McConnell (majority leader), and Cornyn (majority whip), lost this one.

(Via The Hill) Mitch McConnell staged an epic gamble over U.S. spying powers — and lost.
The Republican leader pledged to keep senators in Washington through the weekend to finish work on expiring provisions of the Patriot Act, but Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called his bluff.
Instead, when the smoke cleared in the early hours of Saturday morning, the 2016 presidential contender was the one with bragging rights.
The battle between the two Kentucky Republicans spilled over on the Senate floor, with Paul using procedural tactics to force the chamber into an early Saturday vote. He then used his leverage to kill off McConnell’s repeated attempts to reauthorize the expiring National Security Agency (NSA) programs — first for two months, then for eight days, then for five, then three, then two. (more…)

(CNSNews.com) – The Trans-Pacific Partnership that President Barack Obama is negotiating with 11 other nations seeks to eliminate both tariff and nontariff trade barriers with these countries, according to the Congressional Research Service. One of those countries is Vietnam, which the State Department says maintains a Communist regime.
In 2014, the U.S. ran a $24,858,700,000 trade deficit with Vietnam, according to U.S. government trade data published by the Census Bureau. U.S. producers sold $5,724,900,000 in goods to purchasers in Vietnam. At the same time, producers in Vietnam sold $30,583,600,000 in goods to purchasers in the United States.
Documents related to the TPP are currently classified. Members of Congress can only review them in a secured room. But a report published in March by the Congressional Research Service—“The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Negotiations and Issues for Congress”–describes the basic purpose of the deal the administration is seeking. (read more)

[HatTip Re-NewsIt] Remember the Valdosta State University student, Eric Sheppard Jr., who became a wanted armed felon after making threats against the university students following his flag stomping protest? (Full Backstory)

We previously exposed Sheppard’s affiliation with radical Islamic terrorists, and his affinity for, and expressions of, violence.
Apparently Eric Sheppard Jr. is still on the loose, and now he’s making terrorist threats against a local school community while thumbing his nose toward law enforcement who are making feeble, if any, efforts to capture him.

“Many still question the possibility of my surrendering to the people who call themselves ‘authorities’”. “To give you a simple answer, No. I will not turn myself over to any white man”.
Sheppard has contacted local Georgia media to state his intentions to cause a violent confrontation at Lownde’s High School graduation ceremonies and has stated he will “annihilate” anyone who comes after him.
(Via Valdosta Times) […] The comments were made in a rambling, profanity-laced “memorandum ultimatum” sent to The Valdosta Daily Times condemning white people and local police.
A brief video showing Sheppard wearing sun glasses and inside what appeared to be an SUV accompanied his statement. The video referenced a protest planned in conjunction with the graduation over the disputed death of teenager Kendrick Johnson at the high school more than two years ago. (more…)

Against the backdrop of her initial ‘Direct Action’ charges coming under scrutiny from numerous legal analysts and scholars, a defiant State Attorney Marilyn Mosby took her demand for charges to a grand jury.   Here is the result:

Notes: Officers Brian Rice, Edward Nero and Garrett Miller (bicycle patrol) no longer charged with “False Imprisonment”. This is obviously the result of the knife found on Freddie Gray being illegal, unlike Mosby’s initial claims. However, Mosby modified the GJ request and they are now charged with “reckless endangerment”. She also added “misconduct in office” charges to each of the accused. (more…)

A school puts up posters promoting abstinence and warning young ladies to protect their virtue and “character” by not engaging in sex on prom night.  Planned Parenthood calls the advocacy program “despicable“, and encourages teen girls to dismiss the message.
Obviously the business model of Planned Parenthood has a vested interest in teen pregnancies.

Seventeen Magazine agrees with Planned Parenthood and supports all the girls having sex.

According to The Hill the Baltimore and Maryland politicians had a meeting today at the White House; described thusly:

Maryland officials meet at the White House to discuss Baltimore unrest: http://t.co/TB1jxWkB2w pic.twitter.com/ANjNsZa31y

— The Hill (@thehill) May 20, 2015

[…] Sens. Barbara Mikulski (D), Ben Cardin (D) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D), who represents Baltimore, huddled with White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and other top ranking officials to “discuss ways in which the administration can continue to serve as an active partner in supporting local priorities following the recent unrest in Baltimore,” the White House said in a statement. (more…)

[….] “They roughed him up, but the officer was able to press a button and release his K-9 from the backseat,” Adam said. The dog bit at least one of the suspects, potentially saving the officer’s life. […] We don’t know how many he got, we just know he had blood all over him,” Adam said.

MISSISSIPPI – A manhunt is under way after a Hancock County Sheriff’s Department deputy was saved by his dog from an ambush attack by three men.
The deputy, Todd Frazier, was beaten and cut with a box cutter in Pearlington on Monday, Sheriff Ricky Adam said. If it wasn’t for his K9 partner, a black Belgian Malinois named Lucas, they might have succeeded.
“They told him they were going to slit his throat, and they were dragging him toward the woods,” Chief Deputy Don Bass said, adding that authorities believe the attackers meant to drag Frazier into the woods, kill him, and dump his body.. (more…)

The traveling grievance community is better known to the larger public as “the Ferguson Protestors”.   Within the grievance assembly you have the “F**k The Police” group, and the “Black Lives Matter” group. 
They are paid to travel around from place to place helping to spur the protest rallies, riots and various expressions of anti-American hate sentiment.  Ferguson (MO), New York (NY), Madison (WI), Washington DC, Charlottesville (VA), North Charleston (SC) and most recently, Baltimore Maryland.

New York (AFP) – Rap mogul Jay Z has quietly used his wealth to post bail for people arrested in protests across the United States against police excesses, an author close to him said.
Dream Hampton, a writer and activist who worked with Jay Z on his 2010 memoir “Decoded,” made the revelations in a series of messages on Twitter that she later deleted but were reproduced by the hip-hop magazine Complex. (more…)

*Side Note* – It’s more than a little annoying, albeit profoundly predictable, that MSM leftist punditry ask the question “what are your foreign policy credentials?”
I would hope that sooner or later a direct and well spoken candidate would specifically say:

“Credentials?  First, I’m an American; I grew up an American; I learned, live, eat, breathe, and love America; I’m proud of America; I believe America is the greatest free societal and free-market construct ever created in the history of all modern nations….
…..and as a direct consequence I’m an expert in evaluating all foreign influences against what is in the best interests of freedom generally, and our American best interests specifically’….
…..perhaps you have a question about a substantive foreign issue I might be able to answer for you from this perspective?” !!

There would be splodey heads.

A profound Lesson In Why Situational Awareness is important, and you should trust your instincts.

You have to actually watch the video to see how ridiculous it seems for the police to claim they are unable to identify the suspects.  However, WARNING, the video is very real, very disturbing and as a consequence, very intense.  It happened 5 days ago.
OVERLAND PARK, KS (KCTV) –  A 21-year-old woman says she was attacked in her Overland Park home and her security system caught it on camera.
In the video captured by O’Connor’s hidden camera, one can see her struggling to breathe in a chokehold.

“As soon as he put his arm around my neck, I was like, ‘oh [expletive], this is really happening. This is really going on,'” she said.
The attack happened about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday near West 106th Street. O’Connor said she told a friend that she was trying to get rid of her ex-boyfriend’s carpentry tools. (more…)