Bullets Fly At Rozay!

Rick Ross and Lil' Wayne. Rick Ross was in Florida when a gunman shot at his vehicle. The rapper survives. The rapper is working on protecting his family from threats from The Gangster Disciples, a violent street gang that commits acts of domestic terrorism.

The Maybach Music Mafia boss was shot at and nearly killed.

I guess he's no longer a phony "gangsta rapper!"

Seriously, gun violence is on the rise and even in entertainment, rappers aren't immune to the violence.

Rick Ross appears under Def Jam Records. He is affiliated with Maybach Music Group and Slip-N-Slide Records. His real name is William Leonard Roberts, Jr.  He also uses the Teflon Don and Rozay moniker. 

Last year the rapper pissed off the Gangster Disciples. There is a target hit for the rapper. Rick Ross is now looking to keep him and his family safe. He's hiring security to protect him and his family.

CNN reports that "Teflon Don" rapper Rick Ross crashed his silver Rolls Royce into an apartment building after he heard gunfire along a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, street Monday morning, police said.

"The driver of the Rolls Royce attempted to drive away from the direction of the shots being fired and lost control of the vehicle, striking a nearby apartment building," Fort Lauderdale Police Detective DeAnna Garcia said.

Ross and a female passenger were not hurt by the wreck or the gunshots, Garcia said.

"The suspects fled from the area prior to police arrival," she said.

The incident, however, called attention to threats against the artist's life made in a street gang's videos and posted online in recent months.

"We're pulling up on you," a man who identified himself as a member of the Gangster Disciples warned in one of the videos. "Whatever city, whatever state, the pressure on."

Several videos purporting to be from Gangster Disciple members in several states -- including Georgia, North Carolina and Florida -- appeared on YouTube late last year demanding that Ross pay a fee to them for his use of the Star of David, which they claim as a gang symbol, and a reference to one of their founders in his music and marketing.

"You got to cut the check," one video said. "Tell your boss man he got to get that check, or all you in trouble."

"We need that cash right now," another said.

Ross, 37, whose albums include "Teflon Don" in 2010 and "Deeper Than Rap" a year earlier, told south Florida radio station 99 Jamz last month that he was not intimidated by the threats.

"Ain't never no checks getting cut," he said. "I don't play those games. I consider that extortion."

Is Nas hip-hop's finest MC?

Ross did cancel his North Carolina shows last month just days after a video appeared online threatening his life if he performed there.

"Never was it due to any threats," he told the radio station. Instead, he canceled because "the promoter wasn't really handling his business."

Ross wanted to make certain that listeners understood he was not frightened. "Don't ever get it twisted, Ricky Ross is the boss," he said.

The death threats are not the only challenge to Ross. A former drug lord and gang leader is suing in a Los Angeles court, accusing him of stealing his name and reputation.

"The reality is I want justice done," the original Ross wrote in an e-mail to CNN. "I know that he took his name and image from my life and believe he is unfairly profiting off my story."

Ricky "Freeway" Ross was serving a prison sentence a decade ago when rapper William Roberts, who previously worked as a Florida correctional officer, adopted "Rick Ross" as his stage name, according to the lawsuit.

"This rapper and his labels clearly knew of my name and story, and have tried to suck out the lifeblood without license," the former drug lord said. "I have my own use for my intellectual property and did not need this confusion created."

More recently, the rapper has been using the name "Ricky Rozay."

The rapper and his record label have not responded to CNN's request for comment.

Despite the death threats and legal issues, his music is doing well. Ross is nominated for a best rap album Grammy for his latest release, "God Forgives, I Don't."

The rapper's antics have consequences. Last year he got into it with Young Jeezy at the BET Awards. 

Rap music is under fire post Sandy Hook. Rappers like Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, Lil' Wayne, Game, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj and 50 Cent are usually under fire for embracing the gun culture. 

CNN Cleans House!

Jeff Zucker is cleaning house over at CNN headquarters. The nation's first cable news network is trailing behind the partisan rancor of MSNBC and Fox News.

It's up to Zucker to save the network from demise.

American cable news has gotten too controversial. If you're not shouting at one another or making an enemy out of the opposition, you're not getting the ratings.

Soledad O'Brien loses her morning spot. Erin Burnett will take the helm of the morning.

Jeff Zucker brought on Jake Tapper and Chris Coumo. They both bounced off ABC to join CNN.

Jeff Zucker is cleaning house.

The married political couple Mary Matalin and James Carville are sent their walking papers. They've been longtime fixtures since the days of CNN's old show Crossfire.

Conservative blogger and founder of RedState Erick Erickson is gone. He's has no immediate plans to run for the seat of retiring Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia). He may join Fox News.

The old fixtures Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, Howard Kurtz and Candy Crowley are still up in the air.

The Daily Beast reports the huge shakeup.

Zucker launched his makeover Tuesday by announcing the imminent arrival of ABC News anchor Chris Cuomo to take over the troubled 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. slot currently occupied by Soledad O’Brien. According to network sources, Cuomo, who was said to be unhappy at ABC’s 20/20 since being passed over in 2009 for the top job at Good Morning America, will be joined in the morning by the current anchor of CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront, leaving a hole for Zucker to fill at 7 p.m.

CNN veteran O’Brien’s fate is up in the air, though it’s probable she’ll receive a plum assignment. “Soledad is very important to the network and we are discussing various options with her,” a CNN spokeswoman said in a terse statement.

That sort of decisive leadership is exactly what Zucker was hired to bring by Time Warner chief executive Jeffrey Bewkes, who lured the former chairman of NBC Universal from his perch running Katie Couric’s syndicated daytime show.

The 47-year-old Zucker started his first official day of work at CNN Jan. 21 by kibitzing in the Washington control room of the outlet’s live presidential inaugural coverage. He was, by most accounts, on his best behavior, mostly observing instead of ordering camera shots punctuated by shouted obscenities—his M.O. two decades ago when he was the precocious, wildly successful executive producer of NBC’s Today program.

