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John
Edwards
- 
Iowa
- 
Families
- 
Jobs
- 
Money
- 
Attorney
General - 
North
Carolina
- 
2008
Election - "Edwards
the orator energizes audience." ... "Dayton Countryman
said he's been around long enough to know what it means when a supposedly
underdog presidential candidate can pack more than 500 folks into a social
hall in this town [Boone, Iowa] of 12,000 people." ... ""This ought to
scare the hell out of the other campaigns," Countryman said Sunday as he
watched more and more people come in from the cold to hear [2008 Election
Democratic Presidential Candidate] Democrat John Edwards speak." ... "The
89-year-old lawyer is a former Iowa attorney general who recently became
a Democrat after more than 50 years as a Republican. He said he's fed up
with what's going on in Washington, D.C., and he'll caucus for Edwards
because he believes the former North Carolina senator will stand up." ...
"Edwards has been drawing increasingly large and energetic crowds in recent
weeks as he presses his case that America needs a fighter in the White
House. His audiences are filled mainly with people who are middle age or
older, and he's banking that such Iowans have been most likely to show
up in caucuses." ... ""The corporate greed that's stealing your children's
future, that's destroying middle-class jobs in this country, it's not just
destroying the middle class for Democrats. It's destroying the middle class
for independents. It's destroying the middle class for Republicans," Edwards
said." -By Tony Leys -DesMoinesRegister
Mike
Huckabee - 
Mitt
Romney
- Iowa
- 
Television
- Ads
- 
Crime
- Money
- Illegal
- Immigrants
- 
Colleges
- Abortion
- 
Health-Care
- 
Arkansas
- 
Massachusetts
- 2008
Election - "Huckabee:
Romney running 'dishonest' campaign." ... "Former
Arkansas [Governor and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate]
Gov. Mike Huckabee blasted Republican presidential rival [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney as running a "desperate
and dishonest" campaign and predicted the former Massachusetts governor
won't be the Republican nominee." ... "Romney has been blasting Huckabee's
record on crime and taxes as governor of Arkansas in [Iowa] television
ads in the last days of the race." ... "Asked on Monday on CNN's "American
Morning" why he felt the need to respond to Romney's attacks, Huckabee
said, "I think a lot of people are deceived, and you have to ask do people
want to elect a president who has been dishonest in order to get the job
and said things about his opponents that simply aren't true?"" ... "With
the two men locked in a statistical dead heat atop the latest Iowa polls,
Romney has been airing television ads criticizing Huckabee for raising
state spending, backing in-state tuition for illegal immigrants at state
colleges and granting more than 1,000 pardons and commutations." ... "Huckabee
has said the claims are taken out of context, and hit back by questioning
the sincerity of Romney's opposition to abortion -- which was covered by
the state health care program Romney pushed through in Massachusetts."
-CNN
Money
- 
Politics
- 
Federal
- 
Housing
- Legislation
- 
New
Jersey - 
Georgia
- 
California
- 
Texas
- 
Utah
- 
Maryland
- 
Nevada
- 
Oregon
- 
Washington
- 2004
Election - 
US
- 
Netherlands
- "Lender
Lobbying Blitz Abetted Mortgage Mess: Ameriquest
Pressed For Changes in Laws; A Battle in New Jersey." ... "During the housing
boom, the subprime industry succeeded at more than just writing mortgages.
It also shot down efforts by some states to curtail risky lending to borrowers
with spotty credit." ... "Ameriquest Mortgage Co. [ACC Capital Holdings],
until recently one of the nation's largest subprime lenders, was at the
center of those battles. Working with a husband-and-wife team of Washington
lobbyists, it handed out more than $20 million in political donations and
played a big role in persuading legislators in New Jersey and Georgia to
relax tough new laws. Those victories, in turn, helped blunt efforts by
other states to crack down on reckless lending, critics of the industry
contend." ... "Home loans made by Ameriquest and other subprime lenders
are defaulting now in large numbers, roiling global credit markets and
sparking debate about whether regulators and lawmakers should have anticipated
the mess and taken action. A close look at Ameriquest's lobbying and political
donations shows how the subprime industry maneuvered to defeat legislation
that might have contained some of the damage." ... "Data from federal and
state campaign-finance records, Internal Revenue Service filings, and the
National Institute on Money in State Politics show that from 2002 through
2006, Ameriquest, its executives and their spouses and business associates
donated at least $20.5 million to state and federal political groups. In
comparison, over the same time period, Countrywide Financial, another large
subprime lender, gave about $2 million in campaign gifts, and spent an
additional $6.7 million lobbying in Washington, records indicate." ...
"Some of the giving by Ameriquest executives and associates was high-profile.
[Republican] President Bush received more than $200,000 for his 2004 re-election
campaign, and Ameriquest founder Roland Arnall and his wife, Dawn, contributed
more than $5 million to political organizations that backed the president.
Last year, [Republican] President Bush appointed Mr. Arnall ambassador
to the Netherlands, and his wife took over as chairman of Ameriquest's
parent company. California [Republican Governor] Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's
campaigns received at least $1.4 million, along with stacks of tickets
to a Rolling Stones concert that were used to lure big donors." ... "Last
year, ACC Capital, its [Ameriquest Mortgage Company] parent company, agreed
to pay $325 million to settle regulators' claims that it charged excessively
high mortgage rates and didn't adequately disclose loan risks. Some of
the state attorneys general who signed the settlement, including Greg Abbott
of Texas, received campaign donations from the firm. Utah's attorney general,
Mark Shurtleff, received a $1,000 contribution and Rolling Stones tickets."
... "Ameriquest also handed out Rolling Stones tickets to state legislators
in Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and California,
according to ethics records and local news accounts." ... "Federal lawmakers
didn't pose much of a threat to the subprime industry in recent years.
Members of Congress received at least $645,000 in donations from Ameriquest
and large sums from other big subprime lenders, Federal Election Commission
records indicate." ... "ACC Capital, Ameriquest's parent company, and its
executives gave more than $350,000 to Texas politicians in 2006, including
$100,000 to [Republican Governor] Gov. Rick Perry, according to state records."
-By Glenn R. Simpson -WSJ.com
Mitt
Romney - Mike
Huckabee - 
John
McCain
- Iowa
- Television
- Ads
- 2008
Election - 
New
Hampshire - 
Arizona
- Illegal- Immigrants
- "Romney,
Huckabee attack each other in Iowa." ... "[2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney's blistering ads criticizing
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mike Huckabee and [2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain drew sharp rebukes
from their targets and wary responses from voters Saturday, as candidates
barnstormed Iowa five days before the nation's first presidential voting
takes place in caucuses here." ... "Romney launched a new one against McCain
in New Hampshire on Saturday." ... ""McCain championed a bill to let every
illegal immigrant stay in American permanently," the 30-second TV spot
says. "He even voted to allow illegal immigrants to collect Social Security.""
... "The tone was similar to one Romney rolled out Friday in Iowa against
Huckabee." ... ""Soft on government spending," the ad charges. "His foreign
policy? 'Ludicrous,' says Condoleezza Rice." ... "Huckabee fought back
Saturday." ... ""Every time you turn on your television you're going to
see all the terrible things my opponents said I did," he told hundreds
crowded into a restaurant in Indianola [Iowa]. "Mitt Romney's not only
attacking me. He's now attacked John McCain, he's attacked Rudy Giuliani,
he's attacked everybody. He's not telling people why he ought to be president.""
... "McCain, the Arizona senator, dismissed Romney's charges and called
him "a phony."" -By David Lightman with contributions
by Jim Morrill -McClatchyDC.com
US
- 
Iraq
- 
Afghanistan
- 
Military
- Money
- Legislation
- Reconstruction
- "Bush
rejects defense bill by pocket veto." ... "[Republican]
President Bush on Friday used a "pocket veto" to reject a sweeping defense
bill because he dislikes a provision that would expose the Iraqi government
to expensive lawsuits seeking damages from the Saddam Hussein era." ...
"In a statement, Bush said the legislation "would imperil billions of dollars
of Iraqi assets at a crucial juncture in that nation's reconstruction efforts.""
... "The president's objections were focused on a provision deep within
legislation that sets defense policy for the coming year and approves $696
billion in spending, including $189 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Also in the legislation were improved veterans benefits and tighter oversight
of contractors and weapons programs." ... "The pocket veto means that troops
will get a 3 percent raise Jan. 1 instead of the 3.5 percent authorized
by the bill." -By Ben Feller
-AP via -Yahoo
Government
- Corporations
- Employee
- 
Retirees
- Health
- Law
- Politics
- 
History
- "U.S.
Ruling Backs Benefit Cut at 65 in Retiree Plans."
... "The [Republican President Bush run] Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
said Wednesday that employers could reduce or eliminate health benefits
for retirees when they turn 65 and become eligible for Medicare." ... "The
policy, set forth in a new regulation, allows employers to establish two
classes of retirees, with more comprehensive benefits for those under 65
and more limited benefits — or none at all — for those older." ... "More
than 10 million retirees rely on employer-sponsored health plans as a primary
source of coverage or as a supplement to Medicare, and Naomi C. Earp, the
commission’s chairwoman, said, “This rule will help employers continue
to voluntarily provide and maintain these critically important health benefits.”"
... "But AARP and other advocates for older Americans attacked the rule.
“This rule gives employers free rein to use age as a basis for reducing
or eliminating health care benefits for retirees 65 and older,” said Christopher
G. Mackaronis, a lawyer for AARP, which represents millions of people age
50 or above and which had sued in an effort to block issuance of the final
regulation. “Ten million people could be affected — adversely affected
— by the rule.”" ... "The new policy creates an explicit exemption from
age-discrimination laws for employers that scale back benefits of retirees
65 and over. Mr. Mackaronis asserted that the exemption was “in direct
conflict” with the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967." ... "Under
the new rule, employers may, if they choose, provide retiree health benefits
“only to those retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare.” Likewise,
the rule says, retiree health benefits can be “altered, reduced or eliminated”
when a retiree becomes eligible for Medicare." ... "Further, employers
will be able to reduce or eliminate health benefits provided to the spouse
or dependents of a retired worker 65 or over, regardless of whether benefits
for the retiree are changed." -By Robert Pear
-NYTimes
Secret
- Torture
- 
Terrorism
- Government
- Detainee
- 
Intelligence
- Law
- 
Virginia
- 
Christmas
- "Senate
meets briefly to block Bush." ... "The House was
quiet as a mouse the day after Christmas. But across the Capitol, the [Democratic
controlled] Senate was operating in an unusually efficient manner in its
ongoing power struggle with [Republican] President Bush." ... "A nine-second
session gaveled in and out by [Virginia Democratic Senator] Sen. Jim Webb,
D-Va.[Democratic-Virginia], prevented Bush from appointing as an assistant
attorney general a nominee roundly rejected by majority Democrats. Without
the pro forma session, the Senate would be technically adjourned, allowing
the president to install officials without Senate confirmation." ... "Democrats
wanted to block one such recess appointment in particular: Steven Bradbury,
acting chief of the Justice Department's Office of Legislative Counsel.
Bush nominated Bradbury for the job and asked the Senate to remove the
"acting" in his title." ... "Democrats would have none of it, complaining
Bradbury had signed two secret memos in 2005 saying it was OK for the CIA
[Central Intelligence Agency] to use harsh interrogation techniques — some
call it torture — on terrorism detainees." -By Laurie
Kellman -AP
via -Yahoo
Secret
- 
Dick
Cheney
- 
David
Addington - Government
- Archives
- Law
- Politics
- "Challenging
Cheney: A National Archives official reveals what
the veep wanted to keep classified--and how he tried to challenge the rules."
... "J. William Leonard learned the hard way the perils of questioning
[Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney. The veteran National Archives
official challenged claims by the Office of Vice President (OVP) to be
exempt from federal rules governing classified information. His efforts
touched off a firestorm—and a counter-strike by Cheney's chief of staff,
David Addington, who tried to wipe out Leonard's job." ... "Now, Leonard
is quitting as director of the Archives' Information Security Oversight
Office (ISOO)—the unit that monitors the handling of government secrets.
He tells NEWSWEEK that his fight with Cheney's office was a "contributing"
factor in his decision to retire after 34 years of government service."
... "Leonard-described by National Archivist Allen Weinstein as "the gold
standard of information specialists in the federal government"-spoke to
NEWSWEEK's Michael Isikoff." ... "[Newsweek:] So how did matters escalate?"
... "[J William Leonard:] The challenge arose last year when the Chicago
Tribune was looking at [ISOO's annual report] and saw the asterisk [reporting
that it contained no information from OVP] and decided to follow up. And
that's when the spokesperson from the OVP made public this idea that because
they have both legislative and executive functions, that requirement doesn't
apply to them.…They were saying the basic rules didn't apply to them. I
thought that was a rather remarkable position. So I wrote my letter
to the Attorney General [asking for a ruling that Cheney's office had to
comply.] Then it was shortly after that there were [email] recommendations
[from OVP to a National Security Council task force] to change the executive
order that would effectively abolish [my] office." ... "[Newsweek:]
Who wrote the emails?" ... "[J William Leonard:] It was David Addington."
(1, 2, 3)
-By Michael Isikoff -Newsweek
Dick
Cheney
- 
Car
- Manufacturers
- 
Fumes
- Corporate
- Government
- 
Environmental
- 
Science
- Politics
- California
- 
Climate
- "Cheney
accused of blocking Californian bid to cut car fumes."
... "The US [United States Republican] vice-president, Dick Cheney, was
behind a controversial decision to block California's attempt to impose
tough emission limits on car manufacturers, according to insiders at the
government Environmental Protection Agency." ... "Staff at the agency,
which announced last week that California's proposed limits were redundant,
said the agency's chief went against their expert advice after car executives
met Cheney, and a Chrysler executive delivered a letter to the EPA [Environmental
Protection Agency] saying why the state should not be allowed to regulate
greenhouse gases." ... "EPA staff members told the Los Angeles Times that
the agency's head, the [Republican President] Bush appointee Stephen Johnson,
ignored their conclusions and shut himself off from consultation in the
month before the announcement. He then informed them of his decision and
instructed them to provide the legal rationale for it, they said." -By
Dan Glaister -Guardian.co.uk
Mitt
Romney
- Political
- Corporation
- Marketing
- History
- Gay-Rights
- Pro-Choice
- Stem
Cell - Science
- Health
- Law
- Religious
- Salt
Lake City - Utah
- Massachusetts
- New
Hampshire - US
- Torture
- Prison
- Guantanamo
Bay - 
Cuba
- 2008
Election - "Romney
should not be the next president." ... "[2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt] Romney's main business experience
is as a management consultant, a field in which smart, fast-moving specialists
often advise corporations on how to reinvent themselves. His memoir is
called Turnaround - the story of his successful rescue of the 2002 Winter
Olympics in Salt Lake City [Utah] - but the most stunning turnaround he
has engineered is his own political career." ... "If you followed only
his tenure as governor of Massachusetts, you might imagine Romney as a
pragmatic moderate with liberal positions on numerous social issues and
an ability to work well with Democrats. If you followed only his campaign
for president, you'd swear he was a red-meat conservative, pandering to
the religious right, whatever the cost. Pay attention to both, and you're
left to wonder if there's anything at all at his core." ... "As a candidate
for the U.S. [United States] Senate in 1994, he boasted that he would be
a stronger advocate of gay rights than his opponent, [Massachusetts Democratic
Senator] Ted Kennedy. These days, he makes a point of his opposition to
gay marriage and adoption." ... "There was a time that he said he wanted
to make contraception more available - and a time that he vetoed a bill
to sell it over-the-counter." ... "The old Romney assured voters he was
pro-choice on abortion. "You will not see me wavering on that," he said
in 1994, and he cited the tragedy of a relative's botched illegal abortion
as the reason to keep abortions safe and legal. These days, he describes
himself as pro-life." ... "There was a time that he supported stem-cell
research and cited his own wife's multiple sclerosis in explaining his
thinking; such research, he reasoned, could help families like his. These
days, he largely opposes it. As a candidate for governor, Romney dismissed
an anti-tax pledge as a gimmick. In this race, he was the first to sign."
... "In the 2008 campaign for president, there are numerous issues on which
Romney has no record, and so voters must take him at his word. On these
issues, those words are often chilling. While other candidates of both
parties speak of restoring America's moral leadership in the world, Romney
has said he'd like to "double" the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay [Cuba],
where inmates have been held for years without formal charge or access
to the courts. He dodges the issue of torture - unable to say, simply,
that waterboarding is torture and America won't do it." ... "When New Hampshire
partisans are asked to defend the state's first-in-the-nation primary,
we talk about our ability to see the candidates up close, ask tough questions
and see through the baloney. If a candidate is a phony, we assure ourselves
and the rest of the world, we'll know it." ... "Mitt Romney is such a candidate.
