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Al Sharpton opened his MSNBC show Thursday with a look at recently-released footage of Sen. Ted Cruz’s father Rafael Cruz telling a campaign crowd that he’d like to send President Obama “back to Kenya” among other “extreme” views. “Like father, like son,” Sharpton said, adding, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Sharpton went on to condemn the “vile” comments made by Rafael Cruz, who he called a “rising star in the GOP himself. He called the senior Mr. Cruz “a tea party hero who is a prime example of how extreme and hateful towards President Obama the right-wing...

Taiwan has angrily demand that Apple Inc. alter its new map application, which identifies the island nation as a province of China. Users of the iOS 7 and version 10.9 of OS X for the new iPhone and computers have discovered that any search for "Taiwan" automatically produced simplified Chinese characters that read "China Taiwan province." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei instructed its office in San Francisco to demand that Apple make an immediate correction to the software. "We have made representations to Apple," Kelly Hsieh, head of the ministry's Department of North American Affairs, told reporters in...

CEDAR RAPIDS — Texas Sen. Ted Cruz told Iowa Republicans last Friday night that the tea party’s partial shutdown of the federal government has energized conservatives. Saturday night, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer will tell Iowa Democrats the shutdown is energizing “mainstream conservatives” right out of the tea party. “Ted Cruz and the tea party have peaked,” according to Schumer, who will be the featured speaker at the Iowa Democratic Party’s annual Jefferson Jackson Day Dinner at 7 p.m. Saturday in Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines. About 700 people are expected for the Jefferson Jackson Dinner, which is considered one...

It has become common for liberal fascists to proclaim that "only the Supreme Court" can interpret the Constitution.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Every legislator, every elected politician, every police officer and person in the military takes an oath to uphold the Constitution and defend it against all enemies, foreign and domestic.  They do not take an oath to follow orders given by the Supreme Court. It is a myth that only the Supreme Court can interpret the Constitution.  It was not always so, and legislators and juries commonly interpreted the Constitution in the United States before the...

In light of a recent report, Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) fears the National Security Agency may be spying on President Barack Obama. “They could well be spying on the president, for all I know,” Paul says, in an interview with National Review Online. “He has a cell phone, and, in fact, my guess is that they have collected data on the president’s phone.” Paul also believes the federal government may be tracking Pope Francis. “The most important question we need to ask the NSA is, ‘Are you telling us you’re collecting no data on the pope?’ And, ‘Did you...

(CNSNews.com) - Decriminalize marijuana possession before legalizing it, says a man who wants to be the next mayor of Washington, D.C. City Councilman Tommy Wells, a Democrat, has introduced a bill that would fine people a maximum of $100 for possessing less than an ounce of pot in the nation's capital. The city passed a medical marijuana law in 1998, but Congress didn't approve that measure until 2009. Wells told WMAL-Radio on Tuesday that he's "open to legalization," but he sees "decriminalization" as the first step. He also said he doesn't envision a city full of stoned federal workers: "Legalization...

Reclaim All Hallows’ Eve by Sean Fitzpatrick on October 31, 2013 ·  Halloween poses a serious concern to Catholic families nowadays. Besides various occult inspirations, many Catholics are uneasy with Halloween’s ostentatious glorification of ugliness and evil. Also distressing are the prevalent trends of psychosis, vulgarity, and violence.What conscientious parent would not be wary?Even with such adversity, it is still possible to align Halloween with the inheritance of Christian culture. Once Catholics consider—perhaps in desperation of the times—what Halloween can be, its restoration is arguably a duty.Though many elements of Halloween have branched into unholy and unhealthy regions, its root sleeps in...

Images collected from the French National Archives of soldiers and civilians on or near the Western Front. One must presume these were taken during a lull in the fighting due to the long exposure times required by colour film.

Bill Maher believes that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) will beat Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for the presidential nomination in 2016. "He is the guy they think finally stood up to the establishment and did what he said and went to Washington and blah, blah, blah," Maher said during a Tuesday appearance on Piers Morgan Tonight. "So he is going to be very difficult to beat in the primaries." Though liberals like Maher often mock Cruz, Maher conceded that "you cannot underestimate" Cruz because he represents the conservative base. Maher said Cruz is "their hero" right now for living...

A strong earthquake hit eastern Taiwan on Thursday, shaking buildings over a wide area including the capital. There were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties. The US Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 8:02 p.m. local time and measured magnitude 6.3. It was centered in a remote mountainous area 45 kilometers (28 miles) south-southwest of the coastal city of Hualian at a depth of just 12 kilometers (7.5 miles), it said. In the capital, Taipei, about 150 kilometers (95 miles) from the epicenter, buildings swayed for more than 10 seconds and startled residents ducked for cover. Taiwan's...

Five IDF soldiers were wounded near the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Thursday evening. An initial investigation has found that terrorists detonated an explosive device as IDF soldiers were operating in the area, preparing to blow up the terror tunnel that was recently discovered by IDF soldiers, leading from Gaza into an Israeli kibbutz. As the soldiers crossed the border fence, the device was detonated, wounding the five soldiers who were taken by helicopter to the Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva. The IDF responded by opening fire at terrorists who were in the ara.

Robert McAlpine, left, and Vernon Sumwalt graduated from [South]Carolina in 1943. They were among 13 who were commissioned by the Naval ROTC at the school. They returned to USC Thursday for their 70th reunion and to attend a NROTC ceremony as part of the Homecoming events.

This past summer our family enjoyed eight beautiful days in Norway on the National Review cruise. I found this video clip from the Islamic Peace Conference in Norway quite interesting since we were just in that picturesque country, home of the Vikings. Sometimes it’s just best to listen and let folks define themselves. The question is whether or not those of us in western civilization will continue to excuse away the issue. From this video clip, it seems we’re all quite wrong in using the term “extremist” to define only certain groups of Muslims.

WALNUT CREEK -- Citing his oath to uphold the Constitution, Councilman Justin Wedel says Walnut Creek voters, not elected leaders, should decide where people can smoke and whether shoppers can choose paper or plastic. Wedel aims to get two initiatives on the June ballot -- one that would repeal a portion of the city's recently adopted secondhand-smoke ordinance and another to prevent a ban on plastic shopping bags in Walnut Creek. "This is not a smoking or plastic bag issue; this is a government-intrusion-into-our-daily-lives issue," said Wedel, elected to his first term in 2012. "I swore an oath to protect...

Sharing a growing concern over China’s military buildup, Japan and Russia are set to deepen bilateral ties by holding their first so-called two-plus-two meeting of foreign and defense ministers Saturday in Tokyo. The four ministers are expected to discuss ways to broaden security cooperation and deepen mutual trust amid the changing security landscape in Asia. Japan hopes as well for a breakthrough in the territorial stalemate over four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido, a dispute that has prevented the signing of a peace treaty for the past 68 years. Russia, which shares a border more than 4,000 km long with China,...

While talk of political dysfunction in the United States dominated many of the conversations at this year's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, another topic was causing anxiety: China's economic slowdown and its implications for the region. China's so-called economic miracle has powered growth in Asia for years, helped deepen trade ties and spread much-needed capital to its neighbors. But now, it looks like slowing growth in China could spill across borders to less-developed parts of the continent. The World Bank just downgraded its forecast for the increase in China's GDP this year to 7.5% from 8.3%. Its estimate for the...

Every disaster has its moment of clarity. Physicist Richard Feynman dunks an O-ring into ice water and everyone understands instantly why the shuttle Challenger exploded. This week, the Obamacare O-ring froze for all the world to see: Hundreds of thousands of cancellation letters went out to people who had been assured a dozen times by the president that “If you like your health-care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health-care plan. Period.” The cancellations lay bare three pillars of Obamacare: (a) mendacity, (b) paternalism and (c) subterfuge.

Our AFDI honor killing ads which hit the streets last week were taken down today. I just received a call from CTV asking me what I thought of the removal of our ad, which was designed to help Muslim girls in trouble. I had not been told. It was the first I was hearing it. We placed our ads in Edmonton because human rights activists there wanted to partner with our organization to do so. Honor killing is a grim reality that is largely ignored, and girls are suffering as a result. Muslim fathers kill their daughters for real or...

Three men, a souped-up Mercedes, 2,813 miles of American roadway, a bedpan, and a dream. Ed Bolian, and his team, obliterated a cross-country driving record this month, racing from New York to LA in a heart-pounding 28 hours 50 minutes. That’s 11 hours faster than Google maps says it should take, and nearly 3 hours faster than the previous record set in 2006 of 31 hours and 4 minutes. “Honestly, I was so shocked at how much we had beat our target and previous record,” Bolian, a 27-year-old Lamborghini dealer from Atlanta told ABCNews.com.

In 2007, journalist Michael Kelly wrote a devastating profile of Ted Kennedy. By then, Kennedy was a political lion in winter, but the article in GQ reinforced the worst instincts of some Americans about Kennedy – the drinker, the carouser, a fraud. Kelly wrote: “Up close, the face is a shock. The skin has gone from red roses to gin blossoms. The tracery of burst capillaries shines faintly through the scaly scarlet patches that cover the bloated, mottled cheeks … The Chiclet teeth are the color of old piano keys. The eyes have yellowed too, and they are so bloodshot,...