Jay Z Responds To Backlash Regarding Barneys Collaboration Amid Racial Profiling Scandal:
NEKESA MUMBI MOODY and KAREN MATTHEWS
Jay-Z — under increasing pressure to back out of a collaboration with the luxury store Barneys New York after it was accused of racially profiling two black customers — said Saturday he's being unfairly "demonized" for just waiting to hear all of the facts.The rap mogul made his first statement about the controversy in a posting on his website. He has come under fire for remaining silent as news surfaced this week that two young black people said they were profiled by Barneys after they purchased expensive items from their Manhattan store.An online petition and Twitter messages from fans have been circulating this week, calling on the star to bow out of his upcoming partnership with Barneys for the holiday season, which will have the store selling items by top designers, inspired by Jay-Z, with some of the proceeds going to his charity. He is also working with the store to create its artistic holiday window display.But Jay-Z — whose real name is Shawn Carter — defended himself, saying that he hasn't spoken about it because he's still trying to figure out exactly what happened."I move and speak based on facts and not emotion," the statement said. "I haven't made any comments because I am waiting on facts and the outcome of a meeting between community leaders and Barneys. Why am I being demonized, denounced and thrown on the cover of a newspaper for not speaking immediately?" he said, referring to local newspaper headlines.The two Barneys customers, Trayon Christian and Kayla Phillips, said this week they were detained by police after making expensive purchases.Christian sued Barneys, saying he was accused of fraud after using his debit card to buy a $349 Ferragamo belt in April. Philips filed a notice of claim saying she would sue after she was stopped by detectives outside the store when she bought a $2,500 Celine handbag in February.As the criticism grew, Barneys said Thursday it had retained a civil rights expert to help review its procedures. The CEO of Barneys, Mark Lee, offered his "sincere regret and deepest apologies."Kirsten John Foy, an official with the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network, said he would meet with Barneys officials on Tuesday to discuss the racial profiling allegations.Jay-Z — who rose from a life of crime in Brooklyn to become one of the most heralded rappers and one of entertainment's biggest superstars — has in the past called for a boycott of labels perceived to be racist, and has become more political in recent years, from speaking out about the killing of black teenager Trayvon Martin to campaigning for President Barack Obama.Jay-Z said in this case, he's still trying to find out what happened —which is why he was silent."The negligent, erroneous reports and attacks on my character, intentions and the spirit of this collaboration have forced me into a statement I didn't want to make without the full facts," he added.He also dismissed reports that he would profit from the collaboration. He said he's "not making a dime" from working with Barneys. Instead, his Shawn Carter Foundation, which provides college scholarships to economically challenged students, will get 25 percent of all sales from the collaboration."This money is going to help individuals facing socio-economic hardships to help further their education at institutions of higher learning," he said. "My idea was born out of creativity and charity... not profit."He also said that "making a decision prematurely to pull out of this project wouldn't hurt Barneys or Shawn Carter but all the people that stand a chance at higher education," he said. "I have been working with my team ever since the situation was brought to my attention to get to the bottom of these incidents and at the same time find a solution that doesn't harm all those that stand to benefit from this collaboration."Jay-Z said he understood what it felt like to be racially profiled — but also didn't want to jump to unfair conclusions."I am against discrimination of any kind but if I make snap judgments, no matter who it's towards, aren't I committing the same sin as someone who profiles?" he asked. "I am no stranger to being profiled and I truly empathize with anyone that has been put in that position. Hopefully this brings forth a dialogue to effect real change."Earlier Saturday, Sharpton held a rally at his National Action Network headquarters in Harlem, saying black New Yorkers should put shopping at Barneys "on hold" if the retailer's response is inadequate.But it is not the only retailer accused of racially profiling its customers.Some Sharpton supporters who attended Saturday's rally said they had been profiled in other stores, too. Shane Lee, 51, said he went to the high-end store Bergdorf Goodman to buy shirts last year and the sales staff would not assist him."Instead of helping me, they were staring at me," said Lee, who is black. "I felt so uncomfortable that I just left."A Bergdorf Goodman official did not return a call seeking comment Saturday.On Friday, Rob Brown, a black actor on the HBO series "Treme" said he was stop because of his race while shopping at Macy's flagship Manhattan store. Brown said in his lawsuit that he was detained nearly an hour by police June 8 after employees contacted authorities about possible credit card fraud.Macy's didn't comment on the litigation but said in a statement it was investigating.
