Free Republic

Newly released State Department emails help reveal how a major Clinton Foundation donor was placed on a sensitive government intelligence advisory board even though he had no obvious experience in the field, a decision that appeared to baffle the department’s professional staff. The emails further reveal how, after inquiries from ABC News, the Clinton staff sought to “protect the name” of the Secretary, “stall” the ABC News reporter and ultimately accept the resignation of the donor just two days later. Copies of dozens of internal emails were provided to ABC News by the conservative political group Citizens United, which obtained...

For freshman state Sen. Michael Rubio, coming up with the idea for his first major bill was easy. Finding the right path to victory is proving more difficult. The East Bakersfield Democrat had seen firsthand as a Kern County supervisor the impacts of rising obesity and type 2 diabetes rates in his community. The "aha" moment, he said, came while he watched a woman use funds from the state's food stamp program to buy a grocery cart full of calorie-laden sweets. His solution was Senate Bill 471, legislation to cross junk food and soda off the shopping lists of clients...

Buried in the annual Coast Guard authorization act passed this week by Congress is wording that would strike from the U.S. Code the statement that all appointments to the Coast Guard Academy "shall be made without regard to the sex, race, color or religious beliefs of an applicant." Under current federal law the academy is "race neutral," but the change would put it on the same footing as other colleges and universities in balancing its enrollment by admitting students from specific groups. The other military service academies admit students by congressional nomination, while the Coast Guard Academy has traditionally admitted...

NEW LONDON, Conn. — New recruits at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy are supposed to look straight ahead, but Rasheed Breland was able to glance at his classmates long enough to realize that many besides him were minorities. Swabs from racial and ethnic minority groups make up 24 percent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's Class of 2014 -- the second highest percentage in the school's history, surpassed only by one class that was a percentage point higher. The academy has been criticized for its lack of racial and ethnic diversity, with some in Congress attempting to bring the admissions...

H/T Mike at SipseyStreetIrregulars Terrorists and Guns: The Nature of the Threat and Proposed Reforms Wednesday, May 5, 2010 10:00 AM Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 342 Add To My Calendar (vCal) Witnesses Panel 1 The Honorable Frank R. Lautenberg U.S. Senate The Honorable Peter T. King U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg Mayor City of New York The Honorable Raymond W. Kelly Police Commissioner City of New York Panel 2 Daniel D. Roberts Assistant Director, Criminal Justice Information Services Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation U.S. Department of Justice Eileen R. Larence Director, Homeland Security and Justice...