WebProNews

Tag: Joe Biden

  • Baghdad Brothel Shooting Leaves 12 Dead

    January is shaping up to be a violent month in Iraq. According to Agence France Presse (AFP), the death toll rose by at least 12 on Tuesday when gunmen attacked an apartment that served as a brothel in the Zayouna area of Baghdad.

    Liquor stores and brothels seem to be a popular target. On December 7, gunmen attacked 12 liquor stores in Baghdad, killing nine people.

    In May 2013, an attack on liquor stores in Baghdad left at least 10 dead. In that attack, gunmen allowed customers to leave the stores unharmed. The dead were all store employees and were reportedly of the Christian faith.

    A week later, gunmen attacked a brothel in the Zayouna area, killing 12.

    Although no major US news agencies have picked up the report of Tuesday’s brothel killing – and it sounds suspiciously similar to the May attack – there is no denying that violence in Iraq has escalated alarmingly in the past year.

    According to Shashank Joshi, a Research Fellow at Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London and Harvard doctoral student, the increase in violence can be explained by three trends:

    1. The increasingly authoritarian stance of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki
    2. The rise of protest – both peaceful and violent – among the Sunni minority that comprises 1/5 of Iraq’s population
    3. Increased sectarian tensions between Shia and Sunni Muslims

    On Monday, Vice President Joe Biden made a phone call to Prime Minister al-Maliki to express US concern over the increasing violence and to convey support for Iraq’s fight against the local arm of al-Qaida.

    Biden also spoke to Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi who is a Sunni leader and frequent and outspoken critic of al-Maliki’s Shiite-led government.

    Presumably, Biden made contact with both leaders in an attempt to bolster collaboration between the two opposing denominations of the Muslim faith.

    According to a White House statement, “Prime Minister Maliki affirmed the importance of working closely with Iraq’s Sunni leaders and communities to isolate extremists.”

    Meanwhile, as Iraqi government forces battle al-Qaida for control of key cities such as Fallujah and Ramadi, Secretary of State John Kerry has said that no new US troops will be deployed to the region.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • North Korea Releases Elderly American Prisoner

    After being detained in North Korea in the fall, Merrill Newman has been granted a Christmas miracle. The 85-year-old man was deported earlier today. Prior to his release, there was fear he would be held in North Korea for the rest of his life.

    The DPRK detained the elderly tourist for a period of several weeks beginning on October 26th when it was learned that he was in fact a Korean war veteran. His status caused him to be viewed as a war criminal. It was after Newman apologized for his wrongdoing during the war that officials say they decided they would send the man out of their country.

    Some speculate that the act was motivated by a visit to North Korea by American Vice-President Joe Biden. Letting the elderly tourist go could be taken by some as an expression of good faith or wanting to be shown in a good light. The Vice-President, despite offering praise for the move to release Newman, stated that he himself had no direct impact on the decision to let the man go.

    Indeed, there is still work to be done regarding detainees from abroad still held within North Korea’s borders. Even as Merrill Newman prepares to spend Christmas with his family, others are petitioning the DPRK to free Kenneth Bae. Bae was arrested and imprisoned for working to spread Christianity in North Korea. The religion is forbidden in the country due to it being seen as Western propaganda. The crime of Christianity brings with it the possibility of spending the rest of one’s life in one of North Korea’s infamous prison camps. Prior to his arrest, Kenneth Bae was working as a tour guide with several other secret missionaries. Their jobs were a front that granted them access to the country and the ability to run an undercover religious ministry. Kenneth Bae may be an American citizen like Merrill Newman, but given his beliefs and the risks he willingly took, its very unlikely he’ll wish to apologize. And even if he does, his circumstances currently seem to be a bit graver.

    Right now, Newman is appreciating that he is very lucky to be leaving North Korea and his experiences behind him. When stopped for a quote after his deportation, Newman responded, “I’m very glad to be on my way home. I feel good, I feel good. I want to go home to see my wife.”

    Image: CNN’s Youtube

  • Joe Biden Visits China Amid Air Zone Tensions

    US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Asia as tensions are escalating between China and Japan over a newly established Chinese air defense identification zone in the East China Sea.

