Some of the people steering Ted Cruz's White House bid:
Heidi Cruz:
The senator's wife is a managing director at Goldman Sachs in Houston. She has worked at the investment banking firm since 2005 and will take a leave of absence to campaign with her husband. Heidi Cruz also has a formidable political resume. She was the director for the Western Hemisphere at the National Security Council and worked in the Treasury Department. She graduated from Harvard Business School and Claremont McKenna College. She and her husband met in Austin in 2000 while working on President George W. Bush's campaign.
Rafael Cruz:
The senator often calls his father and namesake his hero. Rafael Cruz fled Cuba in 1957 and went to Austin, Texas. The younger Cruz often tells the story of how Rafael came, penniless, to the United States and worked his way up from a dishwasher to a student to the oil business. He is now an evangelical preacher and director of Purifying Fire International ministry. He often appears beside his son at events. Rafael Cruz is also known for making controversial statements, including that he wanted to send President Obama back to Kenya.
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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
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Senate clobbers Obama’s $4 trillion budget plan in 1-98 vote — Here’s the one guy who voted ‘yes’
The only senator to vote for the plan was Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.).
Obama’s budget plans have not fared well in Congress, and in fact Democrats have not even tried to present them each year when members consider various budget plans. That has forced Republicans to call up a version of Obama’s plan to get a sense of how much Congress supports Obama’s plan.
In the last few years, Democrats have protested that these attempts are not real votes on Obama’s budget plans. But those arguments seemed mostly designed to allow Democrats to vote against it with Republicans and spare Obama from seeing his budget plans go down year after year.
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Going Soft on Crime
House Bill 121 seeks to turn back the clock...
by Mike McDermott
Every now and again Maryland’s General Assembly can be counted on to get something right. This was true when, years ago, they passed legislation that placed mandatory minimum sentences in place for repeat drug offenders. It was crafted in response to a real problem with the courts and a system that allowed repeat offenders (career criminals) to serve minimal sentences before being eligible for parole.
Our prisons had become revolving doors and, with a growing crime problem, legislators took action. At the prompting of criminal justice and other community leaders, they adopted mandatory minimums sentencing guidelines to address the more serious criminal drug element. In many cases this meant a criminal caught taking another bite of the apple would be required to serve a minimum sentence between 2 and 40 years behind bars before they could even think about being paroled.
Even the threat of a 10-year minimum sentence created an environment where those charged became more receptive to plea bargain offers from the State’s Attorneys. This ultimately reduced the demand placed on an overburdened court system by limiting the number of jury trials required. Further, it lessened the impact on crime victims and witnesses by eliminating the need to testify. Acceptance of pleas in these cases vanquished the appeals process further reducing pressure on the system.
It is safe to say, there are more marks in the plus column on the balance sheet with this law in place. Yet, in a move to turn back the clock, the Baltimore City Delegation and their Chairman, Delegate Curt Anderson, are pushing ahead with HB-121 in an effort to further soften life for criminals in Maryland.
The bill has suffered amendments, as most do, but it is still full of language that would damage a system that has been working to the benefit of Marylanders. If passed into law, it would strike the minimum mandatory sentences and replace them with discretionary sentences that could be imposed by the trial judge. It is a bait and switch tactic where you trade your guaranteed dinner for what could amount to an empty plate.
The delegates pushing this bill designed it to “appear” tougher saying, “but we doubled the sentencing possibilities from 10 to 20 years”. This is true, but they know full well that it would take a 20-year sentence to see an inmate come anywhere close to serving 10. In reality, it would be closer to 7, and this is the very reason that mandatory minimum sentences were sought out in the first place.
While we are under siege with a heroin epidemic, going soft on the dealers and traffickers that are poisoning our children seems hardly appropriate. In fact, it amounts to surrender. Our State’s Attorneys need the threat of mandatory sentences hanging over the heads of career criminals, and our court system needs the relief that a functional plea agreement often provides.
