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Read the memo circulated by Shane Osborn's U.S. Senate campaign to counter criticism about his decision in April 2001 to land a disabled Navy reconnaissance plane in China. * * *Dogged by questions about his 2001 decision to land a crippled Navy EP-3 reconnaissance plane in China, U.S. Senate candidate Shane Osborn has distributed an official-looking Navy memo supporting his account.The memo, written Aug. 8, 2013, on Navy letterhead, is titled “Disposition of actions by EP-3E flight crew on April 1, 2001.” It explains that Osborn's plane was authorized to land on China's Hainan island “due to the extreme circumstances...

Nebraska Senate candidate Shane Osborn seems to have made a habit of, one might say, overreaching during this campaign.First, there was the misrepresented memo:  In an effort to defend his military service, Osborn had a friend in the Pentagon write up a memo saying that Osborn was authorized to land in China, put it on official Navy letterhead, and release it without proper authorization. As the Omaha World-Herald reported, Osborn’s campaign then circulated that memo as if it were an official Navy document.  Osborn has since apologized. Now, Osborn is claiming to have the support of 51 economists from across the country. ...

Sacramento, CA – Tea Party Express, the nation’s largest Tea Party political action committee, is proud to announce its endorsement of Ben Sasse, who has continued to expand his conservative support in the election to represent Nebraska in the United States Senate. Tea Party Express’ Executive Director Taylor Budowich said, “America’s economic decline is rooted in the ‘we’ll-deal-with-it-tomorrow’ culture of Washington, D.C. If we are going to turn things around, we need to elect leaders that are willing to tackle America’s biggest problems with bold ideas. That’s why Tea Party Express is endorsing Ben Sasse for the U.S. Senate. “Ben...

Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum on Wednesday will endorse Republican Ben Sasse for Nebraska's Senate seat, National Journal has learned, yet another high-profile endorsement for the Cornhusker State conservative ahead of his competitive primary. Santorum, who finished second to Mitt Romney in 2012's GOP presidential primary, is particularly popular with social conservatives, and in his endorsement, he touted Sasse's strict opposition to abortion rights. "Ben Sasse will be a fighter on life issues and on issues that support our families," Santorum said in a statement. "Ben Sasse says he will be a 'champion for the unborn,' and I believe him....

Mark Udall, D-Colo., is facing calls on both sides to clarify his position on the Keystone XL pipeline. The Keystone XL pipeline wouldn't run through Colorado, but it's about to take center stage in the state's politics. The Senate is near certain to vote this week on legislation that would approve the oil-sands pipeline, and that's leaving Sen. Mark Udall—a Democrat facing a tough reelection challenge—with an unenviable choice to make. If Udall votes yes, he'll anger a liberal base that has put blocking the pipeline at the head of its environmental charge. But if he votes no, his opponent...

The Republican Establishment always says conservative purists would rather lose than compromise. But the opposite is playing out in Nebraska. The moment Ben Sasse got endorsed by the Senate Conservatives Fund, Mitch McConnell went all in for Shane Osborn. Well, Osborn is now toast. He has extremely high negatives, extreme negative poll numbers, and outside groups have just finished him off with an ad blasting his involvement in a made up military memo. That leaves Sid Dinsdale who’d have you know he is a lifelong Republican despite years of significant giving to Democrats. Dinsdale too, however, is behind in the...

The vote to authorize immediate construction of the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline may come to a crucial head next week, as two Senators introduced a bill on Thursday calling for binding legislation.

On April 30, 2014, we invited Adrian Smith, Tom Brewer and Mark Sullivan to attend a Townhall type meeting. Tyson Havranek was our moderator. Adrian Smith could not be present but sent his campaign manager to give a short statement at the beginning. This is the full 1 hour and 29 minute video. For your convenience this video is available in 6 parts also for those who wish to split up their viewing.

The idea of granting illegal immigrants a form of legal status — but without the possibility of citizenship — has the backing of two Republican U.S. Senate candidates in Nebraska. Sid Dinsdale and Bart McLeay both said it would be a good compromise toward ending the nation's long-standing dilemma over what to do with an estimated 11 million people living in this country illegally.

On Wednesday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) endorsed Nebraska Senate candidate Ben Sasse and announced he will attend a rally next week for him along with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Mike Lee on Friday. “I have gotten to know Ben Sasse, and while Nebraskans have good choices, Ben is the strongest conservative voice running for United States Senate,” Cruz said in a statement. “Ben will not be just another vote in the Senate – he will be a leader in the fight to stop the Obama agenda and repeal ObamaCare from day one. We need strong reinforcements like...

