Begin your news day with TRNS News Notes. Victoria Jones brings you today's essential stories. Technical Note: Some email applications hide images by default. Remember to click 'display images' in your mail client. View this email in your browser (http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=d587c92743&e=0349316805) http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=cc452d082c&e=0349316805 http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=1594b77218&e=0349316805 Victoria Jones is the Chief White House Correspondent of the Washington DC based Talk Radio News Service (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=7ed30785e4&e=0349316805) . where her insight and analysis are made available to over 400 news talk radio stations around the country and internationally. http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=6da8afeaa0&e=0349316805 Facebook (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=37f79aed77&e=0349316805) http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=bf85f2e3cf&e=0349316805 Twitter (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=bccd21199d&e=0349316805) mailto:[email protected] Email (mailto:[email protected]) http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=4da2badd74&e=0349316805 Website (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=5257751e7a&e=0349316805) http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=37e10d54fd&e=0349316805 Like (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=6eb8b26d62&e=0349316805) http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=b7ca632305&e=0349316805 http%3A%2F%2Fus6.campaign-archive1.com%2F%3Fu%3D31406c9493dd20026a9c16307%26id%3Dd587c92743 Tweet (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=dd3477a54e&e=0349316805 http%3A%2F%2Fus6.campaign-archive1.com%2F%3Fu%3D31406c9493dd20026a9c16307%26id%3Dd587c92743) http://us6.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=d587c92743&e=0349316805 Forward to Friend (http://us6.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=d587c92743&e=0349316805) In the News * IRS: House grilling today! * Report: GOP lied on WH emails * Benghazi: latest military plans * AP: Obama "no apologies" * Marshals lose two terrorists! * Huma Abedin repped clients at State * Russia sends missiles to Syria * Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left note * Uzbek in court today: terror charge * Military sexual assault: "ashamed" * House immigration deal? * House repeals Obamacare! * Court: NO to Obama's recess appts * West, TX explosion: criminal? * Serves them right! * Beckham's best goooals! Talk show hosts: Could the GOP overreach on scandalmania? IRS: Latest - Resignation/Appointment * Dropping like flies. Joseph Grant plans to retire 3 June from the IRS. He heads the agency's tax exempt/government entities division. He's the second top IRS official to step down in two days (CNN) * President Obama Thursday appointed senior budget aide Daniel Werfel as acting commissioner of the IRS, to replace Steven Miller, who stepped down Wednesday. Miller will testify before the House Ways and Means Committee TODAY, along with J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Admin. Lively (CNN, WaPo) ** So this is awkward. The IRS official in charge of tax-exempt organizations at the time the unit targeted tea party groups now runs the IRS office responsible for health care legislation! That's soooo not going to work. Sarah Hall Ingram is her (soon to be infamous) name. Hearings! (ABC, me) * At a presser Thursday, Obama reiterated he didn't know about the IRS targeting of conservative groups before the IG's report was leaked to the news media, and vowed to "hold accountable" anyone involved in the practice. He said his "main concern is fixing a problem" (TRNS) (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=2c4fc650d0&e=0349316805) * PETA wrote to Treasury Thursday, asking that the IRS's investigation into its own conduct include an analysis of three audits of PETA (between 1990 and 2009), all verified from FOIA materials as from pressure from members of Congress on behalf of "meat, dairy, experimentation, tobacco and other industries" (No hearings!) (Politico, me) ### Report: GOP Lied on Benghazi Emails * CBS News' Major Garrett reported Thursday that leaked versions of of the WH emails sent out by the GOP to CBS last Friday had visible differences than Wednesday's official batch. (The GOP versions make the WH look like they're lying and covering up) * GOP version of Ben Rhodes: "We must make sure that the talking points reflect all agency equities, including those of the State Department, and we don't want to undermine the FBI investigation." * WH email: "We need to resolve this in a way that respects all of the relevant equities, particularly the investigation." * GOP version of State spox Victoria Nuland (according to CBS): "The penultimate point is a paragraph talking about all the previous warnings provided by the Agency (CIA) about al-Qaeda's presence and activities of al-Qaeda." * WH email: "The penultimate point could be