Insurance Company Cartoons

Major insurance groups call part of health bill 'unworkable'

America's Health Care Plans

If Company's try to dictate whats right and wrong for the American people, who benefits the most?

Two of the insurance industry's most powerful organizations say a crucial provision in the Senate Republican health care bill allowing the sale of bare-bones policies is "unworkable in any form," delivering a blow to party leaders' efforts to win support for their legislation.

The language was crafted by conservative Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and leaders have included it in the overall bill in hopes of winning votes from other congressional conservatives. But moderates have worried it will cause people with serious illnesses to lose coverage, and some conservatives say it doesn't go far enough.

Two of the 52 GOP senators have already said they will oppose the legislation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cannot lose any others for the legislation to survive a showdown vote expected next week.
The overall measure represents the Senate GOP's attempt to deliver on the party's promise to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law, which they've been pledging to do since its 2010 enactment.
The criticism of Cruz's provision was lodged in a rare joint statement by America's Health Care Plans and the BlueCross BlueShield Association. The two groups released it late Friday in the form of a letter to McConnell, R-Ky.
"It is simply unworkable in any form," the letter said. They said it would "undermine protections for those with pre-existing medical conditions," increase premiums and lead many to lose coverage.
The provision would let insurers sell low-cost policies with skimpy coverage, as long as they also sell policies that meet a stringent list of services they're required to provide under Obama's law, like mental health counseling and prescription drugs.
Cruz says the proposal would drive down premiums and give people the option of buying the coverage they feel they need.
Critics say the measure would encourage healthy people to buy the skimpy, low-cost plans, leaving sicker consumers who need more comprehensive coverage confronting unaffordable costs. The insurers' statement backs up that assertion, lending credence to wary senators' worries and complicating McConnell's task of winning them over.
The two groups say premiums would "skyrocket" for people with preexisting conditions, especially for middle-income families who don't qualify for the bill's tax credit. They also say the plan would leave consumers with fewer insurance options, so "millions of more individuals will become uninsured."
According to an analysis by the BlueCross BlueShield Association, major federal consumer protections would not be required for new plans permitted by the Cruz amendment.
Among them: guaranteed coverage at standard rates for people with pre-existing conditions, comprehensive benefits, coverage of preventive care -- including birth control for women -- at no added cost to the consumer, and limits on out-of-pocket spending for deductibles and copayments.
The bill provides $70 billion for states to use to help contain rising costs for people with serious conditions. But the insurance groups' statement says that amount "is insufficient and additional funding will not make the provision workable for consumers or taxpayers."
The Cruz provision language in the bill is not final. McConnell and other Republicans are considering ways to revise it in hopes of winning broader support.
McConnell and top Trump administration officials plan to spend the next few days cajoling senators and home-state governors in an effort to nail down support for the bill.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office is expected to release its analysis of McConnell's revised bill early next week, including an assessment of Cruz's plan.
The office estimated that McConnell's initial bill would have caused 22 million additional people to be uninsured.

McConnell delays action on health care after McCain surgery

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell R-Ky announced Saturday that he was delaying consideration of health care legislation in light of Sen. John McCain’s absence from recent surgery.

McConnell released a statement on Saturday night saying that he was deferring action on the measure as McCain recovers at his home in Arizona.

"While John is recovering, the Senate will continue our work on legislative items and nominations, and will defer consideration of the Better Care Act," McConnell said.
Surgeons in Phoenix removed a blood clot from above McCain's left eye on Friday. The 80-year-old Senate veteran was advised by doctors to remain in Arizona next week, his office said.
A procedural vote expected in the coming days had been cast as a showdown over the measure designed to replace Obamacare once and for all.
With a 52-48 majority, Republicans can afford to only lose two votes. Vice President Mike Pence would break a tie for final passage.
Two Republicans, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine, have already said they'll vote against the measure.
McConnell and other GOP leaders have been urging senators to at least vote in favor of opening debate, which would allow senators to offer amendments. In recent days GOP leaders have expressed optimism that they were getting closer to a version that could pass the Senate.

The Left just loves Crap like this.

