Peyton Manning slams report linking him to HGH use

Peyton Manning is vehemently refuting a report set to air on Al Jazeera that contends the Denver Broncos quarterback received human growth hormone through his wife during his recovery from neck fusion surgeries in 2011 in Indianapolis.
In a statement Saturday night, Manning said: "The allegation that I would do something like that is complete garbage and is totally made up. It never happened. Never."
He added, "I really can't believe somebody would put something like this on the air. Whoever said this is making stuff up."
The allegations surfaced in an Al Jazeera undercover probe into doping in global sports that is set to air Sunday and was shared in advance with the Huffington Post.
The report claims Manning received HGH from an Indianapolis anti-aging clinic in 2011 while he was still with the Colts. It said the drug, which was banned by the NFL in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, was delivered to his wife, Ashley, so that the quarterback's name was never attached to the shipments.
Liam Collins, a British hurdler, went undercover and spoke with Charlie Sly, an Austin, Texas-based pharmacist who worked at the Guyer Institute, the Indiana-based anti-aging clinic in 2011. Sly allegedly names Manning and other high profile athletes as having received HGH from the clinic.
However, Sly backtracks in a subsequent statement to Al Jazeera, saying Collins secretly recorded his conversations without his knowledge or consent.
"The statements on any recordings or communications that Al Jazeera plans to air are absolutely false and incorrect," Sly said. "To be clear, I am recanting any such statements and there is no truth to any statement of mine that Al Jazeera plans to air. Under no circumstances should any of those recordings, statements or communications be aired."
The NFL and players union added human growth hormone testing to the collective bargaining agreement signed in 2011 but the side didn't agree to testing terms until 2014. Nobody has tested positive, which would trigger a four-game suspension.
Manning, who joined the Broncos in 2012, has been sidelined since Nov. 15 by a left foot injury. Brock Osweiler makes his sixth consecutive start in Manning's place Monday night when the Broncos (10-4) host the Bengals (11-3).

Graham leaving GOP puts key evangelical vote at risk for Republican presidential candidates

The Rev. Franklin Graham quitting the Republican Party poses a significant blow to the GOP’s 2016 White House aspirations, especially if other evangelical pastors follow suit and their millions-plus congregations stay away from the polls.
Graham suggested earlier this week that the last straw was congressional Republicans funding Planned Parenthood in the recently passed, $1.8 trillion tax-and-spending package, despite revelations about the group harvesting fetal tissue.
However, he made clear Wednesday night that the funding was only part of the reason he left the GOP to become an independent.
"It's not just that,” Graham said on Fox News’ “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren.” “It's the way the bill was passed. It came down so quickly. And it didn't seem like anybody tried to fight it. It was just, 'Let's get home for Christmas.' "
Graham, the son of evangelical leader Billy Graham, also expressed disappointment with GOP and Democratic leaders but insisted he’s not trying to lead a GOP exodus.
“I'm not here to hurt the Republican Party,” he said, adding that the GOP appears to have “some good candidates” in the 2016 White House race.
Earlier in the day, the Rev. Wilfredo De Jesus, head pastor for the New Life Covenant Church, in Chicago, expressed similar concerns.
“People already know how evangelicals feel about the sanctity of life,” he told FoxNews.com. “That’s a continual fight. But the government spending also speaks to us. That was the disappointment and frustration you heard in brother Graham’s tone.”
De Jesus, popularly known as Pastor Choco, said only time will tell whether other evangelical leaders will follow Graham and potentially take voters with them.
“Many evangelicals are still vetting,” he said. “It’s too early. … But hope is in the kingdom of God, not in the political system.”
While evangelical Christians have long been a key part of the Republican base, their support in the 2016 presidential election cycle appears even more critical as black voters remain overwhelming loyal to Democratic presidential nominees and Hispanics now go to the polls in record numbers for Democrats.
Hispanics, in fact, voted for President Obama over 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney 71 percent to 27 percent, according to an analysis of exit polls by the Pew Research Center.
“We cannot afford to stand on the sidelines as our Christian values are continually trampled,” Jack Graham, pastor of the Prestonwood Baptist Church in Texas, said in October, before a forum with the Faith & Freedom Coalition for 2016 White House candidates.
Graham did not return a request for comment for this story.
White evangelical support for Republican presidential nominees has been largely consistent for at least the past three election cycles, amid assertions that Romney, a Mormon and a moderate, lost in part because millions of evangelical voters stayed on the sidelines.
Some political observers argue at least 3 million Republican voters stayed home, which could have given Romney wins in swing states Florida or Ohio.
However, the Pew analysis shows Romney got 79 percent voter support from white evangelical Protestants, matching George W. Bush in 2004 and exceeding John McCain’s 73 percent in 2008.
The analysis also shows that voting bloc was in 2012 about the same size that it was in the previous two cycles, amid speculation the number was declining.
Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz -- a top-tier GOP presidential candidate courting the evangelical vote -- said in March that roughly half of born-again Christians aren’t voting, which resulted in questions about his methodology.
“They’re staying home,” he said at Liberty University, in Virginia. “Imagine instead millions of people of faith all across America coming out to the polls and voting our values."
Cruz’s campaign did not respond Wednesday for a request for comment. Fellow GOP candidates Carly Fiorina and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul declined though spokespeople who said their respective candidate was spending time with family over the Christmas holidays.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, elected relatively late in this year’s budget process, has vowed to revisit the issue of Planned Parenthood funding when Congress returns next month. But that might be too late for Graham and other evangelicals.
“Republicans always have a reason for not doing something that they say they would,” Bret Bozell, founder of the conservative-leaning Media Research Center, said Wednesday.
He suggested that evangelicals will likely support Cruz and Donald Trump in the primaries but expressed less certainty about the general election.
“Ask John McCain,” he said.

Illegal Immigration Cartoon

Trump trashes reporters, opponents on Christmas Eve

Before and after the Republican front-runner attended a Christmas Eve service at a church in Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday, Trump ditched any holiday cheer, ripping journalists who he believed covered him unfairly, some of them for not making more of CNN's recent poll showing him in a commanding position.
The recipients included a pair of New York Times reporters, NBC's Chuck Todd as well as two of his favorite political targets, Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush.
Trump took aim at New York Times reporters Amy Chozick and Maggie Haberman, who is also a CNN contributor, perhaps in response to a story the two wrote on Wednesday about how Clinton was using Trump's "schlonged" comment to galvanize female voters.
"Third rate reporters Amy Chozick and Maggie Haberman of the failing @nytimes are totally in the Hillary circle of bias. Think about Bill!" he tweeted.
".@meetthepress and @chucktodd very dishonest in not showing the new @CNN Poll where I am at 39%, 21points higher than Cruz. Be honest Chuck!" reads another.
".@HallieJackson Why didn't you report Hillary lying about the ISIS video. Bad reporting. Perhaps @NBC will do better next year-but doubt it!" he added.
Reporters weren't Trump's only target, however.
"Poor @JebBush spent $50 million on his campaign, I spent almost nothing. He's bottom (and gone), I'm top (by a lot). That's what U.S. needs!" he tweeted.
Trump was already looking ahead to the New Year, and offering some predictions for the general election.
"Next year will be an interesting one. I look forward to running against Hillary Clinton, a totally flawed candidate, and beating her soundly."
Trump did end Christmas Eve with some warm holiday wishes -- while making sure to trumpet his campaign slogan.
"Merry Christmas to all. Have a great day and have a really amazing year. Together, we will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! It will be done!"

2016 Dems turn on Obama admin over reported deportation raid plans

The Obama administration already is facing a backlash from the Democratic presidential candidates over reported plans to launch deportation raids as early as next month.
The Washington Post first reported that the Department of Homeland Security is preparing to launch raids against hundreds of families who entered the U.S. illegally since last year and have been ordered to leave by an immigration judge.
The plan, according to the report, does not have final approval and has been a subject of controversy inside the administration.
But within hours of the report’s publication, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley blasted the idea.
“I am very disturbed by reports that the government may commence raids to deport families who have fled here to escape violence in Central America,” Sanders said. “We need to take steps to protect children and families seeking refuge here, not cast them out."
O’Malley said the plan would be “at odds” with America’s character, adding: “We must put an end to these mindless deportations.”
The statements implicitly put some pressure on field front-runner Hillary Clinton to take a position – and her campaign did put out a brief statement Thursday afternoon echoing those concerns.
"Hillary Clinton has real concerns about these reports, especially as families are coming together during this holiday season,” campaign spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa said. “She believes it is critical that everyone has a full and fair hearing, and that our country provides refuge to those that need it. And we should be guided by a spirit of humanity and generosity as we approach these issues."
The reaction underscores the stiff resistance DHS is sure to face from Democratic lawmakers and Latino advocacy groups should it pursue the plan next year. The Post reported that the plans are driven in part by a court decision ordering DHS to start releasing families from detention centers.
But the reports also follow immense criticism from Republicans about the administration’s allegedly lax enforcement policies, a topic that has helped fuel Republican front-runner Donald Trump’s rise in the GOP primary race.
Indeed, Trump took credit on Twitter for the reported deportation raid plans.
Just days earlier, the administration disclosed a dramatic four-year decline in deportations. They dropped from more than 409,000 in 2012 to just 235,000 in fiscal 2015.
The numbers represent the fewest deportations since 2006.
Critics pointed to President Obama’s executive actions and other policies to explain the drop.  
"It's a way of doing a pseudo-amnesty without legislatively doing an amnesty,” said Claude Arnold, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in charge of Southern California, referring to those policies.

Former Iran hostages will receive up to $4.4M each in compensation, report says

A day late and a dollar short!

 American hostages who were held in Iran for 444 days between 1979 and 1981 are finally receiving compensation from the government for their time in captivity. 
The Washington Post reported Thursday that a provision in the omnibus spending bill signed by President Obama last week provided for up to $4.4 million to be paid to each of the 37 surviving hostages or the estates of 16 others who have died since their release. The Post reported that the law authorizes payments of up to $600,000 for each spouse or child of a hostage.
According to the Post, money for the compensation will come in part from a $9 billion penalty paid by the French bank BNP Paribas for violating sanctions prohibiting conducting business with Iran, Cuba, and Sudan. The fund will remain open for 10 years so that it can be replenished by future fines. 
Lawyers for the hostages told the paper they expect all the survivors or estates to ultimately be paid in full. 
"Iran is not paying the money, but it’s as close as you can get," one attorney, Thomas Lankford, told the Post.
The hostages had been barred from taking legal action against Iran under the terms of the so-called Algiers Accords that led to their release in January 1981. Perhaps the most famous offer of compensation in the months after their release came from then Major League Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, who gave them lifetime passes to games. 
Previous attempts to pass financial compensation legislation in Congress had failed. However, the Post reports that some hostages believe the Iran nuclear deal reached earlier this year helped spur Congress toward approving the creation of the fund this time around.
The law also provides potential benefits for other terror attack victims, such as the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as first responders to the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.

Dems force candidate with same name as incumbent to change his on ballot

At first, it seemed Ruben Ramirez Hinojosa might be able to take a page from “The Distinguished Gentleman,” the 1992 film where Eddie Murphy plays a character who gets elected to Congress by running under the same name as the dead incumbent.
Hinojosa, a young Texas law student, also happens to have the same name as retiring U.S. Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, D-Texas – and is running to replace him.
But the state Democratic Party has intervened, and reportedly is forcing Ruben Ramirez Hinojosa to change his name on the ballot to avoid confusion for voters.
The Texas Tribune reports that state party officials have informed Ruben Ramirez Hinojosa they will list his name as “Ruben Ramirez” on the ballot, over his objections and after he refused to sign an affidavit.
The University of Houston law student and Army veteran ripped the party over the decision.
“They’re letting their political friendships pressure them, and they’re caving in to their friends,” he told the Tribune.
The candidate’s name apparently had caused a big stir in the local political scene. Retiring Rep. Hinojosa reportedly was among those worried voters would mistakenly think they were voting for him if they saw the nearly identical name on the ballot. 
The dispute was fueled by the fact that the candidate has gone under varying names. He reportedly ran, unsuccessfully, as Ruben Ramon Ramirez in 2012. But “Hinojosa” is his mother’s last name, and the candidate reportedly says he uses that interchangeably with his father’s last name, “Ramirez.”
The dispute with the party escalated earlier this week, when, according to the Tribune, an official demanded proof he meets a legal requirement that Ruben Ramirez Hinojosa is his “given name” or a frequently used nickname.
The candidate submitted his birth certificate and an affidavit from a friend. But he then reportedly declined to respond to another demand to swear he met the requirements in a signed affidavit himself.
He reportedly does not plan to challenge the decision to list him as Ruben Ramirez.
But his Facebook page still promotes his candidacy under the name, Ruben Ramirez Hinojosa, and he’s drawing attention to the buzz created by the controversy.
The primary will be held in March, and the younger Hinojosa is one of many candidates.
Also in the running on the Democratic side are: former Hidalgo County Democratic Party Chairwoman Dolly Elizondo; Edinburg School Board Member Juan “Sonny” Palacios Jr.; former Hidalgo County Commissioner Joel Quintanilla; and others.

Child vaccine mandate, minimum wage hikes and more taking effect in new year

New sex ed and child vaccine mandates, higher minimum wages and relaxed pot penalties are among the new state and local laws sweeping into effect next week when the new year arrives.
Even pets will be affected, at least in Illinois, where a new law will make it a Class A misdemeanor to leave dogs and cats exposed to harsh weather conditions, leading to a hefty fine and up to a year in jail if convicted.
The most immediate and noticeable changes on Jan. 1 will be in wages. Some 12 states alone are expected to increase their minimum wages -- including California and Massachusetts, which are going up to $10 an hour. The District of Columbia was the first to exceed the $10 minimum, but several states have incremental plans to raise their wages even further by 2018.
Bill Scher, an activist and analyst for the Campaign for America’s Future, noted that despite unsuccessful attempts to raise the wage at the federal level, many states have acted. He claimed 2 million jobs have been created since the start of this year due to wage increases.
“With more proof that gradual wage increases won’t shock the economy, more states are going to follow suit,” he told FoxNews.com.
Not everyone agrees. “Any discussion about raising the minimum wage needs to recognize that small employers often have to operate under very slim profit margins and will have the hardest time absorbing these higher labor costs,” Randel Johnson, senior vice president of labor, immigration, and employee benefits at the Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.
“They will have to find more revenues or trim costs to make up the difference.”
Meanwhile, travelers from a number of states may soon have to bring their passports to the airport because their driver's licenses will no longer serve as valid identification for U.S. airport security checkpoints. New “Real ID” laws requiring a uniform federal standard for driver's licenses by the Department of Homeland Security are going into effect Jan. 1, and some states’ licenses are not up to those standards.
Some states have gotten waivers as lawmakers work on a resolution, but others -- like New Mexico, New Jersey and South Carolina – have their requests pending and only have a grace period until “at least” Jan. 10, according to the DHS website.
As is often the case, some of the more controversial changes are taking place in California.
In the Golden State, an outbreak of measles this year triggered a push for mandating child vaccinations, and it won -- as of Jan. 1, almost all exemptions to vaccine requirements for school entry are removed. The only way parents can get out of the mandate is if a physician says an exemption is warranted. The law, called the strictest in the country, applies to students attending any private or public school in California. Parents who homeschool would still have the option to skip vaccinations.
The new law specifically eliminates the “personal belief exemption,” which came under fire after a measles outbreak began at Disneyland earlier this year. Some 131 California residents were believed to be infected. Officials said the rates were higher in communities where parents took the exemptions for vaccinations.
Still, parents who believe vaccinations are to blame for dangerous side effects, including autism, vowed to fight. “These moms are strong,” a mother of three from Orange County told the Los Angeles Times when the law was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in June. “… They’re not going to give up their rights.”
Vaccine mandates aren’t the only health-related laws to go into effect in California. The state now mandates “comprehensive” public school sex ed in grades 7-12. Mandated discussions in class will include HIV education and health, sexual harassment and violence, and will “affirmatively recognize that people have different sexual orientations.”
The new law has been criticized by conservative groups like the Pacific Justice Institute, which says it dismisses parents who don’t want the state dictating how their children learn and feel about sex in deference to the “permissive” tone taken by “progressives” in government. “This bill seems to come from a mindset that is very antagonistic toward parents and their values,” Matthew McReynolds, senior staff attorney for the Pacific Justice Institute, reportedly said earlier this year.
In Illinois, the state is relaxing some rules for sick citizens. The growing “Right to Try” movement succeeded in passing a law that will allow sick patients with terminal diseases who have exhausted all other options to access experimental treatments not yet approved by the FDA. In other words, the drugs have been proven safe in preliminary clinical trials but have not yet received the final green light for market. Illinois will be the 15th state to pass such a law in the last two years.
Starlee Coleman, a senior policy advisor at the Goldwater Institute, a major proponent of the Right to Try laws, says the measures are enjoying widespread support.
“It just shows that when it comes to common sense matters that help people there is really no partisan divide on giving sick people access to drugs that help them,” she told FoxNews.com.
Not if you are in California, though. Gov. Brown vetoed a similar bill that crossed his desk in October.
Gun laws also have been among the top issues in states this year following a series of mass shootings -- including several on college campuses. Each jurisdiction is dealing with it differently, however. While some are making it easier for citizens to arm themselves, others are putting up barriers to carrying a weapon.
In Texas, for example, citizens will be able to carry handguns in plain view in belt or shoulder holsters as of Jan. 1. The Lone Star state is now poised to be the 45th state to issue open carry permits. Currently, Texans who are licensed to carry in public must keep their guns hidden.
Meanwhile, California passed a new law that would ban those with concealed carry permits from carrying their weapons on college or school campuses. No exceptions.
Other notable laws this year include relaxed marijuana laws in Delaware. Possessing an ounce of the drug will be considered only a civil infraction, with a fine of $100, no greater than a traffic ticket. But a tough new measure in North Carolina might land graffiti artists in jail. As of Jan. 1, those convicted a third time for “graffiti vandalism,” no matter how creative or where the graffiti is, will be handed a felony conviction and face jail time.