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Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Millionaires, Drug Dealers And Senators Caught Using Food Stamps Illegally This Year
What do an Iranian millionaire, a state senator, a drug dealer and a polygamist have in common? They all face charges of misusing food stamps this year.
Around 44 million people received benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also called food stamps, in 2016. The whole program cost about $70 billion.
Only one cent of each dollar is spent fraudulently, according to the most recent available data from the Department of Agriculture (USDA), which manages the program. Still, that’s about $700 million dollars of federal taxpayer money that was likely wasted this past year.
Here are few of the strangest cases of food stamp fraud in 2016.
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Around 44 million people received benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also called food stamps, in 2016. The whole program cost about $70 billion.
Only one cent of each dollar is spent fraudulently, according to the most recent available data from the Department of Agriculture (USDA), which manages the program. Still, that’s about $700 million dollars of federal taxpayer money that was likely wasted this past year.
Here are few of the strangest cases of food stamp fraud in 2016.
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Major labor union to slash budget in wake of Trump victory
"Because the far right will control all three branches of the federal government, we will face serious threats to the ability of working people to join together in unions. These threats require us to make tough decisions that allow us to resist these attacks and to fight forward despite dramatically reduced resources," said SEIU President Mary Kay Henry in staff message dated Dec. 14, according to Bloomberg. The tough decisions include a 10 percent budget cut starting in January and an additional 20 percent cut starting in 2018.
SEIU was a major supporter of the Democrats in the last election, spending $21.6 million to help elect them, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The union had high hopes that a win by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Democratic gains in Congress would cement efforts by the Obama administration to aid union organizing, boosting the movement's sagging numbers and treasuries.
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Ohio Gov. Kasich Signs the 'Guns Everywhere' Bill
Ohio Governor John Kasich has signed a bill that expands the state's current laws for concealing and carrying a firearm.
Senate Bill 199 lifts the blanket prohibition on firearms at those locations [colleges campuses and day care centers] and the public area of airport terminals, before security checkpoints. College boards of trustees would have to vote to allow concealed firearms; child care centers and in-home daycare would have to post a sign if firearms aren't allowed.
The law also allows active-duty military to carry concealed guns without a permit and prohibits employers from banning permit holders from bringing guns into company parking lots. It takes effect in 90 days.
The bill faced fierce opposition from the likes of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, Ohio Manufacturers' Association, Ohio Municipal League, Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association and Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as the usual suspects involved in the national gun control movement.
Also included in the bill is a prohibition on employers who want to ban employees from carrying a firearm in their car.
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Senate Bill 199 lifts the blanket prohibition on firearms at those locations [colleges campuses and day care centers] and the public area of airport terminals, before security checkpoints. College boards of trustees would have to vote to allow concealed firearms; child care centers and in-home daycare would have to post a sign if firearms aren't allowed.
The law also allows active-duty military to carry concealed guns without a permit and prohibits employers from banning permit holders from bringing guns into company parking lots. It takes effect in 90 days.
The bill faced fierce opposition from the likes of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, Ohio Manufacturers' Association, Ohio Municipal League, Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association and Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, as well as the usual suspects involved in the national gun control movement.
Also included in the bill is a prohibition on employers who want to ban employees from carrying a firearm in their car.
More
House leadership proposes plan to penalize live-streaming lawmakers
Seeking to prevent another live-streaming "viral video moment" from taking place on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has introduced a rules package that would fine and punish lawmakers for recording photos and video from the floor.
The move comes in response to Democratic lawmakers, who in June live-streamed a sit-in on the House floor over gun control legislation. Democrats organized the sit-in to protest Republican lawmakers’ decision not to bring to the floor a gun-control bill, which if passed would have broadened background checks and prevented people on no-fly lists from buying guns.
When the House turned off the cameras inside the chambers during the sit-in, the participating lawmakers turned to live-streaming services such as Periscope and Facebook Live to broadcast the sit-in, which spanned for 25 hours. The live-streams, which attracted considerable publicity and millions of views, were in turn broadcast live on C-SPAN and other TV networks, which had lost access to live video when the House cameras were shut down.
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5 Years Into Common Core, 15-Year-Olds Behind 35 Countries in Math
Students in the United States have fallen behind kids in many other countries, according to the two largest international benchmarking tests in math, science, and reading. Five years into the implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative (commonly known as "Common Core"), 15-year-old kids in the United States lag behind their peers in 35 other countries in math.
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2015 showed American students holding stagnant in science and reading, compared to results in 2012 and 2009, but far behind their previous results in math. Out of the 69 countries (and territories) tested, the United States ranked 39th.
In math, Singapore took the top spot, followed by four Chinese provinces: Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, and BSJG. Japan scored below Taipei and above BSJG. Many other countries ranked higher than the U.S., including Canada, Finland, Ireland, Vietnam, Russia, Australia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Malta, and Israel.
America's 15-year-olds performed better in science and reading, only lagging behind 21 countries in each of those subjects. In both, Singapore took the top spot. Countries like Japan, Estonia, Ireland, Slovenia, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom still beat the U.S. in both subjects. While the U.S. ranked below average in math, America was roughly in the middle of education systems for these two subjects.
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The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2015 showed American students holding stagnant in science and reading, compared to results in 2012 and 2009, but far behind their previous results in math. Out of the 69 countries (and territories) tested, the United States ranked 39th.
In math, Singapore took the top spot, followed by four Chinese provinces: Hong Kong, Macau, Taipei, and BSJG. Japan scored below Taipei and above BSJG. Many other countries ranked higher than the U.S., including Canada, Finland, Ireland, Vietnam, Russia, Australia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Malta, and Israel.
America's 15-year-olds performed better in science and reading, only lagging behind 21 countries in each of those subjects. In both, Singapore took the top spot. Countries like Japan, Estonia, Ireland, Slovenia, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom still beat the U.S. in both subjects. While the U.S. ranked below average in math, America was roughly in the middle of education systems for these two subjects.
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A professor called Trump’s election an ‘act of terrorism.’ Then she became the victim of terror.
For weeks now, nightmares have been jolting Olga Perez Stable Cox awake several hours before sunrise. Sometimes she’s able to fall back asleep, but more often she finds herself lying in the dark, body tossing and thoughts racing, until she’s reduced to tears.
The morning offers fleeting distractions but no permanent relief — a cup of coffee, some Christmas decorating, maybe a phone call from concerned friends.