New Hampshire Republicans and independents must vote no."
-ConcordMonitor.com
Mitt
Romney
- Pro-Choice
- Stem
Cells - Illegal
- Immigrant
- Health
- Crime
- Politics
- History
- Massachusetts
- 
Michigan
- 2008
Election - "King
said George Romney didn't march: But, as usual, the
truth wasn't good enough for Mitt." ... "Running for Senate in Massachusetts,
in 1994, and trying to establish pro-choice credibility that he had done
nothing to earn, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt]
Romney told stories about his mother, Lenore Romney, running on a strong
pro-choice platform in her own unsuccessful bid for public office in 1970.
Those tales were debunked by Boston Globe columnist Eileen McNamara."
... "Then, as now, Romney tried to buttress his statement with weak documentation
at odds with the precision of the claim: in that case, Romney provided
the Globe with a vaguely-worded campaign document that could be read as
supporting the pre-Roe v Wade status quo, in which abortion was a felony
in Michigan. ''I support and recognize the need for more liberal abortion
rights while reaffirming the legal and medical measures needed to protect
the unborn and pregnant woman [sic]," the document read." ... "Again, at
that time, Romney did not just pass along falsehood as fact. He sold it
as personal truth, speaking of the painful memories of a close relative's
death, from complications of an illegal abortion." ... "Romney was telling
that tale, of course, when it was politically expedient to be pro-choice.
Today, needing to be pro-life, he has a new, highly personal and emotional
tale of personal conversion after a doctor showed him how stem cells are
handled in research — another specific but uncorroborated story, about
which even the doctor involved has expressed skepticism." ... "Romney once
favored gun control; now, needing gun-rights voters, he has falsely claimed
to be a "lifelong hunter" and to have been endorsed in 2002 by the National
Rifle Association – an endorsement the NRA never gave him. Needing to establish
anti-illegal-immigrant credentials, he boasts of an attitude that he never
displayed while governor — when he expressed no concern over several "sanctuary
cities" in the state — until the very end of his term, when he had turned
his attention to the Republican Presidential nomination." ... "This week,
he finds the need to attack [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidat]
Mike Huckabee on crime, and so Romney has re-invented his record there,
falsely claiming, in a new ad, to have cracked down on methamphetamine."
... "It is not just that these are untruths. They are the actions of a
man desperate to cater to the whims of his audience. What they want, he
must appear to be. " -By David S. Bernstein
-ThePhoenix.com
Mike
Huckabee - Prisoners- Guantanamo
- Cuba
- US
- Military
- Law
- Arkansas
- 2008
Election - "Huckabee:
Gitmo Is "Too Nice"." ... "Asked about Guantanamo
[American military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba], [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate] Mike Huckabee said he had visited the facility
and said it was “disappointing” that military personnel were eating meals
that averaged $1.60 while the detainees were eating Halal meals that cost
over $4 each." ... "“The inmates there were getting a whole lot better
treatment than my prisoners in Arkansas. In fact, we left saying, ‘I hope
our guys don’t see this. They’ll all want to be transferred to Guanatanmo.
If anything, it’s too nice.”" ... "Huckabee has said Guantanamo is more
a “symbolic issue” than anything else since the detainees are treated better
than prisoners in the US. Today Huckabee said, “Where they are detained
is of less importance to me than that they are detained…until we know they
are of no threat to us.”" -By Joy Lin and Mary Hood
-CBSNews
Tom
Tancredo - Mitt
Romney
- Illegal
- Immigration
- 
Colorado
- Iowa
- 2008
Election - "Tancredo
pulls out, backing Romney: Says he has best chance
of winning." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Tom
Tancredo pulled out of the presidential race yesterday and endorsed [2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney, saying his erstwhile
rival is the Republican with the best chance to win the White House and
continue the fight to end illegal immigration, an issue the Coloradan helped
push to the forefront of the campaign." ... "The fifth-term congressman,
who consistently polled at the bottom of the nine-candidate GOP [Grand
Old Party=Republican] field, said he dropped out two weeks before the Iowa
caucuses because he feared his continued candidacy could enable an opponent
favoring a less-stringent approach to immigration to win."
-BostonGlobe
Secret
- Intelligence
- War
- Criminal
- Videotapes
- Censorship
- Politics
- Military
- Terrorism
- Texas
- "Subpoena
of CIA officials threatened: Justice Dept. [department]
action in tape destruction probe angers House panel chairman, who expects
testimony from two top intelligence agency officials." ... "The chairman
of the House Intelligence Committee, chafing at the Justice Department's
handling of a probe into missing CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] interrogation
tapes, threatened Wednesday to subpoena two top CIA officials to jump-start
the panel's own investigation." ... "The department, which is conducting
a criminal inquiry with the CIA inspector general into revelations that
a CIA official destroyed videotapes of two terrorism suspects being interrogated
in 2005, asked the panel last week to defer its inquiry." ... "Committee
Chairman [Texas Democratic Representative] Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas)
has called a hearing for Jan. 16. He said he expected testimony from both
acting CIA general counsel John Rizzo and Jose A. Rodriguez Jr., the former
head of the agency's operations branch, who authorized destroying the tapes."
-By Richard B. Schmitt
-LAtimes
Mitt
Romney
- 
Rudy
Giuliani
- Mike
Huckabee - Tom
Tancredo - Criminal- Illegal
- Employer
- Immigrants
- Employees
- Language
- Terrorism
- History
- Colo
- 
New
York
- Arkansas- US
- 
Mexican
- 
People
- Noteworthy
- 2008
Election - "GOP
hopefuls run in a hypocrisy derby." ... "Everybody
knows that [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney
was running - as [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Rudy
Giuliani put it - a "sanctuary mansion." But not many people know that
he was not the only one." ... "No less an anti-immigrant zealot than [2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Colorado Representative]
Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.[Republican-Colorado]), the would-be President
who built a failing campaign on the single issue of persecuting "criminal
aliens" - as he is fond of calling undocumented immigrants - also has a
few skeletons in his closet." ... "Listen to this: Five years ago, when
Tancredo wanted to install a home theater and make other renovations in
his house, he had no qualms hiring a contractor that - gasp! - also employed
undocumented workers." ... "The man who had said, "[The face of illegal
immigration] is the face of murder. It is the face of infiltration into
the country of people who are coming to do us great harm," wasn't at all
troubled by the fact that only two in the crew of five or six laborers
spoke English." ... "[In 1994, then New York Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani
said] "If you come here and you work hard, and you happen to be in an undocumented
status, you're one of the people who we want in this city," he told The
New York Times in 1994." ... "While in Arkansas, he [Arkansas Republican
Governor and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee]
was instrumental in bringing a Mexican Consulate to Little Rock [Arkansas's
capital]. That consulate issued thousands of identification forms that
now, after he has become a presidential hopeful, Huckabee has begun to
call "illegal immigrant identification cards."" ... "And do not forget
that if he is elected President, he has vowed to expel the nation's estimated
12 million undocumented immigrants within 120 days, which comes to deporting
100,000 people per day." -By Albor Ruiz -NYDailyNews.com
Stephen
Johnson - 
Mary
E Peters
- Dick
Cheney
- Government
- Political
- Gas
- Auto
- Makers
- 
Fuel
- Economy
- Laws
- Environmental
- Health
- Safety
- American
- People
- Transportation
- California
- History
- 
Global
- Climate
- Clean
Air Act - "EPA
blocks California bid to limit greenhouse gases from cars."
... "The [Republican President] Bush administration blocked efforts by
California and 16 other states Wednesday to limit greenhouse gas emissions
from cars and trucks, setting up a political and legal fight over whether
states can take a lead role in combatting global warming." ... "[Republican
President Bush's] Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen
Johnson rejected California's request for a waiver from the federal government
to impose its tough tailpipe emissions standards. The other states were
poised to adopt similar rules if California's request was granted." ...
"The states represent nearly half the U.S. [United States] population,
and their laws would effectively require automakers to cut greenhouse gas
emissions nationwide, despite [Republican] President Bush's rejection of
mandatory national standards." ... "Johnson said Congress' passage of an
energy bill this week that raises fuel economy standards for all cars and
trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 made the state laws unnecessary."
... "California officials said they believed Johnson had long ago decided
to oppose the state's waiver, and said he was using the newly passed energy
bill as an excuse. Nothing in the new law prevents states from taking stronger
action, they said." ... ""I find this disgraceful," said [California Democratic
Senator] Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.[Democratic-California], who helped
write the fuel-economy law. "The passage of the energy bill does not give
the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] a green light to shirk its responsibility
to protect the health and safety of the American people from air pollution.""
... "It was the first time the EPA has flat-out denied a waiver request
by California under the Clean Air Act. The law gives California special
authority to set stronger standards because the state has a long history
of smog and other air-quality problems." ... "California officials complained
that EPA's decision-making process for the waiver was tainted months ago
when documents revealed that Transportation Secretary Mary Peters led a
lobbying campaign to urge lawmakers to call the EPA and oppose the waiver
request." ... "Automakers have been meeting regularly at the White House
to discuss the new fuel-economy standards. The Detroit News reported that
[Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney met with the CEOs [Chief Executive
Officers] of Chrysler and Ford this fall to try to influence the policy."
-By Zachary Coile -SFGate.com
John
Edwards
- 
Ron
Paul
- Mike
Huckabee - Noteworthy
- 
Journalists
- Politics
- Corporations
- Legislation
- 
Telecom
- Money
- 2008
Election - "Media
hostility toward anti-establishment candidates."
... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate John] Edwards, [2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate Ron] Paul and [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate Mike] Huckabee are obviously disparate
in significant ways -- ideologically, temperamentally, and otherwise. But
there is a vital attribute common to those three campaigns that explains
the media's scorn: they are all, in their own ways, anti-establishment
candidates, meaning they are outside and critical of the system of which
national journalists are a critical part, the system which employs and
rewards our journalists and forms the base of their identity and outlook.
Any candidate who criticizes and opposes that system -- not in piecemeal
ways but fundamentally -- will be, first, ignored and, then, treated as
losers by the press." ... "It is very striking how little Edwards' substantive
critique of our political system has penetrated into the national discourse.
That's because the centerpiece of his campaign is a critique that is a
full frontal assault on our political establishment. His argument is not
merely that the political system needs reform, but that it is corrupt at
its core -- "rigged" in favor of large corporate interests and their lobbyists,
who literally write our laws and control the Congress. Anyone paying even
casual attention to the extraordinary bipartisan effort on behalf of telecom
immunity, and so many other issues driven almost exclusively by lobbyists,
cannot reasonably dispute this critique." ... "Yet because that argument
indicts the same Beltway culture of which our political journalists are
an integral part, and further attacks the system's power brokers who are
the friends, sources, and peers of those journalists, they instinctively
react with confusion, scorn and hostility towards Edwards' campaign. They
condescendingly dismiss it as manipulative populist swill, or cynically
assume that it's just a ploy to distinguish himself by "moving left." In
the eyes of our Beltawy press, the idea that our political system is "rigged"
or corrupt must be anything other than true or sincerely held." ... "As
Digby notes [**],
Ron Paul is going to raise more money than any Republican candidate this
quarter; he just topped the record for most money raised in a single day;
and has now exceeded Howard Dean's 2004 quarter total when Dean was at
the peak of his online fundraising prowess. Huckabee is now tied for the
lead in national polls and is leading in several of the key early states.
Yet our establishment media stars continue to sneer at these anti-establishment
candidates as though they are aberrational jokes, and there is virtually
no serious effort to understand the meaning of their success." ... "Worse,
whenever these candidates are discussed, it almost never entails any discussion
of the critiques they are making. Is Edwards right that corporations and
lobbyists dictate legislation in Washington and that this state of affairs
is profoundly anti-democratic and corrupt? Are Paul's criticisms of our
bipartisan imperial policies and his warnings of resulting financial unsustainability
(and increasing anti-Americanism) accurate? Is Huckabee's claim true that
the GOP has obliterated the economic prospects of its own middle- and lower-middle-class
followers?" -Glenn
Greenwald -Salon
Secret
- 
Alberto
R Gonzales - David
S Addington - Dick
Cheney
- 
Harriet
E Miers
- Torture
- War
- Crimes
- Tapes
- Censorship
- Law
- Politics
- Military
- Government
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- History
- US
- Iraq
- "Bush
Lawyers Discussed Fate of C.I.A.Tapes." ... "At least
four top [Republican President Bush] White House lawyers took part in discussions
with the Central Intelligence Agency between 2003 and 2005 about whether
to destroy videotapes showing the secret interrogations of two operatives
from Al Qaeda, according to current and former administration and intelligence
officials." ... "The accounts indicate that the involvement of White House
officials in the discussions before the destruction of the tapes in November
2005 was more extensive than [Republican President] Bush administration
officials have acknowledged." ... "Those who took part, the officials said,
included Alberto R. Gonzales, who served as White House counsel until early
2005; David S. Addington, who was the counsel to [Republican] Vice President
Dick Cheney and is now his chief of staff; John B. Bellinger III, who until
January 2005 was the senior lawyer at the National Security Council; and
Harriet E. Miers, who succeeded Mr. Gonzales as White House counsel." ...
"It was previously reported that some administration officials had advised
against destroying the tapes, but the emerging picture of White House involvement
is more complex. In interviews, several administration and intelligence
officials provided conflicting accounts as to whether anyone at the White
House expressed support for the idea that the tapes should be destroyed."
... "One former senior intelligence official with direct knowledge of the
matter said there had been “vigorous sentiment” among some top White House
officials to destroy the tapes. The former official did not specify which
White House officials took this position, but he said that some believed
in 2005 that any disclosure of the tapes could have been particularly damaging
after revelations a year earlier of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq."
... "The current and former officials also provided new details about the
role played in November 2005 by Jose A. Rodriguez Jr., then the chief of
the agency’s clandestine branch, who ultimately ordered the destruction
of the tapes." ... "The officials said that before he issued a secret cable
directing that the tapes be destroyed, Mr. Rodriguez received legal guidance
from two C.I.A. [Central Intelligence Agency] lawyers, Steven Hermes and
Robert Eatinger. The officials said that those lawyers gave written guidance
to Mr. Rodriguez that he had the authority to destroy the tapes and that
the destruction would violate no laws." ... "Current and former officials
said the two lawyers informed the C.I.A.’s top lawyer, John A. Rizzo, about
the legal advice they had provided." (1, 2)
-By Mark Mazzetti and Scott Shane with contributions
by David Johnston -NYTimes
Fed
- Money
- Politics
- Investigate
- Law
- History
- People's
- Homes
- Consumer
- California
- New
York
- 
Wyo-
"Fed
Shrugged as Subprime Crisis Spread." ... "Until the
boom in subprime mortgages turned into a national nightmare this summer,
the few people who tried to warn federal banking officials might as well
have been talking to themselves." ... "Edward M. Gramlich, a Federal Reserve
governor who died in September, warned nearly seven years ago that a fast-growing
new breed of lenders was luring many people into risky mortgages they could
not afford." ... "But when Mr. Gramlich privately urged Fed examiners to
investigate mortgage lenders affiliated with national banks, he was rebuffed
by Alan Greenspan, the Fed chairman." ... "In 2001, a senior Treasury official,
Sheila C. Bair, tried to persuade subprime lenders to adopt a code of “best
practices” and to let outside monitors verify their compliance. None of
the lenders would agree to the monitors, and many rejected the code itself.
Even those who did adopt those practices, Ms. Bair recalled recently, soon
let them slip." ... "And leaders of a housing advocacy group in California,
meeting with Mr. Greenspan in 2004, warned that deception was increasing
and unscrupulous practices were spreading." ... "John C. Gamboa and Robert
L. Gnaizda of the Greenlining Institute implored Mr. Greenspan to use his
bully pulpit and press for a voluntary code of conduct." ... "“He never
gave us a good reason, but he didn’t want to do it,” Mr. Gnaizda said last
week. “He just wasn’t interested.”" ... "“The Federal Reserve could have
stopped this problem dead in its tracks,” said Martin Eakes, chief executive
of the center [Center for Responsible Lending]. “If the Fed had done its
job, we would not have had the abusive lending and we would not have a
[home] foreclosure crisis in virtually every community across America.”"
... "Mr. Greenspan and other Fed officials repeatedly dismissed warnings
about a speculative bubble in housing prices. In December 2004, the New
York Fed issued a report bluntly declaring that “no bubble exists.” Mr.
Greenspan predicted several times — incorrectly, it turned out — that housing
declines would be local but almost certainly not nationwide." ... " “Why
are the most risky loan products sold to the least sophisticated borrowers?”
Mr. Gramlich asked in a speech he prepared last August for the Fed’s symposium
in Jackson Hole, Wyo[Wyoming]. “The question answers itself — the least
sophisticated borrowers are probably duped into taking these products.”"
(1, 2,
3)
-By Edmund L. Andrews with contributions by Gretchen
Morgenson -NYTimes
John
McCain
- Mitt
Romney
- Immigrants
- Gay-Rights
- Abortion
- Finance
- Law
- New
Hampshire - Arizona
- Mass
- 2008
Election - "McCain
launches direct mail attack." ... "Republican hopeful
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen.
John McCain, of Arizona, launched an attack – a direct mail campaign labeling
New Hampshire primary front-runner [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate] Mitt Romney as a serial flip-flopper that "voters can't trust.''"
... "The two-page flier cites a May 2007 article in the Tampa Tribune,
which states Romney had once supported allowing illegal immigrants to "apply
for citizenship and permanent residency''" ... "It then refers to Romney's
decision to re-hire a firm after it had been found to have used illegal
immigrants to work on his Belmont, Mass.[Massachusetts], home." ... ""How
many times has Mitt Romney flip-flopped?'' the mailing asks. "Immigration,
taxes, gay rights, abortion, campaign finance reform.'' -By
Kevin Landrigan -NashuaTelegraph.com
Chris
Dodd
- Corporate
- Government
- 
Spy
- Law
- Intelligence
- Politics
- Telephone
- 
Internet
- 
E-Mails
- 
Electronic
- Civil
Liberties - 2008
Election - Foreign
- American
- Nevada
- 
Conn
- 
Wisc
- 
VT
- Mass
- "Spy
law showdown postponed until next year." ... "Congress
won't decide until next year whether to pass a complex law that would let
telephone and Internet companies off the hook from lawsuits alleging illicit
cooperation with federal government spies." ... "In something of an unexpected
move, U.S. Senate Majority Leader [Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry Reid
took to the Senate floor on Monday evening and announced he would postpone
debate on the so-called FISA Amendments Act [FISA: Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act]. That bill, which has already been approved in a closed-door
meeting of the Senate Intelligence Committee, would grant such corporate
immunity and make it easier for the feds to snoop on phone calls and e-mails
involving foreigners and Americans without a warrant, drawing rampant criticism
from civil liberties groups." ... "Earlier
in the day, however, it appeared more certain that the Senate would
move ahead with a vote to approve the
controversial Senate measure, which would provide legal immunity to
electronic communications providers that have allegedly opened up their
networks to the National Security Agency and other federal spies since
the September 11, 2001 attacks. Above vocal objections from some Democrats,
the senators nevertheless voted 76-10 to limit debate and other stalling
tactics related to the bill." ... "But in the end, last-minute rallying
from Democrats opposed to the telecommunications immunity provisions applied
the necessary pressure." ... "Perhaps most notably, [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate and Connecticut Senator] Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.),
a presidential hopeful, devoted
nearly the entire day to delivering one impassioned speech after another
about his opposition to granting legal immunity to telecommunications companies
accused of providing illegal assistance to government spying programs.
Other influential Democratic senators, including [Wisconsin Democratic
Senator] Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.), [Vermont Democratic Senator] Patrick
Leahy (D-Vt.), and [Massachusetts Democratic Senator] Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.)
echoed his concerns at various points during the day." -By
Anne Broache -CNET
Secret
- 
Jack
Abramoff
- Dick
Cheney
- Government
- Religion
- Politics
- "Judge:
White House visitor logs are public documents." ...
"The [Republican President Bush] White House must release its visitor logs
and cannot hide behind a shield of privilege, a federal judge ruled Monday.
The Bush administration has resisted public disclosure while it fights
a lawsuit over alleged political influence by conservative Christian leaders."
... "The White House claimed exclusive control of the documents, subject
to the complete discretion of the president over their release." ... "Citizens
for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a self-described government
watchdog group, sought the visit records of prominent conservatives James
Dobson of Focus on the Family, Wendy Wright of Concerned Women of America
and seven others including the late televangelist Jerry Falwell." ... "Separate
legal action by CREW and other groups, including Judicial Watch and the
Washington Post, sought White House visitor logs that listed lobbyist Jack
Abramoff. He pleaded guilty last year to public corruption charges." ...
"Another federal judge in Washington ordered the release of Secret Service
logs of visitors to [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney's office. Cheney
claimed those logs were subject to executive privilege. That ruling is
being appealed." -By Bill Mears
-CNN
Chris
Dodd
- Secret
- Telecom
- Industry
- Government
- Spying
- Politics
- Net
- E-Mails
- Data
- Iowa
- Connecticut
- 2008
Election - "Dodd
out of Iowa for Senate filibuster." ... "With just
weeks until the pivotal Iowa caucuses, [2008 Election] presidential candidate
and Democratic [Connecticut Senator] Sen. Chris
Dodd has abandoned the Hawkeye State to lead a filibuster against
a controversial measure that would give special legal protections to the
telecom industry." ... "The Connecticut Democrat has criticized the proposed
renewal of government spying powers, insisting it gives too much power
to secret agencies and lets large telecommunications firms off the hook
for handing over reams of private data on American phone calls and e-mails."
... "Under the measure being considered this week, telecom firms would
be given legal immunity from invasion of privacy lawsuits that result from
the release of this information to government officials." -By
Lisa Desjardins and Rebecca Sinderbrand -CNN
Mitt
Romney
- Abortion
- Gay
- Money
- Law
- History
- Massachusetts
- 2008
Election - "Romney
Defends Charges Of Flip-Flopping: Says He Will Keep
Campaign Promises Despite Changing Views On Abortion, Same-Sex Rights."
... "Republican [2008 Election Presidenticdal Candidate] Mitt Romney sought
Sunday to deflect charges that he is a flip-flopper, insisting he had learned
from experience and could be counted on to keep his campaign promises if
elected president." ... "Romney acknowledged changing his views in 2004
from supporting abortion rights to opposing abortion. He said he did not
entirely betray abortion-rights voters, either, because he did not seek
to change Massachusetts abortion laws." ... "Romney said he promised not
to raise taxes as governor and did not go back on his word by raising fees
by about $240 million to help balance the budget. The fees were on services
such as gun licenses and training to combat domestic violence." ... "Romney
acknowledged that he initially supported federal efforts to ban discrimination
based on sexual orientation, but now only supports such laws at the state
level. In an unsuccessful Senate run in 1994, Romney promised to be "more
effective on gay rights in the Senate than [Massachusetts Democratic Senator]
Ted Kennedy."" -AP
via -CBSNews
Secret
- Surveillance
- Terrorism
- Crime
- Telecommunications
- Companies
- Government
- Legislation- Politics
- Intelligence
- 
Drug
- Consumer
- Wireless- Technology
- United
States - Global
- 
Space
- Colorado
- New
Jersey - "Wider
Spying Fuels Aid Plan for Telecom Industry." ...
"For months, the [Republican President] Bush administration has waged a
high-profile campaign, including personal lobbying by President Bush and
closed-door briefings by top officials, to persuade Congress to pass legislation
protecting companies from lawsuits for aiding the National Security Agency’s
warrantless eavesdropping program." ... "But the battle is really about
something much bigger. At stake is the federal government’s extensive but
uneasy partnership with industry to conduct a wide range of secret surveillance
operations in fighting terrorism and crime." ... "The N.S.A.’s reliance
on telecommunications companies is broader and deeper than ever before,
according to government and industry officials, yet that alliance is strained
by legal worries and the fear of public exposure." ... "To detect narcotics
trafficking, for example, the government has been collecting the phone
records of thousands of Americans and others inside the United States who
call people in Latin America, according to several government officials
who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the program remains classified.
But in 2004, one major phone carrier balked at turning over its customers’
records. Worried about possible privacy violations or public relations
problems, company executives declined to help the operation, which has
not been previously disclosed." ... "In a separate N.S.A. [National Security
Agency] project, executives at a Denver [Colorado] phone carrier, Qwest,
refused in early 2001 to give the agency access to their most localized
communications switches, which primarily carry domestic calls, according
to people aware of the request, which has not been previously reported.
They say the arrangement could have permitted neighborhood-by-neighborhood
surveillance of phone traffic without a court order, which alarmed them."
... "The federal government’s reliance on private industry has been driven
by changes in technology. Two decades ago, telephone calls and other communications
traveled mostly through the air, relayed along microwave towers or bounced
off satellites. The N.S.A. could vacuum up phone, fax and data traffic
merely by erecting its own satellite dishes. But the fiber optics revolution
has sent more and more international communications by land and undersea
cable, forcing the agency to seek company cooperation to get access." ...
"[An ATT engineer is claiming in a lawsuit that as early as February 2001,]
“What he saw,” said Bruce Afran, a New Jersey lawyer representing the plaintiffs
along with Carl Mayer, “was decisive evidence that within two weeks of
taking office, the [Republican] Bush administration was planning a comprehensive
effort of spying on Americans’ phone usage.”" (1,
2)
-By Eric Lichtblau, James Risen, and Scott Shane
-NYTimes
Mike
Huckabee - Law
- Politics
- Money
- Arkansas
- Prison
- 2008
Election - "Huckabee
DWI clemency, donations raise questions." ... "Questions
are being raised about then-Gov. [former Arkansas Governor and now 2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate Mike] Huckabee's 2004
decision to grant clemency to a repeat Driving While Intoxicated offender
in Arkansas named Eugene Fields, despite the objections of a law enforcement
official at the time. Documents obtained by NBC News reveal Fields' case
was handled differently from any other DWI clemency or pardon granted by
Huckabee, and some Republicans are now suggesting significant political
contributions may have influenced the governor's decision." ... "In August
2001, Fields, of Van Buren, Ark. [Arkansas], was convicted of his fourth
DWI charge, a felony in the state of Arkansas, was sentenced to six years
in prison and a $5,000 fine. Fields reported to prison in August of 2003."
... "But prison records obtained by NBC News show that six weeks into that
six-year sentence, Fields' application for clemency, a commutation of his
sentence the governor could issue to grant Fields an early release from
prison, was unanimously supported by the parole board. Within months, Huckabee
issued his intent to grant executive clemency to Fields, who was released
from prison soon thereafter." ... "Some Arkansas Republicans are also questioning
whether Fields' clemency was tied to sizeable political contributions."
... "According to Federal Election Commission records, a month after Fields'
appeal was denied, his wife made a $5,000 donation to the State Republican
Party in June of 2003. A month later, she made an additional $5,000 donation,
again to the Republican Party of Arkansas. The following month, Fields
reported to prison and began his clemency application process. He was a
free man in less than a year." ... "A former elected official in Arkansas
with fundraising experience for the State Republican Party says the timing
of Mrs. Fields' donations raises serious questions about their intended
purpose." ... "Prior to his wife's donations, Fields had made a $10,000
donation to the Republican Party of Arkansas in October of 2000 under "Fields
Investment Company," the name of his business. Both Mrs. Fields' 2003 donations
and Mr. Fields' 2000 donation placed them among the largest, individual
donors to the Republican Party of Arkansas in those years, on par with
donations from members of the Walton family, of the Wal-Mart department
store chain." -By Amna Nawaz
-MSNBC
Mitt
Romney
- Mike
Huckabee - Foreign
- US
- Military
- Illegal
- Immigrants
- People
- Baptist
- Iowa
- Massachusetts
- Arkansas
- Ads
- 2008
Election - "Romney
Hits Huckabee for Criticizing Bush." ... "Sensing
an opening in his desperate effort to retake the lead in Iowa, [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate and] former Massachusetts governor Mitt
Romney on Saturday pounced on comments by [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate and] former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee in which he characterized
[Republican] President Bush's foreign policy as an "arrogant bunker mentality.""
... "Romney has started heaping criticism on Huckabee as the former baptist
minister has climbed into a comfortable lead in Iowa caucuses. On television
and in mailings to voters, Romney has attacked Huckabee's position on illegal
immigrants in the hopes of halting his momentum." -By
Michael D. Shear -WashingtonPost
John
Edwards
- Online
- Finance
- Law- Politics
- History
- North
Carolina - 2008
Election - "FEC
Rules Against Online Fundraiser ActBlue and John Edwards."
... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and] Former North
Carolina senator John Edwards can't match up the more than $4 million he's
raised from thousands of individuals through an innovative online raising
hub because of an outdated 1971 campaign finance law." ... "The Federal
Election Commission [FEC] on Friday decided that the more than $4.2 million
raised for the Democratic presidential candidate by ActBlue
doesn't conform to what's defined as individual contributions under federal
regulations, and thus can't be eligible for matching funds under the public
financing system that the candidate opted for earlier this year." ... ""A
matchable contribution consists of 'a gift of money made by a written instrument
which identifies the person making the contribution by full name and mailing
address,'" wrote FEC attorneys in an opinion that the commission approved
Friday afternoon. "The Matching Payment Act specifically excludes from
the definition of matchable contribution 'funds received by a political
committee which are transferred to that committee from another committee.'""
... "ActBlue is registered as a political action committee." ... "The problem
is that the money that ActBlue sent along to John Edwards was sent as a
weekly agglomerated check rather than funneled along marked from individuals."
-By Sarah Lai Stirland-Wired
Mike
Huckabee - 
Fred
Thompson
- Mitt
Romney
- Employed
- Illegal
- Immigrants
- Enforcement
- 
Tennessee
- Massachusetts
- Iowa
- 2008
Election - Ad
- US
- Cuba
- Money
- "Huckabee
rivals go on the attack." ... "Former Tennessee [Senator
and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Sen. Fred
Thompson’s campaign kept up a steady stream of attack, criticizing
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate Mike] Huckabee for everything
from past support for ending the Cuban embargo to allegedly allowing state
hard drives and servers to be destroyed while he was governor." ... "And
CNN’s John King reports that former Massachusetts [Governor and 2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] Gov. Mitt
Romney’s campaign announced that it plans to run a television ad
in Iowa that targets Huckabee’s record on illegal immigration. The spot,
which attacks him by name, hits the airwaves Tuesday." ... "Romney spokesman
Kevin Madden said the ad was intended to highlight the difference between
the former Massachusetts governor’s “pro-enforcement record” – under assault
after recent revelations that he employed illegal immigrants on his property
– and Huckabee’s somewhat softer stance in the past." -By
John King, Alexander Mooney and Rebecca Sinderbrand
-CNN
Barack
Obama
- Ron
Paul
- 
Illinois
- Davenport
- Iowa
- Law
- 2008
Election - Politics
- "Yepsen:
Parties, candidates must make sure [Iowa] caucuses are clean."
... "Maybe we should call these the Illinois caucuses." ... "Officials
and campaigners in both parties are worried that zealous out-of-state staffers
and non-Iowa supporters of candidates may try to vote in the [2008 Election]
caucuses, thereby skewing the results." ... "On the Republican side, GOP
officials are watching precincts in Council Bluffs [Iowa] and Davenport
[Iowa] to make certain people aren't driving across the state line to participate.
They are particularly concerned about [Republican Presidential Candidate]
Ron Paul's over-caffeinated backers." ... "On the Democratic side, [Presidential
Candidate] Barack Obama's campaign is telling Iowa college students they
can caucus for him even if they aren't from Iowa." ... "However, both laws
and practical considerations are in place to help ensure the integrity
of the Iowa caucuses:" ... "- Falsely registering to vote is fraud in Iowa.
Someone from Illinois who thinks voter fraud is a way of life in that state
will find a much different attitude from Iowa prosecutors." ... "- Credibility.
It's not going to do Obama or Paul any good to have a showing in Iowa that
is tainted. Obama has worked hard in Iowa. He has built an impressive organization
and can win this on the legit. He doesn't need to give opposition spinners
a way to discredit a victory." -By David Yepsen
-DesMoinesRegister
Rudy
Giuliani
- Federal
- Energy
- Legislation
- Politics
- Wind
- Technology
- Environment
- 2008
Election - Massachusetts
- Georgia
- 
Ohio
- "Giuliani
Firm, Utilities Team Up to Fight Renewable-Energy Plan."
... "A lobbying blitz by some of the U.S.'s biggest utility companies is
likely to strangle the most potent provision in energy legislation that's
making its way through Congress." ... "[Atlanta, Georgia-based] Southern
Co., [Ohio based] American Electric Power Co. and other producers hired
top Washington lobbyists, including [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate] Rudy Giuliani's firm, to help defeat a measure that would force
them to boost electricity generated by wind, solar and other forms of renewable
energy to 15 percent of the U.S. total by 2020. That's up from less than
2 percent today, and is a move the industry says would cost at least $67
billion." ... "The Senate failed on Dec. 7 to get the 60 votes needed to
move the legislation, a day after the House of Representatives approved
it. To get the bill to [Republican] President George W. Bush's desk this
year and steer clear of a White House veto threat, the Senate will probably
have to pass a weakened measure." ... "``The lobbying effort led by Southern
Co. is the principal obstacle to America unleashing a renewable-electricity
revolution,'' says Representative Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat[ic
Representative] who has led the fight for a federal standard on the new
energy sources." ... "The legislation pits the utilities and oil companies
against wind and solar-electricity producers, as well as venture-capital
firms such as Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, where former [Democratic]
Vice President Al Gore is a partner. Those firms have made billions of
dollars in clean-energy-technology investments, which would pay off if
the bill becomes law." -By Daniel Whitten and Tina
Seeley -Bloomberg
I
Lewis "Scooter" Libby
- Dick
Cheney
- Criminal
- Government
- Intelligence
- Politics
- "Libby
drops appeal in CIA leak case." ... "Former [Republican
President Bush] White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is no longer
appealing his conviction in the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] leak
case, a tacit recognition that continuing his legal fight might only make
things worse." ... "Libby, the former chief of staff to [Republican] Vice
President Dick Cheney, was convicted of perjury and obstruction but [Republican]
President Bush commuted his 30-month prison sentence in July. As a convicted
felon, Libby will lose his law license and, in some states, cannot vote."
... "He might have had a chance to avoid those consequences had he won
on appeal, but at a new trial his commutation would be meaningless and
Libby would again face potential prison time." ... "Libby, 57, was convicted
of lying and obstructing an investigation into the 2003 leak of [American
Undercover] CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. He was the only person
to face criminal charges in the case." ... "The decision to withdraw his
appeal means Libby will remain a convicted felon. President Bush could
wipe away the conviction with a full pardon, something he has refused to
rule out." -By Matt Apuzzo with contributions by Deb
Riechmann -AP
via -Yahoo
Rudy
Giuliani
- Police
- Politics
- Trips
- Apartments
- New
York
- Indigent
- Lawyers
- US
- 
Qatar
- Terrorism
- 2008
Election - "Giuliani
Defends Girlfriend's Expenses." ... "Former New York
Mayor [and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Rudy Giuliani
on Sunday defended the expenses incurred by his security detail as he was
beginning an extramarital affair with current wife Judith Nathan, saying
police made the decision after she had received threats." ... "Giuliani
in recent weeks has faced a barrage of questions about New York police
security costs for his trysts with Nathan and about his business clients,
which have included the Persian Gulf country of Qatar. The Gulf state is
a U.S. ally, but allegations have been made that some prominent Qatari
officials sheltered suspected Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
" ... "Records first reported by Politico.com last month showed repeated
trips between 1999 and 2002 to Long Island, where Nathan had a condominium.
Giuliani's first trip was from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1, 1999 - months before
he acknowledged the breakdown of his second marriage in the spring of 2000."
... "Security costs for those trips were charged to agencies like the New
York City Loft Board, which regulates loft apartments and was billed $34,000.
The Office for People with Disabilities was charged $10,000, while the
Assigned Counsel Administrative Office, which provides lawyers for indigent
defendants, was charged roughly $400,000. " -By Libby
Quaid -APvia
-CBSNews
Joe
Biden
- Investigate
- Military
- Government
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- Videotapes
- Censorship
- Politics
- 
Delaware
- 2008
Election - "Biden
calls for Special Counsel to investigate CIA." ...
"[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Delaware Senator]
Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, says the Justice Department needs to go further
than it has, by calling for the appointment of Special Counsel to investigate
the CIA's destruction of videotapes that included the interrogation of
terrorism suspects." ... "“Under federal law, the Attorney General may
appoint a Special Counsel to prosecute matters when he or she determines
that an investigation by the Department itself would present a conflict
of interest, or there are other extraordinary circumstances and it would
be in the public interest to do so. I believe these conditions are met,"
the Democratic presidential hopeful said in a news release Sunday." ...
"“This is a White House that has sanctioned and pushed for the kind of
interrogation techniques captured on those video tapes," Biden said. "This
is a White House that was informed of the CIA’s desire to destroy those
tapes. Thus, it is possible this investigation could lead to the [Republican
President Bush] White House."" -By Jamie Crawford
-CNN
Mike
Huckabee - Law
- Politics
- Arkansas
- 
Missouri
- Religious
- 2008
Election - "Parole
officials: Huckabee pushed rapist's release: Former
Arkansas governor says he didn't free the man who later killed at least
one woman, but board members say they felt pressured." ... "With [Pastor
Jay D.] Cole's urging, and with [Wayne] DuMond insisting he was "born again,"
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate Mike] Huckabee played
a key role in setting free a rapist who was supposed to serve many more
years, say three of the seven members of the state board that paroled DuMond."
... "After being released, DuMond moved to Missouri, where less than a
year later he suffocated the mother of three in a Kansas City [Missouri]
suburb. Police suspect that he killed another woman there as well." ...
"Though he acknowledged discussing the case with the [Arkansas] state parole
board, Huckabee said that conversation was "simply part of a broader discussion"
initiated at the request of the board chairman. "I did not ask them to
do anything," he said." ... "Three board members recalled it differently.
They said Huckabee raised the issue of DuMond's release, asking to discuss
the matter with them in a closed session. They said his religious beliefs,
and the influence of the evangelical community from which he came, drove
him." ... ""We felt pressured by him," said board member Ermer Pondexter.
"I felt compelled to do it. . . . It was a favor for the governor."" ...
"Looking back, she added, "I regret it."" ... "Parole board member Deborah
Springer Suttlar said Huckabee did not mince his feelings about DuMond:
"He wanted him out."" (1, 2)
-By Richard A. Serrano with contributions by Richard
Fausset -LAtimes
Howard
Krongard
- US
- Iraq
- 
Blackwater
- Corporate
- Military
- Law
- "Official
in Blackwater probe quits." ... "State Department
Inspector General Howard Krongard, under scrutiny for his brother's link
to the Blackwater security firm, has decided to resign, U.S. officials
said on Friday." ... "Krongard, the State Department's top investigator,
has been accused by current and former subordinates of thwarting probes
into waste, fraud and abuse in Iraq, including alleged arms smuggling by
Blackwater." -By Arshad Mohammed and Andy Sullivan
with contributions by Bill Trott -Reuters
Secret
- 
Porter
J Goss
- 
Michael
V Hayden - Military
- Government
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- Videotapes
- Censorship
- Officers
- Safety
- Prisoner
- Torture
- War
Crimes - Law
- Politics
- "C.I.A.
Destroyed Tapes of Interrogations." ... "The Central
Intelligence Agency in 2005 destroyed at least two videotapes documenting
the interrogation of two Al Qaeda operatives in the agency’s custody, a
step it took in the midst of Congressional and legal scrutiny about the
C.I.A’s [Central Intelligence Agency] secret detention program, according
to current and former government officials." ... "The videotapes showed
agency operatives in 2002 subjecting terror suspects — including Abu Zubaydah,
the first detainee in C.I.A. custody — to severe interrogation techniques.
They were destroyed in part because officers were concerned that tapes
documenting controversial interrogation methods could expose agency officials
to greater risk of legal jeopardy, several officials said." ... "The C.I.A.
said today that the decision to destroy the tapes had been made “within
the C.I.A. itself,” and they were destroyed to protect the safety of undercover
officers and because they no longer had intelligence value. The agency
was headed at the time by Porter J. Goss. Through a spokeswoman, Mr. Goss
declined this afternoon to comment on the destruction of the tapes." ...
"The existence and subsequent destruction of the tapes are likely to reignite
the debate over the use of severe interrogation techniques on terror suspects,
and their destruction raises questions about whether C.I.A. officials withheld
information about aspects of the program from the courts and from the Sept.
11 commission appointed by [Republican] President Bush and Congress. It
was not clear who within the C.I.A. authorized the destruction of the tapes,
but current and former government officials said it had been approved at
the highest levels of the agency." ... "General [CIA Director, General
Michael V Hayden] Hayden said in a statement that leaders of Congressional
oversight committees were fully briefed on the matter, but some Congressional
officials said notification to Congress had not been adequate." (1, 2)
-By Mark Mazzetti with contributions by Eric Lichtblau
and Scott Shane -NYTimes
Mitt
Romney
- Rudy
Giuliani
- Immigrant
- Workers
- Company
- 2008
Election - Politics
- 
Florida
- New
York
- Massachusetts
- New
Hampshire - Arizona
- "More
immigrant woes for Romney: GOP candidate fires landscaper
after Globe shows continued use of illegal workers." ... "Standing on stage
at a Republican debate on the Gulf Coast of Florida last week, [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney repeatedly lashed out at
rival [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Rudy Giuliani for
providing sanctuary to illegal immigrants in New York City [New York]."
... "Yet, the next morning, on Thursday, at least two illegal immigrants
stepped out of a hulking maroon pickup truck in the driveway of Romney's
[Massachusetts] Belmont house, then proceeded to spend several hours raking
leaves, clearing debris from Romney's tennis court, and loading the refuse
onto the truck." ... "In fact, their work was part of a regular pattern.
Even after a Globe story in December 2006 highlighted Romney's use of a
landscaping company that employs illegal immigrants to tend to his grounds,
Romney continued to employ Community Lawn Service With a Heart - until
yesterday. The company continued to employ illegal immigrants." ... "The
two workers confirmed in separate interviews with Globe reporters last
week that they were in the country without documents. One said he had paid
$7,000 to a smuggler to escort him across the desert into Arizona; the
other said he had come into the country with a student visa that has expired.
Both were seen working on the lawn by either Globe reporters or photographers
over the last two months." ... "Questioned yesterday afternoon during a
campaign swing through New Hampshire about the use of illegal immigrants
on his lawn, Romney declined to answer." -By Maria
Cramer and Maria Sacchetti with contributions by Connie Paige and James
Pindell -Boston/Globe
Mike
Huckabee - 
Women
- Families
- Law
- Politics
- History
- Arkansas
- Prison
- Missouri
- Crime- 2008
Election - "Mothers
hold Huckabee partially responsible for daughters' murders."
... "[2008 Election Republican] Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said
Tuesday that he is "heartbroken" over the pain suffered by the families
of two women murdered in Kansas City [Missouri] more than six years ago."
... "Authorities say the two victims, Carol Shields and Sara Andrasek,
were killed by the same man —Wayne DuMond, who was released from an Arkansas
prison in 1999, a year before Shields' murder." ... "Their mothers say
Huckabee is responsible, at least in part, for DuMond's release." ... ""What
a fool," said Lois Davidson, Shields' mother. "Thinking he could rule the
country when he couldn't even do a good job as governor of Arkansas.""
... "Janet Williams, Andrasek's mother: "Wayne DuMond should have never
been on the streets in Missouri. ... When politics are involved, people
get hurt, and Sara and Carol Shields paid the ultimate price with their
lives."" ... "A jury sent DuMond to prison in 1985 for the rape of 17-year
old Ashley Stevens, a distant relative of then-[Democratic Governor]Gov.
Bill Clinton. While awaiting trial on the rape charge, DuMond was castrated
— some say by assailants, other say he did the job himself." ... "But his
conviction and imprisonment became a rallying point for Clinton critics
and some Republicans in Arkansas, who said they believed DuMond was in
prison because of the Clinton connection, and that he was actually innocent
of the charges." ... "In 1996, then-[Republican Governor]Gov. Huckabee
joined the discussion, saying he planned to commute DuMond's sentence to
time served, in part because evidence in the case was "questionable.""
... "Some parole board members have since said they made the decision without
pressure from Huckabee; others, though, said he had talked with them about
his desire that DuMond be released." ... ""He made it obvious that he thought
DuMond had gotten a raw deal and wanted us to take another look at it,"
former board member Charles Chastain said in 2001. "Some board members
who were usually very tough about letting people out ... (later) voted
in favor of him, and seemed eager to."" -By Dave Helling
with contributions by DeAnn Smith -McClatchy
Curt
Weldon
- Federal
- Military
- Money
- Family
- Politics
- 
Pennsylvania
- "Ex-Congressman's
Aide to Plead Guilty to Conspiracy." ... "Former
[Pennsylvania Republican] representative Curt Weldon's chief of staff has
agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges for allegedly helping a consulting
firm that Weldon championed obtain federal funds and for concealing money
the firm paid him and his wife, according to court papers unsealed today."
... "According to the court document, Russell James Caso and a top official
at the unnamed consulting firm met repeatedly with Weldon to seek the Pennsylvania
Republican's help in obtaining federal funds for the organization's defense
projects." -By Carol D. Leonnig-WashingtonPost
Consumer
- Health- Safety
- 
Food
- Agriculture
- Country
- Peoples
- Labor
- Law
- Money
- Politics
- Language
- 
West
Virginia - "Democrats
Use Fine Print to Stymie Bush's Deregulation Agenda."
... "It is a single sentence, on page 147 of the annual appropriations
bill funding the [Republican President Bush] White House, listed under
the title ``Additional General Provisions.''" ... "The 18-word clause eliminates
the money to pay for political appointees in each federal agency whose
jobs are to approve any new regulations. By cutting the money for the positions,
Congress would effectively repeal President George W. Bush's 11-month old
initiative." ... "Democrats, writing the budget for the first time since
Bush took office, are using their power over the purse to thwart Bush's
campaign to loosen federal regulations. Lawmakers have added fine print
to must-pass appropriations bills that sets new policy goals and increases
funding for regulators such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
and the Consumer Product Safety Commission." ... "``It is critically important
when we are facing beef recalls, toy recalls, mine collapses and workplace
infringements that Congress provide the necessary resources to the relevant
agencies for them to do the jobs they are required to do,'' said Senate
Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd, 90, a West Virginia Democrat."
... "Lawmakers also want agencies to file periodic reports to Congress
charting their progress toward a host of Democratic policy goals, such
as developing workplace ergonomic guidelines for a dozen industries, requiring
country-of-origin labels on meat products and regulating a flavoring chemical
that has been linked to lung disease." -By Brian Faler
-Bloomberg
Americans'
- Communications
- Freedom
- Government
- Intelligence
- Surveillance
- Law
- Politics
- "Protecting
privacy." ... "Contrary to [TIME Magazine Columnist
Joel] Klein's claims, Democrats want to require individualized warrants
only when the government targets Americans, not foreigners overseas. Klein
is also flat out wrong to suggest there is "broad, bipartisan agreement"
on new surveillance powers. In fact, the [Republican President Bush] administration
and its allies adamantly oppose even modest proposals to protect law-abiding
Americans who are swept up in this new, essentially warrantless surveillance.
Only after the president's illegal wiretapping program was publicly revealed
was the administration forced to comply with the law. Now the administration
is demanding broad new powers that could allow it to collect countless
communications. Congress must make sure that the new law requires independent
court oversight and protects innocent Americans' privacy. That's not "stupid";
that's our sworn and solemn duty." -By United States
Senator Russ Feingold -ChicagoTribune
Ted
Stevens - Government
- Lawmakers
- Politics
- 
Alaska
- 
Miss
- "Sens.
Cochran, Stevens lead in earmark tally." ... "Senior
Republican appropriators in the Senate have collected more money in earmarks
than any other members of Congress, even though [Republican] President
Bush and GOP leaders have forcefully criticized “pork-barrel spending.”"
... "Not only have these lawmakers defied their leaders, they have also
taken a much greater share of the pot set aside for rank-and-file Republicans
than have senior Democrats. As a result, some on the Hill are grumbling
privately that GOP appropriators are “not only the kings of pork, they’re
outright hogs,” in the words of one Senate Republican aide." ... "[Republican
Mississippi Senator] Sen. Thad Cochran (Miss.), ranking Republican on the
Senate Appropriations Committee, has collected $774 million worth of earmarks
in 12 spending bills. After Cochran, [Republican Alaska Senator] Sen. Ted
Stevens (Alaska), the second-ranking Republican on Appropriations, secured
more money for special projects than any other member of Congress: $502
million." -By Alexander Bolton
-TheHill.com
Secret
- 
Larry
Craig
- Gay
- 
Idaho
- Colorado
- 
Minnesota
- 
Airport
- Police
- Law
- 2008
Election - Money
- "More
gay men describe sexual encounters with U.S. Sen. Craig:
Allegations made since news of the Minneapolis case broke lend weight to
rumors about [Idaho Republican Senator Larry] Craig." ... "David Phillips.