    The tensions center around the tiny Senkaku Islands (known as the Diaoyu in China) which are within the new air defense zone. Although Japan has controlled the islands for many years, China and Taiwan both claim ownership of them.

    The islands lie near key shipping routes and are surrounded by waters that serve as rich fishing grounds. In addition they’re located close to potential oil and gas reserves.

    Add to that their strategic military position – the US routinely flies surveillance over the airspace that China is attempting to restrict – and the Senkaku Islands, though minuscule and uninhabited, are a significant source of contention.

    Not surprisingly, Beijing’s unilaterally-declared air defense identification zone didn’t go over well with the US, Japan, or South Korea.

    The air defense identification zone requires all planes entering the airspace to file flight plans with Beijing.

    Japan has made it clear that their planes will do no such thing. In what is seen as an act of protest, the US flew two B-52 bombers over the zone after the announcement without giving notice, but has urged its commercial airlines to notify China before flying over.

    Biden’s 6-day tour of Asia started in Tokyo, where he addressed the air defense identification zone and attempted to assure Japan that the US stands with them in protest of it.

    Biden said he was “deeply concerned about China’s attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the East China Sea.”

    From Tokyo, Biden traveled to Beijing.

    Addressing a group of mostly young people who were waiting for visitor visas at the US Embassy, Biden praised the spirit of democracy, liberalism, and intellectualism: “Children in America are rewarded — not punished — for challenging the status quo. The only way you make something totally new is to break the mold of what was old.”

    He went on to say that “there is one thing that’s stamped in the DNA of every American, whether they are naturalized citizens or natural-born. It’s an inherent rejection of orthodoxy.”

    Not once in his public comments in China did Biden directly address the conflict over the air defense identification zone. Instead, he emphasized the need for candor, cooperation, and trust – clearly attempting to dial back the tension between China and Japan and prevent it from escalating further.

    Still, Chinese state media criticized the US stance on the conflict. An editorial in the English language China Daily accused the US of “turning a blind eye to Tokyo’s provocations.”

    From Beijing, Biden will travel on to Seoul, South Korea before returning to the US.

    Image via YouTube

  • Rachel Maddow and Rand Paul Trading Blows Again

    Rachel Maddow and Rand Paul are back to trading blows, with Maddow calling out Paul for plagiarism. This certainly isn’t anything new between the television host and the Kentucky senator. They have been at heated odds for years.

    The Christian Science Monitor says Paul is in big trouble if he decides to throw his hat into the 2016 presidential campaign. He, however, has tried (rather unsuccessfully, according to most people) downplaying his plagiarism, attributing it to the way a high school student might become too comfortable with the convenience of Wikipedia.

    Maddow was the first person to report instances of Rand Paul’s plagiarism in his speeches. Multiple media outlets followed suit, by uncovering similar instances in other speeches.

    “The terrible hometown press that Rand Paul is getting right now might explain why the senator is melting down over this issue,” Maddow said. “Now he’s come to the point where he is threatening to quit and leave politics altogether unless people stop criticizing him over his plagiarism problems and reporting on them.”

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/rachel-maddow-rand-paul-plagiarism-accusations-99516.html#ixzz2kMOZhlXw
    Lest Americans forget, however, then-Senator Joe Biden was caught plagiarizing and the result was his withdrawal from the 1988 presidential campaign. Oh, boy. Look where he is now.

    Rachel Maddow is absolutely right for calling out Rand Paul. If politicians can lie their way into the White House, then where is the United States headed? Oh, wait–that happens on a pretty regular basis these days. Still she should be commended for her attempt at instilling truth into government.

    Time magazine has highlighted some of the goings-on between Rachel Maddow and Rand Paul in the past few years. One interesting example follows.

    “I think you’re an intelligent person. I like being on your show. But I think that — what is the totality of what I’m saying? Am I a bad person? Do I believe in awful things? No, I really think that discrimination and racism is a horrible thing and I don’t want any form of it in our government, in our public sphere,” Paul said to Maddow on her show back in 2010.

    Should Rachel Maddow and Rand Paul simply agree to disagree? Absolutely not! She needs to lean on him hard–as do other talk show hosts and reporters–until the truth is fully revealed.

