Obama Was “Raised White:” Desperate Ben Carson Tries To Win Votes Ahead Of Nevada Caucus; Obama Releases Guantanamo Closure Plan

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Updated: February 23, 2016, 4:10 PM ET

Poor Ben Carson. He’s doing everything possible to breathe life into his faltering bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

What’s sad is that he thinks he can woo voters by attacking President Barack Obama, who is not running for president, instead of rivals, like, say, Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

The retired neurosurgeon told Politico’s Glenn Thrush on his “Off Message” podcast that aired Tuesday that Obama was “raised White” and outside of the United States.

The attack comes as Republicans are trying to sway Nevada voters ahead of Tuesday’s caucus. Carson, who finished sixth in South Carolina on Saturday, eighth in New Hampshire, and fourth in the Iowa caucuses earlier this month, is trying to borrow a page from Trump, who is known for his discursive and hateful rhetoric on the campaign trail. But Carson still hasn’t learned that he is not Donald Trump–no one is, for that matter.

From CNN:

“He’s an ‘African’ American [Carson said of Obama.] He was, you know, raised White. Many of his formative years were spent in Indonesia. So, for him to, you know, claim that, you know, he identifies with the experience of black Americans, I think, is a bit of a stretch [.]”

[…]

“Like most Americans, I was proud that we broke the color barrier when he was elected, but I also recognize that his experience and my experience are night-and-day different. He didn’t grow up like I grew up by any stretch of the imagination,” Carson said. “Not even close.”

California Rep. Darrell Issa, who has endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for president, said Carson’s “loose talk” proves that he is not ready for the White House, writes CNN. We couldn’t agree more with Issa. 

What do you think? Sound off in the comments.

SOURCE: CNN | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

SEE ALSO:

Ben Carson Dives In Polls After Borrowing From Trump’s Playbook


Obama Delivers Guantanamo Bay Closure Plan To Congress

After vowing to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility at the beginning of his presidency, Barack Obama on Tuesday delivered his plan to Congress in the hopes of quieting critics, reports CNN:

The blueprint comes seven years after Obama made an Oval Office vow to permanently shutter the prison for enemy combatants, but it already faces objections from Republicans and legal obstacles they have placed to transferring Guantanamo detainees to U.S. prisons.

Obama nonetheless said emptying the prison would move the country past what he described as a troubled era of wartime behavior.

“The plan we’re putting forward today isn’t just about closing the facility at Guantanamo. It’s not just about dealing with the current group of detainees, which is a complex piece of business because of the manner in which they were originally apprehended and what happened. This is about closing a chapter in our history,” he said during short remarks at the White House.

Do you think Obama will get the plan passed? 

SOURCE: CNN


White House Hosts Screening Of Slavery Drama “Underground”

WGN America’s new Underground Railroad drama will screen at the White House on Monday evening, continuing a month-long celebration of Black History.

Additionally, the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History, and WGN America will host These Hallowed Grounds. The event will be held in conjunction with the Department of the Interior to discuss landmarks and monuments around the country of the most significance to the African-American community, according to a White House statement.

Before the screening, there will be panel discussions with the Underground cast and creative team, including executive producer John Legend, creators and executive producers Misha Green and Joe Pokaski, executive producer Akiva Goldsman and director and executive producer Anthony Hemingway, states the release.

The panel event will be live streamed beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET, which will also be attended by actors Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Aldis Hodge, Christopher Meloni, Alano Miller, Jessica de Gouw and Amirah Vann

From The Wrap:

Underground follows a group of men and women who use their ingenuity, power and perseverance to attempt the greatest escape in history and break free, despite the dire consequences that await them on the other side.

The story follows a blacksmith who covertly organizes a small group of his fellow slaves and pieces together a daring plan of escape across hundreds of miles to freedom. The odds of success are razor-thin for those who make it off the plantation, while the risks, dangers and obstacles multiply each step of the way. 

The show is the fourth original series from WGN America. The network launched the supernatural drama “Salem” in 2014, followed by a series dramatizing the creation of the atomic bomb, “Manhattan,” which was recently cancelled after two seasons. The network also recently began airing “Outsiders,” about a family living off the grid on a mountain in Kentucky as they clash with an encroaching mining company. 

On Monday, Smolett and Hodge appeared on NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, where they dished on the new series. Watch the video below.

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TV One’s NewsOne Now has moved to 7 A.M. ET, be sure to watch “NewsOne Now” with Roland Martin, in its new time slot on TV One.


Underground will premiere March 9 at 10 p.m. ET on WGN America, and is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Tribune Studios.

Do you plan to watch? Let us know in comments.

SOURCE: The Wrap | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty | VIDEO CREDIT: White House, NEWSONE NOW


GOP Gears Up For Nevada Caucus Slugfest

After Republican presidential candidates dwindled down to five following the brutal South Carolina primaries over the weekend, look for the once sprawling field, which numbered up to 17, to grow even more narrow after Tuesday’s Nevada Caucuses.

One reason for the shrinking field is Republican front-runner Donald Trump plays by his own rules. As a result, Republican voters appear to gravitate toward him because he essentially says what they do not dare say in public, or only among certain company. He has pulverized his opponents, made denigrating comments about Mexican immigrants, and a disabled New York Times reporter, to name a few.

On Saturday, Jeb Bush, whose brother and father both served as presidents of the United States, bowed out of the race after a poor showing at the polls in South Carolina. Bush endured the brunt of the verbal hits from Trump.

From McClatchyDC:

Trump has now won primaries in two very different states, center-right New Hampshire and evangelical-dominated South Carolina. And the Republican Party system of choosing a presidential nominee favors candidates who continue to win early primaries and caucuses.

“He seems to have about a third of the Republican electorate under his spell, and it’s a durable, non-ideological coalition,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor at Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball Sunday.

The biggest hope for stopping Trump is for a single strong challenger to emerge, and so far that hasn’t happened.

It is unlikely that Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who finished second in South Carolina, will be that challenger, experts say. Rubio finished 10 percentage points behind Trump and narrowly eked out a win against Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. 
Do you think Trump will be the Republican nominee?

SOURCE: McClatchyDC

SEE ALSO:

Clinton & Trump Clinch Key Races; Bush Bows Out Of Election

MLK’s Family Visits Oval Office To View Sculpture Of The Slain Civil Rights Icon, Sanders Accuses Clinton Of Using Obama To Draw Black Voters

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