Write an article based on this summary:

– John Podesta continued his assault on the FBI on Sunday, telling Meet the Press that he only heard from the bureau once about his hacked emails—and that was two days after WikiLeaks started dropping them. The timeline, per Podesta: On Oct. 7, the controversial Access Hollywood tape depicting Donald Trump dropped; "One hour later, WikiLeaks starts dropping my emails into the public," Podesta says. "One could say that those things might not have been a coincidence. Two days later, the FBI contacted me, and the first thing the agent said to me was, 'I don't know if you're aware but your email account might have been hacked.' I said, yes, I was aware of that." That, he says, "was the last time I'd heard from the FBI." “I think the Russians clearly intervened in the election and I think now that we know both the CIA and the FBI agree the Russians intervened to help Trump and Vladimir Putin was personally involved with that," Podesta continued, per Politico and Newsday. "It was distorted by the Russian intervention. A foreign adversary directly intervened into our democratic institution and tried to tilt the election to Donald Trump." Podesta contends that while "the Russians were trying to elect a lapdog," it's unclear whether Trump himself knew what was going on, but that "I think the electors have the right to know what the answers are."

HIGHLIGHTS Russian role in election dominates Sunday talk shows

 Podesta says Russians ‘clearly intervened’ in election

 Incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and a bipartisan group of colleagues, including Republican Sen. John McCain, sent a letter Sunday to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell requesting a special committee to probe reported Russian interference into the November presidential election.

 “Cybersecurity is the ultimate cross-jurisdictional challenge,” the letter states. It also says the “select committee on cyber” should make recommendations on “new legislation to modernize our nation’s laws, governmental organization, and related practices to meet this challenge.”

 Also on Sunday, Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) called for an investigation into whether and why CIA director John Brennan leaked information on Russian hacking to members of the media. King has said the House Intelligence Committee has not learned that Russian officials sought to help Donald Trump win the election, only that they wanted to interfere with the race.

 “There should be an investigation of what the Russians did, but also John Brennan and the hit job he seems to be orchestrating against the president-elect,” King said on ABC’s “This Week.”

 David Popp, spokesman for McConnell (R-Ky.), said the senator will review the letter and noted the senator said last week he supports a bipartisan inquiry into any Russian meddling. The letter was sent by Schumer (D-N.Y.), McCain (R-Ariz.), Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.).

 On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s former campaign chairman, said “Russians were trying to elect a lap dog” by backing Trump through the series of cyberhacks.

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 “I think the Russians clearly intervened in the election and I think that . . . now we know that both the CIA, the director of national intelligence, the FBI all agree that the Russians intervened to help Trump and that — as they have noted this week, NBC first revealed — that Vladimir Putin was personally involved with that,” Podesta said.

 Russian diplomats said they were talking to the Trump campaign and Trump surrogates said in August that they were in touch with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Podesta said.

 On “Fox News Sunday,” incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said Trump was still waiting for a uniform response from intelligence officials regarding Russia’s involvement in hacking U.S. officials, though he does not think the hacks affected the outcome of the election.

 “I think he would accept the conclusion if these intelligence professionals would get together, put out a report, show the American people that they’re actually on the same page,” Priebus said. “Let’s assume it’s true. There’s no evidence that shows that the outcome of the election was changed because of a couple dozen John Podesta emails that were out there.”

 Podesta said he was only contacted by the FBI two days after his emails appeared on WikiLeaks on Oct. 7. He has not had any further contact with the FBI, he said.

 With Alison Fox ||||| "What did Trump Inc. know? When did they know it? Were they in touch with the Russians?" John Podesta asked. | AP Photo Podesta suggests Trump associates may have colluded with Russian hackers

 Former Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta said Sunday he believes that Donald Trump's associates may have colluded with Russian hackers to win the election.

 In his first TV interview since Hillary Clinton's loss, Podesta said he doesn't believe that the president-elect himself was part of the plan but suggested some of his associates may have gone off the reservation. The Electoral College electors, he said, have the right to know the extent of the Trump campaign's involvement before they cast their votes Monday.

 Story Continued Below

 "It's very much unknown whether there was collusion," Podesta said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

 "What did Trump Inc. know? When did they know it? Were they in touch with the Russians?" Podesta asked. "I think the electors have the right to know what the answers are."

 "The Russians were trying to elect a lap dog," Podesta said, referring to a recent piece by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof.

 Podesta also offered new details on the hacking of his private Gmail account, saying he wasn't contacted by the FBI until Oct. 9, two days after WikiLeaks started releasing his emails.

 "The first thing the agent said to me is, 'I don't know if you're aware, but your email account might have been hacked,'" Podesta said. "I said, 'Yes, I was aware of that.'"

 "That was the last time I talked to the FBI," Podesta added.

 Podesta accepted a share of the blame for Clinton's loss, though, conceding the campaign wasn't aggressive enough in some Midwestern states. Democrats should put together a detailed postmortem report, he said, similar to what Republicans did after Mitt Romney's loss in 2012.

 “We owe it to our supporters to say what we think we did right, what we think we did wrong," Podesta said. "I think [in] Wisconsin we could have done better. There’s no question about it.”

 “At the end of the day, we also lost Pennsylvania, and there is nothing we left … undone there, and we still lost by 44,000 votes," he added. ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.

 / Updated By Liz Johnstone

 John Podesta, former chairman of Hillary Clinton's campaign, said Sunday that the FBI first contacted him about his hacked emails two days after WikiLeaks began publishing them — and that he has not heard from the FBI since.

 "Let's go through the chronology. On October 7, the Access Hollywood tapes comes out. One hour later, WikiLeaks starts dropping my emails into the public," Podesta told Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press," referencing the leaked tape from 2005 that features now-President-elect Donald Trump bragging in graphic terms about kissing and groping women without their consent. "One could say that those things might not have been a coincidence. Two days later, the FBI contacted me, and the first thing the agent said to me was, 'I don't know if you're aware but your email account might have been hacked.' I said, yes, I was aware of that."

 Todd pressed Podesta on when he knew that his emails had been stolen.

 "In one of those DNC documents that appeared to me ... that might have came from my account," Podesta said. "So I wasn't sure. I didn't know what they had, what they didn't have. It wasn't until October 7 when [WikiLeaks' Julian] Assange ... started dumping them out and said they would all dump out, that's when I knew that they had the contents of my email account."

 "By the way," Podesta added, "that was the last time I'd heard from the FBI."

 "Do you expect to get a phone call before the end of the year?" Todd asked.

 "Maybe before the end of the show," Podesta joked.

 Intelligence officials confirmed Friday that the FBI agrees with the CIA's assessment that Russia mounted a covert operation intended not just to disrupt the 2016 election, but to help Trump win. U.S. intelligence now has "a high level of confidence" that Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally involved in the campaign.

 Podesta recently published an op-ed in the Washington Post arguing that "something is deeply broken" within the FBI and called for a full, independent investigation into the Russian hacks. Podesta on Sunday also criticized director James Comey's actions regarding intelligence surrounding Russia's interference in the election relative to how he handled a development in the investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state.

 "What I said was baffling, Chuck, was on October 7, as the Director of National Intelligence, Jim Clapper, Jay Johnson, director of Homeland Security, went out and said, 'The Russians are trying to interfere in our election,' Director Comey counseled against that. He said, 'I don't want the F.B.I.'s name on that,'" Podesta said. "Then three weeks later, he went out and dropped the infamous letter just 11 days before the election, saying that he was going to take yet another look at Hillary Clinton's emails because of the laptop that he had gotten from Huma Abedin's husband Anthony Weiner. So how can you have that both ways?"

 Podesta said that ahead of tomorrow's Electoral College vote cementing Trump's victory, "the question is whether there are 37 Republican electors who think that either there are open questions or that Donald Trump, based on everything we know about him, is really unfit to be president of the United States."

 Podesta indicated that he was aware of calls for Clinton's electors to support someone like John Kasich or Mitt Romney in order to entice those 37 Republican electors away from Trump, but that he assumed Clinton's electors were going to vote for her.

 "It's not really what the Democrats are going to do. And I guess we'll know about it tomorrow," Podesta said. |||||


Article:
Getty Images

 Because there haven't been enough responses already to the celeb nude photo leak, a Los Angeles street artist has now announced that he will add the hacked photos of Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton to his upcoming show.

 E! Online reports that the artist, known as XVALA, plans to print life-sized reproductions of the photos on canvas for his "No Delete" show at CACA's The Showroom in St. Petersburg, Florida. According to the report, XVALA has been amassing "compromised" images of celebrities over the course of the past seven years as part of his "Fear Google" campaign, which appeared in public areas throughout Los Angeles and is meant to explore the loss of privacy in a world where every action leaves a digital footprint.

 XVALA reportedly explained his decision by saying, "In today's culture, everybody wants to know everything about everybody. An individual's privacy has become everyone else's business. It has become cash for cache."

 Publicist Cory Allen issued a statement commending XVALA's work for helping to "strengthen the ongoing debate over privacy in the digital era" -- because being complicit in the violation and abuse of these women is totally about contributing to a cultural dialogue, and not at all about profiting from a sex crime.

 The show is slated to open October 30, which means that it may or may not actually happen, considering that the photos are now officially evidence in a federal criminal investigation, and a representative for Jennifer Lawrence have announced that anyone who posts them will be prosecuted.

 It's also worth noting that XVALA is choosing to show his "work" in Florida rather than his native L.A. -- which might have something to do with the fact that in California, posting nude photos without consent and with the intention of causing distress is actually against the law.

 What do you think? Should the photos be allowed to be used for an art exhbition? ||||| Leaked nude images of Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton hacked and posted online over the weekend will be featured in an upcoming art exhibit at The Cory Allen Contemporary Art Showroom in St. Petersburg, Fla.

 The images will be included in an collection titled “No Delete” by artist XVALA.

 “This show has been in the works for about two years now,” Cory Allen told FOX411. “When this came out…about Jennifer Lawrence [and] Kate Upton, it was the prefect dialogue. It was about invasion of privacy—and [the artist] thought it would be the perfect time to add these as a final installment to [the collection].”

 Reps for Lawrence and Upton have been adamant that they have legal action planned for anyone who spreads the photos around.

 "The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence,” a rep for the Oscar-winner said. Meanwhile, Upton’s publicist threatened: “We intend to pursue anyone disseminating or duplicating these illegally obtained images to the fullest extent possible."

 More on this... Four4Four: Inside celeb nude pic hack scandal

 So how does Allen play to get away with displaying the photos?

 He told FOX411 the images of Lawrence and Upton were just a small part of a much larger exhibit about privacy in today’s society. Plus, he said they’re art, not photos.

 “We’re not posting them… and we don’t see them as photos. [The artist] sees it as art,” Allen said. “He’s not trying to exploit anything. He’s basically just mirroring who we are today. I think if he was really concerned and too worried about the legality side of it, it would challenge the integrity of the art.”

 He added that he thinks the fact that the gallery is not sharing the pictures is key.

 “We’re not sharing the photos; we’re not posting them; we’re not trying to promote that aspect of it. He is creating the artwork from these images. There are also other images [in the exhibit].”

 This isn’t the first time artist XVALA has used controversial celebrity images in his work. In 2007, he used the memorable photo of Britney Spears shaving her head as part of an exhibit and in 2011 he plastered Scarlett Johansson’s leaked nude pictures around Los Angeles with the words “Fear Google” covering her body.

 Reps for Lawrence and Upton did not immediately return FOX411’s request for comment.

 WATCH: Four4Four: Inside the nude hacks rocking Hollywood |||||Summary:

– This exhibit isn't likely to get much A-list approval: Florida's Cory Allen Contemporary Art Showroom plans to include some of the recent hacked nude photos of celebrities as part of an art show titled "No Delete." The St. Petersburg gallery tells Fox News that the October show is "about invasion of privacy" and "has been in the works for about two years now." After photos of Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, and others leaked, Los Angeles artist XVALA decided to add them to his work, the gallery explains. E! reports the collection also will include intimate and nude images of celebrities taken from Google over a seven-year period, printed "life-size and unaltered." "In today's culture, everybody wants to know everything about everybody," says XVALA in a statement. "An individual's privacy has become everyone else's business." The gallery is using a this-is-art rationale to defend the piece and say it's within the law, but MTV sounds skeptical it will happen considering that the photos are now part of an FBI investigation and celebs are promising to prosecute those who share them. It also notes that XVALA's decision to show the exhibit in Florida rather than his native state "might have something to do with the fact that in California, posting nude photos without consent and with the intention of causing distress is actually against the law."


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Image copyright Samsung Image caption Samsung acknowledges that it uses software that has an impact on its energy efficiency scores

 The European Commission says it is "following up" two reports that raise concerns that software used in TVs may be skewing their energy rating scores.

 One study indicates that some Samsung TVs nearly halve their power consumption when a standardised test is carried out.

 Another accuses a different unnamed manufacturer of adjusting the brightness of its sets when they "recognise" the test film involved.

 Samsung has denied any wrongdoing.

 It acknowledged that it used software that altered its televisions' performance during tests, but said this was the effect of a general energy efficiency feature that came into effect during normal use and had nothing to do with the testing process.

 However, one environmental campaign group has likened the accusations to the Volkswagen diesel scandal, in which the German car firm admitted to programming its cars to deliberately cheat emissions tests.

 Power drop

 Televisions' energy efficiency ratings are based on the power they use while screening a 10-minute video, which contains a mix of fast and slow-moving content shown at different brightness levels.

 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Manufacturers must carry out a standardised energy efficiency test before they can put their screens on sale

 Manufacturers run the test themselves and then file the results. Some of these are then double-checked by various countries' energy regulatory bodies.

 The study involving Samsung was carried out by ComplianTV, a consortium that represents various non-governmental organisations including the UK's Energy Saving Trust (EST). News of the study was first reported by the Guardian newspaper.

 ComplianTV's researchers found that the power demands of one of the South Korean firm's LCD TVs dropped from 70 watts to about 39 watts within a minute of the test video starting.

 "That's not normal, it's an anomaly," explained Richard Kay, an EST spokesman.

 But he added: "We don't have any evidence to back up the accusation that Samsung has a technology to recognise when it is tested."

 Image copyright ComplianTV Image caption This graph shows how the Samsung TV reduced its power requirement shortly after the start of the test

 Samsung said it "firmly rejected" suggestions that it had designed its TV settings to deliberately produce misleading power performance results.

 But it acknowledged that "motion lighting" - a feature introduced in 2011 that controls TV screens' backlights - was causing the discrepancy.

 "It is a standard out-of-the-box feature, which is switched on when the customer takes delivery of their TV, and remains on whenever the customer chooses to watch their TV in standard viewing mode," it said in a blog.

 "It is a default setting which works both in the lab and at home; delivering energy savings and helping us to reduce our environmental impact."

 Dimmer picture

 The second study was carried out by the Swedish Energy Agency, which wrote to the European Commission to alert it of its findings in January.

 The agency has not disclosed which company's televisions it tested.

 But the BBC understands that sets belonging to a single manufacturer that was not Samsung were judged to "clearly recognise" the test film.

 "These displays immediately lower their energy use by adjusting the brightness of the display when the standard film is being run," the report concluded.

 "This is a way of avoiding the market surveillance authorities and should be addressed by the Commission."

 'Brave new world'

 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A UK watchdog raised concerns about TVs changing their power requirements during tests four years ago

 The European Commission said it now planned to explore the two sets of findings.

 "We will follow up both of them," Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, spokeswoman for climate action and energy, told the BBC.

 "We will first of all verify if the problem has occurred. If it has we will estimate at what scale and whether the use of alleged defeat devices results in products being tested as compliant when they are in fact not.

 "So, we therefore cannot yet judge the extent of the problem."

 She stressed that at this stage the Commission had not launched a formal investigation.

 One campaign group highlighted that UK regulators had raised concerns about some TVs adjusting their power-use during tests "to get a better energy label ranking" as far back as 2011.

 "We've got government agencies appearing to find gadgets that detect test conditions, which smacks of the VW case," said Jack Hunter from the European Environmental Bureau.

 "We're entering a brave new world of sophisticated, connected technology, which could be a great thing, but is also open to abuse.

 "It's vital that government officials have the resources and a bullish attitude to ensure that everyone is playing by the rules." ||||| EU may ban ‘defeat devices’ after laboratory tests raise questions over whether some TVs could be set up to game efficiency tests

 Independent lab tests have found that some Samsung TVs in Europe appear to use less energy during official testing conditions than they do during real-world use, raising questions about whether they are set up to game energy efficiency tests.

 The European commission says it will investigate any allegations of cheating the tests and has pledged to tighten energy efficiency regulations to outlaw the use of so-called “defeat devices” in TVs or other consumer products, after several EU states raised similar concerns.

 The apparent discrepancy between real-world and test performance of the TVs is reminiscent of the VW scandal that originated in the US last week. The car company has admitted fitting software to 11m diesel vehicles worldwide which meant the cars produced less pollution during testing than real-world driving.

 Samsung strongly denies that its TVs’ “motion lighting” feature is designed to fool official energy efficiency tests or that it constitutes a defeat device. The company says it reduces screen brightness in response to numerous types of real-world content including fast-moving action movies and sports and slower moving footage such as weather reports - not just during test conditions.

 Brussels targets super-sized TVs in drive for energy efficiency Read more

 “There is no comparison [between motion lighting and VW defeat devices],” a Samsung spokesman said. “This is not a setting that only activates during compliance testing. On the contrary, it is an ‘out of the box’ setting, which reduces power whenever video motion is detected. Not only that, the content used for testing energy consumption has been designed by the international electrotechnical commission to best model actual average picture level internationally.”

 The apparent differences came to light in unpublished lab tests by an EU-funded research group called ComplianTV which recorded consistently higher energy consumption rates for the company’s models in real-world situations than in official test conditions.

 The lab studies found that Samsung’s ‘motion lighting’ feature reduced the TV sets’ brightness – and power consumption – under international electrotechnical commission (IEC) test conditions. These involve the playback of fast sequences of varied material, such as recorded TV shows, DVDs and live broadcasts.

 But under real-world viewing conditions, no reductions in power consumption were registered, making the sets’ power consumption, fuel bills and carbon emissions correspondingly higher.

 After tests in February, a ComplianTV report, which did not name Samsung, said: “The laboratories observed different TV behaviours during the measurements and this raised the possibility of the TV’s detecting a test procedure and adapting their power consumption accordingly. Such phenomenon was not proven within the ComplianTV tests, but some tested TVs gave the impression that they detected a test situation.”

 “Samsung is meeting the letter of the law but not the spirit of the law,” Rudolf Heinz, the project manager of ComplianTV’s product lab, told the Guardian.

 World's energy systems at risk from global warming, say leading firms Read more

 Some of the ComplianTV study results were presented at a Royal Society meeting sponsored by the Energy Saving Trust in London on Tuesday.

 There is no suggestion that Samsung, the world’s biggest TV manufacturer, behaved illegally, although energy efficiency campaigners claim that EU testing procedures are overly generous.

 In response to a Guardian inquiry, the European commission pledged to outlaw the use of defeat devices within the bloc’s TV ecodesign regulations, and said that any allegations of their use would be fully investigated.

 “The commission is proposing specific text to clarify that [the use of defeat devices] is illegal and that products found to behave differently under test conditions cannot be considered compliant,” a spokesperson said. “The commission will investigate whether this practice is used in other product sectors.”

 Several EU states have already complained about the problem, including the Swedish Energy Agency in a letter to the European commission earlier this year.

 “The Swedish Energy Agency’s Testlab has come across televisions that clearly recognise the standard film (IEC) used for testing,” says the letter, which the Guardian has seen. “These displays immediately lower their energy use by adjusting the brightness of the display when the standard film is being run. This is a way of avoiding the market surveillance authorities and should be addressed by the commission.” The letter did not name any manufacturers.

 “There’s more than a whiff of diesel fumes coming out of this, with officials finding gadgets that recognise test conditions and alter their behaviour,” said Jack Hunter, a spokesman for the European Environmental Bureau an environmental watchdog funded by European governments and international bodies. “If deception is proved for TVs, there’s bound to be a fresh hoard of angry customers à la Volkswagen.”

 Three years earlier, the UK also told the commission that it had received intelligence indicating that some TVs had been pre-installed with default software settings that changed static video signals to dynamic ones, reducing luminance and power consumption.

 “The purpose seems to be to pass the peak luminance measurement test and then reduce luminance (and power) to get a better energy label ranking when the on power is measured,” the correspondence says. “All very clever and it is not dimming so much that it makes a huge difference, but does the commission consider this an acceptable practice or is this a non-compliant activity?”

 Emissions scandal: how the drive for diesel ran out of gas Read more

 The commission did not respond to a request for its answer to the question. But one UK market surveillance officer told the Guardian that the use of defeat devices was “an area of increasing risk to us – not just in TVs but across the board and future programmes are being duly adjusted to look at these areas.”

 Research underway by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in the US has also uncovered what Noah Horowitz, the NRDC’s director for energy efficiency standards called “a curious anomaly with one manufacturer’s TV’s”.

 More testing is planned to establish whether manufacturers are gaming television testing procedures. But “it wouldn’t take much for an unscrupulous manufacturer to install software to detect the unique ‘signature’ of the test and to then have the unit go into some sort of eco-mode and produce superior results (ie lower energy use) that wouldn’t occur under normal usage,” Horowitz said.

 Televisions typically consume up to 10% of a typical household’s electricity use, according to coolproducts, a coalition of NGOs which campaigns for energy-saving product designs. The group says that across Europe, TVs now account for as much energy use as the combined electricity consumption of Sweden and Portugal, and that this figure is growing.

  |||||

– Claims are coming in from multiple European countries that television manufacturers are pulling a Volkswagen and installing software to cheat energy-efficiency tests, the BBC reports. An EU-funded lab presented findings Tuesday that showed televisions manufactured by Samsung—the largest television manufacturer in the world—cut their energy consumption nearly in half during efficiency tests through their "motion lighting" feature, which would activate under test conditions but not under normal viewing. Critics are comparing it to this month's Volkswagen scandal, in which the company installed software to fool emissions tests, according to the Guardian. “There is no comparison,” a Samsung spokesperson says. “This is not a setting that only activates during compliance testing." Earlier this year, the Swedish Energy Council complained to the European Commission that another, unnamed television manufacturer had sets that recognized the standard test video and immediately dimmed to cut energy use when the video started, the BBC reports. And the United Kingdom complained about similar "defeat software" in televisions three years ago, according to the Guardian. Televisions in Europe account for the equivalent of the total electrical consumption of Sweden and Portugal every year. If televisions are cheating efficiency tests, that means energy consumption, electricity bills, and carbon emissions are all higher than advertised. The European Commission says it will be investigating the claims.


News article:

Former First Lady Michelle Obama made no mention of the man who replaced her husband as president during her first post-White House speaking engagement Thursday in Orlando and appeared to rule out seeking office in the future.

 “It’s all well and good until you start running, and then the knives come out,” she said. “Politics is tough, and it’s hard on a family … I wouldn’t ask my children to do this again because, when you run for higher office, it’s not just you, it’s your whole family.”

 “Plus,” she added, “there’s just so much more we can do outside of the office, because we won’t have the burden of political baggage.”

 Obama participated in a 45-minute Q&A during the American Institute of Architects’ annual conference at the Orange County Convention Center on Thursday. She spoke about adjusting to life after the White House and discussed her goals for the future and causes she hopes to support.

 “One issue that I am excited about continuing to work on is … to help young girls get an education around the world,” she said, citing the Let Girls Learn initiative she launched as first lady. Obama also stressed the need to combat violence against women and improve their access to healthcare.

 “The plight of women and girls is real,” she said. “The struggles are real.”

 Her remarks came days after President Barack Obama’s first public appearance since leaving office. The ex-president spoke at a forum Monday for students at the University of Chicago, reflecting on his formative experiences in politics and doling out advice.

 Like her husband days earlier, Michelle Obama never mentioned President Donald Trump during Thursday’s event, though she did get laughs for making reference to news media coverage of his first 100 days in office.

 “So far, so good,” she said, asked about her adjustment to life as a private citizen. “It hasn’t been that long, really. It’s been less than 100 days. I think everybody’s counting 100 days. We’re counting, too.”

 Later, she described holding back her emotions after saying goodbye to White House workers on the day of Trump’s inauguration. “I didn’t want to have tears in my eyes because people would swear I was crying because of the new president,” she said.

 Obama said said she and her family were enjoying the freedoms of post-White House life, such as being able to open their windows at night, travel without a motorcade and answer their own front door.

 “You can imagine our two dogs, Bo and Sunny, who had never heard a doorbell in their life,” she said.

 Obama said she and her husband are hard at work on plans for the Barack Obama Presidential Center, which will be in Jackson Park on the south side of Chicago and hosted by the University of Chicago.

 “We have spent a lot of time looking at structures and models and it’s been a phenomenal experience,” she said. “We’re also thinking about what’s going to happen in that building, the programming, what we can do not just for the city of Chicago, but for the country and the world, perhaps.”

 Despite her hesitance to seek elected office in the future, Michelle Obama pledged that she and her husband will be active in social causes.

 “Barack and I have been in public service our whole lives,” she said. “Public service will always be in our blood.”

 The Obamas mostly have kept a low profile since Barack Obama’s farewell address in January, though details and photos of their post-presidential vacation have surfaced in recent weeks. Michelle Obama was last in Central Florida for the Invictus Games at Walt Disney World in May 2016.

 jeweiner@orlandosentinel.com, 407-420-5171 or @JeffWeinerOS on Twitter

 11 arrested in Orange during ICE sweep of Florida, Puerto Rico » ||||| Story highlights Obama has stayed clear from the spotlight since they left the White House

 She says being in the White House was tough on their family

 Washington (CNN) Former first lady Michelle Obama said she would never run for political office because she "wouldn't ask my children to do this again."

 In her first speech since leaving the White House, she told an audience at the America Institute of Architecture convention in Orlando that being in the White House was tough on her family.

 No cameras were permitted at the speech, where Obama told the audience she can help the country as a private citizen without being in the political spotlight, adding that the vitriol of politics meant that people "thought I was the devil." Obama said she will continue to work for young girls and women around the world who face challenges with education, medical care, economic inequality and violence.

 "It's good to get out of the house," she said about being at the event. "(It's been) so far so good -- it hasn't been that long since we left ... it's good to not have the weight of the world upon your shoulders."

 Read More |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– If you were hoping that the US might someday have a President Michelle Obama, we have bad news for you. The former first lady says she won't run for political office, CNN reports. During her first speech since the Obamas left the White House, Michelle on Thursday told a crowd at the American Institute of Architecture convention in Florida that since exiting political life, it's been "good to not have the weight of the world upon your shoulders." She added that she plans to continue working on behalf of women and girls, but that she can make an impact without being an elected official. "It’s all well and good until you start running [for office], and then the knives come out. Politics is tough, and it’s hard on a family," she said, according to the Orlando Sentinel. "I wouldn’t ask my children to do this again because, when you run for higher office, it’s not just you, it’s your whole family." She added that as a private citizen, she can work for the causes that are important to her without "the burden of political baggage," but assured the audience that public service would always be a part of her and her husband's lives.


– Chris Christie may have a pretty irate nurse taking the Garden State to task over the execution of his mandatory-quarantine policy toward Ebola, but he's standing by it. "I think this is a policy that will become a national policy sooner rather than later," he told Fox News Sunday today, as per Politico. "It was my conclusion that we needed to do this to protect the public health of the people of New Jersey. We have taken this action, and I have no second thoughts about it." Fellow Republican Darrell Issa, meanwhile, says that New Jersey's quarantine—like those in Illinois and New York—is an attempt to compensate for the White House's lack of leadership on Ebola, but probably not the best course. "Science has told us that if someone doesn’t have an elevated temperature or the other later symptoms, that we can rely on them not being contagious," he said. "If that’s true, then immediate isolation of people for 21 days is not the answer. Again, trust matters." Elsewhere on your Sunday dial: National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci: "Asymptomatic (people) do not transmit. That doesn't mean we're cavalier about it, but that means there are other steps (to avoid the) unintended consequences of disincentivizing health care workers." Per the AP: "The best way to protect us is to stop the epidemic in Africa, and we need those health care workers so we do not want to put them in a position where it makes it very, very uncomfortable US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power: Returning American health care workers need to be "treated like conquering heroes and not stigmatized for the tremendous work that they have done."

Expand this summary.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mandatory 21-day quarantines on health care workers returning from Ebola-ravaged West Africa, like those put in place by three states, can have the unintended consequence of discouraging them from volunteering, a top federal health official said Sunday.

 Patient Nina Pham is hugged by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, outside of National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md., Friday, Oct. 24,... (Associated Press)

 File-This Feb. 28, 2014, file photo shows Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., speaking during a news conference after a private U.N. Security Council meeting. Power is going to visit all three... (Associated Press)

 Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that as a physician and scientist, he would have recommended against a quarantine.

 "The best way to protect us is to stop the epidemic in Africa, and we need those health care workers so we do not want to put them in a position where it makes it very, very uncomfortable for them to even volunteer to go." he said.

 He said active and direct monitoring can accomplish the same thing as a quarantine because people infected with Ebola do not become contagious until they start showing symptoms. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.

 New York, New Jersey and Illinois imposed mandatory quarantines after Dr. Craig Spencer, a Doctors Without Borders physician who treated patients in Guinea, was diagnosed with Ebola last Thursday. The doctor, who is now in isolation at New York's Bellevue Hospital, had been on the subway, went bowling and to a park and restaurant before showing symptoms

 Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., said he concluded the quarantine was necessary to protect public health in his state and that he thinks the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "eventually will come around to our point of view on this."

 Christie said Fauci was counting on "a voluntary system with folks who may or may not comply."

 The governor pointed to an NBC News crew that had returned from West Africa was supposed to self-quarantine because its cameraman was hospitalized with Ebola. "Two days later they were out picking up takeout food in Princeton and walking around the streets of Princeton," he said. The cameraman has recovered and has been released from the hospital.

 Fauci said Spencer did exactly what he should have done by putting himself in isolation as soon as he developed a fever. "No one came into contact with his body fluids," Fauci said. "The risk is essentially zero, vanishingly small."

 Fauci said the health care workers returning from treating Ebola patients are responsible and know that if they have symptoms there's the possibility of transmitting the disease. "They don't want to get anyone else infected," he said.

 As for the unintended consequences, he said, "If we don't have our people volunteering to go over there, then you're going to have other countries that are not going to do it and then the epidemic will continue to roar," he said.

 Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who is on a trip to West Africa to highlight the need for increased international support to combat Ebola, spoke of a need to ensure that returning U.S. health care workers "are treated like conquering heroes and not stigmatized for the tremendous work that they have done."

 Fauci appeared on "Fox News Sunday," ABC's "This Week" and NBC's "Meet the Press." Christie was interviewed on Fox and Power spoke to NBC. ||||| New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he has no second thoughts about enacting a 21-day medical quarantine on medical workers returning from treating Ebola patients in West Africa.

 "I think this is a policy that will become a national policy sooner rather than later," the Republican governor said on "Fox News Sunday," emphasizing the population density of his state and the New York metropolitan area.

 "The fact of the matter is that the CDC protocol, as Dr. [Anthony] Fauci admitted himself, had been a moving target," Christie added, referring to an earlier interview on the same show with the director of the Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

 (Also on POLITICO: Fauci talks quarantine's 'unintended consequences')

 "It was my conclusion that we needed to do this to protect the public health of the people of New Jersey," Christie said. "[New York] Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo agreed, and now [Chicago] Mayor [Rahm] Emanuel agrees, and I think the CDC eventually will come around to our point of view on this."

 "This is government's job," Christie said. "We have taken this action, and I have no second thoughts about it."

 (WATCH: Sunday shows in 90 seconds)

 Asked to comment on the idea of a quarantine, Fauci reiterated the notion that it was unnecessary, calling it "draconian" during his appearance on "Meet the Press" on NBC."

 We need to treat them, returning people, with respect, and make sure that they're really heroes," he said. "So the idea that we're being a little bit draconian, there are other ways to protect. There's monitoring, there's direct monitoring, there's active monitoring. We don't necessarily need to do that."

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 Read more about: Quarantine, Chris Christie, Ebola, Anthony Fauci ||||| Quarantines of health care workers returning from treating Ebola patients in West Africa might not be the best scientific approach, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases said Sunday.

 Three states — New York, New Jersey and Illinois — enacted medical quarantines of workers coming home from working in West Africa. And Anthony Fauci said on "Fox News Sunday" there's concern about the quarantine keeping others from volunteering.

 "First principle: Protect American people. Second principle: Make your decision based on the science," he said.

 (Also on POLITICO: Rick Scott implements Ebola monitoring)

 "Guidelines regarding how you handle people from coming back should always be based on the science, and the science tells us that people who are asymptomatic do not transmit," Fauci added. "That doesn't mean we're cavalier about it, but that means there are other steps that you can protect American people based on the scientific evidence that does not necessarily go so far as to possibly have unintended consequences of disincentivizing health care workers. The best way to protect us is to stop the epidemic in Africa, and we need those health care workers."

 (WATCH: Sunday shows in 90 seconds)

 Active and direct monitoring would accomplish the same thing as a quarantine, Fauci said. He made similar remarks on NBC's "Meet the Press," CNN's "State of the Union" and ABC's "This Week."

 "We need to treat them, returning people, with respect, and make sure that they're really heroes," he said on "Meet the Press" when talking about a quarantine of the returning health-care workers. "So the idea that we're being a little bit draconian, there are other ways to protect. There's monitoring, there's direct monitoring, there's active monitoring. We don't necessarily need to do that."

 Read more about: Quarantine, Ebola, Anthony Fauci ||||| Rep. Darrell Issa said on Sunday the public lacks confidence in the Obama administration's ability to handle the Ebola crisis.

 The California Republican, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said governors of both parties are reacting to an absence of presidential leadership. Illinois, New Jersey and New York recently imposed mandatory 21-day quarantines for health care professionals returning from treating Ebola patients in West Africa.

 But Issa said on CNN's "State of the Union" that mandatory quarantines might not be the best way for states to contain the disease.

 (WATCH: Sunday shows in 90 seconds)

 "Science has told us, if we are to take them at their word, that if someone doesn’t have an elevated temperature or the other later symptoms, that we can rely on them not being contagious," he said. "If that’s true, then immediate isolation of people for 21 days is not the answer. Again, trust matters."

 Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said earlier Sunday that imposing mandatory quarantines might discourage health care professionals from going to West Africa in the first place, where they're most needed to stop the spread of the disease at its source.

 The administration needs to step up and lead, Issa said. But, he said, President Barack Obama's appointment of Ron Klain, a lawyer, to coordinate government response efforts doesn't inspire much confidence.

 "The fact is, I’d much rather he find a four-star general or admiral to coordinate these people who have said things that didn’t turn out to be accurate, who have made mistakes and don’t want to admit them," Issa said.

 Read more about: President Barack Obama, Obama Administration, Darrell Issa, Ron Klain, Ebola, Anthony Fauci |||||


Summarize this article:

A veteran Boston police officer used racial slurs against an Uber driver — and a good Samaritan who came to the driver’s defense — during a vicious overnight attack in South Boston yesterday, authorities said, while the officer’s lawyer argued today in South Boston District Court the cop was the real “victim.”

 Michael Doherty, 40 of South Boston, had a black eye and his left arm was in a sling as he faced charges of two counts of assault and battery while using a racial slur and using a motor vehicle without authority for briefly stealing the Uber driver’s car after yesterday’s 2:45 a.m. attack on the driver.

 Suffolk Assistant Distict Attorney William Champlin said Doherty, who had hired an Uber car, became agitated at the driver while in South Boston because he thought he was in the wrong location.

 According to Champlin, Doherty lashed out: “You think I’m stupid, you (expletive) (racial slur)?” .

 A short time later, the Uber driver stopped near East 2nd and M streets, and Doherty began hitting him, Champlin said. The Uber driver got out of his car and was chased around it by Doherty, Champlin said. The Uber driver flagged down a good Samaritan for help and Doherty got into the Uber vehicle and took off, according to Champlin. The Uber driver got into the good Samaritan’s vehicle and they gave chase.

 Doherty pulled over at East 1st Street and Farragut Road, and approached both the Uber driver and the good Samaritan, Champlin said. Doherty then addressed the good Samaritan with a racial slur and “began swinging at both parties,” according to Doherty’s arrest report.

 Doherty fled the scene but turned himself in about 11 a.m. yesterday, Champlin said.

 Doherty was released today on the $500 bail he already posted, ordered to refrain from drugs and alcohol and submit to random drug tests, ordered to be evaluated for drug dependency, ordered to stay away from victims and he was also banned from using Uber during his case.

 Doherty’s lawyer Kenneth Anderson said his client disputes prosecutors’ account vigorously.

 “He was really the victim in this matter and not the perpetrator,” Anderson said. “As you can see, he’s got a black eye. He’s got stitches over his eye. He has a torn bicep tendon.”

 Boston police have said Doherty, a 16-year veteran, is on administrative leave and the department’s Anti-Corruption Unit is investigating the incident.

 Anderson declined further comment after the arraignment.

 He confirmed that Doherty’s ex-girlfriend, Mary Niland, 24, had a brief unrelated hearing in the same courtroom prior to Doherty’s arraignment.

 In that hearing, Champlin amended a charge against Niland from unarmed burglary to breaking and entering during the night time with intent to commit a felony. Niland is accused of breaking into a South Boston residence about 2:30 a.m. Nov. 3. ||||| A veteran Boston police officer uttered racial slurs during an alleged assault of an Uber driver in South Boston early Sunday, according to a police report and a statement from the department.

 Officer Michael Doherty, 40, of South Boston, a 16-year-veteran, was placed on paid administrative leave after his arrest on charges of assault and battery and of using a motor vehicle without authority, police said.

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 He could not be reached for comment, and his union president did not return a call late Sunday.

 According to a police statement, an Uber driver told officers at about 2:45 a.m. that a passenger, later identified as Doherty, had assaulted him. The driver also said Doherty repeatedly used racial slurs during the encounter, according to a police report obtained by the Globe.

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 When the vehicle was on East Second Street, the driver reported, Doherty said they were in the wrong place and asked, “What, you think I’m stupid, you [expletive],” followed by a racist term for Latinos, the report said.

 Doherty told the man to keep driving and began hitting him when he stopped at East Second and M Streets, prompting the driver to get out, according to the report.

 The officer chased the driver around the vehicle, the report said, and the driver waved down motorists for help until a man stopped to offer assistance. At that point, Doherty got behind the wheel of the Uber vehicle and drove off, according to the police report.

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 The Uber driver got into the assisting man’s car, and they followed Doherty, who exited the victim’s vehicle at East First Street and Farragut Road, the report said.

 He walked toward the Uber driver and the man who provided help, who is black, and said, “What do you want, you [expletive],” and then used the n-word, the report said.

 Doherty allegedly knocked the Uber driver to the ground and kept hitting him as the other man tried to pull Doherty off, the report said. Doherty walked away when police arrived but was later arrested. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in South Boston District Court.

 Uber, the popular ride-sharing service, said in a statement that their thoughts were with the driver, adding that they have barred Doherty from using the service per company policy and “stand ready to assist law enforcement” in the investigation.

 Related coverage:

 • State issues initial regulations for ride-sharing operations

 • Cab drivers decry Patrick’s proposed ride-share regulations at hearing

 • Uber, Lyft save big by avoiding regulations

 • John E. Sununu: Uber isn’t the problem; taxi regulations are |||||

– A veteran Boston police officer is facing charges after he allegedly assaulted an Uber driver—but the cop says he was really the victim. According to a police report, Michael Doherty, 40, a veteran of 16 years, was riding in an Uber car early Sunday when he verbally accosted the driver, the Boston Globe reports. "What, you think I’m stupid, you [expletive]," Doherty reportedly said, using a racist term for Latinos. The driver claims Doherty began hitting him, believing he was being dropped off at the wrong place near East 2nd and M streets. When the driver jumped out, Doherty allegedly got behind the wheel and drove away. The driver says he flagged down a good Samaritan and got in his car in pursuit of Doherty. They approached the officer after he parked, at which point Doherty hurled the n-word at the Samaritan, knocked down the Uber driver, and punched him repeatedly, the report says. News reports have Doherty either being arrested or turning himself in, but either way, his lawyer says Doherty has a black eye, stitches over his eye, and a torn tendon, the Boston Herald reports. "He was really the victim in this matter and not the perpetrator," the attorney said in court. Doherty was placed on administrative leave as Boston police investigate. In an unrelated hearing in the same courtroom before Doherty's arraignment, an ex-girlfriend of his was charged with breaking and entering at a South Boston residence in November. (Also in Boston, an Uber driver has been accused of raping a passenger.)


Summarize this article:

Evergreen money tree presidential candidate Mitt Romney is only trying to double the size of his beachfront squatter’s den instead of quadrupling it as reported. Hm, let us get out our calculators here…divide by square root of total living space, minus number of cars parked in the garage, add 2012… oh whatever, net effect zero, Mitt Romney still appears as out-of-touch with the vast majority of hobo Americans as ever before. Even Mitt Romney knows this, who did not bother to go to the press with this clarification. Instead it comes from the publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader, whose big fact-correction scoop directly from the mouth of Mittens will surely lead Everyone to Think Harder about correctly reporting the details of King Romney’s enormous fortune from now on. When will the lamestream media learn?

 The difference is some kind of technical argument over square-footage measurements of “non-living space” like a basement and a garage.

 Here is Union Leader publisher Joe McQuaid with his big Tsk Tsk:

 Still, I asked [Romney,] why give the media and political foes raw meat right now by filing for permits to tear down a La Jolla, Calif., beach house and quadruple its size? That was the wire story we had run the day before, and it was all over the Internet. It’s not accurate, Romney said, simply. The application he made, two years ago, was to double the living space by turning one story into two. The “quadrupling’’ was a measurement of added nonliving space, including a basement and garage. That sounds more reasonable, I said. Had he issued a statement to that effect? He shrugged his shoulders with a “why bother?’’ look. I think it’s worth the bother. Accuracy in media is more than the name of a group. It ought to be what we in the profession strive for, rather than to have the story fit a preconceived notion.

 What have we learned from this important update? Mitt Romney does not count basements or garages as “living space.” Where does Mitt Romney think college graduates are living these days? [Union Leader] ||||| Joe McQuaid's Publisher's Notes: Making the Red Arrow’s wall of fame proves elusive, but I can do right by Mitt

 By JOSEPH W. McQUAID

 Publisher

 The waitresses at the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester weren't happy with the Mitt Romney picture they have on their wall of fame. It's out of focus, they told him the other morning.As he was about to leave, one of them grabbed him by the arm. 'I need you, too,'' she said to me.Well, I thought, that's using her head. She can get a new photo of Romney and get me for the same price. Finally, I would be up there with Adam Sandler and other important people.My dream lasted until the waitress handed me her camera. I don't remember the last time I was asked to photograph a presidential candidate. It might have been Ronald Reagan.I watched Romney interact with the morning diners, some of whom came over to wish him luck, others whom he approached with a smile. He was animated and not afraid to disagree - politely - with one woman on Social Security issues.It is tough to deal with stereotypes. One about Romney is that he is stiff with people. A new one is that he is being 'rude'' with some voters. An old one is that he is the rich guy in the race.He may be making progress on the stiffness. And the times I have seen him deal with hecklers, he has been pleasant, but persistent. He makes no bones about making a lot of money in the private sector.Still, I asked him, why give the media and political foes raw meat right now by filing for permits to tear down a La Jolla, Calif., beach house and quadruple its size? That was the wire story we had run the day before, and it was all over the Internet.It's not accurate, Romney said, simply. The application he made, two years ago, was to double the living space by turning one story into two. The 'quadrupling'' was a measurement of added nonliving space, including a basement and garage.That sounds more reasonable, I said. Had he issued a statement to that effect?He shrugged his shoulders with a 'why bother?'' look.I think it's worth the bother. Accuracy in media is more than the name of a group. It ought to be what we in the profession strive for, rather than to have the story fit a preconceived notion.We sure cannot afford to pick any more of our Presidents based on assumptions.

 Publisher's Notebook |||||

– Joe McQuaid, publisher of New Hampshire’s Union Leader, was at the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester during a recent visit from Mitt Romney, and he got a bit of much-needed clarification on an issue that’s been bothering some people: Why in the world is Romney giving his foes fodder for complaint by quadrupling the size of his California beach house? Easy answer: The story isn’t accurate, Romney explained. In truth, his application was to simply double the living space by adding a second story. Of course, if you include the additional nonliving space—including a basement and a garage—then you get to the “quadrupling.” Even so, McQuaid thinks Romney should make an official statement to clear the issue up. “Accuracy in media is more than the name of a group. It ought to be what we in the profession strive for, rather than to have the story fit a preconceived notion,” McQuaid writes. “We sure cannot afford to pick any more of our presidents based on assumptions.” (But in a snarky post on Wonkette, Kirsten Boyd Johnson notes, "Mitt Romney still appears as out-of-touch with the vast majority of hobo Americans as ever before.")


Write an article based on this summary:

– A prospective student at a community college in Baltimore says his outspoken religious beliefs ruined his application—so he's suing the school and its president, Opposing Views reports. Brandon Jenkins interviewed for the Community College of Baltimore County's radiation therapy program, and was asked, "What is the most important thing to you?" His answer: "My God." According to his lawsuit, filed by the American Center for Law and Justice, the program's director later told him that his answer didn't help his application. "This field is not the place for religion," she allegedly said, and advised him against emphasizing religion in future applications because school patients come from various faiths or "believe in nothing at all." A senior counsel at ACLJ tells the Christian Post that Jenkins' rejection is "every bit as unlawful as singling out his race, or singling out his gender," but a school spokeswoman denies the accusations, the Baltimore Sun reports. A letter from the school's attorney, included in the lawsuit, says Jenkins' comment about God "was not a good answer" because the school seeks people driven by a "passion in the field"—but adds that Jenkins has a criminal record and would have struggled to find work in Maryland.

Brandon Jenkins is suing the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) because he was allegedly not accepted into a program based on his religious views.

 Jenkins had applied to the school's radiation therapy program for the Fall 2013 term. When he was interviewed at CCBC, Jenkins was asked: "What is the most important thing to you?" He answered, "My God."

 Popular Video This judge looked an inmate square in the eyes and did something that left the entire courtroom in tears:

 Popular Video This judge looked an inmate square in the eyes and did something that left the entire courtroom in tears:

 The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which is representing Jenkins, says the interview was the only time Jenkins mentioned God.

 According to the ACLJ, Jenkins was later told by Adrienne Dougherty, director and coordinator of the radiation therapy program, "I understand that religion is a major part of your life and that was evident in your recommendation letters, however, this field is not the place for religion."

 "We have many patients who come to us for treatment from many different religions and some who believe in nothing at all. If you interview in the future, you may want to leave your thoughts and beliefs out of the interview process," Dougherty reportedly said.

 The ACLJ filed a lawsuit last Monday on behalf of Jenkins. The lawsuit is asking for Jenkins to be admitted into the program at CCBC and awarded damages.

 "The problem is that you have a guy who is qualified in all areas, and in the rejection letter, they single out his faith as a reason for his rejection. That's just flatly unlawful," ACLJ Senior Counsel David French told The Christian Post. "It's every bit as unlawful as singling out his race, or singling out his gender. To single out his religion is just as unlawful, and it violates the Constitution."

 The ACLJ claims that Dougherty also told Jenkins that his 3.2 GPA was lower than other potential students and that a 10-year-old criminal charge on Jenkins's record could make it difficult to find a job in this field.

 Sources: The Christian Post and ACLJ ||||| Community college applicant alleges he was rejected because of religious beliefs

 Lawsuit says Community College of Baltimore County official told him to leave beliefs out of interview

 Shortly afterward, he was denied admission into the radiation therapy program, and he asked the program coordinator for an explanation in an email.

 Brandon Jenkins, who is being represented by the Washington-based American Center for Law and Justice, said in the lawsuit that when asked what was most important to him during an interview with CCBC officials as part of the application process last spring, he responded: "My God."

 A prospective student at the Community College of Baltimore County sued school officials in federal court this week, contending that he was denied admission to an academic program based on an expression of his religious beliefs.

 The program director, in an email included in the lawsuit's exhibits, wrote that other applicants had higher grade-point averages and that there were "other reasons" why he did not make it in.

 "I understand that religion is a major part of your life and that was evident in your recommendation letters, however, this field is not the place for religion," wrote program director Adrienne Dougherty. "We have many patients who come to us for treatment from many different religions and some who believe in nothing. If you interview in the future, you may want to leave your thoughts and beliefs out of the interview process."

 CCBC spokeswoman Hope Davis declined to comment on the pending litigation but said the college is committed to diversity.

 "We have so many people from so many different backgrounds and so many different cultures," she said. "Just to think that we would discriminate based on religion ... it's just not something that we do."

 A response from CCBC's attorney Peter S. Saucier, also included in the exhibits, said the school seeks applicants "motivated by an individual passion in the field" and that Jenkins' statement that he was pursuing the program at the behest of God or others "was not a good answer."

 In the letter, CCBC's lawyer also pointed out that Jenkins has a criminal record that includes drug and theft charges. The lawyer said CCBC officials told Jenkins that he would have difficulty finding a job in Maryland because of his background. He had said during his interview that he wanted to stay in Maryland.

 Davis said the two-year radiation therapy program is small, with about two dozen students.

 The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court of Maryland because it claims a First Amendment violation, seeks unspecified damages and an injunction requiring that he be admitted into the program.

 cwells@baltsun.com

 twitter.com/cwellssun ||||| Reuters

 The American Center for Law and Justice is suing a Maryland community college after a student was denied admittance into a program because he said God is the most important thing in his life.

 Brandon Jenkins, a prospective student in the radiation therapy program at the Community College of Baltimore County, exceeded the minimum requirements for entry into the program, but after completing his exam and interview process, he received a notice informing him that he was not selected for the fall 2013 term.

 When Jenkins followed up with members of the CCBC staff to find out why he was not being admitted into the program because he wanted to reapply the next term, he was told that among the reasons why he was not selected is because his chosen field is "not the place for religion."

 During his interview process with a five-person panel, Jenkins was asked: "What is the most important thing to you?" And he replied, "My God."

 But according to ACLJ, a Washington, D.C.â€“based organization that focuses on defending constitutional and human rights laws worldwide, this was the only time Jenkins commented on his belief in God. The ACLJ also noted that he only did so because he was responding to a question asked by one of the CCBC representatives.

 A federal lawsuit was filed Monday on Jenkins' behalf by the ACLJ, which is asking that Jenkins be granted admission into the program, and that he be awarded damages related to the delay in his admission.

 After Jenkins requested feedback from the CCBC about his being denied admittance into the program, Adrienne Dougherty, director and coordinator of radiation therapy, told Jenkins: "I understand that religion is a major part of your life and that was evident in your recommendation letters, however, this field is not the place for religion."

 She continued, "We have many patients who come to us for treatment from many different religions and some who believe in nothing at all. If you interview in the future, you may want to leave your thoughts and beliefs out of the interview process."

 ACLJ Senior Counsel David French told The Christian Post Wednesday that Dougherty's statement to Jenkins is not only "flatly illegal, but also bigoted." He also noted that the "college's own lawyer said that he (Jenkins) shouldn't wear his faith on his sleeve."

 "Under what circumstance would answering that God is the most important thing in his life mean that he would be unable to treat people from other religions or from no religion?" French asked. "That was an assumption on the college's part and had no basis on anything Jenkins said at any point during the interview process."

 French told CP that in all the years he's been litigating religious liberty cases, he's never seen one like Jenkins,' where the university specified an applicant's religion as being one of the reasons for denying admission.

 "I've been working on cases involving religious liberty on campus for a long time, and I can honestly say, I've never seen it as blatant in the admissions process as you have here," he said.

 "The problem is that you have a guy who is qualified in all areas, and in the rejection letter, they single out his faith as a reason for his rejection. That's just flatly unlawful," French asserted. "It's every bit as unlawful as singling out his race, or singling out his gender. To single out his religion is just as unlawful, and it violates the Constitution."

 French described Jenkins as a "high-character individual," and noted that before he applied to the radiation therapy program, he was helping to run a halfway house, which is work that he continues to do today.

 "He's a model citizen," he added. "He's exactly the kind of student that community colleges exist to serve. Someone who's a productive member of society who wants to broaden their career skills."

 French also emphasized his belief that the question posed to Jenkins â€“ "What is most important in your life" â€“ is not an academic question. "It's not related to the radiation therapy program. They asked a question that went far beyond the bounds of the academic program itself, and they got an honest answer, from a Christian, about what's most important to him; and then they discriminated against him on that basis. It's absurd."

 In the lawsuit that was filed in federal court earlier this week, the ACLJ is asking for an injunction against the university, for Jenkins to be admitted into the program, and for him to be paid damages for the unplanned expenses he incurred because he thought he was going to be a full-time student, but instead had to restart his business after learning his was denied admittance into the physical therapy program.

 French told CP that ACLJ sent a letter to the CCBC in an attempt to avoid a lawsuit, but instead, they "doubled down" on Jenkins' Christianity being a disqualifier for admittance into the program.

 "We didn't want to sue the college. We wanted the college to do the right thing and consider his application without reference to his faith. Not only did they reaffirm their decision to not admit him, but they doubled down on discussing his faith," he said.

 The other reasons Dougherty provided to Jenkins for denying his admission into the program included his 3.2 GPA being lower than other applicants; his statement that he preferred to work in Maryland as a radiation therapist instead of relocating to a different state; and one criminal charge on his record from 10 years ago, which they said could make it difficult for him to find employment. ||||| The Coptic Religion and Culture Web Archive includes online content published by the international diocese' and religious groups, in addition to sites focused on Coptic music, writings, and politics. |||||