If HB-121 becomes law, it will only benefit the criminal and it will increase the burden on tax payers. If passed, it will only mean that our streets will be occupied with more drug dealers and those they make dependent upon their poison. It will constitute another step in the wrong direction for Maryland. The vote in the House Judiciary Committee came down along party lines with 8 Republican votes against and the bare minimum 12 Democrat votes in favor. Seems a few Democrats sat this one out on the sidelines.
It is perhaps appropriate that the hearing date for HB-121 in the Maryland Senate falls on April 1st; for changing the law, in this case, would constitute a foolish act.
Police shooting of mentally ill woman reaches US supreme court. Why did it happen at all?
In August 2008, Teresa Sheehan, a mentally ill 56-year-old woman, was shot multiple times by San Francisco police officers. The police had been called to take her for an emergency psychiatric evaluation when she threatened a case worker, but the situation quickly escalated.
After Sheehan threatened the officers with a knife, they shot her five or six times, including in the hip and head. She survived but needed two hip replacement surgeries.
Sheehan sued the officers and the city for failing to take her mental health status into account during arrest. Her lawyers argue that Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires officers to “reasonably” modify arrest procedures when confronting people who have mental illness; San Francisco says the ADA does not apply to arrests, especially with public safety at stake.
On Monday, the US supreme court will hear oral arguments in the Sheehan case, to decide whether and how disabilities regulations apply to police policies and procedures during arrests.
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After Sheehan threatened the officers with a knife, they shot her five or six times, including in the hip and head. She survived but needed two hip replacement surgeries.
Sheehan sued the officers and the city for failing to take her mental health status into account during arrest. Her lawyers argue that Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires officers to “reasonably” modify arrest procedures when confronting people who have mental illness; San Francisco says the ADA does not apply to arrests, especially with public safety at stake.
On Monday, the US supreme court will hear oral arguments in the Sheehan case, to decide whether and how disabilities regulations apply to police policies and procedures during arrests.
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Erica Coulbourne's Funeral Fund
We have a wonderful community and I believe we can all come together and help this family out. Unfortunately, the family did not have life insurance. Any help we can get and make sure this beautiful, young girl has a proper farewell.
Erica was a beautiful, fun loving girl who had a contagious smile, and wonderful friendships. Erica touched many of our hearts during the time we got to have her here with us on earth. She has left us too soon.
http://www.gofundme.com/pmuca4
TSA improperly provided 'notorious' convicted felon expedited screening at airport
A convicted felon who was also a former member of a domestic terrorist group was allowed by the Transportation Security Administration to go through the expedited passenger screening lane at an airport last year even after a security officer recognized the "notorious" traveler, the Homeland Security Department watchdog said in a March 19 press release.
The DHS inspector general conducted an investigation after the U.S. Office of Special Counsel received a whistleblower disclosure that alleged that the felon was not properly cleared for TSA's PreCheck screening.
The partially redacted March 16 report (pdf) – "Allegation of Granting Expedited Screening Through TSA PreCheck Improperly" (OIG-15-45) – was released on the IG's website March 19. The House Democrat's Homeland Security website previously posted the report.
"The traveler is a former member of a domestic terrorist group," the IG said in its report. "While a member, the traveler was involved in numerous felonious criminal activities that led to arrest and conviction. After serving a multiple-year sentence, the traveler was released from prison."
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The DHS inspector general conducted an investigation after the U.S. Office of Special Counsel received a whistleblower disclosure that alleged that the felon was not properly cleared for TSA's PreCheck screening.
The partially redacted March 16 report (pdf) – "Allegation of Granting Expedited Screening Through TSA PreCheck Improperly" (OIG-15-45) – was released on the IG's website March 19. The House Democrat's Homeland Security website previously posted the report.
"The traveler is a former member of a domestic terrorist group," the IG said in its report. "While a member, the traveler was involved in numerous felonious criminal activities that led to arrest and conviction. After serving a multiple-year sentence, the traveler was released from prison."
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Federal workers owe more than $3.5 billion in unpaid taxes
Almost 305,000 federal workers and retirees owed back taxes as of Sept. 30. That’s down from 318,000 the year before.
The delinquency rate was 3.1 percent for the 9.8 million workers and retirees included in the data. That’s down from 3.3 percent the previous year.
The IRS compiles data each year on unpaid taxes by federal workers. The data does not include workers who have enrolled in installment agreements to pay their back taxes.
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Brother, former president to attend Jeb Bush fundraiser
DES MOINES, Iowa — Former President George W. Bush is scheduled to attend a Lone Star-studded fundraiser in Dallas Wednesday for his brother Jeb Bush.
The former president and former first lady Laura Bush are the special guests named to appear with the former Florida governor, who is expected to announce in the coming months his candidacy for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, Texas Republicans said Monday.
It would be the first time former President Bush — a former Texas governor and current resident of Dallas — has attended a fundraiser for his brother, who has been aggressively raising money for his political action committee from some of the GOP's top donors for three months. It also comes as Jeb Bush nears the end of what is expected to be a successful fundraising quarter for the PAC.
The guest list also includes big names in Texas and national GOP fundraising circles, including Dallas billionaire T. Boone Pickens, who is chairman of BP Capital Management, and real estate and homebuilding magnate Woody Hunt of El Paso.
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The former president and former first lady Laura Bush are the special guests named to appear with the former Florida governor, who is expected to announce in the coming months his candidacy for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, Texas Republicans said Monday.
It would be the first time former President Bush — a former Texas governor and current resident of Dallas — has attended a fundraiser for his brother, who has been aggressively raising money for his political action committee from some of the GOP's top donors for three months. It also comes as Jeb Bush nears the end of what is expected to be a successful fundraising quarter for the PAC.
The guest list also includes big names in Texas and national GOP fundraising circles, including Dallas billionaire T. Boone Pickens, who is chairman of BP Capital Management, and real estate and homebuilding magnate Woody Hunt of El Paso.
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2 Maryland students caught cheating on PARCC exam
BALTIMORE —Two Maryland students have been caught cheating on a new test tied to the Common Core standards.
Education officials said they learned earlier this month that the students posted test questions to their Twitter accounts. The state is not naming the students, identifying their schools or saying what might happen to them.
The 10th-grade students were taking the statewide English test when they apparently took pictures of the test questions and posted them on Twitter. The tweets were noticed by the testing company using software designed to find keywords and phrases. It wasn't long before state school officials got word of what had taken place.
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Education officials said they learned earlier this month that the students posted test questions to their Twitter accounts. The state is not naming the students, identifying their schools or saying what might happen to them.
The 10th-grade students were taking the statewide English test when they apparently took pictures of the test questions and posted them on Twitter. The tweets were noticed by the testing company using software designed to find keywords and phrases. It wasn't long before state school officials got word of what had taken place.
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Evolution May Explain Why a Curvy Bottom Drives Men Wild
(HealthDay News) -- Men are naturally drawn to a woman with a curvy backside, a new report suggests.
The "theoretically optimal angle" is a 45.5-degree curve from back to buttocks -- not necessarily a big butt, the University of Texas at Austin researchers determined.
These curvaceous gals would have had an evolutionary advantage, in that they appeared able to bear multiple children easily, the researchers said.
"This spinal structure would have enabled pregnant women to balance their weight over the hips," said study leader David Lewis, a UT Austin alumnus and now a psychologist at Bilkent University in Turkey.
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The "theoretically optimal angle" is a 45.5-degree curve from back to buttocks -- not necessarily a big butt, the University of Texas at Austin researchers determined.
These curvaceous gals would have had an evolutionary advantage, in that they appeared able to bear multiple children easily, the researchers said.
"This spinal structure would have enabled pregnant women to balance their weight over the hips," said study leader David Lewis, a UT Austin alumnus and now a psychologist at Bilkent University in Turkey.
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Bill seeks to abolish Delaware death penalty
State troopers group opposes bill as proposed
DOVER — Flanked by a bipartisan group of legislators, religious leaders from across the state and activists who oppose the death penalty, Senate Minority Leader Gary Simpson was one of nearly two dozen people calling for the abolishment of the death penalty in Delaware.
During a March 18 press conference in the Senate Chambers of Legislative Hall in Dover, Simpson, R-Milford, said he’s long believed Delaware should end the death penalty.
The Senate minority leader said Gov. Jack Markell and his fellow legislators need to be brave and do the right thing.
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White House mystery: Florist said to have been escorted off grounds
When White House chief pastry chef Bill Yosses left the executive mansion last summer, the president publicly mourned the loss of “the crust master’s” mysteriously addictive pies. And when the first family’s personal chef and pal, Sam Kass, left in December, Michelle Obama heaped praise on Kass’s “extraordinary legacy of progress” in an official White House statement.
But the recent exit of head florist Laura Dowling, who’d been in the job since 2009, has been a much quieter affair. So hush hush, in fact, that most outside of 1600 Penn knew nothing about it. There’s still no official comment on why Dowling is no longer at the White House, but according to a source with close ties to current residence staffers, she was escorted from the building on Friday, Feb. 13.
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But the recent exit of head florist Laura Dowling, who’d been in the job since 2009, has been a much quieter affair. So hush hush, in fact, that most outside of 1600 Penn knew nothing about it. There’s still no official comment on why Dowling is no longer at the White House, but according to a source with close ties to current residence staffers, she was escorted from the building on Friday, Feb. 13.
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Easter Egg Hunts And Spring Celebrations Across Delmarva
Eggstravaganza: Sunday, March 29, Wicomico Recreation and Parks, Salisbury
Hop on over to Pemberton Historical Park in Salisbury for Wicomico County’s Annual Spring Eggstravaganza event, featuring egg hunts, crafts, an egg toss, bunny hop, egg dyeing and more! Children ages 3 and under are $2, and ages 4 and up are $4. This year’s Eggstravaganza will be held Sunday, March 29 from 1pm until 3pm. Four egg hunts (for children ages 12 and under) will be held. For more information, email Cortney Kline, Program Director, andcfronczak@wicomicocounty.org.
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Lynch Confirmation Vote in Senate Seen Delayed Until April
(Bloomberg) -- U.S. attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch probably won’t get a Senate confirmation vote until at least mid-April, five months after she was nominated, because the chamber plans to spend this week debating its budget proposal.
“Budget all week,” Don Stewart, a spokesman for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said in an e-mail Monday when asked whether the Senate would vote on Lynch before taking a two-week spring break until April 13. President Barack Obama said Nov. 8 he was nominating her to replace Attorney General Eric Holder.
“We’re as disappointed as we can be,” Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland said in an interview Monday. “There hasn’t been one earthly reason given.” He said he still hopes for a vote this week.
McConnell backed off a plan to consider her nomination last week amid a partisan fight over an anti-human-trafficking bill that is stuck in the Senate. Democrats are blocking a vote because they object to Republican language in the bill to ban abortion funding. McConnell has said Lynch’s confirmation won’t come up until the human-trafficking dispute is resolved.
Obama and other Democrats have accused McConnell of holding Lynch’s confirmation hostage for political reasons. The delay also has a downside for Republicans because Holder, widely criticized by members of that party, is still on the job.
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“Budget all week,” Don Stewart, a spokesman for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said in an e-mail Monday when asked whether the Senate would vote on Lynch before taking a two-week spring break until April 13. President Barack Obama said Nov. 8 he was nominating her to replace Attorney General Eric Holder.
“We’re as disappointed as we can be,” Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland said in an interview Monday. “There hasn’t been one earthly reason given.” He said he still hopes for a vote this week.
McConnell backed off a plan to consider her nomination last week amid a partisan fight over an anti-human-trafficking bill that is stuck in the Senate. Democrats are blocking a vote because they object to Republican language in the bill to ban abortion funding. McConnell has said Lynch’s confirmation won’t come up until the human-trafficking dispute is resolved.
Obama and other Democrats have accused McConnell of holding Lynch’s confirmation hostage for political reasons. The delay also has a downside for Republicans because Holder, widely criticized by members of that party, is still on the job.
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Wind farm opposition building steam
Keep Kent Scenic formed about a month ago over a proposal by Apex Clean Energy to build anywhere from 30 to 50 wind turbines expected to be at least 500 feet tall. What Apex is calling Mills Branch Wind will be spread out over several farms in the center of the county, between state routes 213 and 291.
On Saturday, March 21, Keep Kent Scenic organizers Bill Graham and Janet Christensen hosted an organizational meeting for would-be members. They found themselves with a standing-room only crowd in the Kent County Public Library's main branch in Chestertown.
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Uptick in Severe Storms Imminent After Unusually Slow Start to Season
Due to the continuous onset of cold, drier air that's been keeping southern moisture at bay, the month of March has seen no severe thunderstorm watches issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center through the middle of the month, something that has never happened in the center's 45-year history.
"We are in uncharted territory with respect to lack of severe weather," SPC's Warning Coordination Meteorologist Greg Carbin said in a March 17press release. "This has never happened in the record of SPC watches dating back to 1970."
According to the SPC, the center has issued only four tornado watches and zero severe thunderstorm watches from the beginning of 2015 to March 17.
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"We are in uncharted territory with respect to lack of severe weather," SPC's Warning Coordination Meteorologist Greg Carbin said in a March 17press release. "This has never happened in the record of SPC watches dating back to 1970."
According to the SPC, the center has issued only four tornado watches and zero severe thunderstorm watches from the beginning of 2015 to March 17.
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Key Annexation Vote Moves Berlin Apartment Project Forward
After hearing from residents both for and against the project, members of Berlin’s town council voted 3-2 Monday to approve the annexation of 90 acres just south of the former Harley Davidson building. Mayor Gee Williams said developments like the one proposed for this site would help fund the town’s infrastructure improvements.
“I’m worried that if we don’t start accommodating them we’ll be forced to raise taxes,” he said.
Developer Blair Rinnier plans to build nearly 800 “garden-style” rental apartments on the site. The first phase will consist of 144 units that could be complete in about a year. Additional units would follow based on demand.
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Supreme Court Leaves Intact Wisconsin Voter ID Law
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday left intact a new Republican-backed law in Wisconsin that requires voters to present photo identification when they cast ballots.
The court declined to hear an appeal filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the law.
Voter identification laws have been put in place in a number of Republican-governed states over the objection of many Democrats. Republicans in Wisconsin and other states say such rules are needed to prevent voter fraud. Democrats say the laws are intended to suppress the turnout of minorities and other groups that tend to voter for Democrats.
In October, the court temporarily blocked the Wisconsin law. It did not explain its reasoning at the time, but it was most likely because the statute was being implemented so close to the November election, which could have caused confusion and disruption.
The ACLU had pointed out in October that absentee ballots had been sent out before the November election without notifying voters of the identification requirements.
The Supreme Court has previously upheld the constitutionality of such voter ID laws.
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The court declined to hear an appeal filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the law.
Voter identification laws have been put in place in a number of Republican-governed states over the objection of many Democrats. Republicans in Wisconsin and other states say such rules are needed to prevent voter fraud. Democrats say the laws are intended to suppress the turnout of minorities and other groups that tend to voter for Democrats.
In October, the court temporarily blocked the Wisconsin law. It did not explain its reasoning at the time, but it was most likely because the statute was being implemented so close to the November election, which could have caused confusion and disruption.
The ACLU had pointed out in October that absentee ballots had been sent out before the November election without notifying voters of the identification requirements.
The Supreme Court has previously upheld the constitutionality of such voter ID laws.
More here
BREAKING NEWS : Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl to be charged with desertion
Fox News confirms that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, released last May by the Taliban, will be charged with desertion.
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