abused by members to beat the State Department for not paying attention to Agency warnings" (No hearings!) ### Benghazi: Latest * CNN reports that the U.S. military has updated plans to "capture or kill" alleged perpetrators of the Benghazi attacks. Officials emphasized that military planning has been underway since the immediate aftermath of the armed assault * CNN said info it had was confirmed to it as a result of several days of reporting. It wasn't offered to CNN by officials as part of any coordinated effort to reach out to the media * One part of the plan calls for potentially putting U.S. military personnel on the ground inside Libya, if ordered by President Obama. The military has a list of several targets, some inside Benghazi and others in outlying areas, individuals and groups * It's not known how much of this Obama has been briefed about. One military official said the military is well aware that if it's ordered into action now by the WH, it could look like a political move, but he said initial planning began last year * Separately, at the presser yesterday, Obama said "I'm calling on Congress to work with us to support and fully fund our budget request to improve the security of our embassies around the world."(TRNS) (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=af91c414d2&e=0349316805) * Thomas Pickering and Gen Michael Mullen, authors of the ARB, have called Rep Darrell Issa's (R-CA) proposed closed-door proceeding an "inappropriate precondition" to their testifying before his committee in a letter Thursday (TRNS, (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=7bc2121e0a&e=0349316805) Hill) ### AP: Obama "No apologies" * At the presser Thursday, President Obama strongly defended the leaks investigation that secretly gathered private phone records of AP journalists. "Leaks related to national security can put people at risk. They can put men and women in uniform that I've sent into the battlefield at risk," Obama said (WaPo) * Members of Congress from both parties denounced the DoJ actions as did civil liberties advocates. Obama also said "We also live in a democracy where a free press, free expression and the open flow of information helps hold me accountable." (hmmm) * Asked about AG Eric Holder, Obama said "I have complete confidence in Eric Holder as attorney general."(TRNS) (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=ae5257c554&e=0349316805) * Sens Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) sent a letter to Senate colleagues Thursday, calling on them to support the newly introduced media shield bill to protect journalists' rights in news gathering activities (which wouldn't have protected the AP) (TPM, me) * Beckham's Best Goals (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=6932e217e6&e=0349316805) of His Career Not Justified! Marshals Lose Two Terrorists * The U.S. Marshals lost two known or suspected terrorists it had formerly placed into its witness protection program, according to the summary of a classified report. House Judiciary Committee chair Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) immediately announced plans for a hearing - here we go! (Hill, TRNS, (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=0e4f9fa48d&e=0349316805) me) * The report, by the DoJ's IG, found that one of the witness program participants was definitely living outside of the U.S., while the other was "believed to be" living in another country as well * The 17-page summary found that the program had "significant issues", "vulnerabilities" and "deficiencies." The DoJ didn't keep officials with the Terrorist Screening Center up to date with the new names of known or suspected terrorists in the program (stunning) * That lack of info created a gap, in which the program's known or suspected terrorists, despite formerly being on a no-fly list, could travel on commercial planes and move freely around the country without triggering the radar of intelligence officials (our seatmates!) * Raylan Givens wouldn't have lost them... ### Huma Abedin Repped Clients at State * Huma Abedin - Hillary Clinton's longtime aide, friend and wife of all-but-declared New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner - spent her final months at State working as a part-time consultant with the agency, who at the same time was allowed to rep outside clients, Politico has confirmed. Ouch (Politico, me) * Abedin shifted to her now role after maternity leave in the early summer of 2012, making her a "special government employee", tantamount to being a consultant. Weiner (of Twitter private parts scandal fame) is expected to launch a comeback NY mayoral campaign next week * Mayoral candidates are required to disclose personal financial info with the city's conflict of interest board including spousal sources of income, but that's not made public * Abedin currently works for Hillary Clinton as head of her post-State Dept transition team. So Abedin would never have had to make the info public, if a "friend" hadn't "provided the details". It's unclear how many State officials have such a status. Apparently