But the blinds in her home will remain closed, her door will remain locked and the formerly outgoing professor — a woman who has always thrived by connecting with others — will spend another day isolated by fear, weeping, too scared to walk outside.
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Netanyahu: Israel to Re-assess Its U.N. Ties After Settlement Resolution
Israel will re-assess its ties with the United Nations following the adoption by the Security Council of a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday.
The vote was able to pass the 15-member council on Friday because the United States broke with a long-standing approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and did not wield its veto power as it had on many times before -- a decision that Netanyahu called "shameful".
"I instructed the Foreign Ministry to complete within a month a re-evaluation of all our contacts with the United Nations, including the Israeli funding of U.N. institutions and the presence of U.N. representatives in Israel," Netanyahu said in broadcast remarks.
"I have already instructed to stop about 30 million shekels ($7.8 million) in funding to five U.N. institutions, five bodies, that are especially hostile to Israel ... and there is more to come," he said.
The Israeli leader did not name the institutions or offer any further details.
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The vote was able to pass the 15-member council on Friday because the United States broke with a long-standing approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and did not wield its veto power as it had on many times before -- a decision that Netanyahu called "shameful".
"I instructed the Foreign Ministry to complete within a month a re-evaluation of all our contacts with the United Nations, including the Israeli funding of U.N. institutions and the presence of U.N. representatives in Israel," Netanyahu said in broadcast remarks.
"I have already instructed to stop about 30 million shekels ($7.8 million) in funding to five U.N. institutions, five bodies, that are especially hostile to Israel ... and there is more to come," he said.
The Israeli leader did not name the institutions or offer any further details.
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NOI 12-26-16 Somerset Dwelling Fire Beechwood Street
NOTICE OF INVESTIGATION
Date: 12/26/16
Time: 8:55 p.m.
Location / Address: 11836 Beechwood St. Princess Anne, Somerset Co.
Type of Incident: Fire
Description of Structure / Property: One story wood frame single family dwelling
Owner / Occupants: Muir Enterprises, Inc. / Sherry Hebb
Injuries or Deaths: None
Estimated $ Loss: Structure: $10,000 Contents: $5,000
Smoke Alarm Status: Present, not activated
Fire Alarm / Sprinkler Status: n/a
Arrests(s): None
Primary Responding Fire Department: Princess Anne
# of Alarms: 1 # Of Firefighters: 20
Time to Control: 20 minutes
Discovered By: Occupant
Area of Origin: Kitchen
Preliminary Cause: Accidental, grease fire while cooking
Additional Information: The occupants are being assisted by the Red Cross
Palestinian Terrorists Target West Bank, Eastern Jerusalem Following UN Anti-Israel Vote
TEL AVIV — It’s been less than 48 hours since the UN Security Council passed a resolution declaring the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem “occupied Palestinian territory,” and already there have been two attempted Palestinian terrorist attacks and one successful attack targeting Jews in those very areas.
It is too early to tell whether the violence represents a spike in Palestinian terrorism following the UN vote or whether the incidents were part of the year-and-a-half-long trend known as the so-called Palestinian wave of terror that seems to escalate and then slow down.
The attacks could also be motivated by the religious holidays of Chanukah and Christmas currently being celebrated.
Asked for comment, Israel Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Breitbart Jerusalem that Israeli forces have heightened security leading up to Christmas, Chanukah and New Year’s celebrations.
“These days are relatively sensitive and so therefore emphasis is being placed on heightened security,” he said.
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It is too early to tell whether the violence represents a spike in Palestinian terrorism following the UN vote or whether the incidents were part of the year-and-a-half-long trend known as the so-called Palestinian wave of terror that seems to escalate and then slow down.
The attacks could also be motivated by the religious holidays of Chanukah and Christmas currently being celebrated.
Asked for comment, Israel Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told Breitbart Jerusalem that Israeli forces have heightened security leading up to Christmas, Chanukah and New Year’s celebrations.
“These days are relatively sensitive and so therefore emphasis is being placed on heightened security,” he said.
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Court rules police can shoot a dog if it moves, barks when officers enter a home
The decision stems from an incident in Battle Creek, Michigan where, according to court documents, police shot and killed a dog while executing a search warrant on a home looking for drugs.
Mark and Cheryl Brown filed a petition with the court to hold the officers and the city responsible for the deaths of their dogs in 2013.
They said that the officers “unlawfully seized their property in violation of the Fourth Amendment when officers shot and killed two dogs while executing a search warrant.”
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The Democrats Are Officially the Anti-Israel Party
There can be no possible pretense at bipartisanship any longer. Freed, as he told then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in 2012, to have more “flexibility,” with no more elections in sight, lame-duck Obama and UN Ambassador Samantha Power expressed their true colors by reversing decades of U.S. policy and allowing a profoundly anti-Israel resolution to pass.
There were some Democrats who objected. Incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called the Obama administration’s failure to veto the resolution “extremely frustrating, disappointing and confounding.” Then again, Schumer opposed the Iran nuclear deal last year in word, only to allow let it stand in deed. Other Democrats, such as Sen. Dianne Feinsten (D-CA), supported Obama’s decision to allow the Palestinian-backed resolution declaring Israeli settlements illegal.
Feinstein’s case, articulated in a press statement, is worth noting, because it is the administration’s ideological line:
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New Year's poll: Americans hopeful for a better 2017
55 percent believe their lives will be better next year, a big jump from last year's poll
Emotionally wrenching politics, foreign conflicts and shootings at home took a toll on Americans in 2016, but they are entering 2017 on an optimistic note, according to a new poll that found that a majority believes things are going to get better for the country next year.
A look at the key findings of the Associated Press-Times Square Alliance poll:
SO HOW WAS 2016?
Americans weren't thrilled with the year. Only 18 percent said things for the country got better, 33 percent said things got worse, and 47 percent said it was unchanged from 2015.
On a personal level, they were optimistic about 2017.
Fifty-five percent said they believe things will be better for them in the coming year than in the year that just concluded. That's a 12-point improvement from last year's poll.
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Accident On Rt. 50
Mr. Trump to inherit 100+ court vacancies, plans to reshape judiciary
Donald Trump is set to inherit an uncommon number of vacancies in the federal courts in addition to the open Supreme Court seat, giving the president-elect a monumental opportunity to reshape the judiciary after taking office.
