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NYU Fellow Nir Rosen Resigns After Making Light of CBS Reporter's Egypt Ordeal

The uprising and protests that have consumed Egypt and the world have grown increasingly chaotic in the past couple weeks. Not only were the people of Egypt in harm's way, but many reporters from America were also harmed during the protests. Even though it seems that the protests are dying down, the fallout from reporters being harmed has not.

reports that Nir Rosen, a fellow at New York University's Center for Law and Security, resigned from his position today. He resigned after being blasted for what some have called inexcusable comments regarding the sexual assault of CBS News correspondent Lara Logan in Egypt last week. Rosen was ranting about the whole incident on Twitter, but after angry replies, he deleted his comments. was able to find screen captures of what Rosen said via Twitter, including that he "ran out of sympathy" for her and also stated we have to "find the humor in small things."

The condemnation of Rosen reflects a lot of negative attitudes toward sexual assault and rape. People often try to blame the victim in these situations by saying they deserved it or that they should not dress a certain way. reports that University of Connecticut President Michael Hogan also made light of an allegation of sexual assault at the campus in 2008.

"It just makes me feel sick to hear this," Hogan said. "We do so many things to discourage people from going to these parties and we offer so many other events."

So, essentially, Hogan blamed the victim for her sexual assault for going to the party, which is often a common thing to do in college. These statements by Hogan infuriated many of the students at the campus because they felt something more should have been done and he should have condemned the attack.

Instead of Hogan coming out and saying he wanted more education to go toward how to stay safe on campus, he says that the victim took on the risk by going to the party. This is highly infuriating for many college students because you should be allowed to go to a party and stay safe; it does not mean you want to be sexually assaulted. There was a lot of backlash from students and parents alike because this was a sexist remark and it showed he had little interest in what could possibly be going on at parties.

Based on the outcry students and parents had when Hogan made light of sexual assault claims, Rosen should expect many angry e-mails and letters. I do not think he can weather the storm of public outcry completely because this is a huge issue in America and around the world. Rosen was just plain wrong to express how he felt via Twitter because it was invective and just plain ignorant.

The police are called in during alleged sexual assaults for a reason: to determine whether or not the incident occurred and to judge according to the evidence. We do not need people like Hogan or Rosen coming out to publicly bash a victim of a crime as serious as rape or sexual assault. Blaming the victim is a common occurrence in our country, and is one reason why people refuse to come forward when it happens. This is only going to infuriate those people who have really been sexually assaulted or raped; Hogan will probably hear about it for a long time.

As a reporter or public figure, you need to keep your mouth shut about your personal feelings and let the incident go through the legal process. Rosen's best bet right now is to just go away for a while and come out and admit he was wrong and that he is sorry. Although an apology will not make this go away, it can make people more likely to forgive him and move on.

Eyeblast TV Staff, "", Big Government

Jim Geraghty, "", National Review

Ashley, "", Safer Campus

Top House Dem: Government shutdown possible

Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the second-ranking House Democrat, said Wednesday that if the parties cannot find a compromise on how to fund the government by the March 4 deadline that a government shutdown would be “possible.”

“I guess anything’s possible,” Hoyer said when asked repeatedly if a government shutdown could happen this year. “The problem is once I say something’s possible, the headline tomorrow is ‘Hoyer says…[shutdown].’”

To put his words in perspective, however, Hoyer was merely being upfront about the political realities facing Congress, which must come to an agreement in the next few weeks. Hoyer made clear that his goal was to reach a deal with Republicans and that his caucus had no intention to provoke a shutdown.

“We don’t want to shut down the government,” he said. “We hope it’s not shut down.”

Unfortunately for Hoyer, Democratic Sens. Harry Reid and Charles Schumer. Most recently, the duo released a press release Friday criticizing Idaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson for saying that a shutdown was “a possibility.”

“We need to know: do House Republican leaders agree with Chairman Simpson that a shutdown may happen? Is it an acceptable possibility to them? They need to say so, one way or the other,” Schumer said in the joint statement. “It is time for the House Republicans to stop with the games and finally rule out a government shutdown once and for all. Stop being coy about it and take it off the table.”

Enter President Obama, who warned Tuesday against trying “to score political” points with talk of shutting down the government.

“I think people should be careful about being too loose in terms of talking about a government shutdown because this is not an abstraction,” Obama said. “The key here is for people to be practical and not to score political points.That’s true for all of us.”

Caitlin Emma contributed to this report.

Read more stories from The Daily Caller

1 US immigration agent dead, 1 injured in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was killed and another wounded while driving through northern Mexico Tuesday, in a rare attack on American officials in this country which is fighting powerful drug cartels.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said one agent was critically wounded in the attack and died from his injuries. The second agent was shot in the arm and leg and remains in stable condition.

"I'm deeply saddened by the news that earlier today, two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents assigned to the ICE Attache office in Mexico City were shot in the line of duty while driving between Mexico City and Monterrey by unknown assailants," she said.

U.S. and Mexican officials said they were working closely together to investigate the shooting and find those responsible. The motive for the attack wasn't immediately known.

"Let me be clear: any act of violence against our ICE personnel — or any DHS personnel — is an attack against all those who serve our nation and put their lives at risk for our safety," Napolitano said. "We remain committed in our broader support for Mexico's efforts to combat violence within its borders."

The two agents were driving in the northern state of San Luis Potosi when they were stopped at what appeared to be a military checkpoint, said one Mexican official, who could not be named because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the case.

After they stopped, someone opened fire on them, the official said.

