Martin: GOP must not ignore J.C. Watts

Former Rep. J.C. Watts might run for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee Some establishment Republicans are blasting him, says Roland Martin But if the GOP wants any kind of future, it should listen to Watts very closely, Martin says It's time for the GOP to "sit back, shut up and take notes," says Martin Editor's note: Roland Martin is a syndicated columnist and author of "The First: President Barack Obama's Road to the White House." He is a commentator for the TV One cable network and host/managing editor of its Sunday morning news show, "Washington Watch with Roland Martin." (CNN) -- A number of establishment Republicans are privately blasting former Rep. J.C. Watts and his comments about considering a run for the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee. They call him arrogant for even suggesting he could do the job, and some have said the talk is more about his ego than a vision for the party. In fact, he has been likened to former RNC Chairman Michael Steele. Both are conservative, but clearly that comparison is based on their skin color and not anything else. The Republican Party establishment should tread carefully here, because even if members choose not to vote for Watts -- if he decides to even seek the job -- it is his skin color and perspective that is central to the GOP having any sort of presidential future. We might as well not play footsie: The Republican Party is a group largely composed of and targeting white Americans. Yes, there are minority Republicans. But considering how President Obama was able to destroy Mitt Romney at the ballot box last month with a racial coalition that rolled up massive support among blacks, Hispanics and Asians, the GOP has a problem. The day has passed when the GOP can win the presidency by focusing on white Americans. Folks, this is simple math. With the nation moving toward becoming a majority-minority country, the Republican Party cannot afford to continue to ignore, alienate and, frankly, tick off minority voters. Become a fan of CNNOpinion Stay up to date on the latest opinion, analysis and conversations through social media. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion and follow us @CNNOpinion on Twitter. We welcome your ideas and comments. What J.C. Watts is trying to do is to get party leaders to understand that as a former college football legend at the University of Oklahoma, he knows when a failed game plan needs to be thrown out. In football, if you lose, you often get rid of the coach and find someone who can recruit better players to put you on the path to winning. Opinion: GOP, break Grover Norquist's grip on you Does that mean the GOP should throw out RNC chairman Reince Priebus? Not necessarily. But it is abundantly clear that the modern-day GOP had better find a new game plan or it is going to be on the outside of the Oval Office for quite some time. J.C. Watts is no stranger to this discussion. When he served in the leadership of the House Republican Conference as a member of Congress from Oklahoma, he often tried to quietly address these issues within the party, and his comments often fell on deaf ears. Now Watts can look to his Republican buddies and say, "Didn't I tell you? Now are y'all ready to pay attention?" But as long as guys like Mitt Romney surrogate John Sununu, a former New Hampshire governor and chief of staff to President George H.W. Bush, continue to assert that people voted for President Obama because of handouts, the GOP will resemble that old, drunk uncle you hate to invite over for family dinners because he manages to make everyone look foolish. The Republican Party's problem isn't that its members have to better explain its policies to minorities. No. It's that they all need to shut up and listen. Yes, listen. Because every time top GOP officials open their mouths, all they seem to do is insult the very people they need to vote for them. This is about relationships. It is about having a dialogue. It's about listening to what Americans desire and seeing where there is agreement, whether it's education, the environment, entrepreneurship, sentencing reform, immigration or a host of other issues. Too often, the GOP is afraid to talk to minorities, especially black folks, and that results in turning them off in a huge way. And just saying, "Look! We have elected some minorities to office" ain't gonna cut it. How did having a Hispanic governor in New Mexico and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio help Mitt Romney in the last election? J.C. Watts understands that being able to commuincate with black, Hispanic and Asian business owners about issues other than taxes is going to make a difference. Sorry, GOP, just touting smaller government and fewer taxes won't cut it. The discussion must be broad and touch upon the issues that affect these voters every day. And the only way a Priebus can even understand how to talk to and work with black folks is having a relationship with the likes of J.C. Watts, Colin Powell, Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams, Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, South Carolina Rep. Tim Scott, former Citigroup and Time Warner chairman Richard Parsons and so many others and say, "Please, take the time to educate me on the issues and concerns resonating among black folks, and how our agenda can appeal to them." Then you sit back, shut up and take notes. Opinion: The GOP is tone-deaf on fiscal cliff The same needs to happen with other constituencies that the Democratic Party has dominated. This is the only effective way the GOP will come to grips with the enormous problems it has in these communities. The party first must know why there is so much resistance, and then go about methodically addressing the issues. And that will mean having an extraordinary outreach program that must be funded and staffed. The fact is, the massive outreach effort that is needed may not pay off for the GOP in 2016. But laying the groundwork today could mean seeing the fruits of that labor then and beyond. But I can guarantee the GOP one thing: If it ignores minority constituents and dismisses them, it will get destroyed at the ballot box. The only way for fruits to grow is if the seed is planted, cultivated and tended to. The GOP has been unwilling to get its hands dirty and do the hard work when it comes to minority voters. Keep it up and it will starve to death. I guarantee. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roland S. Martin.

