Friday, January 27, 2012 -- 2:00 PM ~~~ Next updates after 6 PM ~~~

Investor's Business Daily    Entitlements soar under Obama    If the Republican primaries are any indication, one big debate in the upcoming election will be whether President Obama is pushing the country toward a European-style welfare culture. -- Mitt Romney, for example, argues that "over the past three years, Barack Obama has been replacing our merit-based society with an entitlement society." -- Newt Gingrich has taken to calling Obama "the best food-stamp president in American history."

Jim Kouri, CPP -- Family Security Matters    U.S. Lawmaker: "Deadly, violent illegal aliens deserve no favors"    According to government reports, an criminal alien from Haiti who was ordered deported by an immigration judge in 2007 after being convicted for two felonies was released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in October 2010 and went on to kill three Americans in Miami, Florida two months later, according to a report released by the U.S. House of Representatives this week...

Jim Kouri, CPP -- The Examiner  Calling illegal aliens "immigrants" is an insult to those who come here legally  The issue of "immigration" played a prominent role during Thursday night's GOP presidential debate. However, it was not "immigration" that was being discussed, but rather "illegal immigration." -- While most people now refer to illegal aliens as "immigrants" and often use the blanket term of "immigration," even when referring to those who enter this country illegally en masse...

Lachlan Markay -- Heritage Foundation    Soros may benefit from White House's natural gas proposal   George Soros, a billionaire investor and major backer of President Obama, stands to reap a windfall from legislation promoting natural gas-powered vehicles. The White House unveiled a proposal on Thursday that would do just that. -- The proposal would offer incentives for companies to buy and use trucks powered by natural gas. Obama announced the effort at a UPS facility in Las Vegas...

Associated Press   Missouri state senator wants to sue over illegal alien costs     A Republican state senator wants Missouri's state's attorney general to sue the federal government, accusing it of not adequately enforcing immigration laws. -- The bill by Sen. Will Kraus, of Lee's Summit, would have the Missouri auditor calculate how much illegal immigrants cost local and state agencies. The measure would allow the attorney general to sue the federal government for those costs...

Think Progress    Illegals confront Rubio during speech at Hispanic conference  Miami -- Two [illegal aliens] confronted Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) during his speech here this morning at the Hispanic Leadership Network conference over his lack of support for the DREAM Act. Holding signs that read "Rubio: Latino Or Tea-Partino?" (Latin or Tea Partier?), the students were quickly escorted out of the Doral Golf Resort & Spa ballroom, where Rubio was speaking ahead of GOP presidential candidates, by security...

CBS/Associated Press       sc   Obama-backed car battery maker goes bankrupt    The parent company of an electric car battery maker that received a $118 million grant from the Obama administration filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday. -- New York-based Ener1 said it has been affected by competition from China and other countries. -- Ener1 subsidiary EnerDel received a $118 million stimulus grant from the Energy Department in 2009, and Vice President Joe Biden visited...

American Border Patrol        Photo of the day    Three of American Border Patrol's German Shepherd stick their heads through gaps in the border fence as they investigate noises in Mexico. Glenn Spencer patrols the border with the shepherds every day. Turns out they were looking at a cow...

David Codrea -- The Examiner   Issa demands access to second 'Fast and Furious' US Attorney  "Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa demanded in [a] letter to Attorney General Holder that the Justice Department make Arizona U.S. Attorney's Office Assistant United States Attorney Michael Morrissey available to speak with Committee investigators about his role in and knowledge of Operation Fast and Furious," a release issued moments ago by the committee reveals...

Associated Press  S.C. prosecutor appealing ruling on immigration law    Columbia -- South Carolina officials want parts of the state's new immigration law that a judge put on hold to start taking effect. -- Attorney General Alan Wilson asked a federal appeals court to overturn the judge's ruling in papers filed last week. The Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put the case on its docket on Wednesday...

Ed Ashurst -- American Patrol Report    The truth hurts    On three occasions in the last twelve months I have toured the border east of Douglas with various dignitaries including authors, Tea Party leaders, film makers and three congressman: Jason Altmire and Tim Holden from Pennsylvania, and John Barrow from the state of Georgia. If you stand at the international boundary where it traverses the southern edge of the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge you can look east and west...

Michelle Malkin   Mr. and Mrs. Cranky Pants    So, it turns out that the cool cat billed as "No Drama Obama" by his sycophants is actually quite the drama queen. While the White House publicly pretends to ignore conservative detractors of his administration, Chief Touchy-Touchy seems to be personally consumed by our critiques. Yes, mine included. -- On Wednesday, the president had himself a mini-"Toddlers and Tiaras"-style meltdown with Arizona GOP Gov. Jan Brewer...

The Day -- Hartford, Conn.    Teen births: Nearly half in state are to Hispanics   ...Hispanic teen birth rates in Connecticut are 8.5 times higher than whites' and almost double that of African Americans for girls ages 15 to 19. Of the 2,626 teen births in 2009, almost half (1,277) were to Hispanics, according to data from the state Department of Public Health. -- Of the 35 teen births in 2009 in New London, 15 were to Hispanic girls, according to DPH data...

National Post -- Don Mills, Ontario   Gingrich hammered in last Florida debate as Romney shows rare steel  Republican Newt Gingrich has had great success recently by firing up conservative voters with attacks on debate moderators. But a flat-footed performance in Thursday’s debate suggests he might have tried the tactic once too often. -- The former U.S. House speaker's runaway win in the South Carolina primary on Saturday was attributed in large part to the way he went after the mainstream media in general...

Stanley Renshon -- Center for Immigration Studies    Gingrich adopts the rhetoric of the left again, this time on immigration Anyone who has even a passing acquaintance with the career or present presidential campaign of former speaker Newt Gingrich know him to be a man whose rhetoric knows no boundaries, either of accuracy or common decency. He is equally likely to attack his opponents from the left or the right and thinks little of smearing his opponents if he thinks he can profit from it...

Daily Caller    Issa says Holder should apologize to Mexico House oversight committee chairman Rep. Darrell Issa told The Daily Caller that Attorney General Eric Holder owes an apology to the Mexican government and to the families of Operation Fast and Furious victims south of the border. -- "Justice has blood on their hands," Issa said Wednesday during an exclusive interview with The DC, referring to the U.S. Department of Justice...

Prison Planet -- Austin, Texas    Obama accused of contempt of court in 'birther' hearing    President Barack Obama was accused by prosecution lawyers of being in contempt of court after failing to show up for a 'birther' hearing in Georgia that seeks to establish whether he is eligible to appear on the state ballot in November. -- As we reported earlier this month, so-called 'birthers,' those who claim there is evidence to suggest Obama was not born in the United States, hailed a judges decision to hear the case... [Related item]

FronterasDesk.org    Cartel violence helps boost armored car sales in U.S.    Is it worth $300,000 to make your SUV battle ready? To many professionals living and working along the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas, the answer is yes. -- For those people, Trent Kimball is their man. -- Kimball is in his 40s and has grayish locks. But he looks and dresses like a vibrant 20-something who hasn't forgotten his skateboarding days...

---