The Secret Movement to Draft General James Mattis for President

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An anonymous group of conservative billionaires is ready to place their bets on a man dubbed “Mad Dog,” hoping to draft him into the presidential race to confront Donald Trump.

Think of it as a Plan B should Trump be nominated by the Republican Party in Cleveland: swing behind retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis and press him into service yet again as a third-party candidate.

Mattis is the former commander of Central Command, which includes the strife-afflicted conflict zones of the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, and has developed a reputation among troops as a general officer who cares about the little guy. This reputation blossomed into the political realm during the 2012 presidential contest, when a Marine Corps veteran started an online campaign to write-in Mattis on presidential ballots—it ultimately lacked the backing to take off.

But this situation involves far bigger players: Close to a dozen influential donors—involving politically-involved billionaires with deep pockets and conservative leanings—are ready to put their resources behind Mattis. At their request, a small group of political operatives have taken the first steps in the strategic legwork needed for a bid: a package of six strategic memos outlining how Mattis could win the race, in hopes of coaxing him in. (Read more from “The Secret Movement to Draft General James Mattis for President” HERE)

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Obama on Clinton’s Emails: ‘There’s Classified, and Then There’s Classified’

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President Barack Obama is guaranteeing that evidence, not politics, will dictate the outcome of the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s handling of emails as secretary of state.

Obama’s comments came during an appearance on Fox News Sunday, his first as president. Obama said he continues to believe Clinton didn’t jeopardize America’s national security with her private email server, but he added that “there’s a carelessness in terms of managing emails” that she has recognized.

“What I also know, because I handle a lot of classified information, is that there are — there’s classified, and then there’s classified,” Obama told Fox News. “There’s stuff that is really top-secret, top-secret, and there’s stuff that is being presented to the president or the secretary of state, that you might not want on the transom, or going out over the wire, but is basically stuff that you could get in open-source.”

Obama said no one has suggested that Clinton’s handling of government emails detracted in any way “from her excellent ability to carry out her duties.” When asked specifically whether he can guarantee that Clinton will “not be in any way protected” during the course of the investigation, Obama said he maintains a strict line about not talking to FBI directors about pending investigations.

“I guarantee that there is no political influence in any investigation conducted by the Justice Department, or the FBI, not just in this case, but in any case,” Obama said during an interview that was taped during his visit to the University of Chicago School of Law, where he taught. (Read more from “Obama on Clinton’s Emails: ‘There’s Classified, and Then There’s Classified'” HERE)

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A Disgusting Claim Was Just Made Against This Former House Speaker – If True, It Will Ruin Him

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Federal prosecutors for the first time Friday disclosed allegations of sexual misconduct against former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, saying the accusations should be considered when he is sentenced later this month in a criminal case connected to alleged hush-money payments.

According to a court filing by prosecutors, the sexual abuse took place decades ago when Hastert was a wrestling coach and teacher at Yorkville High School before being elected to Congress. Prosecutors detailed sexual encounters with teenage boys, which included inappropriate touching and having oral sex, for which the statute of limitation has expired . . .

Prosecutors hadn’t detailed the misconduct until Friday’s court filing. They said the man whom Hastert had paid was allegedly touched inappropriately by the former coach. The man, who was 14 years old at the time, gave Hastert a massage and slept in the same bed with him during a team trip to a wrestling camp. Prosecutors described encounters with three other teenagers on the wrestling team and allegations made by a woman whose now deceased brother told her Hastert abused him when he was in high school, according to the court filing. (Read more from “A Disgusting Claim Was Just Made Against This Former House Speaker – If True, It Will Ruin Him” HERE)

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Iran Spurns Kerry Bid for ‘New Arrangement’ on Missile Tests

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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday rebuffed US Secretary of State John Kerry’s proposal Thursday to negotiate a “new arrangement” for Tehran’s ballistic missile program.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Tehran with Estonia’s foreign minister, Zarif said that Iran’s missile and defense programs are nonnegotiable, echoing similar statements by other Iranian officials over the weekend.

Washington has denounced Iran’s ballistic missiles program, including a March 9 test of two ballistic missiles, as a violation of a United Nations ban. Iran maintains they not covered by the UN ban, which is linked to last year’s landmark nuclear agreement.

Kerry said the US and its partners were telling Iran that they were “prepared to work on a new arrangement to find a peaceful solution,” but that Iran first had to “make it clear to everybody that they are prepared to cease these kinds of activities that raise questions about credibility and questions about intentions.”

Zarif retorted Sunday saying Kerry’s comments were “baseless.” He said that if the US were serious about the issue, it should stop selling weapons “which are used for killing innocent Yemenis or used by the Zionist regime against civilians,” the Iranian Students’ News Agency reported. (Read more from “Iran Spurns Kerry Bid for ‘New Arrangement’ on Missile Tests” HERE)

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IRS Sued for Refusing to Release Secret Church Investigations Procedures

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Government watchdog groups have filed a motion in federal court to compel the IRS to reveal how it determines when to initiate “church investigations” after accusing the tax-collecting agency of “stonewalling” efforts to bring to light its procedures.

The motion, filed jointly Friday by the Alliance Defending Freedom and Judicial Watch, came in response to a legal settlement struck in 2014 with an atheist organization, which said the IRS had “resolved the signature authority issue necessary to initiate church examinations.”

“The IRS also has adopted procedures for reviewing, evaluating and determining whether to initiate church investigations,” the Freedom From Religion Foundation said in a press release.

But nobody knows what those “procedures” are for conducting “church investigations,” the watchdog groups said.

“The IRS is not above the law, and Americans deserve to know the truth about the agency’s secret deals with activists,” ADF Legal Counsel Christina Holcomb said in a press release. “The IRS has a legal obligation to explain why it is hiding things or else produce documents. Its ongoing refusal to follow the law is absurd, particularly since much of [what] we are asking for is information that the IRS has already provided voluntarily to Freedom From Religion Foundation.” (Read more from “IRS Sued for Refusing to Release Secret Church Investigations Procedures” HERE)

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Brazilian Scientists Find New Zika-Linked Brain Disorder in Adults

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Scientists in Brazil have uncovered a new brain disorder associated with Zika infections in adults: an autoimmune syndrome called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, or ADEM, that attacks the brain and spinal cord.

Zika has already been linked with the autoimmune disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome, which attacks peripheral nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, causing temporary paralysis that can in some cases require patients to rely on respirators for breathing.

The new discovery now shows Zika may provoke an immune attack on the central nervous system as well . . .

According to the World Health Organization, there is a strong scientific consensus that, in addition to Guillain-Barre, Zika can cause the birth defect microcephaly, though conclusive proof may take months or years. Microcephaly is defined by unusually small heads that can result in developmental problems . . .

In addition to autoimmune disease, some researchers also have reported patients with Zika infections developing encephalitis and myelitis – nerve disorders typically caused by direct infections in nerve cells. (Read more from “Brazilian Scientists Find New Zika-Linked Brain Disorder in Adults” HERE)

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Almost 200 People in This Indiana Town Were Diagnosed With HIV

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From the start of the HIV outbreak here, health officials emphasized that nothing set Scott County apart from many other rural communities where opioid drug use had become an epidemic . . .

Many people here had viewed HIV as a big-city disease, something that might afflict people in San Francisco or New York. But Austin is a small city of about 4,000 people 40 miles north of Louisville, Ky.

Then in February 2015, the first 30 cases of HIV were reported. By mid-March, the number had climbed to 55 . . .

Now, a year later, the outbreak is at 190 cases. But the sickness runs deeper.

Poverty envelops this city. Empty storefronts dot the main street. Many homes are boarded up or have makeshift tarps instead of windows. Fewer than 10% of Austin’s residents have earned a college degree. (Read more from “Almost 200 People in This Indiana Town Were Diagnosed With HIV” HERE)

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Watch: Hillary Gets Asked About FBI Investigation and Makes Jaw-Dropping Statement

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One might say Democratic presidential front-runner and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton has been cooperative with the investigation into her use of a private email server. After all, she did apologize for maintaining a private email server, appeared before Congress on many occasions to offer up her side of the story, and spent hours testifying about her role in the handling of governmental emails. All the while, as Western Journalism has reported, the investigation into Clinton’s handling of classified information has continued to the point the FBI has reportedly offered immunity to individuals involved in the scandal.

But when it comes to whether or not Clinton broke the law and may be indicted by the FBI, Clinton’s tone apparently changes from apologetic to dismissive and contemptuous.

Take, for instance, the question Univision’s Jorge Ramos asked Clinton during a Democratic debate. Ramos asked Clinton, “Would you drop out of the race if you get indicted?” Clinton avoided the question but replied, “Oh, for goodness sake, that’s not going to happen. I’m not even answering that question”…

Clinton was a guest on NBC’s Today show. Matt Lauer, using a soft-spoken and kind tone with Clinton remarked, “Do you know what I hear a lot? That they (Republicans) are clinging to the hope, that the way they’ll be able to deal with that is that in some point between now and the election, that they will get to see Hillary Clinton in handcuffs. There will be some kind of political perp walk based on your private email server”…

Appearing dismissive of the FBI investigation, Clinton said, “I think it’s a security review. It is a security review. There are lots of those that are conducted in our government all the time. You don’t hear about most of them. You hear about this one because it does involve me, that’s why it gets so much attention. (Read more from “Watch: Hillary Gets Asked About FBI Investigation and Makes Jaw-Dropping Statement” HERE)

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These 200 People Could Decide Whether Donald Trump Gets the GOP Nomination

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West Virginia looks perfect for Donald Trump: a struggling working-class state filled with the types of voters who have backed him elsewhere and could deliver one of his biggest victories.

But a sweep there might not matter. That’s because as many as 34 delegates — the entire contingent — may be free to back whomever they want at the Republican National Convention.

Much the same is true in Pennsylvania, home to a hotly contested April 26 primary, where there are 54 uncommitted delegates. Other states and territories, from Colorado to Wyoming to Guam, will also send squads of unbound representatives.

These are the swing voters of the GOP nominating contest, nearly 200 activists and elected leaders beholden to nothing except their personal judgment and empowered to make or break candidacies. (Read more from “These 200 People Could Decide Whether Donald Trump Gets the GOP Nomination” HERE)

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Shadow Battle for Delegates Turns to Colorado, Cruz Holds Edge

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The shadow battle for Republican convention delegates turns next to Colorado, where a days-long selection process will culminate this weekend — and once again, it seems Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has the edge.

While Donald Trump still holds a wide delegate lead in the GOP presidential primary race, his Achilles heel has been a perceived weakness in his ground game. Seeking to capitalize on this, Cruz has outmaneuvered Trump lately in the behind-the-scenes battle for delegates in places that don’t assign them through traditional primaries or caucuses.

Enter states like North Dakota, and now Colorado.

Both eschewed traditional primary elections and instead held conventions — where delegates not necessarily bound to any candidate are selected. Cruz saw this as an opportunity anyway to get allies elected to the slate, banking on their support in the event of an open convention . . .

Thirty-four delegates are at stake in the convention process, and the Cruz campaign told Fox News on Friday afternoon it has picked up 15 delegates so far in a series of local GOP meetings. The process culminates Saturday at the state convention where a final 13 delegates will be selected. (Read more from “Shadow Battle for Delegates Turns to Colorado, Cruz Holds Edge” HERE)

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