Yet another video has surfaced of ObamaCare architect Jonathan Gruber crediting the passage of the health care bill in part to American voters’ lack of intelligence.

The Daily Caller posted the third video Wednesday of the MIT professor, this time speaking at the University of Rhode Island in 2012.

Gruber was discussing the law’s so-called “Cadillac tax,” which he said was helped along by “hero” then-Sen. John Kerry. The “Cadillac tax” mandates that insurance companies be taxed rather than policy holders. He said that taxing individuals would have been “politically impossible,” but taxing the companies worked because Americans didn’t understand the difference.

“So basically it’s the same thing,” he said. “We just tax the insurance companies, they pass on higher prices that offsets the tax break we get, it ends up being the same thing. It’s a very clever, you know, basic exploitation of the lack of economic understanding of the American voter.”

The new video follows a second tape played on Fox News’ “The Kelly File” Tuesday that showed Gruber speaking on a similar topic at an October 2013 event at Washington University in St. Louis.

Referring to the “Cadillac tax,” he said: “They proposed it and that passed, because the American people are too stupid to understand the difference.”

This was similar to remarks he made at a separate event around the same time in 2013. In a clip of that event, Gruber said the “lack of transparency” in the way the law was crafted was critical. “Basically, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical for the thing to pass,” he said.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, traveling with President Obama in Burma, said he disagrees with Gruber’s comments.

Earnest claimed the bill was written in a transparent way and that it’s Republicans who aren’t transparent about how they would replace it.

After the first tape surfaced — prompting Republican outrage — Gruber went on MSNBC to express regret. On Tuesday, he said: “I was speaking off the cuff and I basically spoke inappropriately, and I regret having made those comments.”

But after Fox News played the second tape, GOP lawmakers said it proves what they’ve been saying all along.

“It confirms people’s greatest fear about the government,” Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told Fox News on Wednesday. “Remember, it was Nancy Pelosi who said first you have to pass it before you get to find out what’s in it.”

As Congress returns for a lame-duck session, on the heels of midterm elections where Republicans won control of the Senate, GOP leaders say they will try once again next year to repeal the law — or least change its most controversial provisions.

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ObamaCare architect Jonathan Gruber apparently doesn’t think much of the intelligence of the American people.

A new tape has surfaced showing Gruber, once again, claiming the health care law’s authors took advantage of the “stupid” American public.

The tape, played on Fox News’ “The Kelly File,” showed Gruber speaking at an October 2013 event at Washington University in St. Louis.

Referring to the so-called “Cadillac tax” on high-end health plans, he said: “They proposed it and that passed, because the American people are too stupid to understand the difference.”

Gruber specifically was referring to the way the “Cadillac tax” was designed — he touted their plan to, instead of taxing policy holders, tax the insurance companies that offered them. He suggested that taxing individuals would have been politically unpalatable, but taxing the companies worked because Americans didn’t understand the difference.

This is similar to remarks he made at a separate event around the same time in 2013. In a clip of that event, Gruber said the “lack of transparency” in the way the law was crafted was critical. “Basically, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical for the thing to pass,” he said.

After the first tape surfaced — prompting Republican outrage — Gruber went on MSNBC to express regret. On Tuesday, he said: “I was speaking off the cuff and I basically spoke inappropriately, and I regret having made those comments.”

But after Fox News played the second tape, GOP lawmakers said it proves what they’ve been saying all along.

“It confirms people’s greatest fear about the government,” Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told Fox News on Wednesday. “Remember, it was Nancy Pelosi who said first you have to pass it before you get to find out what’s in it.

“We knew it was written in a way that it was really deliberately written to deceive the American people, and now people are paying the price.”

As Congress returns for a lame-duck session, on the heels of midterm elections where Republicans won control of the Senate, GOP leaders say they will try once again next year to repeal the law — or least change its most controversial provisions.

Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., blasted Gruber on Tuesday.

“I can’t even get past the irony of that to even get to the arrogance of him calling our fellow citizens stupid,” he told Fox News, referring to the administration’s past transparency pledges.

FoxNews.com

ObamaCare architect Jonathan Gruber said that lack of transparency was a major part of getting ObamaCare passed, and that it was written in such a way as to take advantage of “the stupidity of the American voter.”

Gruber, the MIT professor who served as a technical consultant to the Obama administration during Obamacare’s design, also made clear during a panel quietly captured on video that the individual mandate, which was only upheld by the Supreme Court because it was a tax, was not actually a tax.

ObamaCare architect Jonathan Gruber said that lack of transparency was a major part of getting ObamaCare passed, and that it was written in such a way as to take advantage of “the stupidity of the American voter.”

