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New York News, New York State News, New York capital: Albany, NY News

HavenWorks Conn.  Mass.  New Jersey Pennsylvania Vermont  US States _Canada New York capital: Albany, New York US Capitals State Postal Code: NY: New York State Abbreviation State Abbr.  New York state is bordered by the states of Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut (east), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (south). New York state also borders the Atlantic Ocean (east) and Lake Erie and Lake Ontario (northwest). Canada New York state is also bordered by the country of Canada and the Canadian provinces of Ontario (northwest) and Quebec (north). NY News         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New York NEW YORK News: 20090211 Financial - Crisis - Politics - Sports - Entertainment - Marketing - Trip - History - Consumers - Government - Lawmakers - Obama -Nevada - New York "Unapologetic CEOs: What Did the Banks Do With Your Cash? Bank CEOs [Chief Executive Officer], With $125 Billion in Taxpayer Money in Hand, Testify and Defend Before Congress." ... "The heads of eight major banks that received $125 billion in taxpayer bailout funds were largely unapologetic for their role in helping to create the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression as they testified before Congress this morning." ... "The CEOs said they are trying to lend out more money and pledged to return to profit, be more transparent and repay taxpayers as soon as possible." ... "But for the most part, the CEOs in their prepared testimony shrugged off recent criticism about the high level of pay within their firms, the use of luxury jets and posh trips to Las Vegas or Monte Carlo [Monaco]." ... "Bank of America took heat recently for sponsoring a five-day carnival-like affair outside the Super Bowl. The event -- known as the "NFL experience" -- included 850,000 square feet of sports games and interactive entertainment attractions for football fans and was blanketed in Bank of America logos and marketing calls to sign up for football-themed banking products." ... "The eight financial firms received a combined total of $125 billion since October through the Troubled Asset Relief Program, commonly referred to as TARP." ... "Lawmakers have expressed outrage that the funds are not fulfilling their purpose of increasing the flow of credit to consumers. They point to a report released last month by the New York state comptroller that said Wall Street firms had handed out $18 billion in bonuses last year." ... "That news led [Democratic] President Obama to impose new restrictions on executive compensation for banks that receive money through the TARP in the future." ... "In the face of pressure from Washington, Citigroup recently scrapped plans to purchase a $50 million luxury jet." (1, 2, 3, 4) -By Matthew Jaffe and Scott Mayerowitz -ABCNEWS.com Government - Politics - New York "Bailed-Out Firms Distributing Cash Rewards: "Please Do Not Call It A Bonus"." ... "Two Wall Street firms that received at least $60 billion in government bailout funds will be rewarding their financial advisers with controversial retention payments, the terms of which one senior executive described as "very generous" in audio obtained by the Huffington Post." ... "The soon-to-be-merged financial giants -- Morgan Stanley and Citigroup's Smith Barney -- announced the payments during an internal conference call last week, but warned advisers against describing them in terms that would cause PR headaches." ... ""There will be a retention award. Please do not call it a bonus," said James Gorman, co-president of Morgan Stanley. "It is not a bonus. It is an award. And it recognizes the importance of keeping our team in place as we go through this integration."" ... "The payments, Gorman said, will be calculated based on performance numbers from 2008 instead of 2009, when the merger is expected to be completed. That decision virtually guarantees an increase in the size of the awards. While 2008 was challenging for the firms -- Morgan Stanley's client assets in fee-based accounts dropped 25 percent in the fourth quarter, and a round of lay-offs is expected -- 2009 is expected to be substantially weaker." ... ""I think I can hear you clapping from here in New York," Gorman joked during the call, after announcing that the payments would be linked to '08 performance. "You should be clapping because frankly that is a very generous and thoughtful decision that we have made. We spent a lot of time kicking this around. We could easily have done it from the point of closing, which is obviously going to be somewhere in the latter half of this year or around the middle of the year. But we just decided... that it was right thing to do, to give you that certainty that it would be based off '08. '09 is a very difficult year... So that degree of anxiety, which many, many of you have emailed me about... is now off the table."" ... "Audio of the conference call was provided by a reader who responded to the Huffington Post's call for information about wasteful or extravagant spending by bailout recipients. " -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com 20090209 Drug - Investigation - Federal - Law - History - Texas - Calif - New York "Sources tell SI Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003." ... "In 2003, when he won the American League home run title and the AL Most Valuable Player award as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids, four sources have independently told Sports Illustrated." ... "Rodriguez's name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball's '03 survey testing, SI's sources say. As part of a joint agreement with the MLB Players Association, the testing was conducted to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing across the major leagues in 2004." ... "Though MLB's drug policy has expressly prohibited the use of steroids without a valid prescription since 1991, there were no penalties for a positive test in 2003. The results of that year's survey testing of 1,198 players were meant to be anonymous under the agreement between the commissioner's office and the players association. Rodriguez's testing information was found, however, after federal agents, armed with search warrants, seized the '03 test results from Comprehensive Drug Testing, Inc., of Long Beach, Calif. [California], one of two labs used by MLB in connection with that year's survey testing. The seizure took place in April 2004 as part of the government's investigation into 10 major league players linked to the BALCO scandal -- though Rodriguez himself has never been connected to BALCO." ... "Anticipating that the 33-year-old Rodriguez, who has 553 career home runs, could become the game's alltime home run king, the [New York] Yankees signed him in November 2007 to a 10-year, incentive-laden deal that could be worth as much as $305 million. Rodriguez is reportedly guaranteed $275 million and could receive a $6 million bonus each time he ties one of the four players at the top of the list: Willie Mays (660), Babe Ruth (714), Hank Aaron (755) and Barry Bonds (762), and an additional $6 million for passing Bonds." -By Selena Roberts and David Epstein -SI.com 20090128 Accounting - Politics - Government - Law - New York - Jobs "What Red Ink? Wall Street Paid Hefty Bonuses." ... "By almost any measure, 2008 was a complete disaster for Wall Street — except, that is, when the bonuses arrived." ... "Despite crippling losses, multibillion-dollar bailouts and the passing of some of the most prominent names in the business, employees at financial companies in New York, the now-diminished world capital of capital, collected an estimated $18.4 billion in bonuses for the year." ... "That was the sixth-largest haul on record, according to a report released Wednesday by the New York State comptroller." ... "It excludes stock option awards that could push the figures even higher." ... "The state comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, said it was unclear if banks had used taxpayer money for the bonuses, a possibility that strikes corporate governance experts, and indeed many ordinary Americans, as outrageous." ... "“The issue of transparency is a significant one, and there needs to be an accounting about whether there was any taxpayer money used to pay bonuses or to pay for corporate jets or dividends or anything else,” Mr. DiNapoli said in an interview." ... "According to Mr. DiNapoli, the brokerage units of New York financial companies lost more than $35 billion in 2008, triple their losses in 2007." ... "Outside the financial industry, many corporate executives received fatter bonuses in 2008, even as the economy lost 2.6 million jobs." -By Ben White with contributions by Paul J. Sullivan -NYTimes Financial - Accounting - Federal -Enforcement - Florida - NY - Pennsylvania - Idaho "In Echoes Of Madoff, Ponzi Cases Proliferate." ... "Federal and state authorities are reporting a growing number of financial scams that echo the alleged Madoff fraud, as strapped investors seek access to their cash amid increasingly hard times." ... "At least six suspected multimillion-dollar fraud cases have emerged this month alone, many of them alleged Ponzi schemes, in which investors are lured by promises of lofty returns but are actually paid off from new victims' funds." ... "On Tuesday, authorities arrested Arthur Nadel, the missing Florida hedge-fund adviser, who was accused by federal authorities of defrauding clients of millions of dollars." ... "In the latest case to emerge, Nicholas Cosmo, a Long Island, N.Y. [New York], investment-firm owner, surrendered to federal authorities Monday." ... "The [Securities and Exchange Commission] agency, which doesn't keep an official count, brought at least 23 Ponzi cases last year, up from 15 in 2007. It has already filed four in 2009. That tally doesn't include actions on the state level, where allegations of securities fraud are routinely pursued." ... "Three weeks ago, the SEC [Securities and Exchange Commission] accused a Philadelphia[ Pennsylvania]-area investment fund manager, Joseph S. Forte, with running a Ponzi scheme since at least 1995 that claimed returns as high as 38% and raised $50 million." ... "Meanwhile, Idaho's securities regulators are investigating allegations by investors in Idaho Falls [Idaho] that they lost up to $100 million in an alleged Ponzi scheme by Daren Palmer, a local money manager." -By Steve Stecklow with contributions by Philip Shishkin and William M. Bulkeley -WSJ.com 20090120 Hillary Clinton - Texas - New York - Foreign - Donations "Texas senator [Republican Cornyn] blocks [Democratic Senator] Clinton's state confirmation." ... "The confirmation of [New York Democratic Senator] Hillary Rodham Clinton to be secretary of state will be held up for at least a day due to the objection of a single senator. [Texas Republican Senator] Sen. John Cornyn, R[ Republican]-Texas, said he wanted "a full and open debate and an up-or-down vote on [Senator] Sen. Clinton's nomination."" ... "He said important questions remain unanswered concerning the foundation headed by former [Democratic] President Bill Clinton "and its acceptance of donations from foreign entities. Transparency transcends partisan politics and the American people deserve to know more."" ... "In her testimony, Clinton said the foundation would provide a clearer picture of its annual donations." -By Jim Abrams -AP via -Yahoo 20090109 New York  - Police - Terrorism - Electronic - Communications - Reporting -Photos - Internet - Censorship - Politics - US - India "NYPD Wants To Interrupt Mobile Communications During Attacks." ... "The New York Police Department wants the ability to interrupt mobile phone service and other electronic communications during terrorist attacks." ... "Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told the U.S. [United States] Senate Committee on Homeland Security that the November attacks in Mumbai [India] illustrated the dangers of instant reporting from the field while an attack is unfolding." ... "The terrorists used cell phones and other devices to communicate while the attacks were in progress, Kelly said Thursday. Witnesses in India also provided instant updates on the situation using cell phones, digital photos on the Internet, and Twitter -- communicating what they saw as it unfolded." ... "It's unclear if authorities in New York could cut off attackers' cell service and other electronic communications without causing wider disruptions." ... "Millions of New Yorkers used phones -- landlines and cell phones -- to let out-of-town relatives and friends, as well as each other, know that they were OK after the [September] Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In many cases, those in the middle of the chaos relied on those watching the news outside of New York City [New York] for information to help them decide whether to flee the island of Manhattan [New York City burrough] by ferry, to head uptown, or to stay put." ... "As a New Yorker, I can't imagine an attack without the ability to let my family know I'm OK or the ability to exchange information and offers of assistance with friends scattered throughout Manhattan." -By K.C. Jones -InformationWeek 20081221 Corporate - Government - Accounting - Politics - New York "AP study finds $1.6B went to bailed-out bank execs." ... "Banks that are getting taxpayer bailouts awarded their top executives nearly $1.6 billion in salaries, bonuses, and other benefits last year, an Associated Press analysis reveals." ... "The rewards came even at banks where poor results last year foretold the economic crisis that sent them to Washington for a government rescue. Some trimmed their executive compensation due to lagging bank performance, but still forked over multimillion-dollar executive pay packages." ... "Benefits included cash bonuses, stock options, personal use of company jets and chauffeurs, home security, country club memberships and professional money management, the AP review of federal securities documents found." ... "_The average paid to each of the banks' top executives was $2.6 million in salary, bonuses and benefits." ... "_Lloyd Blankfein, president and chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs, took home nearly $54 million in compensation last year. The company's top five executives received a total of $242 million." ... "The New York-based company on Dec. 16 reported its first quarterly loss since it went public in 1999. It received $10 billion in