No Surprise: White House Alerted About Missing Clinton Emails MONTHS Ago

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The White House, State Department and Hillary Clinton’s personal office knew in August that House Republicans had received information showing that the former secretary of state conducted official government business through her private email account — and Clinton’s staff made the decision to keep quiet.

Sources familiar with the discussions say key people in the Obama administration and on Clinton’s staff were aware that the revelation could be explosive for the all-but-announced candidate for president. But those involved deferred to Clinton’s aides, and they decided not to respond.

In the end, Clinton’s staff waited six months — until after the New York Times published a story on Tuesday about the email account and the possibility that it hampered public access to official records — to begin their response.

Clinton’s slow-off-the-block defense has left many political strategists and observers confused because even a presidential campaign in its early stages should have been prepared to get out ahead of bad news. Had the existence of the email address and private server been made public in August, they say, it could have become a marginal issue in the run-up to the midterm elections, which Democrats badly lost anyway and in which Clinton wasn’t a candidate. But the decision to let it linger has meant it will cast a much larger shadow over Clinton’s expected campaign announcement.

According to the sources, the problem came to light in August as the State Department prepared to respond to a request from the House Select Committee investigating the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. State Department officials noticed that some of the 15,000 pages of documents included a personal email address for Clinton, and State and White House officials conferred on how to handle the revelation, which they expected the committee to notice. But they felt that Clinton’s personal staff should take the lead, since she was no longer in government, and Clinton aides decided to wait and see. (Read more about the missing Clinton emails HERE)

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World’s Smallest Drone Shows Privacy May Be Dead Forever [+video]

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By Brad Reed. Privacy seems like such a quaint 20th Century concept, doesn’t it? Unbox Therapy has posted a video of the CX-10 Mini Drone, which is described as the world’s smallest drone and is a definite harbinger of things to come. In other words, it looks like privacy is finally toast . . .

All the same: At least with standard-sized drones there’s no way to miss them. If you’re being trailed by one or if one is hovering outside your window, there’s a decent chance you’ll see it. But as they get smaller and quieter as technology improves, they’ll be much harder to detect and will open up the door for every amateur NSA agent in your neighborhood to keep an eye on everything.

(Read more about the world’s smallest drone HERE)

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The First Drone Film Festival

By David Schneider. It shouldn’t take the whirring of a small drone to remind you that many people are awfully leery of these little aerial contraptions, fearing threats to privacy – and also to airliners.

But others see great benefits, particularly cinematographers, who are thrilled to make use of the unique perspectives drones can provide. Some of the best examples of what they can achieve will be screened March 6 and 7 at the first-ever “drone film festival” in New York City.


The inspiration for the festival came from Randy Scott Slavin, who is the founder and the festival director.

“I bought this thing called a DJI Phantom. It’s the iPhone of drones,” he says. “I had hours and hours and hours of footage around New York, and I finally decided to edit it.”

Randy put the film online and within the next couple of days, received calls from Fox News, Time magazine, Mashable and Gizmodo. (Read more from this story HERE)

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A Record-Breaking 56 Million Women Unemployed; Black Unemployment Rates Twice as High

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By Ali Meyer. A record 56,023,000 women, age 16 years and over, were not in the labor force in February.

Not only was that a record high, but it’s also the first time the number has exceeded 56 million, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

To be counted as ‘not in the labor force,’ according to the BLS, one must not have a job or have looked for one in the past four weeks. In January 2015, there were 55,756,000 women not in the labor force, which means that 267,000 women dropped out of the labor force since then.

The labor force participation rate, which is the percentage of those who are participating in the labor force by either having a job or looking for one in the past four weeks, declined in February.

According to the BLS, 56.7 percent of women were participating in the labor force in February, a drop from 56.8 percent in January. In the last year, since February 2014, the labor force participation rate for women has fluctuated within a range of 56.6 percent to 57.2 percent, and February’s percentage of 56.7 falls on the low end of that scale. (Read more from “A Record 56 Million Women Unemployed” HERE)

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Black Unemployment Rate Nearly Twice the National Average on Eve of Selma Anniversary

By Caroline May. On the eve of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, the unemployment rate among African Americans remains more than twice that of white Americans and nearly twice the national average.


According to the latest jobs figures released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the African American unemployment rate for the month of February was 10.4 percent, compared to the white unemployment rate of 4.7 percent and national average of 5.5 percent.

