Guess which ABC show will feature full frontal nudity?

The other day I hopped off the R Train underneath the Fox News Corner of the World and came face to face with a poster promoting ABC’s new interpretation of “The Muppets.”
There, in all his glory, was Kermit the Frog – touting an “adult” version of the beloved children’s show.
“Finally. A network tv show with full frontal nudity,” the poster read.
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I suspect it’s going to shock a lot of moms and dads when they discover that the family-friendly Muppets of the 1970s are no more.

Technically, the advertisement is correct – seeing how Kermit doesn’t wear pants. I mean, what self-respecting frog would wear Chinos?
Still, I suspect it’s going to shock a lot of moms and dads when they discover that the family-friendly Muppets of the 1970s are no more.
 “It’s sort of an adult Muppet show,” Kermit the Frog said during a promotional video for the show.
The mature version of “The Muppets” will cover a range of `topics from sex and drugs to interspecies relationships, The Daily Mail reports. 
“No subject is off limits,” one show source told the newspaper. “Everyone remembers the classic Jim Henson Muppet Show of the 1970s and 1980s, but this new show is aimed firmly at a mature, modern audience and addresses subjects that would have been taboo in the past.”
One story line features Fozzie Bear involved in a relationship with a human. The woman’s father asks about what would happen if they had children.
“Where will they go to the bathroom…in the woods?” the father asks.
“That is an offensive stereotype,” Fozzie fired back.
Cue the laugh track.
In this new telling of the Muppets, Kermit and Miss Piggy have broken up and Kermit is dating a curvy new oinker named Denise. 
“What can I say?” Kermit says in one promo. “I’m attracted to pigs.”
And then there’s Time Magazine’s faux interview with “international celebrity” Miss Piggy, titled, “Is Monogamy Over? Breaking Up With Kermit Made Me Wonder.”
Conservative writer (and Fox News contributor) Erick Erickson reminded his readers that Miss Piggy came out as a pro-choice feminist during an MSNBC interview.
“At a time more and more parents are concerned about family oriented television, we get a puppet character loved by kids weighing in on abortion and monogamy – both to the left and on the leftwing MSNBC,” Erickson wrote.
ABC hopes children watch the show and predicted they would enjoy some of the humor. But I’m not so sure about that.
How many parents want to explain the punchline of the interspecies dating scene to their five-year-old?
However, if the adult version of “The Muppets” is successful, don’t be surprised to see the edgy side of other cartoon characters.
I could foresee a made-for-television drama about Wile E. Coyote serving hard time for the attempted murder of Road Runner. Or how about a reality series based on Daffy Ducky’s time in a mental institution?
And Lifetime should be all over the heart-pounding miniseries, “I Married a Rabbit: The Elmer Fudd Story.”
After folks have a chance to watch the first episode of these progressive and politically-charged Muppets – I suspect a lot of viewers will feel like Muppet Sam the Eagle.
Sam once uttered these prophetic words:
“Following that last piece of material, I am disassociating myself from this whole, weird, sick show.”

Elusive crime wave data shows frightening toll of illegal immigrant criminals

The federal government can tell you how many "Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders" stole a car, the precise number of "American Indian or Alaska Natives" who were arrested for vagrancy or how many whites were busted for counterfeiting in any given year. But the government agencies that crunch crime numbers are utterly unable -- or unwilling -- to pinpoint for the public how many illegal immigrants are arrested within U.S. borders each year.
In the absence of comprehensive data, FoxNews.com examined a patchwork of local, state and federal statistics that revealed a wildly disproportionate number of murderers, rapists and drug dealers are crossing into the U.S. amid the wave of hard-working families seeking a better life. The explosive figures show illegal immigrants are three times as likely to be convicted of murder as members of the general population and account for far more crimes than their 3.5-percent share of the U.S. population would suggest. Critics say it is no accident that local, state and federal governments go to great lengths to keep the data under wraps.
"There are a lot of reasons states don’t make this information readily available, and there is no clearinghouse of data at high levels," said former Department of Justice attorney J. Christian Adams, who has conducted exhaustive research on the subject. "These numbers would expose how serious the problem is and make the government look bad.”

“They should have been sent back to their home country instead of being allowed to stay here and have the opportunity to kill Americans.”
- Jessica Vaughan, Center for Immigration Studies

Adams called illegal immigrant crime a "wave of staggering proportions." He and other experts noted that the issue has been dragged into the spotlight by a spate of cases in which illegal immigrants with criminal records killed people after being released from custody because of incoherent procedures and a lack of cooperation between local and federal law enforcement officials. The murders, including the July 1 killing of Kathryn Steinle, allegedly by an illegal immigrant in San Francisco, have left grieving loved ones angry and confused, local and federal officials pointing fingers at one another and the voting public demanding secure borders and swift deportation of non-citizen criminals.

