THE UNPRECEDENTED SECRECY OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

President Barack Obama, on his first full day in office in 2009, said, “Let me say it as simply as I can: Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.”

Time has given the lie to this bold statement.  Repeatedly.

In fact, what America has seen is unprecedented secrecy. Judicial Watch has had to file over 1,000 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and well over 100 lawsuits against the Obama administration seeking information about: 

• Obamacare;
• the continued funding of the criminal ACORN network;
• tracking Wall Street bailout money;
• the czar racket;
• immigration policy;
• election integrity;
• information on Operation Fast and Furious (which led to the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and countless Mexican citizens);
• records concerning the illegal appointment of Richard Cordray to the NSA-esque, personal consumer credit data drilling Consumer Finance Protection Board;
• the images of the capture, killing and burial of Osama bin Laden (that might upset the terrorists);
• disastrous green energy loan guarantees;
• Benghazi;
• Billions of dollars of spending on Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac (the government takeover of the mortgage market);
• Hillary Clinton’s ethics compliance records (from an administration that has probably perfected the “ethics waiver,” but that’s another story).

This president touts transparency but condones law-breaking of open records laws by his administration. The Obama administration has perfected the art of “selective transparency.” It releases documents when it serves them and keeps them secret when it does not. For instance, the Obama White House makes a show of posting some of the Secret Service’s White House visitor log entries, while withholding hundreds thousands of others and opposing the logs’ full release under law in court.  We’ve even had to sue for basic information on the taxpayer costs of the Obamas’ many luxury vacations.

We battled the Bush administration all the way up to the Supreme Court on secrecy issues.  But I can tell you that Obama makes George W. Bush seem like a piker on government secrecy.  Leftists will, in rare honest moments, tell you, too: the Obama administration is less transparent than the Bush administration.

Time is a friend to the politician with scandals and embarrassments to hide, in the hopes that the news cycle will move on or that the public will forget.  Getting beyond the Obama administration’s smokescreen is about a simple principle: the public’s right to know the full truth about what its government is up to.

There are many “big lies” that live within the Obama administration.  But few are promoted more directly by this president than the one about his administration’s supposed transparency.  

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton is author of the NY Times best-seller “The Corruption Chronicles” and executive producer of the documentary “District of Corruption.”

Via: Breitbart

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Unveiled: the Dreamliner's Bigger Brother, Boeing's 787-9

 

Boeing is hoping the second Dreamliner experiences a smoother takeoff than the first. The aerospace giant has just announced the completion of the first of its 787-9s, a variant of the Dreamliner that is 20 feet longer than the original (the 787-8) and can fly 300 nautical miles farther thanks to a greater fuel capacity. Boeing's promotional video claims the plane is the first commercial use of hybrid laminar flow control—a way to change the airflow around the aircraft's tail to reduce drag. 

Boeing's website boasts a couple dozen airlines that are poised to fly this newer, bigger 787, but there's still plenty of work to do before the plane is ready for commercial aviation—Boeing still has to put the newly completed aircraft through the complete battery of flight tests. According to CNET, Air Zealand will be the first airline to get a 787-9, but it won't happen until sometime next year. 

Like the 787-8 now in service, the new 787-9 is made of composite materials as a way to save weight. However, Boeing hopes the bigger jet dodges the electrical and battery problems that plagued the first Dreamliners earlier this year, grounding the planes for months and requiring a fix to the battery system. The new plane's debut is at least a shot of positive energy in what has been a trying year  for the Dreamliner team. 


Via:Popular Mechanics

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Samantha Power on the Duty to Intervene

This week, the Barack Obama administration’s most eloquent and ardent advocate for humanitarian intervention overseas, Samantha Power, the ambassador to the United Nations,tweeted the following about the alleged Syrian chemical weapons attack: “Reports devastating: 100s dead in streets, including kids killed by chem weapons. UN must get there fast & if true, perps must face justice.”

