Outcry in UK after Muslim family claims US officials stopped them from boarding flight to Los Angeles

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British Prime Minister David Cameron

British Prime Minister David Cameron has been asked to intervene in the case of a Muslim family who allege they were prevented by U.S. officials from boarding a flight to Los Angeles earlier this month. 
Mohammad Tariq Mahmood told The Guardian that his party of 11 people, including nine children, had been granted authorization to travel ahead of their planned Dec. 15 flight to Los Angeles from London's Gatwick Airport.
However, he said he was approached by U.S. Homeland Security officials in the departure lounge and informed that the group's authorization to travel on the flight had been canceled. Mahmood said the officials did not give any further explanation.
"It's because of the attacks on America," Mahmood told the Guardian. "They think every Muslim poses a threat."
The Department of Homeland Security has not made any public comment on the case. 
Mahmood said the family had planned to visit relatives in Southern California and visit Disneyland and Universal Studios. He added that the airline, Norwegian Air, had refused to refund the cost of the trip, which totaled more than $13,000. 
Stella Creasy, the Member of Parliament for the family's constituency in northeast London, claimed in a letter to Cameron that a lack of information from US authorities about why they were prevented from travelling is fuelling resentment within British Muslim communities.
"It is not just the family themselves who are livid," Creasy wrote. "The vacuum created by a refusal to provide any context for these decisions is fuelling resentment and debate."
A Downing Street spokesman told Sky News that Cameron"would consider the issues raised and respond in due course."
A spokesman for the U.K.'s Home Office, the rough equivalent of the Homeland Security Department added: "It would be the airline that would stop passengers travelling rather than the border force."

State Department chides cardinal over gay slurs against US ambassador

The State Department weighed in Tuesday on an escalating war of words between the U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic and a cardinal who has leveled gay slurs against him -- telling FoxNews.com the fight "does underscore" the importance of pushing human rights causes. 
U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic James “Wally” Brewster, who is openly gay and married, has been mocked over his sexual orientation by Cardinal Archbishop Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez for more than two years.
It got so heated that earlier this month, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., sent a letter to Pope Francis asking him to intervene in the verbal attacks. 
“Even before Ambassador Brewster’s arrival in Santo Domingo in 2013, Cardinal Rodriguez launched a personal attack against him with public statements quoted in the popular press,” Durbin’s letter said. "The Cardinal used the hateful slur ‘faggot,’ which he continues to use to this day." 
Durbin added, "In a recent interview Cardinal Rodriguez again described the ambassador as a ‘faggot’ and falsely claimed the ambassador was setting out to promote ‘faggotry’ in the Dominican Republic." 
The cardinal reportedly also said Brewster should “focus on housework, since he’s the wife to a man.” 
A State Department official on Tuesday defended Brewster's work in a statement to FoxNews.com: 
“Ambassador Brewster, like all U.S. ambassadors, advances this [human rights] policy along with many other aspects of our bilateral relationship. That there may be those opposed to the promotion of human rights in various societies around the world is not surprising, but it does underscore why this work is so important.” 
In the past, the same cardinal has organized a “Black Monday” protest against Brewster where people were asked to show their opposition to Brewster by tying black ribbons on their cars. 
The State Department told FoxNews.com that U.S. policy is “dedicated to eliminating barriers to equality, fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and engaging LGBTI communities around the world.” 
While the Dominican Republic’s criminal code does not explicitly prohibit homosexuality, it is a staunchly Catholic country.
Brewster’s appointment has been a point of contention from the start. High-profile Catholic Church leaders said assigning an openly gay man to the post was seen as a lack of respect from the Obama administration.
"He has not considered the particularities of our people. The United States is trying to impose on us marriage between gays and lesbians as well as adoption by these couples," Father Luis Rosario, director of youth ministries for the church, told CNN in 2013. 
The ambassador has also riled DR officials by voicing concerns about corruption on the island – and even accusing police officers of threatening U.S. investors, Fox News Latino reported. 
For Durbin, who is close friends with Brewster and a devout Catholic, enough is enough. He wants Pope Francis to step in and make the anti-gay slurs stop.

More on this...

