Planned Parenthood Just Proudly Shared Its Endorsement for This Presidential Candidate

In its first presidential primary endorsement in its 100-year history, Planned Parenthood announced Thursday it would endorse Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund, which will officially announce the endorsement Sunday, also said it will spend $20 million in the 2016 presidential race.

“No other candidate in our nation’s history has demonstrated such a strong commitment to women or such a clear record on behalf of women’s health and rights,” said Planned Parenthood’s president, Cecile Richards, in a written statement . . .

“There has never been a more important election when it comes to women’s health and reproductive rights and Planned Parenthood’s patients, providers, and advocates across the country are a crucial line of defense against the dangerous agenda being advanced by every Republican candidate for president,” she added in a statement.

Wednesday, the House approved a measure that would repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act and strip away federal financing for Planned Parenthood.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump has made his views on Planned Parenthood clear. “Planned Parenthood should absolutely be defunded,” he said in an October interview with Fox News. “I mean if you look at what’s going on with that, it’s terrible.” (Read more from “Planned Parenthood Just Proudly Shared Its Endorsement for This Presidential Candidate” HERE)

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Conservatives Agree Standoff in Oregon Elevates Debate on Federal Land Ownership

As protesters continue to engage in a standoff against the government at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, conservatives agree the events have elevated the debate over federal land ownership.

But, lawmakers stop short of endorsing the actions of the protesters occupying a federal building located south of Burns, Ore.

“It’s brought attention to a problem issue,” Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, told The Daily Signal. “I’m not an advocate of trespassing, taking over federal property, but now that they’ve brought attention to the issue, they don’t need to be violating laws, either—local, state or federal.”

“We do need to get to the bottom of what happened to the Hammonds. It sounds very abusive,” Gohmert, chairman of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, continued. “We’ve got too much power in the hands of the [Bureau of Land Management], too much power in the hands of Fish and Wildlife [Service], too much power in the Department of the Interior.”

The federal government currently owns more than 630 million acres of land across the United States, and the Texas Republican warned that the federal government is beginning to creep further east in terms of the land it controls.

“If they’re doing it in the West, then eventually they’re going to come do it in the East, and people all over the country will feel the crush as the federal government takes over the land at a theater near you,” he said.

On Saturday, armed protesters took over an empty federal building located on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. It’s unknown how many people are in the group, called Citizens for Constitutional Freedom and led by Ammon Bundy.

Ammon Bundy’s father, Cliven Bundy, engaged in an 11-day standoff with the Bureau of Land Management in 2014.

The protesters plan to occupy the refuge until the federal government returns the land to private ownership.

Citizens for Constitutional Freedom traveled to Burns to protest the five-year prison sentence of Dwight and Steven Hammond, ranchers who were convicted of arson on federal land.

Dwight and Steven Hammond originally received three month and one year sentences, respectively, for setting fires that spread to federal land in 2001 and 2006. However, the 9th United States Circuit Court of Appeals resentenced the father and son in October and said they have to serve out a five-year sentence mandated under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, the law under which they were sentenced.

The trial judge who sentenced Dwight and Steven Hammond originally said the five-year mandatory minimum for arson on federal land was excessive.

Protesters with Citizens for Constitutional Freedom oppose not only the Hammonds’ sentence, which they say is unjust, but also the government’s control of land.

The latter issue, conservatives from western states say, has been the cause of frustration for many Americans for years, particularly as they see the federal government take more land from private citizens trying to make a living and feed their families.

“The issue in the West that people here in the East don’t understand is that, in Idaho, it’s over 65 percent of our lands are owned by the federal government. It’s the same thing in most of the states in the West,” Rep. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, told reporters yesterday. “And what we have is frustration where you have the BLM, you have these other federal agencies that keep taking over the lands.”

In Oregon, specifically, the federal government owns 53 percent of the land, with the Bureau of Land Management managing the largest amount largest amount—more than 16 million acres— according to a 2014 report from the Congressional Research Service.

