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As the world begins to lend international support to a French-led military intervention against Islamic terrorists in Mali, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations on Wednesday brought the issue home, comparing the situation in northern Africa to Israel’s fight against terrorism in Gaza. “France’s foreign minister said this month that his country was fighting to prevent the creation of an Islamist terrorist enclave ‘at the doorstep of France and Europe.’ If Mali is on France’s doorstep, Gaza is in Israel’s living room,” Ron Prosor said. Speaking at the UN Security Council’s monthly open debate on the Middle East, the Israeli...

Teddy Turner inherited his love of sailing from his father, media magnate Ted Turner. But there is less of a family resemblance when it comes to politics. While the elder Turner leans Democratic, Teddy Turner is running as a Republican in a crowded race for an open South Carolina congressional seat created by a U.S. Senate appointment. "My dad asked, 'What's the minimum amount I can give because you're a Republican?'" Teddy Turner, 49, said. "My dad has been asking for years, 'How the heck did you become so conservative?'"

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: Hi, friends. It was a puke fest. It was unlike anything I've ever seen. It was right out of a banana republic. And I've seen it all. I mean, in my 62 short years I've seen a lot. I've never seen groveling, butt kissing, sucking up. I've never seen anything like Hillary Clinton's appearance before a joint congressional committee on that Benghazi guy who went nuts over there in Libya. And I guess everybody's favorite part, she lost her cool at one point. By the way, she opened up crying, which is part of the script. But...

Of all the diabolically clever moves the anti-choice lobby has ever pulled, surely one of the greatest has been its consistent co-opting of the word “life.” Life! Who wants to argue with that? Who wants be on the side of … not-life? That’s why the language of those who support abortion has for so long been carefully couched in other terms. While opponents of abortion eagerly describe themselves as “pro-life,” the rest of us have had to scramble around with not nearly as big-ticket words like “choice” and “reproductive freedom.” The “life” conversation is often too thorny to even broach....

New York City defended its groundbreaking size limit on sugary drinks today as an imperfect but meaningful rein on obesity, while critics said it would hurt small and minority-owned businesses while doing little to help health. The first courtroom arguments in the closely watched case ended without an immediate ruling — and with opponents saying they planned to ask a judge to delay enforcement during the suit, which has broached questions of racial fairness alongside arguments about government authority and burdens to business. The NAACP's New York state branch and a network of Hispanic groups have joined a legal effort...

SOUTH Australia is sitting on oil potentially worth more than $20 trillion, independent reports claim - enough to turn Australia into a self-sufficient fuel producer. Brisbane company Linc Energy yesterday released two reports, based on drilling and seismic exploration, estimating the amount of oil in the as yet untapped Arckaringa Basin surrounding Coober Pedy ranging from 3.5 billion to 233 billion barrels of oil. At the higher end, this would be "several times bigger than all of the oil in Australia", Linc managing director Peter Bond said. This has the potential to turn Australia from an oil importer to an...

London - Veteran TV and radio broadcaster Stuart Hall has been charged with rape and 14 counts of indecent assault. The 83-year-old BBC presenter is accused of raping a 22-year-old woman in 1976. He is also charged with 14 offences of indecent assault against 10 girls aged nine to 16 between 1967 and 1986, The Sun reported. The charges are related to new alleged victims but not linked to his previous court appearance on sex abuse charges, which he has denied. Hall was arrested on Tuesday morning after attending a police station by appointment. He was bailed to face Preston...

MSN.com Poll - 19% Yes - 77% No - 4% Not Sure - 560,000 Responses

A man who lost his nose to cancer is growing a new one – on his arm, The Belfast Telegraph reported. Scientists are using the unnamed man’s bone marrow cells to grow a new nose on two nose-shaped scaffolds in the lab. Professor Alex Seifalian from University College London told Focus Magazine that an extra nose is being made “just in case someone drops one.” Once the noses are fully grown, one of them will be implanted in the skin on the man’s arm, which will give the nose some skin.

The Lupe Fiasco debacle only highlighted a deeper fissure. Lupe Fiasco at Sunday's concert. (NowThisNews) At a pre-inaugural party three nights ago, rapper Lupe Fiasco lived up to his reputation for stirring controversy when he played an extended, 30-minute version of his anti-Obama track “Words I Never Said.� For this, he was thrown off the stage by security guards. It’s unclear whether Fiasco was booted for repeating the song’s lyrics ad nauseam or for what StartUp RockOn, the concert’s organizer, described in an official statement as a “bizarrely repetitive, jarring performance.� The debacle raises legitimate questions about the wisdom of...