VP Pence Touts President’s Agenda During Pro-Business Speech

Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Maverick PAC annual Mavericks Conference in in Washington, Saturday, July 15, 2017. The Mavericks Conference is the annual gathering of conservative young professionals. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

July 15, 2017
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Vice President Mike Pence touts the Trump Administration’s successes in front of a pro-business Super-PAC.
Pence spoke at the Mavericks Conference on Saturday and said the U.S. economy is back because of President Trump.
He says 800,000 jobs have been added since the President took office and claims he has cut through more Federal red tape than any president in history.
Pence also praised the President for his effort in securing the border, saying border crossings are down 60% since January.
He’s added the administration is firmly behind the Senate Republican Health Care bill and anticipates a vote next week.

Border Wall Construction May Start in Texas

In this Jan. 25, 2017, file photo, an agent of the border patrol, observes near the Mexico-U.S. border fence, on the Mexican side, separating the towns of Anapra, Mexico and Sunland Park, N.M. (AP Photo/Christian Torres, File) July 15, 2017

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The first segment of President Trump’s border wall could start in South Texas.
On Friday, Customs and Border Protection officials announced they are looking to begin construction in the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge in January.
Officials say the area was chosen because the property is already owned by the Federal Government.
Customs and Border Protection plans to build an 18-foot levee wall through 3 miles of the refuge.
The site is located on the Texas-Mexico border, about 10 miles Southeast of MCallen in the Rio Grande Valley.

Illegal Alien Cartoons

Sessions says when cities protect illegal immigrants, 'criminals take notice'

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he will not stand back and let the national murder rate continue to rise.

During a stop in Las Vegas on Wednesday, the attorney general said he plans to hire 300 additional federal prosecutors to fight violent gangs like MS-13, a ruthless criminal enterprise with roots in El Salvador.

The national murder rate has increased 10 percent the past year. According to Sessions, that’s the largest increase since 1968.
Sessions was in the City of Lights to continue his fight against Sanctuary Cities. He said too many jurisdictions are still refusing to cooperate with federal authorities and are protecting criminal who, under federal law, should be deported.
SESSIONS SAYS SANCTUARY CITIES RISK LOSING DOJ, DHS GRANTS
The Justice Department is threatening to withhold federal funding from cities that don’t cooperate with federal officials in enforcing immigration laws.
"When cities like Philadelphia, Boston or San Francisco advertise that they have these policies, the criminals take notice," Sessions said in Vegas.
He said lax immigration enforcements leads to increased violence. He pointed to Kate Steinle, who was killed by an illegal immigrant in San Francisco who allegedly moved to that city because of its sanctuary status.
"Her death was preventable — and it should have been prevented," Sessions said. "He walked the streets freely because San Francisco refuses to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In fact, he admitted that one reason he was in San Francisco that day was that he knew the city had these policies in place."
SANCTUARY CITIES LOSE ACCESS TO FEDERAL GRANTS THAT REQUIRE COMPLYING WITH FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAW – CUE THE HISTORIANS
Right now, four cities, four counties and two sanctuary states are undergoing a legal review by Sessions, including Vegas, where he urged Clark County to cooperate with ICE. In all, he said, some 300 jurisdictions refuse to cooperate with federal immigration officials.
“These jurisdictions,” he said, “are protecting criminals rather than their law-abiding residents.”
He said cooperation will help the government dismantle gangs like MS-13, which is wreaking havoc across the country.
“To take these gangs off of our streets,” he said, “we need cooperation between law enforcement at the federal, state and local levels.”

All eyes on Nevada’s Republican senator mulling ObamaCare decision

Republicans are not in the position to lose votes if they hope to repeal ObamaCare, so pressure is being placed on senators like Sen. Dean Heller, R- Nev., to declare allegiance on the newly crafted bill.

If Heller supports the bill, he would likely be parting ways with Nevada's popular GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval in a state that did not support President Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

But if he opposes the bill, conservative groups will likely come after them like they did earlier this year after he opposed the GOP's initial health care bill.
And Democrats plan to target his seat either way in next year's mid-term elections.
Trump on Friday tweeted encouragement to Republicans on the Hill to "do what is right for the people" and get their "failed ObamaCare replacement approved."
Trump declared a day earlier that failure would make him "very angry" and that he would blame Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
“I will be at my desk, pen in hand!” Trump tweeted.
The reworked bill Sen. Mitch McConnell presented to fellow Republicans aims to win conservatives' support by letting insurers sell low-cost, skimpy policies. At the same time, he seeks to placate hesitant moderates by adding billions to combat opioid abuse and help consumers with skyrocketing insurance costs.
Fox News' Sean Hannity took aim Thursday night at Republican senators who expressed skepticism of or opposition to the revised health care measure that would repeal and replace ObamaCare.
"You made us a promise, the American people, for seven years. You guaranteed you’d end ObamaCare," the "Hannity" host said. "You assured all of us you would develop a health care bill that actually worked for the American people. Stop your whining, roll up your sleeves, get to work, put your egos aside, get it done."
Last month, a pro-Trump group reportedly planned to launch the seven-figure ad campaign against Heller.
Heller is up for re-election in 2018 and is considered one of the most vulnerable GOP senators.
"Obamacare is collapsing. This is a crisis for the American people. There is no excuse for any Republican or Democrat to oppose the Senate health care bill outright," Brian Walsh, president of the group, said in a statement at the time. "Senator Heller ... appears to be heading down a path with Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and the radical left."

Ariz. Border Patrol Arrest Over 500 Illegal Aliens Under “One and Done Initiative”

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Officials along the U.S.-Mexico Border nab over 560 illegal aliens in just one month alone.
The Customs and Border Protection Agency prosecuted 565 people who were arrested on their first attempt at crossing the border near Tucson, Arizona in June.
Crossing illegally just one time results in a misdemeanor charge, while multiple crossings become a felony.
Before June, most illegal immigrants were not charged on their first attempt at crossing the border.
Officials say the “one and done initiative” was reinstated to prevent illegals from injury or death while crossing the Sonoran Desert.
Last month Border Patrol rescued 80 illegals who were lost in that desert.

Sonoran Desert

House Backs Massive Increase in Defense Spending

The House passes its version of a massive defense bill backing President Trump’s desire for a bigger and stronger military.
The 344 to 81 vote passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which sets military policy and authorizes nearly $700 billion in spending for the Department of Defense.
The measure also increases spending on missile defense by 25%, adds thousands of more active duty troops to the army, provides new ships for the navy, and a salary increase for u-s troops.
It also creates a new Space Corps military service.
The Senate will vote on its version of the bill later this year.

ObamaCare Cartoons

Hannity to Senate GOP on ObamaCare repeal: 'Get this thing over the finish line'

Fox News' Sean Hannity took aim Thursday night at Republican senators who expressed skepticism of or opposition to the revised health care measure that would repeal and replace ObamaCare.

"You made us a promise, the American people, for seven years. You guaranteed you’d end ObamaCare," the "Hannity" host said. "You assured all of us you would develop a health care bill that actually worked for the American people. Stop your whining, roll up your sleeves, get to work, put your egos aside, get it done."

"You were elected to lead, make tough decisions," Hannity added. "Get this thing over the finish line and do it for the American people ... They didn’t elect you to capitulate and whine and complain and fall down on your face."
In a blistering mini-monologue, Hannity singled out Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Susan Collins of Maine, both of whom had criticized the bill in recent days. Collins went so far as to promise that she would vote against a motion to bring the bill to the Senate floor for debate.
"These are the same pathetic, weak Republicans, spineless Republican senators [who] vowed to completely repeal and replace ObamaCare," Hannity noted. "They said, 'give us the House in 2010,' 'give us the Senate in 2014,' 'give us the presidency in 2016, we’ll get this done.'"
"If you can’t replace it, then do what you said," he added. "Repeal it! You have no excuses left."

Trump travel ban: Hawaii judge expands list of relatives exempted from order

IDIOT

A federal judge in Hawaii on Thursday expanded the list of “bona fide” family relationships needed by people seeking new visas from six majority Muslim countries to avoid President Trump’s travel ban.

U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson ordered the U.S. not to enforce the travel ban on grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins of people in the U.S.

