Benghazi Talking Points Changed at State Dept.'s Request”

AP: “White House releases Benghazi emails; Petraeus email objected to final Benghazi talking points”

Politico: “State fretted over Benghazi talking points”

Washington Post: “Benghazi e-mails released by White House”

NY Times: “E-Mails Show Jostling Over Benghazi 'Talking Points'”

CBS News.com: “WH releases e-mails showing changes to Benghazi talking points - Release reveals significant CIA hand in removing references to al Qaeda from talking points”

LA Times: “Mistaken Benghazi claim came from CIA, emails show”

Boston Bomber: We did it to avenge Muslims

2013-05-16T13:46:00Z

Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left claiming responsibility for the April 13 attack on the Boston Marathon, reports CBS News senior correspondent John Miller. Sources tell Miller that Tsarnaev wrote the note in the boat he was hiding in as police pursued him, and as he bled from gunshot wounds sustained in an earlier shootout between police and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev. The note, scrawled with a pen on the interior wall of the cabin, said the bombings were retribution for U.S. military action in Afghanistan and Iraq, and called the Boston victims collateral damage in the same way Muslims have been in the American-led wars. "When you attack one Muslim, you attack all Muslims," the note added. Dzhokar said he didn't mourn older brother Tamerlan, the other suspect in the bombings, writing that by that point, Tamerlan was a martyr in paradise -- and that he expected to join him there. Miller's sources say the wall the note was written on was riddled with bullet holes from shots fired into the boat. The shots were fired after Dzhokhar came up through the tarp covering the boat amid police fears that he had another bomb. (CBS News)

White House releases Benghazi emails; Petraeus email objected to final Benghazi talking points

2013-05-16T13:41:00Z

Then CIA-Director David Petraeus objected to the final talking points that U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice used five days after the deadly assault on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, because he wanted to see more detail publicly released, including a warning issued from the CIA about plans for a break-in at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, a newly released email shows. Under pressure in the investigation that continues eight months after the attacks, the White House on Wednesday released 99 pages of emails and a single page of hand-written notes made by Petraeus’ deputy, Mike Morell, after a meeting at the White House the day before Rice’s appearance. On that page, Morell scratched out from the CIA’s early drafts of talking points mentions of al-Qaida, the experience of fighters in Libya, Islamic extremists and a warning to the Cairo embassy on the eve of the attacks of calls for a demonstration and break-in by jihadists. “No mention of the cable to Cairo, either?” Petraeus wrote after receiving Morell’s edited version, developed after an intense back-and-forth among Obama administration officials. “Frankly, I’d just as soon not use this, then.”

A senior U.S. intelligence official told reporters Wednesday that Morell made the changes to the talking points because of his own concerns that they could prejudge an FBI investigation into who was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2012, attack that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. The official said Morell also didn’t think it was fair to disclose the CIA’s advance warning without giving the State Department a chance to explain how it responded. The official spoke on a condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the emails on the record. Petraeus declined to be interviewed. Critics have highlighted an email by then-State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland that expressed concern that any mention of prior warnings or the involvement of al-Qaida would give congressional Republicans ammunition to attack the administration in the weeks before the presidential election. Fighting terror was one of President Barack Obama’s re-election strong points. That email was among those released by the White House, sent by Nuland on Sept. 14 at 7:39 p.m. to officials in the White House, State Department and CIA. “I have serious concerns about all the parts highlighted below, and arming members of Congress to start making assertions to the media that we ourselves are not making because we don’t want to prejudice the investigation,” she wrote. (AP)

Washington Post Analysis: Eric Holder seems proud of how little he knows

2013-05-16T13:21:00Z

As the nation’s top law enforcement official, Eric Holder is privy to all kinds of sensitive information. But he seems to be proud of how little he knows.

Why didn’t his Justice Department inform the Associated Press, as the law requires, before pawing through reporters’ phone records? “I do not know,” the attorney general told the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday afternoon, “why that was or was not done. I simply don’t have a factual basis to answer that question.”
Why didn’t the DOJ seek the AP’s cooperation, as the law also requires, before issuing subpoenas? “I don’t know what happened there,” Holder replied. “I was recused from the case.”
Why, asked the committee’s chairman, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), was the whole matter handled in a manner that appears “contrary to the law and standard procedure”? “I don’t have a factual basis to answer the questions that you have asked, because I was recused,” the attorney general said.

On and on Holder went: “I don’t know. I don’t know. . . . I would not want to reveal what I know. . . . I don’t know why that didn’t happen. . . . I know nothing, so I’m not in a position really to answer.”

Holder seemed to regard this ignorance as a shield protecting him and the Justice Department from all criticism of the Obama administration’s assault on press freedoms. But his claim that his “recusal” from the case exempted him from all discussion of the matter didn’t fly with Republicans or Democrats on the committee, who justifiably saw his recusal as more of an abdication…

Didn’t the deputy attorney general who approved the subpoenas have the same potential conflict of interest that Holder claimed? “I don’t know.”
When did Holder recuse himself? “I’m not sure.”
How much time was spent exploring alternatives to the subpoenas? “I don’t know, because, as I said, I recused myself.”

But when the Justice Department undermines the Constitution, recusal is no excuse.

O.J. Simpson Cheerfully Takes the Stand in Bid For New Trial

2013-05-16T13:10:00Z

More than four years after he choked back tears at his sentencing, O.J. Simpson addressed a Las Vegas court today sounding cheerful and confident in his bid to a win a new trial. He bantered with bailiffs during breaks, making them laugh, and chuckled at himself at times during testimony when discussing his drinking at the time. Simpson, 65, was called to the stand on the third day of the hearing, much of which has focused on claims his former attorney, Yale Galanter, gave him bad legal advice in the 2008 armed robbery and kidnapping trial that led to his conviction. The football legend, who never testified in his 1995 murder trial, often called the "trial of the century," or in the 2008 trial when he was convicted, took the stand for his first time today. The once-strapping athlete was weighed down by shackles as he talked about the hours leading up to the Sept. 13, 2007 sports memorabilia robbery that sent him to prison for nine-to-33 years. When asked about the memorabilia he went to retrieve that day, Simpson said he wanted it back because it belonged to him and his children. "It was my stuff," Simpson said. "I followed what I thought was the law. I didn't break into the room. I didn't beat up anyone. I didn't try to muscle anyone." (ABC News)

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At Least 6 Dead After Tornadoes Rip Through North Texas

2013-05-16T13:07:00Z

At least six people were killed and dozens more injured after tornadoes ripped through parts of North Texas destroying homes, officials said. More than 100 homes suffered damage in the Rancho Brazos subdivision near Granbury, Texas, where the six people were killed, Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds said. The death toll could climb because parts of the subdivision are "heavily damaged" or "completely destroyed" after three tornadoes ripped through the area around 8 p.m. local time Wednesday, he said. Deeds said officials were trying to account for 14 people, but it was not clear if they were missing or were away from the area when the storms swept through. Many of the homes in the subdivision were built by Habitat for Humanity, Deeds said. Lake Granbury Medical Center received 48 patients, who were treated for lacerations, fractures and contusions, hospital spokeswoman Dixie Lee Hedgecock said. Some have already been treated and released while others were moved to hospitals in Fort Worth. Granbury, a town of about 8,000 people, is 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth. More than 100 residents have been bused to makeshift shelters at local churches where the Red Cross is providing supplies and resources. Rescue crews in Granbury continued to dig through the rubble of destroyed homes and buildings searching for survivors. (ABC News)

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NAACP Chair Emeritus: 'Legitimate' For IRS To Target 'Admittedly Racist' Tea Party: 'Taliban Wing' Of Politics

2013-05-15T13:19:00Z

Julian Bond, chairman emeritus of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, joined anchor Thomas Roberts on MSNBC on Tuesday where he said that he did not believe the federal government was complicit in any wrongdoing given the news that the Internal Revenue Service singled out conservative groups for added scrutiny. He said that it is right of the government to look into the Tea Party, which he called “overtly racist” and the “Taliban wing of American politics.” Bond made these comments after noting that his group was illegitimately targeted by the IRS in 2004. Bond said that his group was singled out by the IRS in 2004 after he delivered a political speech critical of President George W. Bush. Though his organization was later cleared, Bond said that his group was “unfairly targeted.” However, Bond said that there are no parallels between that case and the charge that the IRS devoted undue scrutiny to conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status. (Mediaite)

JULIAN BOND: “I think it’s entirely legitimate to look at the tea party. I mean, here are a group of people who are admittedly racist, who are overtly political, who’ve tried as best they can to harm President Obama in every way they can. I don’t think there are correct parallels between these incidents. It was wrong for the IRS to behave in this heavy-handed manner. They didn’t explain it well before or now what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. But there are no parallels between these two."

Columnist: Abercombie and Fitch's 'fat policy' is a good thing

2013-05-15T13:15:00Z

Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries has raised eyebrows by allegedly saying that his popular clothing brand, essentially, does not cater to fat people. Speaking with Business Insider, Robin Lewis, co-author of The New Rules of Retail, claimed that Jeffries "doesn't want larger people shopping in his store." (Hollywood Gossip) Jasmyne Cannick reacts in her column:

What retailer Abercrombie and Fitch is doing with its “fat policy” is what I wish the person behind the counter at McDonald’s would do to me whenever I show up and ask for a No. 3—tell me no, you’re too fat. Now while I don’t subscribe to the idea that skinny equates to beauty, the reality of the situation with Abercrombie and Fitch is that they have every right to not want fat people wearing their brand of clothing—and fat people who dig Abercrombie and Fitch’s style of clothing, have every right to lose the weight, walk into their store, and buy their clothes. Protesting Abercrombie and Fitch is sending the message to children, teens, and adults that it’s okay to be fat and if people don’t accept you being fat and make clothes to accommodate your fatness that they are somehow bad.

As one of the 35.7 percent of U.S. adults who are considered obese, at 5’6” and 195 pounds, I could easily join the chorus of those upset over the retailer’s exclusion of anyone bigger than a size large, but the energy I’d invest would be better spent on taking a hike, playing a set of tennis, or hitting the gym. Unlike your gender or race, being overweight is a choice that people make. A choice identical to the one that millions of Americans make everyday when they light up a cigarette knowing (now) that it’s likely to lead to cancer. Obesity is likely to lead to diabetes, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and yes—your inability to shop at Abercombie and Fitch. The blame could be pointed at proliferation of fast food restaurants in urban inner-city neighborhoods where the cost of buying groceries is so high that it’s cheaper to get a bucket of friend chicken. We could attribute it to the lack of parks and affordable gyms or how obesity and diabetes are passed down in generations of families like great-great-grandma’s recipe for macaroni and cheese. But the reality is that while those are all contributing influences, they are not the determining factor in one’s being overweight—we are.

House Panel Set to OK Cut in Food Stamps

2013-05-15T13:14:00Z

The House Agriculture Committee is set to consider small cuts to the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program in an effort to appease conservatives who say the food aid has become too expensive. The cuts are part of a massive five-year farm bill that costs almost $100 billion annually and would set policy for farm subsidies, rural programs and the food aid. The House panel will consider the bill Wednesday, one day after the Senate Agriculture Committee approved its version. The House bill would cut about $2.5 billion a year to the food stamp program, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The Senate approved much smaller cuts to the program, amounting to about $400 million a year. (AP)

'Days Of Our Lives' Actor Arrested For Selling Cocaine

2013-05-15T13:14:00Z

Like sands through the hourglass, the days of our lives involve a former soap opera actor jailed for selling cocaine out of his home. Dylan Patton, the 20-year-old former Days of our Lives actor, allegedly assumed the role of a real-life drug dealer and was busted Tuesday. TMZ reports that L.A. County Sheriff's deputies were tipped off that Patton was peddling the powder and sent an undercover cop to his Agoura Hills home. After the cop made a purchase, deputies obtained a search warrant and raided his home this morning. About 1.5 ounces of coke was seized from his house, according to City News Service. Patton was arrested, and his bail has been set at $30,000. Having also starred in Cold Case and That's So Raven, Patton is best known for his role on the long-running soap as Will Horton between 2009 and 2010.

CBO sees brighter economy with budget deficit to plunge to $642 billion this year, but wait until 2015...

2013-05-15T13:13:00Z

The budget deals of the past two years and a recovering economy are rapidly mopping up the tide of red ink that swept over Washington after the 2007 recession. After four years of budget deficits in excess of $1 trillion, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office forecast Tuesday that this year’s deficit will plummet to $642 billion, or 4 percent of the nation’s total economic output. That’s $200 billion lower than the CBO forecast in February. Analysts attributed the sunnier outlook to higher-than-expected tax revenue and about $95 billion in higher payments from mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are profiting from a recovering housing market. The forecast puts the nation on track for its smallest deficit since 2008, before the recession hit in full force. And the CBO predicts that the gap between revenue and spending will continue to shrink through 2015, when it will fall to just over 2 percent of the economy — well within the bounds of what economists consider to be economically sustainable. After 2015, the CBO forecasts that deficits will gradually begin rising again as the baby-boom generation taps into Social Security and Medicare. Although borrowing will stabilize, the national debt will remain at historically high levels, the CBO said, stuck above 70 percent of the economy throughout the next decade. That’s higher than at any time in U.S. history other than World War II. In the past 40 years, the national debt has averaged about 39 percent of gross domestic product.

Rush Limbaugh: "I Live Rent-Free" In Obama's Head

2013-05-15T13:10:00Z

(H/T to Real Clear Politics)

RUSH LIMBAUGH: Now, let me tell you what he's doing, folks. He is essentially begging any Republican to denounce me. He is fixated on me. He simply cannot get me off his mind. I live rent free in his head. And he is using me as his convenient excuse for not being able to get anything done. He really thinks the Republicans would work with him if it weren't for me. So he's telling these Hollywood people -- and you gotta understand, they're sitting there and they're very sympathetic, and they love Obama, and they want Obama to succeed. I'm the guy who said "I hope he fails."

Obama Tells Harvey Weinstein, Justin Timberlake to Blame Rush Limbaugh

2013-05-15T13:09:00Z

President Obama told donors like Jessica Biel, Justin Timberlake, and Tommy Hilfiger that Washington gridlock is pretty much Rush Limbaugh's fault on Monday evening at a fundraiser at Harvey Weinstein's house in New York's Greenwich Village. Obama admitted that his theory — that after the 2012 election, the Republican "fever" would break, and they'd decide to co-sign some of his agenda — was wrong. "My thinking was when we beat them in 2012 that might break the fever, and it’s not quite broken yet," Obama said, according to the White House pool report. This is because of a certain corpulent radio host. "I genuinely believe there are Republicans out there who would like to work with us but they’re fearful of their base and they’re concerned about what Rush Limbaugh might say about them. And as a consequence we get the kind of gridlock that makes people cynical about government."

In June 2012, Obama had predicted that being a lame duck would actually be a perk. He told donors: "I believe that if we're successful in this election, when we're successful in this election, that the fever may break, because there's a tradition in the Republican Party of more common sense than that,... My hope, my expectation, is that after the election, now that it turns out that the goal of beating Obama doesn't make much sense because I'm not running again, that we can start getting some cooperation again." And if Republicans refuse to cooperate? Well, unlike the president, they do face reelection. Obama suggested he would crush them in the midterms. "If there are folks who are more interested in winning elections than they are thinking about the next generation then I want to make sure there are consequences to that." (AP)

NEWS ANCHOR: IRS TARGETED ME AFTER OBAMA INTERVIEW

2013-05-15T13:03:00Z

In a startling Facebook post published Monday night, KMOV news anchor Larry Connors claims that after he interviewed President Obama in April of 2012, "the IRS started hammering me."

Shortly after I did my April 2012 interview with President Obama, my wife, friends and some viewers suggested that I might need to watch out for the IRS. I don't accept "conspiracy theories", but I do know that almost immediately after the interview, the IRS started hammering me. At the time, I dismissed the "co-incidence", but now, I have concerns ... after revelations about the IRS targeting various groups and their members.

Connors' April interview, as he points out in his post, garnered a lot of national attention when he asked the President some tough questions; the kind the national media never would. After suggesting the President might be "out of touch," Connors asked how appropriate it is for the First Family to be enjoying luxury vacations at taxpayer expense in the heart of a nationwide recession. Connors wrote that after he pursued this line of questioning, "The President's face clearly showed his anger; afterwards, his staff which had been so polite ... suddenly went cold." Connor says that with these new revelations about the IRS targeting Tea Party groups that he now has to ask himself if "the IRS put a target on me." (Breitbart)

Video purports to show Syrian rebel cutting out and eating opponent's heart

2013-05-15T13:01:00Z

A graphic video allegedly showing a Syrian rebel cutting open a pro-government fighter’s chest and biting into one of his internal organs sparked outrage Tuesday, reviving concerns about the makeup of opposition forces even as the United States warned that it is ready to bolster its support for them. During a visit to Stockholm, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said it would be a “gross miscalculation” by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to back out of peace talks brokered by Washington and Moscow, saying without elaboration that such a move would prompt additional aid for rebel forces. Kerry’s warning came despite the concerns raised by the video, which stands out even among the daily streams of gruesome images that emerge from the conflict. In it, a man identified as a rebel commander bends over a body and cuts open the chest with a knife before standing to face the camera with an organ in each hand. “I swear to God, we will eat your hearts and your livers, you soldiers of Bashar the dog,” he declares, before lifting the flesh to his mouth and biting it, to shouts of “God is great!”

The chilling scene points to the increasingly sectarian nature of the Syrian conflict, which has been marked by revenge killings along religious lines, and highlights the challenges complicating efforts to assist fractured opposition military groups. British Prime Minister David Cameron said during a visit to Washington on Monday that his government would double its military support to Syrian rebels, but the Obama administration has remained cautious. The rebel in the video was widely identified as Khaled al-Hamad, nicknamed Abu Sakkar, a commander of the Omar al-Farouq Brigade; that force is a more militant offshoot of the Farouq Brigades, a prominent armed faction formed in the central city of Homs. In an interview with Time magazine, Abu Sakkar said he had no regrets, explaining that his men had discovered a video clip on the soldier’s cellphone of a woman and her two daughters naked. “He was humiliating them, and sticking a stick here and there,” he said. The New York-based Human Rights Watch said a longer version of the video that has not been publicly circulated includes a slur against Alawites, the minority Shiite sect to which Assad belongs. (Washington Post)

Benghazi Review Board Chair Asks Issa For Chance To Testify

2013-05-15T13:00:00Z

Former Ambassador Thomas Pickering on Tuesday defended the investigative board he led looking into last year's attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, saying he wanted the opportunity to clear up "unfounded" criticisms leveled against it during last week's Congressional hearings. In a letter to Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), Pickering asked that he and the Accountability Review Board's vice chair, Adm. Michael Mullen, be allowed to answer some who "called into question the integrity of the Board and its work" at last week's hearing of Issa's House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. "At the May 9 public hearing and in subsequent media appearances, some have called into question the integrity of the [Accountability Review] Board and its work," Pickering wrote. "It is therefore important that we be afforded the opportunity to appear at a public hearing before the Committee and answer directly the questions regarding the Board's procedures, findings and recommendations." (NPR)

Convicted Pennsylvania abortion doctor gets life in prison

2013-05-15T12:57:00Z

An abortion doctor convicted of killing three babies born alive at his rogue clinic dodged a possible death sentence on Tuesday in a hasty post-verdict deal with prosecutors. Dr. Kermit Gosnell waived his right to appeal in exchange for a sentence of life without parole. Gosnell, 72, was convicted Monday of first-degree murder in a case that became a flashpoint in the nation's abortion debate. Former clinic employees testified that Gosnell routinely performed illegal abortions past Pennsylvania's 24-week limit, that he delivered babies who were still moving, whimpering or breathing, and that he and his assistants dispatched the newborns by "snipping" their spines, as he referred to it. Prosecutors had been seeking the death penalty because Gosnell killed more than one person and his victims were especially vulnerable given their age. But Gosnell's own advanced age had made it unlikely he would ever be executed before his appeals ran out. Gosnell's lawyer, Jack McMahon, said his client accepts the verdict and isn't sorry he went to trial. He said Gosnell gave up a somewhat better deal early on but wanted to air the issues in court and is satisfied that he did so. (AP)

Lawyer: Tsarnaev's Widow to Cooperate

2013-05-15T12:55:00Z

A new criminal defense lawyer for the widow of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev says his client will continue to cooperate with investigators but says he plans to keep quiet about the details of her case publicly because that could hurt the investigation. New York lawyer Joshua Dratel, who has represented several terrorism suspects, joined Katherine Russell's legal team last week. He joins two Rhode Island-based lawyers who typically focus on civil cases. Russell hasn't been charged with any wrongdoing, but she is under intense scrutiny by the FBI as it investigates the deadly April 15 bombing, which killed three people and injured more than 260. Authorities say the attack was carried out by her husband and his brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Dratel told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he joined Russell's legal team because Russell needed someone who could navigate the criminal justice system and to protect her interests.He said she had spoken with investigators and planned to keep cooperating. "I don't see that changing in the foreseeable future," he said. "There's no inconsistency between that and her interests at this point." (AP)

Politico Details Level of IRS Harassment

2013-05-15T12:53:00Z

The Internal Revenue Service asked tea party groups to see donor rolls. It asked for printouts of Facebook posts. And it asked what books people were reading. A POLITICO review of documents from 11 tea party and conservative groups that the IRS scrutinized in 2012 shows the agency wanted to know everything — in some cases, it even seemed curious what members were thinking. The review included interviews with groups or their representatives from Hawaii, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas and elsewhere. The long-awaited Treasury Department inspector general report released Tuesday says the agency itself decided some of its questions to conservative groups were way over the line — especially the one about donors. The report shows that top IRS officials put a stop to some of the questions in early 2012, including the ones that asked tea party groups who their donors were, what issues were important to them and whether their top officers ever planned to run for office. And they told the investigators they planned to destroy the donor lists that had already been sent in. But interviews with members of the groups paint a more dramatic picture than the bland language of the report, which just says the IRS “requested irrelevant (unnecessary) information because of a lack of managerial review, at all levels, of questions before they were sent to organizations seeking tax-exempt status.”

“They were asking for a U-Haul truck’s worth of information,” said Toby Marie Walker, the president of the Waco Tea Party. Some groups even gave up in the face of the IRS questions. Several of the groups were asked for résumés of top officers and descriptions of interviews with the media. One group was asked to provide “minutes of all board meetings since your creation.” Some of the letters asked for copies of the groups’ Web pages, blog posts and social media postings — making some tea party members worry they’d be punished for their tweets or Facebook comments by their followers. And each letter had a stern warning about “penalties of perjury” — which became intimidating for groups that were being asked about future activities, like future donations or endorsements. In one instance, the American Patriots Against Government Excess was asked to provide summaries or copies of all material passed out at meetings. The group had been reading “The 5000 Year Leap” by Cleon Skousen and the U.S. Constitution. The group’s president, Marion Bower, sent a copy of both to the IRS. “I don’t have time to write a book report for them,” she said.

Holder faces tough House questioning, after defending AP records probe

2013-05-15T12:51:00Z

Attorney General Eric Holder will likely face aggressive questioning at a hearing by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee Wednesday amid the outcry over the Justice Department's gathering of phone records at The Associated Press and other scandals within the Obama administration. The panel's chairman, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., tells the Associated Press the committee members are planning on asking Holder "pointed" questions about the decision to obtain two months' worth of telephone records of as many as 20 of the wire service's reporters and editors. "Congress and the American people expect answers and accountability," Goodlatte said. Goodlatte says the committee will also ask Holder about the targeting of conservative groups by the Internal Revenue Service, which is now the focus of an investigation by the Justice Department.

Holder said Tuesday that his deputy "ultimately authorized the subpoena" to secretly obtain the records, and that he had recused himself early on in the related investigation into leaks of sensitive information that "put the American people at risk." Word that Deputy Attorney General James Cole is directing the FBI probe came as the White House expressed confidence in Holder and the department following revelations that it had seized the phone records in an effort to find out who leaked confidential information to it. Republicans pointed to the incident in renewing calls for Holder's resignation. Holder said Tuesday that the leak in question, which the AP has suggested involved a foiled terror attack originating in Yemen, was "very, very serious," but declined to elaborate. He said it was among the most serious he'd seen in his career and that it "required very aggressive action." (Fox News)

New Scandal? EPA waives fee requests for friendly groups, denies conservative groups

2013-05-15T12:46:00Z

Conservative groups seeking information from the Environmental Protection Agency have been routinely hindered by fees normally waived for media and watchdog groups, while fees for more than 90 percent of requests from green groups were waived, according to requests reviewed by the Competitive Enterprise Institute. CEI reviewed Freedom of Information Act requests sent between January 2012 and this spring from several environmental groups friendly to the EPA’s mission, and several conservative groups, to see how equally the agency applies its fee waiver policy for media and watchdog groups. Government agencies are supposed to waive fees for groups disseminating information for public benefit. “This is as clear an example of disparate treatment as the IRS’ hurdles selectively imposed upon groups with names ominously reflecting an interest in, say, a less intrusive or biased federal government,” said CEI fellow Chris Horner.

For 92 percent of requests from green groups, the EPA cooperated by waiving fees for the information. Those requests came from the Natural Resources Defense Council, EarthJustice, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, The Waterkeeper Alliance, Greenpeace, Southern Environmental Law Center and the Center for Biological Diversity. Of the requests that were denied, the EPA said the group either didn’t respond to requests for justification of a waiver, or didn’t express intent to disseminate the information to the general public, according to documents obtained by The Washington Examiner. CEI, on the other hand, had its requests denied 93 percent of the time. One request was denied because CEI failed to express its intent to disseminate the information to the general public. The rest were denied because the agency said CEI “failed to demonstrate that the release of the information requested significantly increases the public understanding of government operations or activities.” Similarly, requests from conservative groups Judicial Watch and National Center for Public Policy Research were approved half the time, and all requests from Franklin Center and the Institute for Energy Research were denied. (Washington Examiner)

Michael Graham: It's time for the DC press to take the "Walk of Shame"

2013-05-15T12:45:00Z

From his Boston Herald column:

If Woodward and Bernstein had covered Watergate the same way the D.C. press corps have covered Benghazi, Nixon would have served three terms. But after years of Chicago-style, bare-knuckle Obama politics, the press is suddenly crying “Nixon lives!” As recently as Monday, the media were in Obama defense mode, despite the revelations of blatant lies about Benghazi and revelations of Nixonian IRS assaults on Obama’s enemies. What happened? The press just caught Obama spying on them…

Regular Americans simply expressing their political opinions and organizing to oppose a sitting president have spent the entire Obama presidency getting kicked around by the likes of you: “Extremists!” “Racists!” “Haters!” All excuses for you so-called “journalists” not to do your job of gathering the facts and reporting the news. Now Barack Milhous Obama is caught bullying you, and I’m supposed to be outraged? No way. Hey, you spent five years givin’ it up for Obama, climbing into bed with the White House and putting partisanship ahead of journalism. Now, my media friends, it’s time for you to find your shoes, fix your makeup, and take the “Walk of Shame.”

D.C. turns on Obama

2013-05-15T12:43:00Z

The town is turning on President Obama — and this is very bad news for this White House. Republicans have waited five years for the moment to put the screws to Obama — and they have one-third of all congressional committees on the case now. Establishment Democrats, never big fans of this president to begin with, are starting to speak out. And reporters are tripping over themselves to condemn lies, bullying and shadiness in the Obama administration. Buy-in from all three D.C. stakeholders is an essential ingredient for a good old-fashioned Washington pile-on — so get ready for bad stories and public scolding to pile up. Obama’s aloof mien and holier-than-thou rhetoric have left him with little reservoir of good will, even among Democrats. And the press, after years of being accused of being soft on Obama while being berated by West Wing aides on matters big and small, now has every incentive to be as ruthless as can be. This White House’s instinctive petulance, arrogance and defensiveness have all worked to isolate Obama at a time when he most needs a support system. “It feel like they don’t know what they’re here to do,” a former senior Obama administration official said. “When there’s no narrative, stuff like this consumes you.”…

This is a dangerous — albeit familiar — place for a second-term president. Once the dogs are released, they bark, they bite and it takes a very long time to calm them down. Bill Clinton got hit early and often, and George W. Bush never really recovered from it. No doubt, the hysteria cools. But, once you hit this point, it takes time, often lots of it. The long-term danger is that the political system and the public start to view the president, his motives and ideas through a more skeptical lens. The short-term danger is the press races for new details, new scandals, new expressions of indignity with each passing day. Read Tuesday morning editorial pages of every paper for a taste of things to come. Or watch a rerun of Tuesday’s “Morning Joe,” in which reporters made it sound like Obama is a latter-day Richard Nixon.

Woman kicked off JFK-bound flight for belting out 'I will always love you' in midair concert

2013-05-14T14:18:00Z

She may have loved her fellow fliers but they certainly didn't love her back! An American Airlines jet headed to Kennedy Airport from LA was forced to make an emergency landing in Kansas City after a woman refused to stop belting out Whitney Houston's "I will always love you." The woman's off-key rendition of the ditty's famous chorus, captured forever on a passenger's cellphone video, is heard as police escort her off the flight. A female airline staffer can be heard in the video pleading with passengers not to take photos. "The woman was being disruptive and was removed from the plane for interfering with the flight crew," airport spokesman Joe McBride told WCTV Friday. "There was a federal air marshal on the aircraft, who subdued the woman and put her in cuffs and removed her from the plane." The woman, who claimed she was a diabetic, was not charged but the airline refused to allow her back on a flight. (NY Post)

Chuck Todd On IRS Scandal: "Has More Legs Politically In 2014 Than Benghazi"

2013-05-14T14:17:00Z

On Morning Joe:

Andrea Mitchell: IRS scandal 'one of the most outrageous excesses I've seen in all my years of journalism'

2013-05-14T14:16:00Z

On Morning Joe this morning, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell delivered a strong reaction to the news that the IRS targeted Tea Party groups beginning in 2011, calling it “one of the most outrageous excesses I’ve seen in all my years in journalism.” (Washington Examiner)

Angelina Jolie Reveals She Had Double Mastectomy to Prevent Breast Cancer

2013-05-14T14:14:00Z

Angelina Jolie has always been outspoken about issues that matter to her, and now, for the first time, she's revealing a very personal one: her decision to undergo a preventive double mastectomy after discovering she carries the BRCA1 gene, which increases the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. "My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in each woman," she writes today in a New York Times op-ed. "Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much as I could." Jolie, 37, lost her mother in 2007 to ovarian cancer, and she explains in the article that her six children with partner Brad Pitt contributed to her decision to have the surgery--and now, she's speaking out about it to educate other women in her situation about their options. (ABC News)

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Father of boy arrested in sister's death says he wants to see evidence

2013-05-14T14:10:00Z

The father of a 12-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing his 8-year-old sister had planned on addressing the media, but sheriff's officials said a news conference set for Tuesday was canceled. Barney Fowler told The Associated Press that he will believe his son is innocent until he sees evidence that proves otherwise, and that the family was backing the boy after a crime that terrified this Central California foothill community."Until they have the proper evidence to show it's my son, we're standing behind him," Fowler said. "If they have the evidence, well that's another story. We're an honest family." Fowler had said he planned to address the media Tuesday at the sheriff's substation in Valley Springs, but sheriff's officials said in a brief statement late Monday that the news conference was canceled. No reason was given for the cancellation, and a sheriff's spokesman did not return calls from the AP. The boy told investigators on April 27 that he encountered a random attacker in the family home while his father was attending a Little League game. He described the man as tall with long gray hair.

The boy said the man fled on foot and he found his sister, Leila Fowler, bleeding. Leila's death set off an intense manhunt in the rural community where some residents had moved to escape big city crime. The Calaveras County Sheriff's Office spent more than 2,000 man-hours amassing evidence and searching door-to-door. Residents of the rural community began locking their doors and calling authorities when they thought they saw men who fit the description. They also held fundraisers for the Fowler family and turned out by the thousands for a candlelight vigil in Leila's honor. "We're thankful to the community and all they've done for my daughter," Barney Fowler said. He echoed comments made earlier Monday by his son, Justin Fowler, 19, who told the AP the family was in shock and extremely sad about the boy's arrest. "We're just in a fog," Justin Fowler said. Rumors began spreading last week around town that the 12-year-old was a suspect. The AP is withholding his name because he is a juvenile. (AP)

Lion Tacos Cause UpROAR For Mexican Restaurant

2013-05-14T14:10:00Z

The king of the jungle has ended up in a tortilla in a Tampa, Fla., Mexican restaurant – and it’s causing an upROAR! Taco Fusion is known for selling exotic meat tacos at market prices – the fillings have included kangaroo, bison and shark meat tacos. But the addition of lion meat to their menu has led to bomb threats and even physical altercations. "[People have been] coming into the establishment and throwing punches," the restaurant's manager Brad Barnett told "Good Morning America." "They say they are going to bomb us, burn us down, blow us up." Lions are not on the endangered species list, although they are on the vulnerable list one step below endangered. It is not illegal to sell or consume lion meat. Following the controversy, the restaurant decided to pull the item from the menu. “We listened to everyone and decided to no longer carry lion. The lion meat is sold out and we do not plan to carry it again. Thank you all for your feedback,” said a post on their website last week. But it appears the eatery had a change of lion heart.

Restaurant manager Bayardo Alvarez told Fox News Latino that the restaurant started selling lion tacos again. A cook at the restaurant said employees were surprised by the outrage and – no matter how exotic the meat – the restaurant had never received any complaints before. Though they expected anger after they began selling shark meat tacos, most customers did not seem to mind. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, told Fox News Latino they were not amused by Taco Fusion’s marketing gimmick. “Most lion meat served in restaurants comes from old zoo and circus lions who are shot in fenced compounds by cowards who want a trophy on the wall, so that’s what anyone who buys a lion burger is likely supporting,” PETA wrote in an e-mail. They added, “As with other carcasses that this restaurant has sold as burgers or tacos, there are no inspection standards to fall back on, and one wonders why any human being finds it interesting to add to the number of animals who lose their lives for nothing more than a fleeting taste.” (Fox News Latino)

Russia spy agency claims CIA agent arrested for trying to recruit Russian agent in Moscow

2013-05-14T14:09:00Z

Russia's security services claimed Tuesday to have arrested a CIA agent posing as an employee of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for allegedly trying to recruit a Russian secret service agent to work for the U.S. The Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that it had detained a man identified as Ryan Christopher Fogle on the evening of May 13 or early the next morning for attempting to recruit a Russian agent. The U.S. Embassy would not comment on the reports when contacted Tuesday morning by CBS News. Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted a statement from the FSB as saying Fogle was arrested while trying to recruit a member of the Russian security services, and he had on his person, "special technical devices, written instructions for the Russian citizen being recruited, a large sum of cash and means of changing his appearance." After being arrested and processed by Russian security services, the man was handed back to the U.S. diplomatic mission in Moscow.

Obama administration gives wind farms a pass on eagle deaths, prosecutes oil companies

2013-05-14T14:06:00Z

The Obama administration has never fined or prosecuted a wind farm for killing eagles and other protected bird species, shielding the industry from liability and helping keep the scope of the deaths secret, an Associated Press investigation has found. More than 573,000 birds are killed by the country's wind farms each year, including 83,000 hunting birds such as hawks, falcons and eagles, according to an estimate published in March in the peer-reviewed Wildlife Society Bulletin. Each death is federal crime, a charge that the Obama administration has used to prosecute oil companies when birds drown in their waste pits, and power companies when birds are electrocuted by their power lines. No wind energy company has been prosecuted, even those that repeatedly flout the law. Wind power, a pollution-free energy intended to ease global warming, is a cornerstone of President Barack Obama's energy plan. His administration has championed a $1 billion-a-year tax break to the industry that has nearly doubled the amount of wind power in his first term.

The large death toll at wind farms shows how the renewable energy rush comes with its own environmental consequences, trade-offs the Obama administration is willing to make in the name of cleaner energy. "It is the rationale that we have to get off of carbon, we have to get off of fossil fuels, that allows them to justify this," said Tom Dougherty, a long-time environmentalist who worked for nearly 20 years for the National Wildlife Federation in the West, until his retirement in 2008. "But at what cost? In this case, the cost is too high." Documents and emails obtained by The Associated Press offer glimpses of the problem: 14 deaths at seven facilities in California, five each in New Mexico and Oregon, one in Washington state and another in Nevada, where an eagle was found with a hole in its neck, exposing the bone.

One of the deadliest places in the country for golden eagles is Wyoming, where federal officials said wind farms had killed more than four dozen golden eagles since 2009, predominantly in the southeastern part of the state. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the figures. Getting precise figures is impossible because many companies aren't required to disclose how many birds they kill. And when they do, experts say, the data can be unreliable. When companies voluntarily report deaths, the Obama administration in many cases refuses to make the information public, saying it belongs to the energy companies or that revealing it would expose trade secrets or implicate ongoing enforcement investigations. Nearly all the birds being killed are protected under federal environmental laws, which prosecutors have used to generate tens of millions of dollars in fines and settlements from businesses, including oil and gas companies, over the past five years. (AP)

New Orleans police identify suspect in Mother's Day parade shooting

2013-05-14T13:25:00Z

New Orleans police and federal authorities were searching early Tuesday for a young man who is suspected of opening fire at a Mother's Day parade in New Orleans, wounding 19. Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas identified the suspect late Monday as Akein Scott, 19, of New Orleans. Referring to blurry surveillance camera images of the mass shooting, Serpas said police have "multiple identifications of Akein Scott as the shooter" seen in the film. Serpas said officers would be searching all night and into Tuesday for Scott, whom he called "no stranger to the criminal justice system." He urged the teen, who has previous arrests on firearms and drug charges, to give himself up. "We would like to remind the community and Akein Scott that the time has come for him to turn himself in," Serpas said at a news conference outside police headquarters. A photo of Scott hung from a podium in front of the police chief. "We know more about you than you think we know," he said. Serpas said it was too early to say whether he was the only shooter. (AP)

Washington Post: Obama's claim he called Benghazi an 'act of terrorism' deserves four Pinocchios

2013-05-14T13:24:00Z

During the campaign, the president could just get away with claiming he said “act of terror,” since he did use those words — though not in the way he often claimed. It seemed like a bit of after-the-fact spin, but those were his actual words — to the surprise of Mitt Romney in the debate. But the president’s claim that he said “act of terrorism” is taking revisionist history too far, given that he repeatedly refused to commit to that phrase when asked directly by reporters in the weeks after the attack. He appears to have gone out of his way to avoid saying it was a terrorist attack, so he has little standing to make that claim now. Indeed, the initial unedited talking points did not call it an act of terrorism. Instead of pretending the right words were uttered, it would be far better to acknowledge that he was echoing what the intelligence community believed at the time--and that the administration’s phrasing could have been clearer and more forthright from the start.

Poll: 40 percent say administration has been dishonest about Benghazi

2013-05-14T13:23:00Z

Two in five Americans say the Obama Administration has been dishonest about the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, according to a new Pew Research Center poll. The poll shows 40 percent say the administration has been dishonest, while 37 percent say it has been honest. Another 23 percent say they don’t know. Not surprisingly, many who are unhappy are Republicans, 70 percent of whom say the administration has been dishonest. But even among independents, 48 percent say the administration has been dishonest, while 30 percent say it has been honest. But it’s not just Obama who is getting dinged by the American people. In the same poll, 36 percent said Republicans have gone too far in their hearings on the matter, while 34 percent say the Republicans have handled the matter appropriately. Independents are evenly split. Opinions are pretty malleable at this point though; 56 percent say they are not following the issue closely or at all. (Washington Post)

Lawyers: Targeting of conservatives more vast than just Cincinnati, also involved DC office

2013-05-14T13:22:00Z

Lawyers representing Tea Party groups are disputing the Internal Revenue Service’s claim that the discrimination against Tea Party and conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status was initiated by low-level employees at an IRS office in Cincinnati. According to the lawyers, the practice was more vast and included IRS officials in Washington, D.C. David French, senior counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which represents 27 Tea Party groups, told The Daily Caller that the IRS’ Cincinnati office was not the only unit targeting Tea Party and conservative groups for increased scrutiny. “We’ve dealt with two offices in California, the one in Cincinnati of course, and one in Washington, D.C. So when that story came out on Friday, we knew instantaneously it was false, because we had personal dealings with four different IRS offices from coast to coast and that was in connection with our representing 27 Tea Party groups and conservative groups in 19 states,“ French said, adding that the two California offices were located in Laguna Niguel and El Monte. “We knew from the beginning that this was not just a low-level Cincinnati employee operation,” French said. Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP who represents conservative groups, echoed French’s concerns and experience. “That’s a cover-up,” she told TheDC of the IRS’ claim Friday that the practice was initiated by the Cincinnati unit of the IRS. Mitchell also said there were offices in Washington and California that gave her clients issues. (Dailly Caller)

Top IRS official didn't reveal tea party targeting

2013-05-14T13:21:00Z

Congress was not told tea party groups were being inappropriately targeted by the Internal Revenue Service, even after acting agency Chief Steven Miller had been briefed on the matter. Miller was first informed on May, 3, 2012, that applications for tax-exempt status by tea party groups were inappropriately singled out for extra scrutiny, the IRS said Monday. At least twice after the briefing, Miller wrote letters to members of Congress to explain the process of reviewing applications for tax-exempt status without disclosing that tea party groups had been targeted. On July 25, 2012, Miller testified before the House Ways and Means oversight subcommittee, but again did not mention the additional scrutiny — despite being asked about it. At the hearing, Rep. Kenny Marchant, R-Texas, told Miller that some politically active tax-exempt groups in his district had complained about being harassed. Marchant did not explicitly ask if tea party groups were being targeted. But he did ask how applications were handled. Miller responded, "We did group those organizations together to ensure consistency, to ensure quality. We continue to work those cases," according to a transcript on the committee's website. (AP)

Holder needs to explain DOJ's spying on journalists, says civil liberties groups

2013-05-14T13:20:00Z

Civil liberties groups are demanding answers from Attorney General Eric Holder after the Justice Department came under fire when the Associated Press revealed Monday that the executive branch department seized two months of reporter-and-editor phone records in April and May 2012. The Justice Department’s spying on reporters is being called the latest in the Obama administration’s war on leaks. “The media’s purpose is to keep the public informed and it should be free to do so without the threat of unwarranted surveillance,” Laura W. Murphy, director of the American Civil Liberties Union Washington Legislative Office, said in a statement Monday. “The Attorney General must explain the Justice Department’s actions to the public so that we can make sure this kind of press intimidation does not happen again,” said Murphy. Nate Cardozo of the digital-rights organization Electronic Frontier Foundation said to the Huffington Post that the DOJ’s spying was a “clear violation of the law.” (Daily Caller)

Obama's Justice Dep't. Slammed for 'Massive and Unprecedented Intrusion' Into AP Newsgathering

2013-05-14T13:18:00Z

Lawmakers from both parties sharply questioned the Justice Department late Monday over its reported effort to secretly obtain two months of phone records from Associated Press journalists, with House Speaker John Boehner’s office saying “they better have a damned good explanation.” The AP disclosed the department’s actions Monday afternoon, revealing that the news service had recently learned the department obtained records listing outgoing calls for the work and personal phone numbers of AP reporters and various AP offices. In all, the government seized the records for more than 20 separate telephone lines assigned to AP and its journalists in April and May of 2012. Concern about what the AP’s top executive called an “unprecedented intrusion” quickly spanned party lines. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, said he’s “very troubled” by the allegations. “The burden is always on the government when they go after private information -- especially information regarding the press or its confidential sources. I want to know more about this case, but on the face of it, I am concerned that the government may not have met that burden,” Leahy said in a statement.

The AP also reported that the Justice Department got records for the main AP number in the House of Representatives press gallery. One congressional source told Fox News this allegation in particular “is not sitting too well” with congressional leadership. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said he plans to ask Attorney General Eric Holder “pointed questions” on the issue at a hearing Wednesday. Boehner spokesman Michael Steel also had pointed words for the administration. “The First Amendment is first for a reason. If the Obama administration is going after reporters’ phone records, they better have a damned good explanation,” he said. The allegations come on the heels of a pair of major controversies for the Obama administration. Fresh testimony and newly released documents last week raised questions about whether top administration officials deliberately distorted the details of the Benghazi attack as they first began providing details to the public last September. Then the IRS acknowledged Friday that it singled out conservative groups like the Tea Party for additional scrutiny as it screened applications for tax-exempt status. (Fox News)

IRS sent unpublished info on conservative groups to investigative news outfit

2013-05-14T13:14:00Z

ProPublica on Monday reported that the same IRS division that targeted conservative groups for special scrutiny during the 2012 election cycle provided the investigative-reporting organization with confidential applications for tax-exempt status. That revelation contradicts previous statements from the agency and may represent a violation of federal guidelines. Lois G. Lerner, who heads the IRS sector that reviews tax-exemption applications, told a congressional oversight committee in April 2012 that IRS code prohibited the agency from providing information about groups that had not yet been approved. Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) had asked Lerner in March 2012 to provide a list of all organizations that the IRS had subjected to special scrutiny. Lerner replied that she could not legally reveal information about groups that were not approved and that identifying targeted applicants that were already approved would require additional work, specifically a “manual review of each file.” She did not identify any of the organizations. Below is an excerpt of Lerner’s response:

“Section 6104(a) of the Code permits public disclosure of an application for recognition of tax exempt status and supporting materials only after the organization has been recognized as exempt. Consequently, we cannot provide a list of organizations that have received [additional scrutiny] from the IRS, until those applications have been approved.”

ProPublica reported that the Lerner’s division released “nine pending confidential applications of conservatives groups” in response to a request from the investigative-reporting organization for the applications of 67 nonprofits in November 2012. Lerner apologized on Friday for actions her sector took to single out conservative groups for special scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status. Documents from an inspector general’s report due for release this week show that the IRS also targeted groups with names containing the phrases “tea party” or “patriot,” in addition to 9/12 Project — founded by conservative political commentator Glenn Beck — and organizations that criticized the government or aimed to educate people about the Constitution. IRS officials in Washington and at least two other offices were involved with investigating the groups, making clear that the effort reached well beyond the branch in Cincinnati that was initially blamed, according to a report in Tuesday’s Washington Post. IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman testified on the targeting issue before a House Ways and Means subcommittee in March 2012, adamantly denying that the IRS singled out groups for special scrutiny. “There’s absolutely no targeting,” he said. “This is the kind of back and forth that happens to people [who apply for tax-exempt status.]” Shulman’s testimony came nearly 10 months after Lerner instructed her division to change its search criteria. (Washington Post)

OJ hoping for new trial in return to Vegas court

2013-05-13T14:06:00Z

It's been more than four years since O.J. Simpson was handcuffed in a Las Vegas courtroom and hauled off to prison for nine to 33 years. On Monday, the former football hero returns to Clark County District Court in blue prison clothes while his attorneys try to convince a judge that his trial lawyer, Yale Galanter, shouldn't have been handling Simpson's case at all. They say Galanter was a witness before the crime and could have testified in Simpson's defense. Simpson was convicted of armed robbery in a 2007 hotel room confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers he thought had personal belongings he lost following his acquittal in 1995 in the slaying of his ex-wife and her friend. Simpson is due to testify later this week. (AP)

Police arrest 12-year-old boy for killing sister in San Francisco

2013-05-13T14:04:00Z

In a chase that has attracted enormous media attention across the United Satates, a 12-year-old boy on Sunday was arrested in Los Angeles for murdering his eight-year-old sister Leila Fowler at their home in Valley Springs in the southeast of San Francisco late last month. On April 27, Fowler’s brother, whose identity was not revealed, told police that he saw an armed intruder running fleeing their house after his sister was being stabble while the two were alone at home on the fateful day. The brothers statements prompted authorities to start a door-to-door manhunt, which covered the girl’s school bus route from the elementary school to her home. However, the sheriff’s office on Saturday said that they redirected their focus on the brother himself and charged him with homicide after the arrest. Talking to reporters at a news conference, Sheriff Gary Kuntz said, “We have put over 2,000 hours in this investigation to provide Leila Fowler’s family answers to her death.” The police did not disclose any further details, only said, that the investigation was still “ongoing.” Per state law, children below 14 years can be tried as an adult. If convicted for homicide, the boy could be released by age 25. (Gant Daily)

Detroit EM Kevyn Orr: City clearly insolvent, long-term debt at $15 billion

2013-05-13T14:03:00Z

Simply put, Detroit is in severe financial turmoil. That is pretty much the overall summary of a 41-page report from state-appointed Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr. “The City of Detroit continues to incur expenditures in excess of revenues despite cost reductions and proceeds from long term debt issuances. In other words, Detroit spends more than it takes in – it is clearly insolvent on a cash flow basis,” reads the report to the state Department of Treasury that was posted online Sunday by the Detroit Free Press. According to the report, which is mandated by the state after an emergency manager’s first 45 days in office, if it weren’t for payment deferrals for city obligations and borrowing money, the city would be out of cash. Costs plaguing the city include General Fund debt of $1.1 billion; enterprise fund debt of $6 billion; retiree medical costs currently estimated at approximately $5.7 billion as of June 30, 2012; and a handful of other pension-related and benefit costs. Pension-related costs and other post-employment benefit obligations make up about $7.5 billion of the city’s at least $15 billion long-term debt. (MLive)

Health insurance tax 'scares the daylights' out of some small-business owners

2013-05-13T14:02:00Z

Many small-business owners worry that a new tax on insurance providers in the health-care law will mean higher premiums for them, undermining the law’s capacity to lower their health-care costs. Starting next year, the federal government will charge a new fee on health insurance firms based on the plans they sell to individuals and companies, known as the fully insured market. Meanwhile, the provision exempts health-insurance plans that are set up and operated by businesses themselves (the self-insured market). Revenue from the tax will help pay for the health-care overhaul, which is expected to extend coverage to millions of uninsured or underinsured Americans. However, because most large corporations self-insure their workforce, experts warn that insurance companies will pass the costs directly to small businesses. The vast majority purchase coverage in the fully insured market. “Insurers have confirmed back to me that the tax will be passed down to consumers, and the direct impact will be staggering,” Ryan Thorn, owner of a small insurance planning firm near Salt Lake City, told lawmakers during a congressional hearing Thursday. “It disproportionately hits individuals and small-business owners, the people who have been hurt most by these challenging times.” During his testimony, Thorn read letters from his small-business clients about the likely impact of the new health insurance tax. One wrote that the tax “scares the daylights out of us,” while another warned that it would likely “hasten the decision to move away from providing group coverage for our employees.” (Washington Post)

Lamar Alexander slams Sebelius over Iran-Contra-style health care scandal

2013-05-13T14:01:00Z

Tennessee Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander says Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius may be involved in an Iran-Contra-style health care scandal and he wants Congress to investigate it. The Washington Post reported Friday that Sebelius is asking private companies involved in health care to contribute funds to Enroll America, a nonprofit that is working to help implement the Affordable Care Act by enrolling the uninsured and educating Americans on the new law. Congress has turned down requests from the Obama administration for additional funds to help implement the ACA. Alexander, the ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, called for an investigation into Sebelius’ actions Saturday, saying it “may be illegal, should cease immediately and should be fully investigated by Congress.” “Such private fundraising circumvents the constitutional requirement that only Congress may appropriate funds. If the secretary or others in her department are closely coordinating the activities of Enroll America, which is headed by a former White House aide, then those actions may be in violation of the Anti-Deficiency Act,” he said. (Daily Caller)

Brokaw: 'You Cannot Explain Away Susan Rice's Performance on Those Sunday Talk Shows'

2013-05-13T13:59:00Z

MSNBC contributor Tom Brokaw piled on the Obama Administration over Susan Rice’s Sunday talk show appearances following the Benghazi terror attack Monday on “Morning Joe.” Brokaw said there is a legitimate debate as to whether the Benghazi diplomatic mission was adequately protected or whether there was an appropriate military response, but given recent reports that clearly illustrate the Obama Administration was aware Benghazi was a terror attack ”you cannot explain away Susan Rice’s performance on those Sunday talk shows”: (Free Beacon)

Republicans call for depositions in Benghazi probe, amid revelation Clinton barely interviewed

2013-05-13T13:55:00Z

Congressional Republicans on Sunday pressed their investigation into the Benghazi attacks, suggesting depositions for high-ranking officials and more whistle-blowers testifying amid further questions about why then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was not thoroughly interviewed about the issue. Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, told “Fox News Sunday” that more potential and self-proclaimed “whistle-blowers” might come forward after three of them – career State Department foreign service employees – testified last week before the House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee. “We have had people come forward because of the (hearing) and say we would also like to talk," the Michigan Republican told “Fox News Sunday.” "I do think we're going to see more whistle-blowers. Certainly my committee has been contacted; I think other committees as well." Rogers’ remarks came as Thomas Pickering, the former U.S. ambassador who helped write a report on security at a U.S. outpost in Benghazi, Libya, defended his assessment but absolved Clinton. "We knew where the responsibility rested," Pickering told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “They've tried to point a finger at people more senior than where we found the decisions were made.”

Pickering said he and retired Adm. Mike Mullen had to work within the legal scope of the investigation and that they “knew and understood” Clinton’s role based upon “talking to other people at meetings.” Four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed in the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks on the U.S. outpost. Congressional Republicans have since led efforts to learn whether the Obama administration provided adequate security and if the explanation of events was altered as part of a possible political cover-up. Among the lingering questions are whether Clinton was involved in changing a CIA memo about how the attacks started and was she at least partially responsible for the apparent lack of adequate security. The Accountability and Review Board, led by Pickering and Mullen, did not question Clinton at length about the attacks but concluded the decisions about the consulate were made well below the secretary's level. (Fox News)

Search for suspects after 19 injured in shooting at New Orleans Mother's Day parade

2013-05-13T13:54:00Z

New Orleans police are searching for as many as three gunmen after 19 people, including two children, were injured in a shooting at a Mother's Day parade. Police say they saw three suspects running from the scene, but no arrests had been made as of early Monday. Grainy surveillance video released by New Orleans police shows a crowd suddenly scattering in all directions, with some falling to the ground. They appear to be running from a man who turns and runs out of the picture. The person is wearing a white T-shirt and dark pants. The image isn't clear, but authorities hope someone will recognize him and notify investigators. At least three of the victims were seriously wounded. Of the rest, many were grazed and authorities said that overall most wounds were not life threatening. No deaths were reported. The victims included 10 men, seven women, a boy and a girl. The children, both 10 years old, were grazed and in good condition. Police said at least two people were in surgery Sunday night. The shooting — described by the FBI as a flare-up of street violence — shattered the festive mood surrounding the parade that drew hundreds of people to the 7th Ward neighborhood of modest row houses not far from the French Quarter. Cell phone video taken in the aftermath of the shooting shows victims lying on the ground, blood on the pavement and others bending over to comfort them. (Fox News)

Boston bombers' mosque recommended men beat their wives

2013-05-13T13:53:00Z

The Islamic Society of Boston, the mosque attended by Boston Marathon bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokar Tsarnaev, posted an article on its website in September 2004 that advocated for the beating of women as a last resort to force them to behave. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based mosque posted an English translation of Saudi cleric Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajid’s 1997 work, “The Muslim Home: 40 Recommendations in Light of the Quran and Sunnah,” which the mosque headlined, “40 Recommendations for the Muslim Home.”

“Hinting at punishment is an effective means of discipline, so the reason for hanging up a whip or stick in the house was explained in another report, where the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Hang up the whip where the members of the household can see it, for this is more effective in disciplining them,’” the article states. “Seeing the means of punishment hanging up will make those who have bad intentions refrain from indulging in bad behaviour, lest they get a taste of the punishment. It will motivate them to behave themselves and be good mannered,” it says. “Hitting is not the way to discipline; it is not to be resorted to, except when all other means are exhausted, or when it is needed to force someone to do obligatory acts of obedience, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘… As to those women on whose part you fear ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them (lightly, if it is useful),’” it goes on. The author of the work, Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajid, said on religious program that “Jewish websites” can justifiably be hacked by Muslims as part of the “war against (Jews).” “As for hacking and sabotaging Jewish websites – this is a special case that requires a special answer,” he said, according to a transcript posted on the Internet in 2011. (Daily Caller)

State records show Boston Bombers quick to grab EBT cash

2013-05-13T13:51:00Z

A mountain of new welfare records shows numerous EBT card cash withdrawals made by the Tsarnaev family, but so far there is no information about how terrorist Tamerlan Tsarnaev and others may have spent the money. The EBT receipts were handed over by the state to the House Post Audit and Oversight Committee as part of its probe into the Russian family’s $100,000-plus taxpayer-financed life in the Bay State. The committee met yesterday behind closed doors to review Medicaid and welfare awards. The EBT records are now part of thousands of pages of documents listing the government assistance doled out to the Cambridge clan from 2002 to November of 2012. The purchases show specific stores, but not the items bought. But further details could be available to investigators.

The legislative committee is also asking for records from the Cambridge Housing Authority on Section 8 assistance given to the Tsarnaevs, who lived in an apartment on Norfolk Street. The committee’s request for financial aid records from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth — where marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was a sophomore flunking some classes and owing a reported $20,000 — was rejected, the Herald learned. Federal officials have forbidden the school from releasing any records publicly. Rafi Ron, a former top Israeli security official and past consultant to Logan International Airport, said the welfare cash could have been enough money to help the Tsarnaev brothers build their pressure-cooker bombs that killed three and injured more than 260 at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15. (Boston Herald)

George Will: IRS Actions Against Conservatives An Impeachable Offense

2013-05-13T13:47:00Z

This Week, May 12, 2013:

WILL: But they said a) it was inadvertent, just some odd underlings out in Cincinnati and who did this. And there was no political motive whatever involved. Now the question is, how stupid do they think we are? Just imagine, Donna Brazile, if the George W. Bush administration had IRS underlings, out in Cincinnati of course, saying, we're going to target groups with the word "progressive" in their title. We would have all hell breaking loose.

May I read you something from an ancient document?

RADDATZ: Yes you may. I would be surprised if you didn't.

WILL: This is the 40th anniversary of the Watergate summer here in Washington. "He has through his subordinates and agents endeavored to cause in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, income tax audits or other income tax investigations to be initiated or conducted in a discriminatory manner." Section 1, Article 2, the Impeachment Articles of Richard Nixon.

IRS targeted groups that criticized the government, IG report says

2013-05-13T13:43:00Z

Senior Internal Revenue Service officials knew agents were targeting tea party groups as early as 2011, according to a draft of an inspector general's report obtained by The Associated Press that seemingly contradicts public statements by the IRS commissioner. The IRS apologized Friday for what it acknowledged was "inappropriate" targeting of conservative political groups during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status. The agency blamed low-level employees, saying no high-level officials were aware. But on June 29, 2011, Lois G. Lerner, who heads the IRS division that oversees tax-exempt organizations, learned at a meeting that groups were being targeted, according to the watchdog's report. At the meeting, she was told that groups with "Tea Party," ''Patriot" or "9/12 Project" in their names were being flagged for additional and often burdensome scrutiny, the report says.

The Treasury Department's inspector general for tax administration is expected to release the results of a nearly yearlong investigation in the coming week. The AP obtained part of the draft report, which has been shared with congressional aides. Among the other revelations, on Aug. 4, 2011, staffers in the IRS' Rulings and Agreements office "held a meeting with chief counsel so that everyone would have the latest information on the issue." On Jan, 25, 2012, the criteria for flagging suspect groups was changed to, "political action type organizations involved in limiting/expanding Government, educating on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, social economic reform/movement," the report says. While this was happening, several committees in Congress were writing numerous letters IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman to express concern because tea party groups were complaining of IRS harassment. In Shulman's responses, he did not acknowledge targeting of tea party groups. At a congressional hearing March 22, 2012, Shulman was adamant in his denials. "There's absolutely no targeting. This is the kind of back and forth that happens to people" who apply for tax-exempt status, Shulman said at the House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing. The portion of the draft report reviewed by the AP does not say whether Shulman or anyone else in the Obama administration outside the IRS was informed of the targeting. It is standard procedure for agency heads to consult with staff before responding to congressional inquiries, but it is unclear how much information Shulman sought. (AP)

'Serious intellectual & mental problems': Another USC prof caught on video slamming Bush, berating conservatives

2013-05-10T14:42:00Z

A second professor at the University of Southern California (USC) has been caught on video using his political science class as a platform for bashing conservatives. In the video, Political Science Professor Richard Dekmejian claims former President George W. Bush suffered from mental instability and stupidity during his time in office. Bush was bound by “serious intellectual and mental problems,” he said before going on to claim Bush must have been “stupid or lying” to initiate Operation Iraqi Freedom for the reason of promoting democracy. Dekmejian also alleges Bush dodged the draft when he was a young man because he was busy “getting drunk and high” and was “lazy for the first several months when he came into the presidency until 9/11.” In the 20-minute secret recording, captured by student Tyler Talgo, during the Fall 2012 semester, Dekmejian also leveled a number of derogatory comments against members of the Bush administration, alleging both Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice “lied” to the American people during their service.

“You have to use that term [lying] people,” he reflected. “Don’t use that term mislead.” In his class, Dekmejian additionally appeared to accuse some Christians of salivating over violence in the Middle East. “The right wing evangelical community... these are the people who get happy on television every time there is a conflict in the Middle East,” he said. “They think that the book of revelation tells them that the messiah...the Christian messiah, Jesus is going to come...all we need is a war in the Middle East involving Israel and the Arabs.” Dekmejian did, however, praise former President Jimmy Carter (D) for his service during and after his presidency. “He’s still going around doing good things by the way, Carter,” he said. “That Carter, very respectable.” Last month, USC was hurled into the national headlines after a video recording showed another political science professor verbally assaulting Republicans. (Campus Reform)

Government Office Under Fire For Using Tax Dollars On Bizarre Video Mocking Asians: 'Beauliful, Beauliful'

2013-05-10T14:37:00Z

CBS Los Angeles has dug up a controversial video in which a white man puts on a kimono and paints his face white like a geisha, speaking in an exaggerated stereotype of a Japanese accent. The kicker: it was funded and produced by the city. The City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works apparently spends $48,000 per year on a program called “L.A. CityWorks,” which airs on the city-owned channel. The controversial short, which some have called “racist” and “insensitive,” was part of this city-funded initiative. The video, shot at a Japanese Garden in Los Angeles, depicts the cross-dressing “geisha” man speaking in a mock Japanese accent. “The Japanese water park is a beauliful, beauliful site,” he said with a bizarre misappropriation of the stereotypical Asian mispronunciation of “R” sounds as “L.” The actor leads two interested men on with a coy, flirty attitude, before ultimately fulfilling the video’s purpose: explaining how the Japanese Garden uses recycled water.

CBS spoke with Greg Kimura, the head of LA’s Japanese American National Museum, who cringed upon viewing the video, calling it “just awful,” “offensive” and “embarrassing to even watch.” “It brings back all the worst stereotypes,” he continued. “The accents, the whiteface. I’m embarrassed for everybody who is involved in this. If there’s a remedy to this, it would be something like an apology and taking it down immediately.” After the investigative reporter brought the video to the city’s attention, it was immediately yanked from YouTube. The department’s spokeswoman Cora Jackson-Fossett told CBS: “We apologize profusely that we missed the mark totally. We made a mistake. We’re extremely sorry. It was an attempt at humor that failed.” (Mediaite)

Teacher on leave after student viral video rant

2013-05-10T14:18:00Z

A Duncanville, TX High School teacher has been placed on leave with pay after a video taken in her classroom went viral. Social studies teacher Julie Phung is not seen in the cell phone video, which appears to have been shot by another student and starts as sophomore Jeff Bliss is leaving the room. As the 18 year old Bliss stands from his desk, he begins to tell the teacher how to do her job. "If you would just get up and teach them instead of handing them a freakin' packet, yo. It's kids in here that don't learn like that. They need to learn face to face." For 90 seconds he rants about Phung's teaching style, telling her she needs to take her job "serious" and criticizing Phung is heard telling Bliss to "get out," "please leave" and that he is "wasting her time." Bliss who dropped out of school at one time, stands by the claims he made in the video. "This teacher is not looking to truly give us the education we're looking for," he said. "As a student, if we see a teacher slacking, not putting forth the effort, we should call them out." Bliss thinks the current education system is failing its students and needs serious change.

The video of Bliss' rant went viral within hours of being posted. "The average video on YouTube gets 8-10 views in a 24 hour period," said social media expert Chris Kraft, with Addison-based Splash Media. "This video got 127,000 views in 18 hours. That's seven thousand times the normal rate." Less than 24 hours after it was first posted online, the video had been seen about 450,000 times by people all over the country. According to Kraft, initial social media sentiment favored the student at a rate of 6 to 1, but by Thursday afternoon that ratio had dropped to 2 to 1. Kraft suspects support has grown for the teacher as more adults have joined the conversation, but says the video is captivating audiences of all ages because it touches on a topic kids and adults can relate to: the state of the education system in this country. I think what really resonated was his speech. He's passionate about it," said Kraft. (CBS- Dallas)

The RNC Benghazi Attack Ad that Never Ran

2013-05-10T14:11:00Z

It was the Benghazi attack ad the Republican National Committee created but never aired. ABC News has obtained an ad the RNC made last fall and approved to air in the final weeks of the presidential campaign. The ad begins with a replay of Hillary Clinton’s famous “3 a.m. phone call” commercial from the 2008 campaign and then cuts to video of the burning U.S. consulate in Benghazi Libya. Over the images of the attack–in which four Americans were killed–words appear on the screen: “The Call Came … On September 12, 2012.” As the screen goes black, the words continue: “Security Requests Denied. Four Americans Dead. And an Administration whose story is still changing. The Call Came.” (ABC News)

School Cancels Graduation Over Prayer Controversy

2013-05-10T14:07:00Z

An Arkansas school district decided to cancel sixth grade graduation ceremonies after an out-of-state organization threatened to sue the school over a student-led graduation prayer, disappointing parents and students. Tommy Knight, the superintendent of the Riverside School District in Lake City, confirmed to Fox News that graduation services at East and West Elementary schools had been cancelled. The controversy was over prayer, he said. “Those campuses for the last several years had discussed whether we should continue with sixth grade graduation or not. The controversy arose out of this one. When it came to my attention, the board and I decided to go ahead and discontinue sixth grade graduations.” The school district had received a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation warning them that a student-led prayer during the ceremonies was a violation of the U.S. Constitution. Kelly Adams was one of many parents who attended a school board meeting on Monday when the decision was made.

10,962,532: U.S. Disability Beneficiaries Exceed Population of Greece

2013-05-10T14:06:00Z

The total number of people in the United States now receiving federal disability benefits hit a record 10,962,532 million in April, which exceeds the 10,815,197 people who live in the nation of Greece. According to newly released data from the Social Security Administration, the record 10,962,532 total disability beneficiaries in April, included a record 8,865,586 disabled workers (up from 8,853,614 in March), 1,936,236 children of disabled workers, and 160,710 spouses of disabled workers. According to its latest census, Greece had only 10,815,197 residents. April was the 195th straight month that the number of American workers collecting federal disability payments increased. The last time the number of Americans collecting disability decreased was in January 1997. That month the number of workers taking disability dropped by 249 people—from 4,385,623 in December 1996 to 4,385,374 in January 1997. As the overall number of American workers collecting disability has increased, the ratio of full-time workers to disability-collecting workers has decreased. In December 1968, 1,295,428 American workers collected disability and, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 65,630,000 worked full-time. Thus, there were about 51 full-time workers for each worker collecting disability. In April 2013, with a record 8,865,586 American workers collecting disability and 116,053,000 working full-time, there were only 13 Americans working full-time for each worker on disability. (CNS News)

Guns, gays and grass: Colorado wraps up historic legislative session

2013-05-10T14:05:00Z

The Democratic agenda for the legislative session, which ended for the year on Wednesday, reads like a list of topics you’re not supposed to discuss at dinner with future in-laws. It included gun control, civil unions, legal marijuana, restrictions on oil and gas drilling, expansion of Medicaid, changes to election laws, a steep increase in renewable energy requirements for energy providers and new rights for illegal immigrants and their children — including in-state college tuition and drivers licenses. They floated ideas that would have banned assault weapons, concealed carry permits on college campuses and the death penalty, but those issues didn’t make it as far as the rest. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a session in my life with so many big issues,” said Mark Radtke, a lobbyist with the Colorado Municipal League. The only things Democrats didn’t have much time for, said Republican House Minority Leader Rep. Mark Waller, were jobs and the economy. (Daily Caller)

Sex offender's sentence too long, Maine supreme court rules again

2013-05-10T14:02:00Z

For the second time, a convicted sex offender from Blue Hill has had his sentence vacated by the state supreme court. In a 4-3 decision, the high court ruled on May 7 that Theodore S. Stanislaw’s sentence of 27 years behind bars is “disproportionate to other sentences for similar crimes.” The court vacated the sentence and remanded the case to Hancock County Superior Court for resentencing. Stanislaw, a former music teacher, was accused of sexually molesting five girls between the ages of 10 and 14, all of whom he taught or knew through their parents, between 2004 and 2008. He has a prior conviction in New York state from 1982, when he was 24 years old, for sexually molesting a girl who was younger than 11. Stanislaw, now 54, served five years of probation for the New York offense. In January 2010, he pleaded guilty in Hancock County Superior Court to nine criminal charges including unlawful sexual contact, assault and unlawful sexual touching.

At the time, Stanislaw was sentenced by Superior Court Justice Kevin Cuddy to serve 28 years behind bars with two more suspended, but that sentence subsequently was overturned by the Law Court on the grounds that Cuddy had erred in applying Maine’s mandated three-step sentencing analysis and by not articulating why Stanislaw was given a sentence near the maximum allowed. Cuddy, instructed by the court to resentence Stanislaw, later ordered the former music teacher to serve 27 years behind bars instead. The new overall sentence, which included multiple consecutive prison terms, also included one additional year that was suspended and four years of probation. Stanislaw appealed the sentence again, arguing that Cuddy again misapplied the sentencing analysis, that the judge should not have applied consecutive prison terms and that 27 total years in prison was excessive. In its decision this week, the supreme court indicated that the unsuspended 27-year portion of Stanislaw’s sentence — the time he would have to spend behind bars — was closer to the length of incarceration that had been ordered for other defendants who were found guilty of killing or trying to kill other people. In terms of other sex crimes, the decision indicated, “Stanislaw’s unsuspended prison term is longer, sometimes significantly so, than those imposed in many gross sexual assault cases.” (Bangor Daily News)

President Obama: Mr. Fix-it no longer

2013-05-10T14:01:00Z

Americans have lost confidence in President Obama’s ability to get things done, according to a Pew Research Center poll released Wednesday. But after public fights to avoid sequester budget cuts and pass new gun-control laws have stalled, Obama has also garnered some sympathy — two-thirds say he fights hard for his policies, and twice as many blame Republicans leaders in Congress than Obama for a lack of compromise in Washington. Just 49 percent of the public says Obama is “able to get things done,” down from 57 percent in January and closer to his levels of confidence in 2012. But the vast majority of Americans, 67 percent, believe Obama is fighting hard for his policies, a quality that has been questioned in the wake of legislative setbacks. (Washington Post)

Boston police chief says feds never shared warnings about marathon bomber

2013-05-10T13:59:00Z

Boston and Massachusetts law enforcement officials confirmed Thursday that federal agents left them in the dark on the growing warning signs about Tamerlan Tsarnaev in the run-up to the Boston Marathon bombing. Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, in testimony on Capitol Hill, said his officers on a joint terrorism task force were never told about an explicit warning from the Russian government or about Tsarnaev's travel to the Chechnya region last year. Davis said he would have liked to have known about that activity, and that it "absolutely" would have merited a second look at Tsarnaev. Davis and Massachusetts homeland security official Kurt Schwartz testified that their officers were not looped in on Tsarnaev until after the bombing. "At no time prior to the bombings did any member of the Massachusetts State Police or the fusion center have any information or knowledge about the Tsarnaev brothers," Schwartz said.

Current and former lawmakers at the committee hearing Thursday expressed disbelief at the lack of information-sharing. "The idea that the feds have this information and it's not shared with the state and locals defies why we create the Department of Homeland Security in the first place," said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. Former Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a witness at Thursday's hearing, called the failure to tell Boston police about the brothers "a serious and aggravating omission."

"This may be one of the most significant and painful takeaway lessons," he said. Officials continue to question what warning signs were missed about the Tsarnaev brothers. Attention has been drawn to a 2011 warning from the Russian government to the FBI about Tamerlan Tsarnaev. The FBI has revealed it was told Tsarnaev was a "follower of radical Islam" and was preparing to travel overseas. The FBI says it interviewed Tsarnaev and found no evidence of terrorist involvement. Tsarnaev ended up traveling to Russia for six months in early 2012. Even in the federal government, information may not have traveled across all relevant agencies. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has said the government's internal system "pinged" when Tsarnaev left the country in 2012, though a Republican senator has said the FBI claimed they were not aware of that trip. (Fox News)

Long before he was charged, Ariel Castro was accuser in sexual assault case

2013-05-10T13:58:00Z

Nearly a decade before being charged with kidnapping, raping and torturing three Cleveland women, Ariel Castro was himself the accuser in a sexual assault case involving his daughters. The accusations, which resulted in the conviction of his ex-wife’s second husband, now offer a new window into Castro’s tangled family relationships. The case against Fernando Colon also raises questions about whether FBI agents squandered an opportunity to question Castro about the disappearance of two of the women in the months after their abductions. Castro made the accusations against Colon, 39, in July 2004, shortly after 14-year-old Georgina “Gina” DeJesus vanished on her way home from the west Cleveland middle school she attended. Colon, the husband of Ariel Castro’s ex-common-law wife, Grimilda “Nilda” Figueroa, says he told two FBI agents nine years ago to investigate Castro in connection with the disappearances of Amanda Berry and DeJesus, but that the agents seemed uninterested in his tip. Castro has now been charged with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape for allegedly abducting DeJesus, Berry and Michelle Knight, and was arraigned on Thursday. When DeJesus, a seventh-grader, disappeared on April 2, 2004, the FBI had reason to question Fernando Colon. Colon, was the stepfather of 13-year-old Arlene Castro, Ariel Castro’s daughter, who was DeJesus’ self-described best friend and had been with her right before she vanished. He also was the last adult known to have seen DeJesus before her disappearance. (NBC News)

Ohio man's ex-relatives say he beat them, kept mannequin in home

2013-05-10T13:56:00Z

The man accused of holding three women captive for a decade in his Cleveland home terrorized the mother of his children, frequently beating her, playing twisted psychological games and locking her indoors in the years before their relationship disintegrated, her relatives say. Several relatives of Grimilda Figueroa, who left Ariel Castro years ago and died after a long illness last year, painted a nightmarish portrait of Castro's family life as authorities made public horrifying details of the abuse endured by the imprisoned women. In interviews with The Associated Press on Thursday, the relatives described Castro as a "monster" who abused his wife and locked his family inside their own home. Their views were at odds with those of some of Castro's family and a neighbor, who knew the former school bus driver only as a happy and respectful man. Figueroa's relatives said Castro savagely beat her, pushing her down a flight of stairs, breaking her nose and dislocating her shoulder, among other injuries. Her sister, Elida Caraballo, said Castro once shoved Figueroa into a cardboard box and closed the flaps over her head. "He told her, `You stay there until I tell you to get out,"' said Caraballo, who cried as she recounted her late sister's torment. "That's when I got scared and I ran downstairs to get my parents."

Prosecutors said Thursday they may seek the death penalty against Castro as police charged that he impregnated one of his captives at least five times and made her miscarry by starving her and punching her in the belly. The allegations were contained in a police report that also said another one of the women, Amanda Berry, was forced to give birth in a plastic kiddie pool. Cuyahoga County prosecutor Timothy McGinty said his office will decide whether to bring aggravated murder charges, punishable by death, in connection with the pregnancies that were terminated by force. McGinty said Castro will be charged for every act of sexual violence, assault and other crimes committed against the women, suggesting the counts could number in the hundreds, if not thousands. (AP)

ABC News: Benghazi Talking Points Underwent 12 Revisions, Scrubbed of Terror Reference

2013-05-10T13:50:00Z

When it became clear last fall that the CIA’s now discredited Benghazi talking points were flawed, the White House said repeatedly the documents were put together almost entirely by the intelligence community, but White House documents reviewed by Congress suggest a different story. ABC News has obtained 12 different versions of the talking points that show they were extensively edited as they evolved from the drafts first written entirely by the CIA to the final version distributed to Congress and to U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice before she appeared on five talk shows the Sunday after that attack. White House emails reviewed by ABC News suggest the edits were made with extensive input from the State Department. The edits included requests from the State Department that references to the Al Qaeda-affiliated group Ansar al-Sharia be deleted as well references to CIA warnings about terrorist threats in Benghazi in the months preceding the attack. That would appear to directly contradict what White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said about the talking points in November. “Those talking points originated from the intelligence community. They reflect the IC’s best assessments of what they thought had happened,” Carney told reporters at the White House press briefing on November 28, 2012. “The White House and the State Department have made clear that the single adjustment that was made to those talking points by either of those two institutions were changing the word ‘consulate’ to ‘diplomatic facility’ because ‘consulate’ was inaccurate.”

Summaries of White House and State Department emails — some of which were first published by Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard — show that the State Department had extensive input into the editing of the talking points. State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland raised specific objections to this paragraph drafted by the CIA in its earlier versions of the talking points:

“The Agency has produced numerous pieces on the threat of extremists linked to al-Qa’ida in Benghazi and eastern Libya. These noted that, since April, there have been at least five other attacks against foreign interests in Benghazi by unidentified assailants, including the June attack against the British Ambassador’s convoy. We cannot rule out the individuals has previously surveilled the U.S. facilities, also contributing to the efficacy of the attacks.”

In an email to officials at the White House and the intelligence agencies, State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland took issue with including that information because it “could be abused by members [of Congress] to beat up the State Department for not paying attention to warnings, so why would we want to feed that either? Concerned …” The paragraph was entirely deleted. Like the final version used by Ambassador Rice on the Sunday shows, the CIA’s first drafts said the attack appeared to have been “spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo” but the CIA version went on to say, “That being said, we do know that Islamic extremists with ties to al-Qa’ida participated in the attack.” The draft went on to specifically name the al Qaeda-affiliated group named Ansar al-Sharia. Once again, Nuland objected to naming the terrorist groups because “we don’t want to prejudice the investigation.”

In response, an NSC staffer coordinating the review of the talking points wrote back to Nuland, “The FBI did not have major concerns with the points and offered only a couple minor suggestions.” After the talking points were edited slightly to address Nuland’s concerns, she responded that changes did not go far enough. “These changes don’t resolve all of my issues or those of my buildings leadership,” Nuland wrote. In an email dated 9/14/12 at 9:34 p.m. — three days after the attack and two days before Ambassador Rice appeared on the Sunday shows – Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes wrote an email saying the State Department’s concerns needed to be addressed. “We must make sure that the talking points reflect all agency equities, including those of the State Department, and we don’t want to undermine the FBI investigation. We thus will work through the talking points tomorrow morning at the Deputies Committee meeting.” After that meeting, which took place Saturday morning at the White House, the CIA drafted the final version of the talking points – deleting all references to al Qaeda and to the security warnings in Benghazi prior to the attack.

Boston Herald Columnist: Hey Cambridge, Tsarnaev's all yours!

2013-05-09T14:10:00Z

Writing in the Boston Herald:

The protesters at the Worcester funeral home are right: Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s body doesn’t belong there. He should be buried among his own people, back in the land he called home and among the people whose values he shared. That’s why I say, “Send him back to Cambridge!” As I write, a good Samaritan in Worcester is trying to find a burial plot for the dead Boston bomber, and I hope he has succeeded. Sorry, my talk radio friends, but when I hear that a terrorist is taking a dirt nap, I don’t protest, I celebrate.

I have no interest in the juvenile “wrap him in bacon and drop him in a shark tank” posturing. Let’s leave the desecration of corpses to the Islamist barbarians. We’re civilized Americans. We gave proper burials to Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and one day — if the Obama administration ever stops playing politics with his case — we will do so for Khalid Sheik Mohammed. We can do the same for this son of Cambridge. Besides, his Uncle Ruslan Tsarni is right: “He grew up here and for the last 10 years he decided to be in Cambridge ... his home country is Cambridge, Massachusetts.”

Cambridge is where Tamerlan Tsarnaev attended mosque. Cambridge is where he attended high school — a school where liberal teachers enthusiastically push the notion of evil American imperialism. Just a week after little Martin Richard died at the Boston Marathon finish line, professor Balakrishnan Rajagopal wrote that the bombing was a foreseeable consequence of America’s actions: “The failure by America to acknowledge its crimes and mistakes leads to increasing resentment and eventually rage. We get blowback,” Rajagopal wrote on the Huffington Post website. Where does this professor of law and development teach? The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Last time I checked, MIT’s mailing address was “Cambridge, Mass. 02139.”

Cambridge is where Boy Scouts collecting donations for soldiers overseas were once chased away from polling places. It’s where former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami — one of the founders of the terrorist group Hezbollah — was invited to speak by Harvard University on the eve of the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. In Cambridge, Tamerlan Tsarnaev spent the past 10 years waking up to the sounds of “No War For Oil” marches in the streets, and drifted off to sleep amid the soothing chants of “Bush lied, people died.” Can you think of a better place for his eternal rest? No, I’m not saying Cambridge caused Tsarnaev to turn terrorist. I’m simply noting that, if you’re someone who sees American history as “genocide: brutally and purposefully waged by our rulers in the name of progress” (to quote the late Cambridge hero Howard Zinn), it’s the town for you! Now the city manager won’t bury one of their own?

GOP lawmakers: Obama admin planned years in advance to weaken welfare reform

2013-05-09T14:07:00Z

The Obama administration was planning to weaken the welfare work requirements as far back as 2009, GOP lawmakers charge. An internal Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) memo from 2009 released Tuesday by Senate Finance Committee ranking member Orrin Hatch and House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp explores the legal justifications to allow the HHS secretary to waive work and other requirements for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) that were part of the 1996 welfare reform law. Last summer the Obama administration issued an Information Memorandum allowing states apply to waive the TANF work requirement. At the time, the administration said this was due to requests from some states for more flexibility and was meant as a way to test strategies “to improve employment outcomes for needy families.”

Republicans, including then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney, charged that the action “gut” the 1996 welfare reform. According to Hatch and Camp, the memo shows that the Obama administration was looking to find ways to get around the work requirement years in advance of receiving requests from states. “I’ve been more than a little skeptical of the Obama administration’s argument that they were purely responding to the needs of the states when they unilaterally chose to undermine welfare work requirements, and this memo confirms my skepticism, “ Hatch said in a statement. “From the first year the Obama administration took power, it was trying to find any legal and policy justification to permit the weakening of welfare reforms that demand work in exchange for government benefits.” They used states’ desire for flexibility as a stalking horse to justify this massive executive branch power grab,” he added. “This sets a very dangerous precedent and it’s time the administration admit that this was their goal all along.” (Daily Caller)

Judge rules in favor of cheerleaders' religious banners

2013-05-09T14:03:00Z

A Texas court judge ruled today that the signs displayed by high school cheerleaders quoting biblical verses were "constitutionally permissible," and that the Kountze High School cheerleaders could continue to display them at the school's football games. In his ruling, State District Judge Steve Thomas said that no law "prohibits cheerleaders from using religious-themed banners at school sporting events. "The evidence in this case confirms that religion messages expressed on run-through banners have not created, and will not create, an establishment of religion in the Kountze community." The ruling ended a controversial chapter in the small community of Kountze, about 95 miles northeast of Houston. "We're excited, relieved, and glad it's over with," Coti Matthews, mother of one of the cheerleaders, told ABC News.com today.

"We're very thrilled that the judge ruled in our favor that girls will be able to use banners with Scripture during next season's football season," Attorney David Starnes, who represented the squad in court, told ABCNews.com today. The high school cheerleaders had sued the Kountze Independent School District after after they were told they could no longer display the banners with religious messages over arguments that it violated the First Amendment. "The response was, this was student led, student initiated, so therefore it was private student speech," Starnes said. Thomas Brandt, the lead attorney representing the school district, told ABCNews.com, "The school district is in the middle of this debate. They reject both of the extremes. We adopt a middle. ... We think based on the evidence, that after studying the issue, our community was perceiving the ban as hostility toward religion." (ABC News)

Boston bomb suspect said widow Katherine Russell not involved: official

2013-05-09T14:01:00Z

Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told authorities that his sister-in-law, Katherine Russell, played no role in the April 15 blasts, a federal law enforcement official said. Russell has been under scrutiny since her husband Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his younger brother were accused of planning and carrying out the bombing that killed three people and wounded more than 200. Authorities are still investigating whether Russell had any involvement. Russell's lawyers said in a statement that she "plans to continue to meet with investigators, part of a series of meetings over many hours where she has answered questions." (NBC News)

Republican congressman: "Right now Jodi Arias is regretting not killing an ambassador or Philadelphia infant"

2013-05-09T14:01:00Z

Republican Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas offered a withering critique of the modern American media on Twitter Wednesday, shortly before Arizona woman Jodi Arias was found guilty of first-degree murder in the stabbing and shooting death of her onetime boyfriend. “Right now Jodi Arias is regretting not killing an ambassador or Philadelphia infant,” Stockman tweeted shortly prior to the announcement of the verdict. Stockman also re-tweeted approximately one dozen tweets criticizing the media’s coverage of the Arias verdict rather than the Benghazi hearings, the trial Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, and other issues. “Gosnell murdered infants in Philly &no media coverage. We r distracted by sensationalism steered by media,” according to one tweet that Stockman retweeted. “Hey #MSM, with #Jodiarias coming to an end, how about reporting bigger cases, like #gosnell,” tweeted another. “When the Arias verdict is announced at 4:30PM ET, you can forget about the #MSM talking about anything else,” tweeted another. (Daily Caller)

Boston Suspect's Widow Hires Criminal Lawyer

2013-05-09T13:57:00Z

As the quest to find a resting place for the body of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev drags on, his widow continues to face questions from federal authorities and has hired a criminal lawyer with experience defending terrorism cases. Katherine Russell added New York lawyer Joshua Dratel to her legal team, her attorney Amato DeLuca said Wednesday. Dratel has represented a number of terrorism suspects in federal courts and military commissions, including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainee David Hicks, who attended an al-Qaida-linked training camp in Afghanistan. Dratel's "unique, specialized experience" will help ensure that Russell "can assist in the ongoing investigation in the most constructive way possible," DeLuca said in a written statement. He said Russell, who has not been charged with any crime, will continue to meet with investigators as "part of a series of meetings over many hours where she has answered questions." Providence-based DeLuca and Miriam Weizenbaum have been representing Russell, who is from Rhode Island. They specialize in civil cases such as personal injury law. An FBI spokeswoman wouldn't comment when asked Wednesday whether Russell is cooperating. DeLuca has said Russell had no reason to suspect her husband and his brother in the deadly April 15 bombing. (AP)

Arizona jury to weigh death penalty in Jodi Arias murder case

2013-05-09T13:54:00Z

Jodi Arias, convicted of first-degree murder, will face an Arizona jury on Thursday tasked with determining if she deserves the death penalty for the brutal slaying of an ex-boyfriend in a sensational case that attracted national media attention. Arias was found guilty on Wednesday of murdering 30-year-old Travis Alexander, whose body was found in the shower of his Phoenix valley home in June 2008. He had been shot in the face, stabbed 27 times and his throat had been slashed. Arias, 32, had tried unsuccessfully to convince the jury during the four-month trial that she had acted in self-defense after Alexander attacked her because she had dropped his camera while taking photographs of him in the shower. In a television interview moments after the verdict, Arias indicated that she preferred a death sentence to life in prison, and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said she was subsequently placed on suicide watch. "The worst outcome for me would be natural life, I would much rather die sooner than later," Arias, speaking slowly and calmly, said in an interview with Fox affiliate KSAZ. "I said years ago I'd rather get death than life and that still is true today. I believe death is the ultimate freedom, so I'd rather just have my freedom as soon as I can get it," she said. (Reuters)

Jodie Arias Post-Verdict Interview: 'I Would Rather Die Sooner Than Later"

2013-05-09T13:54:00Z

20 minutes after the jury announced a verdict of first degree murder, Jodie Arias talked about the decision in an interview with FOX 10 News in Phoenix:

ARIAS: The worst outcome for me would be natural life, I would rather die sooner rather than later. Longevity runs in my family and I don’t want to spend the rest of my natural life in one place. I am pretty healthy, I don’t smoke, and I would probably live a long time. So that’s not something I’m looking forward to. I said years ago I’d rather get death than life and that still is true today. I believe death is the ultimate freedom, so I’d rather just have my freedom as soon as I can get it.

FBI previously investigated stepfather of Ariel Castro's children in DeJesus and Berry cases

2013-05-09T13:53:00Z

When FBI agents questioned Fernando Colon in 2004 about the recent disappearance of 14-year-old Gina DeJesus, Colon pointed agents toward Ariel Castro as a possible suspect, Colon recalled this week. Colon, who at the time was living with Castro's ex-wife, said he told the agents that Castro's two daughters knew DeJesus and Amanda Berry, who had gone missing from the same area on Cleveland's West Side a year earlier. "Nobody wanted to believe me about this guy," Colon said in an interview with The Plain Dealer. "Maybe the FBI didn't feel there was enough evidence to focus on him." But FBI Special Agent Stephen Anthony disputed Colon's recollections Wednesday, telling reporters at a news conference that his agency had "scrubbed" extensive records of the case and saw no mention of Colon referring to Castro. Anthony said the agency had "no reason to believe" Colon made the statement.

