Trump Says He “Always Felt” He Was In The Military Because He Went To A Military–Style Private School

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump told an interviewer that he “always felt that I was in the military” because he attended an elite, military-style boarding school as a teenager. Trump also claimed to have more military training than “a lot of the guys” who have actually spent time in the Armed Forces.

Trump made the controversial comments to biographer Michael D’Antonio, author of upcoming Trump biography “Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success.” Excerpts of the book were published in the New York Times yesterday.

This is not the first time Trump has said something controversial about the military. Several months ago, he was criticized for saying that Senator John McCain is “not a war hero…he’s a war hero because he was captured.”

Despite his habit of making inflammatory comments – or maybe because of it – Trump has opened a commanding lead over the Republican field. But a number of Republicans are worried as to whether he has the true leadership qualities to triumph in the general election.

Last week, Trump was criticized following a radio interview during which he failed to answer a number of questions about foreign policy. Republican candidate Carly Fiorina criticized Trump’s following the interview, saying, “I think it is very difficult to lead if you don’t have the requisite knowledge.”

Trump also told MSNBC last week that he would work with Barack Obama and John Kerry’s deal with Iran, a position many conservatives find repugnant.

France Honors Train Attack Heroes, Braces For Further Attacks

The President of France awarded the Legion of Honor yesterday to three Americans andone Briton who thwarted a heavily armed terrorist on a train in northern France last week. The Legion of Honor is the highest civilian decoration in France.

Airman First Class Spencer Stone, Oregon National Guard member Alek Skarlatos, and college student Anthony Sadler tackled and disarmed Muslim terrorist Ayoub El-Khazzani on Friday as he attempted to massacre innocent civilians aboard a high-speed train.

French President Hollande thanked the heroes for “risking everything including your own lives” to prevent the “massacre” El-Khazzani would have caused.

Khazzani was armed with an AK-47, a pistol and a knife and was reportedly carrying 300 rounds of ammunition. He was able to launch the attack despite being listed as a security threat by both French and Spanish authorities.

Hollande warned yesterday that France must be prepared for further domestic terror attacks, telling journalists that Friday’s incident would not be the last.

"We are always exposed and Friday's aggression on the Thalys Amsterdam-Paris train could have resulted in monstrous carnage without the courage of several passengers," he said. “This attack is fresh proof that we must prepare for other attacks and therefore protect ourselves.”

Similar “homegrown terror” attacks have been launched in the United States this year in Garland, Texas and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Oath Keepers Announce Armed Demonstration With Ferguson Protesters

During recent protests marking the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death, the Oath Keepers gun group sent armed members to Ferguson, Mo. to provide “security” to journalists and local businesses.

Local law enforcement criticized the move, calling the Oath Keepers’ presence in Ferguson “inflammatory and unnecessary.” Many in the gun rights community also condemned the Oath Keepers’ activities, saying they did nothing but raise tensions and fan the flames of an already dangerous situation.

Now the Oath Keepers have announced they will return to Ferguson to stage an open carry demonstration, which they say will be joined by African-American Oath Keepers and members of the Ferguson community. An Oath Keepers leader also went on the record saying he believes the Ferguson protesters should be armed.

While the Oath Keepers’ prior activities in Ferguson may have led to increased tension, their new plan could actually cause someone to get hurt.

There are many law-abiding gun owners in the Ferguson community who should have every right to defend themselves, including residents who have banded together to protect businesses from looting and keep the community safe.

But there are also a large number of looters and violent criminals who have no business being anywhere near a firearm. These protesters have already destroyed property, fired on police, and caused permanent damage to the community.

Who, exactly, are the Oath Keepers trying to arm?

Carly Fiorina: GOP’s Best Bet To Beat Hillary?

Carly Fiorina has emerged as a real contender for the Republican presidential nomination following her performance in last week’s debate, and may be one of the party’s best bets to keep Hillary Clinton out of the White House.

As her debate performance showed, Fiorina won’t pull any punches in going after Clinton and the Republican frontrunners. During the debate, she said, “Hillary Clinton lies about Benghazi, she lied about emails, she is still defending Planned Parenthood, and she is still her party's frontrunner."

She continued to slam both Clinton and Donald Trump in the days following the debate.

First, she condemned Trump for his comments about Fox News host Megyn Kelly, tweeting last week: “Mr. Trump: There. Is. No. Excuse.” (Trump responded by tweeting that Fiorina gives him a “massive headache.”)

Then, the former Hewlett Packard CEO attacked Clinton for her ignorance on economic policy. Fiorina told Fox News:  

“I would point out to Hillary Clinton is that every single one of the policies that she’s currently pursuing make income inequality worse. Exhibit A, income inequality under the Obama administration. Exhibit B, every liberal state in this nation. I spent 12 years in the state of California, a state that’s been ruled by liberals for a long time. And guess what you have: about 130 billionaires — good for them — the highest poverty rates in the nation, the exodus of middle class and destruction of industry after industry after industry. Income inequality is worse under progressive policies because progressive policies favor the wealthy, the well-connected, the big and the powerful.”

As the former CEO of one of the largest corporations in the country, Fiorina has something Clinton sorely lacks: true leadership experience.

After beginning her career as a secretary, Fiorina rose to become the first female CEO of a top twenty US corporation. As CEO of Hewlett-Packard between 1999 and 2005, She led the company’s merger with Compaq before being forced to resign following what she called a “boardroom brawl” in 2005.

