Despite Falling Oil Prices, Alaska LNG Going Forward

The recent free-fall of crude oil prices has affected markets across the globe. Energy companies have responded by scaling back investments as their available capital shrinks. In British Columbia, delays are hampering the Pacific Northwest LNG project. Likewise, in Texas, a liquefaction project has been suspended off its coast by Excelerate Energy. Yet, meanwhile, Alaska is moving forward on an ambitious infrastructure project to develop and export its North Slope gas reserves.

Alaska’s resources are unique. The state receives approximately ninety percent of its revenue from taxes on oil production, leaving the budget vulnerable to price fluxes. Amid tumbling oil prices, Alaska could now face a projected deficit of almost $3.5 billion, opposed to a projected $1 billion deficit last year. State leaders have responded by tightening the state’s fiscal belt, with the newly elected Governor Bill Walker announcing projected cuts to six ongoing state projects.

Despite those cuts, however, state leaders are wisely continuing the Alaska LNG project. This project would be the first to capitalize upon the vast Alaska North Slope gas reserves at Prudhoe Bay and Point Thomson. With the necessary investment upwards of $65 billon, the effort would be the largest infrastructure project in North American history and would create thousands of construction and long-term operations jobs for hardworking Alaskans. And, perhaps most important for the state, the Alaska LNG project will provide a longstanding stable source of revenue.

Nonetheless, recent actions by Governor Walker are stirring concerns for project supporters. During his campaign, the Governor promised support for the project. Yet last week, he announced the unexpected dismissal of three Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) board members, the state body charged with moving negotiations with major producers forward to build the Alaska LNG project. Moreover, he penned a recent article suggesting the state’s recently reformed oil tax structure was unfair, despite perpetual assurances during his campaign to respect the will of his constituents who voted in August to approve the reformed tax.

Most distressing, however, is his broken promise to drop the lawsuit over the Point Thomson project settlement. As a state political writer noted, “Despite what he said…Walker has not dropped the suit, and is in ‘no hurry’ to remove himself, he said through his spokesperson Grace Jang.” (Read more about the Alaska LNG going forward HERE)

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The Great Wall of Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia has been constructing a 600-mile East-West barrier on its Northern Border with Iraq since September.

The main function of the barrier will be keeping out ISIS militants, who have stated that among their goals is an eventual takeover of the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina, both of which lie deep inside Saudi territory, according to United Press International.

This past week, a commander and two guards on the Saudi-Iraq border were killed during an attack by Islamic State militants, the first direct ground assault by the group on the border.

“It is the first attack by Islamic State itself against Saudi Arabia and is a clear message after Saudi Arabia entered the international coalition against it,” Mustafa Alani, an Iraqi security analyst with close ties to Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry, told Reuters.

The Saudi “Great Wall” as it’s being dubbed by some media outlets, will be a fence and ditch barrier that features soft sand embankments that is designed to slow down infiltrators on foot and are too step to drive a tired-vehicle up, according to the Telegraph of London. It will have 40 watchtowers and seven command and control centers complete with radar that can detect aircraft and vehicles as far away as 22 miles as well as day and night camera installations. (Read more about the Great Wall of Saudi Arabia HERE)

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UPDATE: Duke University Reverses Decision to Broadcast Muslim Call

By Ashley Pratte. Duke University reversed it’s decision to allow the “adhan”–Muslim call to prayer to be broadcast across campus every Friday.

Yesterday, the University was extremely supportive of the initiative and said that it would enhance the religious plurality on campus.

Well, enough people weighed in on the decision and now the school has decided to not allow the weekly “adhan” to take place–effectively beginning tomorrow. (Read more about the university to broadcast Muslim call HERE)
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Oxford University Warns Against Authors Writing About Pork Because it may Offend Muslims

By Jessica Chasmar. The largest university press in the world has warned its authors not to mention pigs or pork in their books to avoid offending Muslims and Jews.

Oxford University Press (OUP) explained that their books must take into consideration other cultures of the world and must avoid mentioning pigs or “anything else which could be perceived as pork,” the International Business Times reported.

The move was revealed during a discussion on free speech during BBC Radio 4’s “Today,” following last week’s terror attacks in Paris.

“I’ve got a letter here that was sent out by OUP to an author doing something for young people.” Presenter Jim Naughtie said. “Among the things prohibited in the text that was commissioned by OUP was the following: Pigs plus sausages, or anything else which could be perceived as pork.

