Anti-abortion company Hobby Lobby invests in contraception makers

In its battle over contraception coverage, Hobby Lobby is coming out with egg on its face.

The craft store chain is fighting Obamacare's contraception mandate, taking its argument to the Supreme Court, which heard arguments last week and is expected to rule by June.

But Hobby Lobby's right hand apparently doesn't know what its left hand is doing, at least when it comes to the companies that make certain forms of birth control that it equates with abortion. While the company has waged a fight against the Affordable Care Act's coverage of birth control methods it opposes, its own 401k plan had more than $73 million invested in funds with stakes in companies producing intrauterine devices (IUDs) and emergency contraceptive pills, Mother Jones reports.

"This is the height of hypocrisy," Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in a statement to The Associated Press. "Hobby Lobby's CEO wants to deny the company's 13,000 employees access to affordable birth control, while investing in pharmaceutical companies that make it."

It's no small share, either: the $73 million represents three-quarters of the retirement plan's total assets, Mother Jones notes.

So which companies are being supported by Hobby Lobby's 401k investments? They include Pfizer (PFE), which makes the drugs Cytotec and Prostin E2, which are used to induce abortions, and Bayer, which makes the Mirena and Skyla IUDs.

The issue highlights a problem that has created headaches for other businesses: what happens when an institution's investment portfolio directs funds to businesses antithetical to its beliefs, or those of one of its constituents? In the case of Hobby Lobby, its owners, the Green family, have "deeply held religious convictions ... that life begins at conception."

But, of course, while Obamacare is a fairly big target to hit, researching each investment held by the mutual funds in a corporate 401k is slightly tougher to track, although not impossible.

Other institutions have raised eyebrows -- and sparked protests -- for their investments in certain businesses, especially if they appear to show hypocrisy. The classic example of this was the divestment campaigns sparked by protests of apartheid South Africa. The campaigns gained large support in the 1980s, when retirement funds, colleges and other institutions were pressured by students and consumers to sell stakes in businesses with ties to the oppressive regime.

To be sure, Hobby Lobby's pharmaceutical investments, which were disclosed in a December filing made to the Employee Benefits Security Administration, are just a small percentage of each fund's overall investment, The AP notes.

Hobby Lobby, based in Oklahoma City, Okla., didn't immediately return a request for comment. The company is notable for treating its employees well in terms of pay and benefits. Last year it raised its minimum wage for full-time employees to $13 per hour and to $9 for part-time workers -- roughly 80 percent more than the average minimum wage in the area. The company roots its decision partly in Christian belief -- the company's 'statement of purpose' pledges to "Honor the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principle."

The difference between Amish and Mennonite Christians. AMAZINGLY MENNONITE'S ARE CLOSE TO THE RELIGION I GREW UP IN

AMISH -- The Amish separated from the Mennonite fellowship in 1693 in Europe. They felt the Mennonites of that time were failing to practice things they believed were needful. Their leading minister was Jacob Ammann from whom they derived their name. Amish believe in a strict plain form of dress and other things regulated by the group and especially by their bishops. Amish believe their people should continue without change from modern things such as electricity, automobiles and tractors. Though without electricity, many homes have running water and bathrooms (unheard of in years past). Amish use horses for farming and transportation. Their lifestyle is to remain as in days of old. The largest Amish community in Missouri is found at Jamesport. 

MENNONITES -- While there are a number of different groups of people and churches called Mennonites in the world, this particular statement deals specifically with The Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. These Mennonite Christians also believe in plain, simple and modest dress. They believe in and require for membership a true spiritual experiences of the New Birth that Jesus said must be experienced to enter the kingdom of God and be saved. The power to be faithful in all things they hold must be from and by the Holy Spirit dwelling within. It should be noted that the use of modern things such as automobiles, electricity and telephones can be used by Mennonites with careful and proper control. But Mennonites do not find the use of radio or television to be for them since these are largely under the control of the carnal world and mostly harmful to true and pure spiritual living.

Bobby Womack, legendary soul singer, dead at 70

Soul singer Bobby Womack has died, his record company, XL Recordings, confirmed. The cause of death is currently unknown.

The singer's career spanned seven decades and included '80s hit "If You Think You're Lonely Now."

Womack began his career in the early 1960s as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos. He was also Sam Cooke's backing guitarist.

In the late-60s, Womack went solo. In 1968, he signed with Minit Records and recorded his first solo album, "Fly Me To The Moon," which included his first major hit with a cover of The Mamas & The Papas' "California Dreamin'." He would go on to collaborate with music notables Gábor Szabó, George Benson, Sly and the Family Stone, Janis Joplin and Pearl.

He would later leave Minit and sign with United Artists where he released the album, "Communication." He would earn his first Top 40 hit, "That's the Way I Feel About Cha."

Womack's biggest commercial success would occur in the 1970s with back-to-back successful albums.

