Brian Cartoon

Brian Williams does not face investigation, stepped aside voluntarily, source says

Brian Williams decided on his own to step aside from his NBC newscast for several days and was under no pressure to do so by network executives, a person familiar with the situation says.
The move on Saturday, developed in consultation with the NBC brass, was not a thinly disguised suspension. In fact, no one, including NBC News President Deborah Turness, suggested that Williams take time off, this person says.
What’s more, according to the source, NBC is not conducting an internal investigation of its anchor, as has been widely reported. The network is engaging in journalistic fact-gathering so it can respond to questions about the crisis created by Williams’ false story about having been in a helicopter in Iraq that was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. That means there will be no report with a finding on his conduct, this person says.
Williams knows that he needs to address the situation beyond the botched apology this week that made matters worse. And he has a prime forum coming up: An appearance scheduled for Thursday on CBS’s “Late Show” with David Letterman.
Williams is strongly considering keeping the appearance and using it as an opportunity to clear the air and address the lingering questions, the source says, but no final decision has been made.
Ironically, the anchor will be sitting in the same chair where he told Letterman the false Iraq story in 2013—a clip that has been widely replayed to show that he has repeatedly claimed to have been in the downed Chinook.
No one, including Williams, is minimizing the gravity of the situation. He is said to be embarrassed and very remorseful about the crisis that he created by misrepresenting what happened in Iraq in 2003.
NBC executives have not publicly defended Williams, fueling media speculation that his job may be in jeopardy. But the person familiar with the situation says Williams wanted no such public show of support, fearing it would appear to be the kiss of death.
That’s because NBC management had expressed support for David Gregory before dumping him as moderator of “Meet the Press,” and for Ann Curry before pushing her off the “Today” show.
Williams understands how badly he has damaged the news division. He told colleagues this week that while the Iraq debacle was solely his mistake, he hurt all of them because he is the high-profile face of NBC News.
He also is acutely aware that by saying during his apology that he was in a “following aircraft” behind the chopper that was hit—which was debunked by Stars & Stripes—he prolonged the controversy and made matters worse.
On the central question of why he claimed to have been in the helicopter that was struck by an RPG, Williams is said to believe that he simply succumbed to the sin of exaggeration. Armchair pundits have been analyzing whether he somehow convinced himself that he was a hero by taking enemy fire.
For now, at least, Williams’ job at NBC, where he has been the top-rated network anchor for a decade, appears secure. But that could change if journalists poke more holes in other stories reported by Williams.
For instance, a report in the New Orleans Advocate questioned whether Williams actually saw a dead body floating by his hotel when he was covering Hurricane Katrina in 2005, as he has repeatedly said.
The New Orleans Times Picayune reports Saturday that since the anchor was staying at the Ritz-Carlton in the French Quarter, “it is possible Williams saw floodwater outside the hotel, as water pouring in from failed levees reached that [area]. The Associated Press reported that a news photographer and a law enforcement official said they saw bodies in the area.”
By handing his anchor duties to Lester Holt for a week or so—there is no exact timetable—Williams hopes to minimize the distraction that his credibility problems have created. But whether he can achieve his goal of regaining the audience’s trust depends on how he handles the mounting questions in the days ahead.

Obama administration issues 5.5M work permits to non-citizens; critics call it 'shadow' immigration system

The Obama administration has since 2009 issued roughly 5.5 million work permits to non-citizens beyond what Congress has authorized, according to recently-released documents that critics of U.S. policy say reveals a "shadow" or "parallel" immigration system stifling wages and taking jobs from Americans.
The information was obtained by the conservative-leaning Center for Immigration Studies through a Freedom of Information Act request and has prompted Alabama GOP Sen. Jeff Sessions to call for an investigation.
"This request has unearthed the operation of a shadow immigration system previously unknown to the American public," said Sessions, one of Capitol Hill's most outspoken critics of President Obama's immigration policy. "A full investigation is warranted."
Congress authorized an estimated 5 million green cards and 3.5 million guest worker permits during the 2009-2014 period, in addition to the 5.5 million issued by administration action, a Senate staffer said Wednesday.
Jessica Vaughn, the study author and the center's director of policy studies, argues the administration has discovered the power to issue work permits outside the limits set by Congress and that it has become "the vehicle" for Obama’s executive actions -- in which he has offered deferred deportation to millions of people now in the country illegally.
The biggest group of recipients has been people entering the U.S. without being inspected. More than 957,200 of them received permanent or "pre-permanent" work permits, according to the center.
Others received those types of permits were 23,215 parolees, nearly 1,000 stowaways and 49 people suspected of document fraud.
In addition, 531,692 students and 470,028 students received temporary work permits over that period. And those in both groups were neither originally admitted to the U.S. for employment nor qualified for admission, the group found.
"Some of those people are on track to get a green card," Vaughn said recently on Fox News Business' "Lou Dobbs Tonight." "But the vast majority of them entered illegal or on a tourist visa or the visa waiver program. … It's not like there’s a labor shortage here."
Session has largely framed his argument against Obama's immigration policy as hurtful to U.S. workers, many of whom have not seen wages increase in the growing, post-recession economy.
"The slack labor market has depressed median family income by $5,000" since 2009, he said.
Vaughn also broke down the numbers to show the three biggest groups ineligible for work permits but receiving them are illegal immigrants (928,000), people of "unknown" immigration status (1.7 million), and those on a temporary visa (1.8 million).
"There's no reason to issue (work permits) to people here illegally or whose status is unknown," Vaughn also said.
She said 1.7 million have either not been recorded or their statuses have not being disclosed by the Citizenship and Immigration Services, which  should be a concern because work permits are “gateway documents” to drivers' licenses and other benefits.
The agency did return a call requesting comment.
"And if the government agency issuing them does not know or will not disclose how the bearer arrived in the country how can others rely on the authenticity of an individual's identity? It is equally disconcerting if the government does know and chooses not to disclose it," Vaughn said.