(CNSNews.com) - Delegate Eni Faleomavaega Jr. (D-American Samoa) used his time during the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya to essentially give his endorsement for Hillary Clinton to run for president in 2016, saying, "I salute you and I look ahead to 2016, wishing you much success and extending to you my highest regards." “It is no good for any of us to use this tragedy for political gain,” Faleomavaega said at Wednesday’s hearing.

Get ready for scan-and-frisk. The NYPD will soon deploy new technology allowing police to detect guns carried by criminals without using the typical pat-down procedure, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Wednesday. The department just received a machine that reads terahertz — the natural energy emitted by people and inanimate objects — and allows police to view concealed weapons from a distance. “If something is obstructing the flow of that radiation, for example a weapon, the device will highlight that object,” Kelly said. A video image aired at a Police Foundation breakfast Wednesday showed an officer, clad in a New York...

Rob Kaufhold's gut told him it would get "ugly" when the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show banned the presence of assault rifles and high-capacity magazine rounds. The explosiveness of the gun control issue, and the power of social media, he believed, would assure that. His instincts were looking good Wednesday, as a growing list of vendors and celebrities announced they would boycott North America's largest outdoor show, which is set to begin Feb. 2 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. The owner of Lancaster Archery Supply said he quickly concluded outdoor enthusiasts would hold it against his business if...

There's no rational reason to care whether Beyonce was lip-syncing or really singing when she performed at the presidential inaugural Monday. But the disclosure was troubling nonetheless. It's not that we were all cheated, exactly. No one paid to stand outside in the cold to watch the ceremonies (though presumably the well-connected and the sponsors had no trouble getting bleacher seats). It's that Beyonce looked overwhelmed with emotion as she belted out the national anthem, giving the impression that her performance reflected her excitement about Obama being re-elected, or better yet, just pride in American democracy. The fact that she...

With the revised deadline for preventing automatic spending cuts only six weeks away, the Defense Department continues its pleas to Congress to come up with a new budget deal because national security readiness “is at a tipping point.” On Tuesday, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said reluctant preparations for sequestration are a drag on the department. “We’re investing a great number of manhours, resources and intensive planning for sequestration, which we, of course, hope to avoid,” he said. “When you have [forward deployed] service members who are asking about appropriations, that’s a signal to me that [it’s] weighing on their...

Nielsen says that 20.6 million people across 18 networks watched President Obama be sworn in for his second term Monday. As we noted yesterday, NBC led the way among broadcasters, with CNN topping cable news. The 20.6 million figure was down from 37.8 million viewers in 2009, a drop of 46%. That said, it was an improvement over George W. Bush‘s second inauguration in 2005, which saw a similar percentage drop from his first. In a post explaining the numbers, Nielsen throws in this factoid: Viewership has historically slid for second term inaugurations. Pres. Richard Nixon is the only president...

During a panel discussion on Wednesday's NBC Today, attorney Star Jones and the network's chief medical editor Nancy Snyderman hyperventilated over Britain's Prince Harry revealing in interviews that he killed Taliban fighters during combat in Afghanistan. Jones fretted: "Why do you need to antagonize the Taliban?" Snyderman chimed in: "I thought he jumped the shark when he was shown playing video games and then it was, 'Oh my God, we killed people.'" Co-host Matt Lauer sparked the exchange by wondering: "He talks about his missions, the missions he went on where he was fired upon by the Taliban and returned...

Speaker John Boehner said he believes the primary goal of President Obama’s second term is to “annihilate the Republican Party.” “Given what we heard yesterday about the president’s vision for his second term, it’s pretty clear to me that he knows he can’t do any of that as long as the House is controlled by Republicans,” Boehner said in a speech Tuesday to The Ripon Society. “So we’re expecting over the next 22 months to be the focus of this administration as they attempt to annihilate the Republican Party. “And let me just tell you, I do believe that is...

Nightline co-anchor Terry Moran lashed out at Rand Paul on Twitter, deriding the senator for daring to bluntly question Hillary Clinton over her role in the Benghazi scandal. Moran mocked, "Curious: What is Rand Paul's foreign policy background? Did he serve in the military? Did he study, live, do business or charity overseas?"

Taro Aso TOKYO, January 23, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The recently-elected government of Japan has made itself heard on the life issues. Finance minister Taro Aso, said on Monday that elderly and financially dependent Japanese have a duty to die quickly to take pressure off the government-funded social service system. “Heaven forbid if you are forced to live on when you want to die,� Aso said. He described elderly people in need of care as “tube people� and complained that it costs “several tens of millions of yen� a month to care for a patient in the final stages of life....

