HONDURANS LOSE PROTECTED STATUS TO REMAIN IN UNITED STATES (ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION)

HONDURANS LOSE PROTECTED STATUS TO REMAIN IN UNITED STATES (ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION):

MOST HONDURANS HAVE LIVED IN U.S. SINCE 1999 YET THEY DID NOT APPLY FOR LEGAL CITIZEN.

HOW IS IT THEY WERE ALLOWED TO LIVE AND WORK IN ANOTHER COUNTRY ILLEGALLY FOR 19 YEARS??

WHAT ABOUT THE MS-13 GANGS?


Post Sources: Fox News, Daily Mail, PBS News, Washington Post, Youtube


***** Trump administration ends protections for 50,000 Hondurans living in U.S. since 1999


More than 50,000 Hondurans who have been allowed to live and work in the United States since 1999 will have 20 months to leave the country or face deportation, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced Friday, the latest in a series of DHS measures aimed at tightening U.S. immigration controls.

The Hondurans were granted temporary protected status (TPS) in 1999, shielding them from deportation, after Hurricane Mitch slammed their country and left 10,000 dead across Central America.

Under President Trump, DHS has been eliminating TPS programs one by one, arguing they were never designed to grant long-term residency to foreigners who may have arrived illegally or overstayed their visas.

In the past six months, DHS has ended TPS for nearly 200,000 Salvadorans, 50,000 Haitians and 9,000 Nepalis, giving those groups 12 to 18 months to prepare a departure or secure some other form of legal status.

According to a DHS statement, Nielsen “carefully considered conditions on the ground” before making the Honduras decision.

“The Secretary determined that the disruption of living conditions in Honduras from Hurricane Mitch that served as the basis for its TPS designation has decreased to a degree that it should no longer be regarded as substantial,” the DHS statement read.

“Since 1999, conditions in Honduras that resulted from the hurricane have notably improved,” the statement continued, adding that the country has made “substantial progress in post-hurricane recovery.”

It was not clear from the DHS statement which improvements Nielsen was referring to.

Honduras remains one of the most violent countries in the world and has been roiled by political instability since presidential elections last year whose legitimacy was rejected by the Organization of American States and other international observers.

Congress established TPS as a humanitarian program in 1990 to avoid deporting foreigners to countries that have been destabilized by natural disasters or civil strife.

The Trump administration hasn’t ended the protections for every eligible nation; in January, Nielsen extended TPS for nearly 7,000 immigrants from war-torn Syria.

More than 86,000 Hondurans received TPS protections after the hurricane, and the latest government estimates show that about 50,000 still depend on the designation to remain in the United States.

Last November, DHS ended TPS for 2,500 Nicaraguans who were also allowed to stay after Hurricane Mitch.

Hondurans were the second-largest group of TPS recipients after Salvadorans, and many have lived most of their adult lives in the United States, running businesses, purchasing homes and raising American-born children.

Critics of the Trump administration say forcing otherwise law-abiding immigrants out of the United States is shortsighted and heartless, particularly at a time when Honduras and some other nations are teetering from gang warfare and political unrest.

“There is little doubt that the White House has been driving these TPS decisions based on ideology, not based upon what is best for our foreign policy interests and for the region,” said Kevin Appleby, senior director of international migration policy at the Center for Migration Studies, a nonpartisan think tank.

“It makes the situation in Honduras and Central America worse and will assuredly come back to haunt us in time,” ¬Appleby said.

Honduras is a significant source of illegal immigration to the United States, and many of the families who joined the migrant caravan through Mexico that captured the attention of President Trump last month said they fled their country in fear for their lives.

They joined thousands of other Central Americans who arrive every month at the U.S. border with Mexico to request asylum, many of them families or women with children.

IMMIGRATION REFORM CORNERSTONE OF TRUMP'S SOTU SPEECH (MS-13)

IMMIGRATION REFORM CORNERSTONE OF TRUMP'S SOTU SPEECH (MS-13):

DEALING WITH FAKE SYRIAN REFUGEES AND VICIOUS, COLD-BLOODED MS-13 GANGS EVEN WHEN IT’S NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT.

THIS IS NOT ABOUT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MUSLIMS OR LATINOS.

IT’S SOLELY ABOUT NATIONAL SECURITY.


Sources: Yahoo News, CBC News, Fox News, Youtube


Tuesday night, January 30, 2018 Donald J. Trump our 45th legally elected leader of the Free world (USA), delivered his first State of the Union address before the entire world.

During his speech Trump talked about his administration’s first year achievements as all U.S. Presidents have done when delivering their SOTU speeches.

Trump then proceeded to provide an update on the cornerstone topic of his administration’s agenda and the topic which helped to secure his 2016 election.

That topic is ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION REFORM.

Trump mentioned during his SOTU address that he is halting the FAKE Syrian Refugee program until further notice.

Considering how most of the Men who entered America’s borders under the guise of “Syrian Refugees” were actually from IRAQ and were actually members of ISIL, I can see how choosing to halt this program although not POLITICALLY CORRECT, would be in the best interest of our country as it relates to NATIONAL SECURITY.

Trump then went on to discuss his agenda for dealing with GANG WARFARE as in the notorious, most Cold-Blooded Gang to ever exist.......the MS-13.

MS-13 is an international Gang comprised solely of Young LATINO Men, not BLACK Men.

These Young LATINO Men hail from MEXICO, South America, Central America and Honduras.

MS-13 Gang Members are so cold-blooded and violent, they also target and viciously MURDER LATINO citizens just as easily as they frequently Kill American citizens.

This Gang uses MURDER to Terrorize, Intimidate and Control entire American Communities.

In many instances even the POLICE are afraid of MS-13 Gang Members.

Choosing to prosecute and deport Young LATINO Men who are active members of MS-13 is not a POLITICALLY CORRECT decision for Trump’s administration because for years Politicians and other Elected Officials have feared throwing Latino or Middle Eastern Men into Jail, or Deporting them even for MURDER or TERRORISM because it’s not POLITICALLY CORRECT.

However these Politicians and Elected Officials had absolutely No Fear of throwing Young BLACK Men into Jail in a New York minute, even for minor offenses.

Can you say Double Standard based on RACE??

Yet were it not for BLACK Voters, neither VIRGINIA nor ALABAMA Democrats would have won the 2017 elections.

So I commend Pres Trump for standing up for what is right for the USA even when it’s not Popular or POLITICALLY CORRECT to do so.

To wrap it up........

If you are from MEXICO and have been living in the United States for more than 10 years and enjoying America’s FREEDOM and RESOURCES, yet you have NEVER applied for LEGAL CITIZENSHIP, you should be made to Apply ASAP or be Deported.


****** Trump honors parents of MS-13 gang victims at SOTU


One of the longest standing ovations during President Trump’s first State of the Union address came when he introduced the parents of two teenage victims of gang violence.

Evelyn Rodriguez, Freddy Cuevas, Elizabeth Alvarado and Robert Mickens were invited by the White House to attend Tuesday’s speech. Their daughters — Kayla Cuevas and Nisa Mickens respectively — were killed by members of the MS-13 gang on Long Island in September 2016, on the eve of Nisa’s 16th birthday. Federal authorities later arrested 13 gang members in connection with their deaths. Ten of those arrested had entered the country illegally.

Trump used their killings to highlight what he views as America’s “open borders” that “have allowed drugs and gangs to pour into our most vulnerable communities.”