Gone from the network they've called home, Republican Mary Matalin and Democrat James Carville. They've been a married political couple and two longtime fixtures on CNN.

The previous week at a town meeting in New York for 600 CNN employees, Zucker made it clear that one of his top priorities would be trying to fix the cable outlet’s troubled morning program, and Tuesday, he was as good as his word. Among other programming changes, former ABC White House correspondent Jake Tapper is expected to anchor the 4 p.m. slot, appropriating an hour from The Situation Room's Wolf Blitzer, and former ESPN personality Rachel Nichols will preside over a weekend sports show.

Meanwhile, attendees of Tuesday’s regular 10 a.m. news meeting on the fifth floor of the Time Warner Center found the bald-pated Zucker sitting in the captain’s chair normally occupied by CNN Managing Editor Mark Whitaker, who’d announced his resignation a couple of hours earlier.

Soledad O'Brien loses morning show.

“We have a new leader with his own forceful ideas about where to take CNN’s reporting, programming, and brand,” Whitaker wrote in a lengthy memo explaining his departure, which he and Zucker have been discussing for the past few weeks. “For him to succeed, I believe he deserves his own team and management structure and the freedom to communicate one clear vision to the staff.”

Whitaker, a former editor of Newsweek, had been part of a management triumvirate that included CNN/US President Ken Jautz, based in New York and in charge of programming, and CNN International’s Atlanta-based vice president Tony Maddox, who runs news operations. The arrangement, by many accounts, fostered conflict and confusion, with no clear lines of authority—a problem immediately solved by Zucker’s decision to run the 10 a.m. meeting for the foreseeable future. More executive departures and arrivals are in the offing, CNN insiders predicted, and Zucker will likely recruit such longtime loyalists as Michael Bass, a member of Team Zucker at NBC and currently co-executive producer of Katie.

Meanwhile, CNN’s relationship with political contributor Erick Erickson, the major domo of the right wing Red State blog, has also ended; he's jumping to Fox News. Zucker also said goodbye after 11 years to James Carville and Mary Matalin.

“It makes perfect sense to me,” said Carville, who, in a friendly phone conversation 10 days ago with Zucker, was told that CNN’s pundits will be on-camera in studios in Washington and New York instead of from remote locations like Carville and Matalin’s  New Orleans. “It’s kind of the Fox Five model," Carville said, noting that he is plenty busy with speeches and international and corporate consulting. "I’m not surprised he wants to bring in his own people. I think he has every right to.”

Some years ago, Jeff Zucker became a controversial figure in the comedy feud between Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno. When Jay Leno "retired" from The Tonight Show, Conan O'Brien became the new host. But when ratings started to sink, Zucker demanded that Jay Leno to return back to the show. That caused a major feud between O'Brien and Leno. The Tonight Show went back to Leno and O'Brien went to TBS to host his show on weeknights.

O'Brien got the support of David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel. Letterman and Kimmel continue a longstanding feud with Leno. It spawns back to when Johnny Carson retirement and NBC pushing Leno over Letterman. Letterman was hoping he'll host The Tonight Show but was passed over. Letterman left for CBS to host The Late Show. Jimmy Kimmel went on to host his show around the time at 11:35pm to compete with Letterman and Leno after his ratings improved.

Rush Limbaugh: Obama Wants To Shut Me And Fox News Down!

The big voice on the right vows to take on President Barack Obama.

Of course, it's a badge of honor for conservative agitator Rush Limbaugh to be name-dropped by the Democratic president Barack Obama. I like many others tune in the day after the election to hear the Republicans sorrow! Most Americans tune in to the Rush Limbaugh, Fox News for news and entertainment and heaping dose of crap spewed from them.

Many liberals wanted to hear these bitter ass losers in the media. They want to hear the conservatives cry their butts off about how it's "all the media's fault" for the president winning. You listen to the conservative agitators scream to their audience that the Americans are too stupid to see that "Obama is a SOCIALIST, COMMIE, MUSLIM, BIG GUBMINT, FOOD STAMP GIVING, WELFARE DRIVEN, NIGGER"!

Republicans are soul searching and some are blaming their loss on Rush Limbaugh, The Drudge Report, Fox News and each other. The conservatives overreach continues with Republican governors trying to rig the electoral college with "winner take all" districts. That means that if a Republican wins the district overwhelmingly, the area goes to the Republican presidential nominee. This is still a controversial issue among voting rights advocates.

The conservative media itself continues to rake in millions off of profit rage!

Who's benefits from the feud? Likely Rush Limbaugh because he's going to take the criticism as a badge of honor. 

Ever since the president swore the oath of office in 2009, the Republicans taken their news and information from the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.

Many Republicans were convinced that President Barack Obama was doomed and the Republicans were back in business. That didn't turn out this way!

Conservative agitators Bay Buchanan and Neal Boortz retired. They swore they'll never do political analysis again! Karl Rove, Dick Morris and Sarah Palin were fixtures on Fox News. Roger Ailes was so frustrated with the election loss, he severed ties with the former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin and is planning on letting Dick Morris go. Morris became infamous for his "Romney wins in a landslide" remark. Karl Rove is barely booked on the programs now.

Rush Limbaugh was hit hard last year. After he took shots at women's right advocate Sandra Fluke, the conservative agitator lost a large chunk of national sponsors. And now that he's rebounding sort of!

With the reelection of President Barack Obama, Limbaugh is concerned.

The president plans on going aggressive on his political foes. The Organizing For America is the beginning of the president's efforts to encourage active participation on getting his agenda proposals passed.

Getting immigration reform and a ban on semi-automatic weapons are two top priorities of the president.

Painting the Republicans as extremists seems to be working.

So far the further to the right Republicans go, many will tune them out!

Mediaite got today's portion of The Rush Limbaugh Show. Rush Limbaugh responds to the president:

The most controversial statement about Limbaugh:

“If a Republican member of Congress is not punished on Fox News or by Rush Limbaugh for working with a Democrat on a bill of common interest, then you’ll see more of them doing it,” 

Ohio Players Frontman Sugarfoot Passes Away!

The Funk Legend passes away. The Ohio Players leader LeRoy "Sugarfoot" Bonner passes away!

The funk era with its bouncy beats and catchy hooks bore the hip-hop nation.

Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of soul music, jazz, and R&B. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground. Funk songs are often based on an extended vamp on a single chord, distinguishing it from R&B and soul songs, which are centered on chord progressions.

Like much African-inspired music, funk typically consists of a complex groove with rhythm instruments such as electric guitar, electric bass, Hammond organ, and drums playing interlocking rhythms. Funk bands sometimes have a horn section of several saxophones, trumpets, and in some cases, a trombone, which plays rhythmic "hits".

Many of the most famous bands in the genre also played disco and soul extensively. Funk samples have been used extensively in genres including hip hop, house music, and drum and bass. It is also the main influence of go-go, a subgenre associated with funk

You can credit funk music for the rise of the West Coast gangsta music. Rappers Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eazy E, Bone Thugs 'N Harmony, The D.O.C., DJ Quik, The Dogg Pound, Warren G and Nate Dogg came from the era of g-funk.

G-Funk (which uses funk with an artificially altered tempo) incorporates multi-layered and melodic synthesizers, slow hypnotic grooves, a deep bass, background female vocals, the extensive sampling of P-Funk tunes, and a high-pitched portamento saw wave synthesizer lead. The lyrical content depended on the artist and could consist of sex, drugs, violence, and women, but also of love for a city, love for friends and relaxing words. There was also a slurred “lazy” way of rapping in order to clarify words and stay in rhythmic cadence.

LeRoy "Sugarfoot" Bonner, the lead singer The Ohio Players passed away on Sunday.

The Ohio Players were credited for the hit singles: Love Rollercoaster, Fire, The Funky Worm, Skin Tight and I Want To Be Free.

The Ohio Players formed in 1959. They were known as The Ohio Untouchables. The Ohio Players made rust city Dayton, Ohio the place "Where funk was born!"

The Dayton Daily News reports that members of the singer's family reported the news and fans are sending their condolences to the funk legend.

“He was a great person with a lot of wisdom not just in music, but in life,” said Keith Harrison of the bands FAZE-O and the Dazz Band.

Bonner, 69, who helped make Dayton the Land of Funk, died Saturday following a battle with cancer in Trotwood, according to an “Official Family Announcement  posted Sunday on his Facebook page. Bonner, whose career spanned 56 years, died just shy of his 70th birthday, according to the post. “While his family, friends, colleagues, and fans mourn his passing they celebrate fondly his memory, music and legacy,” the posting stated.

The Ohio Players helped build the funk!

The Hamilton native was the lead singer and guitarist of the Ohio Players since he joined the band in 1971.

Harrison said he received word of Bonner’s passing from Marshall “Rock” Jones and another Ohio Players band member.

“He was an extraordinary person,” Harrison said of Bonner.

Dayton musician Ronald Frost, a friend of Bonner’s, said that Bonner will be remembered for his kindness and heart.

“He was one of the nicest people I have ever met,” Frost said.

Frost’s father, keyboardist Ronald Nooks , is also a member of the Ohio Players.

“He was a good friend of my dad’s,” Frost said.

Based in Dayton, the Ohio Players rocketed onto the international stage in the 1970s with string of funk hits, including “Fire,” “Skin Tight” and “Love Rollercoaster.”

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

LAPD Investigate Fight Between Chris Brown And Frank Ocean!

Washed up singer Chris Brown is under investigation for a fight in a studio parking lot that involved him and rapper Frank Ocean.

Just like Rihanna, her on and off boyfriend, washed up pop singer Chris Brown can't keep his dumb ass out of trouble. This morning I check the Huffington Post, and yet again I see his silly ass mug once again in the news.

For the simple fact that Breezy and Ri Ri both appearing in the news for all the wrong reasons, I am starting to wonder if limelight will ever fade for these two!

Apparently the singer got into a huge fight and it involved rapper/singer Frank Ocean. Ocean is a member of the hip-hop collective Odd Future. Last year the rapper came out as bisexual.

Authorities are investigating allegations that Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown assaulted a man in a West Hollywood parking lot.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says deputies responded to a report Sunday night of six men fighting.

Witnesses told deputies that the brief fight was over a parking space.

The department says the "altercation allegedly led to Chris Brown punching the victim."

Grammy nominated singer/rapper Frank Ocean got into a fight with Chris Brown. LAPD investigating the incident.

The "victim" wasn't identified but the celebrity website TMZ, which first reported the incident outside a recording studio, says the fight also involved Frank Ocean, a nominee in the upcoming Grammy Awards. He later tweeted that he "got jumped by (Brown) and a couple guys" and suffered a finger cut.

The department says it will contact Brown later.

Brown's attack on singer Rihanna on the eve of the 2009 Grammy awards overshadowed the show. He was injured in a June 2012 brawl with members of hip-hop star Drake's entourage at a New York nightclub.

Brown is currently on a five year probation. Why would he violate this now?

Ocean was pulled over in Los Angeles last month. He was accused of driving while under the influence of marijuana.

Rihanna was spotted in Hawaii with a blunt and a middle finger to those who caught her.

Chris Brown appears under RCA Records.

Frank Ocean appears under Def Jam Records and Odd Future Music.

Rihanna appears under Island Def Jam Records.

Obama: [GOP] Really Need To Drop Rush Limbaugh And Fox News!

President Barack Obama aims at Fox News and Rush Limbaugh.

President Barack Obama plans an aggressive agenda. The president is aiming at two old foes that seem to keep his name in the negative light. In a interview with The New Republic, the president lets the publication know that he's no fan of these two and warns the Republicans to drop them fast!

