Slick Elena? Kagan evades questions on abortion memo

(By Byron York, Washington Examiner) - Before the Senate Judiciary Committee a short time ago, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan appeared reluctant to admit that she wrote a 1996 Clinton White House memo aimed at altering a key medical group’s opinion of whether partial birth abortion is medically necessary. The memo, reported yesterday by National Review, has caused a stir in conservative circles because it appeared that Kagan, then a White House policy aide, put words in the medical group’s mouth in order to soften its position on the controversial procedure. But when Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch brought the subject up with Kagan, he had a hard time getting her to admit that she did, in fact, write the document in question.

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Rush Limbaugh Update: On government takeovers

CBO says debt will reach 62 percent of GDP by year's end

(By Michael O'Brien, The Hill) - The national debt will reach 62 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by the end of this year, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said Wednesday.

The budget office said the debt will reach its highest percentage of GDP since the end of World War II. The jump is driven by lower tax revenues and higher federal spending in the recent recession.

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• (Hot Air) - Great news: Debt as percentage of GDP rises to post-WWII high

Elin Nordegren Gets $750M, Custody of Kids in Exchange for Silence in Tiger Woods Divorce

(NewsCore) - Tiger Woods is banned from letting girlfriends near his kids in a divorce deal netting his ex a record $750 million settlement, The Sun reported Wednesday.

The golfer agreed to keep single women away from daughter Sam, three, and son Charlie, one.

He can bring a new flame into their lives only if he marries her. In return, former wife Elin Nordegren ,30, gets the biggest payout ever seen in a celebrity divorce.

But she can never publicly speak out over his alleged flings with socialite Rachel Uchitel, reality star Jaimee Grubbs, porn queen Joslyn James and up to 17 others.

A pal said: "Elin is desperate to protect the children from the womanizing side of their father.

NJ Gov. Chris Christie calls for Republican Party rebranding

“They should be talking about treating people like adults and telling them the truth: we’re in huge trouble”

(By Maggie Haberman and Ben Smith, Politico) - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday in an interview with POLITICO outlined a path for the GOP to rebrand as the party keeping “our eye on the cash register,” while also praising some Democrats for taking the right approach to tackling major issues like education.

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• (The Daily Caller) - New Jersey legislature passes Christie’s budget

Government health care in action

Missouri VA hospital identified 1,812 veterans who could have contracted HIV and hepatitis during a dental procedure

(The Daily Caller) - A Missouri VA hospital is under fire because it may have exposed more than 1,800 veterans to life-threatening diseases such as hepatitis and HIV.

John Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis has recently mailed letters to 1,812 veterans telling them they could contract hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) after visiting the medical center for dental work, said Rep. Russ Carnahan.

Carnahan said Tuesday he is calling for a investigation into the issue and has sent a letter to President Obama about it.

Chris Matthews: Robert Byrd 'Treasured' Gadsen Flag; 'Scared' When Flag Flown at Tea Party

(Eyeblast.tv) - MSNBC's Chris Matthews changed his mind in a matter of days on the Revolutionary War Gadsen flag being used as a symbol of protest.

Did Kagan Manipulate Language To Protect Partial-Birth Abortions?

(The Blast) - On Elena Kagan’s second day of confirmation hearings, she stated the court’s rulings mandate that in any law regulating abortion, “the woman’s life and the woman’s health have to be protected.”

However, according to recent allegations surfacing, this may be far from the case. It’s being reported Kagan “willingly manipulated medical science to fit in the Democratic party’s political agenda on the hot-button issue of abortion”, according to Shannen Coffin, a former deputy attorney general during the Bush Administration.

In 2000, when the United State Supreme Court struck down Nebraska’s ban on partial birth abortion, the language purportedly came from a “select panel” of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). They declared the partial-birth-abortion procedure “may be the best or most appropriate procedure in a particular circumstance to save the life of preserve the health of a woman.” Sound familiar with Kagan’s statements above?

Here’s the ironic part: the ACOG report, when it was initially drafted said nothing of the kind. In fact, it said exactly the opposite. At that point in time, the panel “could identify no circumstances under which this procedure . . . would be the only option to save the life or preserve the health of the woman.”

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• (The Corner on National Review Online) - Kagan's Smoking Gun? Partial-Birth Abortion

• (Hot Air) - In her own hand: Kagan’s manipulation on partial-birth abortion; Update: Senate Republicans ready to ask about it?

Will A Liberal Supreme Court Justice Nominee Say One Thing During Confirmation Hearings, Then Act Differently From The Bench? Sotomayor Did.

(The Blast) - Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a 5-4 vote that it is unconstitutional for state and local governments to completely ban citizens from owning guns. This vote opens the realm, just as Elena Kagan began her confirmation hearings yesterday, that she will say whatever is necessary for a vote of confidence.

Case in point: Justice Sotomayor. During her confirmation hearings, when asked where she stood on the 2nd amendment:

Elizabeth Edwards: Rielle Hunter Is 'So Completely Unlike Me'

(NewsCore) - Elizabeth Edwards says she watched her husband's lover, Rielle Hunter, on TV last month and could not figure out how he could fall for someone "so completely unlike me."