NYC Considering Allowing Non-Citizens To Vote

2013-05-09T13:53:00Z

New York City could soon become the first major city in the country to give non-citizens the right to vote. The proposal, which would allow certain non-citizens to vote in local elections, appears to have a veto-proof majority in the New York City Council — enough to overcome opposition by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. As hearings on the proposal get underway Thursday, supporters are optimistic it will become law by the end of the year and believe it will have an impact beyond the five boroughs. “It’s going to be huge and just imagine the implications that are involved here,” Councilman Daniel Dromm, one of the co-sponsors of the legislation along with Councilwoman Gale Brewer, told TPM Wednesday.

Currently, citizenship is a requirement for voters throughout New York state. This legislation, “Voting By Non-Citizen Residents,” would allow immigrants who are “lawfully present in the United States” and have lived in New York for “six months or longer” on the date of a given election to vote provided they meet all the other current requirements for voter registration in New York State. This means they must “not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction” and “not be declared mentally incompetent by a court.” For their first time voting, they must also provide identification including; “copy of a valid photo ID, current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check, or some other government document that shows your name or address.” Identification requirements would not remain after their initial vote. The bill only affects local races and calls for the registration forms provided to these “municipal voters” to specify that they “are not qualified to vote in state or federal elections.” (TPM)

'I am a sexual predator and I need help': Ariel Castro's 'confession' letter

2013-05-09T13:52:00Z

A letter purportedly written by Cleveland kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro has been revealed in which he admits that he is a sexual predator who 'needs help.' Castro owned the home in which three women - Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight - were held captive for about 10 years before they escaped on Monday. Castro's home on Seymour Avenue is now a crime scene, with investigators carrying out numerous pieces of evidence - including ropes and chains. Among the items collected was reportedly a letter, in which Castro allegedly confesses to his crimes and writes about his desire to kill himself 'and give all the money I saved to my victims.' 19 Action News reporter Scott Taylor says he received a copy of the letter, which he claims was written in 2004 and found by police inside Castro's house. Taylor posted excerpts of the letter on his Twitter page late Wednesday night, including a confession that he was 'a sexual predator' and 'I need help.' In one, Taylor says that Castro didn't know why he kept looking for another victim, because 'I already had 2 in my possession.' n another, Castro allegedly wrote that he was surprised how young his daughter's best friend Gina DeJesus was - because he 'thought she was much older.' One other excerpt revealed by Taylor even appears to blame his victims for their predicament, saying: 'They are here against their will because they made a mistake of getting in a car with a total stranger.' (Daily Mail)

Cleveland Kidnap Suspect's Bond Set at $8M

2013-05-09T13:50:00Z

Ariel Castro, the Cleveland man accused of abducting three young women and keeping them as sex slaves in his home for a decade, appeared in court today charged with rape and kidnapping. Castro was charged with four charges of kidnap, one for each women and the 6-year-old child whom one of his alleged victims delivered while in captivity. He was charged with three counts of rape. Bail was set at $2 million per case, for a total of $8 million. Castro is an unemployed, former school bus driver. Castro, who is on suicide watch, did not enter a plea or speak. Unshaven and wearing a dark-blue prison jumpsuit, he kept his head down through the proceedings and signed documents with shackled hands. "The situation has turned," assistant prosecutor Brian Murphy told the court. "Castro is the captive in captivity." Castro likely will face additional charges after a grand jury hearing. (ABC News)

Initial police report: Castro tempted women with rides, then abducted, beat and raped them

2013-05-09T13:47:00Z

Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight each began their hellish captivity the same way – by accepting a simple offer of a ride home. The initial report written by police about nearly a decade of physical and emotional abuse endured by the women reveals how each of them were abducted. Ariel Castro, 52, now charged with kidnapping and raping the three women, offered each of them rides on separate occasions to lure them to his Seymour Avenue home. A Cleveland police source with access to the report filed by the first responding officers said Castro tempted Berry, who was last seen wearing a Burger King uniform, with a ride to her home. Castro told Berry that he had a son who worked at Burger King, the source said, adding that when Berry entered Castro's vehicle, the accused abductor took her straight to his home.

The report confirms what Berry's family told police after she went missing in 2003 -- Berry had called to say she was catching a ride home after her shift. DeJesus, who was a friend of Castro's daughter, told police that Castro offered to give her a ride in 2004 to see his daughter at the Seymour Avenue home, the source revealed, adding that Castro also offered Knight a ride when she was abducted in 2002.
Also revealed in the report is that Berry's 6-year-old daughter was born in a small inflatable swimming pool during the time the three women were held in captivity, the source said. The initial report says Castro forced Knight to deliver Berry's baby. He threatened to kill Knight if the baby did not survive the birth, the source said. The women were chained in the basement during the first years of their captivity, the report reveals, but were eventually allowed to live unchained upstairs, behind secured doors.
The source also provided details on how DeJesus and Knight were found after Berry escaped the home and placed a frantic 9-1-1 call. The first two officers to arrive at Castro's home crawled into the house through the front storm-door, With guns drawn, officers searched upstairs, where they walked a hallway and called out that they were with Cleveland police. That is when one of the officers saw a pair of eyes peeking through a slightly-opened bedroom door, the source said. The eyes belonged to Knight, who fled the room and leapt into the arms of one of the officers and repeatedly said "you saved me." The officer choked back tears, the source said, and soon DeJesus entered the hall from another room. (Plain-Dealer)

Miscarriages: It also became clear that Berry's pregnancy with her daughter was not an isolated incident, according to Cleveland City Councilman Brian Cummins, who based his information on a police report from the initial investigation and briefing by police department sources. Cummins said one of the three women - he did not know who - had suffered at least five miscarriages that Castro is accused of having intentionally caused by starving her for weeks and beating her in the abdomen. (Chicago Tribune)

'SEA MONSTER' THAT WASHED ASHORE IN NEW ZEALAND FINALLY IDENTIFIED

2013-05-08T13:37:00Z

The ghastly-looking carcass that recently washed ashore in New Zealand had people speculating that it was some sort of “sea monster” or prehistoric beast. However, as it turns out, it’s just a killer whale. Because of its state of significant decay, the whale resembled something scarier than a common sea mammal. Its head was massive and its teeth were large and sharp, but the rest of the creature was unrecognizable. Video of the “strange marine creature” discovery on Pukehina Beach in the Bay of Plenty was uploaded to YouTube. (TheBlaze)

Huckabee Predicts Benghazi Will Be Obama's Watergate: 'This President Will Not Fill Out His Full Term'

2013-05-08T13:33:00Z

From his radio show on Monday:

HUCKABEE: I believe that before it’s all over, this president will not fill out his full term. I know that puts me on a limb, but this is not minor. It wasn’t minor when Richard Nixon lied to the American people and worked within those in his administration to cover up what really happened in Watergate. But, I remind you, as bad as Watergate was — because it broke the trust between the president and the people — no one died. This is more serious because four Americans did in fact die.

Cleveland hero Charles Ramsey's interview goes viral with autotune treatment

2013-05-08T13:30:00Z

Charles Ramsey, the Cleveland man who helped rescue three women that were missing for nearly a decade Monday night, has become an overnight Internet sensation. His animated interview with local news went viral within hours of the woman being found. Dozens of auto-tune remixes, processed vocals with a beat, of his TV news interview and his 911 call have been uploaded to YouTube. The trend of auto-tuning news stories became popular in 2010 when The Gregory Brothers , creators of Auto-Tune the News, made the "Bed Intruder Song." The song features Antoine Dodson, who was interviewed by a news reporter about the alleged attempted rape of his sister. As of today, the "Bed Intruder Song" has been viewed over 114 million times since it was uploaded on July 30, 2010. YouTube listed the song as the most popular video of 2010. On Tuesday, Ramsey became a trending topic on Twitter and is now known as the man who was just finishing his McDonald's meal when he heard screams coming from next door. Even the McDonald Corporation took notice. McDonald's responded to Ramsey via Twitter with a tweet from @McDonaldsCorp . It read "We salute the courage of Ohio kidnap victims & respect their privacy. Way to go Charles Ramsey- we'll be in touch." (ABC - Cleveland)

Website reportedly pits Washington state high school students in 'hotness tournament'

2013-05-08T13:27:00Z

It’s May Madness at a high school in Washington state. That’s the name of an online tournament where boys at Issaquah High School pit their female classmates against each and vote on which is the sexiest. Girls are encouraged to “look their finest” at the suburban Seattle school while voting is underway, King5.com reports. “This kind of thing is sexualizing us girls like we're some sort of trophy,” sophomore Devon Keller told the station. The student-led tournament imitates a contest held by a local sports radio station that ranks models and celebrities. It’s been held for at least five years and school officials have been unable to do away it because the contest isn’t held on school grounds.

“Almost every teenage girl has self-esteem issues,” student Tristan Robinson said. “And doing something like that is absolutely ridiculous.” District spokeswoman Sarah Niegowski said the contest “doesn't feel good” to anyone. The tournament was briefly shut down last year when parents went to authorities, who threatened organizers with arrest due to vulgar and profane comment under other people’s identities, a crime in Washington state. But the access to the website has become more difficult this year, King5.com reports. “These are pretty smart folks behind this,” Niegowski said. “They know their First Amendment rights. They're very quiet about who it is and the group behind it.” School officials say police are monitoring the site, but some students think the damage may already be done. (Fox News)

Rick Perry: Supporting Scouts' Gay Ban Just Like Opposing Slavery

2013-05-08T13:26:00Z

Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry is at it again. While speaking on the Family Research Council's Stand With Scouts Sunday program, he injected slavery into a discussion about the Boy Scouts' ban on gays, The Advocate reports. He said that Americans must resist "flavor of the month" pro-gay views and called on proponents to exhibit "principled leadership." Perry argued that Civil War-era Texas Gov. Sam Houston did it in 1861 when he withstood calls for secession over slavery. "[Houston] made a powerful decision that cost him his governorship," Perry said, according to the Huffington Post. "He was against slavery, and he stood up and passionately said, 'Texas does not need to leave the Union over this issue of slavery.' But that's the type of principled leadership, that's the type of courage that I hope people across the country [will show] on this issue of Scouts and keeping the Boy Scouts the organization that it is today." (Washington Post)

Senate immigration bill elicits a flood of amendments

2013-05-08T13:23:00Z

Lawmakers filed a blizzard of potential amendments to a bipartisan Senate immigration bill Tuesday, setting the stage for weeks of intensive debate over how to reshape the nation’s border-control laws. About two-thirds of the 301 proposals came from Senate Republicans, including measures to grant Congress more authority over security along the border with Mexico, to require illegal immigrants to provide DNA samples before gaining legal status and to reduce the number of undocumented workers who would be eligible to pursue citizenship. The amendments reflected the desires of many GOP lawmakers, who say that they will support only a comprehensive overhaul that puts a higher priority on law enforcement along the border and in the workplace. The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin considering the amendments Thursday, and the fate of the 844-page bill will be tested by a process that is likely to stretch through several days of hearings in coming weeks. Immigration advocates fear that an extended amendment process will derail the legislation by breaking apart a fragile, bipartisan coalition of eight senators that negotiated the package over several months. (Washington Post)

Ex-South Carolina governor Sanford beats Colbert Busch in special House election

2013-05-08T13:23:00Z

The conservative electorate of South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District voted Tuesday to resurrect the political career of disgraced former governor Mark Sanford (R) by returning him to his former House seat. Sanford’s special-election race against Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, 58, a businesswoman and first-time candidate, took twists nearly right up to the last moments. But in the end, he cruised to an easy victory, winning 54 percent of the vote to Colbert Busch’s 45 percent. “Some guy came up to me the other day, and he said, ‘You look a lot like Lazarus,’ ” Sanford said in his victory speech here.

“I am an imperfect man, saved by God’s grace, and one who has a conviction of the importance of doing something about spending in Washington, D.C.,” he added. “I am going to try to be the best congressman I could have ever been.” In addition to holding views that aligned perfectly with the district, Sanford, 52, simply proved to be the more adept politician. Colbert Busch, the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, had run a campaign in the cautious style of an incumbent — surrounded by handlers, holding comparatively few public events, agreeing to only one debate and offering few specifics on issues. Sanford, on the other hand, ran the scrappy race of a challenger, even though most voters in this district had seen his name on five previous ballots. The contrast was evident right up to Election Day. Sanford packed his schedule with 11 appearances, dashing to spots that included a grocery store, an auto parts dealer, a farmers market, a bakery and half a dozen restaurants. Colbert Busch made just one — to vote — before heading to her election night party. Her aides said she was making telephone calls to get out the vote. (Washington Post)

A Baltimore jail scandal aided by union politics

2013-05-08T13:22:00Z

Charles Lane, Editorial Writer for The Washington Post:

Even by the standards of America’s troubled jails and prisons, the scandal at the Baltimore City Detention Center is appalling. A gang known as the Black Guerrilla Family took over the center, trafficking in drugs, cellphones and sexual favors with the connivance of at least 13guards, several of whom are bearing a gang boss’s children, according to a federal indictment. Among the many lessons from this sorry situation is one that experience elsewhere has already taught many times: Good governance is not necessarily consistent with the demands of government unions, in this case the union representing Maryland’s correctional officers. God-awful as it is, the mess at the center was not exactly unprecedented. Between April 2009 and August 2010, the Baltimore City Paper published 14 articles detailing gang-related corruption at state correctional institutions. And it was during this time that Maryland’s branch of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) lobbied for legislation known as the “Correctional Officers Bill of Rights” (COBR).

Advertised as much-needed procedural protection against unfair accusations of brutality, COBR established elaborate rules — including a guaranteed appeal hearing in front of a three-member board of fellow officers — for correctional officers suspected of wrongdoing. The bill says that prison managers can’t even “threaten” prosecution, transfer, dismissal or disciplinary action during questioning. It passed the House of Delegates unanimously and the Senate 44 to 2. Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) signed it into law on May 4, 2010. In the union’s view, prison administrators had “pulled the trigger too quickly” on discipline in the past, as AFSCME spokesman Jeff Pittman put it.

But according to an FBI special agent’s affidavit attached to the Baltimore indictment, COBR has all but disarmed managers at the Baltimore jail. Discipline “has proven to be very difficult,” the agent wrote, and “the internal review process set up by COBR is ineffective as a deterrent to [correctional officers] smuggling contraband or getting sexually involved with BGF gang members.” These consequences may have been unintended, but they were hardly unforeseeable. Shortly before COBR was passed in 2010, the City Paper asked the bill’s chief sponsor, state Sen. Donald Munson, how it might affect the department’s efforts to purge gang-connected correctional officers. “I’ve never thought of this measure in this context,” Munson replied. “My guess is that the correctional officers who are going to be judges are going to be very hard on those cases,” he added. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll fix it in the future.”

GALLUP: Americans Give Guns, Immigration Reform Low Priority

2013-05-08T13:21:00Z

Americans put reforming immigration and reducing gun violence -- the focus of much of the attention on Capitol Hill in recent weeks -- at the bottom of a list of 12 priorities for Congress and the president to address. Americans instead say leaders in Washington should give highest priority to jobs and the economy, followed by making government work more efficiently and improving the quality of education.

Report: Sharp drop in gun violence, but most killings still involve firearms

2013-05-08T13:20:00Z

Gun violence has dropped dramatically nationwide over the past two decades, but nearly three-quarters of all homicides are still committed with a firearm, the Justice Department said in a report released Tuesday. The report, by the department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, painted an encouraging picture of long-term trends at a time of divisive political debate over guns and legislation to regulate them. Firearms-related homicides declined 39 percent between 1993 and 2011, the report said, while nonfatal firearms crimes fell 69 percent during that period. Yet the document also made clear that when people are killed, it is still most likely to be with a gun. In 2011, as in the past two decades, about 70 percent of all homicides were committed with a firearm, and the majority of those firearms were handguns.

Less than 1 percent of state prison inmates who possessed a gun when they committed their offense obtained the firearm at a gun show, the report said. Gun shows were central to the measure recently rejected in the Senate: It would have extended the current background-check requirement for firearms purchases from covering only sales at licensed dealerships to any sale that takes place at a gun show or was advertised in print or online.
About 40 percent of state prison inmates obtained their firearms from illegal sources such as theft or through a drug deal, the report said, while 37 percent got their guns from a family member or friend. Those findings are based on data from 2004.

Overall, the Justice Department report said, firearm-related homicides dropped from 18,253 homicides in 1993 to 11,101 in 2011, while nonfatal firearm crimes declined from 1.5 million in 1993 to 467,300 in 2011. The drop extended to schools: Homicides at schools declined from an average of 29 per year in the 1990s to an average of 20 per year in the 2000s. Although the rate of firearms homicides for African Americans declined by 51 percent over the past two decades, that rate was still 14.6 per 100,000 people in 2010 — compared to 1.9 for whites. In 2010, the South had the highest rate of firearms homicides nationwide at 4.4 per 100,000 people, the report said. That compared to 3.4 in the Midwest, 3.0 in the West, and 2.8 in the Northeast. (Washington Post)

Republicans look to show 'cover-up' as whistle-blowers give Benghazi testimony

2013-05-08T13:19:00Z

Republican lawmakers hounding the Obama administration for months over unanswered questions on the Benghazi attack will have their moment, on Wednesday, to demonstrate whether the internal response amounted to a cover-up -- as whistle-blowers give long-awaited testimony expected to challenge the White House's version of events. Two of the whistle-blowers' opening statements were obtained by Fox News, and in the statements they defend their credibility in testifying about what happened last Sept. 11 in Libya. "I am a career public servant," Greg Hicks' statement reads. "Until the aftermath of Benghazi, I loved every day of my job." He was deputy chief of mission in Libya and became top U.S. diplomat in the country after Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed in the terror attack. The other statement, by Mark Thompson of the State Department Counterterrorism Bureau, is mostly biographical. Testimony also is due Wednesday from Eric Nordstrom, a diplomatic security officer who was formerly the regional security officer in Libya.

The administration has parried Republican allegations lately by arguing that the attack is old news, that the State Department already has investigated it and that Republicans are engaged in a political witch hunt. But a series of carefully timed leaks on the whistle-blowers' testimony indicates House Republicans could have the goods to at least merit a second look at the administration narrative. "The question is, where's the accountability for lying to the American people?" Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, told Fox News. "The American people were lied to." (Fox News)

Suspect in Ohio helped neighbors look for missing

2013-05-08T13:18:00Z

In the years after his friend's daughter vanished while walking home from school, Ariel Castro handed out fliers with the 14-year-old's photo and performed music at a fundraiser held in her honor. When neighbors gathered for a candlelight vigil just a year ago to remember the girl, Castro was there too, comforting the girl's mother. Castro, just like everyone else in the tight-knit, mostly Puerto Rican neighborhood, seemed shaken by the 2004 disappearance of Gina DeJesus and another teenager who went missing the year before. Now he and his brothers are in custody after a frantic 911 call led police to his run-down house, where authorities say DeJesus and two other women missing for about a decade were held captive. No charges have been filed against the men, but they could appear in court as early as Wednesday morning. (AP)

One of abducted Cleveland girls was chained to the wall by abductor 'like some kind of trophy' in kidnap house

2013-05-08T13:16:00Z

At least one of the girls held captive in a Cleveland house for a decade was chained to the wall 'like some kind of trophy', it was revealed today. A police source told a local news station that what they found in the house confirms that the victims endured a decade of torture at the hands of the brothers. All three women spent years chained by the waist and neck, mostly kept separated in bedrooms, the attic and a brick basement that was more of a dark dungeon, the source said. Windows and doors of the house were boarded up and the back yard - where the girls were reportedly forced to walk on all fours on leashes like dogs - was covered with an eight-foot-tall fence made out of chicken wire and blue tarpaulin. Local police sources revealed last night that suspected kidnapper Ariel Castro would use a sick game to 'train' the three girls not to run away by pretending to leave the house, only to beat them if they tried to run free. This is said to be just one of the manipulative tactics he used to keep the three young women in his house for up to ten years, in addition to frequent beatings and chains hanging from the ceiling. Neighbors said that Ariel Castro used to be seen very often at the property but in recent years had only been there a few times a week, to the extent that it was thought the property was vacant and that he was using it as an investment. Meanwhile, Cleveland police allege, the three girls remained trapped inside, meaning they could have had to wait for days at a time to eat. The back windows of the house are either boarded up or have the curtains drawn and even the large garage style building in the back garden has its windows covered.(Daily Mail)

Focus of women's disappearance shifts attention to Castro brothers

2013-05-08T13:10:00Z

The brothers accused of holding three women captive for a decade or more grew up around their father's car lot off West 25th Street surrounded by a large family. They were smart, funny and loved classic cars. Two, however, appeared to drink heavily, while the other battered his former wife and threatened to kill her and their children, according to friends, family and court records. Two brothers had long since stopped working, while the other was fired in November after 22 years as a Cleveland schools bus driver. A day after authorities arrested Ariel, Onil and Pedro Castro in the kidnappings of Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight and Amanda Berry, a troubling portrait is emerging of the men. The men, reared in a strict family, have been accused in one of the most heinous crimes in the city's history.

The three women had been in a home owned by Ariel Castro, 52, on Seymour Avenue. Police arrested him at his home Monday night. Hours later, officers waited in unmarked cars outside a home on Kinkel Avenue, where other brothers lived. When Onil and Pedro Castro drove up, officers arrested them, neighbors said. Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath said he thinks the three women were tied up and held at the home on Seymour Avenue since they were in their teens or early 20s. A 6-year-old also was found in the home, and Cleveland police deputy chief Ed Tomba said Tuesday that the girl is Berry's daughter. Berry disappeared at age 16 on April 21, 2003, when she called her sister to say she was getting a ride home from her job at a Burger King. DeJesus went missing at age 14 on her way home from school about a year later. They were found just a few miles from where they had gone missing. Knight was 21 when she disappeared in 2002.

Safety Director Martin Flask said police got call at 5:52 from Berry and that police arrived just more than two minutes later. At 5:58 p.m., police realized they had located Berry and DeJesus. Moments later they also had Knight. The women appeared to be in good health and were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center to be evaluated and reunited with relatives. They were released from the hospital on Tuesday morning.

Nelson Roman, a lifelong friend of the brothers aid Pedro Castro, 54, was a straight-A student at old Lincoln High School. Roman said he would not have graduated from Lincoln High in 1976 without Pedro's help. But Pedro dropped out of school in his junior year when he became involved with alcohol. Roman said Pedro had worked a punch press machine in a factory, but he stopped working because he drank so heavily. He was getting Social Security benefits in recent years.
Roman said Onil Castro, 50, was much quieter than his brother Pedro. He also drank heavily. Roman said he has been receiving workers' compensation the past five years. He had made his living doing odd jobs; he was very versatile and a handyman until he got hurt working as a laborer.
Neither was married, Roman said.
Court records indicate Ariel Castro fought with his former wife, Grimilda Figueroa, over the custody of their children. Figueroa twice suffered a broken nose, as well as broken ribs, a knocked-out tooth, a blood clot on the brain and two dislocated shoulders, according to a 2005filing in Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court. In the filing, her attorney requested that a judge "keep (Castro) from threatening to kill (Figueroa)." Attorney Robert Ferreri said Figueroa "has full custody with no visitation for (Castro). Nevertheless, (Castro) frequently abducts daughters and keeps them from their mother." Figueroa died last year. Ferreri could not be reached. Any record of charges being filed could not be located.

Police contact
Police had been to the house twice, once in 2000, another time in 2004, officials said.

In March 2000, Ariel Castro reported to police there was a fight in the street. No reports of an arrest were made.
In January 2004, police went to the address after Castro, either intentionally or accidentally, left a child on a Cleveland school bus, but were unsuccessful in making contact with anyone in the home. An investigation found no criminal intent by Castro, Flask said.
According to several reports neighbors saw terrifying and dehumanizing events: Naked women on dog leashes, crawling in the dirt. A lady clutching an infant and pounding on a window for help. Yet neighbors said the gut-wrenching reports couldn’t persuade the Cleveland cops to go inside the rundown house — where three women kidnapped between 2002 and 2004 were held hostage by the vile homeowner, officials said. Police banged on the door of the two-story home three times between 2004 and 2011, but never followed up or uncovered the continuing nightmare on Seymour Ave., according to neighbors and authorities. (NY Daily News)

The brothers were from a family of nine siblings. Their father, Pedro, had a car lot off West 25th. He died in 2004. In his will, the nine children divided more than $250,000 in assets, and they were given cars, according to Cuyahoga County Probate Court records. "They never drove junk," Roman said. (Plain-Dealer)

East Coast to be Overrun By Billions of Cicadas

2013-05-07T13:57:00Z

Any day now, billions of cicadas with bulging red eyes will crawl out of the earth after 17 years underground and overrun the East Coast. They will arrive in such numbers that people from North Carolina to Connecticut will be outnumbered roughly 600-to-1. Maybe more. But ominous as that sounds - along with scientists' horror-movie name for the infestation, Brood II - they're harmless. These insects won't hurt you or other animals. At worst, they might damage a few saplings or young shrubs. Mostly they will blanket certain pockets of the region, though lots of people won't ever see them. "It's not like these hordes of cicadas suck blood or zombify people," says May Berenbaum, a University of Illinois entomologist. They're looking for just one thing: sex. And they've been waiting quite a long time. Since 1996, this group of 1-inch bugs, in wingless nymph form, has been a few feet underground, sucking on tree roots and biding their time. They will emerge only when the ground temperature reaches precisely 64 degrees. After a few weeks up in the trees, they will die and their offspring will go underground, not to return until 2030. "It's just an amazing accomplishment," Berenbaum says. "How can anyone not be impressed?" (AP)

McDonald's Is Most Visited Business in America

2013-05-07T13:56:00Z

Just how popular are the golden arches? So popular that nearly half of US consumers visited them last month, according to a new study spotted by theConsumerist. The study, from the new Placed Insights service, sought to determine which businesses Americans visit most. Fast food dominates the list, but McDonald's is in a class of its own, with 49% visiting in March. Here's the top 10:

McDonald's (49%)
Walmart (38.8%)
Subway (37.8%)
Burger King (24.3%)
Starbucks (23.9%)
Wendy's (22.8%)
Walgreens (22.7%)
CVS (18.9%)
Taco Bell (18.2%)
Target (14.2%)

There were some other surprises further down the list as well, like GameStop coming in at No. 12 with 12.8%, or RadioShack (No. 14, 12.1%) trouncing Best Buy (No. 35). And check out Dollar Tree; the unassuming discount store is No. 18, with just more than one in 10 Americans visiting last month. The data comes from Placed's mobile users on an opt-in basis, explains the Kelsey Group, which describes it as "comScore for the offline world." The data came from 70,000 volunteers. (Newser)

Bombing suspect's family urged to settle on burial

2013-05-07T13:54:00Z

Governor Deval Patrick on Monday urged the family of Tamerlan Tsarnaev to resolve the emotional question of where to bury the Boston Marathon bombing suspect, whose body lay washed and shrouded in a Worcester funeral home beset by protests. “This isn’t a state or a federal issue; it’s the family’s issue,” Patrick told reporters in New Bedford. “And the family has some options. I assume they will make a decision soon. I hope they do.” The search for a burial plot has brought rejections from several cemeteries in multiple states and prompted a plea for federal help to settle the matter. Even the Tsarnaev family has offered conflicting solutions: His mother wants the body returned to Russia, according to the Worcester funeral director, while his uncle in Maryland has insisted Tsarnaev be buried in Cambridge, which has refused. (Boston Globe)

South Carolina teacher who stomped US flag gets $85G payment

2013-05-07T13:54:00Z

A South Carolina high school teacher removed from the classroom when he stomped on an American flag while discussing freedom is being paid $85,000 to avoid a legal challenge. The State newspaper obtained documents under the Freedom of Information Act that show Chapin High School teacher Scott Compton is being paid the settlement by Lexington-Richland District 5, in addition to his salary through June 7. Compton resigned as part of the settlement after criticism about his actions last December. The documents also show that the school district will pay attorney fees of nearly $32,000 for Compton. The payments were not disclosed when Compton's resignation was announced March 27. A school spokesman said Compton's lawyers had indicated they would file a complaint in federal court about school officials who sought his dismissal. (AP)

Hollywood couple steps up campaign to free Pakistani doc who helped get bin Laden

2013-05-07T13:53:00Z

he California activist behind a campaign to free a Pakistani doctor who helped hunt down Usama bin Laden has put the issue before the men and women who risk their own lives and freedom fighting for America. An advertisement in Military Times magazine, which goes out to some 275,000 homes, asks if service members would rather be “captured and tortured” or “rescued and set free.” The ad directs readers to the magazine’s website, where they can cast their vote and watch a clip of Secretary of State John Kerry discuss the plight of Dr. Shakil Afridi, who has been imprisoned in Pakistan for more than two years for helping locate the world’s most wanted man and paving the way for the Navy SEALs raid that killed him. The ad is the latest phase in the “Free Afridi” campaign by health care executive Robert Lorsch and his actress wife Kira Reed Lorsch, who both took up the cause earlier this year just before the Academy Awards, where “Zero Dark Thirty,” a movie about the SEAL raid, was up for several Oscars. The pair has so far spent $70,000 of their own money trying to raise awareness about Afridi’s plight.

The Lorsches say the poll, posted on www.freeafridi.com, is aimed at sending a message to the White House and State Department to address the plight of the doctor and moral dilemma of leaving him behind. Afridi was convicted by a tribal court in North West Pakistan on May 23, 2012, on a charge of colluding with terrorists, though it is widely acknowledged he is being punished for his ruse in the CIA-led Bin Laden operation. To positively identify bin Laden’s presence, Afridi set up a Hepatitis B vaccination program and collected DNA samples to verify the Al Qaeda leader and his family’s were living at a compound in Abbottabad, 80 miles from the capital, Islamabad. He was sentenced to 33-years in jail, of which he has nearly completed a year, and has been subjected to severe interrogation tactics at Pakistan Intelligence Agency’s prison. (Fox News)

Lauryn Hill gets 3 months for failing to pay taxes - blames slavery

2013-05-07T13:51:00Z

Grammy-winning singer Lauryn Hill stood in federal court Monday and compared her experience in the music business to the slavery her ancestors endured before a judge sentenced her to three months in prison for failing to pay about $1 million in taxes over the past decade. "I am a child of former slaves who had a system imposed on them," Hill said before U.S. Magistrate Madeline Cox Arleo. "I had an economic system imposed on me." Hill, who started singing with the Fugees as a teenager in the 1990s before releasing her multiplatinum 1998 album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," pleaded guilty last year to failing to pay taxes on more than $1.8 million earned from 2005 to 2007. Monday's sentencing also took into account unpaid state and federal taxes in 2008 and 2009 that brought the total earnings to about $2.3 million. Despite having paid more than $900,000 in the past several days, Hill still owes interest and penalties, the U.S. attorney's office said. (AP)

Air Force staffer who led sexual assault prevention unit charged with groping

2013-05-07T13:50:00Z

A top-level staffer for the Air Force’s Sexual Assault Prevention team was charged early Sunday morning with misdemeanor sexual battery, police in northern Virginia say. The person arrested has been identified as Jeffrey Krusinski, 41, of Arlington. Krusinski was the prevention team’s chief of staff for the past two months and was removed from the post Monday pending the outcome of an investigation, Air Force officials say. Police say Krusinski was intoxicated when he approached a woman at about 12:35 a.m. in a parking lot and “grabbed her breasts and buttocks.” He was arrested, charged and held on a $5,000 unsecured bond. The woman is said to have fought off Krusinski and then called police. The two apparently didn't know each other. The incident occurred in the 500 block of South 23rd Street, just across the Potomac River from Washington and a few miles from the Pentagon. An arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.

The incident is the latest in a series of sexual assault cases allegedly involving Air Force personnel. Earlier this year, a lieutenant general overturned a sexual assault conviction for fighter pilot Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, who was convicted a year earlier of aggravated sexual assault and sentenced to a year in jail. In addition, roughly a dozen training instructors at Joint Base San Antonio-Lockland, in Texas, have been convicted of misconduct with trainees, including cases of sexual assault. Krusinski served in Afghanistan and attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he played baseball, according to the publication Stars and Stripes magazine. (Fox News)

Christie reveals secret stomach surgery to lose weight

2013-05-07T13:48:00Z

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie secretly underwent lap-band stomach surgery to aggressively slim down for the sake of his wife and kids, he revealed to The NY Post last night. The Garden State governor agreed to the operation at the urging of family and friends after turning 50 last September. He told The Post he was thinking of his four kids and how it was time to start improving his health when he decided to have the procedure. “I’ve struggled with this issue for 20 years,” he said. “For me, this is about turning 50 and looking at my children and wanting to be there for them.” He also insisted that, contrary to what observers may say, the effort to slim down was not motivated by thoughts of a presidential bid. “It’s so much more important than that,” he said. Christie checked in to a surgery center on Feb. 16. A source said he registered under a false name. The operation included placing a silicone tube around the top of his stomach, where it restricts the amount of food he can eat at one time and makes him feel fuller, faster. “A week or two ago, I went to a steakhouse and ordered a steak and ate about a third of it and I was full,” he said of his newly tamed appetite. He declined to say how much he lost, but sources said he has already shed nearly 40 pounds.

Hackers plan 'Day To Remember' with May 7 attacks on banks, government agencies

2013-05-07T13:47:00Z

A collective of hacker groups plans to attack the websites of major government agencies and banks on Tuesday to protest American foreign policy. For weeks, the groups, which include Anonymous, have used social media to publicize their planned operation, dubbed "#OpUSA." In a post on the file-sharing site Pastebin, one member of Anonymous laid out an ambitious list of targets, including the websites of the White House, the Defense Department, the FBI, Bank of America and Chase Bank. "Anonymous will make sure that this May 7th will be a day to remember," another post from Anonymous said, adding the planned attacks are meant as a response to "multiple war crimes" committed by the United States in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the past, however, Anonymous has hyped plans to launch coordinated attacks but ended up having little impact, security experts say. Last month, Anonymous launched #OpIsrael, which promised to "wipe Israel off the internet." That operation was "a total failure," Ronen Kenig, director of security solutions for Radware, told The Daily Beast last month. Tuesday's planned operation still has the U.S. government's attention. The Department of Homeland Security issued an alert last week warning about the event that "likely will result in limited disruptions and mostly consist of nuisance-level attacks against publicly accessible webpages." (Huffington Post)

First 8 Days: 'Gay' Jason Collins 2,381 News Stories; Gosnell Abortion-Murder Trial 115 Stories - 1,970% Difference in Coverage

2013-05-07T13:46:00Z

In the eight days since NBA player Jason Collins announced he was gay, the news media have covered the story in 2,381 places. But in the first eight days of the trial of Dr. Kermit Gosnell and his “House of Horrors” abortion business, the media covered the story in 115 places, meaning that Collins’ “gay” news received more than 1,970.4% more news coverage. In addition, a search of the news coverage of the Gosnell trial that started 49 days ago on Mar. 18, shows there have been 1,876 stories, which is still less than the 2,381 Collins stories over the last 8 days – a 27% difference in coverage, still in Collins’ favor. Jason Collins, who plays center for the Washington Wizards, announced he was a homosexual in a self-written article for the Sports Illustrated website on Apr. 29. Kermit Gosnell is charged with five counts of murder and 263 other criminal offenses related to his abortion business in Philadelphia; his trial started on Mar. 18 and the jury currently is still deliberating.

A general Nexis search of “All News” in English, for the first eight days in each case, shows the following: a search for “Jason Collins” and “gay” (between Apr. 19 and May 6) reveals 2,381 news stories; a search for “Kermit Gosnell” and “abortion” (between Mar. 18 and Mar. 24) pulls up 115 stories.

A Nexis "All News" search retrieves stories from newspapers, blogs, newswires, news transcripts, news, aggregate news sources, magazines, journals, newsletters and web-based publications. That means that in the first eight days of coverage, there were 2,266 more news stories about Jason Collins coming out of the closet as gay than news stories about Gosnell who, specifically, is charged with killing four babies born alive during abortions by snipping their spinal cords with surgical scissors. The fifth murder charge against Gosnell concerns a woman who died from an anesthesia-overdose. (CNS News)

Man Who Saved 3 Missing Cleveland Teens Talks About His Experience

2013-05-07T13:44:00Z

Cleveland resident Charles Ramsey is a hero today after discovering the home where three missing women had been held for nearly a decade. A reporter for Cleveland’s ABC affiliate caught up with Ramsey, who told the story of what happened after he heard screaming coming from his neighbor’s house. (Mediaite)

Transcript of missing woman Amanda Berry's 911 call after escaping alleged abductor

2013-05-07T13:41:00Z

Caller: Help me. I'm Amanda Berry.

Dispatcher: You need police, fire, ambulance?

Caller: I need police.

Dispatcher: OK, and what's going on there?

Caller: I've been kidnapped and I've been missing for 10 years, and I'm, I'm here, I'm free now...
Dispatcher: OK, stay there with those neighbors. Talk to police when they get there.

Caller: (Crying)

Dispatcher: OK, talk to police when they get there...
Dispatcher: We're going to send them as soon as we get a car open.

Caller: No, I need them now before he gets back.

Dispatcher: All right; we're sending them, OK?

Caller: OK, I mean, like ...

Dispatcher: Who's the guy you're trying -- who's the guy who went out?

Caller: Um, his name is Ariel Castro.

Daughter Found With 3 Women Missing for a Decade

2013-05-07T13:39:00Z

A child found in Cleveland with the three women who had been missing for a decade is the daughter of one of the women, police said. The women, who vanished in separate cases near their homes in Cleveland, were found Monday only miles from where they disappeared, and three brothers have been arrested in connection to the incident, according to police. Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry, 27, and Michele Knight, 32, were released from Metro Health Medical Center this morning, a hospital spokeswoman said in a statement. "I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years," Berry told a 911 operator after breaking free. "And I'm here. I'm free now." The child was also carried out of the home but the child's identity or age has not been released by police. The child is Berry's daughter, according toABC News affiliate WEWS-TV, quoting police. Police confirmed to WEWS that one of the men taken into custody is 52-year-old Ariel Castro. WEWS also reports a background check shows he owns the home where the three women were living.

Authorities believe Castro, who was once a city school bus driver, was keeping the women locked inside his modest two-story home, which he has owned since 1992, ABC News has learned. Police have not identified his brothers, who are ages 50 and 54, according to authorities. Chargers could come as early as today. Berry identified Ariel Castro by name in her 911 call. Neighbors said they heard cries for help coming from a house on Seymour Avenue around 6 p.m., and when they went to investigate, kicked open the door of the home to get the women out. Neighbor Charles Ramsey said that he was eating at McDonald's when he heard a girl screaming and begging for help. "I look and I see this girl and she's just going nuts on the door so, I'm like, 'What's your problem? If you're stuck, just open the door.' She said 'I can't, you got it locked,'" he said. Ramsey said that their attempt to pry the door open failed, so he and his neighbor kicked open the bottom. "Luckily … it was aluminum, it was cheap," he said, "And she climbed out with her daughter. ... She went to my house, we called 911."

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Berry came out of the home, carrying a child in her arms, which Ramsey identified as her daughter. Berry immediately called 911, asking police for help. "Hello police help me I'm Amanda Berry," she said in the call. "I've been kidnapped and I've been missing for 10 years and I'm here. I'm free now. ... I've been in the news for the last 10 years ... with Gina." Berry told arriving police officers that there were more women inside the home. Police, with their guns drawn, entered the house and returned with DeJesus and Knight. Ramsey said the women looked malnourished when they came out of the house. (ABC News)

Background: This saga began as three separate cases starting Aug. 23, 2002, when Knight, then in her 20s, was last seen leaving her cousin's house. Berry disappeared at age 16 April 21, 2003, the day before her 17th birthday. She had called her sister to say she was getting a ride home from her job at a Burger King, The Associated Press reported. Finally, on April 2, 2004, DeJesus, who was 14 at the time, disappeared on her way home from school. The cases have consumed the Cleveland community for years and gained national attention and were profiled on "The Montel Williams Show" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show." The missing persons posters have been a part of the community for a decade by families who refused to give up.

Special ops halted from responding to Benghazi attacks, U.S. diplomat says

2013-05-07T13:35:00Z

As the weakly protected U.S. diplomatic compound in eastern Libya came under attack the night of Sept. 11, 2012, the deputy head of the embassy in Tripoli 600 miles away sought in vain to get the Pentagon to scramble fighter jets over Benghazi in a show of force that he said might have averted a second attack on a nearby CIA complex. Hours later, according to excerpts of the account by the U.S. diplomat, Gregory Hicks, American officials in the Libyan capital sought permission to deploy four U.S. Special Operations troops to Benghazi aboard a Libyan military aircraft early the next morning. The troops were told to stand down. Defense Department officials have said they had no units that could have responded in time to counter the attack in Benghazi, but Republicans on Capitol Hill have questioned whether the Obama administration could have saved lives with a nimbler, more assertive response. They say that the reluctance to send the Special Operations troops may have, at the very least, deprived wounded Americans in Benghazi of first aid.

Congressional investigators released a partial transcript of Hicks’s testimony Monday ahead of a hearing Wednesday at which he is scheduled to appear. His remarks are the first public account from a U.S. official who was in Libya at the time of the attacks about the options that were weighed as militants mobbed the American diplomatic outpost and CIA station in Benghazi, killing U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other government employees. The new details are certain to reignite a debate over whether the Obama administration has been sufficiently forthcoming in its public accounting of the events and missteps that resulted in the first death of a U.S. ambassador in the line of duty in a generation. If Republicans in Congress succeed in portraying the administration’s response as feckless, the episode could dog any future political aspirations of Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was secretary of state when the attacks happened. After the attacks ended without planes being scrambled or special forces dispatched, the lieutenant colonel in Tripoli who commanded the Special Operations team told Hicks he was sorry that his men had been held back. “I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life that a State Department officer has bigger balls than someone in the military,” the officer told Hicks, according to the diplomat’s account. Hicks called that “a nice compliment.” (Washington Post)

Democrat who vowed to send Nikki Haley 'back to wherever the hell she came from' a major Obama fundraiser

2013-05-06T14:19:00Z

South Carolina Democratic Party chairman Dick Harpootlian, who said Friday that he intends to help send Indian-American Republican Gov. Nikki Haley “back to wherever the hell she came from,” was a major campaign bundler who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for President Barack Obama, records reveal. Obama has yet to condemn Harpootlian’s statement, which a Haley spokesman called “the lowest common denominator.” Harpootlian made his remark at the South Carolina Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Friday, shortly before a speech by Vice President Joe Biden. Harpootlian introduced 2014 Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Vincent Sheehen with the controversial remark. “In about 18 months from now, hopefully he’ll have sent Nikki Haley back to wherever the hell she came from,” Harpootlian said as the crowd reportedly broke into cheers and applause. (Daily Caller)

Dick Harpootlian: At this time I’d like to introduce….now do I call him Senator or do I call him Governor Sheehan. What do I call him? (laughter). That’s what I thought. In about 18 months from now, hopefully he’ll have sent Nikki Haley back to wherever the hell she came from, and this country can move forward. Mark Sanford next week, Nikki Haley 18 months from now.

Dan Rather: Obama's Opponents 'Want to Cut His Heart Out and Throw His Liver to the Dogs'

2013-05-06T14:15:00Z

Dan Rather on Sunday once again made a comment about President Obama's opponents that some might find a bit over the top. Appearing on the syndicated Chris Matthews Show, Rather said, "These people politically want to cut his heart out and throw his liver to the dogs"

DAN RATHER: All of these things we’ve said about what the president could do, should do, might have, could have, but the central thing to keep in mind is his opponents - you talk about taking them out to dinner, making nice with them - these people politically want to cut his heart out and throw his liver to the dogs. That does make it very, very difficult to come on nice to them.

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Yeah, it causes indigestion over dinner don’t you think?

KATTY KAY, BBC: Is that what they do in Texas Dan?

MATTHEWS: By the way, I’m with you Dan because I don’t know how much, I do think he doesn't enjoy the company of his fellow politicians. Excuse me, Mr. President, you’re one of them.

