January 27, 2015

After forging her path from N.C. to Brooklyn, Lynch is poised to become attorney general

DURHAM, N.C. — The Rev. Lorenzo Lynch was in his living room here, surrounded by photographs of his daughter, Loretta, when he first heard the news that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. was stepping down and she was on the short list of candidates to replace him.

He wasn’t surprised she was being mentioned. All the photographs of her on the wall reflect her success as a federal prosecutor, as do the pile of newspaper and magazine articles he keeps nearby. But, in Lynch’s mind that day, there was no chance she would actually be chosen as the nation’s highest-ranking law enforcement official.

“I probably shouldn’t say this,” said Lynch, smiling, on a recent afternoon. “But I dismissed it. No way.”

Lynch, 82, a retired fourth-generation Baptist minister, had grown up in the segregated South, a place where every aspect of his life was touched by Jim Crow laws, where a minister driving to other states to preach could not stop and use the bathroom.

“You were never judged on the merit,” Lynch said. “There were no black police, no black judges, no black bankers or even clerks in the stores.”

more
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/after-forging-her-path-from-nc-to-brooklyn-lynch-is-poised-to-become-attorney-general/2015/01/26/91804eba-a301-11e4-9f89-561284a573f8_story.html?

January 27, 2015

The Obama administration wants to dramatically change how doctors are paid

Source: Washington Post

The Obama administration on Monday announced an ambitious goal to overhaul the way doctors are paid, tying their fees more closely to the quality of care rather than the quantity.

Rather than pay more money to Medicare doctors simply for every procedure they perform, the government will also evaluate whether patients are healthier, among other measures. The goal is for half of all Medicare payments to be handled this way by 2018.

Monday’s announcement marks the administration’s biggest effort yet to shape how doctors are compensated across the health-care system. As the country's largest payer of health-care services, Medicare influences medical care generally, meaning the changes being initiated by the administration will likely be felt in doctor's offices and hospitals across the country.

“As a very large payer in the system, we believe we have a responsibility to lead," said Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell in a press conference. "For the first time, we’re going to set clear goals and establish a clear timeline for moving from volume to value in the Medicare system.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/01/26/the-obama-administration-wants-to-dramatically-change-how-doctors-are-paid/

January 27, 2015

McDonnell to remain free pending appeal

Source: Washington Post

Former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell will remain free while his appeal is adjudicated — a significant victory for the onetime Republican rising star and a signal that a higher federal court might see some merits in his arguments.

In a two-page order, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled that McDonnell could remain out of prison on his own recognizance because his appeal was “not for the purpose of delay” and raised “a substantial question of law or fact.” Though it is not clear which of McDonnell’s arguments resonated, experts said the higher court must believe at least one of the questions in his case is worth a second look.

“The fact that there’s this decision rightfully gives the governor a ray of hope that his appeal may be successful,” said Jacob Frenkel, a former federal prosecutor who now does white-collar defense work at the Shulman Rogers firm.

McDonnell was sentenced earlier this month to two years in federal prison, and if the appeals court had not intervened, he would have had to report by Feb. 9. He and his wife, Maureen, were found guilty in September of lending the prestige of the governor’s office to Richmond businessman Jonnie R. Williams Sr. in exchange for $177,000 in loans, vacations and luxury goods.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/mcdonnell-to-remain-free-pending-appeal/2015/01/26/6838ba5c-a58f-11e4-a7c2-03d37af98440_story.html?

January 26, 2015

House Conservatives Form "Freedom Caucus" as Right-Wing Rebellion Continues

By Beth Ethier

A cluster of far-right Republicans in the House of Representatives announced on Monday the formation of the Freedom Caucus, a group intended to combat a perceived centrist drift in the House's long-time home of conservative thought, the Republican Study Committee.

The RSC, formed in 1973 as a conservative watchdog to keep the Republican Party from becoming too moderate, has grown to 170 members, encompassing a large part of the GOP caucus. In recent years, hard-right members have complained that House leadership has seized control of the group and compromised its conservative principles.