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San Francisco shooting suspect Francisco Sanchez and victim Kathryn Steinle are shown in this composite photo. (Associated Press)

“Every one [of the recent cases] was preventable through better border security and enforcing immigration laws,” said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies. “They should have been sent back to their home country instead of being allowed to stay here and have the opportunity to kill Americans.”
A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement told FoxNews.com that comprehensive statistics on illegal immigrant crime are not available from the federal government, and suggested contacting county, state and federal jail and prison systems individually to compose a tally, a process that would encompass thousands of local departments.
FoxNews.com did review reports from immigration reform groups and various government agencies, including the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Sentencing Commission, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Government Accountability Office, the Bureau of Justice Statistics and several state and county correctional departments. Statistics show the estimated 11.7 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. account for 13.6 percent of all offenders sentenced for crimes committed in the U.S. Twelve percent of murder sentences, 20 percent of kidnapping sentences and 16 percent of drug trafficking sentences are meted out to illegal immigrants.

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Critics say better border security is needed to keep illegal immigrants out, but those caught committing crimes here must be imprisoned and deported. (AP) (Reuters)

There are approximately 2.1 million legal or illegal immigrants with criminal convictions living free or behind bars in the U.S., according to ICE's Secure Communities office. Each year, about 900,000 legal and illegal immigrants are arrested, and 700,000 are released from jail, prison, or probation. ICE estimates that there are more than 1.2 million criminal aliens at large in the U.S.
In the most recent figures available, a Government Accountability Office report titled, "Criminal Alien Statistics," found there were 55,000 illegal immigrants in federal prison and 296,000 in state and local lockups in 2011. Experts agree those figures have almost certainly risen, although executive orders from the Obama administration may have changed the status of thousands who previously would have been counted as illegal immigrants.
Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant criminals are being deported. In 2014, ICE removed 315,943 criminal illegal immigrants nationwide, 85 percent of whom had previously been convicted of a criminal offense. But that same year, ICE released onto U.S. streets another 30,558 criminal illegal immigrants with a combined 79,059 criminal convictions including 86 homicides, 186 kidnappings, and thousands of sexual assaults, domestic violence assaults and DUIs, Vaughan said. As of August, ICE had already released at least 10,246 criminal aliens.
David Inserra, a policy analyst for Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at The Heritage Foundation, said letting illegal immigrants convicted of crimes go free while they await deportation hearings is putting the public at risk.
“While it is not certain how many of these individuals were here illegally, most of these individuals were in deportation proceedings and should have been detained or at least more closely supervised and monitored until their deportation order was finalized and executed,” Inserra said.
Adams opened a rare window into the dearth of public data when he obtained an internal report compiled by the Texas Department of Public Safety and revealed its contents on his Pajamas Media blog. The report showed that between 2008 and 2014, noncitizens in Texas -- a group that includes illegal and legal immigrants -- committed 611,234 crimes, including nearly 3,000 homicides. Adams told FoxNews.com that other states have also closely tracked illegal immigrant crime, especially in the wake of 9/11, but said the statistical sorting “is done behind closed doors.” States closely guard the statistics out of either fear of reprisals from the federal government or out of their leaders' own insistence on downplaying the burden of illegal immigrant crime, he said.
"There are a lot of reasons states don’t make this information readily available and there is no clearinghouse of data at high levels," Adams said. "These numbers would expose how serious the problem is and make the government look bad."

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Victor Aureliano Martinez Ramirez, (l.), and Jose Fernando Villagomez, (r.), allegedly broke into the home of Marilyn Pharis on July 24. (Santa Maria Police Department)

A smattering of statistics can be teased out of data made public in other states heavily impacted by illegal immigration, although a full picture or apples-to-apples comparison remains elusive.
■ In Florida, there were 5,061 illegal immigrant inmates in state prison facilities as of June 30, but neither the state Department of Corrections nor the Florida Department of Law Enforcement track the number in county prisons, spokesmen for those agencies told FoxNews.com.
■ In Illinois, where state prisons house 46,993 inmates, some 3,755 are illegal immigrants, according to Illinois Department of Corrections figures. Once again, state officials do not compile figures for county jails, although a Cook County official estimated that nearly 6 percent were illegal immigrants.
■ In Arizona, neither state public safety officials nor the governor’s office could produce figures showing the number of criminal illegal immigrants held in county jails, but state prison figures released by the Arizona Department of Corrections show out of 42,758 prisoners held in state facilities in July, about 10.8 percent were illegal immigrants.
■ In California, there were 128,543 inmates in custody as of Aug. 12, but the state, which has been criticized for its leniency toward illegal immigrants, no longer keeps track of the citizenship status of inmates. As of July 31, 2013, the last time figures were documented, there were as many as 18,000 “foreign-born” citizens in California state prisons of 133,000 incarcerated. The Board of State and Community Corrections provided figures to Fox News from 2014, showing there were 142,000 inmates in 120 county prisons, but while everything from mental health cases to dental and medical appointments are closely tracked, the number of illegal aliens -- or even non citizens -- is not.
“Frankly, this is something every state should track, but they don’t. Not even ICE publishes this much information on offenders and immigration status,” Vaughan said.
Several pro-immigration groups contacted by FoxNews.com declined to comment on the outsize role illegal immigrants play in the U.S. criminal justice system. One group that did insisted that even illegal immigrants provide a net benefit to the U.S.
“Immigrants, regardless of their legal status, make valuable contributions to our economy as workers, business owners, taxpayers and consumers,” said Erin Oshiro, of Asian Americans Advancing Justice. “We need an immigration system that that keeps families together, protects workers, and prioritizes due process and human rights."

Round 2: GOP rivals try to ding Trump at debate – front-runner hits back

Donald Trump once again found himself the lightning rod of the Republican presidential race Wednesday, as he tangled with a debate stage full of rivals trying to position themselves as the best alternative to the GOP front-runner.
The second Republican primary debate veered into serious policy territory – covering everything from Iran to Russia to Planned Parenthood to immigration. But, at times to the visible frustration of candidates trying to stick to those issues, few segments passed without a sparring session between Trump and one of his opponents. Almost every time, Trump hit back – and it was unclear whether any candidate would be able to dent his front-runner status.
The candidate perhaps most eager to knock the billionaire businessman down a peg was former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who lost his lead to Trump over the summer. Repeatedly, Bush challenged Trump on his record and past comments.
He told Trump to apologize to his wife for suggesting her being from Mexico makes Bush more sympathetic to Mexicans – Trump refused.
LIVE BLOG: THE REAGAN LIBRARY DEBATE
He accused Trump of once giving him money as he sought casino gambling, unsuccessfully, in Florida.

More on this...

• Debate expectations for Republican presidential hopefuls

Trump denied it, and when Bush criticized Trump for bragging about demanding Hillary Clinton attend his wedding, Trump teased him, saying: “More energy tonight, I like that.” (Bush answered back at the end of the debate – asked what his Secret Service codename would be, Bush said, “Very High Energy, Donald,” and the two shared a high-five.)
Trump also blamed Bush’s brother, George W. Bush, for President Obama’s election.
“It was such a disaster those last few months that Abraham Lincoln couldn’t have been elected,” Trump said.
Bush responded that his brother “kept us safe.” Trump answered, “You feel safe right now?”
Some of the most heated exchanges at the CNN debate also came between Trump and former HP CEO Carly Fiorina, both business leaders.
After Trump called her former company a “disaster,” she cited his repeated bankruptcy filings and questioned why America should trust him to manage its finances.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie interjected and said middle-class Americans “could care less about your careers.” He told the two to “stop this childish back and forth.”
Fiorina also got her chance at the debate to respond to Trump’s controversial jab at her, where in a magazine article he said: “Look at that face – would anyone vote for that?”
Asked to respond, she said, “I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.”
Fiorina received loud applause for the line, and Trump added, “I think she’s got a beautiful face, and I think she’s a beautiful woman.”
Despite all the attention on Trump, his dominant lead in the polls means his rivals may be battling at this stage for runner-up, for now.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson currently holds that status after vaulting into second place in the polls – yet was able to avoid the fray for most of Wednesday’s debate.
He took one light-hearted jab at Trump, after Trump discussed his views on vaccines and said there are cases of children getting sick – and having autism – after getting them.
Asked about Trump’s medical opinion, Carson said, “He’s an okay doctor” – in reference to a comment Trump recently made about him. Carson went on to say there’s no documented association between autism and vaccines, but doctors are probably giving too many vaccines in a short period of time.
After the exchange about George W. Bush, Carson also noted that he did not want Bush to “go to war” in Iraq. He added that radical jihadists now are an “existential threat to our nation” and leaders can’t “put our heads in the sand.”
Aside from the sparring with Trump, the candidates did have a chance to stake out their positions on a range of policy issues.
Fiorina, in an impassioned moment in the debate, appealed to Congress to defund Planned Parenthood following videos exposing organ harvesting from aborted fetuses.
“This is about the character of our nation. And if we will not stand up and force President Obama to veto this bill, shame on us,” she said.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee slammed a federal judge for temporarily jailing Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, saying the U.S. has made religious “accommodations” for Guantanamo detainees and the Fort Hood shooter, but Davis is facing a “criminalization of her faith.”
And Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said of the agreement with Tehran, “I will rip to shreds this catastrophic Iranian nuclear deal.”
Ohio Gov. John Kasich urged against going that far.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio also focused on foreign policy, warning about China’s military build-up, and “gangsters in Moscow” meddling on the world stage.
On this, Rubio challenged Trump’s global affairs knowledge. Trump vowed, “I will know more about the problems of this world” as president. And he criticized Rubio for missing votes.
Trump’s fitness to be commander-in-chief was a common theme for his rivals.
Fiorina said, when asked if she’s comfortable with Trump controlling America’s nuclear weapons: “I think Mr. Trump is a wonderful entertainer.” She said “judgment” and “temperament” will be revealed “over time and under pressure” in the race.
Trump answered: “I may be an entertainer. … but I will tell you this. What I am far and away greater than an entertainer is a businessman.”
Trump also went after Sen. Rand Paul, saying he shouldn’t even be on the stage.
“There’s a sophomoric quality that is entertaining about Mr. Trump,” Paul answered, but he added he’s concerned about him being in charge of nuclear weapons. Paul chastised Trump for his “visceral response,” including attacking people on their appearance which he likened to “junior high.”
Trump said he never did that to Paul, quipping: “Believe me there’s plenty of subject matter right there.”
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker also zinged Trump, saying: “We don’t need an apprentice in the White House. We have one right now.”
Walker and Bush have both seen their polling numbers drop in recent weeks as Trump, and now Carson, have risen. Walker is trying to refocus his campaign on his record as governor, and record battling labor unions; the latter issue did not surface much during Wednesday’s debate, though. In his closing remarks, Walked vowed that as a leader, “I won’t back down any day, any way, anyhow.”
An unexpected clash also broke out at the end, when Paul made a veiled reference to Bush having smoked marijuana years ago as Paul challenged federal marijuana policy.
Bush acknowledged Paul was talking about him and said: “40 years ago, I smoked marijuana, and I admit it.”
Paul then claimed people with “privilege” don’t go to jail for marijuana, but others do.
The main stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., Wednesday night featured the 11 top-polling candidates. It followed an earlier undercard debate of four lower-polling candidates.
Fiorina, while rising in the polls, is still averaging just over 3 percent nationally, according to RealClearPolitics. Bush, once the front-runner, is at about 8 percent. Walker is down to 3 percent. Cruz and Rubio remain in the middle of the pack, trailing slightly behind Bush.
But with Carson and Trump attracting the support of roughly half of primary voters, the other 14 candidates are fighting for relative scraps. Trump’s national lead now tops 30 percent.
At the earlier undercard debate, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tangled often with his GOP rivals, positioning himself as an experienced, practical lawmaker not beholden to conservative activist causes. He focused squarely on the need to defeat radical Islamic terrorists, while Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal focused at that debate on religious freedom issues.

