PLEASE PARDON THE FACT THAT I DIDN'T CONTRIBUTE ANY STORIES IN THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS. I WASN'T FEELING WELL. I WILL TRY TO GO THROUGH AND FIND ANY THAT ARE IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO PUT INTO A SPECIAL COLLECTION.

February 10, 2017


News and Views


COLLABORATION ON A REWRITE? US SAYS NO. MEX SAYS YES, THEN DENIED IT. IS THIS CHILDISH, OR IS IT JUST MY VIEW? IS IT THE FAMOUS TRUMP SENSE OF HUMOR?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mexican-foreign-minister-helped-re-write-trump-border-wall-speech/

Mexican foreign minister helped Jared Kushner re-write Trump border wall speech
By KYLIE ATWOOD AND BRIAN GOTTLIEB CBS NEWS February 9, 2017, 6:16 PM

Photograph -- WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 25: (AFP OUT) U.S. President Donald Trump (C) displays one of the two executive orders he signed during a visit to the Department of Homeland Security January 25, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump signed two executive orders related to domestic security and to begin the process of building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) CHIP SOMODEVILLA, GETTY IMAGES

This story has been updated with a response from the White House and from the Mexican foreign minister.

Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray personally made changes to President Donald Trump’s speech announcing an executive order calling for the construction of a border wall, according to Mexican officials.

When Videgaray came to the White House in January, on the same day that Mr. Trump was to sign the executive order, Jared Kushner, a senior White House adviser and the president’s son-in-law, showed him the speech Mr. Trump planned to deliver that day at the Homeland Security Department. Videgaray was horrified, according to the Mexican officials, and deemed the speech a non-starter.

If the remarks were not changed, they would likely drive the two countries, whose relationship Videgaray was there to try and redress, even further apart. Such a speech would also do little to help President Pena’s approval ratings in his own country. Kushner suggested they re-write the speech together to make it less damaging.

Trump says "great" wall being designed right now
Play VIDEO
Trump says "great" wall being designed right now

Kushner and Videgaray changed what they could, casting a more positive light on the future of the U.S.-Mexico relationship. Then the two of them then went into the Oval Office so Kushner could brief Mr. Trump on the changes. The president angrily threw up his hands, wondering why he should read the new version. With Videgaray standing by, Mr. Trump was ultimately convinced to make the changes.

However, a White House official disputed the Mexican officials’ version of events, telling CBS News, “This is not an accurate account of their meeting and they did not ‘rewrite’ portions of the speech.”

On Thursday evening, the Mexican foreign minister also denied the account, going so far as to call it “fake news” in a tweet.

“I think our relationship with Mexico is going to get better,” the president said, after explaining his view that the illegal immigration from Central America is hurting both the U.S. and Mexico.

According to Mexican officials, Kushner is now handling everything between the two countries, and personally trying to keep the relationship from disintegrating further.

In the end, the speech Mr. Trump gave was far more measured than the original draft. Mr. Trump did not reiterate his now infamous line that Mexico will pay for the wall. He focused instead on the wall’s construction. Still, Mr. Trump’s ambitions to build a wall remained intact in the remarks and in his executive order.

The executive order called for the immediate planning and construction of a wall on the U.S. southern border, 5,000 additional border patrol agents and new border detention facilities. On that same day, Mr. Trump also announced new policies aimed at curbing the flow of migrants from Mexico and Central America into the United States and expediting the detention and removal of undocumented migrants already here.

Meanwhile Videgaray carried on in the White House for nine hours of meetings and came back to Washington on Wednesday to meet with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Kushner also attended the meeting.

The State Department deemed the “essential” U.S.-Mexico relationship the focus of the Tillerson-Videgaray meeting.

“They had a constructive conversation on a range of U.S.-Mexico collaboration including law enforcement, migration, and security,” said Acting spokesperson Mark Toner in a statement. Tillerson also agreed to visit Mexico City.

