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Posted by Amy Miller on June 03, 2015 11 Comments
Last month, international investors aired their concerns about how instability in Nigeria could shift what was once a balanced and successful economy into dangerous territory. The country had just ousted their incumbent President, and replaced him with a man claiming a serious commitment to ending the rise of Islamic extremism; but the promise of political overhaul wasn't enough. Coalition forces claimed multiple victories over Boko Haram, eradicating their hideouts and rescuing hostages; yet attacks on citizens living in the embattled villages of northeastern Nigeria continued. Terror remains the norm, and yesterday, residents of the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri woke up to find their world on fire. A band of Boko Haram militants attacked the city with bombs, and executed a suicide bombing that took the lives of at least 20 people. It wasn't the first attack on Maiduguri, and it certainly won't be the last: late last month, newly elected President Muhammadu Buhari declared the city the headquarters in the war to curb the Islamic uprising. Boko Haram may be under fire, but when it comes to the business of terrorism (i.e., creating terror), they continue to make headway, and their new efforts at distributing propaganda have cast doubt on just how effective coalition efforts to eradicate the group have been.

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Posted by Leslie Eastman on June 03, 2015 21 Comments
As the American press reports breathlessly on the #WarOnWomen in conjunction with Hillary Clinton's Presidential Run Version 2.0, two of Professor Jacobson's colleagues are battling to defend research showing that there may actually be a campus #WarOnMen. A favorite assertion of campus-level feminist activists is that women in the sciences have a more difficult time achieving jobs, recognition, and tenure than their male counterparts. Cornell University professors Wendy M. Williams and Stephen J. Ceci decided to test that theory, and published a study of faculty hiring preferences showing that women were preferred over identically-qualified men. A look at the hard data reveals a shocking truth: Women are being offered science positions at colleges and universities at rates higher than their actual presence within the pool of applicants. For example, analysis of the numbers between 2002 and 2004 reveals that 20% of applicants in mathematics were women, but they received 32% of the job offers.

Posted by Mike LaChance on June 03, 2015 26 Comments
Have you noticed that the same media that uses words like "extreme" to describe Ted Cruz, Scott Walker, and other Republicans finds nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to Bernie Sanders? Sanders, who wants a 90% tax rate for the wealthiest Americans, and recently came under fire for a 1972 column describing female rape fantasies, describes himself as a socialist---yet the media treats him like a viable candidate for 2016. Socialism is the most important aspect of Sanders' political identity and goes a long way in helping us understand the media's kid-glove treatment of him. Jennifer Harper of the Washington Times:
The Bernie Effect: Media normalize socialism There’s yet another trend in the trendy news media, identified by more than one concerned critic. Consider a new Investor’s Business Daily editorial titled “The soft-soaping of socialism in the U.S.” The publication focuses on the happy-go-lucky press coverage of a certain Vermont independent making a vigorous run for the White House as a Democrat.

Posted by David Gerstman on June 03, 2015 21 Comments
President Obama's speech a week and a half ago at Washington D.C. synagogue Adas Israel was alternatively promoted as both an opportunity to address the scourge of anti-semitism, and a chance to reach out to American Jews. The speech did nothing to advance either goal and was tone-deaf to any Jews, or Americans for that matter, who don't buy into the president's foreign policy. As far as his reaching out, the president simply rehashed all of his administration's arguments about closing off Iran's paths to a nuclear weapon. He offered nothing new. Of course, he said that the deal he's trying to make with Iran will make Israel safer. He made a point of saying that he shares the goal with Israel of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons; but he said it with no real conviction. He was just repeating a talking point. Repeating all of his talking points isn't going to convince someone who doesn't already agree with him. Notably, he repeated his 2012 line about having Israel's back. But with Israel's political establishment - Isaac Herzog is no less skeptical of the emerging deal than Benjamin Netanyahu is - doubting the efficacy of the ongoing diplomacy, that claim hardly seems credible. He says that he welcomes debate, but the night before Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Congress, Obama gave an interview to Reuters attempting to undercut Netanyahu's arguments.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on June 03, 2015 31 Comments
Hillary is putting the majority of her campaign eggs in one basket, and that may prove to be a mistake.  As I've noted previously, she is banking on her potentially historic role as the first woman president to clear the way for the nomination.  Indeed, when asked about her achievements, her supporters can't name any and fall back on the fact that she's a woman (and a Democrat). Running on her gender is proving more challenging than her team supposed.  Unable to attract a measly 125 women to her recent "women only" event, Team Hillary decided to allow men to attend.  The New York Post reports:
Hillary Clinton had trouble attracting high-powered women to a New York talk hosted by Silda Wall Spitzer two weeks before her campaign officially kicks off. Sources said that after ticket sales fizzled for an intimate, $2,700-per-person, “just for women” meeting on Monday, the event was thrown open to men at the 11th hour, and the deadline extended to buy tickets. The “Conversation With Hillary Clinton” event at Midtown law firm Akin Gump was originally aiming to attract 125 women. An email invitation seen by Page Six said the event is “just for women.” But by Friday, “They’d only sold 50 tickets, so they threw it open to men,” a source said. “Ticket sales were supposed to close at 10 a.m. Sunday, but the hostesses were working the phones and pushed the deadline till Monday.”

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Posted by Jay Caruso on June 02, 2015 25 Comments
One of the things the Obama team did well in 2012 was to define Mitt Romney before he could really define himself. Rather than seeing Romney as an adventurous entrepreneur who took risks to help fund companies that eventually created tens of thousands of jobs,  the Obama team was able to portray him as  an out of touch oligarch who cared about only the wealthiest of the wealthy. Republicans are using the same tactics thus far with Hillary Clinton (allowing Super PACs and the national party do most of the work), portraying her as out of touch as well as secretive and less than honest when it comes to money she and Bill Clinton have made, her handling of her emails from when she was Secretary of State, and the shenanigans going on within the Clinton foundation. Her avoidance of the press and refusal to answer questions, combined with all of that, is taking its toll. From Politico:
Hillary Clinton is seeing her highest unfavorability ratings in 14 years, according to the latest CNN/ORC poll released Tuesday. Just 46 percent said they view the Democratic presidential front-runner favorably, compared to 50 percent who said they have an unfavorable view. In the preceding April survey, Clinton polled with 53 percent favorable, compared to 44 percent unfavorable.
There's more bad news:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on June 02, 2015 5 Comments
Merriam-Webster released this year's dictionary update and the additions are... interesting. According to their website, the dictionary expansion includes more 1,700 words:
As of last week, it’s grown by more than 1,700 entries, and existing entries have expanded by more than 700 new senses. We’ve added 3,200 examples that provide contextual information, and another 200 entries for some of the words people most frequently look up have been updated and enhanced. Some of the new entries are for terms you’ve heard of and some likely aren’t.
Several words birthed from the politisphere made the cut -- like this lefty favorite. Take this one away and they'd have no clue how to chat about the Koch brothers: dark money merriam-webster dictionary addition

Posted by Amy Miller on June 02, 2015 19 Comments
Today the Senate voted 67-32 to pass the USA-FREEDOM Act, a piece of surveillance (read: privacy!) reform legislation meant to extend key provisions of the PATRIOT Act, which expired Sunday night. The USA-FA passed the House with supermajority, bipartisan support, but found a more hostile crowd waiting when it arrived in the Senate chamber. Rand Paul opposed it, and on Sunday night (the same night the PATRIOT Act expired) blocked a vote that most certainly would have ended with the Act's approval. Senate leadership opposed an immediate clean passage of the Act, but for different reasons entirely---they wanted the opportunity to amend and return to the House, a tactic that was met with opposition in both chambers. From earlier today:
One amendment would extend the timeframe for transferring data collection responsibilities from the NSA to the phone companies, allowing 12 months for that handover rather than six, as the House bill stipulates. Another would force phone companies to give Congress six months' advance notice if they change the procedures they use to collect and retain data. A third would allow the Director of National Intelligence to sign off on any procedural changes by the phone companies before they go into effect. "The House's bill is not holy writ. It's not something we have to accept in its entirety without any changes...and I think where the policy debae should go would be toe embrace these amendments," explained Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, during a floor speech on Tuesday. "We sure need to know that the new system would actually work. Doesn't that just make sense?"

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 02, 2015 5 Comments
On Sunday, May 31, 2015, I reported from Sderot, Israel, on the history of rocket and mortar fire from Gaza, and the extensive preparation of bomb shelters and emergency protocols: Israelis shelter in place near Gaza. This week Israel is in a nationwide drill, testing sirens that will warn of incoming missiles and rockets. The drills have been implemented on the assumption that Hezbollah, Syria, and Hamas will be able to fire thousands per day. Today two sirens were sounded. I was in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City when the 7:05 p.m. (local) siren sounded: Speaking of the Jewish Quarter, the historical truth of the illegal conquest by Jordan and subsequent ethic cleansing of Jews is long down the memory hole. But there is a sign to remind people:

Posted by Andrew Branca on June 02, 2015 32 Comments
It looks like two members of the St. Louis Chapter of the New Black Panthers who planned multiple terrorist bombings around Ferguson, MO last year have been gifted a sweetheart plea deal from Obama's Department of Justice, based upon reports by Fox News/Associated Press and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Today Olajuwon Ali Davis (on left in the featured picture above) and Brandon Orlando Baldwin (aka Brandon Muhammad, on right in picture), both 22,  changed their plea of "not guilty" to accept a plea arrangement in which they will each serve 7 years in Federal prison. That means both men will be back on the street and free to continue terrorizing innocent people while still under the age of 30. If convicted of the charges initially brought against them they would each have faced decades in prison. The men were originally charged with plotting to kill Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch and then-Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson, and planning to blow up a Ferguson police station, police vehicles, and other area targets including (according to law enforcement sources) the famous St. Louis Gateway Arch monument. Their plan for the Arch was to plant a bomb on the observation deck.

Posted by Amy Miller on June 02, 2015 1 Comment
Late last month, Fox News broke an exclusive story about how the dramatic uptick in social media use by ISIS militants and their supporters has led to problems in the intelligence community. Due to a recent increase in online activity, ISIS has been able to effectively clog the pipes with so much content and discussion that analysts are having a hard time distinguishing rhetoric from legitimate threats. Not only is ISIS really good at propaganda, they've also been incredibly effective in getting people to play along. Their social media game is strong, and recently, the extremist organization has made moves to up the quality of their presence on more traditional mediums---namely, TV and video. It's all part of a tactic to reach beyond their strongholds in the Middle East and into the homes of young men and women in the west. Al-Bayan, the ISIS-controlled public radio network, is described as sounding similar to NPR; similarly, videos posted to YouTube and various ISIS websites display a marked increase in production value, all aimed at catching the attention of people who are used to being fed quality propaganda, as opposed to the grainy, shaky offerings of a few years back.

Posted by Amy Miller on June 02, 2015 6 Comments
They way Elizabeth Warren's current devotees talk about Elizabeth Warren reminds me very much of of the way Hillary Clinton's devotees once talked about Hillary Clinton. During my time in high school, undergrad, and law school (so, since 2003 to a couple of years ago,) I remember my girlfriends speaking with awe about the woman who beat the mortification of a cheating husband (who was also the President) to rise to such great political heights, under such pressure, and in the face of such scrutiny and opposition from evil Republicans determined to take out the first woman to ever chip away at the presidential glass ceiling. They didn't just admire her; they loved her, much in the same way that Warren's supporters have now devoted themselves to the prospect of a presidential run. Well, at least they were devoted. They've also been rebuffed by the woman herself (even though the MSM really seems to want her candidacy), and discouraged by a lack of any indication that people close to Warren were setting up a campaign infrastructure. So discouraged, in fact, that Run Warren Run, the drafting campaign set up by Democracy for America and MoveOn.org Political Action, is suspending its operations next week. From The Hill:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on June 02, 2015 27 Comments
As I was joining a friend for lunch at a local craft beer establishment, I caught this bumper sticker that I can't help but share with you. Food and Friends June 2015 002 Today, this sentiment is even more true. You may recall last week that a Fox News pundit referred to President Obama as "delusional" over his claims that climate change was a national security issue. Obama's most recent statements clearly show he has left the junction of reason and sanity:

Posted by Mike LaChance on June 02, 2015 12 Comments
Now that former Obama aide Dan Pfeiffer is joining CNN, the number of Obama administration officials in the mainstream media has shot up to five. David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs are on the payroll at MSNBC, and CNN is also home to former "Green Jobs Czar" Van Jones. Jay Carney also went to work for CNN but has since left. As John Nolte of Breitbart points out, two members of the George W. Bush administration (Dana Perino and Karl Rove) went to work for FOX News, but not while Bush was still president. CNN made the announcement yesterday:
Dan Pfeiffer joins CNN as contributor Dan Pfeiffer, a long-time top aide to President Barack Obama, is joining CNN as a contributor, network president Jeff Zucker announced Monday. The 39-year-old Pfeiffer is a Wilmington, Delaware, native and a graduate of Georgetown University. His first presidential campaign role came in a communications post for then-Vice President Al Gore's unsuccessful 2000 campaign. He then worked for the Democratic Governors Association and later Sens. Tim Johnson, Tom Daschle and then Evan Bayh's brief 2008 presidential campaign.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on June 02, 2015 24 Comments
Yesterday, fledgling retailer Abercrombie & Fitch lost their anti-hijab case in the Supreme Court. Amy provided background when SCOTUS heard oral arguments in February:
Back in 2008, Samantha Elauf, an observant Muslim, applied and was interviewed for a job at teen-friendly retailer Abercrombie & Fitch. She impressed the hiring manager, but when the time came to make a decision, the manager decided not to hire Samantha because she had concerns about whether or not Samantha would insist on wearing her headscarf to work. This would have been a violation of Abercrombie’s “Look Policy,” which dictates that employees conform to a strict set of style guidelines that specifically prohibit head coverings and black clothing.
Abercrombie's "Look Policy" was summarized as, "classic East Coast collegiate style."

Posted by Amy Miller on June 01, 2015 6 Comments
Remember Anthony Elonis? He was sentenced to four years in federal prison after he posted original rap lyrics and other content concerning his wife, co-workers, a kindergarten class, and even a federal agent. A lower court held that Elonis' posts constituted a "true threat" against those mentioned in his rants, and he served more than three years of his sentence before being released. At controversy in the ensuing lawsuit was the prosecutor's use of a low-hanging, "reasonable person" standard in his instructions to the jury. The Court had never specifically ruled on whether or not a prosecutor must show intent to carry out verbal or written threats in order to get a conviction; lower courts are split, with most requiring enough evidence to show that a reasonable person would see or hear the speech and believe that it is “a serious expression of an intention to inflict bodily injury or take the life of an individual.” In today's ruling, the Supreme Court held that requiring only negligence with respect to the communication of a threat, is not sufficient to support a conviction under the statute that governed Elonis' alleged crimes.
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