Parents of US hostage held by ISIS nixed rescue mission, report says

The parents of an American aid worker held hostage by the Islamic State terror group reportedly did not want the U.S. to launch a mission to rescue her, but rather have her release negotiated.
Foreign Policy reported that as a result of the request, military plans to locate 26-year-old Kayla Mueller were shot down before President Obama had a chance to decide on a possible strategy to locate her.
The parents of Mueller reportedly told U.S. officials that such an operation would be "too risky."
ISIS said Friday that Mueller, of Prescott, Arizona, died in a Jordanian airstrike, but the government of Jordan dismissed the statement as “criminal propaganda” and the U.S. said it had not received any evidence to corroborate the report.
If the death is confirmed, she would be the fourth American to die while being held by Islamic State militants. Three other Americans -- journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and aid worker Peter Kassig -- were beheaded by the group.
The parents of Mueller released a statement late Friday addressing the terrorist group’s claim of their daughter’s death. They said the alleged death of their daughter concerned them, but they were still hopeful she was alive.
"You told us that you treated Kayla as your guest, as your guest her safety and well-being remains your responsibility," the statement from Mueller's parents says.
Mueller is an aid worker who has previously volunteered with aid groups in India, Israel and the Palestinian territories. Her identity had not been disclosed until now out of fears for her safety. Her family said she was taken hostage by the Islamic State group on Aug. 4, 2013, while leaving a hospital in Syria.
"The common thread of Kayla's life has been her quiet leadership and strong desire to serve others," Mueller's family said in the short statement released Friday.
Jordan has been launching airstrikes against the extremist group in response to a video released this week that shows captive Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh being burned to death in a cage.
Al-Kaseasbeh, whose F-16 came down in December while conducting airstrikes as part of a campaign against the militants by a U.S.-led coalition, was believed to have been killed in early January.
Friday's statement from the group said Mueller was killed in the militants' stronghold of Raqqa in northern Syria during Muslim prayers -- which usually take place around midday -- in airstrikes that targeted "the same location for more than an hour."
It published photos purportedly of the bombed site, showing a severely damaged three-story building, but offered no proof or images of Mueller.
The statement said no Islamic State militants were killed in the airstrikes, raising further questions about the veracity of the claim.
Jordanian government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani said it was investigating.
"But as a first reaction, we think it's illogical and we are highly skeptical about it. How could they identify a Jordanian warplane ... in the sky? What was the American lady doing in a weapons warehouse?" al-Momani said.
"It's part of their criminal propaganda. They have lied that our pilot is alive and tried to negotiate, claiming he is alive while they had killed him weeks before," he added.
American officials said they also were looking into the report.
“We are obviously deeply concerned by these reports," said National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan. "We have not at this time seen any evidence that corroborates ISIL’s claim."

