White House sneaks out two new climate-related programs

The Obama administration snuck in two new climate change-related programs when it rolled out a major new study on the nation's challenged energy system.

The first installment of a major four-part energy analysis, dubbed the Quadrennial Energy Review, was issued Tuesday morning after several months of persistent delays. Included with the 350-page review, which focused on the nation's energy infrastructure hurdles, were two new executive actions: one addressing climate change resilience, and another for clean energy improvements in rural America.

The administration hinted that the new initiatives may be part of a speech the president plans to deliver Wednesday in Florida on climate change.

The Energy Department will lead a climate change resilience partnership with a mix of the largest municipal, investor-owned and rural cooperative utilities in the country to address the energy problems caused by global warming.

Many scientists say that manmade emissions from the burning of fossil fuels is causing the Earth's climate to warm, resulting in extreme weather, flooding and drought. The increase in severe weather and its effect on electricity infrastructure is what the "Partnership for Energy Sector Climate Resilience" will examine, according to the White House.

In a fact sheet elaborating on the Quadrennial Energy Review, the White House says the new partnership will ramp up quickly. The first meeting is slated for April 30.

The partnership will comprise of 17 companies and the Energy Department. The fact sheet says it "will improve U.S. energy infrastructure resilience against extreme weather and climate change impacts with the leading providers of electricity services."

Via: Washington Examiner

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Economists have discovered how bad the economy really is

Unemployment is almost back to normal, but the economy isn't.

That isn't because the unemployment rate is a conspiracy to make things look better than they really are. It's because even though the unemployment rate tells us the most about the labor market, it doesn't tell us the full story. All it does is show us how many people who are actively looking for work can't find it. But that leaves out the "shadow unemployed" who want full-time jobs but have either given up looking for them or can only find part-time ones. That usually doesn't make that big a difference, but it does now, because, even six years after the crisis has ended, there still isn't much that's usual about this economy.

Now if you add it all up, this shadow unemployment means our jobs hole is more than three times as big as it looks. That, at least, is what economists Danny Blanchflower and Andrew Levin found when they looked at how low the unemployment rate is versus how low we think it could go, how high the participation rate is versus how high we think it could go, and how many people can only find part-time jobs. That first part tells us how much further unemployment itself could fall, the second how many discouraged workers could come back, and the last how many people would work more if they could. In other words, it shows us the gap between how many full-time jobs we have and how many full-time jobs we need. The result, as you can see above, is that instead of being a million full-time jobs short, like the unemployment rate says we are, we're about 3.5 million short.

Via: Washington Post

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The GOP Needs to Run against the Last 16 Years

Had the mathematician Sir Isaac Newton had the chance to devote his life to modern American politics instead of to explaining the elementary rules of physics, the Third Law might have looked a little different. “In every change election,” Newton would presumably have discerned, “there is always presented a reaction to what has gone before.” Thus, in 1920, did Warren Harding’s ascetic, non-interventionist, and explicitly anti-Progressive conservatism represent a welcome shift from the all-encompassing disaster that was Woodrow Wilson’s untrammeled ambition. 

Thus, in 1976, did Jimmy Carter’s preposterous God-has-heard-my-heart-sinning pseudo-shtick help to convince the electorate that his election was what it would take to move on from the cynicism and the ugliness of Watergate. And thus, in 2008 did the aloof, calm, and at least ostensibly professorial Barack Obama ride a wave of vague hope-and-change sentiment all the way to the White House. 

Want to know who will be the next president? Start by looking at the last guy. RELATED: Who’s the Right Man for Conservatives in 2016? Look at the political climate, too. For as long as the party system remains intact, we will hear absolutist rhetoric come election time. “Vote for me,” one side will say, “and everything will be perfect.” “Vote for the other guy,” it will add, “and you’ll be pushed screaming into a volcano.” Occasionally, this tack can be an effective one — certainly, in 1932, 

Franklin Roosevelt did not need a great deal of help painting the Republican party as a failure. Most of the time, however, it is not. That being so, if Republicans hope to take advantage of the sour public mood in 2016, they will have to do more than merely hit the other side for having been imperfect while in power; they will have to recognize that they too bear some responsibility for the national mood.

Via: NRO

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ICE Wasted $41.1 Million Transporting Detainees on Empty Flights

Poor management practices at the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) air program have potentially cost taxpayers $41.1 million by allowing for detainees to be transferred on nearly empty flights, according to a new audit.

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) also found that the agency’s database for tracking the transfer of detainees is riddled with errors, leaving ICE unsure of a detainees’ criminal history, gang affiliation, or even gender.

ICE Air uses charter and commercial flights to transfer detainees to foreign countries or within the United States. In many instances, the audit found, the flights are less than half full.

“Although ICE Air met its mission by transporting 930,435 detainees over a 3-1/2 year period, it could have used its resources more effectively,” the audit said. “In fact, ICE Air may have missed opportunities to improve the program’s overall effectiveness even though it has identified some ways to reduce costs associated with detainee transportation.”

“The lack of reliable data limits the ability of management to make informed decisions regarding how many planes it needs to transport the current level of detainees, whether it should revise the frequency of its flights, and how to improve operations overall,” the OIG said.

“As a result, ICE Air operated charter flights with empty seats and could have realized cost savings of up to $41.1 million upon determining optimum flight capacity,” they said.

Via: WFB

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Excessive Traffic Tickets: Hurting the Middle Class Again​

Even good drivers get an occasional ticket. But in the last several years, there has been a perverse incentive for eagle-eyed enforcement officers to issue even more citations.  We are now discovering that California drivers are a goldmine for government by the imposition of traffic fines that are absurdly excessive.As recently as 2005, a ticket for drivers going from one to 15 mph over the speed limit in California would cost $99. This would include a base fine of $25 and additional charges of $74 to be shared with the state, the county, the courts and other programs.  Only nine years later the same ticket would include a base fine of $35 and another $203 to be divided among the usual suspects for a total of $238.

Currently, a ticket with a fine of $120 will cost the motorist about $627 by the time all the additional charges are added.   These penalty assessments are running more than four times the base fine.

Years ago, the idea behind traffic fines was to encourage safe driving by penalizing those who put themselves and others in danger.  In 1953, the first penalty assessment was established at the rate of one dollar for every $20 in base fine.  In those days the proceeds of the additional charge went to fund driver education in schools.  Today, the additional charges go to pay for state and local programs and to build and renovate courthouses.

No one seems to know exactly how much government rakes in from fines and the penalty assessments, but a study dating back to 2006, when the charges were much smaller, estimated the revenue at over a half billion dollars a year.

Via: California Political Review

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Officials giving mixed messages on why US aircraft carrier shadowing Iranian convoy

An American aircraft carrier and its warplanes are shadowing an Iranian convoy approaching Yemen, as the U.S. beefs up its presence in the region -- but back in Washington, officials can't seem to agree on why. 

Pentagon sources confirmed to Fox News that the USS Theodore Roosevelt is tracking the Iranian convoy, and also launching F/A-18 Hornets to conduct "manned reconnaissance" of the estimated nine Iranian ships. 

Those ships are suspected of carrying weapons to rebel fighters in Yemen. 

But State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf insisted Tuesday that the U.S. ships were "only" there to "ensure the shipping lanes remain open and safe" -- and "not to do anything in terms of those Iranian ships." 

She blasted "misreporting" that asserted U.S. ships were prepared to intercept Iranian vessels. 

"That is blatantly untrue -- so this discreet movement of U.S. assets is for a discreet purpose," Harf said.   

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest also said Tuesday that the ships are in the region primarily to "protect the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce." 

However, Earnest acknowledged the U.S. is very interested in tracking the movements of any potential arms deliveries to Houthi rebels. 

He said "any effort by Iran or anyone else to provide weapons to the Houthis would be a clear violation" of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Earnest said the U.S. and its partners are "serious about the Iranians not providing weapons to the Houthis," and making sure the U.N. arms embargo is taken seriously. 

The Pentagon also acknowledged the convoy is a factor. 

Via: Fox News

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Indiana school district bused only black third-graders to tour local colleges

An Indiana public school district segregated elementary field trips last week when administrators included only African-Americans on the college introduction tour.

According to ABC 57, South Bend Community Schools Corporation has planned a series of field trips to three local colleges for black third-graders in seven school districts. The excursions began last week with a trip to Ivy Tech Community College.

"I feel like all kids should be going."    Tweet This

Dr. G. David Moss, the director for the African-American student-parent services with the South Bend Community Schools Corporation, told ABC 57 that he wanted the third-grade students to begin to think of themselves attending college.

“I was hired to look at the issues facing African-American kids in the South Bend Community Schools Corporation and my job specifically says that I need to develop programs and develop strategies to help these kids and their families become more successful academically,” Moss said.

However, many families, including those with children who can attend the field trips, said the field trips were exclusionary and discriminatory in nature.

“I feel like all kids should be going,” Deirdra Mullings, a mother of a child on the field trips, told ABC 57.

“It creates a double standard,” Kelley Garing told the news outlet.

Via: Campus Reform

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Fox News Topped All of Cable TV Primetime Again Last Week

Because Hillary Clinton officially joined the presidential race last Sunday afternoon, many consider the 2016 primaries to officially be underway. For the first full week of that early “primary season,” Fox News topped all of cable television in primetime viewers, according to Nielsen ratings data.

Throughout last week, Fox averaged 1.7 million total viewers during primetime hours (8-11 p.m. ET), outperforming the big cable names like USA Network (1.6M), TBS (1.5M), Discovery (1.45M), and TNT (1.4M). This marks the third time in 2015 that Fox achieved such a feat — the last time beingthe week of controversy surrounding the network’s primetime star Bill O’Reilly.

Fox’s primary cable news competitors, CNN and MSNBC ranked 27th and 30th, respectively, among all cable networks. The Turner-owned channel averaged 523k primetime viewers for the week; while the NBC-owned news channel had 516k.

On top of that, Fox also ranked third place overall for total day cable viewers. The network’s 1.1M viewers placed them behind Adult Swim’s 1.14M and Nickelodeon’s 1.13M viewers. CNN’s 385k placed them 23rd overall, while MSNBC’s 311k was enough for 27th place.

Via: Mediaite

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Meet the GOP's Unconventional New Star

As the nation’s first female combat pilot, Rep. Martha McSally has always been one to cast aside convention.

Now that she’s a member of Congress, the Arizona Republican is showing no signs of changing.

After winning a recount against Democratic incumbent Rep. Ron Barber by just 167 votes, McSally didn’t get in line and keep quiet like other freshman. She began aggressively lobbying Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and won herself a subcommittee gavel and a platform to hold hearings.

The Republican hired former Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’s top spokesman as her district director — part of a broader push to reach out to Democratic, independent and minority voters she’ll need to win reelection in her southern Arizona district, one of the most competitive in the country.

The retired Air Force colonel and squadron commander also isn’t afraid to admonish fellow House Republicans. In a 30-minute interview with The Hill last week, she warned against GOP messaging bills that fire up the base but won’t pass the Senate.

Via: The Hill

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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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Liberal Media In A Frenzy Over Walker’s Pro-Worker Immigration Stance

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Monday immigration policy should be American-worker centered, apparently striking a nerve with the liberal media, who called it extreme and used tweets from a disgruntled former employee to criticize the move.

The Washington Post, MSNBC, and Huffington Post said the stance is a dumb move politically, because only a small number of right-wing extremists question the economic value of legal immigration.

“It’s not clear whether he understands that immigration is one way to boosteconomic growth,” Washington Post blogger Jennifer Rubin wrote condescendingly. “(There is replete evidence that immigration boosts revenue, growth and does not take jobs away from native-born workers.)”

“We have remarked that the temptation in the GOP primary is to play to the loudest voices and the staunchest segment of the party, even though they do not represent a majority of voters in the party, let alone in the general electorate,” Rubin added.

Via: Daily Caller

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Jumping the (Real Estate) Gun? Clinton Confidante Buys Condo In DC

Is someone optimistic that Hillary Clinton is going to be spending a lot more time in Washington, D.C., in the years ahead? Donna Shalala, the longtime Clinton family confidante who was announced as the head of the New York-based Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation in March, closed that same month on a Georgetown condo in an upscale building with waterfront views. According to real estate records, Shalala purchased for $862,500 the one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit on Water Street NW under a trust account in her name; at just 924 square feet, that’s quite the pricey pied a terre.

Sources say Shalala will likely spend most of her time in New York for her foundation job, which would make the Georgetown property a secondary home—the type of place you’d use frequently if your boss, for instance, was the First Husband and your other boss was the President. Shalala has gotten used to cushy digs. As president of the University of Miami, where she has been since leaving the Clinton administration as secretary of health and human services in 2001, she lived at the school’s massive Coral Gables presidential house until it was sold for $9 million in 2012. Since then she’s been bunking at a new, 9,000-square-foot, two-story home, complete with an elevator, dubbed “Ibis House,” in Pinecrest, an expensive gated community. Shalala is slated to depart University of Miami in early May, at the end of the academic year.

Via: Politico

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Critics: NLRB May Gut ‘Right to Work’ Laws

The federal government’s top labor arbiter may use its regulatory power to force non-union employees in right to work states pay union dues.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) put out a call for legal briefs on Wednesday asking labor law scholars to weigh in on whether unions should have the ability to extract dues payments from non-members. The announcement drew immediate criticism from right to work activists.

“It is unfortunately not surprising that the Obama NLRB is now actively working to undermine the 25 state Right to Work laws. Its ‘call for briefs’ signals this NLRB’s intention to reverse over 60 years of Board precedent to give union bosses an unprecedented tool to eviscerate employees’ Right to Work protections,” Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Committee, said in a release.

“Right to work” laws ban coercive dues systems in which employees must join a union and pay dues as a condition of employment. The laws have passed in 25 states and are spreading in traditional union strongholds: Wisconsin, the birthplace of public sector unions, passed such a law in March, just two years after similar regimes were implemented in Indiana and Michigan.

Unions have fought the law in courts in nearly every state that has adopted the measure, arguing that since labor groups negotiate wages and benefits on behalf of all workers, non-members are “free-riding.” In most cases, those challenges have not prevailed in state or federal courts. Unions in Indiana, for example, filed a flurry of lawsuits intended to block the implementation of the state right to work law. Federal Judge Phillip Simon tossed them out of court in 2013.

Via: Washington Free Beacon

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