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November 2015

Posted by Amy Miller on November 12, 2015 11 Comments
Investigators sifting through the remains of a Russian jet that crashed in the Sinai last week have uncovered intelligence about a "two hour timer," and are connecting it with their working theory that an ISIS affiliate in the region planted a bomb on the plane's fuel lines before it left the popular Sharm el-Sheikh resort area for St. Petersburg. A source told Fox News about the discovery of the timer, but wasn't clear whether or not investigators found physical evidence, or were able to decipher communications between terrorist operatives. This new information supports the involvement of an "airport insider," and investigators are now interviewing ground crews and baggage handlers who had access to the plane before it left Egypt. More from Fox News:

Posted by Katy Grimes on November 12, 2015 21 Comments
Struggling under a record 181,000 migrants arriving into Germany just in October, many are calling for a limit to the highest refugee flow into Europe since World War ll. Traveling recently from Amsterdam through Germany and Austria, into Budapest, Hungary, I witnessed the mass migration in Germany in several towns. I spoke to residents, shopkeepers, tour guides, restaurateurs, and bar keepers about the immigrants in several towns I traveled. In every discussion, they expressed concern, dismay, and fear at what will happen to their country with the inflow of Muslim migrants.  In some German towns, police recommend separating Christian and Muslim immigrants. Fights regularly break out involving hundreds of immigrants at a time in the housing facilities. There are reports in German newspapers that police are overwhelmed. Most expressed frustration and a disconnect with their politicians, who claim Germany can handle the immigrants. The German people aren’t so sure about the flow of so many new foreign arrivals from such a different culture, and say their country lacks the ability to accommodate them.

Posted by Amy Miller on November 12, 2015 11 Comments
Earlier this week, Hillary Clinton cackled away comments about Carly Fiorina made during a New Hampshire town hall that, if made by any other conservative candidate, would be cause for healing circles and peace rallies all across America. During a Q&A on veterans' issues, a man—who is a veteran and who claims to have been an HP employee from 1999-2005—expressed his frustration with Fiorina by saying, “every time I see [Carly Fiorina] on TV I want to reach through and strangle her.” Need a refresher? Here's the video:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 12, 2015 17 Comments
The saga of controversial anti-Israel professor Steven Salaita is coming to an end, at least as concerns the University of Illinois. Salaita, whose inflammatory tweets prior to and during the 2014 Gaza conflict caused the Board of Trustees not to approve his conditional offer of a tenured position, sued in federal court. The University indicated early on that it would cut Salaita a check, but Salaita has been insistent as a matter of principle and justice for the Palestinian cause that he would accept nothing less than a tenured position. But Salaita has given up that principled position and accepted money in settlement of all claims. The University of Illinois just issued the following press release: http://uofi.uillinois.edu/emailer/newsletter/84363.html

Posted by David Gerstman on November 12, 2015 17 Comments
In a look at the history of the tensions between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The New York Times several days ago started with an interesting anecdote.
For President Obama, it was a day of celebration. He had just signed the most important domestic measure of his presidency, his health care program. So when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel arrived at the White House for a hastily arranged visit, it was likely not the main thing on his mind. To White House officials, it was a show of respect to make time for Mr. Netanyahu on that day back in March 2010. But Mr. Netanyahu did not see it that way. He felt squeezed in, not accorded the rituals of such a visit. No photographers were invited to record the moment. "That wasn't a good way to treat me," he complained to an American afterward. The tortured relationship between Barack and Bibi, as they call each other, has been a story of crossed signals, misunderstandings, slights perceived and real. Burdened by mistrust, divided by ideology, the leaders of the United States and Israel talked past each other for years until the rupture over Mr. Obama's push for a nuclear agreement with Iran led to the spectacle of Mr. Netanyahu denouncing the president's efforts before a joint meeting of Congress.
It's interesting because this is not at all how I remembered it. I remember that the lack of attention to the meeting was perceived as an intentional slight of Netanyahu. A quick check of the contemporaneous reporting confirmed this.

Posted by Mike LaChance on November 12, 2015 7 Comments
Hillary Clinton has changed her mind on the trade deal and gay marriage, but she's not finished flip flopping. During her husband's presidency, Hillary Clinton was a big fan of charter schools. Now that she's seeking the presidency herself, things have changed. Kimberly Hefling reports at Politico:
Hillary Clinton rebukes charter schools Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sounded less like a decades-long supporter of charter schools over the weekend and more like a teachers union president when she argued that most of these schools “don’t take the hardest-to-teach kids, or, if they do, they don’t keep them.” Her comments in South Carolina came straight from charter school critics’ playbook and distanced her from the legacies of her husband, former President Bill Clinton — credited with creating a federal stream of money to launch charters around the country — and President Barack Obama, whose administration has dangled federal incentives to push states to become more charter friendly.

