Union Official Charged With Illegal Clinton Donations Indicted for Mail Fraud

Federal authorities indicted the former president of a Florida teachers’ union on fraud charges on Thursday, even as he faces additional charges in his home state over allegedly illegal campaign contributions to Hillary Clinton. The Justice Department charged former Broward Teachers Union (BTU) president Patrick Santeramo with two counts of mail fraud for his alleged role in embezzling more than $35,000 in payments from a local school district.


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Bush shows humor and class at White House unveiling of portraits

CBS News reported, "Former President George W. Bush brought a light-hearted tone to the unveiling of his official White House portrait on Thursday, winning over an audience of friends, family and former colleagues with jokes, "  while The Washington Examiner focused first on Obama's poor  choice of venue to take a 'jab' at Bush before reporting on the lighter side.

Personally, I appreciate President Bush's humor and that he chooses to take the high road. --bc

Portraits below the fold.

The portraits of President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush were painted by John Howard Sanden, who received the first John Singer Sargent Medal for Lifetime Achievement from the American Society of Portrait Artists in 1994 (per CBS News).

The portrait of Mr. Bush shows the former president standing in the center of the Oval Office with his right hand resting on an armchair that was made for the White House in 1818. Over his right shoulder hangs a 1929 western painting, A Charge to Keep, by William H. D. Koerner. Mr. Bush used the same title for his 1999 memoir (per CBS News).

The portrait of Laura Bush shows the former first lady in the White House Green Room, which she helped refurbish in 2007 (per CBS News).

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Official: Pentagon report says Gitmo humane

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon says the Guantanamo Bay prison meets the standard for humane treatment laid out in the Geneva Conventions, according to a report for President Barack Obama, who has ordered the terrorist detention center closed within a year. Read more at Breitbart News...

Obama backs Bush: No rights for Bagram prisoners
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama sided with the Bush administration Friday, saying detainees in Afghanistan have no constitutional rights. Read More......