taxpayer money on Oct. 28." ... "_John A. Thain, chief executive officer of Merrill Lynch, topped all corporate bank bosses with $83 million in earnings last year." ... "Like Goldman, Merrill got $10 billion from taxpayers on Oct. 28." -By Frank Bass and Rita Beamish -AP via -Yahoo 20081219 Chris Cox - Corporate - Government - Accounting - Law - Enforcement - Politics - California - New York "Cox "Worked to Dismantle The SEC," Says Commission Vet." ... "In recent years, particularly under [Republican President Bush's Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Chris] Cox, a former California GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] congressman, the SEC has pursued a policy of de-emphasizing enforcement, part of the broader anti-regulatory philosophy of the Bush years -- helping to make Madoff, and perhaps others like him, possible." ... ""[Cox] in many ways worked to dismantle the SEC," Ed Nordlinger, a former longtime enforcement director in the commission's New York office, told TPMmuckraker. "He slowed everything down. I don't think he believed in heavy regulation."" ... "That view has been echoed by several others in a position to know. Ross Albert told TPMmuckraker for a post published yesterday: "Under Cox, SEC had de-emphasized the enforcement program. Cox worshipped at the same altar of de-regulation that the rest of the Bush administration worshipped at."" ... "And a former enforcement division supervisor told Portfolio for a lengthy October story about the SEC under Cox: "It was like someone poured molasses on the enforcement division."" ... "The commission also appears to have passed over for promotion staff members who were too aggressive in their approach to enforcement. Veteran S.E.C. lawyer James Coffman told Portfolio that he was told he didn't get a promotion because he was "too tough." He left the SEC soon after." -By Zachary Roth -TPMMuckracker .TalkingPointsMemo Chris Cox - Money - Accounting - Politics - New York "Paul Krugman: The Madoff economy." ... "The pay system on Wall Street lavishly rewards the appearance of profit, even if that appearance later turns out to have been an illusion." ... "Consider the hypothetical example of a money manager who leverages up his clients' money with lots of debt, then invests the bulked-up total in high-yielding but risky assets, such as dubious mortgage-backed securities. For a while - say, as long as a housing bubble continues to inflate - he (it's almost always a he) will make big profits and receive big bonuses. Then, when the bubble bursts and his investments turn into toxic waste, his investors will lose big - but he'll keep those bonuses." ... "We're talking about a lot of money. In recent years the finance sector accounted for 8 percent of America's GDP [Gross Domestic Product], up from less than 5 percent a generation earlier. If that extra 3 percent was money for nothing - and it probably was - we're talking about $400 billion a year in waste, fraud and abuse. But the costs of America's Ponzi era surely went beyond the direct waste of dollars and cents." ... "At the crudest level, Wall Street's ill-gotten gains corrupted and continue to corrupt politics, in a nicely bipartisan way. From [Republican President] Bush administration officials like Christopher Cox, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, who looked the other way as evidence of financial fraud mounted, to Democrats who still haven't closed the outrageous tax loophole that benefits executives at hedge funds and private equity firms (hello, [New York Democratic] Senator Schumer), politicians have walked when money talked." -By Paul Krugman -IHT.com 20081216 Corporate - Employees - New York - Texas - US - Worldwide "Goldman Sachs’s Tax Rate Drops to 1%, or $14 Million (Update1) ." ... "Goldman Sachs Group Inc. [Incorporated], which got $10 billion and debt guarantees from the U.S. [United States] government in October, expects to pay $14 million in taxes worldwide for 2008 compared with $6 billion in 2007." ... "The company’s effective income tax rate dropped to 1 percent from 34.1 percent, New York-based Goldman Sachs said today in a statement. The firm reported a $2.3 billion profit for the year after paying $10.9 billion in employee compensation and benefits." ... "U.S. [Texas Democratic] Representative Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat who serves on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said steps by Goldman Sachs and other banks shifting income to countries with lower taxes is cause for concern." ... "“This problem is larger than Goldman Sachs,” Doggett said. “With the right hand out begging for bailout money, the left is hiding it offshore.”" -By Christine Harper -Bloomberg 20081213 Barack Obama - Housing - Crisis - Investors - Politics - New York "HUD pick foresaw subprime crisis in '04." ... ""[Democratic President Elect] Barack Obama's pick for HUD [Housing and Urban Development] -- former New York City [New York] Housing Commissioner Shaun Donovan -- was one of the earliest public officials to foresee the magnitude and destructive capacity of the subprime crisis." ... "In the middle of 2004, I sat down with Donovan (I was at Newsday at the time) for a chat about [Democratic New York City, New York] Mayor Michael Bloomberg's initiative to tackle the shortage of low- and middle-income housing in the city." ... "To my surprise, Donovan brushed aside my questions about the city's initiatives and began talking at length about the coming "flood" of foreclosures he anticipated among highly leveraged apartment buildings purchased by recent immigrants -- and a looming subprime crisis for one- and two-family homeowners in up-and-coming neighborhoods in southeast [New York City burroughs] Queens and central Brooklyn." ... "I left the meeting a little shaken: At the time housing prices in previously depressed parts of the city were booming and the city had been able to sell off almost of all its once-massive stock of foreclosed properties to private owners and investors. The future looked bright to almost everyone -- but not to Donovan, who was planning for the looming disaster." -By Glenn Thrush -Politico.com 20081209 AIG - Employees - Politics - Federal - Lawmakers - Maryland - New York "AIG Says More Managers Get Retention Payouts Topping $4 Million." ... "American International Group Inc. [Incorporated], the insurer whose bonuses and perks are under fire from U.S. [United States] lawmakers, offered cash awards to another 38 executives in a retention program with payments of as much as $4 million." ... "The incentives range from $92,500 to $4 million for employees earning salaries between $160,000 and $1 million, Chief Executive Officer Edward Liddy said in a letter dated [2008 December] Dec. 5 to [Maryland Democratic] Representative Elijah Cummings. The New York-based insurer had previously disclosed that 130 managers would get the awards and that one executive would get $3 million." ... "“I remain concerned, as do many American taxpayers, that these retention payments are simply bonuses by another name,” Cummings said in letter responding to Liddy." ... "AIG [American International Group], which received a U.S. rescue package of more than $152 billion, has been criticized for saying it will eliminate bonuses for senior executives while still planning to hand out “cash awards” that double or triple the salaries of some managers." ... "AIG’s managers have overseen a record $37.6 billion in net losses so far this year." -By Hugh Son -Bloomberg 20081205 John McCain - Sarah Palin - Fashion - Politics - 2008 Election - New York "RNC spends $180K on Palin and family." ... "Salons and spas, including $350 at Escape Skin Care and Day Spa in New York, were the latest unusual expenses to appear in the Republican National Committee’s coordinated expenses account with the [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidates John McCain and Sarah Palin] McCain-Palin campaign, according to November reports released late Thursday." ... "Overall, the RNC has reported spending a total of about $180,000 for clothes and various accessories for the family of vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, Federal Election Commission records show." ... "Dick’s Sporting Goods, The Limited, Foot Locker, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us and Victoria’s Secret are all listed in between the expected payments for media buys, direct mail and polling." ... "Thousands of dollars in payments to Macy’s, Nieman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue — all major recipients of RNC cash in early September as Palin upgraded her wardrobe for the campaign — were made in October, too." ... "In addition, hundreds of dollars were also spent at Brooks Brothers, the Gap, Express and J.C. Penney on clothes and accessories, apparently for other members of the vice presidential nominee’s family." -By Jeanne Cummings -Politico.com 20081116 Obama - Government - Law - Enforcement - Markets -Accounting - History -Enron - Eliot Spitzer - New York  - US - Global "How to Ground The Street: The Former 'Enforcer' On the Best Way to Keep Financial Markets in Check." ... "[Democratic] President-elect Barack Obama will soon face the extraordinary task of saving capitalism from its own excesses, much as [Democratic President] Franklin D. Roosevelt had to do 76 years ago. Up until this point in the crisis, policymakers have appropriately applied the rules of triage -- Band-Aids and tourniquets, then radical surgery -- to keep the global financial system alive. Capital infusions, bailouts, mega-mergers, government guarantees of unimaginable proportions -- all have been sought and supported by officials and corporate chief executives who had until now opposed any government participation in the marketplace. But put aside for the moment the ideological cartwheel we have seen and look at the big picture: The rules of modern capitalism have been re-written before our eyes." ... "The new president's team must soon get to the root causes of the mistakes that have brought us to the economic precipice. Yes, we have all derided the explosion of leverage, the failure to regulate derivatives, the flood of subprime lending that was bound to default and the excesses of CEO [Chief Executive Officer] compensation. But these are all mere manifestations of three deeper structural problems that require greater attention: misconceptions about what a "free market" really is, a continuing breakdown in corporate governance and an antiquated and incoherent federal financial regulatory framework." ... "First, we must confront head-on the pervasive misunderstanding of what constitutes a "free market." For long stretches of the past 30 years, too many Americans fell prey to the ideology that a free market requires nearly complete deregulation of banks and other financial institutions and a government with a hands-off approach to enforcement. "We can regulate ourselves," the mantra went." ... "Those of us who raised red flags about this were scoffed at for failing to understand or even believe in "the market." During my tenure as New York state attorney general, my colleagues and I sought to require investment banking analysts to provide their clients with unbiased recommendations, devoid of undisclosed and structural conflicts. But powerful voices with heavily vested interests accused us of meddling in the market." ... "When my office, along with the Department of Justice, warned that some of American International Group's reinsurance transactions were little more than efforts to create the false impression of extra capital on the company's balance sheet, we were jeered at for attacking one of the nation's great insurance companies, which surely knew how to balance risk and reward." ... "And when the attorneys general of all 50 states sought to investigate subprime lending, believing that some lending practices might be toxic, we were blocked by a coalition of the major banks and the [Republican President] Bush administration, which invoked a rarely used statute to preempt the states' ability to probe." ... "No major market problem has been resolved through self-regulation, because individual competitive behavior doesn't concern itself with the larger market. Individual actors care only about performing better than the next guy, doing whatever is permitted -- or will go undetected. Look at the major bubbles and market crises. Long-Term Capital Management, Enron, the subprime lending scandals: All are classic demonstrations of the bitter reality that greed, not self-discipline, rules where unfettered behavior is allowed." ... "Those who truly understand economics, as did Adam Smith, do not preach an absence of government participation. A market doesn't exist in a vacuum. Rather, a market is a product of laws, rules and enforcement. It needs transparency, capital requirements and fidelity to fiduciary duty. The alternative, as we are seeing, is anarchy." (1, 2) -By Eliot L. Spitzer -WashingtonPost 20081114 Political - Corporate - Television - Media - Michigan - Massachusetts - New York - Arizona - Georgia - Louisiana - Alabama "More Muscle." ... "TPM Reader RS ..." "Here is something progressives really need to address. On Sunday morning political shows, three Democrats are confirmed as guests: [Michigan Democratic Senator] Carl Levin, [Massachusetts Democratic Representative] Barney Frank, and [New York Democratic Representative] Charlie Rangel. It's as if Democrats didn't just win huge electoral advances in the Presidential, House, and Senate elections. So we get the same thing we've had the past 8 years--republican hegemony on Sunday. [Arizona Republican Senator Jon] Kyl? Check. [former Georgia Republican Representative Newt] Gingrich? Check. [Republican Michael] Steele? Check. [Louisiana Republican Governor Bobby] Jindal and [Alabama Republican Senator Richard] Shelby? Check and check? Just look at The Page for the whole list. When is the "liberal media" going to give some of the oxygen to Democrats?" "This is unquestionably true. The bookers and producers of the Sunday shows are committed to the continuing dominance of conservative/Republican marquee guests. No question about it. And this is going to be one part of the rewiring of Washington that will take longer and face more resistance than possibly any other. The big interests and institutions that go to Washington to buy influence are quickly reacting to the changing political complexion of the city. The TV bookers and opinion act like nothing's happened." -By Josh Marshall .TalkingPointsMemo ~~~~~~~~