The estimated 103 judicial vacancies that President Obama is expected to hand over to Trump in the Jan. 20 transition of power is nearly double the 54 openings Obama found eight years ago following George W. Bush’s presidency.
Confirmation of Obama’s judicial nominees slowed to a crawl after Republicans took control of the Senate in 2015. Obama White House officials blame Senate Republicans for what they characterize as an unprecedented level of obstruction in blocking the Democratic president’s court picks.
The result is a multitude of openings throughout the federal circuit and district courts that will allow the new Republican president to quickly make a wide array of lifetime appointments.
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The estimated 103 judicial vacancies that President Obama is expected to hand over to Trump in the Jan. 20 transition of power is nearly double the 54 openings Obama found eight years ago following George W. Bush’s presidency.
Confirmation of Obama’s judicial nominees slowed to a crawl after Republicans took control of the Senate in 2015. Obama White House officials blame Senate Republicans for what they characterize as an unprecedented level of obstruction in blocking the Democratic president’s court picks.
The result is a multitude of openings throughout the federal circuit and district courts that will allow the new Republican president to quickly make a wide array of lifetime appointments.
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Only 34,000 Migrants Out of 1.2million in Germany Have Found Work
Since the massive influx of migrants to Germany–namely from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Eritrea–experts are saying that only a small fraction of them have found employment, and mostly for temporary contracts.
According to the German government’s Institute for Labour Research (IAB), a mere three percent of migrants who are seeking asylum in Germany have managed to find work, reports the DailyMail.com.
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Trump mocks Obama for saying he could have beaten him if he were allowed to run again
Donald Trump blasted Barack Obama on Monday for claiming he could have won a third term in the White House if he had been the Democratic nominee instead of Hillary Clinton.
'President Obama said that he thinks he would have won against me,' the president-elect tweeted. 'He should say that but I say NO WAY! - jobs leaving, ISIS, OCare, etc.'
Disappearing jobs, the shortcomings of the Obamacare medical insurance overhaul law and the rise of the ISIS terror army were major campaign themes Trump leveraged to draw lines of distinction between himself and the Democrats.
Moments after the first tweet, Trump delivered a broadside to the United Nations following an anti-Israel vote that Obama chose not to veto.
'The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!' he wrote.
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'President Obama said that he thinks he would have won against me,' the president-elect tweeted. 'He should say that but I say NO WAY! - jobs leaving, ISIS, OCare, etc.'
Disappearing jobs, the shortcomings of the Obamacare medical insurance overhaul law and the rise of the ISIS terror army were major campaign themes Trump leveraged to draw lines of distinction between himself and the Democrats.
Moments after the first tweet, Trump delivered a broadside to the United Nations following an anti-Israel vote that Obama chose not to veto.
'The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!' he wrote.
More
Trump Says He's Closing Foundation, But Democrats Want More
The New York attorney general's office has been investigating the foundation following media reports that foundation spending went to benefit Trump's campaign. A spokeswoman says the foundation cannot close until the investigation is complete.
Trump said in a statement Saturday that he has directed his counsel to take the necessary steps to implement the dissolution of the Donald J. Trump Foundation, saying that it operated "at essentially no cost for decades, with 100 percent of the money going to charity."
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Black suspects more likely to be shot by black cops, not white officers
Despite an intense national focus on high-profile police shootings involving white officers and black men, a new study shows that white officers are not statistically more likely to shoot and kill a black suspect.
Among a sample of 2,699 fatal police killings between 2013 and 2015, the study found that the odds of a black suspect being killed by a black police officer were consistently greater than the odds of a black suspect getting killed by a white officer.
“When either the violent crime rate or the demographics of a city are accounted for, we find that white police officers are not significantly more likely to kill a black suspect,” wrote co-authors John R. Lott Jr. and Carlisle E. Moody of the Crime Prevention Research Center.
The study found that among the sample of those killed by the police, 45 percent were white, 25 percent were black, and 16 percent were Hispanic.
“White officers are significantly less likely than black officers to kill black suspects, and they are not statistically significantly different from Hispanic, other race, and unknown race police officers,” the study said, excepting one model where Hispanic officers were marginally more likely to kill black suspects.
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Among a sample of 2,699 fatal police killings between 2013 and 2015, the study found that the odds of a black suspect being killed by a black police officer were consistently greater than the odds of a black suspect getting killed by a white officer.
“When either the violent crime rate or the demographics of a city are accounted for, we find that white police officers are not significantly more likely to kill a black suspect,” wrote co-authors John R. Lott Jr. and Carlisle E. Moody of the Crime Prevention Research Center.
The study found that among the sample of those killed by the police, 45 percent were white, 25 percent were black, and 16 percent were Hispanic.
“White officers are significantly less likely than black officers to kill black suspects, and they are not statistically significantly different from Hispanic, other race, and unknown race police officers,” the study said, excepting one model where Hispanic officers were marginally more likely to kill black suspects.
More
Clinton year-end email thanks supporters, references popular vote
In an end-of-year email to supporters, Hillary Clinton wrote "thank you" and touted the nearly 66 million votes she received in her failed bid for the presidency.
President-elect Donald Trump surprised Clinton with an Electoral College victory, despite losing the popular vote by nearly three million votes.
"While we didn't achieve the outcome we sought," Clinton wrote, "I'm proud of the vision and values we fought for and the nearly 66 million people who voted for them."
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The Left Is Pushing Conspiracy Theories To Feel Better About 2016
Was Sen. Joe McCarthy a bad guy? The answer to that question seems to be changing. Before late 2016, we were expected to believe that his attempt to root out communists in the federal government was a witch hunt stemming from a jingoistic paranoia about Russia.
Then Hillary Clinton lost. How could it be? Her being the most corrupt presidential nominee in U.S. history or running an embarrassingly disconnected campaign is a priori ruled out, because that would mean that a Democratic candidate was worse than a Republican one. The dialectic of a fundamentalist belief in democracy alongside the reality of losing elections results in a mental compromise: Republicans don’t win elections, they steal elections.
This election was so big that it couldn’t have just been Republicans, as dastardly as they may be. It was, uh, the Russians. Yeah! Remember those jerks? Donald Trump is their Manchurian candidate, and Vladimir Putin planted him in the White House by flipping 100,000 Rust Belt voters. This is a fashionable thing to believe, brought to you by the same people who called any scrutiny of Hillary Clinton’s health a “conspiracy theory.”
