TMB: White House Draws Red Line on Iranian Ballistic Missile Program‏ plus more

White House Draws Red Line on Iranian Ballistic Missile Program
By Adam KredoThe White House on Monday pushed back against Iran’s efforts to set a “red line” preventing negotiations over its contested ballistic missile program, which has been permitted to continue undeterred under the recently signed interim nuclear accord.


China Shows New Mobile ICBM on Internet 
By Bill GertzChina’s military recently disclosed a new photo of its longest-range mobile intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a key element of Beijing’s large-scale strategic nuclear buildup.



Cover Oregon Scandal Deepens
By CJ CiaramellaOREGON—The story behind the massive failure of the Oregon health exchange website continues to unravel as allegations of fraud and gross mismanagement mount.



Coal Country Voters Express Economic Pessimism
By Lachlan MarkayThe nation’s leading coal-producing states are among its most economically pessimistic according to a new Gallup poll, suggesting widespread concern over new environmental restrictions on the industry that could impact Senate elections in November.


Report: ‘Avalanche’ of Regulations Still to Come Under Obamacare
By Elizabeth HarringtonThe Obama administration has yet to finalize 28 additional regulations under Obamacare that could lead to an “avalanche” of regulatory burden on the economy, according to an analysis by the American Action Forum.


Mullahs Ahoy 
By Adam KredoThe U.S. Defense Department said on Monday that Iranian warships are allowed to sail into the Atlantic Ocean so long as “they understand the responsibilities” of cruising so close to the U.S. border.



A Quick Lesson in Media Bias
By Sonny BunchI try not to go on about media bias too much because, honestly, what good will it do? They’re going to do their thing, we’re going to do ours.




WFB’s Alana Goodman Discusses ‘Hillary Papers’ On CNN

By WFB StaffWashington Free Beacon reporter Alana Goodman discussed her explosive report on a trove of archived documents once belonging to Hillary Clinton confidante Diane Blair Monday on CNN.

TMB: Column: Our adolescent media‏ and more

Fast Times at Eighth Avenue High
By Matthew ContinettiYou are an accomplished adult, at the top of your field, working in the heart of the greatest city in the world. Important people answer your emails and phone calls. Yet there is one person in the office who bugs you, whose demeanor you find obnoxious. You want to take a stand, to let this individual know his behavior is uncalled for, imperious, despotic even. And so you do the only thing a mature and levelheaded man in your position can do: You refuse to sit with him at lunch.

House Bill Would Cut Funding to Backers of Israeli Boycotts
By Adam KredoA new bipartisan bill introduced Thursday in the House would strip all federal funds from any U.S. academic institution that decides to boycott Israel, according to a copy of the newly filed legislation obtained by the Free Beacon.


Photos Debunk Key Anti-Fracking Claim
By Lachlan MarkayNewly released photos of a flaming water well have renewed skepticism of claims by environmental activists and federal regulators that hydraulic fracturing made drinking water supplies in Parker County, Texas, flammable.



Hobby Lobby Speaks Out
By Andrew EvansThe president of Hobby Lobby discussed his company’s ongoing lawsuit against the Obama administration regarding the contraceptive mandate, which goes before the Supreme Court March 25 for oral arguments.



DC Mayoral Candidate’s Business to Host Venezuelan Government’s Pro-Chavez Event
By Lachlan MarkayThe government of Venezuela will celebrate the legacy of its late socialist president Hugo Chavez this month at a coffee shop owned by a radical Washington, D.C., mayoral candidate who has said Israel controls U.S. foreign policy.


These Naval Academy Grads Get to Choose Their Own Assignments
By Bill McMorrisOn this cold Thursday in Annapolis, Md., 243 Naval Academy students, who will become surface warfare officers when they graduate in May, packed tightly into an auditorium, surrounded by admirals, captains, family, and friends. They were there for ship selection night.

Always Flatter, Never Challenge, Your Audience
By Sonny BunchAndrew Ferguson has a pretty entertaining takedown of the remarkably dreadful political cartoonist Herbert Block in this week’s issue of the Weekly Standard. Andy was driven to write it by the appearance of a hagiographic documentary heaping praise on the remarkably predictable, utterly boring cartoonist.


