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How Marco Rubio Is Thinking About 2016

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“You only get that big plane at the end.” “Long and gruesome.”

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WASHINGTON — Sen. Marco Rubio offered a rare glimpse Tuesday of his approach to a decision many here assume he's already made: Whether or not to run for president in 2016.

Rubio suggested, at least, that he'd given the matter some thought in an interview with BuzzFeed.

"I really believe that if I do the best job I can in the Senate, then in a couple of years I'll be in a position to make a decision about whether I want to run for reelection, leave politics and give someone else a shot, or run for some other position," Rubio said.

Rubio also suggested that he has contemplated the grind of the "long and gruesome" campaign, and that the decision won't be an easy one.

"You only get that big plane at the end," Rubio said. "The beginning of it, you're in a rent-a-car in Iowa, and New Hampshire, and South Carolina, you're meeting the same ten people over and over again and they're still undecided."


Marco Rubio: Letting Women Serve In Combat Is "Common Sense"

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“Women are already in combat roles whether we admit that or not, and we need to have our best people doing the job. If that person happens to be a women why would we not want that. “Common sense,” the Senator added.

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What Contemporary Conservatism Looks Like

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Policy and sensibility from Marco Rubio.

Source: youtube.com

WASHINGTON — Senator Marco Rubio offered a glimpse at new-school conservativism Tuesday night, showing a reflexive comfort with everything from women in combat to Pitbull's MC stylings, but a Republican Party line on the definition of marriage and action to prevent climate change.

"Women are already in combat roles whether we admit that or not, and we need to have our best people doing the job," Rubio said during a wide ranging interview with Buzzfeed. "If that person happens to be a women why would we not want that?"

But while he may have flashed a progressive streak on one cultural issue, Rubio, 41 and in his first term, was clearly in the old school camp when it came to LGBT issues and immigration.

"I think if that issue becomes a central issue in the debate it's going to become harder to get it done because there will be strong feelings on both sides," he said, adding that he thinks marriage should be defined as between one man and one woman but suggesting that he's comfortable to leave that definition to the states.

Likewise, while Rubio was able to talk about rapper Pit Bull and his capitalist flow, on climate change he's still squarely in the camp of conservative skeptics.

"I've actually seen reasonable debate on that principle," said the leading contender for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination of man-made climate change.

Welcome to the new world of Republican conservatism, an unusual but compelling hybrid of contemporary sensibilities and old school values.

During the interview Rubio discussed a host of topics, ranging from his music preferences to his stance on immigration reform to his views on climate change.

When asked about climate change, even as he avoided talking about the science behind it, Rubio was firmly skeptical that government action could have any notable, positive effects.

"Anything we would do on that would have a real impact on our economy, but probably, if it's only us doing it, a very negligible impact on the environment."

"There has to be a cost-benefit analysis to every one of these principles people are pushing on, and the benefit, I think, is difficult to justify when you realize that it's only us doing it, nobody else is doing this."

Rubio was firmer in his acceptance of the science behind brain damage from concussions in the NFL — although he doubted Congress could act to curb such injuries.

"The idea that Congress, that can't even pass a budget, is going to solve concussions in the NFL is doubtful," Rubio said.

Rubio, whose net worth puts him roughly in the middle class, said he sees a clear difference between himself and some of his wealthier colleagues in the Senate, most of whom count their cash in the millions.

"My standard of living is a lot closer to the people I serve than the people I serve with," Rubio responded.

The conversation was lighter at times, such as when Rubio's own Spotify playlist led to a discussion of pop culture.

Rubio was well-versed in rap music (he prefers Tupac) and popular hits (he called Pitbull by his real name, "Armando") — but when the topic of Ryan Seacrest came up, Rubio needed to pause before he remembered the television host.

"That's the dude from New Year's Eve," the Florida senator finally concluded.

Hagel Tells Lawmakers He Can't Provide Details On Speaking Engagements, Foreign Funders

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“He is basically telling Senators they have no right to know if he has been unduly influenced by foreign governments or foreign agents over the last five years. What is he hiding?” GOP aide says.

Image by J. Scott Applewhite / AP

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's nominee for Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, has informed the Senate Armed Services Committee that he will not provide foreign financial details for the corporate and nonprofit organizations he was affiliated with since he left the Senate in 2009.

Republican members of the committee asked Hagel last week for information on whether any of the organizations received funding from any foreign government, individual, or corporation — a request he declined late Tuesday in a letter citing confidentiality agreements.

