Obama Absent at Anti-Terror March, but Finds Time to Visit Taj Mahal With Wife

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New Delhi: President Barack Obama will have a tight schedule during his three-day visit starting Jan. 25, as he will hold talks with the top leadership here on ways to make progress on key issues like defense and the civil nuclear agreement, besides attending the Republic Day celebrations.

Obama, who will be the first U.S. president to be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade, will be accompanied by his wife Michelle Obama and a team of senior officials in his administration.

On the first day of his visit, the American president and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are to hold talks on the entire gamut of bilateral ties and discuss ways to enhance ties in defense and nuclear energy. The two sides have already decided to renew a new defense pact for 10 years and to start joint development and production of military hardware.

Obama’s visit, his second to India, is also expected to give a fillip to the seven-year-old civil nuclear deal, stalled over tough provisions in the Civil Nuclear Liability Act here . . .

Before his departure from India, the president and the First Lady are to visit the Taj Mahal, the monument to love in Agra. Obama’s wife Michelle accompanied the U.S. president during their four-day trip in 2010 but the couple could not travel to Agra. (Read more about Obama going to visit Taj Mahal with his wife HERE)

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Jane Fonda’s Latest Regret: Sitting on That Gun in North Vietnam

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Having reached her mid-seventies, Oscar-winner Jane Fonda is now in that phase of her career where she’s celebrated with all kinds of “achievement awards.” Last night at the L.A. Press Club gala honoring her, Fonda revealed that her biggest regret in life is no longer not “f***ing” mass-murderer Che Guevera, but that moment that defined her even more than her film career: when she was photographed sitting on a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun meant to shoot down American pilots during the Vietnam War.

In a short speech, Fonda called out her friends in the audience — Daniels, Sam Waterston, Melanie Griffith and Lily Tomlin — and said, “I can’t tell you how moved I am for this award.”

Then, in a “lightning round” Q&A with NBC 4 anchor Robert Kovacik, Fonda touched on a variety of topics: …

– On her greatest regret in life: “Sitting on that gun in North Vietnam. I’ll go to my grave with that one.”

Well, give the actress credit. This is a step up from what we learned in Patricia Bosworth’s Biography, “Jane Fonda,” where the star reportedly said: “My biggest regret is I never got to f*** Che Guevara.” (Read about Fonda’s regret of sitting on the gun in North Vietnam HERE)

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Director Michael Moore Slams ‘American Sniper,’ Labels Chris Kyle as a ‘Coward’

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Photo Credit: The Daily Caller By Derek Hunter. Leftist filmmaker Michael Moore is not a fan of “American Sniper.”

The biopic of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle directed by Clint Eastwood and staring Bradley Cooper is setting box office records, and the “Sicko” director is not too happy about that.

Taking to his Twitter account, Moore wrote, “My uncle killed by sniper in WW2. We were taught snipers were cowards. Will shoot u in the back. Snipers aren’t heroes. And invaders r worse.”

— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) January 18, 2015

Kyle, the most lethal sniper in military history, saved countless lives of American soldiers in his four tours of duty in Iraq. He was killed in February 2013 by a fellow soldier he was trying to help who was suffering from severe post-traumatic stress. (Read more from “Michael Moore Slams Chris Kyle as a ‘coward'” HERE)

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Seth Rogen Says American Sniper is Just Like a Fake Nazi Propaganda Film

By Derek Hunter. Last month comedian Seth Rogen was the cause célèbre of Hollywood when terroristic threats caused Sony Pictures to cancel the release of his latest movie “The Interview.” Americans from across the political spectrum spoke out in favor of Rogen’s right to make any movie he wanted, and when it was released online, Americans supported the movie. Many may now regret that purchase.

American Sniper kind of reminds me of the movie that’s showing in the third act of Inglorious Basterds.

— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) January 18, 2015

Rogen, like all Americans, was born with the right to say anything he wants, no matter how offensive. That’s why he was able to make a movie in which he kills the leader of North Korea. But that right is always under threat, to varying degrees, by outside forces. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Middle Class Decline Looms Over Final Years of Obama Presidency

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By Howard Schneider. Barack Obama enters the final two years of his presidency with a blemish on his legacy that looks impossible to erase: the decline of the middle class he has promised to rescue.

The revival of middle-class jobs has been one of Obama’s mantras since he took office in 2009 fighting the worst economic crisis in generations. It was a major theme of his last State of the Union address and is expected to feature in the one scheduled for Tuesday.

Administration officials said on Saturday the president would propose higher capital gains taxes, new fees on large financial firms, and other measures to raise $320 billion for programs and tax breaks aimed at the middle class . . .

But for the middle class the scars of the recession still run deep. Federal Reserve survey data show families in the middle fifth of the income scale now earn less and their net worth is lower than when Obama took office. (Read more about the middle class decline HERE)

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Majority of U.S. Schools Poor Enough for Lunch Help

By Reuters. The share of public school students who qualify for free or reduced lunch in the United States has grown to 51 percent, in an indication of growing poverty, according to a report released on Friday.

The problem is most acute in Mississippi where 71 percent of students were in that category, according to the report from the Southern Education Foundation.

The group identified the share of students from low-income families by analyzing 2013 federal data on children who qualify for free or reduced lunch at school, which is offered to those from families at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, the poverty level is less than $24,000 a year and 185 percent of that figure is about $44,000. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Senators Defy Threatened Obama Veto on Iran Sanctions

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Photo Credit: Daily CallerAs talks over Iran’s nuclear program resumed Sunday in Geneva, lawmakers in Congress moved forward with legislation to impose new sanctions on Tehran, defying a veto threat from President Obama.

The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee announced that it would meet Thursday to consider bipartisan sanctions legislation by Sens. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., and Bob Menendez, D-N.J.

It’s an indication that the two senators have lined up enough support to deliver Obama a humiliating defeat on the issue just days after he publicly threatened to veto any proposed sanctions. Last month, Kirk told the Washington Examiner that he and Menendez were aiming for legislation that could receive bipartisan support sufficient to overcome any presidential veto.

House lawmakers are working on their own sanctions bill.

Support for sanctions is strong in both chambers of Congress, in spite of intense administration lobbying on the issue. Legislation to impose new sanctions on Iran passed the House in July 2013 by a 400-20 vote. In the Senate, an earlier version of the legislation by Menendez and Kirk had majority support last year but was blocked by then-Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. (Read more about the veto on Iran sanctions HERE)

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Man Amazingly Survives Horrific Crash

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Kaleb Whitby had to be in Council, Idaho, by 9 a.m. Mountain Time. He left his pregnant wife and their 2-year-old son back in Washington’s Tri-Cities area — Pasco, Kennewick and Richland. The farmer had been on the road for a while, and still had more than 100 miles to go. He had two truckloads of cattle waiting for him in Council.

Headed up a slight hill into a curve, Whitby decided to pass the semi-truck in front of him, but then thought better of it. The fog was too thick. He backed off.

When he rounded the curve and started descending, Whitby saw the semi again — but this time it was jackknifed across the interstate. He swerved to the right, but ended up hitting the back end of the trailer. It flipped him around, and instantly his truck stalled — leaving him splayed out with his passenger side facing oncoming traffic.

Then the headlights of an oncoming semi-truck filled the window frame.

“I just braced and hoped that everything would be all right,” Whitby told the paper, noting that he also starting praying as the truck was seconds from slamming into him. (Read more about the man amazingly survives the crash HERE)

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Rand Paul on Amnesty: ‘The 11 Million are Never Going Home’

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Photo Credit: Fox NewsIn New Hampshire yesterday, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul told a group of supportive Republican legislators that the country needed some immigration fixes. A few hours later, I asked whether, if elected president, Paul would move to overturn the Obama-era executive orders that have essentially legalized millions of immigrants.

“I’ve always been of the opinion that we should do things the proper way,” Paul said. “I am in favor of doing immigration reform, but it should be done in the proper fashion.” He cited the the need to tighten border security before attempting anything else, but added that “the 11 million, I think, are never going home, don’t need to be sent home, and I would incorporate them into our society by giving them work visas and making them taxpayers.”

Meanwhile, back in Washington, the House GOP was voting to defund Obama’s immigration orders. Paul didn’t necessarily disagree with the House objection—at one point, he quoted Montesquieu’s “Spirit of the Laws” to explain why the executive orders couldn’t be sustained. But on policy, he was set apart from more than 200 Republicans ready to undo an order that granted legal status to minors brought into the country by their parents. In the summer of last year, in fact, Paul supported exactly that. And now, as a potential presidential candidate, he wasn’t leading with it. (Read more about Rand Paul on amnesty HERE)

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Miss Lebanon’s Selfie With Miss Israel Causes Outrage in Arab World

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By Reuters. A Israeli beauty queen’s selfie has caused a stir in Lebanon, with some Lebanese saying their country’s contestant at the Miss Universe pageant should be stripped of her title for consorting with the enemy.

Miss Israel Doron Matalon posted a photo of herself and Miss Lebanon Saly Greige smiling together at pageant preparations in Miami, where the winner will be picked on January 25.

The two countries are technically at war, although the border has been largely quiet since their 2006 conflict. The Lebanese risk prison if they call or travel to Israel and all Israeli products are banned in Lebanon.