New York Websites Google - News New York-NWS.NOAA Wunderground  State.ny.us Vito J Fossella John E Sweeney Hillary Clinton Rudolph Giuliani Bernard B Kerik Thomas Reynolds <New York> in: <Answers.com> <Bartleby.com> <Britannica.com> <Columbia> <Encyclopedia.com> <Infoplease.com> "Judge Blasts EPA Ground Zero Appraisal." ... ""No reasonable person would have thought that telling thousands of people that it was safe to return to lower Manhattan, while knowing that such return could pose long-term health risks and other dire consequences, was conduct sanctioned by our laws," U.S. District Judge Deborah A. Batts wrote, calling Whitman's actions "conscience- shocking.""  -AP via -CBSNews NY News

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20081112
Barack Obama - 2008 Election - Race - Terrorism - Politics - New Jersey - New York - Michigan - Pennsylvania - Calif - North Carolina - Maine
"Local Newspapers Cover Rising Number of Racist Anti-Obama Actions in Small Towns." ... "Away from the spotlight, many local newspapers around the country have covered recent incidents of racially-motivated reactions to last week’s [2008] election, from flags hung upside down to the dangling of nooses and cross-burnings. As we noted last week, a couple in northern New Jersey who had an [Democratic President-Elect Barack] Obama sign on their front lawn woke up to find the charred remains of a cross out there. Local residents today announced a "unity march" to protest the still-unsolved incident." ... "Now come these fresh reports." ... "The Associated Press revealed today, "Police on eastern Long Island [New York region] are investigating reports that more than a dozen cars were spray painted with racist graffiti, reportedly including a message targeting President-elect Barack Obama. The graffiti included racist slurs and sexually graphic references. At least one resident in the quiet Mastic [New York] neighborhood told Newsday her son's car was scribbled with a message threatening to kill Obama."" ... "Employees at Hampel's Key and Lockshop in Traverse City, Michigan, flew an American flag upside down last Wednesday protesting of the new president-elect, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported." ... "Also in Michigan, in Midland, a man dressed in full Ku Klux Klan regalia walked around toting a handgun and waving an American flag. Initially denying it, the man eventually admitted to police that the display was a reaction to the Obama victory." ... "In Pennsylvania, an interracial couple in Apolacon Township discovered the remains of a burned cross in their front yard." ... "Authorities in Temecula, Calif. [California], found spray-painted graffiti on a city sidewalk containing a swastika and anti-Obama slogan." ... "Today, the NAACP called on North Carolina State University to expel four students who spray painted racist messages about Obama." ... "Another post-election noose incident happened in Maine. “More than 75 people rallied Sunday against an incident last week in which black figures were hanged by nooses from trees on Mount Desert Island the day after Barack Obama won the presidential election,” according to the Bangor Daily News." -By Dexter Hill -EditorAndPublisher.com

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Corporate - Government - Politics - Investigations - Massachusetts - New York
"Hard Times, But Big Wall Street Bonuses." ... "For Wall Street workers still employed, there could be a hefty bonus in their checks next month." ... "According to a report from financial news agency Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs, for example, has set aside $6.8 billion for bonuses, and Morgan Stanley, $6.4 billion." ... "And the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Massachusetts [Democratic Representative] Democrat Barney Frank, isn't happy. "These are people who lost enormous amounts of money," Frank observes. "How do you give a bonus to someone for having failed so badly as many of these people did?"" ... "What's got many on Main Street and Capitol Hill angry, [CBSNews correspondent Priya] David says, is the possibility that some of the $700 billion government bailout package could go into the pockets of Wall Streeters to pay their bonuses." ... ""All of the money is to go into new loans," Frank points out. "None of it is to go into compensation of any kind for the employees."" ... "[Democratic] New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has opened an investigation into the Wall Street bonuses. He sent a letter to nine financial institutions, demanding "a detailed accounting regarding your expected payments to top management in the upcoming bonus season."" ... "Cuomo told CBS News, "These are tax dollars that are going to these institutions, and I believe the taxpayers have a right to hold the institutions accountable for what they're doing with their money."" -CBSNews

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20081022
Sarah Palin - Fashion - Politics - McCain - 2008 Election - Missouri - New York - Minnesota
"RNC shells out $150K for Palin fashion." ... "The Republican National Committee [RNC] has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate] Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain in late August." ... "According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis [Missouri] and New York for a combined $49,425.74." ... "The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis [Minnesota], including one $75,062.63 spree in early September." ... "The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August." ... "September payments were also made to Barney’s New York ($789.72) and Bloomingdale’s New York ($5,102.71)." ... "Macy’s in Minneapolis, another store fortunate enough to be situated in the Twin Cities that hosted last summer’s Republican National Convention, received three separate payments totaling $9,447.71." ... "An additional $4,902.45 was spent in early September at Atelier, a high-class shopping destination for men." -By Jeanne Cummings -Politico.com

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20081009
John McCain - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - Consumer - Homeowners - Bank - Government - New York - 2008 Election
"McCain Rebuked for Comparing Mortgage Plan to Clinton." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain was rebuked by an aide to [New York Democratic Senator] Hillary Clinton on Thursday for inaccurately comparing his [home] mortgage buy-up plan to one proposed earlier this year by the former first lady." ... ""It's wrong to suggest the new McCain plan is what Senator Clinton proposed ," said Clinton spokesperson Kathleen Strand. "She and Senator Obama are focused on helping struggling homeowners and holding bank lenders responsible. . . Senator McCain's new plan calls for bailing out and rewarding irresponsible bank and mortgage lenders, while sticking taxpayers with the bill."" -By Teddy Davis and Arnab Datta -ABCNEWS.com

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20081004
Secret - John McCain - Terrorism - History - Money - Politics - Radio - Federal - Law - Enforcement - 2008 Election - Clinton - New York -Arizona
"Why is the NY Times continuing to ignore McCain's "own Bill Ayers"?" ... "... [The New York[ Times has yet to mention, let alone devote an entire article to, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain's relationship with radio host and convicted Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy [Republican President Nixon associate]." ... "As Media Matters for America has noted, Liddy served four and a half years in prison in connection with his conviction for his role in the Watergate break-in and the break-in at the office of the psychiatrist of Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers. Liddy has acknowledged preparing to kill someone during the Ellsberg break-in "if necessary"; plotting to murder journalist Jack Anderson; plotting with a "gangland figure" to murder Howard Hunt to stop him from cooperating with investigators; plotting to firebomb the Brookings Institution; and plotting to kidnap "leftist guerillas" at the 1972 Republican National Convention -- a plan he outlined to the Nixon administration using terminology borrowed from the Nazis. (The murder, firebombing, and kidnapping plots were never carried out; the break-ins were.) During the 1990s, Liddy reportedly instructed his radio audience on multiple occasions on how to shoot Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms agents and also reportedly said he had named his shooting targets after [Democratic President] Bill and [New York Senator] Hillary Clinton." ... "Liddy has donated $5,000 to McCain's campaigns since 1998, including $1,000 in February 2008. In addition, McCain has appeared on Liddy's radio show during the presidential campaign, including as recently as May. An online video labeled "John McCain On The G. Gordon Liddy Show 11/8/07" includes a discussion between Liddy and McCain, whom Liddy described as an "old friend." During the segment, McCain praised Liddy's "adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great," said he was "proud" of Liddy, and said that "it's always a pleasure for me to come on your program."" ... "Additionally, in 1998, Liddy reportedly held a fundraiser at his home for McCain. Liddy was reportedly scheduled to speak at another fundraiser for McCain in 2000. The Charlotte Observer reported on January 23, 2000, that McCain's campaign vouched for Liddy's "character":"

"His [McCain's] campaign officials said Liddy's character will appeal to many voters because he was following orders from [Republican] President Nixon and kept silent afterward."

""His (Liddy's) judgment might be in question, but I don't think his character is," said Ed Walker, the York County chairman of McCain's campaign. "He was following orders just like any good soldier, and he didn't tell on anybody. He felt like he was on a mission and kept his silence.""

"Liddy's 2000 speech was reportedly canceled due to bad weather." ... "In his May 4 [Chicago] Tribune column, [columnist Steve] Chapman wrote:"

"What McCain didn't mention is that he has his own Bill Ayers -- in the form of G. Gordon Liddy. Now a conservative radio talk-show host, Liddy spent more than 4 years in prison for his role in the 1972 Watergate burglary. That was just one element of what Liddy did, and proposed to do, in a secret White House effort to subvert the Constitution. Far from repudiating him, McCain has embraced him."
...
"Last November, McCain went on his radio show. Liddy greeted him as "an old friend," and McCain sounded like one. "I'm proud of you, I'm proud of your family," he gushed. "It's always a pleasure for me to come on your program, Gordon, and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great.""

"Which principles would those be? The ones that told Liddy it was fine to break into the office of the Democratic National Committee to plant bugs and photograph documents? The ones that made him propose to kidnap anti-war activists so they couldn't disrupt the 1972 Republican National Convention? The ones that inspired him to plan the murder (never carried out) of an unfriendly newspaper columnist?"

"Liddy was in the thick of the biggest political scandal in American history -- and one of the greatest threats to the rule of law. He has said he has no regrets about what he did, insisting that he went to jail as "a prisoner of war.""

[Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman]

" -By Jon Sime -MediaMatters.org

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20080921
Sarah Palin - McCain - Investigation - Politics - Law - Alaska - Virginia - New York - 2008 Election
"Alaskans angered that Palin is off-limits: Queries are directed through the [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain campaign machine. Her political capital at home is eroding." ... "Jerry McCutcheon went to [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate] Sarah Palin's office here last week to request information about the firing of former Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan, the scandal that for weeks has threatened to overshadow the governor's role as Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate." ... "McCutcheon was given a phone number in Virginia to call: the national headquarters of the McCain-Palin campaign." ... "Why, he wanted to know, did he have to call a campaign office 4,300 miles away to find out what was going on in Alaska government?" ... ""Why did the McCain campaign take over the governor's office?" the Anchorage Daily News demanded in an editorial Saturday. "Is it too much to ask that Alaska's governor speak for herself, directly to Alaskans, about her actions as Alaska's governor?"" ... "The biggest controversy came Tuesday, when the McCain-Palin campaign called a news conference to dispute the claim that Monegan was dismissed for refusing to fire the trooper." ... "Edward O'Callaghan, who until recently was co-chief of the terrorism and national security unit of the U.S. [United States] attorney's office in New York, and a former Palin spokeswoman now working for the national campaign, accused Monegan of a "rogue mentality" and "outright insubordination." They said he had flown to Washington, D.C., without Palin's approval to lobby for more police funding." ... "Democratic leaders, incensed that outsiders were attacking a respected former state official, produced a travel document Friday showing that in fact Monegan had a signed authorization from the governor's chief of staff before making what the Palin camp had called an "unauthorized" lobbying trip." ... ""I don't know why they're trying to paint this [legislative investigation] as a Democratic partisan attack," said state Sen. Wielechowski. "The thing I constantly remind people of is: Democrats didn't push this. You know who pushed it? It was the Republicans. This is the thing people conveniently forget now. There were no Democrats out there screaming for an investigation."" (1, 2) -By Kim Murphy -LAtimes

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20080909
Sarah Palin - Money - Politics - Travel - Food - Family - Sports - Entertainment - Alaska - New York - 2008 Election
"Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home: Taxpayers Also Funded Family's Travel." ... "[2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of] Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business." ... "The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife." ... "Palin, who earns $125,000 a year, claimed and received $16,951 as her allowance, which officials say was permitted because her official "duty station" is Juneau, according to an analysis of her travel documents by The Washington Post." ... "The governor's daughters and husband charged the state $43,490 to travel, and many of the trips were between their house in Wasilla and Juneau, the capital city 600 miles away, the documents show." ... "She wrote some form of "Lodging -- own residence" or "Lodging -- Wasilla residence" more than 30 times at the same time she took a per diem, according to the reports. In two dozen undated amendments to the reports, the governor deleted the reference to staying in her home but still charged the per diem." ... "Palin charged the state a per diem for working on Nov. 22, 2007 -- Thanksgiving Day. The reason given, according to the expense report, was the Great Alaska Shootout, an annual NCAA college basketball tournament held in Anchorage." ... "In separate filings, the state was billed about $25,000 for Palin's daughters' expenses and $19,000 for her husband's." ... "One event was in New York City in October 2007, when Bristol accompanied the governor to Newsweek's third annual Women and Leadership Conference, toured the New York Stock Exchange and met local officials and business executives. The state paid for three nights in a $707-a-day hotel room." ... "The family also charged for flights around the state, including trips to Alaska events such as the start of the Iditarod dog-sled race and the Iron Dog snowmobile race, a contest that Todd Palin won." (1, 2, 3) -By James V. Grimaldi and Karl Vick with contribution by Alice Crites -WashingtonPost

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20080831
John McCain - Joe Biden -Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - Hurricane Katrina - Weather - Emergency - Investigation - Legislation - Politics - History - Federal - NY - New Orleans - Louisiana- Communications - Funds - Children - Transportation - 2008 Election
"McCain To Katrina Victims In 2005: You're On Your Own." ... "It doesn’t really come as a surprise to those of us who have watched [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain over the years that he's about to make a campaign stop in New Orleans [Louisiana] after Hurricane Gustav hits this week. After all, he's been exploiting the troops for years, what's a few hurricane victims after that?" ... "What does seem odd is that McCain thinks Gulf Coast residents will forget how he, [Republican President] George W. Bush and the then-Republican Congress turned their backs on them so many times in the months after Katrina thundered ashore in 2005." ... "Too bad he spent the months to follow leading the Republican charge against every Senate bill that would have actually helped Katrina victims or mandated investigations on how the Bush administration could have blown disaster response so thoroughly." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden jumped immediately to the aid of hurricane victims in the week after the 2005 disaster, authoring S.Amdt. 1661 "…to provide emergency funding for victims of Hurricane Katrina."" ... "Biden's legislation would have provided many things including money to purchase interoperable communications equipment to help first-responders dealing with the disaster, $10 million "to find, unite, and transport children impacted by Hurricane Katrina to their parents, legal guardian, or next of kin" and funding to assist victims of domestic violence in affected areas." ... "But with John McCain's help, the Republican-led Senate shot down the funding on a 41-56 vote with McCain voting against, while Biden and Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama voted for the funding." ... "When [New York Democratic] Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY[ Democratic-New York]) proposed the creation of a Congressional Commission to "examine the Federal, State, and local response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina.. and make immediate corrective measures to improve such responses in the future," John McCain was once again exactly where [Republican President] George W. Bush wanted him to be: On the "nay" side of a straight party-line vote (44-54) that killed that legislation." ... "And lest you think it was McCain taking a stand against what might become a Democratic witch hunt on the failures of his bosses in the White House, the bill called for a wholly bipartisan panel, stating specifically of the 10-member group that "not more than 5 members of the Commission shall be from the same political party."" ... "Unlike McCain, Barack Obama was one of the cosponsors of that bill and both he and Biden voted for immediate oversight on the bungled Katrina response." ... "But that's not all." -By Bob Geiger

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20080829
Sarah Palin - John McCain - Hillary Clinton - Women - Politics - Alaska - Los Angeles -California - Arizona - New York  -2008 Election
"Palin: Hillary Clinton's "Whining" Turned Me Off." ... "When Alaska [Republican Governor] Gov. Sarah Palin arrived backstage for our NEWSWEEK Women & Leadership Event in Los Angeles [California] last March, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain had just wrapped up the GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] nomination. Palin had yet to endorse McCain--she liked [former 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney--and as we waited in the green room, I urged her to "feel free" to make some news on stage. She grinned broadly--looking back, I guess it was a grin of the Cheshire Cat variety--and thanked me for the offer." ... "Once onstage, together with Arizona [Democratic Governor] Gov. Janet Napolitano, Palin talked about what women expect from women leaders; how she took charge in Alaska during a political scandal that threatened to unseat the state's entire Republican power structure, and her feelings about [former 2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton. (She said she felt kind of bad she couldn't support a woman, but she didn't like Clinton's "whining.")" -By Karen Breslau -Newsweek /article via -HuffingtonPost.com

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20080805
John McCain - Oil - Politics - 2008 Election - NY
"Did New York couple give $61,600 to McCain, GOP?" ... "Alice Rocchio is an office manager at the New York headquarters of the Hess Corp. [Corporation], drives a 1993 Chevy Cavalier and lives in an apartment in Queens, N.Y. [New York], with her husband, Pasquale, an Amtrak foreman." ... "Despite what appears to be a middle-class lifestyle, the couple has written $61,600 in checks to John McCain's presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee, most of it within days of McCain's decision to endorse offshore oil drilling." ... "At a June fundraiser, the Rocchios joined top executives at Hess Corp. — Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Hess, his wife, Susan, his mother, Norma Hess, and six other officials in giving a total of $313,500 to a joint McCain-RNC [Republican National Committee] fundraising committee, Federal Election Commission records show." ... "The donations, first traced by Campaign Money Watch last week, were part of $1.2 million in oil industry contributions to McCain's Victory '08 Committee, 73 percent coming after McCain reversed his long-held opposition to offshore oil drilling." -ByGreg Gordon -McClatchyDC.com

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 CampaignMoney.org/mccainoil

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John McCain - Oil - Money - Politics - 2008 Election -New York - Texas - Ocean - Environment
"Oilman greases skids for McCain campaign: Among the donors from John B. Hess' company are an office manager and her husband, who pony up $57,000." ... "On June 10, John B. Hess, a top executive at the oil company with his family name, summoned friends to the 21 Club, a former speakeasy in Manhattan [New York], and delivered $285,000 to [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain and the Republican National Committee." ... "A week later, McCain traveled to Texas and announced his support for offshore oil drilling." ... "Hess Corp. is an East Coast gasoline retailer with major refining and exploration operations, some of which happen to be offshore in the Gulf of Mexico." ... "Hess was one of half a dozen hosts who tapped friends for the maximum $28,500 donation to the GOP. Others included investor Henry Kravis and hedge fund mogul Paul E. Singer." -By Dan Morain -LAtimes

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20080804
US_Debt - Government - Money - Countrywide Financial Corporation - Real Estate - North Carolina - New York - US - United Kingdom
"Fewest Treasury Traders Since 1960 Hit Taxpayers (Update4)." ... "For the first time since 1960, when it created the network of securities firms obligated to buy and sell Treasury bonds, the U.S. government has the fewest bond traders making markets in its debt and a bigger burden for American taxpayers financing record federal deficits." ... "The number of so-called primary government securities dealers declined to 19 last month when Bank of America Corp., based in Charlotte, North Carolina, acquired the troubled Countrywide Financial Corp. The sale was the climax of dozens of bank failures, triggered by the biggest decline in residential real estate since the Great Depression and the seizing up of credit markets from New York to London [United Kingdom's capital]. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the agent of the U.S. Treasury, plans to shrink the dealers again when JPMorgan Chase & Co. completes its takeover of Bear Stearns Cos." ... "The paucity of primary dealers coincides with the largest borrowing requirement in American history and the acknowledgment by the administration of [Republican] President George W. Bush that the U.S. will finance a budget deficit totaling a record $482 billion next year. When the dealer system began 48 years ago with 18 firms, the U.S. had a $300 million surplus. The group has shrunk from a peak of 46 in 1988. " -By Sandra Hernandez -Bloomberg

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20080729
Homes - Nevada - Florida - Phoenix - Arizona - Los Angeles - San Diego - San Francisco - California - Florida - Michigan - Minnesota - Illinois - Ohio - Georgia - New York - Seattle - Washington - Massachusetts - Portland - Oregon - Colorado - Texas - North Carolina
"Home prices down 15.8% in past year, S&P says: Seven of 20 cities tally monthly price gains in May, Case-Shiller data show." ... "Prices in 10 cities fell 16.9% in the past year." ... "Prices thus are at the same levels as they were in the summer of 2004, which means four years of appreciation have been effectively wiped out. Prices are down 18.4% from peak levels seen two years ago." ... "Here's a list of the 20 cities in the Case-Shiller index with the annual decline through May: Las Vegas [Nevada], down 28.4%; Miami [Florida], down 28.3%; Phoenix [Arizona], down 26.5%; Los Angeles [California], down 24.5%; San Diego [California], down 23.2%; San Francisco [California], down 22.9%; Tampa [Florida], down 20.2%; Detroit [Michigan], down 17.4%; Washington [DC], down 15.4%; Minneapolis [Minnesota], down 14.8%; Chicago [Illinois], down 9.4%; Cleveland [Ohio], down 8%; Atlanta [Georgia], and New York [City, New York], both down 7.9%; Seattle [Washington], down 6.3%; Boston [Massachusetts], down 6.2%; Portland [Oregon], down 5.2%; Denver [Colorado], down 4.8%; Dallas [Texas], down 3.1%; and Charlotte, N.C. [North Carolina], down 0.2%." -By Rex Nutting -MarketWatch

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20080718
Hillary Clinton - Women's - Medical - Science - Abortion - Language - Politics - Family - Federal - Money - New York
"Clinton vows to fight "insulting" abortion plan." ... "A [Republican President] Bush administration plan to define several widely used contraception methods as abortion is a "gratuitous, unnecessary insult" to women and faces tough opposition, [New York Democratic Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton said on Friday." ... "The former Democratic presidential candidate joined family planning groups to condemn the proposal that defines abortion to include contraception such as birth control pills and intrauterine devices." ... "It would cut off federal funds to hospitals and states where medical providers are obligated to offer legal abortion and contraception to women." ... ""We will not put up with this radical, ideological agenda to turn the clock back on women's rights," the New York senator told a joint news conference with New York [Democratic Representative] Rep. Nita Lowey, also a Democrat, at Bellevue Hospital." ... ""Women would watch their contraceptive coverage disappear overnight," said Clinton." (1, 2) -By Michelle Nichols with contributions by Ellen Wulfhorst and Eric Beech -Reuters

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20080612
John E Sweeney - Jack Abramoff - Criminal - Money - Politics - Jobs - New York - Federal - Law
"Job for funding at issue: Work record of Gayle Sweeney [former wife of former New York Republican Representative John Sweeney] scrutinized as FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] probes congressional spouses getting work." ... "Federal investigators, several wearing Glock pistols, asked question after question about Gayle Sweeney's work habits in interviews with current and former employees of [Republican lobbyist] William D. Powers' lobbying firm, sources close to the investigation said Wednesday." ... "The FBI seized documents, computers and BlackBerries in a roughly six-hour occupation of Powers & Co.'s Albany office on Friday and questioned Powers, at least one of his sons and others who work for the influential lobbying firm, according to the informed sources." ... "Central to the inquiry is whether Powers and former Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park, were involved in an improper quid pro quo arrangement in which Sweeney steered federal funds to Powers' lobbying clients and Powers set up a make-believe job for Gayle Sweeney, the congressman's wife at the time." ... "They are are now divorced." ... "Powers, of Chatham, is the former head of the New York Republican Party." ... "[Sweeney's lawyer E. Stewart Jones Jr.] Jones said he doubts the investigation is a remnant from the probe of former Washington [Republican] lobbyist Jack Abramoff." ... "But a person involved in the case, said the investigation is tied to the FBI's probes into congressional spouses getting jobs, an offshoot to the Abramoff bribery case." ... "Gayle Sweeney's work history did not include politics or directing donation drives, but her husband hired her as a fundraising consultant for his campaign. The job paid her consulting company a commission and it received at least $42,000, according to Sweeney's campaign records." ... "A person close to the investigation said the consulting arrangement, first reported in the Times Union, is the root of the current investigation." ... "Critics have questioned whether Sweeney was converting campaign cash for personal use." (1, 2) -By James M. Odato -TimesUnion.com

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John McCain - Rick Davis -Paul J Manafort Jr - Foreign - Money - Politicians - Russia - Ukraine - Military - Intelligence - Legislation - History - Germany - US - New York - 2008 Election
"Lawmakers Seek to Close Foreign Lobbyist Loopholes." ... "Loopholes that lobbyists for foreign clients sometimes use to keep their activities under wraps would be closed under legislation that two Democratic senators are expected to offer on Thursday." ... "“The idea you could lobby an American citizen and that it would not be disclosed is really very troubling,” [New York Democratic Senator Charles] Mr. Schumer said in a telephone interview." ... "The issue of foreign lobbying has flared up in the current presidential campaign because of past dealings abroad by several former lobbyists working for Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee." ... "For instance, a lobbying firm owned by Rick Davis, the McCain campaign manager, has worked in recent years for a Ukraine politician, Viktor Yanukovich. Both Mr. McCain and the [Republican President] Bush administration supported the opponent of Mr. Yanukovich, who had close ties to Vladimir V. Putin, then the president of Russia and now prime minister." ... "During this time, however, Mr. Davis’s firm, Davis Manafort, never registered as a lobbyist for Mr. Yanukovich even though Paul Manafort, Mr. Davis’s business partner, had met with the United States ambassador in Kiev [Ukraine's capital] on Mr. Yanukovich’s behalf." ... "In a related development, Mr. McCain may have first become aware of Davis Manafort’s activities in Ukraine as far back as 2005. At that time, a staff member at the National Security Council called Mr. McCain’s Senate office to complain that Mr. Davis’s lobbying firm was undercutting American foreign policy in Ukraine, said a person with direct knowledge of the phone call who spoke on condition of anonymity." ... "Such a call might mean that Mr. McCain has been long aware of Mr. Davis’s foreign clients." ... "The current law governing foreign lobbying, the Foreign Agents Registration Act, requires those representing a foreign government or foreign officials in the United States to inform the Department of Justice. The act does not cover meetings abroad with United States officials." ... "The law was enacted in the late 1930s in an effort to flush out Nazi propagandists working in the United States. As a result, several experts have said, the law is outdated and fails to reflect the current global nature of lobbying. " -By Barry Meier -NYTimes

