Politics
Holder scolds Issa for 'inappropriate' and 'shameful' conduct at House hearing
Frustrations boiled over at a House hearing on Wednesday when Attorney General Eric Holder let Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) know exactly how he felt about the "shameful" way the lawmaker was conducting himself as a member of Congress.
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Issa suggested that the Department of Justice had violated the Federal Records Act during discussions with Labor Secretary nominee Tom Perez, and that President Barack Obama's administration was covering up the crime.
But as Holder tried to reply to Issa, he was interrupted by the California Republican.
"No, no, that's what you typically do," the attorney general shot back. "No, I'm not going to stop talking now."
"Mr. Chairman, would you inform the witness as to the rules of the committee," Issa said.
"It is inappropriate and too consistent with the way in which you conduct yourself as a member of Congress," Holder insisted, shaking his finger at Issa.
"It is unacceptable and it's shameful."
Watch this video from the House Oversight Committee, broadcast May 15, 2013.
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Rep. Coble has 'senior moment' while attempting to grill Holder
An 82-year-old Republican congressman from North Carolina said he had a "senior moment" while attempting to grill Attorney General Eric Holder during a House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday.
Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC), who has been in office since 1985, began his questions to Holder by complaining about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's scolding of Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) at a January hearing for politicizing last year's terrorist attacks in Benghazi.
"I took umbrage with that response when I heard it and I went to the House floor in early February to take further umbrage," Coble explained. "I just find Ms. Clinton's response to have been condescending and just laced with insincerity and very impersonal."
After asking why Holder had warned about acts of violence and retaliation against Muslims in the aftermath of the Boston bombings, Coble noted that his view of the witness was blocked before attempting to move on to the next question.
"Now, I'm having a senior moment," he admitted. "I forget what I was going to ask you. It will come back to me in due time."
"Well, maybe it won't," Coble added, drawing laughter from fellow lawmakers. "I still have time... I'm still going to try to get through here."
At that point, the 15-term congressman obviously regained his train of thought: "Senior moment recovered!"
Coble went on to question Holder about a the 4th Circuit Court's United States v. Simmons decision that resulted in possibly thousands of people wrongly being held in prison for “felon in possession of a firearm.”
Holder suggested a meeting with Coble's staff to discuss the case.
Watch this video from the House Oversight Committee, broadcast May 15, 2013.
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Oregon baker refuses to make cake for same sex wedding
A bakery in Oregon has refused to supply a cake for a wedding between two women, bringing the business afoul of the state's anti-discrimination laws. According to Salon, Pam Regentin of Fleur Cakes in Mt. Hood, Oregon has declared that her Christian faith prevents her from being able to fulfill an order for a wedding cake by Erin Hanson and Katie Pugh.
“I mentioned Erin in passing, and said a ‘she’ in passing too, in the email," Pugh told a reporter from KATU. Regentin called and asked if the cake was for a same sex wedding, which Pugh confirmed.
Not long after, Regentin told the couple that she would not make the cake because of her Christian beliefs.
"Just to be clear," Pugh told KATU she asked the baker, "are you not making a cake for us because we're a same sex couple?"
Regentin replied that yes, that was the case.
Oregon's consumer non-discrimination law directs businesses to provide "full and equal accommodations without any distinction on account of race, color, religion, sex, or sexual orientation" to any and all customers.
When KATU asked Regentin by phone whether she realized that she was breaking the law, the baker replied, "I believe I have the liberty to live by my principles."
In neighboring Washington state, florist Barronelle Stutzman is fighting a similar battle with the state government over her refusal to provide flowers to a same sex wedding.
In an interview with KEPR, Stutzman said she told customer Robert Ingersoll, "I am sorry. I can’t do your wedding because of my relationship with Jesus Christ."
“It’s a personal conviction,” she insisted in the interview. “It’s not a matter of being right or wrong. It’s my belief.”
