This just screams SPECIAL PROSECUTOR!

Look for this to be the lead story tonight on ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, and CNN tonight.

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Obama Asks Judge To Hide Emails To Attorney General Holder's Wife

(When they sent the hard drives to the "cleaners" they forgot his)

President Barack Obama is asking a judge to keep secret the contents of emails apparently sent between Attorney General Eric Holder and his wife.

The request is part of Obama's three-year stonewall against Judicial Watch's inquiry into the Operation Fast and Furious"scandal, during which the Department of Justice watched while military-style weapons were bought in the United States and smuggled to Mexican drug gangs. The scandal went public once one of Obama's employees — a U.S. border guard — was killed by a criminal using one of the smuggled guns.

Late Oct. 22, moments before a judicial deadline, the White House sent the judge a 1,307-page list of 15,662 Fast and Furious documents that it wants to keep hidden from Judicial Watch and the public.

The list includes almost 20 emails between Attorney General Eric Holder and his wife, Sharon Malone.

Malone is not a government official, and so communications with her are not shielded by the "executive privilege" rules that keep internal White House documents secret.

"Americans will be astonished that Obama asserted executive privilege over Eric Holder's emails to his wife about Fast and Furious," said a Thursday statement from Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton.

"Obama's executive privilege claims over these records are a fraud and an abuse of his office," he said. "There is no precedent for President Obama's Nixonian assertion of executive privilege over these ordinary government agency records."

In the past, members of the Obama administration have used fake email accounts to hide conversations from public view.

Judicial Watch's lawsuit has revealed more about the gun-running scandal than GOP-led congressional inquires, Fitton said.

By revealing what the administration wants to hide, "this Fast and Furious document provides dozens of leads for further congressional, media, and even criminal investigations," Fitton said.

In a press statement, the group said that 1,307-page list includes "numerous emails that detail Attorney General Holder's direct involvement in crafting talking points, the timing of public disclosures, and handling Congressional inquiries in the Fast and Furious matter … [and] numerous entries detail DOJ's communications (including those of Eric Holder) concerning the White House about Fast and Furious."

The scandal was large enough that it "required the attention of virtually every top official of the DOJ and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) … [and] the United States Ambassador to Mexico."

This just screams SPECIAL PROSECUTOR!

Canadian prime minister calls Ottawa attack terrorism

Prime Minister Stephen Harper met this head on and called it for what it is… terrorism. 

This is so freakin' Barry:

In Washington, President Barack Obama condemned the shootings as "outrageous" and said: "We have to remain vigilant." 

Vigilant for him means changing the facts for the sake of his own political expediency (e.g.) Ft. Hood and Oklahoma. Good thing the Tsarnaev brothers were unemployed.

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A gunman shot a Canadian soldier standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Oct. 22, 2014, then entered Parliament and shots rang out, police and witnesses said. A member of Parliament describes what he heard.

OTTAWA, Ontario - Two deadly attacks in three days against members of the military stunned Canadians and raised fears their country was being targeted for reprisals for joining the U.S.-led air campaign against an extremist Islamic group in Iraq and Syria. 

"We will not be intimidated. Canada will never be intimidated," Prime Minister Stephen Harper vowed in a nationally televised address hours after a masked gunman killed a soldier standing guard at Ottawa's war memorial shortly before 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The suspect then stormed Parliament in a dramatic attack that was stopped cold when he was shot to death by the ceremonial sergeant-at-arms.

Harper called it the country's second terrorist attack in three days. A man Harper described as an "ISIL-inspired terrorist" on Monday ran over two soldiers in a parking lot in Quebec, killing one and injuring another before being shot to death by police. Like the suspect from Wednesday's shooting in Ottawa, he was a recent convert to Islam.

Investigators offered little information about the gunman in Ottawa, identified as 32-year-old petty criminal Michael Zehaf-Bibeau. But Harper said: "In the days to come we will learn about the terrorist and any accomplices he may have had."

Witnesses said the soldier posted at the National War Memorial, identified as Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, was gunned down at point-blank range by a man carrying a rifle and dressed all in black, his face half-covered with a scarf. The gunman appeared to raise his arms in triumph, then entered Parliament, a few hundred yards away, where dozens of shots soon rang out, according to witnesses.

People fled the complex by scrambling down scaffolding erected for renovations, while others took cover inside as police with rifles and body armor took up positions outside and cordoned off the normally bustling streets around Parliament.

On Twitter, Canada's justice minister and other government officials credited 58-year-old sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers with shooting the attacker just outside the MPs' caucus rooms. Vickers serves a largely ceremonial role at the House of Commons, carrying a scepter and wearing rich green robes, white gloves and a tall imperial hat.

At least three people were treated for minor injuries.

In Washington, President Barack Obama condemned the shootings as "outrageous" and said: "We have to remain vigilant." The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa was locked down as a precaution, and security was tightened at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery just outside Washington.

Harper vowed that the attacks will "lead us to strengthen our resolve and redouble our efforts" to keep the country safe and work with Canada's allies to fight terrorists.

Court records that appear to be the gunman's show that he had a long rap sheet, with a string of convictions for assault, robbery, drug and weapons offenses, and other crimes.

Tony Zobl said he witnessed the Canadian soldier being gunned down from his fourth-floor window directly above the National War Memorial, a 70-foot (21.34-meter), arched granite cenotaph, or tomb, with bronze sculptures commemorating World War I.

"I looked out the window and saw a shooter, a man dressed all in black with a kerchief over his nose and mouth and something over his head as well, holding a rifle and shooting an honor guard in front of the cenotaph point-blank, twice," Zobl told the Canadian Press news agency. "The honor guard dropped to the ground, and the shooter kind of raised his arms in triumph holding the rifle."

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. had video of the gunman going to his car alone with his weapon after the shooting at the memorial. The car was later spotted parked in front of Parliament Hill, just down the block.

Cabinet minister Tony Clement tweeted that at least 30 shots were heard inside Parliament, where Conservative and Liberal MPs were holding their weekly caucus meetings.

"I was just taking off my jacket to go into caucus. I hear this pop, pop, pop. Possibly 10 shots, don't really know. Thought it was dynamite or construction rather than anything else," said John McKay, a member of Parliament.

He said security guards then came rushing down the halls, herding them toward the back of the buildings.

"And then we started talking to another woman and she was apparently inside the library of Parliament, saw the fellow, wearing a hoodie, carrying a gun," McKay said, "and then the implications of this start to sink in."

The attack came two days after a recent convert to Islam killed the Canadian soldier and injured another with his car in a parking lot in the Quebec city of Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu. The killer had been on the radar of federal investigators, who feared he had jihadist ambitions and seized his passport when he tried to travel to Turkey.

Canada had raised its domestic terror threat level from low to medium Tuesday because of what it called "an increase in general chatter from radical Islamist organizations." As recently as Tuesday, Canada sent eight fighter jets to the Mideast to join the battle against Islamic State.

Canadian prime minister calls Ottawa attack terrorism

Another one you probably never heard about

Biden's Son Hunter Discharged From Navy Reserve After Failing Cocaine Test

Okay... the vice-president of the United States son is thrown out of the Navy Reserve for drug use and this isn't a big story? 

Be honest... have you read or heard news reports from the MSM on this?


So when Dick Cheney's was VP and his daughter happened to get  fired from her job because she failed the drug test we wouldn't have heard about that either right? 

By

Colleen McCain Nelson and Julian E. Barnes

Updated Oct. 16, 2014 7:35 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON—Vice President Joe Biden 's son Hunter was discharged from the Navy Reserve this year after testing positive for cocaine, according to people familiar with the matter.

Hunter Biden, a lawyer by training who is now a managing partner at an investment company, had been commissioned as an ensign in the Navy Reserve, a part-time position. But after failing a drug test last year, his brief military career ended.

Mr. Biden, 44 years old, decided to pursue military service relatively late, beginning the direct-commission process to become a public-affairs officer in the Navy Reserve in 2012. Because of his age—43 when he was to be commissioned—he needed a waiver to join the Navy. He received a second Navy waiver because of a drug-related incident when he was a young man, according to people familiar with the matter. Military officials say such drug waivers aren't uncommon.

Mr. Biden was commissioned as an ensign on May 7, 2013, and assigned to Navy Public Affairs Support Element East in Norfolk, Va., a reserve unit, according to the Navy. In June 2013, after reporting to his unit in Norfolk, he was given a drug test, which turned up positive for cocaine, according to people familiar with the situation. Mr. Biden was discharged in February, the Navy said.

