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A recent Fox News poll showing a Libertarian Party candidate with 10 percent support indicates that Libertarians could have “a sizable influence” in the November election, a spokesperson for the party said in a statement Friday. Libertarian Party presidential candidate former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson walks in Lafayette Park across from the White House during a May 9 interview. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images) The Fox News poll shows presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump leading Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton 45-42 percent in a two-way race. The poll also found that both Trump and Clinton are “seen as deeply flawed candidates,” and a majority of respondents said they had an unfavorable opinion of each candidate. But in a hypothetical three-way race against pitting former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, the front-runner for the Libertarian Party’s nomination, against the Republican and Democratic candidates, 10 percent of respondents said that Johnson would have their support. Johnson was the Libertarian Party’s 2012 nominee. Gary Johnson | InsideGov Contrary to claims from some Trump supporters that a third-party candidate would siphon more votes from from a Republican candidate, making a Clinton victory more likely, the poll shows that, in a hypothetical three-way race, Trump still leads with 42 percent support, followed by Clinton at 39. Nicholas Sarwark, chairman of the Libertarian National Committee, said in a statement, “Another poll showing one of our presidential candidates in double digits affirms the likelihood that the Libertarian Party will have a sizable influence in the 2016 election.” According to the Libertarian Party, their candidate — to be formally selected at the party’s convention later this month — will be on the ballot in 32 states, and they are in the process of getting on the ballot the remaining states and Washington, D.C. Image source: lp.org — Follow Kate Scanlon (@kgscanlon) on Twitter Read more stories from TheBlaze See What’s Happened to Target’s Stock in the Past Month Amid Transgender Bathroom Uproar Clinton Calls Trump’s Pro-Gun Policies ‘Not Just Way Out There,’ but ‘Dangerous’ ‘Really, Hershey?’ Visitors Have Mixed Reactions After Hershey Park Announces It Will Allow Guests to Use Bathrooms According to Gender Identity Trump Campaign Retracts Claim That It Raised $6 Million for Veterans George Zimmerman Accepts $250K Bid for Gun Used to Kill Trayvon Martin: Reports Source