Officials in India-administered region of Kashmir have issued an advisory to residents to be prepared for a potential nuclear, biological or chemical war by building bomb-proof basements or bunkers and stocking up of essential supplies for two weeks. The official advisory follows a recent flare up of tensions between India and Pakistan along the de facto Kashmir border. Two Indian soldiers and three Pakistani soldiers died in January near the Line of Control (LoC) in the worst bout of cross-border violence since both nations declared a ceasefire in November 2003. “People should construct basements where the whole family can stay...

In my book, When the Crosses are Gone, I warn that when a culture abandons thinking and logic in favor of feelings and emotions, it is doomed to destruction. Although emotions are a very important part of the human psyche, when they control every aspect of life, morality becomes a victim. Today, there is widespread agreement that morality in America is deteriorating with breathtaking speed. On one hand, we face a belligerent and intimidating lobby that desires the breakdown of biblical morality. On the other hand, a docile public—as well as church leadership—is terrified to stand up for truth...

"What difference does it make?" an angry Hillary Clinton retorted when Senator Ron Johnson pressed her on why the administration pushed the false narrative on Benghazi. I've already responded, but in case that's not enough, CBS News reporter Sharyl Attkisson has a thought on that question: It makes a difference.— Sharyl Attkisson (@SharylAttkisson) January 23, 2013 The Washington Post's Erik Wemple explains why: No matter your view of the media’s role in Benghazi; no matter your take on whether U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice leveled with the country on the Sept. 16 talk shows; no matter your view...

The Russian emergency ministry said Monday, Jan. 21 that it is sending two planes to Beirut to evacuate 100 Russians from Syria - the first such effort since the uprising against Bashar Assad began in March 2011. Moscow also announced contingency plans to lift 30,000 Russian nationals from the embattled country. This evacuation of Russian nationals starting Tuesday was decided after the Syrian high command received orders from President Assad to organize mobile armored strike groups with massive fire power for a big push to run the rebel forces out of the towns, villages and areas they have captured, mostly...

At Hillary Clinton's Benghazi hearing at the House this afternoon, Democratic congressman Eliot Engel said: "Barack Obama was not responsible for the Benghazi attack any more than George W. Bush was responsible for the 9/11 attacks"

A California insurance broker, who sells health plans to individuals and small businesses, told me that she’s prepping her clients for a sticker shock. Her local carriers are hinting to her that premiums may triple this fall, when the plans unveil how they’ll billet the full brunt of Obamacare’s new regulations and mandates. California is hardly alone. Around the country, insurers are fixing to raise rates by double digits. They’re privately briefing politicians in Washington on what’s in store. Those briefings are leaving a lot of folks up and down Pennsylvania Avenue jumpy. What’s gives? President Obama, after all, said...

Justin Bieber with his mom, Pattie Mallette. HOLLYWOOD, January 22, 2013, (LifeSiteNews.com) – An anonymous "longtime associate" of teen idol Justin Bieber has implied there is a split between the star and his mother over the issue of abortion. His mother, Pattie Mallette, recently signed on as executive producer of Crescendo, a film that promotes the pro-life message by presenting the life of Ludwig van Beethoven. She is also trying to raise $10 million to benefit crisis pregnancy centers, like the one that saved Justin's life. The unnamed source told the Chicago Sun-Times on Sunday that “Justin just is very...

Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi is evidently not that good at explaining himself. Josh Rogin at Foreign Policy’s The Cable blog reports on the conversation Morsi had last week with senators McCain, Ayotte, Graham, Whitehouse, Blumenthal, Gillibrand and Coons while they were in Cairo. Rogin spoke with Senator Coons, who said that, during their meeting with Morsi, the senators emphasized their disapproval with his 2010 remarks about Israeli Jews, whom he called the “descendants of apes and pigs.” Morsi dispelled their concerns, though, explaining, in essence, that the Jews who control the American media were making much ado about nothing. Rogin...

The US Is Moving Two B-2 Stealth Bombers Closer To China David Cenciotti, The AviationistJanuary 23, 2013, 2:22 PM In November 2012, the U.S. Air Forced announced a series of worldwide training deployments for its stealthy B-2 Spirit bombers. The “World Spirit Tour”, as the deployment was dubbed by Air Force Magazine, will bring the first two radar evading planes from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, to the Pacific theater. Destination: Andersen Air Force Base. Strategically located 1,800 miles (about 2,900 km) to the east of China, Andersen has hosted a deployed strategic bomber force...

