HOLDER: IRS SCANDAL BEING INVESTIGATED; HE PLAYED NO ROLE IN AP SUBPOENAS: Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday (May 14th) addressed two controversies that surfaced this week, saying that he'd ordered the Justice Department to investigate the IRS for any criminal activity for targeting Tea Party groups for extra scrutiny when they applied for tax exempt status, and that he played no role in the subpoenas of a broad range of Associated Press phone records. Holder's statements came as the Treasury inspector general report blamed ineffective management at the IRS for the improper focus on tea party groups, pointing the finger at IRS supervisors in Washington who oversaw the specialists in Cincinnati who screen applications for tax exempt status. The report doesn't say that Washington initiated the targeting of conservative groups, but that a top supervisor there didn't adequately supervise agents in the field even after she learned they were acting improperly. In a statement, President Obama called the report's findings, quote, "intolerable and inexcusable," and said that he's ordering all of the report's recommendations to improve oversight at the IRS be implemented.
Holder also addressed the uproar over the Justice Department's secret subpoena of AP phone records covering two months, April and May 2012, for more than 20 phone lines assigned to the news organization and its journalists, saying what was done was justified as part of an investigation into a, quote, "very serious . . . very grave" national security leak. However, he said he played no role in it, having recused himself from the probe because he'd been interviewed by FBI agents as part of the investigation and wanted to ensure the probe was independent and to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. Officials have said investigators are trying to find who leaked information used in a May 7, 2012, AP story that revealed details of a CIA operation in Yemen to stop an airliner bomb plot. The probe is being run out of the U.S. Attorney's office in the District of Columbia. Deputy Attorney General James Cole said in a letter to AP yesterday that they'd followed the rules for subpoenas, and hadn't sought information about the content of the calls.
CNN REPORT CHALLENGES ABC'S BENGHAZI STORY: CNN's Jake Tapper had a report out yesterday (May 14th) that challenges ABC's headline-grabbing story last week that cited emails exchanged as talking points were being prepared for U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice for her Sunday talk show appearances after the Benghazi attacks, contending that they show the talking points were cleared of any references to terrorism to protect the interests of the State Department. However, Tapper revealed the contents of an email from then-Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes that doesn't say that, but instead talks about wanting to get the correct information out to the public. Tapper wrote that the ABC report, as well as a similar one in The Weekly Standard, quote, "seemingly invent the notion that Rhodes wanted the concerns of the State Department specifically addressed." ABC reporter Jonathan Karl now says he didn't actually see the emails, but that they were paraphrased by his source, who viewed the original emails and shared his notes. In a press briefing Tuesday, White House spokesman Jay Carney charged that, quote, "Republicans who were leaking these emails that have been shared with Congress didn't just do that, they decided to fabricate portions of an email and make up portions of an email in order to fit a political narrative."
SOLDIER IN SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION PROGRAM ACCUSED OF SEX ABUSE: The Army said Tuesday (May 14th) that a soldier assigned to coordinate a sexual assault prevention program in Texas is under investigation for sexual abuse, pandering, assault and other alleged misconduct. The sergeant, whose name wasn't released, had been assigned as an equal opportunity adviser and coordinator of a sexual harassment-assault prevention program at the Army's 3rd Corps headquarters at Fort Hood, Texas. This latest report comes just one week after an Air Force officer who headed another sexual assault prevention office was arrested on charges of groping a woman in a parking lot.
PENNSYLVANIA ABORTION DOCTOR SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON: A Pennsylvania doctor who was convicted of killing three babies that were born alive was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday (May 14th), spared the death penalty in a post-verdict deal with prosecutors. Dr. Kermit Gosnell waived his right to appeal in exchange for a sentence of life without parole. Former clinic employees testified that the 72-year-old Gosnell routinely performed illegal abortions past Pennsylvania's 24-week limit, that he delivered babies who were still alive, and that he and his assistants killed the newborn babies by cutting their spines. The details of Gosnell's crimes came out during an investigation of prescription drug trafficking at his Philadelphia clinic. Investigators called the clinic a "house of horrors," a foul-smelling facility with bottles of fetuses, bloodstained furniture and dirty medical instruments.
U.S. DIPLOMAT ORDERED TO LEAVE RUSSIA, ACCUSED OF BEING SPY: A U.S. diplomat was ordered yesterday (May 14th) to leave Russia after the country's secret services said he tried to recruit a Russian agent, and displayed items they alleged he was carrying: wigs; packets of cash; a knife, map and compass; and a letter promising millions of dollars for, quote, "long-term cooperation." It was alleged that Ryan Fogle, a third secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, was a CIA officer trying to recruit a Russian counterterrorism officer who specializes in the Caucasus region of Russia, where the two Boston Marathon bombing suspects originally came from. Fogle was handed over to the U.S. Embassy and ordered to leave Russia immediately. Because f his diplomatic immunity, he couldn't be arrested. The State Department would only confirm that Fogle worked as an embassy employee, while the CIA declined comment.
