Monday, April 13, 2015


News Clips For The Day


CLINTON WARS


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-announces-2016-white-house-bid/

Hillary Clinton announces 2016 White House bid
By JAKE MILLER CBS NEWS
April 12, 2015

Photograph – Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks at an award ceremony for the 2015 Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting March 23, 2015 in Washington, DC.  WIN MCNAMEE, GETTY IMAGES

Hillary Clinton confirmed on Sunday what much of the political world has taken as a foregone conclusion for months, if not years: she's running for president in 2016.

The former secretary of state, senator, and first lady formally announced her candidacy in a video Sunday afternoon.

The video was preempted minutes earlier by an e-mail message to donors and campaign alumni from campaign advisor John Podesta. He wrote, "I wanted to make sure you heard it first from me - it's official: Hillary's running for president."

The quiet launch of Clinton's campaign stood in stark contrast to the speculation about her plans that had reached a fever pitch over the last several months. She's not expected to hold any big rallies during the first few weeks of her candidacy - instead, she's embarking on a softer rollout that will emphasize smaller, intimate events designed to downplay her celebrity and allow her to interact one-on-one with voters.

Clinton will take her campaign on the road next week with a visit to an early voting state, likely Iowa. Though her team hasn't confirmed her destination, the choice of Iowa would be symbolically significant to Clinton - it was her loss to then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in that state's 2008 caucuses that dashed her aura of inevitability in that year's Democratic primary and began the road to her defeat. Making the Hawkeye State her first official campaign visit would signal that she intends to take nothing for granted this time.

Clinton, 67, has been a fixture of American public life for decades. She was Arkansas' first lady when her husband Bill was governor, and she became first lady of the United States when Bill Clinton assumed the presidency in 1993. She ran for a Senate seat in New York in 2000, and spent nearly eight years as a member of the Senate before launching her first bid for the presidency in 2008. Though she was defeated in the primary that year by Mr. Obama, she joined his cabinet as secretary of state when the new administration took the reins in 2009.

On many domestic policy issues, Clinton has generally hewed closely to the current administration's policies. She's defended Obamacare from GOP attacks, embraced the administration's proposals to overhaul the tax code and reform the immigration system, and lauded Mr. Obama's proposals to expand pre-kindergarten education and reduce the cost of college.

On foreign policy, she's seen as relatively hawkish, for a Democrat. She voted to authorize the 2003 invasion of Iraq, though she now says that was a mistake. As secretary of state, she pushed (successfully) for U.S. military action to oust Libyan dictator Moammar Ghadafi, and she pushed (unsuccessfully) for the administration to arm Syrian rebels fighting the regime of Bashar Assad. She was also credited with marshaling international support for sanctions on Iran, laying the groundwork for the current negotiations over that country's nuclear energy program.

Women's equality has been a particular focus of Clinton's time in public life, from her famous declaration at a 1994 conference in Beijing that "women's rights are human rights," to her creation of the Office of Global Women's Issues at the State Department. Though she did not particularly emphasize her gender or the historic nature of her candidacy in the 2008 race, she's signaled that she plans a more concerted effort to elevate women's issues - and woo female voters - in the 2016 campaign. If she wins, she would make history as the first female U.S. President.

Since she left the administration in 2013, Clinton has written a memoir, "Hard Choices," embarked on a book tour, and hit the paid speakers' circuit. She became a grandmother last year when her daughter Chelsea gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky. In an updated epilogue to "Hard Choices," Clinton wrote about how Charlotte has refocused her political priorities, offering a hint about how being a grandmother could shape her 2016 campaign themes.

"You shouldn't have to be the granddaughter of a President or a Secretary of State to receive excellent health care, education, enrichment, and all the support and advantages that will one day lead to a good job and a successful life," she wrote. "I'm more convinced than ever that our future in the 21st century depends on our ability to ensure that a child born in the hills of Appalachia or the Mississippi Delta or the Rio Grande Valley grows up with the same shot at success that Charlotte will."

It hasn't been entirely smooth sailing for Clinton since she stepped down from the State Department. Her book tour was somewhat marred by a few awkward answers about her personal finances, and she's faced intense scrutiny in recent weeks about her use of a private email server as secretary of state. She's said it was a decision made for the sake of convenience, and that she's already turned over any work-related emails to the state department. Critics have accused her of breaking federal archiving rules for the sake of maintaining absolute control over her privacy.