The latest African American unemployment rate represents a slight uptick over the January figure of 10.3 percent. Whites experienced a slight decline in unemployment from January’s rate of 4.9 percent and the national average also dipped from 5.7 percent. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Vice President Joe Biden Addresses LGBT Convention, Uses Profanity, Invokes Selma in Push for More Homosexual Rights

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By Tierney Sneed. Addressing a convention of LGBT activists in Washington on Friday, Vice President Joe Biden compared the 1965 demonstrations in Selma for African-American voting rights – the 50th anniversary of which is being commemorated this week – to the ongoing battle for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

“The same basic human rights were at stake when John [Lewis, an African-American civil rights leader who is now a U.S. congressman] led that march over that bridge,” Biden said, referring to the Edmund Pettus Bridge that became the site of a standoff during the Alabama demonstrations. “[Lewis] said last month, you cannot talk about breaking down the barriers between the races without having equality for everybody, including based on gender and sex orientation.”

Biden was the marquee speaker at the Human Rights Campaign’s spring convention in Washington, which gathers LGBT activists from across the country for training and strategy sessions. He went on to compare the Selma demonstrations to the protests prompted by a police raid a few years later at the Stonewall Inn, a popular bar among gay people at the time.

“Although the events of Selma and Stonewall were separate movements, they were in fact the same; they’re in fact the same basic movement,” Biden said. (Read more from “Vice President Joe Biden Addresses LGBT Convention” HERE)


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Joe Biden Blasts Ben Carson’s Comments On Homosexuals

By Veronica Stracqualursi. Speaking at a gathering of LGBT rights activists today, Vice President Joe Biden took a swipe at potential Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson for his recent remark that being gay is a choice.


Biden, who has been a longtime advocate for gay rights, called Carson’s comment a “ridiculous assertion.”

“I mean Jesus God. I mean it’s kind of hard to fathom,” Biden told an audience at the Human Rights Campaign spring equality convention in Washington, D.C.

Biden’s comments on Carson got laughs and cheers from the packed room. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Common Core Rebellion: Thousands of High School Students Walk Out Nationwide Over Test

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Students across the country are required to take an annual Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC test, which is aligned with Common Core standards. For students in New Mexico, scoring on PARCC exams determine 50 percent of their grade.

Connor Guiney and Anna Bentham-Grey appeared on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” and admitted they were surprised by the size of the walkout at Highland High School in Albuquerque . . .

“We thought maybe 100, or 150 would come out. But by the end of the day we had over 300 people and that was really good to have all that support out there. It was nice to not be alone in that” . . .

“We weren’t the only ones,” Bentham-Grey said. “Almost every other school in our district also had walkouts that day” . . .

“We feel like the tests are unnecessary and they use an excess amount of time among other things,” he said. “But ultimately they’re unfair to students at schools and to the teachers as well.” (Read more about the Common Core rebellion HERE)

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Even DOJ Admits, “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” is an Utter Lie [+videos]

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Perhaps the single most potent piece of political theatre to emerge from the Ferguson MO shooting of Mike Brown by Police Officer Darren Wilson was the meme of “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.” The “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” meme was based on the false claim by Dorian Johnson that Brown had his hands raised in surrender when Wilson shot him. A handful of other purported witnesses–none of whom were ultimately deemed sufficiently credible to warrant either criminal or civil rights charges against Wilson–soon parroted the claim . . .

Indeed, there was even an amateurish movie centered on this meme, appropriately titled “The Movie: Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.” Here’s a taste of the movie’s credulous depiction of the hilariously fabricated “witness statements” on which this false meme was based, and the manner in which the meme nevertheless dominated the public consciousness of the shooting:

Now, from no lesser authority than the United States Department of Justice, we know for a certainty that it was a lie from start to end, as noted by Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. Particularly amusing is the retrograde effort of the liberal guest to claim that Ferguson was never really about “Hands up, don’t shoot” and Wilson’s shooting of Brown, but rather were over allegations that the Ferguson Police Department in general (not Wilson in particular, nor in his interaction with Brown) was racist:

. . .

The DOJ report particularly noted the lack of credible evidence for the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” meme:

Although there are several individuals who have stated that Brown held his hands up in an unambiguous sign of surrender prior to Wilson shooting him dead, their accounts do not support a prosecution of Wilson. As detailed throughout this report, some of those accounts are inaccurate because they are inconsistent with the physical and forensic evidence; some of those accounts are materially inconsistent with that witness’s own prior statements with no explanation, credible for otherwise, as to why those accounts changed over time. Certain other witnesses who originally stated Brown had his hands up in surrender recanted their original accounts, admitting that they did not witness the shooting or parts of it, despite what they initially reported either to federal or local law enforcement or to the media. Prosecutors did not rely on those accounts when making a prosecutive decision.