As crazy as the Russia hysteria is, it’s understandable Democrats would push the narrative that voters having more information from hacked servers was a bad thing. Catastrophic losses demand taking a moral inventory when those who are suffering are also responsible. In context of politics, with all its inertia and moneyed ideological interests, moral accounting is particularly hard because it can imply that certain positions need to change. So what we get instead is a kind of deflective McCarthyism.
I am not entirely comfortable with that pejorative, though. McCarthy was proven to have been basically right by the time documents were declassified in the 1990s proving there actually were communist spies, such as Alger Hiss of the State Department and Harry Dexter White of the Treasury Department, at very high levels of the U.S. government. But those are facts. Facts are not relevant to this discussion, because we’re talking about what we feel deep down inside. The narrative will fill in any space between feelings and the actual state of the world.
More here
Then Hillary Clinton lost. How could it be? Her being the most corrupt presidential nominee in U.S. history or running an embarrassingly disconnected campaign is a priori ruled out, because that would mean that a Democratic candidate was worse than a Republican one. The dialectic of a fundamentalist belief in democracy alongside the reality of losing elections results in a mental compromise: Republicans don’t win elections, they steal elections.
This election was so big that it couldn’t have just been Republicans, as dastardly as they may be. It was, uh, the Russians. Yeah! Remember those jerks? Donald Trump is their Manchurian candidate, and Vladimir Putin planted him in the White House by flipping 100,000 Rust Belt voters. This is a fashionable thing to believe, brought to you by the same people who called any scrutiny of Hillary Clinton’s health a “conspiracy theory.”
As crazy as the Russia hysteria is, it’s understandable Democrats would push the narrative that voters having more information from hacked servers was a bad thing. Catastrophic losses demand taking a moral inventory when those who are suffering are also responsible. In context of politics, with all its inertia and moneyed ideological interests, moral accounting is particularly hard because it can imply that certain positions need to change. So what we get instead is a kind of deflective McCarthyism.
I am not entirely comfortable with that pejorative, though. McCarthy was proven to have been basically right by the time documents were declassified in the 1990s proving there actually were communist spies, such as Alger Hiss of the State Department and Harry Dexter White of the Treasury Department, at very high levels of the U.S. government. But those are facts. Facts are not relevant to this discussion, because we’re talking about what we feel deep down inside. The narrative will fill in any space between feelings and the actual state of the world.
More here
Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia in 'Star Wars,' Dead at 60
Carrie Fisher, the iconic actress who portrayed Princess Leia in the Star Warsseries, died Tuesday following a massive heart attack last week. She was 60.
"It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning," Simon Halls, a spokesperson for Fisher's family, said in a statement to People.
Fisher suffered a heart attack last week aboard a Los Angeles-bound flight 15 minutes prior to landing. A medic onboard performed CPR on the actress until paramedics arrived to take her to UCLA Medical Center, where she was placed on a ventilator.
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Growing N.D. town rebuts Weather Channel’s ‘Vanishing America’ claims
The city has seen its population increase by 21 percent since 2010, a factoid not included in last week’s Weather Channel report, titled “Vanishing America,” which singled out Minot as an example of a community “on the verge of disappearing due to global warming or extreme weather.”
Left flabbergasted were Minot residents like Jarrod Brown, who said on Facebook, “What in the world?? I’ve only seen the town grow since 2011. This is some garbage.”
Others accused the Weather Channel of “sensationalizing” the story and promoting “fake news.”
“[T]o say that the city is disappearing is completely inaccurate,” Minot City Council member Shaun Sipma told WDAY AM.
More here
30,000 Left Jobless in the Wake of Mexico Fireworks Explosion
Mexico City, December 24 (RHC)-- More than 30,000 people lost their job and their only source of income following the deadly explosion at a fireworks market in Tultepec, State of Mexico, which has left at least 33 people dead and dozens injured, according to local authorities.
Tultepec, about 25 miles from Mexico City, is known for its pyrotechnics industry, with nearly 20 percent of its 151,000 residents having some connection to pyrotechnics production.
Every year, the town holds a weeklong festival with fireworks competitions among producers. The "Cueteros” as they are known have huge production workshops where they handle gunpowder and other high-risk chemicals. Permits for these places are granted by the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense.
Due to the high risk of the materials, production is 100 percent handmade. No machinery can be used and electricity is also prohibited at the workshops. It is a tradition that dates back more than 150 years. The town produces 90 percent of the pyrotechnics used throughout Mexico.
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Tultepec, about 25 miles from Mexico City, is known for its pyrotechnics industry, with nearly 20 percent of its 151,000 residents having some connection to pyrotechnics production.
Every year, the town holds a weeklong festival with fireworks competitions among producers. The "Cueteros” as they are known have huge production workshops where they handle gunpowder and other high-risk chemicals. Permits for these places are granted by the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense.
Due to the high risk of the materials, production is 100 percent handmade. No machinery can be used and electricity is also prohibited at the workshops. It is a tradition that dates back more than 150 years. The town produces 90 percent of the pyrotechnics used throughout Mexico.
More
U.S. history no longer a requirement for history majors at George Washington University
George Washington University recently changed its requirements for history majors, removing previously key courses for the stated purpose of giving students more flexibility.
The department eliminated requirements in U.S., North American and European history, as well as the foreign language requirement. Thus, it is possible that a student can major in history at GWU without taking a survey course on United States history.
The new requirements mandate at least one introductory course, of which American history, World History and European civilization are options. Yet, like at many elite universities, the introductory course requirement may be fulfilled by scoring a 4 or a 5 on the Advanced Placement exams for either U.S. History AP, European History AP or World History AP.
Earlier this year, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni released a report revealing that fewer than one-third of the nation’s leading universities require history majors to take a single course in U.S. history. George Washington University now joins those ranks.
More here
The department eliminated requirements in U.S., North American and European history, as well as the foreign language requirement. Thus, it is possible that a student can major in history at GWU without taking a survey course on United States history.
The new requirements mandate at least one introductory course, of which American history, World History and European civilization are options. Yet, like at many elite universities, the introductory course requirement may be fulfilled by scoring a 4 or a 5 on the Advanced Placement exams for either U.S. History AP, European History AP or World History AP.