Since then, she’s been publicly silent. Apparently, she’s on a previously scheduled, and unfortunately timed, vacation (which a handful of Republicans are casting as a scandal of some sort, Democrats not being allowed to take vacations in August).

Even if she were in town, Power most likely wouldn’t be tweeting, or speaking publicly. The administration is bollixed-up by this latest horrendous news from Syria, and the Pentagon has been pushing hard against the diplomats -- John Kerry chief among them -- who would like to see more direct American intervention. (For more on Kerry’s argument with the Pentagon, please see this column.)

But it’s not impossible to guess what Power might be thinking. Her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “‘A Problem From Hell’: America and the Age of Genocide,” published a decade ago, will be our useful guide.

I pulled the book off the shelf last night, and was reminded that it is brilliant, a carefully written, deeply researched indictment of American indifference in the face of atrocity. And I realized that the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria must be driving Power mad with frustration -- frustration, of course, with Bashar al-Assad's killer regime and frustration with the international community (so-called), in particular the Russians, who will do almost anything to protect the regime from censure, but also frustration with those in the administration who have spent the past two years looking for ways to distance the U.S. from the horror.

One caveat: The 100,000 dead in Syria do not count -- at least not yet -- as victims of genocide, as the word is traditionally understood, although I think a careful analysis of the civil war shows that Assad’s minority Alawite regime has directed its criminal violence almost exclusively against members of Syria’s Sunni Muslim population.

Via: Bloomberg

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A report card for U.S. policy in the Mideast

How Washington is doing on such issues as winding down military involvement, fighting terrorism and reducing our dependence on its oil.

Think the United States is fairing badly in the Middle East? Convinced that our policy is chaotic, confused and contradictory, from North Africa to the Persian Gulf?

Think again. It may not be politically correct to admit it, but when it comes to furthering America's core national interests, Washington isn't doing badly at all. And here's why.

Defining U.S. national interests is a critically important task, and not enough attention is paid to it. If you don't know where you're going, the old saw goes, any road will get you there. And we've seen the consequences of that in Afghanistan and Iraq.

America's interests in the Middle East have changed over the years. But in 2013, in addition to ensuring the security of Israel, the U.S. has five vital ones and a couple that are less so. Here's the report card on them:

Getting out of Iraq and Afghanistan early: A-

The two longest and among the most profitless in U.S. history, these two wars have claimed more than 6,000 U.S. dead; tens of thousands wounded, many grievously; billions of dollars expended; and shattered credibility from one end of the Middle East to the other. The process of extrication isn't pretty, nor is what America will leave behind. But leaving is crucial. Considering what the U.S. sacrificed and what we've gotten in return, we stayed far longer than necessary.

Via: LA Times

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Huckabee: Healthcare System 'Upside-Down'

The healthcare system is upside-down, centering on treating people rather than curing them, because that is where the money is, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has claimed.

"We spend most of the money on treating diseases. And, you know why? Because there is money to be made in treating a disease," he said on Monday's Fox & Friends. 

"If you cure it, there is no money. If you prevent it, there is no money to be made." 

Huckabee said that treatment is an important factor, but the primary focus should be on cure and prevention, both for the health of individuals and the federal budget.
"Here is what we need to do. Focus on a cure rather than just on a treatment. Three stages in dealing with disease — preventing it, curing it, treating it," he said.

"It will bankrupt Medicare and Medicaid if we don't deal with these huge issues that are the cost outliers in healthcare," Huckabee warned. 

Huckabee also claimed that President Barack Obama had moved "beyond disingenuous to being dishonest" in his depiction of how Republicans view health coverage for the uninsured. 

The president recently said that Republicans want to deny health insurance to the uninsured, saying, "The one unifying principle in the Republican party, at the moment, is making sure that 30 million people don't have healthcare."

But Huckabee called that claim "nonsense." 

