Scandals Have ?Snowballed? Through the Obama Years and More May Be Coming, Rep. Blackburn Says

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (AP Photo)

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (AP Photo)

After a month in Washington where media focus was dominated by the Benghazi attack investigation, the?revelation?that the Department of Justice has been seizing the phone records of journalists and the IRS was unfairly targeting conservative groups - yet another scandal is brewing within the Obama administration, this time at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) says the growing controversy involving?HHS Secretary Kathy Sebelius?trying to raise money from companies that her department regulates ranks among the major scandals that are plaguing the administration. The funds raised would go to nonprofits that help people enroll in and get excited about Obamacare.

"A lot of people have said it sounds like Iran-Contra -- to me, I think it's?probably?a little bit worse," Blackburn said in a video interview (below) with TheBlaze contributor Mallory Factor, who noted the difference to Iran-Contra where Oliver North raised funds for organizations he did not regulate.

As reported by?The Washington Post?earlier this month, Sebelius has been calling on health industry officials to make large?financial?donations to help implement ObamaCare after Congress repeatedly rejected administration requests for additional funding. Enroll America, a nonprofit group that the Post reports many of Sebelius's calls have gone to, is led by a former White house staffer.

Blackburn told TheBlaze that scandals have "snowballed" through the Obama years,?now coming to a head with the controversy surrounding the administration's actions leading up to and after the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on a U.S. consulate in Benghazi, the Department of Justice caught surveilling lawful media outlets like the Associated Press and Fox News, the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservative groups, and this latest controversy with Sebelius and the HHS. Blackburn told TheBlaze that she has even heard of?more whistleblowers set to step forward regarding scandals at the EPA.

Blackburn said that along with?colleagues?in Congress she will investigate these cases methodically and responsibly, subpoena individuals when necessary, and "make certain power grabs like this don't take place."

In the full interview with TheBlaze posted bellow, Rep. Blackburn talks to TheBlaze about a new piece of cyber?security?legislation she has introduced, The Secure IT Act; how the American people are pushing Democrats in the Senate to work with Republicans on the budget, how ObamaCare is destroying jobs in her district, and the latest progress on the Keystone XL Pipeline.

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/scandals-snowballed-obama-years-more-may-coming-rep-231811914.html

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Tornado insured losses estimated at $2 billion-$5 billion

(Reuters) - Tornadoes that struck the United States from May 18 to May 20 caused anywhere from $2 billion to $5 billion in insured losses, disaster modeling company Eqecat said.

The firm said most of the losses were attributed to the tornado that devastated Moore, Oklahoma, last Monday.

Eqecat said some 76 tornadoes struck across 10 states over a three-day span. The worst of it was in Moore, where the firm said about 13,000 structures were damaged.

At the high end of the range, the outbreak may end up ranking as the second worst ever in terms of insured losses, behind only the late-April 2011 tornadoes that devastated Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and other communities.

(Reporting by Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tornado-insured-losses-estimated-2-5-billion-modeling-105741846.html

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'Google Edition' HTC One coming soon with vanilla Android

The rumors are true — HTC and Google will collaborate on a 'Nexus user experience' version of the HTC One

Ever since the Samsung Galaxy S4 “Google Edition” announcement at Google I/O last week, rumors have been circulating that HTC might follow suit with a vanilla version of its own flagship device. Recently, Russell Holly of Geek.com and Paul O’Brien of MoDaCo have chimed in with reports that such a device is on the way. Today we can confirm through our own sources that despite official denials, the “Google Edition” HTC One is indeed real, and will be announced in the next week or so.

Let's take a look at what we know, and what it could mean.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/ygnHQ-L_hIs/story01.htm

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Stocks mixed as investors reassess Fed worries

Trader John Panin, second left, adjusts his glasses as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, May 23, 2013. A global stock market slump is continuing on Wall Street as traders worry about how committed the Federal Reserve remains to keeping up its bond-buying program. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Trader John Panin, second left, adjusts his glasses as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, May 23, 2013. A global stock market slump is continuing on Wall Street as traders worry about how committed the Federal Reserve remains to keeping up its bond-buying program. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Trader Randy Biller, left, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, May 23, 2013. A global stock market slump is continuing on Wall Street as traders worry about how committed the Federal Reserve remains to keeping up its bond-buying program. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Trader Gregory Rowe works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, May 23, 2013. A global stock market slump is continuing on Wall Street as traders worry about how committed the Federal Reserve remains to keeping up its bond-buying program. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Trader John Song works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, May 23, 2013. A global stock market slump is continuing on Wall Street as traders worry about how committed the Federal Reserve remains to keeping up its bond-buying program. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Investors recovered their poise by midday Thursday after an early sell-off sent stocks sharply lower.