it's not uncommon. (Who's going to be the first to clamour for hearings??) ### Russia Sends Syria Missiles/Obama&Erdogan * NYT reports that Russia has sent advanced Yakhont anti-cruise missiles to Syria, outfitted with a radar that makes them more effective. They enable the regime to "deter foreign forces looking to supply the opposition from the sea ... it's a real ship killer," said the editor in chief of Jane's Intnl Defense Review (NYT,) * The disclosure comes as Russia and the U.S. are planning to convene an international conference that's aimed at ending the brutal conflict, which has killed more than 70,000. SecState John Kerry indicated he'd raised the issue of Russian arms deliveries to Syria during his recent visit to Moscow * President Obama and Turkish PM Erdogan said Thursday they were in full agreement that Syrian President Assad must leave office and that a transition govt be placed in charge (AP, TRNS) (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=b4f72ad5f5&e=0349316805) * Obama said the U.S. has seen evidence of chemical weapons use in Syria. He added that "more specific information" was needed (BBC) * New Syrian execution video (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=5aba67420d&e=0349316805) - al Qaeda linked Nusra Front rebels execute kneeling, blindfolded government soldiers - extremely graphic * Highly controversial video Boston Bombing Suspect Left Note * NYT reports that FBI agents have repeatedly questioned Musa Khadzhimuratov, a Chechen refugee and former separatist fighter who says he had a passing social relationship with Tamerlan Tsarnaev (searched his apt, DNA sample, computer etc.) * CBS first reported that Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left a note claiming responsibility for the Boston Marathon bombings. Sources told correspondent John Miller that Tsarnaev wrote the note in the boat that he was hiding in as police pursued him and as he bled * The note - scrawled with a marker on the interior wall of the cabin - said the bombings were retribution for U.S. military action in Afghanistan and Iraq. It called the Boston victims "collateral damage" in the same way Muslims have been in the American-led wars. "When you attack one Muslim, you attack all Muslims." * Tsarnaev said he didn't mourn older brother Tamerlan, the other suspect, writing that by this point Tamerlan was a martyr in paradise - and that he expected to join him there soon. The note's admissible at trial * NYT says that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has told investigators that Katherine Russell, Tamerlan's widow, wasn't aware of their intentions before the attack or involved in any way in its planning. Not clear whether fed investigators buy that ### Uzbek in Court TODAY on Terror Charges * Fazliddin Kerbanov, an Uzbekistan national living in Idaho, was arrested yesterday on federal charges that he gave support, cash and other resources to help a recognized terrorist group in his home country plan a terrorist attack (AP, me) * Kerbanov is expected to make his first appearance in U.S. District Court TODAY. Wendy Olson, the U.S. attorney, declined to say whether any potential terrorist threat or targets were domestic or abroad (kind of key). He's in the U.S. legally * Kerbanov's the only person charged and any potential threat was contained by his arrest. According to the indictment, he did all kinds of stuff, including conspiring with others to provide support and resources to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (U.S. says it's a terror organization) * Also possessed an explosive device, also taught and demonstrated how to make an explosive device, provided written recipes for how to make IEDs and went on instructional shopping trips in Utah showing what items are necessary to buy to make the devices (!) ### Military Sexual Assault: "Ashamed" * President Obama met Thursday with an unusually large gathering of military leaders, led by DefSec Chuck Hagel and Army Gen Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, to discuss the plague of sexual assault in the military (AP, TRNS) (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=0d586310fe&e=0349316805) * "They care about this and they are angry about it," Obama said. "Not only is it a crime, not only is it shameful and disgraceful, but it also is going to make and has made the military less effective than it can be." * Obama said he'd heard directly from everyone and they were "ashamed" by some of what's happened. Obama wanted the military and others to "leave no stone unturned", to consult with Congress and other militaries around the world * Sen Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced legislation Thursday taking top commanders out of the process of deciding whether a sexual misconduct case goes to trial(TRNS) (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=f17de54ffb&e=0349316805) *** Thursday, the manager of the sexual assault response program at Fort Campbell (wait for it, waaait) had been relieved of his post after his arrest in a domestic dispute with his