US Unveils New Driver's License Rules
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Americans born after Dec. 1, 1964, will have to get more secure driver's licenses in the next six years under ambitious post-9/11 security rules to be unveiled Friday by federal officials. The Homeland Security Department has spent years crafting the final regulations for the REAL ID Act, a law designed to make it harder for terrorists, illegal immigrants and con artists to get government- issued identification.

Making REAL ID Real-Finally
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The 9/11 Commission suggested it, Congress passed two laws requiring it, and the fiscal year (FY) 2008 budget allocated funds to begin implementing it. Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) finally announced a plan to establish minimum standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards that are intended to be used for federal purposes (such as passenger screening at U.S. airports). Congress should do its duty and support the department’s plan and fully fund the FY 2009 budget request for REAL ID implementation.

Mexican Government Incursions into the United States
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Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released a U.S. Border Patrol report titled, “Mexican Government Incidents – 2006 Fiscal Year Report,” obtained under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). But for Judicial Watch’s September, 2007 FOIA request, this information would not have been made public. The report describes 29 confirmed incidents in 2006 along the U.S.- Mexican border involving Mexican military and/or law enforcement personnel, 17 of which involved armed Mexican government agents.

Illegals Receive $37 Million From LA County In Just One Month
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New statistics from the Department of Public Social Services reveal that illegal aliens and their families in Los Angeles County collected over $37 million in welfare and food stamp allocations in November 2007 – up $3 million dollars from September, announced Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

New Taliban Leader: More Dangerous Than Bin Laden
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The newly appointed leader of the Taliban in Pakistan is being called more dangerous than Osama bin Laden by analysts there. His movement was created last month when 26 Pakistani militant groups joined forces to fight for an Islamic regime there, tribal sources say.

Al-Qaida plot to kill queen foiled
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British monarch Queen Elizabeth was targeted by al-Qaida-linked suicide terrorists posing as TV crews at November's Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in Uganda, but the plot was discovered by authorities and "neutralized" before it could be carried out, an Ugandan official has confirmed.

Big Brother to control thermostats in homes?
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Add thermostats to the list of private property the government would like to regulate as the state of California looks to require that residents install remotely monitored temperature controls in their homes next year.

Hunger Hysteria: Examining Food Security and Obesity in America
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Contrary to the claims of poverty advocates, the major dietary problem facing poor Americans is too much, not too little, food. Public policies should be directed toward encouraging the poor to avoid chronic over-consumption, exercise more, and reduce intake of foods rich in fat and added sugar.

HUMAN EVENTS Endorses Fred Thompson
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The issue for us -- and for the conservative community -- boils down to which of the candidates is most representative of the fundamental conservative principles we believe in. The answer is Fred Thompson. In his Senate years, Mr. Thompson compiled an American Conservative Union lifetime rating of 86%. The Club for Growth has praised Thompson as someone who has a strong commitment to limited government, free enterprise and federalist principles. On the issues that matter most to conservatives, Sen. Thompson’s positions benefit from their clarity. He is solidly pro-life (100% rating). Thompson’s record is solid on voting to preserve gun owners’ rights, cut taxes, reduce government spending and drill for oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He has voted consistently against gay marriage. The question now is whether Sen. Thompson will do what he has not yet done: Take the advantages he is given by his intelligence, his principles, his political skills and this endorsement and make the best use of them.

Late Edition Wolf Blitzer - Fred Thompson
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Presidential Candidate and former Sen. Fred Thompson makes the case for his presidency on CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. Thompson talks about pork-spending, reduction in taxes, foreign policy, immigration and terrorism.

Pizza billionaire backs Romney
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Tom Monaghan, the Catholic philanthropist who made his fortune in Domino’s Pizza, has endorsed former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in his campaign to become the Republican candidate for president. In 1998, Monaghan founded the Ave Maria Institute, which later became Ave Maria College, a liberal arts college that preceded Ave Maria University. Monaghan is the present chancellor of the university.

Obama’s Church raises eyebrows
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We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian. ... Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain "true to our native land," the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.

Arabs and Chinese to bail out Citigroup
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Citigroup is putting the final touches on its second major capital-raising effort in as many months, seeking up to $14bn (€9.5bn) from Chinese, Kuwaiti and public market investors, people familiar with the negotiations say.

What’s the Matter with Socialized Medicine?
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The common good would be better served by market oriented reforms for elective and extraordinary health care coupled with compassionate subsidization for the needy, rather than socialized medicine. Tax law changes could help improve insurance portability and affordability. Current laws perversely subsidize high income earners and large company personnel. Small business employees and others who pay for health care with after tax dollars are regressively burdened. Increasing inter-state competition for insurance companies could decrease premium cost, remove thousands from the uninsured roles, and lead to stronger demands for quality.

Appellate Court Upholds Dismissal of Lawsuit Against Gun Makers
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"The Court’s ruling is very gratifying to members of the firearms industry," said Lawrence G. Keane, chief spokesperson for the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the firearm industry's trade association. "The District of Columbia lawsuit was like blaming car makers for drunk-driving accidents."

Senators Push for Gun Rights in National Parks
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Nearly half the Senate is pushing the Bush administration to let gun owners carry handguns and other firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges. Thirty-nine Republicans and eight Democrats signed the letter, including both senators from 17 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

Grass Makes Better Ethanol than Corn
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"Cost competitive, energy responsible cellulosic ethanol made from switchgrass or from forestry waste like sawdust and wood chips requires a more complex refining process but it's worth the investment," Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said at the Range Fuels facility groundbreaking in November. "Cellulosic ethanol contains more net energy and emits significantly fewer greenhouse gases than ethanol made from corn."

Sex Predators to be “tagged” in UK
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Correctional Officials are planning to implant "machine-readable" microchips under the skin of thousands of offenders as part of an expansion of the electronic tagging scheme that would create more space in British jails. The electronic chips should be surgically implanted into convicted pedophiles and sex offenders in order to track them more easily. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology is seen as the favored method of monitoring such offenders to prevent them going near "forbidden" zones such as primary schools.

Rapper on Roids – 50 Cent not worth a plugged nickel
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The names of R&B music star Mary J. Blige, along with rap artists 50 Cent, Timbaland and Wyclef Jean, and award-winning author and producer Tyler Perry, have emerged in an Albany-based investigation of steroids trafficking that has already rocked the professional sports world, according to confidential sources.

Presidential Primary Results
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Republicans – Wins/States/Delegates – 1,191 Delegates Needed
Romney – 1/WY/30
Huckabee – 1/IA/21
McCain – 1/NH/10
Democrats – Wins/States/Delegates – 2,025 Delegates Needed
Clinton – 1/NH/183
Obama – 1/IA/78