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  May 20, 2013, 4:52 pm

Son of former lawmaker and nephew of current congressman dies at 29

By Judy Kurtz

The son of a former lawmaker and nephew of a current congressman has died.

Twenty-nine-year-old Lincoln Diaz-Balart, one of former Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart's (R-Fla.) two sons, and nephew of Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), passed away Sunday. 

The family did not say how Diaz-Balart died, but noted in a statement that the young man suffered from depression.

“Lincoln Gabriel was a kind and loving human being. His love and compassion touched many lives during his 29 years. We will remember him with profound love and devotion for the rest of our lives,” the family told The Miami Herald. Read more...

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  May 20, 2013, 4:24 pm

Gary Sinise: I'm focused on veterans, not running for office

By Judy Kurtz

Gary Sinise’s TV series, “CSI: NY” just got the ax, but it doesn’t sound as if he’s looking for a career change that would guarantee at least two years of job security at a time.

Running for public office, he says, is “not something I’m interested in.”

Instead, the “Forrest Gump” actor says, “I’m interested in supporting veterans, so I’m kind of active with that.”

“Kind of” may be an understatement for Sinise, who’s well known for his veteran advocacy work. In Washington this week, the Illinois native is teaming up with the Get Skills to Work program, a nationwide initiative that helps transition veterans’ skill sets to careers in the manufacturing industry.

“What you learn in the military,” Sinise says, “is discipline and organization, and you have various job skills that you learn in the military that can be applied very specifically to the manufacturing world.”

He continues, “It’s so important to take care of our veterans after they leave the service and make sure that they move on with their lives, and that we as a nation not only give back to them, but use what they have to make our economy stronger.” Read more...

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  May 20, 2013, 2:15 pm

Comedian calls Gohmert 'crazy'

By Judy Kurtz

Comedian George Lopez says he has a message for Rep. Louie Gohmert: “You’re f---ing crazy, dude.”

The former late-night host’s comments about the Texas Republican came after Gohmert said during a recent C-SPAN appearance, "We know that people are now being trained to come in [to the United States] and act like Hispanics when they're radical Islamists. We know these things are happening.”

The congressman added, “It's insane not to protect ourselves and make sure that people come in, and, as most people do, they want the freedoms we have."

After seeing the clip and repeating his “crazy” assertion three times, Lopez, who is of Mexican descent, told Huffington Post Live last week, “Latinos are like the eggs of cooking — however you can put eggs in anything that you make. Some people like eggs, some people don’t. They only want the egg whites, they only want the yolks. We’re the eggs of the kitchen.”

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  May 20, 2013, 11:25 am

Lawmaker's tiny monkey video gets big Twitter reaction

By Judy Kurtz

It’s clear — Rep. Jared Polis’s Twitter followers dig videos of pint-sized primates.

The Colorado Democrat tweeted up a storm Sunday, posting messages on Twitter about everything from immigration reform (“I hope #immigration reform doesn’t get filled up [with] unrelated pet projects like this #marijuana prison clogging idea”) to education (“Based on twitterverse reaction I think the Polis admin’s nomination of @MichelleRhee for [Secretary of Education] is on life support at best #edreform” to his more than 22,000 followers.

But it turns out folks are suckers for cute animal videos.

The reaction when Polis, 38, tweeted about a furry creature in action was swift:







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  May 17, 2013, 3:05 pm

'Superman' actor: Obama administration puts up 'an iron curtain'

By Judy Kurtz

Former “Superman” actor Dean Cain has a lot to say about the three scandals plaguing the White House, remarking of the Obama administration, “For as transparent as they are, they put an iron curtain that even Superman can’t see through.”

The ex-Man of Steel, currently promoting his new VH1 series “Hit the Floor,” said during a Friday appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” “It’s not a good week for the current administration. There’s a lot going on. But you know what? Not a big surprise to me. When you grow government like that, things happen.”

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  May 17, 2013, 1:00 pm

Mustache group: Critics of Eric Holder fear his facial hair

By Judy Kurtz

A pro-mustache group is coming to the defense of Eric Holder, contending that the attorney general’s critics are actually threatened by his facial hair.

The American Mustache Institute writes in a Friday blog post on its website: “The jealousy and scorn [Holder] has suffered from those on Capitol Hill who fear the power he holds is palpably apparent. They call for his hide month after month, but what they actually fear is not Fast & Furious distribution of weapons to Mexican drug cartels or other reported missteps. No, it is, in fact, the facial hair that threatens them.”

The organization — which has been known to make eyebrow (or mustache)-raising statements that play off hot news topics — argues that as the first mustached attorney general in 70 years, Holder has faced “immensely discriminatory challenges” from the get-go.

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  May 17, 2013, 12:23 pm

Michelle Obama ditches her bangs

By Emily Goodin

Michelle Obama's much-talked-about bangs are gone.

The first lady debuted a new 'do on Friday during her commencement address at Bowie State University.

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  May 17, 2013, 11:02 am

Carole King to be honored at White House with Gershwin Prize

By Judy Kurtz

It’s not too late for Carole King to be honored at the White House — the 60’s songbird and “It’s Too Late” singer will be awarded the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in a ceremony next week.

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  May 17, 2013, 8:06 am

Former Rep. West lands Fox News gig

By Jonathan Easley

Former Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) will join Fox News as a contributor, the network announced late Thursday.

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  May 16, 2013, 4:04 pm

Congressman Fitzpatrick gets in the budget weeds with 8th graders

By Judy Kurtz

Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick doesn’t mince his words — even around a bunch of 8th graders.

During a Monday talk about the national debt with more than 100 middle school students in his home state, the Pennsylvania Republican told the youngsters, “If no changes are made, the government won’t be able to stay in business.”

Philadelphia’s The Intelligencer reports the congressman proceeded to show the children a PowerPoint presentation displaying a breakdown of the debt. He even got into the nitty-gritty with the tweens, with details such as 47 percent of the nation’s debt in 2010 was owed to foreign countries, up from 5 percent in 1970.

Fitzpatrick showed a quote from President Obama along with an image of the White House resident, who said before becoming commander in chief, “We cannot afford to mortgage our children’s future on a mountain of debt.”

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