President Obama threw down the gauntlet Monday with cable companies and Internet providers by declaring they shouldn’t be allowed to cut deals with online services like YouTube to move their content faster.

It was his most definitive statement to date on so-called “net neutrality,” and escalates a battle that has been simmering for years between industry groups and Internet activists who warn against the creation of Internet “fast lanes.” The president’s statement swiftly drew an aggressive response from trade groups, which are fighting against additional regulation, as well as congressional Republicans.

“We are stunned the president would abandon the longstanding, bipartisan policy of lightly regulating the Internet and calling for extreme” regulation, said Michael Powell, president and CEO of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, the primary lobbying arm of the cable industry.

Obama, in his statement, called for an “explicit ban” on “paid prioritization,” or better, faster service for companies that pay extra. The president said federal regulators should reclassify the Internet as a public utility under Title II of the 1934 Communications Act.

“For almost a century, our law has recognized that companies who connect you to the world have special obligations not to exploit the monopoly they enjoy over access in and out of your home or business,” Obama said in his statement. “That is why a phone call from a customer of one phone company can reliably reach a customer of a different one, and why you will not be penalized solely for calling someone who is using another provider. It is common sense that the same philosophy should guide any service that is based on the transmission of information — whether a phone call, or a packet of data.”

Obama’s statement puts him in the middle of a debate between industry groups and the Federal Communications Commission, which is under public pressure – now from Obama as well — to prevent broadband providers from creating the “fast lanes.”

The FCC is nearing a decision on how far to go to protect Internet consumers from deals between broadband providers like Verizon and AT&T and content companies like Netflix or YouTube.

But industry groups pushed back, with Powell arguing that such regulation would slow Internet growth.

This “tectonic shift in national policy, should it be adopted, would create devastating results,” Powell said, claiming only Congress should make a policy change of this magnitude.”

Likewise, CTIA-The Wireless Association called Obama’s proposal a “gross overreaction” that would ignore other viewpoints.

Many Republicans including House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky sided with industry in denouncing the plan as government overreach.

“`Net Neutrality’ is Obamacare for the Internet,” declared Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a tea party favorite, on Twitter. “The Internet should not operate at the speed of government.”

Last January, a federal court overturned key portions of an open Internet regulation put in place by the FCC in 2010. The court said the FCC had “failed to cite any statutory authority” to keep broadband providers from blocking or discriminating against content.

That ruling sent the FCC back to the drawing board. Until the FCC can agree on new regulations that satisfy the court’s requirements, Internet service providers could block or discriminate against content moving across their networks with impunity.

Internet activists say the FCC should reclassify the Internet as a public utility under Title II of the 1934 Communications Act to ensure it has enough power to regulate the Internet effectively. That’s exactly what industry doesn’t want to happen. Industry officials say they are committed to an open Internet in general but want flexibility to think up new ways to package and sell Internet services.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has said he is open to using a “hybrid” approach that would draw from both Title II and the 1996 Telecommunications Act. But Wheeler said Monday that so far, those options have presented “substantive legal questions.”

“We found we would need more time to examine these to ensure that whatever approach is taken, it can withstand any legal challenges it may face,” he said.

FoxNews.com | The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Obama said Sunday that he plans to proceed with an executive order to ease immigration laws before the end of the year, despite dire warnings from Republican leaders that it will damage his relationship with the new GOP-run Congress.

Mr. Obama said that he’s waited a year for the Republican-run House to act on the bipartisan immigration bill passed by the Democrat-run Senate, and he can’t wait any longer to address the country’s immigration problems.

WASHINGTON –  President Obama has chosen Loretta Lynch, the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, N.Y., as his nominee to replace outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder — ending widespread speculation over who might fill Holder’s shoes and teeing up a nomination debate potentially during the lame-duck session.

Though several Republicans had wanted to wait to consider any successor until the new Congress is seated, the president plans to announce his pick on Saturday.

“Ms. Lynch is a strong, independent prosecutor who has twice led one of the most important U.S. Attorney’s offices in the country,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement. “She will succeed Eric Holder, whose tenure has been marked by historic gains in the areas of criminal justice reform and civil rights enforcement.”

Lynch, 55, is a Harvard Law School graduate and popular prosecutor who is currently serving her second stint as U.S. attorney for Eastern New York, which covers Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island.

She was appointed by Obama in 2010. If confirmed to fill Holder’s post, she would be the first black female attorney general.

It was unclear how the nomination will be greeted by Republicans on Capitol Hill, who were often at odds with Holder over the course of his tenure. The party won a majority in the Senate on Tuesday, but will not take control until January.

It was also unclear if the Senate might wait on a vote until then.

