Jeb Bush: We Need to Dramatically Expand Immigrants Coming to Work (+video)

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By Pam Key. Wednesday at the Detroit Economic Club, former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) said to “create high, sustained economic growth,” we need to “dramatically expand immigrants that are coming to work.”

Bush said, “It seems to me we ought to be strategic about this about how do we create high, sustained economic growth. And that is to shift away from family reunification being almost the sole driver of illegal immigration to narrowing that do what every other country has, spouse and minor children. And dramatically expanding immigrants that are coming to work. A guest worker program to deal in the areas where there are shortages.”

(Read more about Bush saying we need to expand immigrants coming to work HERE)

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Jeb Bush: Opportunity Gap is ‘Defining Issue of Our Time’

By Benjy Sarlin. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush called America’s opportunity gap “the defining issue of our time” Wednesday in Detroit, where he delivered one of his first major speeches since announcing in December that he may run for president.

Speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, Bush took aim at the slow pace of economic recovery since the 2008 financial crisis. “More Americans are stuck at their income levels than ever before,” Bush said.

He blamed Washington politicians for not understanding the needs of millions around the country still looking for work. Bush took aim at what he called a federal bureaucracy that creates a “spider web that traps people in perpetual dependence” on government. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Creationist Leader Slams Cruise Ship Super Bowl Commercial for Promoting Mindless Evolution (+video)

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As usual, Super Bowl commercials caught a fair bit of attention this year, though there was one spot in particular for Carnival Cruise Lines that sparked an evolution debate after catching the attention of creationist leader Ken Ham, founder of the Answers in Genesis ministry, who accused the company of “blatantly using evolution” to advertise its cruises during the big game.

The commercial, which featured a portion of one of President John F. Kennedy’s speeches from 1962, focused on peoples’ supposedly inherent connection to the sea. Images of ships and the ocean were shown as Kennedy’s voiceover described a connection between human beings and water.

“I really don’t know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it’s because in addition to the fact that the sea changes and the light changes, and ships change, it’s because we all came from the sea,” Kennedy said. “And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it we are going back from whence we came.”

It was these words that led Ham to critique the company for purportedly promoting evolution, as he was heavily critical of the supposed themes presented in the spot.

“Don’t you just feel this ‘personal connection?’ After all, your ancestor came out of the sea and evolved by natural processes to produce you. Don’t you feel the connection?” Ham wrote on his Answers in Genesis blog. “Don’t you just want to go on one of their cruises so you can stand on the deck of a big cruise ship, look at the sea, and contemplate your accidental beginnings — and perhaps worship the sea, because it gave birth to you!” (Read more about what the creationist leader said HERE)

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Watch: Seahawks Wide Receiver’s Rude Gesture After Touchdown Not Aired at Super Bowl

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Photo Credit: CBS News. By CBS News. Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin is staying tight-lipped about his end zone celebration following a touchdown catch in Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday.

After the former Stanford University wideout caught a touchdown pass in the third quarter against the New England Patriots, he stood over the ball on the ground and made a motion that resembled pulling down his pants, before squatting over the ball.

Baldwin’s entire celebration was not seen by the NBC television audience as the network cut away from Baldwin as he began his pants-pulling motion. His antics earned Seattle a penalty flag for excessive celebration.

(Read more about the Seahawks Wide Receiver’s gesture HERE)

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Tom Brady Gives MVP Truck to Malcolm Butler

By CBS News. Tom Brady won his fourth Lombardi Trophy and third Super Bowl MVP award Sunday night.

But he wouldn’t have accomplished that without a clutch interception by undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler, who picked off Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson at the New England one-yard line with just seconds remaining in Super Bow XLIX to seal the victory for the Patriots.

“I think there are a lot of people who are very deserving of this award,” Brady said Monday morning in Arizona as he collected his latest MVP trophy.

As MVP, Brady also received a shiny new Chevy truck. While he didn’t hand his MVP trophy to Butler, the quarterback is doing the next best thing: He’s giving him the truck.

Butler was not one of the 256 players drafted into the NFL last May, and earned his spot on the Patriots with an impressive rookie camp and preseason. While fans didn’t see much of Butler during the regular season, he was no stranger to Brady, constantly plucking the quarterback’s passes from the sky. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Heart and Sole: Man Walks 21 Miles in Work Commute (+video)

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Photo Credit: Detroit Free Press By Bill Laitner. Leaving home in Detroit at 8 a.m., James Robertson doesn’t look like an endurance athlete.

Pudgy of form, shod in heavy work boots, Robertson trudges almost haltingly as he starts another workday.

But as he steps out into the cold, Robertson, 56, is steeled for an Olympic-sized commute. Getting to and from his factory job 23 miles away in Rochester Hills, he’ll take a bus partway there and partway home. And he’ll also walk an astounding 21 miles.

Five days a week. Monday through Friday.

It’s the life Robertson has led for the last decade, ever since his 1988 Honda Accord quit on him.

Every trip is an ordeal of mental and physical toughness for this soft-spoken man with a perfect attendance record at work. And every day is a tribute to how much he cares about his job, his boss and his coworkers. Robertson’s daunting walks and bus rides, in all kinds of weather, also reflect the challenges some metro Detroiters face in getting to work in a region of limited bus service, and where car ownership is priced beyond the reach of many. (Read more about how the man walks 21 miles for work HERE)

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Strangers Raise $40,000 for Man Who Walks 21 Miles Per Day for Work

By Jared Keever. It wasn’t even planned, but it took less than a day.

Less than 24 hours after the Detroit Free Press ran a story about 56-year-old James Robertson and his grueling 21-mile roundtrip walking commute, people, moved by his story, have banded to together to raise money to help Robertson with his long, and sometimes frigid, commute.

The original story ran Sunday morning. By that evening 19-year-old Evan Leedy, a student at nearby Wayne State University, had set up a GoFundMe site with a modest $5,000 goal to help Robertson buy a car.

“I just used my phone. I created the go-funding site and within an hour we had $2,000,” Leedy told the Detroit Free Press in a follow-up story.

By the time the story went to press, the site had raised $30,000. It has now raised more than $40,000. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Watch: Rand Paul ‘Shushes’ Anchor During Interview

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By Hadas Gold. Sen. Rand Paul reproached CNBC anchor Kelly Evans on Monday afternoon for what he said was a “slanted” interview that got no “useful information.”

Evans asked Paul about his comments on how vaccines should be a choice and about a Washington Post article that reported Paul appointed his own family members to a medical board he started.

“You have taken an interview and you’ve made an interview into something where we got no useful information because you were argumentative and you started out with so many preoppositions [sic] that were incorrect,” Paul said after Evans asked whether Paul had a response to the Washington Post piece.

(Read more about what Paul did to the anchor during interview HERE)

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Rand Paul Gets Booster Vaccination to Prove He Believes They are Safe

By Jeremy W. Peters. Senator Rand Paul, facing a backlash over his comments that cast doubt on whether he believes vaccines can pose a health risk to children, asserted on Tuesday that he believes vaccinations are indeed safe and that all parents should have their children inoculated.

To prove his point, Mr. Paul invited a reporter with him to watch him get his booster vaccination for Hepatitis A.

“It just annoys me that I’m being characterized as someone who’s against vaccines,” Mr. Paul said as he settled into a chair in an examination room in the Capitol physician’s office. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Scott Walker: This is What Americans Think of When They Hear the Name ‘Hillary Clinton’ (+video)

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Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was on ABC’s This Week, and talked about why he thinks Hillary Clinton should not be the next president.

Guest host Martha Raddatz asked Walker what he thought was the best case against electing the Democratic frontrunner:

I think former Secretary of State Clinton embodies all the things that we think of Washington.

She lives here, she worked here, she’s part of the Washington structure for years, not just as a Democrat but across the spectrum. I think Washington represents the top-down, government-knows-best, go-along-to-get-along mentality.

Clinton lived in D.C. when she was First Lady from 1993 until 2001, as well as when she was a senator from 2001 to 2009, and then as Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. (Read more about what Scott Walker said HERE)

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Texas Declares “Chris Kyle Day” While Medal of Honor Petition for Kyle Gains Steam (+video)

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By Fox News. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared Feb. 2 as “Chris Kyle Day” in his state, honoring the late sniper as a petition drive also gets underway to consider him for the Medal of Honor.

Kyle, considered to be the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history, is the subject of the blockbuster film “American Sniper.”

Though the movie has been controversial, Abbott told Fox News he decided to honor Kyle because “he’s an American hero” . . .

Meanwhile, White House petitions have been launched calling for Kyle to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

One of them states he should be awarded, posthumously, “For his four tours to Iraq which saved hundreds and possibly thousands of US soldiers lives.” (Read more about Chris Kyle Day and the petition HERE)

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‘American Sniper’ Breaks More Records on Anniversary of Chris Kyle’s Death

By Maria Mercedes Lara. American Sniper has once again come out on top at the box office, bringing in a record-breaking $31.9 million over Super Bowl weekend. But the film’s latest success comes at a bittersweet time as Monday marks the two-year anniversary of Chris Kyle’s death.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has declared Feb. 2 as “Chris Kyle Day,” honoring the Navy SEAL whose story inspired the film that has become the highest-grossing war-themed movie ever. (American Sniper has already brought in $248.9 million in six weeks, beating out previous record-holder Saving Private Ryan.)

Kyle was famously killed in 2013 while he was mentoring Eddie Ray Routh, a troubled vet, at a gun range. Routh was charged with Kyle’s murder and will stand trial on Feb. 11. His attorney told PEOPLE in January that Routh will plead not guilty by reason of insanity.

Meanwhile, the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation has set aside Feb. 2 to remember Kyle, writing that he was “an inspiration to many as he lived his values by God, Country and Family.” (Read more from this story HERE)

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Rand Paul: Vaccines Can Lead to ‘Mental Disorders’ (+video)

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Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said that while “vaccines are one of the greatest medical breakthroughs that we had,” he claims he has heard of children who got mental disorders from vaccines on Monday’s “Closing Bell” on CNBC.

“I think vaccines are one of the greatest medical breakthroughs that we had. I’m a big fan and a great fan of the history of the development of the smallpox vaccine, for example, but for most of our history they have been voluntary. So, I don’t think I’m arguing for anything out of the ordinary, we’re arguing for what most of our history has had” he said.

“I think public awareness of how good vaccines are for kids and how they are good for public health is a great idea, we just appointed a Surgeon General,” he continued. “These are some of the things that are things that we should promote as good for our health, but I don’t think there’s anything extraordinary about resorting to freedom.

“I’ll give you a good example, the Hepatitis B vaccine is now given to newborns. We sometimes give five and six vaccines all at one time. I chose to have my delayed. I don’t want my government telling me that I have to give my new newborn the Hepatitis B vaccine, which is transmitted by sexually transmitted disease and/or blood transfusions… so I had mine staggered over several months. I’ve heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines. I’m not arguing vaccines are a bad idea, I think they’re a good thing, but I think the parent should have some input. The state doesn’t own your children. Parents own the children and it is an issue of freedom.”

The discussion then turned to Paul’s proposed tax holiday that would allow companies who earn money overseas to bring it back to the US at a one-time corporate rate of 6.5 percent. (Read more about Rand Paul said HERE)

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Watch: How to Pay For Food From McDonalds With ‘Love’

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[As advertised during the Super Bowl,] McDonald’s is gearing up for a new promotion that will have you lovin’ it even more.

From February 2 through Valentine’s Day, participating locations will allow certain customers chosen at random to pay with lovin’ – that includes selfies, highfives, hugs and just about anything else you can think of without crossing any inappropriate lines.

A spokeswoman explained, “We want to thank our customers for making our day and hopefully they will make someone else’s as well – that’s what Lovin’ is all about.”

(Read more about the payment of love for food from McDonalds HERE)

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Tom Brady: Team Chaplain One of the Main Reasons for This Season’s Success (+video)

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Photo Credit: Ijreview By Eric Scheiner. According to ESPN.com, Jack Easterby is treated a little different than most team chaplains. “The typical team chaplain is a pastor at a local church who volunteers to host Saturday chapel for 10 or so players who attend and is compensated with cash in a collection plate. In New England, Easterby has an office — and it’s near (Coach Bill) Belichick’s. He is a classic Belichick hire: The more he can do, the more he does. He hosts Bible study, works coaches’ hours in his office counseling players and their wives, throws passes in practice to Darrelle Revis and sometimes even jumps in on scout-team drills. When he’s not listening, he’s texting. When he’s not texting, he’s writing players and coaches individual notes, recapping their personal goals and reminding them of how thankful he is to know them.”

“The Patriots, since his hire, say they are not the same, no matter what happens in Super Bowl XLIX and no matter the result of Ted Wells’ investigation into whether the team illegally deflated footballs in the AFC championship game. Owner Robert Kraft calls Easterby a ‘wonderful individual,’ and (Tom) Brady has told friends Easterby is one of the main reasons for the Patriots’ success this past year. Safety Devin McCourty calls him ‘a godsend to this team’ who has ‘helped create better men.'”

(Read more about what Tom Brady said HERE)

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Seahawks Quarterback: I Became a Christian After Jesus Visited Me in a Dream (+videos)

By Michael Gryboski. Russell Wilson, a native of Richmond, Va., who quarterbacks for the Seattle Seahawks, explained in a recent video about his religious background and spiritual decision. (Read more from this story HERE).

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