The Factor Rundown
Talking Points Memo & Top Story
Barack and a Hard Place Segment
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Will President Obama help get former Marine Jon Hammar released from Mexican prison?
Guests: Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL)
"In the middle of the Civil War President Lincoln still took time to right wrongs that were brought to his attention. Now we have a situation where a former Marine, 27-year-old Jon Hammar, has been in a Mexican prison since last August for absolutely nothing. As we have reported, Cpl. Hammar secured permission from U.S. Customs to carry an antique rifle across the border. He then checked in with Mexican officials, who arrested Hammar, threw him in prison, and chained him to his bunk. That's where Hammar remains, in a filthy and corrupt Mexican jail. Cpl. Hammar served combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and when he returned home he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. He was treated for nine months and simply wanted to take a vacation after his ordeal. You would think Secretary of State Clinton and President Obama would be directly involved in trying to secure the release of an American combat veteran, but they are not. This is a failure of leadership. This year the USA is sending more than $300 million to Mexico and they have the gall to imprison an American combat veteran for nothing! And where is Mexican President Nieto, who has the power to release Cpl. Hammar immediately? This is a disgusting situation and we call for President Obama to get Hammar out of that filthy prison this week. The buck stops with you, Mr. President."
The Factor was joined by Florida Senator Bill Nelson, who has been trying to win Jon Hammar's release. "We all want to get him out by Christmas," Nelson said, "and the White House and State Department are involved. When we found out about him being in the general prison population last August, we asked to get him out of there because of the obvious threat to his life. They moved him to an administrative facility where he was cuffed to the bed. That has since been removed, but it's still unacceptable." The Factor again urged the Obama administration to step up: "You've been doing excellent work, Senator, but don't you think President Obama could come out and say we're trying to get Hammar released?"
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President Obama's press conference on gun control
Guests: Monica Crowley and Alan Colmes
Vice President Joe Biden will lead a commission tasked with finding solutions to gun violence in America. The Factor asked Alan Colmes and Monica Crowley what is likely to emerge. "The main reason Joe Biden was chosen to head up this task force," Crowley said, "is because he wrote the 1994 crime bill that contained the original assault weapons ban. So this is what we are going to end up getting. But we have enough gun control laws that aren't enforced and you can't prevent every crime by every evil person." Colmes recommended one immediate step. "There should be background checks on everybody who buys a gun and a national registry. Right now only half the people who buy guns ever get background checks." The Factor questioned whether Joe Biden is the right person to lead the task force: "There's going to have to be a consensus for any kind of gun legislation, but Joe Biden is a very anti-gun guy. When you put him in charge of shaping this, you alienate almost everyone who opposes gun control."
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Was the Newtown shooter addicted to video games?
Guests: Brad Bushman, Ph.D.
By all accounts, Adam Lanza spent many hours playing video games, which could have affected his behavior. The Factor was joined by professor Brad Bushman, who has spent 25 years studying video games. "The studies show that violent video games increase aggressive thoughts," Bushman said, "they increase angry feelings, and they increase physiological arousal such as heart rate and blood pressure. They also decrease helping behavior and feelings of empathy for others." Bushman advised parents to monitor their children's entertainment choices, saying, "Violent and aggressive behavior is affected by many factors, but exposure to violent media is a factor that's relatively easy to change." The Factor lamented, "There are a lot of derelict parents and parents who don't care who use these games as baby sitters."
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Behind the scenes of the D.C. gun debate
Guests: James Rosen and Carl Cameron
Fox News correspondents James Rosen and Carl Cameron entered the No Spin Zone with their behind-the-scenes analysis of the gun control debate in Washington. "There's a lot of consternation in both parties," Cameron reported. "Vice President Biden's panel will probably propose to restore the assault weapons ban, but this is tough for Democrats. The last time the assault weapons ban was passed a lot of Democrats lost their seats and that's a big concern." Rosen pointed out that the powerful National Rifle Association has been conspicuously silent in recent days. "Gun industry sources told me that the NRA was allowing for a period of mourning after the Newtown tragedy, while the gun control lobby went straight out of the gates to press their case in the media. But that's going to change, the NRA is soon going to push back. You're going to see the full weight of this organization and its four-million members."
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Dennis Miller on the latest fiscal cliff negotiations
Guests: Dennis Miller
The Factor raised the subject of the budget negotiations in Washington and turned Dennis Miller loose. "I don't think Boehner is the guy we want to have there right now," Miller began, "he gets a little too emotional. If you mention that he used to be a bus boy at his old man's tavern, he turns into a cat watching 'Terms of Endearment' while peeling a Bermuda onion." Miller also commented on a new study claiming that Switzerland is the best place to be born, while the USA is way down at number 16. "I dig the big honkin' what-a-mess United States, I don't want the government in my life. And trust me, when it really hits the fan and they start blowing up mountain tops in Switzerland, the Swiss are going to drop that neutrality thing and come knocking on our door to kick the bad guys' asses."
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Popular song pulled from radio stations in wake of Newtown massacre
Guests: Juliet Huddy
Some radio stations have stopped playing "Die Young," a song by rapper/singer Kesha that includes violent imagery. FNC correspondent Juliet Huddy elaborated on the song and the singer. "She's a very popular artist," Huddy said, "and she happens to be pretty edgy. Some people say this song is not about actually dying young, that it's more a message of living life to its fullest, but then you see the video that is filled with violence. I have some friends in the record industry and they said the song was already going down and had hit its peak." The Factor worried that the radio ban could be counterproductive, saying, "This will probably make it more popular, when they do this people go to the Internet to watch it."
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Viewers sound off
Leanne Joubert, Queensland, Australia: "Many of us around the world are watching to see what America will do to limit mass murder. Your Constitution was ratified in 1788 when no Founding Father could have foreseen semi-automatic weapons."
Jim Brown, Tigerville, SC: "When I hear a politician say 'complex' or 'comprehensive,' I know that nothing will get done."
Stacie Bartlett, Colorado Springs, CO: "Mr. O, your nonstop pursuit of justice in the case of Jon Hammar is just another reason that we've been faithful watchers of The Factor."
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Not-so-Great Barrington
Town officials in Great Barrington, Massachusetts have consistently discouraged businesses there from putting out Christmas displays, so it's a good place to avoid if you're a fan of traditional Christmas.
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