Republicans have also questioned her family foundation's receipt of money from foreign governments, raising the possibility that the donations could pose a conflict of interest. Clinton has emphasized that the money has been spent on valuable philanthropic work, and she's said the foundation will not accept any foreign money during her campaign or (if she wins) her presidency.

Clinton is the first Democrat to formally announce a 2016 candidacy, and she's considered an overwhelming favorite for the party's nod - early polls show her ahead of her potential primary competitors by as much as 50 points nationwide. ACBS News poll last month found 81 percent of Democrats would consider voting for her in the primary, while only 10 percent would not.

Despite Clinton's commanding position, there's still room for a challenger: 66 percent of Democrats said they'd like to see her face a strong competitor in the primary. Other Democrats weighing a bid include Vice President Biden, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb. Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders has also said he might jump into the fray.

Though it's still early in the cycle, most polls show Clinton leading her prospective Republican challengers in the general election. A McClatchy-Marist survey last month, for example, found Clinton ahead of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio by seven points nationally, ahead of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker by four points, and ahead of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul by 11 points.

Clinton's 2016 campaign architecture is starting to come into focus, and it's a subject of fairly intense interest, given the infighting and opaque command structure that plagued her last bid. Democratic strategist Robby Mook will manage the campaign, Podesta, a veteran Democratic operative, will assume a senior leadership role, possibly campaign chairman, and longtime Clinton aide Huma Abedin is expected to serve in a senior advisory role. Joel Benenson, who was Mr. Obama's pollster in 2008, has signed on to Clinton's 2016 bid as well. The campaign has leased space in a Brooklyn office building to serve as its headquarters.

Apart from the formal campaign structure, Clinton's bid stands to benefit from a constellation of outside liberal groups that have been formed in recent years. A grassroots group encouraging her to jump into the race, Ready for Hillary, has already raised millions of dollars and is expected to spend millions more amplifying Clinton's campaign message. She's also inherited the support of Priorities USA, a super PAC that was formed to boost President Obama in 2012. And a group called Correct the Record will serve as an independent rapid-response outfit, fact-checking and rebutting conservative attacks against Clinton.

It's likely she'll need all the help she can get. Few Democrats have absorbed as much criticism from Republicans as Hillary Clinton has absorbed over the years, and the attacks will only become more frequent and more heated as the 2016 campaign progresses. Already, the GOP's potential candidates are regularly assailing Clinton in their public appearances, and the Republican National Committee [RNC] is training its fire on Clinton as if she'd already won the Democratic nomination.

In an online ad released Friday, the RNC attempted to sow doubts about Clinton's tenure as secretary of state and her use of a private email server. "From the East Wing to the State Department, Hillary Clinton has left a trail of secrecy, scandal and failed liberal policies that no image consultant can erase," said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus in a press release. "Voters want to elect someone they can trust and Hillary's record proves that she cannot be trusted. We must 'Stop Hillary.'"




“Apart from the formal campaign structure, Clinton's bid stands to benefit from a constellation of outside liberal groups that have been formed in recent years. A grassroots group encouraging her to jump into the race, Ready for Hillary, has already raised millions of dollars and is expected to spend millions more amplifying Clinton's campaign message. She's also inherited the support of Priorities USA, a super PAC that was formed to boost President Obama in 2012. And a group called Correct the Record will serve as an independent rapid-response outfit, fact-checking and rebutting conservative attacks against Clinton. …. "From the East Wing to the State Department, Hillary Clinton has left a trail of secrecy, scandal and failed liberal policies that no image consultant can erase," said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus in a press release. "Voters want to elect someone they can trust and Hillary's record proves that she cannot be trusted. We must 'Stop Hillary.'"

This is the second reference to “failed liberal policies” that I've see recently, so I guess that is going to be one of their often parroted “talking points.” The right wing people across the country have been suggesting some new laws in a few places that are downright un-American, as they like to call us, and probably unconstitutional. Some of the worst are against women in general and the LGBT community in particular, while the usual racist and fundamentalist religious groups are more vocal than ever.

