Republicans claim Senate majority, take control of Congress

Voters handed control of the Senate to Republicans for the first time in eight years on Tuesday, putting the GOP in charge of Congress for the remainder of President Obama's term. 
Republicans swept to victory in a string of contests across the country, retaining every one of the GOP-held seats up for grabs and picking up more than the six seats needed to take control of the Senate. Republicans enjoyed a banner night after mounting campaigns from coast to coast that, almost without exception, sought to cast their opponents as rubber stamps for the unpopular president. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who fended off a Democratic challenge in Kentucky, is now poised to ascend to majority leader next year. 
Republicans also are projected to retain control of the House -- and gain at least 12 seats, expanding their majority beyond their post-World War II record of 246 seats set in 1946. 
The landscape means Republicans will have new powers to challenge Obama's agenda in the final two years of his term, able to launch investigations and hold hearings from both chambers; hold up key appointments; and pass GOP-favored legislation, if only to force the president to employ his veto pen. The division of power also could yield areas of agreement, on areas ranging from immigration to energy -- though the Affordable Care Act and efforts to undermine it could continue to sour talks on other issues. 
McConnell, after winning his own race, said some things won't change next year -- but stressed that lawmakers and the White House don't have to be in "perpetual conflict" and "have an obligation to work together." 
"Tomorrow, the papers will say I won this race, but the truth is ... tonight we begin another one, one that's far more important than mine -- and that's the race to turn this country around," McConnell said in Louisville. 
In a written statement, current Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid congratulated McConnell and said he looked forward to working with him as the next majority leader. 
So far, Republicans have gained seven Senate seats. In North Carolina, Thom Tillis, a Republican member of the state legislature, is projected to oust U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a first-term Democrat, in a closely fought race that saw spending top $100 million. Republican Joni Ernst also beat Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley in Iowa. 
Echoing a campaign ad about hogs that helped her gain attention early on in her race, Ernst declared, "We are heading to Washington, and we are going to make 'em squeal." 
Republicans picked up seats in territory all over the country Tuesday night. In Montana, Republican Steve Daines defeated Democrat Amanda Curtis, flipping control of the seat to the Republican Party for the first time since 1913. In Colorado, GOP Rep. Cory Gardner ousted first-term Democratic Sen. Mark Udall. 
South Dakota Republican Mike Rounds also won the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson. Further, GOP Rep. Tom Cotton unseated two-term Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor in Arkansas and Shelley Moore Capito beat Democrat Natalie Tennant for an open Senate seat in West Virginia. 
In a vital set of victories that helped put the party on the path to the majority, Republicans also held onto all three seats that were in contention this year. 
In Kentucky, McConnell defeated Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky's secretary of state. Republican David Perdue, former CEO of Dollar General, beat Democrat Michelle Nunn for the open Georgia Senate seat; and three-term Republican Sen. Pat Roberts survived the political scare of his life by beating independent challenger Greg Orman in Kansas. 
In a setback for Republicans, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen beat Republican challenger Scott Brown, despite Brown's late-surging campaign. 
But Republicans' momentum was undeniable. 
A handful of other races remain too close to call -- most notably, in Virginia, where Republican Ed Gillespie is running a late-surging campaign against Democratic Sen. Mark Warner. 
According to Fox News exit polls, this race is looking much closer than it did in pre-election polling, in which Warner, a former Virginia governor, held a months-long, 20-point lead over Gillespie, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee. Gillespie eventually cut that lead in half, but the race now appears even closer. 
The Senate race in Alaska also is not yet called. 
Fox News, though, can project that the Louisiana Senate race will go to a runoff on Dec. 6, meaning there will be no winner from Tuesday night. Based on exit polling, Fox projects that three-term Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu and Republican challenger Bill Cassidy will both fail to exceed 50 percent of the vote, sending both into a runoff, this time without competition from candidates such as Republican Rob Maness. 
At stake Tuesday night were 435 House seats, 36 Senate seats, and another 36 gubernatorial races.  
The U.S. Senate battle, with control of Capitol Hill at stake, was the most closely watched. 
The following Republican incumbents also won Tuesday: Sen. Thad Cochran in Mississippi; Sen. Lamar Alexander in Tennessee; Sen. Susan Collins in Maine; Sen. Mike Enzi in Wyoming; Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. Tim Scott in South Carolina; Sen. Jim Risch in Idaho; Sen. John Cornyn in Texas, Sen. Jeff Sessions in Alabama; and Sen. James Inhofe in Oklahoma. Republican James Lankford won the seat being vacated by Republican Tom Coburn. And university president Ben Sasse, a Republican, beat Democrat David Domina for an open Nebraska Senate seat. 
The following Democratic senators also won: Sen. Dick Durbin in Illinois; Sen. Cory Booker in New Jersey; Sen. Brian Schatz in Hawaii; Sen. Jeff Merkley in Oregon; Sen. Tom Udall in New Mexico; Sen. Al Franken in Minnesota; Sen. Ed Markey in Massachusetts; Sen. Chris Coons in Delaware; and Sen. Jack Reed in Rhode Island. 
In Michigan, Democrat Gary Peters won an open seat. 
The Obama factor may have weighed heavily over the vote Tuesday night. Fox News Exit Polls show more than a third of voters -- 34 percent -- said they voted to show they're opposed to Obama's policies. That number was a bit higher in 2010. 
By contrast, just 20 percent voted to show support for Obama. Forty-five percent said it was not a factor. 
The economy was by far the biggest issue for voters; 43 percent said it was the most important issue. Of those worried about the direction of the economy, they voted for the Republican candidate by a 20-point difference, exit polls show. 
Most the campaigning and the big money in recent months concentrated on roughly 10 competitive contests. Seven were for the seats held by Democrats: in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, New Hampshire and North Carolina. Three were for the seats held by Republicans: in Georgia, Kansas and Kentucky. 
Surprise developments colored the elections in several states -- perhaps most notably, the Democratic candidate's decision to drop out of the race for Senate in Kansas. His decision immediately boosted independent Orman in his race against Roberts, who until that race shakeup was leading in the polls. Roberts ultimately survived. 
In Kentucky, Grimes also suffered a PR blow after she repeatedly refused to say whether she voted for Obama. In the final days of the race, both campaigns turned to accusing each other of putting out inappropriate mailers. 
At the state level, nearly a dozen U.S. governors were considered in political peril, making it one of the toughest years for incumbent governors in decades. However, most of them held on, and Republican candidates did well in several races -- including in Wisconsin, where GOP Gov. Scott Walker survived yet another challenge.

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Son of actor Robert Mitchum blasts Dem for ‘deceptive’ ad in congressional race

Chris Mitchum, the son of legendary actor Robert Mitchum, is getting a bitter taste of politics as he mounts a bid for Congress in southern California – accusing his opponent of running a “deceptive” ad that twists his words.
Mitchum, who like his dad was an actor but is trying to transition into politics, is running against Rep. Lois Capps, a longtime Democratic lawmaker. Her campaign ran an ad – which since has been pulled after a complaint from Mitchum’s lawyers – that depicts Mitchum appearing to tell an interviewer that he does “not intend to go to Washington to represent the 24th District.” The tape then cuts off and jumps to a Capps message of approval.
The Mitchum remarks, though, actually come from a longer clip that shows him making a point about pet projects. What he actually said is he does not intend to go to Washington “to bring back baseball fields. That’s not why I’m going.”
A representative for Mitchum, Tab Berg, called the editing “deceptive” and said it completely altered the meaning of Mitchum’s words.
“The Capps campaign pulled the ad quietly, and tried to tell reporters that it had nothing to do with getting caught,” Berg told FoxNews.com. “Capps neglected to respond to the media about the issue, and in fact has been a no-show at five debates planned by community groups.”
In response to the ad, the Mitchum camp has launched its own “Truth” web video and online fundraising effort to address the incident. The spot opens with the original Capps ad, and then switches to the unedited clip from the interview.
“When it comes to the Lois Capps’ campaign, you can’t believe anything they say,” a laughing Mitchum says directly to the camera after his statement finishes.
Mitchum, a Republican, ran in 2012 but failed to make it past the primary.
Despite the allegations of clip-doctoring, Capps spokesman Chris Meagher said the ad still represents the “narrow political philosophy” of Capps’ opponent and is consistent with Mitchum’s views that residents of the 24th District are “not a priority.”
“My boss, on the other hand, has consistently advocated for the central coast,” Meagher said.  
Since the ad was pulled, Capps has released two new ads in its place.
Polling suggests that the election in the typically Democratic district will be surprisingly tight—numbers from Problosky Research show Mitchum with a narrow lead over Capps, 41.5-40.8 percent.
Capps, meanwhile, also has been dealing with a controversy this year, involving an aide who struck and killed a young woman in Santa Barbara with his car last December.

Was Foley rescue delayed? Administration had strong intelligence on hostages, location weeks before raid sign-off

EXCLUSIVE: As early as May, the Obama administration had strong and specific information about the location of American James Foley and other hostages held in Syria, a source close to the discussions told Fox News, but the rescue mission was not approved until early July.
The gap raises new and compelling questions about whether the operation to save the American and British hostages was unnecessarily delayed for at least five weeks because the administration wanted the intelligence to develop further.
“We had a lot of really good information on where they were being held, very specific information,” said the source, who agreed to discuss the details on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The source added that the Islamic State captors felt so secure in their stronghold of Raqqa, Syria, that the hostages were moved between only a handful of locations. By late spring, the American and British hostages had been held for at least three weeks in one facility.
Other sources backed up the account provided to Fox News. The timeline seems to conflict with administration claims that the White House signed off on the operation as soon as the intelligence allowed.
“The U.S. government had what we believed was sufficient intelligence, and when the opportunity presented itself, the president authorized the Department of Defense to move aggressively to recover our citizens," Lisa Monaco, the White House counterterrorism adviser, said in August, after journalist and hostage James Foley was executed and the video was posted by ISIS. “Unfortunately, that mission was ultimately not successful because the hostages were not present.”
A similar statement, which did not dispute the strength of the hostage location information, was provided to Fox News on Monday by National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan. "U.S. forces conducted this operation as soon as the President and his national security team were confident the mission could be carried out successfully and consistent with our policies for undertaking such operations," the statement said.
“The intelligence is never bullet-proof,” a former military official said. “When they [the rescue team] finally did go, the general view was that the intelligence was drying up. … These guys were ready to go, on a lower threshold [for the intelligence than the White House] … We want the American people to know we are there for them, and ready to go 24 hours a day.”
In an interview with Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren broadcast in mid-September, after ISIS posted the execution video of Foley, his parents said they also believed information was available about the hostage’s location long before the July rescue attempt.
"It was too late. I really feel that -- well, we were hinted that they knew where they were for, jeez, at different times they knew just where they were. But it was a dangerous mission,” Diane Foley explained.
“Like all Americans, we felt our government would succeed at whatever it decided to do, and were certainly dismayed that the effort was unsuccessful,” John Foley added.
Details have also emerged about the shadowy network of prisons used to hold the hostages who were held in close proximity to one another. Fox News has learned that after leaving a prison in the basement of the Aleppo Children’s hospital in the fall of 2013, the hostages were moved to a nearby industrial area -- before ISIS moved them again in early 2014 to their stronghold of Raqqa where over the next five months they were held in a handful of locations.
Fox News is withholding some details of their captivity as well as the names of hostages -- who have not been publicly identified by ISIS -- at the request of the families and the U.S. government.

Colorado could be at epicenter of battle for Senate control

Colorado’s extremely tight Senate race—at this point too close to call -- could play a crucial role in control of the Senate and the future direction of both political parties.
Most polls show incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Udall just slightly behind his Republican challenger, Rep. Cory Gardner.
"It's hugely important nationally," according to Colorado political analyst Eric Sondermann. "The number one theme of election night is going to be the battle for control of the U.S. Senate. Colorado is at the epicenter of that battle."
Udall easily won election to the Senate the same year Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination for president in a triumphant outdoor ceremony in Denver. Things have definitely changed.
"The president, obviously his popularity and approval ratings are in the tank," Sondermann said. “It is very tough being a Democrat in a swing state, particularly running for federal office."
Gardner has relentlessly worked to tie Udall to the president. At a recent campaign event he repeated his mantra, "I don't know if you've heard this or not, but Mark Udall has voted with the president 99 percent of the time."
For his part, Udall has continually hammered Gardner about reproductive issues for women, pointing out that Gardner has supported "personhood" amendments to the state constitution in two previous elections.
Those measures went down to defeat and Gardner said he does not support a similar amendment on the ballot this year.
"Reproductive freedom is a big deal for millions of Coloradians," Udall insisted. "If Congressman Gardner hadn't built his political career on trying to limit those freedoms, we probably would be having some other conversations."
However, focusing on this issue may not have worked out as well as Udall had hoped. The Denver Post cited it as one reason it chose to endorse Gardner, saying, "Udall is trying to frighten voters rather than inspire them with a hopeful vision. His obnoxious one-issue campaign is an insult to those he seeks to convince."
Sondermann asked if the strategy had backfired. "It doesn't seem to be having quite the punch and quite the impact that it's had for Democrats in past cycles,” he said. “I think it's left voters saying, 'What else do you have?'"
Colorado has seen a revolving door of big political names trying to tip the balance in favor of their party's candidate. Mitt Romney, Chris Christie and Jeb Bush for Gardner; Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Michele (though not Barack) Obama for Udall.
But the race's importance transcends this election. Both parties are watching Colorado to figure out which strategies will work and which won't in the 2016 presidential race.
Colorado's demographics are the reason: like the nation as a whole, the state is almost evenly divided between registered Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters with a growing Hispanic population.
Making things even more interesting, for the first time this year every registered voter has been sent a ballot in the mail. So far, official voter turnout numbers show that Republicans are voting in much larger numbers than either their Democratic or unaffiliated counterparts.

Some ObamaCare patients with high deductibles turning to community care centers

When ObamaCare patients learn their deductible is so high they’re unlikely to get any reimbursement, they often wind up in places like the Denton, Texas Community Care Center.
"There are quite a few, and I saw another one today, where their deductibles are so elevated that they can't afford them," said Dr. Flippo Masciarelli, chief physician at the center, which was designed to treat indigent patients.
Robert Laszewski of Health Policy and Strategy Associates noted, "You're going to the doctor, you're paying (a) premium, and because of this really high deductible, you're not getting any benefits."
The administration pushed insurance companies to keep premiums low, but that also created high deductibles, about $5,000 per person for the least expensive plan, as well as narrow networks of providers.
But most people buy based only on premiums.
"They don't even look at what their deductible is going to be," said Dan Mendelson, CEO of Avalere Health. "They don't look at the cost of the medications that they're on. And they don't look at the...network that they have."
Masciarelli said,"one of the ladies we saw said she called eight primary care offices before she found us..." The rest would not treat people on her plan. 
Rosemary Gibson of the Hastings Center and author of "The Battle over Health Care,” said many people find themselves in the same predicament. "People are scrambling to find a doctor who will see them, who will accept their insurance, who's in their network.  And if they can't, where they end up going is the safety net, which includes community health centers."
If the doctor these patients find orders additional tests or treatment, even those with ObamaCare are sometimes forced to go without.
Masciarelli said patients are honest about their problems. "They'll say you can't believe what this would cost me. I can't afford that. And they're trying to scrape together some money to get it done sometimes or, frankly, occasionally they'll say I'll just wait and see if things get worse."
That, he said, goes against the whole idea of preventive care, supposedly one of the advantages of ObamaCare, leaving many patients wondering what they're getting from the plan.
Health economist John Goodman said, "They go to community health centers because it's free or almost free and or very low charges. And that's why they're doing it. So they were coaxed to go into the ObamaCare system, they're paying premiums over there. And now they're asking what did I get for my premium? I'm having to go outside the system to get health care."
Masciarelli agreed. "We do get asked that question at times, yes, wondering you know, I have this product. I can't even use it. " 
Millions signed up after the president said premiums would be less than their monthly cell phone bill. But now, even those the law was most designed to help still must pay for their own care.
That may explain why the health care act remains unpopular.The latest Fox News Poll from October 25-27 found that by a 46-26 percent margin, more voters think ObamaCare “went too far” than “didn’t go far enough.”
It also is why so many Republicans have mentioned it in their campaign ads, with one source saying it was the leading topic in mid-October, with Republicans running 12,000 ads on health care.

