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Things went swimmingly until 2009 … when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms conducted a routine inspection of RJF and discovered 10 guns registered to the company could not be accounted for … a big, BIG problem. We’re told the feds pinned the blame on William and Stephanie — and were looking to take serious action that could have resulted in the end of RJF. But law enforcement sources tell us … the Hayden’s struck a deal with feds in 2010, in which the two agreed to surrender their gun-making licenses … and in exchange, they could appoint a...

Apparently the Iraqi government is not able to function without American leadership.

The U.S. Congress passed a massive defense bill last week with provisions asking for new sanctions on Iran, targeting foreign financial institutions that do business with the Islamic republic' s central bank.Government officials said sanctions on the central bank, the main conduit for Iran's oil revenues, could roil markets and harm the interests of U.S. allies and partners. However, as a result of changes made to the original version of the bill, the president can waive the penalties by notifying the Congress that the move is in the interest of U.S. national security. In her meeting with visiting Japanese Foreign...

Many readers are scratching their heads over my endorsement of Ron Paul last week. One writes: Let me add a few more reasons to vote for Ron Paul: If you want all federal student aid eliminated, vote Paul. If you want the Department of Energy, Commerce, Interior, Education and Housing & Urban Development eliminated, vote Paul. If you want the department of Transportation Security Administration eliminated (meaning security is the sole responsibility of private property owners), vote Paul. You can't just ignore Paul's "nuttier policy proposals". These proposals are Paul. If you endorse Ron Paul, you're endorsing his proposals. There...

2003, Harry Reid, pulled all the stops, twice putting blanket holds on executive branch nominations to get Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko in place... It seemed to me that Reid extracted the nomination out of the administration,” said Sarah Binder, a historian of Congress. To kill the Yucca Mountain project, (and) the Majority Leader has largely succeeded. // snip // “This letter is not about politics; it is signed by two Democratic and two Republican members of this commission,” NRC Commissioner George Apostolakis said. “It is not about Yucca Mountain. It is not about other policy disagreements.” NRC Commissioner...

The trick to maintaining the US delusional democracy is feeding the illusion for citizens that voting and elections really matter. But when both major parties are owned by rich and corporate elites it matters less than most people think whether Republicans or Democrats win and control Congress or the White House. Their seeming differences are a clever distraction that keeps fooling and manipulating Americans. With the help of the mainstream media, making entertainment out of political races, Americans are deceived into thinking that elections deserve their respect and participation. As power shifts periodically from one party to the other partner...

Thank you. It is good to see you. Hello, New Jersey! (Applause.) All right, everybody have a seat. Everybody have a seat. I want to begin by just making a few acknowledgements. First of all, I'm going to have a lot to say about this guy, but I just want everybody to know that one of my earliest supporters, somebody who had faith and confidence in me before I was a United States senator was the man standing next to me right here -- Jon Corzine. (Applause.)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said it would suspend review of the non-foreign ownership requirements of the proposed new reactors at South Texas because Japanese multinational Toshiba effectively controls the project. ("Suspend review" = drop dead in place.)

R.I.P. Christopher Hitchens December 15, 2011 11:51 P.M. By Daniel Foster     Vanity Fair reports that Christopher Hitchens has passed away. Often frustrating, usually provocative, always brilliant. He added to the culture, and the conversation. I’m sure I join many in hoping he is in for a glorious, glorious surprise.

Senator Grassley then pointed out that the first whistleblower to come forward about Fast and Furious (ATF Agent John Dodson) had recently been attacked by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). According to Senator Grassley, “Someone in the Justice Department leaked a document to the press along with talking points in an attempt to smear [Dodson.]” The letter insinuated that Dodson went rogue and started a gun-walking operation on his own... Dodson would have been left dangling in these political winds,

THE TWO HAVE MUCH IN COMMON As one of the most polarizing figures in modern American politics, Newt Gingrich has racked up a huge inventory of pungent criticism of both his ideas and his character — much of it from his fellow conservatives. National Review’s Ramesh Ponnuru, for example, notes Newt’s “erratic behavior, lack of discipline and self-absorption” and “need to justify his every petty move by reference to some grand theory.” But before becoming prime minister, Winston Churchill was often dismissed in similar terms by members of his own party, who complained that “his planning is all wishing and...

This year, two-thirds of state legislatures have introduced laws that undermine the right to vote. Early voting and Sunday voting are under attack, photo ID requirements will introduce the first financial and document barrier to voting since the poll tax, and racially-motivated bans on ex-felons will wipe tens of thousands off the rolls. This effort is unprecedented, it is coordinated, and it is targeted. African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, students, working women, seniors and immigrants of all colors will be disproportionately affected. The right to vote is the heart of our democracy. Throughout our history Americans have been...

Nick Broomfield’s new documentary Sarah Palin: You Betcha! shocks and entertains, writes Siân Ruddick For the millions who hate Sarah Palin and her reactionary politics, the rise and fall of the former governor of Alaska makes a gripping spectacle. Nick Broomfield uses his documentary to find out the truth about the Tea Party Republican in a funny and engaging way. There is little in Sarah Palin: You Betcha! that people with an eye on US politics would have missed in terms of the big events. It charts her sacking of state employees who oppose her and the high profile scandals...

Police officers in Los Angeles stormed Augusta Millender’s home early one morning in 2003. They were looking for Ms. Millender’s foster son, Jerry Bowen, and for a shotgun he had used in a domestic assault. They found neither. But they did seize a gun owned by Ms. Millender, who was 73. The gun was legal, and she said she kept it for self-defense. Scalia, “If he’s so stupid that he executes a warrant that no reasonable officer could think was correct,” the justice said of a hypothetical officer, “he’s in the pot, right?” Both the National Rifle Association and the...

Hidden in the soil of Illinois and Iowa, a new generation of insect larvae appears to be munching happily on the roots of genetically engineered corn… It's (also) bad news for the biotech company Monsanto, which inserted the larvae-killing gene in the first place. In fact, the gene's apparent failure… may be the most serious threat to a genetically modified crop in the U.S. since farmers first started growing them 15 years ago. The economic impact could be huge.

As a teenager, Micah White faced insults and intimidation when he started an atheists' club at his Michigan high school. This year, White, now 29 and a Berkeley resident, has found a more receptive climate for his ideas. In collaboration with a colleague at the anticonsumerist magazine Adbusters, White conceptualized and ignited a worldwide mass movement: Occupy Wall Street. White, a senior editor at Adbusters, and Kalle Lasn, 69, its editor in chief, came up with the idea of an American version of Egypt's Tahrir Square protests. They started using the Twitter hashtag #OccupyWallStreet and developed a striking poster of...

Now that Herman Cain is out of the Republican presidential race, we have officially kicked off the phase where everyone reflects on the ups and downs of his campaign. And on This Week today, George Will wasted no time in calling the ex-candidate “disrespectful” and a “charlatan” for using his candidacy to promote his book and not be a serious candidate bringing ideas to the table like everyone else. Christiane Amanpour asked the panel if Rick Santorum had the best chance of getting more support in Iowa, particularly from Cain supporters. Will argued there was indeed room in the GOP...

SNIP if the media only gave as much scrutiny to Obama in 2008, you got to wonder if there might have been a different outcome. He's so adamant in his denial, though, and that's why I was a little surprised when he said -- it's not a time to play detective. But it seems to me that this charge, 13 years, if he's flying women around the country and he's showing up in hotels with them over this long period of time, that this is easily proven or disproven. No? PALIN: Yes. And maybe I'm a little bit more sympathetic...

Tens of thousands of patients with terminal illnesses are being placed on a "death pathway"