The SPLC report, which is several articles below this one, shows the number of fascist groups and lone wolf terrorists in existence that the liberal radical tracking organization has noted, and the number is shocking. Groups like that need to be fought and exposed for their criminality. We need a truly liberal presidential candidate who is strong and courageous, which Hillary is. Her handling of the email affair left the Republicans with nothing they could do. She wasn't breaking a rule that existed at the time she was Secretary when she used her own private highly encrypted email server. There will undoubtedly be more said about that in the future, of course. The Republican statement “We must Stop Hillary” says it all, and she has barely begun to run. In a recent poll, however, a large percentage of voters prefer her to Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, and I don't think Rand Paul can beat her either. Read the following article with numerous statements from the right which are vociferously against Hillary's competence for the task as president, her trustworthiness and her alignment with “government bureaucrats” rather than “the 75% who will never earn a college degree.” It's going to be a vicious battle this time.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/republicans-seek-cash-off-of-clinton-presidential-announcement/

Republicans seek cash off of Clinton presidential announcement
By REBECCA KAPLAN CBS NEWS
April 12, 2015

Photographs – (L-R) Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Ted Cruz  GETTY

The reaction from the right to Hillary Clinton's announcement that she is running for president was swift, negative, and, some Republicans seem to hope, lucrative.

Just minutes after Clinton formally jumped into the 2016 raise, Wisconsin Gov.Scott Walker and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush - neither of whom has formally declared his own candidacy for president - emailed their supporters asking for contributions ranging from $5 to $250 to help them beat the former secretary of state.

"Moments ago Hillary Clinton officially announced her White House bid - and it's up to us to stop her. I'm going to be straightforward with you, this isn't going to be easy," Bush wrote. "Hillary plans to raise $1.7 billion to win the White House and she already has 135,000 donors at the ready. But I wouldn't be asking if I didn't know you were up for it, which is why I'm asking you to give $5 right now to stop her. Every dollar you give goes directly to fighting her Liberal agenda and ensuring we don't suffer another 4 years of Democrat control."

Walker wrote: "Despite a meticulously crafted new persona, perpetual candidate Hillary Clinton represents all of the failed policies that Washington has been churning out for too long. Washington isn't working. Wisconsin is. Please stand with a proven conservative today. Support Friends of Scott Walker with $10, $35, $50, $100, or even $250 to show your support for our conservative successes and vision for the future."

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who has already announced he is running, released a video on Twitter appealing to his supporters to visit his site and make a donation. "Does America want a third Obama term, or are we ready for strong conservative leadership to make America great again? Please visit tedcruz.org and make a contribution, sign up to volunteer and stand together to turn this country around," he says.

A more creative approach came from the other declared Republican candidate, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who is selling anti-Hillary swag on his campaign website. The merchandise for sale includes a nearly $100 hard drive labeled "Hillary's hard drive," a nod to the scandal over Clinton's use of a private email server and personal email address while she was secretary of State. The drive is marked "Heavy use" and "now perfectly clean." The site says it is a "limited edition" item and just 80 are available.

He is also selling an eye chart that says "Liberty not Hillary" and in increasingly smaller letters, "In the 2016 elections, hindsight is 20/20." There are also "Liberty not Hillary" bumper stickers and t-shirts.

Other Republicans simply used their statements - which arrived in quick succession - to slam Clinton and declare her unfit to lead the nation.

"I think our nation is at a pivotal time, so anyone who wants to be president or commander-in-chief needs a track record of leadership and accomplishment and trustworthiness. Hillary Clinton is a highly intelligent woman, hardworking, she's dedicated her life to public service. But unfortunately, she does not have a track record of accomplishment or transparency," Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO and failed Senate candidate, said in a Facebook video. "She doesn't have a track record of leadership or trustworthiness. She's not the woman for the White House."

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum cited his own personal experience serving with Clinton in the Senate and sought to undercut her message that she will be fighting for the middle class.

"Hillary Clinton does not have the right vision to lead America," he said in a statement. "I believe we need a President who puts the American worker first, not the corporate interests the Clintons have aligned with. I believe we need a President who stands up for the 75% of Americans who will never earn a college degree, not the government bureaucrats who are dictating policy from Washington, DC offices."




http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/splc-s-intelligence-report-radical-right-violence-continues-to-plague-us-as-number

SPLC’s Intelligence Report: Radical-right violence continues to plague U.S. as number of extremist groups declines
03/10/2015

Chart – Hate Groups 1998 – 2014

Despite a decline in the number of far-right extremist groups in the United States, terrorist plots and other acts of deadly violence committed by the radical right have not abated, according to a report issued today by the SPLC.