Wisconsin mail carrier probed after allegedly dumping GOP political mailers

M.D. Kittle –  Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night may keep postal carriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. But partisan politics, now that may be another matter altogether.
An investigation has been launched into a Neenah, Wisconsin postal carrier who allegedly dumped into a recycling bin hundreds of political advertisement mailers from the campaign of Mike Rorhkaste, Republican candidate for Wisconsin’s 55th Assembly District, Rorhkaste tells Wisconsin Reporter.
Neenah Postmaster Brian Smoot, who was alerted to the incident on Thursday, confirmed that there is an ongoing investigation into the matter, and referred Wisconsin Reporter to the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Postal Service. OIG representatives there did not return several phone calls seeking comment Sunday.
“I am not allowed to comment because it is an active investigation,” Smoot said of accusations that the unidentified mail carrier mishandled the political literature.

Group: Terminally ill woman follows through on decision to end her life, dies in Oregon

A terminally ill woman who had decided to end her life after being told her illness would be long and painful has died, advocacy organization Compassion & Choices said Sunday.
Brittany Maynard, 29, who moved to Oregon where the “Death with Dignity Act” allows people to choose to die using medication, was diagnosed with a progressive brain tumor called glioblastoma multiforme. The average life expectancy is 14 months.
Compassion & Choices said in a statement that Maynard took lethal drugs prescribed by a doctor on Saturday and was surrounded by her family. 
"She died as she intended - peacefully in her bedroom, in the arms of her loved ones," the statement said. 
The group said the Maynard family has asked for privacy. The family did not release a separate statement confirming the death. 
Her story went viral after she posted a video on her website, The Brittany Maynard Fund, explaining her decision to end her life rather than try to fight the disease.
“If all my dreams came true, I would somehow survive this,” she said in a video. “But I likely won’t.”
Maynard chose Nov. 1 to die, but later said she would decided to postpone the day, saying she still shared enough joy and laughter with her family and friends that “it doesn’t seem like the right time right now, but it will come because I feel myself getting sicker; it’s happening each week.”
Maynard’s last days were spent completing a bucket list that included a trip to the Grand Canyon, and surrounding herself with her family.
The California native was diagnosed with a progressive brain tumor shortly after her wedding last year.
In a video, Maynard said the worst thing that could happen to her --- the most terrifying aspect – would be to wait too long and her autonomy be taken away by the disease.
In the video, Maynard said she takes walks with her family and husband, which “give her the greatest feelings of health I have these days” and that her condition continues to worsen every day.
About a week before she filmed the video, Maynard had her most terrifying set of seizures, two in a day, which is unusual.
“I remember looking at my husband’s face and thinking ‘I know this is my husband but I can’t say his name,’ and ended up going to the hospital for that one.”
Dan, her husband, said they were taking things one day at a time.
“You take away all the material stuff, all the nonsense we seem to latch on to as a society and you realize that those moments are really what matter,” he said.
Maynard hopes that after her death, her husband can be happy and have a family.
Maynard said she has gained 25 pounds in the past three months because of her prescription medications and that she finds it hard to look at herself in photos or the mirror because her body has become so unrecognizable.
Since Maynard’s story went viral, she has been working to raise awareness of end-of-life rights by working with Compassion & Choices, and The Brittany Maynard Fund. She has also been traveling and spending time with her family.
“Sadly, it is impossible to forget my cancer. Severe headaches and neck pain are never far away, and unfortunately the next morning I had my worst seizure thus far. My speech was paralyzed for quite a while after I regained consciousness, and the feeling of fatigue continued for the rest of the day,” Maynard said on her website.
“The seizure was a harsh reminder that my symptoms continue to worsen as the tumor runs its course. However, I find meaning and take pride that the Compassion & Choices movement is accelerating rapidly, thanks to supporters like you,” Maynard said.
Maynard had said she planned to die in her bedroom at home surrounded by her husband, mother, step-father and best friend.

World Trade Center reopens for business 13 years after 9/11 devastation

Thirteen years after the 9/11 terrorist attack, World Trade Center is opening for business again.
Conde Nast will start moving Monday into One World Trade Center, a 104-story, $3.9 billion skyscraper that dominates the Manhattan skyline.
It's the centerpiece of the 16-acre site where the decimated twin towers once stood and where more than 2,700 people died on Sept. 11, 2001, buried under smoking mounds of fiery debris.
"The New York City skyline is whole again, as One World Trade Center takes its place in Lower Manhattan," said Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that owns both the building and the World Trade Center site.
He said One World Trade Center "sets new standards of design, construction, prestige and sustainability; the opening of this iconic building is a major milestone in the transformation of Lower Manhattan into a thriving 24/7 neighborhood."
With the construction fences gone, America’s tallest building is considered by Conde Nast CEP Chuck Townsend as the, “most secure office building in America.”
About 3,000 employees will join the 170 expected to move in Monday in 2015. The publishing giants will take over five floors of the building.
The building is 60 percent leased, with another 80,000 square feet going to the advertising firm Kids Creative, the stadium operator Legends Hospitality, the BMB Group investment adviser, and Servcorp, a provider of executive offices.
The tower overlooks the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Its aim is to honor those who died in the terrorist attacks.
For years, the grisly pit where workers found mostly body parts was dubbed the "ground zero" of the aerial terror attack.
At night, the incandescent steel-and-glass behemoth can be seen from vessels in New York Harbor approaching Manhattan.
Soon, an observation deck will be open to the public.
The eight-year construction of the 1,776-foot high skyscraper came after years of political, financial and legal infighting that threatened to derail the project.
The bickering slowly died down as two other towers started going up on the southeast end of the site: the now completed 4 World Trade Center whose anchor tenant is the Port Authority, and 3 World Trade Center that's slowly rising.