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20080611
John E Sweeney - Criminal - Money - Politics - New York - Federal
"Sweeney connections to lobbyist examined: Relationship is part of federal criminal probe related to earmarks." ... "A federal criminal investigation is focusing on the relationship of lobbyist [Republican] William D. Powers and former U.S. [United States New York Republican Representative] Rep. John E. Sweeney in connection with a series of federal grants that were steered to Powers' clients, according to several people familiar with the probe." ... "The probe is being overseen by the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section in Washington, D.C." ... "Several people familiar with the case said it is centered on a period when Powers' clients received the earmarks while Sweeney's then-wife, Gayle, was working for Powers' Albany-based lobbying firm." ... "Armed with a search warrant, federal attorneys and FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] agents from Albany [New York's capital] and Washington appeared at Powers & Co.'s 90 State St. office building on Friday. They confiscated files and interviewed employees who were encouraged to remain in the office during the search." ... "Powers, 66, of Chatham, has been a lobbyist since he stepped down as state GOP chairman in 2001 after holding the position for 11 years." ... "Sweeney's wife has also been in the news for running a consulting company that received tens of thousands of dollars from Sweeney's campaign." (1, 2) -By Brendan J. Lyons and James M. Odato -TimesUnion.com

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20080608
Barack Obama - John McCain - Hillary Clinton - 2008 Election - North Carolina - Missouri - Montana - Virginia - Illinois - Arizona - New York - Economy - History - Gasoline - Unemployment
"Obama Maps a Nationwide Push in G.O.P. Strongholds." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois] Senator Barack Obama’s general election plan calls for broadening the electoral map by challenging [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona] Senator John McCain in typically Republican states — from North Carolina to Missouri to Montana — as Mr. Obama seeks to take advantage of voter turnout operations built in nearly 50 states in the long Democratic nomination battle, aides said." ... "On Monday, Mr. Obama will travel to North Carolina — a state that has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 32 years — to start a two-week tour of speeches, town hall forums and other appearances intended to highlight differences with Mr. McCain on the economy. From there, he heads to Missouri, which last voted for a Democrat in 1996. His first campaign swing after securing the Democratic presidential nomination last week was to Virginia, which last voted Democratic in 1964." ... "With [New York] Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton now having formally bowed out of the race and thrown her backing to him, Mr. Obama wants to define the faltering economy as the paramount issue facing the country, a task probably made easier by ever-rising gasoline prices and the sharp rise in unemployment the government reported on Friday." (1, 2) -By Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny with contributions by Jim Rutenberg -NYTimes

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20080607
Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - New York - Illinois - 2008 Election
"Clinton endorses Obama, calls for party unity." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton formally ended her presidential campaign Saturday, saying to a packed house of thousands of supporters, "I will continue to stand strong with you every time, every place and every way that I can."" ... "She urged the cheering crowd to support [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Senator from] Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, in his bid for the White House, saying she and supporters should "take our energy, our passion and our strength and do all we can to help elect Barack Obama ... I ask all of you to join me in working as hard for Barack Obama as you have for me."" ... "Shortly after the speech, Obama released a statement praising Clinton's presidential run." ... ""Obviously, I am thrilled and honored to have Sen. Clinton's support. But more than that, I honor her today for the valiant and historic campaign she has run. She shattered barriers on behalf of my daughters and women everywhere, who now know that there are no limits to their dreams. And she inspired millions with her strength, courage and unyielding commitment to the cause of working Americans."" ... "Clinton has battled Obama in a primary season that stretched over nearly 18 months and 57 contests, culminating in Obama's winning the 2,118 delegates needed to clinch the party's nomination Tuesday." -Contribution to by Mark Preston, Sasha Johnson, Candy Crowley, Scott J. Anderson and Ed Hornick -CNN

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20080603
Abortion - Law - History - Politics - Women's - Health - Science - New York
"Repairing the Damage, Before Roe." ... "I am a retired gynecologist, in my mid-80s. My early formal training in my specialty was spent in New York City [New York], from 1948 to 1953, in two of the city’s large municipal hospitals." ... "There I saw and treated almost every complication of illegal abortion that one could conjure, done either by the patient herself or by an abortionist — often unknowing, unskilled and probably uncaring. Yet the patient never told us who did the work, or where and under what conditions it was performed. She was in dire need of our help to complete the process or, as frequently was the case, to correct what damage might have been done." ... "The patient also did not explain why she had attempted the abortion, and we did not ask. This was a decision she made for herself, and the reasons were hers alone. Yet this much was clear: The woman had put herself at total risk, and literally did not know whether she would live or die." ... "This, too, was clear: Her desperate need to terminate a pregnancy was the driving force behind the selection of any method available." ... "The familiar symbol of illegal abortion is the infamous “coat hanger” — which may be the symbol, but is in no way a myth. In my years in New York, several women arrived with a hanger still in place. Whoever put it in — perhaps the patient herself — found it trapped in the cervix and could not remove it. " -By Waldo L. Fielding, M.D. [Doctor of Medicine] -NYTimes

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Hillary Clinton - John McCain - Barack Obama -2008 Election - New York - Arizona - Illinois - Nevada - California - "Pelosi, Reid, Dean Go Public: Democrats Need To Endorse." ... "In the absence of a concession speech from [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night, top figures in the Democratic Party went public, urging all uncommitted officials to declare their presidential affiliations." ... "[Nevada Democratic Senator and] Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, [California Democratic Representative and] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DNC Chairman Howard Dean, and an official with the Democratic Governors Association released a public statement on Wednesday morning requesting that the party close its ranks and prepare for the race against [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain." ... "The move, which had been anticipated but seemed unnecessary following [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator Barack] Obama's clinching of the nomination on Tuesday night, is an indication that few figures beyond Clinton's utmost loyalists are willing to stomach a prolonged vacation period for the New York Democrat to make up her mind." -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com

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20080602
John Hagee - John McCain - Joseph Lieberman -Racist - Homosexual- Religious - Military - Politics - Arizona - Connecticut - New York - Indiana - History - Germany - Israel -Iraq - US - 2008 Election - "Pastor Hagee: The Antichrist Is Gay, "Partially Jewish, As Was Adolph Hitler" (Paging Joe Lieberman!)." ... "On March 16, 2003, on the eve of the United States' invasion of Iraq, [Republican Televangelist] Pastor John Hagee took to the pulpit to warn of the coming Antichrist. In his sermon, "The Final Dictator," Hagee described the Antichrist as a seductive figure with "fierce features." He will be "a blasphemer and a homosexual," the pastor announced. Then, Hagee boomed, "There's a phrase in Scripture used solely to identify the Jewish people. It suggests that this man [the Antichrist] is at least going to be partially Jewish, as was Adolph Hitler, as was Karl Marx."" ... "This "fierce" gay Jew, according to Hagee, would "slaughter one-third of the Earth's population" and "make Adolph Hitler look like a choirboy."" ... "Exposed here for the first time, Hagee's comments identifying the Antichrist as a partly Jewish homosexual arrive in the wake of a furor the pastor provoked by describing the Holocaust as an act of God. Hagee's chilling sermon about the Holocaust prompted [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain to reject the preacher's support, an unexpected turnabout after McCain spent over a year soliciting his endorsement." ... "Days after McCain's rejection, I reported that a key McCain ally, [Connecticut Independent Senator] Sen. Joseph Lieberman, planned to deliver the keynote speech at Hagee's upcoming Christians United For Israel (CUFI) summit. As the story exploded into the mainstream press, pressure mounted on Lieberman to withdraw." ... "[New York Democratic Representative Eliot] Engel is slated to speak on CUFI's "Middle East Briefing" panel this July. He will be joined on the panel by Republican [Indiana Representative] Rep. Mike Pence, Weekly Standard editor and New York Times columnist [and Fox contributor] Bill Kristol, and Christian right activist Gary Bauer." -By Max Blumenthal -HuffingtonPost.com

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LISTEN to McCAIN endorser John HAGEE claim the Antichrist will be a Jewish homosexual.
WATCH McCAIN endorser John HAGEE relate a story of how Florida Jews "mysteriously" voted for Republican George W Bush and subsequently explain, "And I believe it is because that this nation is doing what God intended us to do from the day that Christopher Columbus discovered this nation.".

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20080519
• Vito Fossella - Money - Politics - Government - New York - Virginia - "Ethics complaint filed against NY Rep. Fossella." ... "A watchdog group asked lawmakers Monday to investigate whether New York [Republican Representative] Rep. Vito Fossella used government resources to conduct an extramarital affair." ... "The Staten Island [New York City, New York burrough] Republican has been under fire since his drunken-driving arrest at the beginning of the month led to revelations of an affair that produced a daughter. The 43-year-old congressman also has three children with his wife." ... "He faces five days in a Virginia jail if convicted of the drunken-driving charge." -By Devlin Barrett -AP via -Newsday.com

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• Vito Fossella - Politicians - Family - Virginia - Law - New York - 2008 Election - "Signs Fossella May Run Again Unnerve G.O.P.." ... "All signs indicate that [New York Republican Representative Vito] Mr. Fossella, a Republican who was arrested in Virginia on May 1 on a drunken driving charge and then admitted to fathering a child out of wedlock, is leaning toward running for a sixth term in November [2008 Election]." ... "Mr. Fossella, the only New York City [New York] Republican in Congress, represents a district that includes [New York City, New York burroughs] Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn. It is the most conservative-leaning district in the city. And he has portrayed himself during his years in politics as a Republican moderate who exemplified traditional family values." ... "As a result, many politicians on Staten Island initially expected that he would resign shortly after the revelations of an extramarital affair and a daughter born from that relationship — or at least not run again." ... "Stephen A. Harrison, a Brooklyn lawyer who was Mr. Fossella’s Democratic opponent in 2006 and hopes to challenge him again this year [2008 Election], has stopped short of calling for Mr. Fossella to resign or step down after his present term. In a statement, Mr. Harrison said, “If he decides to run, the people will decide in November if his recent behavior and revelations should disqualify him from continuing in office.”" -By Jonathan P. Hicks -NYTimes

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20080514
• Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - New York - South Dakota - Illinois - Nevada - California - US - Israel - Iran - Syria - Military - Terrorism - Politics - History - 2008 Election - "Bush Assails ‘Appeasement,’ Touching Off Storm." ... "[Republican] President Bush used a speech to the Israeli Parliament on Thursday to liken those who would negotiate with “terrorists and radicals” to appeasers of the Nazis — a remark widely interpreted as a rebuke to [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois] Senator Barack Obama, who has advocated greater engagement with countries like Iran and Syria." ... "The comments created an angry tussle back home, as Democrats accused Mr. Bush of breaching protocol by playing partisan politics overseas." ... "Mr. Obama delivered a quick and pointed response, saying in an e-mail statement to reporters that he had no intention of dealing with terrorists and accusing Mr. Bush of using his visit, timed for the 60th anniversary of Israel’s independence, to “launch a false political attack.”" ... "On Thursday, other Democrats leapt to the Illinois senator’s defense. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, called Mr. Bush’s remarks “reckless and irresponsible.” Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said Mr. Bush had behaved in a manner “beneath the dignity of the office of president.” Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the House Democratic caucus, accused Mr. Bush of violating the unwritten rule against playing politics overseas." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York] Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Mr. Obama’s rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, joined him in taking issue with Mr. Bush. Weighing in from South Dakota, Mrs. Clinton said: “President Bush’s comparison of any Democrat to Nazi appeasers is offensive and outrageous, especially in the light of his failures in foreign policy. This is the kind of statement that has no place in any presidential address.”" -By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Jim Rutenberg -NYTimes 

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  WATCH Pelosi's comment on Bush's criticism of Democrats while in Israel, "What the President did in that regard is beneath the dignity of the office of the President and unworthy of our representation at that observance in Israel. And I would hope that any serious person would disassociate themselves from the President's remarks who aspires to leadership in our country."