"We've taken 15 percent of people who don't have insurance, and, in an attempt to give it to them, we messed it up for the 85 percent of people who do," he said in reference to the Affordable Care Act. 

Via: Newsmax

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NBC's Gregory: Do Obama Critics Have Same 'Resentment and Fear' as Racists 50 Years Ago?

At the top of Sunday's NBC Meet the Press, moderator David Gregory interviewed Democratic Congressman John Lewis about the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech and seized the opportunity to bash President Obama's political opponents: "...in your view, a lot of people can't get comfortable with the idea of an African American president...Do you see some of the same trappings of resentment and fear in our modern-day politics?" [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Gregory further teed up Lewis to bash conservatives: "And you even said during your speech yesterday [at the MLK speech anniversary], 'There are forces, there are people who want to take us back.' What specifically are you talking about?" Lewis ranted: "Well, I hear people over and over again saying, 'We want to take our country back.' Take it back where? Where are we going?...when I was growing up, I saw those signs that said, "White Men," "Colored Men"...Those signs are gone."

After suggesting "resentment and fear" as the motivation behind criticism of Obama, Gregory followed up: "Is that what you're warning of when you see some of those forces coming back?" Lewis replied: "Well, I think there is – some forces want to create this sense of fear. They think the country is moving too fast, and maybe becoming too progressive. The country is not the same country. We're a little browner, people are coming together. And in a short time, the minority will be the majority."
Later on the program, during an interview with Republican Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Gregory touted a sound bite of former Secretary of State Colin Powell ranting on the January 13 Meet the Press that there is "a dark vein of intolerance" in the Republican Party and that "they still sort of look down on minorities."

Following that clip, Gregory pressed Jindal: "You've heard John Lewis say that there's still not a lot of acceptance of an African American president. Calls for impeachment [of President Obama] this week that some have chalked up to racism. What's your view of a dark vein of intolerance within the GOP?"

Via Newsbusters

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Nancy Pelosi calls Wendy Davis ‘brilliant, courageous’

As state Sen. Wendy Davis nears an announcement on whether she’ll run for governor, U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on Monday called her “brilliant” and “courageous.”

Asked whether she thought the Fort Worth Democrat could raise the tens of millions of dollars needed to mount such a race, Pelosi said yes, adding, “I don’t think that would be an obstacle.”

Pelosi was in Austin to talk about economic policies important to women at an event hosted by the American Association of University Women at the Eastview Campus of Austin Community College.

Asked if Davis could expect support from national Democratis such as Pelosi if she runs, the Democrat who’s often reviled by Republicans in this red state was careful.

“I think many people across the country are waiting for Wendy’s decision, but what’s important is what the people of Texas think about that decision,” said Pelosi, praising her and saying Davis understands “women in the workplace, the balance that has to happen there.”

As to whether she had encouraged Davis to run, Pelosi said, people have to make their own decisions on such matters.
“I think she knows how much we all respect her, but it’s not really about what anybody outside the state thinks. It’s about what she thinks is possible here.”

Via: The Chronicle

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WATCH: Local News Host Rips Democrats For Refusing to Appear on His Show

If you thought Fox and MSNBC were the only place you could find opinionated news hosts delivering brutal attacks on politicians, you’ve never seen North Dakota’s “6:30 Point of View” with Chris Berg. Last week, Berg absolutely ripped apart Democrats Senator Heidi Heitkamp and Congressman Collin Peterson for declining his repeated interview requests.

Berg began by thanking the state’s Republican senator, John Hoeven for sitting down for an interview with him earlier that day. “You have to give him kudos for coming in, taking your questions on Facebook, answering the tough questions about what you want to hear about,” Berg said before moving on to some other politicians who he thinks could take a page out of Hoeven’s book.

