Chad’s Morning Brief: Romney and the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy, Space Shuttle Discovery, & More
Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of April 18, 2012. Give us your feedback below and tune in to Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty for these and many more topics from 6-9 am.
1. Vast Left Wing Conspiracy (link)
You've gotta love the way Mitt Romney is talking lately. He is sounding and acting like the GOP nominee and with no other Republicans in the way he is sounding pretty good. On Tuesday, Romney even brought out a new phrase. According to CNN:
Speaking to a right wing radio host Tuesday, likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney repurposed a phrase from Hillary Clinton, citing a "vast left wing conspiracy" brewing in the media and liberal advocacy organizations to derail his campaign.
Romney was making an appearance on Breitbart TV and was asked by host Larry O'Connor whether he was ready to take on "the media and these nonprofits groups that are working together."
"There will be an effort by the quote vast left wing conspiracy to work together to put out their message and to attack me," Romney said in response. "They're going to do everything they can to divert from the message people care about, which is a growing economy that creates more jobs and rising incomes. That's what people care about."
Romney's choice of words echoes Clinton's assertion in 1998 that a "vast right wing conspiracy" was behind the sexual harassment charges her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was facing at the time.
Romney knows that the vast majority of the media is in Obama's pocket. Romney will have to defeat not only Obama, but Obama's media if he wants to win in November.
2. NASA (link)
It's almost ironic that the space shuttle Discovery landed for the last time in Washington. NASA used to be about discovery and exploration, but now who knows what will happen to it. Washington killed the space program and with it may have killed future discoveries.
Was it cool seeing the shuttle being flown around D.C.? Sure, but I'd rather have a space program than shuttles hanging up in a museum. The fact that Houston didn't get one of the space shuttles is pathetic.
3. GOP to Cut Food Stamps (link)
Let the accusations and whining begin. Republicans in the House are eying big cuts to food stamps. That's not all though. According to the AP:
Republicans controlling the House are eying big cuts to food stamps and would make it more difficult for illegal immigrants to claim child tax credits as they piece together legislation to cut $261 billion in the coming decade.
It's the first step in a GOP exercise aimed at cutting domestic programs to forestall big Pentagon budget cuts next year.
The cuts to food stamps would reduce the monthly benefit for a family of four by almost $60 and would force up to 3 million people off the program altogether by tightening eligibility.
The measure would also eliminate a grant program to states for social services like day care. Six House panels are producing legislation this week as the first step in implementing the GOP's budget plan.
Sounds good to me. Reducing the benefits might actually motivate people to get out and find a job or a better job. People need motivation, and this administration has just continued to give people reasons to not seek employment or to better themselves.
4. LISD Crash (link)
Here is a tip, when driving a company/government vehicle, try not to be stupid. From KFYO News:
One person is in critical condition today after a three vehicle accident in Lubbock. Police say a Lubbock ISD maintenance truck ran a red light at 50th street and West Loop 289 and collided with a pickup truck. The pickup flipped, landing on top of a car and trapping the driver for several minutes. The driver of the car was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Charges have yet to be filed.
Hopefully the driver of the car will be alright. What was the LISD truck thinking? It actually brings up another issue, which is how people drive in their business vehicle. You'd think people would drive better and be more alert to the laws... nope.
5. Dumb story of the morning (link)
You can't collect your own reward.
Mohammad Ashan, a mid-level Taliban commander in Paktika province, strolled toward a police checkpoint in the district of Sar Howza with a wanted poster bearing his own face. He demanded the finder’s fee referenced on the poster: $100.
Afghan officials, perplexed by the man’s misguided motives, arrested him on the spot. Ashan is suspected of plotting at least two attacks on Afghan security forces. His misdeeds prompted officials to plaster the district with hundreds of so-called “Be on the Lookout” posters emblazoned with his name and likeness.
When U.S. troops went to confirm that Ashan had in fact come forward to claim the finder’s fee, they were initially incredulous.
“We asked him, ‘Is this you?’ Mohammad Ashan answered with an incredible amount of enthusiasm, ‘Yes, yes, that’s me! Can I get my award now?’” recalled SPC Matthew Baker.
A biometric scan confirmed that the man in Afghan custody was the insurgent they had been looking for.
“This guy is the Taliban equivalent of the ‘Home Alone” burglars,” one U.S. official said.
6. Good Brews Good News of the Day (link)
I love dogs.
A loyal Labrador retriever named Maggie, who was videotaped as she guarded the body of a yellow Lab hit and killed by a car in Southern California, was reunited with her family Monday.
A good Samaritan saw what was happening on Hacienda Boulevard in La Puente last Wednesday, called officers, put traffic cones around the dogs and took the video that touched hearts across the country as it made its way around the Internet.
Before Maggie's family claimed her Monday, the dog was spayed and microchipped. The name of the family was not released.
Dozens of people called or visited the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control shelter in Baldwin Park offering to adopt the sweet-natured dog. The good Samaritan was the first to fill out paperwork.
Officers were getting the dogs out of the street at the same time Maggie's family was at the shelter looking for her, said Capt. Aaron Reyes, deputy director of the department.
Everyday, Good Brews Coffee & Tea Lounge brings you the Good News of the Day!
Other Top Stories:
These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty. Tune in mornings 6-9am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.
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