German Officer to Serve as U.S. Army Europe's Chief of Staff

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Photo Credit: U.S. Army Europe

Photo Credit: U.S. Army Europe

A German Army brigadier general who recently served with NATO forces in Afghanistan is assuming duties as the chief of staff of U. S. Army Europe, the first time a non-American officer has held that position.

Brig. Gen. Markus Laubenthal, most recently the commander of Germany’s 12th Panzer Brigade in Amberg, and chief of staff of Regional Command North, International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan, will be stationed at USAREUR headquarters, Wiesbaden, Germany. He could report to duty as early as Monday.

Laubenthal also has served as military assistant to the deputy commander of operations and assistant chief of staff of operations for NATO forces in Kosovo.

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Feds Accept Boredom, Lack of Work as Excuses for Surfing Porn On Clock

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Photo Credit: J. Scott Applewhite

Photo Credit: J. Scott Applewhite

For one Federal Communications Commission worker, his porn habit at work was easy to explain: Things were slow, he told investigators, so he perused it “out of boredom” — for up to eight hours each week.

Lack of work has emerged time and again in federal investigations, and it’s not just porn, nor is it confined to the FCC. Across government, employees caught wasting time at work say they simply didn’t have enough work to do, according to investigation records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

“He stated he is aware it is against government rules and regulations, but he often does not have enough work to do and has free time,” investigators wrote of another federal employee, this one at the Treasury Department, who viewed more than 13,000 pornographic images in a six-week span.

Investigations at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Commerce Department and the General Services Administration have turned up similar cases, though memos show the employees rarely face criminal prosecution for time and attendance fraud.

A spokesman for the FCC declined to comment on what, if any, action the agency took after the FCC’s inspector general singled out the eight-hour-a-week porn peeper.

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Federal Judge Dismisses Alaska's Lawsuit Over Refuge Closure During Government Shutdown

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Photo Credit: blmiers2 / Creative Commons

Photo Credit: blmiers2 / Creative Commons

A federal judge has dismissed the state’s lawsuit over the closure of national wildlife refuges during the partial federal government shutdown last year.

U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason called case moot.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service restricted access to refuges nationwide during the 16-day shutdown last October. The state sued as Congress was poised to pass legislation to end the shutdown.

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Boehner Tries To Resuscitate Dying Border Bill

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

In the Speaker’s lobby just off the House floor, members of Congress were full of recriminations over how the border bill had just died—until it sprang back to life.

Now they have emerged from a last minute conference meeting vowing to “stay until we vote” and planning another meeting for tomorrow morning at 9:00 am, although it’s unclear what changes either to the legislative package or the support for the current one will occur in the meantime.

Inside the meeting, Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID) vowed that if need be, he would miss his son’s upcoming wedding to stay in Washington to pass the bill.

But other lawmakers were punchy.

“Well, let’s see, I’ve been bitching about this for, what, 15 months? Democrats wants the votes and Republicans want cheap labor. They didn’t want to do anything with it, now they’re going to wait until the last minute? You know, I have a forum I’m supposed to be at, I can’t be, on this very subject,” Michigan Rep. Kerry Bentivolio said.

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Bankrupt California City Eyes Marijuana for Revenue

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Photo Credit: Reuters

Photo Credit: Reuters

The bankrupt California city of San Bernardino has a new idea for raising revenue – legalize medical marijuana, and tax the pot.

Ironically, the plan was spurred by concerns about not having enough resources to crack down on the illegal medical marijuana dealers springing up all over town.

So the city is now looking at legalizing the sellers, and using the proceeds to enforce the regulations.

It’s not quite “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” but like many municipalities in California today, San Bernardino is recognizing that it could be bringing millions of dollars into its foundering coffers each year if it opened its doors to regulated medical marijuana dispensaries. And it would be able to have a say in who operates these places, as well as how and where.

“This is a no-brainer,” said Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies at the Marijuana Policy Project in California. “More and more people are realizing that you’d really have to be in the Stone Age to oppose this.”

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Ohio Sheriff Sends Mexico $900,000 Bill for Jailing Illegals

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By Fox News.

An Ohio sheriff on Tuesday sent an ‘Open Letter’ to Mexico’s president requesting $900,000 for “dealing with your criminals.”

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones sent the letter to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto requesting repayment for the 3,000 Mexican nationals arrested in his county over the past ten years. It was rough math, but he wants to charge Mexico for their jail time, which he figured was about five days, on average.

He indicated that the figure could be much higher when you take in the legal fees and social services afforded these criminals.

Read more from this story HERE.

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Photo Credit: Fox News

Photo Credit: Fox News

Report Reveals ‘Disturbing Trend’ of Brazen Attacks Against Border Security by Gangs, Drug and Human Traffickers

By Jana Winter.

A game warden hit in the head with a rock while trying to seize a raft. Police officers wounded in an hours-long standoff with a gang member wanted for murder. Criminals spewing obscenities and death threats at local cops before asking for – and receiving – medical treatment.

And that was just last week.

A weekly report distributed by a Texas state agency to senior law enforcement officials paints a grim picture of the Mexican border, where authorities regularly confront illegal immigrant gang members and draw automatic gunfire from across the Rio Grande, and where local, state and federal authorities fight a never-ending battle against drug smugglers.