Not-So-Small Problems

By David RutzObamacare’s insurance cancellations, website glitches, flawed rollout, “834″ issues and job losses can all be explained away as only hurting a few folks out there.

TMB: Israeli Widow Blasts ‘Insensitive’ Kerry Claim‏ plus more

Israeli Widow Blasts ‘Insensitive’ Kerry Claim By Adam KredoIsraeli victims of terrorism lashed out at Secretary of State John Kerry for his “insensitivity” after he inaccurately claimed “not one Israeli was killed by a Palestinian from the West Bank” in a recent speech.


Report: 4 in 10 Government Security Breaches Go Undetected By Elizabeth HarringtonA new report by Sen. Tom Coburn (R., Okla.) details widespread cybersecurity breaches in the federal government, despite billions in spending to secure the nation’s most sensitive information.

Biden Thanks UAW for Helping Start Political Career By Bill McMorrisVice President Joe Biden thanked the United Auto Workers for helping him get his start in the Senate at the 2014 UAW National Community Action Program (CAP) Conference on Wednesday.

Russian Officials Implicated in Death of Sergei Magnitsky Could Face Sanctions By Daniel WiserRussian officials implicated in the prosecution and death of corruption whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky could soon face new European sanctions on their travel and financial assets.

Cuban Activist Arrested Ahead of Human Rights Summit By Alana GoodmanA prominent Cuban opposition activist has been arrested ahead of a United Nations-related human rights conference he was expected to attend in Geneva, his supporters said Wednesday.

Philip Seymour Hoffman vs. the Field By Sonny BunchFollowing Philip Seymour Hoffman’s untimely death, JVL wrote that he “might have been my favorite actor of my generation.” There was much such praise for the actor as one of the greatest of his generation, praise that prompted* John Podhoretz to ask, “It’s last Friday. Someone asks you to name the best actor of our time. How many of you would have said Philip Seymour Hoffman. Honestly.” 
WFB’s McMorris and Markay Featured in New Documentary ‘Bankrupt’ By WFB StaffA new documentary featuring a pair of Washington Free Beacon reporters examines the bailout of General Motors and the decline of the once great American city of Detroit.

TMB: Recalled Report Raises Question of Politicization of Intelligence‏ and more

Recalled Report Raises Question of Politicization of Intelligence
By Bill GertzA member of the House Intelligence Committee said Tuesday she is investigating whether an intelligence report warning about risks to Americans who posted data on the Obamacare website was suppressed for political reasons.

 
Muslim Brotherhood Leader Meets Obama in White House 
By Adam KredoA senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood was recently hosted at the White House for a meeting with President Barack Obama, prompting an outcry from critics of the global Islamist organization.
 

Wendy Davis Used Campaign Funds to Pay for Luxury Apartments
By Ellison BarberEmbattled Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis has spent more than $131,000 in campaign funds to pay for luxury apartments in Austin, Texas, since her election to the Texas State Senate in 2008, according to a Washington Free Beacon analysis.

 
Treasury IG to Admin: Stop Changing Obamacare
By Elizabeth HarringtonA new audit by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration warned that further changes to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act would create “challenges” for the IRS.


 
Feds To Spend Up to $95K to Teach Haitian Prisoners How to Make Their Own Uniforms
By Elizabeth HarringtonA newly announced grant opportunity will provide prison inmates with “vocational training” so they can make their own uniforms, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.


 
The Predictability of the PC Scolds
By Sonny BunchAround 7 p.m. last night I noticed an interesting retweet.* Ben Smith, the head honcho over at BuzzFeed.com, had forwarded along a message from Jack Mirkinson: “Jerry Seinfeld on choosing diverse guests for his show: ‘who cares?’”
 

 

Mary Katharine Ham Charms ‘The View’

By Washington Free Beacon StaffFox News contributor and Hot Air writer Mary Katharine Ham joined the liberal ladies of The View Tuesday, giving her take on everything from why she’s a conservative to being a mother to Juan Pablo’s latest exploits on The Bachelor.