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A group the White House recently identified as a key surrogate in selling the Iran nuclear deal gave National Public Radio $100,000 last year to help it report on the pact and related issues, according to the group’s annual report. It also funded reporters and partnerships with other news outlets. The Ploughshares Fund’s mission is to “build a safe, secure world by developing and investing in initiatives to reduce and ultimately eliminate the world’s nuclear stockpiles,” one that dovetails with President Barack Obama’s arms control efforts. But its behind-the-scenes role advocating for the Iran agreement got more attention this month after a candid profile of Ben Rhodes, one of the president’s top foreign policy aides. In this Feb. 16, 2016 file photo Deputy National Security Adviser For Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes speaks in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington. The White House is working to contain the damage caused by a magazine profile of one of President Barack Obama’s top aides. In a blog post published late Sunday, May 8, 2016, Rhodes said the public relations campaign he created to sell the Iran nuclear deal was intended only “to push out facts.” Rhodes says outside groups that participated “believed in the merits of the deal.” (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) In The New York Times Magazine article, Rhodes explained how the administration worked with nongovernmental organizations, proliferation experts and even friendly reporters to build support for the seven-nation accord that curtailed Iran’s nuclear activity and softened international financial penalties on Tehran. “We created an echo chamber,” said Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser, adding that “outside groups like Ploughshares” helped carry out the administration’s message effectively. The magazine piece revived Republican criticism of the Iran agreement as they suggested it was evidence of a White House spin machine misleading the American people. The administration accused opponents of trying to re-litigate the deal after failing to defeat it in congressional votes last year. Outside groups of all stripes are increasingly giving money to news organizations for special projects or general news coverage. Most news organizations, including The Associated Press, have strict rules governing whom they can accept money from and how to protect journalistic independence. Ploughshares’ backing is more unusual, given its prominent role in the rancorous, partisan debate over the Iran deal. The Ploughshares grant to NPR supported “national security reporting that emphasizes the themes of U.S. nuclear weapons policy and budgets, Iran’s nuclear program, international nuclear security topics and U.S. policy toward nuclear security,” according to Ploughshares’ 2015 annual report, recently published online. “It is common practice for foundations to fund media coverage of underreported stories,” Ploughshares spokeswoman Jennifer Abrahamson said. Funding “does not influence the editorial content of their coverage in any way, nor would we want it to.” Ploughshares has funded NPR’s coverage of national security since 2005, the radio station said. Ploughshares reports show at least $700,000 in funding over that time. All grant descriptions since 2010 specifically mention Iran. “It’s a valued partnership, without any conditions from Ploughshares on our specific reporting, beyond the broad issues of national and nuclear security, nuclear policy, and nonproliferation,” NPR said in an emailed statement. “As with all support received, we have a rigorous editorial firewall process in place to ensure our coverage is independent and is not influenced by funders or special interests.” Republican lawmakers will have concerns nonetheless, especially as Congress supplies NPR with a small portion of its funding. Just this week, the GOP-controlled House Oversight Committee tried to summon Rhodes to a hearing entitled “White House Narratives on the Iran Nuclear Deal,” but he refused. Ploughshares’ links to media are “tremendously troubling,” said Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas, an Iran-deal critic. Pompeo told the AP he repeatedly asked NPR to be interviewed last year as a counterweight to a Democratic supporter of the agreement, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, who he said regularly appeared on the station. But NPR refused to put Pompeo on the air, he said. The station said it had no record of Pompeo’s requests, and listed several prominent Republicans who were featured speaking about the deal or economic sanctions on Iran. Another who appeared on NPR is Joseph Cirincione, Ploughshares’ president. He spoke about the negotiations on air at least twice last year. The station identified Ploughshares as an NPR funder one of those times; the other time, it didn’t. Ploughshares boasts of helping to secure the deal. While success was “driven by the fearless leadership of the Obama administration and supporters in Congress,” board chairwoman Mary Lloyd Estrin wrote in the annual report, “less known is the absolutely critical role that civil society played in tipping the scales towards this extraordinary policy victory.” The 33-page document lists the groups that Ploughshares funded last year to advance its nonproliferation agenda. The Arms Control Association got $282,500; the Brookings Institution, $225,000; and the Atlantic Council, $182,500. They received money for Iran-related analysis, briefings and media outreach, and non-Iran nuclear work. Other groups, less directly defined by their independent nuclear expertise, also secured grants. J-Street, the liberal Jewish political action group, received $576,500 to advocate for the deal. More than $281,000 went to the National Iranian American Council. Princeton University got $70,000 to support former Iranian ambassador and nuclear spokesman Seyed Hossein Mousavian’s “analysis, publications and policymaker engagement on the range of elements involved with the negotiated settlement of Iran’s nuclear program.” Ploughshares has set its sights on other media organizations, too. In a “Cultural Strategy Report” on its website, the group outlined a broader objective of “ensuring regular and accurate coverage of nuclear issues in reputable and strategic media outlets” such as The Guardian, Salon, the Huffington Post or Pro Publica. Previous efforts failed to generate enough coverage, it noted. These included “funding of reporters at The Nation and Mother Jones and a partnership with The Center for Public Integrity to create a national security desk.” It suggested using “web videos, podcasts, photo-based stories” and other “attention-grabbing formats” for “creatively reframing the issue.” The Center for Public Integrity’s CEO, Peter Bale, confirmed the grant. “None of the funding received by Ploughshares was for coverage of the Iran deal,” said Bale, whose company received $70,000. “In general, we avoided that subject because the topic did not lend itself to the type of investigative reporting the Center does.” Caitlin Graf, a spokeswoman at The Nation, said her outlet had no partnership with Ploughshares. She referred queries to The Nation Institute, a nonprofit associated with the magazine that seeks to strengthen the independent press and advance social justice. Taya Kitman, the institute’s director, said Ploughshares’ one-year grant supported reporting on U.S.-Iran policy, but strict editorial control was maintained. Mother Jones’ media department didn’t respond to several messages seeking comment. The AP has taken grants from nonpolitical groups and journalism foundations such as the Knight Foundation. As with all grants, “AP retains complete editorial control of the final news product, which must fully meet AP standards for independence and integrity,” Standards Editor Thomas Kent said. – Read more stories from TheBlaze See What’s Happened to Target’s Stock in the Past Month Amid Transgender Bathroom Uproar Clinton Calls Trump’s Pro-Gun Policies ‘Not Just Way Out There,’ but ‘Dangerous’ ‘Really, Hershey?’ Visitors Have Mixed Reactions After Hershey Park Announces It Will Allow Guests to Use Bathrooms According to Gender Identity Trump Campaign Retracts Claim That It Raised $6 Million for Veterans Krauthammer Reveals Person He Thinks Is Most Likely to Be Selected As Trump’s Running Mate Source