Many viewers rated Fiorina the strongest of all the participants in last week’s debates. At least one post-debate poll ranked Fiorina fourth among all Republicans.

Texas Terrorist Obtained Weapon Through “Fast And Furious” Program

One of the homegrown terrorists who attacked a Mohammed cartoon show in Garland, Texas this spring purchased a gun through the Department of Justice’s “Fast and Furious” program in 2010.

Nadir Soofi bought a 9mm pistol at Lone Wolf Trading Co in Phoenix, AZ in 2010. Because he had a lengthy criminal record including assault and drug charges, Soofi lied on forms required for potential gun buyers.

His lies caught the attention of authorities, and a seven-day hold was placed on the transaction. For unknown reasons, the hold was lifted a day later.

Lone Wolf was one of the gun shops involved in the “Fast and Furious” sting operation, which resulted in the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. In a failed effort to track guns to Mexican drug gangs, the Department of Justice deliberately allowed shops like Lone Wolf to sell guns to prohibited individuals.

Earlier this year, Soofi launched a full-scale attack on an art exhibit that included cartoons of the prophet Mohammed. Armed with three pistols, three rifles, and 1500 rounds of ammunition, he and another terrorist were able to wound a security officer before being killed by local police.

Justice Department officials haven’t said anything publicly, but a growing body of evidence indicates that one of the guns Soofi used is Garland was the one he bought at Lone Wolf in 2010.

According to a letter sent to Attorney General Loretta Lynch by Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, Justice Department officials sent a request for information to Lone Wolf immediately following the Garland attack.

Although the request did not say if the gun the shop sold to Soofi was used in the attack, it did say that DOJ needed to know more about the sale to “assist in a criminal investigation.”

DEA: Heroin Epidemic Worse Than Ever

A veteran DEA official told Congress yesterday that he has “never seen” heroin use more common than it is today.

“I’ve been with the DEA almost 30 years, and I have to tell you, I’ve never seen it this bad,” acting DEA deputy commissioner Jack Riley told a House Judiciary Subcommittee On Crime, terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations.

Heroin deaths grew from 5,900 to 8,200 between 2012 and 2013, according to the White House Office of National Drug Policy. More than half of all overdose deaths in the United States are from heroin or prescription painkillers.

The epidemic has affected Americans of all backgrounds, Riley added.

“Heroin can be found in virtually every corner of our country, in places I’ve never seen it, large and small, urban and rural,” he said.

Riley and other officials blamed the surge in heroin use on the over-prescription of prescription painkillers, pointing out that eighty percent of new heroin users previously used prescription opioids. People who become addicted to prescription pills often turn to heroin as a cheaper alternative.

“The price of heroin has fallen to new lows, about ten dollars a day,” said Rep. Judy Chu of California. “Prescription opioids cost about 80 dollars a day. For those already addicted to prescription drugs, heroin becomes an attractive option.”

The chairman of the House Judiciary committee, Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, said the Obama Administration hasn’t done enough to fight the problem.

“Despite the ongoing heroin epidemic, despite the surge in deaths, and despite that illicit controlled substances and their purveyors pose a lethal threat to the American people, the Obama administration has continued to shirk its duty to protect this nation from dangerous narcotics,” he said.

FBI Investigating Tennessee Shooter’s Possible Ties To Terror Groups

The FBI said it is investigating whether the 24-year-old Muslim who shot and killed four marines in Tennessee on Thursday had any contact with terrorist groups during a seven-month trip to Jordan and other Middle Eastern countries last year.

"It would be premature to speculate on exactly why the shooter did what he did," an agent said. "However, we are conducting a thorough investigation to determine whether this person acted alone or was inspired or directed."

Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez was born in Kuwait but moved to Tennessee as a child, where he was raised in a devout Muslim family. He graduated with a degree in engineering at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and briefly worked at a nearby nuclear facility.

Although very little about him is known at this point, it seems as he Abdulazeez became more radicalized after he returned from the Middle East last year. He grew a beard, frequently attended Muslim religious services, and posted ominous comments on his blog, including one claiming Muslims should never miss “the opportunity to submit to Allah.”

On Thursday, he showed up heavily armed at a Navy-Marine training center and used an AK-47 to kill four American soldiers and injure three others. He was killed after a firefight with police.

This tragic episode serves as a reminder of how easy it is for enemies of the United States to go undetected even in our own country, and how much damage a single terrorist can cause. Thanks to the rise of “homegrown terrorism,” all somebody like Abdulazeez has to do is bring a gun to a public place and start shooting.

Hopefully, this attack will serve as a reminder of the dangers our country faces and remind people to remain vigilant at all times.

Obama’s Shameful Silence On “Sanctuary Cities”

Despite growing pressure from members of both parties, President Obama has remained completely silent on the issue of “sanctuary cities” – cities that refuse to comply with federal immigration laws.

Sanctuary cities have been in the news since Kathryn Steinle was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant in San Francisco earlier this month. Despite having been convicted of a number of felonies and deported five times, the killer was set free before the murder because San Francisco refuses to observe federal immigration restrictions.

On Tuesday, the House Appropriations committee voted to block sanctuary cities from getting certain federal grants as part of a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security. House Republicans also grilled Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson over why Obama has allowed these cities to disobey federal law.

Yet the President himself has been totally AWOL, failing to so much as acknowledge Steinle’s tragic preventable murder.

Perhaps he is keeping his mouth shut because he knows that Kathryn Steinle’s blood is on his hands. For too long, he has taken a completely hands-off approach to immigration, refusing to simply enforce the laws as they are written. Instead, he has let local politicians choose for themselves which laws they want to obey.

Kathryn Steinle is not the first American to pay the price for Obama’s permissiveness. As Marc Thiessen pointed out in a Washington Post column earlier this week, the director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently admitted that the Obama had released no less than “121 unique criminal aliens who had an active [deportation] case at the time of release and were subsequently charged with homicide-related offenses.”

All 121 of those people died for one simple reason – the President refused to do his job.

Dem Bill Would Eliminate The Words “Husband” And “Wife” From Federal Law

Right on the heels of the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage, Democrats in Washington, D.C. have introduced a bill to eliminate the words “husband” and “wife” from federal law.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Lois Capps (D-California), said the bill would ensure federal law “reflects the equality of all marriages.” Under her proposal, “husband” and “wife” would be replaced with “gender-neutral” terms like “spouse” and “married couple.”

Capps added that “gendered terms” like “husband” and “wife” reflect “prejudice and discrimination” against homosexuals.

"The Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act recognizes that the words in our laws have meaning and can continue to reflect prejudice and discrimination even when rendered null by our highest courts," she said. "Our values as a country are reflected in our laws. I authored this bill because it is imperative that our federal code reflect the equality of all marriages."

The proposed bill would also amend the law to make it illegal to threaten the “president’s husband.” It is currently only illegal to threaten the “president’s wife.”

Police Warn Against Gun-Shaped iPhone Cases

Police are advising against purchasing a gun-shaped iPhone case that recently came on the market, saying officers could easily mistake it for the real thing.

The case, which has a realistic-looking handle and trigger, holds an iPhone where the barrel of the gun would normally go. An online vendor selling the case calls it a “sexy pistol protective shell for iPhone 6 with unlimited times to pull the trigger.”

Police in a number of states are telling customers not to purchase the novelty item. A sheriff in said he worried what might happen if an officer saw someone with the device tucked into his pocket or waistband.

“If he tugs on that pistol grip, we’re going to assume it’s a gun,” the sheriff said. “That’s the scary part. It’s a split-second decision the officer has to make. You could have something tragic happen.”

Police in other states have echoed the sentiment, with a detective in Alabama calling the case “the most stupid and ridiculous thing I’ve seen in a while.” The detective added:

“It’s going to draw attention and possibly get you shot. Just think of the commotion it’s going to cause if you walk into Wal-Mart with that hanging out of your pocket. I have read on the Internet and received officer alerts on real guns that are hidden in cell phones and cell phone cases. This is stupid and very dangerous.”

Iran Negotiations Miss Another Deadline

Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program missed another deadline yesterday, as the two sides continue to have “sharp disagreements.”  The deadline has been extended to July 7.

Negotiators have been clashing over issues like “inspections of Iranian nuclear sites, how quickly the west will roll back sanctions, and what types of research and development Iran will be permitted to conduct on advanced nuclear technology,” Fox News reported.

Meanwhile, evidence continues to emerge of Iran’s shameless duplicity regarding its nuclear program. According to Town Hall, in the past few weeks alone:

“Two European intelligence reports spelled out how Iran's nuclear cheating has continued during the negotiations; experts determined that Iran's nuclear stockpile has increased significantly during this period, during which Tehran's program was ostensibly ‘frozen’ with its stockpiles reduced; [and] the State Department once again affirmed Iran's continued status as a major state sponsor of international terrorism, concluding that the regime's malignant activities have carried on ‘undiminished.’”

President Obama has insisted that a deal with Iran would, at the very least, prolong the time it takes Iran to become a nuclear “breakout” state. Yet a nuclear expert wrote in the New York Times last week that even these modest claims are “greatly exaggerated.” He wrote:

[Obama says] the pending deal would shrink Iran’s nuclear program, so that if Iran later “decided to break the deal, kick out all the inspectors, break the seals and go for a bomb, we’d have over a year to respond.” Unfortunately, that claim is false, as can be demonstrated with basic science and math. By my calculations, Iran’s actual breakout time under the deal would be approximately three months — not over a year. Thus, the deal would be unlikely to improve the world’s ability to react to a sudden effort by Iran to build a bomb. Breakout time is determined by three primary factors: the number and type of centrifuges; the enrichment of the starting material; and the amount of enriched uranium required for a nuclear weapon. Mr. Obama seems to make rosy assumptions about all three.

Failure to stop the Iranian nuclear program would have unthinkable consequences. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed out yesterday, allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons would be no different than allowing allowing ISIS to develop nuclear weapons.

“No one would dream of allowing the Islamic State of ISIS to have nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said. “Why would anyone consider giving the Islamic State of Iran, which is a lot more powerful than ISIS and acts with much greater power than ISIS, to have additional power of nuclear weapons?”

Charleston Killer Exhibited Obvious Warning Signs

In the wake of the tragic and senseless killing of nine people in Charleston, South Carolina last week, evidence continues to emerge that people who knew alleged mass murderer Dylann Roof ignored obvious warning signs.

The roommate of South Carolina murderer Dylann Roof said last week Roof had been “planning something like that for six months” and that Roof said he “wanted to start a civil war.”

Roof’s Facebook picture pretty much screams “psychopath,” with him staring menacingly at the camera wearing a jacket adorned with the apartheid-era flag of South Africa. He also changed his middle name to “Storm,” a clear reference to white supremacists and skinheads.