This meeting came just a week after Pena’s cancelled trip to the U.S. -- the trip was scuttled after Mr. Trump’s tweet suggesting the Mexican president shouldn’t come if he would not pay for the wall. The two leaders did, however, have a phone call in which they agreed to reschedule the visit. Still, Pena and Mexican officials maintain that their country will not pay for a wall.

Mexican government officials are hoping to shift the dialogue away from the wall and onto trade. They say that the U.S. and Mexico are now working on how to renegotiate NAFTA into what one Mexican official called “NAFTA 2.0.”

The Mexican government announced that it is undertaking a 90-day trade review. They will speak to business leaders and government insiders alike before deciding on changes.



TRUMP IS FINDING THAT BULLYING THE FEDERAL COURTS IS NOT GOING TO BE A PIECE OF CAKE

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-blasts-disgraceful-decision-by-appeals-court-over-travel-ban/

Trump blasts "disgraceful decision" by appeals court over travel ban
By REENA FLORES CBS NEWS
February 10, 2017, 9:25 AM


President Trump is none too happy about the decision the federal appeals court handed down Thursday evening refusing to reinstate his travel ban.

The president sent a tweet early Friday criticizing the ruling, which upheld the temporary restraining order on the ban’s implementation, as a “disgraceful decision.” In his brief social media post, he quoted an article on the Lawfare blog in an attempt to prove his point:

Follow
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
LAWFARE: "Remarkably, in the entire opinion, the panel did not bother even to cite this (the) statute." A disgraceful decision!
8:15 AM - 10 Feb 2017
10,769 10,769 Retweets 47,962 47,962 likes

But the quote, part of a longer post by Brookings Institution fellow and Lawfare editor-in-chief Benjamin Wittes, may have been taken out of context, according to its author.

Wittes fired off his own tweet Friday in response to the president, saying he supports the court’s decision upholding the stay on the executive order, which prohibits refugees and nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.:

Follow
Benjamin Wittes @benjaminwittes
You decide whether the POTUS is quoting me in context. Here's the article. For the record, I support the decision: https://www.lawfareblog.com/how-read-and-how-not-read-todays-9th-circuit-opinion … https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/830042498806460417 …
8:29 AM - 10 Feb 2017
3,556 3,556 Retweets 4,322 4,322 likes

Wittes also clearly stated in that same Lawfare post that the appeals court was “correct” in their decision: “The Ninth Circuit is correct to leave the TRO in place, in my view,” he wrote, “for the simple reason that there is no cause to plunge the country into turmoil again while the courts address the merits of these matters over the next few weeks.”

Moments after his tweet on the courts, Mr. Trump also targeted the “failing” New York Times for a story they ran on China.

Follow
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
The failing @nytimes does major FAKE NEWS China story saying "Mr.Xi has not spoken to Mr. Trump since Nov.14." We spoke at length yesterday!
8:35 AM - 10 Feb 2017
13,433 13,433 Retweets 55,494 55,494 likes

The story he referenced, headlined “Trump tells Xi Jinping U.S. Will Honor ‘One China’ Policy,” centers around the phone call Mr. Trump had with the Chinese president Thursday.

The president’s tweets follow other disparaging comments he’s made since the appeals court handed down their decision Thursday evening.

On Twitter, just minutes after the news that the travel ban will not be reinstated, he tweeted: “SEE YOU IN COURT.”

Follow
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!
6:35 PM - 9 Feb 2017
60,530 60,530 Retweets 200,936 200,936 likes

During a press conference Thursday evening, the attorney general for the state of Washington, who was part of the lawsuit brought against the chief executive’s order, said this in response: “We have seen him in court twice -- and we’re two for two.”