Fox News and conservative agitator Rush Limbaugh finally pissed off President Barack Obama. The first four years were devoted to trashing him and his administration. The conservative leaning network plays favorites to Republicans and not so nice to Democrats.

President Barack Obama feels now rejuvenated and willing to taking on adversaries in the media. The conservative media was disasterous for the Republicans, the National Rifle Association, FreedomWorks, CrossroadsGPS and other organizations that swore a swift defeat of an embattled president. President Barack Obama outmatched the Republicans and now has them painted as extremists.

Rush Limbaugh is going to respond to the president's criticism after The New Republic interview.

They're going through some deep soul-searching.

Chris Hughes, the co-founder of Facebook and an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights, owns The New Republic. He was a coordinator for the president's reelection campaign.

Hughes owns the liberal news magazine and revamped its image. The president's interview signals a rebirth of the once struggling organization. This article will go viral soon. It will also merit swift responses from Rush Limbaugh, Fox News and their supporters.

Believe me, it's like the 2009 issue all over again!

The president ate with Republicans and stated to some congressional members that "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done!"

Before the president took his first oath of office, Rush Limbaugh offered some not so nice compliments to him! He stated that he "hopes Obama fails". That became the rally cry among the Republicans and their conservative allies.

The New Republic has released the article. Some of the most important pieces of the article include his criticism of Fox News and Limbaugh. The part that got the most attention:

I think if you talk privately to Democrats and Republicans, particularly those who have been around for a while, they long for the days when they could socialize and introduce bipartisan legislation and feel productive. So I don't think the issue is whether or not there are people of goodwill in either party that want to get something done. I think what we really have to do is change some of the incentive structures so that people feel liberated to pursue some common ground.

One of the biggest factors is going to be how the media shapes debates. If a Republican member of Congress is not punished on Fox News or by Rush Limbaugh for working with a Democrat on a bill of common interest, then you'll see more of them doing it.

I think [House Speaker] John Boehner (R-Ohio) genuinely wanted to get a deal done, but it was hard to do in part because his caucus is more conservative probably than most Republican leaders are, and partly because he is vulnerable to attack for compromising Republican principles and working with Obama.

[L]et me be clear. There's not a — there's no equivalence there. In fact, that's one of the biggest problems we've got in how folks report about Washington right now, because I think journalists rightly value the appearance of impartiality and objectivity. And so the default position for reporting is to say, "A plague on both their houses." On almost every issue, it's, "Well, Democrats and Republicans can't agree"—as opposed to looking at why is it that they can't agree. Who exactly is preventing us from agreeing?

The president also sets the record straight on issues that most conservatives seem to ignore! In the interview, the president urges the public to demand their elected leaders to pass comprehensive immigration reform and a ban on assault weapons. The president knocks the NRA for their ad on him and his children. He also shared to The New Republic that he's a shooter too!

[When I am at Camp David] oftentimes [I've invited] guests of mine to go up there. And I have a profound respect for the traditions of hunting that trace back in this country for generations. And I think those who dismiss that out of hand make a big mistake.

Part of being able to move this forward is understanding the reality of guns in urban areas are very different from the realities of guns in rural areas. And if you grew up and your dad gave you a hunting rifle when you were ten, and you went out and spent the day with him and your uncles, and that became part of your family's traditions, you can see why you'd be pretty protective of that. 

So it's trying to bridge those gaps that I think is going to be part of the biggest task over the next several months. And that means that advocates of gun control have to do a little more listening than they do sometimes.

The very mention of Rush Limbaugh will have him in a giddy. The fact that he's mention gives him a badge of honor. Because the president mentions him, the conservative agitator will brag that he's getting under the president's skin.

The president's far left agenda spells trouble for Americans! - Bill O'Reilly.

The president clearly wants to fight against Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Fox News, The Drudge Report and the NRA! He's grown tired of the divisive bullcrap spewed by the likes of these people.

I am all for taking them down hard!

Let's root for President Barack Obama to take these extremist on!

The fight didn't end on election day! It ends when you see Rush Limbaugh, Fox News and their conservative allies tone down or get shut down!

NOTE: These individuals are entitled to their opinions and the like. But due to the recent violent incidents that happen during the first term, I seriously think that there will more mass shootings inspired by the angry rhetoric of talk radio, Fox News, the conservative blogs and White supremacists websites. And yes, some crazy WHITE EXTREMIST will carry out an act of terror in the name of politics or religion.

Paul Ryan Can't Keep His Trap Shut!

Former vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan continues to say some pretty dumb shit!

"[I believe that] more people depend on government!" Says the former vice president, Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin).

So if you're still waiting on federal assistance of Hurricane Sandy relief, federal aid for college, or subsidies for agricultural disaster, don't look at the Republican Party as the saviors of your ills.

The former vice presidential nominee was the running mate of the perennial loser Mitt Romney.

Romney and Ryan both got their clocks clean President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

In his first interview since fading into irrelevance, the Wisconsin congressman outlines his party's plan for dealing with the looming sequester and how to win back voters.

The Washington Post reports that Ryan was among the attendees at President Obama’s second inauguration Monday, which would have been his swearing-in as vice president had he and perennial loser Mitt Romney prevailed in November.

Ryan, who chairs the House Budget Committee and is the face of the GOP’s efforts to reform Social Security and Medicare, has responded to Obama’s comments on entitlement programs in his inaugural address. Ryan told radio host Laura Ingraham on Tuesday that Obama mischaracterized Republicans’ positions with his reference to a “nation of takers.”

On Wednesday, Ryan told reporters the GOP would insist on spending cuts to control the budget this year.
Ryan has given several taped interviews in Wisconsin since the election. “Meet the Press” said Ryan will weigh in on upcoming budget battles and assess the future of the Republican party in his interview with Gregory.