Ballot issues on abortion, pot, guns have potential to boost Election Day turnout

Nearly 150 ballot measures across the country -- including ones on abortion, guns and marijuana -- will be voted on Tuesday, key issues that have the potential to influence voter turnout in state and national races.
Voters in Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia will vote on measures that would allow recreational use of marijuana for adults.
The measures in Oregon and Alaska would allow for the retail sale of pot to anyone old enough to drink. The measure in the District of Columbia would make it legal to grow and possess marijuana, but not sell it.
And in Florida, residents will decide whether to make their state the 24th to allow marijuana use for medical reasons.
The measure has divided the rivals in Florida's closely contested gubernatorial race between Republican incumbent Rick Scott and Democratic challenger Charlie Crist, who supports the proposal.
The debate in Florida usually generates talk of young people potentially flooding the polls. But seniors, who flock to the state to retire, are the most reliable voters and could be key to the outcome of the measure.
A total of 147 ballot measures will go before voters on Election Day, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Three measures related directly or indirectly to abortion have sparked sharp debate in several states.
In Colorado, a "personhood" amendment would add fetuses to those protected by the state's criminal and wrongful death act. Opponents say it could lead to a ban on abortions. Supporters say it's intended to strengthen protections for pregnant women.
Colorado Sen. Mark Udall  is relying on women voters to help him win re-election in his close race with Republican challenger GOP Rep. Cory Gardner.
Similar measures are on the ballot in North Dakota and Tennessee.
In Massachusetts, voters will decide on a ballot measure to repeal a 2011 law authorizing development of a slots parlor and up to three resort casinos. The state has none now.
Washington voters will be faced with two competing gun-related measures.
One seeks background checks for all gun sales and transfers, including private transactions. The other would prevent any such expansion covering purchases from private sellers.
Six states require universal background checks for all sales and transfers of firearms. Washington's law, like the federal law, requires checks for sales or transfers by licensed dealers but not for purchases from private sellers.
Colorado and Oregon have measures that would require labeling of certain genetically modified foods. Each proposal would apply to raw and packaged foods produced entirely or partially by genetic engineering, but would not apply to food served in restaurants.
Midterm elections typically have a lower turnout than election years with a presidential race. And voter enthusiasm is often lower for the party that occupies the White House.
A recent study by Tufts University found turnout is higher in states with a referendum, compared to states without them and that the situation is particularly more prevalent in midterm elections. The study also found that the increased turnout can be attributed to “campaigns that use a ballot measure to mobilize voters.”
However, media coverage of the issue also appears necessary to increase the turnout, according to the study.
In Florida and elsewhere across the country, a greater percentage of seniors vote than any other age group, and their share of the total electorate is even more pronounced in years without a presidential contest.
President Obama has tried in the closing weeks of the midterms to appeal to African-American voters, who typically cast ballots for Democratic candidates, to get out and vote.
The African-American turnout will be vital to Democrats’ hopes in states such as Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana and North Carolina that will help determine control of the Senate.

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Orman's Republican 'clown' comment in Kansas offends Dole, Sen. Roberts

Kansas Independent Senate candidate Greg Orman’s suggesting on Friday that top Republicans barnstorming the state for GOP incumbent Sen. Pat Roberts is nothing more than a “Washington Establishment clown car” got a sharp response from former Kansas GOP Sen. Bob Dole.
“I don't think I've ever been called a ‘clown’ before. I'm disappointed by Mr. Orman's statement," said the 91-year-old Dole, who was also the GOP presidential nominee in 1996 and served 35 years in Congress.
Orman, in an unexpected, too-close-to-call race with Roberts, made the remark at a campaign stop.
"Mr. Orman’s personal attacks and disdain for Senator Dole and other Republican leaders have no place in this campaign,” Roberts said. “If he wants to attack me, that’s fine because I’m used to being attacked by liberals. But Mr. Orman owes Senator Dole an apology.”
He also told Fox News on Saturday the comment was a “cheap shot” and proves how out of touch the Orman campaign is because nobody running for public office would ever criticize Dole.
“It’s unfortunate,” Roberts said.
The Orman campaign told the Kansas City Star that the candidate did not intend to slight Dole or anyone else at the rally.
Orman has based his campaign on his disdain for both major political parties.
But Democrats and Republicans have something the Kansas City businessman could really use right now: an established get out the vote operation.
In most elections, making sure that friendly voters cast their ballots is more important for a candidate in a race's final days than wooing new supporters.
Roberts, who is seeking a fourth term, has several thousand GOP campaign workers and volunteers armed with the latest voter information who are making sure his likely supporters vote in person or by mail, in addition to Dole and other Republican heavy weights helping him on the campaign tour.  
This week, the National Republican Senatorial Committee dispatched a top operative to help oversee his phone bank, door-knocking and transportation efforts.
Orman, 45, hopes that a quickly assembled turnout effort using new voter data techniques and about 800 volunteers will make up for his lack of a party apparatus.
Orman, whose campaign surged in September when the Democratic challenger dropped out of the race, is trying to appeal to voters disgusted with partisan gridlock in Washington. He is especially targeting registered independents, who make up 30 percent of Kansas' electorate, along with any Republicans tired of Roberts, 78, after his four decades in Washington. Forty-two percent of GOP voters supported Roberts' opponent, a Tea Party advocate, in the primary.

Debate moderator apologizes for accusing Scott Brown of botching NH geography

A debate moderator apologized to Republican New Hampshire Senate candidate Scott Brown Thursday night after accusing him on-air of botching his state geography -- though Brown technically was correct. 
The meandering conversation about New Hampshire regions started after WMUR reporter James Pindell asked Brown at the debate Thursday about what is going "right" and "wrong" in the economy of Sullivan County, which hugs the western edge of New Hampshire. 
Scott, who used to represent Massachusetts in the Senate, has faced "carpetbagger" accusations throughout his campaign to unseat Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire. In response to Pindell's question, Brown launched into a general answer about different regions of the state. 
"Geography plays a role along the southern border. We have more jobs, we have more opportunity, infrastructure, and other opportunities up north are difficult," he said. "One of the biggest opportunities is tourism. One of the biggest opportunities are ski areas and trails for snowmobiles -- I support those efforts." 
Pindell then interrupted to remind Brown they were talking about Sullivan County. "I think you were talking about the North Country," he said. 
Brown responded: "I'm talking about any place past Concord, actually, and the challenges of our state." 
This is where the disagreement arose. After Brown listed several "challenges," Pindell interrupted again, his voice raised. 
"Sullivan County is west of Concord," he said. "It's not north of Concord, Senator Brown. So what do you see as going well and what's not going well there?" 
Brown maintained that "the challenges are the same in every county in our state." 
Pindell then pitched to Shaheen, with the introduction, "Of course you've been that county's governor and senator for 12 years."
Brown's campaign reportedly claimed afterward that the GOP candidate was referring to Mount Sunapee, a ski resort in Sullivan County he had visited. 
Though New Hampshire Democrats seized on the exchange to mock Brown, Pindell later acknowledged that, while Sullivan County is west of Concord, much of it also lies north of the capital. 
Pindell also went on air to apologize. 
"I said that Sullivan County was west of Concord, not north of Concord. The truth is, it's both. So on this point, Scott Brown was right, I was wrong, and I apologize to Scott Brown and to both campaigns," he said. The incident was reminiscent of an exchange during a 2012 presidential debate where CNN's Candy Crowley corrected Mitt Romney on a point about Benghazi, though the matter was in dispute.

Governor's race in 'deep-blue' Maryland now among tightest, garnering big money and interest

The campaign for Maryland GOP gubernatorial nominee Larry Hogan earlier this week enthusiastically predicted that a win Tuesday would be the surprise, upset victory of the midterm elections.
And it might well be correct.
Left off essentially everybody’s list of hot governors’ races, the tightening Maryland contest has now captured the national spotlight with big outside money and A-list politicians coming in to close the deal for Hogan or Democratic nominee Anthony Brown, who has served eight years as Gov. Martin O’Malley’s lieutenant governor.
That Hogan, a businessman and son of a former congressman, would even be close this late is a surprise.
Democratic voters outnumber Republicans 2-to-1 in Maryland. And only two Republicans have held the governor’s office the past four decades.
But a sluggish local economy and years of tax increases by the O’Malley administration -- including an infamous “rain water tax" -- appears to have voters looking for a change.
Brown had led the race by double digits from the start. But recent polls -- including one by The Baltimore Sun in mid-October that indicated Brown ahead by just 7 percentage points -- have shown his lead starting to slip.
However, the turning point seemed to occur after a Republican-sponsored poll released Monday showed Hogan trailing Brown by just 2 percentage points, 46-to-44 percent.
“It’s a little crazy right now, but we believe everything is now breaking our way,” Hogan said Wednesday from the campaign trail. “The timing is perfect. The momentum is there for Democrats and independents. There’s a full-scale tax revolt in deep-blue Maryland.”
Though the poll was commissioned by the Hogan campaign, pollsters, Democrats, Republicans and essentially everybody else with an interest in the midterms took notice.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, arrived Tuesday in Maryland, for his third visit of the cycle, and was followed two days later by Hillary Clinton, whose many titles now include one of the most influential Democrats on the campaign trail.
And within the past four days, two of Washington’s most respected, nonpartisan pollsters have changed their handicap of the race to show Brown on less-sure footing.
On Friday, the Cook Political Report moved the race into its “tossup” category. And on Wednesday, the Rothenberg Political Report shifted the race for Democrats from “favored” to the lesser “lean.” 
Hogan spokesman Adam Dubitsky suggests Maryland Democrats have taken Hogan too lightly, pointing out that Brown, a Harvard law school graduate who served in Iraq, said during his tough primary race that winning the general election would just be “a little bit of a mole hill.”
The Brown campaign did not return calls seeking comment. However, campaign spokesman Justin Schall has downplayed the notion that the national attention suggests Brown is fading.
"That is Republicans' wishful thinking," he told The Sun.
The last Republican to win the Maryland governorship was Robert Ehrlich in 2002. He was preceded by Spiro Agnew in 1967. Ehrlich was defeated in 2006 by O’Malley, who must leave as a result of term limits and appears to be strongly considering a run for president in 2016.
President Obama, who took nearly 62 percent of the Maryland vote in 2012, has also campaigned for Brown.
The RNC and its counterpart, the Democratic Governors Association, will reportedly spend $1.5 million collectively on TV ads.
And a political action committee for former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has pledged to spend $500,000 on its own TV ads, to hammer Hogan’s National Rifle Association endorsement.
While national political reporters largely saw Brown’s biggest liability as the failed rollout of the state’s ObamaCare exchange that Brown oversaw, state Republicans have clearly made the race about taxes and have tried to convince Marylanders that a vote for Brown is a vote for a third term of tax increases.
“It’s not fear of raising taxes,” said Rob Carter, former finance chairman for the Maryland Republican Party. “It’s an absolute certainty.”
O’Malley has signed into law 40 new taxes while in office, according to Forbes.com.
He signed the rain water tax bill  in 2012, in response to an Environmental Protection Agency mandate on cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. Property owners in 10 jurisdiction including Baltimore City now pay an annual fee that ranges from rough $26 to $256.
“Anthony Brown means eight more years of Martin O’Malley,” Carter said. “They are two peas in a pod.” 

Republicans cheer Tahmooressi's release, question Obama's role

Republicans on Saturday welcomed the news of Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi being released from a Mexico prison and the efforts by GOP congressmen to help broker a deal but questioned whether the Obama administration did enough.
“President Obama still isn’t using all of the tools and levers that we have as the world’s lone super power, whether it is as simple as getting Sgt. Tahmooressi released from custody to defending our interests or protecting our allies in the Middle East,” Arkansas GOP Rep. Tom Cotton told Fox News.
Cotton, who is now running for Senate, wrote Obama asking him to intervene.  
A Mexican judge on Friday ordered Tahmooressi’s immediate release, after he spent seven months behind bars for crossing the border with loaded guns.
The judge said Tahmooressi should be freed because of his mental state. But he did not make a determination on the illegal-arms charges against the Afghanistan veteran diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a Mexican official who had knowledge of the ruling but was not authorized to give his name.
California GOP Rep. Dana Rohrabacher told The Washington Times that Obama was “AWOL” throughout the process.
Rohrabacher said he, fellow California GOP Rep. Ed Royce, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Arizona GOP Matt Salmon fought for Tahmooressi’s release after President Obama did not.
“The president, who is also the commander in chief, didn’t do his job,” Rohrabacher told the newspaper. “There is a lack of concern for this man, for this American hero who served our country. As commander in chief he showed a total disdain and non-interest in an American hero who served us in Afghanistan and a total disregard for the fact that he was suffering.”
Tahmooressi has said he took a wrong turn on a California freeway that funneled him into a Tijuana port of entry with no way to turn back.
"It is with an overwhelming and humbling feeling of relief that we confirm that Andrew was released today after spending 214 days in Mexican Jail," his family said in a statement.
Former 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin called the announcement of Tahmooressi’s release “wonderful news.”
But Palin also said she was disappointed to hear reports that the White House “never did fight” for his freedom.
“If true, then President Obama once again broke that sacred commitment to never leave an American behind,” she said on her Facebook page. “If I'm wrong on this, I'll be more than happy to acknowledge the president's efforts to see an honored vet set free.”
Republican and Democratic politicians had held talks with Mexican authorities to urge his release. A U.S. congressional committee also held a public hearing to pressure Mexico to free him.
Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was "elated" by the news and that Tahmooressi’s PTSD will be treated by specialists in the United States.
"As I said after visiting Andrew in the Mexican jail, he needs to come home to the United States to be with his mother, Jill, and the support network of friends I know to be standing by to help him,” Royce said.
Richardson, who grew up in Mexico and has negotiated on a range of international issues, said he met with Tahmooressi in jail in the border city of Tecate, and he had talked to Mexican officials to urge them to release him on humanitarian grounds.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., also applauded his release.
"As a mother, my heart is with Jill Tahmooressi tonight and I can only imagine the many emotions she must be experiencing, namely the relief in knowing her son is coming home and that they will soon be reunited.”
Mexican authorities, however, had made clear that they would not be influenced by politics and that the matter was in the hands of its courts.
The Mexico Embassy said the judge’s rule was the correct legal decision but disputed allegations that U.S. officials were blocked from seeing Tahmooressi.
“From the first moment of his arrest up until his release, U.S. consular officials had access to him,” the embassy said in a statement.
In Mexico, possession of weapons restricted for use by the Army is a federal crime, and the country has been tightening up its border checks to stop the flow of US weapons that have been used by drug cartels.
His attorney, Fernando Benitez, had pushed for the 26-year-old Florida man to be released because Mexico has no experience in treating combat-related PTSD, even in its own soldiers.
Benitez had argued that Tahmooressi carries loaded guns with him because his weapons, which were bought legally in the U.S., make him feel safer. He added that the veteran is often distracted, which could have contributed to him becoming lost.
Still, Mexican prosecutors maintained Tahmooressi broke the law.
Tahmooressi was carrying in his truck a rifle, shotgun, pistol and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
After being jailed in Tijuana, Tahmooressi's mother said, he tried to kill himself by cutting his neck with a shard from a light bulb in his cell because the guards and inmates threatened to rape, torture and kill him and he feared she would be in danger.
He was transferred to another prison, where a pastor visited him regularly and the Mexican government says he was under medical observation.
But a psychiatrist hired by Mexican prosecutors to examine the Afghanistan veteran agreed with the defense that he should get PTSD treatment in the United States, noting in a Sept. 30 report that Tahmooressi, who now serves in the Marine reserve, feels like he is constantly in danger.
Tahmooressi did not admit wrongdoing, and he still maintains his innocence, his attorney said.
His mother has said her son's time in a Mexican jail has been worse than his two tours in Afghanistan.
Tahmooressi left Florida for San Diego in January to get help after dropping out of college, unable to concentrate or sleep, his mother said.
The case marks one of the first times Mexico made a ruling on PTSD — though the psychological wound is increasingly used in U.S. courts, especially in arguing for reduced sentences.

Chicken Cartoon

Leak week: Obama team shows signs of strain as anonymous officials take gripes to media

The Three Stooges.

