Obama Signs One-Year Extension of Patriot Act – on a Saturday Night

With virtually zero debate - or media attention - President Barack Obama has signed a one-year extension for what many considered the most crucial and controversial aspects of the USA PATRIOT Act. The provisions, set to expire Sunday without the signature of Obama, include extensions to allow: -1) "roving" wiretaps, permitting surveillance on multiple phones and e-mail addresses. -2) court-…
Anthony Kang

Fuzzy History on Founders from Schultz Radio Guest John Nichols of The

Want to irk a liberal? I've got just the word for it -- "filibuster."Hardly a waking hour passes these days without an indignant left-winger in the media condemning this arcane procedure requiring 60 votes to pass major legislation in the Senate.In the process, dubious claims are being made. Here, for example, is John Nichols, Washington correspondent for The Nation, on Ed Schultz's radio show…
Jack Coleman

Hipster LaHood Tells Us Not to Text

Spare us the Obama nanny-state PSAs . . . There I was, harmlesly Olympics-watching something called the "men's snowboard parallel giant slalom"—quite a cool event, actually—when we were suddenly subjected to a commercial telling us not to phone or text while driving.  And of all people, it was terminally un-cool Obama Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood inflicting the message and directing us to…
Mark Finkelstein

Rick Sanchez Asks Scientist 'Nine Meters In English Is

CNN's Rick Sanchez Saturday actually needed someone to explain to him what nine meters measures in feet.As tsunamis approached Hawaii following the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile, CNN rushed in a scientist to discuss what wave detection buoys in the ocean were showing.After CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras set up Dr. Kurt Frankel of the Georgia Institute of Technology, the professor explained…
Noel Sheppard

Earthquake and Tsunami Coverage Relies on New Media

"So live news coverage in America is basically staring at webcams and reading wikipedia?"Such was marvelously Tweeted by programmer and blogger Matthew Haughey Saturday referring to media reports from earthquake rattled Chile as well as Hawaii as citizens awaited tsunamis (h/t Instapundit).I was also struck by this as I watched CNN much of the day for updates about the disaster. Much of the…
Noel Sheppard

Stossel Exposes Cali's Lavish Public Sector Pensions

The past several decades, Americans have seen the disaster unionism has wrought on Detroit's Big Three. The auto-makers, saddled with powerful unions, fell victim to a combination of labor inefficiency and premium worker pay that proved unsustainable. And while much of the rest of the private sector long ago realized the sots, government apparently has not. So, for the first time in history,…
Anthony Kang

ABC's Joy Behar, NBC's Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb Aid Gay Media

Joy Behar of ABC's The View has had a talk show on CNN Headline News for less than a year, and she’s already receiving an "Excellence in Media Award" from the hard-left Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, presented to "presented to media professionals who have increased the visibility and understanding of the LGBT community."In a press release announcing the award will be handed out in…
Tim Graham

Gore: World To End, Fox News To Blame

For those who have neither the time nor the Red Bull required to wade through Al Gore's windy "We Can’t Wish Away Climate Change" in the New York Times, permit me to summarize:Record winter storms and revelations of warmist fraud notwithstanding, we "face an unimaginable calamity requiring large-scale, preventive measures to protect human civilization as we know it."Unfortunately, "television"…
Mark Finkelstein

Chile Earthquake and Tsunami Open Thread

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Chile hit this morning by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake.As you likely know, many areas are under serious tsunami warnings, including Hawaii.Those interested can watch a live stream from Hawaii News Now which is broadcasting water views from different locations in anticipation of tsunami activity (more live stream links below the fold).
NB Staff

CNN's Sanchez Takes a Page From Democrats' Playbook

Unable to defend ObamaCare with reasoning or facts, many of the Democrats at Thursday's health care summit resorted to anecdotes or, as Rush Limbaugh appropriately characterized them, sob stories.  The recycling of a dead woman's dentures and a letter from a struggling farmer who just happens to be the brother of a staffer for the Democratic senator sent the letter were the order of the day.CNN…
Mike Bates

Obama Voters In Focus Group Like Family Guy's Attack On Palin

According to a focus group done by pollster Frank Luntz, folks that voted for Barack Obama liked the recent attack on Sarah Palin done by the cartoon series "Family Guy."As NewsBusters reported almost two weeks ago, the Valentine's Day episode of the Fox hit featured a Down Syndrome girl saying that her mother was the former governor of Alaska. This sparked a nationwide debate about whether this…
Noel Sheppard

Valerie Harper: ‘Sly’ 'Snide' Palin ‘Playing to the Worst in Us

On Friday’s Joy Behar Show on CNN Headline News, host Behar interviewed actress Valerie Harper, and, as the discussion turned to women in politics, the HLN host brought up Sarah Palin’s run for Vice President, prompting Harper to complain that Palin was "playing to that which is the worst in us, the divisive stuff," and to charge that "there’s a snide thing there that I don’t appreciate."After…
Brad Wilmouth

Al Gore Mocked At Apple Meeting: He's 'Become A Laughingstock

Nobel Laureate Al Gore was mocked Thursday at the Apple shareholders meeting in Cupertino, California.As the subject of whether or not he should be reelected to the tech giant's board of directors surfaced, one longtime shareholder stood up saying, "[Gore] has become a laughingstock. The glaciers have not melted."According to CNET, the gentleman then wisely said, "If his advice he gives to Apple…
Noel Sheppard

Pelosi Says She's Running Most Ethical Congress Ever, Media Mum

During a Friday press conference, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she was running the most ethical Congress ever.CNSNews.com reported Friday: When a reporter prefaced a question about Rangel by noting that Pelosi had promised to run the "most ethical and honest Congress in history" she interrupted him to say: "And we are." Despite the absurdity of this remark, CNSNews.com and Fox News…
Noel Sheppard