Earlier this year, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni released a report revealing that fewer than one-third of the nation’s leading universities require history majors to take a single course in U.S. history. George Washington University now joins those ranks.
More here
Sought in Wicomico County Homicide
Maryland State Police are searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of a man in Wicomico County last night.
The victim is identified as James Edward Joyce, 31, of Salisbury, Md. He was pronounced dead while in route to Peninsula Regional Medical Center.
The second victim is identified as Hilda Barkley, 56, of Salisbury, Md. She sustained at least one gunshot wound and continues to receive medical treatment at Peninsula Regional Medical Center.
The preliminary information indicates one or more suspects, were involved. Investigators from the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit and the Salisbury City Police Department are working to obtain additional information.
Just after 9:30 p.m. last night, police officers from the Salisbury City Police Department were flagged down in the area of the 700 block of Baker Street in Salisbury by an individual who was in the neighborhood at the time. He advised police about an apparent shooting of two victims inside a nearby apartment on Baker Street.
The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit was called by the Salisbury City Police Department to lead the investigation. Once investigators arrived, it was apparent the shooting took place inside the apartment. Investigators do not know at this time if the victim was the intended target of the suspect.
State Police investigators worked throughout the night and are actively continuing their investigation today. Additional assistance is being provided by the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division and the Salisbury City Police Department.
Anyone with information about this shooting is urged to contact Crime Solvers of the Lower Eastern Shore at 410-548-1776. Callers may remain confidential.
The victim is identified as James Edward Joyce, 31, of Salisbury, Md. He was pronounced dead while in route to Peninsula Regional Medical Center.
The second victim is identified as Hilda Barkley, 56, of Salisbury, Md. She sustained at least one gunshot wound and continues to receive medical treatment at Peninsula Regional Medical Center.
The preliminary information indicates one or more suspects, were involved. Investigators from the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit and the Salisbury City Police Department are working to obtain additional information.
Just after 9:30 p.m. last night, police officers from the Salisbury City Police Department were flagged down in the area of the 700 block of Baker Street in Salisbury by an individual who was in the neighborhood at the time. He advised police about an apparent shooting of two victims inside a nearby apartment on Baker Street.
The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit was called by the Salisbury City Police Department to lead the investigation. Once investigators arrived, it was apparent the shooting took place inside the apartment. Investigators do not know at this time if the victim was the intended target of the suspect.
State Police investigators worked throughout the night and are actively continuing their investigation today. Additional assistance is being provided by the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division and the Salisbury City Police Department.
Anyone with information about this shooting is urged to contact Crime Solvers of the Lower Eastern Shore at 410-548-1776. Callers may remain confidential.
Battle Brewing for Soul of American Economy: Team Trump Girding for Fight with Globalists, Corporatists Over Bringing Jobs Back
President-elect Donald J. Trump’s incoming administration is girding for battle with corporatists, globalists, and special business interests over his core policy objective of bringing U.S. manufacturing jobs that have been shipped overseas back to the United States, several senior advisers to Trump tell Breitbart News.
“There is a big fight brewing over control of the American economy’s direction,” one of three senior advisers to the president-elect with intimate knowledge of the looming fight told Breitbart News. “Globalists, Wall Street fat cats and corporatists are fighting against President-elect Trump’s core message of returning the United States back to a major manufacturing power on the world stage. Nationalists, on the other hand, want to return power and wealth back to the people in the middle and working class in America.”
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“There is a big fight brewing over control of the American economy’s direction,” one of three senior advisers to the president-elect with intimate knowledge of the looming fight told Breitbart News. “Globalists, Wall Street fat cats and corporatists are fighting against President-elect Trump’s core message of returning the United States back to a major manufacturing power on the world stage. Nationalists, on the other hand, want to return power and wealth back to the people in the middle and working class in America.”
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Kwanzaa Was Concocted By A Deranged Felon Who Brutally Tortured Two Naked Women
It’s Christmastime, America, and you know what that means: It’s the season when public schools across the fruited plain are teeming with lessons about Kwanzaa and a handful of other holidays which aren’t Christmas.
As a public service, then, The Daily Caller is here to tell you the true — and truly bizarre — history of the violent, deranged and radical black nationalist who concocted the completely artificial holiday of Kwanzaa in 1966.
The creator of Kwanzaa is Maulana Ndabezitha Karenga, a 75-year-old professor or Africana studies at California State University, Long Beach. His real name is Ronald Everett. He was born in rural Maryland, the fourteenth child of a sharecropping Baptist minister.
Karenga was convicted in 1971 for brutally torturing two naked women. The women were members of Karenga’s ultra-radical, paramilitary, black nationalist cult called the US Organization, according to a May 1971 Los Angeles Times story dug up by FrontPage Magazine.
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Feds’ secret ‘Super Search Engine’ about to be not so secret?
Judge orders disclosure of 'Google on steroids' spy system used by cops
A magistrate judge has ordered the federal government to turn over hundreds of pages of information about a super-secret spy-on-Americans program that is run by AT&T called Hemisphere.
WND reported only days earlier how shareholders in the communications company were concerned enough about the controversial program to prepare a resolution for the company’s coming annual meeting calling for an investigation and report.
And that had followed a report when privacy experts asked AT&T to shut down the program that has been called “Google on steroids” for accessing “trillions” of records when it is rented out to police agencies and others.
Now, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, one of the groups fighting the use of private call information in the program, says the judge, Maria-Elena James, has found the federal government hasn’t justified its “excessive secrecy” about the telephone surveillance effort.
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A magistrate judge has ordered the federal government to turn over hundreds of pages of information about a super-secret spy-on-Americans program that is run by AT&T called Hemisphere.
WND reported only days earlier how shareholders in the communications company were concerned enough about the controversial program to prepare a resolution for the company’s coming annual meeting calling for an investigation and report.
And that had followed a report when privacy experts asked AT&T to shut down the program that has been called “Google on steroids” for accessing “trillions” of records when it is rented out to police agencies and others.
Now, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, one of the groups fighting the use of private call information in the program, says the judge, Maria-Elena James, has found the federal government hasn’t justified its “excessive secrecy” about the telephone surveillance effort.
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Norquist Christmas Tweets: Gov't Like Santa Claus for Liberals
Conservative Grover Norquist likened children growing up and learning the truth about Santa Claus to liberals following "the dangerous fiction" of the role of government and taxation, he tweeted Christmas morning.
