Tag Archives: Topic: White House

Michael Barone writes at the NY Post: “One interesting thing about the Obama administration is the strange domi nance of labor unions. Yes, President Obama and other Democratic leaders owe the unions something: Unions gave $400 million to Democrats in the 2008 campaign cycle, and expect to get something in return . . . Unions now represent only 7 percent of private-sector workers . . . ”

LifeNews: “Officials in the Obama administration are scrambling to respond to evidence showing the new health care law President Barack Obama signed will fund elective abortions in Pennsylvania and New Mexico — and possibly in more states. The Obama administration promises that won’t happen.”

NPR: “The National Right to Life Committee, Family Research Council, and House Minority Leader John Boehner, (R-OH) are up in arms about what they contend is Pennsylvania’s plan to provide abortion coverage to people who sign up for the state’s new high-risk health insurance plan . . . Both Obama Administration and Pennsylvania officials say the NRLC’s interpretation is simply incorrect — elective abortions will NOT be allowed in the new program.”

AP: “Prosecutors have dropped all charges against an openly gay Iraq War veteran who twice chained himself to a White House fence to protest the military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy.”

The Hill: “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is blasting the Obama administration and congressional Democrats for policies it says are expanding government and hindering an economic recovery.”

ACLU: “In a critical acknowledgment of the discrimination surrounding HIV/AIDS, the Obama administration today, in its newly released strategy, emphasized the government’s responsibility to enforce nondiscrimination laws and made clear that education about the transmission of HIV is crucial to fighting the stigma that many living with HIV face . . .”

“The U.S. will subsidize a new $500-million United Nations agency that conservatives say will likely promote an abortion agenda.”

FRC Action: “If there was ever proof that the Obama Administration has gone off the rails, it’s Amtrak. For the first time in the train service’s history, Amtrak has decided to spend a quarter-million dollars recruiting homosexual passengers. As you may know, Amtrak isn’t a private business. This is a government-run business, meaning that this $250,000 is taken directly from taxpayers’ pockets.”

The Heritage Foundation Foundry Blog:  ”The front page of USA Today claims: ‘President Obama’s attempt to use the Gulf of Mexico oil spill to help propel comprehensive energy legislation has failed.’ Don’t believe it for a second. On Monday the Obama administration reissued a ban on offshore oil drilling in the gulf after federal courts twice invalidated the first ban, calling it “arbitrary and capricious.” The new ban is, if anything, more restrictive than the first, thus guaranteeing even more job losses for the already devastated Gulf region. Meanwhile, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is set to introduce a bill . . . ”

Yahoo News (AP): “A government document reveals that the Obama administration is planning to cut the U.S. nuclear stockpile by up to 40 percent by 2021.”

This is the kind of abortion funding the pro-life movement warned the kind of abortion funding the pro-life movement warned about when Congress considered the bill.

ABC: “First Lady Michelle Obama brought renewed energy to the NAACP today, delivering the keynote speech at the annual convention one day before the nation’s largest civil rights group is expected to condemn what it calls racist elements in the Tea Party movement.”

CBS: “The Pentagon today strongly pushed back against an allegation from a prominent political blogger that the military could segregate gay and straight servicemembers if and when lawmakers repeal the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy.”

Charles Krauthammer writes at National Review: “There’s a final reason why the administration’s cowardice about identifying those trying to kill us cannot be allowed to pass. It is demoralizing. It trivializes the war between jihadi barbarism and Western decency, and diminishes the memory of those (including thousands of brave Muslims — Iraqi, Pakistani, Afghan, and Western) who have died fighting it.”

LifeNews: “The United States embassy in Kenya issued a statement today saying the administration of President Barack Obama is not spending taxpayer dollars funding a campaign to support a pro-abortion Constitution Kenya voters will consider at the polls next month . . . ”

LifeSiteNews: “Performing an ‘end-run’ around the Senate confirmation process, President Barack Obama has installed Dr. Donald Berwick, an enthusiast for medical rationing and an unabashed admirer of the United Kingdom’s socialized health care system, as head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services via a recess appointment.”

LifeNews: “The new pregnancy assistance fund the White House quietly announced earlier this month has already drawn skepticism from pro-life advocates. Now, other pro-life leaders who are chiming in on its creation say they are worried grant money will go to pro-abortion organizations . . . ”

“This controversial case might well go up on appeal. But if so, it looks almost like collusive litigation, unless some true defender of DOMA is allowed . . . ”

AP: “The Obama administration’s recent move to drop rhetorical references to Islamic radicalism is drawing fire in a new report warning the decision ignores the role religion can play in motivating terrorists. Several prominent counterterror experts are challenging the administration’s shift . . . ”

Virginian-Pilot: “With the new Pentagon survey under fire for its questions about open-bay showers and even its use of the term ‘homosexual,’ it is almost certain that Justice Department lawyers handling the Log Cabin case will be accused of asking insensitive or homophobic questions as they cross-examine witnesses. On the other side of the political spectrum, social conservatives say they’ll be watching closely to see if DOJ is going easy. “We hope the administration’s politically motivated position against Don’t Ask Don’t Tell will not be a factor in defending the regulations,” said Daniel Blomberg of the Alliance Defense Fund.”

NY Times: “In a private meeting with White House officials this weekend, Democratic governors voiced deep anxiety about the Obama administration’s suit against Arizona’s new immigration law, worrying that it could cost a vulnerable Democratic Party in the fall elections . . . ”

Breitbart (AP): “The administration was silent Friday on whether it would appeal rulings by U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro. Spokespeople for the White House and the Justice Department said officials are still reviewing the rulings.”

The Hill: “Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and John Cornyn (Texas) have sided with the state of Arizona in its battle with the Department of Justice over a controversial state immigration law . . . ”

How Appealing links to several reports and the ruling in Hornbeck Offshore Services, L.L.C v. Salazar, No. 10-30585 (5th Cir. July 8, 2010)

One News Now: “A conservative political activist says President Obama’s pro-Islamic leanings are to blame for radical Islamic groups becoming so emboldened that they are openly holding conferences on U.S. soil calling for the establishment of a global Islamic empire.”

John Fund writes at WSJ: “As expected, he claimed that Associate Attorney General Thomas Perrelli, an Obama appointee, overruled a unanimous recommendation by six career Justice attorneys for continued prosecution of members of the New Black Panther Party on charges of voter intimidation in an incident I detailed here yesterday. But Mr. Adams leveled an even more explosive charge beyond the Panther case. He testified that last year Deputy Assistant Attorney General Julie Fernandes made a jaw-dropping announcement to attorneys in Justice’s Voting Rights section. She said she would not support any enforcement of a key section of the federal “Motor Voter” law — Section 8, which requires states to periodically purge their voter rolls of dead people, felons, illegal voters and those who have moved out of state.”

Heritage Foundation Foundry Blog: The storyline began in The Washington Post, where columnist Fareed Zakaria endeavored to find out why America’s 500 largest nonfinancial companies are sitting on $1.8 trillion in cash, rather than spending it on expansion (which would mean new jobs). Business leaders told Zakaria that it comes down to economic uncertainty surrounding new laws, regulations and taxes; the expansion of federal agencies’ authority; and the unknown implications of Obamacare, financial reform and cap-and-trade. And the kicker? Zakaria notes that most of them had voted for Obama yet all of them now believe he is “at his core, anti-business.”

Robert Maginnis writing at Human Events: “The Democratic congressional majority will soon decide whether taxpayers should subsidize abortions at military hospitals. Their decision will test President Obama’s trustworthiness and the voters’ patience. … The measure will likely pass the Democrat-controlled Senate and then be conferenced with the House’s version of the bill which doesn’t have a similar provision. It’s not clear that Obama, the nation’s most pro-abortion president ever, would honor his commitment against funding abortion by vetoing the bill.” | For more information see this ADF Alliance Alert compound tag: http://www.alliancealert.org/tag/topic-military+topic-abortion/

John Fund writing in the Wall Street Journal: “J. Christian Adams . . . made some news yesterday in testimony before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. … [He] leveled an even more explosive charge beyond the Panther case. He testified that last year Deputy Assistant Attorney General Julie Fernandes made a jaw-dropping announcement to attorneys in Justice’s Voting Rights section. She said she would not support any enforcement of a key section of the federal ‘Motor Voter’ law — Section 8, which requires states to periodically purge their voter rolls of dead people, felons, illegal voters and those who have moved out of state.” | Full transcript of Adams’ testimony via Pajamas Media.

“The recess appointment was somewhat unusual because the Senate is in recess for less than two weeks and senators were still waiting for Dr. Berwick to submit responses to some of their requests for information. No confirmation hearing has been held or scheduled.”

FOX News: “NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a recent interview that his ‘foremost’ mission as the head of America’s space exploration agency is to improve relations with the Muslim world. Though international diplomacy would seem well outside NASA’s orbit, Bolden said in an interview with Al Jazeera that strengthening those ties was among the top tasks President Obama assigned him. He said better interaction with the Muslim world would ultimately advance space travel.”

Los Angeles Times: “Already, the healthcare overhaul law, Obama’s signal achievement, is under attack in the courts. Republican attorneys general from 20 states have sued, insisting the law and its mandate to buy health insurance exceed Congress’ power and trample on states’ rights. Two weeks ago, a federal judge in New Orleans ruled Obama had overstepped his authority by ordering a six-month moratorium on deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. On another front, the administration says it will soon go to court in Phoenix seeking to block Arizona’s controversial immigration law, which is due to take effect July 29. Republican Gov. Jan Brewer said Arizona would go to the Supreme Court, if necessary, to preserve the law.”

Pajamas Media: “Several former DOJ employees have been in contact with Pajamas Media, interested in publicly supporting J. Christian Adams as he comes forward about the DOJ’s failure to enforce the country’s laws from a race-neutral perspective. These former DOJ employees have expressed a willingness to go on record regarding Adams’ professionalism, excellent performance, and outstanding record of enforcing the law without racial bias. Additionally, they would like to corroborate Adams’ statements about the DOJ.” | Related: Former Justice Department lawyer accuses Holder of dropping New Black Panther case for racial reasons

Yahoo (AP): “The U.S. Justice Department is filing a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Arizona’s new law targeting illegal immigrants, setting the stage for a clash between the federal government and state over the nation’s toughest immigration crackdown.”

CNN / Belief blog: “The Health and Human Services Department announced Friday that it is making $25 million available to states to support pregnant women and teen parents, in an initiative that the White House is framing as a way to find common ground on abortion. The new federal Pregnancy Assistance Fund will award grants to states aimed at providing pregnant women and teen parents support for completing high school or college degrees and for getting health care, child care and housing, HHS said in a news release Friday.” | Official announcement is here (via LifeNews).

Christian Post: “In a speech at Georgetown University, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a speech on human rights. Not only did she talk about the right ‘to love in the way you choose,’ (an obvious attempt at making protecting gay rights a top priority for the U.S. government), she also talked about ‘freedom of worship.’ … Just this clever dissembling of words is an apparent attempt to restrict freedom of religion to freedom of worship only. Do you see the implications? Sure, I am free to attend church, sing hymns, pray over meals, offer thanks to God for my children and grandchildren. That’s my own private affair. But should the government succeed in redefining freedom of religion, how much longer can I practice my faith in public? See my Two Minute Warning to understand what this really means.” | Related: Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra (Christian Today): ‘Freedom of Worship’ Worries | Ashley Samuelson (First Things): Why “Freedom of Worship” Is Not Enough | George Weigel (Ethics and Public Policy Center): The Erosion of Religious Freedom

WORLD Magazine: “Today Jumper and other retired chaplains are worried that Congress and top military brass may soon handcuff these uniformed pastors, forcing them to choose between serving two masters—God or their commanders in a military that condones a lifestyle in opposition to biblical teachings. … Why have Democrats ignored these pleas and voted anyway before the military has had its say? They are fearful that waiting past the November election means they may not have enough votes to move forward, says Alliance Defense Fund lawyer [Daniel Blomberg]. He adds that the homosexual lobby has made ending the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy a top goal because it understands that the military as an institution exerts an outsized influence on molding American life. ‘This is not a narrow fight just about the military,’ he told me. ‘This is just step one in achieving the goal of normalizing homosexuality in mainstream America.’”

St. Louis Beacon: “A.J. Bockelman knew the gay-rights movement had hit a new level of political clout — and status — when he found himself with other activists in Washington this week for a special reception in their honor at the White House. … Bockelman credits the gains in clout and acceptance, in part, to the increasing willingness among gay and lesbian public figures in Missouri and the country to go public about their private lives. … [Kerry Messer], head of the Missouri Family Network, questions the premise of the White House to hold a reception that ‘uses the criteria of the way people have sex. That points to where we’re going, as a culture and a country.’”

byFaith Magazine: “The PCA’s General Assembly answered Overtures 12, 17, and 22 in the affirmative today. The Assembly did so by approving a request of the Presbyterian and Reformed Joint Commission on Chaplains and Military Personnel; the request directs the Stated Clerk’s office to petition President Obama and other federal officials, requesting ‘the protection and meaningful continuance of the free exercise of religion within the armed forces of the United States.’ The request was prompted by the possible repeal of the U.S. military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy regarding homosexuality.”

“Has the president embraced bigotry? Or has he lied to the American people about his position on what marriage is and how it should be defined? … For what it’s worth, I think he is lying.”

FOX News: “J. Christian Adams, now an attorney in Virginia and a conservative blogger, says he and the other Justice Department lawyers working on the case were ordered to dismiss it. … Adams also accused Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez of lying under oath to Congress about the circumstances surrounding the decision to drop the probe.”

Politico: “The gay soldiers arrested outside the White House protesting ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ will announce today that they’re demanding that President Obama testify in their trial on minor civil disobedience charges . . . Their novel argument: Obama himself called on gay rights advocates to pressure him, so they were just following orders . . . ”

Townhall: “[Thomas Perez, President Obama’s Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights] now wants to modify this longstanding structure by creating a new ‘Policy and Strategy Section’ that would be comprised exclusively of ‘career’ attorneys. This section would not have any enforcement responsibilities, but would be entrusted with formulating all of the Division’s key ‘policy’ decisions on how to enforce civil rights laws and what the priorities of the Division should be on such hot-button issues as ‘racial profiling, immigration reform, and domestic compliance with international human rights obligations.’ This proposal is little more than a Trojan horse designed to frustrate future Republican administrations.

Heritage Foundation | The Foundry: “The Heritage Foundation has offered a great deal of research and analysis related to the current crisis. It can be found indexed here. Starting today, we will also highlight the top actions the federal government must take immediately to assist the citizens of the Gulf as they cope with this tragedy. As the government responds or acts on these actions, we will directly update this post online to reflect the news and add new actions as we deem appropriate.”

New York Times: “Journalists struggling to document the impact of the oil rig explosion have repeatedly found themselves turned away from public areas affected by the spill, and not only by BP and its contractors, but by local law enforcement, the Coast Guard and government officials. … ‘I think they’ve been trying to limit access,’ said Representative Edward J. Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts who fought BP to release more video from the underwater rovers that have been filming the oil-spewing pipe.”

LifeNews: “A federal appeals court has reinstate the lawsuit a collection of pro-life groups have filed against the Obama administration for forcing taxpayers to finance embryonic stem cell research involving the destruction of human life. … The Alliance Defense Fund and the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher are also helping the clients involved in the lawsuits.” | ADF News Release

OneNewsNow: “‘The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reversed the dismissal of a federal lawsuit that contends that the Obama administration’s embryonic stem-cell research policy is in violation of federal law,’ reports ADF attorney [Steven H. Aden].” | ADF News Release

Education Next: “What happens to public schools when disasters strike? The Obama Administration is talking about turnarounds, but no one ever commands a shut down. Yet 10 percent of all charters have disappeared. Could well-regulated charter schools be a better symbol of our democracy than the public school? Before I could answer that question, it was time to grab my bag, stumble to the door, and jump off the train.”

Fox News | Live Shots: “A controversial measure Arizona lawmakers passed to crack down on illegal immigration will now go before the Supreme Court, the justices announced Monday, but this is a different law from the one recently passed–and yet to go into effect–that has generated so much attention. The Court’s decision to take the case places a harsh spotlight on Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano for an apparent reversal on her views of how best to address immigration problems. It also puts added focus on Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan and her role as Solicitor General in asking the high court to take the case . . . The 2007 Arizona law . . . forces employers to participate in the national E-Verify database that tracks employment eligibility.”

Wayne Allyn Root writing in the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Obama is no fool. He is not incompetent. To the contrary, he is brilliant. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He is purposely overwhelming the U.S. economy to create systemic failure, economic crisis and social chaos — thereby destroying capitalism and our country from within. … Barack Obama is my college classmate (Columbia University, class of ’83). As Glenn Beck correctly predicted from day one, Obama is following the plan of Cloward & Piven, two professors at Columbia University. They outlined a plan to socialize America by overwhelming the system with government spending and entitlement demands.” | The Weight of the Poor: A Strategy to End Poverty by Richard A. Cloward and Frances Fox Piven.

California Catholic Daily: “A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit that challenges the Obama Administration’s policy on embryonic stem cell research as a violation of U.S. law. On Friday, June 25, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Colombia Circuit issued a 12-page ruling reversing a decision by a U.S. District Court judge dismissing the case … ‘No one should be allowed to decide that an innocent life is worthless,’ said Alliance Defense Fund senior legal counsel Steven H. Aden in a statement issued following the appeals court ruling. ‘Although private-sector funding of embryonic stem cell research has been practically unlimited, it has failed to produce results.’”

Catholic News Agency: “Despite criticism from the U.S. Catholic bishops, the Catholic Health Association (CHA) has issued a statement saying it continues to support the insurance reform provisions in recent health care legislation and continues to ‘applaud’ President Obama for his ‘strong leadership.’”

Chuck Norris writing at TownHall: “Over the past few months, a widely circulated e-mail has reported that President Barack Obama is not signing Eagle Scout certificates, which only 4-5 percent of Boy Scouts attain. … the Boy Scouts of America National Council confessed that Scout candidates who’d had board reviews before the spring of 2010 had received unsigned certificates. … Obama became the honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America way back on March 3, 2009. … Could the secrecy of that meeting be a result of social pressure from, for example, the January 2009 letter from the American Humanist Association and 18 other nontheistic organizations, which pleaded with Obama to be the first president in 100 years not to serve as the BSA’s honorary president?”

BBC: “US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has told the BBC that the world ‘cannot depend as much on the US as it did in the past’. He said that other major economies would have to grow more for the global economy to prosper. He also played down any differences in policy between the US and Europe regarding deficit reduction.”

Christianity Today: “‘Freedom of worship’ has recently replaced the phrase ‘freedom of religion’ in public pronouncements from the Obama administration. Experts are concerned that the new rhetoric may signal a policy change. … Freedom of worship means the right to pray within the confines of a place of worship or to privately believe, said Nina Shea, director of the Center for Religious Freedom and member of the commission. ‘It excludes the right to raise your children in your faith; the right to have religious literature; the right to meet with co-religionists; the right to raise funds; the right to appoint or elect your religious leaders, and to carry out charitable activities, to evangelize, [and] to have religious education or seminary training.’” | Via Rick Garnett. Related: Why “freedom of worship” is not enough | George Weigel: The Erosion of Religious Freedom | Michelle Boorstein | Washington Post: Freedom of religion vs. freedom of worship

WorldNetDaily: “I invite you to read for yourself his misnamed ‘National Security Strategy’ – misnamed because it is actually a blueprint for running the whole world like he’s been running the United States since January 2009. Obama is hardly the first president to plead for America to join a New World Order. It started with the first George Bush and has continued unabated through three more administrations. But Obama’s so-called ‘National Security Strategy’ has little to do with securing the U.S. from threats and much more to do with turning over the U.S. to the illegitimate authority of global organizations.”

Investors.com: “Our interior secretary plans to reinstate the offshore drilling moratorium struck down by a federal judge. But if deep-water drilling is so unsafe, why are we helping Brazil drill nearly three times as deep? … Last August, the U.S. Export-Import Bank issued a ‘preliminary commitment’ letter to Brazil’s state-run Petrobras in the amount of $2 billion, with the promise of more to follow. Why are we lending billions to a foreign oil company that made $15 billion last year?” | Aug. 18, 2009: Obama to invest in offshore oil drilling – in Brazil! Soros stands to reap dividends!

The Raw Story: “According to regulatory filings, RawStory.com has found that Goldman Sachs sold 4,680,822 shares of BP in the first quarter of 2010. Goldman’s sales were the largest of any firm during that time. Goldman would have pocketed slightly more than $266 million if their holdings were sold at the average price of BP’s stock during the quarter.”

Associated Press: “A federal judge in New Orleans has refused to delay his decision to strike down a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling imposed after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.”

“In a continuation of their presidential-primary struggle for the position of strongest supporter of homosexuality, both President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have been straining in recent months to show their supporters that they will march in step with the full gamut of the ‘gay rights’ agenda.” | Related: Remarks by the President at LGBT Pride Month reception; Obama promises to push on “gay rights” issues; Mississippi Lesbian Banned From Prom But Invited to White House; Presidential Proclamation–Father’s Day; Record number of LGBT staff in Obama administration | Hillary Clinton: Remarks at an event celebrating LGBT Month; “Clinton vows to fight for gay rights abroad”; Clinton to extend benefits to “gay partners” in Foreign Service; Homosexual agenda unveiled in Hillary confirmation hearing

Associated Press: “Several companies say the Obama administration is ignoring a judge’s decision to strike down a six-month ban on deepwater drilling.”

“The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today proposed new rules for hospitals that would protect patients’ rights to choose their own visitors during a hospital stay, including visitors who are same-sex domestic partners . . . ”

MSNBC First Read: “After yesterday vowing to seek an appeal quickly, administration officials now say the Justice Department will refrain from any legal action in response to yesterday’s court order that temporarily blocks the Interior Department’s moratorium on offshore drilling. The plan now is for the government to seek a new moratorium, doing so in a way that avoids some of the legal problems identified by the judge who issued yesterday’s injunction.”

“Because I believe in committed — I believe that committed gay and lesbian couples deserve the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple in this country, I have called for Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. (Applause.)”

LifeNews: “The Obama administration is making American taxpayers fund yet another round of embryonic stem cells with taxpayer funds even though they have never helped any human patients because of problems in animal research. On Monday, NIH Director Francis Collins approved eight more embryonic stem cell lines for federal funding — including the six lines the Stem Cell Working Group signed off on last week.”

LifeSiteNews: “The White House announced Monday that they would expand the definition of a 1993 federal law, with the result that many employers in all 50 states would be forced to extend family and medical leave to homosexual partners. Pro-family advocates, however, are denouncing the policy as blatant illegality, saying that it clearly contravenes the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).” | The Atlantic Wire has a round-up of related opinion pieces.

The Washington Post | Right Now: “‘It’s typical of young lawyers going into constitutional law that they have inflated dreams of what constitutional law can do, what courts can do,’ Bork said. ‘That usually wears off as time passes and they get experience. But Ms. Kagan has not had time to develop a mature philosophy of judging. I would say her admiration for Barak, the Israeli justice, is a prime example. As I’ve said before, Barak might be the least competent judge on the planet.’”

“President Barack Obama is promising gay rights activists he’ll keep pushing for action on their priorities including benefits for same-sex partners and repealing the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy on gays in the military.”

Associated Press: “Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says the White House intends to immediately appeal a federal judge’s ruling against a moratorium on new deepwater drilling.” | Related: Judge block Gulf offshore drilling moratorium

“[T]he purpose of this occasion is to recognize with gratitude the contributions made by LGBT members of the State Department family every single day. We celebrate the progress that is being made here in our own country toward advancing the rights of LGBT Americans, and we recognize that there is still a lot of work to be done but that we are moving together in the right direction. And we reaffirm our commitment to protect and advance the rights of all human beings, as Cheryl just said, of members of the LGBT community around the world.”

Christian Post: “An 11-year-old Christian boy here is growing weak and ill from malnutrition from working in slave-like conditions for a Muslim landowner who kidnapped him and is forcing him to work off his family’s debts, his mother told Compass . . . ”

“A crowd of gay and lesbian Justice Department employees and their supporters enthusiastically cheered Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday as he vowed to strictly enforce a new federal law designed to protect them.”

FRC: “The Obama Administration continues to defy federal law and exceed the limits of its constitutional authority by extending benefits to homosexual couples that have not been authorized by law . . . ”

Breitbart (AP): “Feldman says in his ruling that the Interior Department failed to provide adequate reasoning for the moratorium. He says it seems to assume that because one rig failed, all companies and rigs doing deepwater drilling pose an imminent danger.”

National Law Journal: “The U.S. Senate this morning broke deadlocks on more than 60 presidential nominees, including those for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the National Labor Relations Board and the D.C. Superior Court.”