Labrador said the government’s attempts to take control of more and more land likely served as the catalyst for the current standoff in Oregon, which has so far been a peaceful takeover by Citizens for Constitutional Freedom.

“You have just a frustration that they feel the federal government is not listening to them, and that’s what leads to what so far has been a peaceful takeover of an abandoned building,” he said. Labrador continued:

I hope my colleagues who are not from the West can understand what’s happening in the West. There’s such a level of frustration with the federal government. … The laws are making it more difficult for us to enjoy the fruits of our labor and enjoy the freedoms out in the West.

Not only do lawmakers contend the protesters at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge are voicing concerns shared by many in the West, but Rep. Steve Pearce R-N.M., said the federal government was hypocritical in its punishment of the Hammonds for employing the same techniques the government does, and damaging far more land.

According to reports, the 2001 fire set by the Hammonds, which they said they had approval from the Bureau of Land Management to start, damaged 139 acres of federal land. The 2006 backfires set by Steven Hammond destroyed one acre of federal land.

“Now keep in mind we in the West are watching the backfires that were set [by the government] exactly the way [the Hammonds] set, the backfires are burning 300,000 acres when an agency sets them. They’re burning 255 houses in my district in one 30,000 acre fire,” Pearce said. He continued:

You get people put in jail for five years for burning 130 acres that they were given permission, it looks like they were given permission to set the fire, and the agency can burn 300,000 acres and nobody is accountable.

Such hypocrisy from the government, the New Mexico Republican said, has sparked outrage from Americans living in the West.

“That’s the reason people in the West are furious,” he said. “They’re furious going into this situation. Now, I’m not taking a side on the Bundys. I think that’s a side show. I think the Hammonds are the ones who have been badly treated, and that’s what we’re expressing in the West. We’re fed up.” (For more from the author of “Conservatives Agree Standoff in Oregon Elevates Debate on Federal Land Ownership” please click HERE)

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Obama Says It’s a ‘Conspiracy’ He Wants to Take Away Your Guns

Stiff-armed by a Republican-led Congress, President Barack Obama took to national television Thursday night in an effort to sell stricter gun control laws to the American public.

During a town hall event televised live by CNN, the president called the suggestion that he wants to take guns away a “conspiracy.”

He said his efforts are instead a “modest” move toward curbing gun violence, which he called an epidemic in the United States.

“This is not a recipe for solving every problem,” Obama said. “The goal here is just to make progress.”

The hour-long program, called “Guns in America,” was broadcast two days after Obama delivered an emotional appeal to mitigate gun deaths through executive actions expanding background checks and investing in mental health.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper fielded questions to the president, offering an opportunity for both gun rights advocates and gun control proponents to discuss one of the nation’s most controversial issues.

In one exchange, Cooper said some Americans simply don’t trust Obama’s motives, asking the president if it was “fair to call it a conspiracy.”

“Yes, it is fair to call it a conspiracy,” Obama said. “What are you saying? Are you suggesting that the notion that we are creating a plot to take everybody’s guns away so that we can impose martial law is [not] a conspiracy? Yes, that is a conspiracy! I would hope that you would agree with that. Is that controversial?”

Taya Kyle, the widow of “American Sniper” Chris Kyle, disputed Obama’s repeated claim that increased gun control would prevent violence, saying the administration’s measures provide a “false sense of hope.”

“The thing is that the laws we create don’t stop these horrific things from happening, right? And that’s a very tough pill to swallow.”

Obama attempted to appeal to gun owners in the audience, urging them to support measures that would close background check “loopholes” so that firearms are less likely to flow into the hands of criminals.

“I respect the Second Amendment; I respect the right to bear arms,” Obama said. “But all of us can agree that it makes sense to do everything we can to keep guns out of the hands of people who would do other people harm.”