The tweet referenced a quote attributed to Frédéric Bastiat, a French economist who is credited for developing the economic concept of opportunity cost.
"The state is that great fiction by which everyone tries to live at the expense of everyone else,” according to Bastiat.
Norquist is founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, an organization that opposes tax increases to pay for government entitlement programs.
'Liberals' faith in government is as naive as a child's belief in Santa Claus,' Norquist tweeted three hours earlier Christmas morning.
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The tweet referenced a quote attributed to Frédéric Bastiat, a French economist who is credited for developing the economic concept of opportunity cost.
"The state is that great fiction by which everyone tries to live at the expense of everyone else,” according to Bastiat.
Norquist is founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, an organization that opposes tax increases to pay for government entitlement programs.
'Liberals' faith in government is as naive as a child's belief in Santa Claus,' Norquist tweeted three hours earlier Christmas morning.
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Obama Administration Finalizes Social Security Gun Ban
On Monday the Obama administration finalized a Social Security gun ban that could prevent “tens of thousands” of law-abiding elderly citizens from purchasing guns for self-defense.
Breitbart News reported this ban on July 18, 2015, when it was learned that the Obama administration was creating a ban on gun purchases that would apply to Social Security recipients who needed help managing their finances. The Los Angeles Times reported that the ban would be sweeping; that it would cover those who are unable to manage their own affairs for a multitude of reasons–from “subnormal intelligence or mental illness” to “incompetency,” an unspecified “condition,” or “disease.”
In January, Obama incorporated the ban into his executive gun controls. A White House preview of those controls explained that the Social Security Administration (SSA) was putting together rules for how/when to enforce the ban:
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Breitbart News reported this ban on July 18, 2015, when it was learned that the Obama administration was creating a ban on gun purchases that would apply to Social Security recipients who needed help managing their finances. The Los Angeles Times reported that the ban would be sweeping; that it would cover those who are unable to manage their own affairs for a multitude of reasons–from “subnormal intelligence or mental illness” to “incompetency,” an unspecified “condition,” or “disease.”
In January, Obama incorporated the ban into his executive gun controls. A White House preview of those controls explained that the Social Security Administration (SSA) was putting together rules for how/when to enforce the ban:
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Gingrich: Obama Waging War Against Israel
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich accused the Obama administration on Monday of "waging war on Israel."
On Monday, Gingrich tweeted:
"Why is the Obama team waging war against Israel? Why are they taking steps to isolate and then kill a democracy and an ally?"
"President-elect Trump must prepare a comprehensive offensive for Jan 29 to undo the damage to Israel the Obama team is inflicting."
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On Monday, Gingrich tweeted:
"Why is the Obama team waging war against Israel? Why are they taking steps to isolate and then kill a democracy and an ally?"
"President-elect Trump must prepare a comprehensive offensive for Jan 29 to undo the damage to Israel the Obama team is inflicting."
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Trump: United Nations just a club for people to 'have a good time'
President-elect criticizes global organization, tweets it has "such great potential"
Days after the United Nations voted to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, Donald Trump questioned its effectiveness Monday, saying it's just a club for people to "have a good time."
The president-elect wrote on Twitter that the U.N. has "such great potential," but it has become "just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!"
On Friday, Trump warned, "As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th," referring to the day he takes office.
The decision by the Obama administration to abstain from Friday's U.N. vote brushed aside Trump's demands that the U.S. exercise its veto and provided a climax to years of icy relations with Israel's leadership.
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Perdue and associates help Nanticoke Senior Center provide nutritious meals to homebound seniors in Delaware
Salisbury, Md. – Perdue Farms, through a $15,000 grant funded by The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation and associate engagement, is helping the Nanticoke Senior Center in Seaford, Del., provide meals to homebound seniors. The Foundation is the charitable giving arm of Perdue Farms.
“At Perdue, we believe that no one should go hungry. And when it comes to assuring the nutrition of our senior citizens, we know we can make a difference by investing in programs like the Homebound Meals Program at the Nanticoke Senior Center,” said Kim Nechay, executive director of The Foundation. “They do great things through this program and we are honored to be a part of it.”
On Monday, Dec. 19, Perdue delivered the grant and 200 roasters for distribution to seniors, and a team of associates helped deliver meals.
“We are thrilled to receive this important grant from The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation and grateful for the compassion of Perdue associates in support of our mission to deliver balanced, hot meals to homebound seniors in the Seaford community,” said Barbara Elliott, director of operations.
The Nanticoke Senior Center has served Seaford-area seniors for 40 years, and its staff and volunteers provide more than 54,000 meals every year to homebound seniors. Nutritious meals are prepared in an on-site commercial kitchen and delivered three days a week to eligible seniors.
To learn more about the Nanticoke Senior Center, its Homebound Meal Program and other programs for seniors, call the Center at 302-629-4939 or visit www.nanticokeseniorcenter.com.
Chicago sees 27 people shot over Christmas weekend in 48 hours
Chicago's homicides have increased by more than 50 per cent since last year, as at least 27 people were shot over the Christmas weekend.
Seven of those individuals were fatally shot within the last 48 hours, the Chicago Police Department (CPD) reported.
Officer Jose Estrada, a spokesman with the CPD told the New York Times on Sunday that the total number of homicides this year was 745, a 56 per cent increase from 476 around the same time last year.
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Seven of those individuals were fatally shot within the last 48 hours, the Chicago Police Department (CPD) reported.
Officer Jose Estrada, a spokesman with the CPD told the New York Times on Sunday that the total number of homicides this year was 745, a 56 per cent increase from 476 around the same time last year.
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Unmerry Christmas: Mass Brawls Break Out Across America's Malls
During this season of joy and celebration, it appears not everyone is full of Christmas spirit. Last minute holiday shoppers have been filmed brawling with each other in New Jersey, Alabama, and Georgia shopping malls ahead of the holidays.
As The Daily Mail captures on video, a fight broke out at Jersey City's Newport Center Mall on Friday night when two people started punching each other in the middle of a huge crowd. As onlookers gathered around while several people hit each other, a separate fight broke out off to the side. Multiple security guards tried to intervene and were punched in the process. Video shot by a witness captured the ordeal, which happened right near where a line of children were waiting to meet the mall's Santa.