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed an injunction earlier this year ordering Stutzman not only to fulfill Ingersoll's order for his wedding to partner Curt Freed, but also seeking a permanent injunction forcing her shop, Arlene's Flowers and Gifts, to provide services to customers without discrimination or face fines of $2,000 per violation.
Watch video about this story, embedded via KATU, below:
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Ohio nuclear plant stumped by radioactive goldfish in lemonade pitcher with reactor water
Security investigators at a nuclear power plant in Ohio say that they have not made much progress in determining who left radioactive goldfish in an underground steam tunnel.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced earlier this month that it had launched an investigation after workers found two goldfish swimming in a lemonade pitcher filled with reactor water at the Perry nuclear power plant operated by FirstEnergy Corp.
The steam tunnel was monitored by video cameras, but investigators this week admitted that yellow protective radiological suits and including hoods made identifying suspects difficult.
"While we continue to look at the video for evidence, identifying folks in the video has been challenging," Perry spokesperson Jennifer Young explained on Tuesday.
The NRC has been monitoring the plant closely since 2011 when four workers were exposed to radiation.
"Last year, Perry got into trouble with the NRC about weaknesses preventing unauthorized access to the plant," David Lochbaum of the watchdog group Union of Concerned Scientists told The Plain Dealer. "Goldfish are not authorized to be inside the tunnel, yet they were there. And Perry cannot determine how they got there or who put them there. What if it hadn't have been goldfish but a bomb?"
"What might be an amusing account of misplaced goldfish today could become tomorrow's nightmare story if someone with an axe to grind, another Timothy McVeigh type, places a bomb instead of two goldfish in Perry."
Watch this video from WEWS, broadcast May 2, 2013.
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Fugelsang slams Cheney: 'You did nothing' to prevent 9/11 attacks
Tuesday night on John Fugelsang's "Viewpoint," Fugelsang invited viewers to play along at home as he hosted a new game, "Are You Qualified to Criticize Obama on This?"
Along with actor Frank Coniff, who played "TV's Frank" on the show "Mystery Science Theater 3000," Fugelsang lampooned former Vice President Dick Cheney (R)'s recent comments attacking the Obama administration.
"All of Mr. Cheney’s clips come courtesy of 'The Sean Hannity Show,'" Fugelsang said, "where Sean lubed up his nose for Mr. Cheney’s phone-in interview to call the 9/11/12 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi 'one of the worst incidents I can recall in my career.'”
He then rolled interview audio of Cheney, who claimed “the State Department and the White House ignored repeated warnings from the CIA about the threat” to the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
"So, is Dick Cheney qualified to criticize Barack Obama on this?" Fugelsang asked. A "wrong answer" buzzer sounded and Fugelsang said, "Ooh, sorry, Dick. You see, back on August 6, 2001, your administration was given a presidential daily briefing literally titled, 'Bin Laden determined to strike in U.S.,'” a warning that the Bush administration ignored.
"The CIA warned you for months, you did nothing," Fugelsang continued. "Bush continued his month-long vacation, and after 9/11 — the greatest security failure in national history — the one person in your administration who should’ve been fired — your national security advisor — was promoted to secretary of state. Which means some of us can criticize Barack Obama, but you ignored more warnings than Andy Dick’s agent."
Watch the video, embedded below via Current TV:
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Homophobic Texas candidate calls reporter 'c*nt, b*tch, coward' in voicemail tirade
D Magazine on Tuesday published a shockingly not safe for work voicemail from Dallas City Council candidate Richard P. Sheridan who said that the publication had not done enough to inform voters that his opponent was gay.
In the voicemail left over the weekend, Sheridan tells reporter Dan Koller that he's "extremely happy" that "Sodomite" Leland Burk lost to Jennifer Staubach Gates.
"You know, you didn't post the fact, communicate to voters that he's gay, and I think I did a pretty good job of communicating to voters," Sheridan, who only received 28 votes, opines. "You, sir, are cunt, bitch, coward, Mr. Koller. Dan Koller is a cunt, bitch, coward. And I don't think you have one testicle, sir. You're a sorry-ass, you're a disgrace to our city, you're a propagandist to the Sodomites.
"And when I see you, I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but minimally your eardrums will hurt, you motherfucker. Because the word fuck means abuse and if you're in the gay lifestyle, the mothers that bring their children up in the world, wanting to do good, want to live a good life, and you go with the Sodomites? You motherfucker, cunt, coward Dan Koller."
Sheridan adds that Koller would "regret it" the next time he saw him, but the "fucking coward" should not to call the police because it was not intended as a threat of bodily harm.
Koller responded on Tuesday with lyrics from Michael Jackson's "Bad."
"Well, Richard (or should I call you Dick? Yeah, I should), all I can say in response, Dick, is your talk is cheap; you’re not a man," Koller wrote. "The word is out, you’re doing wrong; gonna lock you up before too long. I’m telling you, just watch your mouth; I know your game, what you’re about."
"I sincerely hope that the man is never a Twitter user," D Magazine's Jason Heid added in a follow-up piece. "I’m sure that he could single-handedly add several degrees of red to Dallas’ appearance on the Geography of Hate map."
Listen to the audio below from D Magazine, broadcast May 14, 2013.
The following video was uploaded to YouTube on May 11, 2013.
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Boehner on IRS targeting: 'Who is going to jail over this scandal?'
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) on Wednesday took the unexpected step of calling to imprison someone in the U.S. government after the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) admitted inappropriately scrutinizing tea party groups to determine if they had abused their tax-exempt status.
"Now my question isn't about who is going to resign," Boehner told reporters. "My question is who is going to jail over this scandal?"
"There are laws in place to prevent this type of abuse. Someone made a conscious decision to harass and hold up these requests for tax-exempt status," he later added. "I think we need to know who they are [and] whether they violated the law."
"Clearly, someone violated the law."
In an interview on Monday, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had said that if Boehner "were a woman, they'd be calling him the weakest speaker in history."
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Florida man won't be charged for shooting himself while bowling
Police say that a Florida man who shot himself at a bowling alley in Jupiter will not be charged with a crime.
Jupiter Police told WPBF that the man was bowling with a gun in the pocket of his shorts at Jupiter Lanes at around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday when the incident occurred.
"The guy just stepped up to bowl," Jim Miller recalled. "I think he hit his leg on his back swing."
"The ball hit him in the leg, which triggered the revolver," Mike Martin, who also witnessed the shooting, added.
Witness said the man held his leg as his limped back to his seat. Police did not identify the man, but his injuries were not thought to be life threatening. He was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center for treatment.
WPTV reported that the man would not face charges.
Watch this video from WPTV, broadcast May 14, 2013.
["Stock Photo: Front View Of A Man Releasing Ball At The Foul Line." via Shutterstock.com]
(h/t: Gawker)
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Goldberg and O'Reilly agree: Obama could cure cancer and Republicans would still hate him
Appearing on Tuesday night's episode of "The O'Reilly Factor," author and sports journalist Bernie Goldberg agreed with host Bill O'Reilly on a critique of some Republican opinion-makers in the media, saying he felt like President Barack Obama could cure cancer and they would still hate him.
As Obama's bad week rolls on, O'Reilly has emerged as something of a magnanimous voice at the conservative network, landing on the administration's side with regards to spying on The Associated Press and urging right-wing radio shows to back off "unsubstantiated charges" or risk drawing attention away from what he believes to be the real scandals, like Benghazi.
On the AP spying, Goldberg and O'Reilly diverged: "I think that is a scandal," Goldberg said. "The point is that there are people on the left who will not acknowledge that Benghazi is a big story, and there are people on the right who, if Barack Obama came up with a cure for cancer, wouldn't give him credit for it. And, by the way, I mean that literally."
Unfortunately for Goldberg, the mainstream media has largely not treated the Republican narrative on Benghazi as credible, and on Tuesday CNN debunked the only major "scoop" in the investigation so far regarding the item that Republicans are crying scandal over: the administration's talking points about the attack.
An email written by former Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes was cited by ABC News last Friday as proof the administration's talking points were changed to protect the president's political interests. However, CNN reported Tuesday that the email was mischaracterized, and Rhodes' communication indicated nothing of the sort.
This video is from "The O'Reilly Factor," aired Tuesday, May 14, 2013, snipped by Mediaite.
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Economist: Deficits nothing but a politically useful hammer to beat up Obama
University of Massachusetts economist Richard Wolff on Tuesday explained that obsession over the federal deficit was based in politics, not economics.
Wolff said on the David Pakman Show that the government could not improve a struggling economy by cutting its spending. As the single biggest consumer, the government only reduced demand for goods and services by cutting spending, leading to greater unemployment.
However, conservatives and others who support austerity economics believe that reducing the deficit encourages others to buy goods and services. Wolff noted there was "very little empirical evidence" to support the claim.
"The minute Republicans are out of office, George Bush and Cheney gone, Obama coming in to replace them, then the Republicans turn around and find the deficit -- as they have many times -- a useful hammer with which to beat up on the incumbent in the hopes of replacing him," Wolff added.
Watch video, uploaded to YouTube, below:
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Oklahoma public school removes Ten Commandments plaques from classrooms
Muldrow Public Schools in Oklahoma has decided to remove Ten Commandments plaques that were displayed in nearly every classroom.
"The commandments have been there ever since I can remember, ever since elementary school," Muldrow senior Blakely Palafox told News On 6. "I think it's actually kind of stupid to take away something so important to our school. Those Ten Commandments have been there forever."
The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter (PDF) to superintendent Ron Flanagan on May 1 after a student alerted the organization. The FFRF warned the plaques were "a flagrant violation of the Establishment Clause of [the] First Amendment."
Fearing a costly lawsuit, school administrators reluctantly agreed to remove the plaques, which have been on display for about 20 years. Muldrow Schools attorney Jerry Richardson told News On 6 there was no point in fighting the lawsuit, since the school was assured to lose the case.
“We are pleased the school administration has removed the Ten Commandments, in compliance with the Constitution. This is settled law. Public schools cannot advance or endorse religion," said FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor in a statement. “We hope the Board will 'Honor thy constitution,' and heed the advice of its attorney rather than to acquiesce to pressure from a religious mob.”
Watch video, courtesy of News on 6, below:
NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com |
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Jon Stewart's Iranian journalist friend: Regime uses 'sick' homoerotic torture for 'entertainment'
An Iranian journalist who's now the subject of comedian Jon Stewart's upcoming film "Rosewater" told "The Daily Show" host and a crowd gathered by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) last week that he and others have endured "sick" homoerotic torture, apparently for their captors' mere "entertainment."
Maziar Bahari was arrested by Iranian authorities shortly after appearing on "The Daily Show" in June 2009. Accused of being a spy, he endured 118 days of interrogation and torture, during which time he was only able to identify the man torturing him by the rosy smell of his cologne.
Bahari wrote a book about the experience, titled Then They Came For Me: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity and Survival, which Stewart bought the rights to. Appearing last Wednesday at a CPJ panel discussion hosted by Stewart, Bahari also screened his documentary "Forced Confessions," featuring first-hand accounts of the Iranian regime's torture chambers.
"We should not forget the entertainment value of these things for them," he said. "These are people who live in dark rooms, they work in dark rooms. They basically spend about 12-13 hours a day in a dark room, beating up people, insulting people, and for them they need some sort of entertainment."
"Somebody confessing to thinks that sometimes they dream about, like -- and I have to thank Omid Memarian, who's in the film -- his interrogator was forcing him to describe a sexual act that never existed, and then asking to talk about the details of it. It's sick because that guy really was enjoying what Omid was telling him. And it happened in my case, and in many other cases it happened, this same thing."
In Iran, gay men are punished with public floggings and execution.
This video is from the Committee to Protect Journalists, published May 14, 2013.
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"Stock Photo: Chained Person." on Shutterstock: https://tinyurl.com/c8f4dvc
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