"Common sense, for instance, dictates that close family members be defined to include grandparents," Watson said in his ruling. "Indeed grandparents are the epitome of close family members."
The travel ban affects those trying to enter the U.S. from Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Iran and Yemen.
Hawaii Attorney General Douglas S. Chin applauded the ruling late Thursday, saying the court makes it clear that the administration “may not ignore the scope of the partial travel ban as it sees fit.”
"Family members have been separated and real people have suffered enough,” he said.
Last month, the Supreme Court exempted visa applicants from the ban if they could prove a “bona fide” relationship with a U.S. citizen or entity. The White House had previously said the ban would not apply to citizens of six countries with a parent, spouse, fiancé, son, daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, or sibling already in the U.S.
Hawaii said grandparents, uncles and aunts and other close relatives should also be exempted. The state asked Watson, who blocked the president's revised travel ban in March, to clarify that those family members are also exempt from the ban.
Watson rejected Hawaii's request, saying the state should go to the U.S. Supreme Court since it was seeking to clarify that court's requirement of a "bona fide relationship."
Hawaii appealed Watson's ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but the court said Watson's ruling was not appealable under federal judicial laws. The 9th Circuit, however, said Watson had the authority to interpret the Supreme Court's order and block any violation of it. Hawaii then renewed its last week request with Watson in a different form.
"Because plaintiffs now seek such injunctive relief, the court reaches the merits of their request, consistent with the Ninth Circuit's guidance," Watson wrote.

Pres. Trump Grants Afghan Girls Robotics Team Visas

Teenagers from the Afghanistan Robotic House, a private training institute, practice in Herat, Afghanistan. (AHMAD SEIR/AP)

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President Donald Trump stepped in and granted a group of Afghan girls visas so they can compete in an international robotics competition next week.
The teenagers were denied access to the U.S. under the president’s executive order on travel after making multiple trips to their country’s capital depsite the dangers of the war-torn region.
The State Department worked with Homeland Security on this specific case.
Once the issue reached the president, he urged a reversal of the initial decision to deny the girls temporary access to the U.S.
Officials say the administration could not be prouder of these young female scientists.
Another team from Gambia is also being granted visas to attend the event put on by an organization know as First Global.

Senate Republicans Release Latest Health Care Draft

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks to members of the media on Capitol Hill in Washington Thursday, July 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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Senate republicans release the latest version of their health care bill, including several key changes in hopes of garnering party support.
The bill includes a revision from Senator Ted Cruz, allowing insurers to offer cheaper “bare-bones” policies.
In order to do so, insurance companies would have to sell at least one plan that meets Obamacare rules, but then could sell plans that do not meet current health care regulations.
Additionally, the new version keeps some of Obamacare’s taxes, increases funding for the opioid crisis, and would allow people to use tax credits on catastrophic health plans.
It also increases funding for states in order to bring down premiums.

Political Cartoons from TownHall

Chinese trade with North Korea jumped more than 10 percent in first half of year, official says

China’s trade with sanctions-riddled North Korea increased more than 10 percent in the first half of the year from last year, a Chinese official said Wednesday.

China’s customs spokesman Huang Songping said China’s trade with North Korea rose by 10.5 percent to $2.55 billion in the first six months of 2017. While imports from North Korea dropped 13.2 percent to $880 million in the period, exports to North Korea rose 29.1 percent to $1.67 billion, Huang said.

"As neighbors, China and North Korea maintain normal business and trade exchanges," he said.
Huang also said the exports were driven by textile products and other traditional goods not on the U.N. embargo list.
Being its largest ally, Beijing has been under pressure from the U.S. to do more to rein in North Korea, according to Reuters.
President Trump denounced China’s trade with North Korea last week, saying it grew almost 40 percent in the first quarter and questioned how much it was doing to help counter the growing threat from Pyongyang.

While China has contended it is doing nothing wrong by continuing normal trade operations with the isolated regime, U.S. is reportedly preparing to go after Chinese banks accused of funneling cash to North Korea.
The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that recent unsealed court filings show that the White House is ready to constrict cash flow to North Korea. The Justice Department pointed to “offshore U.S. dollar accounts” associated with a handful of companies linked to Chinese national Chi Yungpeng.
The Justice Department said the Chi’s network hid transactions which helped fund North Korea’s military and arms programs, the newspaper reported. While the network is not under U.S. sanctions, analysts believe can be cutoff the same way a separate Chinese firm last year.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is also said to be preparing to unilaterally tighten sanctions on North Korea.
The U.S. circulated a draft resolution that would impose new sanctions on North Korea following its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, two U.N. diplomats told the Associated Press on Monday.
The resolution has been circulated to China, as well as the three other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council – Russia, Britain and France, the diplomats said.