"[T]he information you seek is legally controlled by the individual entities and not mine to disclose," he said, adding that he was not involved in the day-to-day operation of the organizations. "As a board-member, I have a fiduciary duty that includes the obligation to maintain the confidentiality of non-public corporate information. The information may also be subject to various other legal requirements or contractual arrangements that prohibit its disclosure."

According to a senior GOP aide close to the confirmation process, "Senators are not reacting well to this response."

"Hagel is refusing to answer any of the questions or make any effort to get them the answers," the aide said. "He is basically telling Senators they have no right to know if he has been unduly influenced by foreign governments or foreign agents over the last five years. What is he hiding? I'm told several Senators, including McCain, who have previously expressed opposition to a filibuster said privately yesterday that failure to disclose foreign funding information would change their thinking."

"Committee members have specific concerns with regard to foreign contributions to the Atlantic Council by Saad Hariri (or the Hariri family), Dinu Patriciu, Kazakhstan, Bidzina Ivanishvili (his supporters/network) – and the nexus between Chevron's investments in Kazakhstan and their involvement with Hagel at the Atlantic Council," the aide added. All of those groups have paid chairs or programs at the foundation.

The committee also requested the transcripts or recordings of any paid speeches delivered by Hagel since he left the Senate — a request Hagel also said he could not accomodate. In his letter to lawmakers, Hagel said his contracts stipulated the speeches were off the record and not to be recorded. He added that he never prepared written remarks before his speeches.

UPDATE: An official working on Senator Hagel's confirmation told BuzzFeed that "we continue to expect the Senate to move quickly to confirm Senator Hagel as our next Secretary of Defense."

Since his confirmation hearing, more Senators on both sides of the aisle have announced their support for his confirmation, including Senators Johanns, Gillibrand, Udall, Hagan, and Blumenthal. It's clear that Senator Hagel has significant support in the Senate. So with 66,000 troops serving in Afghanistan and other defense issues to deal with, it's time to move beyond these distractions and move forward with a vote on his nomination.

Senator Hagel has conducted an exhaustive search for all of his speaking engagements over the past five years, as the Committee requested. He has provided all available prepared texts and transcripts from those speeches to the Committee. There are some speeches Senator Hagel gave for which there were no prepared remarks and no transcripts. A list of those speeches has also been provided to the Committee.

UPDATE: A McCain spokesperson said the Arizona Republican has not wavered in his opposition to using the filibuster to block Hagel's confirmation.

"Senator McCain believes that Members need to have their questions answered, but his position on filibuster is unchanged," he told BuzzFeed.

Hagel's response:

The original letter to Hagel:


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John Boehner Hasn't Said Anything About The Violence Against Women Act In Six Months

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The House speaker remains mum on the law even as Republicans stall its reauthorization.

Image by J. Scott Applewhite / AP

WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner has not mentioned the Violence Against Women Act since last summer — even as reauthorization of the expired law has stalled at the hands of House Republicans.

Boehner last mentioned the measure July 30 in a statement, his office confirmed, when the House and Senate were preparing to try to work out a compromise on the chambers' different versions of the act.

"Completing work on legislation to renew and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act is critical in our efforts to combat domestic violence and sexual assault," Boehner said at the time.

When he spoke to reporters Wednesday, Boehner touched on the looming sequester, the U.S. Postal Service, taxes, and a range of other issues — but did not speak about the status of VAWA in the House.

On Tuesday, his office confirmed that private discussions concerning the bill are ongoing.

Obama Alumni Target Chris Christie

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Obama campaign veterans sign on with New Jersey Democrat Barbara Buono, the governor's likely challenger. “Barbara personifies a lot of [Obama's] insurgent qualities,” says Del Cecato.

New Jersey state Sen. Barbara Buono, the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor, greets supporters in New Brunswick, N.J.

Image by Mel Evans / AP

New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Barbara Buono — who has, since December, been the only challenger to declare against incumbent Republican Governor Chris Christie — now not only has a clear field and the backing of the state party apparatus, but a campaign staffed with former officials from the president's reelection operation, Obama for America.

As many as five former OFA officials have signed up for Buono's campaign: David Turner, who worked in Ohio for the president, started Friday as the state Senator's communications director; and John Del Cecato, the ad man behind Obama's infamous "America the Beautiful" spot, is leading Buono's account with AKPD Message & Media, the Chicago-based consulting firm founded by David Axelrod, the president's senior campaign adviser.

Other former OFA staffers working for Buono include D.C.-based pollster Diane Feldman and campaign senior advisor Aaron Pickrell, who is now working in the same capacity on the N.J. governor's race.

Del Cecato said it was Buono's commitment to operate "outside politics as usual" — she lost her state Senate majority leadership last year after breaking with Senate President Steve Sweeney on a pension package — that drew AKPD and other Obama staffers to her campaign.

"Those are a lot of the same qualities that Barack Obama introduced in 2008 as a presidential candidate," Del Cecato told BuzzFeed. "Barbara personifies a lot of the insurgent qualities that the Obama campaign engendered in its early stages. She is not willing to accept the status quo and will take on political fights that aren't always popular."

(It's a quality AKPD drew out in Buono's first web video — her campaign announced — which they produced back in December. "I'm not gonna run a conventional campaign, and I wont be anointed by the political bosses," Buono says in the video.)

David Turner also singled out Buono's willingness to operate outside the party when needed. "During out first meeting," said Turner, "it was immediately apparent that Senator Buono was not afraid to stand up for the working and middle class no matter the political consequences."

Del Cecato and his partner Larry Grisolano met with Buono as early as December of 2011, when the state Senator was beginning to mull a run and speculation still ran hot that Newark Mayor Cory Booker would be the frontrunner to take on Christie this fall.

"There was an authenticity there, and a belief that she can make a difference," said Del Cecato, of the initial meeting. "It was tangible to us because she knew she was facing an uphill fight. She said, 'I know it's difficult to raise money and that there are people who are better known, and I'm gonna have to content with that.'"

While other New Jersey Democrats were waiting this winter waiting to see if Booker would get in the race, Buono made her plans irrespective of the Newark Mayor. But had Booker decided to run against Christie, it's likely that AKPD may have had to reevaluate — Booker has support from the White House and was a leading surrogate for President Obama's 2012 effort.

On Civil Liberties, A Tale Of Two Obamas

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As a liberal state senator, Obama was a civil liberties crusader. Now he's defending drone attacks on American citizens. “There always has been a distinction between citizens and non-citizens. It means something to be a citizen. And that's important,” he said in 2002.

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A Justice Department memo that surfaced this week providing legal justification for the Obama administration's use of drone strikes against American citizens suspected of plotting terrorist attacks stands in stark contrast with the platform Barack Obama ran on in 2008 — and the civil liberties he championed as a young, liberal state senator in Illinois.

The memo, which was first reported by NBC News, argues that the U.S. government can legally use drone strikes to kill American citizens without due process if they are determined to be high-ranking al-Qaeda officials who show "an imminent threat of violent attack against the United States."

"I can just say that this president takes his responsibilities very seriously, and first and foremost, that's his responsibility, to protect the United States and American citizens," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Tuesday, defending the drone policy. "These strikes are legal, they are ethical, and they are wise. The U.S. government takes great care in deciding to pursue an al-Qaeda terrorist, to ensure precision and to avoid loss of innocent life."

But for a politician who made his name in the state Senate by fiercely advocating reforms to the justice system — including mandatory recordings of all police interrogations and confessions in capital murder cases — and later decried the Patriot Act as an assault to civil liberties, Obama's defense of such drone attacks represents a remarkable departure from principles he championed not long ago.

As early as 2002, Obama was publicly carving out a decidedly progressive stance on these issues, using a Chicago television appearance to defend the civil liberties of American terror suspects who were being detained indefinitely without charges.

"There always has been a distinction between citizens and non-citizens," he said. "It means something to be a citizen. And that's important."

"I'm always more concerned about encroachment on civil rights or civil liberties that apply selectively to people. When they apply to everybody, there tends to be a majoritarian check," Obama added.

By comparison, in a Tuesday briefing, Carney said, "U.S. citizenship alone does not make a leader of an enemy force immune from being targeted."

Similarly, when George W. Bush signed the controversial Military Commissions Act of 2006, he did so at a desk with a sign on the front displaying the words "Protecting America." Obama was a vocal opponent of the law, which was criticized for its broad definition of an enemy combatant, its justification of torture, and its apparent encroachment on habeas corpus rights.

"I'm still disappointed, and I'm still ashamed," Obama said in a Senate floor speech in September 2006, criticizing the bill. "Because what we're doing here today, a debate over the fundamental human rights of the accused, should be bigger than politics. This is serious."

