September 29, 2014

Podesta: Afghanistan Will Sign Deal Letting US Stay Past 2014

Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS

By RAHIM FAIEZ AND AMIR SHAH Published SEPTEMBER 29, 2014, 9:03 AM EDT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A senior adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday that Afghanistan will sign a deal Tuesday to allow American soldiers to remain in the country past the end of the year.

John Podesta, speaking to a news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, said he didn't know if newly inaugurated President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai would be the official signing the deal for Afghanistan.

Podesta said he would sign it on behalf of the U.S.

The deal will allow about 10,000 American troops to stay in the country after the international combat mission ends on Dec. 31.

-snip-

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/podesta-afghanistan-will-sign-deal-us-troops-stay

September 29, 2014

College Board Backs Colo. Students Protesting AP US History Censorship

By CAITLIN MACNEAL Published SEPTEMBER 28, 2014, 3:50 PM EDT

The College Board on Friday expressed support for the Colorado high school students protesting proposed county school board changes to the AP U.S. History course curriculum.

"The College Board's Advanced Placement Program® supports the actions taken by students in Jefferson County, Colorado to protest a school board member's request to censor aspects of the AP U.S. History course," the company said in a statement.

"These students recognize that the social order can – and sometimes must – be disrupted in the pursuit of liberty and justice. Civil disorder and social strife are at the patriotic heart of American history – from the Boston Tea Party to the American Revolution to the Civil Rights Movement. And these events and ideas are essential within the study of a college-level, AP U.S. History course."

The Jefferson County school board has proposed forming a new committee that would ensure that the AP history course materials "promote patriotism" and don't "condone civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law."

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/college-board-backs-colorado-students-ap-history

September 29, 2014

John McCain Says He Could Get Behind A Rand Paul Presidency

By CATHERINE THOMPSON Published SEPTEMBER 29, 2014, 7:49 AM EDT

There's no love lost between Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Rand Paul (R-KY).

-snip-

“I’ve seen him grow and I’ve seen him mature and I’ve seen him become more centrist," he told the New Yorker's Ryan Lizza in August. "I know that if he were President or a nominee I could influence him, particularly some of his views and positions on national security. He trusts me particularly on the military side of things, so I could easily work with him. It wouldn’t be a problem.”

Yet when Lizza caught up with McCain again last week, the Arizona Republican didn't sound like he was buying Paul's support for military action against the Islamic State.

“He said we have to destroy ISIS, and yet he has not described a strategy in order to achieve that goal," he said.

Full article:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/john-mccain-backs-potential-rand-paul-presidency

September 28, 2014

Vatican Paedophilia Scandal: Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski Stored Over 100,000 Child Porn Videos

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September 27, 2014

Ted Cruz Wins 2014 Values Voter Summit Presidential Straw Poll (Again)

By DANIEL STRAUSS Published SEPTEMBER 27, 2014, 3:08 PM EDT

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) won the 2014 Values Voter Summit presidential straw poll. The results were announced on Saturday.

Cruz came in first with 25 percent of the vote followed by Dr. Ben Carson with 20 percent of the vote and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) in third with 12 percent of the vote.

Carson actually won the straw poll for the vice presidential spot with 22 percent of the vote.

Cruz actually won the straw poll in 2013, during the government shutdown, with 42 percent of the vote.

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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ted-cruz-wins-straw-poll-values-voter-summit-2014

September 27, 2014

Elizabeth Warren Bashes GOPer Who Called Reporter 'Sweetheart'

By DANIEL STRAUSS Published SEPTEMBER 27, 2014, 2:33 PM EDT

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) strongly criticized Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial nominee Charlie Baker for calling a female reporter "sweetheart."

Warren's criticism of Baker came in a fundraising email for Attorney General Martha Coakley, the Democratic candidate for governor in Massachusetts.

The fundraising pitch centered around an interaction Baker had with a local Massachusetts reporter who was asking the Republican gubernatorial candidate about his opinion on how National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell has handled a number of domestic violence scandals concerning NFL players. At one point Baker said "this is going to be the last one sweetheart." Baker later apologized to the reporter.

Warren's email began by citing Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) who pointed out, according to Warren, "sometimes she feels like she's living in a Mad Men episode."

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/elizabeth-warren-attacks-charlie-baker-sweetheart

September 27, 2014

DOJ Tells Ferguson Cops To Stop Wearing 'I Am Darren WIlson' Bracelets

Source: TPM

By CATHERINE THOMPSON Published SEPTEMBER 27, 2014, 12:21 PM EDT

The U.S. Justice Department has asked the Ferguson, Mo. Police Department to order its officers to stop wearing bracelets in support of Darren Wilson, the white officer who fatally shot an unarmed black teenager last month.