Sanders draws Democratic challenger tired of his 'Robin Hood shtick'

Bernie Sanders’ enduring popularity across Vermont for decades has scared off political challengers, but the independent senator is facing competition in his 2018 reelection bid from a Democrat who thinks his “Robin Hood shtick” must end.

“It’s shamefully arrogant when you’re more interested in being a celebrity than honoring your progressive agenda,” challenger Jon Svitavsky told Fox News. “This wonderful, political ‘I am Robin Hood shtick’ can only last for so long.” 

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Then-Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during the opening of his Cedar Rapids field headquarters, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015, in Marion, Iowa.  (AP)

The longshot bid comes from a first-time candidate even more anti-establishment than the democratic socialist incumbent and, in his words, "far more liberal."
An advocate for the homeless who claims to have some name recognition in the state, Svitavsky not only questions the sitting senator's commitment to Vermont voters but argues he used and undermined the Democratic Party for his 2016 presidential bid.

'He’s not a Democrat. That was a joke.'
- Jon Svitavsky, on Sanders' White House bid

Svitavsky contends Sanders joined Democrats to seek their nomination, then damaged frontrunner Hillary Clinton enough to give then-candidate Donald Trump the edge in the general election -- only to once again become an independent.
He also suggests an FBI investigation into a commercial real estate loan orchestrated by the senator’s wife, Jane Sanders, has left Sanders vulnerable.

FBI PROBE OF SANDERS' WIFE BASED ON 'FACTS,' GOP OFFICIAL SAYS
While his curmudgeonly manner has long alienated Capitol Hill colleagues, Sanders, a self-styled champion of the poor and middle class, continues to be immensely popular among voters.
A Morning Consult survey released Tuesday showed him with the highest approval rating among all 100 senators, 75 percent, based on interviews with registered voters in their respective states.
However, the poll was conducted from early April to mid-June, largely before reports of the loan started attracting national attention.

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 (File: UNDATED: Jon Svitavsky, a 2018 Senate candidate in Vermont, with grandson Fable Marcus Svitavsky. Submitted: Jon Svitavsky.)

The federal investigation apparently focuses on whether Jane Sanders, as president of the now-shuttered Burlington College in Vermont, overstated or overpromised financial pledges and grants to get at least $6.7 million in financing in 2010 for roughly 33 acres for a new campus.
There also have been unsubstantiated allegations that Sanders, now seeking a third Senate term, used his political office to either get the loan approved or at least OK’d swiftly.
The senator, in various interviews, has called such claims an "absolute lie" while describing the criticism of his wife as "pathetic" and political.
The self-described democratic socialist also has more than $3.8 million cash on hand in Senate accounts, according to OpenSecrets.org., which only adds to Svitavsky’s complications.
Svitavsky hopes to win the state’s Democratic primary and challenge Sanders in the general election.
In an interview Tuesday, he sounded undeterred by Sanders’ popularity and war chest, saying that his decades-long efforts in opening homeless shelters across the state has given him standing among voters.
“I think that resonates,” he said. “And I’m not unknown here. People might say I don’t have political experience but not that I’m insincere. … I’m far more liberal than Bernie, far more committed to making things happen.”
Svitavsky says he's getting strong grassroots support from across the state and country -- including a call from a guy who used to play with folk-singing legend Pete Seeger.
The Sanders campaign has declined to comment on Svitavsky’s bid.
Before Sanders was elected to the Senate in 2006, he served 19 years in the House and eight as mayor of Burlington. He was reelected to the Senate in 2012 with 71 percent of the vote, as proof of his political strength.
There has been no indication that the 75-year-old Sanders intends to retire before next year. And one source close to his 2016 presidential campaign recently told Fox News he wants to run for president again in 2020.
Right now, Sanders is still among the leading voices for national Democrats, even taking the spotlight from Democrat National Committee Chairman Tom Perez during a recent, multi-state tour that attempted to bridge the party’s lingering Clinton-Sanders divide.
“He’s not a Democrat. That was a joke,” said Svitavsky, who argues the Democratic Party was outfoxed by Sanders but is now coming to its senses. Svitavsky cannot officially file to run until next spring.
Sanders and his White House bid captured the political interests of tens of millions of voters -- particularly younger Americans -- with promises of a free college education, universal health care and legalized marijuana.
However, Svitavsky largely dismissed those promises as unrealistic because they would be too expensive for taxpayers, even if Congress approved them.
“This cannot go on forever,” he said.