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• John McCain - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - US- Iraq - Afghanistan - Military - People - Money - Legislation - Politics - 2008 Election - Ariz - Ill - NY - "McCain, Military Oppose Expanding GI Bill." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. [Republican-Arizona], the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, seemed to give a thumbs down to bipartisan legislation that would greatly expand educational benefits for members of the military returning from Iraq and Afghanistan under the GI Bill." ... "Both [2008 Election] Democratic presidential candidates — Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill. [Democratic-Illinois], and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. [Democratic-New York], — have signed on as co-sponsors, and the bill has gained bipartisan support from 54 senators on Capitol Hill in addition to [Virginia Democratic Senator Jim] Webb. A vote on the proposal is expected before the summer." ... "But the bill, which would dramatically increase educational compensation for American troops, has run into some unexpected resistance, both at the Pentagon and now from McCain, who has remained silent on the issue, saying he had not studied the bill close enough." ... "Pressure had mounted on McCain to support the bill — a veterans group, which backs the legislation, delivered a petition to McCain's Senate office, signed by 30,000 veterans." ... "[Matt] Flavin joined the military out of patriotism shortly after 9/11, went to Officer Candidate School and, over the next five years, served tours in Bosnia, Afghanistan and with Naval special forces in Iraq." ... "While he did not join the military specifically to get benefits from the GI Bill and does not think most troops do, Flavin supports the legislation." ... ""We owe them something," Flavin said of his comrades. "They've given life, limb, everything there is to give. The people who bore the most pain and suffering are the people who could use these benefits."" (1, 2, 3) -By Z. Byron Wolf with contributions by Bret Hovell-ABCNEWS.com 

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• Barack Obama - Government - Financial - Law - Illinois - New York - 2008 Election - "Obama to Receive Endorsement Of 3 Former SEC Chairmen." ... "Three former chairmen of the Securities and Exchange Commission will publicly endorse Democratic [2008 Election Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama's bid for the presidency Wednesday, including one who served under [Republican] President Bush." ... "William Donaldson, who was SEC [Securities and Exchange Commissio] chairman for about 2½ years from early 2003, along with [Democratic President Bill] Clinton and [Republican President Ronald] Reagan appointees Arthur Levitt and David Ruder, will join former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker in endorsing Sen. Obama, his campaign said. Mr. Volcker endorsed Sen. Obama in January." ... "In a statement released by the campaign, the four men said they believed Sen. Obama would take a "reasoned approach" to "balanced regulatory reform."" ... "The endorsements, especially that of Republican appointee Mr. Donaldson, could give a boost to Mr. Obama in the general election this fall." ... "Mr. Donaldson, a former Wall Street banker, also is a former head of the New York Stock Exchange. In government, Mr. Donaldson's tenure was marked by his push for greater regulation of hedge funds. The SEC eventually passed a hedge-fund-regulation package, in the face of vocal critics. A federal court later overturned the regulation." ... "In an interview Tuesday, Mr. Donaldson said he was struck by a speech Sen. Obama gave calling for a revamping of regulation for any business that borrows money from the government. Sen. Obama, he said, saw the "need to take a good hard look at how things are organized" and "just exactly what went wrong in terms of the regulatory oversight that we have."" -By Christopher Cooper and Kara Scannell -WSJ.com 

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20080509
• Oil - Government - New York - Missouri - US - Euro - History - "Oil Climbs Above $126 to Record as Dollar Weakens Against Euro." ... "Crude oil for June delivery rose $2.27, or 1.8 percent, to a record closing price of $125.96 a barrel at 2:55 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract surged to $126.27 today, the highest since futures began trading in 1983. Prices are up 8.3 percent this week, the biggest weekly gain in more than a year. Futures have more than doubled in the past year." ... "The dollar fell 9.6 percent since Sept. 18, when the Federal Reserve began cutting rates to ease financial-market strains and stave off a recession. The U.S. [United States] central bank cut rates seven times while the ECB [European Central Bank] has left rates unchanged. The dollar fell 0.6 percent to $1.5483 per euro at 3:27 p.m. in New York." ... "``Fed policy is accommodating the rise in energy prices,'' said Bill O'Grady, director of fundamental futures research at Wachovia Securities in St. Louis [Missouri]. ``The Fed and federal government are putting more liquidity in people's pockets, which is being spent on expensive oil.''" ... "The U.S. government started sending $117 billion in tax rebate checks last week as part of its fiscal stimulus plan." ... "Heating oil for June delivery climbed 12.62 cents, or 3.6 percent, to close at a record $3.636 a gallon in New York." ... "Gasoline futures for June delivery rose 6.34 cents, or 2 percent, to $3.2012 a gallon in New York after reaching a record $3.2038 today." ... "Regular gasoline, averaged nationwide, rose 2.6 cents to a record $3.671 a gallon, AAA, the nation's largest motorist organization, said today." -By Mark Shenk -Bloomberg 

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20080508
• Vito J Fossella - New York - Parent - Va- Law - Investigation - "Fossella Admits to Extramarital Affair." ... "[New York Republican] Representative Vito J. Fossella, a Staten Island Republican who was arrested on May 1 in Alexandria, Va. [Virginia], and charged with drunken driving, issued a statement on Thursday acknowledging that he had had an extramarital affair with Laura Fay, a former Air Force lieutenant colonel, and that the two of them have a 3-year-old daughter together." ... "The prospect that Mr. Fossella could face a mandatory jail sentence if convicted had already threatened to bring to an end his decade-long career in the House, where Mr. Fossella is the only Republican representing New York City [New York]." ... "He faces a mandatory five days in jail if convicted." ... "The House ethics committee also could open an investigation into the matter." ... "Mr. Fossella and his wife, the former Mary Patricia Rowan, married in 1990. They have two sons and a daughter." ... "“Vito Fossella’s behavior is a disgrace to himself, his family and to Staten Island,” said an anesthesiologist, Dr. John Ferguson, 44. “Given the fact that he votes along the Bush-Cheney line 90 percent of the time, which means he sees himself as a moral values candidate, I find his behavior completely, but not surprisingly, hypocritical. He should resign immediately.”" -By Jonathan P. Hicks with contributions by Sewell Chan, Carl Hulse, Maureen Seaberg and David Stout -NYTimes 

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• Vito J Fossella - New York- Parent - "Fosella Admits Fathering Child out of Wedlock." ... "Republican Congressman [New York Representative] Vito Fosella has admitted to having an affair and fathering a child out of wedlock. His confession today has some speculating that his seat in Congress might be in peril. WNYC's Kathleen Horan has more." ... "Fosella says he fathered a child three years ago and has had a relationship with the child's mother." -By Kathleen Horan -WNYC.org 

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20080507
• Vito J Fossella - New York - Virginia - Cops - Law - "Vito Fossella told cops he was on way to see 'my sick kid' at mystery gal's address." ... "When cops stopped [New York Republican Representative] Rep. Vito Fossella for drunken driving, the married congressman said he was rushing to see his sick daughter on nearby Grimm St. [Street, Alexandria, Virginia] - the home of the mystery woman who later plucked him from jail." ... "Fossella's spokeswoman has insisted the single mom, Air Force Col. Laura Fay, 45, was only a "good friend," but the Staten Island Republican implied to suburban D.C. cops that Fay's 3-year-old was his." ... ""The subject stated that he was driving down from Washington, D.C., to Grimm St. because his daughter was sick and needed to go to the hospital," a police report obtained by the Daily News reveals." ... "The report describes how Fossella, who has a wife and three children in New York, failed a sobriety test by reciting the alphabet wrong, swaying while standing on one leg and stumbling while trying to walk a straight line. " -By Rich Schapiro and James Gordon Meek, and Tina Moore -NYDailyNews.com

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• Vito J Fossella - New York - Va - Law - Cheney - "After Fossella’s D.W.I. Arrest, District Is Puzzled and Torn." ... "Across Staten Island [New York] on Tuesday, voters were wondering what [New York Republican] Representative Vito J. Fossella was thinking when, the police say, he drove into a Washington suburb while severely intoxicated early one morning last week." ... "Prosecutors in Alexandria, Va. [Virginia], said Mr. Fossella, 43, was driving with a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit when he was pulled over just after midnight last Thursday. Since last week, tabloid newspapers and the blogosphere have been filled with accounts of Mr. Fossella’s night, and The Daily News has taken to referring to him as “Vino Fossella.”" ... "An ally of [Republican] President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney — who appeared at a fund-raiser for him last month — Mr. Fossella remains politically strong in Staten Island, but his margins of victory have been shrinking." -By Jonathan P. Hicks -NYTimes 

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20080505
• Vito J Fossella - New York - Virginia - Cops- Driving - Law - Marketing - Money- 2008 Election - "Vito Fossella's relationship with 'mystery woman' under scrutiny." ... "This is the first look at the mystery woman whom [Staten Island, New York Republican Representative] Rep. Vito Fossella (R-S.I. [Republican-Staten Island]) called for help after he was charged with drunken driving in Virginia." ... "Fossella aides continued to describe the two only as good friends." ... "In other developments:" ... "Watchdog groups questioned Fossella's use of campaign funds to pay a high-priced damage control expert." ... "The Republican, facing reelection in November [2008 Election], had a blood-alcohol level of 0.17 - twice the legal limit, cops said, and hired damage consultant Susan Del Percio with money from his campaign war chest." -By Kenneth R. Bazinet, Joe Gould, and Tina Moore -NYDailyNews.com

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20080503
• Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - Gas - Politics - 2008 Election - New York - Illinois - Indiana - North Carolina - US - Guam - "Obama rips Clinton's gas tax plan." ... "Broadening his attack, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama said Saturday that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton's support for a summertime break from the federal gasoline tax symbolizes a candidacy consisting of "phony ideas, calculated to win elections instead of actually solving problems."" ... "Locked in a Democratic presidential race for the ages, Clinton and Obama campaigned across Indiana and North Carolina at the same time they competed in Guam's caucuses and added to their convention delegate totals in several states." ... "In all, four delegates were at stake in Guam half a world away from the U.S. [United States] mainland. But given the closeness of the race, both candidates made an effort to win." -CNN

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20080502
• Hillary Clinton - John McCain - Gas - Politics - Consumer - Memorial Day - Labor_Day - New York - 2008 Election - "Clinton, McCain Push Gas Tax Break Economists Panned (Update1)." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton and [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain are both pushing a ``gas-tax holiday'' to give consumers an 18.4- cent-a-gallon price break. Clinton says the plan will take excess profits from oil companies. McCain says it will help families buy school supplies." ... "Economists have a different take: They say the oil companies may end up the biggest beneficiaries, while the aid to families wouldn't be enough to buy a $35 backpack." ... "The trouble with the plan, they say, is that oil prices are rising because of low supplies, and companies will continue to charge the average $3.60 a gallon and just pocket the money that would have gone to federal taxes." ... "``That's $10 billion, and it's going into the pockets of oil refiners,'' said Leonard Burman of the Tax Policy Center in Washington. ``The last time I checked, they didn't need it.''" ... "Ethan Harris, chief U.S. [United States] economist at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., said families would save only about $18 a month. Burman estimated the total savings from Memorial Day to Labor Day at $28." ... "New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the proposal was ``about the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time from an economic point of view.''" -By Alison Fitzgerald -Bloomberg

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20080501
• Vito J Fossella - New York - Politician - Virginia - Law - "Rep. Fossella Arrested on Charges of Driving While Intoxicated." ... "[New York Republican Representative] Rep. Vito J. Fossella (R-N.Y.[Representative-New York]) was arrested overnight in Alexandria [Virginia] and charged with driving while intoxicated, court records showed today." -By Daniela Deane -WashingtonPost