"But we also know that some have been detained who have no connection to terror whatsoever," Obama said. He added, "As one U.S. commander of Guantanamo told the Wall Street Journal, 'Sometimes, we just didn't get the right folks.' And we all know about the recent case of the Canadian man who was suspected of terrorist connections, detained in New York, sent to Syria, and tortured, only to find out later that it was all a case of mistaken identity and poor information."

"In the future, people like this may never have a chance to prove their innocence," then-Senator Obama said.

Less than seven years later, Obama's own press secretary would use those same words, "protecting America," to defend a drone policy that faces many of the same criticisms as Bush's law did.

When Obama ran for president in 2008, he built much of his messaging around rolling back what he considered Bush's assault on civil liberties. He pledged to shut down the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay and slammed Bush by declaring, "I was a Constitutional law professor, which means, unlike the current president, I actually respect the Constitution."

He continued the same tack throughout Democratic primaries and the general election.

In a 2007 questionnaire given to the presidential candidates by the Boston Globe, Obama responded to a question about when it's OK to bomb a sovereign nation by saying, "The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation."

"I also reject the view, suggested in memoranda by the Department of Justice, that the President may do whatever he deems necessary to protect national security," Obama said in that same Globe questionnaire.

But in 2011, White House Homeland Security Advisor and the Obama administration's nominee for director of the Central Intelligence Agency defined "imminent threat" in broad terms that would likely contradict the view of then-Senator Obama.

"Over time, an increasing number of our international counterterrorism partners have begun to recognize that the traditional conception of what constitutes an "imminent" attack should be broadened in light of the modern-day capabilities, techniques, and technological innovations of terrorist organizations," Brennan said in a speech at Harvard Law School.

And when Carney was asked about the legality of the drone program this week, he cited the president's responsibility "to protect the United States and American citizens."

Rand Paul Takes Aim At The Neo-Cons

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Paul is branding his libertarian-leaning foreign policy as what the founders would have wanted. “It is time for all Americans, and especially conservatives, to become as critical and reflective when examining foreign policy as we are with domestic policy.”

Image by J. Scott Applewhite / AP

WASHINGTON — Sen. Rand Paul used an address to the conservative Heritage Foundation Wednesday to give voice to the a softer, less paranoid and more moderate version of what his father Ron's foreign policy positions have traditionally been.

Paul has positioned himself as suspicious of neo-conservatism in the past, but this speech was possibly the most explicitly anti-neocon address of his career, outlining a libertarian-leaning but not isolationist view of the world and the nation's place in it.

"I see the world as it is," Paul said at the beginning of his speech. "I am a realist, not a neoconservative, nor an isolationist." He spoke to a small auditorium of Heritage and Capitol Hill staffers, college students, and reporters.

Paul argued against ruling out diplomacy when it comes to Iran, and even seemed to argue that containment should still be on the table — a position that puts him to the left even of the Obama administration, whose stated policy on Iran is prevention, not containment.

"No one, myself included, wants to see a nuclear Iran," Paul said. "Iran does need to know that all options are on the table. But we should not pre-emptively announce that diplomacy or containment will never be an option."

"In a recent Senate resolution, the bipartisan consensus stated that we will never contain Iran should they get a nuclear weapon. In the debate, I made the point that while I think it unwise to declare that we will contain a nuclear Iran, I think it equally unwise to say we will never contain a nuclear Iran. War should never be our only option."

Paul argued that the current situation of the U.S. in relation to Islamic fundamentalism is analogous to our relationship with the Soviets during the Cold War, and seemed to take Ronald Reagan's foreign policy as inspiration.

"Everybody now loves Ronald Reagan," Paul said. "Even President Obama tries to toady up and vainly try to resemble some Reaganism. Reagan's foreign policy was robust but also restrained. He pulled no punches in telling Mr. Gorbachev to 'tear down that wall.' He did not shy from labeling the Soviet Union an evil empire. But he also sat down with Gorbachev and negotiated meaningful reductions in nuclear weapons."

"Many of today's neoconservatives want to wrap themselves up in Reagan's mantle but the truth is that Reagan used clear messages of communism's evil and clear exposition of America's strength to contain and ultimately transcend the Soviet Union."

The speech was a little thin on the history side — for example, Paul blamed the U.S. for the effects that came out of arming the Afghan mujadhadin during the Cold War, but skated over the fact that this was a part of Reagan's foreign policy. And though the speech was supposed to be about striving to emulate what the founding fathers would want for foreign policy, there weren't too many details about what the founders actually thought about issues like these.

But the speech, along with his appointment to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and recent trip to Israel, announces Paul's intentions to become a serious player in the foreign policy world — and to have that be a marquee issue for him as he looks toward a possible presidential run in 2016.

It also may cause a bit of a dustup. As the audience got up to leave after Paul's 30-minute speech, one woman remarked to her neighbor: "Well, that was a shot at the neo-cons."


Republican Lawmakers Don't Want To Talk About Gays In Boy Scouts

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“That's something the Boy Scouts will decide,” says Rep. Tom Cole. And Bachmann is “just not doing any interviews, so thanks.”

Image by Tony Gutierrez / AP

WASHINGTON — After the Boy Scouts of America decided Wednesday to hold off until May on a decision to allow gay members and scoutmasters, few Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill were willing to engage the issue — a sign, perhaps, of just how much ground social conservatives have lost in the culture war battle over gay rights.

Republican Rep. Tim Huelskamp went on the record in opposition to the policy change.

"I think there's been a long tradition...and I don't think they need to be changing that," Huelskamp said. "I don't think they ought to make those changes. It's not driven internally, it's driven externally and hopefully they won't change it."

But such candor on the controversial issue was rare among Republican members of Congress on Wednesday, with many opting instead to decline comment or abstain from taking a personal stance.

Because membership in the Boy Scouts is voluntary, Rep. Tom Cole said he hoped the issue would remain free of "partisan politics."

"I'm the proud dad of an Eagle Scout, but I don't know that that's particularly something the federal government needs [to get involved in]," he said. "That's something the Boy Scouts will decide…and I think that is one of the strengths of the party, trusting people to make their own decisions."

Other Republican members of Congress echoed that laissez-faire approach.

"I think I've been supportive of whatever position Boy Scouting chooses to take and whatever decisions they choose to make," said Rep. Frank Lucas.

But most GOP lawmakers avoided the politically dicey topic altogether.

Asked about the issue, Rep. Michele Bachmann said she was "just not doing any interviews, so thanks."

Rep. Jason Chaffetz said he wanted to "read through that part before I comment," possibly referring to the Boy Scouts' policy on gays.

And Rep. Tom Price said he's "been concentrating on other things."

Rand Paul Hasn't Decided Whether He'll Support Chuck Hagel

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And he won't rule out a filibuster.

Image by Gary Cameron / Reuters

Though Senator Rand Paul has been less vociferously anti-Chuck Hagel than some of his Republican colleagues, he wouldn't rule out a filibuster of Hagel's confirmation and hasn't decided what his vote will be, he told reporters on Wednesday.

"I haven't taken a position either on filibustering or on his confirmation at this point," Paul said. A handful of Republican senators, including John Cornyn, have floated the idea of a filibuster.

Paul expressed reservations about other White House nominees too, like John Brennan, who is up for the CIA director job.

"With regard to Brennan, we're very concerned about having one person in the executive branch get together with some flash cards and decide who they'll kill around the world," Paul said (he also criticized the leaked Department of Justice memo that provided legal justification for targeted killings of Americans: "Only a team of lawyers could define 'imminent' to mean the exact opposite.").

"If it were on policy reasons I would never vote for any of President Obama's nominees," Paul said, adding that he agrees with "one percent" of Secretary of State John Kerry's political positions.

Paul acknowledged that his big foreign policy speech on Wednesday will be viewed as a 2016 move: "a lot of people want to speculate about who you are," Paul said.

"Whether that becomes part of a national campaign, time will tell," Paul said. "I do want to be part of the national debate and and international debate."

He named his closest allies on foreign policy issues in the Senate as Utah Senator Mike Lee and former South Carolina senator Jim DeMint, now the president of the Heritage Foundation.

"If you ask the public about my ideas there's a 70-80% approval rating," Paul said. He said that it was "probably the reverse" with his colleagues in the Senate.

"Elected officials haven't caught up with where the public is," he said.

GOP Congressman Breaks Party Ranks To Oppose Potential Senate Race Rival's Bill

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Rep. Paul Broun takes on a fellow Georgia Republican's bill. Preview of the Senate special election?

Image by Gregory Smith / AP

WASHINGTON — When the House passed a largely symbolic bill Wednesday to require President Barack Obama to map out how to eliminate the federal budget deficit, nearly the entire Republican majority voted in favor.

Except one.

House Republican leaders had been touting the bill as a way to hold the president accountable for his fiscal decisions — but Rep. Paul Broun, a Republican for Georgia, wasn't convinced, opposing the "Require a PLAN Act" because he "thinks it's unconstitutional" for the president to have any role in crafting a budget, his office said.