“She’s got a good reputation …she’s done some great work in her office. She’s not one to put her head in the sand. She’s hasn’t been afraid to go after corruption, things like that, against Republicans and Democrats,” said Annmarie McAvoy, an attorney and former federal prosecutor who worked directly under Lynch during her first tenure as U.S. Attorney from 1999-2001.

She described Lynch as well liked, respected and not likely to cause a stir politically. “I have not heard anything controversial about her – at all,” McAvoy told Foxnews.com.

“When you meet her she is very sweet and she is very personable, she is very bright. She handles herself beautifully, but she doesn’t shy away from controversy.”

Lynch grew up in Durham, North Carolina, the middle of three children. Her mother was a school librarian, her father a Baptist minister.

After Harvard, Lynch served as a federal prosecutor in New York’s Eastern District, receiving several key promotions over eight years until President Clinton nominated her as U.S. Attorney in 1998. After leaving that office in 2001, Lynch went into private practice specializing in commercial litigation, white collar criminal defense and corporate compliance issues before Obama appointed her in 2010 to return to her current post.

“President Barack Obama has chosen a great New Yorker as the country’s highest-ranking law enforcement official,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted Friday after news of the nomination.

In her time as U.S. Attorney, Lynch has made a name for herself in a number of high-profile convictions, including a thwarted Al Qaeda-sanctioned plot to attack the New York subway system, and pursuing the head of a Mexican drug cartel for 12 murders. She also heads the government’s prosecution of Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., who has been charged with tax evasion but won re-election Tuesday night.

There have been no indications thus far if Lynch’s nomination will be as dramatic as other Obama picks.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who is currently the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee — which must approve Obama’s nominee — appeared welcoming in his comments Friday night.

“Being selected to serve as our nation’s top law enforcement officer is both a tremendous honor and responsibility. As we move forward with the confirmation process, I have every confidence that Ms. Lynch will receive a very fair, but thorough, vetting by the Judiciary Committee,” he said in a statement.“I look forward to learning more about her, how she will interact with Congress, and how she proposes to lead the department.”

Reports throughout the week suggested that Lynch was not an Obama insider so she doesn’t bring the baggage carried by other potential administration nominees.

“Unlike Eric Holder, who was very close to the president – in a way, too close – she doesn’t really have any relationship with President Obama,” said Fox News contributor Kirsten Powers. “I think that bodes well for her.”

Lynch is reportedly close to Holder, however, having served on his Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC), a 20-member body that provides counsel to Holder on policy.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who sits on the Judiciary Committee, has already indicated that he is unhappy Obama is making the nomination now, instead of during the new session, when Republicans will have the majority in both chambers. “Democrat senators who just lost their seats shouldn’t confirm (a) new Attorney General,” he tweeted on Friday. “(They) should be vetted by (the) new Congress.”

FoxNew.com | The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Meet Ben Carson: First Republican to Throw His Hat in 2016 Ring

Yes, the 2016 race for the White House has already gotten started — and it looks like Dr. Ben Carson is first in the ring.

Carson, a famous pediatric neurosurgeon and conservative political star, will air a nearly 40 minute-long ad introducing himself to the American people this weekend, an aide to Carson confirms to ABC News.

The documentary titled “A Breath of Fresh Air: A New Prescription for America” will air in 22 states and Washington, DC. The paid video will detail some of his biography and family life, including his rise from being born to a single mother with a poor childhood in Detroit to director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins for almost 40 years, known for his work separating conjoined twins, to potential 2016 presidential candidate.

Carson first became a conservative star when last year he created a buzz at the National Prayer Breakfast when in front of an audience that included President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden spoke out about political correctness, health care and taxes.

He also called for a private health care savings plan and a flat tax in a speech that went viral and led to an editorial in the Wall Street Journal titled Ben Carson for President. He is known as a fierce opponent of the president’s health care law known as Obamacare.

In an ABC News/Washington Post poll from last month of the potential 2016 presidential candidates showed Carson in seventh place garnering seven percent of the vote after other notables including Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Chris Christie, and Marco Rubio.

Carson has a grassroots effort to draft him for a 2016 presidential run that has raised millions for the effort. In an interview last month with Jorge Ramos on our sister network, Fusion he said he’s considering a White House run.

“No, I don’t want to be president. Why would any sane person want to do that?” Carson said, acknowledging he has noticed the support. “I think I have to consider that, with so many clamoring for me to do it.”

The Washington Times first reported the news of Carson’s video. A production company run by Armstrong Williams, a conservative commentator, is paying for the airtime. They also filmed the documentary. Williams is Carson’s business manager.

