Although John McCain previously praised Sarah Palin as a qualified running mate, he recently joked about a Romney-Palin ticket. We're taking a closer look at this story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

McCain: Romney’s VP ‘should be Sarah Palin’

Submitted by KB723

In a recent interview with CBS, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) joked that presidential hopeful Mitt Romney should consider Sarah Palin as his potential vice president candidate. 

“Sarah Palin has said that she thinks the nominee, if it is in fact Mitt Romney, should — quote — ‘go rogue,’” Hill noted. “What’s your advice?”

“I think it should be Sarah Palin,” McCain replied, laughing.

“Do you really?” co-host Charlie Rose wondered.

“I think we have some very qualified candidates,” McCain said. “Obviously, [Florida Sen.] Marco Rubio is in the top tier. [New Jersey Gov.] Chris Christie, there are a number of candidates we have out there. [Louisiana Gov.] Bobby Jendal, [Indiana Gov.] Mitch Daniels. We have a wealth of talent out there, and I’m sure that Mitt will make the right choice.”

As he burst into laughter again, McCain added, “Obviously, it’s a tough decision.”

In what should have been an open forum about higher-priced courses, Santa Monica College students were unnecessarily silenced. We're taking a closer look at this outrageous story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Students Pepper-Sprayed for Fee Protest

Submitted by Progresshiv

Yesterday, around 100 students protested Santa Monica College's plan to offer higher-priced courses at the college this summer. The protest turned ugly as up to 30 people were pepper-sprayed while trying to enter a trustee board meeting. A few protesters suffered minor injuries and were sent to a nearby hospital.

The campus police tried to prevent dozens of students chanting, "Let us in, let us in" and "No cuts, no fees, education should be free."

Priscillia Omon, 21, claimed a police officer fired the spray into the mouths and eyes of people standing arm's length away, NBC Los Angeles reported. She said a family, including a 4 year old, were in the crowd when the officer used the pepper spray.

A spokesman for Santa Monica College announced that the college and Santa Monica College Police Department will be investigating the incident.

Severe thunderstorms stretched across Dallas and Fort Worth on Tuesday, leaving thousands without power and hundreds of homes destroyed. We're taking a closer look at this devastating story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Extreme weather: two huge tornadoes touch down in Dallas, Fort Worth area

Submitted by JanforGore

As many as 13 tornadoes were reported across Northern Texas, luckily with few injuries and no deaths reported. The city of Lancaster, one of the hardest hit areas, witnessed twisters bouncing and destroying homes randomly and even vehicles being thrown around like toys. 

"I guess 'shock' is probably a good word," Lancaster Mayor Marcus Knight said.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jesse Moore said Wednesday that the damage in Arlington suggested an EF2 twister struck there. EF2 tornadoes are classified as having wind gusts between 111 and 135 mph.

The Red Cross estimated that 650 homes were damaged.

Severe weather forecast expected for today will reach the lower Mississippi Valley and Tennessee Valley, Weather Channel meteorologist Kevin Roth said. According to the Storm Prediction Center predicts Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama and western Tennessee are at the greatest risk for severe storms. 

Michael Shure talks to reformed lobbyist Jack Abramoff about the influence of industry pressure on the vote to keep oil subsidies.  

"If I'm an oil lobbyist, I'm basically going to say, this is a tax increase…and will drive gas prices up," Abramoff argues."It's a very tough gig for the other side."

What is the legacy of racial profiling and how does it affect people who have been profiled from a young age?

Michael Shure asks the Power Panel — David Shuster and Craig Crawford — whether former President George H.W. Bush’s lukewarm endorsement of Mitt Romney really mattears at all. 

Please check your accounts this weekend, as a breach in security has hit two major credit card companies. We're taking a closer look at this interesting story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

'One of the biggest credit card heists in history': Ten million Mastercard and Visa customers hit by data theft!

Submitted by Scott_Pert

A potential security breach may have put as many as ten million Mastercard and Visa customers at risk. The two largest global credit card processors alerted U.S. banks of the security breach. The companies said the issue stemmed from a third-party vendor, reportedly Global Payments, and not their own internal systems. 

Mastercard's statement:

"MasterCard is currently investigating a potential account data compromise event of a U.S.-based entity and, as a result, we have alerted payment card issuers regarding certain MasterCard accounts that are potentially at risk."

Visa also released a statement:

"Visa Inc is aware of a potential data compromise incident at a third party entity affecting card account information from all major card brands. Visa has provided payment card issuers with the affected account numbers so they can take steps to protect consumers through independent fraud monitoring and, if needed, reissuing cards."

Mysteriously, hundreds of dolphins have washed ashore off of Peru's northern coast.  We're taking a closer look at this devastating story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Over 600 Dolphins Have Mysteriously Washed Up On The North Coast Of Peru

Submitted by circlesquared

Hardy Jones, co-founder of the ocean conservation organization BlueVoice.org is reporting that over 600 dolphins have tragically washed up on the north coast of Peru. Jones is currently working in Chiclayo to investigate the deaths. Last month, 264 bottlenose dolphins died on a 66-mile stretch off the coast of Lima.

"To date we have found 615 dead dolphins on 135 kilometers of beach N of San Jose, Peru. This tragedy is unspeakable. BlueVoice is working with Dr. Carlos Yaipen Llanos of ORCA Peru. Tissue samples have been obtained and will be analyzed. Never heard of this level of UME. This must be investigated." BlueVoice board of directors member, Jeff Friedman, told Digital Journal that Jones has confirmed the "primary species [...] found, was long-beaked common dolphin." Jones and Yaipen are currently in a Lima lab testing samples taken from the dead dolphins. Long-beaked common dolphins are usually found in groups averaging from 100-500 animals, but have been occasionally seen in larger herds of thousands of individuals. BlueVoice.org hopes to release video, images and further information shortly, said Friedman.

After more than a year of protests, legislative recalls and petitions, Wisconsin will officially hold a election to recall Gov. Scott Walker. We're taking a closer look at this interesting story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Walker Recall Is A Go

Submitted by FreeSpiritMuse

After completing the petition review that found 900,939 validated signatures against Republican Gov. Scott Walker, the state Government Accountability Board triggered the recall for June 5. The board voted unanimously for the historic election, with the primary on May 8.

Recalls in Wisconsin do not feature any direct up-or-down vote on the incumbent, but instead effectively take the form of a special election with the incumbent and a challenger fighting it out to serve the rest of the term. His (Walker) approval and disapproval ratings are consistently close in polling, and he currently has very narrow leads over his potential Democratic opponents.

On the Democratic side, former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, and Secretary of State Doug La Follette are currently in the race. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who was previously the Democratic nominee against Walker in 2010, could also potentially get in, and Barrett currently leads in the polls for the Democratic primary. The filing deadline for candidates is April 10.

A racial smear campaign against Trayvon Martin's reputation has reached a new low. We're taking a closer look at this breaking story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Smears Continue as White Supremacist Hacks Trayvon Martin’s Email

Submitted by McSpocky

A white supremacist hacker, who goes by the name Klanklannon, claims to have logged into Trayvon Martin’s Gmail, Yahoo, MySpace, and Twitter accounts. According to Gawker reports, the hacker posted Martin's private Facebook messages to the politics section of the anarchic message board 4chan. Klanklannon shared a conversation between Martin and his friend getting high and accused Martin of selling drugs.

In addition to the Facebook messages, Klanklannon posted a list of usernames and passwords for Martin's social media and email accounts as proof of his exploits. All of the passwords had been changed to racist slurs.

"I realize that some of this information might be to (sic) extreme to believe," Klanklannon writes in a copy of the original 4chan thread we've obtained. "That's why I offer you evidence. Here are my sources."

A newly released police video showing an unscathed George Zimmerman arriving at the police station raises even more questions about his claim of self-defense. We're taking a closer look at this interesting story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

NEW Police Video Shows Trayvon Martin's KILLER George Zimmerman LIED (VIDEO)

Submitted by dryeraser

The surveillance video taken the night Trayvon Martin was killed shows George Zimmerman being led by handcuffs into the Sanford police station with no apparent injuries. Trayvon's family discusses Zimmerman's inconsistent case that he was acting in self-defense:

"It just shows that everything that Zimmerman has been saying, that the police have been reporting, is false," father Tracy Martin told USA TODAY as he viewed the video, carried by MSNBC, in a Washington hotel.

"From what I saw, Zimmerman had no blood on his face, had no grass on the back of his clothes, no cuts on the back of his head," Martin said.

Family attorney Benjamin Crump said the video is evidence that Zimmerman’s story is a lie and that officials botched their investigation the night of the shooting.

"You’re witnessing a conspiracy in the first degree," Crump said. "If they don’t arrest this guy -- there’s a conspiracy at this point."

While trying to express his support for Trayvon Martin on the House floor, Rep. Bobby Rush (pictured above, right of Trayvon Martin's father Tracy) got kicked out for not obeying the dress code. We're taking a closer look at this interesting story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Congressman escorted from House after wearing hoodie in Trayvon Martin tribute

Submitted by letsliveinpeace

During a speech honoring Trayvon Martin on the House floor, Illinois Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) removed his suit jacket to reveal a grey hoodie in tribute of the Florida teen. Presiding officer, Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS), repeatedly banged his gavel and told Rush to leave the chamber. When Rush continued his speech, he was escorted out.

“I applaud the young people, all across the land who are making a statement about hoodies, about the real hoodlums in this nation, specifically those who tread on our law wearing official or quasi-official cloaks,” Rush said on the House floor.

"Racial profiling has to stop Mr. Speaker," Rush said while taking off his suit jacket, "Just because someone wears a hoodie does not make them a hoodlum."

The National Rifle Association introduced a new item to their online store that will sure to spark controversy. We're taking a closer look at this unbelieveable story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

NRA Begins Selling Hoodies with a Special Pocket to Conceal a Handgun

Submitted by jeffissleeping

As Trayvon Martin supporters continue to wear hoodies in his honor, the NRA decided to start selling hoodies of their own. The National Rifle Association added a sweatshirt to their online store that has special pockets added to conceal a handgun for $59.95 to $64.94. 

“We want concealed carry to fit around your lifestyle — not the other way around. That’s why we developed the NRAstore exclusive Concealed Carry Hooded Sweatshirt,” reads the product description. 

"Inside the sweatshirt you'll find left and right concealment pockets. The included Velcro®-backed holster and double mag pouch can be repositioned inside the pockets for optimum draw. Ideal for carrying your favorite compact to mid-size pistol, the NRA Concealed Carry Hooded Sweatshirt gives you an extra tactical edge, because its unstructured, casual design appears incapable of concealing a heavy firearm - but it does so with ease!" 

Do you have a spare $50 laying around and want a photo with a presidential hopeful? You're in luck! We're taking a closer look at this interesting story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents. (We won't ask for an additional $49.98):

Gingrich Campaign Charges $50 for Photos

Submitted by FreeSpiritMuse

In an effort to raise more money into his campaign, Newt Gingrich is charging $50 to take a photo with any supporter. The new fundraising strategy comes after numbers were released revealing the candidate spent about $200,000 more in February than he raised.

Campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond stated:

"Some campaigns make you travel all the way to Wall Street to pay $2,500 for a photo with a candidate. We chose to do it differently and ask our supporters for a nominal donation."

“We also have an online store where supporters can buy hats, shirts and even a bandana for your dog,” Hammond said.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is a devout Mormon, but one of his relatives is speaking out against the religion. We're taking a closer look at this interesting story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Romney’s cousin: Mormonism is a ‘fraud’

Submitted by KB723

Mitt Romney’s second cousin, Park Romney, has turned against the church and shared that he has been alienated from his family. The former Mormon high priest compared the religion to a cult: 

“I became convinced that it’s a fraud.”

“There’s compelling evidence that the Mormon Church leaders knowingly and wilfully misrepresent the historical truth of their origins and of the church for the purpose of deceiving their members into a state of mind that renders them exploitable,” he explained.

Following the senseless killing of a Florida teen, another possible hate crime occured over the weekend. We're taking a closer look at this devastating story from the Current community. Check it out and share your thoughts:

California Muslim Mother Beaten To Death, Left With Note Saying 'Go Back To Your Country, You Terrorist'

Submitted by letsliveinpeace

An innocent Iraqi woman, Shaima Alawadi, was found brutally beaten in the living room of her San Diego home by her 17-year-old daughter. The mother of five was lying next to a note saying "Go back to your country, you terrorist." Alawadi was rushed to the hospital, but passed away after being taken off life support.

"We’re not the terrorists,” Shaima's eldest daughter Fatima al-Himidi, said, speaking to the news camera, her voice shaky with emotion. “You are, whoever did it."

Fatima al Hamidi also told KUSI that the family had gotten another similar, threatening note earlier this month, but that her mother dismissed it as a prank by neighborhood kids. No report was filed with the police.

“Given the fact of these notes left, we’re obviously concerned about the possibility of a hate crime,” said the executive director of CAIR’s San Diego branch, Hanif Mohebi. “I don’t think anyone would disagree this is a coldblooded murder.”

Iraq's foreign minister announced that Alawadi's body will be flown to Baghdad as lawmakers in her native country demanded a thorough investigation. 

The U.S. military formally charged Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales for killing innocent civilians and severely straining the American-Afghanistan ties. We're taking a closer look at this breaking story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Sgt. Bales Charged With 17 Counts Of Murder; Could Get Death Penalty

Submitted by FreeSpiritMuse

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales has been charged with 17 counts of murder by the U.S. military for killing innocent Afghan civilians during a house-to-house rampage. Currently being held at Ft. Leavenworth, the 38-year-old soldier also faces six charges of aggravated assault and attempted murder.

Echoing what he told NPR yesterday, Bales' civilian attorney John Henry Browne told MSNBC "he believes the government will have a hard time proving its case and that at some stage in the prosecution his client's mental state will be an important issue."

The Seattle Times hints on how the government will try to prosecute Bales:

"The decision to charge him with premeditated murder suggests that prosecutors plan to argue that he consciously conceived the killings. A military legal official for U.S. forces in Afghanistan who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the case, noted that premeditated murder is not something that has to have been contemplated for a long time."

A few educators disapprove of students having a best friend in grade school for the fear of the relationship going sour. Are they protecting students or preventing students from learning about love and commitment? We're taking a closer look at this interesting story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Some British Schools Ban Children from Making Best Friends

Submitted by Truthitswhatsfordinner

In some British cities, teachers are banning students from having best friends for the fear of the friendship deteriorating. Teachers believe this ban will prevent the pain children may experience when splitting up with a best friend. 

Educational psychologist Gaynor Sbuttoni said: "I have noticed that teachers tell children they shouldn't have a best friend and that everyone should play together.

Russell Hobby, of the National Association of Head Teachers, confirmed some schools were adopting best-friend bans. He said: "I don't think it is widespread but it is clearly happening. It seems bizarre.

Unfortunately, many homeless people continue to roam the streets begging for food, however, a good samaritan may face consequences by helping the needy. We're taking a closer look at this fascinating story from the Current community. Check it out and add your two cents:

Feeding The Homeless Banned In Major Cities All Over America

Submitted by circlesquared

Many major U.S. cities have enforced bans against feeding the homeless. Some cities are concerned about the health risks of food being distributed, while others do not want the homeless gathering in populated areas. Las Vegas became the first major U.S. city to pass a law banning the feeding of homeless people, whereas New York City banned all food donations to government-run homeless shelters.

Sadly, those that love to micro-manage others continue to get the upper hand in America. Back in January, 40,000 new laws went into effect all over America. The politicians continue to hit us with wave after wave of regulations and laws with no end in sight.