He began with Heitkamp, who he said told the station her schedule was too busy for an interview, despite the fact that she has held no town hall meetings during her August recess. He mocked Heitkamp’s recent “Twitter panel,” saying, “we know how rampant Twitter is in North Dakota. Everybody’s on Twitter here in North Dakota, aren’t they?. What a joke, that is ridiculous. She can’t come in here for 15 minutes to spend time with you, her constituents and answer questions? That’s embarrassing.” He challenged her to come on any time and even offered to pay for the satellite fees from Washington.

Berg was even tougher on Peterson, calling him out for not returning the station’s calls or emails. “You’re up for re-election coming up in 2014, and you know the NRCC has a target on you, saying ‘you ain’t gonna win,’” Berg said. “I know you’ve been there forever. You think this is your seat, you own it. Guess what, you work for it’s people here in the valley. Show up!”

With a clip like this, could cable news be in Berg’s future?

Watch video below, via KXJB-TV:

Via: Mediaite.com

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Astronauts Won’t Go To Space Until At Least 2021, NASA Inspector General Says

(CNSNews.com) – Lack of money and testing delays mean NASA will not be able to send astronauts into orbit until at least 2021, according to a report released Aug. 15 by the NASA Office of Inspector General.

“NASA plans to delay delivery of several systems required to ‘human rate’ the Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), and as a result, the Agency does not expect the spacecraft to be available for crewed operations until at least 2021,” said Paul K. Martin, NASA’s inspector general.

Under current funding levels, astronauts will be limited to orbital missions, because the systems necessary for surface exploration have not been developed, NASA said.

Given the amount of time and money necessary to develop these systems, it is unlikely that NASA will be able to conduct surface exploration missions until the late 2020s at the earliest, NASA said.

The Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle is being developed as a result of the “NASA Authorization Act of 2010.”

The Act set the goal of achieving full operational capacity for the MPCV, not later than Dec. 21, 2016.

The report said the lack of funding is forcing managers to complete the most immediate tests, while development and testing has been delayed on other important but less time-sensitive aspects of the program

Via: CNS News

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[VIDEO] James O’Keefe confronts his old nemesis — and hilarity ensues

Conservative filmmaker and activist James O’Keefe confronted the former U.S. attorney who prosecuted him in an amusing new video.

O’Keefe was attempting to give a copy of his bestselling book to his old nemesis Jim Letten, now a dean at Tulane University School of Law. In the book, O’Keefe alleges that Letten’s close ties to Sen. Mary Landrieu and President Barack Obama influenced his decision to prosecute O’Keefe.

In January 2010, James O’Keefe and three men were charged by Letten’s office with malicious intent to damage Landrieu’s office phone systems. O’Keefe was sentenced to three years’ probation, 100 hours of community service, and a $1,500 fine in what he says was an unjust prosecution.

After not finding Letten at home and offering a book to Letten’s wife, O’Keefe left a message on Letten’s office voicemail asking to meet with Letten as a prospective law student. O’Keefe has completed one year of law school.

When O’Keefe arrived at Tulane University he was greeted by campus police. Letten, who had been waiting for O’Keefe, then launched into a tirade.

WATCH: 

“Listen to me,” Letten said. “Listen to me, hobbits, okay? Listen to me. Listen to me. Pay attention to me. Listen to me. You went to my house. You terrorized my wife. You are violating federal law. You are violating state law. You’re trespassing. You’re a nasty, little cowardly spud. All of you. You’re hobbits. You are less than I could ever tell you. You are scum.”

Via: Daily Caller

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How L.A. Can Avoid Becoming The Next Detroit

When Detroit filed for bankruptcy in July with its $18 billion in liabilities, many people predicted that Los Angeles was not far behind.

But LA is not going to tank as our City’s dynamics are very different, at least for the time being.

Since 1950, Detroit’s population has decreased 63%, from 1,850,000 to less than 700,000 in 2012.  Los Angeles, on the other hand, has seen its population increase as our diversified economy located on Pacific Rim continues to grow, although a much lower rate than in the past.

