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Contrary to a published report, Republican Rep. Mark Kirk says he's still considering a run for the U.S. Senate. Kirk spokesman Eric Elk said Friday the congressman from Chicago's northern suburbs was still looking at a possible run but that there was no timeline for an announcement. The Washington Post reported earlier in the day that Kirk had decided not to seek the seat held by Sen. Roland Burris that once belonged to President Barack Obama. The race for the seat is wide open because Burris announced Friday he won't run for a full term in 2010. A top Illinois...

When Michael Jackson died in late June, Patricia Becht's younger children asked her about his ranch, Neverland. It was a place for kids to go, she told them, and it was similar to heaven. Going to such a place, she said, would be part of their suicide plan. Becht, of South St. Paul, was charged Friday with first-degree premeditated murder of her 10-year-old son and attempted first-degree murder of her 11-year-old daughter, who is recovering at a metro hospital. Becht gave them and herself an overdose of anti-psychotic medication, court documents say. She had planned her acts so meticulously that...

New Curbs Set on Arrests of Illegal Immigrants Revamped 287g Program Will Target Only Serious Crimes, not Minor Infractions; Sheriff Arpaio Refuses to Ease Up MIRIAM JORDAN The Department of Homeland Security said Friday it was revising a program that authorized local police to enforce federal immigration law -- a controversial aspect of U.S. border policy. In San Diego, illegal immigrants wait to be deported to Mexico at a gate next to the pedestrian border crossing into Tijuana last month. About 800 people are deported there every day. Opponents said the program, known as 287g, was intended to identify criminal...

Michigan's unemployment rate could hit as high as 20 percent with the Obama administrationto blame, one Michigan congressman warned Friday. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) said that Michigan's unemployment — already the highest in the country at 14.1 percent — could go even higher as General Motors and Chrysler continue to shed jobs after their government-financed bankruptcies. "Sadly, we've seen estimates, because of the radical restructuring that the auto task force demanded, that this year, Michigan wind up over 20 percent

US lawmakers came to the defense of Rebiya Kadeer, the leader of exiles from China's Uighur minority, after Beijing accused the US-based activist of fomenting the country's deadliest ethnic violence in decades. Two lawmakers, one from each US political party, appeared alongside Kadeer at the US Capitol and announced they were introducing a resolution in Congress to condemn China for its "violent repression" of "peaceful Uighur protests." Congressman Bill Delahunt, a member of President Barack Obama's Democratic Party, said Beijing's allegations against Kadeer have been "offensive and repugnant." "We are calling on the Chinese government to desist in slandering this...

Our Darkest Day In War On Taliban: Eight Soldiers Killed As Afghan Death Toll Overtakes Number Of Troops Lost In Iraq By DAVID WILLIAMS and MATTHEW HICKLEY 11th July 2009 Eight British soldiers lost their lives with several more left critically wounded yesterday. Five died when a foot patrol was trapped in a Taliban ambush and blown up by a booby-trap bomb - the highest death toll from a single attack since the war began. The three others died in separate incidents on what was the darkest day of the war in Afghanistan. [Pic in URL] (From left) L/Cpl David...

S.F. mayor orders healthy food in cityPosted on: Thursday, 9 July 2009, 19:48 CDT All San Francisco city departments must audit unused land in the city to see if it can be turned into community gardens or farms, the mayor said. In addition, food vendors contracting with the city must offer healthful and sustainable food, all vending machines on city property must offer healthful food options and farmers' markets must begin accepting food stamps, Mayor Gavin Newsom said, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. There also will be no more doughnut shop runs before meetings and conferences held by city workers,...

Here is video of Rep. Henry Waxman telling John Harwood that failure is not an option for the Democrats and the Obama Presidency. He reinforced that by adding "this is a make or break issue for President Obama." Essentially, Waxman threw down the gauntlet here and staked the Obama Presidency and the Democrats fortunes in 2010 on their ability to bring socialized medicine to America. Waxman is chairman of the House Committee that has oversight of Health Care Legislation. . . . . . (Watch Video)

In a speech that has electrified the pro-life movement, Alaska governor and John McCain’s vice-presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, touched on her own family’s personal pro-life decision. While 80 to 90 percent of pregnancies involving Down syndrome babies end in abortion, the Palin family chose life. “And in April, my husband Todd and I welcomed our littlest one into the world, a perfectly beautiful baby boy named Trig. From the inside, no family ever seems typical,” Palin said. “That's how it is with us,” the governor went on to say. “Our family has the same ups and downs as any...

Britain Must Not Sacrifice Trident To Please Obama By Nile Gardiner July 10th, 2009 Currying favour with Obama could leave Britain vulnerable As the Telegraph has reported, President Obama has called for a 30-nation summit in Washington next March to discuss nuclear non-proliferation. This follows a reckless preliminary agreement between Obama and Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow to cut America’s nuclear stockpile and delivery systems by up to a third, a deal which is stunningly good for the Russians but hugely damaging for America’s interests. In the wake of the Moscow summit, Gordon Brown has hinted he may include...

This Past Tuesday the Republican Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a staff report that provides the reasons for the Housing Bubble Burst 2007. The Report finds that the housing bubble burst that led to a financial crisis can be traced back to federal government intervention, pushed by the Democratic party, in the U.S. housing market. “The spin on the financial crisis by those who favored government efforts to erode lending standards is that the housing bubble didn’t cause this recession,” said Rep. Darrell Issa the Committee’s Ranking Member. “The findings in this report should...

As US President Barack Obama touches down on Ghanaian soil, there is no doubt about the feeling of pride over the visit - his first to sub-Saharan Africa as leader. Accra's international airport has received a brisk makeover - shiny new flags adorn lamp posts along major routes and large billboards have been erected depicting Ghanaian President John Atta Mills alongside Mr Obama, with the proclamation "Partnership for Change" and the Akan phrase "Akwaaba" meaning welcome home. The presence of Obama merchandise and paraphernalia is nowhere near the volume which accompanied other recent events in Ghana, such as the December...

When President Obama met with Pope Benedict XVI on Friday, there were no right-wing Catholic demonstrators upbraiding the pontiff, as they did Notre Dame earlier this year, for conferring the church's legitimacy upon this liberal politician. In fact, whether he is the beneficiary of providence or merely of good luck, Obama had his audience with Benedict just three days after the release of a papal encyclical on social justice that places the pope well to Obama's left on economics. What a delightful surprise it would be for a pope to tell our president that on some matters, he's just too...

Conservative Comedian-Steven Crowder takes on Kim Jong Ill Sorry I missed this last week guys! And the usual Thursday ping will be postponed until Monday when Steven goes to Canada with hidden cameras to expose socialized medicine.

The purpose of this document is to describe planning scenarios for state and local governments to target high-priority populations for vaccination in order to reduce the health and societal impact of the novel H1N1 influenza virus. Background Data from U.S. and international sources suggests that it is appropriate to plan for a vaccination program to reduce the health and societal impacts of the novel H1N1 influenza virus. In order to increase the probability of success of such a program, planning scenarios should be provided to state and local health authorities promptly. Planning scenarios can facilitate readiness to implement specific plans...

Kirsten Powers, David Brooks and Michael Kinsley are not exactly charter members of the VRWC, but they do not have much nice to say about Obamacare — or the way Pres. Obama is trying to sell it to a skeptical public. Here’s Powers: An analysis of a new poll from the centrist think tank Third Way finds that Obama needs to radically alter how he’s selling his plan to America. Obama’s central message so far has focused on the promise of lower costs for health coverage and more accessibility. But the poll (conducted by the Benenson Strategy Group) suggests that...

Raising Money To Unseat DoddThree GOP Hopefuls Filling War Chests In Preparation For 2010 Election By CHRISTOPHER KEATING The Hartford Courant July 8, 2009 Greenwich millionaire Tom Foley has raised more than $530,000 in the first 26 days of his U.S. Senate bid to unseat Democrat Chris Dodd. Another Republican hopeful, former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, says he has raised more money than Foley, but the exact total is not due until the official filings July 15. A third, state Sen. Sam Caligiuri, has raised about $125,000, but he says that his total is artificially low because he was distracted...

Blake Curd fears that Congress and industry lobbyists are using medical insurance reform to go after physician-owned hospitals."There are 110 physician-owned hospitals under development with about $5 billion at risk," said Dr. Curd, part owner of Sioux Falls (S.D.) Surgical Hospital. "They would employ about 27,000 at those 110 hospitals that the federal government appears intent on destroying." Traditional hospital groups last week reached a deal with the Obama administration and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., to reduce their Medicare and Medicaid payments by $155 billion over 10 years. Sources say they are getting something in return. The...

Here's the audio of Governor Palin on the Michael Dukes Show earlier today, which includes Ted Nugent calling in: Enjoy..

OAKLAND -- A former intern in Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums' office has pleaded no contest to credit-card theft after being accused of stealing bank account information from two mayoral staff members and a law firm where she previously worked, her attorney said Friday. Phelicia Williams, 27, of Oakland entered her plea this week in Alameda County Superior Court, where she had been scheduled for a preliminary hearing. She will be sentenced Aug. 20 by Judge Morris Jacobson. In exchange for her plea and her promise to pay $15,000 to the victims, prosecutors dropped five other felony counts, defense attorney Robert...