The report, contained in the Spring 2015 issue of the SPLC’s quarterly investigative journal, Intelligence Report,can be read here.

Click here for an interactive map showing the names, types and locations of hate groups across the country. 

The SPLC found in its annual census that the number of hate groups operating in 2014 was 17 percent lower than in 2013.

Antigovernment “Patriot” groups – armed militias and others animated by conspiracy theories about the federal government –  fell by 20 percent during the same period.

“The drop in the number of extremist groups doesn’t tell the entire story,” said Mark Potok, senior fellow at the SPLC and editor of the Intelligence Report. “It appears that extremists are leaving these groups for the anonymity of the Internet, which allows their message to reach a huge audience. Domestic terrorists and other extremists with criminal intentions also are increasingly acting alone, choosing to commit lethal attacks without the help of an organized group.”

Extremist violence, in fact, is continuing at levels comparable to the 1990s, at the height of that decade’s militia movement. But rather than coming from organized groups, fully 90 percent of domestic terrorist attacks in recent years have been carried out by “lone wolves” or pairs of extremists who don’t belong to any organization.

Over the last six years, a domestic terrorist incident has occurred, on average, every 34 days, the SPLC found. These leaderless attacks have claimed 63 lives. Plots concocted by extremists working alone or in pairs are the hardest to penetrate and the most likely to succeed.

This violence comes as extremists have migrated toward online networks like Stormfront to spread their beliefs. The neo-Nazi forum has about 300,000 registered users – a nearly 60 percent increase in the last five years.

In contrast, the SPLC found that hate groups declined from 939 groups in 2013 to  784 groups in 2014, bringing that number to its lowest level since 2005. The number peaked at 1,018 in 2011.

Patriot groups fell even more. They dropped from 1,096 groups in 2013 to 874 in 2014. The 2014 number still represents an almost 500 percent increase from the 149 groups operating in 2008, when the antigovernment movement began a dramatic resurgence following the election of President Obama.

In addition to extremists favoring the Internet over organized groups, the declining number of groups appears to be a result of factors such as a strengthening economy, law enforcement crackdowns and the fact that many extremist ideas have been co-opted by mainstream politicians. 

“The drop in the number of extremist groups hasn’t been accompanied by any real reduction in extremist violence,” Potok  said. “The level of extremism – and the danger of radical terror – seems just as high as ever.”

The hate groups listed in this report include neo-Nazis, white nationalists, neo-Confederates, racist skinheads, Klansmen and black separatists. Other hate groups on the list target LGBT people, Muslims or immigrants, and some specialize in producing racist music or propaganda denying the Holocaust.




“The drop in the number of extremist groups doesn’t tell the entire story,” said Mark Potok, senior fellow at the SPLC and editor of the Intelligence Report. “It appears that extremists are leaving these groups for the anonymity of the Internet, which allows their message to reach a huge audience. Domestic terrorists and other extremists with criminal intentions also are increasingly acting alone, choosing to commit lethal attacks without the help of an organized group.” …. This violence comes as extremists have migrated toward online networks like Stormfront to spread their beliefs. The neo-Nazi forum has about 300,000 registered users – a nearly 60 percent increase in the last five years. …. Patriot groups fell even more. They dropped from 1,096 groups in 2013 to 874 in 2014. The 2014 number still represents an almost 500 percent increase from the 149 groups operating in 2008, when the antigovernment movement began a dramatic resurgence following the election of President Obama. …. The hate groups listed in this report include neo-Nazis, white nationalists, neo-Confederates, racist skinheads, Klansmen and black separatists. Other hate groups on the list target LGBT people, Muslims or immigrants, and some specialize in producing racist music or propaganda denying the Holocaust.”

“In addition to extremists favoring the Internet over organized groups, the declining number of groups appears to be a result of factors such as a strengthening economy, law enforcement crackdowns and the fact that many extremist ideas have been co-opted by mainstream politicians.” The movement of mainstream politicians toward radical right positions discourages me more than the number of hate based events does. When I first saw the Tea Party members I didn't take them very seriously, but now their ranks have swelled with truly anti-government individuals and they have to a great degree forced regular Republicans to come over to their positions or leave office. The Republican Party no longer contains the solid core of moderate thinkers that it did before Obama was elected president, and the racist element is more roiled than ever. I question the positions of “honest citizens” nowadays if they are fundamentalist Christians or white supremacists, as many Southern and Western people are. The Christian right has verged toward Dominionism and away from what we recognize as democracy.

See the following article which is even scarier than the one above. General Boykin and Rick Joyner, both obviously radicals, have mentioned a military takeover of the US government. Due to Boykin's inflammatory comments about Islam the Pentagon has stepped away from him. He may not have a strong following in the military, and I feel sure that anyone who calls for such a takeover would be unpopular with most Americans.


http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2013/10/03/leading-christian-hard-liner-calls-for-military-takeover-in-u-s/

Leading Christian Hard-Liner Calls for Military Takeover in U.S.
By David Neiwert on October 3, 2013

Rick Joyner, one of the leading lights of the Christian Dominionist movement, recently told his television audience that democracy has failed in America, and that the nation’s only hope, in light of the looming “tyranny” of the Obama administration, is “a military takeover – martial law.”

Said Joyner: “There’s no way our Republic can last much longer. It may not last through Obama’s second term. There are a lot of people who feel that it can’t. That there are forces right now that are seeking to undermine and to destroy the Republic. There’s almost a glib and almost a joyful disregard of the Constitution and belittling of the Constitution. We can’t make it without that. It’s our foundation, our moorings. We’re headed for serious tyranny…

“I think we’ve been used in some wonderful and powerful ways by God. We’ve been one of the most generous nations in history. We’ve done so much good. And that’s why I appeal to the Lord: ‘Don’t let us be totally destroyed, please raise up those who will save us!’ And as I’ve started telling friends for a long time, no election is going to get the right person in there that’s going to restore us, because the system is so broken, so undermined right now, the whole system.

“I believe our only hope is a military takeover – martial law.”

One of the more disturbing aspects of this pronouncement is the fact that Joyner — who heads up the dominionist Oak Initiative, which seeks out “Christian leaders” and then tries to place them within the halls of government, including the military — is also a close associate of retired Gen. Jerry Boykin.

Boykin is best remembered as the general who, while helping to oversee the invasion of Iraq, told an audience that Islamic extremists hated the United States “because we’re a Christian nation, because our foundation and our roots are Judeo-Christians. … And the enemy is a guy named Satan.” (Boykin also told another audience that he tracked down an Islamic terrorist successfully because “I knew that my God was bigger than his.”) More recently, he has gained attention for claiming that President Obama is secretly plotting a Marxist takeover of America through his health-care reforms.

Boykin’s is the first name listed on the board of Joyner’s Oak Initiative. He regularly broadcasts a TV program under the auspices of the Initiative, and has appeared in public and on TV with Joyner many times.

In one of these, they were joined by Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council — where Boykin in 2012 was named executive vice-president — in a discussion of how to get ordinary Christians involved in “the battle that America’s in today”, and Boykin urged them to form a modern-day Spartan army, declaring “Molon Labe” (“Come and take them”): “Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m at the point now where I am ready to say ‘Molon labe!’ to those in Washington, to those in the special interest groups that want to take my liberties, that want to rob my grandchildren of the ability to have the kind of America that I grew up in. I’m at the point where I’m saying, ‘Molon labe!”

However, even if Boykin agrees with Joyner that a military coup is what’s needed to save America, it is worth keeping in mind that it appears Boykin – who at one time was the nation’s deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence – now has very little influence within the Pentagon. He was, after all,investigated and rebuked by the Department of Defense for his remarks about Islam.  More recently, his bigoted remarks about Islam resulted in an Egyptian mob attacking Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s motorcade.

Joyner is not the first conservative to suggest a military coup as a means to overthrow President Obama. In July 2009, while discussing the military coup that had just occurred in Honduras, Rush Limbaugh semi-jokingly suggested that our own military leaders should follow suit, since Obama was “doing everything he could to ensure the defeat of the U.S. military,” later adding: “And if we had any good luck, Honduras would send some people here and help us get our government back.”

