January 2008 News History Archives

January 2008 News:
2008 Election

_2008 News News Reference January 2008 News
January 31, 2008 News URL: #January-31-2008-News
20080131 Thursday

- Jack Abramoff - John A Boehner - John T Doolittle - Legal - Politics - Ohio - California - Georgia - Utah - Colorado - Indiana - California - Texas
"Fellow Republicans Help Doolittle Pay Legal Bills Stemming From Abramoff Ties." ... "A House Republican under Justice Department investigation because of ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff has garnered help with his legal bills from a handful of colleagues, including [Ohio Republican Representative] Minority Leader John A. Boehner." ... "[California Republican Representative] Rep. John T. Doolittle, R-Calif., reported in a filing made available Thursday that his legal expense fund had received $5,000 from Boehner’s leadership PAC. The money was part of $36,500 kicked in by GOP colleagues to Doolittle’s legal defense between June 27, when he opened the fund, and year’s end." ... "Other Republican lawmakers who contributed money from their campaign funds or leadership committees included [Republican Senator] Sens. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, [Republican Senator] Orrin G. Hatch of Utah and [Republican Senator] Wayne Allard of Colorado, and Reps. [Republican Representative] Dan Burton of Indiana, [Republican Representative] Wally Herger of California, [Republican Representative] Jack Kingston of Georgia, [Republican Representative] Sam Johnson of Texas, and [California Republican Representative] Howard P. “Buck” McKeon and [Republican Representative] Dana Rohrabacher of California." -By Kathleen Hunter -CQPolitics.com

- Mitt Romney - John McCain - US - Iraq - Military - History - 2008 Election
"Romney accuses McCain of using Nixon tactic on Iraq." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney accused Republican [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] rival John McCain of adopting underhanded tactics from [Republican President] Richard Nixon, the GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] president who resigned in disgrace." ... ""I don't think I want to see our party go back to that kind of campaigning," Mr. Romney said in his most pointed rebuttal yet to front-runner Mr. McCain's claim that the former Massachusetts governor favors a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. Mr. Romney denies this charge, and most media analyses have concluded that Mr. Romney wasn't using "timetable" in the same way Democratic candidates have." -AP via -DallasNews.com

- US - Germany - Afghanistan - Military
"Paper: U.S. urged Germany to expand Afghanistan force." ... "U.S. [United States] Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has written to his German counterpart urging Berlin to send an additional 3,200 troops to Afghanistan, warning that the [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] NATO-led force there could lose credibility without reinforcement, a Defense Ministry spokesman confirmed Thursday." ... "According to the German Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily, the one-and-a-half-page-long, undated letter to Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung arrived last week. In it, Gates specifically asks Germany to drop caveats limiting its troops to the north of Afghanistan and to send helicopter units, infantry and paratroopers that could join the fight against Taliban militants in the south, the paper reported without citing the letter." -AP via -USATODAY

- Mitt Romney - John McCain - Rudy Giuliani - US - Iraq - Military - 2008 Election - Massachusetts - Florida - Arizona - New York - Florida
"Romney Accuses McCain of 'Dirty Tricks': Romney Accuses McCain of Resorting to 'Dirty Tricks' Over Iraq Timetable Issue in Debate." ... "Republican [2008 Election Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney accused [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain of using dirty tricks by suggesting the former Massachusetts governor wanted a deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, in a spirited debate Wednesday night that underscored the intensity of their presidential rivalry." ... "Coming 24 hours after McCain defeated him in Florida, Romney vented his frustrations over the Arizona senator's claims from last weekend." ... ""I have never, ever supported a specific timetable" for withdrawing troops, Romney said. McCain's accusation on the eve of Tuesday's primary, he said, "sort of falls into the dirty tricks that I think [Republican President] Ronald Reagan would have found reprehensible."" ... "Former New York City [New York] Mayor Rudy Giuliani left the race earlier Wednesday [after losing Florida to McCain]] and endorsed McCain." (1, 2, 3) -By Liz Sidoti -AP via -ABCNEWS.com

- Noteworthy - Political - Lawmakers - Terrorism
"What "bipartisanship" in Washington means." ... "Whenever the mavens of "bipartisanship" attempt to do more than spout pretty platitudes, they invariably reveal just how vapid and bereft of substance are their slogans." ... "But more importantly, "bipartisanship" is already rampant in Washington, not rare. And, in almost every significant case, what "bipartisanship" means in Washington is that enough Democrats join with all of the Republicans to endorse and enact into law Republican policies, with which most Democratic voters disagree. That's how so-called "bipartisanship" manifests in almost every case." ... "In almost every case, the proposals that are enacted are ones favored by the White House and supported by all GOP lawmakers, and then Democrats split and enough of them join with Republicans to ensure that the GOP gets what it wants. That's "bipartisanhip" in Washington[.]" ... "On virtually every major controversial issue -- particularly, though not only, ones involving national security and terrorism -- the Republicans (including their vaunted mythical moderates and mavericks) vote in almost complete lockstep in favor of the [Republican] President [Bush], the Democratic caucus splits, and the Republicans then get their way on every issue thanks to "bipartisan" support. That's what "bipartisanship" in Washington means." -By Glenn Greenwald -Salon

- John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - New Orleans - Louisiana - Poverty - Homeless - People - Health Care - US - Iraq - Military - Money - 2008 Election
"Democrat Edwards exits presidential race: Clinton, Obama praise ex-rival, who refrains from endorsing one or other." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Democrat John Edwards bowed out of the race for the White House on Wednesday, saying it was time to step aside “so that history can blaze its path” in a campaign now left to [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Rodham Clinton and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama." ... ""It is time for me to step aside," said Edwards, ending his second campaign in a hurricane-ravaged section of New Orleans [Louisiana] where he began it more than a year ago. “With our convictions and a little backbone we will take back the White House in November.”" ... "Edwards said Clinton and Obama had both pledged that “they will make ending poverty central to their campaign for the presidency.”" ... "“This is the cause of my life and I now have their commitment to engage in this cause,” he said before a small group of supporters. He was joined by his wife Elizabeth and his three children, Cate, Emma Claire and Jack." ... "Edwards said that on his way to make his campaign-ending statement, he drove by a highway underpass where several homeless people live. He stopped to talk, he said, and as he was leaving, one of them asked him never to forget them and their plight." ... "“Well I say to her and I say to all those who are struggling in this country, we will never forget you. We will fight for you. We will stand up for you,” he said, pledging to continue his campaign-long effort to end what he frequently said was “two Americas,” one for the powerful, the other for the rest." ... "Edwards burst out of the starting gate with a flurry of progressive policy ideas — he was the first to offer a plan for universal health care, the first to call on Congress to pull funding for the [Iraq] war, and he led the charge that lobbyists have too much power in Washington and need to be reigned in." (1, 2) -AP via -MSNBC

- Kenya - Terrorism - Radio - Agricultural - Land - Wealth - British - History
"How Kenya came undone: Long-simmering ethnic tensions threaten to tear apart East Africa's most stable, prosperous country." ... "While the most recent spark for the violence was the deeply flawed elections in which Mr. [Mwai] Kibaki was declared president, the underlying source of the country's tension is a perception that one ethnic group – Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe – has unfairly benefited from the nation's wealth solely because of its proximity to people in power. Resentment between Kenya's ethnic communities is chronic, observers say, but mistrust of Kikuyus has been building ever since Kenya's first president, Jomo Kenyatta, took power after independence from Britain in 1963." ... "Under Mr. Kenyatta – himself a Kikuyu – Kikuyus rose to high positions in government, took over major firms, and bought much of the farm land sold off by departing white settlers in the fertile Rift Valley. But it took a sense of betrayal to produce the violence of today, experts say. In 2002, a remarkably broad coalition of opposition leaders from different ethnic groups overthrew the 24-year dictatorship of President Daniel arap Moi. The new government signed a memorandum of understanding to share power." ... "But in 2003, Kibaki revoked that agreement and went back to the old habit of filling government positions – including, crucially, the Electoral Commission of Kenya – with personal allies and members of his own ethnic group, the Kikuyus. Furious at what they considered a betrayal, and cut off from access to power, former allies such as populist opposition leader Raila Odinga – a member of the Luo ethnic group who claims that he won the Dec. 27 vote – broke from the government and started a campaign for "majimbo," Swahili for self-rule, and resistance to Kikuyu domination." ... "For most Kenyans, this tribal fight is not just about the presidency, but land – the ultimate source of wealth in a mainly agricultural society. And the Rift Valley – Kenya's bread basket – is the main battlefield, as small "indigenous" armies with bows, arrows, and machetes march to expel the Kikuyu "newcomers."" ... "Some politicians used radio broadcasts to spread hatred against Kikuyus, and proclaimed that the time had come to remove the "weeds" from their lands." ... "Stoked with hate, the ethnic clashes began in earnest, particularly in the areas where Kikuyus had settled in the Rift Valley. Between the elections of 1992 and 1997, more than 2,000 Kenyans were killed and more than 300,000 Kenyans were displaced, most of them Kikuyus." ... "Politicians have used the belief that Kikuyus control the economy as a battle cry, pitting Kikuyus as the perpetual "haves" against the Luos, Kalenjins, and other tribes as the perpetual "have-nots."" (1, 2, 3, 4) -By Scott Baldauf -CSMonitor

- John McCain - Rudy Giuliani - Hillary Clinton - Politics - 2008 Election - Arizona
"Many Lobbyists Among McCain Fundraisers." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain attempted to capitalize on the resurgence of his presidential campaign at a Washington, DC, fundraiser last night that was expected to raise more than $300,000." ... "Many of the sponsors of the function at Charlie Palmer's Steakhouse are Washington lobbyists, who have become a staple of his fundraising effort, according to a review released today by the advocacy group Public Citizen." ... "By Public Citizen's count, McCain has at least 58 federal lobbyists raising money for his campaign, compared with 35 working for Republican [2008 Election Presidential Candidate] Rudy Giuliani and 20 working for [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Democrat Hillary Clinton." -By Matthew Mosk -WashingtonPost

- Jack Abramoff - Randy Cunningham - Money - Government - Lawmakers - History - 2006 Election - California - Maryland
"Question of Timing on Bush’s Push on Earmarks." ... "[Republican] President Bush has never shown much distaste for Congressional pork." ... "In the last seven years he has signed spending bills containing about 55,000 earmarks worth more than $100 billion for projects like a new lane for a local road, a new facade for a town landmark or a weapons contract for a company that happened to be a big donor to an influential lawmaker." ... "Such projects tucked into the endnotes of complex spending bills at the request of individual lawmakers with almost no oversight have contributed to a mounting pileup of waste and corruption, including sending the [Republican] lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the former [California Republican] congressman Randy Cunningham, a California Republican, to jail." ... "Mr. Bush was notably silent on the subject until after his fellow Republicans lost control of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections." ... "“When the president and the Republican Congress had the power to address this, they did nothing,” [Maryland Democratic Representative Chris] Mr. Van Hollen said." -By David D. Kirkpatrick -NYTimes

- Safety - Food - Drug - Medical - Manufacturers - Business - Investigation - Lawmakers - Science - Politics
"FDA flawed on food, medical device safety: GAO: When it comes to the safety of food and medical devices, the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] has some work to do, government investigators reported to lawmakers on Tuesday." ... ""FDA has opportunities to better leverage its resources," according to a Government Accountability Office [GAO] report presented at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's oversight subcommittee. "Efficient use of resources is particularly important at FDA because we found that its food safety workload has increased in the past decade, while its food safety staff and funding have not kept pace."" ... "FDA oversees about 80% of the U.S. food supply, which includes $417 billion of domestic food and $49 billion of imported food annually, according to GAO." ... "In November, an advisory committee to the FDA found that the agency "suffers from serious scientific deficiencies and is not positioned to meet current or emerging regulatory responsibilities."" ... "Also Tuesday, the GAO said FDA has not met its statutory requirement to inspect domestic manufacturers of medical devices classified as high risk, such as pacemakers, or medium risk, such as hearing aids, every two years." -By Ruth Mantell -MarketWatch

- Military - Politics - Government - Money - New York
"Army Blocks Disability Paperwork Aid at Fort Drum." ... "Army officials in upstate New York instructed representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs not to help disabled soldiers at Fort Drum Army base with their military disability paperwork last year. That paperwork can be crucial because it helps determine whether soldiers will get annual disability payments and health care after they're discharged." ... "Now soldiers at Fort Drum say they feel betrayed by the institutions that are supposed to support them. The soldiers want to know why the Army would want to stop them from getting help with their disability paperwork and why the VA— whose mission is to help veterans — would agree to the Army's request." ... "Cynthia Vaughan, spokeswoman for the Army surgeon general, says the VA was not doing anything wrong by helping soldiers at Fort Drum." ... "She says the officers who asked the VA to stop helping Fort Drum's soldiers were part of what the Army calls a "Tiger Team"— an ad-hoc group assigned to investigate, in this case, medical disability benefits." -By Ari Shapiro -NPR

- Florida - 2008 Election - Voting Machines
"Florida Primary voters reporting problems at polls: One voter was told by poll workers there was no Democratic primary today." ... "On Florida Primary day [2008 Election], voters are reporting problems across Central Florida from Daytona Beach to Hunter's Creek. Among the precincts experiencing glitches was one in Orange County where voters were told by poll workers early on there was no Democratic primary today." ... "Phil Marjason said poll workers at precinct 145 in Hunter's Creek would not give him a Democratic ballot." ... ""I thought it was plain wrong," he said. "We need to get Florida straightened out."" ... "Election officials noticed a four-vote discrepancy between the number of ballots signed for and the number of ballots cast at the Daytona Beach City Island early voting site. The vote count came up one vote shy on Jan. 23 and three votes shy on Jan. 26," ... ""Apparently the machine failed to count the four votes the first time," McFall said." -By Robert Perez -OrlandoSentinel.com

- Kenya - Politics - Wealth - Land
"Tribal violence spreads in Kenya." ... "Kenya was locked into a chain reaction of violence on Monday as a spate of weekend killings in one part of the country triggered rioting by members of the victims' tribes elsewhere." ... "Tens of thousands of Kikuyus have fled western Kenya since the president's disputed election victory on December 27. Across the country more than 200,000 people have been forced from their homes in post-election violence that has killed over 800." ... "The most vicious sustained fighting has been in the Rift Valley province and has pitted members of the local Kalenjin ethnic group and the Luo community against Kikuyus." ... "Violence has been fuelled by the Kikuyus' perceived monopoly of power and wealth as well as inequality, grievances over land distribution and a long-held sense of marginalisation among non-Kikuyu tribes." -By Barney Jopson -FT.com

- Tim Russert - John McCain - Hillary Clinton - US - Iraq - Military - Politics - 2008 Election - Arizona - New York
"Russert let McCain mislead on Clinton's Iraq withdrawal proposal." ... "Summary: [MSNBC political journalist] Tim Russert left unchallenged [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain's false claim that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New York Senator] Sen. Hillary Clinton "would set a timetable within 60 days of withdrawal, complete withdrawal from Iraq." In fact, Clinton said that if she were to become president, "[W]e will start withdrawing within 60 days," and would continue to withdraw "one to two brigades a month" with the goal of having "nearly all the troops out by the end of the year [2009]," except for those necessary to "protect our embassy" and other "strategic interests."" -MediaMatters.org

- Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - Massachusetts - Rhode Island - US - Iraq - Military - Race - Gay - 2008 Election
"Sen. Kennedy endorses Barack Obama: Democratic elder statesman plans to campaign for candidate." ... "Two generations of Kennedys - the Democratic Party's best known political family - endorsed [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama for president on Monday, with [Massachusetts Democratic Senator "Ted" Kennedy] Sen. Edward M. Kennedy calling him a "man with extraordinary gifts of leadership and character," a worthy heir to his assassinated brother [two of Ted Kennedy's brothers were assassinated, Democratic President John F. Kennedy and Democratic Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy]." ... "He [Obama] was introduced by Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late president [John F. Kennedy], who said Obama "offers that same sense of hope and inspiration" as did her father. [Rhode Island Democratic Representative] Rep. Patrick Kennedy also endorsed Obama from the stage before a boisterous crowd at American University." ... "In his remarks, Sen. Kennedy sought one by one to rebut many of the arguments leveled by Obama's critics." ... ""From the beginning, he opposed the war in Iraq. And let no one deny that truth," he said, an obvious reference to former President Clinton's statement that Obama's early anti-war stance was a "fairy tale."" ... ""With Barack Obama, we will turn the page on the old politics of misrepresentation and distortion." ... ""With Barack Obama we will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, ethnic group against ethnic group, and straight against gay," Kennedy said." ... "Lately, according to several associates, Kennedy became angered with what he viewed as racially divisive comments by [husband to 2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton, former Democratic President] Bill Clinton." -AP via -MSNBC

_2008 News News Reference January 2008 News
January 27, 2008 News URL: #January-27-2008-News
20080127 Sunday

- Mitt Romney - John McCain - Economy - US - Iraq - Military - 2008 Election - Florida - Massachusetts - Arizona
"Romney Slams McCain On Economy, Climate Bill." ... "After predicting a Florida victory in front of a raucous, heavily Latino crowd, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney told members of the media that [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain’s interpretation of Romney’s past remarks on Iraq timetables were “obviously false” and “yesterday’s news.” The former Massachusetts governor then changed the subject by rehashing some of McCain’s past comments, which seemed to disparage the Arizona senator’s own understanding of economic policy." ... "“I simply don’t think that the people of Florida are gonna say the nominee of our party ought to be a person who on more than one occasion has expressed lack of understanding of our economy at a time when the economy is the number one issue that people are talking about here in the state of Florida,” Romney said." -By Scott Conroy -CBSNews

- Government - Spy - Intelligence - Imagery - Technology - Communications - California
"U.S. Spy Satellite, Power Gone, May Hit Earth." ... "A disabled American spy satellite is rapidly descending and is likely to plunge to Earth by late February or early March, posing a potential danger from its debris, officials said Saturday." ... "Officials said that they had no control over the nonfunctioning satellite and that it was unknown where the debris might land." ... "Specialists who follow spy satellite operations suspect it is an experimental imagery satellite built by Lockheed Martin and launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in December 2006 aboard a Delta II rocket. Shortly after the satellite reached orbit, ground controllers lost the ability to control it and were never able to regain communication." ... ""It's not necessarily dead, but deaf," said Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and an analyst of various government space programs." -NYTimes

- Kenya - Terrorism - Politics - Military
"Rival gangs defy leaders' call for peace in Kenya: The latest outburst of ethnic violence is the worst since the disputed [December 2007] Dec. 27 presidential election." ... "The country's latest post-election trouble spot is Nakuru, about 100 miles northwest of Nairobi, where gangs from rival tribes have burned hundreds of homes, stoned motorists and hacked dozens of people with machetes. The local morgue was overrun with burned, mutilated bodies. Local media put the death toll at as many as 41." ... "The government dispatched army units to quell the violence and imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew." ... "The clashes in Nakuru, which previously had escaped much of the violence, were some of the deadliest in this East African nation since the turmoil that followed a disputed Dec. 27 presidential poll." ... "International election observers said the vote was plagued by irregularities and suspected rigging. Despite the controversy, incumbent President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner by the country's election commission, sparking nationwide riots that have killed more than 600 people and displaced another 250,000." ... "The latest violence started Thursday night, just hours after Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga met for mediation talks for the first time. The presidential rivals shook hands and called upon their supporters to maintain peace as negotiations proceeded." -By Edmund Sanders -LAtimes

- Mitt Romney - John McCain - US - Iraq - Military - 2008 Election - Florida - Arizona - Massachusetts
"Republican Candidates Trade Attacks in Florida." ... "[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain of Arizona accused [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and] former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney of having once supported a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq, sparking an angry demand for an apology from Romney, who called the statement "dishonest."" ... "Romney, who said in April the military should consider a "private timetable" but not public deadlines, shot back: "That's dishonest, to say that I have a specific date. That's simply wrong . . . I know he's trying desperately to change the topic from the economy and trying to get back to Iraq, but to say something that's not accurate is simply wrong and he knows better."" ... "Later, Romney added that McCain's comment on Iraq is "simply wrong and it's dishonest, and he should apologize."" (1, 2) -By Michael D. Shear and Juliet Eilperin -WashingtonPost

- Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - John Edwards - South Carolina - 2008 Election
"Obama smashes Clinton in S.C. victory." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama cruised to a decisive victory in South Carolina's presidential primary Saturday with overwhelming support from black voters and about one-fourth of whites as well, a win that leaves [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton humbled and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards staggering." ... "Clinton and her husband, the former president, fought hard in the final days to overtake the Illinois senator, or at least come close in a state where polls found she was the front-runner just last month." -By David Lightman -McClatchyDC.com

_2008 News News Reference January 2008 News
January 25, 2008 News URL: #January-25-2008-News
20080125 Friday

- John McCain - Rick Davis - Russian - Crime - Money - Politics - Switzerland - Ukraine - Canada - Britain - Lawsuits - Ga - NH - Virginia - Arizona - 2008 Election - US - International
"Aide Helped Controversial Russian Meet McCain: Davis, Then a Lobbyist, Has Spurred Debate in Reform-Focused Campaign." ... "A top political adviser in [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator]  Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign helped arrange an introduction in 2006 between McCain and a Russian billionaire whose suspected links to anti-democratic and organized-crime figures are so controversial that the U.S. [United States] government revoked his visa." ... "Rick Davis, who is now McCain's campaign manager, helped set up the encounter between McCain and Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska in [World Economic Summit at Davos] Switzerland during an international economic conference. At the time, Davis was working for a lobbying firm and seeking to do business with the billionaire." ... "With a net worth of more than $13 billion, Deripaska is one of the richest men in Russia and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin." ... "When Deripaska met McCain, Davis was part of Davis Manafort, a lobbying firm that was being paid to provide political advice to pro-Russian and oligarch-funded candidates in Ukraine, according to interviews and news accounts." ... "Davis, who has been a political adviser to McCain on and off since 1999, was part of a lobbying firm that worked not only for Ukrainian politicians but also for telecommunications firms, a lottery services provider and freight companies." ... "Davis's firm provided political advice to a pro-Russian party in Ukraine during the parliamentary elections of 2006." ... "He [Oleg Deripaska] has been accused of shady business practices in lawsuits in the United States and Britain, and his multiple-entry U.S. visa was yanked by the State Department in the summer of 2006." ... "The first gathering that brought McCain and Deripaska together occurred in January 2006, when McCain was part of a congressional delegation trip. He and a small group of senators, including [Georgia Republican Senator] Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.[Republican-Georgia]) and [New Hampshire Republican Senator] John E. Sununu (R-N.H.[Republican-New Hampshire]), met for a drink near Davos, Switzerland, at an apartment where they were greeted by Davis and Deripaska. The group then went to a dinner at the ski chalet of Peter Munk, founder of Barrick Gold, the world's largest gold-mining company, based in Toronto [Canada]. Participants at the buffet dinner said Munk complimented his sometime business partner Deripaska during his brief remarks to the 40 or so guests." ... "Later that month, Deripaska wrote to Davis and his partner, GOP political consultant Paul J. Manafort, to thank them for arranging the meeting. "Thank you so much for setting up everything in Klosters so spectacularly," he wrote. "It was very interesting to meet Senators McCain, Chambliss and Sununu in such an intimate setting."" ... "The letter was sent to Davis at the Reform Institute, a Virginia-based nonprofit group that McCain helped start to promote many of his trademark reform efforts, including increasing the transparency of lobbying and campaign financing." ... "Davis was the institute's president from January 2003 until December 2005. During that time, he was also a registered lobbyist at Davis Manafort. The institute was located at the Davis Manafort offices until January 2006." ... "Seven months later, in August 2006, Davis was present again at a social gathering that was also attended by McCain and Deripaska, this time in Montenegro, another Eastern European country in which Davis's firm was working." (1, 2, 3) -By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and John Solomon with contributions by Peter Baker -WashingtonPost

- John Edwards - Consumer - Marketplace - Politics - Government - Law - 2008 Election - North Carolina - South Carolina
"Health Care Up to Public, Edwards Says." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and North Carolina's] Former Senator John Edwards does not discount the possibility that his health care proposal, which would allow Americans to buy new government insurance packages modeled on Medicare, could evolve into a federalized system like those in Canada and many European countries. And if it does, Mr. Edwards said he would be just fine with that." ... "But Mr. Edwards, of North Carolina, emphasized in a 40-minute interview on health policy that the choice would be made not in Washington, but by consumers in an open marketplace where private insurance competes with government plans." ... "“American health consumers will decide which works best,” Mr. Edwards said Wednesday afternoon while traveling through South Carolina on his campaign bus. “It could continue to be divided. But it could go in one direction or the other, and one of the directions is obviously government or single-payer. And I’m not opposed to that.”" ... "If the government is able to undercut private insurers on price — by forgoing profit, reducing overhead, and maximizing economies of scale — it theoretically could put the private system out of business and become the de facto insurer for the nation." ... "Republican candidates and policy strategists have raised the specter of “socialized medicine” and depicted the Democratic plans as a back-door route to a so-called single-payer government system." ... "Mr. Edwards brushed off that critique. “There is nothing back-door about it,” he said. “It’s right through the front door. We’re going to let America decide what health care system works for them.”" (1, 2) -By Kevin Sack -NYTimes

- Telecom - Amnesty - Corporate - Government - Intelligence - Surveillance - Wisconsin - Nevada - Connecticut
"Feingold: "I Really Do Disagree" With Reid On FISA." ... "A long-debated provision over whether or not telephone companies would get a free pass for aiding the U.S. [United States] government in warrentless surveillance hits the Senate floor today. And it threatens to open up fissures within the Democratic Party." ... "In an interview with the Huffington Post on Thursday morning, [Wisconsin Democratic Senator] Sen. Russ Feingold, who opposes granting immunity to those companies, expressed disappointment that his party's leader, [Nevada Democratic Senator] Sen. Harry Reid, was not doing more to help strike the provision from a newly considered version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act." ... ""Of course I have great respect for the Majority Leader," said Feingold. "He is a good friend of mine. But I really do disagree with his way of proceeding."" ... "At issue is the likely passage of a version of FISA that contains retroactive immunity over one that doesn't. Reid has said he supports the former, but legislatively, the path has been paved for the passage of the latter. In addition, there is debate over an amendment offered by [Connecticut Democratic Senator] Sen. Chris Dodd, to strip immunity from any FISA bill. If that fails -- and it seems likely -- Dodd has threatened to filibuster the whole bill. On Wednesday, Reid was interpreted as saying any such filibuster will be the standing and talking variety as opposed to an agreed-upon 60-vote minimum threshold. Feingold, who supports Dodd's stance, took slight issue with that approach." ... ""We should have a normal process w[h]ere this is debated based on a majority vote in the senate," said the Wisconsin Democrat. "That's the way it should have been done and I regret that it's not being done that way. Of course, I support Senator Dodd. He and I were principally involved in making sure this didn't get jammed through before the holidays and I will be supporting him again. But this decision does make it harder."" -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com

- US Immigration - Federal - Law - Enforcement - Politics - Arizona -Minnesota - Georgia - Colorado
"Immigration officials detaining, deporting American citizens." ... "Thomas Warziniack was born in Minnesota and grew up in Georgia, but immigration authorities pronounced him an illegal immigrant from Russia." ... "Immigration and Customs Enforcement has held Warziniack for weeks in an Arizona detention facility with the aim of deporting him to a country he's never seen. His jailers shrugged off Warziniack's claims that he was an American citizen, even though they could have retrieved his Minnesota birth certificate in minutes and even though a Colorado court had concluded that he was a U.S. [United States] citizen a year before it shipped him to Arizona." ... "On Thursday, Warziniack was told he would be released. Immigration authorities were finally able to verify his citizenship." ... ""The immigration agents told me they never make mistakes," Warziniack said in a phone interview from jail. "All I know is that somebody dropped the ball."" ... "The story of how immigration officials decided that a small-town drifter with a Southern accent was an illegal Russian immigrant illustrates how the federal government mistakenly detains and sometimes deports American citizens." ... "U.S. citizens who are mistakenly jailed by immigration authorities can get caught up in a nightmarish bureaucratic tangle in which they're simply not believed." ... "Unlike suspects charged in criminal courts, detainees accused of immigration violations don't have a right to an attorney, and three-quarters of them represent themselves. Less affluent or resourceful U.S. citizens who are detained must try to maneuver on their own through a complicated system." -By Marisa Taylor with contributions by Tish Wells -McClatchyDC.com

- Home - Economy
"Home Prices Fell in ’07 for First Time in Decades." ... "In 2007, the median price of an American single-family home fell for the first time in at least four decades, according to the National Association of Realtors, a trade group." ... "The median price declined 1.8 percent to $217,800, the first annual decline since reliable records began in 1968.  It's the first price decline in many, many years and possibly going back to the Great Depression,  said the group's chief economist, Lawrence Yun." ... "Over all, sales of previously owned single-family homes fell 13 percent in 2007, the biggest drop in a quarter-century. Last month alone, home sales dipped 2.2 percent from November, to a 4.89 million annual rate. (The group s survey excludes newly constructed homes.)" -By Michael M. Grynbaum -NYTimes

- Dennis Kucinich - Dick Cheney - Law - Health Care - Gay Marriage - Ohio - Energy - US - International - Trade - Seattle - Washington - 2008 Election - History
"Kucinich Abandons White House Bid." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Ohio Representative] Democrat Dennis Kucinich is abandoning his second, long-shot bid for the White House as he faces a tough fight to hold onto his other job - U.S. congressman." ... "Once dubbed the "boy mayor" of Cleveland [Ohio], he made an unpopular decision to refuse to sell a publicly owned utility that pushed the city into default and drove him from office." ... "In 1994, Kucinich was elected state senator and he then won a seat in Congress in 1996. His once unpopular stand against the sale of the municipal electric system was praised as courageous. In 1998, the Cleveland City Council issued him a commendation for having the foresight to refuse to sell it." ... "During his time in Congress, Kucinich has been one of the most outspoken liberals, opposing international trade agreements like the North America Free Trade Agreement and marching with protesters in Seattle [Washington] during a meeting of the World Trade Organization." ... "As a presidential candidate, he has proposed a Department of Peace, backed universal health care and supported gay marriage. He also pushed for impeachment of [Republican] Vice President Dick Cheney." -By Joe Milicia -WRAL.com

- John Edwards - Entertainment - TV - Politics - 2008 Election - North Carolina

- Stephen Colbert - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama -Civil Rights - History - Humor -  - Writers - Union - Entertainment - Song - Religion - Medical - University - South Carolina - Business - 2008 Election
"Colbert's Civil Rights MLK Day Writer's Strike-Busting Writerless Show — In Song." ... "[Stephen Colbert,] After paying his respects to Monday's debate and busting out a pretty darn good Tom Cruise imitation, Colbert made a segue which, in retrospect, was brilliant: Moving from [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Clinton and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama's bickering over who loved Reagan more to the evidence provided by Tom Brokaw's book, Boom! Voices of the Sixties, which, in addition to quoting Hillary Clinton discussing how [former Republican President] Ronald Reagan finessed the balance of his role "beautifully" on page 404, contains an early segment devoted to the Reverend Andrew Young, the "last surviving member of Martin Luther King's inner circle at the Southern Christian Leadership Council," and lifelong, steadfast civil rights activist. Colbert got to that — eventually — after first introducing a documentary-style segment (in the style of Brokaw's "1968" documentary, complete with soundtrack) about the Charleston Hospital workers union strike of 1969, which was settled by the young, er, Young, who negotiated with a vice president of the associated Medical University of South Carolina — "the only administrator willing to meet with Young was the newly-appointed vice-president of the medical college, who had taken up the position just days before the strike was called." The two worked behind the scenes to finally end the strike — and on the hundredth day, they came to an agreement, awarding raises to the striking workers." ... "That administrator? James Colbert — Stephen's father." -By Rachel Sklar -HuffingtonPost.com
Watch Colbert Report:
"A-It's All About Stephen."
"B-Interview - Ambassador Andrew Young."
"C-Let My People Go."