CLEVELAND WOMEN HELD IN CONDITIONS SIMILAR TO POW CAMP: Two of the three women rescued last week after being kidnapped and held captive in a Cleveland house for a decade were kept in conditions that were described as being similar to a prisoner of war camp, Reuters reported Tuesday (May 14th), citing two sources. The women, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, were starved and suffered from severe malnutrition and will require long-term therapy for injuries such as hearing loss and joint and muscle damage. They were also restrained in the basement with chains, dog leashes and duct tape in stress positions for long periods that left them with bed sores and other injuries. The accused suspect, Ariel Castro, appeared to have treated the third woman, Amanda Berry, who has a six-year-old daughter fathered by Castro, better than the other two. The sources said that while Berry was in better condition when rescued, DeJesus and Knight were gaunt and had closely cropped hair. Castro would reportedly torment the women with food, bringing food to one or two of the girls while making the others watch, or he'd eat in front of them. It's previously been reported that Castro is alleged to have repeatedly raped the women, and starved Knight and punched her in the stomach to induce miscarriages several times when she became pregnant.
2013 DEFICIT ESTIMATE LOWERED SIGNIFICANTLY: The budget deficit for 2013 is now projected to be well below what was estimated just a few months ago, with the Congressional Budget Office study out Tuesday (May 14th) citing higher tax revenues and better-than-expected payments from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as the main reasons. The budget office now predicts a $642 billion budget deficit this year, more than $200 billion below the estimate from February. This year's deficit would represent four percent of the economy, far below the 10.1 percent it was running in 2009, at the height of the financial crisis fallout and Great Recession, when it was $1.4 trillion. The projected amount is also much lower than last year's deficit of $1.1 trillion. Because of the improved outlook, the deadline for increasing the debt limit has been postponed until October or November, after originally being expected to arrive over the summer.
NAVY MAKES HISTORIC LAUNCH OF DRONE FROM AIRCRAFT CARRIER: The U.S. Navy made history yesterday (May 14th) by launching an unmanned jet from an aircraft carrier for the first time in what Rear Admiral Ted Branch, the Atlantic naval air commander, described as "a marker . . . between naval aviation as we've known it and the future of naval aviation." The X-47B stealth drone was launched from the USS George H.W. Bush near the coast of Virginia and flew a series of programmed maneuvers around the ship before heading to a Naval air station in Maryland for landing. It's set to undergo two weeks of testing on the carrier, leading up to a landing on the ship. Because of the stealth potential and extended range of the X-47B and its successors, they are seen as a potential answer to the threat from medium-range anti-ship missiles developed by China and India. Those missiles would force U.S. aircraft carriers to operate so far from shore that piloted aircraft would have to undergo refueling to carry out missions, leaving them vulnerable to attack. The unmanned jet won't have the same problem, because it has a much longer range.
DONALD TRUMP TESTIFIES IN CHICAGO IN CIVIL TRIAL: Real estate mogul and reality TV personality Donald Trump testified yesterday (May 14th) in a Chicago courtroom at a civil trial in which he's accused of luring investors into buying condos at his Trump International Hotel & Tower in the city by promising profit-sharing, and then reneging on the promise after sales were made. The attorney for 87-year-old investor Jacqueline Goldberg described the sale of two condos to his client for some $1 million each as a bait-and-switch. He said Trump and his executives told would-be buyers that they'd get a percentage of profits from banquet hall rentals, food sales, laundry, parking and other services. But he said Trump canceled the profit-sharing plan, with the attorney saying one reason was because Trump hadn't been able to get a corporate tenant to rent several floors, cutting into the building's potential profit. But Trump's attorney said Goldberg signed documents explicitly giving Trump execs the power to revoke the profit-sharing offer. Goldberg's attorney tried to establish Trump as a hands-on manager, but Trump said he's a big-picture executive, stating, "The primary thing is to build a great building. You can't fool people."
IS IT POSSIBLE TO CUT TOO MUCH SALT OUT OF YOUR DIET?: A new report from the Institute of Medicine questions whether Americans really should cut as much salt as possible out of their diets, saying that while the nation overall does need to cut down on sodium intake, there's no evidence very low levels of salt offers benefits, and there are hints it might even hurt some people, those who are being aggressively treated for serious heart failure. The government recommends most people consume 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, and it's an intake below that that the report is questioning, even though some people in high-risk categories, such as those older than 50, African-Americans, and people with high-blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease, are told to have just 1,500 mg. a day. However, the American Heart Association says it stands by its advice, which is stricter than the government's that all Americans should eat no more than 1,500 mg. a day. The Institute of Medicine is calling for more and better research on the sodium issue.
