State Dept. on Missing Legal Deadline for Human Rights Report by 113 Days: 'Of Course, We Have to Obey the Law’

(CNSNews.com) – Despite now being 113 days past the federally mandated deadline for releasing the 2014 Human Rights Reports, Rear Adm. (ret.) John Kirby, the newly appointed spokesperson for the State Department, said during a press briefing on Thursday that “of course [Obama officials] have to obey the law” that requires the department to release the annual reports by Feb. 25. 

Kirby then blamed the historical and largely unexplained delay on Secretary of State John Kerry’s “very intense travel schedule” and “routine staff and administrative delays.” Kirby also declined to say whether the reports are actually completed and when they will be released.

“Okay, so they have been completed then,” CNSNews.com pressed.

“I’m not going to talk about, you know, how dry the ink is on these things,” said Kirby.  “But I can tell you that we will release the report very, very soon.”

“Well it’s now 113 days late [on June 18], which is a historical record by almost a month,” CNSNews.com continued. “The Foreign Assistance Act mandates that these things be released by February 25 of every year. Does the Obama administration believe that they have any obligation to obey that law?” 

“Well, of course, we have to obey the law. We know we’re late. We’re working on the report. We’ll have it out very soon,” Kirby stated before attempting to move on.

Another reporter followed up, “But could you say why it’s -- I mean, it seems to be late every year. Is like, this year dif -- I mean maybe this year is a little bit longer, but they never come out on time. So --.”

“I can’t speak to the institutional history of homework here at the State Department. But again, we’ve acknowledged that it’s late. We understand that. We know the concerns surrounding that. It will be out very soon, very soon,” Kirby said before moving to a different topic.

Via: CNS News

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Senator Sessions: Administration Ignoring Laws That Prohibit Visas For ‘Likely’ Welfare Recipients

 The Obama administration is waiving a law that requires it to deny visas and entry to non-citizens who are “likely at any time to become” a government dependent – and is ignoring requests for information regarding this move, Sen. Jeff Sessions said today.

Sen. Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued a statement after USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack missed the deadline to reply to oversight requests for data on expenditures for non-citizens on food stamps and information regarding the administration’s waiver of federal immigration law:

“Included in the oversight letter was a request for information about USDA’s contact with the Departments of State and Homeland Security regarding immigration law. Both DHS and DOS have effectively nullified the federal law that prohibits admission into the U.S. for those likely to become welfare reliant, further enabling USDA to surge non-citizen registration.”

“Such activities cannot be justified to the American people, which probably explains why the Administration has been unwilling to provide answers,” Sen. Sessions said.

According to section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which defines “Classes of aliens ineligible for visas or admission”:

“Any alien who, in the opinion of the consular officer at the time of application for a visa, or in the opinion of the Attorney General at the time of application for admission or adjustment of status, is likely at any time to become a public charge is inadmissible.”

Via: CNS News

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CBO: Bailout Will Lose $24 Billion

Obama: ‘We Got Back Every Dime’ of Bailout; CBO: Bailout Will Lose $24 Billion. Who to Believe!!!!

(CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama said on Thursday that “we got back every dime we used to rescue the financial system."

According to the Congressional Budget Office, however, the government will lose about $24 billion on the bailout.

“We got back every dime we used to rescue the financial system, but we also passed a historic law to end taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailouts for good,” Obama said in Miami Thursday.

The Congressional Budget Office--based on figures from Obama’s own Office of Management and Budget---gives a different assessment.

“The cost to the federal government of the TARP’s transactions (also referred to as the subsidy cost), including grants for mortgage programs that have not yet been made, will amount to $24 billion,” said the CBO report, which was released on the same day Obama spoke.

Via: CNS News

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State Dept. Confirms: Marines Were Guarding U.S. Embassy On 9/11--In Barbados

(CNSNews.com) -- When terrorists attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11 of this year and killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans, there were no U.S. Marines deployed in Libya to defend U.S. diplomats, diplomatic facilities and classified information and equipment.

However, says the State Department, a Marine Security Detachment was deployed on that day to carry out those duties at the U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown, Barbados.

“U.S. Marine Security Guards serve at the U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown, and at other diplomatic missions around the world, to protect and safeguard American diplomacy,” Rebecca Ross, the U.S. Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Counselor for Public Affairs, said in a statement to CNSNews.com.

“On September 11, 2012, our U.S. Marine Security Detachment carried out its regular duties which include providing internal security, preventing the compromise of classified information and equipment, and providing protection for U.S. citizens and property located within official U.S. facilities,” Ross said.

On August 16, less than a month before the terrorists struck the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, the U.S. Marine Security Guard Force in Barbados led a physical fitness test for young athletes.

Via: CNS News

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Obama to Jobless Law-School Grad: No Immediate Solution, But 'Don't Be Discouraged'

Your not getting a job anytime soon

(CNSNews.com) - "I understand how tough it is out there for recent grads," President Obama told a jobless law school grad during an online chat on Wednesday. In the "long-term," things will get better he said -- but he couldn't make any promises about "our  immediate economic challenges."

"So don't be discouraged -- we didn't get into this fix overnight, and we won't get out overnight, but we are making progress and with your help will make more," Obama said.

In an "interview" with users of the online news-and-comment website Reddit, President Obama took a question from someone who recently graduated from a "top law school" with big student loans to repay -- and can't find a job.

"While I'm sure my immediate prospects will improve in time, it's difficult to be optimistic about the future knowing that my ability to live a productive life -- to have a fulfilling career, to buy a house, to someday raise a family -- is hampered by my debt and the bleak economic outlook for young people." 

The questioner said he knows many people who are similarly demoralized, particularly young people who campaigned for Obama in 2008: Why should they vote for Obama again? "What hope can you offer us for your second term?," the law school grad asked.

President Obama mentioned his health care law, the student loan bill, "advanced manufacturing," his green energy policy -- and tax hikes on the wealthy:

"You're right -- your long term prospects are great, but that doesn't help in the short term," Obama responded. 

"Obviously some of the steps we have taken already help young people at the start of their careers. Because of the health care bill, you can stay on your parent's plan until you're twenty six. Because of our student loan bill, we are lowering the debt burdens that young people have to carry. 

Via: CNSNews

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Katrina Anniversary: Obama Plans to Campaign in Va. While Isaac Lands in La.

=(CNSNews.com)   – The White House announced on Monday that President Barack Obama plans to campaign in Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday--the day the National Hurricane Center predicts Hurricane Isaac will hit the Gulf Coast.

Wednesday, Aug. 29, is also the seventh anniversary of the day that Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast in 2005.

According to the center, Tropical Storm Isaac is predicted to become a Category One Hurricane by Monday night and will make landfall along the Louisiana and Mississippi coastline late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

According to the center, Isaac will have maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour with storm surges up to 12 feet.

National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service fall under the umbrella of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

The National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning at 1:42 p.m. CDT for New Orleans, stating that Isaac was strengthening and becoming more organized. It advised New Orleans residents to "rush to completion of preparations for the protection of life and property. Evacuate if directed to do so by local officials ... or if your home is vulnerable to high winds or flooding."

Isaac "is currently forecast to make landfall as a Category One hurricane near the southwest pass of the Mississippi River Tuesday night," said the warning.

The warning had not been updated at the time of publication.

Via: CNSNews

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Chicago Pushes ‘Wellness’ Program On Its Employees

(CNSNews.com) - Sign up or pay up. The City of Chicago is urging its employees and their eligible spouses to join the city's "innovative wellness program," or else pay an additional $50 a month for their health care plan.

"Our program will change lives, make our workforce healthier, and save taxpayers money," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said on Thursday. "It will only work if people join, and I'm so pleased to report that we've had well over 22,000 employees or spouses join the program."

Emanuel noted that another 25,000 have not yet let the city know if they plan to join; and so far, 54 employees or spouses have refused.

Chicago Lives Healthy provides free annual health screenings, physical and mental health checkups, call-ins, and “wellness activities” for employees. The city calls it the largest municipal wellness program in the world.

The first step, the sign-up period, runs through Aug. 31. Starting on Sept. 10, employees will begin their free biometric screenings (including blood work), which can be scheduled during work hours at Walgreens outlets or at a doctor’s office.

The third step is a "Well-Being Assessment" – described as "a confidential questionnaire that assesses life and environmental factors that are critical to your health, well-being and your ability to improve both." The assessment consists of 60 questions "to get a better sense of factors that can't be tested." Those factors include one’s health history, mental health, stress, and "barriers to change."

Via:CNSNews

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