- Dennis Kucinich - US - Iraq - Military - Law - 2008 Election - Ohio
"Kucinich Starts New Impeachment Drive." ... "[T]oday [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Ohio Democratic Representative Dennis] Mr. Kucinich took to the floor to fire off his latest salvo at the [Republican President] Bush administration: his plans to introduce Articles of Impeachment against President Bush on Jan. 28 — the day of Mr. Bush’s State of the Union speech." ... "Accusing the [Republican President Bush] administration of lying about the need for the war in Iraq, Mr. Kucinich said he did not need to hear the president’s assessment. “We know the State of the Union,” he declared. “It’s a lie.”" ... "“If impeachment is off the table,” Mr. Kucinich said, “truth is off the table. If truth is off the table then this body [Congress] is living a lie.”" -By David M. Herszenhorn -NYTimes

- John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - South Carolina - Economic - Family - Farmers - Jobs - Internet - 2008 Election
"Edwards jabs Clinton for leaving SC." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards said South Carolina voters should question [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Rodham Clinton's commitment to the state since she left in the run-up to the state's primary." ... ""After the debate, she flew out and she's been gone and she won't be back until I don't know - later in the week or until primary day," Edwards told a crowd of about 150 people in this small city on Wednesday. "What are the chances she's coming back when she's president of the United States?"" ... "A South Carolina native and son of a mill worker, he stresses themes focused on the middle class and an economic plan that would bring help to family farmers, and jobs and broadband Internet connections to rural areas." -By Susanne M. Schafer -AssociatedPress

- Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - South Carolina - Radio - Ads - Economic - Jobs - 2008 Election - Illinois
"Clinton, Obama take war of words to airwaves." ... "Three days ahead of South Carolina's Democratic presidential primary, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Clinton aired a radio ad here ridiculing [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama's recent comments about Republican ideas." ... ""Aren't those the ideas that got us into the economic mess we're in today?" the ad's narrator asks." ... "Obama, an Illinois senator who would be the first black U.S. [United States] president, responded later in the day with his own radio ad bluntly confronting Clinton." ... ""Hillary Clinton will say anything to get elected," the narrator of Obama's ad says. "She'll say anything and change nothing."" ... ""Now she's making false attacks on Barack Obama," the ad's narrator says." ... ""She championed NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement), even though it has cost South Carolina thousands of jobs. And worst of all, it was Hillary Clinton who voted for [Republican President] George Bush's war in Iraq."" (1, 2, 3) -By John Whitesides with contributions by Stuart Grudgings -Reuters

- Radio - Advertising - Religious - Rhetoric - Politics - Lawsuit - Military
"Advertisers Drop Savage Over Hateful Remarks, USO Hints At Suit." ... "At least four major firms have pulled advertising from Michael Savage's nationally syndicated radio show following a campaign highlighting his inflammatory rhetoric. One other company, Geico insurance, is expected to follow suit." ... "The campaign, launched recently by Brave New Films, generated thousands of calls urging advertisers on the Savage Nation show to sever financial ties to the widely popular (and frequently offensive) talk host." ... "The USO [United Service Organizations], a non-profit that does work for U.S. [United States] armed forces, wrote Brave New Films complaining about being targeted and even hinting at a lawsuit." ... ""Considering the USO's role in the world," said Leighton Woodhouse, a spokesperson for Brave New Films, "we would have expected them to be the first to distance themselves from someone who is deliberately fanning the flames of hatred between Muslims and non-Muslims; we were sorely disappointed."" -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com

- Dick Cheney - US - Iraq - Military - Government - Intelligence - Politics - Language - Database - History
"Bush Administration Lied 935 Times About Iraq Before Invasion: Study: President [Republican President Bush] cited as most frequent liar, with 259 false statements about weapons of mass destruction and more." ... "For years, the [Republican President] Bush administration has faced charges that it bent the truth or flat-out misled the public about Iraq's alleged stockpile of weapons of mass destruction in the lead-up to the 2003 invasion of the country. Now, a study by two nonprofit journalism organizations claims that President Bush and top officials in his administration issued nearly 1,000 false statements about the security threat posed by Iraq in the wake of 9/11." ... "Relying on what it described as a "massive database" of information that fed the results of the project, the authors said their research was based on juxtaposing what President Bush and the top officials in his administration said in public against what was known, "or should have been known, on a day-to-day basis." The searchable database includes public statements drawn from both primary sources like official transcripts and secondary sources like the reporting of major news organizations over the two years beginning on September 11, 2001. It also used information from more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews." ... "An example given in the report is a portion of an address given at the national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars on August 26, 2002, during which Cheney said, "Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies and against us." According to the report, former CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] Director George Tenet later said Cheney's assertions went well beyond his agency's assessments at the time, and another CIA official, referring to the speech, told a prominent journalist, "Our reaction was, 'Where is he getting this stuff from?' "" ... "As for criticism that the report does not have any new information but rather rehashes already-reported facts, [Center for Public Integrity spokesman Steve] Carpinelli said, "The difference is that while there have been many intelligence reports that came out that contradicted a lot of statements from administration officials, there's been nothing that could show you how it was a coordinated effort." The report is accompanied by a bar graph that Carpinelli said shows how the false statements reached their peak in the months prior to the March 2003 launch of the Iraq war and how they tapered off soon after." -By Gil Kaufman -MTV.com

-US - Iraq - Military
"US military deaths in Iraq at 3,931." ... "As of Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008, at least 3,931 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count." -AP via -Yahoo

- US - Iraq - Afghanistan - Military - Politics - US_Debt - Government
"U.S. war costs in Iraq up-budget report." ... "War funding, which averaged about $93 billion a year from 2003 through 2005, rose to $120 billion in 2006 and $171 billion in 2007 and [Republican] President George W. Bush has asked for $193 billion in 2008, the nonpartisan office [Congressional Budget Office: CBO] wrote." ... "Since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, Congress has written checks for $691 billion to pay for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and such related activities as Iraq reconstruction, the CBO said." ... "Of the total, the CBO estimated that $440 billion had been spent on fighting in Iraq launched with the goal of ousting President Saddam Hussein from power and securing weapons of mass destruction that were never found." ... "All of the Iraq and Afghanistan war money -- about $11 billion a month -- is effectively being put on a government credit card at a time when U.S. [United States] government debt has skyrocketed to more than $9 trillion, up from around $5.6 trillion when [Republican President] Bush took office in January 2001." ... "Bush has opposed paying the cost of waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan with tax increases or other specific offsets." (1, 2, 3) -By Richard Cowan with contributions by Howard Goller and Doina Chiacu -Reuters

- Dick Cheney - US - Iraq - Military - Intelligence - Terrorism -Politics - Rhetoric - History - Journalists
"Study: Bush, aides made 935 false statements in run-up to war." ... "[Republican] President Bush and his top aides publicly made 935 false statements about the security risk posed by Iraq in the two years following September 11, 2001, according to a study released Tuesday by two nonprofit journalism groups." ... "According to the study, Bush and seven top officials -- including [Republicans] Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice -- made 935 false statements about Iraq during those two years." ... "The overview of the study also calls the media to task, saying most media outlets didn't do enough to investigate the claims." ... ""Some journalists -- indeed, even some entire news organizations -- have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical," the report reads. "These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional, 'independent' validation of the Bush administration's false statements about Iraq."" -CNN

- Iraq - Law - Politics - Jobs - Teachers - People - Police - Government - Military - History - US
"Iraq's New Law on Ex-Baathists Could Bring Another Purge." ... "Maj. Gen. [Major General] Hussein al-Awadi, a former official in Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, became the commander of the Iraqi National Police despite a 2003 law barring the party from government." ... "But now, under new legislation promoted as way to return former Baathists to public life, the 56-year-old and thousands like him could be forced out of jobs they have been allowed to hold, according to Iraqi lawmakers and the government agency that oversees ex-Baathists." ... ""This new law is very confusing," Awadi said. "I don't really know what it means for me."" ... "He is not alone. More than a dozen Iraqi lawmakers, U.S. [United States] officials and former Baathists here and in exile expressed concern in interviews that the law could set off a new purge of ex-Baathists, the opposite of U.S. hopes for the legislation. " ... "The very first decree of the U.S.-led occupation government was to disband the Baath Party and purge its members from the government. Issued May 16, 2003, Coalition Provisional Authority Order No. 1 also banned the top four ranks of the Baath Party from public-sector jobs." ... "U.S. officials believed the order would remove about 20,000 Baathists, or 1 percent of the 2 million people in Iraq said to be party members, according to L. Paul Bremer, then the occupation administrator." ... "He blamed the Iraqi politicians who oversaw the de-Baathification process in mid-2003 for going beyond the intention of the order and purging thousands of additional people, including about 11,000 teachers." ... "The Iraqis tell a different story. According to Ali Faisal al-Lami, executive director of the de-Baathification commission, Bremer's order pushed 140,000 Iraqis out of their jobs." (1, 2, 3, 4) -By Amit R. Paley and Joshua Partlow -WashingtonPost

- Mitch McConnell - Noteworthy -Government - Intelligence - Surveillance - Corporate - Telecom- Amnesty - Politics - Nevada - Kentucky - Vermont - Connecticut - Wisconsin
"Your Harry Reid-led Senate in action." ... "[Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry Reid -- who has (a) done more than any other individual to ensure that Bush's demands for telecom immunity and warrantless eavesdropping powers will be met in full and (b) allowed the Republicans all year to block virtually every bill without having to bother to actually filibuster -- went to the Senate floor yesterday and, with the scripted assistance of [Kentucky Republican Senator] Mitch McConnell and [Vermont Democratic Senator] Pat Leahy, warned [Connecticut Democratic Senator] Chris Dodd, [Wisconsin Democratic Senator] Russ Feingold and others that they would be selfishly wreaking havoc on the schedules of their fellow Senators (making them work over the weekend, ruining their planned "retreat," and even preventing them from going to Davos!) if they bothered everyone with their annoying, pointless little filibuster." ... "To do so, Reid announced that, unlike for the multiple filibusters from Republican colleagues, he would actually force Dodd and company to engage in a real filibuster. This is what Reid said:"

"[I]f people think they are going to talk this to death, we are going to be in here all night. This is not something we are going to have a silent filibuster on. If someone wants to filibuster this bill, they are going to do it in the openness of the Senate."

- US - Iraq - Military - Intelligence - Terrorism - Politics - Journalism
"Study: False statements preceded war." ... "A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that [Republican] President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks." ... "The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."" ... "The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism." ... "The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both." ... ""It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida," according to Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism staff members, writing an overview of the study. "In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003."" -By Douglas K. Daniel -AP via -Yahoo

- Dick Cheney - US - Iraq - Military - Intelligence - Terrorism - Politics - Rhetoric - History - Noteworthy
"The War Card: Orchestrated Deception on the Path to War." ... "False Pretenses: Following 9/11, [Republican] President Bush and seven top officials of his administration waged a carefully orchestrated campaign of misinformation about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq." ... "President George W. Bush and seven of his administration's top officials, including [Republicans] Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, made at least 935 false statements in the two years following September 11, 2001, about the national security threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Nearly five years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, an exhaustive examination of the record shows that the statements were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses." ... "On at least 532 separate occasions (in speeches, briefings, interviews, testimony, and the like), Bush and these three key officials, along with Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan, stated unequivocally that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (or was trying to produce or obtain them), links to Al Qaeda, or both. This concerted effort was the underpinning of the Bush administration's case for war." ... "It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to Al Qaeda. This was the conclusion of numerous bipartisan government investigations, including those by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (2004 and 2006), the 9/11 Commission, and the multinational Iraq Survey Group, whose "Duelfer Report" established that Saddam Hussein had terminated Iraq's nuclear program in 1991 and made little effort to restart it." ... "In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003. Not surprisingly, the officials with the most opportunities to make speeches, grant media interviews, and otherwise frame the public debate also made the most false statements, according to this first-ever analysis of the entire body of prewar rhetoric." ... "President Bush, for example, made 232 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and another 28 false statements about Iraq's links to Al Qaeda. Secretary of State Powell had the second-highest total in the two-year period, with 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq's links to Al Qaeda. Rumsfeld and Fleischer each made 109 false statements, followed by Wolfowitz (with 85), Rice (with 56), Cheney (with 48), and McClellan (with 14)." -By Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith -PublicIntegrity.org

- John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - Money - Drug - 2008 Election - People
"Edwards ad hits rivals on special interests." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate John Edwards new South Carolina TV ad referring to 2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama:] "One gets more money than anyone from drug companies. The other one takes more money than anyone from Washington lobbyists," the narrator says as photos of Clinton and Obama appear on the screen." ... ""What’s happened to the Democratic Party? Whatever happened to the party of the people? Good question," the narrator continues, as a montage of Edwards on the campaign trail appears. "The only one who’s never taken a dime from PACs or Washington lobbyists, who knows we’ve been ignored too long, who knows that rebuilding the middle class is more important than politics? Our John Edwards. The only one."" -By Foon Rhee -BostonGlobe

- John Edwards - South Carolina - Workers - Economy - 2008 Election - Health-Care - Kids - Education
"Edwards gets union support, details $1.5B plan for SC." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Tuesday won the endorsement of one of South Carolina's largest unions [the Communications Workers of America] as he gave details of an economic plan his campaign said would offer his native state's struggling economy $1.5 billion in relief." ... ""Our country is no longer on the brink of a recession. I think we're in one," Edwards said during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, a day after a testy debate between the Democratic candidates." ... ""I was proud to represent the grown-up wing of the Democratic Party," he told the cheering crowd." ... ""When all those kinds of personal attacks are going on, it doesn't do a thing to help somebody get health care who doesn't have it," Edwards said. "It doesn't do a thing to help our kids get the education they need. We have work to do in this country."" ... ""There's a disconnect between Washington and the government paying attention to what's happening in real people's lives, as opposed to just paying attention to what's happening on Wall Street," he said." ... ""You watch what [Republican President] George Bush does he just waits and waits and waits and then by the time the water's coming in like a flood, he responds, which is exactly what he's done about the economy," Edwards said. "A month ago I said we had to do something about this and still be he waited and waited."" -By Bruce Smith with contributions by Jim Davenport -AP via-AJC