(Newsbusters)

'Iron Man 3' smashes into Hollywood record books

2013-05-06T14:10:00Z

'Iron Man 3' soars into the record books with a debut second only to last year's 'The Avengers.' Who says there's no "I" in team? Apparently, there's an "R-O-N" in there as well. Tony Stark broke from his team of Avengers this weekend to propel Iron Man 3 to the second-largest debut in Hollywood history, nabbing $175.3 million, according to studio estimates from box office tracking firm Hollywood.com. If estimates hold Monday, IM3 will be second only to The Avengers, which opened to $207 million last year. Analysts say that, in addition to securing its place in the record books, IM3 gave the box office a much-needed shot in the arm to begin the Hollywood summer, which runs from the first weekend in May to the Labor Day weekend and accounts for more than 40% of studios' business for the entire year. Internationally, the film has been a hit for weeks, and IM3's worldwide haul rose to $680.1 million. IMAX reported a record haul as well, collecting $16.5 million domestically and $13 million internationally. (USA Today)

Muslims Outraged By Card Depicting Muslim Girl Doll Terrorist

2013-05-06T14:09:00Z

A Muslim doll as a terrorist. That’s what’s on a birthday card that has upset the head of a local chapter of a civil rights group, reports WBBM’s Nancy Harty. The card reads “hope your birthday is a blow out” and features a picture of a doll wearing a hijab – the Muslim headscarf. Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, calls it moronic and says it feeds stereotypes. “The woman in Massachusetts just two weeks ago that was punched while walking her kids for no other reason than wearing a hijab on her head, was because someone thought that because she wears it, she is a terrorist,” said Rehab. Rehab says he has heard from plenty of people who are outraged by the card, a card that calls “stupid and moronic.” The card is made by a New Jersey company that has the slogan ‘dare to laugh’. (CBS – Chicago)

Investigators Clueless on Cause of Limo Fire That Killed Bride, 4 Friends

2013-05-06T14:04:00Z

Investigators hope that the four people who escaped a limousine fire, in which a newlywed and four other women died, will offer key information about what started the weekend blaze as they crossed a San Francisco-area bridge. Nine women were in the limo, along with a male driver, when it caught fire in the westbound lane of the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge late Saturday, California Highway Patrol said. The bride was identified as 31-year-old Neriza Fojas. Fojas, a registered nurse, was recently married in the United States and was planning a second ceremony in the Philippines next month. Fojas and her friends were on their way to the Crowne Plaza Hotel for her bridal shower, where her husband was waiting, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The driver, who was not hurt, told investigators he was driving the women over the bridge when one of them complained of smoke inside the passenger compartment, San Mateo County Coroner Robert Foucrault said, according to The Associated Press. By the time the driver pulled over and exited the 1999 Lincoln Town car, the back of the limo was fully engulfed in flames. Four passengers escaped the blaze, with one squeezing thought the partition behind the driver. (ABC News)

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Gore Is Romney-Rich With $200 Million After Bush Defeat

2013-05-06T14:01:00Z

In 1999, Al Gore, then U.S. vice president and a Democratic candidate for president, sold $6,000 worth of cows. The former senator, who spent most of his working life in Congress, had a net worth of about $1.7 million and assets that included pasture rents from a family farm and royalties from a zinc mine, remnants of his rural roots in Carthage, Tennessee. Funds from the cattle sale went to three of his kids, according to federal disclosure forms filed as part of his presidential run. Fourteen years later, he made an estimated $100 million in a single month. In January, the Current TV network, which he helped to start in 2004, was sold to Qatari-owned Al Jazeera Satellite Network for about $500 million. After debt, he grossed an estimated $70 million for his 20 percent stake, according to people familiar with the transaction.

Two weeks later, Gore exercised options, at $7.48 a share, on 59,000 shares of Apple Inc. stock that he’d been granted for serving on the Cupertino, California-based company’s board since 2003. On paper, it was about a $30 million payday based on the company’s share price on the day he claimed the options. That’s a pretty good January for a guy who couldn’t yet call himself a multimillionaire when he briefly slipped from public life after his bitterly contested presidential election loss to George W. Bush in late 2000, based on 1999 and 2000 disclosure forms. Gore isn’t finished exercising his Apple stock grants. Those 59,000 are part of 101,358 Apple options and shares of restricted stock Gore has amassed, according to company filings, giving his total holdings a gross value of more than $45.6 million today. (Bloomberg)

Family of Utah Soccer Referee Who Died Holds Vigil

2013-05-06T14:00:00Z

The oldest daughter of the Utah soccer referee who died Saturday a week after a teenage player punched him in the head hopes to forgive the young man who did it — but not yet. "I will, but not today; it's too soon," said Johana Portillo, 26, speaking Sunday night at a vigil to honor her father, Ricardo Portillo. "He was a father, he was a friend, he was a grandfather; he left a whole family behind. They should think before they do something stupid." Police have accused a 17-year-old player in a recreational soccer league of punching Ricardo Portillo, 46, after he called a foul on him and issued him a yellow card. Portillo died Saturday night after a week in a coma. Nearly 100 family and friends gathered at a candlelight vigil Sunday night on the front lawn of the Salt Lake City home of Ricardo Portillo. Wearing white shirts and holding signs that read, "In loving memory of Ricky," family and friends stood around a table that had a picture of Portillo raising his arms in victory, with flowers and candles surrounding it. (AP)

Bill Ayers defends Weather Underground bombings

2013-05-06T13:58:00Z

Bill Ayers says people can’t equate the bombings that he and others in the Weather Underground did 40 or so years ago with the April 15 twin bombings in Boston that killed three people. Ayers, a keynote speaker at Saturday’s annual May 4 commemoration of the National Guard shootings at Kent State in 1970 that left four students dead, spoke briefly after giving his talk before an estimated 350 people on the university’s Commons. There is no relationship at all between what Weather Underground members did and the bombings that two brothers allegedly committed on April 15 in Massachusetts, Ayers said in response to a reporter’s question. No one died in the Weather Underground bombings. “How different is the shooting in Connecticut from shooting at a hunting range?” Ayers said. “Just because they use the same thing, there’s no relationship at all.”

Ayers, a retired professor of education at the University of Illinois-Chicago, co-founded the anti-Vietnam War Weather Underground group that bombed the U. S. Capitol, the Pentagon and other buildings in the late 1960s and into the early 1970s. The radical Weather Underground took its name from lyrics in a Bob Dylan song. The United States is the most violent country that has ever been created, Ayers said. U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., committed daily war crimes in Vietnam “and I get asked about violence when what I did was some destruction of property to issue a scream and cry against an illegal war in which 6,000 people a week are being killed,” Ayers said. “Six thousand a week being killed and I destroyed some property. Show me the equivalence. You should ask John McCain that question … I’m against violence.” “To conflate a group of fundamentalist people [in Boston] who are nihilistic in some way with a group of people who spent their lives trying to oppose the murder of 6,000 people a week … and still the killing went on. And still the killing went on. What would you have done?” Ayers said. “There’s no equivalence [with Boston]. Property damage. That’s what we did.” (Akron Beacon Journal)

Kirsten Powers: Abortion Rights Community Has Become the NRA of the Left

2013-05-06T13:56:00Z

In her Daily Beast column:

Abortion rights advocates have argued that there is nothing to see here. Move along. This is what illegal abortion looks like, they say. But Gosnell’s clinic was not illegal. It was a licensed medical facility. The state of his clinic was well known: there were repeated complaints to government officials and even the local Planned Parenthood. He wasn’t operating under the radar but in plain sight, and he received referrals from abortion clinics up and down the East Coast. Gosnell performed plenty of abortions within the 24-week limit in Pennsylvania and worked part time for a National Abortion Federation–accredited clinic in Delaware. The woman Gosnell is on trial for allegedly killing, Karnamaya Mongar, perished during a legal abortion while she was 19 weeks pregnant. Gosnell was not forced to operate in the dark because of anti–abortion rights regulations. It’s the opposite: he was able to flourish—pulling in $1.8 million a year—because multiple abortion rights administrations decided that to inspect his clinic might mean limiting access to abortion. It’s all in the grand jury report, if you don’t believe me. One of the bodies discovered in the raid of the clinic was of a 22-week-old baby with a surgical incision on the back of her neck, which penetrated the first and second vertebrae. The only thing that would make her death illegal would be if Gosnell failed to finish her off in her mother's womb. Does that statement make you uncomfortable? Good…

We live in a country where if a six-months-pregnant woman started downing shots of vodka in a bar or lit up a cigarette, people might want her arrested. But that same woman could walk into an abortion clinic, no questions asked, and be injected with a drug that would stop her baby’s heart. I’ll put my cards on the table: I think life begins at conception and would love to live in a world where no women ever felt she needed to get an abortion. However, I know enough people who are pro-abortion rights—indeed, I was one of them for most of my life—to know that reasonable and sincere people can disagree about when meaningful life begins. They also can disagree about how to weigh that moral uncertainty against a woman’s right to control her body—and her own life. I have only ever voted for Democrats, so overturning Roe v. Wade is not one of my priorities. I never want to return to the days of gruesome back-alley abortions…

Speaking as a liberal who endorses more government regulation of practically everything—banks, water, air, food, oil drilling, animal safety—I am eternally perplexed by the fury the abortion rights contingent displays at the suggestion that the government might have a serious role to play in the issue of abortion, especially later-term abortion. More and more, the abortion rights community has become the NRA of the left: unleashing their armies of supporters and lobbyists in opposition to regulations or restrictions that the majority of Americans support. In the same way the NRA believes background checks will lead to the government busting down your door to confiscate your guns, the abortion rights movement conjures a straight line from parental consent to a complete ban on abortion.

Such an attitude makes having an honest conversation about abortion almost impossible. That is just one of the many reasons I hate talking about it. Additionally, there is no upside in our media culture to challenging this sacred cow. More likely, there is a price to be paid, which is why so few people take it on. However, I cannot legitimately say I am a person who cherishes human rights—the animating issue of my life and a frequent topic of my writing—and remain silent about our country’s legally endorsing infanticide. I simply have to believe we are better than this.

U.N. official: There are strong suspicions Syrian rebels used sarin gas

2013-05-06T13:55:00Z

A U.N. official says there are strong suspicions that Syrian rebel forces have used the deadly nerve agent sarin gas in the country's civil war. Carla Del Ponte told an Italian-Swiss TV station that the findings come after interviews with doctors and Syrian victims now in neighboring countries. Del Ponte, the commissioner of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry for Syria, said the notion isn't surprising, given the infiltration of foreign fighters into the Syrian opposition. But rebel Free Syrian Army spokesman Louay Almokdad said rebels don't even have unconventional weapons, nor do they want any. "In any case, we don't have the mechanism to launch these kinds of weapons, which would need missiles that can carry chemical warheads, and we in the FSA do not possess these kind of capabilities," Almokdad said. (CNN)

Israel bolsters defenses after strikes against Syria

2013-05-06T13:52:00Z

Israel is fortifying its northern defenses following two airstrikes within Syria targeting weapons allegedly being shipped to the militant group Hezbollah - strikes that have raised tension in the region and which one Syrian official described as tantamount to a "declaration of war." The Israelis still aren't admitting they did it and how, but no one doubts they did. The condemnation so far has been more ritual than emphatic, perhaps because of the targets. The massive explosions that rocked the Syrian capital destroyed shipments of missiles bound for Israel's arch enemy Hezbollah, according to unnamed Israeli officials. The Israelis claim the consignment included Iranian-made Fateh 110 missiles, capable of delivering half-ton warheads deep into Israeli territory with pinpoint accuracy. The Syrian government called the attacks a "flagrant violation of international law" that has made the Middle East "more dangerous" and characterized the strikes as proof of Israeli links to rebel groups fighting to overthrow the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad told CNN that the strikes were an "act of war." But the rhetoric has been muted overall, though the airstrikes have raised concerns about a regional conflict and Israel has deployed several of its "Iron Dome" anti-missile defense batteries to the north to guard against any possible retaliation from Hezbollah. (CBS News)

Cambridge won't bury Marathon bombing suspect

2013-05-06T13:51:00Z

Cambridge officials on Sunday said they would not allow the body of Tamerlan Tsarnaev to be buried in the city’s cemetery, the latest chapter in a complicated saga to determine who is responsible for burying the body of the accused Boston Marathon bomber. Ruslan Tsarni, Tsarnaev’s uncle, on Sunday said he believed his nephew should be buried in Cambridge, despite calls from protesters to send his body overseas. “He lived in America. He grew up here and for the last 10 years he decided to be in Cambridge, therefore any contemplation that the body should be taken to a home country. . . . his home country is Cambridge, Mass.,” Tsarni said. “Tamerlan Tsarnaev has no other place to be buried.’’ Tsarnaev, along with his younger brother, Dzhokhar, is believed to have planted two bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring more than 260. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is being held in a federal detention center at Fort Devens.

Since Friday, Tsarnaev’s body has been at Graham Putnam & Mahoney Funeral Parlors in Worcester. After a handful of local cemeteries rejected requests to bury Tsarnaev, Peter Stefan, director of the funeral home, said he believed that the city of Cambridge was legally obligated to bury Tsarnaev at the municipal cemetery. But City Manager Robert W. Healy issued a statement Sunday urging the family not to apply for a Cambridge burial permit. Healy said he is responsible for maintaining peace in the city, which could be disturbed by such a burial. “The difficult and stressful efforts of the residents of the city of Cambridge to return to a peaceful life would be adversely impacted by the turmoil, protests, and widespread media presence at such an interment,” Healy said in his statement. “The Federal Bureau of Investigation has had the lead jurisdiction, and now, other appropriate federal agencies should take the lead in the burial of this individual,” he wrote. Stefan — who said he has been turned away by four private cemeteries, including two in Boston, that have special sections for Muslim burials — agreed. (Boston Globe)

Investigators return to Boston bombing suspect's apartment

2013-05-06T13:50:00Z

The investigation into the Boston Marathon bombings focused Sunday on the home of the older suspect, who died in a shootout, and on his widow as well. Federal agents again searched the Cambridge apartment of bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev. There was no comment on what brought them back. Sources have told CBS News that small amounts of bomb residue have already been found inside, appearing to corroborate the story that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has given investigators. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has admitted the bombs were made in his brother's apartment. Tamerlan's 24-year-old widow Katherine Russell shared the small apartment with her husband and their three-year-old daughter. The focus on Russell is intensifying. A search of her laptop found al Qaeda's online magazine "Inspire," which offers bomb-making instructions. Investigators would like to know whether Russell or her husband was accessing that material. (CBS News)

Clinton sought end-run around counterterrorism bureau on night of Benghazi attack, witness will say

2013-05-06T13:48:00Z

On the night of Sept. 11, as the Obama administration scrambled to respond to the Benghazi terror attacks, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a key aide effectively tried to cut the department's own counterterrorism bureau out of the chain of reporting and decision-making, according to a "whistle-blower" witness from that bureau who will soon testify to the charge before Congress, Fox News has learned. That witness is Mark I. Thompson, a former Marine and now the deputy coordinator for operations in the agency’s counterterrorism bureau. Sources tell Fox News Thompson will level the allegation against Clinton during testimony on Wednesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

Fox News has also learned that another official from the counterterrorism bureau -- independently of Thompson -- voiced the same complaint about Clinton and Under Secretary for Management Patrick Kennedy to trusted national security colleagues back in October. Extremists linked to Al Qaeda stormed the American consulate and a nearby annex on Sept. 11, in a heavily armed and well-coordinated eight-hour assault that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and three other Americans. Thompson considers himself a whistle-blower whose account was suppressed by the official investigative panel that Clinton convened to review the episode, the Accountability Review Board (ARB). Thompson's lawyer, Joseph diGenova, a former U.S. attorney, has further alleged that his client has been subjected to threats and intimidation by as-yet-unnamed superiors at State, in advance of his cooperation with Congress. Sources close to the congressional investigation who have been briefed on what Thompson will testify tell Fox News the veteran counterterrorism official concluded on Sept. 11 that Clinton and Kennedy tried to cut the counterterrorism bureau out of the loop as they and other Obama administration officials weighed how to respond to -- and characterize -- the Benghazi attacks. "You should have seen what (Clinton) tried to do to us that night," the second official in State's counterterrorism bureau told colleagues back in October. Those comments would appear to be corroborated by Thompson's forthcoming testimony. (Fox News)

Benghazi witness: We knew it was a terrorist attack 'from the get go'

2013-05-06T13:41:00Z

A top State Department official scheduled to give congressional testimony this week on the fatal attacks on the U.S. outpost in Benghazi, Libya, says he knew immediately they were terror strikes, not a protest turned violent, according to interview transcripts released Sunday. “I thought it was a terrorist attack from the get go,” says Greg Hicks, a 22-year foreign service diplomat who was the number two U.S. official in Libya at the time of the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks. “I think everybody in the mission thought it was a terrorist attack from the beginning.” Hicks is one of two self-described State Department “whistle-blowers” scheduled to testify Wednesday before the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee. The other is Mark Thompson, a former Marine and now the deputy coordinator for operations in the agency’s Counterterrorism Bureau. The third witness, Eric Nordstrom, an agency diplomatic security officer who was the regional security officer in Libya, has already testified before Congress.

Their testimony also comes amid recent concerns that the State Department is perhaps intimidating officials who know about the attacks and want to testify. Hicks is highly critical of the Obama administration’s explanation in the immediate aftermath of the attacks -- that the strikes were sparked by earlier protests in Egypt over an anti-Islamic video. The attacks killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. “For there to have been a demonstration on Chris Stevens' front door and him not to have reported it is unbelievable,” says Hicks, according to the transcript provided by the committee. “And secondly, if he had reported it, he would have been out the back door within minutes of any demonstration appearing anywhere near that facility. And there was a back gate to the facility, and, you know, it worked. … Chris' last report, if you want to say his final report, is, "Greg, we are under attack." He also expresses frustration about why U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice appeared on all the major Sunday talk shows five days after the attacks and said they were sparked by protest and not premeditated, as Libya President Magarief was saying otherwise. “I reported an attack on the consulate,” Hicks says in the transcripts. “It's jaw dropping that to me how that came to be. … I was personally known to one of Ambassador Rice's staff members. And, you know, we're six hours ahead of Washington. Even on Sunday morning I could have been called.” The transcripts were released by House oversight committee Chairman Darrell Issa during an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation." (Fox News)

UPDATE: Website offers $2,600 for New Hampshire man's dreadlocked banana, report says

2013-05-03T14:24:00Z

After learning that a New Hampshire man lost his life savings at a carnival in hopes of winning an Xbox, a satire website offered to buy the large stuffed banana the man received as a consolation gift for the same amount of money the man lost, WBZ reports. Henry Gribbohm, 30, of New Hampshire, told WBZ-TV that he ended up losing $2,600 playing Tubs of Fun at a Fiesta Shows' carnival. The next day, he said he complained to a person running the game and was given $600 and a large stuffed banana with dreadlocks. Gribbohm later filed a report with the Manchester Police Department claiming that the game was rigged. The department told the station that it is investigating the matter. Tubs of Fun is notoriously challenging. Gribbohm told the station that he practiced and thought he had a knack for it. But once the game began, the balls started popping out of the water. His only explanation: "It's not possible that it wasn't rigged." CollegeHumor.com caught wind of the story, and announced it would buy the dreadlocked banana for the $2,600. “For every Facebook 'Like' this post gets, we'll put 10 cents toward the cost of Henry's stuffed banana, and if we get to 26,000 Likes, we'll offer to buy Henry's banana for $2,600. If this post gets over 30,000 Likes, we'll offer to buy Henry's banana AND pay for the Xbox Kinect that he was originally trying to win,” the post said. (Fox News)

Man dies in tragic ponytail stunt

2013-05-03T14:23:00Z

Sailendra Nath Roy, 48, was performing the feat on the Teesta river in West Bengal when he suffered a heart attack. Hundreds of spectators watched his last moments in horror. In March 2011, Mr Roy was named a Guinness World Record holder for travelling the farthest distance on a zip wire using hair. He worked as a driver for the police. Mr. Roy was trying to cross the Coronation Bridge over the Teesta river near Siliguri town suspended from a zip wire 600ft (180m) long at a height of 70ft (20m). A large number of people had gathered on the bridge to watch the feat. Witnesses said that Mr. Roy appeared to make no progress after covering about 300ft (90m). "He was desperately trying to move forward. He was trying to scream out some instruction. But no one could follow what he was saying. After struggling for 30 minutes he became still," said Balai Sutradhar, a photographer, who was covering the stunt. Police said he was hanging for nearly 45 minutes before he was brought down. Doctors at the hospital said he had suffered a "massive heart attack". Mr. Roy had arrived at the riverside on Sunday morning and set up the zip wire from the bridge with help from friends. He was wearing a life jacket, but there were no doctors or emergency services on the spot. Police said that Mr. Roy had not got permission to do the stunt. (BBC)

How the Internet is boosting marriage rates

2013-05-03T14:22:00Z

Yes, the Internet. In fact, the study notes, marriage rates are between 13 percent and 30 percent higher than they’d be without the advent of broadband technology. The basic intuition here is that stuff like online dating makes it easier for people to find potential partners — or, as University of Montreal economist Andriana Bellou puts it, the Internet “has the potential to reduce search frictions.” That’s not utterly implausible. Researchers have already noted that the Internet allows us to find jobs and homes more easily. Why not spouses? To test this out, Bellou exploits the fact that broadband arrived in the United States unevenly during the 1990s and 2000s. And she compares the rates of adoption trends with Current Population Survey data on marriage rates for Americans aged 21-30. What she found was that “marriage rates grew on average more in states with greater increases in broadband penetration.” The data is awfully messy, but there does seem to be a correlation (Washington Post)

Teen mom's photo banned from NC high school yearbook

2013-05-03T14:19:00Z

The picture of a Wheatmore High School senior holding her son has been banned from the school yearbook. Last summer, the school invited seniors to include a prop in their senior picture that represents an achievement or something that best represents them. Students say the invitation did not include rules or requirements. Students chose everything from baseballs, band instruments to family pets. Caitlin Tiller chose her son, Leelin. “He helped me get to where I am today,” said Tiller who is 17. “I wouldn’t be the person I am today without him.” Tiller says since the birth of her son in April of 2012, she’s worked harder in school and graduated early. She started college in January and works more than 30 hours a week at a part-time job all while also being teenage mom. Tiller says she gets a lot of support from her family and Leelin’s father. In April, just two days before the yearbook was to be printed, Tiller says school staff told her the picture was being pulled because it promoted teen pregnancy. Tiller says she believes the picture promotes responsibility and love. “He has helped me achieve my goal to graduate high school and go forward with my dreams,” she said. Randolph County School officials would not comment on exactly why the picture was pulled, except to say the yearbook should be all about the student not an extension of their family. “She took responsibility,” said Tiller’s mom Karen Morgan. “They should be proud that the students are willing to stay in school graduate and make something of themselves and not try and hide it.” (WGHP)

High school track team disqualified for making religious gesture

2013-05-03T14:18:00Z

Some people are outraged after a high school track team is disqualified from competing in state finals because one runner made a religious gesture. In just a few seconds the boys Columbus High School 4 X 100 relay team went from winning the regional meet, heading to state championships to having it all stripped away. How did the "W" so quickly become "DQ"? Well. when the anchor of the relay team crossed the finish line, he won the race, raised his finger to the sky and that gesture caused the winning regional's relay team to be disqualified. "It's a sad deal. I think it's a travesty. Those kids work hard," says K.C. Hayes. Hayes' son Derrick Hayes is the runner who won the race then pointed to God, turning a once in a lifetime opportunity into a huge heartbreak that will likely last his lifetime. "As a team they reached their goal and in an instant it was just gone, over something we think is a non-issue. I guess someone else thinks it is an issue. He just said dad I was pointing at the heavens" says K.C. Hayes.

A judge with the University Interscholastic League or UIL, which enforces the rules for high school athletics, was there at the meet in Kingsville and made the call to disqualify the four member relay team. "For those kids the work they put in, what are we teaching them? Ok you're going to sacrifice, work hard and do everything it takes and ok it's just ripped away," says Hayes. "It's a harsh consequence for what some people may deem a small gesture. The rule states no celebratory gestures including raising your arms," explains Columbus I.S.D. Superintendent Robert O'Connor. According to the UIL the relay team was disqualified for "unsporting conduct". The UIL also points out, it does not have a rule prohibiting religious expression. "You can do whatever you want to in terms of prayer, kneeling or whatever you want to once you get out of the competition area. You just can't do it in the competition area. It goes back to the taunting rule. I can't taunt my opponent," O'Connor explains. (Fox Houston)

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TMZ: Lindsay Lohan -- Safe and Sound at Betty Ford ... For Now

2013-05-03T14:16:00Z

Lindsay Lohan is safely ensconced at The Betty Ford Center rehab facility in Rancho Mirage, CA, TMZ has learned. Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Lindsay checked in late Thursday night ... barely dodging a looming arrest warrant. Lindsay has re-hired Shawn Holley, who then negotiated with Santa Monica City Attorney Terry White to make the deal that Betty Ford was an acceptable rehab joint. It's ironic Lindsay is at Betty Ford -- you'll recall back in 2010 Lindsay got into an epic fight during her rehab stay with a staffer. The police were called and civil lawsuits were filed. TMZ was told prosecutors will back off their promise to seek an arrest warrant today ... although they still have to get the judge to sign off on Betty Ford, but it looks like that will just be a formality.

REESE WITHERSPOON ARREST DASH CAM VIDEO - Crazier Than You Thought!

2013-05-03T14:10:00Z

Reese Witherspoon wasn't kidding when she told GMA she was "saying all kinds of crazy things" ... and TMZ has obtained the entire, unbelievably entertaining dash cam video. The footage, obtained from law enforcement sources, shows the officer arresting Reese's husband Jim Toth for DUI in the early morning hours of April 19. Reese -- who since admitted she was hammered at the time -- decided to butt in during the arrest ... and the officer obviously wasn't having it and cartoonishly enforced the law with a vengeance. In fact, the cop warned Reese several times to sit down and be quiet so he could focus on Jim -- Witherspoon didn't exactly comply. Instead, Reese got in the officer's face ... and annoyed him to the point that he arrested her for disorderly conduct. Here are some of Reese's finest quotes during the incident:

Reese: "Do you know my name sir?"

Officer: "Don't need to know."

Reese "You don't NEED to know my name?"

Officer: "Not quite yet."

Reese: "YOU'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT WHO I AM!"…

Reese: "I'm now being arrested and handcuffed??"

Reese: "I'm an American citizen ... I'm allowed to stand on American ground."

And the best line -- "I'm obstructing your justice?" After Reese's tirade, Jim actually told the cop, "I'm sorry, I had nothing to do with that!" During the arrest, Reese also told the cop she was pregnant and needed to pee. She later confessed on "GMA" that she panicked and said "crazy things" because her husband was being arrested.

Reese Witherspoon Arrest DASH CAM VIDEO -- Crazier Than You Thought - Watch More Celebrity Videos or Subscribe

Rubio: Islamic "Evil Exists, Evil Must Be Defeated

2013-05-03T14:06:00Z

Senator Marco Rubio delivered strong warnings to a group of Republicans in Port St. Lucie, Florida, about the country of Iran, the world leading state sponsor of terrorism. Rubio said that the country is only focused on becoming a “hegemonic power” in the Persian Gulf region. Rubio warns that if Iran is allowed to control the Persian Gulf, in particularly the Strait of Hormus, and the regions shipping lanes and oil production, that it would “bring the world to its knees.” Adding to that warning, Rubio says that Iran is “investing in missile technology and small fast boats for the sheer purpose of being able to inflict maximum pain on the US Navy in that region.”

Their intentions are clear. they want to become a hegemonic power in that region, not just at our expense, but at the expense of the world. There is only one nation on earth capable of stopping that from happening, and that’s the United States of America.- Senator Marco Rubio

In discussing the radical Islamic threat, the junior Senator from Florida all but said that the fight needed to be taken to the Islamist wherever they may be, or “one day they will find themselves here.”

This war against radical Islamic terrorism may last for the rest of our lifetimes and unfortunately, maybe even our children. There is still evil in the world, and evil must be defeated. The United States of America remains the only country on earth with the ability and the willingness to call evil for what it is, confront it, and defeat it. In the absence of American leadership there’s chaos.

(The Shark Tank)

'16 Dem poll: It's all Hill

2013-05-03T14:05:00Z

Hillary Rodham Clinton is dominating the Democratic field in a new presidential poll by a margin that could make her think twice about any planned retirement from politics. Clinton gets 65 percent of the vote when put against other Democrats in the latest Quinnipiac University poll. Vice President Joe Biden gets just 13 percent, followed by Gov. Cuomo at just 4 percent. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick each polled 1 percent or less.“Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has a rock-solid hold on the hearts of Democratic voters at this point,” said pollster Peter A. Brown. Ron SachsHillary Clinton She also has the financial support of EMILY’s List, a group backing women pols. Sources told The Post’s Fredric Dicker this week that Cuomo won’t run if Clinton does. (NY Post)

South Carolina bill would make it a crime to implement ObamaCare

2013-05-03T14:03:00Z

The Supreme Court may have ruled ObamaCare is constitutional, but implementing the controversial federal law would become a crime in South Carolina if a bill passed by the state House becomes law. The bill, approved Wednesday by a vote of 65-39, declares President Obama's signature legislation "null and void." Whereas the law that Obama pushed and Congress passed is known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, South Carolina's law would be known as the Freedom of Health Care Protection Act. It would prohibit state officials and employees from "enforcing or attempting to enforce such unconstitutional laws" and "establish criminal penalties and civil liability" for those who engage in activities that aid the implementation of ObamaCare. The Supreme Court ruled last year that ObamaCare's underlying provision, requiring all Americans to obtain health insurance, is constitutional, though lawsuits still are pending that argue against certain parts of that mandate -- in particular, contraceptive coverage, which some Christian employers argue violates their religious beliefs. In South Carolina, the nullification bill would allow the state attorney general to take action against anyone causing harm by the implementation of ObamaCare. It proceeds to the state Senate for committee review, according to The Washington Times. (Fox News)

Media downplay Tsarnaev connection to Muslim student group

2013-05-03T14:01:00Z

Coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing has ignored admitted bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s connection to his college’s Muslim Student Association, a group that has close relations with both the Muslim Brotherhood and a local imam friendly with an al-Qaida operative. Although a student leader and the mainstream media have downplayed Tsarnaev’s ties to the the group, Tsarnaev associated frequently with the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. Several Muslim Student Association students have been brought up on terrorism charges. In April 2012, Muslim Student Association member Tarek Mehanna, who earned a doctorate at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, was sentenced to 17 and a half years for conspiring to aid al-Qaida. Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki (a.k.a. Omar Hammani), a terrorist leader and former president of the University of South Alabama’s Muslim Students’ Association, was added to the FBI’s Most Wanted List in 2012. The Facebook page of the Muslim Student Association at University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth has over one hundred members and routinely advertises speeches and seminars taught by radical imams and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)’s Todd Gallinger, who visited the campus in the days after the Boston bombing.

Federal prosecutors in 2007 named CAIR as an “unindicted co-conspirator” in a criminal conspiracy to aid Hamas, and an FBI agent testified that the group was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestine Committee. Although that case ended in a mistrial, the FBI in January 2009 instructed all field offices to cut ties with CAIR. Still, CAIR continues to be the go-to group for Muslim Student Association groups. In keeping with that radicalism, U. Mass-Dartmouth’s MSA Facebook group’s members repeatedly advertise talks by radical imams like Suhaib Webb of the Islamic Society of Boston’s Roxbury center. Webb, a convert to Islam who leads the largest mosque in New England, regularly preaches in the Cambridge mosque the two brothers attended. Webb was an associate of Anwar Awlaki, an Al-Qaeda affiliated preacher killed in 2011 by a drone strike. Two days before the attacks of September 11, 2001, the two imams headlined a fundraiser [pdf] on behalf of Jamil al Amin (a.k.a. H. Rap Brown), who had murdered two police officers. Webb and Awlaki raised $100,000 to pay for Amin’s legal defense. (Daily Caller)

State Department's Benghazi review panel under investigation, Fox News confirms

2013-05-03T14:01:00Z

The State Department's Office of Inspector General is investigating the special internal panel that probed the Benghazi terror attack for the State Department, Fox News has confirmed. The IG's office is said by well-placed sources to be seeking to determine whether the Accountability Review Board, or ARB -- led by former U.N. Ambassador Thomas Pickering and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen -- failed to interview key witnesses who had asked to provide their accounts of the Benghazi attacks to the panel. The IG's office notified the department of the "special review" on March 28, according to Doug Welty, the congressional and public affairs officer of the IG's office. This disclosure marks a significant turn in the ongoing Benghazi case, as it calls into question the reliability of the blue-ribbon panel that then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton convened to review the entire matter. Until the report was concluded, she and all other senior Obama administration officials regularly refused to answer questions about what happened in Benghazi. Since the ARB report was issued in December -- finding that "systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels" well below Clinton were to blame for the "inadequate" security at Benghazi -- Clinton and other top officials have routinely referred questioners to the conclusions of the board report. Now the methodology and final product of the ARB are themselves coming under the scrutiny of the department's own top auditor. (Fox News)

Kazakh students drove BMW with license plate reading 'Terrorista #1'; fathers say it was just a gag

2013-05-03T13:59:00Z

The two Kazakh students arrested Wednesday in the Boston Marathon bombing investigation are not accused of being part of the plot to set off the bombs, but questions have arisen about the novelty license plate on the front of the BMW they drove, which bore the words “Terrorista #1.” Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev come off as fun-loving teens who did not realize what they were getting into when they allegedly disposed of a backpack and laptop belonging to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is accused of planting the bombs that killed three and injured more than 260. The three knew each other because they went to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth together. The government of Kazakhstan emphasized today that the young men were not charged with any involvement in the bombings themselves. “We would like to emphasize that our citizens did not receive charges of involvement in the organization of Boston marathon bombings.

They were charged with destroying evidence,” the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement posted on its website. But the men’s arrests have forced both of their fathers to answer questions about the plate on the black BMW they drove around in. “Terrorista #1 doesn’t mean Osama bin Laden, doesn’t mean ‘terrorist.’ In their slang it’s means ‘happy-go-lucky, a leader of the pack, that sort of thing’ and not that they’re going to blow someone up,” Azamat’s father, Amir Ismagulov, said in a recent interview with a Kazakh television station. “They drove around in that car for four months and no one arrested them.” (Boston Globe)

First plan was to attack Boston on July 4, officials say

2013-05-03T13:58:00Z

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, told federal investigators that he and his brother initially planned to detonate explosives at Boston’s vaunted July Fourth celebration on the Charles River Esplanade, according to two officials briefed on the interrogation. When the brothers built the bombs faster than they had anticipated, they drove around Boston and Cambridge sometime before Patriots Day casing police stations, with an alternative plan to launch an attack on law enforcement officers, one of the officials said. “They surveyed these police stations, multiple stations in Boston and one in Cambridge,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “They built the bombs so fast that they decided to move the whole plan up.” The fresh details from the FBI’s interrogation of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev further underscores the notion of an oddly haphazard plot, one that ultimately focused on the home stretch and finish line of the Boston Marathon, the city’s most iconic sporting event.

In other developments Thursday, the lawyer for a Kazakh national charged with trying to destroy evidence in the bombing case said that his client turned over Tsarnaev’s laptop computer to the FBI four days after the deadly explosions. The computer, which could hold key information about reasons and planning for the bombing, was handed to FBI agents during their first interview with Dias Kadyrbayev, according to his lawyer, Robert G. Stahl. Kadyrbayev, 19, was charged Wednesday with two other men with trying to destroy or cover up evidence linking Tsarnaev, their friend at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, to the April 15 bombing. Tsarnaev’s friends are not implicated in the actual bombing plot. According to authorities, Kadyrbayev told them he took the laptop and a backpack from Tsarnaev’s dorm room at UMass Dartmouth after seeing Tsarnaev in photos released by the FBI on April 18 during a desperate search for the bombing suspects. Kadyrbayev helped discard the backpack, which held an array of fireworks, in a dumpster outside the New Bedford apartment where he lived, authorities said. (Boston Globe)

Boston Marathon Bomb DNA Does Not Match Tamerlan Tsarnaev's Wife

2013-05-03T13:53:00Z

Female DNA and fingerprints found on a bomb fragment recovered from the Boston Marathon attacks do not match the widow of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, CBS News reported Friday. The FBI collected DNA and hair samples from Katherine Russell at her parents’ home in North Kingstown, Rhode Island Monday. The source of the genetic material on the pressure cooker bomb remains unknown. “That could end up being anybody – a store clerk, one of the victims of the bombings – and they may never know,” said CBS News senior correspondent John Miller. Russell is not a suspect and has not been charged with anything, but investigators still want to question her to find out what, if anything, she knew of her husband’s plans. (CBS – Boston)

Obama Backs 'Plan B' Pill for Teen Girls

2013-05-03T13:48:00Z

President Obama said on Thursday that he supports the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to allow the sale of the “Plan B” emergency contraception pill to women 15 years and older, a decision many women’s rights groups say doesn’t go far enough. “The rule that’s been put forward by the FDA, Secretary [of Health and Human Services Kathleen] Sebelius has reviewed, she’s comfortable with it, I’m comfortable with it,” Obama said at a press conference during a state visit to Mexico. “The current ruling… you could phrase it as they’re allowing contraceptives to be sold over the counter for 15 year olds and over. It has not resolved the question of girls younger than 15.”

“I’m very comfortable with the decision that is being made right now based on solid scientific evidence for girls 15 and older,” Obama added. Obama did not reiterate the position he took in 2011 which opposed the sale of emergency contraception to girls as young as 10. “I will say this, as the father of two daughters. I think it is important for us to make sure that we apply some common sense to various rules when it comes to over-the-counter medicine,” Obama said at the press conference back then. “And as I understand it, the reason Kathleen made this decision was she could not be confident that a 10-year-old or an 11-year-old going to a drugstore should be able—alongside bubble gum or batteries—be able to buy a medication that potentially, if not used properly, could end up having an adverse effect.” (ABC News)

Mountain Dew Pulls 'Racist' Ad Created by Hip-Hop Artist

2013-05-02T14:22:00Z

An ad for Mountain Dew created by the founder of hip-hop group Odd Future has been pulled after critics lambasted its violent undertones and one called it ”arguably the most racist commercial in history.” The video was created by Odd Future’s co-founder, Tyler Gregory Okonma, who is known by the stage name, Tyler, the Creator. PepsiCo, which owns Mountain Dew, said it was pulling the ad. “We apologize for this video and take full responsibility,” read a statement provided by a PepsiCo spokeswoman. “We have removed it from all Mountain Dew channels and Tyler is removing it from his channels as well.” The ad stars a character, Felicia the Goat, in a police lineup among members of Odd Future. Boyce Watkins, a finance professor from Syracuse University and social commentator, wrote a blog post about the ad, entitled, “Mountain Dew Releases Arguably the Most Racist Commercial in History.” “Of course, in the world of Mountain Dew, every single suspect is black,” wrote Watkins. In the video, a woman is trying to identify the suspect while being threatened by the goat, which tells her, according to Watkins, “I’m going to get out of here and do you up.” (ABC News)

Seattle May Day march escalates into chaos, confrontation, violence

2013-05-02T14:11:00Z

Police arrested more than a dozen people and used flash-bang grenades and pepper spray after apparent anarchists and May Day marchers converged in downtown Seattle, throwing pipes, fireworks and rocks, lighting flares and sparking confrontations with officers. Protesters met at Seattle Central Community College at the busy intersection of Broadway and Pine Street and then spilled into the street, blocking traffic. KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Essex Porter said at first there appeared to be more spectators than participants and the gathering seemed to be more of a party than a rally. But as the crowd began to move, flares were lit and the crowd became noisy as it made its way toward downtown on Pike Street, flanked by police officers. Seattle police tweeted that someone in the crowd broke a window at Sun Liquor on East Pike Street and Belmont Avenue. People clad in black, with their faces covered, were seen in the mix. As the group of several hundred people moved north on Sixth Avenue after turning off of Pike Street, police said some in the group were throwing metal bars and water bottles at business' windows. A KIRO 7 News crew was surrounded by rowdy protesters. They spit and sprayed Silly String on KIRO 7 reporter David Ham and hit his photographer. Police said there was no permit for the rally, and no information about where they were headed, but their final destination was Westlake Plaza.

Duke hikes fees to provide sex-change surgery to students

2013-05-02T14:09:00Z

Duke University plans to raise its student fees in order pay for students' sex reassignment surgery. The private university, located in North Carolina, follows Brown and other universities in offering coverage for the controversial operation. Administrators say they will cover the cost of the reassignment surgery up to $50,000 that will be covered with a cause a 0.3 percent increase to overall student fees. LGBT advocates on campus immediately celebrated the university’s decision. “The addition of sexual reassignment surgery with a $50,000 cap makes Duke’s student health care plan one of the most, if not the most, transgender-inclusive plans in the country,” Sunny Frothingham, the outreach chair for Blue Devils United told the Duke Chronicle last week. The official plan is in-line with a Student Government Resolution passed last March that called upon the school to cover sex change operations. The school previously covered mental health care, hormone therapy and breast augmentation and reduction surgery to students who wished to change their gender. (Campus Reform)

RGIII Fumes over Calls for Redskins Name Change

2013-05-02T14:05:00Z

In the latest effort to get the Washington Redskins to change its name, D.C. council member David Grosso, along with co-sponsors, will introduce a non-binding resolution calling for the team to drop its current ”derogatory, racist name” in favor of the the name “Redtails,” the nickname of the Tuskegee Airmen. According to the Washington Post, the resolution states that “Washington’s name has been dishonored by association with the word ‘Redskins’” and that residents “should not tolerate commercial or other use” of a name that “dishonors any person’s race.” Grosso encourages the team to adopt the “Redtails” because it sounds similar to “Redskins” and would serve as a tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen; he added that “you can still keep the feather” in the logo.

Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III appeared to criticize the move on Twitter, writing, “In a land of freedom we are held hostage by the tyranny of political correctness.” Lawmakers have made several previous attempts to prompt the Redskins to change their name. Most recently, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D., D.C.) introduced a bill in the House to void existing trademarks using the name “Redskins.” A panel of three federal judges recently heard arguments on whether the franchise’s trademark should be revoked because it is an offensive term. D.C.’s mayor has also said that there must be a discussion about a name change for the team should it want to move from its current Maryland stadium to a new one in the District. (National Review)

Sex-offender registries: Should kids be listed?

2013-05-02T14:02:00Z

Government authorities should end the practice of placing juveniles' names on publicly accessible sex-offender registries, Human Rights Watch says in a report warning of lasting and unwarranted harm to some youths. Some law enforcement officials and victims' rights advocates agree the current registry system is flawed and support steps to allow more discretion in juvenile offenders' cases. Offenses triggering inclusion on the registries can range widely — from rape to consensual sex between children to "sexting" of photos that depict nudity or sexual activity. "You've got to create a system that keeps the public safe but does not stigmatize a young person for the rest of their life," said Mai Fernandez, a former prosecutor who is executive director of the National Center for Victims of Crime. Human Rights Watch said its report, being released Wednesday, is the most comprehensive examination to date of the impact that registry laws have on juvenile sex offenders. "Of course anyone responsible for a sexual assault should be held accountable," says lawyer Nicole Pittman, the report's author. "But punishment should fit both the offense and the offender, and placing children who commit sex offenses on a public registry — often for life — can cause more harm than good."

The report says the laws, which require placing offenders' photographs and personal information on online registries, often make them targets for harassment and violence. In two cases cited in the report, youths were convicted of sex offenses at 12 and committed suicide at 17 due to what their mothers said was despair related to the registries. One of the boys, from Flint, Mich., killed himself even after being removed from the list. "Everyone in the community knew he was on the sex offender registry; it didn't matter to them that he was removed," his mother, identified only as Elizabeth M., was quoted as saying. "The damage was already done." (AP)

Winning over President Obama with ESPN

2013-05-02T14:02:00Z

President Barack Obama loves to watch sports – and the people who want to catch his eye know it. Companies and trade associations are doing something a little strange: they’re buying up airtime on ESPN. Media strategists tell POLITICO they offer up the all-sports network as an option to clients who want to get their issues in front of Obama and top White House officials, known as big sports fans and rabid ESPN watchers. “It’s certainly a tactic that’s talked about a lot,” said one media strategist, who had a client advertise on ESPN in hopes of reaching Obama during the climate change debate of his first term. “It was for exactly that reason.” The strategist said the ads can’t be so obvious that Obama knows he’s the intended audience. “It’s not just targeting Obama, but doing it in a way that is both interesting and will get the attention of the audience, but not so unusual that it will put the client in a bad position.” Companies and groups that have given the strategy a shot are cagy about discussing it openly. But there are plenty of examples of ads airing on ESPN in Washington that carry a political message. Case in point: Microsoft. The behemoth tech company took to Monday Night Football to bash Google as part of its so-called “Scroogled” campaign. The ad ran locally at least twice during the Washington Redskins and New York Giants game in December. Scroogle ads are also running on ESPN now in D.C. (Politico)

North Korea sentences American on charges he tried to topple government

2013-05-02T14:01:00Z

North Korea on Thursday sentenced a detained American to 15 years of “compulsory labor,” punishment for what Pyongyang describes as an attempt to overthrow its government. In a brief statement released by its state-run news agency, the North said the sentence for Kenneth Bae, a tour operator from Washington state, had been handed down by its Supreme Court on Tuesday. Bae’s punishment complicates the decision-making for Washington, which had been hoping to open talks with the North only if Pyongyang showed signs of curbing its weapons program. The North has detained six Americans since 2009, using them in some cases to leverage high-profile rescue trips from former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. (Washington Post)

Joanne Chesimard, fugitive who killed N.J. state trooper, to be added to terrorist list

2013-05-02T14:00:00Z

Joanne Chesimard, now living in Cuba as a fugitive after murdering a New Jersey state trooper, will be placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist list — with the reward for her capture doubled — on Thursday, exactly 40 years after the death of Trooper Werner Foerster. Some of New Jersey’s top lawmen will gather at the FBI’s headquarters in Newark to announce that Chesimard is being added to the FBI terrorist list, a law enforcement official said. FBI Special Agent in Charge Aaron T. Ford, the new head of the FBI’s Newark Division, also is expected to announce that the reward for Chesimard’s capture is being doubled to $2 million, the official said. Chesimard, a black militant who has been living under the name of Assata Shakur in Cuba for more than 25 years, was convicted in 1977 of killing Foerster during a gun battle on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973. Three gunmen posing as visitors broke her out of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton in 1979. Chesimard eluded capture and resurfaced in the mid-1980s in Cuba, where she has since lived under the protection of the Castro regime. (Bergen Record)

Police say liberal student activist threatened herself with rape in Facebook hoax, framed conservatives

2013-05-02T13:58:00Z

A well-known female liberal blogger and radio host at the University of Wyoming (UW) is being accused by police of fabricating a rape threat against herself to appear as if it came from a conservative. The obscene message directed at activist Meg Lanker-Simons was posted on a college “crush” Facebook page earlier this week and immediately ignited outrage from the college community. “I want to hate f**k Meg Lanker-Simons so hard. That chick that runs her liberal mouth all the time and doesn’t care who knows it,” it read. “I think its hot and it makes me angry. One night with me and shes gonna be a good Republican bitch,” the post reads, according to a screenshot. Before the post was removed, Lanker-Simons commented on it and on her own blog, calling it “disgusting, misogynistic, and apparently something the admins of this page think is a perfectly acceptable sentiment.” She also encouraged the poster to seek help at the UW Counseling service and ends with the advice: “Instead of focusing on how angry and turned on me ‘running my mouth’ makes you, perhaps you should listen instead. You might learn something.” But on Monday, The University of Wyoming Police Department issued a citation to Lanker-Simons for “interference” for “false statements she made to the UW Police Department,” according to a UW statement referred to by Laramie Boomerang Online.

"Subject admitted to making a controversial post on UW Crushes webpage and then lied about not doing it," according to the citation. The University of Wyoming also confirmed a statement that the police had “"obtained substantial evidence verifying that the offending Facebook post came from Lanker-Simons' computer, while the computer was in her possession.” According to a Facebook page that apparently belongs to Lanker-Simons she is a member of the University of Wyoming Gender & Women's Studies group as well as the school’s chapter of The Nonviolent Communist. Since police cited her, supporters have a constructed a Facebook page entitled “Meg Lanker-Simons is innocent.” “Meg Lanker-Simons is innocent we believe what she did was justified and deserves not to be held accountable for her accusations we stand behind you sister,” reads that page’s description. Lanker-Simons was in the news in 2010 when she was a plaintiff in a successful lawsuit against UW after it retracted its invitation to have Bill Ayers speak on campus. (Campus Reform)

Colorado University seeks more conservatives for intellectual diversity

2013-05-02T13:56:00Z

The University of Colorado hired a visiting conservative professor this year, but conservatives don’t want to stop there. Republicans on the University of Colorado Board of Regents pushed Tuesday for greater intellectual diversity on campus, starting with the hiring of professors and instructors in the humanities who hold right-of-center views. James Geddes, the Republican regent leading the charge, said the university could raise its national reputation by taking “an active approach” in diversifying its academic departments. “If we don’t do that, that’s a dead department. It’s dead,” said Mr. Geddes. “Nobody’s going to challenge anyone else, nobody’s going to debate, because they all think the same.” The hour long discussion marked something of a milestone in the decades-old national debate over intellectual diversity on campus. While conservatives have long griped about the suppression of right-of-center thought on campuses, major universities have been largely unwilling to wrestle publicly with the issue at the highest levels of leadership. “To take the discussion that far is something of an anomaly,” said William Casement, author of “Making College Right” (National Association of Scholars, 2013). (Washington Times)

Free condoms for your 12-year-old? California health council can help

2013-05-02T13:55:00Z

With just a few clicks of a mouse, kids as young as 12 can have free condoms delivered to their doors in California. And the program has now expanded to two new counties. News of the expansion comes as the federal government approves the "morning-after pill" without a prescription for girls as young as 15. And the development has garnered mixed reactions from Californians. "I would ask parents the question, 'Who should be making decisions for the best welfare of your child -- you as a parent, or the state, who has no direct connection, has no understanding, has no relationship with your child?'" San Diego-area pastor Chris Clark told CNN affiliate KSWB. But the alarming rates of sexually transmitted diseases among teens call for an immediate response, health officials say. The Condom Access Project has been around for a year. Late last month, it expanded to San Diego and Fresno counties, bringing the number of counties it serves to seven. As part of the project, anyone between 12 and 19 years old in the seven counties can confidentially request a pack of 10 condoms online, up to once a month. With each order, teens also receive personal lubricant to reduce breakage as well as educational information, said the California Family Health Council, which runs the project. (CNN)

Ralph Peters: I used to support the rebels. Now, it's too late. Radicals now rule the rebellion

2013-05-02T13:54:00Z

In The New York Post:

To borrow the climactic line from “Easy Rider,” “We blew it.” Or, to be fully accurate, President Obama blew an unprecedented chance to aid Syria’s then-moderate opposition back in 2011. We could have helped end the monstrous Assad regime, gaining good will and practical advantage in a hopeful new state. Now it’s too late. And Obama may be ready to act at last. The result could be disastrous. Strategy isn’t only about doing the right thing, but about doing the right thing at the right time. Doing what appears to be the “right thing” too late often makes things worse…

A brave freedom struggle morphed into a vicious pan-Arab and Iranian struggle over Syria’s future. This is now a regional war fought by proxies. On the insurgent side, moderates have been marginalized in the military sphere. If Assad falls, Sunni Islamist gunmen will rule. On the Baathist regime’s side, Iran is Assad’s key backer and Hezbollah supplies Shia thugs. Nor is the insurgency unified. Abhorring the Muslim Brotherhood, the Saudis back Wahhabi extremists. For their part, the Qataris and others back the Muslim Brotherhood, with quiet support from the non-Arab Turks. Now we’re reduced to choosing between devils: Do we aid an insurgency increasingly dominated by extremists and outright terrorists, or do we accept the continued rule of Baathist fascists buttressed by Shia fanatics?

Maybe it’s time to come to our senses and see that this isn’t our fight.

Obama prods liberals to give-and-take on Senate immigration bill

2013-05-02T13:53:00Z

President Obama is warning liberal supporters that their push to make changes in a comprehensive immigration bill could jeopardize the strategy of Senate leaders, who are aiming to win up to 70 votes for the measure. While much of Washington has focused on objections from Republicans, Obama and other Democrats have mounted a behind-the-scenes campaign in recent days aimed at mollifying advocates, who argue that an 844-page Senate bill excludes too many illegal immigrants and makes it too hard for the rest to become citizens. The efforts underscore the perilous path ahead for a comprehensive immigration deal, which is one of Obama’s top agenda items for his second term but faces mounting criticism from those on both the left and right. (Washington Post)

Original ricin suspect was held despite evidence pointing to another man

2013-05-02T13:52:00Z

After keeping Elvis impersonator Paul Kevin Curtis in jail for a week, interrogating him while he was chained to a chair and turning his house upside down, federal authorities had no confession or physical evidence tying him to the ricin-laced letters sent to President Obama and other public officials. Investigators already had another man in their sights and, according to an FBI affidavit, were collecting physical evidence against this second suspect. It was beginning to look as if Curtis had been framed. But instead of setting Curtis free, court records show, federal officials sought to keep him in custody. First, three days after the arrest, prosecutors asked for a psychiatric evaluation — a request usually made by defense lawyers. That could have extended his stay in federal prison by several months and allowed investigators to continue to question him. Then, after a judge denied the request, federal prosecutors filed a motion seeking to postpone a court hearing at which they would be required to reveal the evidence they had against Curtis. That was also turned down. “They wanted to keep Mr. Curtis in custody while they built a case,” said Hal Neilson, a former FBI agent who is Curtis’s attorney. “They knew early on he wasn’t the right guy, but they fought to hold on to him anyway.” The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oxford, Miss., did not respond to requests for interviews or to written questions. (Washington Post)

Obama administration plans to appeal Plan B ruling

2013-05-02T13:51:00Z

The Justice Department filed notice late Wednesday that it will challenge a federal court decision requiring the government to make emergency contraceptives available over the counter to women of all ages. The move came hours after the Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter sales of emergency contraceptives to women 15 and older. Previously, Plan B was available to teenagers younger than 17 only with a prescription. Older women had to request it from a pharmacist. The Obama administration also asked the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of New York to stay Judge Edward Korman’s early-April ruling, which is set to take effect Sunday.

The move came hours after the Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter sales of emergency contraceptives to women 15 and older. Previously, Plan B was available to teenagers younger than 17 only with a prescription. Older women had to request it from a pharmacist. The Obama administration also asked the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of New York to stay Judge Edward Korman’s early-April ruling, which is set to take effect Sunday.In federal court documents, the Justice Department argued that Korman overstepped his authority in ordering the FDA to make emergency contraceptives available to all women over the counter. “The Court’s Order interferes with and thereby undermines the regulatory procedures governing FDA’s drug approval process,” the Justice Department said. “A drug approval decision involves scientific judgments as to whether statutory and regulatory factors are met that warrant deference to those charged with the statutory responsibility to make those decisions.” The new legal challenge does not affect the FDA’s decision Tuesday to make Plan B available to females 15 and older. That decision became effective as soon as it was issued. (Washington Post)

UMass locks up students' records

2013-05-02T13:48:00Z

As UMass Dartmouth finds itself at the center of a terrorism investigation with four students jailed, school officials are refusing to release even basic information about the marathon-bombing-linked suspects — saying their privacy rights outweigh the public’s right to know. The surprise charges yesterday against ex-student Dias Kadyrbayev, suspended student Azamat Tazhayakov and former student Robel Phillipos — all campus pals accused of helping alleged bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev cover up the crime — ratcheted up the school’s unwitting connection to the deadly terrorist attack. The development also had administrators clamping down on details of the 19-year-olds’ transcripts and financial aid information, even as other public colleges have shared those facts freely. “We are prohibited from releasing such records by (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act,)” UMass Dartmouth spokesman John Hoey said. “Our interpretation of the law indicates that that information is confidential.” Last night Chancellor Divina Grossman ordered a review of “all policies and procedures made relevant by recent events.” But no UMass official would comment on reports Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was still attending the college despite owing $20,000 in tuition and room and board and having failing grades. (Boston Herald)

Marathon bombing suspect texted 'LoL' when confronted by pal

2013-05-02T13:38:00Z

When the alleged Boston Marathon bomber was told by one of his friends that he resembled one of the suspects in the widely released surveillance video, he sent a chilling response: “Lol, you better not text me,” an affidavit unsealed Wednesday said. The brief interaction between bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his friend Dias Kadyrbayev occurred three days after the April 15 bombing, the affidavit said. Kadyrbayev was among three others charged Wednesday for allegedly conspiring to get rid of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s incriminating backpack filled with gutted fireworks. He also texted Kadyrbayev to say, "Come to my room and take whatever you want," according to the affidavit. "Kadyrbayev knew when he saw the empty fireworks that Tsarnaev was involved in the marathon bombing," the affidavit reads. "Kadyrbayev decided to remove the backpack from the room in order to help his friend Tsarnaev avoid trouble."

The exchange came just a few hours before the Tsarnaev brothers would carjack a Chinese immigrant, murder an MIT police officer and engage in a wild shootout with police through the streets of Cambridge and Watertown, police say. Tamerlan Tsarnaev died April 19, after a shootout hours after authorities showed the brothers on surveillance video and named them as suspects. Documents based on interviews with the young men reveal Dzhokhar Tsarnaev allegedly dropped sinister hints before the attack, telling his friends a month before that he had learned how to make a bomb. However, it wasn’t until the FBI released a surveillance photo of the suspects that the friends realized Tsarnaev may have been involved. The FBI claims this prompted Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakova both 19-year-old natives of Kazakhstan and friends of Tsarnaev at UMass-Dartmouth, to go to Tsarnaev's dorm and take a laptop, the backpack and some Vaseline that may have been used in making the deadly pressure cooker bombs that killed three and injured more than 200 at the race. Police believe the bombs were packed with shrapnel and gunpowder removed from fireworks.

Robel Phillipos, of Cambridge, Mass., also 19, was charged with willfully making materially false statements to federal law enforcement officials during a terrorism investigation. The affidavit filed in support of a complaint said Kadyrbayev was the one who carried out the disposal of the backpack after the three saw the fireworks that had been hollowed out and emptied of gunpowder. Although the three new suspects initially appear to have stonewalled authorities, Phillipos came clean in a fourth interview, conducted April 26. He confessed that the three took the backpack out of their friend's dorm room, according to the affidavit. Phillipos allegedly told investigators that the two others "started to freak out" after seeing Tsarnaev identified on television. (Fox News)

Family to claim Boston bomb suspect's body, uncle says

2013-05-01T13:45:00Z

Relatives of the deceased Boston Marathon bombing suspect will claim his body now that his wife has agreed to release it, an uncle said Tuesday. Tamerlan Tsarnaev's body has been at the medical examiner's office in Massachusetts since he died after a gunfight with authorities more than a week ago. Amato DeLuca, the Rhode Island attorney for his widow, Katherine Russell, said in a statement Tuesday that his client had just learned that the medical examiner was ready to release Tsarnaev's body and that she wants it released to the Tsarnaev family. Police said Tsarnaev ran out of ammunition before his brother, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, dragged his body under a vehicle while fleeing the scene. His cause of death has been determined but will not be made public until his remains are claimed. "Of course, family members will take possession of the body," uncle Ruslan Tsarni of Montgomery Village, Md., told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. "We'll do it. We will do it. A family is a family." He would not elaborate. Tsarnaev's parents are still in Russia, but he has other relatives on his side of the family in the U.S., including Tsarni. (AP)

Bishop Reacts to Half-Naked College Student Dressing Up as the Pope, Giving Out Condoms

2013-05-01T13:45:00Z

The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is asking Carnegie Mellon University to reprimand a female student who dressed as the pope — but naked from the waist down — to pass out condoms in an art parade. The student reportedly shaved her pubic hair into the shape of a cross while passing out the prophylactics. The university responded, saying, “We are continuing our review of the incident. If our community standards or laws were violated, we will take appropriate action.” Bishop David Zubik from the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh spoke to KDVA (CBS Pittsburgh)

ZUBIK: Obviously all of us when we’re growing up we do stupid things but to cross over the line in this instance shouldn’t happen with anybody. (EDIT) What I do want to have happen is for this person to learn an important lesson. That prejudice, bigotry, there’s no place for it.

Marco Rubio: Immigration Reform Proposal Can't Pass The House

2013-05-01T13:35:00Z

Sen. Marco Rubio acknowledged Tuesday on a conservative radio talk show that the Gang of Eight’s comprehensive immigration reform bill won’t likely pass the Republican-led House. The comments from Rubio, perhaps the most influential congressional Republican on immigration, illustrate the challenges facing the prospects for reform after months of private negotiations by a bipartisan coalition of senators produced a wide-ranging, 844-page bill. (Real Clear Politics)

RUBIO (R-FL): The bill that’s in place right now probably can’t pass the House so it will have to be adjusted, because people are very suspicious about the willingness of the government to enforce the laws now and the future given our experience with immigration in the past. That is a very legitimate suspicion, it’s one that I share, and if there’s anything we can do to make [the bill] even tighter, to improve, to ensure that the laws are enforced so that we don’t have this problem in the future that’s exactly what we should be working on.”

Extra Resources Sent To Troubled Oakland School After Fight

2013-05-01T13:33:00Z

The Oakland Unified School District is sending in extra resources to Alliance Academy after video surfaced of a fight between a substitute teacher and student. But some teachers told KPIX 5 the action may be too late. A parent gave KPIX 5 the video of the brawl, captured on a cellphone before Winter break. The video shows punching and kicking between the student and teacher, followed by the teacher picking up a desk, thrusting it at the child. The student involved in the video no longer attends the school. The middle school is one of the toughest in East Oakland, with 360 students ages 10-13. Police have visited the campus 13 times during the school year so far, and five students have been expelled. Out of a total of 13 teachers at Alliance this year, 10 are new. The turnover rate at the school is much higher than the district average of 14 percent. “This is a high-need school. And when I’m here, I feel like I owe them 150 percent every time I’m here,” said Kashmir Hyder, a second year teacher. “And as a result of that, I feel like I’ve burnt out. I treated this like a sprint, and not a marathon.” In fact, two of the three teachers interviewed by KPIX 5 will leave Oakland after the school year. The third teacher is on the fence.

The Oakland Unified School District said it is well aware of the problem. “You get in a cycle where you’re constantly placing new teachers, those teachers leave after a couple of years,” said district spokesperson Troy Flint. “And it creates a lack of stability at the school. And I think that is something that undermines academic progress to a certain extent.” The fight that was caught on video took place a few months ago. Meanwhile, the school is not denying a more recent event. A student told KPIX 5 that his classmates started what he called a “riot” in a classroom. “They destroyed the whole classroom. They broke the desk. They threw the computers on the floor,” Barajas recalled. He said he hid under a desk, when other students tossed desks and other items across the room. After media attention this week, the district sent in extra administrators to work with troubled students. But some teachers said the help has come too late.

Civilian Cargo Aircraft Crashes At Bagram Air Field In Afghanistan, 7 Dead

2013-05-01T13:29:00Z

The Dubai-bound Boeing 747-400 — operated by National Air Cargo — crashed just after takeoff Monday from Bagram Air Base around 11:20 a.m. local time, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement Tuesday. The accident site is within the perimeter of Bagram Air Base. The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for downing the plane, but NATO said later the claims were false, and there was no sign of insurgent activity in the area at the time of the crash. The Afghanistan Ministry of Transportation and Commercial Aviation is leading the investigation. The NTSB is investigating the crash alongside the ministry. The team will be composed of three NTSB investigators, as well as representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing, the NTSB said. The plane — owned by National Airlines, an Orlando, Florida-based subsidiary of National Air Cargo — was carrying vehicles and other cargo. (AP)

Alaska Man Fights Off Bear, Walks Away with Minor Injuries

2013-05-01T13:26:00Z

An Alaska man and his family are counting their blessings after walking away with minor injuries from a hands-on scuffle with a bear. “When the bear was headed towards us, we were like, ‘OK, it’s do or die now,’” Toby Burke, a wildlife biologist for Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, told ABC News. On Sunday afternoon, Burke, 48, along with his wife, Laura, and three children decided to go bird watching along the Alaskan Kasilof River Beach. The sun was out and the skies were clear, but the chilly 30-degree Alaskan air had the family bundled up in layers. While the two environmentalists were observing through telescopes, they noticed something a bit larger than the typical bird. “We saw the bear in the distance and we said, ‘Hey let’s not go down there. Let’s stay up here,’” Burke told ABC News. Burke wasn’t too worried. After all, he does live in bear country. The bear disappeared into the undulating dunes and Burke said he assumed it might have fed on a washed-up marine mammal. Burke and his family turned around and continued their hike through the dunes.

Moments later, they found they were very wrong about the bear’s intentions. “The bear is coming, it’s coming towards us!” yelled 11-year-old Grace Burke to her father. “We were raising our arms and made loud noises,” Laura Burke said. “That’s supposed to scare the bear away. Instead of running away, it came right towards us.” That’s when the bear bounded towards them and Toby Burke yelled to his wife, “Get behind me!” Laura Burke, with her 7-month old baby on her back, grabbed her two other children to get behind her husband. “When the bear came at my husband, my 8-year-old, Damien, wanted to run,” Laura Burke said. “I remember his dad said, ‘Don’t run. Stick together!’”Toby Burke grabbed the first thing in sight: his scope attached to a 6-foot-long tripod.

“I put the scope sideways into the bear’s mouth, keeping it away, and it swatted at the scope and severed it,” he said. The severed metal tripod left a sharp shaft, which Burke used to hit the bear in the face to scare it away. Yet it still didn’t seem to budge and smacked the tripod out of Burke’s hands. “It was just me between my family and the bear,” he said. “At that point, I made physical contact. All I could do was put my left arm up. Then its mouth clamped down on my forearm. So I remember hitting it in the face with my right arm.”

After several minutes of scuffling, the bear gave up and ran away, and Burke managed to walk away with minor bruises and scratches. “I definitely felt a crushing sensation when it clamped down on my arm,” he said. “Fortunately, because I had heavy layers of clothing on, I’m basically just really bruised up.” Once the bear had left, Laura Burke called Alaska State Troopers and Alaska Wildlife Troopers to notify them of the bear and warn others on the beach. “Upon arrival, an investigation revealed a female brown bear was acting erratically by attacking a vehicle, a telephone pole and then, eventually, attack a male walking on the beach,” said a news release by the Department of Public Safety. Two troopers were walking along the tree line when the bear came running out of the woods towards them and it was shot. The deceased bear was released to a local charity.

New Hampshire man no longer top banana after losing life savings on carnival game

2013-05-01T13:24:00Z

A New Hampshire man says he squandered his life savings playing a rigged carnival game in hopes of winning an Xbox game system. Henry Gribbohm, 30, of New Hampshire, told WBZ-TV that he ended up losing $2,600 playing Tubs of Fun at a Fiesta Shows' carnival. The next day, he said he complained to a person running the game and was given $600 and a large stuffed banana with dreadlocks. To some, a large stuffed banana may suffice, but Gribbohm later filed a report with the Manchester Police Department claiming that the game was rigged. The department told the station that it is investigating the matter. Tubs of Fun is notoriously challenging. Gribbohm told the station that he practiced and thought he had a knack for it. But once the game began the balls started popping out of the water. His only explanation: "It's not possible that it wasn't rigged." Like a down-on-his-luck Blackjack player, Gribbohm began making riskier bets to win back some money and told WBZ-TV that at one point he dropped $300 in a few minutes. He went home and got another $2,300, he told the station. The game is operated by an outside party and Fiesta told the station that it will also investigate Gribbohm’s allegations. (WBZ)

Obama moving toward sending lethal arms to Syrian rebels, officials say

2013-05-01T13:21:00Z

President Obama is preparing to send lethal weaponry to the Syrian opposition and has taken steps to assert more aggressive U.S. leadership among allies and partners seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, according to senior administration officials. The officials said they are moving toward the shipment of arms but emphasized that they are still pursuing political negotiation. To that end, the administration has launched an effort to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin that the probable use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government — and the more direct outside intervention that could provoke — should lead him to reconsider his support of Assad. But Obama, who spoke by telephone with Putin on Monday and is sending Secretary of State John F. Kerry to Moscow in the coming days, is likely to make a final decision on the supply of arms to the opposition within weeks, before a scheduled meeting with Putin in June, the officials said.

Confirmation that the Assad government has used chemical weapons, Obama said Tuesday, would mean that “there are some options that we might not otherwise exercise that we would strongly consider.” At a news conference, he emphasized the need to “make sure I’ve got the facts. . . . If we end up rushing to judgment without hard, effective evidence, we can find ourselves in a position where we can’t mobilize the international community to support” additional action. Administration officials have made repeated reference to the George W. Bush administration’s inaccurate claims of weapons of mass destruction to justify its 2003 invasion of Iraq. Yet even as Obama voiced caution in responding to what he has called the “red line” on chemical weapons, the senior officials described him as ready to move on what one described as the “left-hand side” of a broad spectrum that ranged from “arming the opposition to boots on the ground.” “We’re clearly on an upward trajectory,” the senior official said. “We’ve moved over to assistance that has a direct military purpose.” The officials did not specify what U.S. equipment is under consideration, although the rebels have specifically requested antitank weapons and surface-to-air missiles. (Washington Post)

Tamerlan Tsarnaev given $5,566 in college aid

2013-05-01T13:17:00Z

Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev was awarded $5,566 in educational aid to attended two different community colleges, the state education department announced today. Below is the email from the department received by the Boston Herald from education department spokesman Matt Wilder:

As the result of inquiries received by this office, we are writing today to update you on information we have discovered while conducting an analysis of public education aid received by Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Following is a summary of our analysis:

· From fall 2006 to fall 2007, Tamerlan Tsarnaev received:
o   A total of $2,532 in Federal Pell Grant funds to attend Bunker Hill Community College.
o   A total of $1,100 in Cash (ACCESS) Grants funds to attend Bunker Hill Community College.
o   A total of $288 in Tuition Waivers to attend Bunker Hill Community College.
o   A total of $400 in Part-Time Grants to attend Bunker Hill Community College.

· In spring 2008, Tamerlan Tsarnaev received:
o $1,000 in Federal College Work Study funds while attending Mass Bay Community College.
o $246 in Federal Pell Grant funds to attend Mass Bay Community College.

We have no other information in our possession related to public education aid received by either of these individuals.

Wilder just told the Herald that Dzhokhar did not receive benefits from the state Department of Education. He added as for any benefits from the University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth, those records fall under the UMass system and he cannot speak for them.

Fraudulent Unemployment Benefits Payments Totaled $3.3 Billion In 2011

2013-05-01T13:10:00Z

The U.S. government paid out billions in unemployment benefits to people who were actually working, a new report finds, sparking concerns that a big share of the money meant for the jobless isn't going to the workers who are struggling the most. Unemployment insurance fraud cost the federal government $3.3 billion in 2011, according to a recent report from the St. Louis Federal Reserve. The largest share of fraudulent unemployment benefits went to people who were still working: $2.2 billion or two-thirds of the fraudulent payments, according to the report. Nearly a half-billion dollars went to workers earning at least $900 a week or $46,800 a year, the report found. That's only slightly less than the U.S. household median income of $49,909 in 2011, according to a study from two Census Bureau researchers from that year. Those earning less than $300 per week received $210 million of the fraudulent benefits, or less than 10 percent. Though only a small fraction of the $108 billion the federal government paid out in unemployment benefits in 2011 went to people who weren’t eligible, the study’s findings raise concerns that some of the money intended for struggling jobless Americans is going to people who don’t qualify to receive it. A person must be unemployed through no fault of their own in order to be eligible to collect unemployment benefits. Of those who fit that criteria, not everyone collects the money they’re entitled to. In fact, unclaimed benefits amount to more money on average than fraudulent benefits payments, according to a St. Louis Fed paper from last year. (Huffington Post)

POLITICO: Gay rights push threatens immigration deal

2013-05-01T13:09:00Z

The most serious threat to bipartisan immigration reform doesn’t involve border security or guest workers or even the path to citizenship. It’s about gay rights. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has told advocates that he will offer an amendment during the bill markup next week allowing gay Americans to sponsor their foreign-born partners for green cards, just as heterosexual couples can. The measure is likely to pass because Democrats face pressure from gay rights advocates to deal with it in committee, rather than on the Senate floor, where the odds of passage are far less favorable. But by doing so, Republicans warn that Democrats will tank the whole bill.

“It will virtually guarantee that it won’t pass,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a member of the Gang of Eight negotiating group, told POLITICO in a brief interview. “This issue is a difficult enough issue as it is. I respect everyone’s views on it. But ultimately, if that issue is injected into this bill, the bill will fail and the coalition that helped put it together will fall apart.” As the legislation moves through the Judiciary Committee and on to the Senate floor, many people will make pronouncements about things that must be kept in or kept out of the bill — but few issues worry the Gang of Eight as much as same-sex partner rights. The provision has the potential to immediately fracture the senators and a diverse alliance of backers that includes conservative evangelicals and liberal union chiefs. It’s the focus of an intense lobbying push this week by the United States Conference of the Catholic Bishops, the Southern Baptist Convention, the Human Rights Campaign and others as senators map out strategy ahead of the markup.

Sen. Flake Breaks: Acknowledges existence of welfare loophole in immigration bill, 'open' to amendments to fix it

2013-05-01T13:01:00Z

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) would support an amendment to the “Gang of Eight” immigration bill to close the loophole allowing illegal immigrants access to state and local welfare benefits, his spokeswoman told Breitbart News on Tuesday afternoon. Flake’s spokeswoman, Genevieve Rozansky, acknowledged the existence of the bill’s state and local welfare loopholes for illegal immigrants. She told Breitbart News her boss would support an amendment that closes that loophole if another Senate office comes up with an idea to do so. “The goal of the Gang of 8 bill is to not reward those who broke the law,” Rozansky wrote in an email. “It clearly prevents those with a provisional status from receiving federal benefits, but if other senators have ideas about how to prevent them from receiving state or local benefits that is consistent with the principle of federalism, Senator Flake would certainly be open to such an amendment.”

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, uncovered the loophole and called on members of the Gang of Eight to either propose or support amendments to their bill that would close it. “This is just one more example of the legislation not living up the commitments that were made,” Sessions said in a statement to Breitbart News. “However, this bill has been described as a starting point and so I hope the Gang’s members will propose or support amendments to address the legislation’s enormous federal costs and to ensure that illegal immigrants will not become dependent on already-burdened state and local benefit programs.” In an exclusive Breitbart News report on Tuesday, Sessions and his staff detailed the major loophole through which illegal immigrants could immediately access state and local welfare programs. This was in addition to other loopholes through which some illegal immigrants could access federal benefits sooner than the Gang of Eight has publicly stated they would be able to get them. Representatives for the other three offices of the Republican members of the Gang of Eight—those of Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), John McCain (R-AZ), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC)—have not responded to Breitbart News when asked if they would also support such an amendment closing those loopholes. As a general matter, Rubio has said he supports fixing problems like this in the legislation. (Breitbart)

POLITICO: Democrats fret over Obamacare as 2014 looms

2013-05-01T12:59:00Z

Democrats are fretting that Obamacare is going to crush their hopes of big gains in the midterm elections, just like it cost them the House in 2010. And as bad-news headlines and big-time dips in the polls pile up, the signs of anxiety are starting to show. On Monday night, South Carolina’s Elizabeth Colbert Busch, a favorite of the Democratic left, couldn't get away from the law fast enough, calling Obamacare “extremely problematic” — a quote that got wide play from GOP groups like the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Sen. Max Baucus warned that there could be a “train wreck” if the Obamacare outreach doesn’t improve — and he helped give birth to the law in the Senate. And during at least two meetings with administration officials last week, Democrats told the White House they don’t like how the law’s implementation and messaging are going.

It's no wonder why: On Tuesday, a Kaiser Family Foundation poll showed just 35 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of the law, right as the administration is planning to roll it out. All the panic forced President Barack Obama to rush to the law's defense, saying at a news conference Tuesday: “Even if we do everything perfectly, there'll still be, you know, glitches and bumps. … And that's pretty much true of every government program that's ever been set up.” Obama’s goal was to dismiss what he called “all the hue and cry and, you know, sky-is-falling predictions about this stuff.” Don't bet on that happening. Democrats have been fretting about the law since it passed, and they're not exactly falling in love with it now either.

The NRSC latched onto Colbert Busch’s comments from Monday night, sending out a press release boasting that she joins a “chorus of Democrats who are running for office and running from Obamacare.” Colbert Busch, considered one of the most prominent Democratic candidates in the country, distanced herself considerably from Obamacare Monday night in a debate with former Gov. Mark Sanford. She has to appeal to voters in a conservative district, just like other Democrats running in states or congressional districts next year will have to win over conservatives and independents, too. But the Democrats were always going to face this moment — they designed the law so all of the core pieces would go into effect in 2014, in a midterm election year. And they also needed a lot of complicated pieces to work together smoothly: health coverage for everyone who asks for it, new marketplaces of health insurance in every state, expanded Medicaid coverage for low-income people, and — of course — the hated individual mandate.

ESPN's Chris Broussard Calls Homosexuality a Sin During Jason Collins Segment

2013-04-30T14:02:00Z

In a special one-hour episode covering the immediate impact of Washington Wizards center Jason Collins' coming out as a gay man on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Broussard briefly started discussing his personal beliefs about homosexuality. Broussard was on Outside the Lines to discuss the potential ramifications of an openly gay player in the NBA, and he noted that there were others who felt the way he did who might have reservations about discussing them openly. (Hollywood Reporter)

BROUSSARD Personally, I don’t believe you can live an openly homosexual lifestyle or like…openly premarital sex between heterosexuals. If you are openly living that type of lifestyle, then the bible says you know then by their fruits…it says that you know, that’s a sin. If you are openly living in unrepentant sin, whatever it may be, not just homosexuality, adultery, fornication, premarital sex between heterosexuals, whatever it may be. I believe that is walking in open rebellion to God and to Jesus Christ …. I would not categorize that person as a Christian because I don’t think the bible would categorize him as a Christian.”

Native Americans incensed over pro-gun rights billboard in Colorado

2013-04-30T14:01:00Z

Two billboards in which images of Native Americans are used to make a gun rights argument are causing a stir with some Colorado residents who say the image is offensive and insensitive. The billboards in this northern Colorado city show three men dressed in traditional Native American attire and the words "Turn in your arms. The government will take care of you." Matt Wells, an account executive with Lamar Advertising in Denver, said Monday that a group of local residents purchased the space. "They have asked to remain anonymous," he said. He also refused to disclose the cost but said the billboards are only appearing in the Greeley area. Wells said he has not received any complaints so far. "I think it's a little bit extreme, of course, but I think people are really worried about their gun rights and what liberties are going to be taken away," Wells told the Greeley Tribune. (AP)

Concern in Virginia Beach after Oceanfront violence

2013-04-30T14:00:00Z

Violence broke out across several blocks near the Oceanfront late Saturday and early Sunday, leaving several people injured and many more concerned after an event drew thousands of young adults. Police reported three shootings, three incidents in which a person was cut and three robberies. All happened over 4 hours between 17th Street and 33rd Street near the Oceanfront. None of the injuries was life-threatening, but the violence was enough to shake up some who visit, live at or work in the area. “I was scared to death,” said Denise Gordon, a manager for 18th Street Seafood Bar and Grill.

Though all those incidents happened late at night, Gordon said she’d noticed “rude, obnoxious” behavior around her restaurant much of the day. Fearful, she closed the restaurant at 8 p.m., two hours earlier than usual for a Saturday. Gordon then said she called for security to help employees get to their cars after closing. “It was so crazy, I don’t even know how to describe it,” she said. Calls for the first incidents – a shooting in the 2000 block of Atlantic Ave., and a simple assault and larceny at 21st Street and Pacific Avenue – both came at 11:23 p.m., police said. The second shooting was reported at 2:58 a.m., in the 300 block of 33rd St. The third shooting, and the last call for violence, came at 3:13 a.m., at 27th Street and Atlantic Avenue. Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms estimated 30,000 to 40,000 people were at the Oceanfront this weekend. One of the festivities was “College Beach Weekend 2013.” (Pilot Online)

325 calls to VB 911 this weekend

Immigration bill to bring in at least 33 million people, says group

2013-04-30T13:58:00Z

The pending Senate immigration bill would bring a minimum of 33 million people into the country during its first decade of operation, according to an analysis by Number USA, a group that wants to slow the current immigration rate. By 2024, the inflow would include an estimated 9.2 million illegal immigrants, plus 2.5 million illegals who arrived as children — dubbed ‘Dreamers’ — plus roughly 3.4 million company-sponsored employees with university degrees, said the unreleased analysis. The majority of the inflow, or roughly 17 million people, would consist of family members of illegals, recent immigrants and of company-sponsored workers, according to the Numbers USA analysis provided to The Daily Caller. The estimate is likely the first of several that will be produced by advocates as the Senate grapples with the immigration bill developed by the “Gang of Eight” senators. The 844-page bill was released last week, and was scheduled for debate and amendment in the Senate’e judiciary committee starting April 25. However, the amendment process was held up for a week by Republican Senators, who said they need more time to study the complex bill. (Daily Caller)

Teacher of Year avoids prison on NJ sex charge

2013-04-30T13:58:00Z

A former New Jersey county Teacher of the Year who admits having sex with a 15-year-old student from her honors English class has been spared prison time. A judge in Newark on Monday sentenced 33-year-old Erica DePalo to lifetime parole supervision. DePalo also will have to forfeit her teaching certificate and register as a sex offender. Prosecutors say the Montclair resident had a short sexual relationship with a boy at West Orange High School. A tearful DePalo apologized. She pleaded guilty in February to child endangerment. She initially was charged with aggravated sexual assault and could've faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted. A defense attorney says antidepressants the 2011 Essex County Teacher of the Year had been incorrectly prescribed contributed to her errors in judgment but aren't an excuse. (AP)

NBA veteran center Jason Collins comes out as gay

2013-04-30T13:56:00Z

With the simplest of sentences, NBA veteran Jason Collins set aside years of worry and silence to become the first active player in one of four major U.S. professional sports leagues to come out as gay. In a first-person article posted Monday on Sports Illustrated's website, Collins begins: "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay." Collins has played for six teams in 12 seasons, most recently as a reserve with the Washington Wizards after a midseason trade from the Boston Celtics. He is now a free agent and wants to keep playing in the NBA. "I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, 'I'm different,'" Collins writes. "If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand." Saying he had "endured years of misery and gone to enormous lengths to live a lie," Collins immediately drew support for his announcement from the White House - President Barack Obama called him - along with former President Bill Clinton, the NBA, current and former teammates, a sponsor, and athletes in other sports. Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant tweeted that he was proud of Collins, writing: "Don't suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others," followed by the words "courage" and "support." (AP)

Dem resolution warns climate change could push women into prostitution

2013-04-30T13:55:00Z

Several House Democrats are calling on Congress to recognize that climate change is hurting women more than men, and could even drive poor women to "transactional sex" for survival. The resolution, from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and a dozen other Democrats, says the results of climate change include drought and reduced agricultural output. It says these changes can be particularly harmful for women. "[F]ood insecure women with limited socioeconomic resources may be vulnerable to situations such as sex work, transactional sex, and early marriage that put them at risk for HIV, STIs, unplanned pregnancy, and poor reproductive health," it says. Climate change could also add "workload and stresses" on female farmers, which the resolution says produce 60 to 80 percent of the food in developing countries. The chances for regional conflict also increase with climate change, the resolution says, because changing weather patterns could lead to migration and refugee crises. It said these sorts of potential conflicts over land will have a disproportionate impact on "the most vulnerable populations including women." (The Hill)

My boyfriend the bomber - Fanatic's ex: He tried to brainwash me to hate US like he did

2013-04-30T13:53:00Z

AN ex-girlfriend of dead Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev has told how he tried to brainwash her into becoming a Muslim fanatic who hated America. Nadine Ascencao, 24, said Tamerlan made her wear an Islamic hijab and pray to Allah and slapped her when she wore Western clothes. But she was so blindly in love with the handsome boxer who had taken her virginity, she did her utmost to make him happy. Nadine said: “I went to his mosque a couple of times and even looked into converting to make him happy. I thought, ‘This is crazy’ — but I still did it for him.”

“Tamerlan had taken my virginity and said he loved me because I was pure and hadn’t been with any other guys. I was in love and scared he’d leave me if I didn’t do what he said. Looking back I had a lucky escape.” Tamerlan, 26, who with 19-year-old brother Dzhokhar killed three people and injured 260 when they exploded two bombs at the Boston marathon, started dating Nadine in 2006 when she was 17. During their three-year relationship she watched him change from a cannabis-smoking, party-loving teenager into a violent extremist. She said: “One minute he’s this funny, normal guy who liked boxing and having fun, the next he is praying four times a day, watching Islamic videos and talking insane nonsense. “He became extremely religious and tried to brainwash me to follow Islam. Tamerlan said I couldn’t be with him unless I became a Muslim. He wanted me to hate America like he did. “He wouldn’t let me watch TV or listen to the radio. He’d say, ‘TV is the project of Satan’ and claimed Satan sent us messages through commercial music.”

The couple even stopped having sex after he said it was wrong because they were not married. Tamerlan, a Chechen who emigrated to the US with his family in 2002, became obsessed with Nadine’s clothes. She said: “He hated my tight trousers and made me wear long skirts. Towards the end I was wearing a hijab. “He once ripped a pair of my jeans and hit me in the face with them. Tamerlan told me I should only talk to Muslim girls, not other ‘slutty’ girls.” Besotted Nadine moved into a flat in the house where the Tsarnaev family lived to be near Tamerlan. And she was heartbroken when she learned he was secretly seeing another girl. Her rival was Katherine Russell, a student who was to become Tamerlan’s wife after converting to Islam. Crafty Tamerlan was soon playing the two women off against one another. Nadine said: “He once made me learn a verse of an Islamic prayer and if I got it wrong he’d say, ‘Well Katherine can do it’.” (The Sun)

Poll finds 15-point drop in Dem support for health law

2013-04-30T13:52:00Z

Democratic support for President Obama's healthcare law has dropped 15 points since November, contributing to a rise in negative attitudes toward the reform, according to a new poll. Opponents of the Affordable Care Act currently outnumber supporters (42 percent to 36), according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's latest tracking survey. Public opinion has switched back and forth since the law passed in 2010, and in November, support for the law was 4 percent higher than opposition (43 percent to 39). Kaiser attributed the marked slide in support among Democrats to a "post-presidential election fade." In November, 72 percent of that group expressed support for the law, compared with 57 percent who feel favorably toward it now. Unaffiliated voters saw a similar but less dramatic decline in support, with 32 percent approving of the healthcare law compared with 37 percent in November. "It's difficult to say whether this downward drop will last," Kaiser analysts wrote of the decline in overall support for the law. "Support seems to have shifted to the no-opinion category, up to nearly a quarter, a new high in Kaiser polling." Obama's win in November cements the future of the Affordable Care Act. Implementation has begun in earnest in anticipation of 2014, when several major provisions will take effect. (The Hill)

Ron Paul slams Boston 'occupation'

2013-04-30T13:51:00Z

Former Rep. Ron Paul said the police response to the Boston Marathon bombings was scarier than the bombing itself, which killed three and wounded more than 250. “The Boston bombing provided the opportunity for the government to turn what should have been a police investigation into a military-style occupation of an American city,” Paul, a Texas Republican, wrote today on the website of the libertarian writer Lew Rockwell. “This unprecedented move should frighten us as much or more than the attack itself.” Paul said the scenes of the house-to-house search for the younger bombing suspect in suburban Watertown, Mass., were reminiscent of a “military coup in a far off banana republic.”

“Forced lockdown of a city,” he wrote. “Militarized police riding tanks in the streets. Door-to-door armed searches without warrant. Families thrown out of their homes at gunpoint to be searched without probable cause. Businesses forced to close. Transport shut down.” Paul, a libertarian icon who made three separate bids for the Republican presidential nomination and whose son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, is widely regarded as 2016 presidential candidate, argued the shutdown of Watertown and surrounding communities did little to ultimately capture the suspected bomber, Dzhokhar Tsmarnaev. “The suspect was not discovered by the paramilitary troops terrorizing the public,” Paul wrote. “He was discovered by a private citizen, who then placed a call to the police. And he was identified not by government surveillance cameras, but by private citizens who willingly shared their photographs with the police.” (Politico)

Holder warns against Boston bombing backlash

2013-04-30T13:50:00Z

Attorney General Eric Holder declared Monday that the Justice Department is on the lookout for acts of violence or discrimination that signal a backlash to the Boston Marathon bombings earlier this month in which three people were killed and scores wounded. "Our investigation into this matter remains ongoing – and I want to assure you that my colleagues and I are determined to hold accountable, to the fullest extent of the law, all of those who were responsible for this attack," Holder said, according to the prepared text of a speech delivered Monday to the Anti-Defamation League. "But I also want to make clear that – just as we will pursue relentlessly anyone who would target our people or attempt to terrorize our cities – the Justice Department is firmly committed to protecting innocent people against misguided acts of retaliation."Holder did not mention the backgrounds of the two alleged perpetrators. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was charged in federal court with using a weapon of mass destruction. His brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed in a violent encounter with police a few days after the bombings and is described as a co-conspirator in a court filing. Both men are Muslims and of Chechen descent. Investigators have not yet alleged a motive for the attack.