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As The Daily Mail captures on video, a fight broke out at Jersey City's Newport Center Mall on Friday night when two people started punching each other in the middle of a huge crowd. As onlookers gathered around while several people hit each other, a separate fight broke out off to the side. Multiple security guards tried to intervene and were punched in the process. Video shot by a witness captured the ordeal, which happened right near where a line of children were waiting to meet the mall's Santa.
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A Viewer Writes: Isigman@conejousd.org
One of our viewers did in fact receive one of the death threat message the Maryland State Police warned us of earlier this morning HERE. This is a scam Folks.
Three Years Ago, Obama Signed a Law Allowing the Federal Government to Take over the Entire Media
There’s an insidious law for us to ponder, courtesy of Barack Obama. An online radio host pointed out back in 2013 that the law would grant the federal government huge power to saturate Americans with domestic propaganda at the taxpayer’s expense. “This law allows the federal government to have sweeping power to push television, radio, newspaper and social-media propaganda onto the U.S. public,” warned Michael Evans, host of America’s Voice Now. He said that the law would remove protection for Americans from the ideologies of Obama’s administration. The Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 was specifically what Evans was referring to; it was inserted into the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act.
A so-called anti-propaganda law formerly prevented the U.S. government’s broadcasting arm from reaching American viewers. On July 2, 2013, the implementation of the new reform marked an end to shielding Americans from government delivered programming. The government now had the green light to unleash thousands of hours of weekly government funded radio and television programming for domestic consumption.
The U.S. government previously broadcast news and opinions to foreign countries through outlets like Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks. The new law allowed them to expand their broadcasting business to influence citizens within the U.S. America had been protected from this over the years, but all good things pre-Obama had to come to an end, right?
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A so-called anti-propaganda law formerly prevented the U.S. government’s broadcasting arm from reaching American viewers. On July 2, 2013, the implementation of the new reform marked an end to shielding Americans from government delivered programming. The government now had the green light to unleash thousands of hours of weekly government funded radio and television programming for domestic consumption.
The U.S. government previously broadcast news and opinions to foreign countries through outlets like Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks. The new law allowed them to expand their broadcasting business to influence citizens within the U.S. America had been protected from this over the years, but all good things pre-Obama had to come to an end, right?
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Report finds girls face harsher treatment in Maryland’s juvenile justice system; lawmakers seek fix
WASHINGTON — When girls are committed to juvenile facilities in Maryland, they end up in more restrictive settings for longer periods than boys do, and they have fewer options to help them transition out of the system. That’s why Maryland lawmakers are taking another look at the juvenile justice system and one delegate is planning on drafting a bill to address the issue.
Girls are “more likely to wind up in a restrictive environment like a long-term committed placement center for a low-level offense than boys are” said Eliza Steele, a senior monitory with the juvenile justice monitoring unit in the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.
Action from lawmakers comes after an investigation this month by The Baltimore Sun found that although girls make up just a fraction of juvenile offenders in the state’s system — 17 percent — they are subjected to tougher punishments. The Sun also cited a report that found that 24 percent of girls enter the system with a history of being victims of physical abuse and 30 percent have been sexually abused.
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Girls are “more likely to wind up in a restrictive environment like a long-term committed placement center for a low-level offense than boys are” said Eliza Steele, a senior monitory with the juvenile justice monitoring unit in the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.
Action from lawmakers comes after an investigation this month by The Baltimore Sun found that although girls make up just a fraction of juvenile offenders in the state’s system — 17 percent — they are subjected to tougher punishments. The Sun also cited a report that found that 24 percent of girls enter the system with a history of being victims of physical abuse and 30 percent have been sexually abused.
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Irrational Exuberance in US Stock Market Grasps at 20K for Dow
Since Trump’s election, the US stock market has climbed unstoppably along a remarkably steep path to round off at a teetering height. Is this the irrational exuberance that typically marks the last push before a perilous plunge, or is the market reaching escape velocity from the relentless gravity of the Great Recession?
This burst of enthusiasm in response to Trump’s victory, flew in the face of almost everyone’s predictions. That it lifted the market from seven months of languor certainly makes 20K on the Dow look like the elevation marker of a breathtaking summit.
While breaking 20k, if it happens, may be as meaningless as one more mile on the odometer when all the numbers roll over, it is psychologically potent for many. Breaking through it, could cause fear as eyes turn down and see how far below the earth now is, or the rarified air up here may bring euphoria that lifts the market to even greater levels on a rising current of hot air.
Investors have been buying and selling with as much frenzy as Christmas shoppers. Now there will be much eating and drinking to celebrate this record-setting Santa-Clause rally, even if it doesn’t top 20, before Christmas, as investors take a brief rest to enjoy their surprise gains, fat and happy in belief that 2017 will be a prosperous new year.
There is almost no evidence of fear amongst all the cheer. According to Gallop, economic confidence has never been higher in the general population. Some are calling it Trumphoria as people seem to be relieved that eight years of Obamanomics are ending, and business is seizing the reins of government, guided by one of the world’s richest and most dazzling developers.
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This burst of enthusiasm in response to Trump’s victory, flew in the face of almost everyone’s predictions. That it lifted the market from seven months of languor certainly makes 20K on the Dow look like the elevation marker of a breathtaking summit.
While breaking 20k, if it happens, may be as meaningless as one more mile on the odometer when all the numbers roll over, it is psychologically potent for many. Breaking through it, could cause fear as eyes turn down and see how far below the earth now is, or the rarified air up here may bring euphoria that lifts the market to even greater levels on a rising current of hot air.
Investors have been buying and selling with as much frenzy as Christmas shoppers. Now there will be much eating and drinking to celebrate this record-setting Santa-Clause rally, even if it doesn’t top 20, before Christmas, as investors take a brief rest to enjoy their surprise gains, fat and happy in belief that 2017 will be a prosperous new year.
There is almost no evidence of fear amongst all the cheer. According to Gallop, economic confidence has never been higher in the general population. Some are calling it Trumphoria as people seem to be relieved that eight years of Obamanomics are ending, and business is seizing the reins of government, guided by one of the world’s richest and most dazzling developers.
More
AP’s Pace: Obama’s Legacy Will Be His ‘Lack of Scandal,’ ‘Beloved’ Family
Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Associated Press White House correspondent Julie Pace said President Barack Obama’s legacy will be the “lack of scandal” and his “beloved” family.