By SHUSHANNAH WALSHE

House Speaker John Boehner issued a stern warning to President Obama not to use executive action to bypass Congress on immigration, telling the president on Thursday “he’s going to burn himself” and “poison the well” if he goes down that path.

The warning comes ahead of a major summit at the White House where Obama will meet Friday with congressional leaders of both parties. The meeting is the first chance since Republicans won a majority in the Senate — and built their majority to historic levels in the House — for all sides to sit down and discuss a potential agenda for next year.

Boehner and presumptive Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell began to lay out their agenda items on Thursday, but the House speaker blasted Obama for a day earlier vowing to pursue executive action on immigration before the end of the year.

“If he acts unilaterally on his own, outside of his authority, he will poison the well and there will be no chance of immigration reform moving in this Congress,” Boehner said.

Obama said Wednesday he still wants Congress to pass legislation and promised that if Congress passes a bill, it would make any executive actions “go away.”

But Boehner said the issue has become a “political football.” Obama is said to be looking at suspending deportations for millions. To the president, Boehner said: “When you play with matches, then you take the risk of burning yourself, and he’s going to burn himself if he continues to go down this path.”

Boehner, meanwhile, said the House once again would vote next year to repeal ObamaCare. With Obama already having vowed to veto any such repeal, Boehner said there might still be bipartisan support for undoing parts of the law — like the unpopular medical device tax.

He laid out several other agenda items, including approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline, overhauling the tax code, addressing the debt and more. He and McConnell outlined several of these items in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Boehner and McConnell both will have to run for their leadership posts next year and have been touting their successes in recent days.

Boehner has the more unwieldy caucus; in the last party election, nine rank-and-file Republicans defected on the vote.

According to his political office, though, Boehner helped raise $102 million for the cycle; visited 175 cities and held 150 “road events” for candidates and members; and headlined several rallies and fundraisers in the closing weeks of the campaign.

His office also noted the historic gains made by House Republicans — under Boehner — echoing predictions that when all the races are counted, the House GOP will have their biggest majority since 1930.

The full House will vote for speaker at the start of the new Congress in January. The last time, Boehner narrowly missed having the vote go to a second ballot for the first time since the 1920s — both parties vote on the floor for speaker, and the winner must get an absolute majority of all ballots cast.

FoxNews.com

Voters handed control of the Senate to Republicans for the first time in eight years on Tuesday, putting the GOP in charge of Congress for the remainder of President Obama’s term.

Republicans swept to victory in a string of contests across the country, retaining every one of the GOP-held seats up for grabs and picking up more than the six seats needed to take control of the Senate. Republicans enjoyed a banner night after mounting campaigns from coast to coast that, almost without exception, sought to cast their opponents as rubber stamps for the unpopular president. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who fended off a Democratic challenge in Kentucky, is now poised to ascend to majority leader next year.

Republicans also are projected to retain control of the House — and gain at least 12 seats, expanding their majority beyond their post-World War II record of 246 seats set in 1946.

The landscape means Republicans will have new powers to challenge Obama’s agenda in the final two years of his term, able to launch investigations and hold hearings from both chambers; hold up key appointments; and pass GOP-favored legislation, if only to force the president to employ his veto pen. The division of power also could yield areas of agreement, on areas ranging from immigration to energy — though the Affordable Care Act and efforts to undermine it could continue to sour talks on other issues.

Obama plans to hold a press conference at the White House, at 2:50 p.m. ET on Wednesday, on the heels of the election results.

McConnell, after winning his own race, said some things won’t change next year — but stressed that lawmakers and the White House don’t have to be in “perpetual conflict” and “have an obligation to work together.”

“Tomorrow, the papers will say I won this race, but the truth is … tonight we begin another one, one that’s far more important than mine — and that’s the race to turn this country around,” McConnell said in Louisville.

In a written statement, current Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid congratulated McConnell and said he looked forward to working with him as the next majority leader.

So far, Republicans have gained seven Senate seats. In North Carolina, Thom Tillis, a Republican member of the state legislature, is projected to oust U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a first-term Democrat, in a closely fought race that saw spending top $100 million. Republican Joni Ernst also beat Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley in Iowa.

Echoing a campaign ad about hogs that helped her gain attention early on in her race, Ernst declared, “We are heading to Washington, and we are going to make ’em squeal.”

Republicans picked up seats in territory all over the country Tuesday night. In Montana, Republican Steve Daines defeated Democrat Amanda Curtis, flipping control of the seat to the Republican Party for the first time since 1913. In Colorado, GOP Rep. Cory Gardner ousted first-term Democratic Sen. Mark Udall.

