PRESIDENT OBAMA ADDRESSES IMMIGRATION

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THE WOODWARD REPORT
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Obama Addresses Immigration Reform




President Of The United States, Barack Obama


President Obama delivered a speech to the Nation on Thursday voicing his concern and commitment to comprehensive immigration reform. In that speech he asserted that the current Arizona law is “ill conceived”, that the border is the most secure it has been in twenty years, and echoed the remarks made by Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano claiming that the border is simply to large to fully secure. The President proclaimed that illegal immigrants were vital to the economy while at the same time admonishing those who hired illegals, promising harsh punishment for any business caught hiring in the act. He went onto assert that it is time to bring these illegal immigrants out of the shadows and put them on an expedited path to citizenship. He called for the construction of a policy that would allow the government to start collecting their current as well as back taxes, and encourage such individuals to learn English. Political analysts, and officials inside the Beltway said that although immigration reform is a priority for the White House, do not expect Congress to take any firm stand on the issue to well after the election cycle.


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SUPREME COURT: Right to bear arms applies to all 50 states




On Monday, in a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court overturned a Chicago law which in effect banned firearms in the city. These regulations included a ban on handguns, a requirement that other guns be registered prior to their acquisition (which is impractical in many cases), a burdensome annual reregistration requirement and annual fee, and a punitive provision that would bar the reregistration of a gun once its registration expired.

The opinion, written by Justice Alito, holds that the right to keep and bear arms is among the most fundamental rights necessary to this Nation’s system of ordered liberty and is deeply rooted in our history and tradition.


Following the Supreme Court’s ruling in McDonald v. Chicago, which struck down the city’s ban on handguns, Chicago officials are fighting back hard. In the words of Mayor Richard Daley, the city “will publicly propose a new ordinance very soon,” that will restrict gun ownership without violating the court’s decision.

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Feds Arrest 10 in Russian Spy Case



The FBI has arrested 10 people who allegedly spied for Russia for up to a decade - posing as innocent civilians while trying to infiltrate U.S. policymaking circles and learn about U.S. weapons, diplomatic strategy and political developments.

An 11th defendant - a man accused of delivering money to the agents - remains at large.


The alleged Russian Spies were taken into custody on Wednesday. Although they were identified as spies, the charges brought against them were not espionage but rather money laundering and aiding a foreign entity.


The Russian Newspaper Pravda is calling the charges against the alleged Russian spies outlandish and rather implausible. The author of the Pravda article “New Spy Scandal in USA Targets Obama, Not Russia” asserts that the claims of the “agents” using Morse code and invisible ink are laughable.


According to official reports, the spies had not infiltrated the White House, Congress, or made any contact with officials knowledgeable of nuclear programs. Instead, the article states “they were operating in tourist business and journalism.” However, law enforcement agencies claimed the goal of the spy ring was to gain information about nuclear arms as well as penetrate government intelligence agencies.


The director of the International Institute of Political Expertise, Yevgeny Minchenko asserted that this is a “delirious story”. He stated “They said that the spies used Morse alphabet and encoded messages to transmit secret information. This is a joke if only we try to imagine what technologies intelligence services use nowadays. Does the USA really think that Russian special services are so outdated?"


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Scarborough calls GOP House Leader 'Not the Hardest Worker,' Bar Hopper


Joe Scarborough



Former House Republican and Current Host of Morning Joe on MSNBC Joe Scarborough made headlines when called House Minority leader John Boehner a lazy bar hopper. He claimed that he is “not the hardest worker” and that often by six o’clock you can find him at a local D.C. Pub. A few days later Scarborough backed away from his comments claiming “he liked Boehner” and was only relaying what fellow congressmen where saying about him on the hill, but were not able to voice publicly about the minority leader.

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Iran Arms Syria With Radar



According to Israeli and U.S. officials, Iran has sent Syria a sophisticated radar system that may inhibit Israel's ability to launch a surprise attack against Iran's nuclear sites

The radar is designed to greatly improve Syria's defenses by providing an early warning system that would allow them to inform Tehran of any Israeli aircraft activity over their skies.

The radar could also be beneficial to Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist organization based in Lebanon which also receives weapons from Syria. The information gathered by the radar, if shared by Syria, would greatly increase any missile attacks initiated by the militant group as well as improve its air defenses.

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Financial Regulatory Bill Still in Doubt



The financial-regulatory bill, approved by the House of Representatives, may still be compromised in the Senate, which postponed its vote until after the week-long July 4 recess.

The delay may give opponents of the legislation time to persuade undecided lawmakers to vote against the measure. Republican Senators Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, and Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine voted for a previous version of the bill and are being courted by Democratic leaders to support its final passage.

“While the odds are that a week doesn’t change anything, certainly Snowe, Collins and Brown are going to get lots of visits over that week from their local community bankers and anyone else who has an interest in this,” said Mark Calabria, a former Senate Banking Committee staffer who is now a director of financial-regulation studies at the Cato Institute.

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VA hospital may have infected 1,800 veterans with HIV



A Missouri VA hospital is under fire because it may have exposed more than 1,800 veterans to life-threatening diseases such as hepatitis and HIV.

John Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis has recently mailed letters to 1,812 veterans telling them they could contract hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) after visiting the medical center for dental work, said Rep. Russ Carnahan.

Carnahan said Tuesday he is calling for a investigation into the issue and has sent a letter to President Obama about it.

"This is absolutely unacceptable," said Carnahan, a Democrat from Missouri. "No veteran who has served and risked their life for this great nation should have to worry about their personal safety when receiving much needed healthcare services from a Veterans Administration hospital."

Photos By: RD/Kabik/Walter McBride/Retna

Comments

Anonymous said…
Right to Bear Arms:

Sad only five of the nine Supreme Court Justices chose to uphold the Constitution of the United States.

Almost half them do NOT support our Constitution.

Anyone scared? Yet? They are making choices for you and me and will be doing so as long as they are alive.
James Edstrom said…
The world is getting scary......