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U.S. Ambassador Compares Malaysian Airlines Crash For Dutch To 9/11 For U.S.

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“Scale of #MH17 disaster is horrific for people of Netherlands: Number of victims relative to total population is same as 9/11 for U.S.”

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power compared the raw scale of the Malaysian airliner that crashed Thursday for the Netherlands to that of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States.

The flight that crashed in Ukraine near the Russian border Thursday claimed nearly 300 passengers and crew; a large number of the passengers were Dutch.

The website Vox then noted it as well, writing, "Many more Americans were killed in the 9/11 attacks — 2,624 in total — but because the US population is so much larger (it was roughly 285 million in 2001), the death toll represented .0009 percent of the overall population."


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Sentencing Commission Votes To Make Reduced Drug Sentencing Changes Retroactive

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Prisoner release, under the recommendations, will not happen before Nov. 1, 2015.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Sentencing Commission on Friday voted to make recent guidelines lowering prison sentences for most federal drug offenses fully retroactive to all currently serving federal sentences under the guidelines.

As BuzzFeed reported earlier this week, the question before the commission was whether approximately 50,000 drug offenders serving time currently will be able to petition a judge to review their sentences according to the new standards. The Justice Department had opposed making the changes fully retroactive.

The commission unanimously voted yes Friday to make the decision retroactive, although the decision will not allow for release of any prisoners until Nov. 1, 2015. The approximately 50,000 people affected represent around 25% of the total federal prison population — approximately 210,000 convicts.

"This amendment received unanimous support from Commissioners because it is a measured approach," Judge Patti B. Saris, chair of the Commission, said in a statement. "It reduces prison costs and populations and responds to statutory and guidelines changes since the drug guidelines were initially developed, while safeguarding public safety."

According to a statement from the commission, "Congress has until November 1, 2014 to disapprove the amendment to reduce drug guidelines. Should Congress choose to let the guideline reductions stand, courts could then begin considering petitions from prisoners for sentence reductions, but no prisoners could be released pursuant to those reductions before November 1, 2015."

The delay, according to Families Against Mandatory Minimum's Mary Price, was made, per the commissioners, in order "give judges and prosecutors time to assess public safety," as decisions on "dangerousness" will need to be individualized assessments.

"Today, seven people unanimously decided to change the lives of tens of thousands of families whose loved ones were given overly long drug sentences," FAMM President Julie Stewart said in a statement. "FAMM commends the U.S. Sentencing Commission for its boldness, as well as federal judges, members of Congress, reform groups, and the more than 60,000 letter writers who joined with FAMM to demand that the Commission grant full retroactivity."

Pro-Russian Republican Rebukes Putin, Demands Accountability Over Malaysian Air Downing

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“The United States Navy also shot down a commercial airliner. But we apologized and pinpointed exactly how it happened. Things like this can happen,” Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said.

Dana Rohrabacher Facbeook

Unabashedly pro-Russian Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher bluntly warned Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday that he must work with the international community to ensure those responsible for the downing of a Malaysian Airline plane are held accountable — even if Russian forces were involved.

"It should be crystal clear to Putin that right now he needs to step forward and be part of revealing the truth effort and affixing responsibility effort to this tragic loss of life," Rohrabacher told BuzzFeed.

"We need to have accountability on this. If Putin does not come forward with that, it will be making a bad situation worse," he added. "I'm not sure what level of involvement the Russians have had on this. I think that has to be disclosed. If the Russian military was engaged in providing assistance to anti-aircraft, that needs to be disclosed. That would be very brash on the part of Mr. Putin."

Still, Rohrabacher went to pains to offer up alternative theories for how the plane was destroyed, killing 298 people.

For instance, the California Republican argued it could have been similar to the accidental 1988 downing of Iran Air Flight 655 by the U.S. Navy, which resulted in the death of 290 people.

"It clears that nobody intended to shoot down a commercial airliner. The United States Navy also shot down a commercial airliner. But we apologized and pinpointed exactly how it happened. Things like this can happen," Rohrabacher said.

As for who actually shot the missile, Rohrabacher conceded it was likely Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, but argued they were using anti-aircraft weapons left behind by the Ukrainian military and not Russian supplied missiles.

"I'm pretty well convinced that it was from the Ukrainian insurgents who left and the military arsenal that went over to the insurgency," he said. "These could have well been from the arsenal from when the insurgents broke away from the Ukraine."

Rohrabacher also complained that Putin continues to be unfairly targeted.

"Up until now I think most of criticism levied against Putin was unjustified," he said. "All of this stems from the fact that an elected leader of the Ukraine was driven from power by street violence."

Chelsea Manning Lawyer Can't Confirm Report Of Gender Treatment

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The Associated Press reported on Thursday that “rudimentary” gender treatment for Manning had been approved. As of earlier this week, Manning was not receiving hormone treatment or gender accommodations.

Chelsea Manning

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Despite reports that "rudimentary" gender treatments have been authorized for Chelsea Manning, her legal team has not been informed of any changes and is unable to confirm that report, a lawyer for Manning told BuzzFeed Friday.

Chase Strangio, a lawyer for Manning, told BuzzFeed that the report is a "promising development," but the American Civil Liberties Union lawyer noted that the legal team has not confirmed the report and added that the use of the word "rudimentary" in the report was "concerning."

In an Associated Press a story published on Thursday and expanded overnight, a defense official told the wire service, "Chelsea Manning can get initial treatment for a gender-identity condition from the military after the Bureau of Prisons rejected the Army's request to accept her transfer from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to a civilian facility."

On Friday afternoon, however, Strangio told BuzzFeed that it was not clear the extent of the treatment or whether the treatment would meet with the recommended treatment protocol for Manning, who was convicted of violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses in July 2013 after leaking thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks. Strangio said that, as of earlier this week, Manning was not receiving hormone treatment, counseling, or grooming or clothing accommodations consistent with her gender.

Strangio said the ACLU has become involved in Manning's case when it became clear that doctors' recommended treatment for Manning's diagnosed gender dysphoria was not simply being followed, and was instead moved up the chain of command. The AP reported that the decision for "rudimentary" treatment was ultimately approved by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

"We're willing to litigate the case unless they are willing to comply with the treatment recommend by her doctors," Strangio said, noting that the ACLU formally joined Manning's lawyer from her court martial, David Coombs, on the case two months ago.

Adding that Thursday's AP report "was definitely a surprise," Strangio said that Manning's legal team was not informed of any decision regarding treatment plans and has not confirmed the AP report since then.

A Pentagon spokesman on Thursday referred questions to the Army, and an Army spokesman did not immediately respond to a Friday afternoon request for information about the AP report. A spokesperson at the military's disciplinary barracks at Leavenworth likewise did not respond to a request for comment on the report.

World Reacts To MH17: 47 Front Pages From Around The Globe

Supreme Court Halts Recognition Of Utah Same-Sex Marriages During Appeal

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While the state appeals the trial court decision, Utah will not need to recognize the marriages it granted to same-sex couples.

Supreme Court of the United States in Washington

peterspiro/peterspiro

WASHINGTON — Utah will not need to recognize same-sex couples' marriages beginning on Monday, following an unsigned order from Supreme Court on Friday afternoon.

More than 1,000 same-sex couples married in Utah before the Supreme Court issued a stay in January halting same-sex couples from marrying under a trial court order striking down the state's ban on such marriages in December 2013.

Some of the couples who married during that time sued the state, arguing that the state must recognize those marriages — even while the main case, Herbert v. Kitchen, is appealed. A federal trial court judge agreed, and the state was denied a stay pending the appeal of that second case from the trial court judge and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

A temporary stay from the 10th Circuit was due to expire at 10 a.m. Monday, so Utah officials sought the stay from Justice Sonia Sotomayor, to which the same-sex couples responded on Thursday evening.

Sotomayor referred the matter to the full court, and, a little before 5 p.m. Friday, the court issued the order granting the state a stay of the trial court order during the appeal to the 10th Circuit.


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Why You Should Not Take Photos Of The 7 Ugliest Buildings In D.C.

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Unless you like getting your camera taken from you.

On July 16 and 17, I visited seven different government bureaucracies throughout Washington, D.C., so I could photograph how ugly their architecture was.

On July 16 and 17, I visited seven different government bureaucracies throughout Washington, D.C., so I could photograph how ugly their architecture was.


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GOP Senate Candidate Said He'd Be Involved In Obama Impeachment If Offense Is "Egregious Enough"

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IMPEACH.

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Republican Georgia Senate candidate David Perdue left open the possibility of pursuing the impeachment of President Obama if his offense was "egregious enough." Purdue stressed, however, he doesn't "have the facts" and his focus if elected would be the needs of voters.

"I'm not up there, I don't have the facts," Perdue told local station 13WMAZ Eyewitness News. "But right now, one thing I know, is if he is violating his oath of office to a degree that is egregious enough to do that, I'll be involved in that. But right now, my focus, if i were to be elected would be to do the things I'm talking to people about doing right here in the real world."

The comments are different from those he gave in a statement to the Washington Post last week, in which Purdue said he was opposed to impeachment.

"The best way to rein in the overreaching Obama administration is for Republicans to take back the Senate and for Congress to restore the balance of power in our federal government," Purdue spokesman Derrick Dickey told the Post in an email.

The Post said Dickey confirmed that Perdue opposes impeaching Obama.

In a local radio interview last week, Republican Rep. Jack Kingston, who is vying with Perdue for the Senate nomination in an upcoming runoff election, said Congress was looking at impeachment seriously.

"Congress is going to start looking at it (impeachment) very seriously." Kingston said.


The Draft Text Of Obama's LGBT Worker Executive Order

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President Obama is due to sign the order on Monday morning. BuzzFeed obtained the draft text of the order.

Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

WASHINGTON — On Monday morning, President Obama will be signing a long-awaited executive order to protect LGBT employees of federal contractors and transgender federal employees from discrimination.

Although the White House has not yet released the text of the order, BuzzFeed obtained a copy of the text, as of July 15. A White House spokesman would not confirm the accuracy of the text or say whether the text changed since July 15, saying only that the text "will be released, as is always the case, after it's been signed."

The order, as drafted, amends the existing federal contractor nondiscrimination executive order, Executive Order 11246, to include sexual orientation or gender identity. Monday's order also amends the existing federal workforce nondiscrimination order, Executive Order 11478, to include gender identity. President Clinton had amended that order in 1998 to include sexual orientation.

Notably, the draft of Obama's order contains no additional religious exemptions for the sexual orientation or gender identity provisions beyond those already contained in the existing executive orders, a request made by some religiously affiliated leaders. At the same time, however, the order does not take action requested by some civil rights groups to rescind an executive order issued by President George W. Bush. The Bush order provides an exemption to Executive Order 11246 for any "religious corporation, association, educational institution, or society" that allows such contractors to hire people of "a particular religion."

The text obtained by BuzzFeed tracks with information provided on background on Friday.

EXECUTIVE ORDER
Further Amendments to Executive Order 11478, Equal Employment Opportunity in the Federal Government, and Executive Order 11246, Equal Employment Opportunity

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, 40 U.S.C. 101 et seq., and in order to provide for a uniform policy for the Federal Government to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and take further steps to promote economy and efficiency in Federal Government procurement by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Amending Executive Order 11478.
Executive Order 11478, as amended, is hereby further amended as follows:
(a) The first sentence of section 1 is amended by substituting "sexual orientation, gender identity," for "sexual orientation".
(b) The first sentence of section 7 is amended by substituting "sexual orientation, gender identity," for "sexual orientation".

Sec. 2. Amending Executive Order 11246.
Executive Order 11246, as amended, is hereby further amended as follows:
(a) The first sentence of Section 202, paragraph (1) is amended by substituting "sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin" for "sex, or national origin".
(b) The second sentence of Section 202, paragraph (1) is amended by substituting "sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin" for "sex, or national origin".
( c ) The first sentence of Section 202, paragraph (2) is amended by substituting "sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin" for "sex, or national origin".
(d) The first sentence of Section 203, paragraph (d) is amended by substituting "sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin" for "sex, or national origin".

Section 3. General Provisions.
(a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an agency or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

The Rise And Fall Of Brian Schweitzer

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The former Montana governor loves an audience, and for a while, he had one. How Schweitzer for President was built and broken.

MSNBC

The sun was setting on Memorial Day when Brian Schweitzer called.

From his three-acre ranch — 2,000 miles away from New York, 25 miles northwest of Anaconda, Mt., and one mile up the dirt road that leads to his house on Georgetown Lake — Schweitzer returned an interview request sent earlier that week to one of his old staffers. The call came from his personal cell phone. This isn't normal politician behavior. But for Schweitzer it was standard.

He always got back to reporters himself. And he had plenty calling. Most asked to come see the ranch. They wanted "to see me in my natural habitat," he said.

"I make for an interesting read apparently."

On the phone, he ticked off the other news outlets that made the trek to northwestern Montana. Time magazine, he said, did a "10-mile trail ride on horseback with me." A National Journal photographer got to "watch me bulldoze snow banks." And the reporter who wrote an A1 Wall Street Journal piece — she did lots of "fun things" that didn't even make it into the story, like the trip they took to an abandoned 19th-century Chinese casino.

There was still more material to work with.

"Can you herd cattle?" he asked.

"Can you wrestle a calf?"

"Can you make it in an off-the-grid house?"

"Can you castrate a cow?"

The questions kept coming.

Run a chainsaw? Brand a calf? Break a bull? Ride a so-and-so?

He was also coming to New York, his new natural habitat, in about a week to commentate on a few MSNBC shows. His "dance card" would be full on Monday and Tuesday, he said, but he had enough time on Sunday for an interview.

And did he mention, by the way, that he has a live-hit TV studio in his basement?

"The only one in Montana," he said before hanging up.

Brian Schweitzer likes an audience about as much as he likes to talk.

Late last year, the 58-year-old former governor of Montana made himself known as a Person to Interview. After finishing his second term as governor, Schweitzer emerged as one of the only prominent Democrats willing to speak critically about Hillary Clinton. The status earned him bookings on just about every cable news show. He went on Crossfire, on Hardball, on Up With Steve and Now With Alex. He wore his bolo tie on Morning Joe.

Reporters listened as he talked about running for president, about visiting all 99 counties in Iowa, about the way Clinton doesn't represent "the future." Schweitzer did make for an interesting read. And he knew how to work the press.

By February, he signed on as a paid contributor with MSNBC. The network sent five technicians to Schweitzer's ranch to build a studio off his wine cellar. Installation took three days. The set is powered by cell towers, brand-new technology from Israel. Schweitzer will be happy to tell you about it.

By May, a Wall Street Journal profile cemented Schweitzer as the anti-Hillary Democrat. The article captures a pensive Schweitzer, gazing out his window at the Rockies, contemplating the ways in which a 2016 bid might tear him from "his currently comfortable life." The piece ran on the front page under the headline "Ex-Governor Auditions as Populist Clinton Challenger."

Schweitzer was on the rise. Not in poll numbers. In cable hits. In tip sheets and in stories and on Twitter. Reporters kept calling. Everyone wanted their tour of the ranch for an article about a Democrat who wasn't named Clinton.

But in the end, Schweitzer's rise amounted to the thing people in Washington call a media narrative. And his burned hot and fast and then just went away.

Schweitzer talked and talked and talked until finally he said something stupid. Now he can still talk, but there's no one left to listen.


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Elizabeth Warren Says Immigration Law Changes Not Only Up To Latinos, Silent On Children At The Border

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Warren said “we’ve got to be in this together” on an overhaul of U.S. immigration law at the NCLR conference in Los Angeles Sunday. But she did not weigh in on the current crisis with Central American children at the border.

Juan E. Gastelum/BuzzFeed

LOS ANGELES — Sen. Elizabeth Warren talked about the need to revive immigration legislative action but did not address the surge of unaccompanied children at the border, speaking at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) convention in Los Angeles Sunday

The Massachusetts senator said it's not only up to the Latino community to push for changes to U.S. immigration policy.

"I truly believe America is with us on this, we just have to push Washington," Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, said during a presentation on Latinos and the economy.

Warren told the crowd an immigration overhaul is "powerfully important for everyone" because it could be a key to alleviating some of the nation's most pressing economic concerns, such as stabilizing social security.

"We want to have social security?" Warren asked. "Bring more workers and bring more people out of the shadow economy and into the fully paid economy where everything is above the table," she said.

Warren also spoke about the subprime mortgage crisis and student loan debt, two issues that hit especially close to home for many Latinos.

While the populist Democrat came ready to deliver a message on immigration and a fiery speech that criticized Republicans, corporations, banks, and denounced income inequality, she did not take the opportunity to weigh in on the ongoing national debate about how to deal with the influx of children from dangerous countries in Central America.

Others took the opportunity to talk about the issue in front of the NCLR audience.

Speaking Saturday, Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez said the Latino community needs to make its presence and opinions on the children at the border known at the ballot box.

"We need to raise our voices, make ourselves citizens, sign up to vote and punish those who speak ill and criminalize children who come to our border," he said.

He also invoked the fact that the law treats children from noncontiguous countries like Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala differently than kids from Mexico.

"The way they treat Mexican children is deplorable," he said. "Let's not extend that abuse to other children from Central America. We can do better as a nation."

Gutierrez was referencing a 2008 anti-trafficking law that places unaccompanied minors from countries outside of Canada and Mexico under U.S. custody before hearings.

Warren, whose name has been thrown around as a potential candidate in the 2016 presidential election, has repeatedly said she will not run.

She is seen as especially appealing to far left-leaning Democrats, who view her as an alternative to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. During a similar speech at the Netroots National summit in Detroit Friday, Warren was interrupted by chants of "Run, Liz, Run."

The crowd at Sunday's event was not as vocal in its support of a potential Warren bid, but she was met with enthusiastic cheers and a standing ovation.

Other Democrats whose names are being thrown around as potential 2016 candidates have taken the recent opportunities to stake out clear positions on the unaccompanied minors at the border.

Clinton, for example, has taken an enforcement-centered approach, saying at a CNN town hall event last month that all the children who can be "should be sent back as soon as it can be determined who the responsible adult in their families are."

"We have to send a clear message," Clinton added. "Just because your child gets across the border, that doesn't mean the child can stay."

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, another potential candidate, last week back and forth with the White House after he publicly called on President Obama not to send the children back to "certain death" in their countries. It was later leaked that he asked the administration not to send them to a specific facility in Maryland.

Last week, Warren came out in support of an offer by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick to house unaccompanied children on two military bases in the state.

"These kids are at real risk and we need to do everything we can to make sure they are not harmed or in danger," Warren said in a statement, according to The Republic.

"I agree with Pope Francis that this is a humanitarian crisis, and I believe every state that can help, should help."

LINK: Everything You Need To Know About The Surge Of Unaccompanied Minors At The Border

CNN Anchor Uses The Worst Possible Pun While Reporting From #MH17 Crash Site

Democratic Senator Says U.S. Is "Not Leading" On The World Stage, No Clear View Of U.S Policy

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“There’s not a clarity of who is the United States of America and what do we stand for,” West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin said.

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Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin accused the Obama administration of failing to lead on the international stage, arguing the White House has allowed the nation to be pulled into a series of reactive foreign policy decisions rather than implementing a coherent foreign policy.

"We should be looking at the future. We should have a vision for the future. We should be able to help the world, but we should be taking care of ourself and making ourself strong first," the West Virginia Democrat said in an interview on WOWK's show Decision Makers over the weekend.

"You lead by example. Right now we're leading by ... we're not leading really. We're just getting pulled in all different directions. There's not a clarity of who is the United States of America and what do we stand for," Manchin added.

Manchin also warned Obama's successor will face a similar situation on the domestic front and that voters will expect a candidate who can move past a reactionary approach to policy.

"We've got to rise above the politics of the day and we're not able to," Manchin said. We're in a quagmire. The politics is holding our country down, the greatness of our country, and who we are. And policy is not leading our country, it's the politics of the day."

Meanwhile, Manchin played coy when asked if he was interested in running for president, saying simply that the question was "very flattering."

Democratic Congressman Slams Groups Counting "Body Bags" To Criticize Israel

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“By that reckoning, you look at World War II and you decide that Eisenhower must have been a war criminal because there were so many more German casualties than America casualties in that war. That is preposterous.”

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Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman of California slammed groups doing what he called "international jurisprudence" by counting the large death toll in the Gaza strip to say Israel "must be wrong." The comments are an apparent dig at human rights group who have criticized Israel in recent days over the rising death toll in the Gaza Strip.

Sherman was speaking at a pro-Israel rally in Farragut Square in Washington, D.C., Thursday where he made the comments.

"Now there are those who engage in international jurisprudence by counting body bags," Sherman said. "They say, 'Well, Israel must be wrong because Hamas and the Palestinians have suffered more casualties.'"

Sherman made the argument that line of reasoning would have made the United States war criminals during World War II because the United States suffered fewer casualties than the German army.

"By that reckoning, you look at World War II and you decide that Eisenhower must have been a war criminal because there were so many more German casualties than American casualties in that war. That is preposterous. Every single rocket fired into Israel is a war crime."

Sherman's comments come as an apparent dig at human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, which has slammed Israel for the high civilian death toll in Gaza.

Gaza health officials said Monday that 512 Palestinians had died, along with 3,150 wounded. Twenty Israelis have died, including 13 soldiers killed Sunday.

MSNBC Contributor Criticizes MSNBC On MSNBC For Air Time Given To Palestinian Voices

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MSNBC contributor Rula Jebreal criticizes the network and Andrea Mitchell by name.

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Monday's edition of MSNBC's Ronan Farrow Daily featured criticism of the network's coverage of the conflict in Gaza by one of its own paid contributors, Newsweek's Rula Jebreal.

RULA JEBREAL: "We are biased when it comes to this issue. Look how many (sic) air time Netanyahu and his folks have on air on a daily basis — Andrea Mitchell and others. I never see one Palestinian being interviewed on these same issues..

RONAN FARROW: "I'm going to push back a little on that. We've had Palestinian voices on our air."

JEBREAL: "Maybe for 30 seconds, and then you have 25 minutes for Bibi Netanyahu."

Jebreal then mentioned NBC's decision to pull Ayman Mohyeldin from Gaza, a decision NBC reversed after media critics questioned the move and an ensuing backlash on social media.


White House Criticizes Anonymous Sources, Reporters Note The White House Has An Anonymous Source Call Today

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Yup.

youtube.com

A press briefing between reporters and White House press secretary Josh Earnest got testy Monday as reporters pushed back against the White House's criticism of a Washington Post story for relying on anonymous administration sources.

"The lead of that story is hooked entirely to anonymous sources," Earnest said of the Post report that Obama aides were warned of coming influx Central American minors into the United States. "That's just a fact."

"You criticize anonymous sources, but we have anonymous sources from you all every day. In fact, I think we have a call today. How can you criticize that when that's all you give us everyday except for the briefing," McClatchy White House reporter Anita Kumar said.

Earnest replied the White House was committed to doing an on-the-record briefing every day.

"You're also committed to anonymous sources. I'm just saying a reporter interjected."

Earnest said reporters should give anonymous sources "a little less weight" because they were speaking anonymously. He added the problem with the Post story was it gives greater weight to outside anonymous sources than on-the-record sources in the White House.

Asked about why White House calls with reporters in which they roll out new policies the White House officials are kept anonymous, Earnest said he would commit to reevaluating the process.

"What I will commit to is a case-by-case evaluation of the background, or the ground rules of each of these kinds of calls. And a commitment to an open dialogue with you about the ground rules that will serve your interests and the White House interests the best."

The White House today has a call with reporters and "Senior White House Officials" on jobs training programs.


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A Moment For Mia Macy, Who Fought Anti-Trans Discrimination, At Obama LGBT Order Signing

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“It’s a nice bookend to a very long four years,” Macy says of executive-order signing ceremony.

Win McNamee / Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Calling it a "surreal experience," Mia Macy left the White House Monday with a smile, having just met with President Obama moments before he signed an executive order to protect the LGBT employees of federal contractors and transgender federal employees from discrimination.

"I feel like there's a boulder, and we've all been taking part on pushing this boulder up the hill," she told BuzzFeed after the signing ceremony. Of the discrimination case Macy, a transgender woman, successfully brought against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), she said, "I just had one leg of the journey. I helped on that one, and a lot of other people have helped push it up there. And, it's not all the way — but we got it a little bit, and we gotta keep going."

Macy's claim led the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to rule in 2012 decision that anti-transgender discrimination is barred under Title VII's sex-discrimination prohibition.

"This saves lives," Macy said of the executive order. "For the transgender community, there's one person who's not only not going to lose their livelihood tomorrow and not going to lose their food tomorrow, but they might not lose their life tomorrow. That's the side I know about, and I know it's also in the GLB community also."

Macy was one of several attendees at Monday's executive-order signing who had faced anti-LGBT workplace discrimination in their past.

"The reality is that someone might not kill themselves tonight because they have something tomorrow to hold on to," she said. "Someone gets to feed their kids tomorrow. Him signing that today, someone gets to pay their rent and mortgage, and that's life."

In signing the order, Obama told the nearly 300 people in attendance in the East Room of the White House, "[T]hanks to your passionate advocacy and the irrefutable rightness of your cause, our government — government of the people, by the people, and for the people — will become just a little bit fairer."

Macy, who brought her discrimination claim in June 2011 after having been refused work at an ATF laboratory, was one of those advocates.

Her claim was accepted by the EEOC, a landmark decision from the agency, and eventually decided in her favor by the Department of Justice. And, while she was initially represented by the Transgender Law Center, the group and Macy eventually parted ways — and she was represented by a private attorney in the post-EEOC part of her case. With no group backing her effort directly, Macy — despite the key role her case played in moving LGBT workplace protections in recent years — has remained on the sidelines throughout many of the big moments.

On Monday, though, Macy walked in to the East Room of the White House after all the other guests were seated. What's more, she walked in with some of the key advocates involved in pressing Obama to sign the order in recent years, including Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin, Center for American Progress Vice President Winnie Stachelberg, Williams Institute Executive Director Brad Sears, and University of Pennsylvania Law School professor Tobias Wolff.

Along with those who walked in with her and the people who accompanied Obama on stage, Macy was also one of a handful of people invited to meet with Obama prior to the signing.

"Knowing from his staff, I had heard that he'd known about the case and was up to speed on it," she said. "He came by, and I said, 'I'm Mia Macy,' and he was like, 'And, thank you.' To be recognized and then to have them bring me in and let me sit right there in the front row, it felt really nice. It's a nice bookend to a very long four years."


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Meet The Man Who Has Survived On Pizza For The Last 25 Years

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Dan Janssen has been eating almost nothing but pizza for 25 years, despite having diabetes. He’s also a vegetarian, but hates vegetables.

In February 2014, Vice introduced the world to Dan Janssen – a man who has apparently mainly lived off of pizza for the last 25 years.

In February 2014, Vice introduced the world to Dan Janssen – a man who has apparently mainly lived off of pizza for the last 25 years .

Dan says he doesn't eat pizza for every meal, but that he does eat it every day of his life.

VICE /youtube.com

After the Vice article came out, the self-declared King of Pizza says it made him "famous" for eating pizza. He says that now, "whenever anyone talks about me in the news, I get 'you're our hero! I wish I could do that!'"

After the Vice article came out, the self-declared King of Pizza says it made him "famous" for eating pizza. He says that now, "whenever anyone talks about me in the news, I get 'you're our hero! I wish I could do that!'"

But he also gets people saying,"'You're horribly unhealthy and you're gonna die'.'' To which Janssen shrugs and says, "Yeah, we're all gonna die. But I'm gonna die with pizza in my stomach."

Vice / youtube.com

Dan has diabetes, but says the only doctor that isn't happy with his diet is his endocrinologist. He claims all of his other doctors tell him: "Your cholesterol is fine. You seem healthy. Keep doing what you're doing."

Dan has diabetes, but says the only doctor that isn't happy with his diet is his endocrinologist. He claims all of his other doctors tell him: "Your cholesterol is fine. You seem healthy. Keep doing what you're doing."

His fiancée Madeline on the other hand is worried about his health and has tried to encourage him to eat other things.

VICE / youtube.com

Dan is a vegetarian, but doesn't like vegetables. Madeline attempts to get Dan to put vegetables on his pizza anyway, even though he makes this face when he has to eat them:

Dan is a vegetarian, but doesn't like vegetables. Madeline attempts to get Dan to put vegetables on his pizza anyway, even though he makes this face when he has to eat them:

"I don't like vegetables. Why would I eat a pizza with mushrooms when I like a standard cheese pizza?"

VICE / youtube.com


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A Gentleman's Guide To Picking Out Socks, As Told By George H.W. Bush

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George H.W. Bush is obsessed with socks. He is even currently judging his own sock competition , run through his foundation. So what makes a good sock?

BuzzFeed asked George H.W. Bush what rules he uses in picking out his socks for the day.

BuzzFeed asked George H.W. Bush what rules he uses in picking out his socks for the day.

Via Getty

Via Getty

Larry Downing / Reuters


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88-Year-Old Member Of Congress Probably The Best Person On Twitter

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“Staff has now informed me of what a Kardashian is. I’m only left with more questions.”

The longest serving member of Congress is better on Twitter than all of us. Rep. John Dingell, the 88-year-old Michigan Democrat first elected in 1955, has quickly solidified himself as the best politician on Twitter.

With the rise of social media, most politicians have clumsily used social media as just another means of self-promotion or extended press releases. Most posts by politicians on social media take the form of a congratulatory note after a meeting, a sort of digital thank you card to groups with whom they meet.

Dingell, however, is a member of select class of lawmakers who have used social media to engage positively in the hyper-obsessive Washington, D.C., political Twitter environment.


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