Nation’s ICE Officers Detail How Marco Rubio Betrayed Them

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In an exclusive Q&A with Breitbart News, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Council President Chris Crane provides never-before-heard details about the 2013 Gang of Eight immigration fight that are likely to shake up an already tumultuous presidential race.

ICE Council President, Crane represents the nation’s approximately 5,800 frontline ICE officers, agents and personnel who are responsible for enforcing America’s immigration laws in all 50 states and U.S. territories. For the first time ever, Crane details his behind-the-scenes interactions with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as Crane sought to protect the nation’s ICE officers and national security . . .

In his responses, Crane addresses an incident—first detailed by Breitbart News— in which Marco Rubio stood idly by as Crane was ejected from a Gang of Eight press conference for trying to ask a question on behalf of law enforcement . . .

BREITBART NEWS: It is well known that the Gang of Eight reached out to big business groups and amnesty groups in the process of writing the bill. When Sen. Rubio started writing his bill, did he reach out to you and other ICE officers for your ideas and input?

CRANE: Sen. Rubio never reached out to us. He surrounded himself with big business and amnesty groups, most of which were more interested in cheap labor and their own political agendas, and had no real concern for the welfare of immigrants, public safety, or the security of our nation. This while he ignored boots on the ground law enforcement officers who work within our broken immigration system every day and know better than any what’s needed to fix it. Common sense dictates that law enforcement be at the table when creating a bill like this. I think Sen. Rubio knew that, but actively chose to exclude us because of his own personal agenda. (Read more from “Nation’s ICE Officers Detail How Marco Rubio Betrayed Them” HERE)

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Dr. James Dobson Just Endorsed This Candidate for President – 2 Big Reasons Why [+video]

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Another presidential endorsement has come in, this time from a leading Christian figurehead, Dr. James Dobson. Dr. Dobson is an evangelical radio talk show host and psychologist who has been active in the political arena for over thirty years. On Wednesday, Dobson reiterated his December endorsement for Senator Cruz of the Republican party.

Dr. Dobson is the president of Family Talk, a nonprofit program which focuses on the “preservation of family”, as well as the former president of Focus on the Family. He has also authored over 30 books on the topic, advised three President’s, worked as an associate clinical professor at the University of Southern California, and earned his Ph.D. in child development, as well as numerous honorary doctoral degrees.

Dr. Dobson is viewed by some as an “expert” in family affairs. He dispenses mainly biblical advice focused on Christian marriages through his Family Talk radio program.

In a recent video, Dobson explains why Senator Cruz has his endorsement. “For us, the sanctity of human life and traditional marriage are non-negotiable. Ted has been relentless in defending the institution of marriage.” Furthermore adding, “after Donald Trump and Marco Rubio announced that they would accept the Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage we knew we could not support them. Our decision was confirmed when they opposed Senator Cruz’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.” (Read more from “Dr. James Dobson Just Endorsed This Candidate for President – 2 Big Reasons Why” HERE)

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Something Huge Is Coming Back to Haunt Rubio, Cruz (and it’s way worse for Trump)

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By Cheryl Chumley. Rich Beeson, a deputy campaign manager for Sen. Marco Rubio, is causing a bit of a stir among the conservative evangelical crowd after reports surfaced he signed a petition pressing the U.S. Supreme Court to side with the pro-“gay” marriage plaintiffs in the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges.

Rubio didn’t sign the brief, which staffers with other Republican presidential campaigns, both past and present, have also signed. But Rubio, according to LifeSite News, has other ties to homosexual activists that, when combined with his campaign staffer’s signature, could prove problematic for the public-relations image he’s worked to create as a supporter of traditional marriage.

And Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, raised this point, while tweeting a reaction to the report: “Troubling if true. Would top advisors in a Rubio administration be the same?”

Eric Teetsel, Rubio’s director of faith outreach, was quick to counter that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s legal counsel, Chris Gober, also signed the brief . . .

The Christian Post reported Friday that Ted Cruz for President paid over $245,000 to the campaign strategy firm Targeted Victory in 2015. The president and senior director of the firm, Zac Moffat and Abe Adams, were also signatories. (Read more from “Something Huge Is Coming Back to Haunt Rubio, Cruz” HERE)
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Cruz Failed to Argue Pivotal Gay Rights Case, Lawrence v. Texas. Why?

By K. Eleveld. It appears that the champion of all that is sacred and true about “traditional marriage” has a teeny weeny hole in his resume: Ted Cruz ducked when faced with the opportunity to argue against LGBT rights in the 2003 Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas, which ultimately struck down sodomy laws and paved the way for future LGBT legal advances. . .

Maybe Cruz didn’t want to take on sodomy laws back in the day because he knew LGBT donors could be a real asset to his candidacies. Sure enough, Cruz’s turn with gay donors last [year] wasn’t the first time he’s taken money from gays or people who support LGBT causes:

He accepted $250,000 [in 2009] from gay donor Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal, who is also a top contributor to the national gay conservative group GOProud. Thiel also gave $2 million to Club for Growth, a super political action committee that put $705,657 toward Cruz’s Senate run.

Paul Singer, a hedge fund billionaire whose son married his partner and who pushed for legalization of same-sex marriage in New York, gave Cruz $25,000 in 2009.

(Read more from this story HERE)

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Trump is the Most Gay-Friendly GOP Candidate Ever

By Emma Margolin. With his penchant for name-calling and plans to deport every undocumented immigrant living in the United States, Donald Trump hasn’t exactly established a reputation for tolerance. Yet the real estate mogul and reality TV host might nevertheless be the most LGBT-friendly Republican running for president.

Asked whether private companies should be able to fire employees simply because they’re gay, Trump told “Meet The Press” host Chuck Todd on Sunday that he didn’t think sexual orientation “should be a reason” for letting workers go.

The question is a significant one for any White House hopeful – currently, 31 states lack employment protections for LGBT Americans, by the Human Rights Campaign’s count, and there are no federal barriers to discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Trump’s response, however, marked a significant departure from the rest of the crowded GOP presidential pack, many of whom have pledged to expand protections for those wishing to turn away LGBT people on religious grounds. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Cruz, Carson Held Secret Meeting in a Closet About ‘Dirty Tricks’ — It Didn’t Go Well

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Republican presidential candidates Ben Carson and Ted Cruz held a meeting Thursday night in a storage closet — literally.

The meeting, which was called by Cruz and held prior to Thursday’s Conservative Review convention, was an attempt to bandage his relationship with rival Carson ahead of the South Carolina primary on Saturday. The two conversed for about 30 minutes, as Carson’s Secret Service detail stood guard by the door, according to The Daily Beast . . .

The secret meeting was supposed to remain a secret, until the Cruz campaign leaked the fact that the talk had taken place, according to the Carson campaign.

“We weren’t going to comment to the press on it, but it seems pretty clear that the other party involved had a different agenda,” Carson spokesman Jason Osbourne said. “How else could we perceive that to be?”

Cruz apologized to the Carson campaign earlier this month for sending out an email telling supporters that Carson had dropped out of the race, citing a “breaking news story” that CNN sent out. In reality, Carson was just returning home for a few days in order to do laundry. In the weeks since the Iowa caucuses, the 2016 Committee, a PAC associated with the Carson camp, has capitalized on the confusion between the two candidates. (Read more from “Cruz, Carson Held Secret Meeting in a Closet About ‘Dirty Tricks’ — It Didn’t Go Well” HERE)

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Bernie Sander’s Increasing Electability Is Unnerving

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By Lisa Lerer and Emily Swanson. The more Democrats learn about Bernie Sanders, the more they appear to like him.

A greater percentage of Democratic registered voters view the Vermont senator as likable, honest, competent and compassionate than they did just two months ago, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll. Seventy-two percent now believe he could win the general election, a 21 percentage point increase from the last time the survey was conducted in December.

The findings underscore the challenge facing Hillary Clinton as she enters the Democratic contest’s pivotal spring stretch, when primaries across the country mean that many of the party’s voters will finally get their say on her candidacy.

Clinton’s campaign has argued that as voters learned more about his record, Sanders will begin to lose support. Instead, it seems that as Sanders has gotten more scrutiny, support for him has only grown. While Clinton continues to be the Democratic candidate who’s most well-liked within her own party, Sanders is gaining on her.

Woodrow Benford, 58, who lives outside Minneapolis, says he didn’t know much about Sanders before he announced his presidential bid, but now Benford plans to caucus for him on March 1. (Read more from “Bernie Sander’s Increasing Electability Is Unnerving” HERE)

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Luis Gutierrez: Bernie Sanders Has ‘Troubling’ Immigration Record

By Caroline May. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders has been an unreliable ally and even, at times, enemy of the Latino and immigrant communities, according to Rep. Luis Gutierrez.

“I have observed Sanders first in the House of Representatives and later in the Senate and I have to say, he was absent from most of the crucial immigration debates,” Gutierrez wrote in an opinion column published Thursday at Univision. “And when he did show up, his record was troubling.”

Gutierrez — a vocal amnesty advocate who has endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination — pointed to the immigration battles of 2005 and 2006, saying Sanders, then a congressman, was “mostly silent” about legislation to toughen immigration enforcement.

“And worse, at a few critical moments in 2006, he broke with Democrats and progressives and stood with the hardline anti-immigrant wing of the Republican Party,” he wrote. (Read more from “Luis Gutierrez: Bernie Sanders Has ‘Troubling’ Immigration Record” HERE)

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Sarah Palin Goes on Attack Against Glenn Beck

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Former Alaska governor, vice presidential candidate and Fox News pundit Sarah Palin took to Facebook to slam Glenn Beck for his recently spouted political views and criticisms of Republican front-runner Donald Trump, bluntly asking the Blaze TV and radio host: “What’s conservative about that?”

Palin recently endorsed Trump; Beck, who endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz, has been one of Trump’s most vocal critics.

Palin wrote: “Ted Cruz’s star spokesman and campaign partner, Glenn Beck, promises he will support a socialist vs. the pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment, pro-growth, pro-American GOP front runner … what’s conservative about that?”

She then included a link to a Gateway Pundit article entitled, “Huh? Glenn Beck Tells Iowa Crowd He Prefers Bernie Sanders Over Donald Trump” . . .

She wrote: “Beck would have chosen Hillary Clinton over the GOP nominee and evidently thinks Barack Obama is a pretty swell guy as president … what’s judicious about that?” (Read more from “Sarah Palin Goes on Attack Against Glenn Beck” HERE)

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What Trump, Cruz, and Sanders Mean for the Political Establishment

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On the night of Feb. 15, the split screen that has defined the 2016 presidential race repeated itself with a new urgency. In one half there was Republican front-runner Donald Trump, rallying thousands at an arena in Greenville, S.C., with immigration jeremiads and classic rock anthems. In the other, on a stage 203 miles away in North Charleston, there was Jeb Bush, the pack leader Trump had long since deposed, making his first public appearance with his brother, former President George W. Bush. Here was Jeb, fighting for his political life in a state that had long favored his family dynasty.

This cycle, dynasty hasn’t counted for much. In the debate two days earlier, Trump viciously attacked the elder Bush’s record, marking the first time anyone can remember a GOP poll leader lacerating the party’s most recent President. Trump earned boos for the performance, but the audience in attendance—South Carolina party faithfuls—was so distant from the Republican rank and file that the question “Why are people booing?” trended on Google during the event. What’s more, the businessman’s soaring popularity statewide didn’t suffer. If Palmetto State Republicans didn’t punish that heresy against the last Republican commander in chief, it could spell the last gasp for Jeb, who finished 6th in Iowa and 4th in New Hampshire.

At a mininum, the Feb. 20 primary in South Carolina stands poised to further thin the three-way contest among Bush, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Gov. John Kasich to consolidate establishment support against Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. In the Nevada Democratic caucuses that same day, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is hustling to blunt the momentum that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders carried out of his blockbuster win in New Hampshire. But both sides are dug in for a slog that could spill into the summer.

It would be silly, seeing what we’ve seen, to make any sweeping predictions about how this race will end. In the past, advantages like money raised, endorsements, and name recognition were pretty good indicators of election outcomes. If anything, it may be working the other way this time. Bush, whose campaign was an early juggernaut, embarrassingly floundered despite smashing fundraising records (he still easily retains the money lead, with $150 million raised, including Super PAC funds, and $84 million spent). Clinton, with 184 endorsements from governors and members of Congress, has faced a real challenge from Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders, who got only two. (Read more from “What Trump, Cruz, and Sanders Mean for the Political Establishment” HERE)

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Ben Carson: ‘I Would Much Rather Lose Than Lie’ [+video]

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By Melanie Hunter. In an interview Friday with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson said he would “rather lose than lie” when asked if he would ever lie to the American people if he were president.

“I would much rather lose than lie. I take my examples from the life of Christ. I make no bones about the fact that I’m Christian, and I have Christian values, so that to me is much more important than any political ambition,” said Carson.

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough asked Carson, “I’ll ask you a question that was asked of Hillary Clinton and she couldn’t answer it. So I’ll ask you yes, no. Would you ever lie to the American people if you are president?”

As CNSNews.com reported, Scarborough was referring to a CBS News interview with Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday. (Read more from “Ben Carson: ‘I Would Much Rather Lose Than Lie'” HERE)

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Ben Carson: We Cannot Give Away Freedoms That People Died For

By Melanie Hunter. GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson told attendees at the Conservative Convention hosted by the Conservative Review Thursday night in Greenville, S.C., that people gave up everything including their lives so that we could have freedom of speech, expression, religion, and more, and those freedoms cannot be given away.

“There were so many people who gave up everything including their lives so that we could have freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, all of our other freedoms. We cannot give those away,” said Carson.