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GOP Senator Breaks Ranks From Tea Party: 'I'm In The Take-Charge-Of-The-Government Crowd'
Chris GentilvisoThe Huffington PostOct 26, 2013
Less than two weeks removed from 2013's government shutdown, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) was clear about where he stands within the Republican Party on that strategy.In a wide-ranging interview with the Washington Post published Friday, Alexander offered an inside look into how he worked to help broker a deal to reopen the government, distancing himself from the tea party in the process.“If all we do is stand around handing each other score cards, we won’t get anything done,” Alexander said. “That’s why, in the current health-care debate, I’m not in the shut-down-the-government crowd. I’m in the take-charge-of-the-government crowd, and get something done.”As he gears up for his 2014 reelection bid, Alexander is already in a race with tea party overtones. Back in July, he faced protests over his decision to vote for immigration reform, dismissing the jeers with an "I didn't hear anything they said." Later in August, he received a letter from 20 tea party and conservative groups, asking him to retire, while criticizing his "compromise and bipartisanship."Later that month, Tennessee state Rep. Joe Carr (R) announced that he would challenge the two-term incumbent, and by October, he had the support of several tea party groups."Lamar is popular, but there is a disconnect with his popularity to the way he has voted," Carr said in August.Carr's campaign unfortunately got off to a bumpy start, as his website said he was running for the "U.S. Sentate." Struggles have also been present in the fundraising arena, as the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported in mid-October that despite tea-party backing, Carr's third-quarter earnings totaled just $52,000.
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The President's Devotional: What Obama 'Did In Secret' In Newtown (EXCERPT)
Oct 26, 2013
Excerpted from THE PRESIDENT’S DEVOTIONAL: The Daily Readings That Inspired President Obama, by Joshua DuBois by arrangement with HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins. Copyright © Joshua DuBois 2013.By Joshua DuboisThe White House is not supposed to be a place for brokenness. Sheer, shattered, brokenness. But that’s what we experienced on the weekend of December 14, 2012.I was sitting at my desk around midday on Friday the 14th when I saw the images flash on CNN: A school. A gunman. Children fleeing, crying.It’s sad that we’ve grown so accustomed to these types of scenes that my first thought was I hope there are no deaths, just injuries. I thought, Maybe it’s your run-of-the-mill scare.And then the news from Sandy Hook Elementary School, a small school in the tiny hamlet of Newtown, Connecticut, began pouring in. The public details were horrific enough: Twenty children murdered. Six staff. Parents searching a gymnasium for signs of their kids.But the private facts we received in the White House from the FBI were even worse. How the gunman treated the children like criminals, lining them up to shoot them down. How so many bullets penetrated them that many were left unrecognizable. How the killer went from one classroom to another and would have gone farther if his rifle would’ve let him.That news began a weekend of prayer and numbness, which I awoke from on Saturday only to receive the word that the president would like me to accompany him to Newtown. He wanted to meet with the families of the victims and then offer words of comfort to the country at an interfaith memorial service.I left early to help the advance team—the hardworking folks who handle logistics for every event—set things up, and I arrived at the local high school where the meetings and memorial service would take place. We prepared seven or eight classrooms for the families of the slain children and teachers, two or three families to a classroom, placing water and tissues and snacks in each one. Honestly, we didn’t know how to prepare; it was the best we could think of.The families came in and gathered together, room by room. Many struggled to offer a weak smile when we whispered, “The president will be here soon.” A few were visibly angry—so understandable that it barely needs to be said—and were looking for someone, anyone, to blame. Mostly they sat in silence.I went downstairs to greet President Obama when he arrived, and I provided an overview of the situation. “Two families per classroom . . . The first is . . . and their child was . . . The second is . . . and their child was . . . We’ll tell you the rest as you go.”The president took a deep breath and steeled himself, and went into the first classroom. And what happened next I’ll never forget.Person after person received an engulfing hug from our commander in chief. He’d say, “Tell me about your son. . . . Tell me about your daughter,” and then hold pictures of the lost beloved as their parents described favorite foods, television shows, and the sound of their laughter. For the younger siblings of those who had passed away—many of them two, three, or four years old, too young to understand it all—the president would grab them and toss them, laughing, up into the air, and then hand them a box of White House M&M’s, which were always kept close at hand. In each room, I saw his eyes water, but he did not break.And then the entire scene would repeat—for hours. Over and over and over again, through well over a hundred relatives of the fallen, each one equally broken, wrecked by the loss. After each classroom, we would go back into those fluorescent hallways and walk through the names of the coming families, and then the president would dive back in, like a soldier returning to a tour of duty in a worthy but wearing war. We spent what felt like a lifetime in those classrooms, and every single person received the same tender treatment. The same hugs. The same looks, directly in their eyes. The same sincere offer of support and prayer.The staff did the preparation work, but the comfort and healing were all on President Obama. I remember worrying about the toll it was taking on him. And of course, even a president’s comfort was woefully inadequate for these families in the face of this particularly unspeakable loss. But it became some small measure of love, on a weekend when evil reigned.And the funny thing is—President Obama has never spoken about these meetings. Yes, he addressed the shooting in Newtown and gun violence in general in a subsequent speech, but he did not speak of those private gatherings. In fact, he was nearly silent on Air Force One as we rode back to Washington, and has said very little about his time with these families since. It must have been one of the defining moments of his presidency, quiet hours in solemn classrooms, extending as much healing as was in his power to extend. But he kept it to himself—never seeking to teach a lesson based on those mournful conversations, or opening them up to public view.Jesus teaches us that some things—the holiest things, the most painful and important and cherished things—we are to do in secret. Not for public consumption and display, but as acts of service to others, and worship to God. For then, “your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you,” perhaps not now, but certainly in eternity. We learned many lessons in Newtown that day; this is one I’ve kept closely at heart.Devotional For December 14
Darkness’s Hour
Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” —Luke 22:52–53 (nkjv)“But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” Darkness will, in fact, have its hour. We saw hours of darkness in Auschwitz and Treblinka, Newtown and antebellum Mississippi. No one less than Christ affirmed that there are moments when evil moves mightily in the world. The questions become: Do we have confidence in the coming light? Will the darkness overwhelm us, which is always its goal, or will we hold on to the promise of the morning?Jesus held on to that promise, and in his resurrection and ascension was crowned victorious, in a mantle of light. His confidence is an indicator of how we should meet our own times of darkness, those moments when evil temporarily seems to reign.Dear God, in the nighttime, remind me of the day. In the darkness, remind me of your light. I have confidence in the coming morning, and until then I will stand strong. Amen.
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Gap Clothing Chain Founders Were Behind California 'Dark Money' Campaign:
Paul Blumenthal
WASHINGTON -- Well-known corporate chiefs funded illegal "dark money" contributions to groups in the Koch brothers' political network that were involved in Thursday's record campaign finance settlement in California, according to settlement documents.Members of the Fisher family, founders of the Gap clothing chain, plowed more than $8 million into a dark money campaign in California's 2012 elections, partially redacted documents show. The money went toward defeating Gov. Jerry Brown's tax increase, Proposition 30, and supporting the anti-union Proposition 32, according to the documents, which list donors to Americans for Job Security, a group that handled contributions in the campaign.Those documents also show that Charles Schwab, founder of Charles Schwab Corp., donated $6.4 million through Americans for Job Security. Philanthropist Eli Broad, who publicly backed Brown's tax increase proposition, made a $500,000 contribution, according to the documents. Las Vegas Sands Corp. CEO Sheldon Adelson and his wife gave a combined $500,000. Crossroads GPS, the dark money nonprofit founded by Karl Rove, chipped in $2 million.Requests for comment from Broad, Schwab and the Fisher family were not immediately returned. The Center for Responsive Politics uncovered the names of more big donors in the redacted documents, including Walmart's Greg Penner, Public Storage founder B. Wayne Hughes and the American Council of Engineering Companies of California, among others.The donors were revealed in the documents after California's Fair Political Practices Commission announced a record $1 million settlement in its investigation into how $11 million in dark money made its way through a network of conservative nonprofits linked to the billionaire Koch brothers and into the coffers of the Small Business Action Committee. The investigation revealed an additional $4.04 million in dark money funneled to the California Future Fund to spend on the ballot initiative campaigns.Donors to Americans for Job Security were not supposed to be disclosed under the settlement with the Fair Political Practices Commission, according to a statement from the nonprofit group.