(Read more from “Even DOJ Admits: “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” An Utter Lie” HERE)

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NFL Star’s Facebook Post for Persecuted Christians Goes Viral

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New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson wasn’t expecting his Facebook post on persecuted Christians to go viral — but it did.

After seeing news of the Islamic State group’s slaughter of Christians in the Iraq, Syria and Libya, the NFL player posted his thoughts on his social media page, which were then shared close to 20,000 times and resulted in an invite to speak with Fox New’s Greta Van Susteren.

Here is the content of Benjamin Watson’s Facebook post:

The images keep flooding our timelines and news feeds. Men being burned alive or beheaded by masked assassins. Stories of families on the run, fleeing their homes while they are pillaged and burned. Their testimonies hold a familiar chord. “Convert, Pay or Die! …

As I sit here in a 21st century United States, I can’t help but wonder when we too will face martyrdom for our faith. On this very day nearly 50 countries have laws that restrict or outlaw Christianity, leading to the harassment, imprisonment and death of those who follow Christ. On this day, in countries like North Korea and China, Christians gather for church underground to avoid being arrested by police. On this day, in Nigeria thousands mourn the deaths of their loved ones killed by Boko Haram in their quest to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state. On this day, in Cuba, Christian ministries continue to risk their freedom as the countries continues to feel the effects of Communist rule.

(Read more about the post about persecuted Christians going viral HERE)
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Benjamin Watson’s Facebook Post

The images keep flooding our timelines and news feeds. Men being burned alive or beheaded by masked assassins. Stories of families on the run, fleeing their homes while they are pillaged and burned. Their testimonies hold a familiar chord. “Convert, Pay or Die!”

The persecution of Christians is not a new concept. As early as the first century we read about the Spirit filled boldness of Christians like Stephen and Paul who proclaimed the gospel through beatings and imprisonment, torture and death. We remember Christ’s disciples, most of whom were killed just like their master. Roman emperors like Nero, executed Christians in the most ghastly ways, using them as torches to light the evening sky.

In spite of all this adversity, Christianity continued to spread because men and woman, empowered by the Holy Spirit stood strong in the face of certain death; some being delivered and others falling. As I sit here in a 21st century United States, I can’t help but wonder when we too will face martyrdom for our faith. On this very day nearly 50 countries have laws that restrict or outlaw Christianity, leading to the harassment, imprisonment and death of those who follow Christ. On this day, in countries like North Korea and China, Christians gather for church underground to avoid being arrested by police. On this day, in Nigeria thousands mourn the deaths of their loved ones killed by Boko Haram in their quest to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state. On this day, in Cuba, Christian ministries continue to risk their freedom as the countries continues to feel the effects of Communist rule.

BUT, on this day, Jesus words in Luke still ring true,

“And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” Luke 12:8

I tremble with fear at the thought of facing such incredible atrocities for the sake of Christ. How could I stand firm, staring down the barrel of a gun, the life of my family in the balance? I shudder, thinking of that day. I feel so inadequate. Rest assured, fellow Americans, if it hasn’t already, our day WILL COME.

Jesus goes on, providing us comfort and hope for this day. He says,

“When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Luke 12:11,12

My only hope in such trying times is the power of the Holy Spirit. He is the X factor. He will give us the strength, words, and vision when our backs are against the wall. Jesus promised the believer many things. Eternal life, abundant life, peace, purpose and forgiveness to name a few. He also promises that they, like him, WILL be betrayed, hated and persecuted, even to death. (Luke 21:12-19)

The Internet has brought close what used to be foreign. Shocking, disturbing worldwide news is available in the palm of our hands. As we see these videos and images we must remember in prayer our brothers and sisters who are suffering for Christ. We must support them in any way we can for they are being witnesses to their oppressors.

Secondly, we must WAKE UP from our slumber, be on guard and stand firm. A house divided against itself cannot stand. Spiritual unity in the body will help us weather the coming storms. We must REMEMBER that as terrible as things are and will become, they are simply signs pointing to one thing; His Imminent Return.

“When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:28

Lord be with us.

(to like and share Benjamin Watson’s post, click HERE)

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New York Attorney General Seeks Information on Billionaire Epstein’s “Philanthropy”

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The New York Attorney General’s Office has sent letters to the charitable foundation of financier Jeffrey Epstein seeking information on whether it is complying with state registration requirements.

Epstein, 62, has been a tabloid sensation since allegations arose in a court proceeding in December that he forced an underage girl to have sex with Britain’s Prince Andrew, prominent U.S. lawyer Alan Dershowitz, and other high-profile men. Prince Andrew and Dershowitz have denied the allegations. A lawyer for Epstein has called them old and discredited.

Epstein spent 13 months in a Florida jail after pleading guilty in 2008 to procuring an underage girl for prostitution. Since well before then he has cultivated a reputation as a philanthropist through websites and press releases about his donations, especially to Harvard University.

In a letter dated Monday and reviewed by Reuters, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s Charities Bureau asked Epstein’s lawyer Darren Indyke to explain why Epstein’s foundation, which is incorporated in the U.S. Virgin Islands, should be considered exempt from New York law.

A charity based outside New York is required to register with the New York Charities Bureau if it does business in New York or holds property in the state. It must also file annual financial reports with the bureau. Other U.S. states have similar requirements. (Read more about the New York attorney general seeking this information HERE)

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“ISIS Did It First”: California Lawyer Proposes Ballot to Execute Homosexuals

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By AFP. A California lawyer has submitted a referendum proposal to outlaw homosexuality in the famously liberal western US state, on pain of execution.

The proposal — unlikely to advance, as it requires over 360,000 signatures to proceed — was submitted by attorney Matthew McLaughlin to the California Attorney General’s office last week.

“The abominable crime against nature known as buggery, called also sodomy, is a monstrous evil that Almighty God, giver of freedom and liberty, commands us to suppress on pain of our utter destruction even as he overthrew Sodom and Gomorrha,” reads the proposal, registered for comment on the attorney general’s website. (Read more about the California lawyer’s proposal to execute homosexuals HERE)


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Gay Syrians Tell of ISIS Persecution

By Arwa Damon and Zeynep Bilginsoy. The photographs released by ISIS in its stronghold of Raqqa are dated March 2015. The first ones show a large crowd, mostly men, but also among them a handful of women and children, all looking up.

Three men on top of a building, faces covered in black balaclavas, stand on either side of their victim, while a fourth seems to be taking a photo or video.


Their victim is thrown off the building. In the last photograph, he is seen face down, surrounded by a small crowd of men, most carrying weapons, some with rocks in their hands. The caption reads “stoned to death.”

The victim brutally killed because he was accused of being gay.

There are at least half a dozen documented cases of men being similarly killed by ISIS. What’s even more sickening for Nour, a gay Syrian man, is the onlookers’ reaction. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Here’s How Much Taxpayer Money Illegals Will Receive Via Obama’s Amnesty

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By Neil Munro. President Barack Obama’s November amnesty will give $1.7 billion in taxpayers’ cash to illegal immigrants, according to a congressional study.

The news emerged two days after top Republican leaders overcame GOP opposition to a 2015 budget bill that allows Obama to fund his unpopular amnesty for roughly 5 million illegals.

“The program could cost taxpayers $1.7 billion over 10 years, almost all of it in the first five years,” according to a report by the McClatchy Washington Bureau. The rebates are allowed by the IRS’ interpretation of existing laws governing the Earned Income Tax Credit program, which was designed to subsidize low-wage employment in the United States.

The Joint Committee on Taxation compiled the estimate, which was obtained by McClatchy. (Read more about the illegals receiving taxpayer money HERE)


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Illegal Aliens in U.S. Get Help Preserving Land Rights in Mexico

By Kate Linthicum. It’s been 25 years since Maria Gonzales left her family’s four-acre farm in Mexico to make a life in the United States.

Even as she worked and raised a family in Los Angeles, she dreamed of one day returning to that small plot of land in Jalisco where her father planted corn and wildflowers grew.


But after her parents died, she got word that a stranger had taken hold of the land. Local officials told relatives that her family no longer had a claim to it.

Gonzales, 56, who is living in the U.S. without permission, didn’t want to risk going back to Mexico to resolve the dispute herself. “They’re taking advantage because we can’t be there,” said her husband, Ezequiel Becerril, 56, who is also in the country illegally.

Last week, Gonzales took the first step to reclaim the land with the help of a Mexican government program that assists immigrants in the U.S. who are having problems with their property back home. (Read more from this story HERE)

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