IS THIS AN EXCUSE FOR MORE RESTRICTIVE POLICING, UNDOUBTEDLY SELECTIVE IN NATURE ?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeff-sessions-claim-about-violent-crime-contradicted-by-fbi-data/

Jeff Sessions' claim about violent crime contradicted by FBI data
CBS NEWS
February 9, 2017, 7:22 PM

CHART -- FBI UNIFORM CRIME REPORT -- evening-news-preprod-cr470a-20170209-06.jpg
Photograph -- sessions-crime-sot-transfer.jpg, Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks in the Oval Office CBS NEWS


Jeff Sessions was sworn in as attorney general Thursday morning, one day after he was confirmed by the Senate in a contentious vote.

The 70-year-old is a former prosecutor and served the last 20 years as a senator from Alabama.

In the Oval Office, Sessions made a remark about crime that caught our attention.

“I wish the rise that we’re seeing in crime in America today were some sort of aberration or a blip. My best judgment, having been involved in criminal law enforcement for many years, is that this is a dangerous, permanent trend,” he said.

CBS News looked at whether violent crime is a rising permanent trend. The CBS News research department went to the source: the FBI uniform crime report.

Turns out, violent crime peaked in 1991 and was in a steady decline until a small uptick in 2006. Then the trend continued to drop.

There was a small rise in 2015, the last year for which the FBI has numbers.

The rate in 2015 was half what it was in 1991.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/betsy-devos-blocked-entering-washington-public-school-protesters/

Betsy DeVos blocked from entering Washington public school by protesters
CBS/AP
February 10, 2017, 1:02 PM
Last Updated Feb 10, 2017 2:05 PM EST


WASHINGTON -- Betsy DeVos was met with shouts of “stand up, fight back” from angry protesters as she made her first visit to a public school Friday as education secretary.

Several dozen protesters, some with small children, gathered at Jefferson Middle School, a predominantly African-American school in the nation’s capital. At one point, when DeVos tried to enter the school door, two protesters blocked her path, forcing her to return to her car.

“She does not represent anything that they stand for,” a woman blocking an exterior staircase shouted at DeVos as she turned away.

“Keep giving money to senators and buying your ways to position,” a man yelled at DeVos as she walked to the SUV. “You should be so proud of yourself.”

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos walks with a bodyguard to a SUV after protesters blocked her from entering Jefferson Middle School in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 10, 2017. WJLA-TV

DeVos eventually made it inside the school, in a visit that was designed to help her mend fences with teachers and parents across the country.

The visit itself was closed to the news media, and the Education Department had no immediate comment about the protest.

Democrats hold all-night protest over Betsy DeVos vote
Play VIDEO
Democrats hold all-night protest over Betsy DeVos vote

DeVos, 59, is a billionaire Republican donor who spent more than two decades promoting charter schools and school voucher programs in her home state of Michigan and other states. She faced fierce opposition during the confirmation process from teachers unions who fear that she intends to defund traditional public schools. Two Republican senators from rural states that rely heavily on public schools opposed the nomination and Vice President Mike Pence had to cast a tie-breaking vote on Tuesday.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, one of the groups that vigorously opposed DeVos’ nomination, condemned the incident.

“Just heard a protester blocked & almost knocked Secy BetsyDeVos down at Jefferson,” she wrote on Twitter. “We don’t condone such acts.”

Follow
Randi Weingarten ✔ @rweingarten
Just heard a protester blocked & almost knocked Secy @BetsyDeVos down at Jefferson.We don't condone such acts.We want her to go to pub schls
11:02 AM - 10 Feb 2017
222 222 Retweets 434 434 likes

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also stressed on Twitter that protests should be peaceful. “We welcome Betsy DeVos & anyone who wants to learn more about our schools,” she wrote.

2h
Mayor Muriel Bowser ✔ @MayorBowser
This bears repeating: Protest - peaceful protest - is fine but we do not condone violence towards anyone. (1/2)
Follow

Mayor Muriel Bowser ✔ @MayorBowser
DC has the fastest growing urban school district in America. We welcome @BetsyDeVos & anyone who wants to learn more about our schools.
11:40 AM - 10 Feb 2017
23 23 Retweets 34 34 likes

DeVos’ visit to the school was not announced by the Education Department.

