The Complete Obama Timeline January 2016 Effective January 1, 14 states increase their minimum wage. [85995] An open-carry law goes into effect in Texas, allowing licensed firearm owners to wear holstered handguns openly in public places. [86009] Former director of the Office of Management and Budget David Stockman notes, “During November exports shrank by 2% and are now down 12% from the peak, and at the lowest level since March 2010. …Exports are a leading indicator because they foretell a shrinking world economy and the gathering implosion of the 20-year global credit bubble that vastly distorted and bloated the entire economic life of the planet. …Needless to say, here we are again with the monetary politburo gumming about their success in reviving the US economy based on sharply improved ‘labor market conditions’ and a steadily rising BLS jobs count. And once more the Wall Street stock peddlers are beckoning the retail sheep to the slaughter based on the utterly foolish proposition that the Fed is raising rates after 84 months on the zero bound because the labor market and US economy are so strong. No they aren’t! …So believe this. Whatever savings and investments the middle-class baby-boomers have left is about to get monkey-hammered good and hard.” [86000] In a taped address, Obama states, “My New Year’s resolution is to move forward on our unfinished business as much as I can. That’s especially true for one piece of unfinished business: Our epidemic of gun violence. …The gun lobby is loud and well organized in its defense of effortlessly available guns for anyone. The rest of us are going to have to be just as passionate and well organized in defense of our kids.” (Responsible gun owners most certainly do not defend “effortlessly available guns,” and believe that having guns and being well-trained in their use helps them defend their families.) Politico.com tweets, “Obama urged citizens to stand up against the groups like the NRA.” (Politico is apparently unaware that NRA members are also citizens.) [86024] Newsmax.com reports that Obama “will meet Monday [January 4] with Attorney General Loretta Lynch to discuss executive actions he could take to make it harder for ‘a dangerous few’ to get their hands on guns. …A source familiar with the administration’s efforts said Obama is expected to take executive action next week that would set a ‘reasonable threshold’ for when sellers have to seek a background check. That person didn’t know whether it would be based on the number of guns sold or revenue generated through gun sales.” [86004] TheHill.com reports, “Newly released emails show that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office, police and the group responsible for investigating police shootings in the city coordinated their response after the death of Laquan McDonald in October 2014…” The Associated Press, “which filed open-records requests, said that thousands of emails were released regarding the case of McDonald, the black 17-year-old shot by a white police 1 officer, including messages indicating Emanuel’s advisers recognized within months the case’s political ramifications. Calls for Emanuel’s resignation have erupted in Chicago after police dash-cam footage of the shooting was released in November, more than a year after Officer Jason Van Dyke fired 16 rounds at the teen, who had a knife but was at a distance. The officer pleaded not guilty this week to murder charges. Documents reviewed by the AP show that the head of the city’s Independent Police Review Authority exchanged emails with aides to Emanuel, including on handling media interviews. In one email, an Emanuel spokesman told an IPRA spokesman to ‘tread lightly’ when handling an interview request. Days before the video was released, the Emanuel spokesman wrote to police and the law department saying that they should speak with ‘one voice’ on the issue.” [86051, 86326] In Valence, France, a man shouting “Allahu akbar!” tries to drives his car into four soldiers guarding a mosque. (Although the driver is a Muslim and it appears his target was the soldiers, the media general reports the incident as an “attack on a mosque.” Jihadist propaganda is found on the driver’s computer.) [86014, 86015, 86036, 86065] At a bar in Tel Aviv, an Israeli Arab shoots and kills two and wounds seven. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld tells the BBC, “From what we know until now and as part of the on-going investigation there’s a strong possibility that it was in fact a terrorist attack.” [86019, 86020, 86023] Newsmax.com reports that Donald Trump “is featured in a new terrorist recruitment video, according to multiple news reports. In the new video produced by al-Shabab, al- Qaida’s affiliate in Somalia, a clip of Trump telling rallygoers in December he was calling for a ‘total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on,’ is used. The expletive is bleeped out.” (Terrorists are not offended by decapitations and crucifixions, but apparently draw the line at the use of the word “hell.”) [86027, 86045, 86046, 86052, 86054, 86057, 86338] Hillary Clinton is also featured in the al-Shabab video, as are Black Lives Matter protesters—which pretty much means the Clinton campaign should not continue to call Trump a recruiter for ISIS (but it will). (The mainstream media gleefully reports that Trump appears in the video, while general failing to mention that Clinton also appears.) [86041, 86050, 86053, 86064] On January 2 Townhall.com’s John Hawkins provides some statistics that “destroy liberal narratives.” Among them: “Muslims account for only about 1 percent of the U.S. population but account for about half of terrorist attacks since 9/11. That means Muslims in the United States are about 5,000 percent more likely to commit terrorist attacks than non-Muslims”—according to Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies. Also according to Krikorian, “Just last month, the Senate Judiciary Committee received a report that in just four years, 121 illegal aliens who had been released by ICE went on to murder Americans.” [86021, 86022] 2 Iranians attack and set fire to the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran after the Saudi criminal justice system executes 47 people—one of whom is a Shi’ite cleric, Nimr al- Nimr. WND.com reports, “Lebanon’s Supreme Islamic Shi’ite Council called Nimr’s execution a ‘grave mistake,’ and the Hezbollah group termed it an assassination as Shi’ites took to the streets in protest from Tehran to Kashmir. Shi’ites in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province marched through Nimr’s home district of Qatif shouting ‘down with the Al Saud,’ and several hundred gathered in nearby Bahrain, a Sunni-ruled island kingdom allied to Saudi Arabia. In Iraq, former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki predicted that Nimr’s execution would lead to the downfall of the Saudi government. Most of the 47 executed were convicted of Al-Qaida attacks in Saudi Arabia a decade ago, but four, including prominent cleric Nimr, were Shi’ite Muslims accused of shooting policemen during anti-government protests in recent years. …The Iranian government said Saudi Arabia would pay a ‘high price’ for the executions.” [86030, 86031, 86037, 86040, 86042] Deputy White House National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes issues a useless statement: “For a very long time we have expressed our differences with the Saudi government with respect to human rights. What I would also say is for there to be greater stability, safety and security across the region there needs to be improved relations between the communities in the Middle East certainly Sunni and Shia communities. So that is necessary to deal with the broader issues in the region. That’s been an ongoing source of discussion between us and Saudi Arabia.” [86031] Iran vows to continue its missile production and testing. Brigadier General Hossein Salami states, “As long as the United States supports Israel we will expand our missile capabilities. …We don’t [even] have enough space to store our missiles. All our depots and underground facilities are full.” said in Friday Prayers in Tehran.” [86043, 86044] The United States Postal Service introduces its new stamps for 2016. According to DailyCaller.com, “Among the stamps is a purple-and-gold stamp celebrating the two most significant festivals in Islam: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The stamp’s gold calligraphy (by Mohamed Zakaria of Arlington, Va.) reads Eidukum mumbarak, which translates as: ‘May your Eid be bountiful (or blessed).’” [86062] At a New Hampshire campaign event, a young boy reading from a card asks Hillary Clinton, “When you become president, what is your plan to connect mental health problems and guns to make sure that me [sic], my brothers, and my friends are safe from violence at school?” Clinton responds to the “plant,” “I’m gonna [sic] to do everything I can do and I’m not gonna [sic] to stop trying, because right now we lose 90 people a day to gun violence. …I think we need to pass some laws that I have been advocating for. We need comprehensive background checks. We need to close the gun show loophole, close the online loophole. …It is really time for gun owners to form a different organization that will do more on gun safety, do more on gun responsibility and stand up for the safety of our children and our communities.” (Comprehensive background checks already exist, and they must be passed regardless of whether one buys a gun from a licensed gun dealer at his store or from a booth at a gun show.) [86048, 86049, 86161] 3 In Biloxi, Mississippi, a crowd of more than 15,000 attends a Donald Trump campaign event.