Rick Perry on his meeting with President Obama

The president stays north of the border

Chief White House Calligrapher Paid $97,692 Salary

breitbart
Wynton Hall

U.S. taxpayers paid $37.8 million in salaries for President Obama's 456 White House employees, according to a newly released administration report.

With a median individual salary of $70,700 per year, White House workers make well above the median household income of just $51,017.

Salaries ranged from $172,200 to $42,000. President Obama's 22 senior administration officials, such as Valerie Jarrett and John Podesta, all bagged the top end of the salary scale. Others, like Chief Calligrapher Patricia A. Blair, cost taxpayers $97,692. Calligrapher Debra S. Brown receives a $86,812 salary.

Obama, who was not included in the list, earns $400,000. a year. 

The White House said it was releasing how much money U.S. taxpayers pay for Obama's staff in order to remain "consistent with President Obama's commitment to transparency."

President Obama and illegal immigration

O'Reilly: Subverting American democracy

Supreme Court limits president's recess appointment power

foxnews

The Supreme Court delivered a blow Thursday to President Obama, ruling that he went too far in making recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board. 

In a unanimous decision, the high court sided with Senate Republicans and limited the president's power to fill high-level vacancies with temporary appointments. It was the first-ever Supreme Court test involving the long-standing practice of presidents naming appointees when the Senate is on break. 

In this case, Obama had argued that the Senate was on an extended holiday break when he filled slots at the NLRB in 2012. He argued the brief sessions it held every three days were a sham that was intended to prevent him from filling the seats. 

The justices rejected that argument, though, declaring the Senate was not actually in a formal recess when Obama acted during that three-day window. 

Justice Stephen Breyer said in his majority opinion that a congressional break has to last at least 10 days to be considered a recess under the Constitution. 

"Three days is too short a time to bring a recess within the scope of the Clause. Thus we conclude that the President lacked the power to make the recess appointments here at issue," Breyer wrote. 

At the same time, the court upheld the general authority of the president to make recess appointments. 

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, among those who criticized the president for unilaterally filling the NLRB slots, applauded the high court decision on Thursday. 

"The president made an unprecedented power grab by placing political allies at a powerful federal agency while the Senate was meeting regularly and without even bothering to wait for its advice and consent," he said in a statement. "A unanimous Supreme Court has rejected this brazen power-grab." 

On a separate track, House Speaker John Boehner said a day earlier he plans to proceed with a lawsuit against the president over his alleged abuse of executive power. 

Reacting to the Supreme Court decision on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the administration is "deeply disappointed" in the ruling. He said that while the administration disagrees with the decision, it will honor it. 

The issue of recess appointments receded in importance after the Senate's Democratic majority changed the rules to make it harder for Republicans to block confirmation of most Obama appointees. 

But the ruling's impact may be keenly felt by the White House next year if Republicans capture control of the Senate in the November election. The potential importance of the ruling lies in the Senate's ability to block the confirmation of judges and the leaders of independent agencies like the NLRB. A federal law gives the president the power to appoint acting heads of Cabinet-level departments to keep the government running. 

Still, the outcome could have been worse for the administration. The justices, by a 5-4 vote, rejected a sweeping lower court ruling against the administration that would have made it virtually impossible for any future president to make recess appointments. 

The lower court held that the only recess recognized by the Constitution is the once-a-year break between sessions of Congress. It also said that only vacancies that arise in that recess could be filled. So the high court has left open the possibility that a president, with a compliant Congress, could make recess appointments in the future.  

The case decided Thursday arose out of a dispute between the NLRB and a Pepsi-Cola distributor, Noel Canning. The NLRB had ruled against him in a labor dispute, but Canning argued that three of the five board members were improperly appointed. 

A recess appointment can last no more than two years. Recess appointees who subsequently won Senate confirmation include Chief Justice Earl Warren and Justice William Brennan, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, two current NLRB members and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Richard Cordray. Former UN Ambassador John Bolton is among recess appointees who left office because they could not win a Senate vote. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Boehner Confirms Lawsuit Against Obama for Executive Actions

NBC News.com

By Frank Thorp V

House Speaker John Boehner will file a lawsuit against the Obama administration for its use of executive actions to change laws, he formally announced Wednesday.

"I believe the President is not faithfully executing the laws of our country, and on behalf of the institution and our constitution standing up and fighting for this is in the best long term interest of the Congress," he said.

Boehner would not say which executive action the lawsuit would target specifically.

The specifics and mechanics of the suit have yet to be worked out, but Boehner could enlist an organization called the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) to carry it out.

Because that body is controlled by the Speaker, the Majority Leader, the Majority Whip, the Minority Leader and the Minority Whip, Republicans could order the lawsuit to go ahead even if Democrats objected.

The speaker insisted Wednesday that the lawsuit does not amount to an effort to impeach the president.

"This is not about impeachment, this is about his faithfully executing the laws of our country," Boehner said.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Wednesday said he is confident the president has operated well within the confines of the law and that Republicans have brought the suit simply because they disagree with Obama's policies.

"This lawsuit is not going to consume the attention of the White House," Earnest said.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Wednesday called the lawsuit "subterfuge."

"They're doing nothing here and so they have to give some aura of activity," she said.

Barack Obama mistaken for England footballer on mug

ITN

 

From The White House: On Mujica and Castro

capitolhillcubans

Cuba’s continued incarceration of Alan Gross represents a significant impediment to a more constructive bilateral relationship and securing his immediate release remains a top priority of the United States. President Obama asked that President Mujica use any opportunity he might have to convey this same message to President Castro. With respect to Cuba, President Obama urged President Mujica to use his considerable credibility as a regional leader to encourage political and economic reforms in Cuba, noting that such measures would be well received by the United States and other members of the international community.

-- Patrick Ventrell, National Security Council spokesman, The White House, 6/20/14

Confirman que Obama sí envió mensaje a Raúl Castro

martinoticias

El presidente Barack Obama, envió un mensaje a Raúl Castro a través del presidente de Uruguay, José Mujica, en el que pide al gobernante cubano la liberación del contratista estadounidense, Alan Gross  y el fomento de reformas políticas, declaró el portavoz del Consejo de Seguridad Nacional, Patrick Ventrell.

El vocero explicó que con respecto a Cuba, el presidente Obama ha instado a su par uruguayo, durante su visita a los Estados Unidos en mayo pasado,  a que haga uso de su considerable credibilidad como líder regional para fomentar las reformas políticas y económicas en  la isla, señalando que esas medidas serían bien recibidas por los Estados Unidos y otros miembros de la comunidad internacional.

Ventrell añadió que el presidente Obama pidió al presidente Mujica utilizar cualquier oportunidad que pudiera para transmitir ese mismo mensaje a Raúl Castro.

El semanario uruguayo Búsqueda, primero en informar sobre la carta de Obama a Mujica, el jueves, dijo que Mujica transmitió el mensaje del presidente estadounidense a Castro el pasado fin de semana, cuando Mujica y Castro asistieron a la cumbre del G-77 en Bolivia.

Marco Rubio: 'The Obama Presidency Is Over'

breitbart 

In an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” on Wednesday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) hit President Barack Obama on the grounds of his low poll numbers, particularly as a newly released NBC-Wall Street Journal poll shows 54 percent of those polled saying they no longer feel the president “is able to lead the country and get the job done.”

Rubio agreed with NBC White House correspondent Chuck Todd, who earlier in the day said the Obama presidency is effective over.

“I saw a commentator today say that these polls they reflected with the Obama presidency is over,” Rubio said. “And I agree with that. I think it is in general. Obviously he still has responsibilities that I hope he'll live up to. But whether it's foreign policy or the issue on the border, or the VA, or the IRS losing its e-mails or Benghazi before that, it seems like every day now, every other day, there's a new crisis -- almost like we're overwhelmed by the number of crisis and conflicts that are arising as a result of the incompetence and in some instances the design of this administration.”

Rubio also criticized the Obama’s handling of the unfolding crisis in Iraq. The Florida senator emphasized the need to cut off the ISIS supply lines from Syria into Iraq in his criticism and he took issue with Obama taking certain actions off of the table.

“First of all, I don't think the president should be ruling things out even if he never intends to send a single American back. And by the way I don't take that lightly, nor am I calling for that. But you don't start by telling terrorists, here's what we're not going to do. But second, I think we need to use American power, primarily air power and targeted missile strikes to wipe out the ISIS advance, particularly these supply routes that they now have in place. Again, this is not about saving Maliki. This is about preventing these guys from setting up a caliphate that they're going to use to attack us here in the United States.”

