Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman Joshua Eilberg was citing his work with addicts during a speech on combating heroin addiction. The Mantua Halfway House, a drug rehabilitation clinic Gosnell ran, has often been mentioned as a reason the abortion clinic doctor and alleged murderer was well trusted by the community.
Via: archive.org
Francine Wheeler will take Obama's place and push for action on gun violence
Via: Gary Cameron / Reuters
WASHINGTON — President Obama has turned over his weekly address to the mother of a 6-year-old boy killed in the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting.
Francine Wheeler, who has emerged as a prominent advocate for gun control since her son was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary on Dec. 14, will deliver the weekly address. It is usually posted to the White House website on Saturday mornings and typically consists of a brief address by Obama.
While it's rare for someone other than the president to deliver the weekly address, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney noted Friday that Vice President Biden has delivered the address in Obama's place before.
Carney said Obama selected Wheeler to help make the push for gun control. The Senate is set to take up legislation on the issue next week.
"As we continue to debate guns, one thing has been very clear," Carney said. "Nobody has a more important or powerful perspective than the families who have lost loved ones."
Drink up!
Via: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call / Getty Images
Via: Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images
Via: Charlie Neibergall / AP
Via: c-spanvideo.org
The media first covered the issue when Gosnell was arraigned in 2011.
CNN first covered the Gosnell on CNN Newsroom on January 19th and then followed up with coverage on January 20th, the 22nd, the 25th, February 9th and February 15th.
Source: media-alliance.org
Fox News first covered Gosnell on January 20th on Special Report and then followed up with more coverage on January 21st. Bill O'Reilly covered it on January 27th.
Source: rawstory.com
MSNBC covered Gosnell first on Jansing and Company on January 20th, then again on January 21st on First Look and then again MSNBC News Live on January 23rd.
Source: liveactionnews.org
CBS covered the story on CBS Evening News on January 19th. They followed up the next morning on CBS Morning New.
Source: mediabistro.com
Obama declines an offer to wear a football helmet and doles out some political advice.
Via: Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
WASHINGTON — When members of the US Naval Academy football team presented President Obama with a custom helmet during a White House photo op and asked him to put it on Friday, Obama politely declined.
A helmet is just bad politics, Obama explained. From the pool report by the Baltimore Sun's John Fritze:
After the president's remarks two players presented POTUS with a Navy helmet. Someone in the crowd shouted "put it on."
"Here's a general rule," the president joked. "You don't put stuff on your head if you're president. That's politics 101. You never look good wearing something on your head."
The Naval Academy team was at the White House to accept the Commander In Chief's Trophy. Details on that from the White House:
"The Commander in Chief's Trophy was established in 1972. It is awarded to the service academy with the best overall record against the other two service academies. Every year since 1984, except 1993 when there was no outright winner, the President has personally presented the Trophy to members of the victorious Academy's football team at the White House."
Via: Larry Downing / Reuters
“Tolerating this kind of bigotry will only serve to turn off more and more voters, and until the leadership of the RNC is willing to confront and denounce bigotry in its own ranks, they will continue to lose elections,” GOProud leader says.
Via: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
WASHINGTON — Following the Republican National Committee's unanimous approval of two resolutions to reaffirm "its support for marriage as the union of one man and one woman" Friday, the head of a group fighting for inclusion of gays in the conservative movement said, "I guess they are not finished losing."
All of the resolutions presented at Friday's meeting of the RNC — including ones addressing abortion and immigration and one honoring Ron Paul — were passed en masse by unanimous voice vote, Time reported. Multiple former RNC staff members spoke out in opposition to the move in advance of Friday's vote.
GOProud executive director Jimmy LaSalvia said of the vote for the marriage resolutions, "The platform is clear about the party's position on marriage, so the resolution wasn't necessary. This resolution was motivated by anti-gay bigotry and brought forward by RNC members who just don't like gay people."
The Human Rights Campaign, which endorsed President Obama's re-election bid in 2012, was in agreement with GOProud Friday.
"Instead of moving forward toward the inclusive and welcoming party that they say they're trying to create, the GOP has instead alienated wide swaths of independent voters, young voters and even Republicans who are at odds with their hardline stance against LGBT equality," said HRC spokesman Michael Cole-Schwartz.
LaSalvia said, "Tolerating this kind of bigotry will only serve to turn off more and more voters, and until the leadership of the RNC is willing to confront and denounce bigotry in its own ranks, they will continue to lose elections."
Liddy Huntsman, the daughter of Jon Huntsman Jr. and a member of Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry, also condemned the move.
"As someone with high hopes for the GOP, I'm personally disappointed with this display of exclusion, especially at a moment when everyone — including party officials — acknowledge that we need a new direction," she said.
The comments reference the recent RNC "autopsy" of the 2012 elections ordered by RNC chairman Reince Priebus, in which party officials concluded, "Already, there is a generational difference within the conservative movement about issues involving the treatment and the rights of gays — and for many younger voters, these issues are a gateway into whether the Party is a place they want to be."
Despite the report's recommendation that, "[o]n messaging, we must change our tone — especially on certain social issues that are turning off young voters," the Friday meeting, led by Priebus, explicitly continued the same messages as those contained in the 2012 party platform.
Log Cabin Republicans executive director Gregory Angelo, however, saw it as a sign of the pressure being placed on the party to change, calling out the move to pass these resolutions as an action of those "threatened" by growing support for gay rights within the Republican Party.
"No one was expecting the GOP to change its platform position on marriage at this meeting, but clearly those in opposition to equality feel threatened by the growing numbers of Republicans who support the freedom to marry," he said. "The GOP platform didn't stop Senator Portman from evolving, nor Senator Kirk, and any reaffirmation of the party platform isn't going to stop more Republicans from joining their colleagues on the right side of history."
Via: twitpic.com
Via: twitpic.com
Senior Hill aides describe Harry Reid's strategy.
The strategy advocated by gun control supporters in the Senate was described to BuzzFeed by two senior Republican Senate aides working to oppose the effort, and confirmed by a Democratic Senate leadership aide working to get it passed.
Via: Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/MCT
The legislation proposed by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin would expand background checks for those looking to purchase guns, while providing some exemptions.
Via: Olivier Douliery/Abaca Press/MCT
Via: Allison Shelley / Getty Images
”The Panel Crasher” freeloads across Washington.
Via: shutterstock.com
WASHINGTON — You can eat three meals a day in this town if you know how to stay awake through endless policy discussions. This is the story of how sequestration drove one man to drink — on someone else's dime.
Washington, meet the Panel Crasher: he roams the streets, anonymous, preying upon unsuspecting food spreads at think tanks across town. A former Democratic Hill staffer, The Panel Crasher asked BuzzFeed not to print his name for fear that if his identity leaks he'll lose face (and access to all the free grub.) But he's blogging his adventures in free food and think tank discussions here, providing a kind of how-to guide for hungry wonks.
Panel Crasher lost his job at a K Street nonprofit after, he says, sequestration led to belt tightening at the federal department providing funding to the project he was working on. He's headed to grad school in the fall, so for the next couple months he's looking for something to do. And something to eat.
That's where the think tanks come in. Every day across Washington, there are countless panel discussions about one aspect of federal policy or another. In order to woo audiences (or keep the crowds who were clamoring to be there full of energy, depending on who you ask), these panel discussions often offer up food. And the big budgets behind many of the most powerful think tanks in town can mean some pretty sweet spreads, too. The Panel Crasher has found breakfast buffets, sandwich stations and even wine with dinner. He described a lunch buffet at the American Enterprise Institute he stumbled upon on his third outing.
"AEI has the best lunch spreads because it's a hot buffet. You don't see that anywhere else that I've encountered. Not at lunch. It's legit too," he says. "Today they had a shrimp gumbo, and it was delightful. Tail on the shrimp, so it was the real deal. Only other seafood you see is tuna sandwiches."
At one dinner event he hasn't blogged about, The Panel Crasher said he was given a sit-down dinner including wine.
Via: Paul Morigi / Getty Images
The only cost for all these delicacies? Your email address.
"I use my real name and I write 'unemployed' or 'independent' under 'affiliation'," he explains. "As long as you show up and don't look like a homeless person, they'll usually let you in."
The Panel Crasher blog has started to get some attention around DC. That's partially because the sheer volume of free food available around town is so fascinating, but also partially because the author has turned his quest into a kind of DC political commentary and restaurant review in one, skewering the events he visits as he pockets toothpicks laden with cheese cubes.
"What I hope is clear through the blog is that the concept of getting free food at panels was initially a response to being poor and unexpectedly unemployed, but then I recognized that it might also be a fun vehicle to pick fun at the DC echo chamber. DC is good at making fun of others, or making fun of low level interns and high level politicians, but we're less used to making fun of the rest of us in the middle," he says. "Crashing panels feeds me, but I hoped I might also make light of a substantial segment of a town, of which I am a part, that takes itself just a bit too seriously. I'm too lazy and hungry to actually ask or answer the question. But I also do wonder what these panels really accomplish. I'm not saying it's nothing, but I'm not sure it's much, especially when they're usually preaching to the choir."
The Panel Crasher's quest might be getting tougher. In his post about the AEI event, he described some eagle-eyed interns who caught him snapping pics of the buffet and bristled. For for the most part, he says, event hosts don't care if you're there just for the free food, as long as you sit there and don't fall asleep during the discussions.
Robert Bluey, Director of Digital Media for the Heritage Foundation, hosts a weekly roundtable with one of the most talked-about spreads in Washington: Chik-Fil-A sandwiches, waffle fries and nuggets are on offer. The group estimates they've handed out more than 10,000 free sandwiches since 2006 to anyone who bothers to show up for Heritage's Blogger's Briefing. Bluey told BuzzFeed that if people show up for just for the sandwiches, it's fine with him.
"Heritage has a reputation for great food, great events and great policy," he said. "We take the holistic view that people should feed their bodies as well as their minds."
Gosnell offered his patients their own choice of medicine for first-trimester abortions a la carte style charging extra for sedation. The grand jury cited the abortion clinic doctor and alleged murderer offering such practices as a reason demonstrating “that he was not really practicing medicine.”
America's regional strategy in doubt, again. “A game-changing disappointment.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad during a meeting on April 13, 2013 in Ramallah.
Via: Thaer Ganaim / Getty Images
The resignation of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad reverses the latest stirrings of momentum toward peace in the region and calls into question the American strategy of backing the low-key Palestinian state-building sometimes called "Fayyadism."
Fayyad commanded the respect of the international community, which trusted him — more than President Mahmoud Abbas and other figures in the Palestinian Liberation Organization — to spend their money on infrastructure and good government, and not to steal it. Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly pleaded with him to stay. He was also viewed by Israel's leaders as a constructive partner. But their support for him didn't extend to funding the Palestinian government, and the policy of witholding tax revenues to punish the Palestinians for a diplomatic bid for statehood helped provoke the economic crisis in the West Bank for which many residents blame Fayyad.
Fayyad stood in particular for a hope — which now looks more like a fantasy — of a kind of third way to Palestinian statehood that would avoid either stalled diplomacy or armed struggle. The Palestinians, with American and Israeli support, would build an honest and functional government; capable security services; and the conditions for economic growth. Palestinian anger at their conditions would, under this theory ease naturally; and easier diplomacy could turn de facto statehood into formal statehood.
"The departure of Salam Fayyad is a game-changing disappointment to everyone who believes in a two-state solution, because he was the single most important factor behind the Palestinian progress toward statehood-readiness," said Jonathan Prince, who advised Senator George Mitchell during his time leading the Obama Administration's first push for peace between Israel and Palestinians. "It's not an overstatement to say that Salam Fayyad was The Man on everything from security cooperation with Israel to anti-corruption, government transparency and economic growth."
And American officials Saturday pressed the Palestinians to continue Fayyadism, with or without Fayyad.
"We recognize the important roles played by both President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad, and appreciate both of their efforts as we and others work to support establishment of a viable, independent Palestinian state," National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in an emailed statement. "Prime Minister Fayyad has been a strong partner to the international community and a leader in promoting economic growth, state-building, and security for the Palestinian people. We look to all Palestinian leaders to support these efforts."
Speculation Saturday quickly turned to the future of the Palestinian Authority, which now risks lacking both domestic popularity and international support and money. The tensions between Abbas and Fayyad sit beneath two other complex sets of battles: Israelis versus Palestinians; and the Palestinian Authority's West Bank regime versus Hamas, which controls Gaza. And a Fayyad ally, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the future for the man — who will remain, for now, a caretaker (and Palestinian officials have a habit of resigning without actually departing for long stretches)— and his vision remain opaque.
"There are competing impulses in Palestinian society," the Fayyad ally said. "There's a culture clash between ia kind of impulse to move towards state creation and an impulse away from it, and his position became untenable."
Critics of the Palestinian Authority called Fayyad's resignation part of a broader crisis of legitimacy.
"There is no Palestinian leadership that has been successful in elections any time recently," said Yousef Munayyer, the executive director of the Palestine Center in Washington, who has argued that the PA compromised itself by acting as a kind of enforcer for Israel. "There's this huge legitimacy crisis that is much greater than Fayyad himself. Fayyad is a byproduct of this problem."
But among those who buy into Fayyad's vision of a middle road toward peace, the mood Satudray was gloomy.
"Your average Palestinian may look back at period between 2009 and 2011 with a lot of nostalgia," the Fayyad ally said.
“No individual can purchase a handgun from a private dealer without being asked, ‘Are you a good person?’ along with the follow-up question 'Seriously, are you?'”
As gun manufacturers look to leave states passing strict gun control laws, Republican politicians are courting them for their states.
Via: @ChuckGrassley
Via: @GovernorPerry
Beretta, Colt, Magpul and any others: In Maine you will find air, rail and seaports that can carry your exceptional products across the country and across the globe. You will find hardworking Mainers, and you will find a governor who is ready to provide incentives and guarantees that will make it attractive for you to set up shop in our state.
I will never sign anti-gun legislation that erodes the rights of Maine citizens, drives your business away or infringes on the U.S. Constitution or the State of Maine Constitution.
Come to where you are welcome and where you will be appreciated. Come to Maine. I'll even throw in some lobster.
Via: online.wsj.com
“We are missing a golden opportunity to have an open, honest, and serious conversation about why it is that we are having these horrific violent acts occurring in our society,” the Senator said on CNN Sunday.
A man fatally shot himself in the head during the NRA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday.
The victim, a 42-year-old Saginaw, Texas resident named Krik Franklin was involved in an argument near the race's campground before the incident took place according to police.
A police spokesman has said alcohol may have contributed.
Earlier in the week NASCAR had said it would "take a closer look" at the process in which sponsors are approved.
Sponsorships are agreements between the track where the race is being held and the sponsor, but NASCAR has the right to nix sponsorships.
"The NRA's sponsorship of the event at Texas Motor Speedway fit within existing parameters that NASCAR affords tracks in securing partnerships," said NASCAR spokesman David Higdon according to ESPN. "However, this situation has made it clear that we need to take a closer look at our approval process moving forward, as current circumstances need to be factored in when making decisions."
ESPN had also reported Friday that two drivers were advised by their public relations firms not to do interviews in the media center to avoid having the NRA logo behind them.
Last month, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy sent a letter to NASCAR CEO's asking him to reconsider his decision to sanction the race's sponsorship citing the "national conversation" about guns.
"Given the emotional state of the national conversation, I believe it would be imprudent for NASCAR to step into such a heated political debate and take sides in this debate by allowing the NRA the title role in the race," Murphy wrote.
Murphy had also sent a letter to News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch asking him not to broadcast the NRA 500 race on Fox Sports.
The NRA did not immediately return a request for comment.
“Investigation will have to determine whether it was planned and carried out by a terrorist group, foreign or domestic,” official says.
WASHINGTON — Minutes after President Obama left a White House podium after giving a speech about the explosions in Boston where he didn't use the word "terrorism," a White House official characterized the bombings there as "an act of terror."
"Any event with multiple explosive devices - as this appears to be - is clearly an act of terror, and will be approached as an act of terror," the official said. "However, we don't yet know who carried out this attack, and a thorough investigation will have to determine whether it was planned and carried out by a terrorist group, foreign or domestic."
Some on Twitter began criticizing Obama immediately after his speech about the Boston attacks for not using the word "terrorism."
Law enforcement confirms three explosions. What we know.
Via: Charles Krupa / AP
Law enforcement officials have confirmed that there were two explosions on Monday along Boylston Street in Boston near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, and a third at the JFK Library. Beyond that, the investigation is ongoing, and the number of casualties and identity of a potential suspect are not confirmed.
The explosions, which Boston police said on Monday afternoon had injured 28 and killed 2, took place in the Copley Square area in central Boston. The Boston police commissioner confirmed a third explosion at the John F. Kennedy Library this afternoon, while saying that authorities aren't sure if the incidents are related.
"We don't have the exact number of casualties at this moment in time," Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said in a press conference on Monday. The Boston Globe reported Monday afternoon that the number of injured has risen to 64.
As of 5 p.m. on Monday, there is no confirmed suspect or motive. The Boston Police Department has surveillance video of someone bringing more than one backpack into the area before the explosions, according to CBS News. The New York Post reported that a suspect is being kept under guard at a hospital in Boston (the Post is also reporting that 12 have been killed, making that newspaper the only media outlet to carry that number.) The Post reports that the suspect being kept under guard is a Saudi national, which is unconfirmed.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was on the scene in Copley looking for explosives, according to reports, and the bombs were reportedly placed in trash cans. An ATF spokesperson didn't immediately return a request for comment.
Federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security have been in contact with local agencies and are participating in the investigation. The Boston Police Commissioner said during the press conference that he has been in contact with the FBI.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has been briefed, officials said. "The Secretary has been notified of the incident in Boston," a DHS official told BuzzFeed. "At her direction, DHS is in contact with state and local authorities and will provide whatever assistance is necessary in the investigation and response."
Update: NBC News is reporting that a wounded man is being "guarded" at a Boston hospital as a possible suspect. (6:12 p.m.)
Update: A White House official called the Boston explosions an "act of terror" in an email on Monday.
"Any event with multiple explosive devices - as this appears to be - is clearly an act of terror, and will be approached as an act of terror. However, we don't yet know who carried out this attack, and a thorough investigation will have to determine whether it was planned and carried out by a terrorist group, foreign or domestic," the official said. (6:40 p.m.)
Update: CBS News is also reporting that a Saudi national is being questioned: "He was seen 'acting suspiciously' running from the explosion and a civilian chased him down and tackled him. He was turned over to Boston Police and is being questioned by FBI. He is being cooperative and denies any involvement." (7:31 p.m.)
Update: The Boston Globe reports that a "person of interest" is being questioned:
And the FBI has put out a statement:
A multi-agency response including state and federal law enforcement agencies has been activated and is investigating the cause of the explosions along the Boston Marathon route and elsewhere. The FBI's Boston Division stands with the Boston Police Department and remains on-scene. The FBI is offering its assistance in whatever capacity BPD requires. The situation remains fluid and it remains too early to establish the cause and motivation.
The FBI has set-up 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), prompt #3, for anyone who has information, visual images, and/or details regarding the explosions along the Boston Marathon route and elsewhere. No piece of information or detail is too small.
(7:56 p.m.)
Update: The Boston Police Department announced in a press conference on Monday that three people have died from the Boston explosions. The FBI is taking over the investigation, authorities said. (8:55 p.m.)
The former Progress Kentucky volunteer is looking for donations.
One of the two people accused of recording a meeting between Republican Senator Mitch McConnell and senior aides discussing opposition research session has launched a legal defense fund to pay his legal bills.
In an email linking to a page soliciting donations, alleged former Progress Kentucky volunteer Curtis Morrison said he needed money to help pay his legal bills and living expenses.
Morrison's email:
My name is Curtis Morrison. Recently there was release of a recording illustrating Sen. Mitch McConnell's 'Whack-A-Mole'-style approach to politics that illustrates McConnell's insensitivity to those of us who speak freely about our religious beliefs and/or who suffer from depression or mental illness.
The recordings also contain evidence suggesting that McConnell used federal employees and a mysterious third party to gather his Whack-A-Mole research. CREW has asked both Senate Ethics and the FBI to investigate those issues. If/when any investigations are started regarding those abuses of power, I will cooperate fully in them.
Meanwhile, I have been cooperating with the ongoing FBI investigation into how the recording was made. While my lawyer is charging a reasonable rate, I could use some help, and would be grateful for whatever you can pitch in.
If there's any funds leftover, I humbly would like to use them for living expenses, food, finding a new apartment, etc.- until I can procure new employment, hopefully writing.
Thank you for your consideration.One more thing, if you suffer from depression or mental illness, you are not alone, and you, we, do not deserve to be marginalized or held back for generational diseases.
So far Morrison has raised zero dollars.
Mark Kelly says despite friendship with Jeff Flake, he’ll work to kick him out of the Senate if he votes against background checks.
Via: The Daily Courier, Matt Hinshaw / AP
WASHINGTON — The debate over gun control got personal Tuesday when Mark Kelly, the husband of former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, said he would use Giffords's new super PAC to challenge her personal friend, Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, if he votes against background checks.
Kelly said he still hopes to convince Flake, an Arizona Republican, to back the compromise gun control bill currently making its way through the Senate. But Flake said he opposed the bill on his Facebook page Monday night, a stance that Kelly clearly took personally.
"There are a lot of Senators who are just looking for a reason to get to no," Kelly told reporters at a breakfast event sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. "And I experienced this personally last night when I was shown the Facebook posting of Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, Gabby's good friend."
Kelly accused Flake of putting personal political ambition ahead of preventing future incidents like the 2011 shooting that left his wife gravely injured and six of her constituents dead.
"He intends to vote no on this legislation, and he's got some reasons, and the reasons that he cites on his Facebook post…it appears to me that maybe he actually hasn't read the bill. Because his concern are clearly addressed in the piece of legislation," Kelly said. "So what's going on here? Well I imagine with Sen. Flake and probably another 10 or more Senators that we hoped to get to yes, they're looking for a reason to get to no because of the influence of the gun lobby and how that might affect their next election."
Kelly said he'll try to change Flake's mind after another face-to-face meeting with the Senator later Tuesday. But he called out Flake for posting the message to Facebook just a day before he, Giffords, and Kelly are scheduled to attend the dedication of a room in the Capitol named to honor a Giffords House staffer killed in the 2011 shooting.
"His timing is not ideal," Kelly said.
Asked if he'll use his PAC — which is designed to bolster gun control proponents by offering them the financial and political resources currently provided to gun rights supporters by the National Rifle Association — to unseat Flake, Kelly said he would if he has to.
"Friendship is one thing, saving people's lives, especially first graders, is another," he said.
Update:
Flake responded to Kelly in a statement sent to BuzzFeed by his Senate office.
"I respect Gabby and Mark and their strong viewpoints on this issue," he said. Flake is scheduled to attend the Zimmerman room dedication Tuesday, his office confirmed.
