What’s interesting in the news today?

We’ll start with some good news this morning. Here’s the first. From YahooNews

“When Marine Sgt. Ross Gundlach served as a dog handler in Afghanistan, he told the yellow lab who was his constant companion that he’d look her up when he returned home.”

“The 25-year-old learned Casey had finished her military service and had been sent to the Iowa State Fire Marshal’s Office, where she was used to detect explosives.”

“Reynolds decided to arrange a surprise. First, he got in touch with the Iowa Elk’s Association, which agreed to donate $8,500 to buy another dog for the agency.”

“When Gundlach arrived with his parents, Reynolds told them the meeting had been delayed and invited them to join an Armed Services Day celebration in the rotunda. There, hundreds of law enforcement officers, military personnel and civilians were seated, keeping the secret — until they brought out Casey.

When Gundlach saw Casey, he put his head in his hands and cried. She licked his face, wagging her tail furiously.”

Good dog! 🙂

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Next we have a story of a woman abandoned at birth in a dumpster, and her adoption by loving parents who helped her overcome such a horrible start to life. From Today.com

“Rachael Clark is OK now. The straight-A student is graduating from the University of Maryland this year, getting married this summer, and excitedly making plans beyond that: To write a book about adoption; to pursue a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy; to become a mom to at least four kids.

The 23-year-old is so focused and busy that she sometimes forgets about the turmoil that’s dogged her since childhood. “Some days, it’s like it never happened,” Rachael said. “But some days, I really do struggle. I have such strong abandonment issues.”

Her issues stem from the way her life began. On Sept. 27, 1989, the day Rachael was born, she was sealed inside a dark garbage bag with her umbilical cord and placenta still attached. The trash bag was then thrown, hard, into a dumpster.”

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Tornadoes have once again caused serious damage in the nation’s mid-section. From NBCNews

“People in two states were taking shelter amid wailing warning sirens Sunday as tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down in Kansas and Oklahoma as part of an extreme weather system plowing through the nation’s midsection.”

“The system, which stretched from North Texas to Minnesota, also heaved hail — dime to softball sized — as well as heavy rainfall.”

“Across central Oklahoma, where multiple twisters were seen, homes were blown apart and off their foundations with some of the worst damage seen in the Twin Lakes area just outside Wellston, according to KFOR. Power lines were downed and trees uprooted.”

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There’s a news overload out there on the IRS scandal. I’m sure you’ve seen most of it. I’m just gonna point out two things. And remember this is a retiring Democrat Senator, and it sure sounds like he knows something we don’t. Yet.

And then this, “Everything comes from the top” From TheWashingtonExaminer

“A story in the Washington Post yesterday about the Internal Revenue Service’s Cincinnati office, which does most of the agency’s nonprofit auditing, clearly contradicted earlier reports that the agency’s targeting of Tea Party groups was the result of rogue agents.

The Post story anonymously quoted a staffer in Cincinnati as saying they only operate on directives from headquarters:”

““We’re not political,’’ said one determinations staffer in khakis as he left work late Tuesday afternoon. “We people on the local level are doing what we are supposed to do. . . . That’s why there are so many people here who are flustered. Everything comes from the top. We don’t have any authority to make those decisions without someone signing off on them. There has to be a directive.””

Exactly. Now who wrote it, and who’s hiding it?

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Oh look, another leak from the Obama admin. And once again, “low-level” people are responsible.  🙄

From TheJerusalemPost

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Bob Schieffer still seems pretty upset that WH officials used his show to push their lies on Benghazi. From NewsBusters

“As NewsBusters reported  two weeks ago, CBS’s Bob Schieffer is fed up with the White House’s talking  points concerning what happened at our consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last  September.

His impatience continued on Sunday’s Face the Nation when Obama  senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer gave stock answers to questions about the three  crises facing the President leading Schieffer to first accuse his guest of  taking “exactly the approach that the Nixon administration took” and finally  scolding him by asking, “Why are you here today? Why isn’t the White House Chief  of Staff here to tell us what happened?” (video follows with transcript and  commentary):”

“DAN PFEIFFER, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISOR: The point that our Chief of Staff  is making is that this is the Republican playbook here which is try, when they  don’t have a positive agenda, try to drag Washington into a swamp of partisan  fishing expeditions, trumped up hearings and false allegations. We’re not going  to let that distract us and the President from actually doing the people’s work  and fighting for the middle class.

BOB SCHIEFFER, HOST: You know, I don’t want to compare this in any way to  Watergate. I do not think this is Watergate by any stretch. But you weren’t born  then I would guess, but I have to tell you that is exactly the approach that the  Nixon administration took. They said, “These are all second-rate things. We  don’t have time for this. We have to devote our time to the people’s business.” You’re taking exactly the same line they did.”

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