States Offering Tax-Free Back-to-School Shopping

A tax free sign is seen in this undated file photo.

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Gearing up for the start of the school year, more than a dozen states are offering tax-free shopping for parents and their kids.

There are 17 states holding sales tax holidays this year, and 13 begin theirs this weekend to appeal to the back-to-school crowd.

Shoppers should check for tax-free spending limitations in their state. In Missouri, there's a list of dozens of cities and counties that are choosing not to provide sales tax exemptions on back-to-school purchases like clothing, computers and school supplies. Florida's sale will last more than one week, starting Friday and running through Sunday, Aug. 16.

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PHOTO:School supplies displayed on a shelf are seen in this undated file photo.

The tax-free holiday can be an opportunity to save 6 to 9 percent, depending on your state, on back-to-school purchases you would be making anyway, Kyle James, founder of Rather-Be-Shopping.com, told ABC News.

"Keep in mind that your biggest savings are going to be on tech needs like laptops, desktops and tablets," James said.

For example, New Mexico gives you tax breaks on clothing up to $100, computers up to $1,000, computer accessories up to $500 and school supplies up to $30.

"It’s pretty easy to spend $30 on school supplies making the savings fairly negligible, but when buying clothes and computers, it’s a great weekend to buy and save some money," James said.

Regina Conway, consumer expert with Slickdeals, told ABC News it's important to make a list before you shop and to do your research online.

"In some cases, the tax savings may not outweigh the deals you can find during other store promotions," she said. "Pick the essential items that your child will need and do a price search for those items before you head to the store. When in store, do a quick search on your mobile phone before making the purchase to confirm that you're getting the best deal."

Retailers and other states that aren't participating in the holiday are trying to compete with sellers across state borders. The New York State Tax Department issued a reminder to parents and college students Tuesday that "Every Day is a New York Sales Tax Holiday," because clothing and footwear sold for less than $110 is always exempt from the state's 4 percent sales tax.

Here's where you can find more information about some of the upcoming sales tax holidays:

1. Alabama (12:01 a.m. to Sunday)

Alabama Department of Revenue

2. Florida (Friday through Sunday, Aug. 16)

Floriday Department of Revenue information

3. Iowa (Friday and Saturday)

Iowa Department of Revenue

4. Louisiana (Friday and Saturday)

Louisiana Department of Revenue

5. Maryland (Sunday through Saturday, Aug. 15)

Comptroller of Maryland

6. Missouri (12:01 a.m. Friday through Sunday)

Missouri Department of Revenue

7. New Mexico (12:01 a.m. Friday through Sunday)

New Mexico Taxation and Revenue

8. Ohio (12:01 a.m. Friday through Sunday)

Ohio Department of Taxation

9. Oklahoma (12:01 a.m. Friday through Sunday)

Oklahoma Tax Commission

10. South Carolina (12:01 a.m. Friday through Sunday)

South Carolina Department of Revenue

11. Tennessee (12:01 a.m. Friday through Sunday)

Tennessee Department of Revenue

12. Texas (Friday through Sunday)

Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

13. Virginia (Friday through Sunday)

Virginia Department of Taxation

Via: ABC News

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Hillary Clinton Heckled on Climate Change at Town Hall

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had to deal with climate change hecklers during a town hall meeting in New Hampshire Thursday.

Before the heckling began, Clinton was challenged on her stance on climate change by a young woman, who asked if Clinton’s “refusal to take leadership on climate change” was “due to the fact that you have contributions from the fossil fuel industry in your campaign.”

“We have to change our energy policy,” Clinton responded. “I have been clear about that, I have been repeatedly clear about that. We also have to do it in a way that also doesn’t disrupt our economy. It’s really easy to say, “yeah, let’s ban all these fossil fuel extractions,” and forget about all the people who are employed, who have jobs, who rely on the energy.”

A few activists in the crowd were apparently not pleased with her answer. Another woman stood up and began shouting, before beginning a chant of “Act on climate!”

“That’s okay, that’s okay” Clinton shouted over the activists’ heckling. “I’m all in favor of acting on climate.”

Watch, via ABC News:

Via: Mediaite

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[VIDEO] Charleston church shooting: Suspect confesses, says he sought race war

(CNN) Dylann Roof admits he did it, two law enforcement officials said -- shooting and killing nine people he'd sat with for Bible study at a historically black church in Charleston, South Carolina.

