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THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you, everybody. (Laughter.) How do you like my new entrance music? (Applause.) Rush Limbaugh warned you about this -- second term, baby. (Laughter and applause.) We’re changing things around here a little bit. (Laughter.) Actually, my advisors were a little worried about the new rap entrance music. (Laughter.) They are a little more traditional. They suggested that I should start with some jokes at my own expense, just take myself down a peg. I was like, guys, after four and a half years, how many pegs are there left? (Laughter.) I want to thank the White House Correspondents. Ed, you’re doing an outstanding job. We are grateful for -- (applause) -- the great work you’ve done. To all the dignitaries who are here, everybody on the dais -- I especially want to say thank you to Ray Odierno, who does outstanding service on behalf of our country, and all our men and women in uniform every single day. (Applause.) And of course, our extraord

HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) — A Texas inmate was executed Thursday evening for fatally shooting one of three people he and a partner abducted during a convenience store robbery nearly 11 years ago. Richard Cobb, 29, didn’t deny using a 20-gauge shotgun to kill Kenneth Vandever in an East Texas field where two women also were shot and one was raped. He was convicted of capital murder. “Life is death, death is life. I hope that someday this absurdity that humanity has come to will come to an end,” Cobb said when asked if he had any last words. “Life is too short. I hope anyone that has negative energy towards me will resolve that. “Life is too short to harbor feelings of hatred and anger. That’s it, warden.” But that wasn’t it. Just before the lethal drug took effect and at the conclusion of his statement, Cobb twisted his head back, raised it off a pillow placed on the gurney and then toward the warden standing behind him. “Wow!” the inmate exclaimed in a loud voice. “That is gre

Scheduled to be voted on May 6 in the Senate, the Marketplace Fairness Act, would mark the beginning of the end of tax-free shopping for clothing and electronics. Supporters say it will help put an end to “showrooming” — where people visit physical stores to shop for items they later purchase online — while critics contend it will hurt e-commerce and small Internet companies. The legislation would put the onus on vendors — instead of consumers — to pay tax on online purchases made on sites like Amazon.com AMZN -7.24% , eBay EBAY +0.34% and smaller e-commerce companies. The Marketplace Fairness Act doesn’t specifically mention digital content, but leaves interpretation up to state law. “It does not change what digital goods are subject to state sales tax,” says Rachelle Bernstein, vice president of tax for the National Retail Federation, “but it does require companies to collect that tax.” By some counts, nearly half of U.S. states already tax some digital content. Washington st

The Marketplace Fairness Act, sometimes referred to as the "internet tax," is currently in the Senate and is showing signs it'll likely pass. This means you'll get taxed for all your online purchases, no matter what state you're in. Here's what it's all about, how it works, and what you can expect if it passes. What the Marketplace Fairness Act Is The Marketplace Fairness Act is a bill currently in the Senate and the House that will require you to pay sales tax on all online purchases (you can read the full bill  here ). Today, the Senate  cleared the way for a final vote on the bill , which will happen on May 6. President Obama also  threw in his support for the bill  earlier this week. This is the second time the bill has been in the Senate. When it was introduced in 2011 it failed, but it's looking more likely it'll pass at least the Senate this time around (it might see a  little trouble getting through the House of Representatives )

WASHINGTON -- A major Supreme Court battle over presidential powers loomed closer Thursday as the Obama administration asked the justices to uphold appointments made without the Senate's consent. The long-expected Justice Department request is almost certain to make its way on to the court's calendar later this year or in 2014, since lower courts have issued split decisions on the issue. At stake is whether Obama can circumvent Republican filibusters of his nominees by appointing them while senators are out of town -- even though, in this case, the Senate reconvened every few days in "pro forma" sessions where no business was conducted. The case could impact all presidents and Congresses, regardless of political party, depending on the scope of the high court's eventual ruling. Obama appointed three new members in January 2012 to the five-member National Labor Relations Board, which had been stymied following Senate Republicans' refusal to consider two

COLUMBUS, Ohio (CBS Cleveland) - A former physical education teacher lost her job because of her relationship with another woman. The private life of former Bishop Watterson High School educator Carla Hale became public when her female partner was listed as a surviving family member in her mother’s obituary. Soon after the article was published, a parent anonymously notified the Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus about Hale’s sexuality. A few weeks later, Hale was fired after 19 years of working at the school, according to TheColumbus Dispatch. Apetition was created on Change.org in support of Hale as a teacher, simply requesting: “Reinstate faculty member Carla Hale and apologize for discriminating against her on the basis of sexuality.” “She was a teacher who cared for her students and treated each one with respect. The diocese, however, did not reciprocate that respect in its treatment of her,” the petition states. Supporters added, “It’s unfair that someone who cared s

A United Nations official known for blaming the U.S. for unrest in the Middle East has angered critics again by blaming the Boston Marathon bombings on "American global domination." "The American global domination project is bound to generate all kinds of resistance in the post-colonial world," Richard Falk, the UN Human Rights Council's Palestine monitor, wrote in an article for Foreign Policy Journal titled, "A Commentary on the Marathon Murders." "It is soon to tell, and the somewhat hysterical Boston dragnet for the remaining at large and alive suspect does suggest that the wounds of 9/11 are far from healed," he wrote. "We should be asking ourselves at this moment, 'How many canaries will have to die before we awaken from our geopolitical fantasy of global domination?'" Falk also blamed Israel for the unrest he believes prompted two brothers of Chechen descent to set bombs that killed three innocent people and in

CDC: Polio was eliminated from the U.S. more than 30 years ago but liberalism is still a matter of concern! Get kids vaccinated on time to keep the U.S. polio-& democrat free. More: 800-232-4636

Former congressman Anthony Weiner is back on Twitter. The Democrat, who resigned in disgrace two years ago after tweeting a lewd picture of himself, has launched a new Twitter account: (at)anthonyweiner. Weiner's first post Monday was decidedly tame: a link to a 20-page policy statement outlining "64 Ideas to keep New York City the Capital of the Middle Class." By late afternoon, he had a few thousand followers. Weiner, 48, confirmed by email Monday that the new Twitter account is his. "It seemed like a fresh start was in order especially in light of all the new ideas around which I am hoping to drive conversation and debate," he wrote. Weiner, who is married and has a baby son, ran for mayor in 2005 and considered it in 2009. He said this month in a New York Times Magazine story that he is considering joining the race to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg. An NBC New York-Marist Poll last week showed about half the Democrats surveyed wouldn't even

The White House today endorsed the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would be a tax hike for purchases made over the Internet. The White House claims the tax would "level playing field for local retailers." "The Administration strongly supports S. 743, which will level the playing field for local small business retailers that are in competition every day with large out-of-state online companies," reads the Obama administration's statement on the policy. Although States presently have the authority to tax the sale of goods or services sold from out-of-state vendors, they are prevented under current law from requiring the collection of such duly-enacted taxes. As a consequence, while local small business retailers follow the law and collect sales taxes from customers who make purchases in their stores, many big business online and catalog retailers do not collect the same taxes. Because these out-of-state companies are able to play by a different set of rules, t

FBI was warned 2 years ago of alleged bomber’s radical shift

FDIC closes 2 banks in Florida, 1 in Kentucky

Mass. gov: No idea on Boston bomb suspects' motive I was wondering, if anybody out there, thinks like me, that we've been had on the Boston news. Even down to the "capture" where a boat in the back yard was shot up but #2 was not. Where #2 had all kinds of weapons with him and walked around with them?