REDLINE || Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Thursday, May 28, 2015​

Good morning! In the news today: Sidney Blumenthal was on the Clinton Foundation payroll while advising Hillary at State; U.S. pilots hamstrung in ISIS fight; five Republicans tied for lead; brutal heat wave continues in India; and California’s water shortage offers hope for the GOP.

Have a great day.

Keith

 

Blumenthal paid $10K per month by Clinton Foundation . . . Even as he advised Hillary on Libya. Some officials at the charity grumbled that his hiring was a favor from the Clintons. Politico

Enter Sidney’s son Max! . . . Left-wing writer Max Blumenthal helped inspire Hillary Clinton’s debunked talking point that an obscure YouTube movie called “Innocence of Muslims” was responsible for the deadly terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya in 2012. Daily Caller

Oh God. I wasn’t aware Blumenthal had reproduced himself.

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White House excuse for Ramadi: Lack of diversity . . . White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest Tuesday exculpated Obama’s Iraq strategy and instead blamed Iraqi leaders’ failure to integrate their armed forces for the dramatic loss of Ramadi to ISIS. White House Dossier

Obamaphone may expand into Obamanet . . . Conservatives have reserved their worst epithet for the Lifeline program, which provides discounted phone service to low-income families: “Obamaphone.” Now, the FCC’s Democratic majority wants to broaden the program to pay for Internet service to give more people access to broadband and close the nation’s “digital divide.” Politico

It’s finally time for guilt-free desserts . . . Learn how to make desserts that are not only irresistibly delicious, but good for you too. Click Here!

Insurers outraged over measure to cap Medicaid costs . . . Insurers are livid that the federal government may tell them how to spend their revenue. The rule recommends that 85 percent of a payment from a state to an insurer must be used to cover a medical claim and 15 percent on administrative costs. Washington Examiner​

You may soon need a license for that puddle . . . The administration announced rules Wednesday to grant federal agencies sweeping environmental oversight over wetlands, ponds and even some ditches in a move supporters said will clean up dirty waters but which critics said was a capstone power grab for a lame-duck president. Washington Times

Immigration ruling appeal won’t got to Supreme Court yet . . . The Department of Justice on Wednesday said it will not make an emergency request to the Supreme Court to lift an order blocking President Obama’s executive action on immigration. Instead, the administration will focus on the appeal of the injunction itself at the 5th Circuit, which is expected to proceed in July. The Hill

Obama Schedule || Thursday, May 28, 2015

U.S. pilots say hands tied in fighting ISIS . . . U.S. military pilots carrying out the air war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria are voicing growing discontent over what they say are heavy-handed rules of engagement hindering them from striking targets. Fox News

Ah, what a lovely, limited war. I mean, it wouldn’t be fair to fight ISIS with all our might, would it?

U.S. toughens stance against China . . . By releasing video of Beijing’s island reclamation work and considering more assertive maritime actions, the United States is signaling a tougher stance over the South China Sea and trying to spur Asian partners to more action. Reuters

China: U.S. threatening “chaos” . . . China accused the United States on Thursday of threatening to sow “chaos” in the Asia-Pacific region by inciting countries whose territorial claims in the South China Sea clash with those of Beijing. AFP

 

 

Top Ten “consulting” services offered by Bill Clinton . . . Bill Clinton established a secret company through which he funneled secret earnings that the Clintons tried to keep secret. The work was for “consulting.” I sent a team of reporters to find out just what kind of consulting advice Bill Clinton was offering to his well-heeled corporate clients. Here, for you, are the top ten. White House Dossier

Video || Hillary’s hair color advantage . . . Here’s Hillary discussing why she won’t go grey, like the rest of the presidents, from the stress of the job. White House Dossier

Five Republicans tied for top . . . Five White House hopefuls are tied atop the Republican nomination race, a national poll released Thursday showed, making it anyone’s guess who will battle likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016. AFP

Jeb’s corporate board problem . . . During his transition from Florida governor to likely presidential candidate, Jeb Bush served on the boards or as an adviser to at least 15 companies and nonprofits, a dizzying array of corporate connections that earned him millions of dollars and occasional headaches. Experts question how anyone could serve so many boards at once effectively. Associated Press

GOP candidates retreat on gay marriage . . . The GOP field of announced and presumed 2016 candidates remains unanimously opposed to same-sex marriage. But in interviews and public comments, their approach quietly departs from the party’s longstanding position that government-sanctioned marriage, and corresponding benefits, should be reserved for traditional unions of one man and one woman. Washington Examiner

Santorum announces populist campaign, banks on Iowa . . . Rick Santorum, who won Iowa by 34 votes in the 2012 GOP presidential primary race — with about 25% of caucus goers — is looking for lightning to strike twice, in the same spot. CNN

Pataki jumps in, posts a video.

Dems: Sanders worse threat than Hillary . . . Sanders’ liberal stances make him well-positioned to inherit the Ready for Warren constituency.Politico

Labor knocking heads on trade bill . . . The AFL-CIO was blunt in the call that went out to Rep. Scott Peters, a Democrat who represents San Diego: Vote yes on fast-track authority and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, people familiar with the conversation recall, and they’d spend a million dollars to knock him out in next year’s primary. If he managed to win, they’d drop another million against him in the general election. Politico

Rivals lash Paul on security . . . Republican presidential contenders are beginning to go after Rand Paul, sensing that the Kentucky senator’s national security positions could become a liability with GOP primary voters. The Hill

Cruz, Lee propose school choice bill . . . As Congress considers reauthorization of the bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act, Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) want to expand school choice by allowing low-income parents the opportunity to send their children to any public or private school of their choice. CNS News

 

 

Indian heat wave death toll soars to 1,400 . . . Eating onions, lying in the shade and crowding into rivers, Indians were doing whatever they could Thursday to stay cool amid a brutal heat wave that has killed more than 1,400 in the past month. Fox News

 

Hundreds evacuated in Texas . . . Hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate flood-threatened areas of Texas on Wednesday as torrential rains battered the state, where at least 15 people have been killed in weather-related incidents this week, including six in Houston. Reuters

Illegal border crossings decline . . . Monica Camacho-Perez came to the United States from Mexico as a child, crossing into Arizona with her mother in the same spot where her father made the trip before them. “Nobody stopped us,’’ Camacho-Perez, now 20, said of her 2002 journey. Three years ago, her uncle tried to cross the border and join the family in Baltimore, where they remain illegal immigrants. He was stopped three times by the U.S. Border Patrol and jailed for 50 days. Washington Post

Calif. water shortage could end GOP dry spell . . . Republicans have endured a decadeslong dry spell in California politics, but a third year of severe drought, coupled with Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown’s mandatory water restrictions and the ensuing fines, has emerged as a potential game changer for the 2016 election. Washington Times

University removes “racist” statue of priest . . . Saint Louis University has removed a statue depicting a prominent Jesuit missionary praying over two Native Americans following pressure from faculty and staff who complained it represented white supremacy. Washington Times

So now saving souls is racist?

Class forgoes trip to help ailing teacher . . . The graduating class at a New Hampshire high school is giving the money raised for its class trip to the school’s principal, who has been diagnosed with cancer. Fox News

 

Keith Koffler
Editor
White House Dossier

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