“The California state authorities have determined that the conduct of Americans for Job Security was consistent with California law and did not require disclosure of our members," Americans for Job Security president Stephen DeMaura said. "We are gratified by these conclusions and agree with them. We cooperated in the investigation by producing documents and providing witness testimony, without disclosing the identities of our members. Americans for Job Security is committed to protecting the First Amendment rights of its members.”A redacted list of donors to Americans for Job Security's campaign on the California ballot initiatives was disclosed. Though the list had black lines drawn through some entries, it nevertheless provided easily viewable information revealing identities of the group's biggest donors.The contributions were orchestrated by California political consultant Tony Russo to help big donors hide their identities when supporting his campaign against Proposition 30 and for Proposition 32. Those who wanted their contributions to be disclosed could give to the Small Business Action Committee, the group directly running the campaigns for the ballot initiatives. Those who did not want publicity were directed to give to Americans for Job Security, which planned an advertising campaign on the two ballot initiatives."Americans for Job Security is prepared to launch an issue advocacy effort to educate Californians about the tough issue facing the state and the choices Californians have to make in connection with the path forward," a says a fundraising letter from Americans for Job Security released by the Fair Political Practices Commission.The letter goes on to explain a $25 million fundraising target and says, "Funds for issue advocacy are not limited nor reportable."The Americans for Job Security issue campaign did not spend all of its money before the deadline for California's disclosure period for issue advertising. The group sought to unload that money through a network of conservative groups run by political operatives connected to the Koch brothers.Americans for Job Security sent $15.04 million from its issue advocacy campaign to the Center to Protect Patient Rights. That group, run by Koch operative Sean Noble, sent $11 million to Americans for Responsible Leadership and $4.04 million to American Future Fund. Americans for Responsible Leadership then gave that $11 million contribution to the Small Business Action Committee and the American Future Fund gave the $4.04 million to the California Future Fund.The contributions were spotted by Common Cause California, which reported them to the Fair Political Practices Commission."This case highlights the nationwide scourge of dark money nonprofit networks hiding the identities of their contributors,” Ann Ravel, chair of the Fair Political Practices Commission. said at a press conference announcing the $1 million settlement on Thursday.The commission levied the $1 million fine against the Center to Protect Patient Rights and Americans for Responsible Leadership. There was no penalty against Americans for Job Security.This article has been updated to include the contributions of Sheldon Adelson and his wife and Crossroads GPS, as well as the names of several other donors uncovered by the Center for Responsive Politics.
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Arizona Solar Policy Fight Heats Up As Utility Admits To Funding Nonprofits' Campaign AdsWASHINGTON -- Arizona's largest utility admitted this week that it had paid a national conservative group to run anti-solar ads, after denying earlier in the year that it was funding the campaign.The Arizona Public Service has been pushing the state's public utility commission to change a state policy that currently allows homes and businesses with their own solar power systems to sell the excess energy they generate back to the grid. The policy, known as net metering, has been in place in Arizona since 2009, and according to solar advocates in the state, it has helped create a boom in the demand for rooftop solar. APS is trying to change the policy by increasing prices for solar customers, based on the argument that those users aren't paying their fair share for use of the grid and other infrastructure. Solar proponents say the proposed changes to net metering could essentially "kill rooftop solar in Arizona."The debate over the policy has split along some interesting political lines, with the son of Republican icon Barry Goldwater defending net metering against attacks from a national conservative organization. The 60 Plus Association, which presents itself as a more conservative alternative to the AARP, has been running ads in the state, along with a website, bashing the solar net-metering policy as "corporate welfare."In July, when this reporter asked APS spokesman Jim McDonald point-blank whether APS was funding the 60 Plus ads, he denied it, saying, "No, we are not."But this week, the Arizona Republic revealed that APS did in fact contribute to the 60 Plus effort, as well as to ads by free market advocacy group Prosper, and potentially others. "It goes through our consultant," McDonald told The Huffington Post on Friday, "but APS money does ultimately fund 60 Plus and Prosper.""I know what I told you earlier," McDonald said. "That was my understanding at the time." He said he doesn't know how much APS money went toward those campaigns and dismissed the issue as "a phony controversy fueled by opponents who are eager to distract attention from the real substance from the issue.""We're in the middle of a bitter political fight," he said in defense of funding the ads. "This is not a battle that we want to fight, but we cannot back down."APS has maintained that it is not anti-solar, it just wants to change the net metering policy. "We've been painted as anti-solar," McDonald said. "That's just absolutely untrue."But the ads and website from 60 Plus have been much more openly hostile to solar energy than APS has been in its public statements.60 Plus is backed by the Koch brothers, and the Arizona Republic confirmed that the work against net metering in Arizona is being coordinated by conservative operative Sean Noble, who has been described as "the wizard behind the screen" in the Kochs' donor network.Prosper, the other named group that received money for its ads, is led by former Arizona Speaker of the House Kirk Adams (R) and has campaigned against net metering and against the expansion of Medicaid.On Thursday, two other nonprofits operated by Noble and Adams were fined $1 million for failing to appropriately disclose political spending in California's elections last year.The revelations about APS' funding of the anti-solar campaign have sparked further debate. Solar proponents, including the Alliance for Solar Choice and the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association, are now calling on the state attorney general and utility regulators at the Arizona Corporation Commission to look into whether APS illegally used rate-payer funds as part of those efforts."APS knows how popular solar is," said Bryan Miller, president of the Alliance for Solar Choice and vice president of public policy at the solar energy company Sunrun. "Rather than owning up to their attacks, they set up shady organizations and worked behind them, and lied to the public and regulators for months and months. They owe the public an explanation."McDonald told HuffPost that ratepayer money was not used to pay for the campaigns, but that the funds came from shareholders in APS' parent company, Pinnacle West Capital Corp., which is publicly traded.The net metering fight has even boiled over into Arizona's electoral politics.Last week Wil Cardon, a Republican candidate in the 2014 primary race for secretary of state, accused one of his opponents, Justin Pierce -- son of ACC commissioner Gary Pierce -- of soliciting campaign support in exchange for his father's influence on utility regulation. Cardon's campaign identified two individuals on the host committee for a Justin Pierce fundraiser as employees of firms that have done work for APS at one time. But both of those lobbyists told The Huffington Post that they do not currently and have never lobbied on behalf of APS.In response to the criticism, Pierce announced that his campaign will be publicly funded.The Huffington Post learned on Friday that APS' chief lobbyist, Jessica Pacheco, reserved a room at the Phoenix Country Club for a campaign event for Justin Pierce on Oct. 16. McDonald said that Pacheco, a club member, booked the room for Pierce because she is friends with Pierce spokesman Alan Heywood and because the campaign could not reserve the room directly."Jessica simply provided access to a venue at the request of a friend," McDonald said. "Jessica did not invite anyone from APS. She did not help organize the event." He said that any costs incurred for the event would by law have to be paid for by the campaign.Reached for comment on Friday evening, Heywood said he was not aware of Pacheco's role in booking a room for that event. "I don't know anything about that," Heywood said. "How you get a room for an event there, I have no idea." Heywood did confirm that he is friends with Pacheco, but was unsure whether she or any other APS staff attended the event because he arrived late. He did confirm that the campaign paid for the event.The Cardon campaign has also implied in public statements that a company like APS or a political operative like Noble or Adams could make outside expenditures in support of Pierce's campaign. Heywood told HuffPost that it would be illegal for the campaign to "coordinate on anything like that.""He's not doing that and won't do it," said Heywood.APS spokesman McDonald also brushed aside the suggestion. "APS is a company that has a reputation for dealing with everybody in a very upfront and open way. We have a reputation in this community that has been built over a hundred years," he said. "We're not going to do anything to jeopardize that reputation."But the revelations about the previously undisclosed funding to 60 Plus and Prosper aren't helping that reputation. And renewables proponents are growing increasingly worried about where the senior Pierce might come down on the net metering question. They pointed to several recent letters from Commissioner Gary Pierce that they think indicate he might support APS' efforts to change the net metering policy.In July, Pierce requested a study from commission staff to examine whether the net metering policy should be changed. In an Oct. 17 letter, Pierce requested additional information from all parties after the staff report recommended against APS' proposal and in favor of not changing the net metering policy at this time.Pierce has denied suggestions that he's taken any position on net metering at this point. "I am still considering all of the arguments, which is why I am actively seeking more input," Pierce said in a written response to questions from HuffPost. "My goal is to get this issue right for all ratepayers, and to have a sound policy that will work for years to come, not only for APS, but for the solar industry as well."He also accused renewable advocates of "using the Justin Pierce Campaign to intimidate me on this important issue." "All parties are better served by continuing to meet with Commissioners to work out a solution which is fair for all APS customers," he wrote. "My door has always been open to all parties and they know it!"Forty-three states and the District of Columbia have net metering policies in place, which has helped drive the growth in solar energy in the U.S. in recent years. But there have been attempts in at least four states in the last year to roll back those policies.The ACC is expected to begin hearings on proposals to revise the net metering policy in November.
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Reminder for would-be grand bargainers: Social Security works More than 22 million people—elderly, children, the disabled—were kept out of poverty in 2012 thanks to Social Security. That's a new estimate from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Without Social Security benefits, 44.4 percent of elderly Americans would have incomes below the official poverty line, all else being equal. With Social Security, only 9.1 percent do.
Given the program’s powerful anti-poverty impact, cuts in Social Security benefits could significantly raise poverty—particularly among the elderly and the disabled—depending on their design. [...]Social Security accounts for two-thirds of income for its elderly beneficiaries, on average.  And more than a third of beneficiaries—generally the oldest and poorest—rely on Social Security for at least 90 percent of their income.Cutting Social Security would hurt people. Period. There are plenty of reasons for it being stupid policy. But the fact that it's immoral, that it would throw millions of people into crippling poverty, should be enough to make it unthinkable. It's not. There are still Democrats, including budget committee member Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who are fine with trading away Social Security benefits cuts for something as little as tax code reform.
Social Security—and the millions of people it's saving from poverty—should not be on the negotiating table. Instead of talking about cutting Social Security, Democrats should be talking about expanding it to get all older Americans out of poverty.
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Sarah Palin returning to once again burn herself into your unwilling retinasShe's Baaaaack:
After laying low for much of this year, Palin is gingerly stepping back into the public arena with a national book tour, a trip to the always-important political state of Iowa, and an eye on making yet another series of splashy endorsements in a variety of competitive Republican primaries.
So perhaps the most interesting news here is that Sarah Palin has "written" a "book"—and it's a War on Christmas-themed tome, because of course it is.
[S]he has devoted much of her energies this year to a Christmas-themed book, "Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas," that will release in November and launch her on a multicity book tour through states like Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Texas and Arizona (the promotional tour also offers her a loophole to appear on other television networks).
Nothing's safer and easier to extrude from the congealing fount of conservative wisdom than yet another screed about how the Christmas season is under attack by all those other damn religions and non-religions and abstract liberal entities that just don't sufficiently believe in it. But that's not why she's going to be more visible in the coming months. Oh, no no no—it's because she has just decided that she loves America a lot right now, it has nothing to do with promoting the latest Sarah Palin Product.
She has been impressed, one Palin aide said, by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Utah Sen. Mike Lee, two tea party stalwarts who helped orchestrate the defund-Obamacare movement that led to the shutdown and set off a new round of establishment-versus-grassroots warfare inside the Republican Party.
"There is a need to step up now," said one Palin aide who declined to go on the record like most people around her usually do. "She steps up when she sees there is a need. She sees the fire that Ted Cruz and Mike Lee have started."Well step on up, then. Heaven knows America needs more Sarah Palin in their breakfast.
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These three Texans want Sen. Cruz to shut up already about ObamacareTed Cruz has devoted his political life to running for president saving the nation from the evils of health insurance. Some of his constituents in Texas would really prefer he didn't.
Stacy Anderson, from Fort Worth, runs her own business selling sweaters online. She says she has not had health insurance for the past seven years because the sweater business is not too lucrative. "It cost more than I made some months," she says. Anderson says she was just diagnosed with skin cancer, though it is not life-threatening. "I've had it, apparently, for the entire seven years I've been uninsured," she says. "It will be nice if I can buy health insurance and get it treated."
Jeffrey Coffey is a 49-year-old from Austin who earns a living as a musician. He says has insurance, but notes that the $361 monthly premium is "way expensive" on his $22,000 salary; he says he pays more because he has asthma. Coffey says he applied for cheaper plans numerous times this year, but was turned down. "Getting rejection letters is depressing," he says. When Coffey buys insurance on the exchange, he estimates he will able to get coverage for $160 a month, a $200 savings. "But so far I haven't been able to log on to the website," he adds.Andrew (who prefers his last name not be used) is a BFA student at Texas State University in San Marcos. He's in his mid-30s and has gone without insurance for years because it's too expensive. He has also avoided doctors for fear that he'd be diagnosed with a chronic condition, and insurance companies would "blacklist" him when he finally applied for coverage. Andrew says he no longer has to worry about that when he signs up for insurance through the exchanges this month. Andrew and his wife, a pre-K teacher, want to have a baby soon, and he says that Obamacare makes it "much more affordable for us to plan when and where we will start a family. I no longer need to worry that, god forbid, if one of us gets sick, we will be dropped from our insurance."There are 3.5 million Texans—the state with the highest number of uninsured in the country—who Stacy, Jeffrey, and Andrew represent. More than three million who will finally be able to acquire and pay for health insurance. Thanks to Cruz and his Republican friends (including those on the Supreme Court), though, there's another million who will still be shut out because Texas isn't expanding Medicaid.