Mike Jones. Greg Ruth. Tom Russell." ... "Four gay men, willing to put
their names in print and whose allegations can't be disproved, have come
forward since news of U.S. Sen. Larry Craig's guilty plea. They say they
had sex with Craig or that he made a sexual advance or that he paid them
unusual attention." ... "They are telling their stories now because they
are offended by Craig's denials, including his famous statement, "I am
not gay, I never have been gay." Those words, spoken on live national TV
on Aug. 28, are now memorialized on a just-released-for-Christmas Talking
Senator Larry Craig Action Figure." ... "A fifth gay man, who is from Boise
[Idaho's capital] but who declined to be named for fear of retaliation,
offered a recent and telling account: He was in a men's restroom at [Colorado's]
Denver International Airport in September 2006 when the man in the next
stall moved his hand slowly, palm up, under the divider. Alarmed, the man
said he waited outside the restroom and then identified the man in the
adjoining stall as Craig, whom he had met in Idaho." ... "Craig, 62, says
he was a victim of "profiling" when he was arrested June 11 at [Minnesota's]
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for soliciting sex from an undercover
police officer in an adjoining stall in a men's restroom. Craig pleaded
guilty to disorderly conduct in August. He is appealing his conviction,
financed by his 2008 re-election fund." ... "Craig has said he hoped to
keep his guilty plea secret." -By Dan Popkey
-IdahoStatesman.com
Rudolph
W Giuliani
- Crime
- History
- Economy
- Housing
- Transit
- Law
- Politics
- New
York
- New
Hampshire - Illinois
- 2008
Election - "Citing
Statistics, Giuliani Misses Time and Again." ...
"Discussing his crime-fighting success as mayor, Mr. Giuliani [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate Rudolph W. Giuliani, former Mayor of
New York City, New York] told a television interviewer that New York was
“the only city in America that has reduced crime every single year since
1994.” In New Hampshire this week, he told a public forum that when he
became mayor in 1994, New York “had been averaging like 1,800, 1,900 murders
for almost 30 years.” When a recent Republican debate turned to the question
of fiscal responsibility, he boasted that “under me, spending went down
by 7 percent.”" ... "All of these statements are incomplete, exaggerated
or just plain wrong." ... "For instance, another major American city claims
to have reduced crime every year since 1994: Chicago [Illinois]. New York
[City, New York] averaged 1,514 murders a year during the three decades
before Mr. Giuliani took office; it did not record more than 1,800 homicides
until 1980. And Mr. Giuliani’s own memoir states that spending grew an
average of 3.7 percent for most of his tenure; an aide said Mr. Giuliani
had meant to say that he had proposed a 7 percent reduction in per capita
spending during his time as mayor." ... "Last weekend, speaking about his
belief in supply-side economics, Mr. Giuliani said, “I lowered, argued
for lowering, and got the hotel occupancy tax lowered by 33 percent. And
I was collecting $200 million more from the lower tax than the city had
been collecting from before I was mayor from the higher tax.”" ... "In
fact, the increase in revenues from the hotel occupancy tax was just over
a quarter of what Mr. Giuliani asserted — the city’s hotel tax revenues
grew by roughly $58 million during his term, according to the city’s Independent
Budget Office — and a booming economy, as well as the reduction in crime
Mr. Giuliani helped produce, probably played a part." ... "Factcheck.org
has reported that the Giuliani campaign exaggerated when it boasted on
its Web site that “Mayor Giuliani increased the police force from 28,000
to 40,000,” noting that most of that increase came from his merger of the
Transit and Housing Police Departments with the New York Police Department,
a transfer of more than 7,000 existing officers to the department." (1,
2)
-By Michael Cooper -NYTimes
Scott
J Bloch
- 
Karl
Rove
- Federal
- Investigators
- Computer
- Politics
- Employees
- Campaigns
- "U.S.
Special Counsel Says He Won't Provide Files." ...
"A U.S. official overseeing a probe of potential [Republican President
Bush] White House misconduct declared through a spokesman yesterday that
he will not give federal investigators copies of personal files that he
deleted from his office computer." ... "The decision by Special Counsel
Scott J. Bloch escalates the confrontation between the Bush appointee and
the White House, each of which is investigating the other." ... "Bloch's
office is tasked with upholding laws against whistle-blower retaliation
and partisan politicking in federal agencies. Earlier this year, Bloch
directed lawyers in his office to look into charges that former Bush adviser
Karl Rove inappropriately deployed government employees in Republican political
campaigns." ... "Attorneys representing the staff members in the complaints
against Bloch cited the latest dispute in calling for his resignation."
... ""At the time that he initiated this probe of Karl Rove, we thought
he was doing this to make himself bulletproof so the White House could
not take disciplinary action against him," said Debra Katz, an attorney
for the staff members. Bloch denied that charge and said the Rove investigation
is the responsibility of his office." -By Elizabeth
Williamson -WashingtonPost
Joe
Biden
- US
- 
Iran
- Military- Law
- Cheney
- Delaware- 2008
Election - "Biden:
Impeachment if Bush bombs Iran." ... "[Delaware Democratic
Senator and 2008 Election] Presidential hopeful Delaware Sen. Joe Biden
stated unequivocally that he will move to impeach [Republican] President
Bush if he bombs Iran without first gaining congressional approval." ...
""The president has no authority to unilaterally attack Iran, and if he
does, as Foreign Relations Committee chairman, I will move to impeach,"
said Biden, whose words were followed by a raucous applause from the local
audience." ... "Biden said he is in the process of meeting with constitutional
law experts to prepare a legal memorandum saying as much and intends to
send it to the president." ... "When local resident Joel Carp asked Biden
why not impeach now, given what has already been done, Biden said it was
a valid point, but might not be constitutionally valid and potentially
counterproductive. A case for impeachment must have clear evidence, Biden
said, and blame should be directed at the right parties." ... ""If you're
going to impeach George Bush, you better impeach (Vice President Dick)
Cheney first," said Biden, again drawing applause." -By
Adam Leech -SeacoastOnline.com
Rudy
Giuliani
- Terrorism
- Money
- Politics
- US
- Qatar
- Military
- Intelligence- Osama
bin Laden
- Law
- Enforcement
- 2008
Election - "Giuliani's
Ties to Qatar Raise Questions for Mr. 9/ll." ...
"Contracts awarded to [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate]
Rudy Giuliani's private security firm in the Gulf state of Qatar were overseen
by a government minister suspected of harboring the al Qaeda terrorist
who planned the 9/ll attacks, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, according to security
consultants in the region." ... "Since 2005, Giuliani Partners and its
Giuliani Security & Safety (GS&S) unit has provided security consulting
and advice in Qatar through contracts overseen by the country's Interior
Ministry, which is currently run by a member of the royal family who has
long been accused of supporting al Qaeda, according to security consultants
familiar with the area." ... "The current interior minister, Sheik Abdullah
Bin Khalid al-Thani, was suspected of sheltering Mohammed at his farm and
tipping him off to the arrival of CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] and
FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] teams coming to arrest the al Qaeda
strategist back in 1996, according to the National Security Council's former
chief counterterrorism adviser and ABC News consultant Richard A. Clarke,
former CIA agent Robert Baer and a 2004 Congressional Research Service
report." ... "Khalid al-Thani is also believed to have welcomed Osama bin
Laden on two visits to the farm, according to an Oct. 10, 2007 CRS study."
... "The firm's work in Qatar was too close for comfort to former law enforcement
agents familiar with the country." ... ""We have a guy who could be president
who's taking money from the same accounts that harbored terrorists," said
Baer, the former CIA agent." -By Marcus Baram
-ABCNEWS.com
Rudolph
Giuliani
- Mitt
Romney
- 
Bernie
Kerik
- Police
- Law
- Immigrants
- New
York
- Massachusetts
- 2008
Election - 
Hillary
Clinton
- "Republicans
eat their own in increasingly nasty race." ... "At
Wednesday's CNN/YouTube debate, [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate and] former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani accused [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate and] former Massachusetts Gov. [Governor]
Mitt Romney of running a "sanctuary mansion" because Romney had illegal
immigrants doing yard work at his home. Earlier in the week, Giuliani's
campaign manager called Romney a "mediocre one-term governor."" ... "Romney
has lambasted Giuliani's judgment in hiring as police commissioner Bernie
Kerik, who was indicted on corruption charges recently. Both candidates
routinely accuse each other of resembling Hillary Clinton, perhaps the
unkindest cut of all among Republicans." -By Matt
Stearns with contributions by William Douglas and David Lightman
-McClatchyDC.com
Karl
Rove
- 
Joshua
Bolten
- 
Sara
Taylor
- Harriet
Miers
- J
Scott Jennings - 
US
Attorneys - Politics
- VT
- "Leahy
Rejects Bush Privilege Claim." ... "A Senate chairman
said Thursday that [Republican] President Bush was not involved in the
firings of U.S. attorneys last winter, and he therefore ruled illegal the
president's executive privilege claims protecting his chief of staff, Josh
Bolten, and former adviser Karl Rove." ... "Senate Judiciary Committee
Chairman [Vermont Democratic Senator] Patrick Leahy directed Bolten, Rove,
former White House political director Sara Taylor and her deputy, J. Scott
Jennings, to comply "immediately" with their subpoenas for documents and
information about the White House's role in the firings of U.S. attorneys."
... "The ruling is a formality that clears the way for Leahy's panel to
vote on whether to advance the citations to the full Senate." ... "House
leaders also have filed a contempt citation in their chamber against Bolten
and former [Republican President] White House Counsel Harriet Miers, but
no floor vote has been scheduled." -By Laurie Kellman
-AP via -SFGate.com
Rudolph
Giuliani
- Mitt
Romney
- Mike
Huckabee - Immigration
- Politics
- Employee
- Legal
- Children
- College
- 2008
Election - Iowa
- New
York
- Arkansas
- "Topic
of immigration animates testy Republican debate."
... "The Republican candidates for the presidency engaged in a slashing
debate over immigration and other issues, confronting one another in testy
exchanges that reflected the wide-open nature of the race in the final
sprint toward the Iowa caucuses." ... "The debate Wednesday night showcased
some of the fierce battles that have raged recently between [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidates] Rudolph Giuliani and Mitt Romney. Romney
accused Giuliani of making New York a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants
when he was mayor; Giuliani turned the tables on him, noting that Romney
had employed illegal immigrants at his home and adding, "I would say he
had sanctuary mansion, not just sanctuary city."" ... "After Romney and
Giuliani argued over immigration, Romney turned on [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidates Mike] Huckabee for a proposal he made as governor
of Arkansas to give breaks in college tuition to the children of illegal
immigrants." (1, 2)
-By Michael Cooper and Marc Santora
-IHT.com
Immigration
- People
- Law- Politics
- "Immigration
at Record Level, Analysis Finds." ... "Immigration
over the past seven years was the highest for any seven-year period in
American history, bringing 10.3 million new immigrants, more than half
of them without legal status, according to an analysis of census data released
today by the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington." ... "One in
eight people living in the United States is an immigrant, the survey found,
for a total of 37.9 million people — the highest level since the 1920s."
... "The survey was conducted by Steven A. Camarota, director of research
at the center, which advocates reduced immigration." -By
Julia Preston -NYTimes
Telecommunications
- Money
- Politics
- Government
- Surveillance
- Intelligence
- Electronic
- Network
- "Judge:
Feds must release telecom records." ... "An electronic
privacy group challenging [Republican] President Bush's domestic spying
program scored a minor victory after a judge ordered the federal government
to release information about lobbying efforts by telecommunications companies
to protect them from prosecution." ... "The Electronic Frontier Foundation
in January 2006 filed a class-action suit against AT&T Inc., accusing
the company of illegally making communications on its networks available
to the National Security Agency without warrants." ... "Congress is now
considering changing the law to grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications
companies that would protect them from such court challenges." ... ""Any
attempt for immunity is aimed at getting these very important cases swept
back under the rug," EFF spokeswoman Rebecca Jeschke said Wednesday." -By
Kim Curtis -AP
via -Yahoo
Noteworthy
- Scott
Bloch
- Karl
Rove
- Military
- Government
- Computer
- Intelligence
- Company
- Hacking
- 2006
Election - Politics
- Employee
- Justice
- Investigation
- 
Kan
- "Head
of Rove Inquiry in Hot Seat Himself: Bloch Used Private
Company, Geeks on Call, to Delete Files On His Office Computer." ... "The
head of the federal agency investigating [Republican President Bush's former
aide] Karl Rove's White House political operation is facing allegations
that he improperly deleted computer files during another probe, using a
private computer-help company, Geeks on Call." ... "TScott Bloch runs the
Office of Special Counsel, an agency charged with protecting government
whistleblowers and enforcing a ban on federal employees engaging in partisan
political activity. Mr. Bloch's agency is looking into whether Mr. Rove
and other White House officials used government agencies to help re-elect
Republicans in 2006." ... "TAt the same time, Mr. Bloch has himself been
under investigation since 2005. At the direction of the White House, the
federal Office of Personnel Management's inspector general is looking into
claims that Mr. Bloch improperly retaliated against employees and dismissed
whistleblower cases without adequate examination." ... "TRecently, investigators
learned that Mr. Bloch erased all the files on his office personal computer
late last year. They are now trying to determine whether the deletions
were improper or part of a cover-up, lawyers close to the case said." ...
"In an interview, the 49-year-old former labor-law litigator from Lawrence,
Kan., confirmed that he contacted Geeks on Call but said he was trying
to eradicate a virus that had seized control of his computer." ... "Mr.
Bloch believes the White House may have a conflict of interest in pressing
the inquiry into his conduct while his office investigates the White House
political operation." ... "Depending on circumstances, erasing files or
destroying evidence in a federal investigation can be considered obstruction
of justice." ... "Mr. Bloch had his computer's hard disk completely cleansed
using a "seven-level" wipe: a thorough scrubbing that conforms to Defense
Department data-security standards. The process makes it nearly impossible
for forensics experts to restore the data later. He also directed Geeks
on Call to erase laptop computers that had been used by his two top political
deputies, who had recently left the agency." -By John
R. Wilke -WSJ.com
Rudy
Giuliani- Travel
- Politics
- New
York
- Police
- Government
- Law
- 2008
Election - "Giuliani
billed obscure agencies for trips." ... "As [2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate] New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani
billed obscure city agencies for tens of thousands of dollars in security
expenses amassed during the time when he was beginning an extramarital
relationship with future wife Judith Nathan in the Hamptons, according
to previously undisclosed government records." ... "The documents, obtained
by Politico under New York’s Freedom of Information Law, show that the
mayoral costs had nothing to do with the functions of the little-known
city offices that defrayed his tabs, including agencies responsible for
regulating loft apartments, aiding the disabled and providing lawyers for
indigent defendants." ... "At the time, the mayor’s office refused to explain
the accounting to city auditors, citing “security.”" ... "The Hamptons
visits resulted in hotel, gas and other costs for Giuliani’s New York Police
Department security detail." -By: Ben Smith
-Politico.com
US
- Iraq
- Blackwater
- Corporate
- Military
- Politics
- Steroids- North
Carolina - "Witnesses
testify in Blackwater lawsuit." ... "A federal grand
jury investigating Blackwater Worldwide heard witnesses Tuesday as a private
lawsuit accused the government contractor's bodyguards of ignoring orders
and abandoning their posts shortly before taking part in a Baghdad [Iraq's
capital] shooting that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead." ... "Filed this week
in U.S. District Court in Washington, the civil complaint also accuses
North Carolina-based Blackwater of failing to give drug tests to its guards
in Baghdad — even though an estimated one in four of them was using steroids
or other "judgment altering substances."" ... "Before the shootings in
Baghdad last September, the three teams of an estimated dozen Blackwater
bodyguards had already dropped off the State Department official they were
tasked with protecting when they headed to Nisoor Square, according to
the lawsuit filed by lawyers working with the Center for Constitutional
Rights." ... "Blackwater and State Department personnel staffing a tactical
operations center "expressly directed the Blackwater shooters to stay with
the official and refrain from leaving the secure area," the complaint says.
"Reasonable discovery will establish that the Blackwater shooters ignored
those directives."" ... "Additionally, the lawsuit notes: "One of Blackwater's
own shooters tried to stop his colleagues from indiscriminately firing
upon the crowd of innocent civilians but he was unsuccessful in his efforts.""
-By Lara Jakes Jordan with contributions by Matthew
Lee and Matt Apuzzo -AP
via -Yahoo
Secret
- US
- Iraq
- Texas
- Oil
- Money
- Criminal
- 
UN
- Food
- "Texas
oilman Wyatt sentenced to year in prison." ... "Texas
oilman Oscar Wyatt was sentenced to one year and one day in prison on Tuesday
for conspiracy in the U.N. oil-for-food scandal, becoming the most prominent
figure jailed over corruption in the program to buy oil from Saddam Hussein's
Iraq." ... "Under his plea agreement, prosecutors dropped four other counts
against him, cutting short a trial in which they made a case that he paid
secret kickbacks to Saddam's government to win oil contracts from Iraq."