“These two precious girls were brutally murdered while walking together in their hometown,” Trump said. “Six members of the savage gang MS-13 have been charged with Kayla and Nisa’s murders. Many of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes in our laws to enter the country as unaccompanied alien minors — and wound up in Kayla and Nisa’s high school.”

The president turned to their parents, who were seated next to first lady Melania Trump.

“Evelyn, Elizabeth, Freddy, and Robert: Tonight, everyone in this chamber is praying for you,” Trump said. “Everyone in America is grieving for you. And 320 million hearts are breaking for you. We cannot imagine the depth of your sorrow, but we can make sure that other families never have to endure this pain.”

The parents then received a long standing ovation as they wiped away tears.

Trump called on Congress to “finally close the deadly loopholes that have allowed MS-13 and other criminals to break into our country.”

“We have proposed new legislation that will fix our immigration laws and support our ICE and Border Patrol agents, so that this cannot ever happen again,” he continued. “So tonight, I am extending an open hand to work with members of both parties — Democrats and Republicans — to protect our citizens of every background, color, religion and creed. My duty, and the sacred duty of every elected official in this chamber, is to defend Americans — to protect their safety, their families, their communities, and their right to the American Dream. Because Americans are dreamers too.”

DOUGLAS ALEXANDER HERRERA HERNANDEZ CAPTURED FOR MURDER IN VA (MS-13)

DOUGLAS ALEXANDER HERRERA HERNANDEZ ARRESTED FOR MURDER (ICE AGENTS):

MS-13 GANG MEMBER CAPTURED FOR MURDER IN VIRGINIA.

HERRERA-HERNANDEZ WILL BE DEPORTED BACK TO EL SALVADOR.

TRUMP'S NATIONAL SECURITY AGENDA IS WORKING.


Sources: ABC News, CBS News, Fox News, WTOP, Youtube


***** Known gang member arrested in Va. for Texas homicides
X known MS-13 gang member wanted in connection with two homicides in Texas was caught in Arlington, Virginia.


Arlington County police, along with federal agents, arrested 20-year-old Douglas Alexander Herrera-Hernandez on Saturday, while he was walking near Four Mile Run Drive and Columbia Pike.

The Texas Department of Public Safety issued an all-points bulletin for Herrera’s arrest on July 26. Local law enforcement and ICE agencies received information that the suspect was possibly in Virginia.

Herrera is wanted in connection with two murders in the Houston area. The first warrant is for a shooting in Missouri City, Texas, on June 13, 2016; the second is in connection to a homicide on July 9, 2017.

Herrera, a Salvadoran national known as “Terror,” was one of the 10 most wanted fugitives in Texas, according to an ICE statement.

ICE records indicate that Herrera was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol in December 2014 when he entered the country illegally in Texas.

An immigration judge ordered his removal to El Salvador after Herrera failed to appear in court in June 2015 for his hearing.

Herrera is in jail in Arlington County, pending extradition to Texas.

TRUMP'S NATIONAL SECURITY TRAVEL BAN UPHELD BY SCOTUS (VICTORY)

TRUMP'S NATIONAL SECURITY TRAVEL BAN UPHELD BY SCOTUS (VICTORY):

BANS TRAVEL FROM SIX MUSLIM COUNTRIES LINKED TO TERRORISM.

IRAN, LIBYA, SOMALIA, SUDAN, SYRIA, YEMEN,

SCOTUS AGREES TO HEAR FULL ARGUMENTS ON TRAVEL BAN IN OCTOBER.


Sources: BBC News, CBS News, Fox News, Youtube


****** Supreme Court Upholds Trump Administration’s Travel Ban


The Supreme Court is allowing President Donald Trump to forge ahead with a limited version of his ban on travel from six mostly Muslim countries to the U.S. Trump hailed the decision as a “victory for national security,” but it’s likely to set off a new round of court disputes over anti-terror efforts and religious discrimination.

The justices will hear full arguments in October in the case that has stirred heated emotions across the nation and pointed rebukes from lower courts saying the administration is targeting Muslims. Until then, the court said Monday, Trump’s ban on visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen can be enforced if those visitors lack a “credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.”

The ruling sets up a potential clash between the government and opponents of the ban over the strength of visitors’ ties to the United States. A senior official said plans already had been written to enforce the ban aggressively. But immigrant groups said relatively few people try to enter the United States without well-established ties. Those groups said they will be sending lawyers and monitors back to American airports, where the initial, immediate implementation of the ban in January caused chaos and confusion.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the ban would be implemented starting 72 hours after being cleared by courts. That means it will take effect Thursday morning.

The president has denied that the ban targets Muslims but says it is needed “to protect the nation from terrorist activities” committed by citizens of the six countries. All six have been designated as presenting heightened concerns about terrorism and travel to the United States.

The 90-day ban is necessary to allow an internal review of screening procedures for visa applicants from the countries, the administration says. That review should be complete before Oct. 2, the first day the justices could hear arguments in their new term.

The ban will have run its course by then, raising a question of whether the justices will even issue a decision in the case or dismiss it because it has been overtaken by events.

The court asked both sides to address the issue of timing, along with questions about whether the ban is aimed at Muslims, the impact of Trump’s provocative campaign statements and federal courts’ authority to restrain the president in the area of immigration.

A 120-day ban on refugees also is being allowed to take effect on a similar, limited basis.

Three of the court’s conservative justices said they would have let the administration apply the bans without the limits imposed by their colleagues.

Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, said the government has shown it is likely to win the legal case in the end. Thomas said the government’s interest in preserving national security outweighs any hardship to people denied entry into the country.

Trump hailed the court’s order as a “clear victory for our national security,” especially after lower court rulings that blocked the travel ban in its entirety. He said in a statement that his “number one responsibility” is to keep Americans safe.

His administration’s implementation plans, largely orchestrated by White House adviser Stephen Miller, focus on refusing entry to people who are unable to show a substantial and pre-existing tie to a person or institution in the United States. The plans were described by a senior official who was familiar with them, speaking on condition of anonymity because this person was not authorized to discuss them publicly by name.

But some immigration lawyers said relatively few people would fall under the ban because people coming to study, work or visit family members already have sufficient relationships with others already is in the country.

“This order, properly construed, should really allow for only the narrowest implementation of any part of the ban. It’s going to be really important for us to make sure the government abides by the terms of the order and does not try to use it as a backdoor into implementing the full- scale Muslim ban,” said Omar Jadwat, the American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who is representing some of the challengers to the travel ban.

The court’s opinion explained the kinds of relationships people from the six countries must demonstrate to obtain a U.S. visa.

“For individuals, a close familial relationship is required,” the court said. For people who want to come to the United States to work or study, “the relationship must be formal, documented and formed in the ordinary course, not for the purpose of evading” the travel ban.

The opinion faulted the two federal appeals courts that had blocked the travel policy for going too far to limit Trump’s authority over immigration. The president announced the travel ban a week after he took office in January and revised it in March after setbacks in court.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, said the ban was “rooted in religious animus” toward Muslims and pointed to Trump’s campaign promise to impose a ban on Muslims entering the country as well as tweets and remarks he has made since becoming president.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the ban does not comply with federal immigration law, including a prohibition on nationality-based discrimination. That court also put a hold on separate aspects of the policy that would keep all refugees out of the United States for 120 days and cut by more than half, from 110,000 to 50,000, the cap on refugees in the current government spending year that ends Sept. 30.