Biden says Ukrainians 'have a right to defend themselves,' mum on US sending weapons

Vice President Joe Biden, in Germany this weekend to help reach a diplomatic solution to Russian aggression in Ukraine, said Ukrainians “have a right to defend themselves" but did not address the possibility of the United States sending weapons to them.
Biden is in Munich with Secretary of State John Kerry to back the German-French diplomatic effort, which he says is "very much worth the attempt."
Biden said he and other U.S. leaders think they should “attempt an honorable peace" but that they also believe the Ukrainian people "have a right to defend themselves."
He suggested that the impact of economic sanctions imposed on Russia for its actions will get worse if leaders refuses to accept a peaceful resolution and continue to escalate the conflict, the White House said Saturday.
Russian military forces started taking control of parts of eastern Ukraine in late-February 2014, after protesters and other Ukrainian residents helped oust Moscow-backed President Viktor Yanukovych. And within weeks, Russian began its ultimately successful effort to annex the eastern Ukraine region of Crimea.
In response to recent calls in Washington and Kiev for the U.S. to give the outgunned Ukrainians such lethal weapons as anti-tank and anti-mortar systems to fight Russian-backed separatists, Moscow said earlier this week that such a move would be a threat to its national security.
While in Munich, Biden also met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to discuss the diplomatic efforts and to pledge U.S. support for the Ukraine economy as it pursues reforms, according to the White House.
Still, Biden remains skeptical about whether Russian officials will comply with a diplomatic solution, saying they will be judged by their actions on the ground, "not by the paper they sign."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande traveled to Kiev on Thursday and Moscow on Friday.
They are trying to secure a peaceful resolution to the conflict based on the Sept. 24, 2014, Minsk agreements.
Poroshenko is pushing for a quick cease-fire and insists that the conflict must be resolved, not frozen.
"There is no temporary solution,” he said at the Munich Security Conference, amid the flurry of international diplomacy to calm the Ukraine conflict.
Poroshenko also renewed Kiev's call to be provided with defensive weapons, something that's opposed by European countries.

Williams Cartoon

Obama security agenda urges ‘strategic patience,’ drawing criticism amid ISIS threat

President Obama unveiled a national security strategy on Friday that called for "strategic patience" and warned against American "overreach" -- an approach that drew criticism as some lawmakers say the rising threat from the Islamic State demands a more urgent response. 
The 29-page document is meant to serve as a blueprint for Obama's final two years in office. The strategy cast the U.S. as an indispensable force in combating global challenges -- including terrorism, climate change and cyber threats. 
"American leadership remains essential," National Security Adviser Susan Rice said at a Brookings Institution event where she detailed the plan. 
Yet the long-awaited security agenda included no major course changes in the military campaign against Islamic State militants or in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The document acknowledged serious threats abroad - and reiterated that, for the Islamic State, the goal is to "ultimately defeat" the terror group - but was imbued with a sense of restraint.   
"America leads from a position of strength. But, this does not mean we can or should attempt to dictate the trajectory of all unfolding events around the world," the document said. "As powerful as we are and will remain, our resources and influence are not infinite. And in a complex world, many of the security problems we face do not lend themselves to quick and easy fixes." 
The strategy said the U.S. has to make "hard choices" and "resist the over-reach that comes when we make decisions based upon fear." 
"The challenges we face require strategic patience and persistence," the document said. 
That line drew a rebuke from Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who suggested the approach will only embolden America's rivals. 
"I doubt ISIL, the Iranian mullahs, or Vladmir Putin will be intimidated by President Obama's strategy of 'strategic patience.' From their point of view, the more 'patience' President Obama practices the stronger they become," he said in a statement. "The Obama Doctrine, or 'strategic patience,' has led to a world in chaos.  ... Applying more 'patience' to President Obama's failed foreign policy just prolongs failure." 
The National Security Strategy was released a day after Obama made controversial remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast appearing to draw comparisons between Islamic State atrocities and bloody acts committed by Christians - hundreds of years ago. 
"Lest we get on our high horse and think this is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ," Obama said. "In our home country, slavery and Jim Crow all too often was justified in the name of Christ. ...So this is not unique to one group or one religion." 
The administration faced a storm of criticism for the comments. Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal on Friday ripped the president's "history lesson," saying the issue today "is the terrorism of radical Islam, the assassination of journalists, the beheading and burning alive of captives." 
Jindal said: "We will be happy to keep an eye out for runaway Christians, but it would be nice if he would face the reality of the situation today. The Medieval Christian threat is under control Mr. President. Please deal with the Radical Islamic threat today." 
White House spokesman Eric Schultz defended the comments on Friday, saying the president believes in American exceptionalism but also believes "we need to be honest with ourselves" when America falls short on holding to its values. 
Some are concerned Obama's rhetoric does not match the urgency of the challenge at hand, as the Islamic State holds a wide swath of territory across Iraq and Syria while seeking to attract followers from around the world. Its brutal execution by fire of a captured Jordanian pilot rallied the Jordan government this week to launch a new wave of airstrikes against the terror group. 
In the National Security Strategy, the administration said the U.S. would continue to support Iraq's government against ISIS, while working to train and equip a "moderate Syrian opposition" to battle terrorists in their country. 
The document acknowledged that the terror threat "persists" and has spread to a range of countries and continents. At the same time, it claimed "the threat of catastrophic attacks against our homeland by terrorists has diminished." 
To that end, Rice said Friday that the danger does not rise to the level of past challenges America has faced. 
"While the dangers we face may be more numerous and varied, they are not of the existential nature we confronted during World War II or during the Cold War. We cannot afford to be buffeted by alarmism and a nearly instantaneous news cycle," Rice said. 
She spoke to how the terror threat has spread into a network of Al Qaeda affiliates, local militias and groups like ISIS. "This diffusion may for now reduce the risk of a spectacular attack like 9/11 but it raises the probability of the types of attacks that we have seen in Boston, and Ottawa, Sydney, and Paris," she said. 
The president is required by law to send Congress a national security strategy annually. However, most presidents, including Obama, have done so only sporadically. Obama's only previous memo to lawmakers came in 2010 and formalized his desire to broaden U.S. national security posture beyond anti-terror campaigns. 
Obama's critics have accused the president of putting his desire to keep the U.S. out of overseas conflicts ahead of the need for more robust action against the world's bad actors. Some members of Congress have called for Obama to send more American ground troops to the Middle East to combat the Islamic State group, while also pushing for the White House to authorize shipments of defensive weapons to Ukraine to help its beleaguered military in the fight against Russian-backed separatists. 
Administration officials have said that Obama is reconsidering his opposition to giving Ukraine lethal aid, though he continues to have concerns about the effectiveness of that step. 
For much of his presidency, Obama has sought to recalibrate the focus of U.S. foreign policy away from the Middle East and toward fast-growing regions like Asia and Africa. He's made numerous trips to Asia, in particular, and Rice announced Friday that Obama would be hosting state visits this year for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 
In one area where Obama has overlap with Republicans, he reaffirmed his support for free trade agreements with Asia, as well as Europe. 
The president also addressed the risks of climate change and infectious diseases like the recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Samantha Jones: Why I defended 'Pledge of Allegiance'