... "U.S. criminal investigations into the corrupted U.N. program has so
far produced the convictions of seven individuals and two companies, including
Chevron Corp. which agreed to pay $30 million to resolve criminal and civil
liabilities." (1, 2)
-By Christine Kearney with contributions by David
Wiessler -Reuters
Trent
Lott - Political
- Lawmakers
- Mississippi
- Pennsylvania
- 2008
Election - "'Financial
problems' hastened Lott's retirement, Specter says."
... "[Pennsylvania Republican Senator] Sen. Arlen Specter yesterday said
it was his understanding that new regulations on lobbying by ex-lawmakers
played a significant role in [Mississippi Republican Senator] Sen. Trent
Lott's decision to retire, contradicting what the Mississippi senator told
reporters in his home state." ... "If he steps down at the end of the year,
Mr. Lott, a Republican, will be able to begin lobbying after just a year's
wait, rather than two." -By Bill Toland and Jerome
L. Sherman -Post-Gazette.com
Bernard
Kerik
- Officer
- Race
- Politics
- Rudy
Giuliani
- New
York
- 2008
Election - "Settlement
for former corrections officer who claims Bernard Kerik had race bias."
... "The city [New York City, New York] will pay $125,000 to settle a suit
by a former Correction Department officer who claimed that disgraced ex-Commissioner
Bernard Kerik sidetracked his career because he's African-American." ...
"Former Deputy Warden Eric Deravin agreed to the payout on the day his
federal racial discrimination trial was set to start in Manhattan [borough
of New York City]." ... "Deravin claimed he was passed over for promotion
six times between 1998 and 2000 after he successfully fended off a harassment
claim lodged by Kerik's former lover, Correction Officer Jeanette Pinero."
... "Deravin was promoted in May 2000." ... "Kerik admitted a nearly two-year
romantic relationship with Pinero that ended in early 1997. Then-Mayor
Rudy Giuliani [now 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] named
Kerik commissioner the following year." -By Thomas
Zambito -NYDailyNews.com
Trent
Lott - Mississippi
- Politics
- Money- 2008
Election - "Mississippi
Dems threaten battle over special election date."
... "The timing of [Mississippi Republican Senator] Sen. Trent Lott’s (R-Miss.)
resignation has opened legal questions about the date of the ensuing special
election, and state Democrats might fight for a date earlier than what
the Republican governor is proposing." ... "[Mississippi Republican Governor]
Gov. Haley Barbour said in a statement Monday that he would schedule the
special election for the same day as the November 2008 general election.
State law, however, appears intended to require an earlier date if Lott
retires this year, as he said he would." ... "The Mississippi secretary
of state’s office said early Monday that state law appeared to require
a special election within 90 days if Lott retires in 2007. After consulting
with lawyers, however, a spokesman said the secretary of state concurred
with Barbour based on a technicality in the letter of the law." ... "The
Mississippi Democratic Party, however, said it expects Barbour to call
an earlier election." ... "The law “makes clear that if Sen. Lott does
indeed resign during this calendar year, as stated, then Gov. Barbour must
call a special election for within 90 days of making a proclamation — which
he must issue within 10 days of the resignation — and not on Nov. 4, 2008,
as he has announced he intends to do,” state Democratic Chairman Wayne
Dowdy said." ... "By resigning in 2007, Lott sneaks in under the wire for
the extended ban on lobbying Congress by former members." -By
Aaron Blake -TheHill.com
Trent
Lott - Money
- Law
- Mississippi
- "Congress:
More on Lott." ... "NBC News has learned that [Mississippi
Republican Senator] Trent Lott in the midst of informing close allies that
he plans to resign his Senate seat before the end of the year." ... "While
the exactly reason Lott is stepping down before he finishes his term is
unknown, NBC’s Ken Strickland reports, the general speculation is that
a quick departure immunizes Lott against tougher restrictions in a new
lobbying law that takes effect at the end of the year. That law would require
Senators to wait two years before entering the lucrative world of lobbying
Congress." -MSNBC
Religious
- School's
- Money
- Family
- History
- 
Oklahoma
- "Oral
Roberts President Resigns Amid Allegations (Update1)."
... "Oral Roberts University President Richard Roberts, son of the Christian
school's televangelist founder, resigned yesterday following accusations
that he used school funds for personal use." ... "The Tulsa, Oklahoma-
based university's regents will meet starting on Nov. 26 to discuss a replacement
for Roberts, 59." ... "Three university professors filed a lawsuit last
month against Richard Roberts. They allege that he used the school's aircraft
for a $29,411 trip to the Bahamas and spent school money to buy horses
for his children, according to John Swails, one of the plaintiffs." ...
"The university was founded in 1963 by Roberts' father, evangelist Oral
Roberts." -By William McQuillen and Jeff St.Onge
-Bloomberg
Secret
- Rudolph
W Giuliani
- California
- Money
- Election
- Law
- Politics
- 2008
Election - New
York
- Jet
- Poor
- Countries
- "Publicity-shy
Giuliani backer in spotlight: Backer of plan many
Democrats think could sink their chances at presidency." ... "Paul E. Singer
is the founding partner of one of the oldest hedge funds around. And while
he has become a major donor to Republican and conservative causes in recent
years, he has largely managed to stay out of the limelight, even avoiding
having his picture appear in newspapers." ... "But this year Mr. Singer
became one of the biggest supporters of [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate] Rudolph W. Giuliani’s presidential campaign, making his jet
available to Mr. Giuliani, while Mr. Singer and workers at his companies
have donated $200,000 to the campaign. And he became the largest individual
backer of a California ballot initiative that many Democrats believe could
sink their chances of winning the presidency." ... "Suddenly, the normally
low-profile Mr. Singer, a New Yorker, found himself singled out by Democrats
intent on beating back the California effort before it gained any steam."
... "Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic Party, questioned “Paul
Singer’s involvement in this dirty trick aimed at stealing the White House.”
A group of Democrats filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission
charging that Mr. Singer had been acting on behalf of Mr. Giuliani in his
efforts to change the California law — which Mr. Singer and the campaign
deny. And the Democratic National Committee drew attention to the part
of Mr. Singer’s business that involves buying the debt of poor countries
at a discount and then seeking repayment in full — prompting an article
in The Times of London labeling his firm, Elliott Associates, a “vulture
fund.”" (1, 2)
-By Michael Cooper and Leslie Wayne
-NYTimes via -MSNBC
Secret
- Rudolph
Giuliani
- Nevada
- New
York
- US
- 
Singapore
- 
China
- 
North
Korea - International
- Crime
- Law
- 2008
Election - "Giuliani's
business ties create challenge: Was a consultant
for controversial tycoon." ... "Nine days after registering his presidential
exploratory committee last November, [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate] Rudolph Giuliani appeared in Singapore to help a Las Vegas [Nevada]
developer make a pitch for a $3.5 billion casino resort." ... "Though the
bid ultimately failed, and there was nothing illegal about the involvement,
it drew Giuliani into a complex partnership with the family of a controversial
Hong Kong [China] billionaire who has ties to the regime of North Korea's
Kim Jong Il and has been linked to international organized crime by the
U.S. government." ... "Giuliani's participation as a security consultant
in the Singapore gambling venture illustrates the challenge he faces while
attempting to win the Republican presidential nomination with a law-and-order
message while maintaining a far-flung, international business portfolio,
an unknown portion of which remains in the shadows." ... "Even today, more
than a year after the former New York mayor signaled his intention to run
for the presidency, it remains impossible to fully evaluate Giuliani's
business dealings because he has declined to list all of the clients in
Giuliani Partners, the consulting firm he founded and heads." (1, 2,
3)
-By Andrew Zajac and Evan Osnos with contributions
by Rick Pearson -ChicagoTribune
US
- 
Pakistan
- Emergency
- Law
- Journalists
- Human
Rights - Del
- Joseph
R Biden
- 2008
Election - "Bush
More Emphatic In Backing Musharraf: He Says Leader
'Believes in Democracy'." ... "[Republican] President Bush yesterday offered
his strongest support of embattled Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf,
saying the general "hasn't crossed the line" and "truly is somebody who
believes in democracy."" ... "Bush spoke nearly three weeks after Musharraf
declared emergency rule, sacked members of the Supreme Court and began
a roundup of journalists, lawyers and human rights activists. Musharraf's
government yesterday released about 3,000 political prisoners, although
2,000 remain in custody, according to the Interior Ministry." ... "Several
outside analysts and a key Democratic lawmaker expressed incredulity over
Bush's comments and called them a sign of how personally invested the president
has become in the U.S. relationship with Musharraf." ... ""What exactly
would it take for the president to conclude Musharraf has crossed the line?
Suspend the constitution? Impose emergency law? Beat and jail his political
opponents and human rights activists?" asked [2008 Election Democratic
Presidential Candidate] Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del. [Delaware]), chairman
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a presidential candidate.
"He's already done all that. If the president sees Musharraf as a democrat,
he must be wearing the same glasses he had on when he looked in Vladimir
Putin's soul."" ... "Bush was asked in the interview if there is any line
Musharraf should not cross. "He hasn't crossed the line. As a matter of
fact, I don't think that he will cross any lines," Bush replied, according
to an ABC transcript." -By Michael Abramowitz and
Robin Wright -WashingtonPost
Dick
Cheney- Karl
Rove
- I
Lewis "Scooter" Libby - Intelligence
- Law
- Politics
- 
Book
- "McClellan
blames Bush for CIA leak deceit: Former spokesman
says both president and vice president involved." ... "Former White House
press secretary Scott McClellan blames [Republican] President Bush and
[Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney for efforts to mislead the public
about the role of White House aides in leaking the identity of a CIA [Central
Intelligence Agency] operative." ... "In an excerpt from his forthcoming
book ["What Happened"], McClellan recount the 2003 news conference in which
he told reporters that aides Karl Rove and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby were
"not involved" in the leak involving operative Valerie Plame." ... ""There
was one problem. It was not true," McClellan writes, according to a brief
excerpt released Monday. "I had unknowingly passed along false information.
And five of the highest-ranking officials in the administration were involved
in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice president, the president's chief
of staff and the president himself."" ... "Bush's chief of staff at the
time was Andrew Card." -AP
via -MSNBC
Voting
Machines - San
Francisco - California
- 
Nebraska
- Politics
- "California
suing Nebraska voting machine maker for $15 million."
... "California Secretary of State Debra Bowen sued a Nebraska voting machine
company on Monday, seeking fines and reimbursements of nearly $15 million
from the firm for allegedly selling nearly 1,000 uncertified machines to
San Francisco and four other counties." ... "San Francisco's 558 AutoMARK
ballot-marking devices were among 972 of the machines that Election Systems
& Software sold in California last year without putting them through
the state testing process." ... ""ES&S ignored the law over and over
and over again, and it got caught," Bowen said in a statement after filing
suit against the company. "I am not going to stand on the sidelines and
watch a voting system vendor come into the state, ignore the laws and make
millions of dollars from California's taxpayers in the process."" -By
John Wildermuth -SFGate.com
Government
- Surveillance
- Telephone
- Companies
- Intelligence
- Politics
- Civil
Liberties - "Panel
Drops Immunity From Eavesdropping Bill." ... "Reflecting
the deep divisions within Congress over granting legal immunity to telephone
companies for cooperating with the [Republican President] Bush administration’s
program of wiretapping without warrants, the Senate Judiciary Committee
approved a new domestic surveillance law on Thursday that sidestepped the
issue." ... "By a 10 to 9 vote, the committee approved an overhaul of the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that dropped a key provision for
immunity for telecommunications companies that another committee had already
approved. The Senate leadership will have to decide how to deal with the
immunity question on the Senate floor." ... "On Thursday night, the House
voted 227 to 189, generally along party lines, to approve its own version
of the FISA bill, which also does not include immunity." ... "But the administration
has made clear that President Bush will veto any bill that does not include
what it considers necessary tools for government eavesdropping, including
the retroactive immunity for phone carriers that took part in the National
Security Agency’s wiretapping program after the Sept. 11 attacks." ...
"Since the N.S.A. program was disclosed nearly two years ago, the major
telephone companies have been sued by civil liberties groups and others,
who argue that the companies violated the privacy rights of millions of
Americans." -By James Risen-NYTimes
Alphonso
Jackson
- Criminal
- Corporate
- Federal
- Housing
- Politics
- Law
- New
Orleans - 
Louisiana
- Georgia
- 
Virgin
Islands - 
SC
- "A
Helping Hand." ... "By all accounts, Housing Secretary
Alphonso
Jackson is a tough, hands-on manager who gets what he wants. "He's
not flying at the 50,000-feet level," says a former senior official in
the Housing and Urban Development Department. "He is definitely into the
weeds." Yet when it comes to dealing with contracts at HUD, Jackson insists
he never gets involved -- "I don't mess" with contracts, he said in a sworn
interview with federal investigators last year. But his record as secretary,
and as deputy secretary before that, suggests otherwise." ... "Behind the
scenes, Jackson has helped to arrange lucrative contract work running into
the hundreds of thousands of dollars for friends and associates who went
to work at HUD-controlled housing authorities in New Orleans [Louisiana]
and the Virgin Islands, according to people familiar with his actions.
Indeed, one of Jackson's good friends, Atlanta [Georgia] lawyer Michael
Hollis, appears to have been paid approximately $1 million for managing
the troubled Virgin Islands Housing Authority. Before landing at the authority,
some sources said, Hollis had no experience in running a public housing
agency." ... "Jackson's past efforts to aid his friends are causing him
no end of headaches. For several months, a federal grand jury, Justice
Department prosecutors, the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation], and
the HUD inspector general's office have been exploring Jackson's role in
contracting decisions at the housing department. According to people familiar
with the investigation, federal agents are focusing on Jackson's relationship
with one friend in particular, William Hairston, a stucco contractor
from Hilton Head Island, S.C. [South Carolina.]" ... "In interviews several
weeks ago with National Journal, Hairston acknowledged that Jackson
had helped him land a lucrative job around January 2006 at the Housing
Authority of New Orleans, or HANO. HUD and a former HANO official have
said that Hairston was paid about $485,000 for working as a construction
manager at HANO during an 18-month period. As it turns out, new information
uncovered by National Journal suggests that Hairston was paid even
more than that. HSD, a Georgia company that was affiliated with Hairston,
was paid $186,280 under a direct contract with HUD, federal procurement
records show. A HUD document identified Hairston as a representative of
HSD." ... "Federal investigators are digging deep into Jackson's relationship
with Hairston, a sometime golfing buddy of the secretary's. According to
the people familiar with the inquiry, federal investigators are also reviewing
allegations that Hairston did work on Jackson's vacation home in Hilton
Head." ... "Simply put, investigators are exploring whether Jackson lied
when he said he did not get involved in HUD contracting. Federal criminal
investigators would not comment on their inquiry." ... "At least four associates
of Jackson have benefited from contracts awarded at the New Orleans and
Virgin Islands housing authorities." -By Edward T.
Pound -NationalJournal
Bernard
Kerik
- Rudolph
Giuliani
- Media
- TV- Business
- Politics- Police
- Government
- New
York
- History
- 2008
Election - "Regan
opens Fox's can of worms: Judith Regan's lawsuit
against Fox sets up the possibility of some very interesting disclosures,
says Richard Aregood." ... "Her most recent fame came from her role as
the paramour of the former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik,
meeting him for assignations in a city apartment intended to provide respite
for 9/11 rescue workers." ... "News Corporation owns, among other properties,
the New York Post, the 20th Century Fox movie studio, DirecTV, the Fox
Network, Fox News and the recently acquired Wall Street Journal." ... "The
Fox News chief, Roger Ailes, is a long-time Republican activist dating
back to the days of the [Republican President] Richard Nixon administration,
and a close associate of former New York mayor and [2008 Eelction] Republican
presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani." ... "Ailes managed Giuliani's
first
and unsuccessful race for mayor in 1989, and Giuliani later officiated
at Ailes's wedding. When Fox News was a start-up, then-Mayor Giuliani pushed
so hard to force cable networks such as Time-Warner to carry it that a
federal judge hearing a subsequent lawsuit blocked the mayor's plan to
put Fox on a city-owned channel, calling it "special advocacy" to "reward
a friend and further a political viewpoint". Guiliani was a highly visible
tablemate and guest of Ailes and Fox at the most recent White House Correspondents'
Dinner." ... "Regan's 70-page filing, in spite of its frustrating lack
of elaboration on its most spectacular allegations, paints a picture at
considerable variance from the 24-hour news network's "fair and balanced"
slogan." ... "Her central point, which might seem credible to anyone who
has seen a Sean Hannity-Giuliani televised lovefest, is that Fox's coverage
of the presidential race is determined by its desire to promote Giuliani.