 

TMB: Obamacare Network Vulnerable to Cyber Attack‏ and more

 Obamacare Network Vulnerable to Cyber Attack By Bill GertzU.S. intelligence agencies last week urged the Obama administration to check its new healthcare network for malicious software after learning that developers linked to the Belarus government helped produce the website …

  White House Writes NFL Players’ Pro-Obamacare Tweets By Lachlan MarkayObamacare got a boost from current and former National Football League players on Super Bowl Sunday after the White House sent suggested language for laudatory tweets to a representative of the league’s players union.
  Fmr. Negotiator: Iran ‘Will Never’ Dismantle Nuke Program By Adam KredoOne of Iran’s top former nuclear negotiators promised that Iran “will never” dismantle its nuclear enrichment program, and that Tehran’s current promises to curb these activates are only temporary.

  NIH Spent $464,272 to Find Out Why Gay Men Get Syphilis in Peru By Elizabeth HarringtonThe National Institutes of Health has spent millions of dollars studying male sex workers in Peru, including more than $400,000 to determine why gay men get syphilis in the South American country.
  Right-to-work advocates celebrate secret ballot election on unionization at Tennessee VW plant By Bill McMorrisA Tennessee Volkswagen manufacturing plant will hold a historic secret ballot election later this month to determine whether workers in the right-to-work state will join the Detroit-based United Auto Workers (UAW) union.
  Fmr. Marxist Guerilla Leader to Be El Salvador’s Next President By Daniel WiserA former Marxist guerilla leader whose party reportedly has ties to Venezuela’s socialist government and drug traffickers is poised to be El Salvador’s next president.

  Philip Seymour Hoffman: 1967-2014 By Sonny BunchIt was a shocking moment, one of those things you see on Twitter and hope it’s fake but are oddly sure that it isn’t. “Breaking: Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman found dead in Manhattan apartment.” …
 

Obama to Fox News: Shut Up By David RutzFox News has had President Obama rattled since he took office in 2009.

TMB: Meet the Billionaires Behind Hillary Clinton 2016‏ plus more

  Meet the Billionaires Behind Hillary Clinton 2016 By Washington Free Beacon StaffBillionaires Alice Walton, George Soros, and Marc Benioff all made major contributions to the Super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton’s presidential run in 2016, according to recent Federal Election Commission filings.

  U.S. Taxpayers Fund $52K Study of 16 Schizophrenic LGBT Canadians By Elizabeth HarringtonAmerican taxpayers are paying over $52,000 to study 16 LGBT individuals who have schizophrenia in Toronto, Canada.

  Proponents of Keystone XL Tout State Department Findings By Lachlan MarkayProponents of the Keystone XL pipeline seized on a report released Friday by the State Department that found approving the project would have little environmental impact.

  Hezbollah Supporter Lobbies for Syria on Hill By Alana GoodmanA delegation of Syrian Christian leaders met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week to lobby against aid to the Syrian opposition, drawing fire from critics who claim the group’s efforts are aiding the Assad regime.

  Iran Reveals Plan to ‘Confront U.S. Naval Forces’ Ahead of War Games By Adam KredoIran unveiled this week new anti-aircraft missile systems and a plan to “confront U.S. naval forces” ahead of a series of eight new war games that are scheduled to begin in March, according to multiple Iranian press reports.

  Geriatric Anti-Israel Activist Creeps Out on ScarJo By Adam KredoAnti-Israel activist Roger Waters has written several private letters to Scarlett Johansson in recent days to express outrage over her endorsement of the Israeli beverage company SodaStream, a company targeted by the Boycott, Sanctions, and Divestment (BDS) movement.
 

Art and the Artist By Sonny BunchThere’s a rather harrowing open letter up at the New York Times from Dylan Farrow. It in, Farrow details the sexual abuse charges she leveled against Woody Allen a couple decades back. It is, frankly, disturbing...

  Pelosi: I Don’t Know if Any of My Staffers Have Gone on to Work for Federal Contractors By Washington Free Beacon StaffRep. Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) seemed unaware that several of her former staffers have gone on to lobby for big corporations Thursday on The Daily Show.