The Right Stuff In The Morning
Good morning! Lots of news today: The Obama administration may be stonewalling the release to the press of documents related to the IRS Tea Party targeting scandal; Obama's "border security" plan could increase immigration; cities consider giving non-citizens the vote; Obama touts "inclusive capitalism;" State Department aided anti-Netanyahu operatives; and Brian Williams is sinking fast.
Have a great day.
Keith
Feds won't release IRS Tea Party targeting documents . . . The Obama administration is refusing to publicly release more than 500 documents on the IRS’s targeting of Tea Party groups. Twenty months after the IRS scandal broke, there are still many unanswered questions about who was spearheading the agency’s scrutiny of conservative-leaning organizations. The Hill sought access to government documents that might provide a glimpse of the decision-making through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
The Hill asked for 2013 emails and other correspondence between the IRS and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). The request specifically sought emails from former IRS official Lois Lerner and Treasury officials, including Secretary Jack Lew, while the inspector general was working on its explosive May 2013 report that the IRS used “inappropriate criteria” to review the political activities of tax-exempt groups. TIGTA opted not to release any of the 512 documents covered by the request, citing various exemptions in the law. The Hill
Nice to see some mainstream reporters are trying to do their job. If this were the Bush IRS targeting the ACLU, every newspaper in town would be seeking these documents.
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Obama border security plan expands immigration . . . Obama’s new border security plan is being expanded to allow illegals in the United States to bring their children, their adult children, their grandchildren and even step-parents into the United States. Obama is opening “a whole new pipeline for legal migration,” said Ann Corcoran, editor of Refugee Resettlement Watch. Once the new program is established, future officials can expand it to include more economic migrants from more poor countries, she told The Daily Caller.
Every intrusion by the government into our lives metastasizes into new actions we never even imagined. Let this formerly illegal person in. Therefore that one must come. And then the next.
Obama touts "inclusive capitalism" . . . In an interview with Ezra Klein of Vox, President Obama said traditional market forces that used to redistribute income are failing and the time for government to do it instead has arrived. White House Dossier
Obama: Media overstate alarm about terrorism . . . Well this is alarming. The man who supposedly is standing between us and another massive terror attack says this whole terrorism thing is not as big a deal as everyone thinks. White House Dossier
States rise up against federal regulation . . . State legislators around the country have introduced more than 200 bills aiming to nullify regulations and laws coming out of Washington, D.C., as they look to rein in the federal government. The legislative onslaught, which includes bills targeting federal restrictions on firearms, experimental treatments and hemp, reflects growing discord between the states and Washington, state officials say. The Hill
Obama suggests Israel wants war with Iran . . . Obama Monday suggested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes a peace deal over Iran’s nuclear weapons program is not possible, indicating Netanyahu’s upcoming speech to Congress was an attempt to undermine negotiations for a nuclear agreement by drumming up support for legislation that would authorize new sanctions against Iran. White House Dossier
Obama to Netanyahu: Merkel wouldn't have done this to me . . . "As much as I love Angela, if she was two weeks away from an election, she probably would not have received an invitation to the White House, and I suspect she wouldn't have asked for one," Obama said at a Monday press conference after meeting the German leader in Washington. Newsmax
Diplomacy guided by petty petulance.
Health insurance subsidy kicks in . . . Taxpayers will pick up the cost of 72 percent of the average premiums for customers who qualify for subsidies using the Obamacare website, the administration said Monday in a report that underscores the stakes in a looming Supreme Court case. Washington Times
Michelle: Eat right, and the government will leave you alone . . . “If you don’t like the doctor, if you don’t like government, if you don’t like folks messing with your life, the best thing to do is make sure you’re healthy. Because that’s going to increase your odds for making sure that you don’t have to deal with the system.” Washington Times
Folks messing with your life? Note the presumption that this is just par for the course - you become unhealthy, you lose certain rights.
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Democrat boycott of Netanyahu speech grows . . . More than a dozen congressional Democrats say they plan to skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of Congress amid conflicting signals over whether he will pull out from the March 3 address. The Hill
How many Jews will become Republicans when they see Democrats boycotting the leader of Israel? Maybe more than a few.
GOP: administration steering funds toward supporters . . . House Republicans are accusing the Obama administration of letting millions of dollars from recent mortgage-lending settlements go toward politically favored advocacy groups, in turn "shortchanging" the people originally harmed by the financial crisis. Fox News
What? Disarray in a Hillary Clinton campaign? . . . David Brock on Monday abruptly resigned from the board of the super PAC Priorities USA Action, revealing rifts that threaten the big-money juggernaut being built to support Hillary Clinton’s expected presidential campaign. Politico
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U.S. embassy met with Israeli anti-Netanyahu group . . . Top officials at the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv met in late January with one of the main progressive groups working to tip the upcoming Israeli elections against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and helped facilitate the organization’s visit to the United States this week to learn political organizing techniques. Washington Free Beacon
Questions continue to grow about the involvement of Obama aides in trying to unseat Netanyahu, all driven in this country by some great reporting by the Washington Free Beacon.
Syria informed about U.S. strikes on ISIS . . . President Bashar al-Assad said Damascus was being informed about US-led air strikes against jihadists in Syria and that they could help his government if they were "more serious". AFP
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When the press and government work together . . . Ezra Klein's turned his Obama interview into a conversation, or even more appropriately (with the music and graphics) a commercial. There is no critical thought that goes into the video production, no questioning. It takes Obama’s words as truth, and builds a beautiful visual around it better than any Democratic National Committee communications team could do. The Blaze
The cozy interview did get Obama to reveal some of his leftist tendencies. But the cooperation is still contemptible.
DC, other cities debate giving non-citizens the vote . . . “It’s frustrating at election time to have no say in what’s happening,” said the British-born Searls, 54, who works at a media company. “Washington has people from all over the world. If they are engaged and participating in public issues, it benefits the city.” Washington Post
Supreme Court decision signals pro-gay marriage stance . . . The U.S. Supreme Court's move on Monday to allow gay marriage to proceed in Alabama is the strongest signal yet that the justices are likely to rule in June that no state can restrict marriage to only heterosexual couples. Reuters
Most Alabama counties defy ruling . . . At least 51 of 67 Alabama counties were not issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples today in defiance of a federal ruling to do so, according to an ABC News count. ABC News
High School students shamed for rejecting LGBT agenda . . . Teenagers at a California high school were publicly shamed for disagreeing with speakers allowed to push an LGBT agenda during an English class, according to several upset parents. The Queer Straight Alliance at Acalanes High School, in Lafayette, lectured students in several ninth-grade English classes on Jan. 29 about LGBT issues, according to Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, which is representing the parents. Fox News
Bryn Mawr to accept transgenders . . . Bryn Mawr College, an all-women’s liberal arts school in Pennsylvania, clarified its admission policy on Monday to accept transwomen and individuals who “identify as women” when they apply. Washington Free Beacon
Kids taught Republicans don't care about poor people . . . A Wisconsin mother claims her 16-year-old son's classroom assignment last week described Republicans as opposed to helping the poor because "it's a waste of money." Fox News
I assume the teacher didn't even see this as controversial.
Williams rescue plan crumbles . . . The atmosphere surrounding Brian Williams has turned so toxic that it’s not clear when—or even if—he’ll be able to return to the anchor chair. The original plan—Williams apologizes, takes himself off the air for a few days, schmoozes with Letterman, and slides back into his job—has crumbled. Fox News
Hotel manager disagrees with Williams' Katrina memories . . . Myra DeGersdorff was surprised to flip on the news this week and see a perplexing story about NBC News anchor Brian Williams and the hotel she once managed. His recollection of what happened there didn’t match hers. Washington Post
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