The Friday Filibuster: The one-stop-shop for everything you need to know about this week in politics.
Closing Numbers:
19% of Texans would choose Gov. Scott Walker for the GOP presidential nominee—one percentage point shy of Sen. Ted Cruz.
21 – the number of Coptic Christians who were recognized by the church as martyrs after being beheaded by ISIS.
70% of Americans view Israel very favorably.
19% of likely U.S. voters think America and its allies are winning the War on Terror.
27% of British Muslims sympathize with the Charlie Hebdo shooters.
81% is PETA’s shelter kill rate in Virginia.
25% of the Iowa Republican Caucus would choose Gov. Scott Walker as their presidential candidate, leading the pack.
DHS & Immigration
Senate Republicans caved earlier this week in the DHS funding/executive amnesty fight, which paved the way for passage today in the upper chamber of a ‘clean’ DHS funding bill, 68-31, that would keep the department running through Sept. 30. The House, meanwhile, is closing in on approving a short-term spending bill that would avert a partial shutdown. The House had already passed a bill that fully funds DHS with the exception of Obama’s amnesty programs, but Senate Democrats filibustered the introduction of that legislation on multiple occasions, which prevented it from being debated or amended in the upper chamber. Meanwhile, another federal judge struck down one of Obama’s executive actions on immigration that helped end a wave of illegal immigration from Central American countries last summer.
Other Major Stories:
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to confirm AG nominee Loretta Lynch, so her full confirmation vote now heads to the entire Senate. Earlier this week, more than 50 House Republicans sent a letter to the Committee urging a vote to block her confirmation.
Meanwhile, if you like what Obamacare has done to health care, you’ll love what the Federal Communications Commission is about to do to the Internet. The Commission narrowly passed ‘net neutrality’ regulations on Thursday, which is supposed to guarantee "free and open access to the internet."
Finally, President Obama vetoed the Keystone XL Pipeline, just as he threatened he would.
Townhall Exclusives:
I had the chance to catch up with Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel to hear about the state’s new Online Checkbook, which allows citizens, journalists, and lawmakers alike to browse through more than $408 billion in state spending over seven fiscal years.
Cortney spoke with actor Ted McGinley about his role in a new faith-based film “Do You Believe?”
Townhall managing editor Kevin Glass explains on video the downside of news that the deficit is expected to drop to the lowest point it’s been since Obama took office.
CPAC exclusive interviews:
Check out our Townhall Media YouTube page for the latest out of CPAC this week and more.