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July 2015

Posted by Amy Miller on July 22, 2015 7 Comments
The federal government has finally decided how to publicly handle an OPM data breach that compromised over 20 million federal employee records this past June. Rather, they've decided what they aren't going to do about it. Citing concerns over national security, the Obama Administration has decided that they will not publicly blame China for the hack, even though conventional wisdom (and a fair amount of now-public evidence) suggests that they were responsible. Officials fear that coming out in an official capacity against Beijing will compromise what evidence investigators have been able to assemble. More from WaPo:
“We have chosen not to make any official assertions about attribution at this point,” said a senior administration official, despite the widely held conviction that Beijing was responsible. The official cited factors including concern that making a public case against China could require exposing details of the United States’ own espionage and cyberspace capabilities. The official was among several who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations.

Posted by Amy Miller on July 22, 2015 12 Comments
The entire world is in flames, but never fear---President Barack Obama is busy doing the sort of work that keeps America safe. You know, by sitting down for a 20 minute interview with a comedian. Obama's last interview with The Daily Show's Jon Stewart went just as you'd expect: cheeky, wordy, and full of the sort of backhanded insults that keep the 24 hour news cycle spinning. You can watch the full interview here: (The interview is cut up into three segments---you'll be able to skip to the other segments at the end of the embedded video.) Climate change. Iran. Those damn Republicans.

Posted by Amy Miller on July 22, 2015 10 Comments
The 2016 elections will boil down to cause, and effect---and when it comes to foreign policy, the Democrats will have much to answer for, especially when it comes to the rise of ISIS. The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, which began in 2010, remains one of Obama's more controversial foreign policy orders to date. The war wasn't popular, but then again, neither was the idea of letting go of a country we fought so hard to clean out and control before that country was ready to stand on its own two feet. Still, Obama persisted, and the rest is history: large parts of Iraq crumbled, and the chaos gave rise to the Islamic State's brutal, terrifying brand of terrorism. Outgoing Army Chief of Staff Ray Odierno spent more time in Iraq than any other U.S. General; he was an architect of the Surge, and spent half his time overseas as a top commander---and he says the chaos we're seeing today could have been prevented if only the Administration had agreed to follow recommendations regarding the pace of troop withdrawals, saying, “If we had stayed a little more engaged, I think maybe it might have been prevented... I've always believed the United States played the role of honest broker between all the groups and when we pulled ourselves out, we lost that role.” Via Fox News:

Posted by Mike LaChance on July 22, 2015 30 Comments
Mark Halperin of Bloomberg Politics recently interviewed 2016 Democratic Party presidential candidate Martin O'Malley. Their discussion covered a wide range of topics, but when talk turned to foreign policy, O'Malley suggested that climate change was behind the rise of ISIS. Transcript and video via Real Clear Politics:
Martin O'Malley: Climate Change Created ISIS MARTIN O'MALLEY: One of the things that preceded the failure of the nation state of Syria and the rise of ISIS, was the effect of climate change and the mega-drought that affected that nation, wiped out farmers, drove people to cities, created a humanitarian crisis that created the symptoms — or rather, the conditions — of extreme poverty that has now led to the rise of ISIS and this extreme violence.
The interview is approximately six minutes long. To hear the segment on ISIS and climate change, skip to the 3:40 mark:

Posted by Jay Caruso on July 22, 2015 22 Comments
When President Obama was pushing Obamacare, he stated  before a joint session of Congress in September 2009 that it would not be opened up to illegal immigrants. Remember what happened next? Representative Joe Wilson yelled, "You lie!" and it caused quite a stir. Here's the clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-vt_OrSeWk Wilson may have violated the rules of decorum, but was he wrong? It has taken some time, but President Obama may owe Wilson an apology. From Forbes:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 22, 2015 25 Comments
After enjoying gloriously warm and sunny weather during my northern European "apology tour", I was astonished return and find California's mega-drought seemingly ended with record rainfall.
San Diegans woke up Monday after record-breaking storms brought up to four inches of rain in one community and more than an inch in many others. “Amazing is the best way to put it,” NBC 7’s Meteorologist Jodi Kodesh said as she described the amount of rainfall San Diego County received in 48 hours. ...Saturday's rainfall broke records in at least 11 locations, including five places that had the most rain ever recorded on any day in July, according to the National Weather Service.
Now, our media is focusing on "El Niño" and predicting the Golden State will be hit with floods.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on July 21, 2015 4 Comments
When Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei isn't spending time negating U.S. diplomatic statements, he's taunting Israel and the whole of the West on social media. "We will continue our unprecedented efforts to strengthen Israel's security," said President Obama at the beginning of a video Ayatollah Khamenei tweeted Monday. The video ended with Khamenei saying, "Israel's security will not be ensured whether there will be a nuclear agreement or not."