South Dakota Republican Mike Rounds also won the race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson. Further, GOP Rep. Tom Cotton unseated two-term Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor in Arkansas and Shelley Moore Capito beat Democrat Natalie Tennant for an open Senate seat in West Virginia.

In a vital set of victories that helped put the party on the path to the majority, Republicans also held onto all three seats that were in contention this year.

In Kentucky, McConnell defeated Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s secretary of state. Republican David Perdue, former CEO of Dollar General, beat Democrat Michelle Nunn for the open Georgia Senate seat; and three-term Republican Sen. Pat Roberts survived the political scare of his life by beating independent challenger Greg Orman in Kansas.

In a setback for Republicans, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen beat Republican challenger Scott Brown, despite Brown’s late-surging campaign.

But Republicans’ momentum was undeniable.

A handful of other races remain too close to call — most notably, in Virginia, where Republican Ed Gillespie is running a late-surging campaign against Democratic Sen. Mark Warner.

According to Fox News exit polls, this race is looking much closer than it did in pre-election polling, in which Warner, a former Virginia governor, held a months-long, 20-point lead over Gillespie, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee. Gillespie eventually cut that lead in half, but the race now appears even closer.

The Senate race in Alaska also is not yet called.

Fox News, though, can project that the Louisiana Senate race will go to a runoff on Dec. 6, meaning there will be no winner from Tuesday night. Based on exit polling, Fox projects that three-term Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu and Republican challenger Bill Cassidy will both fail to exceed 50 percent of the vote, sending both into a runoff, this time without competition from candidates such as Republican Rob Maness.

At stake Tuesday night were 435 House seats, 36 Senate seats, and another 36 gubernatorial races.

The U.S. Senate battle, with control of Capitol Hill at stake, was the most closely watched.

The following Republican incumbents also won Tuesday: Sen. Thad Cochran in Mississippi; Sen. Lamar Alexander in Tennessee; Sen. Susan Collins in Maine; Sen. Mike Enzi in Wyoming; Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. Tim Scott in South Carolina; Sen. Jim Risch in Idaho; Sen. John Cornyn in Texas, Sen. Jeff Sessions in Alabama; and Sen. James Inhofe in Oklahoma. Republican James Lankford won the seat being vacated by Republican Tom Coburn. And university president Ben Sasse, a Republican, beat Democrat David Domina for an open Nebraska Senate seat.

The following Democratic senators also won: Sen. Dick Durbin in Illinois; Sen. Cory Booker in New Jersey; Sen. Brian Schatz in Hawaii; Sen. Jeff Merkley in Oregon; Sen. Tom Udall in New Mexico; Sen. Al Franken in Minnesota; Sen. Ed Markey in Massachusetts; Sen. Chris Coons in Delaware; and Sen. Jack Reed in Rhode Island.

In Michigan, Democrat Gary Peters won an open seat.

The Obama factor may have weighed heavily over the vote Tuesday night. Fox News Exit Polls show more than a third of voters — 34 percent — said they voted to show they’re opposed to Obama’s policies. That number was a bit higher in 2010.

By contrast, just 20 percent voted to show support for Obama. Forty-five percent said it was not a factor.

The economy was by far the biggest issue for voters; 43 percent said it was the most important issue. Of those worried about the direction of the economy, they voted for the Republican candidate by a 20-point difference, exit polls show.

Most of the campaigning and the big money in recent months concentrated on roughly 10 competitive contests. Seven were for the seats held by Democrats: in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, New Hampshire and North Carolina. Three were for the seats held by Republicans: in Georgia, Kansas and Kentucky.

Surprise developments colored the elections in several states — perhaps most notably, the Democratic candidate’s decision to drop out of the race for Senate in Kansas. His decision immediately boosted independent Orman in his race against Roberts, who until that race shakeup was leading in the polls. Roberts ultimately survived.

In Kentucky, Grimes also suffered a PR blow after she repeatedly refused to say whether she voted for Obama. In the final days of the race, both campaigns turned to accusing each other of putting out inappropriate mailers.

At the state level, nearly a dozen U.S. governors were considered in political peril, making it one of the toughest years for incumbent governors in decades. However, most of them held on, and Republican candidates did well in several races — including in Wisconsin, where GOP Gov. Scott Walker survived yet another challenge.

FoxNews.com

Republican Senate candidates are pulling away in the final days of key races, according to polls released this weekend.

Republicans are either leading in Georgia, Kentucky and Louisiana or will likely win runoff elections, according to a NBC/Marist poll released Sunday.

In addition, the Republican nominee in Iowa, Joni Ernst, now has a 7-point lead over Democratic challenger Rep. Bruce Braley, according to a Des Moines Register poll released Saturday.