San Luis Potosi police said gunmen attacked two people a blue Suburban on Highway 57 between Mexico City and Monterrey, near the town of Santa Maria Del Rio, at about 2:30 p.m. Police said one person was killed and another was flown to a Mexico City hospital, though they couldn't confirm the victims were the ICE agents.

Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Arturo Sarukhan spoke with ICE chief John Morton to express Mexico's condolences, according to a spokesman.

"This is a difficult time for ICE and especially for the families and loved ones of our agents. Our hearts and prayers go out to them. This tragedy is a stark reminder of the risks confronted and the sacrifices made by our men and women every day," Morton said in a statement.

Though Mexico is seeing record rates of violence from warring drug cartels and a crackdown on organized crime, it is rare for U.S. officials to be attacked. The U.S. government, however, has become increasingly concerned about the safety of its employees in Mexico amid the escalating violence.

In March, a U.S. employee of a consulate, her husband and a Mexican tied to the American consulate were killed when drug gang members fired on their cars as they left a children's party in Ciudad Juarez, the city across from El Paso, Texas.

The U.S. State Department has taken several measures over the past year to protect consulate employees and their families. It has at times authorized the departure of relatives of U.S. government employees in northern Mexican cities.

In July, it temporarily closed the consulate in Ciudad Juarez after receiving unspecified threats.

In a famous case, in 1985 U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena Salazar was tortured and killed in Mexico. Mexican trafficker Rafael Caro Quintero is serving a 40-year prison term for Camarena's slaying.

ICE, the investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the second largest investigative agency in the federal government, enforced immigration laws and is primarily responsible for arresting, detaining and deporting people who are in the U.S. illegally. It also investigates drug cases in the U.S. and Mexico and other types of trafficking.

It was created in 2003 through a merger of the investigative and interior enforcement elements of the U.S. Customs Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service and has more than 20,000 employees in offices in all 50 states and 47 foreign countries.

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Associated Press writers Martha Mendoza in Santa Cruz, California, and Alicia A Caldwell and Suzanne Gamboa in Washington D.C. contributed to this report.

Packers hold off Steelers to win the Super Bowl

DALLAS (Reuters) – Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns, two of them to Greg Jennings, as the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 on Sunday to win their fourth Super Bowl and first in 14 years.

The Steelers' attempt to produce the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history -- they trailed 21-3 in the second quarter -- largely failed due to three turnovers.

Rodgers, voted the game's MVP, cast aside the shadow of his predecessor, Brett Favre, as he got his hands on the Lombardi Trophy, named after Green Bay's legendary former coach Vince Lombardi.

The Packers lost veteran receiver Donald Driver and trusted cornerback Charles Woodson to injuries but their back-up players delivered the goods.

"It was the great resolve of our football team. We had some practice (this season) of guys going down and other players stepping up," head coach Mike McCarthy said after the Packers claimed their 13th NFL championship..

"It was a very emotional halftime for our football team. We had some bumps in the third quarter but it was just a tremendous effort and coach Lombardi's trophy is finally going back home."

Green Bay took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter as Rodgers delivered a 29-yard touchdown strike to Jordy Nelson before cornerback Nick Collins intercepted a Ben Roethlisberger pass and returned it 37 yards for a score.

The Steelers got on the board with a field goal in the second quarter but then Rodgers again showed his class to pick out Jennings in the end zone with a 21-yard pass and make it 21-3.

STEELERS RALLY

Pittsburgh fought back, with Roethlisberger hitting Hines Ward on an eight-yard scoring pass 39 seconds before halftime and when Rashard Mendenhall powered over with an eight-yard run early in the third to reduce the deficit to 21-17, the momentum looked to have shifted.

But a third turnover from the Steelers led to a Packers scoring drive, with a key 38-yard pass to Nelson setting up the second Jennings touchdown as Green Bay looked to regain the initiative.

Still the Steelers searched for a way back and found one when Mike Wallace collected a 25-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger. Antwaan Randle El's two-point conversion run sliced the Packers' lead to 28-25.

A 23-yard field goal from Mason Crosby with just over two minutes left gave the Packers some breathing room and their defense held firm.

Despite several dropped balls by his receivers, Rodgers completed 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and did not throw an interception.

"This a great group of men that we've put together here," said Rodgers. "A lot of character. Been through a lot together. It's just great to be able to share it with them."

Roethlisberger, seeking his third Super Bowl ring, completed 25 of 40 attempts for 263 yards and two touchdowns but threw two costly pickoffs.

"We turned the ball over and a lot of that is my fault," said Roethlisberger.

Pittsburgh outgained the Packers in total yards, 387-338, largely to a 126-50 advantage on the ground.

(Editing by Steve Ginsburg)

US January jobless rate in surprise fall to 9%

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US unemployment rate unexpectedly fell in January, to 9.0 percent from 9.4 percent in December, but job creation was flat as the economy grapples with a weak recovery, official data showed Friday.

It was the second month in a row the rate has fallen 0.4 percentage point. Most economists had expected the Labor Department to report the jobless rate rose to 9.5 percent.

The Labor Department, in reporting data incorporating new adjustments, highlighted that the revisions made monthly comparisons difficult.

Severe winter storms across broad swaths of the country appeared to have skewed the numbers, analysts said.

The proportion of those actively seeking jobs, which rose 0.1 point from December, to 58.4 percent, was below the January 2010 level of 58.5 percent, when the unemployment rate was at 9.7 percent.

The economy created 36,000 jobs, the department said, sharply below the average estimate of 148,000 and down from 103,000 new nonfarm payrolls in December.

According to the data, the economy had created by January 31 only one million jobs for the more than eight million lost between December 2007 and February 2010.