Roof’s highly troubling behavior had even drawn attention from authorities, according to the Wall Street Journal:

On Feb. 28, he was arrested for drug possession at a Columbia mall, where the report said he was wearing all black and rattling employees at two stores with unusual questions about staffing and operating hours… 

[An employee at a shop at the mall] said he wasn’t interested in merchandise but asked sales associates about the mall hours and how many people were in the mall when it closed. “It was a bunch of strange things you would not expect,” she said. “It did make us uncomfortable.” 

A few days later, a security guard dropped off a flier with the mall’s tenants displaying Mr. Roof’s picture, she said. They were to be on alert and call security if they saw him in the mall again.

Please tell me -- how does someone like that slip through the cracks?

If nothing else, this senseless tragedy should remind all Americans how important it is to remain vigilant and to report anything suspicious to the proper authorities.

Boston Shooting: Terror Attack Or “Police Violence”?

Boston police and the FBI stopped a potential terrorist attack in Boston last week, shooting Muslim radical Usama Rahim three times after he lunged at them with a knife. It was the second time in less than a month law enforcement officers thwarted a homegrown terrorist attack.

Despite documented evidence of the man’s terrorist intentions and surveillance video of the shooting, some media members insist the incident qualifies as an example of “police violence.”

More than a week after the incident took place, there is still disagreement over whether police acted correctly. Did they stop a terrorist attack, or commit a heinous act of police brutality?

The facts are pretty clear – the guy was a known jihadi who refused repeated orders to disarm. But the confusion around this case illustrates a challenge police face on a daily basis. Every time an officer goes into a dangerous situation, he has to decide in a split second whether someone is a serious threat or an innocent civilian.

The rise of homegrown terror means the stakes for police are much higher. Is the person behaving erratically somebody who is mentally ill, or another Usama Rahim? Is the person running toward them just an angry civilian, or another Ismaaiyl Brinsley? Is the person carrying a rifle on the street a fringe open carry protester, or the member of an Islamist group?

It has taken the media a week to figure out what happened in Boston. And yet police make the same kind of decision every day in the blink of an eye.

Travel Ban For “Taliban Five” Temporarily Extended

The government of Qatar agreed to temporarily extend a travel ban for the five Taliban leaders President Obama swapped for deserter Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl last year.

The “Taliban Five” have been prohibited from leaving Qatar ever since Obama released them from Guantanamo last year, but the travel restrictions were set to expire Monday until a last minute deal extended the deadline for six months.

A state department official told Fox News the ban would stay in place until a longer-term deal is reached. The official said Qatar “has agreed to maintain the current restrictive conditions on these individuals as we continue these discussions.”

There is no question what the terrorists intend to do when they are eventually turned loose – rejoin the jihad. At least three of the five have already attempted to “re-engage” with their old terror networks, and at least one met with an Al Qaeda-affiliated militant group in Qatar earlier this year.

Obama’s decision to release the Taliban leaders was fiercely criticized after it was reported that Sgt. Berghdahl – who National Security Adviser Susan Rice said “served with honor and distinction” -- had abandoned his unit on purpose.

Bergdahl was charged with desertion in March.

The chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services committees, Rep. Mac Thornberry and Sen. John McCain, said last month they would expand their investigations of the administration’s handling of the swap.

Dozens Shot In Memorial Day Violence In Baltimore

Baltimore police reported twenty-eight shootings and nine homicides over Memorial Day weekend, making May the deadliest month in the city since December 1999.

The victims included a 9-year-old boy shot in the leg yesterday. Police described the child as an “unintentional victim of the shooting.”

A total of thirty-five people have been killed in Baltimore in the month of May, bringing the death toll to 108 since the beginning of the year.

Baltimore City Councilman Pete Welch told the Baltimore Sun, “The shootings and killings are all over the city. I don’t think any part of the city is immune to this. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Baltimore has been the center of a national debate on policing in inner city communities since the death of Freddy Gray, who died while in police custody on April 12.

The recent uptick in violence has some speculating police are staging a deliberate slowdown, while others are saying anti-police sentiment has made officers hesitant to intervene in violent crimes.

Baltimore police commissioner Anthony Batts sought to dispel those notions in comments earlier today.

“Please be assured that the Baltimore Police Department is moving aggressively to both address the increase in violence, as well [as] to modernize and better equip ourselves for the future,” he said.

Florida Police Thwart Planned Rocket Launcher Attack On Law Enforcement

Two men in Florida were arrested last week after allegedly planning an all out attack on a police station using a rocket launcher.

The suspects were placed in custody following a raid on Thursday that uncovered a massive cache of drugs and weapons including twenty-two firearms, several containers of black powder, bulletproof vests, a pound of marijuana, several containers of crack cocaine, and a gilly suit.

The suspects in Florida have been identified as Christopher Conger and Jeremy Robertson, both ex-cons. A third suspect – and the rocket launcher – was nowhere to be found.

Police were reportedly tipped off by an inmate who warned them of a rocket launcher assault on the police station in Eustis, Florida.

"It did concern me — when you start talking about rocket grenade launchers — so I felt very confident that the Lake County Sheriff's Office would pursue any leads," Eustis Police Chief Fred Cobb told a local news station.

Police stations around the country are taking steps to protect their officers following reports that gang members and criminals are targeting police. The LAPD ordered officers to ride in pairs after it was reported that street gangs had pledged to “take out” cops following the death of Freddy Gray in Baltimore.

