CIA Head: Al-Qaeda Has ‘Perverse and Very Corrupt Interpretation of Qur’an’ (+video)

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Photo Credit: CNSNews.com/Penny StarrAl-Qaeda’s ideology, built on “a perverse and very corrupt interpretation of the Qur’an,” resonates in many parts of the world, and is often fed by political repression, economic disenfranchisement and “lack of education and ignorance,” CIA Director John Brennan said on Tuesday.

During an event at the Council on Foreign Relations, Brennan was asked about the “war of ideas” surrounding Islam, which the questioner said many Americans tend to equate with violence.

In the course of his response Brennan said al-Qaeda has “a perverse and very corrupt interpretation of the Qur’an. One of the things that I’m struck with when I travel throughout the Middle East and I meet with leaders, military and civilian – these are individuals who are Qur’anic scholars themselves and they are the ones who are most annoyed at how al-Qaeda has hijacked their religion and how they have really distorted the teachings of Mohammed, you know, for violent purposes.”

“Now, quite unfortunately, though, that ideology, that agenda of al-Qaeda has gained resonance and following in many parts of the world,” he continued. “It’s fed a lot of times by, you know, political repression, by economic, you know, disenfranchisement, by, you know, lack of education and ignorance, so there – there are a number of phenomena right now that I think are fueling the fires of, you know, this ideology.”

Assertions of a link between Islamist terrorism and poverty or lack of education have been called into question by some research.

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Comedian Zach Galifianakis Interviews Obama: “What’s it Like to Be the Last Black President?” (+video)

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Photo Credit: darkuncle / Creative CommonsIn a bid to get young people to sign up for health care, President Barack Obama became the first sitting president in U.S. history to appear on “Between Two Ferns,” Funny or Die’s intentionally awkward interview series hosted by comedian Zach Galifianakis.

Seated between two ferns, Obama — identified on screen as “Community Organizer” — fielded interview questions he likely has never faced in the White House briefing room.

“In 2013 you pardoned the turkey,” Galifianakis began. “What do you have planned for 2014?”

“We’ll probably pardon another turkey,” the president replied. “We do that every Thanksgiving.”

The deadpanning continued from there.

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Video: Kevin Bacon Explains the ’80s to Millennials

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Photo Credit: YouTubeKevin Bacon has an important message to share — about ’80s awareness.

The actor filmed a faux public service announcement for Mashable, in which he drops knowledge about the decade for those who might not remember it.

“Awareness of ’80s culture and technology has been in a significant decline,” he says in the clip. “Especially among a certain demographic — I’m talking to you, Millennials.”

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Barber Shop Refuses Customers Who Smell Like Pot (+video)

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Photo Credit: CBSA barber shop in Greeley refuses service to people who smell like marijuana.

The owner of Hugo’s Barber Shop said he felt he had to step in when it got bad.

“I feel that it’s my right to make the statement. It’s the same thing as no shoes no service,” said shop owner Hugo Corral.

His policy has to do with people who come in reeking of marijuana.

Corral said he has no problem with those who chose to use marijuana and even calls himself a supporter of the industry.

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Cheney: ‘No Question’ Putin Believes Obama is Weak (+video)

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Photo Credit: Evan Vucci/APFormer Vice-President Dick Cheney said Sunday there is “no question” Russian President Vladimir Putin believes President Obama is weak. In response to Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, he said, there are steps the U.S. could take to send a “strong signal” to European friends and allies that America honors its commitments.

“I think there’s any – no question he believes he is weak,” Cheney said in response to a question on CBS’ “Face The Nation” about Putin’s assessment of Obama.

“We have created an image around the world, not just for the Russians, of – of weakness and indecisive – the Syrian situation’s a classic. We got all ready to do something, a lot of the allies signed on. At the last minute, Obama backed off.”

Cheney was referring to the state of affairs last fall, when Obama threatened punitive military strikes in Syria in response to a deadly August chemical attack blamed on the Assad regime. Struggling to win congressional support, Obama backed away from the threat after Russia mediated a deal to have Damascus hand over its chemical weapons stockpile for destruction.

Cheney also cited Obama’s “reset policy” with Russia, and his decision to shift course in 2009 on a ballistic missile defense (BMD) program strongly opposed by Moscow.

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Video: Saturday Night Live: Obama Summons Liam Neeson to Talk Tough to Putin

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Photo Credit: NBCActor Liam Neeson appeared on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend to help Jay Pharoah’s Barack Obama issue a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin over his latest actions in Ukraine.

“Recently I got a very disturbing call,” Neeson said. “Crimea had been taken. I hate it when things are taken.”

The actor then issued a warning to the Russian president.

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Rand Paul Wins 2014 CPAC Straw Poll

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YouTubeBy Seth McLaughlin and Stephen Dinan

Sen. Rand Paul demolished his competition in the 2014 Washington Times/CPAC presidential preference straw poll on Saturday, winning 31 percent of the vote — nearly three times the total of second-place Sen. Ted Cruz.

The poll also found a strong plurality of attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference believe marijuana should be fully legalized, with 41 percent saying it’s time to change the law and tax it. Another 21 percent said it should be legalized only for medicinal purposes, while just 31 percent said it should remain illegal in all cases.

In the presidential poll, Mr. Cruz’s 11 percent was a big improvement for the freshman senator, who won just 4 percent in last year’s straw poll. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson was third with 9 percent and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was fourth with 8 percent in results that signal growing discontent with the GOP establishment in Washington.

Indeed, CPAC voters now have an unfavorable view of Republicans in Congress, with 51 percent saying they disapprove of the job the GOP is doing on Capitol Hill. Just last year the GOP had a 54 percent approval rating, and in 2012 they held a 70 percent approval rating.

But a series of tough votes over the last few months that saw Republican leaders work with President Obama to boost spending and raised the government’s debt limit have deepened a rift between the GOP’s leadership on Capitol Hill and conservative activists around the country.

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Rand Paul: Obama is Shredding the Constitution

By Cathy Burke

Sen. Rand Paul gave full voice to his libertarian principles Friday, telling a cheering Conservative Political Action Conference crowd “our freedom is in our DNA and in our founding document,” and urging young “liberty lovers” to “stand and be heard.”

The Kentucky Republican’s speech focused on personal freedom, the Fourth Amendment, and constitutional rights that he charged were being “shredded” by the Obama administration.

“Imagine when the White House is again occupied by a friend of liberty,” he said.

“You may think I’m talking about electing Republicans. I’m not … It isn’t good enough to pick the lesser of two evils, we need men and women of principle, conviction and action.”

Paul declared there was “a battle for the future of the entire country,” reminding conservatives that the the Fourth Amendment — prohibiting searches and seizures without probable cause — is as important as the Second Amendment, guaranteeing the right to bear arms.

“Will you, America’s next generation of liberty lovers, will you stand and be heard?” he asked to applause and whistles.

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Stolen Passports Add Questions to Missing Flight Search

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Photo Credit: BJÖRN WYLEZICH
By CBS News.

Foreign ministry officials in Rome and Vienna confirmed Saturday that names of two nationals listed on the manifest of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight match passports reported stolen in Thailand.

Also Saturday, Vietnamese air force planes spotted two large oil slicks close to where the Boeing 777 went missing earlier in the day, the first sign that the aircraft carrying 239 people had crashed.

Neither European was on the plane, which disappeared less than an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing, officials said. The Italian was traveling in Thailand and the Austrian was located in his native country.

In Washington, CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports that U.S. officials were aware of reports about the stolen passports but so far haven’t determined any nexus to terrorism.

The officials said it’s still very early in the investigation and at this point they were not aware of any threat streams connected to the event, Orr reports.

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Photo Credit: CNNSearch intensifies for Malaysian airliner and 239 people, rescue ships head to sea

By Tom Watkins and Chelsea J. Carter.

Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared Saturday after air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane, the airline said.

“At the moment we have no idea where this aircraft is right now,” Malaysia Airlines Vice President of Operations Control Fuad Sharuji said on CNN’s “AC360.”

Subang Air Traffic Control lost contact with Flight MH370 at about 2:40 a.m. local time (1:40 p.m. ET Friday), Sharuji said.

“We tried to call this aircraft through various means,” he said. The airline checked reports that the jet had landed in several places, but determined that none of the reports was true, he said.

The Boeing 777-200 departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 12:41 a.m. and was expected to land in Beijing at 6:30 a.m., a 2,300-mile (3,700 kilometer) trip. It was carrying 227 passengers, two of them infants, and 12 crew members, the airline said.

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Dinesh D’Souza’s New Film Trailer for ‘America’ the Movie Released

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“America” The MovieFilmmaker Dinesh D’Souza said he is innocent of campaign finance fraud charges — and criticized President Barack Obama’s leadership, during a dramatic appearance at Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday.

“I’ve pleaded not guilty. And yes, I’m innocent,” D’Souza told Business Insider in an interview at CPAC where he made a keynote address.

Addressing an audience of 3,500, D’Souza tore into President Barack Obama.

He said the Democratic commander-in-chief was turning into the type of leader D’Souza warned of in his award-winning 2012 documentary, “2016: Obama’s America.”

Meanwhile, D’Souza unveiled a new trailer for his upcoming movie, “America,” which is based on the premise that the United States lost the Revolutionary War.

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U.S. Justice Dept. Sues Philly School District Over Beard-Length Rule (+video)

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Photo Credit: James Alby / flickrThe U.S. Department of Justice has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the School District of Philadelphia, claiming a rule regulating the length of employees’ beards constitutes religious discrimination.

According to the suit filed Wednesday, the district in October 2010 instituted a new grooming policy preventing school police officers and security guards from having beards longer than a quarter of an inch.

School police officer Siddiq Abu-Bakr maintained an untrimmed beard for the 27 years he worked at the district, the suit states. Abu-Bakr is a member of the Islamic faith, which he says requires that he not cut his beard.

When Abu-Bakr notified his supervisor his religious beliefs precluded him from complying with the new policy, he was allegedly issued a written reprimand cautioning that continued violation of the rule would result in “further disciplinary action.”

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