Our annual income per capita of $28,000 is almost twice the $15,000 level in Detroit where over 36% of the population lives below the poverty line.  This compares to an unhealthy 20% in LA.

Detroit, with its 78,000 abandoned buildings and 66,000 blighted and vacant lots, has seen its revenues fall by 20% over the last five years.  Unfortunately, its revenues are expected to decline by an additional 13% over the next four years while pension obligations will gobble up an unsupportable 44% of the budget, up from the current level of 20%.

Detroit does not even have access to the $500 million that it needs over the next five years to repair its epidemic of urban blight.

Meanwhile, in the City of Angels, our revenues have increased to record levels and are projected to grow by 13% over the next four years.  Meanwhile, pension contributions will chew up “only” 23% of revenues.

But this does not mean that LA is out of the woods as our City is facing significant financial issues.  LA is projecting a cumulative deficit of $800 million over the next four years if it is unable to renegotiate its contracts with its civilian unions.

Via: California Political Review

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What is Obama Hiding??

Judicial Watch Asks Supreme Court to Review JW 

Lawsuit Over bin Laden Death Images

As I said in this space when we began the battle to obtain photos and videos of the raid that led to bin Laden’s capture and killing, we would not stop until we exhausted every single legal remedy available to us.  Last stop:  the United States Supreme Court.

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 Judicial Watch Weekly Update

This week we filed a certiorari petition with the Supreme Court of the United States to review a 2013 appellate ruling preventing the American people from accessing these images. We are trying to force the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to release more than 50 photographs and video recordings of Osama bin Laden taken during and after the U.S. raid upon the terrorist leader’s compound in Pakistan on May 1, 2011.

But before we get to Judicial Watch’s High Court petition and arguments, I want to address the question of “why” these records are so vital and why it is so important that JW emerge victorious in this effort.

If the lower court ruling is allowed to stand, terrorists would be allowed to dictate our laws. After all, it was Barack Obama himself who gave the justification for keeping this information secret, claiming it would be unwise to “spike the football” over bin Laden’s killing as it might be offensive to al Qaeda and its allies.

But there is no provision of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that allows documents to be kept secret because their release might offend our terrorist enemies. And we certainly do not want to start that precedent! Therefore, at stake in our battle to obtain these images is the fundamental right of the American people to access government information.

I’ll say it again here – as we’ve said in court:  We’re not after any information that has any relevance to national security. We just want to complete the public record on one of the most significant victories in United States military history.

Via: Judicial Watch

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[FLASHBACK 2010] WikiLeaked: John Kerry calls for Israel to cede Golan Heights and East Jerusalem

On a February trip to the Middle East, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry(D-MA) told Qatari leaders that the Golan Heights should be returned to Syria, that a Palestinian capital should be established in East Jerusalem as part of the Arab-Israeli peace process, and that he was "shocked" by what he saw on a visit to Gaza.

Kerry discussed the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in a visit to Qatar during separate meetings with Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani and the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa, as revealed by the disclosure of diplomatic cables by the website WikiLeaks.

The emir told Kerry to focus on Syria as the path toward resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Kerry agreed with the emir that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is a man who wants change but pointed out that his arming of Hezbollah and interference in Lebanese politics were unhelpful. Kerry said that Assad "needs to make a bolder move and take risks" for peace, and that he should be "more statesman-like." Kerry also agreed with the emir that the Golan Heights should be given back to Syria at some point.

"The Chairman added that Netanyahu also needs to compromise and work the return of the Golan Heights into a formula for peace," the diplomatic cable reported.

As for the peace process, Kerry defended the Obama administration's drive to use indirect proximity talks (which were only being discussed at that time) as a stepping stone to direct talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians. He said the two sides should first agree on the amount of land to be swapped and then work on borders, followed by settlements.

Kerry also said that final agreement would have to include a Palestinian state with a capital in East Jerusalem.