The most recent Border Operations Sector Assessment report compiled by the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Border Security Operations Center, dated July 25 and obtained by FoxNews.com, details local and federal authorities encountering smugglers carrying millions of dollars’ worth of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine, some of which was found in vehicles filled with biblical passages and religious items; federal agents being assaulted and shot at; gang members brazenly approaching people in their homes; and ranch workers witnessing men crossing into the U.S. wearing camouflage and carrying long guns and automatic weapons.

“In recent weeks the traffic appears to have slowed slightly, yet assaults on law enforcement have increased. This is a disturbing trend that needs to be addressed,” Chris Cabrera, vice president of the National Border Patrol Union, Rio Grande Valley Sector, told FoxNews.com.

Read more from this story HERE.

House Approves Lawsuit Against Obama Over Alleged Abuse Of Executive Power

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Photo Credit: Fox News

Photo Credit: Fox News

By Fox News.

The House on Wednesday approved a highly contentious lawsuit against President Obama over his alleged abuse of executive power, teeing up an election-year legal battle sure to spill onto the midterm campaign trail.

The House backed the lawsuit resolution on a vote of 225-201, with all Democrats opposed.

Republicans say the lawsuit is necessary to keep the president in constitutional check, after he allegedly exceeded his authority with unilateral changes to the Affordable Care Act.

Democrats branded the effort a political charade aimed at stirring up GOP voters for this fall’s congressional elections. They also said it’s an effort by top Republicans to mollify conservatives who want Obama to be impeached — something House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he has no plans to do.

“We have no plans to impeach the president. We have no future plans. Listen, it’s all a scam, started by Democrats at the White House,” Boehner said Tuesday.

Following the vote, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden issued a statement saying, “President Obama swore an oath to uphold the Constitution—an oath he has not fully lived up to. Today, the House took an important step to defend the Constitution and hold the president accountable.”

Read more from this story HERE.

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‘Stop Hatin’ All the Time’ : Obama Slams GOP Lawsuit Vote

By Carrie Dann / NBC.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday continued to slam Republicans for moving to sue him over his use of executive actions, calling the move a “political stunt” and urging Congress to “stop hatin’ all the time.”

“They have announced that they are going to sue me for taking executive actions to help people,” he said during an event in Kansas City. “They’re mad because I’m doing my job.”

Calling the vote a waste of valuable taxpayer dollars, Obama said Republicans are also taking time away from important legislation they should be addressing.

“Stop being mad all the time,” he said of Republicans, chuckling. “Stop just hatin’ all the time. Let’s get some work done.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Knock, Knock. Who’s There? Heavily Armed Agents Here to Seize Your Car. Who Are You With? The EPA.

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The Environmental Protection Agency is getting tired of the boring dregs of ‘protecting endangered darter snails’ and is finally spreading its wings.

The “new-look” EPA is complete with a heavily armed SWAT team that conducts commando-style raids on Alaskan spas and even has a DHS task force that seizes unauthorized land rovers for violating emissions standards. Umm, awesome?

Read more from this story HERE.

Lerner Emails: Conservative 'Crazies' and 'A–holes' will 'Take Down' America

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By Guy Benson.

Lois Lerner — faithful, impartial public servant:

BtzUmO-IgAAsW1H

That screen grab comes from an email exchange between retired IRS official Lois Lerner and a colleague just after the 2012 election. Ms. Lerner describes overhearing some women discussing the state of the nation in dire terms, prompting her correspondent to blast “whacko” and “scary” right-wing radio shows. Lerner posits that America may be “through” if “that many a–holes” exist, later adding that the US shouldn’t worry about foreign terrorists because “our own crazies” will “take us down.” Granted, certain quarters of the conservative radio universe are too conspiratorial and apocalyptic for many people’s taste. But the same holds true at the other end of the ideological spectrum. Lerner and her friend weren’t talking about the Left, though. They were hand-wringing over, and insulting, conservatives — whom Lerner clearly despises…

Read more from this story HERE.

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Photo Credit: REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst

Photo Credit: REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst

Lois Lerner Called Conservatives ‘A–holes,’ Fantasized About Working At Obama Group

By Chuck Ross.

New emails released by the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday provide more evidence that ex-IRS official Lois Lerner is not fond of conservatives.

“So we don’t need to worry about teRroists [sic]. It’s our own crazies that will take us down,” Lerner wrote in a Nov. 9, 2012 email exchange with an IRS colleague.

Ways and Means Committee chairman Dave Camp revealed the emails in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder.

Lerner’s disdain for the right is central to an investigation into whether she targeted conservative groups who were seeking tax-exempt status. Republicans have accused the former director of the IRS’s exempt organizations division of possible criminal wrongdoing in targeting the groups.

“This email shows that Ms. Lerner’s mistreatment of conservative groups was driven by her personal hostility toward conservatives,” Camp wrote.

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Geraldo Rivera: Matt Drudge ‘Doing His Best to Stir Up a Civil War’

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Fox News host Geraldo Rivera has accused conservative blogger Matt Drudge of trying to inflame conservatives and “stir up a civil war,” due to his website’s aggressive coverage of the border crisis.

“Shame on Drudge,” Mr. Rivera tweeted Wednesday morning. “His authoritative website has gone hysterical on issue of immigrant children. 14 stories like ‘Could Ebola sneak across?’”

Mediaite reports that the top 15 stories linked Wednesday morning on DrudgeReport.com were about U.S. immigration policy, while another eight were dedicated to Ebola.

Read more from this story HERE.