"He voted against it because he does not believe that the president should have any place in the budgetary process at all," Broun's spokesperson Meredith Griffanti explained. She added, "Rep. (Tom) Price's bill kind of doubles down on that."

On Wednesday, Broun also became the first Republican to file to run for the Georgia Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Price, a fellow Georgian, is rumored to be considering chasing the Senate as well.

But Broun's office insisted he didn't see this vote as an opportunity to carve a niche apart from Price.

"No, that has nothing to do with it," Griffanti said. "It's more just a principle thing."

Kentucky Lawmakers Band Together To Back Industrial Hemp Measure

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Will Congress (puff, puff) pass legislation easing restrictions?

Image by cannabis / Getty Images

WASHINGTON — In one of the young year's weirdest cases of political bedfellows, Rep. Thomas Massie — a hardline conservative who opposed Speaker John Boehner's speakership — has joined with the state's Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth, Sen. Rand Paul, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in sponsoring the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2013.

Unfortunately for Snoop Lion and Justin Bieber, the bill won't legalize sativa, or any of the smokable strains of marijuana. In fact, it would redefine industrial hemp as a completely different plant than marijuana, at least for legal purposes.

"Industrial hemp is a sustainable crop and could be a great economic opportunity for Kentucky farmers … my wife and I are raising our children on the tobacco and cattle farm where my wife grew up," Massie said in a statement Wednesday.

"Tobacco is no longer a viable crop for many of us in Kentucky and we understand how hard it is for a family farm to turn a profit. Industrial hemp will give small farmers another opportunity to succeed," Massie said in a statement Wednesday," he added.

For much of the country's history, hemp was a cornerstone of the agricultural economy, thanks to the myriad uses of the miracle plant — ranging from rope and fabric to a source of food.

Massie and other members of the congressional delegation will testify next week in the state along with Kentucky's Commissioner of Agriculture James Comer in favor of a similar state law, according to his office.

Marco Rubio Will Be First To Respond To State Of The Union In Two Languages

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Rubio will pre-record a Spanish version to air on Spanish-language channels.

Image by Charlie Neibergall / AP

WASHINGTON — When Marco Rubio delivers the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address next week, Rubio will be the first to do so in two languages.

"He'll be delivering two versions of the address: A pre-recorded version in Spanish for the Spanish networks, and the live English version," Rubio's spokesperson Alex Conant confirmed. "It's the first time somebody has delivered both the English and Spanish versions. In the past, they've had two different people deliver the two different versions."

Rubio is central to a bipartisan push for comprehensive immigration reform, and is considered by many conservatives to be the Republicans' best hope for winning back Latino voters.

Bipartisan Senate Gang To Unveil Mental Health Bill Tomorrow

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A gang of seven senators will pitch expanded mental health services in the wake of Newtown. “Silver Linings Playbook” Director David O. Russell will join the lawmakers to unveil the bill.

Image by Joe Raedle / Getty Images

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of seven senators will unveil a bill Thursday to expand access to mental health facilities and raise standards for mental health services, a Senate source familiar with the bill told BuzzFeed.

The lawmakers will frame the measure as a response to the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., which has caused some people to urge a better support system for the mentally ill.

Sens. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat, and Roy Blunt, a Republican, spearheaded the negotiations on the measure, which will also be backed by Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Susan Collins, and Democratic Sens. Jack Reed, Barbara Boxer and Patrick Leahy.

They will be joined at an event Thursday by David O. Russell, the director of "Silver Linings Playbook," a film whose protagonist struggles with bipolar disorder. Russell's son, Matthew, inspired the character.

Specifically, the measure would require that existing community mental health centers be updated and new ones be built, and set guidelines for what services should be covered by community behavioral health centers.

By addressing gun control only tangentially, the measure falls approximately on the opposite end of the spectrum from the assault weapons ban being pushed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, which has been panned by Republicans and which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has not yet explicitly backed.

Freedom To Marry Pledges $2 Million On State Marriage Efforts In 2013

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They're starting with an $800,000 investment in the six states where marriage bills are being debated: Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

Brad and Jay McCanta kiss to a cheering crowd on the steps of City Hall after getting married at Seattle City Hall in Seattle, Washington December 9, 2012.

Image by Cliff Despeaux / Reuters

WASHINGTON — Freedom to Marry, which spent more than $4 million on state marriage efforts in 2012, announced plans Thursday to spend another $2 million on advancing marriage equality in the states in 2013.