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20080429
• McCain - Clinton - Obama - Transportation - Infrastructure - Federal - Money - Arizona- New York - Illinois - 2008 Election - Labor_Day - Memorial Day - Consumer - Car - Gas - Politics - "What a gas: Candidates seem far less presidential when they talk about 'gas tax holidays' rather than the nation's ongoing needs." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain's idea to give Americans a summer holiday from federal gas taxes is about as weighty as a Barbie Dream Car, yet he can't stop driving it into the ground." ... "Neither can [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton. The two presidential contenders can't resist the chance to pander to voters and, as a bonus, paint [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama as an elitist. By doing so, they're missing an opportunity to show leadership on some major long-term challenges -- such as updating the nation's crowded roads and aging bridges." ... "In a speech on April 15, McCain proposed that the federal government suspend the 18.4-cent-per-gallon gas tax and the 24.4-cent-per-gallon diesel tax between Memorial Day and Labor Day. ... "McCain's idea is problematic on several levels. First, it would begin and end several months before the next president takes office, so it's more of a thought balloon than a plan. Second, the tax relief would save the typical American family only about $40 per car, while also siphoning $10 billion from the cash-strapped federal highway fund." ... "What's more, leading economists say the tax break would do little to lower the prices at the pump. More likely, the slightly lower prices would lead to higher demand, which would push the prices back up, allowing oil companies to make more money while federal tax coffers go hungry." ... "This is an election-year sop, not a plan for the future." -Oregonian

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• Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - Accounting - Indiana - North Carolina - Illinois - New York - Colorado - 2008 Election - "Obama Heads for Superdelegate Edge." ... "The 795 superdelegates, who can vote for any nominee, fall into one of two groups -- the elected and the unelected." ... "The elected are the party's 28 governors, 234 House members, 49 senators and assorted big-city mayors and state officeholders." ... "The nonelected superdelegates are the more than 400 national and state party officers of the Democratic National Committee." ... "Among elected officials, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator Barack] Sen. Obama leads in endorsements from governors and senators. He is behind among House members by one, but both camps expect him to pull ahead unless he does badly in next Tuesday's Indiana and North Carolina primaries. If he doesn't stumble, enough elected Democrats are expected to back Sen. Obama after the last primaries June 3 to give him the delegate majority needed for nomination." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator Hillary] Sen. Clinton still leads in endorsements from nonelected officials. Many have known her and former [Democratic] President Clinton since the couple's White House years, or worked for them then." ... "About 300 of the 795 superdelegates remain uncommitted; they don't have to endorse anyone until [August] Aug. 27 at the Democrats' Denver [Colorado] convention." -By Jackie Calmes -WSJ.com 

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20080424
• Criminal - Torture - Secret - Military - Prison - Censored - Intelligence - Law - Politics - Federal - New York - "CIA Foresaw Interrogation Issues: Agency Considered Investigations 'Virtually Inevitable'." ... "The CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] concluded that criminal, administrative or civil investigations stemming from harsh interrogation tactics were "virtually inevitable," leading the agency to seek legal support from the Justice Department, according to a CIA official's statement in court documents filed yesterday." ... "The CIA said it had identified more than 7,000 pages of classified memos, e-mails and other records relating to its secret prison and interrogation program, but maintained that the materials cannot be released because they relate to, in part, communications between CIA and Justice Department attorneys or discussions with the [Republican President Bush] White House." ... "Nineteen of those documents were withheld from disclosure specifically because the Bush administration decided they are covered by a "presidential communications privilege," according to the filings, made in federal court in Manhattan [New York]. Some were "authored or solicited and received by the President's senior advisors in connection with a decision, or potential decision, to be made by the president."" ... "Although the precise content of the documents is unknown, the agency's statements illustrate the extent to which senior White House officials were involved in decision-making on CIA detentions, interrogations, and renditions, a term for forced transfers of prisoners." -By Dan Eggen with contributions by Julie Tate -WashingtonPost 

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20080423
• John McCain - Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - Working- Women - Families - Poverty - Homes - Gasoline - Groceries - Corporate - Politics - Arizona - Nev - Illinois - New York - New Orleans - Louisiana - 2008 Election - "McCain opposes equal pay bill in Senate." ... "Republican [2008 Election Presidential Candidate and Arizona] Sen. John McCain, campaigning through poverty-stricken cities and towns, said Wednesday he opposes a Senate bill that seeks equal pay for women because it would lead to more lawsuits." ... "Senate Republicans killed the bill Wednesday night on a 56-42 vote that denied the measure the 60 votes needed to advance it to full debate and a vote. [Nevada Democratic Representative and] Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.[Democratic-Nevada], had delayed the vote to give McCain's Democratic rivals, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Senators of New York and Illinois] Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, time to return to Washington to support the measure, which would make it easier for women to sue their employers for pay discrimination." ... "McCain skipped the vote to campaign in New Orleans [Louisiana]." ... ""Senator McCain has yet again fallen in line with President Bush while middle-class families are falling by the wayside," Clinton said in a statement following the vote. "Women are earning less, but Senator McCain is offering more of the same."" ... "Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Karen Finney said: "At a time when American families are struggling to keep their homes and jobs while paying more for everything from gasoline to groceries, how on Earth would anyone who thinks they can lead our country also think it's acceptable to oppose equal pay for America's mothers, wives and daughters?"" -By Libby Quaid -AP via -SeattlePI 

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• Barack Obama - Hillary Rodham Clinton - Karl Rove - Terrorism - Politics - Osama bin Laden - Television - Ad - Money - History - Pennsylvania - Illinois - New York - Iran - Israel - US - Military - 2008 Election - "The Low Road to Victory." ... "The Pennsylvania campaign, which produced yet another inconclusive result on Tuesday, was even meaner, more vacuous, more desperate, and more filled with pandering than the mean, vacuous, desperate, pander-filled contests that preceded it." ... "Voters are getting tired of it; it is demeaning the political process; and it does not work. It is past time for [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York] Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to acknowledge that the negativity, for which she is mostly responsible, does nothing but harm to her, her opponent, her party and the 2008 election." ... "If nothing else, self interest should push her in that direction. Mrs. Clinton did not get the big win in Pennsylvania that she needed to challenge the calculus of the Democratic race. It is true that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois] Senator Barack Obama outspent her 2-to-1. But Mrs. Clinton and her advisers should mainly blame themselves, because, as the political operatives say, they went heavily negative and ended up squandering a good part of what was once a 20-point lead." ... "On the eve of this crucial primary, Mrs. Clinton became the first Democratic candidate to wave the bloody shirt of 9/11. A Clinton television ad — torn right from Karl Rove’s playbook — evoked the 1929 stock market crash, Pearl Harbor, the Cuban missile crisis, the cold war and the 9/11 attacks, complete with video of Osama bin Laden. “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,” the narrator intoned." ... "If that was supposed to bolster Mrs. Clinton’s argument that she is the better prepared to be president in a dangerous world, she sent the opposite message on Tuesday morning by declaring in an interview on ABC News that if Iran attacked Israel while she were president: “We would be able to totally obliterate them.”" -NYTimes

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20080422
• Corporate - Editorial - Politics - New York - US- Foreign - "Resignation tightens Murdoch's grip on the Journal." ... "Marcus Brauchli has resigned as managing editor of the Wall Street Journal, according to people familiar with the matter." ... "Mr Brauchli's departure comes just four months after the US financial newspaper and its parent company, Dow Jones, were taken over by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp in a $5bn deal." ... "Mr Brauchli, who joined the Journal in 1984 as a copy editor and served as a foreign correspondent in Asia, was appointed to the paper's top editorial job a year ago to replace Paul Steiger." ... "His resignation is expected to revive the debate about Mr Murdoch's stewardship of one of the world's most respected newspapers." ... "Many Journal reporters vehemently opposed Mr Murdoch's approach last year, arguing that the media mogul would tarnish the paper's reputation for journalistic integrity. Some even sent petitions to Dow Jones shareholders urging them to reject his $60-per-share offer." ... "Mr Murdoch, who long coveted the Journal, has also become a regular feature at the paper's lower Manhattan [New York] offices, according to people familiar with the matter, working diligently to put his stamp on the paper." ... "Some of his changes became apparent this week, including an expansion of the Journal's editorial page. Under Mr Murdoch, the paper also has been broadening its focus on political and lifestyle reporting." ... "That shift appears to be part of an effort to compete more directly with the New York Times for both readers and advertisers." ... "However, some critics have argued that those moves could also water down the paper's reputation for business and financial coverage and alienate its core readers." (1, 2) -By Joshua Chaffin -FT.com

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20080418
• John McCain - Money - Accounting - Politics -  - Arizona - Illinois - New York - Obama - Clinton - 2008 Election - "CNN chart purporting to compare candidates' "wealth" omitted Cindy McCain, who is reportedly worth $100 million." ... "Summary: On [TIME WARNER/CNN TV show] The Situation Room, an on-screen chart showed [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain's income to be significantly lower than that of [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidates and Senators from Illinois and New York] Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton when combined with the income of their spouses. However, the chart did not include any income earned by McCain's wife, Cindy. As Dana Bash reported moments earlier of Cindy McCain, "Some estimates actually put her worth at about $100 million."" ... "Earlier in the program, Bash compared the portion of McCain's income that he gave to charity with the portion given by the Clintons and Obamas -- without noting that McCain presumably benefits from his wife's wealth and from her income from her separate property, a figure that she has not released." -MediaMatters.org

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20080409
• Water - Transportation - Construction - Technology - History - Environmental - Health - Politics - Government - New York - "US Water Pipelines Are Breaking." ... "The infrastructure that delivers water to the nation's cities is badly aging and in need of repairs." ... "The Environmental Protection Agency says utilities will need to invest more than $277 billion over the next two decades on repairs and improvements to drinking water systems. Water industry engineers put the figure drastically higher, at about $480 billion." ... "Water utilities, largely managed by city governments, have never faced improvements of this magnitude before. And customers will have to bear the majority of the cost through rate increases, according to the American Water Works Association, an industry group." ... "Engineers say this is a crucial era for the nation's water systems, especially in older cities like New York [City, New York], where some pipes and tunnels were built in the 1800s and are now nearing the end of their life expectancies." ... ""Our generation hasn't experienced anything like this. We weren't around when the infrastructure was being built," said Greg Kail, spokesman for the water industry group. "We didn't pay for the pipes to be put in the ground, but we sure benefited from the improvements to public health that came from it."" ... "Cities have a hard time convincing residents that they should spend money on something they never see, buried hundreds of feet underground. And often, public officials pawn the responsibility off on the next person elected, Kail said." -By Colleen Long -AP via -SeattleTimes

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20080408
• Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - John Edwards - John McCain - Health - 2008 Election - New York - Illinois - Ariz - "Elizabeth Edwards Backs Clinton Health Care Plan: Edwards Declines to Endorse Either Democrat, but Likes Idea of 'Dream Ticket'." ... "Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former [2008 Election] presidential candidate John Edwards, remains unwilling to endorse either of the two remaining Democratic contenders, but the health care advocate told ABC News she preferred [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator Hillary] Sen. Clinton's health plan to [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator Barack] Sen. Obama's." ... "In an interview with "Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts, airing Wednesday, Edwards — who recently began work as a senior fellow at the liberal think tank, the Center for American Progress — said she believed Clinton's health care plan was more inclusive than that of the Illinois senator." ... ""You need that universality in order to get the cost savings ... I just have more confidence in Sen. Clinton's policy than Sen. Obama's on this particular issue," she said." ... "She [Elizabeth Edwards] argued that neither she, who has breast cancer, nor [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator John] McCain, R-Ariz., who had skin cancer in the past, could obtain health insurance under his health care proposal." ... "Edwards said she liked the idea of Clinton and Obama running together on a so-called dream ticket, and discounted the idea of her husband, John, accepting a place as either candidate's running mate." ... ""[Clinton and Obama] are the two strongest Democrats running. It's hard not to believe that together they are stronger than they would be apart."" (1, 2) -By Russell Goldman -ABCNEWS.com 

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20080331
• Barack Obama - John McCain - Hillary Clinton - Iraq - US - Military - Arizona - Illinois - Pennsylvania - New York - Housing- Economy - 2008 Election - "Obama takes aim at McCain on Iraq." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Democrat Barack Obama took aim on Monday at potential White House opponent [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain on Iraq, saying the Republican senator could not offer a clear definition of success in the conflict and could leave U.S. [United States] combat troops there for decades." ... "Obama said the Arizona senator shared a vision of Iraq with [Republican] President George W. Bush and had not spelled out how the United States would be able to end its military involvement there." ... ""The problem that we've had, both with John McCain and George Bush, is there's no clear definition of success. There never was. And that's why this has been such a profound strategic error," Obama, an Illinois senator, told reporters while campaigning in Pennsylvania." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Clinton criticized McCain's recent speech on the economy for failing to lay out a clear plan to end turmoil in U.S. housing markets." ... ""Senator McCain recently gave a speech on the economy, and best I could determine his plan was not to have a plan," Clinton, a New York senator, said during an economic round-table in Harrisburg [Pennsylvania]." (1, 2, 3) -By Caren Bohan with contributions by Ellen Wulfhorst, Steve Holland, John Whitesides and Mohammad Zargham -Reuters 