Limbaugh’s show is broadcast daily on Armed Services Radio.
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http://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-protests-unsafe-intercept-of-reconnaissance-plane-by-russia/

U.S. protests "unsafe" intercept of reconnaissance plane by Russia
CBS/AP
April 13, 2015

Photograph – Two Sukhoi Su-27 fighters perform during celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the Russian air force base of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Kant, about 20 km outside Bishkek on October 27, 2013. VYACHESLAV OSELEDKO/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. is protesting an intercept of a U.S. reconnaissance plane by a Russian fighter jet last week, calling it "unsafe and unprofessional" amid what it views as increasingly aggressive air operations by Moscow.

Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright on Sunday said the U.S. was filing a complaint to Russia after the April 7 incident over the Baltic Sea.

Russian officials have denied their pilot did anything wrong, according to several news reports.

According to the Pentagon, the U.S. RC-135U plane was flying in international airspace north of Poland. U.S. officials say a Russian SU-27 fighter intercepted the U.S. aircraft at a high rate of speed from the rear, and then proceeded to conduct two more passes using "unsafe and unprofessional maneuvers" in close proximity.

"Unprofessional air intercepts have the potential to cause harm to all aircrews involved. More importantly, the careless actions of a single pilot have the potential to escalate tensions between countries," Wright said.

"This air activity takes place in the context of a changed security environment in view of Russia's aggression against Ukraine," he said.

It isn't the first time the U.S. has protested to Moscow what it considered to be an unsafe intercept. Last April, a Russian fighter jet intercepted a U.S. reconnaissance plane in international airspace over the Sea of Okhotsk.

It's the latest incident in a recent string of international disputes involving Russian military planes.

Last month, the Swedish Air Force and NATO jets tracked four Russian combat aircraft flying with their transponders turned off over the Baltic Sea, officials said. The Russian planes - two long-range, nuclear-capable Tu-22M3 bombers and two Sukhoi Su-27 fighters - were flying in international airspace, according to Sweden's Armed Forces and alliance sources.

Also in March, the Russian military launched sweeping military maneuvers in the Arctic and other areas, a show of force ordered by President Vladimir Putin amid spiraling tensions with the West over Ukraine.

In November, Russia's military announced that its long-range bombers would conduct regular patrol missions from the Arctic Ocean to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Last year, a NORAD spokesperson said two F-22 fighter jets were scrambled after a pair of Russian bombers were spotted 50 miles off the coast of California.




Putin isn't just sending planes to US territory, but to parts of Europe as well, according to an article a few weeks ago. He may really want to start trouble, or maybe simply boost his position in Russia as a hero. Putin seems to me to be intelligent and sane enough that he wants to avoid a new world war, especially with nukes. He does, however, like to intimidate others. He strikes me as a bully and not a conqueror, though he certainly did move into the Ukrainian territories. I definitely don't trust him.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/3-year-old-shoots-kills-baby-brother-in-cleveland-home/

3-year-old shoots, kills baby brother in Cleveland home
CBS/AP
April 13, 2015

CLEVELAND -- Charges likely will be brought against the person who took a gun to the house where a 3-year-old boy shot his 1-year-old brother in the head and killed him, the Cleveland police chief said.

Chief Calvin Williams said investigators are trying to determine where the gun in Sunday afternoon's shooting came from and how it was left within reach of a child.

Full details about the shooting on the city's east side weren't released, but Williams said at least one adult was home when it happened.

"A 3-year-old cannot be held accountable for a tragedy like this," said Williams. He said someone had to have supplied the weapon or "knew the weapons were there and didn't do anything to safeguard them, so people will be held accountable for this tragedy."

Police say the older child picked up an unattended gun and shot the 1-year-old. The younger boy, identified as Braylon Robinson, was taken to a nearby hospital and later pronounced dead.

CBS affiliate WOIO reports that Williams said that there were several dogs and children inside the home at the time of the shooting.

"It's a sad day for Cleveland," Williams told reporters outside the home. "This fascination that we have with handguns, not just in this city but in this country, has to stop. This is a senseless loss of life."

Neighbors said the mother lived in the house with at least three small children.

"They were really nice," next-door neighbor Larry Simpson told Cleveland.com. "It's a shame this had to happen."




Year after year stories just like this one show up in the news. From drunken or drug abusing parents to those who are simply careless with guns around the house, they should be punished for allowing this to happen, I feel. A stiff fine and the loss of their right to own a gun might be appropriate.