In fact, she alleges in court papers that "a senior executive" had advised
Regan to "lie to, and withhold information from, investigators concerning
Kerik"." ... "Indeed", it adds, "another News Corp. executive similarly
advised Regan not to produce clearly relevant documents in connection with
the government's investigation of Kerik"." ... "This "senior executive",
she says, tried to go beyond withholding facts from federal investigators
that might hurt Guiliani or Kerik, his partner in the security consulting
firm Giuliani Partners. "In fact", the suit says, "as is typically done
when Fox News on-air talent and commentators receive their 'talking points',
this executive attempted to influence any information that Regan might
be asked to give regarding Kerik"." -Guardian.co.uk
David
Vitter - Louisiana
- Politician
- "Senator
receives subpoena to testify about escort use." ...
"The "D.C. Madam" served a subpoena Tuesday on [Louisiana Republican Senator]
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., requiring him to testify about his use of the
Washington, D.C., escort service federal prosecutors say was a prostitution
ring." ... "The subpoena calls on the freshman senator to testify at a
federal court hearing Nov. 28 looking into the business operations of the
$2 million escort service Deborah Jeane Palfrey operated in the nation's
capital for 13 years. " -By Bill Walsh
-NOLA.com
US
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- Military
- Money
- Legislation
- Opinion
- Torture
- War
Crimes - Terrorism
- "House
passes Iraq bill calling for troops out by December '08."
... "The Democratic-controlled U.S. House Wednesday approved a war-funding
bill with a timeline for troop withdrawal from Iraq and substantially less
funds to conduct the war than [Republican] President Bush has requested."
... "It demands that Bush begin withdrawing troops from Iraq within 30
days of passage, with a goal of having American combat troops out of Iraq
by December 15, 2008." ... "The $50 billion "bridge fund" is about a quarter
of the nearly $200 billion the Bush administration has requested to pay
for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for 2008. Most of the money is slated
for Iraq, where the Pentagon estimates the cost of its operations at about
$10 billion a month." ... "A CNN-Opinion Research poll conducted in early
November found 68 percent of Americans polled oppose the war, and 62 percent
consider the conflict a stalemate." ... "The legislation also would require
the Pentagon to give troops the same amount of time at home as they were
deployed into combat, and bans government agents from using "waterboarding"
-- a technique the United States once prosecuted as a war crime -- against
suspected terrorists." -CNN
Rudolph
W Giuliani
- Bernard
Kerik
- Media
- Company
- Politics
- 2008
Election - Publisher
- New
York
- Police
- Government
- "Regan
says she was told to lie to protect Giuliani: In
a lawsuit against News Corp., the former publisher alleges that she had
to keep quiet on an affair with the mayor's top cop." ... "Former publisher
Judith Regan filed a $100-million defamation lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's
News Corp. and other defendants Tuesday, alleging she was asked by company
officials to lie to federal investigators in order to protect [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate] Rudolph W. Giuliani's presidential bid."
... "Amid a flurry of allegations, the one most likely to cause a stir
is Regan's charge that News Corp.'s political agenda was to protect the
campaign of former New York Mayor Giuliani, especially when it came to
the controversies over former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik,
whom Giuliani had recommended for the post of Homeland Security secretary.
Regan said she confided to company executives as early as 2001 that she
had been having an affair with Kerik, whose memoir, "The Lost Son," she
published shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks." ... "After [Republican]
President Bush nominated Kerik for Homeland Security secretary in 2004,
Regan alleges in her suit, one executive "advised Regan to lie to, and
to withhold information from, investigators concerning Kerik."" ... "The
company then launched a campaign to discredit her, because it feared that
she might disclose information that would be politically hurtful to Giuliani,
the suit said. Kerik subsequently withdrew his name from consideration
amid a cloud of legal questions over his past behavior and fitness for
office; he was indicted last week on federal charges, including tax fraud."
-By Josh Getlin -LAtimes
Howard
Krongard
- US
- Iraq
- Blackwater
- Business
- Military
- Law
- Politics
- Calif-
"State's
inspector general defends record." ... "In a stunning
move, the State Department official responsible for ensuring the agency
operates ethically recused himself Wednesday from any investigations related
to Blackwater Worldwide after admitting to lawmakers that his brother is
a member of the embattled security contractor's advisory board." ... "The
revelation by Howard Krongard, the department's inspector general, came
as Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee were
defending him from what they said were politically motivated attacks."
... "[California Democratic Representative] Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.,
and other Democrats on the committee seized on the admission as further
evidence Krongard has politicized his office and undermined inquiries that
targeted Blackwater or that might embarrass [Republican President] Bush
administration officials." ... "Krongard first told the committee his brother,
Alvin Krongard, had assured him several weeks ago that he had no financial
interest or connections to Blackwater, which is the subject of several
federal investigations related to its work in Iraq." ... "Before the break,
committee Democrats produced a July 26 letter from Blackwater CEO Erik
Prince inviting Alvin Krongard to join his company's advisory board." -By
Richard Lardner -AP
via -SeattlePI
Michael
B Mukasey
- US
- Iraq
- Blackwater
- Business
- Military
- Law
- Politics
- North
Carolina - "F.B.I.
Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause." ...
"Federal agents investigating the Sept. 16 episode in which Blackwater
security personnel shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians have found that at
least 14 of the shootings were unjustified and violated deadly-force rules
in effect for security contractors in Iraq, according to civilian and military
officials briefed on the case." ... "The F.B.I. investigation into the
shootings in Baghdad [Iraq's capital] is still under way, but the findings,
which indicate that the company’s employees recklessly used lethal force,
are already under review by the Justice Department." ... "Prosecutors have
yet to decide whether to seek indictments, and some officials have expressed
pessimism that adequate criminal laws exist to enable them to charge any
Blackwater employee with criminal wrongdoing. Spokesmen for the Justice
Department and the F.B.I. declined to discuss the matter." ... "The case
could be one of the first thorny issues to be decided by Michael B. Mukasey,
who was sworn in as attorney general last week. He may be faced with a
decision to turn down a prosecution on legal grounds at a time when a furor
has erupted in Congress about the administration’s failure to hold security
contractors accountable for their misdeeds." ... "Representative David
E. Price, a North Carolina Democrat who has sponsored legislation to extend
American criminal law to contractors serving overseas, said the Justice
Department must hold someone accountable for the shootings." ... "“Just
because there are deficiencies in the law, and there certainly are,” Mr.
Price said, “that can’t serve as an excuse for criminal actions like this
to be unpunished. I hope the new attorney general makes this case a top
priority. He needs to announce to the American people and the world that
we uphold the rule of law and we intend to pursue this.”" (1, 2)
-By David Johnston and John M. Broder with contributions
by Paul von Zielbauer -NYTimes
Family
- Law
- Politics
- "Buffett:
Tax my kin, please: One of the world's richest men
will have an opportunity to revive his campaign to preserve the estate
tax at a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday." ... "Warren Buffett has
said it before and he's likely to say it again to Congress on Wednesday:
He thinks the heirs of the wealthy should be taxed on their inheritance."
... "Buffett, one of the world's richest men and now its biggest philanthropist,
has been an outspoken critic of efforts to repeal the estate tax and is
scheduled to testify at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on how current
law affects estate tax planning." ... ""Without the estate tax, you in
effect will have an aristocracy of wealth, which means you pass down the
ability to command the resources of the nation based on heredity rather
than merit," Buffett told the New York Times in 2001. "[Repeal would be
like] choosing the 2020 Olympic team by picking the eldest sons of the
gold-medal winners in the 2000 Olympics."" ... "Typically, fewer than 2
percent of deaths result in estates sizeable enough to be subject to the
estate tax. In 2006, for example, less than 1 percent resulted in taxable
estates." ... "It's estimated that the estate tax will raise roughly $355
billion over the next 10 years under current law, according to the Tax
Policy Center." -By Jeanne Sahadi
-CNN
Michael
Mukasey- Alberto
Gonzales - Government
- Spying
- Intelligence
- Politics
- "Domestic
Spying Inquiry Restarted at DoJ." ... "The Justice
Department has reopened a long-dormant inquiry into the government's warrantless
wiretapping program, a major policy shift only days into the tenure of
Attorney General Michael Mukasey." ... "The investigation by the department's
Office of Professional Responsibility was shut down last year, after the
investigators were denied security clearances. Gonzales told Congress that
[Republican] President Bush, not he, denied the clearances." ... "The OPR
investigation was begun in February 2006 but was shut down a few months
later when the National Security Agency refused to grant Justice Department
lawyers the security clearances to ask questions about the program. Justice
Department officials said Gonzales recommended Bush approve the clearances,
but the president said no." ... "Bush's decision to authorize the spy agency
to monitor people inside the United States, without warrants, generated
a host of questions about the program's legal justification." -By
Devlin Barrett with contributions by Lara Jakes Jordan
-AP via -SFGate.com
Michael
Mukasey
- Torture
- Law
- Politics
- Doctors
- Human
Rights - "U.S.
Army reiterates waterboarding ban." ... "With Congress'
approval of a new [Republican President Bush] attorney general who refused
to describe waterboarding as torture, the U.S. Army has sent out a message
to its leaders repeating that the interrogation technique is prohibited
in the military." ... "The service issued the Nov. 6 message "to eliminate
any confusion that may have arisen as a result of recent public discourse
on the subject."" ... "The U.S. military formally banned waterboarding
as an interrogation technique in September 2006." ... "However, at Senate
confirmation hearings last month, then-attorney general nominee Michael
Mukasey repeatedly refused to say whether he considers waterboarding a
form of torture, as claimed by an unlikely coalition of military officials,
doctors and humans rights groups." -By Pamela Hess
-AP via -SeattlePI
Al
Gore - US- Global
- Climate
- 
Planet
- Environment
-Energy
- Technology
- Politics
- Lawmakers
- "Al
Gore's next act: Planet-saving VC: The recovering
politician is teaming with a legendary venture capitalist and bigtime moneyman
to make over the $6 trillion global energy business. A Fortune exclusive."
... "[Former Democratic Vice President Al] Gore appears utterly comfortable
with this drill, but in fact he's engaging in some on-the-job training.
The recovering politician, environmental activist, and Nobel laureate is
adding another title to his résumé: venture capitalist. After
"a conversation that's gone on for a year and a half," according to Gore,
he has decided to join his old pal John Doerr as an active, hands-on partner
at Kleiner Perkins, Silicon Valley's preeminent venture firm." ... "According
to Doerr, by 2009 more than a third of Kleiner's latest fund, which was
raised in 2006 and totals $600 million, will be invested in technologies
that aim to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. Already Kleiner has invested
more than $270 million from various funds in 26 companies that make everything
from microbes that scrub old oil wells to electric cars to noncorn ethanol.
Twelve of Kleiner's 22 partners now spend some or all of their time on
green investments." ... "In turn, Doerr, the master networker whose greatest
hits include initial investments in Netscape, Amazon
(Charts,
Fortune
500), and Google
(Charts,
Fortune
500), will join the exclusive advisory board of Generation Investment
Management. That's the $1 billion investment company Gore started three
years ago in London with David
Blood, the former head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, to analyze
and invest in publicly traded "sustainable" companies. Over the past five
weeks Gore, Doerr, and Blood agreed to give Fortune an exclusive look at
their new alliance." ... "Already they've begun to pool information. Generation
came across a small company engaged in carbon trading that Kleiner is analyzing,
and Kleiner has shared intelligence about which startups could threaten
the established companies in Generation's portfolio. In the long term,
though, they want to help drive something much larger, "bigger than the
Industrial Revolution and significantly faster," as Gore puts it." ...
"They argue that to halt global warming, nothing less will be required
than a makeover of the $6 trillion global energy business. Coal plants,
gas stations, the internal-combustion engine, petrochemicals, plastic bags,
even bottled water will have to give way to clean, green, sustainable technologies.
"What we are going to have to put in place is a combination of the Manhattan
Project, the Apollo project, and the Marshall Plan, and scale it globally,"
Gore continues. "It'd be promising too much to say we can do it on our
own, but we intend to do our part."" (1, 2,
3)
-By Marc Gunther and Adam Lashinsky-Fortune
via -CNN
Government
- E-Mail
- Electronic
- Messages
- Archives
- Politics
- "Judge
orders White House to hold e-mails." ... "A federal
judge Monday ordered the White House to preserve copies of all its e-mails,
a move that [Republican President] Bush administration lawyers had argued
strongly against." ... "U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy directed the
Executive Office of the President to safeguard the material in response
to two lawsuits that seek to determine whether the White House has destroyed
e-mails in violation of federal law." ... "The organizations allege the
disappearance of 5 million White House e-mails." ... "The Federal Records
Act details strict standards prohibiting the destruction of government
documents including electronic messages, unless first approved by the archivist
of the United States." -By Pete Yost
-AP via -Yahoo
Don
Young - Criminal
- Transportation
- Construction
- Real
Estate - Jet
- Travel
- Money
- Politics
- Alaska
- New
York
- Florida
- "Alaska
lawmaker promoted earmarks, raked in cash." ... "As
chairman of the House transportation committee, Alaska Congressman Don
Young flew at least three times to upstate New York aboard a sleek jet
owned by Robert Congel, an ambitious shopping mall developer seeking federal
highway dollars." ... "With Young’s help, Congel got millions of dollars
to boost his dream of building the largest mall in North America. The veteran
Republican congressman got something, too: more than $33,000 in political
donations from Congel, his family and his associates." ... "For Young,
the Congel story was hardly unusual. Time after time, Young approved millions
of dollars for highway projects for people who in turn fattened his campaign
coffers." ... "With money pouring in from transportation interests, Young
amassed $6.5 million in political contributions from 2001 to 2005. Facing
weak political opposition at home, he didn’t need much for his campaign.
Instead, Young tapped his campaign fund to travel the country, often lavishly
and in corporate jets, to meet with more developers and view their proposed
highway projects." ... "Now, though, Young’s campaign donations are going
for another purpose. He’s spent nearly $450,000 on criminal defense lawyers
after he learned of an FBI investigation into his relationships with political
donors, who include a Florida real estate developer seeking a highway ramp
near his undeveloped land." -By
Greg
Gordon and Erika Bolstad-McClatchyDC.com
Rudy
Giuliani
- Police
- New
York
- Politician
- 2008
Election - "Former
Controversial Congressman Charged With DWI." ...
"Former [New York Republican Representative] Rep. John Sweeney was charged
with aggravated DWI when he was pulled over by State Police early this
morning on the Northway with a 23-year-old woman in his car, police told
the Daily News." ... "Sweeney got his political start as executive director
of the state GOP, where he helped [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate] Rudy Giuliani win his first mayoral campaign in 1993 and also
worked on [Republican] George Pataki's successful bid to oust former [Democratic
Governor] Gov. Mario Cuomo in 1994." ... "The ex-congressman has a history
of alcohol-related incidents, and he and his estranged wife have indicated
alcohol was a factor in the domestic incident which led to an embarassing
police report [PDF] that was leaked to the Daily News, the Albany Times
Union and Newsday shortly before last year's congressional election." -By
Joe Mahoney -NYDailyNews.com
Don
Young - Criminal
- Transportation
- Construction
- Real
Estate - Jet
- Travel
- Money
- Politics
- Alaska
- New
York
- Florida-
"Alaska
lawmaker promoted earmarks, raked in cash." ... "As
chairman of the House transportation committee, Alaska Congressman Don
Young flew at least three times to upstate New York aboard a sleek jet
owned by Robert Congel, an ambitious shopping mall developer seeking federal
highway dollars." ... "With Young’s help, Congel got millions of dollars
to boost his dream of building the largest mall in North America. The veteran
Republican congressman got something, too: more than $33,000 in political
donations from Congel, his family and his associates." ... "For Young,
the Congel story was hardly unusual. Time after time, Young approved millions
of dollars for highway projects for people who in turn fattened his campaign
coffers." ... "With money pouring in from transportation interests, Young
amassed $6.5 million in political contributions from 2001 to 2005. Facing
weak political opposition at home, he didn’t need much for his campaign.
Instead, Young tapped his campaign fund to travel the country, often lavishly
and in corporate jets, to meet with more developers and view their proposed
highway projects." ... "Now, though, Young’s campaign donations are going
for another purpose. He’s spent nearly $450,000 on criminal defense lawyers
after he learned of an FBI investigation into his relationships with political
donors, who include a Florida real estate developer seeking a highway ramp
near his undeveloped land." -By
Greg
Gordon and Erika Bolstad-McClatchyDC.com
Rudy
Giuliani
- Police
- New
York
- Politician
- 2008
Election - "Former
Controversial Congressman Charged With DWI." ...
"Former [New York Republican Representative] Rep. John Sweeney was charged
with aggravated DWI when he was pulled over by State Police early this
morning on the Northway with a 23-year-old woman in his car, police told
the Daily News." ... "Sweeney got his political start as executive director
of the state GOP, where he helped [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate] Rudy Giuliani win his first mayoral campaign in 1993 and also
worked on [Republican] George Pataki's successful bid to oust former [Democratic
Governor] Gov. Mario Cuomo in 1994." ... "The ex-congressman has a history
of alcohol-related incidents, and he and his estranged wife have indicated
alcohol was a factor in the domestic incident which led to an embarassing
police report [PDF] that was leaked to the Daily News, the Albany Times
Union and Newsday shortly before last year's congressional election." -By
Joe Mahoney -NYDailyNews.com
Bernard
Kerik
- Rudy
Giuliani
- Money
- Politics
- Police
- 2008
Election - "Feds:
Bernard Kerik's a scammer who ripped off city." ...
"[Former New York City, New York Police Commissioner] Bernard Kerik lied,
schemed and sold out the city - all under the nose of his mentor and pal,
[2008 Election Republican] presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani." ... "In
meticulous detail, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia assembled count
after count painting Kerik as a money-grubbing liar who tried to cover
his tracks." ... "The indictment says the misdeeds took place as Giuliani
promoted his former driver to the top levels of his administration, from
running city prisons to heading the largest police force in America." ...
"The indictment charges Kerik with conspiracy, tax fraud, making false
statements and depriving the city of his honest services. If convicted,
he faces up to 142 years in prison and up to $4.75 million in fines." ...
"The indictment starts in 1998, after Giuliani made Kerik correction commissioner,
continues through 2000, when he named him police commissioner, and ends
in 2006, after Giuliani's recommendation that Kerik run the Homeland Security
Department imploded. " -By Thomas Zambito and Greg
B. Smith -NYDailyNews.com
Los
Angeles - California
- Police
- Government
- 
Mapping
- Religious
- Peoples
- Race- Civil
Libertarians - Scientific
- Terrorism
- Intelligence
- Law
- "LAPD
defends Muslim mapping effort: Police call program
an effort to improve relations with Islamic community. Civil libertarians
criticize profiling while other skeptics note that population is dispersed
and defies easy classification." ... "The [Los Angeles, California] LAPD's
plan to map Muslim communities in an effort to identify potential hotbeds
of extremism departs from the way law enforcement has dealt with local
anti-terrorism since 9/11 and prompted widespread skepticism Friday." ...
"In a document reviewed Friday by The Times, the LAPD's Los Angeles Police
Department's counter-terrorism bureau proposed using U.S. census data and
other demographic information to pinpoint various Muslim communities and
then reach out to them through social service agencies." ... "LAPD officials
said that it is crucial for them to gain a better understanding of isolated
parts of the Muslim community. Those groups can potentially breed violent
extremism, the LAPD said in its plan." ... ""This is not . . . targeting
or profiling," Police Chief William J. Bratton said Friday in defending
the program. "It is an effort to understand communities," he said." ...
"But the effort sparked an outcry from civil libertarians and some Muslim
activists, who compared the program to religious profiling." ... "Others
noted that the effort faces enormous practical difficulties. The U.S. Census
Bureau is barred by law from asking people for their religious affiliation.
As a result, there is no scientific data on the size of the nation's Muslim
population, let alone its location, with estimates of the population nationwide
ranging from about 1.4 million adults in a Pew Research Center study this
year to the 7 million or more claimed by some community organizations."
... "Census data on ancestry also would not yield accurate Muslim estimates,
because significant numbers of ethnic Iranians are Jewish and many ethnic
Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians are Christians." (1, 2)
-By Richard Winton, Teresa Watanabe, and Greg Krikorian
with contributions by Jean-Paul Renaud -LAtimes
Secret
- Women
- Health
- Money
- People
- 
Accounting
- Consumer
- Law
- "Health
insurer tied bonuses to dropping sick policyholders."
... "One of the [California] state's largest health insurers set goals
and paid bonuses based in part on how many individual policyholders were
dropped and how much money was saved." ... "Woodland Hills [California]-based
Health Net Inc. avoided paying $35.5 million in medical expenses by rescinding
about 1,600 policies between 2000 and 2006. During that period, it paid
its senior analyst in charge of cancellations more than $20,000 in bonuses
based in part on her meeting or exceeding annual targets for revoking policies,
documents disclosed Thursday showed." ... "The revelation that the health
plan had cancellation goals and bonuses comes amid a storm of controversy
over the industry-wide but long-hidden practice of rescinding coverage
after expensive medical treatments have been authorized." ... "These cancellations
have been the recent focus of intense scrutiny by lawmakers, state regulators
and consumer advocates. Although these "rescissions" are only a small portion
of the companies' overall business, they typically leave sick patients
with crushing medical bills and no way to obtain needed treatment." ...
"The bonuses were disclosed at an arbitration hearing in a lawsuit brought
by Patsy Bates, a Gardena [California] hairdresser whose coverage was rescinded
by Health Net in the middle of chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer."
... "Health Net had sought to keep the documents secret even after it was
forced to produce them for the hearing, arguing that they contained proprietary
information and could embarrass the company." (1, 2)
-By Lisa Girion -LAtimes
Alberto
Gonzales - 
Bradley
Schlozman
- Michael
Mukasey
- Poor
- Race
- Politics
- People
- Election
- Civil
Rights - Enforcement
- "Justice
Department returns to enforcing voter laws." ...
"The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is reversing course and
has begun taking steps to enforce a 1993 law that's intended to make it
easier for poor minorities to register to vote." ... "The division, which
has come under attack for allegedly pursuing policies aimed at suppressing
the votes of Democratic-leaning minorities, has demanded that 18 states
provide evidence that they're complying with the National Voter Registration
Act." ... "If it is fully pursued, this new action will represent the first
significant return to traditional enforcement of voting-rights laws since
a scandal erupted earlier this year over the alleged politicization of
the Justice Department." ... "McClatchy Newspapers disclosed last spring
that the Civil Rights Division had failed to enforce a variety of voting-rights
laws intended to protect the ability of minorities, especially African-Americans,
to vote. The controversy led to the resignations of Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales and seven other officials, including Bradley Schlozman, the former
acting civil rights chief." ... "Now attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey,
whose confirmation was debated by the Senate Thursday night, has pledged
to insulate the agency's law enforcement decisions from partisan politics."
... "Some election watchdog groups are skeptical, saying that the enforcement
push might be a cosmetic response to widespread criticism and congressional
scrutiny of the division." -By
Greg
Gordon -McClatchyDC.com
Bernard
Kerik
- Rudolph
Giuliani
- Secret
- Apartment
- Book
- Money
- Law
- New
York
- New
Jersey - "Ex-NYPD
commissioner Bernard Kerik surrenders in corruption probe."
... "[Former Police Commissioner Bernard] Kerik is charged with conspiracy,
tax fraud, making false statements and depriving the city of his honest
services while he was [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate
Rudolph] Giuliani’s corrections commissioner and top cop." ... "The one-time
nominee to be [Republican] President Bush’s Homeland Security czar faces
charges that carry a top prison sentence of 142 years, if convicted. He
also faces more than $4 million and fines, and would have to repay $255,000
in free rent he got from a Manhattan developer." ... "Kerik is charged
with trying to convince city investigators that a New Jersey contractor
secretly renovating his Bronx apartment was free of mob ties." ... "He
also faces multiple allegations of tax fraud, including failing to report
those renovations as income, hiding $75,000 in income from his book, “The
Lost Son, and to taking a bogus $80,000 charitable donation." -By
Thomas Zambito and Greg B. Smith -NYDailyNews.com
John
McCain
- Rudolph
Giuliani
- Bernard
Kerik
- US- Iraq
- Police- Military
- Torture
- Prisoner
- Law
- Politics
- 2008
Election - New
York
- World
- Religion
- "McCain
questions Giuliani's judgment." ... "[2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain told reporters he had never
approved of [former New York City, New York police commissioner Bernard]
Kerik as a candidate for head of the DHS [Department of Homeland Security]."
... ""I went to Baghdad [Iraq's capital] shortly after the initial victory
and met in Baghdad with Bremer, Sanchez and Kerik was there,” McCain said
referencing former L. Paul Bremmer and [Lieutenant General] Lt. Gen. Ricardo
Sanchez. “Kerik was supposed to be there to help train the police force.
He stayed two months and one day just left.”" ... ""That's why I never
would have supported him to be the head of Homeland Security because of
his irresponsible act when he was over there in Baghdad to try to help
train the police."" ... "McCain also rebuked the [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate Rudolph Giuliani and former] New York mayor for
his unwillingness to categorize water boarding as torture." ... ""He doesn't
understand. He doesn't have the experience or judgment to lead this nation,"
McCain, a former prisoner of war, told reporters." ... ""I mean this is
a defining issue about America. It means that he clearly does not understand
the moral implications of torturing someone and what it does to our standing
in the world and what it does to our ability to win this struggle to win
radical Islamic extremism," he continued." -By Sareena
Dalla -CNN
Rudy
Giuliani
- Bernard
Kerik
- Criminal
- Business
- Government
- Politics
- New
York
- 2008
Election - "Ex-Giuliani
aide Kerik indicted on 14 counts in NY." ... "Former
New York police commissioner and [2008 Election Republican Presidential
Candidate] Rudy Giuliani protege Bernard Kerik was indicted on 14 federal
counts including fraud, obstructing an FBI investigation and lying to the
federal government, the U.S. attorney said on Friday." ... "Kerik, 52,
and Giuliani were also business partners and, with Giuliani's backing,
Kerik was nominated by [Republican] President George W. Bush in 2004 to
be secretary of Homeland Security." -By Daniel Trotta
with Frances Kerry -Reuters
Michael
Bernard Mukasey
- Alberto
R Gonzales - 
Water
- Torture
- Politicians
- Human
Rights - Law
- Conn
- Calif
- New
York
- 
Ind
- Del
- La
- Neb
- "Senate
Confirms Mukasey By 53-40: Historically Low Tally
for New Attorney General." ... "The final tally gave [Republican President
Bush's Attorney General nominee Michael Bernard] Mukasey the lowest number
of yes votes for any attorney general since 1952, just weeks after lawmakers
of both parties had predicted his easy confirmation. Mukasey takes the
place of Alberto R. Gonzales, who left under a cloud of scandal in September."
... "He avoided defeat only because a half-dozen Democrats voted in favor
of the appointment along with Republicans and Democrat-turned-independent
Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn. [Connecticut])." ... "Mukasey, 66, had outraged
many lawmakers and human rights groups by repeatedly refusing to classify
waterboarding, a simulated-drowning technique, as torture. His few Democratic
supporters said last night that, although they are troubled by his equivocal
views on waterboarding, they believe Mukasey represents the best possibility
for change at the troubled Justice Department. "This is the only chance
we have," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif. [California])." ... "The
other Democrats in favor of the confirmation were Sens. Charles E. Schumer
(N.Y. [New York]), Evan Bayh (Ind. [Indiana]), Thomas R. Carper (Del. [Delaware]),
Mary Landrieu (La. [Louisiana]) and Ben Nelson (Neb.)." ... "Mukasey garnered
the lowest number of yes votes among confirmed attorneys general since
James P. McGranery, who was approved by a vote of 52 to 18 in 1952 during
the [Democratic President Harry] Truman administration. The only recent
competitor is [Republican President Bush's nominee] John D. Ashcroft, who
attracted 58 yes votes from the GOP-controlled Senate in 2001." (1, 2)
-By Dan Eggen Paul Kane with contributions by Madonna
Lebling -WashingtonPost
David
Vitter - New
Orleans - Louisiana
- Justice
- "Prostitute
tells her Vitter tale in skin mag." ... "A former
New Orleans [Louisiana] prostitute who has said [Republican Louisiana Senator]
David Vitter was a regular customer in 1999 says the soon-to-be congressman
and U.S. senator was sometimes stressed during their meetings, complaining
about "these damn politicians" trying to derail his career." ... "She said
she soon began seeing Vitter at a French Quarter apartment, almost always
on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., for several
months." ... "Vitter has acknowledged being a customer of Pamela Martin
& Associates, a Washington, D.C., escort service the U.S. Justice Department
says was a prostitution ring." ... "Yow and Jeanette Maier, who has admitted
running a brothel on Canal Street, then said that Vitter had also used
their services. Vitter has deflected questions about those allegations
by saying "those New Orleans stories" are not true." (1, 2)
-By Bruce Alpert -NOLA.com
George
Ryan
- Money
- Politics
- Illinois
- Death
Penalty - "Ex-Gov.
Ryan of Illinois Reports to Prison." ... "Former
[Illinois Republican Governor] Gov. George Ryan, who drew international
attention for halting the death penalty in this state, reported to a federal
prison in Wisconsin on Wednesday to begin his six-and-a-half-year sentence
for racketeering and fraud." ... "Mr. Ryan, who in 40 years in public office
became one of the most powerful Republicans in the Midwest, was convicted
last year of a long list of corruption charges stemming from his tenure
as secretary of state and governor of Illinois, including using public
money for campaign work and exchanging state business for money and gifts,
among them an island vacation." -By Catrin Einhorn
-NYTimes
California
- Air
- Environment
- Enforcement- Government
- Auto
- Makers- Global
- Planet
- Climate
- "California
sues EPA over emissions: The state seeks to force
the agency to move more quickly on its request to enforce tough regulations."
... "California sued the federal government today, demanding that the [Republican
President Bush led] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency act now to give
the states the power to enforce tough regulations on automakers in the
fight against global warming." ... "The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the
way last summer for the EPA to approve state regulations to limit emissions
of greenhouse gas from automobile tailpipes. But no action has been forthcoming."
... "The EPA has said it will act on the state's request by year's end,
but today's move was a major assault on the federal government's perceived
lack of action on what many national and world leaders consider the No.
1 threat to the planet." -By Marc Lifsher
-LAtimes
Water
- Politics
- Legislation
- Construction
- Money
- Children's
- Health
- Stem-Cell
- Science
- Iraq
- US
- Military
- "Congress
Overrides Bush for First Time on Water Bill (Update3)."
... "Congress handed [Republican] President George W. Bush the first veto
override of his presidency, voting to revive a $23 billion water-projects
measure he rejected last week on grounds it was too expensive." ... "The
Senate voted 79 to 14 today, a two-thirds majority including dozens of
the chamber's Republicans, to approve plans to fund some 800 projects across
the country. Because the House voted 361 to 54 earlier this week to override
Bush, also a two- thirds majority, the bill now becomes law." ... "Lawmakers
defended the plan as critical to maintaining the nation's dams, sewers,
levees, flood-control projects and erosion prevention efforts." ... "It
was Bush's first defeat in a series of veto fights this year with Democrats.
He rejected Democratic proposals to expand a children's health insurance
program, increase federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research and
legislation placing various conditions on Iraq war funding." -By
Brian Faler -Bloomberg
Bernard
B Kerik - Rudolph
W Giuliani
- Crime
- Money
- Apartment
- Construction
- Wiretapping- Politics
- New
York
- New
Jersey - 2008
Election - "Kerik
Indictment on Tax and Corruption Charges Imminent."
... "Federal prosecutors are planning to unveil an indictment against former
New York City police commissioner Bernard B. Kerik as early as week's end,
spotlighting alleged corruption that occurred a decade ago when he worked
was a trusted adviser to former New York mayor -- and now [2008 Election
Republican] presidential candidate -- Rudolph W. Giuliani, according to
people familiar with the case." ... "Kerik, 51, rejected a plea bargain
earlier this year and was informed by prosecutors that he was likely to
be indicted on charges that could include tax evasion or tax fraud, public
corruption and filing false information regarding his failed 2004 nomination
to be [Republican] President Bush's homeland security chief." ... "The
federal investigation has focused on gifts that Kerik is alleged to have
accepted while New York City's corrections chief and police commissioner,
including $165,000 in apartment renovations in 1999 from a New Jersey construction
company that sought his help overcoming allegations of ties to organized
crime so it could compete for business from Giuliani's mayoral administration."
... "Last year, Kerik pleaded guilty to a New York state ethics charge
in connection with those gifts and was placed on probation. Federal authorities
pursued their own, broader investigation that also examined Kerik's conduct
during his vetting to be the homeland security nominee." ... "The FBI also
has investigated whether Kerik played a role in a conspiracy to commit
illegal wiretapping involving former New York attorney general candidate
Jeanine Pirro." -By John Solomon-WashingtonPost