Jennifer Ibrahim, 34, a humanitarian worker, brought her toddler son in a stroller to the protest.

“I want to support our local public schools, make sure that everybody gets fair treatment under the system and I don’t feel like that’s where we are headed with our new education person,” Ibrahim said. “Charter schools aren’t necessarily better than public schools.”

Ari Schwartz, 26, a non-profit worker, held a poster in which a picture of a teddy bear was juxtaposed with a photo of Devos. “This is a bear. This is a threat to students,” the caption read.

During her confirmation hearings, DeVos suggested that schools should have guns on campus to protect students against grizzly bears.

Betsy DeVos: Guns should be allowed in schools in case of grizzly bears
Play VIDEO
Betsy DeVos: Guns should be allowed in schools in case of grizzly bears

Public schools are “the foundation of our society, that’s how everybody learns what’s right and wrong,” Schwartz said. “We need to keep it that way.”

Elizabeth Davis, president of the Washington Teachers Union said teachers will continue to fight for good public education and hope DeVos will listen to them.

“We want quality public schools ... for all of our children in every zip code in DC,” Davis told the Associated Press ahead of the protest. “We do not want to continue a trend of starving, punishing and closing our public schools to make way for privatization and more charter schools and vouchers.”

But former Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who served under President Obama, tweeted, “Agree or disagree w Betsy DeVos on any issue, but let’s all agree she really needs to be in public schools. Please let her in.”

Follow
Arne Duncan ✔ @arneduncan
Agree or disagree w @BetsyDeVos on any issue, but let's all agree she really needs to be in public schools. Please let her in.
12:30 PM - 10 Feb 2017
821 821 Retweets 1,669 1,669 likes

© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



WHO DONE IT? SOME ALT-RIGHT GROUPS, IN PLANNING THEIR RACE WAR, PERHAPS?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/oregon-crater-lake-national-park-robbed-ammunition/

Oregon's Crater Lake National Park robbed of thousands of rounds of ammunition
AP February 10, 2017, 8:41 AM

Photograph -- Crater Lake National Park in Oregon GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

EUGENE, Ore. -- The National Park Service is asking for the public’s help in locating the person responsible for stealing thousands of rounds of ammunition from a locked building at Oregon’s Crater Lake National Park.

The Register-Guard reported Thursday that the park service says in a news release the rifle and pistol ammunition was stolen from a building near the park’s headquarters.

The ammunition was used as part of the park’s law enforcement program.

It is unclear when the theft took place.

The park service is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the conviction of whoever is responsible for the theft.




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trumps-business-record-marketer-promoter-not-ceo/

Donald Trump's business record: marketer, promoter, but not CEO
CBS NEWS
January 28, 2017, 11:46 AM


One week into the new administration, Americans are witnessing an unprecedented transformation as reality star and business tycoon Donald Trump transitions to leading the world’s oldest constitutionally based representative government.

To better understand the man in the Oval Office, CBS News spoke to some of the individuals who know his business career best for the new documentary “America’s CEO.”

Mr. Trump is “a man who pushes every negotiation to the extreme,” biographer Michael D’Antonio told CBS News in “America’s CEO.”

A former journalist for Newsday, D’Antonio wrote the book The Truth About Trump, based off several hours of interviews with the now-president. His book takes a closer look at Trump’s management style throughout his career, which included ventures not only in real estate and reality television but also in golf courses, vodka, mortgage banking, and “education.” (The day before taking office, the president paid $25 million to settle three civil fraud lawsuits against his now-defunct Trump University, which marketed itself as an educational institution and charged students up to $35,000 annually.)