• U.S. Ambassador to the D.R. makes waves on conservative island for pushing gay issues

“Despite these hateful words and personal attacks, Ambassador Brewster has worked to quiet the conflict between Church leaders and himself,” Durbin wrote to the pope. “His patience and professionalism in light of these mean-spirited attacks by the Cardinal demonstrate his personal commitment to his responsibility of representing the United States of America.”
Durbin says while the Catholic church’s teachings on gay marriage are well known, he points out in his letter that “the church also teaches us to show tolerance for those with different sexual orientations.”
“The intolerant public statements of Cardinal Rodriguez are inconsistent with that clearly stated value,” Durbin wrote.
It is unclear whether the Vatican has responded to Durbin’s letter. Calls and emails to Durbin’s office for comment were not returned.

Washington Post pulls cartoon depicting Ted Cruz's daughters as trained monkeys

The Washington Post removed an editorial cartoon from its website late Tuesday that depicted Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz's young daughters as trained monkeys.
As of midnight Wednesday, the webpage where the cartoon by Ann Telnaes had been shown was replaced by a note from the Post's editorial page editor, Fred Hiatt.
"It’s generally been the policy of our editorial section to leave children out of it," Hiatt wrote. "I failed to look at this cartoon before it was published. I understand why Ann thought an exception to the policy was warranted in this case, but I do not agree."
Politico reported the cartoon was in response to an online ad released by Cruz's campaign that depicted him reading politics-related Christmas stories to his daughters, 7-year-old Caroline and 4-year-old Catherine. Telnaes herself referenced the ad on Twitter earlier Tuesday.
Earlier Tuesday, the Texas senator criticized the Post on Twitter over the cartoon, which depicted him as an organ grinder dressed in a Santa Claus costume while two similarly-clad monkeys danced on leashes in front of him. The cartoon was captioned, "Ted Cruz uses his kids as political props."
Cruz was backed in his criticism by Republican rival and fellow Senator Marco Rubio, himself a father of four.
Telnaes, who won a Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 2001, had no immediate comment on the cartoon being pulled, but posted a link on Twitter late Tuesday to an article titled "Organ Grinders and Their Monkeys Once Entertained on DC Sidewalks"

Kerry Cartoon

Baby Jesus, "Merry Christmas" banner removed from VA hospital

A manger and a banner reading “Merry Christmas” were removed from a public area of a VA hospital in Texas after someone complained about “overly religious and offensive” decorations.
“They ruined our decorations,” Vietnam veteran Ethel Holloway told television station KENS. “They threw them out.” 
Click here to join Todd’s American Dispatch – a must-read for conservatives! 
Holloway said she had been putting up decorations at the Audi Murphy VA Hospital for 33 years – without any problems. This year, her yuletide banner turned out to be problematic.
“They literally took pieces from the middle of a whole train set, because the middle said ‘Merry Christmas,’” helper Grace Martinez told the television station.
The South Texas Veterans Health Care System admits they removed not only Holloway’s “Merry Christmas” banner, but also a manger along with a “specific scripture decoration.”
“During the removal of a manger and specific scripture decoration, a Merry Christmas decoration was accidentally removed and damaged,” read a statement from the VA to Fox News. “The remaining decorations were removed by the decoration donor and her representatives.”
The VA hospital said they have offered to reimburse her for the damaged decorations.
“We acknowledge that the corrective action should have been to display the faith-specific holiday decoration along with multiple religious faith symbols,” the statement read. “We are currently ensuring that our staff are educated and aware of the national policy and how it relates to decorations throughout the facility.”
So the VA destroys a brave veteran’s Christmas decorations – and their response is “oops – our bad”?
“The faith specific symbols were displayed in a public area without other specific religious symbols being included,” their statement read.
I’d like to know what happened to the manger scene and the other “overly religious and offensive” decorations.
Were they returned to donors? Were they stored in a closet? Were they tossed to the curb?
The VA hospital told me they have no idea what became of Joseph, Mary and the Baby Jesus. There was no room for them in the inn or apparently the Audie Murphy VA Hospital.
It’s not the first time the VA has tried to cleanse its hospitals of Christmas cheer.
A VA hospital in Salem, Virginia banned Christmas greetings, “religious” carols, and Christmas trees from all public areas earlier this year.
After hospital employees staged a revolt, the VA relented and agreed to allow Christmas trees – provided the trees were accompanied by symbols of Kwanzaa and Hanukkah.
However, hospital employees are still prohibited from wishing veterans a “Merry Christmas” or playing “religious” Christmas music – even in their personal work space, according to The Becket Fund.
“I like ‘Jingle Bells’ as much as the next person, but the government can’t ban ‘religious’ Christmas carols any more than it can ban ugly sweaters or egg nog,” said Kristina Arriaga, executive director of The Becket Fund.
The Becket Fund, a religious liberty advocacy group, recently awarded the Sale VA hospital its “Ebenezer Award” “for the most ridiculous affront to the Christmas and Hanukkah seasons.” 
“Our veterans stare down the most hostile threats to freedom the world has ever known,” Arriaga said in a statement. “But I’m pretty sure the words ‘Merry Christmas’ are not one of them.”
Amen, ma’am.
I reached out to the VA hospital one last time to find out what was so “overly offensive” about the manger scene.  I’m still waiting on a reply.
But I suspect it had something to do with a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. His latest book is "God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values." Follow Todd on Twitter@ToddStarnes and find him on Facebook.

Trump brands Hillary Clinton a 'liar' over ISIS recruitment video claim

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump rounded on Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton Monday, calling her a "liar" over her claim that the ISIS terror group used videos of his comments about Muslims to recruit militants.
"She's a liar!" Trump told more than 6,000 people at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also said Clinton was "crooked" and "not a president."
Trump also resorted to crude language to discuss Clinton's 2008 loss in the Iowa caucuses to Barack Obama, who went on to win the Democratic nomination and the White House. 
"She was favored to win and she got schlonged, she lost," said Trump, who also mocked Clinton for returning late to Saturday's Democratic debate following a commercial break. "I thought she quit, I thought she gave up," Trump joked.
During Saturday's debate, Clinton said Trump had become ISIS' "best recruiter" adding, "They are going to people showing videos of Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists."
There was no evidence to back the claim, and a spokeswoman later said, "She didn't have a particular video in mind."
Still, Clinton campaign spokesman Brian Fallon, asked Monday by MSNBC if Clinton would apologize to Trump, insisted, "Hell no."
Trump argued at Grand Rapids' DeltaPlex Arena that he is the last person Clinton wants to run against in a general election.
"Ask Jeb Bush if he enjoys running against me," he said of the former Florida governor who has been struggling to gain traction despite a massive early fundraising advantage.
"Ask Lindsey Graham, did he enjoy running against Trump?" he said of the South Carolina senator who on Monday announced his departure from the race.
Trump also defended the kind words he's been exchanging with Russian President Vladimir Putin, brushing off criticism that he has been too kind to the Russian president.
"That's, like, a good thing, not a bad thing," he insisted. "Wouldn't it be nice if we could get along, like, with people?"
And he made clear that he is opposed to the killing of journalists, after appearing to brush off concerns about Putin's record on a Sunday morning news show.
"I don't like that, I'm totally against that," said Trump. "By the way, I hate some of these people ... and some of them are such lying, disgusting people, it's true. But I would never kill. And anybody that does I think would be despicable."

Iranian hackers gained access to suburban NYC dam in 2013, report says

Iranian computer hackers accessed the control system of a small dam outside of New York City two years ago, raising red flags throughout the U.S. government, according to a published report. 
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Homeland Security believes the hackers infiltrated the Bowman Avenue Dam in Rye Brook, N.Y. through a cellular modem. According to the Journal, investigators believe that hackers never actually took control of the dam itself, but merely probed the system.
Neither the White House nor DHS would comment specifically on the alleged incident when contacted by Fox News.
But DHS spokesman S.Y. Lee said in a statement: “The Department of Homeland Security continues to coordinate national efforts to strengthen the security and resilience of critical infrastructure, working with our federal and industry partners across the country to raise awareness about evolving threats and promote measures to reduce risks to systems we all rely on.”
The reported dam incident comes amid attacks by hackers linked to Iran’s government against the websites of U.S. banks and illustrates a prime concern of American officials: how to protect vulnerable American infrastructure from cyberattacks. 
According to the Journal, the Department of Homeland Security was notified of 295 industrial-control-system hacking incidents over the 12 months ending Sept. 30. Over the previous 12 months, the number was 245. 
Initially, intelligence analysts feared the hackers were targeting another dam: The Arthur R. Bowman Dam in Oregon, a 245-foot-tall earthen structure that irrigates local agriculture and prevents flooding near the town of Prineville, approximately 150 miles southeast of Portland. That belief prompted investigators to notify the White House that Iran had escalted its cyberwar with the United States.
The 22-foot-high Bowman Avenue Dam, built in 1941 for flood control, is described as "very, very small" by the manager of the nearby town of Rye, but its infiltration represents a fear among U.S. officials that government-backed hackers were more capable than first thought, and could inflict real-world damage.