Trump’s first executive order on travel applied to travelers from Iraq and well as the six countries, and took effect immediately, causing chaos and panic at airports as the Homeland Security Department scrambled to figure out whom the order covered and how it was to be implemented.

A federal judge blocked it eight days later, and that was upheld by a 9th circuit panel. Rather than pursue an appeal, the administration said it would revise the policy.

In March, Trump issued the narrower order.

NEW IMMIGRATION TRAVEL BAN SAME AS 1st TRAVEL BAN (PROTECTS USA BORDERS)

NEW IMMIGRATION TRAVEL BAN SAME AS FIRST TRAVEL BAN (PROTECTS USA BORDERS):

TRUMP SAYS YES TO NATIONAL SECURITY, NO TO BEING POLITICALLY CORRECT.

TRUMP SAYS NO TO ISIL OPERATIVES POSING AS REFUGEES.

HIS PREDECESSORS ENFORCED SIMILAR
ANTI-TERRORISM TRAVEL BANS.


Sources: Fox News, NBC News, YouTube


***** Trump adviser says new travel ban will have 'same basic policy outcome'


Senior White House Policy Adviser Stephen Miller told Fox News' "First 100 Days" Tuesday that a revised version of President Donald Trump's travel ban would "have the same basic policy outcome."

Miller claimed that the new executive order would be "responsive" to federal court rulings which halted the original order and resolve "a lot of very technical issues that were brought up by the court."

However, Miller also insisted that the court ruling staying the original order was "flawed" and "erroneous" and that Trump's action was "clearly legal and constitutional."

"Here's the reality," Miller said. "We’ve got a serious problem in our country of terrorism, radicalization and serious problems of people joining ISIS, joining terror groups, joining Al Qaeda and committing or attempting to commit acts of crime and terror against our nation."

Miller indicated the revised order would apply to the same seven majority-Muslim countries — Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya — as the previous order.

Miller spoke to host Martha MacCallum at the top of an hour-long immigration town hall in Jacksonville, Fla. hours after Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly directed agency heads to hire thousands more immigration officers, end so-called “catch-and-release” policies and begin work on the president’s promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Senior White House Policy Adviser Stephen Miller told Fox News' "First 100 Days" Tuesday that a revised version of President Donald Trump's travel ban would "have the same basic policy outcome.

Miller spoke to host Martha MacCallum at the top of an hour-long immigration town hall in Jacksonville, Fla. hours after Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly directed agency heads to hire thousands more immigration officers, end so-called “catch-and-release” policies and begin work on the president’s promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Through a show of hands, most of the town hall audience indicated that they supported Trump's tough stance on illegal immigration.

"I think [Miller's] main argument was right on point," said audience member Jack Capra. "Securing our borders is a national security issue [and] it's the federal government's job to keep our citizens safe from external and internal threats. I think immigration is a big contributor to that."

However, immigration attorney Francisco Hernandez told MacCallum that Trump's ordered immigration enforcement changes had "written a blank check that he can't cash."

"He’s going to have to get the money from somewhere," Hernandez said, "and we don’t have the money."

In last year's presidential election, a Fox News exit poll found that 10 percent of Florida voters said immigration was the biggest issue facing the country. Of those voters, 69 percent backed Trump over Hillary Clinton.

RICHARD BURR CALLS OBAMA'S IDEA OF CONTAINING ISIL A JOKE

‪#‎ISIL‬

BURR SAYS ISIL NEEDS TO BE ELIMINATED NOT CONTAINED.

BURR SAYS AMERICA NEEDS TO LEAD THE WAY.

~ FOX NEWS SUNDAY SHOW TRANSCRIPT (11-29-15)

"Joining us from North Carolina, Richard Burr, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Chairman, as the busiest travel weekend of the year wraps up, is there any specific, credible threats against Americans to the best of your knowledge, either in this country or around the world?"

SEN. RICHARD BURR, R-N.C., CHAIR, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE:

"Well, Chris, credible, specific -- no. But for the past 12 months, there have been more threads of threats both here at home and around the world that we’ve seen since 9/11. So, the risk remains high, but clearly, in the United States, the FBI has wrapped up over 67 individuals that were incarcerated this year and are either prosecuted or in the process of being prosecuted. And that will continue.

WALLACE: How big an international footprint does ISIS have now? How serious a threat in the U.S. and in other countries outside the Middle East?

BURR: Well, Chris, it's proven that ISIS is in 30 different countries, they control eight provinces of countries. They've got a reach that goes throughout Europe and North America.

So, to talk about containment is really a joke. The reality is that ISIS may be geographically contained in Syria and Iraq, but their efforts around the world to project terrorism and to commit terrorism is as robust today as it's ever been.

WALLACE: Well, with that as a backdrop, Senator, at a news conference this week with French President Hollande, President Obama did not announce -- despite the attack in Mali, despite the attack in Paris -- did not announces in new steps in his war against ISIS, which raises the question: what’s your assessment of the president as current strategy, and how much do you think it can accomplish?

BURR: Well, we have no strategy. I don't think you can find anybody in the world outside of the administration that could attempt to state what America’s strategy is.
In the past three weeks, Chris, we've seen over 500 individuals killed around the world at the hands of ISIS. I don’t think there’s any question of that. And in Syria alone, we've had over 240,000 Syrians killed. That's both by Assad and ISIS, and over 4 million refugees in flight.
It's time for an international coalition to come in and arm groups like the Kurds to create a safe haven, a no-fly zone, where we can stop the refugee flight out of Syria. But only with American leadership will that happen.
And I hope that while the administration is in Paris, maybe they'll talk with President Hollande, who I think is committed to eliminate ISIS. We’ve got to stop talking about containment and we’ve got to talk about elimination of the terrorist threat.

WALLACE: Meanwhile, Hollande after meeting with President Obama in Washington then flew to Moscow to meet with Russian President Putin.
And here is what President Obama said about Putin:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Russia right now is a coalition of two, Iran and Russia, supporting Assad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: What's your best intelligence, Chairman Burr? Can we count on Putin at all? There's talk about a grand coalition. At first, it seemed when Putin met with Hollande, there was a possibility he would join the coalition, then the Russians seemed to walk away from that.
What's your sense of Putin's intentions?

BURR: Well, I think Putin’s intention is to prop up Assad. That's always been his stated goal. I don't think that we cannot remember that Putin invaded Crimea, currently prosecutes a border war in the Ukraine. I’m not sure that Putin can be trusted.
But, Chris, let me make this fact: ISIS has to be eliminated. I’m ready to put together whatever coalition is willing to attack ISIS and eliminate this terrorist threat. That means Gulf state partners, it means European partners, it may mean Russia.
But Russia sure complicates the options we have in Syria, with the amount of aircraft, with the amount of arms that they have there. If we can focus those on ISIS versus the moderate opposition forces that are trying to defeat Assad, we could make a real impact, but that's going to take a great deal of diplomacy that we have yet to see.

WALLACE: There's been some interesting developments on intelligence issues, really, in the last week. I want to talk to you about those, sir.
Today at midnight, the NSA's bulk data collection of America's phone records, that program expired as of last night, and now the NSA is going to need a court order from a judge to collect records on any American. And again, we're not talking about the content of the phone call, simply my phone number called your phone number, and we spoke, or people on those two lines spoke for X number of minutes.
What impact do you think that’s going to have on your counter-terrorism effort?

BURR: Chris, I don't think it's too troubling you would need a court order. I think what's troubling is that you'll have to go to multiple telecom companies, and at their pace search their records, which means it could take weeks.
What we saw in Paris once we got a cell phone was that we used that cell phone number to look at cell phones it had talked to -- and not only Paris investigators but Belgian investigators were able to expand the search net in a way that stopped a massive terrorist attack, an additional one in Paris, potentially has led to the apprehension of at least a dozen, if not more, ISIS operatives throughout Belgium, Germany, and parts of Europe.
I’m not sure that we know the full extent of what we’ve learned to this point, but any time you can take electronics and use those selectors, it's beneficial to the world's intelligence community. And the United States made a real mistake when they eliminated this program where we could search foreign known terrorist' cell phones.
But Congress took that away from the NSA, and, unfortunately, it's not going to be a timely tool to use in the future.

WALLACE: Well, let me pick up on that. You have signed on to legislation that’s now in the Senate that would revive the program, which is I say ran out as of midnight, but the Senate just voted to end the program in June. So, what are the chances that they're going to reverse that just a few months later?

BURR: Well, Chris, it's amazing what happens when people are reminded what terrorists can do. It hadn’t happened here at home, but I think the American response to the Paris attack was as significant outside of New York and New Jersey as 9/11 was. The American people recognize that the indiscriminate, brutal acts that ISIS carried out could happen in any community across this country and throughout the world.
And I think as Americans, we believe we should do everything we can to eliminate that. Knowing who the terrorists are and where operatives may be in the United States or something, Americans expect us to know, they expect us to investigate.
I want to make sure that the tools that law enforcement have are as robust as they possibly can be, and metadata is a big contributor to that.

WALLACE: I want to get into one last issue with you. There are several allegations into allegations that officers at the U.S. Central Command, the military operation that oversees the Middle East, were altering and doctoring the intelligence from their analysts to downplay the threat from ISIS. I know you’ve talked to whistle-blowers. I know there are several investigations going on in your committee, also the Pentagon inspector general.
How substantial is the evidence that intelligence was doctored, sir?

BURR: Well, it's very concerning. The whistle-blower that I’ve talked to was very compelling. And, clearly, some of the information that's come out in the last seven days supported what that whistle-blower claimed.
Any time we’ve got intelligence that may have been altered in some way, shape or form to fit a narrative that might be the narrative set by the White House is concerning to me. To think that it could come from one of our combatant commands, in this case CentCom, is extremely troubling, because that changes really the risk that our combat forces might perceive, that they're going to be faced with in that combat theater.

WALLACE: Let me, let me pick --

BURR: So, I want to make sure that our -- yes, sure.

WALLACE: Let me just pick up on that, if I can, sir, because this week, when faced with those allegations, President Obama denied that he had anything to do with that. Take a look at what the president had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: One of the things I insisted on the day I walked into the Oval Office was that I don't want intelligence shaded by politics. I don't want it shaded by the desire to tell a feel-good story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: Briefly, Senator, do you have any evidence the White House was involved in cooking the intelligence?

BURR: Chris, I don't, but we're going to look at the timeline very carefully to figure out whether the narrative was there before the intelligence backed it up. We’ve got a case in Benghazi that’s currently under investigation, where we know that a narrative went out that was factually incorrect. When all the facts on the ground said it was terrorism, we were out talking about a video.

So, narrative has been something that this White House has run with before. It concerns me now because Americans' lives are at stakes. Our soldiers, our sailors, our airmen, our marines’ lives are at stake when we do this.

WALLACE: Chairman Burr, thank you. Thanks for you your time on this holiday weekend, sir.

BURR: Thank you, Chris."

Post Sources: Fox News Sunday, WXII, YouTube

BILL MAHER (A LIBERAL) CRITICIZES RADICAL ISLAMIST IDEOLOGY

“This idea that somehow we do share values, that all religions are alike, is bullshit.

And we need to call it bullshit,”

BILL MAHER

Some 2016 Voters are concerned that if Syrian & Iraqi Refugees are allowed entry onto American soil without passing a thorough Certified Background Check, Pres OBAMA'S intentions might not be in our nation's best interest.

Other Voters are concerned a certain percentage of these Refugees (at least 13%) ascribe to extreme Anti-Western ideology, including orders from ISIL to help destroy the United States.

What do you think?

I say we need to Wake up!

Sources: Arab Center of Research & Policy, Investors.com, The Wrap, YouTube

EDWARD SNOWDEN vs MIKE ROGERS: I Trust SNOWDEN! He Deserves Some Level Of Clemency!

#EdwardSnowdenMikeRogersNSA

The whole world now wants America to Pardon/ Forgive NSA Whistleblower EDWARD SNOWDEN for alerting American Citizens that Our Civil Liberties & PRIVACY were being severely Violated by our Elected Officials (Pres OBAMA & CONGRESS).

I too believe Mr SNOWDEN deserves some level of Clemency for his Courageous act.

Initially I judged Mr SNOWDEN as a TRAITOR.

However as I researched the FACTS of his case, I learned this Young Man is indeed more of a PATRIOT than a TRAITOR.

Why??

Here are four reasons:

**1) Mr SNOWDEN did NOT Hire himself as a NSA employee, the Federal Gov't did.

**2) Mr SNOWDEN did NOT conduct his Background Check, the Federal Gov't did.

**3) Mr SNOWDEN did NOT grant himself a Security Clearance, the Federal Gov't did.

**4) Mr SNOWDEN did NOT Violate our Civil Liberties & PRIVACY, the Federal Gov't did.

Thus how can EDWARD SNOWDEN be a Criminal??

Mr SNOWDEN knew he was being Hired to be a HACKER for the Federal Gov't but he thought he was just being Hired to HACK into the Personal Info of Real Suspected TERRORISTS.

Not SPY on Innocent American Citizens WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE!

Not SPY on Innocent American Citizens WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE for POLITICAL Reasons, or just to keep entire Communities of Human Beings in BONDAGE!

The Federal Gov't Hired Mr SNOWDEN.....offered him a Great Salary....and in exchange for keeping that Great Salary, they expected him to Betray the American People by HACKING into their Personal Lives WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE!

Please understand I am Not Opposed to the U.S. Federal Gov't using Broad Surveillance Powers Legally for authentic NATIONAL SECURITY purposes because I too want to be SAFE from TERRORISM.

I am Only Opposed to the U.S. Federal Gov't ABUSING its Broad Surveillance Powers to Violate the same U.S. Constitution its ELECTED Officials have vowed to uphold, for POLITICS & other Personal reasons!

So in essence the Federal Gov't is using the NSA NOT to track down Real Suspected TERRORISTS as Congressman MIKE ROGERS proclaims.

And why is the Federal Gov't COLLECTING DATA & INFO on Each American Citizen??

It's being stored at a huge Compound in UTAH but Why??

Federal Gov't Officials are using the NSA to SPY on ALL American Citizens WITHOUT PROBABLE CAUSE just because they Can, NOT because they need to!

i.e., "Big Brother" Is Here!

This is beyond WRONG & ILLEGAL!

Another example of Federal Gov't ABUSE is the IRS targeting Innocent American Citizens for their RELIGIOUS Beliefs & POLITICAL Affiliations.

Or......

Using the IRS to RETALIATE against Innocent American Citizens.

Both actions are also WRONG & ILLEGAL!!

So do I strongly believe EDWARD SNOWDEN is a necessary, Courageous Young Whistleblower who deserves some level of Clemency??

YES!!

FYI:

I WILL NEVER TRUST CONGRESSMAN MIKE ROGERS (R-MI) AGAIN.

Why??

One word.....DETROIT!








"Edward Snowden, Whistle-Blower"


Seven months ago, the world began to learn the vast scope of the National Security Agency’s reach into the lives of hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the globe, as it collects information about their phone calls, their email messages, their friends and contacts, how they spend their days and where they spend their nights.

The public learned in great detail how the agency has exceeded its mandate and abused its authority, prompting outrage at kitchen tables and at the desks of Congress, which may finally begin to limit these practices.

The revelations have already prompted two federal judges to accuse the N.S.A. of violating the Constitution (although a third, unfortunately, found the dragnet surveillance to be legal).

A panel appointed by President Obama issued a powerful indictment of the agency’s invasions of privacy and called for a major overhaul of its operations.

All of this is entirely because of information provided to journalists by Edward Snowden, the former N.S.A. contractor who stole a trove of highly classified documents after he became disillusioned with the agency’s voraciousness. Mr. Snowden is now living in Russia, on the run from American charges of espionage and theft, and he faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life looking over his shoulder.

Considering the enormous value of the information he has revealed, and the abuses he has exposed, Mr. Snowden deserves better than a life of permanent exile, fear and flight. He may have committed a crime to do so, but he has done his country a great service. It is time for the United States to offer Mr. Snowden a plea bargain or some form of clemency that would allow him to return home, face at least substantially reduced punishment in light of his role as a whistle-blower, and have the hope of a life advocating for greater privacy and far stronger oversight of the runaway intelligence community.

Mr. Snowden is currently charged in a criminal complaint with two violations of the Espionage Act involving unauthorized communication of classified information, and a charge of theft of government property. Those three charges carry prison sentences of 10 years each, and when the case is presented to a grand jury for indictment, the government is virtually certain to add more charges, probably adding up to a life sentence that Mr. Snowden is understandably trying to avoid.

The president said in August that Mr. Snowden should come home to face those charges in court and suggested that if Mr. Snowden had wanted to avoid criminal charges he could have simply told his superiors about the abuses, acting, in other words, as a whistle-blower.

“If the concern was that somehow this was the only way to get this information out to the public, I signed an executive order well before Mr. Snowden leaked this information that provided whistle-blower protection to the intelligence community for the first time,” Mr. Obama said at a news conference. “So there were other avenues available for somebody whose conscience was stirred and thought that they needed to question government actions.”

In fact, that executive order did not apply to contractors, only to intelligence employees, rendering its protections useless to Mr. Snowden. More important, Mr. Snowden told The Washington Post earlier this month that he did report his misgivings to two superiors at the agency, showing them the volume of data collected by the N.S.A., and that they took no action. (The N.S.A. says there is no evidence of this.) That’s almost certainly because the agency and its leaders don’t consider these collection programs to be an abuse and would never have acted on Mr. Snowden’s concerns.

In retrospect, Mr. Snowden was clearly justified in believing that the only way to blow the whistle on this kind of intelligence-gathering was to expose it to the public and let the resulting furor do the work his superiors would not. Beyond the mass collection of phone and Internet data, consider just a few of the violations he revealed or the legal actions he provoked:

■ The N.S.A. broke federal privacy laws, or exceeded its authority, thousands of times per year, according to the agency’s own internal auditor.

■ The agency broke into the communications links of major data centers around the world, allowing it to spy on hundreds of millions of user accounts and infuriating the Internet companies that own the centers. Many of those companies are now scrambling to install systems that the N.S.A. cannot yet penetrate.

■ The N.S.A. systematically undermined the basic encryption systems of the Internet, making it impossible to know if sensitive banking or medical data is truly private, damaging businesses that depended on this trust.

■ His leaks revealed that James Clapper Jr., the director of national intelligence, lied to Congress when testifying in March that the N.S.A. was not collecting data on millions of Americans. (There has been no discussion of punishment for that lie.)

■ The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court rebuked the N.S.A. for repeatedly providing misleading information about its surveillance practices, according to a ruling made public because of the Snowden documents. One of the practices violated the Constitution, according to the chief judge of the court.

■ A federal district judge ruled earlier this month that the phone-records-collection program probably violates the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. He called the program “almost Orwellian” and said there was no evidence that it stopped any imminent act of terror.

The shrill brigade of his critics say Mr. Snowden has done profound damage to intelligence operations of the United States, but none has presented the slightest proof that his disclosures really hurt the nation’s security. Many of the mass-collection programs Mr. Snowden exposed would work just as well if they were reduced in scope and brought under strict outside oversight, as the presidential panel recommended.

When someone reveals that government officials have routinely and deliberately broken the law, that person should not face life in prison at the hands of the same government. That’s why Rick Ledgett, who leads the N.S.A.’s task force on the Snowden leaks, recently told CBS News that he would consider amnesty if Mr. Snowden would stop any additional leaks.

And it’s why President Obama should tell his aides to begin finding a way to end Mr. Snowden’s vilification and give him an incentive to return home.


Sources: AP, CBS News, CNN, NY Times, Russia Today, The Guardian, Youtube

NSA: New Ruling Claims NSA Overreach Does Not Violate 4th Amendment Rights (It Does!)

#NSARuling

ANOTHER NSA RULING:

WHO SHOULD MANAGE THE NSA??

U.S. MILITARY vs U.S. FEDERAL GOV'T:

Friday a New York Federal Judge ruled NSA Data Mining & Mass Phone Surveillance of American Citizens is LEGAL.

Can someone please explain how can a procedure be LEGAL if it Violates the U.S. Constitution?? (4th Amendment)

I thought that Federal Judges were supposed to use LEGAL Precedent to Interpret & Enforce Laws, Not use the Judicial Bench to Legislate NEW Laws,
Or use the Judicial Bench to Destroy the U.S. Constitution!!

Now let's be clear.

If the U.S. Military manages the NSA Program, it Is LEGAL & I concur.

Why??

Because the U.S. Military will use ONLY use the Collected Metadata & Collected Personal Citizen Info to Target Real TERRORISTS.....

Not TARGET U. S. Citizens.
(i.e., National Security Purposes)

However.....

If the U.S. Federal Gov't manages the NSA Program, and SPIES on American Citizens,
We could be held HOSTAGE & have Collected Private Info used against Us.

Thus this action is Not LEGAL if the NSA is Managed by the Federal Gov't because it Violates Our 4th Amendment Rights.

I am also concerned if the U.S. Federal Gov't manages the NSA Program, it will use Collected Metadata & Personal Citizen Info for POLITICAL Purposes........

Not for National Security purposes!


Source: USA Today

Leaks From The Obama White House Threatens National Security & U.S. Troops: STOP THE LEAKS!

Do I believe over a period of 3 1/2 years that an unprecedented number of Serious Leaks of Highly Classified Federal Information have come from the White House?

YES! I Do!

It doesn't take rocket science to figure out where these damaging leaks originate.
They're coming from the White House plain & simple!

While its true NO White House Administration has ever operated without Leaks, this string of Seriously Damaging Leaks from 2009 to 2012 are much more frequent than usual.

I've long Suspected ever since the Underwear Bomber incident, that Information being leaked to Media Sources was coming directly from the White House.

Such Extremely Sensitive Highly Classified Information could NOT have come from Congress Members or lower level White House Employees.

It had to come from ONLY those Executive Employees closest to Pres. Obama.

Thus the Information is coming from someone within Pres. Obama's Inner Circle.

The Leaks may be helping Pres. Obama politically but its Hurting America's National & International Security.

These Leaks are also putting our Troops in Danger & hurting our Relationships with other World Leaders.

They need to STOP!

Immediately!

PLEASE STOP THE LEAKS!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

FBI investigating 'specific' White House leaks about hacking attacks on Iran

The FBI is looking into what is believed to be leaks of top secret details about cyberattacks against Iran, as the White House and GOP trade barbs over the release of sensitive national security data.

The tense sparring underscored how the handling of classified information and national security has suddenly escalated into a presidential campaign-season issue, like no time in recent memory.

Georgia Sen Saxby Chambliss, one of the Republicans leading the charge against the Obama administration regarding the leaks, told CNN that the FBI investigation has begun.

In a joint statement to the network from the leadership of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, lawmakers said: 'In recent weeks, we have become increasingly concerned at the continued leaks regarding sensitive intelligence programs and activities, including specific details of sources and methods.'

The statement came from Sen Chambliss; Sen Dianne Feinstein of California; Rep Mike Rogers of Michigan and Rep C.A. 'Dutch' Ruppersberger, of Maryland.
The statement went on: "These disclosures have seriously interfered with ongoing intelligence programs and have put at jeopardy our intelligence capability to act in the future.

'Each disclosure puts American lives at risk, makes it more difficult to recruit assets, strains the trust of our partners and threatens imminent and irreparable damage to our national security in the face of urgent and rapidly adapting threats worldwide.'

The group also announced a news conference on the subject for Thursday.

Meanwhile, the White House and Republican Sen John McCain of Arizona, were embroiled in a war of words yesterday, as each side accused the other of being 'grossly irresponsible' in connection with leaks of national security data.

White House spokesman Jay Carney denied allegations made by McCain a day earlier that the apparent leaks by administration officials must have been politically motivated to boost President Obama's stature ahead of his attempted re-election this fall.

McCain fired back with a heated statement repeating his suspicions, declaring 'this is not a game' and 'laws have apparently been broken.'

He called for prosecution of whoever is responsible for the leaks, which have included information about a U.S. cyber warfare program aimed at thwarting Iran's nuclear program.

Congressional intelligence chiefs also expressed deep unease about the recent leaks and said they would press the Obama administration to investigate, as well as considering how laws could be strengthened to stop it happening again.

'The accelerating pace of such disclosures, the sensitivity of the matters in question, and the harm caused to our national security interests is alarming and unacceptable,' the leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees from both political parties said in a statement.

'These disclosures have seriously interfered with ongoing intelligence programs and have put at jeopardy our intelligence capability to act in the future,' the lawmakers said.

McCain, who challenged Obama in the 2008 presidential campaign, took to the Senate floor on Wednesday along with Chambliss to call for a special counsel to investigate the recent string of leaks, saying they appeared to have been made for political advantage.

The leaks have included detailed reports on a classified counterterrorism 'kill list' of militants targeted in drone strikes, and an undercover investigation targeted on Yemen-based militants involved in building underwear bombs designed to foil airport security.

Carney, on Obama's plane on a flight to San Francisco on Wednesday, said the administration 'takes all appropriate and necessary steps to prevent leaks of classified information or sensitive information that could risk ongoing counter terrorism or intelligence operations.'

'Any suggestion that this administration has authorized intentional leaks of classified information for political gain is grossly irresponsible.'

'No, what is grossly irresponsible is U.S. officials divulging some of the most highly classified programs involving the most important national security priorities facing our nation today,' McCain shot back in his statement.



McCain doubles down on leak inquiry

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who charged members of Obama administration of leaking classified information for political gain, Wednesday called those who leaked the info "grossly irresponsible," using the same words that White House spokesperson Jay Carney levied at McCain.
Earlier in the day, Carney told reporters, "Any suggestion that this administration has authorized intentional leaks of classified info for political gain is grossly irresponsible," Carney said.

McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, fired back: "No, what is grossly irresponsible is U.S. officials divulging some of the most highly classified programs involving the most important national security priorities facing our nation today."

McCain first called attention to the issue with a fiery speech on the Senate floor Tuesday evening, pointing to a new book by New York Times journalist David Sanger that reveals U.S.-Israeli cybercampaigns used against Iran.

McCain charged members of the administration with leaking classified information and called for an investigation by a special counsel. He also called for people to be prosecuted if guilt is found. His Democratic counterpart on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., agreed to hold a hearing to investigate.

"It is difficult to escape the conclusion that these recent leaks of highly classified information, all of which have the effect of making the President look strong and decisive on national security in the middle of his re-election campaign, have a deeper political motivation," Mcain said.

McCain added: "Over the course of these congressional hearings and other investigations, I would hope that the motivations for these leaks is fully examined and discussed. These leaks clearly were not done in the interest of national security or to reveal corrupt or illegal actions about which the public has a right to know, as in the case of legitimate whistleblowers."

A bipartisan group of lawmakers that lead the House and Senate intelligence committees also expressed concern, calling possible leaks "unacceptable."

"In recent weeks, we have become increasingly concerned at the continued leaks regarding sensitive intelligence programs and activities, including specific details of sources and methods. The accelerating pace of such disclosures, the sensitivity of the matters in question, and the harm caused to our national security interests is alarming and unacceptable," Sens. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., and Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Mich. and Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md.

The four members of the intelligence committees also called the leaks "damaging and intolerable." They plan to modify and strengthen legislation regarding leaks. "We believe that significant changes are needed, in legislation, in the culture of the agencies that deal with classified information, in punishing leaks, and in the level of leadership across the government to make clear that these types of disclosures will not stand," the lawmakers said in the statement.


Sources: CBS News, CNN, Daily Mail, Fox News, Youtube

Mitt Romney & Barack Obama Officially Enter 2012 General Election Campaign Trail: Transcripts vs Tax Returns!

Mitt Romney's people wants ALL Transcripts of Pres. Obama's Meetings with Foreign Leaders released to the Public.

Pres. Obama's camp pushes back by demanding that ALL of Mitt Romney's Tax Returns be released dating back to the 1980's.

It looks as if the 2012 General Election Campaign Season has Officially begun.

Pres. Obama is going to Win, however this is a REAL Campaign. Romney & GOP leaders won't make it easy for Pres. Obama.

I also believe the GOP will take the U.S. Senate just as they did with the House back in 2010.

May the BEST, Most Qualified Presidential Candidate Win!


Team Romney Calls For All Transcripts Of Obama's Meetings With Foreign Leaders, Dems Hit Back

The Romney campaign suggested Friday that President Obama should release notes and transcripts from his meetings with world leaders to prove that he is not promising world leaders to change his position after November, in a statement to National Journal. Democrats responded that this request betray's Romney's foreign policy "naiveté."

The statement, from Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul, came in response to a call from the Obama campaign that Romney release 30 years worth of tax returns. Team Obama claims that a policy that allowed Bain Capital employees to invest retirement money in companies bought by Bain through a special share class, raises "questions about Romney's manipulation of the tax laws." Saul's response brought the subject back to Obama with a reference to his "hot mic" incident with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev:

“The Obama campaign is playing politics, just as he’s doing in his conduct of foreign policy," Romney spokesperson Andrea Saul wrote. "Obama should release the notes and transcripts of all his meetings with world leaders so the American people can be satisfied that he’s not promising to sell out the country’s interests after the election is over.”

The DNC responded with a statement from Dr. Colin Kahl, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, stressing the problems with releasing sensitive information from these meetings:

Having been in many sensitive meetings with our allies around the world, the Romney campaign's comment shows a remarkable naiveté about foreign policy.

For example, does Governor Romney think we should release all the notes and transcripts of the President's conversations with our allies, such as the Israelis and Europeans, tipping our hand to Tehran about every last element of our strategy to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon?

Our friends around the world need to trust that they can speak with the President of the United States in confidence, and that these conversations will not be politicized during an election.

Such a dramatic and unprecedented step would undermine the ability of the United States to successfully conduct foreign policy at a time when our nation faces numerous challenges abroad, and suggesting it is just a reckless attempt to score cheap political points. It is yet another indication that Mitt Romney is not ready to be Commander-in-Chief.





Report: Obama Camp Calls For Romney Tax Returns


President Obama’s re-election campaign is calling on Mitt Romney to release his tax returns dating back to the 1980s, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Following a front-page Wall Street Journal article Thursday reporting that employees at Bain Capital, Romney’s former private-equity firm, were allowed to invest their retirement money in companies the firm acquired through a special share class, the Obama camp is seeking Romney’s old tax returns to see if they contain information about the investment arrangement.

Reports indicate that the deal could have increased the value of certain investments, which may have helped swell Romney’s retirement account. The candidate’s IRA was valued at between $20.7 million and $101.6 million as of August, according to his financial disclosures.

“Today’s report raises additional questions about Gov. Romney’s manipulation of the tax laws,” Ben LaBolt, an Obama spokesman, told The Journal, adding that Romney “may have engaged in questionable maneuvers to drive up the value of his IRA.”
Romney released his 2010 and preliminary 2011 tax returns earlier this year.

The Romney campaign pushed back Friday with their own request in an e-mail to National Journal: that Obama release the transcripts of all his meetings with world leaders.

“The Obama campaign is playing politics, just as he’s doing in his conduct of foreign policy," Romney spokesperson Andrea Saul wrote. "Obama should release the notes and transcripts of all his meetings with world leaders so the American people can be satisfied that he’s not promising to sell out the country’s interests after the election is over.”


Sources: CNN, National Journal, TPM, Wall Street Journal, Youtube

Obama Says No To Release Of Osama Death Photos! I Agree!!

Today The Obama Administration Announced It Would NOT Release The Graphic Photos Of Osama Bin Laden's Corpse.

I Totally Agree With This Decision 100%!

As Does GOP Senator John McCain.

Anyone With Intelligence Can See The Request To View Photos Of Bin Laden's DEAD Body Is Nothing More Than A Mainstream Media Ploy Secretly Backed By GOP Lawmakers Or The Tea Party, To Take Credit Away From Pres. Obama For Destroying Al-Qaeda's Key Leader.

I Also Believe That Releasing Osama's Death Photos Would Have Incited More Anger From Muslim Extremists & Possibly Created An Atmosphere Of Additional Terrorist Attacks Against The United States.

Those Who Refuse To Accept His Demise Would've Found Something Else To Gripe About Even After The Photos Were Released.

Thank God Pres. Obama Didn't Succumb To Pressure.

Good Call!!

Osama's Dead That's End It!

Now It's Time For Pres. Obama To Return To Work, Focusing On Issues Which Most Affect American Voters.

God Bless America & The Obama Administration!

VOTE OBAMA IN 2012!!







Sources give new details on bin Laden's death; photo won't be released

Seconds after a Navy SEAL team entered a room in his Pakistan compound, Osama bin Laden was dead from rapid-fire shots to his chest and forehead, according to a U.S. official who has seen military reports of the raid.

The unarmed bin Laden, who the White House said put up some form of resistance, was moving when he was first shot, the official on Wednesday told CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told CNN that weapons were near bin Laden. "He was right there and going to get those arms. You really can't take a chance."

The official who had seen the report -- and other sources -- provided new details on the nighttime operation and bin Laden's gruesome wounds, which were photographed.

President Barack Obama, not wanting to inflame passions or appear to gloat, decided not to release a photo of bin Laden's corpse, the White House said Wednesday.

"There's a long history of images like that being used to rally opinion against people, to turn people into heroes," White House press secretary Jay Carney said.

A senior Democratic official close to the White House told CNN that Obama was "never in favor" of releasing a photo.

The photo decision -- following intense debate within the administration and by the public -- came as the United States continued pressing the Pakistani government on how it could not have known the al Qaeda leader was living near a military academy in Abbottabad when he was killed by U.S. special forces early Monday.

Investigators, meanwhile, continued poring over materials gathered at bin Laden's hideout.

The haul includes 10 hard drives, five computers and more than 100 storage devices, such as disks, DVDs and thumb drives, a senior U.S. official told CNN. The materials might provide clues on al Qaeda members and potential plots for future attacks.

The commandos also recovered five cell phones, audio and video equipment, "lots" of paper documents and some five guns, including AK-47s and pistols, a U.S. official told CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve.

The objects were "hiding in plain sight," according to the official, who described the material as a treasure trove of information.

At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said of evidence taken from the residence, "As we glean information from that material, we will make appropriate decisions with regard to who might we add to the terrorist watch list, the no-fly list, all those things."

A U.S. official told CNN in the afternoon that no names have been added to the watch list.

It appeared bin Laden had contingency plans while he stayed at the fenced compound.

Bin Laden had 500 euros (about $745) in cash and two telephone numbers sewn into his clothing when he was killed, a congressional source present at a classified briefing on the operation Tuesday told CNN Wednesday.

Photos taken shortly after the raid show three men lying dead in pools of blood and the wreckage of a U.S. helicopter abandoned during the assault.

One of the dead men bears a family resemblance to bin Laden, but there was no confirmation of his identity. The al Qaeda leader's adult son was among those killed in Monday's attack by U.S. commandos, according to American officials.

The pictures were published Wednesday by Reuters. The news agency says they were taken by a Pakistani security official about an hour after U.S. forces left bin Laden's compound and that it is confident of the authenticity of the purchased images. The commandos took bin Laden's body with them, U.S. officials have said.

The U.S. official who described bin Laden's last moments said the al Qaeda leader was "moving" at the time he was initially shot. The official declined to describe those movements.

Previously, another U.S. official said bin Laden was shot when he made a threatening move. When asked if bin Laden tried to grab a weapon or physically attack a commando, the official would only say, "He didn't hold up his hands and surrender."

The first shot that struck Osama bin Laden hit him in the chest and the second struck him in the forehead just above the left eye, the official told CNN.

A photo shows a gunshot wound to the head above the left eye, with the skull partially blown away, according to two sources who have seen a photograph of bin Laden's body.

SEAL teams are trained, if at all possible, to take the first "hit to kill" shot by aiming dead center between the eyes, and then with a chest shot, according to a military officer familiar with their tactics and techniques.

If Bin Laden was moving, that first shot might not have been possible. The shots occurred so rapidly they were nearly simultaneous.

One of bin Laden's daughters has told Pakistani interrogators that she saw her father shot, a senior Pakistani intelligence source said Wednesday. The daughter, believed to be 12 or 13 years old, was among those left behind at the compound after Monday's U.S. raid, the source said.

U.S. officials said bin Laden's wife was in the room with him and rushed at U.S. special forces, who then shot her in the leg.

The Pakistani intelligence source told CNN Wednesday that four men at the compound were killed in addition to bin Laden: bin Laden's son, two men who were brothers, and an unknown man. That conflicts with information provided by the White House, which said Tuesday that three men and one woman were killed in the operation, in addition to bin Laden.

Because bin Laden was killed and buried at sea, the administration has been under some pressure to release a photo proving he was dead.

The president noted that few credible people have questioned the death and that conspiracy theorists would not be satisfied with a photo, the senior Democratic official said.

That position was supported by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic official said.

"We don't trot out this stuff as trophies," Carney quoted Obama as saying in an interview earlier Wednesday with the CBS News program "60 Minutes."

"This is somebody who was deserving of the justice he received," Obama said in the interview. "But we don't need to spike the football."

Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-South Carolina, called Obama's decision a "mistake."

"I know bin Laden is dead. But the best way to protect and defend our interests overseas is to prove that fact to the rest of the world," he said in a written statement.

Questions are mounting, meanwhile, about why Pakistan failed to locate or bring bin Laden to justice.

According to two sources at a briefing Tuesday, CIA Director Leon Panetta told lawmakers that Pakistani officials either "were involved or incompetent. Neither place is a good place to be."

The United States is asking Pakistan for information on who built and owned the compound where bin Laden lived, two senior U.S. officials said Wednesday. The United States also wants to know about security at the compound.

Pakistani government officials have insisted that they did not know bin Laden's whereabouts. They reacted angrily to Panetta's comments.

"What worse statement can come than that we heard from Panetta?" a senior Pakistani intelligence official said. "I am afraid this statement is totally regrettable. (Panetta) of all people knows how much we have been doing."

The official, who did not want to be named, said his country had been generously sharing intelligence with its American counterparts.

Some people around the world mourned bin Laden's death. In Indonesia, the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front held a prayer service for bin Laden Wednesday in Jakarta, two days after the world's most wanted terrorist was killed in attack at his compound in Pakistan.

Obama, meanwhile, planned a visit Thursday to New York's ground zero where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood. The towers fell in September 11, 2001, when al Qaeda hijackers flew commercial planes into them.

Obama will take part in a wreath-laying ceremony and will meet with families of victims and first responders, but will not make remarks, White House spokesman Carney said. He characterized the event as "bittersweet."


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Sources: ABC News, CNN, Google Maps

Bush Praises Obama On Osama's Slaying; 2012 Re-election Victory

Osama Was Buried At Sea According To Islamic Law. He's Really Dead!! Meanwhile W. Bush Praised Pres. Obama On Osama's Slaying.

What A Great 2012 Re-election Victory Tool!!

I Could Be Wrong If So I Apologize To The Bush Family In Advance But I Believe W. Bush Knew Of Osama's Location All Along.

Yet He Spared His Life While Wasting Trillions Of U.S. Dollar$ And The Lives Of America Soldiers.

I Wonder Why?

Now Its Time For Us To PRAY Because As It Relates To Al-Qaeda's Attacks Against America, It Ain't Over!!

PRAY People!!







Obama calls Bush, Clinton on bin Laden


Former President George W. Bush said that he congratulated President Obama and members of the military upon learning that Osama bin Laden had been killed on Sunday.

Bush, during whose presidency bin Laden launched the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., said that Obama called him Sunday evening to inform him of bin Laden's death in a U.S.-led military operation.

"I congratulated him and the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who devoted their lives to this mission," Bush said in a statement. "They have our everlasting gratitude."

A senior administration official said early Monday morning that Obama spoke also with former President Clinton on Sunday.

Bush set out to capture or kill bin Laden shortly after the 2001 attacks. Much has been made of the coincidence of bin Laden's May 1 death occurring eight years to the day after Bush's famous "Mission Accomplished" speech on an aircraft carrier, which announced the end of major military operations in Iraq.

"This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001," Bush said. "The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done."


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Sources: CNN, The Hill, NY Times, Reuters, Washington Post, White House.gov, Youtube, Google Maps

Osama Bin Laden Is Killed On Obama's Watch!! 2012 Re-election Victory!

After More Than 10 Years, Billions Of Dollars Spent & Thousands Of Lives Lost, Osama Bin Laden One Of The Key Leaders Of Al-Qaeda, Has Been Killed On Pres. Barack Obama's Watch!

Hopefully This News Will Bring Some Relief & Comfort To The Families Of Those Murdered By Al-Qaeda On 9-11.

I Also Believe News Of Bin Laden's Death Will Restore Trust & Confidence In Pres. Barack Obama's Ability To Help Keep America Safe Wouldn't You Agree??

Although I'm quite Sure That This Is The Last Thing On Pres. Obama's Mind At The Moment, But What A Great 2012 Re-election Victory Tool!!

However Considering Donald Trump's Skepticism Over Obama's Long Form Original Birth Certificate, It Wouldn't Surprise Me If He Begins To Rant & Rave Via The Mainstream Media About Wanting To See Osama's Body To Accept That He's Really Dead!

Of Course I'm Just Being Facetious.

So Much For All Those Rumors About Pres. Obama Being A Muslim & A Terrorist Sympathizer.

Just For The Record Osama Bin Laden Was Responsible For The Deaths Of Both Muslims & Americans.

Even If Pres. Obama Was A Muslim (He Isn't), Osama Bin Laden Hated Him Too.

Now That Osama Bin Laden Is Dead The World Needs To Begin Praying For America Because Retaliation Towards Our Nation Is Most Certainly To Be Expected From Al-Qaeda Operatives.

Thank God For Pres. Obama's Strategic Security Moves Last Week Of Placing Gen. Petraeus Over The CIA & Panetta Over The Dept Of Defense.

Such Excellent Decisions!!

No Doubt Obama Should Remain In The White House!

God Bless The Families Of 9-11 Victims, The Obama Administration & The United States Of America!

VOTE OBAMA IN 2012!!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Bin Laden Dead, U.S. Official Says


President Obama announced late Sunday that Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, was killed in a firefight during an operation he ordered inside Pakistan, ending a 10 year manhunt for the world’s most wanted terrorist. American officials were in possession of his body, he said.

The fate of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Al Qaeda number two in command, was unclear.

The death of Mr. Bin Laden is a huge punctuation in the American-led war on terrorism. What remains to be seen is whether the death of the leader of Al Qaeda galvanizes his followers by turning him into a martyr, or whether it serves as a turning of the page in the war in Afghanistan and gives further impetus to the Obama administration to bring American troops home.

One American official said that American forces, acting on intelligence, launched a “targeted assault” that killed Mr. Bin Laden, whose ability to elude capture for so long deeply frustrated the Bush administration.

The news of the death of the leader of Al Qaeda was bound to electrify the world, particularly as it comes a full decade after American forces, under President Bush, launched their all-out assault to find the man responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks.

Since those attacks, Mr. bin Laden was able to elude capture by hiding out in the mountains of Afghanistan and elsewhere. He initially escaped from Tora Bora in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan after an American invasion routed the Taliban, his protectors. Since then, he issued some 30 messages, in audio, video or electronic text. Intelligence officials believe they were passed from hand to hand repeatedly to obscure any trail back to his hiding place.

Even while in hiding, he remained a potent symbolic figure. And American officials believe, based on intercepted communications from second- and third-tier Qaeda operatives, that he also still helped shape Al Qaeda’s strategy.


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Sources: AP, CBS News, CNN, MSNBC, NY Times, Youtube, Google Maps