Edwards, speaking for the first time about her husband's marriage-ending affair in an interview this morning on the "Today" show, said she could not watch Hunter's appearance on "Oprah" when it first aired last month.

"I didn't watch it then," she said. "And I didn't watch the whole thing. But I did watch some of it. And it's impossible not to."

CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee Responds to Breitbart’s $100,000 ‘N-Word’ Challenge

(Breitbart.tv) - Three months later, the Congressional Black Caucus responds to Andrew Breitbart's $100,000 challenge for video evidence of a racial slur used against CBC members on March 20, 2010.

Kagan Stumped on Constitutionality of Congress Regulating Americans’ Diet

(Breitbart.tv) - Senator Tom Coburn asks what seemed to be a simple question.

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• (Hot Air) - Coburn grills Kagan: Could Congress require people to eat certain foods under the Commerce Clause?

• (msnbc.com) - Americans are still getting fatter

NRA on Disclosure Act: ‘We Had to Put the 2nd Amendment Above the 1st Amendment’

(Breitbart.tv) - The NRA has received conservative criticism for agreeing with Democrats to not oppose the free-speech-abridging DISCLOSE Act if they, the NRA, receive an exemption. We later learned that as part of the DISCLOSE Act deal, NRA board members have been apparently gagged from speaking out against the anti-gun Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.

Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) Shows Open Contempt for Citizens Asking About Secure Borders

(Breitbart.tv) - First he taunts a member of The Minutemen by asking "Who're you going to kill today?". Then, he mocks the Minutemen by saying that he will "try to get (them) some more arms" so they can protect the border.

The Congressman from California then strangely said: "You tell me, I'm not the government." An odd statement for a man who has served as a US Representative for the past 37 years.

Finally, for the money quote: "Our borders are quite secure, Thank you."

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• (Hot Air) - Pete Stark: “Our borders are quite secure, thank you”

Obama Kills 1,000 Coal Jobs

Export-Import Bank denies loan guarantees for coal project in India

(By Rick Barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) - Up to 1,000 jobs at Bucyrus International Inc. and its suppliers could be in jeopardy as the result of a decision by the U.S. Export-Import Bank, funded by Congress, to deny several hundred million dollars in loan guarantees to a coal-fired power plant and mine in India.

About 300 of those jobs are at the Bucyrus plant in South Milwaukee, where the company has 1,410 employees and its headquarters. The remaining jobs are spread across 13 states, including Illinois, Minnesota and Indiana.

Obama Quits the Space Race, Calls for Global 'Cooperation'

(Los Angeles Times) - President Obama underscored his desire to turn space into a place for peace on Monday, releasing a policy paper that advocated international science missions and opened the door for future treaties that could limit space junk and weapons above Earth.

But administration officials said the push for international cooperation did not mean the U.S. necessarily would ask its allies to join Obama's proposed mission to send NASA astronauts to an asteroid by 2025, which he outlined during a visit to Florida's Kennedy Space Center in April, or immediately seek a treaty that would ban space-based weapons.

"The United States will consider proposals and concepts for arms control measures if they are equitable, effectively verifiable, and enhance the national security of the United States and its allies," administration officials wrote in the 18-page policy paper.

Obama Stiffs AZ on Troops and Gives More $ to Mexico

PHOENIX (AP) - The Texas and Arizona governors criticized the Obama administration's border security plans Monday, saying not enough National Guard troops are being deployed to their states.

"What we heard wasn't anything what we hoped to hear," Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer told reporters after a 90-minue briefing by federal officials sent by President Barack Obama.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican like Brewer, said the deployment to his state was "insufficient to meet the needs of securing the Texas-Mexico border."

Kagan’s Own Words: It’s Fine If The Law Bans Books Because Government Won’t Really Enforce It

(Breitbart.tv) - Kagan Argued Before Supreme Court: its Fine if The Law Bans Books Because Government Won't Really Enforce It

Pilot's Actions Contributed to Mount Airy Crash, NTSB Report Says

HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. (By Andy Matthews, Yadkin Valley News) - Approximately 30 minutes before a twin-engine plane crashed near the Mount Airy/Surry County more than two years ago, the pilot yelled out an ominous warning to the five passengers aboard.

"If anybody back here believes in the good Lord, I believe now would be a good time to hit your knees," Ronald Rakestraw said.

11-Year-Old Battles Public School Liberalism

GOP Judiciary Members rip Thurgood Marshall's Judicial Activism at the Elena Kagan hearings

Rush Limbaugh Update: Another ObamaCare failure

Al Franken Falls Asleep During Kagan Hearings

Graphic PSA to run on Triad tv's about texting while driving

GREENSBORO, NC (By T.J. Cutini, Rush Radio 94.5) - You drive. You text. You die. That’s the message conveyed through, what many say is a disturbing new PSA that Triple-A Carolinas will be running in the Triad.

The PSA is designed to discourage teens from texting while driving. It will run only on Time Warner Cable stations and only during the evening hours.