'Everybody would do that': Trump downplays son's meeting with Russian lawyer

President Trump on Wednesday told Reuters that he was unaware of Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian lawyer until a “couple days ago,” and did not fault his son for accepting the meeting.

“It was a 20-minute meeting, I guess, from what I’m hearing,” Trump said. “Many people, and many political pros, said everybody would do that.”

The White House on Wednesday worked to try and go on the offensive, and change the conversation into what it sees as a Democrat double standard for their associates’ alleged coordination with foreign governments in 2016.
But one important issue is that Trump Jr. was did not immediately report that he met with the lawyer. The New York Times claimed that Trump Jr. only tweeted images of the emails after “he was told NYT was about to publish the contents of the emails.”
Trump Jr. acknowledged in an exclusive interview with Fox News' "Hannity" Tuesday night that he "probably would have done things a little differently"

"This [was] pre-Russia fever. This [was] pre-Russia mania," Trump Jr. told Fox News' Sean Hannity. "I don’t think my sirens went [off] or my antenna went up at this time because it wasn’t the issue that it’s been made out to be over the last nine months, ten months."
The president’s eldest son also described the meeting as "a nothing," adding, "I wouldn’t have even remembered it until you started scouring through this stuff. It was literally just a wasted 20 minutes, which was a shame."

The emails between Trump Jr. and Goldstone contain no evidence that the president’s son was informed of the larger alleged Russian effort to meddle in the U.S. presidential election.
Trump, for his part, said on Twitter that the White house was “functioning perfectly, focused on HealthCare, Tax Cuts/Reform & many other things. I have very little time for watching T.V.”

Florida Congressman Proposes Taxpayer Pension Disclosure Act

A Florida Congressman has introduced a bill to increase transparency of government pensions. Currently, the amount paid to former government employees after they retire is unknown by taxpayers footing the bill. It would take an act of Congress to force those records open.
Congressman Ron DeSantis (FL-R) is  looking to do just that with the Taxpayer Pension Disclosure Act. “Taxpayers have a right to know how their money’s being spent” DeSantis said.
Roughly 125 billion dollars is spent annually on federal pensions. Federal courts have consistently ruled that disclosing federal pension amounts of retired congressional representatives and senators violates  privacy rights.   
DeSantis is against Congressional pensions altogether, however the bill is not to get rid of them, but to lift the veil and let taxpayers know where and to whom their money is going. “Regardless of your political affiliation,” said  DeSantis,  “most voters and most taxpayers think they have a right to know how their money’s being spent. It should not be done in the dark.”
He used former director of the Exempt Organizations Unit at the I.R.S., Lois Lerner as one example as to why he believes taxpayers should have the right to pension information.
“There are certain offenses that if you get convicted of then your pension goes away. Then there are other offenses where it doesn’t like Lois Lerner.” Lerner became the center of controversy when she was accused of targeting conservative organizations. “[Lerner] was at the I.R.S. really at the center of that. She was allowed to retire and she’s getting a full pension. We know it’s a 6 figure pension but we don’t know exactly how much.”

Clinton Probe Cartoons

FBI document dump reveals secrets of Clinton probe as new director nominee faces Senate

Some 42 pages of highly redacted documents from the FBI’s criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton's mishandling of highly classified materials paint a picture of a serious, but flawed investigation hindered by a lack of cooperation, according to a key watchdog group.

The materials, all part of the probe dubbed "Midyear Exam,” included several documents designated as “grand jury material,” indicating the potential seriousness of the investigation that would ultimately be ended by FBI director James Comey in July, then restarted for a brief period in October before being shut down for good.

One redacted exchange reveals a back and forth subpoena response to the FBI from one of Mrs. Clinton's private attorneys, Katherine Turner, a partner at Washington DC powerhouse firm Williams & Connolly. In the document, Turner agreed to turn over one of Mrs. Clinton's non-secure Apple iPads and two of her BlackBerrys to the FBI.

“The new records show how badly the Obama Justice Department and FBI mishandled the Clinton email investigation. "

But neither smartphone received from the law firm contain SIM cards or Secure Digital (SD) cards, and a total of 13 mobile devices identified by the FBI as potentially using clintonemail.com email addresses were never located by Williams & Connelly.
"We are presuming there are still 13 devices at issue,” Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, told Fox News. “The new records show how badly the Obama Justice Department and FBI mishandled the Clinton email investigation. They get the equivalent of wiped phones from the Clinton lawyers and do nothing?"
READ THE DOCUMENTS
As extensively reported by Fox, Clinton would often task aides including Monica Hanley with finding and supplying the secretary of state's never-ending demand to use non-secure BlackBerrys for all her official government work.  Some of Clinton's BlackBerrys wound up being pounded with hammers on orders by Huma Abedin after Clinton's homebrew servers went down or when news that Clinton confidant Sidney Blumenthal's email had been hacked in 2013 by the Romanian hacker known as "Guccifer"---Marcel Lehel Lazar.
The new documents offer a glimpse into the lawyering ballet inside the Beltway---as this surrendering of two BlackBerrys and one iPad by her private attorneys occurred just six days before Hillary Clinton, then the leading Democratic nominee for president, testified before Congress on Oct. 22, 2015 about the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.
In a photo captured in the Benghazi hearing, Turner and her law partner David Kendall pointedly flanked Clinton during her marathon testimony before the House Select Committee on Benghazi. Also hovering nearby was longtime Clinton aide Cheryl Mills, who was also at the epicenter of Clinton's deliberative use of a non-secure email system while she headed one of the most sensitive federal agencies in the U.S. government.
Mills, who was Clinton’s chief of staff and counselor at State, received immunity for her cooperation into the email investigation was permitted to be in the room while Clinton interviewed by the FBI in July 2016. Comey would later admit publicly that he had never heard of a potential witness representing the subject of an FBI investigation to be present during an interview with investigators.
Nearly a year has passed since Comey's then-boss, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, held her infamous tarmac meeting with Bill Clinton in Phoenix, Arizona. Eight days later, Comey announced on July 5, 2016, that "regarding the handling of classified information, our judgement is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case."
Comey made his determination despite noting that Clinton and her colleagues "were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information," and even though 22 top secret email exchanges deemed too damaging to national security to release. Some of those exchanges contained Special Access Privilege (SAP) information characterized by intel experts as “above top secret."  
"They (the FBI) were played by Mrs. Clinton's lawyers and didn't care,” Fitton said. “The Trump Justice Department needs to audit this mess and figure out if the Clinton matters need to be reopened or reinvigorated."
In the latest documents dumped by the FBI, a whopping 325 pages are cited as "total deleted pages."  The 42 pages that were released and are only readable in parts include 177 redactions. The redactions include those made citing Freedom of Information Act exemptions  under (b) (7) (e) in which the information is denied because revelations could “disclose investigation techniques.“
Now---64 days after James Comey was fired by President Donald Trump as the director of the FBI, Christopher Wray is scheduled to sit down before the Senate Judiciary Committee for the start his confirmation process.
Two former agents with the FBI told Fox News they hope that “the atmosphere is changed with a new director.”
Pamela K. Browne is Senior Executive Producer at the FOX News Channel (FNC) and is Director of Long-Form Series and Specials. Her journalism has been recognized with several awards. Browne first joined FOX in 1997 to launch the news magazine “Fox Files” and later, “War Stories.”

Don’t blame travel ban on Iranian cancer doctor being detained, sent back, Border Patrol says

The Iranian cancer researcher who was detained at Boston's Logan International Airport along with his family and sent back to his home country on Tuesday was not a result of President Trump's travel ban, a spokeswoman from U.S. Customs and Border Partol said.

Stephanie Malin, the spokeswoman, said Moshen Dehnavi and his family were detained for “reasons unrelated” to Trump’s executive order. She said the stop was based on information discovered during the agency’s review. She did not elaborate.  