Partial transcript as follows:
BRZEZINSKI: The fights are definitely here but again the question is what is his legacy going to be. I think, Julie Pace, there are things that will last in time. I wonder among the few might be the Lilly Ledbetter Act, the creation of the White House council on Women and Girls and the fact this is the first African-American president of the United States.
PACE: That will be the first line in his legacy going forward. You can’t take that piece of it away from him. I think that he’s going to be looked at as a consequential president in terms of actions he took and the range of issues that he’s dealt with both in the U.S. and overseas if you look at everything from the economic crisis to the civil war in Syria. I also think though that to Mike’s point, part of his legacy will just be the lack of scandal. the fact that he and his family were really beloved by many Americans and respected by many other Americans who may disagree with them on policy. So much of the presidency is not just what you do in terms of policy, but it’s also the tone that you set. It’s how you’re viewed personally by the American public. I think that’s something that Trump will grapple with when he’s in office as well. To one of the points you were making before about Obama not having a relationship with lawmakers. One of the interesting parallels potentially between Obama and Trump is that they are both in many ways singular political figures. Obama was embraced more warmly by Democrats than Trump was by Republicans as a candidate. They have operated really in their own world. They are not of the political parties. We saw the downside to that for Obama and how Trump grapples with that could define his presidency as well.
Video
Partial transcript as follows:
BRZEZINSKI: The fights are definitely here but again the question is what is his legacy going to be. I think, Julie Pace, there are things that will last in time. I wonder among the few might be the Lilly Ledbetter Act, the creation of the White House council on Women and Girls and the fact this is the first African-American president of the United States.
PACE: That will be the first line in his legacy going forward. You can’t take that piece of it away from him. I think that he’s going to be looked at as a consequential president in terms of actions he took and the range of issues that he’s dealt with both in the U.S. and overseas if you look at everything from the economic crisis to the civil war in Syria. I also think though that to Mike’s point, part of his legacy will just be the lack of scandal. the fact that he and his family were really beloved by many Americans and respected by many other Americans who may disagree with them on policy. So much of the presidency is not just what you do in terms of policy, but it’s also the tone that you set. It’s how you’re viewed personally by the American public. I think that’s something that Trump will grapple with when he’s in office as well. To one of the points you were making before about Obama not having a relationship with lawmakers. One of the interesting parallels potentially between Obama and Trump is that they are both in many ways singular political figures. Obama was embraced more warmly by Democrats than Trump was by Republicans as a candidate. They have operated really in their own world. They are not of the political parties. We saw the downside to that for Obama and how Trump grapples with that could define his presidency as well.
Video
Here's How Your State Ranks On Credit Card Debt Per Household
As parents all around the country wake up this morning and instantly regret adding $1,000's of dollars to their credit cards over the holidays (at a 30% interest rate nonetheless) so that little Johnny could have the latest iPad, gaming console and sneakers, here is a list of the states where consumers have racked up the most revolving debt.
Ironically, when color coded based on political preference, with the notable exception of Alaska, Democratic-leaning states seem to carry higher credit card debt balances than conservative states. Imagine that, conservatives expect their government to run budgets the way they run their own households.
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Ironically, when color coded based on political preference, with the notable exception of Alaska, Democratic-leaning states seem to carry higher credit card debt balances than conservative states. Imagine that, conservatives expect their government to run budgets the way they run their own households.
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Obama Says He Would Have Won The Election Against Trump
President Barack Obama believes he would win re-election if he were able to run for a third term, according to a CNN interview published Monday.
Obama told CNN he would win because he achieved the “change” he ran on in 2008, asserting he successfully shifted America’s culture.
“In the wake of the election and Trump winning, a lot of people have suggested that somehow, it really was a fantasy,” Obama said of his change slogan in 2008. “What I would argue is, is that the culture actually did shift, that the majority does buy into the notion of a one America that is tolerant and diverse and open and full of energy and dynamism.”
“I am confident in this vision because I’m confident that if I had run again and articulated it, I think I could’ve mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it,” Obama told David Axelrod during the interview.
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Obama told CNN he would win because he achieved the “change” he ran on in 2008, asserting he successfully shifted America’s culture.
“In the wake of the election and Trump winning, a lot of people have suggested that somehow, it really was a fantasy,” Obama said of his change slogan in 2008. “What I would argue is, is that the culture actually did shift, that the majority does buy into the notion of a one America that is tolerant and diverse and open and full of energy and dynamism.”
“I am confident in this vision because I’m confident that if I had run again and articulated it, I think I could’ve mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it,” Obama told David Axelrod during the interview.
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MSP Warns Of Phone Scam
Cell Phone Scam...Be advised that MSP and surrounding local agencies are receiving numerous calls in reference to threatening text messages. The text messages are coming from "isigman@conejousd.org". The message is as follows: "I've been paid to kill you but wish to spare you. Inform the police or anyone else you die. To be spared, contact vsdky@hotmail.com immediately via email". DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS TEXT! The scam is being being investigated by local police agencies.
$20,000 Perdue Foundation grant helps fund Recovery Resource Center 12-Step addiction programs
A Viewer Writes: Traffic Court
In Reversal, Navy Won't Scrap Traditional Job Titles
In the Navy, a corpsman will still be a corpsman.
Navy leaders are dumping a plan announced in September to eliminate dozens of enlisted sailors' job titles, some ending in "man." They said sailors' anger over the changes had become a distraction and they will look for other ways to modernize the system.
"The bottom line is, we're going to preserve all the good, we're going to throw all the distractions overboard and we're going to move on, stay on course," Navy Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, told sailors gathered in the Pentagon on Wednesday. "You showed us the way forward. ... Thanks for teaching us that lesson."
The Navy's reversal brought widespread praise on social media Wednesday:
Jack McCain, a Navy helicopter pilot who is the son of Arizona Sen. John McCain:
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Navy leaders are dumping a plan announced in September to eliminate dozens of enlisted sailors' job titles, some ending in "man." They said sailors' anger over the changes had become a distraction and they will look for other ways to modernize the system.
"The bottom line is, we're going to preserve all the good, we're going to throw all the distractions overboard and we're going to move on, stay on course," Navy Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, told sailors gathered in the Pentagon on Wednesday. "You showed us the way forward. ... Thanks for teaching us that lesson."
The Navy's reversal brought widespread praise on social media Wednesday:
Jack McCain, a Navy helicopter pilot who is the son of Arizona Sen. John McCain:
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