There’s no telling how much damage the would-be attackers in Florida could have caused with the military-grade arsenal they had assembled. According to Lake County Sherriff Chris Blair, last week’s raid may have saved police lives.

“You cannot measure prevention,” he said. “We don’t know what we prevented by taking these guns off the street and putting these two individuals in custody.”

Former CIA Official Slams Obama Administration in Fox interview

Former CIA Deputy Director Mike Morrell attacked his former colleagues in the Obama administration on a laundry list of topics in an interview on Fox News yesterday.

Morrell called the Benghazi attacks a “failure at the state department,” and said the administration’s internal talking points on the crisis “cross[ed] the line between national security and politics.”

He also said administration officials catastrophically misinterpreted the effects of the Arab Spring, which has turned into a “huge boon” for Al Qaeda.

He also said that the Senate Intelligence report on enhanced interrogation, released in December 2014, was the “most flawed document” he’s ever seen during his 33 year career in public service.

He concluded by saying that threats to national security have multiplied under Obama’s leadership, and that terror threats on American soil will “remain significant for a long time.”

“I’ve never seen more threats to our country at any one time in my 33 years in the business… I think in the history of our country,” he said. “These are very dangerous times…I think we are at risk of another attack here, and I want Americans to know that.”

ISIS Claims Responsibility For Texas Terror Attack

ISIS claimed responsibility for the terror attack in Texas last weekend, calling the attackers “soldiers of the caliphate” and vowing further attacks on American soil.

An announcement broadcast from an ISIS-controlled radio station in Syria referred to the attackers as “brothers” and warned “future attacks are going to be harsher and worse.”

The statement also said, “the Islamic State soldiers will inflict harm on you with the grace of God. The future is just around the corner.”

The exact role ISIS played in planning the attacks is not clear, but a counterterrorism source told Fox News that ISIS “had knowledge of the attack beforehand and that the same fighters encouraged the shooters.”

According to Fox, an ISIS Twitter account claimed to have been in contact with one of the gunmen just before the attack. Fox also reported a British ISIS fighter in Syria sent out a message praising the attackers less than an hour after the attack.

The FBI already had an ongoing investigation into one of the attackers, Elton Simpson, due to suspicious activity on social media. Simpson began posting about ISIS on Facebook and Twitter several months ago.

Simpson was also convicted of lying to the FBI in 2011 about a planned trip to Somalia, claiming he hadn’t planned a trip when in fact he had. Although he was found guilty, he got off without jail time after a judge ruled the government failed to prove that he wanted to go “for the purpose of engaging in violent jihad.”

The FBI said it had no knowledge that Simpson was planning an attack in Texas.

Simpson and the second attacker, another American Muslim named Nadir Soofi, were armed with assault rifles and body armor when they opened fire on the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas on Sunday.

After shooting a school security guard, both attackers were killed by a police officer stationed at the scene. The school security guard is expected to survive.

Mass Murderer Was Spared Deportation Under Obama’s DACA Program

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services admitted that gang member and illegal immigrant Emmanuel Jesus Rangel-Hernandez, charged with four counts of first-degree murder in North Carolina last week, was spared deportation under Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program two years ago.

Rangel-Hernandez had extensive gang ties and a prior drug arrest when he came before USCIS for a deportation proceeding in 2012. Although immigration officials knew about his past, they allowed Rangel-Hernandez to stay in the country anyway.

USCIS Director Leon Rodriguez called the decision a mistake, saying “based on standard procedures and processes in place at the time, the [deferred action] request and related employment authorization should not have been approved.”

Rangel-Hernandez has been implicated in the deaths of four people in a drug-fueled killing spree in North Carolina this year, including America’s Next Top Model contestant Mirjana Puhar.

Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa blamed USCIS’ oversight on the Obama administration’s policies toward illegal immigrants.

“It’s no secret that USCIS staff is under intense pressure to approve every DACA application that comes across their desk, and based on this information, it’s clear that adequate protocols are not in place to protect public safety,” Grassley said. “The fact is that this tragedy could have been avoided if the agency had a zero-tolerance policy with regard to criminal aliens and gang members.”

Hillary Clinton Wants “Unaccountable Money” Out Of Politics? She Should Take A Look In The Mirror.

At the first public appearance of her presidential campaign yesterday, Hillary Clinton spoke out against the influence of “unaccountable money” in politics, saying, “We need to fix our dysfunctional political system and get unaccountable money out of it once and for all.”

What Clinton didn’t mention – and what her supporters in the media have largely ignored -- is her own extensive experience with “unaccountable money.” According to recent reports, the Clinton Foundation has accepted millions from shady foreign interests since 2008 – donations that may have affected Clinton’s policies as Secretary of State.

After Columbian corporation Pacific Rubiales pledged millions to the foundation in 2011, with CEO Frank Giustra promising millions more, Secretary Clinton switched her position on the U.S. – Colombia trade pact and decided to support the deal. She had previously opposed the pact when she was running for President in 2008.

The Clinton Foundation accepted unknown millions from other foreign corporations and governments during her time in office. There is no way of knowing whether these donations also influenced Hillary’s policies at the State Department.

If she is truly interested in taking “unaccountable money” out of politics, perhaps Hillary Clinton should look at the foreign interests funding her own foundation.

Shaneen Allen Pardoned By New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

Concealed carry owner and Pennsylvania single mother Shaneen Allen has received her long-overdue pardon from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Allen was arrested in 2013 for bringing a gun into the state even though she was legally allowed to carry it in Pennsylvania. She thought her permit would allow her to bring her Bersa Thunder .380 across state lines, but Pennsylvania permits are not recognized in New Jersey.

The single mother of two young boys purchased the gun for self-protection after she was the victim of a robbery. Allen, who had no prior criminal record, served 40 days in jail before she was able to make her bail.

The local prosecutor came under fierce criticism after it was revealed that he had refused to allow Allen into a program that would have kept her out of prison as a first time offender, while letting former football player Ray Rice entrance into the same program after he was caught on video beating his wife.

Governor Christie issued a “full a free pardon for all criminal charges and indictments arising from the arrest occurring October 1, 2013,” wiping Allen’s record clean.

Allen told a local news station: “I don't have the words for how I feel, I don't really think it's processed yet. But I'm really grateful, I am, I'm very blessed that I even got this opportunity to start over.”

She is now looking for work in a hospital and looking for a fresh start. Her lawyer, Evan Nappen, said, “All of us can be proud that this type on injustice was addressed and that positive things occurred is the cherry on top is getting her fully pardoned.”

Whether or not Christie made his decision in preparation for a potential White House run in 2016, he deserves credit for recognizing that gun laws only make sense if they are used to promote public safety, not to persecute law abiding gun owners for innocent mistakes.

Will Lawyers’ Stunt Save Boston Marathon Bomber?

The attorney for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev decided to take an untraditional approach during her defense of the young terrorist.

“It was him,” Judy Clarke, proclaimed in her opening statement. “The evidence will not establish and we will not argue that Tamerlan put a gun to Dzhokhar’s head or that he forced him to join in the plan, but you will hear evidence about the kind of influence that this older brother had.”

Clarke’s strategy is to save Tsarnaev from the death penalty by showcasing his older brother Tamerlan as the true mastermind of the 2013 terror attack.

One of the first witnesses for the defense was a cell site analyst who testified that Tsarnaev’s cell phone was being used at the southeastern University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, where he was formerly enrolled, while his older brother was buying pressure cookers north of Boston two and a half months before the bombing.

Another defense witness, a friend of the younger Tsarnaev brother, attested that Tamerlan was “very strict” and “very opinionated,” manipulating Dzhokhar to go through with the bombings.

But these attempts at mitigating guilt are pointless. As Clarke herself admitted, Tamerlan did not put a gun to his brother’s head. Dzhokhar’s could have backed out of the bombings that killed three innocents and critically injured almost 300 others at any time. Reverence for an older sibling does not justify mass murder.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is a cold-blooded killer who permanently scarred an entire city. The jury will hopefully realize this and hand down the verdict that he rightfully deserves.

How New Jersey’s Gun Laws Turned Another Law-Abiding Citizen Into A Convicted Felon

New Jersey’s ridiculous gun laws have once-again turned a law-abiding citizen into a convicted felon over nothing more than an innocent mistake. This time the victim is a former security guard and aspiring police officer named Steffon Josey-Davis.

Josey-Davis legally purchased a 9mm Smith & Wesson in 2013. Shortly after he bought the gun, he made the fateful mistake of stashing it in his glove compartment to make sure his six-year-old sister wouldn’t find it.

The gun was still in the glove compartment when, later the same day, state police pulled him over for driving with an expired registration. Because it is illegal for drivers in New Jersey to transport guns in anywhere but the trunk of their car, the officer confiscated the gun and told Josey-Davis to pick it up at the police station.

When Josey-Davis appeared at the station to retrieve his property, he was promptly arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm – a second-degree felony.

Josey-Davis had legally purchased the gun, but was still waiting for his carry permit to be approved that week. It is customary in New Jersey for police to give gun owners a grace period between when a gun is purchased and when the permit is issued. For some reason, the officers in Josey-Davis’ case chose to ignore this and charge him with a felony.

Josey-Davis had no prior criminal background and had passed extensive background checks to become a security guard. The gun had been purchased legally. Yet he was forced to take a plea deal that sentenced him to a year of probation and labeled him as a convicted felon for the rest of his life.

Now, Josey-Davis is struggling to find employment. His lifelong dream of becoming a police officer has evaporated. He now faces a lifetime of struggle due to little more than a silly oversight.

Josey-Davis’ last hope is to receive a pardon from Governor Chris Christie. Like Shaneen Allen, Governor Christie should grant the pardon and prevent a stupid mistake from ruining another person’s life.

A Change.org petition has been created to further Josie-Davis’ cause.

Obama’s Justice Department Causing Anti-Police Violence

An angry protester shot two police officers last week after the Department of Justice released a report on the shooting of Michael Brown. The suspect, Jeffrey Williams, was arrested and charged with assault in the first degree after nearly killing the two policemen.

This horrific act was made possible by the actions of President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, who have repeatedly used their power and authority to stoke anti-police outrage and score petty political points. Derek Hunter at Town Hall put it plainly: the “blood is on their hands.”

There is only one reason that protesters were on the streets last week: because the Justice Department report released a politically motivated report specifically designed to stoke outrage against the Ferguson police department.

Following the shooting of Michael Brown and the exoneration of Officer Darren Wilson, the President directed Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct a federal investigation of the incident. Despite deploying fifty agents to investigate the shooting, Holder could not find any reason to hold Wilson accountable.

But Holder and Obama didn’t want the opportunity to go to waste. So, Holder wrote an inflammatory report stuffed with allegations of institutional racism and discrimination in the Ferguson government. As soon as the report was published, the protesters were back on the street.

And now two police officers are in the hospital fighting for their lives.

Is it really any surprise that something like this happened – again?

Under Obama’s leadership, the entire Justice Department has become more interested in politics than public safety.

Instead of stopping murderers and gang members, they spy on reporters. Instead of cracking down on drug traffickers, they force financial institutions to donate to left-wing activist groups.
Instead of taking guns away from violent thugs, they harass law-abiding gun owners.

It’s beyond comprehension that these kind of reprehensible individuals can continue putting innocent lives at risk. But such is the state of affairs in America today.

Fox News Most Trusted News Network, According To New Poll

Fox News is the most trusted television network for cable news coverage, according to a new poll by Quinnipiac University.

When asked to evaluate major news outlets, twenty-nine percent of people polled said that they trusted Fox News more than any other network. CNN finished second, earning twenty-two percent of the vote. MSNBC finished last with seven percent of the vote.

Fox News won every demographic except for Democrats, finishing with a majority or plurality of Republicans (58%), independents (25%), men (34%) and women (25%).

Fox’ dominance is not that surprising, considering that it consistently attracts the most viewers of all the cable news channels. “America’s Newsroom,” “The Five,” “Special Report with Bret Baier” and “The O’Reilly Factor” are the most watched shows in their time slots.

Overall, the people surveyed felt that the trustworthiness of TV news has declined. Forty-eight percent of respondents said that TV news is less trustworthy than it used to be. Only seven percent said that it is more trustworthy.

“American news watchers long for an era where the person in the big chair could be truly trusted,” said Tim Malloy, Assistant Director of the Quinnipiac University poll.

CPAC: How Do Republicans Retake The Oval Office?

There is a strong chance that one of the speakers at last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland will be the next president of the United States. But it remains to be seen which candidate – and which message – will bring the Republican Party back to the Oval Office.

Neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson kicked off the conference with a rousing speech on Obamacare, saying that it was the responsibility of the people and not the government to take care of the indigent.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker drew a standing ovation by criticizing Obama for calling ISIS a “JV” team. Walker said that America needs to stand up to radical Islam before it comes to our shores again.

Another fan favorite was Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who won CPAC’s presidential straw poll for the third year in a row. Paul’s speech condemned government surveillance and excessive interrogation methods.

Florida Governor Jeb Bush gave a more controversial speech, reiterating his support for a path to legal status for 11 million illegal aliens. He also stipulated that the U.S. – Mexican border be further secured.

Almost every speech touched on the same burning question — what will it take to put a conservative in the White House?

Texas Senator Ted Cruz addressed this directly, saying that nominating a moderate Republican candidate like John McCain or Mitt Romney would be “a losing strategy.”

Whether or not Cruz is right, one thing is clear – Republicans need to nominate whichever candidate has the best chance of winning.

In the end, a party that can’t beat Hillary Clinton isn’t much of a party at all.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Caught Lying About His Military Record

Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald, an Obama appointee, has been caught making misleading statements about his military background. McDonald falsely claimed to have served in Special Forces during a TV segment that aired on CBS News last month.

The gaffe came while McDonald was speaking with homeless veterans in Los Angeles. One in particular mentioned serving in the Special Forces. “Special forces? What years? I was in special forces!” McDonald replied.

In fact, McDonald served in the 82nd Airborne. Although he was an airborne jumpmaster and reported attended Ranger school, he never formally served in a special operations capacity.

McDonald issued an apology on Tuesday, saying: “I have no excuses. I was not in Special Forces.” He has explained the gaffe by saying that he “reacted spontaneously” while speaking with a veteran who he was trying to “connect with.”

McDonald’s error has drawn condemnations from lawmakers and veterans leaders. Michael Helm, national commander of the American Legion, said: “A lie is a lie. I can’t believe people do this.”

Republican lawmakers have indicated that they will not call for McDonald’s resignation. House Veterans Affairs Committee chairman Jeff Miller said:

“After a rough couple of weeks that also included inflated claims of accountability at the Department of Veterans Affairs, I hope Sec. McDonald will redouble his efforts to ensure his statements -- and those of all VA officials -- are completely accurate. This is the only way the department can regain the trust of the veterans and taxpayers it is charged with serving.”

ISIS Ad Campaign Calls For Homegrown Terror

The newest product from the sick and twisted minds of ISIS is an ad campaign to encourage radical Islamists in the West to launch more attacks like the one on French magazine Charlie Hebdo.

ISIS released a series of videos last week featuring jihadists calling on their supporters in the West to rise up. In one of the videos, the jihadist says: “Don’t give up and particularly don’t lower your weapons, don’t surrender – kill. Today, it’s our darwa – kill them.”

Although the videos are in French, they also have English subtitles and are targeted toward disaffected Muslims throughout the West.

Some experts believe that homegrown terror is the most immediate threat to the US today. It is harder for counterterrorism officers to predict homegrown terror attacks than any other kind.

“You have individuals who are inspired by the ideology but aren’t directly connected to any specific group,” former Homeland Security official John Cohen said last month. “They are very difficult for our traditional counter-terrorism capabilities to pick up on.”

This makes a Charlie Hebdo - style attack in the United States a very real possibility. All that a disillusioned young Muslim would need to do is buy an AK-47 and then walk into a mall and start shooting.

Just a few hours after the videos were released, a Muslim in southern France stabbed three French soldiers outside of a Jewish community center. Luckily, they all survived.

The victims in the next attack might not be so lucky.

Obama Still In Denial About ISIS

The video of a Jordanian pilot being burned alive by ISIS was a gruesome reminder of why radical Islam must be defeated. Yet President Obama barely acknowledged it.

He merely issued a vague condemnation of the attacks, refusing to even mention ISIS by name. Nor did he address the threat posed by radical Islam, instead saying that ISIS is driven by a “bankrupt ideology.”

Obama has been responding to terrorism with deflections and dismissals for far too long.

When a Muslim extremist de-capitated an Oklahoma factory worker last year, his administration treated it as “workplace violence.”

When fundamentalists shot up the offices of Charlie Hebdo, he refused to send a representative to France to honor the victims.

When ISIS first appeared, he brushed them off as a nuisance that could be handled by the Iraqi Army.

Ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away. Despite Obama’s recent insistence in the United States was “stopping” ISIS, ISIS actually holds more territory in Syria than ever before.

Taking on radical Islam will require new ideas. It will require new strategies. It will require leadership.

But first, it will require the President to admit to the public – and perhaps to himself – that the threat exists at all.

Anti-Amnesty Lawsuit Attracts Big Name Support -- And Liberal Hypocrisy

A political fight is brewing over Obama's executive order granting amnesty to four million illegal immigrants.

Twenty-six different states recently joined a federal lawsuit challenging the order. The suit asserts that Obama violated the Constitution by unilaterally pardoning millions of undocumented immigrants. A spokesman for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who filed the lawsuit, described the order as a “brazen and illegal abuse of power.”

Thirty cities and twelve states have issued support for the other side, filing legal briefs defending Obama’s executive action.

The two sides are mostly split along party lines, with those supporting the lawsuit mostly coming from red states and those opposing it coming from blue states.

The officials who are supporting Obama, such as New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio and Los Angeles Mayor Ed Garcetti, seem to have forgotten that executive orders were a constant source of liberal complaining during the Bush presidency.

They also seem to have forgotten the risks of pardoning millions of lawbreakers in one fell swoop. De Blasio told the Wall Street Journal that: “delaying implementation of the President’s executive action will further hurt our families, negatively impact our economies, and create unnecessary insecurity in our communities."

Leave it to an aging hippy like De Blasio to make the argument that pardoning millions of undocumented immigrants would somehow make America safer.

The reality is the complete opposite. Giving millions of undocumented immigrants a free pass will only increase the insecurity and instability of our society.

Domestic Violence Gun Bill Showed Lack Of Common Sense

The New York Times editorial board is heaping praise on Governor Rick Snyder of Michigan for vetoing Senate Bill 789, which would have prevented subjects of restraining orders from getting concealed gun permits.

Snyder shouldn’t have caved into pressure from liberal idols like former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who lobbied against the bill. But the real culprits for this fiasco are those who created SB 789 in the first place.

Conservatives are setting a trap for themselves by getting involved in arguments on domestic violence. The NRA, who started this mess by advocating for the bill in national media, should stay away from this issue altogether.

This is the type of fringe conservatism that leads the party to pick someone best know for castrating hogs to deliver the response to the state of the union.

Oklahoma Attempts to Ban Hoodies in Public In Order to Improve Public Safety

Oklahoma residents may soon be fined $500 for wearing a hoodie in public. Lawmakers are expected to vote on a bill next month that would mandate a fine for anyone wearing a hoodie in an attempt to conceal their face.

The proposal is not entirely new: a state law dating back to the 1920s currently bans the use of masks, hoods or other coverings concealing the identity during the commission of a crime.

This law was initially created to discourage the Klu Klux Klan from activity in Oklahoma. However, its modern equivalent will ban the hoodie in all public places at all times.

 “The intent of Senate Bill 13 is to make businesses and public places safer by ensuring that people cannot conceal their identities for the purpose of crime or harassment,” said Senator Don Barrington, author of the proposed amendment.

Jazz Shaw at Hot Air accurately noted that a quick politically-focused Google search of the word “hoodie” will turn up countless of references to Trayvon Martin.

Besides being a preposterous idea — a hoodie barely conceals the face — the proposed amendment will only aggravate tensions already stewing across the nation. It may even inflame rabble-rousers already on edge and fuel community violence.

Instead of banning a common closet item, Oklahoma should enact real legislation to improve public safety for all of its citizens.

Republican Control Of Congress Will Expose President Obama

Republicans have complete control of United States Congress for the first time since 2006. This doesn’t mean that conservative laws will get passed any time soon. Republicans don’t have enough votes in the Senate to pass anything on their own. Even if they did pass something, President Obama would veto it right away.

But do not despair -- there are still some major benefits to being in charge. For the first time ever, Obama will have to actually defend his policies and reckon with a real Republican agenda.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's immediate priority will be authorizing the Keystone XL pipeline, an issue that nearly three out of four Americans support but that Obama has avoided like the plague. If Congress is able to pass this bill, the President will be under pressure to finally make a decision on the issue.

In an appearance yesterday on “Meet The Press,” Sen. John Barasso (R-WY) said about the pipeline: “It is going to be a bellwether decision by the president whether to go with jobs and the economy. He's going to have to decide between jobs and the extreme supporters of not having the pipeline.”

Republicans also intend to begin reforming Obamacare, first by addressing the law’s ridiculous definition of a full time work week as being just 30 hours. Passing this bill will force President Obama to publicly state whether he honestly supports this definition and the institutionalized laziness that it implies. While these aren’t the sweeping reforms that most of us would like to see, at least they will force the President to do something he hates: actually defend his own positions.