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has endorsed Pete Ricketts in Nebraska's Republican gubernatorial primary race.Cruz, the hard-right Texan who has been embraced by the tea party movement and the Republican Liberty Caucus, said Ricketts is "a businessman and a constitutional conservative who will help Nebraska thrive."Pete's priorities for tax reform, job growth and education reform will expand opportunity for Nebraskans," Cruz said in a statement issued by the Ricketts campaign early Tuesday morning."I especially admire Pete's strong, principled leadership in support of school choice," Cruz said, which will "empower parents and expand the educational options for every child in Nebraska."Cruz...

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who filibustered the U.S. Senate over Obamacare, has endorsed Ben Sasse for the Senate and will join Sarah Palin and others Friday in North Platte for a Sasse rally.“I have gotten to know Ben Sasse, and while Nebraskans have good choices, Ben is the strongest conservative voice running for United States Senate,” Cruz said . “Ben will not be just another vote in the Senate – he will be a leader in the fight to stop the Obama agenda and repeal ObamaCare from day one.  We need strong reinforcements like him in the United States Senate.”Cruz was elected in 2012,...

Texas senator Ted Cruz has endorsed Ben Sasse in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Nebraska. From the Sasse campaign announcement: “I have gotten to know Ben Sasse, and while Nebraskans have good choices, Ben is the strongest conservative voice running for United States Senate,” said Sen. Cruz.  “Ben will not be just another vote in the Senate – he will be a leader in the fight to stop the Obama agenda and repeal ObamaCare from day one.  We need strong reinforcements like him in the United States Senate.”Sen. Cruz was elected in 2012, going from a virtual unknown to winning one of...

The president and CEO of TransCanada had some harsh words Monday after another process delay was announced by the U.S. Department of State for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. “We are extremely disappointed and frustrated with yet another delay,” Russ Girling said in a statement released Monday. “American men and women will miss out on another construction season where they could have worked to build Keystone XL and provided for their families. “We feel for them.” The Department of State (DOS) announced last week it will seek input from eight federal agencies to determine whether the project meets National Interest...

The Obama administration on Friday said it was giving eight federal agencies more time to weigh in on the Keystone XL pipeline, a move almost certain to delay a final decision on the controversial project until after the Nov. 4 midterm elections. That timeline spares President Barack Obama from making a politically difficult decision that would either anger environmentalists or jeopardize some Senate Democrats seeking reelection in red states. But Friday’s move alienated stakeholders on all sides of the issue, including oil industry allies who accused the White House of playing politics and environmentalists who want Obama to swiftly reject...

...The announcement made it clear that Canadian pipeline backers will not get the answer they wanted in time for the summer construction season, pushing completion of the project until 2015 — at best. The State Department said it needs more time to prepare its recommendation to the president because the pipeline route is mired in uncertainty. A legal dispute is underway in Nebraska over the route and it is unlikely to be resolved before next year.... Speculation had been rampant about whether the Obama administration might try to punt the politically sensitive decision until after this year’s midterms. That’s because...

LINCOLN, Neb. —Parents from a Lincoln elementary school were astounded when their children came home with a flyer about how to handle bullies. The flyer had the following rules: Treat the person who is being mean as if they are trying to help you Do not be afraid Do not verbally defend yourself Do not attack If someone physically hurts you, just show you are hurt; do not get angry Do not tell on bullies Don’t be a sore loser Learn to laugh at yourself and not get “hooked” by put-downs Lincoln Public Schools addressed the flyer on its Facebook...

GOP Senate candidate Ben Sasse announced Thursday he raised more than $850,000 in the first quarter of the year, significantly more than his main challenger in the race. Sasse made the announcement on Twitter. Another Republican candidate, Shane Osborn, announced earlier this week he raised more than $550,000 in the first quarter of this year. Osborn is a former state Treasurer and Navy pilot and his main rival is Sasse, who serves as president of Midland University. Last week, conservative group FreedomWorks withdrew its endorsement of Osborn and said it would support Sasse instead. They are among four GOP contenders...

One of the Tea Party's top stars in Congress has penned an Obamacare op-ed co-bylined by Nebraska Senate candidate Ben Sasse. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Sasse argue that Obamacare's failures offer an opportunity for conservatives to be a movement that represents solutions and stands on the side of working-class Americans. "Republicans cannot win the healthcare debate until we effectively communicate our solutions to the problems that plague working families," they write in Thursday op-ed in the Washington Examiner. The article comes two days after Obama took what was considered a "victory lap" to tout the 7.1 million Americans who...

On Friday, former Alaska Gov. Palin went to Nebraska and endorsed businessman Pete Ricketts for governor in the state in which her endorsement has proven to be the gold standard. Palin joined Kay Orr, Nebraska's former Republican governor whom Palin called the "original Mama Grizzly," to endorse to endorse Ricketts, whom Palin called the clear principled commonsense conservative choice in this race whose positions are clear: "he opposes amnesty and taxpayer funded benefits for illegal immigrants in any form and always has." Palin said the "alternative is woeful dependency on an inevitable sinking ship I call 'Liberal Lunacy.'" Palin has...