Mr. Biden said in a statement that it was "the honor of my life to serve in the U.S. Navy, and I deeply regret and am embarrassed that my actions led to my administrative discharge. I respect the Navy's decision. With the love and support of my family, I'm moving forward."

The vice president's office declined to comment. The Navy said Mr. Biden met all of the criteria for a direct commission, but declined to provide any details of why he was discharged. "Like other junior officers, the details of Ens. Biden's discharge are not releasable due to the Privacy Act," Cmdr. Ryan Perry, a Navy spokesman, said.

Navy personnel who are discharged from the military because of a failed drug test don't receive honorable discharges. Most are given an "other than honorable" or "general" discharge. It isn't clear which discharge Mr. Biden received, and the Navy doesn't release the discharge status of low-ranking officers or junior enlisted personnel.

Mr. Biden was recommended for a direct commission after interviewing with a board of Naval officers, according to the Navy. The direct-commission process was created to allow the Navy to tap civilians with needed skills. The program allows civilians who have not attended the Naval Academy, a reserve-officer training course or officer-candidate school to join the military by attending only an abbreviated training program.

The Navy typically accepts about six people into the public-affairs reserves each year. Navy reservists usually serve one weekend a month and two weeks a year, but they can be called up to serve as much as a year on active duty.

The vice president and his wife, Jill Biden, speak regularly about the pride they take in being a military family, often referring to son Beau Biden's time in the Delaware Army National Guard and his yearlong deployment to Iraq. After Hunter Biden joined the Navy, his mother said he was following in the footsteps of two of his grandfathers, who also served in the Navy.

"This year, I'm looking forward to standing with our son, Hunter, when he is commissioned as an ensign in the United States Navy," she said in 2012.

In January 2013, Joe Biden joked about Mr. Biden's decision to pursue military service at age 42. "We have a lot of bad judgment in my family," the vice president said at the American Legion's Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball. "My son, who is over 40, just joined the United States Navy. He's about to be sworn in as an officer, Hunter Biden."

Hunter Biden, who is married with three children, is the younger of the vice president's two sons. Beau Biden serves as the Delaware attorney general and has announced plans to run for governor in 2016. Joe and Jill Biden also have a daughter, Ashley, who joined the Delaware Center for Justice in 2012 as associate executive director.

Hunter Biden has embarked on several different professional ventures, including his recent appointment with a Ukrainian firm, that have drawn scrutiny. In May, he joined the board of the Ukrainian gas producer, Burisma Holdings Ltd., which is controlled by a former security and energy official for Ukraine's ousted former president. The announcement that Mr. Biden would be responsible for Burisma's legal unit raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest, because his father, the vice president, was engaged in diplomatic efforts involving Ukraine.

At the time, the vice president's office called Hunter Biden "a private citizen" and said Joe Biden didn't endorse any particular company. Hunter Biden didn't return calls seeking comment on the matter.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Biden worked as a lobbyist. He quit the business and resigned his partnership at a Washington firm after his father was named to join the presidential ticket in 2008.

Now, Mr. Biden is a managing partner at Rosemont Seneca Partners, an investment company. He also serves as chairman of World Food Program USA, which calls itself "a humanitarian agency fighting hunger in the world today," and he is an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University.

Another one you probably never heard about

The equivalent of a "poll tax"?

Law that requires voters to produce photo ID in Texas is allowed to STAND by the Supreme Court

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales (illegals have a right to vote) Ramos called the law an "unconstitutional burden on the right to vote" and the equivalent of a poll tax. Really, you can get a free photo ID at any DOT office! Why is it people can find their way to a welfare office to file for benefits but going to the DOT for a free photo ID is an insurmountable problem? 

What a shock Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented, I'm surprised Roberts didn't join them. They should apply this law in all 57 states.

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By Associated Press

Published: 05:29 EST, 18 October 2014 | Updated: 11:42 EST, 18 October 2014

The Supreme Court said Saturday that Texas can use its controversial new voter identification law for the November election.

A majority of the justices rejected an emergency request from the Justice Department and civil rights groups to prohibit the state from requiring voters to produce certain forms of photo identification in order to cast ballots. Three justices dissented.

The law was struck down by a federal judge last week, but a federal appeals court had put that ruling on hold. The judge found that roughly 600,000 voters, many of them black or Latino, could be turned away at the polls because they lack acceptable identification. Early voting in Texas begins Monday.

The Supreme Court rejected an emergency request from the Justice Department and civil rights groups to prohibit the state from requiring voters to produce certain forms of photo identification in order to cast ballots in Texas 

The Supreme Court's order was unsigned, as it typically is in these situations. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented, saying they would have left the district court decision in place.

"The greatest threat to public confidence in elections in this case is the prospect of enforcing a purposefully discriminatory law, one that likely imposes an unconstitutional poll tax and risks denying the right to vote to hundreds of thousands of eligible voters," Ginsburg wrote in dissent.

The law sets out seven forms of approved ID — a list that includes concealed handgun licenses but not college student IDs, which are accepted in other states with similar measures.

The 143-page opinion from U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos called the law an "unconstitutional burden on the right to vote" and the equivalent of a poll tax in finding that the Republican-led Texas Legislature purposely discriminated against minority voters in Texas.

Texas had urged the Supreme Court to let the state enforce voter ID at the polls in a court filing that took aim at the ruling by Ramos, an appointee of President Barack Obama. Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Republican who's favored in the gubernatorial race, called Ramos' findings "preposterous" and accused the judge of ignoring evidence favorable to the state.

The court had intervened in three other disputes in recent weeks over Republican-inspired restrictions on voting access. In Wisconsin, the justices blocked a voter ID law from being used in November. In North Carolina and Ohio, the justices allowed limits on same-day registration, early voting and provisional ballots to take or remain in effect.

Ginsburg said the Texas case was different from the clashes in North Carolina and Ohio because a federal judge held a full trial on the Texas election procedures and developed "an extensive record" finding the process discriminated against ballot access.

Texas has enforced its tough voter ID in elections since the Supreme Court in June 2013 effectively eliminated the heart of the Voting Rights Act, which had prevented Texas and eight other states with histories of discrimination from changing election laws without permission. Critics of the Texas measure, though, said the new ID requirement has not been used for an election for Congress and the Senate, or a high-turnout statewide election like the race for governor.

Ramos' issued her ruling on October 9. Five days later, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans put her decision on hold and cited a 2006 Supreme Court opinion that warned judges not to change the rules too close to Election Day.

The challengers in Texas said that the last time the Supreme Court allowed a voting law to be used in a subsequent election after it had been found to be unconstitutional was in 1982. That case from Georgia involved an at-large election system that had been in existence since 1911.

The equivalent of a "poll tax"?

Obama says Ebola travel ban could make things worse

Over 100 visas are handed out everyday in Africa. How is infecting America with Ebola going to help Africa?

"We can't just cut ourselves off from West Africa," Obama said, explaining it would make it harder to move health workers and supplies into the region, and would motivate people trying to get out the region to evade screening, making it harder to track cases.

So we should send them here so we can track them? What bullshit! We could send doctors and nurses there who want to help out with the understanding they would be quarantined for a period of time when they came back. To allow people from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to travel here willy-nilly (like Duncan) is shear lunacy.

Beyond the pale.  Ron Klain appointed Ebola czar. His medical background? He once cut his finger and applied a band-aid. Why is the head of the AMA a doctor instead of a plumber? To Barry this IS a crisis… but a political one. So what to do? Hire a spin-doctor. 

Would you have expected anything less?

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President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Americans to avoid hysteria over Ebola, and played down the idea of travel bans from Ebola-ravaged countries in West Africa, explaining that restrictions could make things worse.

Lawmakers this week urged Obama to bar people from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea from entering the United States. Obama has said he is not philosophically opposed to travel bans, but in his weekly address made it clear that he is not leaning toward them.

"We can't just cut ourselves off from West Africa," Obama said, explaining it would make it harder to move health workers and supplies into the region, and would motivate people trying to get out the region to evade screening, making it harder to track cases.

"Trying to seal off an entire region of the world - if that were even possible - could actually make the situation worse," he said. 

Obama said it would take time to fight the disease, warning "before this is over, we may see more isolated cases here in America."

But he sought to put the disease in perspective, reminding Americans that only three cases have been diagnosed in the country, and that it is not easily contracted.

"What we're seeing now is not an 'outbreak' or an 'epidemic' of Ebola in America," he said.

"This is a serious disease, but we can't given in to hysteria or fear."

Obama says Ebola travel ban could make things worse