WASHINGTON –  The White House ship is springing some leaks. 
Trouble-making personnel inside the Obama administration have taken to the press at a steady clip in recent days to badmouth senior officials, as well as a key American ally. And as President Obama enters his seventh year in office, the whispers and potshots are running the risk of undermining the once-cohesive image of the "no drama Obama" team. 
Whether it's a few leaky apples or the sign of a larger morale problem is unclear. But several stories with sharp-edged quotes attributed to unnamed administration officials have culminated in an embarrassing week for the White House -- complete with plenty of backpedaling and clarifications to assert a polished narrative that all is well. 
But the tarnish may be showing. 
Frustrated officials have started to air their grievances on everything from the current relationship between the U.S. and Israel to the military response in Syria. 
The latest batch of stories started on Monday, when The Atlantic magazine quoted an anonymous official describing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “chickenshit.” The comment follows weeks of heated exchanges between Netanyahu’s government and Washington over disputed settlement-building.
“The thing about Bibi is, he’s a chickenshit,” the official was quoted as saying. 
The article caused a furor, as Republicans demanded accountability for the anonymous insult to America's ally. White House and State Department officials insisted the remark does not reflect the administration's views, and White House officials reportedly were calling lawmakers to hammer home that point. 
Not everyone was buying the administration's contrite tone. Fox News contributor Judith Miller suggested that comment was "authorized," to "send a message to Israel." 
But other comments clearly were not green-lighted by the White House. In the latest episode, ticked-off military officials told The Daily Beast they were frustrated by the tight constraints the White House is placing on them in the war against the Islamic State in Syria. 
Disgruntled officers and civilian Pentagon leaders reportedly claimed that National Security Adviser Susan Rice, who is calling much of the shots on U.S. operations in Syria, is “obsessed with the tiniest of details” and referred to the process as “manic.” 
The White House reportedly has instructed the military to keep the war contained within policy limits which include restrictions on which rebels can be trained to fight and what their roles will be in the field. The sources said Rice’s micro-managing of basic operational details is tying their hands and holding up progress. 
Earlier, on Wednesday, The New York Times reported that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel also was a critic of the White House strategy in Syria. Hagel recently wrote a memo to Rice warning that the current strategy was too unfocused and didn’t clearly address U.S. intentions and how it relates to Syrian President Bashir al-Assad, the Times reported. 
Hagel did not back off his comments on Thursday, saying, “We owe the president and we owe the National Security Council our best thinking on this. And it has to be honest and it has to be direct.” 
The perception of a harmonious Cabinet was further dented following another claim in the Times article that officials routinely joked Secretary of State John Kerry is like the astronaut Sandra Bullock plays in the movie “Gravity,” and that he’s “somersaulting through space, un-tethered from the White House.” 
The article seemed to suggest that Obama’s once tight-knit circle of confidants has come apart in recent months as more and more staff members resign or retire. Personnel shakeups have led some to question the effectiveness of the president’s crisis-management teams. 
The comments prompted Earnest and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to come to Kerry’s defense. Sort of.
“Those of us working every day at [the] White House aren’t distracted by sometimes colorful, sometimes problematic, and in the case of Sandra Bullock, sometimes amusing comments,” Earnest told reporters. 
McDonough also defended Obama’s chief diplomat, telling Bloomberg Television “that picture of Secretary Kerry is not what I witness.” He added that Obama and Kerry meet regularly and described the relationship as “very solid.”
McDonough also refuted rumors of a rift between Kerry and Rice, insisting they have a collaborative relationship. 
Whether the administration is hunting down the officials quoted remains to be seen. Earnest gave no indication there would be a vigorous hunt for the official behind the Netanyahu dig. 
The shots aren't just coming from inside the administration, either. On a lighter note, another influential figure badmouthed the president this week -- Michael Jordan. 
When asked about the president’s golf game during a recent interview Jordan said, “I’ve never played with Obama, but I would.” He added, “I’d take him out. He’s a hack and I’d be all day playing with him … I never said he wasn’t a great politician. I’m just saying he’s a shi--y golfer.”

License, ID card policies stir concerns over illegal immigrants voting

Thank You Mr. Obama! This is how the Democrats win, with non-citizens.

As more states begin providing illegal immigrants and their children with driver's licenses and ID cards, officials are concerned some also are registering to vote -- some by mistake, and others on purpose. 
The problem came to light recently in North Carolina, which compared its voter rolls against a federal immigration database. The cross-check of 10,000 voters found 1,425 likely non-citizen voters, including 109 illegal immigrants or so-called "Dreamers." Almost 10 percent registered to vote when getting their driver's license. But election officials say the problem is nationwide. 
"In terms of a check and balance that would prevent an individual who is a non U.S. citizen from registering to vote, that doesn't exist. There's absolutely nothing stopping them," said Neal Kelley, Orange County registrar of voters and chairman of the California Association of Election Officials.
The problem, officials say, dates back to the 1993 federal Motor Voter Act, which requires states to offer residents the ability to register to vote when they obtain a driver's license or ID card. In some states, the driver's license and voter registration application are on the same form, and the applicant simply signs. In small print, the form says applicants acknowledge they are U.S. citizens. In other states, voter registration is a separate form and applicants check a box. In either case, once signed, the forms are automatically sent to the county or state registrar of voters, and the name is added to voter rolls. 
State DMV officials are not required to authenticate citizenship.
"They're asked to check a box that they're a U.S. citizen, but that's not good enough," said Kris Kobach, Kansas secretary of state. "We have so many aliens on our voter rolls who check that box -- either because they're trying to break the law or because they didn't know exactly what they were doing." 
There are two ways to eliminate or slow the problem. While only U.S. citizens can vote, only four states require proof before registering: Kansas, Arizona, Georgia and Alabama. States can also compare voter rolls to a federal immigration database known as SAVE, or the Systemic Alien Verification System for Entitlements. Four states tried, but the ACLU and others sued, stopping Virginia, Iowa and Florida from purging voter rolls of non-citizens.
"We want the public to understand that people are not being proactive in dealing with this massive problem," said Jay DeLancy, director of the North Carolina Voter Integrity Project. "Any state that has DACA licenses, any state that offers any sort of driver's licenses to people who are not citizens has the problem."
The ACLU claims the federal immigration database isn't perfect and could disenfranchise voters.
Under the National Voter Registration Act, states are required to remove from their registration lists ineligible voters. But U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder refuses to enforce the statute. Not a single such lawsuit has been filed since the beginning of the Obama administration, according to author John Fund. 
"This is such a huge problem," Kobach said. "And once the aliens get on the voter rolls, solutions don't solve the problem. If you want to work with the federal government, they’re going to make you jump through a whole bunch of hoops."
Use of the SAVE database, while not perfect, isn't cheap. Each name cross checked costs a state or county 50 cents.
In Maryland, a voter integrity group obtained a list of residents who were removed from jury duty because they were non-citizens. Among them, 509 were also registered to vote. The group, Virginia Voters Alliance, claims up to 7 percent of Maryland's registered voters could be non-citizens.
"Yes that can occur," said Kelley. "Whether they're a felon on parole or a non-U.S. citizen or somebody else who may be ineligible to register to vote, they can end up on the rolls."

ISIS militants line up, kill 50 tribesmen and women in Iraq town

BAGHDAD –  Islamic State group extremists lined up and shot dead at least 50 tribesmen and women in Iraq's Anbar province, officials said Saturday, the latest mass killing committed by the group.
The shooting happened late Friday in the village of Ras al-Maa, north of the provincial capital of Ramadi, Anbar councilman Faleh al-Issawi said.
Militants accused men and women of the Al Bu Nimr tribe of retaliating against them after being displaced from their homes when the group seized the Anbar town of Hit last month, al-Issawi said.
"These killings are taking place almost on a daily basis now in the areas under the control of the Islamic State group and they will continue unless this terrorist group is stopped," al-Issawi told The Associated Press.
An official in the Anbar governor's office confirmed the death toll. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to brief journalists.
On Thursday, authorities found the bodies of 48 Sunni tribesmen killed by the Islamic State group in Anbar.
The Islamic State group has overrun a large part of Anbar province in its push to expand its territory, which currently current stands at about one-third of both Iraq and Syria. Officials with the Iraqi government, as well as officials with the U.S.-led coalition targeting the extremists, repeatedly have said that Iraqi tribes are key in the fight against the Islamic State group since they are able to penetrate areas inaccessible to airstrikes and ground forces.
Meanwhile Saturday, the United Nations mission in Baghdad said that at least 1,273 Iraqis were killed in violence in October, a slight increase compared to last month amid the Islamic State group's assault.
The U.N. report said violence killed 856 civilians and 417 members of Iraq's security forces, while attacks wounded 2,010 Iraqis.
The worst-hit city was Baghdad, with 379 civilians killed, the report said.
The U.N. figures do not take into account causalities in Anbar province nor some other militant-held parts of Iraq.
The U.N. has said September's death toll was 1,119 Iraqis killed.

Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi freed from Mexican jail, immediately returns to US

After 214 days in a Mexican prison, Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi crossed the US – Mexican border Friday night, boarding a private jet for Florida shortly after 9 p.m., after a strong diplomatic push convinced a judge to release the former Marine on humanitarian grounds.
His release comes after a lengthy trial and a Congressional hearing in September highly critical of Obama Administration efforts to secure his release and Mexico’s refusal to let him go.  Tahmooressi said he made an innocent mistake the evening he crossed into Tijuana with three weapons in his truck on March 31.
While his defense rested its case several weeks ago, Tahmooressi’s release came only after a strong diplomatic push from former Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Reps. Ed Royce (R-CA) and Matt Salmon (R-AZ).
The three officials, along with Tahmooressi’s mother Jill, have spent the last week in Tijuana pressing officials for his release.
Speaking by phone on his way to board a plane with Tahmooressi, Richardson said the trio, along with talk show host Montel Williams, met with Mexico’s Attorney General and Ambassador to the US, advocating for his liberation.
Upon release, Mexican officials processed him quickly through immigration, Richardson said.
“He was happy.  He was smiling.  He's looking good.  His spirits are high,” Richardson told Fox News, adding that Tahmooressi said he wants a steak dinner and stone crabs.
But Richardson also said Tahmooressi is seeking privacy and still needs to receive treatment for his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, something that wasn’t available in Mexican prison-- a key argument put forth by defense attorney Fernando Benitez.
FoxNews.com covered Tahmooressi's seven-month ordeal extensively, with numerous reports from the Tijuana court where hearings were held, interviews with the jailed Marine by telephone and several guest opinion columns by military, medical and legal experts critical of his treatment in Mexico. 

Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteran also covered the case extensively, even driving the poorly-marked and confusing route Tahmooressi took the night he was detained and going to the prison where he was held. But other national media outlets largely ignored the plight of Tahmooressi, and the White House was heavily criticized for not doing more to secure his release despite the fact that Tahmooressi  served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Benitez said that Tahmooressi was continuing to deteriorate and Mexico didn’t have the expertise or facilities to treat his PTSD, which he suffered after two tours in Afghanistan.  
The defense attorney also alleged that customs agents held Tahmooerssi illegally, denying him access to a translator, lawyer and consular access.
But after the seven-month ordeal, it was the PTSD argument that ultimately pressured the judge to acquit Tahmooressi.

Stepped In It Cartoon

Warrant issued for husband of Delaware lawmaker over GOP sign swiping

Sen. Bethany Hall-Long

WASHINGTON –  Police in Delaware are looking for the husband of a state senator who was caught on video taking down political signs put up by Republican challengers.
Middletown police reportedly have issued an arrest warrant for Dana Armon Long, the husband of state Sen. Bethany Hall-Long, for allegedly stealing campaign signs.
Police responded Wednesday following complaints about the repeated theft of the political signs. 
In a video that was posted to YouTube on Wednesday, Long is shown carrying an armful of Republican signs. The takedown was filmed early Wednesday morning and was posted online. In the clip, which was taken over several hours, a man with a video camera appears to take Long by surprise.  
The man videotaping Long asks him, “What are you doing this for?” to which Long replies, “Hey, don’t stop me."
Long did not comment on the allegations when contacted by the Delaware News Journal.
Both Republican and Democratic party leaders condemned the thefts on Wednesday.
"When you only have a track record of high taxes, unemployment and lower wages for private sector employees to stand on, the Democrats must resort to breaking the law to win elections because they are scared of being held accountable for their dismal performance," John Fluharty, executive director of the state GOP, said in a written statement to the newspaper.
John Daniello, chairman of the state Democratic Party, said in a statement that, "Each campaign season, we deal with candidates removing their opponent's signs. This behavior is absolutely unacceptable. There are more positive ways in which to support your candidate regardless of party affiliation."
If he’s found guilty of the Class A misdemeanor, Long could spend up to a year in prison and face a $2,300 fine.

Democrat running for lieutenant governor of Arkansas used to be a stripper

Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor in Arkansas John Burkhalter said being a male stripper in Little Rock was one of the many “tough jobs” he had in his past.
“I did have that job for a while, a very short time,” Burkhalter told Larry Henry in an interview for 5NEWS, a CBS affiliate in Arkansas. He was asked about being portrayed as a candidate with a “different background, from Chippendales dancer to multi-millionaire.”
“It was when I was in Little Rock,” Burkhalter said. “I’ve always been an athlete, and I was actually buying cows from a farm.”
“I had like 17 acres in a little place called Billy Goat Hill, which is in North Pulaski County, and I was trying to make my way in life,” he said.
On a message board entitled “Old Chippendales,” a user going by the name “verymarried,” recalled Burkhalter’s stripper days.
“John was once a major body builder and moonlighted as a male stripper in so called straight strip joints in a low-end southern Chippendale style circuit,” the message said. “He wore white tuxes with tails and handed out long stem roses to ladies, then took everything off.”

Former Marine banned from daughter’s school after dispute over Islam lesson

A former Marine who served in Iraq says he's been banned from his daughter's Maryland high school after a heated argument over a lesson on Islam.
Kevin Wood told MyFoxDC.com that he went to La Plata High School in La Plata, a town about 30 miles southeast of Washington, and challenged a history assignment requiring students to list the benefits of Islam. He said the meeting with the vice principal got heated; the school said he made a threat and banned the Iraq veteran from school property.
"[Wood] was threatening to cause a disruption or possible disruption at the school," a district spokesperson said.
Wood did not deny getting worked up over the issue, but said he was standing up for the Constitution and is against any religion being taught at the public school.
"I have witnesses that have said I did not threaten anybody," he told the station. "I don't force my religious views on them, so don't force your religious views on me."
The school is allowing his eleventh-grade daughter to spend the class time in the school's library, but defended its assignment and said it is teaching world history, not religion.
Wood's wife, Melissa, wondered how teaching about one religion is considered a history lesson while teaching about Christianity would be viewed diffrerently.
"We cannot discuss our Ten Commandments in school but they can discuss Islam's Five Pillars?"
The three-page assignment asked questions including, "How did Muslim conquerors treat those they conquered?"
A homework assignment obtained by MyFoxDC.com showed the correct answer was, “With tolerance, kindness and respect."

