The president of the conservative watchdog group Citizens United says it is “hard to believe” that Patrick Kennedy, the State Department’s under secretary for management, was unaware that Hillary Clinton used a private email server during her stint as secretary of state.
Last week, The Daily Caller reported that the State Department claimed that Kennedy, a 42-year veteran of the agency, was unaware that Clinton was utilizing the private email server as part of her off-the-books email setup.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner also said that Kennedy told the House Select Committee on Benghazi during an interview earlier this month that he did not know about the server.
But an email published last month by TheDC showed that Kennedy was involved in an Aug. 2011 email chain in which the server was discussed. And in that email, State’s then-executive secretary Stephen Mull so casually mentioned Clinton’s server that is appeared to not be secret among the upper echelons at the agency.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Monday, February 22, 2016
Iraq Reports Theft Of Deadly Radioactive Device
Iraq has informed an international watchdog agency of the theft last November of an industrial radiography device that carries potentially fatal radioactive substances.
Iraqi officials told Reuters that they fear the "highly dangerous" radioactive materials in the device could be used as a dirty bomb or other weapon if acquired by the Islamic State (IS) group, which occupies parts of Iraq.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on February 17 that Iraq reported the stolen material in November, but had not requested assistance in recovering it.
Reuters reported that the device, used in oil and gas development, was stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer that disappeared from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra.
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Iraqi officials told Reuters that they fear the "highly dangerous" radioactive materials in the device could be used as a dirty bomb or other weapon if acquired by the Islamic State (IS) group, which occupies parts of Iraq.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on February 17 that Iraq reported the stolen material in November, but had not requested assistance in recovering it.
Reuters reported that the device, used in oil and gas development, was stored in a protective case the size of a laptop computer that disappeared from a storage facility near the southern city of Basra.
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The Golden Generation
Why China’s super-rich send their children abroad.
On a crisp Sunday morning in November, Weymi Cho picked me up at my hotel, in downtown Vancouver, in her new car, a white Maserati GranTurismo with a red leather interior. She had slept only two hours the night before. A new karaoke machine had been installed in her apartment, a four-million-dollar condo with a view of the city’s harbor, and she and some friends had spent the night singing and drinking Veuve Clicquot. Weymi is twenty years old and slim, with large eyes and waist-length hair that cascaded, on this occasion, over a silk Dior blouse. She has a reserved, almost aristocratic air. It was a little past ten, and we were going shopping.
Holt Renfrew, Vancouver’s equivalent of Barneys, is one of Weymi’s customary weekend haunts, though she is aware of its limitations. “It doesn’t compare to Vegas, where there is obviously a better selection,” she explained as we drove there. Weymi speaks English with a subtle but noticeable accent, and was relieved when I switched to Mandarin. Her speech was punctuated by European brand names, which functioned as a kind of currency. A maid’s monthly wages, she said, were probably the price of a pair of Roger Vivier satin pumps. A night out can cost half a suède Birkin bag. On Weymi’s last birthday, in March, she’d spent more than two Fendi totes—around four thousand dollars—on drinks in less than an hour.
In the store, Weymi spotted a former classmate from a Vancouver fashion institute, who was now working as a salesgirl there. She talked about the attitude of Chinese customers. “They treat this place like a supermarket,” she said. “A three-thousand-dollar outfit is like a carton of milk.” Another salesgirl joined in and lamented that such profligacy negated any sense of exclusivity. Weymi agreed. “I can’t even look at Chanel bags anymore,” she said at one point. “Everyone and their auntie now has a boy bag.”
Weymi moved to Vancouver at the age of fourteen, to attend boarding school. Her family owns a successful semiconductor business in Taiwan, where she grew up, but her parents are from the mainland. She and her sister attended an international school, which prepared them for studies abroad, and she spent summers travelling in America or Australia. “My dad always wanted our English to be strong,” she told me. “The plan was always to send us out West.”
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On a crisp Sunday morning in November, Weymi Cho picked me up at my hotel, in downtown Vancouver, in her new car, a white Maserati GranTurismo with a red leather interior. She had slept only two hours the night before. A new karaoke machine had been installed in her apartment, a four-million-dollar condo with a view of the city’s harbor, and she and some friends had spent the night singing and drinking Veuve Clicquot. Weymi is twenty years old and slim, with large eyes and waist-length hair that cascaded, on this occasion, over a silk Dior blouse. She has a reserved, almost aristocratic air. It was a little past ten, and we were going shopping.
Holt Renfrew, Vancouver’s equivalent of Barneys, is one of Weymi’s customary weekend haunts, though she is aware of its limitations. “It doesn’t compare to Vegas, where there is obviously a better selection,” she explained as we drove there. Weymi speaks English with a subtle but noticeable accent, and was relieved when I switched to Mandarin. Her speech was punctuated by European brand names, which functioned as a kind of currency. A maid’s monthly wages, she said, were probably the price of a pair of Roger Vivier satin pumps. A night out can cost half a suède Birkin bag. On Weymi’s last birthday, in March, she’d spent more than two Fendi totes—around four thousand dollars—on drinks in less than an hour.
In the store, Weymi spotted a former classmate from a Vancouver fashion institute, who was now working as a salesgirl there. She talked about the attitude of Chinese customers. “They treat this place like a supermarket,” she said. “A three-thousand-dollar outfit is like a carton of milk.” Another salesgirl joined in and lamented that such profligacy negated any sense of exclusivity. Weymi agreed. “I can’t even look at Chanel bags anymore,” she said at one point. “Everyone and their auntie now has a boy bag.”
Weymi moved to Vancouver at the age of fourteen, to attend boarding school. Her family owns a successful semiconductor business in Taiwan, where she grew up, but her parents are from the mainland. She and her sister attended an international school, which prepared them for studies abroad, and she spent summers travelling in America or Australia. “My dad always wanted our English to be strong,” she told me. “The plan was always to send us out West.”
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Big Win For Bernie: AFL-CIO Holds Off On Presidential Endorsement
The largest union federation in America won't be backing Hillary Clinton for now.
The biggest prize in labor endorsements won't be doled out next week as many people expected, according to an email from the president of the AFL-CIO labor federation obtained by The Huffington Post.
In his email, Richard Trumka told members of the AFL-CIO executive council that the body won't be holding a vote on whether to endorse Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders at its annual winter meeting in San Diego.
"Following recent discussion at the AFL-CIO’s Executive Committee meeting and subsequent conversations with many of you, I have concluded that there is broad consensus for the AFL-CIO to remain neutral in the presidential primaries for the time being and refrain from endorsing any candidate at this moment," Trumka said.
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The biggest prize in labor endorsements won't be doled out next week as many people expected, according to an email from the president of the AFL-CIO labor federation obtained by The Huffington Post.
In his email, Richard Trumka told members of the AFL-CIO executive council that the body won't be holding a vote on whether to endorse Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders at its annual winter meeting in San Diego.
"Following recent discussion at the AFL-CIO’s Executive Committee meeting and subsequent conversations with many of you, I have concluded that there is broad consensus for the AFL-CIO to remain neutral in the presidential primaries for the time being and refrain from endorsing any candidate at this moment," Trumka said.
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Clinton not helped by soft media profiles
Hillary Clinton has been the subject of more than a few soft news features aimed at showing she's a real person with a nuturing side to her that isn't seen during the campaign. But so far, they haven't helped much.
On Wednesday, the women's magazine Vogue became the latest publication to showcase Clinton's softer side, as it published a lengthy profile by Jonathan Van Meter that asked whether Clinton will "make history" this election.
"[Clinton] spent the next hour moving through the applause lines of her stump speech, and then listening intently to voters' questions and answering them with candor," Van Meter wrote, describing Clinton during a campaign rally in January. "She was connecting. You could feel it."
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On Wednesday, the women's magazine Vogue became the latest publication to showcase Clinton's softer side, as it published a lengthy profile by Jonathan Van Meter that asked whether Clinton will "make history" this election.
"[Clinton] spent the next hour moving through the applause lines of her stump speech, and then listening intently to voters' questions and answering them with candor," Van Meter wrote, describing Clinton during a campaign rally in January. "She was connecting. You could feel it."
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QUOTE OF THE DECADE
Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Maricopa County, Arizona
U.S.English Chairman Praises House Passage of Bill to Declare English West Virginia's Official Language
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S.English Chairman Mauro E. Mujica today praised the West Virginia State House on its passage of a bill to recognize English as the official language of the state.
HB 3019, introduced by Delegate Woody Ireland, passed by a vote of 95 - 4. The legislation would require that official government business be conducted in English, allowing for the use of foreign languages in common sense circumstances such as health and safety, judicial situations and more. The bill would not restrict the use of foreign languages among individuals or businesses.
"I am pleased that the West Virginia State House has overwhelmingly recognized the value of conducting its official business in English," Chairman Mujica said. "When the government operates in English, it acts as an added incentive to encourage foreign language speakers to learn the language as well. I encourage the West Virginia State Senate to follow the House lead and help bring Delegate Ireland's bill to swift passage."
The legislation now awaits referral to a Senate committee. Should HB 3019 pass the State Senate and be signed into law by the Governor, West Virginia will become the 32nd state to recognize English as the official language.
Source
HB 3019, introduced by Delegate Woody Ireland, passed by a vote of 95 - 4. The legislation would require that official government business be conducted in English, allowing for the use of foreign languages in common sense circumstances such as health and safety, judicial situations and more. The bill would not restrict the use of foreign languages among individuals or businesses.
"I am pleased that the West Virginia State House has overwhelmingly recognized the value of conducting its official business in English," Chairman Mujica said. "When the government operates in English, it acts as an added incentive to encourage foreign language speakers to learn the language as well. I encourage the West Virginia State Senate to follow the House lead and help bring Delegate Ireland's bill to swift passage."
The legislation now awaits referral to a Senate committee. Should HB 3019 pass the State Senate and be signed into law by the Governor, West Virginia will become the 32nd state to recognize English as the official language.
Source
San Bernardino Shooter's iCloud Password Changed While iPhone was in Government Possession
The password for the San Bernardino shooter's iCloud account associated with his iPhone was reset hours after authorities took possession of the device.
The Justice Department acknowledged in its court filing that the password of Syed Farook's iCloud account had been reset. The filing states, "the owner [San Bernardino County Department of Public Health], in an attempt to gain access to some information in the hours after the attack, was able to reset the password remotely, but that had the effect of eliminating the possibility of an auto-backup."
Apple could have recovered information from the iPhone had the iCloud password not been reset, the company said. If the phone was taken to a location where it recognized the Wi-Fi network, such as the San Bernardino shooters' home, it could have been backed up to the cloud, Apple suggested.
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The Justice Department acknowledged in its court filing that the password of Syed Farook's iCloud account had been reset. The filing states, "the owner [San Bernardino County Department of Public Health], in an attempt to gain access to some information in the hours after the attack, was able to reset the password remotely, but that had the effect of eliminating the possibility of an auto-backup."
Apple could have recovered information from the iPhone had the iCloud password not been reset, the company said. If the phone was taken to a location where it recognized the Wi-Fi network, such as the San Bernardino shooters' home, it could have been backed up to the cloud, Apple suggested.
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Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Press Release 2-22-16
On February 22, 2016 at about 1:20 p.m. the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office responded to Greenbackville Road near Ticktown Road in Stockton for a motor vehicle crash involving pedestrians.
Preliminary investigation indicated that two Worcester County Public Works Roads Division employees were working on the side of Greenbackville Road. A 2010 Kia traveling south on Greenbackville Road was attempting to pass around the work area. The operator swerved back into its lane to avoid an oncoming vehicle. The Kia drove through the work area and struck the two Worcester County Employees. One of the workers was pronounce deceased at the scene. The second worker was transported by the Maryland State Police helicopter to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore where he is listed in critical condition. The driver of the Kia was transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury and was being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The names are being withheld pending family notification.
The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit is investigating the crash.
Anyone with information regarding this crash may contact the Worcester County Sheriff's Office Crash Reconstruction Unit at 410-632-1112.
Preliminary investigation indicated that two Worcester County Public Works Roads Division employees were working on the side of Greenbackville Road. A 2010 Kia traveling south on Greenbackville Road was attempting to pass around the work area. The operator swerved back into its lane to avoid an oncoming vehicle. The Kia drove through the work area and struck the two Worcester County Employees. One of the workers was pronounce deceased at the scene. The second worker was transported by the Maryland State Police helicopter to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore where he is listed in critical condition. The driver of the Kia was transported to Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury and was being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The names are being withheld pending family notification.
The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit is investigating the crash.
Anyone with information regarding this crash may contact the Worcester County Sheriff's Office Crash Reconstruction Unit at 410-632-1112.
Verizon Cuts Rates For Data Plans, But Not Automatically For Existing Customers
In spite of Verizon Wireless’ recent boasts that it’s “a leader, not a follower,” a new announcement from the nation’s biggest wireless company shows that Big V is indeed following the competition down the path of charging customers less for their data plans. However, current Verizon subscribers will need to let the company know they want to save money (or get more data).
It’s a little confusing, so stick with us for a moment.
Verizon MORE Everything customers who currently have monthly data allotments of 1GB, 2GB, 3GB, or 4GB will have an option on how they want to save.
They can either get more data for their money by getting 1GB of additional data per month for no extra charge OR they can have their bill reduced by $10/month.
So someone with a 2GB plan is currently paying $50/month. If they take the free data option, that goes to 3GB for the same price. Or they can elect to stick with the 2GB and their data bill drops to $40/month.
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It’s a little confusing, so stick with us for a moment.
Verizon MORE Everything customers who currently have monthly data allotments of 1GB, 2GB, 3GB, or 4GB will have an option on how they want to save.
They can either get more data for their money by getting 1GB of additional data per month for no extra charge OR they can have their bill reduced by $10/month.
So someone with a 2GB plan is currently paying $50/month. If they take the free data option, that goes to 3GB for the same price. Or they can elect to stick with the 2GB and their data bill drops to $40/month.
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2016 Crisfield Elks Pride Lodge 194 Parade Entry Invitaion
Dear Crisfield Elks Annual Parade Friends and Neighbors:
Congratulations! You have been chosen to be invited to be a part of the Annual Elks Organizational Day Parade, on April 17th 2016. Our parade continues to be a highlight of our community and of our legacy, and we would not want you to miss it!
This year’s parade line up will begin promptly at 1:00 p.m. on April 17th. This packet contains all of the information you will need to officially enter your organization into the parade. The packet includes the invitation, an entry form, the parade rules and the entry guidelines. Please carefully read all of the information in the packet. We are looking for musical units, floats, drill and cheer teams, equestrian units, clowns, Classic cars, military units, civic groups, cub/boy/girl scout troops, and any other appropriate Parade entities to participate school groups, social clubs/organizations and floats are encouraged and welcome.
Please note, this year we expect to have a large number of entries. We may have to limit entries and therefore will be accepting entries on a first-come first-served basis. We highly suggest that if your group is interested in participating in the parade, please respond promptly.
To enter, please mail the completed application form
Crisfield Elks Annual Organization Parade Committee
P.O Box 283
Crisfield, MD 21817
Or Email it to: VENEYT20@GMAIL.COM
We hope you will come and make our celebration spectacular!!
FBI biometrics research could make faces the new fingerprints
While the FBI remains in the planning stages of its new headquarters construction project, the agency’s new biometrics technology center has been working on projects to build on the breakthrough successes it’s had with fingerprint technology.
By matching clues about a suspect’s physical profile — such as a voice or face — with the power of big data, the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division aims to bring speed and efficiency to law enforcement investigations.
Stephen Morris, FBI assistant director for CJIS, told Federal Drive with Tom Temin that the agency’s new Biometrics Technology Center has been a project nearly a decade in the making.
“What it represents for us is an opportunity to harness all of our biometrics activities within the FBI under one roof,” Morris said. “The backbone, if you will, of that building will be our Next Generation Identification System.”
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By matching clues about a suspect’s physical profile — such as a voice or face — with the power of big data, the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division aims to bring speed and efficiency to law enforcement investigations.
Stephen Morris, FBI assistant director for CJIS, told Federal Drive with Tom Temin that the agency’s new Biometrics Technology Center has been a project nearly a decade in the making.
“What it represents for us is an opportunity to harness all of our biometrics activities within the FBI under one roof,” Morris said. “The backbone, if you will, of that building will be our Next Generation Identification System.”
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Former Miss Arkansas Sally Miller says Bill Clinton was so-so in bed
Sally Miller looked on in amusement as the man who would become the 42nd President of the United States slipped into her own frilly black nightgown.
The former Miss Arkansas has never forgotten how her younger lover proceeded to dance around the bedroom, serenading her with his saxophone and reducing her to a fit of giggles.
This playful scene was typical of the laughter-filled nights that ex-beauty queen Miller enjoyed with Bill Clinton during their 1983 affair, she tells Daily Mail Online in an exclusive interview.
The married Governor of Arkansas would frequently adopt the role of entertainer-in-chief to impress his glamorous older woman, a one-time Miss America finalist.
But while his attempts at lovemaking were largely forgettable, Clinton would rarely disappoint when it came to divulging intimate and potentially damaging secrets about his wife Hillary.
More than two decades on, Miller, a former singer and radio host known as Sally Perdue, is preparing to dish more secrets of their pillow talk in a tell-all memoir.
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The former Miss Arkansas has never forgotten how her younger lover proceeded to dance around the bedroom, serenading her with his saxophone and reducing her to a fit of giggles.
This playful scene was typical of the laughter-filled nights that ex-beauty queen Miller enjoyed with Bill Clinton during their 1983 affair, she tells Daily Mail Online in an exclusive interview.
The married Governor of Arkansas would frequently adopt the role of entertainer-in-chief to impress his glamorous older woman, a one-time Miss America finalist.
But while his attempts at lovemaking were largely forgettable, Clinton would rarely disappoint when it came to divulging intimate and potentially damaging secrets about his wife Hillary.
More than two decades on, Miller, a former singer and radio host known as Sally Perdue, is preparing to dish more secrets of their pillow talk in a tell-all memoir.
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Breaking News Alert: OPM CIO, VA deputy CIO to step down
The Office of Personnel Management’s chief information officer is stepping down after two years of service and just two days before a scheduled appearance on Capitol Hill to discuss the agency’s massive data breach.
Read the full story.
Art Gonzalez, the deputy chief information officer for service, delivery and engineering at the Veterans Affairs Department, is leaving government.
Read the full story.
Read the full story.
Art Gonzalez, the deputy chief information officer for service, delivery and engineering at the Veterans Affairs Department, is leaving government.
Read the full story.
Nation’s ICE Officers Detail How Marco Rubio Betrayed Them
In an exclusive Q&A with Breitbart News, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Council President Chris Crane provides never-before-heard details about the 2013 Gang of Eight immigration fight that are likely to shake up an already tumultuous presidential race.
ICE Council President, Crane represents the nation’s approximately 5,800 frontline ICE officers, agents and personnel who are responsible for enforcing America’s immigration laws in all 50 states and U.S. territories. For the first time ever, Crane details his behind-the-scenes interactions with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as Crane sought to protect the nation’s ICE officers and national security.
Crane was integral to stopping Sen. Rubio’s amnesty plan from passing the House—which, as Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) recently explained, “was a near-run thing.”
In his responses, Crane addresses an incident—first detailed by Breitbart News— in which Marco Rubio stood idly by as Crane was ejected from a Gang of Eight press conference for trying to ask a question on behalf of law enforcement.
Crane, an active duty ICE officer, has served as an officer for approximately 13 years and has been elected by his peers as the president of their union, as thus their voice on the national stage. Prior to joining ICE, Crane was a United States Marine.
What follows below are the complete, unedited responses of National ICE Council President Chris Crane.
BREITBART NEWS: It is well known that the Gang of Eight reached out to big business groups and amnesty groups in the process of writing the bill. When Sen. Rubio started writing his bill, did he reach out to you and other ICE officers for your ideas and input?
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ICE Council President, Crane represents the nation’s approximately 5,800 frontline ICE officers, agents and personnel who are responsible for enforcing America’s immigration laws in all 50 states and U.S. territories. For the first time ever, Crane details his behind-the-scenes interactions with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as Crane sought to protect the nation’s ICE officers and national security.
Crane was integral to stopping Sen. Rubio’s amnesty plan from passing the House—which, as Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) recently explained, “was a near-run thing.”
In his responses, Crane addresses an incident—first detailed by Breitbart News— in which Marco Rubio stood idly by as Crane was ejected from a Gang of Eight press conference for trying to ask a question on behalf of law enforcement.
Crane, an active duty ICE officer, has served as an officer for approximately 13 years and has been elected by his peers as the president of their union, as thus their voice on the national stage. Prior to joining ICE, Crane was a United States Marine.
What follows below are the complete, unedited responses of National ICE Council President Chris Crane.
BREITBART NEWS: It is well known that the Gang of Eight reached out to big business groups and amnesty groups in the process of writing the bill. When Sen. Rubio started writing his bill, did he reach out to you and other ICE officers for your ideas and input?
More
Krauthammer: Win One for Nino
Let’s understand something about the fight to fill the Supreme Court seat of Antonin (“Nino”) Scalia. This is about nothing but raw power. Any appeal you hear to high principle is phony — brazenly, embarrassingly so.
In Year Seven of the George W. Bush administration, Sen. Chuck Schumer publicly opposed filling any Supreme Court vacancy until Bush left office. (“Except in extraordinary circumstances.” None such arose. Surprise!) Today he piously denounces Republicans for doing exactly the same for a vacancy created in Year Eight of Barack Obama.
Republicans, say the Democrats, owe the president deference. Elections have consequences and Obama won re-election in 2012.
Yes. And the Republicans won the Senate in 2014 — if anything, a more proximal assertion of popular will. And both have equal standing in appointing a Supreme Court justice.
It’s hard to swallow demands for deference from a party that for seven years has cheered Obama’s serial constitutional depredations: His rewriting the immigration laws by executive order (stayed by the courts); his reordering the energy economy by regulation (stayed by the courts); his enacting the nuclear deal with Iran, the most important treaty of this generation, without the required two-thirds of the Senate (by declaring it an executive agreement).
Minority Leader Harry Reid complains about the Senate violating precedent if it refuses a lame-duck nominee. This is rich. It is Reid who just two years ago overthrew all precedent by abolishing the filibuster for most judicial and high executive appointments.
More here
In Year Seven of the George W. Bush administration, Sen. Chuck Schumer publicly opposed filling any Supreme Court vacancy until Bush left office. (“Except in extraordinary circumstances.” None such arose. Surprise!) Today he piously denounces Republicans for doing exactly the same for a vacancy created in Year Eight of Barack Obama.
Republicans, say the Democrats, owe the president deference. Elections have consequences and Obama won re-election in 2012.
Yes. And the Republicans won the Senate in 2014 — if anything, a more proximal assertion of popular will. And both have equal standing in appointing a Supreme Court justice.
It’s hard to swallow demands for deference from a party that for seven years has cheered Obama’s serial constitutional depredations: His rewriting the immigration laws by executive order (stayed by the courts); his reordering the energy economy by regulation (stayed by the courts); his enacting the nuclear deal with Iran, the most important treaty of this generation, without the required two-thirds of the Senate (by declaring it an executive agreement).
Minority Leader Harry Reid complains about the Senate violating precedent if it refuses a lame-duck nominee. This is rich. It is Reid who just two years ago overthrew all precedent by abolishing the filibuster for most judicial and high executive appointments.
More here
Activists Ask Judge to Block States From Requiring Proof of US Citizenship to Vote
On Wednesday, the coalition filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia asking a federal judge for a temporary restraining order blocking the changes in Alabama, Georgia and Kansas.
“Voters have been using the Federal Form to register without having to comply with a documentary proof of citizenship requirement for over two decades, but the Executive Director’s sudden unilateral changes to the Federal Form – implemented without public notice – ratchet up the requirements for registering to vote at the last-minute, mere weeks before primary elections and a presidential caucus in the affected states,” according to the complaint.
“Imposing such eleventh-hour restrictions on voting risks voter and election official confusion and is contrary to the public interest,” it argued.
Under federal law, only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote in federal elections. In most states, residents do not have to provide documentation proving they are eligible, but merely sign a sworn statement declaring that they are U.S. citizens.
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Sessions on ICE vs. Rubio: Chris Crane Is an American Hero
On Friday Breitbart News published an exclusive interview with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Council President Chris Crane. In the interview, Crane details how “law enforcement was treated like absolute trash” by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and the Gang of Eight, who “saw law enforcement as the enemy.”
Crane, who is himself an ICE officer of 13 years, was also a U.S. Marine and is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, as well as a lifetime member of the the American Legion.
In response to Crane’s interview, Marco Rubio appeared on Fox News and denounced Crane and his service to his country. “He’s not an ICE official. He’s the head of a union,” Rubio declared. “That individual is not an ICE official; he’s the head of a union,” Rubio said, repeating himself later in the interview.
Senator Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)– who led the opposition to Rubio’s Obama-backed 2013 amnesty bill– weighed in on the matter this afternoon. An advanced copy of Sessions’ response was provided to Breitbart News:
Chris Crane is an honest man of integrity who has served his country for many years as a United States Marine and as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. He is an American hero who was chosen by nearly 6,000 ICE officers, agents and employees to head their union and speak to the nation on their behalf. He courageously spoke up to expose the administration’s political manipulation of ICE officers, providing all of us an early warning of the administration’s near total non-enforcement of immigration laws, years before it was widely known.
More here
Crane, who is himself an ICE officer of 13 years, was also a U.S. Marine and is a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, as well as a lifetime member of the the American Legion.
In response to Crane’s interview, Marco Rubio appeared on Fox News and denounced Crane and his service to his country. “He’s not an ICE official. He’s the head of a union,” Rubio declared. “That individual is not an ICE official; he’s the head of a union,” Rubio said, repeating himself later in the interview.
Senator Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)– who led the opposition to Rubio’s Obama-backed 2013 amnesty bill– weighed in on the matter this afternoon. An advanced copy of Sessions’ response was provided to Breitbart News:
Chris Crane is an honest man of integrity who has served his country for many years as a United States Marine and as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. He is an American hero who was chosen by nearly 6,000 ICE officers, agents and employees to head their union and speak to the nation on their behalf. He courageously spoke up to expose the administration’s political manipulation of ICE officers, providing all of us an early warning of the administration’s near total non-enforcement of immigration laws, years before it was widely known.
More here
Border Patrol Leaving Security Gates Wide Open
Multiple U.S. Customs and Border Protection bases near the Mexico border have “inoperable” security cameras and other serious security gaps, according to a new federal watchdog report.
The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General found four border posts where agents live and work for a week at a time that have inoperable cameras, which increases their chances of suffering a security breach.
Some posts also have inadequate access controls, and CBP doesn’t conduct consistent security inspections of the facilities.
“If agents cannot perform this task, the FOB (forward operating base) is more vulnerable to a security breach,” the report said.
The CBP bases are located in important — and often dangerous — places along the U.S.-Mexico border, the IG said. The west Arizona desert area where one base is located is “very active in illegal cross border activity involving aliens and narcotics,” CBP officials noted in their official response to the report.
But when IG investigators visited one undisclosed site, the gate was open and, they found, the gate is “repeatedly left open.”
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The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General found four border posts where agents live and work for a week at a time that have inoperable cameras, which increases their chances of suffering a security breach.
Some posts also have inadequate access controls, and CBP doesn’t conduct consistent security inspections of the facilities.
“If agents cannot perform this task, the FOB (forward operating base) is more vulnerable to a security breach,” the report said.
The CBP bases are located in important — and often dangerous — places along the U.S.-Mexico border, the IG said. The west Arizona desert area where one base is located is “very active in illegal cross border activity involving aliens and narcotics,” CBP officials noted in their official response to the report.
But when IG investigators visited one undisclosed site, the gate was open and, they found, the gate is “repeatedly left open.”
More
Downtown Construction Follow Up
Delmar Man Arrested for Kidnapping and Car Theft - Laurel
Laurel, DE- Delaware State Police have arrested a Delmar, Delaware man after he stole a vehicle that was still occupied with a one year old child.
The incident occurred at approximately 8:55 p.m., Sunday February 21, 2016 as a 25-year-old male parked his car in a private driveway outside a relative’s residence located in the 32000 block of Bi-State Boulevard. The male stayed in the vehicle with his one year old son while his other 10-year-old son went inside to quickly see an ailing relative. After a few minutes passed, the father went into the house to get the young boy, leaving the one year old in the back seat of the idling car. Within one to two minutes of him going into the house and speaking to his wife and son, the father returned to find the car had been stolen.
Troopers with the assistance from Laurel Police Department, Delmar Police Department, Fruitland Police Department (K9), and Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office (K9) immediately responded to the area after the 9-1-1 call was placed to the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center. A description of the vehicle along with the registration number was broadcast over the radio and within eight minutes of the initial call, the car was located parked and still running approximately two miles from the residence at the intersection of Bi-State Boulevard and Bacons Road by Laurel PD. The child was located still inside the vehicle unharmed, in good condition, and quickly reunited with his parents, but the suspect who stole the vehicle had fled.
Troopers, Deputies, and Officers continued searching the area for the suspect and at 9:30 p.m. Frederick T. Najdek, 30 of Delmar, was located by troopers walking on Dorothy Road just west of Sussex Highway (US13). Through the investigation it was learned the Najdek had taken the vehicle and upon hearing the child crying in the back seat, he parked the vehicle at the intersection and fled on foot. Najdek was transported back to Troop 5 near Bridgeville where he was charged with Kidnapping 2nd, and Theft of a Motor Vehicle. He was arraigned at JP3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $55,000.00 cash bond.
The incident occurred at approximately 8:55 p.m., Sunday February 21, 2016 as a 25-year-old male parked his car in a private driveway outside a relative’s residence located in the 32000 block of Bi-State Boulevard. The male stayed in the vehicle with his one year old son while his other 10-year-old son went inside to quickly see an ailing relative. After a few minutes passed, the father went into the house to get the young boy, leaving the one year old in the back seat of the idling car. Within one to two minutes of him going into the house and speaking to his wife and son, the father returned to find the car had been stolen.
Troopers with the assistance from Laurel Police Department, Delmar Police Department, Fruitland Police Department (K9), and Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office (K9) immediately responded to the area after the 9-1-1 call was placed to the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center. A description of the vehicle along with the registration number was broadcast over the radio and within eight minutes of the initial call, the car was located parked and still running approximately two miles from the residence at the intersection of Bi-State Boulevard and Bacons Road by Laurel PD. The child was located still inside the vehicle unharmed, in good condition, and quickly reunited with his parents, but the suspect who stole the vehicle had fled.
Troopers, Deputies, and Officers continued searching the area for the suspect and at 9:30 p.m. Frederick T. Najdek, 30 of Delmar, was located by troopers walking on Dorothy Road just west of Sussex Highway (US13). Through the investigation it was learned the Najdek had taken the vehicle and upon hearing the child crying in the back seat, he parked the vehicle at the intersection and fled on foot. Najdek was transported back to Troop 5 near Bridgeville where he was charged with Kidnapping 2nd, and Theft of a Motor Vehicle. He was arraigned at JP3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $55,000.00 cash bond.
Chinese FM to Visit Washington Amid Tensions Over Missile Deployment
Defense, State chiefs to grill Wang Yi on S. China Sea militarization
China’s foreign minister will visit Washington next week amid rising tensions over the deployment of advanced Chinese air defense missiles on a disputed South China Sea island.
In Beijing, meanwhile, a foreign ministry spokesman on Friday fired back at U.S. criticism of the deployment of HQ-9 missiles on Woody Island in the Parcels, accusing the United States of militarizing the region.
State Department spokesmen had no immediate comment.
Wang Yi, the foreign minister, is scheduled to arrive early next week for talks with Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Ash Carter, and White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Obama administration officials familiar with the visit said.
The deployment of missiles in the South China Sea is expected to be the main topic of discussions, the officials said.
Wang is expected to voice China’s opposition to U.S. warship passages in the sea and reconnaissance and bomber flights over the islands.
The Chinese minister is also expected to oppose Pentagon plans to deploy one of its most advanced missile defense systems in South Korea, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense.
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China’s foreign minister will visit Washington next week amid rising tensions over the deployment of advanced Chinese air defense missiles on a disputed South China Sea island.
In Beijing, meanwhile, a foreign ministry spokesman on Friday fired back at U.S. criticism of the deployment of HQ-9 missiles on Woody Island in the Parcels, accusing the United States of militarizing the region.
State Department spokesmen had no immediate comment.
Wang Yi, the foreign minister, is scheduled to arrive early next week for talks with Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Ash Carter, and White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Obama administration officials familiar with the visit said.
The deployment of missiles in the South China Sea is expected to be the main topic of discussions, the officials said.
Wang is expected to voice China’s opposition to U.S. warship passages in the sea and reconnaissance and bomber flights over the islands.
The Chinese minister is also expected to oppose Pentagon plans to deploy one of its most advanced missile defense systems in South Korea, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense.
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Levin: 'Time for All Conservatives to Come Home Now and Do the Right Thing'
(CNSNews.com) - Mark Levin, a staunch defender of conservatism and the Constitution, told South Carolinians Thursday night that the next election is "a choice between liberty and tyranny."
"It's time for all conservatives to come home now and do the right thing. And if you're a conservative, you know what the right thing is. And you know what I mean."
Levin, speaking at a conservative convention, said the outcome of the election cannot be left to "commentators on TV."
"We're here today to make it crystal clear...that we are proud, true, unapologetic conservatives. We are not going to take a backseat to anyone, any group, or any political party.
"From this place forward, we will demonstrate the will, the strength, and the wisdom of our movement. And we declare here and now that it will be our solemn mission to wrench this great Republic from the iron grip of the statists in both parties and their surrogates...in the federal courts and in the federal bureaucracy.
"We are not anarchists. We are Constitutionalists. We do not seek to fundamentally transform our country. We seek to take our country back from those who fundamentally screwed it up."
Read more here
"It's time for all conservatives to come home now and do the right thing. And if you're a conservative, you know what the right thing is. And you know what I mean."
Levin, speaking at a conservative convention, said the outcome of the election cannot be left to "commentators on TV."
"We're here today to make it crystal clear...that we are proud, true, unapologetic conservatives. We are not going to take a backseat to anyone, any group, or any political party.
"From this place forward, we will demonstrate the will, the strength, and the wisdom of our movement. And we declare here and now that it will be our solemn mission to wrench this great Republic from the iron grip of the statists in both parties and their surrogates...in the federal courts and in the federal bureaucracy.
"We are not anarchists. We are Constitutionalists. We do not seek to fundamentally transform our country. We seek to take our country back from those who fundamentally screwed it up."
Read more here
TRUMP: ‘I WOULD BE SO ANGRY’ AT OBAMA IF I WERE BLACK
Trump said black unemployment has gone up under Obama’s watch
“People don’t know I’m a unifier,” Trump, the GOP front-runner, said at a rally in Myrtle Beach, S.C. “You know, Barack Obama, African-American. If I were African-American, I would be so angry at him.”
Trump said black unemployment has gone up under Obama’s watch.
“African-American youth has an almost 60 percent unemployment rate,” he said. “African-American people that are 25, prime-time age, 25 to 40, have such a high unemployment rate, you wouldn’t believe it. It’s gone up and it’s gotten worse since he’s been president.”
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State Department Asked Hillary Clinton for Emails in July 2014
(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch has announced that it recently obtained State Department records showing the agency asked Hillary Clinton to return emails in July 2014. This contradicts statements made in court that the agency only requested via a November 2014 letter, a version of which was sent to several former secretaries of state, that Mrs. Clinton return records to the State Department. Other new emails show the State Department has separate policies for handling the documents of State Department senior officials “and the rest of the department.”
The emails are found in a batch of 189 pages of documents produced under court order in a FOIA lawsuit specifically seeking all of Clinton’s emails and records about her email practices (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:15-cv-00687)).
An email from Cheryl Mills, Hillary Clinton’s former counselor and chief of staff, to David E. Wade, then-chief of staff to Secretary of State John Kerry, shows that the State Department asked for the Clinton emails in July 2014.
From: Cheryl Mills
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2014 9:20 AM
To: Wade, David E
Cc: Visek, Richard C; Philippe Reines
Subject: Following Up
Dear David (and Rich)
I wanted to follow up on your request last month about getting hard copies of Secretary Clinton’s emails to/from accounts ending in “.gov” for her tenure at the Department.
I will be able to get that to you, to the best of its availability. Given the volume, it will take some time to do but I wanted to let you know that I am working to get it to you.
Hope you are having a great end to your summer.
Best.
cdm
(Sorry for not copying Jen, I don’t have her email).
Judicial Watch filed this new email with U.S. District Court Judge Emmett Sullivan, who is now considering whether to grant discovery in a lawsuit seeking information on the “special government employee” status of Abedin. The court specifically asked the State Department about how and when it requested that Mrs. Clinton return records. In today’s filing, Judicial Watch states:
This [Mills] email indisputably shows that the State Department first asked Mrs. Clinton to return records as late as July 2014, not November 2014 as the State Department would have this Court and [Judicial Watch] believe.
More here
The emails are found in a batch of 189 pages of documents produced under court order in a FOIA lawsuit specifically seeking all of Clinton’s emails and records about her email practices (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:15-cv-00687)).
An email from Cheryl Mills, Hillary Clinton’s former counselor and chief of staff, to David E. Wade, then-chief of staff to Secretary of State John Kerry, shows that the State Department asked for the Clinton emails in July 2014.
From: Cheryl Mills
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2014 9:20 AM
To: Wade, David E
Cc: Visek, Richard C; Philippe Reines
Subject: Following Up
Dear David (and Rich)
I wanted to follow up on your request last month about getting hard copies of Secretary Clinton’s emails to/from accounts ending in “.gov” for her tenure at the Department.
I will be able to get that to you, to the best of its availability. Given the volume, it will take some time to do but I wanted to let you know that I am working to get it to you.
Hope you are having a great end to your summer.
Best.
cdm
(Sorry for not copying Jen, I don’t have her email).
Judicial Watch filed this new email with U.S. District Court Judge Emmett Sullivan, who is now considering whether to grant discovery in a lawsuit seeking information on the “special government employee” status of Abedin. The court specifically asked the State Department about how and when it requested that Mrs. Clinton return records. In today’s filing, Judicial Watch states:
This [Mills] email indisputably shows that the State Department first asked Mrs. Clinton to return records as late as July 2014, not November 2014 as the State Department would have this Court and [Judicial Watch] believe.
More here
HILLARY CLINTON IS ROLLING IN BIG CASH FROM HER ‘BIG ENEMY’ – BIG PHARMA
If we are supposed to be a system of government by the whole populationor all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives, how does Cargill, Ely Lilly, or Turing Pharmaceutical get to determine who runs the country?
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What Great Nation Did Free Trade Ever Build?
Republican hawks are aflutter today over China's installation of anti-aircraft missiles on Woody Island in the South China Sea.
But do these Republicans, good free-traders all, realize their own indispensable role in converting an indigent China into the mighty and menacing power that seeks to push us out of Asia?
Last year, China ran up the largest trade surplus in history, at our expense, $365 billion. We exported $116 billion in goods to China. China exported $482 billion worth of goods to us.
Using Census Bureau statistics, Terry Jeffrey of CNSNEWS.com documents how Beijing has, over decades, looted and carted off the greatest manufacturing base the world had ever seen.
In 1985, China's trade surplus with us was a paltry $6 million. By 1992, when some of us were being denounced as "protectionists" for raising the issue, the U.S. trade deficit with China had crossed the $10 billion mark.
In 2002, it crossed the $100 billion mark. In 2005, the $200 billion mark. In each of the last four years, Communist China has run an annual trade surplus at the expense of the United States in excess of $300 billion.
To understand why Detroit looks as it does, while the desolate Shanghai Richard Nixon visited in '72 is the great and gleaming metropolis of 2016, look to our trade deficits.
Read more
But do these Republicans, good free-traders all, realize their own indispensable role in converting an indigent China into the mighty and menacing power that seeks to push us out of Asia?
Last year, China ran up the largest trade surplus in history, at our expense, $365 billion. We exported $116 billion in goods to China. China exported $482 billion worth of goods to us.
Using Census Bureau statistics, Terry Jeffrey of CNSNEWS.com documents how Beijing has, over decades, looted and carted off the greatest manufacturing base the world had ever seen.
In 1985, China's trade surplus with us was a paltry $6 million. By 1992, when some of us were being denounced as "protectionists" for raising the issue, the U.S. trade deficit with China had crossed the $10 billion mark.
In 2002, it crossed the $100 billion mark. In 2005, the $200 billion mark. In each of the last four years, Communist China has run an annual trade surplus at the expense of the United States in excess of $300 billion.
To understand why Detroit looks as it does, while the desolate Shanghai Richard Nixon visited in '72 is the great and gleaming metropolis of 2016, look to our trade deficits.
Read more
DC firefighter charged in street racing crash
WASHINGTON - A D.C. firefighter is charged with second-degree murder in connection with a street racing death over the summer.
Back on July 19, police say Ryan Thompson waved to another car -- driven by Rasheed Murray -- and a street race began on 16th Street. Police believe Murray lost control of his car near Madison Street. It flipped over and landed on top of a car driven by a 24-year-old man who was killed.
Police quickly arrested Murray and charged him with second-degree murder. Nearly four months later, Thompson, a firefighter assigned to Engine 22 on Georgia Avenue, is facing the same charge.
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Back on July 19, police say Ryan Thompson waved to another car -- driven by Rasheed Murray -- and a street race began on 16th Street. Police believe Murray lost control of his car near Madison Street. It flipped over and landed on top of a car driven by a 24-year-old man who was killed.
Police quickly arrested Murray and charged him with second-degree murder. Nearly four months later, Thompson, a firefighter assigned to Engine 22 on Georgia Avenue, is facing the same charge.
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18-year-old charged for impersonating Ohio senator
An 18-year-old Ohio man was charged with impersonating a peace officer and telecommunications fraud after posing as a state senator and giving a speech to a high school class, authorities said Saturday.
Izaha Akins, of Marion, visited Mohawk High School in December and claimed to be a lawmaker who was going to replace another senator who was planning on resigning due to an illness. Akins told the school he was second in line for the appointment after the first choice declined, according to The Toledo Blade. He also gave a speech to students.
School officials realized they were duped weeks later after Sen. David Burke, of Marysville, showed up to speak weeks later, as scheduled. Burke told the Associated Press in an email Friday that when he learned about the hoax, he and the high school immediately began working with police.
Akins told The Toledo Blade he wanted to make a point about school security in small communities.
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Izaha Akins, of Marion, visited Mohawk High School in December and claimed to be a lawmaker who was going to replace another senator who was planning on resigning due to an illness. Akins told the school he was second in line for the appointment after the first choice declined, according to The Toledo Blade. He also gave a speech to students.
School officials realized they were duped weeks later after Sen. David Burke, of Marysville, showed up to speak weeks later, as scheduled. Burke told the Associated Press in an email Friday that when he learned about the hoax, he and the high school immediately began working with police.
Akins told The Toledo Blade he wanted to make a point about school security in small communities.
More
After South Carolina, can anybody take on Trump?
Donald Trump on Sunday expressed measured optimism about winning the nomination, compared to his bravado after his overnight South Carolina victory, saying he could “always be stopped.”
The front-running Trump won 33 percent of the vote in the Republican South Carolina primary, roughly 11 percent ahead of challengers Sens. Marco Rubio, of Florida, and Ted Cruz, of Texas.
The win is Trump’s second in the first three, early-state contests and now focuses the debate on whether any the five remaining candidates can stop him, in part by taking the support for Jeb Bush, who suspended his campaign after a disappointing fourth-place finish on Saturday in South Carolina.
“I guess you can always be stopped,” Trump told “Fox News Sunday.” “I have very good competition. … They are very talented people.”
In his South Carolina victory speech, Trump said, “Let’s put this thing away.”
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The front-running Trump won 33 percent of the vote in the Republican South Carolina primary, roughly 11 percent ahead of challengers Sens. Marco Rubio, of Florida, and Ted Cruz, of Texas.
The win is Trump’s second in the first three, early-state contests and now focuses the debate on whether any the five remaining candidates can stop him, in part by taking the support for Jeb Bush, who suspended his campaign after a disappointing fourth-place finish on Saturday in South Carolina.
“I guess you can always be stopped,” Trump told “Fox News Sunday.” “I have very good competition. … They are very talented people.”
In his South Carolina victory speech, Trump said, “Let’s put this thing away.”
More
Krauthammer: Bottom 3 Should Drop Out or Trump Wins Nomination
The bottom three finishers in South Carolina's GOP presidential primary should drop out of the race and allow their supporters to coalesce behind Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, Fox News pundit Charles Krauthammer said Saturday night.
With businessman Donald Trump taking his second primary win in a row, a winnowing of the field is needed to make for a three-man race, Krauthammer said during Fox post-primary coverage.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and neurosurgeon Ben Carson are the two most likely to take his advice, Krauthammer admitted, while Ohio Gov. John Kasich has indicated he will stay in the race, though Krauthammer doesn't see him having a major effect.
Polls have shown few people naming Trump their second choice, and with Trump carrying about one third of the vote, a split between Cruz and Rubio for the remaining voters would make the race a true contest, Krauthammer said.
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With businessman Donald Trump taking his second primary win in a row, a winnowing of the field is needed to make for a three-man race, Krauthammer said during Fox post-primary coverage.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and neurosurgeon Ben Carson are the two most likely to take his advice, Krauthammer admitted, while Ohio Gov. John Kasich has indicated he will stay in the race, though Krauthammer doesn't see him having a major effect.
Polls have shown few people naming Trump their second choice, and with Trump carrying about one third of the vote, a split between Cruz and Rubio for the remaining voters would make the race a true contest, Krauthammer said.
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Sabato: Rubio Should Offer Kasich VP Spot Now
To have any hope of stopping the Donald Trump train and capturing the nomination himself, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio should publicly offer Ohio Gov. John Kasich the vice presidential slot, says Larry Sabato, head of the University of Virginia's Center for Poltics.
Writing on his Sabato's Crystal Ball website after Saturday's South Carolina primary, Sabato notes that Ronald Reagan made a similar move in 1976 promising to name Pennsylvania Sen. Richard Schweiker as his running mate, "and while it didn’t work out, Reagan shook up conventional wisdom."
If Rubio can get Kasich out of the race following Saturday night's withdrawal by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the majority of both candidates' supporters likely would flow to him, Sabato argues.
That would put him in a three-way contest with Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and could enable him to actually start winning first place in some states.
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Writing on his Sabato's Crystal Ball website after Saturday's South Carolina primary, Sabato notes that Ronald Reagan made a similar move in 1976 promising to name Pennsylvania Sen. Richard Schweiker as his running mate, "and while it didn’t work out, Reagan shook up conventional wisdom."
If Rubio can get Kasich out of the race following Saturday night's withdrawal by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the majority of both candidates' supporters likely would flow to him, Sabato argues.
That would put him in a three-way contest with Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and could enable him to actually start winning first place in some states.
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A Viewer Writes: Downtown Construction
Mandatory Automatic Braking For All!
I recently wrote about the Fading Away of the manual transmission (see here). As it turns out, I was wrong.
Manuals will not fade away.
They will be regulated out of existence.
Here’s how – and why.
Federal bureaucrats intend tomandate automated braking in all new cars – if the car companies don’t install these systems in every car they sell on their own initiative.
These systems – which use radar proximity sensors to detect the presence of an object in the car’s path and apply the brakes automatically if the driver doesn’t – are already in about a third of 2016 model year cars, but not yet force-fed to the public by government edict.
That’s about to change.
Obama’s transportation secretary, Anthony Foxx says “We are entering a new era of vehicle safety, focusing on preventing crashes from ever occurring rather than just protecting occupants when crashes happen.”
GM, Ford, Toyota, VW, Mercedes, BMW, and Volvo have already committed – on their own – to making automated braking standard equipment in all their models within the next few years. They have learned to love Big Brother. That it can be profitable to love Big Brother. “Safety” sells. Especially when you can’t say no to it.
The insurance mafia is also pushing this.
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Manuals will not fade away.
They will be regulated out of existence.
Here’s how – and why.
Federal bureaucrats intend tomandate automated braking in all new cars – if the car companies don’t install these systems in every car they sell on their own initiative.
These systems – which use radar proximity sensors to detect the presence of an object in the car’s path and apply the brakes automatically if the driver doesn’t – are already in about a third of 2016 model year cars, but not yet force-fed to the public by government edict.
That’s about to change.
Obama’s transportation secretary, Anthony Foxx says “We are entering a new era of vehicle safety, focusing on preventing crashes from ever occurring rather than just protecting occupants when crashes happen.”
GM, Ford, Toyota, VW, Mercedes, BMW, and Volvo have already committed – on their own – to making automated braking standard equipment in all their models within the next few years. They have learned to love Big Brother. That it can be profitable to love Big Brother. “Safety” sells. Especially when you can’t say no to it.
The insurance mafia is also pushing this.
More
Feds Investigate Mysterious Deaths of 13 Bald Eagles in Maryland
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating.
Officials have not said whether the eagles were killed intentionally.
Source
It Is “Just a Piece of **** Paper”
By they, I mean the people who lord it over us. Our rulers. I choose the word deliberately, in the interests of editorial accuracy. We’re certainly not ruled by the Constitution.
And neither are they.
Consider, for instance, this business of judicial review. The power claimed by the Supreme Court to “interpret” the Constitution. It is a power you will find nowhere in the Constitution itself, or even hinted at. It was simply asserted by the first chief justice, John Marshall (who was a cousin of but also – unsurprisingly – a great enemy of Thomas Jefferson’s) in a kind of lawyerly Beer Hall Putsch. The court, under Marshall, defined and decreed its own power. It has been the final arbiter of what the Constitution “really” means ever since.
Even when the court’s interpretation is obviously at odds with the plain meaning of what is actually written in the Constitution.
This is the mechanism by which we are halted and searched randomly – the very definition of unreasonable, which is the language you will find in the Constitution. But the Court has repeatedly asserted its own fluid definition, Humpty Dumpty-style, contrary to what is written and simply because it can. The Fourth (and other amendments) mean whatever the Court says they mean, which means they mean nothing at all.
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Washington Post Makes Case To Block Any Obama Supreme Court Nominee
Linda Hirshman thinks she’s being wise in stating why the Court needs to go to the left, but unintentionally makes the case for the GOP Senate to refuse to consent to any Obama nominee
After 45 years of conservative rulings, here’s what a liberal Supreme Court would do
Nothing separated the odd couple of the Supreme Court — the late Justice Antonin Scalia and his best buddy, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — more than their visions of the Constitution they both loved. Scalia saw the Constitution as a “dead” document, limited to the meaning of the original words at the moment the ink was dry, a moment when white, propertied men ruled. Ginsburg’s Constitution, by contrast, is the expansive charter of an evolving society. She celebrates “the extension (through amendment, judicial interpretation, and practice) of constitutional rights and protections to once ignored or excluded people: to humans who were once held in bondage, to men without property, to the original inhabitants of the land that became the United States, and to women.”
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After 45 years of conservative rulings, here’s what a liberal Supreme Court would do
Nothing separated the odd couple of the Supreme Court — the late Justice Antonin Scalia and his best buddy, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — more than their visions of the Constitution they both loved. Scalia saw the Constitution as a “dead” document, limited to the meaning of the original words at the moment the ink was dry, a moment when white, propertied men ruled. Ginsburg’s Constitution, by contrast, is the expansive charter of an evolving society. She celebrates “the extension (through amendment, judicial interpretation, and practice) of constitutional rights and protections to once ignored or excluded people: to humans who were once held in bondage, to men without property, to the original inhabitants of the land that became the United States, and to women.”
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States Weigh Rules for New Kind of Slots
At least, that’s the pitch gambling regulators across the country are hearing as they consider whether to allow casinos to offer slot machines that mimic video and arcade games in an effort to attract younger gamblers.
The latest is Massachusetts, where the state Gaming Commission released draft regulations governing the new machines on Thursday.
Marcus Prater, executive director of the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers, an industry trade group in Nevada, says “skill-based” slot machines are meant to appeal to Millennials who tend to skip over traditional machines because they see them as old-fashioned.