But why? To start a race war, Roof told investigators, according to one of the officials.

CNN's Evan Perez and Wesley Bruer were the first to report Roof's confessing and offering his divisive rationale. Others earlier gave a glimpse into his twisted motivations -- including at the site of the shooting,Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. There, a survivor told Sylvia Johnson that Roof answered one man's pleas to stop by saying, "No, you've raped our women, and you are taking over the country ... I have to do what I have to do."

His roommate told ABC News that Roof was "big into segregation." And the Berkeley County, South Carolina, government tweeted a picture of him wearing a jacket with flags from apartheid-era South Africa and nearby Rhodesia, a former British colony that was ruled by a white minority until it became independent in 1980.

By telling authorities his aim, Roof admitted he attacked unarmed civilians for political purposes in an act of terror.

What led the 21-year-old South Carolinian to adopt this sick reasoning and take such actions Wednesday night? Did anyone else help him or even know about his plans? And what is his general mental state? Are all major, looming questions. Another is what American society should or will do now, if anything, to prevent similar tragedies.

In the meantime, a community -- and nine families, in particular -- are left to mourn.

Via: CNN

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Hillary's huge lead over the GOP? Maybe it never existed

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers a speech at Texas Southern University in Houston, Thursday, June 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

Through all of Hillary Clinton's recent troubles — emails, foundation, Benghazi — Democrats have taken comfort in their all-but-assured nominee's formidable lead over top Republicans in head-to-head matchups. Now that lead is shrinking, and the Democratic comfort level is falling along with it.

 

But it's possible Clinton's big lead was never as big as Democrats thought. Yes, some of the margins looked enormous:

* A CNN poll in March showed Clinton up by 15 points over Republican Jeb Bush, 13 points over Marco Rubio, 11 points over Rand Paul, and 15 points over Scott Walker.

* An ABC News poll in March showed Clinton up by 15 points over Rubio, 14 points over Walker, and 13 points over Bush.

* A CNN poll in April showed Clinton up by 22 points over Walker, 19 points over Paul, 14 points over Rubio, and 17 points over Bush.

Big margins. But at the same time, at least one other poll — by Public Policy Polling, the Democratic polling firm — showed Clinton with much more modest leads over her GOP rivals. A PPP survey in late February showed Clinton with an eight-point lead over Walker, a seven-point lead over Rubio, a seven-point lead over Paul, and a 10-point lead over Bush.

A PPP poll at the end of March showed Clinton with a four-point lead over Walker, a four-point lead over Paul, a three-point lead over Rubio, and a six-point lead over Bush — at a time the other polls showed Clinton far ahead of those rivals.

"I am definitely skeptical that Clinton was ever really up by 15 points like some of the early polls were showing," says PPP director Tom Jensen. The reason for those big leads, Jensen suggested in an email conversation, might have more to do with the other polls' methods rather than any overwhelming Clinton advantage.

We use tighter controls on who we call for our polls than most national surveys do. Although we don't do an actual likely voter screen this far out, we do pull lists based on people who have voted in at least one of the last three elections. So I think we end up with samples that are a little bit more conservative than if we were calling all adults or even just registered voters with no respect to voting history.

If Jensen and PPP are correct, then the core assumption of much political analysis in the last few months was little more than irrational exuberance. Now that Clinton is returning to earth in other polls as well — PPP has a new poll out in about 10 days — the question will be how Democrats react to the realization that there once-inevitable shoo-in president might not be an inevitable shoo-in after all.

Via: Washington Examiner

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[CARTOON] Where Is the ‘Security’ in TSA?

According to ABC News, the Transportation Security Administration failed to stop undercover agents in 67 out of 70 recent probes.

David Inserra, who specializes in cyber and homeland security policy at The Heritage Foundation, wrote about the issue earlier this week:

Importantly, it exposes the reality that government screeners are not necessarily the right answer to airport screening.

Almost all European countries and Canada use private airport screeners. In the United States, airports have the right to opt out of TSA-administered screening through the Screening Partnership Program, which swaps out TSA screeners in favor of private contractors with TSA oversight. SPP has been found to result in screening that is more efficient, more customer friendly, less costly, and more secure.

With all these benefits and the precedent set by Europe and Canada, SPP is a no-brainer. Sadly, the program is subject to burdensome regulations and bureaucratic processes that limit its use.

So while Congress should ensure that the TSA fixes the current holes in airport screening, lawmakers should also consider expanding SPP as a longer term solution to improve transportation security.

Via: The Daily Signal

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Hillary Responds to 'Clinton Cash' Accusations About How She 'Got Rich,' Says Republicans Are 'Talking Only About Me'

Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/2028945/hillary-clinton-responds-to-accusations-about-how-she-got-rich-notes-republicans-are-talking-only-about-me/#sQLIBF32pi2xuF4F.99The Inquisitr -  Now that Hillary Clinton has announced her candidacy for the 2016 presidential election, she is already fiercely under attack from her political opponents. Clinton has reassured her supporters that she understands the way election season works and that she’s prepared for all kinds of attacks and “distractions” from the Republican opposition.

According to ABC News, Hillary Clinton has already had to fend off several accusations about her conduct during her time as Secretary of State for the Obama Administration. A previous report from the Inquisitr covered the soon-to-be-released book Clinton Cash:The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich. Republicans are citing the book as proof that Hillary Clinton accepted donations from foreign governments for her charity, the Clinton Foundation, and then proceeding to give special treatment to the governments that gave her money.

Hillary Clinton has responded to the accusations by claiming it’s all part of election season, and that the book is nothing more than a distraction.

“Well, we’re back into the political season and therefore we will be subjected to all kinds of distractions and attacks and I’m ready for that,” said Hillary Clinton. “I know that that comes unfortunately with the territory.”

Via: The Inquisitr

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BUYING GUNS ON BLACK FRIDAY BECOMES TRADITION UNDER OBAMA

Although much of the gun control push under President Obama has failed to result in new laws, it has succeeded in creating a new tradition where shoppers scoop up guns on Black Friday so they can place them under the tree on Christmas Day.

Consider the numbers: in 2008, ABC News reported 97,848 background checks on Black Friday. In 2009, the numbers remained somewhat static but then began to grow exponentially as the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats began to flex their muscles.  By 2011, there were 129,166 background checks on Black Friday alone. 

As the National Shooting Sports Foundation reported, the jump in 2011 marked "a 32.01 percent increase over" the sales on 2008 Black Friday--the year Obama was first elected.

In 2012, the number of Black Friday background checks rose to 154,873. Remember that because numerous guns can be purchased with each background check, these figures don't even begin to indicate how many firearms may actually have been sold. 

This information is not lost on retailers like Cabela's, Bass Pro Shops, and Wal-Mart. Cabela's literally gave away shotguns to early bird customers in some cities on Black Friday--those receiving the guns went through a background check--and Huffington Post reported that Bass Pro Shops was running hot deals on Bushmaster AR-15 rifles. 

Wal-Mart ran a "Manager's Special Sale" that translated into "20 percent off select rifles and shotguns."

Buying a firearm on Black Friday has fast become an American tradition under President Obama. 

Via: Breitbart

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Exclusive: US May Have Let 'Dozens' of Terrorists Into Country As Refugees

Several dozen suspected terrorist bombmakers, including some believed to have targeted American troops, may have mistakenly been allowed to move to the United States as war refugees, according to FBI agents investigating the remnants of roadside bombs recovered from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The discovery in 2009 of two al Qaeda-Iraq terrorists living as refugees in Bowling Green, Kentucky -- who later admitted in court that they'd attacked U.S. soldiers in Iraq -- prompted the bureau to assign hundreds of specialists to an around-the-clock effort aimed at checking its archive of 100,000 improvised explosive devices collected in the war zones, known as IEDs, for other suspected terrorists' fingerprints.

"We are currently supporting dozens of current counter-terrorism investigations like that," FBI Agent Gregory Carl, director of the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center (TEDAC), said in an ABC News interview to be broadcast tonight on ABC News' "World News with Diane Sawyer" and "Nightline".

"I wouldn't be surprised if there were many more than that," said House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul. "And these are trained terrorists in the art of bombmaking that are inside the United States; and quite frankly, from a homeland security perspective, that really concerns me."

As a result of the Kentucky case, the State Department stopped processing Iraq refugees for six months in 2011, federal officials told ABC News – even for many who had heroically helped U.S. forces as interpreters and intelligence assets. One Iraqi who had aided American troops was assassinated before his refugee application could be processed, because of the immigration delays, two U.S. officials said. In 2011, fewer than 10,000 Iraqis were resettled as refugees in the U.S., half the number from the year before, State Department statistics show.

