Oregon Public Broadcasting's Amanda Peacher Featured on the 'News Hour' with Judy Woodruff (VIDEO)

I've been following Ms. Peacher on Twitter for updates.

She's featured in this informative clip:

'There Has to Be Retribution' — Nevada Rancher Cliven Bundy Says LaVoy Finicum Murdered in 'Cold Blood' (VIDEO)

Whoa!

Talk about throwing down the gauntlet.

At the Las Vegas Sun, "‘There has to be retribution’: Bundy family says slain Oregon protester unarmed'":

In an audio clip posted to Facebook on Tuesday, Cliven Bundy echoed his nephew's [Steve Bundy] message.

“(Ammon Bundy) said (Finicum) had his arms in the air, he said he was unarmed, and they shot him cold-blooded.”

Cliven Bundy was not available for further comment Tuesday night, but the family spokesman said the Nevada ranch militia members would seek to avenge Finicum's death “very soon.”

“There has to be retribution,” Steve Bundy said. “But we’re not going to ruin the element of surprise.”

RTWT.

PREVIOUSLY: "Report: Militia Spokesman LaVoy Finicum 'was shot three times while he had his hands up in the air...'"

The Mechanics of the Iowa Caucuses

The caucuses are even more complicated than this piece indicates, at the Wall Street Journal, "Iowa Caucuses: How Do They Work?"

Years ago, when I was still at UCSB, I used to assign Elaine Kamarck's research. She's at Harvard Kennedy School, and according to her bio there, "In the 1980s, she was one of the founders of the New Democrat movement that helped elect Bill Clinton president." And she's an expert on the party nomination process. Here's her new book, Primary Politics: Everything You Need to Know about How America Nominates Its Presidential Candidates.

More here, "First in the nation: The all-important early states of Iowa and New Hampshire."

She's on Twitter as well, heh.

Jackie Johnson's Weather Forecast for Thursday

I dropped my kid off at school and picked up a cup of coffee at 7/11, and that's about it.

I've been blogging the Malheur arrests almost non-stop since yesterday around dinner time. I slept this afternoon for a couple hours, after the news settled down a bit with the press conference and the arraignments in Portland.

In any case, I haven't sampled the weather much today, although it was mild out compared to yesterday.

And with that, here's Jackie with tomorrow's preview:

Witness Raymond Doherty Tells Portland's KOIN 6 News There Was 'Lot of Shooting Going On' During Bundy Militia Arrest (VIDEO)

Watch:



And ICYMI, "WATCH: Exclusive Video Shows Shots Fired in Ammon Bundy Traffic Stop Outside Burns, Oregon."

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Statement on the Occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day (VIDEO)

Just having him in office over there makes me feel a little better.

But our election's coming, and I'm confident that the change we have this time's going to be for the better.

Militia Leader Ammon Bundy Urges Occupiers to Leave Malheur Refuge (VIDEO)

At USA Today, "Ammon Bundy urges protesters to leave refuge":

BURNS, Ore. — Oregon militia leader Ammon Bundy is urging his followers at a wildlife refuge near Burns, Ore., to leave, according to a statement released by his attorney.

Bundy's lawyer, Mike Arnold, read a statement by Bundy, arrested Tuesday, on the steps of a courthouse in Portland.

"Right now, I am asking the federal government to allow the people at the refuge to go home without being prosecuted," the statement read. "To those remaining at the refuge, I love you. Let us take this fight from here. Please stand down. Go home and hug your families. This fight is ours for now in the courts. Please go home."

The statement also paid tribute to Lavoy Finnicum, the protester who died on Tuesday, as federal and state authorities arrested Bundy and seven more at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Bundy and the protesters had holed up there since Jan. 2. Authorities said the arrests came after futile efforts to end the standoff peacefully for 25 days.

Bundy's reported request came after mounting pressure from authorities for the protesters to abandon the site.

"They have chosen to threaten and intimidate the America they profess to love and through their criminal actions bring these consequences upon themselves," said Greg Bretzing, FBI special agent in charge, said earlier Wednesday.

In a particularly emotional statement before reporters, Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward spoke directly to the remaining half-dozen holdouts at the refuge.

"It is time for everybody in this illegal occupation to move on," Ward said, stopping periodically to regain his composure. "There doesn't have to be bloodshed in our community. (When) we have issues with the way things are in our government, we have a responsibility as citizens to act on them in an appropriate manner. We don't arm up, we don't rebel. We work through the appropriate channels. This can't happen anymore, this can't happen in America, and it can't happen in Harney County."

The brief statements by the FBI, sheriff and federal prosecutor came one day after law enforcement officers stopped a group of the protesters at a roadblock about 20 miles north of the refuge.

Arizona resident Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, 56, the soft-spoken but defiant co-leader of the protest group victim, was shot and killed. Officials refused to provide details, but his identity was confirmed by his family and reported by The Oregonian and NBC News.

Meanwhile, several members of a self-styled militia continued to defy authorities and maintain their occupation of the federal facility...

Still more.

And at the Portland Oregonian, "Ammon Bundy, via attorney, tells refuge militants to go home."

Official Statement from Pacific Patriots Network on Arrests of the Bundy Militiamen

This following-up from a couple of weeks ago, "Pacific Patriot Network Opposes #Malheur Occupation, Issues Call for Peaceful Resolution of Standoff (VIDEO)."

Here's the group's statement, "Pacific Patriots Network - Official Statement for Immediate Release":

On January 26, 2016, Ammon Bundy Ryan Bundy, Shawna Cox, Brian Cavalier, Ryan Payne and LaVoy Finicum were involved in a traffic stop between the town of Burns and John Day, Oregon. They were on their way to a meeting with local ranchers. Ammon Bundy, as well as the passengers of his vehicle were stopped, arrested, and taken into federal custody by the FBI. We can confirm that one man has been shot and taken to the local hospital and that another was shot and killed. We can also confirm that separate from the traffic stop, both Joe O'Shaugnessy and Pete Santilli were also arrested and taken into custody.

It has come to the attention of PPN that many individuals are responding to this news as a ‘Call to Action’. The Pacific Patriots Network is issuing an immediate “STAND BY” Order to all those who are mobilizing to the peaceful city of Burns, Oregon. We will not pursue any action until all of the facts have been pieced together regarding the traffic stop and the arrest of Ammon Bundy. During this time, cooler heads must prevail. We do not wish to inflame the current situation and will engage in open dialogue until all of the facts have been gathered.

Again, we must reiterate the current standing order. No mobilization of any kind is to take place until every piece of speculation and hearsay have been verified or dismissed...

Via Memeorandum.

Remaining Malheur Militimen Broadcast Siege from Inside Wildlife Refuge (VIDEO)

Following-up, "Ammon Bundy Militiamen Make Appearance in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon."

At the Portland Oregonian, "Live: Remaining occupiers broadcast from inside Malheur National Wildlife Refuge":

After eight leaders of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation were arrested Tuesday and spokesperson Robert "LaVoy" Finicum was killed, the remaining occupiers are still holding their ground.

They somehow have maintained enough Internet bandwidth to continue streaming video from inside the 187,000-acre refuge, located 30 miles south of Burns, Oregon in remote Harney County.

In one segment of a live broadcast that clearly appears to have been made within the refuge Tuesday morning, at least three armed occupiers kept watch for law enforcement.

"They're coming to kill us," one said into the camera as hundreds watched and commented on the YouTube stream...

Yes, ICYMI, "'They're Going to Murder All of Us!' — #Malheur Occupiers Livestream Siege at Wildlife Refuge (VIDEO)."

The livestream video is here, active as of 1:30pm Pacific, "The Watchman News 01/27/2016 - Burns Oregon Standoff Live Video from Inside the Refuge."

Ammon Bundy Militiamen Make Appearance in U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon

Shawna Cox is a woman, but I'm keeping the "militiamen" moniker I've got going, lol.

At KOIN News 6 Portland, "Bundy, militia in court: What to expect: Militia took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on Jan. 2, 2016."

Ammon Bundy and six others will be led into U.S. Mag. Judge Stacie F. Beckerman's courtroom on fed. conspiracy charges #Oregonstandoff

— Maxine Bernstein (@maxoregonian) January 27, 2016

UPDATE: At the Oregonian, "Ammon Bundy and other Oregon standoff leaders appear in court in Portland."

Emily DiDonato, Erin Heatherton, and Irina Shayk Back for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2016

Well, here's the big tease the editors were promoting.

.@theirishayk, @ErinHeatherton and @emilydidonato1 are back for #SISwim 2016! https://t.co/ZfwD16nZAq pic.twitter.com/nEJ3d64QWB

— SI Swimsuit (@SI_Swimsuit) January 27, 2016

PREVIOUSLY: "Kate's Tiny Bikinis — Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (VIDEO)."

LeVoy Finicum Preached a 'Cowboy's Stand for Freedom' (VIDEO)

He went out blazing, in all the ways that one can go out blazing.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Man killed in Oregon standoff had preached what he called a 'cowboy's stand for freedom'":

Where some activists at an occupied federal wildlife refuge preached rowdyism and brimstone, Robert “LaVoy” Finicum was wistful, almost sad.

Bedecked in his trademark earmuffs and cowboy hat, the Arizona rancher would wonder aloud with a shake of his head why reporters couldn’t simply see the rightness of his position: that the federal government was illegally possessing land it had no right to take.

He insisted he and the other occupiers were helping the people of Harney County, Oregon. He often carried a handgun at his side and sometimes set up watch with a long gun across his lap.

He maintained a blog — “One Cowboy’s stand for Freedom” — in which he posted videos of himself denouncing the federal government and demanding that federal land be turned over to local authorities and private ranchers. He also wrote a novel, a post-apocalyptic Western thriller called "Only By Blood and Suffering."

Finicum, 55, was killed Tuesday night by an Oregon State Police trooper during an altercation between authorities and some who had occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. About 20 occupiers have squatted for three weeks while they protested the incarceration of a father-and-son pair of ranchers and demanded federal agencies leave the land to local authorities and landowners.

The exact circumstances of the altercation between occupiers and authorities have not yet been released. "My dad was such a good good man, through and through," Arianna Finicum Brown, 26, one of Finicum's 11 children, told The Oregonian newspaper Tuesday. "He would never ever want to hurt somebody, but he does believe in defending freedom and he knew the risks involved."

When speaking to the media or the public, Ammon Bundy, putative leader of the activists, was gruff and dismissive. Jon Ritzheimer, a Phoenix-area anti-Muslim activist arrested Tuesday, would stay silent for long stretches before exploding in anger. But Finicum kept his cool.

“I can point to the page, here,” Finicum told the Los Angeles Times during the second week of the occupation, holding aloft a pocket Constitution. “I can tell you where to look if you want to see why we’re here.

“You say we’re breaking things up. [But] we’re keeping something together here.”

Finicum often served as a spokesman for the group, reading statements into cameras and then chatting with reporters when the cameras were off. He told reporters that the occupiers were going through federal files looking  for proof of federal malfeasance.

One day with reporters watching, he scaled a ladder to the top of a telephone pole to remove a camera lens. He later held it up for reporters, saying it had been placed by the FBI to monitor the occupiers.

Finicum was, for most of his life, a rancher who paid his grazing fees to the federal government...

Still more.

Bernie Sanders Meets with President Obama at the White House

Heh.

The Democrat-Socialists had to coordinate talking points before the Iowa caucuses.

At PuffHo, "Obama meets with Bernie Sanders at the White House."



Image Credit: Woodsterman.

News Conference on Occupation of #Malheur National Wildlife Reserve (VIDEO)

Following-up, "'They're Going to Murder All of Us!' — #Malheur Occupiers Livestream Siege at Wildlife Refuge (VIDEO)."

Here's the Portland Oregonian, "Oregon standoff news conference: FBI says occupiers had 'ample' time to leave."

And watch, via CNN:



I'll post updates throughout the day (and pray that this standoff ends peacefully).

'They're Going to Murder All of Us!' — #Malheur Occupiers Livestream Siege at Wildlife Refuge (VIDEO)

That was an extremely tight-lipped press conference. The FBI, U.S. Attorney Bill Williams, and Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward all spoke, but none took questions.

Here's the reported tweeted from KOIN News 6 Portland, "FBI: Militia occupiers still at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge given ample time to leave," and "U.S. Atty: Numerous law enforcement working together to 'stop the threats'."

Also, "Harney Sheriff: Those arrested 'gave me ultimatums I could not meet'"; "Harney Sheriff: 'This has been tearing our community apart'"; and "Harney Sheriff: 'We don't arm up and rebel. This can't happen anymore'."

In any case, I'll bet authorities are going back out to the refuge to bring this standoff to and end, by any means necessary.

Here's the occupiers' livestream highlights from the Portland Oregonian:



I'll have updates shortly.

Mammoth Bones Discovered at Oregon State University (VIDEO)

Heh.

Not something you find everyday.

Watch, at the Portland Oregonian, "Mammoth bones uncovered at Oregon State University."

U.S. Representative Greg Walden (R): 'Our Hopes Were Shattered' With the Shooting Last Night

From KOIN's Jennifer Dowling, "Walden: Sadly, our hopes were shattered with the shooting that occurred during last night's arrest."

The congressman's been speaking out on the siege. See the Portland Oregonian, "Highlights from Rep. Greg Walden’s tearful, angry speech to U.S. House about Oregon standoff (VIDEO)."

The Malheur press conference has been pushed back to 11:00am, perhaps to give LEOs more time to negotiate the occupiers' exit from the refuge.

Expect updates...

And ICYMI, "FBI Surrounds #Malheur Wildlife Refuge — Media Crews Told to Leave #OregonStandoff."

FBI Surrounds #Malheur Wildlife Refuge — Media Crews Told to Leave #OregonStandoff

Just now, at KOIN News 6 Portland, "FBI surrounds Malheur refuge, militia not leaving."

John Sepulvado tweeted earlier, "@OPB was told by FBI that we were on our own -- essentially stuff is going down and we need to move."

And from Andrew Dymburt:

The @FBI is advising journalists to leave now. Could be gearing up for a move on #Malheur keep it locked to @KOINNews for updates

— Andrew Dymburt (@DymburtNews) January 27, 2016

UPDATE: Welcome Instapundit readers.

Today's joint press conference concluded moments ago. The FBI, U.S. Attorney Bill Williams, and Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward all spoke, but none took questions.

See my updates, "'They're Going to Murder All of Us!' — #Malheur Occupiers Livestream Siege at Wildlife Refuge (VIDEO)," and "News Conference on Occupation of #Malheur National Wildlife Reserve (VIDEO)."

Military-Style Preparations Taking Place at Airport in Burns, Oregon (PHOTOS) — #MalheurOccupation

Found just now on Twitter:

More cops are arriving headed south on 205, with vehicles carrying Porta potty's roadblock equipment, etc. #OregonStandOff

— Kelly House (@Kelly_M_House) January 27, 2016

There are several armored vehicles and what appears to be a Blackhawk-like helicopter outside that Burns airport. #OregonStandoff

— Kelly House (@Kelly_M_House) January 27, 2016

Serious law enforcement presence in paramilitary getup block off entry to refuge. #Oregonstandoff pic.twitter.com/NeAIW27wTF

— Beth Nakamura (@bethnakamura) January 27, 2016

Several armored vehicles & what appears 2 b a black hawk at airport in Burns. Cops @ entrance #Oregonstandoff pic.twitter.com/yuwDHgzNI9

— Beth Nakamura (@bethnakamura) January 27, 2016

I joked about a "Janet Reno-style" assault on the occupation headquarters earlier this month. That doesn't sound so funny right now.

ADDED: Seen just now. Folks better look out.

.@OPB was told by FBI that we were on our own -- essentially stuff is going down and we need to move.

— John Sepulvado (@JohnLGC) January 27, 2016

Kate's Tiny Bikinis — Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (VIDEO)

SI's supposed to be teasing some of the new swimsuit issue today, so expect updates.

Here's Kate: