The commanding general of Fort Benning can't seem to put to rest allegations that female soldiers were given special treatment to pass Ranger School.
Three women have now graduated the venerated school in west Georgia -- the third cleared Friday -- which has come under scrutiny from a lawmaker who questioned whether they
And People Magazine, citing unnamed sources,
given to the women:
"A woman will graduate Ranger School," a general told shocked subordinates this year while preparing for the first females to attend a "gender integrated assessment" of the grueling combat leadership course starting April 20, sources tell PEOPLE. "At least one will get through."
Maj. Gen. Scott Miller called the criticism "opaque" and sounded rather exasperated during a quickly arranged media sit-down to address the concerns.
Chuck Williams of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported that the most telling moment came after 50 minutes into the interview when Miller was questioned about whether the allegations damaged his credibility.
"I have thick skin and I am a public figure, but I will tell you who doesn't deserve this is these guys," he said, pointing to the Ranger instructors. "They don't deserve this. ... I keep telling everybody I will put my name on anything I say or do. If they are not willing to put their name on it or come back to me. ..."
Miller also had a tense back-and-forth with the People Magazine reporter who wrote the piece, telling her that if the reporter's sources came to Miller: "They are not going to get in trouble."
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Bill Cosby may be on the verge of losing another honorary degree.
The Augusta Chronicle reports that Paine College will vote on rescinding the embattled comedian's 2003 honorary doctorate at a meeting this week. Interim president Samuel Sullivan said the school's faculty will decide the outcome.
Dozens of schools that have given Cosby honorary degrees are rethinking that decision now that Cosby has been accused by at least 50 women of committing sexual assault.
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In suburban Atlanta, Cobb County actually lags in terms of changing racial demographics. But that is only a matter of degree. From a lengthy look at the topic by the Marietta Daily Journal:
Marietta City Schools has an enrollment that is 39.9 percent black, 35.4 percent Hispanic, 18.6 percent white, 3 percent multiracial and 2 percent Asian. District records show the system has been minority majority at least since the mid-1990s, according to Sommer Vega, district spokeswoman.
The Cobb School District became a minority majority school system in the 2006-07 school year. It has an existing racial breakdown of 39.6 percent white, 30.9 percent black, 20.51 percent Hispanic, 5.3 percent Asian and 3.6 percent multiracial, according to district spokeswoman Lauretta Hannon.
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U.S. Rep. Tom Price, R-Roswell, gave the closest indication yet that he is considering a speaker bid in a weekend radio interview with conservative outlet World Net Daily. But, like just about everyone else, he's deferring to Paul Ryan:
"I think Paul Ryan would be a great one. I really do," [Price] said. "Paul is an individual who can pull us together and move us forward in a positive way. If that's not to be, there are a number of folks I think that could fill that bill. If the conference thinks that I'm capable of being that unifying candidate, then we certainly would be willing to do so."
Georgia delegation mate Lynn Westmoreland, R-Coweta County, has been more overt about his interest.
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Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley took withering criticism for shuttering driver's license offices across the state's Black Belt in response to budget cuts, at a time when you need a driver's license to vote. So on Friday Alabama partially reversed the decision. Via Al.com:
"After careful consideration of options regarding the closure of 31 driver's license offices in Alabama's rural counties, I have asked that an Alabama Law Enforcement Agency examiner be provided one day a month to service those counties affected," the governor said in a statement.
Law Enforcement Secretary Spencer Collier said the offices would be staffed a minimum of one day a month. ALEA said it will make use of a retired state employees program when possible.
That did not prevent a Saturday scolding from Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton during a campaign stop in Hoover, Ala., in which she name-dropped her most prominent Georgia supporter. From the Washington Post:
The announcement of the closures was met with swift condemnation by Democrats and voting rights advocates in Alabama and across the country. On Friday, Bentley partially reversed the decision, saying that the offices would open in the affected areas once a month. Clinton said that still wasn't good enough.
"I'm proud of everyone in Alabama who leapt into action to fight this misguided decision to close those driver's license offices, and you've got people all over this nation who are rooting for and standing with you," Clinton said. "And it's time for your governor and the legislature not only to listen to their constituents, but to listen to their conscience about what it means to be a leader in our country."
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Your tax dollars are about to go toward protecting presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Ben Carson, while Hillary Clinton gets a beefed-up detail, according to a Newsmax report. While Trump has requested a Secret Service detail, Carson had one thrust upon him:
The threats to the retired pediatric neurosurgeon have been "off the charts," the source said. Polls show Carson either tied with Trump for front-runner status or in second place.
By comparison, Barack Obama got Secret Service protection in May 2007. Clinton, as former first lady, has always retained a detail.
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If you haven't seen it yet, Larry David as Bernie Sanders on SNL was pure gold.
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