‘Like an idiot I believed that’: Judge blasts DOJ over immigration claims, threatens sanctions

A federal judge sharply scolded a Justice Department attorney at a hearing on President Obama's immigration executive actions, suggesting that the administration misled him on a key part of the program -- and that he fell for it, "like an idiot." 
The testy court hearing was held Thursday in Texas by U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen. The judge suggested he could order sanctions against the administration if he finds they indeed misrepresented the facts.
At issue is whether the DOJ misled the judge into believing that a plank of the Obama program -- giving deportation reprieves to thousands of young illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children -- would not go forward before he made a ruling on a request to halt it. In fact, federal officials had given more than 108,000 people three-year reprieves before that date and granted them work permits under the program.
Obama's executive actions would spare from deportation as many as 5 million people who are in the U.S. illegally. Many Republicans oppose the actions, saying only Congress has the right to take such sweeping action. Twenty-six states led by Texas joined together to challenge them as unconstitutional. Hanen on Feb. 16 sided with the states, issuing a preliminary injunction blocking Obama's actions.
Hanen chided Justice Department attorney Kathleen Hartnett for telling him at a January hearing before the injunction was issued that nothing would be happening with regard to one key part of Obama's actions, an expansion of the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, until Feb. 18.

More on this...

• Judge threatens sanctions over DOJ immigration claims

• New action in court and Capitol Hill on immigration front

"Like an idiot I believed that," Hanen said.
A flustered Hartnett repeatedly apologized to Hanen for any confusion related to how the reprieves and work permits were granted.
"We strive to be as candid as possible. It truly became clear to us there was confusion on this point," she said.
Hartnett continued to insist that the 108,081 reprieves had been granted under 2012 guidelines, which were not stopped by the injunction, and that government attorneys hadn't properly explained this because they had been focused on other parts of the proposed action.
But Hanen pointed out that the 2012 guidelines only granted two-year reprieves and that three-year reprieves are being proposed under the program now on hold.
"Can I trust what the president says? That's a yes or no question," Hanen asked.
"Yes your honor," Hartnett replied.
The states asked that Hanen consider issuing sanctions because Justice Department attorneys had made "representations (that) proved not to be true or at a minimum less than forthcoming," said Angela Colmenero, a lawyer with the Texas Attorney General's Office, the lead attorney for the states.
Colmenero said the three-year reprieves that were granted might have caused the states economic harm as the states may have already issued various benefits, including driver's licenses, to immigrants who received a reprieve.
"There is absolutely no basis for sanctions here," Hartnett said. "The government is absolutely trying to do the right thing."
Hanen said he would issue a ruling "promptly" on what action, if any, he will take against the Justice Department.
The federal government has asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to lift Hanen's injunction while the case is appealed.
The other states seeking to block Obama's orders are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Graham threatens to cut funds to UN if Obama bypasses Congress on Iran sanctions

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is throwing down the gauntlet, warning the White House he’ll move to cut funding to the United Nations if the administration turns to the international body to lift sanctions on Iran as part of a nuclear deal.
Graham made the comments Thursday during an appearance on Fox News’ “On the Record With Greta Van Susteren.”
Graham, a Republican, is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs. In that role, he says he can block U.S. funding for the United Nations -- $654 million is earmarked for 2015 alone.
“Twenty-two percent of the funding for the United Nations comes from the American taxpayers, and I’m in charge of that account,” a defiant Graham told Fox News. He acknowledged he'd also need other lawmakers to sign onto any effort to suspend that funding.
Graham is worried that the administration, should it strike a nuclear deal with Iran, might get the U.N. to lift sanctions without going through Congress to lift U.S. sanctions.
Graham, who says the worst possible outcome would be for Iran to get a nuclear weapon, vowed:  “I’m not going to allow the United Nations to be used as a way to get around the United States Congress for a deal that affects the very existence of Israel and our own national security.”
When pushed on the issue, Graham said, “If they go to the U.N. Security Council, and the U.N. Security Council lifts all sanctions before we ever get a chance to look at this deal, absolutely I would suspend funding the United Nations, because I don't think your money should go to an organization that irresponsible.”
Graham strongly admonished the Obama administration.
“They are about to make a mistake for the ages,” Graham said. Earlier this month, Graham made a similar threat during a speech he gave at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. At that event, he said he’d slash U.N. funds if the U.N. marginalized Israel.
International nuclear talks with Iran are expected to resume next week, following some disagreements -- reportedly over the sanctions issue -- on Friday.
Asked about the talks on Friday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said he did not want to speculate on what an actual deal might look like. But he said President Obama does not believe it makes sense to remove "a large number of sanctions at the front end of this agreement" -- as the Iranians reportedly want.
Earnest stressed the importance of existing congressional sanctions. But he indicated the administration, should there be a deal, might be able to waive them down the road. "One of the most powerful tools that we have in these negotiations are the congressional sanctions that Congress has passed, that those are some of the toughest sanctions that have ever been put in place against any country by the United States," he said. "And the president believes that we should leave those sanctions in place for -- not just for a few weeks to verify Iranian compliance."
He added: "He believes that we should leave those sanctions in place over the longer term, and that the president can use the waiver authority that Congress has already given him, to relax some of those sanctions."

North Korean ambassador claims country has nuclear missiles

North Korea has nuclear missiles and is prepared to use them at any time, an envoy for the country said in a recent interview.
North Korean Ambassador to Britain Hyun Hak Bong told Sky News that his government would use the missiles in response to a nuclear attack by the U.S.
Asked whether North Korea has the ability now to launch a nuclear missile, Hyun replied: "Any time. Any time. Yes."
"If the United States strike us, we should strike back," he said.
The ambassador reaffirmed that the country does not “want war, but we are not afraid of war.”
North Korea is thought to have a handful of crude nuclear bombs and has conducted tests since 2006. However, experts are divided on how advanced the country’s technology is and is unsure if they could miniaturize warheads so they can be placed on missiles.
The spokesman for South Korea's Defense Ministry, Kim Min-seok, said Saturday that while North Korea might have advanced its technologies for miniaturizing nuclear warheads so they can be installed on missiles, Seoul does not believe they have succeeded yet.
Kim pointed out that the North has conducted only three nuclear tests so far and it's unclear how successful they were.
The Institute for Science and International Security estimated that North Korea has between 10 and 16 nuclear weapons, some based on plutonium and others on uranium. The agency concluded that the country has weapons small enough to mound on medium-range intercontinental-range missiles.
The United Nations has imposed sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs.
Hyun's comments come as rival South Korea and the United States conduct annual springtime military drills that North Korea says are aimed at preparing to topple its government. Seoul and Washington say the exercises are purely defensive.
The U.S. stations about 28,500 soldiers in South Korea to deter possible aggression from North Korea.

Critics blast new Obama regs for fracking on federal lands

A new regulation announced Friday by the Obama administration -- requiring fracking companies who drill on federal lands to disclose what chemicals they use in the controversial process -- was blasted as "yet another attack on American jobs" by GOP lawmakers, who said the mandate could slow the U.S. energy boom.
The Bureau of Land Management rule, which would take effect in June, also updates requirements for well construction and disposal of water and other fluids used in hydraulic fracturing, a drilling method that has spurred jobs and economic growth in natural gas and oil production. It would not apply to privately owned lands, but roughly 10 percent of the U.S. energy sector's work takes place on land leased from the federal government. Much more federally-owned acreage could potentially be fracked for oil and gas, if made available for lease, claim energy company advocates.
“Today’s proposed federal regulations on hydraulic fracturing represent yet another attack on American jobs by President Obama, and continue his attack on American-made energy,” said Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La. "Considering that states already successfully regulate fracking, the last thing the American people need is the heavy hand of the federal government killing good jobs and stifling American energy production with more of their radical regulations.”

“Today’s proposed federal regulations on hydraulic fracturing represent yet another attack on American jobs by President Obama, and continue his attack on American-made energy.”- Rep. Steve Scalise, (R-La.)

The rule has been under consideration for more than three years, drawing criticism from the oil and gas industry and environmental groups. The industry fears the regulation could hinder the drilling boom, while some environmental groups worry that it could allow unsafe drilling techniques to pollute groundwater.
The final rule closely tracks a draft first proposed by the Obama administration in 2013. The rule relies on an online database used by at least 16 states to track the chemicals used in fracking operations. The website, FracFocus.org, was formed by industry and intergovernmental groups in 2011 and allows users to gather well-specific data on tens of thousands of drilling sites across the country.
Companies will have to disclose the chemicals they use within 30 days of the fracking operation.
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said the rule will allow for continued responsible development of federal oil and gas resources on millions of acres of public lands while assuring the public that "transparent and effective safety and environmental protections are in place."
Jewell, who worked on fracking operations in Oklahoma long before joining the government in 2013, said decades-old federal regulations have failed to keep pace with modern technological advances.
"I've personally fracked wells, so I understand the risk as well as the reward," Jewell said. "We owe it to our kids to get this right."
Fracking involves pumping huge volumes of water, sand and chemicals underground to split open rocks to allow oil and gas to flow. Improved technology has allowed energy companies to gain access to huge stores of natural gas underneath states from Wyoming to New York but has also raised widespread concerns about alleged groundwater contamination and even earthquakes.
Brian Deese, a senior adviser to President Obama, said the rules for public lands could serve as a template that the oil and gas industry could adopt to help address the public's concern about the health and safety of fracking.
"Ultimately, this is an issue that is going to be decided in state capitals and localities as well as with the industry," he said.
The Interior Department estimated the cost of complying with the rule would be less than one-fourth of 1 percent of the cost to drill a well.
But critics say anything the complicates, or adds to the cost of extracting gas and oil hurts America's economic competitiveness. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the federal government should follow laws regulating private land, not the other way around.
“The energy renaissance is largely a story about state and private land, but vast resources remain inaccessible and untapped in federal areas, particularly in the West,” Murkowski said. “This administration has already taken unprecedented steps to block development in Alaska. Given its anti-development approach, we should expect this rule to make it even harder to produce oil and gas on federal lands. The fact remains: if Interior was half as interested in new production as it is in new regulation, our nation would be in a far better place.”
Advocates say hydraulic fracturing and directional drilling have triggered an unprecedented upswing in domestic oil and natural gas production over the past six years, with oil production more than doubling to 9 million barrels a day. They also say fracking is a safe and proven method.
"The Obama administration's hydraulic fracturing rule is a solution in search of a problem," said Thomas Pyle, president of the pro-industry Institute for Energy Research.
The rule will make the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management the largest customer of FracFocus, a website that has taken on increasing prominence in recent years as it collects data on drilling sites. Nearly 95,000 wells nationwide are registered with FracFocus, which is managed by the Ground Water Protection Council and Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. Both groups are based in Oklahoma. The groundwater council is a nonprofit organization while the oil and gas commission is a collection of state officials from energy-producing states.
Jewell said that BLM will have representation on FracFocus' board, adding that the group has taken steps to improve its platform, including adopting a new format that allows data to be automatically read by computers.

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Student group demands California university rename building after convicted cop killer

A black student organization at the University of California at Berkeley is demanding the university rename a building on campus after Assata Shakur, a former Black Panther, convicted cop killer and the first woman named to the FBI's Most-Wanted Terrorist List.
A jury convicted Shakur of killing a New Jersey State Trooper in 1979. She escaped prison and fled to Cuba. The FBI calls her a domestic terrorist. In 2013, the agency added her to the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist List, alongside several members of Al Qaeda, airline hijackers and bombers.
But to the Black Student Union at Berkeley, Shakur is an "icon of resistance within oppressed communities (who) represents black resilience in the face of state-sanctioned violence." They demanded the university rename Barrows Hall, named after former Chancellor David Barrows, "Shakur Hall." In 2013, Shakur declared her innocence and called her trial in 1979 a legal lynching by an all-white jury. Shakur, formerly known as Joann Chesimard, belonged to the Black Liberation Army at the time of the shooting.
"We want the renaming for someone -- Assata Shakur -- who we feel like represents us as black students," said Black Student Union spokesman Cori McGowens. "Black students on campus have a feeling of isolation, marginalization. We're at a crisis on campus."
The renaming of Barrows Hall is just one of 10 demands the Black Student Union delivered to Berkeley Chancellor Nick Dirks last month.
They're also demanding a meeting place solely for black students, $300,371 for two black admissions staff focused on black recruiting, $113,932 for another staffer to handle black retention, two black psychologists who understand the "racially hostile campus," two black advisers to mentor black athletes and a fully-funded 'Get into Graduate School' mentoring program.
"I came to Berkeley and I thought that it was a progressive liberal environment, but the N-word was written on the dorm wall and my white professors were openly using the N-word," said senior Blake Simons. "So that's part of my experience here is feeling marginalized."
University officials met with the groups last week. While not agreeing to honor Shakur, Chancellor Dirks did apologize, saying, "Too many (black) students have told us about being excluded from study groups, ignored during class discussions, verbally harassed at parties and social events, and feeling, in a general sense, vulnerable, isolated and invisible. This is something we deplore."
African-American students at Berkeley already have 33 campus organizations dedicated to their well-being, from fraternities and sororities, to a African Theme Program, an African American Studies Department, an African Arts Society, a Black Campus Ministries, Finance Guild and  Pre-Law Society.
 But that isn't the point, say students.
"We definitely need more resources for underrepresented minorities on campus," says senior Amanda Burke. "I know personally people who suffer micro-aggressions on a daily basis at Cal and it's something that's kind of gone ignored by a lot of people."
 Some black students cite a mock lynching last year at one fraternity. However, a police investigation later revealed the hanging effigy on Halloween was meant to be a zombie, not an African-American.
Still, McGowens said it was difficult to succeed academically because of the anti-black atmosphere.
"There are a lot of black students that apply --get into Cal -- who don't want to come for that reason," he said. "Because the environment isn't welcoming. It isn't safe for black students. So we feel like as black students we are the most marginalized on campus."
After Chancellor Dirks "defaulted" on the group's March 6 deadline, the Black Student Union said it would "persevere" until they get what they "deserve."
Of UC Berkeley's 36,000 enrolled students, roughly 3 percent are black, 40 percent are Asian, 30 percent are white and 13 percent are Hispanic. By comparison, the statewide population is 7 percent black, 14 percent Asian, 37 percent Hispanic and 42 percent white.

Hawaiian tropic: Are Obamas privately eyeing Magnum, P.I. home?

Magnum, P.I. is not on the case, but plenty of amateur sleuths are trying to figure out if the mysterious buyer of the Hawaiian mansion where the 1980s detective show was shot is none other than President Obama.
The 11,054-square-foot home on three acres of Honolulu beach front was sold Monday for $8.7 million in a tricky transaction that includes some tantalizing clues. The official buyer is listed as "Waimanalo Paradise," which turns out to be a Delaware corporation set up by a Chicago attorney and longtime Obama supporter. The deed and mortgage are signed by Judy Grimanis, an executive assistant at a a Chicago private equity firm run by another Obama pal, and a former employee of Penny Pritzker, the real estate millionaire Obama tapped to be Secretary of Commerce in 2013.

“It is hard to imagine a president living there."- Linda Ryan, Magnum, P.I. actress

No one is confirming that the home known as "Pahonu" will be the First Family's post-Pennsylvania Avenue address, but then no one would be expected to, either. The Obamas own a home in Chicago, but recent reports have said they may relocate to New York when his second term ends. Hawaii, however, where the president lived his teenage years, has been a recurring vacation spot for the Obamas since moving to Washington.
A spokesperson for the administration would only say they had no comment because the President is not a party to the transaction.
Pahonu is one of Oahu's most recognizable properties, even if it is a fixer-upper at this point.
“It is hard to imagine a president living there,” Linda Ryan, who appeared on several episodes of the show, told FoxNews.com.

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Actor Tom Selleck, (l.), starred in the hit 1980s show Magnum, P.I., on which Linda Ryan appeared several times. Now there is speculation the Obamas are the buyers of the spectacular estate where the show was set. (Linda Ryan, AP)

The home, with five bedrooms and 6 bathrooms, was originally designed in a European style by Louis Davis, and includes a tennis court, fireplace, 3-car garage, boathouse, bathhouse and maid’s quarters. The home is located on Kalanianaole Highway, at the edge of a white sand beach with stunning turquoise waters fronted by a rare historic turtle pond that formed a protective salt pool. In the TV show that starred Tom Selleck, the property was portrayed as “Robin's Nest,” an oceanfront estate owned by fictitious novelist Robin Masters.
“It’s gone into disrepair since Magnum P.I. days. It’s an 80-year-old house that has not been cared for for a while – an $8 million fixer upper,” said Michael W. Perry, Hawaii’s most well-known radio personality of KSSK’s Perry & Price Show. “However, it is a great area, between Sea Life Park and Kailua, with the most spectacular views you can possibly get. If the place was good enough for Magnum and his friends, then it is definitely good enough for a President.”
Waimanalo Paradise was formed Feb. 6 with the help of Chicago lawyer and Obama supporter Seth Madorsky, who specializes, according to his web site, in commercial real estate and counseling real estate investors, real estate investment funds and sponsors on capital investment and the formation of joint ventures to develop, own and operate commercial real estate.
Grimanis, now an executive assistant at The Vistria Group, signed the deed and $9.5 million mortgage, a larger amount than the sale price and one which could allow for repairs or security upgrades befitting a retired leader of the free world. Martin Nesbitt, founder of Vistria, served as national treasurer for Obama’s two presidential campaigns and is a board member of the Barack Obama Foundation. One more possible clue is that the realtor who brokered the deal is Joel Cavasso, the same realtor who helped facilitate the rental of the so-called “Winter Whitehouse” in Kailua, where the President has stayed while on Oahu.
Scott Carvill, principal broker of Carvill Sotheby's' International Realty, who sold one of the $10 million homes that Obamas’ friends rent while in Hawaii with the First Family, said the beachfront properties in the area are coveted.
“Waimanalo and windward Oahu have some of the best beaches in Hawaii sought by people all around the world," Carvill said.
The home was purchased from former Republican state representative and environmental activist, Eve Anderson, a well-known figure in the political and windward communities, who is the step-daughter of Cox Communications heiress Barbara Cox Anthony. Anderson’s grandfather was the original owner of the property.

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The home offers stunning views such as this one. (FoxNews.com)

Ryan recalled shooting five episodes of the show, but said filming was done outside the house, and all interior scenes were shot in a studio. Still, she remembers the home fondly.
“It was a beautiful setting and an exquisite property,” Ryan said.
There may be security concerns, however, should the President live at the home, because it sits on the heavily-trafficked Kalanianaole Highway and on a public beach and is easily accessed from either.The home is just five minutes from the popular Sea Life Park, Makapuu Beach and Makapuu Light House trail, popular tourist attractions.
The surrounding Waimanalo community, home to many native Hawaiians, is diverse in terms of income of its residents, with some of the state’s most impoverished people living just behind some of the island’s wealthiest.
While no official ties to the Obamas have been confirmed, because all people involved in the transaction reportedly signed confidentiality agreements, analysts speculate this could be a similar deal to one hatched on behalf of the Clintons, whose 11-room Dutch Colonial home in Chappaqua, N.Y., was purchased for $1.7 million in 1999 with the help of Clinton's chief fund-raiser, Terry McAuliffe, now the governor of Virginia.

Judge: Sanctions possible in Obama immigration court case

BROWNSVILLE, Texas –  A federal judge who has blocked President Obama's immigration executive action suggested on Thursday that he could order sanctions against the Justice Department if he rules it misled him about when exactly the administration began implementing one of the measures.
During a sometimes testy court hearing, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen went back and forth with the Justice Department over whether it had mislead him into believing that a key part of Obama's program would not be implemented before he made a ruling on a request for a preliminary injunction. In fact, federal officials had given more than 108,000 people three-year reprieves from deportation before that date and granted them work permits under a program that protects young immigrants from deportation if they were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
Obama's executive actions would spare from deportation as many as 5 million people who are in the U.S. illegally. Many Republicans oppose the actions, saying only Congress has the right to take such sweeping action. Twenty-six states led by Texas joined together to challenge them as unconstitutional. Hanen on Feb. 16 sided with the states, issuing a preliminary injunction blocking Obama's actions.
Hanen chided Justice Department attorney Kathleen Hartnett on Thursday for telling him at a January hearing before the injunction was issued that nothing would be happening with regard to one key part of Obama's actions, an expansion of the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA, until Feb. 18.
"Like an idiot I believed that," Hanen said.
A flustered Hartnett repeatedly apologized to Hanen for any confusion related to how the reprieves and work permits were granted.
"We strive to be as candid as possible. It truly became clear to us there was confusion on this point," she said.
Hartnett continued to insist that the 108,081 reprieves had been granted under 2012 guidelines, which were not stopped by the injunction, and that government attorneys hadn't properly explained this because they had been focused on other parts of the proposed action.
But Hanen pointed out that the 2012 guidelines only granted two-year reprieves and that three-year reprieves are being proposed under the program now on hold.
"Can I trust what the president says? That's a yes or no question," Hanen asked.
"Yes your honor," Hartnett replied.
The states asked that Hanen consider issuing sanctions because Justice Department attorneys had made "representations (that) proved not to be true or at a minimum less than forthcoming," said Angela Colmenero, a lawyer with the Texas Attorney General's Office, the lead attorney for the states.
Colmenero said the three-year reprieves that were granted might have caused the states economic harm as the states may have already issued various benefits, including driver's licenses, to immigrants who received a reprieve.
"There is absolutely no basis for sanctions here," Hartnett said. "The government is absolutely trying to do the right thing."
Hanen said he would issue a ruling "promptly" on what action, if any, he will take against the Justice Department.
The federal government has asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to lift Hanen's injunction while the case is appealed.
The other states seeking to block Obama's orders are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Iran nuclear talks reportedly hit snag over lifting of sanctions as Obama makes appeal to Iran's people

A dispute over when international sanctions against Iran would be lifted following a potential nuclear agreement reportedly is the latest issue to bog down negotiations.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Iran's negotiators say that sanctions must be lifted almost immediately after a deal is concluded. U.S. and European diplomats, for their part, hold that sanctions should only be lifted once Tehran accounts for its past nuclear activity and is confirmed to be using nuclear energy for peaceful means by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog.
One European diplomat was quoted by the Journal as saying there was "no way" Western negotiators would budge from their position, which the diplomat said the Iranians considered a "deal-breaker. They don't want it at all."
According to the paper, both sides believe that the U.S. and European Union can lift some of the sanctions each has unilaterally imposed on Iran's energy and finance sectors. However, the issue of lifting sanctions imposed by the U.N. is more complex and according to negotiators, is likely to take years, not weeks or months, to accomplish.
For its part, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that Iran has failed to turn over key documents about its nuclear program, and has also denied access to scientists and nuclear sites.
Both sides are working to meet a March 31 deadline to construct the framework of a permanent agreement. The final deadline for all the details to be worked out is June 30. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif met face-to-face for the fourth straight day in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The Associated Press reported late Thursday that elements of a draft deal had been agreed that would commit Iran to a 40 percent cut in the number of machines it could use to make an atomic bomb. In return, the Iranians would get quick relief from some crippling economic sanctions and a partial lift of a U.N. embargo on conventional arms.
Officials told the AP that the tentative deal imposes at least a decade of new limits on the number of centrifuges Iran can operate to enrich uranium, a process that can lead to nuclear weapons-grade material. The sides are zeroing in on a cap of 6,000 centrifuges, officials said, down from the 6,500 they spoke of in recent weeks.
That's also fewer than the 10,000 such machines Tehran now runs, yet substantially more than the 500 to 1,500 that Washington originally wanted as a ceiling. Only a year ago, U.S. officials floated 4,000 as a possible compromise.
It's unclear how complete the draft is. Iran's deeply buried underground enrichment plant remains a problem, officials said, with Washington demanding the facility be repurposed and Tehran insisting it be able to run hundreds of centrifuges there. Iran says it wants to use the machines for scientific research; the Americans fear they could be quickly retooled for enrichment.
A planned heavy water reactor will be re-engineered to produce much less plutonium than originally envisioned, relieving concerns that it could be an alternative pathway to a bomb. U.S. officials believe they can extend the time Tehran would need to produce a nuclear weapon to at least a year. Right now, Iran would require only two to three months to amass enough material to make a bomb.
President Barack Obama appealed directly to Iranian citizens in a message commemorating Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
"Our negotiations have made progress, but gaps remain," Obama said Thursday in a video message posted online.
"If Iran's leaders can agree to a reasonable deal, it can lead to a better path — the path of greater opportunities for the Iranian people," he said.
The pressure in Congress on the administration over Iran remained intense, with the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee saying he would move ahead with legislation giving lawmakers a say over any nuclear deal. And 360 House Republicans and Democrats — more than enough to override any presidential veto — sent a letter to Obama saying if an agreement is reached, Congress will decide on easing sanctions it has imposed.
"Congress must be convinced that its terms foreclose any pathway to a bomb, and only then will Congress be able to consider permanent sanctions relief," the lawmakers wrote.
Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told administration officials at a hearing Thursday that Congress cannot be marginalized and "any attempts to sidestep Congress will be resisted on both sides of the aisle."

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New rift opens between Obama, Netanyahu after election victory

After staying mum on Israeli issues in the run-up to the election, the White House on Wednesday broke its silence -- answering Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's victory with fresh criticism and making clear that a new rift has opened between U.S. and Israeli leaders, this time over Palestinian statehood.
In its first public response to Netanyahu's election triumph, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said President Obama still believes in a two-state solution. This was after Netanyahu, shortly before the vote, reversed his stance and stated he would not allow the creation of a Palestinian state.
Earnest acknowledged Wednesday that the U.S. would have to "re-evaluate" its position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in light of those comments. But he stressed that Obama believes a two-state solution is best. And State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki clarified that the administration "absolutely" will continue to push for this.
Further, Earnest chided Netanyahu's Likud Party on Wednesday, saying the White House was "deeply concerned" about divisive language emanating from Likud. He said the party had sought to marginalize Israel's minority Arabs, an apparent reference to social media posts the Likud distributed that warned Israelis about the danger of high turnout by Arab voters.
"These are views the administration intends to convey directly to the Israelis," Earnest said.

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• Netanyahu poised to win fourth term as Prime Minister

The comments suggest there is likely to be no thaw in the chilly relationship between Netanyahu's administration and the White House. Netanyahu's Likud won a major victory on Tuesday, leaving him poised to secure a third consecutive term as prime minister.
While tensions have flared for years between the two leaders, the last several weeks have seen their relationship further fray.
In the run-up to the election, Netanyahu took a hardline stance on the two issues on which his government and the Obama administration are most intertwined -- Iran nuclear talks and the seemingly far-off prospects for an agreement with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu pronounced earlier this week he would not allow the creation of a Palestinian state -- something which not only Obama supports but is a key demand of the Palestinians for any peace agreement.
Netanyahu also infuriated the White House early this month when he delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress criticizing an emerging nuclear deal with Iran.
Secretary of State John Kerry and other international negotiators are scrambling to reach the framework for an Iran deal by the end of the month. Netanyahu, though, has warned that the details he's seen provide for Iran to eventually pursue a nuclear weapon years down the road, and has urged the U.S. to scrap the pending deal.
With the victory of his Likud Party, Netanyahu is stronger-positioned to keep making that case on the international stage -- and needle Obama administration efforts to etch an agreement with Tehran.
Earnest said Wednesday that Kerry has called to congratulate Netanyahu. Obama has not yet, but will in the coming days, according to Earnest. A day earlier, he insisted that Obama has "no doubt" that the strong U.S.-Israel bond will endure "far beyond this election" no matter the result.
But David Axelrod, a former top adviser to Obama, tweeted overnight as returns were coming in: "Tightness of exits in Israel suggests Bibi's shameful 11th hour demagoguery may have swayed enough votes to save him. But at what cost?"
Speaking on CNN on Wednesday, White House Director of Political Strategy David Simas congratulated the Israeli people -- but notably, not Netanyahu personally.
"We want to congratulate the Israeli people for the democratic process of the election they engaged in with all of the parties that engage in that election," he said. "As you know the hard work of coalition building now begins. Sometimes that takes a couple of weeks and we're going to give space to the formation of that coalition government and we're not going to weigh in one way of the other except to say that the United States and Israel have a historic and close relationship and that will continue going forward."
Indeed, Netanyahu's next step would be to build a coalition government.
With nearly all the votes counted, Likud appeared to have earned 30 out of parliament's 120 seats and was in a position to build with relative ease a coalition government with its nationalist, religious and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies.
The election was widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu, who has governed the country for the past six years. Recent opinion polls indicated he was in trouble, giving chief rival Isaac Herzog of the opposition Zionist Union a slight lead. Exit polls Tuesday showed the two sides deadlocked but once the actual results came pouring in early Wednesday, Likud soared forward. Zionist Union wound up with just 24 seats.
Even before the final results were known, Netanyahu declared victory and pledged to form a new government quickly.
"Against all odds, we achieved a great victory for the Likud," Netanyahu told supporters at his election night headquarters. "I am proud of the people of Israel, who in the moment of truth knew how to distinguish between what is important and what is peripheral, and to insist on what is important."
Netanyahu focused his campaign primarily on security issues, while his opponents instead pledged to address the country's high cost of living and accused the leader of being out of touch with everyday people.
While his victory may rattle the Obama administration, conservatives worried about the Iran talks saw Netanyahu's election as a strong sign.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is weighing another presidential bid, said in a written statement that "it is time for the U.S. government to stand with Israel once again." He told Fox News on Wednesday that Netanyahu has a clear "mandate" and argued this is good not only for the U.S. but also other Middle Eastern countries worried about the prospect of a nuclear Iran.
"The worst thing that can happen is to trust Iran," Huckabee said.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who also is flirting with another Republican presidential bid, likewise said in a statement Wednesday that, "It is my great hope that our next President will be able to stand side-by-side with Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu" to "defeat this Radical Islamist enemy and ensure Iran never develops a nuclear weapon."

First government-owned pot store opens in Washington state

The city of North Bonneville, Wash. -- population 1,000 -- sits along the Columbia River a stone’s throw from one of the world’s largest hydroelectric dams. On the other side of the Columbia River Gorge is the state of Oregon.
It may seem an unlikely place for the nation’s first city-owned marijuana shop, which opened Saturday. The Cannabis Corner sold $8,000 worth of pot on the first day.
“The economy has been tough for everybody, for small towns like this, it’s been especially tough,” said North Bonneville Mayor Don Stevens. “And I think after people got over the initial shock of how we were going about it, they realized that what we’re doing is trying to create new revenue streams at a time not a lot of them are available.”
Dubbed the "marijuana mayor" by detractors, Don Stevens has been smoking pot since he was a sophomore in high school. When Washington state voters legalized the drug in 2012, Stevens got the City Council to form a Public Development Authority for the sole purpose of selling pot, pipes and marijuana-infused edibles. All the business profits from The Cannabis Corner will now be kicked back to City Hall.
Residents did not get a vote on the move, which has plenty of opposition.
“I think it’s sad for the city,” said Skamania County Sheriff Dave Brown. “I think it’s sad for the county and the residents, and I think it’s sad for society as a whole.”
While it’s legal for adults to buy marijuana and consume it in private, it is illegal to carry it across the state line. But in the course of one hour, Fox News saw half of The Cannabis Corner customers had Oregon license plates. One buyer concealed his weed in the spare tire wheel well of his car’s trunk. Brown says he doesn’t have the resources to enforce the law prohibiting interstate transport.
City employees who run the pot shop say the more the merrier.
“We’re trying to be sustainable within this small community,” said Cannabis Corner’s manager Robyn Legun, “and we hope people will travel to the community enjoying themselves here and then come back.”
Stevens says marijuana revenue will allow North Bonneville to keep its street lights on, water its grass all summer and make improvements to a playground. But critics, who believe a large majority of residents oppose the city-run pot store, argue it gives the town a black eye.
“How do I justify that to my kids? That we’re making money by selling a drug that’s still illegal under federal law,” said North Bonneville resident Brad Anderson.
Others worry about North Bonneville’s reputation. The city’s best-known business is the Bonneville Hot Springs Resort, a 78-room upscale health spa resort which opened in 2002. Marfa Scheratski, whose father built the resort, doesn’t think people coming to the area to buy pot will help her business at all. And she sees a potential problem hiring and keeping employees.
“It’s always a challenge for us to find help that is clean,” said Scheratski. “We’re a no-tolerance workplace, so this just makes it a little more challenging.”
Consultants expect sales to reach up to $3 million a year at The Cannabis Corner. The nearest competitors are over a 30-minute drive away. If that sales projection holds, the city could see an annual windfall of close to $500,000. It’s a huge sum considering the current budget is $1.2 million.
The pot shop also employs 10 workers and supports local marijuana growers who employ up to 35 people.  But the weed window of opportunity may not stay wide open for long. Last fall, Oregon voters legalized marijuana. Possession and home grows will be legal July 1 and Oregon’s first pot retailers are expected to open for business in January of 2016.
North Bonneville’s mayor isn’t all that concerned. He sees his shop as having a price advantage over every other pot store, whether in Washington or Oregon. Why? His store pays no federal income tax because it’s a city-owned business.
Stevens makes no apologies for trying to profit off of pot.
“It’s legal," he said. "You don’t have to like it, but there’s a lot of stuff about government that all of us don’t like.”

Obama floats making voting mandatory, calling it 'potentially transformative'

WASHINGTON –  They say the only two things that are certain in life are death and taxes. President Barack Obama wants to add one more: voting.
Obama floated the idea of mandatory voting in the U.S. while speaking to a civic group in Cleveland on Wednesday. Asked about the influence of money in U.S. elections, Obama digressed into the topic of voting rights and said the U.S. should be making it easier for people to vote.
Just ask Australia, where citizens have no choice but to vote, the president said.
"If everybody voted, then it would completely change the political map in this country," Obama said, calling it "potentially transformative." Not only that, Obama said, but universal voting would "counteract money more than anything."
Disproportionately, Americans who skip the polls on Election Day are younger, lower-income and more likely to be immigrants or minorities, Obama said. "There's a reason why some folks try to keep them away from the polls," he said in a veiled reference to voter identification laws in a number of states.
Less than 37 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in the 2014 midterms, according to the United States Election Project. And a Pew Research Center study found that those avoiding the polls in 2014 tended to be younger, poorer, less educated and more racially diverse.
At least two dozen countries have some form of compulsory voting, including Belgium, Brazil and Argentina. In many systems, absconders must provide a valid excuse or face a fine, although a few countries have laws on the books that allow for potential imprisonment.
At issue, Obama said, is the sway that those with money can have on U.S. elections, where low overall turnout often gives an advantage to the party best able to turn out its base. Obama has opposed Citizens United and other court rulings that cleared the way for super PACs and unlimited campaign spending, but embraced such groups in his 2012 re-election campaign out of fear he'd be outspent.
Obama said he thought it would be "fun" for the U.S. to consider amending the Constitution to change the role that money plays in the electoral system. But don't hold your breath.
"Realistically, given the requirements of that process, that would be a long-term proposition," he said.

Heroine from hell: Palestinians honor mass killer with monument

A female terrorist who died in an infamous attack that killed 38 Israelis, including 13 children, was memorialized last week at a public square in Ramallah in what Jewish leaders say is just the latest twisted example of Palestinians glorifying extremist murderers.
Dalal Mughrabi, who led the deadly 1978 bus hijacking on Israel’s Coastal Highway that also wounded more than 70, has long been venerated as a freedom fighter in Palestinian territories, where schoolchildren are taught to praise her as a martyr and freedom fighter. The move to honor her with a dedication of a square in the West Bank capital dates back to 2010, when the Palestinian Authority canceled a ceremony that would have coincided with a visit by Vice President Joe Biden. A year later, the PA went through with a dedication, and last week held a "re-dedication" that once again opened an old wound.

“People from all over the world need to reject the type of celebration of terrorism and murderers everywhere.”- Oren Segal, Anti-Defamation League

“Whenever any public area is named for somebody, it is meant to honor them and to never forget that person and their legacy,” said Oren Segal, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism. “What makes this so inflammatory is this is a terrorist responsible for one of the deadliest attacks against Israel.”
The Beirut-born Mughrabi, who was 19, led a group of 11 terrorists in the March 11, 1978, attack near Tel Aviv, which was aimed at disrupting peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. The terrorists, who hoped to attack the Knesset, hijacked a taxi, killed its occupants and then seized two buses. Israeli forces stopped the bus and engaged the terrorists in a gunfight during which Mughrabi raised the Palestinian flag and then blew up the bus with a grenade.
The monument in the middle of Martyr Dalal Mughrabi Square depicts Mughrabi cradling a gun against a backdrop of a map of Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Last week's rededication ceremony was preceded by a Facebook post by Fatah, the group that carried out the attack, commemorating the day and even exaggerating the number of casualties.
“A huge self-sacrificing operation in Herzliya, Tel Aviv," the post stated. "80 Israelis killed and over 100 wounded.”

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Dalal Mughrabi, who led an attack that left 38 Israelis dead, including 13 children, is seen as a freedom fighter in the Palestinian territories.

Mughrabi is as revered by Palestinians as she is reviled by Israelis. The Jerusalem Post reported that in 2010 alone, more than two dozen events and locations were named in honor of her, including a soccer tournament, a computer center and a summer camp. Last week, on the 37th anniversary, the re-dedication was accompanied by several tributes from top Palestinian leaders.
"It is an eternal day and a painful anniversary, but [it also] gives us energy, honor and power on this day, the anniversary of the Martyrdom of the fighter commander Dalal Mughrabi," said Rabiha Dhiab, former Minister of Women's Affairs."She who commanded a squad of self-sacrificing fighters, defined "return" [of refugees] in her own unique way and returned to Palestine to liberate Palestine."
The Palestinian Authority's insistence on elevating a terrorist with blood on her hands should be condemned by the international community, Segal said.

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The square is in Ramallah, the West Bank's capital. (Palestinian Media Watch)

“People from all over the world need to reject the type of celebration of terrorism and murderers everywhere,” he said. “This rededication does not exist in a vacuum – celebration of terrorists and their actions happens frequently and, whenever it happens, we need voices of reason to say this is not acceptable.”

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Obama-linked nonprofit filed for new IRS status after accusation of meddling in Israeli election

The American nonprofit OneVoice Movement – under scrutiny by a U.S. Senate panel over possible links to a campaign to oust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – quietly filed paperwork that would allow it to engage in political activism after two leading Republican lawmakers questioned its use of government funds, FoxNews.com has learned.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., sent a letter Jan. 29 to Secretary of State John Kerry asking whether the group ­– as a recipient of almost $350,000 in recent grants from the Obama administration’s State Department – had violated its tax-exempt status when it began backing the virulently anti-Netanyahu Victory 15 campaign in Israel earlier that month.
Cruz also publicly asked whether Obama – who’s had a well-documented adversarial relationship with Netanyahu – had “launched a political campaign against” the Israeli leader in the run-up to the election which was held on Tuesday.

“What does it say about the President of the United States when he’s more concerned about undermining and attacking the prime minister of Israel than he is standing up to the mortal threat a nuclear Iran poses?”- Sen. Ted Cruz, (R-Texas)

OneVoice, which until November was headed by a veteran diplomat from the Clinton administration, quickly bushed off claims from critics that its backing of V15 meant it was targeting Netanyahu. Such an effort would be illegal under its tax-exempt status, which falls under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Just five days after the public dispatch of the Cruz-Zeldin letter, a “corporation service company” registered a new funding entity in Delaware called PeaceWorks Action, Inc. under a section of the tax code that still governs nonprofits, but allows them to engage in a limited amount of political activity. Listed under section is 501(c)4 of the tax code, PeaceWorks Action, Inc. is now featured on the OneVoice Website as one of OneVoice’s funders, alongside PeaceWorks Foundation, whose name has long been present, and which holds 501(c)3 status like OneVoice itself.
Critics are likely to see the registration as tacit admission that it had indulged in political activity alongside V15, which itself has been advised by former Obama campaign aides, including his top field organizer, Jeremy Bird.
Speaking exclusively with FoxNews.com, Cruz expressed outrage over the mounting indications the Obama administration could be implicated in efforts to meddle in the Israeli election.
“This is manifesting itself right now in President Obama’s national field director helping run the campaign to defeat Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel in coordination with a nonprofit group that has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the American taxpayer,” he said.

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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, (R-Texas), believes the nonprofit campaigned against Netanyahu after taking US taxpayer-funded grants. (AP)

Highlighting how Obama had refused to meet with Netanyahu when the Israeli leader addressed Congress on problems his government sees with administration-backed efforts to reach a nuclear weapons inspection deal with Iran, Cruz added:
“What does it say about the President of the United States when he’s more concerned about undermining and attacking the prime minister of Israel than he is standing up to the mortal threat a nuclear Iran poses?”
Launched in 2002 by snack bar mogul Daniel Lubetzky, OneVoice says it works towards achieving a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and believes – in a reflection of Obama’s thinking, but counter to Netanyahu’s – that Israel’s 1967 borders should form a starting point for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Against this backdrop, the State Department awarded OneVoice the $350,000 in grant money in 2013, slotting more than $233,000 in staggered payments for OneVoice’s Israel branch, and earmarking the rest in staggered payments for OneVoice Palestine.
The State Department says the money for OneVoice Israel was to help pay for the group’s campaigning in support of talks between the Israelis and Palestinians following the attempt by Kerry to see the peace process restarted. But while those talks collapsed in April 2014, the State Department said in its response to the Cruz-Zeldin letter that its funding continued through Aug. 18 of that year.
This fact has raised additional concern, a senior Congressional aide within the Republican Party told FoxNews.com.
“No one is objecting to private American citizens participating in political activity,” said the aide, in reference to Obama’s former field director and others who are helping guide V15. “At issue here is the possibility taxpayer funds in the form of the State Department grants were used for overtly political activity, especially in the period when the ostensible purpose of the grant — to promote Secretary Kerry’s proposed solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue — no longer existed.”
Concerning the registering of OneVoice’s PeaceWorks Action, Inc. under a part of the tax code that permits limited political activity, the aide added: “The establishment of the 501(c)4 post-facto doesn’t really clear this issue up.”
The registering of PeaceWorks Action, Inc. is likely to be among activities a bipartisan probe by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations will look at as it explores the wider issue of possible Obama-administration ties to the anti-Netanyahu campaign.
FoxNews.com, citing a source with knowledge of the panel’s activities, on Saturday revealed the existence of the probe.
The Senate subcommittee, which has subpoena power, is the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs’ chief investigative body with jurisdiction over all branches of government operations and compliance with laws.
It would also be expected to look into the State Department’s oversight of the grant monies slotted for OneVoice.
As a guest on Fox News Channel’s The Kelly File, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told show host Megyn Kelly last month that the grant money given to OneVoice Israel had been vetted, saying “there's reporting that is required to be done about every dollar and cent of money that's spent of US taxpayer dollars.”
However, the State Department’s response to the Cruz-Zeldin letter is not as emphatic about any post-grant review. “In accordance with standard practice, the department reviewed OneVoice Israel’s implementation plan and approved all proposed US Government-funded activities,” the letter, also dated in February, says.
The letter additionally mentions that a portion of the almost $116,000 slotted for OneVoice Palestine had yet to be dispatched.
“There is a remaining payment of approximately $10,000 to OneVoice’s Palestinian branch, which will not be delivered until a review of the final program report is complete and will only cover activities performed during the agreement period, September 2013 to November 2014,” the letter says.

Lawmaker calls for a rebellion against EPA pollution emissions for backyard barbecues

A Missouri state legislator wants the Environmental Protection Agency to back off of people’s backyard barbecues.
On Monday, State Senator Eric Schmitt (R) from St. Louis kicked off a #porksteakrebellion after he discovered the EPA is funding a study on propane grill emissions that suggest pit masters use a special tray to catch grease drippings and a "catalytic" filtration system to reduce air pollution, reports Fox News KTVI.
“The idea that the EPA wants to find their way into our back yards, where we’re congregating with our neighbors, having a good time, on the 4^th of July, barbecuing pork steak or hamburgers, is ridiculous and it’s emblematic of agency that’s sort of out of control,” Schmitt said.
The EPA is funding a $15,000 University of California-Riverside study to look at the particulate emissions you breathe when grilling over an open flame.  Along with the drip tray, the emission removal system includes the use of a “secondary air filtration system is composed of a single pipe duct system which contains a specialized metal filter, a metal fan blade, a drive shaft, and an accompanying power system with either a motorized or manual method,” according to study.
Those opposed to the study met Monday night at St. Louis’ LeGrand’s Market & Catering sandwiches shop after Schmitt launched the rebellion via Twitter. 
“Personally, I think being able to barbecue in your back yard extends your life,” customer Pat Schommer told Fox. “It’s part of pleasure – backyard barbecuing and I love it.”
The EPA said that it doesn’t regulate people’s backyard barbecues and that the grant is part of the EPA's "National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2014)", which is a student-designed competition for sustainability.
Schmitt called on people to grill in their backyards this week as a sort of “peaceful protest”.

Republican Rep. Schock resigning amid ethics questions

Illinois Republican Rep. Aaron Schock abruptly announced his resignation on Tuesday, after facing questions for weeks concerning his lavish spending from government and campaign accounts.
In a statement that took congressional leaders by surprise, the congressman said he would resign, effective March 31, "with a heavy heart."
"Serving the people of the 18th District is the highest and greatest honor I have had in my life. I thank them for their faith in electing me and letting me represent their interests in Washington. ... But the constant questions over the last six weeks have proven a great distraction that has made it too difficult for me to serve the people of the 18th District with the high standards that they deserve and which I have set for myself," he said.
Schock has faced mounting accusations of using taxpayer dollars for personal expenses and claiming questionable reimbursements.
He started facing scrutiny after it came to light that he had decorated his office in the theme of the PBS program "Downton Abbey." A public watchdog group later filed a federal ethics complaint against him for using congressional money to redesign that office -- and for billing taxpayers or his campaigns tens of thousands of dollars in private air travel on donor-owned planes.
On Monday, the Associated Press confirmed that the Office of Congressional Ethics had reached out to Schock's associates as it apparently began an investigation. The office is an outside panel that reviews ethics complaints against House members and makes recommendations to the House Ethics Committee.
Fox News is told by multiple sources that Schock did not notify Republican congressional leaders before making his announcement on Tuesday.
Speaker John Boehner said in a statement: "With this decision, Rep. Schock has put the best interests of his constituents and the House first. I appreciate Aaron's years of service, and I wish him well in the future."
Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, also of Illinois, called the resignation a "surprise" and said it "reflects the gravity of his situation."
Details emerged Monday of another business deal between Schock and one of his political donors.
The Associated Press reported a shell company linked to Schock paid a political donor $750,000 last year for a warehouse in Peoria, then took out a $600,000 mortgage for the property from a local bank run by other donors, a combination of Illinois land records and private business documents shows.
The price of the deal falls within a range identified as reasonable by a bank-hired appraiser. But the transaction follows similar Schock real estate deals detailed by a recent Associated Press investigation into the Illinois Republican's business transactions involving political contributors over the past decade.
The 2014 warehouse deal, which occurred after the congressman's most recent financial report, adds to questions about Schock's pattern of reliance on campaign contributors. Political donors built, sold and financed a house owned by Schock in suburban Peoria. Donors also were involved in the sale and financing of a Peoria apartment complex in which Schock invests.
Schock has built much of his personal wealth over a decade of real estate investments with political donors, an AP review found. Schock, 33, who was named to a midlevel Republican leadership post in the House last year, has disclosed personal wealth in a range centered on $1.4 million. He's made his precocious business acumen a key part of his appeal since his election to Congress in 2009 and sometimes describes himself as a real estate developer. A media-savvy lawmaker, he also posed shirtless for Men's Health magazine to promote fitness.
In a separate report Monday, the website Buzzfeed reported that Schock spent more than $5,000 from his House account for a portable podium that looks a lot like a presidential podium used by President Obama.

Netanyahu poised for third straight term as Israel PM after chief rival concedes

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began working Wednesday to form a coalition government with nationalist and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties after his conservative Likud scored a resounding and surprising victory following a fractious election campaign.
Netanyahu said that he had spoken with the heads of five other parties that he hoped to bring into his government, adding that he hopes to complete the delicate task in "two to three weeks."
"The reality isn't waiting on us," Netanyahu said in a statement. "Reality isn't taking a break. The citizens of Israel expect us to quickly put together a leadership that will work for the sake of the country's security, economy, and society as we promised to do, and that is what I will do."
Also Wednesday, Netanyahu's main rival, Isaac Herzog of the centrist Zionist Union confirmed that he had called the incumbent to congratulate him on his victory.
"I wished him luck, but let it be clear, the problems are the same problems, nothing has changed," said Herzog, who attempted to make economic and social issues the focus of the campaign in contrast to Netanyahu's focus on security. Herzog also vowed that his party would serve as "an alternative in every area" to Likud.
According to official results reported in Israeli media early Wednesday, Likud had won at least 29 seats in the 120-member Knesset, five more than Herzog's centrist Zionist Union. No other party had more than 14 seats, and a party or coalition must have at least 61 seats to form a government. A key bloc that could sew up Netanyahu's premiership is Kulanu, another centrist party lead by former government minister Moshe Kahlon that was projected to earn 10 seats in the latest figures.
Kahlon, whose campaign focused almost entirely on bread-and-butter economic issues, refused to take sides.
"I am loyal to my way," he told his supporters, saying he would work to form a government committed to social justice.
Likud significantly outperformed all the polls in the run-up to the election, all of which had predicted a second-place finish for the party behind the Zionist Union. Netanyahu claimed victory early Wednesday in a speech to cheering supporters at party headquarters in Tel Aviv.
"Against all the odds we obtained a great victory for the Likud," Netanyahu told the gathering. "Now we must form a strong and stable government that will ensure Israel's security and welfare," he added, in comments aimed at Kahlon.
At a rally of his supporters, Herzog had vowed to do his utmost to form a government and said he too had reached out to potential coalition partners. However, his effort to build a coalition was complicated by the possibility of having to rely on support from a new Arab alliance that was projected to capture 14 seats. But Arab parties have never sat in an Israeli coalition before.
Stav Shaffir, a leader of the Zionist Union, called the results a "clear vote of no confidence in Netanyahu."
Netanyahu had ruled out a "unity" government with the Zionist Union that would give him a broader coalition, and Herzog had also been cool to the idea without explicitly dismissing the prospect.
President Reuven Rivlin will now spend the next few days consulting with the various parties, whose leaders will all offer recommendations for who should be prime minister.
The final weeks of the campaign had become a referendum on Netanyahu, a towering figure in Israeli politics who has spent more time as Prime Minister than anyone except the country's founding father, David Ben-Gurion.
Netanyahu, who already has a testy relationship with President Barack Obama, took a sharp turn to the right in the final days of the campaign, staking out a series of hard-line positions that will put him at odds with the international community.
In his most dramatic policy reversal, he said he now opposes the creation of a Palestinian state — a key policy goal of the White House and the international community. He also promised to expand construction in Jewish areas of east Jerusalem, the section of the city claimed by the Palestinians as their capital.
Netanyahu infuriated the White House early this month when he delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress criticizing an emerging nuclear deal with Iran. The speech was arranged with Republican leaders and not coordinated with the White House ahead of time.
In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama was confident strong U.S.-Israeli ties would endure far beyond the election regardless of the victor.
The Palestinians, fed up after years of deadlock with Netanyahu, are now likely to press ahead with their attempts to bring war crimes charges against Israel in the International Criminal Court.
"What Netanyahu is doing and stating are war crimes and if the international community wants peace it should make Netanyahu accountable for his acts," said Palestinian official Saeb Erekat. He said the Palestinian leadership will meet Thursday to discuss its next steps.

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Results of Kentucky election get tossed over vote-buying allegations

A judge has voided the results of a 2014 Kentucky county election over allegations that votes were bought with driveway gravel and beer money.
Incumbent Democrat Charles “Doc” Hardin tallied a slim 28-vote win over Republican challenger John Montgomery last November in the race for Judge-Executive of Magoffin County in the eastern part of the state, 3,281 to 3,253.
But last week Circuit Judge John David Preston refused to declare Hardin the winner, ruling the election outcome was the result of fraud and bribery, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported the other day. The paper said Preston issued no finding that Hardin or Montgomery took part in any wrongdoing.
The ruling throws into question Hardin’s status as the county’s top public official. Hardin did not return messages for comment from FoxNews.com
It was the third time in a row a Hardin win at the polls has ended up in court.
The Herald said that as part of his ruling, Preston found that county workers acting under Hardin's direct supervision illegally spread gravel on four or five private driveways just before Election Day.
He also found evidence of at least four votes being sold for cash or the promise of cash. The judge heard testimony about one case in which a man of limited IQ implied he sold his vote for a $50 bill that he used to buy beer.
Finally, the judge found the election was marred by other improprieties that contributed to his ruling.
The case wound up in front of Preston after Montgomery challenged his loss. He told the Herald he ran against Hardin to “restore honesty and integrity to the office.”
He also accused Hardin in court of buying votes when he ran against the Democrat in 2010 and lost. The judge in that case found there were instances of vote buying but refused to void the election.
Hardin secured his 2014 victory only after absentee ballots were counted.
An expert told the judge that 18% of all ballots cast in the race were absentee ballots. He called that a surprising number, suggesting that some “nefarious manipulation” was involved.
The Herald said Hardin has consistently denied involvement in any voter fraud.

Netanyahu, trailing in polls, promises no Palestinian state if elected

Faced with a tight race for his political life, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stepped up the nationalist rhetoric on the eve of parliamentary elections, vowing a Palestinian state will not be established on his watch if he’s re-elected.
In an interview published Monday in the nrg news website, Netahyahu said withdrawing from occupied areas to make way for a Palestinian state would only ensure that territory will be taken over by Islamic extremists. When asked if that means a Palestinian state will not be established if he is elected, Netanyahu said "indeed."
It was the latest -- and clearest -- attempt by Netanyahu to disavow his earlier support for Palestinian independence, which he first laid out in a landmark 2009 speech.
"If we get this guarantee for demilitarization and necessary security arrangements for Israel, and if the Palestinians recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people, we will be willing in a real peace agreement to reach a solution of a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state," he said in 2009.
Despite that pledge, two rounds of peace talks have failed and Netanyahu has continued to expand Jewish settlements.
In a further attempt to appeal to hard-line voters, the Israeli leader also vowed Monday to strengthen construction in east Jerusalem settlements.  Netanyahu tried to shore up support on several campaign stops after the latest polls showed his Likud party trailing behind the centrist Zionist party, the day before Tuesday’s Knesset elections.
Netanyahu is in a close race against the Center-Left Zionist Union party led by Tzipi Livni and Isaac Herzog, who confidently predicted an "upheaval" was imminent.
In recent days, Netanyahu has been on a get-out-the-vote blitz, saying a dovish government would spell disaster for the country and complaining of an international conspiracy to oust him. But Monday’s comments will put him further at odds with the international community, boding poorly for already strained relations with the U.S. and other key allies if he wins a third consecutive term.
There was no immediate comment from U.S. officials.
The international community overwhelmingly supports the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, areas captured by Israel in 1967, and opposes settlement construction. Netanyahu's tough new position is likely to worsen his already strained ties with his western allies if he is re-elected.
Netanyahu has portrayed himself as the only politician capable of confronting Israel's numerous security challenges, while his opponents have focused on the country's high cost of living and presented Netanyahu as imperious and out of touch with the common man.
Netanyahu has also complained of an international conspiracy to oust him, funded by wealthy foreigners who dislike him, and on Sunday night, he addressed an outdoor rally before tens of thousands of hard-line supporters in Tel Aviv.
The strategy is aimed at siphoning off voters from nationalistic rivals, but risks alienating centrist voters who are expected to determine the outcome of the race.
During a last-minute campaign stop in east Jerusalem Monday, Netanyahu visited Har Homa, a Jewish development viewed as an illegal settlement by the Palestinians and the international community. Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005. The Islamic militant group Hamas took over two years later and escalated attacks on Israel.
"We will preserve Jerusalem's unity in all its parts. We will continue to build and fortify Jerusalem so that its division won't be possible and it will stay united forever," Netanyahu said. "Likud's victory is the only thing that can ensure the continuation of a national leadership and will prevent the establishment of a left-wing government."
While Netanyahu could still end up in the best position to cobble together a ruling coalition, the slipping support has rattled Likud -- which began the campaign all but assured that it would stay in office.
"The choice is symbolic: the Likud led by me, that will continue to stand firmly for (Israel's) vital interests, compared with a left-wing government ... ready to accept any dictate," Netanyahu said in his speech at Har Homa Monday, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Herzog has been surging in the polls on a campaign that promises to repair ties with the Palestinians and the international community and also bring relief to the country's struggling middle class.
Visiting his party headquarters, an upbeat Herzog talked about a "crucial" vote for the country and warned against splitting the anti-Netanyahu vote among the various centrist parties, including charismatic leader Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid Party.
"Whoever wants Lapid, whoever wants Yesh Atid, in the government has to vote for us. They have no other choice," he said. "Whoever wants an upheaval has to vote for us."
A majority of Israelis do not believe Netanyahu will form the next government, a Likud source said Monday, citing an internal poll. On March 9, Likud's data showed that 62.3 percent thought Netanyahu would form the coalition and 19.9 percent thought that Herzog and Livni would form the government, the Jerusalem Post reported.
But on Monday, for the first time, the number believing Netanyahu would form the government fell to 49.6 percent, while 30.4 percent thought Herzog would form the coalition. The surprising data marked the first time since the election campaign began that the number slipped below 50 percent. The polls are taken by McLaughlin and associates, the American Republican strategist working for the Netanyahu campaign.
During the Tel Aviv rally Sunday, Netanyahu chided what he called funding "from abroad" of an activist group which has pushed for Netanyahu's ouster. The group, V15, is working with Jeremy Bird, one of President Barack Obama's former campaign strategists. Netanyahu, who has strong links to U.S. billionaire Sheldon Adelson, has attributed his drop in the polls to a "worldwide" conspiracy to oust him.
Under Israel's electoral system, no party has ever won an outright majority in the 120-member parliament. Instead, the party with the best chance of forming a coalition -- usually the largest party -- is given the chance to form a coalition.
Since neither Likud nor the Zionist Union is expected to earn more than a quarter of the votes, the election will likely be followed by a lengthy period of negotiations over the next coalition government.

Federal agencies made $125B in improper payments last year

Federal agencies made $125 billion in improper payments last year, including tax credits to people who didn't qualify, Medicare payments for treatments that might not be necessary and unemployment benefits for people who were actually working, said a government report released Monday.
The level of improper payments was a new high after several years of declines. In addition to fraud, the errors included overpayments and underpayments, as well payments made without proper documentation.
While the errors were spread among 22 federal agencies, three programs stood out: Medicare, Medicaid and the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Together, the three programs accounted for more than $93 billion in improper payments, according to the report by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.
"This taxpayer money was not spent securing our borders, it was not spent on national defense, and it was not spent contributing to a safety net for those in need," said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. "This is a problem that is going to get worse year after year if we do not get a handle on it now."
Johnson's committee held a hearing Monday on reducing improper payments by improving death records maintained by the Social Security Administration. Social Security has no death record for 6.5 million people who would be at least 112 years old, according to a report by the agency's inspector general.
In reality, only a few could possibly be alive. As of last fall, there were only 42 people known to be that old in the entire world.
Only 13 of the people are still getting Social Security benefits, the report said. But for others, their Social Security numbers are still active, so a number could be used to report wages, open bank accounts, obtain credit cards or claim fraudulent tax refunds.
Social Security maintains a database of people who have died called the Death Master File, or DMF. It helps public agencies and private companies know when Social Security numbers are no longer valid for use.
"Their absence from the DMF could result in erroneous payments made by federal benefit-paying agencies that rely on the DMF to verify recipient eligibility," said Patrick P. O'Carroll Jr., the Social Security inspector general. "It could also hinder state and local government and private industry -- banks, insurance companies, and others -- from identifying identity theft and other types of fraud."
The federal government's increase in improper payments comes after three years of steady declines. The level previously peaked at $121 billion in 2010 before dropping to $106 billion for the 2013 budget year.
The Obama administration says reducing improper payments is a priority.
"While progress has been made over the years, the time has come for a more aggressive strategy to reduce the levels of improper payments we currently are seeing," said David Mader, the controller at President Barack Obama's budget office.
Mader outlined several proposals in Obama's proposed budget for next year. They include programs to reduce fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid, as well as budget increases at the IRS to combat tax fraud.