The Factor Rundown
Talking Points Memo & Top Story
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Putin Wins
Guest: Charles Krauthammer "It is clear that President Obama and the rest of the world will not punish Russia and Putin for seizing Crimea. A few wishy-washy sanctions have been put in place, but nothing substantial. And according to a new poll, 61% of Americans believe the U.S. has no responsibility to do something about the situation. So what's going on? After Iraq and Afghanistan, Americans are rightfully fearful of becoming involved in another international conflict, but there's a lot more in play than most Americans know. What Putin does will influence what Iran, China, and North Korea do, thus the weak response sends a signal to the villains of the world. I'm not talking about military action, I'm suggesting that much tougher economic sanctions be imposed on Russia. While Putin has expanded his military budget by 79%, President Obama is cutting back meaningful military programs here in America. Putin knows Barack Obama has no appetite for confrontation, so all Americans should expect the world to get more turbulent. That will affect all of us because every time there's a conflict overseas, the economy takes a hit. What Congress should do immediately is bolster military spending and oversee our armed forces so they become a true deterrent. Russia doesn't fear the West, Iran believes it can develop a nuke and nothing will happen, and China is just waiting to seize more territory. 'Grim' doesn't even come close."
The Factor asked Charles Krauthammer to analyze the situation in Russia and President Obama's reaction. "Obama really looks weak," Dr. K complained, "and the allies and the Russians know he's weak. Our adversaries are emboldened and our allies in the world are scared to death. Obama has this ridiculous rhetorical bravado - today he said Russia is just a 'regional power' acting out of weakness. Acting out of weakness? He just became the first person in history to take Crimea without firing a shot or without so much as a sprained ankle in his army. There is no reason for Putin to fear anything from the United States because the world knows what happens with President Obama's 'red lines.' They disappear the moment they are crossed."
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Ed Henry Behind the Scenes in Holland
Guest: Ed Henry Fox News White House correspondent Ed Henry reported the latest from the Netherlands, where President Obama is meeting with European leaders. "The image of the president around the world," Henry began, "is that he's looking weak and the European allies are looking weak. But you may be missing the fact that President Obama did push back hard against the Russian economy last week and it's having an impact. The weak link here is the European allies, who talk a good game but in the end wimp out on sanctions." Henry looked ahead to President Obama's Thursday meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican. "The president is going to latch on to the idea that Pope Francis is talking about income inequality, which the president thinks squares with his message. But on the other hand, the president is not in synch with a lot of the social issues that the pope talks about, such as abortion."
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Congressman Paul Ryan Attacked over Poverty Remark
Guest: Rep. Paul Ryan Congressman Paul Ryan recently said, "We've got this tailspin of culture in our inner cities ... generations of men not even thinking about working." Congresswoman Barbara Lee immediately implied that Ryan is a racist. Ryan entered the No Spin Zone and defended his analysis of urban poverty. "There was nothing racial in what I said," he insisted, "so let's get beyond throwing baseless charges. Let's have a real conversation about what we need to fight poverty in America. We spend $800 billion a year on government programs to fight poverty and it's not working." The Factor warned Ryan not to expect an honest discussion with the likes of Barbara Lee and Al Sharpton: "They don't want to solve the problem. These race hustlers make big money and get into office by portraying their constituents as victims."
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Can we believe the Malaysian government?
Guests: Alan Colmes & Monica Crowley The Malaysia government says Flight 370 crashed in the Indian Ocean, but many people remain skeptical of that conclusion. The Factor welcomed Monica Crowley and Alan Colmes, who weighed in on the widespread doubt. "We're getting that reaction," Crowley said, "because the Malaysian government has been notoriously unreliable in providing accurate information throughout this episode. Also, the wild speculation in the media has given rise to the idea that any explanation is possible." Colmes rationalized the public's fascination with the mystery. "This is the ultimate reality show and that's why some networks covered it from beginning to end. It has always seemed to me that a horrible event happened and the plane turned left to try to find an airport where it could safely land." The Factor disagreed with Colmes' conclusion, saying, "The evidence is that this was sabotage by the pilot or pilots."
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Another Light Sentence for a NV Child Molester
Guest: Kimberly Guilfoyle & Lis Wiehl The latest child abuse outrage is in Nevada, where Judge Brent Adams sentenced 69-year-old Isaac Onsurez to just one year in jail, even though Onsurez molested a 6-year-old girl 100 times. Legal aces Lis Wiehl and Kimberly Guilfoyle elaborated on the case. "This is a travesty of justice," Guilfoyle declared, "because the judge had the opportunity to sentence this individual to life. Instead, he sentenced him to one year in jail and five years probation. The DA's office is very upset." Wiehl added that Judge Adams has not explained his sentence. "The judge initially sentenced Onsurez to 10 years to life, then inexplicably he said he got that wrong. There was no reason given, nothing on the record. The judge is retiring in a couple of months." Imminent retirement notwithstanding, The Factor demanded that Judge Brent Adams be ousted immediately: "This judge should be impeached. He knew that a 6-year-old girl in his county was molested 100 times by a despicable human being. There is no excuse on earth!"
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The Huffington Post and Liberal Policies in America
Guest: Ariana Huffington Finally, The Factor welcomed Arianna Huffington, founder and editor of the liberal Huffington Post. She asserted that her publication, unlike other liberal outlets, is not loath to criticize President Obama. "We do not reflexively defend anyone," Huffington declared. "We have a lot of criticism of the president on various issues that we care about, such as the failed war on drugs or poverty being at a 50-year high. There are a lot of problems in the country and we criticize the Obama administration for those. There is no question that some ideologues always defend their side, but we don't do that."
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Fish Stories
If a prankster invites you to go fishing for tilapia or scrod, don't take the bait. There are no such fish, although they appear on many a menu.
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Check out the books mentioned during this show.
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Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder
by Ariana Huffington
Read more...
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Viewers sound off
Roger Essi, Fayetteville, NC: "O'Reilly, you said eight days ago that the plane was in the ocean. That is very poor reporting, and Bernie should have called you on it. There is no proof it is in the ocean."
Bill Somrak, Madison, OH: "Bill, hope you didn't break your arm patting yourself on your back."
Don Weiss, Lancaster, CA: "Bill, the pompous nature of your commentary boggles the mind."
John Kresic, Lawton, OK: "Hey, Bill, enjoyed your Talking Points on the airliner. This story was taken by the liberal media to divert attention away from the president's weak response to Putin."
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