Mediaboss Marketing

When it comes to celebrity political endorsements, Republicans usually have to settle for an aging movie star or two, maybe a country singer if they're lucky. Hollywood's politics are decidedly Democratic.

But in 2012, Ron Paul was the exception.

Paul was the Republican it was cool for (some) celebrities to like, earning praise -- though not necessarily an outright endorsement -- from public figures like Chuck Norris, John Mayer and Drew Carey.But without him in the race, who are his famous fans taking a liking to this time?

There are only a handful who've weighed in so far, andtheir responses are an unscientific, very small-sample-size poll of whoformer Paul supporters could go for in 2016. Are Paul supportersexcited at all byhis son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)? Do they like Bernie Sanders -- the closest thing Democrats have to their own Ron Paul? Are they looking elsewhere?

[Will Rand Paul inherit the energy of Ron Paul's campaigns?]

In lieu of specific polls showing whoRon Paul supporters like in 2016, our Philip Bump in April compared favorability of the father and son and found Rand is seen more favorably than Ron was. ButPolitico found in March that some "die-hard idealists whose energy powered [Ron Paul's]campaigns" were disillusioned by Rand and defecting. Rand inheritspartof his father's base, it seems, but far from all of it.

And what celebrities are saying about 2016 bears that out as well.Here iswhat former Ron Paul fans have said about the 2016 race:

Kelly Clarkson

2012:Tweeted that she loves Ron Paul.

2016:Saidshe's considering Clinton."I'm a fan of Hillary. ... I don't just want a woman to win, I want the right person. And I think she's also that," she toldRolling Stone magazine.

View post:
Ron Pauls celebrity fans arent flocking to Rand Paul ...

Its not clear whether his speech on the PATRIOT Act had any real effect on Mitch McConnells plans.

By Seung Min Kim and Alex Byers

5/20/15 2:01 PM EDT

Updated 5/21/15 10:04 AM EDT

Rand Paul relinquished the Senate floor late Wednesday night after 10-and-a-half hours of lambasting the government surveillance programs capitalizing on a sleepy day in the Senate to highlight his opposition to key parts of the PATRIOT Act that expire at the end of the month.

Wearing dark green sneakers in apparent preparation to go deep into the evening, Paul launched into a lengthy critique of surveillance a stance thats put him squarely against top Republicans and other GOP presidential contenders who advocate continuing the controversial bulk collection programs.

Story Continued Below

There comes a time in the history of nations when fear and complacency allow power to accumulate and liberty and privacy to suffer, Paul said as he opened his remarks at 1:18 p.m. Wednesday. That time is now. And I will not let the PATRIOT Act the most unpatriotic of acts go unchallenged.

By carrying his talk-a-thon to the brink of Thursday, Paul prevented Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) from filing cloture on a bill to extend or reform the PATRIOT Act.

But its not clear that McConnell ever intended to so its uncertain whether Paul truly gummed up McConnells plan. And with the House set to depart Thursday, a Senate surveillance vote while House lawmakers are still in town was unlikely anyway.

View original post here:
Rand Paul calls it a night after 10 1/2 hours - Seung Min ...

Dominique Sharpton, 29, said she was 'severelybruised and wounded' She fell at the corner of Broome Street and Broadwayon October 2, 2014 Suit is with departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection

By Belinda Robinson For Dailymail.com

Published: 10:29 EST, 17 May 2015 | Updated: 13:13 EST, 17 May 2015

4.8k shares

100

View comments

The eldest daughter of civil rights activist Al Sharpton has launched a bid to sue the city of New York for $5 million after she fell in the street and sprained her ankle.

Dominique Sharpton, 29, said she was 'severely injured, bruised and wounded' when she stumbled over uneven pavement at the corner of Broome Street and Broadway downtown last year.

According to the lawsuit obtained by The New York Post, Sharpton now wants millions of tax payer money to compensate her for the fall which occurred on October 2, 2014.

Scroll down for video

See original here:
Al Sharpton's daughter sues New York for $5m after she ...

ANKARA Iran is using its sea power in the Gulf to show it will not be cowed by Washington's newly assertive Arab allies, prompting critics to accuse Tehran of destabilizing the region.

Iranian ships fired shots at a Singapore-flagged tanker which it said damaged an Iranian oil platform, causing the vessel to flee, and seized a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil route, over a debt row.

The incidents coincided with a push by Washington to reassure Gulf Arab monarchies that their interests would not be threatened by a nuclear accord that Tehran and world powers are trying to reach by the end of June.

In an escalating confrontation with Saudi Arabia over Yemen, Tehran criticized Arab states for recklessness and brutality in that country, where a Saudi-led coalition is attacking an Iranian-allied militia.

Iran has also sent an aid ship, the Iran Shahed, to the Yemeni Red Sea port of Hodaida to test a naval blockade enforced by the coalition. Several Iranian military officials have warned of war if the Iran Shahed is attacked by Saudi-led forces. It expected to reach the port by Thursday.

"Iran's recent measures in the Strait of Hormuz have one clear message to Saudi Arabia. No one can ignore Iran's key role," said an Iranian official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.

"Whether reformist or hardliner, Iranian leaders have consensus on securing Iran's influence in the region," said the official.

"They (the United States and its Gulf allies) don't expect a key regional power like Iran to remain silent over its aid ship being prevented from entering Yemen."

Tehran and Riyadh have long been locked in a proxy war, competing for regional supremacy from Iraq to Syria and Lebanon to Yemen, where Riyadh backs Yemens exiled government against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

In a bold operation by Gulf Arab states, the Saudi-led coalition backed by the West on March 26 began pounding Houthi rebels and allied army units that control much of Yemen as well as inspecting all ships in a bid to stop weapons smuggling.

View post:
Iran uses maritime confrontations to project power in Gulf ...

The GOP presidential candidate said in an interview with CNN's Alisyn Camerota that aired Tuesday on "New Day" that he will try to filibuster a reauthorization of Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which spawned the National Security Agency's collection of millions of Americans' phone records.

A handful of powerful Senate Republicans are pushing to reauthorize the Patriot Act without any reforms. Others in the Senate are pushing the USA Freedom Act, which would reform the Patriot Act's Section 215 and effectively end bulk data collection. The House quickly passed that bill last week.

But Paul and other privacy hawks want more reforms than those included in that bill, and Paul is calling for the end of that section of the Patriot Act, which is set to sunset at the end of the month.

RELATED: Rand Paul dings NSA for tracking 'innocent Americans'

"I'll do whatever it takes to stop it," said Paul, who was promoting his upcoming book "Taking a Stand: Moving Beyond Partisan Politics to Unite America".

Paul said he would formally filibuster the bill, requiring 60 votes for passage, and said he would also try to make it to the Senate floor in a bid to block passage by speaking extensively and preventing action on the bill.

"I will do a formal filibuster. Whether or not that means I can go to the floor, some of that depends on what happens because you're not always allowed," Paul said.

Paul previously stood for a nearly 13-hour filibuster to call attention to the U.S.'s drone strike policies.

He wouldn't say if he would launch a similar effort with the Patriot Act.

"Well, nobody can predict how long you can talk, but I plan on doing everything humanly possible to try to stop the Patriot Act," he said.

The rest is here:
Rand Paul: 'Whatever it takes to stop' Patriot Act ...