A homeless man who was arrested after threatening the life of President Barack Obama claimed that he only did so in order to get needed medical attention. The prisoner, 57-year-old Stephen Espalin, reportedly told the court his story Friday while addressing Senior U.S. District Judge Kenneth Ryskamp. “I would have no intent to hurt the president,” Espalin was quoted as saying by the Florida Sun-Sentinel. “I realize it wasn’t the right thing to do. I uttered those words knowing the [federal agents] would come and take care of me.” His threat allegedly extended to Obama’s family – his wife, Michelle,...

The directives on gun violence President Obama signed Wednesday were meant to seem harmless. A closer look at the president’s first memorandum reveals it to be a sneaky assault on congressional authority in order to fund gun-control propaganda. Getting this done has been on the White House “to do” list for some time. In his 2013 budget submission, Mr. Obama deleted the prohibition that has been in effect since 1995 on the use of federal funds to advocate or promote gun control. Mr. Obama is trying to steamroll the Democratic and Republican majorities that kept the ban intact by labeling...

Lebanon’s Jamie Gray has joined the ever-growing list of people and companies boycotting the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show. The Olympic gold medalist in air rifle made the announcement on her Facebook page on Wednesday. She said: “I want to thank all of you for your concern regarding my participation at the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show. It was with great honor that I originally accepted the invitation to participate in the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show. My purpose in attending this show in year’s past has always been to help provide a deeper knowledge and understanding for the Olympic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoKONzD-XsQ

Thanks to a miracle material called Dyneema, the board can repel shots from handguns and shotguns, allowing teachers precious time in case of an attack. Gun advocates say the boards might be one step in a broader school protection strategy. Teachers now have a new line of protection to shield their class from a shooter. A Maryland armor manufacturer has developed bullet proof white boards that teachers can use while conducting class lessons — and during an emergency. The boards are made of a state-of-the-art material called Dyneema, and can repel gun shots from handguns and shotguns — the types...

In the wake of the brutal, senseless tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the gun control debate is once again aflame in Washington, D.C. Advocates of strict gun control laws are taking advantage of the visceral, emotional nature of the event to push their agenda, while the NRA and their adherents have been put on the defensive. As frustrating as it is for supporters of responsible gun ownership to witness the irresponsible politicization of this issue, we are seeing how government reacts when free men cease to govern themselves with virtue and restraint. When the social consensus unravels and each...

Barksdale Air Force Base, La. -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 83rd birthday was Jan. 15. . . His courageous crusade for equality was first nationally recognized on Jan. 20, 1986, when President Reagan established the third Monday in January as an official federal government holiday. Our country, our Air Force and Air Force Global Strike Command can learn much from Dr. King's drive for America to be a nation of equals. . . During his "I Have a Dream" speech given at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 28, 1963, King told a gathering of more than 200,000...

Having a smoke is no joke to Michelle Obama. A lip-reader claims Speaker John Boehner’s question about cigarettes at the inaugural luncheon is what triggered an eye roll from the first lady. Larry Wenig, a lip-reading expert, tells “Inside Edition” that his analysis shows the Ohio Republican asked President Obama if he had a cigarette before the Monday luncheon. While Obama quit smoking in 2010, Boehner still lights up. Obama has called giving up the habit for good “hard.” According to Wenig, Boehner was referring to Michelle when he quipped to the commander in chief, “Somebody won’t let you do...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has recruited an army of women to guard checkpoints and carry out security checks in an attempt to plug the holes left by defections and casualties in his dwindling army. Up to 500 women have been drafted into the new paramilitary force known as the 'Lionesses for National Defence.' They have been in trained at a boot camp in Wadi al-Dahab in the Syrian city of Homs. They form part of the recently formed 10,000-strong National Defence Force (NDF), a key part of Assad's counter insurgency strategy, as the president desperately tries to regain control of...

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 23, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Republican Party platform holds that marriage is a union between one man and one woman, but homosexual activists both within the party and without would like to see that change.  A growing number of gay advocacy groups are now targeting the GOP, not for defeat, but for assimilation. One such group, GOProud, says on its website, “GOProud believes that stable, loving, committed relationships are the cornerstone of our society and should be protected and encouraged for all couples - including gay and lesbian couples.� Another group, Freedom to Marry, has launched a...

The Legacy Lives On! Mark’s Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation “Conservatism is the antidote to tyranny precisely because its principles are the founding principles.” --Mark Levin in Liberty and TyrannyWelcome to “The Levin Lounge”… Step in and have a virtual FRink.Taking the country by storm, one radio station at a time – and kicking the BUTTS of the competition! Welcome all, to the most FUN LIVE THREAD on FreeRepublic.com! You can call Mark’s show: 1-877-381-3811

Ehud Halevy, the 21-year-old Jewish man from Brooklyn whose beating by New York police officers was caught on videotape, has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the officers responsible for the attack. Halevy filed the lawsuit against officers Luis Vega and Yelena Bruzzese on Jan. 22 in Brooklyn federal court, accusing them of attacking him at a Jewish youth center in Crown Heights. The surveillance video from October showed one of the officers punching Halevy repeatedly in the head, while another officer struck Halevy with a baton for over two minutes. The officers, who were responding to an emergency phone...

Hillary On Not Doing Sunday Shows After Benghazi Attack: ‘There Are Other Things I Prefer To Do on Sunday Mornings’ January 23, 2013 By Elizabeth Harrington (CNSNews.com) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the reason that Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice went on five Sunday morning television shows in her place following the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya was because “there are other things that I prefer to do on Sunday mornings.” Five days following the terrorist attacks on the Benghazi compound, Rice insisted on five separate TV talk shows that the attack sprang from a protest...

Dear FRiends, We need your continuing support to keep FR on the air. FR is funded solely by contributions made by liberty loving people who enjoy and use it. We are beholden to no political party. No outsiders, no sugar daddies, no corporate string pullers. We are self-funded, fiercely independent and enjoy our freedom to speak plainly in the support of liberty. But we cannot exist without you. If you have not yet made your donation, today would be an excellent day to do so. Every donation counts no matter how big or small. If you can donate $5, $10,...

The federal Minimum wage in the US is $7.25 per hour. Ten states have higher minimum wages with Rhode Island clocking in 50 cents higher at $7.75. Costs to the employer are higher of course, even if the employer ducks benefits by using part-time workers. For starters, employer contributions to Social Security are 6.2% of hourly wages which adds another 45 cents to employer costs. That brings employer costs up to $7.95 per hour minimum, not counting training costs, vacation (if any), sick-time disruptions, and other such costs. Of course, employers must also factor in the cost of Obamacare. Small...

Hollywood actor David Arquette said he would support President Barack Obama and Congress regulating the depiction of ammunition in Hollywood films.

Netanyahu, Lapid Win Israel Elections - Obama Disappointed, US PleasedBy Joel Leyden Israel News AgencyJerusalem, Israel --- January 23, 2013 ... Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has just won a third term. And has done so with greater strength and support than most Israel media are reporting. Even though Netanyahu only secured 31 seats, out of the Knesset's 120, for his right wing Likud Party, he has the full support of a new political party - Yesh Atid (there is a future) led by former TV news personality Yair Lapid. Lapid and Netanyahu only differ in age, their politics are...

Just a couple minutes ago, presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett, who is personally close to President Barack Obama, tweeted, that "If there's one thing we should all agree on, it's protecting women from violence." Jarrett's tweet comes the same hour Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced that the Obama administration would allow women to serve in combat. The AP reports: Senior defense officials say Pentagon chief Leon Panetta is removing the military's ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after more than a decade at war. The groundbreaking move recommended by...

O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc, America’s oldest family-owned firearms manufacturer, today announced that the company will not attend or support the 2013 Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The company reached this decision after Reed Exhibitions banned Modern Sporting Rifles and has refused to reconsider their stance. Mossberg’s position on the Second Amendment is unwavering and steadfast; therefore, the company will not support any organization or event that prohibits the display or sale of legal firearms. We stand united with our loyal customers and supporters in this constitutional right and had only hoped for a different outcome.

Neighbors and activists, who stood out in the bitter cold for more an hour on Wednesday morning to protest the planned eviction of Jeffery Solivan of 32 Edgemont St., cheered after hearing that Fannie Mae had canceled its action. The protest kicked off just before 8 a.m., initially with about a dozen people and grew to about 30 people when word came that the eviction was off. No date has been given for a new eviction. Solivan said he hopes something can be negotiated with the lender that will allow him to keep his home, in the Pine Point neighborhood....

Food trucks have become the hottest new industry, yet many cities are doing everything they can to stop them in their tracks. In city after city, lawmakers are imposing complicated regulations on food trucks and other street vendors, often in the name of consumer safety, which make it nearly impossible for vendors to actually operate their trucks. Chicago’s regulations are particularly onerous, as Reason reports: According to the Chicago Tribune, 109 would-be purveyors of mobile cuisine have applied for licenses, but the city hasn’t seen fit to OK any of them. Among the requirements they may be having difficulty meeting: