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Newly released financial disclosure reports show that several new members of the U.S. Senate are officially in the unofficial “millionaires’ club.”

Although her campaign for the Senate portrayed her as the “voice of the 99 percent” and a champion of America’s working class, The Hill reports that Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was worth at least $3.9 million in 2012.

The stories Warren and Barack Obama are both fascinating to me.  Here are two of the most stringent progressives who demand “social justice” for those less fortunate, yet they are both self-made millionaires themselves and as an African American and a woman, they’re both members of minority classes they say need the most help.

Obama was raised by a single mother and Warren spent time as a single mother herself.  Both came from relatively humble beginnings and climbed the academic ladder at Harvard.  I’ll never understand why, then, their political philosophies rest on the assumption that other Americans aren’t similarly capable of such achievement.  Instead, they insist that they’re the exception and that the rest of us need government’s help.

Other multi-millionaire freshmen senators joining Warren in the millionaires’ club include Sens. Angus King (I-ME), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Deb Fischer (R-NE).

Drudge Reporter founder and publisher Matt Drudge nudged MSNBC host Chris Hayes on Twitter Wednesday, hitting him in every TV person’s sore spot: the ratings.

“Bill O’Reilly had 10X the viewership as MSNBC’s squirrely Chris Hayes last night?” he tweeted. “TEN TIMES??! Painful. MSNBC suddenly in trouble. Why?”

The numbers don’t lie. Tuesday night’s ratings for Fox News’ O’Reilly Factor came in at over 3 million viewers, according to Nielsen. MSNBC’s competing program All In with Chris Hayes had less than 400,000.

Hayes didn’t respond directly to the dig, but did send out a tweet tying conspiracy theorist and radio talk show host Alex Jones to Drudge. (more…)

I’m sure this had nothing to do with the timing of last year’s election…

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa on Wednesday displayed a string of emails showing his failed efforts to get an update from the Treasury Department inspector general’s office about its investigation into the IRS practice of targeting conservative groups who sought tax-exempt status.

Emails seeking the information date back to September 2012, six weeks before the November election.

At that point, the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration had promised an update.

Based on other evidence provided to the committee, the inspector general was aware of the IRS practice of targeting conservative groups with names that included “Tea Party” and “Patriot” and “9/12.”

Inspector General J. Russell George told Issa’s panel he withheld the information because he feared lawmakers would leak it to the public.

“When information is conveyed to the Hill, it is not aways retained by the Hill,” George testified Wednesday.

Uh, isn’t that the point?

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) has twice said Congress could impeach President Obama in light of a slew of scandals his administration is facing. “I’m not saying impeachment is the end game, but it’s a possibility, especially if they keep doing little to help us learn more,” he told National Review in an interview published Monday.

Republican Strategist Karl Rove is saying: Stop it. (more…)

It often seems that when government tries to solve one problem, it creates 10 more.

A perfect example of this is today’s “Gang of 8″ senators working to fix our nation’s broken immigration system — but first, they have to work on fixing the last big law they passed: Obamacare.

Unbeknownst to many, the Obamacare law includes an unintended advantage for newly legalized immigrants. In short, the law incentivizes employers to hire immigrants over U.S. citizens as newly legalized citizens are ineligible for Obamacare subsidies. Employers who are required to pay a $3,000 fine for every full-time worker who subscribes to Obamacare’s new insurance exchange subsidies now have a clear incentive to hire the immigrant.

Investor’s Business Daily also points out that because immigrants granted provisional legal status under the Gang of 8 bill would be excluded from Obamacare subsidies for at least a decade, “the potential cost savings to an employer from hiring a legalized immigrant could continue for years.”

“I think that is an issue, and I think that it needs to be addressed,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., recently told Roll Call. According to McCain, the issue is likely to be fixed with a strategic amendment or two. “We are having lots of conversations,” he added. “I think it is something we can work out.”

Conservative radio host Dennis Miller breaks down the Obama administration’s current scandals and the media’s complacency — as only Dennis Miller can:

h/t Newsbusters

Let’s face facts: the American media is in an abusive relationship with Obama. They don’t quite know what to do. If you take the New York Times, you could refer to it as “Fifty Shades of Grey Lady.” And nobody’s going to ask her the hard questions. Now, they might take a little thing here, a little respite and say, “Hey, what’s happening with Obama?” But they’re all going to cave in on that. You know, but they have to do it a little. They have to just express some exasperation.

Seattle group links gay marriage and gun rights

IRS scandal reenergizes Tea Party

Senior White House aides shield Obama from scandal

Venezuelan gov’t alleviates national toilet paper shortage

Obama’s new Energy chief says climate change is “not debatable”

College professors want Obama added to Mt. Rushmore

Three more reasons to fear the IRS:

“As a matter of fact, I don’t think there’s anyone in public life who I’ve kind of sought out their approval or even much advice.”– New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner (D), Talking Points Memo.

Regarding the awkward scene Tuesday when CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked a survivor of the Moore, Okla., tornado if she “thank[ed] the lord” Rush Limbaugh said on his radio show today:

He found the only atheist in Oklahoma, and he didn’t know it … That’s just too rich. He thinks everybody he talks to is being ‘all God all the time.’

Audio of the segment here.

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul spoke out against his fellow members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations this week after they voted 15-3 in favor of arming elements of Syrian opposition. According to Foreign Policy, the bipartisan bill “would authorize the shipment of arms and military training to rebels ‘that have gone through a thorough vetting process.’”

Gee, what could go wrong?

“This is an important moment,” Paul announced. “You will be funding, today, the allies of al Qaeda. It’s an irony you cannot overcome.”

FP has more:

The dispute centers on the issue of whether the United States could properly vet Syrian rebels so that weapons and body armor would not fall into the hands of extremist groups, such as the al Qaeda-aligned al-Nusra Front. The Pentagon’s top brass has vacillated about whether it’s logistically possible to keep track of weapons as they enter a conflict involving a complex mix of opposition groups, as the new bill would require. [...]

[Sen. Bob] Corker added that not arming rebel groups such as the more moderate Free Syrian Army would ensure the dominance of the better-equipped al-Nusra Front. Paul responded, saying, “It’s impossible to know who our friends are … I know everyone here wants to do the right thing, but I think it’s a rush to war.”

To get a sense of how adamant the committee is to authorize more aggressive intervention in Syria, an amendment offered by Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) to limit the types of weapons delivered to rebels was forcefully rejected as well. “The senator from New Mexico wants to use shotguns against SCUD missiles,” McCain said dismissively.

But don’t expect a Game Change, the National Review reports.

(Image: AP)

Paul Ryan is working on his first major book to mix “autobiography, political analysis and policy prescriptions.”

So far, Ryan has been doing the writing by himself. The early theme of the draft is a broad discussion of American renewal, with an emphasis on the Republican future and the party’s need to articulate what he calls the “American idea.”

Behind the scenes, Ryan is worried that the GOP is losing its connection with working Americans, and he has been writing about how the party needs to speak more to those in poverty about empowerment and economic freedom. His recent speeches at the American Enterprise Institute’s Kristol dinner and at Benedictine College have touched on this issue, and Ryan is eager to broaden the argument into chapter form.

On a personal level, the book will highlight his childhood in Janesville, Wis., his time as an aide to Jack Kemp, and his rise through the congressional ranks. Kemp, especially, will have a special place in the book, and in many ways, Ryan’s effort will likely echo Kemp’s book, An American Renaissance: A Strategy for the 1980s.

The Romney-Ryan campaign will also be part of the book, but there will only be kind words and appreciation for Mitt Romney, who put Ryan on the GOP ticket. They remain close and Ryan has assured his friends that he won’t write a tell-all memoir.

During the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal of the late 1990s, Geraldo Rivera, then on CNBC, was a big defender of the president; probably the biggest. It looks like he’s ready to revive that role for New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner.

“I feel same [regarding] NYC mayoral candidate Weiner as I did President Clinton,” Rivera, ow a Fox News anchor, tweeted Wednesday. “If their wives are cool with their funky stuff, so I am. Won’t be boring.” (more…)

i feel bad for the victims in OKL, was just in the state, but when there’s no more to actually report, the media engages in #DisasterPorn

— Bill Maher (@billmaher) May 22, 2013

Just one problem: Last fall, the IRS was still denying that the improper targeting of conservative groups was even taking place.  Nevertheless, MSNBC panelist Karen Finney didn’t let that stop her from criticizing the former GOP presidential candidate today.

WATCH (via WFB):

Oy.

There are essentially two sides to this debate — those who think they will help the GOP and those who worry the swirling scandals around the Obama White House may actually hurt the GOP. But I’m interested in what you think…

Before voting, take a moment to consider both sides.

First, Ramesh Ponnuru lays out the argument that the scandals could hurt the GOP:

Watch the way the Republicans are handling today’s controversies and it’s easy to see how their tactics could backfire again. You would expect that Senator Lindsey Graham, who helped to lead the impeachment proceedings against Clinton, had learned to be cautious in pursuing a scandal. Yet he decided to tie the Benghazi investigation explicitly to the 2016 presidential race, saying that the controversy would doom Hillary Clinton. If Graham were a Democratic plant trying to make the investigation look like a merely partisan exercise, he couldn’t have done better. [...]

The biggest danger for Republicans in giving themselves over to scandal mania is one that the conventional retelling of the Clinton impeachment neglects. Republicans didn’t lose seats simply because they overreached on Clinton’s perjury. It is true that his impeachment was unpopular, and public approval of the Republicans sank as they pursued it. Still, only 5 percent of voters in the 1998 election told exit pollsters that the scandal had played a role in their decision, and Republicans got a majority of those voters.

The Washington Examiner‘s Philip Klein outlines 5 reasons why focus on the scandals will not hurt the GOP:

(more…)

Note today’s date on the calendar. It’s a rare moment indeed when an MSNBC host and an NPR news analyst will come together to voice 1) unhappiness in President Obama’s job performance; and 2) support for Fox News.

On Morning Joe Wednesday, NPR’s Cokie Roberts slammed the president for waging an “attack on the American press,” including the curious case of DOJ snooping on FNC’s James Rosen and the administration’s unprecedented prosecution of government employees.

Meanwhile, host Joe Scarborough argued that the situation would be somehow different if the administration were snooping on MSNBC, but spying on “the opposition” (Fox News) is bad news for the Obama White House. (?)

“This reporter is being prosecuted for what?” Roberts retorted, referring to Rosen. ”He’s basically being prosecuted, if he is prosecuted, for doing his job.”

WATCH:

As I noted yesterday, the Obama Justice Department relied on the 1917 Espionage Act to target Rosen, declaring him a “co-conspirator” in the leak of classified intel.  In contrast, you’ll recall the left’s outrage over the mere suggestion that the very same law be applied to Julian Assange, who has previously posted hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. documents on the Wikileaks site.

(more…)

Who wants to be like the newly-engaged NBC Today co-host Savannah Guthrie? Berricle, a cheap jeweler in New York, thinks some people do.

Here’s how the jeweler is advertising its products in a promo sent to our inbox… (more…)

The Obama administration may be knee-deep in scandals right now, but it doesn’t look like that will put a damper on the first family’s vacation plans.

The Boston Globe reports that the Obamas are planning a Martha’s Vineyard summer vacation, including an “extended” stay for first lady Michelle Obama:

There’s been no official word from the White House, but we’re hearing the Obamas have their eyes on a house in Farm Neck on Martha’s Vineyard. During three previous visits, POTUS and FLOTUS and their daughters Malia and Sasha stayed at Blue Heron Farm in Chilmark. But British architect Norman Foster has since bought the place for $21.9 million. Farm Neck is secluded and, most importantly for the president, has a nice golf club. We’re told first lady Michelle Obama and the children may be on the island for an extended period, with the president joining them on occasional weekends and for two weeks at the end of August.

The Obama clan avoided their annual trek to Martha’s Vineyard last year in the midst of the 2012 presidential campaign.

h/t WHD

Lois Lerner, the top IRS official who first disclosed the agency’s improper targeting of conservative groups, is on Capitol Hill today pleading the Fifth and insisting she’s done no wrong.

“I have not done anything wrong,” Lerner said in her opening statement. “I have not broken any laws, I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations and I have not provided false information to this or any other congressional committee. And while I would very much like to answer the committee’s questions today, I have been advised by my counsel not to.”

Blogger Dave Burge weighs in today with some dry humor:

When it comes to the Constitution, she’s a slow Lerner.

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) May 22, 2013

ABC’s Sunday news show This Week with George Stephanopoulos is often produced from a studio ABC rents inside the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Al Jazeera America will likely take over the spot when ABC’s lease is over at the end of May, according to Broadcasting and Cable magazine. (more…)

Remember that National Health System the Brits were so eager to celebrate during the Olympic games opening ceremony last summer?

(Image: AP)

The glorification of government-run nationalized health care was a bit baffling for for many, especially those such as myself who have first-hand experience with their health care system.

I could write about my tale of woe, but NRO’s Kathryn Jean Lopez points out a much more disturbing account of the National Health System from a concerned mother with a disabled daughter.  As columnist Ian Birrell writes, “all too many people with disabilities end up being killed by the health service – the very institution supposedly dedicated to saving their lives.”

Via The Guardian:

The latest case is distressing and disturbing: Tina Papalabropoulos, a young woman scarcely older than my own child dying after a series of blunders by two NHS organisations – a hospital and out-of-hours GP service – in Essex. Quite rightly, her mother, Christine, is angry. “When your child becomes ill and you need professional help from doctors, you and your child are looked at and you can see their mind working, ‘Is there any point in trying to save this child’s life?’ You can see that they think, ‘This child has an existence and not a life’,” she said.

The loss of this young life was a needless tragedy. But it is far from an isolated one. Each week 24 disabled people are killed by such prejudiced presumptions; indeed, there was a case at my local hospital recently. These shocking figures are based on a government-commissioned inquiryinto one region of the country, which found people with disabilities 37% more likely to be killed by incompetence or inadequate care – and their lives end on average 16 years earlier than they should. The more serious the disabilities, the higher the risk.

Remember how “crazy” Sarah Palin was for suggesting such “death panel” decisions would be handed down with more government involvement in health care?  Yeah…

Well, he’s done it. Disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner has announced his plans to run for mayor of New York City.  And judging by his first campaign ad, it looks like he’s hoping cute pictures of his baby will overshadow the unsavory underwear pics he sent to a college student when he was in Congress:

Weiner’s campaign announcement isn’t entirely surprising — up until his lewd photos scandal and resignation in 2011, Weiner had been a career politician for nearly 20 years. But just weeks after former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford proved that second chances are possible in politics, Weiner is launching his own campaign for forgiveness:

“Look, I’ve made some big mistakes and I know I’ve let a lot of people down,” Weiner says in a new 2-minute video announcing his bid. “But I’ve also learned some tough lessons. I’m running for mayor because I’ve been fighting for the middle class and those struggling to make it for my entire life. And I hope I get a second chance to work for you.”

I’m really curious about the “tough lessons” he’s learned from his “big mistakes”…  Did he “learn” that he shouldn’t text underwear selfies to women who aren’t his wife?  Did he “learn” that he shouldn’t lie about it?

(more…)

Regarding the news that former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y) has officially inserted himself into the New York City mayoral race, The Huffington Post:

And the Drudge Report:

Heads will not roll at the IRS

White House: Asking about Obamacare now akin to birtherism

IRS scandal isn’t limited to low level employees

Bill Kristol: It’s time for Marco Rubio to walk away from Gang of 8

Read and weep: The anatomy of media bias

Jesus vs. Muhammad: Steven Crowder unveils Qur’an Challenge, part deux

An editorial in Wednesday’s New York Times says the Obama administration is “threatening fundamental freedoms of the press” with its investigation of Fox News reporter James Rosen. (more…)