Perhaps we can work on getting all those millions to the polls in the next few elections, and the nation will be rid of Gov. Rick Perry and Ted Cruz.
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Quincy Jones Sues Michael Jackson’s EstateQuincy Jones sued Michael Jackson’s estate on Friday claiming he is owed millions in royalties and production fees on some of the superstar’s greatest hits.Jones’ lawsuit seeks at least $10 million from the singer’s estate and Sony Music Entertainment, claiming the entities improperly re-edited songs to deprive him of royalties and production fees. The music has been used in the film “This Is It” and a pair of Cirque du Soleil shows based on the King of Pop’s songs, the lawsuit states.Jones also claims that he should have received a producer’s credit on the music in “This Is It.” His lawsuit seeks an accounting of the estate’s profits from the works so that Jones can determine how much he is owed.The producer worked with Jackson on three of his most popular solo albums, “Off the Wall,” `’Thriller” and “Bad.”Jackson’s estate wrote in a statement that it was saddened by Jones’ lawsuit. “To the best of its knowledge, Mr. Jones has been appropriately compensated over approximately 35 years for his work with Michael,” the statement said.An after-hours message left at Sony Music’s New York offices was not immediately returned.Jackson’s hits “Billie Jean,” `’Thriller” and “Don’t Stop `Til You Get Enough” are among the songs Jones claims were re-edited to deprive him of royalties and his producer’s fee.Jones’ lawsuit states the producer’s contracts called for him to have the first opportunity to re-edit or alter the songs, in part to protect his reputation.
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Brett Favre: 'God Only Knows The Toll' That NFL Concussions, Injuries Will Take
Chris Greenberg
Football fans will never forget Brett Favre but they will likely never see him play in the NFL again, in part, because he doesn't want to forget his own children's sporting endeavors. The three-time NFL MVP opened up about a frightening memory lapse and shared his thoughts on the toll of concussions on former players earlier this week after rebuffing an attempt to draw him out of retirement."I think after 20 years, God only knows the toll that will be taken as time goes by," Favre told Andy Pollin and Jonny Saraceno on SportsTalk 570 in Washington D.C. on Thursday morning.The 44-year-old, who played 302 games over 20 NFL seasons, discussed how "they didn't keep a log like they do now" of concussions and recounted one specific instance of memory loss since he retired after the 2010 season."I don't remember my daughter playing soccer, youth soccer, one summer," Favre told Pollin and Saraceno after discussng his decision to rebuff an offer from the St. Louis Rams to come out of retirement. "I don't remember that. I got a pretty good memory, and I have a tendency like we all do to say, 'Where are my glasses?' and they're on your head. I have that [but] this was pretty shocking to me that I couldn't remember my daughter playing youth soccer, just one summer, I think. I remember her playing basketball, I remember her playing volleyball. So I kind of think maybe she only played a game or two. I think she played eight. So that's a little bit scary to me. For the first time in 44 years, that put a little fear in me."Favre joined Pollin and Saraceno on Thursday morning shortly after Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Rams reached out to him to help fill in for quarterback Sam Bradford, who suffered a season-ending knee injury, citing unnamed league sources. Favre confirmed that the Rams had reached out to his agent Bus Cook and that "a couple of teams had inquired.""It's flattering but there's no way I'm going to do that," Favre said of team's attempts to lure him back to the NFL.Having last played with the Minnesota Vikings during the 2010 season, Favre hung up his helmets as the all-time NFL leader in passing yards (71,838), passing touchdowns (508). For all his statistical accomplishments, Favre may be most renowned for his dependability. He started an NFL-record 297 straight games from 1992-2010.Favre's agent may have stirred interest in a comeback by insisting his client could still play despite becoming a grandfather in 2010."Today, he could play today,'' Cook told a crowd in Mobile, Ala. in September. "I saw him the other day. He's in the best shape I've ever seen him in, physically."Even if his body is truly able, Favre has apparently chosen to remain retired to protect his mind.
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