ex-wife... (gag) ### House Immigration Deal * A bipartisan group of House negotiators emerged from a crucial two-hour meeting late Thursday afternoon. "We have an agreement in principle," said Rep John Carter (R-TX). Democrats confirmed the deal. They'll finalize it next week (Hill) * Things were getting pretty hairy, and it could still all go wrong. The group's met in secret for more than four years to craft a broad immigration proposal, but they've stumbled in recent weeks over a guest worker program and the treatment of immigrants under Obamacare * Senate Judiciary Committee chair Pat Leahy (D-VT) was visibly exasperated Thursday when Sen Chuck Schumer (D-NY) asked to delay a vote on Sen Orrin Hatch's (R-UT) amendments on visas for high-skilled workers. "At some point, we have to vote on these things," Leahy said, as he agreed to the delay * Beckham's Best Goals, Moments, at Manchester United (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=9872975570&e=0349316805) House Repeals Obamacare (Again) * The House voted (for the 37th time) to repeal Obamacare on Thursday. Only two Democrats sided with all Republicans in the 229-195 vote - Jim Matheson (UT) and Mike McIntyre (NC). The Bill's going nowhere in the Dem-led Senate (Hill, TRNS, (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=0ac65bf4cf&e=0349316805) me) * The vote followed a two-hour, largely predictable debate. Rep Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) said "Obamacare is not some ugly duckling that one day is going to grow into a beautiful swan. It's just ugly - and getting uglier by the day." * Rep Mike Doyle (D-PA) said "Quit wasting the taxpayers' money and the Congress's time. You should be ashamed of yourself." Doyle and Rep Louise Slaughter (D-NY) estimated the cost of these votes is $53 million * Rep Nancy Pelosi said "What this is is another example of job evasion." Nevertheless, the bill was important to the 70 GOP freshmen who can go back to their constituents and tell them they voted to to repeal Obamacare (and not get primaried!) ### Court: Obama's Recess Appts Unconstitutional * A second appeals court has joined the DC Circuit in ruling that President Obama's recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) were unconstitutional, concluding that some board actions taken in the wake of those appts were also invalid (Politico, me) * The 2-1 decision from the Third Circuit found that presidential recess power is limited to breaks between sessions of Congress, not breaks within sessions or other adjournments during which the Senate might meet in pro forma sessions (huge) * The issue has far-reaching implications both for the NLRB and other boards, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which conservatives can't stand and whose director was a recess appointment * Beckham's Best Major League (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=de489b7be4&e=0349316805) Soccer Goals Ever West, TX Explosion: Cause Undetermined * Authorities haven't ruled out criminal activity in the explosion at a West fertilizer plant that killed 15 people. State Fire Marshal's Office and the ATF said Thursday afternoon that the cause of the 17 April fire remains undetermined (AP, NBC, me) * They're focused on a golf cart on the premises that had been recalled by its manufacturer, an electrical problem or possible criminal activity - maybe an intentionally set fire. The fire began in a fertilizer and seed building called the "seed room" * Then, of course, there's Bryce Reed, a paramedic who helped the victims, who was arrested and pleaded not guilty to possession of an unregistered destructive device (pipe bomb) and who was generally weird - I mean, peculiar * Officials have checked 280 leads and interviewed approximately 500 people. They've focused on ammonium nitrate as the cause of the explosion. It was the cause of the Oklahoma City bombing ### Serves Them Right! * A man accidentally shot himself in the leg while bowling at Jupiter Lanes FL about 7.30 pm Tuesday, police said. Witnesses said the man had been carrying a gun in the pocket of his shorts (because you need one to play bowls - it's so violent) (AP, me) * "I think he hit his leg on his back swing," said Jim Miller." Witnesses said the guy limped back to his seat, holding his leg. Injuries not life-threatening. Taken to St Mary's Medical Center as a precaution. * A central Pennsylvania woman will spend 60 days to two years in jail for hog-tying her 5-year-old grandson to a chair so she could go to a methadone clinic. Police charged 49-year-old Evelyn Himes after the boy's preschool called social workers after noticing a mark on his wrist (AP) * The boy told investigators he'd been tied down and investigators later determined Himes bound him with scarves. Himes claimed the boy was badly behaved. The judge told Himes the boy has been well-behaved since he was placed in foster care * Trailer "Star Trek Into Darkness" (http://talkradionews.us6.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=31406c9493dd20026a9c16307&id=14bc4cf258&e=0349316805) - Live long and prosper this weekend!