Donald Trump sought to make gun control a women’s issue Friday afternoon as he addressed a room full of gun rights activists shortly after receiving a huge endorsement from the National Rifle Association. “I think this is the most basic human right of all, and Hillary Clinton wants to strip it away from women — and others,” the presumptive GOP nominee said during a speech at the NRA-ILA Leadership Forum in Louisville, Kentucky. Trump argued that Clinton wants to “abolish the Second Amendment.” Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association convention Friday in Louisville, Kentucky. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) “We’re not going to let that happen,” Trump said. “We’re going to preserve it. We’re going to cherish it.” Trump unveiled a new moniker for Clinton Friday as well, calling her “Heartless Hillary” for supposedly wanting to take guns away from innocent Americans as she releases violent criminals from prison. The Manhattan businessman also declared Clinton “the most anti-gun” presidential candidate to ever run. “The only way to save the Second Amendment is to vote for a man named Donald Trump,” he said. While Trump promised to eradicate gun-free zones and “make America great again,” the majority of his speech, as well as the speeches of two NRA leaders who came before him, focused more on slamming Clinton’s gun policies and rhetoric rather than touting Trump’s stance on the Second Amendment. The NRA’s endorsement is a huge get for Trump who hasn’t always been a champion of gun rights. As the left-leaning Think Progress reported in August, a number of Trump’s hotels and facilities do not allow guns on their premises — even for those who have a concealed carry permit. A tweet from Trump in 2012 after the Newtown Elementary School shooting also circulated social media Friday as Trump received the endorsement. Even Friday, Trump joked that his sons have so many guns that ”sometimes even I get a little bit concerned” — a joke that seemed to fall flat with the thousands gathered at the NRA conference. He also called for Clinton’s bodyguards to “immediately disarm.” “Let’s see how good they feel walking around without their guns on their body guards,” he said. But Trump, who has been working hard to sway wary conservatives he can be trusted to protect gun ownership, promised the NRA that he wouldn’t let them down after receiving the organization’s endorsement. “I just said to [CEO Wayne LaPierre] and I just said to Chris [Cox], I will not let you down; remember that,” Trump said. “I will not let you down.” Since announcing his candidacy, Trump has spoken often on the campaign trail in defense of the Second Amendment — at times promising to eradicate gun-free zones on his very first day in office. He’s also cited the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California as he argues that gun control made those areas good targets. Trump’s suggestion Friday that Clinton was disenfranchising women with her gun control stance resonated with at least one female NRA member in attendance at the Kentucky conference. “He is absolutely correct with that,” Antonia Okafor told TheBlaze following Trump’s remarks. “Women right now are left vulnerable more than men because not only is there a clear physical difference but to compound that, there are women like Hillary who claim that being pro-gun is anti-women.” “Lies like these keep women away from guns so they are unfamiliar with them and, worst of all, the least trained,” she continued. “This is dangerous for women and for those around them.” Okafor said Friday was the first time she saw Trump speak in person, and he succeeded in easing some fears she had of the bombastic candidate — particularly in regards to gun rights. The 26-year-old Texan specifically commended Trump for bringing up the need to abolish gun-free zones, an issue that she works with as she promotes campus carry. — Follow Kaitlyn Schallhorn (@K_Schallhorn) on Twitter Read more stories from TheBlaze See What’s Happened to Target’s Stock in the Past Month Amid Transgender Bathroom Uproar Clinton Calls Trump’s Pro-Gun Policies ‘Not Just Way Out There,’ but ‘Dangerous’ ‘Really, Hershey?’ Visitors Have Mixed Reactions After Hershey Park Announces It Will Allow Guests to Use Bathrooms According to Gender Identity Trump Campaign Retracts Claim That It Raised $6 Million for Veterans Krauthammer Reveals Person He Thinks Is Most Likely to Be Selected As Trump’s Running Mate Source