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20080329
• Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - Financial - Law - Housing - New York - Fed - US - Global - 2008 Election - "Obama Moves Past Clinton in Calling for Wall Street Oversight." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama, who has been a step behind rival [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton in proposing remedies to the housing and financial crises, jumped ahead of her this week by advocating broader regulation of Wall Street." ... "Obama called for the Federal Reserve to be given greater supervisory power when it acts as lender of last resort. He also urged stronger capital requirements for financial companies and a consolidation of regulatory agencies." ... "``The regulatory framework hasn't caught up with the global financial system,'' he said yesterday in an interview on Bloomberg Television's ``Political Capital with Al Hunt.'' ``It's something I intend to do as president.''" ... "Clinton, 60, has yet to propose a sweeping set of new laws, focusing instead on the slumping economy and on alleviating the effects of the crisis among homeowners. ``We do need to try to make up for the lax regulation and absence of oversight,'' she said in a separate interview yesterday." ... "Obama, 46, offered his proposals in the wake of convulsions in the subprime-lending market and the Fed-engineered buyout of Bear Stearns Cos. by JPMorgan Chase & Co." ... "``Our free market was never meant to be a free license to take whatever you can get, however you can get it,'' Obama said in his March 27 address in New York. ``The American economy does not stand still, and neither should the rules that govern it.''" -By Lorraine Woellert and Matthew Benjamin -Bloomberg 

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20080328
• Financial- Law - Politics - New York- Minnesota - Virginia - "Fed May Rethink Greenspan's Hands-Off Approach Towards Bubbles." ... "Federal Reserve officials may be rethinking their aversion to acting against asset-price bubbles, an article of faith during former Chairman Alan Greenspan's 18 years at the helm." ... "After this month's near-collapse of Bear Stearns Cos., Minneapolis [Minnesota] Fed Bank President Gary Stern -- the longest-serving policy maker -- said in a speech yesterday that it's possible ``to build support'' for practices ``designed to prevent excesses.'' New York Fed President Timothy Geithner, whose district bank took on almost $30 billion of Bear Stearns assets to rescue the firm, argued two years ago for a larger role for asset prices in decision-making, and there's no indication his views have changed." ... "For Fed policy makers, ``the consequences of their permissiveness have become so disastrous that they simply can't keep singing the same old tune in public,'' said Tom Schlesinger, executive director at the Financial Markets Center in Howardsville, Virginia." ... "The collapse of the U.S. subprime-mortgage market has led to $208 billion in writedowns and credit losses since the start of 2007, pushing Bear to the brink of bankruptcy before its purchase by JPMorgan." -By Craig Torres and Vivien Lou Chen -Bloomberg 

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20080320
• Barack Obama - John McCain - Hillary Clinton - Intelligence - Military - Terrorism - History- US - Iraq - Jordan - New York - 2008 Election - "Obama, McCain in crossfire over Iraq." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama criticized [2008 Election] Republican John McCain on Wednesday for misidentifying Iraqi extremists, saying he fails to understand the war has emboldened U.S. [United States] enemies." ... "On the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the war took center stage on the U.S. campaign trail." ... "Obama attacked both McCain and his Democratic opponent, New York Sen. [Senator] Hillary Clinton, as representing conventional thinking in Washington that needs to be changed in the November election. McCain and Clinton backed a 2002 resolution supporting U.S. military action against Iraq." ... "On a Middle East and Europe swing intended to bolster his national security credentials, McCain got tangled up in stating which Islamic extremist group in Iraq that neighboring Iran is accused of supporting." ... "At a news conference in Amman [Jordan's capital], McCain said Iran supported the Sunni group al Qaeda in Iraq, until he was corrected by a colleague." (1, 2, 3) -By Caren Bohan -Reuters 

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20080317
• Hillary Clinton - John McCain - Barack Obama - US - Iraq - Military - New York - 2008 Election - "Clinton Says Iraq Surge Hasn't Accomplished Goals." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the increase in U.S. troops in Iraq over the last year has "not accomplished its goals" in a speech this morning touting her plans to end the war in Iraq and criticizing the war positions of [Republican] President Bush, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama." ... ""By the middle of this summer, when the additional surge forces have been sent home, we'll be right back at square one: 130,000 or more troops on the ground in Iraq," Clinton said in the speech, given at George Washington University on the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq." ... "Zeroing in on her potential opponent in general election, McCain, Clinton described the "Bush-McCain Iraq philosophy" as "stay the course keeping troops in Iraq for up to 100 years if necessary." ... ""Withdrawal is not defeat, defeat is keeping troops in Iraq for 100 years," Clinton said. " -By Perry Bacon Jr. -WashingtonPost

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20080313
• Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - Race - 2008 Election - New York - Illinois - South Carolina - "Clinton apologizes to black voters." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton apologized to a gathering of black newspaper publishers Wednesday for a top fundraiser's controversial comments that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama's race has helped his candidacy." ... "The New York senator found herself in the hot seat after the remarks by Geraldine Ferraro -- a former New York congresswoman, Democratic vice presidential candidate and Clinton supporter." ... ""I rejected what she said and I certainly do repudiate it," Clinton said at the National Newspaper Publishers Association meeting in Washington." ... "Clinton was asked about remarks her husband, former [Democratic] President Bill Clinton, made while on the trail for his wife in South Carolina last month in which he seemed to imply that Obama's success in South Carolina would largely be based on his race." ... ""I'm sorry if anyone was offended. It certainly was not meant in anyway to be offensive," she said." -CNN

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20080312
• Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - 2008 Election - Lawmakers - Illinois - New York - South Carolina - Mississippi - Georgia - Virginia - North Carolina - Tennessee - Alabama - North Dakota - South Dakota - Kentucky - West Virginia - "Eyeing Obama coattails." ... "Democratic lawmakers are becoming persuaded that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.[Democratic-Illinois]) would have a more positive impact on other Democrats on the November ballot than [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.[Democratic-New York])." ... "Obama’s advantage over Clinton would be most pronounced in the Southern and Western states President Bush carried in 2000 and 2004, say lawmakers interviewed by The Hill. In total, 32 members of Congress from these “red states” have endorsed Obama. Twenty-two lawmakers from those states have backed Clinton." ... "Obama will “bring new people into the process in Southern states, there’s no question about it,” said Rep. James Clyburn, the House Democratic whip from South Carolina. “In these Southern states he’s bringing out more people, young people, African-Americans. They’re being energized by him.”" ... "Clyburn, who has stayed neutral in the primary, said Obama at the top of the ticket would “certainly” do more to help other Democratic candidates, citing South Carolina and Mississippi specifically." ... "Obama has picked up congressional endorsements from Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, North and South Dakota, Mississippi, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Clinton has not collected congressional endorsements from any of these states, according to a tally kept by The Hill." -By Alexander Bolton with contributions by Sam Youngman -TheHill.com

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• Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - Nevada - New York - Illinois - Wyoming- 2008 Election - "Reid defends Nevada caucus." ... "[Nevada Democratic Senator] Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday defended his state’s January caucus, saying it created a “tremendous sea change on how politics are looked at in Nevada.”" ... "His comments came as the campaign for [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.[Democratic-New York]) has increasingly criticized the caucus system, which has favored [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.[Democratic-Illinois]) in the two senators’ quest for their party’s presidential nomination. Clinton won the popular vote in the Nevada caucus, but she has fallen short on a number of other caucuses, including Saturday’s in Wyoming." ... "“In a period of an hour, we had 30,000 new Democrats in Nevada,” Reid said in defending the Nevada caucus on Wednesday. “We had tremendous new participation we’ve never had before.”" -By Manu Raju -TheHill.com

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20080311
• Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - Racist - Politics - 2008 Election - Illinois - New York - "Ferraro defends controversial comments on Barack Obama." ... "Former [Democratic] vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro today defended a remark she made to the Daily Breeze last week, in which she suggested that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama would not be where he is if he were white." ... "In an interview with the Breeze, Ferraro said, "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color), he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."" ... "The comment was picked up by political blogs and cable news shows across the country. The Obama campaign held a conference call today to denounce the remark, and Obama surrogates urged [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton to repudiate it." ... "In a follow-up interview today, Ferraro said her company had been deluged with vicious e-mail messages accusing her of racism." ... "But far from backing off from her initial remark, Ferraro defended it and elaborated on it." ... ""Any time anybody does anything that in any way pulls this campaign down and says let's address reality and the problems we're facing in this world, you're accused of being racist, so you have to shut up," Ferraro said. "Racism works in two different directions. I really think they're attacking me because I'm white. How's that?"" ... "Obama campaign manager David Axelrod called Ferraro's comments part of an "insidious pattern" of remarks from Clinton supporters that have drawn attention to Obama's race." ... ""When you wink and nod at offensive statements, you're really sending a signal to your supporters that anything goes," Axelrod said, according to ABC News." -By Gene Maddaus with contributions by Jim Farber -DailyBreeze.com

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20080301
• New York - Politics - 2008 Election - "Bloomberg Steps In to Help G.O.P. in Albany Fight." [G.O.P.=Grand Old Party=Republican] ... "While declaring his commitment to nonpartisanship, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is quietly injecting himself — and his money — into one of the most explosive partisan battles in decades in New York." ... "Several weeks ago, the mayor wrote a $500,000 check to help keep the dwindling and increasingly imperiled State Senate Republicans from losing their grip on power, according to an official with direct knowledge of the donation." ... "Mr. Bloomberg’s financial support has long been critically important to Republican leaders in Albany [New York's capital], who forged their relationship with him when he was still a member of the Republican Party. He has been the biggest individual donor to Senate Republicans, giving at least $675,000 between October 2006 and December 2007, according to the most recent campaign finance disclosure reports." ... "In recent weeks, Mr. Bloomberg donated an additional $500,000 to the Republican Senate campaign committee, though that donation will not be disclosed until the next reporting deadline in July, according to the official with knowledge of the donation." -By Raymond Hernandez -NYTimes

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20080227
• US- EU - Swiss - UK - New York - Oil - "Dollar slides to new lows after Fed warning." ... "There were records for the euro, which climbed as high as $1.5143 by midday in New York, and the Swiss franc, which hit SFr1.0624. Sterling, which had earlier fallen against the dollar due to weak UK [United Kingdom] growth data, Came back up to $1.9921." ... "The dollar index, a measure of the US [United States] unit’s strength against a basket of currencies, fell to a record low of 74.181. " ... "Oil prices also hit records. Nymex West Texas intermediate soared to $102.08, before edging back to $101.25. Brent crude rose to $100.53 as investors hedged against the weaker dollar." ... "Gold, which is often used as a hedge against inflation when oil prices rise, hit a fresh peak of $964.70 a troy ounce, and helped lift other precious metals. Silver rose to $19.43 its highest level since November 1980." -By Neil Dennis and Krishna Guha -FT.com

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20080220
• John McCain - Torture - Politics- Government - Military - Intelligence - Terrorism - 2008 Election - NY - "McCain: Bush Should Veto Torture Bill." ... "[2008 Election] Republican presidential candidate John McCain said [Republican] President Bush should veto a measure that would bar the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] from using waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods on terror suspects." ... "McCain voted against the bill, which would restrict the CIA to using only the 19 interrogation techniques listed in the Army field manual." ... "His vote was controversial because the manual prohibits waterboarding -- a simulated drowning technique that McCain also opposes -- yet McCain doesn't want the CIA bound by the manual and its prohibitions." ... "One supporter of the bill, [New York Democratic Senator] Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said last week that if Bush vetoes the measure, "he will be voting in favor of waterboarding."" -By Libby Quaid -AP via -LAtimes 

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Post-Journal.com /News - "The Post-Journal." - "The Post Journal, Jamestown, NY."

• www.oag.state.ny.us - "Office of New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer."

•  New York State Library Home Page -  http://www.nysl.nysed.gov

•  NYSED.gov -  "New York State Education Department."

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