In the 80s, Womack's career was complicated by substance abuse. He would have kicked the problem and saw a resurgence in the 90s. During this time, he worked with Todd Rundgren and The Roots.

In 2010, Womack collaborated on the single, "Stylo," alongside Mos Def, from the third Gorillaz album, "Plastic Beach."

A year earlier, in 2009, Womack was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

From: Mayor Garcetti's office Train to the Los Angeles Airport

Yesterday, the MTA board, of which I'm Vice Chair, approved building a train to the plane at LAX, a crucial step to building the world-class airport and world-class transit system that our world-class city deserves.

On July 1, I will become the Chair of MTA. It will be my priority to see that this project is completed in a timely and efficient manner so travelers can avoide the freeway -- especially the 405. And that eases traffic for all of us.

Are you looking forward to riding the rail to the airport? Let us know.

Thanks for believing in our city. Together, we're getting it done.

Eric Garcetti
Mayor

Mexican law enforcement on Thursday crossed into Arizona by helicopter and fired two shots at U.S. border agents

A Mexican law enforcement chopper crossed about 100 yards north into the Arizona desert, the U.S. Border Patrol said in a statement. The helicopter then fired two shots on the Tohono O'Odham Indian Nation, which sits on the border. Border patrol union leaders say the Mexicans fired at agents but that none of them were hurt.

However, Mexican authorities have denied shooting at agents and say they were under attack during a mission to find smugglers on the border.

Tomás Zerón, the director of the Mexican attorney general's office investigative office, said that Mexican military and federal police who were conducting an operation on a ranch in Altar, Sonora, were shot at by criminals. Mexican authorities never fired any weapons and in fact never crossed into the U.S. side of the border, he said.

Art del Cueto, president of the local border patrol union, said four agents were in a marked patrol vehicle when they were shot at.

"They could say they didn't fire at the agents intentionally. But for them to say that they were no shots fired within the United States, toward the United States Border Patrol, is a lie. They got in contact with our managers and apologized for the incident," del Cueto said.

The Mexican helicopter was 15 yards from the border agents when they were came under fire, Del Cueto said. He's also concerned that Tucson sector officials didn't notify the next shift of border agents that there had been a shooting, he said.

"... I think our managers within the area should have definitely informed the oncoming shift this had happened. We're always on high alert, but I think it would raise a fear level for our agents," del Cueto said.

Sebastián Galván, a spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in Tucson, said the office was gathering information but did not have any details yet.

This incident was not the first one in which the Mexican military has veered across the international boundary.

In January, U.S. border agents confronted two heavily armed Mexican soldiers who crossed 50 yards inside Arizona, the Los Angeles Times reported. A standoff ensued, but nobody was hurt.

In 2011, more than 30 uniformed Mexican soldiers in military vehicles crossed the Rio Grande without authorization in an incident that was believed to be inadvertent.

AMY ADAMS GIVES UP HER FIRST CLASS SEAT ON FLIGHT TO A SOILDER!

As if Amy Adams wasn't lovable enough ... the Oscar-nominated actress sat in coach on a flight from Detroit Thursday ... because she gave up her first class seat to a soldier. 

Adams' grand gesture was done on the DL, but it happened to be witnessed by ESPN's Jemele Hill, who was seated a few rows in front of Adams. 

Hill spotted Adams eyeing the soldier as she got on the plane and later saying something to the flight attendant. Before long, Hill noticed Adams was gone ... and the soldier was in her place.

The "American Hustle" star ended up with us normal folk in coach, where a fan snapped the above photo with Adams and wrote, "Not the best picture of me but i just met Amy Adams on my flight to LAX, this is my claim to fame.

The View making drastic changes! Whoopi's the only Cast member left on the panel

"The View" is cleaning house.  Network sources tell us the cast has been fired... except for Whoopi Goldberg.
  
Sources say there was a meeting at ABC late Thursday afternoon and they announced Sherri Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy were out.   Sources tell us executive producer Bill Geddie also will not be coming back.

Maybe not coincidentally ... Barbara Walters is scheduled to be on the show Friday (though it did tape on Wednesday).
  
"The View" has been in turmoil since Jenny was hired ... it messed up the chemistry on the show.

And several sources say there's a real chance Rosie O'Donnell will be coming back.  We're also told producers are "very interested" in Laila Ali.
We're also told the show is interested in Ross Mathews and Jesse Palmer.

Jenny tweeted late Thursday, "My View will be changing too. As will with many hard working folks. Thanks to everyone at the show for your dedication and an amazing year."

Ice-T's Grandson Arrested for Killing Roommate

Elyjah Marrow -- grandson of rapper Ice-T -- was arrested after he accidentally shot and killed his roommate ... TMZ has learned. 

Cops tell us ... 19-year-old Marrow was fiddling with a handgun in his Georgia apartment Tuesday when it accidentally went off, fatally wounding roommate Daryus Johnson, who was also 19.

Marrow was charged with involuntary manslaughter, possession of firearm in the commission of a felony, and reckless conduct. He was also hit with possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, and possession of a stolen firearm. 

