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Author: Mike LaChance

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Mike LaChance

Mike LaChance has been covering higher education and politics for Legal Insurrection since 2012. He has also written for American Lookout, Townhall, and Twitchy.

Since 2008 he has contributed work to the Daily Caller, Breitbart, Gateway Pundit, the Center for Security Policy, the Washington Free Beacon, and Ricochet.

Mike is a Generation X, New England lifer who describes his political views as conservative and libertarian.

You can find him on Twitter @MikeLaChance33

Carly Fiorina visited New Hampshire this week and according to WMUR News, she received a warm reception:
Fiorina moves closer to possible presidential announcement MANCHESTER, N.H. —Republican Carly Fiorina is reportedly set to officially enter the presidential race, and she's crediting New Hampshire with helping her make the call. The announcement could come as soon as Monday, and the former Hewlett-Packard CEO has spent a lot of time in the Granite State. Despite growing criticism from Democrats about her record as an executive, she appears to be gaining some traction. After almost a week of drawing increasingly large crowds in New Hampshire, Fiorina appears poised to make her candidacy official, though she won't confirm it yet. "New Hampshire has helped a lot because I have gotten a huge amount of encouragement," Fiorina said. Although she has never held elected office, Fiorina has been set up as a counterpoint to another female presidential candidate, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Vermont senator Bernie Sanders has announced his bid for the Democratic nomination in 2016 and the left couldn't be happier about it. After all, who needs a socialist in disguise like Elizabeth Warren when you can have a candidate who openly identifies as one? Sanders has come out swinging at Hillary Clinton and some far left publications are making legitimate points about his candidacy. Patrick Caldwell of Mother Jones:
Bernie Sanders Has Already Taken More Press Questions Than Hillary Clinton Unlike Hillary Clinton, his rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Bernie Sanders didn't use a splashy, big-budget video to announce his campaign. Instead, the Vermont senator opted for a series of one-on-one television interviews Wednesday followed by a low-key launch event outside the US Capitol Thursday morning. "I believe that in a democracy, what elections are about are serious debates over serious issues," he said Thursday. "Not political gossip, not making campaigns into soap operas. This is not the Red Sox vs. the Yankees, this is the debate over major issues facing the American people."
Watch Sanders talk about his challenge to Hillary Clinton in the clip below: Progressives are fired up.

According to a new report from FOX News which is sure to generate controversy, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake gave an order for police to stand down during the riots which decimated the city this week:
Source: Baltimore mayor ordered police to stand down Despite a firm denial by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, a senior law enforcement source charges that she gave an order for police to stand down as riots broke out Monday night, raising more questions about whether some of the violence and looting could have been prevented. The source, who is involved in the enforcement efforts, confirmed to Fox News there was a direct order from the mayor to her police chief Monday night, effectively tying the hands of officers as they were pelted with rocks and bottles. Asked directly if the mayor was the one who gave that order, the source said: "You are God damn right it was." The claim follows criticism of the mayor for, over the weekend, saying they were giving space to those who "wished to destroy."
Bill Hemmer of FOX News asked the mayor to comment but she denied the claim. Watch:

If you're wondering why the Democratic Party's presumed 2016 nominee has been quiet lately, you're not alone. Hillary Clinton has answered only seven questions from the media since announcing her run for president. Zach C. Cohen of National Journal:
Here Are All Seven Media Questions Hillary Clinton Has Answered During Her Campaign Most of the media questions Clinton has answered have focused on policy (the exact type of inquiry she recently encouraged reporters to focus on). They've touched on ongoing trans-Pacific trade negotiations, campaign finance, and foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation... Here are all seven: Question 1: "Secretary Clinton, your reaction please to these book allegations? Did foreign entities receive any special treatment for making any kind of donations to the foundation or your husband?"—ABC in Keene, New Hampshire, April 20

The Clinton Foundation has admitted that it may have made "mistakes" with regard to their taxes and will refile five years of returns. The admission came after a Reuters report was published on Sunday:
Clinton Foundation admits making mistakes on taxes The Clinton Foundation's acting chief executive admitted on Sunday that the charity had made mistakes on how it listed government donors on its tax returns and said it was working to make sure it does not happen in the future. The non-profit foundation and its list of donors have been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks. Republican critics say the foundation makes Hillary Clinton, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, vulnerable to undue influence. After a Reuters review found errors in how the foundation reported government donors on its taxes, the charity said last week it would refile at least five annual tax returns. "So yes, we made mistakes, as many organizations of our size do, but we are acting quickly to remedy them, and have taken steps to ensure they don't happen in the future," Clinton Foundation acting Chief Executive Officer Maura Pally said in a statement.
Watch Dana Loesch of The Blaze discuss the issue with Dinesh D'Souza. The Clinton Foundation's finances are so questionable that non-profit experts are calling it a slush fund.

George Stephanopoulos worked in the Bill Clinton administration as a senior adviser. In what way is he qualified to question the author of a book which seeks to expose alleged corruption of the Clintons? Peter Schweizer holds his own in this interview despite the aggressive and skeptical questions hurled at him throughout the discussion. Stephanopoulos is not so much a journalist, he's a member of the palace guard. It's quite clear which side he's on in this situation.

The progressive hosts of MSNBC may like the idea of big government programs, but for some of them, paying taxes seems to be a challenge. Jillian Kay Melchior outlined the issue in a recent column for National Review:
MSNBC’s Touré Has the Taxman on His Case Touré Neblett, co-host of MSNBC’s The Cycle, owes more than $59,000 in taxes, according to public records reviewed by National Review. In September 2013, New York issued a state tax warrant to Neblett and his wife, Rita Nakouzi, for $46,862.68. Six months later, the state issued an additional warrant to the couple for $12,849.87. In January 2014, Neblett tweeted, “Regressive taxation & tax-avoidance & union crushing & the financial corruption of legislation has fueled inequality more than hard work.” In 2012, he also criticized Republican politicians, saying they were “all afraid to vote for a modest tax increase of people who can totally afford it.” MSNBC’s hosts and guests regularly call for higher taxes on the rich, condemning wealthy individuals and corporations who don’t pay their taxes or make use of loopholes. But recent reports, as well as records reviewed by National Review, show that at least four high-profile MSNBC on-air personalities have tax liens or warrants filed against them.
Melchior discussed the issue with Sean Hannity on Thursday night:

FOX News is airing a special which examines claims made by the new book Clinton Cash. Special Report host Bret Baier interviews author Peter Schweizer and investigates alleged abuses of power and money by the Clintons from the efforts to rebuild Haiti to the questionable Uranium deal that benefited Russia. The special premiered last night and airs again today at 5 PM, Sunday at 3 PM and 10 PM.

Wow. First David Brock and now Howard Dean. Is there something in the water at MSNBC? Dean is the former chair of the DNC, a role now filled by our favorite Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz. As a long time party loyalist, Dean appeared on Morning Joe yesterday and attempted to downplay new scandalous revelations regarding the Clintons. Hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough could barely contain their skepticism. David Rutz of the Washington Free Beacon:
Mika Tires of Howard Dean’s ‘Jihad’ for Clintons: ‘The Facts Are The Facts’ The New York Times reported Thursday that the Clinton Global Initiative accepted millions of dollars from a Russian oil company when the State Department, then headed by Hillary Clinton, was approving a deal that would give Russians control of the company Uranium One and bring Vladimir Putin “closer to his goal of controlling much of the global uranium supply chain.” The charges are part of Peter Schweizer’s book Clinton Cash.

As the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev entered the penalty phase yesterday, jurors were shown a photo of the Boston Marathon bomber giving the finger to a jail security camera after his arrest. The Boston Globe reported:
Jurors view footage of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev making obscene gesture Jurors in the death penalty trial of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on Wednesday were shown video of him making an obscene gesture as well as holding his fingers in the shape of “V” to a surveillance camera in a courthouse holding cell three months after he was arrested in the terror attack. A prosecutor had shown a picture of Tsarnaev making the obscene gesture to the jury in US District Court in Boston at the end of her opening statement in the penalty phase of the trial on Tuesday, underlining her argument that he was “unconcerned, unrepentant, and unchanged” after the attack. On Wednesday, video of the incident, which happened on July 10, 2013, was shown to jurors at the request of Tsarnaev’s defense team.
The gesture is blurred in this video but you'll get the idea:

David Brock of Media Matters appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe program yesterday and attempted to defend Hillary Clinton from claims made in the new book Clinton Cash. Even the reliably liberal Mika Brzezinski wasn't buying Brock's hollow defense. Alyssa Canobbio of the Washington Free Beacon:
Mika Brzezinski Corrects the Record on David Brock’s Laughable Defense of Hillary Clinton Brock defended Clinton’s comments that when a person runs for president that they come under scrutiny and Brock asked people to look at Clinton’s record. Host Mika Brzezinski said no one could look at Clinton’s record because Clinton scrubbed the personal server she used during her time as secretary of state. Brock continued, arguing that the 55,000 pages of email that Clinton has turned over was enough to show her record. Brock said that the actions Clinton took after leaving the State Department all fell under regulations. “No, actually, David, you don’t have to give me a lesson on the regulations of the State Department,” Brzezinski said. “She scrubbed emails because she felt like it and that went against regulations.”
Watch the video:

Megyn Kelly interviewed governor Scott Walker on her show last night and covered a wide variety of topics. The first subject was Hillary Clinton, who Walker suggested is out of touch with the American people. Other topics included Walker's strategy for winning independent voters in Wisconsin, the GOP's prospects for 2016 and immigration. Here's the video: Scott Walker's name was in the news yesterday for another reason.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz has done such a tremendous job of defining the Democratic Party's central beliefs lately, especially in her response to Rand Paul's challenges on abortion. We're so impressed that we think Wasserman Schultz has become a possible, um, Plan B for Democrats should Hillary faulter. As evidence for our argument, here are some of Debbie's greatest hits. Here she is asserting that Obama hardly does his job at all:

There was a concert for Earth Day on the National Mall this weekend. It's good to have events like this to remind us that we need to be responsible stewards of the environment. Christine Rousselle of Townhall:
National Mall Trashed After Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day Concert Oh, the delicious, delicious irony. Yesterday was Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day, which was celebrated with a concert and other festivities on the National Mall. While the concert itself was powered by solar energy, the attendees could have learned a lesson or two about taking care of planet Earth. For instance, check out these trash and recycling cans I spotted near the National Mall, close to the Washington Monument:

New Post - Oberlin Radical Feminists Freak Out at Christina Hoff Sommers. -------------------- You may remember Christina Hoff Sommers of the American Enterprise Institute as the Factual Feminist. We've linked her outstanding work at College Insurrection many times. Ms. Sommers spoke at Georgetown on Thursday night and some students took it upon themselves to label the event with trigger warnings. Here are some more tweets via Twitchy: