Federal Insanity: NIH Spent $432,000 Studying Gay Hook Up Apps Like Grindr

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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has spent nearly a half a million dollars studying gay hookup apps such as Grindr.

The government awarded $432,000 to Columbia University to interview gay men who use GPS dating apps and determine whether it increases their likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behavior.

“Smartphone technologies have provided a new venue for sexual partnering among men who have sex with men (MSM),” the grant for the project states. “Indeed, there are a rapidly growing number of smartphone applications designed to facilitate sexual partnering among MSM.”

The project argues that dating apps that use the Global Positioning System, or GPS, has “accelerated” the rate that gay men can find sexual partners, compared to online.

“Furthermore, given the expediency with which men are able to arrange sexual encounters using these applications, there is cause to question if, when, and how sexual negotiation and serostatus disclosure occurs,” the grant said. “The overall study goal is to understand how sexual risk behaviors among MSM may be facilitated by the nature of GPS-enabled smartphone applications, the way they are used, and the process by which sexual partnering occurs via smartphone applications.” (Read more about the Fed’s waste of money on studying gay hook up apps HERE)

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President Vows to ‘Protect Abortion’

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By Charlie Spiering. In a statement recognizing the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, President Obama vowed to protect the right to abortion in America — even as thousands of pro-life activists marched in Washington D.C. to protest the Supreme Court’s decision.

“I am deeply committed to protecting this core constitutional right,” he said, criticizing Republicans for passing a bill earlier today in the House to block taxpayer funding for abortions.

Obama asserted that the bill would “intrude on women’s reproductive freedom and access to health care,” and his administration issued a veto threat of the bill. (Read more about the vow to protect abortion HERE)

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House Passes Bill to Block Abortions from Obamacare

By Sean Lengell and Paige Winfield Cunningham. The House on Thursday passed legislation along partisan lines that would block abortion coverage from plans offered by the federal government’s healthcare.gov, one day after Republican leaders pulled a stricter anti-abortion measure from the floor.

Republicans initially had planned to hold a vote on a measure that called for banning abortions past 20 weeks of pregnancy on Thursday, the same day as the annual March for Life attended by thousands of anti-abortion activists. But leadership pulled it after a number of female Republican lawmakers incited a last-minute revolt against one part of the measure.

The “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” which passed 242-179, was identical to a bill that cleared the Republican-run House last year but died in the then-Democratic controlled Senate. Only three Democrats supported the measure, with Rep. Richard Hanna of Indiana the lone Republican to reject it. (Read more from this story HERE)

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How Obama Answered a Question on the Po-Po

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By Fred Lucas. President Barack Obama said police officers need to be aware of their “biases” when it comes to black men and vowed to put “federal muscle” behind improving police practices and training.

During a series of interviews with YouTube personalities Thursday, one of the interviewers, GloZell Green, said she “cut all the hoods” off of her husband’s hoodies because, “I’m afraid when he goes outside, that somebody might shoot and kill him.”

“And it’s not, like, regular folks. It’s the po-po,” she said. “How can we bridge the gap between black, African-American males and white cops?”

“First of all, we always have to remind ourselves that the overwhelming majority of police officers, they are doing a really tough job and they’re doing it well,” Obama said. “What we also know is that there are still biases in our society, that in split-second situations when people have to make quick decisions, that studies have shown African-American males are seen as more threatening, which puts them in a more vulnerable position. Young African-American males are typically seen as older than they are.” (Read more from “How Obama Answered a Question on the Po-Po” HERE)

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Teen Busted for Threatening Police with Emojis

By Dana Sauchelli. A Brooklyn teen was arrested Sunday for making threats against police — using emojis on social media, sources said.

The District Attorney’s cyber-unit issued a warrant to arrest Osiris Aristy, 17, at his home on Wyckoff Avenue near Himrod Street in Bushwick after flagging the “terroristic threats” on his Facebook page, law enforcement sources said.

One threat appeared on Jan. 15 around 10:10 p.m. stating, “’N—- run up on me, he gunna get blown down,’ followed by an emoji of a police officer and three guns pointing at the officer, according to a criminal court complaint.

About an hour later he posted, “F**k the 83, 104, 79, 98, 73 PCTKKK,” the complaint states. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Obama Admin. Bribed Iran to Stay in Nuke Talks With $11.9 Billion in Payments

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By Adam Kredo. The Obama administration on Wednesday paid $490 million in cash assets to Iran and will have released a total of $11.9 billion to the Islamic Republic by the time nuclear talks are scheduled to end in June, according to figures provided by the State Department.

Today’s $490 million release, the third such payment of this amount since Dec. 10, was agreed to by the Obama administration under the parameters of another extension in negotiations over Tehran’s contested nuclear program that was inked in November.