Things with Trump's name on them
23 PHOTOS
Things with Trump's name on them

“He’s always pushing every moment of the day to maximise his return,” D’Antonio said. “In business it’s leveraging his name, leveraging the status of the Trump organization until you concede almost everything.”

Trump’s actual career has had many more ups and downs than his campaign narrative presented to voters, D’Antonio said. He navigated those failures thanks, largely, to the family wealth, brand, and credit he inherited from his father, who amassed a $200 million fortune by 1970. In his early career, Trump had access to his father’s credit line and could leverage his father’s buildings, he said.

“You cannot separate Donald Trump from Fred Trump,” D’Antonio said.

Trump’s real strengths lie in promotion and deal-making, D’Antonio said, not in operating complex businesses. He cited the fact that Trump’s more complex ventures, like Trump Airways and casinos in Atlantic City, failed.

“He is not going to be a CEO president. He is going to be a salesman president. And I am not sure the two things fit. I can imagine the CEO approach to managing a government. I can’t imagine the promotional approach to running the United States of America.”




http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kellyanne-conway-federal-ethics-rule-buy-ivanka-clothing/

Kellyanne Conway accused of federal ethics violation
By EMILY SCHULTHEIS CBS NEWS
February 9, 2017, 2:52 PM

Counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway appears to have violated a federal ethics rule by going on “Fox and Friends” Thursday and urging viewers to buy Ivanka Trump’s products -- and ethics watchdogs and politicians on both sides of the aisle are taking her to task for it.

In the interview in question, Conway was discussing Nordstrom’s decision to drop Ivanka Trump’s line from its stores, which President Donald Trump decried on Twitter as treating Ivanka “so unfairly.”

“I’m gonna just going to [sic] give a free commercial here,” Conway said in the interview. ”Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.”

According to a statute from the Office of Government Ethics, a federal employee shall not use his public office for his own private gain, for the endorsement of any product, service or enterprise.”

Trump's Nordstrom tweet poses conflict concern
Play VIDEO
Trump's Nordstrom tweet poses conflict concern

<b>Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to the committee’s GOP chairman requesting that the committee look into possible disciplinary action against Conway.

“This appears to be a textbook violation of government ethics laws and regulations enacted to prevent the abuse of an employee’s government position,” Cummings wrote. “Since the Committee has direct jurisdiction over the ethics laws applicable to White House employees, I request that the Committee make an official referral of this matter to the Office of Government Ethics and request that it report back to the Committee as soon as possible with its findings.”

The committee’s chairman, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Cummings sent a joint letter to OGE on the issue, saying her comments raised “very serious concerns” and calling on OGE to review the situation and recommend possibly disciplinary action against her.

“In this case, Conway’s statements from the White House using her official title could appear to constitute an explicit endorsement and advertisement for Ivanka Trump’s personal business activities,” they wrote.

And the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) on Thursday filed a complaint against Conway, stating that she “appears to have violated” federal ethics regulations with her comments.

“As the law makes clear, public officials should not use their offices for either their own private gain or the private gain of others,” CREW executive director Noah Bookbinder wrote in the complaint. “Government resources should be used for public purposes, not to promote any private party’s products. Ms. Conway appears to have violated both the letter and the spirit of these rules when she used her position to endorse the accessories and clothing line of Ms. Trump, the daughter of the president.”

But enforcement -- and punishment -- for violating these rules largely falls to the head of the federal agency in question. In this case, that would be the White House.

Asked about the issue during his daily briefing with reporters, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said only that Conway “has been counseled on that subject, and that’s it.”



WAR GAMES, OR THE START OF SOMETHING WORSE?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/putin-100k-russian-troops-belarus-zapad-drill-baltic-nato-allies-phillip-breedlove/

Putin planning to send 100K troops to Baltic border for drills?
By TUCKER REALS CBS NEWS
February 10, 2017, 11:04 AM

Photograph -- Russian President Vladimir Putin uses binocular as he watches military exercise near Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, on Sakhalin Island, July 16, 2013. ALEXEI NIKOLSKY


Baltic nations are increasingly worried that Russian war games set for this autumn will see President Vladimir Putin send as many as 100,000 troops to Belarus’ border with Lithuania and Poland -- the very edge of the Kremlin’s sphere of influence with eastern Europe.

At a recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Russia, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey, said he’d met recently with Baltic ambassadors who said the planned “Zapad” exercises, set for September, could involve that many Russian troops, which would be a significant increase on the number that took part in previous drills under the same name in 2013 and 2009.

U.S. Gen. Phillip Breedlove, who was the Supreme Commander for NATO until May last year, said the name for the exercise -- the Russian word for “west” -- combined with the fact that he’s heard it could involve at least 100,000 troops -- possibly twice that many -- is “a bit alarming.”

30 years after Cold War, U.S. military rolls into eastern Europe
Play VIDEO
30 years after Cold War, U.S. military rolls into eastern Europe

Breedlove cautioned, however, that the Kremlin has not released figures of its own regarding how many troops will take part in the September exercises, and that Russian officials have been known in the past to spread misinformation to serve their interests.

“The Russians have ordered 83 times... the rail cars that they ordered for Zapad (in 2013),” Breedlove said at the Senate hearing, reports CBS Radio News correspondent Cami McCormick. “So the size of this exercise will be demonstrably bigger.”

Russia said 10,000 troops took part in the 2013 drills, which spanned across Russian territory and involved all branches of its military, but some Western defense analysts have said the actual number was likely closer to 70,000.

“Nations have a right to exercise,” Breedlove said on Thursday. “Nations do not have a right, I think, to exercise irresponsibly on other borders and in configurations that represent offensive capability.”

“I think the problem with this exercise is size and scope, directly on the border, a name that orients it west, and the fact the unpredictability of it makes it very alarming,” he said.

IMAGE -- russia-europe-map.jpg, Europe and western Russia. GOOGLE MAPS

His remarks came as Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite told reporters after talks with her counterparts from neighboring Latvia and Estonia that they were all concerned, “risks are increasing.”

“We are worried about the upcoming ‘Zapad 2017’ exercise, which will deploy a very large and aggressive force (on our borders) that will very demonstrably be preparing for a war with the West,” Grybauskaite said in Riga, according to a transcript of her statements by the Reuters news agency.

“This means that we will be talking with NATO about creating additional standing defence plans, about stationing additional military means and about creating a faster decision making process,” she said.

Lithuanian Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis told Reuters that the NATO alliance should be prepared to defuse any “provocations” during the Russian drills.

“Presence of such an amount of troops (next to our borders), of course it creates some risks,”Karoblis said. “We will take also our countermeasures, including those with our allies, not to allow any provocations.”

“It’s clear Russia really wants to re-establish its domination, and change defence [sic] system in all Europe. It is already threat for central Europe, particularly for Baltics,” he added.

Play CBS NEWS VIDEO -- Watch full: Gen. James Mattis promises to strengthen military in opening statement

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are all expected to push U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis to at least maintain the current U.S. military commitment to its NATO allies in eastern Europe. About 4,000 American troops have been deployed to Poland and neighboring nations in recent months, under orders to President Obama, in response to Putin’s annexation of Crimea.

While President Trump rattled European leaders by calling NATO “obsolete” before taking office, Mattis defended the alliance during his confirmation hearings as “the most successful military alliance probably in modern history, maybe ever.”

“During the hearing, Mattis also described Russia as a “principal threat” to the U.S., but agreed with Mr. Trump’s view that he’d like to see engagement with its government.

“I’m all for engagement but we also have to recognize reality and what Russia is up to and there’s a decreasing number of areas where we can engage cooperatively and increasing number of areas where we’re going to have to confront Russia,” Mattis said. “I have very modest expectations about areas of cooperation with Mr. Putin.”




ENDING NOW WITH A TRULY LOVELY STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/it-was-meant-to-be-firefighter-adopts-baby-girl-he-delivered-on-emergency-call/

"It was meant to be": Firefighter adopts baby he delivered on emergency call
By JENNIFER EARL CBS NEWS
February 10, 2017, 11:20 AM

Photograph -- Marc Hadden poses with his newborn daughter, Gracie, shortly after her adoption.
screen-shot-2017-02-10-at-10-36-24-am.png, Grace Hadden poses with her two big brothers. MARC HADDEN


Firefighter Marc Hadden was working with the medical unit when he helped deliver the baby girl who would grow into the blonde-haired, blue-eyed daughter he now knows as “Gracie.”

It was a surprisingly slow day for one of the busiest fire stations in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on November 11, 2011. Hadden had spent the day training and killing time cleaning engines.

When he finally sat down with his crew to eat dinner in the middle of his 24-hour shift, the phone rang — and he had to hop into an ambulance to make an emergency call. When he arrived on scene, he and his partner found a pregnant woman in labor. As soon as they helped her into the ambulance, she was ready to give birth.

It was the first time Hadden took charge during a delivery in his two decades of working.

“I was tasked with everything to do with Gracie,” Hadden told CBS News. “I helped her take her first breath.”

The team then called for backup and rushed to the hospital to drop off the mother and child. While filling out routine paperwork at the hospital, Hadden overheard nurses say the new mom requested the baby girl be put up for adoption “immediately.”

“Throw my name in the hat if this baby’s being put up for adoption,” Hadden said jokingly.

But he wasn’t actually kidding.

Due to medical complications, Hadden and his wife, Rebecca, weren’t able to have any more children after they had their second son.

“We checked into adopting, but it was way too expensive,” Hadden. “We prayed about it.”

The nurses turned to Hadden and said, “You need to go talk to this mom.”

Hesitantly, Hadden walked into the woman’s hospital room to introduce himself. He explained that he has two kids, his wife’s a school teacher and they want to have more children, but aren’t able to. After a friendly chat, Hadden swung by the nursery and sent his wife a picture of the smiley little girl.

She jokingly texted back, “Can we keep her?”

screen-shot-2017-02-10-at-10-48-02-am.png
Firefighter Marc Hadden shares a photo of his adopted daughter, Gracie, when she was a baby. MARC HADDEN

Hadden knew his wife wasn’t joking either.

Exhausted, Hadden headed home to talk to his wife in person. They both agreed, it was worth trying. What did they have to lose?

The next day, Rebecca visited the woman in the hospital.

“With both of our boys, we had families, support and a ton of stuff,” Hadden said. “This mom didn’t. She had nothing. No family that was there.”

As Rebecca started to walk out of the hospital, a doctor stopped her in the hallway and said, “She’s ready to go forward with the adoption.”

perf.jpg
The Hadden family. MARC HADDEN

Forty-eight hours later, the Haddens had their little girl, and in March 2012 the closed adoption that the girl’s birth mom requested was complete.

“It was meant to be,” Hadden said. “Everything that happened that day changed: my station, assignment, the location. So many things happened that made us 100 percent sure.”

screen-shot-2017-02-10-at-10-58-23-am.png
“Our bond is extremely tight,” says Marc Hadden of his 5-year-old daughter, Gracie. MARC HADDEN

The family named their baby girl Rebecca Grace Hadden; she goes by Gracie.

“The name Grace over the years has become extremely fitting for her,” Hadden said of the now 5-year-old. “She’s an awesome kid.”

The 5-year-old girl loves playing with her brothers and dressing up with her mom, but she especially loves hearing the story of how her “daddy” delivered her in the back of an ambulance.

“Our bond is extremely tight. She’s a part of the family, and we love her more than life,” Hadden said. “We wouldn’t change anything. We would do it all again if we could.”