O'Reilly: Figuring out what to do

Is there a bigger story behind the Bergdahl exchange?

Marco Rubio cuestiona a Hillary Clinton por 'intentar ayudar al régimen de Castro'

Diario de Cuba

El senador cubanoamericano Marco Rubio (R-FL) cuestionó este viernes a la exsecretaria de Estado Hillary Clinton por haber sugerido al presidente Barack Obama que cancelara o flexibilizara al embargo a Cuba.

"Ahora vemos hasta dónde llegó la secretaria Clinton para minar a los defensores de la democracia en Cuba al intentar ayudar a que el régimen de Castro se hiciera con más dólares con los que continuar su represión", dijo Rubio, según el diario El País.

El senador aseguró que la administración de Obama "no tiene una agenda coherente para América Latina".

"Los desastres que vemos actualmente en la política exterior del presidente Obama son los frutos de las semillas que plantó Hillary Clinton cuando era secretaria de Estado", afirmó.

La exsecretaria de Estado Hillary Rodham Clinton asegura en un nuevo libro que exhortó al presidente Barack Obama a levantar o relajar el embargo contra Cuba porque ya no es conveniente para Estados Unidos ni fomentaba el cambio en la Isla.

En extractos del libro Hard Choices, obtenidos por la agencia AP antes de su publicación la próxima semana, Clinton considera que el embargo le ha dado a Fidel y Raúl Castro una excusa para no poner en marcha reformas democráticas.

Añade que la oposición de algunos elementos del Congreso a la normalización de relaciones ha dañado tanto al pueblo estadounidense como al cubano.

"Desde 1960, Estados Unidos había mantenido un embargo contra la Isla con la esperanza de sacar a Castro del poder, pero solo logró darle alguien a quien culpar por los problemas económicos de Cuba", dice.

Obama Should Stick to Principled Cuba Policy

capitolhillcubans

By former Assistant Secretary of State, Amb. Roger Noriega, in The Washington Times:

Selling out Cubans

U.S. trade concessions without regard for human rights would betray principle

For the past 15 years, the Castro regime has sought to entice foreign companies to Cuba by offering slave wages and stolen property. The cost of doing business there is that you pay workers’ salaries to the regime, take the government as your business partner and agree to lobby against the U.S. embargo.

As astonishing as it sounds, there are American businessmen who look upon these woeful conditions and ask, “How do I get in on this?” U.S. policy bars “trading with the enemy.” People who have no particular interest in changing “the enemy” set out to change U.S policy.

For example, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas J. Donohue, just wrapped up a visit to Cuba, citing “evidence that we’re seeing an extraordinary expansion of free enterprise .” Of course, that is utter nonsense, demonstrating that Mr. Donohue has learned nothing since he first hyped Fidel Castro’s “reforms” 15 years ago.

According to the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom 2014, Cuba actually recorded “double-digit declines in business freedom and investment freedom” in the past year. That is quite a feat, because only North Korea ranks worse than Cuba among the 178 countries rated in the annual Heritage study. If Mr. Donohue is interested in touting economic freedom, almost literally the last people on the planet he should be courting are cronies of the Castro dictatorship.

In recent weeks, several other groups have appealed for reform on Cuba — not for reform in Cuba, but reform of U.S. policy. The New York-based Council of the Americas issued a May 19 “Open Letter to President Obama” recommending initiatives to support “independent economic activity.” The signers of this message include retired U.S. officials, most of whom, in my personal experience, never showed the slightest interest in the cause of freedom in Cuba when they were in a position to do something about it. Many of the ideas they endorse for encouraging economic freedom have some merit. However, the fatal flaw is their call for a dialogue that would legitimize the regime that is an intractable obstacle to political and economic liberty in Cuba.

“Giving oxygen to the Cuban government would mean that the United States is turning its back on the Cuban people.” That’s how dissident leader Berta Soler sized up the council’s proposal. Dissident Manuel Cuesta Morua assessed that the signers “don’t know how things work here,” and questioned their failure to refer to human rights. “Given the reality and the rules imposed by Castro, it would be impossible” for Cubans to benefit from the initiatives recommended in the letter, according to Jose Daniel Ferrer of Cuba’s Patriotic Union.

The Chamber of Commerce trip and Council of the Americas letter come on the heels of a February poll on Cuba policy released by a Washington website committed to ending the U.S. embargo. For decades, these same pundits sneered at U.S. policy, saying it was driven merely by crass politics. Their monumental contribution to this debate is an appeal for unilateral concessions to the Castro regime because of a poll. You can’t make this stuff up.

Three things these initiatives have in common is that they would benefit the regime, they could end up hurting average Cubans, and they are being offered by people who have no real stake in what happens on the island. These pundits have a hunch that they know better than people with knowledge, experience and family ties. With very few exceptions, they don’t know anyone on the island who will pay the price if the United States clumsily helps the gasping regime catch its breath.

Of course, not everyone who cares about the Cuban people thinks the same about how best to bring about change there. However, most draw the line at concessions that would clearly benefit the regime without helping 11 million Cubans.

Then there’s Charlie Crist — who, as governor of Florida, looked into the eyes of Cuban exiles, heard their heartbreaking stories and maybe wiped away a tear or two. In his bid to win his old job back, Mr. Crist has flip-flopped on Cuba policy, pledging to confer and trade with the Castro regime — playing the angles on an issue in which he knows lives are at stake.

President Obama has relaxed some restrictions on family travel and cash remittances. He has refused to make more concessions, though, unless the regime makes meaningful changes in how it treats the Cuban people. Let’s hope he sticks to that simple, principled position.

ALERT" HR-1771 Gives President Obama More Power

Mary Greeley

Putin Tells Obama to Get a New Job

Mary Greeley

Top CIA Officer in Afghanistan Mistakenly Named by White House

breitbart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House inadvertently included the name of the top CIA official in Afghanistan on a list of participants in a military briefing with President Barack Obama that was distributed to reporters on Sunday, the Washington Post reported.  

The newspaper said the official, identified as "Chief of Station" in Kabul, was named as being among those at a briefing with Obama during the president's trip to Bagram Air Base near the Afghan capital.

The list of names was sent by email to reporters traveling with Obama on his surprise Afghanistan visit and included in a "pool report" shared with correspondents and others not on the trip.

The Post said the White House issued a revised list deleting the CIA official's name after it recognized the mistake.

Read the full story at Reuters.

'Chicagoland' Emails: CNN, Emanuel Aides Coordinated to Showcase Mayor as 'Star'

breitbart

By John Nolte

 

The Chicago Tribune gained access to over 700 emails between Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office and CNN. The emails detail a cozy relationship between the Democrat's office and the cable news network during the production of "Chicagoland," a low-rated eight-part cable series pitched to viewers as an unvarnished look at the city. [The emails are posted here.]

The emails tell the story of a cable news network coordinating with the mayor of a failing city who is also a rising Democrat star. The apparent goal of "Chicagoland" was for CNN to use its resources as a way to portray the "mayor in a positive light" at a national level and showcase Emanuel "as the star he really is."

According to the Tribune, details were coordinated down to camera angles:

If it seemed as though some scenes of CNN's documentary series "Chicagoland" were coordinated by Mayor Rahm Emanuel's City Hall and the show's producers, that's because they were.

More than 700 emails reviewed by the Tribune reveal that the production team worked hand in hand with the mayor's advisers to develop storylines, arrange specific camera shots and review news releases officially announcing the show.

Producers asked the mayor's office to help them set up key interactions in what the cable network has billed as a nonscripted eight-part series, including Emanuel's visits with the school principal who emerged as a star of the show, emails show. …

The production team for the series, whose final episode aired Thursday night, told Emanuel's staff that particular scenes would present the mayor in a positive light, with one of the producers expressing a desire to showcase the mayor "as the star that he really is."

"Chicagoland's" executive producer is Robert Redford.

CNN has yet to comment on the scandal, but this is yet another black eye for Jeff Zucker, who has been in charge of CNN for just a little over a year. Under his leadership, CNN has become a laughingstock, even among its left-wing colleagues in the mainstream media, for its bungled attempts to cover serious news and bizarre obsessions with whales, missing planes, and ferry disasters.

Just last year, CNN was caught using its network to push anti-gun legislation.

CNN presents itself as an objective cable news outlet.

UPDATE: CNN issues non-denial-denial. 

Trey Gowdy Demands Answers On Benghazi

Dan Adams