According to a statement provided to BuzzFeed, Freedom to Marry is starting the 2013 effort — called the Win More States Fund — by investing $800,000 in the six states where marriage bills are being debated: Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

"Building on our 4 for 4 ballot victories in November, Freedom to Marry is calling on supporters to join us in continuing the momentum and winning still more states in 2013. With the clock ticking on the Supreme Court's review of marriage cases, we want to make as much progress as we can – and with battles already underway now in state capitals, we all need to put our money where our momentum is," Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry, said in a statement.

Richard Carlbom, the campaign manager for Minnesotans United for All Families, worked with Freedom to Marry on the successful effort to defeat an amendment banning same-sex couples from marrying. Now, they are working to advance a marriage equality bill there.

"As we move toward securing the freedom to marry for our state, this investment shows the level of commitment and confidence that soon all loving and committed couples can join marriage in Minnesota. Freedom to Marry continues to be an outstanding leader and partner to all those who believe love is love and it belongs to everybody," Carlbom said.

In 2012, Freedom to Marry contributed to the ballot victories in Maine, Minnesota, Maryland, and Washington, as well as supporting the efforts to defeat a repeal measure in New Hampshire and move a marriage bill through New Jersey's state legislature. Although Maryland had not initially been in the group's 2012 list, it eventually supported that effort as well.


The App That Watches The Police Has More Eyes Than Ever

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The NYCLU's Stop and Frisk Watch app is coming to the iPhone after successfully documenting 200 stop-and-frisk incidents in NYC.

The New York Police Department clearly has a message for the New York Civil Liberties Union's Stop and Frisk Watch app, which makes it easy for anyone to record and report police misconduct.

The app, which launched for Android in June arrives today for the iPhone.

A video sent by NYPD officers to the NYCLU through its app that looks to document "stop-and-frisk" practices.

It's easy to use: One tap starts recording, then you shake it to stop. Enter information about what you saw and where, and hit send. The NYCLU reviews every video and report it receives and investigates all submissions representing misconduct to the fullest extent possible. There's an alert system telling you if other app users are recording nearby.

Since the Android version launched last June, users have submitted 200 videos documenting police incidents. With the iPhone version, the NYCLU expects those numbers to increase.

"While we've yet to see a 'Rodney King' moment, Stop and Frisk Watch submissions have confirmed a number of concerns the NYCLU has about stop-and-frisk abuse and has provided New Yorkers with a powerful tool to document police abuse," announced Donna Lieberman, head of the NYCLU. "We're proud that the app is used every day in New York City and that the attention it has received has encouraged people to document and expose police activity with their smart phones."

"Stop and frisk," a controversial NYPD practice of stopping young men — nearly always men, and nearly always minorities — and frisking them on the street in public has been highly controversial. In 2011, NYPD stopped and questioned people 685,724 times. Nine out of ten of those stopped were innocent, and 87% were black or Latino.

The NYCLU received 5,000 video recordings, the majority of which were users trying to test the app. The new version includes a how-to video to alleviate that problem. "But that's a good problem to have," NYCLU told BuzzFeed. "It's wonderful to know that more than 5,000 people were so focused on the issue and so excited to get involved that they were testing the app and seeing how it works."

Despite the low number of actual police incidents recorded, the NYCLU has received numerous requests from other groups, including ACLU affiliates, who want to create similar apps of their own.

Proponents of recording police actions on video, like Joseph Hayden of All Things Harlem, claim they've successfully changed the way the NYPD operates. Hayden has been posting videos of stop-and-frisk-related police misconduct since 2008 on his website, which was originally a community news outlet. It's now a leading source of Cop Watch videos.

"The NYPD routinely looks at our videos and responds on YouTube and Facebook," says Hayden. "It has reached such a point now that they know they are under the microscope and that has had a tremendous impact."


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How The Obama Administration Wants You To Learn About The Drone Program

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The Daily Show .

WASHINGTON — An administration official directed reporters to a clip from The Daily Show late Wednesday for background on President Barack Obama's decision to hand over memos relating to the drone program to the Congressional Intelligence committees.

"Today, as part of the president's ongoing commitment to consult with Congress on national security matters, the president directed the Department of Justice to provide the Congressional Intelligence committees access to classified Office of Legal Counsel advice related to the subject of the Department of Justice White Paper," the official said.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was pressed Thursday on why The Daily Show interview is one of the few occasions when Obama has publicly addressed the controversial program.

"When the president is asked a question, he answers it," Carney told reporters. "And I think it is worth going back to the interviews that the president gave during the campaign, and I think you would note that that interview was more substantive than many others."

Stephen Colbert Endorses His Sister's Republican Opponents

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After almost a month of not mentioning his sister's bid for Tim Scott's House seat in South Carolina, the Colbert Report host unleashes the “Colbert Bump.”

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First, Colbert gave a brilliant, non-endorsement of his sister's Congressional run on the Democratic ticket.

First, Colbert gave a brilliant, non-endorsement of his sister's Congressional run on the Democratic ticket.

“As a broadcast journalist I am obligated to maintain pure objectivity. It doesn’t matter that my sister is intelligent, hardworking, compassionate and dedicated to the people of South Carolina.”

Now, for the "big names" on the Republican ticket.

Now, for the "big names" on the Republican ticket.


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The Ultimate Supercut Of Senator Bob Menendez's Long Fight Against Caribbean Prostitution

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The Senator from New Jersey is having a difficult week.

Source: youtube.com

Obama Nominee Would Be First Out Gay Federal Appeals Court Judge

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Todd M. Hughes, an attorney with the Department of Justice, is the second out gay judge nominated to the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.

Image by Charles Dharapak / AP

WASHINGTON — One of President Obama's two nominees Thursday for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Todd M. Hughes, would become the first out gay appeals court judge in the country, if confirmed by Congress.

Hughes currently is the deputy director of the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Civil Division at the United States Department of Justice. The White House states the Hughes also has served as an adjunct lecturer in law with the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and as an instructor for Duke University's writing program.

The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals is a specialty court. Unlike other federal appeals courts, the federal circuit only considers a limited docket of cases: appeals of patent cases, appeals from the Court of Claims and other specifically delineated areas of appeal. Other appeals court, in contrast, have the cases they hear determined by geography.

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which runs the Presidential Appointments Project to support out LGBT candidates for appointments, praised the nomination.

"If confirmed, Todd Hughes would become the first openly gay federal appeals court judge in U.S. history. His nomination is a testament to the expanding opportunities for openly LGBT Americans who want to serve their country, and to the president's respect for the depth of talent and experience within the LGBT community. We look forward to his confirmation by the U.S. Senate," Victory Fund president Chuck Wolfe said in a statement.

In announcing the nomination, the White House released the following biographical information about Hughes:

Hughes received his A.B. from Harvard College in 1989 and completed a joint degree program with Duke University, earning both his J.D. with honors and his M.A. in English in 1992. After graduating from law school, Hughes clerked for the Honorable Robert B. Krupansky of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. In 1994, he joined the Commercial Litigation Branch as a trial attorney. Five years later, he was appointed to be Assistant Director for Commercial Litigation, a role he held until assuming the title of Deputy Director in 2007. Throughout his career with the Department of Justice, Hughes's practice has been devoted to matters of federal personnel law, veterans' benefits, international trade, government contracts, and jurisdictional issues regarding the United States Court of Federal Claims. He has extensive experience before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the United States Court of International Trade, and the United States Court of Federal Claims, and he has garnered a number of special commendations from the Department of Justice and a special contribution award from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Obama also nominated Raymond T. Chen, who is currently the deputy general counsel for intellectual property law and solicitor for the United States Patent and Trademark Office, to the Federal Circuit on Thursday.

Hughes is the second out gay attorney Obama has nominated for the Federal Circuit. The first, Edward DuMont, was nominated in the 111th Congress and renominated in the 112th Congress, but DuMont withdrew his name when it became clear that his nomination was not going to proceed in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Although Democratic aides on the committee pointed to Republican unwillingness to proceed, Republican aides countered that Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy could have brought the nomination forward if he had wanted to do so.

There are a handful of out LGBT federal trial court judges — one who was nominated by President Clinton and the others by Obama — but there has never been an out LGBT appeals court judge in the federal courts.

Currently serving out LGBT federal lifetime-tenured judges include Judges Deborah Batts, who is on senior status in the Southern District of New York; Judges Paul Oetken Alison Nathan, also of the Southern District of New York; and Judge Michael Fitzgerald, of the Central District of California.

Out judicial nominees renominated at the start of this Congress include Pamela Ki Mai Chen, nominated for the Eastern District of New York; Michael McShane, District of Oregon; William Thomas, Southern District of Florida; and Nitza Quiñones Alejandro, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

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