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August 2015

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 28, 2015 17 Comments
Hillary Clinton's trusted aide Huma Abedin was in the news earlier this month when it was alleged that she was overpaid while working at the State Department. A new report from Rosalind S. Helderman and Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post sheds some light on how such a thing could happen. Abedin was working multiple jobs while at the State Department:
How Huma Abedin operated at the center of the Clinton universe As Hillary Rodham Clinton was preparing for her farewell international trip as secretary of state, her close aide and confidante Huma Abedin e-mailed a small number of longtime political allies to help arrange an intimate get-together at a private club in Dublin. “Maybe we can all gather for drinks/dinner and HRC can come join for as long as she can?” Abedin wrote. The December 2012 event showcased the unique position that Abedin occupied at the apex of the Clintons’ public and private worlds during the final six months of Hillary Clinton’s tenure heading the State Department. At the time, Abedin held four jobs with four different employers — an arrangement allowed by a special government designation she held permitting outside employment. And each job had a connection to the Dublin dinner.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on August 27, 2015 21 Comments
"Ricardo Sanchez known as "El Mandril" on his Spanish drive-time radio show in Los Angeles has taken to calling Donald J. Trump, "el hombre del peluquin." In other words, "The Man of the Toupee," read Trump to an audience in South Carolina. "This is on the front page of the New York Times." Entitled, Donald Trump Gets Earful in Spanish as Latino Outlets Air Disdain, the NTYs article Trump read explored how Spanish media was handling his remarks about the Latino community.
Ricardo Sánchez, known as “El Mandril” on his Spanish drive-time radio show in Los Angeles, has taken to calling Donald J. Trump “El hombre del peluquín” — the man of the toupee. Some of Mr. Sánchez’s listeners are less kind, referring to Mr. Trump, who has dismissed some Mexican immigrants as “rapists” and criminals, simply as “Hitler.” Mr. Sánchez says that he tries to focus on the positive in presidential politics, but he, too, at times has used harsh language to describe Mr. Trump, according to translations of his show provided by his executive producer. “A president like Trump would be like giving a loaded gun to a monkey,” Mr. Sanchez said in one broadcast. “But a gun that fires atomic bullets.”

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on August 27, 2015 12 Comments
The day after the tragic on-camera murder of a Virginia-based local news crew, we're still piecing together what occurred. This is what we know so far. Thursday afternoon, NBC News took a deeper look into presumed gunman, Vester Flanagan, who was known on air as "Bryce Williams." After murdering the news crew, Flanagan fled, took his pursuit to social media, then turned the gun on himself, taking his own life. A former WDBJ employee, Flanagan was ordered to contact Health Advocate, the Employee Assistance Program after having multiple confrontations with photographers. After he was fired in 2013, he sued the station. According to NBC News, on the day Flanagan was terminated he became so violent, he had to be physically removed from his chair while station employees called 9-1-1. The photographer? Adam Ward, one of Flanagan's victims.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on August 27, 2015 15 Comments
Joining Rep. Trey Gowdy and Sen. Tim Scott at a Presidential town hall forum in South Carolina Thursday, Governor Rick Perry took questions ranging from entitlement reform to national security. During a particularly emotional moment, Governor Perry went off script to discuss his deep-rooted feelings about military service. When asked by an audience member if he would close Gitmo, Perry answered, "listen, I'd keep Guantanamo Bay open. The bad guys don't need be over here. This president does not know how to, and I'm just going to editorialize here just a little bit -- this president does not know how to connect the dots. If he did, we would not be negotiating with Iran today. If he did, we would have the Castro brothers on their knees in Cuba, but we threw them a lifeline." Perry continued, "this president does not understand, either he doesn't have the experience of how foreign policy works, or he is so philosophically out of tune with the vast majority of Americans." When the conversation turned to Iraq, Perry's demeanor changed.

Posted by Amy Miller on August 27, 2015 26 Comments
Brace yourselves---comparisons to brutal terror organizations are coming. It's election season, which means it's time to start making strained comparisons between our opponents and various historical despots. The left enjoyed fantastic success after comparing George W. Bush to Hitler---and why not? Nothing says "leadership" like invoking the spirit of a madman who perpetuated genocide on three continents. Hillary Clinton kept the tradition alive at a rally in Cleveland, where she compared GOP candidates' efforts to protect life to the crimes committed by terrorist organizations.