- Corporate - Energy - Politics - Enron -California - University - Texas
"Suit against bankers tied to Enron debacle is tossed: In dismissing the appeal by the University of California, nation's high court appears to have doomed other big cases against former energy trader's bankers." ... "The Supreme Court today dismissed a huge lawsuit growing out of the Enron debacle that sought to hold Wall Street bankers liable for scheming with the executives of the defunct Houston [Texas] energy trader." ... "Lawyers for investment funds and pension plans, including the University of California's pension plan, had sued Merrill Lynch and the other bankers, seeking to recover more than $30 billion that was lost when Enron folded in 2001." -By David G. Savage -LAtimes

- Alberto Gonzales - Pete Domenici - Heather Wilson - Criminal - US Attorneys - Politics - Hatch Act - Federal - Law - Civil Rights - 2006 Election - 2008 Election - New Mexico - Minnesota
"Attorneys probe deepens." ... "The federal investigation into the firing of nine U.S. attorneys could jolt the political landscape ahead of the November [2008] elections, according to several people close to the inquiry." ... "Washington’s attention has been diverted from the scandal since the August resignation of Alberto Gonzales as attorney general, and has focused instead on Democrats’ efforts to hold White House officials in contempt for ignoring congressional subpoenas to testify on Capitol Hill about the firings." ... "But recent behind-the-scenes activity in several investigations suggests that the issue that roiled Congress in 2007 could re-emerge in the heat of the [2008] election year. Two inquiries by the House and Senate ethics committees are examining whether several congressional Republicans, including one running for the Senate this year, improperly interfered with investigations." ... "As potent as the congressional probes might be, they appear to be far narrower than a sprawling inquiry launched by the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR)." ... "Investigators from these offices have been questioning whether senior officials lied to Congress, violated the criminal provisions in the Hatch Act, tampered with witnesses preparing to testify to Congress, obstructed justice, took improper political considerations into account during the hiring and firing of U.S. attorneys and created widespread problems in the department’s Civil Rights Division, according to several people familiar with the investigation." ... "The internal Justice Department probe cannot bring charges but can refer findings to a U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia or a special prosecutor, who could then pursue a criminal investigation." ... "[Former New Mexico U.S. Attorney David] Iglesias’s case is in the crosshairs of all three investigations. Testifying before Congress, he alleged last year that Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) pressured him to accelerate an investigation of a Democratic politician in New Mexico ahead of Wilson’s tight [2006] reelection bid. Iglesias said he did not plan to bring charges before the November elections, and was fired in December 2006." ... "In a sign that the investigation has widened beyond the nine fired attorneys, Justice last summer interviewed Thomas Heffelfinger, U.S. attorney in Minnesota, who resigned before it was revealed that he was targeted for dismissal." -By Manu Raju -TheHill.com

- Newspaper- Politics - Los Angeles - California - Illinois
"Editor Fires Parting Shot at His Chain." ... "The ousted editor of The Los Angeles Times [based in Los Angeles, California] on Monday offered a scathing critique of the newspaper industry and specifically his longtime employer, the Tribune Company [national media conglomerate based out of Chicago, Illinois], arguing that cost cuts, a lack of investment and an aversion to serious news was damaging the business." ... "The editor, James E. O’Shea, left after he refused to carry out another in a series of newsroom budget cuts sought by the publisher in Los Angeles, David D. Hiller — 15 months after Mr. Hiller fired the previous editor over the same kind of dispute." ... "The current showdown and Mr. O’Shea’s parting comments made for a remarkable statement by an editor who was seen as a Tribune loyalist and was sent to Los Angeles to calm a rebellious staff." ... "“I disagree completely with the way that this company allocates resources to its newsrooms, not just here but at Tribune newspapers all around the country,” Mr. O’Shea wrote in a memo to the newspaper’s staff, echoing farewell remarks he made Monday morning in the newsroom." ... "The chairman and chief executive who took control of Tribune a month ago, Samuel Zell, sided with Mr. Hiller." ... "[Mr. O'Shea asserted:] "“Even in hard times, wise investment — not retraction — is the long-term answer to the industry’s troubles,“ he wrote, while suggesting that Tribune executives have been unable to see the logic of anything but budget cuts." -By Richard Pérez-Peña -NYTimes

- Consumer - Emergency
"Fed Shifts to Lending Concern in Emergency Rate Cut (Update1)." [Federal Reserve cuts rate by 0.75 percentage points to 3.50 percent] ... "The Federal Reserve signaled today that it has grown increasingly concerned over the reluctance of banks to provide credit to companies and consumers, restrictions that may exacerbate an already slowing economy." ... "The central bank, executing a record emergency reduction in its benchmark interest rate, said in its statement that ``credit has tightened further for some businesses and households.'' The Federal Open Market Committee also noted that ``strains in short- term funding markets have eased somewhat.''" ... "The Fed lowered interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point after stocks plunged in Europe and Asia on heightened fears of a U.S. recession." ... "The Fed's first steps in addressing the August credit collapse were to buttress liquidity to keep financial markets stable. Officials cut the charge on direct loans to banks on Aug. [August] 17 [2007] in an unscheduled conference call. Last month, the central bank introduced a new tool to inject funds into banks through two monthly auctions of cash." -By Scott Lanman -Bloomberg

- Fred Thompson - South Carolina - Tennessee - Actor - 2008 Election
"Fred Thompson Bows Out Of '08 Presidential Race: Actor and former [Tennessee Republican] senator announces his withdrawal following third-place finish in South Carolina." ... "Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson, who is perhaps best known for his work on "Law & Order," has pulled his name out of the proverbial hat, announcing Tuesday (January 22) through his Web site that he won't be seeking the Republican nomination for president." ... "The 65-year-old thespian was an early favorite for his party's nomination, but his campaign floundered from the outset, and Thompson never quite garnered the support he needed to carry on. He was one of the last candidates to enter the race, after months of speculation that he'd take a stab at the White House." -By Chris Harris -MTV.com

- US - World - Housing - Labor - History
"Fed cuts rates sharply, other central banks under pressure to follow." ... "The Federal Reserve made a surprise cut in US [United States] interest rates, slashing its Fed funds rate target by 0.75 percentage points to 3.50 pct [percent] amid growing fears of a US recession and steep falls on world stock markets." ... "It said the rate cut had been decided 'in view of a weakening of the economic outlook and increasing downside risks to growth'." ... "The Fed funds rate cut was the first between regular meetings since Sept 2001 and the biggest easing move since the 1980's." ... "The Fed also cut its discount rate by the same margin to 4.00 pct." ... "Even with these rate cuts, the Fed said 'appreciable downside risks to growth remain' and added that it will 'act in a timely manner as needed to address those risks'." ... "'While strains in short-term funding markets have eased somewhat, broader financial market conditions have continued to deteriorate and credit has tightened further for some businesses and households,' it said." ... "The Federal Open Market Committee also said it saw a 'deepening of the housing contraction as well as some softening in labour markets'." ... "The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 465 points at the start of the session but later recovered to a post a loss of around 200 points." -Thomson via -CNN

- World - US - India - Japan - China - Hong Kong - South Korea - Singapore - Indonesia
"World markets continue to sink over U.S. woes: India exchange briefly suspended after 9% drop tied to investor pessimism." ... "Japan's Nikkei 225 index, the benchmark for Asia's biggest bourse, plummeted 5.7 percent to close at 12,573.05 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the lowest close since Sept. 8, 2005. In China, the Shanghai Composite Index fell 7.2 percent to its lowest close since early August." ... "Trading was halted in India when the Sensex index plummeted 9.75 percent within minutes of opening. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped 8 percent by midday after diving 5.5 percent the day before." ... "Asian markets have fallen sharply since the start of the year: Japan's benchmark index has sunk nearly 17 percent, while the Hang Seng is down a stunning 22 percent." ... "That slide continued Tuesday, with benchmark indices in China, South Korea and Singapore falling at least 4 percent. Australia's benchmark index slid 7.1 percent and Indonesia's market was down 9 percent." -AP via -MSNBC

-John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - 2008 Election - Economics - Workers - Energy - Poverty - Racial - Politics
"Edwards Excels in Ferocious Democratic Debate." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate John] Edwards tweaked both his opponents for making the debate about political squabbling instead of public policy. Returning to his populist economic platform -- especially salient as Americans ponder a recession -- he reminded voters that he was the only candidate to outline a comprehensive plan to end poverty, and the first to introduce a national economic stimulus proposal. His plan came out weeks before [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Clinton and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama. The program drove the "party's policy agenda," as Paul Krugman explained, by advocating "aid to unemployed workers, aid to cash-strapped state and local governments," and alternative energy, (most of which Clinton later adopted in her plan). And while the debate moderators kept pushing trite racial questions, even asking Obama if Bill Clinton was the "first black president," Edwards outlined a vision of racial and economic equality, where "every American is of equal value."" -By Ari Melber -TheNation.com

- John Edwards - 2008 Election - Politics
"What the Grown-Ups Say." ... "Seriously, why should John Edwards drop out of the race?" ... "First, as others have noted, his campaign has had an effect on this race out of proportion to his poll support in as much as he's forced the two other leading candidates to grapple with issues they would not have otherwise. And in this race specifically, there is at least a chance we could come into the convention with neither candidate having a majority of the delegates, in which case he might play the kingmaker." -By Josh Marshall -TalkingPointsMemo.com

- Worldwide - US - Britain - France - Germany - Canada - Brazil - Argentina
"Stock Markets Plunge Worldwide." ... "Stocks fell sharply worldwide Monday following declines on Wall Street last week amid investor pessimism over the U.S. [United States] government's stimulus plan to prevent a recession." ... "U.S. markets were closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but the downbeat mood from last week's market declines there circled through Europe, Asia and the Americas. Britain's benchmark FTSE-100 slumped 5.5 percent to 5,578.20, France's CAC-40 Index tumbled 6.8 percent to 4,744.15, and Germany's blue-chip DAX 30 plunged 7.2 percent to 6,790.19." ... "In Canada, the S&P/TSX composite index on the Toronto Stock Exchange fell 4.8 percent. Brazilian stocks plunged 6.6 percent on the main index of Sao Paulo's Bovespa exchange, and Argentina's benchmark Merval index fell 6.3 percent to close under 1,900 for the first time since August 2006." -By Toby Anderson with contributions by Cassie Biggs, Ramola Talwar Badam, Elaine Kurtenbach, and Carl Freire -AP via -Yahoo

- US - India - Japan - Hong Kong - China - Australia - South Korea - Singapore
"Asian stocks tumble on US recession fears." ... "Asian stock markets fell sharply on Monday as a $140bn fiscal stimulus package outlined on Friday by [Republican] President George Bush did nothing to assuage investor fears of a recession for Asia’s most important trading partner." ... "India led the declines, with the benchmark Sensex Index plunging nearly 11 per cent at one point, before finishing down about 7 per cent." ... "In Tokyo [Japan's capital], the Nikkei 225 slumped 3.9 per cent to close near a 27-month low of 13,325.94. The index has lost a quarter of its value in the past six months." ... "Hong Kong stocks dropped 5.5 per cent while H shares, or Hong Kong-listed shares of mainland Chinese companies, skidded 7.1 per cent. Australian stocks extended their losing run to an 11th straight session, falling 2.9 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi shed 3 per cent to 1,683.56 as exporters LG Philips LCD dropped 1.1 per cent to Won40,400 and Hyundai Motor dropped 0.5 per cent to Won67,100. Singapore was down over 5 per cent in late afternoon trading." -By Lindsay Whipp and Joe Leahy -FT.com

- Newspaper - Los Angeles - California - Illinois
"L.A. Times editor fired, "significant changes" ahead." ... "The editor of the Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles, California], James O'Shea, has been fired over a budgetary dispute only 14 months after he took over the post, the newspaper said on Sunday." ... "O'Shea, a veteran of the Chicago Tribune [Chicago, Illinois] who was hired by the Times in November 2006, was fired by publisher David Hiller after he refused to carry out some $4 million in cuts, said the newspaper on its Web site, citing an unnamed source." ... "O'Shea's firing comes one month after the paper's parent, Tribune Co, completed an $8.2 billion buyout led by Chicago real estate tycoon Sam Zell." (1, 2) -By Alexandria Sage with contributions by Paritosh Bansal and Kim Coghill -Reuters
 
 

- John Edwards- Justice - Health-Care - Environment - Economic - Poverty - People - Political - History - 2008 Election
"Martin L. King, III [eldest son of Martin Luther King] letter to The Honorable John E. Edwards. [PDF]" ... "Dear Senator Edwards:" [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate John Edwards] ... "It was good meeting with you yesterday and discussing my father’s legacy.  On the day when the nation will honor my father, I wanted to follow up with a personal note." ... "There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of back and forth in the political arena over my father’s legacy.  It is a commentary on the breadth and depth of his impact that so many people want to claim his legacy.  I am concerned that we do not blur the lines and obscure the truth about what he stood for: speaking up for justice for those who have no voice." ... "I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are - a struggle for justice.  And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this [2008] election." ... "You know as well as anyone that the 37 million people living in poverty have no voice in our system.  They don’t have lobbyists in Washington and they don’t get to go to lunch with members of Congress.  Speaking up for them is not politically convenient.  But, it is the right thing to do." ... "I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of economic justice has received during this campaign.  I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America." ... "From our conversation yesterday, I know this is personal for you.  I know you know what it means to come from nothing.  I know you know what it means to get the opportunities you need to build a better life. And, I know you know that injustice is alive and well in America, because millions of people will never get the same opportunities you had." ... "I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes.  My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society.  He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives." ... "So, I urge you: keep going.  Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice.  My dad was a fighter.   As a friend and a believer in my father’s words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going.  Keep fighting.  My father would be proud." -By Martin L. King, III via -JohnEdwards.com

- Israel - Electronic - Cars - Manufacturing - Transportation - Technology - Company - Environmental - Health - Politics - California - US - Japan - France
"Israel Looks to Electric Cars." ... "The Israeli government announced a major initiative to push the nation's drivers toward electric cars on Monday, a move meant to both lessen dependence on foreign oil and address the environmental and health hazards of gas-burning vehicles." ... "It aligns policy makers and a major car company with an outfit prepared to build hundreds of thousands of electric charging stations across the country. In an interview with TIME, Israeli President Shimon Peres called the project, "an experimental lab, a pilot project, before it's applied to other, bigger industrialized nations."" ... "Automaker Renault-Nissan will manufacture the cars and Better Place, a California start-up founded by former SAP executive Shai Agassi, will build the infrastructure, which may eventually consist of 500,000 charging points and up to 200 battery-exchange stations." ... "The [Renault-Nissan] Japanese-French auto alliance has separately said that it will manufacture a hybrid by 2010 and an all-electric car by 2012." ... "Agassi figures that if he adds electrical outlets to at least 500,000 of Israel's three to four million parking spots, people will feel like they can charge their cars whenever they need to." ... "For longer drives, customers will be able to pull into a battery-swap station and get a fresh battery." -By Barbara Kiviat with contributions by Tim McGirk -TIME.com

- Environmental - Corporate - Government - Law -Politics - Investigation - California - Cars - Emissions
"EPA won't give details on denying emissions waiver." ... "Invoking executive privilege, the [Republican President Bush run] U.S. [United States] Environmental Protection Agency refused to provide lawmakers Friday with a full explanation of why it rejected California's greenhouse gas regulations." ... "The EPA informed [California Democratic Senator] Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., that many of the documents she had requested contained internal deliberations or attorney-client communications that would not be shared with Congress." ... "The refusal to provide a full explanation is the latest twist in a congressional investigation into why the EPA denied California permission to impose what would have been the country's toughest greenhouse gas standards on cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles." -AP via -SFGate.com