Redistricting Could Be Biggest Consequence of Midterm Elections

Plan hinges on which party controls the legislature in ‘11

RALEIGH (By David N. Bass, Carolina Journal Online) — Forget jobs and health care. The most far-reaching effect of North Carolina’s midterm elections could be which party gets to draw legislative and congressional districts next year.

The reason: Redistricting can go far in making or breaking a party’s political fortunes. States are required to redraw their districts every decade to reflect population shifts documented in the census. If Tar Heel Republicans control the process this time around, it could be their ticket out of an electoral slump that dates back to Reconstruction.

But if Democrats — who have a 30-20 majority in the Senate and 68-52 edge in the House — maintain control, it could guarantee their command of state politics for the foreseeable future and strengthen their majorities in the state’s congressional delegation.

Sen. Claire McCaskill Aide Calls Tea Party Protesters ‘Brown Shirts’

"...when Hitler took over Germany, he did it just that way: disrupting meetings, screaming — and then it got violent. But they were always a minority.”

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Rachel Maddow Mocks Congressman Who Suggests Blowing Up Well; Gives Bill Clinton a Pass For Same

Rep. Gingrey: "..detonate dynamite and seal that leak."
Maddow: "Just one of a lot of DUMB ideas..."
Clinton: "...unless we blow up the well, covering the leak with piles and piles of rock and debris, which may be necessary..."

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Media Bias: Sen. Robert Byrd was ‘Respected Voice of Senate’, Sen. Strom Thurmond was ‘Foe of Integration’

A tale of two obituaries.

Rick Santelli to Congress: STOP SPENDING! STOP SPENDING! STOP SPENDING!

"Go back to Russia where you understand the state and the citizen."

International Space Station sex ban

Commanders do not allow sexual intercourse on the International Space Station, it has been disclosed.

(U.K. Telegraph) - "We are a group of professionals," said Alan Poindexter, a NASA commander, during a visit to Tokyo, when asked about the consequences if astronauts boldly went where no others have been.

"We treat each other with respect and we have a great working relationship. Personal relationships are not ... an issue," said a serious-faced Mr Poindexter. "We don't have them and we won't."

The April voyage broke new ground by putting four women in orbit for the first time, with three female crew joining one woman already on the station.

Sexual intercourse in space may appear out of bounds, but astronauts have been known to succumb to earthly passions.

GE CEO Collapses as Vice President Biden Speaks at GE

(Breitbart.tv) - While VP Biden was speaking, GE Appliances and Lighting CEO Jim Campbell collapsed.

Sen. Dick Durbin Suggesting Justices Alito & Roberts Lied Under Oath

(Breitbart.tv) - During opening statements at the Kagan confirmation hearings, Sen. Dick Durbin suggests that Justices Alito and Roberts were not telling the truth when they swore under oath they would not practice 'Judicial Activism'.

Sec. Janet Napolitano: ‘You’re Never Going to Totally Seal That Border’

Washington (CNSNews.com) – Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, whose agency is charged with securing America’s borders, told an audience in Washington, D.C., in reference to the U.S.-Mexico border, “You’re never going to totally seal that border.”

Napolitano spoke and answered questions at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on “Securing the Border: A Smarter Law Enforcement Approach,” on Wednesday.

When asked if she could give a timeline on when the border would be secured, Napolitano said, “The plain fact of the matter is the border is as secure now as it has ever been, but we know we can always do more. And that will always be the case.

“It’s a big border,” she said. “It’s 1,960 miles across that Southwest border. It’s some of the roughest, toughest geographical terrain in the world across that border. And so, the notion that you’re going to seal that border somehow is something that anybody who’s been involved in the actual doing of law enforcement--the front office work or the front line work of the law enforcement--would say, ‘You’re never going to totally seal that border.’”

Democrats wrap up negotiations on NC budget

RALEIGH, N.C. (By GARY D. ROBERTSON, Associated Press) - Democratic lawmakers tentatively agreed on a final budget deal Saturday that would eliminate a tuition subsidy for some out-of-state athletes and require that a 1 percent cut if extra federal money isn't delivered.

The agreement lays the groundwork for lawmakers to approve its first state budget bill on time since 2003. It also would direct state officials to take money from the rainy day reserve fund and reduce the state retirement system contribution to help close a potential $525 million gap if federal Medicaid funds never come.

Congress has backed off earlier legislation that would have given $24 billion to states by extending a more generous Medicaid formula for another six months.

VIDEO: Media Routinely Used 'Conservative' Label on Bush Nominees to Supreme Court; Obama Picks Always 'Centrist'

(By Kyle Drennen, Newsbusters) - When President Bush nominated John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court in 2005, the media did not hesitate to describe both men as "very conservative," but when President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor in 2009 and Elena Kagan this year many in the press couldn't seem to identify any liberal ideology. The Media Research Center has produced a video compilation of examples to further demonstrate the obvious double standard.

Bill Press: Glenn Beck Speaking at Lincoln Memorial ‘Like Granting Al Qaeda Permission to Hold a Rally on Sept. 11 – at Ground Zero’

Chris Matthews Compares Conservative Candidates in Midterms to Suicide Bombers

(Eyeblast.tv) - "Being a suicide bomber is the new political role model," Chris Matthews told his Friday "Hardball" audience. "Just kill everything, destroy everything, blow it up, nothing gets done. You're dead, but who cares?" he added, speaking of conservative Republicans running against Democrats in the 2010 midterms.

