Chris Christie Will Sign ‘Dream’ Act, Calls Press ‘Obsessed’ with Lane Closure Controversy

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Photo Credit: WPVI

Photo Credit: WPVI

After being buffeted for weeks over a controversy over lane closures on the George Washington Bridge and questions of political retribution, Gov. Chris Christie attempted to change the subject — to that of immigrants and education.

Today he announced he will support the “Dream Act” which will allow undocumented immigrants who graduated high school in New Jersey to be eligible for in-state tuition rates. Today’s decision is a compromise between Christie and the Democratic-controlled state legislature.

The two sides have been feuding over the legislation, with Democrats alleging Christie supported “tuition equality” only before his landslide victory in November. He had stated his support in October at a Latino Leadership Alliance gala, but last month he said he would not support the current legislation.

Today’s compromise will remove state aid eligibility for undocumented immigrants, with Christie defending his decision not to include state financial aid eligibility in the legislation because it would make New Jersey a “magnet state for undocumented students.” At a press conference he said he expects the state senate and state assembly to pass the bill and he is owed an apology for those who said he only supported tuition equality because it could help him politically.

“This will once again be an example of New Jersey showing how you can come to a bipartisan agreement, not that we agree on everything, but that we find a way to bring people together and come to a position and benefit all the people of this state and shame on all the people, shame on all of you who accused me and others of playing politics with this issue, you were wrong,” Christie said.

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72 Percent of Americans See Big Government as Biggest Threat to Future of Country

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Photo Credit: Fox News

Photo Credit: Fox News

Gallup poll: Record 72 percent believe big government is USA’s greatest threat

By Fox News.

A new Gallup poll finds 72 percent of Americans feel big government poses a greater threat to the United States in the future than big business or big labor, a record high since the polling outfit began asking the question nearly 50 years ago.

The response suggests that far-reaching government policies, such as ObamaCare, along with recent revelations of NSA spying tactics, have helped raise concerns among Americans, the company said Wednesday.

“(The findings) may be partly a reaction to an administration that favors the use of government to solve problems,” Gallup wrote.

Big government has always topped business and labor as a concern since Gallup began asking the question in 1965, but its previous high was 65 percent in 1999 and 2000, before the Sept. 11 attacks helped rally American support for government institutions and officials.

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Record High in U.S. Say Big Government Greatest Threat

By Jeffrey M. Jones.

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Seventy-two percent of Americans say big government is a greater threat to the U.S. in the future than is big business or big labor, a record high in the nearly 50-year history of this question. The prior high for big government was 65% in 1999 and 2000. Big government has always topped big business and big labor, including in the initial asking in 1965, but just 35% named it at that time.

The latest update comes from a Dec. 5-8 poll. Gallup has documented a steady increase in concern about big government since 2009, rising from 55% in March 2009 to 64% in November 2011 and 72% today. This suggests that government policies specific to the period, such as the Affordable Care Act — perhaps coupled with recent revelations of government spying tactics by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden — may be factors.

Currently, 21% name big business as the greatest threat, while 5%, a record low, say big labor. The high point for big labor was 29% in 1965. No more than 11% of Americans have chosen big labor since 1995, clearly reflecting the decline of the labor movement in the United States in recent decades.

The historical high choosing big business, 38%, came in 2002, after a series of corporate scandals rocked major corporations including Enron and Tyco. Also at that time, Americans may have been less willing to choose government given the rally in support for government institutions and officials after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Americans were also more likely to view big business as a big threat during the recent recession, with more than three in 10 choosing it in 2008 and 2009, a time when many large corporations, including financial and automotive companies, failed or were in danger of failing without government intervention. But fewer Americans now view big business as a threat — the current 21% is the lowest Gallup has measured since 1983.

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U.S. Foresees Gas-Powered Vehicles Dominating Through 2040

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Photo Credit: epSos.de

Photo Credit: epSos.de

The Energy Department is predicting gasoline-powered vehicles will continue to dominate the market through 2040.

The Energy Information Agency said in a report Tuesday that it also predicts a big rise in the fuel economy of the nation’s cars and trucks. It predicts the fuel efficiency of the nation’s cars and trucks will rise from 21.5 mpg in 2012 to 37.2 mpg by 2040. Overall energy consumption by the nation’s transportation sector is expected to fall by about 4 percent.

The agency predicts that in 2040, 78 percent of all cars and trucks will run on gasoline, down from 82 percent last year. It predicts a big upswing in micro-hybrids and other advanced fuel technologies to 42 percent of all vehicles by 2040. EIA predicts full hybrids will account for 5 percent of vehicles in 2040 — up from 3 percent today. Diesel vehicles will double to 4 percent from the current 2 percent.

It predicts just 1 percent of total sales will be plug-in hybrids and 1 percent full electric vehicles in 2040.

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Obama Commutes Eight ‘Unduly Harsh’ Crack Cocaine Sentences

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Photo Credit: Getty Images

Photo Credit: Getty Images

President Obama today commuted the sentences of eight men and women convicted of crack cocaine offenses, each of whom has served more than 15 years in prison.

“Commuting the sentences of these eight Americans is an important step toward restoring fundamental ideals of justice and fairness,” the president said in a written statement.

The Obama administration has long pushed to change what it considers to be unduly harsh sentences issued under an outdated sentencing regime. In 2010, the president signed the bipartisan Fair Sentencing Act, which narrowed the disparity between penalties for crack and powder cocaine offenses.

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Michelle Obama: ‘Make It a Christmas Treat’ to Talk About Health Insurance (+video)

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Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Reaching out to “moms” on Wednesday, President and Mrs. Obama urged them to encourage others to enroll in Obamacare.

“And we urge people to reach out. And if they signed up their child, then signed up — sign up their friends,” Mrs. Obama said. “You know, if you’ve got grandkids, make it a Christmas treat around the table to talk about a little health care. You know, ring in the new year with a — new coverage.” (Chuckles.)

Mrs. Obama said when she thinks of Obamacare, “the words that come to mind for me are peace of mind.” She said it’s not about politics — it’s about a “safety net” to prevent medical bills from bankrupting patients.

“And as Barack said, your stories are powerful. And it’s our job as mothers to make sure that our young people are informed about, you know, their invincibility, to make sure that other moms and families out there really understand what this law provides, and that they can take advantage of it. This is the beauty of it. People have choices. They can go onto the website, they can talk to a navigator, they can learn for themselves what the law means and what it doesn’t mean.

And that’s really, really what we want people to do, is educate yourselves. Get that education. Make the choice that’s best for your family because the options are there,” she said.

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Target Security Breach Affects Up To 40M Cards

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Photo Credit: AP Photo/Phil Coale

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Phil Coale

Target’s data-security nightmare threatens to drive off holiday shoppers during the company’s busiest time of year.

The nation’s second-largest discounter acknowledged Thursday that data connected to about 40 million credit and debit card accounts was stolen as part of a breach that began over the Thanksgiving weekend.

The theft marks the second-largest credit card breach in U.S. history, exceeded only by a scam that began in 2005 involving retailer TJX Cos. and affected at least 45.7 million card users.

Target’s disclosure came a day after reports that the company was investigating a breach.

Customers who made purchases by swiping their cards at its U.S. stores between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15 may have had their accounts exposed. The stolen data included customer names, credit and debit card numbers, card expiration dates and the embedded code on the magnetic strip on back of the card, Target said.