He is currently in custody.

Marrow appeared on his grandfather's reality show, "Ice Loves Coco."

Clinton Says Cheney Criticism of Obama on Iraq Was 'Unseemly'

Forrmer President Bill Clinton told NBC News on Tuesday that former Vice President Dick Cheney’s recent remarks on Iraq amounted to “attacking the administration for not doing an adequate job of cleaning up the mess that he made.”

Cheney, in an Op-Ed and a YouTube video last week, said that President Barack Obama had emboldened jihadists by mishandling the crisis in Iraq, where Sunni insurgents have rampaged across northern cities.

Clinton responded in an interview from Denver, where he is hosting a conference of the Clinton Global Initiative, his post-presidency foundation.

“I believe if they hadn’t gone to war in Iraq, none of this would be happening,” the former president told David Gregory in the interview, which will air Sunday on “Meet the Press.”

He continued: “Mr. Cheney has been incredibly adroit for the last six years or so attacking the administration for not doing an adequate job of cleaning up the mess that he made. I think it’s unseemly.”

“And I give President Bush, by the way, a lot of credit for trying to stay out of this debate and letting other people work through it.”

In an Op-Ed for The Wall Street Journal, written with his daughter Liz, Cheney wrote that Obama “abandoned” Iraq by withdrawing American troops in 2011 without leaving some forces behind.

“Rarely has a U.S. president been so wrong about so much at the expense of so many,” the former vice president wrote. He concluded that Obama was securing a legacy “as the man who betrayed our past and squandered our freedom.”

In 2007, during his wife’s presidential campaign, Clinton said that he “opposed Iraq from the beginning.” His aides told reporters that Clinton had supported giving weapons inspectors more time.

In May 2003, two months after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Clinton said that he supported President George W. Bush’s authority “to stand up against weapons of mass destruction in Iraq,” according to The Associated Press. He was also quoted praising Bush’s early handling of the conflict, the AP reported.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, as a senator in 2002, voted for the authorization of force against Iraq. She wrote in her recently released memoir, “Hard Choices,” that she “got it wrong. Plain and simple.”

The interview with Bill Clinton on Tuesday covered a range of topics. Among the highlights:

On his wife’s potential presidential campaign in 2016, Clinton said: “I’m a foot soldier in an army. I will do what I am instructed to do.” He said that whether to run “has to be her decision.”

Clinton said that his wife was not out of touch, despite political criticism she drew for saying that the Clintons were “dead broke” when they left the White House in 2001. “It is factually true that we were several million dollars in debt,” Bill Clinton said. “Everybody is now assuming that what happened in the intervening years was automatic.”

“She’s not out of touch,” he said. “She advocated and worked as a senator for things that were good for ordinary people. And before that, all her life.”On Benghazi, the former president said that Republicans in Congress were employing a double standard in expressing outrage. When diplomatic personnel were killed during the Bush administration, he said, “How many outraged Republican members of Congress were there? Zero.”

 On Colorado’s legalization of recreational marijuana, Clinton made a joke — “Rocky Mountain high?” — and then said that it was a matter best left to the states, including on developing quality controls. “There’s pot and there’s pot,” he said. “What’s in it? What's going to happen? There are all these questions.”

Gordon Ramsay to End ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ Series in U.S. and U.K. AFTER 10 YEARS

The next batch of U.K. episodes of “Kitchen Nightmares” will be the last for

Gordon Ramsay, who announced the end of  the British and Yank editions 

of the show on his website Monday.  

“I’ve had a phenomenal 10 years making 123 episodes, 12 seasons, shot 

across 2 continents, watched by tens of millions of people and 

sold to over 150 countries. It’s been a blast but it’s time to call it a day,”.  

The cooking reality show premiered in the U.K. in 2004 and the U.S. rendition 

bowed on Fox in 2007, featuring Ramsay’s visits to struggling restaurants. 

The chef would spend one week using his expertise trying to help the owners 

rehabilitate the business.  

The format allowed Ramsay to show off his restaurateur bonafide as well as 

his attempts at family and couples counseling. Last year, the show hit its 

peak of pop culture buzz with an episode revolving around an Scottsdale, 

Ariz. eatery, Amy’s Baking Company, run by an over-the-top couple who 

produced plenty of Internet-friendly viral video moments. 

Ramsay credited “Kitchen Nightmares” for being “the show that really 

propelled my TV career.” The show has been a Friday night staple for Fox, 

with the most recent U.S. episodes airing in April and May. Fox has one 

more “Revisit” episode of “Kitchen Nightmares” in the can.But Fox still 

has plenty of Ramsay on its air, between the competition series “Hell’s 

Kitchen,” airing now, “Hotel Hell” (bowing July 21) and the “Master-chef” 

and “Master-chef Junior” franchises.

At present, Ramsay is filming four final episodes of the U.K. 

“Kitchen Nightmares” for Channel 4.