The National Rifle Association, the nation’s largest gun rights organization, declined an invitation to partake in the event. In a statement to CNN, an NRA spokesman said that the advocacy group “sees no reason to participate in a public relations spectacle orchestrated by the White House.”

The event took place at George Mason University, just 3 miles west of the NRA’s national headquarters in Fairfax, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C.

Though the group did not send a representative in person, it remained active on Twitter to rebuke the president’s remarks.

Obama has struggled through the past seven years of his presidency to advance substantial gun control proposals, moving him to act alone Tuesday to expand federal background checks in gun sales through greater firearm licensing requirements.

The president also ordered additional FBI staff to process applications and requested $500 million to invest in mental health.

A new CNN/ORC poll released Thursday found that 67 percent of Americans back the president’s executive actions on guns, while 32 percent oppose them.

But the majority of Americans—54 percent—are against Obama using executive actions to advance his measures, while only 44 percent support his use of executive power. (For more from the author of “Obama Says It’s a ‘Conspiracy’ He Wants to Take Away Your Guns” please click HERE)

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The Vast Majority of Military Women Don’t Want to Be Fully Integrated Into the Combat Arms

Don’t confuse most military women with the tiny feminist cabal comprised of a few officers and a lot of political groups who’ve been pushing for complete integration of the combat arms.

There is a vindictive refrain accompanying Ashton Carter’s recent dictat that the combat arms be opened to women without exception. “You women asked for this,” some seem to be saying, “now suck it up.” No, most military women did not ask for it, but the few times they’ve been asked, their voices have been ignored in favor of a teeny tiny group dishonestly claiming, “This is equality.” Some 92.5% of enlisted women surveyed by the Army in 2014 said they didn’t want to be assigned to combat units. Surveys by the Army Research Institute have yielded similar results. This colossal majority matters because it is they who will pay the price for this asinine policy pushed by a small few.

That some men who join the military may also be unwilling is irrelevant. Men are uniquely suited to the demands of combat and we will always need them to fight. We don’t need women in direct ground combat and, in fact, evidence shows they hinder success and incur greater harm than men.

More than anyone, military women know how much harder the physical demands are on our bodies compared with men. Our military training makes us tougher, but it doesn’t make us interchangeable with male peers, let alone men at the infantry level.

There is zero evidence showing that women strengthen combat units and plenty of evidence to the contrary. That’s why the administration and its mouthpieces, Ray Mabus and Ashton Carter, ignored the Marine Corps’ 9-month integration study that showed all-male teams outperformed coed teams on 69% of combat tasks and women suffered over twice the injuries. The study was heavy on oversight and engaged the best personnel. Its results echoed what we already know from decades of testing and injury stats. In other words, the results were nothing new. After saying they would consider exemption requests upon serious review of data, the administration ignored all of it.

Many women who fail to make infantry standards think it’s only they individually who cannot prove to be the equal of infantrymen, but that some women out there might. But we never seem to see the amazon women materialize in real life. Women are finding they cannot overcome Nature but they’re being told it’s men’s attitudes holding them back. What cruelty.

Women want to serve their country with dignity and honor. They want to be successful where they serve. They don’t want the standards lowered, to be quota fillers or to hinder the units that require the best of the very best, the most skilled at direct violence on behalf of our national defense. The decision to fully integrate the combat arms without exception puts women in the worst place of all, at far greater risk than their male peers and on the receiving end of undeserved resentment.

When making military policy that has sweeping ramifications for all America’s women, responsible stewards would base the decision on the 99.9% who don’t volunteer for such service, not on the tiny feminist element of the tiny fraction who do volunteer.

The blame for soon-to-be lowered standards, weakened combat effectiveness, increased injuries, greater expense, lost battles and higher rates of attrition lies with the feminist harpies who’ve been pushing this for the better part of 45 years and the men who’ve surrendered to them without a fight. These men are spineless politicians in uniform who’ve stood up neither for combat readiness nor for the welfare of men and women alike serving in uniform, and spineless members of Congress who have been derelict in their oversight duties.

They’ve had all the facts on their side — a mountain of them — for both effectiveness in battle and troop welfare. Yet they have been unwilling to claim their responsibility or make the case. Our enlisted men and women will pay with heavier loses of life and limb, the country with weakened national defense.

The Obama administration has been undermining and dismantling the military since Obama took office. That he would impose a reckless and destructive policy on a group that has no choice but to obey orders is no surprise. That the supposed opposition would capitulate so abjectly is inexcusable. (For more from the author of “The Vast Majority of Military Women Don’t Want to Be Fully Integrated Into the Combat Arms” please click HERE)

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Why China Is the Biggest Deterrent to Stopping North Korea’s Nuclear Program

North Korea’s fourth nuclear test may be its most consequential, but the world is limited in how far it can escalate its response.

Though the Obama administration disputed North Korea’s assertion that it had tested a hydrogen bomb, which would be the most powerful nuclear weapon the country has ever tested, the act violated international treaties, showing that measures to rein in Pyongyang have failed.

Still, unless North Korea’s powerful backer, China, agrees to change course and strengthen sanctions in a way that hampers Pyongyang’s economy and brings the regime near collapse, nuclear experts say the the country’s young leader, Kim Jong-un, will remain undeterred.

“Basically North Korea is committed to developing a nuclear weapons program and we don’t have the policy tools to convince them or force them to give it up,” said Gary Samore, President Barack Obama’s former chief adviser on nuclear policy.

“If you look at the tools available and the magnitude of the problem, it can’t be resolved as long as the North Korean regime survives,” Samore continued in an interview with The Daily Signal.

“The best we can do is slow down and delay program, and I think we have done that.”

Bruce Klinger of the Heritage Foundation, who served as the CIA’s deputy division chief for Korea analysis, argues the Obama administration is not “fully implementing” U.S. laws against North Korea.

“Obama has said North Korea is the most heavily sanctioned country in the world, and there’s not much more we can do, but that’s not true,” Klinger told The Daily Signal. “We are not making the pain strong enough for North Korea to change policy. This administration has had a policy of timid incrementalism. But under existing U.S. law there are things we can do, because we have done them to other countries.”

Samore said Obama’s strategy to confront North Korea has been similar to past presidents, whose diplomatic overtures were frustrated by a regime that ignores international pressure, while the most powerful potential partner in that effort, China, has proved unwilling to take major action.

“What’s remarkable is how consistent U.S. policy has been over last three presidents, and how consistently it has failed,” said Samore, who also worked on nuclear issues in the Clinton and Reagan administrations. “We are really limited in what we can do as long as China has fundamentally different national interests.”

China, as a member of the United Nations Security Council, has veto power over any resolution put forth by that body, and is especially influential in the context of North Korea because it is Pyongyang’s largest trading partner and economic provider.

In the past, China and Russia have objected to potential United Nations measures that could threaten the North Korean regime’s survival, such as sanctions targeting financial transactions with the country, or sales of commodities like coal.

“For the Chinese, as much as they are uncomfortable with the North Korean nuclear program, their bigger fear is a collapse of the regime, and unification under a government friendly to the U.S,” Samore said. “That would weaken China’s geopolitical position. North Korea may not be much of an ally to China, but it’s better for them than the Korean peninsula being dominated by a government friendly to the U.S.”

After meeting Wednesday, the Security Council vowed to “begin to work immediately” on a resolution imposing additional measures against North Korea, and the American ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, called for a “tough, comprehensive and credible package of new sanctions.”

The Security Council has adopted four major resolutions since 2006 sanctioning North Korea for continuing to develop its nuclear weapons program and calling on Pyongyang to dismantle it.

But Samore said existing measures specifically target North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and don’t strongly impact the country’s basic economy.

“If you look at the last resolution [from March 2013], there are bans on the sale of certain commodities to North Korea because of their potential use for nuclear activity, and a ban on financial transfers that people believe could support the nuclear program,” Samore said. “But these are all targeted sanctions, so they are not important in influencing the overall economy. The big question is whether the Chinese would be willing to consider sanctions beyond targeted sanctions. I’d be delighted if this last test would be enough to persuade Beijing to go a bit further, but we haven’t seen much evidence of that.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., on Thursday said Congress would not wait to take action of its own, with plans next week for a sanctions vote against North Korea that will likely receive bipartisan support.

Outside of actions related to sanctions, South Korea is talking with the U.S. about deploying American strategic weapons on the Korean peninsula, according to Reuters.

South Korea also said it will restart propaganda broadcasts into North Korea, Reuters reported.

Bruce W. Bennett, a defense analyst at the RAND Corporation focused on Northeast Asian military issues, said the U.S. is wise to consider nontraditional measures such as these.

“Part of the problem is we usually focus on economic responses with some form of sanctions,” Bennett said. “But North Korea is largely isolated from the international marketplace and has not been affected much by U.N. actions. I think we have to ask if economic sanctions are the right approach. If we could also put political pressure on North Korea, that might change their incentives.”

If North Korea doesn’t change, the stakes are significant.

North Korea is different than Iran, another nuclear threat, in that Pyongyang already has a small arsenal of nuclear weapons, while Tehran only has ambitions to do so.

Some nuclear experts say North Korea could have more than 20 weapons by the end of this year.

While Samore says North Korea is “years away” from being able to deliver its nuclear arsenal into a weapon that could hit the U.S., Pyongyang has medium-range missiles that threaten allies South Korea and Japan sooner.

“This particular test, this is the fourth one, so it’s hard to get too excited,” Samore said. “But the overall trend is North Korea is seeking to develop the nuclear weapons ability to attack us. There are no questions that is the objective.” (For more from the author of “Why China Is the Biggest Deterrent to Stopping North Korea’s Nuclear Program” please click HERE)

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Marine Corps Boot Camp, Job Titles to Be Gender Neutral by April

The Marine Corps has been ordered to come up with a plan to make its enlisted entry-level training coed, and to make its job titles more gender-neutral following the recent move to open all military combat roles to women.

In a Jan. 1 memo to Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus requested a “detailed plan” on how the service will fully integrate its boot camp and Officer Candidate School. The plan is due Jan. 15 and will be implemented by April 1, the memo states.

“The Department of the Navy’s implementation plan must include gender integration of Marine Corps enlisted recruit training and officer candidate school,” Mabus wrote. “In this submission, identify where, if anywhere, this training is already integrated, where it is separate, and specific steps that you will take to fully integrate these trainings.”

In a second memo from Mabus to Neller on the same day, the SecNav directed the Marine Corps to conduct a full review of its military occupational specialty titles in an effort to ensure that they are gender neutral.

“As we achieve full integration of the force … this is an opportunity to update the position titles and descriptions themselves to demonstrate through this language that women are included in these MOSs,” Mabus wrote. “Please review the position titles throughout the Marine Corps and ensure that they are gender-integrated as well, removing ‘man’ from the titles and provide a report to me as soon as is practicable and no later than April 1, 2016.” (Read more from “Marine Corps Boot Camp, Job Titles to Be Gender Neutral by April” HERE)

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Producer of New TV Show on Antichrist: ‘People Feel Like These Are the End Times’ [+video]

This March A&E will premier “Damien,” a drama about the Antichrist. It is based on the 1977 film “The Omen,” and is one of three new shows that depict the devil and demonic possession. The others are “Lucifer” (Fox) and “Outcast” (Cinemax).

When asked by the Hollywood Reporter why there is renewed interest in the Antichrist, Glen Mazzara, the showrunner of “Damien,” said he thought it was because there is increased anticipation that we may be living in the end times, the Biblically prophesied final years before the end of the world and the return of Jesus Christ.