U.S. markets fell immediately after the opening bell following a global slump prompted in part by an unexpectedly weak report on manufacturing in China. Concern that the Federal Reserve might ease back on its economic stimulus program sooner than expected had also riled investors.

The dip gave investors who had missed this year's rally in stocks an opportunity to get into the market, and by midday stocks had recouped most of their early losses, even climbing slightly by midday.

"Most institutions, most hedge funds and most individuals have watched the market go up without them, so the dips are being bought," said Jim Russell, regional investment director at U.S. Bank. "There's a very strong case for U.S. stocks."

A pickup in hiring at U.S. employers, a recovery in the housing market and record profits at U.S. corporations have helped push the Dow Jones industrial average up 16.5 percent this year. The Standard & Poor's 500 index is 15.4 percent higher.

On Thursday, the Dow was up 24 points, or 0.1 percent, at 15,331 as of 2:21 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. It had been down as many as 127 points in the early going following steep losses in European and Japanese markets.

The sell-off in global markets came after minutes from the latest Fed meeting, released Wednesday afternoon, indicated that several policymakers are leaning toward slowing the central bank's bond-buying program as early as June, sooner than many investors anticipated, if the economy continues to recover.

The central bank is spending $85 billion a month buying bonds. That program has been keeping interest rates low in an effort to encourage borrowing, spending and investing. It's also meant to encourage investors to buy risky assets like stocks.

Investors were unsettled by a report Thursday that showed manufacturing in China, the world's No. 2 economy, unexpectedly shrank this month. HSBC Corp. said the preliminary version of its monthly purchasing managers index had dropped to a seven-month low.

China's booming economy has been a major driver of global growth in recent years and investors worry when they see signs that it's slowing down.

Global stock markets fell sharply in Asia Thursday. Japan's Nikkei index dropped 7.3 percent after news was released about the slowdown in Chinese manufacturing. The sell-off extended to Europe, where Germany's DAX index, which has been at a record high, slid 2.1 percent.

Initially, the sell-off spread to the U.S., but it didn't last.

Some investors also judged Thursday that concern about the Fed easing, or tapering, its economic stimulus program was overdone.

Any pullback of the Fed's stimulus should be seen as a positive signal because it would mean that the U.S. economy is getting stronger, said Joe Quinlan, chief market strategist at U.S. Trust.

"When the Fed starts to taper, the fundamentals of the U.S. economy have improved even further than we have already seen," said Quinlan. "The Fed tapering is actually a good story for U.S. equities and the economy."

Encouraging news about the U.S. economy also helped the case for stock market bulls Thursday.

Sales of new homes rose in April to the second-highest level since the summer of 2008, the Commerce department reported Thursday. Also, the median price for a new home hit a record high, another sign that housing is recovering.

There was good news on the labor market, too.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell 23,000 last week to 340,000, a level consistent with solid job growth. That suggests employers are laying off fewer workers. The decline in claims has coincided with steady job growth over the past six months.

In other U.S. stock trading, the Standard & Poor's 500 index was down three points to 1,652, or 0.25 percent. The Nasdaq composite fell three points, or 0.1 percent, to 3,459.

In commodities trading, the price of crude oil was flat at $94.28 a barrel. Gold rose $24.40, or 1.8 percent, to $1,391.80 an ounce. The dollar fell against the euro and the yen.

In U.S. government bond trading, the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note edged down to 2.03 percent from 2.04 percent.

Among stocks making big moves, Ralph Lauren fell $4.36, or 2.3 percent, to $183.70. The apparel seller reported revenue that fell short of what financial analysts were expecting. Sluggish economic conditions and the decision to cut certain businesses reduced sales.

PC maker Hewlett-Packard surged $3.10, or 14.6 percent, to $24.32, after the company delivered second-quarter earnings that topped the estimates of both its own management and financial analysts.

Dollar Tree, a discount retailer, rose $2.12, or 4.36 percent, to $50.54 after it said that its earnings climbed 15 percent as customers spent more at its stores. The earnings beat the expectations of Wall Street analysts' that follow the company.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-05-23-Wall%20Street/id-bdae4ea120b74547ad5f83dab1b82a33

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HP refreshes its laptops for back-to-school season, one has a 3,200 x 1,800 screen (updated)

With back-to-school season upon us and Intel's Haswell launch just around the corner, now's a great time for PC makers to start unveiling their summer lineups. Two weeks ago we heard from Sony and today it's HP's turn: the company just refreshed everything from its mainstream notebooks to its high-performance machines. Heck, even the pint-sized dm1 got a makeover. With the exception of that machine (now called the Pavilion TouchSmart Notebook), everything here will be offered with Haswell. There's a little something for everybody, and it's all waiting for you in a neat summary after the break. Join us as we break it down.

Update: We've added one more model to the list, and we think you're going to like it: an Ultrabook with a 3,200 x 1,800 display. HP hadn't meant to announce it today, but you know the internet -- sometimes the cat gets out of the bag anyway. In any case, we've added a quick blurb, as well as hands-on photos. Enjoy!

Filed under: Laptops, HP

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/23/hp-refreshes-laptops-for-back-to-school/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Anthony Weiner courts NYC voters: ?It?s a second-chance city, man!?

NYC mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner courts voters in Harlem on May 23, 2013. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Mayoral hopeful Anthony Weiner made his first appearance on Thursday since declaring his candidacy, apologizing again for his bizarre, Internet-only infidelity scandal that forced him out of Congress nearly two years ago.

"There may be people who will never vote for me, and I respect that," Weiner told the phalanx of reporters who surrounded him outside a crowded Harlem subway stop. "If citizens want to talk to me about my personal failings, that's their right. I certainly will apologize."

Jason Rolom, a 31-year-old construction worker who lives in Harlem, was not one of those voters. Rolom posed for a photo with Weiner while on his way to work. "I know from the past that he had that scandal, but now he's here to help so I'm going to give him a shot," Rolom said. "Sometimes you've got to let go of the past."

Another man shook Weiner's hand on his way to the subway and exclaimed, "It's a second-chance city, man!"

Weiner, hands on his hips and smartphone strapped to his belt, told reporters he's "encouraged" by how willing voters have seemed to give him a second chance. His fellow politicians?and New York City's unforgiving tabloids?have so far seemed less receptive to his comeback attempt, however.

Sen. Charles Schumer, once Weiner's political ally and mentor, has stayed quiet on the announcement. "Shame on us," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said of the possibility that voters will put Weiner in office again. "I'm not asking people for endorsements," Weiner said on Thursday, adding that he wanted to prove himself.

Weiner announced his candidacy in a video posted on Wednesday to his website, saying he would attempt a political comeback for the first time since it was made public that he sent lewd photos to an unknown number of women over the Internet while serving in Congress. The announcement video appears to have been posted earlier than he intended, as it was removed for a while after it first appeared. Weiner also did not emerge from his apartment on Wednesday to address his announcement, another unusual feature of his mayoral campaign rollout. Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Weiner's wife, appears in the video.

Despite the drama and scandal surrounding him, a recent poll shows Weiner is running second in the crowded race so far, after City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who is widely expected to land Mayor Mike Bloomberg's endorsement. (One Harlem voter shook Weiner's hand and said he'd rather support him than "a woman." Weiner said he hoped he would vote for him for other reasons.)

The tabloids' love of his scandal has certainly boosted his name recognition in the city. Over the past two years, the New York Post has run nearly every single possible pun on the former congressman's unfortunate surname ("Weiner Roast," "Weiner Exposed," "Hard Time," "Fall on Your Sword, Weiner"). On Thursday, the more liberal Daily News jumped in, running an insert cover on Weiner's mayoral bid that exclaimed "HE'S GOT SOME BALLS." (A reporter brandished the headline at Weiner on Thursday morning, asking him how it made him feel.)

When Weiner resigned in 2011, the hard-charging congressman and liberal attack dog said he would seek "treatment," which apparently amounted to a three-day rehab stint in Texas. According to a recent profile in the New York Times Magazine, Weiner has spent "much of his time within a five-block radius of his apartment" on Park Avenue South, caring for his young son and plotting his next political move.

Weiner told the magazine why he thought the scandal?which involved no actual sex, just flirtatious messages and photos?exploded into such a national sensation. ?My last name; the fact that I was this combative congressman; the fact that there were pictures involved; the fact that it was a slow news period; the fact that I was an idiot about it; the fact that, while I was still lying about it, I dug myself in deeper by getting beefy with every reporter," Weiner said. "But it was also this notion of how much attention our relationship had gotten, this kind of Camelot feel to it. It turned out to make it harder on both of us, and it made the explosion that much bigger.?

Quinn, for her part, said she's not worried about the late entrant to the contest. ?I don?t care who enters the race,? Quinn told Crain's New York on Wednesday when asked about Weiner's announcement. ?Why should I talk about anyone but myself??

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/anthony-weiner-courts-nyc-voters-second-chance-city-150226386.html

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Israeli Man Who Years Ago Helped Stop Terror Attack Shoots 4 Dead at Bank, Takes Hostage, then Kills Self Over a $1,600 Debt

Bank-Shooting

An Israeli woman is taken out of a bank in the town of Beersheba, Monday, May 20, 2013. A gunman stormed into a bank in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba Monday, killing four people in a gunfight and taking a hostage before killing himself, police said. (AP Photo/Dudu Greenspan)

Customers and employees at a Bank Hapoalim branch in Beer Sheba, Israel were sure a terrorist attack was underway when they heard shots ring out Monday afternoon.

Instead, they were witness to what appears to have been a premeditated shooting carried out by an angry customer.

According to Israeli media, Itamar Alon, a 40-year-old unemployed customer of the branch, furious that he couldn't get his credit line extended, shot bank employees and customers, killing four and then taking another employee hostage before he killed himself.

Shortly after the branch opened Monday morning, Alon unsuccessfully tried to withdraw money from the ATM machine. He entered the bank to ask for a further line of credit in the amount of $1,640, but due to his large overdraft he was denied the request.

Israeli television and newspapers reported that Alon then went home where he grabbed his gun along with three magazines of ammunition. Police sources told Israeli media that the trip home along with the large amount of bullets demonstrated his premeditated intentions to carry out a lethal attack.

Upon returning to the bank, he shot dead the bank manager Avner Cohen, 44, who had just recently begun working in that position, his loan officer Meir Zeitoun, 40, and two customers Anat Even Haim, 34, and Idan Shnitzer Savri, 22.

An eyewitness told Israel Channel 2 that he saw Alon shoot some of his victims twice, making sure that they were dead.

After his shooting spree, Alon took bank employee Miri Cohen hostage. Cohen told Channel 2 that she had been hiding under the desk with two customers when Alon found her and pulled her to the bathroom into which he locked the two of them. From inside the bathroom, Cohen said she could hear police outside the window trying to negotiate with her captor.

Ynet reports:

Describing her ordeal, Cohen said the shooter warned her to stay silent else he will shoot her. "A second later the gun was drawn in my face," she recounted.

Locked in the bathroom with the shooter, Cohen was sure she would not escape with her life.

"Thank God, it was a miracle," she said. After an hour, Alon told her to turn around with her face to the wall. "I said 'that's it, this is the end of me,' and then I lowered my head and didn't look at him and he put the gun in his mouth, I couldn't see, but I heard a shot."

Following the hour-long standoff, Alon shot and killed himself after which Cohen ran outside to safety.

Israeli media quoted police sources who described Alon as a former captain in the border police and a former security coordinator for Beersheba schools.

He was once awarded a medal by the former mayor of Beersheba for showing bravery during a terrorist attack 11 years ago. The Times of Israel reports, "Two terrorists reached an army base in the south and opened fire on soldiers, killing several. Alon, then an officer in the army, rushed to the scene and returned fire on the terrorists, helping to kill one of them."

Because of his past work in the security field, Alon was eligible for a gun permit, though it had once been temporarily revoked. As in the aftermath of mass shootings that have occurred in the U.S., the issue of gun control is already being publicly debated. In Israel, there are tight limits on those who are licensed to own a gun. Only 2.5 percent of the population can legally carry a firearm, according to the Times of Israel, which describes the emerging debate:

In the wake of Monday's killings at a Beersheba bank [...] Israeli authorities intend to further tighten regulations to reduce the number of civilians eligible to keep guns, media reports said Monday night.

The killer, Itamar Alon, had a permit for the gun he used in the rampage, but had done no work that required such a permit for the past decade, Channel 2 news reported.

Alon had served in the IDF, receiving a citation for his role in preventing a terrorist attack in the city during the Second Intifada, then in the Border Police, and subsequently as a security officer for Beersheba educational institutions. But he had not worked in security for years, and was unemployed. "There was no reason for him to have been allowed to retain his gun permit," Channel 2 reported, quoting police sources.

Former police commissioner Moshe Karadi said Monday night that the bank killings marked one of the worst incidents of its kind in decades, but that the police are encountering a relentless rise in violent crime, and have been working for years to reduce the number of gun permits. Police sources quoted by Channel 2 said this effort would now intensify under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Security, which is in charge of both the police force and the licensing of civilian firearms, with Monday's killings serving to underline the imperative.

Extensive screening is required of those applying for gun permits, including a police background check and a medical form to be signed by a physician.

The Times of Israel reports, "The form consists of 24 questions, ranging from a patient's physical health to his or her history of substance abuse and psychiatric care. Some 170,000 Israeli citizens are licensed to carry a weapon; of these, 40,000 are security guards who work in supermarkets, malls and schools."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the shooting was a "tragedy." Though Israel has extensive experience with Palestinian terrorist attacks, the kind of mass shooting that occurred in the bank is rare. According to Israel Radio, Netanyahu said he "doesn't remember an incident like this, certainly not in the last few years."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/israeli-man-years-ago-helped-stop-terror-attack-113021459.html

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