Rush Limbaugh Update: Faith, Hope & Change

Big Loss for Democrats: How Sen. Byrd's death may affect financial regulation vote

Audio: Police Release Tape From Al Gore’s Accuser

PORTLAND, Ore. (N.Y. Post) - The Portland Police Bureau has released an audio recording of the interview between a detective and the massage therapist who accused former Vice President Al Gore of groping her in 2006.

The woman spoke with Detective Molly Daul in January 2009 - two years after she canceled three appointments to meet with investigators.

During the interview, the massage therapist describes Gore as a "crazed sex poodle" as she details the moves he made during a late-night appointment at a downtown Portland hotel.

Police declined to file charges against Gore, saying there was insufficient evidence.

'It's about what the law is,' not what is 'right' or 'wrong'

(By Scott Sexton, Winston-Salem Journal) - In the first few stunned minutes after his 2001 Volkswagen Jetta was nearly totaled in a collision on May 27, Tom Macey really didn‘t know what to expect.

Nobody was injured -- his two sons were in the car with him -- but he knew this particular wreck was going to be a (Smokey) bear, as the other driver involved just happened to be wearing the uniform of the N.C. Highway Patrol.

Macey had done nothing wrong; the patrol sergeant sent to investigate indicated as much. The accident report all but verifies it: 'The driver of vehicle 1 initiated lights and siren but failed to yield to vehicle 2. Vehicle 2 collided with vehicle 1 in the westbound lane of U.S. 158'.

"I thought for sure they were going to pay for it," Macey said.

It took a few weeks before the bitter truth sunk in. You really can't fight city hall, not when it writes the rule book and its bureaucrats can cower behind such terms as "sovereign immunity" and "gross negligence."

VP Joe Biden Calls Manager Who Told Him To Lower Taxes A "Smartass"

(Real Clear Politics) - Joe Biden calls a custard store manager a "smartass" after he asks the Vice President to lower taxes.

Liz Cheney: Obama Binge Spending Is A Security Threat

Obama Triples Deficit, Then Calls Critics 'Bluff'? – Obama Goes Partisan on International Stage

"...when I start presenting some very difficult choices to the country, I hope some of the these folks who are hollering about deficits and debt step up because I'm calling their bluff. And we'll see how much of that- how much to the political arguments they're making right now are real and how much of it was just politics. Alright?"

Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia dead at 92

Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, a Democrat who has served in the U.S. Senate since 1959, worked on a number of key committees, helped win ratification of Panama Canal Treaty and was well known for steering federal dollars to his home state.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Robert C. Byrd, the longest serving member of the U.S. Senate, a fiery orator and hard-charging power broker who steered billions of federal dollars to his beloved West Virginia, died Monday. He was 92.

A spokesman for the family, Jesse Jacobs, said that Byrd died peacefully at about 3 a.m. at Inova Hospital in Fairfax, Va. He had been in the hospital since late last week.

At first Byrd was believed to be suffering from heat exhaustion and severe dehydration, but other medical conditions developed. He had been in frail health for several years.

Former US General Comptroller Discusses Federal Fiscal Crisis

David Walker talks to Reason.tv

Rush Limbaugh Update: New York budget troubles

Harry Reid's Son Running From Last Name

John Stossel On Gun Rights

Research suggest states with concealed carry laws have less crime

White House Picks Critic of Local Immigration Enforcement for Key Role at ICE

(By Stephen Clark, FOXNews.com) - The Obama administration has tapped an outspoken critic of immigration enforcement on the local level to oversee and promote partnerships between federal and local officials on the issue.

Harold Hurtt, a former police chief in Houston and Phoenix, has been hired as the director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of State and Local Coordination. Starting July 6, Hurtt will supervise outreach and communication between ICE, local law enforcement agencies, tribal leaders and representatives from non-governmental organizations.

"Chief Hurtt is a respected member of the law enforcement community and understands the concerns of local law enforcement leaders," said John Morton, the Homeland Security assistant secretary for ICE. "His experience and skills will be an invaluable asset to the ICEs outreach and coordination efforts."

Dems Exempt Unions From Campaign Finance Bill

(POLITICO.com) - Overcoming opposition from within their own ranks, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic House leaders pushed through a controversial campaign finance reform bill Thursday on a 219-206 vote.

The DISCLOSE — Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Election — Act will require corporations, labor unions, trade associations and advocacy groups to publicly declare their role in TV ads or mass mailings during the closing months of a political campaign, including where the money is coming from to pay for such activities. Foreign-controlled corporations and big government contractors would also be barred from paying for such political activities.

But the House bill exempts the National Rifle Association, unions and other special interests from all or part of the legislation, which Republicans charged was the product of “backroom deals” and Democrats said was necessary to get the bill passed. Floor debate over the bill was heated, with each side accusing the other of acting in bad faith and using the fight to advance its own partisan agenda.