PUDDLE OF MUDD’S WES SCANTLIN ARRESTED FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Less than a week after being arrested on warrants stemming from his 2012 cocaine possession case, Puddle Of Mudd frontman Wes Scantlin has been arrested again -- this time on charges of domestic violence. According to TMZ, Scantlin became physically abusive with his ex-wife Jessica at a business in West Hollywood on Monday afternoon (May 13th), shaking her and trying to drag her by her shirt.
Witnesses called the police and Scantlin was hauled off in custody. He was still behind bars at press time with bail set at $20,000. Scantlin was said to be extremely uncooperative during his arrest, with one source calling him "mouthy."
- Scantlin was stopped for speeding on May 7th and was booked by Hollywood police after they ran his information and found two outstanding warrants for his arrest -- one for driving with a suspended license and the other related to his January 2012 cocaine possession bust. He was released on bail later that night.
- The rocker last made news in February, when Jessica claimed that he stole her car. It was returned hours later although Scantlin's manager denied that the singer took it.
- After pleading guilty last summer to the cocaine charge, Scantlin was ordered into a drug counseling program and told he would have the possession charge against him dropped if he completed the program within 18 months.
- He was also charged with public intoxication last year after being thrown off a Jet Blue flight from Boston to Los Angeles, although the judge in the case ruled that there was "insufficient evidence" to prosecute the singer.
- Wes has also had problems with back tax payments in addition to last year's ugly divorce battle with Jessica.
METALLICA MOVIE TO BE SCREENED AT CANNES FILM FESTIVAL: Metallica's upcoming IMAX 3D movie, Metallica Through The Never, is heading to the Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off this week in France. According to Blabbermouth, the movie will be screened and shopped for prospective buyers at the event by international sales company Exclusive Media.
Drummer Lars Ulrich said, "After wading through multiple international distribution options for our film, we are excited to be partnering up with the folks at Exclusive Media, who we feel understand Metallica and understand our film better than anyone else . . . it feels like we're off to a pretty rockin' start."
KORN SINGER CALLS NEW ALBUM ‘BEST WE HAVE EVER DONE’: Korn has completed work on its 11th studio album, with frontman Jonathan Davis writing on Twitter, "(This is) by far the best album we have ever done. (I am) so excited!!!" The album is the first to feature founding guitarist Brian "Head" Welch since 2003's Take A Look In The Mirror. Welch left the band in 2005 to pursue a solo career and devote more of his life to Christianity, but rejoined them for one gig last year and several more in 2013, leading to plans to record together again.
Welch told Rolling Stone, "We knew we would have a blast playing together, because we love each other so much, but we really wanted to make sure the music felt right before we committed to making a whole album together. But since we got in the studio, everything just started pouring out, now I can't wait until our fans hear this stuff!"
- The new Korn set is due out in late summer and will follow up 2011's The Path Of Totality, which found the group experimenting with dubstep.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER IN TALKS FOR 'TOXIC AVENGER' REBOOT: Arnold Schwarzenegger is in talks to star in the action comedy reboot of The Toxic Avenger from Hot Tub Time Machine writer/director Steve Pink. Arnold would be playing a former black ops agent who trains the titular avenger to use his powers for good. The film is set to be introduced to buyers at this year's Cannes festival.
'HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE' POSTER REVEALED: The first official poster for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has been released and features Katniss standing high among the clouds while holding onto her bow and arrow. The tagline on the poster is a line taken from the book which reads, "The sun persists in rising, so I make myself stand." Take a look: http://bit.ly/18J4rUn
LEONARDO DICAPRIO RAISES $38 MILLION FOR CHARITY: The Great Gatsby star Leonardo DiCaprio raised $38.8 million at a charity auction in New York City on Monday (April 13th.) 33 art pieces were auctioned off with nine of them earning over a million dollars to benefit environmental and conservation programs.
HOW YOUR FIGURE AFFECTS YOUR LIFESPAN: New research from the UK finds that women who are pear-shaped have a longer life expectancy than those who are apple-shaped. Dr. Margaret Ashwell did the research will colleagues from London's City University, and says that people with fat around their middle are most at risk for health problems. Ashwell explains that flab around the middle of the body wraps around organs and produces hormones that tamper with blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Ashwell says to determine your body shape you must measure your waist and heigh in inches and divide your waist circumference by your height, the various ratios correspond with either pear or apple body shapes. Ashwell says as a rule, we should aim to keep our waist circumference measurement to under half that of our height. (Daily Mail)
HOW TO THROW A GREAT GATSBY PARTY: http://tinyurl.com/brs5bzr
VACATION EFFECTS CAN LAST UP TO TWO WEEKS AFTER YOU COME HOME: New research from The Netherlands finds that the positive effects of a vacation can last long after you come home under the right circumstances. To find this, researchers studied 54-vacationers and found that those who got lots of sleep had roughly a 30-percent boost in health and well being two weeks after returning to work. Additionally, those who did passive activities, such as reading, while on vacation had a 40-percent jump in post-vacation juvenation. Study co-author Jessica de Bloom explains that the post-vacation health-boost stems from personal autonomy. (Men's Health)
FACEBOOK USES SCIENCE TO CREATE MORE EXPRESSIVE EMOTICONS: Facebook teamed up with a psychologist who studies emotions and a Pixar illustrator to create more accurate-looking emoticons starting in 2012. Facebook says it's been working on this in order to encourage FB users to engage in more compassionate communication. FB says their research showed that a person was more likely to take down a photo someone did not like if the offended individual inserted more emotion into their messages asking the person to take the photo down. In the last few months, FB has been working on oversized cartoon emoticons called Facebook Stickers. So far the team has created 50 of the stickers, but only uses 16. The research team says they are eager to see how people respond to the beefed up emoticons, which include more complex emotional faces such as embarassed, sympathetic and grateful. (Pop Sci)
HEALTH CLUES FOUND ON YOUR FACE: UK scientists say your face will reveal the truth about your lifestyle choices, even more so than your body. Dermatologist Dr. Tabi Leslie says, "You can tell a lot about someone's lifestyle from their face, including what their diet is like and how much they smoke or drink." Leslie says too much drinking can cause a person's face to look podgy, pale and wrinkly, while a person who exercises too much will have hollwo, saggy cheeks. Additionally, people who fail to eat enough fruits and vegetables are likely to be pale, while those who are strict vegetarians may notice they have dark circles under their eyes due to lack of iron in the diet. Leslie says a person with pale, receding gums is likely to be a smoker, and a person with cracks at the side of their mouth probably has a Vitamin B deficiency, meaning they don't eat enough greens. (Daily Mail)
WOMEN'S PURSES CONTAIN MORE BACTERIA THAN THE AVERAGE TOILET: A new study finds that a woman may be carrying around a lot more in her purse than just lipstick. To find this, researchers from UK company Initial Washroom Hygiene swabbed women's handbags. They found that one in five purses had sufficient bacteria to pose a risk to human health, and that the dirtiest item found inside the average purse were bottles of hand moisturizer. The hand cream containers were found to house more bacteria than an average toilet seat. Lipstick and mascara containers were also found to contain high levels of bacteria. One expert says, "Handbags come into regular contact with our hands and a variety of surfaces, so the risk of transferring different germs onto them is very high, especially as bags are rarely cleaned." Researchers suggest wiping down purses with antibacterial wipes or gel to prevent cross-contamination. (Daily Mail)
43 THINGS THAT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL OLD: http://tinyurl.com/cnahrkz
AMERICANS DON'T LIKE HIPSTERS: A new poll finds Americans don't really like hipsters. The poll comes from Public Policy Polling and finds that just 16-percent of American voters have a favorable view of hipsters. The results revealed that 42-percent have an unfavorable opinion of hipsters, while 43-percent said they aren't sure. Forty-eight-percent of Republicans said they didn't like hipsters, and 98-percent of Republicans polled said they would not be likely to vote for a candidate they viewed as a hipster. Only one-in-ten of those polled admitted to being a hipster themselves, while 27-percent of participants said that hipsters should be subject to a special tax for "being so annoying." (LA Weekly)
Wealthy Hiring Disabled to Pose as Family To Cut Lines at Disney World: The New York Post reported Tuesday (May 14th) that some wealthy people are hiring a disabled person to pose as a family member so that they can jump to the front of the long lines for rides at Disney World. Disney allows each guest who needs a wheelchair or motorized scooter to bring up to six guests to the front of lines, and these people are taking advantage of that policy for a price of $130 an hour or $1,040 for an eight-hour day. The Post says the information about the guides that can be hired through Dream Tours Florida has been spreading among Manhattan's wealthy. The newspaper cites one mother who said she hired a guide through the company to escort her, her husband and their two young children through Disney World in a motorized scooter with a "handicapped" sign on it, and was able to go straight to the front of all the lines. She bragged, "My daughter waited one minute to get on 'It's a Small World,' the other kids had to wait two-and-a-half hours. You can't go to Disney without a tour concierge. This is how the one percent does Disney." Dream Tours Florida is run by Ryan Clement and his girlfriend, Jacie Christiano, who the Manhattan mother indicated was her family's guide. Clement denied to the Post that his girlfriend uses her disability to bypass lines. He said she has an autoimmune disorder, and acknowledged that she uses a scooter on the job.