Posted by Miriam Elman on July 21, 2015 15 Comments
Louis (Lou) Lenart, an American fighter pilot during World War II who later helped to fend off an Egyptian advance on Tel Aviv during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence passed away on Monday (July 20) at his home in the central Israeli city of Ra’anana. Lenart is a legend in Israel, where he’s hailed as “The Man who Saved Tel Aviv”. https://youtu.be/6NH5FYlCrts?t=3m20s On May 29, 1948—just two weeks after the fledgling Jewish state was invaded by the armies of five Arab nations—Lenart led the newly-formed Israel Air Force’s (IAF) first combat mission, stopping a massive Egyptian army column less than 30 miles away from Tel Aviv. In what can only be described as one of the greatest fake-outs in military history, Lenart—who, as the most experienced pilot, led the assault—and his three buddies flew four junk Czech-built German Messerschmitt fighter planes for a country that had no actual airforce. Dropping 70 kilogram bombs on the Egyptian column and attacking them with gunfire, this bit of daring-do managed to convince the Egyptians that there was enough competition in the sky to warrant a retreat. There can be no doubt that Lenart helped to turn the tide of the war.

Posted by Amy Miller on July 21, 2015 10 Comments
Rand Paul released a new ad today, and it's truly a must-see---especially if you're a fan of chainsaws, woodchippers, large bonfires, the national anthem, or tax reform. Who am I kidding? Americans are fans of all those things! Let's get right to it: At about the 37 second mark, the video turns interactive, asking viewers which method they believe Paul should use to lay waste to a paper copy of the tax code:

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on July 21, 2015 3 Comments
The threat of ISIS has spread from Syria and Iraq, to Egypt, and even to Europe and the United States. Islamic militants are using both ground operations and digital campaigns to infiltrate new territory, and recent reports show that now India's government is alarmed at the recent inroads made by ISIS, especially in the country's northern regions. India is home to the world's second largest Muslim population. Numbering roughly 180 million, Muslims make up for about 14 percent of the country's population, and ISIS is taking full advantage of the opportunity to seize control of new ground. Not only have young Indian Muslims joined the ranks of ISIS combatants in Syria and Iraq, they are also acting as influential jihadi propagandists online. In December 2014, Britain’s Channel 4 uncovered the identity of a Bangalore-based man allegedly operating ISIS' most influential Twitter account. ISIS’ influence in India is not limited to just talk anymore. Supporters of the terror outfit in Muslim-dominated regions are feeling emboldened to show their support outside the realm of cyberspace---and it shows. Nowhere is the support for ISIS stronger than in the northern Indian State of (Jammu-) Kashmir. In early 1990s, widespread anti-Hindu pogroms in Kashmir drove about half a million people from their ancestral homes. Having cleansed large parts of Kashmir from the native Hindu population, the Islamists are now fighting to carve out a separate, Islamic country.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on July 21, 2015 32 Comments
A second undercover video released by the Center for Medical Progress Monday shows Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s Medical Directors’ Council President, Dr. Mary Gatter, bargaining over dismembered baby part prices with investigators. It took me several attempts to get through this video due to the nature of the content, so please proceed accordingly.

Posted by Amy Miller on July 21, 2015 17 Comments
Ohio Governor John Kasich just started a long game of catch-up. Today during a speech to a packed house at the (THE) Ohio State University, the former congressman and two-term governor became the 16th person to throw his name into the running for the Republican nomination for president. You can watch the announcement here, via the New York Times (jump the video back to about 10 minutes in): https://youtu.be/Se5L8ww8r2g?t=10m35s
“I have decided to run for president of the United States,” he told a crowd at Ohio State University, his alma mater. “I have the skills, and I have the experience. I have the experience and the testing — the testing that prepares you for the most important job in the world.”