“Now, if a respectable publisher, tied to an academic institution, is saying you’ve got to write a book in which you cannot mention pigs because some people might be offended, it’s just ludicrous. It is just a joke,” he said. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson: Editors Cut Name of Jesus to NOT Offend Muslims (+video)

Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson said that when the Duck Dynasty show began on A&E in 2012, the video editors, based in Los Angeles, would often take out the words “in Jesus’ name” from the family prayer scene because they thought the name “Jesus” might “offend some of the Muslims or something.”

Robertson said he advised the show’s producers, in West Monroe, La., that they and the entire world kept time, the “year of Our Lord,” A.D., Anno Domini, based upon Jesus Christ and that it would not hurt to “throw His name in there from time to time,” and he noted that this example represented, the “spiritual warfare” that is always occurring.

Robertson made his comments during an interview with reporters for Sports Spectrum TV. He first related that video editors of Duck Dynasty initially added bleeps to the audio to suggest there was profanity when there was, in fact, no cursing by the cast members. Robertson got the editors to stop making those insertions.

He then recounted, “The other thing was when we prayed, we said, ‘In Jesus’ name. Amen.’ Now, I don’t have any verse that says you must always use or pray in the name of Jesus but it’s a very good idea, I think. So they were just having me saying, ‘Thank you Lord for the food, thank you for loving us. Amen.’”

“So I said, why would you cut out ‘In Jesus’ name’?” recalled Robertson. “They said, ‘Well, those editors are probably doing that and they just think, you know, they don’t want to maybe offend some of the Muslims or something.’” (Read more from this story HERE)

Duke University to Broadcast Muslim Call to Prayer Every Friday

Photo Credit: Breitbart By Ashley Pratte. In a new initiative to promote religious pluralism, Duke University will broadcast the Muslim call to prayer every Friday on campus. The call to prayer—also known as “adhan”—will be chanted by the Duke Muslim Student Association.

The prayer itself is set to start this Friday at 1:00 p.m. and will be broadcast and amplified from the Chapel bell tower on campus.

As campuses continue to foster political correctness, they use it as a way to favor religions seemingly at war with Western Civilization and Judeo-Christian beliefs.


[LISTEN TO THE MUSLIM CALL TO PRAYER THAT DUKE WILL BE PLAYING HERE]

Frequently, we see students fighting for their religious freedom on campus—especially Christians. We hope that Duke University will also allow equal opportunity for Christian students to gather to pray and respect their religious freedom. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Rev. Graham: End the Muslim Call to Prayer Policy at Duke University

By Michael W. Chapman. Donors and alumni of the prestigious Duke University in Durham, N.C., a school founded by Quakers and Methodists, should “withhold their support” until Duke reverses its new policy allowing the Muslim Call to Prayer on Fridays, said Rev. Franklin Graham, son of world renowned pastor Billy Graham.

“Duke University announced today that they will have a Muslim call to prayer from their Chapel bell tower every Friday,” said Rev. Graham on his Facebook page on Jan. 14.

“As Christianity is being excluded from the public square and followers of Islam are raping, butchering, and beheading Christians, Jews, and anyone who doesn’t submit to their Sharia Islamic law, Duke is promoting this in the name of religious pluralism,” he said.

“I call on the donors and alumni to withhold their support from Duke until this policy is reversed,” added Rev. Graham, who lives in Boone, N.C., and is the president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). (Read more from this story HERE)

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Ex-FBI Special Agent Calls Eric Holder Out For His Epic Failures

K. Dee McCown, a former Special Agent who served 12-years with the FBI, wrote an absolutely damning open letter to Attorney General Eric Holder. Mr. McCown, the Director of Global Security and Loss Prevention for the multi-billion dollar industrial supply company W.W. Grainger, recently verified his authorship of the letter stating “It’s time to stand up and speak truth to power.”

Hitting Holder for inflaming racial tensions in the country, Mr. McCown stated that he was

appalled at your lack of leadership as the Attorney General of the United States and your blatant politicizing of the Department of Justice. Your actions, both publicly and privately, have done nothing to quell the complex racial issues we face in our country and have done everything to inflame them. As the “top cop” of the United States, you share in the blame for much of the violence and protests we are now witnessing against law enforcement officers honorably serving throughout our nation.

As an example, he points out how Holder reacted to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson:

At a decisive moment in history when our nation required a strong and unbiased voice from its’ senior law enforcement official, you Mr. Holder, made it your personal mission to join with other racial antagonist and politicize a tragic event, accusing a young white police officer of a racially motivated killing in what we now know was a justified self-defense shooting of a predatory felon. Your behavior is unbelievable. You sir, have sacrificed your integrity on the altar of political expediency. You, Mr. Holder, are the “coward” and hypocrite you so loudly denounce when speaking of broken race relations in America.

Mr. McCown also hammers Holder’s sordid relationship with the “charlatan, ‘the Reverend’ Al Sharpton”:

[L]aw enforcement officers around the country remain dismayed and shocked at the counsel you keep; that being your close relationship with none other than Al Sharpton, a racist “shake down artist” who spreads hate, divisiveness and the promotion of anti-law enforcement sentiment throughout the country; a tax evading fraudster who has unbelievably visited the White House over 80 times in recent years. It is simply beyond my comprehension as a former federal law enforcement professional, that you, the Attorney General of the United States, joined arms in common cause with a charlatan like “the Reverend” Al Sharpton; and it speaks volumes to your personal character and lack of professional judgment.

Mr. McCown identifies one of the root causes of inner city turmoil the “absence of strong male leadership in fatherless black families.” He goes on to describe the “reason that our local police officers are so often entwined in tragic events in black communities is because it is the police that have filled the void in these communities that should be occupied by moral and strong black men leading family units with Godly values.”

His conclusion is damning:

Mr. Holder, the public is aware of FBI statistics that tell a different story than the one you and Sharpton preach. We know that young African American males, representing a tiny fraction of the U.S. population, are by far the greatest perpetrators of violent crime in America when compared to their peers in other ethnic groups, and, we know that citizens of African American descent overwhelmingly make up the majority of their victims. We also know that incidents where white police officers shoot and kill black perpetrators are rare and on the decline. We know further that although there are legitimate and bona fide Federal Civil Rights investigations in the United States worthy of pursuing, they are miniscule when compared to the false narrative portrayed by you, President Obama and Sharpton declaring rampant discrimination against African American men by police officers throughout the country. You are just plain wrong.

The entirety of Mr. McCown’s letter where the ex-special agent calls Eric Holder out for his “appalling lack of leadership” appears below.

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K. Dee McCown

College Station, Texas
December 28, 2014
Attorney General Eric Holder
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

Dear Attorney General Holder,

It is unlikely that we met while I served in the FBI. That being said, we served at the Department of Justice (DOJ) during the same years and on the same “team” conceptually speaking. During my service in the FBI I worked with a number of U.S. Attorney Offices in the United States to include a tour at FBIHQ where I worked with the Department of Justice (Main) on a daily basis.

I begin my letter with this comment to highlight that I am not a bystander on the topic of law enforcement in the United States. I worked and managed a variety of federal investigations during my 12 years of service in the FBI, to include the management of several Civil Rights cases in the State of Texas. In fact, during my last tour in the Bureau, I was an FBI Supervisor responsible for managing federal investigations in nine (9) Texas counties, many of which were rural; in places where one would suspect racism to flourish given the narrative often pushed by Hollywood and urban progressive elites like yourself. I performed this mission diligently and under the close supervision of two FBI managers; an Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) and Special Agent in Charge (SAC,) both of which happened to be African American and outstanding law enforcement professionals. I also performed this mission serving side by side with a variety of law enforcement agencies at the Federal, State and local level.

I have observed you closely during your tenure as Attorney General and notably during these last tumultuous years; watching you negotiate a number of controversial public matters to include the ATF Fast and Furious scandal, Black Panther Party intimidation at voting booths, IRS targeting of American citizens (citizen groups opposed to the Obama Administration,) the ignoring of US Immigration laws, DOJ criminal indictments of select news reporters and your management of several high profile criminal investigations involving subjects of race, notably African Americans.

Until today, I chose to hold my tongue. However, with the assassination of two NYPD Lieutenants last weekend in New York City, at the hands of a African American man with a lengthy criminal record, fresh from his participation in anti-police activities; coupled with numerous “don’t shoot, hands up,” and “black lives matter” anti-police protests (some of which are violent) occurring daily around the nation, I am compelled to write you this letter.

To be blunt Mr. Holder, I am appalled at your lack of leadership as the Attorney General of the United States and your blatant politicizing of the Department of Justice. Your actions, both publicly and privately, have done nothing to quell the complex racial issues we face in our country and have done everything to inflame them. As the “top cop” of the United States, you share in the blame for much of the violence and protests we are now witnessing against law enforcement officers honorably serving throughout our nation.