    In defense of Rand Paul, however, his office has admitted that some material in some of his speeches wasn’t properly vetted. They are pledging to use a new process in his speechwriting from this point on.

    In addition, Paul and his staff call Rachel Maddow’s accusations politically motivated. She has also been dubbed the footnote police.

    Photo via Wikimedia

  • Cory Booker Sworn In As US Senator

    Cory Booker Sworn In As US Senator

    Cory Booker has officially left his old job as mayor of Newar, NJ, and has become only the second African American to be elected to the Senate since Barack Obama. Booker has already gained a quite a celebrity status as the Newark Mayor, and he is viewed as a hero of the people.

    He was sworn in yesterday, after winning a special election in mid-October to fill the seat of Senator Frank Lautenberg, who died in June. Cory Booker has been called the “Rock Star Mayor” by Oprah Winfrey and on the day he was sworn into office, the new senator already had 1.4 million followers on twitter.

    Booker was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden, as his friends and family members, including his mother, brother, and talk show host Gayle King, who is a close friend, looked on from the Senate gallery. He told reporters after the ceremony “This is a really special day for me, and I’m really blown away.”

    Senator Harry Reid also gave a welcoming statement to the new Senator Booker when saying “I urge my fellow senators, Democrats and Republicans, to get to know this good man. We are fortunate to have him here.”

    Cory Booker is 44-years-old, and grew up in suburban Harrington Park, NJ. He has said that New Jersey residents have told him to work on economic issues, including New Jersey’s high foreclosure and unemployment rates. He has been showered with advice on what to do as a Senator, and plans to take the best of it.

    The Newark Mayor rocketed to celebrity status dealing with celebrities, and bringing millions in philanthropic money into the city. For example, he persuaded Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to donate $100 million to Newark’s school system in 2010. As a result, Zuckerberg continued to help out by hosting a fundraiser for Booker’s campaign earlier this year.

    Booker also had quite an incredible story as mayor when he rescued a woman from a fire in 2012. Whether Cory Booker is looked at as a superhero or a rockstar, he has now become the Democratic Senator from his home state of New Jersey. He is already looked at with celebrity status at his first day on the job, and is being treated unlike other senators.

    Cory Booker is very humble and wants to help the people of New Jersey on the issues that truly matter. He is also one that understands how politics works and does not want to get caught up in it in the wrong way, asserting this fact by saying “Don’t let the Senate change you. Try to change the Senate.”

    Image via Youtube

  • Mariska Hargitay Visits NDVH with Joe Biden

    Mariska Hartigay has played detective Olivia Benson on “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” for the past 14 years. However, her services extend far beyond the show. Hargitay is involved in helping fight sexual violence off-screen as well. Today, she joined the Vice President, Joe Biden, in his visit to the National Domestic Violence Hotline in Austin, Texas.

    “I am deeply honored to join Vice President Biden in shining a light on the tremendous work being done by the National Domestic Violence Hotline, a longtime partner of the Joyful Heart Foundation,” said Hargitay.

    “The Hotline stands as an indispensable resource to help break the isolation that so many victims of domestic violence feel,” she continued. “I am eager not only to see new innovations and resources made possible through Verizon’s ongoing support, but also to celebrate the commitment and care the Hotline’s advocates bring to their work every day. And I will of course never stop celebrating Vice President Biden’s vision and leadership that allowed the Hotline to be created.”

    Hargitay is also the president of the Joyful Heart Foundation, which helps victims of sexual assault in New York, Los Angeles and Honolulu.

    Image via Twitter

  • Randy Neugebauer, New Lightning Rod in USG Outage

    On a Tuesday local news program (shown here), Representative Randy Neugebauer (R-Tex.) shared his frustrations over the government shutdown that became official Monday at midnight. By Wednesday, the representative found himself the source of frustrations over a Washington, D.C.-based NBC affiliate video of him reprimanding a Park Service ranger who was following orders to prevent visitors from entering the World War II Memorial in our nation’s capital.

    As of today, the congressman had become a lightning rod for activists and the Vice President, whose office Tweeted that the VP had told the ranger via phone, “I’m proud of you.”