Some Lebanese have demanded on social media that Greige lose her title for contacts with a citizen of the enemy state. (Read more about the selfie with Miss Israel HERE)

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Miss Israel’s Response After Miss Lebanon Distances Herself From Their Selfie

By Algemeiner. Miss Israel, Doron Matalon, has responded to the controversy surrounding a ‘selfie’ she took together with Miss Lebanon at the ongoing Miss Universe competition in Florida, saying that she is saddened, but not surprised by the Arab beauty’s decision to strongly distance herself from the picture.

“It doesn’t surprise me, but it still makes me sad. Too bad you can not put the hostility out of the game,” Matalon wrote on Instagram on Sunday. “Only for three weeks of an experience of a lifetime that we can meet girls from around the world and also from the neighboring country.”

The controversial picture was first posted by Matalon on January 11th and was captioned: “Good morning from us!”

After an avalanche of criticism from within the Arab world, which often frowns on contact with Israel, Miss Lebanon, Saly Greige, on Friday issued a stunning repudiation of the image and even claimed to have been avoiding Miss Israel throughout the competition. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Teenager Accused of Killing, Raping Teacher; Court Video Shows Shooting

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By WCVB. A teenager accused of killing his high school math teacher told police he knocked her out with a “karate chop” before slicing her neck two times with a box cutter, a police detective said Friday in a pre-trial hearing.

But Philip Chism, now 15, denied raping the popular teacher, Colleen Ritzer, before killing her on Oct. 22, 2013, Danvers Det. Sgt. Phil Tansey said.

Tansey said Chism also helped investigators recover Ritzer’s body by showing on a map where he dumped it in the woods behind the school.

The detective’s statements come as a judge is considering a request by Chism’s lawyers to have his confession and other evidence seized from him the night he was detained tossed out as evidence before trial.

Superior Court Judge David Lowy made no ruling; the hearing is expected to continue later this month. (Read more about the teenager accused of killing his teacher HERE)

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Man Relives Bone-Chilling Moment When a Neighbor Kicked Through His Door and Came at Him With a Machete

By Dave Urbanski. James Cvengros lived with the horrific memory for nearly a year — and then a few days ago in an Idaho courtroom he watched it unfold all over again…on video…for the very first time.

Cvengros, 29, had started to document the alarming behavior of his 54-year-old neighbor Twain Thomas — in case something goes wrong, he figured, visual evidence might help him out.

After all, one time Thomas reportedly kicked in Cvengros’ door over loud music. What could be next?

One day last February, Cvengros found out. Things were much worse in their Pocatello apartment building — windows breaking, other neighbors screaming — so he hit “record” and pointed his camera at his front door. (Read more from this story HERE)

[CAUTION: Some viewers may find the images/sounds in the following YouTube very disturbing]

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Teenage ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ Arrested

By Emily Shapiro. The alleged crime spree of two runaway Kentucky teenagers stretched across the South before they were found early this morning . . .

According to the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, “the process has begun” to extradite both teens “back to Kentucky to answer for multiple felony charges.”

The teens may also face charges in South Carolina. Chief Shaffer said Manning police have “minor” forgery charges against the teens for allegedly passing a forged check, but “back home is the best place for these teens to be.”

Shaffer said Friday, “We could pursue criminal charges against them, we just have to continue to wait. And once they’re found then we can look at the circumstances and decide if that would be something we’d want to pursue.” (Read more from this story HERE)

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Israeli Strikes Kill Iranian, Top Hezbollah Fighters in Syria

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An Israeli strike in Syria on Sunday killed the son of a slain top Hezbollah commander and another four fighters in a move that could ratchet up tensions with the powerful Lebanese Shiite movement, which recently boasted of rockets that can hit any part of the Jewish state.

Hezbollah fighters in towns and villages along the border with Israel went on high alert, said an official from the group. In the Shiite-dominated areas of south Lebanon and Beirut the streets emptied quickly, as residents feared an escalation. Hezbollah-run al-Manar TV warned that Israel was “playing with fire that puts the security of the whole Middle East on edge.”

A Hezbollah official identified one of the five slain men as Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of Imad Mughniyeh, a top Hezbollah operative assassinated in 2008 in Damascus. Hezbollah blames Israel for the killing and has long vowed to avenge his death. The official said the dead included another senior Hezbollah commander, Mohammed Issa, and at least one Iranian national with the group.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the slain Iranian belonged to the Revolutionary Guards. The group, which obtains its information from a network of activists on the ground, said the Israeli strikes hit two vehicles and a home. It said the fighters were in the area to plan attacks along the Israeli-controlled frontier. (Read more about the strikes killing the Hezbollah fighters in Syria HERE)

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