During one of your first public speeches as Attorney General you made it a point to call America “a nation of cowards” concerning race relations. That speech, followed by other public announcements where you emphatically opined that the odds were stacked against African Americans in regard to the enforcement of law, your intention to change the law and permit convicted felons to vote after incarceration, and your changes to federal law ending “racial profiling,” are poignant examples of how detached you remain from the challenges faced by law enforcement officers serving in crime ridden neighborhoods throughout the nation.

These opinions are also indicative of a man that lives and works in the elitist “bubble” of Washington D.C.

Your performance, as the nation’s Attorney General, during the Trayvon Martin case in Sanford, Florida and the Michael Brown case in Ferguson, Missouri clearly highlights your myopic view on this topic. Contrary to your embarrassing prejudgment in the Brown case and evasive post trial remarks on the Martin case, neither Brown nor Martin were targeted and/or killed because of their African American race.

Rather, as non-emotive investigations determined, both teens died as a consequence of their own tragic and egregious behavior; behavior that involved a violent assault on a law abiding citizen in the Trayvon Martin case, and a violent assault on a young police officer in the Michael Brown case. Yet you, as the number one spokesman for law enforcement in the country, blame the deaths of these men on years of institutional racism and the alleged epidemic targeting of African American men by police departments around the country; nothing could be further from the truth. Following the Michael Brown case Grand Jury decision all you could muster was the following comment: “The Department of Justice is currently investigating not only the shooting but also the Ferguson police department in what is called a “patterns and practices” inquiry to determine if the police department has engaged in systematic racism.”

So, let’s get this straight. At a decisive moment in history when our nation required a strong and unbiased voice from its’ senior law enforcement official, you Mr. Holder, made it your personal mission to join with other racial antagonist and politicize a tragic event, accusing a young white police officer of a racially motivated killing in what we now know was a justified self-defense shooting of a predatory felon. Your behavior is unbelievable. You sir, have sacrificed your integrity on the altar of political expediency. You, Mr. Holder, are the “coward” and hypocrite you so loudly denounce when speaking of broken race relations in America.

Further to this point Mr. Holder, law enforcement officers around the country remain dismayed and shocked at the counsel you keep; that being your close relationship with none other than Al Sharpton, a racist “shake down artist” who spreads hate, divisiveness and the promotion of anti-law enforcement sentiment throughout the country; a tax evading fraudster who has unbelievably visited the White House over 80 times in recent years. It is simply beyond my comprehension as a former federal law enforcement professional, that you, the Attorney General of the United States, joined arms in common cause with a charlatan like “the Reverend” Al Sharpton; and it speaks volumes to your personal character and lack of professional judgment.

Violent crime, out of wedlock births, drug abuse, rampant unemployment and poverty found in many low-income minority neighborhoods are not a result of racist community policing and racial profiling as you so quickly assert, and frankly most law abiding Americans are exhausted of hearing this false narrative repeated time and again by you and others in the racial grievance industry. While no one, me included, would ever suggest that African Americans have not suffered from institutional racism in the past, I would strongly argue that we no longer live in the Mississippi of 1965, nor do we live in a country that even closely resembles the “Jim Crow” South of yesteryear. Those days, thankfully, are in the past as are the generations of Americans that supported such egregious behavior and endured such suffering.

Rather, Mr. Holder, we live in a day and time where the root cause of many problems faced in our African American communities can be attributed to the breakdown of civil order due to the rejection of institutional and family authority and the practice of counter-culture values; and most notably, from the absence of strong male leadership in fatherless black families. The reason that our local police officers are so often entwined in tragic events in black communities is because it is the police that have filled the void in these communities that should be occupied by moral and strong black men leading family units with Godly values. You, Mr. Holder, especially, should be thanking the police rather than persecuting them for the gap they fill in these communities because if it were not for the intervention of local police many African American neighborhoods would be in a state of total anarchy.

Yet tragically, you and your race-baiting colleague Al Sharpton (a paid media personality under contract with MSNBC news) choose to remain silent because to publicly speak this self-evident truth threatens to not only alienate and offend the most loyal voting constituency of the Democratic Party but diminish your and Al Sharpton’s self-serving power base in these suffering communities. God forbid that you would suggest individual citizens accept responsibility for their own behavior and the collective failure of their communities; it is so much easier for you and others like you to make excuses, play the victim card, and pander rather than address the real root causes that plague many low income neighborhoods.

Mr. Holder, the public is aware of FBI statistics that tell a different story than the one you and Sharpton preach. We know that young African American males, representing a tiny fraction of the U.S. population, are by far the greatest perpetrators of violent crime in America when compared to their peers in other ethnic groups, and, we know that citizens of African American descent overwhelmingly make up the majority of their victims. We also know that incidents where white police officers shoot and kill black perpetrators are rare and on the decline. We know further that although there are legitimate and bona fide Federal Civil Rights investigations in the United States worthy of pursuing, they are miniscule when compared to the false narrative portrayed by you, President Obama and Sharpton declaring rampant discrimination against African American men by police officers throughout the country. You are just plain wrong.

In closing Mr. Holder I will leave you with this thought; you were given a rare opportunity to lead with integrity during a variety of divisive and controversial issues during your tenure as the 82d Attorney General of the United States and rather than be a man of moral courage you chose instead to cower, further inflame racial tensions, advance false narratives and play progressive political activist.

Time and again you chose to “politicize” the mission of the Department of Justice rather than pursue justice and now, tragically, we are witnessing the fruits of your irresponsible behavior in the murder of two innocent police officers in New York City, assassinated by a man motivated by the flames of racial hatred that you personally fanned. How many more police officers will be injured or die in the coming days because of the perilous conditions you helped create in this nation. You, President Obama and Al Sharpton own this problem lock, stock and barrel and now it is your legacy.

As thousands of NYPD officers turn their collective back on New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, another dishonest politician and Sharpton disciple, so too do countless Federal law enforcement officers turn our backs on you.

K. Dee McCown
FBI (1997 – 2008)

CC: Senator Mitch McConnell
Senator John Cornyn
Senator Ted Cruz
Senator Harry Reid
The Honorable Bill Flores
The Honorable John Boehner
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

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If Atlanta Fire Chief’s Termination isn’t a Religious Liberty Case, Then Nothing is

The New York Times offers a lead editorial today supporting the termination of Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran. The editorial argues that Cochran’s Christian beliefs about homosexuality are “homophobic,” “virulent anti-gay views.” It denies that Cochran’s firing has anything to do with religious liberty, but only with Chief Cochran’s failure to get permission to publish the book, commenting on his suspension, and exposing the city to lawsuits.

But is this really accurate? Do the editors really believe that Chief Cochran’s primary error was failing to get permission to publish the book? Mayor Kasim Reed, who fired Chief Cochran, first commented on the book in November. He made it plain that his main problem was with the message of the book, not with how it came about. Mayor Reed writes:

I was surprised and disappointed to learn of this book on Friday. I profoundly disagree with and am deeply disturbed by the sentiments expressed in the paperback regarding the LGBT community. I will not tolerate discrimination of any kind within my administration…

I want to be clear that the material in Chief Cochran’s book is not representative of my personal beliefs, and is inconsistent with the Administration’s work to make Atlanta a more welcoming city for all of her citizens – regardless of their sexual orientation, gender, race and religious beliefs.

These comments make it clear that the offense was primarily the Christian views expressed in the book, not how the book came about. The mayor states plainly that the Chief’s Christian convictions are incompatible with being Chief. In fact, the Mayor says that his Christian views amount to “discrimination” against the LGBT community. The Mayor’s comments are a matter of public record. How then can the “paper of record” fail to see the religious liberty question at stake?

The Times editorial also acknowledges the fact that the Mayor’s own investigation turned up no evidence of discrimination against LGBT people on the Chief’s part. The Chief treated all his employees fairly, regardless of their sexuality. Nevertheless, the editorial says something quite stunning:

It should not matter that the investigation found no evidence that Mr. Cochran had mistreated gays or lesbians. His position as a high-level public servant makes his remarks especially problematic, and requires that he be held to a different standard.

Did you get that? The editors at The New York Times think that it doesn’t matter that Chief Cochran treated all of his employees well. His views are so toxic that he has to be “held to a different standard”—apparently a standard that punishes city employees for their religious views.

The Times editorial is a case-study in missing the point. Chief Cochran’s book is not primarily about homosexuality. The offending remarks are only mentioned on a single page—a passing reference to what Christians have always believed about homosexuality. There’s no evidence the Chief shared his book to make a statement about homosexuality. Nor is there any evidence that he mistreated any of his employees. Nevertheless, the editors at The New York Times are treating him like Jim Crow.

Do we really want to treat Christians as if believing the Bible amounts to discrimination? Do we want to foster public institutions that prohibit convictional Christians from believing and expressing their views? If these issues aren’t religious liberty questions, then nothing is. The editors at the New York Times ought to be able to see that.

(Read more about the religious liberty case HERE)

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Pentagon Pushing Soldiers to Join the Teamsters

The United States Army is recruiting soldiers to join the ranks of labor unions, according to an email obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

An email sent on behalf of Lt. Gen. Howard B. Bromberg, the Army’s head of human resources, urged soldiers on the verge of retirement to get involved with the Teamster Military Assistance Program.

“The Teamster Military Assistance Program and other similar programs focus on assisting soldiers and families who are transitioning from military service to be ‘career ready’ and have access to an established network of enablers, and on connecting soldiers with employment opportunities and the health care and education resources required to successfully reintegrate into civilian society,” the email says.

The email was sent through a Pentagon account Tuesday morning and distributed across the ranks. The program is intended to help soldiers, many of whom have extensive experience driving trucks in warzones, to drive big rigs on highways free of IEDs, according to the Army.

“This training program is a multiyear partnership between the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, ABF Freight, and the Army to train Soldiers for truck driver positions with ABF Freight throughout the country after they transition to civilian life,” the email says. (Read more about the join the teamsters push HERE)

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Courts Say Teen Not Mature Enough to Make Health Care Decisions . . . but Abortion’s Okay

By Christian Martin. I remember the day the governor of Connecticut came to visit my church. Governor Dan Malloy talked to our congregation about increasing the minimum wage and urged those without insurance to sign up for the Affordable Care Act.

As I listened to his speech, I realized I had to talk to him. I knew that if I didn’t take the opportunity to approach him, I might not have another chance. As he left the building with his companions, I hurried after him. After thanking him for coming, I asked to share something important. He obliged, and I told him that allowing abortions without parental notifications or consent was dangerous for young women in our state. I shared that pimps use abortion to keep sex-trafficked girls in business. I mentioned that it’s unsafe for teenagers to be able to get a potentially life-altering procedure without allowing their parents to know. The governor looked at me and politely nodded.

Connecticut is coming under fire after its Supreme Court ruled that a 17-year-old girl must undergo chemotherapy against her own will. The teenager in the case, Cassandra, and her mother Jackie are interested in seeking alternative treatments to chemotherapy. Cassandra has Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Medical experts say chemo can give her an 85% chance for life, and without it, she could die in two years.

ABC News reports that Cassandra let the press know she doesn’t want such “toxic harmful drugs” in her body. She shared that “being forced into the surgery and chemo has traumatized me.” She wrote a letter stating, “I do believe I am mature enough to make the decision to refuse the chemo, but it shouldn’t be about maturity, it should be a given human right to decide what you want and don’t want for your own body.”

This case has received national attention. Many question why the court would bypass the wishes of this teenager and her mother. In a statement to CNN, the Department of Children and Families claimed they had a “legal and moral responsibility in this case.” They stated, “Under this circumstance — when there is medical consensus that action must be taken or the child will die — the Department has a clear and urgent responsibility to save the life of this child.” (Read more about what the courts say on the girl not being mature enough to make health care decisions, but it’s okay for an abortion at her age HERE)

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Kelly Clarkson’s New Song Called “Heartbeat Song” is Set to the Beat of Her Unborn Baby’s Heartbeat

By Josh Shepherd. On Monday, new mom and pop/country superstar Kelly Clarkson released “Heartbeat Song” — an upbeat, synth-driven single that celebrates her new baby girl in a unique way.

“The beat is actually River’s heartbeat slowed down from when she was in my tummy!” shares Clarkson in a radio interview. Clarkson and her husband Brandon Blackstock, married in 2013, welcomed their baby girl River Rose into the world on June 12, 2014.

A preview of the track released first on Twitter, in a video featuring pink-clad baby River. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Need Help With Your New Obamacare Tax Return? IRS Won’t be There to Help

Filing a federal tax return is about to get more complicated for millions of families because of President Barack Obama’s health law. But they shouldn’t expect much help from the Internal Revenue Service.

Got a question for the IRS? Good luck reaching someone by phone. The tax agency says only half of the 100 million people expected to call this year will be able to reach a person.

Callers who do get through may have to wait on hold for 30 minutes or more to talk to someone who will answer only the simplest questions.

“Taxpayers who need help are not getting it, and tax compliance is likely to suffer over the longer term if these problems are not quickly and decisively addressed,” said a report Wednesday by agency watchdog Nina E. Olson.

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen says budget cuts are forcing the agency to reduce taxpayer services and other functions. The number of audits will decline, technology upgrades will be delayed and the agency might be forced to shut down and furlough workers for two days later this year, Koskinen said. (Read more about how the IRS won’t be able to help with your Obamacare tax return HERE)

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