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Chance to Help: Enlisted Soldier Faces Costly Treatments for Newborn Infant Son’s Rare Medical Condition

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Screen shot 2013-12-20 at 12.18.42 AMOur names are Jacob and Janique Camp. I am a Private First Class in the United States Army. I have served for four and a half years and gone on two deployments. In February we found out that my wife Janique was pregnant with our son Liam. It was definitely a surprise and unexpected but at the same time we were ecstatic. His due date was October 9, 2013. We also knew I had a deployment coming up leaving in April. This as you can imagine was a very stressful situation to begin with. Our first child was coming and I would be absent for pretty much the entire pregnancy. I left for deployment April 1, 2013. At 20 weeks into the pregnancy my wife went to get the first ultrasound pictures of Liam. It was at this appointment that we were notified that Liam had Gastroschesis. For those that are like me and had no idea what this is, I will explain it. 

Gastroschisis represents a congenital defect characterized by a defect in the anterior abdominal wall through which the abdominal contents freely protrude. Pretty much his intestines grew outside of his body. You can imagine how distraught we were to find out that there could be anything wrong with our baby boy. On a lighter note, we also found that this is quite common and that the procedure doesn’t have that much risk. Although it was heartening to find out this was common, it still was scary to know that my wife was having a high risk pregnancy and I was so far away.

My wife had to send two red cross messages before I was given leave to return. On September 1st, I was given return to duty station orders. It was great to be home! I couldn’t wait to start going to appointments and was 15 minutes early to my first one! We already knew that Liam was a fighter because he excelled at all the pre-birth tests with flying colors, doing even better than most normal babies. 

During the next few weeks we knew that Liam would be coming early. It is fairly common for a Gatroschisis baby to come early, so we weren’t caught totally unawares. September 17th came fast after I had gotten Screen shot 2013-12-20 at 12.19.42 AMhome. We thought that my wife was going to have to have a C-section, but she was able to have the birth naturally. Liam was born at 35 weeks old at 5lb even and 17in long. He was amazing! Came out with a full head of hair longer even than my own hair!

The procedure started well with the doctors putting all of the intestines into a silo and slowly feeding them into his body. After a few days his small intestines showed dark colors so the surgeon wanted to do an exploratory surgery the next day on September 20th. After surgery the doctor informed us that everything looked well and while she was inside, she was able to put all of his intestines in. She informed us that she would do a follow up exploratory surgery the following day to see how everything was holding up. It was after the surgery that we were given news that crushed us.

The majority of Liam’s small intestine had died during the night and the doctor had to cut out most of his small intestine, including the valve that controls food flow from the stomach. Because of his short bowel they also made a stoma that came out the side of his stomach. A stoma is a rectum they made because his body couldn’t process food through the small intestine into the large intestine. They were able to leave about 10cm of healthy bowel hooked up to blood support.

We were given grim news about his future. Their prognosis was that Liam would have to be on IV nutrition for a large part of his childhood and would also more than likely need a liver transplant because IV nutrition is so harsh on the liver. Another surgery was scheduled on October 23rd to see how the bowel that remained was doing and also to reconnect it back to the stomach. During this time, Liam was getting all of his nutrition though his IV. 

As you can imagine, no food in the belly made for a very hungry baby. The days dragged by up till the next surgery. We were spread thin with me still having to go into work and still having my wife at the hospital every morning. We only have one car and had to balance our life with Liam being in the hospital. October 23rd came and Liam went back to surgery. They found that his small intestines had grown 15cm! They gave him a broviac, which is a long term IV that goes into his chest. They also removed the stoma and reconnected all of his bowels. They were still pessimistic about his future because a normal baby has 65-80cm of healthy small intestines and he only has 25cm. He was closed back up and we were told it was time to play the waiting game. Liam started getting 1cc of milk per hour through a nasal tube and 5cc by bottle once a day. This is about a teaspoon. His bowels became swollen because of the short amount. This caused food to sit in the small intestines and not be passed though. Liam was throwing up about 5-8 times a day which was making his body rely heavily on IV nutrition.

By December the doctors were still not pleased with the progress Liam was making so they decided to do another surgery on December 10th. During this surgery he was given a nissen, which is a belt wrapped around the esophagus to reduce the amount of vomit he was having on a daily basis. He was also given a g-tube. A g-tube is a feeding tube that connects from his side into his stomach and small intestine. They expected Liam to be out of the hospital by a week after his surgery but are still waiting for him to recover.

While talking to a healthcare representative of the company that is handling this I was informed that it would cost me 1000 dollars for the installation and 80 dollars a day for his medicine. At first I thought she was mistaken because everyone knows that healthcare for the military and their family is completely covered. I called Tricare to inform them, and they told me there is a lapse in his coverage after he was enrolled. I was shocked and outraged because had Liam been born healthy, it wouldn’t have been a problem because the lapse in coverage wouldn’t have affected him. They would still cover 80% of the cost but we still had to pay 1000 dollars and 2400 dollars a month for Liam’s meds. This is more money than I make in a month. I am overwhelmed by this. No matter who I talked to, nothing could be done to help me out in this situation. So I did the only thing I knew and that was to tell my family to see if they had any ideas. Being from the military and growing up in a lower income family I have always been loath to accept any outside help for anything. But in this I know the only way I will be able to provide for my son like I should is to ask for help and have faith in my Lord.

Very Respectfully, the Camp Family.

Americans are the most caring, generous and giving people in the world. If you would like to help the Camp Family with your prayers and a financial donation, an account has been set up to receive donations in any amount. If checks are sent, 100% of the total will go to help Liam. You may also give by wire transfer.

Donation Account: For the Benefit (FOB) of Liam Camp
MVFCU #990000144570
Routing number# 325272335
Saving benefit account
1020 S. Bailey Street
Palmer, Alaska 99645
Wire transfers and checks.

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Con Man Thief Bites Starbucks Customer in the Face, Police Say

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Photo Credit: DNAinfo/Serena Solomon and NYPD

Photo Credit: DNAinfo/Serena Solomon and NYPD

A teenager pretending to gather signatures for a petition was arrested for swiping a passport and wallet from an East Village Starbucks customer — and then biting the victim in the face when confronted, police said.

Jamel Chandler, 18, approached a man in the Astor Place Starbucks at about 7 p.m. on Nov. 29 and asked him to sign a petition, according to police and the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. Chandler then placed a clipboard over the victim’s wallet, which contained a passport, credit cards and cash, to distract the victim and grab the wallet, police said.

When another customer spotted the theft and alerted the victim, the man confronted Chandler outside the store, where a scuffle between the two ended with Chandler biting the victim in the face, drawing blood, police said.

Chandler fled with the victim’s wallet, but left behind two iPhones, a hat and a shoe, according to the DA’s office.

By the time police arrested Chandler on Dec. 9, he had conned nine other people, police said.

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Phil Robertson of ‘Duck Dynasty’ Booted After Calling Homosexuality Illogical

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Photo Credit: GQ/WND

Photo Credit: GQ/WND

Hold on to your feathers.

“Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson has been suspended from his own television show after calling homosexuality illogical, while proffering his male viewpoint preferring female anatomy to that of other men.

“It seems like, to me, a vagina – as a man – would be more desirable than a man’s anus, ” says Phil Robertson. “That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”

The Arts & Entertainment Network, better known as A&E, gave Robertson the boot Wednesday after learning of his remarks.

“We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson’s comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty,” A&E said in a statement. “His personal views in no way reflect those of A&E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely.”

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Steve Stockman Campaign: For Small Donation, Receive “Official Obama Barf Bag”

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Photo Credit: Free Beacon

Photo Credit: Free Beacon

2014 Senate candidate Steve Stockman has an offer you can’t refuse: Donate $10 to his campaign and receive “the official Obama Barf Bag.”

“Dear liberty patriot, Obama’s socialism makes me sick!” Stockman’s campaign website declares. “And I have the barf bag to prove it!”

Rep. Stockman (R., Texas) promises to send donors one barf bag for every $10 they donate. The paper vomit receptacles prominently feature President Barack Obama’s face, with “NO 2” next to it.

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