(Read more from “Producer of New TV Show on Antichrist: ‘People Feel Like These Are the End Times'” HERE)

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‘Unlike Anything I’ve Ever Seen’: Mike Rowe Describes His Wild Night With a Pack of Rat-Hunting Dogs in New York City [+video]

On a freezing night in late December, a group a of dog-lovers gathered on a quiet corner by a park in lower Manhattan.

Their purpose? To deploy their household pets as soldiers in the never-ending war against New York City’s legendary population of rats.

Mike Rowe, host of CNN’s “Somebody’s Got To Do It,” spent an evening with the group, which calls itself R.A.T.S. (Ryder’s Alley Trencher-fed Society), last year.

Speaking with TheBlaze, Rowe described the nocturnal outing as something “unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

“Mild manner little terriers, these loyal pets are transformed into the hound of the Baskervilles,” said Rowe. “Together they go into the city and they start killing rats.” (Read more from “‘Unlike Anything I’ve Ever Seen’: Mike Rowe Describes His Wild Night With a Pack of Rat-Hunting Dogs in New York City” HERE)

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Watch: Trump Just Raised a Big Question About Cruz’s Citizenship… But Donald Claims He’s Just ‘Looking out for Him’

By Lisa Hagen. Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Wednesday said he’s unsure whether Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is a natural-born citizen, and suggested his GOP rival resolve the matter in federal court.

“I don’t know to be honest, and I like him a lot,” Trump said about Cruz’s citizenship in an interview on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”

Trump doubled down on his recent attacks, questioning the Canadian-born hopeful’s eligibility to be president. But the real estate mogul explained that he’s discussing the topic because reporters have brought it up . . .

Trump defended his remarks, saying that he’s looking out for the Texas senator.

“If Ted should eek it out, and I hope that doesn’t happen, and he’s got this cloud over his head, I don’t think it’s possible for him to do very well,” Trump said. (Read more from “Watch: Trump Just Raised a Big Question About Cruz’s Citizenship… But Donald Claims He’s Just ‘Looking out for Him'” HERE)

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Donald Trump: Obama Tears ‘Sincere’

By Tal Kopan. Donald Trump says he disagrees with President Barack Obama on his gun control measures — but that doesn’t mean the President’s heart is in the wrong place.

“I think he probably means well,” the GOP presidential candidate said on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday.

Trump was reacting to Obama’s speech on Tuesday announcing new executive actions on guns, including narrowing the so-called “gun-show loophole” on background checks . . .

The President grew emotional during his remarks, with tears falling down his face as he talked about the first graders massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary three years ago . . .

“I actually think he was sincere, I’ll probably go down about 5 points in the polls by saying that, but I think he was sincere,” Trump said. (Read more from “Donald Trump: Obama Tears ‘Sincere'” HERE)

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Veteran’s 10-Year Old Daughter Repeatedly Groped by TSA – and It’s Caught on Tape

A Capri Sun juice pouch mistakenly left in a 10-year-old San Diego girl’s carry-on handbag led a TSA agent to subject the girl to almost two minutes of frisking and extra screening that lasted about an hour, her father said.

Liquids exceeding 3 ounces are not allowed in carry-on bags, for fear they might contain explosives, but the girl’s father said the resulting search was an over-reaction and an inappropriate intrusion.

Kevin Payne of Pacific Beach and his daughter, Vendela, were passing through the Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Dec. 30, 2015, headed home to San Diego, when U.S. Transportation Security Administration agents discovered the liquid.

Authorities followed up with a swab of the bag and a false-positive test for explosives, then a nearly 2-minute-long full-body pat-down in which a female TSA agent touched the girl’s buttocks and groin repeatedly. (Read more from “Veteran’s 10-Year Old Daughter Repeatedly Groped by TSA – and It’s Caught on Tape” HERE)

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