When I heard about a group of atheists suing to silence every New Jersey school kid who wished to say the Pledge of Allegiance in its entirety, including the words “under God,” I knew I had to do something.
That’s why my family and I decided to defend the Pledge in court. We believe in doing so we are not only standing for the Pledge but also protecting our freedoms as Americans, and our ability to celebrate those freedoms everywhere including in school. And the judge just agreed with us. He dismissed the American Humanist Association’s lawsuit because our legal system doesn’t force kids into silence just because some others take offense at timeless American values.
Judging by what is being said by the atheists who are suing, you probably imagine that students in New Jersey are obligated to say the Pledge, even if they don’t want to. But that’s not true. In New Jersey, as in every other state, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is entirely optional. No one has to participate. In fact, if a student declines to participate, he or she is even allowed to remain seated—students don’t have to stand up, salute the flag, or say anything.
I defend the right of kids to sit out the Pledge. In fact, I am proud to live in a country that is so respectful of everyone’s beliefs. We are a diverse country and we celebrate that diversity in many ways.

The same laws that protect the atheists’ world view, protect mine. I will not let them silence me.

However, the same laws that protect the atheists’ world view, protect mine. I will not let them silence me. I’ve been reciting the Pledge since preschool, and to me, the phrase “one nation under God” sums up the history and values that have made our country great. “Under God” acknowledges that our rights don’t come from the government but from a higher power. The government cannot be allowed to take away the basic human rights it did not create.
In history class I have learned that oppressive governments like Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union said that people only have rights given by the state. Under those regimes, every person lived at the mercy of the state. The state could even declare some people “unpersons” without any rights at all. But the United States has always been very different.
American history is filled with references to “God.” When Martin Luther King Jr. called on Americans to heal the pains of segregation, he did so by emphasizing that all men are “created equal:”
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
Created equal—everyone has equal rights because those rights come from a power above and beyond the state. The state cannot segregate people
God created equal.
If the American Humanist Association wants to eliminate every mention of “God,” teachers would have to remain silent about the values held by the American Revolutionaries, the Constitution, and leaders in the civil rights movement. And why would they advocate that kind of censorship anyway? I think it’s empowering to know that, no matter what happens, I have some rights the government can never take away.
By suing to censor ideas they don’t like in the classroom, the American Humanist Association moved from dissent to hostile bullying. It is an honor to have the opportunity to stand up to those bullies, and I’m delighted that a court has stood up for what’s right. I will continue to work with our attorneys at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty to make sure school children across New Jersey are free to say the Pledge of Allegiance in full.
Samantha Jones is a high school senior at Highland Regional High School.