Despite the heartbreak and devastation of Monday’s killer tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, there are stories of survival.

I found this video on The Oklahoman‘s website as I was looking for updates on the damage. It almost brought tears to my eyes. You can FEEL this mother’s relief as she sees her young son for the first time after the storm.

Wow.

Last week seemed to be full of scandals for the White House — specifically around Benghazi, the IRS, and the AP wiretapping stories.

In the case of Benghazi, the key email that Republicans purported to be a written version of a White House cover-up was found to be fake. In fact, CBS News went a step further to outright blame Congressional Republicans for providing them with false quotes from the email. It was a bold move on behalf of the media, but one that firmly laid blame where in its proper place.

In short, Republicans have blamed the White House for trying to cover up details of last year’s September 11 terror attack on the American consulate in Benghazi. In the doctored email, Republicans were hint that references to terrorism were pulled from the talking points to the media about the attack. That was not true. The original emails showed that the White House was trying to get as much information as possible in a developing news story.

Check out the emails and fakes that our friends at AmericaBlog posted by clicking here.

Fast forward to this month and the GOP moved full steam ahead with the blame game on the president and the White House. Well, that was until CBS News stepped in and broke up their fun. You can’t quite call the president out on a cover-up when you played a major role in faking it.

When are Republicans going to learn that they cannot win elections or public support simply through scandal and fear?

Severe weather dealt a devastating blow to the Oklahoma City area on Monday afternoon.

Just after 3:00 p.m. CT, an EF-4 tornado roared through the suburb of Moore and south Oklahoma City. The twister left a damage path that was a mile wide at some points. Updated numbers confirm that 24 people were left dead — seven of whom were children. More than 100 people were injured.

Tornadoes are not new to Oklahoma. But, the strength and damage path made the storm that much more intense. Storms in 1999 and 2003 both cut through the Moore community, leaving dozens dead. To see that happen again, at times over the same area, was heart-breaking to say the least.

President Obama has declared a state of emergency for Oklahoma beginning with the storms that started on May 18. He spoke live to the nation on Tuesday morning about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) plans to help. He offered the support of the nation and its thoughts and prayers during the difficult journey.

There are several ways that people living outside of Oklahoma can help those in need. Click here for the full list.

People living in Oklahoma, Texas, and other areas of the country’s midsection are being told to be vigilant about the weather. Other severe weather outbreaks are expected on Tuesday and Wednesday for the Great Plains east to the Great Lakes.

OKLAHOMA GOV. MARY FALLIN TALKS TO THE MEDIA ABOUT THE STORMS:

President Obama spoke to reporters and the general public on Wednesday evening about the ongoing scandal with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

As reported, the IRS is accused of targeting conservative groups and their applications for tax-exempt status. The agency reportedly held up accepting them and provided lengthy scrutiny in the process.

The president assured the public that his administration will work with Congress to find out who was the cause of the issues. At this point, it doesn’t seem that any outwardly criminal activity took place. However, government employees are not allowed to participate in political dealings. They could receive suspensions or loss of employment from the actions, due to the Hatch Act.

In Obama’s statement from the East Room, he said Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew has “requested and accepted resignation of acting commissioner of IRS [Steve Miller].”

But, trust that this “scandal” is far from over. Every Republican from here to thy Kingdom come has jumped on their hypocritical pony and attempted to ride this issue into the sunset. Now all conservatives want to act like their party is the bastion of oversight, fairness, and immediate Congressional action. Ha!

It seems they can jump on something like tax-exempt statuses, but completely overlook the work they needed to do on the failed gun legislation. Some members of the GOP make my head hurt….

President and Mrs. Kennedy are pictures minutes before his assassination in downtown Dallas on November 22, 1963.

If there are any history buffs that read our site, we have a cool series of reporting to share with you.

The Dallas Morning News started a new series titled JFK50 a few months ago to honor the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in their city. Every week leading up to November 22, 1963, the newspaper shares accounts and news stories of what went on locally and nationally. It’s a very interesting read!

Also, be sure to check out the first-person accounts of people who were in Dallas on that fateful day. I think the reporting will only get more intriguing as the anniversary nears.

Anyone interested in visiting Dallas this year will be happy to know that Dealey Plaza, the site of the assassination, is undergoing renovations.

Atty. General Eric Holder has some explaining to do about tapping phone records. (Photo by J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

What is really going on in the uppermost reaches of government this week?

In addition to the revelation that the IRS has been picking on Tea Party groups, we now learned that another area of government has also seemingly been up to no good.