- Food - Oil - Money -Poverty - Global - US - India - Malaysia - Pakistan - Indonesia - Egypt - China - Guinea - Mauritania - Mexico - Senegal - Uzbekistan - Yemen - United Nations
"A New, Global Oil Quandary: Costly Fuel Means Costly Calories." ... "Rising prices for cooking oil are forcing residents of Asia’s largest slum, in Mumbai, India, to ration every drop. Bakeries in the United States are fretting over higher shortening costs. And here in Malaysia, brand-new factories built to convert vegetable oil into diesel sit idle, their owners unable to afford the raw material." ... "This is the other oil shock. From India to Indiana, shortages and soaring prices for palm oil, soybean oil and many other types of vegetable oils are the latest, most striking example of a developing global problem: costly food." ... "The food price index of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, based on export prices for 60 internationally traded foodstuffs, climbed 37 percent last year. That was on top of a 14 percent increase in 2006, and the trend has accelerated this winter." ... "In some poor countries, desperation is taking hold. Just in the last week, protests have erupted in Pakistan over wheat shortages, and in Indonesia over soybean shortages. Egypt has banned rice exports to keep food at home, and China has put price controls on cooking oil, grain, meat, milk and eggs." ... "According to the F.A.O., food riots have erupted in recent months in Guinea, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Senegal, Uzbekistan and Yemen." ... "A startling change is unfolding in the world’s food markets. Soaring fuel prices have altered the equation for growing food and transporting it across the globe. Huge demand for biofuels has created tension between using land to produce fuel and using it for food." ... "Cooking oil may seem a trifling expense in the West. But in the developing world, cooking oil is an important source of calories and represents one of the biggest cash outlays for poor families, which grow much of their own food but have to buy oil in which to cook it." (1, 2, 3) -By Keith Bradsher with contributions by Andrew Martin, Anand Giridharadas, and Michael Rubenstein -NYTimes

- Mitt Romney - Politics - Massachusetts - New Hampshire - Nevada - South Carolina - 2008 Election
"More than a dozen lobbyists working to raise money for Romney." ... "Former Bay State Gov. [Massachusetts Republican Governor and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney, who has cast himself as a Washington outsider and blasted his opponents’ ties to lobbyists, has more than a dozen federally registered lobbyists raising money for him and several others advising his campaign, records show." ... "At a Nashua event the day before the New Hampshire primary, Romney said, “I don’t have years and years of favors to repay, lobbyists who have raised all sorts of money for me.”" ... "But at least 13 lobbyists work as so-called bundlers - those responsible for prodding deep-pocketed donors and generating vast sums of money for the candidate - according to records compiled by nonprofit Washington watchdog Public Citizen." ... "Romney, who faces a critical doubleheader in South Carolina and Nevada today, got into a tussle Thursday with an Associated Press reporter over the issue. “I don’t have lobbyists running my campaign,” Romney remarked. “I don’t have lobbyists that are tied to my . . .” The reporter interrupted him saying, “That is not true,” and naming [lobbyist Ronald C.] Kaufman, which provoked a tense exchange." -By Jessica Van Sack -BostonHerald.com

- Duncan Hunter - Mitt Romney - Fred Thompson - California - Nevada - Wyoming - Massachusetts - Tennessee - 2008 Election
"Poor Showings Push GOP’s Hunter to Quit White House Bid." ... "California [Republican Representative and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Rep. Duncan Hunter dropped his longshot bid for the Republican presidential nomination Saturday night after drawing minimal support in the contests so far — including Nevada’s GOP caucuses, in which he took just 2 percent of the vote." ... "Hunter did win one delegate in Wyoming’s Republican county conventions on Jan. 5, where former Massachusetts Gov. [Governor and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Mitt Romney won eight and ex-Tennessee Sen. [Senator and 2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Fred Thompson won three." -By Marie Horrigan -CQPolitics.com

- Illegal - Sports - Drugs - Business - Politics - Maine
"A Debt of Gratitude Owed to Tom Davis." ... "On Tuesday morning before a standing-room only crowd in Room 2154 of the Sam Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill, former Senate Majority Leader [Maine Democratic Senator] George Mitchell, D-Maine — a man who almost single-handedly could give politics a good name — speaking in cogent and complete paragraphs commanded the entire room's attention." ... "Mitchell, the author of a 409-page report on the illegal use of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs by 86 Major League Baseball players was the leadoff witness on hearings on that subject called by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform." ... "George Mitchell, who brokered peace in war-torn Northern Ireland, and who, if the gods were just, would have been either president or chief justice, or both, wears no man's collar. His indictment spared nobody in a position of influence: "Everybody involved in baseball over the past two decades — commissioners, club officials, the players' association and players — shares to some extent the responsibility for the steroids era."-Mark Shields -Creators.com

- Dick Cheney - Government - Electronic - E-Mail - History - Censorship - Politics - Presidential Records Act - Archives - Law - Calif
"White House Study Found 473 Days of E-Mail Gone." ... "The [Republican President Bush] White House possesses no archived e-mail messages for many of its component offices, including the Executive Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President [Dick Cheney], for hundreds of days between 2003 and 2005, according to the summary of an internal White House study that was disclosed yesterday by a congressional Democrat." ... "The 2005 study -- whose credibility the White House attacked this week -- identified 473 separate days in which no electronic messages were stored for one or more White House offices, said House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman [California Democratic Representative] Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.)." ... "Waxman said he decided to release the summary after White House spokesman Tony Fratto said yesterday that there is "no evidence" that any White House e-mails from those years are missing. Fratto's assertion "seems to be an unsubstantiated statement that has no relation to the facts they have shared with us," Waxman said." ... "The competing claims were the latest salvos in an escalating dispute over whether the [Republican President] Bush administration has complied with long-standing statutory requirements to preserve official White House records -- including those reflecting potentially sensitive policy discussions -- for history and in case of any future legal demands." ... "The White House is required by law to preserve e-mails considered presidential or federal records, and it is the target of several lawsuits seeking information about missing data and efforts to preserve electronic communications." (1, 2) -By Dan Eggen and Elizabeth Williamson -WashingtonPost

- John Edwards - Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - Radio - Ad - Nevada - Illinois - Iowa - North Carolina
"Edwards hits Obama on independent ads." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards said Friday that [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama needs to “speak up, if he really means what he says” about ending divisive politics and denounce a Nevada ad funded by an independent group that supports the Illinois senator’s presidential bid." ... ""Everyone pledged that this kind of divisive politics that divides the Democratic Party, and could divide America, would come to an end. [Senator] Sen. Obama made that pledge, I was sitting five feet from him when he made it," Edwards told the crowd at a Nevada campaign event." ... "“And now it turns out that in the last 24 hours there's a radio ad, a malicious radio ad, attacking [Senator] Sen. Clinton. That is exactly the kind of divisive politics. It's being run right here, in Las Vegas [Nevada]. I denounce it. This kind of ad, I don't care who's doing it — in this case it's [Senator] Sen. Obama's supporters — but this sort of thing needs to stop.["]" ... "“And from what I've seen, [Senator] Sen. Obama has not said a single word about this. Nothing. When two days ago, three days ago, he said on a stage in front of America and said, 'This kind of politics has no place in America,’” said Edwards." ... "“He should speak up, if he really means what he says, and this is not just talk, he should speak up and denounce this type of divisive politics.”" ... "John Edwards was criticized by Obama in Iowa for not calling an independent group that supported the former North Carolina senator to demand they pull ads they were running in support of his candidacy." -By Rebecca Sinderbrand -CNN

- Mitt Romney - Money - Politics - Health-Care - 2008 Election
"Mitt Romney's Lobbyist Connections." ... "In a tense exchange with an AP reporter on Thursday, Mitt Romney insisted that even though a registered lobbyist is one of his senior advisers, lobbyists do not "run" his campaign." ... "The claim is part of Romney's new self-styled outsider message: lobbyists are part of a broken Washington system and Romney has nothing to do with them." ... ""My campaign is not based on Washington lobbyists," Romney said. "I haven't been in Washington. I don't have lobbyists at my elbow that are arguing for one industry or another industry and I do not have favors I have to repay to people who have been in Washington for years."" ... "The truth is that Romney is tied closely with many lobbyists. The AP reporter Romney exchanged sharp words with later reported that several Romney aides and advisers are lobbyists. Additionally, as the Nation first reported, Romney has accepted the second most money from lobbyists of any Republican presidential candidate, and has received the most endorsements from lobbyists." ... "The lobbyists who have endorsed Romney have represented, in 2007 alone, nearly every part of the health care and financial services industries, the NRA, members of the tobacco industry, and gambling interests." ... "In fact, nearly every lobbyist who has endorsed Romney is peddling influence for the health care industry." -By Jonathan Stein -MotherJones.com

- UK - Russia - European Union
"U.K. Slams Russian `Cold War' Tactics, Shuts Offices (Correct)." ... "The U.K. [United Kingdom] accused Russia of ``reprehensible'' Cold War tactics that forced Britain's cultural promotion body to close its last two offices outside Moscow after ``blatant intimidation'' of staff." ... "Russia's actions are ``not worthy of a great country,'' U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband told Parliament in London [United Kingdom's capital] today. ``We saw similar actions during the Cold War, but frankly thought they had been put behind us.''" ... "The British Council shut its branches in St. [Saint] Petersburg [Russia] and Yekaterinburg [Russia], saying the Russian government had made it ``impossible'' for the U.K. cultural promotion body to operate." ... "The dispute inflamed tensions between Russia and the U.K., whose ties were already at a post-Cold War low since the 2006 murder in London of dissident ex-Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko. Russia also found itself at odds with the 27-nation European Union, which criticized the ``harassment'' of the British Council. " -By Henry Meyer and Sebastian Alison -Bloomberg

- John Edwards - Education - Health Care - Working - People - Money - 2008 Election - California
"With dig at Schwarzenegger, John Edwards campaigns in Calif.." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards accused [Republican California Governor] Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Thursday of trying to gut education and health care programs at a campaign rally where he also promised to usher in a new era of prosperity for working-class America." ... "The Democratic presidential candidate expressed disbelief that the Republican governor was taking aim at schools and the sick when more investment is needed, not less. Schwarzenegger's spending blueprint calls for 10 percent cuts to most state agencies and would slash classroom funding by hundreds of dollars per student." ... ""The last thing that needs to happen ... is to have any of the funding that is necessary to provide health care for Californians cut. That funding needs to be there," Edwards said." ... ""We should not be cutting funding for K-through-12 education," he added. "Who in the world in America thinks we have too much money invested in public education? This makes absolutely no sense."" -By Michael R. Blood -AP via -SFGate.com

- Hillary Clinton - John Edwards - Barack Obama - Race - Language - Radio - Ads - Nevada - Union - Money - 2008 Election - Iowa - North Carolina
"Clinton, Edwards campaigns blast radio ads backing Obama." ... "The campaigns of [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidates] Hillary Clinton and John Edwards took aim at [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama Thursday over radio ads in Nevada funded by a third-party group that is backing his candidacy." ... "The buy is allegedly being funded by the Unite Here Campaign Committee on behalf of the Culinary Workers Union, which has endorsed Obama." ... "On a conference call with reporters late this afternoon, Hispanic supporters of Clinton’s presidential candidacy criticized the union for incorrectly implying that “Si Se Puede” – a slogan associated with the late activist Cesar Chavez – was also the Obama campaign’s official slogan." ... "John Edwards was criticized by Obama in Iowa for not calling an independent group that supported the former North Carolina senator to demand they pull ads they were running in support of his candidacy. “When Sen. Obama says ‘turn the page,’ he obviously means turn to whatever page is most convenient. He loudly and repeatedly attacked independent ads by unions in Iowa as the product of special interests,” said Edwards Deputy Campaign Manager Jonathan Prince." ... "“But when a different outside group starts running ads on his behalf in Nevada, there's not a peep from him or his campaign. It must be because he's burning up the phone lines calling the head of Unite Here personally to demand he pulls the ads down right away.”" -By Rebecca Sinderbrand -CNN

- John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - Money - Drug - Oil - 2008 Election - Health - Home -Law - Union - Nevada
"Edwards sharpens criticism of Clinton, Obama." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards sharpened his criticism of Democratic [2008 Election Presidential Candidate] front-runners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama Thursday night, saying they are helping turn the party into the champion of special interests." ... "“When did our party change? When did we become the party that took more money from drug companies and insurance companies than the Republicans?” Edwards asked." ... "“Not when I'm president of the United States” he told hundreds of supporters who jammed a Reno [Nevada] union hall Thursday night." ... "“The person who raised the most money from oil and gas companies is not a Republican. It's a Democrat. It's [Senator] Sen. Clinton,” Edwards said." ... "The party's 2004 vice presidential candidate said the contributions make his primary opponents beholden to big corporations, causing them to compromise on such things as health care reform and [home] mortgage foreclosures." ... "“You can't take these people's money and challenge them and fight them in a way that is going to be necessary to bring about change,” Edwards said." ... "“We desperately need universal health care for every man, woman and child in this country. Sen. Obama's plan is not universal. It leaves as many as 15 million Americans uncovered,” he said." ... "Edwards said he supports Clinton's call to freeze interest rates for five years and place a moratorium on [home] foreclosures for 90 days but “we have to do more than that.”" ... "“What she has not called for, because the mortgage lending industry is against it, is allowing the bankruptcy court to restructure these loans. We need to give the bankruptcy court the power to restructure these loans,” he said. " -By Scott Sonner with contributions by Ryan Nakashima -AP via -SignOnSanDiego.com

- Manufacturing - Housing - Technology
"Dow Plunges More Than 300 Points on Grim Outlook." ... "Stock markets plunged on Thursday as investors confronted a troubling manufacturing report and new indications of the depth of subprime losses and housing woes. The Dow Jones industrial average lost more than 300 points." ... "The Standard and Poor’s 500-stock index, a broad measure of the financial markets, tumbled below its low for last year, set in March. At the close, it was down 2.9 percent after giving up early morning gains, bringing its decline since Jan. 1 to 9.2 percent." ... "The Dow Jones industrial average ended down 306.95 points, or 2.5 percent, at 12,159.21, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index was off 2 percent." -By Michael M. Grynbaum -NYTimes

- Construction - Business - History
"Housing Starts at 16-Year Low." ... "New home construction fell again in December as builders scramble to cut back in the face of rising inventories and fewer orders. The drop-off is likely to hurt businesses that serve the housing industry, which economists do not expect to bottom out until the middle of the year." ... "Groundbreakings remain at the lowest level in more than 16 years, and permits for new residential construction projects recorded their slowest month since the housing recession of the early 1990s, the Commerce Department said on Thursday." ... "Housing starts fell by 14 percent last month, to an annual rate of 1.006 million, seasonally adjusted. Residential construction dropped nearly 40 percent in 2007 as a whole." ... "Permits for new buildings, a leading indicator of housing construction, dropped by 34 percent last year." -By Michael M. Grynbaum -NYTimes

- Homeowners - Illinois
"Wealthy may be next in line in home crisis." ... "A house in this wealthy Chicago suburb [of Hinsdale, Illinois] is far beyond the reach of most Americans." ... "With a picturesque little downtown area and large, expensive houses -- according to the Headrick-Wagner Consulting Group, the average home sale price here in the 12 months to September 30, 2007, was around $1.15 million -- Hinsdale seems a world away from the housing slowdown that may have brought the U.S. [United States] economy to the brink of a recession." ... "But even here, far from the housing crisis' epicenter, high earners with good credit may be heading for trouble as their adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) adjust beyond their means, local real estate agents and others say. In a normal housing market they'd be able to sell, but now they are stuck." ... ""The next wave of problems will come from prime borrowers who bought too much house or borrowed too much against it," said Michael van Zalingen, director of home ownership services at Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago [Illinois]. A "prime" borrower is one with good credit." (1, 2, 3) -By Nick Carey with contributions by Eddie Evans -Reuters

- Manufacturing - Pennsylvania
"U.S. Stocks Drop on Merrill Loss, Decline in Philly Fed Index." ... "U.S. [United States] stocks fell for a third day after the Federal Reserve said manufacturing in the Philadelphia [Pennsylvania, the Federal Reserve’s Philadelphia index] region dropped to a six-year low and Merrill Lynch & Co. posted a loss that was double analysts' estimates." ... "The S&P 500, which is headed for its biggest three-day drop since 2002, lost 32.15, or 2.3 percent, to 1,341.05 at 2:42 p.m. in New York and is down 8.6 percent this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average decreased 239.97, or 1.9 percent, to 12,226.19. The Nasdaq Composite Index slid 33.96, or 1.4 percent, to 2,360.63. Almost six stocks fell for every one that rose on the NYSE." ... "``The market clearly right now is fearing, and trading on the assumption, that there is a significant slowdown going on in the economy and probably a recession on the horizon,'' said Dean Gulis, who helps manage $3 billion at Loomis Sayles & Co. in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. ``That's what's driving stocks.''" ... "Approaching 'Bear' Market" ... "Benchmark indexes are approaching so-called bear markets, or declines of at least 20 percent from highs. The S&P 500 and Dow average have both lost more than 14 percent from their Oct. 9 records, while the Nasdaq composite has tumbled 17 percent from an almost seven-year high on Oct. 31 [2007]." -By Eric Martin -Bloomberg

- Homes
"Merrill Posts Record Loss on $16.7 Billion Writedown (Update6)." ... "Merrill Lynch & Co., the biggest U.S. [United States] brokerage, reported a record loss after $16.7 billion of writedowns on assets infected by subprime mortgages [real-estate and home loans]." ... "The loss was almost three times bigger than analysts estimated and resulted in the first full-year loss since 1989, sending Merrill down 10 percent in New York trading, the biggest decline since the 2001 terrorist attacks." ... "Merrill follows Morgan Stanley and Bear Stearns Cos. in reporting a loss, capping Wall Street's worst quarter ever. The five biggest U.S. securities firms, which also include Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., reported a net total of $10.2 billion in losses." ... "The fourth-quarter loss was the same reported earlier this week by Citigroup Inc., which took an $18 billion writedown related to its subprime-mortgage holdings and slashed its dividend 41 percent." ... "The writedowns by Merrill add to more than $100 billion of subprime-related losses reported since May by the world's largest banks and securities firms." -By Bradley Keoun -Bloomberg

- John Edwards - Barack Obama - Hillary Clinton - 2008 Election - Working - People - History - Companies - Environment - Law -Nevada
"Edwards Jabs Obama and Clinton." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards ripped [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama [made in Nevada] for praising the way [Republican President] Ronald Reagan brought about change when he was President of the United States." ... "“When you think about what Ronald Reagan did to the American people, to the middle class to the working people,” said Edwards." ... "“He was openly – openly – intolerant of unions and the right to organize. He openly fought against the union and the organized labor movement in this country. He openly did extraordinary damage to the middle class and working people, created a tax structure that favored the very wealthiest Americans and caused the middle class and working people to struggle every single day. The destruction of the environment, you know, eliminating regulation of companies that were polluting and doing extraordinary damage to the environment.”" ... "“I can promise you this: this president will never use Ronald Reagan as an example for change.”" ... "Edwards also took another shot at Obama earlier in his speech:" ... "“There’s this back and forth that’s been going over the last 24 hours or so between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama, with Senator Clinton saying what we need in a president is somebody who knows how to run the bureaucracy, who knows how to manage, somebody who knows how to shuffle the papers around and Senator Obama saying no, what we really need is a President of the United States who knows how to give a good speech,” said Edwards. “Here’s what I think, I think what we need in the next President of the United States is somebody with some guts and fight and determination.["]" -By Aaron Lewis -CBSNews

- Brazil - Farms - Illegal - Business - History - Land - Plants - Global - Weather - Science
"Amazon deforestation seen surging." ... "[Brazil's National Institute for Space Research scientist Carlos] Nobre, whose government agency monitors the Amazon and gathers data, said that 2,300 square miles of [Brazil's] forest had been lost in the past four months." ... "That compares with an estimated 3,700 square miles in the 12 months ended July 31, which Brazil officials hailed as the lowest deforestation rate since the 1970s." ... "Brazil's government has said that policies such as more controls on illegal logging and better certification of land ownership were reducing the deforestation that has destroyed about a fifth of the forest -- an area bigger than France -- since the 1970s." ... "But environmental groups have warned that rising global commodity prices are likely to fuel more clearing of land for farms, as occurred in 2004 when Brazil recorded the highest deforestation rate of more than 10,400 square miles (27,000 square km )." ... "Destruction of forests produces about 20 percent of man-made carbon dioxide emissions, making conservation of the Amazon crucial to limiting rises in global temperatures." (1, 2) -By Stuart Grudgings with contributions by Cynthia Osterman -Reuters

- Government - Computer - E-Mail - Archives - Law - Politics - US - Iraq - Military - Intelligence - Videotapes - Presidential Records Act
"White House Tape Recycling May Have Erased Controversial E-Mails." ... "The [Republican President Bush] White House has acknowledged in a new court filing that it routinely recycled computer backup tapes containing its e-mail records until October 2003, a practice that could mean that many electronic messages from the first two years of the [Republican President] Bush administration are lost forever." ... "The disclosure raises the possibility that the White House effectively erased e-mail related to some of the biggest controversies of the Bush administration, including the leak of a CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] officer's name, the start of the Iraq war and the CIA's destruction of interrogation videotapes." ... "The backups are meant to preserve records in case of a disaster. They also serve a role in ensuring that federal record-keeping laws are met, according to administration officials and records management experts. Two separate statutes require the White House to preserve federal or presidential records." ... "In their lawsuit, the two advocacy groups, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the National Security Archive, allege that millions of e-mail messages are missing from White House servers between 2003 and 2005." -By Dan Eggen -WashingtonPost

- Consumer - Accounting - History - Labor - Food - Health - Gasoline - Politics
"New inflation data explain middle-class squeeze." ... "New data from the Labor Department confirm what most middle-class Americans already know: Inflation is squeezing them." ... "As consumer prices rose by 4.1 percent last year, the highest rate since 1990, the prices of basic essentials such as food, gasoline and health insurance climbed far more steeply, explaining why so many Americans are telling pollsters that the economy is their chief concern." ... "The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday that the price of food and beverages rose 4.8 percent. At the same time, real weekly earnings failed to keep pace, rising 0.9 percent for the year. In the simplest of terms, a dollar earned bought less." ... "Digging deeper into the data reveals, for example, that the price of bread rose 7.4 percent last year, almost twice the rate of inflation." ... "The price of eggs rose 29.2 percent in 2007, while the price of fresh whole milk was up 13.1 percent. Since July, when milk prices first soared, the price of fresh whole milk has risen by almost 23 percent." ... "The price of health insurance, another major political-campaign theme, rose by 10.1 percent last year." ... "Gasoline prices rose 8.2 percent on average last year, the slowest rate of growth since 2002. But pump prices began climbing anew in October and for the last quarter of 2007 average prices rose by just more than 30 percent." -By Kevin G. Hall -McClatchyDC.com

- John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - South Carolina - American - Jobs - Overseas - Trade - 2008 Election
"Edwards draws direct contrasts with rivals." ... "The four 10-second spots [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate's new TV ads], which begin airing today in South Carolina, each show photos of [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary] Clinton and [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama while the announcer poses a question. In one, the query is: "Which Democrat opposed NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement] and other trade deals that send American jobs overseas?" In the second, "Which Democrat has never taken a dime of campaign money from Washington lobbyists?" In the third, "Who’s the only Democrat who would ban Washington lobbyists from the White House staff?" And in the fourth, "Who’s the only Democrat that beats all the Republicans in the recent CNN poll?"" ... "They all end with, "John Edwards is the only one."" -By Foon Rhee -BostonGlobe

- Consumer - History - Energy
"Wholesale prices rose by 6.3 percent in 2007: Year-over-year gain was largest in 26 years." ... "Wholesale inflation last year shot up by the largest amount in 26 years while retailers suffered their worst December shopping season in five years as mounting economic woes caused consumers to put away their wallets." ... "The Labor Department reported that wholesale inflation [the Producer Price Index] was up 6.3 percent for all of 2007, reflecting a huge increase for the year in various types of energy costs ranging from gasoline to home heating oil." ... "Meanwhile, retail sales fell by 0.4 percent in December, the worst showing in six months, the Commerce Department reported. Consumer confidence has plunged, reflecting the worsening housing slump and a lingering credit crisis." ... "The big increase last year reflected the fact that energy prices rose by 18.4 percent after having declined by 2 percent in 2006. It was the biggest annual increase in energy costs at the wholesale level since they rose by 23.9 percent in 2005." -AP via -MSNBC

- Corporate - Government - Louisiana - 2008 Election
"Richard Baker to leave Congress by Feb. 6." ... "The dean of Louisiana's congressional delegation, [Republican Representative] Rep. Richard Baker, has decided to step down from Congress after 22 years to take a lucrative job in the private sector representing investors he has spent a career regulating." ... "The announcement by the Baton Rouge [Louisiana] Republican was not unexpected and makes him the third member of the state's seven-member House delegation in the past two months to resign or announce plans to resign." ... "Baker, 59, a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee will take the helm of the Managed Funds Association, the industry group that represents the $1.8 trillion hedge fund industry. As president and CEO, his salary and benefits package is expected to exceed $1 million a year." -By Bill Walsh -NOLA.com

- US - Afghanistan
"Gates recommends additional troops for Afghanistan." ... "U.S. [United States] Defense Secretary Robert Gates has recommended sending additional troops to Afghanistan to reinforce NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] forces but there is no final decision yet, defense officials said on Monday." ... "The Pentagon chief will consult with [Republican] President George W. Bush soon on a proposal to send 3,200 Marines to the South Asian nation, where stability is threatened by a surge in violence over the past two years, officials said." ... "Lawrence Korb, a former defense official now with the Center for American Progress, said the Bush administration mishandled NATO involvement by delaying its role in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks." ... "Violence in Afghanistan has increased, with the fundamentalist Islamist Taliban fighting a guerrilla war in the south and east and carrying out suicide and car bombings across the country." ... "The United States has about 27,000 troops in Afghanistan -- the most since leading the 2001 invasion." -By David Morgan with contributions by Caren Bohan -Reuters

- John Edwards - Environmental - Law - South Carolina - Coal-Plant - Corporation - US - Global - Climate - North Carolina - 2008 Election
"Edwards Calls for Ban on Coal Plants." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Monday said a proposed coal-fired power plant shouldn't be built in northeastern South Carolina, continuing his call for a ban on those facilities." ... ""My view is that needs to stop," Edwards said of the $1 billion, 600-megawatt plant set to be built along the Pee Dee River in this early voting state. Santee Cooper officials are awaiting a final permit from state environmental regulators." ... "Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, told about 150 people at a campus of Coastal Carolina University that coal-fired plants are "taking a bad situation and making it worse."" ... "He also said he was opposed to new nuclear power plants and that the U.S. has no credibility in global warming discussions. "We are the worst polluter on the planet," Edwards said." ... ""We have to have a president willing to stand up to the oil and gas industry," Edwards said." -By Page Ivey -AP via -Forbes

- Global - Climate - Wind - Earth's - Ice - Science
"Escalating Ice Loss Found in Antarctica: Sheets Melting in an Area Once Thought to Be Unaffected by Global Warming." ... "Climatic changes appear to be destabilizing vast ice sheets of western Antarctica that had previously seemed relatively protected from global warming, researchers reported yesterday, raising the prospect of faster sea-level rise than current estimates." ... "While the overall loss is a tiny fraction of the miles-deep ice that covers much of Antarctica, scientists said the new finding is important because the continent holds about 90 percent of Earth's ice, and until now, large-scale ice loss there had been limited to the peninsula that juts out toward the tip of South America. In addition, researchers found that the rate of ice loss in the affected areas has accelerated over the past 10 years -- as it has on most glaciers and ice sheets around the world." ... ""Without doubt, Antarctica as a whole is now losing ice yearly, and each year it's losing more," said Eric Rignot, lead author of a paper published online in the journal Nature Geoscience." ... "The Antarctic ice sheet is shrinking despite land temperatures for the continent remaining essentially unchanged, except for the fast-warming peninsula." ... "The cause, Rignot said, may be changes in the flow of the warmer water of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that circles much of the continent. Because of changed wind patterns and less-well-understood dynamics of the submerged current, its water is coming closer to land in some sectors and melting the edges of glaciers deep underwater." (1, 2) -By Marc Kaufman -WashingtonPost

- John Edwards - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - Government - Economy - Workers - Families - Alternative Energy - Consumer - 2008 Election
"Responding to Recession." ... "On the Democratic side, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards, although never the front-runner, has been driving his party’s policy agenda. He’s done it again on economic stimulus: last month, before the economic consensus turned as negative as it now has, he proposed a stimulus package including aid to unemployed workers, aid to cash-strapped state and local governments, public investment in alternative energy, and other measures." ... "Last week [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton offered a broadly similar but somewhat larger proposal. (It also includes aid to families having trouble paying heating bills, which seems like a clever way to put cash in the hands of people likely to spend it.) The Edwards and Clinton proposals both contain provisions for bigger stimulus if the economy worsens." ... "And you have to say that Mrs. Clinton seems comfortable with and knowledgeable about economic policy. I’m sure the Hillary-haters will find some reason that’s a bad thing, but there’s something to be said for presidents who know what they’re talking about." ... "The [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama campaign’s initial response to the latest wave of bad economic news was, I’m sorry to say, disreputable: Mr. Obama’s top economic adviser claimed that the long-term tax-cut plan the candidate announced months ago is just what we need to keep the slump from “morphing into a drastic decline in consumer spending.” Hmm: claiming that the candidate is all-seeing, and that a tax cut originally proposed for other reasons is also a recession-fighting measure — doesn’t that sound familiar?" ... "Anyway, on Sunday Mr. Obama came out with a real stimulus plan. As was the case with his health care plan, which fell short of universal coverage, his stimulus proposal is similar to those of the other Democratic candidates, but tilted to the right." ... "I know that Mr. Obama’s supporters hate to hear this, but he really is less progressive than his rivals on matters of domestic policy." -By Paul Krugman -NYTimes

- Tim Russert - Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - Civil Rights - History - Politics - 2008 Election - Illinois
"Russert falsely claimed to show "exactly what President Clinton said," aired truncated quotes from both Clintons." ... "Summary: After falsely asserting that he was showing viewers "exactly what [former Democratic] President Clinton said," referring to January 7 comments Bill Clinton made about [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Illinois Senator] Sen. Barack Obama, Tim Russert played a truncated quote from Clinton. In addition, Russert read a quote from The New York Times that truncated [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton's statement about civil rights, omitting her reference to President Kennedy." -MediaMatters.org

- Water - Torture - War Crimes - Politics - Military - Intelligence - Law
"Waterboarding would be torture to me: U.S. spy chief." ... "U.S. [United States] intelligence chief Mike McConnell said in a magazine interview that waterboarding would be torture if it was used against him personally, but stopped short of condemning the controversial interrogation technique." ... "McConnell, Director of National Intelligence [DNI], was quoted in the New Yorker edition released on Sunday as defining torture as "something that would cause excruciating pain."" ... "Asked if waterboarding -- the practice of covering a person's face with a cloth and then dripping water on it to bring on a feeling of drowning -- fit that definition, McConnell said that for him personally, it would." ... ""If I had water draining into my nose, oh God, I just can't imagine how painful!" McConnell said in the article. "Whether it's torture by anybody else's definition, for me it would be torture."" ... "[Republican] President Bush last year issued an executive order to allow the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] to use "enhanced interrogation techniques" that go beyond the rules adopted by the U.S. Army." (1, 2) -By Deborah Zabarenko with contributions Eric Walsh -Reuters

- US - Iraq - Law - Military - History - Oil - Money
"Iraq to reinstate Saddam party followers." ... "Iraq's parliament voted Saturday to allow some former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party to reclaim government jobs and said others could receive pensions but could not return to work." ... "The 275-seat parliament is still deadlocked over how to share the country's oil profits, constitutional amendments demanded by minority Sunni Arabs, and a bill spelling out rules for local elections." ... "The bill, approved Saturday by a unanimous show of hands, seeks to relax restrictions on the rights of members of the now-dissolved Baath party to fill government posts." ... "It is also designed to reinstate thousands of Baathists dismissed from government jobs after the U.S. [United States] invasion — a decision that deepened sectarian tensions between Iraq's majority Shiites and the once-dominant Sunni Arabs, who believed the firings targeted their community." ... "The strict implementation of so-called de-Baathification rules also meant that many senior bureaucrats who knew how to run ministries, university departments and state companies ended up unemployed in a country where 35 years of Baath party rule and extensive government involvement in the economy had left tens of thousands of party members in key positions." ... "That, coupled with the disbanding of the Iraqi army, threw tens of thousands of people out of work at a critical time in Iraq's history and fueled the burgeoning Sunni insurgency." -By Qassim Abdul-Zahra with contributions by Terence Hunt and Sameer N. Yacoub -AP via -Yahoo

- Hillary Clinton - Language - Race - Civil Rights - Law - History - Media - Politics - 2008 Election
"New York Times Keeps Running Truncated Version Of Hillary's Quote About Martin Luther King." ... "For the second time, the [The New York Times] paper has run a truncated version of something [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton said about Martin Luther King that has become a major campaign issue -- even though the full transcript has been available for days." ... "But as Josh [Marshall, editor and publisher of TPM Media,] pointed out on TPM the other day, here's Hillary's actual quote from the interview:

"I would point to the fact that that Dr. King's dream began to be realized when [Democratic] President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when he was able to get through Congress something that [Democratic] President Kennedy was hopeful to do, the President before had not even tried, but it took a president to get it done. That dream became a reality, the power of that dream became a real in people's lives because we had a president who said we are going to do it, and actually got it accomplished."

- Rudy Giuliani - 2008 Election - Politics - Florida
"Top Giuliani staffers to go without pay." ... "CNN has learned that top staff members of [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign were asked to work without pay for the month of January, and perhaps longer, so that campaign resources could be focused on the Florida Republican presidential primary." -By John King -CNN

- Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - US - Iraq - Military - History - 2008 Election
"Bill Clinton defends "fairy tale" remark on Obama." ... "Former [Democratic] President Bill Clinton said on Friday [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack Obama's bid to be president was no "fairy tale" and said his use of that phrase earlier in the week referred specifically to Obama's claims about his stance on the Iraq war." ... "The former president drew criticism for the "fairy tale" comment he made while campaigning in New Hampshire for his wife [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Hillary Clinton, Obama's main rival for the Democratic Party nomination in the November presidential election." ... ""Give me a break. This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen," Clinton had said in accusing Obama of distorting his stance on the war." ... "He stood by his comment as a response to Obama's argument that, unlike Hillary Clinton, he never voted to authorize the Iraq war in 2003 and had opposed it consistently since 2002." ... ""I pointed out that he had never been asked about his statement in 2004 that he didn't know how he would have voted on the war resolution," Bill Clinton said." ... ""It disproves the argument that he was always against it and everybody else was wrong and he was right."" (1, 2) -By Claudia Parsons and Thomas Ferraro, with contributions by Michelle Nichols and Jackie Frank -Reuters

- John Edwards - Peoples - Families - Lawyer - Corporate - Government - Drug Companies - Health Care - 2008 Election
"Corporate elite fear candidate Edwards." ... "Ask corporate lobbyists which presidential contender is most feared by their clients and the answer is almost always the same -- [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Democrat John Edwards." ... "His stump speeches are peppered with attacks on "corporate greed" and warnings of "the destruction of the middle class."" ... "He accuses lobbyists of "corrupting the government" and says Americans lack universal health care because of "drug companies, insurance companies and their lobbyists."" ... "An Edwards campaign spokesman said on Thursday that inside-the-Beltway operatives who fight to defend the powerful and the privileged should be afraid." ... ""The lobbyists and special interests who abuse the system in Washington have good reason to fear John Edwards." ... ""Once he is president, the interests of middle class families will never again take a back seat to corporate greed in Washington," said campaign spokesman Eric Schultz." ... "Open attacks on the business elite are seldom heard from mainstream White House candidates in America, despite skyrocketing CEO pay, rising income inequality, and a torrent of scandals in corporate boardrooms and on Wall Street." (1, 2, 3) -By Kevin Drawbaugh with contributions by John Wallace -Reuters

- Countrywide Financial Corp - Consumers - Homes - California - Employees
"Mozilo could reap $115 million: The Countrywide [home mortgage corporation] CEO's [Chief Executive Officer's] potential pay if his company is acquired rankles critics." ... "Countrywide Financial Corp. [Corporation] founder Angelo Mozilo, one of the nation's highest-paid chief executives, stands to reap $115 million in severance-related pay if his troubled company is acquired by Bank of America Corp., regulatory filings show." ... "Free rides on the company jet are also included in Mozilo's departure deal, and the company will pick up his country club bills until 2011." ... "Other executives, including Home Depot Inc.'s [Incorporated's] jettisoned CEO, Robert Nardelli, have garnered bigger going-away packages. But critics say Mozilo's arrangement is especially nettlesome given the losses that Countrywide investors have suffered in the last year. Company shares rallied Thursday to $7.75, up $2.63, but that's still down 82% from their high last year." ... ""He has driven the stock price into the ground and the company has been destroyed," [American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees director of pension and benefits policy Richard] Ferlauto said. "Their customers have lost their homes and he is potentially walking away with more than $100 million. For us, that's unconscionable enrichment."" ... "The [Los Angeles] Times reported last year that Mozilo made changes to his stock-trading arrangements that allowed him to ramp up his sales of company stock before Countrywide shares went into a tailspin." ... "Combining those sales with pay and previous gains on the sale of stock, Mozilo has taken more than $650 million out of Countrywide over the course of the last 10 years, Ferlauto said. Add in potential severance payments and the Calabasas[California]-based company would have enriched Mozilo to the tune of three-quarters of a billion dollars." -By Kathy M. Kristof -LAtimes

- Matt Blunt -E-Mails - Politics - Missouri - Computer - Archives - Media
"Governor Blunt Lawsuit." ... "A new lawsuit claims that some of [Missouri Republican] Governor Blunt's top aides instructed staffers to delete e-mails so that damaging information could not be released." ... "Blunt's former deputy counsel Scott Eckersley filed the suit Wednesday. Blunt fired Eckersley last September after he repeatedly told Blunt's aides that the governor's office was deleting e-mails in violation of state law." ... "The suit alleges that Blunt's aides repeatedly told general counsels to destroy e-mails so they could not be turned over to the media and the public." ... "The suit says "All emails should be deleted to ensure they did not have to provide such damaging evidence to the news media or the public in the future". It says Eckersley informed Blunt's aides that "E-mails were stored for a period of several years after deletion by the individual user and were available even if deleted by that user."" ... "The suit then claims that Blunt and his aides "Ordered that all these back-up e-mail computer tapes be destroyed"." -By Erika Thomas with contributions by Wale Aliyu -KOMU.com

- Opinion - Government - Money - History
"Moody’s says spending threatens US rating." ... "The US [United States] is at risk of losing its top-notch triple-A credit rating within a decade unless it takes radical action to curb soaring healthcare and social security spending, Moody’s, the credit rating agency, said on Thursday." ... "The warning over the future of the triple-A rating – granted to US government debt since it was first assessed in 1917 – reflects growing concerns over the country’s ability to retain its financial and economic supremacy. " -By Francesco Guerrera, Aline van Duyn and Daniel Pimlott -FT.com

- Matt Blunt - E-Mails - Politics - Missouri - Computer - Archives
"Blunt ducks questions about e-mail deletion lawsuit." ... "[Missouri Republican Governor] Gov. Matt Blunt ducked questions Thursday about a lawsuit alleging his office intentionally deleted e-mails in violation of open-records laws but defended the firing of the former staff attorney who sued him. A whistleblower and defamation lawsuit filed Wednesday by former Blunt attorney Scott Eckersley claims that top Blunt aides directed staff in his office and other agencies to destroy e-mails to avoid providing information sought under public records requests." -AP via -KansasCity.com

- John Ashcroft - Michael B Mukasey - Alberto R Gonzales - Debra Wong Yang - Criminal - Corporate - Government - Lawyers - US Attorneys - Politics - Medical- New Jersey - Indiana - New York - Los Angeles - California
"Ashcroft Deal Brings Scrutiny in Justice Dept.." ... "When the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey [Christopher J. Christie] needed to find an outside lawyer to monitor a large corporation willing to settle criminal charges out of court last fall, he turned to [Republican] former Attorney General John Ashcroft, his onetime boss. With no public notice and no bidding, the company awarded Mr. Ashcroft an 18-month contract worth $28 million to $52 million." ... "That contract, which Justice Department officials in Washington learned about only several weeks ago, has prompted an internal inquiry into the department’s procedures for selecting outside monitors to police settlements with large companies." ... "The contract between Mr. Ashcroft’s consulting firm, the Ashcroft Group, and Zimmer Holdings, a medical supply company in Indiana, has also drawn the attention of Congressional investigators." ... "The New Jersey prosecutor, United States Attorney Christopher J. Christie, directed similar monitoring contracts last year to two other former Justice Department colleagues from the [Republican President] Bush administration, as well as to a former Republican state attorney general in New Jersey." ... "Officials said that while there had been no accusations of wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Christie or Mr. Ashcroft, aides to Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey were concerned about the appearance of favoritism." ... "Mr. Mukasey, a former federal judge who was sworn in as attorney general in November, has vowed to remove political considerations from decision-making at the department in the wake of a series of scandals under his predecessor, Alberto R. Gonzales." ... "In the Bush administration, federal prosecutors have increasingly relied on out-of-court settlements with large corporations in criminal investigations that in the past might have resulted in indictments and trials." ... "Mr. Christie directed similar contracts in settlements with other medical-supply companies to two other former Justice Department colleagues — David N. Kelley, the former United States attorney in Manhattan [New York], and Debra Wong Yang, his counterpart in Los Angeles [California] — and to David Samson, the former Republican attorney general in New Jersey." (1, 2) -By Philip Shenon -NYTimes

- Secretive - Criminal - Government - Telephone - Surveillance - Intelligence - Law - Accounting - US - Foreign - Terrorism - Politics
"FBI Wiretaps Dropped Due to Unpaid Bills." ... "Telephone companies have cut off FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] wiretaps used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals because of the bureau's repeated failures to pay phone bills on time." ... "A Justice Department audit released Thursday blamed the lost connections on the FBI's lax oversight of money used in undercover investigations. Poor supervision of the program also allowed one agent to steal $25,000, the audit said." ... "In at least one case, a wiretap used in a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act investigation "was halted due to untimely payment," the audit found. FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] wiretaps are used in the government's most sensitive and secretive criminal investigations, and allow eavesdropping on suspected terrorists or spies." ... ""We also found that late payments have resulted in telecommunications carriers actually disconnecting phone lines established to deliver surveillance results to the FBI, resulting in lost evidence," according to the audit by Inspector General Glenn A. Fine." -By Lara Jakes Jordan -SFGate.com

- John McCain - Law - Investigation - Ralph Reed - Jack Abramoff - Grover Norquist - Tom DeLay - Secret - Corporate - Religion - History - Georgia - New Hampshire - 2008 Election - Television - Politics - Opinion
"Ralph Reed's New Role." ... "Eighteen months ago, the political career of Christian right golden boy [Republican] Ralph Reed came crashing down, a casualty of his role in the [Republican] Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. This week, Reed has found a new calling. He appeared on CNN during its New Hampshire primary coverage and again last night, labeled as a "GOP [Grand Old Party=Republican] political analyst."" ... "Reed sounded none too bullish about [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain's prospects going forward despite his big New Hampshire win. That's perhaps not surprising, given the long history between the two." ... "McCain, as chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, launched an investigation of Abramoff's tribal lobbying that turned up a mountain of e-mails, including some between Reed and Abramoff." ... "The e-mails revealed Abramoff's corrupt dealings with politicians, as well as conservative religious and advocacy groups. Reed often participated in Abramoff's business schemes, telling him in a 1998 e-mail after stepping down as head of the Christian Coalition: "I need to start humping in corporate accounts!"" ... "E-mails and testimony before McCain's panel showed that Reed, who once branded gambling a "cancer" on society, reaped millions of dollars in tribal casino proceeds that Abramoff secretly routed to him through various non-profit front groups. Abramoff, a lobbyist for the tribes, paid Reed to whip up "grassroots" Christian opposition to prevent rival tribes from opening casinos." ... "Abramoff sometimes routed his money to Reed through a group called Americans for Tax Reform, run by conservative anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist. Norquist lately has been attacking McCain's record on taxes, placing robo calls to voters in New Hampshire." ... "Reed's much-publicized role in the Abramoff scandal cost him the 2006 Republican primary for Georgia lieutenant governor--the first rung on what was widely expected to be a climb into national politics." ... "Former House majority leader [Republican] Tom DeLay, who left Congress and is still under investigation by the Justice Department in connection with the Abramoff probe, predicted to MSNBC's Chris Matthews that McCain won't fare well with conservatives in the South." -By Susan Schmidt -WashingtonPost

- US - Iran - Military - Radio - Intelligence - Video
"U.S.: Voices on Recording May Not Have Been From Iranian Speedboats: Chilling Threat Could Have Come From the Shore or Another Ship, Navy Says." ... "Just two days after the U.S. [United States] Navy released the eerie video of Iranian speedboats swarming around American warships, which featured a chilling threat in English, the Navy is saying that the voice on the tape could have come from the shore or from another ship." ... "The near-clash occurred over the weekend in the Strait of Hormuz. On the U.S.-released recording, a voice can be heard saying to the Americans, "I am coming to you. You will explode after a few minutes."" ... "The Navy never said specifically where the voices came from, but many were left with the impression they had come from the speedboats because of the way the Navy footage was edited." ... "The Iranians have denied using the threatening language and are saying U.S.-released video is fabricated." (1, 2) -By Martha Raddatz and Jonathan Karl -ABCNEWS.com