WASHINGTON (TheBlaze/AP) — U.S. Park Police say the White House was placed on a security alert Friday afternoon after a shooting on the street outside. A Secret Service Police Officer works outside of the guard entrance on 17th St Northwest in Washington, on Friday, May 20, 2016, after reports of shots being fired. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) CNN reported on air that an unidentified man approached a Secret Service agent around 3:30 p.m. at the nearby intersection of 17th and E streets NW in Washington, D.C., and brandished a weapon. It was not immediately clear what type of weapon the suspect was carrying. The incident did not occur on what is considered White House grounds. The suspect was shot in the abdomen by a Secret Service agent and is down. D.C. Fire and EMS tweeted that the suspect was taken to a hospital in critical condition. No other injuries were immediately reported. President Barack Obama was at the White House at the time of the incident. Vice President Joe Biden was reportedly either at the White House or nearby, and was secured. Obama left the White House about 1 p.m. for a golf outing at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, WRC-TV reported, citing White House reports, and his motorcade arrived there about 1:30 p.m. Reporters in the White House noted on Twitter they were ordered to shelter in place in the basement of the building. A gun was later recovered from the scene, CBS News reported. Read more stories from TheBlaze See What’s Happened to Target’s Stock in the Past Month Amid Transgender Bathroom Uproar Clinton Calls Trump’s Pro-Gun Policies ‘Not Just Way Out There,’ but ‘Dangerous’ ‘Really, Hershey?’ Visitors Have Mixed Reactions After Hershey Park Announces It Will Allow Guests to Use Bathrooms According to Gender Identity Trump Campaign Retracts Claim That It Raised $6 Million for Veterans Krauthammer Reveals Person He Thinks Is Most Likely to Be Selected As Trump’s Running Mate Source

CBS Local Officer Trial Raises Questions About Policing in Baltimore ABC News Prosecutors say a policeman charged in Freddie Gray's arrest committed a crime when he and two other officers detained and handcuffed him without probable cause after he ran from them in a high-crime neighborhood. The officer's defense attorney says ... Verdict expected Monday in Freddie Gray-officer trialmySanAntonio.com Credit: WBAL's Steve AdamsWBAL Radio Verdict in Nero trial to be announced MondayWYPR Newbritainherald -myCentralOregon.com -ABC2 News -Baltimore Sun all 77 news articles » Google

One mom’s Facebook post has gone viral after she shared a permission slip she wrote in order for her sons to be able to climb trees. Julie Holcombe of Yardley, Pennsylvania, recently wrote on Facebook that her twin sixth-grade sons, Ryan and Patrick, were scolded by a man they didn’t know for climbing trees after school in a field between two of the neighborhood’s schools. The man allegedly threatened to tell the boys’ principal if he caught them climbing the trees again. After she quizzed both of her sons separately about the incident to make sure they weren’t concealing any misbehavior, Holcombe decided that she wanted to make sure they were free to continue climbing trees. So she wrote them a permission slip to show the individual in case they were confronted again: My children have permission to climb any tree they so desire. In fact, I encourage it, whenever and wherever they can, for as long as they both shall live. I can think of few things better than knowing they are spending their time playing outside in the fresh air, taking advantage of the beautiful playground nature can provide, getting exercise, using their imagination, chatting with their squad of friends, all while climbing a tree. “So from this point on, I respectfully ask that you let my kids be kids,” she added. “The time they have left to do so is fading painfully fast. Please don’t shorten that time any further. And if this correspondence doesn’t help calm your nerves about a potential lawsuit, below please find an official permission slip — admissible evidence in any court of law. Feel better? No? Then I suggest you climb a tree. It’s really relaxing.” When Holcombe posted the permission slip on Facebook, she called it “a soapbox moment.” “Generally speaking, I think parents are way too quick to place blame on teachers or school administrators for the shortcomings of their own children,” Holcombe wrote. “With that in mind, I acknowledge that this might be my own overreaction, but I couldn’t help it. Yes, I sent this with my boys this morning, just in case. Because for the love of Pete, kids should be able to climb trees.” In a follow-up post, Holcombe wrote that her kids were confronted by the individual again, they showed him the permission slip. Holcombe wrote that when she contacted the school district, they told her that “whoever approached the kids had no right to reprimand them, did not represent the school district, nor were his actions reflective of any directive from the district.” According to Holcombe, the man who approached the children was later identified to be a teacher in the school district, and the administrator told her that the teacher “has now been told he is not to approach the kids again, and that in fact any kids are allowed to play on the tree as long as they are respectful of the property.” “I would expect that as well!” she added. “The school district itself was never the target of my ire per se, but kudos to them for handling this so well! Tree climbing for all!!!” “Tree climbing wins,” she continued. “Childhood fun lives another day!” Read more stories from TheBlaze See What’s Happened to Target’s Stock in the Past Month Amid Transgender Bathroom Uproar Clinton Calls Trump’s Pro-Gun Policies ‘Not Just Way Out There,’ but ‘Dangerous’ ‘Really, Hershey?’ Visitors Have Mixed Reactions After Hershey Park Announces It Will Allow Guests to Use Bathrooms According to Gender Identity Trump Campaign Retracts Claim That It Raised $6 Million for Veterans Krauthammer Reveals Person He Thinks Is Most Likely to Be Selected As Trump’s Running Mate Source

Hillary Clinton’s campaign gave Friday afternoon Twitter a gift today when the Democratic candidate tweeted a Venn Diagram-esque graphic on gun control. In the graphic, the 2016 front-runner’s campaign was trying to point out that both the majority of gun owners and the majority of Americans support universal background checks before gun purchases. The only problem was, as FiveThirtyEight’s Ben Casselman pointed out: Twitter users, likely happy for a distraction from the Friday afternoon doldrums, had a field day. Most of the mockery took the form of actual Venn Diagrams: Some made fun of Clinton’s graphic design team: Others mocked the candidate herself: But perhaps the most astute observation was made by The Atlantic’s Chris Barna, who put together his own Venn Diagram explaining the response to Clinton’s failed Venn Diagram. - Follow the author of this story on Twitter and Facebook: Follow @LeighMunsil Read more stories from TheBlaze See What’s Happened to Target’s Stock in the Past Month Amid Transgender Bathroom Uproar Clinton Calls Trump’s Pro-Gun Policies ‘Not Just Way Out There,’ but ‘Dangerous’ ‘Really, Hershey?’ Visitors Have Mixed Reactions After Hershey Park Announces It Will Allow Guests to Use Bathrooms According to Gender Identity Trump Campaign Retracts Claim That It Raised $6 Million for Veterans Krauthammer Reveals Person He Thinks Is Most Likely to Be Selected As Trump’s Running Mate Source

National City prepares to feel the 'Bern' The San Diego Union-Tribune NATIONAL CITY — National City officials are preparing for a visit from Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Saturday. National City Mayor Ron Morrison said on Tuesday members of his campaign staff called City Hall to secure a permit for ... and more » Google

ATLANTA (AP) — Two deputies yell “Stop fighting!” and “He’s got my Taser!” as they repeatedly stun a handcuffed man in the back of a vehicle, commanding him to relax even as he insists “I’m dead,” shortly before he stops breathing, body-camera video from the incident shows. The video shows the Nov. 20 incident in the back of an SUV in Coweta County, outside Atlanta. Chase Sherman, 32, of Destin, Florida, was pronounced dead at a hospital later that day. Image source: WXIA-TV The deputies responded after Sherman’s mother called 911. She told the dispatcher she was in a car with her husband, her son and the son’s girlfriend on southbound Interstate 85. She said her son was “freaking out” and had taken a synthetic drug known as spice. The deputies approach the vehicle and start struggling with Sherman, with someone yelling “Tase him!” and “Hit him!” as he cries out and his mother begs them to stop, as shown in the video, obtained Friday by The Associated Press from the family’s attorney and first posted by The New York Times. “What’s your problem, buddy?” one deputy says. “That’s a good way to get shot right there. I tell you right now, you grab my Taser again, it’s gonna be on.” The deputies insist that his mother and girlfriend in the front seat get away from the area. “You’re not gonna shot him, you hear me?” Sherman’s mother says. The deputies say Sherman also broke their radio as they try to call for help, and they tell the family they’re subduing Sherman for their own protection. Once they have a working radio, the deputies request help from 911 and continue to tell Sherman to “just relax, stop resisting.” They stun him again, and he cries out, eventually saying “I’m dead.” The deputies realize Sherman has stopped breathing and move him out of the vehicle. The family wails off camera, and a deputy says, “Get the family back.” “He ain’t breathing,” someone says. One deputy later says “Look at my cuffs,” showing his mangled handcuffs from the incident. He tells his colleagues that he knows he’ll be fired over the incident, but one insists he won’t. Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney Peter Skandalakis said in a statement Friday that his office has not finished reviewing the case and the investigation is ongoing. Both deputies are still employed with the department, according to Col. James Yarbrough with Coweta County Sheriff’s Office. They’re identified in incident reports as J.D. Sepanski and S. Smith. Coweta County Sheriff’s Office records from Sherman’s death show that one deputy’s stun gun was used nine times in a 2-1Ž2-minute span for a total of 47 seconds, including one use that lasted 17 seconds. The other deputy’s stun gun was used six times in just over four minutes for a total of 29 seconds. The family’s attorney, Chris Stewart, has said the records show that the deputies used the stun guns too many times on a handcuffed man. Sherman’s death certificate lists his death as a homicide and lists the cause as “sudden death during an altercation with law enforcement with several trigger pulls of an electronic control device, prone positioning on the floor of a motor vehicle and compression of the torso by the body weight of another individual.” Read more stories from TheBlaze See What’s Happened to Target’s Stock in the Past Month Amid Transgender Bathroom Uproar Clinton Calls Trump’s Pro-Gun Policies ‘Not Just Way Out There,’ but ‘Dangerous’ ‘Really, Hershey?’ Visitors Have Mixed Reactions After Hershey Park Announces It Will Allow Guests to Use Bathrooms According to Gender Identity Trump Campaign Retracts Claim That It Raised $6 Million for Veterans Krauthammer Reveals Person He Thinks Is Most Likely to Be Selected As Trump’s Running Mate Source

The Hill (blog) Trump in 2012: Obama 'spoke for me' after Newtown The Hill (blog) “President Obama spoke for me and every American in his remarks in #Newtown Connecticut,” Trump tweeted in 2012. President Obama spoke for me and every American in his remarks in #Newtown Connecticut. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) ... and more » Google

The Hill (blog) Trump in 2012: Obama 'spoke for me' after Newtown The Hill (blog) “President Obama spoke for me and every American in his remarks in #Newtown Connecticut,” Trump tweeted in 2012. President Obama spoke for me and every American in his remarks in #Newtown Connecticut. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) ... and more » Google

The guys from Dude Perfect have taken their insane basketball tricks to new heights — literally. Known for their crazy stunts, Cory and Coby Cotton (twins), Cody Jones, Tyler Toney and Garrett Hilbert recently broke the Guinness World Record for “highest basketball shot” from atop the Cotter Ranch Tower in Oklahoma City, which stands 533 feet above the Sooner State. Image source: YouTube After topping several world records from a gym at Texas Christian University, including “farthest sitting basketball shot” and “farthest behind-the-back shot,” the Dude Perfect crew loaded up a basketball backboard in a pickup truck and hit the road for Oklahoma City. That’s where Toney tossed a ball from the roof of the tower, sinking it through the net more than 500 feet below. The previous record was 117 feet. Here’s the full episode. The shot from atop the tower is just before the 6:30 mark: Dude Perfect is a group of five men based in Dallas who “specialize in the impossible,” according to an interview with USA Today. On its website, the group says its ultimate goal is to “glorify Jesus Christ in everything that we do.” Their latest video has been viewed more than six million times on YouTube and more than one million times on Facebook. The group has a massive online following with more than 9 million YouTube subscribers and 17 million Facebook followers. TheBlaze spoke with Dude Perfect in March 2013. Here’s what they were up to back then. (H/T: CBS Sports) — Follow the author of this story on Twitter and Facebook: Follow @jonstreet Read more stories from TheBlaze See What’s Happened to Target’s Stock in the Past Month Amid Transgender Bathroom Uproar Clinton Calls Trump’s Pro-Gun Policies ‘Not Just Way Out There,’ but ‘Dangerous’ ‘Really, Hershey?’ Visitors Have Mixed Reactions After Hershey Park Announces It Will Allow Guests to Use Bathrooms According to Gender Identity Trump Campaign Retracts Claim That It Raised $6 Million for Veterans Krauthammer Reveals Person He Thinks Is Most Likely to Be Selected As Trump’s Running Mate Source

CNN Humanitarians must innovate more CNN John Holmes is a former under secretary-general at the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and is patron of Enhanced Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance. The views expressed are his own. (CNN) The world we live in ... and more » Source