“I think the sequester is going to happen,” Ryan said on NBC News’s “Meet The Press.”

The sequester — which is the roughly $1.2 trillion worth of automatic spending cuts set to soon hit the Pentagon and other government agencies if lawmakers don’t act — is likely to happen, Ryan said, because of opposition from Democrats to Republican proposals for replacement cuts.

“We think these sequesters will happen because the Democrats have opposed our efforts to replace those cuts with others and they've offered no alternatives,” Ryan said.

Ryan also echoed other GOP leaders as he took a stern posture against Democratic calls to discuss the need for new revenue in the nation’s budget, arguing that the matter was addressed in the recent deal to avert the “fiscal cliff,” which raised tax rates for the wealthiest Americans.

“Well, we already offered that back in the fiscal cliff negotiations. The point is, though, the president got his additional revenues. So that’s behind us,” Ryan said.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Obama Bucked By Federal Court On Appointments!

President Barack Obama renominates Richard Cordray as the Consumer Protection Board chief!

With the Republican minority putting legal limbo on the nominations of appointees to the president's cabinet, he made a couple of recess appointments. The federal courts concluded that the president's usage of recess appointments has come under fire.

The U.S. Federal Appeals Court in the District of Columbia ruled against the president on his recess appointments. They found the appointments were unconstitutional.

The Labor Relations Board was filled last year after the president made a recess appointment when the senate wasn't in session. But due to the fact that Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) trying to keep the senate running even during holidays, the president overstepped his bounds as an executive leader. According to the court, aided by a complaint from the Landmark Legal Foundation, a conservative front group sponsored by controversial talk radio agitator Mark Levin, they've managed to get a victory against the Consumer Protection Agency.

His shadow group battles the public sector unions and labor rights groups. Landmark co-sponsored with the National Right To Work Legal Foundation to protest the president's appointments. Noel Canning v. NLRB ruled in their favor. The White House will appeal this decision and it will fast track for the U.S. Supreme Court.

The brief was filed for four workers who are receiving free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys in cases pending before the Board.

Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation, issued the following statement in light of the court's decision:

"Today, the court agreed with Foundation attorneys: Barack Obama's so-called recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board clearly violate the U.S. Constitution. Because the U.S. Senate was not in recess the President could not make the appointments to the NLRB without Senate confirmation.

"As a result, the Board has lacked a quorum since January 3, 2012, and under a U.S. Supreme Court precedent established in 2010, the court's ruling invalidates the Board's biased and decidedly pro-Big Labor rulings since that time. The court's decision in Noel Canning is a victory for independent-minded workers who have received unjust treatment at the hands of the pro-Big Labor NLRB and will hopefully serve as a persuasive example to other federal courts deciding on the validity of Obama's purported recess appointments."

This battle is far from over! The president and his legal team will take this to the Supreme Court.

The ruling also raises questions about the recess appointment of former Ohio attorney general Richard Cordray to head the fledgling Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and about the actions taken by the agency during his tenure, including major new rules governing the mortgage industry. Obama named Cordray at the same time as the NLRB nominees, and his appointment is the subject of a separate lawsuit in D.C. federal court.

The White House criticized the court ruling. “The decision is novel and unprecedented, and it contradicts 150 years of practice by Democratic and Republican administrations,” White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters Friday. “We respectfully but strongly disagree with the ruling.”

Presidents from both parties have made hundreds of recess appointments when the Senate has failed to act on nominations. Ronald Reagan holds the record with 243. Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, made 105, and it was during his term that Senate Democrats began holding pro-forma sessions, some lasting less than a minute, when the Senate went on break. They contended that that kept the Senate in session and did not allow Bush to make recess appointments.

Republicans took up the practice when Obama was elected. But Obama decided to challenge it in January 2012, when the Senate was on a 20-day holiday but holding pro-forma sessions every three business days to block presidential action.

Ye, Without Sin!

North Carolina politicians are proposing a ban on lottery sales to people who receive public assistance.

Don't you love it when Republicans say that the BIG BAD GOVERNMENT meddles in your life?

Yet these are the very same Republicans who want to meddle in the affairs of those who they claim to be "gubmint leeches". Republicans want to meddle in a minority voting precinct. They want to meddle between women's legs. And they want to push Christianity among those who don't follow. They want to meddle in a same sex couple's bedroom. These people want to see you piss in a cup to get unemployment, food and housing assistance if you lost your home in a natural disaster.

Another old, fat, ignorant, Republican who's out of touch with the rest of reality. Meet North Carolina's Paul Stam! Stam is the guy who wants to stop welfare recipients from playing the lottery! 

Yet these people continue to elect those who benefit from being "entitled" to punish the poor and needy!

This is the ongoing culture war in the United States. It's sponsored by the corporations that pollute our air, ground and water. It's sponsored by the religious leaders who chastise you for being a single parent, the family who is poor or the even that guy who's gay! It's sponsored by the media who allows the daily rambles of talk radio and online blogs to be divisive and downright racist towards fellow Americans. It's sponsored by the entitled who believe that the best way to help the poor is to drive them even poorer and help them wipe each other out with drugs, disease and gun violence.

They can't stand a Black president!

They can't stand a reasonable solution to curbing gun violence in America!

White conservatives spend most of their time collecting welfare, disability, social security and privileges based solely on race, economic and political standings as well. 

Most White conservative males are obsessed with firearms and kill in the name of a religion. 

When White conservative males see Blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, or even Muslims with firearms, welfare, a better job, or even running for politics: These people scream at the top of their lungs about how it's our faults for most of America's problems! They want control over us, but never control over them!

Mediaite has the goods on the next idiotic move by the culture warriors. A bill being introduced will ban any citizen in the state who receives financial assistance from playing the state lottery.

It was sponsored by North Carolina politician by Paul Stam.

Guess what party he represents?

Let's Play!

Raleigh-Durham’s ABC affiliate WTVD-TV is reporting that lawmakers in that state are proposing legislation that would bar people on welfare or in bankruptcy from purchasing lottery tickets.

As reporter Anna Laurel explains, “the lawmaker drafting this legislation told us today that the vendor selling the lottery ticket would be penalized if they know the person is on welfare or in bankruptcy, which has some questioning if this law really solves any problems.”

“We’re giving them welfare to help them live, and yet by selling them a ticket, we’re taking away their money that is there to provide them the barest of necessities.”

But as the Raleigh news team discovered, local lottery vendors have serious concerns. One clerk was quoted as saying, “I don't feel comfortable to ask my customers what their financial status is… it’s not my business.”

Meanwhile, North Carolina’s NAACP president Reverend William Barber said that while his organization doesn't “agree with the lottery to start with” he would prefer to have State representative Stam focus on larger issues “Rather than Mr. Stam having a side argument, ask him to stop blocking labor rights for poor people and working people. Ask him to have a real conversation about real wage.”

So once again, here's your government intervening in your lives. You don't want this right?

Republican Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal is right on one thing! The Republican Party has to stop being the "stupid" party! But this message continues to fall on deaf ears!
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A little factoid for those who aren't familiar with the Mega Millions and Powerball.

Did you know that the largest jackpot ever to be recorded came in April 2012 when Mega Millions had a jackpot for $657 million? It was won in three states and became one of the world's biggest jackpots, ever!

Mega Millions is a multi-state lottery that is played in 41 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game cost $1 per unit. Add the Megaplier to the prize and you could multiply your winnings. The minimum amount of the prize is $12 million. The prize does rise upon no winners. Sometimes it will stay the same depending on lottery turnout. When the jackpot cross over $200 million, the prize will increase without notice.

Powerball last year broke a record too! It had a record jackpot of $594 million. It was won in three states!

Powerball is a multi-state lottery that is played in 41 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game cost $2 per unit. Add the PowerPlay and you will have a set increase in your earnings. The minimum amount of the prize is $40 million. The prize does rise upon no winners. Sometimes it will stay the same depending on lottery turnout. When the jackpot cross over $175 million, the prize will increase without notice.

These tickets cannot be cancelled.

The times of a Mega Millions drawing comes at 10:59 pm EST (Tuesday and Friday).

The times of a Powerball drawing comes at 10:59 pm EST (Wednesday and Saturday).

Caribou Buh-Bye!

Former Alaskan governor and conservative agitator Sarah Palin has ended her dealings with Fox News. The conservative leaning network was hoping the former vice presidential nominee would run for president.

It didn't turn out that way. The Republicans were hoping for a miracle in the winds, but sadly they've gotten the perennial loser Mitt Romney as their nominee. The conservative media was hopelessly defending such a moron.

Sarah Palin, husband Todd, her daughter Bristol and her baby daddy Levi Johnston made the news rounds for the last few years.

Todd Palin was trying to build a name for himself. The former first dude endorsed Newt Gingrich in the presidential elections and was hoping that he would get some name recognition.

Bristol Palin became famous for being pregnant during the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election. She gave birth to her son. Bristol became a spokesperson for teenage abstinence. She eventually landed on ABC's Dancing With The Stars. She competed with celebrities such as Kristie Alley, Apolo Anton Ohno, Kyle Massey, David Hasselhoff and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino.

The father, Levi Johnston became a cultural figure for all proud rednecks! He gotten tired of the Palin family and decided to ditch them. He went on to somewhat "endorse" Barack Obama for president. He also broken up with Bristol. He went on to having another child with younger woman and married her last year.

Sarah Palin was close friends with Sean Hannity, Greta Van Susteren, Glenn Beck, reality star Kate Gosselin, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota) and John Ziegler.

I guess she and Roger Ailes aren't friends anymore. To make it clear, Roger Ailes wanted to hire on Palin solely to groom her for a potential run for president. When she declined to run, the network was deflated of a viable candidate. Palin announced on conservative agitator Mark Levin's radio show to declare that she's not running for president, angering Roger Ailes.

The New York Magazine reports that Ailes was so frustrated he almost wanted to fire her on the spot. He later would tell the New York press that the former governor "had no chance" of becoming a president.

The Fox News chief wasn't angry about the decision itself. Rather, he was livid that Palin made the October 5 announcement on Mark Levin's conservative talk-radio program, robbing Fox News of an exclusive and a possible ratings bonanza. Fox was relegated to getting a follow-up interview with Palin on Greta Van Susteren's 10 p.m. show, after the news of Palin's decision had been drowned out by Steve Jobs's death.

After the announcement, he called Fox's executive vice-president Bill Shine into a meeting. Shine is the network's principal point of contact with Palin. Ailes told him she had made a big mistake. "I paid her for two years to make this announcement on my network," Ailes pointedly told Shine. Sources described the episode on condition of anonymity, given the sensitivity of the relationships.

Palin is said to have made her announcement on Levin's show because she's been upset that Fox News has given a platform to Karl Rove, one of her principal critics. "She isn't happy with Karl," one Palin adviser told me. "From day one, he hasn't been very nice." Levin had become Palin's biggest booster in the conservative commentariat, and Palin is known for rewarding loyalists, and punishing her detractors.

Roger Ailes had put his chips on seeing President Barack Obama being defeated. It didn't turn out that way. He fired Sarah Palin from Fox News. He's looking forward to firing Dick Morris. Karl Rove was rehired to Fox News this year. Rove is given limited speaking time on Fox News, though.

Shine was deputized to handle the matter. He spoke with Palin's agent, Bob Barnett, and told him that Ailes was furious with Palin's move and that she was at risk of being "benched." Fox still had to pay her, but they didn't have to give her airtime. Barnett spoke with Palin and told her about the problem. After she apologized, he called Shine back and told him that Palin recognized the misstep.

But tensions between Palin and Fox haven't subsided. Ailes, who told Newsweek that he hired Palin when she was "hot," clearly hoped she would boost ratings. But beyond her prime-time commentary, Palin hasn't turned into the television asset Ailes had hoped. Palin's contract is up in 2013 and it's became clear that the current fracas will mean the end of her future on Fox News. Part of her appeal as a pundit was that every appearance on the network was turbocharged by the "will-she-or-won't-she run" speculation. She's now given up that chip to play.

But Palin knows that she still has value as a gatekeeper to her grassroots base. A Palin adviser told me that she is planning to make an endorsement for a candidate in 2012. Palin, being Palin, is keeping it tightly held. "I have an idea of who it is," the adviser said, "but I'm not telling." What's clear is that Palin would be smart to make that announcement on Fox News.

Conservative agitator John Ziegler was Sarah Palin's closest friends and defenders. He went out of his way to help her. Ziegler was disappointed in the former governor. He made a controversial film in 2009 called Media Malpractice: How Obama Won The Election? The film claimed that supporters of the president were not informed and blinded by the "liberal media" bias against Senator John McCain (R-Arizona). McCain ran failed presidential campaign. Mitt Romney would later find himself as a failed presidential candidate.

Even her biggest defender John Ziegler turned sour on her. He wrote on The Huffington Post complaining about the former governor bubble bust. Ziegler complain that ever since her resignation, Palin has pretended to be a Tea Party Republican, endorsed three losing senate candidates in very winnable races, done a cheesy reality show, joined a partisan network, pretended to run for president for attention, and endorsed the corrupt Newt Gingrich for president as well as the absurd concept of a brokered convention.

He added that in a remotely rationally world, she has disqualified herself from ever holding legitimate elected office again. She is no longer a legitimate political figure. She is just a politically based and self-interested entertainer like Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh and Bill Maher.

Unfortunately, far too few of my fellow conservatives seem to want to understand this obvious reality. Roger Ailes isn't always right, be he sure is here. Palin's Today Show stint made it clear that her Fox days may be numbered. Palin strayed away from Fox News numerous times. She appeared on NBC's Today show to compete with the rising Good Morning America. GMA was trying to muscle in Today's ratings when they've reintroduced Katie Couric on the program. NBC fired back with Sarah Palin being a feature on the network.

Ailes was so mad, he considered pulling her off the air entirely until her $1 million annual contract expires in 2013.

The Tea Party lost its queen.

I guess this time it's true. After three years as a paid contributor for the channel, FNC and the former Republican vice presidential nominee have decided to cut ties.

A source close to Palin told Real Clear Politics that it was [Roger Ailes'] the governor's decision not to renew their contract.

The Tea Party Queen is now joining perennial losers Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, and birther queen Orly Taitz as washed up politicians.

I guess Palin could blame President Barack Obama for all her failures. After all, they ran on this game until he won reelection.

The best of Sarah Palin will be explained in this video.

Red Sea!

The Huffington Post, Talking Points Memo, The Raw Story, The Atlantic, Addicting Info, and Think Progress are concerned with Republican vote rigging and suppression strategies. The Republican governors signed off gerrymandering laws that give the Republicans a stronger district favor. The Democrat may have a strong disadvantage in the 2014 and 2016 U.S. Elections. 

Republicans control 32 of the states/territorial governorships. The Democrats control 21 of the state/territorial governorships. There are 2 independents who serve as governors and one independent who serve as the elected Washington, D.C. mayor.

The Republicans have a strong advantage in governorships. Most of the governors have stuck to their "principles" of union busting, not enacting Obamacare, fighting federal funds for infrastructure repairs to roads and bridges, high speed rail and shipping channels.

The Republicans had a strong opportunity to take back the White House with their shady redistricting. We could have said hello to President Mitt Romney. Thank god that perennial loser didn't win the election.

With Republicans being swept back into power in 2010, the consequences were a result of their hands on approach to congressional seating. 

Remember back in 2010 when the Tea Party got the phobia about the U.S. Census. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota), Congressman Trent Franks (R-Arizona) and former Texas Republican congressman Ron Paul were making such a fuss about the government's civic duty to count the nation's growing population.

The Republicans have a serious issue with minorities and women. So instead of the broad coalition of individuals (minorities and women), the Republicans will play to the social culture warriors (WHITE, OLD, MEN) who doomed them in the last two elections.

The Atlantic's David Graham reports that Republicans are green lighting the winner-takes-all strategy. GOP chairman Reince Priebus favors the idea is to get state legislatures to change the way they allocate electoral votes. Instead of a winner-take-all scheme, which most states use, they want to institute a system where votes could be split between candidates. Now, on face, that might not seem so bad. It would mean that very Republican areas in very Democratic states -- think Orange County, California -- and very Democratic areas in Republican states -- think Austin, Texas -- wouldn't be essentially throwing their presidential votes away. 

Certainly, there are longstanding critiques of the Electoral College. Recently they've mostly come from the left. The 2000 election, in which Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote, was a galvanizing moment. And there are plans to try to rectify the oddness of the Electoral College. For example, the National Popular Vote plan is a push to get states to sign on to a scheme in which they'd award all their electors to the winner of the most votes nationwide. The plan would only take effect once states representing at least half of the electoral votes have joined, guaranteeing its effectiveness.

Romney supporters packing it up!

So this GOP plan is a smart move, driven by politics but with a result that would better reflect the will of the majority, right? Not quite. Here's the twist: The proposal would award electoral votes based on who wins Congressional districts. (That's already how Maine and Nebraska work, but the two states only account for nine of the 538 total electoral votes.)

From a Republican perspective, this is genius, but it's evil genius. It would allow the party to gain electoral votes in swing states and near swing states like Ohio, Colorado, and Michigan that went for Obama in the last two elections but have large Republican constituencies. But you may also recall that the GOP maintained its majority in the House in November but actually won fewer votes than Democrats did in congressional elections overall. This is because the GOP has been extremely effective at gerrymandering House districts. One reason the 2010 election mattered so much is that the Tea Party wave handed control of redistricting after the 2010 Census to Republican-led legislatures in many states. And they didn't waste the opportunity. Now the lines won't be redrawn again until after the next census, in 2020. 

With Virginia playing the game so well, it's possible that many other states will go there soon. 

[So] clearly this isn't a plan that would solve the problem of an undemocratic Electoral College. But it is a plan that would forestall Republican demographic doom. Now, whether instituting these laws would be politically viable is a different question. Even if a few states adopted it, it could change the political landscape. 

And moreover, the plan would disenfranchise voters. Which ones? Mostly the minority ones in cities who helped Obama win this year. Most urban districts are going to vote Democratic, and most rural ones will go Republican. But if votes are quarantined in a single Congressional district, it doesn't matter if the turnout in a city is 50 percent, 70 percent, or 100 percent; there's only one electoral vote on the table, plus the two at-large electoral votes. This takes almost all the venom out of the formidable Democratic get-out-the-vote operation.

There's a certain nihilism here. One of the major storylines of the 2012 election was voter-ID laws and voting hours. While ostensibly formulated to stop voter fraud, there wasn't much voter fraud to stop, and the changed hours tended to affect mostly poorer and urban (and therefore Democratic) voters. In some cases, Republican officials put the changes in starkly honest ways. A Pennsylvania legislator said a voter-ID law would help Mitt Romney win the state (he was wrong), while an Ohio official said voting hours shouldn't be shaped to accommodate the "urban -- read African-American -- voter-turnout machine." For a variety of reasons, however, these pushes didn't work: courts struck down some laws, and voters were willing to wait in long lines to cast their ballots.

But hey, if disenfranchisement didn't work once, just try it again, right? It's not like the GOP's standing with minority and urban voters can get much worse.

So in David Graham's piece on Republicans trying to steal elections is basically simple: If we can't win by the votes of the American people, we'll win by the American governance!

Let's repeat the words of wisdom for the Republicans and their conservative allies:

Republicans continue nominating OLD, WHITE, TIRED LOOKING, IGNORANT, BIGOTS as their leaders. They continue to rally EXTREMISTS with coded language and inflammatory rhetoric!

Conservatives obsess with calling those who supported the president, low information voters and uninformed!

It seems like this last election informed millions of Americans to vote against the Republican nominee, the perennial loser Mitt Romney. It didn't help Republicans win the Senate. It only gave Republicans a small majority in the House of Representatives.

If you consider Americans low information voters and the like: 

Get use to losing because it's not us that's uninformed!

It's likely you! 

I will repeat this over and over again until people notice!

Boehner: Obama's A Bully!

Weeping speaker John Boehner smokes a square! The Ohio Republican Congressman thinks Obama going to advance his agenda and Republicans fear they can't stop it!

Now you tell me who's acting like a bully?

The Speaker Weeper of The House, Republican Congressman John Boehner of Ohio sobs up over the president aggressive campaign against them. The weeper believes that President Barack Obama wants to annihilate the Republican Party.

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is the Minority Leader. McConnell stated that the president's inaugural speech brought back an era of liberalism. He vows to block any legislation in regards to gun control.

Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) is the son of perennial loser Ron Paul, the former Texas congressman. Paul is a kookspiracy senator. He's already testing his presidential credentials. He's gone as far to call the president a "king", and saying that he would have fired Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over her handling of the Benghazi consulate attack.

Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) the former vice presidential nominee to perennial loser Mitt Romney was blaming the American people for them being easily swayed by the president. He also contributed the electoral loss due to poor communication from Mitt Romney and people weren't hip to their ideas.

Congressman Steve Stockman (R-Texas) threatens impeachment over the president's proposals to curbing gun violence. Using the same theme of Senator Paul, Stockman is calling the president a "king" and "dictator".

Congressman Paul Broun (R-Georgia) once had allowed a constituent say assassination in his presence now goes even further with the notion that the president swears to the Soviet Union. The congressman made a snark remark about the president's constitutional powers when it comes to

The conservative media was upset over the "rolling eyes" of First Lady Michelle Obama. She rolled her eyes at Weeper Boehner and it went viral. The Republicans think it was undignified for her to do something like this.

With comments from those in the Republican Party and its allies in the conservative movement, one could think they're doing a fine job of destroying themselves with such actions.

Progress is happening and Republicans fear it. They fear it with a passion.

The Republican leader argued that Obama’s ambitious second-term agenda could not be enacted unless Republicans suffer serious losses in the next mid-term elections.

“[G]iven what we heard yesterday about the president’s vision for his second term, it’s pretty clear to me and should be clear to all of you that he knows he can’t do any of that as long as the House is controlled by Republicans,” Boehner said. “So we’re expecting over the next 22 months to be the focus of this administration as they attempt to annihilate the Republican Party. And let me tell you, I do believe that is their goal. To just shove us in the dustbin of history.”

Republicans will need to defend themselves in a “very hostile environment,” Boehner said, by thinking strategically about when and how to confront the president.

“Where’s the ground that we fight on? Where’s the ground that we retreat on? Where are the smart fights?

Where are the dumb fights that we have to stay away from?” he asked. “We've got a lot of big decisions to make.”

His caucus just ducked a fight with President Obama and Democrats by suspending the debt limit for three months. But hours before that vote, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) told reporters that the House GOP was still prepared to shut down the government if Democrats do not agree to new spending cuts.

Obama will have to confront the polarization on Capitol Hill in attempting to move forward with deficit reduction, immigration reform, climate change legislation and gun control. Boehner's comments suggest that Obama should not expect much support from his caucus in achieving those goals.

The speech was closed to press, but video and a transcript were put online. The comments come at about 9:55 in the above video.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in 2010 that “the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” (Democrats often inaccurately say that McConnell voiced that goal as soon as the president took office).