“This is something totally new,” he said. “Players have never had the option, in any market in the world, to influence the outcome of the game.”
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NH Voter-Fraud Probe Into Sanders Campaign Expands
The New Hampshire voter-fraud investigation into Vermont Sen. Bernard Sanders’ campaign has grown with the release of a second undercover video showing out-of-state staffers saying they exploited the law in order to vote in the Democratic presidential primary.
New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General Stephen G. LaBonte said Thursday he had seen both hidden-camera videos released this month by Project Veritas Action, including the latest footage showing top staffers saying they had registered to vote using the campaign office’s address in Manchester, an apparent violation of state law.
Mr. LaBonte launched an investigation last week after the release of the first Project Veritas video, which shows poll workers advising undercover investigators on how to game the system to vote in the Feb. 9 primary.
“I’ve seen the first video. I’ve also seen the second video,” Mr. LaBonte told The Washington Times. “We are looking into it.”
Mr. LaBonte said he was seeking the original footage from Project Veritas Action, the conservative investigative group known for its undercover sting operations.
The second video focuses on Hugo Palma, Mr. Sanders’ regional field director, who says on hidden camera that he had registered using the field office address in order to vote in the New Hampshire primary even though he lives in Colorado Springs.
Other staffers said the practice was commonplace.
More here
New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General Stephen G. LaBonte said Thursday he had seen both hidden-camera videos released this month by Project Veritas Action, including the latest footage showing top staffers saying they had registered to vote using the campaign office’s address in Manchester, an apparent violation of state law.
Mr. LaBonte launched an investigation last week after the release of the first Project Veritas video, which shows poll workers advising undercover investigators on how to game the system to vote in the Feb. 9 primary.
“I’ve seen the first video. I’ve also seen the second video,” Mr. LaBonte told The Washington Times. “We are looking into it.”
Mr. LaBonte said he was seeking the original footage from Project Veritas Action, the conservative investigative group known for its undercover sting operations.
The second video focuses on Hugo Palma, Mr. Sanders’ regional field director, who says on hidden camera that he had registered using the field office address in order to vote in the New Hampshire primary even though he lives in Colorado Springs.
Other staffers said the practice was commonplace.
More here
Chilling ways the global economy echoes 1930s Great Depression era
One view of what caused the Great Depression in the 1930s is that the Federal Reserve failed to prevent a collapse in the money supply.
This is the famous thesis of Milton Friedman’s and Anna Schwartz’s A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960, and it was, more or less, the view of Ben Bernanke when he was chairman of the Federal Reserve.
The global economy today resembles that of the 1930s in several ominous ways.
Financial author Edward Chancellor recently called attention to a paper written by Claudio Borio, head economist at the Bank of International Settlements, that provides a fuller picture of the causes of the Great Depression. The paper also draws parallels between global economic conditions that led to the rise of protectionism in the 1930s and our situation now.
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This is the famous thesis of Milton Friedman’s and Anna Schwartz’s A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960, and it was, more or less, the view of Ben Bernanke when he was chairman of the Federal Reserve.
The global economy today resembles that of the 1930s in several ominous ways.
Financial author Edward Chancellor recently called attention to a paper written by Claudio Borio, head economist at the Bank of International Settlements, that provides a fuller picture of the causes of the Great Depression. The paper also draws parallels between global economic conditions that led to the rise of protectionism in the 1930s and our situation now.
More
Poll: 9-In-10 Americans Support GMO Labeling
Last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever genetically engineered animal for sale as food in the U.S., but declared that this salmon would not need to carry any label identifying it as a genetically modified food product, much like the many items currently on grocery store shelves made with GMO grains and other ingredients. But the results of a new national poll seem to indicate that most consumers would appreciate having a heads-up about the GMO content of the food they buy.
The poll, conducted by the Mellman Group and commissioned by a coalition of advocacy organizations (including our colleagues at Consumers Union), found that nearly 90% of American shoppers support the idea of requiring food producers to clearly label GMO ingredients, with 77% of them “strongly” in favor of the mandatory labeling.
In addition to the recently approved AquAdvantage salmon, GMO labeling is in the spotlight right now because the Senate is set to consider HR 1599, which supporters call by its official title — the “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act” — but which critics have taken to calling the DARK (Denying Americans the Right-to-Know) Act because it would prohibit the FDA from requiring labels on GMO food unless the genetic tinkering resulted in material changes of nutritional properties, allergens, or other important characteristics of the original food item.
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The poll, conducted by the Mellman Group and commissioned by a coalition of advocacy organizations (including our colleagues at Consumers Union), found that nearly 90% of American shoppers support the idea of requiring food producers to clearly label GMO ingredients, with 77% of them “strongly” in favor of the mandatory labeling.
In addition to the recently approved AquAdvantage salmon, GMO labeling is in the spotlight right now because the Senate is set to consider HR 1599, which supporters call by its official title — the “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act” — but which critics have taken to calling the DARK (Denying Americans the Right-to-Know) Act because it would prohibit the FDA from requiring labels on GMO food unless the genetic tinkering resulted in material changes of nutritional properties, allergens, or other important characteristics of the original food item.
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Here Are Six Funerals The Obamas DID Attend
The White House announced on Wednesday that neither President Barack Obama nor first lady Michelle Obama will be attending the funeral of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. While Justice Scalia’s funeral apparently doesn’t warrant Obama’s presence, here are six funerals that did.
1. Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Less than two months before the 2012 election, both Obamas took time out of their schedule to attend the funeral of Senator Inouye. President Obama openly wept over the liberal senator.
2. Hadiya Pendleton
1. Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Less than two months before the 2012 election, both Obamas took time out of their schedule to attend the funeral of Senator Inouye. President Obama openly wept over the liberal senator.
2. Hadiya Pendleton
Three days before his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama sent Michelle on his behalf to the funeral of 15 year-old shooting victim Hadiya Pendleton. Obama’s decision to send Michelle to the Chicago teen’s funeral set the stage for his SOTU address, in which he called for further gun control restrictions.
3. Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV)
Despite Robert Byrd’s well-known ties to the Ku Klux Klan, President Obama attended the Democratic senator’s funeral. Obama gave a speech at the ceremony and called the late senator his friend.
Cruz Compliments Duck Commander Phil Robertson with UN Ambassador Joke
Stumping for Cruz Friday morning at a campaign rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, ahead of Saturday’s voting, the Robertson family patriarch spoke in-depth about the U.S. Constitution, the Bible, and Thomas Jefferson.
Robertson, an evangelical Christian, implored South Carolina voters to “vote Godly” by supporting Cruz and resisting candidates like Hillary Clinton and democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
“Just for a thought experiment, imagine for a second, Phil Robertson as Ambassador to the United Nations,” Cruz joked after thanking Robertson for the complimentary speech.
Cruz then jokingly asked, “How much would you pay to see the Russian Ambassador’s face when Phil says, ‘What is wrong with you people?’”
Cruz also stated: “There is a reason why he terrifies the mainstream media.”
Watch the video:
Meanwhile On The Wicomico River...
It's no wonder residents in affordable housing are ticked off. They pay $300.00 a month for a brand new condo and they have to put up with views like this!
Vote Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders.
Maryland House passes bill barring smoking pot in vehicles
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The Maryland House of Delegates has voted to make it a criminal misdemeanor to smoke marijuana in vehicles.
The House voted 139-0 for the bill Friday. It now goes to the Senate.
The bill initially would have applied to public spaces, but that provision was taken out by the House Judiciary Committee.
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The House voted 139-0 for the bill Friday. It now goes to the Senate.
The bill initially would have applied to public spaces, but that provision was taken out by the House Judiciary Committee.
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