Via: Foreign Policy

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Soldier gets Medal of Honor for heroic efforts in Afghanistan firefight

Army Staff Sgt. Ty Carter received the Medal of Honor on Monday for his efforts in Afghanistan during a deadly firefight with Taliban forces four years ago. 

Carter received the medal from President Obama during a White House ceremony, where the president paid tribute to Carter's "true heroism." 

But Carter is also haunted by what he could not do in his bravest hour, defending Combat Outpost Keating in a daylong battle with the Taliban in an eastern corner of Afghanistan on Oct. 3, 2009. 

The battle claimed the lives of eight American soldiers. Twenty-two others were wounded in the fight, in which more than 300 Taliban fighters attacked a small American base surrounded by mountains. 

"I would never wish for anybody to receive this medal, because in order to receive this medal, your family is pretty much dying around you," Carter said last week. "Everything is getting destroyed, there's bullets, there's flames, there's explosions, and everybody you care about is suffering around you." 

Carter was joined at the White House ceremony by his wife Shannon and three children. Obama addressed the children directly. 

Via: Fox News

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Will Empowerment Ever Trump Perpetual Victimhood For The Black Community?

Jesse Jackson Is Being Honored For Providing Inner-
City Youths With Increased Photo Opportunities...The 
Onion

• Much has been written about the failure of black leadership in America over the last several decades. I revisited this issue after reading and hearing reports of Oprah's alleged encounter with racism while shopping for a purse in Zurich, Switzerland, several weeks ago. But that's not what I found interesting about the story. I found it interesting that one of the richest black women in the history of the planet, a women who made much of her wealth from a message of empowerment, had to resort to whining and portraying herself as a victim.
• And this incident is precisely what brings me to my point today. Too many African Americans promote perpetual victimhood---even those who have been remarkably successful.
• There is no doubt that racism still exists in America. But there is also no doubt that African Americans have too many black leaders who promote racial division largely for fame and financial gain. One can make a lucrative career in America by stroking the fires of racial conflict and tension. Too many continue to pursue failed social programs that only promote unending hopelessness, misery and anguish. They know they can make a lucrative career by stroking the flames of racial conflict and continual tension.
• Not long ago, I wrote a piece about Al Sharpton, a race-baiting hustler and hypocrite of the worst kind. Not only has this thug been involved in promoting some major hoaxes on the public, Jonah Goldberg of theNational Review wrote Sharpton knows how to cash in on his access. It's the likes of Sharpton and other so-called black leaders who always turn to a failed ideology that relies on victimhood instead of promoting empowerment, a process where marginalized people can truly flourish without being dependent on the government and society for perpetual handouts. It's through the help of others who sincerely care---not charlatans---that marginalized people will get access to the many opportunities available in life and society. And those "others" happen to be other distinguished black Americans that many never hear about.

Via: PWZ

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President Obama's Increasing Lawlessness

Obama's fall from grace sets a scary precedent for future presidents

The increasing lawlessness with which President Barack Obama has been acting in his second term is not going unnoticed.

In fact, in a strong rebuke last week to the unilateral actions being taken by the Obama administration, a federal appeals court came down hard on the administration’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission by ruling that delaying a decision on a proposed nuclear waste storage facility was in violation of federal law. In the majority opinion, the judges declared that the administration was “simply flouting the law,” and that President Obama “may not decline to follow a statute or prohibition simply because of policy objections.”

President Obama’s fall from grace as the candidate elected to rein in executive power in 2008 is more than tragic – it sets scary new precedents for the behavior of future presidents from either party.

Just take for example how President Obama has selectively enforced his own health care law:

• In 2011, the Obama administration unilaterally ended the CLASS Act – a long-term care insurance plan included in ObamaCare that proved to be unworkable. Congress would later pass a repeal of this program, but it still signaled a disturbing beginning to the President’s pattern of selectively enforcing his law.

Via: Fox News

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