Most polls have shown until now that the four races have essentially been deadlocked in the closing weeks.

The GOP needs to win a net total of six Senate seats to take control of the chamber, with essentially only the West Virginia and Montana contests apparently in hand.

In Kentucky, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appears to be pulling away from Democratic challenger Alison Lund Grimes, reaching the critical 50 percent mark with Grimes now at 41 percent.

At a campaign stop Saturday night in Sterling, Ky., McConnell said that Grimes falsely accusing him of trying to privatize Social Security was proof that she was running a losing campaign.

“The last gasp of … every Democratic campaign that is losing brings up Social Security at the end,” the four-term senator said.

A victory in the battleground state of Iowa is as critical for Democrats and it is for Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Friday hinted that an Ernst victory would essentially throttle Washington Democrats’ agenda.

“Mitch McConnell would be leader of the United States Senate, who agrees with her on everything,” Reid said on a conference call to the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, trying to rally the liberal group to help make a final push for Braley. “Think of what [that] would mean for our country.”

In Georgia, Republican nominee David Perdue is now ahead of  Democrat Michelle Nunn, 48-to-44 percent, which suggests Perdue could get 50 percent of the vote on Tuesday and avoid a runoff.

In Louisiana, three-term incumbent Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu has 44 percent of the vote in a three-way race with GOP Rep. Bill Cassidy, at 36 percent, and Republican Rob Maness, at 15 percent.

However, in the likely scenario that Landrieu gets less than 50 percent of the vote and advances with the second finisher, Cassidy, he would likely get most of Maness’ votes and ultimately win.

By FoxNews.com

The mayor of Houston, TX, has withdrawn subpoenas she issued to a group of local pastors demanding copies of their sermons and other communication in which they may have expressed their political views.

Alliance Defense Fund, which is representing the five pastors, says the subpoenas should never have been served in the first place.

“The entire nation – voices from every point of the spectrum left to right – recognize the city’s actions as a gross abuse of power,” says ADF senior legal counsel Erik Stanley. “We are gratified that the First Amendment rights of the pastors have triumphed over government overreach and intimidation.”

According to a Houston Chronicle report, the mayor met with local and national pastors – and that those meetings persuaded her to withdraw the legal notices.

ADF says the actions of Mayor Annise D. Parker were just one part of the city’s push to impose a “deeply unpopular” ordinance on citizens at any cost.

Stanley explains: “The scandal began with another abuse of power when the city of Houston arbitrarily threw out the valid signatures of thousands of voters” in opposition to the ordinance. “… The city should now do the right thing and allow the people of Houston to decide whether to repeal the ordinance.”

The citizen-led petition drive seeks to reverse a so-called “bathroom bill” passed by the Houston City Council that favors homosexuals and the transgendered.

By Jodi Brown

BUSTED–AGAIN  As we reported last week, voting machines around the country are automatically switching GOP votes to Democratic Party votes, without informing the voters of the switch. (Voting Machines: GOP Votes Changed to Dem in Illinois, Oct 22, 29014)

Now, voting machines that switch Republican votes to Democrats are being reported in Maryland.

“When I first selected my candidate on the electronic machine, it would not put the ‘x’ on the candidate I chose — a Republican — but it would put the ‘x’ on the Democrat candidate above it,” Donna Hamilton said.

“This happened multiple times with multiple selections. Every time my choice flipped from Republican to Democrat. Sometimes it required four or five tries to get the ‘x’ to stay on my real selection,” the Frederick, Md., resident said last week.

Queen Anne County Sheriff Gary Hofmann said he encountered the problem, too, personally.

“This is happening here as well. It occurred on two candidates on my machine. I am glad I checked. Many voters have reported this here as well,” Hofmann, a Republican, wrote in an email Sunday evening.

Two other Maryland voters reported the same in Anne Arundel County on Friday.

Illinois Republican state representative candidate Jim Moynihan went to the Schaumburg Public Library last Monday to vote for himself. “Instead, it cast the vote for my opponent,” Moynihan told Watchdog.org.

“You could imagine my surprise as the same thing happened with a number of races when I tried to vote for a Republican and the machine registered a vote for a Democrat,” Moynihan said.

He notified the election judge at his polling place and demonstrated that it continued to cast a vote for the opposing candidate’s party. Moynihan was eventually allowed to vote for Republican candidates, including his own race.

Back in Maryland, two voters in Anne Arundel County experienced the same problem: A Diebold touchscreen voting machine switched their Republican votes to Democrats. The voters had to cancel their votes and start over.

Joe Torre, election director in Anne Arundel, called it a “calibration issue” involving a single machine.

Hamilton said she notified officials of the problem she encountered at the Frederick County Center, where she voted. “I’m not sure what was done about it. If someone is not paying close attention, they could end up voting for the wrong candidate,” she said.

 

Republicans have an excellent opportunity to win enough seats next Tuesday to control the United States Senate.

That’s good news because a Republican Senate is the only way Washington is going to actually get anything significant done for the American people in the next two years.

If Americans listen to President Obama and Democrats, they might believe a Republican controlled House and Senate means the atmosphere in Washington will become even more toxic.  The only way to break the gridlock in Washington is with a Republican majority in the Senate.

We are going to do everything possible to transfer the power back from Washington to the American people .

 

Six years into the Obama presidency, Americans understand that a flashy messaging campaign doesn’t deliver real change.  In the midst of the ISIS threat, the Ebola outbreak, the Veterans scandal and other serious crises, people are looking for steady and effective leadership.

As former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole once said, “Leadership entails responsibility; above all, the responsibility to be responsible.”

The president has relied upon Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid to serve as his legislative barricade on Capitol Hill.  This partnership has not benefited the President’s approval ratings, his legacy or more importantly the American people.  Under Reid’s leadership, the Senate has become a place where good ideas go to die. He doesn’t hold real votes, he micromanages Committee Chairmen, and backtracks on his promises that his Senate will show up to work.

Republicans are focused on getting Congress working again and forcing the President to make decisions on the important policy issues that matter most to Americans.

We will show that we can govern.

We will deliver action, competence and accomplishment – and repeat the process again and again.  We will hold consequential votes. We will pass appropriations bills. And we will conduct valuable oversight.

Jobs will be our first priority.  A clear, bipartisan majority in the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a long list of bills to help Americans get back to work. We will send jobs bills to the President for his signature. If he wants to veto them, he’ll have to explain why he doesn’t support measures to help put Veterans back to work, lower our highest corporate tax rate in the world and roll back red tape that stifles economic growth.

In the middle of so much international turmoil, we know that we must take action to strengthen our energy security. We’ll send bills to the president that empower domestic energy producers to explore responsibly offshore, on public lands and in Alaska.  And after six years of delay, we’ll force President Obama to finally give Americans an answer on the Keystone XL pipeline.

There is already bipartisan support for the administration to move quickly to export American liquefied natural gas to other countries.  Washington should finally let allies across the world buy American energy instead of being held hostage by thugs like Vladimir Putin.

Republicans will stand up for Americans who are demanding that Washington finally improve our healthcare system.

Republicans will work to fully repeal ObamaCare, we understand the reality of President Obama holding his veto pen for two more years.  Meanwhile, we’ll do everything we can to systematically strip away the very worst pieces of ObamaCare that have hurt patients, providers and our economy.  We will vote to repeal the employer and individual mandates that prevent Americans from choosing the care that’s right for them.

There is also bipartisan agreement that we must restore the 40 hour work week so the law does not continue to target the take home pay of part-time workers.

We will vote to abolish the medical device tax that threatens jobs and life-saving innovation. And a Republican Congress will look out for taxpayers who are currently facing a $1 billion tab to bailout insurers that lose money offering ObamaCare coverage.

Our overarching goal will be to focus on what Americans wanted all along – access to quality, affordable health care.  Instead of another legislative monstrosity with endless negative consequences, we will offer step by step reform bills.

We are going to do everything possible to transfer the power back from Washington to the American people so they can choose the care they need, from a doctor they want, at a lower cost.

We will lead on trade with our international allies.  The President mentioned the benefits of increased trade in five of his State of the Union Addresses.  If he is serious, he should welcome Republicans’ commitment to expanding trade.  The next time the president calls on Congress to approve Trade Promotion Authority legislation – he’ll hear a resounding “yes” from the new majority party.

It will be better for the country if the American people wake up next Wednesday morning to a new reality in Washington.  President Obama should get ready for a real year of action.

By John Barrasso, M.D. (R), represents Wyoming in the U.S. Senate. He serves in the Senate as a member of both the Energy and Environment Committees. Follow him on Twitter@Sen.JohnBarrasso.

At a Democratic rally in Massachusetts, Hillary Clinton’s attempt to attack “trickle-down economics” resulted in a spectacularly odd statement.

Clinton defended raising the minimum wage saying “Don’t let anybody tell you that raising the minimum wage will kill jobs, they always say that.”

She went on to state that businesses and corporations are not the job creators of America. “Don’t let anybody tell you that it’s corporations and businesses that create jobs,” the former Secretary of State said.

Clinton’s comment will likely be used frequently to attack her as another big-government Democrat. She is seen by many as already running for president in 2016.