"In the dozen years since 9/11, this commitment has led the department to investigate more than 800 incidents involving threats, assaults, and acts of vandalism and violence targeting Muslims, Arabs, Sikhs, South Asians, and others who are perceived to be members of these groups," Holder continued. "As Americans, we must not allow any group to be stigmatized or alienated. We must not tolerate acts of hatred. And we must reaffirm every day – through our actions as well as our approach – that justice and public safety are not in tension. They rely upon one another." (Politico)

Boston bombing probe: What female DNA may mean in investigation

2013-04-30T13:47:00Z

There is new focus in the Boston Marathon bombing investigation on the widow of suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Investigators have identified female DNA on a fragment of one of the bombs used in Boston. It's not clear what that means -- the DNA could have come from an injured spectator, or perhaps from a clerk who sold the materials used in the bombs. But, there's also a chance, it could lead the FBI to a female accomplice. FBI agents Monday visited the Rhode Island family home of Katherine Russell, the widow of accused bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Sources say agents were there to collect a DNA sample from Russell to compare it against the female DNA found on a bomb fragment at the blast scene. Investigators say a lab test could help them determine if Russell ever had contact with the device. Investigators say Russell is not a suspect and hasn't been charged in the plot. Her attorney has said she is fully cooperating with the investigation. If the female DNA found on the bomb was Tamerlan Tsarnaev's widow's, CBS News senior correspondent John Miller, a former assistant FBI director, said on "CBS This Morning," it becomes "a critical moment" in the investigation. "(Law enforcement's) relationship with her may change," Miller said. "And the question is what do you do with that? She's already represented by a lawyer. It certainly becomes a circumstantial that says she may have handled the device or parts of the device and that opens the door she may have known." (CBS News)

Boston suspect's defense team gets major boost with lawyer who defended Unabomber, Loughner

2013-04-30T13:41:00Z

One lawyer won acquittal for a Saudi man charged with carrying three firecracker-like devices on a plane, arguing he was a victim of hysteria over airport security after the Sept. 11 attacks. Another has managed to avert death sentences for some of the highest-profile criminals of our time, including the Unabomber and the gunman whose rampage injured former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Together, they are staring down what may become their biggest challenge so far: how to defend the man authorities say helped plan and carry out the Boston Marathon bombings, an attack that killed three people, injured more than 260 and virtually shut down the city during an intense manhunt. The team that will be led by Miriam Conrad, the chief federal public defender for Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, got a major boost Monday with the addition of prominent San Diego lawyer and death penalty opponent Judy Clarke. Not that Conrad is considered any slouch. "She is as tenacious as they come," said Joshua Levy, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Boston who has gone up against Conrad in federal court. "I always found her to be very smart and focused on whatever she perceived as chinks in the armor in the government's case. She would zone in on that." (AP)

Obama administration officials threatened whistle-blowers on Benghazi, lawyer says

2013-04-30T13:40:00Z

At least four career officials at the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency have retained lawyers or are in the process of doing so, as they prepare to provide sensitive information about the Benghazi attacks to Congress, Fox News has learned. Victoria Toensing, a former Justice Department official and Republican counsel to the Senate Intelligence Committee, is now representing one of the State Department employees. She told Fox News her client and some of the others, who consider themselves whistle-blowers, have been threatened by unnamed Obama administration officials. “I'm not talking generally, I'm talking specifically about Benghazi – that people have been threatened,” Toensing said in an interview Monday. “And not just the State Department. People have been threatened at the CIA.” Toensing declined to name her client. She also refused to say whether the individual was on the ground in Benghazi on the night of Sept. 11, 2012, when terrorist attacks on two U.S. installations in the Libyan city killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens.

However, Toensing disclosed that her client has pertinent information on all three time periods investigators consider relevant to the attacks: the months that led up to the attack, when pleas by the ambassador and his staff for enhanced security in Benghazi were mostly rejected by senior officers at the State Department; the eight-hour time frame in which the attacks unfolded, and the eight-day period that followed the attacks, when Obama administration officials incorrectly described them as the result of a spontaneous protest over a video. “It's frightening, and they're doing some very despicable threats to people,” she said. “Not ‘we're going to kill you,’ or not ‘we're going to prosecute you tomorrow,’ but they're taking career people and making them well aware that their careers will be over [if they cooperate with congressional investigators].” (Fox News)

Tsarnaev family received $100G in benefits

2013-04-30T13:39:00Z

The Tsarnaev family, including the suspected terrorists and their parents, benefited from more than $100,000 in taxpayer-funded assistance — a bonanza ranging from cash and food stamps to Section 8 housing from 2002 to 2012, the Herald has learned. “The breadth of the benefits the family was receiving was stunning,” said a person with knowledge of documents handed over to a legislative committee today. The state has handed over more than 500 documents to the 11-member House Post Audit and Oversight Committee, which today met for the first time and plans to call in officials from the Department of Transitional Assistance to testify. “I can assure members of the public that this committee will actively review every single piece of information we can find because clearly the public has a substantial right to know what benefits, if any, this family or individuals accused of some horrific crimes were receiving,” said state Rep. David Linsky (D-Natick), the committee’s chairman.

Linsky’s committee has requested documents from the DTA, the state’s Medicaid director and Health and Human Services Secretary John Polanowicz. But so far the committee has not released the records publicly, citing a privilege the DTA is asserting under state law. Transitional assistance officials also told the Herald tonight that the agency was conducting its own investigation into whether Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s family ever notified the DTA about his extended trip to Russia, and has since expanded its probe to include a full history of the benefits received by the entire Tsarnaev family. (Boston Herald)

Rep. Keith Ellison Compares Surveillance of Muslim Community to Japanese Internment During WWII

2013-04-29T14:03:00Z

Rep Keith Ellison and Rep Peter King were on Meet the Press yesterday:

ELLISON: If Tamerlan Tsarnaev is evidencing dangerous behavior, by all means, go after him. But once you start saying we’re going to dragnet or surveil a community, what you do is you ignore dangerous threats that are not in that community and you go after people who don’t have anything to do with it. And so let me just finish up with this one point. And so this ricin attack, for example, that’s an act of terrorism. That doesn’t come out of the Muslim community. We don’t have enough law enforcement resources to just go after one community and, remember, we went after a community in World War II, and the Japanese interment is a national stain on our country, and we are still apologizing for it.

KING: No one is talking about interment. We’re talking about following the Constitution. What the NYPD is doing, they have 1,000 cops working on counter-terrorism. 16 plots against New York have been stopped. If any of those had gone through — hundreds or thousands of people dead.

(The Blaze)

Wilcox County High School Students Hold First Integrated Prom

2013-04-29T14:01:00Z

For any teenager, prom is a monumental night, but for students at a Georgia high school, it has been more than 40 years in the making. For the first time ever, students at Wilcox County High School, in Rochelle, Ga. danced together at a prom that wasn’t segregated. For decades, the school board has avoided officially endorsing prom festivities, instead relying on parents to host and control invitations leading to year after year of two dances — one for white students, and one for the black students. Students have lobbied over the years to end the practice. This year, a group of Wilcox County seniors decided to take matters into their own hands. The four girls, two black and two white, created a Facebook page asking for support and donations to fund an independent bash open to all. “We were doing that so we could get the word out, so that some people would be able to donate and help us out with what we were doing,” said senior Mareshia Rucker. On Saturday night, nearly half of the school’s student body came out to the event. “Hopefully when everything is said and done, people in our county will really realize, that there is no sense in the way things are right now,” Rucker told ABC News affiliate WGXA. Despite this year’s groundbreaking integrated dance, once again this year there was a segregated prom attended only by white students. It wasn’t an officially sanctioned event, but a private one organized by white parents. (ABC News)

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Sports blogger under fire for calling NBA cheerleader

2013-04-29T13:59:00Z

A CBS Houston sports blogger has come under fire for questioning whether an Oklahoma City Thunder Girl was "too chunky" to be an NBA cheerleader. Blogger Claire Crawford targeted Oklahoma City Thunder cheerleader Kelsey Williams' looks on the court after the Houston Rockets faced off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. "The Rockets looked terrible in Game 1, but some say they weren't the only bad-looking people on the court," Crawford wrote. While she conceded Williams was a "pretty blonde," she wrote Oklahoma City fans had criticized her for "having 'pudginess' around her waistline." "But if she's comfortable wearing that tiny outfit and dancing for NBA fans, then good for her," Crawford wrote. "Besides...not every man likes women to be toothpick skinny. I'd say most men prefer a little extra meat on her bones." A poll asked attached to his column asked readers what their opinions were on Williams in the Oklahoma City Thunder cheerleader outfit. (ABC News)

Weird science? Duck researcher defends government grant

2013-04-29T13:56:00Z

Patricia Brennan received $384,949 from the U.S. government to study duck genitalia. Last month, that made her a national joke. Now, it’s made her a little bit of a folk hero. Advertisement “Genitalia, dear readers, are where the rubber meets the road, evolutionarily,” Brennan wrote this month at Slate.com, defending her work against critics. She argued that if the government wants to support science, it must support all kinds of science. Because the biggest advances in thinking come from the strangest places. “This mockery of science has to stop,” Brennan said during a recent phone interview. The federal grant that started this controversy is tiny, at least among the big numbers of the federal budget. The National Science Foundation, which gave her the grant in 2009, got $5.9 billion for all its research this year. But these debates are about choices embedded in the federal budget. As in: If nobody else will provide funding to study the secrets of duck genitals, does the government have a moral obligation to do it?

The NSF says yes. A civilized culture needs people studying things that might never make anybody any money. One of Brennan’s collaborators, for instance, studies why bluebirds are blue. What he has found could change the way paint is made. But other people wonder whether a civilized culture could survive without knowing the secrets of duck sex. “The fundamental issue is that the people who paid for the duck research — whether or not it was a good use of money — didn’t have a choice,” said Tad DeHaven of the libertarian Cato Institute. “I don’t buy into the assumption that, ‘Nobody else is going to pay for it, therefore the federal government has to pay for it.’ ” Brennan is a professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and formerly a postdoctoral fellow at Yale. Her basic question: Why are ducks’ genitals so strange? The male one looks like a corkscrew. The female one also has a corkscrew shape, but it corkscrews in the opposite direction. Two federal grants have paid her to figure out why. It turns out that female ducks’ bodies had changed to stop the unwanted advances of rogue males. The corkscrews are a kind of defense mechanism that can be turned on and off, to frustrate the outsider. (Washington Post)

Colorado Repeals Law That Alerts Feds of Immigrants Living Illegally In US

2013-04-29T13:55:00Z

Colorado is dropping a law that requires police to alert federal authorities about immigrants suspected of living illegally in the United States. On Friday, Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, signed a bill that repeals the 2006 law. It passed with bipartisan support during a year lawmakers approved some of the strictest immigration enforcement policies the state had ever seen. Some see the law as a precursor to more controversial policies later adopted in Arizona and Alabama. The 2006 law required local law enforcement to notify federal immigration officials during arrests when they suspected someone was in the country illegally. Those who wanted the law repealed argued it made immigrants afraid of police. They also say the law is now duplicative because a federal program checks fingerprints during arrests to check immigration status. Proponents of such laws say that the federal government has failed to control illegal immigration, forcing states to take matters into their hands. The U.S. government has tried to fight such laws, and argues that immigration is a federal issue. Colorado’s law, known as SB-90, required police to report people they arrested and they suspected to be undocumented to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). (Fox News Latino)

Biden: But for 2008 economic collapse, McCain would "probably" have won

2013-04-29T13:55:00Z

Many Republicans have long groused that former GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would have defeated then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2008 if the American economy hadn't collapsed less than two months before Election Day. It turns out Vice President Joe Biden agrees with them. "The truth of the matter is, Barack knows it, I know, had the economy not collapsed around your ears, John ... I think you probably would have won." Biden said to McCain at the Republican's annual leadership forum in Sedona, Ariz.,according to The Associated Press. "But it would have been incredibly, incredibly, incredibly close," Biden added. "You inherited a really difficult time." When Wall Street was wracked in September 2008 by the collapse of investment giant Lehman Brothers and turmoil in other big banks, many analysts expected the political fallout to damage Republican candidates up- and down-ballot, especially McCain, who never quite regained his electoral footing after the nightmarish financial meltdown. (CBS News)

Bernie Goldberg: Of Red Lines, Game Changers and U.S. Credibility

2013-04-29T13:54:00Z

From his column:

If the Syrian regime ever uses chemical weapons on its own people, the president said, then it will have crossed a “red line;” using chemical weapons is a “game-changer, he said.” The implication was clear: If Syria crossed that bright line, the United States would not tolerate it. We would take action. Military action, presumably. It’s a safe bet the president wishes he had never uttered those words. In a letter to Congress, the White House says, “Our intelligence community does assess, with varying degrees of confidence, that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically, the chemical agent sarin.” That is not the kind of information the White House wanted to make public. But knowing word would leak either from intelligence sources in this country or overseas, they had to get out ahead of the story. But this raises a crucial question: what now? The U.S. can’t bomb the facility housing those weapons in Syria. That would cause the very calamity we’re trying to prevent. It can’t invade Syria – no one’s for that. The president can try to lead a coalition of friendly nations to … do what? We could arm the rebels we trust — and pray the weapons don’t get into the hands of the rebels we don’t trust, like al-Qaeda…

Can the president say the red line wasn’t crossed? If he does, that would be the real game changer — as far as the rest of the world is concerned. Mr. Obama’s promises would carry little weight. America would be one more casualty in Syria’s civil war.

Republicans urge Obama to enforce Syria 'red line,' oppose deploying troops

2013-04-29T13:50:00Z

Congressional Republicans said Sunday that President Obama must stick with his vow to take action should Syria cross a “red line” by using chemical weapons on citizens, amid such mounting evidence, but cautioned against sending in troops. "The president has laid down the line, and it can't be a dotted line,” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., told ABC’s “This Week.” “It can't be anything other than a red line.” U.S. officials said last week that the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad probably used chemical weapons twice in March, amid a two-year civil war in which more than 70,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more displaced. “For America to sit on the sidelines and do nothing is a huge mistake," Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Arizona Sen. John McCain has been among congressional Republicans most critical of the president’s stance on Syria. He argued on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the red line strategy has given Assad a “green light” to do almost everything up to that point -- including the use of missiles, helicopter attacks and other civilian strikes that have resulted in “atrocities on a scale that we have not seen in a long, long time.” However, he joined a bipartisan call this weekend against sending U.S. troops into Syria.

"The worst thing we could do is put boots on the ground," McCain said. He and fellow Hill lawmakers fear the chemical weapons could be more dangerous in the hands of U.S. enemies or those who might overthrow Assad. And he joined in calls for the United States to be part of an international force to safeguard the weapons. “The day after Assad [leaves] is the day that these chemical weapons could be at risk,” Chicago Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky told ABC. “We could be in bigger, even bigger trouble.” Maryland Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin urged Sunday afternoon on Fox against sending troops, saying that’s exactly what the Assad regime wants. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina, also said the U.S. could safeguard the weapons without a ground force. But he said the weapons must be protected from getting into the hands of enemies. "The next bomb that goes off in America may not have nails and glass," he told CBS, referring to the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing in which three people were killed and more than 260 others were injured. (Fox News)

Syrian prime minister escapes car bombing

2013-04-29T13:48:00Z

Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halki narrowly escaped a car bomb targeting his convoy Monday morning as it moved through an upper-class neighborhood of Damascus. State television said he was unharmed. The bombing in the Mezzeh area of Damascus, close to government ministries and several embassies, underscored the slowly expanding reach of Syria’s rebel forces, even as the government of President Bashar al-Assad has sought to halt a slow rebel encroachment in the countryside surrounding the capital in recent weeks. At least nine people were killed and 17 injured in the Monday morning blast, according to Mayadeen television, a network loyal to Assad. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based watchdog group, said in a statement shortly after the bombing that at least one of the prime minister’s bodyguards was killed and another critically injured. The group relies on a network of activists throughout the country for its reporting. (Washington Post)

2nd Video - DOCTOR TELLS UNDERCOVER PREGNANT MOM: 'WE WOULD NOT HELP' BABY BORN ALIVE DURING LATE-TERM ABORTION (PLUS: SAYS HE'D TREAT LIKE 'A TERMINAL PERSON')

2013-04-29T13:46:00Z

Over the weekend, Live Action, a non-profit organization devoted to pro-life causes, released an undercover video showing an abortion counselor telling a woman how a baby, if born live, would allegedly be terminated. On Monday, a second video was released by the activist group — this time from a clinic in Washington, D.C. — showing an abortion doctor seeming saying he would not provide intensive life-saving assistance to a baby born alive before coming to term. Part of Live Action’s Inhumane series, an undercover investigator who is 24 weeks pregnant went into the clinic and secretly filmed a conversation with Dr. Cesare Santangelo. While the medical professional noted that his intention is to remove the pregnancy “intact,” he noted that this doesn’t always happen. Additionally, he described the process and also made some curious comments about potentially declining to use life-saving measures, should the baby be born alive. “I cut the umbilical cord first, wait for that to expire, and then we do it that way,” said Santangelo. “So hopefully…the fetus will expire first and then we do the pregnancy termination that way.”

As for abortion survival, the doctor’s responses are likely to raise eyebrows among pro-life advocates. When asked by the Live Action investigator what would happen if the baby lives through the birth, he noted that odds are that the child would die if born at the 24-week period. “Technically — you know, legally we would be obligated to help it, you know, to survive,” continued Santangelo. “But, you know, it probably wouldn’t. It’s all in how vigorously you do things to help a fetus survive at this point…” His subsequent comments about the “vigorous” nature of saving the child, though, will likely cause the most angst. Rather than employing all life-saving measures, according to video of the exchange, the doctor said that his clinic would do less than what is needed to give the child a chance at survival. Here’s how Santangelo described how this sort of situation would be handled:

“Let’s say you went into labor, the membranes ruptured, and you delivered before we got to the termination part of the procedure here, you know? Then we would do things — we would — we would not help it. We wouldn’t intubate. … It would be, you know, uh, a person, a terminal person in the hospital, let’s say, that had cancer, you know? You wouldn’t do any extra procedures to help that person survive. Like ‘do not resuscitate’ orders. We would do the same things here.”

Panel pushes to expand wiretaps for online activity

2013-04-29T13:42:00Z

A government task force is preparing legislation that would pressure companies such as Facebook and Google to enable law enforcement officials to intercept online communications as they occur, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with the effort. Driven by FBI concerns that it is unable to tap the Internet communications of terrorists and other criminals, the task force’s proposal would penalize companies that failed to heed wiretap orders — court authorizations for the government to intercept suspects’ communications. Rather than antagonizing companies whose cooperation they need, federal officials typically back off when a company is resistant, industry and former officials said. But law enforcement officials say the cloak drawn on suspects’ online activities — what the FBI calls the “going dark” problem — means that critical evidence can be missed. “The importance to us is pretty clear,” Andrew Weissmann, the FBI’s general counsel, said last month at an American Bar Association discussion on legal challenges posed by new technologies. “We don’t have the ability to go to court and say, ‘We need a court order to effectuate the intercept.’ Other countries have that. Most people assume that’s what you’re getting when you go to a court.” (Washington Post)

'Gosnell is not alone': Undercover video reveals gruesome details of late-term abortions at Bronx clinic

2013-04-29T13:42:00Z

A pro-life organization Sunday released undercover video of a counselor at a Bronx abortion facility offering graphic details about what happens to a baby who survives an attempted late-term abortion. In the film, created by the pro-life organization Live Action, an abortion counselor at the Dr. Emily Women’s Health Center in the Bronx explains the gruesome late-term process to an undercover Live Action investigator seeking an abortion at 23 weeks (abortion is legal in New York State until the 24th week.) In the video the counselor describes how the “fully grown” fetus will be sucked out with a “sucking tool that they hold, and it sucks it in” and how the fetus will come out in pieces because it will “start falling apart.” If the fetus comes out in one piece, however, they put it “in a jar — a container, with solution,” the counselor explains — adding that everything that comes out in an abortion has “to go to the lab” to be disposed of.

If the baby is “twitching,” the counselor says, “the solution will make it stop… That is the whole purpose of the solution.” If the baby is breathing, the counselor goes on, the solution stops that too. “It will automatically stop. It won’t be able to breathe anymore. Not in the — not with the solution.” When asked if the solution is “toxic,” the counselor — who reveals she has been working at the clinic since she was 16 years old — answers in the affirmative. When asked what to do if the investigator goes into labor before she returns to the clinic, the counselor advises she “flush it,” but still come back into the clinic to “make sure that everything came out.” She adds, however, that they have “never had a situation like that.” If it is born on the floor of the investigator’s home, the clinic worker advises, “put it in a bag” and bring it to the clinic. The counselor adds that if there are issues with the procedure at home, don’t call the hospital, “call us.” The clinic worker explains that the hospital “won’t take you. They won’t touch you, either, because we started it. So whoever starts it has to finish it.” Another clinic worker highlighted in the video says that if the fetus comes out alive they will send it to a hospital, but that the abortionist does the “termination inside, and then he removes the pregnancy,” to avoid that.

Forty-one percent of pregnancies in New York City end in abortion, the Live Action video explains. The video is the first in what the pro-life group says will be a series of undercover videos called “Inhumane: Undercover in America’s Late-Term Abortion Industry,” which were shot at clinics that engage in late-term abortions. “Dr. Kermit Gosnell is not alone,” said Live Action president Lila Rose in a statement. “The gruesome and inhuman practices exposed in Gosnell’s ‘House of Horrors’ are business as usual for the abortion industry in America. These children’s lives are brutally destroyed when they are the most defenseless. This isn’t ‘choice’; this is murder.” (Daily Caller)

Tsarnaev Mother Turned Toward Radicalism

2013-04-29T13:39:00Z

In photos of her as a younger woman, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva wears a low-cut blouse and has her hair teased like a 1980s rock star. After she arrived in the U.S. from Russia in 2002, she went to beauty school and did facials at a suburban day spa. But in recent years, people noticed a change. She began wearing a hijab and cited conspiracy theories about 9/11 being a plot against Muslims. Now known as the angry and grieving mother of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, Tsarnaeva is drawing increased attention after federal officials say Russian authorities intercepted her phone calls, including one in which she vaguely discussed jihad with her elder son. In another, she was recorded talking to someone in southern Russia who is under FBI investigation in an unrelated case, U.S. officials said.

Tsarnaeva insists there is no mystery. She’s no terrorist, just someone who found a deeper spirituality. She insists her sons — Tamerlan, who was killed in a gunfight with police, and Dzhokhar, who was wounded and captured — are innocent. “It’s all lies and hypocrisy,” she told The Associated Press in Dagestan. “I’m sick and tired of all this nonsense that they make up about me and my children. People know me as a regular person, and I’ve never been mixed up in any criminal intentions, especially any linked to terrorism.” Amid the scrutiny, Tsarnaeva and her ex-husband, Anzor Tsarnaev, say they have put off the idea of any trip to the U.S. to reclaim their elder son’s body or try to visit Dzhokhar in jail. Tsarnaev told the AP on Sunday he was too ill to travel to the U.S. Tsarnaeva faces a 2012 shoplifting charge in a Boston suburb, though it was unclear whether that was a deterrent. (AP)

Anti-terror task force was warned of Tamerlan Tsarnaev's long trip to Russia

2013-04-26T14:51:00Z

Nine months before the Boston Marathon bombing, a U.S. counterterrorism task force received a warning that a suspected militant had returned from a lengthy trip to Russia, U.S. officials said. The warning was delivered to a single U.S. Customs and Border Protection official assigned to Boston’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, a cell of specialists from federal and local law enforcement agencies. The task force was part of a network of multi-agency organizations set up across the country after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to make sure that clues and tips were shared. But officials said there is no indication that the unidentified customs officer provided the information to any other members of the task force, including FBI agents who had previously interviewed the militant. The man whose return from Russia went largely unnoticed was one of the two brothers who would later be accused of carrying out the April 15 bombing that killed three people and injured more than 250 others near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

The apparent failure to alert the FBI has emerged as a significant, if slender, missed opportunity to scrutinize Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s activities ahead of the Boston attack. The disclosure — one of several to cause lawmakers to express concern about persistent gaps in U.S. counterterrorism procedures — came as U.S. officials revealed that the bombing suspects may have intended to carry out a follow-up attack in New York’s Times Square. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, who is still recovering at a Boston hospital from gunshot wounds, told FBI interrogators that he and his brother came up with the Times Square plan spontaneously three days after the marathon bombings, officials said. Investigators, however, have not found any evidence that operational plans were ever set in motion. The New York plot was derailed when the Tsarnaev brothers became the target of a manhunt by law enforcement. The older brother was killed, and the younger one captured, after a chaotic pursuit through neighborhoods of Watertown, Mass. (Washington Post)

Boston Marathon bombing suspect moved to federal medical center

2013-04-26T14:05:00Z

The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings has been moved from a civilian hospital to a Bureau of Prisons facility, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service tells Fox News. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been transported from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to the Federal Medical Center at Fort Devens in Ft. Devens, Mass., U.S. Marshals Service spokesman Drew Wade said. The FMC Devens is a federal prisons facility for male inmates who require specialized or long-term medical or mental health care, according to the facility's website.

USDA Sponsoring U.S. Food Stamp Program for Illegal Aliens

2013-04-26T14:01:00Z

Judicial Watch today released documents detailing how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is working with the Mexican government to promote participation by illegal aliens in the U.S. food stamp program. The promotion of the food stamp program, now known as “SNAP” (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), includes a Spanish-language flyer provided to the Mexican Embassy by the USDA with a statement advising Mexicans in the U.S. that they do not need to declare their immigration status in order to receive financial assistance. Emphasized in bold and underlined, the statement reads, “You need not divulge information regarding your immigration status in seeking this benefit for your children.”

The documents came in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made to USDA on July 20, 2012. The FOIA request sought: “Any and all records of communication relating to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to Mexican Americans, Mexican nationals, and migrant communities, including but not limited to, communications with the Mexican government.” The documents obtained by Judicial Watch show that USDA officials are working closely with their counterparts at the Mexican Embassy to widely broaden the SNAP program in the Mexican immigrant community, with no effort to restrict aid to, identify, or apprehend illegal immigrants who may be on the food stamp rolls. In an email to Borjon Lopez-Coterilla and Jose Vincente of the Mexican Embassy, dated January 26, 2012, Yibo Wood of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) sympathized with the plight of illegal aliens applying for food stamps, saying, “FNS understands that mixed status households may be particularly vulnerable. Many of these households contain a non-citizen parent and a citizen child.”

The email from Wood to Lopez-Coterilla and Vincente came in response to a request from the Mexican Embassy that the USDA FNS step in to prevent the state of Kansas from changing its food stamp policy to restrict the amount of financial assistance provided to illegal aliens. In a January 22, 2012, article, the Kansas City Star had revealed that the state would no longer include illegal aliens in its calculations of the amount of assistance to be provided low-income Hispanic families in order to prevent discrimination against legal recipients. The documents, obtained by Judicial Watch in August 2012, include the following:

March 30, 2012 – The USDA seeks approval of the Mexican Embassy in drafting a letter addressed to consulates throughout the United States designed to encourage Mexican embassy staffers to enroll in a webinar learn how to promote increased enrollment among “the needy families that the consulates serve.”

August 1, 2011 – The USDA FNS initiates contact with the Mexican Embassy in New York to implement programs already underway in DC and Philadelphia for maximizing participation among Mexican citizens.

February 25, 2011 – The USDA and the Mexican Consulate exchange ideas about getting the First Ladies of Mexico and United States to visit a school for purposes of creating a photo opportunity that would promote free school lunches for low-income students in a predominantly Hispanic school. Though a notation in the margin of the email claims that the photo op never took place, UPI reported that it actually did.

March 3, 2010 – A flyer advertises a webinar to teach Hispanic-focused nonprofits how to get reimbursed by the USDA for serving free lunch over the summer. The course, funded by American taxpayers, is advertised as being “free for all participants.”

February 9, 2010 – USDA informs the Mexican Embassy that, based on an agreement reached between the State Department and the Immigration & Naturalization Service (now ICE), the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) food voucher program does not violate immigration laws prohibiting immigrants from becoming a “public charge.”

“The promotion of the food stamp program, now known as “SNAP” (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), includes a Spanish-language flyer provided to the Mexican Embassy by the USDA with a statement advising Mexicans in the U.S. that they do not need to declare their immigration status in order to receive financial assistance,” Judicial Watch announced today. “Emphasized in bold and underlined, the statement reads, ‘You need not divulge information regarding your immigration status in seeking this benefit for your children.’” (Examiner)

Senate votes to end furloughs of air traffic controllers

2013-04-26T13:59:00Z

The Senate took the first step toward circumventing sequestration Thursday night with a bipartisan vote that would put furloughed air traffic controllers back on the job. The House is expected to take up the measure as early as Friday, and the White House has promised to consider any bill which it receives. The Senate vote came in response to passengers angered this week by long delays at several major airports. If the Senate bill wins House approval and is signed into law by President Obama, the furloughed controllers are not expected to return to work before Saturday. (Washington Post)

California bill OKs aliens to serve as jurors

2013-04-26T13:59:00Z

The state Assembly on Thursday passed a bill that would make California the first state in the nation to allow non-citizens who are in the country legally to serve on jury duty. Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, said his bill, AB1401, would help California widen the pool of prospective jurors and help integrate immigrants into the community. It does not change other criteria for being eligible to serve on a jury, such as being at least 18, live in the county that is making the summons and being proficient in English. The bill passed 45-25 largely on a party-line vote in the Democratic-controlled Assembly and will move on to the Senate. One Democrat — Assemblyman Adam Gray, of Merced — voted no, while other Democrats did not vote. Democratic lawmakers who voted for the bill said there is no correlation between being a citizen and a juror, and they noted that there is no citizenship requirement to be an attorney or a judge. But Republican lawmakers who opposed Wieckowski's bill called it misguided and premature. (AP)

Venzuela's president orders arrest of Georgetown grad, accuses him of financing violent protests

2013-04-26T13:58:00Z

Timothy Tracy, a 35-year-old filmmaker and graduate of Georgetown University, went to Venezuela to film the searing political divide. Now he’s been arrested, President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday in a speech in which he accused the American of being the instigator of the unrest that has roiled the oil-rich country since the April 14 presidential election the opposition says was stolen from them in a fraudulent vote. “The gringo who financed the violent groups has been captured,” Maduro said in comments carried on state television. “I gave the order that he be detained immediately and passed over to the attorney general’s office.” The arrest of Tracy, a resident of Los Angeles who was arrested on Wednesday, comes on the heels of a string of accusations by Maduro about U.S.-inspired machinations designed to bring about his downfall. (Washington Post)

TWINKIES TO RETURN! Hostess Reopening Plants, Without Union Workers

2013-04-26T13:53:00Z

The bankrupt assets of Hostess Brands, Inc., the company responsible for Twinkies, Ho Ho's, Sno Balls and Ding Dongs, are being put back to work by a buyout firm. What's not being put back to work are the former Hostess unionized employees. The unionized workers had been on strike when the company folded late last year. The company had imposed a contract that would cut its 19,000 workers' wages — 15,000 of whom belonged to the workers from the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers & Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) — by 8 percent. (The Teamsters was Hostess' largest union, followed by BCTGM.) The contract would have also cut benefits by 27 to 32 percent. Hostess filed for Chapter 11 in January 2012. In November 2012, the company announced it would be shutting its doors for good. By that time, it had lost about $1.1 billion, largely due to bankruptcy filings. But last month Apollo Global Management, LLC, and Metropoulos & Co., which owns Pabst Blue Ribbon and Vlasic pickles, bought the 83-year-old company for $410 million, renaming it Hostess Brands LLC. It is planning to re-open four bakeries over the next two and a half months, in Columbus, Ga.; Emporia, Kan.; Schiller Park, Ill.; and Indianapolis. It is also contemplating a fifth in Los Angeles. (ABC News)

Female teacher in Utah arrested, charged with rape of female student

2013-04-26T13:49:00Z

A Riverton High School math teacher and coach of the sophomore girls' basketball team has been arrested and charged with raping a student. Courtney Louise Jarrell, 22, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with object rape, a first-degree felony, and forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony. Jarrell, who had been on administrative leave since the allegations were brought up about a month ago, also submitted her resignation from the school on Friday, said Jordan School District spokeswoman Sandy Riesgraf. Jarell's attorney said she resigned in order to focus on her defense, and that she intends to enter a not guilty plea.

Between February and March of this year, Jarrell had illegal sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl who attends the school, according to charging documents. Prosecutors say the activity happened at Jarrell's house. Jarrell had been teaching in the Jordan District for just eight months. She was suspended after the district received "a complaint about inappropriate behavior," Riesgraf said. The district said every employee is required to sign a moral conduct policy, to which the district strictly adheres. The complaint was immediately turned over to police. When asked if there was a concern about other potential victims, Riesgraf said as of Monday, the district had only received the one complaint.

Iowa high school teacher sent nude pictures of herself to students before having sex with them: reports

2013-04-26T13:47:00Z

An Iowa high school math teacher has admitted to sending nude pictures of herself to several students before having sex with them, according to reports. Ashley Anderson, 24, plead guilty to seducing four boys — ages 16 to 18 — who attended Aplington-Parkersburg High School during the 2011/12 academic year. The Ackley native said she started a relationship with an 18-year-old, who was in her class, before having sex with him at his home. She also performed oral sex on a 16-year-old junior, who was serving on the prom committee, and on another 16-year-old sophomore. A fourth encounter occurred with a 17-year-old, who she kissed on a gravel road after track practice last spring. The affair continued after he graduated. Anderson accepted a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty in Butler County District Court to three counts of sexual exploitation by a school employee. The state agreed to drop a fourth count. She faces up to five years in prison for each of the three charges. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that Anderson, hired by the school in 2010, was arrested in October and resigned shortly after. Cops were tipped off by a teacher who had heard rumors of her conduct. She will be sentenced in June. (NY Daily News)

Manti Te'o falls out of NFL draft's first round, fake girlfriend scandal may have hurt stock

2013-04-26T13:46:00Z

Now Manti Te'o can be an imaginary first-round pick. Notre Dame's celebrated middle linebacker was left standing at the NFL altar Thursday night after pre-draft speculation had him going to the Bears or Vikings. The Bears went with Kyle Long, filling a need at OG with the 20th pick while the Vikings passed on him three times, taking DT Sharrif Floyd at 23, CB Xavier Rhodes at 25 and WR Cordarrelle Patterson at 29. The Rams took ILB Alec Ogletree, and the Super Bowl champion Ravens, needing a MLB to replace Ray Lewis, had the final pick but went with FS Matt Elam. A Heisman Trophy finalist, Te'o, who had 117 tackles and seven interceptions as a senior, seemed to be a certain first-rounder before he and the Fighting Irish crashed in the national title game against Alabama, followed by the bizarre events of his personal life involving a fake girlfriend hoax. Whether that had anything to do with him falling is a question but, for the most part, he was being looked at as a second-round prospect by most teams. "We've kind of taken him off the board," one unnamed scout told the Milwaukee Sentinel. "He doesn't have enough ability to put up with all that. Why fool with it? Try-hard, smart guy. This was the first year he's really gotten himself in shape. Some of his teammates think he's kind of a phony." (NY Daily News)

Angry pet owners bark back at proposed North Carolina background check bill

2013-04-26T13:43:00Z

A North Carolina lawmaker says he was caught off guard by the angry responses he got to a bill that would require the owners of pit bulls, mastiffs and Rottweilers and other large breeds to undergo criminal background checks. Rep. Rodney Moore, a Charlotte Democrat who sponsored the bill, tells Law Blog that his office got thousands of emails from people protesting the plan. Many of them were from pit bull owners who attached photos of their dogs looking cute and “passive,” he said. The legislation died in committee. “I’ve been inundated,” said Mr. Moore. “It’s a good idea, but maybe the language was kind of harsh.” He said he would get stakeholders together to talk about animal-safety issues. “This is not a state where you can mess with people’s dogs,” one legislative aide told Law Blog. (WSJ)

MSNBC Host: 'All We Do Is Kill Arabs On International Television,' 'That Might Have Something To Do With Jihad'

2013-04-26T13:40:00Z

MSNBC host Chris Matthews noted on Thursday that Syrian President Bashar al Assad, who has been accused by the White House of using chemical weapons, has few options available to him to extricate himself from his country’s ongoing civil war. Matthews insisted that he opposes intervention into Syria and said that America spends too much of its energy intervening in Arab nations. “It’s all we do is kill Arabs on international television,” he opined. “I think that might have something to do with Jihad.” Matthews went on Thursday about how wrongheaded it would be for the United States to intervene in the Syrian conflict, saying that it would likely closely resemble the conflict in Iraq. He added that locals, as in the case of Iraq, are hard to trust when it comes to human rights issues. “We watched this gory hanging, this absurd hanging of Saddam Hussein while these thugs went about this thing on television,” Matthews declared. “Because of us. We gave them the power to that.” He lamented that America handed Iraqi authorities the power to make “big time moral decisions” like declaring Hussein an enemy of the state and executing him. (Mediaite)

Yemeni National On How Drones Stir Hatred Of America And Fuel Terrorism

2013-04-26T13:30:00Z

Tuesday: Yemeni activist Farea al-Muslimi testified on Capitol Hill about the terror of the U.S. drone wars. Al-Muslimi spoke during the Senate’s hearing on the Obama administration’s targeted killing program. His family’s village was hit by a U.S. drone strike last week. He said he has positive feelings of the U.S. from his time here in high school but his feelings began to change when his people started living in fear of the U.S. drones.

FAREA AL-MUSLIMI: I am from Wessab, a remote village mountain in Yemen. Just six days ago, my village was struck by an American drone in an attack that terrified the region’s poor farmers. (EDIT) In the best, what Wessab’s villagers knew of the U.S. was based on my stories about my wonderful experiences here. The friendships and values I experienced and described to the villagers helped them understand the America that I know and that I love. Now, however, when they think of America, they think of the terror they feel from the drones that hover over their heads, ready to fire missiles at any time. What the violent militants had previously failed to achieve, one drone strike accomplished in an instant. There is now an intense anger against America in Wessab.

Buena Vista, MI Township clerk defends use of racial slur about supervisor

2013-04-26T13:27:00Z

Discord on the Buena Vista Township Board of Trustees reached a fever pitch Monday, April 22, when the township's interim manager played a recording of a telephone conversation in which the clerk uses a racial slur to describe the supervisor. After playing the audio recording, Interim Township Manager Dexter Mitchell called for the resignation of Clerk Gloria Platko, who can be heard on the recording using the N-word to describe Township Supervisor Dwayne Parker. Mitchell said he recorded the call in January without Platko’s knowledge because he didn’t want her to twist his words. About six minutes into the recording, Mitchell asks, “Would you be willing to sit down with (Parker)?” Platko told Mitchell that Parker is “just rubbing me the wrong way. “He is just doing whatever he can. You know what I think of Mr. Parker right now, and I know you’re not even going to like this,” Platko said in the recording. “But he’s just an arrogant (N-word). And I’m sorry to say it that way, but that’s the way I feel.” Parker was not at the meeting. Platko said board members are making the issue bigger than it should be. “They’re trying to make it sound like a racial thing. It’s not a race thing,” Platko said. “This was a private phone call that he recorded. This was directed toward one person. This was not directed toward a race or a group of people.”

'Rent is Too Damn High' Guy Runs for NY Mayor, Bashes Economic Recovery

2013-04-26T13:23:00Z

Two years ago Jimmy McMillan ran for govenor and became an instant viral sensation after explaining the platform of his "The Rent Is Too Damn High Party"during a debate that featured future Governor Andrew Cuomo and his main challenger Carl Paladino. Now McMillan has thrown his hat into the ring for the 2013 New York City mayoral race with a musical anthem and accompanying YouTube video. "Jimmy McMillan, the political candidate whose slogan represents the one issue that all New Yorkers can agree on–that the rent is too damn high–is running for mayor," says Animal New York in the introduction to the video. "It's been two long years since I been on the scene, now I'm back in the game looking mean and lean," McMillan sings in the video. "The race may be different but the message is the same, R.I.T.D.H. is going to change the game!"

"My mustache and haircut are too damn fly!"(NY Daily Post)

“Rent and the deficit is too damn high. Poverty and unemployment both up in the sky. Wages and education is too damn low. Economic recovery is too damn slow,” he raps in his new video.

Virgin America's 'Seat To Seat' Service Will Send Drinks To Your Crush, Help You Flirt While Flying

2013-04-26T13:19:00Z

Before attempting to join the mile high club, travelers may be well advised to do a little flirting. And while the former is questionably legal, Virgin America is hoping to give the latter a boost. The airline's new "seat to seat" feature allows travelers to buy drinks, snacks and meals and have them delivered to other passengers on the flight. WKMG reports the sender can then follow up with a message to the recipient via the plane's in-flight texting system. According to a release from Virgin America, the system includes a "digital seat map" to make sure your purchase is delivered to the correct person. Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin group, helped launch the new service in a video on YouTube titled "Sir Richard Branson's Guide to Getting Lucky." In it, Branson runs through a cheeky set of recommendations before concluding, with the new system, "your chances of de-planing with a +1 are at least 50 percent." There's no doubt the service gives new meaning to the concept of a "wingman," however skeptics may hasten to point out that, unlike at a neighborhood bar, it's harder to shrug off a creepy admirer at 35,000 feet. But flirting while flying is not new phenomenon. According to a 2011 study, an estimated 45 percent of travelers admit to flirting mid-air, with a surprising 8 percent reporting their relationships started with their heads in the clouds -- and continued once they found firmer ground. (Huffington Post)

NorCal student, teacher brawl over makeup

2013-04-26T13:18:00Z

A high school freshman has been suspended and her math teacher is on leave after a wild fight broke out in a Stockton classroom. The fight between 15-year-old Marlina Martinez and her teacher at Cesar Chavez High School was caught on cell phone video by another student. According to Martinez, the fight was over makeup. Her teacher took it away, so she called her mom on her cell to demand the teacher give it back. That's when things escalated. "She pushed me and then she started going like (swings). Right after she pushed me, she started hitting me," she recalled. Asked what she did in reaction she replied, "I hit her back." Martinez was arrested by school district police for assault and will find out Thursday if she'll be expelled. A district spokesperson says the teacher has a black eye and is now on paid leave pending an investigation. (KGO)

Florida Atlantic University Professor Claims 'Actors' Possibly Used In Boston Bombing

2013-04-25T15:56:00Z

James Tracy, Florida Atlantic University professor and Sandy Hook ‘truther,’ is at it again — this time, questioning whether the Boston Marathon bombings were staged. Tracy teaches communication and conspiracy theories at the university. In a Monday blog post, updated Tuesday, Tracy writes:

In short, the event closely resembles a mass-casualty drill, which for training purposes are designed to be as lifelike as possible. Since it is mediated, however, and primarily experienced from afar through the careful assemblage of words, images, and the official pronouncements and commentary of celebrity journalists, it has the semblance of being for all practical purposes “real.”… With the above in mind, photographic evidence of the event suggests the possibility of play actors getting into position after the detonation of what may in fact have been a smoke bomb or similarly benign explosive.

Florida Atlantic University recently made headlines for its ‘step on Jesus’ controversy. Tracy spoke to local media, WPTV Channel 5, defending his comments. He states he has not discussed his views on the Boston bombings in his courses. (Mediaite)

Boston Bombing Suspect Read His Rights, Stopped Talking

2013-04-25T15:53:00Z

Sixteen hours after investigators began interrogating him, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev stopped talking after being read his constitutional rights. Officials briefed on the interrogation say the 19-year-old suspect went silent after a magistrate judge and a representative from the U.S. Attorney's office gave him his Miranda warning. The officials insisted on anonymity because the briefing was private. Before being advised of his rights, Tsarnaev told authorities that his 26-year-old brother, Tamerlan, recently had recruited him to be part of the attack that detonated pressure-cooker bombs at the marathon finish line, say two U.S. officials. (AP)

CIA pushed to add Boston bomber to terror watch list

2013-04-25T15:51:00Z

The CIA pushed to have one of the suspected Boston Marathon bombers placed on a U.S. counterterrorism watch list more than a year before the attacks, U.S. officials said Wednesday. Russian authorities contacted the CIA in the fall of 2011 and raised concerns that Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was killed last week in a confrontation with police, was seen as an increasingly radical Islamist who could be planning to travel overseas. The CIA request led the National Counterterrorism Center to add Tsarnaev’s name to a database known as the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, or TIDE, that is used to feed information to other lists, including the FBI’s main terrorist screening database.

