Drudge Retort

Schumer: No Air Seat Fee for Kids

rcade — Mon, 28 May 2012 19:49:57 -0400

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) urges airlines to stop charging families extra fees so parents and young children can sit together. "Children need access to their parents and parents need access to their children," Schumer said. "Unnecessary airline fees shouldn't serve as a literal barrier between mother and child. ... A parent should not have to pay a premium to supervise and protect their child on an airplane."

Oops: Giuliani Knocks Romney on Jobs

rcade — Mon, 28 May 2012 19:33:26 -0400

While campaigning for Mitt Romney on CNN, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani got off-message to claim that he had a better record on jobs than Romney did as Massachusetts governor. "I had massive reduction in unemployment," Giuliani said. "He had a reduction in unemployment of about eight, 10 -- I think it was 15 percent. I had a reduction in unemployment of 50 percent."

Remember Memorial Day

tonyroma — Mon, 28 May 2012 17:16:38 -0400

The Memorial Day holiday has its origins in an event organized by thousands of freedmen after the Civil War, writes Yale history professor David Blight. "Thousands of black Charlestonians, most former slaves, remained in the city and conducted a series of commemorations to declare their sense of the meaning of the war. The largest of these events ... took place on May 1, 1865. Black Charlestonians in cooperation with white missionaries and teachers, staged an unforgettable parade of 10,000 people on the slaveholders' race course. A New York Tribune correspondent witnessed the event, describing 'a procession of friends and mourners as South Carolina and the United States never saw before.'"

Islamist, Mubarak PM in Egypt Runoff

rcade — Mon, 28 May 2012 16:46:54 -0400

The June 16-17 runoff vote for the Egyptian presidency will be between the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate and a former prime minister under Hosni Mubarak, according to election results ratified by the country's election commission. Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi got 5.76 million votes compared to Mubarak official Ahmed Shafiq's 5.5 million.

Check In Married, Check Out Single

rcade — Mon, 28 May 2012 16:27:15 -0400

The new Divorce Hotel in The Netherlands offers couples a chance to check in on Friday married and check out Sunday divorced -- for a flat fee of $3,500 to $10,000. Sixteen of the seventeen married couples to stay at the new Divorce Hotel have left single. Hotel owner Jim Halfens, looking to start one in the United States, was inspired by a friend's breakup. "He was losing weight, he was unable to have fun in life anymore and they were fighting every time you saw them -- it was horrible," he said.

Marine: The V.A. Let Us Down

justanoversight — Mon, 28 May 2012 11:27:05 -0400

Former Marine Mike Scotti: The Department of Veterans Affairs ... announced in April that it would increase its mental health staff by about 10 percent. But too many veterans waging a lonely and emotional struggle to resume a normal life continue to find the agency a source of disappointment rather than healing. ... I have close friends who could no longer drive because of their lingering fears of roadside bombs. Others had gone to the V.A. because they had suicidal thoughts, only to receive a preliminary screening, a pat on the back, a prescription for antidepressants -- and a follow-up appointment for several months later.

Woman, 73, Scales Mount Everest

rcade — Mon, 28 May 2012 11:26:04 -0400

Japanese mountaineer Tamae Watanabe, 73, set a world record May 19 by becoming the oldest woman to scale Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. "She's a very strong climber and has always been very active," said her sherpa coach Ang Tshering. "She has always loved the mountains and has been climbing in the Japanese Alps and around the world for many years."

DHS Releases Keywords of Terror

adammm — Mon, 28 May 2012 11:13:38 -0400

The Department of Homeland Security has been forced to release a list of keywords it uses to monitor social networking sites and online media for signs of terrorist or other threats against the U.S. The list includes obvious choices such as attack, Al Qaeda, terrorism and dirty bomb alongside dozens of seemingly innocent words like pork, cloud, team and Mexico. The department was forced to release the manual following a House hearing over documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit which revealed how analysts monitor social networks and media organisations for comments that "reflect adversely" on the government.

Alan Simpson Rips GOP 'Madness'

Doc_Sarvis — Mon, 28 May 2012 10:41:45 -0400

Former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.) lashed out at members of his party Sunday for their unwillingness to compromise on tax increases. Rigid opposition to new tax revenues has hampered productivity and diminished the chances of reaching an agreement with Democrats on debt reduction, he said. "You can't cut spending your way out of this hole," said Simpson, who was co-chair of President Obama's Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform in 2010. "You can't grow your way out of this hole, and you can't tax your way out of this hole. So put that in your pipe and smoke it, we tell these people. This is madness."

45% of New Vets Claim Disability

rcade — Sun, 27 May 2012 21:53:14 -0400

New military veterans are claiming disabilities at levels never before seen in the U.S., according to a three-month study by AP. Forty five percent of the 1.6 million veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan seek compensation for injuries they believe are service-related. Payments range from $127 a month for a 10 percent disability to $2,769 for a full one. "You just can't keep sending people into war five, six or seven times and expect that they're going to come home just fine," said Barry Jesinoski, executive director of Disabled American Veterans.

Brothers Both Condemned Killers

rcade — Sun, 27 May 2012 21:07:52 -0400

Rodney Berget is on death row in South Dakota, awaiting execution for killing a prison guard during an escape attempt. Twelve years ago his brother Roger was put to death for kidnapping and killing a man in 1987 to take his car. "To have it in different states in different crimes is some sort of commentary on the family there," said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

Florida Purging Valid Voters

reinheitsgebot — Sun, 27 May 2012 19:00:48 -0400

Eligible voters in Florida will be removed from the voting rolls as a result of the massive voter purge ordered by Gov. Rick Scott (R), according to the Broward County Supervisor of Elections. "It will happen," Mary Cooney, a spokeswoman for the Broward County Supervisor of Elections, said. Last year, Scott ordered Secretary of State Kurt Browning to "to identify and remove non-U.S. citizens from the voter rolls." Browning could not get access to reliable citizenship data, so Scott urged election officials to identify non-U.S. citizens by comparing data from the state motor vehicle administration with the voting file.

Listeria Farm Files for Bankruptcy

zatoichi — Sun, 27 May 2012 18:59:47 -0400

Jensen Farms, the Colorado farm that grew cantaloupes linked to a listeria outbreak that killed more than 30 people last year, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The bacterial illness spread through 28 states last summer in the deadliest food-borne occurrence in 25 years. A Congressional committee reported that 146 people were sickened by the bacterial infection. Food and Drug Administration investigators said Jensen Farms failed to store cantaloupes properly after harvest and stopped chlorinating the water it used to wash the melons, allowing listeria bacteria to flourish.

Tropical Storm Beryl Hitting Florida

rcade — Sun, 27 May 2012 18:33:59 -0400

Tropical Storm Beryl, approaching Florida's east coast Sunday evening with sustained winds of 65 miles per hour, is projected to come ashore north of St. Augustine around 15 miles north of the Drudge Retort. Heavy rain, flood and dangerous surf warnings stretch from northeast Florida to South Carolina.