Dehnavi was arriving in the U.S. to start work at a prominent Boston hospital.
Boston Children’s Hospital said in a statement earlier Tuesday that Dehnavi was prevented from entering the country with his wife and three young children despite holding a J-1 visa for visiting scholars.
“Boston Children’s hopes that this situation will be quickly resolved and Dr. Dehnavi and his family will be released and allowed to enter the U.S.,” hospital spokesman Rob Graham said in the statement. “
But Malin noted that visa applicants “bear the burden of proof” to meet all requirements and can be denied entry for a range of reasons, including health-related issues, criminality or security concerns.
The Supreme Court recently ruled the Trump administration could largely enforce its temporary ban on travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. But the court said the ban can’t block people with a “credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.”
Some advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Iranian American Council, suggested the detention might be a violation of the Supreme Court order.
“The family is very worried,” said Shayan Modarres, a lawyer for the D.C.-based council, which has been in contact with the family. “If it is a minor paperwork issue, then something needs to be told to the family so they can resolve it.”
At the very least, the incident shows how the administration’s political priorities are leading to “overzealous enforcement” of immigration laws, said Gregory Romanovsky, chair of the New England chapter of the American Immigration Lawyer’s Association.
“Exercising discretion is not what they’re comfortable doing anymore, especially if they’re dealing with someone from one of the six banned countries,” he said of local customs officials. “The travel ban and the whole anti-immigrant mood coming from the very top of this administration certainly affects their ability.”
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a Democrat, told reporters he was waiting to hear more about the Dehnavis’ circumstances, but also suggested the case was an example of concerns with the travel ban.
“Many people, doctors and nurses and people who are students working in the world-class institutions that we have are going to be boxed out or left out of the country,” he said.

Study: Taxpayers Funding Costly Federal Grants for the Arts

A study by the Illinois based group, Openthebooks.com found millions of dollars in federal arts grants is going to wealthy non-profits, all paid for by taxpayers. The group is one of the nation’s largest private database of government spending and broke down the numbers on the National Endowment of Arts and Humanities. Their findings suggest the majority of the grants go to wealthy nonprofits, some of which already have endowments already over 1 billion dollars. 

Openthebooks.com CEO Adam Andrzejewski is  a classical violinist and a strong supporter of the arts, but he said he takes issue with the public funding. “My daughters dance in the pre-professional ballet. But, when it comes to public funding of the arts and prestigious organizations with billion dollar balance sheets, there needs to be reform in the funding.” 

Andrzejewski  said,  according to the study, in terms of non profit grant making there was ” 183 million dollars granted in fiscal year 2016 and much or this, about 100 million dollars of it went to organizations with over 10 million dollars of existing financial assets. They didn’t need taxpayer money but they took it anyway.” 

The group looked at 3,200 organizations that received 441 million dollars in federal grants last year. Organizations with assets greater than 10 million dollars received 84 million of the designated money. Those worth 1 million dollars  received less than half that. 

Among those also includes those in the more obscure category, like a sightseeing tour for saguaro cactuses in the Arizona desert.  “They green lit a ten thousand dollar grant so people can go on a tour  to see the saguaro cactus,  to listen to the cactus, to hear the cactus speak to them, and then share their findings on social media.” 

Andrzejewski said the purpose of the report is to elevate the debate for both sides by providing transparency. 

President trump’s 2018 budget proposed doing away with the National Endowment of the Arts and Humanities. He’s received criticism for leaving “starving artists” out to dry. 

However, Congress’s version slightly increases art funding by roughly 5 million dollars. 

“What’s the purpose to compel working and middle class taxpayers to continue to fund the [Metropolitan Museum of Art]” asks Andrzejewski. “The Met has nearly 4 billion dollars in their bank accounts and financial assets.” 

Pres. Trump Speaks Out on Son’s Meeting With Russian Lawyer

President Trump is speaking out about his sons meeting with a Russian lawyer last year.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the president said his son, Donald Trump Junior, is a high quality person and he “applauds his transparency.”
This comes after his eldest son released the entire email chain setting up the meeting.
He says he agreed to meet with a woman who supposedly had information that would be helpful to the Trump campaign.
Don Junior said that woman did not have anything useful to say at the meeting, and he and other members of the Trump campaign left when she started talking about a sanction put on Russian adoption.
The woman later admitted she was not an operative for the Kremlin.

Liberal Actor Cartoons