In 2013, the RSC's Executive Director, Paul Teller, was fired by then-chair Steve Scalise, and Teller's supporters claimed that he was pushed out because he upset John Boehner by opposing the budget deal brokered by Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Patty Murray. Around the same time, the RSC barred members of the conservative Heritage Foundation, including former Sen. Jim DeMint, from attending the committee's meetings after Heritage's role in the failure of Republicans to pass a Farm Bill that year.

Writing on the formation of the new Freedom Caucus, the Heritage Foundation's Daily Signal news service says:

more
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/01/26/freedom_caucus_right_wing_members_of_congress_form_new_group_to_rally_conservatives.html?wpsrc=slatest_newsletter&sid=5388f1c6dd52b8e4110003de

January 26, 2015

C.I.A. Officer in Leak Case, Jeffrey Sterling, Is Convicted of Espionage

Source: New York Times

Jeffrey A. Sterling, a former Central Intelligence Agency officer, was convicted of espionage charges Monday, according to The Associated Press, for telling a journalist for The New York Times about a secret operation to disrupt Iran’s nuclear program.

The conviction is a significant victory for the Obama administration, which has led an unprecedented crackdown on officials who speak to journalists about security matters without the administration’s approval. Prosecutors prevailed after a yearslong fight in which the journalist, James Risen, refused to identify his sources.

The case revolved around a C.I.A. operation in which a former Russian scientist provided Iran with intentionally flawed nuclear component schematics. Mr. Risen revealed the operation in his 2006 book “State of War,” describing it as a mismanaged, potentially reckless mission that may have inadvertently aided the Iranian nuclear program.

Mr. Sterling faces years in prison.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/27/us/politics/cia-officer-in-leak-case-jeffrey-sterling-is-convicted-of-espionage.html?emc=edit_na_20150126

January 24, 2015

Trump Keeps Trolling: I Woulda Beaten Obama, Might Run In 2016

By DYLAN SCOTT Published JANUARY 24, 2015, 10:15 AM EST

In a cherished presidential cycle tradition, Donald Trump is trying to insert himself into the 2016 conversation.

For starters, he gave a sit-down interview to the all-important Des Moines Register, which was published Friday. In it, he took some shots at presumptive GOP frontrunners Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney, while lamenting that he didn't run in 2012, when he also teased at a presidential bid before backing out.

"I was leading in every poll. ... I regret that I didn't stay in," Trump told the Register. "I would've won the race against (President Barack) Obama. He would've been easy. Hillary (Clinton) is tougher to beat than Obama, but Hillary is very beatable."

He in turn criticized Romney for not triumphing over a vulnerable Obama. "He failed. He choked. He's like a deal-maker that didn't close the deal. He shouldn't be running again. He had a great opportunity to win against a president that was absolutely lame, and he didn't do it," Trump said. "The 47 percent statement, which was a disaster, is not going away. Romneycare is not going away. All of his problems are not going away. He should get out and get out quickly."

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-2016-might-run-beat-obama

January 24, 2015

In Reversal, GOP Rep. Ellmers Now Says She'll Vote For Abortion Bill

In a second reversal of her position in as many days, Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) said Wednesday afternoon that she would support a routine anti-abortion messaging bill after previously raising objections over rape-related language in the legislation, which she had originally co-sponsored.

Ellmers said on Wednesday said that she support the messaging bill. Here's Ellmers' full Facebook post on it:

To clear up any misinformation, I will be voting tomorrow to support H.R. 36 – The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protect Act Resources bill. I have and will continue to be a strong defender of the prolife community.

The legislation was set for a vote this week but Ellmers and Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) raised objections Tuesday over the bill, which bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Both of them removed their names from the bill as co-sponsors.

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/renee-ellmers-vote-abortion-bill-language

January 24, 2015

Steve King offers 2016 GOP candidates an opportunity to be embarrassed by being seen with him

Gaffes a la King: Steve King throws a party for immigration activists and Democratic trackers

Steve King offers 2016 GOP candidates an opportunity to be embarrassed by being seen with him

It’s a lucky thing that Steve King is a real person who actually exists, as it saved Democratic and liberal activists the trouble of having to grow him in a lab. The Republican Party’s most prominent anti-immigrant bombthrower is putting on his first “Iowa Freedom Summit” this weekend, which is being billed as the unofficial start to the 2016 nominating contest. Would-be Republican presidential candidates will show up to pay their respects to King and get busy exploiting the anxieties Iowa’s white, rural conservatives feel over undocumented immigration.

Chris Christie will be there, as will Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Carly Fiorina, and (of course) Donald Trump. Most of those people stand zero chance of actually becoming president – they’re either too crazy, too laughably incompetent, or Donald Trump – so showing up at a rally thrown by a guy who drops casual references to “murderous illegal aliens” carries little actual political risk. But those whose 2016 hopes aren’t completely far-fetched – Christie, Walker, and (because I’m feeling generous) Perry – have plenty to worry about, given that King is basically throwing one big party for Democratic groups hunting for embarrassing gaffes and Hispanic activists looking to put Republicans in the hot seat.

King is a guy who loves confrontation, and he provokes public outrage as part of a deliberate strategy to derail progress on immigration reform. When he refers to undocumented immigrants as “deportables” or says the vast majority of immigrants are drug mules with overdeveloped leg muscles, he’s purposefully bringing heat down on himself because he knows it’ll also gin up conservative outrage over immigration. This strategy has been extremely effective – King has hijacked the GOP’s immigration policy and pushed the party so far right that they only legislation the GOP can move through the House are bills to undo President Obama’s executive actions on immigration, including the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA).

DACA, which offers temporary deportation protection to DREAM Act-eligible immigrants brought into the country as minors, has been extremely popular and the King-led movement to abolish it created a strong backlash from Hispanic activist groups. So it’s no surprise that pro-DACA activists are making plans to turn King’s Iowa Freedom Summit into a confrontation over immigrant rights:

more
http://www.salon.com/2015/01/23/gaffes_a_la_king_steve_king_throws_a_party_for_immigration_activists_and_democratic_trackers/

January 22, 2015

Police Release Video Showing More Than 180 Looters After Ferguson Decision

Source: TPM

The St. Louis County Police Department on Wednesday released footage of more than 180 people looting a small market following a grand jury's November decision not to indict a white Ferguson, Mo., police officer in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen, CNN reported.

The surveillance video showed dozens of people pouring through a smashed display window into the family-owned Dellwood Market near Ferguson, many of them leaving with stolen goods. Owner Jan Lalani told CNN that the business sustained an estimated $300,000 in losses.

The police department also released nearly 200 still images captured by security cameras in the building, St. Louis television station KTVI reported.

Dellwood Market was one of several businesses targeted the night of Nov. 24, when a St. Louis County grand jury announced that it would not indict the officer in the shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown. Some 20 buildings and 12 vehicles in the area were torched, and dozens of people were arrested. (Area protests grew more peaceful as the week progressed.)

more


Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/dellwood-market-ferguson-looting-video

---

January 22, 2015

Dem Rep. Invites Tony Perkins To See Mythical Minneapolis 'No-Go Zones'

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) invited Family Research Council President Tony Perkins to Minneapolis last week after Perkins said that Muslims had established "no-go zones," in the Minnesotan city.

In response to a caller on Perkin's show, "Washington Watch," on Friday, who claimed that the "Muslim community" had established "no-go zones" in France, Perkins said that while he could not verify the "military-type training," he did accept that Europe -- and some American cities -- had these so-called "no-go zones." (The no-go zones in France are a debunked conservative myth.)

"I mean, we saw the effect of that in France, where they have like 700 no-go zones, where authorities have allowed basically Sharia law to be imposed," Perkins said, according to audio posted by Right Wing Watch. "There are some areas in this country that, in effect, that has occurred. Dearborn, Michigan, is one of the places. There are some places in Minneapolis. I don’t think it’s as clear-cut as what we’ve seen in Europe. It’s been more by the effect that that’s occurred."

Ellison, who represents Minneapolis in Congress, invited Perkins to the city so he could see that the Muslim "no-go zones" are actually a myth. The congressman posted the invitation to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon.

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/no-go-zones-minneapolis-ellison-tony-perkins