The CIA’s request came months after the FBI had closed a preliminary inquiry into Tsarnaev after getting a similar warning from Russian state security, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. The disclosure of the CIA’s involvement suggests that the U.S. government may have had more reason than it has previously acknowledged to scrutinize Tsarnaev in the months leading up to the bombings in Boston. It also raises questions why U.S. authorities didn’t flag his return to the United States and investigate him further after a seven-month trip he took to Russia last year. The CIA declined to comment on its role in the case. A U.S. intelligence official said the agency had “nominated [Tsarnaev] for inclusion in the watchlisting system” and had shared all of the information it had been given by Russia, including “two possible dates of birth, his name and a possible variant.” (Washington Post)

Feds Find Cache of Fireworks Dumped in Boston Suburb

2013-04-25T15:48:00Z

Overnight, federal agents and police discovered what could be fresh evidence of how the men believed responsible for the twin detonations at the Boston Marathon finish line constructed their bombs. Agents uncovered a stash of firework shells, some of which appeared to have been emptied of their gunpowder. The cache was discovered in a used clothing collection bin in a grocery store parking lot in Watertown. "It was a device that looks like a big firecracker … that had a wick in it," said Michael Tambosi, a representative of the group Planet Aid New England, which owns the clothing donation containers. A driver for the organization first spotted the fireworks when he opened the bin. There were about half a dozen Roman candle shells in a plastic grocery bag and Tambosi said it looked like some of them had been scooped out. Investigators responded late Wednesday, loading the bins on a flatbed truck and carrying them away to the staging area the FBI team has set up for gathering evidence in the bombing case. Already, authorities have determined that most of the homemade bombs were built with store-bought items, including kitchen pressure cookers, nails, and the guts of remote control cars. The source of the explosive materials was still being studied. (ABC News)

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Lawmakers, aides may get Obamacare exemption

2013-04-25T15:44:00Z

Congressional leaders in both parties are engaged in high-level, confidential talks about exempting lawmakers and Capitol Hill aides from the insurance exchanges they are mandated to join as part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, sources in both parties said. The talks — which involve Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), the Obama administration and other top lawmakers — are extraordinarily sensitive, with both sides acutely aware of the potential for political fallout from giving carve-outs from the hugely controversial law to 535 lawmakers and thousands of their aides. Discussions have stretched out for months, sources said. A source close to the talks says: “Everyone has to hold hands on this and jump, or nothing is going to get done.” Yet if Capitol Hill leaders move forward with the plan, they risk being dubbed hypocrites by their political rivals and the American public. By removing themselves from a key Obamacare component, lawmakers and aides would be held to a different standard than the people who put them in office. (Politico)

Colorado driving-while-stoned bill goes up in smoke once again

2013-04-25T15:44:00Z

Colorado’s third attempt to define when someone is too stoned to drive through the adoption of a blood-THC limit went the way of its predecessors Monday when it was killed in the state Senate’s judiciary committee, much to the surprise of those who have tirelessly campaigned against it and expected it to pass. “To be honest, I was hopeful, but never confident, that it would be killed in committee,” said Teri Robnett, a medical marijuana patient who was among those leading the effort against the bill. “And the moment the vote came down, I was stunned.” The measure would have triggered a charge of driving under the influence of drugs for people with 5 or more nanograms of THC (marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient) per milliliter of blood.

Unlike previous versions of the bill, the 5-nanogram limit could not be used as proof that someone was too high to drive, but only allowed prosecutors to infer that they were impaired. The distinction meant that defendants had a chance to argue in court that the pot in their system did not affect their ability to drive. The new version was slightly more palatable to some who had opposed the bills in the past. THC persists in the bloodstream far longer than users feel its intoxicating effects. Medical marijuana patients who use cannabis products frequently for pain and other ailments were among the bill’s core opponents, arguing that a perfectly sober cannabis user could have several times the limit in their bloodstream at any time. (Daily Caller)

Second child dies after parents turn to prayer instead of doctors

2013-04-25T15:42:00Z

A Philadelphia couple serving years’ probation for the 2009 death of their toddler after they turned to prayer instead of doctors has been arrested for violating their probation after another one of their children died. According to the Associated Press, Herbert and Catherine Schaible’s 8-month-old boy died last week after suffering from diarrhea and breathing problems for a number of days. The Schaible’s did not seek medical attention for their son because they belong to a fundamentalist Christian church that believes in faith-healing. Philadelphia Judge Benjamin Lerner said at a hearing that the Schaible’s violated the most important condition of their probation: to seek medical care for their remaining children. Authorities are yet to filed criminal charges for the 8-month-old’s death, but could do so after pinpointing how the baby died. The couple was put on probation after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 2011 in the death of their 2-year-old son, Kent, who died due to pneumonia. (KDVR)

Gang leader impregnated 4 prison guards while running contraband scheme, authorities say

2013-04-25T15:42:00Z

A Maryland gang member is accused of running a scheme to smuggle contraband into prison by "corrupting" 13 female prison guards from behind bars, four of whom he impregnated. A federal indictment says Tavon White has been charged in the plot to smuggle drugs, cell phones and other contraband into the Baltimore jail and other corrections facilities, along with the prison guards, six of his fellow inmates and five others with gang ties who allegedly operated outside the jails. The indictment also says the ring involved sex between the inmates and guards, which led to four of the officers becoming pregnant by White, the leader of a jailhouse gang called the Black Guerrilla Family. White is accused of "corrupting" the female officers through personal and sexual relationships and other bribes and convincing them to join his ring, Fox Baltimore reports. MyFoxDC.com reports the ring became increasingly brazen and confident over time, with White quoted as saying: "You understand me? This is my jail. I am dead serious, I make every final call in this jail." White was being held at the Baltimore City Detention Center awaiting trial on a charge of attempted murder at the time. (Fox News)

Naked feminist protesters drench Catholic archbishop as he prays quietly

2013-04-25T15:40:00Z

A group of naked women bum-rushed Belgian Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard while he was speaking in Brussels and doused him with water from bottles shaped like the Virgin Mary on Tuesday. The women were reportedly feminist protesters from the Ukranian-based FEMEN group, which is known for organizing topless protests against the Catholic Church and others. According to AFP, the four protesters charged the archbishop during “a debate on blasphemy and freedom of expression held at the Brussels’ Free University (ULB) campus Tuesday evening, baring their breasts and squirting water at Archbishop Andre Leonard as they accused him of homophobia.” Leonard had told a Belgian newspaper in March that homosexuality is “a given that people find in themselves and whose origins remain somewhat mysterious,” and said he urges Christian homosexuals to adopt a life of celibacy. After the women were removed from the room, a photo of Leonard captured the archbishop picking up one of the now-empty bottles and reverently kissing the image of the Virgin Mary it depicted.

Afterward, the FEMEN website characterized the protest as an “attack” on “one of the main European preachers of homophobia,” meant to mark France’s legalization of gay marriage on Tuesday. The Church later responded to the incident in a statement depicting the protest as “the attitude of a few persons… in total contradiction with the theme of the debate and with the manner in which the Catholic Church hopes for dialogue.” (Daily Caller)

FINANCIAL GUN CONTROL? GE CAPITAL QUIETLY CUTS OFF LENDING TO GUN SHOPS

2013-04-25T15:37:00Z

General Electric, Co. has been quietly informing gun shop owners that the company will no longer be providing lending services to them, the Wall Street Journal reports. GE Capital is apparently reconsidering its relationship to firearms companies following the Sandy Hook shooting. Earlier this month, Glenn Duncan, owner of Duncan’s Outdoor Store in Bay City, Mich., claims he received a letter from GE Capital Retail Bank announcing its “difficult decision” to stop providing financial services to his business. Other gun shops have received similar notices, the Journal notes. More from WSJ.com:

GE is at least the second big financial firm to retreat from the gun business following the school shootings, which claimed the lives of 20 first-graders and six adults in December. Days after the killings, private-equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP said it would try to sell the gun company it owns—Freedom Group Inc.— which makes brands including Remington, Bushmaster, Marlin and H&R.[…]

GE is based in Fairfield, Conn., and many of the GE’s employees live around Newtown, and several have children in the Sandy Hook elementary school, where the shootings took place. Peter Lanza, the father of Sandy Hook gunman Adam Lanza, is an executive at GE Capital. GE Chief Executive Jeff Immelt held a town hall meeting with affected employees after the shooting, and the board has been updated on efforts to help staff, a person familiar with the matter said.

(TheBlaze)

NFL agrees to do more to protect gay players

2013-04-25T15:36:00Z

Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced this week that the NFL will promote what he calls a "culture of inclusion" for gay players and recruits and other prospective players. The deal includes hanging in locker rooms posters that underscore the NFL's anti-discrimination policies. The league agreed to conduct training about the anti-discrimination policy during its annual Rookie Symposium and Football Operations Meeting and in other meetings and to host other periodic training meetings throughout the year. It will make it clear that prospective players also are protected by the policy. The meetings between the NFL and the attorney general's office were informational and cooperative, and the league wasn't facing any charge and didn't need to agree to the measures. After the NFL combine in February, three prospective draft picks said officials asked questions relating to their sexual orientations, which could have violated the law. The NFL said it found no "specific violations." The NFL has long had an anti-discrimination policy. Schneiderman applauded the NFL for "working cooperatively with our office to address these issues. (CBS News)

Southwest removes passenger for being obese

2013-04-25T15:33:00Z

A Southwest Airlines passenger says he was yanked off of a Denver-bound flight like a criminal, but his only crime was being overweight. At roughly 340 pounds, Matthew Harper knows he's big, but says that's no excuse for how he was treated. He says he "felt like a criminal." Harper lives in Kyle, Texas and works all over the country on various electrical projects. He had just boarded his flight from Chicago to Denver on Sunday, April 21 when he says a Southwest official demanded he get off the plane. "I'm 34 years old, and I've never been humiliated like this in my life. I mean, when I got back on the plane, only thing I could do was put my head down." Harper was sitting with his brother at the time, and says he was taken off the plane, in front of passengers waiting to board, and told the flight was overbooked. He says the official then asked if he knew about Southwest's policy for overweight passengers. "I said yes ma'am I do, and she said 'I just want to explain what I can and can't do. I can yank you off this plane right now.'" Harper was eventually let back on the plane, but only after the flight was delayed 30 minutes. Harper says his company uses Southwest to fly him and other employees all over the country, and not once has his size been an issue. "I used to weigh 430 pounds, I've lost 100 pounds and when I was 430, I never had this issue." (FOX - Denver)

Has The Gay Marriage Slippery Slope Started? Writer Calls for Legalizing Polygamy

2013-04-25T15:23:00Z

AJ Delgado writing in Mediate:

We are constantly reassured that recognizing gay marriage will not lead to the recognition of other unions, such as polygamous or incestuous ones. As a conservative who supports gay marriage, and has done so for quite some time, I bought into these reassurances in good faith. Now I am starting to wonder if I’ve been hoodwinked. Why? On April 15th, an article was posted on Slate. Had it not been for Rush Limbaugh finding and discussing the article on his radio show today, it would have likely gone unnoticed by many, posted only hours before the Boston bombing and lost in the subsequent news cycle. But there it is, entitled: “Legalize Polygamy! No. I am not kidding.” In it, Jillian Keenan writes:

“Recently, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council reintroduced a tired refrain: Legalized gay marriage could lead to other legal forms of marriage disaster, such as polygamy. Rick Santorum, Bill O’Reilly, and other social conservatives have made similar claims. It’s hardly a new prediction—we’ve been hearing it for years. Gay marriage is a slippery slope! A gateway drug! If we legalize it, then what’s next? Legalized polygamy? We can only hope.

Yes, really. While the Supreme Court and the rest of us are all focused on the human right of marriage equality, let’s not forget that the fight doesn’t end with same-sex marriage. We need to legalize polygamy, too. Legalized polygamy in the United States is the constitutional, feminist, and sex-positive choice.…

The definition of marriage is plastic. Just like heterosexual marriage is no better or worse than homosexual marriage, marriage between two consenting adults is not inherently more or less “correct” than marriage among three (or four, or six) consenting adults. Though polygamists are a minority—a tiny minority, in fact—freedom has no value unless it extends to even the smallest and most marginalized groups among us. So let’s fight for marriage equality until it extends to every same-sex couple in the United States—and then let’s keep fighting. We’re not done yet.”

Boston Bomber got Mass. welfare benefits

2013-04-24T14:26:00Z

Marathon bombings mastermind Tamerlan Tsarnaev was living on taxpayer-funded state welfare benefits even as he was delving deep into the world of radical anti-American Islamism, the Herald has learned. State officials confirmed last night that Tsarnaev, slain in a raging gun battle with police last Friday, was receiving benefits along with his wife, Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, and their 3-year-old daughter. The state’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services said those benefits ended in 2012 when the couple stopped meeting income eligibility limits. Russell Tsarnaev’s attorney has claimed Katherine — who had converted to Islam — was working up to 80 hours a week as a home health aide while Tsarnaev stayed at home. In addition, both of Tsarnaev’s parents received benefits, and accused brother bombers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan were recipients through their parents when they were younger, according to the state. The news raises questions over whether Tsarnaev financed his radicalization on taxpayer money. Their taxpayer-funded status came to light last night after repeated calls and emails to welfare officials from the Herald. They refused to comment throughout the day, but pressure mounted last night when the Herald started asking lawmakers whether the Department of Transitional Assistance should release the information. (Boston Herald)

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev: Bombing Suspect Has Online Following

2013-04-24T14:25:00Z

Boston has rallied around its police and victims of the marathon bombing, but there are thousands of people who are rallying around Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the man accused carrying out the atrocity. "We truly believe he has been set up and that there is not enough evidence to incriminate him," said the Facebook group "Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Is Innocent," which has more than 12,000 members. On Twitter, the hashtag #FreeJahar, the nickname Tsarnaev goes by, has gained traction. A Change.org petition addressed to President Obama has garnered more than 6,000 signatures, saying Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who died in a gun battle with police, are "wrongfully accused of something they did not do."

At the center of the Twitter movement to exonerate the teenager is Troy Crossley, 20, of Chelsea, Mass., who said he is a friend of Tsarnaev. Crossley did not return a request for an interview, however he has been one of his Tsarnaev's most prolific supporters, rousing an online base of people who believe there's more to the story than what federal investigators laid out in a charging document on Monday. For other supporters, sympathy for the suspect seemed to be the reason they vocalized their support. "#freejahar he had his whole life ahead of him. He was a Wrestler & in collage. He was gonna do good in life. I just cant see him doing this," @OnneDirection5 tweeted. "Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is really cute. I don't care what anyone says," @Cristina__Des tweeted. "I'd date him."

Benghazi Bombshell Drops On Obama, Hillary

2013-04-24T14:21:00Z

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, vulnerable by approving lax security measures, a report released Tuesday by House Republicans concluded. The 46-page report accused Clinton — a possible White House contender in 2016 — of seeking to cover up failures by the State Department that could have contributed to the attack last year that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. The report, compiled by five House panels after a seven-month investigation, said Clinton approved reductions in security levels prior to the Sept. 11, 2012, attack, contradicting Clinton’s testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Jan. 23. “Senior State Department officials knew that the threat environment in Benghazi was high and that the Benghazi compound was vulnerable and unable to withstand an attack, yet the Department continued to systematically withdraw security personnel,” the report states. “Repeated requests for additional security were denied at the highest levels of the State Department,” it said. “For example, an April 2012 State Department cable bearing Secretary Hillary Clinton’s signature acknowledged then-Ambassador [Gene] Cretz’s formal request for additional security assets but ordered the withdrawal of security elements to proceed as planned.”

“Clinton testified that the more than 1 million cables that come to the State Department from the field every year are addressed to her and those that go out from Foggy Bottom bear her signature, regardless of who wrote them.”

It also accuses the White House and senior State Department officials of altering accurate talking points drafted by the intelligence community in order to protect the department in the days after the attack. Contrary to what the administration has stated, the report said the talking points were not edited to protect classified information, and notes that concern for classified information is never mentioned in email traffic among senior administration officials.
The GOP report said State changed talking points that Ambassador Susan Rice used on television five days after the attacks in order to “insulate” the department from criticism, not to protect the FBI’s investigation.
“Senior State Department officials requested — and the White House approved — that the details of the threats, specifics of the previous attacks, and previous warnings be removed to insulate the Department from criticism that it ignored the threat environment in Benghazi,” the report states.
“Evidence rebuts administration claims that the talking points were modified to protect classified information or to protect an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),” it states.

The report also criticizes President Obama, saying he “failed to proactively anticipate the significance of September 11 and provide the Department of Defense with the authority to launch offensive operations beyond self-defense.” The report also takes the administration to task for failing to bring anyone to justice more than seven months after the attack. “The failure to respond more assertively to the attacks and to impose meaningful consequences on those who planned and perpetrated them has contributed to a perception of U.S. weakness and retreat,” the report concludes. (The Hill)

Academic board of new Ron Paul institute includes 9/11 truther, other radicals

2013-04-24T14:13:00Z

The academic board for former Rep. Ron Paul’s recently unveiled Institute for Peace and Prosperity includes at least one 9/11 Truther and two of the most well-known apologists for Iran’s theocratic government in the United States. In Washington last week, Ron Paul launched his policy institute, with the goal of mobilizing “colleagues and collaborators of Dr. Paul’s to participate in a broad coalition to educate and advocate for fundamental changes in our foreign and domestic policy,” according to its website. One of the academic board members for the institute is Eric Margolis, an independent journalist who has questioned whether Osama bin Laden was behind the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, and wondered in writing whether the attacks were not instead really orchestrated by “America’s far right or Israel.” “I remain uncertain that Osama bin Laden was really behind the attacks. Much circumstantial evidence points to him and al-Qaida, but conclusive proof still lacks,” Margolis wrote in a 2010 article entitled, “9/11. The Mother of all Coincidences.” In the article, Margolis propagated the conspiratorial notion that the 9/11 attacks could very well have been President George W. Bush’s Reichstag fire.

Another academic board member, Southwestern Law School Professor Butler Shaffer, has danced around trutherism, lamenting in an article that too many Americans seemingly refuse to even entertain the notion that the government may have perpetrated the 9/11 attacks. “I spoke to a young college student the other day,” he wrote in 2006. “He informed me that he had asked his political science professor whether he thought it possible that persons within the United States government might have been involved in the 9/11 attacks. His professor adamantly denied even the possibility, saying that American government officials were too decent to ever do such a thing. Is this what passes for ‘science’ in the study of government?” “In light of the lies, forgeries, cover-ups, and other deceptions leading to a ‘war’ in Iraq, how can any intellectually honest person categorically deny the possibility of the involvement of American political interests in 9/11?” Shaffer added, before emphasizing he was not asserting the U.S. government was involved — only that it was one of two likely culprits along with Al-Qaeda. “What forces were responsible for the crimes of 9/11?” he wrote. “Admittedly, I do not know, nor am I prepared to transform my skepticisms into accusations. Perhaps it is the lawyer in me that has this strange attraction to evidence as the basis for my empirical judgments. In employing the ‘cui bono?’ test as a point of departure, I find only two groups which, in Inspector Morse’s question, seem to have benefited from these attacks: (1) Al-Qaeda, and (2) the United States government.”

Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett also grace the institute’s academic board. The married scholars have often been criticized for being apologists for the Iranian regime. At a recent event at the Center for National Interest on their new book, the two essentially blamed the entirety of the conflict between Iran and the United States on U.S. actions. When asked if Iran has done anything to possibly contribute to the current tensions, Flynt Leverett punted. “In terms of what Iran has done, I’m really not interested in keeping score,” Flynt said Asked about Iran’s abysmal human rights record at the forum, Flynt turned the focus back to the U.S., saying, “I think the U.S. government simply has no credibility to address human rights issues in Iran or in the Middle East more broadly.”

Hillary Mann Leverett even praised the Iranian regime’s record on women’s rights, despite the fact that in Iran, among other things, a woman’s testimony in court is worth half a man’s and a woman can be punished by the government for dressing immodestly. “[I]t is a country that actually delivers for women,” she said. “[B]ecause it is an Islamic framework, the government has been able to make investments and institute policies that have transformed the role of women — transformed the role of women — that give universal access to women from preschool to PhD so that today the majority of students in all the universities … are women,” she argued. (Daily Caller)

Obama to headline Planned Parenthood gala

2013-04-24T14:11:00Z

President Obama will address Planned Parenthood's annual gala on Thursday, the organization announced today. "President Obama has done more than any president in history for women's health and rights," Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said in a statement announcing that Obama will deliver the keynote address at the organization's "Time For Care" dinner in Washington. "We are honored to have President Obama join us...at this pivotal moment for women's health." Richards also served as a surrogate for Obama's reelection campaign, touting the president's record on women's issues during the heat of the race. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer and HBO's "Girls" creator Lena Dunham will be honored the event. Planned Parenthood provides a variety of services for women, including contraception, cancer screenings and abortions. Obama reaffirmed last week that he favors abortion rights. "What I can say is this: You know, I think, President (Bill) Clinton said it pretty well when he said abortion should be safe, legal and rare," Obama said in an interview with NBC's Today show. Last year, Obama taped a video message praising Planned Parenthood and telling members he would fight Republican efforts to cut their federal funding. (USA Today)

Gosnell's Attorney: 'Ludicrous' 'To Say a Baby is Born Alive Because It Moves One Time'

2013-04-24T14:07:00Z

The defense attorney for late-term abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell, who is on trial for murdering babies who survived abortions, told a Philadelphia court today that it is "ludicrous" to claim that "a baby is born alive because it moves one time without any other movement." The judge in the case today threw out three of the eight murder charges against Gosnell. “If we are going in this room to say a baby is born alive because it moves one time without any other movement, that is ludicrous,” defense attorney Jack McMahon said. Although three of the murder charges were dismissed, Gosnell still faces five other murder charges and other criminal charges in the case. Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey P. Minehart granted judgment of acquittal for the first-degree murder charges of three babies in the case, identified as “Baby B,” “Baby C,” and “Baby G.” According to the grand jury report, Baby C was “moving and breathing for 20 minutes before an assistant came in and cut the spinal cord, just the way she had seen Gosnell do it so many times.”

Kareema Cross, who worked at the clinic, testified to the grand jury that the baby was moving and breathing for 20 minutes before Lynda Williams cut the back of its neck. Both Williams and Gosnell were charged with murder and conspiracy charges for the killing of Baby C. Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree murder and testified against Gosnell earlier this month. During her testimony she said cutting the necks of babies born alive during abortion procedures was "standard procedure" at Womens Medical Society, Gosnell’s abortion clinic in West Philadelphia, to "ensure fetal demise." Gosnell’s defense lawyer Jack McMahon argued that Williams “only saw one arm, one movement, one spasm.” “This wasn’t a baby moving!” he said, when arguing that all counts against his client should be dropped. McMahon argued that all first-degree murder charges should be dismissed, saying that one movement or breath is not enough to prove the babies were born alive. “If we are going in this room to say a baby is born alive because it moves one time without any other movement, that is ludicrous,” McMahon said. Judge Minehart also threw out five counts of “abuse of a corpse,” for baby feet remains that were recovered from the clinic, that Gosnell was purportedly keeping for “DNA purposes.” (CNS News)

California Driver's Licenses For Undocumented Immigrants Proposed In New Bill

2013-04-24T14:05:00Z

For the first time in more than a decade, there appears to be a realistic chance that a law will emerge this year that would allow people living in the country illegally to obtain a license to drive in California. On a 12-1 vote that included the support of two Republicans, the Assembly Transportation Committee on Monday approved this year's version of a bill that has either stalled in the Legislature or been vetoed by the governor each year since 2001. "This is the year for the licenses to become law in California," said Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Salinas, after the vote. Alejo, the author of AB 60, noted that for the first time the bill has a Republican co-author, has the prospect of receiving significant bipartisan backing and is close to receiving support from the California Police Chiefs Association. Just as important, it is being debated following a Field Poll finding earlier this year that showed public opinion has shifted on the issue and that a majority of voters now supports such a law. "I think you've met the arc of history very well," Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, told Alejo. Under the proposal, individuals would be allowed to provide the Department of Motor Vehicles with either a Social Security number, which can be obtained only by citizens, or an identification document issued by the applicant's country of citizenship. Those who choose the latter option would also have to provide proof of California residence. (Ventura County Star)

A Tough Sell: HHS stages multimillion-dollar PR campaign to promote Obamacare

2013-04-24T14:03:00Z

The federal agency charged with implementing the Affordable Care Act announced a multimillion-dollar public relations contract last week in order to convince people to join the program and keep it from collapsing, critics claimed. Enrollment in Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges is lagging, raising concerns about the viability of the exchanges, which are the law’s primary means of delivering health insurance. The bill’s congressional architects have warned the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may be unable to establish a functional health insurance marketplace. HHS announced on Friday it would pay public relations firm Weber Shandwick $8 million to promote enrollment in Obamacare’s exchanges. Ben Domenech, a health care expert with the Heartland Institute, said problems with implementation of the law could “scare off” some health care consumers who are already confused by the government-led overhaul of the nation’s health care system. “Obamacare’s functional defects are becoming a liability, and the train wreck is getting closer, so the administration wants to get as many people dependent on it as fast as possible when it launches, whether the exchanges and other systems are ready for them or not,” Domenech told the Washington Free Beacon.

AP hack proves Twitter has a serious cybersecurity problem

2013-04-24T14:02:00Z

If Twitter needed any more evidence that it has a serious security problem, this should do it: Stocks plunged sharply on Tuesday after a hacker accessed a newswire's account and tweeted about a false White House emergency. The shocking tweet came from the Associated Press earlier this afternoon: "Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured." The AP's communications team quickly tweeted from its own account that the main AP Twitter was compromised, but investors had already panicked. The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) immediately plunged by more than 140 points. And there it is: After years of hacks that typically involved little more than obscene language, Twitter's subpar security measures have now caused serious real-world consequences. Many hacks happen when account owners use guessable passwords or access Twitter over public Wi-Fi and shared computers. If one person who tweets from a corporate account loses his or her phone, an entire corporation's Twitter account could be at risk. The AP incident appears to be an example of social engineering. The news service posted a story Tuesday afternoon explaining that attackers gained access to the account after launching phishing attempts. When phishing, attackers pose as legitimate companies, such as Twitter, in an attempt for account holders to give up their passwords. While Twitter can't control those issues, critics say the company could do more to prevent them. (CNN)

2nd Mississippi man investigated in ricin case

2013-04-24T14:01:00Z

Law enforcement officials searched the home of a second Mississippi man in connection to ricin-laced letters sent to the president and a U.S. senator after charges were dropped without explanation against a man arrested in the case last week. Everett Dutschke, whose Tupelo, Miss., home was searched Tuesday by dozens of officials, some in hazmat suits, had feuded with Paul Kevin Curtis, a 45-year-old celebrity impersonator who had maintained his innocence since his arrest. The search began early Tuesday afternoon and ended about 11 p.m. CDT, with officials declining to comment on what they had found or on the next phase of the investigation. At one point, two FBI agents and two members of the state's chemical response team left Dutschke's property and began combing through ditches, culverts and woods about a block away from his house in the neighborhood of single-family detached homes. Dutschke, who spoke with The Associated Press by telephone during the search, said his house was also searched last week. "I don't know how much more of this I can take," he said. No charges have been filed against Dutschke and he hasn't been arrested. (AP)

Young Republican who worked for Ryan, Gingrich arrested over alleged nude photo scheme

2013-04-24T13:59:00Z

A young Republican who worked during the 2012 campaign for former presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan has been charged with federal stalking charges after allegedly threatening to expose nude photos of women.Adam Savader, 21, was arrested after women complained to law enforcement that he told them he would distribute nude photos he found of them to friends and family unless they provided more naked photos, according to a news release by the FBI. Sources confirm to The Daily Caller that Savader is the former GOP campaign aide. On his Twitter profile, Savader describes himself as “American Patriot. Reagan Republican. Formerly @PRyan’s sole intern on @MittRomney’s campaign and a @newtgingrich campaign staffer.” He was charged by criminal complaint in the Eastern District of Michigan with Internet extortion and cyber stalking. Savader sent threatening anonymous text messages using Google Voice numbers to 15 women from May 2012 through Feb. 2013, according to the FBI. That means he would’ve sent these messages during the presidential campaign. He sent the women links to a photo-sharing website where nude pictures of them had been posted, the FBI said. (Daily Caller)

Video Captures Moment Police Saves Man Who Leaps Toward an Oncoming Train

2013-04-24T13:51:00Z

Whether it be accidents or suicides, people ending up on train or subway tracks too often ends in tragedy. A situation that could have had a similar outcome was prevented in Columbia when a police officer saved the person attempting to jump on the tracks just in time. A surveillance video posted to YouTube shows what is said to be an attempted suicide at a Medellin Metro station. A man is seen walking toward and away from the tracks looking for the oncoming train. Soon, a security guard or police officer comes into the camera’s view. Then, right as the train is pulling into the stat ion, the man makes a leap toward the tracks, but the officer yanks him backward. (The Blaze)

Faith eyed as motive in marathon attack, as suspect communicates by writing

2013-04-23T14:22:00Z

A radical brand of Islam appears to have motivated the two brothers suspected of bombing the Boston Marathon, but investigators say they have found no indication the brothers were associated with any terrorist groups. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was charged Monday in his hospital room, where he was in serious condition with a gunshot wound to the throat and other injuries suffered during his attempted getaway. His older brother, Tamerlan, 26, died Friday after a fierce gunbattle with police. Three U.S. officials involved in the investigation told The Associated Press Monday that the brothers had no links to any terrorist groups. After interrogating Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, U.S. officials believe they were motivated by their faith, apparently an anti-American, radical version of Islam. Another official called them aspiring jihadists. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged with using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction. He was accused of joining with his brother in setting off the shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bombs that killed three people and wounded more than 200 a week ago.

The brothers, ethnic Chechens from Russia who had been living in the U.S. for about a decade, practiced Islam. Dzhokhar communicated with his interrogators in writing, precluding the type of back-and-forth exchanges often crucial to establishing key facts, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly. They cautioned that they were still trying to verify what they were told by Tsarnaev and were looking at such things as his telephone and online communications and his associations with others. The disparity between the brothers' struggle to assimilate in the U.S. and their alleged bombing of the Boston Marathon reflects what counter-terror experts describe as a classic pattern of young first- or second-generation immigrants striking out after struggling to fit in. The U.S. has long been worried about people in America who are not tied to any designated terrorist group but who are motivated by ideologies that lead them to commit violent acts. Some are motivated by radical religious interpretations; others feel ostracized by their communities. (Fox News)

Website, Talking Points Memo, asks Why Didn't The FBI Do More To Investigate The Boston Bombing Suspect Two Years Ago?

2013-04-23T14:19:00Z

The news that Russia asked the FBI to investigate Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev in 2011 has left many wondering whether an opportunity was missed to detect a future terrorist. TPM talked with a high-ranking former FBI counterterrorism executive who explained what happens when the FBI receives a request from Moscow to start an investigation and why that kind of tip might not have been enough to stop the alleged bomber. CNN reported the request to investigate Tsarnaev, who died during last week’s manhunt in Watertown, Mass., came from the FSB, which is the post-Soviet successor to the KGB, and that it is “rare” for a Russian intelligence agency to ask the FBI to look into an individual. However, the former counterterrorism executive we spoke with, described it as a “very common” occurrence. “It’s not that rare at all,” the former counterterrorism executive said. “The FSB is part of the counterterrorism working group and they very commonly will send over requests via phone or via email. … Those requests are not that uncommon between the FBI, particularly the FBI headquarters counterterrorism division and the FSB at the Russian Embassy.”

The Counterterrorism Working Group is a program coordinated by the State Department and its counterparts in Russia to have agencies in both countries “cooperate closely on law enforcement matters.” Through the working group, there are annual, in-person meetings between FBI and FSB personnel. The former FBI counterterrorism executive we spoke with participated in those meetings and “dealt quite a bit with the Russian government” including taking a trip to Moscow. While these tips are common, the former FBI executive told us agents need to be “cautious” and take information from foreign governments about people living in the United States with “a grain of salt.”

“Generally speaking, certain foreign governments try to keep track of their expatriates, especially those who are outspoken on human rights issues,” the former executive explained. “Countries will submit names to us and will say, you know, this guy’s a bad guy, a terrorist, or a drug trafficker, or whatever. And what you have to be careful about is, you may be being used as a proxy by a foreign government or a foreign intelligence agency to keep track of or to report back on their expatriate community in the United States. Their intent may not be as straightforward as determining whether or not they’re a terrorist or not.”

MAYOR BLOOMBERG: INTERPRETATION OF U.S. CONSTITUTION WILL 'HAVE TO CHANGE' FOLLOWING BOSTON BOMBINGS

2013-04-23T14:16:00Z

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg believes that the Boston Marathon bombings have created a unique scenario — one in which traditional interpretations of the U.S. Constitution must change. Rather than shying away from cameras and other security mechanisms that some view as infringements upon individual privacy, the politician claims that the most recent attack calls for a new paradigm. As for those who fear government intrusion and express serious concerns about how these technologies and other policies could impede privacy, Bloomberg is sympathetic — but only to a point. “The people who are worried about privacy have a legitimate worry, but we live in a complex world where you’re going to have to have a level of security greater than you did back in the olden days, if you will,” Bloomberg said during a press conference on Monday. “And our laws and our interpretation of the Constitution, I think, have to change.”

He went on to note that we live in a dangerous world and that there are some who wish to take away Americans’ freedoms, the Observer’s Politicker reports. But in order to protect these sentiments, Bloomberg argued that more intensive security is necessary. “We have to understand that in the world going forward, we’re going to have more cameras and that kind of stuff. That’s good in some sense, but it’s different from what we are used to,” he continued. Bloomberg went on to argue that the Boston attack should not be used to go after specific religious groups. And he heralded the importance of striking a balance between enjoying personal freedom and ensuring security. “What we can’t do is let the protection get in the way of us enjoying our freedoms. You still want to let people practice their religion, no matter what that religion is,” he said. “And I think one of the great dangers here is going and categorizing anybody from one religion as a terrorist. That’s not true…That would let the terrorists win. That’s what they want us to do.” (TheBlaze)

Jon Stewart Rips CNN For Awful, Erroneous Reporting Of Boston Bombing

2013-04-23T14:15:00Z

Daily Show: While other networks used a studio anchor to keep Boston bombing coverage from going adrift, CNN instead went with a sandlot football approach.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Analysis of Obama's budget finds a higher tax burden for most Americans

2013-04-23T14:09:00Z

President Obama’s budget would raise taxes mainly on people earning more than $200,000 a year, although earners at nearly every income level would face a somewhat higher tax burden, according to a new nonpartisan analysis. The study by the Tax Policy Center finds that in 2015, 86 percent of the increase in taxes would be borne by people earning $200,000 or more a year. That would largely be a result of dramatically scaling back tax breaks that disproportionately benefit the wealthy and establishing a minimum level of taxation for people who earn $1 million a year. But the study also finds that some Americans of more modest backgrounds would face more taxes. Some people earning between $100,000 and $200,000 a year would pay about $150 more, while some earning less than $100,000 a year would pay less than $100 in additional taxes.

The increase in taxes on middle-class earners is notable because both political parties have said that they do not want to raise taxes on people earning less than $200,000 a year. The president’s budget was released this month but is not expected to be taken up by Congress anytime soon. “We knew the president wanted to raise additional revenue focused on high-income folks,” said Donald Marron, director of the Tax Policy Center. “The old idea of not raising taxes on people earning below $200,000 and $250,000 seems to have gone away.” The higher taxes would result primarily from two proposals in Obama’s budget.

One would raise taxes on tobacco products, affecting rich and poor smokers alike — the tax on a pack of cigarettes would increase from $1.01 to $1.95. The second proposal is more technical, affecting the value of the personal exemption and standard deduction as well as the income thresholds for different tax brackets. These are adjusted upward each year to account for inflation. A new formula would increase them more slowly, meaning that deductions and exemptions would have slightly less value each year than they do under the current system and additional income would more rapidly shift an earner into a higher tax bracket. (Washington Post)

Bill Clinton: Gay Marriage Foes Act 'For Their Own Identity, Not Out of Respect for Anyone Else'

2013-04-23T14:03:00Z

Former President Bill Clinton made a comment Saturday evening guaranteed to raise some eyebrows. During his acceptance speech for the Advocate for Change Award at the 24th annual Los Angeles dinner of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Clinton said, “People who oppose equal rights for gays in the marriage sphere are basically acting out of concerns for their own identity not out of respect for anyone else." (Newsbusters)

Boy Scouts propose to lift gay ban for youth

2013-04-23T14:00:00Z

Searching for compromise on a divisive issue, the Boy Scouts of America is proposing to partially lift its long-standing exclusion of gays -- allowing them as youth members but continuing to bar them as adult leaders. The proposal, unveiled Friday after weeks of private leadership deliberations, will be submitted to the roughly 1,400 voting members of the BSA's National Council during the week of May 20 at a meeting in Texas. The key part of the resolution says no youth may be denied membership in the Scouts "on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone." A ban would continue on leadership roles for adults who are openly gay or lesbian. Gay-rights groups, which had demanded a complete lifting of the ban, criticized the proposal as inadequate. "Until every parent and young person have the same opportunity to serve, the Boy Scouts will continue to see a decline in both membership and donations," said Rich Ferraro, a spokesman for the gay-rights watchdog group GLAAD. Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said the BSA was too timid. "What message does this resolution send to the gay Eagle Scout who, as an adult, wants to continue a lifetime of Scouting by becoming a troop leader?" he asked. (AP)

Arrested 396 times, woman knows how to work the system

2013-04-23T13:58:00Z

On a sweltering day last summer, traffic came to a standstill on a bustling stretch of Bryn Mawr Avenue in Edgewater, emergency crew sirens wailed and Chicago Police Officer Tom Rolon hurried to the scene. The crackling voice in Rolon’s radio reported a woman foaming at the mouth and lying in the middle of the street; Rolon approached and instantly recognized her. “She looked up at me and says, ‘Officer Rolon, I love you,’ ” recalled the now retired cop, who spent 17 years on foot patrol in Edgewater. “She got up, and all of a sudden she’s OK.”Rolon recognized Shermain Miles because he’s seen her more times than he can count — drunk, half-naked, cursing and, on one occasion, lunging at another woman with a dinner fork.

Since 1978, Chicago Police alone have arrested Miles 396 times, mostly on the North Side — under at least 83 different aliases. Those arrests include 92 for theft, 65 for disorderly conduct, 59 for prostitution-related crimes and five for robbery or attempted robbery. The frustrating truth: The system — strapped by overcrowded prisons and cuts to mental health funding — hasn’t been able to save Miles from herself or to help the communities she menaces. Nothing has worked. Not jail. Not prison. Not countless psychological exams for the woman described as being “acutely psychotic.” Miles is a master at working the system, says Rolon. She fakes seizures that mean costly hospital visits. She gets judges to delay her cases. And then she returns to the streets to be arrested again and again — so many times that she ranks in the top 1 percent for all current CPD arrestees. To the relief of many, Miles, 51, is currently in prison in downstate Lincoln. Police arrested her last August, when — after a day of allegedly slapping, punching and generally harassing folks on a stretch of Broadway in Uptown — she is accused of chasing after Ald. James Cappleman (46th). That arrest landed her back in prison for a possible parole violation of a 2010 conviction for robbing a 75-year-old Bosnian immigrant at knifepoint.

On Tuesday, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board is set to decide whether Miles violated the terms of her parole; if she did, it’s likely she’ll be held until April 2014, when her parole expires. Mujo Cesic, Miles’ victim in the knife robbery, wants another option.“She should never be released,” said Cesic, a firefighter in his native Bosnia who spoke through a translator. (Sun-Times)

Report: Fisker lost $557K per electric vehicle sold

2013-04-23T13:57:00Z

Luxury hybrid car maker Fisker Automotive has spent $660,000 in taxpayer dollars and venture capital funds for each car it sold — totalling $1.3 billion, according to a report. The company’s Fisker Karma sold for about $103,000 per vehicle, meaning the company took a hit of $557,000 every time it sold its product. The company was also allowed to continue to draw down on a $529 million Department of Energy loan after violating the loan’s term multiple times, according to a report by the New York-based research firm PrivCo. According to the report, the Department of energy knew that Fisker was not meeting goal required to keep receiving taxpayer dollars. The DOE cut off funding to the company in June 2011, allowing taxpayers to lose $193 million. “They made a mistake” in giving Fisker the loan, PrivCo Chief Executive Officer Sam Hamadeh told the Denver Post. “Should they have fought this sooner? Obviously — as soon as it became evident that they had begun to default.” It has been reported that Fisker is circling the bankruptcy drain and has hired the law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP, which has one of the largest bankruptcy practices in the country, to handle a potential bankruptcy. A crisis PR firm, Sitrick & Co., also reportedly is assisting the beleaguered car maker. The company stopped manufacturing cars last year and has a $20.2 million payment to the Energy Department due on April 22. (Daily Caller)

DNC Uses Boston Bombing to Gain Email Addresses

2013-04-23T13:53:00Z

The Democratic National Committee on Monday used last week’s bombings at the Boston Marathon to build the party’s list of email addresses. A page on the DNC’s website asks visitors to sign a petition thanking Boston’s first responders for “all you did last week—and for all you do every day.” The page asks for visitors’ names, email addresses, and zip codes. Those who fill out the form immediately receive an email from DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The ploy immediately drew criticism from Republicans. Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, called the effort “disgraceful” and said it was in “very poor taste.” RNC communications director Sean Spicer said it was an attempt to “capitalize on Boston tragedy to make up for poor fundraising.” Democrats brushed off the criticism, saying it was “unfortunate that Republicans would stoop so low” to criticize the DNC using for using the Boston bombings for email acquisition efforts, according to the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein. Last week’s bombings claimed three lives and wounded more than 170 bystanders. (Free Beacon)

Online support grows for North Dakota newscaster fired following salty start

2013-04-23T13:46:00Z

A North Dakota newscaster who uttered a profanity to begin his debut as anchor has been fired, but online support for the young newsman continues to grow as the clip goes viral. A.J. Clemente made his debut as co-anchor for Bismarck NBC affiliate KFYR on Sunday, but the West Virginia University graduate was seemingly unaware his microphone was on as colleague Van Tieu began the newscast. “F------ s---,” Clemente said seconds after Tieu kicked off the broadcast and mumbled incoherently. He later stammered through introducing himself at the station. “Ummm, thanks Van, I’m very excited,” he said. “I graduated from West Virginia University and I’m used to, um, you know, from being, from in the East Coast.” Clemente then reports on a fatal ATV crash in Williams County. He later summarized his performance on Twitter. “That couldn’t have gone any worse!” he wrote.

Clemente did not join Tieu for the following newscast and was initially suspended, according to a post on the station’s Facebook page. He was later fired, according to his Twitter account. “He did not realize his microphone was on, but still, that's no excuse,” said KFYR-TV news director Monica Hannan. “We train our reporters to always assume that any microphone is live at any time. Unfortunately, that was not enough in this case. We can't take back what was said. The person involved has been suspended until we resolve the situation. All we can do at this point is ask for your forgiveness, and I can offer my personal assurance that I will do my best to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again under my watch.” Prior to Clemente's announcement that he had been fired, many fans on the station’s Facebook page pleaded with management not to terminate the young newscaster. “While this is definitely spreading across the country, please consider not firing him,” one posting read. “The kid screwed up big time, but he shouldn't have to have his early career ruined because of it, especially after moving all the way to North Dakota from West Virginia.” (Fox News)

CAUTION: OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE!

Tamerlan Tsarnaev appears to be the fifth person since 9/11 to participate in a terror attack, despite being under FBI investigation.

2013-04-22T14:37:00Z

A House committee is asking the Obama administration for all information on the Boston bombing suspect once flagged for possible radical ties, saying the tragedy marks another intelligence failure and raises “serious questions about the efficacy of the federal counter-terrorism efforts.” The letter was sent Saturday by the House Committee on Homeland Security to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, National Intelligence Director James Clapper and FBI Director Robert Mueller. In the letter, Committee Chairman Rep. Mike McCaul said bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev appears to be the fifth person since 9/11 to participate in a terror attack, despite being under FBI investigation.

Tsarnaev, 26, was killed early Friday morning in a police shootout. His 19-year-old brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was captured by police that night and remains in the hospital. The older Tsarnaev was interviewed by the FBI in 2011 before a six-month overseas trip, including time in Russia. In addition, he posted jihadist material on his social media site. On Saturday, two U.S. law enforcement officials said the FBI was acting on information from the Russian intelligence security service that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was a follower of radical Islam. “Yet Tsarnaev remained at liberty in this country to conduct the Boston attack, and it took days to publicly identify him as a suspect,” wrote McCaul, who wants the information by Friday.