Posted by Amy Miller on August 27, 2015 2 Comments
Quinnipiac University released a new poll today showing a slight shift in the way Democrats perceive their potential field of candidates. The numbers also indicate that those surveyed on the Republican end still crave candidates who by their nature are separated from "business as usual" in Washington. More from Quinnipiac:
Vice President Joseph Biden runs slightly better than former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton against leading Republican contenders in the 2016 presidential sweepstakes, and has the best favorability rating among top Republican and Democratic candidates, according to a Quinnipiac University National poll released today. Donald Trump leads the crowded Republican pack with 28 percent, up from 20 percent in a July 30 national survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University. This is the highest tally and widest margin for any Republican so far in this election. Ben Carson has 12 percent, with 7 percent each for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. No other Republican tops 6 percent and 11 percent are undecided. Trump also tops the "no way" list as 26 percent of Republican voters say they would definitely not support him. Bush is next with 18 percent. Clinton leads the Democratic field with 45 percent, down from 55 percent July 30, with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont at 22 percent and Biden at 18 percent. No other candidate tops 1 percent with 11 percent undecided. This is Sanders' highest tally and closest margin. Clinton tops the Democrats' "no way" list with 11 percent.
Biden rising, Clinton down, and a whole lot of love/hate for Trump. Sounds like business as usual. The people at Quinnipiac must have sensed that, because the second chunk of their data has proven a source of endless entertainment. Pollsters asked their sample to evaluate the field based on the first word that came to mind when they thought of a particular candidate. The three most common words used to describe Clinton? "Liar," "dishonest," and "untrustworthy." Also making appearances were "criminal," "crook," and the B-word: Poll Word Cloud Association Hillary Quinnipiac 8-27-2015

Posted by Amy Miller on August 27, 2015 6 Comments
As the vote on the controversial Iran nuclear deal looms, democrats on Capitol Hill and in the White House are pushing forward with their efforts to ensure that their caucus stands as intact as possible against Republican attacks. Thus far, their efforts have produced results, if not perfect ones. The defection of powerful Senate democrat Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and the high profile split of two freshman House dems, has dinged the optic surrounding the deal, but overall, the White House has every reason to be optimistic. Nancy Pelosi announced yesterday that she has more than enough votes to sustain a veto in the House (fewer than 60 House dems have announced their opposition,) and in the Senate, Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-TN) has cast doubts about the future success of opposition efforts. Still, the White House is nervous. Invoking the veto on such a high-profile issue could move voter confidence in the wrong direction, and destroy what little credibility Obama has left on the international stage. More from Politico:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 27, 2015 9 Comments
I just received word from Caleb Rowland, the attorney for Lane Pittman, that the charges against Pittman for playing the Star Spangled Banner on the 4th of July in Neptune Beach, Florida:
Despite the delay, Mr. Pittman is pleased the State’s Attorney’s office declined to prosecute him for expressing his patriotism and exercising his First Amendment right by playing the National Anthem on Independence Day.
Full background here: Florida man arrested for playing Star Spangled Banner on 4th of July rejects plea deal In case you don't recall, here is the performance that landed Pitman in legal trouble: Pittman posted the following message and Victory Selfie on Facebook:

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on August 27, 2015 9 Comments
Spiritual leaders of Islam have now come together and spoken in unison against the greatest evil of our times. If you are waiting for these 'holy men' to condemn radical Islam or atrocities committed by Islamic State (ISIS) please don’t hold your breath just yet. UK-based Guardian newspaper reports that Islamic scholars have “called on the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims to take action on climate change [sic]”. This came just days after Guardian ran another story with the headline, “Islamic leaders issue bold call for rapid phase out of fossil fuels”. It is heartwarming to see Muslim leaders who can’t ever seem to get their act together in taking a stand against the radicalism in their faith are tripping over each other to get on Al Gore’s 'emission-free' bandwagon. According the report published in The Guardian on August 21, 2015 :
Muslims have a religious duty to take action against climate change, according to a declaration released by a major group of Islamic scholars, faith leaders and politicians from 20 countries. The Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change, launched in Istanbul, is aimed at the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims and suggests mosques and Islamic schools should immediately take action.

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 27, 2015 10 Comments
MSNBC is dropping the Reverend Al Sharpton's program 'PoliticsNation' from its daily lineup and moving him to a weekly slot which will air on Sunday mornings at 8 am. Alex Weprin of Politico reports:
MSNBC moves Al Sharpton to Sunday mornings Sharpton's last weekday "PoliticsNation" will be Sept. 4. He moves to Sundays a month later on Oct. 4, according to a memo sent to MSNBC staff by the channel's president Phil Griffin Wednesday evening. "I want to congratulate Al and his team. For four years they have done a terrific job bringing his voice and a big spotlight to issues of justice, civil rights and equality. And as many of you know, The Rev never missed a show," Griffin wrote in the email. "I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do with a Sunday morning newsmaker program." The 6 pm hour will temporarily be filled by "MSNBC Live," the channel's weekday news program. A permanent replacement will be named "soon after" Sharpton moves, per Griffin.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 27, 2015 14 Comments
On July 17, 2015, two senior political reporters at Huffington Post announced that all future coverage of Donald Trump's campaign would take place in the Entertainment section of HuffPo, not the Politics section. HuffPo played it up on its Homepage, with a graphic meant to get attention: HuffPo Donald Trump Politics Entertainment Homepage We reported about the decision at the time:
Ryan Grim (Washington bureau chief for The Huffington Post) and Danny Shea (Editorial Director, The Huffington Post), have announced that because Donald Trump in their eyes is a sideshow, any news about Trump will be banished from the “Politics” section of HuffPo News to the Entertainment section, A Note About Our Coverage Of Donald Trump’s ‘Campaign’:

Posted by Amy Miller on August 26, 2015 18 Comments
This morning, Virginia reporter Alison Parker and her cameraman Adam Ward lost their lives after a former co-worker ambushed their live shot with his own camera and a handgun. The attack was aired on live TV, horrifying both their colleagues, and viewers of the WDBJ's early morning show. Ward managed to capture footage of the shooting before falling to the ground; things went dark on the broadcast, but his camera caught a shot of the gunman: A several-hour pursuit ended when authorities finally apprehended the suspect; he had shot himself in the head on Interstate 6 in Faquier County and later died in a Washington, DC-area trauma center.

Posted by Amy Miller on August 26, 2015 6 Comments
Today marks the 19th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote. In the years leading up to the vote, women enjoyed only sporadic access to the vote, depending on where they lived; the 19th Amendment, then, created a blanket standard for all states, ensuring that no one in America would ever again be denied the vote based on their sex. The piece of paper that made it official looks pretty inconsequential... 19th amendment full

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 26, 2015 46 Comments
One of the key disputes in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit commenced by Judicial Watch seeking records as to Huma Abedin's outside employment is whether emails sent and received by Hillary Clinton through her personal email account on her personal server are "federal records" covered by FOIA. The Court, however, has not ruled on the issue of which of Hillary's emails were covered by FOIA. The issue is particularly pressing because the personal email account was the only account used by Hillary. "Federal records" and truly personal emails (e.g., Hillary's yoga lessons) were intermingled in a single email account in a private server outside of government monitoring (at least outside the U.S. government's monitoring, whether foreign governments hacked the account or server has not yet been determined. Hillary's shadow electronic government deprived the State Department of its own ability to determine what needs to be produced under FOIA.  That takes this case outside the normal course. Hillary or her attorneys admit that not all emails were produced, and that over 30,000 Hillary determined were personal were deleted and the server wiped clean. In so doing, Hillary has deprived Judicial Watch and the public of the ability -- through keyword searches, for example -- to test whether the "personal" emails were only about Yoga and Chelsea's wedding.

Posted by Mike LaChance on August 26, 2015 54 Comments
Marco Rubio made a campaign stop in New Hampshire today and dismissed Donald Trump's current front-runner status, saying that Trump will not be the Republican nominee for 2016. Sahil Kapur of Bloomberg reported:
Rubio Dismisses Trump in N.H.: He Won't Be 'Our Nominee' "Ultimately the Republican Party will reach out to all voters based on who our nominee is. And I don't believe Donald Trump will be our nominee," the Florida senator said after speaking to a small crowd outside a car service center in this town of Orford. "I think our nominee is going to be someone that embraces the future, that understands the opportunities before us, that's optimistic but realistic about the challenges before us." He acknowledged that "people are angry" and "they have a right to be," but insisted that "we should allow that anger to motivate us, but we shouldn't allow that anger to define us. We're not an angry nation. We are an optimistic nation who has every reason to be optimistic about the future."...

Posted by Amy Miller on August 26, 2015 17 Comments
James O'Keefe's Project Veritas has released the first in what they say is a series of videos exposing lawlessness within Hillary Clinton's campaign. O'Keefe has targeted leftist groups in the past over voter registration practices---and now, he has taken that fight directly to Clinton's grassroots operation. He claims that his undercover journalists have found Clinton operatives employing a cherry-picking method of registering new voters. Watch: From Time Magazine:

Posted by Amy Miller on August 26, 2015 48 Comments
This morning, Virginia reporter Alison Parker and photographer Adam Ward were shot and killed during a live broadcast near Moneta, Virginia. The shooter, Vester Lee Flanagan, shot himself approximately five hours after the murders. Flanagan was previously employed by WDBJ as a reporter, but was dismissed after anger management issues boiled over between himself and the other members of the news team. WDBJ is currently using their live broadcast to talk about Flanagan's time with the station, and why he was fired.
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