6 ways merchants fill your card with 'gray charges'

By Bob Sullivan What do you call surprise charges on your credit card bill that aren't fraudulent but are definitely unexpected and unwanted? Fraud-fighting firm BillGuard.com calls them "gray charges," and it says many consumer bills are laden with hundreds of dollars worth of them annually. BillGuard breaks the gray charges down into six categories – automated payments, "zombie" subscriptions, unwanted auto-renewals, negative option marketing, free-to-paid services and cost creep. The charges might be small -- $12 to $18 generally -- but they add up. One in four BillGuard customers is hit with gray charges, with the average annual cost pegged at $358, the firm says. "This is big business, billions of dollars for these companies," said BillGuard CEO Yaron Samid. "I am surprised by the amount of legitimate companies -- well-known companies -- that have repeatedly confused and deceived customers into paying." The gray-charge warning comes at a good time. As the holiday shopping season hits full force, consumers will pull out plastic and click "I agree" to all sorts of fine print and contracts they may not fully understand. BillGuard users sign up with the firm and allow it to scan their bills for suspicious or unwanted charges reported by other users, similar to the way spam filters work. That's how it finds fraud and other questionable charges. While its customer sample is not a scientific, representative sample of the general population, it is a large pool of data worth mining for insights into consumer credit card problems. Unwanted and misunderstood subscriptions account for nearly half of gray charges, the firm found. One example: AOL dial-up subscriptions set up with automatic monthly billing, which repeatedly show up on BillGuard users' bills.  Last summer, AOL's earning report revealed that 3 million consumers still pay for its dial up Internet access service. It's unknown how many need it because they can't have or don't want broadband Internet access, but BillGuard said its customers usually turn off AOL after they are informed of the charges. Automated payments are to blame for a host of unwanted charges, Samid said, such as unused health club subscriptions or websites that include unexpected monthly fees in the fine print. "These are charges that, if people were aware of them, would cancel immediately," he said.  Merchants use five other techniques to similarly draw money out of consumers' credit or debit cards, BillGuard says: *Zombie subscriptions. Consumers cancel a service, but it "comes back to life" against their will, and charges reappear on their cards. *Unwanted auto-renewals. Consumers sign up for products and forget to cancel before the date of their automatic annual renewal. After the charge is placed on their credit cards, the merchant claims it's too late to cancel. *Negative option marketing. Merchants use various tricks to enroll consumers in purchase agreements unless they actively opt out. In one method, a second unwanted service is lumped in with another legitimate purchase. *Free-to-paid services. The word free just doesn't mean what it used to. Many merchants trick consumers into paying for services they think are free, or persuade them to sign up for free trials which automatically become paid services *Cost creep.  A monthly or quarterly purchase that slowly climbs from $5.99 to $6.99 to $7.99, and so on, under the buyer's radar "These companies are walking in this gray area of ethics," Samid said. "Is it up to them to warn people before they are auto-renewed? Maybe, maybe not, but they are taking money from people who are confused." Consumers are responsible for carefully checking their credit card statements and looking for unexpected charges. But research has shown repeatedly that most consumers rarely -- if ever -- perform line-by-line bill audits.  BillGuard surveyed its customers and found that only 1 in 10 does so. "We have caught merchants taking advantage of this. It's a true science for them," he said.  "As far as law is concerned and the banks are concerned it's legal." RED TAPE WRESTLING TIPS, HOLIDAY EDITION  The best way to avoid such unwanted charges is regular, intense scrutiny of every billing statement. But when annual or quarterly auto-renewals occur, it's often too late when charges appear on a credit card bill. Then, consumers should call the merchant and demand a refund, and threaten to contest the charge with the card-issuing bank if the merchant refuses. Because merchants face additional fees when such a "chargeback" occurs, they often relent when knowledgeable consumers make that threat. BillGuard also offers a free "dispute this charge" service at its website. That could be handy as online shopping hits a fever pitch in a week or so. Credit score expert John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education at SmartCredit.com, offers some additional holiday season credit card safety tips: *Despite those tempting discount offers, don't open up store retail credit cards while shopping. Doing so can hurt your credit score  -- even the mere application can hurt your score – and of course, it'll be tempting to use and abuse in the new year. * Even though they look the same, credit cards have stronger consumer protection that debit cards, so pick credit cards when making purchases. Don't be fooled by the "credit or debit" question at checkout lines – a debit card is a debit card, even if you pick "credit" and run the charge as what's really called a "signature debit" vs. a "PIN debit" transaction.  Credit cards are still the safer choice when it comes to fraud. * And something you might not consider as your rack up what might be the largest credit card bill of the year: Use your highest-limit credit card for all your purchases, rather than spread them around on different cards. Why?  Spreading balances around "will lead to score damage," says Ulzheimer. "If you've got a card with a $15,000 or higher limit, use that one for everything. That minimizes the 'debt to limit" credit score problem.' " * Follow Bob Sullivan on Facebook. * Follow Bob Sullivan on Twitter.  More from Red Tape Chronicles: A smartphone bill for $50? Red Tape readers reveal their cell secrets Breezy Point teen raises $80k, raises spirits in devastated hometown Newest family budget killer? It's the $300 cellphone bill, readers say 10,000 identity theft gangs active in the US, study finds It's not that hard for authorities to get to your email On social media, fakery muddies political discussion Texas schools begin tracking students with computer chips in ID cards

Major quake strikes off Japan, raising risk of tsunami

A tsunami warning has been issued for the northeast prefecture of Miyagi But there is no threat of a widespread tsunami in the Pacific, a warning center says The 7.3-magnitude quake shook buildings in Tokyo Are you there? Share your photos and video with CNN iReport. (CNN) -- A powerful earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan on Friday evening, rattling buildings in Tokyo and raising the risk of a tsunami. The 7.3-magnitude quake hit 492 kilometers (306 miles) east-northeast of Tokyo, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned a tsunami as high as two meters could hit the country's northeast coast following the quake, which struck out at sea. The agency issued the warning for Miyagi Prefecture, the hardest hit area by the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck in March 2011. But the quake Friday hasn't created a widespread threat of a tsunami in the Pacific, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

McAfee fights return to Belize

Guatemalan officials say they've rejected John McAfee's request for asylum The 67-year-old software company founder is back in immigration detention McAfee's attorneys request an injunction, saying "due process has been violated" They're requesting an injunction from Guatemala's Supreme Court Guatemala City (CNN) -- The next stop for software pioneer John McAfee could be Belize after Guatemalan authorities rejected his bid for asylum. Authorities there want to talk to him about the November 11 shooting of his neighbor, American businessman Gregory Faull. Under Belize law, McAfee can be held for 48 hours without charges, police spokesman Raphael Martinez said. But McAfee's fight to stay in Guatemala is not over. His attorneys said they filed a request for an injunction with Guatemala's Supreme Court to prevent his extradition. Standing outside the police hospital as ambulance lights flashed nearby, attorney Karla Paz said officials had unjustly rejected McAfee's petition without weighing the evidence. "Due process has been violated. The right to defense has not been respected," she said. Read more: McAfee's exit from Belize ends in detention McAfee is being held in a Guatemalan immigration detention center while developments swirl. On Thursday, a neon green ambulance whisked the 67-year-old to a police hospital just hours after his bid for asylum was rejected. McAfee's legal team said doctors were treating him for cardiovascular problems. Later, attorney Telesforo Guerra offered a different diagnosis: McAfee had suffered a nervous breakdown, but tests showed he did not have heart problems. The series of events were the latest dramatic twists in a saga that reads like a best-selling mystery, with poisoned dogs, a dead neighbor and international intrigue fueled by weeks on the run. Guatemalan authorities took McAfee into custody Wednesday on accusations of entering the country illegally. After weeks in hiding, the anti-virus software company founder emerged publicly Tuesday in Guatemala's capital, hundreds of miles from the Caribbean island in Belize where his next-door neighbor was found dead. McAfee requested asylum in Guatemala, arguing that he left Belize to escape police persecution. But Guatemalan authorities found there was no basis for his asylum request, presidential spokesman Francisco Cuevas said Thursday. McAfee founded his namesake computer security software in 1987, initially running it out of his home in California. He sold his stake in McAfee Associates in 1994 and moved to Belize in 2008. On November 9, he told police someone poisoned his four dogs there. To put them out of their misery, he shot each in the head and buried them on his property, according to a former girlfriend. The dogs' barking and aggressive behavior was a frequent source of friction between the two neighbors. Two days after the dogs were poisoned, Faull was found fatally shot in the head. McAfee has said he had nothing to do with Faull's death, and Belize authorities are out to get him because he refused to pay a bribe to a politician months earlier. Belize police say they only want to talk with McAfee. "He's really gone out of his way to make the country look bad," Martinez, the police spokesman, said earlier this week. "We just believe he should, if he's innocent as he's saying he is, he should bring in his lawyer, and let's get to the bottom of this and say what he needs to say and let's move on." Read more: A bizarre visit to John McAfee's pleasure palace in Belize CNN's Martin Savidge and Michael Martinez contributed to this report.

NY doctor charged with manslaughter after overdoses

View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com. By The Associated Press NEW YORK -- A New York City doctor who wrote prescriptions for a man who killed four people in a pharmacy robbery was hit Thursday with manslaughter charges that accuse him of causing the overdose deaths of two patients.  Dr. Stan Li already had been accused of prescribing prescription drugs to addicts. Li prescribed more than 500 pills to a 21-year-old man in the five weeks leading up the discovery of his body in a parked car in Queens in 2010, authorities said. The cause of death was acute intoxication caused by a combination of Xanax and oxycodone.  'Do no harm' Authorities said they believe it's the first time a physician has been charged in New York with manslaughter in an overdose death.  "Dr. Li flouted the fundamental principle in medicine -- first, do no harm," Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan said in a statement announcing the indictment.   Read more US stories from NBC News Li, of Hamilton, N.J., appeared in court Thursday. The 58-year-old Li has previously pleaded not guilty to peddling prescriptions to addicts and drug dealers from a Queens weekend clinic where he saw as many as 120 patients a day, moonlighting from his full-time job as an anesthesiologist at a New Jersey hospital. One of Li's patients, David Laffer, shot and killed two employees and two customers while holding up a Long Island pharmacy for painkillers in June 2011. Authorities have said that Li provided 24 prescriptions filled by Laffer. Laffer is serving a life sentence for murder. More content from NBCNews.com: 2012 warmest year in US? Odds rise to 99.7 percent Abortion mandate costs Planned Parenthood a few affiliates Contest to kill Burmese pythons in Everglades includes $1,500 grand prizes Video: $45 million worth of cocaine hauled in from sea Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ex-Thai PM charged with murder

Thai authorities have charged former Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his former deputy with murder. Abhisit Vejjajiva and his former deputy are charged over the death of a taxi driver The driver was killed amid a crackdown on protests in Bangkok in 2010 A court ruled last month that his death resulted from military acts ordered by Abhisit More than 90 people were killed in the 2010 clashes in Bangkok Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- The consequences of ordering the military to crack down on anti-government demonstrations more than two years ago has come back to haunt the former Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Thai authorities have charged Abhisit and his former deputy with murder in relation to the killing of Pan Kumkong, a taxi driver, amid the unrest that brought chaos to the streets of the capital city, Bangkok, in 2010. The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) said Thursday that the charges against Abhisit and Suthep Thaungsuban concern orders to soldiers to use live ammunition in the area were Pan was shot. If convicted, they would face the punishment of death or life in prison. The Court of Justice ruled in September that the taxi driver's death resulted from acts carried out by the military under instructions from the Center for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation, a temporary task force set up by Abhisit. He and Suthep have been summoned to hear the charges on Wednesday, said Thairt Pengdit, director general of the DSI. Political tensions erupted in early 2010 with protesters demanding that Abhisit step down. He resisted the calls, and clashes between his supporters and those of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, turned violent. Abhisit sent in government troops to quell the long-running protests in Bangkok. More than 90 people died and hundreds were injured in the street battles that followed, one of the bloodiest episodes in recent Thai history. In July 2011, Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was elected as prime minister, defeating Abhisit.

McConnell move on debt backfires

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell ended up filibustering a bill he had just pushed for a vote. A move by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell backfires McConnell pushed for a vote on a debt ceiling idea he first proposed last year After a move by Majority Leader Reid, McConnell wound up objecting to a vote on the idea Democrats said it was another sign that Republicans are losing the battle on the fiscal cliff Washington (CNN) -- The political posturing, and theater, related to the fiscal cliff continued Thursday as Senate leaders squared off over whether to make it harder for Congress to block future increases in the debt ceiling. At issue was a move by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and meant to put Democrats in a tough spot, that backfired. McConnell pushed for a vote on an idea he first proposed last year as part of the debt ceiling standoff. Movement in fiscal cliff talks The legislation would allow the president to increase the debt ceiling without congressional approval, though Congress could block the move if a two-thirds majority of both the House and Senate voted to disapprove it. Democrats want the change because raising the limit has become increasingly contentious, as Republicans have demanded spending cuts and other reforms to go along with it. Another debt limit increase is needed early next year. Higher taxes for all? L.A. mayor talks about fiscal cliff McConnell now opposes the change he once advanced because it was intended as a one-time solution to the deadlock over the debt last year. Nevertheless, he pushed for a vote on it because he wanted to show that even some Democrats oppose giving the president that much authority, and he knew there was no way Democrats could garner the 60 votes typically needed for major legislation to pass the Senate. But in the back-and-forth legislative chess match that often plays out on the Senate floor, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid instead moved to pass the measure with a 51-vote threshold, confident that he had at least that many votes to give Democrats a victory. Recognizing that, McConnell objected to voting at the lower threshold, meaning he was filibustering the bill he had just pushed for a vote. Obama visits 'middle class' family As expected, Democrats did declare victory and argued that Republican defeat was another sign that they are losing the bigger battle over the fiscal cliff. "Senator McConnell's filibuster prevented us from having this vote today, but I will continue to seek an agreement to hold an up-or-down vote on his proposal to avoid another debt ceiling debacle," Reid said. "We have the higher ground," said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York. "They know that they got burnt the last time by using the debt ceiling for political leverage. Things are even more in our advantage today."