    Additionally, a Change.org petition calls for Neugebauer to, “correct himself and publicly apologize,” and the organization, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) believes an ethics investigation of the congressman is in order. One presumes that requires our elected representatives in the Executive and Legislative branches of government to get to work and stop the shutdown first.

    The filmed encounter prompting all of this hype happened while Neugebauer was at the Memorial, witnessing WWII Veterans being allowed to enter as other visitors were turned away. In addressing the ranger, the Texan wonders how she can stand rebuffing the visitors and follows with, “the Park Service should be ashamed of themselves.” The female ranger expresses that she finds difficult it to turn visitors away but not to the extent of being ashamed for it, to which the congressman replies, “You should be,” (ashamed, that is). The exchange continues for mere moments more, in a back and forth with input from both sides of the political spectrum.

    For his part, in the encounter at the Memorial and his earlier news interview, Neugebauer points the finger at Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. In a Thursday interview with a home-state news service, Neugebauer said, “My beef wasn’t with the park ranger, my beef is with the Park Service and with the administration.” The congressman says the encounter, which was videotaped out of context, comes at the end of an inquiry by Neugebauer and fellow members of Congress into why the National Park Service had erected barricades and prevented entry into the Memorial, which is in the open and does not normally restrict access.

    The Memorial has found itself at the center of the government shutdown battle, which entered Day 4 on Friday. On Tuesday, a group of deserving WWII vets refused to be barred from their objective of visiting their Memorial, prompting the Park Service to permit entry by those and other WWII servicemen and women under consideration of their First Amendment rights.

    Thank you Veterans, for all that you have done and continue to do! Please permit me to reference a different Memorial in service of a WWII-era message that may carry some gravitas…

    Iwo Jima

    [Images via World War II Museum official Facebook and YouTube.]

  • Joe Biden Is Talking About Guns On Google+ Again

    In January, Vice President Joe Biden participated in a Google+ hangout, discussing gun violence. Today, he will do so again.

    This is part of the White House’s series of fireside hangouts. Biden will discuss reducing gun violence with mayors from across the country. Specifically, he’ll be joined by Karen Freeman-Wilson from Gary, Indiana, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake from Baltimore, Maryland, R.T. Rybak from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Steve Scaffidi from Oak Cree, Wisconsin.

    You can watch it live here. It starts at 2:45 PM Eastern.

  • New Audio Series Shows What It’s Like ‘Being Biden’

    The White House is launching a new audio series, powered by SoundCloud, that takes you into the daily life of the man behind the most powerful man in the world, Vice President Joe Biden.

    It’s called “Being Biden.”

    “The series will combine a photo that offers a glimpse into the Vice Presidency with an audio recording of the Vice President narrating the moment and its significance. He will tell the story behind the story – of where he was when the photo was snapped, why it matters to him, and how the experience fits into the broader narrative of this Administration. From meetings at the White House to travels around the country, the Vice President will share his perspective in candid, behind-the-scenes snapshots,” says the White House blog’s Macon Phillips.

    The series will be available on whitehouse.gov/beingbiden, and you’ll know when a new episode is available by following the VP’s Twitter account. You can even sign up for email alerts if you want.

  • Joe Biden To Talk About Guns On Google+ Thursday

    Vice President Joe Biden will be stopping by Google+ to participate in a hangout, and discuss gun violence on Thursday at 1:45 PM Eastern.

    According to Google, Biden will hangout for 30 minutes, and discuss the White House policy recommendations on reducing gun violence with Guy Kawasaki (author of Google+ book What The Plus), Phil DeFranco and Hari Sreenivasan from PBS Newshour.

    Fireside Hangout

    “As President Obama and his cabinet begin their second term in the White House, they’re renewing a series of conversations on Google+ with top administration officials,” explains Ramya Raghavan from Google+ Politics. “These ‘Fireside Hangouts,’ a 21st-century spin on FDR’s famous radio addresses, bring top Administration officials to Google+ to discuss the most important issues in the country, face-to-face-to-face with fellow citizens in a hangout.”

    Users can suggest questions by following the participants of the hangout. The broadcast will be viewable at the White House’s Google+ page and its YouTube channel.

    More White House-hosted hangouts with members of the Obama administration will take place as the President’s second term continues.

  • Biden Jokes About 2016, Gets Republicans Riled

    Joe Biden recently surprised onlookers and one unsuspecting Republican when he grabbed a cellphone from a man in a Sarasota restaurant yesterday and engaged in a long conversation with the person he’d been talking to–his brother– about health care reform.

    For some, Biden’s eccentric behavior is not a shock. He is notorious for speaking his mind–whether it’s politically advantageous or not–and often makes headlines with his free-spirited ways. His jokes, however, are not always taken with a grain of salt, and when his phone conversation turned to the election, those present were surprised at his reaction.

    After saying he wasn’t going to argue to gain a vote, Biden said, “After it’s all over, when your insurance rates go down, then you’ll vote for me in 2016.”

    His comment is all over the web today, especially on social media outlets like Twitter.

  • Vice Presidential Debate Saw 3.5 Million Tweets

    Last week’s first Presidential debate broke a Twitter record. With over 10 million total tweets coming in from start to finish, it became the most tweeted-about event in U.S. politics. Could the Vice Presidential debate live up to that sort of social media chatter?

    Not quite. But it did draw an impressive crowd.

    Twitter confirms that last night’s VP debate garnered 3.5 million total tweets from the beginning to the end. When the time is not a factor, 4 million tweets were sent out concerning Joe Biden and Paul Ryan’s contest.

    According to Twitter, 26% of those tweets concerned foreign policy, 21% were about the economy, and 16% specifically dealt with the topic of taxes. Twitter also highlights the top moments of the debate in terms of “tweets per minute.” Biden’s “Now you’re Jack Kennedy?” quip won the night with a spike of 58,275 TPM. Paul Ryan’s statement that “they got caught with their hand in the cookie jar turning Medicare into a piggybank for Obamacare” came in second, with 55,540 TPM.

    Twitter also identifies the winning buzzword of the night. Unsurprisingly, it was “malarkey.”

    If you missed last night’s Vice Presidential debate, you can watch it in its entirety below:

  • Biden Calls Malarkey, Chuckles During Debate

    Joe Biden certainly didn’t disappoint those who tuned in to the vice presidential debate looking for something more than just a dry argument; his somewhat sarcastic, increasingly agitated replies to Paul Ryan are already the subject of web gossip and memes this morning.

    It began with Biden calling malarkey after Ryan was asked to give his opinion on the Libya attacks on 9/11, saying, “With all due respect, that’s a bunch of malarkey. Not a thing he said was accurate.” The word came up several more times during the debate, with Biden substituting it for “stuff” at one point and making it clear that the term he really wanted to use wasn’t appropriate for the occasion.

    Ryan seemed to enjoy taking small digs at Biden, alternately telling the elder candidate that he seemed to be under duress–to which Biden laughed–and responding to Biden bringing up Romney’s “47%” remarks with, “As the vice president very well knows … sometimes the words don’t come out of your mouth the right way.” Biden, in turn, chose to be feisty where Obama played it cool, not letting any topic go untouched and calling out the Romney campaign on several points.

    With such an important election–and with Obama getting blasted by the media for a lackluster performance during his own debate–the pressure has been on Biden and Ryan to amp things up a bit, and it seems they hit the mark last night. The next debates will be on October 16th and 22nd.

  • Joe Biden Won the Debate If You Ask the Xbox LIVE Community

    Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that they would live-stream all three Presidential debates and the sole Vice Presidential debate via their new Elections Hub inside the Xbox 360 dashboard. But unlike YouTube, who’s simply streaming the events, Xbox is asking (Xbox LIVE Gold) members to provide feedback during the contests.

    “Throughout the debate, the Xbox LIVE community will be able to weigh in with their opinions by responding to real-time poll questions about the candidate’s performances, their responses to questions and views on issues,” says Microsoft.

    And according to a Major Nelson blog post, over 800,000 individual responses came in during last night’s Vice Presidential debate. That means that Xbox LIVE users averaged about 30,000 responses per question posed during the debate.

    Based on those reactions, Xbox LIVE can confirm that undecided voters swung heavily in favor of VP Biden.