Carson said there are some “who like to denigrate” America and “say that we’re the source for all the evil in the world, and that we’re not exceptional.” (Read more from “Ben Carson: We Cannot Give Away Freedoms That People Died For” HERE)

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Visitors Line up to Pay Tribute to Justice Scalia

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By Daniel Jativa. Thomas Randall braved bitter cold temperatures and a long line Friday to make his way into the gilded lobby of the U.S. Supreme Court and pay his respects to a fellow lawyer with whom he agreed on very little.

Randall was one of hundreds of Americans who stood in a block-long line, waiting to climb the steps and pass between towering marble columns into the building where Justice Antonin Scalia lay in repose. The flag-draped casket containing the body of the 79-year-old justice rested atop the Lincoln Catafalque in the Great Hall, just outside the venerable courtroom where Scalia forged his sometimes controversial reputation as one of the most influential conservatives in the history of the high court.

“I’m a staunch liberal and I disagreed with Scalia on virtually everything, but it does not detract from his impact on the court,” Randall told FoxNews.com. “It is a shame people are trying to politicize his death on the day of his ceremony. Civil disagreement should never equate to hatred.”

By 10 a.m., the line to file past Scalia’s body wrapped around the block of First Street and East Capitol Street. As Randall spoke, and noted that Scalia himself had never allowed his conservative beliefs to affect personal friendships with the court’s liberal justices, others in line nodded in agreement. The sentiment provided a respite from a polarizing presidential campaign, the political gridlock just across the street in the United States Capitol and the debate over filling Scalia’s seat that flared as soon as word got out on Saturday that he had been found dead in his bed at a Texas ranch where he was vacationing. (Read more from “Visitors Line up to Pay Tribute to Justice Scalia” HERE)

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Eight Is Enough (for Now)

By Jeffrey H. Anderson. To hear some on the left tell it, the Supreme Court would be hamstrung if it had to function for a year or more without a ninth justice. What to do in the event of a 4-4 tie? This would not have been viewed as a problem, however, by America’s Founders, who created a Court with an even number of justices—six. In fact, Marbury v. Madison, arguably the most important case in the Court’s 226-year history, was decided by a six-justice Court.

The Constitution, of course, leaves it up to Congress to decide how many justices will serve on the Supreme Court. In 1789, Congress passed, and President Washington signed, the Judiciary Act. That law determined that the number of Supreme Court justices should be six. The Congress of that day was full of men who had been at Independence Hall two years earlier and had participated in the writing of the Constitution, so they presumably knew what they were doing.

With a six-justice Court, a 3-3 opinion simply meant the Court wouldn’t overturn a lower federal court ruling but instead would let it stand (or wouldn’t alter the status quo in a case taken up by the Court as a matter of original jurisdiction). One effect of a six-person Court was that it took two-thirds of the Court (4 votes to 2) to declare unconstitutional a law duly passed by Congress or a state legislature. With a nine-person Court, 5-4 rulings are commonplace: In modern times, the trajectory of the nation has changed repeatedly on the personal whims of an Anthony Kennedy or a Sandra Day O’Connor. An even-numbered Court seems to be more conducive to judicial restraint. (Read more from “Eight Is Enough (for Now)” HERE)

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7 New Pro-Family Groups Added to Radical Leftist Group’s Infamous ‘Hate’ List

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The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is at it again, labeling seven more Christian and conservative organizations as “Hate Groups” for following the Bible.

The infamous group, once a respected civil rights champion, has become a homosexual watchdog for LGBTQ “discrimination,” blacklisting any church or fellowship that questions gay activities.

The list already included of 48 “anti-LGBTQ” groups. This time, the SPLC seeks to ostracize D. James Kennedy Ministries, Faith 2 Action, Citizens for Community Values, Greenville Georgia’s Faith Baptist Church, Friendship Assembly of God church in Colorado Springs, The Campus Ministry USA, and Conservative Republicans of Texas . . .

Faith2Action’s mission is “Pro-Life, Pro-Family, Pro-ACTIVE.” Its website claims that the group is “the largest network of pro-family organizations,” defending “Bible-based beliefs and freedoms,” specifically in sociological terms of “life, liberty, and the family.”

Citizens for Community Values, based in Cincinnati, is a grassroots organization formed to promote “Judeo-Christian moral values” through “education, active community partnership, and individual empowerment at the local, state and national levels.” The group seeks to strengthen families, defend children, and “maintain healthy, wholesome, safe, and happy communities.” By design, they “separate issues and legislation from people,” loving all while opposing sin. Their website states, “We will never condone or take part in the mistreatment of any individual who opposes our views.” (Read more from “7 New Pro-Family Groups Added to Radical Leftist Group’s Infamous ‘Hate’ List” HERE)

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