Colorado election law prompts concerns about voter fraud

Colorado's new election system is being panned by critics as a "ridiculous experiment" that could lead to more voter fraud -- in a year of very tight races with nothing less than control of the Senate on the line. 
This election year, every eligible Colorado voter is getting their ballot in the mail. It's a system used by only two other states -- Oregon and Washington. 
"We are only the third state in the United States trying this ridiculous experiment," said Marilyn Marks, an anti-voter fraud advocate with the Rocky Mountain Foundation. What's more, she warns, "We have added to it a toxic mix by adding same-day registration."
One of the most worrisome aspects of the new system, for some, is that once ballots are filled in, they are not required to be mailed back. The ballots can be taken to drop-off locations to avoid paying postage. And the law allows for what is known as "ballot harvesting." One individual can collect the ballots of up to 10 people to drop off.
"I'm as worried about undo influence as I am about straight up fraud," Marks said. "There are ballot harvesting groups going door-to-door, asking people to hand over their ballots. You can imagine some more vulnerable members of the community, particularly the elderly, who may feel under pressure."
"Colorado has no effective way of determining whether an individual has collected more than 10 ballots," cautioned El Paso County Clerk Wayne Williams, who also is a candidate for secretary of state. Williams complained that the state has no requirement that "your vote will count if you give it to a ballot harvester who then never turns that ballot in." 
Adding to the potential confusion, every registered voter will get a ballot. "The new law requires ballots to be sent to people who may not have voted in decades," Williams said. "In El Paso County, we've had voters report to us that they've received ballots from a voter registration drive for a person who has never lived at that address."
Election officials offer reassurances that all ballot signatures will be verified against voter registration records. Yet Colorado's new same-day voter registration law does not require a photo ID.
"You have to provide a driver's license number, specific to Colorado, a state ID number or your last four of your social," Denver Elections Director Amber McReynolds said.
"If the signature that was provided [for registration] was not accurate to begin with," Williams points out, "there is still a very real possibility of a fake registration resulting in a vote that counts and negates the vote of someone who was legitimately entitled to vote."
Those who still want to vote the old-fashioned way can do so, by bringing their unused mail-in ballots to a polling place and handing them in before voting.
While a small amount of voter fraud might not make a difference in the outcome of most races, the Real Clear Politics polling average has the governors' race in Colorado, between incumbent Democrat John Hickenlooper and GOP challenger Bob Beauprez, tied at 45 percent each. 
In the U.S. Senate race, the RCP average has GOP challenger Cory Gardner up by only 3.6 percentage points over Democratic Sen. Mark Udall, who is fighting to win a second term. 
The new election laws were passed by a Democratically controlled state legislature. So far, though, voter turnout numbers provided by the Colorado secretary of state's office show that Republicans are turning in ballots in much larger numbers than either Democrats or those registered as unaffiliated.

Quarantine Cartoon

Suspected shooter of US-born Israel activist killed by police, authorities say

The suspect in the shooting of U.S.-born activist Rabbi Yehuda Glick was reported killed by police in an East Jerusalem neighborhood early Thursday. 
The Times of Israel reported that police arrived at the suspect's house in the Abu Tor neighborhood and were attempting to arrest the suspect when they came under fire. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld posted on Twitter that the suspect was killed in the ensuing shootout. 
The paper reported that the Shin Bet security service confirmed the death of the suspect, who they described as a 32-year-old Palestinian who had spent time in an Israeli prison. His identity was not confirmed, though some reports cited by the Times of Israel name him as Mu’taz Hijazi, an activist for the Islamic Jihad terror group. 
Glick remained hospitalized in serious condition after Wednesday night's shooting, which took place outside a memorial center in the Israeli capital by the motorcycle-riding gunman, who immediately fled the scene. The Times of Israel reported that Glick was shot three times, and quoted eyewitnesses who said the gunman briefly spoke to him, saying "You've made me very angry" in Hebrew with a heavy Arabic accent. 
Glick is chairman for the Joint Committee of Temple Organizations and has a long history of advocating for Jewish prayer rights at the Temple Mount, a hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City that has been a flashpoint for violence in the current tension over Jerusalem. Glick had been speaking on the topic at a conference promoting Jewish access to the holy site prior to the shooting.
"The writing was on the wall, the ceiling and the windows. Every Jew who goes up to the Temple Mount is a target for violence," Likud lawmaker Moshe Feiglin told the Associated Press. Feiglin pledged to visit the sacred site on Thursday morning, a move seen as a provocation by Palestinians.
In recent months, clashes have erupted at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site between Palestinian stone throwers and Israeli police, over what Palestinians see as Jewish encroachment on the site, the holiest in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam. Israel maintains that it allows free prayer to all, but Palestinians claim Israel is unilaterally widening access to accommodate larger numbers of Jewish worshippers.
Amid the violence, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has recently called for Jews to be banned from the site, urging Palestinians to guard the compound from visiting Jews, who he referred to as a "herd of cattle."
The violence erupted over the summer after three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped and killed by militants in the West Bank. Jewish extremists retaliated by kidnapping and burning to death a Palestinian teenager in east Jerusalem, sparking violent riots.
The unrest continued throughout the summer after Israel attacked Gaza in response to heavy Hamas rocket fire. The arrival of Jewish nationalists into the heart of an Arab neighborhood, coupled with the clashes at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, has further fueled the tensions.

Holder says ‘subpoena’ to Fox News reporter is his one regret

Attorney General Eric Holder says he has one regret: his department's court order for Fox News reporter James Rosen's emails labeling him a criminal "co-conspirator." 
The outgoing attorney general, who recently announced his retirement, addressed the controversial episode during the "Washington Ideas Forum" on Wednesday. Asked what decision he wishes he could do over, Holder said: "I think about the subpoena to the Fox reporter, Rosen." 
Holder was referring to a 2010 search warrant application seeking Rosen's emails. The Justice Department at the time was investigating who leaked information contained in a series of reports by Rosen in 2009 about North Korea's nuclear weapons program. 
In the course of seeking Rosen's emails, an FBI agent submitted an affidavit claiming there was evidence that Rosen broke the law, "at the very least, either as an aider, abettor and/or co-conspirator." The affidavit went so far as to invoke the Espionage Act -- pertaining to the unauthorized gathering and transmitting of defense information. 
On Wednesday, Holder said that application could have been done "differently" and "better." 
"I think that I could have been a little more careful looking at the language that was contained in the filing that we made with the court -- that he was labeled as a co-conspirator," Holder said, while claiming they did that "as a result of the statute." 
Rosen, who serves as chief Washington correspondent for Fox News, said in response that the attorney general's comments "scarcely address" his role in the case. 
"Throughout this ordeal for my family and me, I have tried to keep my head down and continue covering -- and breaking -- the news. I consider myself blessed to have an employer in Fox News, and a boss in Roger Ailes, who have stood by me and enabled me to remain focused on what matters most to me in professional terms: first-rate journalism," Rosen said in a statement. "At some later point, I may have more to say about this entire controversy, which -- as commentators from across the ideological spectrum have noted -- does indeed raise serious concerns about the state of press freedoms under the present administration. Suffice to say for now that the attorney general's latest comments about my case, like his previous remarks, scarcely address the relevant facts of his conduct." 
Though Rosen was never charged, the revelation about the affidavit -- and other details about the Justice Department's tracking of his communications and movement -- prompted outrage from media and free-press organizations. Days before the information about the affidavit was made public, Holder had testified he knew nothing of the "potential prosecution" of the press. House Republicans later issued a formal report accusing Holder of misleading Congress with "deceptive" testimony. 
Though the warrant application was from 2010, the incident only became public in May 2013 -- shortly after the Justice Department took heat for obtaining two months' worth of phone records for Associated Press employees. 
The cases led to a department review of how it interacts with the media. 
Holder, while stopping short of an apology, cited both those incidents on Wednesday in explaining why the department adjusted its policies. 
President Obama, in May 2013, also had said he was "troubled" over the impact his administration's leak probes could have on the press. The DOJ review culminated with new guidelines in July 2013 saying members of the media would "not be subject to prosecution based solely on newsgathering activities." They said the agency would exercise the right to use unspecified "tools" to gather evidence from media figures "only as a last resort." 
The updated review also called for Congress to consider implementing a media shield law-legislation to protect a reporter's right to refuse to testify. Congress has yet to enact the any legislation on the matter, though several states have similar laws on the books.