- Global - India - Car - Technology - Patents - Manufacturing
"Tata Unveils the World's Cheapest Car: The $2,500 Nano, met with extreme enthusiasm, will have lighter steel and innovative distribution. It also could further snarl India's roads." ... "It's called the Nano, for its high technology and small size. It's cute, compact, and contemporary. It's a complete four-door car with a 623-cc gas engine, gets 50 miles to the gallon, and seats up to five. It meets domestic emissions norms and will soon comply with European standards. It's 8% smaller in outer length than its closest rival, Suzuki's Maruti 800, but has 21% more volume inside. And at $2,500 before taxes (value-added taxes increase the price by about $300), it is the most inexpensive car in the world. Starting this fall, the Nano will roll off the assembly lines at a Tata Motors (TTM) plant in Singur, Bengal [India], and navigate India's potholed roads." ... "The Nano, also known as the People's Car, is Ratan Tata's dream come true, and is India's contribution to changing the global auto industry." ... "For the four years that the car has been in the making, Tata Motors, which makes trucks, sport-utility vehicles, and the Indica, India's second most popular car, has endured skepticism and disbelief (BusinessWeek.com, 1/3/08) from rivals both domestic and international." ... "Tata has filed 34 new patents on the Nano, says Girish Wagh, chief engineer and leader of the 500-man engineer and design team that created and developed the car. Most are in the engine; the Nano will have a two-cylinder, 30-hp engine with a four-speed manual transmission. Analysts say the true engine innovation will come next year, when Tata introduces the diesel version of the Nano." ... "Just like a bicycle, it will be sold in kits that are distributed and serviced by the entrepreneurs who will assemble it for the consumer." -By Manjeet Kripalani -BusinessWeek

- Bill Richardson - New Mexico - 2008 Election
"Richardson officially ends presidential bid." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson] "It is with great pride, understanding and acceptance that I am ending my campaign for President of the United States," Richardson said." ... "He praised his Democratic opponents, both individually and en masse." ... ""We, as Democrats, had the most talented field of candidates in my lifetime running to change the direction of our country," he said." ... "He declined, however, to endorse any of the other candidates." ... ""All I ask is that you make your own, independent choice with the same care and dedication to this country that you honored me with during this campaign," Richardson said." -BizJournals

- US - Iraq - Blackwater - Corporate - Military
"2005 Use of Gas by Blackwater Leaves Questions." ... "The helicopter was hovering over a Baghdad checkpoint into the Green Zone, one typically crowded with cars, Iraqi civilians and United States military personnel." ... "Suddenly, on that May day in 2005, the copter dropped CS gas [o-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile], a riot-control substance the American military in Iraq can use only under the strictest conditions and with the approval of top military commanders. An armored vehicle on the ground also released the gas, temporarily blinding drivers, passers-by and at least 10 American soldiers operating the checkpoint." ... "“This was decidedly uncool and very, very dangerous,” Capt. [Captain] Kincy Clark of the Army, the senior officer at the scene, wrote later that day. “It’s not a good thing to cause soldiers who are standing guard against car bombs, snipers and suicide bombers to cover their faces, choke, cough and otherwise degrade our awareness.”" ... "Both the helicopter and the vehicle involved in the incident at the Assassins’ Gate checkpoint were not from the United States military, but were part of a convoy operated by Blackwater Worldwide, the private security contractor that is under scrutiny for its role in a series of violent episodes in Iraq, including a September shooting in downtown Baghdad [Iraq's capital] that left 17 Iraqis dead." ... "Officers and noncommissioned officers from the Third Infantry Division who were involved in the episode said there were no signs of violence at the checkpoint. Instead, they said, the Blackwater convoy appeared to be stuck in traffic and may have been trying to use the riot-control agent as a way to clear a path." ... "“It just seemed incredibly stupid,” he [Captain Clark] wrote. “The only thing we could figure out was for some reason, one of them figured that CS would somehow clear traffic. Why someone would think a substance that makes your eyes water, nose burn and face hurt would make a driver do anything other than stop is beyond me.”" (1, 2) -By James Risen -NYTimes

- US - Afghanistan - Iraq
"3,000 Marines could be headed to Afghanistan." ... "The Pentagon has received a U.S. [United States] Central Command request to send roughly 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan to bolster the combat troop-strapped NATO force and counter a possible spring offensive by Taliban insurgents." ... "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who has expressed concern that six years of progress in Afghanistan could be reversed if NATO efforts falter, is expected to begin considering the request beginning Friday. He is not, however, expected to make a snap decision, according to press secretary Geoff Morrell." ... "The NATO International Security Assistance Force, now roughly 41,700 troops — 14,000 of them U.S. — bolsters efforts by the Afghan army and police forces to provide security and stability in war-torn country so its young government can rebuild and become more economically secure. A parallel effort by the U.S.-led Combined Joint Task Force 82 — 12,000 U.S. and 1,200 other coalition troops — focuses on defeating anti-government extremists." ... "Morrell said no units have been identified, but that they would not be drawn from neighboring Iraq. Late last year, Gates rejected a Marine Corps proposal to move Marine units from Iraq’s Anbar province to Afghanistan. The security situation in Anbar, while much improved over the past year, “remains tenuous,” Morrell said." ... "Violence increased markedly over the past 18 months in Afghanistan, particularly in the south — the result, U.S. officials say, of renewed Taliban assaults. But the new proposal is not a reaction to that increase but rather, Morrell said, “more a move in anticipation of what we expect to be another attempt at a Taliban spring offensive.” The idea is to get the Marines in place “to prevent, as we did last spring, another attempt by the Taliban to come back.”" -By William H. McMichael with contributions by Andrew Scutro and Trista Talton -ArmyTimes.com

- John Doolittle - Jack Abramoff -Brent Wilkes - Randy Cunningham - Military - Government - Money - Politics - San Diego - California
"Lawmaker Tied to Abramoff to Retire." ... "[Republican] Representative John Doolittle of California, once a rising star in the Republican Party but more recently under investigation in a scandal involving the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, announced his retirement from Congress on Thursday, declaring that it was time for a new chapter in his life." ... "He stepped down last April from the powerful Appropriations Committee after he was linked to three inquiries involving accusations that panel members accepted bribes or campaign contributions in exchange for earmarking federal money to certain projects." ... "Mr. Doolittle has also been under scrutiny for the role that Mrs. Doolittle has played as a fund-raiser for her husband. Under the arrangement, the Doolittles kept some of the contributions given to his campaign committees, blurring the distinction between personal and campaign contributions." ... "Finally, Mr. Doolittle is under investigation for his ties to Brent Wilkes, a San Diego [California] military contractor who was convicted in November of 13 felonies related to the bribery of former Representative Randy Cunningham, another California Republican." -By David Stout -NYTimes

- Matt Blunt - E-Mails - Politics - Missouri - Computer - Archives - Reporters
"Suit alleges illegal destruction of state e-mails." ... "Scott Eckersley, a lawyer fired from [Missouri Republican Governor] Gov. Matt Blunt's office, filed a suit today that accuses several top Blunt aides of ordering the illegal destruction of state e-mails to prevent potentially damaging messages from being turned over to reporters." ... "The suit contends that Eckersley was fired for repeatedly pressing Blunt aides with warnings that such orders violated state record-retention and open-records laws. Eckersley's firing violated state law protecting whistle-blowers, according to the lawsuit." ... "Filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, the suit names Blunt, three former or current top aides and the deputy Office of Administration commissioner, Richard AuBuchon." ... "The suit includes allegations about a meeting convened last summer by Blunt's general counsel at the time, Henry Herschel. At the meeting, the suit contends, Herschel told lawyers for all departments under the governor that e-mails about state business "would not have to be turned over in response to Sunshine Law requests if they were destroyed and not retained."" ... "The suit also contends that Blunt's chief of staff at the time, Ed Martin, ordered all staff members to make sure they were deleting e-mails. Martin and other top Blunt aides also are accused of orchestrating the destruction of the state's computer backup system for such e-mails." -By Jo Mannies -STLtoday.com

- US - Iraq - Blackwater - Government - Politics - Human Rights - Law - Michigan
"Blackwater USA steps up lobbying efforts." ... "Private-security contractor Blackwater Worldwide, which protects U.S. [United States] government officials in Iraq and faces scrutiny over its role in the shooting deaths of Iraqi civilians, has ramped up its lobbying representation on Capitol Hill." ... "Law firm Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice was tapped by the company, whose chairman is Erik Prince, a Holland [Michigan] native. They've been hired to lobby the government on contracting and other issues, according to the form posted online Tuesday by the Senate's public records office." ... "The company has attracted considerable congressional scrutiny and criticism from the Iraqi government and human rights groups for its involvement in several dozen shooting incidents." ... "Prince, a former Navy SEAL, is a Holland native whose family fortune was made in the auto parts industry. His sister, Betsy DeVos, a former chairwoman of the Michigan GOP [Grand Old Party=Republican], is married to Dick DeVos, a Republican and Amway Corp. heir who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2006." -AP via -MLive.com

- Oil - History
"Heating oil price hits record for 4th week." ... "The U.S. [United States] average retail price for home heating oil soared 5.4 cents over the past week to a record $3.40 a gallon, the government said on Wednesday." ... "The national heating oil price was up 98 cents from a year ago, the U.S. Energy Information Administration [EIA] said in its weekly survey of heating fuel costs around the country. It was the fourth week in a row that heating oil hit a record." ... "Heating oil prices are rising because of higher crude oil costs, which topped at a record above $100 a barrel last week, and tight supplies." -By Tom Doggett -AP via -Yahoo

- US - Iraq - Military -  -World - Health - Science - Accounting
"Study: 151,000 Iraqis died in 3 years after U.S. invasion." ... "About 151,000 Iraqis died from violence in the three years after the United States invaded, concludes the best effort yet to count deaths — one that still may not settle the fierce debate over the war's true toll on civilians and others." ... "The estimate comes from projections by the World Health Organization and the Iraqi government, based on door-to-door surveys of nearly 10,000 households. Experts called it the largest and most scientific study of the Iraqi death toll since the war began." ... "Its bottom line is far lower than the 600,000 deaths reported in an earlier study but higher than numbers from other groups tracking the count." ... "The new estimate covers a period from the start of the war in March 2003 through June 2006. It closely mirrors the tally Iraq's health minister gave in late 2006, based on 100 bodies a day arriving at morgues and hospitals." ... "Les Roberts, a Columbia University epidemiologist involved in an even earlier survey in 2004 when he was at Johns Hopkins, believes the new toll is too low." ... ""This is consistent with family members not wanting to tell the government about violent deaths," he said." -AP via -USATODAY

- Declassified - US - Government - Vietnam - Military - Intelligence - Wireless - Radio - Electronic - Communications
"Declassified study puts Vietnam events in new light: US [United States] signals intelligence [SIGINT] during the war came up short in major turning points, according to an NSA [National Security Agency] history." ... "US signals intelligence – the much-vaunted ability of American military and spy units to eavesdrop on the radio calls and other electronic communications of an adversary – failed at crucial moments during the Vietnam War, according to a just-declassified National Security Agency history of the effort." ... "The 10,000 cryptographers and other signals personnel in Southeast Asia at the time did not predict the start of the Tet offensive on Jan. 31, 1968. Prior to that, signals intelligence may have actually misled [Democratic] President Johnson and other top policymakers about the nature of the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident, in which a supposed North Vietnamese attack on US forces triggered a major escalation in the war." ... "US eavesdroppers had many successes during the war, according to the lengthy document, particularly in picking up the tactical communications of North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters in the field." ... "But when it comes to major events, signals intelligence is not magic, as the history makes clear. That is a point current policymakers would do well to remember as they struggle to interpret intelligence dealing with the complex modern problems of nuclear proliferation and Islamist extremism." ... "In both the Tet and Gulf of Tonkin cases, "critical information was mishandled, misinterpreted, lost, or ignored," writes NSA historian Robert Hanyok in the agency history. " -By Peter Grier -CSMonitor
SEE: "Spartans in Darkness: American SIGINT and the Indochina War, 1945-1975." -Robert J. Hanyok 2002 NSA Document via FAS.org

- Employment - Housing
"Wall Street Is Seeing More Signs Of Recession." ... "Goldman Sachs became the latest Wall Street firm to predict that the U.S. economy will drop into recession this year, saying the Federal Reserve will have to cut interest rates to 2.5 percent by the third quarter as a result." ... ""Over the past few months, we have become increasingly concerned that the US housing and credit market downturn would trigger not just a growth slowdown and substantial Fed easing -- our long-standing view -- but also an outright recession," Goldman Sachs said in a note to clients Wednesday. "The latest data suggest that recession has now arrived, or will very shortly."" ... "The recent rise in unemployment is particularly worrisome, Goldman indicated." ... "Merrill Lynch North American Economist David Rosenberg said the U.S. had entered its first-blown recession in 16 years." -CNBC

- John Doolittle - Jack Abramoff - Calif - Lawmaker - Investigated - Va - 2008 Election
"GOP officials urging embattled Calif. Rep. Doolittle not to seek reele[ction]." ... "As speculation mounts about his future, [California Republican Representative] Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) is being urged by friends and colleagues not to seek reelection [2008 Election]." ... "Republican operatives fear that if Doolittle does not retire at the end of this Congress and survives what would be a bruising GOP [Grand Old Party=Republican] primary, they will lose the nine-term lawmaker’s seat. Doolittle is under an ethics cloud, having had his Virginia house investigated by the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] last year. Several prominent Republicans are seeking to defeat him in the primary." ... "The FBI raided his Oakton, Va. [Virginia], home in an attempt to gain information about Sierra Dominion, a fundraising company operated by his wife, Julie, that received payments from Jack Abramoff." -By Jackie Kucinich with contributions by Susan Crabtree and Aaron Blake -TheHill.com

- Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama - John Edwards - Bill Richardson - Dennis Kucinich - New Hampshire - 2008 Election
"Clinton Stuns Political World With New Hampshire Win." ... "Hillary Clinton's 39%-37% win over Barack Obama in New Hampshire caught almost everyone by surprise last night particularly pollsters, who had universally forecast a comfortable Obama win. With 96% of precincts reporting, John Edwards placed a distant 3rd with 17%, followed by Bill Richardson with 5% and Dennis Kucinich with 1%, according to CNN's numbers. This morning, media reports are describing the New York senator's upset win as a startling political event. The Politico reports the primary's outcome "made fools of the pollsters, pundits, operatives and even some people in her own campaign who had predicted her imminent demise." The AP calls it a "startling upset," one that resurrects Clinton's "bid for the White House." Exit polls, adds the AP, suggest Clinton's win was cemented on the support of female voters, who "deserted her last week" in Iowa and "returned to her column in New Hampshire." Clinton also "was winning handily among registered Democrats. Obama led her by an even larger margin" than in Iowa "among independents, but he suffered from a falloff in turnout among young voters." The New York Times also reports Clinton "rode a wave of female support" to victory, adding "several New Hampshire women, some of them undecided until Tuesday, said that a galvanizing moment for them had been Mrs. Clinton's unusual display of emotion on Monday as she described the pressures of the race and her goals for the nation -- a moment Mrs. Clinton herself acknowledged as a breakthrough."" -USNews.com

- John McCain - Mitt Romney - Mike Huckabee - Rudy Giuliani -