McCaul identified the others in the terrorist category as Anwar al Awlaki, David Headley, Carlos Bledsoe and Nidal Hasan. He said Faruq Abdulmutallab also attempted a terror attack despite being identified to the Central Intelligence Agency as a potential terrorist.

The so-called “underwear bomber” attempted to blow up a U.S. airliner on Dec. 25, 2009. Al Awlaki was an American-born Al Qaeda member killed in a 2011 U.S. drone attack in Yemen.
Headley is a Pakistani-American who pleaded guilty in 2010 to participating in terror attacks including the 2008 Mumbai, India, attacks that killed 164 people.
Bledsoe was born in Tennessee and converted to radical Islam before a 2009 attack on a military recruiting station in which he fatally shot an Army private.
Hasan, born in Virginia, is the Army officer accused of fatally shooting 13 people in 2009 at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas. (Fox News)

Boston bombing suspect awake, answering questions

2013-04-22T14:25:00Z

The surviving Boston bombing suspect is conscious and responding in writing to authorities, CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports. Officials did not reveal further details on what they are asking, or what his responses are. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was in serious condition Sunday, two days after being pulled bloody and wounded from a tarp-covered boat in a Watertown backyard. The capture came at the end of a tense day-long manhunt that began with his 26-year-old brother, Tamerlan, dying in a gun battle with police. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remains hospitalized under heavy guard. He is being treated at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where 11 victims of the bombing were still hospitalized. Officials say Tsarnaev is recuperating from a bullet wound in the leg and in the neck, rendering him unable to speak. They could not comment on whether or not the neck wound was self-inflicted. Federal prosecutors are working on bringing charges but there was no immediate word on when Tsarnaev might be charged and what those charges would be. The twin bombings killed three people and wounded more than 180. (CBS/AP)

Abdella Ahmad Tounisi, U.S. Teenager, Arrested Over Alleged Al Qaeda Links

2013-04-22T14:23:00Z

An 18-year-old Chicago-area man accused of planning to join an al Qaeda-linked group fighting in Syria has been arrested by the FBI, the agency said on Saturday. Abdella Ahmad Tounisi of Aurora, Illinois, was taken into custody late on Friday as he prepared to board a plane at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport bound for Turkey, the FBI said in a statement. It added that Tounisi was a friend of Adel Daoud, an American accused of trying to stage a bombing outside a downtown Chicago bar last year. The agency said Tounisi had not been involved in that plot. Tounisi appeared before a U.S. magistrate on Saturday on one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. He was ordered held until his next court appearance on Tuesday, the FBI said.

A criminal complaint accused Tounisi of making online contact in March with a person he thought was a recruiter for Jabhat al-Nusrah, the militant Islamist Syrian group that the U.S. government calls a foreign terrorist organization operating as a wing of al Qaeda in Iraq. The supposed recruiter was an FBI employee working undercover, the agency said. Tounisi said in emails to the FBI employee that he planned to get to Syria via Turkey and was willing to die in the Syrian struggle, the complaint said. Syria is in the grips of a civil war that began in 2011 as a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad and has killed more than 70,000 people. On April 10, Tounisi bought an airline ticket for a flight from Chicago to Istanbul. On Thursday, the undercover FBI employee gave him a bus ticket for travel from Istanbul to Gaziantep, Turkey, near the border with Syria, the complaint said. Tounisi's attorney, Michael Madden, of the federal public defender program could not be reached for comment. Tounisi faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted. (Reuters)

Brokaw: U.S. partly to blame for Boston terror

2013-04-22T14:19:00Z

Former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw strongly suggested Sunday that America is partly to blame for the gruesome terrorists attacks in Boston, because the young, Muslim men involved may have felt “alienated” and angry over U.S. drone strikes on “innocent civilians” in Muslim countries abroad. Brokaw, who has been playing the role of media elder statesman since retiring, went on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with host David Gregory to discuss last week’s Boston bombings, which killed three and injured 183. (WND)

Bombing suspect's imam affiliated with Muslim Brotherhood front group

2013-04-22T14:14:00Z

The imam of the Cambridge, Massachusetts mosque attended by Boston Marathon bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sits on the board of directors of the Boston chapter of an organization founded by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the parent organization of the terrorist group Hamas. Dr. Sheikh Basyouny Nehela, the imam of the Islamic Society of Boston (ISB) in Cambridge, which the Tsarnaevs attended, sits on the board of directors of the Boston chapter of the Muslim American Society, which also runs the ISB’s affiliated “Cultural Center.” The Muslim American Society was founded in 1993 after secret regional meetings of underground Muslim Brotherhood members across the United States. The U.S. Muslim Brotherhood reportedly “operated under the name Muslim American Society.” Muslim American Society leaders were instructed to state, if asked about the group’s views on terrorism, that the Society was anti-terrorism but that jihad was one of a Muslim’s “divine legal rights” for both self-defense and for the spreading of Islam. In 2011, Dr. Sheikh Basyouny Nehela was also listed as the leader of an educational and spiritual program sponsored by the Muslim American Society’s Youth Chicago organization, which included a trip to Mecca and Medina and was described as “a chance to revive the spirit of unity and understanding, and to return home invigorated and full of passion to serve Allah.” (Daily Caller)

Feinstein 'regrets' talk of declaring Boston bombing suspect a military combatant

2013-04-22T14:13:00Z

Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Sunday she “regrets” discussions on whether the surviving Boston bombing suspect should be interrogated as a potential enemy combatant. The California Democrat told “Fox News Sunday” the Obama administration’s High Value Interrogation Group will interview suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, he will be read his Miranda rights at a later date and federal courts, not a military commission, can handle the case. "I really regret all of this discussion, which is creating a conflict that need not be there,” she said. “The administration is ready. … I don’t think all of this is very helpful.” (Fox News)

ACLU: denying rights for suspected bomber is 'un-American'

2013-04-22T14:11:00Z

The American Civil Liberties Union on Saturday said that “every criminal defendant” deserves Miranda rights and called for adherence to “our tried-and-true justice system” - a statement that came after the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings was taken into custody and questions swirled about how he would be questioned and tried. “Every criminal defendant is entitled to be read Miranda rights,” said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero in a statement posted on the organization’s website. “The public safety exception should be read narrowly. It applies only when there is a continued threat to public safety and is not an open-ended exception to the Miranda rule.” The public safety exception allows for law enforcement to question detainees without reading them their Miranda rights in certain high-risk situations. (Politico)

Parents Of Boston Suspect Describe His Russia Trip

2013-04-22T14:10:00Z

The parents of Tamerlan Tsarnaev insisted Sunday that he came to Dagestan and Chechnya last year to visit relatives and had nothing to do with the militants operating in the volatile part of Russia, with his father saying he slept a lot of the time. But the Boston bombing suspect couldn’t have been immune to the attacks that savaged the region during his six-month stay. Investigators are now focusing on the trip that Tsarnaev made to Russia in January 2012 that has raised many questions. His father said his son stayed with him in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, where the family lived briefly before moving to the U.S. a decade ago. The father had only recently returned. “He was here, with me in Makhachkala,” Anzor Tsarnaev told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “He slept until 3 p.m., and you know, I would ask him: ‘Have you come here to sleep?’ He used to go visiting, here and there. He would go to eat somewhere. Then he would come back and go to bed.”

In February, 2012, shortly after Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s arrival in Dagestan, a four-day operation to wipe out several militant bands in Chechnya and Dagestan left 17 police and at least 20 militants dead. In May, two car bombs shook Makhachkala, killing at least 13 people and wounding about 130 more. Other bombings and shootings targeting police and other officials took place nearly daily. The Caucasus Emirate said Sunday that its mujahedin are not fighting with the U.S. “We are at war with Russia, which is not only responsible for the occupation of the Caucasus, but also for heinous crimes against Muslims,” it said in a statement on the Kavkaz Center website. (AP)

Gallup: 52% Support Heavy Taxes on the Wealthy to Redistribute Wealth

2013-04-22T14:09:00Z

A new Gallup poll finds almost 6 in ten Americans believe that money and wealth should be more evenly distributed among a larger percentage of Americans, while one third think the current distribution is "fair." Slightly more than half of Americans (52 percent) want government to do the redistribution by taxing the wealthy. Pollsters posed the following question: "Do you feel that the distribution of money and wealth in this country today is fair, or do you feel that the money and wealth in this country should be more evenly distributed among a larger percentage of the people?" Fifty-nine percent said "more evenly distributed," which is about the same as when Gallup first asked the question in 1984. Back then, 60 percent said "more evenly distributed." (CNS News)

Senate planning vote on Internet sales tax bill

2013-04-22T14:08:00Z

The days of tax-free online shopping could finally be numbered. The Senate is planning to vote on a bill as soon as Monday that would give states the authority to collect sales taxes on all Internet purchases, handing local governments as much as $11 billion per year in added revenue that they are legally owed — but that hasn’t been paid to them for years. (Washington Post)

Defense starts Monday for Philly abortion provider charged with killing patient, 7 babies

2013-04-22T14:06:00Z

Over five weeks of testimony, Philadelphia prosecutors have painted Dr. Kermit Gosnell as an eccentric, detached boss who relied on untrained staff to perform abortions at his outdated, inner-city clinic. But have they proven he murdered a woman and seven babies born alive? Or that the self-proclaimed do-gooder morphed into a greedy, criminally reckless businessman after returning to his downtrodden West Philadelphia neighborhood? “There has been an incredible rush to judgment like I have never seen before,” defense lawyer Jack McMahon told jurors in opening statements last month. The defense begins its case Monday, and the most intriguing question is whether the 72-year-old Gosnell will testify. He may want to give jurors a self-portrait similar to the one he gave the Philadelphia Daily News just after the 2010 FBI raid that shut down his 30-year practice. “I wanted to be an effective, positive force in the minority community,” Gosnell told the newspaper, explaining how he was an early supporter of therapeutic abortions and drug treatment in the late 1960s.

Trial witnesses have described an abortion clinic, and perhaps a man, growing increasingly chaotic over the years. One staffer said Gosnell performed mostly first-trimester abortions when she arrived in 2000, and a few second-term procedures. But the breakdown started to flip, perhaps because first-trimester patients had other choices, while second-trimester patients did not. The woman who died after a 2009 abortion had gone to several clinics near her Virginia home, starting when she was about 15 weeks pregnant. But each time, she was referred elsewhere, until she arrived at Gosnell’s clinic in her 19th week. Bhutanese refugee Karnamaya Mongar, 41, died of a Demerol overdose the next day. Gosnell’s “nursing” staff included several women who were trained at a career school to be medical assistants, but were quickly shown how to perform ultrasounds and give anesthesia. To make the latter job easier, a 15-year-old worker used markers to draw up a color-coded chart that showed which drug cocktails should be given to which patients. Sometimes, it depended on how much they could pay, witnesses have said. (Washington Post)

Shooting at Denver pot fest

2013-04-22T14:02:00Z

Denver police on Sunday pointed to a YouTube video they say shows a possible suspect in the weekend shooting at a marijuana celebration that injured two people and scattered a crowd of thousands. The shooting on Saturday took place during the outdoor celebration of the first 4/20 counterculture holiday since Colorado legalized marijuana. Denver police spent much of Sunday scanning video taken at the event. Police spokesman Sonny Jackson told The Denver Post that the suspect is shown in the video walking in a crowd away from the scene of the shooting as sirens wailed in the background. The suspect, a black male who was wearing a brown and white checkered shirt, can be seen about six seconds into the video, he said. "We are seeking this individual as we believe he assisted the primary suspect after the shooting," Jackson said in an email to the newspaper. (AP)

Immigration bill sprinkled with pet projects

2013-04-22T14:01:00Z

Buried within the 844 pages of the bipartisan immigration bill -- amid historic shifts in policies such as a path to citizenship for 11 million unauthorized immigrants -- are pet provisions of the senators who crafted it. South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham wants more visas for the meat industry, a major employer in his state. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., pushed for special treatment for Irish workers; his state is home to a large population with Irish ancestry. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio sought help for the cruise-ship industry, a big business in his home state of Florida. And Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado wove in a boost for ski areas. After months of difficult negotiations -- which nearly derailed an immigration deal -- the business community and labor unions hashed out a new work-visa program to allow up to 200,000 low-skill workers to come to the U.S. Adding extra visas for meat, poultry and fish cutters wasn't part of that deal. Including it was the work of Mr. Graham, said people familiar with the negotiations. The final bill sets aside up to 20,000 additional visas for meat cutters and trimmers. The industry employed 158,480 Americans nationwide in May 2012, according to the Labor Department. (WSJ)

Maureen Dowd: No Bully in the Pulpit

2013-04-22T13:59:00Z

Writing in the New York Times:

How is it that the president won the argument on gun safety with the public and lost the vote in the Senate? It’s because he doesn’t know how to work the system. And it’s clear now that he doesn’t want to learn, or to even hire some clever people who can tell him how to do it or do it for him. It’s unbelievable that with 90 percent of Americans on his side, he could get only 54 votes in the Senate. It was a glaring example of his weakness in using leverage to get what he wants. No one on Capitol Hill is scared of him. Even House Republicans who had no intention of voting for the gun bill marveled privately that the president could not muster 60 votes in a Senate that his party controls…

Couldn’t the president have given his Rose Garden speech about the “shameful” actions in Washington before the vote rather than after? There were ways to get to 60 votes. The White House just had to scratch it out with a real strategy and a never-let-go attitude. Obama hates selling. He thinks people should just accept the right thing to do. But as Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat, noted, senators have their own tough selling job to do back home. “In the end you can really believe in something,” he told The Times’s Jennifer Steinhauer, “but you have to go sell it.” The president said the Newtown families deserved a vote. But he was setting his sights too low. They deserved a law.

Texas fertilizer company didn't obey disclosure rules before blast

2013-04-22T13:57:00Z

The fertilizer plant that exploded on Wednesday, obliterating part of a small Texas town and killing at least 14 people, had last year been storing 1,350 times the amount of ammonium nitrate that would normally trigger safety oversight by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Yet a person familiar with DHS operations said the company that owns the plant, West Fertilizer, did not tell the agency about the potentially explosive fertilizer as it is required to do, leaving one of the principal regulators of ammonium nitrate - which can also be used in bomb making - unaware of any danger there. Fertilizer plants and depots must report to the DHS when they hold 400 lb (180 kg) or more of the substance. Filings this year with the Texas Department of State Health Services, which weren't shared with DHS, show the plant had 270 tons of it on hand last year. (Reuters)

REESE WITHERSPOON ARRESTED: 'You're About to Find Out Who I Am!'

2013-04-22T13:55:00Z

Reese Witherspoon pulled her celebrity card out while her husband was getting arrested for DUI, telling the officer who ended up busting her, "You're about to find out who I am." The arrests went down in Atlanta early Friday morning. Cops say they spotted Reese and her husband Jim Toth's car -- a silver Ford Fusion -- weaving in and out of lanes, so they pulled them over. As officers dealt with Jim, Reese allegedly started acting up, telling cops, "Do you know my name?" The officer answered by saying, "No, I don't need to know your name." Witherspoon then came back with, "You're about to find out who I am ... You are going to be on national news."

During Jim's arrest, Reese allegedly became ornery, demonstrating visual and verbal frustration over how long it was taking to arrest her husband. At one point, she got out of her car and the officer ordered her back inside. When she got out a second time, he arrested her for disorderly conduct, a municipal ordinance.They were both taken to jail, booked, and released a short time later. As for Toth's part of the arrest ... the officer in the report described him by saying his "eye lids were droopy" and his eyes were "blood shot and watery." The officer said he smelled a "strong odor" of alcohol coming from Toth. The officer stated that Toth told him he only had one drink, but -- as first reported by Variety -- when given a Breathalyzer test, Toth's blood alcohol level was .139. (TMZ)

NYC proposing raising age for tobacco purchase

2013-04-22T13:54:00Z

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is proposing raising the minimum age for tobacco purchase from 18 to 21. Quinn is set to announce the proposed legislation on Monday. She's expected to be joined by Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley, other council members and health advocates. Texas recently attempted to pass legislation changing the age from 18 to 21 but it failed. Several states have a 19 age limit for the purchase of cigarettes. The Bloomberg administration recently unveiled a plan to keep cigarettes out of sight in stores until an adult customer asks for a pack. New York City has had a ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and other indoor public spaces for 10 years. (AP)

Police: One marathon bombing suspect dead, one still at large / People in Boston, surrounding communities, told to stay indoors

2013-04-19T14:19:00Z

A massive manhunt is underway this morning in Boston and several surrounding communities for one of the suspects in the Boston Marathon terror bombing attacks. A second suspect has died in a confrontation with police, while one police officer has been killed and another has been seriously wounded. Governor Deval Patrick asked people who live in the entire city of Boston, as well as the nearby communities of Watertown, Waltham, Newton, Belmont, Cambridge, to “shelter in place” — stay inside and not open their doors to anyone, except police with proper identification.

The search has also led to the sudden shutdown of the MBTA’s entire network of commuter rail, bus, and subway services. Taxi service was shut down. And officials requested businesses across the area not to open this morning.
Colonel Timothy Alben, commander of the State Police, said law enforcement’s focus this morning is on neighborhoods in Watertown, where police are hoping to find the individual. Police surrounded an address on Willow Park at mid-morning.
Authorities are searching for the man they dubbed Suspect No. 2 — the man wearing a white baseball cap. Suspect No. 1 — the man wearing the black cap — is dead.

The night of chaos began just hours after law enforcement released images Thursday afternoon of two suspects in the bombings at the Boston Marathon finish line Monday afternoon that left three people dead and more than 170 wounded.

The suspect is Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, a government official told the Globe. The Associated Press reported this morning that the suspects came from the Russian region near Chechnya, which has been plagued by an Islamic insurgency.The Globe has also learned that the dead suspect is Tsarnaev’s brother. A law enforcement source told the Globe that an explosive trigger was found on the dead brother’s body at the morgue. An MIT police officer was killed and an MBTA Transit Police officer, Richard H. Donahue Jr., 33, was wounded. Ten officers were being evaluated at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton early this morning, according to a source, who said the officers said they were hurt from grenades being thrown from the window of a car during a car chase. The source did not have information about where the officers were from or the nature of their injuries. Most of the region’s universities -- including Harvard, MIT, Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern, and Suffolk -- announced that they would be closed for the day. (Boston Globe)

More Incident Detail:

The night’s outbreak of violence began when police received reports of a robbery of a convenience store in Kendall Square near MIT. A few minutes later, an MIT police officer was shot multiple times while in his cruiser at Main and Vassar streets, near Building 32, better known as the renowned Stata Center on the MIT campus.The officer was pronounced dead at Massachusetts General Hospital.
A short time later, two men carjacked a Mercedes SUV at gunpoint, and the owner of that car was able to flee at a gas station on Memorial Drive.
The SUV proceeded out Memorial Drive toward Watertown followed by a long train of police vehicles in pursuit. At one point during the pursuit, the two suspects opened fire on Watertown police and Donahue, the Transit Police officer, was shot. He remains in stable condition at Mt. Auburn Hospital, the hospital said this morning.
During the gunfight, Suspect No. 1 was wounded and was taken into custody. This morning, Dr. Richard Wolfe said the man was brought to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center emergency room about 1:10 a.m. with multiple traumatic injuries. “It was more than gunshot wounds,’’ Wolfe told reporters about 5:30 a.m. today. “It was a combination of injuries. We believe a combination of of blasts, multiple gunshot wounds.” Wolfe said it looked like the man had been hurt by an “explosive device’’ and that the man was struck by “shrapnel.’’ The man was pronounced dead at 1:35 a.m. The hospital officials said they did not know his name.
In Watertown, gunfire and explosions cut through the night air. Police warned that spectators were in danger. At Arsenal Court and Arsenal Street in Watertown, an officer bellowed: “Ya gotta get outta here. There’s an active shooter here with an active explosive. Go!” (Boston Globe)

Russia's Caucasus: breeding ground for terror

2013-04-19T14:18:00Z

Militants from Chechnya and other restive regions in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus have targeted Moscow and other areas with bombings and hostage-takings, but if it turns out that the suspects in the Boston bombings are linked to those insurgencies it would mark the first time the Russian conflict had spawned a terror attack in the West. Two suspects in the Boston bombings were identified to The Associated Press as coming from the Russian region near Chechnya, but there was no immediate information of their links, if any, to any insurgent group. A law enforcement intelligence bulletin obtained by the AP identified the surviving bomb suspect as Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19. The conflict in Chechnya began in 1994 as a separatist war, but quickly morphed into an Islamic insurgency that vowed to carve out an independent Islamic state in the Caucasus.

Russian troops withdrew from Chechnya in 1996 after the first Chechen war, leaving it de-facto independent and largely lawless, but then rolled back three years later following apartment building explosions in Moscow and other cities blamed on the rebels. Chechnya has stabilized under the steely grip of Kremlin-backed local strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, a former rebel whose forces were accused of massive rights abuses. But the Islamic insurgency has spread to neighboring provinces, with Dagestan, sandwiched between Chechnya and the Caspian Sea, becoming the epicenter of violence with militants launching daily attacks against police and other authorities. Militants from Chechnya and neighboring provinces have launched a long series of terror attacks in Russia, including a 2002 hostage-taking raid in Moscow’s theater, in which 129 hostages died, a 2004 hostage-taking in a school in the southern city of Beslan that killed more than 330 people, and numerous bombings in Moscow and other cities. In recent years, however, militants in Chechnya, Dagestan and other neighboring provinces have largely refrained from attacks outside the Caucasus. (AP)

They're 'trying to kill me!' Store clerk recounts carjack victim's escape

2013-04-19T14:17:00Z

Tarek Ahmed was working at gas station in Cambridge, Mass. Thursday night when a young man ran into his store screaming. "Call the police! Call the police! These people are trying to kill me!" The young man was allegedly carjacked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by the two men authorities now say have been identified as the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. Authorities said early Friday the suspects dropped off the victim after driving around with him for about 30 minutes. Ahmed, 45, described the young man as Caucasian and between 20 and 25 years old. He said the young man ran into his store "shaking and scared and very nervous."

"I thought he was drunk. I didn't believe him when he came in it just sounded very crazy," Ahmed told FoxNews.com in an exclusive interview. Ahmed let the man into the back room to use the phone to call the authorities. "He just came in and said, 'call police, call police someone is trying to kill me,' " Ahmed said. "They stole car and dropped him off. It was very scary." "He came very fast and was nervous and was afraid of the guy. He said they pushed him out of car," he continued. "When this guy came, I think he's drunk I don't believe him. He went inside and closed the door. He was shaking and very nervous. I only believe him when the cops came." Ahmed says police took the gas station surveillance video tapes, and photos from the gas station store across the street where Ahmed believes the suspects stopped to buy something. Ahmed says he believes that was when the carjacking victim was shoved out of the car. Ahmed said the young man did not appear injured, just badly shaken by the carjacking. (Fox News)

Teen Sought by Feds, Internet Sleuths Went to Cops to Clear His Name

2013-04-19T14:14:00Z

The teenage boy authorities once investigated as possibly being connected to the Boston Marathon bombing told ABC News he was shocked to see his face pop up on television and all over social media. Salah Barhoun, 17, said he went to the police yesterday to clear his name after he found himself tagged in pictures online. He had just gone to watch the race, he said, but soon after the explosions, he was singled out by internet sleuths as looking suspicious. Federal authorities passed around images of Barhoun, attempting to learn more information about him, sources told ABC News.The New York Post ran a story featuring a picture of Barhoun and another man circled in red, but said it was unclear if they were the same as two potential suspects Wednesday.

When he saw the front page story, with the headline "Bag Men," Barhoun said, "It's the worst feeling that I can possibly feel… I'm only 17." ABC News producers found Barhoun through social media and spoke to him today at his home. He said he had actually wanted to run the race and when he couldn't, decided to watch. Barhoun's younger brother, who declined to be identified, said that it made his mother "sick and upset" that her son had been connected to the tragedy. "It made her think he had done something wrong," the younger brother said. "My brother is not the bomber." Federal law enforcement sources told ABC News they are no longer seeking information about Barhoun or the other man in the photo published in the Post.

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Teen Sought by Feds, Internet Sleuths Went to Cops to Clear His Name

2013-04-19T14:14:00Z

Media shrug at Boston blunders

2013-04-19T14:13:00Z

The inaccurate report by CNN and other news organizations about an arrest in the Boston bombing case was arguably one of the most flagrant errors on a story of major national consequence in years. When the news organizations later corrected their mistakes, there seemed to be something missing — any big shows of contrition, or even a sense of the magnitude of the error. It fell to Twitter and the merciless mockery of Jon Stewart, who devoted much of “The Daily Show” to skewering CNN’s John King, to call out the media for their failures. In an earlier era, many news veterans told POLITICO, a wrong report on a story the whole world was watching would have produced major repercussions — groveling apologies from reporters and editors, journalism seminars on the dangers of letting rumor outpace fact, and maybe even a few firings at the outlets involved. In a new media era, many journalists — and perhaps many in the audience as well — seem to accept that information on a big story is fluid and fragmentary, and are ready to move on without pausing long for either apology or explanation, other than to blame their sources.

“Clearly there was confusion or some misinformation,” King told viewers. During more than 25 years at The Associated Press and CNN, King fashioned a reputation as one of his generation’s most dogged reporters. As of Thursday afternoon, Fox News, CNN, the AP and The Boston Globe had still not apologized for incorrect reporting more than 24 hours earlier. The AP said Wednesday that a suspect was in custody. King and then Fox said an arrest had been made. The Globe tweeted that a suspect was being taken to the courthouse. “It may be less momentous when you make a mistake because there’s so much news coming and it’s so fast that the next report just overtakes the last one,” said David Westin, president of ABC News from 1997 to 2010. “It used to be you would go on the air and make a formal retraction.”

Search and rescue efforts under way in Texas fertilizer plant explosion, as death toll remains unclear

2013-04-19T14:11:00Z

A small Texas town where as many as 15 people were killed in an explosion at a fertilizer plant late Wednesday is reeling as rescuers comb the rubble house by house and one official laments: "part of that community is gone." Police initially said between 5 to 15 people were killed, but authorities have since backed away from any total estimate. More than 160 were injured during the massive blast at West Fertilizer in downtown West — a community of roughly 2,600 residents about 20 miles north of Waco. The explosion occurred around 8 p.m. and could be heard as far away as Waxahachie, a town located 45 miles north. It sent flames spiraling high into the evening sky and rained burning embers, shrapnel and debris down on frightened residents. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott told reporters in a news conference Thursday night that the impact of the explosion was worse than he expected. "The devastation is immense," he said. But, he added the other thing he saw while touring West was "the sign of hope" and "the beginnings of a community trying to piece itself back together." (Fox News)

Fertilizer plant had history of complaints
Over the past 10 years, West Fertilizer Co. has been fined or disciplined by at least three different state and federal regulatory agencies for safety or licensing violations - a record that officials called "average," but which nevertheless highlights the patchwork nature of the industry's oversight, with regulatory authority passed around by a half-dozen state and federal agencies. The largest fine, for $10,000, was levied last year by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, when West Fertilizer failed to write a security plan to transport anhydrous ammonia, a chemical fertilizer stored under pressure. The company said it couldn't afford to pay that amount, and the penalty was halved after West Fertilizer agreed to correct the oversight, agency documents show. In 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also fined West $2,300 after discovering the company had failed to update its risk management plan, which includes an analysis of the potential consequences of a worst-case accident, as well as its emergency planning information. (Austin American-Statesman)

Politico Analysis: Obama, boxed in

2013-04-19T13:40:00Z

There are two very different President Obamas. There’s the confident, uncompromising Obama who sought to shame and bully Republicans into submitting to his agenda of tax increases and sweeping gun reform. This version of Obama was dominant until one month ago. Then there’s the calmer, more compromising Obama — the one who has courted Republicans and taken on his own party with a call for (modest) reductions in entitlement spending. This version of Obama took command last month. Both are flailing.

Obama, regardless of the personality and political approach he displays on any given day, keeps running into the same wall of insurmountable opposition. The cold, hard reality is that the president is trapped in a very frustrating box: He realizes that the vast majority of Congress is as impervious to his pressure as it is his charm. He is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t — and he knows it, several of his friends tell us. He will most likely get nothing on guns despite his vow after Wednesday’s Senate defeat that “this effort is not over.” He will most likely get nothing more on a grand bargain to lift the economy. He stands a decent chance of getting an immigration deal. But as one influential Democratic adviser told us, that’s only because the president has largely stayed on the sidelines. “POTUS really doesn’t have any sway with red-state Dems,” said a top Democratic official close to the White House. Democratic senators, the official added, “won in states that POTUS lost — some by huge margins. Also, even in blue states, many Democrats ran ahead of POTUS.”

Obama has privately resigned himself to this bleak reality — in fact, he anticipated it more than a year ago. In private conversations during the campaign, Obama made plain that the job of being president was a drag under divided government — and that he had deep reservations about grinding out another two or four years of minimal progress through a gridlocked Congress. Now, the combination of Republican resistance and the high number of Senate Democrats running in red states in 2014 virtually assures little change for at least 18 months.

Republicans pull plug on Mark Sanford

2013-04-19T13:39:00Z

National Republicans are pulling the plug on Mark Sanford’s suddenly besieged congressional campaign, POLITICO has learned — a potentially fatal blow to the former South Carolina governor’s dramatic comeback bid. Blindsided by news that Sanford’s ex-wife has accused him of trespassing and concluding he has no plausible path to victory, the National Republican Congressional Committee has decided not to spend more money on Sanford’s behalf ahead of the May 7 special election. “Mark Sanford has proven he knows what it takes to win elections. At this time, the NRCC will not be engaged in this special election,” said Andrea Bozek, an NRCC spokeswoman. Sanford is facing Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, a Clemson University administrator and sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, in a race that has grabbed the national spotlight. The NRCC’s move comes hours after Tuesday night’s report by the Associated Press that Sanford’s ex-wife, Jenny Sanford, filed a court complaint accusing him of trespassing at her home in early February – which would be a violation of the terms of their divorce agreement. Republicans said they were caught off guard by news of Jenny Sanford’s complaint. They worry other damaging revelations about Mark Sanford’s personal life that they aren’t aware of could come out in the coming weeks. The NRCC has spent a nominal amount on the race on polling and other activities. But officials determined that devoting potentially millions more — which was under discussion — isn’t worth it.

Labor Sec Nominee Perez Used Private Email for Gov Business - Emails to Planned Parenthood, New York Times, Talking Points Memo

2013-04-19T13:37:00Z

Labor Secretary nominee Tom Perez used his private email account to leak information about official business while he was assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said in a Wednesday letter to Perez. Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) said it appears Perez used his personal email account almost 1,200 times since 2009 to conduct official department business, including communicating with organizations such as Planned Parenthood, the New York Times, and Talking Points Memo. Issa wrote that he received a letter from the Justice Department’s principal deputy assistant attorney general for Legislative Affairs, Peter J. Kadzik, conceding Perez had committed at least 34 violations of the Federal Records Act. “Contrary to Mr. Kadzik’s assertions, this large volume of personal, non-official emails indicates that you did not use your personal, non-official email account in ‘limited circumstances’ to perform your official duties,” Issa wrote. “Instead, it appears that your use of your personal, non-official e-mail account to conduct official department business has been frequent and routine.”

Perez is the latest in a string of Obama administration officials to have been caught using private email for officials business. EPA Region 8 administrator James Martin resigned in February while under a congressional probe for allegedly using a private email account to circumvent disclosure requirements. The EPA’s email practices came under investigation after it was revealed that former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson used a secret email address to conduct business. (Free Beacon)

Teamsters head Hoffa tries to squash his own employees' union

2013-04-19T13:36:00Z

International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) general president Jimmy Hoffa Jr. is suspected by his members of trying to squash a union comprised of some of his own Teamsters organizers. Hoffa’s battle with his own organizers’ union overlaps with a host of other problems for the prominent labor leader, including a pension crisis that is undercutting his support and a potential UPS strike that he might not be able to afford, according to insiders. Hoffa still has not granted a contract to the Federation of Agents and International Representatives (FAIR), a union that represents Teamsters organizers. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) allowed FAIR to represent some Teamsters organizers last year in their negotiations with Hoffa, after organizers voted 18-16 to unionize in a Teamsters election. The Hoffa administration’s battle with FAIR has been divisive, according to documents obtained by the Daily Caller. Teamsters officials openly threatened their own organizers to discourage them from joining FAIR, leading to accusations that the Teamsters were union-busting their own employees’ union. The growing Teamsters pension crisis, which has seen the union’s retirement fund spiraling toward insolvency, has been one of FAIR’s foremost issues in its opposition to Hoffa.

Middle School Anti-Bullying Lesson Includes Lesbian Role Play

2013-04-19T13:35:00Z

Young girls at a New York middle school were instructed to ask one another for a lesbian kiss and boys were given guidance on how to tell if women are sluts during an anti-bullying presentation on gender identity and sexual orientation, angry parents allege. The special health class was held last week at Linden Avenue Middle School in Red Hook, NY. The students were separated by gender – with students from Bard College leading the workshops. Parents are especially furious after their young daughters were told that it was perfectly normal for 14-year-old girls to have sex and there was nothing their parents could do to intervene. The boys and girls were also given a sexual vocabulary primer – that included words like “pansexual” and “genderqueer.”

“I am furious,” said Mandy Coon, whose daughter was in the class. “I am her parent. Where does anyone get the right to tell her that it’s okay for her to have sex?” Coon told Fox News that her daughter was upset by the classroom lecture and was confused about why she had to ask another girl for a kiss. “She told me, ‘Mom, we all get teased and picked on enough – now I’m going to be called a lesbian because I had to ask another girl if I could kiss her,’” Coon said. She said the school told her that the purpose of the lesson was to “teach girls boundaries and how to say no.”

“They also picked two girls to stand in front of the class and pretend they were lesbians on a date,” Coons said. Paul Finch, the superintendent of the Red Hook Central School District, told the Poughkeepsie Journal that the workshop focused on “improving culture, relationships, communication and self-perceptions.” He told the newspaper those were issues the school was obligated to teach under the state’s Dignity for All Students Act. The state law requires schools to create a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment and bullying, the newspaper reported. Parents said they were not notified about the class or the subject matter. (Fox News Radio)

Kerry On Benghazi: "We Got A Lot More Important Things To Move On To"

2013-04-19T13:32:00Z

House Foreign Affairs Committee, April 17, 2013:

KERRY: Let's figure out what it is that's missing, if it's legitimate or if it isn't. I don't think anybody lied to anybody. And let's find out exactly, together, what happened, because we need -- we got a lot more important things to move on to and get done.

Britain, France claim Syria used chemical weapons

2013-04-19T13:30:00Z

Britain and France have informed the United Nations that there is credible evidence that Syria used chemical weapons on more than one occasion since December, according to senior diplomats and officials briefed on the accounts. In letters to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the two European powers said soil samples, witness interviews and opposition sources support charges that nerve agents were used in and around the cities of Aleppo, Homs and possibly Damascus, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The European accounts are in part aimed at countering accusations by the Syrian government that opposition forces had fired chemical weapons during fighting in the town of Khan al-Asal near Aleppo on March 19, killing 26 people, including Syrian troops.

European diplomats acknowledge that Syrian forces may have been exposed to chemical agents during the attack, but they say it was a “friendly fire” incident in which the troops were hit when a government shell missed its opposition target. The Syrian government has seized on the incident to make its case that opposition forces have introduced chemical weapons into the civil war. A day after the alleged attack, Syria’s U.N. ambassador, Bashar Jaafari, invited the world body to send an “impartial” technical team to the country confirm the opposition’s use of chemical weapons. Russia strongly endorsed the Syrian request. The U.N. chief agreed to establish a fact-finding team, but the effort has since been bogged down over a dispute about the scope of the investigation, with Russia backing the Syrian request for a limited probe into the Aleppo incident, and key Western powers, including Britain, France and the United States, proposing a broader investigation that examines the possible use of chemical weapons throughout Syria. U.N. inspectors have not yet been permitted into the country. (Washington Post)

Florida college instructor fired after handing out voter pledge cards with image of Obam

2013-04-19T13:27:00Z

An associate professor at Florida’s Brevard Community College has been fired after school officials say she handed out pledge cards to students urging them to vote for President Barack Obama. The school’s board of trustees terminated Sharon Sweet on Wednesday after a three-month investigation, but she plans on fighting the decision, FloridaToday.com reports. The pledge cards, handed to her math students last November, had a picture of Obama on the top and a red flag with the phrase “Pledge to vote!” The college determined that Sweet violated a code of conduct that prohibits employees from seeking support for political candidates, FloridaToday.com reports. Sweet, a registered Democrat, says she was participating in non-partisan voter registration on campus and didn’t see the parts of the pledge cards with Obama’s image. (Fox News)

Up to 15 dead, at least 160 injured in Texas plant blast

2013-04-18T14:15:00Z

A huge explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, left as many as 15 people dead and 160 injured as the earthquake-level blast sent fire and embers into the air and leveled scores of homes in a four-block area, police said Thursday. The blast, which rocked the ground with the force of a magnitude 2.1 earthquake, could be felt as far as 45 miles away. Officials said there was no initial indication that the blast was anything but an industrial accident, although ATF agents will be investigating. Five to six volunteer firefighters were battling the initial blaze at the plant when the explosion erupted. Not all of them have been accounted for, according to Mayor Tommy Muska. As a storm front moved into the area, teams were going house to house in this small farming community of 2,800 looking for survivors. First-responders to the West Rest Haven Nursing home, which was heavily damaged, removed 133 residents, many in wheelchairs. Waco police Sgt. William Patrick Swanton said early Thursday morning that the death toll is only an estimate as search and rescue operations continued in this north-central Texas town 80 miles south of Dallas. Muska urged residents to stay indoors as protection from the possibility of chemical fumes in the area, about 20 miles north of Waco in North Central Texas. Wilson, the trooper, said half the town had been evacuated due to damage or the threat posed by the fumes. (USA Today)

Authorities have clear video images of two suspects

2013-04-18T14:14:00Z

Authorities have clear video images of two separate suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings carrying black bags at each explosion site and are planning to release the images today in an appeal for the public’s help in identifying the men, according to an official briefed on the case. The official said that the two suspects were seen separately on videotape -- one at each of the two bombing sites, which are located about a block apart. The official, who spoke this morning on the condition of anonymity, said the best video has come from surveillance cameras on the same side of Boylston Street as the explosions. The official said the widely reported Lord Taylor surveillance camera, and snapshots from individual cell phone camera users, have not provided the clearest images.

It was unclear why authorities did not publicize images of the unidentified suspects yesterday. President Obama is visiting Boston today, and the timing of a law enforcement briefing remained unclear. On Wednesday, the disclosure that a bomber was believed to have been seen on the Lord and Taylor surveillance video led to widespread media reports that a suspect was in custody, was under arrest and was heading to US District Court in South Boston for an initial appearance. Journalists and spectators converged on the Moakley federal courthouse Wednesday afternoon, expecting a suspect to be brought in. But top law enforcement officials denied they had anyone in custody, and the courthouse was evacuated after a bomb threat. After a search of the building, employees and visitors were allowed back inside. (Boston Globe)

Obama: Gun law defeat is a "shameful day"

2013-04-18T14:13:00Z

I've heard folks say that having the families of victims lobby for this legislation was somehow misplaced. "A prop," somebody called them. “Emotional blackmail,” some outlet said. Are they serious? Do we really think that thousands of families whose lives have been shattered by gun violence don’t have a right to weigh in on this issue? Do we think their emotions, their loss is not relevant to this debate? So all in all, this was a pretty shameful day for Washington.

But this effort is not over. I want to make it clear to the American people we can still bring about meaningful changes that reduce gun violence, so long as the American people don’t give up on it. Even without Congress, my administration will keep doing everything it can to protect more of our communities. We’re going to address the barriers that prevent states from participating in the existing background check system. We’re going to give law enforcement more information about lost and stolen guns so it can do its job. We’re going to help to put in place emergency plans to protect our children in their schools.

Gun-control overhaul is defeated in Senate

2013-04-18T14:12:00Z

President Obama’s ambitious effort to overhaul the nation’s gun laws in response to December’s school massacre in Connecticut suffered a resounding defeat Wednesday, when every major proposal he championed fell apart on the Senate floor. It was a stunning collapse for gun-control advocates just four months after the deaths of 20 children and six adults in Newtown led the president and many others to believe that the political climate on guns had been altered in their favor. The national drive for laws that might prevent another mass shooting unraveled under intense pressure from the gun rights lobby, which used regional and cultural differences among senators to prevent new firearms restrictions. One by one, the Senate blocked or defeated proposals that would ban certain military-style assault rifles and limit the size of ammunition magazines. But the biggest setback for the White House was the defeat of a measure to expand background checks to most gun sales. The Senate defied polls showing that nine in 10 Americans support the idea, which was designed to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. “All in all, this was a pretty shameful day for Washington,” a visibly angry Obama said as he delivered his response to the nation. (Washington Post)

Politico Analysis calls gun control: President Obama’s biggest loss

Never before had President Barack Obama put the moral force and political muscle of his presidency behind an issue quite this big — and lost quite this badly. The president, shaken to the core by the massacre of 26 innocents at Sandy Hook Elementary School, broke his own informal “Obama Rule” — of never leaning into an issue without a clear path to victory — first by pushing for a massive gun control package no one expected to pass, and then sticking through it even as he retrenched to a relatively modest bipartisan bill mandating national background checks on gun purchases. It was a bitter defeat for a president accustomed to winning, a second-term downer that may — or may not — foreshadow the slow decline suffered by so many of his predecessors. Obama seems to have the public behind him, but it illustrated his less-than-Johnsonian powers of personal persuasion, the possible shortcomings of his decision to wait a month after the killings to present a plan and above all the limits of his go-to “outside” strategy of taking his case directly to the American people.

More than anything, it was an emotional blow to Obama, who was as irritated at the four members of his own party as he was at the 90 percent of Republicans who defeated the bill… Added Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.): “I never saw a president fight so hard, a vice president, never on any issue… It shows us the cowardice of the Senate.” In the end, however, moderates and conservatives in the upper chamber said they simply couldn’t deal with a flurry of progressive issues at once — from gay marriage to immigration to guns. The other three Democratic “no” votes — Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Mark Begich of Alaska — were never really in play, sources familiar with the situation told POLITICO.

Arrest made in ricin case; mailings are an eerie echo of 2001 anthrax attacks

2013-04-18T14:11:00Z

Fire crews arrive at the unmarked postal building by the Beltway every few days, donning protective rubber suits and carrying away suspicious letters addressed to members of Congress. At a similarly secret building in the District, agents set aside letters once or twice a week to the president containing powder or other cause for concern. For years — ever since the anthrax attacks of 2001 — nearly every one has proved harmless. But alarms sounded in both buildings this week, and the threats appeared real: A grainy substance tested positive for the lethal toxin ricin in letters addressed to President Obama and a quiet senator from Mississippi. By Wednesday night, authorities had arrested Paul Kevin Curtis of Corinth, Miss., as a suspect in the ricin mailings, the FBI said in a statement. Curtis also sent a third letter to a Mississippi justice official, the FBI said. He is well known to law enforcement as a frequent letter-writer to lawmakers, two officials said. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), in a statement late Wednesday, thanked law enforcement officials “for their professionalism and decisive action in keeping our family and staff safe from harm.” The ricin scare had spilled into public view in dramatic fashion earlier Wednesday, less than two days after the deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon and bringing with it an eerie echo of the waves of fear that followed the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. (Washington Post)

Top Dem Sen. Baucus warns of 'train wreck' for Obama health law

2013-04-18T14:10:00Z

A senior Democratic senator who helped write President Obama's health care law stunned administration officials Wednesday, saying openly he thinks it's headed for a "train wreck." "I just see a huge train wreck coming down," Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., told Obama's health care chief during a routine budget hearing that suddenly turned tense. Baucus is the first top Democrat to publicly voice fears about the rollout of the new health care law, designed to bring coverage to some 30 million uninsured Americans through a mix of government programs and tax credits for private insurance that start next year. The six-term Democrat is also expected to face a tough re-election in 2014. Baucus is still trying to recover from approval ratings that nosedived amid displeasure with the health care law in his home state. Normally low-key and supportive, Baucus challenged Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at Wednesday's hearing. He said he's "very concerned" that new health insurance marketplaces for consumers and small businesses will not open on time in every state, and that if they do, they might just flop because residents don't have the information they need to make choices. "The administration's public information campaign on the benefits of the Affordable Care Act deserves a failing grade," he told Sebelius. "You need to fix this." Responding to Baucus, Sebelius pointedly noted that Republicans in Congress last year blocked funding for carrying out the health care law, and she had to resort to raiding other departmental funds that were legally available to her. (AP)