Weaker Cartoon

Trump’s locked and loaded

TRUMP’S LOCKED AND LOADED
When Donald Trump delivers a speech on national security from the deck of a WWII era battleship on the Los Angeles waterfront today his message to rivals ahead of tomorrow’s debate is clear: If attacked, I’ve got broadsides loaded, ready to fire. Riding a wave of polls, the Republican frontrunner knows his target profile is high and that critics say foreign policy is a chink in his armor. So in typical Trump fashion, he’s none-to-subtly saying, bring it.  

The address aboard the USS Iowa before a conservative veterans group – which will reportedly focus on international challenges and veterans’ issues – gives Trump the opportunity to dispel questions over his knowledge of foreign affairs and strengthen his standing with the military community, which took a hit early on in his campaign over dismissive remarks about Sen. John McCain’s service record. Whether Trump, who has said he’d solve veterans’ health care issues by “firing everyone at the VA” will offer policy specifics is unclear.

One thing is clear: while the GOP field seeks to claim the Reagan mantle, Trump’s spectacle will convey an image of strength to a candidate with no military background, just hours before he takes center stage at the former president’s library.

[Watch Fox: Chief Political Correspondent Campaign Carl Cameron reports on Trumps speech from the Los Angeles waterfront]

And he’s is here to stay, or so he says - The Hill: “Trump had a message to his critics at a massive, sold-out rally in Dallas on Monday…‘I’m not going anywhere and we’re not going anywhere,’ Trump told a packed American Airlines Center, where an estimated 20,000 rallied. ‘We are killing it. They mentioned a little while ago about the silent majority — it’s back. And it’s not silent. Maybe we should call it the noisy, aggressive, wanting to win — wanting-to-win majority.’”

But still no details - Time: “The closest Trump got to discussing policy was when he said, ‘We’ve got to lower taxes for a lot of people. Corporations are paying far too much, middle income people are being decimated.’ He said he would announce a ‘great tax plan’ within the next few weeks.”

Club for Growth thwacks Trump in Iowa - In two visceral attack ads, the political arm of the conservative group Club for Growth targets Donald Trump as “the worst Republican candidate on economic issues” according to their president David McIntosh. The ads will run in Iowa on all platforms including broadcast, cable, satellite television as well as on digital media. The total ad buy exceeds $1 million.
Poll: Carson closes in on Trump -  CBS News: “At 27 percent nationally, Donald Trump maintains his frontrunner status among Republican primary voters, but Ben Carson is now close behind him, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds. Carson’s support has risen significantly since early August, from 6 percent then, to 23 percent now, putting him in second place…. Trump has a slight edge among the most conservative voters, while the race is close among women and Tea Party supporters. Trump holds a larger lead among men and evangelical voters. And while Trump leads Carson among voters who have not graduated from college, 30 percent to 19 percent, among college graduates, Carson has 29 percent to Trump's 21 percent.

Walker tweaks reboot amid talk of staff moves - Wash Ex: “…The governor’s team said it has decided to redouble its efforts in the early primary states and will focus on detailing his specific policy proposals. Ed Goeas, a Walker senior adviser and veteran Republican pollster, said he has not heard any talk about bringing in the super PAC’s advisers, and added that the campaign is instead focused on its ‘organizational muscle’ in early nominating states.”
[Ambassador John Bolton replaces Walker at the California Republican Party Fall Convention this Saturday. Walker was supposed to headline the event, but withdrew to focus on early state primaries, according to an event release.]

Fiorina says she’s top-tier - In an interview with the Wash Ex, Carly Fiorina said, “My name ID remains the lowest in the field, and so once again, this is a big opportunity to introduce myself. But now, obviously I’m introducing myself as a real contender in the top tier.”

[Taking criticism from Donald Trump and turning it into a positive spin, Fiorina’s PAC released a web ad featuring all types of women. Fiorina says, “look at all of your faces – the face of leadership.”]

Jeb PAC potentially could spend highest TV ad campaign in political history - Boston Globe: “The super PAC supporting former Florida governor Jeb Bush plans to begin airing what could be the most expensive television advertising campaign in the history of presidential primary politics. On Tuesday, Right to Rise, will begin airing $1.2 million worth of ads on Boston, New Hampshire, and cable stations. A digital campaign and radio advertising will also begin in days. In addition to New Hampshire, the ads will air in Iowa, followed by the next week beginning in South Carolina.” Watch the ad here.
Could Jeb do with a little dose of Dubya? - Boston Globe writer Joan Vennochi writes that in this year’s election season the “brainier” Bush needs to get a dose of big brother's real politicking talents writing, “George W. Bush didn’t need an exclamation point next to his name to connote excitement…he was very good at retail politics and at relating to average voters — the exact opposite of Jeb, who is having trouble exciting them.”

Rubio rumbles in ‘MNF’ vid - Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., highlighted his college athlete days with a web video that features the Florida senator catching footballs and answering questions. Rubio also poked fun at his water bottle moment from the State of the Union response a few years back saying when prepping for a big game or big speech “make sure there is water nearby, like right now” catching a bottle of water that’s tossed to him.

Top Romney advisor joins Rubio team - WaPo: “Lanhee Chen, one of the Republican Party’s most sought-after policy experts, said Monday he has signed on to Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign and will counsel the Florida senator on issues foreign and domestic. As policy director on Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, Chen was the GOP’s nominee’s chief policy adviser and a senior strategist.”

WITH YOUR SECOND CUP OF COFFEE…
As fall rolls around and the breeze changes from a cozy greeting to a chilly whisper, many people turn to hearty comfort foods like a warm bowl of tomato basil soup with a toasty grilled cheese made from…pigs? Well, that might be an option for some big-spending cheese lovers because pig’s milk cheese is now on the market. As Food World News reports, “…A family-run farm in the Netherlands has produced the world’s first cheese made from pig’s milk.  And it is more costly than the former most expensive cheese which is from Balkan donkey milk…the process of getting milk from pigs was labour-intensive, only managing to produce a few [gallons] of milk with as many as ten people working…After 40 hours of milking the pigs and several failed attempts, they were able only to produce a few pounds of cheese from the pig’s milk.  From [one pound] of cheese that was produced, a part of it was sold to an anonymous buyer who said that the cheese tasted ‘chalky and a little bit salty.’  This exclusive cheese was sold for a whooping price of $2,300 per [pound].”

Got a TIP from the RIGHT or the LEFT? Email FoxNewsFirst@FOXNEWS.COM

POLL CHECK
Real Clear Politics Averages
Obama Job Approval: Approve – 46.3 percent//Disapprove – 49.9 percent
Directions of Country: Right Direction – 28.6 percent//Wrong Track – 62.4 percent
BAIER TRACKS: BERNIE PLAN COULD BERN THE ECONOMY…
“More and more Democrat voters are ‘Feeling the Bern’ lately, expressing support for the surging Senator Bernie Sanders. He’s seeing huge crowds in early primary and caucus states and even got a warm reception Monday at conservative Liberty University. Most of the stories about Sanders explore the groundswell of support for the independent socialist senator who wants to be the Democrats’ nominee.

But this piece in the WSJ explores the actual cost of the policies that Sanders is proposing on the trail. This is an eye opener! 18 trillion dollars in new spending. Trillion with a T.  Remember that the country faces a national debt that has surpassed 18 trillion dollars and is currently climbing quickly to 20 trillion dollars.  At 24 trillion – many experts believe the country starts to crater from the debt burden.  If interest rates increase one percentage point today – the country will be paying more for interest on the national debt than we spend on the Pentagon budget. We could continue to roll out the stats.

For Bluedog Democrats – the fiscally conservative Democrats – a shrinking breed in Congress, those numbers are scary. But, now ‘Feeling the Bern’ is the flavor of the moment for Democrats – we’ll see if ‘Seeing the Price tag’ affects that momentum at all” - Bret Baier.

Bernie says we need to talk to those with differing views - WSJ: “When [Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.] of Vermont–the least religious state in the U.S.–spoke [at Liberty University] on Monday, a few of his supporters were in attendance…The candidate began by emphasizing his support for gay rights and said he is pro-choice. Then he said: ‘I believe from the bottom of my heart that it is vitally important for those of us who hold different views to be able to engage in a civil discourse.’”

Hillary emails show five-month gap - Daily Caller: “Five months’ worth of messages are missing from the emails former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton returned to the government, according to documents newly obtained by the watchdog group Judicial Watch. ‘A five month email gap,’ Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said at the non-profit group’s inaugural Leadership Summit Monday. ‘I want an explanation about that.’ Some of the gaps were as long as a month or more, Fitton said.”

Hillary: Bubba as VP has ‘crossed my mind’ - Hillary Clinton sat down with “Extra” in an interview Monday on a wide range of topics from Kim Kardashian to her husband Bill. The former secretary of state said the idea of her husband as Vice President has “crossed my mind” but unfortunately, she points out, under the constitution he would not be eligible to succeed her if necessary.

DEMS SEEK TO EXPAND SUPER PAC ROLE
NYT: “The plans, laid out by the [Democratic party’s] top election lawyers in an emergency request filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday, would pave the way for the creation of a host of new super PACs tailored to individual House and Senate candidates. But the filing also suggests that Democrats would, if allowed, seek to use tactics pioneered by Republican presidential candidates this cycle, helping prospective candidates establish and raise money for super PACs before they officially declare their intent to run.”
WHAT WOULD DOGGIE MUNCHIES EVEN LOOK LIKE?
TheStreet: “The cannabis industry is getting a whole new class of potential customers: our dogs and cats. Denver-based Dixie Brands is launching a new line of pet wellness products made with industrial hemp. ‘Immediately, I want to debunk the myth: Those four-legged family members are not going to experience a high,’ explained Tripp Keber, CEO of Dixie Brands…Dixie Brands’ pet products line, called Therabis, is marketed as targeting common pet problems such as separation anxiety and itching. Therabis products will launch in November and initially will be sold online, but Keber said there is already significant retail interest. According to the Therabis Web site, the products are ‘harnessing the power of hemp to make your best friends feel better.’”

Debate night: The media want a Trump fight, with blood and bruises

The press is full of chatter about what the other candidates could, should, must do to derail the Trump juggernaut at tonight’s CNN debate.
Naturally, the big audience for the second presidential debate offers the other Republicans a prime opportunity to make a lasting impression in this Donald-dominated campaign. So I expect there will be no shortage of canned zingers.
But every candidate on that stage has to be wary of getting into an insult contest with a gut fighter who doesn’t play by the usual rules of political politeness.
It’s all well and good for candidates to talk about creating a “moment,” but that can’t seem artificial or staged, or the attacker will look phony and a tad desperate. Trump’s rivals have to deliver a positive message about themselves while drawing a sharp contrast with the real estate mogul, not just denounce him, as Bobby Jindal did, as a narcissist and egomaniac.
And consider this: If half of the other 10 candidates try to whack Trump, won’t that make him look larger? Won’t that reinforce the narrative that Trump has so shaken the Republican establishment that his opponents are feverishly trying to bring him down?
Trump’s task is far easier: He can uncork his usual lines about the “very, very stupid people” running the government, and jab back at those who challenge him (bad polls, low energy and so on). And—remember the Fox debate—if he gets a detailed question that he doesn’t like, he can take a swipe at the media and the “gotcha” game.
In terms of the media’s focus, it’s going to be Trump vs. Whoever—as long as Whoever is named Carly, Ben or Jeb. The truth is that journalists have lost interest in most of the other candidates, who are mired in single digits (as is Jeb, but he’s still got the money, the Bush name, and the fading aura of the person the pundits thought would be The Man to Beat). That could change, but right now they're eclipsed by Trump.
Carson told me in the interview we aired Sunday on "Media Buzz" that he would not be throwing punches in this campaign, and that he regretted questioning Trump’s faith and felt he needed to apologize. So even though yesterday’s CBS/New York Times poll has him at 23 percent, close behind Trump’s 27 percent, I don’t expect Carson to take him on. The question for the “okay doctor” (in Trump’s words) is how he handles it if The Donald starts denigrating him.
The media are really hoping for a dustup involving Fiorina, whose Super PAC made a clever ad aimed at women, boasting she has earned every wrinkle on her 61-year-old face, after Trump told a Rolling Stone reporter, “Look at that face.” Trump has taken to hitting her as a failed CEO dumped by Hewlett-Packard, but keep in mind that she took him on in the Fox happy-hour debate, even though he wasn’t there.
“Never before in American presidential politics has a candidate who has drawn accusations of sexism and bullying been forced to personally confront the female recipient of his insults on live television,” the New York Times declares. “And with Mrs. Fiorina bragging that she is getting under Mr. Trump’s skin, their showdown is emerging as one of the most intriguing subplots of the second debate.”
And here’s the Wall Street Journal: “After punching her way onto the big stage, Carly Fiorina
is poised to take on her party’s heavyweights in Wednesday’s Republican presidential primary debate, where she will come face-to-face with the candidate who found fault with her face.”
Still, Carly was very restrained in responding to Facegate, telling Megyn Kelly only that she must be getting under Trump’s skin. So don’t expect any pro wrestling.
What’s getting a lot of traction online is Mark Halperin’s Bloomberg analysis of why Trump has a commanding position:
“With Trump, the rules have changed. So far, he has proven to be largely immune from attack, and also a master killer himself, with a unique political arsenal. With a few months to go before voters vote, Trump has squashed the poll numbers and personas of a host of his rivals, without resorting to significant traditional opposition research, paid media, or surrogates. He simply uses Instagram, Twitter, and his virtually unlimited access to the news media to unsheathe his sharp tongue, cutthroat sensibility, and unerring perverse humor. And Trump can shift to kill mode without strain or hesitation.
“From the get-go of his entrance in June, Trump has engaged intuitively in kill-or-be-killed tactics.”
Deadly rhetoric aside, one of the reasons I warned from the beginning that Trump shouldn’t be underestimated is that I saw how his buzzsaw style was sharpened in New York’s tabloid culture. But you can’t just be a Don Rickles figure. Some voters are also drawn to his successful career in real estate and reality TV, and the wealth that enables Trump to thumb his nose at the donor class.
One thing to watch: If Trump uses the debate to raise his recent arguments about overpaid CEOs and taxing hedge-fund millionaires, you’ll know he’s decided to shrug off the not-really-a-conservative attacks and stay on his populist path.

China reportedly compiling 'Facebook' of U.S. government employees

A private industry IT security firm tells Fox News that personal data stolen over the span of several high-profile U.S. cyber breaches is being indexed by China's intelligence service into a massive Facebook-like network.
According to CrowdStrike founder Dmitri Alperovitch, Chinese hackers are using information gained from the breaches of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, as well as intrusions into the Anthem and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield health insurance networks, to build a complete profile of federal employees in what the company calls a "Facebook of Everything."
"That can now be used to embarrass you publicly and force you to work for the Chinese government," Alperovitch told Fox News. "It's, in effect, a private version of Facebook with much more detail about your life than even Facebook has that the Chinese now have access to." Current and former intelligence officials echoed the assessment.
As Fox News has reported, the most sensitive information stolen in the OPM breach was lifted from what is known as the Standard Form 86, or SF-86. The 127-page security clearance application is essentially a road map to your life. It contains highly detailed information on everything from where an applicant lived and worked, to personal references, family members, friends and associates, as well as drug history and intimate health information.
What's startling is the fact that virtually all government employees and contractors who hold the top echelon of U.S. security clearances were impacted by the OPM breach, even the Director of the FBI. James Comey joked at an intelligence and national security summit last week that had his SF-86 been stored in a strongly encrypted database "maybe someone wouldn't be reading it today."
According to a law enforcement source close to the OPM investigation, the scope of the data stolen in the breach makes this a "generational problem." Fox News is told that the big worry among those in the Intelligence Community is the possibility that applicants’ associates, friends and family will be impacted. Of particular concern, according to this source, is the likelihood that information on applicants’ children could be leveraged against them down the road.

More on this...

• Data firm claims China storing stolen data from the US

Specifically, cybersecurity experts warn that this stolen information may be used for blackmailing and targeting of applicants’ children.
“To try to get them to reveal some information about their parent’s work and use that, eventually, for espionage activities,” Alperovitch explained to Fox News. “Information that has been collected about them may be used decades later.”
There is much concern among victims over the government’s response to the cyberattack, which left sensitive information on some 21.5 million individuals compromised. An intelligence source close to the OPM investigation tells Fox News that this is not an issue that can be fixed with merely a few years of credit monitoring – referring to the government’s current program that offers victims and their dependents credit and identity theft monitoring services free of charge.
While refusing to delve too far into specifics, Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook on Tuesday acknowledged the severity of the lingering vulnerabilities associated with the breach and offered assurances that the government is working vigorously to mend the damage.
“This is going to be a wide-ranging effort on the part of the federal government to try and address this," Cook told reporters at a press briefing.

Probe of Illinois officer's death marked by tension between cops, coroner

The investigation into the death of an Illinois police officer earlier this month has been beset by clashes between the task force looking into the case and the local coroner, reports say.
Late Tuesday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that investigators met with the pathologist who performed the autopsy on Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz last week without Lake County coroner Dr. Thomas Rudd's knowledge. The pathologist, identified as Manny Montez, confirmed to the paper that the meeting took place.
"They called me and told me to be present, so I showed up,” Montez said. “We went over my findings. They had copies of my sketches because I haven’t finalized my [autopsy] report yet."
Fox News first reported last week that two sources close to the case say evidence suggests that Gliniewicz, 52, a 30-year veteran of the Fox Lake, Ill. police force, could have shot himself, despite the original characterization of his death as an execution-style murder by police. Authorities say that while they continue to actively investigate the case as a homicide, they say they aren't ruling out suicide.
Rudd told the Sun-Times that he was "totally confused" when told that the meeting had happened without him. Montez's role is to report his autopsy findings to Rudd, who will make the final determination about the cause of Glieniewicz's death.
Rudd told Fox News last that Gliniewicz died from a “single, devastating” shot to the torso. He said he hasn’t made a ruling in the death and that suicide is a possibility. Earlier Tuesday, Lake County Sheriff's spokesman Christopher Covelli criticized Rudd to reporters, saying that the coroner had released details that could damage the investigation and claimed that Rudd had not told investigators that he would make such statements to the media.
Meanwhile, Fox 32 Chicago reported that authorities are also still waiting for the result of ballistics and DNA tests that could determine both whether Glinieweicz, 52, was shot with his own service weapon and if unknown DNA found at the scene matches anyone in a criminal database.The station also reported that computers belonging to Gliniewicz are being forensically analyzed at a laboratory and his social media presence is also being scrutinized. However, investigators are still waiting for certain websites to comply with requests by law enforcement.
The drama began on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 1 when Gliniewicz radioed in from a remote, marshy area that he was beginning a foot pursuit with three suspects, two white males and one black male. Shortly after that, his radio communication cut off—leaving police with minimal description of the men.
Minutes later, backup officers arrived and discovered Gliniewicz had been shot and killed. An enormous manhunt followed. Police quickly alerted the public to be on the lookout for the three suspects.
Sources tell Fox News two shell casings were found about 100 feet apart from each other near Gliniewicz’s body, which was discovered face down. His hand was in a gun position, the firearm “dropped at his body.”
One bullet hit Gliniewicz in his bulletproof vest. The second and fatal shot struck him underneath his vest, fired in a downward trajectory, near the heart. There was no sign of a struggle or defensive wounds—especially one to save his own life.
Two weeks after the officer’s death there are more questions than answers as police remain tight-lipped. There have been no arrests. There are no witnesses, suspects or concrete leads in the death of the father of four, who was regarded as a pillar of the community and known as “G.I. Joe.”
The FBI, ATF and Homeland Security participated in the investigation along with the Fox Lake Police Department, under the direction of Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Commander George Filenko.
The story gained national attention as teams of media crews flooded the quiet town.
In the following days, Filenko hosted a series of news conferences in which he told reporters and the anxious community that nearby traffic cameras and home surveillance systems captured video depicting what appeared to be the three suspects—but it would take time to verify what was on the tapes.
As the unsolved death investigation carried on into the Labor Day weekend, neighbors and tourists in the picturesque “Chain O' Lakes” area took to the streets and blue waters with caution. Three “cop killers” were on the run, but people weren’t quite sure who or what they should be looking for.
The tree-lined streets of the quaint community were lined with blue ribbons and signs in Gliniewicz’s honor. A long line formed at a print shop that was giving out free posters depicting Gliniewicz. A local Motorola company offered a $50,000 reward for a tip and information leading to an arrest.
The following Monday, Gliniewicz was given a ceremonial funeral attended by over 5,000 police officers from around the country. Thousands of mourners stood along the streets and in their yards as the procession of over 1,600 police cars took hours to drive the 18-mile route to the cemetery. Gliniewicz was hailed as a hero, the latest officer to be killed in the line of duty.
The next day, one week after Gliniewicz died, Filenko hosted his final news conference to date in which he told the public the three suspects who were caught on tape, as described in Gliniewicz’s radio call, were cleared. Receipts and affidavits showed they were not the cop killers.
Filenko said investigators still consider the officer’s death a homicide and were analyzing crucial DNA found at the crime scene—which they said does not belong to Gliniewicz. But he would not specify what it was.
As the mystery deepens and theories abound, police insist the investigation will be a “marathon not a sprint.”