Via: ABC News

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[VIDEO] JAY CARNEY SEEMS TO LOSE IT OVER ABC REPORTER’S TOUGH OBAMACARE QUESTIONS: ‘I GIVE UP’

White House press secretary Jay Carney and ABC News reporter Jon Karl got into a tense back-and-forth Monday, with Karl pressing Carney to explain the continued failure of the Obamacare website.

The discussion became charged when Karl repeatedly asked Carney to explain President Barack Obama’s claim that Americans need not worry about the faulty healthcare.gov website because they can always enroll through phone or paper applications.

“I’m going to go back to what the President said, he said you can bypass the website, and apply by phone or in person, and it could be done in 25 minutes, but these memos say that ‘at the end of the day, we are all stuck in the same queue, we all have to go through the same portal,’” said Karl.

The problem with this promise, Karl continued, is that phone and paper applications still have to go through the program’s error-riddled website — contrary to the president’s promise.

Things didn’t get any better as Karl persisted, prompting Carney to mock the ABC News reporter.

“Jon, I get it, but the person who calls isn’t the one who continues to wait after the paper application is filled,” Carney said, imitating Karl’s mannerisms.

“Your mocking is entertaining,” the reporter said, “but the President said you can apply within 25 minutes, that’s not true.”

Carney became increasingly flustered.

“You can have this soliloquy by yourself,” he said. “I think everybody else here understands what I’m saying. I’m sorry I can’t say the same for you.”

“Everyone else seems to get it Jon, except for you. I give up,” he concluded:

Via: The Blaze
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Oregon schools to teachers: Carry guns if you want

An Oregon school district will let teachers carry guns in the classroom if they have a permit.

District officials believe the policy is in the best interests of teachers and students, and would make schools safer, according to ABC News.

Marshall Porter, chairman of the St. Helens School Board in Oregon, said the new policy would give teachers the same rights as ordinary citizens.

“The current law in Oregon allows for anybody to concealed carry on school grounds,” he said in a statement. “To exclude our staff seems like they’re being punished. They should have a right to protect themselves if they so choose.”

Seven schools fall under the jurisdiction of the board.

The 4-1 vote to restore gun rights to teachers took place just a few days after a Nevada middle school student fatally shot himself and a math teacher.

Porter said he trusted teachers to do the right thing in a crisis, whether they were armed or not.

“If [staff members] were faced with a horrific choice, if they had to defend themselves against a kid — which has been the thing — I think it would be a hard decision for them, one that they would educate themselves on,” he said. “I do believe we’re talking about educators, people who have the interest of the children in mind.”

Via: Daily Caller

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[VIDEO] Cruz: I didn’t come to the Senate to get 99 new friends

An old adage (misattributed to Harry Truman by Maureen Dowd) advises newcomers to Washington that if they want to make a friend, they should buy a dog.  Ted Cruz echoes that advice in a new interview with ABC News, in which he says that his ambitions in Washington didn’t involve becoming a beloved member of the clubbiest club in the world:

Breaking News

“There’s an old saying that, ‘Politics, it ain’t beanbag.’ And, you know, I’m not serving in office because I desperately needed 99 new friends in the U.S. Senate,” Cruz told ABC News’ Jon Karl in his first on-camera interview after the shutdown came to an end Wednesday night. …

And he made it clear that he thinks his Republican colleagues in the Senate are responsible for sabotaging his effort to tie funding for the government to an effort to defund or delay the health care law.

“I will say that the reason this deal, the lousy deal was reached last night, is because, unfortunately, Senate Republicans made the choice not to support House Republicans,” Cruz told ABC News. “I wish Senate Republicans had united, I tried to do everything I could to urge Senate Republicans to come together and stand with House Republicans.”

Cruz laid the blame on Senate Republicans attacking House Republicans during the shutdown:

“I think it was unfortunate that you saw multiple members of the Senate Republicans going on television attacking House conservatives, attacking the effort to defund Obamacare, saying, ‘It cannot win, It’s a fools error and we will lose, this must fail,’” Cruz said.

“That is a recipe for losing the fight, and it’s a shame.”

Via: Hot Air
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