    Here are some of the quick stats from last night:

    • Biden won the debate with Xbox Swing Voters: 44.1% of undecided voters declared Biden the winner with 22.9% choosing Ryan.
    • Biden was overwhelmingly viewed by our swing voters as being more truthful, garnering the favor of 72.2% of undecided respondents.
    • An overwhelming 70.1% of undecided voters do not consider a candidate’s religion when deciding for whom to vote.
    • 53.7% of undecided voters felt that Biden is better prepared to step in as president compared to 21% for Ryan

    When you look at the “who won the debate” question, 88.5% of Obama supporters (whether strong or leaning) chose Biden. The undecideds chose Biden, as did those who identified themselves as “other” – 52.6% to 26.4%. The only voters that picked Congressman Ryan as the winner were voters leaning Romney and those strong for Romney.

    The same breakdown exists for the question “who do you think is more truthful.”

    If you missed out on participating in the live polling on Xbox LIVE, don’t worry – you’ll have another two chances. Both remaining Presidential debates will be available on Xbox LIVE. The next one is on Tuesday, October 16th.

    And while you wait for that debate, you can check out the Xbox Elections Hub for videos and more coverage of the campaign 2012. They say that they’ve made two more additions to the content that should be appearing later this week – BBC and Comedy Central.

  • Vice Presidential Debate Streaming Live on YouTube [Reminder]

    If you want to see the current Vice President of the United States and the man that could assume that role battle it out face-to-face, tonight’s your only chance.

    At 9 pm ET, Joe Biden and Paul Ryan will meet for the only Vice Presidential debate of the campaign season. The debate will take place at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky and will cover topics both domestic and foreign policy oriented. The debate is scheduled to run for an hour and a half.

    If you don’t have access to a television but do have internet access, you’re in luck. That’s because YouTube is continuing their live coverage of the big political events of the year with a live stream of tonight’s debate, starting at 9 pm.

    YouTube says that last week’s first Presidential debate was one of their biggest live-streamed events ever. YouTube streamed it through their new Elections Hub launched back in August. YouTube will also be streaming the final two Presidential debates later this month.

    Here are some top moments from past Vice Presidential debates:

    YouTube is not the only place to watch the debate live. Xbox LIVE members can also stream tonight’s contest on their consoles, and they can also interact by answering poll questions throughout the duration.

    Head on over to YouTube’s Politics and Elections Hub for more election-themed videos as you wait for the debate.

  • Kim Dotcom Asks President Obama Some Questions In His New Song

    You may know Kim Dotcom for running the now defunct Megaupload and fighting against extradition to the U.S. You may not know that he’s also a rather accomplished musical artist. His new song, Mr. President, is obviously targeted at the U.S. government.

    If you have been following the Megaupload situation, Dotcom blames Vice President Biden for the shutdown of Megaupload. He claims to have evidence that Biden and MPAA CEO Chris Dodd collaborated on the attack against Megaupload with top execs from the major movie studios.

    Dotcom released a song back in May that targeted New Zealand MP John Banks over a money scandal. For those unfamiliar, Dotcom claims to have gave money to Banks totaling $100,000 in two checks for $50,000 each to keep it anonymous. Banks claims to have never received any money from Dotcom.

    While his previous song wasn’t very good, Mr. President is much better. You might not agree with the message in the song, but the production values are good and Dotcom’s voice is much better this time around.

    One of the more interesting parts of the music video is the allusions he makes to the Civil Rights movement. He mixes footage of Martin Luther King Jr. with the ACTA protests in Europe earlier this year alongside protest footage from Occupy Wall Street and the London Riots.

    Dotcom has also created a new website for his latest campaign that aims to expose the corruption in Washington. On the site, he lists a timer counting the number of days that Megaupload has been down. He also asks users if they would still vote for Obama if Megaupload isn’t brought back up by November 1. So far, 4,625 have said no while 1.674 have said yes.

  • Joe Biden Was Behind Megaupload Takedown Claims Kim Dotcom

    As we move closer to the date of Kim Dotcom’s extradition trial, things are getting crazier for those involved in the already crazy case. Dotcom recently won a huge case where the New Zealand High Court ordered the FBI to give back the data they took during the raid on his mansion. Dotcom isn’t content with this victory though, he wants to get to the bottom of why he was targeted.