Dems Pass Bank Bill, Admit They Don’t Know How It Works

Rep. Barney Frank & Sen. Chris Dodd

(By Brady Dennis, The Washington Post) - Key House and Senate lawmakers agreed on far-reaching new financial rules early Friday after weeks of division, delay and frantic last-minute deal making. The dawn compromise set up a potential vote in both houses of Congress next week that could send the landmark legislation to President Obama by July 4.

Lawmakers pulled an all-nighter, wrapping up their work at 5:39 a.m. -- more than 20 messy, mind-numbing, exhaustive hours after they began Thursday morning.

"It's a great moment. I'm proud to have been here," said a teary-eyed Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), who as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee led the effort in the Senate. "No one will know until this is actually in place how it works. But we believe we've done something that has been needed for a long time. It took a crisis to bring us to the point where we could actually get this job done."

Both the House and Senate must approve the compromise legislation before it can go to Obama for his signature.

Al Gore (Sort of) Responds to Sex Assault Allegations

(The FOX Nation) - According to a source friendly with the Gores, Al Gore confirmed that he received a therapeutic massage in his hotel room that night and likely from the therapist making the accusation. But, the source said, Gore remembers getting a massage without incident and the therapist leaving on good terms. Gore's attorneys wrote to the Portland Tribune in 2007 and 2008 that the allegation was "completely false," and the paper decided against publishing a story, in part because the woman was reluctant to be identified. In a 2007 letter, Gore's lawyers wrote: "You. . . . are aware that everyone who knows Al and Tipper Gore well can and does attest to the integrity of their 37-year marriage and to his honorable character. Moreover, no allegations remotely resembling the ones made by this lawyer have been made against Mr. Gore by anyone else." Gore recently announced that he and his wife are splitting up.

Obama Administration Launches Boycott vs. Arizona

(FOXNews.com) - Two federal agencies have joined the "boycott Arizona" trend and nixed conferences there out of concern over the state's immigration law, a Democratic Arizona congresswoman said, calling the development "very troubling."

Any cancellations by the Department of Education and the U.S. Border Patrol may have been more out of a desire to steer clear of controversy than outright protest of the law. But Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), who has written to dozens of cities and groups in a campaign to persuade them to end their boycotts, said it was disturbing to learn that the federal government would withdraw from the state over the issue.

"It is very troubling when the federal government becomes involved in a boycott against our state," Giffords said in a written statement. "Although I personally disagree with the immigration law, it came about because of growing frustration over the federal government's unwillingness to secure the border. The federal government's participation in this boycott only adds to that frustration."

Korean War Marks 60th Anniversary

(Fox News) - A salute to those who served and died...

Rep. Hank Johnson: We Have To Pass This Bill To Make Sure Republicans Don’t Get Elected

(Breitbart.tv) - From the same man who brought you the fears of Guam tipping over...

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County Supervisor Doesn’t Know Arizona Borders Mexico but Supports Boycott

(Breitbart.tv) - Democrat County Supervisor Peggy West of Milwaukee is proud to be the "first Latino/Hispanic American to be elected to the Milwaukee County Board". During the debate on a measure boycotting the state of Arizona she asserts an uneasy knowledge of US geography.

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Liberal Activist Compares US Border Patrol to the KKK

"There is no place for Border Patrol in our community."

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LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Ticket Corruption Scandal

(Breitbart.tv) - LA Weekly reporter Jill Stewart on KFI 640 discussing the details of the corruption charges leveled against Mayor Villaraigosa.

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• (Breitbart.tv) - REPORT: LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Accepted $100,000 Worth of Tickets

Ann Coulter: Obama The Most "Thinned-Skinned" President We Have Ever Had

(Real Clear Politics) - Ann Coulter on President Obama relieving Gen. McChrystal of command and slamming Gen. Petraeus at a 2007 Senate hearing.

Charles Krauthammer: Withdrawal Date Will Continue To Hamper War Effort

Charles Krauthammer: I'm still not sure that Obama is prepared to bypass, or to overcome, the impediment that he has created with the withdrawal date. Yes, he reiterated the mission. Yes, he reiterated his commitment. But he had an opportunity where he could have said...All he has to do is to say once: "The date is one that will be conditioned upon." He hasn't said that. Some of his aides have. But the vice president said no. He said, "You will see in July 2011 a lot of our troops leaving. You can bet on that." That's pretty hard evidence that at least that is what they are thinking about.

And unless the president dispells the impression that we begin leaving by clockwork, automatically, in July 2011, the Afghans--from the president on down to the lowest peasant in Kandahar--are going to wonder, "Should I really give intelligence and support to the American side when they are going to start leaving in 13 months?"

NC: Dems Target Most Vulnerable Republican

(By Kyle Trygstad, Real Clear Politics) - In June 2008, North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole was polling near 50 percent and leading Democratic nominee Kay Hagan by double-digits. Democrats had hoped Gov. Mike Easley or another high-profile Democrat would challenge Dole, but none had stepped forward.

Fast forward two years, and the state's 2010 Senate race looks much the same.

Secretary of State Elaine Marshall was not the national Democratic Party's favored candidate, but she won Tuesday's runoff convincingly and now is perhaps the party's best chance at defeating a Republican incumbent. Sen. Richard Burr is finishing up his first term in office but continues to hover below 50 percent in general election polling.

NBC Guest Daniel Goure: Obama Administration a 'Team of Nine-Year-Olds'

(Eyeblast.tv) - On the 23 June 2010 edition of NBC's 'Today' show, Daniel Goure of the Lexington Institute blasted the Obama administration's management of the war in Afghanistan, labeling them a 'team of nine-year-olds'.

Chris Matthews: Canning Gen Stan McChrystal Helps Obama’s Oil Spill Image

(Eyeblast.tv) - Wednesday on "Andrea Mitchell Reports," Chris Matthews asserted that the President's image had been tainted because "BP has been the front institution, not the United States government, in this in the whole horror down in the gulf." However, the releasing of General McChrystal benefits the President's image.

Hillary to State Dept. Employees: Tell Teens It's Okay to be Gay

(CNSNews.com) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged State Department employees to tell teens it's okay to be homosexual.

Video: What if a Republican said it?

Dem Rep says “minorities, defective[s]” not “average, good American people”

We’re giving relief to people that I deal with in my office every day now unfortunately. But because of the longevity of this recession, these are people — and they’re not minorities and they’re not defective and they’re not all the things you’d like to insinuate that these programs are about — these are average, good American people.

Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) talks to Neil Cavuto

Michelle Malkin on 'Hannity' talking about the drilling moratorium

Major Smuggling Route at AZ / MX Border

(Breitbart.tv) - The ambush of a Pinal County Sheriff's Deputy has put the spotlight on one small patch of Arizona's desert.

Al Gore Implicated in Sexual Assault of Portland Masseuse

PORTLAND, Ore. (By Frank Mungeam and David Krough, KGW Local News) - Vice President Al Gore was accused of repeated, unwanted sexual contact with a massage therapist at a Portland hotel room in 2006, according to police reports.

The woman told police she was "repeatedly subjected to unwanted sexual touching" in Gore's hotel room at the Hotel Lucia, according to the police report.

Gore was in town to campaign for Governor Ted Kulongoski in October, 2006. Neither Gore nor his representatives could be reached for comment Wednesday. He and his wife Tipper recently announced plans to divorce.

No criminal charges were brought against Gore.

White House Wants $600M for Border, $6B for Electric Cars

(WSJ.com) - White House Backs Electric Car Aid

The Obama administration on Tuesday backed a proposal to spend up to $6 billion more on subsidies for electric vehicles, amid renewed interest on Capitol Hill in measures to cut petroleum consumption in response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The proposals include more spending for research and development of car-battery technology, aid to utilities and homeowners to build recharging outlets, and consumer tax credits to offset the higher costs of battery-electric vehicles...

Obama Requests $600 Million for Border Security

The Obama administration formally asked Congress on Tuesday for $600 million in emergency funds to hire another 1,000 Border Patrol agents, acquire two drones and enhance security along the Southwest border.

The money would also pay for an additional 160 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and extra Border Patrol canine teams, according to a senior White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Opinion: It's Time America Had a Fat President

(By Gene Healy, Washington Examiner) - Last week, President Obama strolled the beaches for a photo op with Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a self-described "fat redneck." Our beanpole president made quite a contrast to the chubby gov, who, as the New York Times noted Sunday, resembles "an adult version of Spanky from the Little Rascals."

Newsweek calls Barbour "the anti-Obama," but the Times downplayed his presidential prospects. Apparently, Haley needs to slim down if he's serious.

Is corpulence really a disqualification for the presidency in the land of supersized fries? If so, that's a shame.

Barney Frank: Idea That There Could Be Too Much Regulation Is A "Fantasy Unrelated To Any Human Experience"

(Real Clear Politics) - Rep. Barney Frank on government regulations: "The general fear that the banking members, that we're going to over regulate on behalf of consumers is a fantasy unrelated to any human experience. The federal government has never done that."

Jeb Bush Unloads on Obama: He's a 'Child'

(NYTimes.com) - For months now, Jeb Bush has been listening as President Obama blasts his older brother’s administration for the battered economy, budget deficits and even the lax oversight of oil wells.

“It’s kind of like a kid coming to school saying, ‘The dog ate my homework,’ ” Mr. Bush, this state’s former governor, said over lunch last week at the Biltmore Hotel. “It’s childish. This is what children do until they mature. They don’t accept responsibility.”

In fact, instead of constantly bashing the 43rd president, Mr. Bush offered, perhaps Mr. Obama could learn something from him, especially when it comes to ignoring the Washington chatter. “This would break his heart, to get advice that applies some of the lessons of leadership my brother learned, because he apparently likes to act like he’s still campaigning, and he likes to blame George’s administration for everything,” Mr. Bush said, dangling a ketchup-soaked French fry. “But he really seems like he’s getting caught up in what people are writing about him.”

“I mean, good God, man, read a book!” Mr. Bush said with a laugh. “Go watch ESPN!”

John Stossel: ‘Thuggish Chicago Shakedown’ Of BP Is ‘Not Democracy’

Related Material...

• (Mediaite) - Bill O’Reilly Challenges Rep. Michele Bachmann On Her Claim $20B BP Account Is ‘Extortion’

Can White House Win Moratorium Fight?

(Fox News Channel) — Obama administration vowing to push new ban on offshore drilling.

Flashback: Sen. Obama Questions Gen. Petraeus on Iraq

"I would argue that the impact (of the surge) has been relatively modest..."

Obama Reveals Aggressive Green Energy Agenda to Supporters

(Breitbart.tv) - In an on-line address to 'Organizing For America' President Obama revealed his plan to "move comprehensive energy and climate legislation forward". "If we seize this moment, we can rebuild our economy on a new foundation..."

AP: President Obama Relieves Gen. Stanley McChrystal of Afghan Command

WASHINGTON (AP) — A source tells The Associated Press that President Barack Obama has decided to oust Afghanistan commanding Gen. Stanley McChrystal over inflammatory remarks he made about Obama and other high administration officials.

McChrystal had apologized for several disparaging remarks he made in an interview about his civilian superiors.

A source tells The Associated Press that President Barack Obama will name Gen. David Petraeus to succeed Gen. Stanley McChrystal as top war commander in Afghanistan.

Feds Shut Down Sand Berm Dredging

"Who is giving these orders? Who is in charge?"

NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) - The federal government is shutting down the dredging that was being done to create protective sand berms in the Gulf of Mexico.

The berms are meant to protect the Louisiana coastline from oil. But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department has concerns about where the dredging is being done.

Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, who was one of the most vocal advocates of the dredging plan, has sent a letter to President Barack Obama, pleading for the work to continue.

AUDIO: In 2004 Obama Advocated Trading Border Security for Amnesty

(Breitbart.tv) - In a 2004 interview with Chicago Public Radio, President Obama's words are consistent with Sen. Kyl's recent remarks.

Who’s Lying? McCain Backs Up Kyl

"It was made very clear to me... that the President basically conditioned his support for border security to comprehensive immigration reform."

Obama Says Oil Spill Is Like 9-11… But Sends Only 20 of 2,000 US Oil Skimmer Boats to Florida Coast

"They said to me: 'Look, some of these skimmers we can't take from other places in the country because they may need them for an oil spill.' "

Mexico Joins Suit Against Arizona's Immigration Law, Citing 'Grave Concerns'

(FOXNews.com) - Mexico on Tuesday asked a federal court in Arizona to declare the state's new immigration law unconstitutional, arguing that the country's own interests and its citizens' rights are at stake.

Lawyers for Mexico on Tuesday submitted a legal brief in support of one of five lawsuits challenging the law. The law will take effect July 29 unless implementation is blocked by a court.

The law generally requires police investigating another incident or crime to ask people about their immigration status if there's a "reasonable suspicion" they're in the country illegally. It also makes being in Arizona illegally a misdemeanor, and it prohibits seeking day-labor work along the state's streets.

Related Material...

• (Los Angeles Times) - In her own words: Gov. Jan Brewer on Mexico joining lawsuit against Arizona's illegal immigrant law

Charles Krauthammer: Obama should keep McChrystal

Col. Jack Jacobs: Most In Military Will Say McChrystal Was 'Right'

(Eyeblast.tv) - Interviewed by Contessa Brewer on MSNBC, Medal of Honor recipient retired Col. Jack Jacobs twice states that most in the military agree with the substance of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's criticisms of the Obama administration.

Rush Limbaugh's Morning Update: Another public school system failure

Obama Energy Secretary In 2007: BP Will Help Save The World

(Breitbart.tv) - When accepting BP's $500 million for his laboratory at Berkeley in 2007, then Professor Steven Chu said BP would help save the world.

New Yorker Editor-In-Chief Admits Media Love Affair With Obama

"...I think we were all taken up with that, and I think legitimately so."

Related Material...

• (Yid With Lid) - New Yorker Editor David Remnick, A Racist in Journalist’s Clothing

Sec. Elaine Marshall triumphs over party powers

(NewsObserver.com) - Secretary of State Elaine Marshall easily captured the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate Tuesday, tapping into voter discontent with Washington by promising to be a voice for average North Carolinians.

Marshall, 64, who will face Republican Sen. Richard Burr in November, overcame considerable obstacles to win her party's nomination, including being ignored by her national party, having a money disadvantage and mourning the death of her husband during the campaign.

In a runoff with a very light turnout, Marshall had 60 percent of the vote, and former state Sen. Cal Cunningham had 40 percent, according to unofficial returns.

Related Material...

• (CharlotteObserver.com) - Harold Johnson wins 8th District GOP race
• (Hot Air) - Mike Lee edges out Tim Bridgewater for GOP Senate nomination in Utah
• (FOXNews.com) - Nikki Haley, Tim Scott Make History in South Carolina Primary Runoff Victories

Remembering the Gipper...

"We who live in free market societies believe that growth, prosperity and ultimately human fulfillment, are created from the bottom up, not the government down. Only when the human spirit is allowed to invent and create, only when individuals are given a personal stake in deciding economic policies and benefitting from their success -- only then can societies remain economically alive, dynamic, progressive, and free. Trust the people. This is the one irrefutable lesson of the entire postwar period contradicting the notion that rigid government controls are essential to economic development."

Ronald Reagan

Tuesday Funnies

President or monarch?

Jack Webb Schools Obama on Respect for Police

Jack Webb Schools Barack Obama on America

Bob Etheridge, Repeat Offender?

(By David N. Bass, The American Spectator) - North Carolina Congressman Bob Etheridge has a history of strong-arming young men who ask touchy questions, according to an account in The Southern Pines Pilot. It’s more evidence that Etheridge is, well, crustier than first thought...

Re: Bob Etheridge, Repeat Offender

(By Paul Chesser, The American Spectator) - And then there was this incident last year at a quasi-town hall meeting (hosted by the local chapter of the SEIU) in which a military veteran challenges Etheridge on his support for the Obama agenda. It shows that if any congressman has been in Washington too long, it's Etheridge. Note how those applauding the vet are in the back of the room, while the SEIUers taking up the front seats sit on their hands.

CA guv candidate's tale of frugality omits $1.8 million home...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - When he takes to the campaign trail, Jerry Brown is fond of reminding voters that he shunned the governor's mansion in Sacramento in favor of a rented apartment during his first tour in the executive office and lived in a downtown loft in Oakland while he was mayor of the crime-ridden city.

The stories are part of a campaign narrative of frugality. The Democratic nominee wants voters to remember that when they consider whether to send him back to the governor's office as California faces a $19 billion budget deficit, an unemployment rate above 12 percent and a continuing foreclosure crisis.

What California voters do not hear is Brown boasting about his latest home.

Amid crises, Obama declares war -- on Arizona...

(By Byron York, Washington Examiner) - The Obama administration has a lot of fights on its hands. Putting aside real wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, there's the battle against leaking oil in the Gulf, the struggle against 9.7 percent unemployment across the country, and clashes over the president's agenda on Capitol Hill. Despite all that, the White House has found time to issue a new declaration of war, this time against an unlikely enemy: the state of Arizona.

Mexico sues AZ, asks court to reject law...

PHOENIX (AP) - Mexico is asking a federal court in Arizona to declare the state's new immigration law unconstitutional.

Lawyers for Mexico on Tuesday submitted a legal brief in support of a lawsuit challenging the law.

The law generally requires police investigating another incident or crime to ask people about their immigration status if there's a "reasonable suspicion" they're in the country illegally.

It also makes being in Arizona illegally a misdemeanor, and it prohibits seeking day-labor work along the state's streets.

Mexico says its interest in having consistent relations with the United States shouldn't be frustrated by one state.

Mexico also says it has a legitimate interest in defending its citizens' rights and that the law would lead to racial profiling.

Senators Fear President Will Grant Amnesty to Illegals by Executive Order...

(NumbersUSA) - Several Senators have learned of a possible plan by the Obama Administration that would provide a mass Amnesty for the nation's 11-18 million illegal aliens. Led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), eight Senators addressed a letter to the President asking for answers to questions about a plan that would allow DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to provide an amnesty if they can't secure enough votes for a bill in the Senate.

Deepwater Drilling Ban Lifted by New Orleans Federal Judge; White House will appeal...

(By Laurel Brubaker Calkins and Margaret Cronin Fisk, Bloomberg) - A New Orleans federal judge lifted the six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling imposed by President Barack Obama following the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Shares of drilling services companies jumped on the news.

Obama temporarily halted all drilling in waters deeper than 500 feet on May 27 to give a presidential commission time to study improvements in the safety of offshore operations. More than a dozen Louisiana offshore service and supply companies sued U.S. regulators to lift the ban.

U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman today granted a preliminary injunction, halting the moratorium. Government lawyers told Feldman that ban was based on findings in a U.S. report following the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig off the Louisiana coast in April.

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D): Permanent middle class tax cuts too costly

WASHINGTON (AP) - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday that tax increases will eventually be necessary to address the nation's mounting debt, raising a difficult election-year issue as Democrats fight retain control of Congress.

In the shorter term, Hoyer raised the possibility that Congress will only temporarily extend middle-class tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year. He pointedly suggested that making them permanent would be too costly.

Tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush are scheduled to expire at the end of the year, affecting taxpayers at every income level. President Barack Obama proposes to permanently extend them for individuals making less than $200,000 a year and families making less than $250,000—at a cost of about $2.5 trillion over the next decade.

White House Says Sen. Kyl is Lying; Kyl Returns the Favor

"the President didn't say that... Sen. Kyl knows the President didn't say that."

See Obama’s Golf Swing

(Breitbart.tv) - With all those golf games, you'd think he'd have a better swing...

AZ Cops Threatened by Drug Cartel Snipers at Border

“I believe the threats are going to continue, they’re going to become more serious, our officers are going to be targeted.”

‘Black & Unwanted’ Right to Life Billboards Cause a Stir

"We don't mean it to be offensive, we mean it to bring awareness..."

Obama Labor Secretary Promises Help for Illegal Aliens in PSA

'You Have the Right to Be Paid Fairly Whether Documented or Not'