Republicans blast Kerry for suggesting Iran could skirt new visa rules

Republicans on Monday blasted Secretary of State John Kerry for suggesting in a letter to his Iranian counterpart that the administration could help the country get around new visa restrictions passed by Congress.
“Instead of bending over backwards to try to placate the Iranian regime, the White House needs to be holding it accountable for its recent missile tests, its continued support for terrorism, and its wrongful imprisonment of Americans,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., said in a statement to FoxNews.com.
At issue are tightened security requirements for America’s visa waiver program, which allows citizens of 38 countries to travel to the U.S. without visas. Under changes in the newly signed spending bill, people from those countries who have traveled to Iran, Iraq, Syria and Sudan in the past five years must now obtain visas to enter the U.S.
Top Tehran officials, however, complained the changes violate the terms of the nuclear deal, which says the U.S. and other world powers will refrain from any policy intended to adversely affect normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran.
Kerry responded to these concerns in a Dec. 19 letter to his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif -- and suggested the administration could simply bypass the rules for Iran. 
“I am also confident that the recent changes in visa requirements passed in Congress, which the Administration has the authority to waive, will not in any way prevent us from meeting our [nuclear deal] commitments, and that we will implement them so as not to interfere with legitimate business interests of Iran,” he said.  
Kerry’s letter to Zarif assured that the U.S. would “adhere to the full measure of our commitments.” As for changes to the visa program, Kerry floated several alternative options for easing any impact on Iran – including waiving the new requirements.
“To this end, we have a number of potential tools available to us, including multiple entry ten-year business visas, programs for expediting business visas, and the waiver authority provided under the new legislation,” he wrote.
The legislation indeed includes a provision allowing the Homeland Security secretary to waive the requirements if the secretary determines this “is in the law enforcement or national security interests of the United States.”
But House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., voiced concern on Monday that Kerry was proposing a “blanket” waiver to accommodate Iran’s complaints. He said that is not Congress’ intent.
“Contrary to what the Secretary of State seems to be saying to Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, it was not and has never been Congress’s intent to allow the Administration to grant a blanket waiver to travellers from Iran in order to facilitate the implementation of the Iran deal,” he said in a statement.
McCarthy said the point of the legislation was to strengthen security and “keep the American people safe from terrorism and from foreign travelers who potentially pose a threat to our homeland.”
Kerry’s assurances also raised concerns that the U.S. may be backing down to Iran’s complaints while at the same time reluctant to punish Tehran for its own potential violations.
“Instead of undermining Congressional intent regarding the visa waiver program, the White House should instead focus on Iran’s repeated violations of the U.N. Security Council's bans on missile tests,” McCarthy said. “Iran’s unwillingness to follow these international agreements should be a red flag that the Iran nuclear deal isn’t worth the paper it is written on.”
Omri Ceren, with the Washington, D.C.-based Israel Project, also told The Washington Free Beacon, “According to the Obama administration’s latest interpretation, the nuclear deal allows Iran to test ballistic missiles in violation of international law, but does not allow Congress to prevent terrorists from coming into the United States.”
The same article noted that the State Department official in charge of implementing the nuclear agreement warned Congress last week that the new visa rules “could have a very negative impact on the deal.”
Indeed, Kerry’s letter came as top-ranking Iranian officials accused the U.S. of flouting the nuclear agreement.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that the change “contradicts” the nuclear deal.
"Definitely, this law adversely affects economic, cultural, scientific and tourism relations,” Araghchi was quoted by state TV as saying.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani made similar comments.
Asked about Kerry’s assurances at Monday’s daily briefing, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the secretary made clear they would “implement this new legislation so as not to interfere with legitimate business interests of Iran.”
Kirby said the law would be followed, but there are a “number of potential tools” to ensure this does not violate the nuclear deal. As for the DHS waiver authority, he said it’s too soon to say “if and when” that might be used.
The Kerry letter initially was obtained and published by the National Iranian American Council.
The State Department confirmed the document’s authenticity on Monday.