Posted by Amy Miller on November 11, 2015 98 Comments
I was pleased with last night's debate. When all was said and done, I was happy to see my fellow primary voters hacking away at each other over who "won," who was "the most presidential," and who did and did not belong on the main stage. This means progress, people. That being said, I saw a lot of chatter about the respective performances of our current frontrunners. Depending on who you talk to, Ben Carson either flopped like a dying fish, or won the nomination by acclamation; Trump's performance fielded similar sentiment---was he presidential? Presidon'tial? Too quiet? Just right? Did he stagnate, or further encourage and solidify his substantial supporter base? Both Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz have received truckloads of praise for their performances. Both men have a solid base and rising stars---but will they rise fast enough over the next month to punch through to the top? Carly Foirina is fielding a similar, positive reaction, but enthusiasm is still not on par with that displayed for Cruz or Rubio. Still, there's room to grow, and she proved last night that she's willing to dive into the deep end.

Posted by Amy Miller on November 11, 2015 81 Comments
The Mizzou clown show continued today with the online flogging and ensuing resignation of Dr. Dale Brigham, a professor in the university's Nutrition and Exercise Physiology Department. Breaking News from a local NBC affiliate tells me that Brigham's resignation was not accepted by the university. We're waiting for more details. In the mean time, here's the back story...

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on November 11, 2015 5 Comments
12 of the 23 taxpayer funded non-profit co-ops created under the Affordable Care Act are shutting down, all due to financial trouble. Now, the nation's largest non-profit co-op is under investigation by state authorities. New York’s largest co-op Health Republic, also on the failure closure list, is in far worse shape than originally reported. Other co-ops will continue offering their plans through the end of the year, but Health Republic of New York is in such dire financial shape, they’re closing a month early. The closure will leave more than 200,000 New Yorkers with cancelled health insurance plans. Monday, The Hill reported the New York Department of Financial Services launched an investigation into Health Republic's financial reporting:
“NYDFS investigators are collecting and reviewing evidence relating to Health Republic's substantial underreporting to NYDFS of its financial obligations,” the state said in a statement. “Among other issues, the investigation will examine the causes of the inaccurate representations to NYDFS regarding the company’s financial condition.”

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on November 11, 2015 12 Comments
Embroiled in scandal and mounting allegations of inefficacy, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) doled out more than $142 million in bonuses. While VA executives and employees are rewarded for their performance, wait time for veterans needing medical attention has increased more than 50%. The issuance of bonuses is what helped shove the VA scandal into the spotlight. Veteran wait times were fudged by VA employees who were required to meet certain metrics to be bonus-eligible. And yet, the VA did it again. USA Today reported the generous bonus story earlier today:
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs doled out more than $142 million in bonuses to executives and employees for performance in 2014 even as scandals over veterans' health care and other issues racked the agency. Among the recipients were claims processors in a Philadelphia benefits office that investigators dubbed the worst in the country last year. They received $300 to $900 each. Managers in Tomah, Wis., got $1,000 to $4,000, even though they oversaw the over-prescription of opiates to veterans – one of whom died.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on November 11, 2015 5 Comments
Sifting through the expansive collection of Veteran's Day speeches and memorials, I struggle to find one that tops President Reagan's words from November 11, 1985. In 1985, President Reagan gave his Veteran’s Day Address at Arlington National Cemetery. With the Cold War a fresh threat, Reagan emphasized the importance of peace while insisting, “strength is a declaration that cannot be misunderstood. Strength is a condition that declares actions have consequences. Strength is a prudent warning to the belligerent that aggression need not go unanswered.” There is never enough we can do for our veterans who willingly sacrifice so much. Their selflessness was not neglected by Reagan who told this story:
Sometime back I received in the name of our country the bodies of four marines who had died while on active duty. I said then that there is a special sadness that accompanies the death of a serviceman, for we’re never quite good enough to them-not really; we can’t be, because what they gave us is beyond our powers to repay. And so, when a serviceman dies, it’s a tear in the fabric, a break in the whole, and all we can do is remember.
This Veteran’s Day, we humbly offer our utmost gratitude to all who have fought to preserve the greatest country man has ever devised. While words hardly seem sufficient, we can offer this: we remember.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on November 11, 2015 5 Comments
British Prime Minister David Cameron has laid out new conditions for his country to remain in the European Union. Ahead of the historic EU referendum scheduled to take place in 2017, Prime Minister is trying to renegotiate UK's relationship with EU. If the bid fails, it may eventually lead to British exit from the European Union or Brexit. European Commission reacted promptly to British Prime Minister's new demands calling some of them "highly problematic." The New York Times reports:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 11, 2015 6 Comments
Ishmael Khaldi is an Israeli diplomat, currently assigned to the Israeli Embassy in London, and formerly at the Consulate in San Francisco. Khaldi is the first Israeli diplomat who is Bedouin.  I have never met Khaldi, but I visited his home village of Khawaled in northern Israel last May, Khawaled Village – Bedouin Pride in Israel. Khaldi was was kind enough to retweet my post: https://twitter.com/JoyKeller1/status/603988929591779329 So when I saw a report that Khaldi's appearance as the University of Windsor in Canada was disrupted by anti-Israel protesters, I took note not just because of our tenuous connection, but also because it was reported around the time that Protesters shouted down an Israeli Professor at U. Minnesota law school. Shout-downs and disruptions of Israeli and pro-Israeli speakers are commonplace on campuses.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on November 11, 2015 38 Comments
Tuesday night, Fox Business and the Wall Street Journal hosted a Republican Presidential debate. Making a concerted effort to keep questions substantive and issue focused, moderator Neil Cavuto went so far as to say the debate was, "not about the moderators." Imagine that. A candidate debate in which candidates actually debate issues. What a novel idea! Fox Business nailed it. Questions were issue oriented and highlighted candidate policy differences. CNBC's handling of the last Republican presidential debate was so terrible, the debate highlight reel consisted of candidates channeling their inner Gingrich to swat back at absurd questions. The network's handling of the debate caused the Republican National Committee to suspend their relationship and any future debate arrangements. But because Tuesday's Fox Business debate ran as planned, political writers found the lack of entertaining, non-policy moments dull. Like Politico's Glenn Thrush:

Posted by Mike LaChance on November 11, 2015 22 Comments
John Kerry, in a recent speech at Old Dominion University, insisted that climate change is a threat to national security. Carol Morello of the Washington Post reports:
Kerry says climate change impacts armies as much as polar bears Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Tuesday he will integrate climate change analysis and its national security implications into all future foreign policy planning. In a speech delivered at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, home to the world’s largest naval base and already experiencing flooding linked to climate change, Kerry called climate change a threat to national security.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on November 10, 2015 7 Comments
Howdy and thanks so much for joining us tonight! Fox Business, host of tonight's Republican debate has limited online access to cable subscribers. If you'd like to livestream the debate, click here. But remember, the debate is being broadcast behind a paywall so you'll need your cable log-in information. On the debate main stage you'll find: Welcome to the main stage! Tonight’s debate will feature…
  • Carly Fiorina
  • Jeb Bush
  • Donald Trump
  • Ben Carson
  • Marco Rubio
  • Ted Cruz
  • Rand Paul
  • John Kasich

Watch real time debate reaction:

To providing a wide array of real time reactions, we've included a few different Twitter feeds for your entertainment. You'll find those beneath.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on November 10, 2015 3 Comments
Apparently, the games began early. Yesterday, the New York Times reported that serious backers of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush are "seething" thanks to Senator Rubio's ascension in the polls. So incensed is the Jeb fan club, that they've threatened to dump mega bucks into a scorched earth anti-Rubio campaign.
That group, which has raised more than $100 million, has asked voters in New Hampshire how they feel about Mr. Rubio’s skipping important votes in the Senate. And the group’s chief strategist has boasted of his willingness to spend as much as $20 million to damage Mr. Rubio’s reputation and halt his sudden ascent in the polls, according to three people told of the claim. Seething with anger and alarmed over Mr. Rubio’s rise, aides to Mr. Bush, the former Florida governor, and his allies are privately threatening a wave of scathing attacks on his former protégé in the coming weeks, in a sign of just how anxious they have become about the state of Mr. Bush’s candidacy. Their looming problem: In trying to undercut Mr. Rubio as unaccomplished and unprepared, Mr. Bush is a flawed messenger. Over the years he has repeatedly, and sometimes lavishly, praised the younger lawmaker, often on camera.
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