Iran will receive a total of $4.9 billion in unfrozen cash assets via 10 separate payments by the United States through June 22, when talks with Iran are scheduled to end with a final agreement aimed at curbing the country’s nuclear work, according to a State Department official.

Iran received $4.2 billion in similar payments under the 2013 interim agreement with the United States and was then given another $2.8 billion by the Obama administration last year in a bid to keep Iran committed to the talks through November, when negotiators parted ways without reaching an agreement.

Iran will have received a total of $11.9 billion in cash assets by the end of June if current releases continue on pace as scheduled. (Read more about from “Obama Admin. Bribed Iran” HERE)

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Saudi Arabia’s King Dies

By BBC. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz was the fifth of his brothers to take the throne and became king in 2005, reports Caroline Hawley

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz has died, royal officials have announced, weeks after he was admitted to hospital.

King Abdullah, who was said to be aged about 90, had been suffering from a lung infection.

A statement early on Friday said his 79-year-old half brother, Salman, had become king.

Abdullah came to the throne in 2005 but had suffered frequent bouts of ill health in recent years. (Read more about Saudi Arabia’s king dying HERE)

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State Law Allows Schools to Demand Students’ Social Media Passwords

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By Kara Pendleton. In an effort to address the growing problem of cyber-bullying, an Illinois law passed last year gives schools the right to demand student social media passwords. This law applies to all students from kindergarten through college.

Effective January 1st, each school was required to send notification to students through the student handbook, as well as, provide parents with notice of the change in policy. This week, several school districts satisfied this requirement with a letter to parents.

A sample of the letter to parents is included in a “Student Handbook Model” online. The model letter notes:

School authorities may require a student or his or her parent or guardian to provide a password or other related account information in order to gain access to the student’s account or profile on a social networking website if school authorities have reasonable cause to believe that a student’s account on a social networking website contains evidence that a student has violated a school disciplinary rule or procedure.

He letter goes on to define “social networking” and ensures that email passwords are not included under the law. As expected, both parents and students had strong reactions. (Read more about the schools demanding social media passwords HERE)

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Father of ‘Snapchat Bullies’ Loses Job

By Lindsey LaBelle. Thousands of people are offering support and encouragement for a Prior Lake, Minnesota family after the father confronted his daughter’s bullies in a YouTube video. The father of those bullies lost his job just two days after the video was posted.

Brad Knudson recorded a nearly 6-minute YouTube video complete with racist voicemails from the father of two children who apparently sent his 8th grade daughter Dierdra a series of malicious Snapchats.

Deron Puro was an independent contractor at a financial firm, and his employer confirmed to Fox 9 on Wednesday that he is no longer associated with that company as of Jan. 21. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Largest March for Life in the World

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Photo Credit: Life Site NewsThe 42nd annual March for Life kicked off Thursday with an hour-long rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as hundreds of thousands of pro-life activists gathered beneath sunny skies and surprisingly warm temperatures to hear speeches from pro-life politicians and prominent movement leaders.

The rally opened with a benediction from Roman Catholic Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, KY, who was flanked by both Catholic and Orthodox clerics as he led the crowd in prayer and asked God’s blessing on the March.

After the benediction, March for Life Chairman Patrick Kelly took the podium to welcome the marchers, taking special notice of their overwhelming youth. “When I look out on this enormous crowd, I see a tide turning in America,” Kelly said. “The March for Life is getting bigger and younger every year.”

“History is on our side,” said Kelly, “because history is always on the side of those who fight for human dignity and human life.” He said that after four decades, the March for Life “has become the largest human rights march in the world.”

March for Life President Jeanne Monahan Mancini elicited happy cheers from the crowd as she took the stage and asked, “What do y’all think about this weather?” Thursday’s mild conditions stood in marked contrast to the weather during last year’s march, which took place in near-zero temperatures with biting winds, putting marchers at risk of frostbite and causing electronics to fail due to the extreme cold. (Read more about the largest march for life in the world HERE)

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‘American Sniper’ Star Gives Wounded Veterans Memories They Won’t Forget

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Photo Credit: IJreviewBy Chris Enloe. Bradley Cooper has been in the limelight a lot lately, after his Oscar-worthy performance in the box-office smash hit American Sniper.

Two days before the American Sniper premiere of the movie, Bradley Cooper made an appearance at the Brooke Army Medal Center in San Antonio, Texas, for a special preview of the film.

Close to 260 service members and staff at the hospital, including Bradley Cooper and Chris Kyle’s father, Wayne, came together for the screening.

While the movie was being viewed in the hospital’s auditorium, Cooper was in the Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center Rehabilitation Gym handing out signed movie posters and t-shirts to wounded warriors and hospital staffers.

To take on the role of Chris Kyle and to portray him as best he could, Cooper put on 37 pounds of muscle before shooting started on the movie. Cooper dove deep into Kyle’s personal life with his wife Taya, and altered his voice to more accurately sound like Kyle. (Read more about the star giving wounded veterans memories the won’t be forgetting HERE)

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Trial of Eddie Routh, Killer of Chris Kyle Upcoming

By Abby Phillip. Eddie Ray Routh barely knew Chris Kyle when he shot and killed the famed Navy SEAL sniper on a remote Texas shooting range on Feb. 2, 2013.

Routh, who admitted to police that he killed Kyle and the marksman’s friend Chad Littlefield, will have his day in court early next month. By then, news of Kyle’s life, his “unverifiable” legacy and his tragic death will have already ricocheted around the world, thanks to the box office hit “American Sniper.”

The circumstances of Kyle’s death aren’t discussed in detail in the Oscar-nominated biopic, which mostly focuses on Kyle’s career as one of the country’s most praised and skilled snipers. (Read more from this story HERE)
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Ex-Marine Standing Trial for Murder of Chris Kyle to Plead Insanity

By K.C. Baker. On Feb. 2, 2013, nearly four years after Kyle quit the military, he and his friend, Chad Littlefield, were allegedly shot and killed on a Texas gun range while helping former Marine Eddie Ray Routh, then 25, cope with his PTSD. Routh’s trial is set to begin Feb. 11.

“My client will plead not guilty by reason of insanity,” Routh’s attorney, J. Warren St. John, tells PEOPLE. Prosecutors for the State of Texas have said they are not seeking the death penalty in the case.

One growing issue: With the film’s success, finding an impartial jury may be difficult. (Read more about this story HERE)

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Airstrikes Have Killed Over 6,000 ISIS Soldiers

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By Kelly Cohen. More than 6,000 Islamic State fighters have been killed, a top U.S. official said Thursday.

Though the Pentagon has been reticent to discuss exact numbers, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Stuart Jones told Al Arabiya News Channel Thursday that U.S.-led airstrikes have “taken more than half “ of ISIS’ leadership.

Jones also described the airstrikes as having a “devastating” effect on ISIS.

“We estimate that the airstrikes have now killed more than 6,000 ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq,” Jones said, adding that the airstrikes have “destroyed more than a thousand of ISIS vehicles inside Iraq.”

Jones reiterated that the statistics were “not so important in themselves,” but that they “do show the degradation of ISIS.” (Read more about the airstrikes killing ISIS soldiers HERE)

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Volunteers Secretly Battle ISIS

By Alexander Smith. A network of anti-ISIS “commando cells” has carried out hundreds of guerrilla attacks in a city seized by the Islamist militants, Iraq’s vice president told NBC News.

Dubbed the “Mosul Liberation Battalions,” the little-known resistance movement has killed “a large number” of extremists through operations including sniper attacks, blasts using homemade bombs and raids on weapons-storage sites, according to Osama al-Nujaifi.

Battalion members include former military officers and tribesmen as well as students and local businessmen. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Woman Dies After Farewell to Favorite Horse

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Photo Credit: BBCA cancer patient has died after a final farewell to her favourite horse outside the hospital where she was treated.

Staff at Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan granted Sheila Marsh’s last wish, by arranging a visit from two of her horses on Monday afternoon.

The hospital said the 77-year-old, unable to speak properly due to illness, “gently called” her favourite horse, who then nuzzled her cheek.

Mrs Marsh, who used to work at Haydock Park Racecourse, died early on Tuesday.

The grandmother from Wigan had six horses, three dogs, three cats and other animals. (Read more about the woman’s farewell to favorite horse HERE)

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Patriots QB on “Deflation-Gate”: I’m Not a Cheater (+video)

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Bill Belichick knows nothing. Tom Brady knows nothing. So if neither the New England Patriots’ head coach nor their star quarterback called the play, then exactly who deflated the game balls in the AFC championship game that put their team in the Super Bowl?

In separate news conferences called seven hours apart to address the spiraling scandal about tampering with game balls, Belichick told reporters only Brady could talk about his “personal preferences on footballs,” and Brady said it was all a mystery to him.

“I didn’t alter the ball in any way,” said Brady, who acknowledged joking in a video made several years ago about preferring deflated footballs, presumably because they are easier to grip, throw and catch. He explained that what he meant was that he liked his pigskin inflated to 12.5 pounds per square inch, the precise bottom of the NFL range that extends up to 13.5 pounds. Eleven of the 12 game balls managed by the Patriots in Sunday’s 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts were determined by NFL investigators to be illegally below the threshold, a situation that appears well beyond the realm of coincidence.

“I have no knowledge of anything,” said Brady, clad in a gray sweatshirt and team ski hat. “I have no knowledge of wrongdoing. I have no problem saying that – as far as I know.”

Insisting “I don’t believe I’m a cheater,” Brady said fans are free to believe otherwise. (Read more about what the Patriots QB said HERE)

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