The Justice Department revealed on Monday that they secretly tapped the phone records of approximately 20 reporters at the Associated Press. This surveillance included their work, home, and personal cell phones in early 2012.

The department didn’t give an exact reason for the tapping. However, it’s believed to be related to a leak of classified information in the foiled terror plot in Yemen, according to MSNBC. The U.S. attorney that revealed the tapping is also looking into the Yemen leaks in a separate case. In a nutshell, the Justice Department has had an issue with protected information leaking to the press. Tapping AP phones could have been a way to find out who shared the information.

Let’s be clear. The Justice Department is within its jurisdiction to tap the phone lines of the media. Sometimes the media are given a heads-up about this — though it is not required. This usually happens on a limited basis to only a few people at a time. Watchdog groups and Congress are crying foul because of the scope of this tapping operation. Twenty phone sources is a lot. The Justice Department notified the AP after the tapping had already been done (which is allowed per their regulations).

The optics of this “scandal” aren’t the greatest for the Justice Department. However, it does seem as if they were within their legal rights. I’m interested to know exactly why they tapped these lines, if it wasn’t because of the terror plot in Yemen.

Where is Olivia Pope (from ABC’s ‘Scandal’) when you need her?!

In a press conference on Monday, President Obama got tough with the agency that many Americans love to loathe — the Internal Revenue Service.

The president’s problem with the IRS stemmed from recent news reports that they were specifically targeting Tea Party groups for additional tax scrutiny.

Obama said the allegations, if true, are “outrageous” and that he won’t stand for them. He reminded reporters that the IRS is supposed to evenly distribute its misery across all American citizens. The Internal Revenue Service is designed to be an non-partisan organization no matter who is serving as president.

IRS officials began targeting groups in the wake of the Citizens United decision of 2010 – the decision that essentially allowed corporations to give unlimited money to political groups. It seems that the agency’s original idea went wrong of trying to make sure these groups were legitimately organized for political purposes. Efforts to further checks often found that Tea Party and ultra-conservative groups were at the core of scrutiny.

Republicans in Congress (and some Democrats) are ready to pounce on this story by calling for hearings and firings of leadership involved in the matter. There will definitely be more to this saga as information becomes available. Republicans must have a fresh issue to hammer the president on at all times.

Rhode Island and Delaware have joined the growing ranks of states allowing marriage for same-sex couples.

On May 2, Rhode Island became the 10th state to allow gay couples to wed. Delaware followed five days later with its approval. The governors of both states signed the final bills into law. Ceremonies are set to begin on July 1 in Delaware and August 1 in Rhode Island.

It’s amazing to see how many states have pushed for gay marriage just since the November election. Marriage bills are also under consideration in Minnesota and Illinois. Though the biggest push for marriage rights has been on the eastern seaboard, it looks like the Midwest is finally getting in on the action. Washington state is still the loner out on the west coast.

Rhode Island and Delaware join the ranks of Washington, Iowa, Maryland, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the District of Columbia as states and localities that offer same-sex marriage.

(Courtesy of ‘I Acknowledge Class Warfare Exists’ / Facebook)

Will someone get Mother Elizabeth Warren a microphone and a prayer cloth so she can continue to PREACH THIS GOSPEL?!

Banks and the financial industry were afraid to see her darken the hallways of the U.S. Senate. I see why. This TRUTH she continues to tell may hurt them in the pockets.

I fully support it!

(AP photo)

The state of South Carolina ought to be ashamed of itself, well the 1st Congressional district to be specific.

Former Gov. Mark Sanford won his old House seat against Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central’s ‘The Colbert Report’.

Sanford launched into international infamy in 2009 when he took a sabbatical from his gubernatorial office and claimed to be hiking the Appalachian Trail. In reality, he was spending time with his Argentinian mistress on a regular basis.

He eventually left his wife and became engaged to the mistress, Maria Belen Chapur, in August 2012.

Now, Sanford is back and claiming his former seat that was vacated by Tim Scott when he was appointed to the Senate in December.

The vote that launched Sanford into a House seat is mighty hypocritical coming from one of the most conservative states in the union. South Carolina claims to be extremely pro-family values. So, please tell me how someone who violated the sanctity of marriage gets voted into a federal office? We all know voters there don’t support same-sex marriage as a majority. They are always crying about the need for more family values. Mmmmhmmm…

In the 2012 primaries, South Carolina chose Newt Gingrich (another philanderer) as its presidential candidate. Gingrich would obviously stall in the GOP race against Mitt Romney, but the Palmetto State made its choice loud and clear.

What is REALLY going on up in South Carolina?! The rest of America is looking at them with a strong WTF face.