BY: Washington Free Beacon Staff

We recently heard an elderly Black woman express why so many Black voters are staying home, or switch their voting allegiance this election.

The woman called into C-Span during the time when Barack Obama was doing his early voting. She identified herself as Joyce and indicated that she is an 82-year old black grandmother who has been a Democrat her entire life, but voted straight down the Republican ticket this year. Her voice is filled with both anger and passion as she explains why she has left the Democratic Party.

It is worth listening to the entire two-minute segment. She begins by saying, “First, let me start by saying that I am an 82-year old, black, senior citizen grandmother and I voted straight Republican because I have been noticing for years what the Democrat party have done to my people.”

Joyce unleashes a long string of facts on the devastation the Democrat Party has unleashed on blacks and how her eyes became opened to their ways. She’s in Texas and had some choice words for Democrat candidate for governor Wendy Davis that I’m sure the Davis campaign will not want to use in a campaign ad.

By Jennifer Burke

 

The suspect alleged to have shot three northern California sheriff’s deputies Friday, killing two, was deported twice and has a criminal record, federal officials said late Saturday.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman said that the fingerprints of the suspected shooter match those of a man named Luis Enrique Monroy-Bracamonte. Monroy-Bracamonte was initially deported to Mexico in 1997 after being convicted of drug possession in Arizona. Four years later, he was arrested and deported again for an unspecified offense.

“The fingerprints were the basis for our request for an immigration detainer,” ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice told The Associated Press. The detainer requests that local authorities transfer him to federal custody after his case is adjudicated so ICE can purse his deportation, Kice said.

The suspect initially identified himself as Marcelo Marquez, 34, of Salt Lake City. He is charged with two counts each of murder, attempted murder and carjacking. The suspect’s wife, Janelle Marquez-Monroy, was also arrested Friday and charged with carjacking and attempted murder.

Investigators spent Saturday at the multiple crime scenes “trying to kind of sort through the chaos so we can methodically rebuild this,” Placer County Sheriff Ed Bonner said.

The shootings began when Sacramento County sheriff’s Deputy Danny Oliver, 47, was shot in the forehead with an assault rifle at close range as he checked out a suspicious car in a motel parking lot.

The suspects have talked to investigators, Bonner said, but what sparked the shootings remained unclear.

“‘Why,’ I guess, will remain a question for a long time,” he said. “Why was his reaction so violent?”

It was also unclear what brought the heavily armed suspects from Utah to California, Bonner said. There were no indications they had been sought by authorities.

No attorneys were listed for either suspect in jail records.

Krista Sorenson of Salt Lake City was confounded by the arrest of the Marquez. He and his brother had mowed her lawn about four years ago.

“They were just super nice, decent hard-working, trying to figure out how to make a living,” she said.

Oliver, a 15-year veteran of the department, left a wife and two daughters. After he was killed, the gunman shot Anthony Holmes, 38, of Sacramento at least twice, including once in the head, during an attempted carjacking. He was in fair condition.

The attackers then stole a pickup truck and fled about 30 miles northeast into neighboring Placer County.

Two deputies who approached the pickup while it was parked alongside a road were shot with an AR-15-type assault weapon and never had a chance to return fire, Erwin said. The gunman fled into a neighborhood near a high school and ran into a home. Police used tear gas to force him to surrender.

Homicide Detective Michael David Davis Jr., 42, died at a hospital 26 years to the day after his father, for whom he was named, died in the line of duty as a Riverside County deputy.

Deputy Jeff Davis was treated for a gunshot wound to the arm. The two deputies are not related.

The gunman fled into a neighborhood near a high school and ran into a home. Police used tear gas to force him to surrender.

Several dozen law enforcement vehicles, with lights silently flashing, escorted a hearse carrying Michael Davis’ flag-draped casket to a funeral home as bystanders and law enforcement officials hugged, saluted and wiped away tears.

“It’s a nightmare for all of us,” Bonner said.

He recalled Davis as a well-liked investigator who once took it upon himself to organize a funeral for an abandoned baby.

“He saw it, his heart ached, and he did something about it,” Bonner said. “That’s who he was.”

Davis’ wife works as an evidence technician for the department and his brother is a sergeant.

“Mike was quite a character,” Erwin said. “He was very funny. He didn’t take things very seriously, maybe because he was a homicide detective for so long.”

A search of Utah court records under Marcelo Marquez’s name shows a history of about 10 tickets and misdemeanor traffic offenses between 2003 and 2009. Those records list one speeding ticket for Monroy in 2009 and three small claims filings attempting to collect outstanding debts.

FoxNews.com / The Associated Press contributed to this report.