    In a previous interview, Dotcom said that Megaupload was offered up as a political favor. He felt that the U.S. government went after him as a way to win favor with those in the entertainment industry. The Megaupload founder recently clarified his statements while speaking to TorrentFreak. He says that a “credible source” told him that Vice President Joe Biden ordered the hit on Megaupload.

    Why would Biden want anything to do with Megaupload? As it turns out, Biden is good friends with former senator and current MPAA CEO Chris Dodd. Dodd has been outspoken against piracy and even threatened politicians who opposed SOPA on air after the bill was defeated. It would make sense that Biden would do this “favor” since it would keep Hollywood firmly behind Obama and his re-election bid this year.

    What’s interesting is the proof that Dotcom has for this is recent allegation. The White House keeps records of all who hold meetings within the building and records from June of last year hold some interesting coincidences. The meeting in question featured not only Dodd but all the CEOs from major entertainment companies including Paramount, Sony and Walt Disney. It was also revealed that the MPAA gave large amounts of lobbying funds to Biden.

    In Dotcom’s eyes, all of this can’t be a coincidence. He sees it as a personal favor to a man who would love nothing more than to stomp out the Internet and keep the old dying ways of Hollywood as the status quo for at least a few more years.

    Of course, we also must give Biden the benefit of the doubt here. We don’t know everything and he might not have played a role whatsoever. The evidence is definitely not in his favor though. Dotcom claims that he will release all the information pertaining to Biden’s involvement when the time is right.

    Regardless, there are political machinations at work in the Megaupload case. I think we can agree with Dotcom when he says that the “whole Mega case is quite the political thriller.” Maybe they’ll even base a movie on it some day.

  • Joe Biden Supports Same Sex Marriage, Credits “Will & Grace”

    Vice President Joe Biden announced today on “Meet The Press” that he is “absolutely comfortable” with the idea of same sex marriage and added that he thinks a homosexual couple should be afforded the exact same rights given to heterosexual couples.

    While the news doesn’t come as a huge surprise to some–the Obama administration has been supportive of the LGBT community in the past with initiatives such as their repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell law–it might gain back a few more supporters for Obama at a critical time.

    Biden says that while obviously President Obama sets the policy, it has become evident that times are evolving, and with them, the acceptance of a committed love between two people no matter their sex.

    “I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women and heterosexual men marrying women are entitled to the same exact rights. All the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly I don’t see much of a distinction beyond that….I think Will & Grace probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody has done so far. People fear that is different and now they’re beginning to understand.”

    While just a few years ago it may have been considered political suicide to fully endorse such a controversial topic, it’s true that times, they are a changin’. Biden’s acknowledgement of the pressing need for the LGBT community to have the same rights as everyone else may not be popular among some, but it could earn him favorable views by those who were outraged over the recent decision on Obama’s part not to prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and that could mean big things for the current administration come voting time.

    (image)@bvazz
    Brett Vazzano    Watching Meet The Press intvw with Joe Biden. I like him, he’s a smart and charming guy. Too bad he gets such a bad rap.(image) 44 minutes ago via Tweetbot for iOS ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@JordanGPittman
    Jordan Pittman    Joe Biden just referenced Will & Grace on Meet The Press. My mind is blown.(image) 49 minutes ago via Twitterrific ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@ScottCartledge
    Scott Cartledge    This Joe Biden interview on Meet The Press is painful to watch. How did that man get to be VP?(image) 54 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Joe Biden Joins Twitter, Again, With Semi-Personal Account

    Today, Vice President Joe Biden joined Twitter. He was actually already on Twitter, on a more official capacity. The Veep’s new Twitter account has been launched as a “reboot,” to give voters a look at what Biden’s doing on a day-to-day basis. It’s a fake real account – or is it a real fake account?

    Really neither. It boasts the name, @JoeBiden, but the account is being run by the Obama 2012 campaign staff (just like the President’s Twitter account). And like the President, tweets from Joe Biden (as opposed to his staff) will appear with his named attached (-Joe).

    Biden has been on Twitter for a while, but there’s really been no semblance of a personal touch to the old account, @VP. The account is verified as “The Office of VP Biden,” and has been used primarily for the #AskVP initiative where Twitter users can tweet questions to Biden and he’ll link his answers via Storify.

    @JoeBiden
    Joe Biden    We’re excited to announce that @JoeBiden is being rebooted for the 2012 campaign season to give you news of the Vice President on the trail. 6 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @JoeBiden
    Joe Biden    Campaign staff will run this account to keep you up to date on what the VP’s up to, but you’ll see occasional tweets from Joe himself, too. 6 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    Just a few minutes ago, VP Biden did actually send out his first real tweet from the new account:

    @JoeBiden
    Joe Biden    I’m for the Buffett Rule because it just makes sense. Like the President says—it’s not class warfare. It’s math. -Joe 12 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    With some celebrities and politicians, there’s no telling how many of their social media updates are from them personally – or from some staff member. The Obama campaign has at least been honest and up front with the fact that @BarackObama and @JoeBiden accounts are mostly run by the team.

    Speaking of @BarackObama, he welcomed Biden to Twitter earlier today:

    @BarackObama
    Barack Obama    Hello, Joe: @JoeBiden is new on Twitter today, with the latest from the Vice President on the campaign trail. 3 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Broadband Spectrum Will Expand In the U.S.!!!

    Broadband Spectrum Will Expand In the U.S.!!!

    U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has released a report highlighting the need for expansion of the United States broadband spectrum. At the core of his report is what he calls the “spectrum crunch” or huge surge in wireless internet traffic brought about by the popularity of wireless devices like smartphones and tablets. His main concern is that wireless network providers will not be able to handle the rising levels of traffic with under their current capacities. Biden is calling for huge investments to be made in upgrading both the capacity and efficiency of existing broadband networks while also adding new options.

    Innovation is a core motivator for the upgrade claims Biden in his report:

    “Wireless broadband has the potential to transform many different areas of the American economy by providing a platform for new innovation. Areas where the innovations will likely have significant impact include consumer products and services, such as media-rich mobile apps and high definition streaming video; products to enhance business productivity, such as mobile video conferencing solutions and access to web-based business applications; health care, where the quality of care will be enhanced and costs reduced through products like patient-physician video conferencing and remote transmission of diagnostic information and images; and education, where digital classroom materials and educational applications are already enhancing learning.”

    His report also speaks in depth about building a dedicated wireless network for public safety official and emergency services. He claims this will open clogged networks that many service people currently deal with and provide critical information on demand:

    “With sufficient dedicated spectrum for public safety use, public safety personnel will have access to critical information even in emergency situations when commercial wireless networks are congested.”

    He believes this could be a project that stimulates the economy as well as fueling innovation and could have a great impact on job creation:

    “Like other information and communication technologies that have transformed the economy in the past, the spread of wireless broadband is likely to increase the rate of growth in per capita income; spur economic activity through new business investment; and support many new high- quality jobs.”

    The effort and funds that are being set forth also put America on par with other countries like Japan and South Korea who have grown abundant with wireless and broadband options. Biden believes that all of these factors make an investment in fighting the “spectrum crunch” a wise investment that should be a real revenue generator for the country.

  • SOPA, Google X & New Rebecca Black

    SOPA, Google X & New Rebecca Black

    Today’s video round-up features the Vice President discussing SOPA, and Next Media Animation discussing Google X (Google’s top secret robot lab). And I know you’ve just been dying to see more Rebecca Black videos.

    View more daily video round-ups here.

    Vice President Joe Biden talks about Internet Freedom:

    Next Media Animation takes on Google X:

    New Rebecca Black. It’s amazing as you think:

    Finally, a robotic bear pillow that tries to keep you from snoring:

    Siri argument:

    Shatner loves fried turkey:

    While my ukulele gently weeps:

    This guy was named “world’s worst person of the day” by The Daily What. It’s hard to really call this a “top video”, but people should see what an asshole this guy is.

    Two girls dressed like Super Mario Bros. playing its theme: