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As the families of Americans celebrate the release of their loved ones held in Iran, the authorities in Tehran said they would not be freeing a businessman arrested in October and were silent on the fate of a former FBI agent who disappeared in the country. It was unclear why Siamak Namazi, 44, an Iranian American based in Dubai, was arrested in October while visiting a friend in Tehran where he had done consultant work over the previous decade. U.S. officials said Saturday that they would continue to talk with Iran to secure the release of Namazi as well as...

This video was taken in Charleston South Carolina on the morning of the GOP debate. Along with RNC head Reince Priebus, Fox's Dana Perino and all of the National Republican Party Leadership were in attendance. Holland Redfield, an RNC committeeman who represents the Virgin Islands is speaking: This was the RNC meeting/convention in South Carolina prior to the debate later in the day. The membership from this entire group apparatus is who comprised the audience. Do the audience responses evident in the debate broadcast make more sense now? Here's an article from Politico: CHARLESTON, S.C. -- A Republican National committeeman...

If you got your degree from the University of California, you might want to demand a refund. A newly surfaced video, recorded in October, shows Professor Ross Avila of UC-Merced teaching his class that 90% of terrorism in this country is carried out by “white Caucasian men.” I think he meant to say “white Christian men,” though it’s possible the professor doesn’t understand redundancy. Avila was trying to demonstrate to his class that people use mental shortcuts when thinking about complex issues such as terrorism. Implied in his statement, of course, is the idea that most Americans’ mental shortcuts amount...

The toxic barbs Ted Cruz tossed at New York City just don't hold up. In a city teeming with 8.5 million people there are everyday heroes who walk among us and know the true meaning of "New York values." The Texas senator's decision to denigrate the big city has rubbed some the wrong way and led to a Big Apple-sized backlash against the Canadian-born presidential contender. These everyday New Yorkers, who embody the true spirit of the city, weigh in. Richard Singleton was working in the token booth of the 6 train subway station at 28th St. and Park Ave....

God help me. I have come to appreciate why some Republican voters like Donald Trump. It's because he embodies New York in all its ostentation and swagger. When punched, he punches back. He owns his anger. He looks as if he is having a blast. At Thursday night's Fox Business Network GOP debate, Trump readily admitted that he had begun to question whether rival Sen. Ted Cruz is a "natural born" citizen because Cruz was closing in on Trump in Iowa polls. He's shameless, yet you cannot help but admire someone who butts heads with the way politics usually works...

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem Character Studies From The Bible Paul (Paul's Letter to The Romans) 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn...

2016 Iowa Straw Poll Results PR NewswireDES MOINES, Iowa, Jan. 14, 2016 DES MOINES, Iowa, Jan. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 2016 Online Iowa Straw Poll http://2016IowaStrawPoll.com results are now available. This has been the most inclusive Iowa Straw Poll in history because it has included ALL Iowa voters, both Republicans and Democrats. After the GOP unilaterally canceled the traditional Iowa Straw Poll, America's Term Limits Campaign decided to sponsor an on-line straw poll to give both parties an opportunity to register their votes. In the Newshttp://kimt.com/2015/12/29/candidates-rave-over-online-iowa-straw-poll/ Max Linn, President of America's Term Limits Campaignand Iowa Straw Poll sponsor says...

As someone born and raised in New York, and as a supporter of Ted Cruz for president, I took great interest in the exchange between Donald Trump and Senator Cruz on the subject of "New York values" during last week's presidential debate. For Trump, it was a high point, helping to make up for Cruz's very strong showing in their earlier exchange about Cruz's citizenship, an exchange Cruz clearly owned. It was quite the opposite in their exchange about "New York values." When asked what he meant by that phrase, Cruz responded, "There are many, many wonderful working men and...

GOP's Dazzling Field Of Debaters Sharpen, With One Caveat Election '16: The sixth Republican presidential debate, with its complex jousting over ideas and policies, demonstrated that every contender on the dais is worthy of the presidency. Except, that is, in one area. The top candidates, from Donald Trump to Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie, pretty much all looked at the top of their game. There were impressive arguments all around ... [snip] Their positions on issues reflected the good sense of the American people, and the message is clearly resonating, given voters' enthusiasm. But in what's...

I'm a softie. Yes, I can come off as brash and callous, particularly when it comes to politics, but not so in real life. If you've seen the biggest movie on the planet - and it's on you if you haven't - I choked up a little when a certain so-and-so died. So I, as a human being with feelings, take no joy in what I'm going to say here...even if it seems like I am. But it's time for a few of the Republican presidential candidates to go. No one wants to be told it's over. Nobody wants to...

What did we learn last week, little conservative kiddies? Well, we learned from Nikki Haley, after Obama's State Of Confusion Address, that conservatives shouldn't be mad or support any angry GOP contenders like .. uh ... Donald Trump. That's right, little children. You'd better squelch that rage because Nikki, Lindsey and Jeb don't like it, and to them it's counter-intuitive to winning elections. Do you think their rebuke of The Donald is based upon the fact that they couldn't draw Trump's crowds if they gave out free beer and hookers? We may never know. Anyway... Correct me if I'm wrong,...

Explanation: The center of our Galaxy is a busy place. In visible light, much of the Galactic Center is obscured by opaque dust. In infrared light, however, dust glows more and obscures less, allowing nearly one million stars to be recorded in the featured photograph. The Galactic Center itself appears on the left and is located about 30,000 light years away towards the constellation of the Archer (Sagittarius). The Galactic Plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, the plane in which the Sun orbits, is identifiable by the dark diagonal dust lane. The absorbing dust grains are created in the atmospheres...

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Constitutional lawyer Floyd Abrams says Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is on the right side in the argument over whether he can run for president. "I think Senator Cruz is right that 'natural-born' as understood would more likely than not be held to mean someone that didn't need to be naturalized, didn't have to go through any procedure to be an American, as of course he did not because he had an American mother," Abrams told host John Catsimatidis on "The Cats Roundtable" on New York's AM-970 on Sunday. Despite his belief that Cruz is a natural-born citizen, Abrams said...

PINSON, Tenn. - Officials with the Chester County Sheriff’s Office have asked for volunteers to help search for a missing 2-year-old boy. The boy, identified as Noah Israel Chamberlin, went missing in Chester County Thursday, and authorities said multiple agencies, including the Chester County Sheriff's Office, had been investigating. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans. Authorities said he was reported missing around 1:30 p.m. Thursday after he was last seen going into the woods behind his home on Short Road in Pinson

... Then there's the narrative that I suspect most Americans believe, in which the former president was much more of a tomcat in Arkansas, and probably has tomcatted occasionally in his post-presidency -- but always consensually, and lately in ways that have minimized exposure or embarrassment. If either of these narratives are true, then Clinton's sex life will be a non-issue in 2016. If an adulterer, even a frequent adulterer, is all he is, then an America that didn't want him impeached in the 1990s isn't going to object to having him as the First Gentlemen today. But suppose you...

Washington (CNN)—Media mogul Rupert Murdoch believes Donald Trump's ability to appeal across party lines will lead to victory over Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. "Cruz bets uniting white conservatives/evangelicals enough, Meanwhile Trump appealing across party lines. Surely the winning strategy," Murdoch tweeted Friday night. Murdoch added that in the wake of Thursday night's Republican debate, the party's establishment is viewing Trump as the inevitable nominee. "24 hours and many influential Republicans see Trump inevitable and get ready to switch. United by horror of Hillary whose campaign staggers," Murdoch tweeted.

The 29 victims, from 18 countries, were killed in "cowardly and vile" assaults at a hotel and restaurant popular with Westerners. Burkina Faso has declared three days of national mourning after al Qaeda militants struck at a top hotel and restaurant killing 29 people, including 10 foreigners. Security forces freed some 150 hostages and killed four assailants around 12 hours after the extremists launched the assaults on the Splendid Hotel and the Cappuccino Cafe across the road in the capital Ouagadougou. Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, who took office last month, said in a TV and radio address...

Apple is notorious for being one of the most secretive companies on the planet. It's hard to blame them, particularly as Apple wants to avoid the potentially disastrous impact of the Osborne Effect  to its current product sales and wants to stay as far ahead of the competition as possible. That being said, if you pay close attention to commentary from Apple's suppliers on their quarterly earnings calls, it's not too difficult to at least get a glimpse into what the Cupertino, Calif.-based device maker is up to. On-contract chip supplier TSMC's most recent earnings call, I believe we got...

President Obama on Saturday unveiled an unemployment insurance plan that he says will provide stability and opportunity to workers in a rapidly changing economy. The president's three-pronged plan includes wage insurance of up to $10,000 over two years, expanded unemployment insurance coverage and more opportunities for laid off workers to retrain and reenter the workforce. "If a hardworking American loses her job, regardless of what state she lives in, we should make sure she can get unemployment insurance and some help to retrain for her next job," Obama said in his weekly address. "It's a way to give families some...