The DOJ wrote Friday in a letter to Ferguson police Chief Tom Jackson that the bracelets "upset and agitated" people and "reinforce the very 'us versus them' mentality that many residents of Ferguson believe exists," according to Reuters. The agency wrote that residents told its investigators on the ground in Ferguson that they saw officers who oversaw protest sites Tuesday wearing "I Am Darren Wilson" bracelets.

A letter sent to Ferguson police from the DOJ earlier this week also said investigators had noticed some officers either not wearing or obscuring the name tags on their uniform in violation of the police department's own rules, according to Reuters.

A photo purporting to show a cop wearing the "I Am Darren Wilson" bracelet circulated widely this week on social media:



Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/doj-tells-ferguson-cops-stop-wearing-darren-wilson-bracelets

September 27, 2014

This Republican Who Wants to End the Weekend Is Probably Headed to Congress

Wisconsin state Sen. Glenn Grothman thinks days off are "goofy," says sex ed could make kids gay, and claims money is "more important for men."

—By Andy Kroll | Fri Sep. 26, 2014 6:00 AM EDT

Glenn Grothman, a Republican state senator who is on track to be the next congressman from Wisconsin's 6th district, has never been shy about speaking his mind. He's a bomb-thrower, a perpetual outrage machine for his liberal opponents, and a gift to the local and national press corps.

Grothman briefly stepped onto the national stage during the 2011 protests against Republican Gov. Scott Walker's effort to curb public workers' bargaining rights. He was one of the most outspoken critics of the anti-Walker protesters. On MSNBC, he derided those protesting the bill as "a bunch of slobs" and compared those who occupied the state Capitol to "college students and hangers-on having a party."

In August, Grothman surprised many, including some in his own party, by squeezing out the narrowest of victories in the GOP primary in his overwhelmingly Republican district, which includes Oshkosh and Fond du Lac. Referring to Grothman's previous remarks about women, one Republican operative tweeted, "Gee, so glad we nominated the guy w/ a reputation of being a misogynist in #WI06 w/ both our Gov and AG candidates down vs women."

Uncharacteristically, Grothman has gone silent since his primary victory. (His campaign did not respond to requests for comment.)

Here is a roundup of what might be called his greatest hits. Read them and remember that Grothman is likely headed to Congress.

more: (this guy is really, really bad (and stupid)
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/09/glenn-grothman-wisconsin-republican-congress-quotes?

September 27, 2014

Carly Fiorina Hits the Trail With an Eye on 2016

A businesswoman with a mixed record might be the GOP’s only shot at a female presidential prospect.

BY EMILY SCHULTHEIS

September 24, 2014 MEREDITH, N.H.—She's been to New Hampshire three times and South Carolina once. She's heading to Iowa this weekend, and then North Carolina and Michigan after that. Clearly, Carly Fiorina is thinking about 2016.

But is anybody thinking about Carly Fiorina?

The former Hewlett-Packard CEO and 2010 Senate candidate is hitting the campaign trail in the lead-up to Election Day for her new super PAC, teaching activists and politicians how to talk to female voters—and building herself a grassroots base in a half-dozen electorally important states in the process.

While her efforts are focused on helping the GOP win control of the Senate in November, political strategists say Fiorina is doing all the right things to prep for a 2016 bid. And the message she's touting is a preview of the kind of role she could play, if she runs.

So will she run?

"People ask me that a lot, so if you get asked that a lot you have to think about it—you have to consider it," Fiorina told National Journal. "I'm flattered by the question and I have to consider it."

The possibility of a Fiorina candidacy—which at this point is, of course, still just a possibility—speaks to the dearth of Republican women considered to be presidential prospects.

more
http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/carly-fiorina-hits-the-trail-with-an-eye-on-2016-20140924

September 26, 2014

US tells citizens to leave Yemen, reduces embassy staff

Source: Reuters

The United States told its citizens in Yemen to leave and said it was reducing the number of U.S. government staff there due to political unrest and fears of a possible military escalation.

President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has said Yemen may be heading for civil war after Houthi rebels overran the capital Sanaa, allowing them to dictate terms to his weakened, fractured government. Over 100 people have been killed in fighting.

The Department of State warned “U.S. citizens of the high security threat level in Yemen due to terrorist activities and civil unrest,” it said in a travel warning.

On Wednesday, the State Department ordered a reduction in the number of U.S. government personnel in Yemen “out of an abundance of caution due to … the potential for military escalation”. The U.S. Embassy would continue with its operations, it said.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/09/us-tells-citizens-to-leave-yemen-reduces-embassy-staff/