WASHINGTON DC – President Barack Obama will not use the word “genocide” to describe the massacre of up to 1.5 million Armenians in his annual statement commemorating the historic atrocity later this month.

White House chief of staff Denis McDonough and deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes informed an official from the Armenian National Congress of America of the decision in a meeting at the White House on Tuesday.
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UPDATE:  Since we exposed the individual(s) and group, VSU has now issued an alert.  Apparently the group was armed during the event, and the primary agitator is to be considered “armed and dangerous”:

UPDATE #2:  Media now beginning to report on Eric Sheppard Jr and here’s a local news report showing him in a confrontation with police while lying about his threats and being armed.

There has been some professional parseltongue from the Rubio camp in response to their candidate being caught on camera pledging to retain Obama’s executive amnesty (DACA) if he were President.  They’ve even argued a “lost in translation” approach, and should be embarrassed.
However, this should clear it up for those who are following Rubio’s proposals, and calling him the “pragmatic” candidate.

(Via Breitbart) The chief spokesman for the presidential campaign of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said in an on-record interview with Breitbart News that the senator, if elected president, would not require a secured border before he gives legislative and permanent amnesty to recipients of President Barack Obama’s first executive amnesty, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“No,” Alex Conant said when asked if the border would need to be secured before a President Rubio’s legislative amnesty for recipients of Obama’s 2012 DACA would replace that executive amnesty.

Rubio intends to, if elected to the White House—as he laid out in a Spanish-language interview with Univision’s Jorge Ramos this weekend and was subsequently confirmed by Conant—eventually undo DACA. But he would not do so until there is a legislative replacement that provides the legal status—or amnesty—to DACA recipients on a permanent basis.  (read more)

For what it’s worth no candidate is proposing a solution to the problem, they each are trying to find a way to navigate through the minefield of being called “heartless” etc. (more…)

We don’t call it Marylandistan for nothing.

[…]  The mega-mosque is called the Turkish American Culture and Civilization Center and, according to the Muslim Link,  it “will likely become the largest and most striking examples of Islamic architecture in the western hemisphere” when it is finished.  The Muslim Link explicitly says it is “a project of the government of Turkey.”

(Via Right Scoop) A couple of years ago it was reported that Turkey was helping fund the building of a $100 million dollar mega mosque in Lanham, Maryland. In fact Erdogan visited the mosque when he was here in May of 2013, promising to come back for the opening.
Well that time has apparently arrived and now Erdogan and Obama will be together at the mosque for the big opening ceremony: (more…)

In December 2014 CNN ran and episode of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown  filmed in Iran.  It seemed innocuous at the time, yet as with all things Turner Broadcasting, it also seemed to be another set up for a larger political agenda item.

Was something, something important to the administration, coming on the horizon which would benefit from some pro-Iranian sentiment blasted into the U.S. psyche.   Something which might be known as a 2015 ‘Iranian Nuclear Deal’, perhaps.
Was it just happenstance that Bourdain interviewed Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi  -also a journalist- who was arrested less than two weeks after the segment was filmed.

Coincidence?

TODAY Jason Rezaian charged by Iran with: (more…)

New York Times – The book does not hit shelves until May 5, but already the Republican Rand Paul has called its findings “big news” that will “shock people” and make voters “question” the candidacy of Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich,” by Peter Schweizer — a 186-page investigation of donations made to the Clinton Foundation by foreign entities — is proving the most anticipated and feared book of a presidential cycle still in its infancy.

The book, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times, asserts that foreign entities who made payments to the Clinton Foundation and to Mr. Clinton through high speaking fees received favors from Mrs. Clinton’s State Department in return. (more…)

This could be a bigger deal that what originally appears on the surface. It’s one of those things that make other things make sense.

For several years people have wondered what would be the specific benefit to foreign entities sending millions of dollars to the Clinton Family Foundation while Hillary was Secretary of State.

Obviously most of the outside interest is directed toward inquiry and concern of a quid-pro-quo relationship between the State Dept and the donor itself.
However, HotAir shares a specific example that might actually make more sense when considering the contributions on a larger context.
The U.S. State Dept is responsible for oversight of sanctions imposed against nation states like Iran and Cuba. If an entity, individual or nation state, wanted to engage in a business deal in direct violation of those sanctions, and do business with Iran or Cuba, a direct donation to the head of the body who would be in charge of the oversight might help your efforts. (more…)

Texas Judge Hanen previously blocked execution of President Obama’s “executive action”, the DOJ now seeking to eliminate the injunction….  Hanen is well positioned to have his decision upheld.  However, like all Obama action – nothing is ever actually safe, just because the law is being followed.

(Via Associated Press) Federal appeals judges on Friday peppered lawyers on both sides with questions in a fight over President Barack Obama’s move to shield millions of immigrants from deportation.

A 5th Circuit Court of Appeals panel held a special hearing in a closely watched case that is holding up Obama’s immigration action.

A coalition of 26 states, led by Texas sued to block the plan. The hearing was on an appeal of a Texas judge’s injunction.

The Justice Department argued that Texas has no legal standing in the matter. Texas’ solicitor general countered that granting legal status to immigrants will be costly for Texas.

The judges did not rule and took the case under advisement. (more…)

Donald Joy at Clash Daily has a reasonable perspective on shooting of Walter Scott by Police Officer Michael Slager. His argument is one that many people agree with; if the State of South Carolina takes only a murder charge to trial they will lose.

As each of these types of cases surfaced we have continued to remind everyone they are not legal cases; they are political cases played out inside legal courts.

Arguably three years ago few people understood how an individual could be brought to trial without clear factual evidence of their guilt for the specific charges they were facing. That changed when the transparently innocent George Zimmerman was arrested on a murder charge -solely for political cover- on April 11th 2012.

On August 9th 2014, in the case of the Mike Brown shooting by Officer Darren Wilson, an eerily similar scenario played out again – only this time the Saint Louis Missouri prosecutor did not succumb to political pressure and allowed the grand jury to decide lawfulness or lack thereof.  The case never went to trial – the DOJ confirms there was nothing unlawful with Darren Wilson’s action during the encounter.

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