Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine...

Sequester Squeeze

The doom-and-gloom predictions about the sequester budget cuts proved mostly to be just talk.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports just one layoff across 23 agencies and departments.
but the cuts did put some people back on the streets.

The Homeland Security Department's inspector general says, more than 2,000 illegal immigrants held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement were released in the weeks before sequester hit.

629 of the freed detainees had criminal records including 34 so-called level one offenders a category including serious drug crimes, rape, and murder.

Many of the level one detainees were returned to custody.

The IG found that communication was so ineffective that no one informed DHS or the White House of the budget shortfall or about the plan to release detainees.

Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn calls the releases baffling -- quote -- "ICE undermined its own credibility, the rule of law, and the safety of Americans.

Smoke Signals

A California medical marijuana group is suing the city of San Diego because of too much smoke, but not kind you are thinking of.

The lawsuit claims that the city and the state's coastal commission did not examine the environmental impact of having too few pot dispensaries.

Patients would need to drive great distances to some of them which could have a negative environmental impact, so the lawsuit argues more joints and locations for getting them are needed.

The next hearing is scheduled for February.

Top Dog

Finally, the new mayor-elect of Cormorant, Minnesota is just seven-years-old, but that's really more like 49.

Meet Duke, the dog who won the local election in a landslide and is going to be sworn in Sunday.

Duke is a dog of the people, often visiting the pub, hoping for some burgers and fries.

The job offers no salary but a local pet store has agreed to donate a year's supply of food as a reward for the top dog.