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi security forces fired tear gas and gunshots into the air on Friday as hundreds of protesters stormed Baghdad’s heavily secured Green Zone, rushing toward the prime minister’s office and the parliament building. Protesters wave national flags as they cross the al-Jumhuriya bridge over Tigris River towards Baghdad’s highly fortified Green Zone, Iraq. Friday, May 20, 2016. Iraqi security forces have fired tear gas and gunshots in the air as thousands of Shiite protesters stormed Baghdad’s heavily secured Green Zone, rushing toward the prime minister’s office and parliament building. The Arabic banners read “Our revolution for all Iraqis.”(AP Photo/Karim Kadim) An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw several protesters badly wounded and one was shot in the head. The violence prompted Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to impose a curfew in the country’s capital. Earlier in the day, crowds of mostly young men gathered outside the Green Zone walls, with their numbers swelling into the thousands. This led security forces to push through the crowd on foot, firing volleys of tear gas in an effort to push the people back from the gates. The violence quickly escalated. The protesters who made it into the Green Zone rushed toward the prime minister’s office and the parliament building. Some posted jubilant photographs from inside the premier’s office on social media sites. Outside, ambulances weaved through the crowd to ferry away those hurt. Hospital and police officials said five protesters were seriously wounded. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release the information. As dusk fell on Baghdad, al-Abadi announced the curfew but there was no immediate information on how long it would last and what restrictions it involved. Friday’s violence came more than two weeks after the highly fortified compound was first breached by Shiite protesters in April. Iraqi security forces at the time largely stood down, allowing protesters to scale walls and pull down concrete barriers. Al-Abadi later replaced the head of the compound security. The initial breach was largely carried out by supporters of powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and followed repeated delays to proposed government reform legislation. Since then, Iraq’s government has been gridlocked and the parliament unable to convene. Meanwhile, a string of deadly bombings has killed more than 200 over the past couple of weeks in and around Baghdad. The attacks, many claimed by the Islamic State group, follow territorial losses the Sunni militants have suffered at the hands of Iraqi forces backed by U.S.-led coalition aircraft. On Thursday, Iraqi forces declared that the western town of Rutba was fully liberated after nearly two years of IS control. Read more stories from TheBlaze See What’s Happened to Target’s Stock in the Past Month Amid Transgender Bathroom Uproar Clinton Calls Trump’s Pro-Gun Policies ‘Not Just Way Out There,’ but ‘Dangerous’ ‘Really, Hershey?’ Visitors Have Mixed Reactions After Hershey Park Announces It Will Allow Guests to Use Bathrooms According to Gender Identity Trump Campaign Retracts Claim That It Raised $6 Million for Veterans Krauthammer Reveals Person He Thinks Is Most Likely to Be Selected As Trump’s Running Mate Source

Should he win the presidency, presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump might not have as much time to tweet anymore, Trump surrogate Dr. Ben Carson predicted Friday. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, appeared on Fox News Friday and defended Trump’s reactions to current events, such as the disappearance of a flight from Paris to Egypt which is widely believed to be a terrorist attack. “Probably not to the same degree that you’re seeing the tweets and things right now,” Carson said, insinuating a President Trump’s reaction to a tragedy would be less likely to immediately pop up on social media. “He’s going to be too busy, quite frankly, for that.” “He’s not gonna have time, you know, to be tweeting about that,” Carson added. The former Republican presidential candidate asserted that Trump would be too wrapped up with matters in Iraq, North Korea and the South China Sea. “I would expect him to entertain all the different possibilities, and more than likely as president he’s going to have a spokesperson, and they’re going to be issuing statements,” Carson predicted. (H/T: The Hill) — Follow Kaitlyn Schallhorn (@K_Schallhorn) on Twitter Read more stories from TheBlaze See What’s Happened to Target’s Stock in the Past Month Amid Transgender Bathroom Uproar Clinton Calls Trump’s Pro-Gun Policies ‘Not Just Way Out There,’ but ‘Dangerous’ ‘Really, Hershey?’ Visitors Have Mixed Reactions After Hershey Park Announces It Will Allow Guests to Use Bathrooms According to Gender Identity Trump Campaign Retracts Claim That It Raised $6 Million for Veterans Krauthammer Reveals Person He Thinks Is Most Likely to Be Selected As Trump’s Running Mate Source