Posted by Amy Miller on July 21, 2015 8 Comments
Today Britain's Crown Prosecution Service revealed that it has charged two Muslim relatives with plotting to commit terror attacks against US military members stationed in the United Kingdom. Junead Khan, 24, and his uncle Shazib Khan, 22, were arrested after authorities discovered that the two men were planning on traveling to Syria with the goal of joining Islamic State fighters there. More via Fox News:
Sky News reported that the men were arrested a week ago in a joint operation between Bedfordshire Police and the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorist Command Unit and that armed police were involved in one of the arrests. Police say searches were carried out at two addresses in the Luton area as part of the operation which forms part of an ongoing investigation into Islamist-related terrorism. "We have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to charge Junead Khan and Shazib Khan with the intention of committing acts of terrorism," said Deborah Walsh, of the Crown Prosecution Service. "It is alleged that Junead Khan and Shazib Khan had been planning on travelling to Syria to join the proscribed organization Islamic State in Levant.

Posted by Mike LaChance on July 21, 2015 13 Comments
The people of North Korea care very deeply about their civic duty to vote...if they know what's good for them. The dictator-ruled country had an election this weekend and 99.97% of the people voted; but choice had little to do with it. Not only did people have no choice in whether or not to vote, they didn't even get a choice on the ballot. CNN reports:
Citizens forced to vote in North Korea's version of democracy It's called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. But any real notions of democracy end with the name. North Koreans headed to the polls at the weekend to cast their ballots in elections for local representatives on provincial, city, and county People's Assemblies. Citizens were not asked to make a choice -- the results had already been decided by Kim Jong Un's central government. Voters were handed ballot papers but didn't mark them. They would have instead deposited them in a ballot box, signifying their support for the pre-approved candidates.

Posted by Amy Miller on July 21, 2015 8 Comments
Yesterday, Cuba's flag flew over its Washington, D.C.-based embassy for the first time in 54 years. Relations between the U.S. and Cuba aren't totally normalized, but yesterday's embassy openings are being cautiously hailed as the beginning of a new era in our relationship with the struggling country. Although "formal diplomatic relations" have indeed been restored, President Obama has elected to keep in place---with minor tweaks---both business and travel restrictions, as well as the economic embargo that has defined our relationship the past half-century. It's halfway between a symbolic move, and full-on reversal. (Is the reversal coming? We could start a pool.) More from Reuters:
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez presided over the reinauguration of the embassy, a milestone in the diplomatic thaw that began with an announcement by U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro on Dec. 17.

Posted by Mike LaChance on July 21, 2015 14 Comments
John Kerry and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz appeared on FOX News Sunday this past weekend and answered questions from Chris Wallace on the terms of the Iran Deal. Wallace focused on the 24 day lead Iran will be given for inspections, which Kerry suggested is perfectly acceptable. Moniz also clarified his earlier remarks on the subject. David Rutz of the Washington Free Beacon reported:
Kerry: I Never Sought ‘Anytime, Anywhere’ Inspections in Iran Nuclear Negotiations Secretary of State John Kerry, in a talking point similar to White House official Ben Rhodes earlier this week, claimed on Fox News Sunday he never seen discussed the idea of “anywhere, anytime” inspections in the Iran nuclear deal. Host Chris Wallace mentioned the 24-day period Iran can stave off inspections as part of the agreement and how that hardly constituted meeting those standards before Kerry rebuked him. “Well, that’s not accurate,” Kerry said. “I never, in four years, had a discussion about anywhere, anytime.” Like Rhodes’ statement, this contradicts earlier statements made by the Obama administration, and it also makes it painfully clear the White House never thought this extremely important verification measure was ever realistic. President Obama, in April, said that the world would know if Iran cheated on the deal, and Wallace pointed out he said nothing about 24 days.
Watch the video:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on July 20, 2015 17 Comments
Last week, damning investigative footage showed a Planned Parenthood doctor nonchalantly discussing dismembering and selling baby body parts. “We’ve been very good at getting heart, lung, liver, because we know that, so I’m not gonna crush that part, I’m gonna basically crush below, I’m gonna crush above, and I’m gonna see if I can get it all intact,” said Dr. Deborah Nucatola. Democrats flocked to stand with Planned Parenthood, while Republicans spoke out en masse after watching the horrifying video footage. Following the investigation, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called for an investigation into the sale of baby body parts.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on July 20, 2015 15 Comments
There are few things more cringeworthy than watching stiff-shirted, scripted folks attempting charisma. But that's exactly what happened in Hillary Clinton's latest social media soirée. Long gone are the days when parents struggled to figure out how to rewind a video tape... now we have smart phones. Snapchat is a social media sharing site that allows users to send pictures and videos to one another. Because the political world insists on invading every thing good and pure in this world, it too has spread its poisonous reach into the realm of Snapchat. Monday, Mrs. Clinton shared the following video:
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